My Little Rider: Friendship is Joker

by lilAngel

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Other, Science Fiction, Suicide / Self Harm, Violence, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Death, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Drama
Length: 290653

(Crossover / AU story). What if the Elements of Harmony weren't just elements. What if they were also Gaia Memories, and using them required two ponies to fight as one?

A crossover with Kamen Rider W - but I think it should make sense even if you don't know that show. Please, give it a chance and let me know if there's enough explanation?

What if the Elements of Harmony weren't as easy to use; what if they changed for every new bearer, and Celestia couldn't advise her faithful student on how to use the ones she and her friends had obtained? What if calling out the full power of the elements required riding with the devil, and two ponies could be a single Champion of Harmony?

Now with rewritten and improved first chapter
I'm no good at art, and my stylus stopped working. Anyone can help with better art?

Published 2015-11-20 04:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-12-11 11:43:19 UTC

Episode 2 - ‘M’ is also for ‘Mayhem’

Author's Note

Thanks to twilight for editing on this chapter; but don't blame her if any mistakes crept through. I suspect this isn't how you were expecting the battle to go, but hope you won't be too disappointed :)

Episode 2 - ‘M’ is also for ‘Mayhem’

It was only a few weeks after the events of the Summer Sun Celebration, and earlier in the day everypony had still been joyful over the re-sealing of Nightmare Moon. But Ponyville only got a short respite, and now the town was in chaos again. Ponies were running in every direction in the streets, collecting and distributing all the buckets of water they could find as a dozen mysterious fires raised a plume of smoke above the town. At the same time, just as many people were screaming and running away from the conflagrations, which proved ultimately fruitless when there were fires in every direction.

One place that was calm was the Golden Oak Library. There was no fire in there, and it wasn’t a major source of water either, so the panicked herds in the streets saw no reason to open the doors of the once-great institution. It wasn’t entirely empty, though. There was a timid pegasus mare sitting in the middle of the room, flinching and cowering under the librarian’s desk every time there was a shout from outside or the distant crash of falling masonry. Two of her friends – one unicorn and one earth pony – paced anxiously back and forth, not entirely sure why they were there.

“Why are you hidin’ in the library and not putting those fires out?” Applejack barked as she completed another circuit of the room. Fluttershy just ducked further under the desk, saying nothing.

“The same reason as you, I suspect,” Rarity glared back, “This isn’t a normal fire, so many buildings consumed at once in different parts of the town. It felt like there’s some evil influence growing, and my instinctive response was that the Elements of Harmony might be needed to restore peace.”

“If that’s right,” Applejack turned her head away as she said it, managing to convey that she wasn’t quite sure even if her own instincts had brought her here, “Then there needs to be six of us. We ain’t got six. Rainbow Dash is trying to gather a whole bunch of weather ponies to see if they can call up a waterspout, and that Twilight’s gone back to Canterlot and left –” She was cut off in a burst of magenta light, and suddenly Twilight Sparkle was right in front of them, balanced precariously on the edge of the desk.

“Sorry I’m late,” she gasped, “I only just–” and then the unexpected fatigue of teleporting all the way across the country, combined with the slight misjudgement of her destination, caused her to slip and land heavily on the floor. It took way too long for her and Fluttershy to pick themselves up from a tangle of bruised wings and hooves, and Applejack was already getting impatient.

“Right,” she announced as soon as she thought everypony might be paying attention, “Twilight, you must’ve heard there’s fires all over the place. I don’t know if there’s some magic evil mare behind this but we need to…”

“The Princess called it a dopant,” Twilight interrupted, “It’s created by a magic crystal called a Gaia Memory, that works the same way as the Elements of Harmony. It’s fascinating, but I haven’t got time to –”

“Right,” Applejack produced a long, slim crystal from her saddlebags and held it up, “You stab the pointy end into your flank, right? I keep feeling that’s the way to –”

“HONESTY” an echoing, almost musical voice came from the crystal, cutting off the two mares from their back-and-forth interruption of each other. Fluttershy hunkered down under the desk again, eyes darting between her friends.

“NO!” Twilight shouted at almost the same time, “If you do that, you turn into a dopant too. I think. We need to use two together, so the power of the Memories balances each other out. That’s where the Harmony comes in –”

“Enough!” Rarity strode between the two of them, “This is taking too long, both of you. Stop interrupting, stop second guessing, and you don’t need to tell us every detail right now. Just how do we use these things?”

“With this,” Twilight produced a thick belt and secured it around her abdomen, a buckle with a couple of tubes on resting on her flank. Tubes just the right size to take the long thin crystals that were the Elements of Harmony, as Twilight quickly demonstrated by inserting her own violet crystal. “It’s called the Driver.”

“JOKER” the crystal announced. Around them, the world shimmered like the reflection in a pond, and out of nowhere Fluttershy and Rarity had identical Drivers on their hips.

“Hey, where’s mine?” Applejack protested, before the sense of urgency made her back down.

Rarity brandished her Element of Generosity, the slim magenta crystal glittering in the light as her magic turned it dramatically over and over. She knew that she was wasting valuable seconds by posing, but that was better than letting her friends see her pause as she looked at Twilight’s driver, checking which way around the Elements were supposed to go.

“Should I…” Fluttershy mumbled, still unsure about how this was supposed to help fight fires or save all her friends. But everypony who knew her well was confident she’d be ready when they really needed her. She fumbled with the pink crystal, looking between it and the Driver nervously for a second or two. Then as quickly as they had appeared, both of their Drivers had gone.

Twilight didn’t worry. She could feel the weight of a second crystal fading into view in her Driver at the same time the other two disappeared. So this thing could allow her to use the power of two elements at once, that was exciting in its own right. She reared up and used a hoof, rather than her magic, to twist the switch that connected the Driver’s two tubes. When they were set at right angles to each other like that, it looked kind of like she was wearing a metallic letter ‘W’ on her flank. Confirming that she was acting correctly, the two crystals spoke again. The added harmonies seemed to add to the air of authority in the voice, and the sound seemed to fill the room.

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!” sparks of magical energy curled around Twilight, and she could feel the power of the two elements filling her body. A sphere of dazzling light formed around her, bright enough to make everypony avert their eyes.

Applejack was the first to open her eyes, and the sight before her was both amazing and bizarre. The pony in the centre of the room was clearly a Champion of Harmony now, dressed in blue and violet armour that looked both more imposing and more streamlined than that of the royal guards. For once she was lost for words, and there was silence in the library until Rarity found her tongue.

“Pinkie? What are you doing here? Twilight was just–” but it seemed nopony could finish a sentence without being interrupted in this morning’s panic.

“I know, it’s amazing, isn’t it?” Pinkie babbled excitably, “I was just carrying a bucket of water and then suddenly I’ve got this weird crown thing, except it’s on my flank. And as soon as I pushed my Gaia Memory into it, we’re all here together!”

“Huh?” Fluttershy mumbled, confusion overruling her normal reticence, “Why is Twilight speaking in Pinkie’s voice?” Then the armoured pony turned around, and both Fluttershy and Rarity joined Applejack’s dumbfounded silence. The Champion was both familiar and strange, with a thin band of silver and gold braid running right down the centre of her face and body. Her coat, her mane, even the brightly coloured metal panels of the armour, were starkly different on the two sides. It was like something you’d see in a funhouse mirror, and yet she was standing right in front of them. The right half of Pinkie Pie, joined to Twilight Sparkle’s left.

“This is kind of weird,” Twilight was the first to recover from her shock and interrupt Pinkie’s babble, “But I feel so powerful, I can’t even describe it. I wonder if this is the sum of our two strengths, or if earth–”

“Less talk, more fighting evil!” Pinkie cut in, and this time nobody had anything more urgent to say. The strange hybrid warrior ran towards the door, stumbling only slightly as they both tried to run but chose slightly different paths around the furniture in the way.

Twilight initially worried that sharing half of her body with Pinkie would be like running a six-legged race. But it seemed either of them could run as normal, and it was only when they tried to do different things that she ended up in control of only her left legs. Running with this more powerful body turned out to be a more interesting experience, and they could leap effortlessly over the carts at a crowded intersection.

(“This is awesome!” Pinkie Pie couldn’t stop babbling about how much she was enjoying the experience, especially after discovering that the two ponies could hear each other’s thoughts and she didn’t need to waste breath speaking.)

(“Just so long as we get there in time,” Twilight muttered in response, “We’ve got a potentially possessed pony to deal with.”)

She needn’t have worried, though. Seconds later Pinkie vaulted them over a wing of a burning building and they were perfectly placed to see a huge stallion kick through the back wall as if he was knocking over a sandcastle.

The arsonist was the size of a horse, and his coat had a texture like rough-cut stone. Red fire glowed through the cracks in the armour, and he was surrounded by an intense heat haze. He stopped for a moment and growled at them, before striding off towards his next target, fires blazing in the cracked ground wherever his hooves had touched.

“Stop!” Twinkie yelled, both halves acting together.

(“We’re thinking of ourself as Twinkie now? Whose idea was that?”)

(“I don’t know, but I love it!” Pinkie inwardly squealed in excitement, “I’ll stop this guy, leave it to me!”)

It wasn’t easy to tell who was making the decisions in the heat of the moment, but the half-and-half champion of Harmony leapt at the blazing monstrosity and struck hard with their forehooves. They had the strength of two ponies combined, plus the power of the driver itself, multiplied by the enhanced strength of an earth pony; rocky skin cracked at the first touch, and chunks of red-hot gravel scattered across the alley.

The monster roared in pain, but its discomfort rapidly turned to rage as it turned around to face them. Where its flank was injured, liquid magma flowed up to the surface and hardened, and in a second it looked as strong as ever. It was possible there could be words in the sounds it was making, but it was more like the screeching of some wild beast. Then it flexed its muscles, and flames rippled around the whole surface of the creature. Twinkie swung at it again, knocking off more igneous gravel, but yelped and jerked her burned hoof away.

(“Yow! Be careful, that’s my hoof!”)

(“Have you got any better ideas? Does this thing come with any special magical attack stuff, like making us fireproof?”)

(“How about magic?”)

Twilight focused her will through her horn, wondering if she could still use it while she was only half a unicorn. It was amazingly little effort to lift a fallen block from the blazing building’s wall and hurl it towards the dopant. Pinkie blathered needlessly in their head about how weird it felt, how she’d never used magic before. But the sensation was strange to both of them; whether the earth pony’s enhanced strength was applied to telekinetic lifting as well, or whether it was just the driver making the two of them stronger in every way, a hunk of stone larger than herself felt as light as a feather. While the dopant was still reeling from the impact, another block wreathed in a banded blue and magenta aura slammed into the back of its head.

For a while it looked like they were winning, and the thing’s fiery aura died down a little with every strike. Then it managed to dodge just once, gaining enough thinking time to change its tactics. The giant horse gave a growl of concentration, and fire spread out from its hooves, the ground becoming white hot. Twinkie’s next shot shattered harmlessly against a sudden miniature volcano, and the monster was thrown into the air, where its weight didn’t seem to stop it gliding on a cloud of smoke and steam.

(“That’s not fair!” Pinkie protested)

(“Nopony said it would be fair. You concentrate on running, I’ll throw rocks at him and try to knock him down.”)

It was easier said than done. The flying dopant could easily cross over buildings that were both intact, and too tall for even a super-strong double pony to leap over. And now there was an incandescent monster in the sky, anypony who wasn’t already helping to fight fires was in the way pointing and gawping. Some were even trying to take pictures as Twinkie surged past. They attracted their own crowd of curious onlookers, those who had time to notice the chimeric pony.

(“Can you maybe grab his legs and pull him down?” Pinkie suggested. She didn’t have the experience with magic to attempt it on her own just yet)

(“He’s dodging too much. Maybe if we were two unicorns able to coordinate our magic, but…”)

(“We can practise that later. Right now, we need to get that dopant out of the sky!”)

“Hey!” a familiar voice called from their right, “You’re fighting that monster on your own? Wait… you’ve got a horn, Pinkie?”

“Power of the Elements,” Twinkie explained, turning to glance at Rainbow Dash without slowing down. The rainbow-maned pegasus stared in shock as she saw Twilight’s half of their face, and soared into a stationary cart with a loud crash. It only took her a moment to catch up, though.

“Can I do that too? With my Element? I could catch up to that thing no problem, but I already found out I can’t kick it. Thought maybe a few weather ponies could call up a deluge to damp the flames if he stays in one place long enough. But if I had magic too…”

“Good thought,” Twinkie decided together, “We’ll have to stop a second to give you the driver, but…” but as Twilight’s hoof went back towards the driver, thinking she would have to switch off the driver in order to pass it over, the Element of Joker leapt out right where she could catch it. They saw a ghostly driver shimmer into being on Dash’s flank, and realised they probably didn’t even need to stop. “Fine. Stick your Element in the tube.”

“LOYALTY!”

Rainbow Dash complied in a characteristically showy manner. She pulled out her Element and tossed it into the air in front of her, darting forward suddenly to swipe her hip out and catch it in the driver. At that point nopony knew quite what would happen, but the change went as smoothly as they could have imagined.

“LAUGHTERᏔLOYALTY!”

For an instant Twilight Sparkle was running in thin air, then dropped into a fortuitously placed hay cart. Below the left half of the armoured champion crackled with arcane fire for a second, as she changed from lavender coat and purple metal armour to pale blue with iridescent crystalline plates.

“It teleports me to where Rainbow Dash is?” Twilight muttered as she watched them vanish into the distance, “Need to remember that. Make sure not to do this when she’s higher off the ground.” Then the exhaustion of the last few minutes fighting finally hit her, and she fell asleep in her pile of hay.

(“Hey! What just happened?” Rainbow Dash sounded panicked in her thoughts, but knew she’d be able to present her normal confidence and bluster before she said anything out loud)

(“Don’t worry Dashie!” She couldn’t make out where Pinkie’s voice was coming from, but that wasn’t the biggest issue right now, “The two of us are a single Champion of Harmony!”)

(“What does that even mean?” Dash glanced down at her running hooves, and saw one her usual colour and one with a familiar pink coat, “We’re stuck together?” It was a real effort not to panic, but as soon as she glanced up again she saw that they were still chasing the monster that had set half the town ablaze. “Okay, let’s beat that jerk to a pulp, then you got to tell me what the hay is going on.”)

Rainbow Pie leapt into the air, not giving a second thought to a name that seemed to come so naturally, and then found that her wings seemed as nimble as ever. There was a sense of being more powerful, if that was even possible. Pinkie’s part of their shared mind was already used to the increased strength, but it was all new to Rainbow and she could feel her friend’s amazement and exhilaration.

(“The Elements of Harmony are actually these things called Gaia Memories,” she tried to get in at least the basics of the explanation as quickly as possible, “But there’s evil Gaia Memories as well, and one of them turned that pony into a monster. Working together we’ve got earth pony strength and pegasus flight powers, as well as both our special talents, so we should be able to knock him out, and then we take the Memory somewhere safe so Twilight can study it.”)

(“Well I can catch up with it no trouble,” Rainbow Dash couldn’t help boasting a little, though she was fully aware both of them could feel how hard she was pushing herself to get closer to the flaming pony’s unpredictable combination of kicks and rocket jumps, “You can throw it a party, maybe? Hey, we could pretend that thing’s a piñata! Or have you got a talent you never told us about, making weapons or something?”)

There was a moment’s silence in the Champion’s shared mind. Rainbow Dash knew she’d gone too far, making what she’d intended as a joke come out more like an insult of her friend’s talent. Pinkie wasn’t offended though, she could feel the intent behind Rainbow’s words. As long as they were connected like this, it might be impossible to say the wrong thing.

(“I can think of something we can use as a –”)

(“You’re joking! We can’t seriously…”)

(“If we’re so much stronger, then maybe –”)

(“Not until we have no other options. Let’s try the piñata thing.”)

Treating the rampaging monster like a punching bag seemed surprisingly effective. They had Rainbow Dash’s wings and flying speed, so as soon as the thing paused a moment without dodging they were on it. Then a two-hoofed kick sent chunks of hot stone raining down on the buildings below. They kept on beating it, with strength greater than any pony who ever lived breaking away one layer of rock after another. Pinkie knew already that they just needed to keep kicking, and not give it time to try any dirty tricks, or to regenerate its molten hide.

Dirty tricks like lashing them with its tail, which almost seemed to be made of liquid fire. They were slammed back against the wall of a house, which cracked with the force of the blow. The armour must be more substantial than it looked, because though their body felt bruised they didn’t suffer any serious injury. Unfortunately, Rainbow Pie was still stunned long enough for the dopant to give a roar of rage at the sky, and dive into a café to start yet another fire.

“Why’s he so angry?” Rainbow Dash found with some relief that she could still speak, and that sharing half of her mouth with Pinkie didn’t affect her voice at all. Speaking in your own head was fine, but some sentiments needed to be voiced aloud, “That guy seriously needs to chill out.”

(“I think the Gaia Memory amplifies negative emotions and feeds off them, or something. So it’s made his hate so powerful that he can’t feel anything else,” Pinkie explained, though she only had a vague sense of the knowledge she’d somehow gained from Twilight. But saying it made it more obvious to her just what a terrible thing that must be. “Wow, that’s really bad. We need to show him what it’s like to have fun again.”)

(“No, Pinkie, that’s crazy –”)

(“We’re doing this!” the tone of the thought left no room for argument)

Rainbow Dash tried to hold back, to argue that they should do something else, but to be honest she didn’t have any better ideas. And with their minds so close together, Pinkie’s enthusiasm was even more infectious than usual. She used her skill with her wings to rush straight at the dopant and then swoop round it, a couple of dizzying plunges. It lashed out at them again, trying to singe their wings, but couldn’t react fast enough to get a clear shot. Then it saw the bipartite pony taking a momentary breather in the doorway of a house, where they couldn’t dodge so easily.

Sunlit Plain felt a momentary pang of satisfaction in knowing that the annoying hero couldn’t get away this time. It was a satisfaction he’d been missing, in all the homes of his enemies that he trashed. But then the Memory inside him crushed even the tiniest flicker of happiness, allowing him to feel only anger. But as he came closer, they turned to face him holding something huge that he didn’t recognise. From their pose, he could only assume it was a weapon of some kind.

To any observer, it might have seemed like Rainbow Pie was suddenly in two places at once, if only for a fraction of a second. Those who’d seen Pinkie’s party cannon before recoiled as they recognised it, but it was ornamented with more of the same glittering blue metal that made up her armour, and looked a lot less friendly. And as she levelled it at the monster, Rainbow Dash seemed to be inside the weapon, with her armour configured to make her fit more snugly. And then the illusion was broken. The air around the monster was filled with streamers, glitter, balloons, and cake, while a rainbow as bright as a thunderbolt went straight through the centre.

Sunlit Plain didn’t know what to expect. He certainly wasn’t ready for being in the middle of what seemed to be a whole party flying through the air. But as he narrowly managed to avoid a pie in the face, he remembered the last time he’d seen that cannon. He hadn’t thought much about it at the time, it had been a little thing in the corner of the room, not a glittering red and blue monstrosity that looked like it could decorate a city. He hadn’t even asked what it was for at the time, because the whole office had been decorated moments before he arrived. He’d come into work hungover again, half an hour late, and suddenly everyone was leaping out and yelling ‘surprise’. That had been an incredible day for him, and even more amazing that the whole group had managed to meet their deadlines,but every single pony had found time to come over and give him a thoughtful present. Not major things, but he still had the paperclip holder from Paper Wait, and probably many of the others too. Tiny trophies in recognition of the little things he’d done to make life easier for others through the year.

That’s when he realised that he’d been letting anger cloud his judgement too much. He’d made mistakes, and he’d had three chances to keep his job. People noticed the things he did, both good and bad, but all he could think about in his anger was the times someone hadn’t said “thank you” right away, or the days his friends were rushed with their own work. Straight away, he could feel the Magma Memory burning in his flank, the flame-decorated letter ‘M’ that had replaced his cutie mark stinging as if a giant hornet had bitten him. The rage in his mind grew again, showing him a parade of all the worst moments, images of other ponies treating him the way he sometimes thought he deserved. A party on one day couldn’t make up for a whole career of people taking advantage of his good nature, borrowing his paperclips rather than going down to stores just because he hadn’t got into the office yet. He could feel the fever washing over him again, poisoning every positive emotion until all that was left would be revenge. And they would deserve it too…

The whole stream of thoughts, happy memories and then the Gaia Memory taking over again, took less than half a second as he spun amid the turbulence from the decorations. A rainbow shot right through him, colouring the air around him in a prism of every imaginable colour, and then as he looked upwards along it, there was a pony speeding towards him with both hooves outstretched, faster than he could possibly see. A rainbow-maned pegasus, decked out in red crystal armour with rainbows wreathing the iridescent edges of each plate. And the largest piece right in the centre of her forehead, lowered like a charging buffalo. Magma could have shrugged it off, reconstructed his skin from liquid rock after any amount of damage. But in that instant he was fighting against the unnatural influence, not channeling his bile.

Rainbow Pie slumped to the ground, exhausted by whatever that attack had been. party decorations rained down all around them, as did fragments of rock that were fading now from white hot to merely red hot. Sunlit Plain hit the ground hard, a grunt of pain escaping his mouth and a long, dark red crystal being thrown free of his rump as if dislodged by the impact. There was a distinct ‘plink’ sound, even above the rest of the debris landing, as the Gaia Memory shattered in the air.

The street was filled with decorations now, and many of them had even managed to hang on nearby buildings. The whole scene was still illuminated by the afterimages of the brilliant rainbow, and a circular band of colour like a ripple in the sky was quickly expanding from the point where it had struck the dopant.

When it became clear that the fires had been quashed, a lot of the heat simply evaporating as soon as the magic behind them was broken, it seemed like a perfect excuse for a party. Pinkie Pie didn’t even need to suggest it. It was just as well, as she was on the far side of Ponyville right now, where she’d been running when Twilight first put on the driver, and had somehow got her hoof wedged in a water bucket. She eventually decided that finding a second bucket might be easier than taking the first off, and would make a pleasant tapping sound as she danced, so she was willing to be a little late for the celebrations. It sounded like the party was in full swing, anyway.

When Twilight Sparkle woke up in a pile of hay, she found that everypony wanted to offer her a drink. That wasn’t surprising, as everyone knew she was somehow related to the mysterious pink and blue pegasus who’d saved the day. It did, however, make it more than a little difficult to explain to her friends what exactly the dopant had been, and how they needed to be on the lookout for more appearing. Eventually, she settled for handing out five notes reminding them to meet her at the library early the following morning. She’d have to sleep there anyway, she didn’t have the energy to teleport all the way back to Canterlot tonight, so she might as well take advantage of the facilities.

Amidst the joyous celebrations, though, nobody noticed that Sunlit Plain had disappeared soon after making his initial apology to everypony. In the morning, there was a half mug of stale cider on the bench where he’d been sitting, and what almost looked like bite marks in the timber. The bite of something with very, very large teeth…

Interruption - ‘Mmm’ is for ‘Missive Mistakes’

Dear Princess Celestia,

I assume you have learned by now that we have defeated our first dopant. I believe this confirms that the six Elements of Harmony we have unlocked are real, although they are not the ones you previously used, and also that the six of us are qualified to use them. I’ve been worrying about this for some time, but now I can set my worries to rest.

I must apologise if you have sent me any messages in Canterlot, as I have not returned home in the three days since our battle. Initially I was exhausted, as using the Driver seems to drain twice as much power as physical exertion normally would. I fully intended to write to let you know of the situation first thing in the morning, but the fatigue I was feeling was unimaginable. Then when I did begin to write, I found that I had so many questions about the Driver, and the dopants. Where do they even come from? I think you mentioned that they were mined somewhere?

By the time I had composed a letter, it included three pages of questions and hypotheses about the powers I now share with my friends, and the monsters we have to fight. I wasn’t even close to the end of the questions, so I discarded this letter and resolved to ask you in person when we next meet. But over the course of that day, and of the next, I came to realise that if another of these monsters attacks Ponyville, both me and my friends will need to be here to defeat it. You could talk of bringing them all to Canterlot to aid in our studies, but I could never ask somepony to uproot themselves from their life for such a selfish reason. Not to mention that as one Gaia Memory has been found in this town, I would expect to see more in the same place.

So for the foreseeable future, I will be taking up residence in the Golden Oak Library. Nobody else lives here, and the shelves were in a truly shocking state of disrepair, so I believe it is for the best that I claim this library as my own.

I intend to submit to you a report each time we defeat a dopant, so that you can tell us if we aren’t using the Elements of Harmony to their full effectiveness. Therefore, I offer you my first Memory Report:

Gaia Memory: Magma (destroyed - I am very sorry, but we were in this case unable to remove the Memory without breaking it. I have some of the pieces, and can send them back for a new exhibit in your secret Museum if you wish. Or if it meets with your approval,I would quite like to set up a museum in the library basement, where I found nothing of value except some archaic instruments which seem to be designed for performing everyday tasks without the use of magic. I have now discarded these, as I see no benefit or education to be gained from them, with the exception of this letter-writing device, which seems to have a certain charm all of its own)

Harmony Techniques Used: LaughterLoyalty / RainbowPie (which name do you prefer for this combination form?) – Party Rainboom Cannon

Memory User: An earth pony stallion known as Sunlit Plain, who had a grudge over losing his job. He said it was without reason, but after a few drinks at the monster defeat party he confessed that he had frequently attempted to do his job while drunk. We then could not get him to stop drinking, and haven’t seen him since the party. No doubt he is still sleeping off his inebriation in a ditch somewhere, and will have to make considerable effort to explain to his marefriend when he wakes.

He said that he had been offended over losing his job, but had never considered revenge before. Then he was given a Gaia Memory – I regret that Rarity did not think to ask who he received it from – and was immediately overcome by rage. He says that it was the crystal, rather than him, which made such terrible decisions.

On recovering, he had a letter ‘M’ for Magma scarred into the skin of his left flank, rendering his cutie mark unrecognisable. I gather that after he first used it, even when he initially returned to his normal form between attacks, the letter ‘M’ remained. Therefore I would assume that this is an easy way to identify Memory users, and all of my friends have been instructed to keep an eye out for anypony whose cutie mark is a letter in this way.

In any case, I digress. The purpose of this letter is purely to inform you that I will not be returning to Canterlot in the near future, and to ask you to send a copy of the enormous tome from your museum (which I assume contains a more complete explanation of the Gaia Memory phenomenon) at your earliest convenience. I will ask any further questions I still have after reading it, and rest assured that–

Twilight Sparkle tore the sheet of paper out of the typewriter and screwed it up in frustration. After writing so many words, it sounded like the only purpose of the missive to her trusted mentor was to ask for help. That wouldn’t do at all. Well, if at first you don’t succeed… The seventeenth draft of this report would have to be a winner. She just couldn’t see a suitable way to ask for the book. What it was a national treasure or something, and even asking to see it was a big thing to ask?

But she knew she had to have that book. Not because now she was a librarian, she couldn’t stand the thought of there being an important text missing from her library. Well, not just because of that. Without knowing all the details of the Gaia Memories, they might fail to save somepony, and that was almost certainly the most important reason. She crumpled the offending missive into a ball and threw it in the direction of the waste paper basket in the corner.

“Hey Twilight, did you finish –” Spike had a bad habit of starting to speak to her just before he opened the door, so he managed to get a whole five words out before a wad of discarded paper bounced lightly off his crest. Twilight mentally cursed the baby dragon’s self defence reflexes as a flash of green fire momentarily lit the room.

“Tell me you didn’t…” Twilight breathed nervously. “Tell me you didn’t send that to the Princess?”

“I don’t think so. No, I can’t have done,” Spike answered, but didn’t sound at all certain about it, and backed away as he spoke, keeping both eyes on the ground, “I mean, it looked like rubbish, so it probably just burned. It didn’t have an address on, did it? So even if it did get sent somewhere, the pony who gets it will just toss it in the trash. They probably won’t even read it. That’s okay, isn’t it? Now if you’re not in the middle of your report, you should come and have lunch. Some of your friends are waiting upstairs.”

Twilight didn’t answer, but turned back to the strange device and lined up another sheet of paper.

Dear Princess Celestia,

If you received an earlier draft of this Memory Report, please disregard it. I believe Spike may have inadvertently sent an early draft which I believe does not convey the right tone. I hope that you…

“Why are my friends here,” she asked Spike, noticing for the first time the sound of screams that penetrated even the basement’s thick earth walls. He stammered and mumbled, but the next voice she heard from outside was enough to send Twilight running for the stairs.

“WRECKINGBALL!”

Author's Note

This is a little bit of silliness; a between-episodes intermission. Assume that any chapter whose title doesn't start with "Episode" is possibly non-canon.

And yeah, I've decided I'm enjoying this enough to keep on writing.

Next episode preview: Imagine Celestia, commenting to some member of a committee that she wants to thank heroes who saved Ponyville (twice!) by making them a guest of honour at the Grand Galloping Gala. “But the two of them are a single Champion of Harmony, so they should only need one ticket. Right?”

Episode 3 - Pony V Pony: The Master Ticket

Dearest Twilight Sparkle,

I am writing today not in the role of your mentor, but as a grateful ruler. You and your friends have saved the sun itself when you banished Nightmare Moon on Begins Night, and therefore I feel I owe you my deepest personal thanks. Now I hear that as a new Masked Pony, you have already saved the good citizens of Ponyville from two dopants, and relieved these poor souls of the Gaia Memories which tainted their hearts and drove them off the path of sanity.

In recognition of your bravery, you – as the Champion of Harmony – are invited to attend the Grand Galloping Gala where the nobles of all Equestria can properly pay their respects to our newest hero. On this occasion, the Gala’s main event will take the form of a masked ball, and I therefore expect that you will be fully capable of keeping your identities secret if you should so desire.

“And then there’s just the details from the bureaucrats, tickets are non-transferrable, let us know a week in advance if you’re going to cancel, all that stuff.” Spike shrugged and threw the missive towards Twilight Sparkle, who neatly rolled it up and placed it on the shelf with all the others. She would have asked him to do it, he was responsible for receiving her mail after all, but the young dragon still hadn’t mastered the art of shelving scrolls without damaging the corners. Twilight always did her best to keep her letters from Princess Celestia in immaculate condition, wondering if some day they would be valuable documents revered by historians.

“Can you look after the tickets, Spike?” she didn’t need to wait for an answer. There was no assistant more loyal than a baby dragon, and Spike had been with her since was first hatched, “I’ve got a busy day ahead, and –”

“You mean the ticket?” Spike interrupted.

“Isn’t that what I said?”

“No, you said ticketsSSS.” The last syllable was drawn out, presumably to make sure she heard him clearly, but ended up sounding like the reptilian hiss that never seemed to sound right coming from a dragon. Twilight swallowed to avoid giggling at the sound, and Spike blushed as he continued, “There’s just one ticket here. The name on it says ‘Masked Champion of Harmony’. Maybe you can use the driver, and two of you can go together?”

“Go to what? Will you need a costume?” Rarity cantered down the steps from the library above, “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help overhearing a little, do you have a date, Twilight? And you’re still so new to Ponyville, you really must have luck on your side!”

“It’s not a date!” Twilight gasped so hurriedly that any observers might have wondered who she was ashamed to think of in that context. “I mean, we got this invitation, but there’s only one ticket. Maybe with the driver, we can go as two ponies in one body. But that’s still –”

“The Gala?!!?!” Rarity shrieked with such excitement her voice almost disappeared into the ultrasonic as she saw the ticket in Spike’s hand, “Oh, thank you so much, darling! I can’t believe you would go to such lengths to share your ticket with me! I’ve wanted to go to the Gala my whole life, to wear one of my own designs there would truly be a recognition of my talents! Everypony who matters would be able to see my work.”

“But if you’re both going,” Spike spoke nervously, not wanting to dampen Rarity’s joy, “You’d have to wear that armour.”

“Spike’s right, we can’t exactly change the design of the armour, and I think most of the clothes I’ve seen would get in the way of the Driver.”

“Oh yes!” far from being disheartened, Rarity smiled even wider as she produced the driver with a flourish, “I was coming to show you what I’ve done. Doesn’t that just look so much more tasteful?”

It was different, that was for sure. The Driver had been a utilitarian accessory, like a more complex type of buckle. Now, the gleaming red metal had changed to a more dynamic violet pattern with other colours around the edges, and the whole thing was mounted on a gold filigree panel that looked almost like a crown. This impression was further enhanced by a considerable number of gems set around the edges. The leather strap that used to be on the back was nowhere to be seen, replaced by a delicate harness of jewelry chain.

“What…?” Twilight stared for several seconds before she even remembered to close her mouth. It was beautiful, that much was certain. Two gems at the bottom were glowing in a hue that perfectly matched the aura of Rarity’s magic, identifying them immediately as crystalline magicite, a rare and sometimes useful mineral. But she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around what she was seeing. She didn’t know why anypony would even think of tampering with an artifact as precious as the Elements of Harmony.

“Why would you do that?” she finally organised her vocal chords to shape the words, “How could you know if it would still work?”

“I think you need to try breathing slower, darling. You’re starting to look a little deranged. And if I’m going to the Gala, I certainly couldn’t wear an accessory like that. The lines, the shape, the whole design is in a style that hasn’t been seen in decades, centuries even! It’s so old fashioned that it couldn’t even carry off a little retro chic. But I have made it fresh again, a new twist on an old style. I thought you’d be delighted!” Twilight tried for a few seconds to catch her breath, and then answered in a torrent of words without pausing for breath.

“First of all, it isn’t hundreds of years old, it’s more than a thousand. Princess Celestia earned the Driver, saved the world, and then used it to banish Nightmare Moon. It isn’t just a fashion accessory, it’s a unique historic item. And it isn’t yours to update, we’re borrowing this from the Princess until we find out how to get our own. And most of all, how do you know that it’ll still work if you change the harness? Will the armour appear in the right place if you’re wearing it on a different part of your body?”

“Oh… I didn’t think of that. I assumed it would work well enough, I didn’t change any of the parts that looked like they’re important. Can we test it, and if there’s a problem I can put it back on that ugly strap, maybe a little decoration so it doesn’t look so ugly?”

“Yes,” Twilight gasped with relief, grabbing for any possibility that things might be alright, “If it still works, we might get away with it.” She hastily grabbed the ornate harness and slipped it over her head. As she’d thought, it did look almost like she was wearing a crown, though the long silver chains held the driver itself against her breast. Magnets pulled the chains snug around her shoulders, and she realised that this was a practical as well as stylistic improvement. Now she’d be able to put the driver on in a second even if she couldn’t use her magic for some reason, without needing to fumble for the clasp. Just as long as it worked.

“JOKER!” her Gaia Memory, the sixth Element of Harmony, sang out as she twirled it through the air and slid it into the driver. The anticipation was unbearable as she waited, even though it was probably less than a second before the air shimmered and Rarity was wearing an identical copy of the whole crown and collar ensemble. Magicite gems all up the left side of the piece glowed in the same rich violet shade as the Joker memory, and as she spun her own Element in the air, the right side’s gems were illuminated in a complementary magenta.

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!” the Driver declared. Rarity slumped to the ground, looking for all the world as if she had just fallen asleep, and in a moment the two unicorns were looking at the world through the same pair of eyes.

“It works, then,” Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, “You should have more trust in my skill with gems, darling. But why am I over there, still? I thought this thing made two ponies become one.”

“Oh no, it just sends your soul,” the distinctive voice of Pinkie Pie called down from the top of the stairs, “Your body stays where it was, sleeping. Do you need any help? The driver appeared, so I thought you might have found another dopant down here.”

“No,” Twilight answered for them, “Rarity’s been working to make the driver more stylish, I think it’s pretty neat. And we wanted to make sure it still works. So you just passed out when we transformed? You should have told us!”

(“I think that might be why she was wearing a water bucket at the party,” Rarity speculated, “Or did you just think ‘it’s Pinkie’ and not wonder any more?”)

“I didn’t think it would matter,” Pinkie shrugged as she trotted down the stairs to join them, “I made sure my body was somewhere safe before I activated the Memory, anyway. I love what you’ve done with your horn, by the way!”

Twilight and Rarity both blushed ever so slightly at the compliment. Twilight wanted to say something modest, like it was nothing special, while Rarity was more inclined to give heartfelt thanks and bask in the praise. The only sound they managed to make between them was a confused mumble. Then they quickly realised that they hadn’t seen how their horns looked in this form. They quickly reached for a mirror, which sailed across the room in a second and slammed into the wall with enough force to push slivers of glass right through the ancient stonework.

“You shouldn’t do that, it’s seven years bad luck!” They just ignored Pinkie’s comment and found another mirror, this time walking over to it.

(“I had no idea your magic was so powerful!” Rarity gasped, “I’ll let you handle things next time.”)

(“That’s not just me. It’s more like our powers are added together, or even multiplied or something! We need to do an experiment sometime, to determine how the combinations’ different strengths compare to each of us individually.”)

Then they got a good look at themselves. The new driver looked stunning, and perfectly complemented the sleek styling of the armour. Their mane had so many different shades, but looked more natural than any of the combinations they’d previously tried. And unlike the others, there was a smooth shading from Twilight’s lavender coat on the left to the grey of Rarity’s right. Their crowning glory, their horn was a good few inches longer than either of them was used to, nearly double the girth, and decorated with a spiral of lavender and white all the way to the tip.

“We look stunning,” they said together, probably with Rarity taking the lead. Sometimes it could be hard to tell which mind was behind any particular thought, and they could both agree that this particular style of the armour was breathtakingly beautiful. But it was clearly Rarity who continued, “I can’t wait to show this off, maybe a few ribbons to highlight the finer points, what do you think?”

“You want to accessorise?” Twilight answered out loud, so Pinkie wouldn’t be left out of the conversation, “I think we look fine as we are.”

“Oh yes, we look fabulous. But I would like to add just a touch of my own flair, a distinctive element that will make the design mine. At the Gala there will be so many designers, so many ponies who need to know my name. This armour is beautiful on its own, but as a canvas on which to showcase my talents it will be perfect.”

“The Gala?” Pinkie’s eyes went wide, “We’re going to the Grand Galloping Gala? I’ve wanted to go so much, I keep writing letters to the Princess asking for a ticket, but I always get a reply from her peepee saying I’m not important enough. Ohhh this is incredible!”

Twilight and Rarity would probably have turned to trade meaningful glances if they’d been in separate bodies, and if Pinkie hadn’t rushed forward to hug them so energetically. As it was they both tried to extricate themselves without hurting Pinkie, and searched for the right words to let her down gently.

(“Rarity,” Twilight whispered in their shared mind, “I do not want to see those mental images. When Celestia doesn’t have time to respond to a letter personally, such as when hundreds of ponies from all over Equestria are requesting the same thing, her secretary might send letters on her behalf. When they do so, they sign them with the letters ‘pp’, meaning ‘per procurationem’ or an old phrase meaning ‘on behalf of’. Now please, get your imagination under control!” The whole objection passed in less than a second, Pinkie probably not even realising that their attention had drifted away from her.)

“There’s only one ticket,” Twilight eventually settled on blunt facts, “Princess Celestia sent it as a reward for defeating the dopants, so I think that means two of us are allowed to go.”

“Oh! You’ve got to pick me, it’s supposed to be the most important party of the whole year, but I’m not even involved in organising it. If I could just go then I’d know what to suggest to them, to show everyone in Canterlot there’s no party like a Pinkie Party.”

“That’s a very good reason to go,” Twilight admitted, “But one ticket, one pony. We’re lucky we can be a single pony, but it’s still a tough choice. You’d both be able to show off your talents in front of the cream of society, but somehow I’ve got to choose who can come with me. I’ll… I’ll find a way somehow.”

“Wait,” Pinkie said slowly, “Can’t we go as RariPie? I mean, you said we both got a good reason, so we could both show them how awesome we are!”

(“What’s a Rari Pie? Should I be scared to ask?”)

(“She’s been thinking up names for the ways we could be combined. Please, don’t encourage her. I already can’t stop thinking of ourself as Twinkie when she’s here.”)

(“Well, I guess there’s an advantage to having a name, while neither of ours really applies. But most heroes I’ve heard of have exciting, exotic names in any case.” Rarity was thinking hard about it now, and Twilight could only hope that she wouldn’t come up with some cringeworthy portmanteau like ‘Raritwi’. She needn’t have worried: “We’re kind of representing our elements, rather than ourselves. So how about ‘Generous Joker’ as a pseudonym? I think it has an elegant air about it.”)

(“It’s kind of exotic, but not silly. And it seems kind of mysterious, like a superhero’s secret identity, even if it isn’t really a secret. I think I can live with that.”)

(“Then it’s settled. But I’m sure that I don’t want to be ‘Raripie’, it sounds like some kind of disease!”)

“I don’t think it works like that,” Twilight returned to speaking aloud again, “When I put the driver on, my right half becomes whoever puts theirs in first, right? So the –”

“You swapped out for Rainbow Dash before, didn’t you?” Rarity interrupted, Twilight’s hesitation making it easy for her to seize control of their mouth mid-sentence, “It would only be fair to try it, in case we can both go.”

“Fine,” Twilight only nudged the driver with her magic, and the Joker Element leapt straight out into her waiting hoof. She was sure it wouldn’t work; Pinkie and Rarity had both been her right half before, and she couldn’t imagine two right halves working together. She didn’t need to talk about how eager she was to speak to Princess Celestia again, and to find a few hours to digest the huge book in her mentor’s private museum.

Pinkie frowned, frustrated, as the driver didn’t appear on her neck. She’d known that it wasn’t really going to help, but she still wished it could have done.

“See,” Twilight shrugged, “Sorry, it’ll have to be–”

“GENEROSITYᏔHONESTY!” the driver sang out in a voice that seemed to fill the room, and the left half of Twilight’s body suddenly started changing colour as if someone had thrown orange paint at them. When the wave of colour reached the centre of their body it formed a neat bisecting line, which flared brilliantly at the same moment all the armour on the right half of her body began to glow. Pinkie blinked, unable to look straight into the bright light, and when she opened her eyes there was no sign of Twilight.

“Where’s the monster?” Applejack barked, looking around while the glow of her transformation was still fading.

“No monster,” Pinkie explained, “Twilight’s got us a ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala, so we were trying to find out if we could use the Driver, and the two of us could be a single guest! I think that would be so cool.”

“Wow! I’d love to go. I heard the caterers there can make a fortune, I could set up a stall to sell my famous fritters. I don’t like to think about money all the time, but we got a barn roof needs replacing, and they don’t come cheap. Would you be able to help me out? Always better with another pair of hooves.”

“I do not intend–” Rarity started to speak, then suddenly stopped as the double pony yelped, tripped over their own hooves, and landed in a disgruntled heap on the floor.

“What’s wrong?” Pinkie dashed over to help them stand again.

“I didn’t realise Rarity was there, it just kinda startled me. I never heard anything like that before, my friend’s voice coming out of my mouth.”

“Our mouth,” Rarity spoke again, pausing a moment first to let Applejack knew she was taking control, “We’re a single pony now. I guess it’s only natural to be somewhat disconcerted.”

“We should develop some kind of signals, or code, or something,” Pinkie suggested excitedly, a new idea immediately pushing all other thoughts out of her mind, “So when the Driver appears we know who we’re going to be smushed together with, and so you know if it’s a dopant or a test or what.”

“The new crown should help,” Rarity suggested, “The Magicite gems will glow in the colour of the Element that’s been inserted, and I checked when we tried it out, you can see the glow on both sides.”

“Wow,” Applejack said, looking down at the crystals, “That’s so…”

“–awesome and sparkly!” Pinkie was bouncing off the walls with excitement again, just like every time they discovered something new about the driver so far.

“I was going to say ‘practical’. We all know Rarity’s pretty good at making stuff look all pretty, but I didn’t expect it to be useful too.”

“But now we got three ponies who want to go to the Gala!” Pinkie changed the subject with more than her usual level of tact, hoping that Rarity wouldn’t have time to take offense, “Twilight’s going to have a hard job choosing.”

“Why’s it down to her?” Rarijack spoke in unity for the first time, the shared sentiment coming out in a voice that was a strange mixture of their two accents, “We’re all the Elements of Harmony, and we work together to fight the dopants. Why does Twilight get to act like she’s the leader?”

“Well the letter was addressed –” Spike answered hesitantly, not wanting to upset anypony. But he didn’t get to finish the sentence before Rainbow Dash soared in through the library windows and tumbled down the steps to the basement in a rainbow-maned crash.

“Driver!” she gasped, even before picking herself up out of the remains of the chair that she’d crashed into in her haste.

“Don’t tell me everypony wants to go to the Gala now?” Rarijack stamped a hoof in exasperation, “We’ve got as much right as –”

“First off, I’ve beaten two dopants, if anypony earned that ticket it’s Rainbow Pie. Second, driver! Now!”

A few minutes earlier, on the road into Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle was pulling a cart laden with barrels, which were a lot heavier than they looked. She could only assume that Applejack had been taking cider to market when they switched places, and she didn’t know where would be safe to leave the precious cargo. So for now, she would have to take it back to the library, and hope her friend offered some kind of reward for all the effort. Maybe a liquid reward, if she was lucky.

She wasn’t exactly impressed with the situation, especially given that Pinkie and Rarity might have chosen to settle the issue of the ticket in her absence. She was sure that no method of resolution they could come up with would be as fair as her logical and rational analysis of the benefits each hoped to gain from attendance, as well as the likelihood either would do something to embarrass her and guarantee no ticket next year.

“Maybe I should just invite Fluttershy,” she muttered to herself, “She wouldn’t make any trouble, and I could finally get some time with Princess–”

“Invite to what?” Rainbow Dash didn’t think twice about joining in on someone else’s introspection, “If it’s a party you should invite all of us.” She gracefully touched down on the road and walked alongside as Twilight struggled to move the heavy cart.

“I got a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala, a reward for saving Ponyville from those dopants.” Twilight spoke without thinking, and then immediately had second thoughts as she saw the gleam in Rainbow Dash’s eye, “Don’t tell me, you want to go too?”

“It’s only fair. It was Rainbow Pie who defeated the monsters.” she grinned proudly, as if that was all the argument she needed.

“But Pinkie and Rarity both want to impress people who are going to be there, it could be like an audition for them, a step towards their life dreams. How can I weigh that against just going to meet people and have fun? Have you got some ambition that only the Gala can help you achieve?”

“Well I heard the Wonderbolts are–” but Twilight had already left the cart and sprinted off towards a group of houses on the edge of the town, “What the hay?” Rainbow Dash glanced back and forth between the unattended cider barrels and her friend’s retreating rump.

By the time she caught up, Twilight was standing in the centre of a cloud of floating scraps of lace. There were two ponies staring in shock, one just starting to cry over whatever had just happened. They were outside what had been a clothing shop. The place specialised in wedding dresses, Rainbow Dash was vaguely aware, but she couldn’t see herself being the kind of pony ever to need one of those. The storefront was wrecked, the remains of the displays open to the winds. The doors and even the doorframe were in pieces, as if someone had used a heavy axe to get through rather than just opening the door.

“What happened?” Rainbow asked as soon as she’d taken in enough detail to see there wasn’t an obvious answer.

“I heard a scream,” Twilight said, barely paying attention, “It looks like a robbery of some kind, but I was too late to see anything. Who would do something like this?”

“It…” one of the mares by the door sobbed, “It was a monster! It took him!”

“Took who?” Twilight stepped closer, then turned away for just a moment to whisper to Rainbow Dash: “Go get the others. Could be a dopant.”

Just around the corner, a pegasus sat sobbing. She had a coat the deep ochre of a storm-tossed sea, and a mane like golden thread as it caught the light, a striking contrast. She’d always stood out from the crowd, but now she wished she didn’t. Now she was alone, and she wished she could just vanish. But she’d never be able to do that, and even if she did she’d keep blaming herself for what she had lost. She was sure that if she’d mastered a talent other than dressmaking, she might have more friends and fewer enemies, and her coltfriend might still be alive.

When bad things had happened before, she’d always turned to him and poured her heart out. It didn’t matter if she’d been beaten by a work rival, or if new neighbours were picking on her because she’d introduced herself as Speedy Thief and they couldn’t understand that a name didn’t always tell you about somepony. Somehow just talking to the one she loved had made her feel better, even though he was too immature to really help with anything. But the last time she’d seen him had been something out of a nightmare, and images of giant teeth still haunted her dreams. If she hadn’t been an expert dressmaker, that might never have happened. She’d wished for any other talent when she was growing up, but fate had handed her a place in the most competitive trade, a place where some ponies would even resort to the darkest of magics to protect her job.

Speedy was afraid now. She couldn’t bring herself to go home, in case one of her rivals was waiting for her there. She couldn’t even bear to look at her own cutie mark, the sign that had caused so much trouble for her and those around her. She’d covered it with a cloak spun from cloud-lining, her own special creation, but even that didn’t make her feel better when she remembered how determined her rivals had been to steal the design.

Speedy Thief had no friends now. Even the people who worked alongside her had turned their backs, when taking credit for her work had finally proved more lucrative than keeping her around. No friends, no love, she was desperate now. And she knew that as vicious as the competition had been this summer, she might actually have to fear for her life. She wished, oh so hard, that there was somepony she could turn to right now.

Author's Note

Again, thanks to twilightL for doing the proofreading on this one. I've tried combining the stories from a W episode and a FIM episode, so I'd be really interested to hear what anyone makes of it. Is the foreshadowing for the second part of this episode too obvious?

Episode 4 - Friends V Rivals: Who is Best Pony?

Most of Ponyville was enjoying a normal day, and only the ponies near enough to see it were panicking over the devastation at a certain wedding boutique. There was, however, shouting coming from the basement of the Golden Oak Library on the far side of town.

“There might be a monster out there,” Rainbow Dash didn’t have time for pleasantries, “Give me the driver and we can go kick some tail.”

“Hold on there!” Rarijack glared at their friend, “Why do you always have to be hogging the glory? If there’s a monster, tell us where it is and we’ll go beat it.”

“How? We already know the only thing that can break one of those Memory things is a Party Rainboom Cannon. It’s got to be us in the end, right Pinkie?”

“I don’t think so,” Pinkie answered, “The Elements are supposed to work in Harmony, that’s what makes them different from other Gaia Memories. So that’s gotta mean there’s nine different memory breaking things we can do, for every possible pair. We just haven’t found them all yet!”

Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, was talking to Jaquardine and Elegant Form, two mares who had just seen their shop destroyed. That wasn’t the worst part, she managed to decipher through the sobbing: Jaquardine’s fiancé, Starry Knight, had been carried away by a monster. They couldn’t describe the creature, except that it was much larger than any pony and seemed to walk on two legs.

“Did he threaten you?” Twilight asked. To get to the bottom of this mystery, she’d have to learn everything she could about the monster, but neither of the witnesses was really in a fit state to talk. For once, she wished she knew a little more about being sympathetic and talking to ponies. “I’m sorry, I know this is hard. But I might be able to find that monster and stop him, if you can remember anything that might help…”

“It had teeth as big as your horn,” Elegant managed to say, “It bit through the door and shredded everything on display before we could even ask what it wanted. Then it saw Starry over there modelling a new suit, and it seemed like it was even more angry. Like, still not talking, but roaring. And it…” she broke down in tears again, the memories too intense for her to cope with this soon.

“It bit him,” Jaquardine said, a steel edge in her voice that made it clear she was the type of pony who could change fear into anger when she had to. Right now, all her worries only made her more determined to find and save the stallion she intended to marry. “Not hard, I think it could have cut him in half if it had wanted to. It picked him up in its mouth, it was that big, and it carried him away. If it was an animal, I’d say it was jealous, but maybe like a trained animal that knows it can’t kill a rival. Does that mean it’ll be coming after me next? Do monsters even think like us?”

“Monsters could even be someone you know,” Twilight spoke slowly, wondering just how much of the truth she could share. She didn’t want other ponies knowing about the Gaia Memories, because there were undoubtedly some ponies out there angry or sad enough that they’d go out trying to find the things. But she couldn’t say nothing, because if they understood a little more they might be able to think of something that would help her find the kidnapped stallion. It didn’t help that she still didn’t know all the details about what the Gaia Memories were, or where they came from. “There’s a kind of dark magic that’s turning ponies into these monsters. They’re called ‘dopants’, and it makes it so they can only think about one thing that makes them the angriest. Yeah, it could be some stallion who got a stupid crush on you, and the curse magnifies his jealousy until it consumes him. It’s not him, it’s his anger, or jealousy, or some other negative emotion made bigger than him. But if we know who it is, if you have any idea, then we might be able to reverse the magic and save them both.” Twilight almost rushed to the end of that sentence, which had gone on longer than she expected. Looking back on the words, she felt it sounded like quite an emotive speech.

“I got no idea,” Jacquardine shook her head sadly, “I only had eyes for him.”

Twilight offered whatever sympathy she could, and asked the other ponies in the street if any had seen something. She was just about to give up and see if any of her friends could help, when she heard something that sounded exactly like a clue. It wasn’t the voice, a nasal whine with just a trace of an exoticly foreign accent, but the words.

“Oh no, it happened here too?”

“‘Too’?” Twilight was immediately in front of a mare she didn’t think she’d seen before, with a dull olive coat and vivid spiked mane in more colours than the rainbow. “Has it attacked somewhere else?”

“Who…” the other pony gasped, “Yes, the same thing happened to all my beautiful outfits, a week ago. I thought it was a couple of colts I’d seen messing around. I kicked them out and told them to come back when their parents had taught them some manners, and then when I came to open up the next morning, the door was already smashed. It was just like this, but I told the police and they said they couldn’t find any proof.”

Twilight quickly introduced herself, and then got back to asking all the questions she could think of. She’d never planned on being a detective, though, and wasn’t sure what was the right thing to ask.

“No, it’s my turn!” the debate was still in full swing by the time Twilight got back to the library.

“What’s going on here?” she asked, seeing Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing nose-to-nose, both yelling their point of view at each other. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were clearly just as deeply involved in the argument, but keeping quiet for now because they couldn’t hear themselves over Dash’s yelling. Fluttershy was there too, crouched behind the library desk with a hoof raised, waiting for a break in the conversation so she could speak. None of them seemed overly inclined to stop long enough to explain to Twilight.

“It’s this Gala,” Spike commented from his seat on top of a bookshelf, looking over the debate as if it was a spectator sport. “Somepony suggested that as it’s a reward for defeating dopants, instead of arguing over it they should just give it to the pair who’ve defeated most of them before the Gala comes around. If there’s another one terrorising the town, that means somepony is finding a Gaia Memory every other week. So there should be time for you all to learn about the Elements and show who’s the best at defeating monsters.”

“That seems almost reasonable,” Twilight had to concede, “A test of skill that can be quantified, rather than trying to qualitatively compare each of our reasons for wanting to go. So why are they still fighting?”

“Fighting over the Driver, of course. Now they all want to beat the latest monster, but only the pony with the driver can do that.” Even before Spike had finished the sentence, Twilight’s hooves were pressed against her face in denial.

“EVERYBODY QUIET!” she yelled, shocking her friends so much that there was actually a moment of silence. “We can’t go beat this dopant now, because we don’t know where it is. It looks like it’s hiding somewhere in town, so far there’s been two attacks that we know of, but with weeks in between. So whoever finds the thing can fight it.” She took a breath at last, glad to have reached the end of the sentence before someone interrupted.

“I… think that sounds good,” Fluttershy said, and picked up the driver while everypony else was still trying to think of a reason they should have it without seeming petty, “Do you want to take this, then? I think you’re the logical one, who won’t do something silly just to win a competition.”

“You really trust me that much?” Twilight took the Driver, but felt bad about it. The thought of transforming to beat the dopant even if one of the others found it first hadn’t even occurred to her until that point, but she could easily imagine it crossing her mind in the heat of battle. Fluttershy trusted her a lot more than she did herself.

“Well, and you’re the only one who hasn’t said something about needing to go to the Gala to fulfill your dream or something, the only one with no reason to cheat.”

“Ah…” Twilight hesitated, “Did I tell you Princess Celestia has a museum dedicated to dopants? After I ran out on her to live here I don’t think she would just invite me to see it, but if I’m at the Gala I could just drift off and…” her voice trailed off as she realised the only way to finish that sentence was ‘…steal the book’, which she wouldn’t even contemplate in most circumstances.

“We still trust you,” Applejack nodded, though she didn’t seem entirely confident in the statement. Everypony avoided each other’s gazes for a moment, and it seemed to Twilight for a moment that despite all the bonds of friendship between them, the only reason they weren’t taking the Driver from her straight away was that nopony wanted to be the first to say they didn’t trust her.

“I don’t think I should hold it anyway,” she jumped on the first thought that offered an end to the uncomfortable silence, “If we don’t know where this dopant will strike next, or who’s going to find it, then we need to be able to get the Driver to wherever it’s needed quickly. I’m pretty sure that if one of you finds the monster and needs to fight in a hurry, Rainbow Dash will be able to get there quicker than me.” She passed the driver over, just hoping she was making the right choice.

“Right, I got this,” Rainbow Dash nodded, for once not so glad to feel everypony’s eyes on her, “If you find the monster, just holler.”

With their rivalry channeled into a test of skill with actual rules, the argument quickly faded away. Nopony could keep their mind off the task in front of them, and conversation kept drifting back to subtle maneuvering. They were all aware that if one of them figured out where a dress-slashing monster might be hiding, there was still room for another half on the ticket. Rainbow Dash was confident in her ability to find the monster first, so was already boasting. Twilight wondered if Pinkie Pie was being more complimentary than usual to her, maybe hoping to improve her chance of getting to unleash their Party Rainboom Cannon against a dopant again. Applejack was more direct, offering mugs of cider to the right-half ponies once she’d managed to retrieve her cart, and even managing to bite back whatever quip came to mind when Rarity asked for a cup of tea instead.

Twilight tried to stand above the petty politics and act normally. Of course, that meant she couldn’t refuse a guest who had asked for tea. But as far as she was concerned, the important thing was to stop the dopant and rescue Starry Knight. Even then, she couldn’t stop little wheels of probability spinning in her head. If she, Rainbow Dash, or Applejack found the dopant, they could put on the Driver, but the right side would go to whoever was quickest to slot in their memory. That meant there was no way to choose who was on the right. On the other hand, if one of the right-side Elements was responsible for spotting the vital clue, she would have to call in a left-side friend before they could transform, and there was still a change of another right-side jumping the queue. If Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie decided to work together to ensure they both got in, it couldn’t quite be a fair trade. The same went for any other possible pairing. But from a statistical point of view, there was a big advantage if she could get Fluttershy or Rarity to call her first if they saw anything.

Twilight tried to shut down that train of thought. These ponies were all her friends, and she wanted the prize to go to whoever earned it fairly almost as much as she wanted to see Princess Celestia’s book, and look in that museum again. But it was hard not to consider it.

“Are there many fashion boutiques in Ponyville?” she asked Rarity, ashamed that she’d thought of how best to benefit from somepony else’s knowledge before properly turning her intellect towards solving the problem herself, “Both of the attacks so far, the dopant slashed clothes on display. Could it be a business rival?”

“That’s what I was wondering,” Rarity answered, then paused to take another sip of her tea. “I think there may be as many as a dozen, but we don’t necessarily see each other as rivals. For example, nobody who appreciates my work would look to Chez Jazz as an alternative. And that isn’t pettiness speaking, I appreciate that Jazzy Glamour has quite some skill with a needle. But the bold colours and abbreviated styles are so different, so at any occasion a customer might choose one of her outfits for, anything I made would stick out like a sore hoof. And Elegant Form is a good friend of mine, but she specialises in coordinated sets. You don’t really see her work at its best unless it is a gown and suit made for a couple, complementing each other exquisitely. Different specialties, so I’m not sure there would be any rival they share.”

“I thought as much when I looked at the way they dress. But Jazzy, she said she didn’t mention it to us because she didn’t realise it was a monster. We probably wouldn’t even know about this if Starry Knight hadn’t startled the dopant. So I think we need to ask around, check with other designers in case any of them have been attacked. I think you probably know everypony connected with fashion in this town, right?”

Rarity agreed, and they resolved to visit every boutique in Ponyville the next day. She could have gone alone, but they both understood that there was a not insignificant chance of running into a dopant at one of those shops, and in that case it was only prudent to have both a left and right Element there.

“Actually,” Twilight admitted, “There’s a spell I’d like to try before then, and I think you might be able to help me. Do you have any more magicite?”

“A little,” Rarity was suddenly curious now, and leaned in closer to ask, “What have you got in mind?”

What she had in mind turned out to be a set of six collars, ranging in texture to suit the tastes of the pony they were made for. Each was decorated with magicite crystals, as well as semi-precious stones in the colour of one of the Elements of Harmony. At the clasp, there was a pocket where the element itself could be carried conveniently, against the bearer’s throat. Rarity took great care in making them, staying up until the early hours of the morning, while Twilight spent just as long leafing through books in the library until Spike was too tired to help and fell asleep on his feet. Communication spells were simple enough, and enchantments to work with peculiar properties of certain gemstones. She could test it out using her own Element Joker, as well as the fractured shards that they had already collected from other Gaia Memories. By the time she thought she understood all the details, Twilight was swaying slightly from tiredness, but she knew she would have to complete the spell tonight if she wanted the collars to have calibrated by morning.

The brisk night air would wake her up, in any case. And she had little doubt that Rarity would still be working on making the collars look perfect, so she could prove her usefulness as a Champion of Harmony. If not, she could leave a note explaining the spell; it was a little complex, but she estimated that any unicorn would be able to perform it if they were familiar with the peculiarities of enchanting gems. Twilight’s special talents were only necessary for the task of devising a new magic that would use the link between the Elements to create an invisible link between the magicite set into each collar.

Rarity was still awake. She’d finished working on the collars, a little disappointed that she couldn’t complete them and see how they would look until Twilight arrived with the spell. She curled up on her bed, but just couldn’t sleep for wondering about the possibilities of their creation. Half an hour later, she was just starting to doze when she heard a sound of movement. A soft thud, and then a crash. She was on her hooves in an instant, her mind already filled with vague images of a monster tearing through her beautiful outfits and the mannequins that displayed them.

She wished for a moment that she’d collected the parts and then completed the project at the library while Twilight darted around the bookshelves to complete the other part of this creation. Then it would likely be finished now, and she’d have an easy way to send a call for help to the others. But then, she probably wouldn’t have got back here yet, and she wouldn’t have an opportunity to see what the monster looked like. It was dangerous, but if there was any clue to be gained from the thing’s appearance she had to try. She couldn’t let the opportunity to get one step closer to the Gala slip away.

She moved as softly as she could manage, until she was peeking around the corner and staring in horrified fascination. This wasn’t a horse-sized stallion made out of rock, or something that could possible have been armour. It was an entirely alien creature. It had four legs, but the whole weight of the creature was shifted back onto its hind legs like a chicken, allowing it to walk easily on two legs and use its much shorter forehooves to grab accessories from the shelves and throw them to the ground. Or its claws, that would be a more appropriate description. The moonlight streaming in through a huge hole in the outer wall illuminated ochre-grey scaly skin, with no hair to be seen. It looked like it might have a cutie mark on its oversized haunch, but it was too dark to make out from this distance.

The most terrifying detail, though, was its teeth. They were like an array of knives, some of them almost as long as Rarity’s leg, arrayed in a misshapen head that looked much too large for the body. Large enough to swallow a normal filly whole. The teeth were currently decorated with torn scraps of fabric, as well as splinters that could only be the remains of the wall. It roared, and bit down on more of the beautiful creations that she’d poured her heart into.

The glow of magic gave more shape to the darkness, and a dozen pairs of dressmaking scissors leapt across the room to attack the monster. For a second Rarity wondered if she’d acted on instinct, but she was pretty sure the magic wasn’t hers. A flash of violet light from the ragged hole in the wall answered any questions, as she heard the resonant boom of a Gaia Memory being activated: “JOKER!”

Rarity stared across the room and realised that her Element of Generosity was lying on the workbench, next to a collar that she’d sized in order to carry it. Always convenient, if only she’d decided to wear it to bed. She grabbed a dress that had mostly survived the devastation, and flung it over the creature’s face with her magic. For a moment it flailed wildly, those claws too short to reach around the outsized head. Twilight brought the jabbing scissors in like a swarm of insects, one or two drawing a little blood while Rarity levitated the Element across the room.

“GENEROSITY!” she squeezed the switch on the side, even though the Driver hadn’t appeared yet. The monster roared through the dress, and charged straight toward the hole in the wall. It was still blinded by the dress, and broke away more damaged timbers from the wall as it passed, but seemed to have turned its attention away from the two ponies for now.

“Come on!” Rarity rushed over the the entrance, where Twilight was picking herself up from the rubble, “We need to chase it! GenerousJoker can beat this thing, and we get the ticket!”

“Rainbow Dash has the driver,” Twilight shook her head, “But I figured that if we sound off the Elements then anypony who knows what a Gaia Memory is will think we’ve both got the same kind of power he does. That’s got to scare him off.” Rarity just nodded as Twilight explained. It made perfect sense, but it just made her more eager to get their special project finished. She didn’t want to be in that situation ever again.

“Let’s get these things finished,” she sighed, “Then the night won’t be a complete loss.”

“Right.” Twilight passed Rarity a note, and started on her half of the spell. “It’ll be quicker if we work on this together. Once we’re done the spell will take three hours to synchronise along the Elements’ ethereal channel, after which it shouldn’t matter how far apart the collars are. But it’s not a loss anyway.”

“No?”

“No. We know for sure that this thing is going through the town’s boutiques for some reason, and I saw the letter that replaced his cutie mark as he dashed out. I can try looking through the ‘V’ section in my encyclopædia, see if I can find any kind of lizards and what weaknesses they might have.”

“I guess that’s…” Rarity started to reply, but cut off in surprise as the Driver appeared around her neck, magicite gems glowing a deep red. “What’s going on?”

Rainbow Dash couldn’t sleep. Her bed was so comfortable, and she was still tired after a day that had been a little busier than normal, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the possibility of going to the Gala and impressing the Wonderbolts with her flying skill. She couldn’t forgive herself if someone else caught the monster while she took a break. So she’d been flying back and forth above Ponyville for most of the afternoon, looking for any sign of a monster attack, and now she was doing the same thing after midnight.

She’d agreed with Pinkie Pie that they would fight this battle together. Rainbow Dash could fly over the city watching from above. Pinkie Pie could get a veritable army of friends to come find her the instant they saw something suspicious. They both had the right talents for this job, and they were already familiar with the special attack that would end the battle right away. She didn’t think the monster would show up at night, but there was always a chance. Enough chance to go out on patrol again after she realised she couldn’t sleep, in any case.

She was almost ready to give up again, wings aching after hours of repetitive movement, when she saw a monster running down the street. It wasn’t attacking anything, but there was no way it could be any kind of normal creature with that giant head. Rainbow Dash dived to land right in front of the creature and posed dramatically.

“Stop right there, dopant!” she yelled, proud to have remembered the proper name for once, “You’re about to face a real Champion of Harmony!” The magnets were already pulling the Driver snug around her neck, and she flipped her Element end over end and then reared up on her hind legs to catch it in the slot. There was no point making an entrance if you weren’t going to show off.

“LOYALTY!” the driver’s voice echoed through the silent street, but the beast seemed more angry than scared. It just put its head down and charged. Rainbow Dash readied herself for the surge of strength that would come when her transformation was complete, expecting to knock the monster off its feet with a single swing of her hoof.

“Come on, Pinkie,” she muttered as the distance between champion and dopant was cut to a half, and then a quarter. Razor teeth gripped her and suddenly she was off the ground. The hard bulk of the driver kept them from piercing right through her breast, and luckily it didn’t seem particularly concerned with fighting her. The monster picked her up with its teeth and threw her into an alleyway, where her wings slowed her enough that she only suffered some bruises when she hit the wall.

“She’s asleep,” she muttered to herself as she slid to the ground, “now what?” But all wasn’t lost. As the dopant sprinted away down a different alleyway, the Driver glowed again.

“LOYALTYᏔGENEROSITY!” for a moment Rainbow Dash’s body glowed with all the brilliance of a thunderclap, and when the light died down there was a pony in armour standing in the alleyway. Her left half had Rainbow Dash’s sky blue coat, and her right half pure white. Her mane was a perfect rainbow, though with a lot more purple in the mix. The crystals of the armour shaded from purple on the right to red on the left, outlined with an iridescent glimmer that included every colour of the rainbow. It took them a few moments to gather their thoughts so they were both sure where they were and why.

(“I’m sorry I took so long to join you,” Rarity whispered, trying to get used to speaking within the privacy of their own mind, “I expected you would want to have Pinkie Pie’s assistance tonight.”)

(“That’s the idea,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “But I think she fell asleep. And better Raridash than being beaten.”)

(“Your body’s awfully bruised, darling,” Rarity winced as they chased in the direction the monster had fled, “Let’s beat this quickly, and in the morning we can celebrate by going to the spa.” And then a few seconds later, she added: “Raridash? I thought it was just Pinkie who came up with names like that!” But she couldn’t think of anything better, and the name seemed so natural that it was hard not to think of their shared self in that way. It seemed that names, once chosen, were permanent.)

“Stop!” they called after the monster, catching sight again just around the second corner. Rainbow Dash was controlling their flight now, so Rarity lit their horn and threw the first thing she could see into its path. Boxes and trash cans provided little obstruction to such a powerful creature, but a glancing blow from an empty crate distracted it enough to make it turn around. It looked like it might actually be going to make a speech, to gloat over its impending victory, but the creature just roared and charged.

Raridash blinked and staggered, hooves touching the road again. The deafening sound had made their head ring, but there wasn’t time to think about it. They lashed out, a hoof connecting to the thing’s jaw, but it barely seemed to notice. While they were stronger than they had been individually, it was still nothing compared to the titanic punching power of Rainbow Pie. Rarity could keep throwing stones at it from behind and daze the reptile a little. Her magic was more powerful with two souls behind it, but she still felt as if she was spitting at a thunderstorm when she compared it to how being GenerousJoker had felt earlier in the day.

(“What can we do?” Dash was getting desperate as yet another kick merely dazed the monster slightly.)

(“Do the Rainboom thing? But I haven’t got a cannon. Is there something I can use as an alternative?”)

(“I don’t know. You could make him a new suit? Let’s just hit him together.”)

Raridash lifted the largest rock she could see with her magic, weighing it in the air. The monster saw what they were trying, though, and turned to face the boulder. It tried to dodge, but Raridash could just keep her weapon floating over its head as it moved. That bought them enough time to back up a little, and Dash’s wings launched them towards the monster at an incredible speed. With enough of a run up, they might do some serious damage, though Rarity was a little nervous about using her sensitive horn as a weapon. The enemy was fast, though, way too fast. They already knew it could have outrun anyone except Rainbow Dash, but it had reflexes to match and sidestepped as soon as they were close enough for it to hear their wingbeats.

A row of jagged teeth caught them in the belly, hurling them to one side. The attack would probably have eviscerated them if it wasn’t for the armoured plates that the driver granted. It didn’t even need to bite them, it just hooked its lower jaw underneath their body and then tilted its head upwards to flip them into the air. Just in time for a hundred-pound rock to smack it right between the eyes.

For the first time, the creature roared in pain rather than rage. For a moment, a ghostly image of a pony was visible at the centre of the monstrous form, but it didn’t last. Raridash grabbed some chains from a nearby warehouse and rushed to restrain it before it could stand up again. But it moved too quickly, leapt to its feet and sprinted away. Raridash gave chase, but soon rounded a corner to find the monster nowhere in sight. Even with the first light of dawn on the horizon it was too dark to notice much detail, and neither of them saw a single shop sign swinging gently in the breeze. Ten minutes later, they could only go home and hope that they were luckier in the morning.

“I was asleep,” Fluttershy whispered, “I tried to transform with you, but my Element was at the end of a long hallway, and the faster I ran the farther away it got. Maybe I should have realised it was a dream then, I’m sorry.”

“I knew I was dreaming,” Pinkie laughed, “I was in an imaginary place. The Driver appeared on my neck, and I could probably have done it. I just didn’t know what would happen if I activated it in my dreams, and I kind of didn’t know if it was a real driver or just something I imagined.”

“That’d be interesting,” Twilight called over from the far side of the library. She was still busily reshelving all the books that she’d needed to refer to the previous night. “We should conduct an experiment, but not when there’s a dopant around. We don’t know if it would wake you up, or give the left Element sole control of both powers, or even make both ponies fall asleep. That would be too dangerous to risk.”

“I wish you’d tried it,” Rainbow Dash sounded slightly bitter, but at least had the good grace to try to hide it, “I could have been killed. I don’t know what took Rarity so long to get there.”

“You said Rainbow Pie is the best pony,” Rarity snapped as she pushed the door open, “You didn’t want anypony else intruding on your victory. I only guessed she wasn’t coming when the Driver was still there after so long.”

“We need some way to know if it’s urgent,” Applejack butted in, “How many times have we had somepony appear that you weren’t expecting when you were just doing an experiment?”

“That’s what these are for,” Rarity pulled out the collars and passed them around, “Magicite gems, the same as the driver. Me and Twilight spent most of the night making them.”

“You store the Gaia Memories in them,” Twilight took over the explanation on seeing how tired Rarity was, “If you press the memory against the spring it should just pop out. But if you press it harder so the metal parts on the end touch this gem here,” she tapped her own collar to indicate, “the gems on all six collars will flash the colour of your Element. That means you’re fighting something, and you want everybody to get there as quickly as possible. I’d say if you tap twice that means it’s super urgent and transforming right now is more important than choosing who’s on the other half.”

“What if say Fluttershy is being attacked?” Applejack asked, “Dash would still have to find her so she can bring the driver.”

“I think we should be able to sense the magical connection of the Elements for a few seconds,” Twilight sounded a little less confident about this part, “If I have the Driver, I think I should be able to follow the signal and teleport to where you are. You might feel it as well, I’m not sure.”

“Well, let’s try this,” Rainbow Dash sighed, “I bet if I can tell where it’s coming from, I could get there just as fast without being all tired out.”

Twilight was the first to leave the meeting. Rarity had ended up distracted by comments on the style and comfort of the collars, and was adjusting many of them. She’d given Twilight a list of the monster’s other potential targets to check out while she made sure everypony was comfortable with their new accessories. She was confident enough in the alliance of two unicorns that she didn’t need to rush out, as long as she kept her Element within reach.

Twilight was a little surprised to find Fluttershy walking beside her in the direction of the second boutique on the list. She was wearing the new collar, so presumably she had been the first one Rarity had fitted. A cynical inner voice wondered if Rarity hadn’t chosen her deliberately, thinking that Fluttershy wasn’t much of a rival for the ticket.

“Hello Twilight! I called after you, but I don’t think you heard. Can I come with you? I want to help, but I’m a little scared of going on my own.”

“You’re welcome,” Twilight shrugged, “I’m just checking out fashion boutiques, because the dopant attacked three now. We think it must have something against designers. Next up is Pilgrims of Pride,” she squinted at Rarity’s note, “Quite new, set up by a mare called Speedy Thief a few months ago. She used to work for Windscale Designs, a big firm from Manehattan that’s just opened a few stores in Ponyville, but she left over an argument when another designer claimed credit for her work. Rarity says she hasn’t got much of a head for business, but she’s dating an accountant and a couple of the other independent stores have been trying to help her out until she finds her feet.”

“That’s nice of them.”

“Yeah, I always had this impression of fashionistas being all competitive, trying to convince the whole world they’re the best. Maybe that’s just how it seems to the outside world, but…” Twilight went quiet as they pushed open the door of the boutique and looked inside. There was no doubt the dopant had been here too, everything was shredded and even the mannequins were sliced in half.

“Hello?” Fluttershy called out, but even Twilight barely heard her, “Is anyone home?”

“Hello?” Twilight echoed. There was a faint sound from the back room, that could have been a stealthy breeze sneaking in to disturb some piece of paper. But it could just as easily have been the faintest hint of a giant reptile trying to make no noise. Twilight quickly snapped the driver around her neck, but then hesitated.

“Do you want to fight this monster?” she whispered to Fluttershy, “I think maybe Rarity should get the credit for sending us here. But this competition is turning out more trouble than it’s worth.”

“I think…” Fluttershy mumbled, “I think whoever fights it, it’s good that everypony is safe. And if there’s a fight here then I don’t want to be asleep where I might get hurt.”

“It might be safer going outside in any case. I don’t want you to be in any danger.” Fluttershy just nodded at that, and quickly made her way out of the ravaged shop.

“JOKER!” the Element sang out as she squeezed its lever, and then immediately pressed it into the driver.

“KINDNESSᏔJOKER!”

(“I thought you didn’t want to fight?” Twilight asked, confused for just a moment, “The power of two unicorns might be more effective in defeating this monster.”)

(“I know, and I’m scared, but I can’t just give up my chance at going to the Gala. Is that okay?” Fluttershy was just as soft spoken as usual, but in their mental communications it was a lot easier to make out what she was saying. Twilight suspected that would be the case even if they were in the middle of a battle with crashes of destruction all around.)

(“Of course, we’ve got to do this fairly,” Twilight said, but she still couldn’t help feeling that this was incredibly unfair to Rarity. Maybe there just wasn’t a fair way to decide.)

Fluttertwi carefully reached through the door with her magic, and slid back the bolt on the other side. She could feel that she had more power than Twilight Sparkle did alone, though still nothing to compare to the awesome and terrifying magic of GenerousJoker. Together they nudged the door open, and found there was nothing to fight on the other side. A young stallion lay on his side, blood seeping through the scraps of fabric he’d been bound with, and a pegasus mare knelt over him, trying to tend his wounds.

She seemed almost as nervous as Fluttershy had been, and dived away to hide behind a work table as she heard the Champion of Harmony enter. She was wearing a bonnet and dress both decorated with an extraordinary number of buckles, much like the ruins of the collection in the main part of the shop. The material was snagged and torn, but the outfit mostly in one piece.

“Is it gone?” she stammered, “I was so afraid!”

“Speedy Thief?” Fluttertwi ventured.

“Yes, and this is… I think he’s Jaquardine’s coltfriend, she runs that wedding boutique. We’ve met a few times, working in the same profession, and I’ve seen him in the store.”

“Starry Knight. We’ve been looking for him.”

“Oh, no! Did the monster attack there as well? That’s horrid! I thought it was just something it hated me for, something to do with…” she stared down at the ground. Her muzzle bobbed slightly to indicate that she was still speaking, but no sound emerged.

“What?” Fluttershy used her own voice, softer than the echoey chorus that emerged when the two of them decided to speak together. “Please, can you help us?”

“I thought it was something personal. I worked for Windscale, have you heard of them? And some of the other ponies who worked there were jealous because I could create something beautiful on my own, rather than needing a committee to produce a design, or a pattern to work from. And some other designers, too, they were upset that I had the stability of a big company, so I wouldn’t lose everything if sales drop for a month or a season. Then my fiancé lost his job as well, and I had to think it was personal. A week later he disappeared, and then after that I came home and found my new boutique like this…” Anything else she said couldn’t be heard over the sobs.

They took her back to the library, where she would be safe. They couldn’t think what else to do. And then they split up to check the other establishments on Rarity’s list. They all wanted to be the one who found the monster, but more important than that they couldn’t stand by while an innocent got hurt.

When Applejack got back, she found Twilight Sparkle finishing a letter, which she immediately handed to Spike. The little dragon exhaled a burst of green flame, and whatever strange magic lurked within him sent the letter across the world.

“What are you doing?” Applejack was immediately suspicious, “Trying to follow some new lead while we’re all following a cold trail?”

“Writing to Princess Celestia,” Twilight responded, “It’s clear to me that this competition is not a good thing. Rainbow Dash got hurt last night because Rarity wasn’t sure if her help would be welcome. We started going around boutiques on our own, I didn’t share the idea straight away, and that meant Speedy got to spend a night on the streets, too nervous to go back home. We all want to go to the Gala, but it’s not worth getting anypony hurt over. So I returned the ticket, said that our power lies in teamwork, and we don’t want to split up the team.”

“Are you crazy?” Applejack yelled, but then her expression softened as she thought about it a little more. Behind her, the others had arrived in time to hear part of the speech, and everypony was nodding.

“I agree,” Rainbow Dash nodded, “If one of you gals got hurt because I leapt in when I’m not the right pony for the job, I’d never forgive myself. Better for none of us to go.”

“I’ll show them,” Pinkie Pie grinned, leaping into the air as she gestured around the room, “With balloons and banners and a bran tub, I’ll throw a party even better than the so-called ‘Grand’ Gala, and next year Princess Celestia will be begging for a ticket to come here, and we’ll only send her one!”

“At a party, everyone does their best to outshine the others,” Rarity speculated, “The whole place will be filled with sparkling costumes, many tacky enough that it would be impossible to be noticed without being just as tasteless. My forté is in outfits both stylish and practical, bringing beauty to everyday life, so there are better opportunities for me to demonstrate my works to society’s elite.”

“I guess so,” Applejack drawled, “An’ you all are helping me raise the money to fix that barn roof. But first, we’ve got a monster to beat.”

“You won’t be interested in the Princess’s reply, then?” Spike held up a letter, that none of them had heard arrive over the commotion.

“I hope I’ve not offended her by rejecting such a generous offer,” Twilight said, practically trembling, “But if she’s trying to persuade us to come, we shouldn’t look until after the dopant is dealt with. Spike, I need you to take care of that letter for a while. No distractions until we’ve done our duty. Right?” Everypony nodded, one by one.

“Trouble is, how do we find him?” Applejack was the first to get down to practical matters, “That monster keeps giving us the slip, I wonder if he can turn back to a normal pony when we’re not looking.” The dismissive shake of her head said all that needed to be said about what she thought of that kind of trickery.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Pinkie said, “I mean, we checked all the boutiques, but there doesn’t seem to be so much rivalry there, and the dopant seems like he’s kidnapping coltfriends and leaving them in somebody else’s shop. That’s just strange, and not something a business rival would do. I tried to think what else Jaquardine and Speedy have in common, but I can’t think of anything.”

“I thought you knew everything about everybody?” Spike said, “Maybe whatever it is, it’s just some big secret that nopony knows.”

“Sometimes that’s the problem,” Pinkie confessed, looking a little embarrassed for once, “I know so many interesting things about all my friends, I can’t figure out what the important bits are. I bet it’s the same with your library, Twilight, there’s so many words but you don’t know which one the thing you want is in.”

“That’s what a library catalogue is for,” Twilight whisked hers over, beaming with pride, “It took me nearly three days to create this when I moved in, but now I can find exactly which book contains a necessary fact in seconds.”

“Oh, I never had one of those for my books,” Pinkie shrugged, “I just look through them all the old fashioned way.”

“Your books?” Rarity managed to suppress a chuckle, “Pinkie, I’ve seen your room. There isn’t space in there for more than two or three books.”

“No, the books about people! I heard that your dreams are all about organising what you learned. And when I was sick in bed for a week, I was dreaming a lot, so I made a dream library in where there’s books about everything I learned today. Sometimes when I’m asleep and I haven’t got any better ideas for adventures, I just read them to help me not forget anything when I meet people.”

“You can do that in dreams?” Rainbow Dash was shocked, “Why did you never tell me about this?”

“I wonder…” Twilight took out the Driver, and stared at the strange mechanism thoughtfully, “This thing lets us share thoughts. So if you use it in your dreams, do you think you could bring some books to me from this library? I’m not sure how that might work, but it seems worth an experiment if we can’t find anything before…” she quickly went silent as Pinkie nodded and then quickly started snoring, right there in the corner of the room.

“I will never understand how she does that,” Applejack declared, “But maybe you should stop staring and put the Driver on, sugarcube?”

“Yeah,” Twilight swung the device over her head and the magnetic clasps quickly secured themselves. The top edge rested neatly against her collar, looking like a single piece of jewelry, but she didn’t waste time admiring it before activating her Element.

“JOKER!” the Driver sang out, and its ghostly twins appeared around Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity’s necks. After a few seconds, the gems on the Drivers were glowing violet and blue, but there was no sign of transformation. Twilight wasn’t sure if she should be more intrigued that the Driver could sense Pinkie putting in a dream of her Element, or that this wasn’t enough to allow their minds to merge. She could deal with that later, in any case, after she used her magic to lift the Element of Laughter from Pinkie’s collar. It almost felt like the Driver was sucking it in. After the usual light show, Pinkie Pie was still standing asleep in the corner, but the armour-clad form of Twinkie had her eyes closed as well.

“I guess, maybe that worked, then?” Applejack looked between them uncertainly. “So what do we do now?”

“I need to practise my magic, I think,” said Rarity, “I’m an expert at using it to craft things of beauty, but I’m not strong enough to use it in a fight. I don’t want to be the weak link letting us down. And I need to find what talent I have that could be used to break a Gaia Memory. I’m skilled with scissors, but I don’t think they compare to Pinkie’s party cannon in the realm of sheer brute force.”

“The cannons never hurt anyone,” Fluttershy spoke up, “I asked Pinkie about that, because it was a bit scary seeing them use it like a weapon. She said she thinks the Party just reminded Sunlit Plain about a good time in his life, and helped him think about things that aren’t revenge, so his heart wasn’t holding on to the Gaia Memory for a second. Like when an animal is hurt, they might thrash around and bite, so you have to distract them enough that they’ll let you help.”

“That kinda makes sense,” Rainbow Dash agreed, “My Sonic Rainboom is awesome on its own, and just using the Driver makes me stronger and faster. It gives me the last little bit to do a Rainboom whenever I want. So the cannon doesn’t really need to add any force, it just distracts the monster.”

“Maybe giving them a makeover could help, then,” Rarity glared at Rainbow Dash for a moment, but there was no real malice there, “If I can find a way to do it quickly. I just need to distract the monster, and give them good feelings, while Rainbow Dash provides the physical blow to break their Memory.”

Pinkie was standing surrounded by books when the Driver appeared around her neck. As the last thing she’d seen before going to sleep was Twilight’s library, the books around her were arranged in roughly the same shape, although without shelves. They hung in the air tracing the outline of the hollow tree, with more books arranged in similar shapes beyond them as far as the mind’s eye could see.

She levitated her Gaia Memory and slotted it into the driver. It glowed for a few seconds, gently thrumming as if power was building up inside it, and then Twilight was standing opposite her. Twilight Sparkle was wearing the Driver, and the pale blue anodised metal plates of Pinkie’s Champion of Harmony armour, and looking down at her own hooves Pinkie realised that her own armour was the glittering violet that normally covered the left half of their shared body.

It was interesting to see a complete set of the Elements’ armour, rather than two complementary styles and two different half ponies joined by a fine line of silver and gold braid. It was only a dream, probably, but it was nice to see what her superhero costume looked like from the outside.

“Umm, Pinkie?” Twilight was looking at her strangely, as if something was weird, “How long have you been an alicorn?”

“Why not? It’s a dream, I can be whatever I want. You know I never realised how useful it was until we were being Twinkie, and then being Rainbow Pie. I know how doing magic feels like now, and what it feels like to have the horn, and what the wind blowing over my feathers feels like. So I kept it all in my dream.”

“Oh,” Twilight deflated a little. Of course it was only a dream, so the changes wouldn’t carry through in the real world. She’d initially been worried, because some great psychologists had said that seeing yourself differently in dreams might be a sign of some more significant problems. But Pinkie, it seemed, could use a dream library to help her manage her memories. So for her at least the dream world was a practical, rather than a fanciful and abstract place. “Well, why don’t you show me this library?”

The books just hung there. Beyond them there was only more books, and space. Where there weren’t piles of books covering it (mirroring the location, but not the content, of real books in the room where they were sleeping right now), the floor was completely plain. Not black, or white, but simply plain. It didn’t have colour or texture or any kind of detail. The only thing that existed in this dream was the books themselves, and the dreamers.

Twilight lifted one of the books, with the name ‘Octavia Melody’ emblazoned on the front cover. As soon as she touched it, she found she knew who Octavia was, and would be able to recognise her if she saw her around town again. After opening the book, she quickly saw that the pages were entirely blank. But she could feel Pinkie’s knowledge flowing into her mind, and she could remember everything that mattered about Octavia; her talents and dreams, her family, her birthday and favourite type of cake.

“Wow! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a library this big. Is this all just things you know? I should have asked about this before. So where are the books on all the boutique owners?”

“I think Jaquardine should be over here…” Pinkie was less certain, not her usual energetic self. It was a while before Twilight really understood. Pinkie Pie was confident and sure of herself because everything she learned about someone, she recorded in her internal library. And just like it was possible to dream an entire life in one night, maybe she had time to search this place for one book she needed so quickly that nobody would notice her brief power-nap.

“You just poke around until you find the one you want?” Twilight asked, incredulous, “With such a large collection that could take hours! Days, even!”

“I know. It’s only dream time, but I get real tired if I come here more than once a day. I don’t know how real libraries manage.”

“Pinkie,” Twilight grinned, “I think it’s about time you learn about the power of indices.” The first line was kind of flippant. The rest of the explanation took a long time, and actually cataloguing all the references in the books and setting them on the right shelves took years. But this was a dream. Like watching a play, you could just wave a hoof and say ‘Two months later…’. Eventually, the books were in order and on shelves. Having two unicorns, both able to lift a dozen books at once with their magic, helped the work go more quickly as well.

“Okay!” Twilight said at last, “Let’s see who has something to gain by attacking all those dressmakers. If we grab all the books, the information should be in there somewhere. And… who’s that?” She pointed a single hoof between the long aisles of suspended books, but by the time Pinkie turned around the shadowy figure was gone.

“A bad dream, I think. I don’t know, he might have been an imaginary friend when I was a foal, I’m not sure. But I can’t stop imagining him here, and I’m too scared to… Look, can we just find what we need and then wake up? Please?” Twilight wanted to know more, but she’d known Pinkie Pie long enough to be sure this almost complete reversal in her personality couldn’t be helpful.

“Right,” she said, “Let’s try this. Look up: Boutique.” Pinkie opened a single large book that glowed with imaginary magic. The only word on the cover was ‘INDEX’, and the pages were crowded with text so small it was unreadable. But Pinkie knew how it worked, and she could turn to the page with the ‘Boutique’ entry as easily as she could read the books that had no words at all. Instantly a hundred thousand books vanished from all around them, and the remainder shuffled themselves like a deck of cards, or an ants’ nest moving with mysterious purpose.

“Two thousand, seven hundred and twelve books,” Pinkie read off from the air in front of her, “We need something to narrow it down.”

“Try looking up ‘Reptile’ as well?” Twilight spoke, Pinkie flipped through the index, and more books disappeared. Now there were only enough to sparsely fill a dozen shelves around the two ponies. Twilight could easily see a shadowy figure in the distance now there were fewer books in between, but she didn’t mention it to Pinkie just yet.

“Three hundred and seventy one.”

“Okay, why is the dopant doing this? We need to think what’s different,” Twilight mused for a second, but it was hard to concentrate when she could watch a figure moving slowly closer, silhouetted against a background that was neither black nor white. She’d never expected this, though she thought she should have done. Dreams often had other ponies in them, and remnants of childhood fears. She knew from her own experience that the denizens of a dream could… “I got it! The wedding boutique was different, all the others were attacked when they were closed. Why would that one be different, unless it wanted to attack Starry Knight?”

“Right. Keyword: Starry Knight. Six books.” All six were right in front of Pinkie, and Twilight was about to suggest they read them all. But then the imaginary friend charged towards them, and she felt a trace of Pinkie’s irrational fear.

“Keyword: Rivals,” Twilight said, not giving herself time to really think about it. They’d already deduced that there was no real rivalry between the different designers in this town, but she couldn’t stop feeling like it was there.

“One book!” Pinkie reached out her hooves to catch it. Twilight only saw the cover before the dark figure reached them, but that was enough to know they’d searched for the right things. A book bound in leather, an unhealthy shade of pale grey-green that looked almost like the texture of scales. And a single word on the cover, beginning with ‘V’.

Twinkie blinked rapidly, and looked around the library. Pinkie’s body was still asleep in the corner, but somepony had seen fit to put a party hat on her head. Or some dragon, more likely. Applejack was standing guard, as if there was a chance the dopant might come back.

“AJ!” Twilight was the first to find her voice, “Where’s Speedy?”

“Rarity said the monster’s going round attacking different places, so it’s not going to attack her again. Said she’d help tidy the place up. Why?”

“We have to get there.” She didn’t stop to talk any longer, but took off at a full gallop.

(“Feels like my head’s going to overflow,” Twilight muttered mentally as they ran, “You sure you can remember the stuff from that book right?”)

(“Yeah. I only managed to read a few pages about the dopant’s powers, but it’s all pretty simple. If you keep still, it can’t see you.”)

(“I should have realised. They say many lizards don’t see stationary objects, because they don’t need to. So we just keep still and use magic to attack it, and we can’t lose.”)

(“Just one problem. I had so much sugar this morning, I don’t know if I can keep still.”)

Rarity did her best to help Speedy Thief clear away the ruined dresses. Some of them were very interesting designs, using buckles in ways she would never have thought to try. She knew the younger pony had talent, and it was only bad luck that she didn’t have so much success. In one corner, there was a small display case containing trophies and awards as a testament to her skills.

“I almost forgot about this,” she laughed, “The Windscale New Creators’ Showcase Awards. That was the first time we met, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” Speedy nodded, “It was the week I arrived in Ponyville, I thought it was some kind of omen. Winning such a prestigious award, it had to mean something, right? A trophy presented by noted designer Suri Polomare, and a career as the chief designer of Windscale’s new Ponyville branch. I thought my life was golden. I never imagined… this.”

Rarity looked at the other items in the cabinet, some lesser trophies and a couple of framed photographs. The first was the award ceremony, with Speedy and four runners up trying to hide their nerves on stage. Rarity saw her younger self without much of the confidence that characterised her now, standing between Jazzy Glamour and Buttercup Blush, while on the other side of Speedy, Elegant Form had been beaming so proudly just to be on stage.

“We were all there,” Rarity finally started to make the connection, “Me, you, Elegant, and Jazzy. Four shops attacked, out of five finalists.”

“You don’t think Buttercup…?” Speedy left the suggestion hanging in the air. Rarity tried not to nod, but it did seem like a reason for jealousy. For such a prestigious trophy, being judged last could be a painful experience. And she’d seen just recently how rivalry could turn even good friends against each other, when they were aiming for the same goal. Then she looked at the other photograph.

A young couple, blank flanks still so it must have been taken quite some time ago. They were resting in a country meadow, lying as close as modesty would allow. They were happy and young, meeting by chance on vacation, and living in the moment and trying not to think about the inevitable return to homes in different towns. This one wasn’t a testament to Speedy’s skill, but a personal good memory that she saw as important enough to keep with the others. A train ticket tucked under the frame reminded Rarity that Speedy Thief said she had come to Ponyville in the hope of meeting up again with a colt she had known years before. Maybe she had managed that, maybe not. Rarity knew she should keep her muzzle out of the other pony’s private business, but she was curious enough to turn the picture so that the light reflecting from the cracked frame didn’t obscure the young couple’s faces. Speedy Thief and Starry Knight, even without their cutie marks the shape and shade of those eyes was enough to be sure.

“You won the contest,” Rarity spoke more slowly now, “but the colt you loved was a stallion now, and already engaged.”

“It’s not like that. I won the contest, but then everything I made belonged to the company. When I complained they just fired me, like they do everypony who’s too good for that group. My fiancé lost his job right after me, that could only have been through spite. And when I tried to make my own way, I can’t earn enough for two. You think I need your pity? You all have a successful boutique, every knows your names, and I can’t have the same even though I’m better than all of you. I’ve even got the trophy to prove it!”

Speedy hitched up the side of her dress, revealing the letter that had replaced her cutie mark.
Rarity reached out with her magic and tried to snatch the Gaia Memory away, but she couldn’t even touch it. The memory called out its name, but the voice was louder and more aggressive than that of the Elements of Harmony. It sounded like some engine’s roar of complaint, or the grinding voice of a dragon turned to stone, and before the echoes had even died away the monster in front of her was roaring. The pleats in Speedy Thief’s skirts became parallel lines of scales. The deep blue of her coat became pale and grey, and her mane vanished as Rarity watched. As row upon row of scales grew over each other, her head quickly changed into the outsized monstrosity that had terrorised her friends. Rarity didn’t have the first idea what it was supposed to be, but she knew how terrifying it was.

Her first thought was to run to the back room, or outside. With her body so drastically changed, would the monster even be able to open a door? That had been her plan ever since Speedy Thief had told them that she’d fled into the back room and barred the door, but obviously that information wasn’t reliable now. She whipped clothes up into the air and ran to one side as the monster charged, hoping she could just distract it long enough to call for help. Pressing her Element of Harmony into her collar made it sing out, and then she hoped she would only have minutes to wait before Rainbow or Twilight got here. To her surprise, the Driver appeared on her neck immediately, and she instinctively transferred the Element she was holding.

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!” her hooves hit the ground running, just a few blocks away in the street outside.

(“Speedy Thief is the monster!” she gasped, “My body’s still in there with her, I transformed without thinking.”)

(“We know,” Twilight answered confidently, “Pinkie had all the clues, like an encyclopædia of personal trivia. It was just a case of putting it all together. And that creature is akinetoagnostic, it can’t see you if you don’t move. The Memory feeds off the desire to do better than others, slowly corrupting ambitions until destroying a rival’s work is as good as doing better yourself. Speedy Thief needs our help.”)

The explanation only took a couple of seconds, if that, but they were already outside the shop. GenerousJoker blinked, and focused intently on channeling their magic. They could call out tremendous power without a second thought, they already knew that. But the objective here was to knock the dopant out, not to kill her, and that would take a good deal more work. In an instance, every window in the shop shattered and sent shards of glass flying inwards. Twilight was surprised to find that they were aware of the position and velocity of every single one, able to control them however they wanted. This was beyond even her skills, and Rarity was in awe.

They walked up to the doorway and faced the dopant. As promised, Rarity could see that her body was unscathed. Now the monster couldn’t attack them, surrounded by a cyclone of whirling glass shards and strips of cloth.

“You can’t stop me!” it shrieked, the voice sounding more like a mare hysterical and on the edge of tears than a rampaging monster. “You might know who I am but you can’t stop me, the salesman said that no weapon can penetrate the scales of this ancient beast.”

“Do you really think that matters?” Rarity yelled, almost crying herself, “You were our friend, Speedy. We cared about you, and we were thrilled when you won that prize. We helped you set up this place because we believed in you, and nopony should have to start off on their own. We helped each other out, too, when we started. It would have been five of us all making a success together, you didn’t need to shut yourself off just because you won. We were never jealous, we were proud of you, Speedy.”

Throughout the speech, the dopant had been batting aside slivers of glass. Its claws and muzzle were cut to ribbons, but the scales healed even as they watched, growing thicker. Another couple of steps and there would be nothing to stop it attacking them.

(“I think I understand now,” Rarity took the lead, “Do you mind if I use some of your magic? I think the things I need are all around here, if you can just keep us alive for a moment.”)

“Don’t you see?” the dopant screeched, “Pain means nothing to me! A few pieces of glass can’t compare to the scorn you burned into my heart over these last years. To the pain of knowing that someone I trusted went out and stole my true love. You cannot stop me!”

“We don’t want to stop you,” Rarity spoke quietly, but the gale of flying fabric they were still conjuring amplified her words so there was no chance she would go unheard. “We want to help you. You’ve destroyed your own work as well as ours, and I think maybe there’s something behind that, something you don’t want to admit.”

“I don’t need these scraps any more! I will win by destroying all who oppose me. I don’t need a career filled with petty rivalry and empty promises, I don’t need to…”

“No,” Rarity interrupted, and GenerousJoker’s magic gripped the creature’s muzzle to prevent her from speaking. “You destroyed these clothes because you don’t love them. You’ve been studying with that big company, learning how to design the things that will sell well, and they haven’t here. Because if people come to a boutique where they can meet the designer, they want something unique. Something with emotion in it. You destroyed these because somewhere inside, you know you can do better. And we all tried to help you make this shop a success because you’ve shown us what you’re capable of. Just look.”

The swirling fabrics dropped to the ground. Beyond them, Rarity stood alone, the right half of a pony with an ethereal, translucent shimmer standing in where the other half might have been. They both knew that they could only remain separate like this for seconds, and hoped that it would be time enough. Speedy could have charged, but her attention was focused on the mirror Rarity was holding up. She saw herself, a monstrous freak thanks to the effects of the memory, dressed in a beautiful gown decked with brilliant jewels. She hadn’t even noticed that the Champions of Harmony were laying pieces of the swirling fabric on her body. And as distorted as it was, it still looked good.

Her eyes went wide as she finally realised why the style looked so familiar. It was her own design from the New Creators’ Showcase, an asymmetrical evening gown that borrowed a few subtle elements and accents from the cut of the tuxedo Starry Knight had worn on their fifth and last date. She had worked day and night to make that outfit perfect, like the dress she saw in her dreams. And then she had worked even harder to gain respect, and to influence enough people that she could stand a chance of getting the gown made by a large company and sold across Equestria. She had gone into this with no thoughts of being the best or the richest, simply because she had an idea that was too good to be obscure and forgotten.

She’d forgotten it somewhere along the path, but Rarity remembered every detail. Maybe if she went back to doing things she loved, she could become famous without needing to hurt others.

A wave of pain shot through her body as the Gaia Memory tried to erase the unfamiliar thought. She had hope, but the jealousy that the crystal had fostered was too powerful, and would snuff it out almost as soon as the thought had arrived. Then the Driver’s power to maintain two separate bodies had been pushed as long as it could last. The two half-ghost ponies snapped back together like the ends of an overstretched spring, and Speedy Thief was right between them. They passed through her somehow, and she felt Twilight Sparkle’s horn probing inside her haunch to strike directly at the Gaia Memory.

A flash, a burst of magic so powerful that ponies across half off the town were stunned for a moment. Then Speedy Thief was lying on the ground, and GenerousJoker standing beside her with a pea-soup-green crystal held tightly in their hooves.

“I can’t believe I forgot that!” Speedy gushed, “That thing must have twisted my mind as much as it did Sunlit. Somehow I thought I was immune. But you’ve given me hope, I don’t need to destroy anything. I can just make the designs I love, and people will flock to my store. Then there’ll be no doubt that I’m the best!” It was probably good that she couldn’t see what Rarity was thinking then, or Twilight’s unspoken curses as the Gaia Memory they were holding splintered and most of its power escaped.

(“I think we won, though that mare’s attitude always detracted from her talents in my opinion,” Rarity whispered into Twilight’s mind as they walked Speedy Thief to the hospital. “So does that mean we can go to the Grand Galloping Gala?”)

(“I told you, I returned the ticket. That wasn’t some kind of trick, you know. I want to go as much as anypony, but it’s not worth risking our friendship over, or our lives.”)

(“I know you said that. But you haven’t read the Princess’s letter yet. Did you know,for example, that there are a dozen different situations in which the Princess could refuse to accept your refusal of the ticket? A Royal Summons isn’t easily ignored if she wishes any of her subjects to be present.”)

(“I guess we’d better wait and see, then,”)
Nopony who wasn’t in the same body would have noticed their pace picking up, ever so slightly, at that thought.

“Okay, Spike,” Twilight Sparkle sighed as they filed into the library and saw the little dragon sitting with a scroll unfurled, “What does the letter say? Is Princess Celestia angry?”

“Nah. Pretty much ‘Why didn’t you say so?’, and how she doesn’t want you to miss out.” Spike fanned out six tickets and waved them in the air.

“Perfect,” Rarity beamed, “I can’t wait to show off our beautiful twin-unicorn form, the perfect canvas for my designs.”

“Hey! Why do you get to go as the Champion of Harmony?” Rainbow Dash interrupted, “I’ve still beaten more dopants, you two can’t hog all the fans.”

Pinkie Pie just shook her head and giggled, and Spike produced a bowl of popcorn from somewhere as four ponies watched their feuding friends in amusement. Sooner or later they would realise that only two of them actually wanted to go as the Champion, and the rest would be happier in their own bodies. But until then it would be amusing to watch.

Author's Note

Again, thanks to twilight for the typo and canonicity checking.

And sorry this one took so long to finish; I thought it was almost finished when I published episode 3, then realised I'd missed a couple of scenes. I think I need to get better at figuring out where the middle of the story is, because yet again the second half of a two-episode story ends up being 2½ times the length of the first.

If there's any episodes (of either show) that you'd particularly be interested in seeing, then let me know. Next up, “The Season to B…” and “Call of the B” (running two stories in parallel this time, because I don't think either of them has enough meat to fill two episodes. Can you guess which?)

Interruption - Princess V Boredom

Dear Princess Celestia,
I enclose my report on our recent conflict with the dopant we have recently been facing. I believe in this case that our team may have functioned inefficiently as a result of the misunderstanding of which you are already aware. I believe we are now gaining a better knowledge of each other, and of our abilities. I hope that when the date of the Gala arrives, I will have an opportunity also to learn a little more about our enemies, and the origins and nature of the Gaia Memories.

Gaia Memory: Velociraptor (destroyed; I have yet to determine whether this name refers to a real creature from some exotic land, or possibly a mythological creation. I will continue researching this)

Harmony Techniques Used: GenerousJoker – Maximum Magical Makeover Drive (Thankfully, at least one of our combined forms has not been given a frivolous name composed as a portmanteau of our real names. However, we have chosen to use “GenerousJoker” rather than “GenerosityJoker” as I believe this will make it easier for future epic poets and bards to sing of our exploits. I feel that using the full names of our memories would stress any regular meter to breaking point. The name of the technique, however, I am less sure of.)

Memory User: A pegasus fashion designer, Speedy Thief. She considered use of the memories fully justified by society’s failure to recognise her true talents. She is extremely competitive, and continued to see other designers as enemies or rivals. As a dopant she destroyed the work of those she saw as her closest rivals, who she had beaten to receive a prestigious award, but who had proved more successful in the real world. She purchased two Gaia Memories from a supplier she refuses to identify. Before becoming a dopant herself, she gave one to her lover, Sunlit Plain, and encouraged him to attack the premises of their mutual former employer, a company known as Windscale. She has admitted that she abducted him following his defeat, in order to preserve her secret, and now says she wishes to bargain for knowledge of his location. I have told her that she will be collected by royal guards in order to present her case to you, as only you have the right to decide the sentence of a criminal.

I hope that I have done the right thing in this case. Although the memory was destroyed, Speedy still seems to harbour just as many dark thoughts, and it seems clear that she orchestrated acts of arson while still in control of her actions. Therefore I see no reason she should not be treated as any…

As Twilight composed her report, Spike sat back sipping on his drink. He knew he would be needed soon enough to send the letter, but he found that life was a lot more relaxing when he wasn’t also required to take dictation. The other ponies had left by now, saying that the clanking clatter from Twilight’s latest discovery was the most annoying sound ever to fill the library, but Spike felt like the typewriter’s eccentric rhythm had a music all of its own. Princess Celestia had commented in her latest letter that she found it intriguing that she could no longer tell at a glance whether a letter from Twilight Sparkle demanded immediate attention.

Spike had noticed it too. Sometimes Twilight would dictate a letter and ask him to write it down, while at others she used her magic to hold the quill or even wrote by hoof. It seemed to depend on the urgency of her current thoughts, and how much planning she had given the day. Presumably, the Princess had learned to interpret the different writing styles with much more finesse than Spike himself had gathered. And now, the Princess was in the dark again, as Twilight took to using an archaic contraption she had found in the basement to compose her missives.

Of course, Spike had known that it was not his place to read out that part of the Royal letter. He glanced up now at the space beside Twilight’s bed, where they were all neatly filed. She took such great care to ensure the letters were safely stored, but Spike was pretty sure she had never retrieved one again to check that the words he had read out to her were actually the entirety of the message. Sometimes they weren’t, and it was his little secret, though he got the impression that the Princess sometimes knew just what he was going to skip over when reading out a message.

This time, for example, he had neglected to mention that the Grand Galloping Gala was suffering from a lack of staff in the administration office, and that further tickets should be expected later in the week. Maybe it had been cruel of him, but the arguments between Twilight and her new friends had been just as entertaining as he had expected. But the Princess’s second letter had made it abundantly clear that she had expected him to do this without ever explicitly saying so.

Spike liked the typewriter, it gave him more chance to rest. It was extremely relaxing, listening to a mechanical sound that could also be distant drumming. And resting and relaxing were among a baby dragon’s favourite things to do.

Author's Note

Finally, the end of the second story.

I'm already working on Episode 5, but also going back to tidy up Episode 1, which was a little rushed. I still feel I'm not doing so well with the characters' voices, but I'd like to think I'm getting better. Also watching more of the show, as well, so I've got a better grounding in canon.

Next up, a little experiment. I've got Call of the Cutie and Applebuck Season running at the same time, causing double the chaos in Ponyville. My versions of both plots are fairly lightweight, so I figured interleaving them was better than having an episode where they don't defeat a dopant. Does that sound like a good idea?

I'd also appreciate anyone extra help with proofreading and checking some of these; my Google Docs are still full of marginal annotations of things I'm not sure about.

Episode 5 - 'Tis the Season to B…

“Applejack!” a voice called from a window above her. The farm pony had just been hauling a whole cartload of apples to market, and she wanted nothing more than a chance to sit down and rest her weary hooves. But she recognised Rarity’s voice, a friend, and she wouldn’t keep a friend waiting whatever they wanted. “I need to check your measurements for these costumes!”

Applejack sighed, and went into the Boutique. Rarity was moving around somewhere upstairs, so she went straight to the stairs.

“Hold on!” Rarity glared, and stomped down the stairs with less than her usual grace, “You didn’t even wipe your feet! I can’t have dust from the street all over my shop!”

“You got ponies comin’ in from the street all day, that’s how shopping works!” Applejack replied, but walked back to the door and scraped her hooves across the mat in any case.

“Yes, but most of my customers are educated to a higher standard of etiquette, and haven’t been traipsing around on a muddy farm all day.”

“Well some of us got more important things to worry about than keeping the floor polished. And the farm’s no muddier than anywhere else, there’s nothing wrong with a little honest dirt, and I ain’t been on the farm anyhow! I been all morning helping Apple Bloom learn how to run a market stall, talkin’ to folks and counting apples.” Rarity gave a pause at last, her natural conflict with the friend who embodied all the things she hated (like physical labour, dirt, and nature) put to one side as the last surprise put her completely off balance.

“Isn’t your sister a little young to be working for her keep?” she raised an immaculately styled eyebrow with the question, “She’s around the same age as my sister, Sweetie Belle. Is your clan really so desperate for a few more bits?”

“She wanted to learn!” Applejack yelled so sharply that Rarity worried for a second that she might actually have pushed her friend to the point of violence. “There’s some kids at the school been picking on Apple Bloom because her cutie mark didn’t come in yet. I told her I was the last of my friends to get my mark, but she wasn’t having it. She said she wants to try something, see if she can find her talent, and she wanted to try running a market stall. I’ve got to help her, haven’t I? I don’t want her to feel like she’s not as good as all her friends.”

“That, I can understand,” Rarity lifted a tape measure over as she spoke, “You’ve told her not to worry about it, and I think you need to take your own advice. Who knows, maybe selling will prove to be her forté, and then she’d be ahead of Sweetie Belle at least.”

“Your sister hasn’t got hers either?”

“No,” Rarity shrugged, “I told her that she’s like a bolt of exquisite cloth, with the potential to be anything. She doesn’t need to worry, she’s very mature for her age, and I’m sure she will enjoy whatever talent comes her way. Who knows, maybe her talent will be in marketing too, wouldn’t that be a coincidence worth talking about!”

“Yeah, though I think Apple Bloom hasn’t found her talent yet. She’s trying hard, but I think she might have to try something else. And I can hear somepony shouting from here, so I better go check she’s not upset another customer.”

“That’s fine, I got what I need now. And good luck helping out your sister.”

“I’m beat,” Applejack declared as she half fell into the Apple family’s kitchen later in the day, “I never thought having an assistant on the market stall could make it more work.”

“And I still didn’t get my cutie mark,” Apple Bloom pouted, though she still had a spring in her step, “We’ll have to try again tomorrow, I think I nearly sold enough!”

“I don’t think I could last another day, sugarcube. Maybe you can try something else. Big Mac’s gonna be back from his trip tomorrow, and then it’s time to start bucking for the year. Maybe you can help out with the baskets?”

“Maybe my talent’s going to be bucking trees, and I’ll be able to harvest the whole orchard without any help!” Apple Bloom put her head down and delivered a dramatic two-hoof kick to the air behind her, narrowly missing a pie cooling on the kitchen counter.

“That’s as maybe, but you got to grow a bit bigger before you’re ready for that kind of work. Just leave it to me and Big McIntosh, and you can help out this year to see if it’s going to be a big piece of your future.”

“You might have to wait a while,” Granny Smith said, “I just heard from him this afternoon, your brother’s not going to be back so soon. He’s been in a fight, of all things, and injured hisself, so they put off the wedding until tomorrow. He says he’ll be home Tuesday unless they need him to help with any more repairs, but he might not be fit to go kicking trees for a while.”

“Hmm,” Applejack paused for a moment, thinking about the number of orchards in Sweet Apple Acres that were ready for harvesting, and how long into the season they would be perfectly ripe. “You ready to help in the morning, Apple Bloom? I guess it’ll just be the two of us this year.”

Early in the morning, Applejack was already beginning to regret her decision. But there was nopony else who could do the job. Apple Bloom was eager to help, lining up baskets under the trees. She got the hang of it quickly enough, and then stood back while Applejack delivered a swift kick to the trunk, and fruit rained down into the baskets. A kick took only a second, and arranging the baskets was almost twice as quick with two, so it didn’t make much difference that Apple Bloom didn’t have the force necessary to shake apples off their trees herself.

The time consuming part, though, was hauling every cartload of apples back to the barn. They worked well as a team, making light work of the bucking, but after a few dozen trees it meant a slow round trip. Carrying more in each journey meant she didn’t have to go so often, but the weight made every step slower and more tiring. Apple Bloom couldn’t help much with that, a filly without the muscle tone of an experienced farmer.

“The sun’s up now,” Applejack commented as she was about to set off with the next load, “We’ve been at this a couple of hours already. You enjoying the work?”

“Wow, time flies! I feel like we only just started. Do you want me to put out as many empty baskets as I can before you get back?”

“I think it’s time for you to be heading to school. Your teacher will be happy you’re wide awake already, but you’re not going to be late because of me.”

“I’m learning, though,” Apple Bloom protested, “I’m learning useful life skills, and I might be on the way to earning my cutie mark. Surely that’s more important than a bunch of lessons? I’m the only one in school who hasn’t got it yet. I don’t want to end up as some blank flank with just decent grades.”

“I cannot believe…” Applejack started, ready to give a stern lecture. But then she saw what could be a tear in the corner of her sister’s eye, and deliberately softened her tone. “The other kids are making you feel that bad?”

Apple Bloom nodded, “Everyone else has theirs. And a couple of fillies are having a party to celebrate theirs, and I’m not even invited!”

“Now that’s just cruel. Rest assured, you ain’t the only filly still waiting for hers. Rarity’s sister Sweetie Belle hasn’t got hers either, and Rarity told her a very important lesson. Having a blank flank doesn’t define who you are, it’s like a blank canvas. You can do anything, you can be anything, and when you find something you really enjoy, then you’ll have your mark.” And then, because Apple Bloom still looked uncertain, she added: “Don’t you know Sweetie Belle? We’ll have to introduce you, you’ll feel better with a friend or two going through the same things. And if your classmates want to have a party without you, then you can have one without them. You can have your own apple pie, and we can ask Pinkie Pie to organise it for you.”

“Well…”

“Everypony knows Pinkie’s parties are the best in the world, right? So then your friends will regret leaving you out. A keeping your options open party, just for you?”

“A late-bloomer party!” Apple Bloom smiled at last, “Yeah, that’ll be awesome. And maybe my talent’s in baking pie, or I’m even going to be a party planner myself! That would be so awesome, and I couldn’t even think about it if I was stuck with a dumb talent like being rich. Hey, can I ask Pinkie Pie to teach me how to throw a perfect party?”

“Sure,” Applejack was pleased to see her sister happy again, even if she was unsure how long this burst of enthusiasm would last, “After school. Okay?”

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy whispered as Applejack pulled herself into the Golden Oak Library around sunset the next day. She was exhausted after her second whole day of applebucking, but she was proud enough that it wouldn’t keep her from keeping her promises.

“A bit tired,” she shrugged, “I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t look so good. Maybe you should rest?”

“We need to learn to use this driver. I said I’d practise with you, and that’s what we’re going to do.” The big experiment they’d planned for this evening was determining whether Fluttershy’s wings would be able to carry a combined pony, and whether it depended on the weight of her partner. But ten minutes later, after helping Flutterjack to her feet for the third time, Twilight had to call an end to the practice.

“I think you’re too tired, AJ,” she said, “You need some rest.”

“I’m fine!”

“You’re clearly doing more than you usually do, you look so tired. I don’t know if it’s seasonal work, that would make sense on a farm, or if you’re not sleeping properly. But if–”

“I said I’m fine.”

“If you’re working more than usual, then we need to know about it. Even if you can handle it, it means we shouldn’t give you any more work to do. It’s easier on everyone if you’re doing your driver practise at an easier time of the year, and Fluttershy can practise with me or Rainbow Dash for now. Like, if this is just because there’s more needs doing on your farm right now, then you needing a week to recover from injury would be a disaster for your family. Please, just tell us what’s going on. Is it something we can help with?”

Applejack looked down at the ground, deep in thought, before she decided to give an answer.

“Okay, it’s Applebuck Season. You know what that means? Most of the orchards need to be harvested, and we got a couple of weeks to do it. We got a bumper crop this year, which is a good thing but it means there’s more to harvest as well. And my cousin Heavy sometimes helps out, but he’s got too much to do at his own place, so it’s just me and Big Mac this time around. Was fine until I heard he’s not here, so now I’m working first light to last just to get them all brought in.”

“Big Mac’s out of town?” Fluttershy gasped, genuinely surprised, “But even with him you’re rushed at this time of year. What’s he doing?”

“He went to help another farm, distant relatives having trouble. They’re expanding, but they don’t have experience running a larger distribution operation, and some of their machinery needs repairs they can’t do on their own. But now he’s got injured somehow, and they’ve asked him to stay for a wedding as well, and you know he doesn’t like to be impolite. He’ll do some when he’s back, but I don’t want to be pushing I’m if he’s hurt. And I need to check on Apple Bloom too, she’s been having some trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?” Twilight asked, “I don’t want to see your sister having problems if we can help.”

“Don’t worry, I already asked Pinkie to lend a hoof. Some kids at the school not being too nice now they got their cutie marks, Apple Bloom says she’ll do anything if it might help her get her mark.”

“Well, her special talent isn’t party planning,” Pinkie Pie answered as she came in, “But she wants to try being a DJ next, so I put her in touch with a friend who can show her the ropes. She helped me out with baking cakes, too, and I think maybe she’s better at other things, but Spike liked her muffins.”

“Well, that’s a good sign,” Twilight said, but she knew better than the others what kind of things Spike would consider eating, so his endorsement probably wasn’t the greatest thing. “If she’s that eager to find her talent, maybe we should all help her out, trying different things until she finds it.”

“And if there’s anything we can do to help with the harvest, just let us know,” Fluttershy added, “I can ask Pinkie to help me out tomorrow.”

“No! I said I was going to help, and there’s nothing I can’t herd. I’ll work a little later tonight, then I’ll meet you at noon.”

The next day, Applejack didn’t seem rested at all. When she arrived at Fluttershy’s house, she gave a very good impression of being able to stand up with her eyes open, but it was immediately obvious she hadn’t slept.

“Are you… okay, AJ?”

“I’m fine, I keep telling everypony, I can do this! Now where’s the trees?”

“We’re herding bunnies today,” Fluttershy spoke slowly and clearly, but wasn’t sure what she should be talking about. “You remember? I need to do a census to find out how many live around here, and it’s so hard for them to stand in line. They get distracted so easily…” she trailed off, becoming even quieter than usual as Applejack started to snore.

“Don’t worry, I’ll help you out!” a call came from the road, and Apple Bloom bounded over the hill. “I’m sure I made so much trouble for all my friends, and I want to do something right for a change.”

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack shouted out, startling Fluttershy as she woke up so suddenly, “Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Are you helping out too?”

“Kind of,” Apple Bloom spoke quickly, before Fluttershy could get a word in, “I ran into Rainbow Dash, she said that the best way to find my talent is to try as many things as I can, as fast as I can. And if I can help Fluttershy with this rabbit census, then I might find out I’ve got a talent for caring for animals, or paperwork and counting, or herding, or helping out friends. You don’t mind me doing this, do you? I know you’ve got more skill with herding, but I think I can learn, and you’ve got to admit it would be a great help on the farm. Can I do this, just once? Please?”

She looked up at Applejack, pleading for a little sisterly support. It was nearly a minute before she realised the older pony had fallen asleep on her feet again.

“Applejack!” she yelled, not noticing as a couple of bunnies who’d been peering around the side of the cottage bolted back to their burrows, “Fluttershy’s asked me to help out. You need to go rest now.”

“Ah, I don’t want to get in your way,” Applejack shrugged and set off at an unsteady canter, calling back over her shoulder as she went. “An’ I got the whole of the Northwest orchard still to do.”

“I hope she’s okay,” Fluttershy mumbled at her friend’s retreating hindquarters.

“She needs sleep,” Apple Bloom said, “I’m worried about her. You know she didn’t sleep at all last night? I could hear her, out bucking all night. She’s got nearly a quarter of the crop brought in by herself, and it’s only been a few days. But I’ll be glad to see Big Mac when he shows up, I hope he can talk some sense into her.”

“I agree. So did Rainbow Dash tell you I needed help with the bunnies?”

“No, she just said I should practise with somepony else. I tried a few things, but I didn’t do so good at sports. Maybe it’s true, herding could be my thing. And I reckon in that state, Applejack would have scared half of them away, if she could stay awake at all. Maybe my talent is in bluffing and trickery, helping my family to get past their stubbornness?” she glanced back at her flank, but there was still no sign of a cutie mark. “I guess not. Anyway, let’s hunt those bunnies!”

“Oh… kay?” Fluttershy wasn’t too confident in this plan, but at least it was better than trusting her animal friends under the hooves of a sleep-deprived Applejack who wasn’t too subtle even at the best of times.

“What just happened?” Twilight Sparkle picked herself up out of a pile of soft, white, furry bodies and looked around her. She’d seen rabbits before, quite a lot of them at Fluttershy’s house. But never so many in one place, and she’d never previously imagined them as a powerful destructive force. And this was the first time she’d seen so many in the library, or fleeing through the houses of everypony in town, or stopping to dig up gardens and eat flowers as soon as they got over their terror.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Apple Bloom called as she rushed past, “I guess my talent isn’t in critter wrangling after all. But I’ll clear up the mess, I promise.”

“When you’re done with that,” Rarity’s head appeared from her window, “Maybe I should try teaching you something? It’s pretty clear that the things you’ve tried out so far aren’t appropriate, and Sweetie has been begging me to teach her the basics of dressmaking. I’m sure you can’t cause such chaos with a bolt of cloth.”

“Thanks,” Apple Bloom called, “But I think we’ve got this sorted. I saw Sweetie Belle on the way into town, and we think we’ve got a way to get our cutie marks that’s much better than just trying things at random. I promise y’all, nobody else is going to get hurt over this.”

“You bucked all those by yourself?” Big McIntosh was obviously impressed, but there was a note of criticism in his voice too. “You must’ve been harvesting day and night.”

“That I was. Still a lot to do, though. Are you up to joining in tomorrow?”

“Eeyup! Got a few bruises, but I’ll be kicking fine after a good night sleep. You get some rest too, you probably need it more than me.”

“I’m fine,” Applejack insisted, but she wasn’t as forceful as she’d been with her friends. “I could have done all this, if I needed to. It’s good to have you back.”

“I mean it. One pony and a bumper crop like that, it can’t be healthy.You rest now, and we’ll finish it together. Right?”

Applejack could be stubborn at times. The next morning, she was up at first light again, an hour or more before the time they’d agreed. She knew her brother was hurt, he had bandages around his neck and shoulders, both above and below the huge draft collar he always wore. So she was determined to do as much of the work as she could, and spare him some of the load.

“Big Mac!” she quickly saw that he had the same idea, hauling a cart laden with apples as soon as she got outdoors, “You started without me?”

“Eeyup! You’re tired, you need some help. I reckon I’m nearly done now.”

“We can finish this together, at least. I’m not going to be lazy just ‘cos you’re back now. Okay?”

Big Mac nodded, and Applejack ran to the barn to get her baskets. She already knew what he was going to say. She wasn’t quite quick enough, and he’d already returned to work when she got outside, so she set off up the hill to join in. She was determined that she would do a fair share of the work on this farm, and there was only one thing that could have stopped her right now. The gems on her collar lit up, casting an ice-blue light on the ground.

“Sorry, bro,” she said to the empty path, “Some things gotta come first. We can finish together later.” And she rushed towards Ponyville at a full gallop, her fatigue being blown away by the chill wind as well as the surge of adrenaline. As she ran, she knew which way to go. It was as automatic as walking the road home, and she could only guess that was something to do with the Elements of Harmony.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie were the first to arrive on the scene. There was none of the devastation that the last monster had left behind, but there were some signs of violence. It was a big house, expensive an immaculately kept, which made the scratches on the walls all the more noticeable. It looked like someone had hurled a sack of gravel at the house, with enough force to gouge chunks out of the stucco and smash every window.

There was no doubt it was a monster. Neighbours and bystanders were gawping and sharing stories of what they’d seen.

“It was a dragon!”

“It was a monster, it just swooped down…”

“It breathed fire and wrecked Mrs Cullier’s house!”

“It was a giant pegasus, a monster! Aren’t you listening?”

“Have those vandals been causing trouble again? I was in the bath, I didn’t see…”

“That house doesn’t look burned to me. Are you sure it wasn’t just someone throwing rocks?”

“I always said pegasi were too warlike, they should keep to their own neighbourhoods.”

“It wasn’t no pegasus, you crazy old coot. It had scales!”

“You’d be safer staying in the bath, a monster attacked…”

“It was a giant, and with feathers all over.”

It took around five minutes for all six of the Elements of Harmony to gather in one place. After another two, they were joined by Applejack’s siblings, both looking extremely concerned.

“Are you okay, sis? You weren’t in the orchard so I came looking.”

“I’m fine, Big Mac,” Applejack sighed, “You don’t need to babysit me. There’s been a monster attack here, so we need to work out what happened. I’ll be back on the farm in a couple of hours.”

“Are you sure you’re fine? I’m worried about what’s going to happen if you try fighting a monster half asleep. It’s not like counting bunnies or burning cakes…”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight Sparkle came up behind Apple Bloom and tried to be supportive, “Applejack is stubborn as a mule, you know that better than we do. But she seems to be more alert, and we’re all here today. Until she’s properly rested, me or Rainbow Dash will be the ones defending the city. But we need all hooves on deck to find out who saw what in a crowd this size.

“Then we can help too. Nine heads are better than six, especially when one of them is half asleep. That fine with you Big Mac? Spike?”

“Eeyup.”

“Sure,” Spike reacted without fully hearing what she was talking about, having just arrived, “But it sounds like some of these people have a… Umm, they don’t like dragons too much.”

“I think a lot of them don’t like anybody much,” Rarity confessed, “I’ve been here ten minutes, and I’ve already heard the monster attacks blamed on the Princess, on pegasus terrorists, on the poor, on tribalist unicorns, on the young, and on the growing number of bakeries in this part of town. I do believe that some ponies simply want to restore their sense of self importance by doing what they always do; blaming someone else.”

“Well, it’s not perfect,” Twilight quickly passed out notebooks to everyone, “But we need to talk to everypony who saw something, and write down what they saw. We’ll compare notes when we get back to the library, easier than trying to get this lot to agree with each other.”

They spent an hour and a half, asking everyone who would listen their version of events. It seemed to be agreed by nearly everyone that the monster had flown in, thrown or breathed something at the nearest house, and then flown away. Beyond that, there were a dozen variations of every detail. Rainbow Dash tried flying up to see if she could catch sight of it, but it was long gone. The biggest problem was that in a neighbourhood where everypony was used to being important, it was inconceivable to have missed something that mattered. So every witness filled in the gaps by making up what they might have seen.

“I’ll see you later,” Applejack sighed, looking just as tired as she had the previous day, “I got apple trees to buck. But I promise this time, I won’t stay up too late. I need to be fresh for fighting monsters, right?”

“Thanks,” Twilight sighed, “Just next time, trust us to help you before you get into that state. Okay?”

And then there were five ponies in the library, with a vast collection of notes which might or might not be true. For a moment, maybe, some of them might have wondered if it was a task comparable to harvesting a whole apple orchard.

“I think there’s a better way to do this,” Twilight looked over the forest of notes again. “Do you know whose house that was?”

Pinkie Pie immediately started talking about the family, about their wealth and the number of parties they could throw simply as a show of opulence. She didn’t use those words, but Twilight got the gist pretty quickly.

“Right,” she interrupted, “Then let’s look them up. Time to sleep, Pinkie.” Twilight threw the driver around her neck, and held her Element high in the air, squeezing the lever on the side to make it speak its name.

“JOKER!” Pinkie’s eyes were already closed, but the driver appeared on her neck as well as Rarity’s and Fluttershy’s as Twilight inserted the violet crystal. Then the gems on the drivers shimmered, violet and blue. In her dream, Pinkie had inserted the second crystal.

“Can you hear me, Pinkie?” Twilight asked cautiously, “Can you use the index we created to do a lookup, or do I have to come in there?”

“There’s lots of books, lots of friends, lots of ponies related to that family.” Pinkie murmured somewhat indistinctly.

“Oh, does she still talk in her sleep?” Rainbow Dash was clearly teetering on the edge of some joke or prank, and just as obviously didn’t understand just how useful that could be.

“Search by both names,” Twilight ignored the interruption, “And the daughter too. Anyone who hated them would probably attack them individually, unless they’ve got a grudge against the whole family.”

“Sixty nine thousand, four hundred and one results.” Pinkie’s sleep-talking voice was uncharacteristically emotionless, and a little creepy when she recited numbers like that. Even Twilight was feeling uncomfortable now, and only forced herself to continue by reminding herself that this was a system she’d helped to create.

“It’s someone who has a reason to want them hurt. A grudge, or jealousy, maybe. Filter by keyword: Animosity.”

“Nine hundred and twenty two results. Ponies go to their parties because they can afford the best food and entertainment, not because they like them.”

“Right. One thing everypony could agree on, the monster flew in. Add the keyword: Pegasus.”

“Two hundred and sixty seven results.”

“And most of the ponies I spoke to said it had a blue-green coat. They couldn’t agree if it’s feathers or scales, but they probably didn’t want to admit they weren’t close enough to see. Colour, you could have an idea even from a distance. Did you get the same results on your notes?” There was a brief chorus of nods, and Twilight continued, “Add keywords: Blue or green coat.”

“Thirteen results. We can check all of them if it seems appropriate.”

“We can do better, I think. Can you check what times they work, and see if any would have been free at the time of attack?” This time there was a longer pause as Pinkie checked the information in her dream world.

“One match. Grass River, pegasus socialite. Husband is Blazing Grass, earth pony shoemaker. Daughters of the two families had some kind of rivalry, a school popularity contest, and then their parents picked up on it.”

“Right. We need to find this Grass River, then. You know where she lives? Time to wake up.”

Pinkie blinked and shook her head. A second later, the door flew open and Applejack burst in.

“We got a problem.”

“AJ? I thought you were going to harvest your apples? We can deal with this until you’re done.”

“No, Big Mac finished the harvest. Worked through the night, told everyone he was worried about me.”

“So what’s the problem?”

“This was the biggest bumper crop of apples I ever laid eyes on. He’s done more in one night than I did in three days. That’s just not possible, something’s wrong here.”

“Drugs? Magic?” Rainbow Dash guessed, “I heard you can use a spell to make yourself stronger and faster, but it’s against the law.”

“For good reason,” Twilight added, “Those spells burn out your body, give you a year’s fatigue at once. Do it more than a couple of times and it can kill you. Same for the more powerful herbal tonics, it isn’t healthy. You think Big Mac might have been desperate enough to find somepony who doesn’t care for the law or for safety?”

“Maybe, but I don’t think that’s it. He seemed almost angry when I asked how he managed it. And while he was away he got into a fight.”

“Seriously? Big Mac?”

“Yeah. Said a distant cousin mistook him for somepony else. Even so, it’s weird if you ask me. He’s not acting like himself. I’m starting to wonder if he might have found…” she couldn’t bring herself to say it, but her eyes danced towards the basement stairs, where Twilight had been experimenting to uncover the secrets of the Gaia Memories.

“He was terribly fast getting to that house yesterday, while I assume you didn’t tell him where you were going,” Rarity couldn’t help following the thought to its conclusion once she’d started. “Maybe it’s not that, but I’m certain there’s some kind of impropriety here. The question is, what do we do about it?”

“Same as anypony else,” Applejack said firmly, “Those things twist your mind, and I don’t want to see my brother go like that. We find out if it’s true, we take him down, and we save him.”

Author's Note

I've got ep 6 written now, but it needs a little editing. So you won't be waiting too long for the conclusion.

Now I'm working on a rewrite of episode 1; which was rushed out when I was just planning to throw the idea out there. Could really use a beta reader, or even an editor if anyone's willing to spare the time.

Episode 6 - Call of the B

It was just a normal day in Ponyville. There had been a lot of chaos a couple of weeks earlier with monsters attacking buildings for reasons nopony seemed to understand. But this week, the chaos had mostly been limited to a pony sleep-deprived from all night farmwork attempting to help friends out, while her little sister offered to help others out with tasks she was particularly unsuited to in the hope of discovering her special talent and gaining her cutie mark before the end of the week. Both of their exploits led to a string of small disasters around the town, but it was a lot less trouble than a rampaging fire monster.

Now, Applejack seemed a lot more alert as she ran into the Golden Oak Library, and told her friends that she thought Big McIntosh might be a monster. The evidence was clear, he’d done more work over one night than she’d managed in half a week, and that was impossible. He was irritable, too, and had reputedly got into a fight with some far distant cousin on his recent trip to another farm.

“Could you do that?” Rarity asked, “Could you fight your own brother, if it came to it?” From the nervousness in her voice, it seemed she was equally concerned about the effect this might have on Applejack, and disturbed by the possibility that somepony might be able to.

“I said I’d do anything for my family. If fighting him’s the only way to save him, I’ll do it.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, though,” Twilight stopped speculating, “We don’t know yet if he’s a dopant. We need to ask him, find out what’s going on there. Talking is always a better solution than fighting.”

“He’d just lie, though,” Rainbow Dash said, “If he is, I mean. He’s normally as honest as anyone, but we know how much a Gaia Memory can mess with your mind.”

“Did you see his cutie mark, AJ?” Twilight asked, “We know from Speedy and Sunlit that a dopant can turn back into a regular pony by removing the Gaia Memory from their body. But where they jabbed it in, their cutie mark changes into the letter on the Memory, and they can’t stop craving the power as long as that mark is there to corrupt their thoughts.”

“And that letter stays as a scar afterwards,” Fluttershy pointed out the elephant in the room, “Over the top of the cutie mark, making it harder to focus on their special talent. That must be horrible, I really hoped it wouldn’t happen to anypony we know.”

“Can you find a way to get it out without leaving a mark?” Applejack was right to the point, and showed none of the tiredness she’d been demonstrating over the last week. Maybe it was an improvement, but it only made Twilight worry more about the feelings she must be keeping to herself.

“I’ve done some experiments with the fragments, but I don’t know that much about how they work before they’re broken. I could try comparing their geologic fingerprint to the Elements of Harmony, and see what the difference is there.” She held up her own Element as she spoke, a Gaia Memory like the ones their enemies used, but with a simplified rendition of her cutie mark instead of a letter on the side, “If I can change the letter into another mark before removing it, that might be the key to safe removal. I don’t know how, but I’ll send a letter to Princess Celestia and ask if there’s anything in the book, too. I promise you, if there’s anything we can do, I’ll do it.”

As soon as the others had gone, Twilight set about composing a query letter. She struggled to find the words that would express how desperate they were, hoping to avoid another promise that she could look at the book when she was next in Canterlot. That tome, which probably weighed as much as she did, was supposed to contain all the answers about Gaia Memories. But recently the Princess hadn’t been very enthusiastic about doling out information to Twilight and her friends. She couldn’t help feeling that they’d done something wrong, and Celestia didn’t trust them fully any more.

On the high meadows, a bush rustled. Only the most eagle-eyed of ponies would have noticed a variety of yellow and pink hued body parts between the closely packed yellows and greens of the leaves. Rainbow Dash saw it, of course, but then she knew they were there. She was lurking on top of a particularly fluffy cloud on the other side of the field, keeping an eye on Big Mac.

Right now, the stallion was repairing a fence. They’d been watching for nearly half an hour, and had so far seen no sign of him turning into a giant monster and rampaging across the countryside.

“I think he saw us!” Fluttershy whispered, “Please can you try to keep still?”

“Don’t worry about it!” Pinkie’s voice didn’t go anywhere near as low, but she was probably still quiet enough to avoid being heard from a hundred yards down the road. “I’m just trying to get a clear view. The fence is in the way.” A small telescope wobbled between the leaves, but didn’t make it any easier to focus on Big Mac’s cutie mark.

Rainbow Dash had caught a couple of quick glimpses of their target, but that was no good. They couldn’t know he was safe until they saw that both of his haunches were intact. She couldn’t even say for sure that the mark she’d seen was his normal one, and was starting to reconsider the proud declaration that she wouldn’t need a telescope.

“There’s always something in the way!” Pinkie pounded her hoof on the ground in frustration, but retained enough self awareness to do so quietly, “Behind the fence, or he’s carrying a plank, or the harness for his cart, or his mark’s exposed when I’m trying to focus the telescope or one of these branches falls over the lens. Is he doing this on purpose?”

“We have to be patient,” Fluttershy mumbled, “Keep following him and taking notes until we know either way.”

In one of the more affluent parts of Ponyville, Rarity was walking down the street looking for a particular address. The ponies who lived here weren’t rich, but they were comfortable enough to have houses larger than they really needed and to indulge whatever hobbies they had. Somewhere along here was the home of Grass River. As tempting as it was to think that Big McIntosh was the monster this time around, he’d had no reason to attack that house, and he certainly wasn’t a pegasus. While the others were off checking him out, Rarity had seen it as her duty to follow up the only lead they had.

Eventually finding the right address, she knocked softly on the door. It was opened a moment later by a pegasus mare with a sea green coat. Her mane matched the rich indigo colour of her wingtips, and she wore it in a curly style most common among older fillies. That and the pastel rainbow legwarmers she wore seemed to be quite out of place on a mare of her age. Rarity’s suspicions were confirmed when she glanced past the other pony and saw a golden-yellow pegasus who must be Grass River’s daughter, dressed and styled in the same way. Some ponies just wouldn’t admit they were no longer young, and took to imitating the fashions favoured by their children in order to deny the onset of age.

“Grass River?” she asked, feeling a little irked that Pinkie knew more about this pony than she did. They were in almost overlapping social circles, if any of the six Champions of Harmony had met Grass River before, it should have been Rarity. She couldn’t think of any situation in which this mare would have come into contact with Pinkie Pie, and yet it seemed she had. Pinkie knew everypony.

“That is I. Can I help you?”

“You may have heard, there was a monster attack yesterday. We’re investigating, and we’d like to talk to you.”

“Oh dear. Yes, we heard about that, but I was at the spa having my mane styled. I didn’t see anything, but I heard the dragon already left town. Why do you need to investigate?”

“Because it wasn’t a dragon. It was a monster called a dopont, we believe, and they are summoned by feelings of animosity. So we’re talking to everyone who might have a reason to dislike that family. If we know how it got here then we can prevent it from coming again, and help the pony who brought it here, too.” Through the whole speech, Rarity was watching Grass River’s expression for any sign of recognition. She knew that what she was saying wasn’t entirely true, and hoped that she might see some confusion or disagreement.

“Help? Why would you want to help somepony who summoned a monster to take out their anger?”

“Because if they keep doing it, they could get their cutie mark burned out, and nopony deserves that. It might not even be what they intended. Those things have a way of messing with your head.” Rarity had carefully thought about these words, and she hoped she was saying the right thing. She was giving Grass River an excuse to confess without being the villain, and giving her a reason to be scared of the Gaia Memory’s power. The terror in her eyes was clear enough, and for a second Rarity thought she had managed to end this case without needing to resort to violence.

“That’s terrible!” Grass gasped, and then her head turned back to glance at her daughter, “You think Lemon could be calling that thing? Is it something she’d know about, or could it be involuntary?”

“Well, it’s possible, maybe,” Rarity considered herself a good judge of character, and this mare’s fear and surprise looked real enough. She still had to ask questions, until she could be sure Grass River wasn’t responsible for the attack. But if it wasn’t her, then one of their assumptions must be wrong. Maybe the pony using this Gaia Memory had a different coat colour before they transformed. “Why don’t you tell me about the conflict between your families, and I’ll do what I can to help.”

“You’d better come in. And then you can tell me about these monsters.”

It took most of the afternoon to find out what had happened. River Grass was smart, and asked as many questions as she answered. But eventually the story came out. A childhood rivalry between two fillies in the same class at school. Lemon Grass had been the first in the class to get her cutie mark, and had been quite proud of it without needing to boast. But as soon as her friends had got theirs, they were mocking her because her mark – a lemon dripping juice – represented a talent that suited her name, but also implied she would spend her life working in a café. More than a few of her classmates got marks which showed they were more likely destined for a life of leisure. With a nebulous clique of those who’d taken the first step towards adulthood lording it over the rest of the class, there had been a constant power struggle between those who thought being first was an achievement, and those who said that their leader should be the one with the best talent.

Rarity had already heard some stories of this clique from her sister, Sweetie Belle. She knew that the fillies who had their cutie marks considered themselves better than those who hadn’t, and were being cruel in numerous creative and subtle ways. But she hadn’t thought before about leadership contests within that group.

“In the end, neither of them came out on top,” River said as she looked out of the window. “As soon as the class’s popular diva got her mark, everyone else is either her follower or a laughing stock. I think if there’s anypony who deserves the jealousy of the rest of the class, it’s… Oh, sweet Celestia!”

Rarity was on her feet in an instant, joining her host at the window. A couple of streets away, a much larger house protruded over the rooftops. River had looked in that direction automatically when she spoke about that family’s daughter. It was obvious what had caught her attention: a huge pegasus swooping towards the large house, something they couldn’t make out at this distance spraying towards the ground. Rarity blinked twice, and then was heading towards the door. She tapped the Element of Generosity into her collar as she galloped towards the monster, and hoped that Twilight would be quick to respond to the distress signal.

Outside her home, Spoiled Rich was staring defiance at the monster. Her neighbours fled inside their own homes, but Rich’s anger was too incandescent to allow any show of fear.

“How dare you!” she yelled, “Do you know who I am, deformed lowlife? You don’t even deserve to be called a pony, and yet you attack pillars of this community! You should know your–” the diatribe was suddenly cut off as the creature shed hundreds of feathers. They flew through the air like darts, bursting in a series of tiny explosions as they struck the side of the house and the ground all around the outraged earth pony.

Each burst wasn’t large, barely louder than the pop of a balloon, but a hundred of them created a plume of smoke and a wave of pressure large enough to take chips out of the stucco walls and knock Spoiled Rich off her hooves. Now Rarity could be sure this was the same monster that had attacked the previous day, and she could also see clearly that it was neither dragon nor pony. It was horse shaped, certainly, but larger than any horse and covered from crown to tail in blue-green feathers. Its wings were huge, and the downdraft from its flapping could be felt from the street corner. Rarity focused her thoughts on her horn, wondering if she could manage to catch those feathers with magic and deflect them. A few weeks earlier, she wouldn’t even have considered levitating so many different objects at once, but her experience combining with Twilight had made it seem so easy. Was that a skill she could learn?

“A pillar?” the monster screeched, “You can’t even support your own family. Maybe if you got you kept out of other ponies’ business and got your house in order, your daughter wouldn’t be such a bully.”

Rarity would have tried to defend the Rich family, but it turned out not to be necessary.
Applejack came running, just as Twilight appeared in a flash of purple light. Twilight was clearly disoriented, blinking and stumbling slightly like she always did when teleporting without proper preparation. She wasn’t in any state to fight a monster, that was clear, so she threw the Driver towards Applejack.

“HONESTY!” a single swipe of her hoof slid the Element from her collar to the driver’s left slot, and the now-familiar sing song voice chanted the name. Rarity already had her own Element held out as the driver appeared around her neck. She hesitated for a second, glancing to one side to see Grass River running along behind her. That meant the mare was innocent, at least.

“Can I ask you to protect my body?” Rarity gasped, then slammed the Memory home in the Driver without waiting for an answer.

“GENEROSITYᏔHONESTY!” Rarity stumbled for a second and then her body dropped lifeless to the cobbles, eyes closed. A hundred yards away, Applejack’s coat flashed as bright as the sun. When the dazzling light faded, there was a half-and-half pony there, with the familiar braid of gold and silver dividing them right down the middle. Rarity was the right half and Applejack the left, but the magical armour didn’t follow such a strict division down the middle, instead having individual orange and magenta plates interlocking in a zigzag down their spine.

(“What are we going to call ourself?” Rarity immediately asked through their telepathic bond, “I do hope you’re not going to insist on calling us ‘Rarijack’ or somesuch, in the style Pinkie Pie seems to love so much.”)

(“That’ll do,” Applejack gave a mental shrug, “If it’s not posh enough for you, we can talk about it after we kick this monster into the middle of next week.”)

“You’re the one bullying now!” Rarity yelled out loud, “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” The winged monstrosity turned and dived right towards them, shedding more feathers that hung in a glowing cloud around it. Rarity’s first thought was to repeat the fighting style that had worked so well with Twilight Sparkle as her other half, picking up a heavy stone planter that was lying in a nearby garden and hurling it at the creature.

The projectile knocked the monster down for a moment. But it only deflected a few of the flying feathers, leaving dozens or even hundreds to explode around Rarijack in a much tighter pattern than the ones that had been used to vandalise the house. The Champion of Harmony was thrown to the ground, gasping for breath. The feathers burned where they had touched, and even the magical armour had a few tiny cracks which took precious seconds to heal. By the time they looked up, the monster was surrounded by an even denser cloud of feathers swirling like a flock of starlings as it got ready to launch them. Rarijack pulled herself back to her hooves and braced herself for the onslaught.

(“My magic is more powerful than usual,” Rarity explained, “I think Twilight was right. My telekinesis has your strength added to my own, I could probably throw a laden cart through the air now. But hundreds of feathers, I could only grab one or two. Have you got any ideas?”)

(“I’ve been kicking trees all week. I’d kick that pony too, if I could just reach it.”)

“Stop!” Rarijack froze in horror as their two little sisters ran in front of them, facing off against the dopant. They were wearing matching outfits, simple but elegant silk creations that they had clearly asked Rarity to make for them.

“This is horrible behaviour!” Sweetie Belle called out. She was shaking slightly as she faced the monster, but didn’t back down. As Rarity and Applejack both told the young fillies to get out of the way, she simply raised her voice to continue shouting over them. “I can understand being angry at Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon for picking on you, any maybe I can understand you blaming their parents, but I think you’re wrong about that.”

“But you don’t hurt our sisters!” Apple Bloom yelled, “You want to try that again, you’ll have to go through us. Are you ready to make enemies of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

(“The what?” Applejack muttered in confusion.)

“Sweetie Belle,” Rarity hissed, “Get out of here. You don’t know what a Gaia Memory does to a pony’s mind, you won’t be able to reason with it. We’ll take care of this.” But while she was speaking, the monster had flown a double loop in the air, and turning on the spot it flew away.

“I hope they’re okay,” Fluttershy whispered. She’d thought about activating her Element when the driver appeared, but the gems had illuminated in orange and magenta before she could make a decision. They’d been discreetly following Big Mac all afternoon, and hadn’t seen any sign of suspicious activity. But now he was holding a neighbour’s cart off the ground while they replaced the wheel, and the cart just happened to block their view of his haunches again. This whole expedition had been almost useless.

“Yeah,” Pinkie was fidgeting, finding it difficult to keep still for so long. Fortunately, they were behind a stack of hay bales now, which didn’t rustle like the bushes had with every movement. “They will be, though. If they were having trouble they would have signalled us again. And look on the bright side: if they’re fighting a dopant, that means it isn’t Big Mac. Right? So even if it gets away, AJ can stop worrying about him.”

“I’m not sure. We know that monster had wings, so that couldn’t be him anyway. It could be he’s got a Memory as well, and the monster is somepony else. We’ve got to keep watching.”

As the sun started to sink towards the horizon, there were five Champions of Harmony waiting in the Golden Oak Library. As Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash arrived, they were bombarded with questions about what they’d seen.

“Nothing,” Rainbow answered simply.

“Big Mac is a great friend,” Pinkie elaborated, “He spent all day helping out neighbours, pulling carts, mending fences, mending carts, and delivering cider. Was there a dopant? The collar flashed, but then I couldn’t have run back then without letting him know we’d been watching so I waited for him to turn away and the driver was there and gone before I got a chance. Did you beat it?”

“Yes, and no. We saw a monster,” Rarity answered first, then realised she should use the more appropriate word and corrected herself, “A dopant. It was huge, and it attacks with feathers. It caught us by surprise, and we might have been seriously injured.”

“But Apple Bloom saved us,” Applejack added, her voice quavering between worry and pride, “Her and Sweetie Belle put themselves in front of the monster, and it didn’t want to hurt them. I think it’s one of the kids in their school class, out to hurt the bullies but those two are brave enough to stand up to it.”

“It could be one of their friends,” Rarity said, “Maybe to them, losing friends is more of a threat than any kind of attack we can muster. I know that they can take things like that very seriously.”

“I’ve been thinking about that,” Twilight looked up from the letter in front of her, “Do you think they realised that when the dopant mentioned bullies, or maybe they know who it is already?”

“And what’s this ‘Crusaders’?” Applejack added, “First I heard about it.”

“It was Sweetie Belle’s idea,” Rarity answered, “There’s three fillies in their class without cutie marks now, and they’ve grouped together to think of new things they could try, in the hope of discovering a talent sooner. She asked if I could make uniforms for them, to cover their flanks. They’ll be able to tell us more themselves, they promised to come here right after school. And I hope they aren’t punished too harshly for coming to help us in their lunch break.”

“That’s a pretty neat idea,” Applejack admitted, “So what did the Princess say? Is that her letter?”

“Yes,” Twilight sighed, rolling the scroll up again ready to be put away, “It’s not much help, though. Celestia confirms that a Gaia Memory leaves scars that will damage a user’s cutie mark, either when the memory is broken by what she calls a ‘Maximum Drive’ attack, or if the Memory is smashed while outside the user’s body. The only hope is if you can persuade a pony to voluntarily break their own Gaia Memory. In that case, depending how much they’ve used it, they may either have the same scarring, or simply have their cutie mark replaced by the Memory’s symbol. She doesn’t know much about that, and says that the Driver acts as a key to open the big book I saw, so she can’t check for any more details there.”

“So what do we do now?” Applejack was still impatient to do something, “I guess we know Big Mac isn’t using a Gaia Memory, leastways he isn’t the flying monster. But I don’t know where to look.”

“We can wait for these ‘Crusaders’ to come round,” Rainbow Dash suggested, “I think maybe they know more, specially if the monster’s a filly. We gotta find some way to get them to understand they’ll be saving their friend as well if they tell us who it is.”

“Can’t you do that look-up thing again?” Applejack asked, “We got more info now. We know it’s somepony that’s been bullied by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, there can only be a few fillies that fit, and we already know it isn’t Lemon Grass. Even if there’s a half dozen ponies it could be, most of them will be at the school, so we can go and ask to see their cutie marks.”

“They’ll be so proud of them right now,” Dash nodded, “If anypony’s afraid to show them off, they got something to hide.”

There was a timid knock at the door, and Sweetie Belle came into the library. She was a lot less confident than she had been when facing down a monster.

“Hi, Sweetie Belle,” Twilight was first to greet her, “Don’t be worried, we’re not angry with you. We understand that if you hadn’t stepped in, the dopant could have caused much more damage. But if you know anything that could help us work out who it is, you need to tell us.”

“I don’t know,” the filly spoke softly, “We just guessed that if it had attacked both Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s houses, it was probably somepony who they’d been picking on in school. That’s a lot of ponies it could be, not just us.”

“It was those two calling you ‘blank flanks’ then?” Applejack asked, “I thought it might be, but Apple Bloom wouldn’t say who was hassling her. Where is she, anyway?”

“Big Mac came to pick her up from school. Said they had to talk right away, Apple family business. Maybe he heard that we were late back to class after lunch?”

“Can you help us find out who the monster is?” Twilight asked again, reckoning that even if Sweetie Belle suspected one of her friends, she wouldn’t tell adults without some incentive. “It’s a normal pony, with a magic crystal that gives them some extraordinary abilities. Maybe they wanted revenge on the bully, or maybe they didn’t know what they were getting into. But those things can turn anypony into a monster, make jealousy or anger grow until it’s the only thing they can think about. And if they keep on using it, they’re going to lose their cutie mark. I’m sure you can imagine how terrible that would be. So we need to know who it is, for their own sake as well.”

“I’m sorry, I… I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle stared down at her own hooves, “But I can ask the other Crusaders to help, maybe we can ask around or… something?”

On the road back to Sweet Apple Acres, Apple Bloom and Big McIntosh were walking slowly. Big Mac’s silence created a pensive air today, but it was hard to say whether it was his gait or his posture that differentiated his deep thought from his normal content manner. Apple Bloom was silent too, not speaking until she knew for sure what was wrong. Eventually, he spoke.

“One of your friends has a Gaia Memory,” he said, a simple statement of fact. And then the silence returned, begging her to give some response.

“I think so. She said something about bullying, so it must have been one–”

“Who is it?”

“I don’t know. It must be someone who has a grudge against Diamond–”

“Applejack will find out, or her friends. Pinkie Pie and Twilight Sparkle, real smart ponies. You don’t need to tell me now. But one thing I do need to know.” Listening from behind a tree, Fluttershy froze to avoid breaking the silence. She had been surprised how easy it was to remain unnoticed after Pinkie left, but right now you could have cut the tension with a knife.

“You… you know?” Apple Bloom eventually responded.

“Eeyup. Applejack never mentioned Gaia Memories, it’s a big secret. Don’t want anypony to go looking for one. You know what it means, so you’ve seen one. So?”

“So?”

“Where’d you find it?”

“I might have seen something being passed around, some folks talking about what they’d do if they could fly. I didn’t touch it though, I don’t know who–”

“Apple Bloom,” Big Mac actually stopped, and raised his voice, “That’s a dangerous thing for a young filly to find. Somepony could die. So tell me the truth. You gave a deadly weapon to one of your friends. Who gave it to you?”

“Okay, okay! I never wanted this to happen, please, you gotta believe me. I never thought it was a weapon. It said ‘bird’, and she was always jealous watching the pegasi, I thought if she could just fly…”

“Where?” It was quite a shock to see Big Mac angry, but once he’d started he just didn’t back down. “Did somepony sell it to you? What did they tell you?” There was no mistaking that tone, and Fluttershy just hoped they would get a chance to capture and interrogate any hypothetical Memory merchant before Big Mac found them. It wasn’t a voice with space for the due process of law, or for any kind of mercy.

“No, I just…” Apple Bloom stammered in the face of her big brother’s stare. “I found it. Just lying there. While you were away. I thought it might be yours, I picked it up to give it back to you, I was going to give it back as soon as you got home, I swear. Then I read the note that was with it, and it said flight. Can you imagine what it would be like to fly? I thought… I thought I could still get it back before you came home. But…”

“But it’s addictive,” Big Mac finished the sentence. “And it’s dangerous. I’d never get mixed up with something like that, so you got nopony to give it back to. Understand? You tell your friend, it’ll only get worse. Whoever used it first needs to break it.”

Apple Bloom just nodded, and then they walked in silence the rest of the way home. By the time they got there they were walking as close as they ever had, and Big Mac’s anger had boiled away like morning dew. Fluttershy waited for them to be safely indoors before she headed back to the Library, extra cautious to make sure she hadn’t been seen.

Rarity was heading back to the library after ensuring that Sweetie Belle got home safely, while Rainbow Dash flew loops over her head. As much as they’d criticised Applejack for working through the night, they knew that if they were going to be ready for more monster attacks, they would need to stay up a few hours longer to look for any more common threads in the stacks of witness reports.

“So, what’s the deal with this ‘Crusader’ thing?” Twilight eventually asked, “The costumes, I mean. They’ve got a badge where the cutie mark would normally be. Is it like a placeholder, or something?”

“It’s like a temporary mark, a group identity to bide time until they have their own, I think. They’ve been telling some ponies at school that they got their cutie marks, extra special because they got them all at the same time, but are covering them up because they don’t want any younger ponies who see them to be jealous.”

“That’ll never work!” Dash laughed, “Sorry, but, can you imagine anypony buying that? If they get into this cute-ceañera thing, it’ll just be so the others can laugh at them.”

“That’s what I thought. But they were sure that’s what they wanted, and they said they had something they knew would earn them their marks. After that monster went away at lunchtime, Sweetie had just enough time to tell me it worked, so I’m quite confident the Cutie Mark Crusaders will be the ones with smiles on their faces.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash’s excitement didn’t last long, though. They were nearly back when she spoke again.

“Who’s the third one? You said three fillies without their cutie marks, all with the same bullies picking on them. They must have enjoyed seeing the ringleaders taken down a peg or two. And the way your sister stood up to a monster like that, she must have been really sure it wouldn’t want to hurt her.”

“I’ll admit, now you mention it, that did seem unusually reckless for her. And that speech about making an enemy of the Crusaders implies that the monster already knows who they are. Alienating your only true friends would seem a significant threat to a filly of that age, so maybe that would explain a little more.”

“Is the third one…?”

“A pegasus. Yes.”

The sun was starting to set now. There weren’t many ponies on the streets, maybe a result of a monster that had attacked normal ponies two days in a row and still hadn’t been caught. While the residents of Ponyville might not know what was going on with the Gaia Memories, they had seen enough battles to be nervous of a rampaging dopant.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t heading back to the Library now. She’d decided it made more sense to meet the third Cutie Mark Crusader, and check if this filly had a letter branded on her flank. It would be harder to check, while the three had already planned on concealing their cutie marks or the lack of them. She was flying slowly as she got closer to the house, wondering how she could check without upsetting anypony. She didn’t get the chance to devise any cunning scheme, though. She saw a giant bird-pony soaring over the rooftops, and snapped on the Driver before she even thought about it. Two taps on her Gaia Memory to let the others know she had the enemy in sight, and then the Driver’s voice filled the air.

“LOYALTY!”

“KINDNESSᏔLOYALTY!” Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were immediately struck by the sheer power flooding into their body, more than either of them had ever experienced before. The armour was sleeker, pink crystals connected with gold bands, and rainbow sparks shimmered along all the edges. They could immediately feel the change in their wings, too. Four wings would give them speed no pegasus had ever dreamed of, and they crackled with mythic power.

“You’re not getting away this time!” Rainbow Dash called over the rooftops as she felt the power build, “Ultimate Pegasus Form: Rainbow Double Dash!” But the monster was already diving down between a row of houses, trying to get out of sight.

(“I was coming to tell you,” Fluttershy barely had time to speak before they were back in sight, even at the speed of thought, “I know who the monster is. Apple Bloom found a Memory that someone had dropped, and she gave it to one of her friends. She told Big Mac, said her friend was upset she couldn’t fly.”)

(“A pegasus who can’t fly. That must be terrible, and the other kids would pick on her too, you know what they’re like. She tried using a Gaia Memory just to get into the air, then suddenly all she can think about is revenge.”)

Rainbow Dash had been partly expecting a big fight, but then when she heard that she started to have second thoughts. She hoped more than anything that they could persuade the monster to return to normal and give up its Memory, however unlikely that was. Then Doubledash flew over a rooftop and was caught by an unexpected shower of blazing feathers. She tumbled to the ground, just in time to see the monster fleeing again. This time she kept low, zigzagging through alleyways at speeds she could barely control, until she arrived at a deserted square right beneath the bird-pony. It was waiting for them, though, and a cloud of feathers was already in flight towards the champion.

Fluttershy reflexively curled her wings over her face defensively, and found that the light armour on them locked together to make an effective shield. But neither of the conjoined ponies had noticed a thick carpet of feathers on the cobbles, and they were crushed between explosions above and below, striking them like a hammer blow.

“Stop it!” an unfamiliar voice yelled, out of breath. Doubledash turned to look who was speaking, and saw an orange pegasus filly with tiny wings rushing into the square. “Both of you, stop! You don’t need to fight!”

“Scootaloo?” Fluttershy muttered, “We thought you…” but her voice trailed off as their unexpected saviour stepped between them and the monster. A cloud of glowing feathers faded and fluttered normally to the ground. The Bird dopant turned and leapt for the sky, but Rainbow Dash was already gaining height.

“You can’t hurt her!” Scootaloo yelled, “Stop fighting!” She leapt onto Doubledash’s back, a desperate attempt to stop them giving chase. But with the power of an extra pair of wings, combined with the enhanced strength and speed from the Driver itself, the weight of another pony was barely noticeable.

“We have to,” Doubledash spoke together, their voices making a strange harmony, “You don’t know what those things do if you keep on using them. We have to save her, whoever she is. We promise, we can break the Memory without hurting her.” By now they were above the town, almost a mile in the air, and they could see the dopant trying to hide below like a tiny marker on a map.

(“Can we give the kid a fun ride?” Rainbow Dash asked silently, “I feel kind of sorry for her. And if I can do the Rainboom with the extra power the driver gives, I can’t wait to see what I’ll be able to do with this much power. Two pegasi really are the perfect combination, strength and speed off the charts!”)

“Hey, kid, hold on tight,” she said aloud, not waiting for Fluttershy to respond, “This is going to be fast.” Then she started diving towards the monster, accelerating as hard as she could with four wings furiously flapping. Down below, the monster glanced up and started looking around for a place to dodge. Fluttershy fought against the urge to close their eyes as the wind battered against them. A shockwave spread out around them as they easily passed the speed of sound halfway down, and the wake of their incredible speed pulled every cloud in the sky into a cone behind them. And still, Rainbow Dash fought with all her strength to go faster.

The shockwave seemed to travel ahead of the attack somehow, stunning the monster for the tiniest fraction of a second. It looked up again, and met the double pegasus’s gaze. “You don’t have to do this” she heard Fluttershy’s voice in her head, as if that stare was conveying her emotions in perfect detail even over such a great distance, “You don’t want to hurt anypony, but the Bird Memory doesn’t give you a choice.”

“Stay still and let us end this!” The last words were shouted against the roaring wind, as well at through whatever mysterious channel of communication had conveyed the previous words. The monster nodded once, not breaking eye contact, and then closed her eyes as she waited for the impact.

Everypony in Ponyville heard the boom. A dozen rings of rainbow fire spread across the skies, and the column of cloud in Doubledash’s wake was energised into a record-breaking thunderbolt with a living warhead at its tip. At the point of impact, their entire energy was delivered in a single attack, and windows shattered all around the square. As the smoke started to clear, Rainbow Dash was standing alone, Scootaloo still on her back.

There was a filly lying on the ground as well, still a barely visible outline through the rainbow-stained smoke. Rainbow Dash looked down at her flank, seeing a cutie mark that depicted a parrot of some kind. Looked at in the right way, the outline could be read as the letter ‘B’, but she would never have recognised that if she hadn’t been looking for it. There was a moment’s delay before the Gaia Memory popped out like a difficult splinter, skittering across the cobbles. The image of the bird faded and vanished, but rather than the scarred letter Dash had been expecting, the coat burned away to reveal angry red flesh, an open wound. The silence was broken by a piercing scream, and Scootaloo reacted first to run forward.

“SWEETIE BELLE!” she shrieked in horror, running forward to embrace her friend’s writhing body. It only took a second to reach some kind of conclusion, and then she spun around to yell at Rainbow Dash, “You said you wouldn’t hurt her! You’re the monster here.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Rainbow Dash just stared, frozen to the spot, “We need to call Twilight, she’ll know what to do. There must be something different about that Memory, or is my attack just too powerful? We need–”

“Somepony needs to stand up to bullies,” Scootaloo was shaking, dealing with a torrent of emotions she couldn’t control. But her hoof was steady as she flipped up the skirt on her Crusader uniform to reveal the cutie mark she’d been so proud of – a brightly coloured parrot – and jabbed the Gaia Memory into her flesh.

“BIRD!” She winced in pain as the crystal sank into her flesh, but made no attempt to stop it. Her coat rippled and feathers started to burst from her body, and her wings stretched out to giant size as if they were made of rubber. The rest of her body followed soon, and the monster was standing in the centre of the square again by the time Rarity and Pinkie Pie rushed over.

“What…?” Rainbow Dash was lost for words.

“Rainbow Dash!” Pinkie called, “What are you doing? Transform!” But Dash couldn’t stop staring at Sweetie Belle, lying motionless on the ground again. The monster – Scootaloo – took a swing with one huge claw and flung her against the front of one of the houses, and then soared away over the rooftops.

Two days passed, every minute dragging on while six friends waited for a letter from Princess Celestia. The doctors said there was nothing wrong with Sweetie Belle except for a deep burn on her haunch, but she just wouldn’t wake up. Scootaloo hadn’t been seen. Applejack still watched Big Mac in secret when she had a chance, hoping for some clue as to how he’d harvested a whole orchard in one night. But after what Fluttershy had overheard, the others were sure it wasn’t a Gaia Memory. Apple Bloom barely spoke to her siblings, doing her schoolwork and then sitting alone in silence. She wouldn’t take the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ uniform off, even at home, and she let the date of Diamond Tiara’s cute-ceañera pass without comment.

Finally, Applejack’s collar flashed violet once, and she dutifully hurried to the Golden Oak Library. Apart from Rainbow Dash, who had been crippled by guilt and wouldn’t leave Sweetie Belle’s bedside, she was the last to arrive. Spike was sitting on a table, holding a letter out ready to speak.

“We’re all here now,” he said, “So I’ll start. The Princess says there’s nothing like this ever happened before. It isn’t possible for two ponies to use the same Gaia Memory. The cutie mark contains… blah blah, physical link to a pony’s destiny.” He turned over several pages at once. Twilight picked them up so she could learn every detail about how this magic worked, but seemed to have no objection to Spike just reading the important parts.

“Yeah. Your cutie mark is magically bound to your personality, everypony knows that. And when you first put a Gaia Memory inside your body, it hooks on to that magical energy. Can’t possibly be removed without destroying both the Memory and the mark. So giving it to someone else, even after a Memory Break attack, would be like picking an apple and then expecting to put it on a different tree to carry on growing.”

“Well, we’ve seen it,” Applejack interrupted, “So something’s changed.”

“What if they haven’t got cutie marks for it to hook into?” Rarity asked, “I know they said they got them, but maybe that was a bluff?”

“Apple Bloom got hers, I think. I only saw it for a blink, but she’s got something there.”

“It looked like Sweetie and Scootaloo had theirs,” Fluttershy whispered, “But it wasn’t. It was the letter from the side of the Memory, all coloured in so it looks almost like a real mark.”

“It says here,” Twilight pointed to the middle of a paragraph of complex technical data, “the Memory can’t work without a cutie mark. It can generate a false mark, like Fluttershy described, but it won’t stay for more than a couple of seconds without something to tie it to your life force.”

“But it also says,” Spike took over again, “that last time the Memories were just crystals, with a pointed end. The Elements of Harmony had metal tips that let them connect to the Driver instead of directly to your mark, but now it looks like the other Memories have those. So they’re different. She says it would have taken a genius rock scientist to unseal the Gaia Stream, you’d have to know more about rocks than anypony in history. So maybe whoever’s mining them, they figured out how to make them better. The same rules don’t apply.”

“Right,” Applejack growled, “So we still don’t know anything. Maybe if we break the Memory at least, it might help?”

“It’s the best guess we’ve got now,” Twilight agreed.

Another two days passed, and then three. Still no sign of Scootaloo. Still no change in Sweetie Belle’s condition. Rarity threw herself into her work, hoping that anything would take her mind off the endless guilt for not noticing sooner. Big McIntosh still showed no sign of turning into a monster.

Fluttershy was the best at following him. She was sure he never saw her, until he turned around and said “I know you’re back there.”

“I’m sorry,” she gasped, “I don’t like prying, but Applejack is worried about you.”

“There’s nothing to worry about. If she don’t believe me, she should come out and ask.”

“I’ll tell her that?”

“You do. But I’m still worried about Apple Bloom.” He jerked his head to where his youngest sister was carefully picking her way across the orchard, glancing around her as if looking for someone. “She’s all shook up over her friends. Somepony needs to help, and I don’t know how.”

“Maybe I should follow her? Just to see if she’s okay?” Fluttershy speculated, but Big Mac had gone back to repairing his ladders, and his heavy collar meant she couldn’t see where he was looking now.

Once she was sure nopony was watching, Apple Bloom hurried to a distant corner of the orchard, travelling such a roundabout route that Fluttershy wasn’t entirely sure if they were still in Sweet Apple Acres. She had to follow a little way behind now, knowing that in such a densely wooded area any careless step could snap a twig and give away her location. She didn’t want to be seen here any more than she wanted to challenge Apple Bloom about her discreet exploration. The only Crusader left, losing her closest friends so soon after meeting them had hit her hard. Nopony wanted to push too hard, for fear she might never recover if she started to blame herself any more. Twilight and Applejack between them had decided not to ask her any more about finding the Gaia Memory, if only to avoid admitting that they’d suspected Big Mac.

Apple Bloom walked in circles for a while before finding what she was looking for, which seemed to be a dilapidated shed, suspended in the branches of a large tree with a wooden ramp leading up to the door. Unlike the rest of the orchard, in this little grove there were still apples on the branches, as well as a few windfalls on the ground.

Apple Bloom didn’t go to the door, but placed a package wrapped in a blanket under the bottom of the treehouse’s ramp, then walked quickly away. Fluttershy stayed hidden behind a tree, one hoof slowly rising to tap the Element of Harmony in her collar. She hoped that her friends would be able to get there without being too obvious. A second later, the driver appeared on her neck, and she slipped the memory in as quickly as possible.

“KINDNESSᏔJOKER!” After a moment blinking, Fluttershy realised that she was back in the Library. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were both there.

“I can’t stay long, I need to make sure nopony sees my body,” she spoke quickly, finding that Twilight’s self-confidence rubbed off on her a little when they shared a body, “I just saw Apple Bloom sneak out of the house. I think she knows where Scootaloo is hiding, she left a bundle. Could be a food parcel.”

“We’ll be right there.” Twilight said, “If you see her, just try to talk for now. I think from these experiments that the Memory leaves a part of itself inside everypony who uses it, waiting for a cutie mark to latch onto. It knows it has a plan-B, in a way, so it could unlock itself from Sweetie Belle’s body the moment before the attack connected. If we can defeat this Scootaloo, the first user, there’s a chance it won’t be able to escape so quickly. The Memory takes the force of the blow, and Sweetie Belle might recover.” Fluttershy nodded her understanding, but she knew she didn’t want to fight again. She didn’t say anything else, but pushed her Memory down in the Driver and felt it spring free. Back in her hiding place, the ghostly Driver remained around her neck for a second before it vanished.

When Fluttershy opened her eyes back in the woods, Scootaloo was walking slowly down the ramp. She found the parcel almost immediately, and pulled open a corner of the blanket to see what was inside. It did indeed contain food. Apples, pies, and some sandwiches. It looked almost like a picnic as Fluttershy watched her fold the sheet out and tuck in. Fluttershy didn’t make a sound, but a squirrel running over to investigate the unfamiliar pony managed to snap a twig, and Scootaloo’s head turned sharply round. She was still wearing the uniform, but the false cutie mark granted by the Gaia Memory had grown grotesque, almost like the dopant itself, and was too large to be concealed by the costume. There were green and red feathers visible in the filly’s mane as well, and Fluttershy wondered how long it would be before she permanently turned into the dopant if nobody helped her.

Fluttershy held her breath and stared at the curious squirrel, willing it not to make any more noise. Scootaloo looked in her direction, suspicious but not able to make out who was there. Then she saw the squirrel running away, and seemed satisfied. She flapped her wings twice and drifted effortlessly to the door, then locked herself inside the treehouse with her picnic.

“What are you doing?” Apple Bloom snapped, “I thought I felt someone watching me.”

Fluttershy turned around and tried to offer some explanation, but she couldn’t get the words out.

“Yes, it’s terrible, and good ponies got hurt. All we can do now is hope Sweetie Belle gets better. There’s no sense in hunting Scootaloo down, it wasn’t her fault. Sweetie Belle volunteered to help her, because that’s what friends do. She said she’d get your attention and then Scootaloo could come in, and once you saw them together you’d not suspect her. Sweetie Belle could just fly away and you’d think the monster left town. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, Sweetie’s in hospital and there’s nothing we can do, and Scootaloo might have to leave town, and she’s not going to hurt anypony, all she did was scare the bullies but she promised not to do that again. Please, you’ve got to leave her alone.” The more she spoke, the faster the words came tumbling out, until Apple Bloom finally broke down in tears.

“I’m sorry,” Fluttershy crouched down, putting herself on the same level as the distressed filly, “We can’t just let it go. Sweetie Belle is suffering, and she’s getting worse. We think there’s a piece of the Memory inside her, burning deeper every time somepony else uses it. The only way to save her might be to destroy the Gaia Memory, even if that means your friend can’t fly again.”

“But… but…” Apple Bloom stammered through her sobs, “The thing’s harder than diamond. And if you fight Scootaloo, she might…”

“I know. But if we defeat the first pony to use it, Twilight Sparkle says all the force of the attack will go into shattering the memory, and she won’t be hurt. It’s the only thing we can try.”

“You’re sure?” Apple Bloom gasped, then just as quickly the hope in her eyes faded. “This is all my fault,” she wailed, “I was curious, I wanted to know what it would do. I gave them the Memory and now…”

“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo stuck her head out from behind a battered wooden door, Apple Bloom’s crying catching her attention. “You! Picking on my friends again?”

“No, she–” Apple Bloom didn’t have time to say any more.

“BIRD!” The roof split open like an egg, old timber and more recent repairs alike tumbling to the ground. The dopant burst out even larger than before. A shower of lethal feathers flew through the air, only to be surrounded by a glow of purple magic and held in the air.

“That’s quite enough!” Rarity’s voice cut across the clearing, but it was a double unicorn who stepped into view. Twilight and Rarity completed their speech in harmony, “We don’t want to hurt you, but you need to give up the Memory.”

The dopant’s answer was a screech like a hawk, and a leap with talons outstretched. Their giant horn flared with light and the monster was surrounded by a swirl of its own deadly feathers, but the claws quickly closed around their armoured body. Even two unicorns couldn’t muster the brute force necessary to wrestle with a dopant, but Rarity had no difficulty pulling her Element out from the Driver.

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!” The right side of the champion’s coat changed colour as if an unseen hand was dipping her in pink dye, and when it reached her centre the familiar gold and silver dividing line appeared with a pulse of light. The dopant shielded its eyes with one wing for a moment, and that was enough time for Twinkie to deliver a bite to its exposed wing, and a roundhouse punch to follow up. It was only stunned, and would recover quickly, but Pinkie’s planning was even quicker.

“Maximum drive: Party Conjuring Cannon!” The dopant stared into a cannon whose barrel was wide enough to fit a normal pony inside. It blinked, and then the air around it was filled with cake and streamers. It didn’t hurt, the sense of being thrown back by the blast barely even registered. But it brought back memories, of a childhood birthday that nobody had celebrated. Of the appearance of unexpected decorations in the classroom after recess, Miss Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie trying to conceal the party cannon as they yelled ‘Surprise!’

It was only a second of good thoughts, but the Memory inside her immediately tried to shut them down. She was a bird of prey, the thought echoed in her mind, the only reason to associate with weak ponies like these was as food. But she tried to hold on to that one pleasant emotion, her joy on finding that somepony would go out of their way to help when she was feeling down. She pushed the influence of the Gaia Memory outside her consciousness, and saw Twinkie’s horn glowing sun-bright with magic as she physically wrenched the troublesome crystal from the dopant’s body. Scootaloo grabbed the crystal, and threw it away from her as hard as she could. Then there was pain, intense enough to force her eyes closed and leave her in a quivering, screaming pile on the ground.

Twinkie quickly rushed over and examined the wound. Fluttershy joined them, doing first aid as best she could. Blisters spread across Scootaloo’s haunches as if somepony was holding a flaming brand to her skin, but there was no visible source of the injury.

“It’s just like Sweetie Belle,” Fluttershy whispered, “We…”

“We can still break the Memory,” Twilight insisted, “It might help both of them. It has to. Uhh…” then Twinkie looked around uncertainly as well, “Did you pick up the Memory?”

“What the hay?” Applejack arrived only slightly out of breath, “I just saw Apple Bloom running like a monster’s after her, and I heard screaming. Where’s the… oh.” She lowered her voice as soon as she saw Scootaloo lying on the ground, mercifully unconscious now.

Three days. Four days. There was no sign of the Bird dopant in Ponyville, but still no suggestion that the two fillies in the hospital would recover on their own. Twilight Sparkle had typed out a report to Princess Celestia, letting her know what had happened. The Elements of Harmony gathered in the hospital more often than in the Library, just praying for something to change.

Apple Bloom withdrew further into herself. She ate when somepony reminded her, and didn’t speak at all. Between meal times, she was hiding in one of the far corners of the farm. She didn’t help with chores, and didn’t go back to school. Nobody blamed her. Rarity had wanted to demand she return the Bird Memory, but Applejack had vetoed that plan.

“She’s lost two of her friends,” she’d said, “She blames herself. We go rushing in, she’ll be terrified of the same happening to her, and might even be dumb enough to use the Memory. I’m sure she hasn’t used it yet, and I’m not going to fight my little sister.” Nopony else was sure where they’d find her, so there was nothing they could do.

Now, waiting had got to be too much. Applejack had to resolve at least one of her problems.

“Big Mac,” she challenged him at the breakfast table, “I’m sorry about askin’ my friends to follow you. You cleared so many trees, so fast, and I was worried you had a Gaia Memory in secret. Tell me it’s not true.”

“Nope,” he said, “I’m no dopant. I’m smarter than that. But when I saw my little sis in such bad shape, I worked faster than I ever did before. I called in all the favours I could, ‘cause I could see you bit off more than you could chew. I know it’s impossible, but it’s true. When it’s family on the line, you just got to trust them. For your family, you can do the impossible sometimes.”

“I’m sorry, Big Mac. But…”

“Apple Bloom lied to you, and she lost her friends. So you want proof.” He turned around to give her a clear view of his flanks. One side, and then the other. “Thanks for caring that much.” There wasn’t much else to say.

Another two days. Two days in which Apple Bloom hadn’t been seen at all. There were tears in the hospital. A table between the two beds was piled high with flowers and fruit, but Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hadn’t opened their eyes to see. Even Diamond Tiara had come in to leave a ‘get well soon’ card.

“We all made mistakes,” Rarity did her best to console Rainbow Dash, “Don’t blame yourself, there’s no way you could have known. I keep thinking, if I hadn’t made those uniforms we might have noticed…”

“No, it’s my fault. Nobody else,” they turned to see Apple Bloom walking into the room. Then she held up the Gaia Memory, a prism of green crystal with metal spikes on one end. “Nopony made me do it. I took this, even though I knew it’s dangerous. I knew Scootaloo was angry and scared, I’d heard what it might do to her, but I thought I knew better. I did this.”

There was silence. Nopony was quite sure what to say.

“I’ve been thinking. I tried to destroy it, and it burns. You said there’s a piece of it still inside me. But you can break that connection, can’t you?”

“We don’t know,” Twilight answered, “We hoped that breaking it would disperse the energy, but I can’t be sure…”

“I hit it as hard as I could,” Apple Bloom said, “I put it in a fire. I did everything I can think of, and it only hurt me. There’s only one more way I can think of.”

“Leave it with us,” Applejack said, “We can analyse it, try to break it with our powers, Twilight can try to dismantle it. There must be a way…”

“No. I can feel it calling out to me. Making me angry about what happened to my friends. Making me want to hurt you, when I know it’s all my fault. It talks to my instincts. There’s no time, and there’s no other way, I know that now. I can’t stand seeing them like this any more.” Apple Bloom gulped, took a deep breath to summon a little more courage, “I don’t want to be left behind if I’m the only one.”

“What are you saying?” Applejack asked, hoping that she might have misunderstood.

“I’m asking you to trust your little sister. Just once. I’m asking you to let me do this my way.” She turned and walked out of the room.

“Did she say she’s going to…?”

“BIRD!” the grating voice came from right outside. Seconds later, the first ponies to notice were yelling in panic and confusion.

“Apple Bloom!” Applejack yelled as she emerged from the building, “You’re stronger than this! You can fight it!”

“I’m not fighting,” her voice was barely recognisable, more like the hunting cry of a giant hawk, “I’m trusting my sister, and her friends. You said if you beat the first one, the Memory breaks and there’ll be three Cutie Mark Crusaders again. So do it. If it doesn’t work, there’s nopony stopping you doing your experiments.”

“But you could end up like–”

“I’d rather have that. Better than losing control to that thing, not knowing who I am any more. Do it; trust in me for once.”

“I can’t…”

“AJ,” Twilight spoke softly, “Is there anything I can say? This would be a hard choice for anypony, but she’s your sister. And–”

“Yes. And I trust her.”

“HONESTY!” Applejack held her Memory up in one hoof, squeezing it to make it speak. Twilight knew there was nothing she could say. She swung the Driver around Applejack’s neck, and waited for the fireworks.

“I can’t control it!” Apple Bloom started to panic, “I don’t want to hurt you. Please, hurry.”

“KINDNESSᏔHONESTY!” the Driver declared. Already the dopant was fidgeting, fighting against the Memory’s instincts for self preservation as well as her own.

“Look at me!” Fluttershy’s voice was as firm as anypony had heard it, “Just look at me. You can do this. Look into our eyes and you can see that we care about you. Hold onto that feeling, use it to bind the Gaia Memory inside you. All the anger, all the pain, you need to push those feelings back into the Memory. Just hold still.” It was the same businesslike tone, the same commanding stare she used when she had to persuade her animal friends to accept treatment that would hurt. She worried every time if she was doing the right thing, but she knew that the best medicine was often bitter. The monster nodded slightly, and froze in place.

Flutterjack walked forward, pace by slow pace. They kept their eyes locked, not breaking the stare, until they were only inches apart. Through whatever magic the Driver had, they could sense the throbbing anger of the Bird Memory, fighting against Apple Bloom’s will. It was losing, but rather than pushing it out the filly was forcing it to accept all of her negative feelings, keeping the crystal just below the surface so it couldn’t escape the inevitable. In that moment, Applejack finally knew how far she would go to save her sister.

She turned around, breaking eye contact at the last possible moment, and kicked out as hard as she could with both hooves. It was a move she’d practised so many times in the past month, though normally against her family’s apple trees.

The dopant flew back, striking the wall of the nearest building with enough force to crack stone. She stood up, staggered, and summoned a cloud of exploding feathers from the back of her wings. But before she could release them, she slumped to the ground. Small explosions echoed around her, and then with a crack that could be heard across the street, a half dozen fragments of blue-green crystal were ejected from her flank. All the adult ponies rushed over, desperately hoping they wouldn’t have to do that again. As Apple Bloom returned to her normal form the faux cutie mark vanished, leaving only a faint scar in its place.

Two days later, in the hospital. The Cutie Mark Crusaders all lay in the same ward, exhausted. Sweetie Belle had several broken bones and Scootaloo had a deep burn in the muscle where the Memory had rested, but both injuries were now healing as normal.

“Are we all grounded?” Apple Bloom tried to make a joke out of the sudden visit from all six of the Champions of Harmony.

“Something like that,” Applejack shrugged, “I’m just glad to see you alive. Can I trust you’ll never mess with dark magic again?”

“We swear.”

“We learned our lesson.”

“Sure thing.”

“Sounds good enough to me. So remember to stay safe, and we won’t need to talk about this again.”

“It still hurts,” Scootaloo complained, “But I guess it’s like a battle scar. Kind of cool.”

“You might not think that when you grow up,” Rainbow Dash still seemed a little depressed, “Everypony who’s been a dopant has scars, just like yours now. They destroy your cutie mark, and hurt every time you even think about your special talent. From the big letter Princess Celestia sent, there’s no way to get rid of them. With you being kids, we don’t know how it might work. It’ll be harder for you to earn your cutie marks, that’s for sure. You might be blank flanks forever.”

“It’ll certainly be harder,” Twilight added, “But I’ve been reading over all that research again, and trying to reverse engineer the enchantment on the crystal fragments. I think, if you’re really lucky, that getting your cutie mark will make the scars go away. I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible.”

“That just means we’ve got to try extra hard,” Sweetie Belle didn’t sound intimidated, “We try every way we can think of to find out what our talents are, we try every career and every hobby until we get there. You never know until you try, right? And a blank flank means unlimited potential.” All three of the crusaders cheered at that, and the hospital ward was filled with laughter and applause.

Author's Note

Feels like this story is getting a little darker. But then, this is quite a dark episode.

I noticed that 13 people have arrived at this story through a tinyurl link. Is it bad form to ask where this is linked from? I'd like to know who I've got to thank for the increased popularity ^_^

Next up, there's a new spectacle in town that only makes it harder to see what's happening. It's Time for T.

Intermission - The Princess and Plan B

Dear Princess Celestia,

I know I have already written to you twice with details of the most recent dopant we have faced, but I feel I should write a formal report in any case. You will be pleased to know that both of the fillies who were previously incapacitated by the Bird Memory have now fully recovered, and the Cutie Mark Crusaders have started repairing their clubhouse (again) and devoted themselves to trying everything possible to discover who they are and what they’re supposed to be. Thankfully, there has been no sign of another dopant appearing while we were distracted by their injuries.

It seems that the Gaia Memories have been enhanced somewhat since you dealt with them. I believe Nightmare Moon mentioned this during our encounter on Begins Night. In this case, it seems that a Memory can now be used by a filly with no cutie mark, granting a ‘faux mark’ which I understand lasts a day or two before fading. This means that there may be some temptation for the young to become dopants momentarily in order to make it appear they have gained their cutie marks.

In this case, there were three fillies known to have used the Gaia Memory. It seems that the Memory was capable of ejecting itself in the instant before a Memory Breaking attack connected, allowing the user to take the full impact as well as subjecting them to extraordinary emotional stress as the Memory disconnects from the body. In this case, the Memory could be broken either by defeating the dopant forms of all three users, or by separating the Memory from the first user. We do not know which of these was the decisive criterion, and this is one experiment I would be happy to never perform.

In any case, here is my usual report on this month’s dopant.

Gaia Memory: Bird

Harmony Techniques Used:Flutterdash / Rainbow “Ultimate Form” Double Dash (for once two of my friends seem to be in disagreement about the name of their combined form) – Lightspeed Ultimate Rainboom Stare Strike (Though if I come to document our experiences properly for the sake of history, I believe I may have to find more concise alternatives for some of the names Rainbow Dash has chosen)

Twinkie – Party Conjuring Cannon (Which scans better than ‘Magic Party Cannon’, although I am somewhat reluctant to demean unicorn magic with the name ‘conjuring’)

Flutterjack – As yet nameless attack (Possibly a name relating to ‘bucking’, the technique normally used by the Apple family to –

Twilight Sparkle stopped composing her report at the distinctive sound of a baby dragon coughing a small ball of flame. She looked up from the typewriter and turned around.

“Spike…” she said slowly, “Did you just send the Princess my shopping list again? I’m pretty sure it wasn’t my report, because I’m still typing it. It better not have been one of the stories I –” she stopped suddenly as Spike held up a scroll bearing the distinctive royal seal.

“From the Princess,” he explained, “Want me to read it out?”

“Just the key points, for now.”

Spike broke the seal on the letter, and his eyes rapidly scanned the florid script.

“She says… she’s proud of you, glad the kids are okay. I guess she already heard about them being out of hospital. She thinks there might be a lesson to be learned from the way this dopant could be beaten by an expression of trust rather than by violence. Not sure what lesson she means there. And she says Applejack makes a good Element of Honesty, maybe even as effective as she would have been with the Element of Metal…” It was clear that conjured up some strange mental images from the way Spike’s eyes focused on the middle distance and he stopped reading. Twilight had something on her mind too, but probably not so enthralling.

“Anything else?” she asked after a few moments had passed, “Does she say anything we need to know?”

“There’s something about how a family needs to be close before they can fully trust each other, so close that something like being a dopant couldn’t stay hidden. But once they are that close, trust can be their best defence. And the Champions of Harmony need to be that close too, that you should check up on each other until you’re ready to trust that somepony has your back without even giving it a second thought.“

“We already know each other well enough,” Twilight seemed absolutely certain. “Although I’m sure I read a paper once suggesting that having proved your reliability can have a positive effect on morale, leading to more decisive action. That was for soldiers, though, not heroes. I wonder if it still applies?”

“That’s interesting,” Spike said, “Maybe you should do an experiment to… umm?”

“To validate the hypothesis!” Twilight beamed, her mind racing through new ideas faster than her mouth could keep up. “That sounds like an incredible idea. I did find some laboratory equipment in the basement when I moved in, among all the junk I had to throw out. I wonder if we can get a royal grant for the purpose of upgrading… no, we’re not a university. Yes, that’s an idea, we’ll ask the… Does Ponyville have a university, Spike?”

“I don’t know,” he answered diplomatically, stroking his moustache thoughtfully as he read the last paragraph of the letter again. He was already certain he shouldn’t read it out to Twilight, as she would stubbornly set herself against the idea if she knew what the Princess had actually said. All he could do now was to encourage this experimentation. For reasons of science rather than actual distrust, of course. And he was sure that if there really was something wrong with ‘that unashamed party animal’, it would become clear soon enough.

Spike would keep an extra eye out; Celestia trusted him to look out for Twilight’s best interests when she was too close to a problem to see the truth. The Princess had told him that for as long as he could remember, and he just had to hope that now wouldn’t be the instruction he had to prove it over. Pinkie Pie might be spontaneous and irrational at times, but she'd never let her chaotic nature hurt her friends.

Episode 7 - Time for T

There was a crowd on the edge of Ponyville, those at the back craning their necks to see over somepony a little taller. The last few times there had been a gathering like this, it had been ponies rubbernecking at a rampaging monster from what they thought was a safe distance. That clearly wasn’t the case today, because of pegasi fluttering above the throng to get closer, and the friendly jokes and good natured fruit slung in their direction by those whose view they were now obstructing.

It was, as it turned out, a show. A unicorn with glitter in her ice-blue hair was levitating nearly a dozen balls in a complex pattern, juggling while she talked to the audience. She was spinning a story, rather than trying to impress with purely her skills at prestidigitation, though it was the sheer number of balls she had in the air that was holding the attention of many of the unicorns among the crowd.

“And so Ardent accepted Trixie’s genius,” she stretched out a hoof and caught the ball whose colour represented that character in her narrative, appearing not to even think about it, “And then he convinced the courtier, Elegant Quill,” a second ball dropped neatly into her waiting hoof. “Then between them they convinced the Baroness Radiant Nobility,” and she brought the two padded balls together quickly, trapping another ball out of the air between them. The story continued, using the balls in her hooves to knock down those spiralling overhead as she reeled off name after name, many of them famous ponies from distant parts.

“And then everypony agreed,” she finished as the final ball dropped onto the tip of a perfect pyramid between her hooves, “And so, the Great and Powerful Trixie was fully recognised at the most skilled and most incredible unicorn in all of Equestria. And you have been a wonderful audience, almost as wonderful as I, so Trixie must leave you now and hope that you enjoy the show!” With the last shout, fireworks fountained up from the caravan behind the stage, and burst in a display across the sky overhead.

In the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle wasn’t thinking about the show until she was distracted from her reading by the thunder of explosions overhead. She might have gone to visit, if she’d known the show would be coming to town. She wasn’t particularly competitive, but with a talent like magic, the only way to realise her potential would involve knowing what other ponies had managed to achieve. Tonight, the shower of bangs overhead caught her attention,and she went up to the top floor to take a look at the sky. Sparks and stars traced the outline of a mare’s face against the evening sky, with a four letter word on each side.

“Best Pony!” she read aloud, not quite sure what to think about the message as she returned downstairs. “Best Pony?”

“Yeah,” Applejack answered from just outside the door, “How lame do you have to be to shout it from the rooftops that you’re the best pony in Equestria?”

“She’s seriously saying that?” Twilight couldn’t quite believe it, “How is everypony else taking that?”

“Well,” Pinkie Pie filed in behind Applejack, “She didn’t say she’s the best pony, I think that was just because she was setting off dozens of fireworks at the same time, and she needed to make words that don’t have so many letters in.”

“Yeah. She just said she’s the most talented unicorn in Equestria, with more magical skill than anypony else. And a ton of posh names that say she is.”

“You seem kind of angry about it,” Twilight answered, “Isn’t it good for somepony to have her talents recognised? And everypony out there looks like they’re enjoying the show. Even if she’s exaggerating, she’s managed to entertain quite a crowd.” Twilight was pretty confident that anypony claiming to be the strongest unicorn would be stretching the truth, especially looking out of the window to the square, where she saw the back of a battered wooden cart almost buried among the riot of complex drapes that made up the back of the stage.

“I just don’t like boasting, is all. She makes out like she’s better’n the rest of us just ‘cause she can spin a dozen balls around in front of a big stage and shoot fireworks out of the back side. I’d like to see her pull in an honest harvest.”

“Besides, she’s not even that good!” Spike was the next to amble back in through the library’s open door as the crowd broke up. “She’s not as good as Twilight. Everypony thinks she’s something special just because she can juggle a dozen balls? I’ve seen you pick up way more things than that just sorting books. You should have a show too!”

“No!” Twilight seemed shocked by the intensity of her own response for a moment, then continued, “No, I just do what I have to do to keep this place in order. That’s not something to boast about, everybody has different talents, and they all work in different ways.”

The next day, the Great and Powerful Trixie was setting up her stage again, with the assistance of a couple of schoolcolts who had been swayed even more than anypony else by her wondrous performance. The stage folded down from the side of the cart where she spent her days, and then it took quite some organisation to fold out the wings and get the painted backdrop neatly arranged.

Twilight Sparkle was near the front of the audience. She was eager to see just what qualities made anypony the greatest unicorn. Her friends stood around her, showing various degrees of derision at the signs proclaiming the talents of the Great and Powerful Trixie.

“She’ll never be as great and powerful as you,” Spike commented, sitting on Twilight’s head to get a better view, “You’re like the greatest unicorn in the whole world,” then he glanced sideways at Rarity, and added: “Both of you are amazing, you’ve got the power to fight dopants as well as your other talents, that’s incredible.”

“You can’t say that!” an azure unicorn colt turned around and yelled, “The Great and Powerful Trixie is the greatest pony ever, and I hope she’s going to teach me to magic that good! You can’t say bad things about her.”

“There’s nothing wrong with pointing out a bogart,” Spike retorted, “That’s what she is!”

“I think you mean a ‘braggart’,” Pinkie Pie corrected, “A bogart’s an invisible creature that moves into your house and does all the chores when you’re not looking.”

“Who cares?” the colt cut off Twilight before she could correct Pinkie’s correction, “Trixie is the greatest!”

“And powerfulest!” another onlooker added, “Can any of you juggle ten balls at once?”

“Yep!” Pinkie grinned cheerfully, “That’s pretty hard, though.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie can hear that somepony doubts her abilities!” the voice boomed out from onstage, “Would you like to come onto this stage, and prove your boasts?”

“Who’s boasting?” called Pinkie Pie, “I want to see how many balls we can juggle between us, I don’t know anypony else who might lend a pair of hooves for my word record attempt!”

“If you think you are talented, then Trixie the Gracious and Powerful will allow you to share her stage, for the amusement of our adoring fans!”

Twilight wasn’t quite sure if that was an invitation or a challenge; she was having enough trouble wrapping her head around Trixie’s convoluted grammar. But Pinkie Pie seemed happy enough to trot up onto the stage, already holding a surprising number of balls. The audience applauded and cheered both ponies as the number of balls in the air slowly grew. When Pinkie flicked her tail to lift them, or put her forehooves on the ground to kick balls with her hind legs, it was quickly clear that she was getting the lion’s share of the appreciation. Trixie was keeping more balls in the air, it was true, but simply holding them with her magic didn’t give her the same opportunities to catch them in unusual ways.

“Twenty!” Rarity gasped, as the Great and Powerful Trixie picked up the last one from her bag of props, “That’s amazing, that would be like holding every tool in my craft box at the same time!”

“Twilight can lift dozens of books! Even like fifty or something!” Spike added, “I’m sure you could do it too, if you tried.” Then the baby dragon hastily shut his mouth, hoping he hadn’t offended Rarity by belittling her achievements.

“It’s not a big deal,” Twilight shrugged, lowering her head a little as if she hoped on some level she wouldn’t seem as boastful as the mare on stage, “It’s easier to lift more things the same shape. I’d never be able to move tools as precisely as Rarity.”

“Hmph!” Trixie snorted, maybe having heard Twilight’s comment and taken it personally. She threw a couple of her balls to Pinkie at odd angles, and laughed as the earth pony had to dive and stretch to make sure none of them hit the ground. Then she was graceful elegance itself, or so she thought, as she snatched the ones Pinkie tossed back out of the air. Within a minute or two, there were thirty balls in the air, and it wasn’t clear at any moment who had which. Pinkie was finding it a fun and energetic workout, and loved the cheers of the crowd. But Trixie seemed to be growing increasingly frustrated as Pinkie didn’t fumble any catches that she could laugh at.

Just when it seemed some of the ponies watching might start to lose interest, one of the balls exploded. It burst in a shower of stuffing, showering powder blue fluff all over Pinkie’s face. A second later, another one burst, and this one seemed to be filled with an oily slime. Most of the audience howled with laughter, seeing a slapstick routine come out of nowhere. They knew that Pinkie Pie hadn’t made a mistake, but they couldn’t help laughing at somepony else’s misfortune.

Twilight Sparkle, though, creased her brow in frustration. She was watching closely, and she saw the glow around Trixie’s horn flare brighter for an instant as the third ball exploded. It was enough of a distraction to make Pinkie miss the next catch, and then balls rained down around her, several of them bursting as they landed to cover her with sand, custard, and glitter. The crowd all laughed at the spectacle, just like they would at a comedian making a deliberate pratfall. Even those who could tell this wasn’t intentional couldn’t help themselves.

“She should be ashamed of herself!” Twilight muttered as Pinkie dejectedly left the stage, “There’s a difference between playing to the audience, and humiliating somepony else to make yourself look good.”

“Oh, does another unicorn think she is popular enough to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie?”

“No, no,” Twilight mumbled, “I just think it’s a bit unfair to use magic like that against –”

“If you lack the courage to challenge Trixie, then perhaps you should be more reserved with your opinions of her magnificence. So who is the next challenger?” A pony elsewhere in the crowd, maybe spurred on by a few large mugs of cider in his belly, ventured that he might have a talent the equal of Trixie’s. He managed to humiliate himself quite effectively with his drunkenness, not even needing Trixie to help him along, so Twilight sidled out of the crowd and helped her friend to get cleaned up a little.

“What did you do that for?” Spike asked as soon as Trixie wasn’t going to overhear them, “You’re the greatest magician this town has ever seen, the greatest in the world even! You should show her how good you are, then she won’t be the one laughing.”

“No,” Twilight answered simply, then returned her attention to a hose that proved convenient for getting the mess out of Pinkie’s coat.

“No,” she repeated, “I’m not like her. Whatever you say, she is good. The only reason you don’t like her is because she wants to show everyone how good she is. If I was showing off like that, don’t you think there’d be ponies hating me just as much?”

“You’re not like her!” Pinkie leapt to her hooves, ignoring the last traces of dirt in her mane, “You’re not like her at all. You have lots of friends, and everypony knows they can trust you.”

“And that’s exactly because I don’t show off,” Twilight said as she rejoined the crowd, looking up in dismay to see Applejack on the stage, thoroughly trussed up like a wheat sheaf with her own rope. “I help ponies with my magic. That’s why I have such good friends, because where she shows off I just use my power to fight dopants.”

“Dope ants?” Trixie’s hearing seemed quite acute when it came to anything that could be seen as disrespectful towards her talents. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no time for such trifles. Would everypony like to hear of the time the citizens of Hoofington called on Trixie to free them from a threat no less significant than the legendary Ursa Major itself?”

That was enough to capture the attention of most of the ponies in front of the stage again. While Trixie began to regale them with her tall tales, Twilight and Rainbow Dash hurried up to help untie Applejack.

“There could be more to her than meets the eye,” Twilight conceded, “She’s pretty skilled at levitation, we’ve seen that much already. But to act as a guardian, she’d have to have a lot of power as well. Could it be that the show is just a way for Trixie to earn money between more important work?”

“If she’d done something so brave, why didn’t she tell folks about it before?” Applejack muttered, still grumpy after her experience on stage. “Don’t tell me you believe her now?”

“Given that the ursa are peaceful creatures, only willing to fight when attacked? I don’t think it’s likely. But it’s possible something could have sent one into a rampage, or the citizens of Hoofington could have incorrectly identified a forest predator as an ursus. Did you know they don’t even have a library there?”

“Well I know well enough that mare is all talk and no tack. I reckon we should send her on her way, let her mess with some other town. Ponyville doesn’t need bein’ told we’re not as good as some dolled-up filly that never worked a day in her life.”

This time, Trixie didn’t hear the criticism of her act. Some of her fans did, though.

“We need to see the Great and Powerful Trixie!” two unicorn colts spoke at once, an effect that would have been somewhat more dramatic if the taller of the two hadn’t decided to abbreviate her name.

“She’s busy.” A large, brown-maned stallion growled. They’d seen him before, helping Trixie to put up her stage before they’d volunteered. He’d seemed exhausted then, and the Great and Powerful Trixie had no time for his excuses as he struggled to move the timber frame. Now, he was fully awake and Snips and Snails could have stood on each other’s shoulders without coming up to his eye level. Maybe they could have run through his legs, but with a quick glance at each other they both decided that they didn’t want to annoy Trixie, or her roadie.

“Yeah, but we heard something she might want to know,” Snips jumped up as he spoke, maybe trying to get into the guard’s field of vision, “Why can you decide who the Great and Powerful Trixie wants to see?”

“I’m Castle Tail,” the stallion spoke slowly and deliberately. He didn’t raise his voice, but his frustration was obvious. “I pull the cart, I set up the stage, and I don’t let people bother her. Now, she’s let you fetch her hay smoothies all day, she listened to your mindless prattling, now she’s resting after a long day. And nopony’s allowed to disturb her, not even me. Maybe if you do something really helpful, she’ll let you buy her dinner tomorrow.”

“But we heard something! Twilight Sparkle and her cronies are going around saying Trixie never defeated the Ursa, that it’s a big lie! We can’t let them get away with that!”

“So what’re you going to do about it? I’ve done everything I can to keep her happy, and sometimes that just means not telling her somepony doesn’t like the show. We’ll be gone in a few days anyhow.”

“I thought if she wants, we could go get an Ursa Major from the Everfree Forest, and then she can show everypony how she defeated it in tomorrow’s show!” Castle Tail gently bit his lip and stared into space for a long moment. Images flashed before his eyes, of all the times Trixie had screamed or thrown things because he wasn’t quite quick enough. Of the way ponies who’d seen the show for the first time thought it was an honour to be able to give her presents. Of the times he’d gone without dinner because passing the hat around at a new town hadn’t brought as many bits as they hoped, and Trixie wasn’t willing to put up with anything less than the best for herself. Of the conjurer declaring her thanks to new fans, while she expected him to work all day with no recognition.

“Yeah,” he eventually rumbled, “I’m sure she’d love that. You know where you can find it? I heard it fled into the deep forest after the last time the Great and Powerful Trixie kicked its tail.”

“We can do that. The Everfree is pretty scary, though, we were wondering if the Great and Powerful Trixie could come and talk to the Ursa, set up the show?”

“And get her hooves muddy? Not likely. I’ll come with you, though. I’ve been looking for a chance to show everypony just how great and powerful she really is.”

An hour later and a mile deeper in the Everfree, the darkness was starting to give two young ponies second thoughts about their great plan. They crept quietly, trying to avoid letting the monsters that dwelled here know they were present. But Castle Tail marched like he was still pulling Trixie’s mobile home behind him, every step deliberate and heavy. Twigs cracked underfoot, and the stallion glared at the darkness ahead with an anger that neither of the colts could understand. Eventually, they reached a cave black at pitch, where rumours that a friend had heard from a friend said that the legendary pony-eating Ursa Major could be found.

“Now what?”

“It’s in there?” Castle Tail peered into the gloom, “I guess you need to wake it up. You can use this.” He held up something that glinted brilliantly in the faint glimmer of moonlight. It was a piece of glass, or crystal, maybe. With effort, Snails produced enough light for them to see more clearly.

“TROUBLE!” the strange artifact yelled in a grating voice, and began to glow with a sickly purple light.

“It’s called a Memory,” the stallion went on to explain, “Trixie had me working in a mine one time when we were short of bits, and the boss pony said she thought I could use it. It makes you stronger and more powerful, but only for a while.”

“So why don’t you use it?” even Snips could see that something wasn’t quite right, “And why’s it say ‘trouble’ like that? I don’t want to get in trouble.”

“No, you put Trouble in you. You can control it. Don’t you want to help the Great and Powerful Trixie show this town her true powers?”

“Well, I guess that –”

“NO!” an angry voice spoke from between the trees, and both colts cowered behind Castle Tail. “You will not give a Gaia Memory to a colt. Those things are the first step towards a better ponykind, but I will not see them used by those too young to understand. You want that ursus awake, you do it yourself.”

“I gave my life for Trixie, and I’m going to see she gets what she deserves,” Castle Tail spat back, and tossed the crystal in the direction of the two colts. “Use it. Show how much you care for her.”

The hoof came out of the darkness without warning, knocking the Memory high into the air. The strange stallion was a silhouette between shadowy trees, almost impossible to make out. It seemed for a moment he was even larger than the muscular Castle Tail, and his coat could have been a red-black or mahogany shade, but it was impossible to tell for sure.

“I said no,” the silhouette growled, “For that, you die.” A muscular hoof lashed out, striking Castle Tail hard enough to crack ribs. He knew now he’d made a mistake there was no coming back from. Maybe it would have been better to use the Memory himself. And as a second blow threw him into a thicket of painful thorns, he saw the Memory on the ground, teasingly close to his hoof.

“TROUBLE!”

Snips and Snails peered out at the two fighting figures. They could barely see a thing, though flashes of fire and lightning occasionally illuminated the scene. A mechanical voice had boomed several words, and the duel was backed by sounds of metal crashing against bone, and a roar like some kind of engine. The two young colts wouldn’t have been surprised if the noise had attracted attention from town, and both were speculating whether it would be the Champion of Harmony or the Great and Powerful Trixie who came to subdue the monsters.

That is, until a roar from behind them signified that the ursa had woken up.

Fluttershy was the first to wake. It was the middle of the night, and she’d been up late tending to the needs of a sick panda, so at first she was too tired even to recognise the sounds she was hearing. But the clash of metal on bone continued, and soon she sat up sharply, some inner voice yelling ‘monster!’ until it finally managed to penetrate the veil of lethargy. And as much as Fluttershy didn’t like conflict, the last couple of months had taught her the correct way to respond when dealing with a monster. She took the Element of Kindness, a thin piece of pink crystal, and pressed it into the slot on her collar once.

Then, all she could do was wait. She hoped the others would notice their collars lighting up with a pink glow, but she was in no way foolish enough to wander into the forest on her own at this time of night. That was why, when a giant bear-shaped creature burst from the treeline, Rainbow Dash was already speeding down the road in the opposite direction.

The first thing Dash saw was a giant bear, larger than any monster she’d ever faced. It was a deep blue-black, but as it came closer she could see the outline of the trees beyond it. Inside its body were suspended a half dozen points of light, looking like nothing more than stars. For a moment she wondered if there was a Memory that would take down part of the night sky and turn it into a monster, but then she looked through it and saw that it was being pursued by a horse-sized monster with whips and flails to drive the giant creature forward. She might not be the most intellectual of ponies, but Rainbow Dash was smart enough to blame the one with the weapons when two monsters appeared at once.

Rainbow Dash raised a hoof and pressed her Element firmly against the spring in her collar twice. The double flash of magicite crystals would tell Twilight to bring the Driver as soon as possible, if only she was awake.

“Catch!” Spike’s voice caught Rainbow Dash by surprise, but she was nimble enough to catch the driver without any significant effort. She could only assume Twilight had some reason not to come in person, so she quickly slung the driver into place around her neck. This time there was only a second before the second set of gems lit up in green to complete the transformation.

“GENEROSITYᏔLOYALTY!” the Driver’s sing-song voice called out, attracting the attention of both the giant bear and the dopant driving it.

“Stop!” Raridash called, “You’re driving it towards Ponyville!”

“That’s the idea, fairycakes,” it snorted dismissively. A shower of levitated stones from a wall rained down on it, but they didn’t seem to have any effect. “What’s this, you put on a fancy costume and grow a horn? You wanna be a princess, little filly?”

“We don’t need to dream of being royalty,” Rarity had the perfect response as they landed on the road behind the creatures, “We can rely on our friends.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash’s voice completed the taunt, “The two of us are a single alicorn!” While she was shouting, Rarity put all her focus into her horn, reaching into the earth beneath their hooves and calling on its fundamental strength. In the last few weeks, she’d learned a lot from sharing body and mind with Twilight Sparkle, and now she wondered if she might just have the strength…

The dopant flew into the air, held by spiral bands of magenta and cerise magic. It roared and struggled, and then the whips stopped flailing around when it became clear it was out of reach.

(“Right, let’s beat this thing,” Dash’s internal dialogue was as straightforward as ever, “D’you think a rainboom will cut it, or do you need to give her a makeover first?”)

(“We don’t know who it is, so what kind of style would invoke–”)

Even at the speed of thought, there wasn’t time for them to finish the exchange. The dopant laid its flails back along the solid array of weapons that was its body now, and one hoof reached backwards to select a different armament. Then a sliver of crystal, what might possibly be a half of the Gaia Memory, flew out from the labyrinth of metal on it’s flank, and spiralled round before slotting into the butt of the new weapon.

“TROUBLE MAGNUM!” the grating voice of the Memory called out, and faster than they could respond a shower of flaming projectiles shredded the ground around Raridash.

“Look out!” Fluttershy squeaked, “There’s another one!” Approaching from the Everfree Forest was a shape that only vaguely resembled a pony. Most of its body was clad in armour that vaguely resembled the plates that Raridash was currently sporting. But this was a complete carapace rather than individual pieces, and it wasn’t clear if there was even a pony inside. It was a mix of chrome, red-stained steel, and polished dark wood. In shape, it could maybe be a pony lying down, but with wheels on its fetlocks it looked more like a heavily armoured cart, or a small carnival float. The wheels spun quickly as it roared up the road, and Raridash didn’t know whether to focus her attention on the monster whose attacks were arcing overhead, or the one racing towards her in a haze of smoke and engine noises.

Their attention was split three ways when the magicite gems on the collar and Driver flashed again, pale blue this time. And again, and again.

“Pinkie!” Rarity gasped, and turned her head automatically towards Ponyville. The bear-monster was within the town now, lashing out and demolishing homes with its paws as the citizens screamed and ran.

(“Fine!” she gasped in whatever internal space held the communications of a shared mind, “These guys are clearly the ringleaders, but they’re not hurting anyone right now. Go for the bear.”)

Rainbow Dash didn’t bother to wait for the instruction, she was already flying back to town. The Trouble dopant followed, but couldn’t even begin to catch up, while the red metal pony bringing up the rear of the group moved slowly, cautiously, as it waited to see what the others would do.

In Ponyville, the ursus was rampaging. Everypony who had the courage was doing their best to herd it away from the hospital or the nurseries, trying to make sure that nopony was hurt. But there seemed to be no disagreement that actually fighting it was out of the question.

Trixie had been in bed, it was quite late at night after all. She’d heard the crashing outside, and stayed huddled beneath the sheets while her mind filled with images of an angry mob. She knew that in reality, nobody would be that angry about a showmare exaggerating her talents. But it was a constant nightmare, and one she wasn’t about to risk the viability of.

Then there was a knock at her caravan door.

“Trixie?” a whiney voice called out, “Great and Powerful Trixie! You need to help, there’s an ursa major coming right this way, and nopony else knows how to stop it!” The Great and Powerful Trixie started to burrow deeper into her bedclothes, before having second thoughts and extricating herself. She contemplated grabbing her hat, but dressing up would take too long, and she wasn’t intending to show off today.

The door to the trailer flew open, and Trixie immediately shook the little lean-to that sometimes provided shelter for her most devoted fan, Castle Tail. She’d found him years before, barely a colt. With a cutie mark showing a castle on wheels, she’d found it easy to convince him that the fates had assigned him the duty of helping her to move her mobile home. Since then his duties had grown to include cooking, cleaning, setting up the stage, lighting the fireworks so that Trixie didn’t need to waste valuable magical energy on them, and more recently camping right outside her caravan so that over-enthusiastic fans wouldn’t disturb her when she wanted some time to herself.

Right now, there was no sign of him.

“Castle Tail!” she yelled, “Where are you? There’s a monster coming, do you expect me to move the cart on my own?”

“He’s in the Everfree Forest,” the short, annoying one said, “A monster attacked him.”

“How do you defeat an ursa?” the skinny, annoying one added, “Do you need to like warm up your magic first, or do you just like wink and it goes away?”

“Look, don’t crowd me!” Trixie snapped, and then called back over her shoulder as she walked away, “The Great and Powerful Trixie needs to get some things ready. Just magic isn’t enough to fight the Ursa Major. Trixie will be right back, and then you will see her true powers. But where’s Castle Tail?”

“I said before, another monster attacked him, and he got left behind in the forest. Is it something you need help with?” That was enough to make Trixie hesitate. But she simply shook her head and kept on walking. She didn’t run; she didn’t want to be branded a coward once the attack was over. But she wasn’t going to stay there if it had been heading right for her home. She could see it over the rooftops now, and it was larger than she had ever imagined even an ursa major could be.

It was fortunate that Trixie had chosen to leave her mobile home close to the centre of Ponyville, with easy access to any facilities she might need. That meant that Snails’s hollering had also caught the attention of Twilight Sparkle, who had been pacing around inside her room. When her collar first flashed, she’d immediately thought to teleport to Fluttershy’s aid. But then she would be pushing herself to the centre of attention again, wanting to always be the hero. She didn’t want her friends to come to hate her like they did the boastful Trixie. So she’d sent Spike instead, reasoning that he could travel just as fast, and give the Driver to anypony who needed it.

“There’s an ursa major coming this way!” The sound was muffled by the Library’s wooden walls, she couldn’t make out who was speaking, but the panic was clear in their voice. Twilight flung open the curtains and looked out.

“That’s not an ursa maj–” she started,and then stopped herself as she heard the screams and saw the destruction the star-spangled bear was causing. It wasn’t a time for nitpicking when innocent ponies’ lives were on the line. She ran outside, trying to bring to mind pages from volume three of ‘Fantastic Beasts of the Everfree, and the Means to Avoid Their Discovery’. She couldn’t think how to stop the carnage she saw before her, the methods in the book would need the strength of a dozen earth ponies, and the crowds in the street were panicking, running randomly. They wouldn’t follow her directions quickly even if she shouted that she was the hero who would save everyone, and that would be even worse for her reputation.

In the middle of one crowd, ponies were looking at something other than the monster a few streets away, and the shouting there caught Twilight’s attention again.

“Okay then!” a voice she recognised as the Great and Powerful Trixie screeched, “I made it up! Are you happy now? Are you satisfied? Trixie has no idea how to fight an ursa major, and certainly never expected you stupid kids to bring one here! Stop crowding round and let Trixie leave. It makes no sense to remain in the path of such a monster!”

“You’re not leaving,” the next voice was backed up by some kind of magical amplification, drowning out even the enraged roars of the giant bear. “For years I have done nothing but pull that stupid cart around while you get handouts because of brave deeds you never did and titles you claim without proof. I made the fireworks, I set them up before every show, I set the stage and pull your home. When we haven’t got enough it’s me that does manual labour, and it’s me that goes without. Just once, you’d better test yourself against the legend you’ve created, Trixie the Grand and Boastful.”

“You stop right there!” Twilight yelled, charging into the crowd. The dopant turned to face her, and she had to fight not to show fear. Right now she didn’t know if she was more worried about being attacked by this monster, or the eyes of everypony on her as she stepped up and made herself the centre of attention. “If you got a problem with Trixie, talk to her about it! There’s no reason to bring an ursus into Ponyville, hurting so many of my friends.”

“She’s always wanted to be a spectacle, now she gets her wish. If you want to blame–”

“PARTY RAINBOOM CANNON!” For an instant, Twilight could see Rainbow Pie standing behind the dopant, scooping him up in the mouth of a cannon that already contained Rainbow Dash. Then it fired into the sky, covering the square with showers of confetti and cupcakes. A rainbow ring burst out high overhead, as spectacular as any of Trixie’s fireworks. People cheered as Rainbow Pie ejected both memories from the Driver, and went back to being just Rainbow Dash.

“Good job, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight congratulated her, hoping that nopony would get angry at her friends for showing off. But then, she realised,showing off was one of Dash’s defining traits, and nobody really resented her for it. Ponies were harder to understand than any other subject Twilight had ever researched.

“Yeah, now we need to defeat the bear thing. Is that really what an ursa major looks like?”

“No, its tail is too light. But that doesn’t matter now, we just need to get it out of town.”

“Ha!” Trixie spoke up at last, “Even the Great and Powerful Trixie cannot really defeat the Ursa Major. What hope do you have, when you are afraid even to challenge Trixie?”

“I just don’t want to show off,” Twilight muttered, her determination faltering.

“It’s not showing off if you’re doing it to help somepony,” Rainbow Dash explained, “Come on Twilight, we need you. Nopony else has a clue how to beat that thing. If you just –”

There was a deafening crash as a pony fell through the roof of a nearby café; presumably Castle Tail, who had been flung much higher than anypony expected by the rainboom impact.

“We’d better make sure he’s okay, that’s a long –”

“TROUBLECALIBUR!” the voice of the Memory roared. The dopant burst out from the wrecked building on its hind legs, holding a massive glowing sword in both hooves. An indigo light shone through hundreds of hairline cracks over the whole of its body, making it impossible to miss in the darkness, but they were already slowly starting to heal.

“My sonic rainboom didn’t break it?” Rainbow Dash gasped in surprise, “And the name changed? I’m sure it was Trouble Magnet before.”

“That hurt!” the dopant’s voice was loud enough to make some of the crowd clap hooves over their ears, “I’ll get you for that, Twinkle Princess.” He swung the giant blade towards Rainbow Dash, but Twilight was just fast enough with the Driver.

“KINDNESSᏔJOKER!” Fluttertwi was already in the air as she transformed, diving to put herself between the dopant and her friend. The burst of light from the transformation made their enemy pause, and then Fluttershy’s instinctive response on seeing an enemy was to try hiding behind her wings, an effective defense tactic now they were reinforced with magical armour. They withstood the sword strike, but it was still enough to knock them back a little way on the cobbles. They couldn’t even focus entirely on their enemy now, because the sounds of carnage from the ursa minor were now joined by the roaring of some unfamiliar engine coming closer.

“Another fake alicorn?” the dopant sneered, “This town is just crazy, I’ll let the ursa deal with you.” And with that, he turned and raced after Trixie, who had taken advantage of the distraction to run for the town gates.

“TROUBLE HARPOONS!” the Gaia Memory called out again, and the dopant retrieved yet another different weapon from the selection stuck all over its coat.

“What the hay?” Twilight was taken aback enough to curse when she heard the words. Nopony had ever told them that a dopant could do something like that, and she wasn’t sure if that was connected to its higher resilience or not.

“After it!” Rainbow Dash yelled, but Fluttertwi was already galloping down the road after it. A few seconds later, another monster emerged from a side street alongside her, this one clearly the source of the engine noise. It looked almost like a horse-shaped carriage, with vivid metal panels mixed in with hardwood and pieces of unfamiliar chrome pipework.

(“Another dopant? What’s going on here?”)

“It’s a G4,” the living cart spoke in a voice like a modulation of the engine’s roar, “The next generation of Gaia Memories. Some of the arms-types can focus the Memory’s power into a single weapon for a short time. He’d probably give you trouble, but I got a score to settle with that guy. You deal with the ursa.” And then it roared away, faster than anypony except maybe Doubledash could have kept up with.

(“If they’re fighting each other, I say we leave them to it then deal with the winner. You got any ideas how to calm down Ursa Minor?”)

(“We need to calm down a monster?”)

(“It’s not a monster, just a forest creature. They’re gigantic, I guess these two chased it out of its cave, and everypony screaming and running is going to be pretty scary even for something that size.”)

(“That’s a real ursa major?” Fluttershy sounded more excited than scared now, “They live so deep in the forest, I never thought I’d see one myself!”)

(“Ursa minor,” Twilight corrected, “You can tell by the brighter star in its tail. The mother is even larger.”)

(“So he’s just a baby, and they woke him in the middle of the night for their prank? No wonder he’s cranky!”)

(“How do you soothe an irritated animal and get it to go and sleep?”)

(“Normally I’d give him a deep and meaningful stare, let him know we’re upset too, and then try to soothe him until he can sleep.But right now, he’s moving around too much.”)

“I’ll find a way to distract him,” Twilight muttered, and looked around at the detritus. In one ruined storefront, there was a mobile designed for hanging above a foal’s crib, with carved animals and carts hanging from thin strings. That gave her an idea.

Ten minutes later, the ursa minor stopped pawing destructively at homes and other buildings. It reached for a cart moving past, but found that it was just out of reach. Everything it tried to grab was too far away, and moving around the creature’s head in circles that just made it dizzy. On the highest balcony she could find, Fluttertwi looked out over the scene. Her horn glowed brighter than anypony had ever seen before, attempting a task that was pushing her limits even with the strength-boosting powers of the Driver itself. She couldn’t compete with Trixie’s show in terms of numbers, managing to keep only a dozen objects slowly whirling around in a slow dance above the ursus’s head. But using objects large enough for it to focus on easily – laden carts, market stalls, clouds, and a couple of cows – seemed much more impressive to the audience watching breathless from down below. It could have been everypony’s silence, as much as the display itself, that calmed the fearful beast.

As the beast looked upwards, Fluttertwi came slowly closer until she could meet its gaze. Now Fluttershy was in control of their actions, while Twilight only focused on keeping the items in the air moving. She whispered softly and reassuringly to the giant bear, until it eventually curled up on the ground outside the town and went to sleep.

(“Do you think he’ll be happy now?” Twilight gasped, putting down the carts and cows, “Will we be able to get him back to the forest?”)

(“If he’s like a brown bear, he’ll head home when it gets a bit further into winter. They can’t sleep well in the cold, but now he’s calmed down a little he won’t be so cranky. I don’t think he’ll bother anypony.”)

“I’m exhausted,” Twilight said as she put down the last part of the giant mobile, a market stall loaded with red and green apples, “Hey, Rainbow! Can you take care of the dopant?”

“Sure thing!” Twilight quickly popped out her Memory, and Fluttershy followed suit, hoping to get some rest so she could check on the ursa minor first thing in the morning.

“LAUGHTERᏔLOYALTY!”

Fluttershy blinked, and immediately wished she could hide. She’d been sleeping by the side of the road outside her house while her mind was away helping Twilight to help the ursus, but she had never expected to come back right in the middle of a fight between two dopants. The Trouble dopant was more injured than it had been when she’d last seen it, and the red cart-pony was racing around it. The two occasionally clashed, and it was clear that Castle Tail was coming off worse in most of their encounters. He was trying to block attacks with two spears, but the tips glanced ineffectually off his opponent’s sleek metal body.

He slung the spears back over his shoulders in a cross, and much to Fluttershy’s surprise a crystal that looked like it could be a Gaia Memory popped out of the end. One hoof caught it and slammed it into the hilt of another weapon amid the chaos.

“Changing again?” the red monster laughed like a roar of clashing gears, “I told you before, I can’t forgive you for trying to get those colts involved. No weapon you can produce will help you avoid your fate.”

“TROUBLECALIBUR!” The hilt turned out to belong to a gigantic double-edged sword, almost as long again as the dopant’s horse-sized body.

“A sword?” the other dopant seemed intrigued now, “Let’s see how you are in a duel. I got one of those too.” He brandished a blade, a wide slab of gleaming steel. Then he produced a Gaia Memory from some unseen recess, threw it into the air and caught it with his sword’s guard.

“ENGINE!” Sparks chased along the edge of the sword, and the two swords clashed again. Both ponies were rearing on their hind legs now, and Fluttershy wondered which of them would tire first of the uncomfortable pose. She still couldn’t move as they danced around her, not wanting to become a target for both.

The duel didn’t last long. The Troublecalibur was thrown from the dopant’s hoof and flew high into the air. The red monster lashed out with one hind leg, the rough edge of the cartwheel spinning the Trouble dopant around as he flew through the air. He slammed head first into a tree hard enough to stun even his enhanced body. The other warrior didn’t stop, though. He pulled the Memory out of the sword and somehow adjusted the lever on the side rather than simply squeezing. As he pressed it into a second slot on the side of the blade itself, it declared: “ELECTRIC: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” A moment later, he leapt forward and brought the sword slashing down. In the moment it hit, a thumderbolt leapt along the length of the weapon, from the tip to the Trouble dopant, and then arcs danced between its body and the ground.

Castle Tail shuddered, and the weapons studded all over his body disintegrated like sandcastles before the tide. The Gaia Memory in his sword was visible for a moment, no more than a sparkling dust mote where it was stabbed into the ground, and then it vanished. The real Trouble memory emerged from his flank like any dopant the Champions of Harmony had fought before, and shattered into a thousand pieces, surrounded by a shower of electrical sparks.

“There are some things I won’t forgive,” the red figure growled, and then swung the sword again. Fluttershy remained frozen in fear, hoping that the monster wouldn’t notice she was there as he dragged the unconscious form of Castle Tail deeper into the Everfree Forest.

“The important thing is to figure out who he is,” Applejack stated firmly, over the rapid clicking of Twilight’s typewriter. It was four days later now, but composing a report to Princess Celestia had brought their minds back to a difficult subject.

“I think it could be more important to learn what happened,” Rarity countered, “You said that Castle Tail was out cold, but do we even know he was alive? We can assume that the dopant left him in the forest to die, or sent him off on some other route so he can never return to Ponyville. But he could just as easily have been taking him into the forest to bury him. Or worse.”

“Something still feels wrong to me,” Twilight spoke slowly, keeping half her attention on the words she was typing. “From everything we’ve seen, a Gaia Memory drives the user mad. That’s why we try to help the users get back to normal afterwards. But when you saw the red pony in town, he just told us about these ‘G4 Memories’, perfectly calm. He – or she, remember it isn’t obvious for a dopant – seemed in control of his actions. And from what Fluttershy saw, he defeated Trouble using a ‘Maximum Drive’ attack. The same name that the Princess gave to our Memory-breaking techniques. And he didn’t rant, or gloat, or have a maniacal laugh.”

“Do you think it’s a new kind of dopant?” Spike looked up for a moment from the letter he was re-reading, “A special Memory or something?”

“I have to wonder if he’s a dopant at all. When Princess Celestia first showed me the museum, she said something about there being more than seven Elements of Harmony. But then she won’t talk about it in her letters, because she’s worried about somepony else reading it. Could there be another Element out there somewhere, fighting without us?”

“Without a Driver?” Rarity asked.

“Ohh, and if it’s a stallion, he must be the main love interest!” Pinkie squealed, “It’s the kind of story you get in romance novels, six heroic mares competing for the affections on the male lead.” There was silence for a moment, as the others tried to marshal their thoughts on everything that was wrong with that idea.

“That’s a good point,” Twilight was the first to get her train of thought back on the right line, “About the Driver, I mean. The Tree of Harmony is supposed to create a Driver for each new generation of Champions, one every thousand years, or that’s what I can infer from the little information Princess Celestia has been willing to share while we’re not there in person. But we’re using her Driver, we didn’t find our own. So if the number of Elements in this generation is the same as the last, that must mean that we have yet to obtain both our Driver, and one of the Elements. We need to be looking out for them, especially if somepony else might have found them.”

“Somepony who might not know how Gaia Memories work,” Fluttershy added, not even wanting to imagine what that might mean, “Might not know that the user isn’t in control, and thinks revenge is…”

“But in any case,” Twilight hurriedly changed the subject before the conversation got too dark, “What happened to the Great and Powerful Trixie? Did she leave town yet?”

“Yup,” Rainbow Dash grinned, “I helped her a little, getting her cart to the marketplace. She’s had to sell half her stuff so she can pull it herself, but she’s getting on okay. She paid for some of the damage the ursa minor caused, because it was her stories that got those kids to go looking for it, but they let her keep a few bits to buy food until she gets to the next town.”

“Will she be able to keep doing her show? I mean, everypony will have heard about her boasting, and fleeing when she saw the ursus. They won’t think she’s so powerful now. Maybe that’s a good thing, but I don’t like to think she might end up starving because of us.”

“Maybe,” Pinkie shrugged, “But I think she could be a really good clown, if she just stopped taking herself too seriously.” And with that image in their minds, even Applejack cracked a smile. Maybe Ponyville would need some time to rebuild, but this had been quite an easy week compared to some of the issues they’d had to deal with lately.

Author's Note

Hope you like this one; nearly got ep 8 finished, so it'll be up as soon as it's finished.
And I know I'll have to go back at some point and edit quite a chunk of dialogue, because there's quite a few characters who seem to have the wrong speech patterns. NASCAR especially.

Episode 8 - Out of T

The Great and Powerful Trixie gulped, taking a deep breath in the hope a moment’s break would soothe the fire in her aching muscles. She hated working like this, but right now she didn’t have any choice. Only recently she’d been a superstar, performing on stage as she travelled from town to town, being treated to the best in food and wine because of her reputation as the most talented unicorn in the whole of Equestria. Unfortunately the week before she had been shown up by a malicious heckler, Twilight Sparkle, who thought nopony else deserved any measure of respect. Just because they had defeated an Ursa Major, a wild animal native to the Everfree Forest, Sparkle and her cronies thought they deserved all the glory.

In the past, when her reputation suffered some setback and she couldn’t earn enough to live on, The Great and Powerful Trixie had relied on her engineer, chauffeur, and general dogsbody Castle Tail. As well as supporting her show, he was quite capable of doing manual labour to make ends meet. But during the events in Ponyville, she had lost his support as well. She didn’t know where he was now. In her darker moments, she wondered if he might not have died that night, and then her thoughts turned to revenge.

But now, her thoughts were on earning a couple of bits so she could afford to eat. She’d passed through this town a month or so before, and already knew that the puritanical farming folk didn’t hold with paying for entertainment no matter what wonders she could show them. But this one rock farm had promise, they were always looking for strong ponies to help them work at the rock face. Last time, Castle Tail had earned enough to keep both of them fed for a week afterwards, but then he was pretty tough compared to most stallions his age. Trixie wasn’t.

“Damn you, Twilight Sparkle!” she gasped as she hefted the pickaxe again, needing both her body’s strength and the full force of her telekinesis to lift it. She wasn’t born for heavy lifting, and all of the exercises she’d done in the past were geared towards manipulating dozens of small objects at once.

“Curse you, Twilight Sparkle!” The pick struck the rock again, lifting out a little chip of stone. She didn’t know what they were digging for here, the mare in charge of this team hadn’t bothered to tell the workers, but she knew they weren’t expecting to uncover it any time soon.

“Something bothering you, Grumpy and Powerless Trixie?” She didn’t recognise the voice right away, but then she turned to face the pony walking along the tunnel, and she recognised the face. “I never thought I’d see you down here. Don’t you have a slave to do the hard work for you?”

“Don’t you?” Trixie retorted. She could yell and curse about the scientist getting her name wrong, but she could tell there was no point fighting now. It was better to roll with a little verbal humiliation than risk raising the ante with this one.

“Oh, I don’t need to work in a place like this,” she seemed to not even notice the barb, “I’m here to talk to you. I heard you got a reputation for being one of the greatest unicorns around, but I hear you mumbling all day long about Twilight Sparkle, and I think maybe you found out the hard way what a stubborn, obnoxious pony that one can be. She’s got some natural talent, and she’s Celestia’s pet, given opportunities that nopony else could dream of. Am I right in thinking I’m not the only one who’d like to see the lavender brat taken down a peg or two?” Trixie just nodded.

“Now, you’re pretty powerful already, I can tell. So you’re probably better suited to beating her than I would be. You see, I found an ancient amulet that I think might help to tip the scales in your favour. Some ancient texts I discovered call it the Alicorn Amulet, because it might be able to give even the humblest unicorn a power to rival the Princesses’.” She raised a hoof, holding something that gleamed in the flickering torchlight.

“You would… lend… this piece of history to Trixie?” she couldn’t help thinking that this situation sounded too good to be true.

“You aren’t the only one who thinks Twilight Sparkle needs to keep her ego in check.”

“So, how should Trixie make use of this amulet? It doesn’t look like it should be worn…” She didn’t actually agree, she could always say later that she needed to know the details before she made up her mind. But the more she thought about this amulet, the more ideas she had for new and better ways to change the world in her favour. They both knew by now that she was going to take this amulet, and to do whatever it took to grind Twilight Sparkle’s face in the dust.

“You just hold it out, and squeeze the middle like this…”

“TRICKS!”

Back in Ponyville, life was as hectic as ever. Today it was Fluttershy who was giving her friends cause for concern, acting unusually cranky and nopony had the slightest idea what was upsetting her. There was no chaos out of the ordinary, there was no sign of a dopant rampaging through the city. Just the everyday minutiae of life in a town where everypony had their own eccentricities.

“Fluttershy!” Applejack yelled, losing her patience for once, “Pay attention when somepony’s talking to you. You look like you’re half asleep.”

“Oh, uhh…” Fluttershy blinked, looked around at the busy market square. She was standing in front of a stall where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were selling something wrapped in little parcels of glittery paper, and seemed to be trying out a new talent without any spectacular failures for once. “What did you say?”

“It’s okay, sis,” Apple Bloom shrugged, “I was just curious, I thought you might know. What’s the difference between birds and animals? Because Miss Cheerilee said that birds fly, but then is a bat a bird or an animal? Or flying squirrels?”

“Or flying fish, even!” Scootaloo added.

“It’s not important if you’re that tired. You better not be staying up working all night though, we’ve all seen the problems with that.”

“No, no,” Fluttershy blushed, “It’s just, I’ve had a few bad dreams this week, and I’m a bit tired. Thank you for understanding. So… what’s in the red ones?”

“It’s a surprise! That’s why it says surprise boxes, you get a nice surprise, like a birthday present, but you can have one whenever you need a little cheering up!”

“Oh, I don’t like surprises. Have you got any that are less surprising? And birds lay eggs and fly. Bats don’t lay eggs, so they’re animals, and flying squirrels don’t either. And they don’t really fly, they just –”

“What the hay?” Applejack was staring across the square, eyes wide, to where a couple of uniformed unicorns were sticking a poster on the side of the fountain.

“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy had flinched at the sudden yell, as Applejack went from frustration to actual anger in a second. Then she watched as a unicorn with a heavily curled blue mane smoothed down the edges, and read what the poster said. “Magic Lessons! The Great and Powerful Trixie will be giving lessons in magic to all unicorns, to show her kindness and benevolence as your new ruler. The first semester of tutoring will end with a magic… duel…?”

“…to decide if anypony other than the Great and Powerful Trixie is fit to be Princess of Ponyville.” Applejack finished, “Well, I see as how those guys have got all ruffled collars like they live in an old fashioned castle, but that ain’t the Royal Guard uniform, and I don’t see Trixie knowing anyone who can pick out the mayor.”

And so, when the Great and Powerful Trixie appeared the following week, on a cart pulled by four young stallions in matching uniform this time, she was met at the edge of town by a small group of important figures. Mayor Mare was at the front of the group, flanked by Twilight Sparkle on her left and one of her secretaries, Pencil Pusher, to the right. There were also two Royal Guards, dispatched all the way from Canterlot to ensure that anyone challenging the Mayor’s authority did so only through the due process of the electoral system.

“Trixie,” Pencil Pusher was the first to speak, fluttering her wings gently to look over the heads of the rest of the group, “As a duly appointed government official, I must advise that you are warned against hosting or promoting any contest of magical skill, against identifying yourself with any agency of the Equestrian government, andagainst claiming the authority to teach classes in magic or any related discipline.”

Trixie fixed the pegasus with an angry glare. A few seconds later, Pencil Pusher dropped to the ground, struggling for breath.

“Know your place,” Trixie sneered, “No pegasus should dare to look upon the Great and Powerful Trixie. If you wish to issue a challenge, you must wait until the end of the semester like everypony else.”

“This is crazy!” Twilight said, “You have no right to even call a tournament like this. A duel means nothing.”

“Let it be recorded,” Trixie nodded to one of her supporters, “Twilight Sparkle is afraid to face the Great and Powerful Trixie in a fair duel, relying only on deception to maintain her reputation in the magical arts.”

“You can record whatever you want,” Pencil Pusher found her voice again, “But that will not go on any official record, and writing that down doesn’t make it true. But right here, I’m writing down that you don’t put up those posters again, you don’t set up your stage or camp within the city limits, and you are forbidden from advertising your services as a teacher without proof that you have both talent and compassion enough to justify the title.”

“Would a magic duel be sufficient proof? Send a couple of ponies who aren’t afraid to take on the benevolent might,” she shot a disparaging glance at Twilight, trying to goad her into fighting, “…of the one and only, Empress of Hoofington, First Class Unicorn Adept, Great and Powerful Trixie.” And she turned sharply and stalked away from the town; a maneuver that must have taken some rehearsing when she was sitting on a throne, on a cart, pulled by an entire team.

Twilight hoped they wouldn’t hear from Trixie again, but she knew it was unlikely. If she had come so far to try and prove herself, she wouldn’t just walk away. But she wasn’t expecting Fluttershy to rush into the library later that evening, almost in tears.

“She’s camping at the bottom of my garden!” she eventually gasped, after Spike had furnished her with a soothing cup of daisy tea, “Right on the edge of the forest, just off the road. She just moved in, and she’s got a dozen other ponies with her, cooking for her and felling trees to build a huge stage. The animals are all scared, I can’t get them to calm down. I didn’t sleep a wink last night!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow, wondering how much her friend would have slept without Trixie’s interruptions, but decided not to say anything. Today, at least, there was a problem that they could deal with.

Half an hour later, Twilight was accompanied by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack as they walked purposefully towards Fluttershy’s house on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Pencil Pusher had joined them as well, providing a token government presence. If nothing else, she could bear witness that they hadn’t broken any laws in dealing with Trixie.

The caravans were quite far from the house itself, but still on the wrong side of the bracken that divided Fluttershy’s home from the unclaimed land of the forest. Close enough that their sawing and hammering could be heard from the house, as they put together a stage as large and ornate as anything used to present public spectacles in Canterlot.

“How did she get so many followers?” Twilight said, “There must be a dozen stallions working on that thing.”

“I heard she did a big show in Baltimare, earned enough to hire extra labour. She’s famous now, not just claiming she’s been heard of in some other town. She’s been challenging other ponies to a competition, too, wagering a fortune on whose magic is better.”

“Maybe you should actually challenge her this time,” Rarity suggested, “I don’t think I could show her up in public, but I’ve seen your decision making from the inside. She juggles twenty balls, every unicorn in the crowd is impressed, but you’re thinking in hundreds of objects before you start to wonder whether you can manage some task.”

“It’s different with the Driver,” Twilight slowed just a fraction, maybe trying to make herself smaller on some subconscious level. She knew her skill with levitation and with spellcraft exceeded most other unicorns, but she didn’t like to boast about it. She had even been reluctant to use her talents after the last time Trixie came to town, because she was scared of anypony thinking she was the same kind of braggart. None of her friends would judge her, she knew that now, but it didn’t stop her shrinking a bit every time someone complimented her abilities. “I think with the Driver, it doubles what I’m capable of, or even more. Between two unicorns, the complexity of our magic is incredible even to me.”

“Like the speed with me and Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash chipped in, “With two pegasi, we have four wings, and we can use them without even thinking about it. I mean a Sonic Rainboom, that’s the stuff of legend in Cloudsdale, something that is only possible for the best flier in a thousand years. I did one when I was young, just once, and it was amazing. I can do it with the driver as the ‘Maximum Drive’ thing, but with Fluttershy we don’t even break a sweat.”

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded, “Maybe the most effective pairs are two unicorns, two pegasi… would Applejack and Pinkie have even more incredible strength?”

“We’ll have to try it,” Applejack nodded, “Some time we ain’t got a crazy mare trying to show off how she’s the best in the world.”

“Right,” Twilight nodded, and strode forward. Her friends followed at a respectful distance, recognising that given the nature of Trixie’s posters, she was more likely to pay attention to a unicorn coming to speak to her.

“Who wishes to speak with the Great and Powerful Trixie?” a stallion with a dark mane and chalk white coat stepped forward to block her path.

“I don’t need to talk to Trixie,” Twilight blustered, “I just need to speak to whoever is in charge here. You’re on private land, and you can’t camp here without permission of the owner.” She knew that she would seem to have a lot more authority if Fluttershy was actually here to demand the trespassers leave. But she also knew that this was exactly the type of direct confrontation that Fluttershy couldn’t stand.

“We take orders from the Great and Powerful Trixie,” the stallion glared stubbornly, “We will continue to follow her edicts until Trixie herself gives a new order.”

“So where is she?”

“I don’t know. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need to inform us of her every movement.”

“Then who is your site manager?” Pencil Pusher came forward, “There must be a manager on duty whenever any construction work is being carried out, the most senior pony on site at any given time. And a duly deputised government official can demand to see the site manager, who must be authorised to order the cessation of work if necessary to comply with regulations.” She paused for breath, the sign from any government official that she was close to losing her temper, “Who is in charge of all these ponies right now?”

“I guess that’s be me,” another stallion approached, speaking in quite a pronounced accent. “Gov’ment? We’re doing nothing wrong.”

“That’s not down to you to decide,” Pencil Pusher had a clipboard in her hoof now, and was already making notes on some kind of form. “Now, the Council has been notified that you are undertaking construction work without due permission of the landowner or authorised landlord.”

“It’s public land. Nobody can own the Everfree Forest.”

“No,” Twilight felt the need to reinforce the point that she was the one bringing this complaint on behalf of her friend, “This is Fluttershy’s garden. The Forest is over there, where the trees are.”

“That we’re cutting down,” The stallion seemed a little confused himself, but was content to just keep repeating what he’d been told to say until it somehow, miraculously made sense. “We claimed the land, and we’re working it to build a stage. That’s what the Great and Powerful Trixie commanded.”

“The stage isn’t in the forest.”

“No, how would we fit it between the trees? We’re claiming a plot of land in the Everfree Forest, and we’re only passing over the neighbouring grassland to get to it.”

“You’re trespassing.”

“How else are we supposed to get to our land? That dirt road? It’s not wide enough.”

“That’s your problem,” Applejack said firmly.

“Then we are being deprived of the opportunity to work our own land because the city has not kept the public roads in good repair? Is that how you would describe the situation?”

“Yes,”
“No!” Applejack and Pencil Pusher spoke at once.

“Listen,” Pencil Pusher whispered, “If we kick them off this land and say they’ve got to use the road to get to the forest, then that road has to be fit to allow them to get onto their land. There isn’t room on the road side to get their big carts and saws in, not without cutting even more trees. So then they claim that Mayor Mare isn’t organising the council in the best interests of the public. They’re just looking for an excuse to raise a vote of no confidence. I think they were planning for this, it’s all just tricks and lies. If we say they can’t come across Fluttershy’s garden, then they can try to force an election for a new mayor, and no doubt she’s got more tricks to try and get Trixie elected.”

“They can do that?” Applejack seemed amazed, “Isn’t it the best pony for the job gets elected?”

“I don’t know,” Twilight looked between the two of them uncertainly, “She’d need to know more than one silly trick, but maybe it could happen. If enough ponies fall for her scam, she could end up being mayor, and then declare herself officially the greatest unicorn in Ponyville, just because I showed her up when she did a magic show. Either Fluttershy can’t sleep in peace, or Mayor Mare might lose her job, and it’s all my fault!”

“No!” Rainbow Dash didn’t know much about complex property laws, but she knew that she shouldn’t let her friends dwell too much on their worries, “No, Twilight. You did what you had to do to save the town, and everypony loves you for it. There’s no way you could have expected this. This is Trixie’s dirty tricks campaign, and we’ll find a way to stop her. Together, because we’re all friends and we can’t let each other down.”

“Dirty tricks?” it was Trixie’s voice this time, coming from the road behind the deputation, “What slander is this?”

“You can’t prove yourself in any useful way, so you try to set traps to trick the unwary. That seems pretty dirty to me.” Rarity knew immediately she should have kept a tighter rein on her temper, but once she’d started the words wouldn’t stop coming. Then there was silence as Trixie looked her up and down.

“It is not,” she said eventually, “The Great and Powerful Trixie who is afraid to demonstrate her powers. If you, or anypony, wish to prove that your abilities exceed Trixie’s then you are free to do so.”

“And then you’d leave?” Rainbow Dash suggested hopefully, “I mean, it’s not a fair test of your skills unless you’ve got some motivation.” Twilight ground her teeth together in worry. It was obvious her friend thought she was being sneaky, but also clear that Trixie was more than competent when it came to dirty tricks.

“Very well. If you can defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie, she will leave this town.”

“And never return.”

“…and never return. But in order for it to be a fair challenge, you must wager something of equal value. If you lose, and there is no doubt that you have lost, then you will join the throng of Trixie’s devoted followers, serving her to the best of your abilities for as long as you live.”

“Is that…” Twilight interrupted, then hesitated as the enormity of the thought sank in, “Is that how all these stallions ended up cooking for you and hauling your cart?” Two of the closest of Trixie’s retainers just nodded. “Be careful, Rainbow Dash. There’s an enchantment on these ponies. It’s something that can only be done if they agree to it, but I think they actually can’t disobey her orders. Using magic like that to enforce the terms of a bet, I’ve heard it’s possible but I think that’s awfully underhand.”

“Not at all,” Trixie replied, glaring at Twilight, “The great and Powerful Trixie would not enter into a contest without everypony understanding the terms. If your friend wishes to concede now, she is welcome to admit her inferiori–”

“Like hay! You’re on, Trixie. You and me, one race, one lap, three miles. Or are you chicken?” Twilight smiled despite herself. Trixie had been tricksy enough to use a geas spell to enslave ponies who lost to her, and it would have seemed reasonable to back out on discovering that. But there was no way Trixie could step out after finding out that the chosen challenge took the form of a race, because anyone who knew Rainbow Dash would know that she was happy to use a race to settle any dispute. If the self-important unicorn backed out now, she would look like a fool. Of course, it was hard to imagine that she wouldn’t have planned for this contingency, but Twilight wasn’t sure what kind of scheming could lie behind entering a competition she was sure to lose.

“Very… well…” Trixie even hesitated as she replied. Maybe she hadn’t been in the area long enough to realise Dash’s reputation for speed. Twilight was still uneasy about the contest, even if she couldn’t see what Trixie could to to turn it to her advantage.

As it turned out, there was exactly one thing Trixie could have done to benefit from a flying race against Rainbow Dash, and she did it: she won.

She started out levitating herself somewhat hesitantly over the start line, an impartial group of judges from the Ponyville Merchants’ Association having decided that casting a spell to let her grow wings would be unfair. She would have to complete this contest using only her natural abilities in order to be fair. Trixie had objected, but she hadn’t been able to make too many demands without seeming like she was trying to cheat.

When Rainbow Dash soared away from the start, Trixie bobbed gently along. All the unicorns in the audience winced in sympathy, knowing how gruelling it would be to keep the weight of an adult pony off the ground for more than a few minutes. But as she floated along, Trixie’s nervousness seemed to evaporate. Her horn glowed brighter, and she soared through the air like a comic book hero, legs outstretched in front of her. By the end of the first mile, she was floating along a speed that most pegasi couldn’t maintain. And her horn kept glowing brighter as she moved faster and faster. As she drew towards the end of the second mile, she was a couple of strides behind Rainbow Dash and overtaking without moving a muscle. the only sign of life was the corruscating glow of levitation magic all around her. By the time the race ended, she was going so fast that she soared right over the heads of the waiting spectators and was over the horizon before she slowed enough to land. She trotted back to the podium at about the same time Rainbow Dash passed the finish line, out of breath and staring in disbelief.

The next day, it was Twilight Sparkle’s turn to challenge Trixie. She went to the camp at the bottom of Fluttershy’s garden alone this time, teleporting right to the edge of the area Trixie’s slaves were occupying. To her surprise, she couldn’t get any closer by magic. She could walk in, but she was sure by now that Trixie must have known she was there. The barrier wasn’t a particularly powerful piece of magic, but it was an unexpected new talent for the entertainer, so she resolved to tread carefully in case there were more surprises in store.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie was there before she had time to think. Not being carried around on a grand throne this time, but still wearing the elaborate and impractical star-spangled robe she always seemed to wear lately. “Are you afraid to face the Great and Powerful Trixie when others might see?”

“I didn’t come to fight you, Trixie. And I’ve never been afraid. The kind of grandstanding you insist on is demeaning. But I will demand that you admit you cheated in your race against Rainbow Dash.”

“Trixie is the greatest unicorn in Equestria, maybe the greatest who ever lived! Why would she need to cheat? Are you jealous, little unicorn? Teacher’s pet forever, they told me you wouldn’t accept being beaten so easily.”

“I haven’t been beaten, and I know that you cheated. Cherry Kepler’s Theory of Autonomous Action specifies the rules of any levitation of a body which includes as part of its mass the focus fulcrum of the levitation, that is to say, your horn. For levitations involving yourself, there is an absolute limit on both the distance for which it can be maintained, and the maximum possible speed. You exceeded both of these limits, which are known to be fundamental universal constants.”

“Trixie does not need to understand such dry and boring statements, which mean no –”

“Which means,” Twilight was almost yelling, “That the speed you finished that race in isn’t just impressive, it’s impossible. Cannot be done. You weren’t even at that race, you were levitating a doll around the course, only to trade places with it at the finish. A cheap trick, and an easy one, if the doll was as light as I think it might have been. A dirty trick.”

“An interesting theory, but you can’t prove it. And regardless, the Graceful and Powerful Trixie crossed the finish line first, so your friend Rainbow Dash is committed to a life of slavery from which she cannot escape. You have lost, Twilight Sparkle, you have failed your friends. She said that you would find this particularly hard.”

“Who said?” Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion, “Never mind. Because whatever you do to trick the audience, you know that you will never really surpass me and my friends. You called on an ursa minor, let it rampage in Ponyville, and you were terrified. But we stopped it without breaking a sweat. You couldn’t ever face us, which is why you resort to cowardly tricks.”

“You do not know of what you speak. And yet, you seek to goad the Great and Powerful Trixie into a challenge?”

“Well…”

“Trixie accepts! The freedom of your friend Rainbow Dash, gambled against that of Twilight Sparkle. And as the challenged party, Trixie has the choice of the means of the contest. Your challenge will be a contest of spellcraft, both of power and of artifice, to be conducted on this stage,” she gestured with one hoof to the wooden monstrosity that now filled a space larger than Fluttershy’s house, “When it is completed on Friday. You have that long to practise, little wannabe.”

Twilight could have argued that she didn’t want a duel, but then Trixie would have been free to do what she wanted with Rainbow Dash. Twilight was sure she could break the geas spell, but maybe not with only a week to practise, and she had no idea how long it would be before Trixie left if her proposal was spurned. Beating her at her own game was the only option. So for a whole day, and then two, Twilight Sparkle buried herself among the books in the Golden Oak Library, trying to memorise everything that could be known about the theory of magic.

This was her specialist subject, Spike told her several times, this was one thing she must know better than anypony else. But that didn’t make her feel any less pressure. Because speed was Rainbow Dash’s forte, fast flying at any rate, and that hadn’t stopped Trixie from beating her in a race. That was where her enemy seemed to excel, winning when somepony else thought she had her on the ropes. So Twilight intended to study like she’d never studied before, until there was no possible chink in her knowledge. She would know more about the history of magic than anypony who had ever lived, maybe putting herself on the same tier with ancients such as Cherry Kepler and Clover the Clever, maybe even Star Swirl himself.

The first day of study was the theory and rules. A clear understanding of what was possible would stand her in good stead, especially if Trixie appeared to do the impossible. Any breach of these rules would give her a place to start looking for a cheat. Day two she spent memorising spells from ancient books until her brain squeaked. There were so many of them, with so many different uses, that nopony could learn them all. But that was merely a limitation of determination and of memory, not a physical restriction like she had been reading about the day before. If you needed to badly enough, it was possible to do things that nopony had done before, that nopony had even considered possible.

The third day, she planned to spend lifting weights. That was something she’d never even thought about; she’d used her magic to make books fly around the room ever since she was a child, and any practice that had led up to her ability to manipulate dozens of varied items had been just a consequence of frequent indecision over what to read. She’d practised channeling more focused magic into spells when she was faced with a challenge, but she had never seen raw power as something to be gained. But Trixie had said this was a contest of strength as well as skill, so she wouldn’t be surprised if the showmare had trained herself until she could lift an incredible weight.

“What are you doing?” Applejack burst into the gym while the rest of their friends waited outside. Twilight Sparkle’s horn was lit up like a pink bonfire in the middle of the room, raising an impressive stack of iron to the ceiling and back again while two musclebound stallions nodded approvingly. “You didn’t really challenge Trixie to a magic duel? Tell me you ain’t that dumb?”

“We can’t be the Champions of Harmony without Rainbow Dash,” Twilight paused after every couple of words, grunting with effort, “We need a pegasus to chase flying dopants, and Fluttershy’s too nervous to fly sharing a body.”

“You’re putting too much of a burden on yourself. Wasn’t it you who told me not to try and do everything alone? And think about what happens if you lose!”

“I’m not going to lose. I’ve memorised half the library, visualising the books like the techniques Pinkie uses, and I’ve got Reps Maniac and his brother Sets,” the two stallions waved as Twilight pointed them out, “teaching me how to increase my strength. I hope that techniques that work well for building up muscles are effective training for magic too.”

“But if she cheats…”

“All the spells we’ve seen her use so far come from the same couple of primers, the fireworks are particularly distinctive. If she’s cheating using something from the same series, I’ve already figured out what she’s going to use, and put some safeguards in place to make sure the most obvious tricks will blow up in her face. And if she’s got something I wasn’t expecting, I’m sure I can live with it until I can figure out how to break the geas. We can just keep hoping.”

“What about everypony else?”

“You’d just have to cope without me. We can’t effectively fight flying dopants without Rainbow Dash, but Rarijack would still be effective against any that are earthbound. But that is not. Going. To. Happen.” Twilight gasped the last few words angrily as she heaved almost every weight the gym had to the ceiling in four powerful strokes. The Maniac brothers gaped in awe, but Applejack had more to say.

“You haven’t seen the posters?” Pinkie produced a poster advertising a big duel between the Great and Powerful Trixie, and ‘representing the citizens of Ponyville’, Twilight Sparkle. “You see that? It says that if you lose, she can take her pick of whoever lives here as her slaves. Tickets free as long as you can prove you’re a citizen, so I’m guessing that’s good enough for the curse to say everypony watching has agreed.”

“Oh… I’ve been so stupid! I thought she was going to try and cheat in the duel, while she’s been pulling the wool over our eyes while I was distracted. But that doesn’t change anything: We just have to win. And I’ve already got a trick of my own in mind.”

Two more days of a rigorous training regime, and Twilight took the opportunity to bring Pinkie Pie and Rarity in on her plan. It was devious, something she couldn’t share with the Element of Honesty for fear she would disapprove, but it would almost guarantee victory one way or another.

The day of the duel arrived, and the stage had turned into a stadium. The stands were packed with hundreds of cheering and booing spectators, almost half the population of Ponyville. The Great and Powerful Trixie was hamming it up on stage, attracting a mix of anger and support. Twilight had hoped that she would be supported by the whole population but a good part of Trixie’s talent seemed to be convincing strangers to respect her in spite of her actions.

“And so,” Trixie reached the end of her speech, “The show you’ve all been waiting for, a duel to determine the true ruler of Ponyville. In the blue corner, the undisputed champion of contests, the Great and Powerful Trixie. And the challenger, if she has the courage to show, Twilight Sparkle!” She smiled out of the corner of her mouth, knowing that her ushers hadn’t reported Twilight’s presence anywhere within the stadium. A forfeit would earn her even more fame than a victory.

There was a dramatic shower of pink and purple magic arcs spilling out from the far side of the stage, and after just a few seconds the imposing silhouette of a unicorn appeared, teleporting into place in a dramatic gesture that immediately earned the awe of the crowd. Trixie’s barrier against transportation magic was strong, but it didn’t have anywhere near the power necessary to faze GenerousJoker.

“You can’t do that!” Trixie squealed, attracting yells of confusion from the audience. For just a moment, the performer lost her composure when faced with a surprise. She hadn’t actually been in a position to see Fluttertwi subdue the ursa minor weeks before, so she hadn’t known that her opponent could be anyone but Twilight Sparkle alone.

“You object to the armour?” Twilight murmured, trying her hardest to sound amused rather than condescending. It would do her no good to win here if everypony hated her for her pride afterwards. “It protects me from any serious harm during the course of the duel, so there’s no reason to rule against it unless injuring me is intended to be part of the contest.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie was challenged by Twilight Sparkle, a lavender unicorn. Not by…” and then Trixie stopped. The audience was mostly gathered to her right, which was Generous Joker’s left. The compound pony was slightly larger than Twilight, but still had her cutie mark and colouring on the left side of their body, shading gradually towards white across her face and back. The audience might see that Twilight was slightly larger than usual, or that her horn was longer, but that would be a hard thing to judge from that distance, and Rarity’s side of the body wouldn’t be visible at all. Sparkle’s treachery was only visible from on the stage.

“I am Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight declared, while Rarity held her tongue. As long as they spoke in one voice, Trixie would look very foolish if she protested that anypony else was there. “I am one of this town’s Champions of Harmony, but I have here an official declaration that having a bond with the Elements of Harmony does not in any way allow the law to consider me as not being myself. It would be foolish of me not to use my full strength when challenging such a cunning foe, would you not agree?” She flourished the document she was holding. It was indeed a letter from Princess Celestia, stating that as far as the law of the land was concerned, Generous Joker, Fluttertwi, and Twinkie were all considered to be Twilight Sparkle because they were additional souls occupying her body, and that their actions were her responsibility.

“You cannot claim that the pony facing you is not the one who challenged you,” Twilight allowed Rarity to turn their body as she continued, revealing their nature to the audience now. Rarity was the one with the greatest skill in looking graceful,after all. “You cannot forbid the safe and sane use of protective clothing, and I suspect the spectators here will be unimpressed if you seek to delay the start of this duel any further with technicalities.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not object to reasonable safety precautions. But the device on your breast is clearly magical in nature, and your harness is covered with glowing gems. Devices of this nature are evidently forbidden in any contest of magical power, as it would give you an unfair advantage. Twilight Sparkle and her attire may remain, but this collar and devices of a similar nature are unacceptable. As the challenged party, Trixie is entitled to declare fair rules for the contest.”

Twilight shrugged, and folded the Driver closed. She was sure that when it came to skill and power of magic, she could beat Trixie in any contest she cared to name. The show with the driver had been a safety net, nothing more, in case Trixie had more tricks in store. Rarity’s right half of their body became ethereal and drifted away, then broke up into a shower of silver sparks that left Twilight Sparkle standing all alone.

“Very well. Let the contest begin. The first challenge will be one of transformation. You probably know all kinds of spells to transform one thing into another. So each contestant will choose a living subject, and make a change. The one deemed most impressive by the cheers of the audience shall be declared the winner of the first test.”

Twilight looked around nervously. She was sure she knew every spell Trixie could possibly think of, but she hadn’t expected this. In order to pull off a transformation, she would have to first find something to transform. She understood that the barriers would be strengthened, and that the contestants were not permitted to leave the arena during the competition. That meant that she could lose simply by not having a creature to transform. Some of Fluttershy’s animal friends were sheltering under the stands, she could feel their presence when she reached out with her magic, but to subject them to magical change just for the amusement of the crowd would be a depraved, abhorrent act.

Trixie had already selected her subject, of course. She had one of her retinue step forward, into a circle right in the middle of the stage. Twilight’s mind raced. It was barbaric to force somepony to agree to that, and though the blue-coated pegasus colt looked calm enough she was sure that he wouldn’t have done this of his free will. Even if he was Trixie’s biggest fan he wouldn’t ask to have his body altered by magic. Nopony would, especially not for a charlatan like her.

And then Twilight realised that was the difference between herself and Trixie. She had friends, rather than followers, and her friends had asked for some kind of transformation. Fairly recently, as it happened; she’d been practising a new spell only a couple of months before. As much as she wanted to check it was okay beforehand, she knew that the impact of her performance would be diminished if she called out asking for permission. So she stretched out a thin loop of telekinetic energy and lifted Spike out of his seat near the front of the audience.

“An interesting challenge,” Trixie grinned, playing the role of the sporting rival to perfection. But the little sneer that seemed permanently screwed onto her voice was there, suggesting that she was still somehow gloating even without anything to feel smug about. With magic amplifying her voice, it was even more obvious that she was doing something sly, but it wasn’t clear what it could be. “Everyone knows that working magic on dragons is difficult, so the crowd must give Twilight Sparkle some credit for that in their judgement. But the effects that can be achieved are never more than slightly interesting. I know she won’t be able to do anything spectacular.”

Twilight shrugged dismissively, and waved Spike through the air in front of her. Everypony knew they were friends, of course, but that wouldn’t make any difference. Because Trixie had kept the details of the challenges to herself, it would still be obvious that Twilight was having to think on her hooves. She didn’t need to make the dramatic sweeping motions either, but it made sure the whole audience got a good look at Spike. Now he was a young dragon, looking perfectly normal. And now, a moment later as pink ribbons of light flowed out from Twilight’s horn, he landed on his feet and strode back and forth to show off his first sign of maturity.

A luxuriant black moustache was hanging from his upper lip now, growing longer and thicker as everypony watched. He might have seemed to grow larger as well, more muscular. It was as if he was growing into adolescence as they watched, though only the unicorns in the audience would know how impressive that was. Many of them had probably tried using magic to skip over their turbulent teenage years, and so would know it was way beyond their capabilities. Any who’d made a formal study of magic would know that changing a pony’s age was one of the most difficult feats possible by magic, and had once been considered among the ‘impossible spells’ like changing magical attunement or race.

Of course, Twilight couldn’t make Spike older. Maybe GenerousJoker could manage it with practice, with power and skill both much greater than merely the sum of their individual abilities. But with just one unicorn working the spell, the best she could do was a size-and-strength boost, and of course a growth spell for the moustache. Spike loved that one, ever since he’d first imagined it might be possible, and had been begging Twilight to do it for him at every opportunity.

“Maybe it’s not impossible for dragons,” she heard one unicorn in the audience whisper to her neighbour, “It’s slightly interesting, I’ll give you that, but weren’t we supposed to be awestruck here?”

Twilight narrowed her eyes, determined to show them something that would get their attention. “Sorry Spike,” she whispered, unsure whether he’d be impressed with the exotic manestyle she had in mind. At the top of the baby dragon’s arc, she reached inside his body with her magic, searching for the magical seeds she needed within his scales. She had something quite complex in mind, but when she felt his spiritual energy, she realised it would be a lot harder than she’d thought. In all her studies, she’d learned that every living thing was the same in some very basic ways, but there was an energy deep inside Spike unlike anything she’d ever encountered. Were dragons really that different from ponies?

In panic, she just let the main part of the spell burst out without any attempt at channeling. Spike blinked in surprise as his body sprouted follicles that could produce hair in places he’d never had hair before. Everywhere.

It would only last a few minutes, Twilight had enough self control to make sure of that. But for those minutes the crowd couldn’t help laughing. Spike sprouted long straight hair over his entire body, until only the tip of his nose was visible. He was a ball of fuzz by the time he bounced on the ground, like a much more strokable hedgehog. And with the surprisingly springy bristles, he did indeed bounce. Spike yelped in surprise, and then laughed giddily, and the audience laughed with him as he careened around the stage, bouncing and rolling like a rubber ball. Only the Great and Powerful Trixie sneered disappointedly.

“Sideshow tricks,” she dismissively turned away from the stunt, “But Trixie is here to show you a real, useful feat of sorcery. Who has ever imagined that even the fundamental facts of a pony’s nature can be changed? But today, the Great and Powerful Trixie will show that even gender can be changed! Because before your eyes, you see an awkward filly chosen from among Trixie’s legion of servants, and in the next moment you will see her become a stallion!”

Twilight turned to watch the young pony chosen from Trixie’s followers. She seemed calm enough, so maybe she had actually volunteered for this. But she should know that she was volunteering for the impossible. More than three hundred years before, it had been proven beyond any doubt that no magic could accomplish such a dramatic change. But wisps of red magic gathered around the filly, contrasting sharply with her sky-blue coat. There was a burst of brilliant light, and then the change was obvious. There could be no doubt that a colt was standing there, maybe a young stallion. The audience cheered. Twilight felt around the area with her own magic. The only energies she’d felt flowing across the stage at the moment of transformation were simple pyrotechnics, but she couldn’t deny that there was a male standing there now. The feeling of his magical aura left no doubt, even though many in the audience weren’t sure until he walked forward to let them take a closer look.

Twilight wouldn’t take anything at face value with Trixie. She did her best to scan for illusion magic, and for possession by spirits or demons (as it was to a great degree the soul, rather than the body, which was immutable). She even felt the colt’s aura for the sickening magical signature of a Gaia Memory, but she could find nothing.

“But that’s impossible!” she stammered when every test she could think of showed no result. There was no lingering magic, nothing that suggested the energies that would be required to keep up any kind of enchantment for this long. Nothing, meaning that however the change had been accomplished, it was permanent. “You can’t change a filly into a colt, that’s impossible! You might as well try to turn an earth pony into a unicorn!”

“Because everypony aspires to be a unicorn?” Trixie twisted Twilight’s words, “Twilight Sparkle thinks she is so much better than the earth ponies, that they could never aspire to her level. But, if that is what it will take for you to admit defeat…” The red threads of sorcery wrapped themselves around the same pony again, and then burst like a firework, red light glinting for a moment off his wingtips.

“Behold, an earth pony has become a pegasus! The magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie truly knows no bounds.” The crowd went wild.

The rest of the contest went swiftly. With those few tricks still fresh in her mind, Twilight found that she couldn’t concentrate on her own magic. Trixie had done not one but two of the five impossible labours, and Twilight hadn’t been able to sense any magic beyond the light at the moment the spell was cast. Could it be possible that a charlatan like Trixie had somehow discovered an entirely new form of magic? If she had, then Twilight already knew her task was hopeless; this was how Rainbow Dash must have felt as she saw the unicorn levitating herself into the distance.

It wasn’t an outright defeat. Trixie suggested ending the contest with two rounds remaining; a demonstration of mercy, or of pity. But as Twilight withdrew her challenge, she managed to make it seem like Twilight Sparkle wasn’t even worthy to become Trixie’s slave. Instead, she would be banished from Ponyville, and forbidden to return until she could live up to her boasts. Everypony jeered, even many Twilight had thought to be her friends. In a way, this was even worse than losing. Especially knowing that she’d agreed to let Trixie rule the town if she couldn’t beat her, and that was one reward that the trickster still wished to claim.

Twilight Sparkle left Ponyville. It felt like she was walking away from her home, the only place she’d ever known. In reality it had only been six months since she first came here, but it felt like home in a way no other place could compare to. It must have been the influence of having so many friends, she had really felt a part of the town. And now it was all gone. She was banished, never to return unless she could match Trixie’s feats of magic, and that was absolutely, certainly impossible. Trixie could do things that magic simply could not do, and somehow that bothered Twilight almost as much as being driven out of the town she cared about.

She didn’t give a second thought to the terrors of the Everfree Forest. On her very first month in Ponyville, they’d had to find the Castle of the Two Sisters, and everypony had been terrified to approach. But now, not even a year later, she had no fear of following the same path. Maybe it was because she knew now that most of the superstitions about the place were corrupted versions of old legends, or tales about fantastic beasts that most citizens of Ponyville simply didn’t understand. Or maybe it was that since Begins Night she and her friends had gathered a formidable power. Of all the terrors the dark forest held, surely none would prey upon a pony whom even Nightmare Moon had been unwilling to challenge.

“You will halt if you’re wise, go no further there,” a voice from the shadows pulled Twilight out of her thoughts with a jump and a tiny scream, though she sincerely hoped nopony had noticed the latter, “Those flowers can make you regret if you dare.”

Twilight peered between the trees, but she couldn’t make out who had spoken. The voice was strong and resonant, filled with confidence. But the rhyming at the end of the line, which seemed rather contrived, made her pretty confident that this couldn’t be a monster. A demon that wanted to raze her mind, or a wild beast hungering for pony flesh, wouldn’t take such efforts to make their words sound pleasant. Then she looked in the direction she’d been walking, peering closely at the bushes beside the path. Tiny red flowers that wavered in the wind. She wouldn’t normally have noticed, but only a few days before she’d been researching ways that someone like Trixie could cheat in a contest of magic. There were a number of flowers in this region whose toxic effects could seem like magic to the laypony, and Twilight had spent an hour looking at pictures of them.

“Those leaves are sumac, if I’m not mistaken,” she commented, “My humblest thanks, as if I’d… I don’t have to speak in rhyme, do I?” The response was a deep, bubbly laughter.

“Thank you again,” Twilight continued, “Because I couldn’t even keep it up for one line. I think my attention must be low, when I couldn’t even recognise one of the most toxic species in the woodlands. Though I don’t recognise this particular variant. In any case, kind stranger, can I ask your name? I’m Twilight Sparkle, and you’re the first pony I’ve met willing to exchange words with me since leaving Ponyville. If you are a pony, that is! I didn’t mean to assume –” the words caught in her throat as a shadowy figure became visible. She’d heard stories that all kinds of monsters lived in the woods, and one that particularly filled the Ponyville crowds with dread was…

“They call me Zecora, and I’d be glad to share,” the strange looking creature, “The path to my home, and some tea once we’re there.” Twilight had heard of Zecora, of course. Everypony had. But this didn’t seem like the evil sorceress they’d described. She didn’t look like a monster, either. Could it be that ponies who had never met a zebra before would jump to entirely the wrong conclusions?

It wasn’t far to a small hut under the forest canopy, decorated with all kinds of exotic items. To start with, Twilight was too nervous to talk about any of them, but after her host poured the tea she found herself starting to relax. It seemed like both of them had nobody to talk to at present, and both were suffering for the lack of companionship this night. So Twilight talked a little about why she’d had to leave Ponyville, and why she’d left her friends behind. And then Zecora mentioned how hard it was to do even basic shopping when ponies ran and hid every time she entered the town. She explained that she’d settled on a self sufficient lifestyle rather than bother others, and that it suited her quite well.

Two strangers, both outcasts from Ponyville for reasons they didn’t fully understand. Right at that moment, Twilight Sparkle felt that Zecora might just be able to understand her worries better than any of her friends or neighbours. She kept asking about the duel with Trixie, even after Twilight had lost her temper at the recollection and yelled in tears about how that trick had been impossible. Zecora agreed. They had learned their magic in very different ways, but both knew about the limits of possibility.

“For such a drastic change to stick, could substitution be the trick?” Zecora speculated, trying to find any rational solution that didn’t recall a trickster suddenly having miraculous powers.

“No, I talked to Azure Thunder after the contest, while Trixie deliberated on my punishment. And when she was still a filly, she was out racing Rainbow Dash the day before. Dash might be enslaved to Trixie, but even then I’d think the Element of Loyalty wouldn’t allow her to help the mare cheat. She said it was certainly Azure Thunder, the same pony both before and after.”

“If your friend is truly –” Zecora started, but going over the events out loud one more time had turned out to be just the trigger Twilight needed.

“Rainbow Dash racing against an earth pony, flying laps over the Everfree Forest? That makes no sense!”

“So could it be your enemy’s deception, can change the –”

“Changes what we remember seeing before. Maybe she’s got some magic that makes everypony believe her or something, something that can be hidden in her voice or her eyes, maybe. I might not even have noticed because I was watching out for her casting illusion spells when she was supposedly transforming the pony. If she was simply removing an existing illusion, it could have slipped past me. But even so, it’s pretty powerful magic. Rainbow Dash seemed sure that Trixie hadn’t cheated, which means she must have believed that she transformed an earth pony into a pegasus. Is there an illusion so powerful that it can even change what everypony already knows?”

“Of course there can,” Twilight answered her own question. She knew she was babbling, thinking out loud, but once Zecora had led her to see the key fact in the whole situation, more thoughts came flooding out, each epiphany hot on the heels of the last. “It’s powerful magic though, so there’s still the question of where she could have learned something like that. Is deception really Trixie’s special talent?”

“A pony’s talent could be so unique, but now it is proof of deception you seek.”

“Proof, that’s the hard part. I agreed never to return to Ponyville if I lost, so the geas curse won’t even let me go back to tell everypony what happened.” Zecora was deep in thought now. She couldn’t be sure, but from the time they’d spent getting to know each other, Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem the kind of pony to make such a rash bet.

Twilight Sparkle stayed with Zecora in her little hut in the forest. She couldn’t face the shame of returning to Canterlot in the current situation, and she really had nowhere else to go. She accepted that she wouldn’t have made a bet like that, she distinctly remembered entering a duel only to free Rainbow Dash. But that didn’t seem to matter to the geas, she couldn’t even approach Fluttershy’s house; it was as if the giant wooden stadium marked an impassable boundary.

She stayed in the forest, and quickly fell into a routine. Twilight learned a little more about the properties of herbs from the zebra, who seemed to be something of an expert. In exchange, she helped out using her magic to complete daily chores more easily. And all the time she watched Trixie, any time she was on the stage and on the edge of the forest. Now that she knew what to look for, she was watching out every time Trixie felt the need to show off her powers, but she still couldn’t spot it. She couldn’t see the illusion on whatever pony or item Trixie was going to ‘change’ beforehand, either. But as she described what she’d seen each time to Zecora, it became even more clear that she had initially seen the truth, and later come to remember incorrectly what had been there before the transformation.

It wasn’t an illusion spell, it was a memory spell, and that made Twilight even more determined to find out how it had been done. Trixie had managed to work magic on her without her noticing, and as soon as Twilight saw that, pride wouldn’t let her tolerate it. But she still couldn’t sense the spell, with every trick she tried.

“In each of the stories I’ve heard from you,” Zecora offered a little suggestion as Twilight related what she’d seen of another of Trixie’s performances on the edge of the forest, “The things she says always seem to come true.”

“You’re right!” Twilight dropped her pestle, but was just about quick enough to catch it before it hit the ground. “It’s the words. When she was supposedly changed Azure Thunder, she said something about seeing an earth pony transformed to a pegasus. Why would she need to tell us something we would have been able to see right away? She’s not throwing mind-altering magic out into the audience, that would just be too reckless and there’s no way she’d have the power. But changing her voice, enchanting her own words, might just be within the performer’s ability.”

The next time Twilight wandered to the edge of the forest to watch a show, she had a secret weapon with which to test out her theory. Made from shavings of willow bark that gave shape to a flexible ball of resin, she was quite proud of her attempt to fashion usable earplugs. With just a dash of magic, she wouldn’t hear a thing Trixie said. So she watched the show, while Trixie juggled six balls using a simple levitation cantrip, and told the audience that they should be incredibly impressed because they’ve never seen a feat like that before. The crowd went wild, and nopony even seemed to realise that any magic had been done. But while Twilight watched, Trixie’s horn didn’t light up with any power other than that needed to keep her balls in the air.

She watched very closely for the rest of the show, and eventually managed to sense a little surge of magic flowing out when Trixie let the power into her voice. It was a trick, that was obvious, but it wasn’t clear just how she was controlling the spell. It didn’t seem to interact with Trixie’s own magic at all, which explained why Twilight had such a hard time even spotting it. It wasn’t any of the types of cheating curses Twilight had studied in her multi-day cram session, and it wasn’t remotely like any spell she’d seen. It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, though. It just wasn’t what Twilight had expected to find here.

“You’re using a Gaia Memory!” she confronted Trixie the next day, “You have to stop, those things poison your mind.”

“How did you get in here? You may not–”

“I can’t pass your stage, but I can get into the backstage. And as I realise how you’ve tricked everypony, that geas is getting weaker.”

“The contest rules clearly stated that the one who most impresses the audience wins. The Great and Powerful Trixie was victorious without transgressing in any way. You may make another challenge, if you wish. If you are able to reach the stage to make it, of course.” Twilight grinned and walked away before Trixie could call her guards. She didn’t want to make trouble now, she would have to leave it for a time everypony could see. Trixie had made one mistake, and this time Twilight didn’t believe it was a trap. She would just have to hope that nothing else went wrong before she had a chance to put her plan into action.

“It’s a monster!” Apple Bloom ran screaming into the Golden Oak Library. Even with Twilight Sparkle banished, this place had remained a base of operations for the Elements of Harmony. Spike did his best to tidy up a little, but over the course of a week there were quite a number of books out of place. To most of the ponies who met here, it seemed a little more homely now that the books weren’t the room’s single focus. Rainbow Dash knew she would be moving on when Trixie needed her, so had resolved to stay here as often as she could, maximising the time spent in the company of her friends.

“What?” Fluttershy gasped and dived behind a pile of books. After a couple of seconds, when there were no sounds of carnage, she poked her head up enough to see over the top and whispered: “Where?”

“In the forest,” Apple Bloom was out of breath, as if she’d run all the way into Ponyville, “It’s that weird pony, the striped one. I saw her in the forest picking flowers, and Twi…” she hesitated, but managed to cover the delay with her heavy breathing, “And the outcast. They were picking flowers together, talking about some kind of curse or poison or something.”

“Don’t exaggerate,” Applejack looked down sternly at her sister, “That Zecora’s strange, and maybe she’s got forbidden magic. Maybe she’s crazy, painting her coat like that to give good ponies the evil eye. But she ain’t a monster.”

“She’s huge and she looks weird, how do you know she’s not got one of those Memory things?”

“She’s got a point,” Rainbow Dash nodded from the cloud hammock she’d somehow suspended between a couple of bookshelves, “We’ve all seen the jewelry she wears, some of those wood carved things just scream ‘ancient evil magic’, don’t they?”

“I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie answered, somehow managing to project a little sarcasm without any trace of it in her actual words. “I don’t think the Gaia Memories are that old. Maybe Celestia had some of them to fight against hundreds of years ago, but those were G3 Memories. The G3.5 are a bit of an upgrade, and we’ve seen the G4s are almost a completely different thing. Most unexplained magics might be ancient artifacts, but you could say just as easily the Gaia Memories are a new thing now. And I’m not even sure they’re evil, when you look at –”

“That’s only words, anyway. The Elements are the only ones that’s different, and that’s only because of the Princess and the harmony tree. If somepony’s using a Memory, I say that makes them a monster. We can figure out if it’s their fault or not after we beat them.”

Raridash soared over the town, heading straight for the Everfree Forest. If Apple Bloom was right, Zecora could be planning anything. For years, the inhabitants of Ponyville had gone into hiding when the stranger showed up, put off by her unusual manner and exotic fashions. But if she was a monster, only the Champions of Harmony could bring her to justice. It was their duty, and nothing more. They certainly weren’t going to visit the outcast, now that the Great and Powerful Trixie had forbidden everypony from seeking out or speaking to her. She followed the main paths, swooping beneath the trees and hurtling along a few inches from the ground, but there was nothing for her to find. Zecora lived in the Everfree, everypony knew, but nobody could say precisely where.

Evening came. On the main street, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were setting up a stall made from a converted applecart. Today, they were conducting an experiment to discover if any of them had a special talent in science, though they hadn’t expected research to involve quite so much time giving things to everypony who passed.

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Scootaloo asked, as there was a momentary break in the stream of ponies walking past, “We’re going to miss the start of Trixie’s show, and it’s supposed to be something special tonight. Maybe tonight’s the night she’ll fall on her face.”

“We just got to hope,” Apple Bloom shrugged, “This is the only time there’s enough folks walking past at the same time, we need to give these to as many ponies as possible.”

At the stage, things were less calm. Raridash had just touched down after one last circuit of the Everfree Forest, finally admitting that they weren’t going to find Zecora rampaging like a dopant. But as soon as they were on the ground, Trixie and her stage manager were yelling complaints and demands. Rainbow Dash hadn’t forgotten that she was expected to be personal attendant to the Great and Powerful Trixie tonight, or that she was going to be transformed as part of the show. The spell from her race three weeks ago wouldn’t let her forget or disobey an instruction; but she could still leave it to the last possible moment. Even as she was compelled to serve her new mistress, she felt a little rush of joy whenever Trixie lost her cool.

“You are required in the dressing rooms now!” one of the interchangeable uniformed slaves snapped, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t resist the command any longer. The murmur of the audience was loud enough that it was clear the show had better start soon. She ejected the Element of Loyalty from the driver, and gave a shrug.

“You’d best get AJ to help hunt for a while, I’ll see you after the show.”

“I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort,” Rarity shrugged, feeling the transformation beginning to fade. A second later, and she’d be back in her own body at the boutique. Applejack would have already felt the Driver appear on her breast, but Rarity didn’t care enough whether she inserted her element quickly enough to continue the search or not. “Break a leg!” she said before she vanished.

The Driver had other ideas: “GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!”

“Aww, hay!” Rainbow Dash cursed as she looked around and found herself in the Everfree Forest, “What happened?”

“You can thank your loyal friend,” she didn’t recognise the voice behind her, but focused first on the reassuring words, “Tonight, the trickster’s reign may end.”

“What are you doing here?” Trixie snapped. If she had fangs she would have been baring them now, that much was evident from the tone. She had been hoping to revive her fans’ excitement with this show, as they seemed to be less obsessed with her show than she had hoped. She’d tried to plan how she would deal with any unforeseen calamity, but Twilight Sparkle coming back to the stage was the last thing she’d expected.

“We’re here to show the world you’re a fraud,” GenerousJoker spoke in chorus, two voices coming from one mouth in quite a disconcerting way. “You cheated in that last duel. You used a Gaia Memory.”

“Do you have a point?” Trixie grinned, “Trixie will determine later how you were able to bypass the barrier or banishment, but whatever trick you have will not avail you. The Great and Powerful Trixie wins every duel within the bounds of the rules, and there is no condition prohibiting the use of an amulet in these tournaments, as it only draws on the natural power of my own emotion. You can’t complain about it, and you are going to lose.”

“You said I could have a rematch, but then you banned me from the town,” Twilight shrugged, “That hardly seems fair. But you forgot to account for the magic of friendship, and you can’t turn us down now without showing yourself as a hypocrite.” Trixie shook her head and snorted, seeing no way she could lose now. Rarity was nervous, not seeing how anything had changed since the previous time they tried this. But some of Twilight’s confidence rubbed off on her, and she found herself looking forward to the challenge. It wasn’t every day she could face off against a unicorn as powerful as Trixie in a straight magical duel and stand any chance of winning.

The audience cheered louder than ever as three competitors, two of them sharing a body, appeared on the stage.

“Behold!” Trixie’s voice boomed out with magical amplification, “The disgraced Twilight Sparkle has returned to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie again. Nopony will be impressed by her magic, and you are all looking forward to seeing Twilight Sparkle humiliated, but she still had the courage to come up here.” There was a little murmur of appreciation from the crowd, but they didn’t seem to be entirely supportive of Trixie’s grandstanding now.

“However,” Trixie continued, “You already know that your collar and devices of a similar type are forbidden in this contest.”

“These are forbidden?” Twilight asked, a thin trace of magic lifting her Element out of the Driver and holding it up.

“JOKER!” the crystal sang, and Trixie realised that she couldn’t fairly ban the use of the driver without banning her own amulet as well. Of course, Trixie had never really considered playing fair.

“Yes, and you must remove that amulet now. Everypony knows that the Great and Powerful Trixie is able to work her magic without the use of such trifles.” But as she was speaking, Rarity’s magic grabbed the ornate, star-spangled dress that she wore for her performances, and in seconds tweaked it into a more appealing style. A style that exposed her haunches, and allowed everypony watching to see the glowing red mark where a Gaia Memory sat just beneath her skin.

“No,” Twilight declared loudly, “You can’t make us do anything now. I’ve sensed the magic in your voice, and you can’t trick us any more. If you want a duel, you’ve got to do it without amulets, fair and square.”

A little way away, Applejack paused uncertainly. She wasn’t at the show, because she’d been too worried by the thought of her little sister running into monsters in the Everfree Forest. She knew she’d have to make some kind of rule to forbid the young ones from going out there again, at least as long as Zecora and Twilight were lurking out there, but she didn’t want to seem like the bad guy. Now she was looking at the driver on her neck, and wondering if she was supposed to be swapping in for Rainbow Dash. There had been no pulse from her collar first, so she’d thought about it for a few seconds before doing anything. The Driver appeared whenever the other left-half pony removed her Element from the slot, after all. It didn’t necessarily mean she needed help. But after a few seconds, Applejack decided that she’d had enough of being distant from the action.

“GENEROSITYᏔHONESTY!” She looked around for a second, and the saw Trixie and the jeering crowd. She didn’t want to be humiliated in front of everypony, but she seemed to have dropped herself right in the middle of a difficult situation. But then she saw the glowing mark on Trixie’s flank, and the situation was clear and simple again.

“Everypony can see,” Trixie was yelling, “you are attempting some demonic sorcery in order to defy the rightful rule of the Great and Powerful Trixie, and the whole town must come together to show you that you are unwelcome here.”

“No demons,” Rarity answered, “Just earplugs. If your voice is muffled, the magic doesn’t come through.” Trixie didn’t seem to care though, and just stood there smirking as she waited for the crowd to rise up and lynch the Champions who had dared to challenge her.

“It’s an awful cold evening,” an answering shout came from the back of the stands, “Everypony’s been glad of a scarf to keep their ears warm.” Trixie turned to look, and saw three fillies standing on the very back row. As they had said, almost the whole crowd had their heads – and ears – covered with thick wool.

“You brainwashed the whole town to hate Twilight,” Rarity continued, repeating what Twilight had told her a few minutes before, “But you missed out the kids. And Apple Bloom was the one smart enough to talk to Zecora instead of running away. Now everypony knows the truth, they know you cheated in the duel by using a Gaia Memory after you said they were banned, so your geas won’t work any more. You’re all out of tricks now. Give up the Memory if you want a fair challenge.”

Trixie wasn’t beaten yet. There was a pulse of magic between the Memory and her horn, and its grating voice called out as she began to change into her perfect, ultimate form: “TRICKS!”

A pattern of stars began to spread across her coat from the site of her ravaged cutie mark, a confusing tessellation of lines that for a moment made it difficult to tell if she was actually growing larger, or it was just some kind of optical illusion. But at the same time, her stage costume twisted and writhed around her as if it was alive, restricting the movement of her growing body. Trixie was clearly larger now, as the robe that had been so imperious even moments before was now a few skimpy lines of fabric, accentuating her figure.

Seeing herself like that, Trixie was distracted for a moment. It reminded her of her early days in show business, when she’d expected that the only way would be up. She’d started out as a conjurer’s beautiful assistant, knowing even then that some day soon she would be both the beauty and the brains of her show. She’d never even considered having to enslave ponies to make them watch her; she’d wanted to bring joy to audiences around the world. She would never have thought about doing something like this before Castle Tail died, and it was all Twilight Sparkle’s fault. ‘No,’ her inner voice reminded her. Even after her ignominious defeat, she’d thought about finding a new gimmick, working her way back up and rebuilding her reputation. She hadn’t thought about revenge, certainly not like this. But once she’d got the amulet, it was so easy, and why would she let such an easy chance to get what she’d wanted go past.

Trixie realised with horror that she hadn’t given a moment’s thought to whether revenge, or adoration, or an army of slaves, was what she really wanted. She’d just seen it within reach and taken it. The amulet gave her whatever she wanted, but ever since she’d first used it, looking back, it seemed she’d been straying further from the path she really wanted to be on. Maybe she could try again, using that power to make a better show rather than trying to control a town. But the power was rising now, it was too late to stop it and it felt like she was drunk on the energy now flooding into her body. She reared up and screamed defiance at the sky, ready to use her words to change reality and tear down the ego of any who dared oppose her.

Two hooves caught her squarely in the chest, lifting her off the ground. She blinked as she flew up into the air, and then fell back down to see the ridiculous half-and-half pony staring a her with a calm practicality that was quite chilling. She closed her eyes, and just waited the drawn-out seconds until the second blow caught her flank.

“How d’you like that Maximum Drive?” Applejack smirked as Trixie’s trajectory carried her straight off the stage into one of the trees on the edge of the forest. There was a snapping sound that the Champion could only hope was wood and not bone, and the Gaia Memory leapt out to land on the ground. Everypony hesitated before coming any closer; they’d seen Trixie start to turn into a monster, and that overrode any desire they’d had to help the fallen idol. But Rarijack rushed closer, hoping to see that the memory had broken properly even though she hadn’t been able to hear the distinctive crack of shattering crystal.

“Well, that’s different,” Rarity lifted the Tricks Memory with her magic. There were no visible cracks in it, but the outer surface was melted like a glass dropped into fire, covered with bubbles and blackened.

“There were some in Princess Celestia’s museum like that,” Twilight Sparkle commented as she trotted up to take a look, “Maybe some Memories are different from others? I’d like to investigate, but the important thing is that it’s broken. Now, is she okay?”

“You’d forgive her so quick?” Applejack could barely believe it. She’d disliked Trixie from the first moment she arrived in town, and Twilight had certainly suffered more under the showmare’s short lived rulership.

“No. But there’s a difference between not liking somepony and actually hurting them,” Twilight turned and shouted back towards the crowds around the stage, “We need a doctor over here!”

“I wish all our battles could go that quick,” Rainbow Dash was the first to say it, of course. They were back in the basement of the Golden Oak Library now, chatting idly about the latest dopant and about whatever crossed their minds while Twilight typed out her report to Princess Celestia. Fluttershy was catching up on some much needed (if fitful) sleep in Twilight’s room upstairs, while Trixie’s former slaves worked on dismantling the monstrous theatre at the bottom of her garden.

“Maybe that’s why the Gaia Memory melted instead of breaking?” Twilight peered at it through her magnifying glass again. She’d spent most of her time in the past week examining the thing, trying to understand how its insidious magic had worked. As always when she was engrossed in a project, she’d fallen asleep at her desk a few times lately. “But I don’t think it was the battle that was the hard part this time.”

There came a soft tap on the door, almost like somepony didn’t really want to be heard. If Twilight had been typing at that moment, the sound would probably have been lost under the rattle of the keys.

When she opened the door, Trixie was standing at the top of the stairs. Half the ponies in the room gritted their teeth, and Applejack was instinctively preparing for another fight. But Trixie didn’t have her star-spangled robe and hat, and kept her gaze on the ground in front of her hooves.

“I didn’t realise you were out of the hospital,” Twilight tried to stay as diplomatic as possible.

“The Great an–” she started to speak, then saw the expressions everyone was giving her and mumbled, backtracking. “The Greatly Overhyped Trixie wishes to make an apology. To Twilight Sparkle, to the Champions of Harmony, and to all of Ponyville. To seize power and demand worship, this is not Trixie’s way.”

“The Gaia Memories corrupt your desires, strip away everything else until only the darkest parts of your personality remain,” Twilight was almost shocked with how easily that explanation came to her lips now, as if she’d said it too many times to need any further thought. “You weren’t in control as long as you used that thing. I don’t think you would have treated everypony like that on your own.”

“No,” she murmured softly, “And now Trixie must leave Ponyville. Without banishment, which is a surprise. But now Trixie wishes to learn more real magic, and to have a talent that will help people as much as Twilight’s does. Magic that saves anypony from that darkness, it seems that is something to strive after more than a simple show.” And seeing the expressions still blank, she elaborated: “Trixie wishes to find a way to help others with her talents, and to make a difference in the world.”

“Good luck,” it was all Twilight could think of to say. In her mind, she was again revisiting the unlikely coincidence that would have Trixie acquire a Gaia Memory in the same year her only friend had come across one. That trauma would be terrible, and proved that the fates really did have a twisted sense of humour. But now, she could only hope that Trixie would be spared any further nightmares as she walked away. “Good luck.”

Author's Note

I know that Trixie uses the word "gender" incorrectly. But it's a kids' cartoon, you can't mention "sex" without getting complaints from parents.

Hope everypony's enjoying it so far.

Inception - Another T

Another part of this story. Another time, so long past that she no longer remembers walking through a crystal-decorated tunnel alongside a glittering, sparkling stream that seemed to spring straight from the heart of the earth. She was young then, and had no fear of the unknown. The biggest worry she had now was of disappointing her family.

She’d heard that a long ago miner had found this stream, and taken it as a good omen. They’d built their home right above this point, surrounded now by a flourishing farm. She’d heard the legends, that if you made a wish on the stream it would give life to the brightest emotions in your heart, and allow you to change the world. But as a child she only wished for stupid, insignificant things that nopony else would care for, so she knew she wouldn’t be the one to unlock the power of the spring. All she wanted was to live forever, and to change the world.

“Rose!” a voice echoed through the tunnels, causing her head to jerk around in a futile attempt to follow the sound. It wasn’t a friendly voice, but angry or worried. So often it was hard to tell the difference, especially when it came to family. She hurried along the passage, towards the spring itself. She didn’t want to be caught down here, where she knew she shouldn’t be right now. But exploring alone was the only tiny sliver of joy in her strictly-regimented life right now, and she wouldn’t give that up for anything. The dark stone gave way to walls of pure crystal. Sparkling, ever-changing rainbows reflecting in all directions around where the spring gushed out. It was beautiful, something her parents had never seemed to see as they talked about the value of the stone and the virtues of a simple life. The many colours of the light here played across Rose’s coat, letting her forget for a moment her own colouring, so pale it was almost grey.

“Rose!” the furious voice yelled again, and the filly knew there was something wrong more than just missing her work. She turned around and started to trot reluctantly over the natural crystal, leaving the treasure chamber of the geode spring. But in her haste she stumbled and fell. A sharp edge of prismatic stone pierced her thigh as she tumbled right into the sprint, and she screamed for just a second until her head struck the bank.

“Rose Quartz!” another shout, panic deepening further. By the time her sister reached the geode chamber, all their practical skills couldn’t save her. And the story would have ended there, if not for an experiment, a daring attempt. A sacrifice that might even be able to drive away death.

“ETERNAL!”

A strangled yelp, a gasp of surprise. Confusion for a moment, at the shock of finding herself in a familiar room. She was in Ponyville, of course, where she had lived her whole life, but it took a few terrible seconds to remember that. She hadn’t risen from the dead as a monster. She was just a good pony waking from a nightmare that just wouldn’t stop coming back. She didn’t know if it had a grain of truth in it, or if it was the thing that terrified her most. But if she couldn’t stop these strange dreams about a family she’d never had, her friends would notice soon. She needed to do something about that.

Episode 9 - Dreaming of L

Nightmare Moon was going to conquer Equestria, and plunge the whole world into eternal night. It was going to happen, and in ways that seemed to matter the most it had already happened. Fear tightened its grip on Twilight Sparkle’s chest, stifling her breathing as she thought about all the terrible things that could happen now.

The journey through the Everfree forest had contained more hazards than even the most fearful of them could have imagined. Rainbow Dash had broken her legs fighting a water dragon that had appeared from nowhere, sacrificing herself to ensure Twilight and her other friends could make it to the Sisters’ Castle. Octavia had performed admirably against the manticore, but miles later through the thick undergrowth her injuries had proved more than she could handle.

The six of them were supposed to be the epitome of friendship, and yet they’d had to leave somepony behind. It couldn’t be helped; recovering the Elements of Harmony was the main thing. But that didn’t make Twilight feel any better about leaving a friend behind, especially when they didn’t know if the Elements would respond, if all six of them weren’t there. She looked at the ponies beside her, wondering if they were feeling the same anxiety. Applejack just nodded, a sign of confidence, and the other two simply remained silent. Four survivors out of six who had set out on this journey. The odds didn’t look good.

More than once, Twilight had found herself wondering if she’d chosen the wrong friends; if a loyal companion less daring than Rainbow Dash might have survived a bit longer, or if Fluttershy’s kindness made her a liability in ways that her famous Stare didn’t quite make up for. And then she got to doubting all of them, not just the pegasus who’d let a manticore close enough to eat her friend. Doubting herself, even. Maybe she was the wrong one, and all the others were right. Maybe this quest would have gone perfectly if they’d had a leader who knew them all better, knew their talents well enough to ensure that each pony was assigned to the task that best suited their element.

That was the most terrible thought: Twilight was the only one who had read the old books, who had thought to get the Driver from Princess Celestia, and had waited for Nightmare Moon to arrive. She’d looked over list after list of the inhabitants of Ponyville, and selected the five friends who best suited the known Elements of Harmony. Okay, maybe Rainbow hadn’t been the best Element of Wind, or Octavia the most suited to bear the Element of Sound. But the others, she’d been entirely certain about. What if it was Twilight herself who was wrong, and if she’d gone out and found a suitable champion to take on the sixth element the world could have been saved.

She couldn’t go down that particular avenue of thought again, though. She’d be starting to leave a metaphorical rut in the thought every time she walked the same route. And now they had reached the Castle, Rainbow Dash falling behind in the last mile. There were no Elements in sight, only six stone pillars engraved with unfamiliar runes, and Nightmare Moon herself waiting for them at the end of the hall.

“You thought you could defeat me?” the evil horse crowed, growing to the size of a house as she spoke, “You could never master the Elements. They were placed here for safekeeping so many years ago, but they will never be a threat to me now. Do you want to see the scale of my superiority to you?” She threw back her head and laughed, and the power of the sound was such that the six pillars of ancient stone shattered in an instant.

“The Elements are in the rubble!” Twilight yelled, but realised as she said it that there was no way she should have known that. It didn’t matter, because behind her she heard the distinctive sound of the levers on three Gaia Memories being pressed. She scooped her own purple Element off the ground, and got ready to complete the sequence. It wouldn’t be the same, having four Elements instead of six, but she could only hope it would be good enough.

“HONESTY!” That would be Fluttershy, she was sure. Twilight had never known anypony as scared to tell a lie, almost to the extent that she was afraid to speak at all. But when she looked around, she saw that it was the Memory in Applejack’s hoof that was glowing brightly.

“KINDNESS!” and this time Twilight guessed right without having to look. Kindness was surely a good match for Fluttershy, though she had thought the name in the ancient texts would have been better translated as ‘generosity’, which she was sure wasn’t quite the same thing.

“MUFFINS!” Twilight blinked in shock. Not only was that Element not on any of the different lists in her books, it started with an ‘M’. That meant that the sixth Element she had claimed for herself couldn’t be ‘magic’ as she’d been expecting, because the pillars had all had different giant letters on them. She glanced down at the one she was holding tight with her magic, and saw the letter ‘J’.

Twilight looked up again, and saw Nightmare Moon throwing her head back in laughter. She was a monster, a villain, and yet on seeing the heroes gathered with the power that could imprison her for another thousand years, she chose only to laugh.

“What’s funny, Nightmare?” Twilight challenged with as much bravado as she could muster, “Do you think we’re not serious?”

“Those Elements…” the giant dark horse tried to suppress a giggle, “I mean, we used the Muffins Memory a few times after we captured it, and I’m sure it made me put on weight. But ‘Honesty’? How can you fight with that?”

“Keep laughing,” Twilight was finding it hard not to laugh herself, “But this is the element that will unite the others, and make them stronger than you can possibly imagine. Celestia alone defeated you last time, and there’s four of us now. You’re going to find out that the power of harmony is no joke!” She squeezed the Memory, and threw it high into the air ready to catch it in her Driver.

“JOKE!” the synthesised voice called out, and Nightmare Moon only laughed louder.

“I’ll beat you!” Twilight realised she was yelling, but she couldn’t stop. Somehow fear of humiliation was driving her now, seeming even more terrifying than the prospect of an eternal night and the end of all civilisation. “Get a load of this! A horse, a mule, and a zebra walk into a bar. The barman says ‘Why the long faces?’”

“You don’t need…” Nightmare Moon gasped, “…don’t need to tell jokes. You are one. Can’t … stop … laughing!”

“Oh yeah? Why did the donkey walk through doors sideways?” Twilight tried to think of a serious way to win this fight, but now she’d put the Driver on it felt like there was a bottomless well of bad jokes in her mind, and she had to relieve the pressure somehow.

“No… This is humiliating for both of us. This kind of challenge is beneath my dignity even to acknowledge. I will fight you when you are worthy of my attention!” and Nightmare Moon vanished.

“She always did stand on pride a little too much,” Princess Celestia muttered, in between squawks of laughter that made her sound more like a crowing cock than a braying pony, “But with these new Elements? And why did you have to bring her along? You really are the most disappointing student I ever had, Twilight Sparkle, and then some. Tonight you have been stupider than I could possibly have imagined.”

Twilight Sparkle awoke with a scream. That was enough to bring Spike running, asking what could be wrong and trying to make himself useful. Of course, there was nothing he could do, and explaining that she’d just had a nightmare was embarrassing in itself. But the young dragon’s constant fussing was enough of a recognisable annoyance to reassure her that this was the real world, and to drive away the last fragments of the dream.

“What could you even have a nightmare about, anyway?” he asked as he came in again, this time bearing a tray with breakfast, “I mean, you’ve fought Nightmare Moon. You’ve tamed an Ursa Minor. You’ve defeated so many dopants I lost count, and they all have terrifying powers. Is there anything left to be scared of?”

“Yeah,” Twilight looked down at her plate, a moment of sadness again, “I think you wouldn’t understand, though.” She couldn’t say that the nightmare still disturbed her because it felt surprisingly close to the truth. When they’d defeated Nightmare Moon, they hadn’t even had the Driver, and hadn’t known how to use the Elements. The story she’d told Celestia was that Nightmare Moon had fled on seeing that the Elements of Harmony were active again, but now she looked back on it, that might not be true. Maybe the queen of darkness had just found the whole situation comical, and not wanted to tarnish her dignity by fighting them.

The villain had left, and allowed Celestia to rule again, because she was ashamed to be in the presence of such incompetent Champions of Harmony. It couldn’t really be true, could it? It could. If she hadn’t fled, they might have done something as stupid as trying to use the Elements without a Driver. She couldn’t imagine what it would be like to be a Joker Dopant; didn’t even know if it was possible with the Elements purified and harmonised, but before Nightmare Moon had left, she had to admit to herself that they’d been within minutes of finding out.

“Hey, cheer up!” she looked up to see Spike making the silliest face he could imagine, which at least gave her a reason to smile. “Rarity’s helping you improve the collars today. You should be getting all excited about that! New accessories, right?”

“New spells!” Twilight grinned, and wolfed down the rest of her toast, planning to at least be ready by the time Rarity arrived.

In a different part of Ponyville, Regal Destiny’s mother was also having trouble with bad dreams. She’d rushed into her daughter’s room in response to a scream. But she didn’t know what Regal had been dreaming about, or even what was wrong. Her little princess was lying on her bed, sheets soaked with sweat and mane bedraggled from tossing and turning in her sleep. But her eyes were closed and her breathing deep, it looked almost like she was sleeping normally.

“Are you okay, dear?” Destined Fame had asked, and then withdrawn quietly on seeing her daughter’s faint smile. Now it was morning, hours later, and she’d almost forgotten about the nightmare. Until she saw the state of the bed, sheets tangled and half on the floor from nocturnal thrashing.

“Are you okay, Princess?” this time she spoke normally, not whispering, “Maybe you didn’t sleep well, but it’s time for school.” Her daughter didn’t answer, and she backed away. She explained the situation to her husband, who agreed that if she’d woken in the night, Regal could be afforded half an hour of extra sleep in the morning. It wasn’t until they were both ready to set off for work – Destined Fate having packed her daughter’s books ready for school – that they realised something was really wrong.

“Time to wake up, Regal,” Manifest Destiny rumbled. His low voice was a quirk of his giant physique, and he knew his family wouldn’t be scared by it. But using his daughter’s given name rather than calling her ‘Princess’ was always a sign that she’d done something to make her father concerned. She didn’t stir, and his horn glowed for a moment as he reached out to shake her awake.

No reaction.

It was nearly two hours before the couple appeared at the Golden Oak Library, and Manifest Destiny gave three sharp raps on the door before entering.

“Hello?” Spike jumped up from the desk, the sound giving him just enough time to open his eyes and get his bearings before the customers entered, “Can I help you? Twilight Sparkle is conducting important research now, but if you’re looking for a particular book maybe I can… umm…” he slowly stopped, both because he’d realised that these two didn’t look like they were in search of reading material, and because he’d completely forgotten the lines Twilight had tried to teach him. They were written down on the back of the ‘Chief Receptionist’ sign, but somehow that had ended up on the floor at some point while he was resting his eyelids.

“You’ve got to do something about our daughter!” The unicorn snapped angrily, while beside him a pegasus mare barely as tall as his shoulder nodded meekly.

“I’m sorry?” Spike wasn’t sure what else to say.

“You can wake her up, right?” Unfortunately, when he was worried Manifest Destiny wasn’t the best at conveying an idea clearly. Spike just stared, not knowing where to start, until the pegasus raised her eyes from the floor and mumbled.

“Our daughter, Regal Destiny. We took her to the hospital because she wouldn’t wake up. She had a nightmare last night, and I thought if it’d kept her awake she might be tired now. We thought it might be that disease that’s going round, a mild fever or somesuch. Everypony seems to be complaining of not sleeping soundly the last few weeks. But she wouldn’t wake at all, and we were so worried, we called for a doctor. There’s six of them in the hospital now, school fillies and young mares. They had nightmares and woke screaming in the night, their parents say, and none of them will wake at all.”

“That sounds bad,” Spike couldn’t think of anything else to say, “I can tell Twilight, if there’s anything about it in the books she’ll find it, but I think the doctors probably know all there is to know about every kind of fever. I mean–”

“No,” Manifest Destiny glared at Spike, urging him to silence in a moment. Then the giant unicorn turned to look at his wife again, and gave her a gentle nudge, urging her to explain.

“The doctors say there’s nothing they can do, the kids are just asleep. They’re not sick, no disease, no poison. But they don’t wake no matter how much anyone shakes them. One of the mothers has been distraught waiting there, her daughter’s been asleep for three days. And there’s no disease that does that, the doctors have their own books to consult. But we wondered if it might be another of these monsters that’s been threatening the town, stealing the energy of beautiful young fillies for some nefarious purpose. And, well…”

“My cousin Reef said if you see a monster, you go to the library. So here we are.”

“I’ll go get them.”

There were raised voices coming from the basement when Spike opened the door. As far as he could gather in the first few seconds, the subject of debate was whether to do what it said in a book even though they weren’t dealing with the same kind of magic, or to follow somepony’s instincts. There were, however, secondary concerns such as whether it was ever acceptable to put the piece you were working with on top of a book to keep it level.

“Hey!” Spike called down the stairs. Twilight glanced at him briefly, then decided that making her point was more important, so he tried raising his voice a little more, “Hey! We got a monster!” There was nothing more important to those two than ensuring the safety of Ponyville’s citizens, so the debate died down pretty quickly.

Half an hour later, thanks to the magical communication properties of the Elements of Harmony, all six champions were gathered at the hospital. Destined Fame had come along too, and Spike brought up the rear of the group. One nurse was quite happy to show them to the ward, and indicated a pegasus doctor who she said was in charge of the mysterious sleeping case. He was slightly built, wearing a white coat that almost completely covered his body, and had a golden mane tied tightly back.

“Hello, Doctor?” Twilight addressed him as he walked between the beds of two sleeping patients.

“Greetings,” he turned and smiled broadly, “So you would be the Champions of Harmony I hear so much about? I am Lucky Island, you don’t need to be so formal. However, I think there is little you can do to help these poor fillies. I am an expert on sleep in all its forms, and well versed in the treatment of magical mishaps. While this case is very different from any ‘hundred years’ curse I have encountered, I have no doubt that I will be awakening these particular patients soon.”

“I never heard of an epidemic of nightmares,” Twilight didn’t want to let the mystery go, just in case it did turn out to be a dopant behind it, “I think maybe we’d better investigate. First off, we need to speak to anypony who’s had lots of nightmares lately but woken up again. If they all started around the same time, or if they have something in common, that might give us a lead.” She thought of the dream that had woken her this morning, but she knew that a nightmare that didn’t let the victim wake must be in a whole different league.

“How do you know if it’s a weird dream, or just a regular bad dream?” Fluttershy murmured, “I mean, a lot of ponies won’t come forward because they’ll think it was just a natural thing, maybe they won’t want to admit it unless they know it was really a monster.”

“Did your bad dreams stop yet?” Applejack asked, as blunt as ever.

“Well, I’m not so sure that –”

“Wait, Fluttershy’s been having nightmares too?” Spike interrupted, “Twilight had a big one last night, I thought she was going to wake up half the town with screaming!”

“Spike!” Twilight hissed angrily, but he couldn’t take back the words he’d already said.

“Wow, me too!” Pinkie Pie bounced excitably, “I thought it was just one of those things that happens, but if you’re all having the same then maybe it’s something we need to do something about!”

“All of us?” Twilight asked tentatively, and looked around her friends for any sign of disagreement. They all stood in silence or just nodded slightly. “You mean we’ve all been having nightmares, and not one of you thought to check if they were magical in nature?” She hoped nopony would mention that she hadn’t raised an alarm herself.

“For so many who know each other,” Lucky Island spoke thoughtfully, “I suppose it’s possible there could be some unknown environmental cause for a sleep disorder. But I would still be reluctant to blame a dopant for what is more likely to be a disease, or even a natural fluctuation in the fabric of dream space.”

“What would you suggest in that case, Doctor?” Twilight asked. She wasn’t expecting much help from his answer, and she certainly wasn’t expecting the answer he gave.

“I have an experimental machine designed to monitor the fluctuations in spiritual energy during a normal sleep cycle,” he proudly brandished a bridle bristling with wires, “If it works correctly then I could enter your dreams when you next sleep, and say for each of you whether or not your dream is normal.”

“That could be useful,” Twilight hazarded, not quite sure how she was supposed to feel about such a strange idea, “But how do you know what’s normal for us? Aren’t dreams a highly individual phenomenon?”

“Why don’t we go in each other’s dreams?” Pinkie perked up, “We all know each other well, know the ways we think, so we could spot anything that’s out of order. And with six of us together, those nightmares don’t stand a chance!”

Of course, Lucky Island had to disagree with that. He said that they weren’t experts in his field. He said that it could be dangerous. He said that they didn’t even know how to operate the dream immersion engine properly, though as he said that last one he couldn’t help noticing that Twilight Sparkle was already two thirds of the way through the manual.

“We’re the Champions of Harmony,” Twilight told him, “Even if there’s just a chance of a dopant being involved, we have to investigate. And we’ve all been having nightmares lately, so you’d likely collect some useful data in any case.” When she put it like that, there was no reason for him to disagree.

Not the next night, because the device needed some upgrading before it could be used on multiple subjects. But the night after that, Lucky Island led them to a quiet room near the back of hospital, where four beds were arranged around a pedestal with a massive number of complex-looking technological protrusions. It was more complex than even Twilight had expected, but the purpose of four bridles on the end of long cables was obvious.

“You wear these, which can sense the activity in your brain, and when you’re all deeply enough asleep I can activate the device.”

“Only four?” Pinkie Pie came closer and picked one up, looking curiously at the complex arrangement of wire spirals and cups that it would hold against the wearer’s head. “There’s six of us, you know?”

“Yes,” Lucky smiled briefly, “But there is a limit to the resources I have access to, and even numbers seem to somehow be key to the linkage between minds. I’m not entirely sure about the explanation, but I think that if you and… umm…” he looked down at his notes for a moment, “Rainbow Dash – as you haven’t suffered nightmares of the same intensity as the others – would be willing to sit out for the first night’s experiment, I think four Champions should be enough to defeat any dream monsters you find, shouldn’t it?”

“I guess,” Rainbow Dash looked doubtful, but the others knew her well enough to wonder if she wasn’t just grumpy about being left out. As much as she wanted to protect the weak and to help everypony, a lot of her motivation came from wanting to show off.

“Don’t worry, Dash,” Applejack reassured her, “If we find there’s a monster causing all these nightmares, we might have to get a message to you and Pinkie, then you two can take it out.”

“I’m not so sure about this,” Twilight spoke slowly, hoping that by the time she reached the end of the sentence she’d have time to fully think out all the options, “Now maybe Rainbow Dash might have a bad dream because she’s worried with the Young Flyers Contest coming up, but to me the mysterious stranger in Pinkie’s library sounds like the strongest candidate for being a dopant’s influence. But we don’t know yet if we’ll actually have to fight this thing inside a dream –”

“If there is even a dopant, and not just some medical conundrum I could better solve,” the Doctor cut in.

“– and if we do,” Twilight continued where she’d left off as soon as he finished speaking, “somepony who’s never been under his influence might have an advantage for that battle. So Rainbow Dash should be dreaming. Not to mention, if we’re going to be dealing with each other’s nightmares, I think Dash would be best at fighting dream monsters, and Fluttershy at talking us through dreams of unrealistic humiliation. And of course, Pinkie’s naturally a lucid dreamer. She can control what happens in her dreams, and imagine whatever she needs. Even if she can’t make the nightmare disappear, she could dream up weapons to fight it with, which makes her a real heavy hitter this time, and I’ve previously managed to enter her dreams using the Driver to connect our minds, which we don’t know will work with anypony else. Gives us an extra pony in the dream world if we need to. And of course,” with a glance across at Lucky Island, “there aren’t many ponies who can dream like that, so even if we don’t find anything I think this device might record some data that will be useful for your research.”

“Thank you,” he nodded and even gave a faint smile, but it was clear he was still a little irritated that they hadn’t just gone with the plan he suggested.

“So we need me, Fluttershy, and Dash on the dream team,” Pinkie Pie grinned at the choice of words, just in case anypony else had missed it, “Who else?”

“I’ll stay awake,” Rarity answered, “If Fluttershy and Pinkie are both asleep and we need to fight a dopant in the real world, then I’ll have to be here.” Applejack and Twilight looked at each other for a moment, both weighing up the pros and cons.

“Rarity and I have been working on an improvement to the collars,” Twilight spoke first, “So if it’s the two of us awake, we can make some more progress on that. You got any urgent work that needs doing, AJ?”

“No, the harvest’s all brought in. We’re going to do this tonight anyhow, ain’t we? I don’t work at night most times.”

“I guess so. Rarity and I will probably be too exhausted to work tomorrow, because we’ll be staying awake to watch the readouts with Lucky Island, and fight a dopant if one appears. But you four should hopefully sleep as well as ever. That’s settled then!”

Without any further debate, except a little argument about who got the bed closest to the door, the four members of the ‘dream team’ settled down and did their best to get to sleep.

Lucky Island led Twilight and Rarity into the adjoining room, which was jam packed with scientific apparatus. There were dials and levers, coils of wire, all kinds of crystals (many of them magical), and protrusions that the two unicorns didn’t even know the name of. The doctor’s eyes went wide as he took a first look at some of the readouts.

“She’s asleep already?” he pointed a hoof at a dancing needle on one of four identical panels.

“That’ll be Pinkie,” Twilight shrugged off the question, “She’s asleep as soon as she closes her eyes, don’t worry about it.”

“Well, I’ll keep an eye on the readings, so we should know right away if they’re becoming distressed. But it’ll probably be a while before we see anything meaningful. You don’t normally dream in the first half hour of sleep, and I expect that most of our subjects will take a while to nod off in such unfamiliar surroundings. I hope you’ve got something to keep you occupied; myself and my colleagues sometimes call this hour the waiting hell, and more than once we’ve needed to repeat part of a study because the observer got bored sitting here.”

“Well, I was thinking we might discuss some of the ideas we’ve had for improving these collars. But I see you’ve got a well-stocked toolbox here, would you mind terribly if I brought a few things over, so we could test out a few ideas?”

“That’s fine, the action won’t start soon in any case. From what I’ve seen, we might even have to try this over three or four nights before we find a nightmare at all, so it’s in your best interests to have something you can work on.”

“Thanks,” Twilight and Rarity spoke together, and hurried out. They exchanged a few words and went their separate ways, both promising to be back within a half hour with the materials they thought might be useful.

Back in his cluttered observation room, Lucky Island looked through the window to the sleep lab. The subjects were starting to drift off already. Two of them holding a murmured conversation about some comic book series while they waited for sleep to arrive. The doctor was sure it wouldn’t take long. Once one subject was in a dreaming state, the connection between their minds meant that the others would follow quite quickly. And though the pink pony’s lucid dreaming was producing reading quite unlike anything Lucky Island had seen before, it seemed to be having the desired effect on at least one of her friends.

Lucky Island smiled, and wondered how long it would be until they were ready for a nightmare. He really hoped he wouldn’t be waiting here alone for a whole hour. Still, he could find something to amuse himself in the meantime, and make sure he was ready for whatever came later on tonight. He knew those ponies would be giving it everything they had, so it was only fair he should as well.

And with that thought, a new idea came to mind. He didn’t know if it would help or not, but he could always try it and see. He turned away from the viewing window and rummaged through a box of unsorted electrodes and crystals, coils and sensors, until he found the one he was looking for.

Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, and took just a few moments to realise where she was. For all the time she’d lived in Ponyville, Cloudsdale felt like home again the moment she was back. She didn’t have time to doze off now; the crowd was waiting for her. She had thought she was ready to give the pegasi the show of their lives, but every minute standing in the queue, waiting for her chance to show them her stuff,was making her less and less certain.

She kept turning towards the wall that she could hear the crowd from the far side of. She knew her friends were supposed to be helping her here, but she hadn’t seen them yet. They’d promised; Fluttershy, and Pinkie, and even Applejack. They were the most reliable friends she could imagine, so it was unthinkable that they weren’t here to cheer her on when she really needed them. And yet, they weren’t here. She told herself they were outside somewhere, exhorting the audience to cheer more as soon as Rainbow Dash stepped out, but she couldn’t hear their voices.

The announcer was talking about her now, telling the crowd that she would soon show off with a display of acrobatics and then the fabled Sonic Rainboom. There were some cheers, but a lot of hisses and boos as well. Nobody believed she could do it on her own, even after they’d seen her perform the same stunt with the aid of the Driver so many times.

“And now, our final competitor,” the announcer boomed jovially. Dash blinked and looked towards the huge doors. The crowds had gone, and she was alone in the waiting room now. Was it finally her turn to show everypony what she could do? “If you can even call her a competitor. But everypony loves a good laugh, so let’s give a hearty Cloudsdale cheer for… Rainbow Crash!”

Dash wanted to spit back some spiteful barb even though nobody would hear, but she couldn’t think of anything. Was the announcer’s writing so bad that he couldn’t even read her name from the list, or was that really what everyone thought of her? She couldn’t afford to stay and panic, though. This was her last chance to excel in the Young Flyers’ Competition, next year she’d be too old and she’d not get another chance to impress the Wonderbolts. She saw the heavy double doors start to open, and rushed out to greet her public.

She wasn’t expecting one door to suddenly swing back closed just as she reached it, bruising her left wing. She wasn’t expecting gales of laughter from the crowd as she stumbled, and she certainly wasn’t expecting the doors to open so close to the edge of the stadium, a single misstep sending her plummeting towards the Equestrian fields below.

The first bank of clouds ahead of her burst apart as she hit them, barely doing anything to check her speed. She didn’t know how far she had to fall, another row of too-soft cloud blocking her view, but she knew it was coming up way too fast. She was an expert flyer, she would normally have turned easily in the air. But the feathersoft impacts of a dozen clouds were enough to keep her off balance, and the wind whistling past spun her end over end as she fell. Rainbow Dash liked to think she was pretty tough, but she knew that the ground would be nothing like as soft as those clouds. For a moment, she even started to wonder if the Young Flyers’ Competition handed out a ribbon for the biggest crater. She could imagine them pinning it onto her tombstone, or even erecting a monument to her folly at the site of the crash. There was no way any pegasus could stop tumbling and right herself at this kind of speed.

“Don’t be so hard on yourself!” Pinkie Pie grinned. Rainbow Dash glanced to one side and saw her favourite earth pony friend lounging comfortably on a small stratocumulus cloud that was somehow keeping up with the breakneck speed of her fall.

“Pinkie! Help!” They were probably the last words Rainbow Dash had ever expected to hear herself say; she was the fastest and most talented pegasus, there was no way she would need assistance from her friends.

“You don’t need help,” Pinkie shrugged and stepped off her cloud, unfolding brilliant butterfly-like wings to soar effortlessly alongside Rainbow, “You can sort this out. Thinking too much about this competition has got you all worried, and because you never talk things over with your friends, those worries have turned into nightmares.”

“Don’t analyse me!” Rainbow Dash gasped, “Help me! I’m not having nightmares, I was as fresh as a daisy this morning, I don’t need to worry about any competition. I didn’t have a problem at all until some jerk hit me with a door, and now my wing’s bruised and I can’t turn sharp enough to avoid the ground.”

“Don’t you think the ground’s been an awfully long time coming?” Pinkie asked as they burst through yet another layer of cloud. Dash paused and looked around for a moment, taking in the speed with which they were tearing through the fluffy white layers. Up above, it was like a corridor of neatly lined-up holes. The stadium’s crowds were impossibly distant now, but she could still hear them booing and laughing as if she was right in front of them. “We’ve been falling for like two minutes here, and the ground’s not even close. That’s because you’re dreaming, this is a nightmare.”

“Oh… that kind of makes sense,” Rainbow Dash admitted. And as she said it, they burst through one final layer of cloud and saw the actual ground rising up ahead of them. “So what do I do? If this is a dream I’m not really hurt, I should be able to just pull out of this dive and wow them, but there’s no time!”

“It’s a dream,” Pinkie shrugged, and dived ahead, “You can do whatever you want!” And as she hit it, the ground burst just like the many layers of clouds. They plunged down through the surface, a vortex spinning ahead of the two ponies, shovelling aside the dirt like it was as light and easily workable as evening mist.

Rainbow Dash got the speed of her fall under control as they circled around still underground. She knew it had to be a dream now, this couldn’t possibly be for real, but she still needed to prove to all the imaginary ponies who had doubted her that she really did have what it took to win the competition.

“There’s a reason I’m dreaming, isn’t there?” She asked, trying to find the memory of what was going on here. She didn’t quite remember, but as soon as she’d started thinking about it she knew there was something here to be remembered. “I knew there was something odd about it. The ponies in my dreams don’t usually tell me that it’s a dream. Do I need to wake up, are you shaking me in the real world or something? Oh hay, I’m late for the real contest aren’t I?”

“No, no! Don’t panic. We’re supposed to be fighting a dopant that can invade other ponies’ dreams, there’s four of us ready to fight it. We thought that if we all get into the same dream then we’ll be able to defeat the nightmares. So don’t wake up yet, just envision a way to travel to Fluttershy’s dreams.”

“Oh, right. So I’ve been having nightmares because of a monster! That makes more sense, then, I thought I should be too confident to be bothered by things like that. Let’s go kick this thing’s tail!” And with that the two of them burst out of the ground, right in the centre of the arena that Rainbow Dash had fallen from a few minutes before. As she soared out of the ground huge chunks of dirt and rock fell down towards the crowd, and everypony who had ever doubted Dash’s flying proficiency changed from jeering to screaming in an instant.

She wasn’t going to let them be hurt, though, even if they were part of a nightmare. They looked too much like ponies she knew, and some she would have liked to be on better terms with. Rainbow Dash soared out of the ground as quickly as she’d ever flown before, and then swooped down so suddenly that even the air itself wasn’t fast enough to clear a path for her. Pockets of solid wind were trapped in her wake with the reversal, and released their intrinsic magical energy as the sudden turn jostled them. Rainbow Dash told herself she didn’t really understand the physics behind her flying, but that was just because she didn’t want to think of herself as an egghead. In a dream she understood it perfectly, she could see the hyperfine oscillations colliding, and surely that must mean the knowledge was in her mind somewhere. There wasn’t time for introspection now, though. She pushed herself even harder and faster, and then made a perfect landing exactly as she hit the speed of sound, and more importantly the speed of magic. Rings of rainbow light spread out all around her with a thunderous boom, knocking the heavy rocks out of the air and reducing them to dust. Nopony doubted her now, there wasn’t a single second thought in the audience as the Master of Ceremonies stepped forward to offer her a crown.

“Sorry Spitfire,” Dash threw a dramatically casual salute that made her look like the coolest pony ever, “We’ve got bigger business today.” She leapt into the air and soared upwards, and out of all the stallions racing forward to try and impress her, there was nopony not left behind in the distance. Only Pinkie Pie could possibly keep up with her at this speed.

“So how do we do this?” Dash asked as soon as they were out of earshot of all the potential suitors, “Are they the monster, or just something it created? We don’t have to fight them, do we? That just seems wrong.”

“I don’t think so. I can’t sense a dopant here, I think this might just be a normal bad dream. Or a good one now, I guess. Did you really have to make all your fans fall in love with you?”

“I’m still getting used to being able to change my dreams,” Dash shrugged without sacrificing any speed, “I just thought that if they all liked me instead of hating me, that turns the dream on its head, and it might bring the monster out of hiding. I didn’t expect it to be so effective, but it is kind of nice. I wish guys would admit they like me, instead of hiding it all the time, you know?”

“Anyway,” Pinkie smiled diplomatically, “I don’t think the dopant’s here, so we should check on the others. What would a portal to another dream look like in your mind? Where would you find it?”

“I don’t know. Like going to another world, maybe?” Rainbow Dash thought for a second and then put all her strength into flying even faster. She didn’t know where the idea had come from, but she just knew it made sense here: “Follow me!”

Lucky Island carefully manipulated the fusion of technological and magical components that composed the sleep energy transmuter. When he was younger, he’d wished that he could have been born a unicorn; manipulating such delicate components looked so much easier using magic. It certainly had been in his dreams, and maybe that was one of the foundations underpinning his lifelong fascination with the dream world. But he had learned to handle small pieces as delicately as he needed to through a lifetime of skill and effort, and he liked to think that all his diligent practice had made him a better stallion along the way.

Now there wasn’t too much to do. Among the tangle of copper and gold, pieces of glass and magicite, was a single crystal tuned to the natural resonant frequency of the primary host mind’s dreamscape. It didn’t power the whole device, it wasn’t the core. The system would work without it, even, but this one piece of technology made the construction of the rest of the device somewhat easier. It was somewhat galling to Lucky Island that he’d had to buy this one part from an expert in mental magic, while most of the room was filled with his own creations. But he knew that every genius could only travel so far by standing on the shoulders of giants. As long as it worked, he would be happy to have one device he didn’t fully understand sitting somewhere near the heart of his invention.

Or in this case, being gingerly removed from near the heart of the machine. It was connected by a dozen wires of finely drawn gold, connecting it to all the other components, but to test his theory he would need the crystal within reach. He held it up and applied firm pressure to the contacts, gritting his teeth as he realised that there would inevitably be pain involved in the experiment he wished to carry out.

Rainbow Dash flew at a speed she knew she would only ever be able to achieve in her dreams. The thrill of wind rushing through her mane was exhilarating, and she knew that despite the impossibility she would give it her all to feel this for real. In just minutes they had left Equestria entirely, and arrived in a completely different world. A strange world, and one that seemed quite alien to her.

It was a library.

She’d known it was going to be a library, because Pinkie had said her nightmare always appeared in one. But if she hadn’t known, she wasn’t sure what she would have thought it was. There were no walls, and there was no floor. There were no desks and no shelves. The only things in sight were books, that rushed in as if their invisible shelves were on the back of a train to fill the space on every side of Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie as soon as they had arrived. Rainbow Dash thought the whole place was weird, but Pinkie seemed entirely at home with this, walking between the moving shelves as if this were perfectly normal to her. Though based on some of Pinkie’s previous antics, there were a vast number of things that could seem comparatively normal.

The ground wasn’t wood or stone, it wasn’t anything. It wasn’t even black or white, it was the complete absence of colour. In every direction there were row upon row of books, but between the books there was a complete lack of anything to see, a void that seemed to suck at Dash’s eyeballs as if begging for something to fill it.

“What is this?” she asked in the end, “This is the kind of place you have in your dreams?”

“Of course. The books are hard enough to imagine, there’s so many of them. I wouldn’t waste time imagining anything else in here.”

“So you can really decide everything in your dream? It’s exactly how you want it?”

“Pretty much. Twilight helped me make some of the things in here, like the Index. Now I can do a lookup and find a book on whoever is the current dopant. It’s amazing how easy it is, I would never have thought of putting all the little facts I know about ponies together like that.”

“So you’re here when you do that ‘lookup’ thing? I’d kind of like to see that.”

“Maybe later, once we know what we’re looking for,” Pinkie offered, “I mean, if we know somepony’s causing this, we might need to find out where they’re doing it from. But we need to find some clues first, so we got something to look up.”

“But if you control everything here, how is there a nightmare? i mean, you could make mine turn good easy enough, couldn’t you do that your… self…?” Rainbow Dash trailed off as she saw something else that wasn’t a book. A pony, dressed in black, walking a distant aisle between the rows of books. Slow and patient, not even looking towards them, but somehow the silhouette still managed to seem hostile. And angry, so very angry.

“I think we…” Dash stuttered, but she couldn’t even shape words without making a tremendous effort, “We need to…”

“I think she’s an imaginary friend from when I was a filly,” Pinkie whispered, “Angry that I’ve forgotten her. I can’t banish her because she’s a part of me, or something. There’s no way I can get rid of her.”

“But we can…” Dash tried again to suggest a plan, but sheer terror meant she couldn’t even think clearly.

“We need to leave. While we still can,” Pinkie whispered, and then changed to a more commanding voice that seemed quite out of character to say: “Look up: Applejack.” She reached out with one hoof and a book flew into it. She opened it, and Dash could see that the pages were all blank, but this wasn’t the time for any more questions.

The mysterious night-dark mare turned to look towards them through the shifting rows of books. After just a second her anger seemed to double, and she charged closer. Books moved in their courses, and a whole section turned aside as if the unseen shelf was on hinges to let her past. She was coming right towards them.

“Uhh… Pinkie?”

“Still awake. She needs to improve her diet, she doesn’t get nearly enough healthy cookies. Okay, Look up: Fluttershy!” Another book came flying closer. Rainbow Dash noticed that the previous one had gone, though she hadn’t seen Pinkie put it down. The silhouetted figure was even closer now, charging between the books. Close enough to see that beneath black and midnight purple silk veils she had a coat almost the same shade. Her eyes were filled with an incomprehensible rage, and now she was close enough for perspective to have any meaning they could see that she had the giant form of a horse, or a dopant. But before the dark horse could close the last few feet between them, the books whirled away and they were flying again, towards an entirely different dream.

“So, what?” Rainbow Dash asked once she was calm enough to speak, “If that’s the kind of dream these kids have been having, I can maybe understand them being too terrified to wake up. I mean, I’ve had bad dreams before but that was something else. Has she been in your dreams all week?”

“As long as I can remember,” Pinkie shrugged, “If I spend too long in the library, she gets slowly closer. But this week she seems angry, and I don’t know why. She won’t talk to me, I don’t think she can even understand me until I realise who she is.”

“I hope the others aren't so scary. If that’s what a dopant nightmare is like, we’ve got no chance.”

Pinkie would have tried to offer reassurance, but then they arrived in what Fluttershy saw as a nightmare.

The grass was green underhoof, the sky was blue overhead. It looked like the outskirts of Ponyville, but there was something subtly wrong with the whole scene. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie looked around for a moment, but couldn’t quite see what was wrong. It was an insidious feeling of terror that crept over them, that there was something out of place, something watching them from just out of sight.

“I don’t like this,” Dash said it out loud, though it didn’t really need saying, “We need to find Flutters and see if she knows where the monster is.”

“Let’s ask the bunny,” Pinkie said, gesturing towards a lone animal hopping nervously across the green. She didn’t think she recognised the creature, but it was a cute little ball of fuzz so there was a good chance it knew Fluttershy. But as she got closer, the whole world seemed to go into slow motion. The rabbit turned its head in surprise, ears swinging around, and Pinkie did her best to change direction. But the air was thick like treacle, and she could only watch helplessly as each elongated moment brought her closer and closer to the creature.

The rabbit roared, opening its mouth to reveal row upon row of serrated teeth along the edge of an opening large enough to swallow a pony whole. The sheer volume of the sound was enough to pick Pinkie up and throw her through the air, to collide with Rainbow Dash. Both ponies were sent tumbling, and by the time they righted themselves there was no sign of the terrifying bunny.

“Come on!” Fluttershy whispered, and the two turned to see her hiding behind a bush. It seemed like she was trying to be quiet this time, afraid that someone (or something) might hear, “We need to get out of here before the–” she didn’t get to finish the warning, though. There was another bunny right behind her, and she twitched and dived away as soon as she heard a blade of grass snap under its paws. She was too late, and this rabbit revealed a shark-toothed maw even more terrifying than the first. Its roar smashed into the three ponies like a hammer, and left them falling dazed and bruised over the edge of the cliff.

Only Pinkie was alert enough to realise that they hadn’t been anywhere near a cliff a few moments before, and only Rainbow Dash was quick enough to slow their descent by grabbing onto some daisies that were growing from crevices in the vertical rockface. The plants stretched, but eventually their roots held. Pinkie and Fluttershy grabbed onto Rainbow Dash’s wings, which left a single daisy root supporting the weight of three full grown ponies. Still, it seemed strong enough to meet the challenge, and they could take a breath.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked, but didn’t wait for a response before reaching around Rainbow Dash and clinging terrified to the cliff, “We need to move. You upset a bunny, what were you thinking? We’ve got minutes at most before the CuteKaiser gets here, and I don’t want to be hanging around when–”

“Stop,” Rainbow interrupted, doing her best to sound commanding, “There is no CuteKaiser, and bunnies don’t act like that. You’re dreaming, and whatever’s going on in this dream, we’re here to rescue you. We can deal with it.”

“It… might not be that simple,” Pinkie sounded anxious, though there was nothing immediately threatening in the area. Rainbow Dash tried to guess what might be going on as she struggled to haul herself up the cliff.

“What isn’t? It’s only a cliff, and you showed me before that the ground can’t hurt us here.”

“You’re climbing, Rainbow Dash. Why aren’t you flying?”

“Don’t be silly, I…” it seemed like such a strange question to ask, and Dash would have laughed if anypony even asked it. But then she came to reply, and realised she didn’t even know why she hadn’t tried flying to the cliff top. She tried to stretch out her wings, and realised she couldn’t remember how. She knew she had wings, she was as sure of it as she’d ever been, but just in that moment she couldn’t move them or feel them, and she realised she didn’t have the first idea how to fly. “I… can’t fly?”

“Yeah,” Pinkie nodded, “Fluttershy doesn’t have wings, and yours are tiny, like that orange kid you’ve been hanging around with lately. My wings have gone too, and I can’t get them back. I think somehow it’s not possible to fly in this dream. But I can’t find a way to bend that rule, and I’ve never found something like that before. I think it might be the dopant this time.”

“So let’s fight it,” Rainbow Dash wasn’t afraid now, “So we can’t fly? I can think of worse things. Not many, but I can think of them. We can still change other things, we can imagine this cliff smaller I bet, and then we kick this CuteKaiser out of Fluttershy’s mind. It’s a dream anyway, so what’s the worst that could happen?”

“We might not wake up?” Pinkie said, but kept her voice low. She knew they’d have to fight this thing in any case, so there really was no reason to focus on the negative. Now more than ever, it was confidence they needed.

Twilight and Rarity weren’t hurrying. They both returned to the hospital at the same time, and chatted a little as they walked down the white corridors. It was a bit of a deviation from their normal routine, to have time to wait while there was possibly a dopant rampaging somewhere in Ponyville. Normally they felt they were panicking, but this time there was nothing they could do except wait.

When they got back to the lab, their casual chatter stopped immediately. Lucky Island was running back and forth across the observation room, checking instruments.

“Something’s wrong!” He gasped, as if that much wasn’t obvious. Then stopped to feverishly adjust some piece of equipment before explaining, “I think somepony’s having a nightmare. The activity spikes are all over the place for two of them. But your pink friend’s theta and lambda rhythms are completely off the charts, I don’t understand it at all, and that’s stopping me narrowing it down any further. I think one of them’s going to end up in a persistent sleep state if we don’t do something, but I don’t know what to pull because there are readings I just can’t explain on top of everything else. I can’t even go in to see if I can wake them up, because the door’s jammed somehow and I don’t have time to go all the way around to the other corridor, I’ve got to check…” he waved one hoof in the air as if trying to indicate the masses of electronics, pipes, crystals and wires around the room, “… everything!”

“We can go and try waking them,” Twilight was suddenly alert and ready to fight. She hadn’t been expecting anything to happen tonight, especially not so early, but now it had she wasn’t going to admit how tired she was.

“You should,” the doctor nodded quickly, not even looking away from the particular piece of machinery he was working with, “I can’t believe these readings, though. I thought I’d isolated a unique sequence of brainwaves, characteristic of whatever was causing those beautiful young fillies to become trapped in sleep. And your friends are showing the same thing, but one of them was the same almost as soon as she was asleep. Maybe what I’m seeing is just indicative of lucid dreaming, and there isn’t a sequence of waves that implies a dopant’s involvement after all? Or could your friend’s dream walking ability be something similar?”

“Are you saying Pinkie’s the dopant?” Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion.

“No, I mean, I don’t know. Those crystals you’re carrying on your collars look a lot like Gaia Memories, so it could be your powers and theirs have the same kind of analytical signature? I don’t know anything about that field, but it seems a conceivable explanation for the signals being roughly the same.”

“I can’t even believe you said that!” Rarity stomped a hoof angrily. While she was often the first to become irritated with Pinkie’s behaviour, she wouldn’t tolerate an outsider making such slanderous comments about her friend.

“The Elements are Memories,” Twilight managed to keep a slightly more level head, “So it’s possible the magics from them would be hard to distinguish. But we can talk about that later, right now we have to save them.” And without a backward glance, Twilight and Rarity took off down the hospital corridors. To get to the ward where their friends were dreaming without using the connecting door, thy had to go all the way back to the building’s main waiting room and then back along the corridor at the back of the building. It only took them a minute, dodging one nurse as they gallopped past, and then they were in the room. Rarity tried shaking Fluttershy, while Twilight went to get Applejack’s attention. Nothing they could think to try had any kind of effect, though.

“Right!” Twilight produced the Driver. She slung the collar around her neck, and the cloth and leather bands around the accessory held it close against her breast. “Let’s see if she can catch this.”

“JOKER!” The belt sang out, and identical-looking belts appeared around Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity’s necks as Twilight Sparkle slammed her Memory into the slot. Fluttershy was moving fitfully now, as if she was contending with something in her sleep. Pinkie was more energetic, but her movements were more deliberate.

Rarity stepped closer to Fluttershy, and prised the Element of Kindness free from the collar about her neck. With no better ideas, she pushed it into the driver and then watched in surprise as the remaining ponies all seemed to become more comfortable in an instant.

“KINDNESSᏔJOKER!” Fluttertwi blinked, but didn’t hesitate for long enough to get them all killed. It was a close cut thing, and it was obvious the only reason they survived was that the CuteKaiser was already injured. It must have fought somepony else before they got here.

Fluttertwi dashed forward without explanation, raining blows down on the monster faster than anypony could even have followed. The creature was at least knocked back, struggling to raise its defences fast enough every time the flurry of kicks forced it back away. They weren’t hurting it, though.

“What is this thing?” Twilight asked out loud rather than using her telepathic connection with Fluttershy, as she thought the others were just as likely to have a helpful answer.

“Don’t know if it’s a dopant,” Pinkie shrugged, delivering a firm kick to the giant fluffy bunny’s rear as Fluttertwi knocked it in her direction, “Doesn’t feel like one to me. But it’s a nightmare anyway, so I thought we’re best dealing with it while we can. I think it’s just a monster that’s pure violence, a cute creature that’s so evil it can’t be talked or reasoned with. Kind of a scary thing to think of.” And as she spoke, Twilight could feel just how uncomfortable that idea made Fluttershy feel. Her whole life was centred around trying to make other ponies happy, and she believed with all her heart that the creatures of the Everfree were sometimes misunderstood, but never actually bad. The presence of something that would hurt ponies for fun was terrible to her even if it hadn’t been attacking everypony. It attacked her values by its very existence.

“Well, we can beat it. If it’s just a normal dream then no harm done. Let’s show this oversized bunny our Maximum Drive!”

Twilight twitched slightly, curled up on the floor at one side of the lab. She’d fallen asleep the moment Rarity pushed Fluttershy’s memory into the Driver. She looked comfortable enough, but it was clear that her dream included some kind of vigorous activity.

“Is that normal?” Lucky Island asked, seeming a little confused now there were five rather than four mares sleeping in his lab.

“Well, it’s only Twilight and Pinkie who have attempted to dream together before. But I think this is just the– Wait, did you manage to open the door?”

“That’s the thing with dreams,” the Doctor grinned, holding onto a long bundle of wires that trailed out from one of his machines, “You can’t ever be sure that what you see is for real.” He tugged on the piece of technology in his hooves, making sure there was enough slack in the wires, and then reared up on his hind legs. For a second Rarity was torn between asking what he was trying to reach, and working out what he meant by his last sentence. But then she saw the heavy white lab coat fall aside, and all other questions fled to the back of her mind. She looked again at the artifact he was holding, and now she was looking for it there was no mistaking the crystal at the heart of this collection of wires and terminals.

“DREAM!”

“Maximum Drive!” Fluttertwi yelled, hoping that calling a dramatic name for her attack would help their confidence somewhat, “Master Mage Stare!”

Her magic lifted the house-sized monstrous bunny CuteKaiser, flipping it over while still maintaining eye contact with the bizarre creature. The dual pony charged headlong into its flanks. There was a burst of energy, and a moment later the nightmare was gone.

“We did it,” Pinkie gasped, exhausted. They’d all been fighting the monster this time, reassured by the thought that as long as it was defeated, they couldn’t suffer any real injury. Though Fluttertwi had delivered the final blow, a great part of the battle had been the others darting around it, attacking and being knocked back one by one in order to create a situation where the killing blow could actually land without being deflected by that terrible, earth splitting roar.

“What now?” Rainbow Dash picked herself out of a tree without too much effort, “That can’t be the end of it, right?”

“We beat the monster,” Fluttershy mumbled, but Twilight quickly took over their shared mouth to correct her.

“We defeated this ‘CuteKaiser’, but we don’t know if that’s the dopant. I don’t see a broken Memory here, but I guess that beating it in a dream might make the Memory break in the real world.”

“We should check,” Pinkie Pie shrugged, “If those girls have woken up, then this was probably the easiest dopant we’ve ever taken on. Uhh…”

“Is something wrong?” Twilight didn’t even need to ask, she knew her friend well enough now that she could recognise the troubled half-smile that didn’t quite reach Pinkie’s eyes.

“I can’t wake up.”

“You don’t know how much I envy you,” a shadowy figure growled. He was standing in the shade of a tree, and nopony could make out any detail. He wasn’t another of the monsters of this nightmare, though, and his raw hostility made it clear that he wasn’t any part of Fluttershy’s subconscious. “You sleep so easily, and I can’t. Dreams are my life, the thing I care for more than anything else. I asked for a way to examine dreams in more detail, and those miners gave it to me. But they never told me dopants can’t sleep. Did you know that? I never wanted to hurt anypony, I’m no monster. But the only way I can experience a dream is to enter somepony else’s. If you’d deny me that, then you are the monsters. But it doesn’t matter, because there is nothing you can do. You can fight the monsters all you like, it will keep you safe from the nightmares but it won’t get you back to the real world.”

“Why?” Pinkie gasped, “You’re torturing fillies with their greatest fears, why?”

“I told you. It’s the only way I can dream. I never intended them to be nightmares, but that’s all I have. You can fight the nightmares, and make good dreams for me to explore maybe. I’d be endlessly grateful for that. But now I know a dopant has learned to dream, somehow, I know hope isn’t lost. Maybe if I can understand how you do it, then I won’t need to keep others in my grip, and I can live my dream without bringing harm to anypony else.”

“You have to stop!” Fluttershy was the first to react, “Maybe there’s an answer, you need to wait until you find it, or look harder! You can’t go trapping somepony in a nightmare just because you can’t –”

“Wait, you called us dopants?” Twilight interrupted, her confusion building to the point she couldn’t let Fluttershy continue once she realised just how long this speech could be, “There’s a completely different set of rules for the Elements of Harmony. Maybe if you really don’t want to hurt anyone, we could examine the Driver and find some property that might help you. But this is no way to ask for our help.”

“You really have no idea, do you?” the figure sneered, “Well, maybe that just makes it easier for me. It doesn’t matter if you know or not. But I’m not asking. I can examine you and your Driver as much as I want from this vantage point, and if the answer is in there rest assured I will find it. But I think that right now, I can only laugh at you. I will allow you to travel to the other dreams I have captured, at least. You can free those fillies from the grips of the nightmare, and allow them to have good dreams. That’s what a champion should do, right? But rest assured, there is nothing real in any of their worlds, and there is nothing you could find that would possibly assist you with leaving my domain.”

“Maximum Dri–” Fluttertwi was already leaping forward, hoping that striking the dopant while he was still here would break whatever power was keeping them from waking. But it was too late, the figure turned into smoke and vanished before their eyes.

“What do we do now?” Rainbow Dash said what they were all thinking. All their powers would be no use if they couldn’t get to their enemy.

“First,” Twilight forced herself to be practical, “we need to find Applejack. She’s still in a dream somewhere, and if she’s still trapped she might not know what’s going on yet.”

“Right. We can get there through Pinkie’s library,” Dash commented, “We need to be careful, though, the nightmare there seemed a lot tougher than this one.”

“Won’t they all have the same power?” Twilight suggested, “They’re powered by the same dopant, so if we can beat this nightmare we could take all of them. Maybe it just seems tougher than it is? Perspective seems to be a big thing in dreams.”

“And Rarity too,” Fluttershy added, “She’s awake so we need to let her know what’s going on.”

“I think she’ll know more than we do,” Twilight smiled, her confidence returning, “She’s been working on the collars, which are specifically designed to monitor the connection between our souls through the Elements. Every time we move from one dream to another, I’m sure Rarity will be able to tell. She knows us, she knows the Elements of Harmony, and Lucky Island knows dreams. Every time we go to a different dream, we’re giving those two more data points, and after a while maybe they’ll find a way to get messages to us here.”

“Right!” Dash announced, “Let’s get to AJ’s dream. We’ll fight the nightmare, and I know Rarity will find a way to drag us out of bed.”

Rarity opened one eye and looked around her. She wasn’t in her own bed, that was for sure. The ceiling was cracked plaster, and there was a faint smell of mould. There was a small bookcase on the far wall, but the few volumes on it were haphazardly piled and hanging over the edge. She wanted to go and straighten them, and see if the pages that had been gnawed by some vermin could at least be hidden so that the room was presentable. But she quickly realised that there were more important things to deal with. Her whole body was bruised, and even raising her head took a considerable effort.

Rarity didn’t know for sure where she was. Now she thought about it, she didn’t have the faintest idea. Her recent memories were a little shaken up, and it was hard to think about anything but the pain. Answers would come in time, though. For now, the best thing she could do was try to make this place a little tidier, and then look what was outside. She tried to stand, and found her body not responding to her commands at all. She couldn’t stand, let alone sweep away the cobwebs above her. It was then she realised that above the bruising and fatigue, there was something else to keep her from standing.

She pushed again, and felt a sharp pain around her legs. Rope, or thin cord. Tied tightly enough that the slightest movement made it bite into her tender skin. Rarity couldn’t stop herself from yelping as she felt the cords tighten, and settled back to let her magic help. Her horn flickered fitfully, but she was simply too fatigued to concentrate, and her bonds were tied with knots too tight and too complex to be untangled right away.

She didn’t have her collar on. In this predicament, she couldn’t even call for her friends. It must be a dream, she was sure of that now. A disheveled room she couldn’t clean, and nopony she could call on for help, this scenario was the kind of thing that fuelled Rarity’s nightmares. Well, she knew who the dopant was, at least, but all she could do for now was hope that the others found her soon.

Intervention - L? Oh…

Princess Celestia stood on her balcony, looking with a faint smile at the dawn light. For once the colours of the sunrise weren’t entirely her doing, but were filtered through a dust storm on the distant plains. It was beautiful in its own understated way. For all the sunrises she’d orchestrated, she still never knew when the skies would present her with an unexpected masterpiece. And after nearly half a million dawns, she still never performed her duty without a little glow of pride.

On this particular day, she watched the morning light creep from orange gold through glittering bronze before she turned and strode back into her chambers. She had another task to deal with, less regular but also less predictable, and for those reasons almost as vital to the continued contentment of her subjects. Sitting neatly on her desk was a missive from her student and possible successor, Twilight Sparkle. This particular letter was quite hefty, the scroll looking somewhere around thirty pages, so Celestia had put off opening it until she had a full day to devote to extracting fact from speculation.

Of course, she could ensure that the reports were more closely focused on the truth by letting Twilight know what – and who – they were up against. But a lot of the things she had learned about the Gaia Sprint so many years before were precious secrets, knowledge that could do so much harm if it got into the wrong hooves. As much as she wanted to give her student the head start she had so often wished for herself, she could not allow herself to gamble the future of Equestria on the trustworthiness of Twilight Sparkle. Or, much more important, and also less certain, on the ability of the other Champions of Harmony to keep a secret.

Some time soon, Celestia would need to speak to Twilight Sparkle alone, and to tell her the truth. She would only hope that Twilight’s irrational trust in her friends wouldn’t blind her to what needed to be done, if they were to stop the influx of the new G4 memories. In many places trust could be a virtue, but here it would only make the hard choices harder. So for now, Celestia knew she would spare her student. When the Gala came, maybe, she would take Twilight into the Museum again and show her the records that hinted at the identity of their adversary. A scientific mind would surely not reject hard evidence in favour of her feelings.

But waiting meant that Celestia must read each of these reports as they arrived, and find a way to dole out any information that would be of use to the six without revealing secrets that she couldn’t afford to share. And from the size of the scroll, she’d seen when it first arrived, this one was probably the biggest yet. But now…

Celestia stared at the package on her table, and blinked slowly. The scroll from Ponyville looked as thick as ever, but the box beside it she had not been expecting. She paced slowly closer, looking at it from every angle. The box itself was red wood, highly polished and assembled by a skilled craftsman. The ribbon around it was rich blue, and the wax seal on the top was Twilight’s, just the same as the letter. She would have assumed the two had arrived together, if the box had been there just a few moments before dawn.

She reached out with her magic, and broke the seal. It was intact, and the wax clung to the top of the box. If this parcel was not from Twilight Sparkle, it was at least from somepony who had access to her stationery drawer. That was not necessarily a good sign. Still, nothing would be gained by leaving this box closed. She opened the lid, which swung out on miniscule brass hinges, and withdrew what lay within. She looked at the crystal for several moments, running through every possible thing she could say.

Her first thought was that Twilight had sent her the fractured Gaia Memory of this week’s dopant, for her own study. But it took only a second to realise that this one was not broken. Her second glance was enough to recognise what her magic was holding. She had seen it, and used its powers, for years. Even if she had never held it herself, there was no way she could mistake the Lunar Memory. But there were still many things that could mean.

“Sister?” She whispered, gambling on the most outlandish scenario.

“Yes. Thy seal broke with the awakening of the Eternal Dopant, if thou rememberst.”

“And you come seeking revenge for your exile?”

“We have surrendered our Elements, and wish to serve our subjects again. You hold the Lunar Element now, as we – I – can no longer trust our judgment.”

“You trust mine?” Celestia smiled at her sister for the first time in a thousand years.

“No. You sabotaged the Driver, you gave those six an incomplete, unstable power. You ensured they could not –”

“It was necessary, you must have realised the –”

“But yes, dearest sister,” Luna cut her off, “In the matter of my Element and my mind, I must trust you. Can you trust me?”

“Of course not. But I will try to blind myself, as Twilight Sparkle does so readily, and hope that my faith will be rewarded.”

Author's Note

Yay, another thumbs up. Every single one makes me smile.

If there's anything in particular you like, or any episodes (from either show) you'd rather not miss out, then please let me know.

Episode 11 - W Hijinks

It was a bright winter day in Ponyville, the kind of day when everypony could expect a day off work so they could throw snowballs, skate on the frozen river, build snowponies, or just enjoy the chill in the air and look forward to a mug of hot cocoa afterwards. But two unicorns weren’t enjoying the fresh air and games. Rarity and Twilight Sparkle were once again hunched over a bench in the basement of the Golden Oak Library, trying to solve a seemingly intractable problem. A week or so earlier, they might have expected that they would still be working on the enhanced communication collars that Twilight had envisioned. But now they had a much more important innovation in mind.

“It must be possible,” Twilight mumbled, and bit her lip again as she tried to think just how they could make it happen. “I mean, there’s clearly a massive flow of magical energy when a dopant uses its powers, and we already know that there’s a connection between the Elements of Harmony, and between each Element and its bearer. Communication would require some kind of energy emission, so why can’t we detect it?”

A couple of weeks earlier, Rarity had been attacked by a dopant when her friends weren’t there to help her. It was the second time she’d felt threatened and alone now, and she wasn’t willing to suffer that again. So she had asked Twilight if they could build a Gaia Memory Detector, so that they could know exactly who to trust without asking everypony they met to show their flank. It wasn’t going as smoothly as it could have done, though. They knew that they would find a solution eventually, but it was hard to even construct the device while they knew so little about the Gaia Memories and how they worked. The only Memories they had to experiment with now were the Elements of Harmony themselves, and they were subtly different from all the other Memories out in the world.

“You need a break,” Spike commented, from his habitual perch atop the bookshelves, “You’ve just been staring at those crystals for days, and you’re not getting anywhere.”

“We simply must know.” Rarity was firm, “We could have been killed, just because we didn’t know who the dopant was. We’re not going to stop until we have a way to recognise them.”

“You know sometimes, you’ve got to take a step back, and then you see something you missed.”

“He could be right,” Twilight mused, “I see a lot of anecdotal evidence to suggest that a moment of epiphany comes when you’re least expecting it. Possibly a variant on the old superstition that a watched pot never boils, though I don’t think any empirical evidence on that has been gathered.”

“Maybe a little break would do us some good,” Rarity admitted, “Too much time in the basement isn’t good for my skin.” That comment came with a sideways glance at Twilight, who had installed a new system five days earlier that was supposed to precisely control the temperature and humidity in order to make conditions suitable for some rare equipment she was planning to order. Rarity still didn’t quite see the point in that, and was starting to resent the effects of the warm dryness on her delicate complexion, and on her mane.

“Why don’t we go skating on the lake?” Spike leapt in as soon as he saw any suggestion their research might be ending for the day, “I’ve been practising while you two have been stuck down here, and I want to show you how good I’ve got now. I bet you’ll think I’m really cool. And…” he hesitated for a moment, an idea coming to mind of how he could sell the two mares on this plan, but not quite sure if it would be good enough for the much more scientific rigour of Twilight’s mind. “And you’re trying to work out something with crystals, right? So when you look at all the ice and snow in the right way, maybe it’ll give you an idea! I mean, the whole field is white now, crystals all around you!”

“You know, snow isn’t actually white?” Twilight quickly proved that Spike wasn’t the only one who liked to show off, “It’s just the combination of the refracted light off the individual flakes, a hundred million rainbows mixing together to make white light again. It’s really quite …” and then she stopped speaking, but the enthusiastic gleam stayed in her eyes.

“Got something?” Rarity asked, “I guess that the snow did the trick after all.”

“Why don’t the two of us go out skating,” Spike wasn’t willing to let go of his idea, “Get some fresh air and make sure your mane stays beautiful, while Twilight checks out her epiphany thing. I bet winter will be ending soon, and I don’t want to miss the chance to show you what I’ve been practising.”

“Oh no!” The two unicorns gasped at once.

“What?”

“The Winter Wrap-Up!” Rarity started, “I can’t believe we almost forgot.”

“This took longer than I thought,” Twilight added, “I haven’t even made my schedule, or analysed the pros and cons of each of the teams I might volunteer for.”

“Just because we’re saving Ponyville from monsters doesn’t mean I can shirk my social obligations! What date is it? Are we too late to enter our names on the roster?”

While Twilight Sparkle and Rarity rushed searching through piles of paperwork to find the appropriate deadlines, another pony was looking out over the lake. There were two couples skating in circles now. One was awkward, taking small steps before drifting farther along the smooth surface, while the other whirled in circles with their hooves together, enjoying the effortless grace. The watching pony hunkered lower behind a fallen log. It was a beautiful scene, everypony enjoying the cool air and the freedom that the ice gave them, and it was something she came to watch at every opportunity. Regardless of skill, a frozen lake was something everypony could enjoy. Even a knock-kneed colt falling on his haunches to the sound of giggles was having fun learning, and looking forward to the day he would do better.

There was just one thing wrong with the scene today, one thing souring the otherwise perfect entertainment. But even that could be dealt with. Nopony saw the watching pony raise one hoof holding a crystal with small metal spikes on one end; and the dancing couples were both too lost in each other’s eyes to pay any heed to a mechanical voice announcing its name in the background.

Early the following morning, it was time for the great Winter Wrap-Up to begin. Twilight and Rarity found themselves standing in line in the town square as the mayor gave a long and rambling speech. They should have filled in forms weeks before to let the committee know which team they wanted to be on, but they’d been too carried away with their work and hadn’t noticed that the seasons were ready to change. The rotas and plans had all been drawn up days before, with just a few spaces left for volunteers who had been too lazy or distracted to complete their proper applications.

“Now, Rarity,” a clerk who Twilight could call Pencil Pusher with some degree of certainty looked down the list in front of her, “You’ve been a little late deciding this year, and I’m afraid the nestmaking squad is already full. It’s a very popular task, after all, so I’m afraid you’ll have to …”

“No, she’s fine!” Pinkie Pie’s voice cut in from the other side of a small tree, “I thought she might have put her papers down somewhere and they’ve been eaten by a Gruffalo, so I booked the head nestmaker slot until Rarity could take over.”

“I’m sure that’s very thoughtful of you, Miss Pie, but we can’t have you left without a role on a day where every pair of hooves is needed.”

“Don’t worry, I’m down for two jobs. See?” She reached over and took one page of a checklist out of Pencil Pusher’s clipboard, causing the bureaucrat to degenerate into apoplectic panic.

“So what’s the deal with this ‘Wrap-Up’ thing anyway?” Spike asked, hoping to make it a little less embarrassingly obvious that everyone was staring at the chaos between Pinkie Pie and Pencil Pusher.

“Haven’t you been listening at all, Spike?” Twilight turned to look at the young dragon, and the set of her jaw told anypony who’d been around her for long that she was ready to deliver a lecture. “Ponyville doesn’t have a Royal Weather Warden, or any of the associated officers and departments. And the number of farms and wild animals in the area means that the changing of the seasons is a much more important and delicate process than it is back in Canterlot, so everypony has to do their bit to make sure it goes smoothly.”

“Oh, that’s all? I bet with your magic, you could do half of it by yourself and let everypony else have a day off!”

“Don’t even suggest that!” Rarity seemed shocked by Spike’s outburst.

“What did I say? I wasn’t saying Twilight’s better than you, but she can do so many things at once, like hold every book in the library. She could sweep snow and break ice and whatever else you gotta do all at the same time!”

“It’s a tradition,” Twilight was able to take the suggestion more calmly, and explain the problem, “Ponyville was founded by earth ponies, and they like to keep everything done the way it has always been. I will be helping today by the strength of my hooves, not my magic.”

“What, no magic at all? But it could be so much quicker!”

“No, not no magic. Remember that it’s magic that lets the pegasus weather squad move the clouds, and there’s magic in the way the earth ponies encourage the flowers to grow. But for one day, we respect the pride of this town’s founders. We lift rather than levitate, and substitute sweat for spellcraft.”

“A beautiful way to put it,” Rarity nodded, “So for one day each year I weave with my hooves, making nests for the birds who will be returning from the south. It is good to have a little variety in my routine, and I like to think it helps me stay in touch with the world around us, to generate new inspirations.”

“That’s incredible!” Spike finally accepted the idea, though he still wished that he’d known about this event earlier, so that he could have more than one chance to impress Rarity with his grace on the lake. “Does that mean I can’t breathe fire to help melt the ice?”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight furrowed her brow, “There’s a difference between a natural ability and magic, I’m sure. But I suspect that the heat of fire could harm the first seedlings trying to grow from beneath the snow, so you shouldn’t attempt anything without first checking with the relevant squad leaders. There’s a structure here for a reason, and as the outsiders we need not to do anything that would upset the status quo.”

“That’s all sorted!” Pinkie suddenly popped up between them, startling both Twilight and Rarity. For such a lively pony, she was capable of moving surprisingly quietly. “Rarity, you got your usual job, I saved it for you. And I was on the list twice so I’m still doing the ice, Twilight you can come with me. Are you good at skating?” She was already moving off as she started to speak, with Twilight hurrying to keep up.

“Not really,” Twilight thought back to the previous afternoon, when she’d been too nervous to step out onto the frozen lake. She’d been happy enough to watch Spike and Rarity from the side, but she didn’t really want to admit now that she’d been too nervous to even try skating.

“I’m sure you’ll be fine,” Pinkie bubbled, “You don’t need to do all fancy dancing, just go across the pond a few times and then go to the next one, you score the ice so it breaks up faster when the weather team clears the clouds.”

“Got it,” Twilight tried to show a lot more confidence than she felt, “But, a lot of ponies go skating for fun over winter. Don’t they score the ice enough?”

“Maybe, but we need to make sure. Once the sun is out, the ice will melt pretty quickly. And if the ice doesn’t break straight away, some foals might get carried away and try skating on it again. So we have to be sure that all the lakes and ponds are properly scored to break up as soon as the sun starts warming them, and be sure nopony’s on them when they break. It’s very important, a serious job. And fun to do as well!”

Twilight hadn’t known that the Wrap-Up would involve ice skates, and if she had she might have taken the opportunity to practise a little more over the winter. But she couldn’t deny, her unpreparedness was her own fault. If she’d filled in the forms with all of her talents a week before, she would have been in a job that better suited her. In the circumstances, the only thing that she could do was her best.

In this particular case, though, it seemed that her best was sliding across a frozen lake on her belly, followed by a few moments of frantic scrabbling trying to get her legs underneath her, before Pinkie Pie had to pull her off the ice so she could stand. Pinkie went out onto the lake three times, four hooves in a dead straight line to deepen the same mark on the ice, and didn’t fall. Then she’d pirouette and leap, the surface beneath her producing clear cracking sounds. Every time Twilight tried to do the same, the only thing she could offer was a flat spin or an uncontrolled slam into one of the snow drifts on the bank.

The second lake on their tour of the area was Blossom Brook, a narrow channel which a healthy pony could easily have leapt over, even without the stepping stones that crossed it every time it was near a road or farm track. In the depths of winter, it was frozen across as thoroughly as any body of water, and Pinkie explained that it was important to make sure the ice was well broken because otherwise, ponies would be tempted to step on the surface rather than jump over it, and could end up embarrassed and with wet coats in the chill spring winds.

“But this place is perfect. I can’t believe nobody ever taught you to skate before. It’s so much fun!”

Pinkie could scratch into the ice along the stream easily, with her hind hooves closely following the edges while her forehooves cut a thicker line down the centre. She found this a little boring, so livened it up by trying never to brush against the trees that overhung the bank. But this year, she had a new game to play.

“It’s easy,” she said, “I’ll teach you!” On a narrow part of the stream, with dirt walls just a few feet apart reaching shoulder-height above the ice, Twilight couldn’t possibly fall over. And once she was standing on the slippery surface, she could learn how to move her hooves so that the skates bit into the surface, and start to keep her balance without relying on the sides. Pinkie started pushing her along gently, explaining how to shift her weight so that the skates bit deeply, and then started to push faster and faster. Twilight panicked for a second as the walls of their little culvert started to rush past faster than a comfortable walking pace, but Pinkie showed no signs of stopping. As the brook got wider, she started calling out “Stop!” But her friend didn’t show any sign of having heard.

Twilight shifted her full weight onto the front skates, plowing up furrows an inch deep in the middle of the stream, and then quickly came to a halt. A few feet behind her, Pinkie Pie was beaming proudly.

“Pinkie! Didn’t you hear me yelling?”

“I heard. And you learned. You’re standing on the ice without leaning on the sides, you stopped without hitting a snowbank, and you just carved a perfect line down the middle. And turned around without slipping, too. See, you can learn if you try hard enough.”

“I… guess you’re right. So the breakneck speed running was just to put me on the spot, so I’d learn how to stop myself properly?”

“You’ve got to try it before you can do it right,” Spike answered for her as he burst out of one of the bushes beside the stream, “One of the kids did something like that to me at the start of winter, or I’d never have got into it.”

“Spike!” Twilight gasped in surprise, “What are you doing here?” She tried to stand up again, but wasn’t quite that agile and she ended up spread eagled on the ice again.

“That’s mean,” Pinkie said as she helped Twilight up, but she couldn’t help giggling a little. “Twilight’s only just learned to skate, you shouldn’t startle her like that. Anyway, what are you doing here? You shouldn’t wander away from the group Pencil Pusher put you in, she’s very proud of her job and it wouldn’t be nice to cause trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry. They said there aren’t any dragon squads, out of all the different teams they’ve got. So I said I wanted to help you, and they said that’s okay because there’s a pony who was going to come here this afternoon who wanted to try nest making. And they said I couldn’t do nests with Rarity any more, because they weren’t tidy enough! Can you believe that? I’m neater than any baby bird I ever saw.”

“Oh, so it’s just the three of us?” Pinkie seemed surprised, but confident they’d be able to complete the challenge set out for them. With Spike weaving between the two ponies’ legs, just about avoiding tripping Twilight, they carved lines into the ice until they reached Conder Lake, one of many small bodies of water around the outskirts of Ponyville.

“We didn’t used to do this one,” Pinkie explained as she started to follow a complex dance around the edges of the lake, “It’s a pool where nobody would care if it took the ice a few days to break up. But the Young Fliers Club uses it to practise emergency landings, they say it’s better for a young pegasus to splash than to crash. So we need to make sure the ice is all gone, so they don’t hurt any more than their pride.”

“Right. I think I got this now,” Twilight grinned with eager determination, “You do those spirals you were talking about round that bank, Spike can go the other way, and I think maybe I can balance well enough to criss-cross to the other side without falling on my dock more than once or twice.”

“Right you are!” Pinkie spun and swirled off to the left, and Spike repeated a version of the same maneuvers only slightly less elegant to the right. Twilight kicked off against the snow at the bank, and managed to score four neat, parallel lines as she drifted toward the opposite corner of the lake. Although this was something she never expected to be trying again, she felt oddly proud that she’d learned to score the ice on a lake. And just in time, too, because she could see the clouds on the horizon beginning to part as the pegasi on the weather team prepared to let the sun’s heat through as soon as it was noon. If the ice wasn’t properly scored, by Pinkie’s team and a half dozen other squads in different parts of the area, then the warm ice might not be strong enough to take a grown pony’s weight, and their only option would be leaving it to melt naturally.

Twilight knew she’d done it right, and she was so proud of herself. The task was probably trivial, certainly compared to using the complex refraction of the emotional energies of all ponies in an area to trace back and extrapolate the signature of energy emitted from a Gaia Memory, but it was something she’d never even managed to do before.

“Is something wrong, Twilight?” Pinkie called from the edge of the lake. Twilight suddenly jerked her mind out of the thoughts of pride, and looked down at her skates. She was still standing on the ice, right in the middle of the lake, but she wasn’t carving out four slow but inexorable lines toward the far bank. In fact, she wasn’t moving at all, and trying to kick off against the ice did nothing to change matters. Her skates were frozen solidly in place, with a thin crust of ice just strong enough to stop her legs from moving.

“I… It’s my skates! I can’t move my skates!” Twilight called back, suddenly realising just what a helpless position she was in. An earth pony in the same position would be completely paralysed with four hooves frozen in place, and could do nothing but call for help. As a unicorn, Twilight should be able to unfasten the boots, but that would leave her with no options other than stepping out onto the ice, and she’d be even less steady there than she had been when she first donned the skates. The only thing she could do right now was to wait for Pinkie to come and free her.

Pinkie Pie rushed closer, abandoning all grace in favour of helping her friend. She built up an impressive speed on the ice before slamming into Twilight, the momentum snapping through the thin layer of ice and sending the two ponies sprawling across the frozen surface.

“That doesn’t happen,” there was a new urgency in her voice, “You can’t just get frozen in place when you’re moving to start with. Something’s wrong here, it’s a dopant!”

“What? Where?” Spike panicked, spinning on the spot as he tried to look for an attack from any direction.

“It’s around here somewhere,” Pinkie was certain, and that was good enough for Twilight. She would be willing to admit she wasn’t Equestria’s greatest skating expert, but she’d never even heard of somepony being frozen in place by accident, and it didn’t seem like a very natural phenomenon.

Twilight whipped the Driver out, and swung the magnetic harness around her body. By now she was so used to it that it barely registered when she heard the catches click together at the back of her neck; each time they did this, it seemed to be a little quicker and a little less important.

“JOKER!” Her Element called out. She waited just a second before slotting it into the Driver, but Pinkie wasn’t quite ready yet. With presence of mind that actually surprised Twilight a little, she wasn’t going to let her body fall asleep until she was off the ice and standing on solid ground. It turned out that meant there was just time for somepony else to activate their Element. Magical light flickered around Twilight for a moment, too bright to comfortably look at, and a second later there was a double champion standing in armour that somehow included a set of crystalline skates

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!”

“What’s wrong?” Rarity asked, after glancing around for a second and seeing no immediate danger.

“There’s a dopant around here somewhere,” Pinkie hauled herself up onto the top of a stubby snowdrift and peered around, “I could feel the magic, it was just…” her shiver of disgust explained better than any words could.

“I didn’t feel anything,” Twilight mumbled, “I should have felt it.” Between them, Twilight and Rarity reached out into the magical aura of the place, feeling the residual trails of spells long gone, but there was nothing around her skates or on the ground to indicate that the elements had been altered.

(“There’s nothing to feel,” Rarity confirmed, though they could both see clearly enough, “You couldn’t have detected it because there’s nothing to feel.”)

“How do you mean, you felt it?” Twilight asked aloud, “We can’t feel anything, and we’re used to sensing magic. Unless… Is dopant magic similar to earth pony magic in some way? Or at least it’s something completely different from the magic we’re used to, but if you can feel it that’s a clue. Maybe something we can use instead of trying to detect the crystals themselves.”

“Or maybe it’s just her Pinkie Sense, and you’ll never be able to explain it,” Rarity commented with just a little sarcasm in her voice, “But we can’t be dealing with this now. If there’s a dopant right here we need to find it, and then I need to get back to my work. I’ve got three hundred nests to prepare before they bring the migrating birds back, and I’m still trying to fix the first one!”

“You can get back to work if you want,” Pinkie shrugged, “I don’t think the dopant’s here any more, and if they are, they’re more likely to attack once we carry on with our work. We can deal with it.”

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!”

With Rarity able to continue with her essential work for the Wrap-Up, Twinkie continued using their skates to break the ice across the rivers and lakes around Ponyville. When the sun came out, the scored ice would break up in moments. They finished the lake quickly, with Twinkie pirouetting around one bank while Spike took the other, both darting inwards occasionally to make sure that the ice would break all the way to the centre.

(“It’s so much easier,” Twilight muttered in surprise, “I can see how you’re moving our muscles, I can feel all the subconscious decisions that go into every movement. It’s like I’m learning how to do this without all the usual trial and error. When we’ve finished here I’ll probably be able to skate as well as Spike, at least, and with only one day of practice!”)

(“Oh, no you won’t!”)

(“No? Want to test it?”)

(“When we’re finished here, there won’t be any ice left to skate on, silly!”)

By the time they’d finished scoring the ice, Twilight was even more certain that she’d mastered the difficult skill. But as Pinkie said, she’d have to wait until the following year before she could try out what she’d learned on her own. There was no more sign of a dopant, and they started to wonder if it had been some kind of natural accident, if the uncomfortable feeling Pinkie reported had been an unnatural sense that Twilight didn’t quite believe in reporting on something else entirely.

But Twilight also had plenty of time to think as she trooped back to the organisers’ table in the town square. She hadn’t been able to sense dopant magic in the same way she could feel the spells cast by another unicorn, but then she hadn’t ever really tried. Usually they were so obvious. But she was already aware of the Grand Unified Theory of Magic; that Equestria was overlaid by three distinct and separate fields of magical energy, capable of interacting with each other and with the material world only when channeled by ponies who had the right ability. Could that mean that a dopant’s powers were still linked to the tribe of the original Memory user; that an earth pony who used a Gaia Memory could gain the ability to perform clearly magical feats quite different from their normal affinity with the ground, while still exerting their abilities through the earth magical field? Or might it be that a dopant’s powers had a completely different mechanism of action? It would be difficult to test either theory while the Elements of Harmony were the only Memories she could experiment on, but she was already trying to think of ways to prove either hypothesis.

And there was the other idea she’d had, using crystalline resonance instead of magic. That was very much Rarity’s field, but she had the start of an idea in her mind. Something she could work on once the day’s work was done; of course. The evening was still a long way of, and Twilight had no doubt that the event organisers would have more tasks lined up for her.

Pencil Pusher and Rubber Stamp were sitting behind a desk in the square, with a huge pile of forms in front of them. They had taken on the additional responsibility of ensuring that everypony knew what was expected of them and when, in between their work shovelling away the drifts of snow in the corners of the town centre. Twilight could see straight away that they weren’t as organised as they seemed, relying on sheer mass of documents to give themselves an image of officialdom. If she’d been running that desk, they would probably only have needed one elegant chart to tell them where any pony would be at any given time.

But, of course, she hadn’t been involved at the stage they would have been drawing up their documents. She hadn’t been organised enough to remember the date, the irony of which was not lost on her.

“Name?” Rubber Stamp asked as Twilight approached.

“Twilight Sparkle. You know it’s me, Stamp, you don’t need to ask, surely?”

“We’re doing it by the book. The Winter Wrap-Up is not going to be delayed this year! We’re going to do it like they do in Canterlot and Manehattan, where whole-town events are managed by an organised bureaucracy, and everypony works together smoothly like cogs in a giant machine.”

“Well, you certainly got bureaucracy down to a fine art!”

“Thanks!” He didn’t seem to notice the irony at all, “Anyhow, you got the ice scored on all ponds and streams in section seven?”

“Yes,” Twilight restrained herself from mentioning that they already knew that, because Pinkie Pie had been ahead of her in the unnecessary queue. Rubber Stamp picked up a quill pen, grinned broadly, and made a large, extravagant tick on the piece of paper in front of him. Twilight could see that it was right next to an identical check, that had been made when Pinkie reported the job done.

“Right, it seems everything is in order for the watercourses project squad; and the Weather Team is at more than eighty percent completion of their morning schedule tasks. So you’ll be helping with a different team this afternoon; the … umm …” Twilight waited patiently while both of the administrative ponies leafed through stacks of paperwork, searching for another one with her name on it. By the third time they’d been through the pile – two or three task sheets for each and every pony in Ponyville, mixed in with all kinds of different documents for other purposes – Twilight was wondering whether the problem was more that the forms weren’t in any kind of order, or maybe that because of her late registration her name wasn’t actually in there.

Twilight looked away for a moment, wondering when she’d be able to take part in the Winter Wrap-Up again. She saw Fluttershy standing at the edge of the town square, trying without much luck to get Pencil Pusher’s attention. Twilight tapped her on the hoof as she tried to get her desk in order, and gestured over to where Fluttershy was standing.

“Can we help you?” Pencil Pusher asked.

“I think maybe we could use a few more hooves in the animals team. If there’s anypony to spare, I mean, I don’t…”

“I’m sorry Miss Fluttershy,” Rubber Stamp muttered, “We can’t change assignments at this stage. You should have properly commandeered an appropriate number of volunteers at last week’s planning meeting, there is nopony without an assigned duty on the roster, so we can’t–”

“How about I help the animal team until you can find out where I’m supposed to be,” Twilight offered. She wasn’t sure that she’d be so good at working with animals, but there were two very good reasons to speak up. Firstly, it looked like Fluttershy was about to cry and there was no way she could have that on her conscience, and secondly she wasn’t sure how long she could resist the temptation to dive into the piles of paperwork and show the two bureaucrats exactly how they should be indexed for maximum efficiency.

“Can I come too?” Spike jumped up, “What’s the job?”

“We’ve got to wake the hibernating animals,” Fluttershy explained as they walked away, while the two organisation ponies just stared after them, not sure what else to say.

“That sounds easy enough. It’s just cute animals, what could go wrong there?

Half an hour later, Twilight Sparkle stretched out in her bath, massaging aching muscles. She would never have imagined that cute and fuzzy woodland creatures could cause such chaos, but then she had never imagined Spike’s voice could carry so far when he tried to give a roar to wake a family of hedgehogs.

Spike was still helping Fluttershy, as he’d been lucky enough to avoid bruises, swarms, stings, stains, and stink of all kinds. Twilight, meanwhile, had promised to return to the desk in the town square if a calming bath could help her recover in time. She could see the clouds parting outside her window as she washed, though, so she knew there wasn’t much time remaining until the winter would be fully cleared away.

“Miss Twilight!” Rubber Stamp greeted her as soon as she was out of the door. The sun was already close to the horizon, and she’d expected that most of the work would be done by now, but there seemed to be a lot of bustle in the streets and everypony going about their business. “We wanted to let you know, we found your assignments list. They were in a separate folder as you were late turning in your paperwork. You’re needed to help the plants team, you should meet up with Miss Applejack at her farm. It’s in plant team zone twelve B.”

“I know where Sweet Apple Acres is,” Twilight smiled and nodded as soon as she saw the other pony start to unfold a map showing the numbered areas that he and Pencil Pusher had divided the town up into, “Thank you, I’d better head there as soon as I can.”

On the farm, it seemed like there was a lot more physical labour involved. A half dozen farm ponies, including Applejack and Big Mac, were pushing heavy wooden plows that could cut through the snow. They had cleared half a dozen fields, and some of the seedlings were already starting to poke their way out of the earth as the ground defrosted. But there were a lot more fields to work on, and it seemed the work was being slowed somewhat by the organisation team’s insistence that the available labour be distributed equally between all the farms in the area.

Twilight watched for a while, and found herself calculating more efficient paths around the fields, to minimise the time each worker spent waiting for somepony else to pass so they could pass through a gate, and the number of times they would have to waste energy pushing the plow over an area which had already been cleared.

“Just watching, or are you going to help out?” The voice that jolted her out of her calculations was deep and mellow, a local accent but not anypony Twilight recognised. She turned to see a heavily built earth pony carefully unharnessing himself from one of the plows.

“I… I was just waiting for somepony to tell me what I need to do. Pencil Pusher sent me to help out with snow clearing.”

“Well, they’ve got me off to help make nests for birds now, so you can take this plow. Long straight lines, make sure the blade’s picking up all the snow but not disturbing the soil. Don’t spend more than three rows in the same field, or they’ll say you’re helping one farm more than another. Seems to be more rules every year, I guess that’s just a sign that our little efforts are getting more like the big events in Manehattan!” he babbled excitedly, and made haste to head back to the town square.

Twilight wasn’t quite sure about using a physical contraption like the plow without guidance from a more senior pony on this team, but it looked like they would already be hard pressed to clear the fields before darkness came. The operation of the device seemed fairly simple in any case, a wheeled contraption that she would step inside and then walk forward, pushing against a bar with her chest. It wasn’t as efficient a transfer of power as pulling, but it was clear that the plow blade on this cart would have to be pushed in front of the pony, rather than behind, making the unusual form of harness necessary.

She walked against the bar, and started to push. It was cushioned at least, which made it more comfortable. The plow moved a few inches forward, and Twilight carefully took a second step. It was hard to move, the thing was a lot heavier than it looked, but after half a dozen steps she really felt that she was getting the hang of it. Then the blade touched the first snowbank and she stopped with a jolt. For a moment she wondered what was wrong, then remembered just how heavy snow could be.

She backed up, and threw her full weight against the pushing bar. The plow did not move. She leaned against it, straining with four legs, and was rewarded with a little shifting against the snow. Every muscle on her body stood out as she tried to push harder, and by fractions the plow started to move. Her hooves slipped backwards on the ground more than any progress she made, and after nearly a minute of intense struggle she had made the thing move forward only a couple of inches. Then she looked down at the mess her hooves were making of the soft earth. It was clear that unless she could get a better grip, no amount of pushing would clear the snow. Twilight began to wonder if there might be a better way to do this.

Ten minutes later, Applejack was screaming at the top of her lungs: “Can anypony tell me what the hay is going on here?”

It had seemed to be a fairly normal Wrap-Up, although the new rules from the bureaucrats had everypony moving to a different farm, and cost more than a few minutes waiting in gateways. But as the sun started to set, the plow had started to become heavier and heavier. Applejack knew that everything seemed harder when you got tired, but there was no way her muscles would wear out so fast from this kind of work. And around her, she could see that some of her friends were having just as much trouble. And yet others, even townsponies without any obvious muscle on their bodies, were managing to shift the heavy-duty farm plows at a normal walking pace. It didn’t make any sense.

There was Twilight Sparkle, who certainly didn’t look strong enough to shift snow and wouldn’t have been on this team if Applejack had seen her when she arrived. She was moving along at a reasonable pace, not quite as impressive as some, and with an intense scowl of concentration. Spike was sitting on the top of the plow, prattling on like he had no work of his own to get done, which was almost certainly the case. But then Applejack caught the word “magic”, and when she took a second glance she could see the telltale flicker of pink light around Twilight’s horn. There was evidence of magic in the air over the whole farm, too, faint sparkles in the wind that you might miss until you were actually looking for them.

But before Applejack could say anything, a wave of tepid water surged across the field, soaking everypony to their knees.

“Can anypony tell me what the hay is going on here?” she called, quickly pulling herself out of the sudden puddle and walking up onto a remaining snowdrift. She knew that the ground was still cold, the snow having protected it from the warmth of the afternoon sun, and the water seeping into the soil now would soon be a rigid layer of ice. This was exactly why they always insisted on at least two dry days before the Wrap-Up.

“Well, at least the water’s washed away some of the light snow on the ground,” Twilight offered apologetically, “The bits that were too low for the plow blades to clear.”

“Twilight!” Applejack exploded, her temper already stretched after a day that had proved as hectic as always, “I am ashamed of you! We clean up winter without magic here, I thought you knew that. If you can’t honour our traditions, then you shouldn’t be on my farm. Go back to Pencil Pusher and see if you can help her with something that’s not so important, and I hope you can think about what you’ve done!”

“But I only–”

“I don’t care what you were thinking, nopony uses magic for the Wrap-Up, and especially not on my farm. You see what you’ve done? Now get out of here, and let us try to clear up.” Then she turned away to bellow orders, directing everypony to get their plows on higher ground before the wheels froze. Twilight opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. There was nothing she could say to her friend now, so she began the long walk back into Ponyville.

“You can’t stay under there all day,” Pencil Pusher pleaded with a hidden, but clearly pony-shaped, figure.

“Why not?” Twilight’s voice was somewhat muffled, but it was easy to guess that she’d been crying. She was supposed to be a Champion of Harmony, a hero to the town, but letting her friends down had got to her in a way she’d never thought possible.

“Well, you should be with the squad you’ve been assigned to. Everypony needs to help.”

“They sent me away.”

“And we need to check our records to dispatch everypony to the right teams! We can’t do that with you under the desk.” The only answer was a rustling of papers from the pony-shaped pile on the cobbles.

“Please, can you just come out and let us do our jobs? We haven’t finished the Wrap-Up on schedule in four years, but we’re sure that this time we should have enough records that we can analyse and solve the problem.” More rustling.

“Why are your papers on the ground under the desk anyway?” Twilight eventually spoke again, “I thought you had everything on top of the desk, I could barely see you over the piles before.” Rubber Stamp and Pencil Pusher glanced at each other for a second, and reached the unspoken conclusion that a Twilight Sparkle asking somewhat sensible questions was better than a Twilight Sparkle silently nesting in their documents.

“We found last year that a pile of more than about six thousand –”

“Five thousand, eight hundred and twenty four pages,” Rubber Stamp corrected.

“–and twenty four pages, is likely to be blown away by the afternoon gusts such that we have to spend time chasing them around the square. So we decided that it would be more efficient and businesslike to keep the excess pages out of the wind. See?” She picked up an ornamental pen holder that had been standing on the edge of the desk all afternoon, and held it below the desk for observation. As Twilight peered out from her papery pile, she could see that there were several rubber bands wrapped around the ornament with numbers written next to them. The highest band was labelled ‘←5824’.

“If any pile gets higher than the mark, we take the excess pages off and store them under the desk for safekeeping,” she said proudly, before returning the measuring stick to its usual place, which was indicated by a couple of chalk marks on the desk.

There was no reply from Twilight’s nest, but the two could tell how proud she was of their organisational skills. They had a proper procedure for everything, so they would never be stuck wondering what to do. Unless, of course, a depressive unicorn decided to hide from the world underneath the organisational team desk.

“Maybe it would be advantageous to keep all the papers in triplicate,” Rubber Stamp pondered, “That way it’s not such a problem if we can’t find one, and we’ve still got one to keep back at the office for long-term archiving in case we need one.” Pencil Pusher just nodded. For a few more minutes, there was no sound but the rustling of papers being moved around.

The two organisers were standing a little way back from the desk when a white-coated earth pony arrived, without a team-coloured jacket.

“You’re not wearing your jacket again, Clear?” Rubber Stamp was often the first to state the obvious, “How is everypony supposed to know which team you’re on?”

“You’re not going to ask my name this time?” the pony sighed, “That’s an improvement at least. I’m on Rarity’s squad, you know because you sent me there after my last break. And it’s too hot to keep wearing these things. Have the weather team overdone it a little? We’ve got a problem, anyway, Rarity’s trying to fix up one particularly bad nest that somepony made this morning, and no matter what she tries it isn’t looking any better. And after all the attempts, we’re out of soft twigs with three hundred nests still to make.”

Under the table, Twilight looked at Level Clear’s registration form while he spoke. His records suggested that he was quite strong but not so dextrous, and would have been a lot better off doing his stint with the nest-building team in the morning, when they were fetching the last cartloads of twigs from the forest-clearing team. Still, she couldn’t argue with the amount of effort the organisation team had put in, so she resolved to mention that to them when they weren’t so busy working.

“I’m sorry, the entire quota of soft branches has been allocated. Maybe the plants team can help you to find something later, but for now I think that they will be busy with their own part of the Wrap-Up.” Level Clear walked away, disheartened, and the organisation desk was in near silence again. They couldn’t keep their minds off the presence of Twilight Sparkle under their table, though.

“Umm… what are you doing under there?” Pencil Pusher asked when the silence had grown too long to bear.

“Sorting and indexing. It helps me relax.” Another few moments filled with just the whisper of paper on paper.

“That’s actually quite a good idea,” Rubber Stamp ventured, “Maybe next year we should make an index of all the documents, so it’s easier to check that none have been blown away.”

“I think you have a few documents too many,” Twilight commented, finally allowing the critical voice in her subconscious to be heard, “You’d never have time to check that every piece is here. Any organisational benefits from documenting everything are outweighed by the search complexity, and by the disordering every time you have a pile fall over.”

“We’re still working on it,” Pencil Pusher was suddenly on the defensive, “I’m sure if we add another index, we’ll regain any time lost in searching and then some!”

“S’right!” Rubber Stamp added, “If adding more documents doesn’t help, then you’re not adding enough documents.” Twilight must have been satisfied by that explanation, because she went right back to her filing.

The next pony to come seeking help was Cloud Chaser, whose paperwork showed that he had been with the migration team, leading birds back from the far south. As soon as his hooves touched the cobbles, Twilight peered out through the narrow slit between the desk’s modesty panel and the tabletop. A blue pegasus with streaks of indigo in his mane, there were several who matched that description, so it wasn’t until he was close enough for is cutie mark to be visible, almost at the desk, before a lavender hoof appeared from the mound of papers holding the correct documents. Pencil Pusher took them with a nod of thanks, glanced down and then smiled at Cloud Chaser.

“Welcome back, Cloud Chaser, I hope you enjoyed your journey. Are the birds all safely shepherded to their new nests?”

“Not as such,” his voice was unexpectedly high, given his build, and the cultured accent gave the impression he would rather be singing opera than leading birds back to roost. On the other hand, Twilight found she could easily picture him at the head of a flock, a pleasant countertenor leading a chorus of birds to sing as they flew. “I’m afraid that the return migration has been delayed somewhat, by a series of unexpected gusts that made it quite difficult for our feathered friends to remain airborne.”

“Gusts?” Pencil Pusher raised an eyebrow, “Rubber, make a note to bring that up with the weather team when they next check in.” Rubber Stamp glanced at the mountain of papers, and then down to notice that a form titled ‘Weather team – real time performance assessment’ was floating right under his nose surrounded by a faint pink magical aura.

“Oh, it’s not their fault,” Cloud Chaser shrugged, “These kind of things always happen when cold air and warm air meet, it’s not particularly easy to avoid. All it takes is a warm front across the migration route, and the air’s blowing here and there. Pegasi are used to flying across those things, birds don’t usually bother, but when you’ve flown a hundred miles in one day, you don’t deal with hard air so well.”

After he’d gone, Pencil Pusher turned to Rubber Stamp and shrugged.

“I guess that means the nests aren’t so urgent. But what about everything else?”

“That means the nests are no longer urgent,” a muffled voice came from beneath the pile of papers – which looked a good deal neater now than when it had last been dumped down there – “You can divert the available horsepower to other projects. It’s just a case of determining the critical path.” Before she could explain more, another pony rushed up to the desk in search of organisational support.

This time it took Twilight a good few seconds to determine that there were no relevant papers in the pile she’d taken charge of under the desk, so she missed the beginning of the conversation. She couldn’t, however, fail to recognise a pegasus she’d frequently seen flying across the Ponyville sky in formation, teaching the most promising fillies to marshal stormclouds.

“…were planning the first lesson,” he was saying, “Emergency landing drill and all that, got to learn before you even try flying at the speeds these blasted nimbus require. But when I got out of my morning inspection, the Conder Lake is still frozen solid! I know you’re only working for a day or two, but every time you skip some vital duty, it has a knock-on effect and slows my students’ progress for the whole year.”

Pencil pusher could only murmur apologies, and offer to send somepony else out to look at the lake. The old stallion harrumphed away, returning to his own vital duties for now, but promised an unfavourable report to the mayor if the problem wasn’t sorted pronto.

“Which one’s Conder Lake, again?” Rubber Stamp asked as soon as he was out of earshot.

“The one they do their exercises over, over to the West.”

“Oh, that makes sense, then. Who was in charge of that area?” Rubber Stamp started rummaging through the papers on the desk, trying to find the appropriate allocation sheet, but Pencil Pusher just looked down at where Twilight was crouching under the desk.

“It was me and Pinkie Pie,” Twilight mumbled, “I’m sure I did it properly, though. Pinkie said I was learning really well, and we did it together. There must be something else wrong!”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Pencil Pusher admitted, “We’ve had more than a few reports of things going wrong and nopony can tell why, so it could just be one of those things. Looks like we’ll have to keep going for a second day again.” She looked over the piles of paper on the desk, this time with a little less confidence.

“How would you like to join the organisation team, Twilight? You’ve already shown you have the talent, and if you’re with us in the morning then we might be able to get everypony in the right place, and have spring started before the weekend is out.”

“I’d love to!”

Early the next morning, Pencil Pusher and Rubber Stamp arrived together just a little before dawn, to make sure they were ready when the first ponies came seeking direction to their jobs for the day. They were surprised to see that Twilight Sparkle was already wide awake, and the piles of documents on the desk were a lot shorter than they had been before. Not a single stack was even close to five thousand eight hundred sheets of paper.

“I’ve got this,” she said, “These piles here are the first duties of the day for everypony who’s volunteering. Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns.” She tapped her hoof on three piles for emphasis, “The tabs and paper clips on the sides indicate approximate coat and mane colours, so when you see a pony approaching the desk you’ve narrowed it down to a half dozen sheets even if you don’t recognise them. Then once they know where they need to be heading, you put that page in the ‘dispatched’ tray here. Smaller piles mean it’s easier to find the record you want, and all the information you need for one pony’s job assignment is on a single page. There’s bundles under the desk with the jobs that are depending on somepony else to finish first. We unwrap one bundle at mid morning, one at noon, one mid-afternoon, and one for the jobs that can’t be done until evening. That way the piles only ever contain jobs that are ready to be done, and it’s quicker to find the right one.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. Did you–”

“When we open out each bundle, we put the black paperclips on all the jobs remaining from the previous bundle. Those are tasks that haven’t started on schedule, whether because somepony overslept or because they’re dealing with an unexpected problem elsewhere. Anypony who finishes their work faster than expected and comes back for another, or if they come here late and their job has already been handed to somepony else, you look through the black paperclips and give them the first one that they’re capable of. That way, all the jobs get done even if something takes more or less time than we expected.”

“You’ve really done a–”

“Now, the jobs in progress tray has dividers in it for what time a task is expected to be completed. Each task has the estimated time to completion pencilled in the top left, so look at the clock when you’ve given anypony their assignment, and put it behind the divider for the time you’re expecting them back by. Tasks on the critical path are clearly marked underneath the time estimate, so if one of those isn’t going to be finished in time, you put it on the ‘problem tasks’ pile here. If those aren’t finished on time, we’ll end up with other teams waiting for them, so before you give anypony their scheduled task, if it’s a low priority or cosmetic one, you check if they could help with a problem task instead.”

“Smashing!” Rubber Stamp grinned, “But…” He extracted a single document from the ‘unicorns’ pile, with his name clearly printed at the top. It said that he would be staffing the organisation desk this morning, and had clearly marked boxes to be ticked when he arrived, when the job was done, and if there were any problems that needed to be addressed. Beside each there was a clear note of which tray the document was to be moved to when the box was ticked, absolutely minimising any possibility of errors.

“But what? Did I forget something?”

“You’ve got all the information on here, everything we’ve got I think. But we had so much more paper. What do we do with all the documents we don’t seem to need?”

“I’ve already thought of that,” Twilight smiled, “Unless you want to keep it for your records?” The two shook their head, and at least Pencil Pusher gave the impression that she would be happier never to have that volume of paper in front of her again. With Twilight double checking, the three administrators took the three pages that said they would be sitting at the desk all day, ticked the relevant boxes, and placed the first pages into the tray for jobs in progress.

The first pony to arrive this morning was Level Clear. She wasn’t wearing her team jacket again, insisting that it was a little too warm to be comfortable. This time, Rubber Stamp was worried because he was still trying to hide his shivering. He wasn’t sure what to do, but Twilight had an index now and could easily find somepony with medical training to take a look and make sure that she didn’t have a fever. The verdict was that she was maybe a little ill, but would be able to work if she didn’t push herself too hard.

As Level Clear walked away, Pencil Pusher turned to poke one more unfamiliar item on the desk. It was a polished steel tube, with numerous protrusions and switches on the side, and currently with a bundle of wires and crystal fragments sticking out following last minute repairs.

“So, what’s this for?” She asked, peering at the strange contraption, “Some kind of automated pencil holder?”

“No,” Twilight grinned at the idea of the complex technomagical device serving such a simple purpose, “This is a Gaia Resonance Meter. I’ve been working on it all night, just trying to get it working, and I thought here would be the perfect place to test it.”

“So, what does it do?” The question made Twilight hesitate. So far they’d avoided telling the general population about the existence of Gaia Memories in case that made somepony more likely to try finding one. She wasn’t quite sure how much she should say about the function of the device, and then started to wonder if she would have been better getting a bit more sleep to prepare her for a long day of work.

“You know the monsters that have been rampaging around town lately?” She eventually settled on, and got a couple of nods in reply, “They start out promising they can help somepony, then get more and more powerful feeding on your darkest emotions, until you can’t control them any more. So there might be some in Ponyville now, slowly gaining strength until they’re ready to attack.”

“That’s why you’re the Champions of Harmony, isn’t it?” Rubber Stamp shrugged, “Heroes I guess. Is this one of your weapons, in case a monster comes here today?”

“No. This is supposed to help us detect the magical energy they use, so maybe we can defeat the next monster before it destroys everything. It’s supposed to recombine different kinds of magical emanations across the three fields, creating a visible colour indicator in the same way snow crystals combine a million rainbows to appear white.” As if to demonstrate, she lifted the tube and looked through it at Pencil Pusher and Rubber Stamp in turn. It was just like looking through a normal periscope, the images slightly faded because of the quality of the mirrors and lenses, but nothing abnormal. “You see, there’s nothing unusual here, so I can easily tell that there’s not a monster in either of you. If we occasionally look at the queue through this, there’s a good chance we can find the next dopant before it’s ready to fight.”

“Wonderful,” Pencil Pusher beamed, “Everypony has to come here before they start work, and doing two jobs at once is more efficient.” It seemed that was all the explanation she needed.

There wasn’t a queue right away, and Pencil Pusher’s eagerness to try out the monster detector was somewhat dampened when the next pony to come asking about her job assignment was Pinkie Pie. Obviously, with the Wrap-Up having gone into its second day, she wouldn’t be working on the lakes any more. Now that the clouds had been cleared, the ice would be too thin to safely skate on even in areas where it hadn’t been fully scored. Twilight had assigned her to help with waking the remaining animals from hibernation, but Pencil Pusher had a few words to say first.

“Our notes say you were responsible for clearing the Conder Lake yesterday, Miss Pie?”

“Yep! It was a lot of fun.”

“But I also have a report that Conder Lake was only scored down one side, and therefore the ice has not yet broken up under the influence of the spring sun. When tutoring a pony new to any particular discipline, you must remember to ensure they are competent and until they are, to double check their work.” As she said it, Twilight blushed. She knew they were talking about her, but she was sure Pinkie had looked over her work thoroughly.

“Twilight knows what she’s doing, she’s only just learned to skate, but I was alongside her for nearly all of that lake, and I’m sure we scored every part. The ice should have broken up, and then melted as soon as the clouds parted. I’m sure we didn’t miss any parts, and I kept looking over to Spike on the other side, he’s practically an expert even though he only started a few days. He’s as skilled as most ponies on this team, I’d bet anything on it.”

“As skilled, maybe,” Twilight came to the conclusion first, feeling bad about it but somewhat glad she’d thought of it before anypony who might not be so friendly. “But skill isn’t everything. Maybe he just isn’t heavy enough for his skates to cut right through the ice?”

“Oh, I didn’t think of that,” Pinkie gasped, “Maybe we can… but the ice is too thin to skate on. I don’t think we can…” and for once she was lost for words.

“Don’t worry about it too much,” Rubber Stamp stepped in, and nobody could argue with his reasoning this time, “It’s too late to fix it now, but the ice will melt on its own in a few days. Just remember next year, the organisational team is here to make sure that everything gets done, but we don’t know every detail of every different task involved in wrapping up winter. If you’re accepting the help of other creatures, you need to make sure they’re actually capable of doing the job.”

Even Pinkie Pie lost some of the spring in her step after that. She knew she’d missed something that had caused problems for others, and it would take some time for her to get over that.

As she headed off to take on her new role in Fluttershy’s wakeup squad, Rarity was the next to arrive seeking help from the organisation team.

“We’re out of small twigs for nest building,” she said bluntly, “We’ve used everything we got, and until the snow is cleared from the ground in the forest, there isn’t anywhere I can find some more.”

“Can’t you just break big branches into small pieces?” Applejack suggested from behind her.

“That would never work. The smaller twigs are soft and springy, providing a more rounded appearance and a comfortable surface for the birds to rest on.”

“Would this work?” Twilight held up a hoof full of torn paper strips, “We’ve ended up with more duplicates than we need, and if there’s somewhere it would be useful…?”

“There’s even different colours if you want them!” Rubber Stamp offered, “Maybe I overdid the paper a little.”

“That would be wonderful,” Rarity grinned, “Maybe now I can finish repairing that nest, and get to work making more.” She started gathering up boxes of spare papers, with Twilight watching to make sure the necessary and surplus papers didn’t get mixed up at all. But their work was interrupted by a shriek from Pencil Pusher, who was looking through the prototype Gaia Resonance Meter.

“Oh, you finished it?” Rarity looked up, “Is there one I can take with me?”

“I just wanted to try it…” Pencil Pusher muttered.

“I thought it would be better to have it here at the desk,” Twilight explained again, “We’ll see nearly everypony in town here. We can all have one once I’m sure that it works.” Then she recognised Pencil Pusher’s shocked expression, and quickly worked out what had got her upset. “Does it show a colour for us? I used the Elements of Harmony to calibrate the sensor, so there’s a chance it could give a false positive.”

Twilight had looked at her own Element through the meter when she was calibrating it, and it appeared as a purple glow bright enough that she could hardly see the desk, even when the crystal was under the desk, or behind stacks of other apparatus. She hadn’t been able to look at herself through it, though, and wondered what Pencil Pusher had seen. It was easy to test, as she walked around and looked at Rarity. The whole view through the meter was overwhelmed by the green glow of the element in her collar; but as soon as she put it down on the desk and stepped away the difference was obvious.

“It is clear that the power of the Elemental crystals suffuses all three of the world’s magical fields,” she said, “So they seem to be blindingly bright when you look through this. I think any Gaia Memory will appear the same. But this confirms that the Element’s power is strongly bound to the pony who represents that Element, as well. Try looking at me.”

Rarity was curious, and the two changed places. She hadn’t expected what she saw, though she would have been hard pressed to say what she did expect. Twilight had the Driver around her neck, and a faint image like a ghost on her flank as well. Not the actual Driver, but a tracery of violet lines in the air that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else. Rarity guessed that she must have something similar, and there was no way anyone who had the Meter could fail to recognise the Champions of Harmony.

“Can you feel it?” she asked, though she knew before she finished speaking how foolish a question it was.

“You know as much as I do,” Twilight shrugged, “And I don’t think it ever fades. The Driver has marked us for life.”

“It might disappear once we defeat all the dopants,” Rarity hazarded, “The Princess and you-know-who had to return their Elements, didn’t they?”

“But if I put the Driver on while the Princess was around, the other copy appeared on her flank too. Even after they returned their Elements, the Driver remembered them.”

“So is that how the monsters will appear?” Pencil Pusher felt like she should say something to give the impression she was following at least part of this conversation.

“Possible. We’re not sure, though. I didn’t have a dopant Memory in the lab to test it on. They may just change the colour of the image, and there may still be false positives. As well as finding the dopant that’s currently slowing down the Wrap-Up, today is going to be an excuse to test the Gaia Resonance Meter, and check that it works the way I expect it to.”

“Wait, there’s a … a dope ant interfering with our Winter Wrap-Up?” Pencil Pusher went from curious to angry in zero seconds flat.

“I ain’t seen one,” Applejack grumbled as she joined the growing crowd in the square, “We’re having enough trouble with folks using magic to make the job easier.” Twilight couldn’t look her in the eye now. She knew she’d broken an important Ponyville tradition, and could only hope that she’d be able to make up for it next year. Pencil Pusher looked back and forth between the two friends, sensing the tension in the air.

“I think you can’t hold a grudge over a genuine mistake. Twilight’s trying hard to follow the rules now, even filing papers without any kind of levitation magic.”

“Half my fields are covered in ice, that’ll take days to clear. Sure, I’ll forgive and forget, but not so quickly when it’s cost the farm so much.”

“All I did was change my clothes,” Twilight murmured, but her voice didn’t have the kind of certainty that would be necessary to make this into a real argument.

“Don’t make this worse by lying to me!” Applejack yelled, thumping the desk so hard it shook, “I heard you and Spike talking about making the plows go faster. Next think I see your horn a’glowing, and then you lost control, or whatever happened, and it’s the rest of the earth ponies who’ve got to clean up all the mess.”

“It’s true! Okay, Spike kept telling me I could speed the job up, but you know I wouldn’t do that. You know me, AJ, don’t you? Yes, Spike said I should use magic, and I told him I wouldn’t think of it. All I did was freeze a few pieces of broken ice onto my hooves, making cleats so I wouldn’t slip so much.”

“And somepony else was using magic to speed up the plows, or slow some of them down?” Applejack was looking away now. She knew that what she was saying was incredibly unlikely, a coincidence of the highest order, but when the words came out of her mouth it somehow sounded more believable that Twilight betraying a promise.

“I didn’t feel any other magic out there. I noticed some carts were moving faster than others, but I thought that was normal. Some ponies are just stronger than others, aren’t they?”

“I don’t think there’s any rules about changing your clothes by magic,” Rubber Stamp added, “The tradition is that we don’t use magic to move snow or ice, or to do the Wrap-Up work. There’s nothing wrong at all with changing your own clothes. That sounds pretty smart to me, if you’re having a problem with the mud.”

“Applejack knows farm work, though,” Twilight gave it a second thought, “If she says somepony was using magic, I’ll believe that. I’m sure I would have sensed it, though. Could it be dopant magic?”

“We can keep on checking everypony,” Pencil Pusher gestured with the Gaia Resonance Meter, “If there’s a monster interfering now, maybe you ladies should be ready to go stop it. Can we guess where it will attack next?”

Before Twilight could make a guess, though, the gems on her collar flashed pink. Pencil Pusher gasped, and dropped the Resonance Meter. Applejack was already running towards the edge of town.

“Fluttershy needs help,” Twilight spoke as quickly as she could manage, “I’ve done what I can for the organisation, I’m sure you can get spring started today if you just follow the plan. We’ll probably find the dopant, but in case we don’t you should keep checking everypony. Don’t challenge them, just make a list of who the device has a reaction for. I believe in you.” Before Pencil Pusher could answer any more questions, Twilight’s horn flared as bright as a star and she was gone.

“I guess we’d better start making that list, then,” Rubber Stamp commented, looking out at the queue that was just starting to form.

Author's Note

I so wanted to call this episode "Wrap Up W" … but in the end, I figured that title fits chapter 12 better.

Also, my first attempt at a picture. Needs work. Needs lots of work. Can you guess who it is yet? Probably not, but she's been in the story. And she's going to come into the foreground pretty soon.

Episode 12 - Wrap Up W

The sun shone down on yet another winter day in Equestria. At least one pony was happy with this, though it was quite unexpected as the great Winter Wrap Up should have been completed the day before. Now, an army of volunteers were struggling to sweep away snow, break ice, make new homes for migratory birds, wake the hibernating animals, and help the land catch up with the already warm sun.

The previous day’s progress had been delayed by overzealous bureaucrats, an incompetent novice nest maker, an obsessive team leader, a too-young skating dragon, a panicking nest of snakes, a couple of chance oversights, and even some springtime warm air. Today, the teams were organised and everything was going well.

At a couple of long benches on the edge of the woods, the nest making team was still hard at work. Rarity had insisted in being in charge of this group all the way through, because only she had the necessary attention to detail and artistic sensibilities to make a nest that a returning bird could be proud of. Her perfectionism had started to show, however, and proved that it wasn’t always good to be the best. She’d spent most of the previous day trying to fix one nest to her satisfaction, and had replaced every twig a dozen times already and it still wasn’t good enough. The other members of the team were making more nests, but they didn’t have her skill or precision.

Rarity finally looked up from her work when the gemstones on her collar glowed with a brilliant pink light. They flashed once, and then again a moment later. She debated running to help her friends, but she knew she still had work to do here. If the team was slowed down again then they might not finish in time for the end of today either. The decision was made for her when Applejack and Rainbow Dash hurtled through the clearing, whipping leaves through the air in their wake. All it took was one carelessly placed hoof, and it was clear that no amount of hard work would put that nest together again. Rarity could have complained, but even her dedication to making beautiful things wasn’t as important as her friends. She hurried after them in the direction of the Everfree Forest.

“KINDNESSᏔJOKER!” the Driver boomed over the quiet murmurs of hiding animals. Twilight Sparkle was the first to reach the Everfree, of course, having the benefit of teleportation magic. The animals that weren’t already attempting to burrow into the frozen ground gasped in awe at the light show, a phenomenon the Champions of Harmony had seen so often that they barely thought it worth mentioning now. Twilight’s body glowed brilliantly, and by the time it was possible to look at her again the armour had materialised around her.

Applejack was quick to look around, and saw Fluttershy’s body frozen rigid. She pulled her out of the clearing and stashed her safely under a bush until whatever the threat was could be dealt with. A deafening roar came from the darkness of the woods, and everypony who wasn’t currently wearing magical armour did their best to find something sturdy to hide behind.

(“At last, a dopant attacking in the woods so we don’t have to lure it out of town to avoid collateral damage!” Twilight commented)

(“I don’t think it’s the dopant. It’s a gojirus.”)

(“A… what?”)

(“Gojirus. Kind of like a hydra, but bigger and angrier. They hibernate almost the whole year and only wake up on the hottest day of summer. Then the male spends a week hunting for enough food to last them through the winter while his mate lays her eggs, before they go back to sleep again. It’s so romantic!”)

(“I think I heard of them,” Twilight mused as they got closer to the source of the noise, “But why would they be awake now?”)

(“I don’t know, I’m sure Spike wasn’t that loud. And they don’t even get woken up by earthquakes usually.”)

(“Not to mention most hydra are thermoxypnic. Only heat wakes them from their sleep cycle, because moving at colder temperatures is painful for them.”)

(“That explains why he’s so grouchy, then. Can you think of a way to get him back to sleep? Is there something in the library?”)

Twilight paused for a second, wondering what you could use as a lullaby for a many-headed lizard. Nothing she had with her, at any rate. A reptilian head thrust out of the sylvan shadows, fast as a stone from a slingshot. Fluttertwi rolled to one side to dodge it, levitation magic enhancing the power of her wings to make high-speed maneuvering effortless. A second head lunged past them a moment later, striking a tree and sending piles of snow cascading to the forest floor.

(“I don’t want to hurt him!” Fluttershy gasped in the privacy of their mind, “Don’t even think about that! I just want to coax him back to sleep, but I tried everything I could think of, and he won’t stay still long enough! The cold’s hurting him, and that’s keeping him awake!”)

Again and again they dodged enraged strikes from the massive creature. Both tried to think of a way to get it to stay still, but even with the enhanced power of the Driver, Twilight didn’t have enough magical strength to hold more than one head at a time.

“Maybe we can ask the others for help?” Twilight looked down at her friends as their pattern of dodging brought them back within sight, “Could any of them do something we can’t?” In her mind’s eye, it was easy to see what Rainbow Dash would do in this situation: dodge and weave as fast as possible, just like they were already doing. Dash would probably be a lot flashier about it, but that didn’t seem like it would help. They thought about Applejack, whose response would probably be a mighty kick to bring the gojirus down, and Fluttershy was completely against that idea.

(“Rarity’s good at nest building,” Fluttershy pondered in the middle of a high speed sequence of loops, “Maybe she could tidy up the gojirus nest so that he’s more comfortable going back to sleep. But he’s not even going back to his nest. What would Pinkie do?”)

(“Something completely ridiculous,” Twilight responded, and in that moment the perfect plan appeared in both their minds at once, “And that’s just the right thing to do.”)

They soared between the trees, effortlessly avoiding any collision. As soon as they came close to the gojirus, it lunged at them again. It wasn’t hostile, just angry. It was in pain and didn’t know why, and had never even imagined that something like snow could exist, so it attacked every movement it could see instead of following its normal methodical hunting method. In a way, they were lucky that Fluttershy had been nearby, because otherwise the rampaging beast might have destroyed half the forest before they even realised it was awake.

This time, they didn’t try to avoid the huge beast. They flew straight towards it until it seemed a head-on collision was inevitable, and then peeled away at the last moment. The head twisted to follow them, but wasn’t quite so maneuverable in the air. The next time they approached in a different direction, and came even closer before avoiding its eager fangs. Again and again they charged straight at the beast only to pass by as close as they dared. And then, with two heads coming at them from opposite directions, they dived down and flew so low that their hooves trailed in the tightly packed snow on the path. The heads followed, but the creature only just avoided banging two of its own heads together. And then they knew they had it right. They dived between the gojirus’s legs and emerged behind it, praying that it wouldn’t react quickly enough to try sitting on them.

It almost managed to trip itself with its necks, heads stretching out backwards, but proved it wasn’t as simple minded as an ordinary hydra. It stopped and withdrew those heads, and then shuffled its gigantic feet to turn around. And then, it finally realised it couldn’t move when its many necks pulled taut. Fluttertwi had flown such a complex series of loops under the creature’s noses that its serpentine necks were now knotted around a few sturdy trees. It tried to move them by brute force, but the ancient gnarled willows of the Everfree Forest weren’t so easily moved. Every tug pulled the knotted muscles tighter, and before long it was completely immobile.

As soon as she was sure, Fluttertwi flew in closer and landed on the gojirus’s muzzle, staring straight into its eyes. It tried to shake her off, but she was expecting that.

“Stop causing such trouble!” she barked angrily, and Twilight was amazed to find that all the power behind those words was coming from her soft-spoken friend. Fluttershy cared for all the forest creatures, and tried to nurture them as much as she was able. But her love was a mother’s love, and that meant it had to be strict at times. She could talk down to this massive creature and overcome all of her fear because she knew it was for his own good. Sometimes you just had to be firm to be fair, and somehow her motherly instincts were transmitted through the air where their eyes met until even the giant gojirus couldn’t disobey. “Calm down and go to sleep. It will hurt less in the summer, I promise.”

And just like that the lizard’s eyes started to close, one head at a time.

“The crashing stopped!” Applejack called out as the other ponies rushed into the clearing, “Are you okay? We–” she cut herself off on seeing the slowly swaying lizard heads, and continued in a whisper: “We were worried about you. Did you beat it?”

“No,” Fluttershy answered sternly, “We just helped him calm down enough to sleep. And you don’t have to whisper, once he’s started sleeping his ears just switch off. He can’t hear a thing until the warmth of summer starts his heart pounding again.”

“So what woke him up this time?” Rarity asked.

“I’m thinking dopant magic,” Twilight suggested, “There’s been too many delays we can’t explain in this year’s Winter Wrap-Up. I would have sensed it if it was unicorn magic of any kind, and even the pegasus weather arts leave a trail in the air that can be picked up by a suitably complicated and difficult spell. There’s only one thing I can think of that could change so many different things without anypony being able to pinpoint the source.”

“I just hope that our Resonance Meter shows more results. We need to be able to find the dopant before they can cause any more trouble.”

“We need to help this big guy get back into his nest, as well,” Twilight pointed out, “Cold air burns them, and it’ll take a lot of work to untie these knots. Rarity, will you be able to help fix up his nest around him once we got him in?”

“Oh no! I’ve got nests to make!” Rarity looked like she was going to panic and head straight back to her squad, but she stayed around long enough for the group to make a plan. They could cover the beast in leaves and branches for now, and a squad of strong ponies would have to be sent out when there was more time. For now, the most important thing was to make sure that they could wrap winter up, and get spring started on time.

Rarity was distraught when she returned to her desk and found that nothing remained of the nest she had spent more than a day trying to repair. But once she had given up on the impossible project, it took only minutes for her to craft a new and perfect nest from scratch. Applejack and Twilight Sparkle smiled to see their friend doing the work she needed to do as they headed back to the town square.

Rubber Stamp, it seemed, had talents beyond the simple accumulation of paperwork. In preparation for the Winter Wrap-Up, he had produced a map of Ponyville and the surrounding area divided up into numbered areas to which different squads could be assigned. Now, the map had been annotated with the location of every unforeseen setback over the weekend.

“I thought this might help,” he said as he unrolled the huge paper, “There’s twenty different delays, but I think some of them are just accidents, or mistakes that somepony doesn’t want to take the blame for. But if there’s a monster behind some of them, maybe we can work out where it will strike next.”

“There was definitely one when I was out skating,” Twilight pointed at one of the coloured stars stuck onto the map, “Or at least, Pinkie was pretty sure about it.”

“If her Pinkie Sense says there was a dopant, she’s probably right,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “We all stopped doubting her a long time ago.”

They looked at the map again. Out of all the incidents that Rubber Stamp had mentioned, there were some that were almost certainly a mistake on somepony else’s part, and some that seemed to have some supernatural involvement. The awakening of a gojirus almost certainly fell in the latter category. Twilight and the two administrators debated the other incidents, with Rainbow Dash and Applejack chipping in an opinion until they both had to head away to deal with their assigned tasks. That left a dozen suspicious incidents, mostly arranged in a rough circle around the town. It didn’t give them an immediate clue, but they were confident that with the quality of the mapping, it would make it easy to rule out some ponies once they had a list of suspects to start narrowing down.

“So did you see any auras through the Gaia Resonance Meter?” Twilight asked, inspecting her latest invention to make sure the crystal lenses hadn’t degraded at all after being left active the whole morning.

“A few,” Pencil Pusher produced a clipboard, with a list of names on top of it, “There was yourself and Rarity, of course, and your friend Pinkie Pie too. Is it safe to assume those are all because of your Harmony powers, even though you seemed to be illuminated in different colours?” Twilight nodded her agreement, and they started to go through the rest of the list. The two administrators might have a problem with knowing what was a sensible amount of paperwork, but once they knew what they needed to do, they were both exceptionally talented at following proper procedure to the letter.

Spike had an aura when viewed through the Meter, which surprised Twilight as much as anyone. She’d not tried looking at him through it because she’d never thought he could have one. The question of whether dopant magic was related to dragon magic was added to a rapidly growing mental checklist. They spent a few minutes watching the coils of silver-white energy like mist around his body, extending to show where his neck and tail would be if both were considerably longer. Twilight could have studied the shape all day, and formulated new and innovative theories about the growth of dragons, but right now they’d been looking for something specific.

After eliminating six Champions of Harmony, one baby dragon, and two former Gaia Memory users whose bodies apparently showed some trace of that energy, they were left with a small list of four earth ponies who had seemed to shimmer in a different colour when Pencil Pusher looked at them through the tube, and nineteen ponies who hadn’t passed through the administration desk as part of their duties that morning.

“Right. We’ll check out those four first,” Twilight proposed, with a lot more confidence than she was feeling, “If they all turn out to be false positives, then we’ll have to go and try the meter on the others.” She couldn’t help worrying, though, that the names on their list were all earth ponies. The dopants they’d fought so far had been an equal mix of the three tribes. Could it be that her invention was merely picking up earth pony magic, too often ignored by unicorn scholars?

If that was the case, she tried to comfort herself as Pencil Pusher rummaged on her clipboard searching for the list of names and addresses, then she would likely receive some awards in any case. The three field theory, after all, was still conjecture with no way to finally prove it. But a technology capable of even detecting magic and converting magical potential from one field to another would be a marvel with many uses. Right now, though, she didn’t care about being remembered as a scientist. She cared about protecting her friends –and under that term she included every resident of Ponyville – from attack by monsters.

“Here you go!” Pencil Pusher handed over a single slip of paper bearing four names, descriptions, and addresses. Even though it was only one page, she had thought to include both the home addresses of the four ponies and the location they were currently assigned to on the map. It was a concise reference that Twilight herself would have been proud of. She beamed, ready to praise the skill that had gone into it, until she caught sight of the first name on the list.

“Big McIntosh?” She gasped, confused.

“He’s not one of the Champions of Harmony, is he?” Rubber Stamp backed away nervously, unsure whether Twilight had some reason to be angry at their data collection now, “I mean,I know he’s Applejack’s brother. But we just wrote down what we saw. If there’s some mistake…”

“No, no, it’s nothing you’ve done. It’s just…” Twilight found she didn’t know how to explain, “Well, we checked him out once already, I’m pretty sure he’s too smart to be taken in by those things. Better safe than sorry, though?”

Big Mac, of course, was working to free plows from a sheet of ice that covered several fields. It was a tough job even for him and Applejack.

“We don’t need magic,” Applejack grunted as soon as Twilight pulled the Resonance Meter out of her saddlebag, “We got this.”

“I’m not here to help with your ice problem,” Twilight reassured them, “I haven’t got the muscles for that kind of work. But I’ve got a list here of ponies who might be the dopant, and I’m going to find them all and check them out.”

“Asking to see everypony’s cutie marks?” Applejack shrugged, “Hope it’s not a long list, or you’ll spend the whole day explaining what you’re doing.”

“Not that long,” Twilight shrugged, “And I’ve got this now. It’s called a Gaia Resonance Meter, and it should light up if I point it at a dopant.”

“Wow, you’ll be done in a flash then!”

“–or if you point it at some other ponies, too,” Twilight bowed her head, disappointed still. “I think sometimes it might light up for certain kinds of earth pony magic. Or maybe it’s detecting anypony who was nearby when the dopant used its power, I can’t tell. So I’ll still have to ask to see a few cutie marks.”

“Well, it’s better’n asking everypony,” Applejack admitted, “Just let me know if you need me when you find the monster. Hey, are you pointing that thing at my brother? Whatever happened to trusting family?”

“I do trust him. But if this thing’s giving false positives, I need to try to work out why. And that means I need to double-check the whole list. Take a look,” and she passed the technology-encrusted tube to Applejack.

Big Mac did indeed look like she was staring through a cracked piece of red glass, and glittering sparkles traced a pattern in the air around his neck. It was strange to see her brother like that, wondering if he might have become a monster since they last checked. She couldn’t bring herself to suspect him, though. Then she turned the device on Twilight, and saw a similar kind of sparks clustering closer together to make the shape of the Driver instantly recognisable.

“You’ve not turned into a monster since we checked, have you Big Mac?” she asked, hoping it would be clear there wasn’t any real suspicion.

“Nope!” He shook his head, then stepped away from the plow he was pulling on for a moment to show off both of his flanks.

“Thanks,” Twilight smiled, “Now I need to work out what’s causing that aura, if it isn’t a Gaia Memory, and check up on the others. Hopefully one of these will be the pony we’re after. Next up, I need to speak to a stallion called Honest Joe.”

As she walked away, Applejack came up to offer a few last words of encouragement. Then she leaned in to whisper to Twilight: “Don’t worry about that glow, it’s obvious he’s not a monster, you saw his marks for yourself.”

“Yes. But that just makes me wonder what it could be. I don’t know any other form of power that would form a shape like that around a pony’s neck, it doesn’t seem like something that would naturally come from earth pony magic.”

“No. But it looks an awful lot like your Driver, with those magic sparks. And it made me think, I know Big Mac’s heard me talk about how much stronger the Elements make us. And I’ve had the Driver here with me a few times, when you were busy and we didn’t want you to always be the first pony out in an emergency. Who’s to say he wasn’t tempted to try it on?”

“But the Elements didn’t choose him! That could be…”

“So he can’t use them. But the Driver is an Element too, didn’t Celestia and Nightmare both say that? It doesn’t do anything on its own, but it might leave some kind of trace.”

“Could be,” Twilight avoided a little giggle as her treacherous mind presented images of Big Mac wearing some of Applejack’s other clothes. Her friend didn’t go in for clothes often but she had a few, like the outfit Rarity had made her for the upcoming Gala. And visualising Big Mac in that outfit, with those galoshes, was enough to make her wish she didn’t have such a good imagination.

They both looked back at Big Mac as Twilight went off to find the next possible dopant, but neither said anything more on that subject.

“Honest Joe?” Twilight asked. The stallion shook his head. She waited, hoping that a further answer would be forthcoming.

“He’s out today,” he eventually seemed to understand that she wanted an answer, “Doing the Winter Wrap-Up. I’d be out there too, shovelling snow and letting all the ladies get an eyeful of these muscles. But somepony’s got to keep the shop running, you know?”

“Right,” she nodded, wondering if his body somehow looked so much more impressive when he was shovelling snow. She couldn’t imagine anypony she knew being particularly impressed with what she saw now, but many stallions she’d met were over-eager to show off their muscles, and had something of a high opinion of themselves. “So, where is he? The ice breaking squad said he signed off an hour ago.”

“He’s not come back here. Maybe he went to the farms? He said he’d heard one of them always gives hot cider to everypony when they finish, so maybe he’d hang around on the edges until they start giving something out. He’s earned it, after all.”

Twilight just nodded. This pony had the muscles of a full grown stallion, but still the selfish mind of a foal. She had no doubt that he’d be right alongside Honest Joe if he didn’t need to keep the store open today, and he resented having to do a job that didn’t involve the prospect of free cider. There was only one farm where she thought that might be a possibility, though.

Twilight nodded to the staff at Honest Joe’s store, muttered her thanks, and then headed off in precisely the direction she’d come from. She didn’t have to walk all the way back to Sweet Apple Acres, though. A little way outside town, she came across a pony who had the store’s logo emblazoned across a heavy winter jacket. Knowing the type of ego that led a stallion to wear something like that, she wouldn’t have been surprised if it was his cutie mark as well.

“Honest Joe?” She panted as she drew level with him, “I think we need to talk a little.” She couldn’t check his cutie marks, as he was draped in a heavy cloak to keep him from getting too muddy when he reached the farm. But if he was innocent, it wouldn’t take too long to persuade him to let her see.

“What can I do you for?” he brayed, confirming every stereotype her mind had managed to form. This was the kind of pony who’d say it was a beautiful day and then try to charge you for it, “I was just checking out to see if any of the snow clearing teams could use any help. There’s so much work, you know, and I always put my –”

The rest of his speech was drowned out by what could only be described as the noise of a large mechanical engine. Twilight had never heard of an engine so loud or so large before, but she couldn’t think of anything else it could have been. And then the source of the sound appeared; a horse shaped machine crafted of metal and wood, every surface gleaming red in the afternoon sun. It was hard to tell if this was a dopant that looked like a machine, an engine of some kind with amazingly lifelike movements, or somepony in a bulky suit.

After their last encounter, the Champions of Harmony had found nothing they could use to track down this creature, and Twilight was determined the same wouldn’t happen again. She raised the Gaia Resonance Meter, and saw a brilliant aura, and lines of corruscating red fire flowing through the armour from a point on the shoulder. There could be no doubt that a Gaia Memory was powering this, whatever it was.

“Honest Joe!” a voice like metal grating on metal roared, “You are the icy dopant?”

There was a look of terror in Joe’s eyes as he shook his head, backing away and stumbling erratically in fear. He couldn’t even speak as the red figure towered over him.

“Every evil or selfish act you perpetrate using the power of the Gaia Memory taints all of us, and this will not be permitted. These are supposed to be the gateway to the next evolution of ponykind, not a trinket you can use for your own ends.” With his judgement pronounced, the red warrior reared up and produced a Gaia Memory, but to Twilight’s surprise it was clear, not the same red glow as the aura she’d seen through her meter. The mechanical stallion adjusted some kind of dial on the back of the Memory, before holding it up and squeezing the switch.

“ENGINE!” The voice was just like a roar of engines, coming from both the strange Memory and the armour. But rather than place the crystal back into his body, the dopant produced his sword from somewhere and pushed the memory into its hilt.

“Stop!” Twilight called, “We just need to talk!”

“No,” the red monster growled, “There’s no time for talking. I can’t let a criminal dopant get away, especially not this one.” He popped the Memory out of the sword’s guard again with a gesture so subtle that Twilight couldn’t see how he did it, caught the falling crystal with his other hoof, and slammed it firmly into a slot in the back edge of the blade.

“STEAM: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” Clouds of vapour suddenly boiled off the blade along its entire length, and held together in the air to make a gaseous sword more than double the length of the metal one at its heart. The red warrior raised it high above his head, not seeming to care at all that Honest Joe might not be the dopant, or that even if he was he wouldn’t survive a strike like that without transforming.

“No!” Twilight screamed, her magic manipulating the Element of Joker as quickly as she ever had.

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!” For once luck was on their side, and Twinkie’s forehooves came together just in time to catch the massive insubstantial blade in the air, a half inch from Honest Joe’s mane.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” Twilight gasped, not thinking for a moment if it would be better to say that internally, “You got here just in time.” As she spoke the red figure – horse or living cart, or whatever it was – pulled back its sword and swung again. Twinkie parried the blow expertly with the back of her hoof, but even with the enhanced strength the Driver gave them there was enough power there to knock them down, and the sword was hot enough to burn unprotected skin.

“You can’t be protecting a dopant?” the red creature roared, “You’re Champions, like me! We’re supposed to punish them, all the ones who can’t control the power. He isn’t even a G4, he’s using a G3 Memory that escaped obsolescence by evolving into a G3.5, so unreliable that their mere existence makes the system less stable! You can’t defend that!” There was clear disgust in his voice, and a sideways glance made it clear that Honest Joe didn’t know what he was talking about any more than Twilight did.

“What’s a–” she started to ask, but Pinkie took over their shared mouth to interrupt.

“We haven’t got time for questions! There’s a dopant interfering with the ice on the other side of town, we need to defeat this one and hurry over there. I was just about to call you when you–”

“It’s not him?” their enemy sounded genuinely surprised, as far as they could tell through the sound of roaring wheels and crunching gears, even though that was what Twilight had already said. He took one more swing with the massive sword, forcing them to duck to avoid it, and then roared off into the distance. When he abandoned the bipedal stance he seemed to favour for fighting, the red champion could make the wheels on his legs spin on their own, racing along the road without needing to move a muscle. It was so different from any power the Champions had ever seen before, but he made it look natural.

“Did he say… Champion?” Pinkie was immediately confused, “Does that mean he’s like us, not a dopant?”

“Or she, remember,” Twilight corrected, “And we thought it might be possible there’s another Element out there. But what kind of Element is Engine?”

“What was…” Honest Joe was still sitting in a huddle by the roadside, coat stained with mud where he’d fallen. He looked at them as if he didn’t know whether to expect another attack.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight tried to calm the terrified swindler as quickly as she could, “He thought you were going to turn into a monster, but he was clearly wrong. Go and get some of that cider, I hear it’s good this year.” Then there was a sparkle of pink and blue magic, and the armoured Champion of Harmony teleported away. Honest Joe stared at the space where they had been for a few moments, half expecting them to reappear, then shrugged and continued along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. Some good home-made cider wouldn’t help him to understand any of this, but he was pretty sure that by the bottom of the mug it wouldn’t seem so important anyhow.

“Help!” Jade Palace and Level Clear called from the middle of the lake. They skidded back and forth on a tiny slab of ice, that rocked alarmingly in the water. They had decided between them that as this was one of the largest lakes around Ponyville that scoring the untouched ice would be a perfect way to show the world that the Winter Wrap-Up was going to proceed on schedule. But then the ice had split, a circle all around them melting in an instant. There was no way that could be natural.

“Help!” They both screamed, again and again though there was nopony close enough to hear. Pinkie Pie had been watching over their group, but had already reprimanded the two for taking unnecessary risks. They’d wanted to show her that they could do the right thing on the ice even if they weren’t as over-the-top exuberant as her. And then when she’d heard their screams of panic, she had taken one look at the ice and then fallen asleep on her feet, toppling neatly against the closest snowbank.

Now they just screamed, and tried to get over their terror enough to stay still. But the tiniest movement made their ice-floe haven tip alarmingly, and sent them skittering toward the edges. Jade knew she shouldn’t have come out here. She shouldn’t even have been on the ice, except that she’d been too proud to admit she couldn’t swim, and Clear said it was the same for her.

Shivering was all it took. The ice beneath them tilted, and hooves found no purchase on the slick surface. What friction the ice would have provided was negated by a thin layer of water where Level Clear tried to grip on, and in seconds she was in the ice-cold water. She flailed madly, and just about managed to keep her head above the surface, but Jade could only watch helplessly as she drifted out of reach. If Level Clear didn’t drown, the chill of the water would start to sap her energy very quickly.

Pinkie Pie appeared in a flash of magic, this time dressed up in gleaming plates of metal and crystal. Jade did an immediate double-take, and saw that Pinkie was still exactly where she had fallen asleep a minute before on the other bank of the lake. Then the newcomer turned to face them, and it was clear to see the Champion of Harmony, a unicorn with one half of her body in Pinkie’s distinct bright coat and mane, while the left half had Twilight Sparkle’s much more sedate lavender colouring.

A tendril of unicorn magic, a pink and blue spiral, reached out to pluck Level Clear from the freezing waters and transport her safely to the bank. Once they were sure she hadn’t swallowed too much water, and wasn’t injured beyond the panic, the grasping magic stretched out again to pick up Jade, together with the platform she was standing on. It must have weighed as much again as she did, but Twilight/Pinkie could lift it without a second’s thought.

“You can stop screaming now,” Pinkie smirked, her voice surprisingly normal given that she seemed to have only half a mouth. Jade found it a bit strange, but at least she had seen the Champion close enough to understand the stories she’d heard from friends about two ponies becoming one. She stopped screaming, which had somehow become almost automatic, and tried to think of something meaningful to say. She would happily have settled for a way to thank them without seeming like a sycophant or a fool.

“Did you see the dopant?” Twilight’s voice came from the same mouth that Pinkie had spoken from a moment before. It was no threat, but somehow it was even more disconcerting than the suddenly melting ice.

“The what now?” Jade hoped as soon as the words were out of her mouth that they hadn’t sounded as ditzy as she thought.

“The monster,” Twilight explained, “There’s something been going around trying to sabotage the Winter Wrap-Up, nopony’s managed to get a good look at it yet, and stunts like this make me think it’s getting more desperate. If you saw it, that would make it easy for us to work out what we’re dealing with.”

“I didn’t see,” Jade shook her head, wondering how close she’d come to actually being able to help the town’s heroes. She never seemed to be in the right place at the right time, but long experience didn’t make disappointment in herself any easier to bear. “We were skating, trying to break the lake because nobody had done it yesterday, they said it was a low priority, and Stardust said that the sun hadn’t heated as much as it was supposed to, so we thought we could manage. But then suddenly the ice was melting, in a big circle, and I couldn’t look away because I can’t swim, I was scared, and I just kept thinking I might drown if I didn’t keep looking at where was water and where was ice.”

“Shh,” Twilight took the slightest step closer, and urged her into silence, “Shh, calm down. You don’t need to get overexcited, you and your friend are safe now. And I promise you, we will find that monster and stop it before things like this can happen to anypony else. Now, I think you should go home and rest. The Wrap-Up is nearly done now, and you’ve worked as hard as anypony.”

Jade nodded, and pulled herself to her feet. There was almost a crowd around them now, everypony who had some kind of medical training on this side of Ponyville had gathered to make sure they were okay. Somepony put a warm blanket around Jade’s shoulders, protecting her from the chill air. Level had already got one, replacing the soaked silks that had flown out so dramatically when they’d been skating. She couldn’t say for sure, but she didn’t think she’d be able to wear that particular outfit again without bringing back all the wrong memories.

“So what do we do now?” Pinkie Pie trotted back over to where Twilight was waiting on the crest of a hill, as soon as she was back in her own body. “No clues where the dopant went, no idea where he’s going to strike next. Is that red guy really out to stop dopants like us?”

“I hope so,” Twilight stared down at her hooves, looking for anything to keep her attention on that might suppress certain mental images, “I mean, he stopped that stallion, Castle Tail. But then we never saw him again. If he thinks it’s okay to kill a dopant, then… he’s not like us at all. And I have to say, if that’s true then we have to stop him.”

“We have to stop winter first, though. Can’t have some icy dopant slowing things down any more.”

“Right,” and they headed back to the town square. When they arrived, they found that Rubber Stamp had drawn up an even larger map, and unrolled it across the steps of the town hall so that they could easily see the whole thing. Every incident was recorded here, together with times and descriptions. And also, a complex spider web of coloured lines that almost drowned out the shapes of the buildings.

“What’s this?” Rarity was just arriving from the south, bearing a checklist of all the nests created and laid in the trees.

“A graph of everypony’s movements, an advanced time and motion study!” Rubber Stamp declared proudly, “We know that if a pony’s jobs have been done, then they were in the place they were supposed to be for at least part of the allotted time. Taking this line, for example, we know that yesterday afternoon, Spoiled Rich was assigned to the nest making team, and completed eleven nests. Based on the typical complexity, which I’m sure you can double check, this means that between coming here for her assignment and coming to report completion, she would have spent a maximum of forty-seven minutes doing things other than making nests. It would have taken sixteen of those minutes to walk to the tables and back, therefore she could not have gone to any place more than sixteen minutes’ walk away from the nest making tables, or detoured slightly farther from the expected route along the way. Therefore we know that between those two times, Spoiled Rich didn’t set a hoof outside this yellow outline.”

“So you know she couldn’t have been responsible for the flooding at the farm,” Twilight pointed to a flag sticking in the other side of the map, “It’s brilliant. I would never have thought of tracing time and place on the same map like that.”

“So what do we do now?” Pinkie peered at the map, just a little confused.

“We look at each dopant incident in turn,” Twilight said, “We make a list of everypony who could possibly have got there at the right time. And then we compare them to find out who is on all the lists.”

“Wow! It’s like that index thing in the library, but on a map.”

“One problem,” Pencil Pusher was the only downcast face at that point, “We already cross-referenced the lists, and there’s nopony who could have done it.”

There was an uncomfortable silence that lasted several seconds. Then, everypony offered their suggestions at once.

“What if there’s more than one monster?”

“You must have made a mistake!”

“It could be an outsider?”

“It’s a spirit of winter, not somepony here at all.”

“Dopants can move faster than a normal pony,” Twilight pointed out the details the more outlandish speculations might have missed, “And there’s nothing to say that the time we discovered the problem is the same time it actually happened. Like when I got stuck on the ice, the dopant might have left some kind of spell or trap there hours before.”

“Oh,” Rubber Stamp looked dejected, “I thought I had something…”

“Don’t mope,” Pinkie immediately moved in at the sight of a sad face, “We try lots of different things until we find one that works, that’s what everypony does. You had a really great idea, but we need to try something else. Twilight’s Gaia Meter didn’t find the dopant either, but we’re not giving up.”

“It didn’t?”

“Too many false positives,” Twilight shrugged, “I think it’s picking up earth pony magic somehow, but that’s an interesting discovery in itself. I just need more chance to test it in all circumstances before it will help with something like this. I might even need–” and suddenly she stopped, staring up at Pinkie Pie on the steps.

“Twilight?”

“I can’t believe we didn’t think of it. We should check the library!”

All the bystanders’ heads turned towards the doors of the Golden Oak Library. Pencil Pusher was the one to say what many were thinking: “You’ve got books about monsters now?”

“No, not that…” Twilight trailed off, with no idea how she was going to complete that sentence. The other Champions of Harmony knew what she meant, though, and that was good enough. “Come on, Pinkie,” she settled for, “Let’s look up a dopant!”

The crowd watched them go, just a little confused as they trooped into the library.

“I don’t get it,” Pinkie muttered in confusion, a feeling she was more used to inspiring in others than feeling herself, “We did a Look-up this morning, and got nowhere. Did you think of a new keyword?”

“We tried everything we could think of. Ice, frost, snow. Details of the incidents. But we’ve been looking it from the wrong side. If a dopant could control snow, they’d be able to make it snow any time, and ignore what the weather factory tries. They wouldn’t need to stop the Wrap-Up.”

“So what’s the other side?” Rarity asked, though she was sure Twilight was ready to give them the whole answer in any case, just waiting for the obvious questions out of politeness.

“We were having loads of trouble clearing snow on the farms yesterday. I needed to put cleats on my hooves just to move. Applejack will probably tell you that there isn’t normally a problem with mud when you’re plowing snow. Right?”

“Of course!” Applejack called from the door, arriving just in time to hear her name, “The ground’s rock hard, you can push against every ridge. But–”

“But the ground was really soft this morning. It was like it was twice the work it needed to be, because most of your effort was going into churning up the ground. That’s why I couldn’t move the plow at all.”

“Right! And I didn’t even notice, I’m so used to stomping through mud. No wonder I was sweating so much, but why would the ground not be frozen if there’s snow on top of it? And it couldn’t be the whole place, because some of those carts were moving faster than ever, like it was magic.” And with the last word she had enough self-consciousness to blush and look away.

“Or like they were skidding on ice. Like a thin layer of the snowdrift had melted and then refrozen, making a chute that lets the plow move along with almost no resistance, just to make sure you can’t figure out what’s going on.”

“They’re extending winter by melting the snow!” Pinkie Pie gasped, “That’s kind of backwards, but it makes sense.”

“They melted the ice on that lake, and almost drowned two mares. And they woke a gojirus, a creature that can’t feel anything until summer heat causes a change in its heart.”

“I think I know what we’re looking up, then!” Pinkie grinned, and just a few minutes later she was walking between the shelves of the giant library that filled her dream space. The books here followed the shape of the shelves around her sleeping body in the Golden Oak Library, but there were no shelves to support them and she could see row upon row of books beyond the closest ones. Here, she could find every detail she’d ever heard about the entire population of Ponyville, and lately she had to assume that Luna had been adding books as well, because there were volumes detailing the strengths and weaknesses of many of the Gaia Memories they’d so far encountered. The only problem, with so much information around her, was finding the relevant book.

“Keyword: Melt,” Twilight’s voice came as if from nowhere, and gave Pinkie the focus she needed to operate the index. Most of the books vanished, whirled away into the far reaches of the library by some unseen force, leaving only a few thousand hanging in the air around Pinkie. As she watched, they organised themselves into neater rows, and formed a circle as if arrayed on invisible shelves around her.

“Keyword: Thermoxypnia,” Twilight added, and at once most of the books were whisked away.”

“Two hundred and seventeen results!” Pinkie cheered, sure that the friends gathered around her body would be able to hear her outside her dream.

“They said that the air temperature is rising more slowly than usual,” she heard Rainbow Dash’s voice chip in, “They can’t understand it, the sun is as bright as ever and we’ve kept the sky cloud free.”

“I got it,” Twilight answered, “The sun’s heat isn’t heating the air because it’s spread over a wider area, and concentrated on parts of the countryside that we don’t monitor so closely. Keyword: Refraction!” Pinkie didn’t quite follow that, but she’d always been more concerned with the way ponies reacted to the weather than the atmospheric phenomena that caused it. She thought about the word, and the books flew away until she was facing a single row of different-coloured volumes.

“Twenty-five results!” she called back, “Nearly there!”

“Don’t forget the migrating birds,” Fluttershy offered, “Gusts of wind that none of the weather ponies had caused. Cold gusts, but that’s just because the air was still cold. Right?”

“Keyword: Turbulence.” Rainbow Dash said decisively.

“Four results!” Pinkie called, “I can check all of them I think.”

“No need,” Twilight’s voice answered, “Because there’s one answer standing out, we can make a pretty good guess how the dopant’s doing this using our knowledge of science. All we need to know is why anypony would be so desperate for winter to continue. When’s the time you want a little cool air more than ever?” The others ummed and ahhed for a few moments, not spotting the connection, so Twilight decided to answer her own question.

“Keyword: Fever.”

“One result,” Pinkie answered, as a book with four letters on the cover drifted towards her waiting hooves, “The ‘Warm’ Memory gives its user the power to add warmth to something, melting ice on a pond for example, and then taking that heat away again so the ice freezes solid to trap your skates. By heating the air, they can create gusts of wind to upset tired migrating birds, or change the air density so that it acts like a lens to spread out the sun’s heat. Warmth can obviously melt a pond, even melt a huge snowbank to cause a flood and then let it freeze as solid ice once their power is withdrawn. And the Memory makes the pony using it feel overheated, like the air around them is just too hot for comfort, so of course they’d want winter to carry on.”

“You got the name of the Memory user?” Twilight asked as Pinkie’s eyes flickered open.

“Only one pony complaining it’s too warm lately. Maybe she didn’t realise it was the Gaia Memory at first. Level Clear.”

“Let’s get this Memory wrapped up, then,” Applejack declared, “Then our families can wrap up winter.”

They found Level Clear on the edge of Ponyville, bathing in a pool that still had chunks of ice floating on the surface with every sign of enjoyment.

“She just wants to be comfortable,” Fluttershy mumbled, “I’d feel bad–”

“Don’t,” Twilight was firm, “No second thoughts. The gojirus just wanted to be comfortable, too. She nearly drowned her best friend. That’s why Gaia Memories are so dangerous, it stops you seeing the difference between right and wrong. We have to stop her.” Before anypony could have any more second thoughts, she walked out from behind the bush and approached Level Clear.

“What’s up?” the Memory user didn’t seem too concerned, even though the water around her flanks was gently steaming.

“Warmth,” Twilight laid the word down decisively, like a hand full of aces.

“It wasn’t me!” Level Clear scrambled to get out of the water, but she didn’t have a dress to hide her flank this time. Four wavy lines formed a scar in the shape of a letter W over the top of her cutie mark, and there was no doubt now that she was a dopant. “It’s a mistaken identity, you’ve got to believe me!”

“We can see the mark,” Twilight pointed, “But we won’t blame you. We know Gaia Memories make you do things you wouldn’t normally do. It’s making you feel so hot all the time, if you just hand over the Memory that will stop, and you won’t have reason to hurt anypony. Please, just trust us.”

“I’ve tried! I left it at home, and it just gets hotter, it burns me!”

“We can destroy it. You aren’t the first one this has happened to, you just need to–”

“Stop wasting time, your enemy’s right there!” a red cart leapt over the nearest ridge, and quickly unfolded in the air until it took the shape of a horse again. He already had the sword out, and ran straight for Level Clear.

“What are you doing?” Applejack yelled, leaping between him and Level Clear while Twilight was still pulling on the Driver. “You can’t –” and then stopped as she realised she was directly in the path of a swinging sword. But the red pony stopped its swing just before it could strike.

“Move!” he barked angrily, “I don’t want to hurt you.”

“But it’s okay to hurt innocent ponies? You can’t blame her for what that Memory made her do, and nopony’s really been hurt except her.”

“You haven’t seen what she did to my family,” and there was real venom in his voice now, “I’m the Champion of Justice, and you won’t stop me taking my revenge.”

“You’ll have to go through me then,” Applejack reared up to her full height, almost looking the armoured pony in the eye. Twilight grimaced, wishing for once that her friend wasn’t so stubborn. She didn’t want to see Applejack hurt, but she knew that standing up to the bully was the right thing to do. He even seemed to be less sure of himself now, so maybe he did have good intentions behind the armour.

“Anypony else, I’d wait until you’re not here. But I can’t let the icy dopant escape justice again.” He drew back the sword as the other Champions of Harmony gathered behind Applejack, and there was a Gaia Memory in his other hoof. Twilight had time to see that this one had an extra switch on, with multiple positions, and it seemed to have less crystal and more technological components than any they’d seen before.

“ENGINE!” the Memory called out as he depressed the lever, and then he adjusted the switch on the back and slammed it into a socket on his flank, “TYPE: JET!”

Applejack braced herself for an attack, wondering if a pony without magical armour could even survive a blow from that sword. But instead of striking, the self proclaimed Champion of Justice leapt vertically into the air and soared over their heads towards the path Level Clear had fled down.

“No you don’t, buster!” Applejack snatched the Driver as soon as Twilight held it out, and swung it around her neck while already running.

“LAUGHTERᏔHONESTY!” The ground shook as Apple Pie’s hooves landed, and they felt as if their body was made of rock. They could move as fast as ever, but there was so much weight, so much power in every muscle. They were a massive, unstoppable force with speed that only made them more dangerous, like a train or a meteor. As the magical glow around them faded, the others could see that their coat ranged from orange to pink, but with a dappled pattern between that looked almost like flames, rather than the clear silver and gold line of most of their forms.

“Two earth ponies,” Twilight muttered to herself as she watched the change, “I hadn’t realised, I’ve not seen those two transforming together before.” On impulse she pointed the Gaia Resonance Meter at her friends as they began to fight, and was almost blinded by the brightness of the colours. A crimson silhouette of a mechanical pony, and rushing up to meet him twin suns of blue and gold, with streamers of rainbow light trailing behind them. It was beautiful, and Twilight did her best to remember how the scene looked before lowering the device to watch the actual fight.

“Stop right there!” Apple Pie yelled, two voices in harmony. They swung a kick that knocked the Champion of Justice off his feet, hurling him through the air. But whatever powers his Element commanded, it seemed he could maneuver in mid air even without wings. In just a second he was charging forward again, and Apple Pie turned to hit him full in the flank with both hooves. It was a buck anypony would have been proud of, and he didn’t have time to decelerate before he was embedded a dozen yards into the nearest rocky outcrop.

For a moment they stared at the pony-shaped hole, worrying that they could have seriously injured another champion with their unexpected strength. He came out as confident as ever, though, only staggering slightly.

“I said, step aside!” he growled, “The third generation Gaia Memories are extremely dangerous and difficult to control. They should all have been destroyed a thousand years ago, but some of them remained hidden, dormant, all over Equestria, and now they’ve managed to escape obsolescence by evolving into G3.5.”

Apple Pie just glared, keeping her eyes on his forehooves. He wasn’t attacking right now, maybe he thought that if he explained himself they would somehow come to agree with him. They kept listening, knowing Twilight would admonish them later if they missed a chance to find out more about the Gaia Memories, but neither could believe there was a justification for hurting Level Clear.

“You need to understand, the chaos is just going to get worse until we can take out the ponies who are hunting down and distributing these half-evolved Memories. And I’ve been watching for the dopant with control of ice since I returned to Ponyville. Nopony will stop me. Not even you, A.J.”

Applejack was momentarily caught off guard that this monster knew her name, and that was all the time he needed to get a quick slash in with that sword. Pinkie wasn’t so surprised, and managed to knock the blow aside. The blade hit her hard in the shoulder, but the magical armour absorbed most of the force. She slammed the Champion of Justice back again, but straight away he came in for another try. She could knock the sword aside, but she was tiring fast and a couple of times it was only the armour that saved them. When there was just a second in between blows, they backed away slightly and tried to catch their breath.

““JET: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” Apple Pie didn’t have time to dodge, and the sword connected with more force than either of them would have thought possible. It was like a hammerblow to every part of their body, and though the armour didn’t break they were thrown back through the air just like their enemy had been a few minutes earlier.

Pinkie blinked and sat up, surprised to find any pain from the impact vanishing as she found herself back in her own body. In the distance, she could see Applejack struggling to stand while the red champion strode confidently past her. There was no sign of Level Clear now, so perhaps the mare had got away. It wasn’t clear right now if that was a good thing or not.

“You let her get away,” the red Champion growled, and it wasn’t quite clear if he was more angry or disappointed. “You need to start –”

“WARM!” Level Clear reappeared from behind a boulder, barely recognisable. If you squinted, you could imagine that she looked like a pony on fire. But in reality, she looked more like an artist’s impression of a roaring fire carved out of wax and brought to life. Red, gold, and even blue flame shapes decorated her body, but they bent and distorted as she moved rather than flickering like a real fire.

“You tricked me!” she yelled, “You said you were trying to help, and you were just looking for an opportunity to turn me over to that monster. Well, I won’t give you another chance to make a fool out of me!”

She leapt towards where Applejack was lying prone on the ground, but the Champion of Justice swung out with his sword to intercept the stroke. They might have different views, but it was clear that he was still more concerned about defeating the dopant. Hooves clashed against sword again and again, and it wasn’t clear to any of the observers who was hurt the most by each exchange. It drew the enemies’ attention away long enough, though, and Rainbow Dash swooped down so that Applejack could pass her the driver.

“LAUGHTERᏔLOYALTY!” They didn’t waste any time debating with the dopant, or trying to persuade her to give up the Memory voluntarily. As long as there were two enemies here, and attempt at conversation would be almost an invitation for somepony to stab them in the back.

Rainbow Pie produced a party cannon without even thinking about using lesser attacks. She quickly loaded it with balloons, streamers, and party games; the right symbols to remind Level Clear of why she loved Pinkie’s parties so much.

(“Can we do this?” Rainbow Dash muttered inside their mind, showing a little less bravado than usual, “We normally have to fight a bit until they’re stunned.”)

(“Don’t worry, we got this!”)

In the past they’d normally fought a dopant for longer before unleashing one of their most powerful techniques, it was true. But that had been as much to tap into the emotions that made them Champions, to reach the desire to protect that seemed to give them their power. But they knew that if they didn’t end this battle quickly, Level Clear could be facing something a lot more serious than a Memory Break. That desperation stimulated Pinkie’s memories of every good time they’d spent together, few as they were. It would have to be good enough.

“Maximum drive!” they yelled, and Rainbow Dash felt the familiar sense of double vision as she was both hoisting a cannon onto her shoulder and being loaded into the barrel ready to achieve a speed that was otherwise beyond even her. “Party rainboom cannon!”

Level Clear’s mind was filled with images of a whole weekend of gaming, with the friends she cared about most. She’d thought at the time that she’d never seen so many balloons in one place, and she’d run out of ways to keep hold of them all once Pinkie decided to give them out as prizes for every game she won. She remembered finally trading them in for ice cream, as well, though she hadn’t known where it came from. Ever since that one party, Level Clear had the same images in her mind every time she was surrounded by balloons, especially right now.

Then suddenly, there was a cool breeze on her face. The wind rushing past, as if it was trying to get out of the way of the rainbow-haired pegasus. A circle of many-coloured light spread out from the point of impact, and the shockwave made the ground underfoot tremble. Level Clear reclined on the icy surface, while the Warm Gaia Memory slid out of her haunch and cracked like an icicle, falling on a warm spring day. She could have lain there all afternoon, savouring the feel of ice against her side, but there was still a giant red horse standing over her, ready to bring that giant sword crashing down.

“Don’t!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice was as cold as ice, “You’re supposed to be a Champion of Justice, isn’t that what you said? But you’re fighting for revenge now, on the pony with a Gaia Memory that controls ice. You must have felt how hot her body was when you were fighting, you know that isn’t an ice power. Look at the broken Gaia Memory if you don’t believe me, that was ‘Warm’. She hasn’t hurt you, and she hasn’t hurt anypony. As soon as that Memory was broken, justice was done here.” The other Champion looked across the clearing and met her gaze, with eyes like mechanical lamps that somehow still managed to convey an emotion. His metallic head turned back and forth, looking from Twilight to Level Clear, and to Rainbow Pie, and Applejack where she still lay on the ground.

“You can’t stop me,” he rumbled at last, adjusting the switch on his strange Memory and then lifting his hoof ready to put it back into the sword.

“LAUGHTERLOYALTY: Maximum Drive!” This time it was the Driver’s melodious voice calling the name of the attack. Rainbow Pie didn’t know who the other Champion was, let alone what kind of party decorations would best suit him. They couldn’t reach into their hearts and produce any sympathy or compassion, any desire to save him from the revenge that now consumed him, because all they saw was a stallion in a suit. But they could still press down hard on both the Elements in the Driver, and unlock the basic power of their maximum drive without any aspect of redemption.

They could point a cannon as large as he was at the interloper, while he stood with his sword raised over an innocent pony. And the look in their eyes told him that every one of the Champions of Harmony would be willing to take him on if he continued fighting this battle today. That was not a fight he wanted to continue with.

“You’re right,” he muttered, and sheathed the sword along the back of his armour. Then he dropped back down to rest the four wheels of his suit on the ground, looking more like a horse-shaped cart then a mechanical stallion warrior. “But this isn’t over. We still need to destroy the unlicensed Gaia Memories, and that won’t be an easy task if you insist on saving every pony foolish enough to use them.” His wheels spun, and the noise of the engine drowned out any attempt to reply as he sped off into the sunset.

Level Clear looked in the direction he’d gone for a few minutes, and then finally broke the silence.

“I don’t know about you, but I think I’d be more comfortable without all the frost under me.”

“Yeah,” Twilight laughed, trying to push all the curiosities and worries out of her mind for the moment, “Maybe you’d like to help us Wrap Up Winter? There’s still an hour left before Ponyville is officially late into spring.”

In the end, winter was wrapped up and spring was sprung with minutes to spare. Without strange refractions in the air, the sun was quite capable of cutting through the last of the snow. The gojirus didn’t wake again, the birds returned home just in time to find a beautiful and fashionable nest waiting for every family, and the frosty ground was soft enough to plant the first seeds of the new season within days.

For a change, the report Twilight typed up about the dopant wasn’t immediately handed to Spike once the fifth or sixth draft seemed good enough. Instead, she carefully wrapped the parchment and handed it to Mayor Mare, who was tasked with reporting to Princess Celestia that the seasons had been successfully changed. It was a little more elegant, Twilight thought, for the Princess to receive all the reports on the event at once; from the three team leaders, from the organisational team (with a lot less papers than last year, but a little more useful information), from the mayor, and from the Champions of Harmony.

The report included questions again, but she wasn’t really expecting any answers. The Princesses didn’t want anyone else to find out about the Gaia Memories, so some details were too sensitive to send through the dragon post. On Spike’s advice, Twilight decided not to ask whether Princess Luna was settling in well at Canterlot again. She hadn’t heard any kind of public announcement that there were two princesses in the castle, so she assumed that must be a secret for now, as well. She couldn’t wait to get some answers, and to look through the giant book that was in Celestia’s Museum.

But it looked like, for now, waiting was the only option. With the start of spring, that meant the Grand Galloping Gala was only ninety seven days away, and some of her friends were already counting off the days on their calendars. Rarity had made dresses for them all, perfect on the third attempt, and it seemed like nothing could stop them now. It was just a matter of waiting.

Back in their basement laboratory, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity put the Gaia Resonance Meter project on hold for a while, unable to understand why so many earth ponies should give them a false positive reading. As much as they wanted to test it, they agreed that they couldn’t risk leading the Champion of Justice to attack any more innocents. So when they had spare moments, they resumed working on the collars, trying to tap into the links between the Elements of Harmony so they could send messages more complex than one flash or two.

There were mysteries still to be solved, and many enemies to defeat. But with birdsong the only distraction and golden warmth in the sunlight that woke her, Twilight found she could be quietly confident that the new Champion would come to understand them, and together they would destroy every last Gaia Memory. The future seemed bright for a change.

Author's Note

Here it is.

I've got my fingers crossed hoping nobody minds how much I've messed about with the 'Champion of Justice'. I'd be interested to hear if anyone knows who they are (it's a pony who has spoken in this story while not transformed), and what their actual Gaia Memory is. Can you hazard a guess, or are you sure?
It'll be easier to balance the different elements of this story if I have some idea what readers are thinking.

Intermission - W Trouble

The location of the meeting was an isolated barn, but it could just as well have been anywhere. Two were meeting here today. One could keep the meeting secret from everypony, because the barn, though dilapidated, was a part of his farm and he could go there whenever he wanted. Nopony would dare intrude on the boss when he chained the door closed. They’d just assume that disrepair had made the place dangerous, and that wandering in would cost them their jobs even if they survived whatever falling boards or other hazards might be inside.

The other visitor wouldn’t be seen entering, or leaving. She wasn’t even there; but an image projected using the previously unexplored harmonic resonance of the magical aura of Gaia Memories.

“TERROR” the Memory’s voice shook the loose planks on the walls. There was a flash of black light, that cast impossible shadows of violet and gold wherever there was any decoration, and then there were two ponies standing in the same room, though separated by impossible distance. There were also two Gaia Memories standing upright, in slots in a pedestal in the middle of the room, with arcs of black and red lightning leaping between them. The pedestal only had a single slot, they both knew this, but the connection between their Memories was strong enough to create a connection to another pedestal, and a single Memory user to have their image transmitted over the impossible distance to where the other was waiting.

“How’s she taking it?” there were no simple greetings. They’d used this system enough times now that there was no question whether it was working.

“She misses you. Of course.”

“And I her. I have family here, as well, and my work is important.”

“You can return any time. I’m sure your talents would be appreciated.”

“The icy dopant is here. I’m sure of it. I can’t give up on my revenge.”

“She? You were sure it was a stallion after the attack.”

“I don’t know. It could be. But this week, I saw a mare who seemed to have power over ice, and I immediately believed I’d been wrong. That taught me. I can’t jump to conclusions.”

“Warm. I know, it could so easily have been Winter, but–”

“You know?” suddenly the red pony’s voice was deeper, and hostile. “Was that one of yours? I thought I was the only distributor in this town!”

“It was not. But we have begun reading the reports that the Champions of Harmony send to their Princess. They make it all too easy, Rose tells me everything they do. They have gained access to the Gaia Library, but they don’t even think to shuffle the books afterwards, and every keyword they look for is recorded in the index. It’s almost too easy to follow events in Ponyville just by looking at what they are interested in.”

“You know everything that’s happened?”

“I know you took a kick from an earth-earth metahybrid. How are you coping?”

“The Engine Memory cracked again, a piece off the corner this time. I thought you said it would be stronger.”

“There’s a limit to what synthetic Memories can handle. I’ll send a replacement with the next shipment. But I meant your mental wellbeing.”

“I can deal with that. She doesn’t understand what we’re doing, she’s only seen the unlicensed dopants, or the weak ponies who can’t control the power. Once we have a final prototype, she’ll be the first to understand.”

“I wish I shared your optimism. But my research is going well, and I believe we are coming close to the final evolution of the 4th generation Gaia Memory. The Fountain is already increasing its output of crystals, and I believe the birth of the Xtreme Driver is imminent.”

“Extreme?”

“The ultimate Gaia Memory, which with the right technology to control it will allow us to purge Equestria of all undesirable elements, and create a new world according to perfect scientific design. A world of true harmony, where everypony is the greatest they can be. When Xtreme is ready, our efforts will all be rewarded. We will not allow the mistakes of my ancestors to be repeated. No alicorn will be born to take the ultimate Driver from us this time.”

“I look forward to it.”

“Then is there anything else?” Both ponies shook their heads, moved forward, and retrieved their Memories from their relevant pedestals. The projected image vanished without fanfare, as if it had never been there.

One pony sat alone in a room she’d chosen for its solitude, and wished there was somepony to comfort her. The Gaia Driver mitigated the worst side effects of her Memory, but she was still acutely aware of how weak she was without it, every single time she had to place it in the transmission pedestal. She hunched down, shaking for a few moments more. If the Memories had been destroyed, if they hadn’t managed to unlock the crystals’ power, then her sister would be dead already. That was reason enough to believe that these things were the future. But out of all the negative thoughts that came into her mind, her worst fear was still that they might be going about this the wrong way.

As always when she was down, she forced herself to remember her sister’s body, still and cold on the rocky ground. Anything was better than that, she knew with a certainty that could drive away any second thoughts. She was determined that no other pony would ever have to live through that experience, and if some strangers had to die along the way then so be it.

Author's Note

Sorry for the title. I couldn't resist using it, though. It probably makes more sense to anyone who's actually seen Kamen Rider W (even though this fic is designed to work as an AU story if you haven't), because you'll know that in Japanese, the English letter "W" is pronounced "double".

I put way too much thought into the titles for these, and I have no idea if anyone even stops to think about them.

But 66 readers in one day… I'm amazed that this story is getting so much love. Thank you all!

Episode 14 - The Will of D

Ponyville was quiet for a change, with a warm spring breeze making the streets comfortable to walk through, but still not inviting enough to lure everypony out of their houses. There was no monster rampaging through the streets today, and with nearly a month since the last one had appeared the citizens were starting to think that maybe their ordeals were over.

They would be wrong, of course. In the back of a fairly busy shop in the trade district, a grey stallion was prising cracked gems out of rings and tiaras. It would take a master jeweller to cut a new stone that fit perfectly, probably costing more than the piece would ever be worth. The stallion would only bother with them if they were part of a job lot, a box mostly not worth the effort of sorting through for somepony’s next of kin, and then he’d probably sell a bag of fractured and scuffed stones for a couple of bits to a jeweller who could do the hard work of cutting them down to whatever part in the middle was undamaged. Worth more money were the rings, settings, and other pieces of metal. Though they weren’t jewelry without their stones, the rings could still be melted down and sold as scrap gold.

Now, he didn’t need to melt them down. He prised out a flawed ruby, and selected an octahedral diamond about the same size. He pressed it firmly into the setting, not caring if it even fit. But the crystal flowed into the setting, taking just the right shape to fill the gap and becoming a perfect part of the ring. It was almost like the shape-shifting gem was alive.

Which it had been, until the day before. Not too long ago, that stone had been the unicorn colt Lucky Break, whose luck at cards hadn’t served him well even when he used magic to cheat, and he’d ended up owing a lot of money to a certain shop owner. The debt was almost paid now, but the white stallion knew that to set a proper example, he’d need to take back the ring he’d sold Lucky, and probably make the colt’s special somepony disappear as well.

He could do that. He’d always had a good business sense, and skill at making other ponies a little nervous. Just to get in touch with the Seller he’d needed to raise ten thousand bits, but the magic crystal he’d obtained was easily worth it. There were as many diamonds as fools in the town now, and there really was one born every minute.

Rarity would normally be the first to get angry about that kind of manipulative trader. He was selling beautiful things, but cared only about the money and not at all about the beauty. She couldn’t be angry, though, because when her friends had discovered that somepony was going around turning others into gems, Rarity was already trapped deep underground. She’d gone mining, and found that the Diamond Dogs who inhabited some tunnels outside the Ponyville city limits were getting quite hostile to ponies.

They wouldn’t let her go, and they wouldn’t return the Element of Harmony they’d taken from her. They were angry because some of their young, and even some of their warriors, had been transmuted into diamonds by a magic they didn’t understand. Rarity had managed to get the story out of them easily enough, they’d been all too eager to show they had a sensitive side and share their own tales of woe as soon as she started the ball rolling by crying about the situation they’d thrust her into. They couldn’t tell the difference between one pony and another, she was sure, because of the way they’d kept on just calling her “pony” until she was forced to go for hysterics to catch their attention. The same trick had got her out of her cell to more comfortable quarters, though they still kept an eye on her whenever they could, and they wouldn’t reveal where they’d hidden her Element.

It helped that the Diamond Dogs weren’t very smart, or at least the leaders of this group weren’t. It helped more that they were all too aware of this, and all too willing to accept what she said if she implied it would be stupid to disagree. Nopony wanted to look like an idiot. She could make it quite easy for them to feign a higher intelligence simply by agreeing with what she said, or by not admitting they didn’t understand when she explained why she couldn’t dig for gems, or pull a cart, or wear manacles, or count gems without a comfortable seat.

She heard the sound of a key in the lock, and the heavy metal door creaked open. Rarity wasn’t in a jail cell any more, but she was still a prisoner in the counting room. She hoped having a visitor might mean they’d reconsidered and they were going to let her have her collar back, so she could call for help, though she knew it wasn’t likely. It was probably just Fido again, coming to check on her progress. He’d ask how many gems she’d counted, and how many were still to count, and then she’d explain why she couldn’t answer that and he’d sulk off, and then half an hour later he’d be back to ask the same question again.

This time, he didn’t have a question to ask. He had something in his hand, small and purple and struggling. The dog made a powerful underarm throw, which hit the counting table and sent gems flying in all directions.

“Don’t try to escape, Pony! No more chances,” he snarled, and then slammed the door and walked away,

“Sorry, Rarity,” Spike groaned as he pulled himself upright. The little dragon’s body was bruised, though the natural colouring of his scales made it less obvious. “I couldn’t get the Element back.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Rarity pulled him into a close hug. She always maintained an aloof air, but whatever else he did to help her, Spike was her friend. Seeing that he’d been so badly hurt trying to do what she asked made her feel like a monster, and she resolved to always think more about his feelings in future. “We chose to take the Elements of Harmony, and they chose us, we’ve got good reasons to fight monsters. But nopony said you’ve got to get involved, I should have asked you to escape and find the others instead.”

“I can’t leave you here!” he puffed out his little chest, “I’m supposed to protect you, and I’m not going to shirk my duty!”

“I shouldn’t have got you caught too, Spike, I’m so sorry. You don’t need to do what I say when it’s dangerous, your safety must be more important than your feelings for me, for anypony.”

“H–hey!” Spike stammered, and a deep blush rose to add to the constellation of colours already decorating his body, “It’s not because I got a crush on you, I’m supposed to be your bodyguard! I– I mean, I haven’t got a crush on you,you’re one of my best friends, I just thought maybe you thought– when you said feelings–”

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t assume,” Rarity raised an eyebrow. She knew the little dragon must be really worried if he’d admitted something like that, even if he didn’t really intend to. She’d known about his nascent emotions ever since they met, but always been able to see that he was making an effort to be discreet. “But… you’re Twilight Sparkle’s number one assistant, not mine, and there’s a big difference between an assistant and a bodyguard.”

“Oh, yeah… Yeah, I just said the wrong thing. Was that too weird?” But now he seemed almost as evasive as he had when talking about his feelings, if a little less nervous. Rarity was good at reading expressions, even from a baby dragon, and she could see there was a secret hovering behind those big eyes. Not a secret to be ashamed of, or not something he thought he should be ashamed of. This was something Spike was proud of and wanted to share, and it was taking all his self control not to boast, so it had been easy for something to slip out when he was desperate to find something less embarrassing to say.

“A bodyguard, Spike?” she smiled, “I’m sure if you had such a lofty responsibility, I’d have to treat you a little more kindly. You can trust me, can’t you?” She knew there were more important things to deal with right now, like being locked in a cave without her Element. But Spike, who she’d always thought of as the most caring, obedient little friend, had a secret, and the incongruity of it all was too much to ignore.

“Well…” he started, “I’m not supposed to let somepony know, she said that’s important. But if you promise not to tell the others? Maybe…” Spike was uncertain, that much was sure, but he really wanted to share this secret.

“Did Twilight ask you to look after me? I know my magic’s not as strong as hers…”

“Oh no, I certainly can’t tell Twilight. She trusts her friends too much, she’d never be able to keep the secret. At least… that’s what the Princess…”

“Why don’t you start at the beginning?”

In the Golden Oak Library, six ponies were discussing plans, and none of them knew the secret. Rarity wasn’t there for a change, but they had welcomed Heart Flush in the hope that seeing something done would ease her worries about her coltfriend. All the problems with the Diamond Dogs, and at least one pony going missing whom they claimed not to have seen, had pushed thoughts of Spike’s secret right to the back of Twilight’s mind.

“We need to know who this white pony is,” Twilight said firmly, “If Lucky Break’s book turned into a diamond, there’s a good chance he got turned into a diamond as well. Just like the puppies. I think the Diamond Dogs are innocent in this, just taking out their anger about one pony on all of us, so finding the dopant has to be our priority.”

“Right,” Applejack nodded, “I’m not too happy about it, though. I wish Rarity was here.”

“She’ll be back soon enough,” Pinkie grinned confidently, “We just need to do a lookup, right?” and without another word she stood up from the table and let her eyes sink closed. It took her seconds to sink into a lucid dream, the library where she stored all the information she’d heard about every pony she’d ever met, and where Luna had provided a whole lot more information. As soon as it was clear she was ready, Twilight began the usual ritual.

“Keyword: Diamond,” Twilight spoke firmly, giving Pinkie the anchor to reality that she needed in order to do her research.

“Twenty-four thousand, six hundred and nine results,” Pinkie answered in a hollow, emotionless voice that was a stark contrast to her normal demeanour. For all the times they’d done this, the others still couldn’t get used to how strange she sounded while talking in her sleep.

“Keyword: White or grey pony,” Twilight added, “That should narrow it down a bit.”

“Four hundred and eighty-six results.”

“What else?” Twilight turned to the others, “I thought that would narrow it down a bit more.”

“Lucky borrowed money to buy the ring,” Heart Flush pointed out, “How many ponies are there who offer credit on a diamond?”

“Right,” Twilight nodded, “Keyword: Loans.”

“Seventeen results.”

“Not that many, it seems. Anything else we can say to narrow it down?”

“I think Lucky said…” she paused just a moment to choke back a sob, “Said we can trust the jeweller, because after we’d been to the shop they met at a bridge game. Lucky’s normally a pretty good judge of character over cards, but if somepony helps him clean out the other pair he’ll be happy to trust them in business too.”

“Keyword: Cards,” Twilight reiterated for Pinkie’s benefit.

“One result. Diamond Dopant, Honest Joe.”

“I had a hunch it might be that guy,” Applejack muttered, “Right, wake up Pinkie. We got us a monster to beat.”

A long time before, rather than six Champions of Harmony there had been two. Celestia and Luna, sisters as close as anypony had ever been. In those days, they had still been looked down on because their parents were of different tribes. It was strange for sisters to be born as a pegasus and a unicorn, even more so when they were twins. They looked as different as any ponies could be, and others sometimes didn’t treat them so fairly because they were unusual. But they were never really bullied as such, and isolation from other fillies their age had only drawn the sisters closer together, made them able to anticipate each other’s thoughts so that a conversation between them was almost like talking to yourself.

Their closeness had unlocked the Elements of Harmony, six crystals purified by a magic tree, and when they’d brought the six together they had received the seventh, special Element: the Driver. And then there was no discrimination, because they had become alicorns and princesses as they followed the path to defeating the Gaia Circus. They were both alicorns now, and held in higher regard than anypony in Equestria. But still, a few rogue agents sought to challenge them. Today was one of those days.

“IMPACT!” they heard the grating screech of the Memory before they saw its user. The stallion they’d first suspected, Awakened Force. He must have painted over the Memory Scar somehow to give an impression of a normal cutie mark. The two sisters looked at him, and a few unspoken fragments of a plan passed between them. They weren’t technically in the same place; Luna was planning decorations for the castle, while Celestia was on her way back from Ponyville after a fruitless search for the dopant. But they were wearing the Driver and its shadow replica, and they were closely enough attuned that they could see through each other’s eyes, hear each other’s thoughts, and even use each other’s magic.

“LUNARᏔTRIGGER!” the Driver sang as they slotted in their Memories simultaneously. They pulled off a small cannon that had appeared next to the Driver on Celestia’s flank, and fired a burst of a dozen shots. The rounds curved in the air to meet their target, but did almost nothing to stop what was barely more complex than a solid hunk of muscle charging towards them. The impact knocked them off their feet, and maybe broke a bone as easily as it smashed through the trees on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Before they could even get to their hooves, it was charging past them, deeper into the forest. The two Champions realised at the same time that he was heading for Luna’s sleeping body, while her heart had joined with Celestia’s form.

“HEATᏔTRIGGER!” the next shower of bullets were burning, singeing the monster’s retreating back like tiny suns, but they didn’t slow it down any and the sisters were acutely aware that they risked setting the whole forest ablaze.

Luna returned to her own body, and desperately looked around for somewhere she could hide during the upcoming battle. The castle was supposed to prevent anything like this happening, but it wasn’t finished yet. A huge torpedo of monster muscle leapt towards her out of the trees, and all she could do was cower back and hope that the incomplete walls provided some measure of protection.

The dopant stopped in mid air. It looked like a bullet had hit it hard enough to bring it to a halt, but the shot didn’t just vanish. It ricocheted off the walls and came back to strike the dopant, again and again. And then it was standing between Luna and the dopant, a tiny guardian. At first glance it could have been a forest creature; two legs, a head, and a tail. But its entire body was made from a grey crystal shaded ever so subtly with lavender highlights, and at the tip of the tail was what was recognisably a Gaia Connector. It was a sculpture, maybe, made from splitting and jointing shards of a Memory. But who would do such a thing? And why would the Memory want – assuming that it had wants, even if it was clearly alive – to protect Luna?

“It seems Skull’s prophecy is fulfilled,” Celestia called from the doorway, “The eighth Element, the bodyguard the Tree of Harmony created to preserve the others.” Luna didn’t know how to respond. She just held out a hoof, and the mechanical creature leapt closer. As she caught it, it folded up so all of its crystal pieces were parallel, taking the shape of a Gaia Memory that was larger than most, but otherwise didn’t look too different. There were no other obvious courses of action, so she reached towards the Driver on her haunch.

“FANGᏔJOKER!”

“There’s eight Elements?” Rarity wrinkled her brow in confusion, a millennium later, “So why do we only get six? Seven, I mean, with the Driver.”

“When they finished sealing the Gaia Fountain, the sisters sealed away the Elements too, to be ready for the next generation,” Spike struck a dramatic pose as he recounted the tale, though he still hadn’t given any indication of why Celestia would have told him this tale. “But they couldn’t. Fang was alive, they treated her like a pet almost. A living Element deserved better than being stuck in a castle for hundreds of years, or being re-absorbed into the Tree. They thought it would be cruel to return it, so they found a spell that would let the last Element turn into a real living thing. A dragon.”

“So you’re…” Rarity started, but she didn’t even know where the question was going.

“Fang was a living Gaia Memory,” Spike admitted, and he seemed a lot less excited about that than he had the rest of the tale, “She was a hero, maybe, but she wasn’t a real dragon until the Princesses made her one. They said she was kind of conflicted about that, and that’s a feeling I know too well. And then she went to the Dragon Lands, she fell in love, they had an egg. An egg that didn’t hatch for hundreds of years. I don’t know what happened to her after that, Celestia always said I wouldn’t want to know. But eventually a pony came along with magic that could hatch the egg, and Celestia said that right then, she knew who would be the next Champion of Harmony.”

“You were the egg? And Twilight… wow.”

“Right. But Celestia was worried. There was still some Gaia Magic in the egg, so it hatching meant the Gaia Fountain had gotten unsealed. And there were only seven Elements, not eight, because Fang was alive now. So she trained me to protect the Element Bearers, like my mother should have done. A half-size dragon instead of a living Memory. I’ve been looking forward to it my whole life, and I couldn’t even say anything to Twilight because if she already knew how the Elements worked, she wouldn’t have done the right thing to awaken them. You have to discover harmony with your friends, not just act it because you know what powers it’ll give you.”

Rarity sat back in silence. It was a lot to take in, and for a while she wondered if it was just a tall tale. But then she looked at Spike’s eager expression, and thought back to all the times he’d said nothing when he could have made a witty comment. She knew he’d been keeping a secret now, and it made sense that he couldn’t tell them. She could imagine it would have been a lonely life, and she felt that Spike was due a big reward once they got out of here.

“Honest Joe?” Rainbow Dash asked, though there was no way they could mistake the white stallion. They’d all spoken to him at some point in the past, and knew his reputation of being able to lay his hooves on whatever you wanted, as long as the price was right. It was no surprise he’d started selling rings, or even that he had the contacts to find a Gaia Memory, though that was one issue they’d have to ask more about once the fight was done.

“What can I do you for?” he grinned, turned around on the road and was already wondering if he could make a quick sale. He seemed as charming as ever, the rogue who you couldn’t help trusting.

“We’d like to know where Lucky Break is,” Twilight started diplomatically.

“Haven’t seen him in a couple of days.”

“Is that true?” Twilight stared, trying to figure out if there were any redeeming qualities, if it was even worth trying to negotiate here.

“Hey, ‘honest’ is practically my middle name!”

“Show us your cutie mark,” Dash demanded, patience rapidly running out.

“Why?”

“Because you’ve got a scar from a Gaia Memory,” Applejack stepped forward, “Those things will mess up your mind, as well as putting everypony who trusts you in danger. You can give it up now, and if you don’t that’s your problem.”

“I never hurt anypony,” he answered, “Only them that didn’t pay their debts or tried to get one over on me, and they got to deal with the consequences if they want to rip off an honest trader.”

“What about the Diamond Dogs?”

“What about them? They’re not ponies. They should keep out of Equestria if they don’t want to follow our traditions.” He just about finished the sentence before a pink hoof slammed him across the muzzle.

“That’s horrible!” Pinkie yelled, “I bet you’re thinking earth ponies are better than everypony else as well, aren’t you? That’s where your phoney honesty comes from, this salt of the earth thing? You disgust me, and it’s time to face justice.”

Behind her, Applejack had already taken her cue. The Driver shimmered into existence on Pinkie and Fluttershy’s chests, awaiting a second Element.

“Wait, wait!” Honest Joe raised his hooves, “I don’t want to fight. I got carried away, you don’t know what it’s like, I’m not like that normally, it’s this thing.” He produced a Gaia Memory from the pocket of his cloak, and held it out towards the Champions. “I’m not the problem here, though. You haven’t seen the real monster yet.”

“Don’t worry,” Fluttershy came closer at last, reaching out to comfort the anxious earth pony, “We’ve come across this before, we can break it and you’ll be yours–Aaah!” the comforting speech turned into a yelp of panic as Honest Joe jabbed savagely with the sharp metal tip of the Gaia Memory. Maybe he was trying to use it as a blade, but a more cynical observer might think he was aiming toward the empty tube on Fluttershy’s Driver. Nopony knew what that might do, but they really didn’t want to find out. As they jumped back, he was already ramming the Memory into his own flank under the cloak, and crystals spread across his body as if he’d been walking through a snowstorm.

“DIAMOND!” Only Pinkie Pie reacted quickly enough to try and stop him transforming, but she was still lunging through the air when Honest Joe’s body accepted the Memory and it vanished from sight. For her trouble, she got a hoof between the eyes. He didn’t hit her hard, more of a glancing blow, but as Pinkie tried to get to her feet again she found that her legs were weak and shaking. She turned to look at her friends and found that moving her head even a couple of degrees required a lot of effort. It was as if her body just wasn’t responding to her will. The whole process took seconds, and the tense silence was filled by a dull ‘pop’ as the air rushed in to fill the space formerly occupied by a fully grown pony. Now there was just a gem, perfectly pure and almost as wide as her eye. Worth more in a strictly fiscal sense, but any of her friends would have been happier to have Pinkie there.

“KINDNESSᏔHONESTY!” Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed. For a moment all her patience evaporated and the only emotion in her heart was anger, and then she was pounding the Element of Kindness into the Driver, ready to kick Honest Joe into the middle of next week.

“KINDNESSHONESTY: Maximum Drive!” They wasted no time in clicking in the Memories, calling on their most powerful attack immediately. Fluttershy concentrated all of her feelings of anger and disappointment, disgust even, and poured them out through her stare. But all she could see when she looked at the dopant’s crystalline body was myriad reflections of herself and her friends. She couldn’t even make out Honest Joe’s eyes to focus the stare on. Applejack’s muscle memory took over anyway, and she kicked out hard with two hooves, putting all the combined strength of two ponies into a single blow.

The dopant soared through the air and crashed to the ground, but started walking away with no sign of discomfort. He called back over his shoulder: “I’m made of diamond. Attacks like that won’t hurt me. Maybe you’re not as tough as he said.”

Flutterjack stepped forward uncertainly, legs trembling from the force of the blow. They couldn’t believe he’d just walked away from a kick that would have reduced an apple tree to matchsticks. They couldn’t let him get away, though. They charged across the clearing and bucked again. This time there wasn’t as much force behind the blow, but it was still easily enough to lift the crystal pony into the air. When he came crashing down, with no sign of injury to that outer layer or crystal, Flutterjack was standing right there. He was laughing, but he hadn’t seen what they were aiming for.

The third kick didn’t send the dopant flying. They struck downwards this time, catching the monster’s head between two strong hooves and a large rock sticking up out of the grass. He didn’t seem to care. They kicked again, hoping to keep the diamond monster between a hammer and an anvil until it cracked; or between a rock and a hard place.

(“Is this going to work? This monster’s as hard as a rock.”)

(“Even rocks break if you kick hard enough. We know the jewellers use a hammer to crack gems, to cut them to shape. How do they do it?”)

(“I think we need to ask Rarity.”)

They would have kept on pounding, just hoping that one blow would hit the right weak spot at the right angle. But the slab of basalt that had made such a convenient anvil cracked right down the middle. The rock must have been acting as a kind of scaffold, because as it broke the ground shifted beneath them. Champion and dopant tumbled together down a cascade of loose earth, and fetched up in an underground tunnel. Honest Joe didn’t waste any time; while Flutterjack was digging herself out of the rock, he pulled the Diamond Memory out of his haunch and squeezed the contact before slipping it back under his skin.

“DIAMOND!” Before the echoes of the grating voice even died away, he lashed out with a savage kick that was targeted with much more precision that any dopant had ever attempted before. He hit the Driver itself, flexing the joint between the device’s two tubes. Their magical armour disappeared in a shower of sparkles, and Fluttershy’s heart was catapulted back to her sleeping body. Applejack tried to strike the diamond monster anyway, but when their hooves met in mid air it felt like her whole body was freezing in place.

Honest Joe cancelled his transformation, becoming just a white pony in a cloak again. He picked up a large diamond from the ground and slipped it into an inside pocket without even checking its cut or clarity. Right now, he was much more concerned with another treasure lying on the ground.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked as soon as Fluttershy blinked, not even waiting for her to be fully awake.

“He got AJ, I think,” her voice was quavering and nervous, “He can turn ponies into diamonds, it’s some kind of–”

“We got to beat him quick, before he can do that to the rest of us.”

“Agreed,” Twilight nodded, “Shall we go with Fluttertwi? I can teleport down there, and if we can use magic then we might be able to stay out of his reach until we manage to find some kind of weakness.”

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn’t see any flaw in that plan.

“Fair enough.”

Then there was a long, uncomfortable pause. Twilight’s eyes went wide as she realised a problem, and her hopes all came crashing down.

“What’re you waiting for? You need to– oh.”

“Yes. Applejack had the Driver. Presumably, now Honest Joe has it.”

“That pony doesn’t play by the rules,” Fluttershy muttered, echoing what all of them were thinking.

“I really hope he doesn’t try to use it.”

Down in the tunnels, Honest Joe wasn’t alone. One of the Diamond Dogs, a common soldier with no rank or title, was watching through a cleft in the rock. He hadn’t seen much, but he was smart enough to recognise two ponies fighting. He didn’t step in, figuring that he’d be able to capture the loser once they were hurt, and get some recognition from the bosses. Everyone was barking about how ponies were suddenly the enemy, and if they came down here they had to be captured to preserve the pups. This guard didn’t have a litter of his own, but he knew there might be a reward in it if he could bring in a pony.

And then he’d seen the yellow pony turn into an orange pony, and its wings disappeared. And then the orange pony turned into a diamond. Whatever else was going on, he could be sure that the white pony here was the enemy. He didn’t have a personal stake in stopping the theft of the Dogs’ young, but he had plenty of friends who did. That white pony looked pretty tough, but something in the way it walked said it was a threat to the pack.

Rover took a deep breath and then charged in, bursting through a place where the wall between tunnels was only soft earth. He didn’t know he was doing the right thing, he didn’t even know if he could do anything useful, but he couldn’t bring himself to run away from his duties again. He also knew that a pony who hadn’t been troubled by the fall down here was unlikely to succumb to a single stab with a spear, so he didn’t even attempt to hurt it. Instead, he jabbed his weapon between the pony’s neck and leg, twisting the shaft as he came closer to knock some kind of jewelled thing out of its grip.

“They’re using some kind of magic jewel,” Fido had said. And this thing looked like a magic jewel, right enough. Crystal bits and leather bits and metal bits, like ponies put on their gems before they wore them. That was all Rover needed to know; he grabbed it off the ground and ran into the tunnels, thinking he surely knew the layout here better than any pony. In the back of his mind, he still felt bad for not staying to fight. But he could content himself by thinking that just maybe, this weird jewel thing could earn him a treat from the boss.

Rarity stared at the door as she heard a key in the lock. She’d stopped counting the gems some time before, and said nothing as Spike nibbled on two or three, or ten, to distract himself from the stress of the situation. They’d heard more than one scream in the past half hour, and they seemed to be becoming both closer and more frequent. The only other sound had been a faint yelling of orders, the clank of Diamond Dog armour as they tried to get organised. Something was going on, but she didn’t have any clue what it might be, and in times like this it was easy for her to assume a worst case scenario.

The door swung open and the Dogs’ leader walked in. The one who called himself Fido. In one hand he was holding the Driver, and Rarity found her heart racing as she tried to imagine how he could have got his paws on it. None of the options seemed good.

“What’s this, pony?” he barked.

“It’s called the Driver, and it’s not yours. You need to give that back!”

“There’s ponies in my tunnels. The white one’s turning everypuppy into diamonds with some weird kind of pony magic, I heard him say he’s leaving town now and he’s going to wipe us out first. He’s got a weird magic crystal to fight with, so we’re going to have one too. How do I use this?”

“You can’t,” she answered firmly, “You can only use the Driver in combination with the Elements of Harmony, and the Elements can only be used by the ponies they chose.”

“You can use this?” he was almost pleading now, “My pack, my family… you got to stop the bad pony before–”

Fido wasn’t standing there anymore. Now there was a large diamond on the floor, a little rough around the edges, and a horse-sized creature who seemed to have been grown from some kind of crystal. Rarity couldn’t help thinking of the living Element that Spike had described, though she knew such a creature would be nowhere near the size of this dopant.

“Why do they have to make everything difficult?” it muttered, “I told them I’d hunt them down if they got in my way, they should have taken me at my word. ‘Honest’ is practically my middle name.” His voice was like a thousand resonant crystals chiming in harmony, but Rarity could hear the distinctive sneer even through the distortion, and she’d heard that half-joking catchphrase before as well.

“Honest Joe?” she gasped, “You can’t take the Driver, it only works–”

“I don’t care,” he interrupted while bending down to pick it up from the floor, “I’ve watched you. Without this thing you can’t be the big famous Champion, you’re just ordinary ponies. So you can’t track me down, and even if you can make a new one I’ll be long gone before it’s finished, with a princess’s ransom in diamonds. You lost, darling, and I’m sure I know at least one geologist who’ll pay the world for this trinket. Who knows, maybe by studying this she can make her own one work better? That’s gotta be worth a million, I’ll be set for life.”

He would have turned and walked away, but at that point Spike leapt from the high shelf he’d been hiding on and bit the dopant’s ear. It wouldn’t even have occurred to Rarity. It was clear this monster had been fighting Diamond Dogs for some time, with their spears and clubs, and his body looked so solid now that she’d expect biting him to be a good way to break your teeth. But of course, Spike looked at the dopant and saw diamond: A good snack for a baby dragon. Honest Joe shrieked in pain and dropped both the Driver and the diamonds in his hand. He hadn’t expected it either, but it turned out that the hard exterior that repelled even a Maximum Drive so easily was no protection against a dragon’s unique digestive enzymes. As soon as it was in contact with Spike’s saliva, the diamond shell granted by the Memory became soft and pliable like good toffee.

Rarity stood frozen by fear as the dopant flailed around, trying to get the baby dragon off him. Spike did a remarkably good job of holding on, but Rarity knew that if she came closer he might be able to turn her to diamond with a single touch, like he had with Fido. Though she hadn’t heard of any ponies transformed into gems, she would be surprised if a Gaia Memory had a power that only worked on dogs. She backed slowly behind the table with its array of partially-counted gems, and gently started to pull the Driver closer. She didn’t know what she’d do when she got it, but if she moved slowly then the glow from her horn might be faint enough for a distracted enemy not to notice.

She just about got it close enough to pick up when he finally managed to shake Spike free and send the little dragon skittering across the table again, spraying carefully stacked gems onto the floor. He didn’t stay down though, turned and leapt angrily towards the dopant. Maybe it was because he felt in immediate danger, or maybe once he’d finally told Rarity he was their bodyguard he didn’t feel like he could back down. Maybe he was just hungry, he wasn’t even sure himself, but he couldn’t stop fighting now.

“DIAMOND!” a second was all Honest Joe had needed to partially extract his Gaia Memory and press the switch again. Rarity wondered if that was a necessary step for using some of its functions, but feared she was about to find out. She panicked then, unable to bear the thought that Spike could actually die protecting her. She flung the Driver around her neck, and gave a little surge of magic to illuminate the magicite crystals. There was still nothing she could do without her Element, but Honest Joe might not realise that.

She was too late; the dopant’s forehoof caught Spike in the face and sent him sailing back across the room with a crunch uncomfortably reminiscent of breaking bone. Rarity saw the spark of a spell discharged in the impact, but Spike didn’t turn into a diamond. If there had been longer to think, Rarity might have guessed that gem-based magic wouldn’t work very well on dragons. As it was, she was more concerned with saving Spike from further injury as he slammed into and then started to slide down the stone wall.

Back on the surface, Twilight and Rainbow Dash looked at each other in surprise as two shimmering, indistinct images of the Driver appeared on their chests.

“Can it do that?” Dash had voiced the question before she realised it didn’t make much sense.

“We never tried,” Twilight answered thoughtfully, “We know that if one of us wears the Driver, then the three Champions with right-half Elements get a projected Driver, and when they insert their Element the Driver transmits their heart back into the body of the pony with the real Driver. I can’t believe I never wondered if it could work the other way. Can we send our hearts and minds to help –” she stopped, realising that if the Driver had appeared, that probably meant somepony was in trouble, then spoke again: “Who’s wearing it? There’s no Memory in either slot. I’m not sure how–”

“Forget it,” Dash cut in, “If it’s Fluttershy or Rarity, or Pinkie somehow in her dream, they need help. If it might work we’ve got to try it.”

“LOYALTY!” the voice chimed, but then rather than the red Element being transported away, the Driver and Element vanished together.

“This can’t be good.”

“LOYALTY!” The Driver sang out, and a red crystal appeared in the left slot. Rarity looked down, unsure what to do next, and then realised that a few of the magicite gems had a faint purple colour. If she’d been holding Generosity then they would have quickly started glowing a brilliant emerald green; and if her magic had resonated with the crystals, it should have been a pale blue to almost match the colour of her eyes. She hadn’t seen this pale colour, almost lilac, before.

She hesitated for a second, possibilities running through her head. She had time to think, in any case, because the Driver’s voice had made Honest Joe think she wasn’t defenceless yet. He was waiting to see what she would do. But Rarity didn’t know herself. She wondered if the appearance of Loyalty meant that she could transform using her own body, or if inserting Generosity would send her heart to join Rainbow Dash regardless of which of them had the real Driver. But it was irrelevant without her Element. She looked around for anything that could be causing the lilac glow too. Magicite crystals could light up in the presence of any kind of magic, but the ones on the Driver should have been specifically tuned to only respond to the Elements of Harmony, which was why her own magic aura only elicited the faintest shimmer.

Could it be the dopant’s magic? That made little sense, it had never worked like that before. Then she looked over the scattered gems across the floor and the table, wondering if she’d found a Gaia Memory without noticing. But even for her actual Element, the magicite only lit up if either it was touching her body directly, or she was holding it with her magic. And the only thing she was levitating now was…

Rarity turned to look at Spike, still hovering where she’d caught him. He’d said his mother was a Gaia Memory, or an Element of Harmony, or both. Maybe he wasn’t an Element himself, but just maybe he’d inherited just enough of the right kind of aura to trick the Driver into letting her transform without another Element.

“Spike?” she whispered, eyes darting back to the Diamond Dopant as he tried to decide between attacking and waiting. He looked like he might move any second.

“I’m sorry, I couldn’t–”

“I’m sorry, I’ve got to try it,” she said, and lifted the little dragon right up to her face. He was so close that he couldn’t see their enemy any more, Rarity filled his vision. He tried to ask questions, tried to understand what was going on, but he found he couldn’t think any more when she was holding him so close, his mind was completely blank except for the desire to protect her. Spike would do his duty, and uphold the honour of his family, no matter what.

Rarity felt the magic this time, the magicite crystals glowing brighter as the Driver recognised the baby dragon. If only Twilight hadn’t been so concerned with not letting anyone outside the six of them touch the Driver, she might have known weeks ago that her assistant could prompt such a reaction; but now it was Rarity who would be first to experiment with Fang’s legacy. She pulled Spike close against her breast, touching the Driver, and felt him stiffen. She didn’t know if it would work, and maybe even felt a little stupid trying something so strange, but if she didn’t find a power now, nopony would ever know. She held Spike’s rigid form, and tried to imagine he was a jointed crystal construction like his mother must have been. It was hard to visualise, but easy enough to think what that would mean.

“What…?” Spike didn’t understand what was going on now. His own body was stiffening, reacting without any decision on his part, and a single gasp was all he could bring himself to say. Rarity lifted him to her chin and whispered a word he didn’t quite catch, then jabbed him into the Driver’s empty slot. In his current rigid form, he slipped in effortlessly. He could move a little, but he found a surge of instincts coming from some ancestral part of his brain. It was like a hunger he couldn’t fight, and he didn’t even try. He leaned forward and bit down on the protruding top of the red crystal in front of him, and then he didn’t see anything else as an overwhelming surge of Gaia Energy coursed through his body. He wasn’t a dragon now, just a conduit to complete the circuit between the red Element and the Driver that gripped his tail so snugly.

“LOYALTYᏔDRAGON!” the Driver’s voice boomed, and there was a deeper tone mixed in with the normal harmony. Neither Rarity nor Spike noticed, because their minds were overwhelmed by the sheer power of the transformation for an instant. A brilliant vortex of red and purple filled the room, and then the cage doors were breaking open, pillars splitting and the ceiling of the tunnel falling in. The collapse seemed to go on forever, but finally the ground settled.

“Well, I never expected that,” Rarity looked up at the sun, glad to finally see it again after what felt like a whole day underground.

(“What just happened?” Rainbow Dash’s voice was clear, but her normal confidence had for once been replaced by confusion)

(“I think we found a new Element,” Rarity couldn’t think what else to say. Then as she looked at the outskirts of Ponyville in the middle distance, and the forest to their right, she found a new question. “Everything looks so small from up here. Are we flying? I think I can feel wings, but it’s not the same as Raridash.”)

(“Wait, how are you talking without moving your mouth?” Spike’s voice joined the conversation, “Is this how your… Oh, wow!”)

He’d just caught sight of their new form reflected in a pool. All three were speechless at that. Their body and armour wasn’t divided into two colours down the middle, like most of the forms they knew about so far. Their scales were iridescent, seeming at times purple, or sky blue, or gleaming white. They had Rainbow Dash’s wings, or what her wings would look like if they grew much more elaborate, and Rarity’s horn, but also a second set of reptilian wings lower down their body. And as they looked down at their hooves, they saw that they weren’t hooves any more but claws, probably large enough to pick up a filly in one hand. Their new body was huge, maybe the size of a normal dragon, but their physiology was something between draconic and equine.

Honest Joe was pulling himself out of a pile of earth, while around him a few Diamond Dogs dug themselves out much quicker. They were dazed and shaken, but Rarity could breathe a sigh of relief that nobody seemed to have been hurt by the appearance of a draconequus larger than any of the tunnels.

Honest Joe was back to looking like any other shyster pony, but as soon as he caught the gaze of all the angry Dogs, he pushed the Gaia Memory back into his haunch and let the giant layer of crystals grow around his body. The dragon champion looked down at him and leapt without a thought, blowing out a circle of fire like a smoke ring to trap him where he stood. Then they leapt forward, mouth wide to swallow the insolent monster.

(“No!” Rarity yelled inside their mind, “He’s a monster, but we can’t eat him!”)

She tried to turn aside, but found that she could barely control their body. Rainbow Dash struggled too, but they seemed to be almost entirely in the grip of instinct. They couldn’t have stopped themselves from biting off Honest Joe’s head, if the dopant hadn’t realised his body was fireproof just in time to dive to safety through the ring of flames.

(“How are we a dragon?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Why’s Spike here? Has he got an Element somehow?” She was projecting concern and confusion, but Rarity was close enough to her friend’s thoughts to feel the excitement she was radiating. What Dash really wanted to say at that moment was how awesome she was finding the experience; right up to the moment they looked down at Honest Joe, a pony in a diamond carapace, and felt a wave of hunger, the strongest craving either of them could imagine.)

It was probably the fastest battle any of them could remember. Honest Joe snapped the Diamond Memory out of his body, went to squeeze the lever, and Spike just inhaled. Wind whipped across the ground, lifting Honest Joe into the air along with a few Diamond Dogs and even an uprooted tree. The Diamond Memory was whipped out of Joe’s hand, and Spike bit down triumphantly. It wasn’t the crystal he was craving so much, it had a bitter and metallic flavour, but absorbing the energy of the Memory made the dragon and his pony passengers feel enervated, more alive than they had ever been before.

It was crazy, it was something they’d never felt before. But on consuming the Gaia Memory, the craving only got stronger. It wasn’t the crystals any more, though they could still feel that hunger at the back of Spike’s mind. It was a craving for magic, for life energy, for the mark that Gaia Memories left on anypony who had even touched them. They smelled it on Honest Joe and just pounced, even though he’d already lost his memory. This time, his salvation took the form of a thrown rock to the back of the draconequus’s skull.

“I guess that didn’t work, then,” Twilight sighed, “I wish we’d thought to try using the Driver the other way, so we at least knew what was possible.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy responded at the same time. Even so, it was quieter than their normal debates, where there were five or six ponies chipping in. It was only a couple of minutes before they realised that Dash’s eyes had closed and she was no longer adding to the debate.

“So the right Element can be the body, and the left the heart?” Twilight asked, but she never got an answer because that was when they heard the crash and roar from the outside of town.

“It could be another dopant,” she leapt to the worst case scenario right away, “Even if we can’t transform, we need to know if something’s happening.” Fluttershy just nodded, trying not to show how nervous she was, and followed out into the street. Even from the town centre, a cloud of dust could be seen beyond the rooftops. Within a few streets, there was no mistaking the form of an angry draconequus swooping towards them, and ponies were running in panic.

“Dragon!” was the word on the street. Most ponies didn’t know the difference, and used the same word to describe any fifty-foot-long reptile that could fly and breathe fire, especially when it was threatening to step on or set fire to their houses.

“We have to help!” Twilight decided, without a second thought, “Can you use that stare thing on it? The Driver just enhances part of our natural talents, so we should be able to simulate a scaled down version of our Maximum Drive in any case.”

“Umm…” Fluttershy was visibly shaking as she stared at the creature towering over them. She wanted to say she could help, she knew on some level that this was just an animal a little more aggressive than most, and it probably had some reason to be angry or scared. But she’d always been a little afraid of dragons, and the way this one bellowed in rage, sweeping its head back and forth as if it was losing some kind of internal argument, didn’t do anything to lessen that.

“What’s going on?” they heard Applejack’s voice as they got to the edge of town. The farm pony looked tired and disoriented, shaking her head as if she’d just woken up and needed to jostle her brain back into place.

“AJ! You’re okay!” Twilight rushed over, and used the first scanning spells that came to mind to check Applejack for injury, illness, or enchantment.

“I guess so. I remember that Honest Joe gave me a kick on the hoof, just a little thing like you might with some steer that’s being too playful. But then I couldn’t move, and the world all around me was like bright and full of rainbows, and then I was here. Did he turn me into a diamond, like them Diamond Dogs said he did to their pups?”

“We think so. We think he got the Driver, too, but we don’t know what’s happening now. You’re not a diamond any more, I can’t find any trace of the spell except maybe a bit higher background magic than usual. But I think right now we got bigger problems.”

They looked up at the draconequus. It didn’t seem to be attacking anypony, but it was getting ever closer to the town, and its roaring was causing considerable panic. It also seemed to be just a little uncoordinated, stumbling into an outlying building with enough force to smash bricks apart.

“Stop right there!” Applejack hollered, standing in the middle of the road right in front of the confused creature, “Can’t you see how much you’re scaring everypony?” Behind her, Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy gasped, and rushed to stand beside their friend.

“Oh no!” Twilight caught sight of something, and pointed. On the strange dragon creature’s chest, it was just possible to see the familiar shape of the Driver. It was glowing in red and purple-grey, but embedded in the creature’s flesh with its light throbbing like a heartbeat. “How did it get the Driver? What’s wrong with it?”

Rainbow Dash and Rarity were trying everything they could think of to get Spike off the main road and away from Ponyville. They could nudge him to one side or the other, but it seemed to have little effect. Spike wasn’t even speaking inside their mind any more, reverting to some strange, animalistic state. It had been little more than luck that meant they hadn’t hurt anyone so far.

(“If I distract him, can you eject the Elements?”)

(“That’s what I’m trying to do! I can’t move our arms more than an inch while we’re thrashing around like this. Is this Spike’s headache or ours? I can hardly think!”)

Then they saw Applejack standing in the road. Like everypony else they’d passed, the two ponies focused as hard as they could on making sure that their foot landed somewhere, anywhere, else. And then they smelled her. Not like a regular scent, but some strange sense that they’d never really considered before. It was like they could smell the Element she was carrying on her collar, so sweet and tempting. They leaned closer and sniffed at their friend, savouring that magical sweetness.

(“Hey, are we drooling? Stop that! Spike, stop it!”)

(“Wow, I never thought AJ would taste so sweet, it makes me want to… Woah, no! But I can’t stop thinking…”)

(“She’d be so sweet. But we can’t even think about…”)

They couldn’t help themselves. Their head lunged forward and down, their mouth snapped. Applejack didn’t even have time to blink. Two other ponies were running up beside her,and they had their own enigmatic, spicy sweetness radiating from their bodies. Any other time, Spike and his mental passengers might have tried to consume them without a second thought, but their attention was fully focused on Applejack now.

They could barely see her expression over their snout, but there was a momentary flash of eyes wide in terror. Rarity had the presence of mind to be shocked by what they were doing, but on her own she had no way to fight the treacherous instincts. Rainbow Dash wasn’t even fighting now, she couldn’t see past the insatiable hunger. She closed their eyes as they bit down, at least, to better savour the unsurpassed flavour of a purified Gaia Memory and its bearer.

Hunger was surpassed by pain. A sudden burning in the side of their head, and a blow hard enough to break a draconic tooth. They turned and focused with some difficulty on the attacker, a red blur now racing around them in circles. They were dizzy from the force of the attack, and it was hard to make out who was hurting them.There was somepony there, that much was certain, and his body was radiating the unmistakable scent of a Gaia Memory, rich and smoky but somehow also bitter. It didn’t smell like something that would taste good, and even with the threat of violence they were tempted to finish snacking on Applejack and Twilight Sparkle first.

(“I can’t believe we’re even thinking this,” Rarity wailed, “But I can’t stop imagining how they’d…”)

(“Did you see that pony’s speed?” Rainbow Dash was at least distracted by the newcomer, “That’s incredible! Probably almost as fast as me!”)

“STEAM!” a voice like the roar of engines cried out. Now they knew who they were facing, at any rate. As he leapt up towards their head, the red metal-clad pony came into sharp focus, and they instinctively raised a claw to bat him away. But jets of steam rushed between their fingers, scalding the skin and getting in their eyes to blind them for just a moment.

“Help!” Rarity finally managed to get enough control to yell out loud, “We can’t control it!”

“That thing’s a dopant!” Twilight yelled, down on the ground, “Can there be a Driver Dopant? Celestia said the Driver’s an Element, and the Elements are a special kind of Gaia Memory. Did somepony try to use it on its own?”

“Leave it to me,” the mysterious Champion of Justice called from behind the monstrosity, “I’ll kill it, then you get your Driver back.”

“You can’t kill it!” Applejack yelled back, “That’s a pony in there!”

“It was trying to kill you,” it was the first time they’d heard the other Champion sound angry, and Twilight mentally filed that detail away, “and unauthorised Gaia Memory users have already given up their rights.” He pulled the Memory out of the hilt of his sword, adjusted whatever kind of switch was on it, and slammed it into the back of the blade. Twilight felt her muscles tense, wanting to do whatever she could to stop him killing an innocent, but she knew that without the Driver there was nothing they could do.

“JET: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” this time the Champion of Justice wasn’t leaping towards the draconequus, but flying on a pillar of vapour. He struck again and again with the sword, whipping past and then turning almost on the spot, faster than any pegasus could maneuver. Finally the engine noise coming from the armour stepped up in pitch, becoming a deafening roar, and the red blur slammed straight into the slender body of the dragon. Trees and even a couple of houses were entirely crushed as it fell back.

Fluttershy wasn’t sure what she was doing. She just knew that she couldn’t let a self-proclaimed champion kill anypony, no matter what they did. She ran to place herself between the red champion and the fallen draconequus as he raised his sword for a final blow, and then Twilight and Applejack were there beside her.

“Stop!” Fluttershy yelled, raising her voice enough that her friends turned to look at her in surprise. “If it’s a giant animal or a dopant, you can’t kill it! You have to be the bigger pony, show that you can forgive. They can learn not to cause trouble, like foals. You just have to care.”

“A Memory Break’s the only way to stop a rampaging dopant. That thing already ate one Gaia Memory, and now it’s hungry for more. You think you’re going to find a way to satisfy its hunger and keep your lives?”

Twilight blinked, and a faint shimmer of magic reached into her pocket as she answered. “I don’t know. Maybe. But it’s better than hurting somepony who might not have known what they were getting into. You want to kill this pony, you go through us.”

Justice drew back his sword, but his legs trembled. He couldn’t bring himself to strike.

Twilight produced a large gemstone from somewhere. A perfect flame ruby, shimmering with blue and red fire in the spring sunlight. “Dragons eat gems. Maybe the same for draconequui, I don’t know. Spike was going to give this one to Rarity, the most perfect example he’d found. Maybe it doesn’t compare to a Gaia Memory, I’ve never even considered eating one. But perhaps such a delectable gem can sate the hunger of an angry dragon?”

Spike opened his eyes, and saw the flame ruby shimmering as it turned to catch the sun. And he remembered how he’d felt when Twilight praised him for his generosity. Rarity remembered the gratitude she’d felt, a warm feeling in her heart on receiving such a heartfelt gift. Those weren’t the feelings of a monster who would eat their friends. Three minds together managed to overcome their hunger long enough to reach for the Driver on their body, and pop out the red memory. There was a flash of light, and then silence.

“Where did the dragon go?” Applejack looked around at the draconic-shaped crater on the ground. There was no sign of the monster now, and in the moment’s distraction the Champion of Justice was also gone.

“Hey, my ruby!” they heard Spike’s voice from behind a ridge in the ground, and climbed down into the ditch to find him hanging onto Rarity’s mane, his tail somehow trapped in the Driver.

“I thought you gave it to me, Spike sweetie?” Rarity was answering, “But I think you deserve a treat after today, if you want it.” Then she looked up and saw their friends gathering around, “Can we tell the others what happened? Or was it a secret?”

Spike looked around, and pondered for a moment. Rarity gently took the flame ruby from Twilight, and passed it to the little dragon, who began to nibble it contentedly.

“Well, we’ll need to say something. But I think maybe someone is listening in on our conversations, so I can’t tell the whole story. I’m sorry Twilight, the Element of Generosity is somewhere buried under a half-collapsed diamond mine, it’ll take a lot of work to find. But using what I’ve learned recently, I realised that we could trick the Driver into acting as if a baby dragon was one of the Elements of Harmony. As you can see, we didn’t have as much control as we would have liked. But we managed to defeat the Diamond Dopant, at least. I think that’s the best we could have hoped for in the circumstances.”

Twilight just nodded, her head so full of questions that she didn’t know which one to ask first.

“I’ll tell you more about it later. But you have to promise not to talk too much. Right now, I think Spikey-wikey has earned a whole basket of– Oh no!” Rarity was surrounded by a circle of concerned faces.

“What’s wrong?” Fluttershy was the first to say what was on everypony’s mind.

“I forgot about the dresses! Spike, come on! We need to go digging!”

Author's Note

Hope there's not too many errors in this one. I realise I'm dragging a couple of episodes together that don't fit naturally. As always, if you see any errors please let me know.

Intermission - D Briefing

Author's Note

I'm a little unsure about this one, wondering if I'm giving away too much about the suppliers too early. But I think it's got to be revealed sooner or later.

I'd be interested to hear how many of the unnamed characters you can identify.

Intermission - D Briefing

“I want my money back.”

“You do?”

“They took my Memory away. That dragon ate it. I want my money back.” Honest Joe was fuming, but his confidence diminished just a little with each demand as he stood looking up at the salespony. Honest Joe was scrawny, but he’d been used to fighting before he got involved with the Gaia Memory Farm. The merchant was probably only a hand taller than him, maybe two, but there was no reason he should be afraid.

It was probably the way he stood there, uncaring, and barely spoke unless you asked a question. The way he ignored every negotiating trick, ignored any attempt to haggle, and just said what he wanted to say. There was something about that attitude that could be truly terrifying after a while. But he was determined, he would get what he deserved.

“What would you say,” the big merchant finally spoke, “If someone bought a ring from you, say, and then came back to complain because they’d lost it, or broken it?”

“That’s not the same!”

“Why?” There he was with single word responses again. It was very hard to argue with someone like that.

“You were there. You could have stopped it. A certain amount of service is to be expected, especially with corporate customers. I want to speak to your manager!” In the back of his mind, Honest Joe was one step away from panic, but he’d managed to say it. That had been his objective in any case; he hadn’t expected to get a bit back in compensation, whatever he did. But with an excuse to see the boss, once he knew their identity he could negotiate on his own terms, maybe convince them that he’d be better at selling Memories than this too-honest hunk.

“Yeah. Fine.” And just like that, he produced a Gaia Memory from his own pockets. “I use this to call her. You might have to wait a bit, though.”

“NASCAR!” The Memory’s voice was booming, but subtly different from the Diamond one. Instead of jabbing it into his pristine cutie mark, the salespony slipped it into a slot in a wood-and-steel apparatus near the door, which promptly lit up in a dull red as if there was a banked fire inside the device. Despite the warning, it took only a few minutes for the boss to arrive.

“You called?” She was clearly feminine, and not much older than the salespony, to Honest Joe’s surprise. But her voice was used to being in control. She had come in behind him somewhere, so he couldn’t see what she looked like without turning suddenly, which would make him seem less competent. So he turned slowly, talking at the same time.

“This guy hasn’t done such a good job of safeguarding your interests in this town. I’m wondering if you–”

“Don’t even start by insulting my family,” she snapped back, cutting off the carefully rehearsed spiel.

“He’s your cousin? That’s why he got the job? Or a brother?” Honest Joe knew as soon as the words were out of his mouth that he’d spoken out of turn because he hadn’t expected the situation. He couldn’t take it back now, though.

“In-law. But it’s the same thing really. He married my princess, and I wouldn’t allow that unless I trusted him completely. If you think you’re better suited to running a distribution operation, you need to show your competence. Maybe by using a Gaia Memory for several months without having it destroyed or taken away.”

“But I don’t have a–”

“You could have raised the money and bought another. But you chose to complain, and we have no time for troublemakers. It would be much easier for us if you weren’t able to remember who we are.”

“No, wait, I can–”

“TERROR!”

When the screams had died away, the boss turned back to the merchant. “Anything else to report?”

“There seems to be a new Champion in town. Or a new monster. I’m not sure which. The Harmony girls said something about a Driver Dopant. Is that even possible?”

“Oh, of course. That’s why they’re still using Celestia’s Driver from a thousand years ago. The new one can’t reach them when it’s trapped inside somepony’s body. But I severely doubt that’s what you’ve seen. I will ask for a full report, and maybe there could be a bonus in it for you.”

“Could I have a vacation? I want to see…”

“She’s eager to see you again, too. Just wait a little while longer. We’ve nearly finished the second stage, and then she might even move to Ponyville with you. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Even more terse than usual, the salespony couldn’t think of any response more complex than a nod.

Episode 15 - Talk About Y

Author's Note

Sorry for the long delay. I finished this one 3 weeks ago, but have been putting off going back to double-check and fix a few things. Many thanks to twilight for editing help; and if anyone else is willing to offer a second pair of eyes, please let me know.

The schedule for upcoming chapters is now:
☺ Episode 16 - Don't Know Y (awaiting editing)
☺ Intermission - Generation Y (awaiting editing)
☺ Episode 17 - My Little P (awaiting editing)
☺ Episode 18 - The P Won't Stop (barely started)
☺ Intermission - Another P (finished - the second half of 'Another T')

Hope you enjoy ^_^

Episode 15 - Talk About Y

“So Spike’s not a dragon?” Rainbow Dash wrinkled her brow, not understanding any of what she’d been told.

“He’s a dragon,” Rarity tried again, explaining in different words in the hope it would get the idea into her friend’s skull, “He’s kind of a dragon and an Element of Harmony at the same time.”

“Like how we’re the Elements, but we’re still the same ponies as always,” Twilight Sparkle added, “I mean, AJ is the Element of Honesty, but that doesn’t mean she can’t bend the truth to spare somepony embarrassment.”

“Okay, I get that. But is he actually purified like the Elements were supposed to be? I mean, what we had when we turned into that huge dragon thing, that sounded more like how the Memory Users describe being a dopant. Maybe we’re lacking in harmony here.”

“I have to agree,” Rarity nodded sadly, “There’s something about the draconic nature…”

“We’ve tried every combination now,” Twilight looked down at the notes on her clipboard, “Two Elements together combine the body of the left side – Honesty, Loyalty, or Joker – with the heart or mind of the right – Kindness, Generosity, or Laughter – regardless of which pony has the Driver. And theoretically Spike, in the form of the Dragon Memory, can be used with any valid pair. But we haven’t been able to test it with anypony apart from Rarity yet.”

“Can she actually control him?”

“No,” Rarity bowed her head, “But it’s better than being attacked and having nothing to defend myself.”

“Weird to think, all these years and I never knew why Spike’s egg took so long to hatch.”

“You still can’t tell everypony,” Spike interrupted, “I mean… I can’t even tell you. But Celestia made me promise not to tell you. She doesn’t trust you all yet, and she said if Twilight knows you’d tell all your friends. Please, don’t tell the others? I only let you know because you were there.”

“Yeah. It’s just weird thinking, I got my cutie mark for awakening you, and –” Twilight suddenly cut off in the middle of her sentence. Their quiet table in the library had somehow become surrounded by small faces.

“And?” Rainbow Dash prompted, and then noticed the Cutie Mark Crusaders waiting eagerly for the next word.

“This could be awesome!” Scootaloo grinned, “I can’t believe we never thought to ask before. How did you get your cutie mark, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yes, we should ask the ponies who’ve already found theirs how they managed it!” Sweetie Belle added, “Maybe that way, we’ll see there’s some pattern, something we can do to find–”

“Calm down, Sweetie,” Rarity turned to smile at her little sister, “You should be grateful to Twilight for providing you and your friends a place to meet while AJ repairs the roof of that old clubhouse. You can’t go asking her to entertain you as well.”

“No, I’d be delighted!” Twilight stood up from the table, “I think the story of how I found my cutie mark might prove inspirational to these fillies, and I’m always happy to help if–”

“No, we’re fine,” Scootaloo shrugged, “We don’t need to hear a story about books and feelings and stuff, I’m sure the ponies I can learn from all have interesting stories. Come on girls, let’s go find somepony to ask.”

“Wait,” Twilight seemed almost irritated that they didn’t want to hear her story, “you shouldn’t go out in the rain, you might –”

“We’ll be fine. Right, girls? And we’ll come back to ask you later, okay?” Scootaloo gave one more nod to Rainbow Dash, her role model, before the three Crusaders dashed out of the library.

“They got plenty of energy, at least,” Dash grinned, “I’m sure they’ll get their cutie marks in no time at all.”

“They could have waited to hear my story. They seemed like they weren’t even interested, but they could have learned so much if they’d just asked.”

“Don’t worry. I’m sure they’ll be back. You’ll find somepony who wants to hear your story.”

A mare peered at her prey. As long as they didn’t know she was there, they wouldn’t even think to run. A little caution could prevent a whole lot of chaos. She liked to think that was the best way to get everything where it should be, to keep everything well organised.

She thought of them as prey occasionally, that much was true. But really, she was more of a shepherd than a predator. They would be better off after she caught up with them, even if the primitive, animal part of their brain wouldn’t let them accept it. If she could get some benefit out of harvesting what they’d be more comfortable without, then that was perfect. A win-win situation, that provided the best for everypony until –

Her train of thought was interrupted as one of the dumb creatures started to move. She knew that if any of them moved, the others would follow suit soon enough, and then it would take a lot more work than she intended to put in if she wanted to get them all in one place again. She hurried after them, putting everything out of her mind except for the immediate concern of the chase.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to listen to Twilight Sparkle’s story?” Sweetie Belle asked as the three fillies dashed through town, “I mean, if we find out how the adults got their cutie marks, then maybe it’ll give us a clue how to find ours.”

“But it’ll be boring!” Scootaloo shrugged off her friend’s idea, “We got to find awesome ponies to ask their stories.”

“Who’s awesome, then?” Apple Bloom asked the obvious question.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, for sure.”

“But she’s in the library. We’re running the wrong way.”

“Well, we can–” she was interrupted by a half-dozen chickens running across their path in a blur of beaks and feathers. Most of the birds kept on flapping in the direction they’d been going, but one seemed to take an interest in Scootaloo, speeding around her in tight circles until it made everypony dizzy just to watch.

“Come back!” a muted cry from beyond a hedge could only be Fluttershy, in pursuit of her flock. A few moments later she emerged, squeezing between the branches, and shook her head to remove the leaves from her mane.

“Have any of you seen some chickens?” she asked, and then glanced at Scootaloo and needed a hoof over her mouth to stifle the laughter.

“What?” Scootaloo glared, not sure if she should be angry about the response. Then Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom turned to see what Fluttershy was laughing at, and weren’t so successful at hiding their amusement.

“You’ve got feathers stuck all over you, dearie,” a passer by pointed out. She helpfully held up a compact mirror, so that Scootaloo could pluck off the stray feathers that had become attached to her coat and wings.

“Thanks,” Scootaloo mumbled, passing the mirror back a few minutes later, “I looked ridiculous.”

“Everypony does, at some point in their life,” the old mare chuckled, “The best we can do about it is know when it’s time to clean yourself up, and hope you don’t end up with egg on your face. And let me tell you, there’s nothing worse in life than waiting for excitement to find you. Better to do the wrong thing than do nothing at all.”

“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Apple Bloom pouted, “We tried everything we can think of, and we still haven’t got our cutie marks. We were going to go and ask the most awesome pony we can find how they got theirs, and see if that gives us a clue.”

“I think maybe you should ask more than one pony,” the mare just kept smiling, letting the words drift out into the world at their own speed. She was in no rush. “Because everypony has an incredible moment when they first find out what they are capable of, the exciting and the mundane alike. Just because any other pony on the street doesn’t carry their ‘awesomeness’ like a flag, doesn’t mean the moment when they first excelled is any less exciting.”

“I guess so,” Apple Bloom nodded, “If we’re going to go asking older ponies for their stories, we should at least be fair. And when something awesome happens for a regular pony, it’s probably more exciting than when it happens to somepony that’s just awesome every day.”

“I don’t know,” Scootaloo shrugged, “I think most of them won’t have much exciting. Like, even Fluttershy, she’s a Champion of Harmony now, but I doubt she did anything specially awesome before that, there’s not much of a story in giving medicine to small animals, or whatever.”

“Hey!” Sweetie Belle threw a fallen apple from the ground at her friend, “That’s not fair. You should apologise right away, Fluttershy’s talent is as important as anyone’s.”

“It’s okay,” Fluttershy whispered, “I think my talent’s useful, but it doesn’t have such an important story. Just one day me and Rainbow Dash were racing, and then I fell, and I found out how loving and welcoming animals can be. That’s about it.”

“No, no,” Scootaloo answered before she had time to think the words through, “You should tell us the story, I’m sorry I was a bit rude. I never thought you were interested in racing.”

“Well, I don’t think I ever told the story before. So if you really want to know…”

A few years before. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash lived in Cloudsdale, and were close friends. Neither of them had their cutie marks yet, but Rainbow Dash was convinced hers would be something signifying speed. A lightning bolt, maybe, or just a few ‘whoosh’ lines to indicate a pony who was already long gone.

Fluttershy wasn’t sure what she wanted hers to be yet. Maybe something to do with the weather. It was the single biggest employer around here, and fully two thirds of the pegasi in Cloudsdale worked for the weather bureau in some capacity. Whether it was dragging clouds into place, or calibrating the mixing machines to ensure that every rainbow contained precisely the right amount of green, everypony knew that orchestrating the weather was what a pegasus did best.

Fluttershy wasn’t quite so confident she’d make a good job of it, though. Every team she’d seen when they were at work seemed to be a bunch of competitive egos, ponies who only cared about being the best. It seemed like half of them listened to their team leader’s orders because they knew that someday soon they were going to be the one in charge, and they’d expect everypony to listen then. Fluttershy was pretty sure she wouldn’t be well suited to dragging heavy chunks of meteorology around the sky; she was nervous enough on her wings without carrying a valuable cargo.

Then one day, a burst of colour had shot across the sky, visible for dozens if not hundreds of miles. Some of the colts spun wild stories, claiming some kind of media conspiracy to deny the truth of some accident in the Rainbow Factory. But Rainbow Dash had her own theory about the burst of light; something she would only share with her closest friend.

Fluttershy could barely believe her eyes when she saw the azure filly carrying a book almost as large as she was. She was even more astounded when she glimpsed the title; it was Dusk Palette’s grimoire ‘On the Theory and Practise of Aerial and Celestial Phenomena’.

“What have you got there?” Fluttershy felt compelled to ask, “It’s good if you’re starting to take your schoolwork seriously, but there are plenty of books in the library with more approachable versions of Dusk’s theories. Nopony expects us to actually understand the original.” But as she said it, an idea was forming in her mind that was quite hard to shift. Rainbow Dash was exactly the kind of pony who liked to take any idea and fly with it. Of course, if she was reading the books she was supposed to, she would have to go further. She’d go all the way back to the original texts and try to show up even the bookworms. Whatever Rainbow did, she had to show she was better than the rest.

“Oh, I wouldn’t look in this if I had the choice. You know, he wrote half of it backwards so you need a mirror to read it? There’s pages where the writing is backwards and upside down, so you need two mirrors. Everypony did their own version of this, right, but they all copied just the bits they were interested in. Books on clouds, books on rainbows, books of diffraction. But there’s bits that nopony picked on, so I had to go back to the greatest bookworm in history. And I was right.”

It took several minutes to find a place Dash was happy with. She didn’t want to be seen or overheard by Hoops and Shock, who would certainly say she wasn’t cool if they found her reading such a serious book. Rainbow Dash always said that she was so awesome she didn’t need to worry what anypony else thought, but Fluttershy often wondered if her friend was more vulnerable than she was willing to let the world see. Eventually, they found a spot on the edge of a cloud where they could both sit and open the book between them.

The page was filled by cramped hoofwriting, almost illegible after more than a thousand years of changing styles. The text filled every space between the diagrams and illustrations, not divided into neat columns and boxes like the schoolbooks that had been adapted from this ancient tome. However much genius Dusk Palette had shown in weather manipulation, and how she’d created everything the present day’s weather ponies relied on, she would probably have flunked out of school for her penmanship alone if she was around now. The title at the top of the page was not one Fluttershy had expected to see in such a distinguished text, especially accompanied by illustrations of a pegasus doing what they all knew was supposed to be impossible.

“The Sonic Rainboom,” she read aloud, “Ancient myths?”

“It’s not a myth,” Dash seemed entirely certain, “Just read it. Dusk was sure it was real, and he’s like the king of the eggheads a thousand years ago. Who are we to say it doesn’t exist, just because nopony’s fast enough to pull it off any more?”

“You think that’s what we saw yesterday?”

“I’m sure of it. The fastest pegasus in Equestria, maybe, might be able to do something that’s supposed to be impossible.”

“Right. So you’ve got a new hero, but you have no idea who they even are. I thought you said you wanted to race?”

“Yeah… I can’t read most of this. But the bits I can make out, the bits that are simple enough and make sense, they’re talking about a competitive instinct. See, if the fastest pegasus in Equestria can do it, then I have to do it before I can be the fastest. And this book says you can only learn something like that in a serious race, you can’t learn the Rainboom just by practising. It has to be a competition, a challenge, to push you ahead.”

“Oh…kay,” Fluttershy could see so many problems with that thought that she didn’t know where to start. But at the same time, it was the first time in a long while she’d seen Rainbow Dash so focused. If this theory got her to read a book and actually try to work out how to use what it said, that had to be a good thing regardless of the truth of the theory. “Okay, let’s race. But wouldn’t you be better off asking someone who’s… good at racing?”

“They’d always cheat. You know what Silver Lining’s like, and Hoops is no better. I can beat them, sure, but I can’t get my mind off how to work around their tricks when I’m racing them. I need to just think about flying fast, and winning, if I’m going to do the Rainboom.”

“Did you say ‘Rainboom’?” The voice had a high pitch that somehow made it sound like the speaker was sneering, though anyone who’d been around Thunder Shock for long knew that was just a normal quality of his voice. The undercurrent of giggles, however, wasn’t a permanent fixture of his larynx, but provided by two other colts. Fluttershy automatically started to back away on seeing them peer over the mound of cloud which had momentarily provided privacy. She was a little afraid, especially of Shock. He’d been popular when he was younger, riding on his father’s popularity. But now it was becoming clear that he wasn’t quite as smart, cunning, or cool as most of his friends, and sooner or later he’d be the one they were picking on. That kind of worry could make a pony vicious if he had any excuse.

“Yeah, you heard,” Rainbow Dash was probably just as nervous, but she was always one to face her worries head on. Rather than running away, she’d keep pushing back until the bully had to either back off or face her in some contest that Dash was sure she’d win. The possibility that she was wrong never entered her mind, or the possibility that she could lose. It was the same as always. “You think I can’t do it?”

“There’s no such thing,” Hoops was just as sure of himself, “It’s a story for foals, something left over from before we had proper factories, and every pony made his own weather. You still believe in nursery stories, Rainbow Crash?”

“The Sonic Rainboom is real,” Rainbow Dash only got more insistent when challenged, “And I’m going to prove it. If there’s somepony that can do it, then I will too. Fluttershy’s helping me train.”

“Now I heard everything. Does she even know how to fly?”

“Hey,” one of the eternal hangers-on whose name Fluttershy didn’t recall decided to chip in, “Between them these fillies might make a half-decent flyer. One can fly, the other don’t crash into everything she sees.”

“Shut your mouth,” Rainbow Dash spat back, her temper finally exhausted, “The two of us could beat you in any race you care to name.”

“You’re on!”

…

The race took nearly a week to set up. So that it could be taken seriously, it needed to be properly organised after all. It wasn’t supposed to be a team event; Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were just two out of a dozen competitors, because when their friends heard there was a race everypony wanted to join in. Still, in all the gossip around school, the point of this competition was to watch Hoops take Rainbow Dash down a peg or two. Fluttershy didn’t want to let her friend down, but it looked like Dash was just doing this to protect her from the scorn of their classmates, so she certainly couldn’t back down now.

It was a simple race, with one good, long straight section. That was where Dash would pull off the Sonic Rainboom, she was sure, and then the rest of the race wouldn’t matter at all. Before and after the straight were a dozen narrow passages, and a slalom made from spare chunks of cloud left over after the mid-spring cleanup. There were a dozen young ponies there, both her own age and a few from the year above, who already had speed or flight symbolised in their cutie marks. But they were almost an afterthought, because this match was to determine a personal squabble that had already been retold with so many exaggerations, and immortalised in school legend.

Fluttershy was disappointed that she failed. Not just her first real race, she had never cared about being fast, so losing thee first of many races wouldn’t be anything too special. But although there weren’t officially teams in this competition, she still felt she would be letting her friend down if she didn’t do her best. And, in a small way, she felt that it was the duty of every pegasus to be fast racing through the clouds. Fluttershy knew, on a deep level she couldn’t bring herself to admit, that she would be betraying her tribe if she didn’t at least try.

Then she failed. It was the second turn, or the third. She was panting hard, struggling to make any movement, but at least she tried. Somewhere ahead of her, a few others were racing. But Rainbow Dash and the colts were battling for the lead, so far ahead that they were already looping back and close to starting the second lap. They were really struggling, nopony willing to come second. As well as just trying to fly fast, they were fighting through the turbulence created by the current leader, and trying not to smooth out the air too much and make it easier for the rival currently trying to overtake. In a way it was beautiful, a frantic dance or a kind of non-contact wrestling mediated by the currents of the air.

Fluttershy didn’t have much time to admire the dance. The first few zigzags out from the starting line almost made a helix around the home straight, and as they passed Fluttershy felt the combined turbulence of the best four flyers hit her like a physical blow. She tripped and fell into a spin so fast and irregular that she couldn’t find any still air to beat her wings against. She tried to stop her body tumbling, but she was moving through the air so quickly that as soon as she opened a wing even slightly the wind stretched it out behind her. She didn’t have the flight muscles it would take to fight against such a high speed drop.

As she fell, she saw Rainbow Dash’s concerned expression for just a moment in the tumbling procession of images, diving down to rescue her. But Thunder Shock was right behind her, and saw an opportunity to seize the lead. As Dash dived, Shock was flying over the top of her. Maybe with a careless hoof catching the back of her head, or kicking through her feathers as she passed by too close for normal flight safety.

Fluttershy didn’t see any more. When the world stopped spinning around her, all she could see was the ground coming closer, in colours as varied as any sunset. Then there was a boom behind her, and everything was illuminated in swirling plumes of different colour. Whatever it was, it attracted the attention of butterflies and bees, who soared up into the sky. Many of them were beneath Fluttershy, and for an instant she worried that her weight would crush them, but they were experts in channeling and using fast air currents, even the tiny ones caused by a falling body. Several butterflies touched her coat, even riding in it for the smallest instant, but she didn’t hit a single one. And then she realised that their contact was having a tiny effect on her speed.

A single butterfly couldn’t slow a falling filly. Even a hundred would have little effect. But whatever had got their attention had brought out thousands of butterflies, millions even, and all those tiny touches started to add up. She slowed down just enough that with all her strength she could hold her wings out wide and catch the air, and slow herself enough to land.

On the ground, the cloud of butterflies was so thick that it was like being inside a rainbow. The different coloured wings fluttered everywhere, still excited by the burst of so many different colours they’d seen overhead. Other animals were less enthusiastic about the strange weather. Rabbits and voles were cowering under bushes, and one chicken was agitatedly squawking as it ran in circles, so panicked that Fluttershy wondered if it thought the sky was going to fall.

She said ‘thank you’ to the butterflies, and felt a little silly for doing so. They were like the birds that occasionally visited Cloudsdale, she thought, not able to understand common speech. But then as soon as she’d thought that, she realised that she could tell how scared the rabbits and the chicken were, even if the squawking didn’t have any meaning for her. Even without words that you could understand, the tone of any creature’s voice could tell enough. So Fluttershy lowered herself to her knees, hoping she didn’t tower over the creatures too much, and spoke in what she hoped was a soft and comforting voice. She told them not to worry, that the flash of light was just a pony showing off, and that they could get back to their lives.

And it worked.They probably didn’t understand the words, but they could respond to her tone. They felt safe, and they started to trust her. Before long, all the animals in the area would listen to her. And that was when she realised that she felt comfortable talking to them. She was more comfortable in these woods, talking to these animals, than she had ever felt in Cloudsdale. She decided in that moment that she wanted to stay here, and help the animals who had helped her.

Her cutie mark appeared as she was looking around for a town, so that she could send a message back to her friends in Cloudsdale. It showed butterflies, like the ones who had helped her reach the ground. She decided that meant her special talent was talking to animals, helping them and maybe letting them help her in return. She quickly found Ponyville, and learned that some of the land between the town and the Everfree Forest wasn’t owned by anypony. She claimed a plot, and some stronger ponies helped her to build a cottage there. She sent letters to her friends in Ponyville, though only Rainbow Dash came down to visit regularly, and she made new friends in a new town.

From that day on, she never once regretted her choice. An accident had given her exactly the life she needed. That was why, when bad things happened, she was often first to look for a silver lining as well.

“Wow,” Apple Bloom grinned as the story finished, “I never knew any of that. We never see you without your animal friends, it’s easy to think they’ve always been there.” By now, they were sitting around a table outside Sugarcube Corner, enjoying a selection of cakes. Fluttershy had decided that telling the Cutie Mark Crusaders a story that might help them was a priority over tracking down a couple of chickens who apparently didn’t want to take their medicine. They’d probably come back when they were hungry in any case.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy grinned, “I was born in Cloudsdale. Did you know, they don’t even have animals there? Some ponies have pet birds, but it’s not really common. I was about your age before I even knew what animals were! But that’s all in the past now, and it’s much more sensible to think about how things are now. There’s no sense calling up bad memories unless you really need to.”

“Your stories are so descriptive, though,” Sweetie Belle voiced her amazement, though they were all impressed by the way Fluttershy had told her story, “It was like we were really there.” Fluttershy blushed, but didn’t get time to answer before Scootaloo came up with one more question to ask.

“So Rainbow Dash did her Sonic Rainboom then? You should have said more about that, it would have been so awesome to see.”

“I heard she managed to pull off a Sonic Rainboom when we were still fillies. It was incredible, nopony had managed to do it in hundreds of years, and most of them thought it was some old myth. But my friend did it, and I was facing the wrong direction so I never saw it. She told me she did it during a race, when she was being really competitive, and after that first time she only found the determination once, at the Young Flyers Competition last month. The speed it requires is incredible, so even the fastest pony in Equestria can’t do it whenever she wants. Not until we got the Elements of Harmony, anyway. Now she can do it so easily, but she still keeps on training so that one day she can do it on her own again.”

“That is so awesome,” Scootaloo was still staring off into space, trying to imagine how it would have looked if they’d been able to see Rainbow Dash do her trademark move for the first time, “We have to ask her what it was like.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom nodded, “But she’s busy talking to Twilight about important Elements of Harmony stuff, I bet. And I don’t want to be listening to how you get a cutie mark in magic for half an hour. We’re not going to some fancy special school for unicorns, so stories about how much the genius tutors can help a filly won’t be any use to us.”

“Let’s ask everypony else, while we wait for Rainbow Dash to be free.”

“Sure. But who do we ask first?”

“How about Pinkie Pie? She’ll be back with our cakes soon enough, and maybe it’s no Rainboom, but those party cannons are pretty awesome!”

“Did you say you want a party cannon?” Pinkie’s head appeared between Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, making all of the three fillies jump in surprise, “Because I’m not supposed to fire it around here while I’m working, it upsets Mrs Cake. But I’ve got a break in like… five minutes.”

“Oh, it’s not that,” Sweetie Belle explained, “We were just wondering if you can remember how you got your cutie mark. It seems like everything you do is about parties, but we don’t know if it was always like that. Or was there ever a time you threw your first party?”

“Oh, I still remember my first party. It was a get well party, for me really, but I was really trying to get my family to crack a smile. Want me to tell you about it?” she was answered by three eager nods. “Then let me begin…”

The filly who would one day be Pinkie Pie was excited and impatient. She wasn’t called Pinkie then, though. Her parents were down-to-earth, serious types, of course. But even they had enough poetry in their souls not to call a pink pony something so unimaginative. They gave her a solid, serious, long and unwieldy, down-to-earth name that she was already starting to get tired of. Just that morning she’d been trying to think of a name that was more exciting, and more fashionable. She’d considered “Ace”, and “Kapow”, but neither sounded like a real name. She was starting to realise just how hard it must be for the ponies who wrote comic books to pick names for their characters, having to come up with something that was both exciting and fitting for that one pony.

But it wasn’t her new name that had made her so excited. It was the party she had planned for the evening. Or rather, the Rainbow Flare. She didn’t call it a party, because she’d never even heard the word before. Surrounded by the oh-so-serious business of the family rock farm, there was no time or space for frivolity, and their parents had always hoped that the three fillies would grow up to be just as serious as their own parents. The family business was important, too important to suffer distractions like parties, or toys.

The pink filly had been ill for a week, and much of her body was still wrapped in bandages. When she was working on her family’s rock farm she could make a game of it, trying to beat her personal record for number of rocks in a basket, or guessing how many of today’s temporary workers would have a moustache. They were little games, barely enough to keep her amused on the best of days, but lying in bed she couldn’t even do that, and the tedium was starting to drive her insane. When her sisters came to check on her, they brought a little life to the room. But she felt they were hiding something from her, not saying what they wanted to share. She loved them; Marble and Limestone, even Maud when she wasn’t too busy with her rockology studies.

They had been as close as any family could be, since their parents’ age caught up with them. But now her sisters were quiet, a little withdrawn. They were the only excitement in her sickroom, but they weren’t as close as they would normally be. She could only hope it was because the bandages and bruises bothered them, and they would be close again once she was well. But then, she had soon got curious enough to listen at the door, to hear them talking about her as they walked away.

“…not ready for this…”

“…no idea how to make a plan…”

“…pure chaos…”

“…such a big change…”

“…maturing slowly, but soon…”

“…she’ll never grow up…”

She’d been scared to hear those things. She knew she was young, a filly still. And she knew that her family needed her to grow up and help them more. But she couldn’t see what she could do that wasn’t better done by somepony who really loved rocks, the way Maud and Marble did. She could almost feel herself growing, she knew that her body would be changing as well soon. The arrival of her cutie mark was supposed to be the first stage on that road. Half a year ago, she’d started every day by staring at her flanks, trying to will the first stage of adulthood into existence. Now she didn’t even bother to look, because she knew nothing had changed. Even under the bandages, she knew she was still the same child she’d always been.

Maybe her sisters could see her growing in some subtle way. Maybe her mane had changed style, or her voice was less excitable, or she was just growing larger. But whatever they’d seen, she couldn’t see it herself, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to now. Being an adult was the time you couldn’t have fun any more.

The first time she’d been allowed out of her room, she knew, she should have visited her parents. They were old and sick now, and didn’t get out much. They must have missed her visits as much as she had missed them. But instead she went down to the village, desperate to speak to somepony whose mind wasn’t all business, and whose words weren’t all rocks. And they’d told her about the rainbow storm.

Like a rainbow they said, or a thousand rainbows at once. Not hanging in the sky in the distance, but close enough you felt like you could touch them. Right over the village, right over the farm. Rainbows that were a straight line rather than an arch, or a circle, or like an explosion. Everypony had a different description, but they all made it sound equally awesome. She couldn’t believe that her family hadn’t thought to tell her about this, when she’d been too sick to go out and see for herself.

She could think off two reasons they wouldn’t have told her. Maybe they thought she’d be sad to have missed it, and they were trying not to show their excitement because they didn’t want to upset her. Or maybe they hadn’t seen it properly, and hadn’t realised the amazing thing they were missing. From the village, everypony said, it had seemed to come from the south. That meant it had appeared directly over the Pie family farm. Maybe it really had been overhead, or so close that her sisters hadn’t looked up.Or maybe it had been farther south, over the mountains, and it was just possible that anypony working on the farm that evening had missed the show because the mountains had been in the way.

In either case, she had decided, she would show her family that they could have fun looking at the rainbow. Maybe she couldn’t replicate the rainbow storm that the villagers described, but she could do her best. She put together things of every colour she could imagine; streamers to mimic the shape of a rainbow as it arced through the sky, and balloons to symbolise the height, and cakes representing how sweet she’d always imagined a rainbow should be. She set it all up in one of the outbuildings, that didn’t seem to be used for anything else. And she invited the whole family to come in and see what she’d created.

She called it her rainbow flare, because clearly a rainbow storm was something that had already happened, and she needed a name that was exciting enough, but also marked this as something different.

“Is this a party?” Marble had been the first to arrive, and looked around in shock. “You can’t do this… Mother will be mad.”

“I don’t know, what’s a party? And what’s wrong? I just want to show everypony how much fun the rainbow can be! We don’t have to just do what we have to, we can do awesome things too.”

“No, you can’t,” Maud Pie’s voice came from the doorway, “This is wrong. You should forget you ever saw that rainbow. It’s a disgraceful thing, we should regret it, not celebrate it. That abomination isn’t what made our family great, and we need to remember that. No matter where they came from or what they do, rainbows are not welcome here.”

The little pink pony stared at Maud in shock. She’d never seen her so angry in all her life. It took all her willpower not to cry, but Maud wasn’t finished yet.

“This is a disgusting display, an example of everything we need to show that we are not. You are letting the family down. And if you think like the city ponies, who celebrate something as blasphemous as a rainbow… If you think those ponies are wiser than your own ancestors, then maybe it’s them you should be living with.”

She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer, and she didn’t want her own disappointment to spoil what should have been a good day. She didn’t want to be seen. So she darted out into the night, and ran and ran, until the light spilling out of the open door was the only sign of life in the nighttime farm. Then her parents walked up to the door, unsteady on their hooves, but trying as hard as they could. They’d trusted in her enough to leave the house, and look at what she’d created.

She sat sobbing by the gate, still hoping that they would have something good to say, that she’d somehow misunderstood what had caused Maud’s rage. But all she heard were voices raised in anger, the words inaudible at this distance. She had to understand that she’d done something wrong, so very wrong, and she didn’t even understand why.

She turned towards the road, and started walking. She didn’t want to hurt her family. But as she sat on her haunches, waiting for them to say they hated her, the moonlight had shown her what she’d been too excited to notice, perhaps for a whole day. Her cutie mark was there; three balloons tied together by their strings, just peeking out from the edge of her bandages. Her special talent was in making parties, there could be no doubt. But she didn’t even know what a party was, save that it was a terrible thing her parents would never allow on their farm.

She felt like a genius general, born in an era where there were no wars to be fought. Or a torturer born a century after that craft went out of fashion. She had a talent she would never be permitted to use… and with that, would she ever be treated as an adult? But then she remembered Maud’s heated words, and she wondered. Maybe there were ponies out there who loved to party, whose families were the exact opposite of the Pies. If there was a place she could fit in, and she could use her talents, then maybe they could be a new family. But she still wasn’t sure. Should she go back, and try to mend her bridges instead of burning them? As she thought back, her imagination conjured so many half-remembered images. Sad faces and happy faces; patient and sympathetic. She knew that whatever came between them, her family must want what was truly best for her. She was sure of it, and she wasn’t ready to doubt them now, at least not without asking just what was wrong with her Rainbow Flare.

And then she saw it, a second before she was ready to turn back. A rainbow, arcing across the sky. But not just any rainbow. This one moved like it was alive, and burst in a spray of colour where it hit the horizon. She could see a ring of bright colours spreading around the setting sun, and she knew right away that it was a sign. Maybe not intended as a sign, but when the sky lit up like that she needed to investigate. Just like she needed to find out if other ponies liked to party, and how she could make the next one even better. It was almost a part of who she was now.

“What’s the matter, Pinky?” one of the casual labourers called as she stood frozen with indecision. The stallion was big and muscular, but not too bright. The kind who wouldn’t remember a five-syllable name even if she told him, so relied on the most obvious detail of her appearance. “Looking at the rainbow? You know there was one of them here last week, so bright it filled the sky?”

“My name’s…” she started, then realised it seemed to fit. “Yeah, Pinkie. Good guess. And I missed the last rainbow storm, so I can’t let this one go.”

“The sun was already setting,” Pinkie explained, “so I had to run fast. I just kept ahead of the night, and when it got too dark to gallop farther, my dreams were filled with that riot of colours. I didn’t know where to go, so I just walked toward where I’d seen it, the best I could. It took two days, then I got to Ponyville. When somepony looks at my cutie mark here, they’re excited imagining what my parties must be like. I’ve not seen anypony stare at it in disgust since I came here. So I got it, and now I can be happy with it.”

She still sounded upset, though. Memories that she’d tried to bury had a way of rushing back, and thinking about her family almost always made her cry. She’d been talking quite loudly, and everypony around could have heard some part of the story, if they weren’t too focused on their own conversation. An older mare on the farthest table nodded in sympathy, twirling a pendant between her hooves and thinking back to her own childhood.

“Yes,” she mumbled to herself, “It’s a sad thing when your family can’t support you. We’d be best not remembering it at all, when the memories are so sad.”

Applejack wasn’t quite close enough to hear the story, but she came closer when she saw the Crusaders huddled around Pinkie Pie.

“Hey, Apple Bloom, everypony,” she smiled, “Wasn’t Twilight supposed to be keeping an eye on you today? I hope you ain’t been distracting Pinkie when she’s working.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Pinkie bounced right back to her normal exuberance, “I’ve been telling them the story of how Equestria was founded!” The three fillies looked up in surprise at that, but quickly realised that it was Pinkie Pie talking, and eccentricity was to be expected.

“We’re doing research,” Apple Bloom explained, “We’ve been asking different ponies how they got their cutie marks, so we can see if there’s anything in common.”

“Oh, that’s so neat!” Pinkie grinned, “I should tell you how I got mine some time, but I was so busy I didn’t notice it right away. And I should be busy now, I’ve got buns in the oven! Bye!” and she dashed back into the shop before anypony else could respond.

“Well, good on you,” Applejack took the recently vacated seat, “So would you like to hear my story too?”

“Well, we already got Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. We were going to ask Rainbow Dash later, then we’ll have three stories.”

“Oh, you shouldn’t bother them,” Applejack let a note of disappointment enter her voice, “They’re having a special secret Champions of Harmony meeting, and we ain’t invited because Celestia said so or something. Must be something real important if they can’t even tell the Element of Honesty. Anyhow! You got time for another story if you want it, but it’s probably not so exciting as the others. Maybe teach you something, though.”

“Why not?” Sweetie Belle gave a half hearted shrug, “We finished the cake, though. Could you get us some more?”

It took a while to settle on the cakes, but Applejack was happy enough to buy them just once. As she’d said, her story wasn’t as long as the others.

“I think Pinkie already said something about some rainbow flashes in the sky,” she started, “Well, it was one of them that got me started to getting my cutie mark. See, everypony at school had got theirs already, so it seemed, and I thought I was missing out…

Applejack started the day by looking in the mirror, like she did every day. She wasn’t vain, that would have got her in no end of trouble from Granny Smith. But she wanted to have her cutie mark, like all her friends, and she didn’t want to miss its appearance. She’d be a grown mare soon enough, and able to help her brother with all the real jobs on the farm, not just picking up fallen apples.

But after a month, or two months, or three, of looking in the mirror every day, she was starting to worry that it might never come. She’d tried every job on the farm, all the ones they’d let her do, anyway, and hadn’t shown any talent. She could do everything well enough, but that was by hard work rather than a special talent showing itself off. She was starting to wonder if she wasn’t cut out for farming after all.

Then one day, as she was collecting the windfall apples for her very own batch of cider, she saw a flash in the sky. It was like a rainbow had hit the ground and burst, spraying colour in all directions. It was amazing and incredible, and as soon as Applejack saw it some instinct told her that it was going to be very important in her future.

At dinner that night, she had new questions to ask. Instead of asking everything she could think of about how Granny and Big Mac had spent the day, and every detail of running the farm, she asked what lay at the end of the roads out of Ponyville. She didn’t want to ask where the rainbow had been over, because that would be a silly dream of a filly who didn’t want to think properly. But she worked out as best she could the direction it had come from, and which roads might head in that direction.

“That’s Manehattan,” Big Mac answered, keeping his words to a minimum as always.

“Oh,” Applejack nodded, as if the exotic name meant something to her. She had heard of it before, but she had never paid too much attention to the world outside Sweet Apple Acres, so she didn’t know what kind of place it might be. “Have you been there?”

“Nope,” and that was all there was to say on the matter.

Over the next week, Granny Smith took care to feed Applejack’s interest in the rest of Equestria, filling in what details she could remember from the days she’d spent travelling in her long-ago youth. And then she said something that would change the course of young Applejack’s life.

“You know, there’s Oranges in Manehattan now.” And that led to a good few minutes of confusion, because she’d already said that there wasn’t much fruit grown in the big city. But she explained that she meant the family of Granny Smith’s cousin Billy, who had worked on an orange farm in the south before moving to the then-new city of Manehattan in an attempt to find a new direction for his life.

“Your Aunt Orange is there now, of course, and her husband. Or your second cousin thrice removed or somesuch, but I say it’s easier to just say aunt if there’s enough cousins in between you’d have to stop to count them. Maybe you could get in touch, you got so many questions about Manehattan that I don’t have the answers to.”

So of course Applejack had written to Aunt and Uncle Orange, and had got a letter back on the finest, smoothest writing paper she’d ever felt. She’d written back again, asking what the city was like, and what kind of work they did there, and waited impatiently when each letter was due to arrive. Some of the answers sounded wonderful, like something out of a fantasy when they wrote about the complex fashions, and the size of the buildings, and streets that were nearly always clean. But when they mentioned work, or friends, Applejack found she couldn’t understand at all. But her lucky rainbow had pointed her in that direction, so she knew she just had to learn more.

It seemed like the correspondence had taken forever, but maybe it was only a few weeks before Applejack was on the train to Manehattan. She was going to live with her aunt and uncle in the hope that the city would give her a new purpose, a new way of looking at the world, and maybe a new special talent, just like it had for them.

The world was opened out for her. The city did indeed contain spectacular buildings, gleaming spires stretching into the sky. But rather than awe, the ponies who lived there always seemed to be thinking about who who worked in a higher office than them, or who had a bigger home, or who lived in the largest building even though they only took up a tiny part of it.

Applejack woke up groggy in the mornings, without a cock crow to clear her head and let her know it was time to work. And there wasn’t any work for her to do, save going out to school. Aunt and Uncle Orange seemed to live their lives talking to their friends, and inviting ponies round for parties, and making subtle deals that took a week to agree. Every transaction was a big deal in whatever kind of business this was, and Applejack was still too young to know what was being bought and sold. It seemed to her like their jobs were just talking to friends and looking good, the same as half the ponies in this place.

She tried her hardest. She tried to use the right knives and forks for the right bite-sized fancy meals, she tried to give guests a good impression of the family, she tried to wake up in the morning without a rooster to remind her. But every day, it felt no easier, and she wasn’t sure if she should head off to some other town, and try to find her talent there. And then as she looked out of the window, watching the sun sink below the horizon with no sign of birdsong, she saw a rainbow in the distance again. The omen that had brought her here, pointing along a road she was sure led back to Ponyville.

This time she didn’t think about it for weeks, she didn’t doubt her choice. Applejack just packed up her bags, thanked her aunt and uncle, and caught the next train home. As soon as she came in sight of the gates, she knew she’d done the right thing. Sweet Apple Acres was the place that called to her, even if she didn’t have some specific task to excel in. She would keep working at that farm just as long as it was possible, and she would protect her family and her farm from anything that might threaten them.

And that realisation was all it took for her cutie mark to appear. Apples, representing not the fruit itself, but her home.

“Wow, that’s a long way to go to find your home.”

“I think sometimes it’s the journey that matters, sugarcube.”

“Maybe I should go to Manehattan,” Apple Bloom mused, “I mean, it works for some folks. Maybe I really do need to try something different.”

“If you think that’s what’d work best for you,” Applejack answered slowly, making it too easy to guess that she was wracking her brains in search of some reason to say that was a bad idea, “Maybe you can think about it again when you’ve grown a bit more. Home’s a big thing to the Apple family, you know. I think if I’d gone galloping off to try and find myself when I was your age, I might never have got back.”

“Maybe it’ll be the same for me,” Apple Bloom admitted, “I think this place will always be home, and all my friends–”

“So what did you think about the rainbow?” Scootaloo interrupted, unable to restrain herself any longer, “I mean, you and Fluttershy and Pinkie all saw a big rainbow. Do you really think somepony managed the Sonic Rainboom before Rainbow Dash did? I can’t believe that, she’s got to be the first, right?”

“What rainbow?” for a moment the three youngsters thought she was joking, but then Applejack continued, “I heard that Rainbow Dash did a Sonic Rainboom when she was younger, but I didn’t see it. I think she was still living in Cloudsdale then, and I was right here in Ponyville, so maybe she was too far away.”

“Maybe it’s brighter than you think,” Scootaloo said, “You saw it all the way from Manehattan, and that’s what convinced you to come back here. Just like Pinkie.”

“Manehattan?” Applejack wasn’t sure if she should take that as a joke or not, “What would I be doing in Manehattan? I’ve lived in Ponyville my whole life, even my cutie mark is about my bond with the family farm. I’d never even consider travelling that far. I think I got some cousins there, but distant enough that they don’t come help with the harvest.”

The silence was particularly uncomfortable. Applejack couldn’t see why the fillies were so surprised, she’d never been much for travelling. She’d been to Canterlot for a royal visit when they first got the Elements of Harmony, but she hadn’t been there longer than a day. And that was the most time she’d ever spent away from home. Yet even her own sister seemed shocked by the declaration, and not just shocked but somehow afraid.

“What’s wrong?” she said, when three stares simply demanded an answer.

“You just told us about your trip to Manehattan,” Apple Bloom spoke softly. If words were steps, she’d be tiptoeing across a field of broken glass now, testing every spot before she put her weight on it and ready to flee at the slightest provocation, “You went to stay with Uncle Orange for a week, to see if city life suited you, and then you got your cutie mark when you returned. Was that true, or just a story to show us we shouldn’t give up?”

“Well, I guess I might have visited them once, but I don’t remember now, and surely not for a week.”

“Then it’s a lie? The Element of Honesty says whatever it takes to get us to do what she wants? Can’t even tell the truth to your own sister?”

“No, I wouldn’t–”

“Wait,” Sweetie Belle banged a hoof on the table, and three heads twitched around to look at her. As did the head of nearly everypony else in the place.

“Wait,” she said again, “Applejack looks upset, and I don’t think she’s one to lie. Something weird is going on here. That story you just told us wasn’t a lie, I can’t imagine a lie being so vivid, seeming so real. So was that what really happened?”

“I…” Applejack hesitated. It wasn’t that she was nervous to admit lying. But she couldn’t quite remember what the conversation had been about a few moments before.

“You’re not lying, but you’re not sure, right?” she found it odd to take charge of a meeting like that, even though Rarity kept telling her it was a useful skill she’d have to master someday. Applejack just nodded, so Sweetie Belle continued: “So let me remind you. We came here to ask different ponies how they got their cutie marks. You told us how you found yours. So, how did you get your cutie mark?”

“It means family,” Applejack wasn’t at all uncertain now, “And Sweet Apple Acres, that’s what the apple stands for. It means my special talent is helping my family, whatever kind of trouble they’re in, and protecting my home against anything.”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom thought she was beginning to see the shape of the problem now, as well, and she didn’t like it at all, “But when did you get your mark? Was there a special event that made you realise how important your home was, or some time you left for a while and regretted it?”

“No,” Applejack answered straight away, and then furrowed her brow deep in thought, “No, I don’t think so. Was there?”

“You just said there was. And everything we’ve been taught in school is that a cutie mark is your special talent, it defines who you are, and it’s going to be a big event when you get it. You should be able to remember.”

“Yeah. But, I’ve always cared about my family. Maybe I always knew who I was, so getting mine was easy.”

“But you were next to last in your class?” Apple Bloom wasn’t pulling any punches now, because if something was wrong with her sister she felt it was her duty to fix it.

“Well… maybe it’s just different sometimes,” Applejack muttered, but it didn’t sound convincing even to herself. “Why don’t we ask some other ponies? Like, see if it’s always a surprise. Hey, Pinkie!”

“You called?” A pink head popped up again, cheerful as always.

“We’re talking about cutie marks,” Applejack spoke nervously, hesitating as much as her sister had a moment before. She blinked, and realised she was waiting for some kind of metaphorical punch. “When you got yours, was it a sudden thing, or have you always been like, this crazy bouncy ball of fun?”

“Oh, I know when I got mine,” Pinkie seemed to have none of the stress from relating her story a half hour before, “My family were a bit strict, I think, I wanted to party all the time and they just wanted me to work and study. So I left home and decided to come to Ponyville. Pretty sure I got my cutie mark the first night on the road, but it’s so long ago now, it’s hard to remember.”

“You remember it, though. It’s still a big deal.”

“And that’s not the story you told us before,” Sweetie Belle fixed Pinkie with a stern glare, “Is this some kind of joke? Or are you going to tell us that you both told a story in so much detail you can practically see it, when you can’t remember it yourselves.”

“That would be pretty silly,” Pinkie shrugged, “I mean, there’s only one of me, so I can’t say anything for both.”

“I think she means me and you,” Applejack said, “Like there was something we forgot. Was there anything in particular that made you decide to leave?”

“Yeah, was it Maud getting angry, or the rainbow, or your parents, or were you just restless after being sick?” Sweetie tried to think if there were any other points that could have prompted the decision. She really wanted to hear any answer that wasn’t ‘I don’t know’.

“Oh, I don’t think it was anything like that. I just didn’t want to be there any more. My parents were kind of strict, you know. They ran some kind of business, there was a lot of work. I think maybe it was a rock farm, I’m not sure. And it doesn’t sound like fun at all. It wasn’t any of those things, anyway. There was dust in the air, so much dust you’ll never forget it, I don’t think I ever saw a rainbow until I came to Ponyville, and I’ve never been sick either, I’m always Pinkie keen.”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders met each other’s gazes, looking back and forth as time passed. Each of them wondered if they were thinking different versions of the same thoughts.

“There’s something really weird here,” Scootaloo was the one to finally say it.

“We need to tell Twilight,” Sweetie Belle had a solution, “She’s the best, if your problem is figuring out what’s wrong. Maybe she might not have the most interesting or exciting way of dealing with it,” and here she paused to look at Scootaloo, with what might just be the first signs of irritation at her friend, “But for working out things, and looking up, there’s nopony better.”

“I still say there’s nothing wrong with me,” Applejack grumbled just a little, “But then I said that when I was sleep-deprived and making so much trouble for my friends. So if you want us to go see Twilight, I guess she can tell us if we need to be worried or not.”

Episode 16 - Don’t Know Y

In the Golden Oak Library, a meeting was taking place about the latest monster to threaten Ponyville. By now, that hardly seemed unusual. What was different in this particular case was that the monster in question was sitting at the table. His name was Spike, a baby dragon and librarian Twilight Sparkle’s number one assistant. At most times he was smaller than most ponies, only coming up to the shoulder even of fillies like Sweetie Belle. But in one recent incident, the power of the Driver had transformed him into a giant draconequus, driven only by instincts beyond his power to control, while Rarity and Rainbow Dash had found themselves helpless passengers inside his consciousness.

The ponies around the table now were Twilight Sparkle, who Spike felt had a right to know what had happened, and the two who had been directly involved. The remaining Champions of Harmony hadn’t been invited this once. Spike insisted that for reasons he still couldn’t disclose, they couldn’t trust even their closest friends with this information. If they told the whole group about the dragon’s secret mission, the organisation distributing Gaia Memories would find out. Twilight had started wondering if some of the dopants might have mind reading powers or something; it was easier to accept keeping secrets if the information needed to be in as few minds as possible, rather than having to actually suspect one of her closest friends.

The debate was just about winding down now, and the topic had somehow got onto the flavours of different kinds of gemstones. They had all learned as much as Spike could tell them about the Driver, which turned out to be mostly things they’d already known. It was a little frustrating to think that he’d known a few things about the Driver – and how Gaia Memories worked – that they’d had to discover through trial and error. But Twilight was eager to remind everypony that he’d done exactly what Princess Celestia, the wise and benevolent ruler of Equestria, had told him to do. They couldn’t fault him for that.

There was a knock at the door. They’d locked it just this once because they didn’t want any interruptions during their debate of important monster-fighting matters, and earlier in the day they had been watching over Rarity’s little sister and her friends to make sure they didn’t get into any more trouble. In the circumstances they probably shouldn’t have let the girls run out of the library to cause more chaos, but they’d dashed off with little warning, and sounded like they were going about finding their cutie marks in a constructive way for a change.

Rarity went to open the door, and found the Cutie Mark Crusaders outside, accompanied by Applejack.

“Oh, no,” Rarity immediately found her mind jumping to a worst-case scenario, “What have they done now?”

“I don’t know,” Applejack shrugged, “These girls asked me how I got my cutie mark, I figured that’s a pretty smart way for them to do their crusading. Then they got all excited and said I got to come see you.”

“There’s a problem,” Apple Bloom sounded fairly certain, “Maybe it’s another one of those monsters?”

“You’d better come in,” Twilight quickly made sure there were no notes around about their earlier meeting, “Should we call the others too?”

“I don’t know if we need to or not,” Applejack shrugged, “Let’s see what the fillies have to say first. I’m getting awful confused.”

“Where did Pinkie go?” Sweetie Belle looked around them, realising that their party had lost a pony at some point on the way to the library.

“I’ll go find her,” Scootaloo volunteered, then immediately dashed outside.

“Should we wait for them to get back?”

“No, you need to know what’s happened,” Sweetie Belle saw the possibility for the meeting to turn into an unproductive mass of small-talk, and spoke confidently to take control. “Then if there’s a problem, you can decide what to do about it.”

“Okay. So what’s the story so far?” Twilight asked, “Should we ask AJ first, then you girls can fill in the blanks? As the Element of Honesty, I’m sure we can rely on her to give a concise and accurate account of the parts she was present for.”

“Sounds good to me,” Applejack glanced at the fillies, who gave a shrug and a nod, “But there ain’t that much to say. I saw these three outside Sugarcube Corner, and went over to make sure they’re not getting into any more trouble. They said they’re going round asking folks how they got their cutie marks, so I told them my story. And they seemed upset, they said there’s something wrong with what I said, something wrong with Pinkie too.”

“How did you get your cutie mark?” Rainbow Dash asked, “We’ve been friends so long, but I don’t think you ever said.”

“Well, that’s because there’s not much of a story to it. I’ve worked on that farm all my life, and it just kind of snuck up on me. One day I realised I was going to be there forever, and I care enough to protect my farm and my family, and my friends too, no matter what. That’s all there is to it.”

“That sounds about what I’d expect,” Twilight nodded, “If there’s anypony more dependable than Applejack, I’d call that a miracle.”

“So how long did it take you to tell us that story?” Apple Bloom asked.

“I don’t know. Maybe an hour or so? I think we had a couple of cakes while I was talking.”

“So what details did you put in to make that tale last an hour?” Applejack bit her lip, and realised she couldn’t think of anything else she could say. Then her little sister continued: “You told us a story about going travelling to find yourself, and staying with Uncle Orange in Manehattan. You told us about slowly getting homesick, and all the little things that started bugging you, building up more and more until you couldn’t take it any more. You told us about seeing a huge rainbow, like the brightest splash of colour you’ve ever seen, back towards Ponyville, and how you decided it was an omen and came all the way home, and how as soon as you saw the sign for Sweet Apple Acres you knew that home was what you’d been missing, and you’d never leave again. You told us that was the moment your cutie mark appeared, like a reward for finding what had been right under your nose.”

“I said all of that?” Applejack seemed more confused than anypony else at that point, “I mean, I can see how it might be inspirational and all, but you really think I could come up with a tall tale like that on the spot? Do you want to go visit Aunt Orange, or something? You could just say.”

“I don’t know,” Sweetie Belle answered, “The way you said it, I could see the emotions on your face, I’d swear you were telling the truth then. And you described every little detail so well. I could practically see you cringe when you described your Aunt setting out a Prench-style table setting for some dinner, and you didn’t know which fork to use for eating your melon balls.”

“Now I know you’re kidding,” Applejack didn’t seem to be amused, though, “There’s no way I’d say that, I don’t even know how Prench ponies set a table.”

“With the knives and forks arranged in order by the number of courses, those used for the starter placed farthest from your plate,” Rarity offered, “and the water and wine glasses placed in order of size.”

“Yeah, that’s what you described, sis,” Apple Bloom nodded, “You didn’t know what to call it, but you could remember where the things were.”

“That’s just…” Applejack mumbled, and started over, “Well, I don’t know what to think. Can’t I have a simple cutie mark, without some story behind it?”

“I’m sure you can,” Twilight offered, “But I think it’s more common for there to be some kind of event that stands out in your mind. It might not be a big deal to everypony else, but it feels like a big deal to you. I mean, my special talent is magic, my cutie mark shows some magical flashes and stars, and I spent my whole childhood studying magic until I understood it as well as I do, so you might think I just grew into my talent. But even for me, there was one special day when I really knew this was what I was meant for. I’d always hoped I could have a talent for magic, but my parents were still uncertain until the day I took my entrance exam…

Twilight Sparkle was a gifted unicorn. Her parents always told her that she was special, that she would be the most talented in her generation. But even so young, she was vaguely aware of that as a thing that proud parents always said. She’d tried every single style of magic known to ponykind, and still found nothing. If she had a talent for some branch of magic, then it must be one of the forbidden types that were only detailed in the black, leatherbound tomes kept in Canterlot’s Forbidden Library. She would have tried those too, just to find out if her special talent lay in that direction, but she didn’t want to end up with a lockpick as her cutie mark.

She’d probably worried more about finding her talent than most of the other fillies her age, if only because her parents were so sure that it would be some kind of magic. While more than a few of her peer group were trying everything that they thought might lead to a new skill, she was actively avoiding anything that she thought might end up revealing a cutie mark other than the specific category she was certain she was destined for; though there were few enough activities in her schedule that didn’t revolve around her studies in any case.

She knew that she was a gifted unicorn. But having to prove that before the staff at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was a whole different matter. Here, everypony was special, and everypony was a genius. She would have to show them something really, really special if she wanted to have her gifted status officially recognised. She’d been practising for months, learning complex spells from every grimoire she could get her hooves on. It really didn’t help that she had no idea what kind of tests she would be facing.

The preliminary tests were easy enough. She knew that it would be a challenge to some, but she could hardly focus on the magic when she knew that the ‘real’ test would be coming later. The setting for the final test was a classroom, quite unlike the ones in most other schools. The desks were arranged in tiers, ensuring that everypony could see the chalkboard at the front of the room over the heads of the row in front. Every desk was wide enough for a full spread of notes and textbooks, and just wide enough to stop students from easily talking amongst themselves. Of course, here the classes were for focusing on the teacher, and young Twilight Sparkle had to approve of that. She would have time to make friends once she had gained her cutie mark, become Equestria’s leading expert on whatever school of magic it represented, saved the world from some unknown threat, and become an immortal alicorn. Fraternising was a good way to develop early social skills, but it was not something that should be happening during a magic class.

Today, as a tutor who’d introduced himself as Small Grove led Twilight into the classroom, the many tiers of desks were mostly empty. A few more tutors were watching from the back, their desks each bearing a stack of reports on the prospective students who had already passed through. To one side was Princess Celestia herself, her coat almost glowing white and all the colours of the sunset glowing in her mane. Twilight had never even seen her in person before, and the fear she had been trying to ignore suddenly bordered on panic. But on the other side of the group of tutors was Twilight Velvet, her smile always reassuring.

Twilight Sparkle was nervous on this important day, of course. But she couldn’t let her mother down, and that certainty gave her the confidence to look at the problem in front of her. There was no problem written on the chalkboard, which stretched the full height of the room and clearly required the teachers’ telekinetic abilities to use even a fraction of its area. But behind what must be a teacher’s lectern, there was a small package which turned out to be an egg sitting on a nest of straw.

“Your test,” Small Grove indicated the egg, “The question is a simple one: in what way can we bring about the hatching of this egg? You may demonstrate if necessary.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded, and walked closer to the egg. She didn’t touch it just yet; she just paced around and looked. In among books of magic, she’d had the occasion to read many different texts. One of them had contained pictures of the eggs of different birds, but the texture or the colour, none of them quite matched here. Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying only to let herself calm down a little, and then the image she needed hovered in front of her mind’s eye. From a different book entirely, about the history and politics of… dragons.

She looked again at the dragon egg. Now she was looking for it, the scaly texture around the tip was unmistakable. She’d never seen a spell to hatch a dragon egg, but if it was something she could just find in a book then the whole test would be too easy. Naturally, for a special school like this they couldn’t let anypony solve the problem by chance, so it would be a spell known only to specialists in dragon biology, of whom there were few enough in Canterlot that any relevant books in the library must be kept off the public shelves, or at least in an age-restricted collection. The latter seemed more likely, as they wouldn’t encourage candidates to do something that was otherwise considered forbidden magic.

She paced slowly around the egg, looking at it from every angle but not really seeing. Her mind was running a mile a minute as she went through all the possibilities.

“The pass rate on this test is low,” she spoke aloud, and found that her speculation seemed a lot more solid that way, “Trade negotiations with the Dragon Lands are still in their early stages, and there are very few dragons in Equestria, so it’s unlikely you have a ready supply of eggs to hatch. Or, indeed, any established emigration path to deal with the hatchlings when they’re grown. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dragon of any size in the city, which must mean that any who are hatched as a result of this test must remain within the school before being repatriated. That will take a massive amount of bureaucracy. So if I can’t solve this it doesn’t mean failure, it means there’s another test.”

She was aware of the tutors looking at her now, almost staring. It must be unusual for a student to look at the background to the problem as well as the problem itself. She wasn’t sure if that would give her any hints, but the absence of the book from the library’s public shelves probably would. Back then, of course, she would never have considered that the book was absent because it didn’t exist; or that the hatching of an egg was a part of the miracle of childbirth, and so resistant to magical tampering. Her personal philosophy would never let her admit that the correct answer was “It’s impossible, you just have to wait.”

She probed the egg with her magic, looking for signs of elemental energies in the shell, or life energy within. But like the armour scales of a full-grown dragon, the shell was extremely resistant to magic of all kinds, and she couldn’t sense any echo back from the powers she directed at it.

“If magic doesn’t work,” she whispered to herself, hoping the distinguished observers didn’t hear the less than scientific mantra, “you’re not using enough magic.” But for all the power she threw at this thing, there seemed to be no response. After ten minutes, and a dozen spells tried, she felt the shell creak and wondered if she was in danger of smashing the egg with brute force. She looked up at the tutors; some of them had a clear look of disappointment about them, which was enough to convince Twilight that she was on the wrong path.

She stopped trying to force her power into the shell, reasoning that precision and subtlety might be the key. Of course, she knew, the spell existed somewhere even if the books were out of her reach. And knowing that their students couldn’t know the answer to this problem, the teachers must assume that a sharp enough mind would be capable of replicating its creation. It couldn’t be high ritual, then… or could it? Maybe the instruction that she might demonstrate, rather than should, was a circumspect way of allowing that the solution might be too time consuming to actually perform, without giving the students a clue by saying so directly. But she couldn’t say that without some kind of evidence to support the theory.

She was sure she was the sharpest student of her generation, at least, so creating whatever spell was needed shouldn’t be beyond her. And the word ‘sharp’ stuck in her mind there. No amount of brute force could smash a diamond, but a jeweller could break them with a blade aimed at precisely the right spot. Maybe she could find a solution with brute force, but it would be a better demonstration of her gifts if she could find the right place. She tried to remember any detail about dragons, and how they treated their eggs. There had to be some clue there. If the egg responded somehow to something in its environment, to temperature or humidity to let it know when it was safe for the baby to come out, then she might be able to simulate those conditions. But she couldn’t remember reading anything on the biological mechanisms that triggered an egg to hatch.

Twilight lifted a piece of chalk and started some calculations on the board. Temperature might be a bit difficult, but she could at least extrapolate the strengths of the background magical fields of the Dragon Lands. She didn’t know if it would help at all, but she had to hope that the methodical way she worked through possible solutions would impress the tutors until she found the right answer. There were all kinds of factors she could change; magic, temperature, wind, background noise. And one by one she extrapolated the conditions in a dragon’s normal habitat from what she already knew, or in one case from a poster map among other displays of student work at the sides of the classroom. But still, an hour later nothing had changed.

Then she tried to see if she could trick her way around the egg’s defences. It would protect itself against magic, of course, but she didn’t want to break it, just to find out what made it tick. So she cleared an area of the desk, and built a little pile of the wood chips that had been used to keep the egg stable. Then she focused her mind, so carefully, and teleported the egg a foot to the left. That drained almost all of her magical energy, leaving her feeling tired and shaking slightly. Though her powers were already formidable, she had nothing but the greatest respect for ponies with the energy to manage a teleport farther than the width of a room.

And then, without the protection of the shell to interfere with her readings, she started to scan the residual magical imprint in the space the egg had formerly occupied. Maybe the shell blocked all magic coming in, but that was to protect the unborn dragon rather than avoid scrying. There was no reason for it to clean up the faint traces of energy that it left behind.

There was some muttering between the teachers now, so they clearly understood what she was trying even though there was no mention of it in the books. But did they approve of her methods? There was no way to tell, and Twilight Sparkle was at least disciplined enough to try working the problem rather than getting distracted by anypony else’s opinion of her. The echo of the egg had so many different types of energy in it. Different elements, colours, and flavours of magic, each with its own unique qualities. Dragon, rock, crystal, fire, and something else she couldn’t quite identify. Knowing the magical fingerprint of the egg, she thought maybe she might stand a better chance. She constructed an abstract cradle using the same fingerprint of energies, as closely as she could manage, and saw the glow around her horn shade from pink to light mulberry. She wrapped the magic around the egg, and tried to let her thoughts synchronise with the mind of the infant within.

There was nothing. The egg no longer rejected her power, didn’t push her away. She could feel the different parts of a biological mechanism that had evolved over millions of years to protect a baby dragon until he was ready to be hatched. But the mind, the nascent soul, the life force of the dragon… the three most important elements were missing. She knew there was no trickery here, not something screening the lifesigns from her. She could feel the inanimate mass at the heart of what should have been a cradle of life. This egg was already dead.

Twilight was almost ready to turn around to tell the tutors she couldn’t complete their test. Magic was incredible, but there was no way to give life to a dead thing. But then the treacherous thought at the back of her mind, the mantra she’d repeated for so long, came to mind.

‘If magic doesn’t work…’ but that would be crazy. There were tasks that were beyond miracles, and creating new life was certainly beyond a pony of her age. If there was a spell that could do it, it would be immediately forbidden. But she couldn’t give up on this task. There was still a part of the magical signature she didn’t understand.

“There’s no life in this egg,” she muttered, wondering if that would satisfy the examiners. It didn’t satisfy the insatiable curiosity of Twilight Sparkle, though, and that said, she turned back to the egg. She focused on it, thinking more closely, letting her mind go deeper and deeper into every recess of what might be called the spirit of the egg. There was something wrong here, she knew, and her pride wouldn’t let her step back until she understood it. She let herself sink deeper and deeper, understanding it so intimately that for a moment she didn’t even know who she was except for a dragon egg. But there was still something she didn’t recognise, something that shouldn’t be there. It was like a poison, that had somehow become a part of the ecosystem inside the egg. Alien, crystalline, angry, but somehow… she knew she wasn’t seeing the full picture. She was dimly aware that somepony was speaking to her, and she pulled her mind out just a little to hear what they had to say. She couldn’t leave a mystery unsolved, though.

A boom sounded, echoing across the city. It was really just a dull rumble, and maybe somepony could have thought it was distant thunder if it weren’t for the waves of rainbow light instead of a flash. It should only have been a small distraction, but the light and sound was accompanied by a shockwave of magical energy that had barely diminished between Canterlot and wherever the distant epicentre was. It was a very strange energy, something Twilight Sparkle had never felt before in all her studies. A tiny analytical part of her mind felt the wave of every possible colour, the uncontrolled power, the dull boom, and remembered a word from a book she’d read long ago: Rainboom.

But most of her mind wasn’t analytical in that moment. It was open, reaching out to feel something from the egg, trying to pick up every last fragment of magical energy so she wouldn’t miss any detail that could help solve this mystery. Her mind was wide open, and the burst of energy flooded her body and mind, overwhelming any attempt at thought. Her identity was lost in the swirling wash of raw power, the power to live, the power to create, and though it was less than a second it felt like an eternity. There was a unique quality to this wave of power, as well. Maybe it had changed something, or awakened a different type of magic within her, the sensations were so confused and intense that even afterwards she couldn’t make head or tail of what had happened. But she felt a little fragment of a type of power that could be compatible with the unexpected part of that egg. On instinct she connected the two together through her own mind, and the rush of pure vitality almost made her black out. The wave of rainbow-bright energy had gone now, and the only trace of its passing was what Twilight’s open mind had managed to absorb. Without thinking about what she was doing, she poured all that power out, magic bursts of every possible colour spraying out into the classroom, but mostly into the egg.

…

It was many minutes later. Twilight Sparkle blinked, and struggled to get her hooves back under her. Her memory of the last hour was a mishmash of sensations, feelings, colours, and abstract thoughts. She knew what had happened, the knowledge was inside her, but she couldn’t shape it into any form she could understand or even describe.

“You are aware,” the teacher, Small Grove, was speaking, “That magic cannot create life. Stating that realisation is sufficient to pass the test, there was no need to call upon such wild magics.”

“Wild–” Twilight gasped, “Did I hurt anypony?”

“Don’t worry, child,” Princess Celestia herself was speaking now, and all Twilight could do was stare, “We reversed all of those uncontrolled spells. And I must say, the power of your magic is quite impressive for one your age.”

“But she can’t control it,” another teacher commented, “We can’t deal with that kind of display.”

Twilight turned to her mother, hoping she would offer some criticism, would be able to think of some reason that a School for Gifted Unicorns should accept her despite whatever had just happened. But Twilight Velvet just beamed, grinning broadly.

“You got your cutie mark, dear!” Twilight immediately jerked around to try looking at her own haunches. She could see the mark there, that she’d somehow missed noticing in all the confusion. A star, with smaller stars around it.

“I can’t tell what it is,” she mused, “Could be some magical effects, maybe? Does that mean I’ll learn to control it better? I don’t want that to happen again.”

“You can learn in a more controlled environment,” the disapproving teacher snapped, “Even if you’re learning, you clearly don’t have the discipline we expect from our students. This school is for the best of the best, and we can’t control that kind of wild display.”

“I can,” Princess Celestia spoke again, and the teacher looked down, “It is clear that Twilight Sparkle passed the test. And more than just stating that magic cannot hatch an egg, as many students manage, she analysed it and determined that the egg will not hatch. If called upon to complete this task in a real world situation, by anxious dragon parents for example, that leap of intuition would save them from another six months of waiting to see if anything would happen. Not to mention that cutie mark, which I find most interesting.”

“Magic?” the teacher snorted, “I just see stars. That could be anything, and you know as well as I do that a great talent can be wasted unless well channeled by inte…” she trailed off into a mumble under the Princess’s glare.

“I understand that the school does not have the capability to reverse such displays of wild magic on a regular basis. However I am willing to trust that this was a single freak occurrence. If you still do not wish to tutor this young mare, then I will declare her my personal apprentice. I am sure that she will have both the drive, knowledge, and discipline necessary to pass your entrance exams without difficulty by this time next year.”

Twilight Velvet looked like she was about to explode with pride. The teacher who had refused Twilight’s entry into the school bit her lip, struggling to control her anger. Twilight Sparkle herself was struck dumb, eyes wide and with no idea what to say. The silence was broken by a faint crack, like somepony stepping on a twig in the woods. And then another, and a faint tearing sound that might have passed unnoticed in the face of a normal conversation. Slowly, every head turned to look at the desk where the dragon egg was still sitting. Twilight had been wrong, as had everypony else before her. There must have been some spark of life, too small to even detect, or concealed within the corruption of whatever the unknown energy type had been.

The egg began to hatch.

“…and that’s how Spike became my assistant. In the end, hatching an egg that everybody had thought was dead was notable even by the standards of gifted unicorns, so they let me in. But I got personal tuition from the Princess as well, and they decided it would make sense for me to adopt the dragon because they didn’t know what else to do with him.”

“Wait,” Scootaloo seemed confused, “so the egg was dead, but it hatched anyway? That doesn’t sound like a fair test, you must have been like the only student in the school.”

“You missed the point,” Sweetie Belle answered her friend, “Magic can do all kinds of things, but it can’t create a real pony, or a real dragon. Making an egg hatch before its time is beyond the power of magic. So to pass the test, she just needed to turn around and say ‘it’s impossible’. She nearly failed because she kept on wasting time on something that can’t be done, but then she somehow used the magic surge from the Rainboom to do it anyway.”

“Oh, right! So Rainbow Dash saved the day again.”

“I’m even more awesome than I thought,” Dash grinned, showing off her usual level of modesty.

“I’m not so sure how that could happen,” Rarity tried to ignore her friend’s posing for a second, “Why would a rainbow’s magical energy be able to revive a dead egg?”

“I wasn’t really dead,” Spike offered, “It’s just different, because of my mom, I think. They couldn’t sense the life energy because it wasn’t a normal kind of life. It was,” and looking around at the Cutie Mark Crusaders, he hid his mouth behind his claws before whispering, “Gaia Energy. When a Gaia Memory wakes up to create a dopant, it draws life energy from the user’s unique talent, draining their cutie mark. So a dragon egg containing Gaia Energy needs a particular kind of magic to wake it up. The magic of a unicorn just as she gains her cutie mark. Maybe. I don’t really know unicorn magic, but the Princess said something about it once.”

“Anyway!” Sweetie Belle raised her voice slightly, “We’re not saying anything about whether it’s possible to have a talent that you were always growing towards, or not. We just find it kind of worrying that Applejack and Pinkie Pie both told us pretty detailed stories about how they got their cutie marks, and then suddenly couldn’t remember any of it.”

“That does sound kind of worrying,” Twilight muttered, trying to think of any kind of magic that might tamper with somepony’s memory like that. There were a number she could think of, but she’d have to check the books to get full details on any of them. “You don’t remember any of that story, AJ? Do you have relatives in Manehattan, like they said?”

“Yeah, but I’m sure I’d remember if I ever went to visit them. Me being off the farm, it’d be like you without a book. Could you imagine that?”

“No, I really can’t. But if these three fillies aren’t playing some kind of trick, that means you only became so focused on your farm once you’d seen the alternative. In a way, it makes me wonder just how different your life could have been without that rainbow.”

“My Sonic Rainboom, all those years ago?” Dash was posing again, “Wouldn’t it be cool if both of you only got your cutie marks then because you saw my great achievement?”

“Applejack’s return, sure, the crusaders said like it was the deciding factor in her coming home. But I was in Canterlot when I got my cutie mark, at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. There’s no way I would even have seen your rainboom over that kind of distance.”

“Yeah? You think that magic surge was just a normal rainbow?”

“What magic surge?” the two stared at each other in confusion for a long moment.

“Twilight?” Applejack asked slowly, “Do you remember what you were doing when you got your cutie mark?”

“Studying, I guess. I’d always wanted to master magic, I studied it at every spare moment, and then one day I made it. My special talent was always going to be in magic, and my cutie mark represents that.”

“No it doesn’t,” Spike interrupted, “The star on your cutie mark is the crystal core of the Tree of Harmony. It means your special talent is bringing the Elements together.” Now the baby dragon was the one surrounded by a circle of puzzled stares.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he mumbled, “Celestia told me, okay? I wasn’t supposed to tell you, but now you know almost everything, so I thought…”

“Anyhow,” Applejack took back the lead, “Are you saying you didn’t get your cutie mark the day Spike’s egg hatched, at your entrance exam for that special school?”

“I don’t remember exactly when I got it. I did so many things with magic at school, and more than one of them I’m sure was amazing enough. And how would I know when Spike was hatched? I barely even remember when he became my assistant, or who gave him to me.”

“That’s so not what you said a minute ago,” Rainbow Dash sounded genuinely worried.

“Was I like that?” Applejack asked, “Telling a story, then acting like I didn’t even know it?” The three Crusaders just nodded. “Aww, hay. We need to figure out what’s going on, and quick.”

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you,” her little sister groaned, “Now… wait, Scootaloo’s back. Did you not find Pinkie Pie?”

“Uhh, I kinda saw Rainbow Dash posing through the window, and I didn’t want to miss out if she was gonna tell her story. Should I go out again?”

“You all want to know how I got my cutie mark?” Rainbow Dash grinned, “I’ve got a story that will blow the rest of them away!”

“Don’t worry about it, and NO!” Twilight was already answering Scootaloo when her ears caught up with what her friend was saying, “We’ve had at least three of us lose our most treasured memories. Until we know what’s going on, you should keep yours safe. And I think it’s clear now that this is a real crisis, so I’m going to call the others.” Without waiting for a second opinion, she swung the Driver around her neck. The metal and crystal pendant clicked into place, and the magicite crystals all over it started to glow a faint violet as it came close to the Joker Element on her collar.

“Pinkie, can you hear me?” she spoke aloud. It was their latest modification to the collars, and she still wasn’t sure how well it would work. But in a lot of the situations they’d found themselves in, being able to communicate would have made their job so much easier. Anything was better than nothing.

“Hello?” Fluttershy’s voice came as if from thin air, and even quieter than usual, “Twilight? I can’t see you.”

“I’m trying out the new improvements we made to the collars,” Twilight answered, “Have you seen Pinkie around?”

“She was at Sugarcube Corner earlier, why?”

“I’m here!” Pinkie’s voice was full of life, but just as quiet as Fluttershy’s, “I was looking around wondering if you were hiding somewhere. You can talk through the Driver now?”

“Yes. And you need to come to the Library. I think there might be a dopant in town, or some kind of dark magic at any rate.”

“Me too?”

“Yes. We should all be here.” Then Twilight released the little spark of magical energy that had been keeping the link open, and took off the Driver again. The Cutie Mark Crusaders looked more than a little confused by the exchange.

“Oh, you couldn’t hear that?” Twilight suggested, “We can talk to each other through the collars now. I finished it off using Lucky Break’s notes, and it seems to work fine. Anyway, they’re on their way. Let’s see if we can identify this problem, and then solve it.”

“That’s a lot of rainbows,” Fluttershy mumbled, as Scootaloo finished recounting the wonders that could be laid at Rainbow Dash’s door. As she went over Applejack’s story, then Twilight’s, and finally what Pinkie had told them, the ponies at the centre of each tale just stared at the table in front of them in confusion, trying to recall any part of the stories they were hearing.

“Yeah,” Scootaloo glanced up at her role model, who was beaming with pride after all the stories, “And I bet it was all during that same race, too. Wouldn’t it be cool if all six of the Champions got your cutie marks from the same Sonic Rainboom? Like some destiny always wanted you to get together.”

“It would be interesting,” Rarity admitted, “But I don’t think it’s true. I mean, there was a rainbow when I got my cutie mark, that somehow resonated with my magic and caused a dozen gems to burst out of a half-buried geode. But then I saw Rainbow Dash’s rainboom later, a circle of light around Cloudsdale, and I asked one of my pegasus customers what it was, so I know that wasn’t the same event.”

“Mmm,” Fluttershy nodded, “And I don’t think I ever watched a rainbow lightshow with my furry friends, either. I used to be one of Rainbow Dash’s closest friends, but I wasn’t there to see the Rainboom. Most of the jobs in Cloudsdale are based on good flying, so my choices were pretty much moving to the ground, or the rainbow factory.” That admission was followed by a period of silence, and not just because everypony else had been keeping quiet to better hear what Fluttershy had to add. Twilight looked across at the three Crusaders and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m guessing from the horrified stare that’s not what she told you before?” They just shook their heads, and then Sweetie Belle stepped up to recount Fluttershy’s story as well as she could remember. That done, nopony seemed entirely sure what they should do next.

“Do we know enough to try looking it up in the library?” Pinkie hazarded. Twilight looked critically at the three Cutie Mark Crusaders for a moment before replying. All three still had visible scars where their cutie marks should be, from the time they’d tried to give themselves marks using a Gaia Memory. But they had done the right thing in the end, and that was surely proof enough that they were trustworthy. She was letting some of Spike and Celestia’s paranoia rub off on her.

“We can give it a try. And I think that we can let these girls see our secret weapon, while they brought the problem to our attention, as long as they can keep a secret.”

“JOKER!”

Pinkie Pie walked to a space in the centre of the library. It wasn’t strictly necessary, but she felt more comfortable doing it that way. After sleeping in bandages for quite some time as a filly, she had developed a habit of gesturing wildly as well as talking in her sleep, so tried to avoid sleeping when standing too close to anypony else. She slid her Element of Laughter into one arm of the Driver as soon as it appeared on her breast, and then pressed down both her own Element and Twilight’s as her eyes slid closed.

“LAUGHTER!”

In Pinkie’s dream, the Golden Oak Library was replaced by an even more impressive collection of books. She’d started thinking of this as the library of her memories when she first compiled it, but now it seemed to have been augmented by all kinds of information that the other Champions of Harmony had provided through the bond that linked their Elements, as well as a considerable amount of information about the Gaia Memories that only Princess Luna could have left there. She had been unable to think of a better name for it, but lately the phrase Gaia Library had popped up in her consciousness. The books hung in a similar formation to the shelves that surrounded her in the real world, but without any actual shelves to support the tomes Pinkie could see past them to thousands upon thousands of books hovering in empty space.

“Keyword: forgetting!” Twilight’s voice came from the air as she spoke in the real world, their minds still linked by the power of the Driver. Pinkie visualised the index to the vast library, and turned it to the page where that keyword was listed. All around her, books flew from one imaginary shelf to another, shuffling like a deck of cards or like leaves in a storm, but for all the chaos no two ever collided. Now Pinkie was at the centre of a circle of books, closer than any of the shelves had previously been, while all the books that didn’t match her query receded into the distance. There were a lot of books that mentioned that word, though. The circular shelves would have reached higher than the ceiling of the Golden Oak, and they were still stacked two rings deep.

“Twenty-six thousand, one hundred and forty matches,” she announced. Pinkie found that something of the library’s seriousness rubbed off on her, and it seemed natural to report the numbers to her friends shorn of jokes or other commentary. Her voice still sounded normal to her, though, without the emotionless monotone that her sleep-talking conveyed to the others.

“Keyword: Sonic Rainboom,” it was Rainbow Dash’s voice this time, “It’s in all the memories that were lost, it seems like a good place to start.”

The cylinders of books were massively depleted by that one. For a moment, Pinkie thought that they would be reduced to a single volume at a stroke. But then the books drifted to a halt, right in front of her eyes.

“Four matches,” she declared, happy that this search at least had been easy.

“Can you check the titles?” Twilight’s disembodied voice asked. Sometimes Pinkie could look over all the books that her lookup had provided, but sometimes – and for reasons that she had never quite understood – she couldn’t make any sense out of the words on the cover until they had narrowed it down to exactly one book. Maybe it was for reasons of privacy, something Luna had installed to prevent her looking up the current location or secrets of ponies she’d never met now that the library seemed to contain all possible information. This time, however, she could read the names on the covers easily.

“First name: Dusk Palette,” Pinkie read out, “No obvious Gaia Memory title.” She felt that worth mentioning, as sometimes when a pony absorbed a Gaia Memory into their body to become a dopant, the name of the Memory would be added to their book in the Gaia Library. Those who completely lost the good parts of their personality could even have their own name relegated to the inside pages.

“Don’t bother about that,” Rainbow Dash responded, “Dusk Palette wrote a book about different kinds of pegasus magic. He said that the Sonic Rainboom was so rare that other ponies were likely to forget it was even possible if he didn’t make the effort to write it down.

“Second name: Azure Dreamer. There’s no–”

“No. Azure Dreamer wrote a book called ‘Dusk Palette's Forgotten Treatise, the Legend of the Sonic Rainboom’. Was a hundred years old, I couldn’t even find a copy in the Cloudsdale library. She’s long dead.”

“Third name. Gaia Memories this time,” and then Pinkie’s voice took on an unmistakable tone of surprise, at least in her own mind: “Five different Memories, all of them crossed out. So a former Memory User. Memories Metal, Trigger, Infinite, Joker, and Double.”

“The former Elements of Harmony,” Spike answered back in the real library, “The Princess taught me the list, and which pairs work together best, just in case your Elements kept the same names.” Pinkie didn’t hear that, but she heard Twilight’s response.

“That must be Princess Celestia. Joker was her Element, and I think she mentioned Metal as well. The Double Driver and its Elements are technically Gaia Memories, purified by the Tree. She put a lot of work into analysing the different magic of unicorns and pegasi, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised if she’s written an academic paper about the Sonic Rainboom. So what’s next?”

“Fourth name: Igneous Rock –”

“Wait,” Rarity interrupted, “We shouldn’t be using ‘Rainboom’ as a keyword. I saw Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom, I said before. But it had nothing to do with my cutie mark. And from what Apple Bloom said, AJ saw two different strange rainbows in the sky, one taking her away from Ponyville and the other bringing her home. If we assume one of them was a Sonic Rainboom, which seems entirely likely, then the other must be a different kind of strange magical phenomenon.”

“Well, I guess that–”

“Rainbow Dash, you are famous in the pegasus world for having achieved a Rainboom, even if you could only do it once until we got the Elements. Have you heard of any other pegasus getting that kind of fame?”

“No…”

“Then the spectacle that inspired you to start looking probably wasn’t a Rainboom. And that means we could well be looking in the wrong place, if the thing that linked all our memories wasn’t the Sonic Rainboom. Who knows, maybe it was even a different kind of Rainboom.”

“It must have been mine,” Rainbow Dash sounded noticeably downhearted, “One thing, bringing us all together.”

“Anyway, we should look for other rainbows too.”

“I agree,” Twilight nodded, “We’ve got a few matches, but they don’t seem to be relevant. We should try looking at all rainbows.” Then she looked back at Pinkie, who was just patiently waiting for more instructions. Somehow, in the dream she always seemed reluctant to act without a clear instruction.

“Replace keyword: Sonic Rainboom with keyword: Rainbow.”

“Two hundred and seven matches.”

“Keyword: Dopant. It must be one, or why would it be picking on us?”

The books spiralled around Pinkie in her imaginary space. It seemed to take a minute or more for them to stabilise. Once again, Pinkie wondered if the search would be able to give her a single book right away. But then the swirl of movement stopped, and…

“No matches found.”

“No way,” Rainbow Dash gasped, “Does that mean it wasn’t my Sonic Rainboom, or whatever kind of thing the other Rainboom was?”

“Or it’s not a dopant.”

“So what other keywords can we use?” Twilight looked around at all the others, but there were no suggestions.

“We don’t know enough to attempt a lookup,” Rarity stated, “Wake up, Pinkie. But there must be some way we can work out what’s happened to our memories.”

“How about… why don’t I tell you all my story,” Rainbow Dash seemed almost hesitant now. Certainly less confident than she had as a child, when she’d said she was going to do what everypony believed impossible. “And you can do whatever you can think of. If somepony’s using magic on me, you should be able to sense it. Right?”

“I guess… maybe?” Twilight said, “We’re understanding the Gaia Memories better with every one we encounter, and certainly I know spells that will respond to the presence of either unicorn or pegasus magical flux within a certain area. I think it’ll be best if we watch as GenerousJoker, for the greatest magical power.”

“Sounds like the best plan we’ve got,” Rarity nodded, but she still wasn’t too confident. They passed the idea around the table a few more times, but nopony had anything constructive to add.

As Rainbow Dash rehearsed the story in her mind, Spike found a comfortable perch atop one of the bookshelves, from where he could look down on the whole room. The Cutie Mark Crusaders were reluctant to leave for the action. Especially Scootaloo, who had been wanting to hear Dash’s story all day. Twilight agreed to let them stay, as they’d so far done a better job than anypony else of spotting when something went wrong. Scootaloo’s parents would obviously have no objections with the filly learning more about her hero’s past, while Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom both had to plead with their sisters. Eventually, they were all packed into the largest of the basement rooms, which seemed to be practically a library in itself. As a precaution, Twilight had hammered out a letter to Princess Celestia on the typewriter, detailing what they already knew in case they somehow came to forget.

“I’m ready,” Rainbow Dash had been rehearsing the story in her head, “Shall I start?”

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!”

“Go ahead,” the two unicorns spoke as one, “We want to hear this too.”

Rainbow Dash had a good childhood. She had no doubt that she was the fastest filly in Cloudsdale, and some day she would be the fastest, most agile, coolest pegasus in all of Equestria. Everypony could see how awesome she was, and was dazzled by her brilliance. Except, of course, for the class clowns Silver Lining, Hoops, and the rest of their crowd.

She preferred hanging out with Fluttershy a lot of the time, though. It was nice to be able to just chat, without everypony constantly trying to prove they were the best. With most of her other friends, Dash could prove she was the fastest, and then she’d have to prove herself again five minutes later. So it was Fluttershy she came to when she needed someone to fly against to test out a new theory. She thought she’d worked out how to duplicate the Sonic Rainboom, the flash of multicoloured light that had been visible over distant mountains a week or two before. Sure, Silver Lining could give her a closer race, but it was harder to focus on her flight technique when she had to keep watching out for somepony cheating.

But, as things had worked out, she ended up racing against the whole crowd, practically half their class from school. She told herself it was better that way, that the bully Thunder Shock would be picking on Fluttershy again if somepony didn’t put him in his place. But she couldn’t help feeling a little bit nervous.

Then the wind was racing through her wings, and there was nothing wrong in the world. She was winning, of course, as they came close to the end of the first lap. There were only two others even close, and they were doing their best to trip her or create turbulence, but she wouldn’t let them stop her. Rainbow Dash was the champion, always had been, always would be.

Then she saw something that put her off her stroke, almost made her freeze in mid air. Right back towards the start line, almost within reach, Fluttershy was tumbling dock over forelock. She didn’t seem able to gain enough stability to catch the air with her wings, and that meant she was in real trouble. Dash would never forgive herself if a friend got hurt as a result of a competition she’d dragged her into.

Rainbow Dash abandoned the race in an instant. The Sonic Rainboom could wait. She dived straight towards Fluttershy, putting every ounce of power into her wings. She thought she might just be fast enough to catch her friend and carry her to safety. But then Rainbow Dash felt a hoof connect solidly with the back of her skull. She didn’t see who it was, but one of the cheats had seen her moving down and decided to run across her back to take a momentary break from flapping.

Rainbow Dash was in a spin, just like her friend. But she wasn’t willing to give up when Fluttershy needed her. She stretched her wings until the wind snapped at them, and caught her breath. But as soon as she was pointing towards Fluttershy again she stopped flailing and put every possible bit of energy into catching up. She dived down and instead of flapping her wings to control her descent, she flew harder than she had ever flown before. At the peak speed, she felt as if the air was a solid thing. Even the wind couldn’t move aside fast enough, and pushing harder was like banging her head against a solid wall. But still, she pushed.

And then the wind broke. She smashed through the barrier, whatever it had been, and felt the wind move with her, guiding and protecting her. A bubble of wind had accepted her, forming around her straining wings to make this speed easy to maintain for a moment, and battering aside any obstructions that might resist her. The bubble glowed in all the colours of the rainbow, charged up with pegasus magic or some mysterious quality of the sheer speed she was travelling at. And then the bubble cracked like an egg hitting a wall, and disgorged Rainbow Dash with all the speed she could ever want.

She knew that she had completed the Sonic Rainboom, the move that everypony said was impossible. She had done it, but in her moment of triumph she was more pleased to see Fluttershy standing safely on the grass below. She didn’t have any explanation for how it had happened, or any time to think of one before she turned into a high-speed impact crater on the side of one of those hills. But she could see her friend was safe, and that was all that mattered. She’d taken several seconds out of the race, the others must be half a lap ahead now, but with this incredible speed it was still worth trying.

…

A few hours later, Rainbow Dash raised her head from her pillow. Her whole body ached as if she’d done a year’s cloud herding in one day. She wasn’t quite sure what had happened. The memories crowded in her head, bits and pieces. Her friends cheering. Returning to the race from her detour, still moving faster than she could believe. Looking back to see little flickers of rainbow light dancing off the edge of her flight feathers. Glancing back to see Silver Lining gaping in surprise as Dash came from behind to take the race. Swaying unsteadily as her hooves touched the cloud again, and the rush of adrenaline wore off. Older pegasi, teachers marching over the race track, demanding to know what the flash had been. Her victory parade stumbling as her treacherous eyelids refused to stay open.

On closer inspection, the softness under her head wasn’t a pillow. It was the fluffy whiteness of outdoor cloud, where some helpful colt had just carried her to the side of the path. The parade and party had moved on, though she could still hear the sounds of celebration from the nearest part of town. She’d have to remember in future that although the Sonic Rainboom let her move faster than she’d ever thought possible, it took a toll on her body. She was still tired, but felt she could move now. Looking down, she was completely unsurprised to see that her cutie mark had appeared; it wasn’t every day you did the impossible.

Rainbow Dash sauntered happily back toward Cloudsdale, ready for everypony to tell her how awesome she was. It was a day that had been too long coming.

“They said ponies had seen the flash in Ponyville, or even farther,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “But I never expected it to go as far as Manehattan, or even Canterlot.”

“Wow, that’s so awesome!” Scootaloo was just as impressed as she’d expected to be, “That’s the best story we heard yet.”

“Interesting to hear that you managed the Rainboom by the power of loyalty,” GenerousJoker spoke in Twilight’s voice, “Maybe that’s why the Element of Loyalty lets you do it whenever you use a Maximum Drive attack.”

“And without getting so tired, either,” Rainbow Dash beamed. The praise she was getting now took her right back to the heady fame she’d had among her childhood friends after the first Rainboom. “So, did any magic happen?”

“We didn’t sense anything,” Twilight gave the report, though both unicorns had been giving the room their full attention, “Do you still remember how you got your cutie mark?”

“Of course! I tried for ages, but it was chasing after Fluttershy in that race that gave me an extra kick.”

With nothing better to do, they continued talking about their various exploits. After a while, Rarity disengaged the Driver and returned to her own body. Every few minutes, Twilight or Sweetie Belle would ask Rainbow Dash about some detail of that race, but as they started to run out of different things to ask, it was quite clear that Dash’s memories were intact.

“I was hoping we’d get a new keyword to put into the look-up,” Twilight sighed, “but instead, we’ve pretty much confirmed that it’s not the rainbows. Not cutie marks, either.”

“Maybe it’s just memories, and everypony lost their cutie mark memories because those were the stories they were telling when the dopant was around,” Spike suggested.

“But four in one day seems an awful coincidence,” Twilight mused.

“No it’s not,” Sweetie Belle almost sounded disappointed in the librarian, “Five ponies told us the stories of their cutie marks today because we went around… of course!”

“Huh?”

“Do you remember, an old mare suggested we should ask other ponies for their stories? She was there at Sugarcube Corner, I think, and in the square outside the Library when we came in. If she’s the one stealing memories or something, then she could have asked just so we’d get ponies to tell their stories for us.”

“She thought if she got the Champions of Harmony all in one day, then none of them would notice anything suspicious?” Rainbow Dash finally pulled herself out of memory lane, “But what could she want with memories?”

“I don’t know,” Apple Bloom was less certain, “She didn’t seem evil to me.”

“So Dash escaped having her memories taken because the dopant’s gone home for an early night? That sounds kind of lame to me.”

“Maybe it’s not just that,” Sweetie Belle found she was lecturing the adults again, almost like she was the leader today, “Think about the stories at the start. Pinkie Pie was ill in bed, lonely and feeling down. Fluttershy had been bullied because she wasn’t good at flying, and that was a big deal until she found out another talent. Applejack felt like she was missing something, because she didn’t know her talent. Even Twilight, you’re a magical genius, but from the way you said it I’m sure you were up for weeks before the exam, worrying that you weren’t good enough.”

“I don’t think so,” Twilight bit her lip for a moment, eyes almost closed as she struggled to bring back those memories, “I think I was a bit overconfident as a filly. I was a genius, and I could do everything I tried. It wasn’t until Begins Night that I really understood there are things I don’t know.”

“That’s the kind of thing Rainbow Dash would say,” Sweetie pressed on, “And you talked like you were sure you’d be able to do it, but your tone said different. All of you. You weren’t sure you could do it, whatever it was for each of you, and you were more driven by worry about what would happen if you couldn’t. Then either you got over the hurdle, or you found something else you excel in. Twilight, you were so proud and sure of yourself as a filly because after teachers said you weren’t smart enough, you actually did the impossible, and the Princess called you her apprentice. You had a good reason to be proud.”

“So what do you think? It’s about… failure?”

“No. It’s about overcoming sadness. For most of you, finding your cutie mark was a story that could so easily have been a bad memory. It’s the moment despair was shattered by a new hope. Maybe you all remember being these headstrong kids who were so proud and always knew they were going to be great. But that’s not how it happened, you were all as worried about it as we are. Well, apart from Rainbow Dash, of course. But that’s the deal; you’ve lost those memories, you’ve lost all of your doubts. And I have to worry that’s somehow affecting your judgement now. You don’t seem to be thinking things through quite as much as you usually do, you’re too fixated on your ideas without analysing them. Maybe just a tiny change, but I think I can see it.”

Sweetie Belle stopped, panting for breath after spitting out a whole monologue without pause. Nopony else said anything, but there were a few nods.

“Right!” Pinkie was the first to speak up, “we’ve got a guess she’s an older mare, probably, and we think she’s erasing memories that you might think of as sad, or worries. Either of those might give us a better lookup.”

“Let’s do this,” Twilight readied the Driver as Pinkie walked to her accustomed dreaming spot. But before they could begin, there was a knock at the door.

On a bench in the square outside, Evening Child was listening. Not actually hearing the words, of course, she was some distance from the conversation and the wood and earth walls of the Library were well soundproofed. But she had a pretty good idea what they were talking about, and as they speculated about the current situation a similar debate was playing out inside her head.

She tapped the Gaia Memory against the ground as she thought. It might have prompted the current debate, but she didn’t think it was really an important problem. The Memory just gave her the ability to do what she wanted, like relive moments of a long-ago youth, and act without the shadow of certain bad memories hanging over her. It couldn’t be held accountable for her decisions on whether or not those changes were desirable. You couldn’t blame a saw for the use to which it was put, that was one maxim that Evening Child had always tried to live her life by. From the first moments of her life, when her name had only connotations of a foal born at sunset, through her youth, when detractors had called her a mare of the evening, right to the present when she wondered if casual acquaintances interpreted it as referring to the evening of her life, scant figurative minutes from dusk.

It was a slim thing, a lime green sliver of glass in a cage of gold wires. It looked fragile, like it would break at any moment. The salespony had assured her it was a part of the planet itself, and virtually indestructible. But over a long life, Evening Child had learned that things that sounded too good to be true usually were. It might not be easy to break, but this little piece of frozen magic had its own defects. Like the intangible poison it tried to inject into her heart every time she used it. Well, she knew more than most ponies seemed to realise, and she couldn’t be having with that kind of thing at all.

Maybe she shouldn’t have used it. She’d quite enjoyed sitting in a café, or in the square, and watching those ponies’ memories as they told them to others. They’d all had a few sad moments, and she had no problem cutting out the dead weight from somepony’s emotional baggage. It would just make their life more joyful overall, and what more could anypony ask for? Of course, when she saw Rainbow Dash’s triumphant second lap, she couldn’t take away something so positive. She wasn’t a monster after all, just an old seamstress trying to entertain others and bring a little happiness despite her age.

But when the memory ended, she could feel the emotional tides of their conversation for a few minutes after. And they were talking about monsters. She’d taken away some terrible worries, fears, and regrets. But all they could do was worry that something was missing. She’d never heard something like that before, but maybe that was just because she’d never helped ponies who were smart enough to notice before. Or maybe it was because there was a real monster interfering with her actions. But she was going to take responsibility in any case, because whatever the circumstances, she wouldn’t allow her power to hurt an innocent. She slipped the memory into the old-fashioned saddlebag that conveniently covered her rump, and went to knock on the library door.

“I’m sorry I’ve caused you such problems,” Evening Child rehearsed what she was going to say while she waited for an answer, “I thought that those around me might benefit from having fewer sad memories, but I see I have been mistaken. I will be happy to restore what I have obscured, but I must warn you that if you dwell on those moments in future…”

“If they dwell on them?” A voice interrupted her thoughts, powerful and booming but not actually shouting, “I don’t remember that Memory having any lasting effects if somepony’s past is encrypted and then restored.”

“That’s why you’re just the delivery colt,” she turned around and turned up her nose at him, quite a difficult feat given the difference in sizes, “You don’t seem to know half the properties of your own produce.”

“I noticed that you took the time to understand the Gaia Memory, most don’t. And the scar’s smaller, too. I saw you in the street without those bags, and I wouldn’t have realised your cutie mark was damaged if I hadn’t been looking for it. I think there’s a scientist who’d love to talk about how you managed that.”

“Well, I’m always happy to talk to a pony of intellectual distinction,” Evening Child beamed, “But first I need to tell these four about a problem I may inadvertently have caused them, and restore to them all the memories my power has touched. I don’t want to take away pain if doing so means harm in the long run. But now I fear I may have left them between a rock and a hard place. Hah.”

“You found a way to pass on the venom,” he could only see one explanation, even from the little he knew. “Our people are trying to purify the Gaia Memories. Our G4 Memories are better than the old G3.5 that other groups are selling, but they kind of make your heart go dark still. That’s why I only sell to ponies I hope I can trust. But… how?”

“I can manipulate memories as I see fit,” she spoke proudly, “So I can cut those negative emotions away from the long-ago events that could have inspired them. The dark emotions have nothing to cling to in my heart, and that means that I can push the poison from your device into the memories of others I have watched.”

“And then you make them forget. Not to hurt them. So the poison doesn’t dig deeper into them every time they remember that memory in future.”

“Of course. But only the bad memories. I’m no monster, not like her. Memories it won’t hurt them to lose, or so I thought. So now I need to do my duty.”

“I can’t let you do that,” the young pony’s voice had an edge of iron now, “They can’t see the G4 Memories yet.”

“I am going to do the right thing,” she answered firmly, “whether you like –” but the colt already had two Gaia Memories in his hoof, which certainly hadn’t been among the selection he had offered to sell Evening Child three months before. One of them didn’t even look real, like it was a child’s toy replica of the intricately-cut crystals. There was no time to think about that now.

“NASCAR!” the voice was crude and mechanical, punctuated with a veritable storm of engine noise and the smell of oily smoke. But Evening Child was no fool, and knew there was only one possible response to that.

“YESTERDAY!”

There was a silent conversation between the Champions of Harmony, a few glances that spoke volumes. About the urgency of recovering their memories immediately, or the common courtesy of answering a knock at the door. The need to hurry, and the chance that somepony might need their help, maybe even with the same problem. It only took a few seconds after the knock, but before Twilight lifted the latch she was distracted again by the sound of two Gaia Memories engaging outside.

One second of hesitation was enough. She wasn’t standing in its path when door and frame burst out of the wall and into the middle of the library floor. There was a dopant lying on top of the wreckage, picking itself up slowly. It was larger than a horse, but not as bulky as some of the creatures they’d seen before. It could almost pass for a big horse, body hidden behind layer upon layer of gauzy silks in white and green, if not for the smoke that billowed between the layers without ever escaping, or the green lightning sparks crawling over its body.

“So sorry,” it muttered in a voice whose echo seemed distorted, subtly wrong in a way nopony could put their hoof on, “I thought everypony would be happier without painful memories. Maybe I didn’t avoid the poison as well as I’d hoped. You were never prey, not really,I wanted to help. I can restore –”

“ELECTRIC: MAXIMUM DRIVE!”

“KINDNESSᏔLOYALTY!” Sword met armour in the centre of the room, and sparks leapt out in all directions to start small fires among the books and knock all kinds of ornaments from their places.

(“I can’t believe we managed to transform fast enough!” Rainbow Dash gasped within their shared mind, “That was quick even for me!”)

(“Me either! But we have to protect innocents… can a dopant be innocent?”)

(“I was more worried about you being able to remember my race. That thing said it could restore memories, what happens to you all if it’s defeated before that happens?”)

“Get out of my way,” the self-described Champion of Justice bellowed, “That dopant is dangerous, probably more than any you’ve fought before.”

“She said she’d give our memories back,” Doubledash spoke in a double voice, “At least give her the chance to surrender.”

“Quick, in the basement,” Twilight whispered, helping the Yesterday Dopant to her hooves, “You don’t look crazy enough to deserve this kind of violence.”

“Thankyou,” her voice still had the strange harmonics, as if the echo was coming before the words, but she also sounded old and tired. As they reached the library’s back door, she touched one hoof against Twilight’s cutie mark, and the lost memories came back in a flood. The pride of knowing she was good, the fear that she might not be good enough, the panic as every method she tried left no result, and the magic, the confusion, the elation that came with the wave of rainbow energy.

“You don’t know what you’re dealing with!” the red armoured figure – The Nascar Dopant? – growled, “Let me down there now. That Memory’s dangerous, we need to take it back for study.”

“So why’d you go swinging that sword around?” Applejack quickly moved to be between the dopant and the door, “You stupid lump, she said she was going to give it up. And if you didn’t go threatening her, maybe we coulda found out who she got the Memory from, as well. Why do stallions always got to think with their muscles?”

“Not all dopants are fighters,” he responded. Everything in his body language screamed that he wanted to charge to that door right now, but he couldn’t bring himself to strike the pony in his way. That was the same kind of hesitation that had convinced them before he wasn’t just another monster to be dealt with. “The Yesterday Dopant can use your memories against you; your real history, not Gaia Memories. She doesn’t need to hit you, or even touch you. Talking can be enough to encrypt whole chunks of your past, or confuse you about who she is. I need to get that Memory before you spend time talking to her.”

“Then you should have asked,” Twilight was as blunt as ever. They were circling now, looking for an advantage, any way Nascar could get past Applejack and Twilight without giving Doubledash an easy attack. “She knocked on the door, for –” she cut off, seeming to realise how large a mistake she’d made. Circling round the centre of the room, Applejack had edged protectively towards where Fluttershy was frozen, asleep on her hooves. That left a space between her and Twilight that the dopant could charge straight through, kicking open the door that led to the basement stairs.

The same door led to two staircases, each with its own few basement rooms, because of the way the space below ground was divided up by the great tree’s roots. It also led to the Library’s back door, which was standing wide open.

“You let her get away!” the dopant kicked the wall angrily, making quite a large dent. But he was always careful, and ducked his head down both sets of stairs long enough to see that it was dark down there, and neither passage would be safe to follow without a light. She hadn’t gone down there to be imprisoned. Without another word, he charged off in pursuit of the dopant.

“Well, I don’t know. I never thought that young fellow was such a nasty piece of work.” Evening Child stepped carefully out from behind the back door. It had been a gamble, waiting, but she couldn’t afford letting that stallion catch her. “And I am most sorry for all the trouble I may have put you to.”

“It was you!” Sweetie Belle stood and pointed, before meeting her sister’s glare and remembering her manners, “Sorry, I thought it was you, we worked it out.”

“Then you are a very perceptive young lady. Nopony else has even found something missing. And I should apologise for using fillies to do my dirty work, as well. If you tell the story of an important memory, you see, I can experience those events with you. It is the closest I have come to an exciting youth, and those tales are my entertainment in my waning years.”

“You steal other ponies’ memories?” Sweetie Belle wanted to be angry, but found the most she could feel now was a kind of pitying disapproval, with the culprit standing there and staring down at her own fetlocks.

“No. I was a passenger, and they never knew. But the Gaia Memories drive you insane, poison your heart so that only the darkest emotions remain. That salescolt didn’t tell me about that, and the only way I found to prevent that was to divert the poison to others. To seal the harm inside a long-ago memory, that could itself be hidden away lest the poison spreads to affect those ponies. I fooled myself, thinking that I was doing a service by freeing them of their negative emotions, and using them to keep that poison from me could be a payment. I know I was wrong, I know how much I hurt you. So if you wish, I will restore those memories, starting with yours. And then I will return here to face any punishment you think fitting.”

And that was what happened. It turned out that to release the memories that had been encrypted, the Yesterday Memory User only needed to touch the victim’s cutie mark. In a lot of ways, this particular Gaia Memory was easier to control than many of the ones they had seen before. So they took a leap of faith, and trusted Evening Child to return the Gaia Memory to them so that it could be destroyed once everypony’s past was restored.

It didn’t take her long to restore a memory. Once they all knew how they’d got their cutie marks, and shared the stories, they could be sure of that. And they had to agree that Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Rainboom had touched all of their lives; though whether that was coincidence or some kind of destiny would take a lifetime of debate.

It wasn’t until Evening Child had gone on her way that they realised they didn’t know just how many memories she had interfered with; or how much depth she might think it necessary to go into when warning the ponies she touched that those memories now contained an emotional poison that could blacken their hearts if remembered too often; or what she would do with ponies who seemed either too irresponsible to refrain from dwelling on those memories, or who didn’t believe her story.

They waited. And waited. Twilight Sparkle wrote up a report of the incident on her typewriter, which the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched as if it was the most riveting thing in Equestria. They’d never seen such a complex mechanism with no reliance on magic before. Twilight wrote two versions of the report, stating both that Evening Child had returned and surrendered the memory, and that she had fled town. Spike could send whichever turned out to be true when the evening came, saving time later. Scootaloo suggested writing a third, to indicate that the Memory User had lost control and they’d had to fight her, but all of the Champions of Harmony agreed they would not write that one unless it actually needed to be sent.

Eventually, Spike sent a letter to Princess Celestia saying that the Yesterday Dopant was no longer an immediate problem, but that the location of the Memory was unknown.

They went looking. The Champion of Justice was on the same quest, and they met outside Evening Child’s home. He had no official authority, but had seen fit to break in anyway. He said that the rot on the food in her larder indicated that she hadn’t been back since the morning that Fluttershy and Pinkie had first lost touch with their memories. Of the Yesterday Memory there was no sign.

They didn’t even know if they could trust the big red machine now. Evening Child had called him a salescolt. He couldn’t be their ally against the Gaia Memories if he was involved in selling the things. That made him little better than a monster, coming to their town and getting their trust in order to make more bits. The mystery, not knowing, was worse than any terror a monster could have caused them.

The case was closed; no more ponies lost important parts of their memory, so the Yesterday Dopant must be gone. But nopony could say where, or how.

The Champions of Harmony weren’t in Ponyville when the body of Evening Child was discovered. They had other pressing business to attend to. But the Champion of Justice came to look, and to give his opinion on what had happened. He muttered some meaningless platitude, saying that she could have been crossing farmland in the dark for whatever reason, and fallen into a brook whose high speed meant that the coming of spring hadn’t caught up with it yet. The official investigation by the town’s police accepted this, though anypony with half a brain could see that it didn’t answer all the questions.

They were so willing to accept that a slip of a hoof could turn a healthy if elderly mare into a pony-shaped block of ice, frozen mid-step. The Champion couldn’t accept that. He knew more than anypony that Gaia Memory dealers were divided by necessity into the bad and the terrible, and he was willing to do what the other Champions would call immoral in order to ensure that the lesser of two evils prevailed.

And he had seen a pony hurt like this before. While he fought for the bad against the worse, this was unmistakably the handiwork of the worst. Now, the Nascar User wasn’t just doing the right thing. This was different.

This was personal.

Intervention - Generation Y

“They’re young,” it was always the first argument that came to Princess Celestia’s mind, and she’d said it so many times that she didn’t need to think about the words, “They’re a different generation.”

“The next generation,” Princess Luna pointed out, again going over old ground.

“They haven’t been through the same things we have, they don’t know our past. They might try things we would never accept,” Celestia stuck to the script.

“I had that same doubt a thousand years ago, dear sister. Why not keep using the power of the Elements to ensure our kingdom was safe forever? What was it you said?”

“I told you…” Celestia hesitated. It was the same debate as always, but the first time Luna had tricked her into reading the other side, “I said that the Elements are passed from generation to generation. That the next generation would have different attitudes, from being raised in a land without war, and that they might do things we could never even consider because of that. And they deserve their chance to be heroes.”

“But now they’ve got the Elements, you invited them to the biggest party in Equestria, and now you expect me to stay out of sight so I don’t accidentally blow your big secret. Seriously, if they’re the next generation, you could at least tell them the truth.”

“You know they’d resent it. I did what had to be done, nothing more.”

“But they’d ask why. You want to be the great and wise Princess, the mentor, the one who helps them through everything. And all the time, you don’t even intend to let them live once they’ve done what you want.”

“That is a rather melodramatic way to put it, Luna. You should remember where we are.”

Luna paused, and looked around at the night-flowering shrubs in the royal rose gardens. The guards had all been dismissed, and there was nopony to hear them for miles around. If she used her Royal Canterlot Voice, then many of their subjects could overhear, but she’d learned long ago that such theatrics served no purpose when dealing with family. Besides which, Celestia’s had always been louder.

“It’s true, though,” she carefully kept her voice low and level, “You object to my words only because you see no flaw in my reasoning. You claim to be the greatest friend to those ponies, and yet you sabotaged their Driver. Can you deny that you want to see them die?”

“That is not what I want, in no way am I happy to see Twilight Sparkle hurt. I’ve been preparing her for this ever since she channeled Gaia Energy to awaken Fang’s son, and we are as close as a mentor and student can be. And yet… surely it is better to live a short life of triumph, and to be remembered as the greatest heroes to ever walk Equestria, than to grow complacent and be tainted by the corruption that naturally comes with great power. I love Twilight as if she were my sister, and I cannot let her make the same mistakes that we…”

“That your real sister did.” Luna spat, and stormed back towards the castle. Celestia wanted to call after her, to refute that statement, but she knew there was nothing she could really say. In some way, her little sister was infuriatingly right. It seemed to be a trait of many unicorns, having the right answer when you really didn’t want them to.

“And that,” Celestia managed to have one parting shot, though the words felt hollow even before she said them, “Is exactly why you are not going to attend the Grand Galloping Gala tomorrow.”

Episode 17 - The Princess and the P

Canterlot is the greatest city in Equestria, at least according to the ponies who live there. Its citizens are the most honest, the most brilliant, the richest, the most beautiful. Every city has that pride to a greater or lesser extent, but Canterlot has one distinction for sure. It is the home to the great and powerful Princess Celestia, the alicorn with the power to command the sun itself, and to turn night into day. Celestia, the most benevolent ruler Equestria, or any other land under her sun’s light, had ever seen. And since Celestia and her sister Luna jointly took the throne more than a thousand years ago, these lands had never truly known war.

But on just one night, Canterlot had one more reason to be special. Tonight, it would be host to the greatest party in all of Equestria, with more than a thousand notables in attendance; nobles and royalty, geniuses and pillars of society. Every one of them great in their own right, the very best of the great and good. It was the day of the Grand Galloping Gala.

Twilight Sparkle had been thrilled to be finally invited. It was something she had been hoping for as long as she could remember. But the reason she had got her invitation was something she could never have expected. Because she was coming not as a talented spellcaster, she was coming as a Champion of Harmony, part of a group who had become firm friends in the three or four months since they had first met. She wasn’t invited here based on her own talents at all, she was coming because she had been in the right place at the right time to acquire one of the Elements of Harmony.

The others were coming too. They would just have to hope that if there was some disaster in Ponyville while they were away, the Champion of Justice would be in a position to deal with it. They didn’t entirely trust him, especially now they had reason to believe he was a monster himself and was distributing Gaia Memories to those who might be corrupted by them. But he didn’t approve of mass destruction, so maybe it was safe to leave the town in his hooves for now.

The Champions of Harmony all had their own reasons for wanting to visit the Gala. Applejack thought she might be able to add to the catering; sell some of her famous apple fritters to the other guests, and make a little extra money to help her family through their current hard times. Rainbow Dash was desperate to meet the Wonderbolts, who were on the guest list as well as providing some of the entertainment. Fluttershy had heard that guests were free to explore the castle except for a few private chambers, and couldn’t contain her excitement over getting a look into Princess Celestia’s menagerie. Pinkie Pie, whose special talent was party planning, wanted to see what was so great about this particular event, and maybe hint to the Princess that she might be better equipped to run the show next year. And Rarity knew everypony would be dressed up in their best, and hoped that her outfit would be impressive enough to inspire others to commission dresses from her studio.

Twilight Sparkle thought that most of these plans were just a little petty. They had been preparing for the Gala for months now, and it seemed a shame that meeting with Celestia, overall ruler of the kingdom, would be reduced to a few goals that only really mattered to each pony individually. Of course, she cared for her friends and hoped they would all get what they wanted out of the day. They certainly deserved it. But she had chosen to put aside personal concerns and focus her attention on getting some time alone with Princess Celestia, and asking so many pressing questions about the nature of the Elements of Harmony, and about Gaia Memories, and about Spike. More than anything, she wanted access to the gigantic book that was kept in Celestia’s private museum, in what could be one of many secret spaces hidden within the castle’s architecture.

Twilight was the Princess’s personal apprentice, though she had noted a long time ago that many other ponies called her Celestia’s ‘protégée’ instead. It was probably a more accurate word, but whichever label you used it didn’t change the fact that she had been about as close to the Princess as any filly her age could get. She’d felt truly blessed, because Celestia allowed her to research the vast libraries of Canterlot, and then to start working on a library of her own, instead of insisting on conventional classes where the pace of study would surely have been dictated by the need to allow the least able students to keep up. They had been as close as pupil and teacher could be, but that didn’t help Twilight Sparkle now. Like anypony else, she had to wait for a special occasion like this Gala before she could get access to the Princess.

They weren’t as close as they used to be. That was one more mystery, and while probably less important than the nature of the monsters they needed to fight, this one made Twilight feel uncomfortable on a more personal level. Until she’d come to Ponyville, Celestia was the closest thing she’d had to a friend, and that was a bond she didn’t want to even think she might lose.

Thoughts like that could quite easily send Twilight into a deep melancholy. Thankfully, they didn’t get much chance on the journey, because her only opportunity for introspection was leaning on the edge of the basket, looking out at the landscape unrolling before her. The burner roaring behind her could keep the balloon inflated without too much attention, but her friends were bounding around the crowded basket with unbridled excitement, trying to look in all directions at once, and most of the way there Twilight hadn’t even got a minute to think without somepony wanting to point something out, or to take pictures of the group in front of different scenery.

Time passed. Travelling by balloon was convenient, and didn’t get delayed when there was more traffic than usual on the roads. But it wasn’t particularly fast, and there was only so long they could play ‘I spy’ with one pony choosing ‘sky’ every single time it was her turn. Eventually Canterlot came into sight, the city looking like a flower in many ways. The homes were a ring of petals, white and silver the predominant colours, with the huge edifice of Canterlot Castle at the centre. The castle housed the civil service, all the bureaucratic and diplomatic agencies necessary to run a successful kingdom. But high over the inner city, at the centre of that castle, was Celestia’s personal home.

A castle, of course, built atop a castle. It had its own grounds, its own gardens, and even a small private zoo, right at the centre of Canterlot, at the centre of Equestria. Today, there were hundreds or even thousands of nobles, foreign dignitaries, business leaders, and geniuses of many kinds descending on the castle. When the city was still a few miles away, the crowding in the streets around the central castle was visible from the air. Everypony wanted to be invited to the Gala, and many of those who hadn’t made the guest list were still eager to hang around and see who was going. The Grand Galloping Gala was the greatest party in Equestria, and it didn’t look like the lack of an invitation would stop some ponies from enjoying this most special of days.

“How will we get in?” Applejack looked down at the city in dismay, “There must be a hundred ponies got the same idea I did, selling snacks before you get in. The street’s almost blocked by them carts!”

“It won’t be a problem,” Twilight answered with a grin that was almost verging on smug, “Look there.” She pointed to one particular part of the giant castle, but they were still far enough away that nopony could quite make out what she was pointing to. As they drew closer, they could see that they weren’t landing outside the city, in any of the fields or the more structured landing fields. Their balloon was heading right over the outer buildings, the pink glow of Twilight’s magic directing them straight towards the inner castle. Then, they could all see a balcony of white stone protruding from the inner castle. Two guards were standing on it, wearing the uniforms of the Royal Guard.

“Twilight used to be a curator for some libraries,” Spike explained once he recognised where they were heading, “Like the School for Gifted Unicorns esoteric grimoire collection.”

“My membership was never cancelled,” Twilight grinned, “I was in that library on the last day before I came to Ponyville, looking up everything I could find about Nightmare Moon and how to stop her. And because of the way the laws were drafted, a library curator is allowed to land a hot air balloon on top of any branch of the library, as it used to be a good way to transfer valuable books without needing to disrupt the crowds.”

“And Princess Celestia’s private collection is technically a branch of the School Library, so that if she eventually abdicated the school would still have access to those books. Of course, access to those volumes is by invitation only.”

“But if I have an invitation, including an invitation to any function held at the Castle, I technically have permission to use my balloon to get there.”

“Technical permission,” Spike just grinned, “is the best kind of permission.”

“Does the Princess know you’re using her library to avoid the queue at the gates?” Applejack murmured nervously, “It looks there’s an awful lot of important ponies down there, and some of them will be mighty angry you got in ahead of them.” She could understand how the rules might be formed to mean that their technical permission was simple enough to prove, but in her experience the rich and powerful could always find a new rule to punish anypony who offended them. It was too easy to imagine all their carefully laid plans falling apart over one imagined slight.

“She probably knows,” Twilight shrugged, not quite as confidently as her friends would have hoped, “Why else would there be guards up there?”

“Twilight Sparkle?” a muscular white stallion in the uniform of the Royal Guards greeted them with unnecessary formality.

“Is something wrong?” Twilight responded, raising an eyebrow.

“A detachment of guards has been provided, to escort you to the offices of Princess Celestia,” the leading guard spoke so stiffly. He was obviously uncomfortable with the situation, they could all see there was something wrong here, but they didn’t have the first idea what it might be.

“Sure, just let us tie the balloon up,” Rarity shrugged. She figured the guards were probably just there as a fashion statement, having known very few ponies who didn’t like to flaunt the number of flunkies they could afford.

“You may make your vessel secure. This invitation is to Twilight Sparkle.” The guards moved in closer, making it clear without saying so that they weren’t prepared to wait. Twilight nodded, and walked away sandwiched between two strong stallions.

“See you at the party,” she called back over her shoulder before the door swung closed.

Five ponies and a baby dragon looked at each other in confusion for a few long minutes. They all had their own worries about the party, but those were mostly personal things. None of them had expected this.

“What’s going on?” Applejack eventually asked, though she didn’t expect any of the others to have an answer, “If we’re not supposed to land here, they’d have taken all of us for some kind of… tribunal or something. Wouldn’t they?”

“I would have thought so,” Rarity nodded, “But also, that would have been an issue for the Guards, not for the Princess herself. I got the impression Twilight knew that stallion, as well. There’s words unspoken there, and we can’t really speculate until we know the situation. We should get the balloon tied up, at least.”

“Shining Armor,” Spike commented as Applejack and Rainbow Dash hauled on the mooring ropes for their craft, “Twilight’s brother. The guard, I mean. He acted like he didn’t know her at all, and that means something’s wrong. That’s the kind of guy he is, I think, if something’s going down he tries to put all his feelings to one side and just be a perfect soldier.”

“I didn’t know she had a brother,” Pinkie Pie bounced excitedly, “We should throw a party!”

“I didn’t know you had sisters until last week. I guess she doesn’t talk about him much. And we’re already at the best party ever.”

“She sends him letters sometimes, in with the reports to the Princess,” Spike explained, “But I think he’s been really busy with his duties, the replies have been getting shorter and shorter ever since we came to Ponyville.”

“Well, Twilight wanted to talk to the Princess,” Rainbow Dash pointed out, “She’s getting what she came here for. I just hope whatever this problem is, it doesn’t interfere with the Wonderbolts’ show.”

“Can’t you tell me what’s wrong?” Twilight asked for the third time as the guards marched her through the white marble corridors of the castle. “If it’s about the –”

“Her Regal Majesty Princess Celestia instructed that you should be brought to Her immediately on your arrival,” the second guard interrupted, “and that She would speak to you before anypony else. The Royal Guard do not need to know the reasons for the Princess’s decisions, nor are we expected to second guess her choices. You must speak to the Princess, before to anypony else or to us.”

Twilight wanted to talk to her brother again. She hadn’t been able to tell him about the Elements of Harmony, about the Gaia Memories, about all the things that had happened in her life over the last few months. It was all supposed to be a big secret, and she could only hope that Celestia had thought it appropriate to tell her guards. But now, apparently, they weren’t even allowed to talk. What could have happened, for the Princess to need to see her so soon after her arrival?

They stepped into a white-pillared room, and the guards melted away immediately. They must have received their orders already, and were nervous about getting anything wrong. The room was sparsely decorated, with only a bookcase on one side and a portrait opposite. There was also hatstand in one corner, breaking up the symmetry. Twilight had expected to meet Celestia in the throne room, or maybe some antechamber close to the throng of ponies enjoying the Gala. But this room must mean that Celestia was considering granting her access to the museum again; exactly what she had hoped for. She still couldn’t see the need for urgency, though.

“Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia greeted her by name, “It is a pleasure to see you again. I do hope that I wasn’t too impolite in separating you from your friends, but unfortunately I find it necessary. I will tell you as much as I can, and then I hope you will be able to properly enjoy my little party.”

“Is there some crisis?” Twilight asked, “Or… you wanted to speak to me alone because you don’t trust them? I don’t think–”

“You don’t think enough, at times. I’m truly sorry, and I wish I could be more open. But these issues threaten all of Equestria, and I cannot allow our enemy to know any more about our strengths and weaknesses. They already have too much of an advantage.”

“But none of my friends–” Twilight started, but stopped and backed away as the hidden door to the museum swung open, revealing a dopant standing there.

“We have a problem!” a voice roared loud enough to shake the walls. She was as black as midnight, as large as a horse. White flecks like stars decorated her coat, and darkness seemed to fill the room as soon as she stepped in, despite the bright sun outside.

“Luna!” Celestia yelled angrily, “I have told you already that you cannot be here. I need to speak to Twilight in private before she sees you again. I was considering changing my edict and allowing you to attend the Gala, but we certainly can’t have you showing up as Nightmare Moon. How did you get that Memory again? No matter. This is strictly a no-dopants event.”

“There’s already two dopants out there,” the Lunar Dopant, the terror known to the world as Nightmare Moon, roared as soon as Celestia paused for breath.

“And I’m no happier about that, but– Wait, did you say two?”

“I did. I can sense them in this form, sister. You should permit me to use it more often, can you not see how I could help you to monitor other dopants around the world?”

“You’re surprised at the two,” Twilight stepped between the two sisters, hoping to stop what was clearly a recurring argument from escalating, “You weren’t surprised there’s a dopant here, which I must assume means there’s been at least one dopant causing trouble in Canterlot. If that’s the case, you could have called us to help at any time. Is that why you invited us?”

“So many questions,” Celestia gasped, “I think you’ll have to –”

“So many lies,” Luna interrupted, “Do you really think you can –”

“ENOUGH!” Celestia shouted loud enough to make the chandelier overhead shake, and to make Luna, even in the guise of Nightmare Moon, back away. “Luna, I have told you why some secrecy is necessary a dozen times. You don’t think clearly when you’re using that thing, you know that already, and do you really think I would trust you with it after you’ve already shown you can’t be trusted by taking it from my quarters.”

“But you…” Luna started speaking, and then stopped. She reached back and let the Lunar Gaia Memory leap out of her flank. Seconds later, her demonic visage had blown away like mist in the wind, and she looked more like a normal pony. As if there could be anything normal about an alicorn, with both wings and a horn to make it clear to everypony that she was a princess. She was still almost a hand taller than Twilight, as well, and her mane shimmered in all the colours of the night as some draft caught it. “Okay, maybe I don’t have the self control. That’s exactly why –”

“That is exactly why I do not wish to teach the current Champions of Harmony any unnecessary historical details that might provide a temptation to follow your path. I will tell Twilight Sparkle the full truth about the Gaia Memories and their origin, and once she knows I’m sure she will agree with me about the need to keep some members of their little circle in the dark. But I will not tolerate your attempts to create conflict between myself and my student.”

There was an uncomfortable silence. Twilight was normally a big fan of silence, but somehow the words that remained unsaid between the two princesses soured it somewhat. This atmosphere would be no good for studying, or for anything else. And there was a secret here that needed to be dealt with.

“Who are these dopants? Do we need to defeat them?”

“She has a point, sister. If there is an uninvited guest here, we need to deal with the issue as quickly as possible. Do you know who?”

“No. The new one, I have felt the essence of the Gaia Memory around Canterlot a few times over the last couple of weeks, but I cannot discern its nature. The Memory User is smart enough to not use it without cause, which means there is only the faintest energy trace for me to follow. I haven’t been able to find the dark impulses of a dopant through their dreams, either. But there is a Gaia Memory in the castle now, beyond the ones that we know about.”

“And the other?” Twilight insisted. She did want to deal with the dopant, of course, but there was no way the Princesses could deny that they’d both been keeping something from her. She needed to know about the other dopant as well, even if they didn’t want her to deal with it for some reason. But Celestia just looked down at her hooves, apparently speechless for once.

“I can’t be sure,” Luna broke the silence, “When I was briefly in Ponyville fighting the Dream Dopant, I found that I could still feel the faintest traces of Gaia Energy from three fillies who had formerly been a dopant.”

“So there could be a former dopant here? Somepony we already helped return to normal?”

“No. Because I felt it when I appeared as Nightmare Moon all those months ago. Not quite the same energy signature as a dopant, not quite the more balanced nature of the Elements of Harmony, either. Something different. From one of your friends.”

“From… You can’t be serious!”

“I’m not saying anypony is a dopant. By way of metaphor, there is a creature native to the Everfree Forest known as a red hunter wasp. Its sting contains a cocktail of chemicals derived from its own hormones, which it can smell even the faintest traces of across miles of forest. That wasp can sense and keep track of every prey it has ever stung, allowing it to follow without even coming into sight. Maybe there is a dopant that works the same way; having stung a potential enemy so subtly that she didn’t notice, and the monster can follow unobserved.”

“That’s…” Twilight’s instinct was to say ‘disgusting’, but she didn’t want to seem weak in front of her mentor, “A possibility, I guess.”

“A worrying one,” Celestia added, “If such a dopant exists, we have no way of knowing what powers it could have. Maybe its sting could allow it to unbalance a victim’s judgement, or eavesdrop on their thoughts, or even take control of their attacks. In this case, I think, it would be essential that any important tactical knowledge to be kept to you alone, Twilight, so that we can be sure a stung pony isn’t unwillingly betraying your confidence.”

“I… that’s pretty scary. You didn’t tell me before?”

“Of course. At the Castle of the Two Sisters, your friends were all there. When you came to Canterlot afterwards I considered telling you, but you were already upset with me for not trusting your friends fully. And, of course, you had to dash away while I was still considering how much to share. How would you have reacted if I told you that our enemies may be spying on you through your closest friends?” Twilight thought for a moment, and then nodded.

“You accept her keeping things from you?” Luna was shocked, as if she’d expected Twilight to go into a rage. But Twilight Sparkle had been Celestia’s apprentice for almost as long as she could remember. She trusted the princess completely, and she was aware that even when their opinions differed – most obviously on Begins Night – her mentor had always sent her where she needed to be, to do the things that needed to be done. Honesty was important to friendship, of course it was, but when the situation was difficult you couldn’t always tell the whole truth. The best she could do was trust that her mentor had her best interests at heart.

“You wouldn’t accept it so easily if you heard the whole truth,” there was a tangible venom in Luna’s voice, “She told that dragon, but not you. And she still hasn’t –”

“Anyway,” Twilight raised her own voice a little to cut off any further argument, “We can talk about this later. We’ve got a dopant to catch.”

Applejack would be the first to admit that she wasn’t a posh pony. She’d known from the start that the crowds at the Grand Galloping Gala were not only posh, but were rich enough they could probably afford to hire somepony to be posh for them. In one of the great halls lower in the castle, she’d found buffet tables set out to let the great and the good help themselves to snacks in case they couldn’t make it through the party without refuelling. But when she got closer, she saw that somepony had even managed to make a formal buffet.

There were piles of plates in four different sizes at one end of the table, and a dozen different types of forks, spoons, and tongs. The silverware was all real silver, as far as she could tell, embossed with designs so complex you would need a magnifying glass to make out the fine details of the knotwork. The plates were fine china, as light as a feather and probably very easy to break. They were pure white, with intricate patterns of blue enamel and gold leaf around the edges. And everypony seemed to know which plate and fork was appropriate for every delicacy on the table. She didn’t see a single pony eating with hooves and mouth; the silverware seemed compulsory.

After looking up and down the varied array of food, Applejack eventually sat down in the corner. She’d hoped that with the approval of the caterers, she could slip some of her famous apple fritters onto the table. But she didn’t know where to put anything. It was visiting Uncle Orange all over again, except this time she’d been naive enough to think she could add something to the table, when she didn’t even know how to get a bite to eat.

“Are you okay?” a soft voice intruded on her thoughts, “You don’t look too happy, and everybody needs to be happy at a party.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t be here,” Applejack muttered, “This is all for rich folks, and I’m just a country pony. I thought I could impress everypony with my food, but it’s set out so fancy I don’t even know what’s what on there.”

“I know how that feels,” the sympathy in her voice was real, that was for sure. And then Applejack realised that this stranger’s voice had the rich twang of a country accent too. Not the same accent, but it was enough to guess that this pony, or at least the friends she’d grown up around, were farmers too. Applejack looked up to see a young mare, maybe only just out of school. Her coat looked white under the bright sun, but the faintest shade of pink was visible in shadow, and her mane was a riot of pink and white stripes, looking almost like a candy cane where it was plaited at the back. She was wearing an elaborate dress in stiff black and white fabric, with a split down the side to show off her cutie mark. Some kind of plant, Applejack could see, but from where she was huddled she couldn’t see the details.

“Thanks,” Applejack straightened herself up again, realising what a mess she must look huddled in the corner feeling sorry for herself, “The name’s Applejack, come from Ponyville. Never thought I’d get an invitation to something like this, I didn’t realise everything would be so… organised.”

“Sweet Cane,” she introduced herself, and curtsied, “from so many places I lost count, now, but my family’s gone everywhere sugar is grown. From farmers to chefs, but sugar’s in our blood. Your folks in apples, then?”

“Yeah. We’re famous for them, and everypony loves my fritters. I thought maybe if I could get some of these rich folks to try them, we might be able to sell more, maybe even replace the roof on the old barn.”

“That’s a great goal. Why don’t you talk to the boss? Come on, I’ll introduce you.”

Rainbow Dash was out in one of the many courtyards now. She’d started out keeping a protective eye on Fluttershy, but her attention had drifted for just a moment and the two pegasi had got separated.

Rainbow Dash had helped herself to cakes from the buffet. A few society mares had looked at her oddly when she picked up two in each hoof and scurried outside, but she didn’t really care what they thought. She knew she was cool, and nopony who’d never even won a race was going to make her feel inferior. Besides, she was too busy to wonder what they might be thinking, when she was staring up at the Wonderbolts flight display team, trailing streams of coloured steam behind them and criss-crossing in the sky. It was a beautiful display, and even Dash’s mouth was hanging open for some parts of the show.

When the sky cleared, clouds began to settle into box shapes as they followed the grid of lines her heroes had left behind. It was a while before everypony realised that the grand climax had actually been the end; two or three times in the show leading up to that point, there had been what seemed an extravagant climax only for the Wonderbolts to come back with some even more heart-stopping display of their prowess. But this time they really were finished, and it was hard to imagine that anything could possibly top their last stunt. Rainbow Dash was probably the last to stop eagerly watching the skies for their return.

With the show over, her mind turned to her other reasons for being here. When she’d originally been so eager to get a ticket, she’d hoped the party would be exclusive enough that she could actually rub shoulders with the flying team, who she’d idolised since she was a foal. But it seemed the party was larger than she had anticipated, and she had already spoken with them a month before, so that no longer seemed the impossible dream. Rainbow Dash would be content just to enjoy the show, and to enjoy the party if there was anypony here interesting enough to have a conversation with. If she happened to bump into the Wonderbolts, then that would be a wonderful experience, but it was no longer the end of the world if it didn’t happen.

She grabbed another couple of cakes, and tried to strike up a conversation with an impressively muscled stallion. Even when she wasn’t showing off, Dash liked to think she was pretty much a fountain of interesting anecdotes. She’d done so many cool things quite apart from being a Champion of Harmony, so she started out by mentioning some of the most interesting things that had happened in her day-job. But after less than a minute, the stallion walked away without even deigning to notice she was there. It was almost as if he wasn’t interested in hearing about Ponyville’s weather.

She tried again, and after being rebuffed a few times she finally started to realise that the rules of society were different here. The higher in the upper class a pony was, the more likely they would only talk to those who followed some arcane rules of protocol. She was starting to feel isolated, and retreated to a corner where Applejack had been sitting a few moments before. But her melancholy was shorter lived, because then she saw one pony who would always be happy to talk, and whose relentless enthusiasm was proving difficult for even the poshest of snobs to ignore.

“Hey, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash called out, already gliding over the crowd. After a minor setback, it again looked like this might just be the best party ever.

Rarity knew exactly which utensil was for eating which type of cake. While organising proper place settings was a little too much work for her to consider at informal gatherings, she knew that a great many of her friends and clients in the world of high fashion lived according to the book of protocol, and she saw it as her duty to be comfortable both attending and hosting all kinds of formal and informal gatherings. Without knowing the way things were done, she wouldn’t be able to present the sophistication that had made her a success. And of course, it was just as important in her quest to meet her Prince Charming, her suave stallion in a silk suit. She knew that someday she was destined to marry into nobility, so she must be ready to feel at home among them.

However, she was also smart enough to know one very special rule that governed etiquette at such chaotic situations as a buffet in the secondary ballroom. She had observed that the higher a pony was, jockeying for position among the middle classes, the more they were likely to know about the proper rules for any situation. But the higher a pony’s social standing, the more likely anypony else was to accept their pronouncements as indisputable fact. In a place like this, where the proper rules and protocols were rarely invoked, nopony would be expected to know the right rules. If a known noble ate his miniature quiche with a cocktail spoon, then everypony else would be liable to do the same. Nopony would dare to imply that a social superior had made a mistake unless they were very sure of themselves, and the rules for a formal buffet would be so seldom used that only the most book-obsessed would be able to remember them perfectly. So the nobles, at the top of the tree, did whatever they wanted, and the complex, multilayered rules of etiquette and behaviour changed around them.

Here, she knew that if she just acted with enough certainty, nopony would dare to look down on her. Confidence was the important thing; she could do whatever she wanted, and anypony who disagreed with her manners in some tiny way would remain silent for fear of having missed some special case in the minutiae of the rules. But as she helped herself fill a tiny plate at the buffet table, she paid close attention to the ponies around her. Some seemed nervous, unsure of themselves. Rarity was pretty confident one or two of her friends would be falling into that category, and wished for a moment that she’d found time to give them a few pointers before they got here. Then there were those who were enjoying the food, which was simply incredible, but always kept their eyes roving, as if they worried that someone was assessing them on their knowledge of the rules. Then came those who were sure they knew the rules, and wondered if anypony had noticed how well they were showing off their breeding, but had no time for looking at others. Maybe some had focused their eyes on the most confident, and were following their example. Rarity saw at least one mare on the other side of the table imitating her own behaviour.

And almost right beside her, a stallion who was neither imitating nor judging. If she could guess his opinion at all, he would have to be amused. He was applying jam to a scone exactly as she was, with the same tiny knife that seemed barely adequate for the task. He wasn’t slavishly imitating her though, he was doing everything in reverse. His knife floated to the left side of the jam dish, not the right, indicating that were he not a unicorn he would be holding the knife in his left hoof. He was laughing at her, or laughing with her at the whole studied extravagance of this celebration. It was hard to tell.

“Hello, good sir,” Rarity curtseyed very briefly, “I don’t believe we’ve been properly introduced. My name is Rarity.”

“Oh, good to meet you, Rarity,” his voice was higher than she expected for a pony with such a bulky physique, and a mixture of classical Canterlot and Prench accents. “I hear you are one of the Champions of Harmony, I heard. I of course am Note Worthy, lord of the Coltsfoot Valley, and a prince of the Crystal Empire, third in line to the throne of that nation.”

Rarity took a deep breath to stop herself from saying something improper in her excitement. The Crystal Empire was not really an empire, she knew that much from her studies of politics. Nor was it technically a nation; it was a semi-autonomous duchy that had become part of Equestria in ancient history but had been allowed to retain its own royal family as a symbol of the growing world peace. That meant that this lord could well be a genuine prince, though the politics of that region left the title in some confusion. Certainly, a match with this stallion would be a step up into the genealogical records of the peerage, and the fact that he seemed both athletic and refined in taste wouldn’t hurt.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, your lordship,” Rarity curtseyed deeper this time, hoping that she remembered the correct etiquette for once. Using the wrong title for an actual prince would be an unforgivable faux pas, and the strange politics of the crystal ponies meant that it wasn’t as simple as thinking ‘prince beats lord’. She was also aware that she was being quite selfish, hoping to charm a member of the nobility when she barely knew him. But this was a dream come true for her; even the slightest chance of becoming a princess, even of the smallest minor kingdom, had to be jumped on.

“This gathering seems to be larger each year,” he replied, “I don’t like to be surrounded by so many ponies who just try to do what they think is expected of them, without the confidence in their own decisions, they bore me. I shall go to somewhere less crowded. If you would like to join me, you should feel welcome.” Rarity gave a smile; it looked like her potential suitor was headed to the rose garden, which she thoroughly approved of. This evening could only get better.

“What is she doing?”

“Where is her partner?”

“Is she having a seizure?”

“This is supposed to be a waltz!”

Outraged whispers hurried around the edge of the dance floor as Pinkie Pie showed off her moves. It wasn’t the same style that most of the twirling couples had adopted, but she was sure they’d be quick to love her moves once they gave it a chance. Unfortunately, it seemed that nopony was willing to do that right now. They just stared in shock, and it had taken Pinkie a while to realise that somehow they didn’t seem to be impressed. It wasn’t something she often thought about, because her main reason for dancing was to have fun. She didn’t care what others thought about her, which made it a lot easier to cut loose and enjoy herself. But when everyone was staring, it made it a bit different. And they were whispering such hurtful things to their friends. They didn’t seem to know how to whisper, either… many of them were loud enough that she could hear them clearly even over the music.

“I don’t get it,” she muttered to herself, her gyrations slowly coming to a halt, “This is supposed to be a party! It’s like they don’t even know what a party’s supposed to be, or they’ve read books on it but never really had fun before.”

That thought triggered another moment of contemplation. Several of the ponies she’d seen earlier had flaps of paper on their flanks, a card with times and initials on as if they were trying to schedule their dancing. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like the kind of party somepony like Twilight Sparkle would organise if she hadn’t had friends around to introduce her to the benefits of fun. Even Twilight had never needed a timetable for her dancing, though.

These ponies were clearly in need of some lessons in friendship and fun, at which Pinkie Pie was obviously the master. But they were so far from understanding that she didn’t even know how to reach them. She quickly formed a plan, though. Not a party plan (she hadn’t been hired for this gig yet), but a Pinkie Plan. She went off to find Rarity or Twilight, just hoping that they might be able to translate messages between clashing cultures, so Pinkie could show these strange ponies how to party.

Fluttershy was probably the calmest of the Champions of Harmony. She didn’t care what the other ponies at the event thought of her, really. She would prefer to be liked, but simply being unnoticed came a close second in a lot of circumstances. Many of those high class mares were here to be seen, rather than to see, and she was sure none of them had spared her a glance as she peeled away from the rest of the group on hearing an unfamiliar birdsong. Now she was walking slowly, quietly through the castle’s private gardens, hoping to introduce herself to some new animal friends.

She’d never thought of herself as somepony impressed by grand architecture, but this castle was truly amazing. She knew she was in a courtyard now, because the castle was built atop the City of Canterlot, a castle above a castle. She had found the walls of this chamber even, but just a few steps along the path it was hard to believe she wasn’t in some deep forest. She found herself retracing her steps to a glass-panelled door in a high white wall, just to make sure she hadn’t inadvertently strayed into a magic mirror or some such portal. She knew that Celestia wouldn’t keep such precious artifacts where anypony could find them, if something like that even existed. But it was so hard to believe that this little parcel of welcoming wilderness was in a courtyard.

As she wandered between the trees, Fluttershy never quite managed to find the birdsong that had drawn her in this direction. She at least wanted to give her thanks to whatever feathered friend had made it so easy to find the gardens. But every path she turned down, the sound was still cheerful and distant. She looked up, but the call she’d heard didn’t seem to be coming from any of the birds flitting between the trees. And she found that her curiosity, as well as her gratitude, drove her to find the source of the magical sound.

At the edge of the little gardens, she found another white wall and another set of double doors, this one open to the breeze. From here, a trail of leaf mould hoofprints led across a thick carpet that was thankfully a green-brown already and wouldn’t be too hard for the castle’s servants to clean. And then Fluttershy’s smile turned into a wide grin as she realised why she hadn’t been able to find that elusive bird no matter how hard she searched the garden courtyard: On the other side of the hallway, a short passage led to yet another pair of double doors, and another courtyard garden. The cheerful whistling she’d been following floated through unobstructed, past two open doors, and she followed eagerly, being careful not to add her own hoofprints to the ones already there.

This garden wasn’t a woodland, but a grassy meadow. Rows of wildflowers meandered across the courtyard, and it sounded like there was a fountain or stream somewhere. This time the walls on the far side were easy to see, though the edges were softened by lines of bushes, flowers in a riot of colours, and climbing creepers. The ground was a series of scalloped curves, that still gave a great impression of space and meant that the whole garden wasn’t visible from any one point.

Fluttershy marvelled at how beautiful it was, and then turned her head and tried to make out the direction that tuneful whistling was coming from. Sooner or later, she would be able to find it. But as she rounded the curve of one hill, wondering if the roof of some ballroom below had been specially reinforced to support the weight of all that soil, the contemplative music was interrupted by the sound of heavy hoofbeats.

Two ponies danced in from the corridor, their voices carrying the rhythm of what could be a waltz, but nowhere near as tunefully as the orchestra in the main halls. And they were dancing, hooves moving in circles and occasionally tripping over each other, while still progressing over the lawn. Their energetic but uncoordinated steps were making quite a mess of the lawns on that side of the garden, tearing up clods of earth with heavy shoes that were clearly only suited for cobbled streets.

“What do you think you’re doing?” a gardener appeared from around the edge of a tiny hillock, “The party’s that way, gents, and far be it from me to speak ill of nobles, but if you want to dance like that you should really be on a dance floor, not on my turf.” He was firm, but trying to be deferential. His head half bowed to punctuate each sentence, even as he rebuked the two stallions who were almost certainly his social superiors.

“Can’t stop!” one of them gasped. He was wearing an elegant suit, a tuxedo whose cut was clearly influenced by the style of the Royal Guards’ armour. He opened his mouth to say something, but then just resumed humming along to a waltz that he barely knew the melody of.

“You think,” his friend gasped, brayed a few bars of the music, then continued: “You think I’d be dancing with this fool if I had any choice in the matter? I don’t want to be seen in this disgraceful activity, so I thought coming out where there’s nopony to observe would be to our advantage.”

“Why don’t you stop dancing, then?” the gardener muttered stoically, “If you’re on the good grass, you got to stop kicking up dirt.”

“He’s used some crazy magic,” the darker pony muttered in between snatches of song, “Probably to help him dance better or something, he’s too lazy to learn properly. We can’t stop!”

“Don’t blame me!” the other pony yelled, and Fluttershy crouched behind her hooves as if the volume was symbolic of some kind of attack, “It’s you who started this, I was minding my own business admiring the Countess La Forte’s gown –”

“Drooling over the ladies again, you mean. You sir, are a disgrace to your family’s blood.”

“And you’re a low-born cad without the grace to keep your boorish opinions –” he grunted in pain and surprise as the black-coated stallion’s fetlock connected with his cheek. But to the amazement of Fluttershy and the gardener, maybe even to themselves, the two stallions let their argument descend into a fight but kept on dancing.

“Well, here’s a fine how-d’you do,” the old groundskeeper muttered, mostly to himself. The fight was still more genteel than a brawl among the lower classes, with the two practically taking turns to strike each other and making no effort to actually cause harm, but it was still intense enough that the servant didn’t want to come too close.

“Do spells like that exist?” Fluttershy murmured, not sure what else to say.

“Could do, could do,” the gardener nodded, “I’m no unicorn though, I can’t say for a certainty, I never heard of anything like that before. But the nobs, they do no end of dumb things trying to show off how smart they are. I wouldn’t put it past any of ‘em.”

“Hmm…” Fluttershy wasn’t sure what to say next. The scene in from of her was both scary and funny, and she could see why a pony would be upset if a spell that should have improved his dancing skills instead resulted in this kind of farce. But at the same time, she was worried that this could be the effects of a Gaia Memory. Maybe ‘Dance’, or ‘Comedy’, or some name she wouldn’t even think of.

“Oh, saving yer presence, ladyship,” the gardener continued, bowing nervously, and more deeply this time.

“Who, me?” Fluttershy said, struggling to make her voice audible over the sounds of the scuffle, “Oh, I’m not a noble, I’m only here because of my friends. We help everypony, as best we can.” And that thought made up her mind for her. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she didn’t investigate this situation, no matter how small the odds a dopant was behind it. “And that’s what I’m going to do.”

She reached up to her collar, which blended seamlessly into the dress. There she rested one hoof on the side of the Element of Kindness, and pressed the crystal firmly into the base of its socket. Immediately, the sounds of struggle were slightly muted, and she could hear the faint strains of talented classical musicians, as well as several different conversations too quiet to properly hear. It was the first time she’d used her collar since Twilight Sparkle and Rarity had improved the design, so she wasn’t entirely sure if this meant it was working or not.

“Twilight?” she whispered, speaking into the air. Then she looked at the curiously-staring gardener, and wondered if there was any way she could explain that wouldn’t sound crazy. “Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, coming through fine,” Twilight’s voice seemed to be coming from all around Fluttershy, but she tried not to let it bother her. “What’s the problem? I’ve just been searching for a dopant.”

“Oh! I thought it might be, but I don’t know, it could just be a normal spell that’s gone wrong, that’s what I was calling about.”

Twilight stopped her brisk canter along the corridor, and wondered why she hadn’t thought of that. As soon as Luna mentioned that there might be a dopant at the party, she’d gone off to try and find any sign of its existence. But after barely a second of consideration, she’d decided not to tell her friends about it. Maybe it was because she didn’t want to disturb them when they could be having the best night ever, or maybe Celestia’s paranoia was starting to rub off on her, and she didn’t really trust them completely. But second-guessing her past self would do nothing to help her now; she needed to deal with the situation at hoof.

“I’ll be right there,” she answered, and then in a burst of pink and violet light she teleported herself to one of Princess Celestia’s meditation gardens. Fluttershy almost jumped at her appearance, and the gardener certainly did.

“Sorry to startle you,” she nodded, and gave a slight bow, “I was in a hurry. Is something wrong?” Then she saw the two other ponies staring at duelling stallions. A black-coated unicorn with a crimson mane, and an earth pony whose suit jacket almost matched the slate grey of his coat. Both were wearing very expensive, exquisitely tailored suits, but they seemed to be roughhousing in a way that didn’t suit a stallion of social standing.

“They can’t stop,” Fluttershy explained, “I didn’t hear the full story, but the little guy thinks it’s a spell the unicorn tried, and now they can’t help themselves.”

“A spell that compels ponies to fight?” Twilight wracked her brains, trying to think of anything in all her studies that could have that kind of effect.

“No, dancing.”

“The fighting’s just them two being so used to having their own way,” the gardener added, “Don’t get what you wanted, just step on somepony until it happens.” And he would probably have continued in that vein. It was clear there was a whole fountain of resentment building up beneath the surface, and ponies who spent a lot of time working alone could quite easily get into the habit of saying what came to mind without a second thought. But then there was a muffled thump, as the unicorn stallion slumped to the ground, eyes closed.

“I didn’t hit him that… that…” the other combatant muttered, his voice weak and eyes glazed. Fluttershy dived forward to try to catch him, as his eyes closed and he fell. She wasn’t quite fast enough, but the stallion landed safely as the pink glow of Twilight’s magic lowered him gently to the ground.

“Whether it’s magic, or a dopant, or something we didn’t even think about, I think we need to do something about this,” Twilight was only giving Fluttershy half her attention as she spoke, the rest devoted to checking that the two fighters were still alive and hadn’t suffered any serious injury. It didn’t take long before Fluttershy took over that role, with much more experience in treating illness or injury.

“Everypony,” Twilight spoke as soon as she had pressed the Element of Joker into her collar, “We think there’s a dopant at the party. Seems like it forced two stallions to dance until they passed out.” She paused a second, while Fluttershy used the same mental connection to explain that the victims simply seemed to be exhausted. Nopony had any ideas what might cause that, but they agreed to keep looking out for a dopant just in case.

“See, there’s a lot of plans go into putting the right desserts in the right places on the tables,” Sweet Cane beamed proudly as she explained, gesturing to the tables lined with food. It seemed that as well as the buffet tables in two different ballrooms, there were other arrangements in different parts of the castle. This party had to be something that everypony would feel at home with, so there were many different options where ponies with a similar taste in music, food, and protocol could congregate; and the more cosmopolitan among them could circulate.

“We have to work out which dishes have similar flavours,” she went on, “And which will appeal to ponies of similar tastes. Every table is set out to minimise the need for anypony to stretch too far, or for two guests to reach across each other. Then they are sorted and positioned based on the likelihood of crumbs or drips, and to take account of the likelihood of each item running out during the night and needing to be replaced. So much complexity that unless you know every detail, it might appear chaotic. They told me that the complex table manners came from the same kind of thing, using different size forks for different dishes to prevent too many hooves reaching for the same cutlery display at once, or something like that. But now, it’s just complex because everypony knows it’s supposed to be complicated. Sometimes, I just wish there was a way to stop folks from caring so much about the little things.”

“So I guess there’s no space for a country pony who can’t even understand how to get food to sell things.”

“Don’t put yourself down,” Sweet Cane said, “I make all kinds of sweets here, I’m the head patissier this year, and I don’t understand it all. That’s why we need party organisers. There’s so much that happens behind the scenes, and Blossom Child is probably the most respected party planner in Equestria! Maybe she can help you.”

Applejack nodded, thinking about the little barrow she’d brought with her to the Gala. She might not have been so excited if she’d known just how thoroughly the organisers here had planned every last inch of table space, even going so far as to change the menu at the buffet tables six times through the course of the afternoon and evening, as the humidity and temperature changes meant that they expected the guests to be interested in different things. Maybe if she had the ear of the head organiser, she could fetch her little barrow from the library upstairs, and then she would be in with a chance. But she knew before they even got there that the odds of the organiser being willing to risk such meticulous planning on the wares of a pony she didn’t actually know, well Blossom Child would have to be an idiot.

Applejack knew she was going to say the wrong thing, even before they reached the organiser’s offices. Then Sweet Cane opened the door, and the complexity of the scene within took Applejack’s breath away. It turned out that for such an important party, planning took enough time (not to mention enough paperwork, schedules, charts, and order forms) that Princess Celestia had assigned them a small suite of rooms to hold all the necessary documents. It looked a little bit like Twilight Sparkle’s carefully laid out planning desk for the recent Winter Wrap-Up, but dozens of times larger. Lists and tables were pinned to cork boards covering every inch of the walls, and a thousand coloured pieces of string connected them together.

There were four ponies in the office, all ticking something off on one list or another, but it was immediately obvious which one was Blossom Child. She was a full hand shorter than Applejack, but the others glanced at her as soon as they saw there were strangers present. Blossom Child would make a decision, and the others would act on whatever she said. It was a kind of organisation that had never really had a place in Ponyville, where most decisions were made by a mostly-constructive hubbub with everypony throwing out ideas until they found an agreement. Despite the difference in size, Applejack felt like she was looking up at the other mare, and she found herself involuntarily backing away, nervous. Not even the Princess had the same intimidating aura of absolute power.

“Blossom Child,” Sweet Cane half bowed, “This is Applejack. She was hoping to provide her family’s traditional fare to the party, but didn’t realise the extent of the preparation schedule. I think maybe we could give her a –”

“Are you crazy?” Blossom Child’s voice was louder than Sweet Cane’s, but not by enough to justify the sudden silence. They must have been working together for quite some time, for everypony to have developed a habit of stopping whatever they were saying to listen to the boss. She didn’t need to shout, her voice was perfectly level, but it had a piercing quality like the very best schoolteachers. “We have planned this Gala for months. Months! And it must be perfect in every regard. This year more than ever, because the Princess informs us that the guest list includes one of the most notable party planners in Equestria. I am not going to have this contract contested after the effort I have put in.”

“I’m sorry,” Applejack murmured, stepping back a little in the face of the tirade, “I just wanted to help, and everypony loves my apple fritters, Pinkie said more folks ate them than the cake at Gummy’s –”

“Pinkie?” Blossom Child interrupted again, and every eye in the room went back to her, “You are with the party that came with Ponyville’s party planning prodigy, Pinkie Pie?”

“Yeah, we’re both the Champions of Harmony. You’ve heard of Pinkie’s parties? She’s great, I think anypony who hired her is always satisfied.”

“There are some who say that my own parties are great, and I have never heard of a negative review,” Blossom Child raised an eyebrow, “You are part of the catering staff for your friend’s soirees?”

“You mean do I cook? Well, Pinkie’s the best at making cakes and buns, even those little fancy cream things that’re four to the mouthful if she’s in the right mood. She can do everything herself, but when it’s a big do Mr and Mrs Cake help with the baking. She works in their shop most days, and does parties for all her friends. It’s only the last few months she’s been running parties for strangers, getting the most out of her talent, so she’s had to learn everything. I help her out sometimes, though. Apple fritters, apple pie, candy apples. And well, if she’s doing the cooking she just buys a load of apples from us.”

“I see,” the manager was silent for a moment, and everypony else just waited for her to finish her thought. At times when they were struggling to get the harvest in, Applejack found herself thinking that kind of commanding presence must be a great thing to have. “Well, I realise that we don’t have many fruit based confections at this year’s Gala, the fashions seem to have drifted away from them, but maybe it could be advantageous to include a few for the benefit of those who don’t keep a hoof on the pulse of high society. Yes, that seems entirely appropriate. If you wish to include your wares in the grand buffet, then we will find a place for you.”

Sweet Cane and Blossom Child’s eyes met, and held each other’s gaze. They weren’t friends, which other meant that they put a great effort into presenting the impression that they liked each other’s company. But they’d worked on the same festivals and functions for quite some time now, and there was no mistaking that Machiavellian glint of triumph. This was the kind of scheme that would end with somepony disgraced, and probably a supreme moment of triumph with plenty of opportunity for gloating and laughing at ponies from lesser strata of society.

“Everypony!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice cut through the moment of silence, “We think there’s a dopant at the party…” It wasn’t until Blossom Child started speaking as well that Applejack realised her friend’s voice was only audible to her. The collar at her throat was glowing faintly as the Elements of Harmony carried the voice.

“I’m sorry, Sweet Cane,” she interrupted, “I can’t thank you enough for helping me like this. But we’re supposed to make sure there’s no monsters at this party, and I just heard one. I’ll be right back.” For once, Sweet Cane and Blossom Child both stared with open mouths at the earth pony’s retreating back. They were used to a world where meeting Blossom Child was a great honour, second only to an audience with the Princess, because she had such great control over the catering and the guest lists of almost every fashionable party in Canterlot. It was completely inconceivable that an ordinary farm pony could turn down her audience no matter what the reason.

Princess Celestia sighed, exhausted, after shaking yet another hoof and offering yet another heartfelt welcome to one of her lords. In her youth she had run faster than the wind to fight monsters, and travelled the full width of Equestria in a single night when they had finally come to seal the Gaia Fountain. But this unending stream of supplicants took more of a toll on her body than anything she had done in those distant days.

Now, there was a brief pause in the line of ponies coming to visit, and she took advantage of her moment of privacy to lean back in her throne, trying to cram a day’s rest into a couple of heartbeats. Every year, it was the moments like this that made her feel old. And this time, with the release of the sorcery that had kept Luna imprisoned in the moon, it was just possible that they were both getting older again. She sighed, a little frustrated.

“You regret it, don’t you?” Luna was there, right behind the throne, without any sound to hint at her arrival. It had always been one of her more annoying habits, even when they were saving the world together. “You wish your apprentice was by your side, shaking every other hoof for you. You wish you’d told her the truth. You wish you’d not –”

“How could I?” Celestia snapped back, no longer feeling quite so relaxed. Then after a moment of contemplation, she asked suspiciously: “Have you been snooping, sister?”

“In your dreams? No. It’s obvious in your bearing. You feel like you’ve made a mistake. A few years ago, you shocked the world by declaring that young unicorn your apprentice. Now she’s your protégée, a much more fanciful term. But apprentices become masters sooner or later, and you don’t intend Twilight Sparkle to succeed you any more. She can’t, even if you reveal the truth now, because she will not outlive you. That must weigh heavy on your conscience, especially for one you held in such high regard. What changed?”

“She… didn’t follow our path. She talks with the dopants, tries to understand them. She is too good, too willing to forgive. Twilight will not do that which we both know must be done, and while I have so much pride in her for that, I cannot hand the reins of Equestria to her under those circumstances. I cannot allow a dopant to come so close to the throne…”

“This throne?” Luna rapped on the golden status symbol, “You’re not holding me away now.”

“That’s different. You’ve reformed, you hardly touch the Lunar Memory from one week to the next. You’re striving to help people, and reaching for forgiveness.”

“But you won’t believe in other ponies doing the same?”

Celestia closed her eyes. She knew her decision had been wrong. She knew she had forced Twilight Sparkle, the pony closest to her heart, into a fate that she certainly deserved better than. But now, it was too late to change her mind, there was no way she could repair the changes she had made to the Driver.

“If… you know who… admits her nature, and sets aside the Gaia Memory, then I will do everything in my power to restore her true self. And then, maybe, we can work together to see if the harm I have wrought can be undone. But for now, anything I say would only sow distrust between ponies who should be able to trust each other much more closely. I regret it, yes, but there is nothing else I can do. And telling Twilight the truth now will help nothing. Can you imagine her trying to face Scorpan's Memory, or anyone of the same power, without complete confidence in her own judgement?”

Luna opened her mouth to respond, then saw the doors to the audience chamber start to swing open. Yet more blue-blooded ponies sought their Princess’s attention, and Luna was wise enough to teleport away before she could be seen. She knew well enough that Celestia’s own consciousness would be nagging at her, even without Luna to echo the same sentiments. And Luna was eager to identify the unexpected dopant at the party – even after she’d double-checked the guest lists – in the hope that with one more good deed to be remembered for, she might be allowed to make herself known to the ponies of all Equestria again.

Episode 18 - Can't Stop the P

In the town of Ponyville, life was quiet enough. There were no disasters in progress, and no rampaging monsters storming through the streets. But for once, there was nopony guarding the town, either. The only disturbances to the peace were from normal criminals committing normal crimes, and the regular police stallions felt entirely adequate to deal with matters. One case they weren’t investigating was a seasonal mishap.

One stallion, a consummate party animal or an irresponsible drunkard ,depending who you asked. He said he had an iron stomach, and the strongest liver around, but that didn’t stop him doing one foolish thing too many at most weekends, and it hadn’t stopped him being found under a haystack one morning, ice crystals still clinging to his mane. It was spring now, but still close enough to winter that the nights could be long and cold, and the wind could bite deep. Nopony suspected foul play, it was just a tragedy that all his friends thought they should have been able to prevent.

But the Champion of Justice saw the body, and he thought something entirely different. Because he had sold the stallion a Gaia Memory only days before, and the scars on the unlucky victim’s flank were still fresh where the Memory had anchored itself into his body. A second death by ice in such a short space of time could not be a coincidence, and the Memory seller was even more terse than usual as he fulfilled the necessities of his day job. He was worried that at some point soon he was going to have to take revenge. But then, based on what the Icy dopant had done to his family already, and to his wife, vengeance had already been on the cards. In a way, he felt lucky that the monster had come here, so that he could be the one to mete out justice.

A good day’s journey away, the Champions of Harmony had been enjoying the festivities at the Castle of the Lone Princess, at the summit of Canterlot Castle. Now, they were circling from ballroom to courtyard to dining room, mingling as best they could with ponies whom the traditional social order said were several ranks above them. Trying to fit in here had seemed a little intimidating to start with, because these weren’t the kind of ponies any of them regularly talked to, there was little common ground, and they were all just a little worried about saying the wrong thing.

Now, it was just a fraction easier, because they had something to search for. They had a job to do, and they were filling a function that they could understand. There was a dopant at the party somewhere, and only the Champions of Harmony had the skills to find him or her, as far as they knew. Princess Luna had already mentioned that she could sense a dopant, but she had also tried to bring up some issues that could only seed distrust between Twilight Sparkle and Princess Celestia, or between Twilight and somepony she trusted. That wasn’t acceptable, so Twilight hadn’t mentioned that to the other Champions.

Rarity roamed the crowds with her potential beau, Note Worthy. He was a lord, or even a prince according to the peculiarities of a particular region’s rules of nobility, so being in his company should make it easier for her to be accepted and ask questions of the more refined, upper class ponies who formed the majority of the guests. It did cross her mind that this meant her method of investigation was exactly the same as the reason she’d wanted to come to this party in the first place; to begin a relationship with a charming prince and to show off her dress to the very highest of high-class potential clients. But that was surely just a coincidence. She knew she was better than that, and would never let her own ambitions stand in the way of helping anypony who needed saving.

As afternoon turned into evening, however, her choice of companion was starting to feel less like she’d hit the jackpot,and more like a chore. As she held the door open for him to enter the main ballroom, she wondered if the royal families of the Crystal Empire were really as noble and righteous as they were reputed to be. She met a lot of different ponies, and heard a lot of name dropping, but came no closer to finding out who the dopant could be. She couldn’t even look at everypony’s cutie marks as she passed, because they were all wearing such elaborate dresses, much like the ones she had made herself. Even many of the stallions had flowing capes or robes that covered up their cutie marks on one side or both.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy started patrolling the castle’s gardens, accompanied by the gardener for the start of her rounds. She reasoned that if the dopant had forced ponies to dance when they didn’t want to, then the many courtyards could contain victims of this attack. Inside, there was dancing everywhere, but anypony who came for a breath of fresh air was clearly intending to stop. When she found more, she could offer them what medical help she could, and hopefully mitigate the worst effects of their exhaustion. She also hoped that she might hear the birdsong that had first led her to this place, and though she caught a few snatches of the sound on her wanderings, she was no closer to finding or thanking the little bird.

Pinkie Pie said she’d check the serving staff to see if anypony seemed suspicious, but she couldn’t deny to herself that she was being a little jealous there. She’d spent her whole life hearing that this was the greatest party in Equestria, and that the right to manage it was given only to the most accomplished, competent party planners in the whole kingdom. So she wanted to see what they did that made this any better than one of her own parties, and she was eager to pounce on any opportunity to show that she would be up to the task of running the show next year.

Rainbow Dash’s first moment of conspicuous heroism was a daring dive to save a pie that was otherwise heading for disaster on the ballroom floor. She wasn’t sure the elaborate dress would look cool enough to do her actions justice, but her confidence was restored when she heard a small round of applause. The sound of a dozen hooves drumming on the tiles was music to her ears, even before she looked up and realised that the pie had been in the possession of one of the Wonderbolts.

“Here you go,” she proffered it with as much modesty as she could muster, “No harm done.”

“Thanks, kid,” one of the bystanders nodded in thanks, “Soarin loves his apple pie, might not be able to do the show without it. Hey… I know you.”

“You do?” Dash’s eyes lit up. She’d only got the chance to meet the Wonderbolts once before, and though she’d dreamed about that one conversation leaving a mark on them, she’d mostly been content to think they might have forgotten her.

“Yeah! You won the Young Fliers competition, didn’t you? The Rainboom, that’s pretty impressive. Rainbow Dish, right? You helped us out twice now, so how about you come hang with us for a while?”

“Rainbow Dash,” she corrected, but still grinning so broadly that you might expect the top of her head to fall off. “That would be awesome!”

“Cool. Okay guys, I’ve invited Rainbow Dish to come party with us, get a break from the posh, and thank her for saving Soarin’s pie. But aww, hay. Can somepony take the trifle off him? Any more and he’ll be too heavy to fly for the next show!”

By the time the sun came close to the horizon, it was hard to deny there was a problem. Seven ponies had passed out with exhaustion after dancing, and five had eaten so much they were sick, and had then fallen asleep. One of the musicians had behaved a little out of character as well, taking her cello with her to the bathroom. She’d whispered to the harp player beside her that she just couldn’t stop playing, before she too passed out. The Wonderbolts had done an impressive display without Soarin, who had eaten six apple pies before joining the ranks of the afflicted, and Rainbow Dash had needed to help again as Spitfire found it impossible to touch down.

“What have they all got in common?” Twilight asked as she moved through the party, looking for more victims. By this point, the six had got used to holding conversations regardless of where the others were. They cared less about the desires that had brought them here, and more about making sure that everypony got home safely.

“They can’t stop,” Applejack answered right away, “Can’t stop eating, or dancing, or singing, playing, can’t stop doing tricks.”

“So is it just somepony who doesn’t like resting? Or have the victims got something in common?”

“There’s a mare in the first aid room who can’t stop telling jokes,” Fluttershy added, “Friends just brought her in, she’s laughing so much she can hardly breathe.”

“Why a party?” Pinkie Pie ranted, “Dancing, laughing, eating, all my favourite things, but it’s no fun if you can’t stop. I thought that ruining a party would annoy me more than anything else, but it’s like the dopant’s using the party to hurt ponies. That’s horrible.”

“Maybe somepony wants the Gala cancelled?” Rainbow Dash suggested, overflying the castle again to look for anypony suffering similar symptoms outside the party itself.

“We’re in the dark here,” Twilight grumbled, “We’ve got a dozen ponies sick, and no idea what they have in common. If there’s somepony who’s got a grudge against them and is using the party for cover, or just wanting to ruin the party. We need a lookup.”

“Right!” Pinkie nodded, and looked around the corridor she was in now, “Just give me a moment.”

The Gaia Library was a vast space, filled with books of all kinds. These weren’t real books, but symbolic representations of everything Pinkie Pie knew about the ponies of Ponyville. This place had started out as her dream, but thanks to the telepathic qualities of the Elements of Harmony the books had come to include quite a lot of information that she didn’t otherwise know. Whether it would be able to spot the link between these Canterlot ponies, that was another question. She couldn’t imagine she knew anything about them, even on a subconscious level, but the library had surprised her before.

“Keyword: Vibrant Heart,” Twilight’s voice came from the collar, as easily as it did when she was awake. Pinkie waved a hoof through the air, and huge numbers of books twisted and spun around her, a much smaller selection presented for her perusal.

“Six hundred and twelve results,” she answered back. Presumably there was a book in there about Vibrant Heart, the latest victim, but it was mixed in with the books about every one of her friends and family, and the ponies whose lives she had played a significant role in.

“Keyword: Jubilee Bloom.” This one didn’t reduce the number of available books by much at all. As those two victims were close friends, they shared a great deal of their social circles.

“Five hundred and seventy nine results.”

“Keyword: Spitfire.” This time, more than half of the books circling around Pinkie seemed to fly away. And slowly, they worked through the list of victims in reverse order, a few more books spiralling into the distance as each name was added to the calculation.

“Wait!” Pinkie interrupted the pattern. With nine ponies’ names being cross-referenced, there were just a handful of connections remaining. She could see the books circling around her now; and a replica of the Gala ticket as well. It was obvious that as long as the victims were all attendees, there would be no way to remove any connections they had through virtue of their attendance. They had all spoken to Princess Celestia at some point, even if it was just a brief greeting as they walked through the big double doors. Pinkie could recognise the Princess’s book now, and guessed that the majority of the ones that remained would be other ponies they had met here.

“They’re all guests at the Gala,” she explained, “So they’ve all met the same ponies here. Even if we narrow it down as much as we can, there will still be a dozen coincidental links. And if one of these is the dopant, they haven’t used the Memory enough for it to be named on the book cover.”

“I got you covered,” Rainbow Dash’s voice chipped in, “It’s mostly posh ponies at the Gala, but I found this colt dancing on the docks. Nearly fell in, says he sneaked into one of the castle gardens to see if he could find anything valuable; he’s homeless here, and got a little sister to take care of. Then said when he left he couldn’t stop dancing.”

“Right!” Twilight took control again, “Do you know his name? Or anything he touched here?”

“Name’s Mocha Drink. Fast and agile seems to be his special talent. Says he didn’t find any valuables, he didn’t steal from the guests or do anything that would have got him in trouble. All he took was some food, for him and for her. He says there’s nothing else in the Gala they’d take, everything’s worth so much they couldn’t find anyone to buy it, even if they had the strength to remove a large item. They were about as honest as you could get for thieves, and they wouldn’t take anything they didn’t need.”

“So they won’t have offended anypony,” Twilight proposed, “Unless the dopant was angry just from seeing him there. I’m half expecting it to remove all the results, but… Keyword: Mocha Drink.”

Pinkie gestured, and the books swirled through the air.

“No matches,” Pinkie sighed.

“Not good,” Fluttershy mumbled, “Can you bring him to the nurses here? We need to make sure it’s the same thing, and if he’s going to collapse then he should be somewhere comfortable.”

By the time Rainbow Dash got back to the castle, the Gala’s medical facility had been expended to include three rooms. It was normally much larger than it needed to be for dealing with the occasional injuries of ponies who had overindulged in the Princess’s hospitality, but even three nurses weren’t enough as the number of collapsed ponies passed a dozen. An order came down from Celestia herself, giving them the use of two adjacent rooms, and a small complement of Royal Guards arrived to bring in sufficient spare beds and whatever else was needed to ensure that the patients got the best possible care.

Princess Celestia herself still hadn’t made an appearance. The Champions of Harmony could only guess that there had been some disagreement between Twilight Sparkle and her former mentor, but they had no idea what the cause might be. Still, it was reassuring in a way that the absolute ruler of the land had chosen to let them get on with defeating the dopant rather than trying to micro-manage their actions. The guards on the battlements looked up as Rainbow Dash swooped in towards the castle, but made no effort to hinder her progress. Inside the improvised sickroom, two of the guards opened the largest window.

“He… is…” Rainbow panted, heaving Mocha Drink’s unconscious form onto the nearest free bed, “…heavier than he looks.” Behind her, a white-coated pegasus filly eased her way through the window and touched down.

“Who’s this?” Fluttershy nodded towards her, before turning back to join the nurses examining their latest new patient. The guards didn’t say anything, but kept staring at the newcomer.

“Uhh…” the child mumbled, “Fortissimo Serenade, everypony calls me Forte. That’s my brother.”

“I told her she could stay here,” Rainbow shrugged, “We don’t know if the dopant will be after her as well, whatever reason he’s got.”

“It must be somepony he bumped into at the Gala,” Fluttershy spoke under her breath, still not looking at Fortissimo, “An encounter too brief to be recorded in Pinkie’s library. But we can’t even ask him now.”

“He don’t know how to talk to princes and that,” the filly answered, “He’d just run if anypony spoke to him. He knows to avoid crowds.”

“He came back with food, though,” Twilight suggested from whatever remote part of the castle she was currently exploring, “Could that be the connection?”

“You think they might have been poisoned?” Rainbow Dash answered, causing the nurses to turn and stare at her in shock. “Sorry, just thinking out loud.”

“Could be,” Fluttershy answered thoughtfully, “We need to find out what they’ve eaten. Forte, you said he brought food back. Have you still got any?” And then she finally turned to look, and saw a filly with tears in her eyes, malnourished and visibly shaking. All at once, the businesslike attitude disintegrated. Fluttershy was caring, a perfect mother figure, and Forte suddenly had a seat and a plate of food from the nurses’ canteen.

“I don’t know,” Forte stared at the food in front of her, “It was mostly little bits, tiny cakes and pieces of treats, posh grub I wouldn’t even know the name of. I don’t even know if he had the same stuff he brought for me. I just wish…” and then sobs overwhelmed her efforts to speak, and all she could do was stare at her brother. His lips were moving too, his shoulders still twitching in time to the faintest echoes of music from the grand ballroom, but there was no way to ask him the questions that were suddenly so important.

“Try to calm down,” Fluttershy murmured soothingly, “He’ll be fine, he’s just asleep. Maybe he’s still dancing in his dreams, imagining you two turning into proper posh ponies, or something. The most you can do for him is stay calm, and be here when he wakes up. Listen to the music, maybe. They’ve got a woodwind quintet playing now, and that’s really soothing.” Forte nodded. She could make out the faint strain of music, which was very relaxing, and her tail was already swishing gently to the sound. That didn’t make it any easier not to worry about her brother, but she could at least fake the courage needed to be there for him.

“I could go and check for magical energies on any of the food she’s got left,” Rarity suggested, tuning out Fluttershy’s voice for a moment, “Even if I can’t understand Gaia Magic, I can see if there’s any energy there.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be meeting your handsome prince soon?” Twilight Sparkle answered, “I don’t want to ask any more of you, if you were actually getting what you wanted out of tonight.”

“No, it’s fine. I need to do my duty,” she was so quick to respond that Twilight had to wonder just how Note Worthy had failed to live up to his name. But Rarity was her friend, and she didn’t want to put a friend through any kind of discomfort. “We really should try to find out what the victims have eaten, though. It could be useful.”

“The caterers don’t keep such detailed records. They notice when a plate is near empty, but not who ate any given cake. Nopony can tell us, except the victims.”

“And they might not wake up until the dopant is defeated. We just have to wait, and even if a few of them talk in their sleep, they aren’t clear enough for us to learn something.”

“Maybe not. But if we can’t talk to them, I think I know a pony who can.”

“But how can…” Rarity stopped, and her frown got more pronounced, “I hope you’re not going to try something dangerous, Twilight.”

“No, of course not. Now, you should get to testing those samples in case that tells us the truth. My plan isn’t quite so scientifically rigorous right now. I’m sorry for taking you away from your special somepony, especially on a night like this, but the work needs to be done.” Rarity nodded and walked away, secretly happy to have something useful to do. But still, she worried what Twilight might be thinking of, that she couldn’t share with the others.

Twilight didn’t even know if her plan would work, but she had to try. To save all those ponies, as well as to satisfy her own curiosity. It would be difficult, with such babble of conversation and so many excited partygoers still celebrating the Gala, which seemed to occupy nearly the whole castle. But she knew just the place. She followed the winding stairs up to library, where she doubted even the most literary lords would retreat on the night of such a prestigious party. There, between two bookshelves, was a little nook reachable only using the library ladder, a space that nopony else knew was there. As she climbed, Twilight found herself wondering how many other hidden spaces the castle contained, and whether Celestia knew about all of them. But this place wasn’t a secret passage, just a tiny chamber between the backs of bookcases. And today, Twilight had a much more noble reason to visit than the shameful purposes she’d used the secret room for in her youth.

Pinkie Pie trudged anxiously down yet another thickly carpeted corridor. She was searching for more victims who might not yet have realised anything was wrong; there had been no general announcement about the dopant, because nopony wanted to cause a panic. But Pinkie was finding for the first time in her life that she was not having fun at a party.

It wasn’t just that they didn’t seem to appreciate her style of dancing. It wasn’t that she had been told to leave the dance floor after spinning another dancer too vigorously and knocking over a small table at the side of the room. It wasn’t just that everypony here seemed to be more concerned with the rules and regulations of the party than actually having fun. What was bothering her most was the whispers.

Even now, as she passed one of the lesser ballrooms, she saw a couple of mares glance in her direction and then begin a detailed examination of the floor. They didn’t want to admit to themselves that they’d even seen her, as if she was some kind of disgraced criminal who could taint others by her presence. Then she heard one mare whisper to her friend, presumably assuming Pinkie was out of earshot; and as soon as one had opened her mouth, everypony was chiming in with their opinions.

“She’s supposed to be a party planner, can you believe it?”

“Would you let a commoner arrange your soirée?”

“Cherry heard her say she’s going to take over the Gala!”

“What kind of servants would take orders from that?”

“Said she’ll ruin the party if she can’t be in charge.”

“The lower classes are always like that, thinking we should listen to their opinions.”

“Somepony should kick them all out.”

“Who do they think they are, coming to an event like this without even one royal title between them?”

“Disgusting, I call it.”

“Makes me feel uncomfortable, unclean even.”

“She won’t let us be unless we let that tramp take over the Gala!”

“You know one of her friends demanded an audience with Blossom?”

“It’s nothing short of blackmail.”

Pinkie moved on quickly, without the usual spring in her step, before she could hear anything worse. Even now, she was finding it hard to avoid doing something she’d regret.

“Forte, dear?” Nurse Moonshine finally felt she had to speak up, “I appreciate that the music is helping you to relax, but that humming is becoming a little distracting for those of us who are working. Could you maybe keep the volume down a little?”

Then she saw that the scared child was crying again, shaking, and the nurse panicked trying to find the right words: “I’m sorry, dear, I don’t want to upset you, it’s just…”

“I –” Forte gasped, the swish-swish of her tail keeping pace with the music as violent sobs interrupted her humming, “I can’t stop!”

Twilight reclined on silk sheets, violet and crimson. It was the most comfortable bed she’d ever lain in, the mattress adapting to every contour of her body and the sheets pleasantly cool even on a hot summer evening. Around the edges of the chamber, crystals glimmered with magic to cast just enough light to see by, though maybe not bright enough to allow reading, and for some reason there was a large mirror suspended from the ceiling twenty feet above, giving her a perfect view of her own supine body. It was a scene of perfect decadence, and it was very different from the dusty little nook where she’d long ago folded some sheets in case she needed a quick nap during her shift as librarian.

“Are you there?” Twilight called out, but heavy drapes muted the sound. “I know you’ve been watching us. We need to talk.”

She waited a moment longer, and then finally there was a rustling in the darkness. A dark silhouette moved closer, finally reaching the circle of light and sitting on the bed beside Twilight.

“Your tone is remarkably casual, Twilight Sparkle, considering how seldom we have spoken.”

“My apologies, Princess, if I have offended you. But when you speak formally, it strikes me that you are forcing yourself to do so. You have no particular taste for protocol and ritual, though I think this is a detail you would prefer to keep hidden.”

“You know me well enough,” Luna eventually replied, after a pause long enough to awaken fear in Twilight’s heart, “So, you come to sleep in the middle of an important celebration, and also while your friends are chasing a dopant. I would never have expected that of you.”

“No. But I think you can help us.”

“You want to know more about the Gaia Memories? There is much I could tell you, but Celestia knows more than I. And as much as I would like to say that I am now in control of the Lunar Memory, it corrupts my mind, and I do not fully control my own actions. I can say now that my banishment was deserved, but I cannot promise that if I had unrestricted access to the Memory, I would not follow the same dark path again. I know from my own experience that my sister is right; that showing compassion to a dopant is a futile exercise, and the only way they can ever be calm is for the Memory to be destroyed. And yet… there is one case where Celestia and I cannot agree on the correct course of action.”

Twilight didn’t say anything. She just raised an eyebrow, and waited for the Princess to continue. This wasn’t what she’d come to ask, but it sounded like Luna was more than eager to get it off her chest.

“The longer a Memory User holds their Gaia Memory, the more closely it becomes bound to their identity, their personality, and their health. This is the main point of contention I have with my sister. After being a dopant for a year or more, a pony might not survive the removal of the Gaia Memory. I initially wondered if such a pony… if the willpower necessary to go a whole year without rampage might mean that pony could actually control the dopant within. My sister, on the other hand, said that all dopants must be destroyed for the safety of Equestria, even if that meant sacrificing the life of an innocent Memory User.”

“There are dopants that old?” Twilight gasped, surprised, “I thought they were recent, but…”

“There are. A thousand years ago, we defeated nearly all of the dopants, but there were still Gaia Memories that weren’t in anypony’s hooves. They lost their power when we sealed the Gaia Fountain, leaving just the last few dopants to be destroyed or sealed away. But years before today, the Fountain broke its seal. Then, it began to create new Memories, the fourth generation. I believe that those who sell them call these the G4 Memories. They kept each Memory for themselves initially, until their family and high ranking salesponies all had Gaia Memories. They waited for years, refining the technology that turns a raw Memory Crystal into the form you know, before the Fountain started creating Memories at a higher rate, before they started spreading them across Equestria. However, with the Fountain unsealed, some of the remaining G3 memories around the world were reactivated, and they may have been picked up by ponies who didn’t even know what they were. The first drops of rain before the coming storm.”

“So… there could be dopants who wouldn’t survive returning to normal?”

“No. There are. At least three that I know of. One within the family responsible for Memory distribution, who I will not identify to you out of respect for my sister’s decisions. I may tease you with secrets, but I will not outright betray her by telling you something you may well be unable to cope with.” She paused, waiting for Twilight to take in this information and nod.

“One is in Ponyville,” Luna continued, “who I have the greatest hope for. She became a dopant as a filly, I believe, and over time the letter mark shifted its shape until it could be mistaken for a normal cutie mark, unless you were specifically looking for it. Again, I will not tell you her name. She has done troublesome or mischievous things, but not evil, and looking through her dreams I can only hope that she will be able to retain control. I am sure she will reveal herself to you when she is ready, and then you will have the choice to kill her or defy your mentor. I would not torture you by bringing that day any closer.” Twilight knew that the decision was a kind one, and hoped with all her heart that this mysterious dopant could retain her kindness in the same way Luna had. But before she could ask any more, the Princess hurried on to complete her speech.

“And finally, at least one of the dopants from the previous generation, who we did not have the power to fully destroy. He is imprisoned now, but both my sister and I have been dreading the day he will return to challenge you. That is one reason, more than any other, that you must grow stronger as well as wiser with each threat that faces you.”

“I can try my best.”

“I expected no less,” Luna finally smiled, “I hope you understand that I cannot tell you everything. My sister and I disagree on how much you should know, and I wish I could share certain secrets with you. But I do not wish to drive a wedge between Celestia and yourself, or create dissent within your group, when the whole of Equestria needs you to be strong. I will tell you what I can, but not the big secrets about the Driver or about your enemies. Have I said enough?”

“I think so,” Twilight whispered, then shook her head as if to clear away cobwebs in her mind, “But that’s not actually what I wanted to ask you. The victims of this dopant have been mumbling in their sleep, or tossing and turning. So we think that they may still be dreaming. If they have been poisoned, then maybe you could speak with them and discover what delicacies they have partaken of. Or allow me access to their dreams, so that I can ask them myself, although I suspect that many of them would be more willing to speak to one who is familiar with the proper airs and graces of the high court.”

“A sensible supposition,” Luna agreed, “If the Gala is anything like the last one I attended. I will ask as many of these victims as I can, and see if I can find the common link between what they have consumed.”

“Wait! Didn’t you say before that you could sense a dopant? Was that one of the powers of the previous Elements?”

“No. When we fought against the Memory Organisation, we found it extremely difficult to identify the dopants. But since my… mistake, I have found that I can often sense the presence of another dopant. But in this case, I think the Memory User has been showing incredible restraint, using only the slightest amount of power. I have been searching the Canterlot newspapers, and have found several reports of a pony who could not stop dancing over the past months. But this is the first time there hasn’t been a gap of weeks between victims, and still the frequency of their power usage is low enough that I cannot easily identify them.”

“Thank you kindly, then, for any information you can find. And I won’t ask you – or Celestia – about dopants who haven’t caused trouble. Worrying about them, trying to find out who they are, or distrusting other ponies just in case; it would weaken my bonds with the rest of Ponyville whether I found the truth or not. And if the dopant isn’t causing trouble, I see no reason to act. I will respond when there is a problem to solve, and until then I will investigate on my own.” Twilight’s voice was cool, and perfectly steady. As steady as an icicle held in a vice, being slowly tightened to see when it would shatter.

“I’m sorry I can’t be more open. But if you can take that anger and direct it toward your enemies, I’m sure even the one we couldn’t defeat would have reason to fear.” Luna saw the fire in Twilight’s eyes, and realised there was no benefit to winding her up any further right now, so she quickly changed the topic.

“I must say, this is an enchanting boudoir. Not, I think, the place I would normally think to discuss strategy and history.” Her hoof made a long, slow wave to encompass the subdued lighting, the bed big enough for four, the many layers of silk sheets and matching drapes around the edge of the room, and of course the giant mirror above them. Twilight glanced up too, and Luna met her reflection’s gaze.

“I… It wasn’t what I expected. Couldn’t you have made some kind of throne room, or something?”

“Oh, Twilight,” Luna almost laughed, and would probably have giggled in a manner quite unbefitting her age and social status, if she hadn’t raised one hoof to her muzzle to stop herself. “This is your dream. I can only wonder what would have caused you to imagine such a boudoir to meet me.”

“I… well…” Twilight blushed crimson, and then stood up from the bed. A moment later, she was back in the library. The silk sheets, the mirror, the lighting. Of course it was all in her mind, no inferences could be drawn because of course it wasn’t real. She quickly reminded herself that she’d retreated to a space she had previously used to catch an illicit forty winks while working in the library, so of course her subconscious mind would imagine meeting Princess Luna in a bedroom. And the decadence, well what else would a princess’s bedroom look like? It was all perfectly natural, and didn’t say anything about her at all.

“What are you doing?” Blossom Child snapped angrily, “The kitchen should not be idle at a time like this!”

“The tables are full,” Sweet Cane gestured to the charts on the wall, filled in by the hundred waiters and waitresses who were responsible for ensuring that everything was there so that a guest would never have to ask. “What do you want me to prepare?”

“That Ponyville trash is trying to ruin our Gala. I’ve put the word out that she’s trying to poison the nobles because she’s angry over not getting to run the show, but that isn’t enough. If there’s any chance the buffet tables are contaminated, we need to replace everything. Do you understand?” It was a shock to the whole kitchen staff. They had never before seen the boss anything but perfectly calm. Her anger now was unprecedented. Sweet Cane didn’t comment, though, and that was another sign of her professionalism. For a year now she’d been cultivating her reputation as a pâtissier who could cope with anything, and going straight back to work without a second thought was the ultimate proof of that.

“Okay, everypony,” Twilight’s voice seemed to be coming from right next to each of her friends as she re-engaged the communication collar, “We might have a way to check what our patients have eaten. But for now, just keep your eyes peeled for anything suspicious.”

“Sure,” Applejack’s distinctive accent came back, “But I don’t like hearing your voices from nowhere so much, it makes me jump every time. Once we’re back home can we not do that? Or like, just for emergencies?”

“I was going to say something similar,” Rarity added, speaking a little hesitantly as she found it quite unusual to be agreeing with Applejack, “I think speaking through the collars is a little disconcerting, and may seem strange to those around us, so we shouldn’t just walk around talking to each –”

“Oooh, wait!” Pinkie interrupted, “I just thought! If somepony’s tampering with the food, can we find out which room it’s in, and then change the food there!”

“That’s a good point,” Applejack nodded, “There’s a dozen buffet tables in different ballrooms, this party is huge. It’s probably just in one place, but then finding out where the victims ate would be just as hard as asking what they ate.”

“No it wouldn’t!” Pinkie beamed and jumped in the air, causing a couple of partygoers at the other end of the corridor to turn around and seek a route that avoided the apparent madpony, “Because everypony’s got a schedule! I thought it was weird to plan where you’d be at a party, but maybe it’s helpful after all!”

“A schedule?” Applejack muttered, “What d’you mean, Pinkie?”

“The dance cards!” Rarity explained as she managed to decode the cryptic explanation, “In some high class events, it is common for a lady to record all the partners she has offered a dance to, so that a prince who asks to dance while she is on her way to the refreshments need not be snubbed. And in a massive gathering such as this, the dance card records both which song a couple have arranged to dance for, and in which chamber. Therefore if we study the victims’ cards, we would have a fairly good idea when and where they have the opportunity to pause for snacks.”

“And we know how long the poison takes to kick in,” Rainbow Dash added, “Because when I found Mocha Drink he was just getting back to where Forte was waiting for him, so that’s the time she ate what he’d brought.”

“Right, I’ll check all the cards here,” Fluttershy offered from the improvised hospital, “But I’m not sure how to read these cards, or how to work it out.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there,” Twilight was confident at last. If there was one thing she was good at, it was deciphering organisational charts and other documentation.

“Are you alright, dear?” A rather stern looking mare came up behind Pinkie as she walked away from yet another harsh stage-whispering group. The newcomer was slightly built, but with a majestic bearing that gave the impression of being much larger than she really was. She was wearing an ornate uniform that was both practical and stylish, with a dozen pockets between all the frills.

“I guess,” Pinkie muttered. She knew she should be singing to try and lift her spirits, she was supposed to bear the Element of Laughter. But when she was hated by everypony, she didn’t know where to turn for support. She needed a supportive shoulder to cry on as much as anypony. “It’s all so complicated, and there’s rules, and I don’t know how it works. But it’s still a party, and everypony’s having fun, and I don’t understand it. How can I learn to be the best party planner in Equestria if I can’t even get party guests to like me?”

“You’re Pinkie Pie, aren’t you?” the other pony asked, and unlike almost everypony so far there was no trace of scorn in her voice, “The so-called party prodigy?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Pinkie muttered, trying to hold back her tears.

“Well don’t worry,” the older mare smiled, “My name’s Blossom Child, and I’m the planner for this party. I know what it’s like to have your work go unappreciated. Because when a party goes well, it seems to happen so naturally that most guests don’t even think of the staff. And don’t listen to what they say about you, because the rich will often look down on ponies from a lesser social class, it’s just something that happens.”

“But I don’t get it, I don’t know how to make them laugh.”

“I’ve heard about you. Did you know that your parties are famous even as far as Canterlot? You know balloons and cakes, decorations and music like nopony else. I’ve heard about your party cannon too, and I realise that’s such a wonderful idea for the times when a celebration needs to be organised in a hurry. Did you know, I even started to worry that you might be after my job?”

“Really?” Pinkie blushed, but a smile came back to her face now.

“Really. The high-born ponies will look down on you, but only until they experience your work. But now I see that you don’t have the organisational talent to back up your inspiration. You can make a good party, or even a great one, with just a few days notice. But if you have more time to plan, you won’t be able to effectively use those weeks to turn it into something incredible. A good party needs both inspiration and perspiration, you understand.”

“I guess, that must be right?” Pinkie wasn’t too sure, but she couldn’t deny that there were so many happy ponies here, maybe more than the whole population of Ponyville.

“Well, I’m supposed to a businesspony,” Blossom Child continued, “I’m supposed to keep my parties running with meticulous precision, and I should see you as a rival. But when I heard the terrible, horrid things those mares are saying about you, I couldn’t just stand by. I think I have to help, I can’t bear to see somepony whose dreams are so close to my own in this state. And so, I might offer… If you truly wish to learn the science, as well as the art, of making parties, I could be willing to take you on as my apprentice and pâtissier.”

“You’d really do that?” Pinkie’s heart soared. A moment before she’d been wondering if she would ever understand the parties of nobles, but now she was being offered a helping hoof right to the top of the industry.”

“Seeing that smile, I think I could. Come with me, we’d better sign the contract before I have time to consider this offer.”

“So what does it say?” Fluttershy peered over the desk where Twilight had spread out a surprisingly large number of papers to try and cross reference all the dance cards. She had charts with lines and charts with circles, long curves representing the path a pony had taken from one place to another, and the places they could have reached in between their scheduled dances.

“Nothing,” Twilight sighed and threw down her pencil, “Even if the poison takes effect immediately for some ponies, while others could have danced for hours without noticing, there is no chamber in the whole castle that all of these ponies could have visited tonight. It’s a red herring, there’s no way somepony could have poisoned one of the buffet tables.”

“What if they got into the kitchens?” Fluttershy asked, but a theatrical sigh from the doorway caught both their attention before Twilight could respond.

“I was coming to tell you,” a nervous mare in an elaborate maid outfit muttered, “I don’t know anything, it was just a suspicion. But I’ve seen we’ve got a lot more sick guests than normal, and she’s been acting strangely. I wonder if she’s done something, hurt ponies?”

“Who has?” Twilight stepped right past the small talk, figuring the important thing now was the identity of the dopant. Any suspicion could turn out to be a clue, and they could check it easily enough by asking to see the suspect’s cutie mark.

“Blossom Child.”

“The organiser? But…”

“She said… somepony’s trying to take her place as the greatest party planner in Equestria. She’s mentioned before, she got some kind of secret ingredient that makes her cakes irresistible, and the ponies who eat them can’t help feeling happy. But there’s a cost, something she talks to herself about when there’s nopony listening. And she said now she’s got a rival, she wants the Gala to be even greater than last year, no matter what the cost, and if it goes wrong she can pin the blame on somepony she doesn’t like.”

“Right,” Twilight nodded, “That could be it. I’ll tell my friends.” She didn’t bother to question whether the story was actually true. They wouldn’t lose anything by checking it out, so she pushed the Memory into its socket on her collar again.

“Blossom Child?” Applejack shook her head, she just couldn’t believe it. “I don’t think so, she’s so organised and in control, it’s like she thinks about everything she says. She’d never be dumb enough to…”

“Guys!” Rainbow Dash’s voice interrupted, “Nightmare Moon’s up here on the roof, she said to give you a message. She looked in the sleeping ponies’ dreams, and there’s one thing on the buffet that was so good, once they started they finished the whole tray. Nearly all of them remembered the same thing. And she’s asked a few other ponies, the royal guards and that, and they said they saw a few ponies gobbling it up like a pig at a trough. Something so good, the poshest lords forgot their hoity toity manners, the guards could have told us, or a load of different guests, if we’d just asked the right ones.”

“They don’t have manners anyway,” Rarity seemed angry, though the others couldn’t tell why, “The truly rich have no taste. Just huge egos, and a complete disregard for anypony else’s feelings.”

“So what’s poisoned?” Applejack asked, quickly losing patience as Rainbow Dash mumbled hesitantly, “Come on, we need to take it off the menu right now before anypony else gets sick. And then we can find out who could have got to the food in the first place. Just say it!”

“It’s… the apple fritters.”

“Oh, hay! She said she’d give me a chance, show off a little Ponyville cuisine. Said it’d be all cosmopolitan, or whatever, let the rich folks see that farm ponies can cook up a treat too. She made it sound such a great idea, she tried a few things. There was only a couple of secretaries there, none of the junior chefs even saw them before they were handing them out to the waiters, it must be. But why? She was so excited when she heard Pinkie’s here with us…”

“Excited, or nervous?” Twilight sounded sombre enough that the other three could easily imagine her expression, “Blossom Child and Pinkie Pie both have a reputation for being the best party organiser in all of Equestria. If she felt like she’s under threat, then she might be tempted to overuse whatever this power is. Maybe it really does just make ponies happy until she gets carried away and overdoes it.”

“Or maybe she did it too much on purpose,” Applejack scowled, “She’s taken my apples and used them to poison seventeen ponies already, and there’s a rumour going round some of the snobs that me and Pinkie are trying to ruin her party. She’s trying to pin the blame on us, get rid of the competition!”

“Right,” Twilight snapped, “We deal with this properly. AJ, meet me in the Gala office. Rarity, get somewhere you can leave your body safely in case we need to transform. Fluttershy, you’re doing great helping the nurses, and I don’t think we’ll need wings today, but be ready to lie down just in case. Rainbow Dash, see if you can find Pinkie Pie. I can’t feel her presence through the communication crystals, so she must have taken her Element away from the collar for some reason.”

Applejack started to stride purposefully up the stairs, her eyes burning with rage. Posh ponies who looked down on her passing out, she had been worried. When those innocent kids were in danger, she was angry. But poisoning her food, and trying to blame her friends, that made it personal.

“Let’s finish this.”

Pinkie Pie ran her eyes over the contract, taking in all the subclauses and codicils. She wasn’t as naïve as her crazy antics often implied, but she wasn’t quite able to take in the details here, or to understand what every bit meant. Especially with Blossom Child poised over her like a hawk, waiting for her to sign. The distractions didn’t help either, she could hardly think over the muffled sounds of shouting from the outer office. She couldn’t make out the words, but there was no way she could focus on what she was reading like this.

“What is causing such a rumpus?” the organiser huffed, “Would you mind if we take a trip to a more private area?” She waited for the slightest trace of a nod, and then her magic flared and the two of them were standing in a narrow tower, overlooking the castle in all directions.

“Now, you can sign in peace. I guarantee, there will be no distractions up here.”

That was true for a whole three minutes, before there was a bright pink flash, and Twilight Sparkle and Applejack were standing in front of the door.

“Pinkie! You’re safe!” Applejack gasped, “Get out of here!” Twilight was still trying to catch her breath; following somepony else’s teleport took a fair amount of energy, and transporting two ponies increased the strain on her magic by a lot more than double.

“Why?” Pinkie Pie was standing over a writing desk, squarely in the middle of the room. Blossom Child edged around nervously to make sure that Pinkie was between her and the two newcomers. “Blossom Child said I can be her apprentice, you know how important that is Twilight! I could be learning from the best!”

“You’re already the best, Pinkie. You’ve been the best all the time I’ve known you. She’s just jealous, and she’s the monster.”

“No she’s not!” that response stopped both Twilight and Applejack in their tracks. They’d been trying to see a way to get Pinkie out of the room safely before transforming, slowly circling in opposite directions to make a clear path to the door. They’d expected the party director to proclaim her innocence, or maybe to fly into a rage and gloat about her crimes. They hadn’t expected her to keep looking calmly out of the windows while Pinkie Pie refuted their allegations.

“Pinkie, she started rumours about you,” Twilight spoke calmly, watching every response to make sure her friend wasn’t under some kind of magical control, “She told some of the staff that you might be responsible for the poisoned food, because she was worried more ponies want you to take over the Gala. She’s not such a good chef, so we think she got a Gaia Memory that lets her make all her food taste super sweet.”

“I don’t cook,” Blossom Child finally answered, “I organise. It’s a much more specialised talent. And if you think I’d use a Gaia Energy just to make food taste better, you are sadly–”

“You know what a Memory is, then?” Twilight snapped, “No more games.”

“Yes. I have a Gaia Memory. But I would never use it to hurt anypony. That thing is there purely to give me the power, the determination, to be the best at my craft.”

“Wait, you do?” Pinkie jumped back in surprise, “I didn’t even notice. You don’t seem like a dopant.”

“I guess I’ll have to show you, then,” Blossom Child lowered her head, “Though it is the worst kind of privilege, and a secret shame I believed I would never show to another. I should have realised that there would come some kind of regulation some day.”

Pinkie Pie picked up the Element of Laughter from the desk. She’d set it on one side according to standard Canterlot rules for legal negotiation; the contract wouldn’t have been valid if she was touching something that could potentially have mind-altering powers. Then three ponies escorted Blossom Child down the stairs. They wanted to take her to a cell, where the Royal Guard could keep her restrained until they found a way to break the Gaia Memory without a battle. Their prisoner had other ideas, but right now it felt like everything depended on gaining their trust.

“Look, I was just a filly,” Blossom Child started, “You’ve got to understand me. I’d finished school, and then one day the accountants came and told Father that we might not be able to throw more lavish parties, that the ancestral fortune wasn’t what it used to be. That in a year or two, I’d be dropping through the strata of the middle class unless we could somehow reduce expenses. But Father wouldn’t stop his parties, he loved them so much, so he found another solution. He bought me a Gaia Memory.” The other ponies were surprised by that, but didn’t say anything. They had nothing better to do than walking, and nothing to pass the time better than listening to the story.

“It was beautiful. Crystal, with gold wires along the outside. It had been buried in a marsh somehow, but the pony who found it had used one before, and knew what it was. So it was included in the inheritance of that family, and passed down for nearly a thousand years with detailed instructions on its use. Even the box was beautiful, mahogany with a shape that followed the lines of the natural grain, and a genuine golden key. The family that had it fell on hard times, though, and their feckless heir thought that it would be better to sell it off than to wait for its power to awaken. So my father bought it, scrimping on the quality of just a few balls to cover the cost. He saw the big picture, a great stallion.”

“A G3 Memory, left over from the generation that Princess Celestia fought to stop,” Twilight mumbled, “So did it awaken?”

“Oh yes. One day there was a brilliant flash in the sky, in the direction of the Everfree. A rainbow, rippling through all of us, and a boom that shook the ground. Rainbow light poured out of the box, like a part of the sky had been captured in there, and the Party Memory glowed green for a week afterwards. It was alive again. And then Father told me why he had bought it. He knew that the Gaia Memory would make me the best host imaginable. I could use its magic to run balls and galas for him without draining the family funds, and then the legacy would be enough to give me a comfortable lifestyle for a few decades longer. Maybe, if I became skilled enough in its use, I could even earn money of my own, and replenish the inheritance that my uncles and grandfather had mostly squandered.”

“The road to hell is cobbled in good intentions,” Applejack sighed, “If you had a book to tell you what the Memory was, you should have known what it might do to you.”

“I did. It wasn’t mentioned in the manual, of course. The Memory Miners wanted to sell their product. But our library was stacked full of history books, and there were inferences to be made if you cross referenced enough sources. I realised that using this power, this gift, would come at the cost of sanity, and that I could never trust my own judgement on how much was too much. So I resolved not to use it. I couldn’t tell Father that, of course, after he invested bits that we barely had in my future. So I studied. I read reports in the society pages, of the balls, galas, and celebrations that everypony was impressed by. I indexed the tales, and looked for the factors that made the difference. I found the cheapest price for every resource, optimising to maximise the reputation/cost ratio. I did the sums, and I read as much as I possibly could. I disciplined myself until I knew exactly the right expression to adopt, the right words to say to make everypony love my events. And then the night before the party, I would go to the family safe. My key in one keyhole, Father’s in the other, and he would allow me to withdraw the Gaia Memory.”

“I don’t think I ever heard of somepony putting so much planning into using a Memory before,” Pinkie muttered, impressed despite herself.

“But that’s the point. I didn’t. I put the Gaia Memory on a shelf in my planning room, off the kitchens for many of my early events. I’d look at it, and think of all the ponies driven insane or even killed by those things. And that gave me all the determination I needed. Every time I looked at it, I could see in my mind’s eye the alternative if I didn’t manage to host a perfect party using my own talents. It was an incentive even stronger than fear of poverty, for me. And for all the years since, the Party Memory box has been in the kitchens, or in the office, at every party I have hosted. An alternative so terrible I would do anything rather than resort to it. And in all those years, twice have I been desperate enough to open the box, and to look upon the Memory itself before remembering why I would never be that weak.”

“You never used it?” Applejack was still cynical, “So you can show us your flanks, and that your cutie mark is intact. Right?” Blossom Child gave a slight blush, but she nodded. She stopped at the next landing, almost on the lowest levels of the castle now, and lifted the frills of her uniform just a little, one side at a time. Her cutie mark was a slide rule; the traditional tool of organisers and accountants.

“That doesn’t prove it,” Twilight muttered, “I want to believe you, I kind of want to like you, too. That sounds like something I might have done. But we’ll know for sure when you can show us the Memory, and we can see there’s no magical residue on it. I’m pretty sure I could test for that now.”

Applejack looked at Twilight curiously. She wanted to know how checking cutie marks could now be inconclusive, but that wasn’t something she’d ask in the presence of a possible dopant. There was one thing she could ask, though.

“So it wasn’t you spreading rumours about me and Pinkie? One of your workers said you made up those lies when you heard the nurses’ room was busy this time.”

“I…” and Blossom Child stopped walking again, blushing even deeper than before and staring down at her hooves, “I’m sorry. I heard that Ponyville’s party planning prodigy was coming to the gala, and that she wanted to see how it was done so she could take over next year. I was scared I might lose my contract, and I’d be middle-class again after all my effort. You really are judged by who you work for in this world. So… I heard ponies were falling sick. My head pâtissier suggested that there might be something in the food, that somepony was trying to ruin us. That was the rumour I heard, and of course Pinkie was my first suspect. But then I spoke to AJ, and I knew I was just being paranoid. But… the idea kind of grew in my mind. Pinkie didn’t know how to dance at a formal event, didn’t know the protocol and etiquette. She had all the talent, she could bring joy to everypony so naturally, but she didn’t have all the knowledge I’d spent so many hours hoarding. The two of us together would be unstoppable.”

“You spread the rumours, though.”

“Yes. Because I realised, if she was feeling down, if she was pilloried in gossip, she would feel so hopeless and alone. She– You would leap at any friendly gesture, you’d trust the hoof that helped you up when it came back with a contract. You provide the talent and inspiration, I have the organisation, we both have our own contacts. We would be the greatest team who ever lived, and you were so desperate for recognition that you nearly signed a contract giving me all the money, and all the credit.” She hesitated again, and there was a tear in her eye as she finished: “I got so caught up in my own paranoia, I became what I feared. I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, don’t mope,” Pinkie nudged the unicorn, and gave a huge grin, “It’s all over now, right? And it would be so much fun planning a party without having to worry about how much everything costs, maybe we can still do it some time. We can call it a Pinkie Blossom Party!”

“You’d forgive me?”

“Sure, we could make the best party ever! But now, we got to find out why there’s a dopant here.”

The conversation as they approached the office was more friendly, but Applejack and Twilight both felt like they were still guarding a suspect. They didn’t have Pinkie Pie’s experience in shrugging off bad emotions to just laugh. Blossom Child indicated a wooden box, on a small shelf almost buried in organisation charts. She didn’t even suggest that she should be allowed to touch it. Twilight lifted it down with her magic, and they could all see that it was the spectacular antique described in the story. Then Twilight slowly opened the lid.

Blossom Child was the first to gasp, and the surprise made her drop the golden key she was offering Twilight. The others hadn’t handled the box many times before, didn’t realise that it shouldn’t have opened so readily. Inside was a large amount of padding, edged with gold and lined with green velvet. Towards the edge of the box, the exquisite workmanship was ruined where tiny gears from a smashed golden lock had pierced the fabric. And in the middle, there was an indentation exactly the right size to hold a Gaia Memory. There was a gilt image on the bottom, a letter P styled to resemble a party popper; presumably a copy of the engraving on the crystal that should have been there.

“How can we find it?” Blossom Child was almost in a panic, which would be even more disturbing to any subordinates who’d grown used to her as the only stable point when things went wrong. Twilight was the first to answer, the charts, lists, and diagrams on the walls making her feel as confident as she would in her own lab.

“It must be somepony who had access to the apple treats between here and the buffet tables. Also somepony who can come in this room when you’re not here. How many staff could that be?”

“Maybe one of the chefs got jealous you’re serving somepony else’s food?” Applejack hazarded a guess, “I think with all these papers you can check on the roster.”

“I got an index too,” Pinkie grinned, “Just mine doesn’t have prices and timetables and stuff. Let’s see if I can look up who it could be as fast as you.”

“Party games for eggheads,” Applejack sighed, “Well, as long as one of you gets an answer before somepony else falls ill.”

“We don’t need to rush,” Blossom Child turned to two of the waiters who had been waiting for her outside the office. They were in the outer office now, nervously peeking through with no idea what was happening. “You, tell all the staff, we’re pulling the apple treats. Box them up. If anypony asks, such a wonderful gift from the bakers of Ponyville is being reserved for after the last dance, so it doesn’t run out too soon. We don’t need to stir public opinion any further.”

“That’s not what you told us to…” one of the colts began, then caught sight of the boss’s serious expression. He didn’t hesitate any longer, but turned and hurried to get the command carried out.

“Right,” Twilight looked back and forth between the ponies present, “Two lookups, on two datasets. Whoever gets the answer first wins. If you get the same answer, then we’re sure.”

“The staff rosters are the perfect point to start,” Blossom Child pulled one poster-sized sheet of paper off the walls and laid it out on the table. She started ticking off names on a list, comparing it with another, as Pinkie stood in an empty space to one side of the room with her eyes closed.

“Keyword: Apple fritters,” Twilight stated, before looking back to Blossom Child’s diagrams. She knew that Fluttershy and Rarity would be able to hear too, as the communication system in the collars used the same kind of magic that let Pinkie hear the keywords clearly in her dreams. They were all waiting for an answer now.

“Now, the shifts are cyclical, so the table staff aren’t all taking a break at the same time. We don’t record who took what, but we do log all the plates brought back so the chefs know what to prepare. That should tell me who was where.

“One thousand, three hundred and twelve results.”

“It could have been the waiting staff or the kitchen staff, in theory, but only the highest ranked chefs would be in this room. And if they have anything to do, they’ll be working flat out in the kitchen.” Pens danced back and forth on the charts, making lists and then crossing out the names one by one as comparison of different charts eliminated them.

“Keyword: Gala Administration Office.”

“But I’m starting to think there is one pony I would suspect, and I sincerely hope that is not the case. She is one of my most trusted chefs, but might fear for her career if I talked about bringing Applejack into the fold. And I know she did a great deal of scheming to rise to her current position, the dream of being a simple farm pony made good.”

“Seventeen results.”

“Who told you that I had the Gaia Memory? Because only one other pony in my employ has ever seen it, and I’m sure most of them think the box is a good luck charm.”

“I don’t know,” Applejack shrugged, “She came to the medical room. What did she look like, Fluttershy?” She got a response, but by the time Applejack recognised the description she had already worked out who it must be.

“Keyword: Party Dopant,” Twilight said firmly, realising as she did so that she could have said that before and probably got a single response. The index included dopant identities, so the name of a Gaia Memory would have been all the information they needed.

“I so hope it isn’t her,” Blossom Child seemed distraught now, “What could have happened to make her that desperate? It can’t be somepony I trusted, but none of the table staff have been in all the rooms where a victim fell ill. It has to be her, but I don’t want to believe…”

“One match: Party Dopant - Sweet Cane.”

Sweet Cane was busy in her kitchen. She was the head pâtissier now, the specialist in cakes, flans, tortes, and sweets of all kinds. Since she’d been working with Blossom Child, she had ensured that every recipe included her family’s delicious golden cane sugar, made to a secret recipe. Some ponies without a sweet tooth might have objected, but the societal strength of her patron now meant that she was in a position to dictate fashions; and sugar was the ‘in’ thing this year.

Of course, one pony couldn’t dictate what her customers should want. But at the same time, if one influential pony couldn’t stop eating a treat due to the addition of a secret ingredient, their enthusiasm would attract imitation by most of the upper middle classes. She’d first borrowed the secret ingredient months before, and it had given her everything she wanted. Only on special occasions, though, she heeded the notes on madness that Blossom Child had folded inside the tiny book that gave instructions on the use of the Memory. A week between uses, or more. And when she had to tire a pony until they danced beyond their limits, until the soul departed their body and left their life force to recharge the crystal, then she would choose a lower-class nobody who hadn’t mustered the courage to rise to the top; or even a gatecrasher who would certainly not be missed.

It had worked perfectly, until she heard that the guests at the Gala included both a genius party planner and a farmer who specialised in apple pies. She’d overheard one of the Wonderbolts at an earlier event, expounding on how they were sure apple treats were going to be the next big thing. Without any warning, Sweet Cane had felt the rage rising within her. How dare another farmer try to outdo her perfect performance, and rise to the same rank at the top of society. It wouldn’t be hard to deal with, though. Sweet Cane had put on her public face and set out to face the challenge. Accusations, rumours, she knew exactly what to say and how to turn ponies against each other. They were the skills that had got her where she was.

Now she was making a new batch of treats to replace the apple snacks. It meant her plan had worked, the interloper would take the blame. But it would be a hollow victory, too, unless she used the power of the Party Memory one more time. With Applejack and Pinkie Pie disgraced and blamed for poisoning the party, they would never get Celestia’s ear. And nopony would care when they went missing on the way home. She hadn’t tried making cake golems or living streamers before, but she knew it was within her powers now. Only a few more hours to wait, until those peasants were kicked out of the hall.

“Sweets!” Blossom Child yelled angrily, “It’s true?” Sweet Cane opened her mouth for an equally excited rebuttal, and then saw Applejack standing right behind the boss, in a position of trust. And she saw both their eyes fixed on the kitchen counter, where a green crystal lay with a light coating of sugar. There was no way she could claim innocence, and she couldn’t see any mistake that could have let them get so close. There was only one thing left to try.

“PARTY!”

“LAUGHTERᏔHONESTY!”

Light filled the kitchen, and when it was possible to see again the space was dominated by the dopant and the Champion. Twilight Sparkle was already shepherding Blossom Child outside, to some kind of safety.

“Why are you protecting her?” the gaily-coloured monster sneered, “This is her fault. She made me like this, I only wanted to–”

Apple Pie’s hoof caught her across the muzzle, and she hit the wall with enough force to crack stone.

“Still no responsibility!” Blossom Child shook off Twilight’s hoof, and strode to face her former apprentice, “The Gaia Memory was a test, I knew that when I first saw it. And you failed.” Her pride was still there, and her courage. She was practically shaking with fear, but she wouldn’t let it control her. She faced the dopant with anger, and disappointment visible in every line of her body.

“I did what you never had the courage for,” the dopant sneered, and her body became almost liquid as she reached out with arms like toffee, encircling the older pony. “I made our business grow and bloom, and if you can’t see that then you’re better off transformed into sweet, sweet crystals. I’m sure your fans will love the delicacies I can make with –”

Apple Pie’s hoof connected with the dopant’s jaw again, but passed right through her body with a thick sucking sound. It was like the creature’s whole body was made of some thick syrup, and she could make it reform with no difficulty. Her expression was more surprised than hurt.

“Fine,” she glared at the pink and orange pony, “I’ll deal with you first. Will the Gaia Memories turn into sugar too? Or maybe they’ll be wrapped up in my syrup forever, giving me more than just one power. Wouldn’t that be delicious?” Her taffy forelegs whipped out, almost like those of Twilight Moon had done. If Apple Pie had tried to dodge the attack, it would have followed easily. But they were both angry, and running away didn’t cross their minds. They didn’t approach to get caught up in the writhing tentacles either, but reared up, raised both forehooves in the air, and slammed them down on the Driver.

“LAUGHTERHONESTY: Maximum Drive!” The Driver’s melodious voice called out. Sweet Cane’s eyes went wide; she’d never imagined that a Gaia Memory could say something other than its own name, but it was immediately obvious that the one this earth pony had was vastly different from Party.

She was surrounded by a torrent of streamers, and plates of snacks flying through the air. She dived to catch them almost instinctively, recalling a particularly spectacular overloaded table at the first party she’d organised for her granny. Back when making cakes and treats had been something she enjoyed doing, rather than a way to prove she was better than everypony else. The dusting of sugar across her muzzle, too, a chance gift of sweetness to be licked away. In those days, she’d wanted to make her family happy. How had she gone from that to wanting to put them down, to prove that she’d evolved beyond the world they knew when she reached the middle classes? The next projectile from the party cannon – she didn’t even have time to wonder where that thing had come from – was a streamer made from a simple length of twine with pieces of raw cane threaded onto it. Once upon a time, it had been a common practical joke for the foals on the plantation to hang something like that amid the rafters before a party, where it would go unnoticed until heat and moisture caused the gooey sweetness to drip down on some poor unfortunate’s mane.

All these memories, of how her sugar could bring fun to everyone, were practically overwhelming. Practically enough to make Sweet Cane reconsider her actions. She was expectant as she turned her head from the twine snagged on her leg towards the cannon, awaiting the next treat.

The next treat was an orange earth pony’s hind leg, delivered right into her breast with considerable force. Sweet Cane’s head spun, and she felt her limbs snapping back to their normal position as the power of the Memory momentarily deserted her. It took all the willpower she could muster just to keep her body soft, sweet, and pliable enough to ignore the next attack. That strike was a fetlock punch to her stomach, one of the most aggressive moves known to brawling ponies, and something Apple Pie would have been surprised to know if she’d ever thought about it.

Sweet Cane kept her body fluid, and the hoof went right through her skin. As long as she was a tasty treat, there were no vital organs inside the dopant’s body to hit, so she knew that she was invulnerable. She was sure of that right up to the moment she saw a pink hoof withdraw from her body with a sucking sound, the Party Memory gripped tightly in the crook of Apple Pie’s wrist. There was just time to gasp in shock as green lightning arced between the Memory and the scar where it had originally been inserted. The Gaia Memory shattered, and the smaller pieces transformed into perfect golden sugar as they cascaded towards the ground.

The victory celebration was a little muted this time. The only sounds in the little room were the occasional slurp of somepony drinking, and the rhythmic click-clunking of the typewriter.

“I still can’t believe you brought that thing,” Applejack repeated as Twilight pulled out another neatly typed page and slowly wound a blank sheet into the mechanism, “And you were telling us about all the limits on what we can bring, ‘cause of the weight the balloon will carry.”

“I thought we might need to make a report to Princess Celestia,” Twilight muttered curtly, “And I was right. Just because we’re normally in Ponyville doesn’t mean it’s the only place that has dopants.”

“I guess.”

“So where are you up to?” Pinkie Pie tried bouncing excitedly, but her normal levity hadn’t really returned. There was something profoundly unsatisfying about the whole evening. They’d handed Sweet Cane over to the Royal Guards, who had been very formal and businesslike, but the rest of the guests still shunned them, and the rumours hadn’t stopped.

“Just writing what Blossom Child said about you,” Twilight sighed, “And asking Celestia not to punish her too harshly. She’s probably beating herself up about it enough already, and she’s doing her best to get everypony to trust you again.”

“I still want to show her how to load a party cannon,” Pinkie grinned at last, “I don’t want to learn about all those diagrams though. I’d rather leave that part to somepony else.”

“It’s such a shame, though,” Rarity pouted, a little overdramatically, as she returned to the table with a mug of coffee hovering in front of her, “We travelled all this way to meet lords and princes, and now they won’t even look at us. I have never been snubbed like that in my whole life, and when we saved the castle as well!”

“I think that might have been something to do with you telling that Not Worthit creep where to stick his crown jewels.”

“And kicking him in the jewels too,” Applejack said with some admiration, “I never thought I’d see you buck like that Rarity.”

“Well, when he said…” Rarity started, then blushed and cleared her throat, “Anyway, this certainly hasn’t been the best party ever for us. In fact, I might say it’s even been the worst.”

“At least the coffee’s good,” Spike spoke from his perch on top of a giant coffee machine. While the others attended the Gala, he’d been left without a ticket somehow, so had amused himself revisiting all his old haunts in Canterlot instead. He was happy to have finally reunited with the others, but still unimpressed that they’d felt obliged to leave the castle and reconvene here.

“Well, there’s a point in its favour,” Twilight agreed, raising her mug to make a toast. “To a night of disappointments, made good again by Donut Joe’s special magic, and by ending the night with good friends.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Pinkie beamed, “To friends who make everything better. Even the worst night ever!”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it was that bad,” a distinctive voice chuckled from the doorway, “It was certainly more interesting than most of the Galas of past years.” The others quickly stood up, turning around and trying to look as smart as possible.

“P… Princess Celestia!” Applejack gasped, “Did we do something wrong? Did you come looking for us?”

“No, but I’m glad to find you,” the absolute monarch of Equestria gave a gentle smile, “I always come here after the events of the day have forced me to be more formal than I would like. You would not believe how tiring it can be to shake a thousand hooves and say ‘hello’ a thousand times without any chance of real conversation. And despite our earlier… discussion… I am proud of the way you handled yourselves tonight. I would rather the party be a little chaotic than very boring, and while I am duty-bound to disapprove of such violence, from one mare to another I can say I am entirely sure that Lord Note Worthy deserved everything he got.” She laughed, and her speech was lively and witty. Just like one of the girls, with none of the formal airs she was forced to adopt in court. It was like meeting a completely different pony for the Champions of Harmony, as only Twilight, Spike, and Joe had seen this side of their Princess before.

“So…” Twilight hesitated, “About the questions I came to ask. I was hoping I’d get a chance to talk to you, but the dopant seems to have kept us busy, and –”

“Is this the strange contraption you’ve been using to send me letters?” Celestia interrupted her student, walking over to peer into the mechanism of the typewriter, “Such a strange idea, and a little half-baked if you ask me. If somepony designed a mechanism to write letters, then why not go all the way and use a little enchantment to make it respond to your voice? Pressing those buttons seems like it should involve as much effort as writing manually.”

“I was saying, I wanted to ask if there’s anything else we need to know about the Gaia Memories. Like if they’re going to spring any surprises on us. And can I look at the Memories book in your museum. I won’t ask why you won’t trust everypony, I’ll go in alone. I know there might be a dopant out there who wouldn’t survive the destruction of its Memory, I figured that much out, and I agree that with our powers based in compassion, facing such an enemy would surely divide us. I promise you Princess, if that dopant causes trouble, I will do what needs to be done. And if they do not cause trouble, then they do not need to be exterminated.”

“Twilight, what is–”

“You need to have a strong Champion to make the decisions. To be your successor, because that’s what apprenticeship means, isn’t it? And because indecision is a point of weakness, you need one pony to make the decisions, not a group. And if you still don’t want to tell me the names of the ponies you don’t trust, then don’t worry, because I’ll find out when I need to know. You trained me to be a leader, and I didn’t even notice. That’s why you’re reluctant to tell me everything about the dopants, about the Gaia Fountain, even about the Driver. Because you’re waiting to see if I have the guts to make the hard choices and to take on the whole responsibility for the consequences of those decisions. Well, I’m telling you now. I. Am. Ready.”

The café was silent for a long minute, the only sound somepony shifting from hoof to hoof nervously.

“Very well,” Celestia bowed her head, “I will show you the book of Memories again. And I will tell you… to my shame, I have modified the Driver. I hoped to avert a repeat of the troubles between myself and my sister, but I wonder now if the reduction in the Driver’s power may cause more problems for you than it is worth. For that I am sorry, but you have now my promise that there will be no more secrets between us.” The two touched horns, an archaic gesture to seal a contract, like a much more formal Pinkie Promise.

The only dissenting voice was in the shadows outside: “Always with the intrigue, sister dear,” she muttered to herself, almost disappointed, “No more secrets. But of course, there is still one left.”

Inception - Another P

Another, older, part of the story. A long way from Ponyville, and a long way from Canterlot, there was a mine. It had changed a lot since the first simple farmers had found valuable rocks in the ground, and the advancement of this place came in waves. For a hundred years, or a thousand, one generation would follow in the hoofprints of their parents, and then out of nowhere their most valuable seam would start to yield treasure. It was a treasure that could change the world.

It was a few years ago, but the ripples of the most recent change were still spreading. It hadn’t been the heads of the household who triggered it, but their daughter. A filly who didn’t really understand the ways of the world, exploring on a whim, was the one who’d made a wish. She was an earth pony filly, with a pale coat almost the colour of the rose quartz that she was named for. And one day, she was lying on the rocky floor beside the stream, her normally emotionless sisters in floods of tears as they wondered how this could have happened.

For generations, the family had gone down into the mine to this one vein of crystal, walking through a natural tunnel to a chamber that was some kind of geode, lined with row upon row of sparkling white and gold stones. There was a fountain here, the Gaia Fountain. From there, a stream that glowed like a rainbow issued forth, winding its way through the tunnels before vanishing into the rock. Everypony knew that the stream was what made their land so fertile, and they were the luckiest ponies in the whole area. They also knew from family legend that if somepony made a wish on the Gaia Fountain, it would start to release the soul of the world itself in the form of special crystals that could be forged into Gaia Memories. But for more than a thousand years now, the well had been dry. The farm’s owner had come down here to make a wish every week, to no avail. When age rendered him too infirm to continue, his wife took over the chore, but her wishes were no more effective, and she too grew too weak.

Rose didn’t have much of a wish. She just wanted to know that death wasn’t the end; that she wouldn’t suffer the grief of watching her parents succumb to age, or the torment of remembering them every day. Rose cared so much about those she loved, and less about the finances of the farm. So when her sisters took over they would change habits and procedures that their parents had unthinkingly followed for two long lifetimes, and Rose was sure she’d be unable to stop mourning every time she saw something different. She didn’t want to be the one who remembered. Then she was distracted, slipped and fell. She tumbled into the iridescent stream at the very moment the wish formed in her mind, and there she died.

“Rose!” the eldest sister shrieked, unable to believe her eyes. Nopony had ever seen her like this before, but maybe the emotion in her voice was partially terror that she might have caused this. She’d been running an experiment on the Stream – her childish collection of pretty rocks had turned into a fascination with geology as she grew up – and had yelled for Rose to get out of the Geode while she was taking readings. Could that have been the distraction that had killed her? “No!”

It wasn’t long before the other members of the family were drawn by the wail of despair.

“What happened?”

“Oh Celestia, Rose Quartz, speak to us!”

“She’s… gone.”

“What’s this? Did she make a wish?” It was a piece of crystal, but it didn’t have the same metallic sheen as those on the tunnel walls. It was long and slender, branched like a trident in the middle. The main part of it was a rich pink colour, but the natural spikes on the end and the design embossed below the join were the same powder blue as Rose’s eyes. In a room of so many sparkles and so many colours, it might have passed without notice, but it glowed with a slow pulsing like a heartbeat.

“It’s… alive?” The youngest member of the family took the Memory and looked at it. Held at the right angle, the trident shape might have been a letter ‘E’. She reached towards the prone form of her big sister with it.

“Don’t! Those things are dangerous, and she’s…”

“She’s dead. But this thing is still alive, and it’s linked to her somehow. See these bits? That’s the colour of her eyes.”

“You think it can bring her back? Or her life has been temporarily transferred to the Gaia Memory? An interesting hypothesis, but…”

“Enough arguing. Somepony get grandpa’s Control Collar so we can try that thing.”

“There isn’t time! And this trident thing wouldn’t fit in the slot.”

“But an untamed Memory without a Collar could –”

“Could it make things any worse?”

One sister didn’t see the point in arguing, and instinctively pressed the lever on the side of the Memory before pressing it against her sister’s blank flank. It was clear something had happened when a deep, melodious voice called the Memory’s name, shaking the walls of the cavern. Whether it was the right choice, though, they wouldn’t be sure for a very long time.

“ETERNAL!”

A wave of magical energy surged across Equestria. The few G3 Gaia Memories that had survived the last governmental purge resonated and trembled. About half of them, the ones with the most potential, lost their dull and lifeless appearance. They glowed with light in any of the colours of the strange rainbow, and changed into something else. Powers that would once have been too weak to sell were evolving into a new form. And the Geode, harnessing and concentrating the power of the Gaia Fountain, began to grow an entirely new kind of Gaia Memory, the first crystals appearing like new buds on an old, withered tree.

A surge of rainbow light rushed up from the Fountain, as if the energy was flowing through air like it normally flowed through the water, passing through the rock and through the family home, and raining down on the land across all Equestria.

The Tree of Harmony, in its secret grotto, sensed the change and began reaching out. It folded itself around the Elements it had once purified, and shielded them from the Eternal Memory’s disruptive influence. They would be changed by the energy, but not destroyed.

At the same time, the Tree reached out further with its magic, and began to search for Champions who had the potential to use the Driver. It found one, a unicorn filly, who could turn her magic into a funnel and control the rainbow surge for a moment. She would do. And others, who contacted that wave of power to a greater or lesser degree at the moment their lives changed. With the bearers identified, the future Champions, the Tree could begin the next stage; that of tuning the Elements of Harmony to match the hearts of those who would one day control them.

And finally, it searched the world for a Memory that would be suitable to contain the essence of Harmony itself. A new Element needed to be purified, a new Driver made. It couldn’t purify the one it had previously used, as that had never been returned. It didn’t feel sad, though. The tree dealt with what the world now was, and could not feel hope or regret. But maybe the thoughts in its sap raced just a little faster, as it found both a Gaia Memory whose only emotion was of love, that might just become a Driver if given the right influences. The Tree couldn’t feel hope, or despair. But it could see that the new Driver would be ready weeks, or even months, after the wave of dopants it was made to combat had surged across Equestria. Even in those circumstances, it did its best.

And within the Geode chamber, cooling limbs twitched and jerked. Rose Quartz stood unsteadily, as ripples of corruscating magic changed the colour of her coat, and the mark of Eternal appeared on her haunch. Rainbow sparkles raced through her mane, and when they were gone it was a brighter, more vibrant shade. She was alive, and she looked like a pony rather than the giant monster that family legends might have suggested. But her family would soon learn that the Eternal Dopant was not the daughter they knew. Rose Quartz was no more.

Somepony else, not quite a monster but not quite a pony, stood in her place. She would change their world, in every way it was possible to change, and as she did it she would change herself even more.

Author's Note

I really need to finish the sketch of Rose Quartz that's serving as the cover picture for this story.
Anyone with more artistic talent able to help me with that?

Episode 19 - Back to F

Author's Note

It looks like 'Import GDocs' now peppers the whole story with extra [ /b ] and [ /i ], and removes double line spacing even if it's in the original document like that. No idea if it's fimfiction or gdocs being weird, but I think I fixed it all. Let me know it there's any issues.

Again, thanks to twilight for proofreading. If anyone else is willing to help with that, give a third pair of eyes to judge how the story's going, please let me know.

Episode 19 - Back to F

“If you give her candy, she won’t send you nightmares!”

Nightmare Moon, the princess of darkness, snorted at the ignorant colt’s impudence. As if she could be so easily manipulated. She had a sudden urge to leap out from her hiding place and subject him to ephemeral terrors so intense his mind would be broken and he would never speak again. But she pushed that thought right to the back of her mind, fully aware that those impulses came from the Lunar Memory, not from her heart. She had resolved to win over the citizens of Equestria, to see if that fear could be changed to respect, and maybe even friendship. That was precisely why she had reluctantly stolen the Memory from her elder sister again, and become a fragment of black smoke in order to stow away on Twilight Sparkle’s balloon. That was why she was in Ponyville now, rather than languishing in the towers of Canterlot.

She was starting to understand, now, why ponies who had never experienced her brief but terrible reign still feared her. Because of these little traditions, a way for the young to learn fear without ever being taught it. She had always been taught that fear was an easy way to gain respect, and that wise rulers avoided it simply because it was too easy, and too unstable a basis for power. But now they made a game of it, somehow learning to fear her without any measure of respect or even belief. Well, she knew a way around that. She would go to the foals too young to have learned of this slander on her good name, and then she would teach them the right way to respect a Princess.

A wisp of dark, malevolent smoke drifted out from the nook where it had been hiding, drifted into a deserted alleyway, and coalesced into the familiar shape of Nightmare Moon; a large dark horse decorated in all the colours of the night. She closed her eyes for a second and a crystal Gaia Memory emerged from the crescent-moon scar on her flank. Luna looked a whole lot more normal without the dopant powers, though she still had both dark-feathered wings and a horn. She wrapped a heavy cloak around herself, knowing that if she did not it would be all too easy for anypony to assume she was an alicorn, and thus deduce her true identity.

“I’m sorry, but I got some important work for that day,” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “I don’t know if I’d be able to get back to town quick enough. Sorry about that, and thanks for the cake.” She turned and walked out of the shop, taking to the air as soon as she was outside.

“Oh dear,” Cup Cake sighed, “It seems everypony is busy.”

“I never thought I’d hear Rainbow Dash say she wasn’t fast enough,” her husband mused, “You think they don’t like the twins?”

“More like it’s just too much work. Especially now Pumpkin started using magic, I never thought raising foals could be so tiring.”

“Well, there’s always…” both of their eyes turned up to the ceiling, with some sense of trepidation. But they had asked everypony else they could think of, and they needed to find a babysitter somewhere.

“I guess, if she needs any help she could ask her friends, they’d be more inclined to spare a moment then.”

Five minutes later, Mr and Mrs Cake were standing at the top of the stairs, knocking on the door of the loft above the shop. They rented the space out to their best employee. She was almost as unpredictable as the babies sometimes, but usually reliable when it came to the things that mattered. She was good with the babies, that much was obvious, and often played with them if the twins were in the shop for any reason. But it was easy to imagine her playing, and much harder to envision her taking responsibility or any kind of parental attitude, even briefly.

“Hey!” the door swung open wide to reveal Pinkie Pie’s inverted head peeking over the lintel, “Hi Mr Cake, Mrs Cake, I just found these suction cups, I can walk on the ceiling now, isn’t that incredible?” Then after taking in their somewhat nervous gazes, she dropped down to the ground, somehow managing to turn herself the right way up before she hit the floor.

“Don’t worry, it won’t damage the paint or anything, I checked. Did you want me? Do you need me to work some extra shifts? I’m already doing this weekend, while you’re away at the Fillydelphia Master Bakers contest. I so wish I could come with you to that, it’s going to be so much fun!”

“Yes, about that,” Carrot Cake started slowly, “It turns out that the hotel’s crèche is fully booked already, so we won’t be able to take the twins. And as much as we’d hate to leave them, we were wondering if you could maybe… babysit for us?”

“I can play with Pumpkin and Pound all day? Let me check my diary!” Pinkie beamed, waiting only a beat before she spoke again, “Yes, that would be awesome. We’re going to have so much fun!”

“Now, they’ll be at the nursery on Saturday, meeting all their little friends. It’s so important that they get used to other ponies before they get to school, I think, so you should have around half an hour to close up the shop, clean up, and then pick the twins up. Just make sure they eat properly, and don’t let them have too many sweets…” Mrs Cake went on to detail what time the babies were supposed to eat, and when their bedtime was, and how many treats they might be allowed, and the difficulties that the Cakes had already found, being earth ponies raising a pegasus and a unicorn. Pinkie Pie, on the other hand, was practically (and even literally) bouncing off the walls, thinking about all the games she would be able to play with her favourite babies.

“Now, have you got all that?” Mrs Cake raised an eyebrow.

“Yep! Mealtime, bedtime, funtime, no-sweets time, bedtime story, don’t let them get too excited, don’t let them get too bored, don’t let them out on their own, keep the windows closed in case Pound Cake tries to fly away. I can do all that!” Pinkie Pie nodded vigorously, and Mr Cake shook her hoof before trailing back down the stairs. Neither of the parents were too confident in their choice, but they at least knew that Pinkie was a good pony at heart and there was nopony else who could take on the task.

A few days later, Pinkie Pie raced through the process of closing up the shop. She sorted the remaining cupcakes, swallowed a dozen that would have been too stale to sell by the next day, totalled up the contents of the cash drawer to make sure it was what it should be and shut bags of bits away in the safe. She dashed around cleaning tables, with a broom held in her dock to sweep the floor at the same time. She hung up the sign declaring that Sugarcube Corner would be open to sell delicious treats again in the morning, closed the door with a vigorous tinkle of the little silver bell,and dashed off to pick up Pumpkin Cake and Pound Cake from the nursery.

A few seconds later she returned, locked the shop door, and zoomed away down the street. Pinkie Pie was going to be responsible and organised today, she was determined.

She arrived a few minutes early, brandishing a cake with lavish layers of buttercream frosting. So when the Cake twins expected to see their parents, they were instead confronted with a cake easily larger than both of them put together. They couldn’t read yet, but maybe they recognised their own names spelled out on top: ‘Pound Cake / Pumpkin Cake / One Month Birthday Cake’. They pounced towards it as fast as they could, amazed by the appearance of riches beyond their wildest dreams, but then the cake burst like a giant egg, and Pinkie Pie emerged in a shower of cream, frosting, crumbs, and sparkles.

The birthday song was exciting and dynamic, a hyperactive pink pony bouncing from one side of the room to the other, cheering on the twins about all the new things they were going to enjoy in the coming months. They didn’t know the words, but were consumed with fits of giggles every time Pinkie turned round and then reappeared wearing a rather convincing pig mask, and they were certainly old enough to make animal noises when the song called for it. Before long, all the other foals waiting for their families were joining in too, and that was when they raised enough noise to bring the adults into the room.

“Just what are you doing?” a unicorn mare with her white hair tied back in a strict bun interrupted the song, “These little ones are here to be collected by their parents, many of whom have been working hard all day to support their families. They want their babies ready to be laid down for a nap when they get home, not excited by this kind of noise.”

“I was just giving Pound and Pumpkin a little celebration for their birthday!” Pinkie protested, “Everypony needs a time to celebrate, and if these two keep growing at the rate they are, it’ll be at least another ten months before they get their first birthday, don’t you think that’s too long to wait? ♪ But now a month has passed, I’m serving up cake on their plates…” Pinkie’s words slowly started to rhyme, and then she broke out into song again. But it lasted only a single line before the stern teacher yelled.

“ENOUGH!”

“Enough,” she repeated in a calmer voice, “If you have been appointed as foalsitter to these two tots, then I must allow you to take them with you. But I will not allow that kind of behaviour in my nursery. If you sing one more word, I will have to have you removed from the premises. And don’t think I don’t have the nerve, I’ve already had one pony removed from the premises for being too loud today.” Pinkie Pie was already thinking how to reply, how she might subvert this protest into a part of the song, but then the stern pony continued, “Some ponies have no sense of responsibility.”

Pinkie Pie lowered her head in shame, handed each of the twins a plate bearing a piece of the cake, and led them reluctantly homewards. She was supposed to be responsible today, so she knew she would have to curtail some of her more excitable traits if she wanted to impress Mr and Mrs Cake.

On the way out of the nursery, she noticed a familiar-looking unicorn waiting outside. She had a midnight blue horn, and royal blue mane brushed beneath a cloak that almost completely covered her figure. There was quite a contrast between the obvious attempt to hide her cutie mark, and the proud stance that said she wanted everypony to know who she was. She looked just as chastened as Pinkie felt.

“Luna!” Pinkie gasped when she finally recognised the face, “I almost didn’t know it was you without your–”

“We would thank thee not to speak our name,” the former Princess boomed loudly enough that everypony in the street turned to look, “We are here incognito, to learn rather than to be seen.”

“It…” Pinkie stepped back, shaking a little from the sound. It had an almost physical power to it, “It might be a good idea to talk a bit quieter then. You’ll upset the twins!”

“Oh, thou h– Thou hast foals to care for?” Luna lowered her voice, but still spoke loudly enough for every passer by to hear. “We did not realise. And is it not strange to talk with a voice of little power? We were taught always to display our magnificence by using the Royal Canterlot Voice in the presence of lesser ponies.”

“You must have noticed that…” Pinkie paused a second, composing the rest of the sentence in her head, “That your sister doesn’t talk like that any more. And if you’re supposed to be incognito, then it’s probably a good idea not to use anything that has ‘royal’ in the name anyway.”

“Oh, yes. So, thy foals… are they…?” she looked up and down between Pinkie, a strong and distinctive earth pony, and the pegasus and unicorn foals now resting peacefully in her saddlebags.

“Not mine. Their parents helped me out a lot when I first came to Ponyville, and babysitting is just one way I can return the favour. I’m kind of scared, though. They trusted me, and I don’t want to make any mistakes.”

“Then we will help thee,” Luna declared. “We wish to understand the mind of our subjects, such that we will be respected rather than feared once again, and to understand the Equestria of the modern age. The lives of the commoners have changed so much, while the rules of the noble courts stayed the same. And seeing those foals, wondering about the lives they will experience, it brings back memories so long forgotten.”

Elsewhere, Evening Spirit looked at the list of names. Towards the end of winter, he had sheltered here from a snowstorm, and he had written the words in his boredom. He had never expected them to be taken so seriously, but they were. At the top of the list, his own words were faded and showed the marks of dozens of hooves that had touched them. But they were still legible: ‘Anypony whose name is written here shall be cursed to die, so ensure your reasons are sound before you call upon the spirit of the nightfall tree. Their fate shall be in your hooves.’

Evening Spirit looked down the list of names again, and pulled out a knife from his bag. With care, he made a single slash right across the first name: ‘Diamond Tiara, bully’. The tree didn’t have any magic powers, he was sure of that. And he couldn’t curse somepony either. But he had a magic crystal that let him do the next best thing. When Diamond Tiara simply failed to show up for school in the morning, who would know the difference?

Pinkie Pie and Luna were carrying one baby each by the time they got back to the Cake family’s house. Pinkie had lived here herself, when she first came to Ponyville and had nowhere else to go. It hadn’t been long before they offered her a home of her own above the shop, but she still remembered them as the couple who had taken her in, and this home was still full of memories. As well as the fun of playing with babies for a whole evening, and wanting to repay them for their kindness yet again, Pinkie was excited by the prospect of coming here again, and seeing just how much the house had changed now that the Cakes were a family, rather than a couple.

But first, she had to entertain the twins. She carefully got them settled on the couch, where neither of them was likely to fall off, and then looked through the bag of toys.

“These children,” Luna spoke slowly, as if she was putting deep thought into every word. First Pinkie wondered why she would be so concerned, but then realised that a lot of ponies would be very sensitive about perceived insults to their offspring; it was always a touchy subject to broach, so Luna had probably got used to not making assumptions about babies a long time before. “They are siblings, we assume? Are their parents a pegasus and unicorn also? Though times have changed, and we can only hope that the children of such a union might not be judged as harshly as they once were.”

“Oh, no,” Pinkie giggled, “That confused a lot of folks too. They’re both earth ponies, Mr and Mrs Cake, but Mr Cake says his great granny was a pegasus, and Mrs Cake’s great aunt’s second cousin’s special somepony was a unicorn, or something like that. Amazing, isn’t it?”

“That can be true. It is not unheard of for a child whose parents come from different tribes to be born into either, only for their own children to take after the other parent. The changes over the past thousand years have mayhap made Equestria a safer place for such foals, if nopony now hates these two for the manner of their conception. Of course, if a foal who was bullied throughout her childhood for being of mixed parentage were to develop such determination, resilience, and strength of character to allow them to rise to a high position in the social hierarchy, it only stands to reason that noble would then try to make life more pleasant for younger ones in a similar position. So perhaps once the outright war between pegasi and unicorns ended, so many centuries since, it seems natural that each generation would be at least a little kinder than the last.”

“Uhh, I guess so,” Pinkie quirked her head to one side, not quite sure what had prompted the monologue. She could see the thought at the core of it, though: “So Pound and Pumpkin will have a happy life now, and they might not have had a hundred years ago. I never thought about that. I mean we get taught about the Unicorn Kings, and how Hearth’s Warming brought all the tribes to live together. But that wasn’t the end of it?”

“No. The three tribes came to share Equestria, but for a long time there were some who did not fully trust ponies of other tribes. And even once that animosity was forgotten, once ponies of all kinds – and other creatures too – could share a town, there was distrust against a pegasus and a unicorn who wanted to share a home, or a hearth, or their hearts. The times of prejudice are not as long past as you might think, but step by step we may canter towards a future where everypony is trusted.”

“I hope so,” Pinkie grinned, “That would be great. I could learn so much from you, everything must have been so different when you were young. I’d love to–” she was cut off by the wailing of Pound Cake, who had somehow managed to get two legs tangled in the top of the room’s curtains.

“Oh, be careful!” Pinkie yelled, piling up two toy boxes and leaping on top of them with uncharacteristic grace to help the stricken child.

“Our apologies,” Luna spoke sombrely, “Our anecdote distracted you for too long, when we should both know that foals require constant attention.” Then she lifted Pumpkin Cake with her magic to stop the little one getting into any similar trouble, and turned her gently over and over in the air. She sang, too, in a voice so much gentler than the ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’ that it was almost unrecognisable. Pinkie Pie didn’t recognise the words, the language was old and had more than just ‘thou’ and ‘thee’ to keep it hidden from modern ears. But it was calming, evoking the slow progression of a boat with wind in its sails. The song was slow, maybe a little melancholy in a way, but calming. It captivated both of the children, even calming Pound Cake enough that he stared raptly at Luna’s moving lips, and stopped his wriggling as Pinkie Pie finally managed to untangle the loops of fabric that had pinned his legs against the curtain rail.

“Wow, what was that song?” Pinkie gasped, once two ponies were sitting on the couch, each cradling a baby.

“It’s called ‘The Keening of the East Wind’,” Luna answered after some internal debate, “An ancient pegasus lullaby, which legend says was taught to an ancient bard by the winds themselves. There’s a legend associated with it, the tale of Rainbearer and the Spirit in the Clouds, but alas one lost to modern culture. It was passed down from mother to daughter in the pegasus tribe, but nobody saw fit to write the tale in more modern times, so only the song in its ancient form remains.”

“Oh wow, that’s so sweet,” Pinkie gasped, and she realised at the same time that Luna’s voice was so much more welcoming when she didn’t attempt to speak loudly. Maybe, in thinking of her own mother, she had reached whatever part of her instincts reacted to somepony above her in the social hierarchy. “Wait, was your mom –”

Again, they were interrupted by a baby’s cry. This time the two little Cakes were both safe, so there was no immediate danger, but the shrill bawling made it impossible to carry on a conversation, or even to finish the question. Pinkie wrinkled her nose as she realised why the twins needed attention now, and then gestured towards the changing table, silently asking Luna for her help.

Twilight Sparkle knocked at the door of the Cake residence, feeling somewhat concerned.

She’d originally said she couldn’t help babysit the twins, knowing first hand just how much trouble a unicorn baby’s first bursts of uncontrolled magic could get her in. After hearing that Pinkie Pie had taken on the task, she had experienced second thoughts, not wanting to see her friend tackle such a troublesome undertaking on her own. But then she hadn’t been able to think of a polite way to offer help without implying that Pinkie couldn’t handle it. Leaving her without help she needed, or underestimating her childcare abilities, would both be terrible insults in their own way.

But as Twilight had passed the house, the wailing told her right away that Pinkie wasn’t coping too well on her own. She walked closer, following the sound, and then knocked heavily on the door. She didn’t get an answer, but the sounds from inside the house did not suggest the fun playtime that Pinkie had hoped for. Twilight tried the door and wasn’t surprised to find it unlocked.

She was surprised however, to walk into the lounge and find Pinkie and Luna both liberally sprinkled with baby powder, their manes disheveled, and two foals laughing uproariously as if it was the most entertaining sight they had ever seen.

“How hard can it be?” Luna was clearly finding it difficult to keep her majestic voice under control, “Normal ponies learn to do this at some point in their lives, nearly all of them.”

“Isn’t it supposed to be easier for you?” Pinkie Pie growled back, “This job isn’t so easy with just two hooves, I can’t stop Pumpkin from flying away, and there is no way I’m gonna use my mouth to hold things.”

“And thou expects I can do better? Have you seen–”

“Ahem!” Twilight cleared her throat, “Would you like some help?” Her horn lit up a faint pink as she walked through to the next room, not really waiting for an answer.

“See, why couldn’t you do that?” Pinkie hissed to Luna, “You got a horn, and I know you can hold a dozen things at once with your magic.”

“There are some things one does not touch with magic. Thou should understand, it is like reaching out with your mind itself, and while hooves can easily be washed, your brain cannot.” Pinkie took just a moment to consider this, and then bolted after Twilight. Some hooves-on activity would chase those images away.

Twilight was already getting on well with the process of changing Pound Cake’s diaper. As the other two appeared behind her, she explained her apparent proficiency with babies.

“My mother insisted that I learn to care for foals before I came out into the country. She was terrified of me suddenly finding myself with kids and not knowing how to care for them, with all my family so far away. I told her it wasn’t going to happen, but you know what parents can be like. Luna, you should watch. You use your magic to hold the foal’s shoulders, but don’t apply any real force. A little tickle on the back of his neck and under the chin makes him giggle, so he’s too distracted to fight much. In young pegasi, I happened to see this in a book, a small amount of water on the innermost pinions can make them incapable of flight for a few minutes until they dry. Pegasi make a lot of their furniture from clouds anyway, so they tend to use rain-bearing clouds for the changing table just for this purpose. I just used my magic to lift a few drops from the sink. Hopefully he’ll be grown up enough not to need tricks like that by the time those pinions fully develop.”

Pinkie and Luna just watched in awe. They’d known that Twilight’s omnivorous appetite for books had given her some knowledge of just about everything, even if she had never used those skills. But this was one area in which neither of them would have expected her to be so adept. By now she had left Pound Cake cuddling a tiny knitted rabbit, his wings fluttering but with no sign of lift, and moved on to changing Pumpkin.

“You’ve got to teach me how to do that,” Pinkie pouted, “I’m supposed to be good with kids!”

“You’re probably better than me at keeping them happy,” Twilight shrugged, “I hear that foal rearing is thirty-seven percent responsibility, and sixty-one percent making sure they don’t get bored. But sure, I can teach you what my mom taught me. First, though, I think you’d better introduce me properly to your young charges.”

She lifted two babies back over to the couch and Pound Cake followed, flying nervously after his sister.

“We may have something of a problem,” Luna hazarded, looking over the babies in their care again.

Pound Cake’s coat followed his father’s goldish grey, and his first shock of hair was a rich brown. His wings were still little stubs, barely larger than his eyes, but he had already demonstrated well enough that they were capable of lifting him for a few seconds of frantic flapping.

Pumpkin Cake had the same colouring, but her hair was as bright as a carrot, and tied back with a ribbon so it didn’t snag around her tiny horn while she played. She seemed content now, trying to play with her own tail and not quite realising that her hooves weren’t up to the task.

The earth pony of the trio had much more vivid coloration, and sat between the two twins quietly staring into space. Her coat was a pinkish purple, and the first growth of her mane was a single pure-white strand that hung over one eye.

“Wow!” Pinkie gasped, seemingly having lost some of her usual chaotic energy, “These babies are multiplying!”

“Indeed,” Luna looked along the line, “There were only two just an hour ago.”

“Ohhhh wow!” Pinkie giggled, “Did you have a baby Twilight? She’s so cute! What’s her name? Why didn’t you tell us? When’s her birthday? We need to give her a party, I bet she’s never even had one!”

“Wha– No!” Twilight waved her hooves in a brief panic, “She’s not mine! She was on the doorstep, the door was unlocked so I assumed she managed to get outside in the chaos. You’re not looking after her?”

“Nope!” Pinkie shook her head vigorously, “Just the twins. I… I think?” She seemed a lot less sure of herself when the mystery foal fixed her with soulful blue eyes, practically crying out for some attention.

“Well, somepony must be looking for her,” Twilight pondered, “and I can’t imagine she’d get too far from home on her own. We should go out and see who’s missing a baby.”

“I need to give the twins their dinner,” Pinkie glanced up at the clock, “I’m going to show everypony just how responsible I can be. So I’m going to follow the plan exactly, and make sure Mr and Mrs Cake have nothing to worry about when they get back!”

“A noble endeavour,” Luna nodded, “And one with which we shall assist. Twilight Sparkle, while thou foundst this infant, could we rely on thy communication skills to seek out her true parents?”

Twilight nodded. She didn’t comment on Luna’s antiquated language, which seemed to be come flooding back when there was something worrying her. Anypony would be a little distressed on finding an unexpected baby in their care, and in the circumstances it was probably better not to ask just yet why the Princess of the Night was in Ponyville either. She lifted up the tiny earth pony, and seated her across her back before walking out to knock on doors and speak to the neighbours.

“No no no!” Pinkie Pie ran forward, panicking, “You can’t eat that!”

“Come down from there!” Luna tried to project a lifetime’s experience of rulership into her voice, but the words had no effect on Pound Cake, who carried on pounding with his hooves on the ceiling. It was a very worrying place for him to be, because a young pegasus who had only recently begun to fly would not be able to stay airborne for long, and Luna was sure she didn’t want to see him hurt when he fell. But at the same time, a foal so young was a beautiful, fragile piece of life. Despite Twilight’s words of wisdom, Luna could not pull the child down to the ground without risking damage to his tiny wings.

“Help, she’s flying away!” Pinkie’s cry of surprise from the dining room left Luna frozen with indecision. The earth pony couldn’t fly, but now it seemed that both of their young charges could, and both were at risk of injury if nopony caught them. After a second of thought, which seemed to take an eternity, Luna guessed that Pumpkin was in the greatest danger. Pound Cake would get tired quickly, but should be able to glide towards the ground at least when his wings started to flag. She hoped he was smart enough to realise when his wings were tired that he needed to get down; she’d known at least one pegasus whose instincts were right on target by the time she was a month old. Pumpkin Cake, on the other hand, was hovering above Pinkie’s reach with a warm orange glow around her horn.

“This is one of the real disadvantages of a unicorn growing up around pegasi,” Luna muttered, as she gathered her own magic to make an intangible safety net below Pumpkin Cake, “They see somepony else flying, and then try to levitate themselves. But at this age their magic comes in spurts, responding to instinctive desires for a minute or just a few seconds before –” she didn’t need to finish the sentence as the orange glow vanished, and Pumpkin Cake fell to the safety net, bouncing a little before becoming still in the air. “There’s no record of foals levitating themselves within the prehistoric unicorn kingdoms, and yet in the era I was raised it wasn’t unheard of for children of mixed families to be injured doing just this. Even I experimented with levitation before I knew how to control it, and have only luck to thank that I was never seriously harmed.”

Pinkie, meanwhile, had her own ideas for rescuing falling infants. Pound Cake was happily pounding high above the bottom of the stairs, where the position of the banisters and ornaments meant there wasn’t as much space to construct a magical web beneath him. Pinkie had no trouble running up the stairs, though, and yelling “boo!” with her pig snout mask on. Pound Cake looked around in surprise, saw the mask, and almost automatically tried to do a part of the routine she’d been showing the little ones at the daycare centre earlier. A child could very quickly allow new things to become instinctive responses, a phenomenon Pinkie used to great effect when she was trying to be both entertaining and educational.

This time, Pound Cake tried to imitate the mask’s expression and make a pig’s grunting sound, and immediately fell from his lofty position. But Pinkie was ready, leaping out with suction cups on her hooves to land solidly on the opposite wall. The baby pegasus fell neatly into an outstretched butterfly net, which had previously managed to catch nothing more important than Pinkie’s own face during a standup routine she had written to to entertain her friends.

The two babysitters met in the lounge again, looking equally exhausted. Both had a baby held tightly, but the tiny twins were starting to be both cranky and confused. The thrill of falling and being rescued had kept them excited for all of two seconds, but now the sight of her brother’s bewildered face was enough to set Pumpkin Cake bawling, and as soon as either of the twins found a reason to cry it spread to both of them.

Pinkie tried to calm them down by singing, but this time the twins didn’t seem impressed. Luna tried telling them jokes, but they didn’t understand. The two babies cried louder with every thing the babysitters tried, until Pinkie reached for some magnetic ornaments from the refrigerator that she thought she could use to make the kids laugh. But she stumbled on a patch of spilled oats, and slammed into the refrigerator suddenly enough to make it shake. Luna reached out reflexively with her magic to stabilise a vase of flowers on top of the appliance, but missed slightly and upset a large bag of flour. When it hit Pinkie’s head it burst, and the whole kitchen turned white in an instant.

As far as fun evenings went, this one was rapidly turning into a disaster. But seeing the chaos, and two grown ponies sneezing their way around the kitchen like contagious ghosts, was finally enough to make all of the babies laugh.

Twilight’s eyes went wide with shock as she saw the scene, and her attention was diverted just long enough for the foals she was holding to scamper towards Pound and Pumpkin, making friends instantly without the need for words. The four eagerly shared the two plates of baby food still set out on the dining table, and then drifted off into a contented sleep. Now, the only task at hoof was tidying up the mess in the kitchen, and for Twilight, Pinkie, and Luna to discuss their latest problem.

Applejack hauled on a cart, pulling it into the shelter of the old barn. Earlier in the day, she’d thought it would only take a short time to pack all the apples away. She’d exaggerated the rush more as an excuse not to take on babysitting duties, but now she’d hauled a dozen apple carts indoors, and still she’d only cleared out one of the fields threatened by the caterpillar migration. At this rate, the pink lady harvest would be half ruined, and that would have a knock-on effect on the farm’s finances for a whole year. She should have taken it seriously from the start.

Then she saw Big McIntosh standing by his own cart. Sweat gleamed as it ran down the rich red of his coat, and just for a moment it was possible to forget this was her brother as she marvelled at the perfectly formed muscles bunched up under his skin. He was wearing a blanket now, something to stop him getting too cold too fast as he guzzled water after a heavy afternoon’s work. He hadn’t taken off his collar though, the heavy wooden board that always sat around his neck ready for hitching carts or farm machinery to. It was as much a part of him in most ponies’ eyes as the apple cutie mark or his usual silence.

It took Applejack a few seconds of looking at him before she realised just why he was sweating so heavily. The cart he’d been pulling was beside him, just the same as hers, if not piled quite so high with caterpillar-free apples. But it was partly empty because it was the last one from that part of the farm. While Applejack had struggled to clear one field, Big Mac had managed seven on his own, and barrels filled with apples were stacked in long rows beside him. It was almost unbelievable that he could have managed to do so much work in so little time.

“Is that all of it?” Applejack asked, though she could estimate the number of apples in all those barrels easily enough.

“Yup,” he just smiled, “You can go help your friend with babysitting, if you want.”

“Now don’t say that, you know I’m no good with foals. Pinkie will be fine by herself, she’d play with them all day. I never knew a pony who loved foals so much. Maybe she’s not the most responsible apple in the bunch, but she’s…” She stopped to think for a moment imagining the state of the Cakes’ house if Pinkie forgot to bathe the foals, or to feed them, or to put them to bed. “I’d better go check on her, hadn’t I?”

“Eeeyup!”

Applejack was reluctant to look after foals, she was sure she’d never had the talent. But when she realised that one of her friends might get in trouble, she had no hesitation. In five minutes she’d washed herself down and hurried into Ponyville, looking for the right address.

As it turned out, she was drawn to the door by the sound of a baby’s cry almost as soon as she reached the right neighbourhood. She knew in the back of her mind that didn’t mean she was in the right place. There was no reason to believe Pinkie wasn’t any good at looking after babies, or that a wailing infant necessarily represented some underlying problem, but as soon as she heard the shrill cry she was sure that was a sign of where Pinkie Pie could be found. Her hooves raised sparks from the cobbles as she rushed towards the source of the noise, ready to render whatever assistance she could.

The screamer was apparently a pegasus foal who had somehow become stranded at the top of a bush in one garden. She wriggled and kicked, but hadn’t yet mastered her wings well enough to lift herself away from the foliage. Applejack looked up, and tried to determine if the foal had somehow dropped from the window above. If she had, then sitting safely if uncomfortably here was a sign that she was so incredibly lucky.

Applejack scooped up the baby in her hooves, rocking her gently until she seemed less inclined to scream and wake the whole neighbourhood. Then she headed to the door, fully expecting to meet Pinkie Pie there. So it was a great surprise when the door swung open to reveal Twilight Sparkle standing just inside, holding another foal.

“No luck!” Pinkie Pie called as she swung the door closed again, “I asked all the way up to Puddinghead Lane, nopony’s missing their babies, and whoever I asked has never seen this little guy before. Oh, hey AJ! Are you babysitting too?”

“That’s a lot of foals,” Applejack looked around, “Are we sure there’s space for all of them?”

The lounge was pretty packed now, even though the Cakes’ house was quite a large place in the suburbs. By unspoken agreement Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and Pinkie Pie each stood in front of a door to the rest of the house, with the babies between them, and now Applejack was in front of the front door. Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake were giggling happily for the moment, taking unsteady steps towards each other in the centre of the group. Then there was the purple earth pony, who Twilight had tentatively started calling Dazzle. Beside her was the second unexpected arrival, a tiny unicorn with a black coat and highlights like glowing embers, and a mane in streaks of flame reds and gold. Pinkie had taken him round the neighbouring houses to see if anypony recognised him, but none did and he was starting to get tired from all the new places. And now Applejack had brought in another pegasus from the garden, this one with an orange coat and vibrant cerise mane that stuck forward in a twist that almost looked like a horn.

“We shall have to care for them, until we can determine whence they have come,” Luna laid down the law, “They are clearly distressed at having been removed from their families, and whatever has happened these younglings should be at the eye of the storm. Whatever has happened, there shall be no foals in distress during my reign.”

“Right,” Twilight nodded, casually spreading a magic shield across the top of the doorway to stop Pumpkin Cake dashing through the door over Pinkie’s head, “So, how about two of us stay with the babies, and two go out to search for their parents?”

“If Dazzle’s been here for an hour, her parents must be pretty worried,” Applejack suggested, “We should check with the police first. A missing baby must have been reported.”

“If she was in Ponyville to start with,” Luna answered, “I wasn’t sure with the first two, but your new friend there, I was almost sure I could sense a trace of Gaia Energy on her as you brought her in.” She nodded towards the orange pegasus, “It’s hard to be sure, but it’s possible they were teleported here. I know first hand that a dopant’s teleportation powers have a much longer range than a unicorn’s.”

Twilight wanted to ask for more information on that subject, but she knew that now was not the time.

“You think they could have come from farther afield?” Applejack tried to clarify, “Seems mighty strange for anypony to kidnap foals and then send them halfway across Equestria, all the way to the same house in Ponyville. Don’t a foalsnatcher normally keep babies for themself?”

“Maybe they’re not real foals even?” Pinkie mused, “I mean, Dazzle’s coat is almost the same colour as Twilight’s mane, and Applejack and the foal you found, you’re almost the same colour. What are you going to call her? But maybe the dopant’s making like magic dolls or something, that drain your life by feeding on love? Or they’re some part of you taken out and turned into a new foal? There’s a load of different things it could be.”

“We got to take care of them anyway,” Twilight was firm, “They’re innocents until we know otherwise. We should certainly ask the others, if Rainbow Dash suddenly got a baby at her house, or Rarity, then we know for sure there’s a dopant and they’re targeting us. Otherwise, we have to ask ourselves why they’re here rather than any other place.” She walked into the next room while she pressed the Element of Joker into her collar. Not just to get away from the cacophony of playing children, but because it was easier to conduct a conversation with friends she couldn’t see if there was nopony talking in the same room.

“You started talking more normal?” Pinkie asked Princess Luna, once Twilight was away, “What happened to all the ‘thee’ and ‘thou’?”

“Well, I have been learning the modern Equestrian dialect through a most competent teacher in Canterlot. It seems a shame, though, that the simple word ‘you’ has spread to encompass so many other terms. Maybe when I am less calm I fall back upon old ways, but at times like this I think it is essential to make the effort so that we can all understand each other clearly.” Understanding was quite hard at that point, though, because the babies’ playtime was rapidly turning into bawling again. Luna tried levitating some of the toys around to entertain them, but they didn’t react at all apart from Pumpkin Cake trying to take a bite out of a giant caterpillar plush. Dazzle just stared at the chaos around her with no sign of comprehension, gazing into space as if overwhelmed by the new place except when she was unable to keep from crying like the others.

Applejack and Luna both raised their eyebrows when Pinkie Pie trotted into the kitchen and returned with a small bag of flour. She waved a hoof at the crying babies, and shrugged: “This made them laugh before, so maybe…” she threw the bag into the air and struck a triumphant pose vaguely reminiscent of a comic book hero. The bag burst over her single outstretched hoof, and became a column of dust that turned Pinkie into a white silhouette. This time, it seemed her luck was in and all five of the audience cracked a smile. Even Dazzle could take her mind off her distress when confronted by a sneezing white pony.

“Right!” Twilight came back into the room, “Good to see you got them laughing again, Pinkie. If anybody can do that, you’re the pony for the job. None of the others have seen mysterious ponies appear. There’s no unexpected babies at the library, or the boutique, or anywhere else that I could think to check. And the Ponyville police has no reports of missing infants in the last month. I think four of us should have enough hooves to bathe five foals, though, so I’ve asked everypony else to keep on asking around town.”

“Bathe?” Luna raised a questioning eyebrow.

“It’s the twins’ bath night,” Twilight nodded, “It says so on the huge list Mr and Mrs Cake left on the kitchen counter. We can’t let these poor foals miss out on some fun with bubbles just because there’s a dopant around. We’re the babysitting team now, and I’m going to make sure that everything on that list is done.”

Evening Spirit returned to his list of names. He could cross out more of them now, but the next name on the list would undoubtedly be the most difficult. He didn’t even know if he could get close enough to do the job, or if his Gaia Memory was capable of it. But he had staked his reputation on his ability to ensure that the ponies named on that list would not be seen at the school again.

Some of them had reasons beside them, and though he said it was none of his business why one of his classmates would want to dispose of another pony, he did find that it made it easier. He didn’t have to worry about the disruption he might be causing if he knew the target was a bully, a thief, a liar, a snitch. The ones without reasons, he found it wasn’t too hard to assume that there was a similar reason, maybe something the pony making the request thought was too embarrassing to share. He didn’t want to judge them, and he certainly wasn’t going to refuse help just because they couldn’t say why.

One of the greatest things about this particular assassination technique was that it wasn’t even a crime. If he got caught, he hadn’t broken any laws. But still, he was uncomfortable enacting punishment on adult ponies, who would likely be missed sooner. If one of his classmates vanished, the others would assume they were home ill, and their parents could quite easily assume that it was the missing filly misbehaving. It would be a few days at least by the time they realised that there were several unrelated ponies missing, and by then any evidence that there might have been would be long gone. But adults, they didn’t get so much freedom when they arranged to meet somepony, he was sure. If they weren’t there at the time they were expected then that would lead to immediate suspicion.

Still, he had sworn that he would carry out all the assignments he was given. He had never expected that anyone in his school would write the name of an adult on the list, but here were two together. He told himself there had to be a reason behind it, but a part of his mind was still wondering, still half suspecting that those names were there as a test to him.

‘Rainbow Dash’ and ‘Miss Cheerilee’

Well, he couldn’t know. He wouldn’t let somepony down because he didn’t know their reasons, that was the same as ever. And if it was a challenge to him, then it was one he intended to pass.

Pumpkin Cake and Dazzle found bathtime a lot of fun, pushing a tiny rubber duckling back and forth between them. The little yellow-orange thing was illuminated by a glimmer of magic occasionally, but more often knocked one way and then the other by a clumsy hoof or fetlock. But the more fun the two foals had, the more the other three wanted to get in on the action. It didn’t take long before a careless wingbeat showered Pinkie Pie with bubbles, and then the whole bathroom turned into a free-for-all. Five foals fighting over a single rubber duck didn’t work, and Pinkie’s solution of providing a dozen other toys just led to overcrowding, and the infants all started to bawl again.

Luna levitated a couple of the young ones, and let them soar through the air. Her magic was a lot more stable than Pumpkin Cake’s, and there was no worries about them falling this time. Pound Cake immediately darted up and began to race his sister around the ceiling, while Dazzle and the as yet unnamed orange pegasus colt splashed in the tub. All had just about calmed down, and Pinkie felt calm enough to return her emergency bag of flour to the shelf. It was the one thing they had found which seemed to be effective at entertaining all the little ones, but she was glad to avoid having to clean her coat again.

But when it seemed they had won this battle, a shrill wail came from outside the window. Dazzle looked up, scared, and began to cry in sympathy. Twilight dashed out to find and rescue another foal, while the other two did their best to calm down the ones they already had.

Pinkie Pie eyed the bag of flour. Applying just a little of the fine powder to her face allowed her to get a momentary giggle from Pumpkin and Pound, but then they were back to crying again, and it seemed like nothing would get their attention for long enough to encourage them to calm down. The impasse was ended by a pulse of magic, and the bag bursting to cover both Pinkie and Luna in a thick layer of damp flour. Within moments it was turning into slimy dough under the influence of the bathwater both were drenched in, and then it began to set. As before, the foals all thought this was hilarious. It seemed they were all entertained by an older pony covered in flour, which was funnier than any part of Pinkie’s stand up comedy routine. Pinkie managed to keep the curse words in her mind, but sincerely hoped that this was one show she wouldn’t have to repeat again.

Rainbow Dash was out on patrol. Like the others, she had heard that there might be a monster around Ponyville tonight, and had decided to address the situation in the way she always preferred. She was flying around town, low over the rooftops and soaring above back alleys, covering all the ground she could in search of any sign of trouble. She knew that it probably wasn’t the best way to find a monster, but if the eggheads hadn’t thought of anything else to search on it was as good as anything. There was a chance she’d see something, and in any case she appreciated the exercise, keeping her body limber in case of a battle in the near future.

She didn’t see a monster, but she did see a lonely colt standing at the side of the street, head bowed down. He looked kind of worried, and as she flew over he looked up and called out “Rainbow Dash! Help!”

That was an immediate call to action. She wheeled around in the air, one forehoof kicking the Element of Loyalty into the switch in her collar just before all four hooves touched the ground. She sent out a mental message to the others, that she’d seen a youngster in some kind of trouble, even if he didn’t seem as young as the ones they were already dealing with. But by the time she landed, the colt was nowhere in sight. She hurried over to where he’d been standing, at the mouth of an alleyway, and peered into the late-evening gloom. She could make out a shape, but it wasn’t quite clear enough at this angle to see if it was a pony or some trashcans, or a cart under a cover.

Rainbow Dash took one step closer, and then looked down as her hoof touched something cold and sticky. It looked like some kind of grey-white cream spilled across the cobbles, with an oily sheen that conjured other colours where it caught the light. Whatever it was, it didn’t feel pleasant to touch and she thought it would be better to back up a pace and walk around the edge of the spreading puddle.

“FOAL!” the mechanical voice echoed along the alley, and Rainbow Dash gasped in panic. She had to get a message to the others quickly, but she didn’t have time to think of the right words. She reached up to double-tap the Element, the distress signal they’d agreed on when they first got these collars to hold their Memories, but the white puddle seemed as thick as glue now and it took all her strength just to raise a hoof. The slime flowed across the ground to surround her, crawled up her legs and somehow seemed to ooze through her skin even, filling her veins with a surprising warmth, but also a sense of weakness that was immediately terrifying. She tried to fly away, but her wings suddenly lacked coordination, and her legs wanted to fold up beneath her. She didn’t quite manage to tap her Element before slumping to the ground, even her eyelids too tired to remain open.

“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called, arriving with the Driver already on her breast. There was no sign of her friend, but when she closed her eyes and tried to feel any magical energy in the area she picked up a faint residue. It was concentrated around a couple of hoofprints, where the ground was slightly damp at the mouth of an alley. She followed the prints as far as they went, but she could barely pick up on anything useful. The prints led two streets over, by which time they were so faint that she could follow them only by activating a spell of her own devising to make the stones that had most recently touched a hoof emit a faint glow. They went into the school, probably the last place that she would have expected to find a dopant.

Maybe it could make sense in a way. If this dopant was doing something with foals, it would make sense for them to be preying on a school. But the babies they’d found hadn’t been school age, they’d been a lot younger than that. It was close enough for the connection to register, but not enough for it to actually make any kind of sense.

Twilight walked over to the building, tried the doors and windows. If the dopant had come from here, there was a good chance that they had a way inside, and she had to hope that it wouldn’t turn out to be a teacher or anypony trusted enough to have a key. So maybe she could find a way into the building, and find some kind of lair in there. But none of the doors opened at a gentle touch of her magic, so she had to assume this was just somewhere the dopant had come to shake her off its trail, or to foil pursuit in general.

She didn’t find the list of names. She didn’t find any obvious sign that the dopant had been here, except for a line of almost-undetectable hoofprints leading up to the gate. She tried her tracking spell again, but the paths on the school grounds were either grass or gravel; there were no cobbles or flagstones to retain the energy of contact, and she knew she was already several minutes behind. There was no more trail to follow.

“Did anyone else find anything?” she spoke to her friends, scattered around town as they were. Though it could sometimes be distracting, she felt that in the circumstances time was of the essence, and it was worth using the Harmony of the Elements to speak to the others. She could feel them listening to her message, and she got a momentary sense of Pinkie’s distraction as she struggled to look after too many foals for one pair of hooves. She could also feel that Rainbow Dash wasn’t picking up the message now. Whatever had happened, she had lost both her Element and the collar.

A moment’s thought, and Twilight concentrated her magic again. She was the best in the world at feeling and channeling Gaia Energy, Luna had told her that after the Gala. She understood the magic of the Elements, and she had designed the spells that powered the collar. She should have been able to find the missing Element and collar, even if they were no longer with Rainbow Dash, and that might lead her to the dopant. But this time, unlike when Rarity’s Element had previously been confiscated, there was no trace at all on that channel. It was as if they had been completely erased, or the bond of their friendship severed. She was sure that was impossible, and the alternative was so terrible as to be unthinkable, so she hesitated and reached out again and again with her magic; presuming that only an error in the spell had made Dash uncontactable.

Then she heard the scream. Not the panicked yell of a pony under attack, but the first wail of an infant. Out of place in a deserted schoolyard, that was easily suspicious enough to set Twilight running toward the source of the sound.

She found a tiny hut, crudely cut branches leaning against a couple of trees in the woods that fringed the school fields. It looked like the kind of clubhouse youngsters would make, a ramshackle shelter to prove their independence and keep the rain off during a wet lunch break. In this shelter were a couple of old apple crates overturned to make seats, and a couple more stood on their ends and taped together in the rough shape of a table. It was amazing that kids could be so productive when it came to outfitting their secret hideout.

But Twilight’s eyes were drawn to one of the crates, where a pegasus foal was screaming loud enough to raise the roof. She had stubby wings, to small to fly yet, and the first growth of a mane in rainbow-streaked colours to contrast with her sky-blue coat. She looked back at Twilight with no sign of recognition, and returned to inconsolable bawling as her friend teleported them both quickly back to the Cake house.

“Pinkie, Princess,” Twilight gave only a cursory nod in greeting, and Luna recognised that if Twilight was too flustered to observe proper protocol, then the situation was serious enough that it would be childish to demand it. “We need everypony together now. We have a problem.”

Episode 20 - No F in Trouble

Author's Note

A bit more formatting in this episode made it even more effort to fix what the importer messed up. It took me nearly an hour this time.

Again, if anything's out of place, please let me know.

Episode 20 - No F in Trouble

“I swear, this has got to get easier,” Pinkie Pie muttered through a mouthful of dough. “I thought, I’m great with foals. I play with them practically every other day, they love me! How hard can it be, looking after them for a day?”

“Harder than you would expect,” Princess Luna grunted. She kept half her attention focused on the babies in front of her, and the assortment of sweets and toys she was juggling for their amusement. They had found – three times so far – that while Pinkie being suddenly coated in flour was enough amusement to restore cranky babies to joyful laughter, it wasn’t enough to keep them entertained. Somepony else needed to do that so that Pinkie could have a chance to clean herself off.

“I think it is a lesson many are surprised to learn,” the Princess continued, “That babies are often delighted to play with everypony they meet, but that the one filling the role of the mother must provide discipline and order, ensuring that the children do not hurt themselves and properly learn the values of friendship. It can be a difficult task, and one you never fully understand the scale of until you have tried it. Though in this case, I suspect, a great deal of your stress is intensified by the number of infants you are caring for.”

They both looked along the line of babies, who were for now happy to watch Luna’s juggling and occasionally snatch a sweet or favourite toy out of the complex patterns of movement. Pumpkin and Pound Cake, the twins, were the ones Pinkie had originally volunteered to babysit. Both had pale tan coats, slight variations on their father’s colouring. Pound Cake was a pegasus, and just beginning to get used to his wings, while his sister was a unicorn and the first flashes of uncontrolled magic started to sparkle from her horn.

The other babies, neither Pinkie nor Luna had any idea about their names. There was a purple earth pony with a single shock of white for her mane, though a couple of wispy strands hinted that at some point she would have stripes of a colour similar to her coat. For now, they had been calling her Dazzle, and she seemed happy enough with that name. Beside her was an orange pegasus with wings even smaller than Pound Cake’s, who stared in obvious envy whenever Pound flew out of his playpen and around the ceiling. Somepony had started calling her Gazer, and the name seemed to have stuck.

The last of their charges was sitting further back, never taking a treat from the moving display in the air, but tongue sticking out from the corner of his mouth as he sent flickers of red-orange magic to perturb the highest objects. He hadn’t yet managed to make Luna drop anything, but seemed to see this challenge as a kind of game he was determined to win. This one, Luna had decided to call Burn until they could find out what his parents called him. He shook his head at the name but didn’t seem able to tell them what he was actually called, so they kept on using it.

There was a flash of pink-purple light from the next room. It wasn’t bright enough to catch anypony’s attention by the time it appeared around the corner, but the two baby unicorns both twitched their heads around in the direction of the magical burst. It seemed that Burn kept a little self control; sensing something he’d been oblivious to until his horn developed, his first instinct was to panic. Tears formed in his eyes, but he swallowed and didn’t return to bawling. It was one thing Luna could be grateful for.

“Twilight has returned,” the Princess informed Pinkie, “And I believe she has another foal with her. There is a strong taste of dopant magic in the air, as well.”

“We need everybody together now,” Twilight barked a command as she walked into the room, but quietly so as not to disturb the sleeping pegasus she was carrying beside her, “We have a problem.”

Gazer hopped awkwardly across the floor, tiny wings beating the air like a hummingbird as she tried to join a race between Pound Cake and the newest foal to join the group. Nopony had given the newcomer a cutesy name yet, and they were less inclined to do so in this case, because they were all thinking the same thing. A baby pegasus, with sky blue coat and rainbow streaks in her mane and tail, looking so much like a tiny version of Rainbow Dash that it felt strange to see her playing with the others.

“Dashie had a baby?” Pinkie Pie mused, “She didn’t tell us or anything.”

“I suppose it is still possible that a Gaia Memory could create foals from nowhere, using another pony’s genetic material as a template,” Luna mused, “But in this case, the residual magic on the baby is incredibly strong, and I can sense a little more detail of its nature. I believe that the most likely outcome is that this foal genuinely is Rainbow Dash, especially given that our magical connection to her seems to have been interrupted.”

“It makes sense in a way,” Twilight Sparkle reluctantly admitted, “If she was turned back into a baby, the Elements would not recognise her, because she doesn’t embody Loyalty in any meaningful way. But it can’t be. Changing a pony’s age is one of the fundamental impossibles of magical theory, it’s been proven impossible so many times. There simply isn’t enough power in the world.”

“Hehe,” Pinkie was back to playing with the babies for a moment, while they waited for the other three Champions to appear, “I knew it was Dashie really, I just thought it might cheer you up a bit thinking about other things that might have happened. If we all had magic babies, it would be so much fun playing with them, and we could take turns being all responsible. But now I think about it, this is fun too! I bet Dash will be so embarrassed when she’s back to normal, and I can remind her I changed her diapers.”

Twilight was looking through the few books she had with her, though there was sure there was nothing in any of her texts about age-changing magic, because it was impossible just like she’d said. She wished she had access to her whole library, but she couldn’t leave Luna and Pinkie to look after the foals, and she knew there would be nothing there to help in any case.

“You have to remember that Gaia Energy doesn’t follow the same rules as unicorn magic,” Luna suggested, as they both tried to block out the sound of Pinkie playing with the little ones, “The rules can’t be broken, but the application of raw power means that in some circumstances they can be twisted. I never studied it as much as I could have done, I had enough talent in my own magic that I could compete with other unicorns without needing to learn the theory. But in this case, the Gaia Energy feels a little like the power I use for teleporting myself as smoke. So perhaps rather than changing the subject, this power transported her through time? I know that would be an incredible use of magic, but I don’t believe it to actually be impossible. And if the infant Rainbow Dash was brought from the past, then it could be possible that ‘our’ Rainbow Dash was sent somewhere into the past or future along her own timeline. I can imagine a dozen scenarios, and my understanding of time magic is not sufficient to determine which are feasible. But if any of those are true, then the very material of the universe could be unravelling from that point in the past where Rainbow Dash should exist but does not.”

“Then we need to fix this before we find out,” Twilight was firm, “I’m all for the experimental method, but if it could destroy the world then we have to deal with this before we start feeling any effects. If she was simply swapped with her baby self, a portal through time, then the pressure of future causality might just have enough power to transform her into the foal that destiny demands. Or it is possible to imagine that this Rainbow Dash comes from an alternate sequence of events, a ‘what if?’ world that is doomed in any case. But there is no way to test for those outcomes other than waiting to see if history comes apart at the seams, so I think we shouldn’t rely on there being a positive outcome.”

Finally, there was a knock at the door. It was Fluttershy, Rarity, and Applejack, all stern faced and ready to join in the planning. They could probably have been briefed on the way, but they always found that disembodied voices from their Elements seemed a little creepy, and made it harder to focus on what Twilight was actually saying.

In this case, though, there was one distinct disadvantage to all meeting up face to face. The Cake house was already a little crowded with three adults and six foals, and with the new arrivals the lounge was packed, making it almost impossible to find a seat without stepping over a playing infant. And the sudden crowds, more unfamiliar faces, sent the babies back into a panic of screaming and crying that drowned out any attempt to explain.

Evening Spirit checked his list of names again. He didn’t know what these ponies had done, why they would deserve to die. Because that was what the scratchy writing implied; that adding a name to the list would curse someone to not be seen again. He didn’t know why, but he had made himself the executor of the herd’s wishes, to prove his value to society. He was aware that this was crazy, but told himself that everypony was crazy in their own way. He was just aware of his, and using it to forge his own path through life.

He didn’t kill them, anyway. He wasn’t the anonymous assassin that everypony suspected. He just made them young again, and then took every care to ensure his victims were safe. He left them at a house where he knew babies would be cared for, even if unexpected. Good families, who could afford another mouth to feed and already had everything they would need to look after foals. That was quite a narrow category, but he had found four houses so far to distribute his babies between.

The notes the Memory seller had given him said that babies created by this technique might not live long, and advised that this could be a humane method of execution. But that was probably the case for any newborn without a family, and he hoped that by putting them where they would be cared for, his duty wouldn’t lead to any long term harm.

He scratched out ‘Rainbow Dash’ on the list, amazed that he had managed to find her so easily. It must have just been luck. The next target wouldn’t be so easy to find so late in the evening, but that didn’t matter. Evening Spirit felt like he was on a roll now, he didn’t want to stop, and there was no rule that said he had to change ponies in the order they were written. He chose another from lower down the list, and went out to hunt again.

“Please,” Pinkie Pie begged, leaping forward, “Just go to sleep!” But Pumpkin Cake did seem to be more than half asleep, eyes closed and walking forward without any obvious thought. In her desperation, Pinkie had flipped over a laundry hamper, attempting to hold the twins in one place long enough for them to fall asleep. But they just walked straight through the sides, the faint glow of magic surrounding both. They were headed for the toybox, of course. Mrs Cake’s list of instructions had stated that they were each allowed to take a single soft toy to bed with them, to hug as they slept. But two toys were explicitly forbidden at bedtime, and of course Pound Cake had managed to dig out both in his not-quite-asleep stupor.

Pinkie Pie wished she could ask some help from the others, but she had volunteered to put all the babies to bed while Twilight explained the situation to everypony else downstairs. She was on her own this time, and she was determined that when it came to looking after young ones she wouldn’t fail. Pinkie pounced, and managed to land a hoof on one of the dolls in question. Which, it turned out, was banned at bedtime because it had bells and other noise-making apparatus hidden inside its body. There was a cacophony of rings, clangs and twangs, soon followed by a chorus of infant screams as all the other babies were woken by the din.

Pinkie Pie froze and slumped to the ground, even her mane losing some of its usual bounce. She’d thought she could do this, she loved babies so much that she could almost consider their entertainment an extension of her special talent. Laughter is the one thing every foal should have, after all. But she had failed when it mattered, she had never come to realise just how hard it was to be responsible. As the noise around her only grew louder, Pinkie Pie started to cry.

“So it looks like Rainbow Dash is a baby now,” Twilight finished her explanation, voice slightly raised above the noise from upstairs. She felt bad about not going up to help Pinkie, but there would be no shortage of helping hooves once the briefing was over, and with the fate of the universe at stake they couldn’t delay getting all their minds on the case.

“Somepony want to go look after the foals?” Applejack answered, “‘Cause it seems to me it’s too dangerous to go out looking for trouble, and we need Pinkie to do one of those lookups.” But as she spoke, the sounds of chaos from upstairs faded into silence. They waited, unsure what to do, and mumbled a few ideas, but there wasn’t that much they could think of. Luna pointed out that even looking in the Gaia Library would probably be fruitless unless they knew the names of their other babies.

Pinkie Pie padded softly down the stairs. The others watched as she carefully eased the door closed, not making any sound.

“Another flour bag?” Princess Luna asked, somehow managing to be haughty even in a whisper.

“Well…” Pinkie mumbled, “I think I understand this mothering thing now. It’s love that matters, that’s what I should have been learning, right? I played with those tots so many times in the last month, and I nearly always make them smile, so they like me and they want to make me smile too. Then they start playing up because they think I enjoy that kind of thing!”

“Which you do,” Rarity felt it necessary to interject.

“Well, who wouldn’t? But they’re still babies, they don’t know when it’s time to stop, and we were trying to put on smiles so they didn’t realise they were getting to us. But I love those twins, and I think they like me too, so once they realised I was upset they did their best to calm down. They’re good kids, you know? All it needed was being honest instead of all hyper and bouncy all the time.”

“That’s awful mature of you.”

“Oh, but I might just need some help giving the twins a bath in the morning,” Pinkie was glad that her colour made it hard to tell when she was blushing, for once, “Like, before Mr and Mrs Cake get back from their gala.”

They tried a Lookup. Pinkie Pie quickly fell asleep, and met Luna in the library that was the setting for most of her dreams. The two of them could both touch the books that hung there, arranged in the air as if resting on shelves that weren’t actually present. Luna was suitably impressed with the speed at which the books rearranged themselves when Pinkie selected a word in the index. She’d seen it before, but not from quite so close. As entertaining as it was, the Lookup produced no useful results. They just didn’t know what words to put into the index.

Late at night, the other Champions of Harmony went home. Applejack promised that she would recruit Apple Bloom and her friends to help Pinkie with the bathing of the babies, freeing up the other champions to do what they would have done a lot earlier, if they’d realised what was happening: they would check if there had been anypony reported missing the night before, not just foals. That would surely given them enough names for a Lookup.

Pinkie Pie awoke with the sunrise. Or rather, she awoke to the sound of Dazzle, who had been woken by the sun shining around the curtains and was throwing toys around in an attempt to rouse somepony to play with.

“Shhh!” Pinkie whispered, “Pound and Pumpkin need their beauty sleep. If you want to play, we’ve got to be like ninjas!” Dazzle hesitated in her excitement, and lowered a couple of wild toys to the ground. Pinkie turned and moved sideways across the room, darting from place to place and not making a sound. Maybe Dazzle wasn’t old enough to know what a ninja was, but Pinkie’s body language gave a very clear impression of the nature of the game.

That morning was a lot easier than the night before. Pinkie had learned her lessons about communication, and about responsibility. She wished there was somepony she could make a report to, and get a little recognition to help her draw out the pride in her discoveries, but of course there was no such authority. The reward for learning to live your life would be the ability to do so, not some arbitrary gold star at the bottom of a letter. But in a way, this morning was her reward. She had to tidy the dining room a little so that there was space, and she would have to prepare breakfast for everypony, which would be a little more difficult than just feeding the twins. But it wasn’t time for breakfast until they were all awake. Until then, she would have to keep the babies who had woken up occupied so that they didn’t disturb the others, letting them wake up happy and at their own pace.

There was a perfect way to keep a child busy, so they didn’t get impatient waiting for it to be time to eat, and it was the one task Pinkie really loved about being a stand-in parent: playing. Dazzle laughed at every silly trick Pinkie pulled off, and didn’t cry once. When Burn woke up, Pinkie started to divide her attention between them, but managed to make a game out of who could pick up the most dolls, or the most blocks, or whatever other kind of mess the previous night’s playtime had left around the house. And both foals loved playing ninja; watching Burn try to laugh quietly was so adorable that it took every ounce of Pinkie’s self control not to squeal in delight.

The silence was broken by an infant Rainbow Dash hurtling down the stairs, wings whirring like a hummingbird to compensate for her lack of adult flight feathers, straight towards a giant dollhouse. But the two apprentice ninja mastered a combination technique, leaping to intercept her with pillows from both sides. Three foals rolled around the room in a playful but silent tumble, and Pinkie only had to glance over once to see that Dashie had caught on to the game and was being just as silent. It wasn’t likely that any of them would be hurt.

A knock at the door gave Pinkie a sigh of relief, though. She loved playing with the little ones, but she was sure she would have her hooves full trying to keep track of six of them. Especially when it came to six diaper changes, and feeding, and washing the last traces of flour out of certain babies’ manes. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders were exactly the assistants she would have hoped for, young enough to know how to play so the babies could stay happy all morning.

Apple Bloom was standing outside the door when Pinkie opened it; there was no sign of the other two.

“Hey,” she said, “AJ said you need some help? I was going to grab Scootaloo on the way here, but I’ve not seen hide nor hair of her. Hope I’m good enough. Looking after the Cake twins, right?”

“And some others,” Pinkie pointed towards Burn, Dazzle, and Dashie, who seemed to be passing a couple of dolls between them now, “The twins are still asleep, they had a pretty late night.”

“Right,” Apple Bloom nodded, trying not to imagine one of Pinkie Pie’s famously energetic parties with babies present, “So whose babies are these? Hey, is that Rainbow Dash’s little sister? Or she’s got a baby? I didn’t know she had family!”

“We didn’t know either,” Pinkie gave a grin, but it looked a little forced this time, “Rainbow Dash kind of went missing. We think there might be a dopant out there with the power to turn ponies back into babies, so we’re just looking after them while the others look for a way to reverse the spell. We don’t know who the others are, so we called them Dazzle, Burn, and Gazer for now.”

Apple Bloom proved quite competent at keeping an eye on the little ones while also helping with the chores. She was the youngest of their particular branch of the Apple family, but still had more than enough younger cousins, and had done her fair share in the babysitting roster when the adults were all busy at harvest time. She laughed with Pinkie as they imagined how much Scootaloo would have blushed, being asked to change Dashie’s diaper.

Dash herself seemed pretty embarrassed at her own behaviour, whenever she paused in darting around at the highest speed she could imagine. There was no way to know what was going on in her mind; if the memories of her adult life were in there. She could just as easily be a baby like any other, or a pony with all her memories trapped in an infant body with babyish instincts too strong to control.

“I thought Sweetie Belle would be here by now,” Apple Bloom commented, as Pinkie brought the Cake twins down to the lounge, “She went to check on Scootaloo, but she was only going to be a few minutes behind me, she said she’d help out too. Still, we did pretty good for two of us with so many babies. The lounge is clear, three of them changed, the table–” she stopped as she saw the serious expression on Pinkie Pie’s face.

“Scootaloo’s missing?” Pinkie finally made the connection that had been nagging at the back of her mind for the last few minutes, “You said before you couldn’t find her, is that weird? Like, do your Crusaders usually meet up at the same time in the morning, or the same place? Did her family say she’s already out, or is she missing missing?”

“Oh, it’s not a big deal. Most days if we’re awake too early for school we meet up in the clubhouse to pass the time, it’s on the way here. That’s where I talked to Sweetie Belle. Or some days we go to the schoolhouse whatever time we’re ready and play on the field with the others, to make sure we don’t finish up being late if we get carried away with something. Scootaloo wasn’t in the clubhouse this morning, so Sweetie Belle was going to check at school, even though we still got more than an hour. It’s no big surprise really, Scootaloo’s never been a light sleeper, like as often as not we don’t see her before school starts, running to be on time, and sometimes not even that if she overslept.”

“Yeah, but I noticed we got one baby still sound asleep, an orange pegasus that might just be your friend. Do you want to help me wake her up? You know her better than I do, maybe you can say for sure.”

Apple Bloom just nodded. It was cute seeing Dashie as a baby, but it was also terrifying in a strange way. And thinking that one of her closest friends might be in the same situation brought a whole wave of emotions that hit her like a hammer. When they got to the bedroom, she peered into the crib. It was a plain wooden cage, that Twilight had teleported in from somewhere to furnish the increasingly crowded room. The tiny figure inside was hunched up under a blanket, but the colour of her coat and mane were familiar enough to confirm the worst case in Apple Bloom’s mind. She froze, staring at the tiny form of her friend. She couldn’t even bring herself to speak.

“I guess that’s a yes?” Pinkie was upset, but a little excited too. Having a clue who the babies were would be the first step towards doing a Lookup, after all. “Don’t worry, we can fix this. She just gets a couple of hours not having to worry about anything, and being able to play like a little one again. I bet there’s some ponies who’d love to be little again!”

The Champions of Harmony all had their own methods of research. Luna and Twilight went to ask Mayor Mare for the help of the town’s bureaucrats. Rarity strolled around the shopping districts, while Applejack visited the farmer's market, both speaking to everypony they could. Fluttershy and Spike were holed up in the Golden Oak Library, searching for every book that might be even tangentially relevant, even though Twilight herself had been sure no such book existed.

Rarity was the first to strike lucky, with a customer at her own boutique. She darted back from her errands when she saw a proud unicorn stallion striding towards the shop. He had the same dark coat and red highlights as the infant they had been calling Burn, though initially Rarity only thought about doing her job, and keeping up with her other obligations while questions so far had found nothing.

“Can I help you?” she shifted effortly back into the elegant and professional tone she used for business. “I’m sure that whatever occasion you have in mind, I will be quite capable of matching your tastes to perfection if there is nothing on display that catches your eye. Are you shopping for yourself?”

“Uhh…” the unicorn drawled, with a slightly unfamiliar accent, “Actually, I’m looking for a dress for my wife, Ella. For a matriculation ceremony, whatever that might be. Our eldest son has just been accepted to attend Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and I’m sure you can understand just how important that is.”

“Ohh, yes,” Rarity smiled, envisioning the matriculation as almost an opposite of a graduation ball, for students arriving at a new school. It would be spectacular and glamorous, she was sure, though her own schooling had never included one. “You must be so proud. And of course, meeting the other parents you will want to look your best.”

“Oh yes, Ella hasn’t stopped thinking about it all week, and she’s been cantering round the outside of town hoping to lose a little weight before the time comes to be measured for her dress. You know, I think she might actually be as nervous as Blaze!”

Rarity nodded politely, taking care to remember this family’s story. They were reasonably well-off and influential, and had the good taste to visit the Carousel Boutique, so there was a chance they would become friends or acquaintances as well as clients. But she devoted most of her attention to practical questions about colours, sizes, and preferences in between the relaxed social narrative.

“That’s our son, you see,” the client, Crackling Ember, continued talking easily about his family after each interruption for practical questions, quite used to going right back to what he was saying once some matter of business was taken care of. “I’m sure he’ll follow right in my footsteps. He was nervous enough, though. Most of this week he’s been preparing a Nightmare Night costume, throwing himself into one task so he doesn’t have to think about the upcoming change in his life. I think he didn’t even sleep last night. Out celebrating with his friends, no doubt, came home after we got to bed and was already out by the time we got up this morning. I think it’s weighing on his mind, worrying that he might not be as good as everyone thinks.”

“Does he look… like you?” Rarity hesitated, but had to ask. Because she finally realised why the proud father’s colouration looked familiar, and she had heard the silent plea for validation in his last statement. This stallion was hoping everypony would reassure him that it was normal for a colt to be under stress, and assuage a fear he couldn’t admit even to himself. “If he has your coat, but deep green eyes, then there is a chance he might not have come home last night. You see, in our work as Champions of Harmony, we have recently encountered a pony in those colours, a victim of a monster, who has been unable to tell us who he is. If we’ve found your son, then we would very much like to know in the hope that we can work out who the monster will target next.”

“Oh, no, that can’t be!” Crackling Ember gasped, “I mean, we didn’t see him but I just assumed… is he safe? Why can’t he tell you?”

“He’s safe. I don’t know how to explain it, but we’re sure that he will be fine as soon as the monster is defeated. Maybe you’d better come and see, you might be able to help us work out who has done this.”

“Right,” Pinkie nodded. She’d stood perfectly still while she listened to the disembodied voice, leaving Apple Bloom to keep the babies from throwing food at each other on her own for a few moments. “Hey, Apple Bloom, do you know a colt called Blazing Ember?”

“Yeah, he’s a bit older than us, but…” she trailed off.

“You okay? Don’t worry, if we’ve got a clue that means it’s easier for us to find the dopant, right? It’s a good thing.”

“I know all of them,” Apple Bloom whispered, “I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. Dashie’s the odd one out. Blaze has so much jewellery, beads in his mane and complex braids, that I didn’t recognise Burn without them. And Dazzle, I heard that she dyes her mane, but the white streak is her natural colour. That’s Diamond Tiara, right? They’re all our age, from the school.”

“I’d better call Twilight.”

Pinkie Pie opened closed her eyes, let herself sleep and the next time she looked around it was in a dream. They already saw one connection between the victims, so the Lookup probably wouldn’t help too much, but they wanted to be sure they weren’t missing anything. The dreams of a billion books twirled around her, arranged as if this was a library but with every shelf intangible, even the floor didn’t exist. All this dream contained was Pinkie Pie, and the books of her memories.

“Keyword: baby,” Twilight’s voice seemed to come from the empty air, though in reality she was speaking normally to the sleeping Pinkie. About a third of the books vanished, mostly those about abstract concepts, history, or agriculture. The books with a pony’s name on the front would all still be there as they twisted through the air and reshelved themselves, because everypony knew a baby or had been one at some time in their personal story.

“Keyword: Diamond Tiara,” Twilight continued, not waiting for Pinkie Pie to reel off the number of matching books. More flew away this time, until the books around Pinkie only formed five or six concentric circles of invisible shelves.

“Three thousand, two hundred and nineteen matches,” Pinkie could count them in an instant, and reported the exact number.

“Keyword: Blazing Ember.”

“Eight hundred and seven matches.”

“Keyword: Scootaloo,” there was no need for conversation between the keywords. The Champions of Harmony all wanted to narrow down the possibilities as much as possible.

“Three hundred and one matches.”

“Probably everypony at the school,” Apple Bloom commented, “We all know each other, even if it’s not so well.”

“Keyword: Rainb–”

“Wait,” Rarity’s voice interrupted, “We don’t know Dashie’s part of it. She could have stumbled on an attack when she was patrolling, and been transformed. We don’t know if she has any previous connection to the dopant, so we can’t include her in the Lookup.”

“We don’t know she isn’t, either,” Twilight argued for a second, “But I guess you’re right. We’ll try it if we can’t think of anything else to add, though.”

“I got one,” Apple Bloom seemed a little more cheerful now they were clearly making progress, “The dopant left them here, there must be some reason for that. Keyword: Cake family.” There was a pause, the sound of a couple of ponies holding their breath as they waited for an answer.

“Keyword: Cake family,” Twilight repeated, and the books resumed their complex dance in the air.

“Seventy-six matches!”

“Well, that’s better, but still not finding a result. So we might as well. Keyword: Rainbow Dash.”

“Sixty-nine matches,” Pinkie reported, as just a few books detatched from the imaginary shelves and floated off into the undefined distance.

“I got nothing,” Twilight muttered, “I was sure there would be somepony in common. But maybe these lookups aren’t so effective, when the clues we have are all ponies with a relatively strong web of social links between them.”

“It’s okay,” Pinkie grinned as she woke up, “We got enough clues to say something’s happening at the school. So we just go there and wait until something happens. Right?”

There was a murmur of agreement from all the gathered Champions, shortly followed by the sound of the front door opening, and a scream of terrified surprise from the lounge, where Princess Luna had been looking after the babies. Mr and Mrs Cake had been nervous as they came home, unsure whether the house would be somewhat messy or in complete chaos. They certainly hadn’t expected it to be as tidy as it was, but that was more than overshadowed by finding an unknown baby in a basket outside the front door, and then entering their house to find a midnight-blue pegacorn, the tyrannical former ruler who had been banished to the moon for a thousand years, playing with not two but six babies in their lounge.

After the first scream, they tried to calm down and rationally assess the situation. It would have been so much easier if the sudden noise hadn’t set all seven infants bawling in sympathy again.

Applejack arrived at the school, with her sister following close behind. She figured that if there was a chance of Apple Bloom being tardy because she’d helped them that morning, then she could explain. If there was a monster prowling the school grounds, then one of the Champions of Harmony would need to be there to deal with it. Because they were the ones able to transform into double ponies, it was a choice of Applejack or Twilight Sparkle, and Twilight had the better social graces to explain the situation to the Cakes.

There were still plenty of foals around the school grounds, so it was clear lessons hadn’t started yet. Applejack looked around, trying to work out where would be the best place to sit and wait for trouble.

“Do you want to go and play with your friends? I’ll just find somewhere to …” Applejack trailed off as she realised her sister had already hurried off in search of Sweetie Belle and her other classmates. “Well, I’ll just wait here then.” There were a couple of fillies staring at her curiously, but that didn’t mean anything. She was an adult, turning up at a school and wandering around rather than making an appointment. For anyone else this would be incredibly suspicious, and it was probably only the collar around her throat, displaying that here was a bearer of the Elements of Harmony, that stopped anypony in a position of authority asking her to leave.

Many foals were playing as usual, but today there were just as many engaged in craft activities in small groups, roughly sewing or painting costumes. Nightmare Night was only a few days away, after all, and it seemed to be fashionable for kids to make their own costumes for the event. One young colt was sewing what looked like a pirate costume, but was distracted by Applejack’s presence enough that he didn’t notice he’d stitched right across his collar. She was torn between pointing out the mistake and offering to help, or worrying how Princess Luna would feel about the festival she had inspired.

Her musing was interrupted by a scream, and Applejack forced all other thoughts to the back of her mind. She dropped her saddlebags on the grass, whipping out the Driver and locking it into place around her breast even as she galloped towards the school building. As she ran she pulled out the Element of Honesty from her collar and slammed it into the Driver’s left tube, making a melodious voice ring out to catch the attention of anypony who hadn’t yet realised something was going on. She’d have a big audience this time.

“HONESTY!”

She hit the doors head first, not pausing to open them first, and heard the unmistakable sound of a monster transforming within. For just a moment she worried that the others might not have got her message fast enough, and that she would end up like Dashie before the transformation finished. But before the echoes of the discordant Gaia Memory’s growl had died away, a shimmering in the air deposited a blue crystal into the Driver’s right slot, and Applejack gratefully slammed them both home.

“FOAL!”

“LAUGHTERᏔHONESTY!”

Raw power surged into Pinkie Apple Pie’s body as they rushed into the classroom. Pink flowed across the right half of her body, filling her up like a vibrant coloured mist inside her coat, and the muscular bulk of their shared body was beyond what either of them were used to. By the time the transformation was complete, they were an earth pony with stature equally comparable to the Princesses of Equestria, or even to some dopants. Golden-orange coated at the left extremities of their body, shading to bright pink at the right, and clad in a magical armour made of blue and orange marble plates.

Inside the room, a cerise earth pony – Miss Cheerilee, the teacher – was backed into a corner and babbling in fear. In front of her was a dopant quite different from most of the others they had seen. It looked almost like a child’s doll, with bulbous, simplified legs and features. But it was as large as Apple Pie, and the lack of detail in its face was strangely terrifying. From its outstretched hooves, a milky puddle dripped to the ground and oozed and crept towards its prey.

“Stop it!” Pinkie was the first to speak, “What are you doing to everypony? Why?”

“I give my fans what they want,” the dopant spoke proudly. Its voice was distorted, but clear enough to tell that it was a colt under that disguise, not a full-grown stallion. “They want somepony to disappear, I can do that. They probably want me to kill my victims, but I am more moral than the vast majority. I have never taken a life,I never hurt them. I even made sure they have good homes, and placed them with parents who will keep them safe for their second childhood. You say I’m doing wrong? Blame the trash who think that every problem can be solved by disposing of their rivals!”

“Nopony wants this!” Pinkie and Applejack spoke in perfect harmony as they strode closer. Miss Cheerilee took advantage of the distraction to dart away, now the dopant was no longer staring straight at her. “Do you know how the power works? Are you sure it won’t hurt them? Where did you even get a Gaia Memory?”

“Oh, if anypony knows where this came from it should be you two. He was just ranting about how it’s disgusting, don’t want to harm foals. The Memory seller is too uptight, can’t bring himself to sell this one. And this little thing comes flying right out of the window, where he’s thrown it away. I missed out on watching the most perfect filly in Ponyville, she gave me the slip while I was distracted. But I found something even better: the power to make a difference.”

“That’s disgusting!” Pinkie snarled, “You should be ashamed of yourself. But anyway, our friend Twilight Sparkle is real smart, and she says this kind of magic could break the whole world you’re not super careful!”

“And how would that happen?” the dopant just grinned, not even making an attempt to attack. He was content to gloat, still thinking he could beat them. “They’re babies. Easy to care for, right? And maybe this time around they’ll be less annoying, so somepony won’t put their names on a hit list.”

“Your magic is transportation magic,” Pinkie growled, “You’re swapping around the bodies and souls of ponies along their own timelines, not just making them young again. Your magic could change something back in the victim’s childhood, and then reality starts coming apart.They could vanish or die, or the world could change so they never even existed. Do you want that on your conscience?”

“Yeah, it’s a horrible thing to do to anypony,” Applejack agreed, not really understanding the explanation but feeling that she needed to add something.

“At least I wouldn’t be forgotten,” he spoke more softly, and turned to walk towards the door, “That’s all anypony could hope for. And if the whole world can be changed, then who better than me to change it? I have the talent–”

“Where d’you think you’re going?” Pinkie growled as she stepped closer, “You think you can do something like this and avoid all blame because you think it’s what somepony else wants? It’s probably not you right now, the Gaia Memory brings out your darkest feelings, but I gotta say that’s how a sociopath thinks.”

“Yeah, you’re just a meanie,” Applejack added.

(“You know AJ,” Pinkie muttered in the privacy of their own mind, “I don’t think you quite got the hang of humour. When you’re trying to drive home the evilness of a dopant’s actions, you need to keep the tone pretty dark, and I think…” Only then did she realise that she could barely feel Applejack’s presence in her mind, fading in and out.)

(“Ah think I’m gonna…” Applejack muttered, then furrowed their brow in confusion. “Ah forgot what I’m gonna say?” Her voice was hesitant and uncertain, almost childlike.)

Pinkie looked down at their hooves, where the dopant’s milky secretions covered the ground under their forehooves. Their left hoof was almost completely covered by the stuff, crawling up their orange coat like an ant swarm and burrowing into the tender flesh beneath. But on the right, it bounced off pink skin, a shower of droplets boiling away like smoke every time it tried to climb into her body. The Driver was protecting them, but it didn’t seem to be doing as well as it usually did. Pinkie almost cursed, but then she felt a wave of total peace flood over her mind, and she was staring at the ceiling in the Cakes’ lounge.

“Did you beat it?” Twilight was asking, “That was quick. We barely had time to tell Mr and Mrs Cake why you passed out, but then when you woke up you kind of fell over. That hasn’t happened before, so I’m worried.”

“I…” Pinkie was lacking in her normal irrational exuberance, “Somepony needs to go to the school, now! The dopant’s got like this poison, or something, you only have to touch it to turn into a baby. I think AJ stepped in it just before the transformation completed or something. I could feel her mind slipping away, getting simpler every second. It’s awful!”

“I’ll check AJ’s okay,” Twilight didn’t hesitate, “Just don’t touch this poison?”

“Right. It’s like white slime on the ground, like milk or oil or something until it starts moving towards you.”

“I can tell why you didn’t like it,” Twilight focused her magic and vanished. A few moments longer, and she teleported back holding a crying orange foal. “No sign of the dopant, but I think we’re going to need more diapers.”

Mr and Mrs Cake seemed somewhat bemused, but had no objection to their home being used to look after all these unexpected babies. As the dopant had thought, they couldn’t let any little one go without proper care. But there were eight babies now, and it would take the full efforts of several ponies to keep them entertained, clean, and safe.

“We need to find the dopant before he strikes again,” Twilight felt she was stating the obvious, but it had to be said, “If Cheerilee was the target this time, that means it isn’t just foals. But the only connection we still have is the school. I’d be tempted to think of an opportunist, but …”

“But he said he was only dealing with ponies who had been chosen by their friends, he was following somepony else’s orders. But who would give orders like that? I think they’re the real villain.”

“In any case, we’d best go to the Library for some planning. The Cakes and Luna are happy to look after the babies, and it’s getting pretty crowded here.” The others nodded their agreement, and Pinkie went to say her goodbyes to her infant charges, and to thank Mr and Mrs Cake yet again for their understanding. This time it didn’t need any flour to get eight babies grinning cheerfully and waving goodbye.

“I got it!” Apple Bloom burst through the door just as they were about to leave, “I figured out what’s going on!”

“Shouldn’t you be in school?”

“Class cancelled. Miss Cheerilee looked so shook up, and there’s five of us missing now, so she said we should go home where it’s safe. But as I was going I remembered the tree, I want to find AJ, but I couldn’t see her, so I guessed you came back here already. Is–” she stopped suddenly, recognising her sister without effort as soon as she realised there were only four Champions of Harmony standing around the door.

“Don’t worry,” Twilight did her best to sound mature and confident; things she wasn’t quite feeling any more. She was well aware that Joker was the only Body-element they had left, so they only had one more chance to defeat this dopant. “As soon as we beat the dopant, we think they should all be cured.”

“It’ll be like a little holiday for them,” Pinkie beamed, finding a bright side to even the darkest situation, “Not having to think about grownup stuff for a couple of days, just playing until we solve the case.”

“Yes. So, you worked out who’s picking the targets?”

Apple Bloom told them as quickly as she could, but a few times ended up having to go back to explain some detail. She told them about a tree, vandalised by some group of students years before. There was a ghost story among the foals that a long-ago couple of kids had professed their love for each other under the tree on the day they left school, and asked the spirit of the tree to watch over them. And then they had never been seen again.

It was like a mish mash of elements from different ghost stories, the oral tradition of kids in the playground mangling the story beyond recognition as every generation wanted to add their own twist to the tale. But it had become a little clearer, again, when some foal a year or two before had decided to put on a little show for Nightmare Night, and had scratched a portentous message into the trunk of the tree, claiming that it was cursed and anypony whose name was carved there would vanish from the school. Right above a heart with two sets of initials in it; the first possibly-mythical victims of the story.

“I kind of felt left out,” Apple Bloom looked down at her hooves, “Because Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were on there, but nobody thought I was important enough to hate. And Diamond Tiara, I think somebody put ‘bully’ next to her name, and Blaze because he’s got into a school for gifted unicorns, and it’s like he can’t play with most of his friends any more because he thinks he’s better than everypony. Rainbow Dash was on the list too, somepony was upset because she made it rain too many times when we grew the new flowers by the school gates.”

“I think we have our answer,” Twilight nodded, “That fits with what the culprit told Pinkie and AJ, he thinks he’s carrying out the will of the herd, doing what everypony wants, or something. And I think I’ve got a plan how to fight this. I’ll go back to the Library and set a trap. Can somepony go and put my name on this list, and then find somewhere to stay out of the way? I don’t want him going after your bodies while we’re transformed, and I’m the only one who needs to face the enemy this time.”

“Right,” Rarity said, “The rest of you girls, you may as well wait here. I’ll go to the tree, this is personal and I want to have some part in defeating the monster. Lead on, Apple Bloom.”

When she got back to the Golden Oak Library, Twilight immediately pulled down a book of Ethereal and Aereomantic Sorcery. She knew exactly where to find the spell she wanted, but she needed to check on the details to make sure it would function as she expected. By Pinkie’s description, the dopant had some kind of infancy toxin. It could presumably spray jets of the poison, but her magic would be enough to deflect such a direct attack, especially as GenerousJoker. The danger was not noticing a tiny patch of poison on the ground, stepping on it by chance. But this spell would be just what she needed. According to the lengthy preamble in the book, it was commonly known as ‘Art’s Big Miss’. The creator, legendary mage Artifact Fire, had been trying to create a spell that would allow unicorns to fly like their (at the time) pegasus enemies. But all he had managed was a spell that would allow the caster to walk an inch above the ground without ever touching it, the one big miss in the famous spellwright’s legacy.

It was just what Twilight needed. She cast the spell, applied the ointment to her hooves to guarantee it wouldn’t wear off for a whole day unless she teleported, and then sat back to wait. This tactic wouldn’t have worked, unless she had a way to bring the dopant to her. So she really had to thank Apple Bloom.

“Is that straight, Spike dear?” Rarity looked critically at the tree. Just as Apple Bloom had said, it was scratched with a dozen ponies’ names. The babies in the Cakes’ care were crossed out, heavy scores in the wood across their names. There could be no doubt that this was what the monster was using to measure the will of the crowds. Rarity was ready to scratch in one more name, but her perfectionist tendencies had stepped in, and so she was lining up two parallel measuring tapes on the tree to ensure that her writing was perfectly neat and level.

“Yeah, looks good to me,” Spike was sitting high on another tree nearby, giving him a better viewpoint to judge the angle of the writing. He blushed, proud to be helping Rarity with such an important task, and impressed with her dedication to making every little thing perfect.

“Oh!” Apple Bloom gasped.

“What’s wrong? Is it crooked?”

“No, I just realised, Evening Spirit’s name isn’t on this list, but he was missing from class along with all the others. Do you think he might be the monster?”

“It’s possible. Do we know anything about him that might help us persuade him to stop?”

“No. He’s weird, keeps to himself. Sometimes I think he’s following me with his eyes, like… I don’t know. I try to avoid him.”

“Why would you want to do that?” a unicorn colt with a dull moss-green coat and grease-streaked mane stepped out of the shadow of a tree, “You’re here to mess with my plan?” Even as he spoke, he was levitating the Gaia Memory behind him, and Rarity had only just noticed and grabbed for her Element when the Memory’s voice shouted out, grating menacingly.

“FOAL!”

Rarity quickly tapped the Memory into her collar and lifted it out ready to transform, waiting for the Driver to appear on her breast. The colt’s horn was almost hidden under the bulbous coating of his dopant form, but she could still see the glow of sickly purple magic, the colour of his eyes, and readied her own magic to protect her from a strike. But Evening Spirit aimed for the tree above her, breaking off a branch and sending it spearing downwards to knock the Element from her hoof.

Then the Foal Dopant spat a stream of its strange, milky venom. It would have hit Rarity for sure, if it hadn’t been for Spike dropping onto its head from the tree above. The little dragon caught most of the stream with his body, then grabbed the dopant’s stubby horn and kicked and clawed at its eyes.

“You won’t hurt Rarity!”

Rarity scrabbled for the Element of Generosity, but it was in a tangle of roots and fallen branches, and every one she tugged at just seemed to make it slip deeper into the pile. She was panicking, even when Apple Bloom rushed forward to help. She had never been so grateful for Spike’s help, and just hoped he could distract the monster long enough for the two of them to recover the Element.

Then she glanced up and saw Spike hovering in the air, held in place by magic. A stream of dopant toxin covered him almost completely, and the little dragon seemed to be getting even smaller. Evening Spirit grinned; he didn’t know if his power would work on a dragon or not, but he knew he had guessed correctly when the shrinking form was momentarily enclosed in the translucent image of an egg.

Back in the Golden Oak Library, Twilight Sparkle panicked when her collar flashed. She put on the Driver immediately and slotted in her Element, but worrying about her plan no longer working meant she hesitated just a second.

“JOKER!”

Twilight wondered if Rarity would be able to start the transformation. Should she teleport to where the distress signal had come from, or wait to transform first? If she teleported then the enchantment on her hooves would go away, but if she didn’t then she wouldn’t be there in time. She reached a decision in a second, flinging the door open and running as fast as her hooves could carry her. With this enchantment, she seemed to skitter above the cobbles almost like ice-skating, and she was even more grateful to Pinkie Pie for the lessons at the start of the year.

“Fluttershy!” she called out, using the collar’s enchantment to carry her voice, “Can we use Fluttertwi? Magic and wings, right? Then I can teleport to Rarity.” But before Fluttershy could answer there was a flash of unfamiliar magic from the Driver, something Twilight had never sensed before. Her eyes closed instantly, and Twilight skidded down the street in a heap, much to the consternation of passers by.

“Aha!” Spike grinned, flexed his tiny muscles, and felt the dopant’s curse surge away. It was something he’d heard Twilight say, but never expected he would feel it himself: “A dragon egg repels all magic and hostile effects, perfectly protecting the embryo until it is ready to hatch.”

He could feel the dopant’s power trying to turn him into a baby, but he could shake it off his shell as easily as shaking water off his scales. And as much as he wanted to deny it, his body’s magical signature was half Gaia Memory. He could gather the power he’d repelled and absorb it, using it to power up his own magic and become more and more powerful.

Spike returned to his regular height, but muscular and bulky, with scales that looked like solid armour rather than just decoration. His flame breath shot back at the dopant like a tongue of blue-white fire, effortlessly slicing through interposing branches and the stream of poison. The dopant shrieked in pain, but he was already trying something new, trying to modulate his magic to get around Spike’s defences. The two fought for a moment, more and more complex invocations of unicorn, dragon, and Gaia magical energies surging back and forth in an intangible chess game too fast for anyone else to follow. But Evening Spirit was very clever, and he had been working with magic all his life. After two seconds, it was all Spike could do to hold him off.

“Rarity!” he called, “I can’t keep this up! Have you found it?”

Rarity glanced down as the Driver appeared, the Joker memory already in place. She heard Twilight’s suggestion, knew that the Champion could be there any moment, but it just wasn’t fast enough. She grabbed with her magic, sacrificing finesse in the name of speed as she pulled Spike towards her.

“I’m sorry, I think this is the only way.”

“JOKERᏔDRAGON!”

Twilight panicked for a moment, until she felt the body she had been thrust into. She hadn’t felt this before, though she had seen it, and didn’t look forward to finding out how hard it was to control this form. A coruscating web of magic spread from the Driver over Rarity’s body, and her muscles bulged and rippled, making her grow more with every second. They couldn’t help giving a roar of triumph, their minds flooded with the desire to protect and the intoxicating currents of power.

The draconeequus reached down with one giant claw to pick up the Foal Dopant. Compared to a monster 50 feet high, he seemed as small as any baby.

Twilight was distracted by the magic she could feel. Now she could actually sense the Gaia Energy around them, as if it was just another field of magic. She had the immense power of GenerousJoker at her disposal, but it was mixed and boosted further by Spike’s draconic and Gaia magics. She could tap into it, she knew, and literally do anything. But if she did, it would be a force of chaos, almost impossible to control. She could change the colour of the clouds across Equestria, or change the roads to ice so that everypony could enjoy skating like she just had. But she wouldn’t let herself do that, because she knew that the power of chaos was too great to be tamed. One step on that slippery slope would be one too many, regardless of the circumstances.

“You… you can’t do this!” Twilight struggled to speak, and the voice that came out of their mouth was a barely intelligible roar. She could feel Spike’s desire to protect Rarity twisting and turning within their mind, evolving into the urge to kill anypony that might be a threat. She could imagine this was how a dopant must feel, being taken over by the darkest side of its power becoming terrible, but she could fight it. She could talk to the Memory user like she always did, and convince him to abandon the path of destruction.

“Why did you do this?” the draconequus roared. “You can’t understand how destructive a Gaia Memory can be. What would you gain by taking these ponies away from their lives, by making their families worry about them? Don’t you have anypony you care about?”

“It’s what everypony wants!” the Foal Dopant squeaked, clearly terrified by the change in circumstances, “You’ve seen the list, you can’t blame me. I was just doing what they want, and…”

“That’s not what they want,” Apple Bloom interrupted, anger finally overcoming her fear. “It’s a joke, putting somepony’s name on there. Knowing their friends think they’ve gone too far is all it takes to make them think again. And you think if you scratched somepony’s name on there, when they hurt you, it might make you feel a tiny bit better? Like you’ve told a friend, even if you can’t, and then you could move on. How would you feel if you found out you’d lost your friend forever, over some silly argument? That’s terrible!”

“I did what you wanted, all of you! I was just following instructions, I thought you’d be happy!” Even through the strange echo the Memory added to his voice, Evening Spirit sounded both disappointed and afraid. Twilight and Rarity wanted to ask more questions, to better understand what could drive an ordinary colt so far, but it was taking every ounce of self control not to crush his fragile body into dust.

“Did…” he continued, “Did you put a name on the list? Somepony you’ve forgiven?”

“I did. But forgiveness, that’s not so easy. Somepony upset me, and hasn’t even apologised. But if that’s as far as it goes, maybe they will. This… turning somepony into a baby, it means there’s no second chances for friendship. I’ll never get a chance to forgive that pony if you carry on to the bottom of the tree.”

Evening Spirit looked down at the list. His hit list. He had wanted to prove that he was useful, that he mattered. But he had never even considered if the ponies who chose the names might have changed their minds. This wasn’t what he had hoped for, but he knew that if he gave up now he would be just another kid, and he couldn’t touch the big picture at all. He would be everything his parents said he was, if he gave up on something he believed in just because he found some new detail. He needed to have the strength to ignore any facts that would discourage him from his path.

He scowled, and looked back at the dragon pony. She was still holding him, but loosely in one claw. He could probably escape if he had to, and the distant look in the dragon’s eyes meant she might not notice right away. He could still win, and show Apple Bloom that he had the determination to be an adult and do what needed to be done. He looked back at the list again, and saw only six names remained. The highest was Miss Cheerilee, the one time he had failed. The last name on the list…

‘Evening Spirit’

No explanation, just a name. He hadn’t read down that far, always looking at the next target and thinking of a way to find them on their own. His own name was on the list, and he couldn’t think why. But then, he’d done things as bad as some of those he’d already punished, maybe. If it was just a careless word, or not understanding some signal, then he could see somepony coming to hate him. He couldn’t complete the list, that much was obvious. He had a task to do, and once he’d done it he might even be recognised for how far he had gone to help the oppressed, those for whom the myth of the cursed tree was the only way they could seek revenge on the bullies. But if he was exempt because he had a great purpose, then how could he say that the other targets didn’t have their own purpose as well? It was all going wrong, and if he couldn’t find a solution he would be the one weird kid that nopony even remembered.

“You like babysitting, don’t you?” Apple Bloom shouted up to him again, “I remember you talking about it in class, and you sounded really excited. You like playing with babies, right? Is that why you wanted to make ponies young again, does that have anything to do with it? You wanted more kids to play with, who won’t judge you?”

He didn’t respond. He was having a crisis of conscience, and he just wanted to be alone so he could work out how to resolve all these issues.

“Just play with them?” another voice cut in. One of the adults, Pinkie Pie, walking carefully between the trees, “I learned today that sometimes just playing with kids isn’t the best way to look after them. You need to be serious too. You need to be responsible, and not do wild things just because you can.”

“Yeah,” Evening shouted down, “I was expecting the Cakes to look after the new babies, but you didn’t do too bad. You should have learned that years ago though, you can’t let them keep playing forever. What a kid wants isn’t always what they need.”

“I learned it though,” Pinkie beamed proudly, “Did you?”

“Babies are always emotional,” the draconequus spoke again, and this time it was Rarity’s voice coming out, “They only think about what they want right now, so you have to be mature and sensible. But the same comes for helping anypony who’s upset. What they want now isn’t always what they need in the long run. You should think about that when you read your list.”

“And sometimes,” Apple Bloom added before he could think of a valid response, “When you really want to hurt somepony, when you hate them enough to put their name on a cursed tree, when you’re that angry because a friend said the wrong thing, or didn’t realise something would upset you… What you want is something to hurt them, or maybe to never see them again. But maybe what you need is just a blank slate, so you can start over and maybe try to like them again.”

“How?” the word was like the last gasp of air from a deflating balloon, Evening Spirit’s tone was his admission of defeat. He knew he had done wrong, but he still felt like he had to do something. He couldn’t just step back from the mission he’d set himself without feeling like a failure.

(“He wants to surrender,” Rarity whispered inside their shared mind, “He just needs an excuse. We can’t hold him here forever, but I’m worried we might hurt him too much if we try a memory break like this.”)

(“I have an idea,” Twilight responded nervously, looking down at the names carved on that one tree, “Do you think you can keep control, Spike?”)

(“I don’t know. I just want to protect Rarity from this dopant, I could crush him so easily, but I know I shouldn’t.”)

(“What you want and what you need,” Rarity sighed, “Everypony has that problem, but you don’t want to hurt Pinkie Pie and Apple Bloom either, do you? Can you try to let Twilight take control of the body for a moment, so we can do this the right way? Can you do that for me?”)

(“I can try!” Spike found the urge to destroy subsiding just a little. Twilight was used to controlling recalcitrant magic, and he would never turn down a request from Rarity. It might just be enough to let the draconequus use their powers without giving in to chaos. Maybe.)

Evening Spirit didn’t hear the discussion inside their shared mind. He just saw a tongue of flame lance out, brilliant white and so bright it hurt his eyes just to look at it. It vanished as quickly as it had gone, and as his eyes adjusted to the comparatively dim light of noon again he could see the ashes where a cursed tree had once stood.

“I’ll have to find a new way to prove myself!” Evening Spirit gasped, but he didn’t seem to be entirely upset about the prospect. There was no way he could complete his quest now, so there was no reason to worry about whether it was right to continue. “I’ll have to find a new purpose in life, or I’ll be nobody!”

“You could be anything,” Apple Bloom actually smiled at him this time, “Just like the rest of us. Maybe you’d be better making friends, so you can find your talents together. That way, you’ve got somepony who cares enough to tell you before you start on such a dark path.”

“Friends?” the word was underscored with a melodious chime as he yanked the Gaia Memory out of his flank and returned to being just another lanky unicorn colt who could have gone unnoticed in the crowd. He threw it into the air as hard as he could, and a second lance of brilliant white fire split the air.

With the threat gone, it took only a mighty effort of will for the draconequus to return to being a normal unicorn and a dragon-shaped Gaia Memory. Ponyville was safe again, the unexpected babies returned to their adult or foal sizes over the course of half an hour, with no problem more serious than a little embarrassment and some overcrowding in the Cakes’ front room.

A few days later. Everything was back to normal, or as normal as Ponyville ever got. Princess Luna had left town again, but promised she would be back in a week to discover what Nightmare Night was all about. All the babified ponies were trying to act like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

“I see you’re talking to Evening Spirit,” Applejack asked her sister over the breakfast table, “You really forgive him for what he did to your friends?”

“Not really. And some of the things he says are still kind of creepy. But I think he’s trying,” Apple Bloom looked around, checking that the two of them had the kitchen to themselves right now before continuing, “I don’t know how long he was under the control of the Memory, so maybe the worst things he did before were because of that. I know what it’s like to lose control, and I think if he has friends to help him he could grow into a good kid. If we learned anything, it’s don’t hold one mistake against somepony.”

“I think maybe you learned that one better than we did,” Applejack laughed, “But I got to ask you something a bit more serious. He’s talking to you now, and I think he likes you enough to give an honest answer. So do you think you could ask him where he got the Gaia Memory? We don’t want to dredge up bad memories, but…”

“I asked him. The Memory Dealer threw it out, because he wouldn’t touch anything that would harm a foal. Evening was in the right place at the right time that day, and caught it.”

“Can you find out who this Memory Dealer is, sugarcube? We could really use –”

“No,” Apple Bloom interrupted, “I’m sorry, but you don’t need to know.”

“What?” Applejack sputtered and stammered, not even sure what to make of that comment. She couldn’t believe that Apple Bloom, who the Champions had trusted to help them a few times already, would keep such vital information from them if she’d found out.

“I talked to him,” Apple Bloom continued, “The Dealer. After I found the Bird Memory, I had to know what he was doing with something so dangerous. And he said it’s more complex than you think. There’s a load of Gaia Memories left in the world from a thousand years ago, they turned into crystals so dull you wouldn’t notice them in the ground, but then they revived. So there’s ponies who’ve found them, and can’t control them now. There’s ponies gathering them together to sell, as well. They’re the ones you should be stopping. But there’s a group, they call themselves the Foundation, refining and improving the Gaia Memories. They’re trying to make something that will improve your natural talents, that will allow you to be the best pony you can be without driving you mad. Wouldn’t that be a wonderful thing? The Memory Dealer is hunting the out-of-control dopants as well, and only selling the new Memories when he thinks there’s a pony he can trust to control it. He takes responsibility for them. And he made me promise not to tell you, because he says there’s one of your friends that he can’t trust.”

Applejack stared, mouth open. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But she knew the value of a promise as well as anypony. She’d have to talk to the others about this, but she couldn’t force Apple Bloom to break a promise. For now, it seemed a problem that wouldn’t be so easy to solve.

Interruption - F Me

“So what was it like?” Pinkie Pie bounced up and down outside Rainbow Dash’s bedroom window, the question apparently so urgent that she couldn’t knock on the door and wait for her friend to open it. “Being turned back into a baby, I mean. That must have been so weird! Could you remember who you were, or were you really just trading places with little Dashie like Twilight said?”

“This again?” Dash tried to hide under the covers, but she knew Pinkie would keep on bouncing and asking until she got a response. After a few minutes, she walked over to the door and let Pinkie inside.

“Have you got a trampoline or something down there?” it was probably the strangest line she could remember opening a conversation with this year, but Pinkie Pie didn’t leave much room for normalcy.

“Yeah, it’s awesome if you need to get to high places. Do you want one? Well, not like you need it. But do you want one? You could use it to get to take off when you’re too tired to flap your wings!”

“Yeah…” Rainbow Dash shrugged, “Hi, anyway.”

“Oh yeah, I wanted to ask you. What it felt like, being turned into a baby. I’m kinda curious, and I want to figure out if Twilight was right about how it worked. See I had another idea, what if it’s just an illusion that you turned into a baby. I mean, even Poison Joke can turn a pony tiny, and that’s not even real magic. But changing your age is supposed to be one of the big impossible things. So I was thinking, maybe it just made you smaller, and made an illusion that you were a baby, and if it’s a good enough illusion you couldn’t help playing along?”

“I can’t see any reason that wouldn’t work, but then I’m not a unicorn. The magic I understand’s all in my wings and my hooves.”

“Yeah, but I thought maybe that’s how it works. And if it was, then what you remember might be different, if it was actually you being a baby and not like a little you or alternate you or something. If you remember, then I can say this to Twilight and see what she thinks about the illusion idea. Maybe we’ll understand better how dopant magic works, maybe?”

“I guess so,” Dash thought. The fillies who’d been turned back to babies had all said they couldn’t remember a thing, though who came up with that story first wasn’t clear. Dash had just gone along with the group, too embarrassed to say anything more, wondering if it was the same for everypony. “Well, if it’s going to help us fight the monsters, I can tell you more. Yeah, I remember a bit.”

“Was it… nice?” Pinkie Pie seemed hesitant, a rare enough occasion in itself. “I mean, it must have been scary, a dopant doing something like that to you. But I imagine how a baby sees the world, how they act, and I think everything must seem like terrifying, or amazing, or soft and reassuring. They don’t know enough about the world to have more detailed thoughts about everything, maybe?”

“I guess that’s something like how I felt. It was warm and comfortable, but then I was so weak. The thing that confused me most was how I couldn’t see or hear properly. Like, you know if you dive into a lake for some reason, you can’t see anything on the surface through the ripples, even if you know what’s there, and everything you hear goes all weird and echoey. It’s like you’re cut off from the world, it’s still there but everything you see and hear is scrambled enough that you don’t know what’s going on. Other ponies are a blur, I couldn’t see who was who, so I just had to trust that they weren’t going to hurt me. That’s hard.”

“Maybe that’s because you’re looking out from inside an illusion, that kind of makes sense. Like it’s a weird shaped lens that messes everything up.”

“Yeah. And… I think I got caught up in playing, as well, as if I was a real filly just got her first flight feathers. That’s kind of embarrassing to admit, it’s so not cool. I should have been the element of loyalty, doing everything I could to help my friends understand. But everything was fuzzy, even my memories. The blurred giant ponies looked so big, I couldn’t recognise them, even their voices I couldn’t understand. And my memories too. And when I saw something moving that I could actually track, I just had to pounce to prove that I still can, that I can do something at least. It was weird, like every little urge was magnified, every interest or fear was magnified. Everything larger than life, not just the other ponies but all my feelings too. So when I got the urge to play with something, I couldn’t help myself. I should have known I was acting like a little filly, but with these waves of feelings, I couldn’t hold on to that thought. Does that make sense?”

“Yeah, I can imagine that. And I think it must mean we were right about the illusion thing. I’ll tell Twilight about it, but I won’t tell her the other stuff if you don’t want me to.”

“Thanks,” Rainbow Dash couldn’t think what else to say, “I’m just glad to be me again. To be able to fly wherever I want, and my achievements are flying faster than anypony else ever did, not just flying across the room without falling.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie smiled, “We’re glad to have you back. But I kinda wish it had been me, as well. Everything so exciting, or scary, or whatever. All those urges so sudden that you can’t help it, it means that you could just do what comes naturally and nopony’s going to tell you off for playing. You know? It’d be more relaxing than a spa, just for a one off. Not having to think about things because you can’t. I’d like to have found out before we destroyed it.”

“I guess, without the monster and working out where those babies all came from. If we’d known what was happening, maybe I can imagine that being fun for some ponies. Not for me, though.”

“Right.”

“So if Twilight comes up with some spell to test the shrinking-and-illusion theory, you’re the one to test it. Deal?”

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie grinned, “I bet that would be pretty fun for a while. Maybe get a playdate with–” and there she stopped.

“Something wrong?”

“Oh, I just remembered Pound and Pumpkin, I was supposed to go round to play with them today. I hope they won’t mind if I’m a bit late.”

“You’re babysitting again?” Rainbow Dash tried not to show her surprise, but without much success, “I would have thought –”

“Oh, no. I’m just going to play with them. Evening Spirit’s looking after them this evening, he’s found his special talent in caring for little ones now. But I’m taking over tomorrow, while their parents are out all day and he’s at school. I mean, maybe last time was a bit chaotic, but nopony could say that was my fault. They said they were really proud of how mature I was, coping in a crisis, so they won’t hesitate to ask me to babysit again.”

“Wow,” Dash smiled, “I guess this time, it really did turn out well for everypony.”

Author's Note

Sorry this one took so long. I just couldn't think of a title

Episode 21 - More Than Meets the I

Author's Note

Wow, more than a month since I posted the last chapter.

I guess that's because I've spent so much time working on my next novel; 174k words written since July, and just over 11k shared with the world so far.

At least I can promise the next chapter won't be so far away; chapter 22 is already with twilightL for editing.

Episode 21 - More Than Meets the I

It was a quiet day in Ponyville, the only sound being the laughter of foals at play. It was still summer, but the days were starting to draw shorter now. A week before had been the annual festival of Nightmare Night, when the young would don costumes and make a symbolic tribute to the terrible Nightmare Moon so that she would never again return to trouble Equestria. The festivities had been a little different this year, given that Nightmare Moon was no longer banished to the dark side of her namesake. Most ponies thought she had been finally defeated, or maybe sealed away again, but the party kept up just the same. Traditions changed, without regard to the original meaning behind them. It was just the same as Nightmare Night’s date changing from the equinox to near midsummer (so that the foals could be out after sunset without really feeling the chill in the air, or finding it too dark to walk safely); Nightmare Moon hadn’t cared at all.

In all of Ponyville, there were probably only a dozen who had known before the festival that Princess Luna had abandoned the cape and dark powers of the tyrant Princess of the Night. And maybe only one who buried her nose in books enough to understand the true meaning of the festival, before it had been changed by the passage of time. She saw that the events of that night this year were just one more change in a series of many, and the babies who had been too young to go out this time would grow up with a festival where Nightmare Moon returned to her dark self once a year, giving vent to all her darkest urges so that ordinary ponies would only have to fear her for one day. New explanations for the same old traditions, it was the way of the world.

In Twilight Sparkle’s little nook, it was almost completely quiet. The sound of kids playing accompanied a refreshing breeze through the open window, but quietly enough that it was no more noticeable than the sound of slowly turning pages. Here it was nearly always quiet, because this was a library. And the last two or three weeks especially, because no dopant had appeared to terrorise the citizens of Ponyville. Twilight was even starting to wonder if the Memory Dealers had been scared into backing off, rather than losing any more clients to the Champions of Harmony, the team that had formed around Twilight’s own heroism and friendship.

The blessed silence lasted another minute or two, while Twilight had nothing on her mind beyond a little refresher course to ensure she hadn’t forgotten the typical structures and drawbacks of an amniomorphic spell.

“Twilight!” Spike screamed, throwing back the door and running into the main room of the library, “TWILIGHT!”

“Spike!” Twilight popped her head out of the little alcove where she had situated her favourite hammock, “Keep it down, this is a library! You’ll disturb everypony’s reading!” Spike paused and looked around, puzzled. The room was large enough, but he could see from the middle of the floor that the library was deserted save for Twilight herself.

“Well, you’re disturbing my studying,” Twilight conceded, “and there could have been other ponies here. This had better be something important. What is it?”

“Sweet Pickings is dead!” Spike eventually managed to choke out the words, “They found her this morning, in the lake. They said she must have stumbled and fallen in, that the water’s still very cold for a pony her age. I said I was going to tell you, and they said the police can handle it. The guy in charge, he’s some big shot detective, he says just because you guys investigate rampaging monsters, you don’t need to be involved in every investigation in town. He said they just died from cold, it’s a normal thing and not something that anypony should waste their time on, he doesn’t want another amateur detective running around the place getting underhoof.”

He finally ran out of breath, and stood panting in the middle of the floor. Twilight peered down at him, wrinkling her forehead in confusion.

“That’s right, isn’t it?” she said, “I don’t think I know Sweet Pickings, but if she’s had an accident I’m sure there are officials whose job is to ensure there was no foul play,and to help console the relatives. It really isn’t what I was sent here for. Why don’t you let the detective do his job? He must know what he’s doing, to be in charge there.”

“Because…” Spike hesitated, “It was just the way he said it. He said they died from cold, not she. And he said another amateur detective. That kinda makes me think that there’s something weird going on, and they’re too proud to ask for help. Like Applejack was, when it was harvest season for them. And because the police don’t know all about dopants, and they might think this is something normal when it’s not. And…” he trailed off.

“And?”

“And because I’ve just seen an old mare get pulled out of her garden pond, completely rigid. Like she’s just going to go back to normal as soon as the ice melts. We’ve been saving ponies all since we’ve been here, and I don’t like that we can’t save that one.”

“I understand,” Twilight whispered, climbing down from her hammock now. She lifted Spike up and held him tenderly with her magic. “You haven’t seen death before, and it seems so unfair that ponies just die. I read in so many philosophy texts, that the ponies you can help aren’t always the same as the ones in front of you. Mistraiser the Wise called it the greatest tragedy of the evolved conscience. I just glad I’ve not had to see…” and she stopped mid sentence, finally realising what she’d just heard.

“Wait,” she asked, “What did you say?”

“We’ve been saving ponies all year, and I don’t like seeing one I can’t save?”

“No, no, before that. Did you say ice?”

“Yeah. I mean it’s a hot summer afternoon, but a pond can still be pretty cold. I think I’ve never found a pool that isn’t cool to swim in. And this time it’s cold enough that poor old Sweet Pickings was trapped in a block of ice when they fished her out of the pond. It’s weird how the water can do that.”

“No,” Twilight snapped firmly, “Water can’t do that. It has a high specific heat capacity, so the sun only warms the surface and the winter frosts only cool the surface. It takes the heat a long time to get to the middle. So the temperature at the centre of a lake is the average temperature of the surrounding microclimate, halfway between the hottest summer day and the coldest winter night. So when you go swimming in summer – because nopony would want to swim in the middle of winter – the water seems colder. That’s not normally cold enough to freeze, because we don’t have snow on the ground for anything like half the year. But even where it is, in the deep frozen lands of the north, you get a lake with a permanent frozen core. A giant ice cube slightly below freezing temperature, and the rest of the lake slightly above, and the colder the average temperature is, the greater the proportion of the lake taken up by ice even in midsummer. But even if we assume that the pond in question is large enough to have a core in thermal balance, even if we assume that the average temperature is cold enough to create ice, the ice would be in a block. If she’s swimming in water that’s just a fraction of a degree above freezing, it’s still not going to freeze around her unless there’s an ice storm on the surface to make it colder.”

“I don’t get it…” Spike mumbled, once he was sure Twilight’s lecture had actually ended, “There are ice cubes in lakes?”

“Only in very cold places. And ice cubes never make more ice in your drink, do they?” Spike just shook his head, and Twilight continued: “Then we’re agreed. This must have been some pretty high-grade weather magic. If ponies have died from ice, it’s not just an accident, and the police need to start taking it seriously. I don’t know if it’s a dopant here, maybe it is. But it sounds to me like the proper authorities don’t know anything about microclimatology, so even if it isn’t we need to give them a push in the right direction.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Dash jerked awake so quickly that she fell off the edge of her luxurious bed and sprawled out on the floor. She’d just been taking an afternoon nap after a hard morning clearing stray clouds away so that the kids of Ponyville could enjoy a warm afternoon, and Twilight’s voice had suddenly come from nowhere. She looked around her bedroom, head snapping from one side to the other, for a second before her sleepy mind remembered the collars. She rested a hoof on her Element, and then replied.

“What’s up?” As much as Rainbow Dash wanted to mutter something sarcastic about the easy life of a bookworm in a library, and how tired she was after a morning of hard work, she knew by now that Twilight wouldn’t contact her using the mental connection of the Elements of Harmony unless it was an actual emergency.

“Can I come round?” Twilight’s voice seemed like she was whispering right next to Dash’s ear, which somehow seemed even weirder when she was lying on a relatively soft cloud next to her own bed, “It’s weird talking like this. And I need to ask your opinion on the weather.”
“The weather?” Dash just couldn’t think of anything more constructive to say, “But the weather’s my job! I know all there is to know about weather, but why would you be interested in something like that?”

She actually waited a couple of seconds for a response before she realised that Twilight Sparkle was no longer listening. The magical connection had blinked out just as quickly as it had started. A second later there was a brilliant flash, and Twilight was standing right there.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to knock before teleporting, or something? What if I’d been doing something private?”

“That’s why I asked if it was okay to come round. You said you know everything about the weather, right?” Rainbow Dash could only nod, as Twilight kept on talking, “I mean, I’ve read everything about weather formations in the Royal Canterlot Library, but that was so long ago, and in the Golden Oak Library too, but there’s not much there. It’s like a study of what the pegasi do to control the weather, but all in such academic terms that it’s difficult to understand as a real experience. I was hoping you might have some books that explain it a little better, from your school days or something. I could never actually find that many books on the practise of pegasus magic, only the theory. Why do you think that could be?”

“I think we mostly get taught by somepony, show it and try it. There isn’t much you can learn from books, cloud-herding is like an art. No matter what you read, you’d never understand it properly until you’ve done it once.”

“Oh,” Twilight almost visibly deflated.

“Have you spent all day reading books about how the weather works, trying to understand it on your own? You seem a little twitchy, I think maybe you’re overdoing it, how long have you had your nose in a book today?”

“Umm…” Twilight hesitated, making it clear that the answer was too long, and that she was well aware of that fact. “Pretty much all day. Spike brought me a couple of sandwiches, but I need to do research. I think it might be a dopant, or at the very least something the police aren’t equipped to handle.”

Rainbow Dash thought about this for a moment before answering: “The police can’t handle the weather? Has somepony been stealing it?”

“No. Several ponies have died from the cold, even though it’s past midsummer now. Spike tells me the detective in charge of the case is insisting this is a perfectly natural consequence of the weather, and it’s just unfortunate that old and infirm ponies managed to get caught outside after sunset.”

“What the hay?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing, “I know the nights are colder than the day, what with the sun not being there and everything, but no way would we let it get cold enough to hurt somepony in the summer. Where did this happen?” Just like that, Rainbow Dash was on the case. Twilight knew that had touched a nerve, and her friend would have to see this case to a satisfactory solution even if it turned out not to be a dopant behind it. That was one thing the two Champions of Harmony had in common.

The weather has never been the most exciting topic of conversation. But these two ponies found enough details to keep them interested. Rainbow Dash knew everything about the subject, but putting it into words wasn’t as easy as she’d thought, so Twilight found herself needing to ask more and more questions about tiny details, trying to understand the flows of pegasus magic. She was pretty sure that it wasn’t normal weather magic to blame in this case, but she had to exhaust every other possibility before assuming the presence of a dopant.

“I think I understand most of how ice and snow forms,” Twilight wasn’t as sure as she liked to be, but she figured this was about as close as she was going to get without watching it closely in action. “Let’s go see the police, see what they have to say.”

“Right. Maybe we should pick up one of the others on the way. I mean, hail and snow in the air, I know everything even if I can’t explain it. I’m the master of the weather. But the ebb and flow of ice in rivers and lakes, that isn’t quite a weather thing. It’s kind of on the edge, where sometimes weather magic can change it, but sometimes you need earth pony powers, because it’s all that ‘harmonies of the ground’ stuff I never really understood.”

Elsewhere in Ponyville, Gin Mixer was a lot less eager to admit that he didn’t understand. He had a report on his desk from the Ponyville Central Weather Service, some bureaucratic group among the pegasi who managed the weather around here. Somepony had told them that he was worried the weather was too cold at night, and ordinary ponies were dying from exposure.

Most ponies assumed that Gin Mixer was always angry about what he was currently working on. Sometimes that was accurate; he was a police detective, and being outraged about a crime was a surefire way to be more motivated, more dedicated to finding the truth. He figured that was widely enough known that a lot of ponies assumed his anger even when he didn’t show it. Or maybe some of them saw him being forthright and direct, and assumed that was a sign of inner rage almost ready to boil over. It wasn’t, of course. He was loud and brusque regardless of his feelings, because that manner got guilty ponies to answer questions. He wasn’t going to be soft when the case required a hard hoof. But today, he was angry. Angry because he didn’t understand. And angry because he didn’t know how to respond to this letter.

Since this case had started, a couple of months ago now, ponies had been dying from the cold. When it was just a week after the big wrap-up event to signal the end of winter, that wasn’t too strange. It was still cold out, and the weaker ponies probably couldn’t stand spending a night outside if they stumbled and fell, and got stranded far from help. But as spring grew warmer, and turned into summer, after the summer sun celebration came and went, and now they were well on the way towards autumn, there shouldn’t still be elderly mares being pulled frozen out of a stream in the middle of the night.

Gin Mixer assumed something was wrong with the weather. He knew that streams and lakes were always colder than the air around them, and that everything went colder at night when the sun stopped adding extra warmth. But for so many to freeze to death, something was certainly wrong. And yet, he knew the weather ponies. He knew just how seriously they took their jobs. And he couldn’t imagine an error on that scale, that lasted through long balmy days and summer showers, going unnoticed for so long. He wanted to blame the weather ponies, because that would have made his job so much easier, but he couldn’t.

And now, somepony had sent this letter, asserting that he’d said the things he wanted to say but couldn’t. How could he react to that? If he made a statement the next time someone mentioned it, he could say that the weather was behaving as expected, and these deaths were just terrible misfortune. But that wouldn’t be true, and if there was one thing that Gin Mixer really cared about, it was the truth. And just as bad, it meant that he couldn’t push the weather service for another check into the night-time temperatures, because now that they had seen an accusation which purported to come from him, they would consider any further questions to be directly blaming them.

He wished he wasn’t working on this case, because it seemed like he couldn’t get anywhere. But he had his pride as a detective, and he wasn’t going to let it go until he found the answer. He wasn’t going to abandon it to be forever unsolved, and he wasn’t going to let the case be taken from him by someone else. Certainly not by amateur detectives who knew nothing about police work but were convinced they could solve a string of accidental deaths faster than him.

Accidental. The word was a joke, and that just made him angrier. Of course it was an accident. These ponies had died of cold, of exposure to the outside. That wasn’t a weapon, there was no sign of violence. Just nine ponies in the space of five months, every one frozen solid, and all found in a pool, a stream, or a lake. But that much in common between them told him that there had to be someone in common behind it. Could he seriously believe that somepony was using the weather as a murder weapon? And if he found out that was true, was there any way he could tell anypony else without them thinking he was crazy?

Gin Mixer hated being uncertain. He hated being powerless. And now that he didn’t know what had happened to these victims, and he had no idea what he’d do with the information even if he found out, he was doubly vexed.

The letter from the weather service was in front of him. He read over it again, feeling no less confused and angry. They said that they’d heard he was blaming their incompetence for a number of accidental deaths. Well, maybe some words he’d said at a scene could be taken that way, but he wished he had some idea who could have reported those words to the ponies he was talking about. The letter also said that no areas of Ponyville had experienced abnormal cold fronts in the last month or so, and asked him to supply details of the times and places so that they could double check. And they said that pulling a frozen-solid pony out of a non-frozen lake, even in the middle of winter, was a technical impossibility. They cited some numbers, which meant nothing to Gin Mixer. But he could see that if it came down to their word against his, those strange patterns of letters and numbers, those equations, would convince everypony that he was the one who couldn’t be trusted to render a sound judgement any more. And they said something about the clustering effects of natural harmonies in the ground. He clung to that like a liferaft; there was one phenomena that even the pegasus geniuses at the official weather service couldn’t account for, one strangeness that could just possibly have led to the troubles that Ponyville was experiencing. If he could just look into that possibility, he might find the truth he was looking for.

And that, after a lot of careful thought, was why Gin Mixer was waiting nervously for one of Ponyville’s most respected earth ponies to come and visit him. The harmonies of the ground seemed like a nonsense term, used to handwave anything you couldn’t adequately explain. But it turned out it was a real, specific thing. A type of magic, that most earth ponies had access to instinctively, but never actually thought about how it worked. It would be hard to find the right questions to ask here, but there was just a chance that talking to enough earth ponies would give him the insight into their magic, and then knowing that would be the clue that could lead to a killer.

There was the tap of a hoof on his door. Time to stop worrying about the case, to let go of all his frustrations and just solve it. He was just about to call for the knocker to enter when the door swung open and a giant, red-coated earth pony walked in.

“You need something?”

In yet another part of town, there was a different red pony sitting on a bench, nibbling a donut and watching the world go by. Her name was Deep Crimson, which she always made sure to point out was a combination of her father’s name, Crimson Sky, and her maternal great uncle’s, Deep Well. She couldn’t bear to be thought of as a pony whose parents were shallow enough to name her simply for the colour of her coat.

It wasn’t strange that Deep Crimson was a little nervous about her own identity. She was a unicorn born with a pegasus father, and rural communities were still not always accepting of those with mixed parentage. So she had got into the habit of mentioning her father every time she introduced herself, always reminding herself to respect his talents, and live up to his expectations. She had always been determined that some day, she would do something even more important than winning the prestigious Best Sunset award for cloud shaping four years in a row.

Now Deep Crimson was a doctor, and she had come to Ponyville where she could make best use of her talents. She had only recently moved here, but already felt she knew the town and its residents well enough that she could see the currents of sickness beneath the surface. The whole town was ill, the whole country even, and she would be the one to cut out the infection. Even on her lunch break, as she watched the ponies going about their business, she could see that something was very wrong. Nopony else might see it, nopony might even realise. But Equestria was perched on the edge of something great or terrible and this town would be the tipping point. She was smart, she could watch the patterns. She knew the first point of infection, who she would need to sterilise in order to prevent this disease spreading further. And she knew the name of the cancer, too: Gaia Energy.

Deep Crimson was a doctor. And she was not averse to spilling as much blood as was needed, if it would save the patient. But she was also not a fool. She could attack him, the one who had almost crippled her, but she needed to know first that she was ready. So like any scientist, she would experiment. She picked a pony out of the crowd, and still munching on the last bites of her snack, began to follow.

“We want to see the officer in charge of the mysterious freezings,” Twilight Sparkle repeated to the pony on the front desk, “It’s vitally important.”

“What mysterious freezings?” he responded, trying to remain deferential despite his confusion. It was only recently that crime had become a major problem in Equestria, and the Royal Guard was now setting up dedicated ‘police’ groups in some of the larger towns. A guardspony who now found himself a defender of the Law and the Truth, as well as the Kingdom of Equestria, he was still nervous about putting a foot wrong when dealing with innocent members of the public.

“Sweet Pickings?” Twilight asked, wondering if the bureaucracy here was going to turn out to be as bad as some of the examples that Ponyville City Hall had created. There was something about ponies and paperwork, especially if the odd couple Pencil Pusher and Rubber Stamp were involved. If those two had helped to shape the procedures here, she wouldn’t be surprised if finding out who was involved with any given case required a specific case number, that there was no easy way to search for unless you were someone already assigned to working on that particular case.

The policecolt currently assigned to the front desk started leafing through a huge stack of papers, and then shook his head.

“I know the case you mean,” he said, “An old mare, fell in a cold pond and froze?”

“Cold water doesn’t work like that,” snapped Applejack, who had been brought along by her friends, “Why do I have to tell everypony that twice before they’ll listen?”

“Yeah, that’s what Gin Mixer said as well,” the colt nervously shuffled from hoof to hoof, “He’s just had an expert witness brought in, that’s why I recognised the name. He’s in the office back there, probably best if you wait until he’s finished talking to the expert, though.”

“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, resisting the urge to hurry straight to the office even though Spike was already there. “And would you like any help refining your filing system? I’d like to think I have some talent with such things, so I could maybe help to improve the organisation if it would make your job any easier.”

Day Sentry told her that their system had been designed by some of the best minds in City Hall, and that he couldn’t possibly criticise the talents of experts who had been chosen by his superiors. But between the lines, she was sure, he would be very happy if the forms on his desk were designed to record the information that ponies came in to give him, rather than trying to shape that information into the perfect organisational structure that certain bureaucrats thought it should take. Twilight made a mental note to speak to Mayor Mare about this later, and see what she had to do to be placed on the right committee. Then she hurried after her friends, meeting them outside the office that the young pony had indicated.

They barely had to wait any time at all. Twilight was just trotting over when the door opened and Big Mac came out. Applejack’s older brother was a strong farm pony, and known among some of Ponyville’s more observant citizens for being wiser than his muscles might suggest. Of course, if a pony who wasn’t so in tune with the spirits of nature wanted to know about the interaction between ground, water, and sky, then Big Mac would probably be one of the best ponies to ask. Certainly, his understanding of earth pony magic was second to none.

Twilight’s opinion of Gin Mixer rose by a notch, if he was actually calling in ponies who might be able to tell him what was possible and what wasn’t from among the evidence. From Spike’s description, she’d thought that the police force was sweeping the matter under the rug, just ignoring problems they couldn’t solve. But this detective seemed to be at least taking it seriously. That had to be a good thing, she was sure.

“Hey, Big Mac,” Applejack greeted her brother, “I didn’t expect to see you around here. You spotted the thing with the ice too?”

“Eeyup. Gin called on me, he reckons I know groundwater better’n anypony after I done all the new ditches on our place.”

“He’s got a point,” Applejack conceded, “If anyone can track down the culprit, it’ll be you. Think you need a few extra hooves on the ground, to help out with this one?”

“Nope. I think Detective Mixer’s got all the hooves he needs, and I can already tell you this is a nasty piece of work. I don’t want you getting involved, you could get yourself hurt, and I couldn’t take that. Your family needs you, so don’t go sticking your nose in this business when you don’t have to.”

“Right,” Applejack looked away, not sure what she could say to that. She could have commented that he was investigating too, or that it was just as dangerous for him. But he had a good point, Ponyville had the Police now as well as the Royal Guards, and that was supposed to mean that ordinary ponies didn’t have to deal with anything like this. They might have asked Big Mac to confirm that being found frozen wasn’t natural, but he wouldn’t be pursuing suspects and mixing with underworld ponies or monsters. And he’d know that if she was intending to help out, fighting the bad guys would be what was on her mind.

“What if it’s a dopant?” Twilight cut in, “You’ve seen how dangerous those things can be. Anypony could end up hurt if they take on a monster, whether it’s you, or the police, or whoever. If this is a Gaia Memory crime, we need to be involved.”

“The police called me,” Big Mac shrugged, “Because they haven’t got any earth ponies who got their hooves in the dirt, and they needed to know about earth pony magic. You know Gaia Energy better than anypony, and if they need to know that they’ll call on you just the same.”

“I guess so,” Applejack murmured, “Don’t fret yourself, big bro. We’re just going to talk to the detective, be sure he knows we’re here if they need us. I know I can be stubborn, but I’m not going to push my luck this time.”

Big Mac was already walking away, and didn’t give a reply. Applejack knew in her heart that the conversation must have been pretty hard for him too, just like it always was when she tried to solve the world’s problems by herself. But this time, she really meant it. She was here to advise, and she sure wasn’t going to pick a fight unless there was really a monster out there that needed dealing with.

“Did you want to see me?” an earth pony stallion poked his head out of the office door, “I heard a little part of that conversation, but…”

“Of course,” Twilight smiled, and led the others in, “I presume you are Detective Gin Mixer?” The stallion just nodded. He was wearing a suit, just as pretentious as the fancy outfits Rarity often made, but a little worn, and looking like it was crafted for comfort and convenience rather than just for appearance. Twilight would have asked why anypony would wear clothes if they didn’t take their appearance seriously enough to keep them dust free, but then she saw the vast numbers of small things that were stowed away in various pockets.

The suit was the grey of trail dust, while his own coat was somewhat darker. His mane was darker still, a rich black so perfect it almost shone. It wouldn’t be a big surprise to learn that Detective Gin used dye to keep himself looking perfect. He was an earth pony, but slightly built and probably smaller than all of the three mares in front of him. The suit made it clear both that he took his job very seriously, and that his job had never involved getting his hooves dirty. Here was an older stallion who had never had the need to touch the earth beneath him, to wonder about its mood, or to understand all the complex balances that kept life in Equestria moving. But he knew to ask for help when he needed something outside his own specialty, which meant he was exactly the kind of pony who should be doing this job, at least as far as Twilight’s organisational analysis went.

“And you are… Twilight Sparkle, and Rainbow Dash I think. I’ve seen you around town, though I don’t think we’ve spoken before. I know Applejack, of course. I used to play poker with your brother, before I went off to join the guards.”

“I thought you looked familiar,” Applejack nodded, “Yeah, you know us. And you know we’re the bearers of the Elements, the Champions of Harmony. Right?”

“I know you’ve defeated monsters in Ponyville on several occasions, and passed the perpetrators on to the Royal Guard. The guards found themselves in quite a situation, having to determine punishment for criminals when it wasn’t exactly clear if the law had been broken, and they couldn’t get any detailed information on exactly what the monsters were, or where they had come from.”

“I can see that,” Twilight said, “But Princess Celestia insisted that the nature of our activities must remain secret. It is the only way we can ensure that they are dealt with, and the number of monsters actually rampaging is kept to a minimum.”

“I can understand,” he smiled, and it seemed he was watching some scene in his mind, some difficult memory he’d been reminded of. Maybe the police had problems too, things they had to keep secret even when it made their lives more difficult. “Maybe you realise, but dealing with these rogues was one of the reasons the Ponyville Department of Policing was separated from the main organisation of the Royal Guards. We are chosen for our ability to solve mysteries, and we are thinkers rather than soldiers. We work out what a fair punishment would be in difficult cases like this.”

“Like this one?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, “So you’re admitting the frozen ponies are probably a monster?”

“They certainly aren’t deaths by chance,” his voice sounded bitter, almost angry when he said that, “We have to consider this a crime. I’m not saying these are the kind of monsters you deal with, there are other possible causes. Some ice-breathing monster from the Everfree Forest, maybe, or an angry pegasus or earth pony who has found a way to make their weather magic do things it normally couldn’t. There are a few possibilities, and probably many more we aren’t seeing. No, let me assure you, I won’t allow a death to be swept under the rug no matter what. But at the same time, there isn’t yet evidence to say what kind of magic could create ice like that. Until we have some clues that suggest something beyond the usual three fields, I can’t say I have any reason to ask for your assistance.”

“Well, we can look at the scenes,” Twilight answered right away, “I think I’m developing a way to measure Gaia Energy magic, and if that gives a reading then we would at least know what we need to be looking for. Or if I don’t get a reading, we would know that we don’t need to involve ourselves in your case.”

“We were all kind of angry,” Applejack explained, “We heard that the police were just saying ‘natural causes’, when any earth pony could tell you it isn’t. But if you’re taking it seriously, I’m sure you’ll find the truth. If it isn’t a Gaia Memory then all we need to know is that there’s somepony like you on the job.”

“Don’t worry,” Gin Mixer pulled himself up proudly, “Your trust in me is not misplaced. I won’t let a case like this go unsolved, and if I don’t know all the skills I need to solve it I’ll call in those who do.”

“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, “So we can –”

“But I don’t know if I can allow you to any of the crime scenes unaccompanied. We’ve already been approached by a pony in a metal suit calling himself the Champion of Justice, who we were led to believe was affiliated with you. And when he offered to take some measurements at the site, to help him trace the killer, that wasn’t all he took. There’s at least some evidence taken from the scene.”

“What did he take?” Twilight answered quickly, cutting off Applejack before she could give vent to her feelings about the Champion of Justice. At this point, finding out what had happened was more important than showing anger, and bringing the detective up to speed on the relationship between them and the other ‘Champion’ would only delay finding the truth.

“We don’t know for sure. One of our guys said he saw Justice handling something small and shiny in the victim’s lounge. Something we hadn’t seen, or hadn’t thought was important. And he certainly examined an ornamental box that was on display in her lounge. He said it didn’t matter because it was empty, and Storm Trooper said it was empty when he looked as well. We’d wondered if it might have been a robbery, see, come to take something. But without knowing what was missing… and why would you take an empty box?”

“We’d like to know that too,” Twilight muttered, but she already had one idea in mind, “But first, let’s investigate what we can. You might not like outside investigators, but if the so-called Champion of Justice is involved, the culprit is almost certainly a dopant. You need our help.”

“I wouldn’t trust that guy,” Applejack added, “We still don’t know what his game is. But you can trust us. You know where we live. You know the Princess keeps a close eye on us. If we touch anything we’re not supposed to, you know where to find us.”

“Wait,” Twilight realised, “You’ve met the Champion of Justice? Have you spoken to him without that ridiculous armour? We know it’s the NASCAR Memory, but we don’t know who’s underneath. If you’ve interviewed him, then you could tell us –”

“No. He said he’d come in to tell us more about the magic involved, but he never showed. We only saw him when he showed up at the crime scenes. First said he was a private investigator, then he was with you guys. That armour looks kinda like what you use, the times I’ve seen you fight monsters. In a way.”

“Yeah,” Twilight nodded, “He’s not with us, though. He helped us out once or twice, and got in the way once or twice. He knows what these monsters are, better than we do maybe, but he’s not out to stop them.”

“Not all of them,” Applejack couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice, “Apple Bloom says there’s like different groups of monsters, fighting against each other. He’s just using us to take down his rivals, and he’s got my sister convinced that makes him the good guy. She’s promised not to tell anyone his secret, and she won’t break that even for me. I mean, you know Apple Bloom, normally she’d put family first above anything, but for this guy she won’t break that promise. I want to know what makes him so darn persuasive.”

“Maybe that’s true, maybe it isn’t,” Twilight looked down, not meeting the detective’s gaze any longer. She felt like she was letting her friend down, not being able to keep somepony who might be a monster away from family. It was a blow to her pride every time she thought about it. “But what we can say is that this Justice stallion shouldn’t be–”

Everypony looked at Twilight as she suddenly stopped. She’d gone from turning her eyes away to staring intently at something on Gin Mixer’s desk.

“What is it?” the detective asked, “Did you find something already?”

“Evening Child,” Twilight pointed to a name on a list in front of her, “Is she a suspect? I thought she already…”

“No, these are victims’ names,” Gin looked at the list, “She was one of the early ones, when we first realised something was wrong. Night of the Grand Galloping Gala, while you were away out of town. We might have called you in, two mares dying of cold in one night is just a little suspicious. But one of the farmers near where she was found said it was natural, that stream always runs cold because of something in the earth. It wasn’t worth calling you back from Canterlot for. And then the next one, Ferrydancer I think, the Champion showed up and said he’d be our liason.”

“So when Spike wanted to bring us in, you realised your mistake in trusting that guy,” Rainbow Dash had to fight to keep from giggling as she realised, “You didn’t call us because you thought he was with us, and after he stole your evidence you didn’t want us interfering because you thought he was with us. And then when Spike didn’t know anything about the murders, you tried to keep us away from the case because you’re ashamed to admit you fell for that jerk’s line.”

“Calm down, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight sighed, “It’s not funny to laugh at another pony’s mistakes. That’s water under the bridge, and we’ve got bigger things to worry about right now. Like these names.”

“What about them?” Rainbow Dash fluttered her wings slightly and hovered over Twilight, to more easily read over her shoulder.”

“Ferrydancer.” Twilight spoke slowly, dredging up the memories, “Disowned her family, changed her name to Rustic Ferry because she felt it gave her some kind of charm. Selling stolen goods, we thought. Remember her?”

“The Castanet –” Applejack started, but Gin Mixer couldn’t help interrupting then.

“Yeah, but we could never make a case against her. When our undercover guys got too close, they ended up liking her so much they forgot to watch for evidence. How do you even know that? That’s not your business, nobody outside the police should know we suspected her.”

“We didn’t know,” Twilight answered slowly, “That must have been one of your first cases, right? The police was newly formed then, and I wish we’d thought to check with you. We investigated ourselves, trying to explain a series of odd events, ponies acting out of character. We thought she had the Castanet Memory, but when we went to challenge her she was gone. Not a trace of her, and the Memory stopped being used, so we assumed she’d made the smart decision. She destroyed it, and changed her name again.”

“No. She was frozen in a block of ice at the bottom of Haller’s Pond. Our best guess is it took us more than a month before we found her.”

“And Evening Child was using the Yesterday Memory,” Applejack confirmed, not wanting to feel left out, “So more than one of these victims could have been a dopant. That makes this case a big deal, something we really need to sort out. We should check all the other possible dopants we’ve investigated, and all the ones we’ve taken Memories off too.”

“Memories?” Gin Mixer looked back and forth between the other three, trying to get some handle on the conversation, “We can’t ask about their memories now they’re dead.”

“Don’t worry about it, Detective,” Twilight answered, “We’ll be dealing with this case now. There’s some things we’ve got to keep secret, so we won’t be able to tell you all about what they’re doing, and what we’re doing to stop them. But I think you’re very good at reading ponies, so if you don’t mind I’d like to keep you involved in this case, you can just focus more on the ‘who’ type of questions.”

“Of course, of course. But it’s hard to solve a case in the dark, I wonder, could you tell me what I should be looking for? Where do we start?”

“First we’ll take a look at the crime scenes. See if we can spot anything. I guess we’ll need to tell you about the scars, too. But we can talk on the way.”

Sweet Pickings had a cottage on the edge of Ponyville, with a garden large enough for a few trees and a small pond. It was surrounded by blue and white bunting, that from a distance made it look like the homeowner was preparing for some kind of garden party in the sun. But once you got closer, you would see that each of the little flags was printed with the words ‘Ponyville Department of Policing - Do Not Cross’.

“Nice,” Twilight muttered as she stepped over it, “Think that’ll prevent criminals from tampering with any evidence they might have originally left?”

“Probably not,” Gin Mixer muttered through gritted teeth, “But maybe it’ll stop everypony who passes walking all over the scene.” Twilight Sparkle had to stop and wonder why he would seem angry over such a small thing. But then she realised that for the newly formed Department of Policing, finding any clue at the scene could be vital. Hoofprints, bits of dropped hair, even a damaged plant in the garden could be a clue. They couldn’t collect everything right away, because they might not even know what would be useful until they had a suspect in mind. So they put up these flags, warning everypony to keep away. And having been in Ponyville for a year now, it was easy to imagine just how little regard everypony would have for the little flags. Ponyville didn’t work that way, and everypony who thought their opinion mattered would just walk around the flags to see what they were supposed to keep out of. It would take a long time before the fledgling department built up the reputation it would need to enforce the law.

Twilight hesitated for a few moments, going through spells in her head, and settled for a light-as-air cantrip. She’d used this little magic before, to allow her friends to walk on clouds when visiting Cloudsdale. But it should be just as good for preventing her leaving hoofprints, or moving any tiny clue on the ground. Her horn glowed, and then her hooves, and she walked carefully over to the garden pond, looking down into the depths. There wasn’t much in the way of evidence; just a pond, looking just like it should. No weed on the surface, but a few fish in the depths. She leaned down and looked closer. Most of the fish were swimming around, apparently unconcerned by the death of the pony whose garden they lived in. But right at the bottom of the pool, there were a couple floating around completely motionless.

“Has anypony fed the fish?” she called over to the detective.

“No?” Gin Mixer muttered, “I never thought about it. Don’t they kind of feed themselves? The garden should have been empty, anyway. Don’t come close; preserving evidence. I hope we’ve not been starving them, I wouldn’t want something like that on my conscience.”

“They seem fine,” Twilight shrugged, “I’m not sure what they actually eat, if they can fend for themselves. It’s possible somepony has been in here anyway to feed them, but if not that just asks another big question.”

“What question’s that, then?”

“Where the water came from. From what I heard, they pulled a pony out of this pond, frozen in a block of ice. Ice is made out of water, so pulling out such a large block should have reduced the water in the pond, unless you put it back here after you chiselled the ice off the victim. The level should have dropped by two or three inches, from the size of the pond. But if you look, the plants around the edge make it quite easy to read where the water level normally is, and it hasn’t fallen at all. In fact, the only sign of movement in this pond is that on this side, some dust has been recently washed away from the stones. You can see it over there too,” Twilight pointed with a hoof, where there was a difference in shade that was barely even noticeable to Gin Mixer. He peered over from his place beyond the cordon, not wanting to disturb the scene himself until there was something to see.

“So, somepony refilled the pond?” he hazarded, “Without us noticing? And they disturbed the dust when they were pouring water in?”

“Good guess, but no. The stones are washed clean a few inches above the current water level on all sides, which has only one interpretation to me.”

“Someone dropped a big stone in the pond,” Applejack suggested, “Pushed the water level up, and then it went back to normal when they took it away. Or, the pond got overfilled some, and she took some rocks out to lower the water level, because she knew how easy dewflowers can drown if water comes above the stem.”

“I’m not thinking stones,” Twilight said, “I’m thinking a block of ice. And a pony. She was frozen like a giant ice cube, and then dropped in the pond in the hope everypony would think she just slipped in. The water level went down again when you pulled her out.”

“We’re looking for a monster who can create ice, then?” Rainbow Dash asked, “Or just a really skilled weather pony out of control? We don’t know yet if this was the power of a Memory or not.”

Twilight continued to investigate the scene, with Rainbow Dash looking over her shoulder from above. They looked at the plants in the garden, the lawn, and the path leading up to the pond. There wasn’t any trace of a heavy object being dragged this way, not something the size of a body. They were sure that it should have left a trail, even more so if Sweet Pickings had been already encased in ice when she was brought here. But through the whole house and garden, they didn’t find anything beyond Twilight’s original observation. Dejected, they headed back to the police station. While the day hadn’t been as productive as they had hoped, there was still some chance that either Twilight or Pinkie Pie could produce a correlation that the police had simply missed from the data in the existing police files on the cases.

Back at the Golden Oak Library, Twilight quickly had every scrap of information the detective could offer spread out, read, and indexed. At least, it felt like a quick task to her.

“Twilight!” Spike’s voice broke into her concentration, “Twilight! You still haven’t eaten your sandwich!” The unicorn turned her head and looked at the plate, that her number one assistant had brought in while she was busy filing. The leaves protruding from the sides looked slightly wilted by now.

“It’s fine,” she replied, “I’ll just finish listing the–”

“That’s what you said three hours ago!” Spike interrupted, “I know you’re the responsible adult around here, but sometimes, really, it feels like I have to be your mother. You can’t solve the case if you make yourself ill, now take a break and have something to eat.”

Twilight was about to argue, until she glanced out of a high window and saw the stars in the sky outside. It had been afternoon, rather than evening, when she started this project, and she found it hard to believe that the sun could have set already.

“Thanks, Spike,” she smiled and forced herself to just put down the piece of paper she was holding, rather than looking for the correct place to put it, “I think I got a bit carried away. I just hate that somepony so well liked could die like this, and I feel bad that it could happen so many times before I even knew about it!”

After a light supper, Twilight was feeling a whole lot better and ready to resume the project. She took one look at the piles of notes spread across the tables and the floor, and then spotted something she hadn’t even thought of before.

“You should probably get some sleep,” Spike pointed out, “It’s after midnight already. You can carry on in the morning.”

“No…” Twilight whispered, flipping through the different piles of documents she had already analysed, organising them into two different sets. “Some of them are different. Some of the victims had Gaia Memories, we know that. And it’s mentioned on the police reports that several of them have scars on the flank or haunch. That’s what’s odd about it. Some of them have scars. So some of the victims were memory users we never heard about.”

“You got a clue now,” Spike tried to be rational, “But I’m exhausted, you’re exhausted. We should get some sleep, and you can carry on working on it in the morning.”

Twilight wasn’t really listening. She kept on flipping through the stacks of reports. Some of the victims had scars, but not all the same. They were all covered with frost burns on some part of their bodies, and from the descriptions, the ice could have hidden a Gaia Memory scar. On a couple of them, Evening Child and Rockface, the Memory scar was mentioned because the damage from the ice didn’t completely hide it, but because it wasn’t related to the cause of death it had been ignored. An old scar wasn’t relevant to the investigation.

“But some of them are different,” Twilight spoke aloud again, “These ones here… frost damage concentrated on the neck and shoulders, or on other parts of the body. If they had Memory scars the police would have seen them, and if they’d seen five or six victims with the same kind of scars, they would surely have noticed. I plotted all the attacks on the map before, and connected lines between them according to the order. But if I separate them into two groups…” the room was lit by the pink glow of Twilight’s magic for a moment. When she’d finished, there were two maps of Ponyville hanging on the wall, each with its own set of pins.

Spike stared, and now he saw what Twilight had been getting at. The two sets looked a lot more ordered now. The strings between the pins on one map were forming a kind of star pattern,while the other was still quite haphazard.

“These,” she indicated the apparently random pins, “These are ponies who used Gaia Memories. The ones we know about, anyway. But the other one, that’s a star. I just included the ones who aren’t Memory users, and then put in pins for the ones we weren’t sure about who fit the pattern. It’s clear to me now, we’re dealing with two killers, with similar powers.”

“We need to tell that Mixer guy,” Spike agreed, “But you can do that in the morning!”

“No. Because there’s a pattern in the timing as well. One killer is targeting Memory users, while the other is picking victims based on time and place. It’s complex, but I think I can predict it. And we need to go now if we’re going to save the next victim!”

High Pressure sighed, stepping out onto the cobbles. He’d failed again. It wasn’t that he had a gambling problem, because his wagers had never lost him money. As long as everypony played by the rules, he would win for sure. He was the master of reading anypony’s biggest tells, and he didn’t like to lose. But that had turned into a weakness, because Ponyville’s gambling clubs tended to throw out anypony who could win consistently at games of chance. He knew he should let his opponents snatch a few small victories occasionally, he just didn’t like to lose. After the way he’d grown up, every game felt like it was a matter of life and death.

He sighed, and stopped at a small park. A lot of ponies might like a coffee or even cider on the way home from work, but the hours High Pressure devoted to his gambling meant that nowhere was open when he finished late at night. A bottle of juice and a sandwich from his bag was either a late supper or an early breakfast. He pulled the crusts off the sandwich, and considered throwing them to the ducks; but the waterfowl were asleep now just like everypony else. In the end, he carried his litter with him to dispose of when he got home, just like always.

“You’re not a gambler,” a voice spoke from the shadows, “People think you are, but you’re more certain of your cards than your future.”

“Yeah. That’s why I’m so rich,” he grunted, “I always win. What’s it to you?”

“I came here tonight because I was waiting for somepony,” the voice carried on speaking, “But I think you have potential. How would you like to have a way to make everypony pay their debts? I think if they didn’t rip you off, you could have everything you wanted, so that could be worth something to you.”

“Who are you?” High Pressure turned his head, and saw a shadowy figure standing among the trees. Larger than most other ponies, but it was impossible to make out any detail in the darkness. Then he moved and a thin strip of starlight glinted off metal, and brought into focus teeth gritted in determination. It wasn’t that scary, it could just have been somepony standing under the trees out of the wind. But the way he’d spoken, it was too easy to imagine anger and violence in that jawline. High Pressure screamed despite himself.

“Sorry,” he muttered, trying to soothe his injured pride, “Just a trick of the light, I didn’t mean–”

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!” a melodious voice rang out over the rooftops, probably loud enough to wake the nearest residents.

“NASCAR!” a much more masculine, and hostile, voice responded from the trees. There was a similarity between them, though, a kind of metallic ringing to the voice that High Pressure had never heard before. The gambler abandoned his dignity and scrambled into a pile of leaves, not knowing what was going on here and just wishing he was somewhere a long distance away.

“You!” Twinkie barked as they skidded to a halt on the path, spraying gravel in all directions. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m trying to catch a rogue dopant,” the Champion of Justice sounded just as irritated, “I’ve been sitting in wait for an hour, just waiting for her to show up.”

“You spotted the pattern?”

“Right. And this one is mine. Don’t interfere.” He wasn’t yelling, but the anger was clear in his voice. A simmering rage, that immediately made Twilight think the stallion wouldn’t let the dopant live if he found them.

“No way. We’re the Champions of Harmony, dealing with dopants is our job. Who put you on the case? The Memory users need to be returned to normal, and prosecuted according to the law if applicable, you can’t hurt them just because of what those things turned them into.”

“Maybe if you understood, you wouldn’t talk so much rot,” the red-clad champion snarled, “Some of them lost control. Some don’t have the strength of will to be part of the New Race. But some…”

“And that’s reason to kill them?” Twinkie snapped. Those kind of sentiments were enough to make both Twilight and Pinkie Pie mad, and the anger in their combined voice felt almost like a physical force. But the Champion of Justice ignored them, and kept on as if they hadn’t spoken.

“But some of them are pure evil. The dopant with the winter powers, I’ve been tracking for months now. She’s only got a 3.5G Gaia Memory, we’re pretty sure, but she’s mastered using it and subjugated any positive emotions she might have had, to become more skilled at killing. She interrupted a wedding to try and seize control of the Gaia Fountain, so she can make her own Memories and conquer all of Equestria. She tried to kill my fiancée, and her sisters too. The dopant with winter powers is a true monster, and you should keep out of this fight. You don’t have the strength.”

“No,” Twilight replied, speaking to the self-proclaimed hero like he was a petulant child, “You keep out of this, if you don’t have the heart to show mercy. You keep on talking about self-control, but a minute later you’re talking about vengeance. There’s no control there, that’s just anger. You’re controlled by your darkest feelings, as much as any other dopant. You’ve helped us before, so I’ll give you the chance to think about what you’re doing. But when we catch the winter dopant, we’ll be bringing justice, not revenge.”

“ENGINE!” the red stallion produced his second Gaia Memory. A moment later he was standing on his hind legs to tower over Twinkie, a sword gripped tightly in one hoof. “JET!”

“I guess that’s a ‘no’ then?” Pinkie said, ever optimistic as Twilight focused her attention on their legs to leap out of the way of a sweeping sword stroke.

“I’ve given you enough chances,” the Nascar monster snarled, “You don’t get what we’re doing, but you’re trying to help. So I gave you every chance. But I will not let you protect this monster.”

(“I think the dopant already fled,” Twilight muttered in the privacy of their shared mind, “Think we can just ditch this guy?”)

(“I think so. And we learned something, at least. He seems sure that the dopant is a ‘she’ this time. I don’t know if he’ll tell us anything else, though, this sounds like one of those evil nemesis, lifelong quest for revenge things out of the comics. It could be romantic, if we knew the full story even.”)

(“We have to beat him, though. Or at least make sure the Memory user is in the Princesses’ custody before he finds out who it is. And we learned he’s married, too, so we’ve got a new clue on two enemies.”)

(“Well, it’s better than nothing!”)

The mental communication was faster than speech, the whole exchange had taken just less than a second. But the Champion of Justice only needed a second to transfer his Gaia Memory from his body to the sword.

“JET: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” Twilight knew she wasn’t fast enough to leap aside, when the sword was trailing a dazzling glare of magical energy to either side. She wasn’t strong enough to catch the attack with her magic either, so she did the only thing she could think of in the circumstances; she popped the Joker Memory out of the Driver, hoping that the wave of energy from a transformation would give them some kind of protection.

“LAUGHTERᏔHONESTY!” the Driver called out. Now, instead of a fine silver and gold braid joining the halves of two ponies, heavy-set muscles were covered by a coat that shaded smoothly from rich orange to bright pink, and the armour similarly looked like a single piece made in two tones of rock, rather than two mismatched halves. The burst of light as they changed distracted their opponent, and maybe he hesitated for just a moment. That gave Apple Pie a perfect excuse to put Pinkie’s acrobatic skill and the raw power of Applejack’s bucking to good use. They leaned forward on their forehooves, and then lifted one leg off the ground, throwing their body to pivot around the other. That let the full power of Applejack’s kick smash into the hilt of the Engine Blade, and into the red-armoured stallion’s fetlock.

The Memory from the sword’s hilt sprang into the air, and the Champion of Justice only just recovered his balance in time to catch it. He was in pain now, and that added to the rage building in his mind over the reappearance of the wintery dopant. He was no stranger to pain, he had worked himself to exhaustion more than a few times as he grew up, to spare others the burden. But he’d never been hurt like that while in his Champion form before. He hoped that the bone wasn’t broken, because that was the kind of injury that would need some very special magic to treat. In any case, the object of his vengeance had clearly been scared off already, as had the stallion who he’d thought would be so well-suited to the Cash Memory. He didn’t want to hurt the Champion of Harmony, as much as they’d angered him, so the best plan was escape.

“STEAM!,” the pseudo Memory roared as he flipped the Type Selector on the back and returned it to his sword.

Clouds of steam surged out of the sword, a mist that made it almost impossible to see. Apple Pie knew that they would have to give the strange sword their full attention if they wanted to avoid its strike when it burst out of the fogbank, and that meant they would be in an entirely defensive posture, not prepared to give chase after an impossibly fast enemy. But they’d learned new things since the last time they faced Nascar, and maybe a little more practice had given them all the edge they needed. It only took the slightest tap with a hoof to set the Elements of Harmony deeper into the Driver, and they could do that before the Champion of Justice’s weapon had finished powering up for its own Maximum Drive.

“LAUGHTERHONESTY: Maximum Drive!” The supercharged kick burst through the cloud of steam like a spear, aimed directly at the Gaia Energy of the Memory that two earth ponies couldn’t normally sense. The echoes of the Engine Memory’s declaration were still in the air when it burst out of the sword for a second time, and his attack was never completed. The mist in the air was just enough, though, to cover his escape.

(“We need to get after him!” Applejack yelled, but Pinkie seemed reluctant to pursue the silhouette into the distance)

(“No, look at this!” Pinkie pointed with one hoof. “Twilight will want to see this for sure! And I think we might have stopped him already.”)

There was a Gaia Memory on the ground, with a long crack down the middle. Apple Pie poked at it with a hoof, and found that it was red hot but with no remaining aura of magic around it. The name on the front said Engine, beneath an ‘E’ styled to look like some kind of complex mechanism of gears and pistons. But on the back, rather than the single push-button they had come to expect, was a sliding switch that allowed the user to choose from choices marked ‘Steam’, ‘Electric’, or ‘Jet’. The switch was immovable now, the slide destroyed by the crack across it, but it was certainly something unlike any Gaia Memory they had seen before.

While they were still staring at it, Twilight teleported in to see how the battle had gone. She was glad that they had survived without harm, and a little disappointed that they hadn’t managed to arrest the Champion, but she hadn’t thought that was too likely. But the broken Memory was a clear enough sign.

Twilight could take the trophy back to her library, for study in the morning. And Pinkie Pie and Applejack could return to their beds, safe in the knowledge that the wintery dopant’s attack had been at least delayed, and that the Champion of Justice was in no position to exact his revenge. For once, it would be a quiet night in Ponyville.

Episode 22 - I Hunt

A pony galloped across the countryside, faster than anyone would have thought possible. He left the ground crossing bridges, and travelled a hundred yards before his wheels hit the dirt roads again. Wheels, because this wasn’t just any pony. In his current form he was the Nascar Rider, body encased in jointed armour that allowed him to twist and move in ways that his skeleton should never have been able to accommodate. His legs ended in wheels, rather than hooves, and he looked like some kind of machine or carnival float, a larger than life horse constructed from burnished red metal.

There was something wrong, though. The armour was dented, and one wheel twisted out of shape. He struggled to follow a straight path across the countryside, and winced every time his speed caused him to leave the ground. He was glad he didn’t need to gallop, and could let the magic in the wheels do its thing. Because he wasn’t sure he would have been able to run at all. As he saw the signs for the farm, he breathed a sigh of relief, and just that loss of concentration was enough to make him stumble. The armour partially broke into pieces as it vanished, and the unprotected pony’s body tumbled end over end along the road, ending up half buried in a pile of shale.

“My love!” the nearest pony cried, running over to be by his side, “What happened?” He looked up into her eyes, and found that his injuries didn’t seem nearly so important any more. The connection between the two of them was still there, and that mattered more than anything else in his life. He was lucky to have found her, but she had always liked to watch the sunrise. None of the farm’s paid labourers would have been up so early, they didn’t have any dedication to the work and were mostly just passing through ponies who had to be taught how to use a shovel correctly.

A half-hour later, they were sitting around a massive applewood dining table, large enough to seat a family of dozens. There were only three ponies here now, though, including the visitor. At the head of the table sat the head of the family, a genius scientist who knew the properties of every gem and mineral on the planet, and soon to be ruler of the whole region. She was known for many things, but tolerating mistakes was not one of them.

“How did this happen?” the leader demanded. She wasn’t taking a full-on dopant form today, she didn’t want to kill anypony with the sheer force of her presence. But she had the Memory sitting in a slot on her collar, and midnight-blue smoke coiled around her. There could be no doubt that the visitor was speaking to Terror now, the leader of the Gaia Organisation, rather than a mere member of his extended family.

“The Champions of Harmony,” he sighed, “They’ve become more powerful. They can change forms so quickly now, fast enough to interrupt my attacks. And they can execute a Maximum Drive with less than a second of charging cycle. Their synchronisation rate with the Element Memories is astronomical now, my sensors showed up to eighty-six percent resonance.”

“That’s higher than I expected,” Terror murmured, “I suppose you were facing one of their Perfect Harmonies?”

“Two earth ponies,” the visitor nodded, struggling not to show any sign of pain. It was clearly taking its toll on him, but he knew he would have to complete the debriefing before he earned any kind of medical attention. But a younger mare was already rushing into the room, carrying a first aid kit that included several custom-made magical instruments.

“What are you doing?” Terror snapped, “I did not give you leave to treat his wounds yet. If he doesn’t suffer pain, he will not learn from his mistakes.”

“He’s learned enough,” the other mare answered, “And I don’t see why you get to give us orders. You aren’t my mother, you weren’t even here when Rose Quartz died, you were away on your stupid pilgrimage, so don’t try to make out that you’re the head of this family. Just because you’ve got the most powerful Gaia Memory doesn’t mean you can give us orders, not when it comes to family. And he is family to us, he was our third cousin even before he became my brother-in-law, and I say he’s hurt long enough.” Anger flashing in her eyes, the younger one produced a Gaia Memory, a simple sliver of grey-brown rock that gleamed in the morning light. She held it to her flank, where it fitted neatly into a metal and crystal tube mounted where a saddlebag would normally rest.

“CLAY·DOLL!” the memory barked. Terror didn’t hesitate, but hurled a stream of poisonous black magic across the dining room. As the young medic’s body grew giant and her coat became a texture like well-weathered clay, the magic was already slamming her back against the wall, and even the robust dopant body shattered into a cloud of dust.

“While I appreciate your desire to stand up for what you believe in,” Terror glared, “I would rather not see my family transforming at the breakfast table. It is unseemly. When you have regenerated, I expect you to continue to give first aid without further interrupting. Do you understand?”

Fragments of shattered clay rolled together like a tide of dust, climbing up and over each other to find the right place on the destroyed body. Before long there was a clay pony standing there, covered in cracks like a pot smashed and repaired. But after a few seconds later, a warm golden light shone out through the gaps in the structure, and the dopant was whole again. She didn’t say a word, but removed the ClayDoll Memory from her Gaia Driver and settled down to treat the stallion’s wounds.

“Yes, a Perfect Harmony combination,” he nodded, as if nothing had happened to interrupt the conversation. He glanced across at his wife as he said it, imagining how hard it must be for her to sit and watch her free-spirited sister be shattered into pieces for every little act of rebellion against the new head of the family. And for her to watch him suffer in pain like this. For her sake, he would try to answer every question clearly and concisely, and to end the debriefing quickly.

“You could have struck them down before their transformation completed,” Terror pointed out, “But of course you hesitated. Because…?” He didn’t have the words to answer, he simply nodded in shame. There were some things he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to accomplish.

“Well, I can hardly blame you for that. But I notice that the Engine Memory has not uploaded its logfiles to my instruments this morning. It was broken?” Another nod. “I have already started making another. And I will also upgrade the Nascar Memory, allowing you to participate in the first trial of an enhancement I have been working on. If you are even faster, then I hope you can tell me that this situation will not repeat itself. But don’t rely on it, because this will also take a heavier toll on your body. Do you understand?”

“Yes. They won’t catch me unawares again, and I promise you that the wintery dopant will pay for her crimes.”

It was a quiet morning in Ponyville. It was especially quiet in the basement of the Golden Oak Library, where Twilight Sparkle was conducting experiments. In this case, she was assisted by another unicorn, Rarity, who had more talent as a gemologist than many ponies would suspect, who only knew her as the owner of a fashionable boutique. On a stool in the corner, Pinkie Pie sat watching them in silence. The pink earth pony was just a little hyperactive at the best of times, and had consumed a whole tray of donuts this morning, so it was hard to predict how long she’d be able to watch without interfering. She’d been there nearly six minutes already, and the challenge of not leaping around and offering suggestions was already starting to show.

The subject on the lab bench today was a Gaia Memory. The Champions of Harmony had managed to recover several of these over the last year, all of them broken. But this one was somehow different, and Pinkie wanted to understand why.

“It’s not a Gaia Memory,” Twilight said, “The bits of wire and stuff are the same, but the crystal isn’t a crystal. I think it’s glass, poured in a mould. I think it partly runs on conventional magic, and partly channels the Gaia Energy from another Memory.”

“So he’s still got the other Memory, he can still use his dopant form?” Pinkie tried to reword the explanation in terms that made sense to her, “He can’t do a Maximum Drive without this one though, can he? So why do you sound so worried?”

“Because this is made from glass and metal, with a little bit of earth pony magic in the mix. Anypony could make one of these if they knew how, and that’s a real problem. This means someone is capable of mass-producing Gaia Memories, and I don’t need to tell you what that could lead to.”

“Yeah…” Pinkie’s normal optimism faltered for a second. They could defeat every dopant they had met so far, but taking on a whole city of the monsters would be a completely different matter. But she bounced back quickly enough, turning the focus to one thing they could deal with. “What about this winter dopant? Have you got any idea who it might be?”

“No. I was hoping to interrupt the attack last night, after I spotted a pattern in the locations. I think the dopant is circling round the outskirts of Ponyville, not making attacks close together, in the hope of stopping anypony from noticing. But there’s still a pattern there.”

“And you think there’s two dopants with ice-based powers?” Rarity added, “Isn’t that a bit of a coincidence?”

“Normally I’d say so, but the victims do fit into two neat patterns. The ones who had Gaia Memories, and the ones who seem to have been picked purely based on being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“So which one do we go after first?” Spike asked the obvious next question, “Or can we try to track down both?”

“I’m not sure we have anything we can use,” Twilight sighed, “For either of them. We don’t know their motives, we don’t know what’s driving them. We could try looking up the Memories of the victims, but I’m sure that the connection there is simply that they were all Memory users. I think… if what the red guy told us is true, then this is some kind of turf war, between different groups who want to take control of the supply of Gaia Memories. Maybe one selling the actual Gaia Memories, and somepony else entirely making these artificial ones. If that’s the case, then we have no way of knowing which group is the lesser of two evils. So I hate to say it, but maybe we should leave this to him. Focus on the one who’s targeting innocent ponies.”

“The same one our Champion of Justice was hoping to get revenge on last night,” Rarity pointed out, “He doesn’t think they’re different culprits.”

“But he was ready to kill at the Winter Wrap-Up as well,” Pinkie remembered, “Saying the wintery dopant was his enemy. Maybe he’s been so upset that he assumes any ice-based powers are the same one. Or anypony that uses an icy Gaia Memory deserves to die just in case they’re the one that hurt his wife.”

“That stallion needs to unwind a little. He’s going to get himself hurt if he carries on with this crusade of revenge. Or hurt somepony else. I can see a lot of chances for something to go wrong, innocent ponies caught in the feud between two Memory Distributors. And if this wintery one is targeting other dopants, they must be at least as strong as him.”

“I think it’s not two dopants,” Pinkie said, looking at the maps again, “Because even if you have dopant powers, there’s something you’d need before you go hunting other dopants.”

“And what’s that?” Twilight furrowed her brow. She knew she was missing something here, but she was really disappointed in herself if Pinkie had seen it first.

“Practice.”

Twilight stared at the maps for a minute before she understood, but when she did her mind was filled with dread. “We’ve got someone using a Gaia Memory to kill ponies, every other week, just to keep in practice, so maybe they can activate it a bit quicker, or be more powerful, or whatever, when they fight another dopant? That is terrible. She doesn’t gain anything from them, she doesn’t even care who they are.”

“How do we find her, though?” Spike asked, “If it even is a mare, remember that Justice is showing signs of obsession, so you can’t trust his opinion. It might not even be the same pony he’s after.”

“That’s what detectives are trained in, isn’t it?” Twilight suggested, “We should at least tell Gin Mixer about the pattern I’ve spotted, although if she’s smart enough to move around the city she’ll probably change pattern anyway if she saw us both waiting for her last night. And tell him that we’ve identified two groups of victims. Maybe he’ll have some resources, more hooves on the street at least, to ask the right questions.”

An hour later, they managed to find detective Gin Mixer sitting in a small coffee shop near the edge of Ponyville. Twilight carefully laid out that she thought some of the victims were the killer’s actual targets, while others were only practise. That was enough to raise some eyebrows; even psychotic killers usually had some reason to choose their victims.

“So these ‘real targets’,” Gin asked, “Do they have something in common? Is there some way we should have been able to tell them from the others? I’d hate to think I missed something so obvious.”

“They’re the ones with Gaia Memories,” Pinkie explained, “It’s okay, you couldn’t have known. But quite a few of the victims had one, maybe if you’d known what to look for you…” her voice trailed off, and Pinkie and Twilight met each other’s eyes. “Oh no.”

“We need to know what’s happened to the victims’ personal effects and property,” Twilight took over, “I expect their families will have it now, but they had Gaia Memories, and those things are dangerous. We don’t want some descendant to nearly destroy the town in a thousand years again. I need to gather all the Memories, analyse and destroy them.”

“I’ll get right on it,” Gin Mixer pulled out his files. He might not have special powers from the Elements of Harmony, but he was going to show that he was at least as good a detective as these amateurs. He could summon a dozen members of the Department, to help him track down every last one of the victims’ possessions. And three hours later, they knew what they needed to know.

“They’re not there,” Gin Mixer decided he had to tell Twilight in person, “None of the victims were carrying crystals that match your description. A couple of them, we thought they might have been connected to crime, so their homes were fully searched and inventoried too, and there was nothing like one of these crystals on any of the lists.”

“Somepony else took them, then.” Twilight concluded, “Because we know Evening Child was carrying it with her all the time. She was as scared as we were about some kid finding it and not being able to control the power.”

“I’ll let the stolen goods group know,” Gin said firmly, “I won’t say what they are, but you’re pretty sure those things are dangerous. So any time we search a suspect’s house, for any reason, my policehorses should be keeping their eyes open for these Gaia Memories. And if they find one, it goes straight to you.”

“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, knowing how much it must be costing his pride to admit that some crime was outside his remit. The police hadn’t been in Ponyville long, and they needed to carefully hoard every scrap of respect they could gather now.

The afternoon turned into evening, and the night came and went. Twilight looked at her maps again, and at all the papers at her disposal, but experienced no further epiphanies. The Ponyville Department of Police were looking for Gaia Memories now, but without knowing what they really were. The icy dopant might be getting ready for another attack, some kind of macabre practice, but now that her schedule had been broken there was no way they could predict it. All they could do was wait.

Another day passed. Gin Mixer came to the Golden Oak Library, and spoke to Twilight about a matter of some importance. Because, it seemed, somepony within the Department had seen something that looked very much like a Gaia Memory. It had been in a little box on Sweet Pickings’s mantelpiece, he was sure, because that was why he had decided her death must be an accident. Surely any criminal would have taken the jewelled trinket box, it was such a beautiful thing. And then when it came to make an inventory of the house, the officer in question hadn’t remembered well enough to note that the box was no longer there.

“It’s him,” Twilight sighed, “The Champion of Justice. He’s trying to protect innocents, I trust that much at least, but he’s also trying to gather every single Gaia Memory for himself. He stole it as soon as he was allowed on the scene, meaning that we can’t find out what the Memory was. If that would give a clue about why the dopant is freezing these ponies in particular, we haven’t got all the clues.”

“Next time I see him at a scene, I’m going to demand an explanation,” Gin Mixer was trying to sound brave, but it was obvious he didn’t relish the idea.

“He might be more willing to help if he thought we had a chance of catching the wintery dopant,” Twilight guessed, “But I don’t think he’ll be showing up for a while anyway. He’ll be licking his wounds. But thanks, I think you told me exactly what we need to know. I can find the dopant now, but it’ll be risky.”

The detective was worried about them, of course. But he had to accept that it was their responsibility to deal with those kinds of threats, and any support the police could give now would only be a hindrance. Then Twilight called on the others, and told them the plan. They weren’t happy with it, but none of them could come up with anything better, so they reluctantly agreed.

Applejack stood by the kitchen counter, chopping vegetables for dinner. It was a simple task, that she could do without having to think about moral shades of grey, or whether the vegetables deserved their fate. More and more lately, she was taking solace in the simple rituals of everyday life when the stresses of being a Champion of Harmony got too much.

“I think those potatoes are sliced thin enough, Applejack dear,” Granny Smith pointed out, “Something’s bothering you?”

“Oh, yeah,” she grunted. “Sorry, just sometimes it feels better to have something I can…”

“It’s fine,” Big Mac cut through the silence. He used few words, as always, but they came at exactly the right time. “When you got a problem you can’t do anything about, you want to attack something you can just kick, or slice, until it’s all gone.”

“‘S right,” Granny Smith agreed, “We all do it. But you cut those any thinner, there’s going to be nothing left for supper. Do you want to talk about it instead?”

Applejack thought for a while, and started chopping the next set of vegetables in silence. A few minutes passed, and then she spoke again. The other members of her family just carried on with their own part of preparing the meal, and listened.

“It’s this plan Twilight’s thunk up,” Applejack started, “We’re going to… Well, maybe it’s not the plan. There’s this stallion, calls himself the Champion of Justice. I used to think he wanted to help, I was hoping he wanted to keep everypony safe, the same as all of us. But now, we’re pretty sure he’s hurting the people who…” she paused, glanced across the table to where Apple Bloom was sitting. The rest of the family still didn’t know the whole story about the Bird Dopant, so she knew she should say as little as possible about the mechanics, in order to avoid dredging up bad memories and alienating her little sister. “… who got turned into monsters. They’re regular ponies, most of them, they can’t help what’s happened. But he wants to hurt them, and I can’t understand that.”

“I can see why that’d bother you,” Granny Smith said, but all she could offer to help was words now.

“Now, Twilight’s got a plan to find this wintery dopant. But the Justice stallion, he won’t like it. And I don’t know if I should be going along with a plan, if somepony that’s tried to save others will be hurting. If the monster hurt his family, he’s got reason to be angry. I know if you got hurt or something, then I’d be mad at anypony who told me I couldn’t help you. But it seems like everything has to be this moral choice. We have to decide, we’ve got to weigh up different things before we can decide if what he’s doing is right or wrong, and I just can’t understand all that. I don’t want to have to fight in secret, to avoid another Champion joining in. I don’t want us all to be in more danger because we’re actually choosing to stop this stallion helping us.”

“He’ll understand,” Apple Bloom answered, “I’m sure he’ll understand. He really wants everypony to be happy together, so you just go to fight this winter… monster. Maybe he won’t get his revenge, but as long as the bad guy is stopped, he’ll see that’s the important part. Right?”

“Yeah…” Big Mac drawled, “Keeping everypony safe is the important part. I don’t like you putting yourself in danger, though. You’re my sister, you should be safe. Maybe better to let this Justice stallion take care of things. He sounds pretty reliable.”

“No,” Applejack shook her head, “This is something we got to do for ourselves.” Then their dinner was ready, and she changed to less controversial topics of conversation. She kept on trying to analyse Apple Bloom’s responses, though. She still hadn’t told Granny Smith at all, and Big Mac didn’t know the details. Neither of them was aware that Apple Bloom knew the Gaia Memory distributor, but had sworn to keep his true identity a secret. Applejack didn’t want to cause her little sister any more stress, so she wasn’t going to push her, and she didn’t say any more over dinner.

Later in the evening, she headed out again. Big Mac tried to persuade her to stay home and be safe, but admitted that she knew what she was doing. After the conversation earlier, he seemed even more worried than usual about what she was getting involved in. But she told him in no uncertain terms that it was her duty to protect Ponyville now, and that she wasn’t prepared to leave this case unsolved.

Deep Crimson sat quietly by the side of the road, waiting. A little way out of Ponyville, on a dirt track that only led to a few farms. She might be considered suspect if she was seen here, but there was nopony likely to see, especially this late at night. She was stalking, hunting her prey. Not the prey that she had made it her life’s mission to defeat, but a mortal enemy just as important. She found herself shifting position, finding it hard to get comfortable as a newly implanted Gaia Memory shifted position within her flank. But that was something she didn’t need to be too worried about, she was getting used to that feeling now.

She was feeling restless because her last hunt had been interrupted. Not by a pony who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, she had dealt with that before. She would just have waited until the participants in a conversation separated, and then she would have a choice of battles on which to hone her skills. But when the interlopers included the enemy she had sworn vengeance on, she couldn’t be so careless. And he had allies too, another armoured warrior that she had heard about but hadn’t actually seen in the time since she came to Ponyville. She’d called off the hunt, and decided to wait until she had a better idea what was going on in this town.

Tonight would be the night she understood more. Deep Crimson watched the trail until she saw a pony in the distance walking closer. She had no doubt that she had seen them before they caught a glimpse of her; that was one of the permanent advantages of a certain Memory, it allowed her to see much farther than any other pony at night, even if she didn’t transform. But now, she wasn’t looking for a fight, so she ducked behind one of the trees that sheltered the path. She was just going to watch. She saw Applejack come past, looking around her nervously as if she expected to see someone waiting in ambush. Deep Crimson curled up tighter beside her tree, wondering why anypony would think to look for her in these circumstances. But then she realised the farm pony wasn’t looking for her. There was someone else following, a well-muscled stallion. He moved furtively, ducking from shadow to shadow, careful to vanish from sight any time his quarry looked around.

Crimson smiled to herself. She was sure that with the power she had now, she would be able to take out either of those two. Maybe not both together, but she wouldn’t even be stupid enough to attempt that. She was sure that Applejack was one of the masked Champions of Harmony, as she had discreetly followed them back to the Golden Oak Library the first time she had seen them, and she had stalked the orange earth pony back to her home after the last meeting of those six ponies. But somepony else was following the same target, and from the pattern of his movement, the careful steps, the exact poise, she was sure he was the same Champion of Justice she had only ever seen in his giant armour. Others might be too oblivious to notice, but to Deep Crimson’s analytical mind it was fairly obvious, and now she had everything she needed.

She wasn’t prepared to follow when two Champions were together. She didn’t gamble, she didn’t throw herself into a fight until she was absolutely sure she was going to win. But now, she wouldn’t need to, because she knew how to get both of these ponies obeying her every word.

“So, what do you think?” Twilight Sparkle asked as soon as Applejack rounded the corner, “Still don’t think my plan will work?”

“I never doubted your plan, I just said I don’t like it. It’s the kind of dishonest thing Champions shouldn’t be doing. I think it’s working, though.”

“Right, we’d better hurry up and meet the others.” Without exchanging another word, they trotted down the street together. Before long they were leaving the town behind, and moving in the direction of the Everfree Forest. Their secretive pursuer thought they might be going to pick up Fluttershy, and he started to get a little nervous. A larger group of ponies to follow meant there was more chance of one of them looking back, and more chance of them spotting that they were being followed. But he had to take the risk. It would be easier to remain hidden once they were in the forest, he was sure. They didn’t even seem to have the Double Driver with them, so they would really be in trouble if he left them now.

The forest was dark, and only got darker as they walked farther along the track. Before long, the track disappeared entirely, and there was no way you could find a way out unless you knew the place in some detail. Justice followed them as far behind as he dared, getting more and more nervous with every step. He’d been hoping they were going to challenge the wintery dopant, but there was no sign of unexpected ice here, and they seemed to be putting themselves in terrible danger for no reason. Why would they come here without their Driver, of all things?

They were in what seemed to be a narrow canyon now, getting narrower and deeper with every furlong they trotted. And just a short way behind, there was a rustling in the leaves, getting rapidly closer. That was when the Champion of Justice understood, just in time to grab his Gaia Memory and slam it into place.

“NASCAR!”

“KINDNESSᏔLOYALTY!” The voice of the Double Driver echoed behind him. There were enough trees to provide cover as he followed the two ponies in front of him, but there was no way he would be able to avoid detection if they turned around and searched the area between the canyon walls; and the Double pony behind him would prevent him simply retracing his steps. It was a trap.

“You were after me, and not that monster?” he roared in surprise. He couldn’t believe the supposed Champions of Harmony were being so devious.

“You betcha!” Applejack replied as she turned around, “I know Apple Bloom trusts you, I know you been talking. So she was bound to let on that we found a clue to the wintery dopant. I don’t blame her for keeping your secret, promises are important. And I got nothing against you, either, for talking to my sis. I know now you’re selling those Memories, and I can’t trust you because of that, but she says you’re trying to make sure that foals don’t get their hands on them, that’s more than some of your colleagues at any rate.”

“You talk about honesty, but you lied to get me here,” his voice was like the growl of an engine, and his words were short and to the point this time.

“No lie,” Twilight explained, “Though AJ was still uncomfortable with this plan. See, we have got a clue, or at least a part of one. But you’re getting in our way, and we need to get the facts from you so we can track down the dopant.”

“It’s not my colleagues,” he segued onto the previous topic for a moment, “But there are rival organisations. I think that the wintery dopant may be one of their leaders. But if you have questions?”

“Yeah. Some of the victims were killed for practice, I think. Maybe some for politics between your two groups. But several of them were Memory Users, we know that for sure, and the Ponyville Department of Police didn’t find any Memories in their saddlebags. Now, from the few things Princess Celestia has told us, we know that a Gaia Memory can’t stay in the body of a dead user. But we also know you stole at least one Memory from a crime scene. Maybe the reason they didn’t find Memories is because you have them all, or maybe the wintery dopant took some too. And if they have stolen Memories besides their own, there’s a chance we could trace them using the Gaia Resonance Meter. But we’d need to have some idea how many Memories they’ve taken, and maybe which ones.”

There was a long pause, while the Champion of Justice considered how to respond. They could practically see the debate going on in his head. He wanted the wintery dopant to be caught, but he also wanted to be the one to get his revenge.

“And we could do with knowing your name, too,” Applejack interrupted, “It takes forever saying ‘that Champion of Justice guy’ every time.”

“Call me Nascar,” he answered that one quickly, “Within the Farmers group, we kind of use the name of a pony’s Memory. Real names are for when you’re like, personally close. I still call my in-laws Clay and Terror.”

“I guess ponies have had stranger names,” Applejack admitted.

“And I think I can trust you. I have deactivated the Memories I recovered, so you won’t be able to trace me with your trinket. If you are tracking the energy they emit, that would only work for a short while after the death of the bearer, because an unowned Memory quickly becomes dormant. In any case, yes, the dopant has been stealing Gaia Memories. I do not know why. At this point, I think she has taken the Cider, Yesterday, Inferno, Porcupine, and Empty Memories. There’s one more, too, a victim who had a Memory Scar but I didn’t sell one to. I can’t tell you what that was, but the scar was a T with a zigzag line.”

“Thank you,” Twilight smiled, “And I hope that when we meet again, it is under better circumstances. We won’t fight you now, but the next time I find somepony suffering from one of your Gaia Memories, I can tell you we won’t be so lenient.”

“It isn’t picking up anything,” Twilight sighed. It was after lunch the following day, not that she’d eaten much, and adjusting the Gaia Resonance scanner to pick up the Gaia Energy signatures of multiple Memories stored together wasn’t making much progress.

“Why does it need to?” Pinkie Pie popped up right behind her, so suddenly that Twilight jumped in surprise and only just caught the table before she knocked its contents all over the floor. Pinkie could spring up quite unexpectedly at times, and the surprise was a little greater than average this time because Twilight hadn’t known she was in the library.

“Because we need to trace those Memories,” Twilight decided to give a straight answer rather than play into whatever fountain of randomness Pinkie was plugged into today, “We know which ones the culprit has taken, but we still need to find out where they are.”

“I can find anything with my Pinkie Sense!” Pinkie Pie struck a dramatic pose, which would have been a whole lot more impressive if Twilight hadn’t recognised both the pose and the boast as coming from the latest issue of a certain popular comic book.

“I think that actually sounds better than ‘Trifle Sense’,” Twilight mused, “But do you really have the supernatural ability to sense the location of small, lost items? Because that would be really useful, but I’ve never seen you use your Pinkie Sense that way before.”

“Well, uhh…” Pinkie started, then suddenly her bottomless well of confidence was back: “What about the Gaia Library? When a pony uses a Gaia Memory, it can change the title of their book. So we should be able to search for the name of a Memory, and get the pony’s book right away. Right?”

“I’m not…” Twilight started, but then she hesitated too. They didn’t have the name of the wintery dopant’s Gaia Memory, but they could surely search for a few words related to ice and see if there was a Memory for any of them. She was sure that the names of Memories the dopant had stolen wouldn’t provide such a strong lead, but they had never actually tried looking up a Memory after its owner was dead. She had no idea if the book of a deceased pony might tell who killed them or somesuch, and it would be worth looking into even if the idea were a little macabre. “Yeah, let’s try that.”

They went back upstairs to the main part of the library, where there was more space. Pinkie did tend to wave her legs around as she levitated the magical books that inhabited her dream, so it was best she wasn’t near anything breakable. Rainbow Dash was just arriving, and sat on the balcony watching. She didn’t ask what they were looking up, figuring that she’d get a quicker answer just by watching.

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes. A moment later, she saw herself surrounded by untold thousands of books, suspended in a blank void space where you could easily imagine invisible, intangible shelves between countless aisles.

“Keyword: Cider,” Twilight’s voice seemed to come out of empty space.

“Seven thousand, four hundred and eight matches,” Pinkie responded, no emotion in her voice.

“Cancel. Keyword: Cider Memory,” Twilight corrected.

“No matches.”

“Never mind,” Twilight shrugged, “We can still try the others. Maybe the more recent ones won’t have lost their power yet. Keyword: Yesterday Memory.”

“No matches.”

“I suppose it was too much to hope for,” Twilight sounded dejected.

“You’ve got to keep trying!” Rainbow Dash cut in, “Cancel. Keyword: Inferno Memory.”

“One Match.” Pinkie responded. She raised a hoof, and as all the other thousands of books sailed away into the distance, that one floated towards her. She could tell already that something was wrong, though. The book was larger than most, and barely looked book shaped. It was like someone had tried to fold the pages of a book into paper cranes, or some other complex shape, without separating the pages first. Or like somepony had tried to reorder the pages by cut and pasting, but didn’t have any scissors, so they’d just glued three or for different books together, twisting and stretching the pages to make them interleave. Or like somepony had tried to fold pages from two books together into some complex origami construction, but without separating them from the spines first, then had given up part way through and decided to make them into a balloon animal instead.

Pinkie smiled just a little as the metaphor crossed her mind; that was exactly what it looked like.

“No you don’t,” an angry voice snapped. Another pony was standing in the library, which was strange given that it was a part of Pinkie’s dream. And ‘pony’ was stretching the term to breaking point. She had the form of a muscular mare, but instead of amane she had a complex mass of snakes, tentacles, and protrusions that Pinkie wouldn’t even admit to knowing a word for. She had two faces, one on her throat, and the majority of her body was a translucent blob of red that seemed to glow in the darkness. She didn’t have a horn, but around her body was a cloud of what almost looked like telekinetic magic. She reached out with it to snatch the strangely shaped book from the air.

“You… who are you? What are you doing in my dream?”

“Your dream? That’s adorable,” her voice was at once seductive and cruel, every little thing she said dripping with insinuations that the mere words couldn’t convey, promising all kinds of forbidden delights but threatening punishment for the slightest disagreement. Pinkie knew right away that was a part of a dopant’s power, to convey emotions directly with their magic, and project thoughts or feelings into the minds of those around them. She’d have to keep reminding herself of that, and make sure not to trust this monster.

“No, this is the planet’s dream, the shared mind that includes all of Equestria,” the dopant continued, “We’re inside the Gaia Fountain, the source of all Memories. Maybe it seems like a library to you, that’s interesting. But all knowledge is here. In no way could this be called your dream. You were lucky to get a connection to the true memory without working at it. I had to sacrifice things to get in here.”

“Who are you?” Pinkie asked again, “And can I have that book back?”

“No. I need it. And… you really don’t know my name? Well, you should be able to sense it, with all this information at your disposal.”

Pinkie concentrated. The Index that she and Twilight had created appeared in front of her, and the pages turned so fast they were a blur. She knew how to do this, even if she didn’t know where that knowledge came from.

“Keyword:” she said hesitantly… was there a way to lookup the dopant in front of her, without needing a name? Of course there was, it was so obvious, she could do it purely by instinct. It was a shame this trick would only work within the Gaia Library, though. “Keyword: Taboo Memory.”

She looked up. A book came flying closer, bound in red leather just the same colour as the dopant’s gelatinous hide. But a second wisp of blue-black magic lashed out to snatch it from the air. A second later, the Taboo Dopant was standing heavily on two books.

“You found me,” she said, sounding interested, fascinated even. If she had a more normal appearance, she might have quirked an eyebrow at the discovery. “But you don’t recognise me without using the powers of this Gaia Library. I’m not sure which of those facts surprises me more. I’ve been watching you since you first found your connection, you’re such an enticing mystery. I want to know how much you know, how much you can do. But for now, I have to stand in your path. You cannot be allowed access to these books, they are…” she paused just a second, and treated Pinkie to two lewd smiles, “forbidden knowledge, you could say.”

Pinkie stumbled back, tripped, and her head hit the wooden floor. She knew right away that she was back in the real world. The floors in the Gaia Library weren’t made of wood, they were nothing but pure surface. They weren’t really there at all.

“What happened?” she asked, and then saw the circle of concerned faces around her. Applejack was there, and Twilight, and Rarity. Spike too, looking as concerned as he could manage from behind a cupcake.

“We should ask you,” said Twilight, “You said you found a book, and then you didn’t tell us what was in it. You just went quiet. And when I asked what’s wrong, you started doing your own Lookup. Where did the Taboo Memory come into it? That wasn’t on the list Nascar gave us. Is that the pony who’s been stealing the other Memories?”

“No, no,” Pinkie shook her head to clear it a little, “That was just a hunch, it didn’t come to anything. I tried to look up the Inferno Dopant, but the book was all messed up and twisted. Like somepony tried to make a book, and they’d heard some talk about books and some talk about scrolls, but they’d never seen one so they just tried to guess how it fits together. It was a mess. I couldn’t read it.”

She looked around at her friends. She had to look away quickly when Applejack met her gaze; her friend was the Champion of Honesty, so it felt especially bad to mislead her. She hadn’t actually lied, but that didn’t make it feel any better. She didn’t want to admit to the others that there was a strange dopant in her dreams again, because they might not trust her.

The statement that the library was actually within the Gaia Fountain, as well. That was worrying. It was tempting to believe, but then she would have to worry about how she had got connected to it. Pinkie Pie wanted to investigate for herself, ask Taboo some more questions before getting the others involved. She didn’t even know if that statement was true or not, and it would be a waste of time to get everypony chasing after a false lead. Even if it was true, that didn’t necessarily mean that she was connected to the Gaia Fountain. It was quite possible that the library in her dreamspace had been changed by Luna staying in there, or by Twilight using the Driver to enter her dreams. The Elements of Harmony were Gaia Memories, after all, so maybe using them to connect ponies together in an unusual way had somehow merged her mental library with the true Gaia Library that contained the memories of the planet.

It was a strange thought, but one that made sense. Pinkie was sure she would be able to find the truth, given time. She didn’t want to worry her friends with it yet.

“So what do we do now?” Twilight asked, “The Resonance Meter isn’t helping, and your Gaia Library didn’t have the answer. I’m kind of curious about that, really. Was it because the Memory User was dead that the book was deformed? Or has the wintery dopant done something with the Memory itself, to cause that?”

“I don’t know,” Pinkie mused. She hadn’t even thought of that, but now that she did it was yet another part of the big question that was building up in her mind. “But I think maybe I have an idea.”

“Why do I know I’m not going to like this?” Applejack asked.

“Well, we’ll need Nascar to help us,” Pinkie started, “Maybe you can–”

“I knew it.”

Later in the day, Applejack went to pick her sister up from school this time.

“What are you doing here?” Apple Bloom exclaimed, “I was going to the clubhouse for a few hours before heading home. Do you need something?”

“Yeah, but I won’t take time away from you and the Crusaders.” Applejack could still see the faint scar on Apple Bloom’s flank, almost recognisable as a letter ‘B’ where she had once been foolish enough to use a Gaia Memory. They were sure that it would disappear completely when she got her cutie mark, which was all the more reason for the Cutie Mark Crusaders to rush towards finding their talents. “I just want you to pass another message to the Champion of Justice. We don’t know anypony else that knows who he is.”

“Another message? You never asked me to do that before. You talk about him like he’s some kind of monster. If you just knew…”

“Wait, do your friends know too? The other crusaders?”

“Don’t go trying to get it out of them. They got no idea, and even if they did, we don’t go back on our word, right? And I still want to know what you mean with ‘another message’.”

“You told him I was talking about him, and that we had a plan to beat the wintery dopant.”

“I didn’t –” Apple Bloom started to yell indignantly.

“It’s okay,” Applejack interrupted, “We wanted him to know. We wanted him to follow us, but we couldn’t go out and ask when we’re kind of enemies. I know you told him, he followed me that evening when I went to meet Twilight. I think he was behind me before I even reached town, so he must’ve got the message pretty quick.”

“Really, I didn’t tell…” Apple Bloom protested, but then slowed down as she realised there was no way she could make her sister believe.

“It’s okay, sugarcube. You hear somepony talking behind your friend’s back, it’s only natural. I wouldn’t have said it in front of everyone if I didn’t want him to hear. But this time, we’re going to be clear and honest. I’ve got a letter for him, Twilight wrote it out with all kinds of fancy words, basically saying there’s no sense fighting, and maybe we can work together. We can argue what to do with the Memory User once the dopant is defeated.”

“Fine,” Apple Bloom took the letter, “But I won’t see him for a while now. And you two need to settle your differences right? You can’t keep on asking me to pass messages, it’s like when two friends in class won’t talk to each other and they’re both going ‘tell her this’ and ‘tell her that’, it’s gonna look really childish if you keep doing this. I’m too short for this. I can’t even look down on you and do the big sister speech, you know?”

“We’ll try,” Applejack smiled, “And thanks. You helped us a lot, and it means a lot that you’re smart enough to see the right thing to do. You grew up a heck of a lot faster than I did. I’m so proud of you, sugarcube.”

It was two days later that there was a knock on the door of the Apple family farm. Big Mac had gone out to help a neighbour with baling hay, Apple Bloom was out at school, and Granny Smith was in Ponyville doing whatever she did on her mysterious days out. So Applejack was home alone, taking a brief break from her own chores. She went to the door expecting it to be one of the neighbours, offering some leftover pickles from their harvest or asking to borrow a hammer.

Nascar stood there, his metal body gleaming in the afternoon light and one wheel turning lazily as he waved a hoof.

“I got your message,” he said, “I’m not going to give you my real name. I don’t want you to hate me just for giving ponies a chance to be better. But you said we can help each other…”

“Yeah. Because the ponies who lost Gaia Memories are all ones we didn’t catch when they were alive. They’re the ones who can use those powers carefully, be better at whatever they need, and not rampage. That’s what you’re hoping for, right, everypony being able to do that?”

“Yeah. Dopants doesn’t have to mean monsters.”

“I’m not so sure on that. But if they managed it, they shouldn’t have been hurt. Like Evening Child, she mastered her Gaia Memory, and used its own power against it to stop it poisoning her mind. So that’s what you wanted, right? You wanted to hurt her, and then this wintery dopant beat you too it.”

“No!” he exclaimed, the monotone behind the mechanical growl getting excited for once, “Maybe I was too harsh. But I got this pseudo-Memory. I did, anyway. The Engine Memory, it’s got all kinds of fancy enchantments in it, done by the best mineralogist in Equestria. If I’d done the Memory Break on the Yesterday Dopant, it would have scanned her Gaia Energy Signature, picked up everything about the trick she was using. Then the new Memories could have had that built in.”

“Oh…” Applejack half deflated, “Anyway! You’re here now. So are you going to help us?”

“Fine,” he grunted, and she could see how disappointed he was. He didn’t have the Memory to power up his sword, so against a monster that had killed other monsters he really couldn’t try on his own. “Like your letter said, even if it was kinda hard to read with those weird square letters, I been watching out for a Memory User who hasn’t caused any trouble going out of contact. And there’s one now, from a farm just round here. Harvestgold, grows corn mostly. He was always moaning about how he wished the sun and the Weather Committee would think more about struggling farmers, give him more days when he could plant seed without the first shoots being baked. So after I checked he knew how to keep his mouth shut, I gave him the Mist Memory. He found it so much easier to plant his crop with a little fog to keep the seeds cool on sunny days, I reckon he’s going to save his farm come harvest time. I wasn’t due to check on him until next week, but I saw he didn’t advertise for helpers. I went up to his farm to check. There’s frost on the irrigation ditches, and his window’s broken, looks like somepony threw a rock through, or an ice cube.”

“No sign of him?” Applejack asked. Nascar just nodded, and she continued: “About what we expected. The police reports say they’re always missing a day or two before the bodies turn up. The ones with Memory scars, anyhow.”

“So how can you find him?” Nascar was blunt, “You said you could, but I don’t see how. The Family has things like that Resonance Scanner Twilight Sparkle’s been working on, but they’ve had a hundred years to improve it. It’ll never pick up a Memory more than a furlong away, and there’s not time to search the whole town.”

She tapped the Honesty Memory into the collar around her throat, and the gems on it glowed faintly orange. The next time she spoke, she wasn’t addressing the monster in front of her. Her eyes were closed, and she was speaking to an empty space.

“Nascar just showed up. We’re going with– … … Yeah, that plan. Tell me when you’re ready.” A few moments passed. The Champion of Justice just waited. He’d got used to this kind of communication already, though not quite in this way. Then Applejack said three more words: “Keyword: Mist Memory.”

Then the Champion’s eyes went wide with surprise. He’d heard of the Gaia Library, of course, his fiancée had gone into some depth explaining what it was capable of, though he still had no idea how anypony could get there. He knew that Taboo could go there, with a lot of effort, and ClayDoll too, if she ever took a little more responsibility and applied herself. But the Lunar Memory was supposed to be lost forever, so there was absolutely no way the Champions of Harmony could access it. Now he had a new mission, and that was to work out who’d been lying to him, and how much of what he knew was true.

“Are you okay?” Applejack asked, “You’re awfully quiet, and snorting like that. I can’t tell you where he is, and you ain’t got that sword now anyhow, so it hardly matters. But Twilight and Pinkie are heading down there, and I might go join them if they need me. So you can be sure, the wintery monster will be beaten today.”

Double Dash was flying towards the Everfree Forest again. They didn’t know how long Pinkie would be able to keep them up to date on the location of Harvestgold, and in the absence of the Champion of Justice, they had selected the fastest Element combo in their arsenal to get to the scene of the crime. Twilight had already worked out that the magical ice was being dropped into lakes and streams to freeze ponies there, but that it only seemed to happen in places where the water was deep enough for the ice to be mostly submerged.

For the practice victims, maybe, it would be possible to pick a suitable body of water and wait there for an hour or two until a suitable victim came within reach. But if this was a restriction in the working of the strange icy power, then to target a specific other Memory User the wintery dopant would have to capture them or lure them out to a suitable site. It seemed a lot of effort, and that likely accounted for the day’s delay before the bodies were found. There was a good chance that it would be possible to rescue an intended victim in this time, and that was what they were ready to attempt now.

Rainbow Dash had been selected for this mission because she would likely be the fastest to reach the place Pinkie had located the Mist Dopant. Fluttershy was joining her because she was familiar with the habits of many of the Everfree creatures, and that could prove useful. That the two pegasi working together could have much greater speed and power was a bonus, enough to make the choice of the pair beyond question.

Near the south side of the forest was a large pool. After Pinkie had determined the approximate location of the Mist Memory and its user, it hadn’t been a great feat of deduction to work out where they would be. And just as they had expected, as they skimmed low over the treetops there was a large ball of ice bobbing in the water, only a small amount protruding over the surface.

“You’re the Champions?” a female voice came from somewhere behind the treeline as the double pony touched down on the shore, leaving rainbow magic trails in the air behind them. It wasn’t terrified bravado, this comment was almost a sneer of disdain. Fluttershy was instantly nervous, though Rainbow Dash’s ego quickly pushed that feeling to the back of their consciousness. “You’re too late already. Terror overestimates you.”

“He’s still alive,” Rainbow Dash yelled, hoping that hadn’t changed in the last minute since Pinkie Pie checked the victim’s book, “Not too late yet, and this is the last time you’ll get that far!”

“Shows how little you know,” the voice was just as unimpressed. The monster stepped out from the trees on the far side of the lake, dressed in a heavy robe that hid almost all her features. “I don’t need to kill them, I’d thaw them out and set them free if it wasn’t so much effort. If they’re hurt beyond the Gaia Memory’s ability to recover, the Memory will often partially dissociate from their body, in the hope it will survive the finishing blow and remain unnoticed for a thousand years until it can recover. If you actually studied them rather than just using them, you might actually have a chance of beating me.”

Rainbow Dash took over their body, flying straight up into the air. Fluttershy went along for the ride, assuming her friend knew what she was doing.

(“We don’t need to fight right now, we have to rescue Harvestgold!”)

(“Right! But if she does this to somepony else…”)

(“You know this forest better than most of the monsters, and together we’re the fastest pony who ever lived. She won’t get away.”)

At the apex of their climb, both pegasi reached a hoof to the Driver and tapped their two Elements a little lower in their slots. They spoke together, cheering the name of their attack as the Driver flashed and glowed. “Ultimate Rainboom Strike!”

“KINDNESSLOYALTY: Maximum Drive!”

(“Did we change the name of this attack? I’m sure it had ‘Stare’ in it before.”)

(“Yeah, but there’s no monster to stare at if we’re using it to crack an ice cube.”)

Fluttershy had to admit that was true. There wasn’t time to say anything else, as the two focused all their power into downward acceleration, rings of rainbow light bursting out from their wingtips. They pushed harder, getting every tiny scrap of speed they could, until they were travelling faster than any other pony had ever gone. Really, it was just the sonic rainboom that Rainbow Dash had been so proud of in her youth, executed even more precisely. They pushed their speed up higher and higher, but kept the rainbow energy wrapped around them, so that it only burst at the moment of impact. At the last second, Fluttershy curled her wings around and held them in front of their face, like a shield, while Rainbow Dash pushed her own wings to the limit, increasing their speed still further.

The Rainboom could be seen all across Ponyville, but only a few observers knew what it meant. Just as the shockwave of rainbow energy spread out, Fluttershy’s armoured wings slammed into the top of the giant block of ice. The shockwave even turned the pool rainbow coloured for a moment, and the giant block of ice split neatly in half.

The double-pegasus dived beneath the surface, and hauled Harvestgold to the bank. They weren’t surprised to see the letter ‘M’ burned into his haunch, obliterating his cutie mark on one side. It was a rough scar, more obvious than most, and they would surely have seen it long before if this particular farm stallion didn’t tend to wear huge saddlebags filled with his produce on every visit to town, ‘Just in case somepony got a craving for corn.’

They turned towards the monster again. She was standing on the far bank, holding up a Gaia Memory. Almost taunting them. They didn’t think, just turned and charged towards her. In this form they could run fast enough to skim across the pool’s surface like a stone, it would take them less than a second to reach their quarry. But she already had her Memory out, and they saw a sky-blue swirl of unicorn magic take it from her hoof to her flank, faster than any hoof could have pressed it in.

“ICEBERG!”

Double Dash’s minds moved even more quickly than their body. When they were at their peak, it was almost as if the rest of the world was moving in slow motion. They saw the white shape growing beneath the surface of the lake right in front of them, but they were moving too quickly to stop. Dash reacted most quickly, bringing her hooves up to the Driver, but she wasn’t quick enough and suddenly there was ice all around. It formed from the thin air, and the chilly bubble filled with water in an instant. Then its icy bulk was dragging them beneath the surface, while the water around their limbs froze from the outside in. It took a second, maybe two, before a block of solid ice held them firmly in place.

Deep Crimson shook her head, disappointed. She’d expected more from the Champions of Harmony. That they’d managed to thwart Terror for so long was even more proof that the old mare didn’t deserve to be in control of the Gaia Fountain. Still, it would be beneficial to play the role of the optimistic minion for a short while more, at least until she knew whether or not ClayDoll was secretly concealing the most valuable treasure inside the hollow ceramic of her dopant body.

She could wait for the connection between the Champion and their Elements to be weakened, and then steal the Memories before they became dormant. But she had no idea whether that would work or not, when they were Memories activated through a Driver. She had also observed that the Double Driver was almost completely different from the Control and Gaia Drivers, and she didn’t know how it would react. The other option was the safe one, then. She could flee the scene, and be safely away before the other Champions realised that one of their number was dead. It was a difficult choice to make, because Deep Crimson had always claimed that knowledge was worth any risk. But realistically, she knew that if she died, there would be nopony else in all of Equestria who could replicate her work, studying and tuning the Gaia Memories.

She glanced back at the iceberg, which must be completely solid by now. When their lungs couldn’t even move, that pegasus would drown in two minutes or less. Probably a lot less, given the speed she’d been running at. It couldn’t hurt to–

“LAUGHTERᏔLOYALTY!” The voice calling the names was like the peal of a bell, not the grating gears of every other Gaia Memory, but it was recognisable anyway.

“Wha–?” Deep Crimson was surprised just enough to respond out loud before she realised what she was doing and turned to run back between the trees. She’d already prepared a safe escape route, so there was no doubt she would be able to–

“LAUGHTERLOYALTY: Maximum Drive!”

“Party Rainboom Cannon!” A voice cheered, as the carefully crafted iceberg blew apart into shards, like an egg hatching at a thousand times its normal speed. Deep Crimson didn’t have time to react, as the forest around her was suddenly filled with masks and streamers, balloons and flying slices of cake. The cake had writing on the top, but no piece had more than a couple of letters, so it was impossible to make out the message. She was sure she’d seen that style and that colour of frosting before, but she didn’t have time to try to remember. Sometimes it was good to be able to analyse everything she saw, and to spot the patterns that everypony overlooked, but not when there was a sky-blue pegasus heading straight towards her, bursting from her iceberg-egg in a single lunge.

She caught sight of a couple of cake slices that looked like they might match up, and tried to envision what they would look like together. Even recognising them was a feeling of triumph, because she’d made progress on a difficult puzzle in the instant it took the pieces to fly past. She could remember when she was younger, the joy she’d got from solving puzzles. That was why she was here now, she knew. Not for the power of taking over the Memory Farm, not for the thrill of executing a plan perfectly, not even from fear of being caught and punished for her crimes.

Deep Crimson could remember what had set her on this path. She had wanted a Gaia Memory ever since she first saw that they existed, because she wanted to understand how they worked. She had found out where they were grown, and read between the texts in history books and old farm diaries to find out how. She had made herself attractive to the distributors as a test subject, worked out exactly what to do to gain their trust, and then she had gained it. The Memory had changed her, she saw in a sudden flash of clarity. She had thought about getting what she was owed, about being better, about taking control, about revenge. But all those dark emotions were just distractions from the joy of pure knowledge. She was determined now that the Iceberg Memory would not deceive her any more.

Turning her attention back to the real world outside her imagination, she realised that she was still in danger. All those thoughts, all that insight, has come in a flash that took a single moment, but when that moment was over there was still a pony hurtling towards her, only a few inches away now. Just time to direct a single, angry thought towards the Memory in her flank.

Rainbow Pie pulled herself out of the lake, and shook her mane to get all the water out. It seemed a bit unfair that after being fired out of a Party Cannon, she would still be in the lake where she’d started. But when it came to their combo attacks, it was never quite clear how much was real, how much was a magical illusion, or how much it really mattered. Trying to separate their memories of the event afterwards was too confusing to even attempt.

What they were sure of was that they’d been trapped inside a giant ball of ice when Pinkie swapped into the shared mind, and with one hoof above the Elements they’d only had to struggle and flex slightly to activate their attack. When they emerged from the ice, the Iceberg dopant was right before them, an unmistakable giant with frost-coated translucent skin, standing in the middle of a patch of winter where icicles hung from the previously warm trees. There had been no reason not to go through with the attack, even though they didn’t know that much about the Memory User yet.

The giant form shattered into a thousand shards, and the smaller pony body within bowled head over hooves into the undergrowth. There were sprays of blood, and even in the gloom under the trees they could be sure legs weren’t supposed to bend like that.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash was worried enough to speak aloud as they looked for the Memory User, and for the Memory itself. Normally the full force of the attack was focused on the Gaia Memory, leaving the user with only trivial injuries. The only time they’d seen a pony hurt by their attack had been with three fillies, too young for the Memory to anchor properly.

“I won’t let you take the Memory away from me,” Deep Crimson snarled, glaring at them from the shadow of a tree, with madness visible in her eyes. “You don’t even know how your own powers work, do you?”

“You’re hurt!” Rainbow Dash ran forward to help, her first instinct being to save the injured pony like any hero should. But Pinkie was hesitant, she’d seen what her friend missed, and she held them back.

“The ‘heart’ half of your power shows a user the true nature of their bond, and allows them to separate from the Gaia Memory if they wish,” the injured pony could barely stand, and one of her hind legs was bent backwards. But still, she felt she was in a position to boast about her superior knowledge. “Then with the bond split, the ‘body’ half of the attack targets only the Memory. But I saw what I’d really known all along, that the Iceberg Memory was struggling to control me. I rejected its lies, but put myself in the path of your attack to shield the Memory. Now, it must bend to my will, it owes me and it will obey.”

“You can’t do that!” Pinkie’s voice came from the two-tone pony’s mouth this time. “You don’t know what Memories can do, they’ll always…”

“I know more that you. Your attack showed me the truth, remember? It showed me what I really want!” her magic flickered unsteadily, but her horn was chipped rather than broken. She held up the Gaia Memory, “And what I want is to master these powers!”

“You can’t do that with no lake around,” Rainbow Dash tried the other tack, “Even if you use the Memory again, we’ll have to do another Maximum Drive, you’ve got no iceberg to weaken it, and your body can’t take a –” but she was cut off as the Gaia Memory jabbed into the crazed mare’s flank, and too late they saw that the magic was holding two crystals, one on either side.

“INFERNO!”
“MIST!” Two voices spoke as one, clashing so that it was hard to make out either of the words. Two colours rushed across the red coat, almost like armies at war, fighting to take each other’s territory. The dopant that emerged was black and red, with occasional tides of blue-grey sweeping across its body as the two powers sought some kind of balance. Its hair was made of flame, that rushed up to ignite the trees all around, and in seconds she was surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke.

“Try following me now!” she crowed in triumph, two different Memories adding their own grating echoes to her voice. And she flew into the distance, buoyed up by a cloud of magical mist that seemed to have levitation powers as well as confusing the senses of those trying to follow her trail.

“So you didn’t catch her?” Applejack gasped in amazement as Pinkie Pie related the tale, “We promised Nascar. I promised him, I gave him my word.”

“We had other things to deal with,” Rainbow Dash grunted back, but in reality she was just as annoyed, “We were stuck in a burning forest. It takes time to gather enough rain clouds to put out a fire like that. And the mist doesn’t just hide her, it kind of erased all her tracks as well.”

“You’re not the only ones with two Gaia Memories now,” Spike pointed out, “This is going to be harder than anypony you’ve fought before.”

“How do they even do that?”

“I think I understand it,” Twilight called from her workbench, where she was running yet more tests on the broken Memory fragments they had managed to recover from their enemies so far. “A Gaia Memory forms a bond to its host’s special talent, as part of the initial scarring. That’s when it sets down the channels it can use to poison their heart. It can’t be used by anypony else, then. Now, we’ve heard that if the Memory User dies naturally, the Memory can become dormant again. I think that’s what the Champion of Justice said. And then it can bond to a new user. But I think that if a pony is right on the edge of death, the Memory might not be sure if it has a bond or not. The bond is still there, even with the user almost dead, but it’s too weak to prevent another pony forming a bond.”

“So what’s that mean?” Applejack asked, “Not all the guesses about how it works. Just what can they do, and what can’t they do?”

“I think,” Twilight was keen to emphasise the word, “That if a Memory User is dying but not dead yet, when they’re not in dopant form, another dopant could steal their Gaia Memory and use it. And if they use it once before the first user dies, the bond will transfer instead of fading. It will hurt her, but the Memories can’t all poison her mind. They haven’t created the channels into her heart, they’re having to share, so the effect will only be slightly more than a single Memory. And we’re pretty sure she has Yesterday, so she might be able to overcome the Gaia Memories completely, and use them like tools. There’s actually a chance she was right about that.”

“That’d be great,” Applejack still seemed dejected, “If she wasn’t crazy as a box full of bobcats before she got the Memory.”

“She said she knew what they did,” Rainbow Dash nodded, “And she still went looking for one.”

“We lost this time,” Rarity put on a brave face, “So we’ll have to get better, so we can beat her next time. I won’t let her harm one more innocent pony.”

“Talking about that,” Applejack produced a box that she’d brought with her, and opened it on the table, “Harvestgold asked me to pass on these donuts, a kind of thank you. He’s feeling better now, he says, and not feeling any cravings for the Mist Memory. So, we didn’t fail. We saved an innocent, and now we’re ready to make sure nopony can get away with something like this again. Next time, we will stop her. I’ll promise that to you all.”

The Champions of Harmony cheered. It might not be the best possible ending, but the dopant would need time to recover. It looked like tomorrow might just be a quiet, peaceful day in Ponyville.

Intermission - I Will Return

The Champion of Justice looked down at the box in front of him. He was a muscular stallion, and the ornamental casket looked too small in his giant hooves, like it might break at any moment. He knew it wasn’t as fragile as it looked, but he always felt like he shouldn’t be handling something so pretty.

He opened it, and lifted out a pseudo-Memory, a wafer of glass threaded through with the same copper and silver circuitry that allowed a Gaia Memory to more reliably connect to a living host. The letter on the side was a stylised ‘E’, and it had a tiny switch on the back that could be set to four different positions, to enable different attacks.

“The new Engine Memory, as promised,” his wife smiled at him, “I decided to bring it myself, as she couldn’t find the time to travel all this way.”

“And the other one?” he held up a second Memory, this one some semi-precious black stone born from the Gaia Fountain. The letter on the side of this one was an ‘A’, and while the metal spikes that formed the spirit connector were the same as any other memory, the main part of the crystal was flat and curved, with edges like a knife.

“Something to help deal with the Champions of Harmony. The last remaining G2 memory. The original wielder was defeated by a Champion known as Skull, who had been almost forgotten by the history books even before the Princesses rose to power. But the dopant’s soul was absorbed by the Memory, and as soon as anypony uses it, the former Lord of Misrule will be reborn. He will be useful for our purposes, because the Elements of Harmony cannot harm him unless wielded by an alicorn.”

“So what do we do when he turns out to be as bad as the other previous-generation dopants?” the Champion seemed angry for a moment, “I mean, I took this Memory so I could help protect you and your family from the monsters who don’t attempt to control the power, so that the Gaia Memories could provide a path to a brighter future. I shouldn’t be hurting good ponies. I wake up at night screaming, when I dream about a Memory that I sold going out of control and coming back to hurt my sisters, or the citizens of Ponyville.”

“Don’t worry. That’s exactly why you have the power to keep the dopants under control, and we study every failure to try to determine how we can better purify the Memories. Remember, we’ve got the most talented mineralogist in Equestria working on this. And as for the ancient knight, he’s bound by a spell just as old as he is. It originally meant he cannot betray his brother. That bond still exists today, except that now it binds the dopants allegiance to the current bearer of his brother’s Gaia Memory instead. Don’t worry, he won’t be able to hurt you.”

The Champion didn’t know what to say after that. He muttered something to imply he accepted it, and said rather more clearly that he trusted her no matter what.

“He won’t hurt you,” the Terror Dopant read aloud with a smile, standing among the shelves of the Gaia Library and leafing through a book whose cover now only displayed the word ‘Nascar’. For all the power of the Gaia Memories themselves, she still thought that this place was one of the greatest gifts of the Fountain.

“At least,” she continued the sentence with a wry smile on her lips, “As long as you’re useful to us.”

Author's Note

I really need a better title for this episode; any suggestions welcome. Could also use another proofreader, as I've caught myself making a few dumb mistakes and would prefer to catch them before release.

Episode 23 - Don't Need Another H

Author's Note

My latest book is out and I'm trying to promote it, and it's also Nanowrimo this month. So I've got a lot on my plate, and I can't guarantee to have the second half of this story out in a week like I normally try. But I figured it's been a long time since the last one, so I should share this one to let you know I haven't abandoned this AU. Hopefully the next one will be along soon. Wish me luck.

Episode 23 - Don't Need Another H

The sun was high in the sky, no longer baking the citizens of Ponyville but still keeping the air warm enough to be comfortable as summer started to shade into autumn. Ponies walked through the streets in a complex dance that might almost look like it had a pattern if you could see the whole town at once. They talked to friends, caught up with acquaintances, went to a wide variety of shops, and did the everyday work and chores that made life flow smoothly. There was nothing to worry about today.

There were a couple of damaged buildings in the town, still, from giant monsters that had caused tremendous damage when they appeared. It was a good time to be a builder, or a carpenter, or any other pony who could lend their skills to put the town back together. It had been months since the last true monster rampage, though there had been quite a few that caused their damage on a smaller scale in more recent times. So the scars on the scenery were almost gone, and the ordinary members of society weren’t constantly reminded that their town was under threat from a supernatural enemy that nopony truly understood.

The big thing in the news right now was the disturbance on Nightmare Night, when the traditional feast was interrupted by none other than Princess Luna herself, the mare in the moon, who legend said had terrorised all of Ponyville and tried to snuff out the sun a thousand years before. Meeting her in the flesh had turned out to be a big anti climax for anypony who’d been seriously worried, though many foals said it had been the best Nightmare Night ever.

It was three weeks, as well, since a pony frozen solid had been pulled out of a lake or stream. That was cause for a sigh of relief from Twilight Sparkle, Ponyville’s resident librarian and de facto leader of the Champions of Harmony. The Iceberg Dopant had managed to escape capture, using her own body to shield her Gaia Memory from the destructive power of a maximum drive attack, as well as using other Memories that she had stolen from more discreet dopants. Twilight still didn’t know the mare’s name, but she was satisfied that the only truly evil pony she’d met since becoming a hero seemed to have limped away with her tail between her legs. The Nascar Dopant, otherwise known as the Champion of Justice, hadn’t shown himself either. Without the Engine Memory, he was partly ineffective in a fight, and so Twilight could only hope that he would leave the Champions of Harmony, chosen by Princess Celestia herself, to fight the dopant threat without interference.

All in all, it was good to have a moment of respite. Twilight wouldn’t let herself get too comfortable with the situation, though, because she knew that another dopant could show up at any time. Nascar might get a replacement Memory, or he might continue selling Gaia Memories to others even if he no longer had the weapon with which to stop anypony who couldn’t control their power. He might be replaced by another agent, sent from whatever mysterious organisation was farming the Gaia Memory crystals. Or Iceberg could come back and start a new reign of terror as she sought to take over the distribution of Memories in Ponyville. There were at least three other shoes waiting to drop there, and Twilight already knew the dangers of complacency. It had cost Sweet Pickings her life the last time they had thought everything was quiet.

And that was exactly why, in the middle of a warm afternoon, Twilight Sparkle and Gin Mixer were sitting across a table in one of Ponyville’s many little cafés. Twilight had a cup of tea, as always, while Detective Gin Mixer was consuming a steady stream of good cider. He was paying the bill this time, so Twilight could hardly complain about the cost. They had arranged to meet up at least once every week now, so that Twilight could share in the Ponyville Department of Police’s findings about any new criminal trends, and in exchange she could point out any cases that were likely related to the presence of Gaia Memories, and thus ensure that every threat to the peace of the town was met by the ponies best suited to dealing with it.

The truce between the Champions and the Police was an uneasy one at this point. It had been hard for Twilight and her friends to distance themselves from the self-proclaimed Champion of Justice, a vigilante who also saw it as his duty to deal with Gaia Memory crimes, but with a lot less regard for the right to a fair trial. But Twilight liked to think they were working on some kind of rapport. A couple more successful cases would reassure the bureaucrats in City Hall, and until then she could rely on the cynically pragmatic Gin Mixer to be her contact. He was the kind of detective who’d do whatever it took to make sure the ponies in his town were able to sleep safely.

“I think maybe they’ve given up,” Gin muttered, slightly indistinctly as he still had his fourth mug of cider at his mouth. “When’s the last time there was any destruction? You said it was one of these monsters that damaged a load of trees on the school grounds, right. In winter and spring we were seeing some huge thing rampaging nearly every other week. The last one was a sneaky one, I’ll admit, but how many ponies are out there who could do something like that? Maybe you’ve defeated enough now, and this organisation just decided to cut their losses and stay out of Ponyville.”

“I really wish I could believe that,” Twilight answered, “But it’s so easy to imagine that they’ve just got smarter. That they’re out there committing crimes now, or even doing things that there isn’t a law against yet because we never even imagined them, and they’ve just managed to do it somewhere that we’re not seeing. I think that even when we see the distributors in jail, I’ll be looking over my shoulder until there’s been a year of silence. Maybe not even–” she stopped suddenly, and her head twitched round towards the window. Gin mixer furrowed his brow, but didn’t say anything. He wanted to know why she’d stopped, before he said anything about it.

“Do you hear screaming?” Twilight asked, “I think that was a scream!” Two ponies put their drinks down and hurried out into the street. They didn’t even stop to pay, though Gin Mixer made a mental note to sort that out later. Payment could wait, screams couldn’t.

The cries of distress were coming from a building site, a building larger than all of its existing neighbours. It had been under construction for nearly a year at that point, because the project manager didn’t want there to be the slightest mistake. The building that had previously stood there had been burned down under mysterious circumstances, and even after the most widely-believed rumour said that the place had been set ablaze by a monster made out of magma, the owners were still worried that they could be blamed for any suspicion of structural weakness. Now it was nearly complete, and there were regularly crowds of onlookers who had a couple of free moments in the middle of their shopping day. The object of their attention was a gigantic crane, with three boom arms spreading out from a metal lattice tower that was visible from just about anywhere in Ponyville due to its incredible height.

The crane was a mechanical marvel, probably the kind of thing that would have fascinated Twilight if she hadn’t chosen magic over mechanics when she first went to school. She still knew it was incredible, and she could understand the different issues involved in making a crane of that size, but she didn’t consider herself an expert in those kinds of matters. The crane had a lot of names: A marvel, a wonder, an eyesore, a glimpse of the future. But right now it was gathering attention for a completely different reason.

One of the booms swayed unsteadily, and a shower of pieces of metal spilled down onto the street from the bucket it was carrying. Standing on top of it, a pony was clearly visible, silhouetted against the afternoon sky. Now that autumn was setting in, the sunset was already starting to paint the clouds in orange and pink, which made the whole scene even more dramatic.

“I am the master of questions!” a stallion’s voice called, with strange echoes that didn’t seem quite right. The sound was so distorted that it was impossible to tell much about the speaker, though he was almost certainly a male. “And I have a challenge for you. Answer my riddle and I shall leave you in peace, but if you cannot bring me the answer before the sun falls below the horizon, I assure you that this building will fall too.”

Gin Mixer gaped up at the figure, but couldn’t see any detail. He was just a pony shape with a long scarf blowing in the wind. He didn’t know how anypony could shout so loud either, to be heard from such an incredible height, but right now he was just waiting to hear what this riddle would be. Twilight waited too, the pink glow of magic holding a notebook and pencil up in front of her.

“Not so fast, Questioner!” Another voice rang out. Every head in the streets turned towards the tallest of the nearby buildings, the bank. Perched on the rooftop there, above the clocktower, was another silhouetted figure. This one was wearing a complex outfit with visibly sparkling gems and semi-precious stones, as well as ridges of metal along the sides of her body to give a stronger shape to the costume that was, at this point, unseen.

“Who are you?” The criminal boomed, “And what are you doing here? Do you think you can solve the questions of my riddle? Then I tell you, look under–” He seemed a little flustered, not expecting anypony to talk back to him at this point, but he managed to keep his speech to whatever scheme he had planned.

“I can answer those questions at least,” the newcomer showed that she could easily match the criminal for volume, and interrupted him without hesitation. She paused, and nodded her head to acknowledge a nervous chuckle from the crowd before continuing: “I am the defender of Ponyville, who will protect the citizens from whatever disasters you monsters can send. I am the Champion of Hope, defender of the weak, and Patron Hero of Ponyville. To your second question, I say that I am here to ensure none of these ponies comes to harm, and to bring you to justice also. And I do not intend to solve any riddles, because you won’t be there to ask them much longer!”

“Girls, can you hear this?” Twilight pushed the Joker Memory into its slot on her collar, allowing her to communicate with the five friends she trusted the most, “Somepony’s claiming to be a new Champion, I don’t know what her deal is.”

“Hah!” the question master snorted, “Everypony will hate you more than me, when they see the number of lives you have cost here today. Will you bring them any hope, in the face of this?” And as he spoke, the crane boom began to shake again. Something was visible, falling down onto the crowds below. Too high to see clearly, but it must be some kind of rubble or detritus thrown out over the crowd from a height that would make any falling object deadly. The workers on the building site fled in terror as the little specks of something solid fell closer, and ponies on the street started to panic as well as they realised that the crane overhung the edge of the construction site by some distance. If that fell, it would cause devastation to a whole part of Ponyville, and they didn’t even know the riddle that might have saved them.

“He–He–Heeero!” a chorus of voices rang out, above the clamour of the crowds and the screams of those in the danger zone. The pony on the bank roof dived down, surrounded by a swirling nimbus of pink and gold light that spread out behind her like a boat’s bow wave. Every eye was fixed on her, even some of those running for cover stopping to watch.

The strange aura spread like an umbrella over the crowds, and the debris that the question master had thrown disappeared.

“Fear not, citizens of Ponyville!” she called out, flying a loop around the construction site as the shimmering aura faded back into a compact comet trail around her body, “The Champion of Hope spreads her wings to shield the innocent, and her magic strikes down the monsters that threaten our peace!”

(“We’d better see if she needs any help,” Rainbow Dash’s voice echoed in the back of Twilight’s mind, “And make sure she’s not going to kill the dopant like that other guy. Pass me the Driver?”)

Twilight nodded, and produced the Double Driver. The seventh Element of Harmony, which allowed the others to work together, it sometimes seemed to be the Champions of Harmony’s greatest weakness that only the one with the Driver could transform. She threw it high into the air with her magic, attracting a puzzled glance from Gin Mixer and some of the other ponies standing nearby. Rainbow Dash soared overhead, so fast that she looked more like a sky-blue blur than a pegasus.

By the giant crane, the two mysterious figures had already collided. Nothing was visible from the ground but ripples of coloured light and unidentifiable metallic sounds from a point far overhead. But as the self-proclaimed question master growled “Curse you!” it was clear that the fight wasn’t going his way at all. Then the pink-gold glow was rising into the air, faster and faster, tail growing behind it like some pastel-coloured comet. The crowd cheered.

“Hi,” Rainbow Dash called out, climbing close to the two combatants, “Are you okay there? Do you need some help from a more experienced hero?” She hoped she’d get some excuse to show off her abilities, though by now they were so far from the ground that she wouldn’t even be recognisable. But before she even finished the question, there was a brilliant burst of pink light, and a trail streaking off into the distance.

“Hey!” she yelled, wings already a blur as she rushed to follow the two ponies struggling in mid air. She was surprised to find that they were getting away from her, as fast as the Champion of Justice had been able to move with his wheels, and they were still climbing higher. Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes and put everything she had into keeping pace. There was exactly one pony she would admit was faster than Rainbow Dash, and she wasn’t going to let this newcomer steal her crown. She slammed her Element into the slot on the Driver without slowing down, and waited for Fluttershy’s response.

“KINDNESSᏔLOYALTY!” the Driver called out, and Rainbow Dash was surrounded by her own corona of light. When it faded, she was one half of the double-pony that she liked to call Doubledash, with two pairs of wings and double the strength and speed. While Rainbow Dash alone could race any pony in Equestria, there was nothing faster than Doubledash.

Which made it doubly frustrating when the pale streak of mist in front of them also found a second burst of speed, almost vanishing from sight as Doubledash fought against gravity. Nopony could possibly be faster than the union of two pegasi, though, especially when one of them was capable of executing the legendary sonic rainboom on her own. Flying higher and higher, faster and faster as the air got thinner and colder, and they were too high for even clouds to reach. There was less than a furlong between them when the glowing pastel trail stopped, and dissipated like smoke in the breeze.

(“What the hay?” Dash wanted to curse aloud, but the cold air meant that it was hard even to draw a breath, so she resorted to the telepathy that the Elements of Harmony provided. “Where did they go? Did you see?”)

(“Nnn… Noooo…” Fluttershy’s mental voice wavered as Dash looked all around them, at the darkness that seemed to be above the sunset gold on the horizon, and at Ponyville so far below that it was like a speck on the ground, “Can we go down now, please?”)

Rainbow Dash wanted to do more to find the monster and the new hero, and ask how this newcomer had managed to be almost as fast as her. But there was nothing to see, not even a cloud to hide behind, and the cold was uncomfortable for both of them. They began to descend, speculating internally about whether the disappearance meant the new hero had won, or not.

Back down on the ground, Gin Mixer had the same thought: “At least she got him out of town. But did she beat him, or did he escape?”

“We can’t even tell,” Twilight answered, speaking slowly because half her attention was still on what Rainbow Dash was telling her, “It sounds like they went up and up, and then just vanished.”

“Hope I’m not being too cynical, after she saved so many lives here, but after the last one I don’t think I can trust this Champion. Not until she’s willing to meet with the Department and let us know what her angle is.”

In another neighbourhood, there was a small house with a small attic room. The door was just about accessible by weaving your way past all kinds of junk and storage crates, but this time two ponies dropped in through an open window. One of them, a unicorn with a coat so dark it was almost black, grunted in pain. He stood with some difficulty, rubbing sore muscles, and pulled off the microphone headset that had poked him so hard in the muzzle when they landed.

“I never thought it would hurt so much,” he grumbled, “What happened?”

“Heroes,” his pegasus companion shrugged, taking the mics and returning them to the right drawer in a desk that showed off a massive array of recording equipment, speakers, turntables, and even a variety of musical instruments leaning against the sides. “They would have put you in jail for that stunt. Lucky I was able to get you out of there while they were distracted by the fireworks.”

“I still don’t get how you can do that,” he grumbled, “I mean, yeah, we all have our own talents. But I don’t even understand what you do half the time.”

“I save your ass,” his companion shrugged, “And I come up with plans better than just posing and cackling. That not enough for you?”

“Yeah, but… tricks like that…”

“I’m an awesome DJ. With the best gear in Equestria, a really good memory, and the brains to work out how to use them. Look, above a certain speed nopony can think straight, right? Going fast enough, you got to use your whole brain watching out for things in the way. You might not notice a villain vanishing right out of your hooves, you just keep on streaking forward without noticing that Question has gone.”

“Thanks,” he muttered, moving a stack of records so he could sink onto the battered couch in the corner, “You’re probably the best of us, you know? Sorry I gave you a hard time, but aaaah, my whole body must be bruised.”

“You’re welcome. And I’ll try to be gentler next time. Just lie back and relax, knowing there’s no way anypony will figure it out.”

“Are you sure this is okay?” Pinkie Pie murmured nervously, “I mean, there’s a new hero in town, we should be offering a hoof of friendship, to make sure we’re ready to help each other when we need to. No, we should be throwing a party!”

“We need to know she’s really a hero first,” Rainbow Dash insisted, “And for that we need to know who she is, right? We’ll figure this out in no time, then we don’t need to bother the others with it.”

They were in Pinkie’s bedroom now, above Sugarcube Corner. Normally the Champions would meet in the Golden Oak Library, but Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem to understand how dangerous a new champion would be if she wasn’t on the same side. So Dash had come over to talk to Pinkie, and solicit her help in making sure the day really did have the happy ending it seemed.

Pinkie nodded, and moved to the centre of the room. It took her a few minutes to convince her pet alligator, Gummy, to remain on her bed out of the way, but eventually she was ready. She moved one hoof in a long slow gesture that looked like it had come from an exotic meditation exercise, and then closed her eyes. In an instant, the shelves of the Gaia Library formed around her, but to Rainbow Dash it just looked like her friend was standing in silence.

She took a deep breath. She’d suggested things often enough when they were doing a Lookup as a group, but this was the first time she’d even considered doing it on her own.

“Keyword:” she said after steadying her nerves, “Questions.”

“Nine hundred, twenty-six thousand, four hundred and ten matches.” That was more than usual, even for the first keyword. But then, Dash was smart enough to guess that nearly everypony had questions they wanted to ask.

“Keyword: Ponyville Grand Hotel,” if the construction site was important to the monster, then the name of the incomplete building might cut down the number of matches.

“Six hundred and one matches.” It was a big difference, but not good enough. Dash thought for a moment, what else they might know about the monster who had started the afternoon’s incident. Of course, he was standing on top of the boom of a giant mechanical crane. It would be hard for anypony to get up there at the best of times, but in the middle of the day with all the workers around, climbing the structure would clearly be impossible. Which left just one possibility.

“Keyword: Pegasus stallion,” she said confidently.

“One hundred and sixty-four matches,” Pinkie declared. Rainbow Dash racked her brains, but she couldn’t think of anything else that might be even remotely relevant.

“Fine, cancel that,” she said, “Let’s focus on this new Champion. Like how she got to the scene so quickly, was she already following this question master?” She took a deep breath, and turned back to start a new Look-Up.

“Keyword: Hero Dopant.” That would surely tell them what they needed to know. This time, searching for the mysterious ally would be the easy route. The Memory’s call had been like a choir, four voices coming in one at a time before saying the name together, but it had echoes of the strange artificial voices that characterised the calls of all Gaia Memories, including the Elements of Harmony. There was no way to hide that, and Dash already knew that the Gaia Library was very certain when it came to who had a certain Memory. The word ‘dopant’ felt strange, and she realised it was probably the first time she’d actually said it. Twilight and Rarity used the word all the time, but Dash and the others had got into the habit of calling them ‘monsters’ before they ever learned the scientific term.

“No matches.” Pinkie answered.

“Fine,” Dash pouted, “So she’s not a ‘dopant’. Well, we aren’t either, and that ‘He-he-hero’ thing sounded more like the Driver singing than like the other ones. Maybe she really is a hero? But we still got to find out who she is, having a purified Memory doesn’t mean we can trust her.”

Pinkie just stood there, eyes closed as she looked at the bookshelves in her dream.

“Right,” Rainbow Dash tried again, “Cancel. Keyword: Hero Memory. Just tell me who she–”

“No matches,” Pinkie repeated.

“What do you mean no matches?” Dash couldn’t believe it, “We all heard that thing call out its name. Unless…” She tried a couple of variations. The name wasn’t Heeeero either, no matter how long she drew out the ‘e’, or how hard she attempted to imitate the voice the strange Memory had used. Nor was it ‘He-he-hero Memory’, or any variation on that. It was a good thing Pinkie’s home didn’t have any immediate neighbours, or they would have thought she was going crazy. Crazier than usual.

“Keyword: Engine Memory,” Rainbow Dash eventually tried, “See if there’s anything there. Maybe those artificial Memories don’t show up.”

“Eleven matches, but…” Pinkie sat down heavily in the middle of the floor, and her eyes flickered open. “Sorry,” she muttered, “There’s some books there I can’t seem to read. Like I’m not allowed to or something.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that,” Dash shrugged, “I don’t think I saw that happen before.”

“I’ve been trying not to mention it,” Pinkie admitted, looking down at her hooves, “It’s a bit embarrassing that there’s parts of my own dream I can’t get to. Don’t tell Twilight?”

“Uhh… sure,” Rainbow Dash didn’t know what else to say, “We can’t look up the other Champion then. So if the same thing happens for this new one, we’d at least know they’re the same kind of thing. Whatever they are.”

“You want to try again?” Pinkie offered, “I think I can do that, just give me a minute.”

“Yeah, there’s one more thing I can think of to look up. If that doesn’t work, we’ll have to ask the others to help anyhow.” She waited until Pinkie was standing in the middle of the room again, eyes closed, before continuing.

“Keyword: Champion of Hope.”

“Six matches.”

“Do any of them have a Gaia Memory?” She asked, and then hesitated. It seemed like the library in Pinkie’s dreams could only be searched in very specific ways, and that probably wasn’t one of them. She wondered for a second whether adding ‘Gaia Memory’ as a keyword would help, but then Pinkie answered.

“No.”

“Can you tell me the names? Maybe we could look into them.”

“Maybe,” Pinkie answered, but her voice was more serious as she woke up and the distant, dreamy monotone faded. “But they’re not dopants, I can tell that much. This power… it’s not supposed to be used selfishly, and I think right now, there isn’t much of a reason to investigate those six ponies. If one of them had a Memory, then I’d be right on it, but we can’t use the Gaia Library to spy on anypony we want.”

“I guess,” Rainbow Dash was disappointed, but she realised it was probably a good restriction. If it wasn’t for Pinkie Pie’s moral code, it would have been quite possible for somepony to ask for access to the Library and then read her book to find out what she was thinking, or something equally terrible. “I’ll ask the others if they have any ideas. I’m sure we can work out who this pony is with good, old-fashioned detective work.”

In the Golden Oak Library, Twilight stood by the largest table, explaining her thoughts to Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Applejack. When Rainbow Dash burst in, she was obviously tired, and Pinkie guessed that she’d spent the whole night trying to think of persuasive reasons to investigate the new Champion of Hope. She felt a little bad not helping her friend, but she knew that using the Gaia Library for selfish ends could only be a problem in the long run.

“We’ve got to do something about this new Champion,” she exclaimed, not even waiting to see what the others were talking about, “She thinks she’s so cool just because she’s a fast flyer, she can show off in public and get all the credit for saving everypony at the construction site. She’s putting us all in danger by drawing attention to herself. We keep information about the monsters secret for a reason, we never go around seeking publicity, so she should have to do the same. Especially if she won’t even let us know who she is, won’t accept help from more experienced heroes!”

Applejack turned to look at Twilight and nodded, a simple sign of agreement to end their previous conversation and clear the table for Rainbow Dash’s argument. The others gave quick glances that made it clear they had no problem with that.

“Rainbow Dash,” Twilight started disapprovingly, “Investigating dopants I could understand. But another champion could possibly be our ally, not our enemy. And I don’t think it’s right to spy on friends without a reason.”

“She could be anyone!” Dash insisted, “She flies faster than me, for Celestia’s sake, you can’t say that’s natural! For all we know she could be another monster, playing up to what everypony wants to see and… I don’t know, feeding on their excitement or something?”

“She’s not a dopant,” Pinkie Pie said. Dash scowled at this unexpected betrayal, but tried to keep the irritation out of her voice. Of course, she and Pinkie knew that the Champion of Hope didn’t have a real Gaia Memory, and so was no threat to the Champions of Harmony. But that was a great excuse to seek Twilight’s help in tracking down the newcomer, so she could teach her to show proper respect. It was no help at all if Pinkie told the others that there wasn’t an issue.

“How do you know that?” Rainbow Dash asked, doing her best to keep calm. She knew that the new Champion was a rival and a threat, but there was no way she could prove that if the others knew there was nothing to worry about. But Pinkie had promised not to say anything about their secret investigation in the Gaia Library, so she couldn’t answer that question without breaking a friend’s confidence, and Rainbow Dash was pretty sure she wouldn’t go that far.

“I just know,” Pinkie looked down at the table, clearly embarrassed to meet Dash’s eyes, “When I see somepony, I can recognise right away if they’re using dopant powers. Maybe it’s a side effect from when Princess Luna was hiding in the library in my dreams. But if that mare was a Memory user, I’d know about it.”

“Right,” Rainbow Dash pouted, “But don’t you think we need to check her out, uncover her secret? We need to know she’s not another Justice guy.”

“Maybe,” Applejack mumbled hesitantly, “But she’s not…”

“She’s not a threat to us,” Twilight finished the sentence, “We know enough about the Champion of Hope to know she’s not going to be causing us any problems. Trust me on this, Rainbow Dash. We don’t need to do anything about this situation, it’s all fine.”

“No way,” Rainbow Dash growled, “There is something wrong with that mare, and we need to find out what it is before it comes back to bite us.”

“It won’t,” Twilight adopted a conciliatory tone, “This isn’t anything we need to worry about, no matter how it looks. Are you getting jealous? There’s no reason to–”

“Oh hay!” Rainbow Dash snapped, “I’m not jealous! I’d be just as upset if she was as slow in the air as the rest of you. I’m worried because she’s dangerous, and she’s famous. Only one rescue and there’s already a hundred fans around the city drawing portraits of her and hanging up banners with her name on. If she’s evil she could turn the whole town against us, doesn’t that worry you?” She stormed out and slammed the door behind her.

“I think… that went kind of well?” Twilight didn’t sound as confident as her words would normally imply.

“I think we should have told her,” Fluttershy shook her head, “She’s worried we could be hurt, and I don’t like seeing my friends worry.”

“She’s worried there’s somepony faster than her,” Applejack corrected, “And all the cafés and bars that let her have a free drink for being a hero, she’s worried they’ll not be so generous if there’s more heroes to share the rewards with.”

“I don’t want to upset Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said for probably the tenth time that morning, “But she’s seeing problems where there are none, she’s projecting her personal worries onto all of us. That’s not healthy, and she won’t learn until she discovers it for herself. We told her there was nothing to worry about, and if her desire to be the best won’t let her accept that, then she’s going to learn a valuable lesson.”

Rainbow Dash flew back and forth through the skies over Ponyville. She knew really that she was just waiting for the Champion of Hope so that she could show her up somehow and prove herself the better hero, but still she told herself that she just wanted to keep the citizens of Ponyville safe, and that there was no chance she would let a petty motive such as pride influence her decisions.

A day went past, and the new champion didn’t reappear. But Rainbow Dash kept on looking, even though it meant she was starting to shirk her duties on the weather team. She had to find this new Champion of Hope before she showed the town her true colours.

She saw colts fighting, arguing over some hoofball score in a current tournament. She ignored them, as much as she wanted to step in and help, because she knew that the important thing was to identify the Champion of Hope. She saw a burglary in progress, and made a mental note to mention it to the police later. She was completely sure that the Champion of Hope would be a major player somehow, and nothing else mattered as long as she was going about her business freely.

Rainbow Dash saw a dam starting to crack, when one circuit of her patrol went a little farther from Ponyville than she usually did. She knew exactly what that meant, the earth ponies who planned the installation had never expected the dam to hold back such a massive weight of water continuously without maintenance, and whoever was responsible for keeping it standing hadn’t realised how much work they were expected to put in. She hesitated for a second, and started to fly back towards Ponyville, but then hesitated. The Apple family farm was downstream of a dam, and they stood to lose a great number of bits, and could even be seriously hurt if there was a sudden flood. Leaving a job to the experts was a lot harder when her friends were at risk, and she turned and went to look at the damaged dam.

There were young families with foals picnicking along the river bank there. That stream was perfect for it. Quite a few of the relaxing ponies had spotted the crack in the dam, but none of them were ready to do anything about it right now. Fixing something like that would require a hero. Rainbow Dash wasn’t an expert in water management or engineering, but she knew she had to do something when the crack spread in front of her eyes, solid stone splitting as it extended across the surface. She flew closer and placed her hooves on the heavy stone, wondering if she could adapt the magic that let her push a heavy cloud while touching only one tiny spot. But then the dam burst, and she could only join the rest of the crowd in trying to get out of the way of a powerful wave.

Everypony was running, trying to get themselves out of danger. The others in the area weren’t important, they could look after themselves. But there was one mare standing on the riverbank, with a wide purple hat that must be blocking her view, because she wasn’t attempting to move at all.

“Look out!” Rainbow Dash joined a dozen other voices in shouting, but when this one pony finally moved it was in the opposite direction to the crowd, towards the bursting dam. Then she flipped that ridiculous pointed hat in the air, revealing her horn and also pulling out something that had been hiding in the point of the hat. Something small and shiny, but tossed into the air and caught in her hoof too quickly for anypony to see what it was.

“Let’s do this,” she whispered, and her voice somehow carried across all the screams so that everypony could hear.

“He–He–Hero!” that voice seemed to come from everywhere at once, and echoed from the rocks on both sides of the canyon. The purple-clad pony’s body shimmered, and the aura of her magic spread from simply holding the hat to spiral around her entire body. Now she was wearing an impressive suit of armour, that seemed to make her whole body shimmer like a gemstone. The shape of the hat was still there, in highly stylised form, but now it was nothing more than a mane ornament that resembled the brim around the base of her horn.

Rainbow Dash couldn’t stop to challenge the so-called Champion, because the wall of water was roaring closer and closer, almost touching her tail as she fled. But the Champion of Hope’s magic reached out and stopped the water right where it was.

“Looks like you need a little more speed, Rainbow Splash,” her voice was loud and clear enough that everypony could hear. And worse, everypony stopped to laugh, their fear over the disaster turning into mockery in an instant.

Later that evening, Rainbow Dash stormed into the Golden Oak Library. She was angry, that much was obvious from every line of her body. Angry at this new hero, angry at herself, and angry at her friends. She couldn’t believe that she had been so humiliated. She couldn’t believe that this new Champion had made it so easy to push the water back, and to put the dam back together like a broken pot. She couldn’t believe she’d been dumb enough to attempt a task that obviously needed a unicorn’s powers of telekinesis, but obviously that wasn’t the main problem now. She needed to find a way to remind everypony that this new champion was most certainly not a hero.

“I guess you heard then?” she muttered, not caring that she was interrupting Twilight Sparkle’s private reading time. “The Champion of Hope saved the day again. They won’t be needing us soon.”

“They’ll always need us,” Twilight shrugged, “There’s problems that only we can deal with. But what did she save everypony from today?”

“Burst dam. But she’s a unicorn, can you believe it? Used her magic to catch all the pieces of a burst dam and put it back together, pushed the water right back. She says a true hero needs to be ready to protect everypony when there’s a villain around or not. There was a huge crack in the dam, and she put it back together like it was nothing.”

“That shows quite some dedication to duty,” Twilight shrugged, “I’d better go up there tomorrow, though. Assess the damage, and make sure that it’s properly repaired before it breaks again. We can’t rely on a mysterious hero every single time something goes wrong.”

“Oh, she fixed it fine,” Rainbow Dash muttered, still angry that this one hero could do so many things that she couldn’t, “Not even a trace of a crack now. I tell you, she’s going to be a problem. Made me look like an idiot in front of everypony, how long are you going to let her get away with this? I shouldn’t be the only one trying to find out who she is.”

Twilight paused for a second, looked like she was uncertain now, but quickly rallied and continued.

“Rainbow Dash, I am a little disappointed in you. You’re jealous because the Champion of Hope flew faster than you. You keep on saying she’s dangerous, she’s an enemy, we need to investigate her. But she hasn’t hurt anypony, and she hasn’t threatened us at all. I think you’re just trying to think of excuses to prove you’re better than her, and on some level you know that this animosity is just your own insecurity showing through. Please, try to just accept that you didn’t win a race for once, and that showing off doesn’t make anypony an enemy.”

“There must be some trick,” Rainbow Dash didn’t want to listen, “There’s no way she was faster than me. It’s not possible.” Twilight responded with another reasoned argument, but Rainbow Dash already knew that the time for debate was past. If the others weren’t going to help her, she would just have to deal with this monster herself. She raced out of the library, plans already forming in her head.

“Do you think that was too cruel?” Twilight asked, biting her lip nervously, “Should I have told her?”

“Nah,” Spike murmured from his place on a high shelf, “She’s just running off her ego. Maybe if she tires herself out chasing shadows, she’ll learn something important.”

“I guess. I still feel bad for not telling her about…” she cut off as Rainbow Dash burst in again through a high window. “Hi again. Do you–”

“I need a book about alicorns,” Dash announced confidently.

Much later. Rainbow Dash wasn’t too fond of books, but she had the determination to get through them when it mattered. Like the first time she had mastered the Sonic Rainboom, she was happy to read a huge text if it could point the way towards victory. When somepony challenged her for speed, maybe she could even compare with Twilight in the studying stakes.

This time, she wasn’t intending to decipher the secrets of an ancient text. She just wanted to be sure she understood everything that was commonly known about alicorns. Twilight had offered to tell her if she just promised not to keep on worrying about the Champion of Hope. That was a promise she couldn’t make, and she was sure in any case that if Twilight couldn’t help her identify the so-called Champion, then Twilight’s knowledge on this subject could be insufficient.

“Let’s go over what we’ve got so far,” Rainbow Dash posed proudly, and started to present her findings to a vague pony shape made of cloud fragments. It would have been kind of pathetic if anypony else did that, but she felt more awesome when presenting her results aloud, and it helped her to think. “Ponies used to believe there were ‘pegacorns’, the child of a unicorn and a pegasus born with both wings and a horn. A pegacorn could use both magic and control clouds, like our mysterious evil champion seems to, but had other problems that meant it wasn’t a good thing to be. But for all the time that mixed-tribe couples worried about having a freak foal, there is no record of one ever actually existing. A lot of historians think it was a myth made up to discourage unicorns and pegasi from interbreeding.”

“In more modern times, there are tales of alicorns. They’re not the same as pegacorns, though they do have both wings and a horn. The main difference is that an alicorn has access to the three fields, whatever that means. I think they can use earth pony magic as well, knowing how to move rocks and make plants grow and stuff. But of course you can’t see that so easily. An alicorn is all three tribes. Now, there’s some rumours of alicorn tribes living out in the unexplored desert, but nopony seriously believes that. And there’s stories that a half-breed pony who has exactly equal parts unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony in their ancestry could be an alicorn. But again, all the hospital and midwife records throughout history don’t show a single alicorn birth.”

“That certainly seems pretty odd. Because we all know that at least one alicorn exists. Princess Celestia has a horn and wings, and is larger than an average pony, so there’s no way we can doubt that she’s an alicorn. But she has the power to raise the sun as well, and that doesn’t seem to be any kind of magic the rest of the world is familiar with. All these genius ponies with all kinds of different specialties have no idea how she does it, so it’s possible Celestia is a completely unique type of pony.”

“Now, Princess Luna isn’t really mentioned in these books. She was the Princess of the Moon a thousand years ago, but there’s no written record saying if she was actually an alicorn. She’s shown in some portraits raising the moon using her horn, and also depicted with giant wings made out of the night sky, but there’s no way for the books to know how much of that is real and how much is artistic license. We’ve already met Luna, and I can say she’s got wings and a horn. But when I saw her, she was still Nightmare Moon. I don’t know how much using the Lunar Memory changed her appearance. I mean, I’m pretty sure not even an alicorn can turn into poisonous black smoke to move around, so why do we assume any part of what we saw was her natural form? It would be reasonable to assume she’s an alicorn, but I can’t be sure. So that means one alicorn exists, maybe two.”

Rainbow Dash paced around the room, trying to assemble the facts in her head. That wasn’t all she’d learned in a long night of reading, but it was hard to tell how much of the text actually mattered. Eventually, she continued her presentation.

“Now, it’s reported that the Princesses of the Crystal Empire are alicorns. But only the princesses, there has never even been a report of an alicorn stallion. That’s probably not relevant, but it’s got a lot of discussion. And the birth records of the Empire do not list any alicorn foals born to the monarch in the last six hundred years, as long as records last. So either those records are wrong, or an alicorn doesn’t grow their horn until they are older. Or possibly the princesses once were alicorns, and more recent incumbents simply kept up the pretense for the sake of tradition. Or maybe they never really were, but pretended to be alicorns in an attempt to make it seem they were somehow connected to Princess Celestia. It’s only in the last couple of decades that discrimination between the tribes has decreased and science got enough respect that they could even ask the question of what makes an alicorn. And the Crystal Empire is currently cut off by storms, but there was no reigning Princess there the last time an alicorn researcher could request their help.”

“So, in conclusion. The Champion of Hope had a horn, which she used to repair that dam, and wings, with which she can supposedly fly faster than me. She’s an alicorn, that much is clear, but there are no alicorns in Ponyville as far as the census is concerned. So unless she is actually Princess Celestia, which I find ludicrous, she must be disguising her true nature to the ponies around her. And that gives us a reason to distrust her, even if we hadn’t had one before.” She nodded firmly, underscoring the point. Anypony who lied about the body they had certainly couldn’t be trusted, and must be treated as an enemy. But then, that didn’t actually give her any information useful for tracking down the Champion of Hope. She was twice as sure that she was right now, but she wasn’t any closer to finding the identity of the Hero Memory user.

She paced back and forth, starting speaking only to stop again right away. She tried to think about it from every angle she could think of, but the only conclusion she could reach was that she didn’t really have any clues. It must be hard for an alicorn to hide their identity in a town like Ponyville, where everypony put their friendships first, but she couldn’t think of any way to find the one alicorn who had apparently managed the feat.

“You won’t dispense with me so easily this time!” a voice rang out over the rooftops, “Answer my questions, though, and you might find a way to avoid my vengeance!”

Before the threat was even finished, Rainbow Dash was leaping out of her window and soaring towards the origin of the sound. She couldn’t make out where it was coming from, though, and spent nearly a minute circling the skies over Ponyville before she managed to pick out the figure standing menacingly on top of the fountains in the town square. She tapped the Element of Loyalty into her collar with her chin, not even slowing down, and waited for Twilight to teleport the Driver out to her.

“What’s wrong, Rainbow Dash?” Pinkie’s voice echoed in the back of her mind, “I’m a bit busy now, watching this Question guy. He really knows how to work a crowd!”

“I’m looking at him now,” Dash half yelled, still circling, “We’ve got to stop him. He’s clearly a monster– a dopant I mean. Is there a Question Memory?”

“I don’t think so. But he’s not done anything wrong. He’s just posing, and going on about how awesome he is to anypony who’ll listen.”

“That’s not a crime,” Rarity chipped in, “Or you’d have been dragged off weeks ago. Don’t you think it’s a little amusing that out of all of us, it’s you who’s most worried about somepony showing off?”

“Fine!” Dash snorted, “I’ll deal with him myself!” she put all her strength into a burst of acceleration straight up, turned about on the spot, and then pushed herself downwards again. It was so long since she’d even attempted this without a Maximum Drive attack to give her more power, but she knew she was capable of it. As she hurtled towards the fountains faster and faster, the air grew thicker until flying felt more like she was trying to fly through syrup. She could see the air itself stretching at the edge of her vision, little spirals of rainbow colour forming around her wingtips. Just a fraction faster and she would hit the Question guy with the full shockwave of a Sonic Rainboom, and then everyone would know she was a hero even without the power of the Elements.

Unfortunately, she didn’t hit that special boundary speed where it seemed the world couldn’t keep up. She hit Mister Question first, and the ground so soon after that it seemed like a single impact.

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash asked as the dizzying swirl of colours around her formed back into a crowd of other ponies’ hooves. Somepony was talking in the background, but Dash couldn’t quite make out the words right now, and her head felt like she’d just smacked it into the ground at a speed most pegasi couldn’t even dream of. It seemed like an awful cliché, but it was the best thing she could think of right now.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy looked down at her, “You shouldn’t try to do a Rainboom so close to the ground, you know.”

“What happened?” Rainbow Dash repeated, “I’m not saying that because I just stunned myself, I’m saying it because I want to know…” and here she paused to take a deep breath, “What. The hay. Just. Happened.”

“Uhh…” Fluttershy backed away from the volume of her friend’s demand. But they’d known each other longer than anypony else, and if there was one pony Fluttershy wasn’t going to be scared of it was Rainbow Dash. “You flew straight up and then down again, as fast as you could. You went straight through Mister Question, and hit the cobbles with your head. I think you might have a concussion. You should–”

“Never mind that. Is he still here?”

Fluttershy just stepped back and gestured with one wing towards the fountain. Only a dozen paces away, Question was still making threats against the citizens of Ponyville. Half the crowd were cowering and backing away, but half-heartedly as if he was a Nightmare Night performer. Like they were enjoying the thrill, and not quite taking the monster seriously.

“We’re not scared of you!” one foal yelled, and threw an apple, “The Champion will stop you again!” The apple sailed through the air, and straight through the cloaked figure.

“…a cake flavoured with cherries, and dressed in rich silks.” Question kept on speaking as if nothing had happened, but turned to shake his head at the foal, who fled behind the legs of his mother, “But no celebration could be complete without a little drama, and if you want to find out where the fuse has been lit, you’ll need to jump higher than a llama.”

“Was that supposed to rhyme?” Rainbow Dash turned back to Fluttershy, and realised that Pinkie Pie was standing there too, just watching the villain give his speech.

“Yeah,” Pinkie answered excitedly, “He did six couplets in that clue, telling us who he’s going to target for his revenge, and they all rhymed. That last one was a bit silly, though.”

“What is wrong with you?” Rainbow Dash was practically yelling now, “We need to stop this guy! And what if the Champion of Hope appears, and I can’t give chase because I’m still waiting for the Driver?”

“You need to stop taking everything personally,” Twilight joined the group, “Look, even if he was a dopant rather than a stallion in a long cloak, it would be better to listen to what he was saying, solve the riddle, and stop whatever he was planning to do. You don’t gain anything by raging at a guy you can’t even hit. You could–”

She stopped sharply, and turned to look at Question, who was rising into the air now. His cloak and hat rippled in the breeze, even though there wasn’t really that much wind in the square, and he was surrounded by a golden-orange glow with pink highlights, a beautiful blend of sunset colours.

“Not so fast, Questioner!” the Champion of Hope’s voice boomed across the square, almost singing, “You will not torment the people of Ponyville any longer.” She posed on the roof of a house, silhouetted dramatically against the skyline, and her horn glowing in all the colours of the sun. But the other pony just laughed louder.

“Did you forget, child? I am the Master of Questions, and simply capturing me will not stop the plans I have set in motion. This is your challenge, Champion. Will you take me off to jail, or will you struggle to solve my puzzles, and save the city from the charges I have already set?”

“Why not both? I already know the answer to your first riddle. The birthday cake you describe is the buildings north of the river, by the old town hall. Seen from above they could give the impression of a slice through a cake, with four parallel streets dividing it into layers. And the decoration that completes a birthday cake is a candle. It could only be the belltower outside the lamasery, right? So you’ve set something to explode there. But you want everypony to concentrate on solving your riddle, rather than just make a big boom, so you must have allowed yourself enough time for at least another ten minutes of gloating here. So I can take my time restraining you, hand you over to the authorities, and then defuse your bomb at my leisure.”

(“Could she possibly ham it up any more?” Pinkie Pie whispered to Twilight, “I mean, she doesn’t need to explain every detail does she?”)

“Except you haven’t heard the other three questions,” the Questioner chuckled, “and the first one was just supposed to show the town that I was serious. You would never have had time to–” He was cut off by the sound of an explosion.

“Come on!” Rainbow Dash had already been walking towards the old lamasery, hoping to get there before the new hero, but the sound jolted her into a full sprint. She didn’t even notice whether her friends were following. Ahead she could see the Champion of Hope was flying in the same direction, taking a straight line over the rooftops to get there more quickly. Rainbow Dash redoubled her speed, sure that even with such a great lead she would be able to catch up.

“That’s an interesting riddle,” Twilight mused as the two pegasi streaked into the distance, “Requires knowledge of the town, recognising that cake shape has a cherry juice plant at the centre to make it cherry flavoured, as well as some word play, and recognising the shape in the view from above. Only a well-read pegasus with an artistic temperament and an ear for poetry could have got all the parts of that puzzle.”

“Did you get it?” Pinkie asked, “I’d be amazed if anyone managed to solve it so quickly.”

“Yes. Well, I figured it out from the bit about the white and gold hall in the second couplet. There’s very few buildings that could have been, so I just had to think about what could be near there. How about you?”

“No, I’ve not paid much attention to what Ponyville looks like from above. When we’re flying as Rainbow Pie there’s usually something urgent to deal with. I’ll bet you anything I get the next one before you, though!”

Less than a minute’s frenzied flight across the city rooftops, Rainbow Dash reached the lamasery. It was an old building, which most ponies walked past without ever paying attention to what was going on inside. It would have been so easy for the Questioner to sneak in unseen, because if somepony had legitimate business there they would already be wearing a simple robe that concealed most of their features. Right now there was a red-orange glow coming from the top of the belltower, which did make it look a little like a giant candle for a giant birthday cake. But there were no casualties yet. The Champion of Hope was already standing on the rooftop, trails of red-gold magic linking her horn to a spiral cage of swirling energy around the tower. There was no doubt now that she was an alicorn, though her wings were concealed by the elaborate armour in this pose.

“I got this!” she called out, “If you want to help, you can hunt down the Questioner and see if you can solve the second clue.”

“What are you going to do?” Rainbow Dash was reluctant to just leave, but she didn’t want the villain to escape either.

There was a sudden burst of brightness from the magical aura, and the Champion of Hope grunted with effort. Something was happening inside the tower, and the light shining out from every window and aperture became blindingly bright. Then flames streamed from the rooftop, reaching high into the sky like a giant roman candle. The helix of magic extended a little way above the tower’s crenelations, channeling the fire upwards rather than outwards, but probably every eye in Ponyville was on the tower now. Rainbow Dash headed back to the square, turning away just in time to miss seeing the start of a shower of fireworks rising into the sky behind her.

Episode 24 - H of Reason

Fireworks fountained into the air, turning the sky over Ponyville into a riot of colour and light. Their source was a belltower, burning like a candle. It could have been a disaster, a bomb set off by a villain who called himself the Master of Questions. But standing on the rooftop, the Champion of Hope had wrapped the tower in her magic and directed all the flames towards the sky. She had even used the bombs as ingredients to make a painting on the sky, conjuring fireworks in an amazing show of talent.

Only Rainbow Dash wasn’t fooled. She didn’t believe that this new Champion could be a real hero, regardless of what incantation her Gaia Memory declared. She knew that this Champion wasn’t what she appeared to be, through a mix of both instinct and logic. For one thing, a real hero would help the existing Champions of Harmony, not race against them and try to show off in the middle of a crisis. And after Hope had supposedly vanquished the Master of Questions, he was back only a couple of days later to cause more havoc.

The most frustrating thing, the thing that made Rainbow Dash grind her teeth in anger as she flew back towards the last place the Master of Questions had been seen, was that Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy insisted it wasn’t worth investigating this mysterious new Champion. Rainbow Dash hadn’t stayed around long enough to hear their reasons, because she knew they were wrong. A pony who had raced against her, gone so high into the sky that it was hard to breathe, and then vanished into thin air. That kind of trickery made it clear she was a monster rather than a friend.

The Questioner wasn’t on the fountains this time, but standing on one of the upper balconies of the Library, gloating at the ponies below. This time, Rainbow Dash didn’t interrupt him, but tapped her Element into its slot again. She could transform after they’d heard the question, and she would be first to save the day. That presumably was why Twilight and Pinkie were just watching as well, deep in thought as they tried to solve the puzzle.

“…there runs a fountain crystal clear, where golden treasure doth appear. My riddle leads to a foolish quest, but smashing the fort will show–”

“I got it!” Rainbow Dash called out, and every head in the square turned to look at her, “Everyone give a cheer, because your number one hero, the Champions of Harmony are going to save the day! Twilight, arrest that villain, I’m going to clean up the bomb.”

“Wait!” Twilight called after her, but Rainbow Dash was already rushing away through the sky.

“No worries,” Dash grinned triumphantly and spoke over the magical link between them, “We don’t need to listen to the next four clues, because I already know the answers. You read plenty, but today I’m being the bookworm.”

“Stop!” the Champion of Hope called out, as Rainbow Dash got close to her destination. A cluster of barrels stood there, with neatly wrapped parcels on top that could only be explosives. There was even a ticking clock. The other Champion had got here first, and Rainbow Dash growled angrily. She was sure nopony could have solved that riddle before her, but here she was, a runner-up again.

“I’m going to stop the bombs!” she yelled, “You’re not going to hog the glory this time!”

“Do you even know how to defuse a bomb?” the other Champion called back, sounding less certain than she had before. Just listening to her, Dash could have imagined she was talking to a young filly, “You don’t know what you’re doing, you could cause a huge explosion!”

“Better than waiting for the crowd to get here so you can claim the glory! I saw you, you were just waiting until you saw me.”

“Fine. I like being a hero. I like being able to put the costume on and get free drinks. Is that really so bad?”

“It is if you’re just after the glory!” Rainbow Dash snapped, “Being a hero is about saving the weak, not what you get out of it. And you can’t go around claiming to be the fastest pony in Equestria, because that’s me!” Then she paused, listening to her own words.

“Pot, kettle?” the younger Champion smirked, “Sounds like you learned a valuable lesson, if you’re not too stubborn to accept it.”

“Right. But you’ve had the glory for days. It’s my turn to save the day today.” Rainbow Dash charged towards the barrels, trying to think what she could do. She didn’t know anything about bombs, or timers. This should have been Twilight’s specialty, but for some reason Twilight still wasn’t here. Still, she could grab the whole lot and fly it high into the sky, where nopony would get hurt.

“No!” the other champion shrieked, and dashed to intercept, hitting Dash hard in the flank and sending her flying across the courtyard. “It’s not just the glory. If you tamper with that without knowing what you’re doing, it could be a disaster!”

“It’ll be a disaster if we do nothing,” Rainbow Dash wrenched her rival’s helmet off in the struggle, trying a few half-remembered wrestling moves to pin her to the ground. “You’re actually trying to stop me saving the day? Wait…”

Rainbow Dash hesitated in confusion. On the ground in front of her was a young mare, young enough she could still be called a filly without causing offence. She had a rose-red mane in long braids, and her coat was powder pink. With the armour coming off now, it was clear she was an earth pony. The last thing Rainbow Dash had expected.

“Leave her alone!” an angry voice roared from the other end of the alley. Dash turned her head and saw the Champion of Hope barreling towards them, wings flapping to eke out any extra speed she could manage. Rainbow Dash tried to dodge, but the newcomer lashed out with two hooves, striking her flank hard enough to have her doubled up on the ground. It was so much harder to fight without the armour provided by the Elements of Harmony.

“What?” she coughed as she pulled herself back to her hooves, “There’s two…? How can you be in two places?”

“Let me ask the questions,” the newcomer snapped. “How did you solve Questioner’s riddle before we did, and what do you think you’re doing attacking her?”

“She’s trying to stop me defusing the bomb!” Rainbow Dash answered, still without a clue what was happening around her, “Are you the real Champion of Hope? Then she’s an impostor, something created by the Question Memory or something?”

Both of the armoured mares answered, and Rainbow Dash realised that the voices weren’t quite the same. Just close enough that you couldn’t be sure which one you were listening to when they were booming out over a big audience, but up close and with both speaking at once it was easier to distinguish the accents. Not clones or anything, then, but Dash couldn’t think of any other options.

“No, neither of them are real,” the Questioner answered from the rooftop, “Both are simply mirror images, to deceive the credulous citizens, and allow me to complete my diablous plan in peace!”

“Don’t –” one of the Champions of Hope, the earth pony whose armour was half off, started, but then seemed lost for words.

“Here’s a question for you,” Rainbow Dash asked angrily, “When did you stop rhyming? There’s something wrong here, and I’m gonna keep on asking the right questions until I get an answer.” But even while she spoke, she was watching the two Champions. She half expected one of them to interrupt the conversation and boost the Questioner up above the clouds again before Dash could respond. Well if she did that this time, it would be clear which was the real Champion of Hope, and she would also have an unobstructed chance to get the bombs out of the way. But neither of them moved. They weren’t ready to attack the Questioner at all.

“Wait, you really work for him? That doesn’t make sense, cos then there’s no way he’d be dumb enough to tell me. It has to be a bluff, to get us to turn on each other, right? Which of you’s the real Champion of Hope?”

“There is no real one,” this time the interruption came from Twilight Sparkle, speaking before the swirls of magic had even faded as she teleported in. “I’m sorry Bright, we thought that Rainbow Dash would learn more and maybe start to control her ego if she had to solve this one herself. So she doesn’t know what you told us last night yet.”

“Wait, you know? Why didn’t you…” Rainbow Dash couldn’t finish the sentence. Her memory was already presenting treacherous images of her storming off, refusing to listen to her friends. “You said there was nothing to investigate!”

“No, I said there’s nothing to worry about. We already put the clues together and challenged these girls while you were doing your own investigation in the Gaia Library. No, Pinkie didn’t tell us, but I know you were at her home, and I can’t think of anything else you’d want her for. That’s how she already knew they weren’t dopants, I guess.”

“So what are they?” it was the obvious question. Twilight didn’t answer immediately, trying to think of the exact right word. Most of the ones that came to mind could be taken as an insult by somepony.

“Actors,” the pegasus Champion of Hope answered eventually. “It’s all just a show. Mal here was getting pretty upset that nobody wanted to cast him, they all said he was too over the top and melodramatic. He’s so good as that kind of villain, but most writers only put a character like that in comic books, not in the theatre. And we’re all friends, we came up with this idea of putting on our own show. A new kind of theatre, where the audience might not know that it’s a performance. They enjoyed it, though.”

“Yeah,” Twilight grinned, “Everyone cheers when the Champion of Hope saves the day. Even more than they did for us. Not because they’re a better Champion, but because the monsters and disasters they fight against are simple, something the mare in the street can understand without exposing the tip of a trail of secrets. A plot everypony can understand and cheer along to.”

“So it’s all fake?” Rainbow Dash was kind of disappointed, “You’re a celebrity, not a hero?”

She didn’t get an immediate answer, because by that point the timer on top of the barrels had finally run down, and the air was torn by a tremendous boom. The barrel tops burst open, and fireworks fountained into the sky in a hundred different colours. One boom after another, echoing across the town’s rooftops. Over the bangs, it was just possible to hear the cheers from their audience, who had ended up one street over. Rainbow Dash’s mouth hung open in shock for a moment. Streams of sparks and bright flashes filled the air, changing the colour of the sky behind them so they were visible even in daylight.

“They’re just fireworks?” Dash couldn’t believe it, “So this is really just a show? Wait, Mal? As in Malapert Storm?”

“You’ve heard of me?” the Questioner answered, sounding just as surprised. This time, his voice was very different. Still a rich baritone, but without the grating edge and echo effects.

“Well, yeah. You might not have got big roles, but you’ve been in a couple of shows, and you’re good enough that I’d remember your name, and watch out for you in something else. You were awesome in The Taming of the Stallion last summer, at least twenty percent cooler than the old timer they replaced you with. What happened?”

He responded with a long sigh, and busied himself taking off his cloak and mask.

“It’s his name. Everypony remembered it as ‘Malevolent’ or ‘Malice’ or something. Almost everypony knows someone named Mal who’s a real jerk, so the name got that kind of association. And of course, kids called Mal are likely to get picked on at some point, so maybe it perpetuates. And then if anypony tells their friends that Mal’s had a good performance, they’re just as likely to pronounce it ‘Male part’, which doesn’t lead to good word of mouth. We’ve been friends since school, we tried to help him, but the directors said the name is a big deal. They won’t put him in a starring role because they’d have ‘Mal’ in big letters, and when the public started talking about him they kicked him off anyway, for bringing the show into disrepute. It’s crazy.”

“You can say that again,” Dash grumbled, “I was looking forward to more of your shows. You really get into the character, making those over the top speeches believable.”

“Never more than today,” Twilight pointed out, “He really sold it. And a show like this, there’s no posters with his name on.”

“Maybe you’d like to see how we do it?” The pegasus offered, “Our apology for stealing some of your limelight. I’m Chroma Bright, by the way, I don’t think we’ve met? My day job’s at the rainbow factory, and I get kind of restless not having a real excuse to practise flying fast, that’s why we had the chase over the rooftops.”

“Rainbow Dash,” she offered a hoof to shake, “But you probably know that already. I’m not exactly cut out for keeping a secret identity.”

Mal and Wildflower Garden, the young earth pony Champion of Hope, were happy to show Twilight and Rainbow Dash how they had organised the Champion of Hope show. Chroma Bright was busy flying over the rooftops, guiding the crowds from one site to another, while Dreamspinner, Perfect Pitch, and Elegance handled most of the show.

“Don’t you need to be there?” Rainbow Dash asked Mal as they trooped up the steps to an otherwise unremarkable attic, “Or is there more than one Master of Questions as well?”

“Oh, that’s Dreamspinner’s trick,” Wildflower shrugged, “I’m not sure how she even does it, really. But she’s got this invention where you can record an image. Like, we do the show once and she watches it, and then she can engrave what happened on a special crystal, and when you shine light through it the same image appears in the air.”

“That’s how I flew straight through him? He wasn’t really there?”

“And that’s why I couldn’t improvise when you interrupted,” Mal pointed out, “The crystal just went on showing the same thing we recorded. I so wish I could have reacted to you.”

“So it’s like a scrying mirror that displaces the image in time as well as space?” Twilight speculated, “I really want to have a look at the spells behind that one.”

“Hey, I think they’re nearly back at the bank!” Wildflower cut in, “We need to be ready. Can you do it?”

“I got this,” Mal grinned, and walked over to the keyboard in the middle of the room. With the instrument, and all the paraphernalia arranged around it, this was certainly a room dominated by someone who loved their music.

“You’ll love this,” Wildflower nodded to Twilight, “It’s Perfect’s toy really, she made it with a variation of some of the tech Dream was using. I don’t understand any of it, but this is awesome. Show them, Mal?”

“Yeah, I think we got time. This is Perfect’s baby, but there’s a free slot. Say something?”

“Why?” Twilight predictably answered.

Mal pressed a note on the keyboard, and “Why?” came out from the amp beside it, in Twilight’s voice. He pressed another key, and the same “Why?” repeated in an impossibly high-pitched tone.

“It takes a short recording,” Mal explained, “uses it as an instrument. Perfect was amazed when she first got it working. She calls is a ‘sample’, says it’s going to be the future of all music.”

“It’s not very musical,” Rainbow Dash commented, but still wasn’t sure why they were even bringing this up. Then Mal flipped a small switch beside the keyboard, and tapped another key, at the low end of the scale.

“Hero!” It was Mal and Chroma Bright’s voices speaking together, but with a bit of an artificial echo added on. Twilight furrowed her brow, wondering why the voices like that sounded so familiar, and then she gasped as she got it.

“Smart, huh?” Mal grinned, “I’m switching it over now, so the sound will come out of the speakers Elegance placed on the bank roof, rather than here. It should be loud enough you can hear it through the window, though.”

Wildflower was already peering out of the skylight, watching for some prearranged signal. Then she saw it, and Mal’s hooves descended on the keyboard. Pressing two notes together, and then another, and another, and another, speaking the same phrase at a dozen pitches in harmony.

“He–He–He–Heeero!” the choral voice echoed across the rooftops, quiet in the distance but easily recognisable.

“So that’s how you did that,” Twilight grinned, “I have to admit, when you said you were just actors, I wondered about that. But this is a pretty neat way to give the impression of a real Gaia Memory.”

“A what?” Mal furrowed his brow in confusion.

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight shrugged, “I think you’re doing a great job here. And your show doesn’t hurt anyone, so it’s not a problem for us. We can’t really tell you anything about the real monsters, because if it was widely known we suspect there would be more of them terrorising Ponyville. But maybe if we need to mobilise the public, clear an area or something, that’s a job you could certainly help us with.”

“Of course,” Wildflower grinned, “Helping out a real hero would be so awesome.”

“Though if it comes to clearing an area,” Mal interjected, “Maybe I would be the more appropriate character for the job.” They nodded, and Rainbow Dash grinned to see an echo of a character she remembered from one of his stage appearances.

There was an echo of an explosion, and a huge spiral plume of dust rose up to the east. Even through the skylight, the spreading cloud was visible in the sky.

“That’ll be the cider warehouse on the river, then?” Rainbow Dash mused, “What are you doing for the grand finalé?”

“You got a good eye, to pick out buildings from this far away,” Mal clapped Rainbow Dash on the shoulder, hoping that in some way he could pay her back for the compliment on his acting before. He never knew quite what to say when it came to talking to a fan.

“And you never did explain,” Twilight said, “How you managed to spot that second riddle before us. It took me a minute to get it, but you were already racing off. Is there some clue I missed? You can’t have known the meaning of –”

“No, I knew the answers already,” the pegasus grinned, “I told you, I did my homework. I read you know, just not the kind of books you focus on.” Twilight just looked blank.

“The magazines,” Mal groaned, “I didn’t think anypony would get it so quickly.” Then seeing Twilight’s continued confusion, he turned to her and explained, “When I could get a role in an actual theatre, there was this magazine, ‘Limelight’. They had a thing with interviewing people who do well in smaller roles, trying to predict the next big stars. I got an interview, and even got to write a little column about what it’s like playing different theatres, how much they differ backstage. But there was this person on the letters page who kept on getting my name wrong. And he did kind of… riddles, I guess. Rhyming insults really, using Ponyville landmarks as a metaphor to insult me. It was weird, but I never quite forgot them, and then I used some of his to inspire the clues for today’s treasure hunt.”

“Yeah, I remembered those,” Rainbow Dash strutted proudly, “I was wondering if these attacks were the original rhymer going a bit further to make everypony listen. I think not many cared enough to try and understand his original letters, so he could have been angry about that. I never thought it would be you, though.”

“I think they’re doing the showdown at the clocktower,” Wildflower called from the window, “Come watch!” All the ponies gathered around the small skylight, and saw a pegasus flying a tight spiral around a tower in the distance, rainbow light trailing out behind her.

“That’s an awesome light show!” Rainbow Dash gasped in admiration, “It’s like she’s a real alicorn with a magical aura. How did you do that?”

“It’s just coloured smoke,” Wildflower shrugged, “With fireflies in it to light it up. Emptying a jar of smoke behind her as she flies. Dreamspinner made them, but we all know how to use them now. I think she stuck one of them to a firework, to make the trail you were chasing the first time we met.”

“I wondered about that,” Twilight giggled just a little, “Even with you switching roles so everypony plays to their strengths, it would be incredible for you to outrun Doubledash. Even most fireworks wouldn’t be able to match her speed, so I really want to ask Dreamspinner what spells and chemicals she’s using.”

“Yeah, we’ll introduce you after–” Mal stopped with a gasp of surprise as the fireworks on the tower went off. It really seemed like the helix of coloured smoke was a magical cage of some kind, channeling an explosion upwards into fireworks. But this time when the glowing streams of colour reached the top of the arc, they blossomed like flowers in the evening sky. A pink burst, and then a green, a blue, and a yellow. One bloom after another burst brightly enough to bathe all of Ponyville in coloured light. Even the ponies who’d seen sketches of what the display looked like were impressed by the actual spectacle.

As the seventh and eighth rainbow colours exploded, it seemed the show still wasn’t over. Each firework sent out a second chrysanthemum of colour, in the exact same place as the first, and then a third set of coloured blooms. But before the spectacle could get boring, the third explosion of each colour sent coloured trails of six similar shades out, turning into six subsidiary bursts, and each of those sent a dozen coloured trails raining down towards Ponyville even as the next colour started its final burst.

“I hope those aren’t going to be hot enough to start fires when they land,” Twilight muttered cautiously, always with one eye on safety, “They seem to be burning right down to the ground.”

“No, don’t worry,” Wildflower grinned, “Dream was worried about that too. They’re…” and she took a quick look at the notes pinned to the wall beside her, “luminiferous crystal fragments. Bits of rock that glow for a minute after they get hot.”

“Oh, I read about those, but I’ve never seen one. Clever.” But she wasn’t sure about the reassurances when she heard a scream from the next street over, and another in the distance. “But everypony doesn’t know that. They could still worry those who see them land, and we don’t want your show to cause trouble. And even a small fragment could break a window or something if it’s travelling fast enough. Maybe we could double-check there’s no–” Twilight interrupted herself by leaping back as a shard of glowing crystal neatly punched right through the roof and embedded itself in the floor at her feet.

“Woah,” Wildflower gasped, “That’s not supposed to happen. I hope nopony’s going to get hurt, Dreamspinner must have made a mistake in the calculations.”

“Bit more than a mistake, I think,” Rainbow Dash growled, kneeling to grab the shard out of the singed floorboards, “I think we have a real problem.” She held it up for them to look at more closely. A piece of azure crystal as long as the width of her hoof, with copper and silver spikes protruding from one end and a large letter ‘G’ engraved on the side. There was no way it could be anything other than a Gaia Memory.

“What’s that?” Mal seemed mystified, “I spent three hours packing crystals into those barrels, and I sure didn’t see any like that.”

“Well, we’ll have to hope there’s not any more like this,” Twilight muttered ominously, “They turn ordinary ponies into rampaging monsters, causing all kind of destruction.”

“What? We’ll collect them all. They’re safe to touch, right?”

“Yeah, just don’t stab yourself with the tip,” Rainbow Dash answered, “But this isn’t some game any more. If there’s real Gaia Memories, this is our job. I said we should have investigated earlier.”

“They know it’s no game,” Twilight snapped, “And this isn’t a time for pride. Either this is the only one that’s a real Memory, which makes it incredibly likely that we’d pick it up, or there’s more out there. And if there’s more, we need as many hooves on the street as possible, collecting them and rounding them up. We can’t afford to have even one of these become a dopant, and if every one of those crystals was replaced, then we could be facing a mass invasion. We need all the help we can get.” Before Rainbow Dash could even reply, Twilight closed her eyes, concentrated a second, and left a pony-shaped shadow of pink light in the air for a second as she teleported away to deal with the crisis.

“Right,” Rainbow Dash turned to the two other ponies, and kicked herself mentally for not asking them herself, “Can you get all the Champions of Hope in on this? It’s just picking up crystals, right? And bring them back to us. If you see a monster, then you can use that keyboard thing, you can shout all the way around town, right? Do whatever you have to do, get the message to one of us as quickly as possible.”

Fluttershy couldn’t believe her eyes when she saw a shooting star bury itself in the ground right in front of her. She dived behind a rain barrel, and peered out nervously as the fireworks continued to stream down in a shower. Pinkie Pie was a little more inquisitive, and walked over to the little molehill of dirt kicked up as the crystal hit the soft earth. She dug it out in an instant, and held a golden-amber Gaia Memory up for her friend to see.

“A Gaia Memory?” Fluttershy gasped, and then looked up at the coloured streaks all over the sky, “There must be hundreds of them!”

“I think it’s a fake,” Pinkie answered, “It doesn’t look right. But even if it is, we have to find out who’s doing this, and why.”

“It can’t be Chroma Bright, can it? She seemed so nice! I thought this was just a show!”

“Twilight!” Pinkie tapped the Element of Laughter into her collar, so the others could hear her voice throughout the city, “The fireworks have turned into –”

(“I know!” Twilight’s disembodied voice interrupted, “This is a job for us, but I think we’re better off not transforming. Six Champions, we can cover a sector of the city each. The Champions of Hope are going to help too, they don’t know who put the Memories in their fireworks. We just have to gather up every last one as quickly as we can, so it’s the number of helpers that matters.”)

“Got you!” Pinkie hurried off down the street, looking for anywhere one of the crystals could have landed, and digging them out from walls and from flowerpots with equal ease. Fluttershy was still nervous, but she headed off in the opposite direction doing the same thing.

“Citizens of Ponyville!” the voice came from everywhere at once, loud enough to overpower all other conversation. “This is the Champion of Hope. This time your Champions will need the help of everypony to thwart the plans of the dark sorcerer, Discord. This is a plan even more insidious than the machinations of the Questioner, so we ask you please, do the right thing and don’t ask any more questions. Help us to find the crystals that have fallen from the sky. We need all of them. Don’t touch them, just let us know where they are. The Champions of Harmony are going to be all over the city, and I’ll be there too, so if you saw a crystal land, remember where it was and tell a Champion. Thankyou, everypony, and good luck.”

In a farmyard on the outskirts of Ponyville, a lone stallion picked up a crystal. This far out, he could hear the amplified voice filling the streets, but he couldn’t make out what it was saying. He could see the streaks of colour pelting the rooftops, though, and he could see the tip of a lilac crystal protruding from the soft earth.

“Cider,” he read the slogan beneath the large letter ‘C’ engraved on the Memory, “There’s a Cider Memory now? Well, why not, I suppose.” then he dropped it onto a cobbled path and stomped down with one powerful hoof. The crystal shattered, and burning fragments of metal wire and glass skittered across the stones a short distance. He bent down and looked at the broken shards for a few moments, before shrugging and getting back to his hooves.

“I guess they’re going to need me again,” and with that he produced another Memory from his saddlebag, and squeezed the switch. He was already speeding along the road towards town as the transformation completed, and didn’t miss a step when the metal plates enclosed his body.

“NASCAR!”

Applejack had gathered five Gaia Memories in just a few minutes, and dropped them into her pack. She’d been outdoors to watch the firework display, so had seen three come down. The fourth had visibly burned the grass in somepony’s garden as it landed, and the fifth a bystander had directed her towards. She wondered if she might actually grab more Gaia Memories in one night’s work than she had destroyed in half a year of fighting. It didn’t make any sense for them to come down like this, but even one of them falling into innocent hooves would be one too many, so they had to collect them first and worry about the cause later.

Then she saw the first monster of the night. A giant golden shape with six hooves and a horn, that was glaring at her and stomping one forehoof on the ground. She barely had time to tap her own Element in the collar twice before the creature charged, a cloud of thick yellow smoke rising up from giant nostrils with each snorted breath. Applejack had to dive out of the way, she couldn’t fight yet. But as she picked herself up and prepared to catch the Driver when Twilight teleported it to her, she could see another monster farther down the same street.

Twilight Sparkle was having a problem of her own. Headcanon was an avid reader, and visited the Golden Oak Library most days. But he was also a little eccentric, and liable to obsess over whatever caught his attention. It was easy to imagine he was the kind of colt who would become a dopant, so Twilight edged slowly towards him, not wanting to give him any ideas until she was close enough to snatch away the Memory on the ground in front of him.

“Heya, Miss Twilight,” it seemed like she wasn’t good enough at moving quietly on the cobbles, “You want this thing? I heard the voice.”

“Yes. Yes, please. Just toss it over, be careful not to cut yourself on it.” Twilight gasped with relief. Headcanon had only got his cutie mark a month before, it would be terrible if he lost it again so soon. He scraped away a little more dirt from the half-buried crystal, and gave it a solid kick in Twilight’s direction. It only got halfway there, though, before it turned around and rushed straight towards the young pony. First Twilight thought somepony had grabbed it with their magic, but the glow was exactly the same purple as the Memory itself, and reminded her that every one of these had left a glowing trail in the air as it fell down from the firework display. Something was controlling these.

Headcanon ducked reflexively, and the streak of light flew over him. But it curved in the air and came right back.

“Keep it away from your flank!” Twilight called, and tried to grab it with her own magic. She couldn’t catch it, it just slipped out of her grasp every time, but Headcanon proved himself more athletic than she would ever have expected. Twilight was aware of her collar glowing, flashes of distress from Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rarity. But she didn’t have time to help them now.

“Right!” Headcanon got to his hooves, looking at the Memory as it flew head on towards him. This time he didn’t duck or dive, he reared up and swung his forehooves to snatch the Memory out of the air. Twilight wanted to praise him for his quick thinking when his hooves came together and the strange glow in the air stopped. Now there was just a young stallion holding a Gaia Memory. And then, to her horror, the Memory burrowed into the flesh of his leg like a worm, and flashes of light pulsed through his body as his eyes went wide in fear.

“TROUBLE!”

“No!” Headcanon gasped, but that was the only word he could get out as his coat turned grey-black and sprouted swords and spears like a rash.

Applejack ducked and rolled, and kicked a couple of barrels into the path of the monster coming towards her. They didn’t seem to be too interested in her, though, she was just another pony in the way. They were more interested in fighting each other right now. One that seemed to be made entirely of curved blades was shedding them like a porcupine’s quills, sending one blade after another to slice the tentacles off an amorphous blob monster that was trying to strangle him. While they were distracted, Applejack could grab one more Gaia Memory from the ground. But then there was another monster leaping for her, one that looked terrifyingly familiar.

A horse-sized shape covered with feathers swooped down from the sky, and as it came closer feathers fell off, streaking towards the ground. Applejack covered her face with her hooves, not even having a chance to hide.

“STEAM: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” A chorus of explosions echoed across the square as the lethal feathers collided with a solid wave of steam in the air above her. She looked up to see a Champion clad in metal standing up on his hind legs, holding a giant sword before him.

“This wasn’t supposed to happen,” he grunted, “These things are worthless, the whole battle is a hoax.”

“You’re back?” Applejack asked without thinking, then realised she was stating the obvious. She always felt she was the one saying dumb things around this stallion. It was like anger made her stumble over her words, and state the obvious or ask dumb questions. It wasn’t just anger because he was their enemy, either. She was starting to realise that he’d saved her from a rampaging dopant more than once, and she needed to show him that she was the stronger one. It was understandable she was a bit tongue-tied with her family’s pride on the line. She turned to deliver a scathing comeback, but the monsters had already moved on.

“Hey girls,” she held one hoof on the Element of Honesty in her collar as she spoke, even though it wasn’t, strictly speaking, necessary. She hadn’t quite got the hang of all the different things that the crystals could do as well as her friends. “Looks like Nascar’s back, and he’s got his sword again.”

The response from the others was a chorus of dismayed moans. They’d seriously thought that the self-proclaimed Champion of Justice would at least be disarmed.

“An’ that’s not the worst of it. I just got attacked by a Bird monster. You think this thing might be returning the Gaia Memories that we already broke somehow? I couldn’t stand it if–”

“Don’t think like that!” Pinkie Pie interrupted, grunting mid-sentence as she delivered a firm roundhouse kick to the Marvel Dopant menacing her. “Remember, the girls were all smart enough to give it up in the end, and they’re doing their best to get over it. If the Memory was somehow restored, they’d never use it again. And they sure as heck wouldn’t attack you!”

Then she turned around to face the dopant menacing her, and levelled a party cannon at the charging face. It wouldn’t hurt the creature, she knew, not without the power of the Driver, but it might be distracting enough to let her reach a safe space.

The alleyway was filled with streamers, confetti, and a flying cake. Much to Pinkie’s surprise, the dopant staggered back, staring cross-eyed at a chunk of frosting on its nose. And then with a pop like a bursting balloon, the body disintegrated, and the Marvel Memory shot out. Button Mash was lying on the ground now, stunned. Pinkie checked him over quickly, and found no sign of the scars a Gaia Memory normally left. But even while she was checking, another of the numerous dopants rushed up and grabbed the fallen Memory, before scurrying off.

“Hey, Twilight,” she called through the telepathic link, “Everypony! Try hitting the dopants. Kick them, or whatever. They’re weak as soap bubbles, and just hitting them or confusing them might make the Memory come out.”

“Already got that!” Rarity called back, but kept her full attention on the boutique below her. She was looking down from the top of the stairs as one dopant after another rushed in. If she hit them with a levitated mannequin, they would stagger and leave their Memory lying on the ground. She wanted to go down and help them, or to retrieve the Gaia Memory they all seemed to be looking at, but there was never time before the next one came in. “And they seem to be fighting over Gaia Memories. Like they need all of them. But some are more valuable than others, the ones in my shop are walking past each other’s Memories sometimes to get at one green Memory.”

(“That could be useful,” Twilight’s voice cut in, “I’ll be right there, see if we can find out which Memory is so desirable to them. If we can work out what they want, then maybe we can find a way to stop them.”)

“The Memories come out without breaking, too,” Rarity added, in case anypony else hadn’t noticed that yet, “So somepony else is just going to pick them up.”

“Then we get to them first,” Twilight answered simply. Then her horn lit up, and a swirl of pink magic caught one of the Trouble Dopant’s missiles out of the air. Twilight was angry now, angry at herself for not understanding what was going on. Just when she’d thought she had a handle on how Gaia Memories worked, something happened that was completely outside what she expected. That made her angrier than anything else, so maybe she threw the projectile back a little harder than she should have done.

In any case, the dopant returned to normal, the Memory shooting out of Headcanon’s hoof. Twilight leapt forward to grab it before another dopant could beat her to it, or before it could embed itself in some other innocent pony. But she was a little too eager, and as she landed on it the Memory split apart with a crack. The metal teeth caught fire as they bounced across the cobbles, and some parts of the crystal itself were reduced to black, molten mess.

“Wait,” Twilight spoke to the others again, “I think I got this. These aren’t Gaia Memories. Or they are, but they aren’t crystals. They’re just glass, like the Engine Memory I managed to analyse. So the glass Memories aren’t as strong, these ones aren’t even close to the ones we’ve seen before, but whoever’s distributing these things can make them so much more easily. It’s like a mass produced cake, in bakeries that make gallons of dough at once and then cook a hundred moulds. It’s faster, and cheaper, but they’ll never be a patch on one of Pinkie’s hoof-made treats.”

Then she looked around. She was alone for a moment. And even if they knew that these Memories were fake, they could still cause harm to innocent ponies, and they were certainly causing panic. She knew that she had to do whatever she could to solve the puzzle, and at the moment there was one clue that was easily within reach. She concentrated, and teleported into the Carousel Boutique.

Rarity was looking out from the top of the staircase, as three dopants fought over a glowing green shape on the ground. Twilight snatched up the dopants and threw them apart, but while she had to divide her attention between three enemies it seemed she didn’t have enough force to make them revert to normal. She ducked under an attack from one with a forest of tentacles, and called up to Rarity: “You ready?” She whipped the Driver out and snapped it around her neck, then deflected the dopants’ attacks with magic while using her hooves to take the Joker Memory out of her collar and slide it into the device’s left slot.

“JOKER!” the crystal called out. Rarity dived back into her bedroom, where her body would be safe, before pressing the lever on the side of her own Element. “GENEROSITY!”

In the main part of the boutique a sphere of light formed around Twilight Sparkle, and when it faded there was an armoured pony with a horn large enough to make any unicorn envious, with a purple coat on the left shading to white at the right side of her body, and a mane in a stylish braid of magenta and violet.

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!”

With their magic powers massively enhanced by the Driver, as if they were multiplied rather than simply added, they could pick up three dopants with ease and bang them against the walls until the Gaia Memories were ejected. GenerousJoker grabbed all three Gaia Memories, as well as a couple of others that were already scattered around the room, and smashed them together. Their combined magical power could easily conjure a little heat, reducing the Memories to a ball of blackened, molten glass. Only one was left, but there was another dopant at the door already.

(“Quick, grab the Memory!” Rarity gasped over the telepathic connection within their shared body)

(“I got it!” Twilight answered)

As one, they erected a barrier to keep the dopant out, and snatched up the Memory from the ground. Their eyes went wide as they read the word on the side of it. The Memory they were holding was Generosity. They looked down, and they could see that the glass was the exact same shape and colour as the Memory currently resting in the driver on their breast. But they couldn’t stop to think, because the monster at the door had charged straight through their barrier, ignoring it completely.

They reached out with their combined magic, the greatest unicorn power in Equestria, and grabbed the monster to fling it away. But the dopant just kept on coming, shrugging off their attack as if it was a breath of wind. GenerousJoker glanced to the left and then threw the fake Generosity Memory to the ground. The dopant hesitated, visibly looking at both the fake Memory and the real one, unsure which to pursue. In that moment, the Champion’s magic draped a whole rack of clothes over the monster’s head. It might be able to ignore their magic, but it surely couldn’t ignore a significant weight of fine fabrics. And it couldn’t ignore a solid kick in the flank, with both hooves. They might be a primarily magical Champion, bearing the power of two unicorns, but doubling the physical strength of two ponies added together, regardless of their tribe, created a strength that anypony would do well to respect.

The dopant collapsed to the ground, revealing the rear end of No Sell, his head still wrapped in a dozen silk dresses. The Memory flew out, and GenerousJoker picked it up before anypony else could get to it.

“Zero,” they read the name aloud, “That one would be a pain to deal with if it was a real Memory.”

(“More importantly,” Twilight took the discussion back inside their head, “Why is there a fake Generosity Memory? Are these duplicates of Gaia Memories that actually exist? And how could they have been created if whoever is doing this clearly doesn’t have the real Generosity Memory to base their fake on?”)

(“Can we call it the Element of Generosity?” Rarity replied, “I don’t like thinking of our power as… being the same thing as the monsters we fight.”)

(“It really is the same kind of power, though,” Pinkie Pie joined the conversation, “It’s just that we can control it instead of it controlling us.”)

(“No, I think the Elements of Harmony really are different. More powerful, maybe. That would explain why they’re all drawn towards that single Memory. These fake Memories don’t have the same time to grow into their hosts, they rampage right away. So it just makes them crave more power, more Memories, even if they don’t understand why. It’s not corrupting your darkest feelings, it’s just taking over.”)

“What…?” No Sell had finally managed to extricate himself from the tangle of fabrics, “How did I get here?”

“Did you pick up one of those crystals from the fireworks?” GenerousJoker was speaking with two voices in harmony, but it was Twilight’s curiosity choosing the words, “How did it feel? Did it change your emotions?”

“I didn’t touch it!” the stallion seemed pretty certain, “The Champion told us not to. But it came flying towards me, burned like a hornet’s sting, and then… I was running down a corridor, trying to reach a light. It felt like a dream. And then I was here, tied up in all these beautiful clothes. I hope you’re not going to ask me to pay for the damage.”

“Don’t worry,” this time the double unicorn answered with just Rarity’s voice, “That’s kind of what we were expecting. I can always repair any that have been torn.”

(“Pinkie?” Twilight turned back to the telepathic communication while Rarity quickly assessed the state of her wares, “Do you think we’ve got enough information to look up what’s going on here? Do you think there’s a real dopant behind these things?”)

(“I don’t know. Could be. I’ve found a quiet space now, so we can try if you want.”)

A quiet space in this case was a stockroom at the back of a shop. Both of the owners had become pseudo-dopants, and seemed to be sleeping normally after a hit with the Party Cannon. That wasn’t normally what happened when Pinkie threw – or fired – a party, at least for a couple of hours. But right now she thought it was probably the best for them.

She didn’t touch anything in the store room. She just needed a place out of the way, where she could dive into her dream space. She couldn’t help giggling as she looked at some of the items on the shelves, though. This was a very special kind of novelty and gift shop, and Pinkie also made a mental note to come back here some time to buy birthday presents for some of her friends. She couldn’t wait to see their faces.

But right now, she had work to do. She closed her eyes, and sank into a deep dream. The shelves were replaced by bookshelves, or rather books whose arrangement implied the existence of invisible shelves, in roughly the same formation. Thousands of books, millions even, stretched off into the far distance. She whispered that she was ready, sure that the connection between the Elements of Harmony would carry her words to all of the others, and then waited. It wasn’t long before Twilight’s disembodied voice came from the air.

“Keyword: Fake Memories.” As soon as she said it, Pinkie only had to nod and the books were whirling through the air around her, spinning and sorting until a much smaller number remained.

“Sixteen thousand, four hundred and twelve results,” she announced.

“Keyword: Fireworks,” Twilight added more confidently. Again, the books spun, and the number was pared down dramatically. Still not by enough, though.

“Nine hundred and seventy-three results.”

“Keyword: Today,” Twilight offered, “We’re allowed to do that, right?”

“No…” Pinkie mumbled, trying to make sense of the feelings around her. The books were moving again, being filtered down to just the relevant ones, but the books that didn’t match were being added back in just as quickly as they were removed. There was somepony else in the Gaia Library again, and interfering with her ability to do a proper lookup. “No, something’s wrong with the Library, it won’t let me do that. I think it’s only temporary, though.”

“I think we need to look more at those fireworks,” Rainbow Dash’s voice cut in, “I mean, I know it’s a firework now, but I still never found anything that can fly faster than me and Flutters as DoubleDash, Even for a firework that’s strange, so I think there’s been something strange in there all along.”

“Could be true,” Twilight admitted, “I thought there was no danger because it’s just a performance, not a real villain. I never even thought to look if the real Gaia Memory distributors were using the special effects to conceal something more sinister. I should have trusted your instincts a bit more.”

“And been better at separating my worries about not being the fastest from my worries about the bad guy. I only looked at this Champion of Hope as a suspect, instead of an ally, but if I’d talked to them sooner we might have a better idea what kind of thing we’re looking for here.”

“You’re right, though. A firework that can out-race you almost certainly has a strong magical component. Maybe even a prototype of whatever system was used to spread these fake Memories around. So if we look at the fireworks, maybe they’ll give us a bit of a clue. I’m trying to think what else we could look up, but I’m drawing a blank.”

“Oh, I got one,” Rainbow Dash’s pride was clear in her voice; she’d managed to outdo Twilight Sparkle, just a little, in both literary knowledge and lateral thinking today. “Keyword: Theatre!”

The books flew away, leaving just a few hanging in the air in front of Pinkie. One of them had the distinctive crystallised cover that denoted a Gaia Memory user, while three others had what looked almost like Gaia Memories fused to the cover, but not actually fused with the books themselves.

“Eight matches!” Pinkie declared, “One Memory User, and three pseudo-Memories.” But before she’d finished speaking she was struck by a barrage of books, streaming past as if thrown. The ones she’d selected were knocked out of the air, and returned to their incorporeal shelves along with all the others.

“Can you take the Memory user?” Twilight asked. Sometimes that was possible, but sometimes Pinkie needed a more detailed lookup before she could touch the book she’d found. So it didn’t worry any of the others when Pinkie said no. Maybe she could have explained more, but she didn’t want to tell them just yet that she wasn’t the only one able to access the Gaia Library.

“We must be able to find it,” Twilight mused, “We know plenty about what the Memory does now, we’ve just got to work out what it is. Assuming that the real dopant you found is actually behind all the fake ones, of course. Maybe–” She was interrupted by Applejack’s voice over the telepathic link, no words but just an irritated growl. “What’s wrong, AJ?”

“The Nascar guy gave us the answer, I just didn’t recognise it. It’s all about a show, a performance, and a fake. New Lookup! Keyword: Hoax Memory.”

“One match!” There was a rush of eliminated books returning again, but Pinkie already had her hooves on the one she needed, and she wasn’t going to let it go. As she quickly read the few pages that were legible in this book, she saw another pony glaring at her. A pony who could have been her double, except for the colours. It sent chills down Pinkie’s spine to see eyes just like her own glaring in anger, but she didn’t let herself get distracted. She knew that just like each one they’d fought before, it would be a disaster for somepony if the dopant wasn’t defeated. And the book told her enough to know this was the case.

Mal stepped back in surprise when an unfamiliar pony flew in through the attic’s skylight. But it didn’t take him long to recognise one of the many forms of the Champion of Harmony, with both wings and a horn this time.

“You’re a real alicorn?” his eyes were wide with surprise, “I thought you six just switched roles, like Chroma and the girls.”

“It takes more than wings and a horn to be an alicorn,” Raridash corrected, “And we’ve all got our own talents, we like to make sure we got the right ponies for the right job. But we got double the flexibility, because two of us can be a single Champion of Harmony!”

“Right. I think we’re doing pretty well, anyway. The girls have gathered dozens of these weird crystal things, I’m keeping tabs on them from here.”

“There’s a problem, though. We found out who’s the real monster behind all this, and it’s your friend Dreamspinner. Plus, any of these fake dopants who aren’t cured tonight will die at dawn. So we need a different plan.”

“Just tell me what I need to do, I’ll pass it on to the others. We’ll save Dreamspinner for sure, I got all the motivation I need for this scene.”

Applejack was on the edge of the town again, so the dramatic debate between Dreamspinner and The Questioner over the loudspeakers was mostly incomprehensible. She could hear that neither of the actors was willing to break character though, portraying the Questioner as an evil genius who wanted to control Ponyville, but who would stand on the side of right if the town was going to be destroyed; and Dreamspinner was now Smoke and Mirrors, an evil clone of the Champion of Hope.

She just wanted to put on a better performance. She wanted to impress everyone. And she was determined that her ‘pets’ would gather all the pseudo-Memories, allowing her to put on a display more beautiful even than that which the monsters, with all their power, had been able to create. There was even a monologue about the day Trixie had come to town, and Dreamspinner had seen fireworks more stylish than her own for the first time. Ever since then, she had been looking for any way to become better at her craft, and when the Merchant offered her a legendary amulet, she had jumped at the chance.

“She’s describing you as just a storekeeper, selling her the tools she needs to put on a show,” Applejack spoke at last. The Champion of Justice turned on the spot, surprised she had been able to get so close without him noticing. “But what’s your real reason? You wouldn’t put on a show like this without some plan, would you?”

“No,” he shook his head, and began to walk away.

“You think you’re doing the right thing,” she continued, “So you have to have a reason. You always tried to convince us before. If you won’t tell me what the plan is this time, does that mean you finally realised you’re the villain here?”

“Nope,” he repeated, “Just I know you wouldn’t understand. The Gaia Memories bring out any pony’s talents, and make them even stronger. They make us better, ready for the future. But, not everypony is ready yet, so we have to find the ones who are. The pseudo-Memories that Hoax creates should be able to tell us who has enough self control, but if anypony loses their mind and rampages, the Memory will disintegrate at dawn, so there’s no lasting damage. I just watch, keep an eye out for the ones strong enough to take control, and then I’ve got a gift to offer them in the morning.”

“Except when those fake Memories disappear, so will their users,” Applejack snapped angrily, “We’ve already seen proof of that. So if you’re standing in the way of our plan, then this time I really have to beat you. No playing around now.”

“I wish I knew where you could get this information from,” his voice was suddenly a whole lot more serious. Even under the growling of engine noises, it was possible to tell that he was angry. “They never told me that, but you’ve been right so far. And I don’t go with a plan that has innocent ponies die. So, have you got a plan?”

“It’s already started,” Applejack grinned, “I don’t like the things you’re doing, I don’t like the way you work, but I do prefer it when we’re fighting on the same side and not against each other. Just promise you’re not going to try and kill Dreamspinner.”

“How did you know…” he started, and then gave a giant mechanical shrug, “Sure. What’s the plan?”

Applejack just pointed towards the centre of Ponyville. There, the Champion of Hope was running towards them at a full gallop, carrying dozens of pseudo-Memories in two saddlebags thin enough that the glowing crystals were easily visible. As she came close, she threw one of the bags to Applejack, and the two split up to take different paths into the Everfree Forest. As they ran, the evening air was filled with the screams and roars of a hundred fake dopants or more, charging down the road behind them. The Champion of Justice wasn’t sure what was going on, but he decided to stick closer to Applejack.

“You’re luring them out to somewhere isolated,” he guessed, “Somewhere you can fight them without worrying about any getting separated from the group in all the streets and alleyways.” Applejack didn’t answer, the frenzied run had her out of breath, as she didn’t have the option of keeping her legs still and relying on magical wheels to carry her along the road.

As they entered the Everfree, the road became an irregular dirt track, and a massed crowd became a hundred individuals each following their own paths between the trees. But before too long, Applejack and the Champion of Justice found themselves surrounded by more dopants than they could count. It was a small clearing, with a solid wall of swords, tentacles, and teeth around the edges, as well as illumination from a dozen different colours of glowing magic.

“Aww, hay!” Applejack cursed, “At least Fluttershy and Rarity were supposed to be here with me. I must have got here quicker than we planned, or I didn’t get to the right clearing we agreed on.”

“Was this the plan? I thought you were going to split up the fake dopants so each of you could take on a dozen or so.”

“No! I’ve got all the fake Elements of Harmony in here, and two of the real ones too. The fake monsters can sense them somehow, they’ll follow the fake Elements even if they’re out of sight inside a shop, so when we split up they all follow me. But the girls were supposed to be here to make sure we can finish the job. I don’t know if I can buck fast enough to knock all of these out before I’m buried in tentacles.”

“Fine,” the red stallion grumbled, “I’ll deal with this lot, but you owe me.” He reached into the back of the heavy metal armour, and produced the weapon known as the Engine Blade.

“Wait! I know you’re fast, but fast enough to take on so many enemies at once? And you can’t use a sword, they’re not even real monsters. They’re just regular ponies who had those crystal things attack them. We can’t do anything that’d maybe hurt them.”

“Don’t worry,” he answered, “I’ve been learning new tricks too.” He pulled his own glass memory out of the hilt of the sword, and Applejack momentarily noticed that it seemed a little more ornate than the one they’d destroyed a few weeks before. But he didn’t flip the switch this time, just put it into a pocket near the collar of his armour, and pulled out another.

This one glowed a faint blue, and was in two parts. It looked something like a fob watch, with a Gaia Memory and its usual connector as the fob, but the letter ‘T’ made to look like a pair of hands emblazoned on the back of a transparent watch. He slammed the long thin piece into the hilt of his sword, and the glow of the watch part started to throb, maybe in time with the user’s pulse.

“TIME!” the memory called out, a booming melodic voice but with an eerie echo that seemed to come before the original sound.

“I said don’t use the–” Applejack started, while Nascar lashed out with a single hoof to catch the first of the glass dopants under the chin.

“3…” the Time Memory pulsed, and started to glow with red light. A sound like a ticking clock echoed across the clearing, and the watch dangling from the end of the sword seemed almost like a pendulum as it swung back in the opposite direction. The Champion of Justice kept the sword held high, but struck with two hooves, one after another, as the horde of monsters got closer.

“2…” Another tick, another swing of the pendulum. The light from the strange watch was orange this time. A second seemed to take forever to pass as the main body of the enemy force charged into the clearing. There were dopants everywhere now, though Applejack managed to knock one away by kicking out with both hind legs, and the Champion of Justice got another.

“1…TIME START!” The Champion felt the time energy flowing into his body as the Memory ticked, and everything around him became a blur. He lashed out at another glass dopant, felling it without effort. He danced through the massive crowd, striking with his hooves and with the sword hilt, but not using the blade in deference to Applejack’s request. She was probably right, he couldn’t rely on the pseudo-Memories to protect the host’s body.

The Time Memory trailed slowly through the air, like he was dancing in treacle, and the green light that trailed behind it gave the whole scene a disturbing glow. He tried not to be too distracted by the scene around him, because the Memory’s power was limited. Still, he had more time than his enemies did, and after he kicked them they seemed to drift through the air in slow motion around him. Glancing over he saw that Applejack was still stretching out, legs extending towards a glass Diamond Dopant in a slow, graceful kick that had started before the Memory called ‘1’. In the same time, the Champion of Justice had struck twenty opponents, and now one more. They hadn’t all reverted to normal, most were still reeling. Their fall was just as slow as any attempts they might make to counterattack, and it wouldn’t be until the Time Memory’s effect ended that he could see how many of them had returned to normal.

As he fought, he was counting the ticks of the Time Memory in the back of his mind. When he heard twelve, he banged two more glass dopants’ heads together and then turned around in the middle of the group he’d already beaten. He knew this was an incredible power, being able to strike at so many enemies at once, but it came with a high cost in energy.

“TIME UP!” the Memory called out, in time with the next tick. Normal motion returned in a blur. Dopants, host ponies, and pseudo-Memories flew through the air in all directions in a sudden burst of chaos. The Champion of Justice was just fast enough to catch the Nascar and Time Memories out of the air as the amount of energy he had used caused his own transformation to end, and he saw Applejack’s hooves finally connect with the Diamond Dopant behind her, shattering the monstrous shell like glass.

He would have stood no chance of fighting if he’d exposed his identity. But as he reverted now, he was staggering with exhaustion in the middle of a crowd of others who had all just lost their own involuntary transformations. There was no way Applejack could judge which one had been her protector in this battle. There were still more than a dozen glass dopants in the clearing. But even exhausted, even without his transformation, he was strong enough to kick them until they went down and shed the glass memories, and Applejack could take care of a good share of them now they weren’t overwhelmed by the rush. Both had a tough decision to make, between collecting the pseudo-Memories or simply smashing them, but before long the clearing was filled just with bruised and moaning ponies without any real casualty.

The Champion of Hope skidded to a halt in another clearing, the sounds of battle audible a furlong or so through the trees. It was then that the dopant following her realised it was alone. The Champion turned around and glared angrily from behind the mask. But the dopant was just as enraged.

“You tried to steal my thunder?” she snapped, in a voice even deeper than the Questioner’s imposing baritone. “And now you’ve stolen my stunt team?”

“Nopony’s stolen anything,” the Champion of Hope had a different voice too, complete with an echo added by the headset microphone at her ear. As she spoke, the fragment of Dreamspinner’s consciousness that wasn’t overwhelmed by the dopant nature was trying to recognise which of her former friends was behind all the effects today. “We just realised that the fake monsters follow the fake Elements of Harmony instinctively, without thinking about it. But we figured you’d go for the Champion of Hope first if it looked like there was a choice of two mobs to run with. Unless you were dumb enough to stay in the city when everypony else left, and Twilight Sparkle was watching in case you tried that.”

“So you separated me from my army. Clever, I should have known you’d keep on thinking in puzzles and riddles. That’s just like you, Chroma. But that’s another reason I followed you rather than the Champion of Harmony. Our battle’s just going to be a show, and I’m the one calling the shots. I won’t hurt you too bad though, just enough that everypony knows I’m not to be trifled with. The only question left is what to call myself. Mistress of Shattered Hope, maybe. That sounds a suitably villainous name, to demand tribute from the city. I’ll have more fame that the Questioner ever had.”

“Are you finished?” the Champion chuckled, “You got two things wrong there. First, I’m not Chroma Bright. And second, we’re not going to give up without a fight. You think we’re powerless?” she reached back to her saddlebags, and held up a hoof with a Gaia Memory in her fetlock, posing dramatically. The Hoax Dopant tried to guess how long it would take reinforcements to arrive from the sounds of fighting, and concluded that she had enough time to make one more retort and still finish the scene.

“Don’t come unarmed to a battle of wits,” she sneered, “You know those glass dopants are fake, but you should be able to work out that I have real power. There is no way you can face me, Chroma. And I recognise you in an instant. Not just because you’ve got the version of the costume with wings, or because you were flapping them to gain speed as I chased you. But because you’re the only one fast enough to get this deep into the forest, and the only one dumb enough to try.”

With the comedy roast done with, it was time for the climactic battle. She pulled the Memory out of her flank with the firework-sparkling magical aura that this form seemed to bestow, turned it around, and then inserted it again.

“HOAX!” the Memory called out, and the deformed horse-like blob that gave no hint as to its nature was sucked in and twisted like threads in a loom, ending as something closer to a giant armoured knight, with a slitted iron mask over her face and not one but two giant swords, whose edges glowed with fire and ice. The most distinctive feature, though, was a golden crown that clearly conveyed her desire to rule over others. But even as the Hoax Dopant took on her battle form, the Champion of Hope was taking off the mask to reveal a pony Dreamspinner hadn’t even spoken to before. She threw the Gaia Memory into the air, and reared up to catch it as it fell down again.

“LOYALTY!”

“I told you, I’m not Chroma. I can run faster than you, but I can think faster as well. And I’m pretty sure we’ll beat you in a fight.” Rainbow Dash glanced down at the Driver on her breast as the air shimmered and another Element appeared in its slot. She just had time to complete her boast before the transformation kicked in: “And you know what? I think I’m a better actor than you as well. Not to mention at least a hundred percent cooler.”

“LAUGHTERᏔLOYALTY!” A blinding burst of light, and a half-blue, half-pink pegasus was standing there, eyes narrowed and ready to fight. Their armour was a mixture of the colours of their eyes, but still incorporated parts of the costume they’d borrowed from the Champions of Hope. The whole ensemble gave the impression of mighty powers combined; it would really have impressed the audience, if there had been any. But all around them now were mechanical soldiers, all with swords or even cannon of their own.

“Oh, a real Champion,” Dreamspinner laughed, but her augmented voice was a little shaky now, as she wasn’t sure she could actually win this battle. “But by the time you face my crew, I’ll be long gone!”

Rainbow Pie charged towards the Dopant, but a couple of mechanical soldiers stepped in to block their path.

(“Get the party cannon out,” Rainbow Dash yelled inside their shared mind, “I’m not letting her get away!”)

(“What are these things, even? Giant chess piece monsters? I’ve never seen anything like them, I don’t know how to fight them.”)

(“You know the name of her Memory, don’t you? No hesitation!”)

(“Yeah, it’s Ho… oooh, yeah, let’s do this.”)

The Hoax Dopant turned at the edge of the clearing to watch the the first wave of minions attack the Champion of Harmony. A couple of pawns blocked their path, while the more powerful figures rained down fireworks and explosions. And then a figure flying out of the clouds of smoke, in armour of pink, purple, and white. They sped straight through the second rank of hoax warriors without slowing down, and the dopant turned to run.

“We’ve seen through your trick, Hoax. Are you ready for some real fireworks?”

“LAUGHTERLOYALTY: Maximum Drive!” a melodic voice called out, and then the air around Dreamspinner was filled with shooting stars in a million different colours, as well as streamers, banners, and even flying cupcakes. Her mouth fell open, and she remembered.

Remembered putting on a firework show for her family, and how she felt happier than she ever had before when she saw their smiles. How she’d loved telling stories to her younger cousins, but the wide-eyed grins when she illustrated a story with flashing lights around the puppets gave her more joy than she could ever describe. The triumph she felt every time she surpassed herself, and conjured some new display to delight the fans. Even when Trixie had put on a firework show, and she’d been inspired by everypony’s amazement to try even harder, and to try mixing chemistry and magic in a new way. It had always been about the smiles of the audience, and their amazement.

When she’d gone searching for new ways to make her display more spectacular, that was when things had started going downhill. Then it hadn’t been about the smiles anymore, and she’d lost sight of creating something with her friends. When the Champion of Harmony had chased her fastest shooting starburst, she hadn’t realised that the crowd were cheering for both of them. She’d only cared about being the best. She’d given up on her original motivation, making everypony happy, in favour of just making a bigger and more dramatic show.

“Go on then,” she whispered, though she was sure nopony else could hear over the spectacle, “Let’s give the show a happy ending.” She turned her head again, and saw a pony racing towards her faster than she could even comprehend, in a blaze of rainbow light. The Hoax Memory jumped out of her flank as she rejected the darkness in her heart, and the rainboom shattered the magical crystal as easily as if it was just glass.

Some time later, in the Golden Oak Library, the combined Champions of Harmony and of Hope were talking over what had happened. Twilight Sparkle had her typewriter out, and was already on the third page of her report to Princess Celestia.

“All of the so called ‘glass dopants’ returned to normal,” she spoke slowly as she typed, focusing intently, “With the exception of one pony reported missing after that night, who may or may not have been involved. None of those affected by the pseudo-Memories have any recollection of the evening’s events.”

“Like me,” Dreamspinner looked down at her hooves, unable to meet anypony’s eyes, “the last couple of weeks are a complete blur. I was so bothered about making a better show that I didn’t listen to my friends’ conversation, only the bits that might help my plan. It was like that was the only thing that matters.”

“That must be the most evil thing you could do to anypony,” Wildflower gasped, “I’m glad you don’t feel like that any more, it must have been terrifying.”

“I didn’t even realise. I hurt my friends, and I didn’t notice.”

“It’s a story we hear too often,” Twilight Sparkle explained, “The Gaia Memories take your darkest emotion and amplify it, until it pushes out every other part of your mind.”

“We need to ask, though,” even Pinkie Pie wasn’t sounding cheerful today, “Where did you get it from? Do you know the name of the stallion who’s been selling them?”

“No, I’m sorry. He was huge, and red, but that’s about all I remember.”

“He knows we’ll probably stop the dopants by now,” Twilight guessed, “So he’ll only talk to potential customers in his own dopant form, to make sure they can’t recognise him. I wish I knew what’s going through his head.”

“Well, look on the bright side,” Rainbow Dash forced a smile, “Mal’s going to be on the stage again. Turns out there was all these rumours that he helped the Champion of Hope to seal away her evil clone, and I heard theatre directors are already asking him to take a role.”

“Funny how things work out,” Chroma Bright chuckled, “You wouldn’t have anything to say about those rumours, would you Pinkie? You seem to know everypony in town, so it wouldn’t be hard to put the right word in the right ear.”

“Well… maybe I just get a bit over-excited and tell everypony when I hear a good story. It’s great being able to share for a change, even if it’s not entirely one hundred percent true. I especially liked the bit about the Champion having to sacrifice her powers to seal the clone, that’s super dramatic.”

“Means we can still get an occasional free drink,” Wildflower shrugged, “As long as anypony remembers us. Who knows, maybe the Champion of Hope will have a reprise someday. But best not to overdo it.”

“Yeah,” Dash grinned, and posed like a teacher giving an important lesson, “Just remember, it’s how good you are that matters. If you’re entertaining people, it won’t be worth any less just because somepony’s faster.”

Episode 25 - The N Justifies the Means

“You’ve let this Champion thing get on top of you. You’re not keeping your eye on the things that matter.” Granny Smith rebuked Applejack sternly, but she didn’t see any need to go further. She could see the orange farm pony was already beating herself up enough.

Applejack couldn’t believe it. She knew Big Mac had been trying to strengthen ties with their cousins who ran farms in other areas. It was important to the whole extended family, because sooner or later every family needed a next generation to take it over, and that meant that Sweet Apple Acres couldn’t be run by her and her brother for much longer. There needed to be fresh blood. And she’d known that after one of his recent visits, when he’d helped a distant relative to erect a new windmill, a mare had come to visit. She’d introduced herself by saying she was probably a fifth cousin or something, and had done her bit helping with the chores, so Applejack was always happy to let a friend or relative stay.

But a casual word from Granny Smith, while Applejack had been washing the breakfast dishes, had turned her whole world on its head.

“His wife?” she repeated for the fourth or fifth time. It wasn’t that she was shocked, or offended. But she couldn’t believe that she’d managed to miss out on so many important developments within her own family.

“We all went to the Pie family farm for Hearth’s Warming,” Granny Smith reminded her, “But you were busy fighting a monster. You almost missed out on the Sisterhooves Social with Apple Bloom. If you can’t find time for your family, then you have nobody to blame but yourself.”

“Well, I’m not going to be out of the loop any more. If I got a sister-in-law, I’m going to make sure we’re as close as sisters should be. Just start talking to her, gotta start somewhere, right?”

“You might not want to disturb them now, though. I think they might be kind of busy.”

“Who’s busy at this time of the morning?” Applejack grumbled, then hesitated for a second. “Alright, I’ll talk to her next time I see her then. But I’m going to be putting more time into this family, not just my work and the Harmony thing. Personal can be important too. I wonder what Apple Bloom is up to this morning?”

In his room, Big McIntosh was in fact busy, and had locked the door to ensure his privacy. His wife glanced across at him as they overheard just a little of the conversation from the kitchen. She was amused, clearly, but not enough to take her eyes off Big Mac. He was looking down at the table between them. She’d said she had a present for him. Something he might find amusing. But when he looked at it, he wasn’t laughing.

“I got it from a scientist,” she shrugged, “He said it’s one of a new batch they’ve just finished. With you mentioning Cider last night, I thought you might find it ironic. And I know protecting your family is an important duty for you, so you might be interested in something that would make it easier. Well, your littlest sister said she’s interested in learning distillation when she grows up, so she’d probably be interested too.”

“No!,” Big Mac yelled angrily, “She’s still a filly, and she’s been hurt bad enough already. And I don’t want to mix liquor with any kind of responsibility, especially not where Apple Bloom is concerned.”

“Sorry,” his wife bowed her head, “I thought it might appeal to you. I’ll give it back to the scientist, I’m sure he has a lot of other ponies who’d be interested.”

“No,” Big Mac repeated, placing his hoof over the Gaia Memory on the table, “No. These things are dangerous, real dangerous. You’ve not seen all the monsters that have rampaged in Ponyville. Maybe there’s them that can control power like that, the Champions of Harmony have done a good job of holding onto their morals. But not a Cider Memory, that’s just asking for trouble. I’d never push a plow after I’ve been drinking, and I think anypony who’d even consider using this needs their head examined. I’m surprised.”

“I’m sorry. Really. I didn’t think about it like that, I just…” Big Mac reached out to tenderly put a hoof on her shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he said, “I understand. I did mention Cider the other day, and Apple Bloom seemed interested, that’s true. Maybe she’ll learn to ferment and distil when she grows up, and I’m sure we’ll all be proud of her. But that’s for when she’s grown up. I don’t want her thinking that cider can be something that protects you from harm, and I don’t want her thinking that it’s okay for kids to get involved in what… in either of the things this represents, and even if you find someone with the self-control to use a Gaia Memory safely, I wouldn’t trust them with hard cider in the mix. I’m keeping this, just to make sure nopony else stumbles across it.”

“I understand,” she smiled, “Who knows, you might even change your mind.”

Apple Bloom was sitting in the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse, chatting with her friends Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. They’d had an exhausting week, so for once they were just talking rather than trying out new things to discover their hidden talents.

“It’s got to be cider,” Apple Bloom shook her head, “I mean, AJ has farming all sewn up, and Big Mac knows apples better than anypony. And they work together on the cider press, but there’s nopony in the family who has it as their talent. I thought of it when Big Mac mentioned it, I’ve always been pretty good at measuring and mixing, my cooking only goes wrong when stuff’s in the oven. And cider’s one thing you can cook that doesn’t need baking.”

“Are you sure?” Scootaloo was sceptical, “I mean, I’m sure there’s a fire burning under the still when they make the stronger stuff. And they always say cider isn’t for fillies.”

“That’s…” Apple Bloom hesitated, “Okay, maybe I can’t drink hard cider, but there’s no reason I can’t make it. If I got to leave it until I’m old enough to drink, I’ll miss the chance to get my cutie mark! I can’t wait another year, girls!”

“Alright then. How do we make cider, if your family won’t help? There has to be–” Sweetie Belle was cut off by a roaring, hissing sound from outside. Seconds later, a hole appeared in the clubhouse wall. All three Crusaders backed away against the far wall, avoiding contact with the dripping, hissing acid that oozed in through every crack in the tortured timbers.

“It’s a monster!” Scootaloo exclaimed, “Call for the Champions!”

“How?” Apple Bloom did her best to remain calm, though she was immediately terrified by the apparition, “We’re in the middle of nowhere, in a secret clubhouse! This deep in the woods, nopony would hear us scream!”

“We have to do something!” But for all they yelled, there was nothing they could actually do except wait.

Applejack was already galloping towards the clubhouse when she heard the screams. She’d been feeling bad about not being in her little sister’s life enough, when she realised she didn’t even know where they would normally be on a Saturday morning. But then she heard the grating voice of a Gaia Memory transformation in the distance, and the only thing to do was run.

Spike appeared in the air beside her, in a flash of pink magic. Twilight had just teleported him rather than coming herself, knowing that it would cost her less magical energy in case she needed to join the battle later. The Champions of Harmony trusted each other enough now that there wasn’t any need for discussion when any of them sent a distress signal through their magical collar.

“HONESTY!” the Gaia Memory called out as she slammed it into the Driver’s slot. Then she could only wait to see who was first to connect as her other half, and she knew she wouldn’t have to wait long. She’d covered four long strides through the woodland, and the monster was just visible between the trees when a green Element shimmered into existence in the other slot. Not Applejack’s favourite of the three potential partners, but she would have been happy with anything that let her keep her sister safe.

“GENEROSITYᏔHONESTY!” the Driver sang, and when the burst of light faded there was a single armoured pony running between the trees, with a coat that shaded from orange to white, and her stetson perched incongruously atop an elaborately coiffed mane. Transformed she ran even faster, if that were possible, and in seconds she could see the monster threatening the clubhouse. It was some kind of giant reptile, and Applejack’s first conclusion was that it was a sea serpent’s head snaking between the trees, its body still hidden by the morning mist. But as they came closer, they could see that the creature was almost entirely serpentine, but with a disturbingly pony-like head. It was covered from neck to tail in shining green scales, which extended in a ridge behind its head like some kind of cobra.

“Half snake, half pony?” Rarity was first to get control of their mouth, “What are you supposed to be?”

The creature half turned towards them and hissed, showing off fangs that should surely have stopped its mouth from closing. The head was shaped like a pony’s, but a caricature in leathery skin with nictitating membranes on the eyes and the teeth of a snake. There was no way they could guess what the host’s original coat colour had been, and it wasn’t at all recognisable now.

(“We’ve got to beat it right now,” Applejack spoke urgently in whatever place their internal dialogues took up, “If it gets away, we don’t know enough to beat it, and if I hadn’t been in the right place at the right time it could already have killed the girls.”)

(“I agree. But if it comes to a choice, you know I’ll rescue my sister even if it means letting the monster get away for now.”)

(“Then we’ll have to make sure we don’t let it come to that.”)

The entire conversation took place as quick as thought, while Rarity’s comments were still making their way out of Rarijack’s mouth. Before they even finished speaking, Applejack had their white and orange hooves in the air to slap down on the Elements of Harmony and push them deeper into the Driver.

“GENEROSITYHONESTY: Maximum Drive!” the Driver called out, and at once the air around the monster was filled with swirling fabric and jewels, leaves and everything else convenient in a levitated maelstrom that distracted it and gave it way too many targets to keep its eyes on. But the costumes Rarity’s imagination tried to drape it in didn’t adapt well for the lack of legs, and couldn’t give anything to draw the creature’s focus away from whatever negative emotion the Gaia Memory had latched onto. They didn’t know who this pony had been, or what had driven them to attack a clubhouse full of young fillies, so for now they had nothing they could use to break the mental bond.

They still leapt in to deliver a solid kick with two hind legs, but the monster thrashed its tail and their charge was interrupted by a small tree dropping towards them. They dived aside, but weren’t fast enough to escape entirely and ended up pinned to the ground under the branches. It was only a delay, Rarijack was stronger than Applejack alone and would have no difficulty forcing a few fallen branches aside. But that would take time they didn’t have. The monster reared up and took a deep breath, its hissing as loud as a train’s squealing brakes now, and they heard the harsh voice of the Gaia Memory calling out again.

“NAGA: Venom Salvo!”

(“What’s that mean?” Applejack gasped, the question flashing across their shared mind even though there wasn’t time to actually say it.)

(“I’m guessing some kind of rapid-fire poison thing,” Rarity babbled in panic, at the same time looking for anything they could use to shield themselves, “If it’s anything like what it threw at the treehouse, then we need to be somewhere it can’t get a clear shot at us. Must be one of the G4 Memories. We’ve seen Trouble call out attack names before, but I thought that Champion of Justice said he was in control of who got those.”)

(“I guess he missed one then. And I hope it misses us.”)

A half dozen bursts of sizzling toxin spurted out of the creature’s mouth, heading unerringly towards where Rarijack was still pinned under the tree. A few levitated branches wouldn’t stop the balls of poison, but it turned out that a sword was strong enough to deflect them.

“Naga! How dare you use your powers in that way. You are supposed to be the next stage of pony evolution, not surrender to your basest instincts. If you can’t control the Memory then I will have to destroy it.”

“You can’t fight my venom, Nascar,” the monster mixed a hiss and a sadistic chuckle, “There’s nothing you can do here, unless you want to die as well. Look at the state of your blade if you don’t believe me!” The Champion of Justice turned his head towards his sword, which was dripping with the venom he had just touched and was visibly corroding as the oily black liquid oozed into the metal. He didn’t stare in fear though, but produced the Engine Memory and adjusted the switch before slamming it into the pommel of the sword. At the same time, the monster levitated out its Memory in a cloud of violet magic and pressed it into the hilt of a dagger that seemed to have been formed from one of its teeth.

“STEAM: MAXIMUM DRIVE!”
“NAGA DAGGERS!” Two Gaia Memories groaned at once, filling the orchard with echoes of their metallic voices. Nascar’s sword glowed for a second and then the damaged parts repaired themselves as if the blade was just a balloon, and steam pressure within was pushing it back into its correct shape. Naga, meanwhile, had four fang-like daggers circling its head, and every one was dripping with a venom that seemed to curl into purple and black smoke in a nimbus around the blade.

They charged toward each other and the blades met. Once. Twice. Three times.

“That’s your only trick?” Nascar boasted as he pressed home the advantage from his enormous strength, “Poison’s probably useful, but my Engine Blade can heal itself using the power of the pseudo-Memory, and the heat of steam will neutralise your venom.”

“You’re… stronger than I thought,” the monster hissed, backing off one writhing twist at a time. But it was fast, and with the power of telekinesis it could leave one dagger hanging in the air to strike the Champion from behind when he was least expecting it. The battle between them could still go either way.

By then Rarijack had managed to extricate herself from the branches of the fallen tree, and could see that the wood was slowly turning black, a poison spreading up from where it had been broken.

(“I’m glad we got out before we found out what that might do to us,”)

(“Never mind that, look!”)

Rarity directed their eyes towards the tree with the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse in it. One wall of the aging treehouse had dissolved completely as the toxin ate it away, but the trunk of the tree was damaged lower down, and it looked weak enough that any impact might cause it to tip over.

Rarijack started to run closer, but there was no time. Even if they could run up the ramp without toppling the tree, there was no guarantee they’d be able to get their sisters down safely. Applejack gritted her teeth and applied the full strength of Rarity’s magic to holding the big tree up, trying to stabilise it. She wasn’t skilled with unicorn magic, she virtually never had a horn, but she could do brute strength.

“Apple Bloom!” they called out, “Sweetie Belle! Get down from there, I’m not sure how long we can hold it.”

Scootaloo took a flying leap from the clubhouse door, and proved that her undersized wings were at least good enough to carry her safely down to the ground. But it wasn’t so easy for the other two, who looked out at the swaying ground and immediately froze nervously. The tree’s first slight movement had left the ramp up to the door tilted and damaged, and there was nothing to hint that it would actually take their weight.

“We can’t get down!” Sweetie Belle called, but Rarijack couldn’t see anything else to do.

“Get the dopant!” the mechanical voice of the Champion of Justice bellowed, “I’ll save your sisters, but we can’t let him escape or he’ll just come back when we’re not there to help.”
He slashed once with the sword and knocked chunks of wood out of the base of another tree, and then kicked hard against it with first one mechanised hind leg and then the other. The tree began to creak and to fall, towards the precariously balanced clubhouse. The branches of the two trees caught on each other, and it looked like the newly felled tree might just be in the right place to prop up the poison-ravaged one, for a short while at least. The red-clad champion was already running up a trunk at nearly forty-five degrees to the ground, as Rarity jolted Applejack’s attention away from her magical rescue.

(“I think he’s got that. Can we trust him?” she snapped urgently, “I don’t know if I can trust him with the girls, but he’s saved them when we couldn’t, and he’s right that we can’t let the dopant escape.”)

(“I figure he’s a good guy underneath,” Applejack accepted, “I don’t like him, but I don’t think he’d hurt anypony too young to decide on their future. Let’s get after that snake.”)

They ran off after the monster, leaving Nascar to rescue the fillies. It wasn’t a job he was looking forward to, but he was willing to do whatever he had to if it would protect the innocent. Once he was high enough on the slanting tree trunk, he broke off a couple of sturdy branches and wedged them in place to make a bridge between his path and the clubhouse door, in place of the fallen ramp. He would have liked to have done better, but there wasn’t time here. Two trees leaning against each other would still only stay up for a minute or two, when a magically enhanced acid venom was eating away at one of them.

He banged on the timber beside the door, and called inside: “Can you two get out? We need to get away from here.”

“But the clubhouse… it’ll be wrecked. How can we ever fix this?”

“Wood can be repaired. Ponies can’t. We need to get out now.” Simple words, but the two Crusaders were still nervous, not quite sure where they stood. He continued: “Look, I’ll build you a new treehouse next weekend if you come out now. Fair enough? Or I can teach you to work with wood. Maybe that’ll even be your talent. Just get moving.”

“How can we even trust you‽” Sweetie Belle yelled, outraged, “You’re a dopant! How do we know you’re not going to attack us, and sacrifice us to some kind of giant monster? Or try to force us to become those things again?”

“He wouldn’t,” Apple Bloom muttered quietly, “He’s not a bad pony. And he’s not a dopant.” She started walking forward, but Sweetie Belle reached out a hoof to hold her back.

“Have you heard what Rarity and Twilight have found out about that stallion? He’s not just a dopant, he’s the Memory dealer, the one selling those things. He’s responsible for the monsters attacking Ponyville, and you want to just trust him? Maybe you can make some guess about his character from the things he says, but without seeing the face under that mask, without knowing what kind of pony he is, all you’ve got is guesswork. He could be hiding anything! And he’s a monster, he might not be able to control himself. Remember when we had the Bird Memory? We were hurting our friends out of petty jealousy, and you want to trust somepony we don’t even know a thing about, except he’s got one of those inside of him? No way! And remember how much it hurt, we were all in hospital? That was his fault too. I bet he even left that Memory lying around on purpose, for you to find!”

The Champion of Justice didn’t respond. He had answers to a lot of her points, but he couldn’t see a way to convince her if she wouldn’t trust a word he said. And he didn’t want to speak right now, because he had never thought he could be so hated. Even if it was all just the words of ponies who didn’t understand what he was trying to achieve, those accusations brought a tear to his eye under the armour. He didn’t want to be hated like that, not by a child. He wanted to make ponies stronger, not to bring pain, and the fact that she could accuse him without a second thought was proof enough that he had really given the wrong impression. Apple Bloom came to his defense, though, as he might have expected.

“He didn’t give us that!” she cried, clearly torn up inside by the aftermath of the Bird Dopant episode, even if she’d been able to hide the trauma from her closest friends and family. He wished he’d been able to talk to her more, to understand what was really worrying her about those events. “He didn’t give us the Gaia Memory, okay? I stole it! All that pain was my fault, and he’s been taking the blame for months because he didn’t want me to get in any more trouble over it!”

“Please,” Nascar sounded almost concerned despite the growling engine noise in his voice, “We need to move.” There was no more argument. He led the two fillies down the uneven surface of the tree trunk, carrying them on his broad metal shoulders when he had to. They reached the ground just as the trees shifted once more, and collapsed into splinters.

“I’m so sorry,” he said, looking around at the devastation, “This shouldn’t have happened. Naga feeds on jealousy, magnifies it and uses it to overwhelm the host’s reason. So I only gave him the Memory after I’d talked to him for a week, made sure he wasn’t prone to jealousy and had no reason to feel it. I warned him, again and again, not to use the Memory in anger, I was sure he’d be able to control it.”

“You really don’t want them to become monsters,” Sweetie Belle was finally starting to understand the Memory dealer’s motivations, just a little. Apple Bloom just nodded. “So why do they need a Gaia Memory at all, if they’re not going to rampage?”

“Silvertongue keeps snakes, and the Naga Memory has a certain power over normal snakes. To speak to them, make them stronger, and to heal their injuries. I think anypony who has a pet would go to great lengths to speak their language and be able to cure them of any sickness.”

“Silvertongue?” Apple Bloom was puzzled, “The old stallion who does jewellery repairs, always got a dozen snakes around his shop? If he’s got jealousy he can’t control, why would he come after us?”

“That’s exactly what I’ve been trying to work out.”

“I’m still trying to understand this,” Sweetie Belle interrupted, “I think I understand now, kind of. You’re trying to use these things to give everypony a better life, give them the ability to take their talent further than they could alone. But we never see the ones who can control their powers, we only see the monsters rampaging. Right? But I still don’t know if I should believe you. You hide behind a mask, like some kind of criminal.”

“We can trust him,” Apple Bloom reassured her, “I knew who he was, worked it out for myself. I wanted to tell AJ, but I couldn’t believe he’d have those evil crystals without a good reason, so I asked. And I think I understand now. Please?” But this time, her words weren’t quite enough to sway her friend.

“Very well,” the Champion of Justice lowered his head, “It can be hard to trust anypony if you can’t meet their eyes. I’ll show you who I am, because I don’t want you to hate me. I can see how much it’s worrying Apple Bloom. But you have to promise that you won’t tell anypony else. Centuries ago, the princesses decided that they are the only ones allowed to use Gaia Memories, so the Champions of Harmony will be forced to persecute the Memory farmers even if they know we meant no harm. I have to work in the shadows, until we can prove that we have Memories refined enough for everypony to use safely. Can you keep my secret?”

Sweetie Belle nodded nervously, but not quite as uncertain as the Champion of Hope as he reached up to deactivate the Nascar Memory. Red metal panels unfolded, twisting in a concertina shape in the air, before coming together in a metal ring around the wielders neck; then the armour spun, shrunk, and was gone.

“You got to keep this secret,” it was Apple Bloom who reminded her friend.

“Pinkie promise.” Three ponies met each other’s gaze, all considering trust, and the many good reasons Sweetie would have to tell her sister. But they were friends, and once the promise was made there was no doubt that she would do her best to keep it.

“Could it be another Memory user?” Apple Bloom said after a few minutes of silent contemplation.

“Huh?”

“You said there’s lots of them around that we don’t see. Maybe they got in touch with each other to share stories or something? If somepony started getting crazy paranoid, like thinking the Champions were going to find them, fear can spread like a disease. Maybe they’re just scared, they want to be sure the Champions of Harmony won’t come after them, so they… they want to kidnap us, as a threat to our sisters.”

“Yeah,” Sweetie Belle seemed just a little excited, but more scared as she understood the implications of that theory, “It’s a group plan. I mean, we know Silvertongue is just a bit crazy. If he started keeping hundreds of snakes so they end up getting everywhere, I’d believe it. Or if he tried training them to run the shop for him, and scared somepony off. That’d be his kind of crazy. But to do this, he’s acting out somepony else’s craziness, it’s a group of them.”

“And that means there could be another dopant coming after us now, with different–”

“Oh hay, no!” the Champion was already running as fast as his hooves could carry him, leaving two fillies standing there amid the trees.

“Shouldn’t he have offered to protect us?” Sweetie Belle asked, “I mean, we just thought there might be another monster coming. It’s not the best time to leave us without adult supervision.”

“I don’t know. Maybe he realised something we missed. He wouldn’t leave us here if there was any danger, you know as well as I do. Anyway, the fog’s lifted now, so if a dopant tries anything we’ll see them coming. We should get to Twilight’s library, we’ll be safe with her around until this is all sorted.”

Rarijack galloped as fast as they could, back to a house on the far side of Ponyville. Across fields and through hedgerows, the giant snake creature had left a distinctive track in the mud. Even on land where the ground was well churned up already, it would have been hard to mistake the tracks of a serpent that was probably large enough to swallow a pony whole.

“I’m out of breath,” Applejack gasped as it became clear which property the snake was headed for, “Too much distance to run that fast. Ready to switch out?”

(“I’m exhausted too,” Rarity spoke within their heads simply because it would be easier to talk without interrupting their frenzied gasps for air, “Do we both need to switch?”)

(“It’s Applejack’s body,” Pinkie Pie’s voice cut in on the conversation, “Just your heart is there. So to get over tired muscles, you just need to swap the left half for somepony else.”)

(“That’s pretty convenient,” Applejack nodded, “But we need to do this quickly. Looks like the monster’s still inside.”)

She lifted one hoof and ejected the orange-gold Gaia Memory from the Driver. She barely had it back in her collar before the Driver shimmered like a reflection in a pool, and another Element appeared in its place.

“GENEROSITYᏔLOYALTY!”

Now they could run more quickly, but slowed down just a little as they came close to the cottage. They weren’t sure who lived here, but the cheery plaque beside the door declaring ‘Beware of the Python’ gave them enough reason to be sure they were in the right place. The front door came open with the slightest touch, revealing a house filled with snakes. There were at least three in the front room.

“Pinkie, Twilight, can you hear us?” Rarity called out. She was used to tapping on the Memory in her collar and speaking to the others, but it was the first time she’d attempted to call out when she was wearing the Driver. After a second of no response she spoke again, this time with a hoof on the Element of Generosity. “Twilight, can you hear me? We’re fighting the Naga Dopant, I was wondering if you can look it up and find out if there’s any kind of antidote for those venom attacks, or a way to fight against it.”

“Already on it,” Twilight Sparkle answered as her friend’s panicked voice came from the air, “We’ve got the Cutie Mark Crusaders here, I called Pinkie over while you were on the way there. You have to avoid the poison at all costs. If you get hit try to wash it off as quickly as possible, water should neutralise this venom, but that only works if you can get it before it starts burning.”

“Sorry,” Pinkie Pie muttered nervously, biting her lip, “I could have got more, but I went to get his name and location first. And then the book disappeared before I got a proper look. There’s something weird in the Gaia Library today, and I’ve got no idea…” she trailed off in an uncomfortable silence, hoping that Twilight wouldn’t ask how long this had been going on for. She needed to know what was going on better before she got the others involved with the trouble in the Gaia Library. Besides, she was pretty sure this was a different problem altogether, and she didn’t want to get distracted.

“Did you know Silvertongue?” Twilight asked Pinkie, “Is there anything that might give a clue how he’d react? If we can predict his actions, that gives us a little advantage, even if it’s not the library.”

“I don’t know. I went in the store once or twice, but he didn’t seem interested in making friends. I mean like, he’d make polite conversation and everything, but he was more interested in talking to his snakes, and he always seemed happier with them. I know that some ponies try to shut themselves away, even you did originally, because they’re scared. But he didn’t, he really did seem happy as long as he had snakes coiled up in his mane or climbing over him. So I left him to it.”

“I saw him a few times,” Sweetie Belle commented, “I can only agree with that. He’s the last pony you’d expect to cause trouble unless his slithery friends were involved. It’s hard to believe he’d be so scared that he’d…”

“Yeah, I know.”

The door flung open, and a harsh mechanical voice called from outside: “I need your help. And quickly.”

Twilight and Applejack both walked out, and the Champion of Justice backed away as they came closer. In the Library doorway, Pinkie Pie raised a hoof to stop Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom going out. She didn’t want the fillies to be anywhere near if a fight started between the different Champions.

“What’s this Naga?” Twilight snapped, “You know more than we do.”

“I need help, I said. I know what the Naga Memory can do, but I can’t find it. I need your help, you can find a dopant if you know the Memory, right? I don’t think you’ve beaten her that quickly.”

“We might be able to do that,” Twilight said guardedly, “But you have to help us too. Do you really think it’s after our sisters?”

“Uhh… yeah,” now he sounded hesitant, something they’d never heard from him before, “But not for the reasons you think. That’s something we need to debate when there’s time to make you understand, not in the middle of a crisis. If you can tell me where she is, I’ll go and beat that dopant. And I’ll tell you right now, the weakness of the Naga Memory is heat. My Steam mode works, and if it’s not I might actually be angry enough to activate Combustion. I’ll answer any questions you want when there’s not a filly in danger because of my mistakes.”

“I think we’ve got a problem!” Pinkie Pie stepped out, eyes wide. “Raridash was going to fight Naga and just try to avoid his attacks. Or hers, I think you used both words and I don’t know either because I couldn’t get a name other than Naga.”

“Well, it’s–” the red Champion started to answer, but Twilight interrupted.

“Problem! Pinkie said there’s a problem, don’t get distracted.”

“Yeah! I can’t contact Rarity or Rainbow Dash to find out how they’re doing. I tried with the crystal collars, I can’t feel two of them at all. And if I go back to… umm… you know. The Naga book is gone, unreachable. I can’t find out where he – or she – is.”

“That’s not good,” Twilight couldn’t think of anything more useful to say.

“Where were they last?” Nascar’s question seemed to be getting more urgent by the minute. Then he turned back to Twilight, “And can you do whatever you do to locate Naga?”

“No,” Twilight answered, realising that their rival actually didn’t know how the Gaia Library worked. That could possibly be a trump card in some future conflict, so she didn’t want to tell him now. Even so, they had to do everything they could to find this dopant. “They were heading towards the Everfree Forest last we heard, following a trail. But if Pinkie checked, then the Library’s equipment can’t lock onto ‘Naga’ any more. He must have found some way to block it. Maybe we could check his real name if we knew it. Or hers?”

“We know that,” Sweetie Belle was the one to answer from inside the Library, “Sorry, I forgot to mention it before. I think you should head to the Everfree, we’ll stay and help Pinkie with the lookup.”

“Right,” Applejack snapped, glaring at the Champion of Justice, “Me and Twilight will both go, make sure this isn’t some kind of trick, and Pinkie can call us to let us know if they find anything.” He didn’t answer, just nodded and set off running towards the Everfree.

Twilight glanced across at Applejack as they tried to keep up, and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. It hadn’t escaped her notice that Applejack was acting more cranky than usual, even more than they would expect when her sister was at risk, and was grimacing as she ran. Applejack just shook her head and pushed herself to run harder. Her body was sore already, but she wasn’t about to admit that in front of a possible enemy. She certainly wasn’t going to let anypony know that she’d got so many bruises by falling out of a cloud and into a tree a few minutes earlier.

Raridash had arrived at the house full of snakes a few minutes earlier. They felt like they had to go in, because this was about protecting kids. They couldn’t afford to wait for further information. But once they were inside, they quickly realised that they weren’t the first to raid this place.

The door had been locked. It had just already been kicked hard enough to bust the lock out of the frame. Every door inside had been flung wide, as if somepony was running through as fast as they possibly could, searching for something. In the kitchen, the whole room had been trashed. Plates and pans scattered across the floor, everything broken, and huge sword slashes carved into the walls.

(“Has Nascar already been here?” Rainbow Dash guessed, “His sword’s too big to swing indoors.”)

(“Could be. He seemed pretty angry, and he could easily have beaten us here if he knew where the dopant lives. He must have sold them the Memory.”)

(“So do we need to follow them? I don’t like that stallion, but he can probably handle this battle on his own.”)

(“I say no,” Rarity was firm, “He’s tried to kill Memory users before, remember? Maybe this dopant tried to hurt Sweetie Belle, but if we just let him die, we’d be as bad as that Champion of Justice. We make sure they get a fair trial, not just punished for not being strong enough.”)

They couldn’t find anything else in a quick search of the house, and there was certainly no dopant hiding. But when they looked out of the back door, they could see two fresh sets of hoofprints across the meadow. Wide spaced, two ponies galloping. And then after a furlong, one set of prints turned into the strange wheel-marks that Nascar left when he was trying to move fast.

They sent a mental message to the others, to let them know where they were heading. Then they ran as fast as they could. The marks in the mud indicated a scuffle a few seconds later, and then the wheel marks headed back towards the main road into Ponyville.

“They’re heading into the forest,” Rainbow Dash spoke aloud, “But why didn’t Nascar follow?”

“We’ll find that out when we catch up. We have to go for Nascar first.”

Once they reached the boundary of the Everfree Forest, they slowed down just a little. It was an automatic response, because they knew about the amount of danger on these paths. Plunging in blindly could get them killed. They also needed more effort to see the tracks they were following, now the ground underhoof was firmer. They were slow, but they were in time.

They reached one of the many small lakes that dotted the Everfree, and saw an exhausted figure pulling himself out of the water on the far bank. They couldn’t see his face under a thick cloak, and the only part of his coat they could make out was a single red leg, but they knew it could only be the stallion they’d been following. There was a thick mist rising between the trees as well, and they knew they had to move as quickly as possible or their quarry would get away.

(“I’ve got this,” Rainbow Dash muttered with her usual confidence, “He’s not looking this way, he won’t see us coming.”)

She flew over the lake, hooves just skimming the surface. It was so much faster than either swimming or going around. But before they were even half way across, the dopant turned to face them. It raised its hooves dramatically in the air, and the Memory’s voice echoed across the lake.

“NAGA!”

(“Get down!” Rarity gasped at the speed of thought, “Pinkie said its venom is neutralised by clean water!”)

“No, it’s a trap!” another voice called from behind them, but neither part of the Champion of Harmony wanted to pause to think when they were expecting a salvo of toxic bolts in a heartbeat or less. They dived beneath the surface, but could still just about keep the enemy visible through all the disturbance this kicked up on the surface of the lake. They couldn’t see well, but if they thought about it they could understand what was going on. This dopant held a Gaia Memory in both fetlocks, and as soon as they started to dive, it was the second Memory that descended towards her flank as she briefly flicked the edge of the cloak open.

“ICEBERG!” Before they could even think of surfacing, the water they’d expected to protect them was cold enough to sap the strength from aching muscles, frost forming along every inch of their coats, and there was no way out.

“Oh, don’t try to call for help!” the dopant called from the bank, “My Mist will stop any form of magical communication.”

“Iceberg,” the Champion of Justice snarled from the opposite side of the lake, “I knew you’d be back, but threatening family is a low blow even for you.”

“Oh wow, I wasn’t expecting to see you. Last time I saw you, you’d just forgotten where my hideout was, and you were rushing back to Ponyville for help.”

“I found it,” he shrugged, “There’s nopony going to help you, though. And your mastery of the Yesterday Memory isn’t a patch on the original user. The same trick won’t work twice.” He was doubly angry this time. Both because they’d just seen Silvertongue’s icy grave, and because he didn’t want to admit that he had made a mistake.

“Maybe. But you can’t catch me. You know as well as I do that the Nascar Memory’s speed boost ability doesn’t work effectively on water, so you couldn’t evade my attack.” Gloating, she turned and began to walk out of sight. Her cloak was hanging open now, as she cancelled the dopant transformation. It was almost as if she wanted them to see the grotesque disfiguration of her body. There were Memory scars on both sides now, not just on her cutie mark but covering her from neck to dock. Every inch of her coat was a mass of scars, overlapping so much that the letters weren’t readable, and she only had an occasional shock of red hair to show her original colouration.

“But I have friends,” Nascar retorted, and glanced to his right. Twilight Sparkle reached out and the two heroes joined hooves for a moment, before they were suddenly on the other side of the lake in a pink flash.

“NAGA!” Deep Crimson just had time to press her latest Gaia Memory into the side of her neck, before Nascar had finished swapping around the Memories in his own body and sword hilt.

“STEAM!” the grinding voice from his sword announced, but before the echoes had even faded he was slamming a second Memory into his pommel. “TIME!”

A spray of venom droplets arced towards him, but a sweep of the Engine Blade left behind a shield of high pressure steam, that seemed to melt the poison bolts out of the air.

“3…”

“NAGA: Venom Rain!” the Memory declared, and a single glob of poison flew from the dopant’s mouth high over the trees, before bursting apart to shower poison like raindrops over the area. Nascar was ready to sweep them aside with his sword again, but Twilight Sparkle was quicker to respond, using her natural magic to disperse the drops to either side around them. Nascar reacted quickly, leaping forward to strike at the dopant and force her into a defensive stance.

“2…”

Twilight felt each tick of the glowing watch run through her like a shiver of cold. She stayed close, even though her body was so vulnerable without the protection of the Driver. When Applejack had seen the Time Memory used before, she’d reported that it counted down and then a dozen enemies were knocked out at once and the Champion vanished. Twilight wasn’t sure if she was more aware of every tick because she was paying attention to it, because she’d been training herself to analyse Gaia Magic at every opportunity, or simply because she’d been touching the Nascar Dopant when he activated the Memory. But whatever the case, she was determined to find out what this rival’s new power was, as much as to help him defeat this dopant.

“1… TIME START!”

The Naga Dopant seemed to freeze, as did the iceberg bobbing in the lake. Ripples in the water moved as slowly as crawling earthworms, and the whole world seemed to be running more slowly. Nascar was expecting this and charged forward, slashing with his sword at the enemy dopant again and again. The flurry of blows had some effect, as the Naga Memory was drifting slowly into sight, and the patchwork of scar tissue was starting to become visible through the Naga Dopant’s scales in a dappled pattern across her body.

The Naga Memory flew out of the dopant’s neck, rather than her haunch, and then was separate from her body. Nascar spun around and hit it with a powerful buck from one hoof, sending it flying into the nearest bushes. As soon as it lost contact with his hoof, it was slowly drifting through the air like a twig floating on a slow-moving river. But he wasn’t finished. His hoof lashed out again, striking Deep Crimson in the face just as her red coat reappeared there. He drew his leg back and lashed out again, and again.

“Stop!” Twilight yelled, appalled. She’d heard from both Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders that the Champion could fell a healthy young apple tree in three solid kicks. That was a really strong hind leg, but here he was giving Deep Crimson one buck after another, six kicks now, in the face, even after her transformation had reverted. “You could kill her!”

“And?” he snapped, “Somehow you can watch me at this speed, but you don’t get to judge me. This mare is a monster. She tried to kill someone close to me before she even got the Gaia Memory, trying to cause chaos so she could steal a more powerful one. I stopped her then, but she’s bearing a grudge. She tried to kill Apple Bloom and her friends, just because I want to protect them. Do you really think she deserves to live?”

All the time he was talking, he kept on kicking. A dozen blows, or maybe more. Ripples from the impacts spread across Deep Crimson’s body in slow motion, looking both surreal and brutal. And then he spun on the spot, rising to his hind legs and bringing the sword slashing down towards the defenceless pony. Twilight knew she had to stop him. No matter what a criminal had done, they deserved a fair trial. She focused her magic on Deep Crimson and threw her back, out of the path of the blade. She knew that when he was using Steam, the blade normally had a wave of scalding vapour trailing behind its tip, increasing the reach dramatically, but it looked like this power didn’t continue during Time’s enhancement.

“What are you doing?” he yelled, striding forward and bringing the sword down again. This time, Twilight parried it using a sturdy branch that had been separated from its tree by the earlier rain of venom. But he could sense the Time Memory burning through his energy at an alarming rate, and he was going to revert to his normal form soon, and he couldn’t afford to reveal his identity here and now. He raised his sword as if to strike, and saw the Champion of Harmony brace herself to parry with her telekinetic power. But rather than striking he dropped to his wheels, and raced away into the undergrowth.

Before Twilight could respond, she heard the sound of the Memory speaking again, just out of sight: “TIME UP!”

Twilight turned her head, wondering for just a moment if she would be able to keep up if she chased now.

“INFERNO!” The growling voice gave her just enough warning to throw herself to one side before an arc of fire came crashing down on the ground where she had been standing. Twilight instinctively reached for the Driver on her breast, but of course it wasn’t there. Raridash was still trapped in an ice cube, under the lake. But a glance in that direction revealed that Applejack had pulled it to the bank already, and was cracking the ice more with every kick. They really were stronger working together, and she could only hope the Champion of Justice would realise that soon.

“Oh, this is becoming harder than I expected,” the Inferno Dopant sneered, punctuating every few words with a kick that lashed out like a volcanic eruption. “But I’ve gained two more Memories this weekend, which I think is a victory for me. You should hate me more, Twilight Sparkle, your fighting style now lacks emotion. If you were baying for my blood as passionately as your friend, this might be an interesting battle, that would teach me something about the Elements of Harmony. I just wish your brother was closer, so that I could reach him without an overnight train ride. Maybe that will strengthen your resolve!”

“You threatened my sister,” Applejack turned to yell as Raridash was finally freed, “That makes all of us angry enough!”

“MIST!” Deep Crimson was just fast enough with her alternate Memory this time, and the fog rose up so quickly that there was no way for Raridash to see which way she had gone. Moments later, the fog lifted, and there was no sign of anypony around the lake.

“Pinkie, are you there?” Applejack asked with one hoof on her collar, “Can you look up where she ran away to?” A few seconds passed, and no answer came.

“Pinkie Pie!” Twilight called out, reaching out with her own magic to analyse the connection between the Elements, “Is something wrong?” Then she turned to the others, and said, “I think she’s unconscious. I’ve got just about enough magic left to teleport us back to the Library, I think, but you won’t be able to count on me any more.”

Applejack and Raridash nodded, and a pink glow surrounded them. But in the Golden Oak Library they just found books strewn across the floor, a table overturned, and no sign of either Pinkie Pie or the Cutie Mark crusaders.

“We have to find Pinkie!” Twilight gasped, almost in panic, and then collapsed in exhaustion from the effort of getting them all there.

“We have to find Apple Bloom!” Applejack yelled, “And Sweetie Belle was here too. Another one must’ve got here, the thing with Naga was just a distraction.”

“No,” Rarity interrupted, walking in only moments after ending their transformation, “I don’t think Deep Crimson is a team player. It wasn’t someone else giving Silvertongue orders, we know that now, it was a different Naga Dopant.”

“Then who could it be?” Rainbow Dash asked, “It couldn’t be something unconnected, could it?”

“Nascar,” Applejack growled, “He’s playing us all.”

“He was following Naga,” Rainbow Dash nodded, “But he headed back to town, while she went to the Everfree.”

“And he asked for our help, then used that Time Memory and vanished as soon as a fight started. Same as before. He used us as a distraction to attack Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, he’s got them to trust him somehow, so it would have been easy for him.”

“What do we know about him? We have to find them, we have to find out what would make him go this far.”

“Enough with understanding,” Applejack snarled, “enough with forgiving everypony. This one deserves to die.”

Pinkie Pie had returned from the Gaia Library shaking her head. She had managed to find a vague location for Silvertongue, but she could feel that he was already dead. His book would disappear from the Gaia Library soon enough. Apple Bloom was still excited at getting to take part in a lookup; it was a new experience for her, and one she enjoyed. But her face fell when she saw the normally-cheerful Pinkie frown.

“What is it?” Apple Bloom asked, “Are they going to be okay?” Pinkie nodded, then raised a hoof to the Element of Laughter on her collar.

“Twilight?” she said, “I’ve found Silvertongue, he’s in the forest. I’m thinking of the route now, can you see that? But I think he’s dead or dying. Frozen. And his book is frost damaged where a Memory has been ripped off the cover, I think I could barely read it even if he was alive. You’re facing that mare with a half dozen Memories, and she’s been collecting even more. I guess the Champion of Justice already figured that out?”

The Cutie Mark Crusaders waited while Twilight presumably responded. Pinkie Pie just nodded, but it was clear she was listening to a voice they couldn’t hear.

“Right, girls,” she eventually forced a smile, “I think we’re safe for now. There’s not a team of dopants after all, just one, and the others are in the right place to stop her. So, want to play?” She’d produced a set of juggling balls and a saxophone from somewhere, and by the end of the sentence it seemed her normal chirpiness was back. But before Sweetie Belle could say anything about the trouble they’d be in if they made a mess of the Library, there was a knock at the door.

Pinkie walked over to the door and peered out through a crack. She knew they should be safe, but she was still a little cautious. The pony outside seemed calm and reserved, not like she was going to start any trouble. She looked more sad than dangerous, with a coat and mane in colours so subdued that she was almost grey. She looked familiar, but somehow Pinkie couldn’t place her name. She hoped the recent problems with books going missing from the Gaia Library didn’t mean she was going to start losing her normal memory as well. But as the stranger fidgeted outside, Pinkie could clearly see she her cutie mark, some kind of fruit, and knew that she didn’t have the scars a Gaia Memory would have left.

“Hi,” she beamed as she opened the door, “I feel like I should recognise you, but… sorry, your name escapes me.” She was glad for her pink coat, which was distinctive enough to cover the blush when she failed in a social situation for once.

“That’s okay,” the stranger shrugged, “I was just a filly the last time we spoke. I didn’t even have my cutie mark then.”

“Well, if you want to read any books, there’s loads here. And if you want to make friends, we’re just about to play some games! But that’s not fair, I still don’t know your name.”

“That’s fine. I know yours,” she whispered, slowly walking closer as she did. She breathed a name so quietly that Pinkie felt the words in the breath against her ear, more than hearing them. The name she said wasn’t ‘Pinkie Pie’, and it was enough to make Pinkie back away as if she’d been stung, face twisted in anger.

“Nobody calls me that here!” Her hoof went to her collar, but her thoughts couldn’t reach Twilight or anypony else through the Mist Memory’s blanket of obscurity. “Who are you?”

Apple Bloom looked back and forth between the two, not quite sure if she was really seeing what she thought she was. Then she started to back away, knowing that there was danger here even if she didn’t understand.

“A Gaia Memory?” the newcomer smiled, a licentious voice that made it sound like the word contained endless possibilities, “But Laughter has nowhere near the power of Eternal, and you don’t have a Driver, do you? Or would you rather borrow mine?” She swung a belt from one hoof, with a heavy ornamental buckle that looked like a polished piece of natural rock. A buckle with a hole in the middle, just the right size for…

“TABOO!”

Author's Note

I should point out that I am aware this episode has a small continuity error. I'm going to go back and change the earlier chapter, because it makes more sense if he doesn't know about it.

His secret identity should be pretty obvious by now; hands up who's got it at this point?

And please don't hate me for the shipping. There's a reason for it.

Episode 26 - The Beginning of the N

Apple Bloom picked herself up off the ground, and opened her eyes. It made no difference, the world around her was pitch dark. It was often dark in her room, so far from the lights of Ponyville, but there was always some glimmer of moonlight or starlight. Now there was nothing, and the rough timber beneath her was nothing like home either. Her whole body was aching, and there was a strange metallic taste in her mouth that she couldn’t recognise.

The world lurched, throwing her to the ground again. There was some hay under her hooves, but mostly the only thing she could feel was roughly cut planks. A little thought, which came much harder than usual, told her the situation. She was in a crate, like some piece of farm machinery, and somepony was moving her around. She almost screamed for help, and then she remembered. A strange, grey pony had come into the Golden Oak Library, somehow offended Pinkie Pie, and then transformed into a bizarre monster with a body that glistened like jelly. She’d been abducted by a dopant.

Just the thought of it was enough to make her knees shake. She was just a child, a filly who hadn’t yet received her talent or her cutie mark. The only thing on her flank was a faint scar in the shape of the letter ‘B’. When she’d been a part of the Bird Dopant, it had looked like an image of a bird, but now there was no way it could be mistaken for anything other than the letter. She knew as well as anypony that a dopant couldn’t control their urges, and that only made her more terrified about what was going to happen now.

The next thought to cross her mind was what had happened to Sweetie Belle and Pinkie Pie. They had both been there, but exploring the extents of her prison by touch revealed no trace of them. They had been taken separately, but there was no easy way to know if they were being taken to different places, maybe shepherded by different dopants, or were just in individual, pony sized crates. There would probably have been space for all three of them in here, although they would have been pressed up against each other.

The next jolt sent her tumbling head over hooves, as the crate turned over onto a different side. And then there was no more movement, maybe indicating that she was on solid ground now.

Apple Bloom felt around the edges of her prison, running her hooves over the wood. She searched for any narrow crack between the planks, anywhere she could see out. But the only sign of life beyond her box was the faint murmur of voices, that could just have been her imagination. Sooner or later the sounds faded, and she could neither hear nor see anything. After a few minutes, she wondered if they might have left her here. Rescue would probably be coming soon, she was sure of that at least. But she couldn’t just wait for them. If there was any way out she had to try to find it.

The box was bigger than it needed to be. That was one fact in her favour. She could stand, and the top of her mane only just brushed against the top of the box. And that meant she had room to stretch her muscles. She tensed as much as she could, tried to remember her siblings bucking apple trees. Applejack always used both legs, while Big Mac was powerful enough to kick with one leg. They could probably have broken out easily, either of them. But Apple Bloom had never been able to dislodge a single apple from a tree, except by climbing up to pick them. They said she was still too young, but she wondered if maybe she might be strong enough. She was certainly smart enough, and maybe that would be the difference. Because she knew that busting out of a crate didn’t have to mean splitting planks. There had to be nails at the corners, and if they’d put her in here in a rush then there was presumably a lid that was just pinned on. If she hit it near the edges, then every strike would start to work the nails loose, just like opening the box normally.

It was a nice plan, but only time would tell if she was right. She brushed her rump against the side, and then edged forwards what she judged to be a few inches. Her rear was pointed towards the corner of the box now, but it felt so strange trying something like this without being able to see. She hunkered forward, tensed her muscles as much as she could, and launched both hooves out behind her. They connected, and the impact was strong enough to knock her off her hooves completely. Even if she was small, that still had to be a good sign. It meant she’d put her full weight into the blow, which was surely enough to move a couple of nails.

Apple Bloom picked herself up again, and adjusted her position. This time aiming at the opposite side of the same panel. She tensed, and lashed out. This time she kept her footing. There was no sign of movement, but then it would be hard to tell. Now she waited, slowly counting her own heartbeat as a measure of time. When she got to one hundred, she was fairly sure that nopony was guarding the crate. Her antics had brought no reaction.

So she resolved to repeat that pattern of kicks eight times, and then to look as closely as she could for a glimmer of light, and feel along the corners of the box with her hooves, to see if the timber had shifted at all. If it had, she could keep going until she was free, and if not she could try a different direction. It would be purely good luck if she could pick the box lid on her first try, after all. She just hoped that the tilt at the end of her journey hadn’t been a smart dopant turning the crate lid-down to prevent exactly this kind of escape attempt.

It was probably hopeless, but here in the darkness she had to try something, or she might just go crazy.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Big McIntosh was sitting at the big dining table. Once upon a time, it had taken a dozen ponies to run this farm, and the kitchen was sized to match. But now it was just him and Applejack, and sometimes the size of the kitchen gave him cause to reflect on just how far the family had spread. Different specialties, as well as different locations now. It was something he mused on more often than he would admit to anypony else. He was the big strong farmpony, not a philosopher. He especially tried to keep this side of himself secret from Granny Smith and Apple Bloom. They were a part of the farm, even if they didn’t do the heavy lifting, and they needed to know they could depend on him in all circumstances. So Big Mac kept a secret of his deeper thoughts, and maintained a stoic silence. He used his strength to help his families, and maybe they would never know what he was thinking of when he sat alone at the table.

There were other things he thought about as well, of course. Things he kept secret for other reasons. But today, his mind dwelled on a subject that he hadn’t had an excuse to contemplate before. He stared at the Gaia Memory in front of him, grinding his teeth angrily. He hated what it represented, that his family might not be safe. That it might need something more than his own power to protect them. He’d been training himself lately, thinking he could protect those he cared about from any monster that might threaten them. He didn’t want to put his trust in a crystal like this, when he knew already just how dangerous they could be. But maybe, if things continued like this, he might not have the choice.

“Anypony home?” Applejack’s voice called out, as the back door flew open. Big Mac moved quickly, to try to hide the object of his scrutiny, but before his hooves reached the tabletop he knew Applejack had seen it. “What the hay is that doing here?” Her voice was filled with even more disgust than he felt himself.

“It was a present,” Big Mac figured that this time, he could tell the truth. “From someone who didn’t think about how much trouble they could be. Thought I might need some extra strength to protect my family, thought Apple Bloom might be in danger, because of the number of monsters around lately. I said no.”

“But you’ve brought a Gaia Memory into our home?” Applejack couldn’t hide the anger in her voice, “You know what those things can be like!”

“Yup, I do,” he answered slowly. Calmly, as always. “So better I’ve got this, than anypony who might be tempted to use it. Better here than falling into the hooves of one of the real monsters you’ve talked about. You still don’t know how to destroy them, do you? And if you girls lock it away somewhere, there’s bound to be a bad guy sooner or later that’s smart enough to raid the Library or somewhere while you’re away, looking for any you’ve captured. Nopony would ever think to look for a Gaia Memory in my pockets, I’m sure of that.”

“You…” Applejack started to answer in rage, but then stopped and thought. And when she carried on, her voice was already calmer: “You kind of got a point there. But can you promise me you wouldn’t be tempted? How about if Apple Bloom was in danger, and it looked like that thing might give you the edge to save her?”

“I don’t know,” he answered slowly, “If it was like that, then I think there’s no right answer. So I’ll use all my power, all my strength, to make sure it never comes like that. I never want to see my sister in danger. Or any of my family, either.”

“Well, you don’t get your wish,” and like someone had flicked a switch, the bitterness was back in her voice. “Somepony’s attacked the Library. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were in there, and now they’re not. I was hoping they came home on their own first, we can’t find them anywhere in town. But it’s not looking good.”

“What? I thought you defeated… I mean, I heard you battling, I thought you beat the dopant.”

“We did, kind of. She got away, but pretty badly hurt. But I think this is somepony else. If you ask me, I think it’s that Champion of Justice. He ran away in the middle of battle, so he could get back to the Library while we were still fighting. Pinkie couldn’t do anything, not on her own. She’s gone too, and we can’t reach her.”

“I don’t think it’d be him,” Big Mac tried his hardest to keep on top of his emotions, to think rationally, “From what Apple Bloom said, he’s somepony you can trust. He wants the best for everypony, just like you do, even if you got different–”

“No! Apple Bloom trusted him, and now she’s missing. How can we know this isn’t all some big game? He’s been working on this for months, trying to build up our trust so we wouldn’t see this coming. He’s a monster, just the same as that Deep Crimson one. They’re all the same, more than one Gaia Memory doesn’t just take over your darkest emotions, it turns you into something beyond imagining. He’s had one thing right all along though, there are some monsters who really do deserve to die. And he’s one of them.”

Big Mac couldn’t offer any sound, brotherly advice now. He could only stare in horror at the change that had come over his little sister.

Pinkie Pie blinked and opened her eyes. It didn’t make any difference, it was still dark. She took a step forward, and walked along the nearest wall. She found that even when she couldn’t see, she could sense the shape of the room. Maybe it was another ability attributed to the Pinkie Sense that she had never really understood, or maybe it was the earth sense, the earth pony magic that she hadn’t properly learned to use because it reminded her too much of her farming family.

She was in a small space, with packed earth underfoot. There were a few roots protruding from the walls and ceiling, which were a mixture of clay and rock. A root cellar, maybe, some kind of storage space. There was a hatch in one corner of the timber ceiling, with a folding ladder flat against the ceiling beside it. But it was too high to jump to, and it seemed the ladder and hatch could only be extended and opened if unlocked from above. She didn’t know what else to do, except sit and think.

One hoof went to the collar on her neck. She could at least call the others, and she knew that Twilight had been learning to sense the distance and direction of the other Elements of Harmony, using the bond between them. But she found the collar bent out of shape, its magicite crystals torn off, and the Laughter Memory itself missing. She had no way to call for help and worse, the others couldn’t call on her if they needed her. But hot on the heels of those two thoughts, something even more terrible occurred to her. What if somepony used the Element like it was just another Gaia Memory? What if there was a Laughter Dopant rampaging now, and it was all her fault for getting captured? That was one thing Pinkie was sure she would never be able to live with.

She tried to think of what to do, but no ideas came to mind. Everything she could think of depended on having a Party Cannon, or some other kind of Element powers. And those weren’t here now. It didn’t matter how many escape plans or schemes she came up with, as long as they all depended on things she didn’t have access to. So for now, all she could do was pace back and forth, and think.

She had recognised the Taboo Dopant, she was sure of that, but she couldn’t remember the circumstances she’d seen that face. It was an unusual experience for her. The dopant form she could recognise, she’d seen that monster before in her dreams. In the Gaia Library itself. So maybe they’d been able to track her down through the Library, maybe the enemy had even known that the others wouldn’t be close enough to help her.

It was a terrifying thought. She’d been so used to her and her friends making a plan to track down some rampaging dopant and stop them, she didn’t know how to deal with a dopant who was thinking, plotting, making plans. The shoe was on the other hoof now, and they were woefully unprepared. She had to think. She had to deduce everything she could about the situation, as if she was some great detective of fiction with a mystery to solve. And she had to find a way to communicate her deductions to the others. She knew there had to be something.

The first thing that came to mind was that Taboo wasn’t a dopant. She kept on thinking ‘the Taboo Dopant’, but she wasn’t. The strangely familiar grey pony hadn’t touched her haunches, where two unspoiled cutie marks were proudly displayed. She had a Control Driver instead, a slab of natural rock from the area where the Gaia Memories were mined, infused with enough residual Gaia Energy that it could filter out the mind-altering venom that would normally drive a dopant mad.

Pinkie stopped her pacing, eyes wide in shock. She knew how the Control Driver worked. When had she ever learned that? Was it something Twilight had learned, that had leaked across through the bond between the Elements of Harmony and their minds? Or was it that the Gaia Library itself was leaking into her mind?

But if she had this new knowledge, could she use it to learn more? Even if she was trapped here, she could seek to understand the Gaia Memories more deeply, and maybe learn something about the organisation distributing them. She could do something useful, regardless of the circumstance. She started thinking again about the Control Driver.

Things like that had existed as long as the G2 Gaia Memories. Over the centuries the Gaia Fountain was sealed at the end of each generation, it still emitted a low level of Gaia Energy, which saturated the rocks in the caves around it. Those rocks could then be used in conjunction with Gaia Memories, to change their properties. The metal fragments, the teeth of the modern Memories, were all cut from metal mined within a furlong of the Fountain itself. The glass of pseudo-Memories included at least a trace of silica taken from the strata of that area. The rocks of the Fountain chamber itself, the few parts that weren’t wholly crystalline, were dug out, carved and polished to make the earliest Control Drivers like the one she had seen. The first Control Driver had gone to a stallion known as Mask, who called himself the Champion of Knowledge. He had sealed away the Gaia Fountain before it could corrupt all life in Equestria, using a single Memory changed so that he could control it. He had passed down both the Memory and the Driver, which had gone to a successor thousands of years later. The second Driver had been paired with the Skull Memory, and Skull was a hero in his own right, now long forgotten.

Pinkie found her lips moving as she paced. It was like she was telling a story to some foals, an ancient fairy tale. Except this time the story was true, and she always knew the word that came next even if she’d never known the story before.

Skull hadn’t needed to seal the Gaia Fountain. He’d been more concerned with stopping the descendants of Mask. Because two brothers had gone to war, and laid waste the landscape. Though the first Champion had been able to control the Memory, his successors could not, and the war between those two had been more than the world could take. It was in that age that Skull began to study the rocks as a science, and had infused Gaia Energy of the soil there into a sapling that would one day become the Tree of Harmony. It was Skull who had turned the squabbling bands of prehistoric ponies into three tribes, appointing a King, a Chancellor, and a Commander to rule over them and guide them in their various affairs. With three factions, there would always be a third to be the tiebreaker in any argument, ensuring that there could never again be a war where half the world supported one faction and half the other. The tragedy of the mutant brothers could not be repeated. And thousands of years on, when Skull was but a distant memory, more Champions had risen up. This time, the rocks of the Fountain chamber had more complex strata, that yielded both Control Drivers and a single Gaia Driver, which allowed the wielder’s discipline to give him greater strength rather than diluting the power of the Memory. As the scientists of Equestria better understood how Gaia Energy worked, though, more and more were tempted to abuse its power.

Those who could forge the Drivers abused them, and ruled unfairly over everypony in the land. Until two rose up whose power lay in the bond between them. They convinced the Tree of Harmony that at long last, somepony was wise enough to accept the power it had been nurturing within itself. Six Memories, changed to be stronger than most and to rule over them, together with a seventh that was brought forth when the six were united, and an eighth that roamed the land without anypony to control it, guarding the Elements against misuse. And one more, an exception that changed the rules again, because everything powered by the Gaia Fountain strives to evolve, and to change the world.

Those Gaia Memories were Heat, Metal, Cyclone, Joker, Lunar, Trigger, Double, Fang, and Meteor. And when they healed the rift between the three tribes that their predecessor had separated, those two Champions of Balance had returned their power to the earth, sealing the Gaia Fountain again. And then one day, a wish had been made. A wish great enough to unlock all the power of magic, if the one wishing had only known it.

Pinkie staggered back, unsure what to think. There were more facts there in her mind, but she couldn’t understand them yet. But she clearly remembered the Champions of the past, and the Memories or Elements they had wielded. She remembered how their minds had felt when they contacted the Fountain, their temperaments but not their faces. That was the key.

And that was how she knew all this. The Gaia Library wasn’t in her dreams, it never had been. It was hidden within the Gaia Fountain itself. A moment of crisis in her mind, at a time when the Fountain was open, had bridged the gap across space. She was connected to it in the same way the Champions of Harmony were connected to each other. It wasn’t just the library in her dreams. It was like there was an invisible path buried inside her. Luna had helped to stabilise the connection, and Twilight had paved the road so she could look things up using the index. But the Library itself was a connection granted by her Gaia Memory. That was why others could access it; they were the ones who had Drivers, and had been judged worthy by the Fountain. They had to be worthy, because this wasn’t a power like the Gaia Memories that could be used unchecked. The Library gave access to complete, unfiltered knowledge of the world. Everything in history, everything that could ever have been known, was on the tip of her tongue.

Filtering that down so that she could look at one fact rather than at everything, that was the Library’s job. Because no living pony could survive connection to the mind of the world itself, the Elements filtered the knowledge so that she could use it. And that was why now, with the Laughter Memory taken from her, she could remember more. She couldn’t control it though, she couldn’t stop knowledge of every possible thing overwhelming her at the slightest thought. She had to recover her Element, to purify and harmonise her connection to the Gaia Fountain again, in order to retain her sanity.

Just thinking about the Elements of Harmony was enough to make her mind spin, with a torrent of information about the strengths and weaknesses of each. Laughter, Generosity, Eternal, Loyalty, Dragon, Kindness, Honesty, Joker, and Xtreme; the names spiralled around her so fast that she couldn’t focus on only one.

Pinkie Pie closed her eyes and screamed.

“We need to find the Nascar dopant,” Twilight Sparkle said again, pacing back and forth in the basement of the Golden Oak Library. It didn’t help, she’d said the same thing a half dozen times already. She was so shocked that she wasn’t thinking of anything useful; just repeating the problem while coming no closer to a solution. “How can we do that?”

“How do you normally find somepony?” Spike answered. He was a fairly good research assistant sometimes, and he could be trusted to see the obvious solution when Twilight’s academic mindset turned her towards unnecessarily complex attempts. But there didn’t seem to be a simple solution right under their noses this time.

“We wait until we hear screams,” Twilight answered, shuddering, “Dopants aren’t good at hiding. Or we use the Gaia Library, which only Pinkie can do. We need Pinkie Pie back, I don’t know what we’d do if she was hurt.”

“You could try searching town again, listen for screams. I mean, they’ve been captured, right? They might try calling out for help. It might not be very heroic, but maybe just having hooves on the street, somepony listening, might give you a better chance of finding them.”

“You’re right. But there must be a better –” Twilight was interrupted by a solid rap on the door. She looked around quickly at the lab, made sure she had no experiments that might turn into a disaster if left unattended for half an hour. Of course she didn’t, she wasn’t doing anything right now except panicking. Then she hurried up the stairs, stepping over the roots protruding into the passageway as she went.

“I was worried about you,” said the dark-coated earth pony at the top of the stairs. A sweep of his hoof indicated the relative chaos of the Library’s main room, where there were still books out of order and breakages unswept after a recent fight. It would have been tidy by almost anypony’s standards, but to an observer who knew them it was worrying. Neither Twilight nor Rarity would allow a place they frequently visited to remain in that state unless something was very wrong.

“Detective Gin!” Twilight gasped, “Was today our meeting? I completely forgot, I’m so sorry. We’ve had some problems, and I… I…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Gin Mixer nodded, “But I came to check if you were ill or something, in case I need to bring a basket of fruit. And I can see you’ve got a problem. So I have to ask, is it something a humble policehorse can help with?”

“I don’t– Uhh… Maybe you can. It’s terrible. We went to capture Deep Crimson. The dopant behind the serial freezing cases, she’s back again, and with new powers. We beat her, but she escaped. And while we were fighting her in the Everfree Forest, that trickster… We all trusted him so much. But he ran from the battle and came back here. And when we got back, we found Pinkie Pie is missing. And so are Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle!”

“Missing ponies are a police issue,” the detective nodded seriously, “Kidnapping doubly so. You said ‘he’, does that mean you already have a suspect?”

“The Champion of Justice. He’s spent weeks, months, trying to make us trust him. I never should have been taken in. And now he’s kidnapped the three who trusted him the most.”

“Well, the only advice I can offer is to get hooves on the ground and look for him. If you want to come back to the station, I can take a formal report. That’ll give you as many bodies as we can muster, and let me tell you that’s a lot. The Ponyville Department of Police has had a load of new recruits in the wake of the Champion of Hope’s performance. You know before she did the hiatus thing, she told everypony that if they want to be heroes the best thing to do is join us? So if anypony can find your friends, it’s us.”

“Thanks,” Twilight breathed a little easier now. She still felt helpless, knowing that there was nothing any of her magic could do in this case. But at least there was a path open to them, something that might just make sure Pinkie Pie got home safely. “It’s hard to believe, with the Elements of Harmony and everything we’ve learned, there’s still nothing we can do.”

“Did you try following the Element’s connection?” Applejack asked as she walked in, “Oh, hey Detective.”

“Yes,” Twilight answered sadly, “I found the Laughter Memory, hidden under one of the broken reading tables. Whoever did this, they knew we couldn’t find them without it.” Applejack had been expecting news like that, because if Twilight’s magical search had been helpful she would have called them already. She’d also been the one who trusted the Champion of Justice least, calling for them to fight the red dopant rather than working with him on numerous occasions. So she had the greatest excuse to be angry about this turn of events. As she thought about the situation, she cursed aloud.

“If you tell me as much as you can, I’ll do my best to help you find them,” Gin Mixer tried to stay detached and professional, but it was clearly difficult. Police work was no place for a stallion who cared so easily.

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Big McIntosh was still sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the Cider Memory like it was a symbol of everything wrong in the town. In a way it was.

“Is something wrong?” Granny Smith asked, voice quavering because of her great age but still a source of wise counsel. “You’ve been sitting there all evening. It’s going to be dark soon.”

“Apple Bloom is missing,” he answered, stoic as ever. “A monster attacked her in the old orchards, where that clubhouse is. The monster’s gone, but somepony else kidnapped two of them while the Champions were distracted.”

“And it’s all the fault of that little bit of rock?” Granny Smith was still surprisingly perceptive. “You’ve been staring at it like you want to smash it into powder. Maybe you should do that, if you blame it so much. Or maybe you’re really blaming yourself?”

“Someone gave this to me. Said it would be an extra way to protect Apple Bloom in these dangerous times. I said no, because I wouldn’t let anything happen to her anyway. And I couldn’t keep that promise. Maybe Limestone was right, I should have given this to Apple Bloom. Then she could have defended herself.”

“You don’t really believe that. I know I’ve not been keeping up with the news lately, I don’t know how a little sliver of yellow rock could be a great protector. And if it could, I don’t know why you would have said no. But I know you, Big Mac, and I know you did what you thought was right. You were there to protect your family, because you never do anything else, so you must have had your reasons. Don’t doubt yourself, it doesn’t suit you. Just work out what went wrong, and why things didn’t go according to plan, and then you can work out how to fix it. I’m sure Apple Bloom will be fine, whatever happens. She’s a strong filly, and she and her friends have been in trouble before, you know?”

“I know,” he swallowed, “And you’re right, of course. She’s missing, so I’m going to get her back. Whatever it takes.” He stood up straight and slipped the Cider Memory into one of his saddlebags. He took a moment to adjust the weight of the heavy wooden collar he always wore, a gesture that would tell anypony who knew him that he was really serious now. It had taken him a whole day to realise, a day in which so many things had happened, but he really was willing to do anything for his family.

“If Applejack asks where I’ve gone,” he turned back to Granny Smith in the doorway, “please don’t tell her. She thinks she’s the only hero in the family, because she’s got the Elements of Harmony, and she’s got enough on her plate without worrying about me too.”

Sweetie Belle shook her head, which felt like somepony had been using it as a dinner gong. She was weak, and in pain, and hungry. She was also somewhere so dark that she couldn’t tell if her eyes were open or closed. She could solve that problem right away, though. She conjured just a little spark of light, enough to illuminate the space around her. She was inside a wooden crate, stamped with all kinds of symbols.

She gave a little smirk at seeing the words ‘handle with care’ and ‘this way up’ on the inside of a packing crate. The timbers were old, and the ink faded by now. It seemed somepony had taken apart old crates when they broke, and used the intact timbers to build new ones. Making everything last as long as was possible. There was something that could be a company logo, as well, though only half of it on the edge of a plank, and she couldn’t make out the words. It was better than nothing, though.

She let the light fade, so she could concentrate without thinking about what she saw. The pony who’d attacked them had seemed to know Pinkie Pie, that was scary in itself. That meant that this was probably something they’d been planning for a long time. And that meant they probably had a pretty good idea of the Champions of Harmony’s abilities, so she wouldn’t be anywhere easy to find.

But they were earth ponies. Their captor, Pinkie Pie, and Apple Bloom. That might be something important. She didn’t know if the strange pony had been after the Crusaders or Pinkie; and if she was capturing young fillies then which of them she would care most about. They might not have been expecting to capture a unicorn, or they might have not noticed some hole in their evil plan because they weren’t used to thinking about what a horn could do.

Sweetie Belle reached out with her magic again, closing her eyes so she wasn’t distracted by the faint glimmer of light from her horn. She felt her way along the wooden walls that hemmed her in, just far enough that it was possible to not touch both sides at once. She felt the timber panels over her head. And then she felt the outside of the crate. There was junk leaning against two sides; offcuts of building material, tools, and what felt like a canvas furniture cover. It was a slow process; magic wasn’t as sensitive as her hooves. While she could do it, normally she wouldn’t be able to feel the woodgrain she was touching, and it was even more difficult than feeling her way around in the dark without magic.

She found nails at the corner of the crate, roughly hammered in. And smoothed off lumps that were probably glue. This crate had been pulled apart and put back together a dozen times, turning ten crates with holes in them into seven without, or similar. And along the top edge, she found the clasps that held the lid on. Metal pieces screwed on, so they could be rotated to stop the top sheet of timber from moving. They weren’t locked. This was a shipping crate, not a strongbox. But somepony looking to imprison an earth pony would assume those latches to be so much stronger than nails that could be loosened by kicking on the lid.

And they were. They felt like inch-wide strips of metal, folded around the edges of the box. They only pivoted in one place, and anypony pushing the lid up from inside would find that they were pushing at the wrong angle. Like the barn doors at Apple Bloom’s family farm; no matter how strong you are, you can’t push open a door that’s bolted on the other side. But a few inches away, swinging a catch aside was easy work for even a filly’s telekinesis. There were four nails at the corners, a backup in case the catches slipped, but she was strong enough to push it up against the force of a couple of slender panel pins.

Sweetie Belle looked around the space she now found herself in. There was timber and rock stacked in all directions, on sheet metal shelves that went up even higher than the shelves in the library. There were crates as well, and tools of the construction trade. A warehouse of some kind, which must be on the edge of Ponyville. And of course there would always be cranes and gangs hauling goods in that corner of the town, so it was no wonder nopony had heard her calling.

There were no other crates in the immediate area that looked the right size for a captive, even when she brightened her magic to look along to the end of the row. This place was a lot larger than she’d realised, and when she shone a light to illuminate the ceiling, she could see why her other attempts to summon help had failed. It was good that they hadn’t left a guard, whoever they were. Maybe it was just one crazy dopant, but she’d seemed so organised that it was hard to believe there wasn’t some more organised plot here.

She had to assume, if there were no other prisoners, that the Taboo mare had been after Pinkie Pie or Apple Bloom, possibly both. She was a spare hostage, no longer needed, and they’d only bothered taking her so that she couldn’t tell Rarity what had happened. Well, that suited Sweetie Belle fine, because it meant nopony would notice her missing. It still wasn’t much help though, when a second tour of the building’s perimeter revealed that every door was indeed locked and magic resistant, like whoever owned this place was worried about organised crime.

She followed ramps up onto gantries that went all the way around the walls, and soon found herself only a few yards beneath the roof. Close enough, anyway. She focused her magic, and activated one of the most recent spells she’d learned, in this case from the recently reformed Dreamspinner. The Cutie Mark Crusaders had taken to visiting invalid former-dopants in hospital, so they could have some cookies and conversation from a sympathetic somepony who could understand what they’d been through. In the end, it had proved really useful. Because the firework spell made a bundle of light that shone like a miniature galaxy. In Sweetie Belle’s case, the stars were all the colours of her mane, coat, and eyes. Someday, maybe, she would learn the more advanced magic to let her choose a colour. But for now, this collection of lights was enough. She raised her hooves in front of her face, and squeezed the stars down into an intangible point. Then she primed it to fly a single furlong straight up, before bursting into a shower of coloured sparks.

Nopony had set off many fireworks lately. Maybe it was a bad reminder of the chaos wrought by the Master of Questions. But with no other lights in the sky, this one was bound to be seen. And if nopony else did, Rarity was bound to recognise her little sisters magic. Wouldn’t she? Only time would tell. The firework flew up, and straight through the roof as if it wasn’t there at all, which was pretty much the case. Sweetie Belle heard it whistle up, and then heard it pop in the sky. And then she waited.

Fluttershy was taking a different approach from most of the Champions of Harmony. They were all walking around Ponyville, asking passers by if they had seen Pinkie or the Crusaders. Fluttershy was asking her friends to help, but most of her animal friends weren’t that good at telling one pony from another, and they certainly wouldn’t remember if a specific pony had walked down the street hours before. So now she had them out searching the countryside around the town. A hundred pairs of eyes would see anything that was there to be seen, if they could only understand what they were seeing and then report it back to her.

She froze when she saw a red metal horse standing on the lane. Or a pony in giant armour: The Champion of Justice. She knew she should be trying to call the others, but he didn’t look like he was coming for her. After a few moments he continued up the road towards the Everfree Forest, looked down at his hooves, and then walked just a few steps back. After a few repetitions, Fluttershy couldn’t take the tension any more. She was as nervous as she’d ever been, but she couldn’t just sit in her cottage like nothing out of the ordinary was happening.

“Excuse me,” she asked. But he didn’t seem to hear, so she repeated herself. On the third try, about as loud as she could coax her voice into speaking, he turned around. He seemed angry, from his pose, but kind of awkward as well.

“Yes?”

“I just wanted to ask, we heard after the fight with Deep Crimson you rushed back and went to Twilight’s library, and I want to know if you…” her volume had been dropping slowly throughout the line, and then it seemed to reach zero.

“You want to know if I kidnapped your friend and Apple Bloom,” he said it much more confidently. “Well I didn’t. I’m a Champion of Justice, and I could hardly call myself that if I allowed a filly to be hurt. I couldn’t keep on fighting. Now I came out to see if I could follow the Iceberg Dopant’s trail, because Twilight Sparkle stopped me finishing her off in the forest. But I don’t think she could have got back into town, which means somepony else attacked the Library. And if it’s who I think, we’re going to need to work together to take him down, and even then we’ve got no chance. I don’t see why he would kidnap a child, though.”

“Well if we’re going to work together then you should…” even through the eyepieces of the armour, his angry stare was enough to push Fluttershy into silence. But then she realised that this wasn’t about him. This was about her friends, Apple Bloom and Rarity, who were scared out of their minds because their little sisters were missing. They must be feeling more dread right now than Fluttershy had experienced in her whole life. She could be brave for them, because they needed it as much as an injured animal ever had.

“No,” she yelled, returning his stare with equal ferocity, “If you didn’t kidnap them, then who did? You need to answer me, who is this mystery enemy? Somebody you gave a Gaia Memory to, knowing this was going to happen? This is your fault whether you attacked them or not, so don’t give me that about getting out of your way. Do you have any idea what those fillies are going through? Why won’t you help us?”

Their eyes locked for a whole minute. And then, against both their expectations, the Champion of Justice broke. He stared down at his giant, mechanical hooves, and started to speak. The tale came slowly, but it was a short one.

“They’re distant relatives, the Memory Dealers. I was out helping them last year, I didn’t know that side of their business. And while I was there, a dopant attacked them. Trying to steal something called the Gaia Fountain, that makes the memories. The first one of that family I’d really got on well with, she was frozen solid. There was nothing more medicine could do, and I waited there with the rest of the family, hoping she’d recover. Then they used a Gaia Memory, to keep her alive. That was the first time I’d seen one, but they explained. There’s a source, where the Memories come from. They are literally the memories of the whole world. And they need to be used for the world to keep on turning, for life to keep on evolving. The Gaia Memories are the stimulus of evolution, so they can’t be stopped without destroying all that is Gaia. But they told me the monster that attacked was powered by the same power they used to heal her, and they were just trying to find a way to use the Memories safely. That was when they asked me to get involved. Because I’d had the strength and courage to fight a dopant unarmed.” He paused for a second, shook his head. Fluttershy just waited for him to continue.

“I’m here to find anypony who might be able to master a Gaia Memory safely. And then I can take back the Memories, so they can be analysed, so they can be used to make it safer, so the future can be brighter for everypony. And while I was there, everything changed. In a personal way. They became my closest family, despite the wide difference in genetics. But when I have to choose between them and my original family, I can’t do it, I can’t bear to let either of them down. It’s like I’m being torn apart. So I wear the armour. I pretend like I’m a different stallion when I’m the Champion of Justice. And that makes it easier. It lets me put my own feelings to one side and do the things that need to be done. Can you understand that?”

“Yes,” Fluttershy’s voice was soft, and she clearly cared. She would never stop caring, about every living thing. But she wasn’t forgiving him without an explanation. “And does being an armoured warhorse put you far enough from the ponies who live here that you can hurt the Cutie Mark Crusaders?”

“No! I was trying to say… I have to keep my secret. I want to tell… some ponies. I want to reveal who I really am. But doing that would mean betraying my new family. And I can’t do that. I have to try to keep this secret, and that’s why the Time Memory is a problem. It uses up the energy from the Nascar Memory, and it uses it up so fast. I can’t transform again afterwards, I can’t use any of my Driver powers, sometimes for half an hour. So I have to hide after I use it. I couldn’t have got to the Library in time to save them. But now I’m looking at the tracks in the ground, and I’m sure the icy dopant couldn’t have got there either. I’ve spent most of the last year trying to catch her, and I’m sure by now I know what she’s capable of. That’s why I was looking at the road.”

“I see. But you’ve got an idea who could?”

“I don’t know. The major players are the Princesses, and their pawns the Champions of Harmony, and the Gaia Fountain, and I guess I’m their pawn. And two wildcards that I know of: Deep Crimson, one dopant who’s kept enough of her mind to be really dangerous. And… one Gaia Memory I gave to somepony a week and a half ago. The last surviving G2 Memory, that should have been weakened as the world evolved around it, but has somehow managed to keep the strongest part of each generation.”

“That sounds terrible. Would he have attacked the Library and kidnapped two innocent fillies?”

“I don’t know! I didn’t think so, he’s not interested in politics. But every other dopant is only out for themselves, and we’ve eliminated just about everypony else. It has to be the Absorb… I don’t even know if he’s technically a dopant or a Champion. Maybe both, somehow. But I couldn’t bear it if that was true. Because I set him loose on the world, and if I understand him at all, the only reason he’d catch a pony would be as food. And when I think about him taking…” This time it was the Champion’s turn to trail off into an anxious silence.

“So you’re going to run away and cry?” Fluttershy snapped, “You’re going to be the coward? From everything I know about you, that isn’t you. If you think it’s him, then go and fight him. You’ve got all those powers, right? So use them. If you realise you’ve done the wrong thing then it’s your duty to make it right. And if you think he wouldn’t kidnap two fillies, then work out who else it could be. All we know is us fighting the dopants. Princess Celestia said she’d tell us more, but she never did. So you know four major powers in this weird secret war, and we know one. We don’t know anything except our own powers and the monsters who seem to show up every week, so if there’s anypony who can figure out who this weird fifth player is, it’s you. I’m not going to demand you tell us who you are, because we don’t need to know. But whether the kidnapper’s this Absorb guy, or somepony we’ve never even heard of, you owe it to yourself to do the right thing.”

“And then,” she continued after a long breath, “Then you need to tell us what’s going on, because you’re never going to stop all the bad things on your own, and you need to start trusting others to work with you. If you’re really doing the right thing you should be able to convince us of that. And don’t worry, I won’t spill your secret to the others until you’re ready.”

“You know?” he took a step back involuntarily, panicking just slightly. Fluttershy nodded. He guessed he shouldn’t have been so surprised, his actions over the last few days had been transparent enough. He would have said more, but then they saw a firework rise up over the town.

“Is that something to do with you?” Fluttershy asked nervously as she ran to keep up with the red Champion, “I wasn’t expecting fireworks.”

“I don’t know. But if it isn’t, it’ll get the Lord Absorb’s attention soon enough. He feeds on magic, and I’m sure he’ll go after anypony who has energy to spare on a fancy light show.”

“GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!” the Driver called out, and Rarity found herself looking out through Twilight’s eyes. They were on the edges of Ponyville, where the larger businesses kept warehouses and factories. It was mostly a town of craftsponies and boutiques, but even out here in the country there were some large industries that a civilisation couldn’t do without.

(“What’s the deal?” Rarity asked right away, not wasting her breath on actual talking when she could save it for running)

(“Not sure. But I saw a firework, the ones Sweetie Belle has been practising the last week or so. I think she’s trying to let us know where she is, and I wanted to be ready when I got there.”)

“Impressive light show!” a voice from next to them almost started the two, they hadn’t even heard him come close. For a relaxed police officer who seemed more than competent to stay behind his desk, Gin Mixer had an impressive turn of speed, and he was actually managing to keep up with them.

(“Is he talking about our transformation, or the fireworks?” Rarity muttered within the shared space of the double unicorn’s mind.)

They didn’t answer aloud, as none of them had breath to spare. Neither Twilight nor Rarity was particularly fit, both of them preferring indoor pursuits over any form of exercise, but the Driver seemed to add together their abilities in every regard, both physical and mental, so they were faster than most of their peers. But when they arrived at the area the burst in the sky had been over, they had no idea what to do next. There were dozens of warehouses here, and no sign of anything untoward at any of them. It could be that the kidnapped ponies were inside one or another, but the rest were all law abiding businesses. And the security systems included spells to prevent anypony teleporting in, so they couldn’t easily check without leaving all these businesses open to thieves.

(“It’s Sweetie Belle!” Rarity practically screamed, “She could be hurt! Nopony’s profits can be more important than a child’s life, we should do anything we can!”)

(“Even if that makes us criminals?” Twilight snapped, but without the certainty she might have expected. “Doing things for an emotional reason when it harms others is how the Gaia Memories take over your heart. I’m not saying you’re wrong, I think I’d do anything to save a foal, but even if it’s for family we need to think hard before we do something that hurts innocents. We have to keep on being heroes, we have to be what Champions should be, or we could end up like the Justice.”)

“What do we do now?” Gin Mixer asked, taking only a couple of seconds to close the difference once they skidded to a halt on the gravel street between a dozen warehouses.

“We don’t know,” GenerousJoker spoke together, “We think Sweetie Belle has to be in one of these buildings, but how do we find her? We can’t just wait for another signal, she might have only got away from her captors for a second, she might be hurt!”

“Heh, that’s a coincidence,” the detective nodded towards a sign, then the seriousness of the situation hit him. “I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do? I could check who owns all these places and get the owners out here, but without any more clues even that information wouldn’t tell us anything useful.”

“What’s a coincidence?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, that warehouse, ‘Nature’s Bounty’, you ordered stuff from them recently. If you’d known you were going to be visiting this side of town, it might have been cheaper to pick it up yourself. But we need to focus on–”

“No we didn’t,” both mares interrupted at once, “We’ve never heard of them before. You must be confusing us with somepony else.”

“You sure?” Gin Mixer seemed surprised, “Check out that business, then. Because we’ve been asking passers by if they saw anything suspicious at the Golden Oak Library today, and the only thing anypony saw was Pinkie Pie taking a delivery from that company, I assumed it was something new for the Library.” By the end of the sentence, he realised he was speaking to empty space. GenerousJoker had already teleported away, leaving just a pony-shaped spiral of pink and magenta magic swirls in the air for a second.

He shook his head, and silently wished them good luck. And as he waited, he tried to remember if they had always been so much larger than him, with a giant horn more terrifying than any weapon he’d seen.

GenerousJoker found Sweetie Belle easily enough. She was standing on a high gantry, and it was just a case of teleporting to different places in the warehouse four or five times before they saw her. Even with the vast number of shelves, and limited visibility, it didn’t take them long to search this space.

“I tried searching for the others,” Sweetie Belle gasped after a little sobbing with relief, “I was in a crate, I think they might be too. But there’s so much junk in here, I couldn’t find anything.”

“Don’t worry, we’re here now. We think there’s no guards or anything, we just need to find a way to search effectively.” They looked up and down aisles filled with different crates, and actual products boxed up for sale or delivery. It seemed like Nature’s Bounty consisted of fountains and rocks, solid yet beautiful constructions of marble and granite that would look lovely in any garden, as well as paving slabs and neatly boxed assortments of cobblestones. Rocks of every colour and shape, suitable for decorating gardens or even as office ornaments, stretched as far as the eye could see. But in among the labelled boxes and opened crates, there were so many whose contents was a mystery, and they couldn’t afford time to open all of them.

“We got this,” GenerousJoker spoke in Twilight’s voice, after a brief internal conversation. She reached up with one hoof to touch both her collar and the driver, and their eyes closed to let them focus. “If I can use the bond between the Elements, I should be able to trace anything with Gaia Energy in. If it’s nearby, maybe Pinkie’s collar will react even without the Element.”

She stretched out her magical awareness, trying to feel anything within the vast warehouse. She didn’t know if this would work, but it was the only idea that came to mind. There, in the far corner, there was the faintest trace of a response. It felt like the magical signature she’d come to associate with a broken Gaia Memory, but without any kind of flavour to indicate what the Memory had been. It wasn’t what they had expected, but it was something. They opened their eyes and darted to one corner of the warehouse, with Sweetie Belle keeping up as best she could. They found a large crate that could have held a pony, and rushed to get it open. They wrenched at the lid with their magic, and found that it was held on with only a couple of tacks. Inside, the crate was filled with paving slabs, padded out with straw to keep them from chipping each other in transit. That was what the shipping manifest on the top said as well.

“Sixty-nine marble slabs?” Twilight was the one speaking as the left half of GenerousJoker’s brow furrowed, “But the edges we can see, they’re arranged in a grid three by three. If they’re stacked eight deep that would be seventy-two. There’s something else in here.”

(“Have we got time to stop and look?” Rarity was still concerned about the others, but wasn’t panicking as much as she had been.)

Twilight was already lifting the heavy slabs out faster than a team of workers could normally have done, until right in the middle she found a large briefcase. It was locked, but easy to force for a unicorn with such precise command of their magic. Inside, the case was padded with foam. And there were spaces cut out just large enough for a thin, rectangular object. Twenty-six rectangular slots, two of them containing broken Gaia Memories. There was a folded piece of paper as well, with twenty-seven entries, and ‘broken in transit’ scrawled beside two of them. It would have been so much more useful if the labels weren’t all in some kind of code, but it was still a useful find. This must be how the Champion of Justice was getting Gaia Memories into the town undetected, anticipating some kind of police search even before the real Champions or the Princess had even considered it.

The final item in the case was a circular slab of black rock, mounted on a strip of what looked like braided chains. There was a metal-lined hole in the middle, which might be just large enough for a Gaia Memory to be pushed through. GenerousJoker tried it with one of the broken ones, and confirmed that it was a snug fit.

(“This is where the energy’s coming from. But what is it?”)

(“It looks like it’s designed to hold a Memory. A device for testing them? But this chain, the catch here, it seems like it’s designed to be worn. I can only guess they’re trying to make an imitation of the Double Driver, to go with their imitation Memories.”)

(“The ponies running this operation wouldn’t want to sacrifice their own minds, after all,” Twilight cynically quipped. “Well, we’re taking it for study.”)

“Any clues to finding Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle asked. She knew she should be more patient, it had been less than a minute since they opened this crate. But she didn’t want to lose sight of why they were here.

“No,” Twilight sighed, “This is all I could sense, I don’t know what else to do.”

“I tried yelling, in case they could answer. But there’s other factories round here that are still running, and all these rocks muffle the sound. I couldn’t even tell if they heard me.”

“We missed the obvious answer,” GenerousJoker shook her head, and this time it was Rarity’s voice that came out of her mouth, “How about if we muffle the background noise?”

They closed their eyes and worked a complex spell in seconds. It was a combination of four other spells that Twilight had read in a book once, and one that Rarity knew to keep certain fabrics from crinkling. Normally it would have taken a skilled magic user an hour to work out how to fit the parts together, even knowing the spells they were using. But the double Champions had the sum of their intelligences, and even Twilight was amazed by how fast they could think when her normally sharp mind was further improved. They suppressed all non-living movement in the warehouse, so the gantries and shelves wouldn’t creak with the slightest movement, the metal supports wouldn’t ring out and amplify noise, and even the breeze through a crack in a high window stopped whistling. Then they formed a barrier around the edge of the building, to filter out all possible noise from outside. The whole place was completely silent, and for the next few minutes there was no possibility of a sound other than their voices.

Sweetie Belle could only watch in amazement, but as the spell formed around them she could see what it was doing. It was a brilliant trick, and the spell was so complex that she was sure she would never have the power to use it even if she studied magic her whole life, even if she’d known exactly what was needed. But she was still proud that it was her idea that had spawned this, and she wanted to show her sister that she was taking credit for some part of the plan.

“Apple Bloom!” she called out, “Pinkie Pie? Are you here?” There was no response at first, but then a low moan. They could barely hear, and it would have been lost in the noise from outside up to this point. Running towards the sound, the rescuers found a trapdoor half buried under a pile of damaged sandstone bird baths. It was the work of a moment to clear the opening, and then the door sprang open. Sweetie Belle conjured light before her sister could warn her to be careful, and they found Pinkie Pie whimpering on the floor.

“Pinkie?” Twilight and Rarity gasped together, “What’s wrong?”

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack was stomping worriedly around the fields. She’d searched neighbouring farms in case the missing Crusaders had been locked away in some neglected outbuilding, until one neighbour complained that it wasn’t fair to accuse them. She yelled angrily that she wasn’t accusing anypony of actually helping the monster, but she knew just how many little huts, sheds, and silos there were on a working farm, and how easy it could have been for a criminal to hide out there. The other Champions seemed to have split up the town between them, and Applejack didn’t want to be the useless one when they were looking for her own sister.

“Why don’t you search your own farm then, before you come bothering us?” It was a question she hadn’t been able to think of a good answer for. So here she was, searching storehouses full of equipment they didn’t need in late autumn, barns that would be full of produce when it was harvested, and all the other little buildings that clung to any working farm like a rash.

“Hey, is there anypony here?” she called out again, feeling increasingly frustrated with every step that brought them no closer to finding her sister. She knew that Fluttershy was busy organising her animal friends to search the wild fields around the town, that Rainbow Dash was flying over and over the town looking for anything suspicious, and that the others were all doing their bit. Farmland was probably the least likely place to find the Crusaders, but it was the place Applejack was best suited to search. This was one task she really didn’t want to feel hopeless.

Then she heard a knocking. It was faint, but it was there. She ran closer, then stopped and listened again. She called out, and a few moments later there was a tapping in response. She couldn’t see where it was coming from, there were just orchards here. She walked back and forth, calling out and listening for the response, but she must have seen every side of every tree. And yet the sound was leading her back towards the same area. She couldn’t see anywhere Apple Bloom could have been restrained.

Then she remembered one day when she’d been a young filly herself, exploring the outer reaches of the orchards with her big brother. A day she’d found a secret passage, and dreamed it might connect to some fabulous castle. That must be around here somewhere, if she could just remember where.

It wasn’t a passage to an ancient castle, or the site of some great dragon’s hoard. It was a storeroom for fire cider; the double-distilled hard cider that her great-grandfather had once made, at a time when strong liquor was still forbidden in Ponyville. Applejack had never tasted the famous brew, because none of the legendary distiller’s sons could make it well enough to live up to the name, and it was mostly forgotten by the time she was born. But Granny Smith had remembered, and had told her all about the old forbidden stills after they found the store room.

Applejack ran around the trees, kicking away leaves. She knew it was here somewhere, beneath the roots of one of the largest trees. But every promising pile of leaves turned up nothing, and there were too many to remember which she had already searched.

“Apple Bloom!” she called out, forgetting about the others for a moment, “Can you hear me? Can you call out, I think I’m nearly on top of you!”

She heard another tap, and a shout this time. Muffled so much it would have blended in with the birdsong of the forest if she hadn’t been straining to hear, but it was an answer. Again and again she called out, and she was sure she was getting closer, but as soon as she thought she’d homed in on the right tree, Apple Bloom’s voice seemed to be coming from a completely different direction. She was almost on the point of giving up when she recalled, all those years ago, how she’d found the hidden stash in the first place. She’d been practising bucking, hoping one day soon she’d be able to help with the apple harvest, and had noticed a hollow echo when she kicked against one of the trees.

Applejack hunkered down, trying to estimate the height of a filly’s hooves off the ground, and struck at the nearest tree. Just a light tap near the base, not enough to make a single apple fall. But enough to hear the echo if it was there. But then, she still had to remember which trees she’d already tried. Unless, maybe, this was a way that Apple Bloom could find her.

“Apple Bloom!” she shouted again, not knowing how well her voice would carry, “I’m kicking the trees. Can you hear? If you hear me coming closer, then tap back. Let me know when I’m coming in your direction!”

And then she started bucking like she hadn’t tried in years. Not hard, just a gentle tap, as low to the ground as she could comfortably manage. Sometimes there was an answering tap, sometimes not, but no way to know if her sister had actually heard the instructions. But her shouting did attract some attention, because Big Mac was coming out into the forest.

“What’s up?” he hollered as soon as he was close enough, “Did you hear, they found one of the missing fillies. I was heading up there, following a light show in the sky, but I saw Twilight Sparkle was already there. Wanted to stay, but they say too many hooves spoil the broth.”

“Thank Celestia,” Applejack sighed, “I was going mad up here. I thought I heard a knocking from the old cider store, and I was kicking against every tree trying to remember where it was.”

“There,” Big Mac pointed a hoof, “The one with the forked trunk, remember? I was going to take Limestone up here one of these days, but she’s had too much to keep her occupied. You think there’s rats in there or something? I’d better clear it out someday. I just came to tell you the good news, got to head out again now.”

“Guess I didn’t need to worry so much. Thanks, Big Mac.”

But after he started walking away, she couldn’t stop wondering who had been tapping back. She thought she should at least check with Twilight that everything was fine.

“Twilight?” she asked, resting one hoof on her Element, “I heard you found them? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Not … Gaia … … … help Pinkie … disrupted!” Twilight’s voice came from the air, a couple of scattered fragments of conversation.

“What’s that, Twilight? I can’t hear you.”

“Sorry. Can you hear me now? I’m having to put all my magic into keeping the connection working. We found Pinkie Pie, but there’s something wrong. Turns out the Lookup thing with the Gaia Library connected her to the source of all Gaia Memories. And as soon as she didn’t have the Element of Laughter, whose harmonisation enables her to filter the link, it’s like she’s partially connected to every single Memory at once. Now, we’ve found this thing called a Control Driver, that makes it bearable until we get home and she gets her Element back, but it’s also interfering with the bond between the Elements. We might not be able to talk for a while.”

“You rescued Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle though, right?” Applejack found herself yelling loud enough to hurt her throat, as if that would make any difference. If there was a problem with the Elements, it was clearly only magic that would help them to work again. “Tell me you rescued them?”

“Only Sweetie Belle,” Rarity’s voice answered this time. “It looks … still … no guards … all along.”

“Well I found another hiding place. I’ll call if I need you.” Applejack waited a few seconds for a response, but she had no idea if they had even heard. She knew it was foolish to attempt a rescue on her own, but hadn’t Rarity just told her there would be no guards? It would be safe enough to rescue a pony locked in an old storeroom, if the insidious backstabber Nascar wasn’t here to guard her.

It was the tree Big Mac had pointed her towards. It echoed just like she remembered at a light kick, and then it didn’t take long to dig through the pile of fallen leaves around the base. There was a door here, one suspiciously free of soil and leaf mold. It had been opened recently, and then sealed again. She twisted the handle, and lifted the latch that was supposed to stop a storm exposing the treasures hidden within. With no way to open from the inside, it would no doubt be an effective prison for a pony inside.

“Apple Bloom, are you here?” she called out as she opened the door, and was answered by a frantic knocking. There was a crate inside, the kind heavy farm machinery was often shipped in, though the company logo wasn’t one Applejack recognised. And the banging and yelling was coming from inside the crate. The rest of the tiny cellar was empty, just as she remembered from years before, bare earth walls with a few large stones to stop it collapsing, and roots of the tree above lacing between the stones so much that it was something between a cellar and a hollow tree. She almost ran down the steps, grabbed the latches on the crate and threw them open.

“It’s okay, Apple Bloom, it’s okay, you’re safe now!” But then, as the box lid started to open, she got over the relief at hearing her sister’s voice enough to listen to the words.

“… everyone. Don’t come down, it’s a trap! You got to –”

The voice was suddenly cut off and the room spun around as a tentacle slapped Applejack across the back of the head. It was no more powerful than a kick from any other pony, but it was completely unexpected. Applejack hadn’t realised that this little cellar had a small hiding place under the steps, and she hadn’t wondered why there would be some kind of magical crystals providing light in the cellar when nopony was using it. She was back on her hooves pretty quickly, reeling from the blow but still standing. But that didn’t matter, because the monster hadn’t been out to kill her. In the first moment of surprise, those dextrous tentacles had snatched the Element of Honesty from the collar at her throat. She couldn’t call the others for help, couldn’t even send an emergency signal now.

The monster looked like some bizarre fusion of two ponies and a giant spider hovering in the air, with the addition of more tentacles and eyeballs than any seafood platter Applejack had ever seen. It was kind of insectoid as well, but more than any other word Applejack could have used to describe it, it was disgusting. Its faces sneered, though neither mouth opened as it spoke to complain.

“Now, why couldn’t you stay quiet? I was going to release you in the morning anyhow, and even after I told you, you kept on kicking. And you,” she turned her attention to Applejack, “You couldn’t just give up? You’re content to be a farmer your whole life, with no great dreams, how could you have the determination to hear through my cloak of secrecy? I only wanted to send a message, to show your brother that accepting a Gaia Memory is not optional. But now you’ve seen me, I’ll have to kill both of you!”

Applejack ran forward and aimed a solid kick at the monster’s swollen abdomen, or thorax, or whatever that part of her body was called. But she couldn’t even get close before a tentacle lashed out and threw her back. She felt the sickening crunch of a bone breaking as she hit the wall of the chamber.

“Enough!” Another voice roared, and a stallion’s shape was silhouetted against the evening light. Big Mac didn’t hesitate but leapt in through the doorway and kicked the monster in the face. It lost its grip, and the Honesty Memory tumbled to the ground, where Apple Bloom quickly scooped it up and threw it to her sister. Big Mac continued speaking as if the interruption was no big deal: “Call for help, sis. And you, I have words for you!”

Applejack slipped the Memory back into her collar, and tapped it down twice. Help needed urgently. But it didn’t light up, and the magicite crystals remained dim. The connection was dead, she was on her own. And she was forced to watch in horror as Big Mac’s unaccustomed anger led him to talk down to the monster, like it was just a drunken farmer when he was forced to use his strength in breaking up a brawl.

“I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t care. You. Do. Not. Threaten. My. Family. Do you understand that? Nopony will hurt my sisters, not even you. And this kind of trickery and deception is exactly why I was so angry the first time Apple Bloom got her hands on a Gaia Memory. You can’t trick me into giving her another one.” Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide when she heard her name mentioned; she hadn’t even heard about the Cider Memory.

“Trickery is where we live,” the monster answered in a voice like poisoned honey, floating just out of reach, “Lies are necessary to keep any secret, and you know that Celestia would see us killed if our identity were found out. So I cannot allow anypony to survive seeing me transform. For the future of Equestria, and for the safety of my family. Do you understand? You can give the child the Memory which I’m sure you have, or you can go and let me do what needs to be done. Those are your choices, stallion. If it hurts you that much, I can arrange for you to forget, so that you will never have known.”

“Choose between two lies?” Big Mac growled, “I choose my family. My real family. And I choose honesty, no matter the cost. I won’t see my sister use a Gaia Memory no matter what you say, but that doesn’t mean a Memory can’t keep her safe.”

Nopony was expecting what came next. Even the monster shrieked in surprise, lunging forward as Big Mac produced a slim crystal from his saddlebags and threw it straight up in the air. Applejack tried to scream ‘No!’ but she didn’t even have the energy to make a sound.

“I will protect my family!” Big Mac yelled as the Memory spun over in the air and came down, “That is my choice, and even you cannot stop me.” The Memory didn’t tumble towards his flank, though. It dropped neatly into a knot hole on the top edge of the wooden collar he always wore.

Ripples of light spread over the battered timber, which peeled away like wrapping paper to reveal a metal collar beneath, set with heavy duty rivets and protrusions that his sisters couldn’t even guess at the function of. Expanding away from his body, the collar started to spin in the air, and expanded like a concertina as it did so. Before the monster could reach to knock him down, the Gaia Driver was fully active, and he bit the tip off the first tentacle to reach him.

“NASCAR!”

“You’re one of us!” the monster shrieked like a banshee, her voice going even higher as she shouted louder, “You are family! You saved my sister from Iceberg, you sat with me by her sickbed, you said you loved me! You can’t betray me for these fools who stand in the way of progress!”

Standing on his hind legs now, Big Mac hesitated as if considering her words.

“Turn away,” the monster continued, “Let me do the right thing, for the future of our race and for the future of our family. Better to choose the future where your regrets can be swept away, because if you betray us then you will always remember seeing your sisters die, right up until the day Celestia thinks it’s no longer worth the risk of allowing you to live. It’s an easy choice, you can –”

“It’s not a choice at all,” he answered, though he didn’t wait for her response. The Engine pseudo-Memory was already calling out before he had finished speaking: “COMBUSTION!”

Flames flashed into life along the edge of his sword the instant he flourished it, and jets of white heat leapt into the air from the tip. He didn’t pose or threaten, he just lunged forward and cut off a half dozen tentacles in a single swing, and the stench of burning insectoid body filled the air. He quickly drove her out of the little cellar, getting into a fast paced rhythm with the sword. The jets of flame popped off the tip like a fast polka beat, and when he timed his strokes to match, two to every racing heartbeat, the flames got more powerful every time. He kept on hacking at his enemy, ripping off parts of the grotesque, glistening body with a flaming sword that just didn’t tire.

From their place in the cellar, Applejack and Apple Bloom couldn’t see what was happening. But both wanted to know more, so limped closer to the doorway. They heard the calls of more Memories before they got there.

“COMBUSTION: MAXIMUM DRIVE!” rang out as Apple Bloom helped her big sister back onto her hooves.
“TIME!” came a few moments later, as they started awkwardly up the steps to the exit.
“3… 2… 1…” counted down too quickly as they took each faltering step.

“TIME START!” sounded when Applejack’s eyes came level with Big Mac’s hooves. Then the combatants were a blur between the trees. In a heartbeat, the battle was over.

A mare was lying on the ground, gasping in pain. Applejack recognised her recent sister-in-law, Limestone. She had some kind of driver worn as a belly band, but this one was a flat slab of rock with a hole in it, quite unlike Big Mac’s wood or metal device. Her Gaia Memory was sailing through the air a dozen paces away, and her husband stood over her. And it was Big Mac now, not the Champion of Justice. His burnished armour was gone, but he was still holding the sword at Limestone’s neck.

“Applejack,” he spoke carefully, out of breath but not seeming too badly hurt, “You see this? I know who my real family is now, and I won’t take orders from anypony who tried to take my sisters away from me. You’re the real Champion, what should I do with her?”

Applejack opened her mouth and then stopped. She wanted to say kill the villain, but that anger wasn’t the pony she wanted to be. She’d been ready to kill the Champion of Justice as soon as she saw him, and until she knew who he was she hadn’t cared to find out his reasons for what he did.

“Still hesitating, dear?” Limestone chuckled, “You always were indecisive. You need somepony to tell you what to do, or you just overthink everything. The whole time you were helping with the fences, you fawned over my sister but you were both too shy to say anything. And when she was injured, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. It was so easy to work my way into your heart, just from a moment of shared concern. Did you really love her, or did you just see a kindred spirit there, an ineffectual doormat in need of direction? I bet if your sister had died before you got here, you would have believed whatever I told you. You would have been even more determined to help with my experiments.”

“No,” he growled, and raised the sword higher. It was clearly taking all his strength to lift, “You tricked me for long enough. I was already doubting you after what we did with the Lord. The truth would have come out eventually. It always does.”

“Foolish,” she snorted, “You should have killed me when you had the chance. Foolish traitor. Traitor. Traitor. Traitor.” For just a second he wondered if she’d hit her head, and he was worried about her again. He saw an echo of her sister, Marble, and remembered the compassion that Limestone had offered him when they’d both been so worried.

Then a little trace of metal and crystal heard the repeated word, and the Engine Memory exploded in his face. It wasn’t a serious injury, it was a jet of burning pain. But it was enough to knock him back, and nopony else was fast enough to stop Limestone before she grabbed her fallen Memory and escaped through the trees.

A day later, in the hospital. Big Mac wasn’t badly hurt, but the doctors had insisted. More than anything else, he needed rest. Whatever he’d been doing, and of course they couldn’t tell anypony the full details, had taken an incredible strain on his body. Applejack was in there too, recovering with a body covered in bruises and a broken rib. And Pinkie Pie, though she seemed to have recovered from her injuries already.

Twilight and Fluttershy were coming round with baskets of flowers and fruit for all the patients, and Apple Bloom was tagging along too even though she’d already been in to check on her brother and sister three times.

“Feeling better?” Fluttershy asked Big Mac, “The doctor said you’ll be fine if you just rest.”

“Yup. Back to work tomorrow.”

“No, you need a few days off,” Twilight corrected him, “And your family is happy to cover farm work for you, for a while. But while you’re resting, you need to think about what you can tell us. You’ve been keeping a pretty big secret for the last year, and you’re going to have to let us know what’s going on. Your new family have shown now that they only care as long as you’re doing what they want.”

“I know,” he sighed, “And I’ve already been thinking about it. It’s amazing how much they didn’t tell me. How much of the political situation they managed to wave away by saying it was a technical issue I didn’t need to know. I feel so stupid now I look back.”

“You made a mistake,” Applejack called over from her bed, “Everypony does. But when you realised, you tried to put it right. That’s the thing that matters most. And if I know my brother, you’re going to keep on trying to put it right. You can fight with us now, not behind our backs, and protect everypony.”

“And if you want it, I might just be able to repair the pseudo-Memory,” Twilight gave the biggest sign of trust she could manage, “Without boobytraps this time. Are you prepared to wield that sword for truth, rather than vengeance?”

Big Mac thought about his answer for a long moment. Not because he was unsure about his decision, but just trying to find the right way to phrase it. He needed the right words, so they would know he was sincere and not trying to look for any kind of loophole. Then the perfect phrasing came to him, so he said it.

“Eeeyup!”

Author's Note

Hope this doesn't seem too backstory-filled.

I've written chapter 27 now, but need to cut out about 4000 words of Celestia being Captain Exposition. So you shouldn't be waiting too long for the 'K' story. If there's any particular episodes (of either show) you'd like to see as episodes C/G/J/O/R/S/U, then let me know.

Would also like to see some guesses about the characters who've been hinted and not explained, if you're forming ideas in your mind. Don't want to get you bored teasing when everybody's already figured it out, but I equally don't want to be too obscure with what I'm hinting. I'd really like to know what the readers are thinking at this point, just so I know how long to draw out some of the things I've been foreshadowing.

Anyway, enjoy!

Interruption - N of an Era

“I don’t even know where to start,” Twilight Sparkle sat in the basement lab of the Golden Oak Library, hooves raised above her typewriter. She knew she should be writing a report, but for now ‘Dear Princess Celestia’ sat alone at the top of the page. “This one’s been going on for months!”

“Longer than that,” Pinkie Pie shook her head, “Remember last year at harvest time, Applejack had us all chasing round because she thought Big Mac was a dopant? Did the whole harvest in one night?”

“Oh,” Twilight blinked, and realised that all the clues had been there, if they’d just known what to look for. “More than a year then, isn’t Applebuck Season next week?”

“I’ll have to make them some special cookies, to give her the energy to get out of hospital in time.”

“Was that somebody at the door?” Spike’s ears perked up, and he leapt from his perch on a high shelf and went to see who was visiting. He quickly found a folded letter slipped under the door at the top of the stairs, and picked it up to read the single word pencilled on the front. “Hey, Twilight! We’ve got a letter, says it’s a confession. Should I bring it down?”

“Of all the…” Twilight muttered, and then closed her eyes for an instant. A pink flash, and she was standing at the front door of the library.

“You should apologise in person,” she declaimed. “A letter says you don’t really mean it. And Applejack isn’t even here. You wanted to get this over with while she’s still in hospital, because you know she’ll be angrier than any of us?”

“Umm… I guess…” the voice that answered was quavering with nerves, maybe even as quiet as Fluttershy’s normal tone. But it wasn’t the voice Twilight had been expecting. She looked into the main room of the Library, where Apple Bloom had come almost far enough to make her escape.

“Come on. Would you like tea? We’re just about to write up my Dopant Report for Princess Celestia. Were you just delivering a letter, or is there something you need to apologise for?”

“I… kind of apologised already. But I caused trouble for you as well, so I think you should know the truth. I think we’re all coming clean with our secrets now, so… I just don’t want to tell AJ, I think she’d kill me.”

A few minutes later, there were six ponies sitting around the little table in the lab, and a baby dragon watching them from the top of a bookshelf. It wasn’t the usual six ponies, but almost the next best thing. And Apple Bloom could finally come clean about the secret that had been weighing on her mind for so long. She’d told Big Mac long ago, and he’d forgiven her. And just this morning she’d told Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, who had understood her nerves. So now it was time to tell the only other ponies in town who would understand.

“In school, it’s super competitive. Everypony wants to be the best, and when Diamond Tiara announced her cute-ceañera, it was like the rest of us were second-class classmates. And we all wanted to get our cutie marks as soon as possible, right? We would have done anything, and it came back to bite us in the rump. But a week or two before, there was a different game that everypony wanted to jump on the bandwagon for, and I’m sure the grownups never knew about that one. Because we were stealing.”

“I think I know this story,” Rarity cut into the awkward silence, trying to keep any judgement out of her voice. “I heard something from one of my clients, who’d had to speak very sternly to her son. I considered asking Sweetie Belle about it at the time, but then I thought she wouldn’t get carried along with some colts’ game. Go on, you can tell us.”

“Well, Rumble had these magazines. He said he found them under his brother’s bed, and he was super embarrassed about them being there. It’s like, Rumble can do anything he wants, because as long as he knows the secret he can get his big brother to cover for him. He was the most popular colt in school for a while. And… a fair few colts went sneaking into their brothers’ rooms hoping to find something similar.

“So that’s the deal. I thought it would be like a game, something to joke about. I didn’t think Big Mac would have any books he was embarrassed about, and boy was I wrong there. But I also found this case full of Gaia Memories. It must have been when he’d just started, because there was some notes in there as well, the kind of ponies who might be tempted by each one. I knew it was a secret, I wasn’t sure if it was something I could use to get favours out of my brother, but I thought it was worth a try. So I took one, and that’s when he started locking his room. Then Scootaloo was getting so upset that she couldn’t fly yet, and we were all singled out by the kids who’d got their cutie marks, I didn’t know what it was going to do.”

She was almost crying now. Twilight didn’t know what to say, so it was down to Spike to be the wise one for once. He jumped down to offer Apple Bloom a hug, which seemed to comfort her without the need for words. Fluttershy and Rarity were the next to come around the table, starting a group hug that soon included all of them. As the huddle broke up, Apple Bloom could manage a weak smile.

“Thank you,” she said, “I wanted to tell you sooner, but I’d seen how much trouble Rumble got in when he actually shared somepony else’s secret. And it was family, I couldn’t hurt Big Mac if he said there was a reason it had to be secret. I had to keep it secret, that I hurt my friends so much. We’ve still got these scars…”

“They’ll heal,” Twilight offered what comfort she could. “Everypony does the wrong thing sometimes when they’re young. It’s how we learn. And your mistake wasn’t all bad. Because we know now that the Gaia Memory’s connector can change over time to look like a real cutie mark; and that it changes more quickly in the young. That might help us to recognise a dopant we would otherwise have dismissed. So… I know you feel bad, but remember there’s always a silver lining. And that true friends will always see the good in you.”

“No more secrets,” Apple Bloom promised, and that was enough to get a cheer from everypony.

“That could be the moral of the story,” Twilight said with a smile, “Now, I really need to get to writing this report. Maybe you can help me get the facts in order, make sure we’re not missing anything?” But before she even put hooves to keys, Spike gave a small belch of fire and a letter appeared in front of him.

“Oh no, the Princesses must be angry that my report is late!” Twilight went from calm to panic in zero seconds flat, “What does she say?”

“My faithful student…” Spike skimmed over the document, “… events to shape the future … diplomatic pressure … reveal what has been secret … a joining of … dawn of a new era … Huh‽”

“Spike?”

“You need to book a ticket to Canterlot to discuss some arrangements, it’s super vague. And clear a weekend in your calendar for the end of next month. I –” he was interrupted as Twilight’s magic snatched the scroll from his claws.

“Oh wow,” Twilight’s eyes widened as she looked down the letter. She realised she was babbling a little, but she was surprised enough that the words just had to come out “I’m not sure why it’s important or why she’s inviting us, she doesn’t even say who, but I think this is a wedding invitation!”

Author's Note

Thanks for reading, folks!
The half-way point at last, so thanks so much for sticking with me.

If you're still reading now, please let me know what you liked and what you didn't, or just give me a sign that I've managed to hold your interest. This story is the longest thing I've written now, longer than any of my novels even, so it would be great to see some feedback.

Episode 1 - ‘M’ is for ‘Memories’

Author's Note

This is a rewrite of the opening chapter, now I'm taking the story a little more seriously. I'd still appreciate hearing which episodes you think would go well into this AU, using MLP:FIM characters and versions of W's technology.

Episode 1 - ‘M’ is for ‘Memories’

It started in the dead of night. The night that they would one day call Begins Night, the night when everything started. But even before they awakened their powers, Begins Night was not just any night. It was a night that might have lasted forever if six brave ponies hadn’t ventured into the Everfree Forest to defeat the evil Nightmare Moon. They didn’t know what they were looking for exactly, and it might only have been coincidence that they had managed to survive the various hazards that had threatened to keep them from their goal.

The leader was a lavender unicorn named Twilight Sparkle; she said that in an ancient castle within the forest lay the fabled Elements of Harmony, which held the power to banish Nightmare Moon and rescue her mentor, the noble Princess Celestia, from wherever she was currently being held. Twilight had wanted to make this journey alone, but the friends she’d made recently wouldn’t let her walk into danger. Five friends had insisted on following, and every one of them had saved her along the way. Now, they had finally reached the room where the Elements of Harmony were said to be stored.

Five megaliths rose up in a circle around the throne room. They were branded with ancient runes, symbols of a magical power more complex than anything understood by modern ponies. To a scholar like Twilight Sparkle, though, it was more interesting to see how these ancient, forgotten symbols could be the ancestors of the modern Equestrian alphabet. There, for example, a symbol that was only one step removed from a pictogram of swirling flames still had the overall outline that would eventually have become a letter ‘H’. Looking around the chamber, she could see that the others took the form of the letters ‘T’, ‘J’, ‘M’, and ‘C’. There was a sixth pillar as well, though that one had toppled long ago and the pieces removed. Whatever inscription it had been decorated with was long gone, though the stub of the pillar had been turned into an altar of sorts with the addition of a slab across the top.

“So where are these Elements?” Applejack asked, seeming to miss the beauty of the occasion. That seemed to be typical of her, raised on a farm and thinking first of practical things. But Twilight knew she was right, there would be more time to study the ancient ruins once Nightmare Moon was defeated and everything was back in its proper place.

“They’re all around us,” she replied, after just a moment’s thought, “Five pillars with one turned into an altar. Five Elements with a sixth that can only be revealed once the five are gathered together. It makes perfect sense. We just have to figure out how to unlock them.”

“How insightful,” a voice boomed around the room, “You recognised the Elements even faster than Celestia herself did. It took her a day and a night, poking around the dusty carvings on the walls before she realised what she was seeing. But still, the Elements are not yours to take.” Twilight didn’t have time to examine the pyrotechnics, or to take in all the details of the light show, before the five remaining pillars exploded and sent chunks of rock the size of her head scattering in all directions. After the roof came down on them, six ponies picked themselves out of the rubble, while the giant form of Nightmare Moon stood proudly in the one clear spot on the floor, a gigantic black mare whose coat was studded with gold flecks that made her look like a horse-shaped hole with a starry sky beyond.

“Now,” the mare of the moon crowed, “Five of the Elements are destroyed, and there is nopony alive who can challenge me. I wonder, should I punish you with death for your insolence, or would a slower fate be more appropriate.”

“No.” Twilight Sparkle was unsteady on her hooves, cut by flying shards and having only just found a place to hide from the roof. But her gaze was steady and she was sure she had understood the true nature of the Elements. “The Elements of Harmony are not simple things that you could easily destroy. They are eternal, because they live on in the hearts and minds of every pony, every living thing in Equestria. It’s hinted at in so many phrases, so many word choices in the books about them, even if none come out and say it directly. The Elements represent the virtues which give us the strength and courage to fight evil! So as long as we are determined to continue, they can never be wiped out!”

Nightmare Moon threw back her head and laughed, but Twilight knew she was onto something. The demonic horse knew she was facing a revival of the power that had defeated her a thousand years before, and she tried to hide her nervousness by making it a joke.

“You know I’m right, don’t you? We have the Elements, even after you destroyed the relics here. Like Pinkie Pie, for example. She has the Element of Laughter, and she used it to defeat the fearsome trees that you thought would dissuade us from coming here. Rarity vanquished a sea dragon using nothing but the power of Generosity, and Fluttershy used Kindness to get past a manticore. Rainbow Dash showed us Loyalty, and Applejack is the very epitome of Honesty. We didn’t need to come here to find the Elements because they’re already within us.” She only stopped to take a breath, but it gave her a moment to glance back over her shoulder and see Pinkie Pie lifting something from the shattered stone all around her.

“And because we have the courage of the Elements, we look forward to the future!” Pinkie joined in on the speech. She didn’t know everything like Twilight did, but she knew that if Nightmare Moon was just a little afraid of them, if they could convince her that they knew how to unleash the true power of the Elements, then they wouldn’t have to fight her today. “We have hope, and by laughing in the face of danger we see the beautiful things around us. Like this!” Pinkie Pie triumphantly held up a slender piece of blue crystal, just about as long as the width of her hoof. There was some kind of decoration on it, but it was too small for anyone else to make out. “Come on everypony, see if you can find something wonderful too. With enough wonder, we can even chase away the Nightmare of the Moon!” Then the crystal she was holding glowed, and a resonant baritone voice echoed around the ruins loud enough to send more tiles tumbling from the ragged edges of the roof.

“LAUGHTER!”

“You didn’t realise, did you?” Rarity joined in on the jeering, slowly pacing around to put herself behind Nightmare Moon, so that if she decided to attack she wouldn’t be able to catch all of them. “I’m an expert at finding gems, too, and this one was hidden inside one of the pillars you carelessly destroyed. You tried to stop us, and you only revealed the Elements.”

“The material form of the Elements which have been figuratively within our hearts,” Twilight added.

“GENEROSITY!” The same voice boomed the name of the second Element, and now that they could see the pattern the other friends were scrabbling in the remains of the nearby pillars.

“What…?” Nightmare Moon gasped in shock, “What is this? You seriously believe you can defeat me with Elements like these?”

“Darn right we can. And we will!”

“HONESTY!”

“I wish somepony had showed you a long time ago that you don’t always have to fight to get what you want. But if you want to fight, then we have to win!”

“KINDNESS!”

“LOYALTY!”

“This is insane! You are children, your memories are a joke! And your leader doesn’t even have one, because dearest Celestia could only return five of our Elements to the Tree of Harmony once I was exiled.” But even as Nightmare Moon’s crazed laughter echoed around the chamber, Twilight was looking through the rubble, searching.

“But when five are brought together, the sixth will appear. One that unlocks the potential of the others, the wild-card Element.” And then she saw it, a violet gleam among the chaos, right at the foot of the altar. Twilight twitched it towards her with her magic, and a violet crystal was soon spinning in front of her eyes. It was the size of a small pen, maybe, a single perfect crystal with some kind of metal veins running through it, and a gold spike on one end. Instinct told her that she could gain incredible power simply by pricking her skin with the tip, but the voice of wisdom said that seizing power without thinking had led Nightmare Moon to where she was today.

In the centre of the crystal, on one flat face, the crystal was embossed with a pattern that just might be an archaic form of a letter, just like the decorations on the five pillars. The shallow indentation was only visible as it turned to reflect the faint glow of starlight, so she couldn’t quite make out which shape it was. But within that rune there was what looked like a layer of white paint on the surface, depicting quite a different symbol. A six-pointed star, with rays of light stretching out to illuminate others around it. Without colour, it wouldn’t have been clear what it was supposed to depict, but Twilight Sparkle couldn’t fail to recognise a rendition of her own cutie mark. This Element was meant for her.

“Oh dear, what Element have you gained?” Nightmare Moon crowed, “Do you seek to best me with the power of Forgiveness, maybe? Is it the Element of Friendship, or of Consolation? You know, I might allow you to live just to provide entertainment for me in the long nights of my reign. You are nothing but a joke!”

“Don’t underestimate the power of friendship!” Twilight flourished the Element in the air, still with no idea what it represented. There was a small metal lever on the back, and she guessed that would make it speak. She could only hope that she had guessed right, and that it really could be the Element that enhanced all others, “Looks like the joke is on you, because the wild card is…” all eyes were on the tumbling crystal as she gave the lever a gentle squeeze.

“JOKER!"

“Very well, you have convinced me you are serious foes,” the dark alicorn stared down at Twilight, still smirking as she spoke. “Five of the Elements have somehow become worthless imitations of their true glory, but Joker at least is a force to be reckoned with. And I sense another Gaia Memory nearby, one I do not recognise but overflowing with so much power that I could not ignore it. But it matters not, because you have no Driver to combine the–”

“That is quite enough, Luna,” Princess Celestia’s voice was much quieter than either the musical booming of the Elements or the mad laughter of Nightmare Moon. But somehow it was penetrating, with an aura of command that made everypony shut up and listen. “The world has new Champions of Harmony now. I have the Driver right here, and it seems my student has chosen her partner. So I suggest you return …”

Nightmare Moon erupted again in a gale of laughter so energetic that even Celestia faded into silence as she paced regally over the rubble.

“You… I can’t believe this. You banished me, sealed me in the thrice-damned moon for a thousand years because I wouldn’t… couldn’t return… And then you dared to… I tell you this, sister, I will permit you your freedom now. But only because watching your incompetent student face the dopants of this new wave will be so much more entertaining than killing you now. If this is all the power your protegee can muster, then you will fall to Chaos, or to Eternal, even Polymorph could thwart these fools! And when I grow weary of observing your stupidity, then the world will belong to night, forever!”

The dark alicorn disappeared, like the starry sky vanishing at sunrise. Twilight looked across at Princess Celestia, unsure how she was supposed to feel now.

She had found an old story in an ancient text, and realised that this was the year it was supposed to come true. She’d tried to convince the Princess that it was a genuine threat, not fully realising that as an immortal alicorn, Celestia would have personal knowledge of the events in texts from even a thousand years before. She was the Princess of the Sun, the benevolent goddess who ruled over Equestria. How could the super-smart student Twilight Sparkle have been foolish enough to assume she knew better? And then when she was proved right, she had put her own life and those of her friends on the line in order to rescue Princess Celestia.

A Princess who had proven to be quite capable of rescuing herself.

“Has she gone now?” Rainbow Dash was the first to break the silence, “Did we scare her away, or is she going to –”

“Wait,” Twilight interrupted, “We need to know what’s going on here. She said ‘dopant’, she said… She said ‘sister’! Is she…?” she didn’t even know how to finish the question.

“Yes,” Celestia answered simply, not showing any anger at a question more personal than she would normally allow. “She was my sister, once. We received incredible powers, and we fought together against the spread of the Gaia Memories. But we did not have the willpower to succeed, and we surrendered the power rather than be corrupted by it. But it was too late. And now I will ask you a question.” Twilight just nodded. It seemed fair to answer a question, especially with the number she was burning to ask.

“You found the Elements of Harmony? All of them? I saw Joker, and I know that one like an old friend, so I would hope you have a complete set.”

“Yes. When five are gathered together, the sixth will be revealed: Joker.”

“You should be more careful with your translations. When six are gathered, the seventh appears. The seventh is the Driver, otherwise known as the Double Memory. Joker isn’t special. In fact, it was the second we unlocked.”

“Can I ask a question?” Fluttershy was hesitant, raising a hoof in the air like a child asking permission to speak. “What do we do with these Elements? I know the book said they were the key to sealing Nightmare Moon, but I don’t know how we’re supposed to use them.”

“Ah,” Celestia smiled, “So you’re Twilight’s partner, then?”

“We’re all partners,” Applejack smiled as she said it, “Nothing beats teamwork, together we can do anything.”

“I meant, which of you has the Mental Elements? Twilight, should I ask you? Your friends don’t seem to understand fully how the Elements of Harmony function. Who have you chosen to be the Champion of Harmony alongside you?”

“My friends,” Twilight was just as nervous as Fluttershy now. She was usually sure of herself, but she’d never been comfortable finding herself in an intellectual debate when she didn’t really know what the subject was. “Six of us, each with unique talents. And six Elements, representing those talents. Right?”

Princess Celestia’s answer was a blank gaze, that was somehow more frightening than either anger or pity. Eventually, the Princess spoke: “That… isn’t how it works for us. But maybe the Elements adapt based on the personality of the pony who unlocks them. Or maybe they have simply changed their nature; I believe that the unsealing of the Eternal Memory a few years ago may have destroyed or altered most of the Memories out there in the world.”

“You’re saying ‘memories’ like it means something special,” Twilight pointed out. “Nightmare Moon used the word as if it had a meaning beyond the ones I know, as well. Please, if I’m going to understand this, I need to have a few details. Can you tell me what kind of memories you’re talking about. Happy ones, maybe? Or the most important ones that define a young pony’s destiny?”

“No. Not memories as you know them, but the Memories of the world itself. The intrinsic essence of everything that has existed, and things that will still come to be. Gaia Memories are a magic of great power, so great that it could destroy all civilisation if it fell into the wrong hands. That is why Skull and his compatriots decided to excise themselves from the history books, and why my sister and I made the same decision generations later. Nobody must know that Gaia Memories even exist. So… I can’t speak to those not directly involved.”

“That doesn’t sound very nice,” Rainbow Dash muttered to Fluttershy, “Are we involved or not?”

“I must hurry back to my throne now,” Celestia continued, doing a very good impression of having not heard the whisper, “I need to set the sun back on its right course, and the chaos this long night has caused to the growing crops and to all of nature will take much work to correct. But when you return to Canterlot, I invite you to bring your most trusted friend, the one who has successfully attuned to the Elements and can make them speak. And then, I will show you how to use your Driver, and how to continue the crusade that you have somehow become embroiled in.”

“Why can’t we all go?” Pinkie Pie was the one who actually said what everypony was thinking, “We all got Elements, they chose us. We should all know what’s going on. Twilight got more than one friend, you know.”

“Actually, I think it may be more advantageous for me to speak to Twilight Sparkle alone. You do not know the full extent of what you are getting involved with. Once I have told Twilight the truth, then she may decide how much to pass on to you. And now I must attend to my duties.” Without giving them a second to respond, Princess Celestia flew away into the setting sun.

“Well, how about that?” Applejack stared after her, “Like we don’t even matter.”

“It’s hard being the Princess. She has so many duties, and the peace of the whole world depends on her. She just seems a little brusque at times because she must have other things on her mind.”

“I don’t think she likes me.”

“How could anyone not like Pinkie?”

“Umm… how do we get home from here?”

A week later, in the enclosed yard of an ordinary house on the edge of Ponyville, an otherwise unremarkable bookkeeper by the name of Sunlit Plain was looking at a slender red crystal. Until recently, he’d thought that a lot of his bad luck in life came from having such a boring name, that didn’t really tell ponies anything about him. He’d recently found that there were worse names to have, but that didn’t reassure him much. He’d never get promoted, because when his bosses saw that name on the list, they wouldn’t remember him well enough to see his obvious talents.

Now, for the first time in his life, his disappointment had been replaced by anger. Anger at a boss who’d noticed him just long enough to kick him out, and a faceless business that had dismissed his marefriend just as easily. His own sacking, he could tolerate, that had happened before. But to fire them both just a month apart, that seemed to make it personal. He couldn’t tolerate that.

“You say this will give me a new talent?” he still wasn’t sure about the crystal in his hoof. He couldn’t see how how it could do what the salespony had promised. It was shaped almost like a pen, but long enough for a flaming letter ‘M’ to be emblazoned on one side, with a metal lever on the other and several small spikes on the bottom end. “Are you sure? I can show them how strong I am?”

“Just try it. Or are you the coward they say?”

He shook his head, fumbled with the unfamiliar switch, and then stabbed the Gaia Memory straight into his own flank.

“MAGMA” the voice was strangely hollow, and loaded with menace. It must be coming from the crystal, but it seemed impossible for a small thing like that to have such a deep voice. It sounded metallic, echoing, and filled with hatred. The spikes dug into his flesh, but Plain was a strong earth stallion, and a little pain wouldn’t make him cry out. He only made a sound when the whole crystal disappeared inside his body, and his cutie mark was changed to the same flame-wrapped ‘M’ that had been on the memory.

For just a second, Sunlit Plain wondered if it might not actually do anything more, but then he felt the ripples spreading across his sandy-coloured coat, changing it to ash grey. He could feel his skin drying out until it looked like the rocky outcrops that filled the desert, and then it cracked open, letting red light and heat spill out. It wasn’t just the colour of his coat or the texture that had changed, his whole body was filled with fire. It wasn’t what he’d expected, and he could feel it burning even as it made him stronger, but he was more than just a pony now. Instead of bone and hide, he had rock and fire.

Nobody would stop him now. His yelp of pain rapidly turned into a roar of rage. He wasn’t Sunlit Plain any more; he would call himself Magma Heat, and the fools who had scorned him would feel his revenge. Not yet; he had somepony both wiser and more experienced with the Gaia Memories telling him to bide his time a little longer, and learn to use his new powers. But soon, he would have his revenge.

Time passed.

It was Twilight Sparkle’s first day back after her adventures in Ponyville, and she was glad to be back. Though the Golden Oak Library had been nice for a few days, there was something special about being in a room where her own magic had arranged every single book in the position where she personally thought it would be best categorised. She’d actually found it awkward saying goodbye to her new friends, though. That was an entirely new experience, because she’d never cared quite that much about anypony outside of her family before. She’d even put off the return journey a few days so that she could attend the farewell party that Pinkie Pie decided to throw for her. That was a night she’d never forget, though for some parts of the evening she intended to try.

Today would be a celebration of an altogether different kind. A display of trust, the day she was let in on one of Equestria’s biggest secrets. And to that end she was standing in one of many large halls in Canterlot, with nopony else around. There was very little furniture here; a hatstand in one corner, a bookcase on the far wall, a single portrait. The domed ceiling was painted with a fresco of three white pegasi dancing in a snowstorm, and was supported by a dozen pure white pillars. The theme of white was continued with the tiles on the ground, which were so highly polished that there was a faint purple tint to the ground around Twilight, where the colour of her own mane was reflected back at her. She couldn’t think why Princess Celestia would choose to meet in such a place, but the Princess was the absolute ruler, the one with the power to make the sun rise. It wouldn’t do for an ordinary lavender unicorn, even Celestia’s protégée, to challenge her decisions.

“Twilight,” Celestia’s voice came from behind Twilight, startling her slightly. She was sure there were no doors in that direction. “I’m ready for you now. Maybe you would like to see my little museum.” Twilight turned to look, and saw that a piece of the wall looking just like any other had swung open to reveal a hidden passageway. The hatstand was twisted at an odd angle, rotated about an arm that seemed to just touch the wall so that its foot was off the ground. It was a strange kind of door handle, made even more bizarre by the sunrise shades of Princess Celestia’s magic holding the hats in place.

Beyond the door was a long, narrow room that could have fitted easily between two of the giant ballrooms or banquet halls in the castle. Down both sides were arrayed exhibits; it was a museum, just like the Princess had said. But this was one display you couldn’t just buy a ticket for. The Princess strode confidently down the central aisle, maybe giving some of the displays a half glance that brought back memories long forgotten. But to Twilight, every one was a mystery, a thing she couldn’t understand.

The first one she stopped in front of held a cracked crystal in a glass case. It was the same shape as of the Elements of Harmony, though none of them had that peculiar blue-grey colour. Beside it were pictures of a division of injured ponies in some ancient war; of a tidal wave sweeping across the land; of a pegasus stallion whose eyes seemed to glow from within as magical sparks crackled and crawled across his armour.

“Are these more Elements?” Twilight asked, “Are there more than just six?” She couldn’t understand why they would be here, though, or what power could possibly break something as intrinsically permanent as Honesty.

“No,” that was an easy answer to the question, “Those are Gaia Memories. They are crystalised representations of the planet’s memories of everything that has been, and everything that could be. The one before you is named ‘Flood’, and was used several times in war to kill thousands before we managed to have it destroyed.”

“So they are Elements without the harmony?”

“Yes. I am glad you understand so readily. The Elements of Harmony started as Gaia Memories, disgorged from the Core Fountain like any other. But great wizards worked with them to purify them of negative impulses, and then destiny delivered them into the care of the Tree of Harmony, which purified them and bound them to one another such that they – together with the Driver, which is the most important of them – can be used without sacrificing your cutie mark, your talents, your virtue, or your sanity. All of which can be destroyed if anypony is foolish enough to use a Gaia Memory without the Driver.”

“Why would anyone do that? The cost must be too high.”

“In war, some felt that it was better for one general to sacrifice everything than for a whole legion to die. Others did not know what it would do to them, or had their own reasons to value power over their own identities.”

Twilight backed away from the cracked crystal – the Gaia Memory – and resolved that if she ever stumbled across one of those, it would be smashed like that as quickly as she could manage. There were many more questions she wanted to ask, but she knew that would come in time. Twilight was just about wise enough to leave it to her mentor to decide what to show her first.

As she spoke, Princess Celestia was heading for the far end of the room where there was a huge book on a lectern, with a chain around it and two heavy and ornate locks. The title was ‘Memories’, and beside it was a closed box. The items were clearly the most imprtant things in this museum, and Twilight surmised that it would be easier to understand the meaning of these broken Memories (every display down the sides of the room seemed to include one, some merely cracked while others were partly melted away or broken in half) once she had read that book.

But Celestia went to the box first. Her horn glowed, and she lifted out a strange contraption made of two metal tubes, connected by a wide hinge at the bottom. It was elaborately decorated, and finished in bright red and silver. The whole thing was mounted on a double leather strap, like some fashion accessory or unfamiliar piece of tack.

“The Driver,” she explained, “I did not return it to the Tree of Harmony when we could no longer use it, though maybe I should have done. Technically, it is a Gaia Memory itself, although with a somewhat different shape. It materialised on my flank twelve hundred years ago, when we stood together each holding three of the Elements of Harmony. It is symbolic of the bond between yourself and your chosen partner, each of you having half of the power to bring harmony to the world.”

“But…” Twilight started speaking, then stopped. She wasn’t quite sure how to say it. After a second, she tried again; “But the six of us were given one Element each. And it’s clear to me that we are supposed to have one each. See, the Element of Joker is branded with an impression of my cutie mark, and the others are decorated in the same way. Do you really think it would work better if I took two with somepony else’s mark on, and asked one of my friends to do the same?”

“Maybe not. Nightmare Moon said that some Memories had changed, but I had no expected such a profound change in the way the Elements are used. I suspect that each time you use the Elements, you will need to chose just one of your friends to be your partner.” She stood for a moment, deep in thought, “Tell me, does that mean that Pinkie Pie also has an Element of Harmony? I was going to suggest that you do not choose her as your partner, she seems a little wild to be trusted with such power.” Twilight just nodded. She wanted to defend her friend, but right now it was more important to find out what Celestia was going to offer them.

“Well, I hope that you didn’t distribute the Elements by colour. The Joker Memory matches the colour of your mane, but I would hate to see that mare with something as directly destructive as Heat.”

“Heat?” This time it was Twilight’s turn to look confused.

“In our time, the most direct offensive Element was the Heat Memory. It was most effective when combined with Metal, though that may have been partly a consequence of our fighting styles. Has its name changed?”

“Metal? It sounds like they’ve all changed. The Elements we have are Generosity, Loyalty, Honesty, Laughter, Kindness, and Joker.”

“I find it hard to imagine how those will channel your talents to allow the destruction of uncontrolled Gaia Memories. However, I look forward to being surprised. In any case, this is the Driver we used for so many years. If you have not been granted one of your own, I suppose that you may use this. Would you like to try it?”

Twilight took the strange item without a word. After a few attempts, she found the strap tightened snugly around her abdomen to let the accessory rest just below her cutie mark. It was comfortable, but she couldn’t understand why it was so important. But after staring in confusion for a moment, she wondered if those two tubes might be just the right size to fit her treasure, the Element of Joker, inside. She pulled it out and glanced towards Celestia, but the Princess just watched. In a way, this was a kind of test: could she work out how to truly use the Elements without being told.

On instinct, she squeezed the lever on the side of the crystal with her magic before she slid it into the Driver, and it sang out in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once: “JOKER”.

There was a faint shimmering in the air, like a telescope‘s image coming into focus, and suddenly Celestia was wearing the Driver. The Joker Memory was glowing now, violet light shining from both the top and bottom of the gleaming tube. But for Celestia, the Driver was on her right flank rather than the left; had the configuration of the straps somehow changed? Twilight blinked, then looked back at her own hindquarters. The Driver was still there, exactly the same as it had been before, as was her Element.

“Oh well,” Celestia shrugged, “It seems nothing is happening. Can you feel a connection to your little friends at the back of your mind? I suppose it is possible that they are too far away. I’m afraid I can’t help with your change, as I no longer have an Element. Some of us put them back after we’d finished with them.” Twilight wanted to ask about the petulant bile in her voice for that last comment, or ask what she’d actually meant, but some instinct told her it would be a bad idea. She’d never heard the Princess of the Sun so bitter before, and was just glad that for now, the words didn’t seem to be directed at her.

Celestia unclipped the belt, which vanished with the same shimmer. At the same time, Twilight’s driver gave a soft chime and the Joker Memory popped out. She looked at it, puzzled and unsure what to do next.

“I’m hoping that you don’t need to find your own Driver,” the Princess was suddenly back to business, organised and dynamic, “Because you’ve already taken all the required steps if I can believe your story. So I will assume that this one will help you for now, and it just needs to be closer to the other Elements. I’ll have them brought here as soon as possible, I hate to think what would happen if the denizens of that damned mine started selling unrefined Gaia Memories again before you –”

“You can’t take the Elements from my friends!” Twilight interrupted, fully aware of who she was speaking to, but realising that she was as confident as she sounded. This was an issue she would challenge even Celestia over. “They went through the Everfree with me, they helped me get to that weird castle that looks more like a laboratory on the inside. They earned the elements, and it just wouldn’t be fair. They’re a part of this as much as we are.”

“I meant that I would have your friends brought here. The Elements are useless without their chosen bearers.”

“They wouldn’t come. Applejack is needed by her family, and Rarity’s –”

“They can’t say no to a royal summons,” Celestia was firm, “And I suspect my guards would have little trouble bringing them where I want them to be. But… I think I may have been a little hasty. They are, as you so eloquently put it, a part of this as much as you are. The Elements are all equal. But that also reminds me that I am not a part of this any longer. I am your mentor, but I have only a residual bond to the Elements of Harmony. As long as you are there, my attunement will do nothing but confuse the Driver. I wonder if there is a way to –” she stopped as one of the royal guards burst into the secret room.

“Your Majesty!” the stallion barked, “My apologies, but there are reports of a dozen serious fires in Ponyville. We think it might be –” and then he cut off abruptly, seeming to notice for the first time that Twilight was there.

“…a dopant.” Celestia finished the sentence, “I would assume the same, especially given the timing.” Then she turned back to Twilight Sparkle, and gave her a long, serious stare.

“My faithful student, I believe it is time for you to see if you can fill my shoes. Take this Driver and return to Ponyville. You will need all your magic and cunning to defeat a dopant – that is, a pony who thought they could control a Gaia Memory. This is a task that can only be completed by the Elements of Harmony, so you will need to rejoin your friends. You must get there as quickly as possible, so I will send a dozen of my strongest stallions to act as your bodyguard and to speed your…” her regal voice trailed off as she realised she was speaking to an empty space. She didn’t remember her student being able to teleport quite such a distance, but she was quite familiar with a pony pushing their own limits under stress.

“I guess she really does care for those friends,” the Princess murmured softly to herself, “I only hope that’s enough.”

Episode 10 - L Hath No Fury

Applejack was exhausted when she staggered home. She couldn’t wait to sleep for real, even after more than a day of what should have been sleep. She and her friends had been connected to a machine that allowed them to enter each other’s dreams, and they’d roamed from one mind to another fighting the nightmares they found there. She knew she hadn’t really moved a muscle, but there was no way she could convince her aching body of that. It felt like she’d taken on an entire army of monsters alone. And at the end of it all the helpful doctor – Lonely Island, or something very much like that – had said that there was nothing he could do but send them home.

Doctor Island said he had all the research data he needed, and it would only be a few days until he could put it into practice. Until then all they could do was wait, and hope that no more young fillies were stolen away in their sleep by the monster that had been terrorising Ponyville. Applejack wanted to be angry at herself, angry at the world for not letting her do more. But right now she was just too tired. She was too tired to care about the drifts of autumn leaves starting to obstruct the road. Too tired to look up and see an awe-inspiring sunset that almost matched the rich orange of her coat. She’d been in a bed for most of the weekend, but Applejack didn’t care. She got home as quickly as she could, and tried to sink into a well deserved sleep.

First it was the sounds of the building settling that kept her awake, every creak and rustle giving the impression it could be some unknown pony prowling the hall. Then she couldn’t sleep because she could almost but not quite make out the words behind her little sister’s whimpering as Apple Bloom dealt with her own nightmares in the next room. It would be a safe bet that those worries were about her cutie mark again, and it galled Applejack that there was nothing she could actually do to help. Once the sounds from the next room faded into silence, it was the smell of smoke keeping Applejack from her repose. She turned over, burying her head under the pillows in a vain attempt to take her mind off the sound and the smell.

It was maybe three minutes, maybe five, before the screaming of some instinct managed to fight its way through the lethargic fog of her brain. Smoke! it was crying, Fire!

The flames gushed up from the chimney, and the wind drawn in to feed them roared a gale through broken window frames. She could barely feel the heat in her own room, but the rest of the farmhouse was like being inside an oven. The smoke was stronger as well, stinging her eyes and burning the back of her throat. She couldn’t see a thing and charged blindly through the building, banging against walls in her hurry to be elsewhere. It probably only took seconds for her to find a ground floor window she could vault through, but it felt like a lifetime.

The family were all outside, staring in shock at the pyre. The whole farm was ablaze now, and there was no chance that any bravery with buckets would be rewarded. Applejack retched for a while, the combination of sudden exercise and the acrid smoke, and then turned to watch the only home she had ever known crumble to ashes. It was still burning brightly when she looked away again, tears in her eyes, and surveyed the crowd.

The Apple family had always been numerous, and it might be hard for an outsider to estimate how many cousins and uncles had gathered to help out in a time of crisis. But Applejack knew every face, and she knew in an instant that there weren’t as many ponies as there should have been in the yard. There was just one familiar face missing. She didn’t want to believe it, but turning round a second time confirmed her suspicions.

“Where’s Apple Bloom?” She asked Granny Smith, who happened to be closest, “I don’t see Apple Bloom!”

“Worry about yourself first!” The elderly pony snapped, “Your sister wouldn’t wake, she was screaming like she was having a nightmare, but we couldn’t make her wake up. There was nothing we could do, there just wasn’t –” Applejack didn’t want to hear that answer. She broke away and went to ask one of her other relatives, but their answer was all the same. It took hours, and she asked every single member of the extended family. Nopony had seen Apple Bloom leave the house. They’d tried to wake her, but she wouldn’t let go of her nightmare. She dreamed she was walking through the Everfree Forest, searching for a way to change a cutie mark that wasn’t what she’d looked forward to. She couldn’t get over her fears and wake up until she found out what was really bothering her, and deep in the mists of that dream there hadn’t been time. There was no way she could have escaped before the flames crept into her room.

In a very real way, the fire wasn’t to blame. That was a natural disaster, it could have happened any time. All farmers knew that sometimes you lost everything to a fire, and you just had to rebuild. But those dreams, they weren’t natural. It was the dopant’s fault, everyone said. But Applejack knew in her heart that it was her fault. She’d let the monster get away, hadn’t thought of a way to stop it more quickly. This… it was all down to her.

“Not even a real nightmare,” Big Mac sighed, “Just worrying about the future, ain’t we all done that when we were younger?”

“Yeah,” Applejack couldn’t even find the words to describe her grief. It was all too much for her.

“No! Applejack, why are you moping?”

“It’s Apple Bloom, she–”

“No she didn’t!” Pinkie Pie was practically yelling, “Look around! How does your family know what she was dreaming about? Why are they all here, when half of them live miles away? Why has nopony even thought to ask what started the fire? None of this makes any sense!”

“Yeah, I didn’t even… So what…?”

“Don’t you get it yet? You’re still dreaming. This is your nightmare, the thought of letting your family down. You just need to recognise it, and you can change it.”

Applejack tried to imagine that this wasn’t real, tried to force herself to stop seeing what was in front of her, but she didn’t know how. Then Rainbow Dash flew in, pulling a gaggle of fluffy white clouds that could surely never have contained so much rain. The flames were gone instantly, and the coating of soot on the house’s timbers quickly started to wash away, revealing that the structure beneath was in a lot better condition than it had looked. The doors swung open and Fluttertwi walked out, carrying the still-sleeping Apple Bloom. She didn’t seem to have been harmed at all.

“We need to find a way to wake up,” Twilight spoke calmly, “The dopant appeared and said that he doesn’t want to hurt anypony, and he’s just doing this because it’s the only way he can dream now. But even then, he should just do the experiments or analysis, whatever he thinks will work. He said that if he can find a way to dream by analysing us, then he won’t force these fillies into nightmares any more. But we’ve been thinking about it, and we’re not willing to gamble so many ponies’ safety on that.”

“Studying dreams?” Applejack thought back for a moment, “I don’t want to say this, but I think we maybe missed something really dumb.”

“What do you mean?”

“When we came to the hospital, Dash said about how we’re trying to rescue these kids, and we think there’s a monster behind the nightmares.”

“Yeah?” Rainbow Dash said as she touched down, “I thought I made it kind of dramatic, more likely to get them to help.”

“Then the nurse showed us to that doctor, Lucky Island, and he said he’s sure there isn’t a dopant behind it. It’s got to be a disease or something,” Twilight got it at last, so disappointed in herself for taking too long to spot what was right in front of her, “But Dash doesn’t call it a dopant. I use the right word because I learned about them from the Princess, but most of you guys still just call them monsters. So where’d the doctor hear that word, unless he’s already met one?”

“Right,” Applejack nodded, “And you just said the monster – dopant, I mean – this time wants to study dreams. It’s him, isn’t it?”

“I guess it looks that way. But that doesn’t help us much. We still need…” Twilight went silent as she made a connection. The others just waited for her to speak again. “I got it. He wants to analyse our dreams, right? The dreams altered by the Elements of Harmony, to see if they have the same strangeness as a dopant’s dreams. But he couldn’t just go out and make us fall asleep, he can only get into our dreams if we’re already asleep. Right?”

“I guess so?” Pinkie said, “He said my dreams were weird anyway, the same as the fillies who don’t wake up. Was he telling the truth about that?”

“Maybe. But I think more important now is that I used the Driver to enter Fluttershy’s dream. My body’s asleep in the same way yours usually are when we’re fighting, but I’m not dreaming right now.”

“So if you take off the Driver, you can smash the machine and–”

“And leave all these poor fillies to die in their dreams?” Lucky Island yelled, appearing behind the four as if from thin air, “Maybe you could wake up, but you couldn’t find my real body quickly enough to save anypony.”

“I thought you said you weren’t a monster!” Pinkie spat back, her voice unusually bitter, “Besides, I had an idea too, I think I know why you can’t dream!” But rather than giving any further explanation she turned and ran for the closest hill.

“JOKER!” The Driver sang out as it appeared on Pinkie’s breast. She levitated her Element using unicorn magic, not caring that she didn’t have a horn. She knew what it felt like well enough from previous times she’d shared Twilight’s body. She didn’t break stride as the armour appeared around them.

“LAUGHTERᏔJOKER!”

(“I figured that like this you can tell me what you thought of without him overhearing,” Twilight’s voice entered Pinkie’s consciousness, “I’ve been studying the Gaia Memories we’ve recovered for months now, I could maybe help to clear up any details.”)

(“That’s what I was thinking. Great minds think alike!” Pinkie cheered back)

Lucky Island raced ahead of them in the form of a black mist, and tore the hillside apart. A moment later there was nothing but void in the direction of Ponyville, but Twinkie didn’t let this disturb them. They jinked and hurried down a path that they might almost have missed, and dived into a tunnel in the fast disappearing farmland.

(“Did you see the fire demon behind us? As soon as we put out the barn it was growing again, but we didn’t have to fight it because Lucky Island showed up. It was the same in Fluttershy’s dream, it’s a nightmare based off when your biggest fear is and it turns into a monster if you challenge it. But Rainbow Dash didn’t have one of those.”)

(“So, what does that mean? Dash was having bad dreams because of the competition coming up. Maybe the dopant can’t affect somepony who’s already got nightmares, or something?”)

(“Eactly! He even said that, he said that me and Rainbow Dash shouldn’t be in this experiment because our dreams are normal nightmares!”)

(“But your nightmare, that’s… that imaginary friend, she’s got to be the dopant’s influence.”)

(“Exactly! But not this dopant! He said that as well, he thought I was a dopant who’s found a way to dream, and we thought he was just talking about the Elements being Gaia Memories, but what if he isn’t? Imagine a dopant with some incredible power, but you can’t dream any more. He’s a scientist, so he went into a load of ponies’ dreams and looked for the difference. But if he’d been more like an artist, maybe he would just find one dream he likes and stay there. Find somepony whose dreams are more predictable, and a dopant could hide away from the world, enjoy a life in dreams and never have to fight anypony or deal with whatever they were so angry or scared about. I think there’s two of them with that power, and that’s why he couldn’t get in my head. Another one beat him to it!”)

And just as she finished that surprising revelation, they emerged from the long white corridor into the Library again. The other three were shortly behind them, with the dark mist that was Lucky Island in hot pursuit.

“Lock the doors behind you!” Pinkie yelled, “He can control dreams but he can’t control my dream! That should keep him out for a half hour, and that’s all we need!” Applejack and Rainbow Dash leapt into action, grabbing a heavy door made from what looked like stone and dragging it in front of the portal.

“Can’t you imagine something that would keep him out forever?” Rainbow Dash found it hard to believe, “After you made a tunnel right through the earth and it came up in Cloudsdale?”

“That’s the way things work here,” Twilight explained, “We just have to work with it, and I’m starting to understand. Just trust us on this, we can keep the nightmare out for half an hour, and that’s all we need. If we can’t beat him at his own game then hiding here forever would be no help.”

“So what do we do?” Applejack got straight to the point, as always.

“We talk,” Twinkie answered, speaking in a strange harmony now that they were agreed on their plan.

“Talk quick?” Fluttershy’s lips moved, but no sound emerged as she stood frozen in terror. Black smoke was battering ineffectually against the grating in the door, but now her attention was entirely focused on a dark shape beyond several rows of books. “There’s already… a nightmare…”

“We know,” Twinkie stood confidently, “That’s who we’re talking to. You there! You’ve been here for long enough, if you want to fight us then come and fight. If you want to gloat over how brilliant your master plan is, then here’s your chance.”

The books rushed aside, keeping formation as if they were on an invisible shelf fitted with wheels. And the huge, dark horse strode towards them. They were all afraid, there was no way not to be. But Pinkie and Twilight both knew that if their speculations were right, putting on a brave face might be their only chance.

“THOU DARE TO ADDRESS ME IN SUCH VULGAR TERMS?” the sheer volume of the shadowy dopant’s voice was enough to push them back, “KNOW YOUR PLACE, AND BOW CORRECTLY AS YOU ADDRESS YOUR SUPERIOR!”

“We don’t know how to address you,” Pinkie quipped, “You haven’t introduced yourself, you’ve just been lurking in my library and watching us. Where’s your manners?”

The dark mare drew herself up, and for a second the Champions thought they might have to fight this terror, but then she lowered her head just a fraction.

“VERY WELL, I ADMIT YOU MAY NOT HAVE RECOGNISED MY VISAGE, SO I WILL ACCEPT THIS APOLOGY. KNOW, THEN, THAT I AM THE EMPRESS OF THE DARK SKY AND RULER OF ALL DREAMS, NIGHTMARE MOON!”

(“Makes sense,” Twilight offered a little internal dialogue, “The changeable energy of the moon was once said to be responsible for dreams, and from her name we should probably have guessed she could get here.”)

Twinkie dropped to her knees and lowered her head, a deep bow that only royalty might have expected. There was a moment of indecision between the others, but then they too followed her example.

“We apologise, your majesty, for any disrespect,” Twilight took the lead now, as she had a lot more experience speaking with nobles from her time in Canterlot, “But if we may ask? You have been in Pinkie Pie’s dreams, combining yourself maybe with a forgotten part of her imagination from long ago in order to go unrecognised. Do you intend to return to fight us, to continue tearing down everything that Celestia has worked to create? Or is this, to you, a respite from a battle that no longer entertains you?”

“THOU QUESTION OUR MOTIVATION?”

“I question if you are our enemy, your majesty.” Twilight tried not to let her nervousness show, as she prayed that their wild guess was correct. It was possible they would now have two dopants to fight, and that would be a challenge even given Pinkie’s abnormal mastery of her dream space. But if there was even a chance that Nightmare Moon had found a way to hide in dreams, then the same method could allow Lucky Island to have everything he wanted, and set his victims free.

“Can you ask her to talk a little quieter, too?” Applejack muttered, “We’re practically going deaf back here.”

“WE ARE NIGHTMARE MOON, WE ARE THE TERROR OF THE NIGHT. YOU THINK WE WOULD BOW DOWN AND ACCEPT THE TYRANNY OF OUR SISTER’S RULE? But perhaps,” the decreasing volume was as much a surprise as the original echoing yell, “You remind us of ourselves, so many years ago. You wish to know if we are an enemy to you? Then you should know how we came upon this form.”

Twilight had so many questions to ask then, but she knew they only had one chance to make peace here. Whether a monster could even consider leaving others in peace was open to debate, but it seemed possible when the great Nightmare Moon had watched from here for so long without causing them any harm. They still weren’t even sure that she was actually a dopant, and not some other form of magical being. But Twilight held her tongue, knowing that if they just listened they would get all the answers they needed, maybe even to questions she wouldn’t think to ask.

“So Nightmare Moon is just a dopant?” Rainbow Dash didn’t have the same sense of restraint.

“NO!” The deafening voice was back for just a moment, “We are so much more. Once upon a time, we were a Champion of Harmony. We fought the dopants, the monsters, every evil that crawled beneath the sun and the moon. With our sister we shared the six Elements of Harmony, and as our power grew we came to hold all nine. There was nothing that the two of us could not do. And finally, we were able to replicate the feat that Skull had achieved centuries before: we sealed the Gaia Fountain, cutting off the source of the Gaia Memories, and left Equestria in peace.” There were so many questions in everypony’s mind then, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t think what to ask and Pinkie quickly reminded Twilight that they didn’t know enough to ask the right questions right now.

They waited, and Nightmare Moon continued her speech. Her words were often archaic and her grammar was stilted. Later, Twilight would have to translate for the others if they wanted to fully understand. The story was twisted, too, through the perceptions of a pony who saw spite everywhere. Nightmare Moon could control the Gaia Memory within her, but it still would not allow her to understand the kindness of others. Still, the events she described seemed clear enough, and Twilight did her best to extract the truth of the tale. Nightmare Moon and Celestia had been the Champions of Harmony, fighting dopants who threatened Equestria. They had been allies, not rivals, and Nightmare Moon insisted that they had actually been sisters. But when the Gaia Fountain was capped, there could be no more dopants, and their powers were no longer needed.

Without an enemy to fight, the sisters agreed that they no longer needed the Elements. One of their Memories had developed a life of its own, so they used their great skill with magic to make it actually live. The others were to be returned to the Tree of Harmony, so that they could be purified ready for whichever heroes rose up when the Gaia Fountain’s seal broke in the unimaginably distant future. Celestia handed her Elements – Metal, Joker, and Trigger – back to the tree, and settled on a new role as Princess of the Sun. Her sister would have become the Princess of the Moon, protecting their subjects during the hours of darkness. But she could not bring herself to sacrifice the one Element that spoke to her heart most deeply. She had become the benevolent Princess, but she had secretly kept one of the Elements of Harmony in a silver chest beside her bed, where nopony would ever know about her moment of weakness.

The years passed. Two Princesses ruled Equestria, and both gave everything they could for their subjects. But the ponies praised Celestia during the day, and only slept by night. Celestia said that their subjects would be just as thankful in their dreams, but the Element that held power over dreams was sealed in its box, and she could never hear their adulation without the Driver. Until one day, curiosity grew too strong for the younger princess. She thrust one of the Elements of Harmony into her flank without a driver, as Twilight herself had so nearly done when she first uncovered them. The Princess of the Moon had become Nightmare Moon, one last dopant after the others were destroyed.

Celestia couldn’t do a memory break without the Driver, without two Champions of Harmony. For all her magic, she knew for sure that only one Gaia Memory could break the others. She had retained the Driver, also in secret, but that alone was not enough to save her sister from the Memory’s curse. All she could do was freeze her in time, turn her into the dream she so desired to see, and banish her to have her soul combined with the moon from which she drew her power.

She could see why her sister had done that. She could understand that in a thousand years, the Fountain would be unsealed and maybe Champions would arise who could finally release her from the Memory’s curse. But Nightmare Moon was consumed, still, by rage. Because she felt she had been punished for keeping one of her Memories, and yet Celestia had also kept the Driver in secret. Claiming to do the right thing, Celestia had nearly doomed the next generation of champions to the same fate which had befallen her own sister, because the Tree of Harmony had failed to spawn a new Driver.

She had broken free, at last, when the Fountain released enough power. Celestia could have banished her forever, but did not. She wanted her sister to be redeemed, but after a thousand years in magical exile, watching as the bond between their souls kept her sister alive just as long, there was nothing but jealousy and anger in her heart now.

She hadn’t been able to kill them at the Sisters’ Castle, though. She’d been torn between laughing at their unpreparedness, and crying over the tragedy that was inevitably coming for them. She stormed out, sacrificing as much dignity from the situation as she could. And then she infiltrated Pinkie Pie’s library of dreams, waiting for a chance to destroy them.

She said that the library wasn’t a dream, whatever Pinkie thought of it. It was something else entirely, that must have required a great amount of luck to be created, and for that reason she could stay there even when Pinkie was awake, and watch their progress in battle. And the more she saw them fail, only to come back stronger, the more she was reminded of herself and Celestia. Their bonds had been the important thing, more so even than the incredible magic of the Elements of harmony. It was their trust in each other that had allowed them to grow to the point they could be the Princesses of the Sun and Moon.

“We watched,” Nightmare Moon continued, “We saw you grow. And we could not hurt you. You are too much like us, as we could have been. We are jealous, and we will never outgrow the hurt of seeing the Driver that still recognised us perverted into an implement of exile. But now, our wrath is spent. We truly have no fury with which to engage this generation’s Champions of Harmony. We will watch, and make sure you are safe from treachery among your number, but we will not be your enemy. And if you can find any way to remove the Gaia Memory that is our closest friend without destroying it, maybe then you will face us.”

It didn’t seem like it had taken so long to hear that story, but with a great crash the door swung open and vanished.

“You will not defy me!” Lucky Island screamed, “You will tell me how I can dream, or everypony in this nightmare will die. Do you want that on your conscience?”

“SILENCE!” Nightmare Moon screamed, and this time there was genuine fury in her voice. In the real world, it would have shaken trees a mile away. “I AM THE PRINCESS OF THE MOON, RULER OF ALL DREAMS, AND YOU WILL BOW BEFORE ME, LITTLE DOPANT. THE DREAM MEMORY CAN PREVENT A PONY FROM WAKING, BUT ONLY OURS CAN KILL IN THE LAND OF DREAMS. SO DO NOT TROUBLE US WITH EMPTY THREATS.”

“Thank you,” Twilight nodded, and reached down to eject the Element of Laughter from the Driver. A moment later, she was shaking her head back in the real world, crouched in the corner of the sleep lab.

Rarity smiled for an instant as her collar glowed faintly. If Twilight was switching memories, then she only had to make the connection and she could call for the others to rescue her. She reached for the collar with her magic, and only then realised that the Driver wasn’t on her breast, and the Element of Generosity wasn’t in its usual place on her collar. Maybe the residual imprint of the crystals could let her see when the others were transforming, but there was nothing she could do to get a message to them now. She could do nothing but worry, wait, and think about how they could avoid this situation in the future.

She lay there and thought, occasionally trying to manipulate the cords, but thwarted by her injuries. She needed to ensure that none of them was alone with a dopant ever again, especially one smart enough to recognise the Elements as the secret of their power.

It was nearly half an hour, and the collar flashed even more briefly and faintly. A few moments after the last flash, a door somewhere behind her creaked open. She braced herself for more pain, not knowing what the mad doctor had in mind for her. But it was Twilight’s voice that called out as she heard hooves running across the uneven tiles: “Oh Celestia! Rarity! Are you okay? I tried calling with the collar but you didn’t answer, I couldn’t stop worrying.”

“It’s Dr Island,” Rarity found it hard even to talk, her whole body bruised by the dopant’s assault, “He’s crazy, he took my Element, I can’t…”

“Don’t worry,” Twilight was firm and businesslike, holding back her tears until she’d done what was needed. She could see the knots well enough, and could use her magic without being distracted by physical pain, but even so it took her three or four minutes to loosen the bonds sufficiently and allow Rarity to sit up.

“We knew it was Lucky Island, AJ figured it out. But he said he’d kill the sleeping fillies if I woke up, and we weren’t willing to call his bluff. I didn’t even realise he might have hurt you until I woke up and saw there’d been a fight in the lab.”

“Not much of one, I’m afraid. He became the monster from my nightmare, I couldn’t even scratch him.”

“It’ll be easier together. We’ve already fought one of his dream forms, but I’m not sure what we can do. He’s in his office now, I peered through the keyhole. Your Element wasn’t there, I didn’t know he’d taken it. We can check the lab and the observation room, but I suspect if he’s smart enough to take it, he wouldn’t leave it lying around. And Pinkie and Fluttershy can’t wake up, it seems that if they’re asleep our minds go into the dream space, rather than waking them up.”

They were right to be cautious. Lucky Island was sitting in his office still when they peered through the keyhole again. He had some lab equipment out on his desk, though it was nowhere near the complexity they’d seen in the sleep lab and observation room. He was trying to take apart the Element of Generosity, though from the frustrated scowl on his face he wasn’t having much luck.

“We’ve got to get it back,” Rarity gasped, “What if he breaks it?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan.”

Lucky Island flung open his office door at the sound of a crash from down the corridor. He wouldn’t normally have cared, but that was the direction of his sleep lab, and he had no idea where he could find the troublesome Twilight Sparkle right now.

He saw her banging against the door with a heavy axe. Locking the room had bought him some time to study, at least. He pulled the Dream Memory out of his pocket, no longer with its complex tangle of wires. A second’s worry was dismissed when he saw that the hole she’d managed to tear in the door wasn’t even close to being large enough for a pony to fit through.

“Drop the axe!” He yelled, “You’re not getting your friends out until I get what I want.”

“You forgot one thing,” she turned to face him and threw the axe aside. She was holding that strange accessory, the Driver, with her magic, and swung it around her neck with enough force that the other end of the belt swung round and snapped into place on its own. “You ready, Spike?”

Lucky Island blinked in surprise. A pony couldn’t get in through that hole in the door, but a baby dragon almost certainly could. Twilight sparkle flipped a Gaia Memory end over and and slammed it precisely into the Driver’s tube as he was still trying to think of what might be going on.

“JOKER!” The Memory sang out, in a voice that sounded much more pleasant than the harsh monotone of Lucky Island’s own.

“DREAM!” He waited, didn’t transform yet. Black and silver lines spread over his coat, a mimicry of the appearance of the technology he spent so much of his life working with. But that was all, he didn’t choose a shape to change into from the vast array of nightmares at his disposal. He tried to think what a dragon could do. Could he push a Memory into the drivers of one of her sleeping comrades? But from all he’d seen, that would just make her fall asleep again. There had to be something else.

Lucky Island worked it out just in time. He spun on the spot, and brought the leading edge of one wing hard against the neck of the second unicorn, knocking her to the ground. He stood on her neck to prevent her from rising, and only then stooped to pick up the Generosity Memory that she’d so nearly recovered.

“You’re the distraction then?” He asked, “Well let me show you why you should never try to trick a doctor. Which was your greatest fear, Twilight Sparkle? Was it seeing your friend die in front of your eyes? Or maybe your pride is more important to you than your friends? Oh, I remember…”

He blinked for just a moment, and the silver tracery over his body changed to be blue-black with occasional silver flecks. He was taking on a monstrous form Twilight knew only too well: the form of Nightmare Moon, the enemy she had failed to vanquish. Not as she had really appeared, though her visage was strange and terrible enough, but as she had been in Twilight’s nightmares for the past month, a monster formed more from a terrified subconscious image than from reality.

“How would you like to see the terrible Nightmare Moon kill this friend right before your eyes?” He spoke with her voice as well, as Twilight remembered it from Begins Night months before. She knew that this wasn’t really Nightmare Moon, and the real thing wouldn’t scare her now. But that voice spoke straight to her hindbrain and it took all her self control not to turn and run.

(“How dare he!” A voice whispered inside Twilight’s mind. She recognised it, but wasn’t sure why it should be there. This was the voice of the real Nightmare Moon, who had remained hidden in Pinkie Pie’s subconscious for so long. Where Lucky Island sought to inspire terror in order to stop her from fighting, this voice had the confidence of one who had never needed to threaten, because she was sure her talents were self evident. It wasn’t the tone of a monster, though, but the sheer pride of a Princess who had been through hell to save all of Equestria once upon a time. “How dare he presume to take on OUR form?”)

(“You’re… in our dreams?” Twilight spoke in her mind, the same way she did when she was discussing strategy with Pinkie or Fluttershy. She wasn’t sure what was going on, but her best guess would be that if Nightmare Moon was still in Pinkie’s dream, she could overhear her thoughts through some previously unknown property of the Driver, “How does that work?”)

(“The Driver creates a bond between you, did you know that? It is a supreme magical harmony. And even when you give up your Gaia Memories, when your job is done, that bond will remain. My sister could not destroy me, could not manage a Memory Break on her own. But she manipulated the powers of the Driver to trap my mind. So many times, the Driver had transmitted my mind to join Celestia in her body, but because the Driver still recognised me she could modify that same system to trap my mind between this world and the moon. So, I think, I still have a special connection to the Driver and the one who wears it.”)

(“Can you offer any suggestions? Can you wake the others? You’re angry about him trying to look like you, but I can’t actually stop him without another Element.” Twilight was a little scared to ask Nightmare Moon for her help, but bluffing hadn’t worked and now she didn’t think there was any other option.)

(“That depends, Twilight Sparkle. I think I trust you enough, but know not if that faith is returned. I can think of one way to retrieve that Memory. But are you willing to ride with the devil, if it will save your friend?”)

Twilight didn’t even need to think. A single glance down at Rarity, straining helplessly to escape the powerful hoof that held her to the floor, was enough to make up her mind. “Yes,” she said aloud.

For an instant, like an image seen from the corner of your eye, Nightmare Moon was standing beside Twilight, a horse-sized dopant body coalescing out of strands of black smoke. She was as terrifying as Lucky Island’s impression, but in a very different way. She was regal, and her body had all the power of the night. She was terrifying, awe-inspiring, and majestic. She had grace and poise, and she could make anypony else feel fear simply because she was so much more than they could ever dream of being. She was not grotesque, though, and she was not a monster.

And as soon as she appeared, a shimmering mist black-violet magic reached back from her horn and forcibly plucked the Gaia Memory that had changed her out of her flank. The crystal the golden gleam of pure starlight, as well as the pearly shimmer of the moon where the light caught the white symbol emblazoned on the crystal. The symbol itself was simple, a letter that looked so much like a simple crescent, Twilight would probably never have been able to tell her cutie mark from a natural one.

“LUNAR!” The Memory sounded deeper and richer than any Twilight had heard before, booming even louder than Nightmare Moon’s own voice. It was also nothing like the harsh monotone announcement she had come to associate with dopant memories; she knew now that this had once been one of the Elements of Harmony, the story was true, but it was impossible to say how much it had changed while the Lunar Dopant had been banished for a thousand years. It was too late to change her mind now, though. The Driver flickered and appeared on Nightmare Moon’s breast, but distorted like an image through twisted glass. It was almost like the Driver itself was trying to reject the dopant, but it couldn’t break a connection that had persisted so long.

“LUNARᏔJOKER!” The transformation wasn’t quite the same as usual, but in the circumstances Twilight thought nopony could have expected it to be. As soon as the driver was inserted, Nightmare Moon was reduced to a vaguely pony-shaped cloud of black and purple magic, which quickly gathered around Twilight. Seconds later there was a giant purple alicorn standing there. Twilight could feel the sheer power of magic coursing through her body, more powerful than anything she had ever felt before. It was even more intense than the combination of two unicorns she had experienced with Rarity, but this time she had wings as well, and could feel the surge of sheer power, the intensity of both kinds of magic filling her body to the brim. It was intoxicating.

(“Thine own magic is impressive,” Luna’s voice echoed in the back of their mind, “We never believed that a mere unicorn could have such potency. Without the multiplicative effect of the Driver, even after a millennium of training, it is possible thou could challenge us for pure power.”)

(“But you’re an alicorn!” Twilight found herself blushing at the compliment, even though she could sense that it might be true. The rush of power they were feeling now was just as incredible to the Princess of the Moon, their combined abilities much greater than the sum of their parts. “You should have the greatest power imaginable!”)

(“And yet we have no doubt that should thou become a Princess, thy power will be greater yet.” There was a bitterness in her voice that Twilight couldn’t understand. It felt like it wasn’t directed at her; that their conversation had reminded Luna of some other slight. But he didn’t have time to ask any more now, while they had a monster to fight.)

They turned and looked towards Lucky Island. He just stood there, eyes flickering in fear. Their armour was impressive plates of onyx in this form, and their coat shaded smoothly from Luna’s star-spangled midnight blue at the left of their body to Twilight’s deep lavender at the right, but the combination seemed to make both colours richer and more vibrant. The conversation had taken less than a second in their minds, and the other dopant was still too startled by their transformation.

(“Luna?” Twilight realised she’d thought the name without ever asking it, “Your name is the same as your Element?”)

(“One of them. You wonder why I found it hard to let go?”)

The Dream Dopant was moving towards them now, ribbons of black mist curling out from the tips of his hooves. He was too slow, though. Twilight Moon whipped a forehoof round as if to kick at the dopant, even though he was still thirty feet away down the corridor. But as their leg extended, it seemed to stretch out to cover the distance. The blow connected, and the dopant was outside on the hospital’s lawn.

“Wow, how’s that for a rubber stamp?” Twilight grinned, pleased with both the power of her attack and the pun she’d managed to think of so quickly.

(“Do not demean our powers with such a name,” Luna corrected, “The growing and shrinking of the moon is too majestic to treat as mere physical elasticity!”)

Twilight Moon charged outside through the hole in the wall. The dopant was just starting to pick itself up when they lashed out with another kick. This time they extended one leg overhead, almost above the height of the hospital, before bringing it crashing down on their enemy with tremendous force. For all Luna might want to deny it, their body did seem to exhibit amazing properties of elasticity, and the blow had all the power of a rubber band pulled back almost to its limit.

This attack slammed Lucky Island into the ground, making a crater in the grass. He was dazed, but still tried to stand. The next strike rose even higher into the air, and as it came down the leading edge of Twilight Moon’s leg twisted to assume the shape of an axe head.

(“Did you not give your different combat techniques names?” Twilight asked, “Some of my friends liked the idea, and now it seems strange not to shout out…”)

(“Don’t you dare say anything with the word ‘rubber’ in,,” Luna cautioned.)

(“I can do better than that,” Twilight grinned internally, sensing the elder pony’s subconscious approval…)

“Gibbous Axe!” They called together. The Driver increased their physical attributes as well as their magic, and the volume of their triumphant shout probably hurt Lucky Island almost as much as the physical blow. This time, his legs quivered as he tried to stand, but his body didn’t move from the horse-shaped impression he’d made in the ground. His body now was fragments of different nightmares. He had the many rows of teeth of CuteKaiser, and the smoking aura of Applejack’s fire demon as well as the glittering blackness that he used to represent Nightmare Moon; and horns and tentacles, and appendages TwilightMoon couldn’t even recognise that had to be from the dreams of the different fillies he had trapped in sleep.

(“How about we finish this. What does this form’s memory breaking attack look like?”)

(“Take a look!”)

They reared up on their hind legs, and two forehooves came down on the driver. The memories moved maybe half an inch deeper into their slots before returning to their normal position, glowing like twin stars in gold and violet now.

“LUNARJOKER:” the Driver called out again, “Maximum Drive!” Luna and Twilight both ran forward, both with the enchanted armour of the Champion of Harmony. It was almost like they had been split down the middle, though only having two legs each didn’t impair them at all. Lucky Island turned his head, not sure which of them to watch, but it wouldn’t have made any difference. A moment later two half-ponies had become three, and then five. The Dream Dopant was struck from all directions by hooves that could stretch to kick from the far corners of the courtyard, and while they knocked him back and forth Twilight’s magic could easily reach in and snatch the Dream Memory from his body. Nine hooves at once connected with the crystal, which exploded in a shower of golden sparks.

(“The Driver can provide the power, you know,” Luna finally dropped her formal mode of speech, and spoke to Twilight as if they were friends. “You don’t always need to be putting your own emotions into the Memory Break.”)

With the Dream Memory broken, the magic didn’t last long. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie woke immediately, though Regal Destiny and some of her friends continued to enjoy a normal, dreamless sleep until the next morning. It took a day or so for Ponyville to get back to normal, although most of the ponies in the street didn’t even know a monster had attacked.

Lucky Island was incredibly apologetic. He’d asked for help from another scientist, he said. He’d never wanted to hurt anypony, he just wanted to better understand dreams so that he could help those who were troubled by nightmares. He’d been offered a crystal which was supposed to be able to access dreams, and he’d been more than willing to trade down to a smaller house so that he could pay the price. But then he had lost his dreams, and the sense of regret had driven him to abandon all reason. He couldn’t understand why he would have gone so far.

Twilight told him that they understood. That Gaia Memories could be addictive, and could break through any reasonable thought. As she told him that, she thought about Princess Luna, who had departed to seek her sister’s forgiveness. Nightmare Moon was destroyed now, but in a way nopony had expected. She might still be able to use the Luna Memory, but had promised she wouldn’t consider it until they could be sure it was safe. It was hard to trust the Princess who had been Nightmare Moon, and had been the most terrible monster in mythology for so many generations. But with the power she held now, Twilight knew more than anyone that the only thing they could do was hope that she kept her word. Maybe they would meet again.

Lucky Island couldn’t tell them who had provided the Gaia Memory. It had been a friend of a colleague of a friend, and the Royal Inquisition was already following that chain of relationships. But every pony saved was a victory for the Champions of Harmony, and every victory was a step closer to a lasting peace.

And every step toward peace was a stride closer to a world where they would no longer be needed. That was a worrying thought, but still an issue for the future. Now, the Champions would just do the job that was in front of them, and hope that they would escape the worst of the mind games that had eventually ended the benevolent reign of their predecessors.

One pony worried about it more than the others. She couldn’t tell her friends, but somehow she knew they were missing something. Maybe soon.

Author's Note

I know Luna's voice is a little inconsistent. I think she's trying to fit in a little, and has learned the modern Equestrian language from the times she's been watching through Pinkie's mind's eye; but still slips back into the tone she's used to when she gets excited.

Maybe this chapter could use a little more polish, but I think this is the best I can do right now.

Episode 13 - A D is a Mare’s Best Friend

It was a day like any other in Ponyville. Pegasi were flying over the town, dragging a heavy payload of stormclouds fresh from the weather factory. Ponies were talking in the street, and conducting secret business behind closed doors. And, like almost every day, a stranger from out of town was causing a ruckus.

In this case, at least, the chaos was a continuation of commerce by other means. He was greedy and seemed to have no manners, though that was quite easy to dismiss as the natural brusqueness of a city-dweller coming to visit. He leapt around the shop like a cyclone, running from one item to another as they caught his attention, and pulling every item down from where it was hanging.

“I’ll have this, and this, and this. Oh my, I have to take this. Oh, and these are simply divine, I couldn’t stand the thought of anypony else getting their hooves on these. Ohhh, that is beautiful, I must have this one.” Rarity watched in shock, almost forgetting her own manners enough to leave her mouth hanging open as the stranger breezed through the Carousel Boutique and picked up everything that wasn’t nailed down. When he finally stopped moving, he had the best part of a month’s work thrown across his back and hanging from his wings.

She should have given him a lecture right there about respecting everypony’s work, and the amount of effort it took to create those masterpieces. She wanted to say that the dresses she made were works of art, created for a specific client and a specific mood, not something you could simply pick up off the peg and expect it to fit. But her tirade was stopped before it even started when the golden-maned pegasus opened a coin purse and tipped out exactly the right price for everything he’d picked up. He knew how much these items would cost, and could do the sums even while he charged around like a bull in a china shop.

The purse was nowhere near empty, either, and Rarity was well-bred enough that she knew different rules applied to the very rich and the very powerful. Around somepony with that much cash to hand, the laws of etiquette said that whatever they did must be right, because there was no way someone so successful could be an uncultured boor. Maybe his servants would be used to adjusting impulse buys to fit when he got them home. But then, it was hard to imagine why a stallion was buying so many extravagant dresses and gowns in any case.

“I’ll need a second copy of everything. It simply wouldn’t do if she was caught without the right costume for the occasion through some spill or mishap. I’ll pick them up on Friday. I assume that’s convenient?”

“An extra one of everything?” Rarity beamed, twitching slightly. Making the duplicates would take almost the whole week, leaving next to no time for any other customers who came in. Still, if she had the favour of someone with so many bits to splash around that surely meant her little boutique was becoming more famous. And she had nothing urgent to prepare right now; even the six dresses from the Gala had been finished, and she had promised herself that this time she really wouldn’t think of any slight modifications that could improve them and start working on them again.

“Of course, of course!” she managed after just a few moments thought, “I’ll start work on that right away.”

“Excellente! We just love the extravagant use of gemstones. She believes diamonds are really going to be in this year.” With that bombshell, the strange pegasus strode out, taking care only to avoid scuffing the heap of fabulous clothes draped across his back.

Rarity, meanwhile, poked her head into the back room, to take a look at the supplies she had. She probably had enough fabric to make everything again, but she’d had so many ideas in her mind over the last week that she’d been cutting and sewing almost every minute. She’d put off digging for gems for quite some time, and the one basket left in the back of the shop hadn’t miraculously become full again since the last time she looked. In fact, it looked like there were a few less in there than earlier that morning.

“Spike!” she guessed immediately, knowing only one regular visitor who had such a fondness for gemstones. Exactly as expected the little dragon popped up from behind a workbench, still nibbling on a large piece of azurite.

“Oh hmmp whaw…” he started speaking with his mouth full, and then swallowed before trying again, “Oh, hi Rarity! I brought some plans Twilight said you needed, a new synchronicity spell, and I brought… umm… But you looked awful busy so I figured it’d be better to just leave them on the side for you.”

“And help yourself to a little snack while you’re here?” Rarity raised an eyebrow. But Spike’s eyes immediately turned to the ground, and his exuberance dissolved in an instant as he replied.

“They were just sitting there, they looked so tasty. I thought maybe… maybe you wouldn’t notice just one?”

Rarity quickly looked around. There were crumbs of a couple of different colours around the room, and they weren’t anywhere near the tools that she would have needed to split gems. But he felt bad enough already, and she knew it wouldn’t be fair to punish him. She was normally quite happy to offer him a gem or two, especially after he’d helped her to dig them out of the rock, and the only reason she was agitated today was that strange customer, and whoever he was buying for.

“Anyway, it’s good you’re here.”

“I brought you a present…” he murmured, uncertain now if it was the right time to be offering it.

“You can tell me on the way. We’re going mining.”

Rarity needed a lot of diamonds, and she needed them quickly. But even working as fast as they could manage, mining was still a relatively leisurely affair. Rarity had long ago mastered the spell that allowed her to sense certain gems even when they were out of sight. So they went to a cave out on the very edge of Ponyville, and Rarity made chalk marks on the walls to indicate caches of jewels. She’d dealt with a couple of miners before, when she didn’t have the time to go out searching by herself. But they always complained about the effort involved, and Rarity couldn’t see finding gems to be any worse than a walk through a somewhat dusty cave, and even that was tolerable as she used a little magic to sweep the path clear ahead of her.

Behind her, the crashing of broken rock and the sound of heavy breathing told her that Spike was so far only a furlong behind her, digging out the treasure that she’d found. She knew it was probably harder work for him than it was for her, but he never complained. It was a perfect arrangement, and meant that she could adorn the outfits she created with all manner of precious and semiprecious stones while still maintaining a price point comparable to other popular designers.

There were quite a lot of caves in the low hills around the town, and many of them turned out to have gems relatively close to the surface. Some historians speculated that they had once been the treasure hordes of great dragons, hidden away to guard against a possible famine, that had been moved around into smaller groups by burrowing animals and shifting earth in the many years since their original owners had moved on. It was a romantic dream, that the stones she was using to make some dress perfect had once been part of a much larger horde, maybe even paid as ransom for the safety of some fair maiden, or as tribute between different nations. Obviously, nobody wanted to return to the ancient stories of war and of rampaging monsters, but thinking about it now could be kind of romantic.

But today, Rarity marked only the most obvious stashes of gemstones, as well as one or two pockets of magicite crystal that she knew Twilight Sparkle would be interested in. She needed quite a lot of semiprecious stones for several of the dresses she would be making new versions of this week, and for each of them she would need several large and hundreds of smaller pieces of the exact same colour. That meant she couldn’t rely on the pre-cut gems that were often found buried around the country. She would need to find a natural vein of the particular mineral she needed, and see if Spike could extract enough pieces for her to cut down into the shapes and sizes called for by each design.

The caves grew darker as they went deeper. It was almost like an oppressive darkness, some phenomenon that Rarity had never thought to analyse in too much depth; the farther from the surface she got, the dimmer the glow from her horn became, and the more magical energy she had to devote to keeping the way lit. It wasn’t as difficult as it had once been, but it still felt like each cavern was darker than the last. Before long, she found the area she wanted. The walls were closer, and made more of rock and less of dirt. And here, a layer of gritstone studded with some of the largest diamonds she’d ever sensed.

“I think you might need a bigger pick to get through the rock here,” she mused as she heard his steps approach, “But there’s a lot of gems in this seam. Get me the big ones, and you can snack on the remains while we do the rest of the cavern.” Spike didn’t respond, which struck Rarity as a little odd. He shouldn’t be exhausted and struggling to keep up with her this early in the day, she would have expected an enthusiastic comment about how he’d do anything to please her. She started turning around to see what was wrong, but before she saw him she already knew something was wrong.

Spike’s footsteps weren’t that slow and heavy. His shadow wasn’t that large. His breathing wasn’t deep and rasping, and the sound she’d taken to be a sled loaded with gems being dragged across the uneven ground turned out to be the butt of some kind of spear trailing in the dirt. There were two creatures standing behind her, one in heavy armour and the other wearing a simple red coat and a diamond studded collar.

“Oh!” she gasped in surprise, “I do hope we’re not intruding, I didn’t realise that anypony– I mean, I think maybe we should start with a proper introduction.”

“Fine,” the creature growled, “I’m Spike, and you’re the pony that’s been stealing our diamonds. And don’t even try any magic, if your horn flickers you’re dead. Right?”

“Spike!” Twilight Sparkle’s voice echoed through the cellars of the Golden Oak Library. There was almost a maze of chambers down among the roots of the oak tree, and when he didn’t answer her first call she had to wonder if he’d somehow got lost, or was resting somewhere her voice didn’t reach.

“Spike!” she hollered again, starting to feel a little hoarse now. She was all the way down in the storeroom where she’d found her typewriter, among a whole load of junk. There were maybe a dozen chambers lower down, but half of them were natural spaces formed as the great tree’s roots had grown, and she was sure that if he was there he would have heard her call. She stopped and thought for a moment, it was always possible he was still talking to Rarity. But she couldn’t go any further with her current research without help, so she decided to just search. While she was down here, it made most sense to check every chamber before walking across town to the Carousel Boutique.

The next chamber didn’t contain a baby dragon. Nor did the next, but it did seem he’d been down here quite often. There was a rolled up blanket on a ledge, a basket of small gems for snacking, two quill pens that she hadn’t even noticed the absence of from her desk until now, a bottle of ink, and a tiny selection of books about dragons. She knew she shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but the tableau immediately painted a picture of an isolated orphan, trying to learn more about his race. He’d never known his mother, his egg having been in the care of a school for several years. Twilight had never thought about it beyond what they’d initially told her. But maybe Spike had.

She wondered if he’d been writing a diary of some kind, with pens and ink down here. She could understand why he’d be a little shy about that, and she certainly wouldn’t look inside if she saw one, but she was curious enough to want to know where he was keeping his secrets. She glanced around again, and saw the very last thing she would expect her number one assistant to have in his secret nook.

It wasn’t a diary. It was a letter, with a very familiar seal on the bottom. Twilight blinked in surprise. Even without the seal, she would instantly recognise Princess Celestia’s elegant, flowing script. She knew that Spike read all her letters, he often read them out to her when they arrived, but she had never imagined he would take one down to some private space for whatever reason. Now she had to look; she had to know what he could be secretly studying like this. It could be a letter which mentioned him, and she could understand that, though she would have preferred to know. But when she laid the scroll flatt and read the first few lines, her eyes were wide in shock. She knew she should stop, but she had taken in several lines before she could tear her eyes away.

Spike,

I thank you for your letter, and I must apologise for my lack of tact. Those words were intended only in jest, and I did not to mean any offence, or to imply that you are not truly a dragon. I had similar conversation with your mother when we first transformed her, and at the time none of us were sure whether she was truly a dragon or merely able to look and act like one. But it was always a joke, an academic curiosity that did not affect our relationship. There was no question that she was a valiant warrior, worthy of her reward, and a trusted advisor when I needed her the most. She was first and foremost my friend, and next to that it seemed of no importance whether she was truly alive or not.

But she was accepted in the Dragon Lands, she found love with a dragon, and you were born. I’m sure Twilight Sparkle, being more grounded in the sciences, will tell you that the ability to have children is the strictest test of species. So by the fact that your egg existed, it is proven beyond any doubt that Fang truly became a dragon, and so are you.

I must also thank you for your diligence, as I am aware how hard the current situation must be for you. However, I am less confident that we will ever be able to trust…

The letter wavered in the air as Twilight levitated it back to the place she’d found it, where she now noticed the edge of a few other letters placed flat between books. She wasn’t going to look at them. She shouldn’t have read that one, it was a letter not addressed to her. She wanted so badly to know who the Princess thought she would not be able to trust. But she had violated a confidence, reading someone else’s mail, and that alone would be enough to make her unworthy of trust. It couldn’t be her, could it, that Princess Celestia had chosen not to share important information with? She shook her head, as if the gesture could clear away the negative thoughts that were bothering her.

The rest of the cellars, as predicted, contained no trace of Spike. So with her head still full of speculation about that letter, she left the library and went in search of Rarity and Spike.

Meanwhile, on the edge of Ponyville there was a kind of negotiation going on. Lucky Break wasn’t quite living up to his name, and had to explain that he didn’t quite have the money he’d hoped.

“Times are hard,” he gasped, “You don’t know what it’s like, I’m setting up home for the first time. There’s all these costs you don’t expect, and I didn’t win… I didn’t earn as much as I’d hoped this month. I can give you thirty bits, and I’ll pay double next month. Can you give me that? I swear, I’ll make good on what I owe, to you and to everypony. We just need some time to get settled.” He realised he was babbling, speaking faster and faster.

“No,” it was the reply he’d expected, but delivered with such finality that Lucky Break found himself stepping back in fear, “I don’t offer credit to everypony. I thought you were reliable enough to take a chance on, but I told you up front that there’d be consequences if you couldn’t pay. I have to keep my word, or people won’t respect me.”

“Look,” Lucky gasped, “You’ll get your money, I swear it. Please, don’t make us return it, we’ve paid you part already. We’re just getting over the first hurdles, we’ll pay you–”

“When you first said you had problems, I said I’d give you three chances. This is your last chance, and once I’ve said it I don’t change my mind. Honesty is my middle name.” He gave a brief laugh, which contained almost no trace of humour, and then reached for something on the table beside him.

“Look, if we have to give it back, can we at least get a cheaper one, for what we already paid? I’m telling you, we can get the… What’s that thing? What are you doing?”

“DIAMOND!” The grating, unnatural voice rang out loud enough to fill the room, and Lucky Break could only panic as he saw the monster in front of him.

“Wait, please! You’ll get the money, I just–”

“I’ll get it, alright. I said you got one more chance, and you know my reputation. ‘Honest’ is practic’ly my middle name.”

The door to the Carousel Boutique swung open as Twilight approached, but there was no sign of anypony in the main part of the shop.

“Hi Rarity,” Twilight called out, raising her voice slightly to ensure it would carry to all the back rooms, “Is Spike still here? He didn’t get back y– Oh.” She saw a sign on the counter, and walked forward to read it. It was just a simple thing, a folded piece of paper standing up to tell the world that Rarity had gone to find materials, and that anyone who wished to place an order could try again later or leave a note for her. In many places, a shop open with nobody there would be an open invitation to any thief who happened to notice, but theft wasn’t such a big problem in Ponyville. And in any case, Rarity’s customers mostly wanted something made to order or at least adjusted. They came here for the service, not just the merchandise.

The sign was more interesting to Twilight right now because of the handwriting, which she easily recognised because she saw it most days. Spike had penned the little notice for her, and his calligraphy skills certainly gave it a professional appearance. Twilight pondered waiting for them; if Spike was helping Rarity to carry whatever she needed to buy, then he would be back here before he got home. But she didn’t know how long that was likely to be, until she glanced at some smaller numbers on the back of the paper. It was Rarity’s writing this time, a rough note with attempts to calculate what she would need and how much for some designs. Twilight wasn’t the biggest expert on fabric, but a quick glance around the back room revealed plenty of all the coloured fabrics on the list. So Rarity would have to be out collecting gems.

Twilight wasn’t sure how long that would take, but she was always organised. The books on mineralogy she’d sent Rarity on her birthday were neatly stacked on the end of one workbench, in mint condition and without a trace of dust on them, like books should be. Twilight had to admit that she didn’t know anywhere as near as much as she could about her friend’s special talent, so it seemed reading up a little would be a great way to pass the time until Rarity and Spike returned.

Three hours later, her patience was starting to wear thin. The books were interesting, and she was learning a lot, though she was pretty confident Rarity would still know more. But there was a whole chapter on different excavation techniques, including digging by magic and using dragons. Even accounting for the fact that Rarity could cast her signature gem finding spell without any ritual and without needing to rest after an hour, digging up the number of gems listed on those notes would take them three full days of labour, and that didn’t seem to leave enough time for actually making the dresses. Rarity would have to go to a jeweller or wholesaler to get her precious stones for this order, which in no way explained her absence for several hours, when she often said that the early afternoon was one of the busiest times for customers coming to the Boutique.

Twilight carefully re-shelved the books, ensuring that she treated them with just as much care and respect as Rarity would. Beside them she found a flame ruby, a peculiar gem which had formed with variations in density that made light shining through it appear to flicker like a candle flame. Twilight had read that they were said to be a symbol of romance in some cultures, and after she’d mentioned that Spike had insisted on giving one that he’d found as a gift to Rarity. All the time denying that he had a huge crush on her, of course. Whether he’d given it to Rarity and she’d placed it on the bookshelf as a conversation piece, or if he’d come over shy at the last minute and left it there, Twilight couldn’t bring herself to leave something of such intrinsic and emotional value on display in an empty shop. She took the ruby for safe keeping; Spike and Rarity would never forgive her otherwise.

Then she hesitated for a second, wondering what to do. Fear was crystallizing in her mind, worrying about both a good friend and her loyal assistant. She didn’t know who she was more concerned about, and as much as she told herself they could have just got delayed somewhere, she couldn’t quell the sense of worry. Even the analytical part of her mind said she should look for them, because she couldn’t continue with her work until she had Spike’s help anyway. If she found them enjoying a long lunch or a spa then the little dragon had earned a stern lecture.

First, she gave a little surge of magic to the Element of Joker, which sat in its usual place on her collar. It moved against the metal contacts, and glowed briefly. It had taken her and Rarity weeks of research to make the collars work properly, but she was sure the effort would be justified now. Wherever they were in Ponyville, the collars of her five friends would light up and let them know she was worried about something.

Or four, in this case. She’d spent so long fine-tuning the spell, working so close to the magic she was studying, that Twilight could feel the flow of energy into and out of the Element now. And she could tell immediately that Rarity wasn’t wearing her collar. That ruled out any possibility that Rarity could have neglected her business to enjoy the spring sun in a pavement café, or anything of that sort. Something was very wrong.

“What’s up?” Pinkie Pie set the door swinging back and forth as she charged through, “Something’s wrong and Rarity can’t help? Hey, where is she?” She bounded around the room with her usual exuberance, looking at Twilight from every angle as if there might be some position from which the unicorn looked less concerned.

“She’s not here. She went to buy gems, and she’s not got her Element. Something must have happened.”

“Buy gems? Doesn’t she normally get Spike to dig them up?”

“She doesn’t have time. If she went mining, even assuming ideal layout of gem deposits, and if she didn’t sleep when she was actually making the dresses,” there they both paused and groaned, remembering the troubles they’d had when Rarity had last been making dresses for them, “She’d miss the deadline for her current project by nearly two days. Even without drawing a proper critical path analysis she must have known she wouldn’t have time.”

“Hey! What’s up?” Rainbow Dash burst in through a high window, and this time managed to check her speed enough to land with some measure of grace on the far side of the room, “I came as quick as I could.”

“Rarity’s missing,” Twilight answered, speaking more quickly now she realised she was probably going to end up repeating the explanation again, “Spike too. I was hoping I could sense her location when I activated the collar, but she’s not wearing her Element.”

“Right,” Rainbow Dash was the fastest to come up with a plan, a quality she probably prided herself on even if it wasn’t the best plan in the world, “I’ll fly over town a few times, see if I can spot her from the air.”

“We know she went shopping, so we can go round the jewelry stores and see who saw her last,” Pinkie grinned, “I bet we can find her by talking to people faster than you can by flying.”

“You’re on!” and Rainbow Dash was out of the Boutique again, soaring through the skies over Ponyville. Twilight hesitated just a moment, and then added a note to the bottom of Rarity’s sign explaining the situation. Hopefully either Rarity would return and see it, if her Element had somehow been stolen, or anypony else who came in would join in to help them with the search.

“You can’t do this to me!” Rarity screamed, “I am a delicate lady, I can’t do manual labour!”

“We can do what we want,” the dog standing over her growled, from behind fangs so long he always seemed to be behind bars, “You stole our gems, you took our pups, and you’re taking all our customers. You’re gonna make that right, starting with–”

“Noooo!” Rarity yelled, her voice cutting through her captor’s tirade, “I never hurt any pups. Do you think I’m some kind of monster? If you need the money, I’m happy to buy gems, but can’t we negotiate in a civilised manner? Over tea, maybe, and without stealing my choker.”

“Uh-uh,” the creature shook his head, “Fido saw a pony with a magic stone, you’re not getting that back.” Rarity just nodded, and tried to think where she could start negotiation. There had to be something in common that they both wanted, and Rarity knew that talking was one of her strong points.

“Have you seen Rarity today?” It was a simple enough question, but Twilight’s progress around various jewellers was slowed by the fact that everypony they asked wanted to know what was wrong. Many of the jewellers had bought gems from Rarity in the past, when she’d found caches of a colour or type that didn’t suit the dress she was working on at the time. And several of them had sold her jewels or even complete pieces when she was in a hurry to complete something. But none had seen her today, and in every store Twilight ended up recounting the story, saying that she’d been supposed to meet Rarity and had some reason to be worried about her friend.

It was harder than it might have been, because Twilight didn’t want to mention the powers of the Elements of Harmony. There was no way of knowing if one of the storekeepers, or one of their customers, or a curious passer-by, might find a Gaia Memory and become the next dopant to rampage through Ponyville. So she didn’t want the typical mare in the street to have any idea precisely what kind of powers the Elements gave them, how they worked, or what kind of limitations they might have.

She asked the jewelers; Sapphire Glaze, Pure Fire, and Morning Glory. She asked the geologists, who traded in gems among many other earth-created commodities but without being fitted into a setting. And having read part of the books at Rarity’s place, she knew her friend might have gone to see a builder’s merchant instead. Anyone who cut large quantities of various types of stone for building with might come across gems amid the rock, and local specialists such as Rock Solid, Heavy Bargain, and Honest Joe, who had their own small quarries, might not find enough to justify hiring a full time mineralogist to cut, sort and polish the stones. It could be a bargain if you used enough gems to have your own tools, which Rarity clearly did.

Everypony gave her the same answer. They hadn’t seen Rarity, but they knew of her and they were worried enough to need a full account of where she’d last been seen. By the time she’d recounted her carefully censored version of the story ten times, Twilight was already exhausted. She stopped for a moment outside the last shop, hoping that Pinkie would have more luck with her half of the list. Then she finally noticed the unicorn sitting distraught by the side of the road.

She didn’t particularly stand out from the crowd. A pale coat that could just as easily be pale gold or white under golden sunlight, and a short red mane that hung down in waves to almost block her view of the world. The only reason Twilight’s instincts had been screaming at her to notice this mare was because she’d seen her so many times over the course of the morning. Now she was paying attention, she noticed that the other unicorn was sitting staring at the ground, and her mane parted around her horn just enough for the sadness in her eyes to be visible.

Twilight Sparkle didn’t hesitate. “Hey, is something wrong?”

“What’s it to you?” the other pony didn’t even look up as she mumbled a reply. She kept on staring at the ground, and at the wedding ring she was turning around and around on her hoof.

“Because you’ve been a few steps behind me or ahead of me most of this afternoon, so either you’re following me or maybe we’ve got the same problem. You’re visiting jewelry stores, right, wondering where your friend has got to?” The pale unicorn nodded, eyes still fixed on the ring on her hoof.

“Your special somepony is missing?” Twilight hazarded a guess, and was rewarded with another almost imperceptible nod, “Then we should share who we’re looking for, see if we can help each other. And a nice cup of tea while we talk might help you calm down some. My name’s Twilight Sparkle.”

The other pony looked up, and there was a long pause. Then she got to her hooves, and mumbled “Heart Flush” as she followed Twilight to the most convenient café.

Heart Flush and Lucky Break had been the perfect young couple. Everybody said it, though their parents didn’t exactly approve of the direction they wanted to take their relationship. Lucky’s father wanted his son to inherit the family farm, and provide him with a half dozen grandkids to dote on. Heart Flush’s father was a skilled blacksmith disappointed that he didn’t have a son to follow in his hoofsteps, so a strong son-in-law seemed like a godsend. But the young lovers had their own plans, which didn’t involve taking on either of their family legacies.

They’d made it, though. They had a home of their own, without any help from their parents. They’d worked extra jobs on the side, hauling lumber at weekends or waiting tables in the evening while every day was devoted to building up their own family business. And they had saved up just enough to afford a wedding on their own, hoping that showing they could look after themselves would earn a little respect from their families. The biggest problem, it turned out, was the ring.

A wedding ring, with an enormous diamond. Even Twilight was impressed by the size of it, it would be impossible to miss. It was the kind of jewel that ponies like Filthy Rich would make sure to provide for their kids when the time came; not something a struggling young couple could save up for even working three or four jobs.

That, Heart Flush explained, was where Lucky had really benefitted from his natural luck. It was a big stone, and the ring was well made, but the ponies rich enough to afford something like that were currently following trends for subtle jewelry, something less gaudy, and it was on special offer. On great terms, too, if Lucky took it straight away, because the store didn’t have enough space in the safe for all their larger stock. Then they could pay it back monthly, and if they paid a little extra when their business venture turned a higher profit, they’d never have to worry about the interest.

It had all been fine, until some of the bird monster’s explosive feathers had damaged the roof tiles of their home during a battle. They’d had to choose between paying back the ring, or fixing up their home so it didn’t leak in the rain. And then the young couple had found one problem after another that required just a few bits to make it right. Lucky had made some bad bets, and they had to miss a payment. That was fine, but the next payment would be double. He’d said that should be easy, he’d heard from some of his friends in Cloudsdale that one pegasus, Meadow Song, had been doing more training than ever before and was bound to win the Best Young Flyer competition. They’d gambled their repayment money on her, with a side bet on Cloud Kicker in case the tip wasn’t as hot as he’d thought. It was a plan that couldn’t fail.

Then Rainbow Dash had won the competition, a result they couldn’t ever have expected. Lucky Break had a plan, though. He knew how they could find just enough bits to catch up on paying for the ring, if the jeweller would just give them two weeks to gather the cash. He’d gone out in the morning to explain the plan to the jeweller, saying that if the pony wouldn’t accept it then he’d beg and plead, and finally agree to return the ring. He promised he’d be back for lunch. And though his schemes didn’t always go to plan, he was invariably punctual. A great number of the tricks that powered their business depended on it.

“And he didn’t show?” Twilight answered as the tale trailed off. Heart Flush was staring into her teacup, not quite crying but with every sign that it was taking all her willpower not to.

“He sent me a message, said the jeweller wouldn’t give us a week, and he wasn’t sure what was going on,” Heart muttered, and then seeing Twilight’s raised eyebrow she had to explain: “We worked out how to use an old bit of magic that he found in the library years ago, he can send a message, just a few words, and I hear it like he’s right next to me. His horn flickers so quickly that nopony would notice unless they’re looking for it, so he could let me know while they’re still discussing it.”

That caught Twilight’s interest in a whole new way. There were all manner of communication spells available to a unicorn who wanted to study them, but all took either significant time to prepare, or required a clear line between ponies, or the messages travelled only as fast as a typical bird. She knew the one Heart Flush was talking about; she knew the book as well, it had a page torn out before she arrived in Ponyville and so far she’d been unable to find any data on the missing part of the spell. If Lucky Break had recreated the ancient scholar’s work, she would be able to offer him quite a few bits towards paying off his debt. But she immediately guessed that this young couple hadn’t revealed their discovery to the world because they had a much more lucrative use for it.

“You know there’s a law against betting on races that have already finished, right?” And the sudden eyes-wide panic confirmed her suspicions. “Don’t worry, it’s not my problem right now. But I think I see why your parents don’t approve of your business venture. So, Lucky Break sent you a message, you didn’t have any more time to pay. So I’m guessing he went to try and make some money real quick?”

“He sound scared in the last message. I waited ten minutes then tried to call him back. And I couldn’t reach him, it’s like he wasn’t there at all.”

“Hmm,” Twilight considered this. She wanted to try to find some rational explanation, but it felt like too much of a coincidence for Lucky Break and Rarity to both be missing when they’d gone looking for a jeweller. “Could he have tried some spur-of-the-moment scheme to make an easy bit, and got into a fight? Maybe he’s been knocked out, and that’s why you can’t reach him. I hope he’s not badly hurt, but it’s possible I could help you pay back what you owe if that will…” Heart Flush was gently shaking her head, and Twilight stopped as soon as she noticed.

“I can tell if he’s asleep. And even if he’s out cold, I found out after he ran into a door of all things, I can tell how injured he is and how long he’s likely to be out. If we understood the old writings right, I should be able to tell what condition he’s in even if he… he’s…” she couldn’t even bear to say the word.

“Then I’m sure he isn’t,” Twilight insisted. “Possibly a broken horn could change his heart signature, which would make your spell unable to find him, but in that case he’d need to be in a hospital. Did you check there yet? Or some kind of magical effect that blocks your communication spell, though using something like that would imply they know about your spell, and that’s worrying in itself.”

“I’ll check the hospital,” Heart Flush nodded, “I can’t believe he didn’t tell me which jeweller it was. I thought it was just because I’m practical where he’s romantic, he didn’t want me to know how much he really spent, and I trusted he’d be able to handle it. But now I don’t even know who to ask about him. You think it’s like revenge? But we never hurt anypony, why…”

“I’m worried about my friend as well,” Twilight hoped that would be reassuring, “She left a note to say she was going to buy gems, but she didn’t come back. We’ve got a kind of communication spell too, and I can’t reach her. If there’s magic that can block it, they could be in the same place. Is that reassuring? Because there’s a chance whoever it is doesn’t just have a grudge against your husband. And two heads are better than one, right?”

“Yeah…”

It was the following morning that the Elements of Harmony and Heart Flush gathered together in the Carousel Boutique. Rarity was still missing, and there had been no sign of Lucky Break either. They’d checked everywhere that might sell gems, even pawnbrokers and armourers, and nopony admitted to having seen either of them. Applejack glared with some anger at Heart Flush, but even she could understand the fear of a young mare who was fretting over her special somepony. Judgment on the fraudsters could wait.

“There’s one more place,” Twilight said, looking down a list of the responses they’d got, “One of the jewellers said they sometimes get stones from the Diamond Dogs. Sounds like a group of shady characters, famous for mining skill but not for their morals. Most of the reputable stores were only willing to deal with them when there weren’t enough other sources of gems. Now there’s enough supply that the buyers can pick and choose, these Dogs might be losing a lot of business. Enough to start… I don’t know. But desperate ponies do stupid things, and don’t care about the rules so much anymore. And what kind of attitude prompts anypony to call themselves ‘The Diamond Dogs’? That sounds like the name of a nefarious gang to me.”

In their tunnels, the Diamond Dogs were indeed getting desperate. Now, two of them were following a lone pony as quietly as they could manage. They were large creatures, with skin they liked to claim was as tough as the rock that surrounded them. Their claws were tough, and strong enough to dig through shale or even loose gritstone, but that meant they weren’t so good for moving quietly with gravel underfoot. If they’d been given to introspection, they might have concluded that walking on two legs wasn’t the best way to make no noise, because every step ended up supporting their whole weight as soon as the other leg was lifted. Still, the pony didn’t seem to have noticed them.

He was an earth pony stallion, walking with some confidence. The cloak over his back was clearly expensive, made from silk or velvet, or some other fancy material that the dogs had no reason to have heard more than the name of. He was carrying a small pouch of jewels as well, maybe a half dozen stones but larger than anything the Diamond Dogs had ever had the luck to unearth. They couldn’t stop staring at those gems, but as they drew closer to the strange pony they managed to fix their eyes on his hooves. If they were quick, they could take him out before he had a chance to strike back. The gems would be theirs, and all their troubles would be over. It wasn’t a perfect plan, especially if the stallion turned out tougher than he looked, but it was the only one they had.

The Dogs pounced.

Rarity’s head twitched around when she heard a scream of terror from one of the tunnels, but the sound was abruptly cut off.

“What was that?” she asked, nervous.

“Probably my brother,” the Dog who seemed to be in charge scowled, “Fido, go make sure he’s okay. Maybe he’s slipped or walked into a wall or something. You don’t worry about that, pony, you find gems. Right?” He punctuated the statement with an angry glare, but Rarity wasn’t used to taking any cheek from anyone who didn’t show respect.

“And ruin my manicure? I assure you, that is not going to happen. I’ve marked enough diamond deposits for you, all you have to do is dig them up. Or is even that beyond your abilities?”

“Hey!” the Dog snapped, “Diamond Dogs dig faster than any pony, faster than dragons even! You don’t cheek the Dogs, pony, ‘til you’ve seen what we can do.” Rarity nodded, and smiled to herself. It wasn’t an ideal situation, and she’d much rather not be a prisoner when she had such a big order to work on. But at least her captors had one thing going for them: they were dumb as a box of rocks, remarkably easy to manipulate, and they seemed to be all bark and no bite. The next step was to get her choker and the Element of Generosity back, but she could address that once they trusted her a little more, and once she’d had them dig out enough gems to finish off her current projects.

The Diamond Dogs lived in tunnels, according to the gem merchants. Twilight and Heart had both asked about them, but there was little other information available. Nopony wanted to talk about them, maybe because the reputable jewelers didn’t want it to be known that they’d ever bought from less salubrious sources.

“We should go back and ask again,” Rainbow Dash suggested, “We’re the Champions of Harmony! If anypony won’t give a straight answer we could report them to Celestia.”

“That’s probably not necessary,” Twilight was already starting to get frustrated with Dash’s excitement today. She was bounding all over the room, as if if moving fast would eventually lead to a solution even without direction. “Pinkie?”

“Right,” Pinkie Pie walked to the middle of the floor, and her eyes closed. Twilight Sparkle stood opposite her, and slid the Element of Joker into the Driver. It was a ritual they were both quite used to by now, and seconds later Pinkie was standing in the middle of a library infinitely vaster than the Golden Oak. She had always talked in her sleep, and that could be useful for passing messages out to the others while she was dreaming; while she could hear Twilight’s voice from the real world thanks to the powers of the Elements of Harmony.

“Keyword: Diamond Dogs,” Twilight spoke confidently. It was pretty obvious that was going to be the first lookup, but she felt like once they had a routine for these things it made sense to keep following it. In Pinkie’s imaginary library, one intangible shelf flew over or past another, bringing every book that mentioned Diamond Dogs right in front of her. Unfortunately, there were many more than she might have expected.

“Seven thousand, two hundred and two results,” she announced in a dreamy monotone.

“For one gang?” Heart Flush gaped in surprise, “They must be big news, why haven’t we heard of them?”

“Maybe they’re not a gang. Could Diamond Dogs actually be a species, a race, or a culture? All we know about them so far is they live underground and sell diamonds. If they’re a whole race, then there’ll be books about their history, culture, laws, everything.”

“Wait,” a word Dash rarely said, “That’s all in Pinkie’s head?”

“Luna left some stuff there,” Twilight explained, “There’s a whole library in her dreams. And Pinkie knows everything about everypony anyway, she’s probably found the books of everyone who’d had dealings with these Diamond Dogs.” As they spoke, Heart Flush looked back and forth between the two, not quite understanding how this lookup was supposed to work, but happy to accept that it did.

“Okay, we got this,” Twilight dragged the conversation back on topic, “Keyword: Lucky Break.”

“Thirty eight results,” the answer came back right away.

“Maybe we don’t need them all,” Twilight tried looking at the problem in a different way, “Pinkie, just get Lucky Break’s book. See if it tells you where he is.”

There was a long pause.

“Pinkie? Are you there?”

“Yes. I found the book for Lucky Break.”

“So what does it say?”

“I think we got a big problem.”

In the library, Pinkie Pie stood with one book in front of her, on a lectern. The cover was much the same as the books she had containing everything she knew about everypony else, with the title ‘Lucky Break’ and a representation of his cutie mark emblazoned on it in gold leaf. She tried to open the cover, but it was clear pretty quickly that wasn’t going to help. From the spine side, the book looked perfectly normal. But on the other edge, it was immediately obvious that it didn’t have any pages. Where the book block should have been, there was just a large, oblong diamond sandwiched between the covers.

A little more research turned up the location of the Diamond Dogs; and with a stroke of lateral thinking from Twilight, they looked up Rarity’s book to find out that she was at least somewhere in that area. They couldn’t find out much information, though; it seemed that even with whatever magic Luna had added to the library, it couldn’t be used to spy on other ponies.

Still, they knew that Rarity was with the Diamond Dogs, and they knew where to find them. But nopony could decide whether they thought this would help them to find Lucky Break or not, and whether they even wanted it to be relevant. If the Diamond Dogs had done something to him, then they knew at least who to fight. But at the same time, that meant that Rarity was in the same danger, and there was no way to know if the changes in the book meant that Lucky Break was lost forever.

Still, as soon as the morning came they headed out to the area where Rarity had last been looking for gems. Now they looked, they could see pits in the ground that bore the distinctive marks of Spike’s drilling technique. They knew they were close on the trail of their friend, and all they had to do was follow the hoofprints and tracks on the ground until they found the Diamond Dogs.

“Right,” Twilight looked around, “we need to be careful. We know they managed to stop Rarity calling for help, and they maybe got Lucky Break before he could even send a message to let his wife know what was going on. That means that whatever kind of attack they’re using, it’s fast. I say we transform now, Pinkie and I will go on and everypony else can wait outside.”

“I’m not doing it?” Rainbow Dash was surprised more than angry, “We know they’re fast, it should be me going in. Me and Fluttershy can become Double Dash, the fastest of any of us.”

“Normally I’d agree. But we don’t know exactly where we’re going once we get down there. As far as we can tell from outside, the tunnels are a maze and they could be changed quite easily, so we need to be able to find Rarity once we’re down there. And I’ve studied her gem-finding spell. Maybe it tires me, and I have to stop to reinforce the magic occasionally, but I can see the gems. I can see the ones they dug up, and I can see the ones she tagged to dig up next. And I think if Rarity is trapped down here somewhere, she’ll remember that spell. She’ll be able to see the deposits I’ve sensed, as well, it might give us a way to communicate through the rock.”

“That’s assuming she thinks of it. What’s the chance of that?”

“Better than no chance at all. We can always swap out if we need your skills in battle. In any case, we don’t know that speed will help. You certainly can’t fly down here. I think that if we’re trying to find the most effective team for fighting these monsters, we should be thinking about Apple Pie. Strength might be worth more than speed, depending what they try to do. But I’m hoping that before it gets to that, we’ll have a chance to persuade them to let Rarity free.”

“I think Twilight’s right,” Fluttershy was as quiet as ever, but in the silence of this darkened cave every sound seemed too loud. “She can make light, too, so they won’t need to carry a lamp.”

“Fair enough,” Dash shrugged, “But you have to call us in once you find an enemy for us to fight. Promise?”

“It’s a promise.”

Back in Ponyville, it was all the other three could do to wait. They tried to comfort Heart Flush too, but there was no way to hide how worried they were about their own friend. No matter how many times they said they were sure it would be okay, they didn’t seem so confident at all.

Twinkie progressed ever deeper into the tunnels. She found lots of hidden caches of gemstones, both raw veins and already cut stones. There was evidence that there had been mining here, but haphazardly, like somepony drilling blind. They didn’t have Rarity’s gem-finding spell, that was for sure. It was like somepony was filling in the tunnels and digging new ones every week, and just taking whatever precious minerals they happened to run across. For some distance the spell could tell them which way Rarity had gone, but then there was nothing. Still, Pinkie was glad that Twilight was with her, because lighting up their horn was effortless and meant that they had slightly-creepy shadows dancing on the walls rather than total darkness all around.

They didn’t see any sign of Rarity, and after a while it would have been hard even to find the way they’d come. But between them they seemed to have a perfect sense of direction, able to tell which way was North and to easily form a mental map even of these twisty passages, all alike.

They still weren’t quite sure how it worked, but with the two of them sharing a body it seemed to be possible to put more power into a spell, almost like working magic with the benefit of an earth pony’s greater physical strength. It was only raw power, with little finesse, but when it didn’t seem they were getting anywhere Twinkie couldn’t see a better option. Their horn lit up like a firework, and there were no shadows at all in the narrow passage for a while. And they knew the location and type of every precious stone within a mile; even a few jewels in somepony’s collection in the nearer parts of Ponyville, the spell didn’t discriminate. And with one extra surge of power that would leave them a little drained for a couple of minutes, they found what they were looking for.

In the distance were gems that the same spell had already detected. The spell was supposed to distinguish between gems you’d already found and new ones coming into range, to prevent confusion, but it didn’t distinguish between different ponies using the same spell. And some of those were moving, which could only mean they were being mined. That meant that even though Rarity didn’t have her collar or her Element, she must be conscious and perhaps even unharmed. Twinkie had to wonder if she’d been enslaved and forced to work in the mines; or if she’d lost her Element somehow but decided to keep on digging for gems anyway. As much as it sounded crazy, it was only as strange as trying to dig up four days worth of gems in a single day; they both knew Rarity could focus on her work to the point that common sense took a back seat.

Twilight cut the power to that spell, and they started navigating the twisting tunnels in search of a way to that area of the caves. They might have found Rarity almost right away, if they hadn’t heard a startled yelp and sounds of a scuffle from a side passage.

“Who’s there? Are you okay?” Pinkie called. The Champion of Harmony turned aside from their path without hesitation, knowing that if somepony was in trouble right now, they had to make that their priority.

“Monsters!” they heard the panicked cry before they saw the pony emerge from the shadows and run towards them, “Run, they’re going to eat us!” He bolted past them as quickly as his legs could carry him, and kept running without pause. Twinkie didn’t run, and didn’t even hesitate. Twilight tugged at the Joker Memory with her magic, and half the lights on their armour disappeared. If it was a monster that sought to eat ponies, she reasoned, it would be most easily subdued with overwhelming physical strength. Maybe the thought was shared with the others on some subconscious level, they didn’t really know too well how the communication properties of the Elements worked just yet. But for just a second before she disappeared, Twilight could see the orange form of the Element of Honesty shimmer into existence in the driver’s open slot.

“LAUGHTERᏔHONESTY!” the Driver’s musical voice boomed even more than usual in the enclosed space of the tunnels, and Applepie wondered for a second if Rarity might have heard the resonant echoes all the way from whatever corner of this place she was trapped in. But then their attention was captured by the next arrival from around the same corner: three bipedal monsters with giant claws, two of them armed with a club and a spear respectively, and all wearing identical expressions of hatred.

“More of them!” one barked, and Applepie couldn’t think of a more apt word to describe the gruff sound, “Kill them quick, and we can get after the other one.”

“Are you the Diamo–” Pinkie started, but there was already a harsh metal spear jabbing towards her. Her first reaction was to try to dive out of the way, like she would with anything that seemed dangerous while she was doing a big song and dance. But the wall was close here, and there wasn’t anywhere to dive to. In the circumstances, she let Applejack’s reflexes take over. She lashed out to knock the spear aside, and then dived closer to deliver a solid kick to the chest of the Dog wielding it. He sailed back through the air almost two feet before his head hit the rock wall, and then he crashed to the floor.

“Quit that!” Applejack yelled, “Can’t we talk this out?” The two remaining Diamond Dogs looked at each other, and almost a mirror image, shook their heads. The one with the club, a huge length of iron with spikes on the end, raised it over his shoulder and tensed the muscles that would start it swinging down across the passage in a devastating arc. There wasn’t time to get in close, or even to back away before the blow landed. But this time Pinkie was ready, she knew from previous battles just how quickly the Driver could allow them to respond. Two hooves came up to the Driver on their chest, and knocked the two Elements just a little bit deeper into their sockets.

“LAUGHTERHONESTY: Maximum Drive!” They were rewarded with a cheer from the Driver, and suddenly they were holding a party cannon that hadn’t been there a moment before. The Dog with the club continued to swing, but his eyes went wide with surprise as he saw the size of the weapon in front of him. There was nothing else he could have done, and Pinkie knew that if she aimed right, the cannon could be as effective a weapon as it normally was in entertainment. But she wasn’t here to fight, and she didn’t think she could live with herself if she unleashed their powerful Memory-breaking attack without knowing exactly what these Diamond Dogs were.

(“They must be monsters, just blast it!” Applejack’s frustration echoes through their shared mind, but Pinkie had already made her decision)

(“Even if they’re monsters, that doesn’t mean they’re evil. Look at all the terrible things living in the Everfree, Fluttershy can make friends with half of those. And we don’t know what the Maximum Drive will do to something that isn’t a dopant.”)

(“They look like dopants to me, with those claws,”)

(“No. And even if they were, only one of them would be. Right? You need to know somepony’s got the memory before you hit them with a Break. No, this plan’s better.”)

The Dog with the club was still blinking. They could almost see the slow progress of a thought across its face, but it wasn’t obvious yet if it was going to continue attacking or run. Pinkie jinked the cannon to one side just a second before the tunnel was filled with flying confetti, streamers, cake, and flags. Applejack soared out of the cannon, and kicked out at the two Diamond Dogs as she passed. She hit one squarely, and it fell to the ground, but only managed a glancing blow against the one who seemed to be their leader.

Using the Maximum Drive meant that the two ponies who were Champion of Harmony had separate existence for a moment, but as soon as their one shot ended, they were a single pony again. Applejack turned back into Applepie, pink streamers spreading out from the cutie mark on her right haunch until she was half pink.

(“Awesome! We got to find more chances to do that now!”)

Applepie’s hooves hit the ground and she went from cannon-powered soaring to just running in an instant. It took the remaining Diamond Dog a few moments to realise what was going on as he rose up from a partly-stunned crouch to find that his enemy was now at the far of the tunnel behind him. When he made the connection, they were still close enough to hear his scream of rage as he barrelled after them.

Applepie didn’t have a light with them now, but they knew Rarity was somewhere in this direction. They ran as fast as they dared, one hoof darting up to follow the wall and give them some idea which direction they needed to head in. Now, they were just searching for Rarity again and they couldn’t waste time on anything else. The yells behind them faded off, telling them that the Diamond Dogs weren’t quite so skilled at navigating through darkened, twisting tunnels while slightly stunned, so they were likely to be safe for now.

Rarity was hard at work now, counting the baskets of gemstones in front of her. This, at least, was a task she could accomplish without damaging her dainty hooves. And she was quite impressed with the Diamond Dogs’ haul. In less than a day, they’d dug up diamonds that would have taken her and Spike more than a week to excavate. The only problem now was getting those jewels out of here.

“Rarity! You’re safe!” Spike ran up and jumped towards her, almost knocking over the pile she was counting, “I was so worried! But there’s all these little tunnels, between cracks in the rock. Places I’m small enough to hide in, but they’d never think to look. And a way through, once I found it. I’m here to rescue you!”

“That’s adorable!” Rarity beamed, “But I think it’s not time for a big rescue mission just yet. While I’m down here, I’m in the perfect position to find out what’s going on. I think there might be a dopant involved, but I haven’t seen any proof yet. If there is, Twilight and Rainbow Dash and the others will have to come down here, and it could be dangerous to go in unprepared if the enemy is as cunning as I’ve surmised.”

“You don’t need a rescue?” the little dragon seemed somewhat downhearted, disappointed even. Rarity knew that it must have taken a lot of courage for him to come and find her, rather than looking for an escape route. So the least she could do was help him to feel useful.

“Well, I can’t escape right away in any case. Those Dogs took my Element, and there’s no way I can leave without it. The whole fate of Equestria could rest on that little crystal. Do you think you could find it for me, darling?”

“Will do, m’lady!” Spike pulled off a gesture that might possibly be a bipedal version of a military salute, and vanished back into a tiny fissure in the cave wall. If he managed to find it, it wouldn’t be too hard to get out of here with all the gems she needed. She’d already found that nopony liked to see a lady in trouble, and these Diamond Dogs were just the same. She felt a little bad about not helping them when she’d said she would, but that would be easier when she met the others.

She’d just finished sorting a basket of almost-pure rubies when she heard an echoing in the distance, so quiet that she wouldn’t have been able to recognise it if the Dogs had still been digging: “laughterᏔhonesty!”

Applepie moved as quickly as they dared down the narrow tunnels. They knew the direction they should be heading in now, as long as they didn’t get turned around too much. Once or twice they heard movement around the next corner, but when they arrived there was nopony there. No dogs, either.

(“They’re running,” Applejack contributed to the internal dialogue, “Makes our job easier, but there’s something wrong there. I don’t like it.”)

Then they came to a larger cavern, with water rushing quickly across the floor. It was clear, some kind of mountain spring before it sprung out of the ground, maybe, and they could see it would be deep enough to sink in, and too fast to easily swim. There were stepping stones, but irregularly placed and with too much space between them. Applepie could leap from one stone to another, but then ended up balancing precariously with three hooves on a single stone that wasn’t large enough to accommodate the fourth.

(“You best take over, I’m not so hot at prancing around without solid earth under me.”)

(“Right!”)

Then the Diamond Dogs started throwing rocks at them. There were maybe six of the creatures this time, all around the chamber on high ledges that would be tricky to scramble up to without the Dogs on the other side throwing rocks.

“It’s a trap!” Pinkie yelled, almost more excited than afraid. She leapt onto the tallest of the stones in sight, just about keeping balance on two hooves. A stone clanged off their magical armour, and another hit their shoulder in a way that would almost certainly leave a bruise. Pinkie didn’t bother to discuss her plan, even at the speed of thought it was quicker just to pull out her Element from the Driver. All the way back in the library, the Driver would be appearing on Fluttershy’s chest, and it would be pretty obvious to everypony that they needed wings to fight here.

“KINDNESSᏔHONESTY!” the Driver sang out, and Fluttershy instinctively cowered as she saw more stones flying towards her. But unlike Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy’s wings had light but rigid armour plates on, and as she cringed they proved quite effective at sheltering Flutterjack from the continued bombardment. She might not have the speed or power, and she was too nervous to fly when carrying one of her friends even if they were technically sharing one body. But her wings were more than adequate to keep them from falling off their rocky perch, and to keep the majority of missiles from hitting any area not covered by the Driver’s armour.

(“Those bullies can’t hurt us!” Fluttershy muttered proudly, surprised at how effective her armour was, “My wings are like a shield of steel!”)

(“We can keep dancing forever, but to stop them we need to be up there. Time to trade places, I guess.”)

“KINDNESSᏔLOYALTY!” The boom of the Driver’s voice was enough to make the Diamond Dogs dizzy in this tight space, and a surge of light from the pony’s body seemed to knock all the stones out of the air for a moment, as well as dazzling them.

There wasn’t room to build up speed for a sonic rainboom, though they could possibly have managed it using the Driver’s power. Fluttershy didn’t like that idea, though, reluctant to hurt someone without at least knowing why they were fighting. So they flew up to the centre of the chamber while the Diamond Dogs were still reeling, and picked out one standing on his own, with pockets full of gems. It was hard to tell, but just maybe that meant he was the leader.

Two pegasi in one body meant two pairs of wings. And that meant they could fly much faster than either of them could alone. Even in the width of the cavern, they were moving fast enough to hit that one Dog with the force of a runaway cart, knocking him maybe a hundred feet back down the tunnel whose mouth he had been throwing rocks from.

“Where’s Rarity and Lucky Break?” Dash growled, her armoured hooves effortlessly pinning the creature to the floor, “What have you done with them?”

“We only took one pony, we thought she was the one taking our pups, and our friends,” the dog growled. He struggled, as well, but there was nothing he could do against the combined strength of two ponies, more than doubled by the power of their transformation. “If you’re going to do that thing, then do it. It won’t help you, we’re keeping the white pony until you give our pups back.”

“We haven’t got your pups. What would we want with dogs?”

“What would we want ponies for?” The dog was getting more confident again now, having realised he wasn’t going to be subjected to some cruel and unusual punishment, “We saw the white pony do it, with a magic gem thing like those you got. What is it, he kidnaps our pups and you’re his bodyguard?”

“Which white pony? You said earlier you were blaming Rarity, but you know she’s not responsible. Did you see who did it, or are you just blaming everypony?”

“My brother saw… saw a white pony tur–”

“Mare or stallion?” Dash snapped angrily, realising that the Dog’s surrender had somehow turned into an interrogation. Her prisoner just looked confused, so she added: “A boy pony, or a girl?”

“Don’t know,” the creature shrank back, as if sure he was going to get beaten for this answer, “All ponies look the same. But white! And with magic crystals.”

(“Gaia Memories,” Fluttershy sighed, “I knew it was going to be.”)

“There’s ponies that use those things to do bad stuff. It’s our job to stop them. So, let Rarity go, and we’ll help get your pups back.”

“Uh-uh,” the Dog just shook its head, “And don’t try to hurt me. Won’t get you anything. We would have got him if you hadn’t come. Bring our pups back, then your friend can go. So we can be sure.”

(“He kind of has a point,” Dash mused, “I mean, it’d be dumb to trust us if they haven’t heard of us. And if there’s a monster with a Memory out there we’ll have to fight it anyway.”)

(“But Rarity’s trapped down here, she must be so scared.”)

(“I don’t think there’s a right answer here. But the sooner we beat the monster, the sooner they’ll let her go. We can’t go beating up these guys when their kids have been taken, can we?”)

“Right,” Dash took over speaking for both of them, “But we need to know more about this white pony. He uses a Memory, one of those crystals, to transform. Right? What does he change into?”

“He doesn’t change. But our pups do. And the Dogs who try to fight him alone,” the pause that came next could have been evasiveness, the Dog wondering just how much he had to say to stop them standing on his chest. Or it could have been doubt, wondering if he’d be believed. Or, just maybe (and the possibility he seemed most likely to deny), he could be hesitating due to fear. “Changed into diamonds.”

In Ponyville, a certain store owner had just got back, and switched out the long cloak he used for venturing into the mines for something less dust-marked, and more businesslike. He’d never liked dealing with the Dogs, even when they sold diamonds at the cheapest prices around. It seemed wrong to pass over his hard-earned bits to creatures from some other race. Now, with the constant threat of futile violence, he hated it even more. But at least he didn’t have to pay for the gems.

He emptied out the cloak’s pockets before stashing it away. Seven gems this time, and pretty large ones. He quickly pressed them into the settings of rings whose original stones had been damaged. Of course, there was no way he could possibly repair jewellery like that. But with the special diamonds, it seemed to work. They flowed like hot wax, fitting to the setting almost as if they were still alive. And they had such brilliance, such fire within them, that he knew he was going to make a fortune on these.

Intermission - The Dark H

Heavy Pick squinted at the cobbles in front of him, and struggled to organise his hooves well enough to stand. He wasn’t quite sure what had happened last night, but he remembered the Champion of Hope asking everypony to help find some magic crystals. Then he’d found one, grabbed it triumphantly, and… everything became a blur.

“Are you okay?” a concerned stallion’s voice came from behind him. He turned his head, panicking for just a moment, and saw the one guy he’d most expect to be going around helping everypony in a crisis. The dependable one. “How much do you remember?”

“I just wanted to help the Champions,” Pick mumbled, “Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no,” the big stallion stepped forward to reassure him. “It was just something that went out of control. Even the Champions can’t get things right every time. You controlled the pseudo-Memory well enough to avoid the mad chase, which is more than anypony else did. I didn’t realise you had so much strength in you.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Pick mumbled, a little embarrassed. It didn’t feel good to accept such whole-hearted compliments from a neighbour he’d stolen from the year before, no matter how desperate he’d been. “Is it all over now?”

“Almost. The glass dopants returned to normal when the Hoax Memory was destroyed. But there’s one more thing the Champion needs help with. I hoped I could do it, but she said no, I’m not strong enough. But you are. You need to take this.”

Pick grabbed a crystal like a shard of obsidian, all the colours of the rainbow reflecting from a black surface. It felt slick like oil, and when he touched it his hair stood on end, a chill that he couldn’t explain spreading over his body. The only mark on the thing were two golden spikes on one end, like teeth, and an embossed letter ‘A’ on the side.

“Press the spikes against your cutie mark. They need their new Champion.”

“There’s no need to sound so hesitant, you know. I never thought of you as the jealous type…”

“ABSORB.” This memory’s voice was more like the bubbling of a swamp than the grating of metal on metal. Ripples of change spread over Pick’s body, until no trace of the stallion’s original colouring remained. He still looked half like a pony, but half like something else entirely. The Memory dealer shook his head in disgust, unable to believe what he had done to his friend. But he knew it had to be done, to keep his family safe.

“Where is this?” the other figure spoke in a very different accent from Heavy Pick, so different it was hard to believe this was the same body. While he spoke, he looked at his reflection in a darkened window. Maybe this body was different from what he was used to as well. He seemed particularly concerned with the size of his horns. “And how long have I been imprisoned?”

“This is Ponyville,” the dealer bowed his head as he spoke, “And I understand it has been nearly two thousand years.”

“No wonder I feel weak. Leave me then, I need sustenance. And when we meet again, you will address me as ‘my Lord’.”

“Yes, my Lord,” the stallion answered, and then left the alley. But as he went, he muttered to himself: “What have I done?”

Author's Note

Hope nobody was put off by the delay in releasing this chapter. I think this is also the first one that hasn't been influenced by a story from both of the shows; so I was a little uncertain about it.

Nearly half way through the story now. I've got a plan for the "plot-heavy" episodes (A, E, K, N, S, and X), but still space for more ideas. So if there's any MLP:FIM episodes you'd particularly like to see me adapt, or any Gaia Memories you're looking forward to seeing a pony version of, please let me know. Especially if it's a C, G, O, Q, R, or U Memory.