The Second Exile

by cunning_linguist

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Other, Adventure, Shining Armor, Princess Celestia, Crossover, Dark, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna
Length: 29871

League of Legends/My Little Pony crossover fic, featuring Riven.

A warrior from a distant land is stolen from her home and brought to Equestria — literally kicking and screaming. Worse still, she is told that there will be no return trip. Can a woman who has known hell and battle her entire life grow accustomed to a land without such hardships, or will she fall back into old habits?

League of Legends < > My Little Pony

Published 2012-06-25 01:14:04 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-19 05:19:23 UTC

Chapter 1: Twilight Lies

Twilight Sparkle awoke with a smile on her face. While she was generally chipper in the morning, today was a special occasion. The Princesses and their most skilled practitioners of the arcane arts would soon be arriving and the culmination of four months of research and development would come to fruition. No matter the outcome, she was excited to be a part of it.

She could smell Spike cooking breakfast downstairs but she was far too excited to eat. That won’t stop him from giving me ‘that look’ until I do, she thought playfully, running a comb through her mane and retreating into the lavatory to brush her teeth. A moment later, she left it again, rolling her eyes at the realization that if Spike was going to force her to eat, she would at least want to enjoy it, and toothpaste was a flavor that complimented nothing.

Twilight skipped down the winding stairs of the library and into a decidedly different atmosphere than she had been used too. In the two years since she arrived in Ponyville, the interior of her library had changed little. Sure she and Spike would clean it and periodically reshelf the books, but it had always maintained a very familiar and homey appearance.

It was notably different today. Several of the reading tables had been relocated to the basement, and in the center of the room was a cylindrical glass structure, roughly three metres wide at the base and just as tall. The top sported a number of small holes arranged in a circular pattern, drilled seemingly for air or the purpose of feeding. Several simmering beakers populated the area, and an uncountable number of books and loose notes were scattered as far as the eye could see.

The carpet had also been rolled up and moved, for the bare floor under the structure was marked with eldritch runes assembled in a pattern that a choice number of ponies alone would understand. Twilight was one of them — to a degree. She looked through the glass at the elaborate design and whistled in appreciation. Even she had to admit that the magical know-how that made all of this possible was still out of hooves’ reach.

Spike poked his head around the kitchen’s doorframe and cracked a grin. “Morning ‘Twi. Happy, are we?”

“And why wouldn’t I be?!” She exclaimed, teleporting herself to Spike’s side and scooping him up in a telekinetic hug. It took many years of practiced effort to keep the skillet in his claws from splashing out of control. “Today’s the day! Can you believe it, Spike? We get to see the other side! We’ll be the first in countless generations to pierce the veil between dimensions!”

“Yeah, yeah, recreating Starswirl the Bearded’s old experiments, I know.” Spike’s deadpan reply was typical but Twilight didn’t begrudge him for it; not today.

“You get to be here for it as well, Spike. History in the making!”

Spike squirmed and grumbled until Twilight voiced a tiny “oh” and set him down, to which he gratefully patted her on the neck. “It’s not really ‘making history’ though, is it? I mean, according to you, Starswirl did this once before.”

Twilight rolled her eyes and sat down on her haunches, willing to entertain his cynicism for a while longer. “True, but it’s also never been duplicated since Starswirl’s time, and that was nearly two thousand years ago! Even Princess Celestia admitted that she remembered little of the event.”

“Could be because Starswirl was a whack-job who never left his creepy, bat-infested basement,” Spike quipped, flipping an omelet with one claw crooked against his hip.

“Lies and slander!” Twilight stomped to emphasize her distaste for Spike speaking ill of her hero. “Starswirl the Bearded was a genius millenia ahead of his time! So what if he lacked in some… social graces. So did I before we moved to Ponyville!”

“But you got over it, thankfully before your twentieth birthday,” he added, a smug smile still on his muzzle. “I was worried you’d end up a wrinkly old mare with twenty cats and cobwebs in your mane.”

“I take very good care of my mane, thank you very much!” Twilight scoffed at the idea. “And you know I have allergies.”

“I also know you have a hard time with sarcasm.” Spike tipped the skillet onto an awaiting plate and garnished it with parsley. “Bon appétit.”

Spike set the admittedly delicious-smelling food on the dining table but Twilight turned her nose up at it, growing increasingly agitated at his wisecracking. “I’m not hungry.”

“Oh c’mon, you didn’t eat dinner last night. Besides, it’s your favorite: Cat.”

“Spike!”

An hour later, Twilight’s five best friends had joined her in the library. Over the last couple of months, they’d all been told of this “experiment” that she had been working diligently on, alongside Princesses Celestia and Luna, no less. However, they’d received no specifics. Not because the information was classified, but because none of them shared her interest in what she insisted was a moment that would define this generation.

Applejack was polite about it but did little outside of nodding her head at seemingly important opportunities and commenting with “Well that sounds jus’ wonderful, ‘Twi.”

Rainbow Dash hadn’t even offered that much. “Too long; didn’t listen. Later, egghead!”

Ironic that she would later volunteer to assist Twilight in the most important stage of preparation.

Fluttershy looked predictably apprehensive. While she wanted to be supportive of Twilight’s academic pursuits, she was also afraid of plenty of things that existed on her own planet. “What if you mess up! N-Not that you would, of course b-but… well… I don’t want to meet an alien, Twlight. No offense.”

Pinkie Pie ushered Twilight out of Sugarcube Corner, insisting that she be given time to prepare for the arrival of their newest friend.

Rarity, being the only other unicorn, knew at least the basics of magical theory and probably provided the most gratifying commentary… when she wasn’t focused on one of the many conceptualized dresses dotting the interior of her boutique. “So you’re going to look into an alternate reality? Um, well darling, that sounds… fascinating. But this seems like an awful lot of work for a mere glimpse.”

“Not just a glimpse! We’ll be taking something from that reality and bringing it into our own. Something minor like… a flora sample. If there is sentient life there, perhaps an example of their technology.”

“But not one of the natives themselves?”

Twilight looked at her friend aghast. “Of course not! How cruel would it be to take something living from its home plane against its will?”

“Ah, of course. Silly me.”

Despite her best efforts, Twilight couldn’t shake the idea from her friend’s collective heads that this spell would not be conjuring a living, breathing creature. Rainbow Dash was most adamant that a “big glass tube” — as she eloquently put it — would be insufficient for containing any number of multi-limbed galactic horrors. She was currently tapping on it with a lightly bandaged forehoof, checking it for obvious weaknesses.

“Dash, I’m not summoning a sci-fi monster! I’m summoning a plant! Or an inanimate object!” She grabbed her floating friend and yanked her down to eye level. “And I don’t need to be worrying about you trying to pick a fight with a… a… a brick! Or a piece of aluminum pipe!” She turned and addressed all of her friends. “I promise you, this spell is completely safe! Nopony will be harmed.”

Pinkie was in her face in an instant. “Pinkie Promise?”

Twilight sighed and mimed the motions of the most solemn of oaths, to which Pinkie squealed in happiness and returned to her previous location, carrying with her a gust of wind powerful enough to dislodge Applejack’s hat.

“Confoundit.”

While Applejack retrieved her trusty Stetson, three loud raps sounded on the library’s door. With a high-pitched squee, Twilight teleported the whole ten feet and threw it open, lowering herself into a premeditated bow.

“Please, dear Twilight, there’s no need for that.”

Twilight rose, and her friends all did the same in various stages of their own acknowledgement of their benevolent rulers. Celestia entered first, her monochromatic mane billowing in some unseen breeze. Luna followed shortly thereafter, her own mane a reflection of a clear evening sky and moving with a similar ethereal force.

Behind them was a third pony; a wizened unicorn stallion wearing a steepled hat and a blue cape secured with a golden clasp that resembled two ponies biting a bit. His cutie mark was partially obscured by his regalia, but it appeared to be a hoof projecting a fireball.

“Good morning princesses.” Twilight smiled at the third guest. “And a good morning to you, Cream.”

A moment of silence drifted by before Cream responded with a distinct Britmane accent. “Oh. Yes. Yes! Very good to see you as well, Ms. Sparkle. And… Ms. Sparkle’s friends.”

His rather sour glare was focused directly on Pinkie Pie, who feigned innocence by whistling and scuffing her hoof on the floor.

“Now Cream, she apologized.” Celestia said, clearly exasperated after having had this discussion numerous times before.

“She licked my flank!”

“I thought it was a Red Hot!” Pinkie defended, grabbing Fluttershy for support, but who too looked annoyed with this argument.

“May we put this rather ridiculous discussion behind us and continue with the day’s events?” Luna offered, trying to act the mediator. Not that it had worked any other time she did it.

“Yes, yes, let’s.” Cream marched by the group and stood on his hind legs, looking through the transparent cylinder and analyzing the runes contained therein. “Ah, excellent. They’ve stabilized nicely. You’ve been applying the solution?” His question was directed at a beaming Twilight.

“Of course! Every eight hours in an even spread.”

“Wonderful. May I inquire as to the method of dispersion?”

Twilight and Rainbow met each other’s eyes and grinned mischievously. Rainbow dashed over to the door which lead down to the staircase and returned with a weather-beaten watering can a moment later. Cream looked at it and chuckled. “Huh. Why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because we’re awesome,” came Dash’s helpful retort.

“Ah, of course, the unquantifiable ‘awesome’ quotient. It has eluded me for many years…”

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Annnnnywaaaaaaaay,” Twilight nodded to Celestia and Luna, who returned the gesture and took up positions on two of the glass cylinder’s four quadrants. Twilight and Cream occupied the remaining two.

Celestia glanced at her subjects through the glass and smiled lovingly. They saw a rather frightening mare glowering at them through the distortion made by the curving glass. “Now my little ponies, please retreat to the other side of the library and under no circumstance, approach the summoning circle until we’ve all agreed that it is safe to do so.”

“Or until the existential monstrosity we summon attempts to slay all of you. In which case, I implore you to run.”

“Luna!”

“I jest, sister, I jest! Jeez…”

“All right. Is everypony ready?”

The four who served as the magical focus for the summoning ritual spoke their acknowledgments. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy did the same. Rainbow Dash was busy fussing with her itchy bandage, while Pinkie Pie and Spike were sharing a bag of popcorn she had produced from… wherever it was Pinkie acquired any of her props.

Four horns began to glow in unison, but it wasn’t the pleasantly cool fire typically associated with unicorn (and alicorn) magic. Normally their magic reflected a color apparent in their coat, their mane, or their cutie mark. The color they now shared was as blindingly white as the surface of Celestia’s sun and seemingly devoured all of the light in the room.

Soon, even that meager bit of illumination was gone, regulated to fueling the torrent of helix-shaped elements mixing and colliding within the enclosure. Somehow the glass managed to contain these seemingly chaotic energies, and because nopony was speaking up, all spectators involved assumed everything was going as it should.

“I-I don’t understand. The gate should have manifested by now!”

Or it was, that is.

“Twilight!” Spike called out over the unfamiliar cacophony produced by the ritual. “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know! Princesses?!”

Celestia tried to shake her head but found she could not. Luna and Cream were in similar predicaments, and Twilight soon realized she too was immobilized. “I do not know either! This isn’t right. Abort the spell!”

“Ugh... I… I can’t!” Cream hissed, his weathered features scrunching in pain as his robust supply of mana was drained, and the ritual began to take something far more vital. “It’s taking our life force!” He informed, to the horror of all in attendance.

“Th-that will pollute the ritual…” Luna exclaimed through gritted teeth. “Starswirl’s notes implied a great many t-terrible side effects that could result from living m-matter entering the focus site!”

Though those four were helpless to fight against the spell’s vacuum-like power, it had no command over anypony else. Spike and Rainbow Dash grabbed onto Twilight’s flank and attempted to rip her away, receiving a screech of pain for their efforts. Still they tried, as did the others: Applejack helped Cream, Fluttershy and Rarity aided Celestia, and a suddenly very strong Pinkie Pie lent a hoof to Luna.

The first magic-wielder was freed with great exertion — Luna, of course — and she and Pinkie tumbled across the library and slammed hard against its wooden walls. That made it easier for the other three to be released, each flying back a bit shorter distance than the former.

Without those four, the ritual failed, and quite spectacularly. All of the light in the area was drawn into a singularity at the center of the cylinder, which then exploded outward accompanied by a shockwave powerful enough to topple bookshelves, crush furniture, shatter expensive china, and further scatter every pony within the confines of the building.

Nopony spoke for several minutes aside from the occasional pained groan. Pinkie Pie finally broke the silence with a bemused: “Even I didn’t see that coming.”

“Unh… wh-what went wrong?” Twilight rose to her hooves but her gait was wobbly and uncertain. None of her friends were in any better shape to lend assistance, which meant she collapsed unceremoniously against the cylindrical structure, which was slightly warm to the touch. “Did we misinterpret Star—”

Twilight cut herself off abruptly. Seeing as how she was the first to move, even the princesses were relying on her voice for a modicum of comfort in this uncomfortable and frankly embarrassing situation. “Twilight?”

No response.

“Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia’s voice could normally command even the most stubborn dignitary into attention, but this time she was ignored, and that truly worried her. Clambering up from a rather lewd supine position, Celestia galloped over to her most faithful student and looked down at her, taking note of a slack-jawed, wide-eyed expression of stark horror.

“What’s wrong, Twi —” Celestia’s voice too lost itself at what she saw. Laying in the center of a tarnished, smoking runic seal was a shape. Not a large plant or an esoteric piece of technology, but something that appeared quadrupedal, clothed, and bleeding. “Oh no…”

“Ugnh… wh-what happ— ahg!” Riven, the exile of Noxus, clutched a gaping wound on her side and attempted to stand. Her legs did not cooperate, however, and she quickly fell backwards, smacking her white-haired head against a steaming hot wall. Hissing in pain and using her other hand to feel the red, blistered skin on the back of her skull, she cast unfocused eyes around and tried to gather her bearings.

Through wisps of smoke stood a pair of horses, though these were not like any horse she had ever seen before. One was short and purple. The other was taller, white, and wore lavish jewelry. Disbelieving, Riven crawled up to the glass but was careful to not touch it, lest she be burned again. The two creatures looked at each other in disbelief and then began to speak. Yes, speak, and in perfect Runeterran, at that.

“I-It’s alive!” The shorter one exclaimed, looking positively horrified and on the verge of tears. “O-Open the enclosure! Let it out!”

“My student, no!” The taller one stopped her protégée with an outstretched hoof. “It could be dangerous! We have no idea what we’ve summoned, and for the time being I insist it remain where it can do no harm!”

Riven was no fool. These creatures were talking about keeping her locked up, like an animal. They had been the ones who summoned her, though what she experienced was very different from the magic practiced by the Institute of War. Her brain was reeling but it would be a cold day in Hell when Riven allowed anyone to keep her caged.

She looked around with both her eyes and her hands for her weapon but came up lacking. Never one to let a little thing like being unarmed reduce her combat effectiveness, Riven once again stumbled to her feet and used the still-hot glass wall for balance; but this time she ignored the pain. No outward expression was made as she balled her fist and smashed it into the barrier, but received nothing but bloody knuckles for her trouble.

The others were now all huddling around that one section of the structure, practically crushing Twilight and Celestia underhoof while they observed the quickly obvious behavior of this strange being. Fluttershy, to her eternal credit and kindness, understood first.

“She’s trying to escape!” Large watery eyes looked up at her monarch. “Princess, please! She’s scared and desperate! She’s going to hurt herself if we let her continue!”

“She?” Celestia glanced back at the slender biped — having revealed that the moment she attempted to stand — and nodded, feeling rather foalish for not noticing sooner. Still, she stood her ground. The sight of a sentient being so desperate for freedom that it would cause itself harm brought her immeasurable sorrow as well, but it was one life over many. She couldn’t take the risk.

“I’m sorry my little ponies but… look at her! She’s obviously hostile!”

“Sister…” Luna looked at Celestia with intent. Everypony in attendance knew what was about to happen if Celestia herself didn’t break this cage: Luna would, royal decree be damned.

“No.”

“Sister!”

“You do not know what you ask!”

Riven had graduated from brutalizing her fists to doing the same with her legs. Several powerful kicks resulted in the glass beginning to fracture, and one final charge sent her toppling through the oval-shaped hole she created. Riven was quickly back on her feet, though now sporting a multitude of new cuts and bruises. Still, her goal was within reach: A window.

The horrifically injured ex-Noxian stumbled and collapsed against the windowsill, fumbling with the latch. She could hear her abductors moving to intercept her but that only encouraged her to work faster, which also served to aggravate her many wounds, including the seeping indentation on her side.

“Please, stop!” A gentle voice called behind her, which brought her momentary pause. “We’re not going to hurt you!”

Riven gave up on her sole escape route and instead scooped up a large shard of glass from the ground, brandishing it like a dagger. Everypony then saw the full extent of her injuries, which made more than one retch. Still, it was Fluttershy who persevered.

“Please just… p-put the glass down. You need help. You’re very badly hurt.”

Riven shook her head and mouthed something inaudible. It was then that she realized just how exhausted she was. It was like the summoning sucked the life right out of her. That coupled with the copious amount of blood she had shed and she was shaking like an autumn leaf.

“G-Get a-away from m-me…”

And with that, the exile fell into darkness.

Chapter 2: Riven Dies?

Riven fell, but was saved by the fleet of hoof Fluttershy. However the much larger creature caused her legs to buckle with a strained “meep”. Thankfully, nearly everypony else joined her in lessoning the burden, though they really only needed Applejack, who bore the unconscious woman’s weight with ease and without complaint.

Fluttershy immediately began to identify similarities between ponies and this new race, including pupil dilation and where she might locate her pulse. It took her only a few high-paced attempts to identify the radial artery in her arm, but she decided to forgo the likely fruitless effort of doing the same with her heart. This creature had a lot of torso to cover, after all.

“She needs medical attention immediately,” Fluttershy said through choked breaths. Despite her earlier apprehension at meeting a scary alien from a world beyond, she saw far too many similarities in this being and any other frightened animal. She wouldn’t neglect them, so she certainly wouldn’t neglect her. “Can you heal her?”

Celestia and Luna shared apprehensive glances and then looked down at Cream, who sighed and shook his head. “We would need to know the absolute specifics of ‘her’ anatomy, or else the mere attempt could do more harm than good.”

“Then let’s get ‘er to Ponyville General before ponies start to think Ah’m the one that’s hurt,” Applejack added, braving the sheer amount of blood leaking onto her coat with a priest’s patience.

“If the princesses can’t heal her with magic, what will a run-of-the-mill doctor be able to do?” Rainbow mused, taking a tentative step forward to look at the pallid complexion of their extradimensional guest.

“We can’t just stand here and do nothing!” Fluttershy screamed, tears running freely down her face now. Everypony in attendance agreed with that statement and with enough haste to make up for their previous idleness, rushed to the emergency ward.

“Minions have spawned!”

Riven had been stretching her legs and performing light calisthenics while she stood to the left of her tower. The stone sentry loomed over the entire lane and commanded great respect, despite the fact that it was essentially inanimate and often pitted against gods.

To its right stood her partner, a rather flamboyant (read: obnoxious) man with a Fu Manchu and a feathered vest. In his hands he held a wicked pair of ax-like weapons that he spun and flourished with great ease. Every so often he would look at Riven with a mischievous grin, as if he was hoping she’d compliment his impromptu performance.

Riven rolled her eyes and did her best to ignore him. She hadn’t liked Draven when she was associated with Noxus, and she somehow liked him even less now.

The Exile moved forward in concert with the column of minions. When she was first recruited to the League of Legends, she found it decidedly difficult to strike and kill these tiny beings, likening it to assaulting a harmless child. It wasn’t until after that match that her summoner told her that the minions were completely non-sentient and were no more capable of thought then the wands they wielded.

She adapted for the sake of maintaining her good standing with the League and its million, million fans, but her thoughts were often muddled whenever she cut a minion — or anyone, for that matter — down.

Draven, however, had no problem butchering anything that tromped into his field of view. His reach and finesse with those weapons was truly impressive, but Riven didn’t allow herself to be distracted by his theatrics; clearly, that was his intention from the moment he awoke in the morning. Rather, her amber eyes scanned the lane in front of her, as well as the magically darkened hedges on her right. She saw one of her opponents and assumed the other was close by, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

The first was a slavering mutant known to her as a heartless, brutish monster who experimented on himself and anyone else without conscious or consideration. To everyone else, he was Dr. Mundo. Mundo was a favorite of a great many people, though Riven suspected that was because they either didn’t know about the atrocities he regularly committed or because they were willfully ignorant of it.

Riven slew another minion — Draven executed two more.

The second enemy she would have to contend with made herself known with a puff of purple smoke. It was fitting because her garish entrance matched her bruise-colored skin perfectly. Evelynn appeared next to Riven with such grace that she was completely unaware of her presence until the erotically-dressed vampiress cupped her cheeks and planted an oddly passionate kiss on the corner of Riven’s lips.

“Boo.”

Riven yelped and swung her sword in a wide arc, missing Evelynn entirely as she flipped away and prepared to strike again. She did, however, almost hit Draven, who stumbled back and scowled.

“HEY! Whose side are you on?!”

“Shut up and fight!”

Draven grumbled and engaged Mundo, who had moved to join in on the assault. “No one tellsssssssooooo… DRAY-VEN… what to do.”

Riven struggled to ignore Draven’s palpable ego during that rather presumptuous statement, so she audibly groaned and swiped at a crimson spike that drilled its way up from the ground, then kicked aside another. Evelynn was growing visibly frustrated that her ambush hadn’t resulted in the kill she so desperately lusted after, and Riven never missed a beat.

“Maybe you should have attacked instead of grinding against my hip.”

Evelynn opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself. Despite her enigmatic reputation, the Widowmaker had a poor poker face. Her eyes darted to the side, past where Draven and Mundo were exchanging blows. Riven picked up on it even before Evelynn’s cocky smile, but that did little to save her.

“All alone…”

Riven heard that haunting voice the instant her vision began to cloud. It wasn’t the kind of voice that was meant for mortal ears; rather, she heard it like a distant thought in the back of her mind. But the fear it invoked was far more potent than any nightmare.

Riven whirled on her heels just in time to feel Nocturne’s serrated blades sink through either breast. She howled in pain but fought it off, knowing that injuries accrued during a match were harmless. It was little comfort from the very real pain she currently felt, and even less when Evelynn cackled and raked her razor-sharp claws down Riven’s back, shredding flesh and fabric alike.

Her measured health depleted from the coordinated attack. Riven fell to her knees, the grip on her sword loosening. She heard it clatter to the ground and a few other muted sounds as she felt the Nexus reabsorb her soul and prepare to reconstitute her body… but what she felt next was wholly new.

A woman trained around predominantly male soldiers developed a number of defense mechanisms. Among them was the ability to ignore misogynistic insults to the point where her brain wouldn’t even let them register. Another was a sixth-sense for when someone might be attempting to undress her in her sleep or when otherwise helpless.

Riven thus awoke with both fists swinging. A room full of already frantic ponies recoiled initially, but then moved to hold the wild woman down. The white-coated nurse Riven punched was among them, having recovered with impeccable poise, despite the fact that her snout was bleeding quite heavily. Her gauntlet and pauldron had already been removed and discarded, and Riven believed they had been working on her skirt.

But she had suffered enough indignities in her life to allow this to continue. Despite the fact that at least ten ponies were attempting to hold her against the mattress, she began to sit up, her teeth barred and revealing her race’s proclivity for eating meat. When it became apparent that the woman would actually overpower her subjects, Celestia’s horn glowed and Riven was effortlessly forced into a rigid, prone position.

“Please, be still,” Celestia cooed, knowing full well that this alien was scared and confused, so she was far more motherly in her approach than her station would have suggested. “You are critically injured. For your own sake, do not struggle.”

Riven had nearly forgotten about the litany of cuts, bruises, gouges, and fractures afflicting her, and when her adrenalin began to wear off, it took every ounce of willpower she possessed to not scream in agony. Her bravery did not fool the empathetic ponies, however, and as the one with a stethoscope around his neck climbed up onto her bed, the others did their best to soothe her.

“It’s all right. You’re safe here.” The purple one she faintly recalled from before said.

“Shhhh… we won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with.” Whispered a yellow one, who was gently nuzzling her bicep.

“Jus’ relax, now. We’re tryin’ to help ya.”

“I feel you, sister. I hate the hospital too.”

“Try not to think about it, darling. It’ll be over soon.”

The chorus of patient, almost loving assurances had their desired effect. Riven relaxed, enough so that Celestia believed it safe to release her magical bindings. The golden aura subsided and their former captive laid still, save the occasional suck of air to remind everypony that though this woman possessed an impossible amount of determination and fight, she was in an equal amount of pain.

Through all of this, Pinkie said nothing. While she had helped hold Riven down, she offered no condolences. Instead, she stood by the door, a tray of painstakingly crafted cupcakes in hoof. She was shaking with barely-suppressed glee, waiting for the opportunity when she could offer one to her newest friend-to-be.

Cream levitated the doctor over Riven’s bed as his horn dragged a warm-feeling energy across her body. When he was finished, he projected a full-sized x-ray against an inadequately-sized canvas on the far wall.

Aside from the hospital’s staff, only Fluttershy had any real medical knowledge, but it didn’t take a Ph.D for everypony to take one look at Riven’s skeleton and gasp in unison. From the phalanges of her right hand to both tibia, this woman looked like a jigsaw puzzle reassembled by a five year old. The image than shifted to a muscular overlay, revealing tears, holes, and on her left hip, a sizable chunk was flat-out missing.

The doctor shook his head and sighed miserably, which flattened every ear in the room. Every ear but Riven’s of course, but not because she had a different shape than her caretakers did. She saw her injuries just as clearly, but had the added “benefit” of being forced to endure them as well. During her self-imposed exile she traveled the length and breadth of Valoran, treating every scrape and cut she received with the scantest amount of first aid that her military training had provided. By the time she had joined the League, she was confident that she could set bones and treat envenomings. She needed only a passing glance at her condition to begin to make peace with herself.

“I’m going to die,” she said flatly, releasing a surprisingly relaxed breath and doing her best to get comfortable.

“Do not talk like that,” Luna chided, then looked down at the doctor with trepidation. He elaborated on his earlier, less vocal diagnosis. “Her physiology isn’t too dissimilar to our own.” He began to identify various organs using the ever-shifting projection provided by his horn. “Lungs, kidneys, even a four chambered heart, just like us. Which means that I believe I can confidently say that even half of her injuries would be mortal.” He turned and met Riven’s eyes with true sympathy. “She passed that mark a long time ago.”

Fluttershy began to sniffle anew, but did her best to control it in front of the woman she knew nothing about, but she did know the value of piece of mind, no matter how futile. She obtained a sizable wad of gauze from a nearby drawer and pressed it firmly against the most readily-available wound on Riven’s side. She winced but did not protest.

Twilight couldn’t even manage that. She blubbered openly, receiving the comforting shoulder of Applejack. “I-I-It’s my fault… I b-b-brought her here. She wouldn’t be dying if n-not for me.”

Applejack, honest to a fault, heard the protest in the back of her head but promptly ignored it. She couldn’t easily assuage Twilight’s words so she said nothing at all, content to stroke her mane and look up at their bedridden guest with legitimate sadness.

“We can share the blame in this matter, Ms. Sparkle,” Cream chimed in, notably more stoic about the situation but no less apologetic. “I designed the rune. Something I did was the cause for the mishap.”

Luna scoffed at all of this negativity and regained the doctor’s attention. “You said she’s like us. That means you can at the very least try!”

The doctor’s gaze hardened. “Princess, with all due respect, Ponyville General is understaffed and poorly funded. I have patients that I’m certain can make a full recovery with the supplies we possess. If I waste them on this ali—”

“YOU WILL NOT CALL HER THAT!” Luna bellowed, sending both his stethoscope and his toupee sailing across the room. Pinkie, despite her formerly somber expression, caught the floating hairpiece with a quiet “whee!”

“If it’s bits you need, you will have them courtesy of Canterlot’s coffers,” Celestia added. “For now, you will do everything in your power to heal this—” the princess interrupted herself and looked over at their newest arrival. “I apologize for my rudeness. I’ve been talking like you’re not even here.” She galloped over and leaned over the bed, smiling at the woman. “Do you have a name?”

She nodded, though even that minor exertion elicited a labored gasp. “Riven,” she croaked, shutting her eyes and failing to restrain the tear that streaked down her cheek. Fluttershy gently brushed it away. “My name is Riven.”

“Do not worry, Riven. We will do everything in our power to help you.” Luna was beside her sister now, her voice gentle and serene. “Please, try to get some rest.”

“Right then,” the doctor snatched his toupee from Pinkie’s grasp and nodded at his nurse, who prepared the surgical equipment. “Everypony out. This may take awhile.”

Chapter 3: Luna Provides

Riven’s rest was anything but, as it was quickly established that though she was anatomically quite similar to the ponies, her chemical balance wasn’t so easily discerned. The first injection of anesthesia did nothing at all, and the second elevated her heart rate. Unwilling to experiment with this further lest they worsen her already tumultuous condition, the doctor called for Luna’s assistance in the matter.

Being a goddess of the night, Luna’s broad domain included the dreaming world, and with her standing dutifully at Riven’s bedside, she was able to magically lull the white-haired warrior into an approximation of sleep. Though happy to help at first, Luna found herself turning green and gagging whenever she caught a glimpse of the surgery.

Even still, natural sleep was no substitute for medicinally-induced unconsciousness. Riven’s pallid face displayed the torment she was enduring, and it only seemed to intensify when the surgical team actually began to make progress. They knitted bones and sutured flesh, but only after they had removed her clothing, everypony looking to Luna to ensure that there wouldn’t be a repeat of last time. Luna’s concentration increased to ensure Riven’s eyes remained shut.

Being doctors and nurses, they were unfazed by situations others would find embarrassing or compromising. Nudity, however, was an everyday occurrence for a pony, so they didn’t grasp the idea that this ape-like stranger might possess a cultural taboo they were unfamiliar with. Instead the nurse that Riven punched believed she had simply startled the poor girl, a sentiment that was readily accepted.

When it came to replenishing the blood Riven had lost, the doctor was far less willing to just “wing it” and hope for the best. A minor incantation revealed a complex mathematical algorithm, which he quickly interpreted to be A+, or as it was called in pony parlance, “uncommon-rare”. Lacking in that, they substituted it for O, or “common”. Hoping it was the universal donor in her world like it was in theirs, they began the transfusion.

As instructed, the other ponies had all retreated to the reception area, both eager and terrified for Riven. As the hours wore on, some left, citing responsibilities that couldn’t be ignored. Princess Celestia bid her subjects farewell and even joined them in a bereaved hug, insisting that Twilight keep her abreast of the situation. Cream said his goodbyes as well, and they departed for Canterlot.

Applejack had a family to attend, but was also growing increasingly agitated with the blood crusting on her coat. No one begrudged her the wish to take a warm bath, so she left as well.

Rarity was hosting her sister Sweetie Belle this week and school was nearly out. She said nothing about the actual work that she had to complete, finding it rather petty given the circumstances. She left the rapidly dwindling group with the assurance that she would return as soon as she was able.

Spike left at Twilight’s insistence. They had left the library a hazard and though she could see the anger in his face at being brushed aside for the sake of his chores, he stormed out anyway. Twilight wasn’t entirely sure why he was upset, thinking he didn’t have the same stock in Riven’s well-being as the others, but perhaps she misjudged his capacity for compassion. She vowed to make it up to him later.

It was then down to four: Twilight herself, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. After an hour of mild discussion to pass the time and intermittent exchanges of comfort for any friend that seemed to be the most fearful at any given moment, Pinkie Pie jumped to her hooves.

“No more frowny-faces! El guapo güera needs to be cheered up, and so do we! I declare a ‘Get well soon’ party!”

“Who?”

“Pretty white lady.”

“Oh.”

“Pinkie, our… guest… is fighting for her life. You don’t think throwing a party would be a bit inappropriate?” Twilight knew the consequences for trying to dissuade Pinkie Pie from throwing a party but was firm in her belief.

Rainbow recoiled, expecting a backlash from Ponyville’s premiere party pony, but none came. Instead, Pinkie looked quite dejected; helpless. “I don’t want to sit here and wait,” she said with a sniffle, her normally curly pink mane deflating ever-so-slightly. “Une fille blanche seemed so nice after she uppercut Nurse Redheart. I want her to be happy when she wakes up.”

“Who?”

“Still pretty white lady.”

“Oh.”

“Then… how about something more… quiet?” Fluttershy offered, trotting over to Pinkie and nuzzling her withers. “Balloons? A card?”

Pinkie’s demeanor notably brightened and she returned her friend’s affection. “Yeah! Maybe a teddy bear!”

“And fresh cupcakes,” Twilight added with a smile.

That didn’t have the desired effect. Pinkie began to hyperventilate as she examined her meticulously-baked confections, confirming that they were cold and the icing was hard.

“NO.”

The remaining three girls heard Pinkie’s drawled out exclamation of “nooooooooooooooooooooooo” as she bolted out of the hospital so fast the revolving door reversed.

Chalking it up to Pinkie just being Pinkie, the others returned to their cushions, though the uncomfortable silence was quickly broken by Rainbow. “I thought Riven said her name was… well… Riven.”

“She did,” Twilight confirmed.

“So… why aren’t we calling her that?”

“Because it’s a silly name. What’s a ‘riven’? She didn’t even have a suffix, for pony’s sake. I figure she was just delirious and mispronounced it. It’s probably ‘River’.”

“River is a lovely name,” Fluttershy said.

“Or,” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “It really was ‘Riven’ and we know zip about the giant white-maned alien in the other room.”

“Or that,” Twilight relinquished. “And don’t call her an alien. It’s rude. You saw how Princess Luna reacted when the doctor tried to say the same thing.”

“Yeah but she isn’t here now, is she?” The multi-colored mare waggled her eyebrows, eliciting a frustrated sigh from her friend. “Besides, what else should we call her? She’s not a pony.”

“We should call her by her name until we get the chance to ask,” Fluttershy interjected, growing somewhat offended by this conversation. Just because Riven wasn’t here to defend herself didn’t mean she should go unspoken for. “Um… if that’s all right…”

Rainbow and Twilight exchanged apologetic glances and nodded. “Yeah, sure, that works too.”

An hour passed and still no new information came out of the surgical suite. The doctor and his two nurses hadn’t even peaked their heads around the corner, nor had anypony seen evidence of Luna. Goddess or no, maintaining a spell for so long was taxing and Twilight was personally quite impressed with her fortitude and longevity.

The sound of the revolving door creaking turned the remaining three’s heads, with Rainbow Dash verbally noting that it hadn’t made that sound before Pinkie shot through it. Approaching them were two of Canterlot’s royal guard, one of which was the Captain of the Guard himself, Shining Armor. Twilight’s somber expression brightened immediately and she hugged her brother tightly, which he eagerly returned.

“Hey Twiley, how have you been?”

“Not well, and if you’re here I’m sure you know why.”

The other guard nodded curtly. “Quite. The al—”

“Don’t call her that!”

“Ally! I was going to say ally!”

“Noteworthy, go take your position. I’ll join you in a moment.”

The pegasus mare saluted her superior sharply and did as ordered. Rainbow watched her trot by, then extended her left wing, as if comparing sizes.

Shining Armor removed his helmet and set it on a nearby cushion, then took a seat in front of the three friends. “Yes, her. The Princess was very distraught when she returned from her trip today. Despite her previous assurances that this magical ritual you were all going to do was harmless, she tells me that it ended up as anything but.”

Twilight nodded and lowered her head, still immeasurably remorseful of the event. Shining Armor, the dutiful brother that he was, picked up on it immediately.

“She also said that you blame yourself. I’m not just here to keep an eye on this… individual… but for you too.” He leaned in and kissed his sister on the muzzle, which had the desired effect of making her smile.

“Now hold on,” Rainbow began, turning everypony’s attention to her. “You’re here to guard Riven? Why? She seemed cool enough.”

“Princess Celestia also mentioned that she threatened you all with broken glass and punched out a nurse.”

“… Well yeah, that happened too.”

“She was frightened and backed into a corner!” Fluttershy defended.

Shining Armor held up a hoof. “Be that as it may, she’s an unknown, not to mention dangerous and well-trained, if it’s true that she willingly broke her own hooves just to escape.”

They all nodded that it was.

“I almost don’t want to leave you all alone with her. I’m even told that Princess Luna is in there right now, which is… irresponsible.”

“She can take care of herself, big bro.”

“I know she can,” he retorted. “So can Celestia, and the guard doesn’t let her leave the palace without a retinue either. That we did so this morning was one of the greatest shames of my career, so I hope you’ll understand how serious I’m treating this.”

They nodded, somewhat embarrassed at his castigation.

“Now don’t look so glum,” he continued, a coy smile tugging at his lips. “Provided myself and Noteworthy are present, you’re all authorized to visit and even socialize with River.”

“Riven,” Fluttershy corrected.

“Right. And Twiley, Celestia herself asked that you find out everything you’re able about her. She wants, in her own words, a ‘very detailed and thought-provoking report as to the physiology, ecology, and social behavior of this mysterious and fascinating species’.”

Twilight’s eyes twinkled like diamonds. “S-S-She said that?”

He sighed and nodded, knowing full well what kind of manic obsession this would elicit, and so did Celestia, that covert troll…

“Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Yeah, yeah, look, just don’t… don’t get too crazy with this. I remember when the princess asked you to research Philomena and you stayed up for an ever-loving week eating coffee grounds and slapping yourself so hard you got a black eye.”

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy exchanged comically knowing glances from behind Twilight’s back, though she picked up on it.

“Oh c’mon, it was one time!”

“Seven,” Shining Armor corrected.

“… Well it won’t be eight!”

The sound of hooves clapping together turned everypony’s attention to Riven’s surgical suite. The door had opened, and Noteworthy stood ramrod straight the instant she saw Princess Luna step out, looking haggard but also pleased, which they all took as a good sign.

“Princess!” Fluttershy lifted off her cushion and two quick flaps of her wings sent her gliding over. “Is she all right? Was the surgery successful?”

Luna exhaled an exhausted breath but nodded, which nearly knocked the timid pegasus on her haunches with relief. “But she is still asleep and very weak. The doctor believes she will recover with time and rehabilitation, but he is… unsure of her mobility. That rather nasty wound on her hip was deep and smooth, which he observantly noted couldn’t have been made during her self-destructive escape.”

Luna looked at Twilight then, who acknowledged the air of regret and disappointment. “Twilight Sparkle, I believe that we were the cause of that injury. The summoning was incomplete; that gouge was made because not all of fair Riven successfully made the journey.”

Twilight hiccupped and choked back tears, but she gestured as if she knew that already. “I suspeced as much. S-Starswirl’s notes mentioned something called ‘squelching’, which fits perfectly.” Shining Armor comforted her, whispering soothing accolades into her ear.

“Will she be able to walk?” Rainbow asked, having focused more on the “unsure of her mobility” part of Luna’s speech.

“Yes, but no doubt with a pronounced limp.” Luna looked over her shoulder at the partially opened door. “I… I am not sure if I can be the one to break the news to her. Because I would never force such a burden on any of you, I will regardless. However… I could use your support.”

After sharing a hug that only Noteworthy seemed surprised by, they collectively entered Riven’s dimmed room just as the exhausted medical team left, mumbling about any number of recreational activities to take their minds off of the fact that they just saved an alien’s life.

Noteworthy guarded the door. The other five encircled Riven’s bed, with Luna taking up position at the head. Previously quite pale because of the blood loss, Riven’s natural tanned complexion was returning, albeit slowly. “My spell should wear off shortly without me to sustain it. I was warned that she’ll undoubtedly be in excruciating pain so please, my dear ponies, be gentle and patient with her.”

“The doctor’s didn’t give her any medication?” Shining Armor inquired, looking at the unconscious creature with a fair amount of curiosity. A blanket had been pulled up to her neck, hiding her state of undress, but both of her legs were elevated and immobilized, as was her right arm. Innumerable bandages entwined her body but what they could see was no better; a veritable quilt of gauze.

Luna shook her head. “No. We couldn’t, hence why I was called in to keep her asleep throughout. Nothing we gave her had any beneficial effect, and the doctor told me he was uncomfortable with experimenting with the doses. Perhaps Riven herself can shed some light on what would be adequate.”

The moment Riven began to stir, a number of soft hooves pressed against her chest, ensuring that she wouldn’t awake with a start and aggravate her injuries. As Luna predicted, the first words out of Riven’s mouth weren’t words at all, but rather exclamations of white-hot agony followed by a number of colorful curses that nopony recognized. As before, it was Fluttershy who took the lead, doing her best to ease her with sweet words and the gentlest of touches.

Then came the questions: “Where am I?” “What happened?” With great effort, she cast half-lidded eyes around the room in search of her personal effects, being fully capable of feeling the blanket against her bare skin. “Where are my clothes?”

“The hospital, and you just got out of surgery. Your garments were discarded, blood-soaked as they were.”

Riven sighed then coughed, a Herculean effort that brought her to tears. “Water?”

A nearby pitcher was provided for just such an occasion. Twilight’s magic floated over a glass punctuated with words of caution. Riven tried to accept it with her right hand but found it unresponsive, so she did the same with her left. When she realized that the skin on her palm was still raw from having touched that incredibly hot cylinder, she groaned and did nothing.

Instead, Twilight gently tipped the water down her throat for her, to which she was thankful for.

“Riven? I know you’re tired but may I ask you a question? After that we’ll let you get some rest.”

“Ask whatever,” she replied, barely above a whisper. “I don’t think I’ll be sleeping anytime soon.”

“B-But you must be exhausted,” Fluttershy breathed. “You’ve been through so much today.”

“You couldn’t sleep in this much pain either, I bet.”

“Speaking of that,” Luna began, pulling Riven’s attention to her. “We were unable to medicate you. The doctor explained why but I fear he used jargon I didn’t entirely understand. Please, tell us what you need to feel better.”

The answer was curt and surprising. “Nothing.”

“Wait, you just said you were in huge amounts of pain!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, shoving her way closer to Riven’s upper torso. “Don’t you want to feel better?”

“Medication dulls the senses and lowers your tolerance,” she intoned, turning her aching head to face the chromatic pony. “Ask me questions. Keep my mind off of it. I’ll be OK.”

Rainbow chuckled. “Y’know, I gotta say, that’s pretty boss. You’re also handling a bunch of talking ponies really well. Do you have others like us where you come from?”

“No, but I’ve seen much stranger things.” Like anything from the Void, she thought. “Adorable pastel horses are a welcome change of pace, to be honest.”

The group exchanged mirthful grins, bemused at being so readily called “adorable”.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend.”

“You didn’t offend us, sister,” Rainbow appeased, tapping her less wounded hand with her own bandaged hoof. “But we’re ponies, not horses.”

“You wanted company, right?” Twilight said, her melancholy dissipating at how well this first contact was going. “We’ll take turns. Is everypony all right with that?”

All but Luna agreed. Noteworthy didn’t say anything either, but she rarely thought questions were being directed at her. “I’m afraid I have a moon to raise,” Luna began, glancing out of the window at the setting sun. “After that I will be returning to Canterlot to host Night Court. However,” she leaned over Riven and gently nudged her cheek with her muzzle. “If you need anything, fair Riven, do not hesitate to ask. You need only dream your desire and I will surely hear it.”

Riven cocked an eyebrow, assuming that was some sort of metaphor and not the literal truth. “Thank you.”

“I’ll take the first shift,” Twilight offered, turning to Shining Armor. “Will you be staying?”

“For the foreseeable future,” he assured.

“Don’t you have crooks and stuff to bust back in Canterlot?” Rainbow asked. Shining Armor chuckled and shook his head.

“Celestia herself assigned me this operation. Noteworthy and I will be staying until told otherwise.”

“Then you and Fluttershy should go home and get some rest, Rainbow,” Twilight said, shuffling up against her yellow friend to elicit an elated squeak. “I’d feel better if you checked in with one of the nurses before leaving too. We all got knocked around a fair bit.”

Rainbow groaned and rolled her eyes. “Jeez, I’m fiiiiine.” She lifted up Riven’s left hand, balled it, and bumped her hoof against her knuckles. “I’ll see you later, sister. I plan on taking up one of these shifts so expect to see a lot more of me!”

Riven smiled for the first time since she arrived. “Your name is… Rainbow?”

“Rainbow Dash!” She finished, then rapped herself on the chest. “The best flier in all of Equestria! And when you’re all better, I expect you to show me some of those rockin’ moves!”

“I look forward to it.”

“And your name isn’t River, right?”

“No… Riven.”

“Told you.” Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Twilight, who huffed and left to go find herself a comfortable cushion.

Riven’s head lolled to the other side of her bed and met Fluttershy’s large — and very relieved — eyes. “And you?”

“Um… I-I’m… Fluttershy,” came the mousy answer.

“Could you speak up, please?”

“Her name is Fluttershy,” Rainbow said, a bit too loudly, causing her long-time friend to shrink back behind her mane. “You’ll get use to her.”

Riven remembered this pegasus clearly. She had been nothing but kind and affectionate since she first laid eyes on her, and though this was the first time she’d heard her name, she was already quite fond of the little mare. “I’m sure I will.”

A short while later, Twilight returned with not just a cushion, but a cart full of books and writing utensils, as well as a number of snacks. To her credit, she was far more focused on Riven than on any book within hoof’s reach, but that was probably because she’d already seen their titles and knew she had read them all. “All right, Ms. Riven! What did you want to talk about?”

Chapter 4: Research and Social Development

Fluttershy went back to her cottage as suggested. Though she considered Riven a beloved patient of hers like any other, she also knew that she was in good hooves and that her other woodland friends had been neglected for the better part of the day. Her suspicions were confirmed when she dodged a head of lettuce lobbed by a particularly cranky bunny.

“Oh Angel, I’m so sorry! I’ll make you a nice big dinner to make up for your missed lunch.”

Angel briefly pondered the benefits of her bribe but decided instead to load another vegetable into his make-shift catapult and continue the barrage.

Rainbow Dash, despite not having caught a single nap all day, was far too energetic to simply wind down. She almost wished she had volunteered to take the first shift, because though she had no facts about their newest Ponyville arrival, Rainbow knew hardcore when she saw it. That girl had stories that she was desperate to hear. She decided on laying down for just long enough to ensure that she wouldn’t nod off later, and would replace Twilight when she awoke.

The moon was full and brilliant tonight, and both mares acknowledged its beauty before laying their heads down, one eager to sleep off the stress brought on by the day’s events, and the other to pass the time.

Fluttershy’s dreams were always colorful, warm, and relaxing. The day before she vividly recalled a much-needed vacation to Colto San Lucas where modestly dressed pool boys served her nonalcoholic beverages and rubbed her belly… in a totally platonic manner, of course. Tonight her dreams were of herself and her friends, Riven included. They socialized, ate delicious confections baked by Pinkie Pie, and engaged in idle gossip. In her dreams, Fluttershy was typically far more outgoing than in real life.

Rainbow Dash’s dreams, on the other hand, were always of the same thing: The Wonderbolts. She was the captain, the star of the show, and spent her days performing for millions of cheering fans. Occasionally she would dream about the time after her life’s aspiration was realized; she was older but still awesome, and had married a strapping stallion. She told her children stories of her exploits — much to their delight — and never had to do the laundry or cook dinner.

Something was different tonight, however. Fluttershy’s friends began to exclude her from the conversation. She thought little of it at first and tried to worm her way back into the group, but they would always be just out of hoof’s reach. She could hear them gossiping about her, giggling and making fun of her insecurities. Being the outgoing subconscious mare that she was, she grew frustrated and demanded to know why they were acting so cruel. She wished she had let them continue to talk behind her back.

“What’s the matter, ‘Shy? Scared we don’t like you anymore?” Rainbow said, her chromatic mane duller and flatter than usual.

“She oughta be,” said Applejack, who had also lost much of her luster. “I’ve honestly had it up’ta here with her. Girl’s almost twenty-five years old, for Pete’s sake. Still scared of the motherbuckin’ dark.”

“Ugh, finally,” Twilight droned, the deformities present in the others were beginning to exemplify in her. “Ever since I’ve moved to Ponyville, she’s done nothing but weigh us down and make a foal of herself. Let her run back home and be with the animals that love her so much. Oh, wait! Even Angel pushes you around!”

“Sounds good to me,” exclaimed a barely-recognizable Rarity. “Just leave, you insufferable git! LEAVE!”

“LEAVE!”

“LEAVE!”

Fluttershy gasped and sat up, cold sweat chilling her coat and tears streaming from her eyes. She’d never had a dream like that before; she would have sworn it was real if she wasn’t now looking out across her dimly lit bedroom, courtesy of a nearby nightlight. She exhaled and looked at her alarm clock, which read: “Twelve o’clock,” she said with a voice even quieter than usual. Had it just been a normal nightmare, Fluttershy would have been able to write it off as nothing and return to sleep, even if it wouldn’t have been as restful as she was accustomed too. Instead, she sat awake all night, remembering the last thing she heard in her dream.

A voice. A voice she didn’t recognize but one that made her whimper whenever she thought back to it. It was cold, malicious, and hateful. It’s every hissing word violated and polluted her very soul.

“All alone…”

Rainbow experienced something similar. In her dreams she was flying alongside her heroes. Clad in her blue Wonderbolts uniform and wearing their reflective goggles, she was on top of the world. To her left was Spitfire — the captain and in her opinion, the only mare she’d ever switch teams for. With her was Silver Lining and Wind Dancer. On Rainbow’s left was Soarin’, Highfalutin’, and Airborne. They performed a routine that would have made any other pegasus vomit and plummet to their doom, but the Wonderbolts did it with laughable ease.

All except for Rainbow Dash, of course. She was new and went into this show not knowing the material. When the others rolled in perfect formation, she dipped a few feet lower, screwing up the entire routine. When they banked right and up, she rose too sharply and to the left, nearly colliding with Spitfire.

“HEY!” Spitfire roared over the wind. “You idiot! Didn’t you rehearse this?!”

Rainbow could only stutter and sheepishly look away as her idol chewed her out. Suddenly the crowd was gone as well, and they were back on the ground. Rainbow was in the center of seven other ponies verbally decimating her.

“IDIOT!”

“LOSER!”

“FAILURE!”

“I knew we shouldn’t have accepted her!”

“We won’t make that mistake again! She’s out! Fired! And worse than that, banned from every future show!”

Rainbow was quaking, crying hysterically and covering her head with her hooves. Nothing she did, however, could drown out the voices of her heroes and former colleagues vocalizing her worst fears.

… Wait, seven?

Rainbow Dash peeked out from between her forelock and laid eyes on what could only be described as a thing. It had the shape of a pony but besides a pair of white glowing eyes, it had no discernable features. The mutable shadow stepped forward, its mere movements causing the Wonderbolts to evaporate like mist. It leaned over her shivering form and began to laugh, a sound that chilled her to the bone and made her shriek like a filly. That only intensified when the creature ejected a horrific weapon from its forehoof and stabbed her through the spine.

All pretense of sanity left Rainbow Dash then. She felt the pain, the helplessness, and the fear. If this was a dream she could not wake from it, until the nightmarish beast lifted her impaled carcass up to its face and mocked her with words that no amount of counseling would ever permit her to forget.

“SUFFER ETERNALLY!”

Whereas Fluttershy awoke merely afraid and shivering, Rainbow awoke with a blood-curdling scream that shook the walls of her cloud home and strained her throat so severely she coughed up a fluid that validated the description.

She scrambled out from between her lighter-than-air comforter and dashed to the bathroom, throwing up what little she had in her stomach. Unable to make it to the toilet in time, she dirtied her sink instead, which gave her reason to look up into the medicine cabinet’s mirror afterward. What Rainbow saw she didn’t recognize. Her cyan coat was pale and sickly, her mane was flat and its many colors were fading, and her eyes were bloodshot. And no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop running her hoof over the spot on her chest where she felt the blade pierce.

“Oh Celestia…” she shuttered and wept.

“Race?”

“Human.”

“Place of origin?”

“Noxus, in the continent of Valoran.”

Twilight was dictating and checking off a list of pertinent facts at the same time. She had purposely skipped the first question because she wasn’t trying to be rude. However, curiosity won out over discourteousness.

“Full name?”

“Riven.”

“… And… you don’t have a surname?”

“Do you?” The exile asked, trying to not sound snippy but fearing her condition left her patience at a premium.

“Well, no. My full given name is Twilight Sparkle. You’re… just ‘Riven’?”

“… I have a surname.”

“Wonderful! Can you tell me what it is?”

Riven looked momentarily thoughtful then grinned and shrugged. “No.”

Twilight sighed and wrote in the margins: “will inquire later”

“Occupation?”

“I’m a conscripted fighter for the League of Legends.” Realizing that the explanation could require a bit of elaboration, she settled on an abridged version. “It’s a group that uses spectator sports to settle disputes between other nations.”

“Oh, well that doesn’t sound nearly as bad as ‘fighter’ lead me to believe.”

“Well, I do fight. Fighting is the sport.”

Twilight paused and looked up at Riven from behind the top of her list. “You… hurt ponies… for entertainment?”

“People, and yes… but in addition to settling disputes,” Riven engrained, trying not to sound like a bloodthirsty brute from a culture of savages. Too bad even she didn’t believe that. She sighed then, realizing that the abridged version would not due this justice. “Look, where I come from, the world is in bad shape. We’ve had many wars, each left it worse than the last. Eventually it got to the point where another war would have destroyed Runeterra — that’s the name of the planet.”

Twilight was listening intently, and even retrieved a new piece of parchment so she wouldn’t sully her list with this riveting tale.

“So the League of Legends was founded. A group of powerful magic-users—”

“Ooh, ooh! Tell me about them!”

“...The summoners?”

“If that’s what they’re called, yes!”

“Well… they’re usually older men and women who have studied the art of conjuration magic their entire lives. I’m told that if you’re not very skilled at it, summoning a person — a pony — can be incredibly dangerous.”

Twilight’s parchment levitated up to hide her beet-red cheeks.

“And because of that skill, they created a place called the Institute of War where those who fight can live and act in neutral territory. Because of the threat war posed, every city, state, and nation agreed that this was the best course of action.”

“Wow. That’s… sad.” Twilight’s ears drooped to emphasize her emotion. “There is no other option?”

“I don’t know,” Riven admitted. “I’m just a fighter. I leave the thinking to my betters.”

Twilight smiled and set the parchment down, then leaned forward and nuzzled Riven’s shoulder. “I think you’re smarter than you give yourself credit, Riven.”

The very notion of her lot in life had instilled a deep-seeded dislike of physical contact in Riven. She’d never been close to anyone but her family and they were no longer relevant, and she had never trusted a person enough to become intimate with them. It didn’t take her long to realize that these ponies were very tactile; they kissed, hugged, cuddled, and caressed without the slightest idea that it could be seen as uncomfortable or misconstrued as sexual. Riven had stopped shying away from them now, finding it not only futile but difficult given her multitude of injuries.

Still, it couldn’t hurt to set some ground rules. “Twilight, do you… do this…” she gestured with her eyes at Twilight’s nuzzle, “with everyone?”

Twilight looked momentarily confused, then glanced back at Riven’s shoulder and nodded. “Um… well, yes. Some more than others, I suppose. Unicorns like myself have over eleven-thousand nerve endings in our bodies, a third of which are clustered in our horns. Earth ponies have less, but pegusi have even more, mostly in their wings! Fascinating, right?”

“Very. Still, you’re very… affectionate.”

“Well you’re my friend. Aren’t you affectionate with your friends?”

Riven was beginning to see how this argument could twist itself into a circle so she decided to drop that topic specifically. “Fine, but what about nudity?”

“What about it?”

“Do ponies never… cover up?”

Twilight smirked. “We have fur coats and tails. What more do we need?”

“Well humans have neither,” she said, growing frustrated. “I wasn’t just wearing clothes because it was cold. I was wearing them because I don’t want everything hanging out.”

“Oh, that reminds me!” Twilight levitated her parchment over and readied her quill. “May I examine your reproductive organs?”

“NO YOU MAY NOT!”

“Aw, but why?”

A rapid-fire series of knocks interrupted their conversation before it resulted in fisticuffs, not that Riven would have been much of a challenge in her current state. Before either could invite the guest in, Pinkie Pie bucked it practically off the hinges and began to swarm Riven like a wasp. Both Shining Armor and Noteworthy were on the other side, knowing full well Pinkie wasn’t any sort of threat but fearful of how Riven might react.

“HIHIHIHIMYNAMEISPINKIEPIEITSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOGOODTOOMEETYOU!”

Riven’s short, spiky hair flopped back into place once the gust ceased and she nodded once, her eyes wide and worrisome. “Nice to meet you too?”

“Yay!” Pinkie reached behind her and produced from essentially no where a tray of cupcakes, fresh out of the oven. “Want a cupcake? OF COURSE YOU DO! Pssh, duh! What kind of a question is that?” Pinkie happily smacked herself on the head and held out one of the delicious treats for Riven, who merely looked at Twilight like the building had caught fire.

“Um, Pinkie, her hands are pretty badly hurt.”

“Oh! I’m sorry!” Pinkie looked legitimately distraught that she had reminded Riven of a potentially sore subject, so she instead held the cupcake closer, expecting the woman to eat it right out of hoof.

“Uh, thank you but I’m not really hun—”

“EAT THE FREAKIN’ CUPCAKE!”

Riven immediately took a bite, feeling more vulnerable now than she had at any other point in her life. Still, it was a very good pastry and though she hadn’t been lying about not being hungry, she wasn’t about to let it go to waste. Pinkie, of course, was more than happy to stand there for as long as it took.

When Riven was finished, Pinkie plopped down on Twilight’s previously occupied cushion and looked at her purple friend with excitement radiating in her eyes.

“… Pinkie? What are you doing?”

“Taking over for you! I called next shift!”

“We didn’t have established shifts, Pinkie. Besides, I think Rainbow wanted it next.”

“Well Dashie isn’t here, I am, and if she snoozes, she loses!”

“I’m not tired,” the unicorn grumbled, her irritation evident.

“Yes you are,” Shining Armor’s voice called from the hallway.

“SHUT UP BIG BRO!”

“It’s fine, Twilight.” Riven was speaking now, trying to lick a dollop of icing from her upper lip. “Go get some rest. I’ll be ready for more questions in the morning.”

With an audible sigh, Twilight nodded and began to pack up her belongings. “All right, but I don’t want to hear any excuses like ‘well now I’m tired’ or some such nonsense.”

Riven chuckled, wincing with every breath. “I promise I’ll still be in horrific pain when I see you next.”

“I-I-I didn’t mean it like that!”

“I know. That was sarcasm.”

Pinkie giggled. “Spike’s right! You’re awful with sarcasm!”

After a few goodbyes to both the occupants of Riven’s room, a polite hug from Noteworthy, and the sort of hug that only siblings could share, Twilight left the hospital’s darkened corridors to the able hooves of her friends and family.

Before she was actually out of earshot, however, she heard a deck of cards shuffle and invitations extending to the two guards. They accepted and Pinkie, Riven, Shining Armor, and Noteworthy engaged in a friendly game of five-card stud.

Chapter 5: Comes the Nocturne One

“Spike! I’m home!”

Twilight bucked the front door of the library shut and paused, expecting a response. When she heard none, she figured that he was asleep and walked the few feet separating her and the remnants of the questionably successful summoning.

It appeared that Spike had cleaned up nicely. He had removed the furniture that had been damaged, straightened up the kitchen, and reshelved the books to the best of his ability. The glass enclosure was still in the room, and though he had swept up the glass shattered by Riven’s escape, it didn’t appear that he’d done anything else with it. There was, however, a scroll taped to one side, which upon closer examination revealed itself to be a list of book titles.

“Must’ve been what he couldn’t salvage,” she thought glumly. She’d inquire what came of the damaged books tomorrow, but for the now the mere thought that some of her precious charges had been destroyed made her guts churn. “I’ll remember you always, my pretties.”

Twilight’s horn glowed and the nearby lamp — which Spike had undoubtedly left on for her benefit — blinked off. It was replaced by a softer glow that illuminated her path up the stairs and into her bedroom. Shaking off her saddlebags, she noted a sleeping Spike with a smile, and joined him in dreamland.

His dreams would be anything but peaceful, however.

Spike had a very active imagination, which occasionally interposed itself with the waking world. One night he would be a dashing cavalier, rescuing his fair maiden from the hooves of an evil wizard atop his trusty purple steed. Both the maiden and the wizard changed roles quite frequently; the wizard could be any of the teenaged dragons he met during the last migration, or one of the stallions around town. The maiden was most commonly Rarity, though her role was occasionally filled by one of his other mare friends. Of course, he’d never tell any of them that.

The commonality was that he always won. His subconscious recognized the rather subservient life style he lived day-to-day and so graciously gifted him with all of the respect and prestige he so desperately desired. Tonight was a bit different, however.

It started out as expected. The noble knight charged through a forest, sweeping aside Diamond Dog henchmen like moths. Sir Spike’s skill and precision with his lance was unparalleled, and only one such mongrel had been able to scramble back to his feet and call to his master through the nearby clearing.

Sir Spike, of course, cut that straggler down and approached his arch nemesis. A blue-robed stallion with a wormy black beard and a stupid miter cackled at him. The two exchanged no words, but in this situation, none were needed. Behind the wizard was fair Rarity, trapped in a bronze cage and imploring her hero to rescue her.

Sir Spike obliged and charged the evil-doer. A few lightning bolts arced from his hooves but all missed the mark, and once Spike was sure the hapless fool was no more, he threw down his weapon and gallantly moved to release his princess...

Or he did until a column of midnight blue fire engulfed her cage, immolating its prisoner and reducing the structure itself to molten slag. A now normal sized Spike couldn’t even process what he had just witnessed, and instead looked up at the source of the attack. Standing taller than Canterlot Castle was a dragon plucked from his nightmares; a void against a green meadow and a sunny day, which too began to twist and distort.

The dragon dropped a mighty claw down on the remnants of Rarity and brought its featureless black head in line with the petrified adolescent, who couldn’t have made a sound even if he wanted too. Still, he had yet to experience the true horrors of this creature, for now it spoke, and any semblance of innocence left in his youthful body was abducted and mutilated before his very eyes.

“SHE CANNOT SAVE YOU!”

Spike didn’t understand the message but his slack jaw mouthed the words “who?”

“SHE CANNOT SAVE ANY OF YOU!”

Spike fell to his knees and shut his eyes, ignoring both the tears and… other fluids… that he was leaking. He flattened his spines against the ground and silently prayed that what came next would be over quickly.

It wasn’t.

The creature inhaled and bathed Spike in unholy flames, and he felt every lick. The bubbling of his skin, the charring of muscle, and even the calcification of his bones.

The pain was so far beyond anything he’d ever experienced that his mind didn’t register that he was being shaken. Not until what seemed like an eternity of agony passed by, and his own hoarse voice caught in his ears.

“SPIKE! SPIKE, WAKE UP, BABY! PLEASE!”

Twilight had been trying to rouse her number one assistant for the better part of five minutes, though she found herself considering him closer to a surrogate son ever since she saw the terror in his face. He had been crying so hard the tears ran dry, and had soiled himself to boot, but she cared for none of that right now. She just wanted to wake him from something that was scaring her almost as badly as it was him.

When Spike’s eyes finally did snap open, he began to repeat the shadow dragon’s words while attempting to claw his own eyes out. Twilight restrained him as best she could with a magical field and rushed him out of the library, Ponyville General her destination. She didn’t have time to reference her books.

The sun was cresting over the mayor’s office.

Sassafras, the Apple family’s pet rooster, awoke the household with his song. Applejack yawned and sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with one hoof and stretching with the other. She rolled out of bed and made her way to the shower, her unsecured mane and tail dragging behind her. She would never admit this to anypony — especially not Rarity — but she was quite adept in mane care, her own being a rather stubborn customer. It demanded at least thirty minutes of maintenance every morning lest it become an uncontrollable mop the entire day, which made the already laborious task of applebucking that much harder.

She shut the bathroom door behind her with a loud yawn and slapped on the shower’s faucet, letting it warm up a bit. Applejack was not a vain pony and very rarely did anything to improve her physical appearance. She simply placed no value in the physicality of things, preferring to love and appreciate folks for what laid beneath the skin. But this morning her somewhat ghastly countenance drew her to look at the fogging mirror, and was quite startled by what she saw.

It was her but… not. Her coat was pale, her eyes the color of ink, and her mane so spiky she swore she had been struck by lightning. After that the image changed to Sweet Apple Acres’ southern field and a scene she remembered well. An old barn that had burned down about ten years ago…

“To the day,” she breathed, at first merely surprised at what she saw, but she soon realized what would come next, for this had been a memory that haunted her without fail every day since that ill-fated evening.

She saw Granny Smith holding Applebloom, still just a foal, and beside her was Big Mac. She saw the barn burning and her father running into it, dodging falling planks in a desperate attempt to locate her mother — his wife.

“No…” Applejack recoiled and collided with the drywall behind her, but the scene didn’t change. In fact, it was more vivid now, for what was once a view obstructed by the flames, she now saw her pa clutching her limp ma, and then a burning beam crushed him flat.

“NO!”

Applejack’s prodigious strength ripped the towel rack clean off the wall and hurled it through the mirror like a javelin. It predictably shattered, but beyond it was an empty void.

Then she heard the bath water overflow. She turned and beneath it and the steam filling the room was Applebloom, face down in the water. “Celestia, no!” Applejack pulled her sister out of the water and fell onto her haunches, examining the lifeless filly with desperation and eyes wide with fear. “I can’t lose you too, sugar! I can’t! Wake up! WAKE UP!”

And she did, violently. Applejack’s strained scream and restless turning had bucked the baseboard clean off her bed, and in a moment of clarity she rolled off before the entire frame collapsed underneath her. Panting heavily, she swallowed deep gulps of air and tentatively approached the ruined bed, as if it was the cause and might yet snap at her. She quickly yanked her precious hat out from under the blanket and put it back on her head, then nearly jumped out of her skin when her bedroom door flung open and Big Mac entered, immediately scooping her into a hug that she hungrily returned.

“I had the dream again, Big Bro,”

“Ah know,” he whispered, stroking her mane.

“No you don’t. It was worse than it’s ever been.” She sobbed into his mane, her words uncharacteristically weak. “It’s never been that real.”

“Ah know,” he repeated. “Ah had the same dream… jus’ now.”

She pulled away just far enough to look him in the eyes. “You… you did? B-But… how?”

He shook his head, and with the first clear glimpse of his face, Applejack could tell that her brother had seen the same terrible images; the stress and terror was etched into his normally youthful and powerful features. “She’s fine, though,” he promised, pulling her in close again and kissing her withers. “Ah just checked on ‘er.”

Applejack shuddered but was relieved. She knew that neither of them would be able to get any work done today, so perhaps it was just best to spend time with the family… and check on Ponyville’s newest arrival. She seemed an amiable sort. No reason to be unneighborly, after all.

She could see the sun through her window now, and Sassafras’s song told her to wake up.

Wake up.

Wake up!

“Princess! WAKE UP!”

Luna snapped awake, her throne tipping as she did. One of her two bat-winged guards caught it before it fell, however, and Luna returned to an attentive, albeit confused, state.

Before her was a lobbyist, one of many that graced both her court and her sister’s. He was a stout, portly pegasus that didn’t share the concern of Luna’s guards. Rather, he just looked annoyed that his undoubtedly important plea was going unheard. “Princess, did you hear me? I need those bits lest I and my clients be forced to endure another week without my gourmet iceberg lettuce!”

“I must find my sister,” Luna groused, rising to her hooves. She walked straight at the viticulturist and when it didn’t appear that he would move of his own accord, the Royal Canterlot Voice reminded him of his folly. “MOVE YOU SUPERCILLIOUS SWEATY SLUG OF A STALLION!”

Luna left her audience chamber at a brisk pace, urgent but unwilling to fall at her sister’s hooves like a filly incapable of handling some insignificant task on her own. Though what she was truly seeking was advice, for her vigil over the night had just revealed to her an all-to familiar presence, one that she thought would never trouble her again.

“It cannot be,” she intoned, doing her best to convince herself as well as she’d have to convince Celestia. “’Tis impossible.”

Chapter 6: All The Queen's Horses...

Sweetie Belle yawned.

“Sweetie!” Rarity thumped her sister on the cheek with the blunt end of a croquet needle, and the filly snorted back to consciousness. “Hhuh?”

“You nodded off again. We’re almost finished, so could you please hold up the fabric higher?”

Sweetie grumbled but did as requested, however her expression had gone from once being ecstatic that Rarity asked her to assist in this “life-changing project” to annoyed that she’d kept her up all night. Rarity, on the other hoof, wasn’t tired in the least. On the contrary, she was as bright eyed and bushy tailed as the moment they began, which her little sister had questioned on more than one occasion.

She received the same answer every time: “I’ll tell you when you’re older, dear.”

Rarity finished stitching up the hem of a dress that was still a long way from completion, but she still exclaimed “Finite!” with the utmost jubilance. Sweetie sighed and let the fabric fall from her hooves to crumple in a messy pile at the base of the latter. “Fiiiiiinally!”

“SWEETIE! Could you not treat my five thousand bit imported vicuña wool like one of your dolls?!” Rarity gingerly gathered up the material and laid it flat on a nearby table.

“You kept me up all night for this!” Her sister huffed, climbing down off the latter and glaring at her elder sister with contempt. “Me and the other Crusaders wanted to go talk to the alien today!”

“You can still do that,” Rarity said with as much patience as she ever had for Sweetie’s tantrums. “But first you’re going to get some sleep. You and your little friends can go to the hospital at noon.”

Sweetie gasped and feigned a look of pure indignity. Rarity had to admit, she was shaping up into quite a superb junior diva. “But that’s—!”

“Six hours from now,” Rarity finished, looking out at the sun-kissed street through her boutique’s bay window. “And I know for a fact your rambunctious behind rarely sleeps for more than four before you’re awake and running amok for the rest of the day.”

“Fiiiiiiiiine.” Before Sweetie could stomp away, Rarity caught her in a telekinetic field and kissed her on the snout. She set her back down and pushed her flank toward the stairs. “Sleep tight, love.”

Sweetie blushed and sighed, suddenly finding it very hard to stay mad at her sister. “I love you too,” and was soon out of sight.

As soon as she was, Rarity exhaled and immediately looked like she hadn’t slept in a week. That was quickly remedied by a sharp yellow glow emanating from her horn. The light enveloped her in a tight aura, and when it faded, her coat had returned to its usual impeccable luster, her gorgeous purple hair was bouncy, and her eyes were shimmering and completely devoid of any trace of baggage.

It was a spell she was quite proud of, and one she was certain even the illustrious Twilight Sparkle didn’t know. After all, she had seen the results of her burning the midnight oil before and often regretted not sharing with her such a powerful trick of the trade. Perhaps when she decided to share the knowledge of teleportation…

With a delighted sigh, Rarity trotted into the kitchen and began to cook for herself a light breakfast. After all, she still had much work to complete. Mere minutes in and the doorbell rang, and Rarity happily skipped over to answer it, leaving her hash browns to quietly sizzle.

“I’m very sorry but we don’t open for ano—Oh! Derpy! So good to see you darling.”

“You too, Miss Rarity!” the hovering mailmare chirped. Rarity had to admit, even she was a bit jealous at how alert and pleasant Derpy was at such atrociously early hours. Job satisfaction was such a hard thing to come by, though her wall-eyed friend knew the secret in spades. She hefted a bundle off her back and let Rarity catch it with her magic.

She examined it for a brief moment then shrugged and returned a smile. “Thank you kindly.”

“Take care!” Derpy fluttered off, performing a barrel roll and giggling before she rounded the corner and was gone.

Rarity shut the door and set the package down, untying it with surgical precision and revealing an orange biological waste bag. She wrinkled her nose at the sight, but quickly noticed a card folded into quarters nearly lost within the wrinkly wrapping paper.

Dear Miss Rarity,

I did not get the chance to speak to you at greater length and I apologize; I hope we can get better acquainted soon. I have a favor to ask and I hope you do not begrudge me for it. Contained herein are my effects, which were damaged (as you no doubt saw) in my escape from captivity (I apologize if I startled you). If it’s not too much trouble, could you please clean and repair them? I will pay you whatever amount you deem fair at a later date.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely, Riven

Dictated by Twilight Sparkle

Rarity smiled pleasantly at the note and set it aside, then looked down at the blood-soaked and torn garments beneath the semi-transparent hazard bag. She could tell from just a cursory glance that they were quite well-worn, being practically threadbare on all of the seams. “Of course I will, you silly non-pony,” she thought aloud, then directed her attention toward the sound of oil popping in the kitchen: Her hash browns were burning.

“Oh, ponyfeathers!”

Riven yawned… but then clutched her chest in pain, turning away so that Pinkie wouldn’t become concerned.

In the last several hours they had spent together, however, she was beginning to learn a lot about this happy-go-lucky pink pony. While she seemed as concerned for Riven’s well-being as anyone — anypony — she wasn’t condescending or overly physical in her misgivings. She had asked Riven only once if she was all right, and when she replied in the affirmative, Pinkie immediately dismissed it and began to excitedly discuss a number of topics.

Riven was not introverted per se, but she wasn’t particularly outgoing either. However, Pinkie’s enthusiasm for basically everything was infectious and after a short while, Riven was laughing and enjoying herself, so much so that one of the nurses had ushered the notably disappointed mare out, as Riven had torn some of her stitches during a heated talk over the merits of chocolate chips cooked inside of pancakes as opposed to adding them afterward.

Now she found herself in the company of Shining Armor and Noteworthy, but the pegasus was asleep, having been ordered to do so by her superior officer. It was only after Noteworthy removed her armor to get some shut-eye that Riven got a good look at her; her mane was golden blond and her coat was an off-white color, similar to an eggshell. Twilight Sparkle briefly explained the reason behind “cutie marks” during their Q&A earlier that evening, and Noteworthy’s was of two pegusi crossing spears. Though neither guard appeared to be armed, it was apt.

Shining Armor was laconic and contemplative. He divided his attention between Riven herself, the doorway, and the nearby window. Up until this point, he hadn’t directed a single word at her; even during their earlier game of poker he was curt and on-edge. The silence intensified her pain so she decided to be the one to break the ice. Ironic, she thought. I’m usually the one everyone tries to get to know.

“So… Twilight’s brother?”

“Shining Armor,” he informed.

“No, I was asking, not asking for your name.”

“Oh. Yes, I am.”

“She’s nice. A bit scatterbrained.” Riven looked at him, and he was displaying something between a mix of confusion and offense, like she had just insulted his little sister. “I wasn’t being mean; I like her. Just making an observation.”

“I agree. She’s always been very… studious.” Then his eyes narrowed, a rather menacing face given that they were shadowed by his blue galea. “But you don’t get to make fun of my sister in front of me, observation or not.”

Riven frowned but nodded. She could hardly blame him for being defensive, as she’d undoubtedly do the same if she had any siblings.

A few moments of tense silence wafted by and Riven winced again. She needed to keep this conversation going, even if it devolved into a shouting contest. “Got any family besides your sister?”

“My mother and father, and my wife.”

“What’s your wife’s name?”

“Princess Cadence.”

Riven paused then chuckled a bit, still tipping to her side from the pain. “Your sister is the student of the princess, and on top of being the captain of your military, you married into royalty. You must have some very proud parents.”

Shining Armor’s lips crooked into the most professional variation of a smirk Riven had ever seen. “They raised us well.”

A distant cry turned both of their heads then, and it steadily grew closer. At this range, neither could make out the voices, but Shining Armor nevertheless conjured to hoof a sword; it resembled a gladius, but in Riven’s hand it would have been but a dagger. “Stay here,” he insisted, moving to the doorway and peering around it.

“I don’t think you need to worry about me leaving.”

Blue light shimmered from the revolving door in the nearby lobby and a moment later, the glass vaporized and the bronze structure was torn from its frame, ricocheting off the interior of the hospital twice before coming to a stop less than a metre from a very alarmed nurse.

Twilight ran in shortly thereafter, Spike draped across her back. To say she looked frantic would have been the understatement of the century, for she was practically babbling on top of screaming for aid. Her mane was slicked with sweat and her legs were trembling, barely able to support her weight. The nurse immediately discarded her fear and leapt over the counter, grabbing the little dragon and calling for a Doctor Sawbones, the attending.

Not that she needed to, for Twilight’s spell had garnered the attention of the entire building. Said doctor ran out from a supply closet shortly thereafter — followed by another nurse — and was about to demand who had caused such a ruckus, only to immediately adjust his lipstick-smeared collar and call for a gurney. Though neither the receptionist nor the other nurse knew much about dragon physiology, the doctor did, and had soon graduated from merely checking the dilation of his pupils to holding his ear over Spike’s mouth.

“He isn’t breathing,” he spoke to no one in particular, then turned to the nurse on his right. “Prep surgical suite number two and get the paddles.” Doctor Sawbones kicked the gurney’s peddle to lower its height, then reached into his pocket for a penknife. He wedged open Spike’s mouth and slammed his hoof down on the little dragon’s chest, eliciting a cry of shock from the hysterical Twilight Sparkle. A gout of green flames sterilized the knife, as intended, and the doctor made an incision in Spike’s throat.

Waving the flames away, he produced a drinking straw from another pocket and slipped it into the incision. After a moment, smoke began to puff from it in neat circles.

“His airway is blocked,” the doctor explained, looking at Twilight, who had nearly fainted at the display. Shining Armor had dispelled his weapon and was quick to catch her, however. “I don’t know by what but I’ll find it during the surgery, don’t you fret.” He then looked at the armored unicorn. “Keep her out here.” And with that, Spike was wheeled out of sight.

Shining Armor saw the telltale sign of magic about to be worked from her horn but his own dispelled it, breaking her bloodshot attention to focus on him and the sudden rage she felt at being unable to accompany her assistant.

“You’re going to let me go,” she said, clearly a command and not a suggestion.

“No I’m not. If I have to hold you down, I will.”

“You wouldn’t win, Armor.”

“I’ve been trained to counterspell rogue unicorns. You haven’t. Sit.”

Twilight looked longingly in the direction of the double doors where Spike disappeared but didn’t move. She simply canted her head and let the tears fall quietly. Shining Armor did his best to comfort her, but he didn’t know what to say any better than she did.

Their attention was once again distracted by somepony’s pleas for help. Shining Armor kissed his sister once then went to investigate, only to be nearly bowled over by a disheveled Fluttershy and her cargo: Rainbow Dash.

“S-S-She fell!” The crazed mare exclaimed, but once she realized Shining Armor wasn’t a trained medical professional, she practically pushed him aside and began to bang on the service bell. One of the nurses came out of Spike’s operating room to see what the trouble was this time, but again was able to set aside her irritation and gallop over, taking Rainbow off of Fluttershy’s back and laying her on the cold tile.

Fluttershy continued to explain, and though Twilight was confused and wanted to calm her friend, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from those damn double doors…

“I f-f-found her outside of my cottage this morning! I don’t know how long she’d been laying there but she’s unconscious and I j-j-just don’t have the facilities to handle this kind of injury!”

“RELAX!” The nurse shouted, immediately shutting Fluttershy up with a mid-sentence “eep!” The nurse began to perform a cursory examination of Rainbow Dash’s wounds and while extensive, none were life threatening. The bump on her head appeared to have lulled her into a state of contented sleep. “I think her right rear and fore hooves are sprained, possibly broken, probably from trying to brace her fall. She bumped her noggin good but we can’t know how severe it is until she wakes up.”

The nurse locked eyes with Fluttershy and pointed a hoof at the nearby closet. “Keep her here and as comfortable as you’re able. Get a cold compress for her head but don’t leave it on for more than ten minutes at a time. I have another patient who needs my help right now but I promise—” she punctuated that last word so Fluttershy caught the severity of her tone. “—I will be back as soon as possible to get her situated.”

With that, the nurse was gone to once again attend to Spike.

Fluttershy did as ordered. The chilled bag was retrieved and placed on Rainbow Dash’s forehead, and her friends carefully carried her back into Riven’s room, setting her down at the foot of the bed. Speaking of her, she had been listening to the unmitigated chaos raging outside of her room and was eager to know just what the hell was going on. However, no one could give her an answer.

“Spike and Rainbow Dash were hurt?” Riven questioned, shuffling into a straighter posture while using her weak grip to keep the blanket covering her chest. “How?”

Twilight hiccupped but it took her a moment to collect herself enough to reply. “I d-don’t know…” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He was th-thrashing in his sleep. He looked terrified… and then he stopped breathing.”

“I always wake up early to feed the crepuscular animals that live around my home,” Fluttershy squeaked, having required even more time to gain her bearings enough to speak. “But I saw Rainbow just… laying there… like she had flown down to talk with me but couldn’t make it to the door. I don’t understand… it’s such a simple flight.”

Riven’s good hand reflexively reached up and cupped itself over her right breast. She remembered something that had occurred mere seconds before arriving in Equestria, but had pushed it out of her mind in favor of more prevalent topics, such as crayon-colored ponies and life-threatening injuries. But what had been inflicted upon her in that last match was fake; a phantom. The doctor’s scans revealed no damage in that area of her chest.

Now she closed her eyes and tried to think. The very last moments before the Nexus absorbed her soul… she was in a fight with Evelynn and Nocturne.

…And his blades had still been in her chest.

Riven’s eyes snapped open and the profound words of “oh my god” were on her lips. Instead she saw two gods — princesses, more precisely — looking at her. Luna scared out of her wits, and Celestia with barely-contained fury.

“What did you bring with you?”

Chapter 7: ...And One Less Mare

Princess Luna entered her sister’s bedchambers after an almost timid knock garnered no response. Because their schedules conflicted so heavily, the two sisters rarely saw one another, instead typically sharing little more than a polite “hello” and a hug before one relieved the other for their respective court. As such, Luna didn’t often get to see the sort of splendor her sister lived in, and was consistently awed at how mundane it was.

Though Luna hardly basked in her affluence, she was positively pretentious in comparison. Celestia had long ago realized how fleeting and unimportant her limitless wealth was and decided to instead surround herself with pleasant memories. Her bed was made of the finest materials and the carpet was some exotic imported material, but the walls did not hold one-of-a-kind paintings or glinting tapestries. Instead, they held cheaply framed photographs, drawings, amateur pottery, and dozens upon dozens of candles.

Each candle represented a friend, a student, or a colleague that Celestia had outlived, but the artwork and pictures were seemingly arranged with no semblance of categorization at all. It humbled Luna to see just how simple and sentimental the most powerful mare in the world was, and it helped embolden her as she approached the head of her sister’s bed.

“Um… ‘Tia?”

Celestia, regal even in her sleep, did not stir.

Luna nudged her sister’s shoulder with the tip of her diamond slippers. “’Tiiiiiia…”

Celestia snorted back a rather grotesque loogy and rolled over. That previous cloak of majesty took a nose dive off of her balcony.

Luna couldn’t contain how ridiculous the scene had been but suppressed her laughter as best as possible. “Sister… sister! Wake up, lest I pee.” Luna wiped away a tear as she nudged her sister yet again.

Celestia awoke this time with a loud exclamation of “...Storming the castle!” She regained her bearings much slower than someone of her stature would imply and her puffy eyes focused on Luna. She blinked once as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing and then slid a few feet to her right, patting the spot beside her.

“Oh, no! ‘Tia, I am not here to sleep with you. In fact, I have not done that in nearly three thousand years.”

“Oh. Then… I don’t mean to be rude Lulu but I’m very tired.”

“This is important,” Luna implored and seemingly oblivious to her actions, climbed up onto the bed and curled up beside her sister, who said nothing but offered a bemused grin. “The dreamscape is in turmoil. I hate to be presumptuous but… I strongly believe that I know the cause of this.” Luna nodded once the realization of her words dawned on a gobsmacked Celestia.

“You must be mistaken,” Celestia said, her voice thick with all the weight of her authority. “The nightmare was destroyed by the Elements of Harmony! Even if I hadn’t been there, you would know that better than anypony!”

“We do not know that for sure. It could have been banished; sent away to a realm where it could do no harm.”

“It’s only been two years, Luna! I banished you to the moon for a thousand with the very same elements!”

Luna’s visage immediately changed from one of determination to a saddened pout.

“I… I did not mean to bring that up. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” Luna said with a heavy sigh. “But as you said, I would know better than most, and I lived with the nightmare for a very long time. How could I be wrong?”

“But… how?” Celestia implored, still unable to make the connection.

To this, Luna merely shrugged. “The event began with the dusk. What other significant event occurred yesterday?”

Like a mother hen guarding her chicks, Celestia rose from beneath her blankets and the room was ablaze in the white magic of her horn. When it faded, she was as she usually appeared before her subjects: Resplendent, gorgeous, and infallible. But her expression was not of the wise and patient queen her subjects adored; rather, she was a storm of fury.

“Riven.”

She and Luna assembled the Royal Guard and an entire regiment took off toward Ponyville. When the time came, the sisters raised and lowered their corresponding celestial body but decided that they could not simply wait for the chariot to arrive in front of the hospital. Instead, she took her sister in hoof and teleported them directly into Riven’s hospital room.

Riven and all of the ponies present looked surprised but the expression on Celestia’s face could have silenced a blind bard. Luna stood behind her sister and was quite content to avoid the inevitable confrontation.

“What did you bring with you?”

Riven was aghast, having just put the pieces together herself. Still, she wouldn’t feign ignorance; she knew exactly what Celestia meant. “I can explain.”

“That you’re a spy? A saboteur? That you somehow orchestrated the events of the summoning and played yourself off as a victim?!” Celestia’s hoof stomped down on the aluminum bed frame, crushing it underhoof. “No, I will hear no more of your lies! You have endangered my kingdom, my subjects, and possibly my entire world by bringing that abomination here! AGAIN!”

Riven wasn’t often intimidated but Princess Celestia was more than capable of grabbing her most primal fears and dragging them to the surface. She wanted to argue but even though she knew she was innocent and could possibly explain, her voice was lost.

It was Twilight that stepped forward, now shaking both for fear of Spike’s life and for even being in the same room as Celestia’s wrath. “P-P-Princess… what is going on? What do you think Riven did?”

Celestia’s eyes focused on Twilight then, and the small unicorn withered beneath her gaze. “Riven is not who she claims to be! Luna has informed me that the nightmare has returned, despite the historically noble efforts of yourself and the other element-bearers.”

“That isn’t t—”

“SILENCE!”

“You are accusing me of something I did not do knowingly!” Riven defended, leaning forward and exclaiming with her limited body language. “But yes… I brought ‘the nightmare’ with me.” Riven looked apologetic about that but her expression thereafter hardened. “After you brought me here, something that I had no say in. I haven’t accused you or anyo—pony of that yet! I have been patient because you all have been so kind! And now you threaten me without knowing the facts? How dare you!”

Now it was Celestia’s turn to be taken aback. She trusted her sister implicitly, which was why she was prepared to make those threats, believing the evidence unarguable. But she said nothing, merely turned to look at Luna behind her, who looked incredibly guilty merely by association.

“This isn’t the nightmare as in ‘Nightmare Moon’, is it?” Twilight asked, almost disbelieving. “You speak of it like it’s a separate entity but it wasn’t. Nightmare Moon was born of Luna’s jealousy and spite, not some…” she guffawed, suddenly amused. “… Possession!”

“You do not know the whole truth, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna said, ducking underneath Celestia’s flared wing and approaching Riven’s bed. She acknowledged the wounded Rainbow Dash with a wellspring of sadness, then directed her attention to Twilight. “In fact the nightmare was exactly that.”

“It would have been in the history books, no matter how obscure!”

“It would have been,” Celestia agreed, “If my administration and I hadn’t eliminated all public knowledge of the event, up to and including the war with the Lunar Dominion. The books are intentionally vague, my beloved student, because I did not want the world to know that my sister had been one of the greatest war criminals in Equestria’s history.”

Twilight literally stepped back, as if her idol and mentor had just burst into flames. “B-But that’s censorship! Your regime forbids it! I’ve been present for your public addresses and you constantly encourage protests and questions and the freedom of the press and—”

“I am not perfect, Twilight Sparkle,” Celestia interrupted, looking uncharacteristically annoyed. “There is much that I have been present for that has been lost to memory. Horrific things that I wouldn’t wish on anypony. I have stifled freedom when it was in the best interests of my people! I have even been a tyrant when there was no other choice!” Celestia softened and she stepped closer to Twilight, like she had seen Fluttershy do toward a frightened animal. “Twilight… my beloved, irreplaceable Twilight… if you now see me as less of a princess I understand completely, for I see myself as flawed and tired, but please believe me when I say that this was for the good of all!”

Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment before she looked up into Celestia’s beautiful eyes and smiled. She crossed the distance between herself and the mare she considered her second mother and hugged her breast, to which Celestia responded by enveloping her in her wings. “Was it really so awful?”

“Worse,” Luna chimed in. “I recall events I was responsible for that surely even my sister forgets. Horrors that are unspeakable in this day and age.” She looked at Riven then, who she could tell hadn’t yet forgiven the accusations but was nevertheless anxious to forgive. “And now it has returned. Last time the nightmare assimilated my body and twisted my thoughts, and it could surely do so again. If not me than anypony else. Perhaps even Celestia should she let her guard down.”

“The nightmare feeds on the terror it sows,” Celestia explained, releasing Twilight and turning to address the group. So far, Fluttershy and Shining Armor had been quiet, not finding it proper to speak up in matters they knew so little about. Noteworthy, on the other hand, was still fast asleep. “It enters your dreams and exacerbates the negativities you feel the strongest. If you’re determined and knowledgeable enough, you can fight it off and ward your mind against its influence.”

“And if you’re not?” Twilight inquired.

“It can kill you,” she continued, grimacing at memories that had flooded back to the forefront of her psyche. Ponies with faces frozen in fear and physically mutilated, but they hadn’t ever woken up. “It can turn you against your closest friends. It can make you go insane and warp you into something unrecognizable.”

“That was what it did to me…” Luna explained, though her voice was small and remorseful. It was clear she hadn’t and never would forgive herself, though Fluttershy found the courage to nuzzle the underside of her princess’s muzzle. Luna basked in the affection and found the will to continue. “I was always a bit jealous of ‘Tia’s day and the adoration the citizens appeared to reserve exclusively for her. The nightmare basked in these relatively minor emotions and… fanned the flames, so to speak.”

The room was silent then, nothing interrupting it save the periodic beeping of Riven’s heart monitor.

“What do you know of the nightmare?” Celestia inquired to Riven, who immediately looked insulted. “Ah… I suppose I owe you an apology.”

“I would like that,” she said flatly.

“Then I do; my most sincere. But please understand, I was and still am so worried. I know you do not know our history Riven, but believe me when I tell you that to allow the nightmare to run amok again would be catastrophic. If you have any information about it, anything that might help us defeat it without resorting to more drastic measures…!”

Riven sighed, shaking her head. She could relate what she did know but it was so minor. Even had she researched the other champions of the League, the subject at hand was a complete mystery. “We called it Nocturne. But as to its origins? Its motives? The summoners who imprisoned it could only guess.”

Luna and Celestia were immediately in Riven’s face, practically kissing her. “You imprisoned it! HOW?! By what methods? Any magic can be replicated if we begin immediately!”

“I… I don’t know,” Riven admitted, and every ear in the room flattened. “I wasn’t privy to that information. I know it involved a shard of a Nexus. Those are large crystalline structures that can store souls and reconstitute the body of anything that dies if they’re attuned too it. But… I know even less about how those worked.”

Silence once again claimed the hospital room. The answer, if one existed, was elusive, and the only person or ponies who knew of Nocturne’s existence had no concept of how they might combat it. Though she had previously been offended that Princess Celestia would accuse her of attempting to subvert her realm, Riven also couldn’t shake the nagging suspicion that she was at least partially responsible. Thus, she offered the only idea that came to mind:

“Put me to sleep, Princess Luna. I’ll draw Nocturne into my dreams and you can use that ritual to send me back.”

“No,” came Celestia’s immediate reply.

“Why not?! You said it yourself, Nocturne will get stronger and stronger until it starts killing! I can stop it, right now!”

“Because we can’t,” Twilight interjected. “You were an accident, Riven. The ritual was never meant to summon you. We were trying to collect something mundane and inanimate for study not… not you.”

Riven had suspected as much. The reactions of those present for her appearance and the lack of security had told her that they were at the very least not expecting anything capable of fighting back.

“That wasn’t what I meant but that’s also a good reason.”

Riven was conflicted. Would she truly never see her home again? She turned an all-too hostile tone toward Celestia. “What did you mean?”

“I meant I wasn’t about to sacrifice your life to banish this creature.”

“But I’m not your citizen. I’m an alien; everyone has said it, no matter how often they’ve been cut off. You don’t owe me anything.”

“So long as you’re in my kingdom, you’re under my protection. And like any pony, I would happily throw my life away so that you might live.” Celestia gently brushed away a rogue lock of Riven’s silvery hair. “I also take full responsibility for stealing you from your home and every injury you received. If I could take your pain onto me, I would do so without a second thought.”

Celestia looked down at Rainbow Dash and her eyes partially closed. “Yours as well, my little pony,” she whispered.

“She and Spike were hurt,” Fluttershy said, practically a whimper. “Twilight said Spike was having a horrible dream, and the very same night, Rainbow Dash was hurt outside of my home. I think they’re related.”

“As do I.” Twilight pledged.

“Spike is far too young to shoulder such burdens,” Luna said, moving toward the door. “I can heal and cleanse him of the nightmare’s foul touch. ‘Tia, can you do the same for Rainbow Dash, please? If she is similarly troubled, comfort her as best you can and tell her that I will be back shortly to bring her the same peace of mind.”

“Thank you, dear sister.”

Twilight pointed Luna toward Spike’s surgical suite and she galloped off to perform a service she hadn’t done in millenia. Celestia’s horn glowed and bathed Rainbow in a soft, soothing light that seemed to bring relief to everyone’s woes, though it proved temporary when it came to Riven’s many wounds. Like a switch had been flipped, her color returned and her breathing became relaxed and regular. Her face showed contentment and before long, her eyes fluttered open.

It came as a surprise to no pony that upon not recognizing her surroundings, Rainbow became defensive and leapt to her hooves… and then immediately stumbled backward with a woozy “whoa”.

Riven caught her under the wing muscles. Rainbow’s hooves still bumped against her own, though to her credit, she bit back the cry of pain that had nearly forced its way through. “Are you all right, Rainbow Dash?”

“R-Riven? How…?”

“I brought you here,” Fluttershy spoke up. “You had a very nasty spill.”

“I… remember that. I had this awful nightm— dream. Uh… I beat Spitfire in a race and she didn’t talk to me for, like, a week. But it’s all cool. She forgives me… dream Spitfire, that is.”

“You don’t have to put on a brave face here, Rainbow. You were the victim of a brutal attack.” Twilight hopped up on Riven’s bed and nuzzled her friend, creating a confused blush in the pegasus. “So was Spike. We’re trying to figure out what to do about that now.”

“I was… attacked? By who?!”

“A monster,” came her rather blunt reply.

“Well, what are we sitting on our flanks for?! Let’s go get its ass!” She looked at Riven and slid off her lap. “Uh… well… most of us. No offense.”

Riven grinned.

Rainbow fluttered off the bed and landed beside Noteworthy, giving her cheek an unnecessarily rough flick with her hoof. “C’mon, lazy bones! What kind of a guard are you? Get up and follow me!”

Noteworthy didn’t move.

Rainbow turned to Shining Armor, who also noticed and was rather surprised. “Hey Armor! This is the best the Canterlot guard can do? You hired this slug?”

Shining Armor did the same, though his hit was practically a punch to Noteworthy’s gut. “Wake up, soldier! How you could have even slept through all of this is beyond me!”

Celestia, Twilight, and Fluttershy congregated around the unnaturally still mare and exchanged glances of slowly growing fear. “Oh no.”

Celestia and Twilight both prepared and released an insomniac spell. If it worked and Noteworthy really was just the world’s heaviest sleeper, she’d likely be awake for a month and require the monitoring of a medical professional… but she did not. It was only after all this that Fluttershy respectfully lifted up Noteworthy’s left fore hoof and checked her pulse… but found none.

Through immediate tears she confirmed what was already known: “She’s dead.”

Chapter 8: Riven Restored

Noteworthy was a pony of honor and prestige. She graduated valedictorian of Westpony, circa class of 1001 of the Celestia Calendar. She earned the rank of second lieutenant within seven months of her initial commission, received glowing praise from each of her commanders, and was hoof-picked by Captain of the Guard Shining Armor to accompany him to Ponyville, a mission assigned by Princess Celestia herself.

Lesser known were her foibles, and they were numerous. She was fearful of crowds, occasionally neurotic, and easily offended. Noteworthy nearly dropped out of her much lauded military schooling when one of her instructors berated her over a relatively minor infraction. Noteworthy never truly adjusted to the criticism offered by her superiors, but she did become quite adept at tuning it out.

That was part of the reason why she strived as hard as she did to become an officer; fewer ponies could yell at her then. But the memories never truly left and occasionally kept her up at night. It was something Nocturne homed in on with practiced ease and exploited her simple quirks with the skill of a maestro.

Noteworthy’s final thoughts were of being surrounded by each of her squad leaders and captains, as well as her closest family and friends. She stood at attention the entire time, however, and endured their verbal abuse. She felt the hours pass by, the days come and go, and soon even they gave way into weeks and months. Noteworthy’s troubled mind interpreted this lapse in time as reality, even though only a few hours had transpired in the waking world.

“Malnutrition,” the doctor said, standing in the waiting room with Shining Armor, and Princesses Celestia and Luna. “I don’t understand how this could happen without anypony noticing the outward signs. She should have been emaciated…”

“We know how,” Luna seethed, her former hesitation at the return of the nightmare having been completely trampled by the rage she felt knowing she hadn’t been able to prevent the death of one of her beloved ponies. A member of her military, no less.

“Thank you, doctor,” Celestia said with kindness. He nodded solemnly and returned to his rounds.

The group returned to Riven’s room shortly thereafter. Rainbow Dash no longer showed any outward signs of the previous night; Celestia’s magic saw to that. However, she occasionally rubbed a hoof over an imaginary scar marring her midsection.

Spike was out of surgery as well. Twilight had retrieved his basket from the library and was curling around him like a protective mother cat. On the nearby windowsill sat a mason jar filled with a tar-like liquid, the doctor having claimed he extricated it from Spike’s throat. He had yet to awaken, but Twilight diligently nuzzled and licked the bandage covering his emergency tracheotomy.

“We cannot wait any longer,” Riven spoke the moment the royal sisters entered. “We need a plan before nightfall or more ponies will die.” When no pony replied, she continued, her voice filled with urgency. “This is my responsibility. Let me lure him into my dreams. Luna can sense when he’s in the dreamscape, right?”

“I… yes, I can.”

“Then when he is, kill me and be done with it!”

“No,” Celestia said once again, though this time she was less patient.

“I’m still really confused about all of this,” Rainbow chimed in from her cushion next to Riven’s bed. “Noteworthy was killed and I was brain-raped by Luna’s evil clone?” The brief explanation she received had left a sour taste in her mouth. She knew she couldn’t do much about an enemy that was untouchable during the day and omnipotent at night, but she couldn’t shake how much she wanted to reciprocate the violation she felt.

“To put it very simply,” Twilight whispered. Fluttershy entered shortly thereafter, balancing a bowl of warm water on her back and carrying a fresh towel in her teeth. Twilight took these with a silent nod of thanks and began to bathe her number one assistant.

“There’s something we can do about it, right?” Rainbow looked predominantly at Riven. “Something else?”

“We don’t have the time to plan this!”

“If you’re wrong, you will have died for nothing,” Luna said, trotting over to Riven’s head and falling into an inelegant sitting position. At her full height, Riven stood nearly eye-to-eye with the two rulers of Canterlot. She estimated any other pony would barely come up to her waist. Their furniture reflected that, as Riven was effectively laying on a futon, and her elevated legs were suspended a foot off the edge. “How can you ask us to throw your life away over a baseless hypothesis?”

Riven looked away from Luna’s emotionally pleading eyes, suddenly finding it very claustrophobic. “I don’t want to die,” she murmured, garnering the attention of every pony in the room. “But I don’t want any of you to die either. I want to try to make up for my mistake… for Noteworthy.”

“It was not your mistake,” Celestia returned after a silent deliberation between herself, Luna, and Twilight. She had been in loose correspondence with Cream as well, exchanging hasty letters via a network normally accessible only to unicorns and certain other sentient beings heavily influenced by magic — Spike being the most notable example. They were to blame and none denied it. “It was ours, and we will correct it.”

“You have a kingdom to run.”

“True.”

“You cannot afford to be hurt.”

“… Also true.”

“But I can!”

“I will decree that the subject be dropped if I must, Riven.”

“But something does need to be done, sister,” Luna broke the tense atmosphere with a plucky tone thus far unknown to the somber atmosphere. “I believe I can confront the nightmare in the dreamscape and keep him occupied while the Elements are retrieved.”

“I will not permit anypony to risk their lives in this endeavor! I should not have to reiterate this!”

“Riven cannot manipulate the dreamscape as I can, sister. I have power there.”

“So does the nightmare!”

“I must agree with the princess,” Shining Armor began, then quickly corrected himself by pointing a hoof at Celestia. “Her, I mean. It’s too dangerous. There must be another solution.”

“Besides, the Elements wouldn’t banish the nightmare while it’s in the dreamscape.” This time it was Twilight’s turn to offer input, though she was still gently scrubbing Spike’s tough back spines. “We would need to lure it out, but why would it ever need to leave?”

Luna sighed, resting her chin on Riven’s hip like a forlorn dog. “The nightmare has the knowledge of countless centuries of existence. It wouldn’t be baited into a situation where it could be harmed.”

Riven wouldn’t admit it, but she was beginning to feel tired. Pain or no, she had been awake for over twenty-four hours, suffered the trauma of being yanked between dimensions, and though her stubbornness wanted her to stay awake as long as humanly possible, her injured body demanded the rest it required in order to heal.

“Not until the threat has passed,” she told herself, though the sharp ears of her six guests heard her regardless.

“What was that? You kinda mumbled there,” Rainbow said, fluttering over and landing with her head less than an inch away from Riven’s mouth.

“I’m just thinking out loud,” she groused, again finding herself agitated by how little these ponies cared for personal space. “I’m thinking about what happened when I arrived. Nocturne was with me. He had to be physical then — in a form that could be touched.”

“And it took the first opportunity presented to escape to a plane that we could not assail it from,” Celestia added. “What does this concern?”

Riven’s brow furrowed. She didn’t know much about the methods the summoner’s had used to bind Nocturne the first time, but the fact that he was here now showed that he either escaped their magical clutches, or he was still bound in some fundamentally exploitable fashion. “Remember how I said my people had imprisoned him before?”

“I do. You also said you did not know how it was achieved.”

“No, but he was bound before you brought me here. He had some freedom but there was never any risk. Maybe… maybe that’s still the case. A Nexus is a powerful artifact; even a shard has a lot of power that doesn’t just vanish.”

Rainbow scrunched her face. “You think this ‘nexus rock’ or whatever made the trip too?”

“Or just its power,” Twilight gasped, the realization dawning on her. “B-But I inspected the rune. I saw nothing else in the cylinder, and Spike swept up the glass. Could the power have… transferred into one of its shards?”

“Or the rune itself,” Celestia exclaimed. “It was designed to safely contain the chaotic energies that exist between dimensions. Its purpose doesn’t seem too dissimilar to this ‘Nexus shard’.”

Rainbow and Riven instinctively met each other’s gaze and mutually shrugged, both thoroughly lost in the midst of all this babble. Finding that spark of kinship, they grinned and shared a hoof/hand bump.

“S-So… all we have to do is go back to Twilight’s library and stamp out the rune?” Fluttershy piped up, as she hadn’t felt qualified to speak on magical matters she had no knowledge of. “Sounds simple enough.”

“It isn’t, dearest Fluttershy,” Luna continued. “We still need to lure the nightmare out of the dreamscape, lest destroying the rune only frees it. As bad as it is now, can you imagine the havoc it could cause without any limitations?”

Fluttershy looked down at Spike and grew sad, then up at Rainbow and grew emboldened. One of her friends was bedridden and she could do nothing but watch. The other had been hurt but was fine now. How long would that last should that creature be allowed to continued to roam? “So… what do we do?”

“What I said earlier: I will enter the dreamscape and confront the nightmare.”

“Luna…” Celestia’s irritation was palpable, but her little sister was not dissuaded.

“Bodily. Not as my dreaming self but whole. I will weaken the nightmare and forcefully drag it back to the waking world.” Luna stood, determination etched onto her smoky countenance. “I am unsure how long it will take but you must retrieve the Elements of Harmony before I return. Twilight, I doubt you and your friends will have much time to act.”

Riven, unbeknownst to any pony during the explanation of their rough-and-tumble strategy, had been talking with Rainbow Dash. She felt like she could relate to this mare, race be damned. Though more outgoing, they had similar views on honor, loyalty, and the urge to correct perceived slights. Accidentally or not, Riven couldn’t shake the thought that she was partially responsible for Nocturne’s actions.

“I’m going,” she whispered. “Cut the straps,” she gestured to the nylon bands elevating her legs.

To her credit, Rainbow wasn’t as keen on the idea of causing Riven more pain, no matter how much her mischievousness sang for her to go along with it. “Um… I think that’s a really dumb idea.”

“I’m not staying here while you all go fight. Help me or I’ll do it myself and crawl out of this hospital!”

“Three of your four limbs are in casts! You can’t crawl any better than you can walk!”

“I’ll use my one good arm to grab you by the neck and saw the straps with your teeth if I have too!”

Rainbow’s wings flapped defensively and the two faced off with as much moxie as they could muster. “I’d like to see you try!” She shouted.

“I’m bigger than you, horse, so don’t push me!” Riven returned at the same volume.

“Monkey!”

“Hay-sucker!”

“Witch!”

“You this close because you want a kiss, gay pride?”

“I’m this close so I can count your teeth before I punch them to the floor!”

“LADIES!”

Rainbow Dash and Riven returned to a disgruntled Twilight Sparkle with a synchronized: “What?”

A flash of light and a swirling pink mist flew out of the window, at the same time that Celestia dropped a quill back into a conjured pot of ink. “I’ve just written to Cream. He should arrive shortly. In the meantime, Riven, you need not worry about being left behind. I believe we can expedite your stay at Ponyville General.”

“You can?” She asked incredulously, doing her best to ignore Rainbow Dash pawing at her hair with a humorously angered expression on her face. “Twilight said you didn’t know enough about my anatomy to try.”

“That was then,” Celestia’s horn illuminated and the various x-rays the doctor took when she first arrived reappeared on the wall, their echo answering her magical call. “We’ve had some time to look you over and believe that our initial estimate was wrong. There shouldn’t be any reason why we cannot heal you as I did Rainbow Dash.”

Said pegasus landed on Riven’s right and struck a pose. “Damn good job, if I do say so myself!”

Twilight did not look so convinced. “Princess, even if you know the basics of Riven’s physiology, magic can only self-correct so much. It will take an extraordinary effort to get her back on her hooves.”

“Feet.”

“Whatever.”

“I know it will, my faithful student, which is why we’ll all be participating. Myself, Luna, Cream, and you. Riven’s information about ‘Nocturne’ has proven invaluable. We will surely need her.”

Twilight looked unsure. She wasn’t as well-versed in medicinal magic as some; certainly not as much as Princess Celestia, who had been known to beat back the call of death for ponies who fell before their time. Just when she was about to suggest Doctor Sawbones take her place, Cream appeared in the doorway, the telltale pop of teleportation signaling that he had arrived somewhere in the lobby.

“I received your letter, your majesty,” he held it up as if proof was needed. “You can explain in length this plan later. You’d like to attempt a synchronized restoration of our esteemed guest?” He entered the room and tipped up the brim of his conical hat to get a better look at the projection of Riven’s innards on the wall. “Huh. She has an appendix. I always wondered what those were for…”

Though the picture of outward composure, Shining Armor was deeply troubled. One of his guards had died on his watch, and regardless of who actually pulled the proverbial trigger, he was at fault for not being more observant. His mind had been occupied by what he would tell Noteworthy’s family when they returned to Canterlot, though the threat Nocturne posed focused his thoughts. After all, if they didn’t act soon, there wouldn’t be much to return to.

“How can I help, princesses?” He inquired. It wasn’t a question, because if they said nothing, he’d find some way to contribute.

“You will accompany Twilight to the library, Captain,” Celestia said as her spiraling horn began to twinkle. Luna remained where she was but her horn resonated in tune with her sister’s. Cream and Twilight answered the call as well, circling Riven’s bed as the spell was prepared. “We’ll need you to shield the enclosure when Luna returns with the nightmare. I trust nopony more to keep it contained while letting my sister out.”

Shining Armor nodded grimly. “In your service.”

Ribbons of light arced out of each pony and rapidly cocooned Riven. Celestia had gleaned the most about human anatomy so she acted as the “conductor”, using her three constituents primarily as fuel for the demanding spell. Before the light faded completely, the ever-considerate Fluttershy nipped the displaced blanket and pulled it back over Riven’s body, hiding her nudity once again.

The ritual was finished quickly. Luna and Celestia’s faces were creased with effort, but compared to Cream and Twilight, they were positively radiant. The two unicorns fell onto their haunches and required several minutes to catch their breath.

But the effort had not been wasted; Riven appeared revitalized. She examined her now undamaged left hand and began to pull off the various bandages entwining her body. Rainbow now willingly lent a hoof to unbuckle the straps on her legs and Fluttershy left to retrieve a pair of scissors for her casts. She returned only a moment later but realized that with Celestia and Luna present, her manual efforts paled in comparison to their magical prowess. Somewhat disheartened, she deposited the useless implement on a nearby table.

Dainty hoof falls diverted her attention toward the hospital’s main entrance, where she observed Rarity approaching with grace and poise, both in her strut and how she balanced a paper-wrapped package on her back. Behind her were three eager fillies, each trying to shout a word in edgewise but nevertheless smiling at what they were certain today would result in the acquisition of a cutie mark in astrobiology.

“Ah, dearest Fluttershy, so good to see you.”

“You too, Rarity.” The two shared an affectionate nuzzle. “What have you got there?” She gestured at the nondescript package, then looked down at the three impish fillies who were carrying an assortment of tools in their overloaded saddlebags, including a Geiger counter and what appeared to be a plastic ray gun. “Girls, I trust you’re not here to cause mischief.”

“Of course not!” Applebloom exclaimed, practically dancing with excitement. “We’re jus’ here to ask the space monkey a couple’a questions!”

“Applebloom! That’s a very rude thing to call her,” Rarity chided, earning a look of disappointment from the olive filly. “Her name is Riven and she isn’t some monster for you to cast a net over.” Her azure eyes commanded the attention of all three of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. “That goes for you two as well. I’m sure Riven won’t mind but you will be polite, respectful, and you won’t pester her. She’s hurt, after all.”

“Um… actually, s-something has come up. It’s probably best if you girls stay away for a little while.”

“Aw, but why?” Scootaloo whined. “We won’t be a bother, we promise!”

“It’s not that,” Fluttershy corrected. “It’s important business. Canterlot business… not to mention very frightening. I’d feel better if you girls went home and tried again tomorrow.”

Dejected, the three fillies sighed and prepared to leave, but a voice from inside of the room caught all of their attentions. “Miss Rarity? Is that you? Do you have my order?”

“Ah! Yes!” Rarity galloped past Fluttershy and into the room. She smiled pleasantly at everypony present and deposited the box on the bed. Her magic deftly untied the twine securing it and the paper fell loose. Inside were Riven’s clothes, practically new. “I apologize that I didn’t have time to update your outfit, but I didn’t get a chance to speak with you at length, so I wasn’t sure what you liked.”

Riven reached into the box and gathered up the bundle, smiling demurely at it. “This is more than fine. Thank you.”

“Think nothing of it, dear. I won’t hear a word about payment either. You get that when you’re able.”

Riven nodded but did nothing else. She had a feeling that the proper sign of appreciation for such a generous act was a hug or a nuzzle or some other uncomfortably close display of affection. Not yet willing to go that far, she merely grabbed one corner of her blanket and prepared to throw it aside, but was met with a room full of eager ponies, including three children peering around the doorframe, looking decidedly creepy.

“Um… may I have some privacy, please?”

Fluttershy turned around first. The others mimicked her with various exclamations of confusion. Rainbow Dash was notably annoyed and sighed far louder than was necessary. “Do you have a boil on your butt or something?”

Riven quickly got dressed, careful to note any back glances from her new friends. When finished, she stood up and stretched loudly, a number of bones popping in protest, which elicited more than one wince. “You can turn around now.”

They did so and for the first time since she arrived, a few ponies were intimidated by her height. Celestia and Luna appeared pleasantly surprised that they finally had somepony to look in the eye without stooping over. Fluttershy took a step backward and Rainbow Dash hovered adjacent to Riven’s shoulder, a silent affirmation that there was nothing Riven could do to make her back down. Rarity gulped and Twilight looked at her brother, as if expecting him to provide security. He seemed just as unnerved, however.

Sweetie Belle ran out of the hospital screaming. Applebloom rolled her eyes and gave chase. Scootaloo put on a brave face because it was what Rainbow Dash was doing, though she found herself cowering in wide-eyed fear. Having unwittingly frightened children alerted Riven to the affect she was having, making her blush. “Um… I’m sorry. I should have warned you.”

Celestia nodded at her sister, anxious to get started. “All right, it’s your turn, Lulu. Please, be careful.” She embraced her sibling and kissed her withers, who reciprocated the motion.

“I will. Just get the Elements here as soon as possible. I may be a bit rusty at this.” With little fanfare or grandiose gesture, Luna winked out of existence, leaving behind a light dusting of coruscating glitter.

“I’ll go get Applejack,” Rainbow offered, flying toward the door and landing in front of her school-aged admirer. “Rarity, find Pinkie. Scoots,” she tried to be as calm and kind as possible, but the situation had geared her up for a fight, and she struggled to squeeze in compassion. “Go on home. I’ll be over later.”

“Wh-Where are you going?” She inquired, returning to her full height on uneasy hooves. “I want to help.”

“Not today Squirt.” Rainbow nudged her ward back out of the door. “It’s too dangerous. Go home and wait for me. I promise I’ll tell you all about it tonight.”

Scootaloo sighed but nodded, knowing that no matter how much she disliked being left behind, it was usually for her benefit. “Okay.” Rainbow knowingly leaned down far enough to accept a kiss on her cheek, and the filly left the hospital in hot pursuit of her friends. Turning back, she regained her confident grin. “So, we ready to go kick this creep back to the hole he crawled out of?”

“Yes. I’m returning to Canterlot. I’ll return with the Elements of Harmony as soon as I am able. Stay strong my little ponies, and do not fret. We will protect you.” With that, Celestia approached the open window and was absorbed by the glare of the sun, using it as a conduit between this location and her destination.

Shining Armor took up the rear once Twilight and Fluttershy assumed their positions in the center of their impromptu defensive column, sharing the support of Spike’s bed. Cream walked a few paces ahead, waiting for the right opportunity to inquire further about this mission.

Before leaving, Shining Armor looked back at Riven and cocked an eyebrow. “Coming?”

Riven nodded, though her attention was on her open hand. Not feeling the cool leather grip of her sword was completely foreign to her and she lamented how greatly her performance would be affected without it. But ever since she learned how to use her spirit to piece back together her broken blade, it had occupied a small corner of her soul that she was intimately aware of. Though she could not see her weapon, that feeling was still present, and with a familiar expression of her will, her fragmented Noxian great sword traversed the realms and winked into her awaiting grasp, the bulk of its wholeness splitting a floor tile upon arrival.

“Let’s go.”

The dreamscape was a mutable realm occupied by countless dreamers of every shape and size from every corner of Equis. A dreamer was either firmly planted on the ground or floated lazily through the air, but each appeared static-y and wrapped in a translucent bubble that displayed what the dreamer was experiencing. The opacity was based on the lucidity of the dream, some being so vivid and real that an outsider looking in would not be able to see the sleeper.

Luna arrived in a tower of fire ejected from the moon, which hung overhead so closely it appeared that it could be touched. Beyond it were countless stars, galaxies, and planets, each far more brilliant than on even the clearest waking world evening. The ground appeared solid and made of soil, but with each step Luna took, it rippled like water. Reality itself appeared to move aside for her, which came in handy as her omnipresent gaze swept across the horizon and relocated the millions upon millions of dreamers out of harm’s way.

“NIGHTMARE!” Normally, the Royal Canterlot Voice was merely disconcerting. Here, it shook the very foundations of the realm. “Show yourself, fiend!”

Silence claimed her as Nocturne answered the call. The moon turned red and blood rained from the ethereal sky, though each droplet avoided Luna’s coat, leaving her immaculate no matter the weather. The rain coalesced into a twin pair of red blades, each several stories tall. They sunk into the earth at Luna’s hooves and a voice spoke to her, answering from every direction simultaneously.

“Foolish… here… I am GOD.”

“I am saving you the trouble! You don’t have to seek my body in the waking world now! Take me and let us reign over Equis again!”

“You do not fool me… besides… I am no longer interested in you…”

Luna gazed into the abyss with confusion. The sky parted and a pair of fiery white eyes stared back. “What do you mean? I am your only chance at a physical form!”

“No…” Nocturne laughed, a sound made all the more horrific in stereo. “There is another… with you… I only glimpsed power. With her? True immortality…”

Luna gasped. “Celestia?!”

“No… this time… I come with the Twilight.”

Chapter 9: War!

Celestia’s vanguard marched through the streets of Ponyville. Their destination was Twilight Sparkle’s library; the only lead they had on where Nocturne’s essence might be stored. Cream took the lead, his reasoning being that he was the eldest both in age and authority, thus the five individuals behind him fell under his watchful charge.

Twilight Sparkle was next, having resorted to supporting Spike with her gentle telekinesis instead of the unsteady rocking of her and Fluttershy’s backs, no matter how careful they had been. Her mind was going a mile a minute, as usual believing that she alone would have to unravel the mystery of Luna’s dark past and find a way to dispose of it yet again, before any other pony became a casualty of her perceived incompetence.

Fluttershy was not far behind. Though usually the slowest because of her ever-present mousiness, her gait was now even and determined. Her best attempt at appearing resolute merely made her look slightly less ignorable than usual, though her friends could attest to just how serious and intimidating she could be when roused.

Shining Armor was side-by-side with Riven, the displaced exile of Noxus. Neither spoke, understanding the weight of the situation, but also because they had discovered an unspoken respect that only soldiers could understand. He would have guarded the rear had Riven not slowed or increased her pace based on his, telling him without words that she wasn’t about to let another protect her when she so adamantly believed it was her duty to protect the ponies who had been so kind and hospitable to her.

Before long, however, Riven began to appreciate having such high-profile escorts. The early afternoon crowds parted for the group, though all eyes were on the frighteningly tall biped shouldering without visible strain a weapon less than a head shorter than herself. Riven mentally chastised herself, recalling how the ponies that she’d become friends with reacted to her height. Of course strangers would respond similarly or worse. “You shouldn’t have summoned the sword here, you fool. Look at them; you’re scaring children.” Riven sighed audibly, eliciting a curious glance from Shining Armor. “It’s Ionia all over again.”

“Something wrong?” Shining Armor asked, his attention was on the group in front of him but his ears were pivoted toward Riven.

“It’s nothing,” Riven lied. She wasn’t one to burden another with her problems, and she doubted a royal guard could alleviate the fears of a humble country town anyway.

He nodded, the sound of their footfalls the only sound between them for several moments. Then, Shining Armor replied. “My wife would say that it’s not healthy to try to shoulder the burdens of everyponies problems by yourself.”

“And what do you say?”

“I say you’ve made friends here, and if you’re the soldier I think you are, there are no secrets on the battlefield.”

“What makes you think there will be a battle?”

“Because I trust Princess Luna, and I would ask that you make peace with yourself before we take up arms. You won’t be at your best if your head is clouded, which means I won’t be able to use you.”

Riven allowed Shining Armor’s words to settle before grinning broadly and nodding. It was difficult arguing with the logic of a drill sergeant, even one that was a miniature, marshmallow-colored horse. “Yes sir.”

Upon arriving at the library, the group huddled in a tight circle in front of the door. Cream’s horn began to glow and highlighted the door handle, but he first glanced over his shoulder to get a collective confirmation to proceed. They all nodded sternly, though Riven mumbled under her breath: “This isn’t very tactical.”

Shining Armor snorted and Twilight rolled her eyes. The door was thrown open loudly and four ponies, a human, and a floating dragon leapt in, ready to fight whatever might be lurking within. However, they saw nothing out of the ordinary. The damaged glass cylinder stood where it had always been and it still had a note penned by Spike taped to it. The books were unperturbed, the floor was uncluttered, and light poured in from the windows, alleviating what fears the shadows created.

The group relaxed and let out a simultaneous sigh. Spike was gently deposited on a nearby couch and Twilight resumed her watchful vigil. Fluttershy was attempting to coax Shining Armor to check the kitchen with her, certain that the monster from her dreams was creeping from corner to corner. Cream and Riven approached the enclosure, looking into it and observing the rune, as intricate and ominous as the day it was drawn.

“What do we do?” Riven asked, looking down at the mage.

Cream shook his head and began to walk toward the shelves of books, his eyes lingering on the cylinder for a moment before shifting his attention. “We wait. Time in the dreamscape is subjective; Luna has only been gone a few minutes for us, but there she could be battling the nightmare for hours. We need to be vigilant and alert… and I need to research a way to destroy the seal.”

“You can’t simply stamp it out?” The white haired warrior asked, circling to the back to observe the bloodstains on the shattered glass.

“Perhaps,” he said flatly.

“You don’t know?”

“Only Starswirl the Bearded knew for sure. I like to think myself quite talented in the magical arts but I’m little more than a foal in comparison. In hindsight, I’d say even attempting the ritual was misguided.” Cream looked positively miserable at how poorly the entire situation had played out, but he continued to dutifully pull down relevant tomes. “My condolences will seem empty Miss Riven but… you have them, nonetheless.”

Riven went silent, drawing gazes from every pony in the room. When she did speak, more than one winced. “Apologize when you can tell me for certain that you can’t send me back,” her eyes were cold and her voice harsh. “You say you can’t send me home? I pray you’re wrong.”

“I don’t like that tone of voice, soldier,” Shining Armor said, stepping forward and returning her implications.

“Sorry sir, but I don’t like knowing the last eight years of my life have been pointless because of an accident.”

“You fought for that league for eight years?” Twilight inquired.

Riven walked to the center of the room, shaking her head. “No, I’ve only been there for fourteen months, give or take a day. Before that I was… traveling. Doing some soul searching, as it were.”

Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy understood. Shining Armor did, all too well. “You fought for something you didn’t believe in.”

Riven looked at him with incredulousness. “H-How did you—”

“Every soldier is at some point ordered to do something they disagree with, Riven.” Shining Armor ignored the piercing gaze of curiosity from Twilight. “Those demons can be excised, y’know. You just gotta find the right reason… or the right fight.”

Riven averted her eyes, suddenly finding it very hard to look at Shining Armor. To his credit, he was patient, and every pony else followed his lead, careful to not risk saying something that would garner Riven’s ire or uncover a particularly painful memory. “I thought I had… but now I’m here.”

“You can start over,” he said with calm assurance, his voice neither mocking or coddling, as he took another step forward. “You can find a new path. When this whole debacle with the nightmare is finished, we’ll see if we can’t point you down the right road.”

Riven nodded, suppressing her burgeoning emotions and nodding. “I’d like that, sir.”

Nocturne acted first, though in this realm its actions were not so simple as merely moving its arms, but more like a titanic expression of will. Its size, while currently immense, was ultimately inconsequential; the scantest thought could shape the sky and break the bones of the world. Nocturne demonstrated the second by drawing its two wicked blades together, drudging up mountainous lumps of earth in an attempt to crush Luna betwixt.

But Nocturne’s landslide did nothing, including impress the princess of the night. She vanished in a white flash, reappeared a mile in the air above the nightmare, and performed a graceful front flip. The fibers of her tail fused, sharpened, and elongated, and Nocturne was bisected by an ebony blade the length of a skyscraper.

Its inky remains sank into the ground with an audible hiss and Luna landed with her eyes narrowed and her mouth an even line. Her tail whipped about and separated back into its original shape, but not before creating a set of armor that it lashed out and seemingly magnetized onto Luna’s lithe body. Her wings fanned out to accommodate the breastplate, each hoof momentarily lifted to accept a greave, and a very familiar helmet seamlessly matched the contours of her head.

At first glance, Luna would appear to have resumed the form of Nightmare Moon, but beneath her armor was the same beloved alicorn that her subjects had grown to know since her return. That very love gave her strength now, as she had invaded their dreams and was broadcasting this battle to every sleeper throughout the world, be they pony or griffon, dragon or minotaur. They knew the stakes because she told them, and their encouragement manifested as her armor visibly brightening and becoming sharper, as if cast in diamond.

Four red saws burst from the ground and began their deadly approach toward Luna. They grew to accommodate any attempt of her taking flight, but she didn’t need to avoid them. The moon itself reacted to her plea for aid and a beam of light similar to the one she arrived on lanced down and obliterated the centermost blade. The others began to converge on her location but were similarly stopped, this time by three black-suited ponies that materialized out of thin air to catch them within their iron-strong hooves.

The Shadowbolts simultaneously extricated Nocturne’s saws and threw them aside. The nightmare wafted out of the firmament of the realm as a mist, coalescing into a dragon larger than even the oldest wyrm. With a great breath, it roared out a sea of black flames, which was stopped by the three Shadowbolts swirling into a shield emblazoned with their skeletal symbol. Luna waited for the attack to cease, watching the display dispassionately. When it did, her warriors again separated and took up positions around their mistress.

“You cannot defeat me, nightmare! This time I wield the love of a nation! You will be defeated, and you will never return!”

The dragon’s eyes narrowed and it looked toward the sky. Nocturne’s voice was deeper now but its characteristic hissing was still present. “It is nothing so feeble as love that empowers you…” A great claw began to reach for the heavens, growing ever longer and wider, until it alone blocked out the light of the moon. “I will crush the true source of your power!”

The dragon remained fixated on its goal. When its planet-sized digits were about to wrap around the moon, a great eye transposed over it. Luna’s cyan orb stared unblinking at the beast before orbiting away and her entire body appeared to be projected over its craggy surface. Her power emanated from the dreamscape’s simulacrum of the satellite and rallied together other celestial bodies. In short order, a nebula streaked down from the heavens and slammed into Nocturne’s claw. The beast roared and pulled away, only to be struck in the eye with a white dwarf star.

Planets, neutron stars, black holes, and meteors pelted Nocturne and drove it back. The weight of a universe drove it into the earth and sapped it of its strength. When the galactic barrage ceased, Luna’s three Shadowbolts flew into the sky, vanishing from sight. They reappeared a moment later as brief twinkles of light that returned as enormous stakes, impaling the shadow dragon through both hands and its chest.

Luna landed with bone-shattering force onto Nocturne’s muzzle and spoke, stomping her forehooves for emphasis. “My domain is the night sky itself, you wretch. I may raise the moon of Equis, but it represents only a fraction of my power.”

Nocturne could only snarl with rage in response, so Luna grinded her gauntleted hooves into its face once more. “Now I think you’ve caused enough harm.” On her subconscious command, Nocturne’s flesh began to coil around her hooves like roots, anchoring both entities together. “Return with me to the waking world! ANSWER FOR YOUR CRIMES!”

In an instant, Luna blinked back into reality. Beneath her sturdy hooves was a creature that only Riven and Luna herself were not immediately terrified of. It had arms not unlike Riven’s, and a similarly configured head, but that was where the similarities ended. Nocturne seemed momentarily dazed with its violent departure to the waking world, which gave Luna enough time to teleport out of the enclosure.

Shining Armor was likewise quick on his hooves. His horn fired a beam that wrapped around the cylinder and sealed the shadow within an inescapable barrier. It was back on its proverbial feet a moment later, slashing effortlessly through the glass but found itself unable to break Shining Armor’s shield. Celestia, as well as the other element bearers, were present, and though the day was nearing its end, the sun had yet to be lowered.

Then the nightmare did something no pony or human present expected; It began to laugh. It was quiet and merely disconcerting at first, but then it filled the hollows of the library and tore at one’s most vulnerable insecurities. Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash collapsed and began to thrash and rage at the wellspring of negative emotions it nurtured. Covering their ears accomplished nothing, for Nocturne’s voice seemed to seep in through the fibers of their being. Spike was likewise screaming in his sleep, and amidst the chaos, no one noticed that Twilight was still, her eyes fighting to remain open…

All light left the room; not even the sun could break through the cloying darkness that claimed the vision of all present. But they could still speak and shout frantically at one another, though that too stopped when a shadowy purple fire illuminated Twilight Sparkle, and Nocturne’s haunting laugh was now coming from her mouth. When Twilight spoke, it was as if two ponies were talking in concert: One the bookish mare that many ponies loved and cherished, and the other a sinister echo that could raise the hairs on even the bravest neck.

“Through the Twilight… I am whole…”

Chapter 10: The Last Word

Rainbow Dash was out of the hospital and flying towards Sweet Apple Acres at breakneck speed. She passed the Cutie Mark Crusaders huddled in a group outside, no doubt discussing their next nefarious plot to earn their cutie marks, though for once, Sweetie Belle looked apprehensive. Riven’s surprising recovery would have turned the poor filly pale if she wasn’t already chalk white.

With a confident salute, Rainbow Dash picked up her pace with a powerful flap of her wings. The three filles were rewarded with a muted roar as the older mare tore through an air pocket; a miniature Sonic Rainboom.

“So… awesome…”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Scoots, Rainbow Dash has been yer caretaker fer months now. Ain’t’cha ever gonna get over her?”

“No. You ever gonna get over apples and giant red bows?”

Apple Bloom gasped and pawed at her accessory like it was her security blanket. “Shhh! She’s sensitive!”

“… Your bow is a ‘she’?” Scootaloo nudged Sweetie, who had set aside her fear in favor of muffled laughter. “Does ‘she’ have a name too?”

“… Mahbe.”

“Tell us! Tell us!” Sweetie chanted, and was soon joined by Scootaloo.

“Fine then, Ah will! Her name is—”

“Girls!” Rarity approached, the task of retrieving Pinkie was at the forefront of her mind, but it was temporarily set aside in favor of the three rambunctious fillies. There was no time for distractions or lollygagging when she had a pink purveyor of pastries to procure. “What are you doing out here? You need to go home! It’s dangerous!”

“Ponyville’s dangerous?”

Rarity nodded at her sister’s remark and turned all three in the direction of her boutique with a delicate application of magic. “It is today. You can play at our home if you wish Sweetie, but don’t go outside. Not until an adult says it is safe to do so. Understood?”

“Yes Miss Rarity,” two of the three fillies said in unison. Sweetie groused but nodded. Rarity watched them depart observantly, ensuring that they wouldn’t cover their escape with firecrackers and dart behind a building. Once she was certain they were at least heading in the direction of Carousel Boutique, she continued her own task of retrieving Pinkie Pie and meeting everypony back at Twilight’s library. She could only hope Pinkie wasn’t preoccupied with one of her many confectionary experiments. Trying to pull her away from what she perceived as a stroke of genius rarely resulted in more than a headache.

Rainbow Dash covered the distance between Ponyville General and Sweet Apple Acres in less than five minutes. On hoof, it was easily a half hour trot. For any other pegasus, the flight would take at least ten minutes. However, a sleepless night followed by a stressful, napless day had taken its toll, and Rainbow could not control her descent. She came in hard and knocked two blooming branches out of an apple tree. Her tumbling body dug a trench a yard long through the orchard before finally coming to a stop at the hooves of an equally tired and very ornery-looking earth pony.

“Rainbow, if’n there was ever a day where Ah could have done without you breakin’ mah property…”

Applejack paused instinctually. This was usually the point when Rainbow would burst out of the crater she had just made and the two mares would exchange playful invectives. Instead, Rainbow’s wobbly limbs struggled to find purchase and her cyan face had yet to make an appearance from the hill of dirt she drudged up, so being the neighborly pony that she was, Applejack lent a helping hoof.

What she saw wasn’t the confident, brash pegasus she’d come to know and love, but an exhausted mare who clearly hadn’t realized just how out of sorts she was before making this journey.

“Ah, Rainbow? You all right, sugar?”

Rainbow coughed up a cloud of dirt and lazily shook a bit more out of her mane. “How do I look, AJ?” Came the snarky reply.

“Like death.”

“Well good. I feel like death.” Rainbow extricated herself from Applejack’s grip and sighed painfully before she felt ready to deliver the message that had brought her here in the first place. “We gotta get to Twilight’s place. Like, yesterday.”

“Rainbow, unless Twi is on ‘er deathbed… Ah’m sorry but today jus’ isn’t a good day.”

“Celestia’s orders. This is big. Like, ‘holy crap if we don’t put on our magical jewelry the whole world is bucked’ kinda big.”

Applejack’s brow furrowed and she looked over her shoulder toward her home. Through the open front door she could make out her family huddled around the dinner table. It wasn’t Apple family policy to bottle up something that was bothering you, so she and Big Macintosh had informed Granny Smith of their mutual dream. Though she didn’t understand it, the elderly pony possessed infinite compassion for her kin.

“AJ, have you been… crying?”

With a sniff she turned back to Rainbow and blinked tightly to squeeze out a few errant tears. “So what if Ah have?! Can’t a gal be emotional from time ta time?”

“I don’t suppose that gal will share with her friend?”

Applejack sighed and nodded curtly. “It was… jus’ Ah dream, Rainbow. Ah stupid dream. Twern’t nothin’ ta get worked up about.”

Rainbow’s eyes widened in understanding and she stepped closer. Before explaining why, she nuzzled the side of Applejack’s cheek. “Was it a shadow with white eyes?”

Applejack recoiled and gasped. “H-H-How could y—”

“You’re not alone, AJ. It’s gotten a few of us.” Rainbow glanced up at her friend with tortured eyes. “Like me.”

Now it was Applejack’s turn to show a little compassion and physically reassure her friend. “Oh, darlin’. Are you OK?”

“I will be when we dropkick this thing back to whatever hole it crawled out of. The princess is getting the Elements and Twilight and the others are at the library right now, trying to figure out how we’re gonna trap it. You know that alien? Riven?”

“Kinda hard t’forget, Rainbow.”

“Well, she’s there too, and she has a name for it. ‘Knock Knock’ or some junk. Anyway, you comin’?”

“Of course. Jus’ lemme go say goodbye. Ah’ll be right back!”

Rarity entered Sugarcube Corner to the chime of a bell positioned above the door. She did not see Cup or Carrot Cake, or the twins, but she did hear clanking and singing coming from the kitchen behind the display counter. With delicate steps, she approached the register and cleared her throat. “Pinkie Pie? Darling, are you back there?”

The response she received was another crash, a high-pitched “eep!” and a sound similar to a pillow striking a solid object. A moment later, a powder white Pinkie Pie bounced out, looking pleased as punch despite being covered head to hoof in flour. “Hiya, Rarity! You sure startled me. But I suppose you shouldn’t have seeing as how these are business hours and ponies would be coming in around this time for lunch but I’m running the place all by myself today because the Cakes are visiting family in Manehattan but they said they’d only be gone for one day and all I’d have to do is keep up the stock and sell stuff like I usually do which is TOTALLY unrelated to you startling me in the first place and probably has nothing to do with you coming here unless you’re just here to say ‘hi’ in which case HI RARITY!”

Pinkie Pie beamed. Rarity looked exasperated. There was a time when she would have attempted to stop Pinkie from ranting but realized that anything short of shoving a hoof into her mouth was futile. Seeing as how she was unwilling to ruin her hooficure when she could just wait the hyperactive pony out, Rarity did just that.

“Actually, the princesses require your — that is, our — services at Twilight’s library. If you would please get cleaned up.”

Pinkie looked shocked at the mere suggestion. “But Rarity, the store is still open! I can’t just close it down and leave! That would be… be… dereliction? No, that would be if I was a guardsmare. Malingering? Well, that would be the dictionary definition but also really super snooty of me.” Pinkie snorted and looked at Rarity, who seemed mildly put out. “Um, no offense. Let’s just say it would probably get me in trouble, and I can’t afford to take a pay cut, Rarity. I have a lot of expenses. You know… partying.”

“Darling, if Princess Celestia herself asked, I’m sure the Cakes will understand.”

“Oh, you don’t know how angry Misses Cake can get when somepony jeopardizes the financial future of her foals.”

“Pinkie, for the love of Faust go take a bath and come with me!”

“But—”

“NOW.”

Pinkie groused and trotted away. “Fiiiiiiiiine. But if I get fired, you’re going to hire me!”

“I will! I am in need of a reliable stockmare!”

Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack all arrived at the library shortly thereafter. Riven greeted them with a silent nod. Cream didn’t so much as look up from his fevered study over any tome that appeared relevant. Fluttershy was looking out of the window broken during Riven’s arrival, smiling at the birds nesting nearby. Twilight and Shining Armor were speaking to one another, but greeted their friends warmly. Neither left Spike’s slumbering side, however.

Princess Celestia had also arrived. This time she had not come alone; a number of covert operatives from the ranks of her military were likewise in the library, but no pony or human had seen them since they first arrived. Shining Armor occasionally shifted an eye toward conspicuous locations, implying he was aware of where they had decided to hide. Both the princess and the captain of the guard had agreed that, despite the sensitive nature of this event, the ruler of Equestria should no longer travel without the proper security.

While Celestia was rarely keen on being monitored like a child, the return of the nightmare reminded her of the possibility that it could target her as its next host. While it was unlikely that anything short of a combined, concerted effort between her sister, her number one student, and every unicorn in her court would be able to defeat her should that eventuality come to pass, it was agreed that if she did not fight back, she could be struck down before Nocturne’s influence twisted her into something truly terrifying. Twilight was horrified by the idea; Shining Armor and the agents all nodded solemnly.

Each bearer was given her respective element: Magic for Twilight Sparkle, Honesty for Applejack, Generosity for Rarity, Laughter for Pinkie Pie, Loyalty for Rainbow Dash, and Kindness for Fluttershy. They received a brief lecture about what would occur, but Celestia also mentioned that not even she knew exactly what would transpire. She trusted Luna and asked her ponies to do the same. Precious seconds would undoubtedly decide the fate of Equestria should her sister succeed, and when the princess of the night did reappear and blinked out of the glass enclosure, it was Shining Armor that proved quickest on his hooves.

But now a dead silent room watched a faded purple fire radiate off of the lavender prodigy, and listened to a bone-chilling voice reverberate around another that so many thought beautiful. Shining Armor was so frightened that he could not even bring himself to cry as he watched his baby sister mutate into something unrecognizable, but a voice in the back of his mind was thankful their mother was not present.

The fire was not just for dramatic effect. Twilight’s fur burned away, making room for limbs cracking and splitting as they elongated and strengthened. Her horn twisted, her mane flared, and a bloody black coat grew to replace what Nocturne’s pestilent influence had destroyed moments before.

Outside, the sight was like one of Nocturne’s nightmares made manifest. Inside, Twilight Sparkle raged.

Nocturne polluted her thoughts with cruel whispers.

She battled back with pleasant memories.

Nocturne called her a failure, an outcast, and a fool.

She dismissed these claims with proof that her mentor was proud, that her friends and family loved her, and that she was intelligent.

Intelligent enough, in fact, that she could recognize what Nocturne was attempting to do and was battling back. Nocturne quickly picked at more of her insecurities, but she dismissed each with the wisdom that a few negative quirks did not define her. Each time Nocturne lost a bit of ground, Twilight’s body began to return to its normal shape. The darkness in the room faltered, and Nocturne’s power waned.

“If you expel me… I will kill your friends instead. For their sake… give in.”

“No…” Twilight’s brow furrowed and her restored horn began to shimmer with a lavender light. “They will defeat you, just like they did before. Be banished again, nightmare!” The tiara upon Twilight’s head resonated in time with her natural magical aura, and soon Nocturne began to feel a familiar sensation: Pain. So much pain, in fact, that it could not remain within Twilight Sparkle without risking its well being. It seeped from her mouth, ears, eyes, and nostrils like smoke, and Riven was quick to capitalize on Nocturne’s momentary vulnerability.

She dashed forward, propelled by force of will alone, and bisected the beast with a mighty cry. Nocturne shrieked but its ethereal form reconstituted almost immediately. Once free from Twilight, the unicorn collapsed, bloody and furless, but alive. Nocturne acknowledged the desperation of its situation, and Princess Luna sensed its panic. “Now, my little ponies! Strike it down!”

Twilight cracked open an eye and used what little energy she had remaining to unite the power of the Elements of Harmony, channeling the camaraderie of her friends and focusing it into a opaque beam of chromatic light. Riven slashed at the beast again, but this time her great sword was parried, and the nightmare dove at her with reckless abandon.

Riven’s eyesight darkened and she yelped in surprise. In its weakened state, Nocturne could not maintain its shadowy magic, so the exile’s vision returned quickly, but not before two crimson blades plunged into her chest and pinned her against the far wall. The impact removed Riven’s ability to control her legs and she vomited up blood, but in a last act of defiance, she stabbed her sword though Nocturne’s serpentine body. The blade slipped through harmlessly and the monster laughed, confident that even if it was defeated here — again — it would take at least one other life with it.

“I might never see home,” Riven choked, her every breath a labor. “But I will still fight for it.” The eldritch runes on her blade began to glow and an intense wind quickly built up speed, whipping her hair about. Nocturne’s fiery eyes widened in shock and its torso began to swell as hurricane force winds fought to escape their confines.

Nocturne’s howl was drowned out by the shrill whistle of the wind that explosively obliterated its body. Scraps of wispy black “flesh” scattered throughout the library, and every pony covered their ears to preserve their senses from the piercing storm. The burst of magic from the unified Elements of Harmony amassed Nocturne’s tattered essence and dispersed it once more, hopefully to a realm where it could never again do harm. When the cacophony died down, the scene could be properly observed to determine the damage. Few ponies could resist the urge to cry.

Twilight Sparkle was unconscious and neither Celestia, Luna, or Cream had the energy to heal her adequately, not after the Hercoltean effort it took to restore Riven… but she would live. Riven was in far worse shape, however, and no pony was certain or even confident that she would survive. Rainbow Dash applied pressure to the gaping wounds in her chest but the blood would not stop flowing. Fluttershy helped and choked out reassurances that this was the proper course of action, but that was of little comfort as Riven herself seemed resigned. Content.

“Can you… really not send me back?” She whispered, each word burbled out between coughs and dribbles of blood.

Celestia kneeled down in front of Riven and nuzzled gently under her chin. “No. I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” Riven gasped and closed her eyes. She continued to breathe, but her chest was rising less each time. “I always knew I’d die away from my home. But I… have a regret.”

“Speak it,” Luna said next, stepping around Rainbow and leaning her head down low. “We will see to it personally that you die with a clear conscience.”

“I…” Riven gasped, and one hand reached out for something — anything. Fluttershy moved her head up underneath, and Riven began to gently scratch her mane. “I never got to apologize…”

“For what?”

“For my actions… the lives I’ve taken… I just fled. I’m a coward... and I never said… I was…”

Riven said no more, and as she was, she never would again.

The Ten Thousand Aeries of Griffhala was both a natural wonder of the world and one of its most powerful empires. Griffons were not naturally peaceful like ponies were; they were carnivores who honed their predatory nature practically from birth. The peace that existed between Griffhala and Equestria was tenuous at best, likely maintained by the continued existence of Princess Celestia alone. If not for her, that nation of grass-eaters would have been conquered millennia ago.

A vast mountain range served as Griffhala’s most potent defense; a natural wall that had never once been breached. Carved into it were numerous battlements and griffon patrols were on a constant vigil. Today, one such guard had briefly abandoned his post, having flown down to the forest at the boarder of griffon territory to eat his home-made mouse casserole. The captain would not return to his post for several hours. Plenty of time for a lunch break.

The guard popped the lid off his plastic container and inhaled the aroma therein with delight. He scooped a dollop of meaty goodness onto one talon and was mere inches from savoring that bite when a mighty red appendage kicked through the forest and crushed his body between one taloned toe.

On account of having his spine shattered, the guard felt no pain, but experienced stark horror as a titanic beast lumbered from the tree line and looked down at him with an expression similar to a smile, but upon its alien face, he truly saw only murderous glee.

“Ah, what is this? I appear to have stepped on something.” The creature leaned down and sniffed the paralyzed griffon, who could do little but stare wide-eyed in response. “Flesh, yessssssss… delicious meat. It’s been too long since I dined on the flavors of a new world.” The monster’s mouth opened wide — far wider than conventional physics would assume possible. The griffon’s beak parted to scream, but was devoured before he could utter a sound.

Cho’Gath, the Terror of the Void, grew even larger. Now towering above even the walls of Griffhala, it licked its lips and trundled forward, scything claws eager to mow down anything unfortunate enough to get in its way and curved fangs dripping with anticipation. “I am free. Woe betide you, lesser creatures.”

Epilogue

Sunlight. To say that Riven was surprised to see sunlight — or anything for that matter — would have been a great understatement. But that was really all she could see, for her vision was blurry and her eyelids felt heavy. After a bit of experimentation, she found her entire body unresponsive, and her face contorted with worry.

“Relax Riven, you’re safe.”

She knew that voice. Hearing it again gave her a modicum of peace, for last she recalled, its owner was in poor shape. “Twilight… Sparkle?” Riven’s mouth was no more cooperative and each word was slurred and whispered.

“Yes, it’s me. How are you feeling?” Riven heard hoof steps approach and a soft, slightly coarse sensation on her cheek. She was being nuzzled, a gesture she was initially quite apprehensive about. Now, any sensation that affirmed that she was truly alive brought happiness to her heart.

“I… don’t. Everything feels so distant.”

“You’re not yet used to your body. You will be. Cream said it would be rough for the first few weeks.”

Riven sighed in relief. She was alive. She had won the day and surely if she persevered, she would one day see Noxus again.

Your body…

“Twilight… what do you mean ‘not yet used to my body’?”

Silence. Riven could not see her guest, but she heard breathing and nervous shuffling.

“Twilight? What’s wrong? Why won’t you answer me?”

“R-Riven… promise you won’t be mad.”

Those words brought about a cold sweat. She had heard it before when that small town doctor she visited after her defection mentioned the scar tissue. Still, she wanted to know, and was willing to lie to hear what Twilight meant. “I promise.”

A soft hum alerted Riven that Twilight was using her magic to levitate something. After a moment, she spoke: “Can you open your eyes?”

Riven grunted and struggled to do so. Such a simple act was giving her a headache and making her extremely frustrated, but after several tense seconds, she managed to open her eyes wide...

... And saw a pony. A reflection in a mirror, to be precise. This pony had mocha-colored fur, off-white hair in a style very similar to her own, large red eyes, and rectangular marks under each. Commonly held belief was that this was make-up Riven applied, but in actuality they were two of several burns that marred her body following Singed’s chemical attack. Now, they appeared to be patterns in her fur.

Her fur. Riven was a pony, and suddenly she found the strength to operate her mouth, which released a scream so gut-wrenching and primal that Twilight couldn’t even cover her ears to shut it out.