Descendant of the Night: Beginnings

I remember staring at the giant glass windows of Canterlot castle in my dreams, the events of the past told in them like you would a religion in a church. The figures of ponies through history glistened in the beautiful, shimmering stained glass. I could see each piece of glass was expertly cut, in bright shades of blue, yellow, and any other light hearted color. They weren’t the same as the ones in reality, but what are you to expect from dreams. Pictured on some windows was that of six ponies, who together seemed to destroy many strange and powerful looking creatures. I felt something special looking at them, but my eyes in the end always fell on the events I do remember from history.

The banishment of disharmony, Tirek, and Sombra all was recorded in the halls of the castle. Yet a shadow shined onto them that never appeared in my dream, darkening the glass and casting a strange darkness into the halls of Canterlot Castle. To think that even the brightest of historical events couldn’t escape what has become of our world. That said, I didn't ever pay much attention. I know I talk too much about dreams, and the past that I wished to be now, but how can I not?

I once thought that the world was so simple, but that was all before I met him…

“WHERE IN LUNA’S NAME ARE WE?!” Luminous shouted at the top of her lungs. “I knew you said he wasn’t in a town but this is the middle of nowhere!”

“Luminous could you pleeease quite it down?” Topaz asked. “Some of us are still trying to wake up here.”

The dragoness letting lose a yawn as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Soarin awoke a few seconds after, stretching his wings out to try and loosen them up. The two couldn’t make out anything else around them other than the wagon and the faint silhouette of a building not far off. Topaz took a second to realize that they weren’t moving any more, and fell into a silent shock. They were really in the middle of nowhere, and the last blue flame of the lamp starting to die out as they did.

“I-I know what this looks like,” Rarity replied, trying her best to calm the mood. “But there’s a really good reason Arcane lives all the way out here. He has some trouble talking to ponies, and ponies don’t exactly have the best of opinions about him. That said I can promise all of you that he can be just as nice as any other ponies.”

“So your ex is a social reject?” Topaz asked, sighing as she finished her question. “Yep, I can see this is going to work out just fiiiine.”

“Just give him a chance Topaz,” Luminous encouraged as she made her way to the door, the glow illuminating the wooden door as she neared it. “If Rarity is willing to bring us with her to his house he can’t be all that bad.”

She went to knock on the door, only for it to open as her hoof came in contact with it. The others made their way to her side, the inside of what must have been the living room illuminated by the Lunar String. The living room was a relatively small room with almost nothing in it besides from a coffee table with an old candelabra and small couch. Rarity, having grabbed the now extinguished lamp out of the wagon, used her magic to reignite the blue flame and levitating in front of everyone. It help give a better idea of what the room looked like, highlighting the maple wood floor and bland white walls. The fashionista let out a sigh at this development.

“Just the way I left it,” She mumbled. “I wonder how long he’s been down there this time.”

“Whelp, if he isn’t going to greet us,” Topaz simply showed them what she meant by walking in without a care. Looking back she could see everyone looking at her in disappointment. “What? Isn’t this what he gets for leaving the door completely open for any robber to sneak in and steal?”

“You do realize that this is the second time you’ve invited yourself into someone else's house now right?” Luminous replied in deep annoyance, before the Lunar String subconsciously stretched out into the living room, filling it with a soft blue light. She let out a sigh, “Well, I guess it’s probably better waiting inside than out here.”

“He is most definitely home,” Rarity said slightly worried, watching as Luminous walked in. “Arcane isn’t one to wander far from his house unless needed, and I’m certain he is home right now. If anything he’s locked himself in that study he made in the basement.”

“I’m going to go out on a limb and say he does that often,” Soarin guessed, walking in after Rarity and Sweetie Belle. “Am I right?”

“Often would be an understatement,” Rarity answered as she lit the candelabra with a normal red flame. “It might seem crazy, but he’s spent days down there at times. Once he gets on a project he can’t stop. That said we should probably inform him in some way that we’re here.”

Luminous wasn’t paying attention to the discussion behind her as she opened a door on the far right of the living room to see a bedroom with a stairway leading down. There was a single dark grey blanket on top of the mattress on the right of the room and a wooden dresser behind it. There was not a single light source, which unsettled the pegasus considering the creatures Rarity had mentioned before. The Lunar String finally rested once again as a ribbon in her mane as she made her way towards the stairs. The soldier facade she had worn around the others dropped as she started descending them, filling her with a sense of fear.

As she reached the bottom, she was greeted by a small room with a chair and table at the end of it. The walls had shelves which held potion filled veils and strange pink crystals that let off a faint glow to them as she walked passed. As she reached the other side her eyes fell upon the closed book upon the table, a leather covering as it’s cover. If she had taken a better glance around the room, she would have seen the door next to the table she was standing at. Instead Luminous found herself not moving, a strange thought going through her mind.

“This book contains every known spell the Umbrum have ever written, every potion they ever made, and every crystal enchantment ever completed. In other words, every part of their magical history is inside this book, both good and bad.”

She had no idea what was going on, but she felt a strange urge to open the book in front of her. It felt like an precious belonging she lost long ago had just been found, and she needed to carry it from all the time apart from it. Lost in a trance, Luminous reached out slowly and shakingly to grab the book, as if their was some sort of force keeping her from being fully hypnotized. Her pupils dilated to the size of raisins, doing her best to push any resistance to the temptation out of her. She wanted this book… no, she NEEDED it. Her hoof was only an inch away now, the same words as before repeating but even louder and louder.

Than, as her hooves were about to touch it’s cover, another one slammed the cover from the opposite side of her. The sound of the other hoof woke Luminous up from her trance, letting out a loud yelp as she fell backwards in fear. Her mind was racing to remember what just happened, but all the came to mind was coming down the stairs. She couldn’t remember why she was at the other end of the room, but next thing she knew a dark grey hoof flashed into her eyes. Luminous tried her hardest to remember what she was doing, but the sound of heavy breathing above her drew her attention.

Above her stood a large stallion, taller than that of any she had seen in the guard back in Canterlot. His coat was dark grey, matching that of the hoof that had woken her from her trance. His mane and tail were very short and black, the former falling just halfway down his neck while the latter went to the bottom of his flank. His cutie mark was hidden from the Luminous’ view, instead finding herself staring up to the stallion's face. The thing that caught her attention most was that of the strange curved horn which seemed to be made out of a blood red stone. His dark red eyes seemed to pierce her very being, lips pulled back into a grimace as he stared.

“You!” The stallion roared. Ever letter was spoken in a slow and sinister tone, echoing as if each one was a whisper, resonating in Luminous’ head louder and louder.

“Luminous, get up.”

Luminous’ eyes shot open at the sound of a familiar voice, looking to see Luna standing in front of her in worry. Getting up, Luminous realized she was in the Farplane for the first time since meeting the long dead princess. She looked up to see the moon in the sky this time instead of the sun, it’s glow illuminated the dream garden. She looked around to see herself in a flower patch like the first time, but was in awe at the sight of dozens upon dozens of blue flowers glowing in the light of the moon. The petals looked like stained glass as they danced from side to side in the fields of Luna’s realm.

“It’s beautiful isn’t it?” Luna asked as she walked up to her guest and sat in the grass. “They’re called Lumaglow Tulips. When I made the Farplane I want a flower that was not only beautiful in the sun, but at night as well,” She picked one nearby her and brought it close for Luminous to see “The castle in the Lunar Republic, who my predecessors call the Garden of Shadows, is suppose to hold all of them that still exist in the living world.”

“I’ve heard of the Garden of Shadows from my mom,” Luminous told the princess. “The place is suppose to look like a beautiful garden from the outside, located inside a deep dark cavern along with the rest of the Lunar Republic. That was all however.”

Not another word was exchanged for some time as the two stared out into the countless fields all lighting up with the same calming blue flowers. Luminous couldn't understand what had brought her here exactly, last remembering that scary looking pony standing over her. She must have fainted or something like that, but it was most definitely not a dream. It felt too real, and the ringing of him saying ‘you’ was still in her ears. They twitched uncomfortably as if they had bounced off of the far off mountains, one of which had a strange sliver of red or orange in it.

“Did you bring me here Luna?” Luminous asked, Luna shaking her head. “So… how did I get here?”

“I’m not really sure, though I do have news to share with you,” Luna told her company, taking a deep breath after finishing that sentence. Luminous waited for her to respond, but Luna didn’t.

“And that is?”

“Earlier today I had an encounter with an old… friend,” Luna explained. “Well, friend is probably not the right word to use in this situation but I can’t find a substitute and enemy is to cruel of one,” Finally a word came to her. “Let’s just say she’s an acquaintance, who I manage to have an interesting little adventure with in the mind of a little filly. Since the last time we had met she had learned a lot more about dreams than I had thought and we manage to see some odd contrasts in the filly’s dream to that of a normal ponies.”

“You make it sound like this is bad news,” Luminous joked, stopping when she saw Luna staring at her sternly. “Wait… it is? How is this supposedly bad news?”

“In truth the end result of this turned out fine but…” She hesitated, trying to come up with the exact number. “This must have been the first time we’ve talked in twenty years, and considering that I only managed to contact her because of a colt last time,” She shook her head rapidly. “I guess I’m over thinking it but there is something that had been blocking me from talking, and with the screams I’m hearing-”

“Your hearing screams?!” Luminous blurted out in worry. “You should’ve told me about it. Is there something I can do to stop it?”

“I knew you would say that, but until I know what it is I don’t to put you in harm's way,” Luna responded in a calm manner. “Also, I think you know there is a more important matter to discuss,” She turned toward the moon, the light reflecting off her eyes making them sorry. “Luminous, I know you may be scared at first, but with what little time we have left before you wake I must tell you something. No matter how he seems, or what he use to be, trust him with your life.”

Luminous awoke to the feeling of hard wood on the floor, and the sight of a flat ceiling above her. She was still in the basement of Arcane’s house, but to her left she could see Topaz now next to her. The dragoness was staring down at the end of the room, and sitting up Luminous felt shocked to see Rarity talking to the stallion that she had seen before fainting. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, as they whispered to each other. Looking back to Topaz, Luminous could see a hatred in her eyes, lips pulled back in a snarl showing her jagged teeth.

“Something wrong?” Luminous asked, only getting a side glance from the dragoness.

“She’s been acting that way ever since she saw Arcane,” Soarin whispered into Luminous’ ears, catching off the ex-captain as she turned to the shivering pegasus. “That’s the pony Rarity’s talking to, or at least I think it is. Something about him just… scares me. I think it’s that look in his eyes.”

Their attention snapped back to Rarity as hoofsteps sounded through the room. The stallion followed behind her, and they sat down next to each other a foot from everyone else. Luminous looked to the stallion, who was looking back at her with fury on his face. She couldn’t get what he had said to her earlier out of her head, not recognizing him at all. Looking at him, she could tell what Soarin was saying about the stallion. Rarity let out a forced cough to grab everyone's attention, letting out a sigh.

“Everypony, I would like you to meet Arcane,” She said as she pointed to the stallion. “Arcane ‘Sombra’ Glyph for those of you wanting his full name.”

Luminous couldn’t count how many heart beats she just skipped, but it was enough to dizzy her for a few seconds. Topaz was now breathing heavily next to her, sounding less smooth and more feral. Arcane, on the other hoof, was sitting tall and proud as he heard Rarity call that title he had been given. It sent a shiver through Luminous, and then another as the name finally rang a bell. Both she and Topaz knew that name was no coincidence.

“Sombra,” Topaz snarled, catching Arcane’s attention. She wanted to sink her claws into him right now “What in Luna’s name are you doing here? And why do you have your full body?”

“What do you think I’m doing here?” Arcane asked rhetorically, his voice full of pride. “Did you forget that curse would hold me forever? Ha, would your princesses love it if that was the case. To bad they have a sweet spot for mercy, or else they might not have let so many die.”

“Take. That. Back,” Topaz commanded, her resistance almost falling away. “Like enslaving the lives of everypony in an empire is any better.”

“Well,” He chuckled, voice dropping to a more sinister tone. “I may have enslaved an empire, but you have a higher death count than any of us. Why did that happen again?” He lifted his front right hoof to his muzzle. “Oh, right. You started a war.”

“That’s it! Luminous with m-” Topaz stopped, the anger suddenly replaced by worry as she saw the look on Luminous’ face. “Luminous, are you okay?”

The ex-captain didn’t respond, the soldier inside of her having been washed away upon hearing the name ‘Sombra’. Topaz hadn’t seen this side of her, believing Luminous to have been a soldier through and through. Now she saw what one could only describe as a filly waking up from a night terror. Her eyes spelled out all the fear inside her, one that seemed to come from more than just history.

“Luminous?”

“Huh?” Almost as if she was in a dream, Luminous suddenly jolted forward. The fear dissipating from her face, now completely confused. “Topaz, is something wrong?”

The dragonesses jaw dropped. “Um… did Sombra do something to you when you came down here earlier?”

Luminous looked around the room at everyone, seeing they were all staring at her. Looking to Arcane, she saw a wide smile on the stallion's face. She looked back and forth between him and Topaz, trying to piece together what the dragoness was hinting at. Finally, she came to a solid conclusion, or more accurately a response to Topaz’s question.

“Who’s Sombra?” Luminous asked Topaz.

“Him!” Topaz shouted as she waved a clawed finger at the sinister figure in the room. “How do you not recognize him? Sombra, the last of the Umbrum, the most cruel group of ponies in ancient Equestria! He enslaved the entire Crystal empire, and put a curse on it that made it disappear for more than a thousand years! He was of Luna and Celestia’s enemies all those years ago.”

Luminous thought about it before looking at Rarity. “So your coltfriend is a tyrant?”

“Th-that’s not how it worked out!” Rarity responded in a rush to defend herself. “His name isn’t actually Sombra, but Arcane Glyph like I told you. That was a title he took from Celestia and Luna a thousand years ago,” The fashionista looked to Arcane. “The two of us managed to dispel the curse on his body, and I’ve helped him become a slightly better pony. It’s to complicated to really explain everything that happened.”

“Thanks Rarity, but I have some questions of my own for somepony here,” Arcane looked to Luminous as he spoke, Topaz just sitting there in complete shock next to the pegasus. “You do know what this book is exactly, right?” Luminous nodded. Arcane took note of this and decided to not directly respond. “I must say that I’m quite shock at the position you uphold, or that you're even a princess at all.”

Luminous gulped. “Um, why is that?”

“Because I would expect anypony, much less a princess to respond in fear at the very sight of me,” Arcane replied shaking his head in disappointment. “I’m surprised that you have no idea who I am, considering the mark I’ve left on history. Unless you're just playing dumb, because knowing those two monarchs they would put the events of my rule in school plans, history books, and on a nice stain glass window in Canterlot Castle,” He let out a deep laugh as he mocked the ex-captain. “You break down a pony and this is what you're left with.”

“I... didn’t think it was all that important,” Luminous explained. “I do remember the windows in the throne room, but I always thought those creatures and ponies were defeated for good.”

“Of course you did,” Arcane nodded. “However, I’m more interested in you now than I had been before.”

His horn ignited in red aura before his body seemed to vanish into a cloud of dark grey mist. Before Luminous could act the cloud flew right up next to her and shifted back into a natural form. He put his front legs behind Luminous to stop her from instantly backing away, only lifting his front right hoof to touch the Lunar String. As he did, the area of the String he touched turned black as the darkness outside. It sent a slight pain through her body, and at this point Topaz finally snapped out of her shock. As Arcane saw this his horn once again lit up and a barrier formed around him and Luminous.

“How interesting,” He muttered to himself, looking to Luminous and the pain the Lunar String was giving her. “Solid aura? No, this is something I haven’t seen in a long time, and connect to the nerve system somehow, or maybe,” A sinister smile formed, his lips pulled back to show his jagged teeth. “The pain is that of my emotions entering your body.”

“P-please... stop,” Luminous pleaded, her breath growing heavy. “It hurts, a lot.”

“My apologies,” Arcane responded as he lifted his hoof off of the Lunar String, Luminous coughing as it did. He stood there in thought for a few seconds, looking to see Topaz trying to break down the barrier as predicted. “Naive little princess, you and me are going to have some fun.”

With Rarity’s aid (mainly to keep Topaz from trying to rip him to shreds) Arcane escorted Luminous through the door next to the book she tried to grab earlier. Her body felt heavy after Arcane touched the Lunar String, muscles seeming to lose all strength. As the two entered the room Rarity looked it with a magic seal. Topaz was absolutely furious as everything played out in front of her.

“Honestly Topaz, this is just Arcane’s way of greeting ponies,” Rarity told the dragoness. “He’s obsessed with magic, and would rather spend his entire life just doing that.”

“Oh yeah!” Topaz said as she grabbed Rarity’s mane, much to Soarin and Sweetie Belle’s shock. “Say that when he brainwashes her, or uses mind control, or-”

“Topaz!” Rarity screeched, shaking the dragonesses claws out of her mane. “Do you know what Arcane did before he became that tyrant?” Rarity checked her mane to make sure no hairs were messed up as Topaz shook her head, arms crossed. “He worked as the personal assistant of a certain princess you know very well.”

Topaz stood their in thought for a moment before the realization hit her. “He… work for princess Luna?” Rarity nodded. “Those records of dark magic being used in the castle suddenly make a lot more sense. Still, that doesn’t give him a good excuse to ENSLAVE AN ENTIRE CITY!”

“You really have no idea what happened do you?” Sweetie Belle asked, Topaz having forgotten the mechanical filly was still here. “Arcane never really told us why he did it, but after being lonely for a thousand years he changed a little. He wasn’t exactly a nice pony, and he still isn’t, but one thing that's for sure is that he wouldn’t do something like that again,” The unicorn pawed the ground with one of her hooves. “Besides, I owe him my life.”

“Your life?” Topaz asked, trying to think of anything that she had heard Sweetie Belle mention. It didn’t her long to figure it out. “Sweetie Belle… what actually happened to your real body?”

“Your focus is horrible,” Arcane told Luminous as he sat her down against the wall. “And that isn’t just because you’re a pegasus. If I had kept contact with it longer I would’ve overwhelmed your normal emotions, and replace them with much darker ones.”

“How do you know this?” Luminous asked the former tyrant as he walked over to a closet and opened it. Inside was a countless amount of strange objects that she had never seen before in her life. “I figured not even Luna knows what the Lunar String is or how it works.”

“Call it the Lunar String if you want, but I know exactly what it is,” Arcane said as his magic picked up a bottle filled with strange a black dust of sorts. “Luna’s aura, much like her sisters, is different. What made the princess of the night different from her sister is how she used it, turning part of her aura into a living source known as the Tantibus,” He put the bottle on the floor in front of them. “That right there is a remnant of Luna’s aura, which she intrusted me with after it almost overwhelmed her. The Tantibus is a living nightmare, and when Luna died that nightmare was believed to have vanished.”

“So you saying that this is thing Luna gave me is basically a nightmare?!” Luminous exclaimed, quickly being silenced by Arcane’s hoof.

“Not exactly a nightmare,” He reassured her. “The Tantibus is said to hide inside everything, and is the very darkness that has shrouded the world. Whether this is true or not is something even I would rather not find out,” He placed the Tantibus back on the shelf before looking back to Luminous. “Rarity has informed me of your destination, and though I was cursed when it was formed I know the way to the Lunar Republic. I would like to offer my assistance as a guide, and promise to not cause harm to any of your friends, including Topaz. Besides, I would like to keep an eye on your so called Lunar String, see how it acts and what it can do.”

Luminous thought about this for a second, trying to think of a reasonable response. Logic told her that he would cause more trouble in the future than help. However, her mind wandered back to the words Luna had said before waking up. She had said to not see him for what they once were, and to trust them. Luminous knew that Luna was talking about Arcane, it was too much of a coincidence to not be. In the end Luna’s words won, and she let sigh.

“Alright, but you better hold on your promise if that’s the case,” Luminous explained as she got up, the heaviness finally lifted from her body.

Arcane held a smug smile as he heard this, “Of course, we shall leave once everyone is ready.”

“Princess please come out,” Swift Spell pleaded as he continued to hit the door to Neons room with his hoof. “Look, I understand you're scared, but you're going to make more ponies worried if you just lock yourself away.”

Not a word came from the other side of the door, but Swift could hear the weeping princess inside. Swift Spell, looking at the lock, considered opening the door forcefully with his magic, but shook it out of his head. He was afraid to do such a thing, and instead took out a small crystal that he had in a saddlebag. Putting it to up to the door the magic started to gather around the crystal, before being absorbed. He was the one who had put the lock on the door earlier at the princess's request, but as a realization hit him he had regretted that very action.

“I’m coming in princess,” He warned as he opened the door slightly, only for a sudden force on the opposite side to keep him from getting through. Looking through the crack in the door he saw Neon, her pink coat seeming to have faded slightly. “Neon, let me in! You’re not doing yourself any good locking yourself away. That’s what she did when this almost happened to her all-”

“I told you to leave me be, Swift,” Neon responded in anger. “I don’t want to hurt you, or Luminous, or anypony else, so just leave me be!”

“That’s not going to do anything and you know it!” Swift Spell replied, pushing even harder on the door. “I know you can hear it, and I’m the only pony who has any idea how to combat it without the elements. Neon, I would ask again, let me in?!”

A silence followed before Neon responded in a low and defiant voice. “Al… alright.”

Slowly Neon backed away from the door, letting Twister open it as she turned away. Neon walked to the window, hiding her face by throwing the tips of her wings over her eyes. Twister walked up next to her, preparing to speak before realizing he had thought of nothing. His fear had come in such a rush that he didn’t know think of how to approach the princess. Knowing he couldn’t stay quiet after everything he had just said, he opened his mouth and spoke the first words that came to mind.

“How did it come to you?” Twister asked. “It had a reason for choosing you, and if I had seen this sooner perhaps I could have dispelled it before things got to this point.”

Twister did the best he could to see why Neon was covering her face currently, but she turned away as he looked at her. It didn’t stop him from seeing the paleness in her pink coat. He could tell this had been going on for a long time, but seeing Neon’s current state unsettled him. The feathers on her wings were more jagged than he remembered them being, and as he look for anything else he suddenly felt a different fear.

“Neon, how long has it been inside you?” He asked, she only turned away more. “Princess, I know you're scared but you have to tell me. I can’t do anything to help if you don’t tell me,” He tried to put a hoof on her shoulder to obtain her attention, but Neon flicked it away without even seeing it.

“You don’t want to know,” Neon said in tone that didn’t sound sad at all. “Honestly Swift, I’m not scared anymore. I probably should, but I don’t care at all.”

“That’s not you, it’s the nightmare,” Swift tried to explain to Neon, moving forward to try to once again see her face. “It’s manipulating your emotions, making you think in ways that aren’t… right. Neon, can you tell me what caused you to act like this?”

“You already know,” Neon replied, her voice sounding more aggressive than it had been. “It’s the entire reason I gave you the job, the entire reason I came up with the plan I did. It’s the reason Thunder Shield and Moondancer are now outside the castle walls.”

Swift knew immediately what she was talking about, but it didn’t fully make sense to him until he remembered the very first conversation he had with Neon. At this realization, fear gripped his heart like a monstrous claw, and he stepped back from Neon. To him, this was the worst possible answer he could have hoped for. He thought that the nightmare had only been inside Neon for a day, maybe two, but that was not the case. Swift glanced back to the door, glad to see it was still open, and then to the crystal that hung in his saddlebags. He swallowed, knowing that he would have to leave the room if things went too far.

“It’s been in you since before we met,” Swift said, barely louder than a whisper at the very shock of the statement. “You, made me cause Luminous to leave because… you wouldn’t.”

“That mare took the one thing I love most away from me, you know it Swift,” Neon told her advisor as she finally turned around, letting her wings rest by her side. He could now see that both eyes had changed to a dark blue, the right now with a slitted pupil. “She takes it away, places me in charge of a country instead of doing it herself, and isn’t even willing to come clean and tell me her mistake. The only reason Luminous is captain of the royal guards is because she’s my sister. Royalty gets whatever they want and if she had stayed around she might have done more harm than good,” She turns around, looking back to the window. “Don’t get me wrong, I want those other evils gone. They’re just as much villains as Luminous is.”

Swift didn’t respond for a short period of time, but when he did he tried his best to hide his fear. “If that's how you feel, then I’ll take my leave.”

“Close the door on the way out!” Neon ordered, glancing back at Swift. “I wish to be alone.”

Topaz looked to Sweetie Belle, then back to the closet in front of her. Rarity was looking in the opposite direction, back to the door that Arcane and Luminous had entered. Soarin was by her side, staring at the floor in contemplation. The sound of the closet closing brought their attention back to the of Topaz, whose arms still clutched the handles on the closet. Her head rested on the wooden doors, trying to come up with words for what she had just seen. Not a single word came out of her mouth, nor did the others need to in order to tell what her reaction was.

Arcane and Luminous finally opened the door, drawing Rarity’s attention to them. She walked up to them, seeing the look of fear on Luminous’ face. Even though there was no words, she could tell that it wasn’t because of Arcane but rather on something else. Luminous looked to Topaz, who was now looking back at Sweetie Belle again as she backed away from the closet. Rarity forced a cough in order to get the ex-captain’s attention, immediately shifting Luminous’ eyes to her.

“I’m coming with you,” Arcane explained to Rarity. “There are some… things I need to know, and they won’t be found here. It would be better if we left immediately,” His eyes looked to Topaz, who looked at him with less rage and more astonishment. “Besides, I don’t think it would be wise for you all to stay here long.”

“I’m thinking the same,” Rarity replied as she turned to Luminous. “Is that okay your highness?”

“Yeah,” Luminous said, smiling. “I’m ready to get back on the road.”