The Last Unicorn Princess

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four

Prologue

Long before the first Hearts-Warming Eve, way back when Alicorns were thought to be unseen gods, the three pony races were small enough that they could live far away from each other. That’s not to say that they didn’t fight when they met, but it wasn’t frequent enough to catch the attention of the Windigos that would drive them from their lands in the distant future.

Our story starts in the lands owned by the Unicorns. At first, there were many Unicorn Kingdoms spread across their territory. But to better defend themselves against the two “borish” pony races that would often raid the Unicorn kingdoms for their “glorious wealth”, the two biggest Unicorn kingdoms joined into one and the other smaller kingdoms agreed to come under their rule.

The cause of that unity? The marriage-alliance between the fiery red-maned stallion Red Throne, and the icy cream and blue-maned mare Gilded Lily. Red Throne was courageous in battle, and led his kingdom to many a victory. Gilded Lily’s plant magic created many a briar wall and impenetrable hedge maze that kept invaders from her kingdom. Together they seemed like a powerful force to protect the Unicorn race.

Whether they had actual feelings for each other was unknown, but they quickly began to cement their rule by creating heirs to continue their royal line. Over time they had four colts and five fillies- all born with the white fur the royal court insisted meant their line was descended from alicorns.

You’d think the youngest princess would have plenty of family to spoil and dote on her, but the lavender-maned filly felt very isolated and alone. With four colts to possibly take over the kingdom and four fillies that could married into the families of the former kingdoms to insure their loyalties, Princess Amulet Azalea was superfluous. Despite that, being alone was better than when her family paid her attention.

On an average day, Azalea woke up to the sound of bells. Attached to strings on the inside of her bedroom door, closet, wardrobe, and dresser drawers, bells rang as these things were opened. Azalea had started putting up the alarms when she she- a filly barely out of diapers then- woke up one morning to find her entire wardrobe missing. Her father rarely believed the words of his youngest, and that time than been no different. Despite her protests, the king had ordered a servant to give her a severe spanking for showing up in court underdressed.

The pony responsible later bragged and laughed when they were alone. Azalea studied locking spells, elaborate traps, even battle magic to get the older pony to stop. It only made the thief work harder. She had almost given up trying, when one morning the thief decided to be blatant.

“Emerald Gaze!” she yelled at her third eldest sister. The green maned mare loved taking things that weren’t hers, and Azalea was a favorite target of hers.

“I don’t see your name on this scarf,” she protested from Azalea’s walk-in closet. Azalea detangled herself from the various expensive fabrics that made up her bedsheets and rushed to try to stop the shameless mare. The filly’s presence did nothing to discourage the mare. While Emerald preferred not being caught, the first time she had discovered Azalea’s alarms had embarrassed and angered her, so the mare gave up being subtle on later early morning raids.

“Ooh, it’s not on this dress, either,” Emerald sneered. It was Azalea’s favorite dress. Somehow Emerald always knew what Azalea liked best.

“That dress is too small for you!”

“Are you calling me fat?”

“What’s going on here?” The second eldest Princess, Copper Curls, asked with genuine curiosity from Azalea’s door. The mare’s flowing copper mane and tail, and gorgeous doe-like eyes made her one of the most desired Princesses of the Kingdom. Personality wise, she wasn’t much better than a doll.

“Amulet Azalea won’t share with me,” Emerald Gaze explained, sounding hurt.

“She’s stealing, not borrowing!” Azalea tried to explain.

“Oh,” Copper Curls replied, looking confused. Emerald Gaze took their elder sister’s hesitation as an opening, and slipped out of Azalea’s room past Copper, her ill-gotten gains trailing after herself in her emerald magic aura.

“Thanks for letting me borrow these!” Emerald called as she disappeared into the hall. Copper Curls nodded like the problem had been solved and then left, too. Azalea was determined not to cry.

Azalea’s palace mare came in her room to dress the princess for the morning. The unicorn had a pale green coat under her brown uniform dress and always kept her teal mane tied up in a bun. She didn’t smile or frown at the filly princess, only watched her with her pink eyes expressionlessly.

The castle’s servants were nicknamed “the shadows and echoes of the castle”, as they were only allowed to speak about things in direct relation to their job, and never to speak to a member of the royal family without first having permission. The only exception to this rule was if not speaking would put the royalty in danger.

Amulet Azalea only knew her palace mare’s name, Spring Step, because she needed to know it to call her. The Princess would’ve loved to have Spring Step as a friend- possibly the only friend she would’ve had- but due to the castle’s rules, Spring Step would only answer direct questions in short sentences, and never offer her own opinion to anything more meaningful than what looked good on Azalea.

So to unburden herself, Azalea would often talk at her palace mare.

“Good morning, Spring Step- I hope your morning has been better than mine.”

“Good morning, your Royal Highness.”

“Put me into any morning dress- I don’t have anything I care about anyway,” Azalea pouted.

“Yes, Miss.”

Spring Step managed to find a long lacy gray dress with purple ribbons that brought out the Princess’ amethyst eyes, braided the filly’s lavender hair, and selected a simple silver and amethyst pendant that went over the high collar of the dress. The palace mares had been trained to bring out the best appearance of their charges, but Azalea was always amazed to see the beauty Spring Step could bring by putting together seemingly dull pieces.

“Thank you, Spring Step. You made my day a little brighter,” the Princess said with misty eyes. “It’s just not fair- no pony will believe me about Emerald Gaze stealing from me.”

The unicorn servant only nodded in response.

“Last time I told Father, he only had me spanked for lying. Maybe Mother will listen to me this time since Emerald has a dress too small for her in her possession.” Azalea bit her lip as she thought about it. Queen Gilded Lily was almost always in the gardens when court wasn’t in session or the council wasn’t meeting. Maybe she wouldn’t be too preoccupied to listen for just this once?

“You can leave for now thank you,” Azalea told the palace mare. Spring Step bowed and left, leaving Azalea alone and unwatched. She took a couple of moments to breathe and build up her courage, then left her room. Her hooves echoed on the castle’s stone floors as she moved down through the winding halls. The guards wouldn’t stop her- as a princess, she was allowed close to full access anywhere on the castle grounds, short of the King and Queen’s private chambers and the Council Room when in session. But meeting one of her siblings wouldn’t be pleasant.

Finally, Azalea descended the last staircase out into the gardens. Instead of a moat, Queen Gilded Lily had grown a gigantic enchanted hedge maze that surrounded the castle. Ponies that wanted to enter the palace had to receive charmed flowers from the guard house outside the maze that would enchant the hedges to open a direct path to the castle. Every pony coming in had to hold one, otherwise the maze would stay intact.

The flowers usually only lasted a day, and then would wilt, making the magic they were charmed with leave. Ponies that tried to steal the flowers would make them wilt, and trespassers that got too close to the hedges would get ensnared by vines and held prisoner in the hedges. The hedges themselves were even fire-resistant, with pods of water that would open over flames nearby.

The Queen spent every morning at the crack of dawn renewing the hedge’s spells with her team of trusted unicorn mages. Amulet Azalea only hoped that since it was a little later than dawn that her mother could spare a moment to talk.

At the core of the maze surrounding the castle were the gardens. Every flower known to ponies was grown here, grown in flowers beds surrounded by shiny stones and dirt paths. In the east side of the garden was a sparkling greenhouse where Gilded Lily often had her gardeners cross bred flowers to get new colors and shapes.

The princess thought she’d check for her mother in the greenhouse first, and was lucky, sort of. Queen Gilded Lily was in the middle of shouting at her gardeners, but Azalea knew it was a more commanding shout than an angry shout. Still, she looked busy, and that made Azalea hesitant. Just as she was beginning to think that maybe she’d just let Emerald Gaze keep her dress, a melodious voice came from behind her.

“And what are you doing here, little sister?” Silver Sonnet asked. “Aren’t your morning lessons about to start?” The eldest Princess had a shimmering silver mane and tail that shone in the morning light, but something about her sharp, intelligent features made her seem a little less beautiful than some of her younger sisters. Azalea had forgotten her mother had Silver help her with the garden enchantments sometimes. Silver was almost as scary as their mother.

“I-I wanted to talk to mother,” Azalea said uncertainly.

“MOOO~THERRRR~!” Silver Sonnet sang out loudly across greenhouse, giving her sister a wicked grin. “Amulet Az~leeaaaaaaa would like a word!”

The queen glared at her daughters like they were weeds, and Azalea galloped over to her, not wanting to waste her mother’s time.

“Well? What is it?” Gilded Lily asked with little patience.

“Emerald took my dress,” Azalea explained. “Could you tell her to give it back- when you have time, I mean. Please.”

“A queen never has a free moment, nor does a princess have someone else fight their battles,” the Queen replied.

“But she’s bigger and better at magic than me!” Azalea tried to argue.

“Silver Sonnet, would you take your sister to her lessons?” Their mother asked. Silver bowed and wrapped her little sister into her magic aura, levitating Azalea off the ground.

“Right awaaaay, Mootheeerrrrrr!” she sang in reply. As they made their way back into the castle, Silver Sonnet was not gentle carrying her little sister in her magic, bumping and brushing the filly against the stone walls and floors, seemingly uncaring to her sister's cries of pain.

Treasure Tome, the third eldest prince, was already present in the small room where the royal children had been taught to read and write. Rather than pay attention to his sisters, the stallion with a mane like tiger's eye gemstones continued to read one of his precious books as Silver dumped Azalea in front of a desk and strolled out, humming a popular court tune.

Azalea sulked, generally upset about how her day had gone so far. And it was still morning! Granite Guard, the youngest prince and Azalea’s elder by a year came in and stoically sat next to her at their desk. Like the little soldier he was, he sat at attention, staring straight ahead and waited for Treasure Tome to start the class.

Treasure Tome was the fourth eldest of the siblings, but after correcting and generally stressing out all their prior teachers by knowing more than them, their parents decided to just have him take over teaching. Only Azalea and Granite hadn’t moved on from their basic education now, but Azalea expected Granite’s period as a Page would be ending soon, and that their eldest brother would probably take him on as a Squire.

Treasure Tome took a while everyday to start class- he cared more about what he was reading than anything else, after all, and would often wait until he was at a good stopping point to even glance a second away from it.

Before they could control their magic well enough to turn pages of a book with it, noble unicorns were taught to remove a glove, lick the ungloved hoof, and turn the page before replacing the glove. Treasure Tome had read so much then that even though he used magic to turn the pages, he still licked his hoof to do so. Somehow in mid lick his eyes caught his siblings watching him, and started class.

“Re-read our unicorn history book, and write down the names of all the ponies involved as you go,” he finally ordered with a dismissive wave of his hoof that wasn’t holding his book. Silently, the younger prince and princess took out their copies and ink wells. It was going to be a long morning.

They had moved on to sums when the second youngest princess, Precious Peacock, interrupted the class.

“Granite, Treasure, our Father has summoned us. You must escort this beauty speaking to you so the rest of the family may gaze upon her,” their blue and teal maned sister insisted arrogantly. Granite nodded and stood, and Treasure Tome sighed and shut his book, following the young Mare reluctantly. Azalea started to trail after her siblings, but Peacock put a hoof up to stop her.

“No, Smudge. Father didn't ask for you. Run off now!” Peacock chided Azalea.

But as Azalea had been lied to before, and as a result had gotten in trouble for not following their father’s summonings, so she followed them through the castle hallways stealthily. She thought she was doing pretty good at going unnoticed until she felt a ribbon pulled out of her hair. She met the green gaze of Emerald who was tying Azalea’s ribbon into her own hair, smirking with pleasure at the theft.

“Where do you think you're going?” Azalea sister asked. Azalea only glared at her big sister, and tried to hurry after Peacocks group as they disappeared around a castle corridor. But Emerald grabbed Azalea, making the youngest Princess lose track of her query.

“Don't think you can just do as you please. It's rude to ignore some pony.”

“Is stealing rude?” Azalea muttered.

“What is going on in here? Emerald Gaze, Father wanted most of us there,” Their eldest brother, golden-maned Golden Rule asked as he appeared behind them, their second eldest brother Bronze Spear besides him.

“Azalea’s trying to sneak her way into our meeting,” Emerald said while sneering at Azalea. Golden Rule’s stoic face remained indifferent to the news.

“You haven’t seen invited, Amulet Azalea. Return to your room,” he said impassively, and continued on walking towards the council room. Emerald Gaze stuck her tongue out at Azalea and followed.

“You’d better listen, unless you wanna see what I do to rule breakers,” Bronze Spear added in a whisper as he too followed their siblings. Azalea left, but didn’t go back to her room. Golden Rule didn’t lower himself to what he called “childish trickery”, so she knew she wasn’t invited for real. But what it meant was that something was going on and she was the only one being excluded. It hurt.

She headed to the library, pulling out books containing maps of the unicorn kingdom and beyond. She was going anywhere but here- and she had a plan.
Azalea first stole a plain brown cloak that a servant had left on a laundry line, which hid her entire body. A lot of her time was spent researching the maps for a place she wouldn't easily be found, navigating by the Stars, wilderness survival, and time Magic. As she spent a lot of her time in the library before her plans (mostly researching spells to keep her siblings away), nopony seemed to find her suspicious, but she told anypony who asked about the nature of her books that she wanted to lead unicorn colonization teams when she grew older.

She figured out how to cast a time lapse spell on a hourglass pendulum she put together that would teleport her things to her location a fortnight after her departure. After dark she spent time preparing her body for hardship, and worked on bodybuilding in her room. She intended to climb out of her window making a bed sheet rope, so she practiced climbing up and down four canopy bed posts, calculating the amount of time climbing up and down that would equal climbing down the two stories from her window.

She also studied the guards’ movements. She knew their routes by heart, even the ones in the hedge maze. But knowing their routes would mean nothing if she so much as touched the maze: as touching the maze would move all the guard’s paths in the maze to the location of the “intruder”. Her plans would only work once.

The night she ran away came as she climbed out her window unnoticed. She had only a small bag of food, a knife, a compass, her hourglass pendulum and the last of her jewelry to pawn. It was the maze that gave her trouble. She thought she knew the layout of the maze, but it was more daunting in the dark. But she suspected it would be so, and pushed her worries asides as she continued inside the maze, lit only by a small light spell from her horn.

It was the tenth or so turn that she realized she was lost. Azalea pushed back the urge to panic and pulled the compass out of her bag. An amulet’s chain was tangled with the compass’s- a obligatory birthday gift from her mother that had an amethyst pendant shaped like a flower- so it came out like the compass had petals.

It gave Azalea a brilliant idea. Thinking hard of her mother and her feelings of discontent, she poured magic into the amulet and compass, fusing them together to make a purple compass rose. The compass rose still worked like a regular compass, but it would also point the way to where her mother was- so she could avoid her family in the future. She didn’t notice then, but she now had a cutie mark that resembled the amulet compass, too.

She had a couple of close calls with the guards, but soon Amulet Azalea was out of the maze, and free of her family.

To be continued...

Author's Note

I love The Last Unicorn, and was curious to see how it could work in the My Little Pony universe. All humans will be ponified, but I'll do my best to recreate their wonderful characters as if they've been ponies all their life.

Peter S. Beagle's unicorn was described as old and solitary, so it's curious as to why she'd seek out others of her kind. Many of the ponies in the My LIttle Pony universe are social creatures, so I'd really like to expand on Amulet Azalea's bonds as I tell her story, and give her more reason to rescue her race.

It's a slow start, but the adventure will continue. I hope you enjoy it!

Chapter One

Author's Note

Sorry it's taken so long! It's a long chapter, and there was more I wanted to add, but this felt like a good stopping point for now. Future chapters may not be this long, but I make no promises. ;)

I haven't been able to give it one last proofread since I finished transcribing it into the computer, but I'm going to add the pictures I'm working on to this next weekend. So if you see any glaring mistakes, let me know so I can fix it by then, please!
EDIT: Pictures are added! :D

I hope you like it!

Chapter One

Chapter 1

The unicorn stood at the edge of the forest and said aloud, “I am the only unicorn there is.” They were the first words she had spoken, even to herself, in more than a hundred years.

-Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

In the valley of a nearly unclimbable mountain range, deep in thick woods, a unicorn mare lived alone. Her home was a small one-room tree house up high in the middle of a tree ring, carefully hidden within the branches. While it may see lonely to be isolated away from other ponies, the years she had lived away from her family had been some of the happiest of Amulet Azalea’s life.

Her daily routine was as follows: In the mornings, she worked on a small vegetable garden (grown entirely with by reading a book on growing food) and foraged in the woods for food. In the afternoons, she read and re-read her spell books while practicing and sometimes improving on them. Occasionally, Azalea used the spells to make Magical Amulets. Then when night fell she’d go to sleep once it got too dark to see- she couldn’t cast two spells at once, and the few candles she owned were for emergencies only.

Some animals lived in the valley, but the mare mostly saw them as competition for food, or pests that would steal from her vegetable garden (she’d put an illusion spell to make it look like an algae-ridden pond, but some animals would smell the vegetables, anyway). She was her own companion- and the hermit’s life suited her just fine.

After Azalea first came here in a series of teleports as a filly, she discovered the Earth Ponies who lived nearby the mountain range sometimes climbed the mountains, seeking adventure. It made Amulet Azalea nervous. While it is true the pony tribes didn’t get along, Azalea worried that if her family was still seeking her, they might eventually come to that town and learn about her hiding spot if the Earth Ponies spotted her.

To hide from these unwanted visitors, Azalea at first used concealing spell on herself when she heard ponies enter the valley, but the one time she didn’t hear a alone pony on a hike by himself, she was spotted. In a panic, she used a short-term memory spell on him to make him forget he ever saw her. He left the valley in a daze, and it gave Azlea an idea. She gathered pieces of amethyst she found in the mountain, inpowered them with a spell and buried them in a giant ring that encompassed the valley. Any pony that passed the stones- coming into and leaving the valley- would lose six hours of their memory.

As the years passed, she added spells that would make ponies feel unsettled as they neared, and would make an amulet Azalea wore light up if anypony crossed the ring. It drove away many more ponies that used to explore, and the warning made it so Azalea could relax. She had to visit the ring and renew the spells every day, and tried to do so right at sunrise so she wouldn’t be surprised, teleporting stone to stone to keep the process from lasting all morning.
She worried a little that sometime flying might spot her, but the trees were so thick, they’d have to be actively looking for her to catch a glimpse of her. She tried to wear green and brown cloaks whenever she was outside to make herself even more difficult to spot, but she rarely saw anything but birds in the air.

As the average earth pony wasn’t familiar with unicorn magic, she’d often hear them suggest to each other that the valley Azalea lived in was haunted- which suited her fine. Azalea actually discovered from one of the bespelled gems that had been unearthed by a rainstorm one day that she could see the captured memories of the earth ponies if she touched the gem. Apparently, many earth ponies of the town that had visited the valley warned the adventuring ponies that it was haunted, too.

So it must’ve been a particularly brave pair of earth ponies that shook up Azalea’s routine one day. Well, the larger dark green stallion seemed brave, leading the pair determined past her wards with barely a pause. He had a pig the size of a badger strapped to his back that seemed calm, like being carried this way was an everyday thing. The smaller, skinnier yellow stallion that trailed after froze at the boundary and looked like he wanted to run straight back home.

“You sure there’s some truffles up here? The meadow near the river we passed could have had some,” he suggested nervously.

“This valley has excellent conditions for truffles! Mild weather, plenty of oak and hazelnut trees… it’s true that it’s a little early in the season for them, but something tells me we can find some here. Don’t let some hogwash about ghosts scare you.”

“But what if it’s not ghosts? What if it’s that monster that gobbled up the unicorns?”

“That monster is hooey, too! Every pony knows the unicorns blasted each other into dust. That’s why their towns are empty.”

Azalea perked up from her hiding spot in a tree. Were they saying that the unicorns were gone? She convinced herself that she must’ve misheard- but decided to get closer to make sure. She put a cloaking spell on herself, climbed down from the tree, and silently trailed after the stallions. But after a few not-aws and uh-huhs, they changed the subject and began to untie their hog from the bigger stallion’s back. Once on the ground, the hog sniffed, and began following its nose. The stallions followed excitedly, and after a minute of talking about truffles with no change in conversation, Amulet Azalea snorted in frustration.

“Did you hear something?” the smaller stallion asked.

“Not again! There are no ghosts or monsters here!”

“That doesn’t explain why ponies can’t remember what the valley looks like!”

“Sure it does! All the thin air from the mountain tops we cross make them dizzy. It’s hard to remember things when you’re not feeling well. Hey, look- Daffy’s found something!”

The hog was pawing at the ground near the roots of an oak tree, so the stallions took spades from their saddle bags and began to help it dig. Azalea could see they were too caught up with their truffle hunting to bring up the unicorns again. If she wanted answers, she had to be more direct. But the idea of showing herself to the stallions put a knot in her stomach.

What if their presence was an elaborate ruse by her family that would reveal her location if she appeared now? What if the stallions attacked her? What if they were flat out rude to her? Azalea wanted to know about the status of the unicorns, but she just couldn’t open her mouth.

At the limit of her anxiety, she got an idea that seemed like a better idea than talking. To start, she used her magic to unbuckle their saddle bags. The stallions paused in their digging as the bags rolled off their hips.

“Wow, did my strap break?”

“You too? No, the straps look fine. Now where the heck did my spade go?”

“Mine’s gone, too.”

“Well, what do you know: pigs do fly.”

“Daffodil! That’s enough, unicorn! Put her down!”

Azalea levitated the pig to the ground. Why didn’t he think she was a ghost?

“You think there’s a unicorn around?” The small stallion said in astonishment. “But they’re all gone!”

“There’s at least one around.”

“You sure is isn’t a ghost?”

“I’ve been around dead unicorns, and trust me- they can’t use their magic after they’re dead. YOU’D BETTER STAY HIDDEN!” the large stallion yelled, making Azalea dart behind a tree despite her cloaking spell. The large stallion’s eyes glared furiously around him, and he added:

“You don’t have any kin to help you left!” Azalea stayed still and silent long after the stallions dug up their truffles and left the valley. As night began to fall, she went back to her tree house, and her body went through the motions of her bedtime routine. When she finally laid down in her bed, she stared at her ceiling, thinking about what could’ve happened to the others of her race.

She didn’t remember falling asleep, but she woke up the next morning and started her chores. Amulet Azalea’s routines continued like she had done this past near decade, but her mind kept on drifting back to the unicorn kingdom.

She found it hard to believe that there were no other unicorns in the land besides her. The day and the night were continuing as usual, after all. Maybe it was a tactic to fool the other ponies races? But what did they have to gain from fooling them? They already had trades in place for food and weather, and while the land was getting tight, it wasn’t like they couldn’t argue over borders like usual.

Azalea supposed it could’ve been a trick her family made to lure her out into the open where they could find her again, but as the last heir to the throne they didn’t really need her unless every other sibling of hers was… gone. It was more likely that they needed her for a marriage alliance, anyway.
She had many guesses, but none of them calmed her mind. So she told herself that she would visit the nearest earth pony town in disguise and ask around for some answers. It took her a week to muster up the courage to go. She packed for a week’s trip, despite knowing it only took a day’s walk to get there.

She passed her memory charms as she left the village, and wished that she could just forget what she’d learned and spend the rest of her days in peaceful solitude. But perhaps she would return sooner than she expected. She had reviewed the earth ponies’ memories and figured out the safest route down the mountains- walking was safer, as using magic outside of her valley could draw unwanted attention. At least all her years walking around the valley made her sure-footed and kept her muscles strong.

When Amulet Azalea finally made it to flat land again, she almost couldn’t handle all the oxygen and needed to rest. Under her dark green cloak, the mare blended well against the bush she sat next to, and she hoped it kept her unseen as she scanned the horizon. It was odd to see an unobstructed view, and if it weren’t for the dirt road, Azalea wouldn’t know which way the earth pony town could be. Besides the occasional bush and the mountain range behind her, there was nothing but millions of blades of yellow-green grass as far as the eyes could see.

She munched on her favorite food- a few mint leaves- for comfort before following the road. She had only been on this road once before as a brief pause during her teleportation spells to get to the valley in the first place, nearly a decade ago. It was a bright and sunny morning, yet Amulet Azalea found herself jumping at every bird call and grass rustle from the wind. After she stood up, every step forward filled her with anxiety, making her want to teleport back to the valley where it felt safe. But she had to know what was going on with the unicorns.

Her brothers and sisters certainly must all be married by now. She had left before her parents had announced a formal engagement for her, but she was sure that they had plans for her. The idea of marrying anyone filled her with dread. She liked her life the way it was, and if her parents managed to catch her again she would fight for it.

Her dark green cloak stood out amongst the bright colors around her, and was warm in the summer heat, but she had no other way to hide her unicorn features without a spell- and unicorns had spells to detect magic being used. She make sure that her hood was securely in place, and hoped any pony scouts that might be looking for her would assume she was a traveling earth pony.

As the grass began to be replaced by more dirt as the road widened, Azalea felt a little calmer. By sunset Azalea spotted buildings in the distance. She walked wearily towards them, her breath beginning to stagger. Her fatigue made her realize she walked less than she thought, and she hoped she wouldn’t have to travel much more for answers. Regardless, she kept doggedly walking towards the town.
It was still light out, but the sun had sunk out of view into the horizon by the time she made it to the rugged little town. All the buildings were sturdy looking wood, but plain, built purely for function over everything else. Most seemed to be households, but the street that crossed through the center of the town seemed to have a few shops, so she followed it.

The few towns ponies Azalea saw eyed her with suspicion, curiosity, or an intense look that Azalea found confusing, almost frightening. She walked faster, looking for an Inn or a tavern. While she tried not to make eye-contact with anypony, she felt more and more eyes on her. She decided that if she didn’t find a tavern in this dusty-smelling town in five minutes, she would teleport home.

Of course, in the instant she decided that, The Cayenne Tavern came into view. It was one of the few two-story buildings in town, with a porch on the front and its name hung on a painted sign above the front door. It looked well-kept, and slightly cosy. An old earth pony stallion sat on a rocking chair on the porch, and he glared at her as she approached.

“What do you want, stranger?” he rumbled at her. Azalea froze, realizing she wasn’t sure what to say. Straight out asking about the unicorns seemed suspicious- she needed more time for it to come naturally into conversation.

“Do you have a room available?” she asked. If she stayed here a while, surely some pony in the tavern would bring it up sooner rather than later. The stallion forced a grin, revealing several missing teeth.

“Sure do! Ask the bartender mare inside.”

She nodded at the stallion as she opened the door, but once she looked inside a wave of panic spread through her body. Between her and the bar on the opposite wall were twenty tables full of rowdy, gruff looking earth pony stallions and mares. A lot of eyes landed on Azalea, none that felt friendly to her. She weaved her way through the tables as direct to the bar as possible, ignoring the jeers, whispers and catcalls that followed her.

Amulet Azalea took a seat at the bar that didn’t have any ponies occupying the seats next to them, and tensely waited for the bartender to notice her. It seemed the mare had noticed Azalea all along, for as soon as the bartender finished pouring a drink she sauntered over to Azalea.

“Welcome to the Cayenne Tavern. I’m Calamity- what can I get for you, sugar?” the bartender was a dark brown mare with dark red hair. Her yellow eyes seemed curious, and not unfriendly- which helped Azalea find her voice.

“Apple Cider, please. I was told to ask you about a room?” The mare filled a glass from a barrel behind the counter while she answered.

“Yep. We don’t get too many travelers in this part of the Earth Pony kingdom, so you can have the pick of the litter. What brings you to these parts, anyway?”

“I’m… looking for somepony,” Azalea decided to say. It wasn’t a lie, but Azalea didn’t want to give too much away.

“Do they live in the area?” Calamity asked. Azalea shook her head in reply.

“I don’t think so- he was hired to farm in the unicorn territory, and I haven’t seen him for a decade.”

“Sounds like they got mixed up in that mess a decade ago. I’d count whoever you’re looking for for dead if I were you- no ponies who lived in that territory have ever come back. Ponies say the unicorn lands are cursed, and refuse to try to claim it for themselves. But the celestial bodies still seem to be rotating, so I doubt the rumors that they’ve died out.

“I see,” Azalea replied, processing this information. Calamity went away to serve another patron, and Azalea took a sip of her cider. It was a nice blend of sweet and spice, and she finished it off with relish.

“Hey there, pretty lady. Mind if I join you?” A stallion who resembled a boar asked Azalea. She didn’t like the predatory look in his eye, but was afraid of what he might do if she said no.

“I don’t own this bar, so you may sit if you like. But if you desire my company, well, I don’t intend on staying for much longer.”

“Aw, don’t be like that!” the stallion said, sitting down and moving close to Azalea. “I bet you’re as kinky as your parents!”

“What do you mean?” Azalea asked, leaning away from the stallion. Did he know who she was?

“With cloven hooves like yours, one of your parents had to have been a goat, am I right?”

“A goat am I?” Azalea replied coldly. She wanted to levitate everything that wasn’t nailed down in that tavern and drop it on the stallion’s head. But as angry as that suggestion made her, she didn’t think revealing herself as a unicorn in a tavern full of earth ponies was a good idea.

“No offense meant, little missy- I think goats are attractive, in their own way-”

“I think the mare would like you to leave her alone,” the bartender stated to the stallion.

“Aw, Calamity, I mean no harm,” the stallion protested.

“Well, if the look she’s giving you is any indication, you’ve done plenty. Buck off.”

“But-”

“Don’t make me bring this tavern down over your head,” Calamity threatened. The stallion stomped away, muttering. Amulet Azalea sighed in relief.

“Thank you,” she said to the bartender.

“It’s no problem- ponies don’t come to taverns where they can’t feel safe. Well, the right kind of ponies don’t.”

“May I retire to a room?”

“Sure thing. The room’s upstairs, the second door on the left,” Calamity explained, sliding a key across the bar counter to Azalea. They agreed on a price, and Azalea quickly paid with a gold nugget, heading for the room as fast as she could without cantering.

The upstairs was dark, lit up only with one lantern sitting on a table at the far end of the hallway of six closed doors. Azalea unlocked and entered the room she’d been given- immediately locking the door behind her. It was small, barely fitting a single bed, a bedside table with a lantern on it, and a three-drawer dresser. But on the opposite wall from the door, right above the bed’s headboard was a small window from which Azalea could see the stars beginning to fill the night sky. Some buildings in the town blocked the view, which made Azalea nostalgic for her mountain valley home. Collapsing in all her gear onto her bed, she quickly fell asleep.

She was woken up about an hour later by knocking on her door.

“Little goat girl, let me in. We’ll have some fun! Let me in, please!” It was the boarish stallion from before! Azalea quickly levitated her dresser in front of the door and hid under the bed. What would she do if he broke the door down? The window wasn’t large enough for her to climb out of it, and even if she could, the two-story drop wouldn’t be like falling out of her treehouse- the ground here was hard!

The stallion’s voice become slurred and angry, and he banged louder on the door.

“LET ME IN! LET ME IN!” Couldn’t Calamity hear the noise he was making? Even as that thought crossed her mind, she felt foolish for trusting the mare- Azalea could only really depend on herself, after all.

Despite wanting to hide her true nature, magical solutions were the only ones she could think of. The room was too small for a cloaking spell to be effective- he might bump into her while looking for her, and any sounds she might make would reveal her location. She only knew a few defensive spells, but she hadn’t cast them in years, and any mistake might mean he could get his hooves on her.

She could teleport somewhere, but where was it safe? It was dangerous on the roads at night, and something told Azalea if she went back to her valley she’d never muster the courage to leave it again. Any spell could lead to the earth ponies discovering her and hurting her, really.

The door cracked under the stallion’s hooves, and Azalea knew her thinking time was almost up. She looked around her room for any ideas when the bed sheet ignited a memory in her. Azalea tore the bedsheet off the bed, used her magic to move the dresser, and lay the bedsheet on the floor directly in front of the door. She had tried this trick on her sister, Emerald Gaze, once, but her sister was too intelligent to fall for it. But perhaps this stallion wasn’t.

The door shuddered in the frame, and Azalea quickly hid in the shadows against the wall. The door burst open, and stallion stumbled in.

“Where are you, goat girl?” he growled, eying around the room. The second all four of his hooves were on the bedsheet she yanked it, toppling him over.

“Hey!”

Not waiting a second more, she threw the rest of the bedsheet over his head and raced out of her room while he struggled to get out from under it. Back when they were kids, Emerald Gaze had immediately noticed the sheet and threw it over Azalea, using magic to tie it around her little sister. Azalea supposed she should thank her older sister for unknowingly preparing Azalea for this horrible situation. But the mare was still a little bitter than she had to wait all night for the maids to come and free her.

In the present, Azalea raced to the top of the stairs, and was surprised to find the tavern making even more noise than it had before. Ponies were singing, dancing, playing cards in an alcohol-infused joy. No wonder Calamity hadn’t heard the racket. The bartender herself was holding apart two stallions that were yelling at each other. Feeling more hopeful than before, the unicorn mare trotted down the stairs, and winded through the crowds towards Calamity.

She wanted to ask the bartender for help, but the stallions started throwing hooves at each other, and it didn’t seem like the issue would be resolved quickly. She huddled next to the bar, not sure what to do. The stallion would be coming downstairs any second! She jumped slightly when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder, and whirled around, only to see the elderly stallion that she had met on the porch earlier that day.

“Are you ok, lass?” he asked with a concerned expression. “You’re shaking!”

“Somepony broke into my room!” she replied, barely able to get her voice over a whisper in her panic.

“Eh? What’s that?”

She spotted her attacker making his way down the stairs. Azalea pointed at him with a shaking hoof. The elder pony squinted at the younger stallion.

“What’s he doing up there? He do something to you?”

Azalea nodded. The older stallion frowned, and stomped over to the younger one. She couldn’t hear their words, but she quickly saw denial on the younger stallion’s face. It was her word against his, she realized, and she was a stranger in town. Rather than face suspicion, she jostled her way through the crowd again and left the tavern.

She had nothing on her but her cloak and some amulets around her neck, but she had prepared for such an event. One of the amulets she wore was a quartz stone will gold wire twisted around it. Azalea had enchanted it to teleport her saddle bags back onto her back should they remain farther than three feet from the pendant for longer than seven minutes, Sure enough, as Azalea ducked into an alley beside the tavern, the bags appeared just like clockwork. Since she had been too tired to unpack, hopefully all her gear and rations were still in the bags, and not been stolen by the stallion.

She heard raised voices from inside the tavern seemingly calling after her, and knew she didn’t have time to check her bags. Whether or not the unicorn disappearance rumors were a trap made by her family or not, Azalea decided that at least teleportation would give her distance from any pursuit. She hesitated a moment to think of where she could go, then closed her eyes and pictured that destination.

The earth ponies in the days following swore that the mare that came through town was actually a ghost, since no trace of her was to be found. But Calamity still had the nugget that had paid for the room, and didn’t let that stallion in her tavern anymore.

Azalea was wet, gasping for air after she appeared under water and although disorientated, still managed to breach the surface of the lake. She crawled from the Lake bed onto the rocky shore, picking algae from her mane and casting a quick drying spell on herself.

She had cast a waterproofing spell on her saddle bags & cloak in case of rain before she left her valley, but still checked them frantically as she wasn’t sure if her spell would hold up after being submerged underwater. As it was, everything was slightly damp, but not ruined. She re-cast the spell to strengthen it, and began to make her way along the lake bank.

The last time Amulet Azalea had been to this lake the water had been lower- so the water must’ve risen since she’d seen it last. After walking a third of the lake’s edge, she discovered a beaver dam that blocked the flow of a former river- which definitely wasn’t here when she’d taken a break here nearly a decade ago on her flight from the unicorn kingdom.

Azalea wanted to go back to her home in the valley, but she still had no definite facts about what had happened to the unicorn race. She hated it, but knew now that the best way to find out would be to see for herself. But maybe she didn’t have to go all the way back to her family’s castle. Maybe the outer territories would cede enough information to prove how wrong the earth ponies were- they couldn’t be right.

A decade ago, Azalea had slept here under bush, exhausted after having used multiple long-distance teleportation spells in a row. She was too big to hide under that bush now, and instead climbed a tall tree with thick, twisty branches that could hold her weight. It wasn’t the most comfortable of sleeping places, but once again exhaustion helped her sleep.

Woken by birdsong the next morning, Azalea climbed down from the tree, stretched out and ate dandelion leaves she found growing nearby. When there was nothing else she could do to stall, she tentatively dug through her saddlebags, pulling an amulet out that had been buried at the bottom. It was the amulet that had been spelled to point to her mother’s location, the same flower-shaped compass she’d used to run away all those years ago.

It would still lead her to the Queen, but it couldn’t tell Azalea if Gilded Lily was alive or dead- something she now cursed her younger self for not thinking of adding. Azalea pulled on the amulet with her magic, activating the ray of light that pointed the way- a light only the wearer of the amulet could see. It still pointed towards the unicorn kingdom, like it had a decade ago, and a few other times she’d checked over the years when she’d been paranoid that somepony might have found her. Whether or not the unicorns had disappeared, her mother still was at the castle.

Sighing, Azalea pictured the next location to teleport to on the journey towards the unicorn castle and teleported there. She teleported multiple more times- in reverse of the trip she took to get away a decade ago- stopping every third jump to drink water and nap so she wouldn’t tire herself too much. At least this time she had visuals to go by. Her first time she teleported by focusing on the longitude and latitude numbers she’s gotten off of maps, which was much harder.

Finally, she was at the point where she was three jumps away from the castle, in the farmland of the unicorn kingdom. As teleporting right into the middle of the unicorn kingdom might draw attention, Azalea started to walk from here, putting her hood up to hide her face. She only needed to find one unicorn and she could go home, she told herself.

The unicorns were not as talented as the earth ponies were at growing things- many of the crops the unicorns grew failed, in fact. The successful farmers hired earth pony labor, but even duplicating their techniques didn’t yield delicious flora unless the earth ponies took part in the growing, somehow.

The long rows of farmland now seemed barren of any edible plants, either dry, cracked soil or weeds were present. After walking a while and not seeing a single pony on the road or in the fields, Amulet Azalea gathered enough courage to peer into a farmhouse window. It had a cooking pit on one side of the room, and the remains of a moth-eaten straw mattress on the floor, but no ponies. It looked like nothing had lived in there for many years now, as the small one room house was filled with cobwebs and dust.

She peered into the windows of a second and third house, finding them the same as the first. The curtains were closed on the fourth house she came upon, which gave her enough curiosity to ignore her anxieties and knock on its door. The door creaked open on her touch, clearly ajar. It, too, was empty of anything larger than a rat.

She made sure the door was shut firmly behind her as she left, and tensely trotted down the road towards a small village, ignoring the pain shooting into her aching hooves. It was the middle of the day when she reached the village, but no pony was shopping, cleaning, or simply milling about. There were no gossips, no drunkards, no merchants in the stalls. Not even a pickpocket to make her worry about her amulets.

Azalea knocked on the door of the first building she saw, and entered it when she found the door unlocked. The furniture here, too, had been eroded with time, but Azalea didn’t give up searching. She went into a second building, a third, and a fourth, growing more frustrated as she continued to get the same results.

The fifth building was locked, and Azalea knocked frantically on its door, pleading for somepony to open it. She even tried bucking it open, but her slender legs didn’t have enough strength to make the door budge. She backed away from the door, lighting up her horn in a spell that had been taught to the unicorn knights in the castle to push back multiple enemies on the battlefield. She had learned it inadvertently as a filly along with her brother, Granite Guard, when she had been watching him practice, hoping that maybe he’d stop and play with her.

The purple sphere-shaped energy from the spell blasted the door into the building, splintering it and any furniture it hit apart. But it was for naught, as this building too was empty.

Not caring anymore about being discovered, Azalea blasted the doors open of every building in town, not even bothering to check if they were unlocked or not, but there wasn’t a single hair that suggested the presence of a unicorn anywhere in this village. Exhaustion took over Azalea’s body, and the lone unicorn collapsed in the middle of a black smith’s shack.

When Amulet Azalea awoke, it was dark out. With a jolt, she remembered her quest, and gathered herself to prepare to leave. She knew that even though there seemed to be no living creatures around, that there could be nocturnal predators roaming on the road. But the empty village unsettled her in the nighttime even more than it had in the day. She activated her compass amulet once more, confirming her mother was still in the castle, then teleported again.

She had taken herself to the middle of her paternal grandfather’s serfdom, which it too was dark. Not a single candlelight of a night owl pony was on anywhere. It was as empty as the village had been. Guided by the light of her horn, she walked to the main fort, then teleported across the drawbridge when she saw it had been half-submerged into the murky moat.

She methodically searched the fortress room by room, finding nothing. Lastly, she climbed the stairs leading to the top of the watchtower, her fatigue making it take longer than it needed to.

When she was last here, Red Throne’s father was showing her how the royal castle was visible within the view of this tower, and how monstrously large the labyrinth that surrounded the castle was.

She was hoping at this point that maybe the unicorns were holed up within the castle walls. But she couldn’t make out any lights across the whole kingdom, only the moon and starlight from the sky. It took her a bit, but she finally found the silhouette of the castle in the distance, only it seemed like it had more mass to it than she remembered. Deciding she would look more carefully when she could actually see in the morning, she resigned herself to curling up on the stone floor and slept.

The warmth of the sun woke the mare as it rose halfway up the eastern horizon. Groggily, she lifted her head, and her memory of the night before sunk in as she remembered where she was. She stood with a jolt, snapping her head in the direction of the castle, now more visible in the daylight. It didn’t look much like a castle, rather more like a particularly tall part of the hedge labyrinth. The labyrinth itself looked like it had grown, too- expanding over more land and taller than it used to be.

It gave Azalea a little hope: perhaps her mother had bespelled the maze to protect its inhabitants against a siege of some sort. She didn’t see any catapults or anything that looked like army camps around the labyrinth, though. Given her limited perspective here, and without a telescope, Azalea needed to move closer to confirm anything.

She teleported right to what she remembered as the entrance to the labyrinth. The guard house stood frustratingly empty nearby, so she knew it was the right spot, yet there was no entrance archway in the hedge itself. As she walked closer to where it had been, she realized she was mistaken- the thick bushes had grown so the entrance was barely visible next to the ground, about the size of a fox hole. She checked her amulet compass again, which still pointed straight ahead through the small hole.

She got even closer, considering using her magic force spell to push her way in when the leaves of the hedge shook. Branches twisted back before her, until the archway widen into the size of door. A chill ran down Amulet Azalea’s spine as she got the impression she was being lured. The mare pondered if she should look for another entrance along the many acres of hedge maze, just enter the maze, or give up and go back home to her valley.

The maze only got it’s magic from unicorns powering it, meaning somepony had to be alive for it to be moving on its own. You could see the edge of the labyrinth from the tallest towers of the castle in the center, so somepony could’ve seen her by now. If she left for home now, there was a risk of her being followed and dragged right back.

She had the advantage of not being seen when she left as a filly, so nopony would think to look for teleportation magic until the magical traces had faded. Someone talented in spells- like her brother Treasure Tome- could probably follow her magical trail right back to the valley.

If this had been some sick plan to lure her out of hiding, Azalea had already fallen for it. She was too tired to fight it anymore. At least as an adult, it would be harder to control her as they had.

Eyeing the bushes, she entered the Labyrinth, watching them for movement. When she was completely inside, she turned around, expecting the entrance to close after her, but it surprisingly stayed open, not showing any sign that it had ever been any smaller than a door as minutes past. She didn’t trust it. Azalea ran outside, expecting it to shut before she could leave, but it was still a wide open archway from outside the labyrinth, too. She ran back in, and it still remained unchanged.

Azalea hadn’t consumed anything to nourish herself in a while, so she thought that maybe that was causing her to hallucinate. She withdrew an oatcake from her saddlebag and munched on it, pondering what her next step should be. But it wasn’t a hard answer, really. Finishing the dry snack, she activated the flower-shaped compass around her neck. A beam of light pointed towards the path to the left, and she followed it.

In the daylight, the maze didn’t really seem much different from when she had been a filly. Spells had been placed on the hedges, making them grow in box shapes to reduce the need to prune it. The spells made it so it would only grow longer, but it did somehow she higher than she’d remembered.

Azalea turned the corner, and remembered a day from her early filly years. Amulet Azalea, like the rest of her siblings before her, had a nursemaid that took care of Azalea- as the Queen couldn’t be separated from her duties for long. But Azalea really admired her mother back then, and though she could barely talk, managed to convince the nursemaid to take Azalea to the garden to watch Gilded Lily.

On that day, her mother seemed to be in the midst of watering while the ladies of the court chattered around her. Azalea caught her mother’s eye, and the Queen looked curiously at her youngest. Azalea felt shy about the eye contact and hid behind her nursemaid. But when she glanced back out to where her mother had been, she saw that the Queen had disappeared.
She jumped when the Queen coughed behind her, and they shared a smile. She beckoned Azalea to follow her, and led her to a little flower bush next to the castle wall.

“Do you know what this flower is? Gilded Lily asked her daughter. The filly shook her head.

“This is an Azalea flower. They bloomed the day you were born, so I wanted to use Azalea in your name. The name seer said you’d work with jewelry, so your father suggested ‘amulet’ as the first part, so it could be alliterative.” The Queen looked at the flower affectionately, and Azalea wished her mother would look at her like that.

“Can I water?” the little Princess asked.

“Maybe when you’re older,” the Queen replied, ushering her daughter back to her wet nurse. Azalea had been disappointed, but even back then expected what the answer would be. But that didn’t stop her from coming again and again, hoping the Queen would maybe play hide and seek with her in the Labyrinth. But the Queen never did, and Azalea stopped coming when she no longer needed a wet nurse.

In the present, Amulet Azalea chuckled at the irony that somehow, she was now playing hide and seek in her mother. But she refocused on her current situation when she felt her hoof brush against the hedge maze’s wall. Before, the hedges were wide enough that three ponies could walk shoulder to shoulder through them and still have a foot of space before touching the walls. Azalea was a petite mare, but now barely fit down the passageway without brushing her shoulders on the leafy walls around her.

Either she had gone down a smaller corridor that her mother had added after she left, or… Azalea began to trot nervously. Thinking back, Azalea supposed she had heard leaves rustling, but had assumed it was the wind blowing them. Focusing harder on the compass’ light so she wouldn’t miss a turn in her haste, Azalea was sure she heard more leaves rustling around her.

Azalea stumbled on a root that she swore wasn’t there before, and when she righted herself, the hedges were pressed against her, like she was squeezing through a tight passage. The compass’ beam was pointed straight through the dead end in front of her- it wasn’t supposed to do that. If the hedges were moving, it was possible they had sealed the exit.

Hearing a roar of rustling behind her, Azalea didn’t have time to worry about consequences. Extending a huge amount of magical energy, she released a half-sphere shield of fire, leaving nothing but ash and dirt ten feet around her as the flames faded away. The rustling stopped, and panting, Azalea walked out of the boundary of the hedge maze.

Azalea sat down, and looked around her: she was in the castle’s garden, though it barely resembled one. Vines and bushes were everywhere. None of the tidy rows of flowers remained, although some of the stronger breeds grew wild in sporadic spots alongside many weeds. The castle itself, standing tall in the center, was barely visible under the plant life that thickly covered it.

Azalea drank from a water pouch she had packed herself, then reactivated the amulet compass’ spell (which had shut off when she used her fire spell). The compass’ light pointed to one window on a higher level that had yet to be swarmed with climbing vines. As Azalea couldn’t fly, she circled the castle, seeking a lower entrance while stepped over and around the roots and fallen branches on the ground.

After ten minutes she had made her way to the back of the castle, and was shocked to see a giant tree slanted into it. Judging by the branches sticking out the of the windows, and the roof being slowly pushed open by the highest tree branches, it had been growing like this for years. The truck of the tree’s slant was so severe, that Azalea could climb up it like a steep mountainside. She wasn’t sure that she trusted touching it or any of the plants- they could share part of the Labyrinth’s magic, after all.

She felt she had a couple of spells left in her before she collapsed again, but seeing how the castle had been twisted by the plants over time, she wasn’t sure if she could teleport somewhere where the floor wouldn’t be missing or fall apart under her weight. She hadn’t seen anything move, nor had she heard any of the eerie rustling, so she decided to test the tree.

Azalea put one hoof on the tree, half expecting it to gain a face and try to grab her with its branches, but it remained still. That remained true as she added hoof after hoof to it, until finally she lay her torso on top of it, wrapping her legs around the truck. She felt no movement under the bark, so began to shimmy up the tree.

When she came to the point where the tree came through the wall, she looked down and saw that the stone floor was moldy and littered with leaves, but still intact. Azalea leaped down, and although she did stumble, managed to land safely. It was odd, seeing flora around here where only carpets, tapestries, and torches had been the decor in the stone castle, but anything pony made was in shambles. Many of the wood doors had warped due to moisture, and Azalea could spot lots of ivy that had creeped in through the windows.

This had been a hallway that wasn’t too far from her bedroom, but Azalea wasn’t curious enough to see how it had changed. Most of the things she cared about, she had taken with her in her teleportation spell back when she ran away. She expected she’d see bare furniture that had been destroyed by the elements just like the area of the castle she was in now.
But if Azalea’s theory that the unicorns were hiding in the castle was true, she supposed that they may have kept some of the rooms in livable condition. But this didn’t seem like a place a lot of unicorns could be, so maybe it was just the royal family that was still here. It was unsettling that she had run into nopony so far.

At least now she had a single unicorn to look for in one castle instead of any unicorn in the entire kingdom. She activated her compass, and was surprised when the light arched around and behind her. Azalea jumped, thinking her mother had snuck up behind her, but only saw the tree she’d climbed up on. But looking more closely, she saw something that disturbed her:

The upper half of a unicorn skeleton sticking out of the tree, almost like it had been growing out of the truck like a branch. It’s front legs had been pulled backwards, so the skeleton was posed almost like the figurehead of a ship. Most unsettling of all, a ring of pale blue magic the size of a tea saucer still glowed on its horn. How was magic coming from a long dead unicorn?

The amulet compass’ light pointed straight at the skeleton, no matter how many side steps she took and different angles she looked from. Her mother, Queen Gilded Lily, was dead.
Azalea was cold. She drew her cloak closer and sat on the ground with her legs beneath her, but she still felt cold. She withdrew a brown cloak she’d packed and every other piece of cloth from her saddlebags she could find, but nothing stayed the cold.

How could she get so cold from a sunny, windless day? It was one of many questions the mare had, including how her mother died, seemingly alone in the middle of their well-guarded castle. Where was the rest of the royal family? Where did all the unicorns go?

Azalea kicked out a hoof to position herself in a more comfortable position on the floor, and it hit something as big as a book, only lighter. A canvas painting stretched over a wooden frame. The picture was dirty- probably from many years on the floor, but Azalea recognized it to be the portrait her parents had commissioned of her on the day of her birth. Every child of the unicorn king and queen had one, and Azalea’s had been hung in her bedroom.

She hadn’t really wanted to take it with her that decade ago, so she expected it to still be in her bedroom, just as she had left it. What was it doing here in the hallway? Azalea wished there was somepony around she could ask.

But then an idea struck her: what if she could take memories from objects like her memory stones had? It was unlikely, as nothing here had been bespelled to trap memories, but since unicorns moved around objects with magic more than their own limbs, perhaps they unconsciously magically imprinted their memories into the objects, too. She withdrew her 11th Grimoire from her saddlebag and reviewed her notes. It was worth trying, if it could give her a clue as to what happened to the unicorns.

After fifteen minutes of altering the language of her spell in the Grimoire to better suit the situation, she had something she could try. Picturing the effect in her mind, her horn lit up and she murmured the spell over the painting, lightly brushing it with her left forehoof.

Her mind was taken over by a vision: somepony was looking down at the painting in their silver cloven hooves, in pristine condition compared to its present one. Azalea felt sad and fearful, tears running down her cheeks even though she felt weak to show them. But then the vision was gone. Who was crying? Unsatisfied with what she was shown, Azalea tried again, keeping her hoof fully on the painting this time.

She entered the vision again, the same scene replaying, only this time, Azalea could tell she was sitting on the bed in Azalea’s former bedroom. A couple of her tears dropped on the frame, and she felt a hoof rest lightly on her shoulder. She looked back to see her father, King Red Throne, determinedly staring at her.

“I sent all our soldiers and scouts out looking for her. Some of the nobles, and most of our boys are out looking, too,” he declared. The pony Azalea was experiencing the memory from sniffed, and Azalea was surprised she recognized the voice.

“She’s gone, my lord. Likely taken by bandits, or eaten by monsters,” the Queen replied morosely. “If only I’d made the maze defenses stronger-” the vision ended, and as Azalea had felt the frame being set down, she doubted she would get any more than that. But she tried again, slightly desperate to hear more, only to get the feeling of a burnt out candle back.

She needed something stronger if she wanted to know what happened to her family. Azalea had been avoiding looking at the skeleton, but it had been a living being once that carried memories inside it. She needed it. Having felt the emotions of her mother in the vision, she couldn’t help feeling that the skeleton seemed anguished. She had never known her mother to cry.

“Why didn’t you show me that you cared before I left?” Azalea asked her mother’s remains. Of course, the princess could never get a reply. Before casting another memory retrieval spell, Azalea studied the magic the skeleton’s horn still continued to cast. She didn’t know what it was doing, but didn’t want to risk clashing spells. She referred to her Grimoire, and found a spell that would let her see magic being used by other unicorns.

Once the magic vision was cast, she saw the pale blue magic being drained from the unicorn, and going into every single living plant around her. Somehow, the tree holding her was using all of her mother’s magical essence to keep the Labyrinth’s defenses running. Although she had no idea how it could continue doing so after Gilded Lily’s death, it was obvious that the magic would drain from the skeleton soon.
Azalea worried that a lack of magic would make retrieving memories from the dead mare impossible. But how could she free Gilded Lily from the tree? She began to peel away at pieces of bark closest to the bones, but stopped when she heard the rustling of leaves in the windless room.

Azalea darted to the side just in time to avoid a vine that had been creeping behind her. More vines and tree branches were growing out fast from the windows and through the cracks of the stone towards Azalea. The pieces fell together, and Azalea realized this had been a trap after all- the Labyrinth needed Azalea’s magic.

Perhaps it had been in hibernation, conserving the little power it had from her mother’s remains until a new magic source came. But now that Azalea was cornered, it could use the skeleton’s leftover magic freely to catch her. Azalea had no time left.

Azalea used her fire shield spell again to burn the plants nearest to her, then grabbed the skeleton’s skull. The tree, although now charred, grew taller in one last defensive move. Azalea nearly fell as the ground moved away, forcing her to hold on to the skeleton to keep herself from falling. She needed leverage to pull on the skeleton, feeling that just holding onto it wouldn’t remove it from the tree. She swung her back legs around until she could place them on the tree’s truck.

She gazed into the empty sockets of her skull, murmured softly, “I’m sorry, Mother,” and yanked. The forced the skull from the tree, and Azalea held tightly onto as they plummeted backwards. Before they hit the ground, Azalea closed her eyes and teleported to the closest safe place she could think of.

From on top of the tower on her grandfather’s keep, Azalea landed on her back- a little bruised but physically unharmed. She hurried to her feet and looked at the horizon to her family’s former home. Under the weight of the plants, the castle collapsed in a thunderous rumble until the horizon was mostly flat. Birds nearby scattered into the air, but soon all was still.

Azalea mostly had negative memories in that castle, but the fall of her former home left her feeling slightly melancholic. Assuming the rest of her family hadn’t died in castle and were still alive somewhere, they wouldn’t have a home to come back to. Which led Azalea’s thoughts back to the skull she was now caring in her purple magic aura. Would it have the answers she seeked in her memories?

Knowing she would be vulnerable outside when she experienced the visions, Azalea walked inside the keep and moved into a small receiving room. Shaking out the dust from a mostly intact rug within the room, Azalea laid it in the middle of the room and sat down on it so she was facing the sole door to the room, which she magically closed. She then put her mother’s skull on the rug in front of it and cast the spell.

In the vision, Azalea was back in the royal castle of the past. Ponies raced around in a panic, but Silver Sonnet, Copper Curls, and Precious Peacock stood before her, looking worried despite their rigidly determined postures.

“Don’t go!” Azalea said, her body repeating the actions of her mother back then.

“They want us. Maybe if we go, they’ll let the rest of the unicorns go,” Silver Sonnet replied bravely.

“But the Labyrinth can protect us! We can find another way!” the Queen replied. But the princesses were already trotting away.

“Maybe we’ll see you again, mother,” Copper Curls called back. The Queen fell to her feet and cried, her misery overwhelming. When it seemed like hours had past and the hallways were clear of any other unicorn, the Queen quietly sobbed;

“I’ll make sure everypony has a home to return to.”

To be continued….

Chapter Two

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Chapter Three

'The bars of her cage must have had some sort of spell on them, for they never stopped whispering evilly to one another in clawed, pattering voices.'

-Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

While Amulet Azalea was a quiet pony, often her face conveyed much more emotion. Every creature looking at the unicorn likely could see shock, confusion, relief, anxiety, and suspicion broadcast across her face as she took in Cait Sidhe’s words.

She wasn’t the last unicorn! It seemed strange- knowing how obsessive the unicorns she’d met were about their pure unicorn pedigrees- that a unicorn would take a dragon for a mate. Perhaps the half unicorn Levanna Belladonna knew where her unicorn parent and all the other unicorns were. And if Azalea knew the other unicorns were safe, perhaps she wouldn’t need to journey to find them. She could return to her mountain valley home!

But how could she trust the words of creatures she had just met? As friendly as they seemed, they didn’t even know her name. Yet they wanted her to stay with them- was she to be trapped as a sideshow attraction?

“You seem to have a lot of questions,” Levanna said, breaking Azalea’s thoughts. “Perhaps you can sup with us a bit before we get to answering them, miss… ?”

Azalea opened her mouth to give her full royal title- a reflex she hadn’t realized still affected her. But what benefit would there be to give them her name? She could just be a random unicorn to them, not a royal unicorn. Being a princess might make them treat her differently, and if the unicorns had just merely relocated somewhere, she couldn’t risk word of her family finding her. While she wanted to know of the unicorns’ fate, she did not want to be a Princess again.

But she had to be someone, and the flower necklace cutie mark on her flank wouldn’t stay hidden forever. Knowing she had already been quiet too long, she quickly gave a name that could pass as something an average unicorn might name their child based on their appearance.

“White Lily. My name is White Lily.”

Xanthe stepped close and firmly hugged Azalea's shoulders with one arm.

“Well, Lily- it's Asher's turn to cook tonight. And he makes a mean pea soup you’re sure to love,” Xanthe declared. “Let's go eat!”

“O-okay.”

The circus dwellers lead her outside the tent, and to a fire pit that had four cut logs surrounding it in lieu of chairs. Asher stood above a cauldron over the fire, stirring a very fragrant soup white adding herbs to it, tasting it after each addition. As the creatures began to settle on places on the logs, Azalea hesitated as she wondered where to sit.

Her siblings often looked irritated when she would sit next to them when it wasn’t a formal meal with assigned seating. It got to the point where she decided she’d rather take her meals in her room than face their ire. Now faced with creatures she wanted to get along with, she wasn’t sure if sitting next to one would annoy them.

She would’ve sat next to Levanna, but Onyx Bolt had already placed himself next to the half unicorn- and the Karkadann was already large enough to take up most of the log himself.

Sitting by himself, Swift Star caught her eye and began to wave her over. But Jett picked Azalea up and set her between himself and Xanthe.

“So, you're not a trap sent by Bandits, are you?” The dragon asked without preamble.

“Oy! That's a stupid question. This mare is clearly an innocent,” the Griffin snapped.

“Where's your proof?” Jett argued.

“She puts up with you, doesn't she?” Xanthe argued.

“Look, all I'm saying is that it's weird that a young mare would travel by herself.”

Azalea didn’t want griffin and dragon to fight because of her, so she found herself speaking perhaps more about herself than she meant to.

“I don't have any Pony to travel with. My mother is dead, my father is likely dead, too, and I don't know where my brothers and sisters are. Levanna's the first unicorn I've seen in a decade,” Azalea explained. Azalea's eyes met Levanna’s as she spoke, and the half unicorn blushed and stared at her feet. Interrupting the moment of silence, Asher gave a small roar and the other creatures stood. Azalea watched as the other creatures joyfully began to ladle out some soup, and gave thanks to the devil bear. The unicorn wondered in more ways than one if it would be ok to join them.

‘Well, you can count on us to keep you company if you decide to stay,’ Cait Sidhe said with a grin, bringing a bowl of soup to the mare.

Before Azalea could take it, Swift Star dashed between the two, knocking the bowl onto the ground.

“Oh, sorry! So sorry! The Pegasus apologized, picking up the bowl from the ground. “Here, you can have my share.” Swift Star flew quickly to his bench and returned with his untouched bowl, cradled in one of his wings. Azalea took it with her magic, meeting the Pegasus’ gaze. His shoulders seemed to have lost their tension, yet his eyes were still wide with worry. Azalea couldn’t imagine what he had to worry about, while safe among his allies.

“Swift Star, be more careful with food!” Cait Sidhe snapped at the Pegasus.

“Yes ma'am, sorry ma'am,” Swift Star replied, rinsing out the fallen bowl with water from his hip flask. With a sheepish smile at Cait Sidhe, he returned to the edge of his seat, seemingly ready to spring up at a moment’s notice. The cat huffed a bit, then excused herself, disappearing towards the Caravan train with Rex close behind her.

Levanna Belladonna stood up from her seat next to Onyx Bolt. She rushed over to Swift Star, sat really close to the Pegasus and leviatated her soup to him. Swift Star looked a little uncomfortable, but didn't refuse the soup she gave him, gingerly eating it as Levanna smiled warmly at him. Onyx looked on sourly at the pair of ponies, and Azalea felt a pang of empathy- she wished she could be near Levanna, too.

Soon every creature was tucking into their dinner. Besides the sweet and slightly gritty texture of the peas, Azalea tasted rosemary, sage, oregano, garlic, and chives. It reminded her of the food the Royal chefs back at the palace had made.

“This is exquisite!” she told Asher- who made a pleased rumble in return.

“It's even better with ham,” Jett declared with a mysterious grin.

“You eat meat?” Azalea squeaked, shrinking low on the log she sat on. She eyed the dragon and Griffin next to her worriedly. From her seat next to Asher, Jezebella leapt across the fire to land on top of the dragon’s head. She then proceeded to smack him with her spoon repeatedly.

“Hey! Ow! Okay, I'm sorry!” The dragon apologized. The almiraji flipped backwards off of Jett onto the ground, and pointed her spoon at the dragon with a stern expression. After a couple of moments of standing in this pose, Jezebella hopped over to Asher, who handed her a tea cup filled with the soup. She sat on the Bears foot and lapped up her share.

“Aside from Swift Star and Jezebella, most of us are omnivores- but we don't eat meat around you herbivores out of respect,” Xanthe explained.

“Nor do we intelligent animals,” Jett added with a guarded look at Jezebella.

“I thought dragons just ate gems,” Azalea stated questionably.

“Whatever food is easiest to get to, we eat,” Jed explained. “But gems are our favorite food.”

As the sun set, the group chatted about their own favorite foods, and finished their dinners. It was twilight when Cait Sidhe returned with a giant satisfied grin on her face- Rex, a few paces behind her.

“Good news, White Lily - I had Rex clean out one of our old storage wagons for you to sleep in.”

Anxiety scratched at Azalea, and she stood, her calm fading.

“I don't want to be a bother- especially since I haven't agreed to stay on as a performer.”

“Please, it's much too dangerous to travel alone in this area - bandits have been known to roam, you know,” Cait Sidhe insisted. “You must be tired. Rex- show her the way.”

Not really wanting to fight the offer- the idea for walls around her did appeal to the unicorn- Azalea agreed. The circus performers waved and wished Azalea a good night. Swift Star one the only one who didn’t speak, his gaze following her as followed the Diamond dog.

The Caravan wagons were ringed around the tents, one for each performer with their names written on the sides of each one. There were three unmarked wagons towards the end, and Rex let Azalea to the second one, handing her a key.

“Lock your door,” Rex muttered before disappearing into the first unmarked wagon- his door audibly locking behind him.

She stepped up to small steps to the door, and opened it, using her horn to light up the inside. There wasn't too much held inside:. A hammock was tied across the center, with a slightly patched blanket folded across it, small wooden boxes piled in one corner, and an open empty chest that sat in front of them. It only had one window shuttered closed on the far back wall of the wagon- and likely only something as small as Jezebella could fit through it.

Once through the door, she quickly shut it behind her, and obeyed the warning to lock it. Skimming inside the crates, she found a candle and a candle holder in one, and preceded to lit it to spare her magic.

The open chest actually had a key sitting inside of it- that upon testing proved to lock the chest. She debated storing her things in it, but knowing she’d had to make hasty retreats before, decided to drape her saddlebags and cape over the ends of the hammock instead.

After casting more protection spells on the wagon itself, Azalea settled in the hammock, and put out the candle. Sleep came surprisingly easy- for the first time since her valley home, she felt safe.

The next morning, Azalea found a note stuck under her door. It read: “Don't trust Cait Sidhe’, and it wasn't signed. Azalea knew that she should be cautious of strangers until proven trustworthy. But she couldn't imagine any of the Circus dwellers having written the note.

None of them seemed scholarly, and it was rare that creatures outside of wealthy families knew how to read and write. If any of them could write, she’d guess the leader herself- Cait Sidhe. But it seemed silly to warn Azalea of herself.

Azalea didn't know what ill will Cait Sidhe would have towards her, but certainly would be in Cait Sidhe’s best interest to be kind to the unicorn if she really wanted Azalea to join her show. Since the cat so far had done only that, it seemed rude to mistrust her based on some creature’s words that wouldn’t even identify themselves.

Azalea instead decided to put the note in her chest for safe keeping. As she levitated her cloak over her shoulders and tightened the ribbon at the hood’s collar to hold it in place, she told herself that it wouldn't matter if she couldn't look for the unicorns if she knew what had befallen them. If she found out more, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stay with this Circus.

Perhaps there was more Levanna knew that she wouldn’t say in front of her friends? Azalea had to at least ask.

She left her wagon, locking the door behind her, and began to quietly walk back along the half circle of wagons. No creatures seem to be moving about in the shadowy dawn, so Azalea attempted to make little noise with her hooves so as to not disturb any creature’s slumber.

The morning sun had yet to crest the horizon but there was plenty of light to read the sides of the caravans by. She had been rushed along by the Circus folk during the day, and unable to make out the writing by night, so she took the time to read the big and attention-grabbing writing on the wagons’ sides.

It did not resemble the handwriting of note left under Azalea’s door, but it proved at least one creature of the circus was literate. The note writer’s strokes had been short, straight and to the point where the names on the sides of the wagons have been written out with impossibly curly flourishes that were somehow still legible.

After the wagon that Rex had entered last night, was one painted dark blue and read Swift Star the Magnificent Magician in teal letters surrounded by spirals and stars. It was followed by a dark gray wagon with red lettering resembling flames that read Jett the Ferocious Firedancer. The Bright yellow wagon next to it read Xanthe the Golden Blades Master in spikey orange letters with many triangles. Asher the Daring Devil Bear’s came after that- unpainted dark brown wood with orange letters, followed by Jezebella the Key to Laughter’s pink and yellow wagon with smiling faces.

The wagon Azalea was looking for was between the ochre and black Onyx Bolt: Strongest Stallion Alive wagon and Ring Master of Shadows Cait Sidhe’s dark green and maroon wagon. It was a teal wagon that with blue lettered read: Levanna Belladonna: The Weightless Acrobat. Azalea climbed up the steps leading to Levanna's door, and knocked gently with her hoof.

“Miss Levanna? Levanna Belladonna? As Azalea stood, waiting for some response, she felt her determination slip. What if the half unicorn had been woken up by Azalea and it gave Levanna a negative impression of her? Maybe Azalea had broken some unknown rule-waking the performers early- that could cause the Circus Players to shun her? Azalea heard the latch on the door unlock, and her whole heart leaped into her throat in fear as knew it was too late to fix any faux paus.

The door swung inwards, revealing Levanna- smiling sleepily at the sight of Azalea.

“Good morning, Lily. What can I help you with?” Encouraged by the half unicorn’s friendly exterior, Azalea asked:

“Can we speak in your wagon? I'd like to talk to you privately about the unicorns.”

“Oh, certainly,” Levanna replied, opening the door wider so the other mare could come in.

Levanna's bedroom was different from Azalea’s in two large ways: she had small cot instead of hammock, and it was clear that an artist lived in this wagon.

Every surface had scraps of paper piled on it or glued down on the walls, all with little sketches of creatures on them. Most of them were drawn with charcoal bits Azalea saw in multiple in the wagon, but there were some ink drawings, too. Cans of paint and brushes were in the opposite corner of the wagon that had familiar hues. Levanna must’ve been the wagon painter! It meant that either she too could read or write or she had copied the words from a picture. Had she left the note for Azalea?

“I'm sorry it's such a mess,” Levanna apologized.

“It’s not a mess- they’re all beautiful!”

“Thank you. I like to sketch creatures that visit us when I'm not onstage. Cait Sidhe would rather I'd attention to the show- so I don't miss my cue- though.”

“How well do you know Cait Sidhe, anyway? Did she teach you to write?” Azalea asked.

“Oh, you mean the paint? No, Cait Sidhe just wrote down the words so I could copy them when I painted the wagons. But she’s taught me a lot, raised me since I was an infant.”

“So you don't remember your unicorn parent?” Azalea asked to confirm her fear. Levanna froze, then smiled apologetically at the Unicorn .

“No, sorry- I don’t know either of my parents. But I'd love to know what living with unicorns is like. Did you know what happened to them?”

“I wasn't… living with other unicorns when they disappeared. I only found out recently the no others besides us are out there,“ Azalea explained, feeling ashamed.

“Cait Sidhe told me that my dragon blood kept me safe when the red Centaur took them- he only wanted pure-blooded unicorns. But we never travel near his territory, so if you stay with us we can hide you.”

“Where is the red centaur’s territory?” Azalea ask quickly. Levanna looked wide-eyed at Azalea like she asked something terrifying.

“I am... no good with maps, so I wouldn't know. But wouldn't you rather stay with us where it’s safe? I've always wanted to know more about my unicorn half, and I don't know how to use Magic well,” the half unicorn pleaded.

“Oh,” Azalea said, unable to release the worries and suspicion swirling in her head. She barely knew Levanna Belladonna, and while the half unicorn seemed well intentioned, it was hard to tell what might hurt her when spoken aloud.

“I'll certainly keep that in mind when I make my choice,” Azalea added.

While she hadn't agreed to stay, Azalea still helped the performers get ready for their show that evening. She levitated and tightened ropes in high spots that were dangerous to climb to otherwise, swept way loose pieces of straw inside the tent, and stitched pieces of the tent and clothes that needed mending. While the performers may have been hesitant to let their guests work for them, she did each task assigned to her promptly and quickly.

It was satisfying to be able to help, but she couldn’t help notice that she’d met Swift Star’s eyes more than once. Why did he still look worried?

As the sun began to set and the torches were lit, Azalea made certain her hood hid her horn from view and watched creatures walk around the grounds of the tent. Mostly it was only earth pony families that visited, but some griffins, deer, and minotaurs filtered in with the crowds.

To draw in an audience before the show, each of the circus performers gave a little preview of their act while standing in front of their wagons.

Onyx both lifted his wagon onto his back every once in a while.
Levana Belladonna walked all over on just her fore limbs, doing back and front flips when creatures watched.
Xanthe tapped her sword rhythmically together, swallowing the sword when groups of eyes were on her.
Jett breathed out smoke into rings, launching an occasional arrow-shaped streak as if the rings were targets.

Jezebella play mysterious tricks on her fellow performers, like stealing props, and tickling them. She would often trip and fall herself to make other creatures laugh.

Nearby Swift star would cover every part of his body with his cloak, only for the cloak to fall to the ground without a pegasus inside it. He would then shout and appear cloakless behind the creatures looking for him.

At the end of the Wagon Train, Cait Sidhe called every creature inside the tent, promising more. As the performers did their last demonstrations and the last of the crowds were seated, Azalea slipped into the back of the tent, sharing smiles with the circus folk.

The performances played out as she had seen them the night before, but being in the backstage made Azalea's heart beat faster. She definitely didn't want the audience of creatures to see her, but the performers’ own excitement was contagious.

Despite knowing what was coming, every move was just exciting the second time watching it. Jezebella's antics dealing Swift Stars drew laughter from the audience, and they were awe struck by Xanthe’s blades and Jett’s fire.

As Asher and Levvana got ready for their cues, Levanna gave Azalea a hug- a gesture that had perhaps been the first hug the unicorn had since she was a baby. Even though she was stiff with shock, Azalea didn’t rebuff Levanna. Before she could figure out how to hug back, the hug was over- but Levanna didn’t look offended.

“Wish me luck,” Levanna whispered with a smile, and pulled a lever on one of the tent’s posts, making a rope shoot upwards towards the tent’s ceiling. Ropes head been tied around the half unicorn’s and onikuma's waists and hips, pulling the duo upwards as the stack in the rope tightened. Levanna disappeared into the darkness above them, but Asher straightened on top of his stilt legs and untied the Rope, standing up high. He started drumming right on cue, and walk through the curtains like he'd been on stilts his entire life.

Azalea was still unsure about how she felt about being hugged, and zoned out as she thought about it while the onikuma performed rescuing Jezebella from the type rope. It was a thud from above and Jezebella’s screech of real panic that caught Azalea’s attention again.

Up in the air, Levanna dangled from her neck, seemingly tangled up in the ropes above. Jezebella had slipped into Asher’s arms, but everyone else seemed to watch Levanna in shock. Not waiting for one of the winged circus performers to remember to fly, Azalea grabbed one of Xanthe’s blades with her magic and rose it far into the air, slashing at the ropes around the half unicorn.

Azalea’s action brought the dragon and griffin to focus, and they flew up to catch Levanna as the cut ropes dropped her. The creatures landed on the ground with big grins on their faces, posing for the audience as it had all been an act.

“What wonderful heroics from our Magician!” Cait Sidhe boomed to the audience, as if to explain the levitating sword. Azalea quickly levitated the sword to his hand, and hid deeper inside, breathing heavily.

The audience cheered, and Rex brought the curtain down. The instant they were out of sight of from onlookers, Levanna, Jezabella, and Xanthe all bound it over to Azalia and hugged her fiercely.

“You saved me!” Levana cried.

“Yes, we may have lost the Levanna if it weren't for your quick thinking, White Lily,” Cait Sidhe declared.

“I'm sure Xanthe and Jett would have flown to rescue her had I not been here,” Azalea argued bashfully.

“We were shocked at the trick had failed. She may have been choked a minute later,” Jett argued.

“Can we not focus on the negative?” Xanthe asked with the shutter. “Azalea, you got to stay with us!”

“We can never repay you for saving Levanna if you leave,” Onyx Bolt insisted. Filled with joy at being wanted for once in her life, Azalea felt tears fill her eyes. Why search for family when she could have one here?

“Let me sleep on it,” Azalea replied with a grin.

To be continued...

Author's Note

*Sheepishly leaves this update here and runs away*

I want to finish this and my other in progress works, but it's a little hard to find the time. I'll try to be better. :facehoof:

Chapter Four

“The moon withered and fled. The unicorn heard herself cry out, not in terror but in wonder,

“Oh, you are like me!” ”

-Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn

It was long after dark when the rowdy circus folk had each returned to their wagons to sleep. Laying contentedly in her hammock, Azalea could barely keep her eyes open with her belly filled up with a potato and leek soup, and the fun socializing she had experienced over dinner. Once Azalea finally closed her eyes, it seemed like only a minute had passed before she heard a knock on the door.

The sound brought back memories of the boar-like stallion from The Tavern not too long ago. She had felt so safe and calm moments before, and now her heart raced as Rex’s warning popped into her head:

“Lock the door at night.”

Azalea’s first instinct was to flee, but in letting her guard down she hadn’t left her bag on her body like usual. In her half asleep state, she twisted in a frenzy so fast that she lost her balance, and fell from her hammock.

“Lily? Are you alright?” Azalea heard Swift Star whisper through the door. His voice eased her worry for a moment, but thinking of his late night arrival twinged it with suspicion. The Pegasus have been quiet during dinner, but he seemed to meet her eyes every time she looked at him. Azalea didn't move, staying still on the ground, hoping he'd go away. He didn't.

“Lily, may I come in? I have to talk to you, and I'd rather not risk some creature overhearing.”

“No, I think I'd rather you go back to your wagon so we can both get a good night sleep.”
“I have some important information you may want, Princess Amulet Azalea.”
The princess in question leaped up in a panic and hurried to unlock her door. Peering cautiously outside at the stallion, she whispered urgently,

“How do you know that name?”

Swift Star looked around before the darkness around him before answering.

“I admire unicorns a lot, and that encouraged me to look into their disappearance. I know a lot about your Royal Family’s History. But please, let me in so no creature overhears more.”

Reluctantly, Azalea open the door wide enough for the stallion to step inside, and then locked it after him. Although she kept the stern expression, her old curiosity about what happened to the unicorns stirred inside.

“Most unicorns didn't like speaking to the other pony races,” Azalea stated, implying a question.

“I wasn't an exception to that. Although I tried to befriend average unicorn citizens, there were no takers,” Swift Star replied. “So I ended up doing a lot of eavesdropping to satisfy my curiosity from high places I might not be noticed from. Most unicorns seem to stick to a daily routine- At least until the day you all disappeared.”

“Let me guess - a few soldiers were sent to the Villages nearby the castle and threatened the citizens?”

“At first. But when no pony could find you by noon, the entire Army was sent all four directions across the Unicorn Kingdom. Many citizens volunteered to help search even before rewards were offered. Somehow, the youngest princess’s disappearance seem to bring out all the unicorns’ protective side.”

“Really?” Azalea asked, shocked. “I assumed I was just one of many princesses that could be easily overlooked.”

“From my perspective, you appeared to be the Kingdom's baby: a pony to be adored,” Swift Star said.

Azalea shook her head.

“If all that's true, why didn't they leave the kingdom to find me? Or was their leaving the kingdom why they all disappeared?”

“I honestly don't know. All the unicorns looking around made them more aware of their surroundings, and I couldn't hide from them any longer. I decided to go elsewhere until things quieted down a little. I do admit that I searched for you a little as a plan to get on any unicorn’s good side, but I gave up after year. When I returned, the Unicorns had all vanished.”

Azalea gave a frustrated snort.

“That's barely relevant. I don't know why you needed to tell me this in the middle of the night-”

“Because you can't stay at the Circus a day longer,” Swift star explained seriously.

“Why? It's perfect. I'm with creatures that appreciate me, provide food, protection, transportation- I may even find more ponies like you on the road that know more about what happened to the unicorns- if I don't find more half unicorns like Levanna.”

“The thing is, your Highness, is that Cait Sidhe is only interested in making money. Sure, she may say you don't have to be seen on stage, but ‘The Last Unicorn’ will draw crowds. She’s charming enough to manipulate you into doing what she wants eventually. Or make you docile with potions if she can't. That’s why I didn’t want you eating the soup she gave you.”

“Where’s the evidence of this?” Azalea asked coldly. “Are you sure you aren't just trying to scare me away so I won't steal your act?”

“No! I'd like to go with you! I may not be able to do magic like you, but I can watch your back on the road. Besides, I'm sure that Cait Sidhe is up to something right now. We should leave tonight!”

“No.”

“No?”

“I'm staying. Please leave.”

“Princess, please reconsider-”

Azalea began to shove the stallion towards the door. He gave her a pleading look, but he didn't resist.

“Please let me protect you,” he begged from the door frame.

“I've never needed protecting,” Azalea replied before locking him outside.

Azalea had trouble getting back to sleep after Swift Star left, and had nightmares of unicorns being chased by a giant Centaur while she was trapped in a hole.

Azalea felt only been sleeping a minute when her door was knocked on again. Judging by the light streaming through her carvan’s small window when she opened her eyes, it was merely midday. She leapt out of her hammock, ashamed so much of the day was wasted.

“Miss Lily? Levanna called through the door. “We missed you at breakfast.”
“Yes, I'm fine!” The unicorn shouted back, throwing on her cloak and saddlebags as she rushed towards the door.

Levanna Belladonna carried a small wooden spoon and bowl, which she presented to Azalea with a shy smile.

“I saved you some oatmeal,” the half-unicorn told her.

“Thank you,” Azalea replied, scooping the dish with her magic towards her. “I apologize for sleeping in. I hope I didn't miss the circus preparations.”

“No, we're not planning on putting on a show today. Cait Sidhe wanted me to rest because of the accident yesterday.”

“My word, I should have asked-are you all right?”

“Yes, but Ringmaster wants her entertainers to be healthy in mind and body, so she makes us rests after accident like this- not that we have accidents a lot! We master all our tricks with safer methods before moving up the difficulty. It takes many months of practice to perform a show like we did last night, but all the hard work is worth it to hear the audience’s cheers.”

“It sounds like you really love what you do.”

“I do,” Levanna replied, and the two mares sat in companionable silence on the wagon’s steps while Azalea ate her oatmeal. It was sweetened with blueberries and biting into the occasional walnut piece was a pleasant experience. As Azalea scooped the last oats from the sides of her bowl, Levanna spoke up while looking at her hooves.
“Say, Azalea... do you have feelings for Shift Star?” She asked the unicorn.

“No, why do you ask?” Azalea replied. She had barely talked to the pegasus outside of last night, and wondered where this question came from.
“Oh. I saw him leaving your wagon last night, and you're both attractive ponies, so I wondered…” Levanna wouldn’t meet Azalea’s eyes, and the mare worried that she thought that they had been intimate.
“That stallion is way too paranoid for my tastes,” Azalea replied quickly, blushing in embarrassment. Not sure how much about herself she was willing to share yet, Azalea struggled with her follow up. “He... seemed to be worried about Cait Sidhe, and didn’t want… me to stay.”
“B-b-but why? Cait Sidhe's only been kind to him since he joined,” Levanna asked, swishing her tail nervously. “What reason would he have to worry about you?”

Azalea quickly tried to organize her thoughts. Too much hesitation made her sound insincere, but she didn’t want her new friend to misunderstand.

“He says Cait Sidhe is manipulative, and has been slipping you all potions to make you receptive to her orders. He said he’s worried I’ll be enchanted by her, too, and wanted to help me leave.”

“That does explain why he doesn’t eat when it’s Cait Sidhe’s turn to cook… but Swift Star’s only been with us half of a year, and many of us have been together since as long as we could remember... I think we’d notice if she was putting potions in our food,” Levanna replied.

“He may be afraid of the magic competition now that I'm joining the show- even though I won’t be performing,” Azalea explained.

“Even if you wanted to perform, we wouldn’t just replace his act with you,“ Levanna said with a sniff. “He's part of the family! We’d have you assist him, or perform in some other way!”
“Levanna, what's wrong?” From between caravan wagons, the karkadon appeared, giving Azalea a distrustful look as he neared. Azalea stiffened, not sure she wanted to share this info with any creature else, but Levanna didn’t seem to hold any reservations as her voice rose in turmoil.
“Azalea says that Swift Star doesn't trust Cait Sidhe! He wants Azalea to run away with him!” Levanna cried.

“I'm sure he means well,” Azalea added, realizing she may have caused trouble for the Pegasus.

“How could leaving us in the lurch mean well?” Onyx asked, his temper slipping through.

“Who is leaving? Azalea, are you not staying after all?” Xanthe asked, appearing from above them with Jett on her heels. Azalea begin to panic - how could she fix this? She had opened a can of worms about Swift Star that could get the pegasus hurt, and he had only been worried about her.

“No-”

“Swift Star doesn't like Cait Sidhe and wants to run away with Azalea,” Onyx Bolt grumbled.

“That's oversimplifying it a tad-”

“It's no big deal if he wants to go - any of us can do his part, really.” Jett interrupted.

“Swift Star’s family now!” Levanna argued. “No creature can replace him!”

“I never liked him,” Onyx declared.

“We should give him the opportunity to explain himself,” Xanthe said, crossing her talons protectively across her torso.

The circus creatures continued to bicker in circles like this, but Azalea couldn't assert herself it back into the conversation. As she stood slightly away from the entertainers, Azalea felt a slight tug on the hem of her cloak. Looking down, she saw Jezebella staring up at her.

“Oh, hello,” Azalea murmured to the Almiraji. Jezabella hopped a few feet away from the mare, looked back, and waved her paw to beacon Azalea closer. As Azalea started walking after Jezebella, the Horned Bunny led Azalea down the wagon line. The moment they reached the front wagon, Cait Sidhe's door burst open, and Swift Star was pushed out to the ground on his back.

“YOU THIEF! I ought to cut your Hooves off!” Rex yelled. He stomped on the wagon steps,Cait Sidhe close behind with an expression of silent fury that made Azalea momentarily hide behind the wagon, peeking out warily.

As a tiny filly, Azalea had taken to hiding in wardrobes to hide from her sister, Emerald Gaze. But Emerald had an uncanny ability to find her sister anyway, so Azalea began to look for places her sister wouldn’t go. After weeks of observation (and bruises she’d get when her sister found her “spying” on her) Azalea realized Emerald wouldn’t go into the rooms that belongs to their eldest siblings.

So it was one evening before supper that Azalea found herself running near the Crown Prince Golden’s Rule’s chambers. Emerald was only a room away, and Azalea knew that the tapestry that had fallen on her wouldn’t keep her for long, so she darted into a bed chamber.

Golden Rule, luckily, wasn’t present, but she quickly hid in the nearest wardrobe as she heard hoofsteps cantering down the hallway close to the bedroom.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?” Golden’s voice boomed, and Azalea flinched, but was relieved to hear Emerald reply.

“I-I-I was-” the mare said, voice quivering.

“GET OUT OF HERE!” Golden commanded, and Azalea was relieved to hear the mare’s hoofsteps galloping away. But Azalea wasn’t safe yet. She heard the bedroom door creak open, and hushed voices followed.

“It’s ok, she’s gone.” Golden whispered, and a mare’s voice replied,

“Did you really need to scare your sister?”

“I don’t want any pony to interrupt us. Now where were we?”

Quiet giggles, smacking noises- the covers on the bed shuffling. Azalea didn’t know what was going on, but she had a feeling she shouldn’t stay. She peeked out of wardrobe, and saw her brother kissing his maid on the bed! Azalea’s maid barely talked to her, and this one had the gaul to question her brother. Not to mention, Golden was betrothed to a Princess of one of the neighboring unicorn tribes.

Azalea want to be quiet, pretend she hadn’t seen anything and slip away when they left- but fate had other plans. Her hoof resting on the wardrobe’s door slipped, opening it wider and creaking loudly. Golden immediately stomped over to the wardrobe, opened the door, and glared at the filly with the same fury present day Azalea saw in Cait Sidhe’s eyes.
He seized his little sister by the throat, and shoved her against the wall.

“Never. Ever. Tell. Anypony. What. You. Saw.”

The Diamond dog roughly dragged Swift Star to his feet, gripping the stallion tightly by the collar of his cloak. Azalea touched her own throat, remembering the fear she felt when her brother threatened her. But voices broke through her memory.

“What's going on?” Xanthe asked, all the other circus members gathering at the commotion. Azalea stepped out to join them, feeling safety in numbers.

“Our magician was after our profits, Cait Sidhe declared icily.

“I was not!” Swift Star argued.

“Then what were you doing in the Mistress’ wagon?” Rex barked.

“Skulking around like a rat?” Onyx growled.

“You had a good thing, pony - why ruin it?” Jett snapped.

“I had to prove to Lily that Cait Sidhe's keeping something from her - and I’ve found proof!” Questioning eyes met Azaleas’ and she took a small step backwards, nervous from the unwanted attention.

“H-he hasn't shown me it- I don’t know what it is!” she stuttered, wanting to hide herself in her cloak.

“Well, what is it?” Xanthe asked impatiently.

“It's Lily's eyes only,” Swift Star explained, tightening one of his wings close to his body. It was clear as Azalea wasn't the only one who noticed the movement when Jett roughly picked up the pony by his back legs and shook him.

Swift Star’s hat was the first thing that smacked on the ground, and his cape fluttered over his head as he yelped and protested his treatment. A few copper and silver coins came from the Cape’s elaborate pockets, followed by a waterskin and tarot cards. Finally, his wing loosened enough that a yellowed poster drifted to the ground. It was quickly snatched up by Xanthe’s talon, while Jezabella helped herself to the pegasus’ coins.

“It's a wanted poster for some unicorn,” Xanthe mused, turning it around to inspect it.

Jett roughly dropped Swift Star, who sullenly dusted himself off, and began to pick up his things that had yet to be taken. Jett grabbed the poster from Xanthe, squinted at it, sighed, and then gave it to Levanna.

“Please read this out loud.”

Levanna’s eyes widened in comprehension as she spoke.

“Reward: Twelfth Heir to the throne of the United Unicorn Kingdom Princess Amulet Azalea. Wanted Alive. Is this about that princess filly that went missing? What does that have to do with…. Lily.”
The circus ponies looked at Azalea again, suspicion In their eyes. As they faced the paper towards her, Azalea recognized a drawn portrait of her filly self decked out in a dress and crown. Adding even further detail to recognize her since it was hidden in the portrait, a rendering of her cutie mark was drawn in the upper corner- an identification much harder to hide.

“That cutie mark looks an awful lot like yours, Lily.” Onyx Bolt stated.

“I admit it - I'm the Lost Princess. But what does that matter? The kingdom doesn't exist anymore, so Cait Sidhe wouldn't get anything from this reward anyway!”

“Then why did you want to keep it a secret from us?” Xanthe asked indignantly. Azalea didn’t need to explain or apologize, as the Ring Master answered for her.

“How could she know that she could trust us?” Cait Sidhe declared. “One might think a princess might have a great amount of wealth on her to steal, and she's only known us a couple of days. But you can trust us, child. I've been hiding that poster and anymore I could find since we met- to protect you from any Ruffians we might encounter on our journeys. We’re family now, and we protect family, you see.”

“You're wrong if you think no creature is looking for you, princess.” Swift Star declared. “The red Centaur pays a fortune for any pony with unicorn blood. Cait Sidhe could retire the show with that money.”

“If I had wanted money, I could have turned in Levanna ages ago. A half-unicorn’s blood is better than no unicorn’s blood, and it was only recently that I met you.”

“But Levanna-”

“Don't, please!” Levanna begged. Cait Sidhe’s hair stood on end, looking alicorn-smacked at Levanna. Rex angrily lunged forward, but the diamond dog was too late.

“-isn't a half unicorn. She’s a Longma,” Swift Star finished.

Azaleas feelings whirled around in her head, making her heartache. She tried to meet the eyes of the others, hoping they would tell her it was a lie. Many eyes wouldn't meet hers, including Levanna's, who was wilting under Cait Sidhe’s accusing gaze.

“What does it matter if she isn’t a unicorn!” Onyx Bolt snapped. “Levanna is worth twice as much as those snooty creatures.”

“Onyx, stop,” Levanna said, beginning to cry. “Azalea can do magic, she's pretty, resourceful - she's even a princess! I can't compete with that.” From the way the Longma sent a little glance at Swift Star, Azalea could tell what Levanna thought she was competing over.

Yet Azalea did not know how to reassure Levanna. She spent her childhood being compared to her siblings, and in her point of view had never stood out as more talented in any way. Instead of trying to find her place in the kingdom- even stand up for herself when she was bullied- Azalea had chosen to run away.

Though he flinched at her words, Swift Star wouldn't spare Levanna a glance. His gaze, while cautious of the beings around him, mostly stayed on Azalea- as if awaiting her command. It filled the princess with anxiety.

“We apologize for lying to you, princess. None of the unicorns that have been sought out by the red Centaur have returned- they are all assumed dead. We merely thought the only unicorn we'd seen in years might want a little protection from the same fate,” Cait Sidhe explained, her expression apologetic.

“The circus can barely pay to feed everyone- even if you believe that she'll keep your secret and not sell you off, don't you want to know for sure if they're all dead? Because if you were missed, certainly there must be others.” Swift Star countered. Both the Abyssian and the Pegasus glared at each other, waiting for Azalea’s reply. But she didn’t respond as they expected.

“Do any of you actually like me? Not my title, my race, or my powers, but a lone mare looking for a family?”
There was an uncomfortable silence, and the creatures around her looked ashamed. After a moment and a few shared glances, Xanthe spoke.

“We barely know you,” she said bluntly. “But you seem kind.”

“She rescued me!” Levanna cried out. “I may not be a unicorn, but you'll always be family to me!”
Hope filled Azalea’s chest. She wanted so badly to reach out, belong to a family-

“You remember how gracefully she lands in the performance?” Swift Star muttered, his voice barely a whisper yet unmistakably clear. Azalea met his eyes and saw regret in them, but it didn’t stop his next statement:

“Longma can float. Levanna was never in any danger.”

Levanna began to cry on Onyx’s shoulder, and Cait Sidhe hissed. Azalea felt sick. Everyone she met lied to her- even her birth family. Did she belong anywhere?

“You are really getting on my nerves,” Cait Sidhe spat. “Why should she trust you over us?”

“Because I haven’t lied to her yet. And a family shouldn’t be built on lies,” Swift Star declared.

“You're nothing but bad luck, male Pony. We never should have hired you! You act so noble, but you jealous! Rex barked. The Diamond dog threw a stone at the Pegasus, who flinched. Rising in the air to avoid more, Shift Star proclaimed:

“I'm not jealous! I'm going to just like her someday!”

“A princess?” Jett asked with a laugh.

“A unicorn!” Shift Star declared.

“Foolish stallion. You can't change what you are!” Cait Sidhe cackled.

“There's no telling what magic can't or can do! Maybe it can make a Pegasus into a unicorn! And maybe it can bring one unicorn to many more of it’s kind!”

“Ok, Sir Unicorn. Use your “magic” and block this!” Jett challenged, sending a stream the silver flame at the Pegasus. At near point-blank range, Swift Star couldn't dodge, and he cowered at the attack. Yet, fire bounced off the Pegasus as an orb of purple light surrounded him. The Flames instead landed on the nearby tent and the caravan wagons.

“Jett, you idiot! What have I said about playing with fire?” Cait Sidhe snapped. “Quick every creature, get the water buckets!”

After being released from Azalea’s protective magic, Swift Star ignored the circus performers racing to save their possessions and followed the retreating unicorn mare into the woods nearby. Neither heard Levanna Belladonna’s sobs as the Longma’s world crashed around her.

Author's Note

I may be averaging a chapter a year, but I'm trying! :fluttershysad: