The Blue Mage

Chapters

Chapter 2: Revelations
Chapter 3: Morning Flights
Chapter 4: The Aspect of the Arcane
Chapter 5: Newspapers and Floorplans
Chapter 6: A Day to Remember
Chapter 7: Death
Chapter 8: Life after Death
Chapter 9: The Power to Protect
Chapter 10: Summer's End
Chapter 11: Hero
Chapter 12: Crusaders
Chapter 13: Fracture
Chapter 14: Befriending Death
Chapter 15: The Second Prison
Chapter 16: The Way Forward
Chapter 17: Heart of Ice
Chapter 18: Out of Darkness
Chapter 19: Daughters of the Purge
Chapter 1: Sa'Dracori

Chapter 2: Revelations

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 2: Revelations
***

Scootaloo groaned as she climbed back to her hooves once more. "I just can't get it," she said in almost a whimper, too ashamed to even look up at Rainbow Dash. "I'm never going to fly... My wings are just too small."

"Of course you'll fly, squirt!" Rainbow said confidently. "We just have to figure out what's really wrong. It's not the size of your wings though."

Scootaloo looked up at her. "What do you mean?"

"Well, look at Bulk Bicep, his wings are as small as yours and he's still able to fly."

"Well that makes me feel a lot better," she muttered bitterly.

Rainbow put a wing around her and gave her a squeeze. "The point, squirt, is that it's not the size of your wings that's holding you back. We just need to figure out what is. Then you'll be up and flying in no time at all!"

Scootaloo looked up at her and smiled weakly. It was hard to have hope after struggling for so long with no success.

Rainbow smiled back reassuringly. "You'll fly, Scoots. Just don't give up."

Reluctantly, Scootaloo nodded.

"That's the spirit, now let's try it again and I'll see if I can figure out what you're doing wrong..."

Hoofsteps approaching made them both look up to see Apple Bloom trotting toward them across the field.

"Hey, Scoots! Rainbow Dash! How ya doin'?"

"Uh, hey, Apple Bloom. Not to be rude, but we're kind of busy right now," Scootaloo said confused why she was there; Apple Bloom knew why they were out here.

"Actually, Ah was kind of hopin' Ah could join you," Apple Bloom said with her widest grin.

"What do you mean, Bloom? You know Rainbow's giving me flying lessons. How could you join us?" Scootaloo asked, a little annoyed at having her flight lesson interrupted.

Though it didn't seem possible, Apple Bloom's grin widened further and the next instant a blue mark appeared on her shoulder glowing brightly as a new set of wings spread out at her sides.

Scootaloo's eyes went wide as Apple Bloom flexed her wings, they were a little larger than the average pegasus their age, but clearly magical as they were a glowing transparent blue.

"What!? How!?" Scootaloo exclaimed running over to Apple Bloom. "How do you have wings!?"

"Aren't they great! Ah haven't quite learned the visual part of the spell, but they work just fine, Ah just need to learn how to use 'em!" Apple Bloom said, giving her wings a flap.

"What the hay, Apple Bloom, how do you have wings?" Rainbow demanded.

"Magic."

"And just where did you get this magic?" Rainbow asked, her eyes narrowed.

Apple Bloom looked up at her. "From my new friend," she said with a grin.

"What friend?"

"My friend, RJ," Apple Bloom told her, starting to wonder why Rainbow seemed upset.

"And why did he give you magic?" Rainbow demanded.

"Because he thought Ah would enjoy it and wouldn't miss-use it," she answered. "Why does it matter?"

"Because magic is dangerous, Apple Bloom!" Rainbow exclaimed then shook her head. "Did you even think that this RJ might have some other motive for giving you this magic?"

Apple Bloom frowned. "He said he doesn't and Ah trust him."

Rainbow brought her hoof to her forehead. "Apple Bloom..."

"Ah trust him, Rainbow!"

"Well even if he means no harm, playing around with magic is dangerous!" Rainbow shook her head. "Come on, we're going to see Twilight about this."

"Oh, come on!" Apple Bloom sighed. "Ah just want to learn to use my wings."

Rainbow looked back at her. "Well there's no way I'm teaching you until we talk to Twi about this. I will not be responsible for you getting hurt while trying to fly using some strange magic," she said then looked over at Scootaloo. "You come too, Scoot's."

"Okay..." Scootaloo said, a little disappointed that her flight lesson was being interrupted, but at the same time curious about Apple Bloom's new magic.

~~~

"That's it, you've almost got it, Sweetie!"

Sweetie Belle grit her teeth groaning as she strained to cast the spell. Finally, she felt her magic snap into place and the spell leaped out to the five books laid out in front of her lifting them all into the air at exactly the same time.

"You got it!" Twilight cheered proudly, clapping her hooves. "Good job!"

Sweetie Belle couldn't help smiling at the praise. Sometimes it seemed Twilight was even more excited when she succeeded then she was.

"Now, what's different between this multi-cast method and simply casting multiple levitation spells at once?" Twilight asked, immediately going on with the lesson.

As it was much easier to maintain the spell once cast, Sweetie had no trouble thinking about it while holding the books in the air. "Um, it's definitely easier to keep all the books levitated with this spell..."

"And why is that?"

"Because it's just one spell for all of them instead of a separate spell for each book."

Twilight nodded smiling. "Precisely. With this spell you can levitate your maximum weight capacity no matter how many objects make up the weight."

"So if I had a thousand marbles, I could levitate them all at once?" Sweetie asked.

Twilight nodded. "Yes, you could, so long as the total weight didn't exceed the maximum weight you can carry. Now, what are some of the limitations of this spell?"

She thought for a moment moving the books around. It was then that she realized something about the movement. "When I try to move one, they all move together, exactly the same."

"Very good. This technique splits one spell to multiple targets, but since it is one spell, any modifications to that spell are also applied to all targets. So when you try to move one of the books up, down, left, or right, those commands through the spell are also applied to all the books the same. This means that you can never make changes to just one target when using this technique."

"But I've seen my sister levitate dozens of things at once and had them all moving around by themselves."

Twilight smiled. "That's because she, like most unicorns, doesn't use this multi-casting technique for simple levitation. Instead your sister has mastered dividing her attention between many spells at once. Not many unicorns can levitate as much at once as Rarity, even I have trouble levitating that much at once without using a multi-casting technique."

Her eyes widened. "Even with how much you know now?"

"Yes, I know a great deal about magic now. But multi-casting like what Rarity does isn't about knowledge, but practice and focus." She reached out and tapped Sweetie Belle on the nose making her lose concentration and the books she was levitating fell to the floor. "That's why I told you I couldn't teach you anymore about basic levitation; because the only thing left is to practice and learning to focus even when distracted.

"Now, you'll probably never have much need to use this multi-casting technique with simple levitation. There is a more advanced version that, with the levitation spell, allows you set multiple objects on a certain pattern of movement, but we'll save that for another time. This basic technique, however, can be applied to almost any spell that usually affects a single target. So next, I want you to try using it with a little more complex spell."

Sweetie Belle looked up at her. "What spell?"

"For now we'll try the temperature control spell we worked on last week," Twilight told her, levitating over a tea set that she had prepared for this purpose. Filling four cups, she set them in front of Sweetie Belle. "Try to use the multi-casting technique to heat all four cups at the same time."

She nodded but before she could begin, there was a loud knocking on the door.

"I've got it," Spike said from where he'd been lounging on the couch, watching the lesson. Rolling to his feet he padded over to the door to see who it was. "Oh, hey Rainbow," he said in greeting.

"Hey, Spike. Is Twilight here?" Twilight heard her friend's familiar raspy voice and smiled, though she was curious why Rainbow was stopping by.

"Yeah, Twi's here, come on in." Spike held the door as Rainbow entered. As she did she looked over her shoulder and gestured for someone to follow.

"Hi, Rainbow!" Twilight said happily in greeting.

Rainbow smiled as well as she spotted Twilight and Sweetie Belle across the room. "Hey, Twi. Sorry about interrupting, but it's kind of important."

"It's alright, it's not like we were doing anything dangerous. What's up?"

In answer Rainbow simply gestured toward the two fillies that had followed her in, Scootaloo and...

"Apple Bloom!?" Twilight's eyes widened as she saw the translucent blue wings on Apple Bloom's sides.

Apple Bloom smiled looking a little sheepish and waved. "Uh... hey Twilight."

Twilight understood immediately why Rainbow had brought Apple Bloom. She hurried over to the filly circling around her as she examined the wings. "Apple Bloom, where did you get these wings?" Twilight asked, concerned.

"It's a spell my friend RJ taught me."

"What do you mean, a spell he taught you? Are you saying you cast it yourself?" Twilight asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Yep!" Apple Bloom told her proudly. "Ah can't quite get the visual part of the spell right just yet, but the rest of it works great!"

"But Apple Bloom, that's impossible. This isn't even pony magic. In fact, this is unlike any magic I've ever seen," Twilight told her.

"Ah know. It's RJ's magic."

Twilight raised a brow. "But you said you cast the spell."

"Yeah, Ah did. RJ gave me his magic to use."

"He gave you his magic!? But, that shouldn't be possible! Apple Bloom, who is this RJ? How did he give you this magic?"

Apple Bloom sighed. "Ah just wanted to learn how to use my wings."

Twilight gave her an admonishing look. "Apple Bloom..."

"RJ's my friend. He's a dragon Ah met a few weeks ago and he gave me his magic as a gift."

Spike stepped forward. "Apple Bloom, that's not dragon magic."

Apple Bloom blushed slightly but rolled her eyes. "He's not an Equestrian dragon."

He gave her a smirk. "Well, as far as I know, I'm the only Equestrian dragon?"

"Ah mean he's not from this world," she exclaimed.

Twilight's eyes really widened at that. "Not from this world? He told you he's from another world? He actually said that?"

"Yep. He told me a little about it too, but not much. He just said that it wouldn't be very safe for me to go there, and he wouldn't teach me how anyway cause inter... inter-dia... inter-dimensional travel is dangerous."

Twilight stared at her a moment then reluctantly nodded. "Yes... yes it is. Different worlds have different rules and there's no way of knowing what dangers you'll face. But as far as I know, the mirror portal that goes to the human world is the only portal ever made that leads to another dimension; and nopony knows exactly who made it though it is suspected to be one of Starswirl's creations. Nopony else has ever actually succeeded in breaking through to other dimensions. Except maybe Discord."

"Well RJ can. He said he likes to explore, and that he's gone to a lot of worlds. But he said he likes visitin' our world the best because he thinks it's charmin'."

Twilight frowned, raising a brow. "He thinks our world is charming?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "That's what he said. He said his world has had a lot of wars and can be dangerous even when it's peaceful. So he said he likes how peaceful and whimsi... wymsi..."

"Whimsical?"

"That's it, he likes how whimsical our world is."

Twilight and Spike shared a look, neither one sure exactly what to make of this RJ. "Apple Bloom, did this RJ ask you for anything in return for giving you this magic?"

"Nope, he just told me not to misuse it."

"And did he say what would happen if you did?"

She nodded. "He said that if I ever started misusing his magic, that he would take it back."

"What did he say would be 'misusing' his magic?" Twilight asked.

"Well, purposely using it to harm others, or do bad things, of course." Apple Bloom said, with a slight eye roll.

Twilight sighed. She had not expected having to deal with an inter-dimensional dragon enchanting one of her friends' little sisters today. "Apple Bloom, I think it would be a good idea if I met this RJ."

"Okay, I guess." Apple Bloom said, kicking a hoof. "He said he'd be glad to meet with you or anypony else if you wanted."

"Were you going to be meeting with him again anytime soon?" Twilight asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah, Ah was supposed to train more magic with him tomorrow."

"Alright, then when you see him, ask him to meet with me as soon as possible; tomorrow afternoon if possible. Is there a place you usually meet him?"

She nodded. "We always meet on a hill just south of the orchard."

Twilight had an idea where she meant. It was far enough out of town that they wouldn't be likely to be disturbed, but still close enough to Sweet Apple Acres that Apple Bloom could get there in only a few minutes' trot. "Sounds good. Apple Bloom, when you see him tomorrow, ask him to meet with me. Here..." Twilight levitated over a small case and opened it, then levitated out a small golden necklace with a single diamond set in the center.

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. She recognized it as a AA amplifier; but unlike the ones Twilight's friends had used when fighting against Achlys, this one was sized for a filly.

"You can use this to contact me when you set up the meeting." Twilight said as she clasped the necklace around Apple Bloom's neck. Immediately she felt a surge of energy flood through her. "This is a second generation amplifier, it's more powerful than the first generation and also can draw power from your friendships even if you're friends aren't wearing amplifiers, so be careful of your strength while you have it on."

Apple Bloom nodded that she understood.

"Now, Apple Bloom I want you to tell Applejack and the rest of your family about this. You shouldn't keep this a secret from them and I suspect Applejack will want to meet with this RJ as well."

She looked down but nodded again. "Okay, Twilight."

"And one more thing. Until I say otherwise, I don't want you using this magic anymore."

Apple Bloom looked up sharply. "What!? Why not!?"

"Because it could be dangerous, Apple Bloom." Twilight explained calmly. "I know you trust him," she went on before Apple Bloom could object, "But even if he would never intentionally hurt you, we don't know how your body will react to this foreign magic. It may very well be fine, but I want to make sure, so please, Apple Bloom, just do this for me?"

Apple Bloom sighed. "Okay..." She said mournfully and her transparent wings faded away as the mark on her shoulder stopped glowing.

Twilight smiled. "Thank you, Apple Bloom. I know it will be hard to resist, but it's only until I can be sure that this magic won't cause you harm." She put a hoof across the filly's withers and gave her a quick hug. "That was a pretty impressive spell though."

Apple Bloom looked up and smiled. "Ah haven't quite got the visual part of the spell right, but RJ said that once Ah do, the wings will look completely real so Ah'd look like a true pegasus. And he said the spell even imitates pegasus magic so Ah should be able to fly, and even walk on clouds!"

"Really?" Twilight asked sounding impressed, not noticing Rainbow's eyes flashing with a sudden realization. "Well then I hope that we won't find anything wrong and you'll get to try it out."

"Hey Twi," Rainbow cut in. "I just thought of something. You know I've been training Scootaloo for a while now, trying to teach her how to fly. It hasn't been going to well; she just can't seem to get off the ground, and I can't figure out what's wrong." Scootaloo lowered her eyes looking embarrassed as Rainbow went on. "What Apple Bloom said about her spell imitating pegasus magic got me thinking; do you think something might be wrong with Scootaloo's pegasus magic that's preventing her from flying?"

"Hmm..." Twilight turned to Scootaloo, the subject of a new unanswered question. "It's possible. I could check if you want? I know a lot more about pegasus magic than I use to."

Scootaloo looked up surprised then looked over at Rainbow.

Rainbow nodded. "We've tried almost everything I can think of, physically."

Twilight nodded. "Alright, let's step outside for this," she said gesturing toward the door. Rainbow stepped back out to the street in front of the library followed by the crusaders and Twilight.

"Um, can we go somewhere where less ponies will be around to see?" Scootaloo asked sounding embarrassed.

Twilight gave her an encouraging smile. "Of course."

"Let's just go back to our practice field," Rainbow suggested and started leading the way.

It didn't take them long to make their way back out to the field where they'd been practicing. "We've tried everything I can think of," Rainbow was telling her again as they arrived with the crusaders in tow. "I never thought to check her magic though; I guess I really wouldn't know how anyway."

Twilight nodded. "Well let's see if I can figure it out," she said turning back to the crusaders. "Okay, Scootaloo, come stand here in front of me."

Scootaloo did as she asked seeming nervous as she looking up at her. "Like this."

Twilight smiled reassuringly and nodded. "Good, now first, when I tell you, I want you to jump up and try to hover for as long as you can," Twilight told her then took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she closed her eyes and opened her wings, seeming to focus. "Okay, go ahead."

Twilight heard Scootaloo jump and the frantic buzzing of her wings as she tried to keep herself airborne. Twilight blocked out the sounds, instead focusing on what she felt from the air coming off her wings; or in this case, what she didn't feel.

All too soon, she heard Scootaloo drop back down to the ground with a frustrated groan. "Hmm." Twilight moved a little closer. "Okay, try again."

Again Scootaloo jumped up, flapping her wings for all she was worth, and again Twilight sensed almost nothing from the air off her wings. "Once more," she said when Scootaloo had once again dropped to the ground after only a few moments. The third time, Twilight felt only the slightest bit of pegasus magic coming off of Scootaloo's wings.

Twilight frowned. That didn't make sense, though. She knew Scootaloo had very strong pegasus magic; she used it constantly when riding her scooter. In fact, there had been that incident during Twilight Time where she had created a mini tornado in the library. Maybe...

"Okay, Scootaloo," Twilight said sitting down in front of the filly and holding up her fore-hooves. "Now I want you to lean against my hooves and flap your wings like you do when you're pushing your Scooter."

Scootaloo nodded and went up on her hind legs, leaning against Twilight's Hooves. Again, Twilight closed her eyes and opened her wings. "Okay, go ahead."

The difference was astounding. Twilight could feel the strength of the force the filly was generating as torrents of pegasus magic flowed off her wings. She heard Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom shout out in surprise at the sudden wind that filled the clearing. "Alright, that's enough, I think I know what's wrong," Twilight said and Scootaloo stopped dropping down to all fours again as Twilight lowered her fore-hooves. She opened her eyes to find Scootaloo looking up at her nervously.

"So... what... what's wrong?" She asked sounding terrified of what the answer might be.

Twilight sighed. "Well, to put it simply; for some reason, you're not using your pegasus magic instinctively like you should when you try to fly."

"What does that mean?"

"Well most pegasi use their magic instinctively. That means they just do it, they don't have to think about it. That's why Rainbow didn't think to check your magic; she doesn't ever have to think about it," Twilight explained. "Now you have plenty of magic in you, and you've managed to teach yourself to use it when you're pushing your scooter, but when you were trying to hover, you were using almost no magic at all."

Scoolaloo looked down sadly. "Does that mean I'll never be able to fly?"

Twilight gave her a reassuring smile and moved to the filly's side, putting a wing around her in a comforting embrrace. "No, you'll fly. What it does mean, however, is that you'll have to learn a little differently than other pegasi. You'll have to learn to control your magic consciously in order to fly and then practice, practice, practice, until it becomes second nature. It will be difficult, and it will take some time, but I'm confident that you can do it; and once you do, if you practice enough, you could even become a far better flier than most pegasi."

She looked up her eyes shining with excitement. "Really!? Do you think I could be as awesome a flier as Rainbow Dash!?"

Twilight laughed. "Well, that would be quite a bit of work, but..." She glanced over at her friend and gave her a wink. "Maybe one day. First though, you'll need to learn to control your magic for flight consciously."

She nodded vigorously. "But how do I do that?" She looked over at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow winced. "I'm afraid I can't help you there, squirt."

Scootaloo looked down sadly then looked up at Twilight again. "Can you teach me?"

Twilight smiled, and nodded. "I think I can make some time to teach you," she said and Scootaloo broke into eager grin. "You should continue your physical training with Rainbow as well, but why don't you check with your mom and see if it will be alright for you to come to the library for lessons in the evenings around five a few times a week. Sweetie's lessons are usually done by then."

She nodded eagerly. "Okay."

Twilight gave her one last hug with her wing, "We'll get you flying. Don't you worry, okay."

Scootaloo nodded with a huge smile.

"Alright, well this has been an interesting afternoon," Twilight said as she got to her hooves. "Sweetie, we were just about wrapped up anyway, so why don't we call it a day. We'll just pick up where we left off tomorrow."

"Okay." Sweetie said with a nod.

"And Apple Bloom, remember to ask RJ to meet with me tomorrow, and also remember that I want you to tell your family everything about this RJ and the magic he gave you. Alright?"

Apple Bloom nodded with a sigh. "Alright, Twilight."

Twilight nodded satisfied. "And remember, no magic until I say it's alright."

She nodded again glumly. "Ah promise."

Twilight reached out and placed a hoof gently on the filly's shoulder with a gentle smile. "I'm just trying to protect you, Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom looked up and smiled sadly. "Ah know."

"Alright, well why don't you all head home; you all have things to do tonight. Scootaloo, you should find out from your mom what days would be best for your lessons. And tell her I'd be glad to answer any questions she may have."

"Okay, thanks, Twilight!"

Twilight gave her one last smile. "Alright, be safe girls, I'll see you three later," she said as the three crusaders took off toward town.

~~~

"You'll have to let me train her," Twilight told Rainbow as they entered the library together. "Like I told her; she'll have to learn to use her Pegasus magic consciously and then practice until she can do so automatically."

"Hey, that's cool, Twi. If it means getting Scoots flying, I'll gladly let you take over some of her training for now." Rainbow said with a shrug. "I'd do just about anything to get Scoots in the air."

Twilight gave her a smile. "I know you would," she said, but then her smile faded. "Rainbow, there's something I've been meaning to talk to you about concerning Pegasus magic actually."

Rainbow glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

She sighed, worried about how Rainbow would take it. "When I said I know a lot more than I did about Pegasus magic... that may have been a bit of an understatement. I inherited all of Achlys's knowledge about Pegasus magic."

"Really?"

Twilight nodded. "I have all of Achlys' knowledge on all kinds of magic. At least, I'm pretty sure I have all of it."

"Wait, then does that mean you can do that tornado thing by just waving your wing?" Rainbow asked sounding excited.

Twilight rolled her eyes and with a gentle wave of one wing, she created a tiny whirlwind, just enough to ruffle Rainbow's feathers.

"That's so Awesome! Can you teach me how to do that!?"

She laughed. "Yes, I can if you want, but Rainbow, there's something else... I... Among the rest of what Achlys knew about Pegasus magic, she knew how to push Pegasus magic to its limit."

"What do you mean?"

Twilight sighed. "I mean that, while I'm not sure if I'm in good enough condition physically, I know how to use my magic to fly faster and more agilely than just about anypony alive... maybe even you."

Rainbow just stared at her a moment, blinking. "Are you serious?"

Reluctantly Twilight nodded. Rainbow just stared at her a moment more then turned away from her.

"Achlys claimed she was faster than me..." Rainbow said softly. "Does this mean that you're able to do Rainbooms?"

Twilight swallowed nervously. She knew how much it meant to Rainbow, being the best flyer in Equestria, but at the same time, she couldn't bring herself to lie to her. "Possibly," she admitted, "I won't know for certain if I'm physically up to it until I go out and do a few trials, but, well... Part of Achlys's knowledge includes how to use Pegasus magic to control super-sonic flight."

"Then Achlys could do Rainbooms? She wasn't bluffing?"

"The legend had to have come from somewhere..." Twilight said softly, and Rainbow's shoulders slumped. She looked so dejected; Twilight couldn't stand seeing Rainbow like that. "Rainbow... I know how much it means to you, being the best. I... I just won't try. I'll fly like I normally do. I won't..."

She was silenced by a hoof against her snout and she looked up to see Rainbow smiling back at her. "Twi, I won't let you do that for me," she said softly. "I know that you'll want to see what you're capable of, if only for your egg-head science."

"But, Rainbow..."

"If it turns out you can outfly me, it just gives me something to shoot for. After all, what's the point of being the best if you know the competition was holding back?"

Twilight looked up at her, tears coming to her eyes. "I don't want to take this away from you," she whispered.

"Twi, you are the one pony I wouldn't mind being beaten by." Rainbow said with a sincere smile. "Besides, it would be nice to have somepony to train with that can actually keep up with me. And we don't know yet if you can outfly me." She grinned. "You're not exactly the most athletic mare out there."

Twilight smiled hesitantly. "You're really alright with this?"

Stepping forward, Rainbow pulled Twilight into a hug. "Yes, Twi, I'm really alright with this. I don't want you holding back on account of me."

Twilight hesitated a moment then slowly returned the hug.

"What do you say we go out flying tomorrow morning, and let's see what you can do." Rainbow said with a grin as she released Twilight. "You know, before you have to meet with this RJ character."

Twilight slowly smiled and nodded. "Just the two of us?"

"Well yeah, unless you know somepony else who could keep up."

Twilight laughed. "Probably not... I think I'd like that."

Rainbow nodded. "I'll come get you around ten. Then we could get some lunch after we've worked up an appetite."

"Alright."

Rainbow smiled. "Well, I probably should get going for now, I wasn't expecting the whole thing with Apple Bloom and Scoots, and I've still got some weather work to take care of. I'll see you tomorrow Twi," she said, heading for the door.

Twilight nodded. "Bye, Rainbow," she called even as Rainbow took off.

Rainbow flew quickly up to a secluded cloud and landed. Taking a deep breath, she let it out, slowly. She hadn't wanted Twilight to see how much it really hurt her to hear that she might not be the best anymore. They weren't sure, of course, they wouldn't know until tomorrow if Twilight was physically able to make full use of her pegasus magic, but still, the possibility was there.

She'd worked for so long and hard to get to the level she was at. True she had a natural talent, but talent would only take you so far. The rest was hard work... and now Twilight had just inherited knowledge that could let her surpass Rainbow. Sure she had literally died to gain that knowledge... but Rainbow couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

But she'd been honest when she said Twilight was the one pony she wouldn't mind being beaten by. Taking a deep breath, she resolved not to be upset if it turned out Twilight could outfly her tomorrow. After all, she cared about Twilight more than being the best.

She smiled thinking of Twilight. Maybe soon she'd have the courage to tell the alicorn her true feelings. Maybe even tomorrow...

Chapter 3: Morning Flights

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 3: Morning Flights
***

Apple bloom laughed as she soared through the air, her wings outstretched, catching the air currents effortlessly. Flying was everything she'd ever imagined it would be and more. It was a freedom unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. She climbed into the sky high above the clouds, then dove, wings folded, only opening them at the last second to pull up before hitting the ground. She looped through the air, wove between trees and reveled in the freedom of flying.

"Wonderful weather for a flight!"

Apple Bloom looked over a little startled to find that she was no longer alone. Even more startling was who was flying alongside her. "Princess Luna!" She gasped and lost altitude as she was distracted for a moment and lost control of her flying.

"Whoops, careful." Luna said with grin as she flew under Apple Bloom, deftly catching her on her back. "What do you say we land for a moment to talk?"

"Of course, princess!" Apple Bloom agreed and Luna glided down to a nearby cloud alighting on the pillowy surface. Apple Bloom jumped down to the cloud as well without hesitation, knowing her magic wouldn't let her fall through.

Luna smiled down at her. "I must say, after spending most the night helping foals with their worst fears, it's nice to visit such a pleasant dream."

Apple Bloom blinked. "This is a dream?"

"Indeed. And a fairly common one, especially among unicorns and earth ponies."

Apple Bloom looked around. Now that Luna had mentioned it, she noticed a few things odd about her surroundings, the ground was just grass fields, all the way to the horizon with just a couple small stands of trees, there were no roads, no towns, no cities, no signs of civilization at all. This wasn't anyplace she recognized, it was just a generic landscape, a backdrop to her dream of flying.

And now that she was thinking about it, she remembered; she hadn't learned to fly yet. In fact, Twilight had asked her not to use her magic. Did it count if she dreamed about using it?

"It has been some time since I indulged in joining in on somepony's flying dream." Luna said wistfully, stretching her wings, her blue feathers ruffling in the light breeze.

Blue feathers... "Wait, princess, Ah thought you were stuck lookin' like Nightmare Moon again?"

Luna looked at her surprised, then glanced at herself. "Oh, right. Unfortunately it can be rather... counterproductive entering into a foal's nightmare appearing as Nightmare Moon, so when walking the dream realm I use my original form," she explained.

"Ah guess that makes sense. Is it hard to do?"

"Not really, but it does take some concentration to hold this form."

Apple Bloom frowned. "Well, if it's easier, you can just be yourself if you want. Ah don't mind."

Luna smiled. "Very well, thank you, Apple Bloom," she said then began to change. Her coat turned black as she grew taller, her pupils narrowed into slits and her mane and tail became more billowy, seeming to surround her with a piece of the night sky. Unlike the last time Apple Bloom had seen her, she wasn't wearing armor; instead she wore regalia similar to what she'd always worn before she'd been changed back into Nightmare Moon, but blue-silver in color instead of the black that it was before.

"Perhaps holding that form takes more effort than I thought. It does feel good to relax and let myself be myself," she said, her voice deeper and more resonant. "Honestly, I prefer my appearance now myself; but I have to admit, it does have its downsides. I don't remember having fangs the first time around..." She made an odd face as she opened her mouth wide, feeling the tip of one of her fangs with her tongue.

Apple Bloom giggled. "Nah, Ah don't remember you having fangs the first time either, but the Nightmare Night statue definitely does."

Luna laughed. "Yes, I remember. I had to use fake fangs because my illusion spell couldn't change the inside of my mouth."

"You were really convincing though! You got us all real good!"

Luna smiled. "Well, I was just glad you all enjoyed yourselves. So what about you, Apple Bloom, how have you been lately?"

Apple Bloom shrugged. "Ah've been alright."

"I was actually a little surprised that I never had to help you through any nightmares, especially after the Achlys incident."

She shrugged. "Well it was scary and all, but nothing really bad happened to me. Ah mean, the only thing that Ah was really involved in was gettin' attacked by timber wolves. But that ain't nothin' new. We've had them varments causin' trouble at Sweet Apple Acres from time to time. Ah never even saw Achlys or anything she did... not like Sweetie."

"Yes, I've been working with Sweetie Belle almost every night to help her through her nightmares." Luna sighed. "It's been difficult, but it's helped that she has such good friends like you to help her. So you've had no trouble yourself?"

"Nope, Ah've been fine."

"That's good to hear. And I'm glad you're able to enjoy such pleasant dreams. Although, I understand that this particular dream may just become a reality for you." Luna gave her a knowing smile.

Apple Bloom looked down sheepishly. "Twilight told you about that?"

"Indeed, and I have to say, I'm most intrigued by this magic that has even Twilight Sparkle baffled, as well as the one who gave it to you."

Apple Bloom shifted slightly. "You're not worried?"

Luna gave her a smile. "Considering how much I've been mistrusted since my return, I know all too well what it's like to be looked upon with naught but suspicion, so I'm willing to give this friend of yours the benefit of the doubt. Besides, when it comes to matters of trust and honesty, one can do worse than to put their faith in the word of one of the Apple clan."

"Thanks, princess," Apple Bloom said blushing a bit. "Twilight was also worried that even if RJ doesn't mean to hurt me, that his magic may have side effects..."

Luna nodded, understanding. "That is certainly a possibility, but from what Twilight said, it sounds like you've already had this magic for some time."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yep, Ah've had it for a few weeks already."

"Have you had any problems yet? Any unexplained aches or perhaps dizzy spells, nausea."

"No. Ah haven't had any problems."

Luna smiled. "Then it's probably alright. I understand Twilight's concern. But if this magic were to have any dangerous side effects, I would think you would have noticed something by now."

"So you think it's okay?" Apple Bloom asked hopefully.

"I would be inclined to believe so, yes. However, Princess Twilight now knows more about magic than any other pony alive, so we would be wise to trust her judgment on this." Luna smiled and ruffled her mane. "Just let Twilight do what she believes necessary to ensure your safety. You know she has your best interests at heart."

Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah know."

"In any case, Twilight told me you were going to arrange a meeting with your dragon friend later today. I would like to join you for this meeting as well."

She gave a shrug. "Okay, RJ said he'd be glad to meet with any of the princesses. Ah'm goin' to talk to him this mornin' to set everythin' up."

Luna nodded. "Yes, just contact Twilight, as you planned, when you've made the arrangement and she'll relay the information to me."

"Okay, is Princess Celestia comin' as well?"

"Unfortunately, no. She has too many commitments tomorrow that she cannot reschedule so she will have to meet your friend another time."

"Oh, okay."

Luna smiled, but then stood stretching her wings. "Well I'd best be off. I still need to finish my rounds before dawn comes, and then I'll need to get at least some sleep myself. Farewell Apple Bloom. I shall see you on the morrow. Until then, enjoy your pleasant dreams."

"Okay, see you tomorrow, Princess Luna!" Apple Bloom called after her as the princess took flight, flying up into the sky and vanishing with a flash.

Once she was gone, Apple Bloom looked around. "So, this is a dream, huh?" She closed her eyes and tried to focus her thoughts as best she could. When she opened them again, the rolling hills below were no longer grass, but ice-cream of all different flavors, with pathways of rocky road running throughout.

"Yes!" Apple Bloom cheered and jumped off the cloud, gliding down to indulge in her ice-cream fantasy. The Butter Pecan hill would be a good place to start.

~~~

Twilight yawned widely as she descended the stairs into the library's main room. Even after a quick shower she was still feeling a bit drowsy. But then that was to be expected after staying up as late as she had, reviewing what she knew about how foreign magics could affect a pony. Reviewing the magic knowledge she'd inherited from Achlys was like studying, except with the entire book already in her head.

She would have slept in later, but she was expecting Rainbow anytime now, and she wasn't about to disappoint her friend and not be ready when she arrived. She just wanted to grab herself a quick breakfast and she'd be ready to go.

Twilight had learned the hard way that her pegasus friend was a surprisingly early riser, despite her tendency to take naps whenever she could. This was due, of course, to her years of working on the weather team, having to get up early and clear out any wild weather that may have drifted in from the Everfree overnight.

She had just finished eating a light breakfast when there was a knock on the front door. Smiling to herself, she went to answer it.

"Morning, Rainbow," she said happily, finding her friend on the doorstep as she'd suspected.

"Hey, Twi. You ready to put those wings to work and see what you can do?" Rainbow asked grinning.

Twilight nodded. "Yep! I'm actually kind of excited. I mean this will be a pretty good indicator of just how much of flying skill comes from wing strength and dexterity and how much is from pegasus magic!"

Rainbow snorted. "Yeah, I guess."

"Haven't you ever wondered how much of your flying skill comes from precise manipulation of your magic?"

"Not really, I usually don't think about it."

"But that's what makes it even more impressive, Rainbow!" Twilight insisted. "The technique for super sonic flight is pretty complex; if you don't even have to think about it, that means that you're doing it almost on instinct alone!"

"What can I say; I'm a born flier," Rainbow said with a grin. "So I was thinking we'd start with a quick flight around town to warm up. Then we'll head up to the fields north of town and really put your wings to the test!"

"Sounds good to me. Oh, just one second." Twilight turned back into the library and levitated a small bracelet off the desk to her, clasping it around her fore-leg.

"What's that?"

"It's just a bracelet I enchanted with the communication enchantment that the amplifiers use. I made it last night just in case Apple Bloom tries to contact me while we're out. This way I don't have to wear an actual amplifier. After all, the whole point of this is to see what I can do; it kind of defeats the purpose if I wear an amplifier," She explained.

"Gotchya," Rainbow said with a nod.

Twilight stretched her wings stepping outside and closing the door behind her. "Well I'm ready when you are!"

Rainbow launched herself into the air. "Let's get going then! Follow me!"

Twilight took off after he pegasus friend. She'd been wanting to put her new-found knowledge of pegasus magic to the test and was curious to see if she'd naturally put the knowledge into practice or if she'd have to really focus on it. The best way to see, of course, was to just not think about it and see if she automatically put the techniques to use.

Chasing after Rainbow was the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Pushing herself faster, she managed to catch up with Rainbow without too much difficulty, though the athlete was clearly flying at only a fraction of her ability. Seeing Twilight come up alongside her, Rainbow gave her a grin and put on a little more speed, easily pulling ahead. Twilight grinned and accelerated as well. Before long, she was coming up alongside Rainbow again. Rainbow saw her and put on more speed, regaining her lead on Twilight, flying far faster than Twilight usually had before her rebirth. Twilight however, was able to keep up and was having no trouble whatsoever doing so.

She pulled up alongside Rainbow again and when Rainbow saw her, her grin grew all the wider. With another burst of speed, Rainbow pulled ahead again, and Twilight was forced to push herself even faster. She hardly had to think of her magic as she flew ever faster; she knew she was using her magic, following the advanced techniques that she'd discovered within her inherited knowledge, but she wasn't trying to. She was using them automatically.

Soon their warm up flight became a contest to see which of them could out-fly the other. Twilight would push her new-found abilities ever further and each time, Rainbow would match and surpass her, looking more and more excited each time. Soon they were weaving through the trees and climbing through the clouds at speeds that few pegasi could ever match.

Twilight threw Rainbow a grin as she again pulled up alongside her friend, wings beating hard. Rainbow grinned back and instead of increasing the speed, she began to spiral around Twilight. Taking her cue, Twilight matched Rainbow, the two of them spiraling around each other as they flew over the town.

"Twilight? You there?"

Twilight blinked in surprise at the unexpected voice, then remembered. "Rainbow, hold up, it's Apple Bloom." She said slowing to a stop, hovering in the air. It was then she realized just how heavily she was breathing. Rainbow stopped as well, flying back to hover nearby. Tapping the jewel in the bracelet twice, she activated the link. "I'm here Apple Bloom."

"... Are you okay? You sound kind of tired." Apple Bloom asked sounding concerned.

Twilight laughed. "Yes, I'm just out flying with Rainbow Dash," she explained, noticing that Rainbow was breathing heavily as well, though not nearly as heavily as her.

"Oh, okay. Well Ah'm here with RJ, and he says he'd be glad to meet with you this afternoon, whenever you want."

"Okay, then we'll plan on about two o'clock in the afternoon."

"Alright, are you going to tell princess Luna then?"

Twilight blinked. "I was... how did you know Luna wanted to be there?"

"She told me in my dreams last night."

"Oh, right." Twilight rolled her eyes at her own oversight. Of course, Luna would have contacted Apple Bloom herself. "Well, yes, I'll have Spike send her a letter when I get back to the library."

"Alright, RJ say's he looks forward to meeting you!"

"I'm glad to hear it... Apple Bloom, is Applejack with you?"

"Yeah, she's here," Apple Bloom said sounding a little annoyed, but resigned at the same time. "She didn't want me talkin' to RJ alone..."

"Okay, Applejack, you there? I should be able to hear you so long as you're close to Apple Bloom."

"Ah'm here, Twilight," Applejack's voice came through the bracelet.

"So, now that you've met this RJ, what do you think?"

Applejack sighed heavily. "Ah don't know, Twi. Ah'll admit, Ah was pretty mad when Ah heard some dragon had gone an' enchanted Apple Bloom without our knowin' it. Even if Apple Bloom agreed to it. But... after talkin' to him, Ah have to admit; he does seem like a pretty decent feller. And as much as Ah hate to admit it; he does seem like he's being honest about his intentions. Ah guess... Ah guess Ah can see why Bloom trusts him."

Twilight nodded to herself. "That's good to hear, actually. Perhaps all we really have to worry about is side effects of Apple Bloom being connected to his magic."

"Ah hope so Twi, Ah really do. From what Bloom has said and what he told me himself. It sounds like this Rekaj fellow is one powerful dragon."

"Rekaj?"

"Yep, that's his name: Vele'Rekaj or just Rekaj. Bloom calls him RJ 'cause she couldn't quite pronounce his name."

Twilight frowned. "Interesting. Well it definitely doesn't sound like any dragon name I've ever heard. But then if he's from another world, that would make sense."

"Yeah, hard to believe, but he seems like he's bein' honest about that as well." She sighed. "Ah've been talkin' with him for a while now, and to be honest, he seems like a nice sort. He just has a bit of a mischievous side to him and tends to do things without considering what others will think, kind of like Rainbow Dash really."

"HEY!" Rainbow objected.

"Sorry, Rainbow, but you know it's true."

Rainbow folded her forelegs across her chest. "Yeah, well... maybe."

Twilight gave Rainbow a smirk. "Well I guess I'll see for myself this afternoon. You going to be there, Applejack?"

"Yep, Ah'll be here. Ah'm going to try to get some work done until then, Rekaj offered to help so that we could keep talkin'."

"Alright. I'll see you later then. And you too Apple Bloom."

"Later, Twilight," the two sister's voices came over the bracelet, then Twilight tapped the gem twice to stop broadcasting.

"Well... at least it sounds hopeful. It would be nice to have a visitor to ponyville that wasn't here to cause trouble for once."

Rainbow laughed. "Tell me about it."

Twilight nodded. "And with Apple Bloom involved, I really hope she's right about him. I'd hate for Apple Bloom to get hurt..."

"Hey, no matter what this guy's up to, we'll make sure that doesn't happen," Rainbow told her confidently.

Twilight smiled thankfully. "Do you want to come with to meet him as well?"

Rainbow grinned. "You bet! There's no way I'll let you face this guy alone."

"Well I won't be alone, and hopefully there won't be any trouble. Anyway, we've still got some time before then. Should we get back to our flying?"

"Yeah. Now that we're warmed up, what do you say we see what you can do?" Rainbow said, starting off toward the fields north of the town. They weren't very far since they'd been over the northern part of town when Apple Bloom had contacted them.

"Well that is what we're out here for." Twilight agreed a little apprehensively as she followed. "I should probably just get right to it, huh... the rainboom..."

"That would be the quickest way to see if you're as fast as me," Rainbow agreed. "If you can't do a rainboom, then we'll know. If you can... well then we'll have to race to see who's faster."

Twilight nodded as they made their way to the fields. "Alright... any advice?" She asked once they'd arrived.

Rainbow shrugged. "Just try doing it in a dive first, and get plenty of altitude before you do."

"Gotcha," she said and took a deep breath. "Here goes then." Twilight took off, climbing into the sky high above Ponyville, higher than she'd ever flown before. Soon she felt the air grow colder and thinner as she climbed higher and higher. Absently she wondered how high she could climb and decided she'd have to test that another time. Stopping to hover, she took a moment to review everything she knew about high speed flight; all the knowledge on pegasus magic that she'd inherited. This was it. It was time to see if she could put it to use... to see if she had surpassed one of her closest friends in the one thing she prided herself on.

Twilight bit her lip and considered holding back, not giving it her all. Rainbow had worked so hard to become such an amazing flier, she had every right to be proud... and now here she was, having inherited knowledge that could possibly let her surpass her rainbow maned friend without having put in any effort at all.

She shook her head. No! She'd promised Rainbow she wouldn't hold back. This was it. Time to see what she could do.

Diving, Twilight pumped her wings hard, driving herself downward with all her strength. Again she used the techniques from Achlys' knowledge without even trying, almost as if it were instinct. She stretched her hooves out in front of her, feeling the wind rush past as her speed continued to climb. She could see Rainbow ahead and far below, watching as she continued picking up speed. The air seemed to condense in front of her forming a white cone just in front of her hooves. She felt the resistance as she pushed the barrier. She gave it her all, flapping her wings as hard as she could trying to push through. To break the barrier. The ground was getting closer now, she didn't have much time left. She gave it everything she had.

It wasn't enough.

Twilight felt herself dragged to a stop by the unbroken barrier and blinked. "Uh oh..." She managed just before the barrier launched her backwards through the air like a giant rubber band.

"AAAAAHHH!" She screamed, completely out of control, flash-backs to Rainbow crashing into the library flying through her head. Then she hit something; something soft that wrapped around her, slowing and finally stopped her momentum. Breathing deeply, Twilight found herself held in Rainbow's fore-hooves as she hovered high over Ponyville.

"Thanks." Twilight breathed as Rainbow lowered her down onto a convenient cloud.

"No problem, Twi. That kick back can be nasty," Rainbow said with a grin and Twilight gladly laid down to rest.

"Sometimes I think magic has a sick sense of humor..." Twilight said between breaths.

"Magic?" Rainbow raised a brow at her.

"That elastic effect of the sound barrier... it's a magic phenomenon. It wouldn't launch you like a rubber band if magic wasn't making it do that."

Rainbow smirked. "Heh, really? Should have figured; magic has always been out to get me."

Twilight snorted. "Incidentally, it's breaking through the magic as well as the sound barrier that causes the rainbow shock-wave. If there wasn't any magic, you'd just get the mach cone and a loud boom."

"Well all I know is it's awesome..." Rainbow looked over at Twilight hesitantly. "So... you really tried right? You didn't hold back?"

Still breathing heavily, Twilight gave her a smile. "I really tried, Rainbow." She shook her head. "I knew what to do, how to use my magic... I just couldn't push through. My wings weren't strong enough."

Rainbow slowly broke into a grin. "So then..."

Twilight nodded. "You're still the fastest flier in Equestria... I'll have to work at it a bit if I want to match you." She stretched her wings, groaning. "I think I'm going to be feeling that tomorrow..."

Rainbow laughed. "Well don't just lay there, let's do a short cool down flight, and then some stretches; that way it won't be as bad tomorrow. We'll have to test your agility some other time."

Twilight sighed. "Alright, just don't go too fast okay?"

"You've got it, Twi," Rainbow said. "Just a relaxing lap around town, some stretches, then we'll go get some lunch."

"Sounds good."

~~~

Rainbow couldn't help feeling giddy as she and Twilight headed to lunch together. She wouldn't admit it, but she'd really been worried that Twilight would be able to out fly her just with her magic, being an alicorn and all. She'd been up half the night worrying about it. But now they knew that it took more than just magic to match her skill. But at the same time, Twilight had almost done it. She'd gotten closer than anyone else Rainbow had ever seen; which meant that while Twilight hadn't surpassed her, she was nearly up to Rainbow's level.

One of her friends was almost at her level.

She couldn't stop grinning at that thought. Finally, she had someone she could really fly with, someone who could not only keep up, but might actually be able to challenge her. And it was Twilight!

She couldn't imagine this day getting any better... well, yes she could...

Glancing over at Twilight, she again toyed with the idea of telling her. Of telling her friend about her feelings for her.

"Table for two." Twilight said, and with a start, Rainbow realized they'd arrived at the cafe. The waiter led them to a small table on the patio and they sat down across from each other, taking up their menus. But Rainbow wasn't really looking at her menu. Her thoughts were a tangled mess and she couldn't even focus enough to read the menu even if she did. Instead she held it up in her wings while casting covert glances at Twilight.

When she hadn't been worrying about being out-flown, Rainbow had spent much of the night before as well as that morning trying to work up the courage to tell Twilight how she felt. She glanced at Twilight again, watching briefly as the alicorn scanned her own menu.

"Have you made your decision?"

Rainbow almost jumped at the waiter's voice right next to her.

Twilight just nodded. "I'll have the daisy and spinach salad with a glass of lemonade."

The waiter looked to Rainbow Dash, waiting patiently.

"Uh... I'll have the same." Rainbow said quickly, not really having thought about what she wanted. The waiter nodded taking their menu's and left to get their orders started.

Catching Rainbow's eye, Twilight raised a brow. "I don't think you've ever ordered a salad before..."

"Eh, I felt like it," Rainbow said with a shrug, while mentally kicking herself.

Twilight snorted softly, looking a little skeptical. "Right... Well, their salads here are actually really good."

"Yeah, I've heard." Rarity had mentioned more than once how 'simply divine' their salads were. They'd better be... Rainbow thought, though in truth, even if the meal wasn't great by her standards, the company more than made up for it.

Their food wasn't long in arriving and to Rainbow's surprise the salad was far better than she was expecting. "Heh, you and Rares were right, they do have pretty good salads. Although I think I'll get a cider to drink next time."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You always get cider."

Conversation was light while they ate, since Rainbow tended to scarf her food with single-minded intensity, and consequently they were soon finished and having paid their bill; they took some time to relax while they finished their drinks.

Rainbow was tense. This was a prime opportunity to tell Twilight. She knew she had too; they'd already lost Twilight once and Rainbow had been devastated knowing that she'd never be able to tell her, that she'd regret not telling her for the rest of her life... But then, the Tree of Harmony had brought Twilight back, and she'd been given a second chance. If it were to happen again...

"Twi," Rainbow started before she could lose her nerve. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you..."

Twilight looked up at her, curiosity sparkling in her beautiful violet eyes. "What is it, Rainbow?"

"I..." She sighed and tried again. "When you died... It really hit me hard. I knew I'd regret not telling you for the rest of my life."

"Not telling me what?" Twilight asked, becoming concerned.

"That I... I love you, Twi."

Twilight's eyes widened in surprise as Rainbow lowered hers and went on.

"I know you probably don't feel the same way... That you've probably never even considered a relationship with another mare. And I know this is probably super awkward. But I just... had to tell you." Rainbow shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'll just go..."

Opening her wings Rainbow made a hasty retreat from the awkward situation she'd created. Or at least tried to. Magic wrapped around her before she even made it ten feet in the air and stopped her dead. She then felt herself pulled back down and set gently, yet firmly, back in her seat across from Twilight.

"You could at least give me a chance to respond before you fly off." Twilight told her as her horn stopped glowing.

Rainbow looked down at the table, but nodded.

"First of all, you are right; I've never really considered a romantic relationship with another mare."

Heart sinking, Rainbow just nodded again.

"But that's mostly because I've never really considered any kind of romantic relationship at all."

Rainbow looked up in surprise and felt a small glimmer of hope come to life inside of her.

"So, let me consider it." Twilight went on. "One of the biggest concerns about such relationships between two mares of course, is the inability to have foals of their own, should either of them want to. But my magic can take care of that so that's not really a concern."

"What really?" Rainbow blinked, her surprise momentarily overcoming her nervousness.

Twilight nodded blushing a little. "Yeah, I know of several options in that regard. So, yeah, not an issue. Another major concern is of course physical attraction..." She paused and gave Rainbow a very long and evaluating look that was almost enough to even make Rainbow feel uncomfortable. "Not an issue," she said finally.

It took Rainbow a moment to process what she meant. "You really find me attractive?"

Twilight blushed. "Honestly, I've found you attractive ever since the day we met... You have rugged, care-free beauty, Rainbow, that I really can't help but be attracted to. And your self-confidence doesn't hurt either."

Rainbow gave a hesitant grin.

"And lastly, a concern in any romantic relationship is; is there love?..." Twilight bit her lip. "Rainbow, I can't honestly say that I love you." Rainbow felt her hopes sinking again and lowered her eyes back to the table. "But isn't that what dating is for? To give love a chance to blossom?"

Rainbow's eyes shot back up. "You mean...?"

Twilight smiled, looking a little nervous, but excited as well. "If you really feel that way about me, I'm willing to give us a chance."

Slowly a joyful smile spread across Rainbow's face as she realized what Twilight was saying. "You're awesome, Twi."

Twilight smiled back, then leaned across the table. Rainbow didn't hesitate. She brought her hoof up to twilight's jaw as she leaned in as well, gently guiding her as their lips met and they shared their first kiss. It wasn't exceptionally long, or passionate; but for the two mares right then, it was perfect.

When they finally parted again, Twilight looked back into Rainbow's eyes and smiled, showing her more timid side. "So... does that make this our first date?"

"Nah, we didn't plan this as a date; it has to be official," Rainbow told her, grinning. "How 'bout a real date this Friday?"

"I'm free after six on Friday." Twilight told her.

Rainbow grinned, "Great, I'll pick you up then! What do you want to do?"

Twilight smiled. "Why don't you plan what to do. I trust you to pick something we can both enjoy."

"Uh yeah, sure; I can do that." Rainbow said trying to sound her usual confident self. "You just wait; it will be the most awesome date ever!" Inside she was panicking. She had no clue what to plan for a date with Twilight; she'd been so sure that Twilight would never say yes that she'd never even thought about what to do if she did.

"I'll look forward to it." Twilight said with a smile. "But for now, I'd better get back to the library so that I can have Spike send a message to Princess Luna about when we're meeting this Vele'Rekaj."

Author's Note

Woops, went and forgot to post a chapter last weekend; so I'm posting it now and will still post another this coming weekend.

This TwiDash side story will be the focus for a couple chapters here at the beginning until Apple Bloom has had some time to learn a few spells. After that, though, Apple Bloom will be the main focus for the rest of the story.

Chapter 4: The Aspect of the Arcane

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 4: Aspect of the Arcane
***

"Hey there, Twilight, Rainbow, Spike!"

Twilight smiled seeing Applejack waiting along the path out to the hill where they were supposed to meet Apple Bloom's dragon friend. The hill itself appeared completely empty however.

"Hey AJ! So, where's this dragon? He chicken out?" Rainbow asked walking by Twilight's side, opposite of Spike.

Applejack laughed; "Nah, he's up on the hill. He's just keeping up some kind of illusion so nopony sees him out here and panics. Y'all will be able to see him once we start up the hill."

"And where's Apple Bloom?" Twilight asked a little concerned.

"She's waiting with her friend."

Twilight raised a brow. "You trust him enough to leave him alone with Apple Bloom?"

"Well... yeah, Ah suppose Ah do, Twi. He's been right friendly, but Ah told you that already. So we waiting on Princess Luna then?"

"No need to wait on my account."

All three of them jumped at the powerful voice that still brought back unfortunate memories of the summer sun celebration.

"Oh, Princess Luna! When did you get here?" Twilight asked turning toward the black alicorn as she joined them on the path. She wasn"t nearly as intimidating when she wasn't wearing armor; Twilight noted, though the dragon eyes and fangs still gave her pause.

"Just now, Twilight Sparkle." Luna assured her. "My ethereal mist form is quite useful for traveling great distances quickly; though I'm sure my guards are rather upset that I've left them behind again." She gave a small smirk then nodded to each of the others in greeting. "Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and of course, Spike. It is good to see all of you. Though I wasn't actually expecting you, Rainbow Dash."

"Well I wasn't about to let Twi face some unknown dragon without me. What if he turned out to be an enemy?"

Luna smiled, one of her fangs showing. "Let us hope that he's not. Shall we?"

Applejack nodded. "Like Ah told this lot, Rekaj is just up the hill behind an illusion that hides him. You'll be able to see him once we start up the path." She told Luna then turned leading the way. Twilight followed just a step behind, right alongside Luna and Rainbow. They didn't have to go far before the air seemed to shimmer and the previously empty hilltop was suddenly host to a large blue dragon; his massive wings spread lazily to catch the morning breeze.

Twilight recognized at once that this dragon wasn't from their world. His wings were proportionally far larger than any dragon she'd ever seen. In fact, she estimated that even with the length of his neck and tail, his wingspan would still be half again greater than his length. Most of his body seemed to be covered in smooth blue scales which wasn't too unusual, nor were the thick plate scales that protected his chest and belly, but the overlapping diamond shaped scales covering his back and shoulders from his neck down most of the length of his tail were unlike any dragon she'd ever seen. And instead of a row of spines all down his back like the dragons native to their world usually had, he instead just had four curved spikes, webbed with the same transparent membrane as his wings, at the back of his head, running down his neck, and again at the tip of his tail.

He also wasn't nearly as large as most the adult dragons Twilight had ever seen. Even Spike's true adult form had been nearly half again larger, and his greed form even larger than that. Not that this dragon was small, of course. He was still nearly seven times the size of even Celestia.

At his side was Apple Bloom, still wearing the amplifier, and looking nervous, but hopeful as well.

He stood as they approached and gave a deep, respectful bow. "Princess Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna; I am greatly honored to finally meet you in person." He said, his voice smooth and sincere sounding. "As well as you Rainbow Dash, and of course, Spike." He gave a respectful nod to his fellow dragon. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vele'Rekaj, Aspect of the Arcane, patriarch of the blue dragon flight, leader of the Arcanos Imperium, and ruler of the land of Azuria of the world Yuvari."

Luna bowed respectfully in return, prompting Twilight to do so as well. "Well met, noble dragon. Though I understand you already know a great deal about us."

"Yes, and I do apologize. When I first came here, I had no intention of ever revealing myself, but well..." he smiled nostalgically. "I must admit; I find your world incredibly charming. Rarely have I ever spent more than a few weeks exploring the worlds I find. Not all at once, mind you, I do have my own responsibilities. No, I'd spend time exploring whenever I could get away; a few hours here, a day or two there. But then I came here and before I knew it, I had been coming back here for nearly a year, and I realized, I had no intention of moving on. That's when I began to considered making contact."

"You chose a strange way to make contact." Twilight raised a brow questioningly, her voice more than a little suspicious. "Apple Bloom isn't exactly a diplomat."

"I suppose that's true. But then, I'm afraid I have been known to be a little impulsive. I've always been impressed with Apple Bloom, so when I saw that she was a little upset about how her summer was going I decided to see if I could help. And it has been some time since I had a mage, so I thought, 'why not offer her my power?'"

"And did it not cross your mind that she should have her family's approval at the very least?" Twilight challenged, her eyes narrowed. "She is a child after all!"

"Hey!" Apple Bloom objected, though she knew Twilight was right.

"Even if you have no ulterior motive," Twilight went on. "Our magic is an integral part of our being, and even the act of bonding Apple Bloom to your magic could have any number of unpleasant side effects. Side effects that the use of your magic could make even worse."

Rekaj lowered his head, looking a little contrite. "I do understand your concern, but in the countless millennia dragon kind has existed in my world, there has never once been a case of any negative side effects from the gift of a Sa'Dracori. I will not stop you from doing what you feel you need to, to make sure, but I don't believe you need to worry."

"Even so, I want to run Apple Bloom through a few tests before I'll allow her to use this magic of yours." Twilight told him firmly.

He nodded. "Very well."

"And should we find your magic is in fact harmful to Apple Bloom, will you remove it?"

"Of course;" he told her without hesitation. "But I would ask that you be absolutely certain before you ask me to do so; removing the Sa'Dracori now would be exceptionally painful for Apple Bloom and will scar her for life."

Twilight glared up at the dragon. "So, you're saying that not only did you enchant a little filly without her family's knowledge or consent; but you also enchanted her in a way that will cause her permanent harm to reverse? Did you even tell her that was the case?"

"He told me." Apple Bloom cut in. "He told me all the good and the bad that came with it before Ah decided."

Twilight sighed. "Even so, Apple Bloom, he should not have even made the offer without your family's knowledge and consent."

Apple Bloom frowned looking down, while Twilight turned her gaze back up to the dragon.

"Applejack," Rekaj spoke up. "Honestly, if Apple Bloom had told you and I had explained everything, would you have allowed it?"

Applejack frowned. "Honestly Ah'd have to say no," she admitted. "Maybe after we'd had a chance to get to know ya, I'd have allowed it. But Ah recon even then Ah'd be a bit hesitant."

Rekaj just nodded, smiling. "I've found over time that it's almost always easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission."

"Just because it's easier, doesn't mean it's right." Twilight said firmly, glaring up at him.

"I agree that young Apple Bloom's family should have been informed before-hoof," Luna cut in, stepping between them as she tried to cut the tension. "But what is done is done. Let us focus on moving forward from here."

Twilight sighed, but nodded. "You're right, Luna, I'm sorry."

Luna nodded and turned, focusing on Rekaj. "While I also do not approve of you giving Apple Bloom this magic without her family's approval, I understand you've already been in our world for some time without our knowledge, and have not harmed anypony in that time. I am, therefore, willing to give you the benefit of the doubt. Until you prove otherwise, I will trust that you mean the ponies of this land no harm.

"As for Apple Bloom; so long as we don't find anything that could prove harmful to her, I have no objections to her keeping the magic you have given her."

"Thank you, Princess Luna. As I said before, I don't think there's any cause to worry. Usually if the recipient's own magic conflicts with the Sa'Dracori, it will be rejected."

"And what happens then?" Twilight demanded.

He gave her a wry smile. "It gives a powerful lash-back to the dragon giving the Sa'Dracori. It's quite painful, actually. I was a little worried Apple Bloom's magic would reject it, in fact. I've felt that kind of lash-back before and it's not an experience I'd want to repeat. But if anything, her magic seemed to welcome my Sa'Dracori; that's part of why I don't think you need to worry."

"Well, for Apple Bloom's sake, let us hope you are right." Luna cut in again before Twilight could say anything. The younger princess was clearly feeling very protective of Apple Bloom. "Now, as I said, I'm willing to trust you, that you mean us no ill will for now." Luna went on. "And for the time being you are welcome to stay here in Equestria as a guest of the crown for as long as you desire."

"Thank you, princess." He said, giving a small bow.

Luna nodded. "However, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you; your spells that allow you to spy on our ponies from afar.

"I understand that you did not wish to reveal yourself at the time, but now that we know of you, I cannot condone the continued use of such spells. Doing so is an invasion of our subjects' privacy. I must insist that if you wish to continue to... observe our ponies, that you do so openly."

Rekaj sighed. "I understand, Princess Luna. I have considered revealing myself, but I'm afraid that if I did, it would cause a panic."

"I understand your concern, most ponies would find you rather intimidating, but I'm afraid there's little choice."

"I do have another form I can take, but honestly that form would likely cause just as much of a stir."

"You're a shapeshifter?" Twilight asked, her curiosity briefly overcoming her protective feelings toward Apple Bloom.

"Yes, though only between those two forms; my true form as I am now, and my human form."

"You can be human?"

Rekaj blinked looking surprised. "Yes... you know of humans? I didn't think there were humans in this world."

Twilight shook her head. "Not in this world, no. But there's another world I've been to where everyone is human. You're right though, it would still cause quite a stir if you were to walk into ponyville as a human.

"Hey, RJ!" Apple Bloom said suddenly as an idea occurred to her. "What if you used one of your illusions!? You could still use your spells to see and hear from a distance, but when you do make an illusion of yourself as a pony wherever you are. That way you won't be spying on them without them knowing."

Rekaj looked at her in surprise then slowly smiled, shaking his head. "In all the years I've known those spells; I never once thought to combine them in such a way." He laughed. "Very good Apple Bloom, but I think I might be able to take it even further." He closed his eyes. For a moment, nothing happened, then a blue form took shape in front of him quickly resolving itself into that of an average pegasus stallion, his coat was a light blue, with a darker blue mane and tail, both on the shorter side. On his flanks were the same blue pattern as the Sa'Dracori on Apple Bloom's shoulder.

The Illusionary stallion opened his eyes and smiled. "How's this?" He asked, Rekaj's voice coming from the illusion's mouth.

"An impressive illusion." Luna said looking over the stallion. "However, ponies may wonder should any bump into you and find nothing there."

"Nu uh." Apple Bloom said with a grin and without hesitation jumped up to stand on the stallion's back. "See! RJ's illusions are solid! It even feels real! Fur, warmth, everything!"

Luna's eyes were wide. "That is impressive."

"You'd still be deceiving ponies though." Twilight pointed out.

"I won't lie to anypony, should they ask about me I will gladly tell them the truth." He told them sincerely. "Would this be acceptable?"

Luna thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, I find it acceptable. After all, I use similar illusions in the dream realm to avoid causing more fear in the ponies I seek to help."

"You do?" Twilight asked, surprised.

Luna smiled ruefully. "Yes, it would seem that Nightmare Moon coming into a pony's dream rarely has a calming effect."

"Oh... right." Twilight looked back at Rekaj and sighed. "Very well, I will allow it as well then."

The pony Rekaj nodded. "Thank you, Princess."

Luna smiled. "Well, it has been most interesting meeting you, Vele'Rekaj. But I'm afraid I should be on my way back to Canterlot, I need to inform my sister on these matters. Out of curiosity, how far away could you maintain your pony self?"

Rekaj smiled. "My magic is not limited by distance; The initial casting would have to be within sight, but once it is cast my illusion could travel any distance from me without problem."

"In that case, I would like to invite you to visit Canterlot should you get the chance. I'm sure my sister would enjoy meeting you."

He nodded. "I would be glad to."

Luna smiled. "Well then, I bid thee farewell for now." She said then turned to Twilight and spoke softly. "Princess Twilight, I know you're worried, and I understand you care for Apple Bloom and fear for her safety. I'm not saying you have to trust him, but do try to keep your anger in check."

Twilight looked down. "I will, Luna."

She smiled. "And do visit Canterlot, sometime as well. I know Celestia always adores your visits."

Looking up, Twilight gave a sincere smile. "I will."

With one last smile, Luna gave a respectful nod to the others present, and her mane enveloped her, becoming a cloud of energy that sped off toward Canterlot.

Once Luna was gone, Twilight turned back to Rekaj and his pony illusion. Resolutely she took a few steps forward so they were face to face, Rainbow staying right at her side. "I'm going to give you a chance. But understand, if you cause Apple Bloom any harm..."

"There's no need for threats, princess." Rekaj said in a calm gentle tone. "I would never wish to cause Apple Bloom any harm."

Twilight fixed him with a hard stare for a few moments more. Finally, she sighed. "I hope you really mean that." She said softly, then turned to Apple Bloom.

"Come along, Apple Bloom, I want to get you checked over as soon as possible."

She nodded. "Okay, I'll see you later, RJ," she said, waving goodbye to her dragon friend. He smiled and waved in return.

"I hope to hear good news when I see you next."

"For Bloom's sake, Ah hope so as well." Applejack said following Twilight and Apple Bloom. Rainbow and Spike following as well.

"You going to come with, AJ?" Twilight asked as they reached the bottom of the hill.

Applejack nodded. "Yeah, I want to make sure Bloom is going to be alright."

"What about you two?" She asked looking over at Rainbow and Spike.

"I'll come with." Spike said, "I do have a good amount of experience with magic after all."

"And you?" She asked Rainbow.

"I'd like to, but I probably should get to the afternoon weather checks. I'm a little late as it is." Rainbow told her. "I'll stop by the library later, though." She said and gave Twilight a quick kiss. "Later." With one last smile, she took off.

Twilight watched her go, a soft smile of her own on her lips. It was a few moments before she realized that Applejack, Apple Bloom and Spike were all staring at her in surprise. She blushed then, knowing that none of them knew what had happened that morning. "Rainbow asked me out this morning..." She said in explanation.

"She did?" Applejack said in surprise. "And you said yes?"

"She's planning our first official date this Friday."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened in surprise. "Does that mean Rainbow is your special somepony!?"

Twilight smiled, blushing a bit more. "Yeah, I guess it does."

"Well that's great, sugarcube;" Applejack said smiling. "I know Rainbow has had a thing for you for a while now. Though, to be honest, I didn't know you'd be interested in another mare."

"Neither did I." Spike added with a smirk. "And I live with her."

Twilight laughed... "Yeah, Rainbow didn't think I would be either. But I don't think it really matters to me; mare or stallion." She shrugged. "Love is love; as far as I'm concerned. Rainbow... when she told me she has feelings for me, I decided I'd give her a chance. I'd give us a chance."

"Well Ah'll bet that just made her day."

Twilight blushed again. "Yeah, probably."

"Well Ah think it's great!" Apple Bloom said, and then surprised Twilight by jumping up and hugging her around the neck.

"Thanks, Apple Bloom. I guess we'll see how it goes. For now, let's get to the hospital so we can see about getting you checked over."

"The hospital? Ah thought you were just going to do it?" Apple Bloom said a little confused. "Don't you know more about magic than anyone?"

Twilight smiled. "I may know about magic, as well as how to do the scans myself. But that doesn't mean I really know what to look for. I'm not really medically trained."

"Oh, okay. Ah guess that makes sense."

"So, let's get going."

~~~

The walk to the hospital was a long one since it was nearly on the opposite side of town from the farm. But though Apple Bloom was nervous, she was also excited. She was confident Rekaj was right about his magic not harming her and though she knew there was a chance he could be wrong, she was more nervous about what the scans Twilight wanted done would entail.

It turned out it wasn't much. Mostly she just stood very still and answered questions while Dr. Scalpel used several expensive looking machines as well as his own magic to scan her over and over. She had no idea what half the scans were for, but Twilight seemed to, and insisted on each one.

Finally, they were done and together with her sister, Twilight, and Spike, they waited for him to analyze the results.

Apple Bloom was just starting to get bored when the door opened and the doctor stepped back in.

"So what's the verdict, Doc?" Applejack asked, sounding a little nervous.

Dr. Scalpel smiled reassuringly. "Well, as far as I can tell, this new magic will have no harmful side effects on Apple Bloom."

Apple Bloom grinned, looking up at her sister excitedly.

"You're certain?" Twilight asked. "It's not interfering with her earth pony magic?"

He nodded. "I'm as certain as I can be. This magic is interacting with her innate magic; but not in any way that would be harmful."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, they seem to be strengthening each other. In fact, I dare say that this new magic is actually beneficial to her. It's really intriguing. I'll send the scan results to a specialist I know in Manehattan just to be sure I didn't miss anything, but I'm fairly confident that Apple Bloom will be just fine."

Twilight took a deep breath and let it out sounding relived. "Alright, thank you for your time, Dr. Scalpel."

He nodded. "Of course," he said and turned to Apple Bloom. "You've been a wonderful patient Apple Bloom. I hope not to see you here anytime soon." He said with a wink, making Apple Bloom giggle. "Applejack, Spike; always a pleasure." He said then left the room.

Apple Bloom looked up at Twilight hopefully. "So?"

Twilight sighed. "Alright, you can keep the magic, Apple Bloom."

"Yes! Thank you, Twilight!" She said, hugging her.

Twilight smiled, hugging her back. "Just be careful. Learning magic can be dangerous at times, so especially at first, just listen to your teacher, and don't try to experiment on your own, okay?"

"Okay."

"An Rekaj said he wanted to teach you some protective spells." Applejack added. "Now he said they were a might difficult, but ah want you to do your best to learn them alright?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Ah will, sis!"

Applejack smiled and gave her little sister a hug as well. "You have fun, and make good use of your magic, ya hear?"

"Ah will."

Author's Note

If anyone is wondering exactly what Rekaj looks like, unfortunately I haven't done any art of him, but I have done this drawing of one of his daughters: Vele'Senna. And since there isn't much difference between male and female dragons in Yuvari, Rekaj would look very similar.

A side note about Rekaj; the stories he's from, he's actually a side character and doesn't even show up for the first couple stories, though he is mentioned. Even when he does finally show up he plays a minor role until much later on. His first mate, Vele'Rella, and daughter, Vele'Senna, both play much bigger roles in those stories.

Chapter 5: Newspapers and Floorplans

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 5: Newspapers and Floorplans
***

Twilight yawned, slowly descending the stairs of the library. After giving Apple Bloom permission to use her new magic, the ecstatic filly just had to show her and Applejack everything she'd already learned. It wasn't a whole lot, but impressive none the less. She could conjure simple solid objects, though they all appeared as glowing blue shapes since she hadn't mastered the visual part of Rekaj's spells yet, save for the one she'd used to hide the Sa'Dracori. She'd spent most her time with Rekaj learning the spell for her wings.

It was by far the most impressive spell she'd learned. Though they also appeared a translucent blue, they had the texture of real feathers and radiated as much warmth as real pegasus or alicorn wings. In addition, the spell also imitated pegasus magic. Twilight had even tested it to make sure, just like she had tested Scootaloo's magic the night before. Then Apple Bloom had managed to hover for a few moments, proving that the artificial pegasus magic was working properly for flight. What was more, she could feel the wings as if they were her actual limbs. That was perhaps the most amazing part; that the spell allowed her to feel through the false limbs.

After seeing all that Apple Bloom wanted to show her, Twilight had then run a few errands. By the time she had gotten back to the library, it had already been late. She hadn't gone to bed though, instead she'd taken the time to send Princess Celestia a letter concerning her thoughts on Rekaj after meeting him. So, by the time she'd finally gone to sleep, it was well into the night.

Yawning again, Twilight went to the front door to check for the morning paper. For once it was already there waiting. Levitating it up in her magic, she unrolled it as she went to get some breakfast. Then she froze, her eyes wide.

~~~

Having finished her morning rounds; Rainbow had returned home to take a shower, intending to spend the rest of her morning making plans for her and Twilight's date. Though she'd managed to hide it, she'd been rather panicked when Twilight had asked her to plan their first official date. She didn't have the slightest idea of what would be a good first date; she was no romantic. And the thought of messing it up...

She'd spent nearly two hours fretting at home before she'd finally swallowed her pride and sought advice from the one true romantic she knew that would always help her out.

~ "Who is it?" Rarity called as she opened boutique door opened. "Oh, Rainbow, darling. What brings you by so late in the evening?"

"I need your help!" Rainbow said, her stress clear in her voice.

"Whatever is wrong, darling?" Rarity asked, letting her friend inside.

Rainbow didn't hesitate, zipping inside as if she were afraid of being seen. "I... I asked Twilight out!" Rainbow told her.

Rarity's eyes widened. "You did!? And did she...?"

"She said yes!"

"Why that's wonderful, darling!" Like most of their friends, she'd known for some time that Rainbow had a crush on Twilight. "So why do you look so worried? I would think you'd be ecstatic."

"I am! It's just... she asked me to plan our first date!" Rainbow started pacing. "I... I don't know what to do. I want it to be perfect! But I don't have a clue what Twilight would like! I've never planned a romantic date before!"

"Rainbow, darling." Rarity said in a sing song tone.

Rainbow looked at her. "What?"

"Calm down."

Rainbow blushed, realizing how frazzled she was. "I just don't know..."

"But you do know, Rainbow. You know Twilight, you've been friends for years."

"But I don't know what she'd want to do for a date!" Rainbow exclaimed, starting to pace back and forth. "I mean should I take her to a bookstore..."

"Okay, Rainbow, stop right there." Rarity said, using her magic to turn Rainbow to look at her. "Rainbow, Twilight agreed to go on a date with you not because she wants to do something she likes. She agreed because she enjoys spending time with you and wants to spend more time with you doing what you both like."

"But what should we do!? What do you think Twilight would like!?"

"Don't just think about what Twilight would like, Rainbow; think about what you and Twilight like to do together. And remember, she wants you to be happy just as much as you want her to be." Rarity told her.

Rainbow blinked as that thought sunk in. Then slowly smiled. "Thanks, Rares."

"You're welcome, Rainbow. Now, I'm more than happy to help you with a few ideas..." ~

She'd barely managed to escape without a new gown for the occasion, but at least with Rarity's advice, she now had a good idea of what she wanted to do, though she had yet to make any real plans.

A knocking at her door startled her. Not just because she wasn't expecting it, but because it should have been impossible. Cloud doors usually didn't make any sound when someone knocked.

"Rainbow!? You home!?" She heard Twilight's voice call from her porch.

Well that explained the knocking. Rainbow could only guess that Twilight had used her magic to make the knocking sound. Taking wing, she quickly flew to the front door, pulling it open. "Hey, Twi, what's up?" She asked with a smile.

Twilight wasn't looking too good, but Rainbow only had a moment to notice her frazzled mane before a newspaper flew up in front of her face, held in Twilight's magic. “Look at the front page!"

Rainbow took the paper with her wings and scanned over the front page to see what had Twilight so upset. It wasn't hard to find. There, about halfway down, was a full color photo of her and Twilight at a café table sharing a kiss... their first kiss. "Whoa; how'd they even get that? I don't remember seeing anypony with a camera... Heh, it's actually a pretty good picture." She smiled a bit, the picture reminding her of that wonderful moment.

"Rainbow! This is serious!"

"Why? Ponies were going to find out eventually anyway... You didn't want to keep us a secret did you?" Rainbow asked, a little worried.

Twilight looked at her surprised. "What? No! Of course not! That's not the problem!"

"Then what is?"

"My parents are going to see this!" Twilight exclaimed starting to pace back and forth. "And then they'll be all upset that I didn't tell them myself! Shining will probably think it's payback for him not telling me he was getting married..." She was cut off as Rainbow stepped in front of her and pulled her into a kiss.

Twilight was surprised at first but soon melted into the kiss, putting a hoof around Rainbow. Once she was sure she'd stopped Twilight's rambling, Rainbow broke off the kiss with a smile. "Twi, calm down."

"But..."

"We'll just go tell your parents what happened. I'm sure they'll understand if we tell them we just barely decided to start dating."

"But when will we tell them? They're going to see this today!" Twilight exclaimed.

Rainbow took a moment to think about it. Then an idea came to her that made her smile. "How about this, We can head up to Canterlot this Friday..."

"But what about our date?" Twilight asked, looking up at Rainbow, worried.

Rainbow just gave her a confident smile. "I haven't made any definite plans, yet. We'll see your parents that night and then stay overnight, then we can have our date in Canterlot Saturday evening instead. We could probably even visit the princesses during the day, if they have time."

Twilight smiled. "That... that sounds good. But if we're going to have our date in Canterlot, maybe I should make the plans."

"Oh no! I already have an idea of what I want to do, and I can make my plans in Canterlot as easily as here." She smiled and gave Twilight a hug. "You just try to relax."

She sighed, holding to her tightly. "Thanks, Rainbow."

"And don't worry about your parents, I'm sure they'll understand."

"I guess you're right... I just wasn't expecting to be on the front page this morning."

Rainbow laughed releasing her and taking another look at the newspaper. "Tell me about it. It is a pretty good picture though."

Twilight smiled. "Yeah, I guess it is. I should probably put it in my scrapbook... Rainbow, what about your parents? Do we need to plan a trip to tell them as well?"

"Nah, I mean I'm sure they'd love to meet you some time, but they'll be cool with it."

"What are they like? You've never really mentioned your parents before."

She shrugged. "They're pretty cool. My dad's name is Spectrum Blitz, he works in the weather factory," she rolled her eyes. "Rainbow specialist. Go figure."

Twilight giggled.

"But he's cool. Really into sports ever since he was a kid. You know, he used to play sports in flight school."

"What about your mom?"

Rainbow grinned. "My mom's awesome. She was a pro racer by the time she was fifteen and kept racing most the time I was growing up. That's where I got my love of speed." She smiled thinking back. "We were always going to some race or another."

"What's her name?"

"Oh, my mom's name is Firefly."

Twilight blinked, and her eyes went wide. "Firefly!? You mean the record breaking pegasus racer, Firefly!?"

Rainbow blinked slightly surprised. "Yeah, that's her. You've heard of her?"

"Of course I've heard of her! She broke almost every speed record there was! She's world famous!"

Rainbow raised a brow. "To sports fans, yeah, but you never struck me as a being very big into sports, Twi."

"Oh... I wasn't. But Shinning was, and he was really into racing when we were foals. He used to go on and on about his favorite racers and'...actually..." Twilight snorted with laughter. "He used to have the biggest colt crush on Firefly..."

"Really!?" Rainbow grinned wickedly. "Heh, maybe I should see if my folks want to take a trip to the Crystal Empire sometime, meet the prince and princess."

"Rainbow!" Twilight scolded, but couldn't help giggling a bit at the idea. Then another thought occurred to her. "But... wait a second; Firefly only retired from racing just over four years ago, at thirty-four." She said, looking up at her twenty-one-year-old marefriend.

Rainbow blushed. "Yeah... Mom had me pretty young. But dad did things right. He and mom got married and raised me together." She smiled. "Luckily my mom was already a famous racer, so even though she had to take a year and a half off, by then she'd made enough off of races and advertising deals that, along with my dad's job, we were pretty well off. And after I was foaled, she got right back into it." She shrugged. "Anyway, I'm sure they'll want to meet you but they won't be upset or anything."

"Okay, good. Then for now I'll just plan a visit to my parents." Twilight said then smiled, already feeling better. "After that I guess we can visit your parents whenever you want."

"Yeah, we can worry about my parents some other time." Rainbow agreed.

Twilight nodded, then smiled up at her. "Thank you, Rainbow. Sorry about showing up a little panicked."

"Don't sweat it, Twi." Rainbow said, waving it off. "It's not every day that you see yourself on the front page kissing your marefriend."

"My marefriend..." Twilight repeated as if trying it on for size. "Yeah, I think I like the sound of that," she said, then stepped close, affectionately nuzzling Rainbow's neck. Rainbow returned the nuzzles wrapping her wings around Twilight in a soft embrace then caught her lips in a gentle kiss.

"Well I better get ready for my weather shift... We're going to be preparing a light rain for this evening." Rainbow said reluctantly as Twilight continued to nuzzle her neck.

Twilight sighed, clearly having been enjoying herself. "Yeah, I guess I have things to do as well. I'll have to cancel Sweetie's lesson on Friday."

Rainbow grinned giving her one last squeeze before releasing her. "Alright, I'll see you later, Twi."

Twilight turned to the door, throwing Rainbow one last smile. "Later, Dashie." Then she was out the door and winging her way back toward town.

~~~

Sweetie Belle galloped up the path to the crusader's clubhouse, her excitement about what she carried spurring her ever faster. Reaching the ramp, she barely slowed as she climbed up to the clubhouse door. Pushing it open, she was glad to see Scootaloo and Apple Bloom were already there. They'd heard her coming and were both looking at her wondering what had her so excited.

"Girls! Did you see the newspaper this morning!?"

They both shook their heads, and Sweetie Belle levitated the copy of the morning paper out of her saddle bags, unrolling it and holding it for them to see. They both saw what she meant almost immediately.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo gasped seeing her idol / honorary sister on the front page, caught giving Princess Twilight a clearly affectionate kiss.

"Oh, yeah. Ah actually saw that in person..." Apple Bloom said with a grin.

"You were there!?" Sweetie Belle asked excitedly.

"Not that time," she said pointing to the picture. "But Rainbow came with Twilight to meet my friend, RJ, and after, before she left, she and Twilight kissed. Twilight said that she and Rainbow decided to start dating."

"Really!?" Scootaloo said surprised. "Rainbow and Twilight!?"

Sweetie Belle nodded. "Rarity said that Rainbow has had a crush on Twilight for a long time."

"On Twilight!?" It was clear Scootaloo was having a hard time believing Rainbow would be attracted to the studious princess.

"Yep, that's what AJ said too." Apple Bloom agreed. "And now that I think about it Rainbow did seem pretty upset when we thought Twilight was dead..." Sweetie Belle winced and Apple Bloom immediately regretted bringing that up. "But yeah, they're pretty cute together." She said quickly, trying to keep the conversation on lighter tones.

"So how did it go yesterday?" Sweetie asked Apple Bloom, to change the subject. "Introducing Twilight to your dragon friend?"

Apple Bloom grinned. "Ah think it went pretty well. Princess Luna was there too. Twilight was pretty upset that he gave me his magic without askin' first. But Princess Luna seemed more concerned that he'd been spyin' on us in secret. She didn't like that he gave me his magic without askin', but said we shouldn't dwell on it, 'cause what's done is done."

"What about your sister?" Sweetie asked curiously. "What did she think about him."

Apple Bloom winced. "She wasn't happy about it at first. But after meeting him and spending some time talkin', she said she was willing to trust him."

"So, did Twilight give you permission to use his magic?" Scootaloo asked, eagerly.

Apple Bloom grinned. "Yep! After we went to the doctor and he said usin' it wouldn't cause me any problems, Twilight said I can use it whenever I want; she just said to be careful!"

"And I meant it."

The Crusaders all turned toward the clubhouse door, finding Twilight standing on the landing, smiling. In her rush, Sweetie Belle hadn't closed the door behind her.

"Twilight!" They all cheered, happily.

"Hey, girls." She said, smiling, then saw the newspaper lying on the floor between them. "Heh... I see you saw the paper."

Sweetie Belle grinned. "Rarity bought ten copies."

Twilight face-hoofed.

"So, what are you doing here, Twilight?" Scootaloo asked.

"Actually, I came to talk to Sweetie Belle," she told them. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel your lesson this Friday."

"Why?" Sweetie Belle asked, sounding slightly disappointed, but more curious.

Twilight pointed at the newspaper. "That's why... My parents will have seen that, and knowing them, they'll assume I was either hiding this from them or that I just didn't care enough to tell them..." She sighed. "Anyway, Rainbow and I are going to go up to Canterlot on Friday so we can explain to my parents what happened."

"Oh, okay." Sweetie Belle said and smiled. "Rainbow's going with you, huh?" She asked with a sly look in her eye.

Twilight nodded. "Yes."

"Going to have some fun while you're there?"

Twilight blushed. "Well yeah, we're planning on going on a date on Saturday..."

"Gunna get all kissy with your marefriend?" Apple Bloom asked with a wicked grin.

"Aack, that's enough of that!" Twilight said, her face flaming. "I'll see you girls later." She said and quickly retreated, leaving the three fillies giggling at her reaction.

~~~

"Focus Apple Bloom. You have to feel the path of the spell as I cast it with you, you have to remember that path; know how it feels so that you can find it again."

Apple Bloom nodded and closed her eyes, paying close attention to the pool of magic that was ever-present in the back of her mind now, waiting for Rekaj to cast the spell. It was still early Saturday morning, but Apple Bloom wanted to get in some time training before getting started on her chores for the day. She wouldn't have time later that evening due to plans made with the other Crusaders.

"Focus." Rekaj admonished once more then cast the spell. Applebloom felt the magic begin to flow down what Rekaj called paths. Each path split again and again; each split creating a different spell. Apple Bloom paid careful attention every twist every turn, the magic made. Really it reminded Apple Bloom of tree branches more than paths. Most the paths she had experience with only had a few splits, and most stayed the same size; but tree branched split again and again, each time becoming smaller and smaller...

Suddenly, it was a tree she saw in her mind, and she watched as one of the branches began to glow. She tracked the glow in her mind's eye, watching branch after branch light up, tracking the light as it made its way further and further out from the trunk. Finally, one last tiny branch lit up and she imagined a flower opening up, a single apple blossom, as the spell was cast.

She felt the effects of the spell, the illusionary wings, taking shape, folded against her sides. But unlike when she'd cast the spell, this one had the full effect, including the visual illusion. She looked back at the wings, grinning at how real they looked. It was seamless; no matter how closely she looked, she couldn't even tell where her real body ended and the wings began. Any that saw her would think she was a true pegasus.

They only lasted a moment however, as Rekaj ended the spell. "Now try again."

Apple Bloom nodded and took a deep breath, focusing once more. She felt the pool of magic as the tree came back; taking ahold of it as Rekaj had taught her, she began to guide it up into the tree, following the branches outward, trying to retrace the path Rekaj had just shown her, seeking the single blossom she'd imagined. Branch after branch, further and further; suddenly she was there, and the blossom bloomed once more. She felt the spell cast, felt the wings form.

Her eyes snapped open and she looked back over her shoulder, spreading her perfect illusionary wings, looking every bit as if they were growing right out of her back.

"Ah DID IT!" She shouted in excitement, and Rekaj laughed.

"Well done Apple Bloom!"

"Ah look just like a Pegasus!"

"You sure do. And once you've had some proper lessons you'll be flying like one."

"Ah can't wait! Ah bet it's going to be awesome!"

Rekaj smiled stretching his wings. "Flying is a freedom like no other, but I want you to promise me that you won't try until you've been properly taught."

"Ah promise." Apple Bloom said with a nod.

"Good. Now let's practice that spell a few times to make sure you've got it down, then... then we need to get started on an even more difficult spell."

Apple Bloom looked up at him curiously. "What does it do?"

Rekaj frowned, thinking. "It's difficult to explain. But your sister made me promise I would make sure you're safe; and this spell is the greatest protection I can give you."

Apple Bloom frowned a bit, but then just shrugged. "Okay."

"It will be very difficult; but I want you to try your best to learn it."

"Ah'll do my best!"

"That's what I like to hear." Rekaj said with a smile.

~~~

"I told you, you were worrying too much." Rainbow said with a grin.

Twilight laughed. "Alright; you were right..."

The evening with Twilight's parents had gone just as well as Rainbow had predicted. Once they'd explained what had happened, Twilight's parents had been quite enthusiastic about the new couple and they'd spent the rest of the evening embarrassing Twilight to no end with foalhood stories.

This morning though, they'd had a home cooked breakfast and were now out walking through the streets of Canterlot in the early morning light.

"So, any clue what Princess Celestia wanted to talk to you about?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight hmmed thoughtfully. When she'd written to Princess Celestia that they would be coming to Canterlot and asked if she would have time for a quick visit, the eldest princess had responded almost immediately that she would be glad to visit and that she, in fact, had something she wanted to discuss with Twilight. "I don't know. She didn't say what and I can't think of anything off-hoof." She shrugged. "You want to head up to the castle now and find out? Celestia said she'd be available all morning."

"Actually, I have a couple things I need to take care of before our date this afternoon." Rainbow told her. "So why don't you head up to the castle and I'll meet you there when I'm done."

Twilight smiled. "Sounds good." She said and after a quick kiss, Rainbow took off into the city. Twilight watched her go for a moment. It had only been a few days but already she wondered why she'd never pursued such a relationship before. Though she still couldn't honestly say she loved Rainbow; at least not romantically, she was certainly enjoying the new experience, as well as the affection Rainbow clearly had for her.

It was then that she noticed many of the other ponies along the street starring at her. Blushing, she took off as well, heading toward the castle.

On arrival, the guards had directed Twilight to Celestia's office, where she did much of the actual work in running the nation. Knowing the way from her years living at the castle, she had thanked the guard and made her own way. Before long, she found herself at a familiar door flanked by two royal guards. They both bowed as she approached. "Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia was expecting you, go right in." The one on the right said and used his magic to open the door for her.

Twilight smiled. "Thank you," She said and stepped inside.

Princess Celestia looked up from her desk and smiled seeing her. "Twilight! It's so good to see you!" She said getting to her hooves to greet her fellow princess. Twilight closed the door behind her and walked up to her mentor, giving her a quick nuzzle.

"It's good to see you too, Celestia."

"Though I wasn't expecting you to come alone." Celestia said slyly as she straitened again after returning the nuzzle.

Twilight blushed. "You saw the paper..." She said, not really a question.

Celestia smiled. "I take it you came to Canterlot to tell your family?"

"Yeah, and Rainbow will be here later, she just had a few things she wanted to take care of in the city... we're... well, we're actually planning a date this evening. Our first real date."

"Sounds lovely."

Twilight smiled. "It was Rainbow's idea. I, uh... kind of panicked when I saw the paper."

"I imagine seeing yourself on the front page was quite a shock."

"You could say that." Twilight agreed. "So, when you replied you said you had something you wanted to talk to me about?"

"Yes." Celestia said turning back to her desk and levitating a large roll of paper from a nearby shelf. "And something to show you as well." She said and unrolled the large sheets across her desk.

Twilight didn't hesitate to move to the elder princess's side, looking over the sheets. They were a floorplan; she realized, of what appeared to be a castle, with defensive walls, towers, a large gatehouse and barracks... "What is this?"

"This is the floorplans for your new home."

Twilight's eyes widened. "My new home!? Princess, what..."

"It will take some time to build, of course, but I've already purchased the land for the crown, just on the edge of Ponyville and a lovely location at that. I was surprised it was still vacant."

"Celestia, what do you mean this is my new home!? What's wrong with the library!?" Twilight exclaimed.

Celestia gave her an innocent smile. "Nothing's wrong, you just don't have room to house your royal guard at the Library, so you're going to need more space."

Twilight stared at her in shock. "My royal guard!?"

"Yes. You're a princess Twilight. It's about time you had a royal guard." Celestia told her calmly.

"But I've been a princess for almost two years, I never had a royal guard before; why do I need one now!?"

Celestia didn't answer, and curious at the other princess's silence, Twilight looked up at her mentor and saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"Celestia?"

"I can't lose you, Twilight... not again." Celestia whispered; tears beginning to fall freely. "When Achlys... when we thought we'd lost you for good..."

Twilight understood and put a comforting hoor on her mentor's shoulder. "But a royal guard wouldn't have helped me against Achlys..."

Celestia sniffed. "I know; but do you think you have more ancient evils hiding inside of you?" she asked wryly.

"I suppose not." Twilight admitted smiling.

"Then the next threat will come from elsewhere, and at the very least a royal guard is an extra set of eyes and ears that can give you early warning of any dangers." Celestia told her then turned and wrapped Twilight in a tight embrace. "Please, Twilight. Do this for me..."

"Okay..." Twilight agreed finally. "I suppose you're right, I really should have a royal guard; and I will need a place with space for them." She pulled away from the embrace and gestured to the floorplans still spread across the desk. "But, Celestia, we can't go with these plans. It's too much. And besides; this... this is a fortress! Made to be intimidating." She shook her head. "I'm the princess of Friendship, if I'm to have a castle of my own - A small castle! - Then it needs to be open and welcoming. Yes; there can be defenses, but they need to be subtle!"

"Okay..." Celestia said with a small smile and levitated the first few sheets off the desk, revealing a second floorplan; this one much smaller than the first - though it would still be the largest structure in Ponyville - and lacking many of the intimidating defensive structures of the first. Included was an artist's rendition of what the finished castle would look like. It was smaller, but every bit as charming and elegant as Canterlot castle itself.

Twilight looked up at Celestia suspiciously. "Did you show me that other design first just so I'd be that much more likely to accept this one?"

Celestia blushed, but didn't deny it.

Twilight snorted softly, rolling her eyes. "Alright, let's go over these designs."

Rainbow trotted at a quick pace through the halls of the castle. The guards had been expecting her and had directed her toward the princess's office in a section of the castle she'd never visited before. They had been very clear on their instructions though, and it wasn't long before Rainbow reached her destination. It had taken nearly two hours to take care of everything she needed to do in the city, but now it was done and she was confident Twilight would love what she had planned.

The guards gave her a respectful nod in greeting and opened the door for her, letting her into the office. She wasn't expecting it to be a mess. Large sheets of paper were strewn about the room, some pinned to boards on the walls while others were laid out across the floor. The two princesses were in the center of it all, lying on their bellies and looking over the sheet in front of them. Both princesses looked up as she entered.

"Hey Rainbow!" Twilight said happily though it was Celestia's reaction that really caught her attention. The eldest princess's eyes narrowed glaring at her; a disapproving frown forming on her muzzle.

"Rainbow Dash." She said coldly, the very sound of her voice sending a chill down Rainbow's spine. "I understand you've been making certain advances toward my beloved former student."

Rainbow gulped nervously; but even as she did, Twilight jabbed Celestia in the ribs.

"No scaring my marefriend!"

The glare vanished from Celestia's face and she laughed. "I'm sorry Rainbow Dash; I couldn't resist."

She let out a relieved laugh. "Heh, no biggy, princess. I probably wouldn't be able to resist either," she said, still a little nervous. "So, what is all this?"

"Plans for my new home, apparently." Twilight answered.

"Your new home? What do you mean?" Rainbow asked as she moved closer to see the designs herself.

"Yeah, apparently, I need a royal guard now, so I need a home with space for them as well as space for a staff to run said home..."

"Twilight, you need a royal guard." Celestia said in a gentle but firm tone.

"I know, you're right. But that doesn't mean I have to like it." Twilight grumbled.

Rainbow looked over the plans. She was no architect, but just judging by the number of rooms she could see in the designs; this new place for Twilight was definitely going to be big. "So where is this going to be?" She asked, a little worried.

"Just on the outskirts of ponyville." Celestia told her. "I've already purchased the land for the crown, so once Twilight approves the floorplans, we'll begin construction. With a large enough crew and a bit of magic, it should be ready by next spring."

"Really? It looks huge."

Celestia smiled. "You'd be surprised what a good construction crew can do when they're paid enough. However, I'd like for your guard to be in place before then." She said turning to Twilight.

Frowning, Twilight gestured to the plans on the floor in front of them. "Celestia, the whole point of this... castle is so I have space for a guard; where are they going to stay until then?"

"I've already made arrangements with the Ponyville inn. It will have to be a minimal guard until your castle is finished, but it's only temporary."

"Fine..." Twilight sighed.

"It's for the best, Twilight," Celestia said gently. "Anyway, everything is already arranged. All that remains is for you to choose your captain."

She blinked. "I get to choose?"

"Of course. Your captain will be the one you'll be interacting with the most, so it's important that they're somepony you can get along with."

"Right." Twilight sighed. "Well I guess we might as well get this over with."

Celestia smiled and nodded. "It will take me an hour or so to gather the available captains,â€ She levitated a folder from a nearby drawer and presented it to Twilight. "Here's dossiers on all of the available captains. Why don't you go over those and I'll send orders for them to gather."

Twilight looked up at Rainbow. "Will that be a problem?"

Smiling, Rainbow shook her head. "Nah, we've got a couple hours."

"Okay. Well, do you want to go over these with me? It might be a good idea to make sure you can get along with them as well."

Rainbow grinned. "Yeah, I guess I should make sure they're awesome enough to be your captain."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I don't think any of them are going to be wonderbolts, Rainbow."

"Heh, well we'll just have to settle for the coolest available."

~~~

"You were formerly a captain in the Manehattan city guard?" Twilight asked the fairly young Pegasus mare in front of her. After an initial introduction of all the available guard captains; Twilight had decided to do short interviews with each of them. Rainbow was there listening in, though she'd kept silent through the interviews only offering her opinion afterwards.

"Yes, your highness. I was stationed in Manehattan for three years, and was captain for nearly half of it."

"I wasn't actually aware that Manehattan had a guard force. I thought their city police handled protecting the city."

She nodded. "The police force handles most of the standard patrols; the city guard is mostly just in charge of security at the docks and customs. Otherwise they're just there for emergencies."

"That makes sense..." Twilight said softly. "Are you originally from Manehattan? You don't have much of an accent."

"No, I'm originally from a little place south of Dodge."

Twilight smirked, "You don't have an accent from there either."

She laughed. "Well I wouldn't know."

Looking back at the mare's dossier, Twilight tried to remember what else she wanted to ask about. "It says here you transferred to Canterlot two years ago and that for the past year and a half you've been in charge of combat training for the pegasi of the royal guard."

"That's right."

"It also says that your specialty is in magical countermeasures."

She nodded. "Without magic of our own, the biggest threat to any pegasi are magic wielders."

"Pegasi have magic." Twilight corrected automatically.

"Of course, but without a great deal of training, we can't wield it consciously."

"So, how do you counter magic without magic?" Twilight asked curious how the mare would answer.

"In most cases, you need to predict how the magic wielder is going to attack, avoid it, then counter quickly in a way that will disable their magic. For unicorns this can be done by hitting their horn. But that won't work on a Changeling, for them, you have to hit their forehead, just at the base of their horn. Zebra are the most difficult, they can channel magic through their entire body. Fortunately very few Zebra learn magic."

"And what if you encounter a pegasi that can wield magic? How can you disable their magic?"

She winced. "In that case, the only way may be to remove their wings." She answered reluctantly, clearly not liking the idea of doing that to any pegasi.

"An earth pony?"

"Their legs."

"And what about an alicorn?"

She hesitated. The only known alicorns still alive were the four princesses. "Well Alicorns have all forms of pony magic; but most only ever learn to wield magic with their horn, so a strike to the horn should be enough; but if they mastered their other magics as well, then their wings and legs will have to be disabled.

Twilight nodded approvingly. "So, how do you predict how a magic user is going to attack?"

"That can be difficult; knowing your opponent is key. If you don't know what they're capable of it's best to keep your distance while still pressuring them until they've attacked a few times to see what they do. Most magic users will stick to the same few spells in combat since thinking on the fly can be difficult."

Satisfied, Twilight nodded. "Alright, that will be all for now. Thank you, Captain Feather, you're dismissed."

"Of course, your majesty," she said saluting sharply. She then turned and left without another word.

Twilight turned back to Rainbow. "So, what do you think?"

Rainbow shrugged. "She was the first one that wasn't saying your highness or your majesty every other word."

"Yes, that was rather refreshing." Twilight agreed.

"She also seemed to know what she was talking about; I didn't know that you have to hit a changeling at the base of their horn to disable their magic."

"I didn't either... well actually I did, but not me..."

Rainbow raised a brow at the strange response. "What do you mean by that?"

Twilight sighed. "Achlys knew."

"Oh, right." Rainbow said softly, then the room fell silent for a moment.

"Well, we've got one more interview to do, but I think Captain Feather may be the one." Twilight said finally.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah, she seems like the best choice. The rest could really use some personality."

Twilight laughed softly then used her magic to open the door. "Send in the last candidate."

~~~

"Captain Feather?" Celestia repeated with a little surprise evident in her voice.

Twilight simply nodded.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised. I would have thought you'd prefer a unicorn captain." Celestia said with a slight smile.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I'd prefer not to have a captain at all, but since I have to have one, I'd prefer they be somepony who knows how to loosen up and not be so formal all the time. My guards need to be open and friendly, not stoic and intimidating."

Celestia smiled, understandingly. "I have had a complaint or two from the other captains that Captain Feather was teaching the trainees bad habits..."

"Let me guess; she didn't have them standing at attention and saluting every time they spoke." Rainbow put in with a smirk.

"Something like that." Celestia took one last look at the dossier of the mare Twilight had selected then tucked it under her wing. "Well that takes care of everything here, I understand you two have plans this evening?" She asked with a knowing smile.

Twilight blushed a bit, but nodded.

"And most the afternoon actually." Rainbow told her.

"Well, don't let me keep you from it." Celestia said, her smile broadening. "It's been nice seeing the two of you... oh, what time are you heading back tomorrow?"

"We've got tickets for the two o-clock train." Twilight told her, wondering why she wanted to know.

"Alright, I'll make the arrangements for Captain Feather to accompany you back to Ponyville, the rest of your temporary guard will be there the day after."

Twilight sighed, she hadn't expected them to be showing up that soon... "Alright."

Celestia gave her one last encouraging smile. "You two have fun. And don't hesitate to visit next time you're in Canterlot."

"We will." Twilight and Rainbow said in unison then with one last wave they left the office.

Once they were gone, Celestia pulled out the Dossier for Captain Feather and looked it over once more. That Twilight would choose her as her captain was a surprise; but she had to admit, the young captain's attitude was rather refreshing at times. She'd be missed around the castle. But Twilight definitely deserved the captain of her choice. Turning down the hall toward the guard barracks, she set about making the arrangements needed.

Author's Note

Introducing Captain Feather. Feather is a character that will be appearing in pretty much all of my stories. She'll be mostly the same in each story; she'll always be a royal guard, usually a captain and usually she will become the captain of Twilight's Royal guard. But the fun part is that in each story she appears in, she will have a different secret. There will be clues what her secret is, and it will be revealed before the end of each story she's introduced in, but I'm interested to see if anyone can guess her secret before it's revealed. Though if you do want to make guesses, please put it in spoiler tags.

Since this part of the story has been written for a while, I'd already had plans for Rainbow's parents before we actually saw them in canon. And since this story breaks off from canon before the season 4 finale, I decided to go ahead and keep what I already had.

I also decided to skip the whole scene of Twilight and Rainbow talking to Twilight's parents because really it would have been pretty boring. No shocks or drama, just Twilight explaining that they just started dating.

As far as the issue of Twilight not having a royal guard or castle staff, I really think that's something that needs to be addressed in canon, but at the same time, I don't think they will... Of course that means that in this story Twilight needs a castle. And no, Flash Sentry is not going to be a part of Twilight's royal guard. He's staying in the crystal empire.

Chapter 6: A Day to Remember

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 6: A Day to Remember
***

"So... what have you got planned first?" Twilight asked, curiously as she and Rainbow made their way through the castle halls back toward the entrance. In answer, Rainbow grinned and pulled a brochure out of the small bit pouch she was wearing and hoofed it over to her.

Twilight looked and was surprised to see it was for the Canterlot Museum of Equestrian History. Then she saw the exhibit being advertised on the front. "They're having a special exhibit on Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever!?"

Rainbow grinned at Twilight's excitement. "Yep, it started just last week."

"Ohhh! I can't wait; I wonder if they have Clover's staff on display..." She trailed off looking over at Rainbow. "But... won't you be bored?"

She shrugged. "Maybe a little in the Starswirl exhibit, but turn the page."

Looking back at the brochure she did as suggested and understood. "Oh, and an exhibit on the history of the Wonderbolts; that should be fun."

Rainbow grinned. "You helped me learn the history, so I thought it would be fun to see it together; the Starswirl exhibit is just a bonus. But we can't spend too long there. The museum is just our mid-afternoon activity."

"Oh, and what do you have planned after that?" Twilight asked, grinning.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

They ended up spending a little more time at the museum than Rainbow had intended; but that was why she'd made sure the next part of their evening would be flexible. She knew she would have a hard time prying Twilight away from the ancient relics on display. Finally though, they were leaving the Museum.

"That was so interesting! I didn't know that Wonderbolts have always kept their team to the same number of performers ever since they were founded."

"I did; that's why they started the academy. They wanted to train replacements even when they don't have any spots open on the team. There won't be any spots available until somepony retires..."

"And then you'll be on the team!"

Rainbow laughed. "If I'm selected."

Twilight snorted. "Now you decide to be modest? Come on, Rainbow; you're the best flyer in Equestria, of course they'll select you. I've been wondering why they haven't made you a Wonderbolt already! That there just wasn't an open spot on the team makes so much sense!"

Rainbow grinned, hearing her praises from Twilight was even better than her fan club, but at the same time she actually didn't want to boast. Not in front of her...

"So, what's next on our agenda?" Twilight asked, leaning a bit against Rainbow's shoulder.

"Well," she opened her wings. "I was thinking we'd go for a flight around the city until our dinner reservations at seven. "I even got approval from the royal guard for us to fly around the castle."

Twilight looked at her surprised. "Really? I didn't think they'd do that for unofficial business..."

Rainbow smirked. "Well it helps when one of the fliers happens to be a princess."

Twilight grinned back. "Alright then, let's go."

"Try to keep up." Rainbow said with a grin, then took off into the air.

Twilight laughed and took off after her, quickly pouring on speed to catch up to her marefriend. "You'll have to do better if you want to lose me!" Twilight called out playfully. In response, Rainbow just grinned as she pulled away, and the chase was on.

Neither of them were pushing themselves to their limits, but even so, most pegasi would struggle to keep up with them for even a few turns as they wove through the city streets. Below several high society unicorn looked up in disgust, unaware that one of the pair earning their ire was a reigning princess. Fortunately for them, the couple was just as unaware of them.

Rainbow led the chase back toward the castle, weaving through the towers, until they reached the outer wall of the castle itself. The guards saw them as they passed into the castle grounds, but recognizing who they were, they simply saluted one of their princesses, though she was flying far too fast to see.

They whipped around the castle towers, passing Luna's tower at breakneck speeds, making a full circle around Celestia's tower, unaware that Celestia herself was watching them from the balcony, smiling.

Then they wove back through the castle to the mountainside, climbing up along the slopes to the very peak. There the circled, and dove back down toward the city, following closely to the terrain. Weaving through canyons and valleys, past waterfalls and through the trees.

For more than an hour they flew through and around the city without a care in the world. Neither paid much attention to the passage of time, nor did they pay much attention to the other ponies throughout the city, or even the other pegasi sharing the skies. They each were focused on the other; Rainbow leading Twilight through a sky bound dance that spanned the entire city.

Finally, Rainbow caught sight of the sun and realized it was getting close to time for their reservations. Making one more pass through the city, she spotted a clock, and sure enough, it was nearing a quarter to. She led Twilight to a park, she'd scoped out earlier and went in to land. Twilight dove as well, pulling up at the last second flapping against her direction of travel to kill her momentum before touching down lightly in the soft grass. She was breathing a little deeper than Rainbow, but neither was exhausted.

"That was wonderful, Rainbow..." Twilight said, stepping closer and nuzzling her neck. "I've never had a chance to just fly around the city for fun before."

Rainbow grinned and put her wing around her. "Yeah, that was a lot of fun," she agreed then glanced at a nearby clock tower to check how much time they still had. "Come on," she said gesturing for Twilight to follow. "I figure we'd just have a nice relaxing walk to cooldown on our way to dinner."

"That sounds good. So where are we going for dinner?"

Rainbow smiled, putting a wing around her as they started off at a slow relaxed pace, leaving the park and heading down the road toward their destination. "Oh just a little place I heard about called Woodfire's Home Kitchen."

"Woodfire's!?" Twilight exclaimed, excitedly. "That was my favorite place to go whenever my family got together for a special occasion...!" She trailed off, realization crossing her face. Woodfire's may have been her favorite restaurant in Canterlot, but she knew it wasn't really high end and while they did do reservations, getting a reservation the day of was never an issue. "You asked my parents last night, didn't you!?"

"I might have." Rainbow said with a smirk.

Twilight snorted, there was no doubt about it. "It's a great place; they have a huge variety on their menu, and their breadsticks are amazing!"

"Well let's get going. I don't know about you, but I've got quite an appetite."

Twilight's stomach chose that moment to grumble loudly, announcing her own appetite. "I guess I do too." She said, a little embarrassed. "But... we've just been out flying, we're probably a mess... aren't we."

"You always look beautiful, Twilight." Rainbow said giving her a squeeze.

Twilight blushed. "I'm serious, Rainbow."

"So am I." Rainbow said with a grin. "Your mane and tail might be a little wind-blown; but that just makes you more attractive to a pegausus."

Blush deepening, Twilight glanced at her reflection in a store window as they passed. Her mane did appear a little wind blown; but it wasn't all that bad... in fact, she could kind of see why a pegasus would find such a look attractive. After all, it was clear evidence of another flier. "Okay, I guess it's not too bad."

"It's not bad at all." Rainbow insisted, holding Twilight against her side as they walked, not caring who saw.

Woodfire's was just as good as Twilight remembered and Rainbow had to agree; the food was great. She ended up getting a tomato sauce pasta dish with a side salad - mostly because Twilight insisted she try the salad - while Twilight had a portabella melt on toasted sourdough with hay fries and a side salad as well. By the time they got to desert, neither of them had much room left, so they just got a slice of strawberry cheesecake to share.

Finally, after Rainbow paid their tab, they left the restaurant pleasantly stuffed.

"You think you're up for a short flight?" Rainbow asked, once again with her wing around Twillight.

"I don't know... I'm pretty sure I doubled my weight there..."

Rainbow laughed. "It's just a short flight, I promise."

"Alright, lead the way."

Rainbow smiled and took off, hovering just above the street waiting for Twilight to join her. Twilight opened her wings, which were feeling a little stiff from their workout earlier, and took to the air, following as Rainbow took the lead again.

Rainbow set a surprisingly slow and relaxed pace as they flew through the city to the mountainside. It became obvious what she intended as she started to climb up along the mountain towards the peak. Twilight smiled to herself; it was nearing sunset after all.

Some time later, they reached the peak and there found a picnic blanket laid out, held down by stones placed on the corners. "We going to watch the sunset?" Twilight asked with a smile as they landed.

Rainbow shrugged, and laid down on the blanket facing west. "I thought it would be a nice relaxing way to end the day..."

Twilight just continued to smile as she laid down next to her, leaning against her side. "Thanks, Dashie... I've really enjoyed myself tonight."

"So did I do good for our first date?"

"More than just good;" Twilight told her. "I'm a little worried now, how am I ever going to top this when it's my turn to plan the date?"

Rainbow smiled and gave her a quick nuzzle. "You'll think of something; you always do." She said, stretching her wing around Twilight while she did the same, holding each other as they watched the sun draw near the horizon. "You're awesome like that, Twi."

"I don't know; this is going to be pretty hard to top..."

They fell silent then, simply holding each other and enjoying one another's presence as the sun finally set and the moon began to rise into the sky to begin the night.

Author's Note

So this is the last chapter focused on the TwiDash part of the story, and unfortunately it's the last chapter I have fully written, so updates will likely be slowing down from her on out. But one thing about me, I never post anything unless I'm committed to finishing it. (Which is why I have the starts of about seven other stories that I haven't posted yet...)

In any case, the next chapter, Apple Bloom's story really starts going.

Chapter 7: Death

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 7: Death
***

Apple Bloom looked up as Twilight came over to where she had her potions equipment set up on the library’s table.

“So how is it coming?” Twilight asked.

“Ah think it’s almost done. It looks right, anyway.” Apple Bloom said looking at her potion that was simmering over a small flame. It was one of the more complex potions she’d made under Twilight’s guidance. A potion that Twilight had in turn learned from Zecora. Twilight took a close look at the clear, sky blue liquid.

It seemed ridiculously difficult in fact, considering what the potion was meant to do. A cure for the hiccups didn’t seem worth this much effort.

“Yep, looks right. Give it half a minute more then take it off to cool.” Twilight instructed.

She nodded and Twilight went to check on the other two crusaders. Scootaloo was currently reading over notes Twilight had written about the technique for a pegasus to consciously control their magic. It was clear the filly was having a hard time understanding them and since Sweetie Belle was simply practicing the spells she’d learned in her private lessons, Twilight went to see if Scootaloo had any questions. After all she was starting her own lessons tonight after Twilight Time.

Apple Bloom focused on finishing her potion, not wanting to fail at the last step. The usefulness, or lack thereof, aside; the potion was still good practice to make. After a few more moments simmering, the potion took on a greenish tint and it began to give off a pleasant minty smell.

“Smells like that’s done, Apple Bloom.” Twilight called from across the room.

“Yep!” She agreed, already moving the flask away from the flame and blowing out the burner. The potion was exactly how Zecora’s instructions described; teal in color with a smell like spearmint.

“So what does that potion do?”

Apple Bloom looked up at the armored pegasus mare that had become a fixture around the library over the past week. Captain Feather seemed friendly enough, and the other guards that had come with her certainly seemed friendlier than the overly formal guards they had around Canterlot. “It’s a cure for the hiccups.” Apple Bloom said, smiling, then explained. “It relaxes the diaphragm to stop it from twitchin’ which is what causes hiccups.”

“Really? You’ve been brewing this potion for almost two hours. That seems like a lot of work just to cure hiccups.”

“It is,” Twilight agreed, joining them. “But it’s a nice safe potion that’s good practice to make.” She then leaned close to the flask and sniffed to check if the smell was right. She smiled, satisfied. “Looks good, Apple Bloom. Now next time you get the hiccups, just take a spoonful of this and they’ll stop right away.”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll bother making more after this runs out.”

Twilight nodded, smiling. “I know, that’s just the way some potions are; far too much work for the benefits. I know of one recipe that takes nearly three days to brew and all it does is clear up red-eye…”

“Three days?” Feather snorted with a laugh. “You’ll give yourself red-eye trying to brew it!”

“Yeah!” Apple Bloom agreed and turned to begin bottling her potion.

Feather smiled. “Well I’ve got to say, I was rather surprised when Twilight explained to me what this Twilight Time of yours was, that you fillies were really interesting in studying in your free time. But I have to admit, what you’re studying is pretty interesting. It’s not like the average school offers courses on potion making or consciously wielding pegasus magic.”

“Well these three aren’t your average little fillies either.” Twilight said, looking around at the three crusaders with a proud smile.

Apple Bloom blushed and continued working at sealing doses of her potion into individual vials that were enchanted for durability.

“You know, Feather; you could work at learning something as well.” Twilight told the pegasus guard. “I could teach you to wield your pegasus magic.”

She laughed. “As tempting as that is; I have too many other duties and can’t take the time required to learn something like that.”

“Nonsense!” Twilight insisted. “You can spare some time to learn with the rest of us.”

“Heh, well I can’t really afford to be that distracted when I’m on duty.”

“Suit yourself.” Twilight said and, with a nod, Feather returned to her customary position near the front door.

Apple Bloom finished bottling her potion and knowing that Twilight time was almost over, began cleaning up her potion making supplies.

“So, how’s your magic lessons going?”

Apple Bloom looked up at Twilight and shrugged. “RJ’s mostly been teachin’ me some protective spells that he promised AJ that he’d teach me.”

“Oh, well that’s good.” Twilight said with a nod, trying her best not to sound worried.

“But now Ah got the hang of them, RJ said we can start working on illusions and maybe even some time-flow magic!” Apple Bloom told her excitedly.

“Time-flow magic?” Twilight asked, concerned. “That sounds a little dangerous…”

“Nah, he said it’s time-travel magic that’s dangerous. And he said he’s not goin’ to teach me that.”

Twilight raised a brow. “Did he tell you why time-flow magic is safer?”

Apple Bloom frowned thinking. “He said it was because time-flow magic keeps you in the same timeline, but time-travel magic you’re actually moving to an alternate timeline… Ah didn’t really understand it, but that’s what he said…”

Twilight smiled. “Well it definitely sounds interesting… I think I’ll ask him about it sometime.”

“He’s not going to cause and trouble, Twilight.” Apple Bloom said, hearing the suspicion Twilight couldn’t quite keep out of her voice.

She sighed. “I really hope so; Apple Bloom… I’m just trying to look out for you.”

“Ah know.”

Twilight smiled and put a wing around her in a brief hug. “So you and the others have anything planned this evening?”

“Nah, but tomorrow we’re going to go crusading! We haven’t been in a while! We’ve got to get back to it!”

Twilight laughed smiling. “Well; be safe, but have some fun too!”

“We will!”

~~~

It was still early the next morning when Twilight yawned, exiting the bathroom, her mane still a little damp from her morning shower. Absently she cast out with her magic as was habit for her, checking the area around Ponyville for anything out of place.

Then she froze, an icy chill running up her spine. Scanning her surroundings wasn’t one of her habits. She shuddered, wondering just what else she had inherited from Achlys. Still, she had to admit, it was a good idea…

With a sigh she went ahead and continued casting outwards, further and further, encompassing not only Ponyville but much of the lands surrounding the town. There was something… she focused her scan toward the mountains west of Ponyville. It felt like an anomaly of some sort; something was disturbing magic in the area. Frowning, Twilight decided to investigate and with a flash, teleported to the edge of town.

~~~

“Why does it have to be so hot?” Scootaloo groaned, buzzing her wings briefly to fan herself.

“Maybe we should ask princess Celestia.” Sweetie Belle suggested, her horn glowing as she used her magic to create a breeze of her own.

It was still early and already the day promised to be the hottest of the year.

“I’m just glad Me and Rainbow aren’t training today.” Scootaloo said with a sigh.

“What are we goin to do for crusadin’ though?” Apple Bloom asked frowning. “It seems like weeks since we’ve gone! And we’re all so busy now; we can’t miss this opportunity! Who knows when we’ll all have time again!”

“I know but what can we do in this heat?” Scootaloo said.

“We could try something indoors.” Sweetie Belle suggested.

“Nah, we’ve tried everything we can do indoors.”

“How about we go out to Saddle Lake? Ah already tried being a water pony but maybe we can get our cutie marks in marathon swimming!” Apple Bloom suggested.

“There’s an idea, and swimming sounds great right now, even if we don’t get our cutie marks!” Scootaloo agreed.

“Saddle lake is probable really crowded right now…” Sweetie pointed out.

“Not if we go to the south end of the lake.” Scootaloo said, grinning.

“I guess that’s true…” Sweetie hesitantly agreed.

Apple Bloom grinned. “Well let’s get going then! Cutie mark crusader marathon swimmers!”

“YEAH!” Three voices shouted at once.

Moments later they were speeding along the roads through Ponyville to the eastern end of town and Saddle Lake.

~~~

Twilight looked into the cave feeling just a little nervous about what she would find. It hadn’t taken long for her to track down the source of the strange disturbance she’d sensed. It would have taken her longer just a few months ago; and it had definitely taken longer the first time she’d climbed here. Of course, the first time; she hadn’t been alone.

It was the cave where a dragon had once settled for a nap; the very dragon that they’d been tasked with convincing to move on. Now she suspected another dragon had taken up residence.

The anomaly she could sense was inside; and this close, she could feel that there was magic here that she didn’t recognize; magic not of this world.

Taking a deep breath she entered the cave. She hadn’t gone far before a shimmering light became visible from further in; beyond the chamber where the previous dragon had stayed. Following the light, she made her way deeper into the mountain. Turning a corner, she finally saw it. It appeared as a jagged line of light that was constantly shifting and twisting like a bolt of lightning that never touched anything or really moved at all, staying in the same general position in the air.

Twilight stared at it in silence, watching as it twisted and turned; scanning it with her magic, trying to figure out what it could be.

“I figured if anyone were to find this; it would probably be you.”

Twilight looked sharply over her shoulder; recognizing Rekaj’s voice. He was standing in the tunnel behind her. He looked calm, as if he didn’t care that she was here, and wasn’t surprised at all.

“What is this!?” Twilight demanded. “I can sense it all the way in Ponyville!”

“This, is the rift between my world and yours.” He told her matter-of-factly as he stepped past her next to the rift. “You don’t need to worry; despite its appearance, it is completely stable.”

“This leads to your world?” Twilight said looking back at the jagged line of light, her curiosity sparking to life. This was how he came to their world? “How do you pass through something like that?”

He just smiled and reached a claw towards the rift; as he touched it the rift seemed to wrap around his claw, growing wider and twisting in impossible ways as his claw passed through, vanishing on the other side. Everything seemed to be twisting around the rift in eye watering ways. Finally, Twilight had to look away as the twisting started making her feel nauseous.

“The rift expands to allow passage to anything that touches it.” Rekaj explained. “It’s okay, you can look again; I know it can be hard to look at when something is passing through the portal.”

Twilight turned back, examining the rift once more. “It really doesn’t look stable… are you sure it’s safe?”

“Yes, I’m sure; after all, if it weren’t, my world would be in danger as well.”

Twilight looked up at him; like before he was being very forthcoming and friendly. Was he telling the truth? If so, then there was another world just beyond that flickering light… A whole other world. “Will you show me your world?” She asked, her curiosity overcoming her suspicions.

He sighed. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Why not?”

“Because as you pointed out when we last met; your magic is an integral part of your being, and I don’t know how you’d be affected, being in an environment without any ambient magic.” Rekaj laid down, putting himself more at her level. “In addition, my world can often be a dangerous place; admittedly you’d probably be fine if I escorted you myself, but I also don’t wish for anyone in my world to find out about yours. There are some factions in my world that would likely seek to conquer this world if they knew about it.”

“Oh, I guess those are pretty good reasons…” Twilight said, just a little disappointed.

He gave a soft laugh. “Yeah… perhaps if I kept you under an illusion while you’re there, I could show you some day. But we’d definitely need to make sure you’ll be alright without magic before we tried.

“So there’s no ambient magic at all there?”

He gave a small nod. “In my world, all magic comes from within; dragons are the strongest of the mortal races; but the Dracori and Senesori have some magic as well.”

“But where does the energy come from then if you don’t have an ambient magic field?”

“That, is one of the great mysteries of my world. Our best guess is that we draw energy from another plane of existence; but no one has ever been able to prove it.”

Twilight considered that for a moment, then shrugged, deciding it could wait. “So why is this rift open? Were you about to leave?”

“No.” Rekaj shook his head. “Due to giving my sa’dracori to Apple Bloom; I have to leave it open when I’m over there anyway, so I decided to just leave it open. That’s why I put it up here in this cave; so no one was likely to stumble across it. Fortunately I was also keeping the cave under surveillance, just in case; so I was alerted when you found it.”

“So you were trying to hide it?”

“Yes.” He answered simply.

Twilight raised a brow.

“Would you rather I placed it somewhere every curious passerby could pass through it and possibly get themselves killed?”

“Why does it have to stay open?” Twilight asked.

“Because I don’t know what would happen if the connection between our worlds were cut off with Apple Bloom and I in separate worlds. Most likely it would sever the bond between us which would be the same as if I took the Sa’Dracori back from her. And I already told you what that would do…”

Twilight sighed. “Right…” She stared at the rift watching it twist and bend in the air. It didn’t really look all that stable; but at the same time it was staying in the same general location in the air, never moving or growing larger, so perhaps it was. Taking a deep breath she shook her head. “I wish that I could trust you…”

Rekaj smiled understandingly. “I know it’s difficult. You care a great deal about Apple Bloom and just want to protect her. It’s perfectly understandable for you not to trust me; after all, you hardly know me.”

“Well maybe we should fix that.” Twilight said looking up at him. Rekaj looked back in surprise but then slowly smiled. “Will you tell me more about your world?” Twilight asked, sitting down in front of him.

“I would be glad to, Princess. Where would you like me to start?”

Twilight shrugged. “Well you said you rule over one of the nations of your world; why don’t you tell me about your land.”

Rekaj smiled. “Azuria is a beautiful land. Set in the peaks of the western ranges of Toravi, my flight has long made it our home…”

~~~

Apple Bloom leaned on the front of the wagon, as they sped along the road out to Saddle Lake, Sweetie Belle hanging on behind her.

“So you learn any fun spells yet, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie asked curiously to pass the time.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Just the wing spell really; RJ’s spent most the time he’s been teaching me on some protective spells that AJ wanted him to. That reminds me…” She closed her eyes and focused, the Sa’Dracori glowing brightly as she cast a spell. It was by far the most difficult she’d learned and she still had to struggle to get it right, but after a moment she felt it snap into place.

“What was that?” Sweetie asked as Bloom’s shoulder returned to normal and she opened her eyes again.

“Just a protective spell RJ taught me. He said Ah should cast it ever so often.”

“Oh; okay. What does it do?”

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Ah don’t know other than it’s some kind of time magic. RJ said it would be too hard to explain.”

“Huh… Well that wing spell is still pretty cool.”

Apple Bloom grinned and her shoulder glowed again, her wings taking shape folded against her sides.

“Oh wow! They look like real wings now!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

“Yep, Ah finally got the visual part of the spell down.”

“You look just like a pegasus!”

“What!?” Scootaloo said looking over her shoulder. “Oh wow, you do look like a pegasus!”

“Yeah, I can’t wait to learn how to use them!” Apple Bloom told her. “As soon as you get your magic down, we gotta start learning how to fly.”

“You bet!” Scootaloo agreed enthusiastically.

Sweetie frowned. “It’s too bad I can’t learn a spell to give me wings…”

Apple Bloom looked at Sweetie. It hadn’t occurred to her that she might make Sweetie feel left out by joining Scootaloo in learning how to fly. “Didn’t Twilight give Rarity wings once? Couldn’t you learn that spell?”

“Maybe… But Rarity said it was a really hard spell, she said even Twilight could only cast it once. And if Twilight struggled to cast it…”

“Well you could still ask… Maybe she knows an easier spell now.” Apple Bloom suggested letting her wing spell fade away.

“We’re almost there!” Scootaloo called back to them.

Apple Bloom turned forward again seeing the lake ahead the water shimmering in the bright sunlight. Despite the heat, the beach ahead was completely unoccupied. Nopony came to the south end of the lake, mostly because of what was along the south shore. Looming over the lake stood the unmistakable trees of the Everfree forest. “Ah can’t wait to get in the water.”

“Me too! And look, we’ve got the whole beach to ourselves.”

The path they were following turned toward the edge of the forest and followed along the trees the last little ways to the beach, and Scootaloo sped along at their normal break-neck pace eager to dive in to the refreshingly cool water…

“LOOK OUT!” Sweetie’s shrill scream came just before something enormous and scaly slammed down on the path just in front of them. Scootaloo had no time to react; they slammed into the obstruction, the three of them tumbling across the ground.

Dazed, Apple Bloom heard what sounded like multiple roars at once and saw a hulking form standing over them. Frantically she clambered to her hooves and began to gallop away, but before she’d gotten even a few steps, the ground shook violently with another impact and she stumbled falling once more.

“Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo screamed behind her and she managed to lift herself up enough to look. Sweetie Belle hadn’t moved. She was still lying where she had fallen in the crash, staring up at the creature that had attacked them, her eyes wide with horror. A body the size of a house, supporting four long snake-like necks that ended in wedge shaped heads. The heads roared again, and Apple Bloom saw their mouths, more than large enough to swallow a pony whole, were filled with teeth long enough to be swords.

“Sweetie, get out of there!” Apple Bloom shouted.

Sweetie looked over at them, terror in her eyes, but didn’t move; she couldn’t. Then a mouth with far too many teeth snapped shut around her.

“SWEETIE BELLE!”

Apple Bloom just watched on in disbelief. This couldn’t be happening; it just couldn’t.

“No, Give her back!” Scootaloo screamed, rational thought abandoning her. She charged the beast spun in the air and gave it the strongest flying buck she could manage. It hardly noticed. Almost carelessly, it flicked her away with one of it’s massive legs. Scootaloo was sent skipping across the ground a short ways before slamming into a tree and collapsing limply at its base; unconscious or worse… Apple Bloom could see her legs were bent oddly, and there was blood, a lot of blood. She wasn’t moving.

The ground shook as the beast took a step toward her. She looked up at it, eyes wide. The shock of what she’d seen warring with her instinct of self-preservation; one trying to freeze her in place, the other screaming at her to run. Too late, she turned to gallop away. There was a gust of hot steamy air as something clamped down around her middle, she felt agonizing pain as something pierced her belly and back, nearly splitting her in two.

Then she felt a rushing sensation as the ground was pulled away. She felt herself released as the world spun around and around. She tumbled helplessly high in the air, catching glimpses of the monster below her one of its heads raised up, mouth agape. There was nothing she could do. She screamed at the top of her lungs, flailing her front legs; her hind legs weren’t responding. Then the beast’s mouth snapped shut around her and everything was dark slimy and oppressively hot.

She felt herself enveloped in moving tissue, felt her mangled body being forced down. The walls of the creature’s gullet pressed in on her, even if there had been air to breath she wouldn’t have been able to from the pressure. She felt her bones creaking, cracking, snapping as the muscles of the massive throat compressed around her, forcing her deeper and deeper toward her fate. Finally, mercifully, the pain became too much and everything went dark.

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait, good news is, the next chapter is already written up in first draft form; which is partially why this one took so long. I wanted the next one finished before I posted this one. For obvious reason, I didn't want to make you wait too long for the next chapter. And even more good news; being on vacation I've already gotten a good amount of chapter 9 written as well. So hopefully that one won't be very long either.

Did anyone catch the reference to one of my other stories?

Chapter 8: Life after Death

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 8: Life after Death
***

Rekaj froze, eyes going wide. Twilight looked on confused at first, but soon becoming worried. They’d been having a rather pleasant conversation about the lands of his home, and she’d been enjoying the chance to learn of a whole other world, but now it seemed something had happened…

Without warning he got to his feet and started toward the entrance of the cave. “We have to find Apple Bloom, NOW!”

Twilight followed fearfully. The tone of his voice… “Why, what happened?”

“I just felt one of the protective spells I taught her activate. One I had hoped she would never need.”

“You mean she’s in trouble!?” Twilight asked galloping after the far larger dragon.

Rekaj shook his head. “Not anymore…” He said cryptically as he exited the cave, and without another word, he took wing, flying toward the edge of Ponyville and Sweet Apple Acres, Twilight following close behind.

~~~

There was a warmth all around her; and a bright light that she could see even with her eyes closed. Wind was rushing past her, the sound of wheels and a metal frame bouncing along a dirt path, along with the buzz of small but powerful wings…

“What was that?” Sweetie Belle’s voice.

Terror filled eyes, massive jaws filled with sword like teeth snapping shut around a small white filly.

Apple Bloom’s eyes snapped open, blinding light filling her world. As her eyes adjusted, she became aware of the scenery passing by at a rapid pace. She could feel Sweetie Belle hanging onto her, riding in the back of the wagon, and she could see Scootaloo in front, pulling them along on her scooter. Ahead, she could just make out the lake in the distance.

A scaly body the size of a house, four snake-like necks topped with four wedge shaped heads. That horrible roar.

“STOP!” She screamed.

Scootaloo complied more out of shock than anything else.

“Don’t… don’t go… not the lake, don’t go to the lake!” Apple Bloom stammered, her eyes wild with fear while her friends looked on in shock.

Sweetie Belle looked up at Scootaloo, unsure what to do as Apple Bloom curled up in the wagon, shivering uncontrollably and repeating the words, “don’t go to the lake,” over and over.

“What happened?” Scootaloo asked concerned as well.

“I don’t know,” Sweetie bell said, shaking her head. “Her shoulder glowed like it does when she casts a spell and then she just started to panic…” She looked down at Apple Bloom, worried. “We better get her home…”

Scootaloo watched Apple Bloom for a moment more. “Yeah, I think you’re right." She agreed finally.

Turning her scooter around, she started back toward Sweet Apple Acres at a slower than normal pace. Wanting to comfort her friend, Sweetie Belle wrapped her hooves around Apple Bloom, holding her in what she hoped was a comforting embrace as Scootaloo took them home.

~~~

Twilight glanced over at the blue pegasus stallion flying by her side. Rekaj had landed at the edge of Sweet Apple Acres and continued on in his illusionary pony form, but he hadn’t said any more about what had happened. Just that they needed to find Apple Bloom. His concern for Apple Bloom while also reassuring in a way; was really making Twilight worry about what had happened.

Unfortunately they had no way of knowing where Apple Bloom was. While Rekaj could feel her general condition, in addition to sensing whenever she used his magic; he could not sense where she was, he couldn’t even sense how far away she was. So they were starting at the first logical place. The flight down from the mountain where she’d found him had taken some time, but finally they arrived at the farm house, and Twilight was relieved to see the crusader’s wagon and Scootaloo’s scooter out front. They didn’t hesitate to knock.

A few moments later the door was opened by Applejack.

“Twi…” She said in relief, worry clear in her eyes. Then her gaze fell on Rekaj.

Rage erupted across her expression and with a shout she leaped at him, tackling the illusionary stallion to the ground. “WHAT IN TARTARUS DID YOU DO TO MY SISTER!” Applejack screamed, her hooves at his neck.

“Applejack!” Twilight exclaimed and quickly used her magic to pull the two apart.

“He did something, Twi!” Applejack shouted, struggling to get free. “His magic did something to Bloom!”

Twilight turned a glare at Rekaj as he got back to his hooves, rubbing his neck.

“My magic saved her life!” He told them fiercely.

Applejack pointed back in the house where the other two crusaders, Big Mac and Granny Smith had gathered around the door. “Bloom is in there, trembling like a little leaf, refusing to talk to anypony!”

“I know; It’s the shock of what my magic saved her from!”

Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Explain! Now!”

“The spell…” He shook his head. “I told Apple Bloom it would be too hard to explain, but really I just didn’t want her to dwell on it.”

“What does it do!?” Twilight demanded, her voice icy cold.

“It’s a last resort defense. When cast, it creates a temporal anchor; then when it is activated, it resets time to that anchor, undoing anything that’s happened; but even after time is reset the caster retains their memories of that time…”

“So Apple Bloom still remembers the time that got reset, that’s what’s upsetting her?” Twilight asked skeptically and he nodded.

“Ah know my sister! Apple Bloom would not be this upset by a little bit of time shenanigans!” Applejack objected.

Rekaj just nodded. “It’s what triggered the reset that is upsetting her. The spell is a last resort defense.” He emphasized. “It’s only triggered… if the caster dies.”

They all stared at him for a moment in silence as that sunk in. Twilight put a hoof to her mouth in horror as she realized what Apple Bloom must be going through.

“Apple Bloom died!?” Scootaloo exclaimed, finally breaking the silence.

Rekaj nodded. “Sometime after she cast the spell; something happened and Apple Bloom was killed. The spell was triggered and time was reset to before it happened; but Apple Bloom remembers what happened. She remembers dying.” He sighed, looking down. “I never wanted her to experience that…”

“Well if you hadn’t gone and given her your gosh darn magic, she wouldn’t have had to!” Applejack shouted.

Anger flared in Rekaj’s eyes. “If I hadn’t given her my magic, Apple Bloom would be dead now!”

“Enough!” Twilight shouted stepping between them and pushing them both back with her wings. “Now is not the time for this! We need to worry about Apple Bloom right now!”

The anger drained from Rekaj’s expression and he nodded. “Yes… You have to let me talk to her.”

Applejack glared at him. “Bloom has to know that your magic was involved; Ah doubt she wants to talk to you right now.”

“I know,” He said sadly. “But I’m the only one who knows what it’s like to die and be brought back; I’m the only one who can understand what she’s going through right now…”

“No, you’re not.” Twilight said softly.

He looked at her surprised. “What?”

“I know what it’s like to die and be brought back to life…” Twilight told him.

“When…?” He gasped in shock.

“During the Achlys incident.” Twilight told him simply. “I know what it’s like; so I’ll talk to Apple Bloom.”

Rekaj hesitated, looking like he was going to object, but then sighed and nodded. “Okay.”

“Ah just hope she’ll talk to you…” Applejack said softly. “Come on.”

“Me too.” Twilight said softly then glanced around at the rest of those gathered. “Everypony, be civil. And Rekaj?” He looked up. “I believe that you didn’t want Apple Bloom, to go through this, but the fact remains that it is your magic that made this possible. Yes, it might have been worse without it; but I don’t think that will be much comfort to Bloom.”

Rekaj nodded understanding. Satisfied, Twilight followed Applejack into the house. Together, they made their way upstairs to Apple Bloom’s room. There Applejack quietly opened the door and let Twilight inside.

Twilight hadn’t been in Apple Bloom’s room before, but as she looked around she found it was quite fitting for the young filly. Then she saw Apple Bloom and everything else ceased to matter. The filly was curled up on her bed, her back to the door; her entire body shaking as she whimpered quietly.

Biting her lip; Twilight slowly approached the bed. “Apple Bloom?” she said softly, sitting down at the side of the bed. “Rekaj told me what must have happened…”

Apple Bloom sniffed softly but otherwise didn’t respond.

Taking a breath, Twilight reached out and gently rested a hoof on Apple Bloom’s shoulder. “I know what it’s like, Apple Bloom… to die and come back.”

Slowly, Apple Bloom raised her head, looking over her shoulder at Twilight, her eyes red and puffy from crying. There was fear there, a deep-rooted fear that Twilight knew all too well.

“It’s alright, Apple Bloom.” Twilight said softly, with a gentle smile. “You’re still you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes again, and without warning she rolled over, throwing her hooves around Twilight. She burst into sobs, clutching tightly to the princess, half hanging off the bed.

Twilight wrapped her hooves around her, holding her as she cried. Gently, she pulled the filly into her embrace, then carefully used her wings to lift them both back onto the bed. There she wrapped her wings around Apple Bloom as well, holding her in a comforting embrace as she continued to cry into Twilight’s shoulder.

Twilight held her, gently rocking back and forth, knowing that she needed to let it out. At first she just murmured soft reassurances to her, but after a few minutes she began to hum softly. It was an old tune; a comforting lullaby that she remembered being sung to her when she was a filly herself. She couldn’t remember the words; she wasn’t even sure if there were any, but the melody was all there and so she continued to softly hum the comforting song as she held the crying filly gently in her hooves and wrapped in her wings. And Apple Bloom clung to her as if she’d never let go.

~~~

Applejack paced back and forth in her family’s living room, unable to relax. Granny Smith, Big Macintosh, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were still all there; even Rekaj, in his pony illusion form was still waiting, sitting silently in the corner of the room. It had been more than an hour since Twilight had gone it to talk to Apple Bloom.

She’d heard her sister’s cries early on, and it had been torturous to stay out. She wanted nothing more than to comfort her little sister. But she’d tried herself before Twilight had arrived; Apple Bloom wouldn’t even speak to her. She knew she had to trust in Twilight to do what she could not for Apple Bloom. Clearly she had been successful.

After a time, the cries had been replaced by a soft tune, hummed by Twilight. It was gentle and comforting, and unlike any lullaby she’d ever heard. That had gone on for some time, and Applejack had even found herself feeling reassured by the gentle melody. Finally, the room had grown quiet save for a few soft murmurs of them talking softly; then even that had eventually gone silent. Applejack was about to go check on them when there was a knock on the front door.

With a sigh, she went to answer, and was surprised to find one of the pegasi of Twilight’s royal guard standing there.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, miss Applejack, but have you heard from Princess Twilight at all today?” He asked, looking worried.

Applejack blinked. “Uh, yeah, she’s here now actually…”

Relief washed over him. “She is?”

Applejack just nodded.

“Oh good.” He said and pulled a small disc out of a pouch on one of the straps holding his armor. He then set in on the ground out away from the house and gave it two quick taps with one hoof. A second later a blue ball of light shot up from the disk, high into the air and burst into a bright continuous light that hung in the air and didn’t seem likely to come down anytime soon.

“What’s that all about?” Applejack asked, looking up at the light.

“That’s just to signal the others that the princess is found.” He told her. “We’ve been searching most the morning since we discovered she was missing.”

Applejack blinked in surprise. Missing?

Before she could ask about it, though, there was a blur, accompanied by a blast of wind as a second pegasus landed; Captain Feather.

“You found her, sergeant?”

“Twilight’s inside.” Applejack told her. “She’s been here for over an hour…”

Feather growled under her breath. “Dammit, of course she has…” She grumbled and started to head inside.

“Now hold on a second!” Applejack said stepping in front of the guard captain. “Apple Bloom went through a terrible ordeal this morning and Twi is helping her through it; they can’t be disturbed right now!”

Feather growled again in frustration, but relented. “Fine, Sergeant, when the rest of the guard arrives, inform them of the situation and have them take up posts around the farm house.”

He gave a quick salute and Feather turned back to Applejack. “How much longer do your think she’ll be?”

“Ah don’t know…” Applejack said sadly. “It’s been quiet the last little bit; Ah think Bloom might have fallen asleep.”

“I’ll wait for the princess then.”

“Alright, come on in, Feather.”

It was some time later that Twilight finally emerged from Apple Bloom’s bedroom. She looked tired, but gave a sad smile when Applejack jumped to her hooves. “Bloom is sleeping now… but I think she’s doing better.”

Applejack let out a relieved sigh. “Thanks Twilight.”

“I think she’ll be alright when she wakes, but I’ll send you an amp so you can contact me if she needs to talk some more. Or she can come up to the library if she wants.” Twilight told her.

“Princess. We need to talk.” Feather spoke up suddenly.

Twilight looked over at her, surprised. “Uh… In a minute, Feather.”

“Princess…” Feather started to object.

“Later, Feather.” Twilight told her firmly. “We’ve got a problem to deal with. There’s apparently a hydra somewhere around the southern end of Saddle Lake. We need to drive it away before somepony gets hurt… somepony else…”

Feather glared at her for a moment, but nodded. “I’ll send a squad to take care of it.”

“Thank you, Feather.” Twilight said as her captain went outside where the rest of her royal guard had gathered.

“There’s a Hydra at saddle lake!?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, both her and Scootaloo were looking up at Twilight with wide eyes.

Twilight sighed and nodded.

“Is that how Bloom…” Applejack swallowed. “died?”

“Yes. And not just her.” Twilight looked down at the other crusaders. “She watched that monster kill both of you as well, before it ate her.”

“You mean we….” Scootaloo gulped.

Twilight nodded.

“But her spell turned back time to before it happened, so only she remembers.” Rekaj said softly. “Try not to think about it, children… You’re safe and sound, that’s what matters.”

“Yes.” Twilight agreed. “But Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, promise me you won’t bring this up with Apple Bloom, don’t go asking her about it. If she wants to talk to you about it, she will.”

Both crusaders nodded. “We promise!”

Twilight smiled. “Good, now Bloom is going to need some time; but I’m counting on you to be there for her when she needs you.”

“Of course!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

“Alright, well for now, you should probably head home.” Twilight told them.

They glanced at each other, then reluctantly nodded. “Okay.”

Twilight watched them go, then turned to Rekaj. “Bloom knows that your spell saved her life; but she’s going to need some time before she’s ready to see you again.

He nodded. “Of course, I will take my leave for now. Should you wish to contact me; just go to the hill where we first met and call my name. I will answer.”

“Alright. I’ll let you know when Apple Bloom is doing better.”

“Thank you. Farewell for now,” he said then his pony form faded away.

“You think Bloom will be alright now?” Applejack asked worriedly once he was gone.

“I think so.” Twilight told her honestly. “But it will take a while before she’s back to her old self… and even then… Applejack, what she went through, that kind of experience can change a pony.”

“Ah know…”

“Just go easy with her. If she wants to talk; listen, but don’t pressure her.”

“Ah won’t, Twi.” Applejack said and gave a sad smile. “Thanks again.”

Twilight smiled back. “Of course.”

“Princess.”

Twilight looked toward the door where Captain Feather stood, having carried out her orders.

“What is it, Feather?”

“We need to talk, now.” She said sounding angry.

Twilight glanced at Applejack wondering if she knew why Feather was upset, but she just shrugged.

“Feather, can it wait?”

“No.” She said simply.

Twilight sighed. “Alright. I’ll see you later Applejack.” She said and followed her captain out of the house.

“Later, Twi.” Applejack called after her.

Feather led Twilight out of the house, and with a quick gesture, ordered the other guards to stay behind, then continued on. Twilight followed her as she led the way out into the orchards. She didn’t stop until the farm house was out of sight. Finally, she turned back toward Twilight.

“Feather, what is this about?” Twilight asked, feeling a little annoyed now.

Feather just glared back at her for a few moments more. “Who am I, princess?”

“Feather…”

“Answer the question!”

Twilight gave an annoyed sigh. “You’re Captain Feather, leader of my royal guard.”

“That’s right.” She said firmly. “I am the leader of your Royal Guard. Which means that I, along with all those under me, have dedicated our lives to protecting you. But we can’t do that when you disappear and don’t take us with you, or even tell us where you are going!”

“Feather, I can take care of myself.” Twilight objected.

“I know that! That’s beside the point!” Feather almost shouted. “When you leave us behind; when you don’t let us do our jobs. You might as well be saying that you don’t even care; that our lives are worthless to you!”

Twilight looked at her aghast. “Feather, I didn’t mean… I would never think that!”

“I know that, Princess! And the rest of the guard knows it as well. But that’s how it feels.”

Twilight lowered her eyes, realizing just what Feather meant. “I… I’m sorry.”

Feather’s expression softened a little. “I know you’re not used to having a royal guard; that it’s going to take some time to adjust. And I know that there may be times that we won’t be able to help you, when we’ll have to step aside and let you handle things. But just remember; we’ve dedicated our lives to protecting you; so please, let us.”

Twilight’s shoulders sagged, her wings hanging down slightly. “Feather, I didn’t know… I’m sorry; I’ll try to do better.”

Finally, Feather smiled. “Thank you, princess. That’s all I can ask.”

“I guess I should apologize to the rest of the guard as well.”

“I’m sure they’d appreciate it.”

Twilight sighed and nodded. “Alright; let’s gather the rest of the guard and head on back.”

“As you command, princess.” Feather said, giving her a quick salute.

It would still take some getting used to. But Twilight knew she’d do her best not to make her guard feel useless again.

Author's Note

So this reset spell is what makes Rekaj one of the two greatest powers in his world. He essentially can't be killed; and now, neither can Apple Bloom. The downside of course, is that they still have to experience dying.

As a side, though all Blue dragons have the same type of magic, only Rekaj as the aspect of his flight, has enough power to cast the reset spell. Other than Rekaj there's only the five Copper aspects that could possibly learn the spell; but due to how their magic works, learning it would be a hundred times more difficult and Rekaj couldn't teach them anyway.

Chapter 9: The Power to Protect

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 9: The Power to Protect

***

Twilight looked around at the three crusaders and smiled. It had been nearly three weeks since the incident with the hydra, and things were finally getting back to normal. Apple Bloom was still quieter than before, but she was able to laugh and play with her friends, even if she did have some moments where she would stare of into space, clearly deep in thought.

It had surprised Twilight when Apple Bloom had shown up for the crusader’s usual Twilight Time only three days after the incident. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had been just as surprised, but they’d done their best to make sure their friend felt at ease. It had been a rather low key Twilight Time, but all the same, Apple Bloom had seemed better for it. She’d continued to come to every Twilight Time, though she wasn’t doing anything else, then finally, last week, she’d spent some time with her friends outside of Twilight Time. Since then she’d quickly improved and Twilight was confident she would soon be back to her old self.

“I got it!” Scootaloo suddenly shouted excitedly, getting everyone’s attention. They all looked over at her were she was practicing. Determined as she was, she was still using Twilight Time to practice the magic techniques Twilight was teaching her in her private lessons.

“You used your magic?” Sweetie Belle asked excitedly, galloping over to see.

“Yeah! Check this out!” She said rearing up and spreading her wings, she gave them a strong flap toward them and a gust of wind far stronger than her wing alone could have caused swept over them all, tossing their manes about.

Twilight smiled proudly. “That’s wonderful Scootaloo, now you’re one step closer to flying.”

Scootaloo’s grin was threatening to split her face in two. “This is awesome!”

“That’s great, Scoots.” Apple Bloom said, smiling.

“Yeah! I’m so happy for you, Scoots.” Sweetie Belle said, trapping Scootaloo in a tight hug.

“Thanks, Sweetie.” Scootaloo managed to get out despite the air being driven from her lungs.

“Now in your next lesson, we can start going over how to manipulate the air around your wings properly for flight.” Twilight told the excited pegasus.

“Then I can start training with Rainbow Dash to actually fly, right!?” Scootaloo asked, finally breaking free of Sweetie Belle.

Twilight smiled. “Mmhmm.”

“YES!” Scootaloo’s shout reverberated through the library. Even Captain Feather grinned at the filly’s excitement.

“Congrats, kid.”

“This is so awesome!”

“Remember, though, it’s going to take a lot of work and practice to get used to manipulating your magic while flying, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t get it right away.” Twilight warned.

She nodded. “I won’t!” She jumped into the air, buzzing her wings. “Oh, I can’t wait.”

“Neither can Ah Scoots!” Apple Bloom said, grinning as well. “And Ah’ll be right there with you!”

“You bet!” Scootaloo agreed.

Twilight smiled at their excitement. It was good to see them all so happy again, especially Apple Bloom. “Alright girls, well I think it’s time to call it a day, so let’s get everything cleaned up.”

They nodded and quickly went about putting their things away, mostly small props they’d used for their practice. Apple Bloom still had the most to clean up, with all her potion equipment, so Twilight went to help her.

“So how you doing, Apple Bloom?” Twilight asked softly as they worked to clean up Apple Bloom’s equipment.

“I’m doing better…” She answered just as softly. “Ah… Ah was thinking I’d go see RJ again.”

Twilight smiled. She’d kept in touch with Rekaj over the past few weeks so she knew that Apple Bloom hadn’t contacted him since the incident. “He’ll be happy to see you; he’s been worried.”

She nodded. “Ah know…”

Putting the last of Apple Blooms potions equipment in her saddlebags, Twilight pulled the filly into a tight hug. “He didn’t mean for you to experience that, Bloom.”

Apple Bloom tensed slightly, but nodded all the same, hugging Twilight back. “Ah know.”

Twilight held her for a moment more, then, finally released her. “Rekaj said you already know how to contact him.”

She nodded.

“Alright, well you do that.”

“Ah will.” She said, putting on her saddle bags and joining the other crusaders who were already ready to go. “Thanks Twilight.”

“Yeah, thanks Twilight! We’ll see you later!” Sweetie Belle called out, giving Twilight a wave.

“You’re welcome girls, and Scootaloo, remember we have your lesson later tonight.”

“I’ll be there!” Scootaloo called back giving a wave as well.

“See you then.” Twilight said smiling, then closed the door behind them.

~~~

“RJ?” Apple Bloom called standing out on the hill where she’d often met Rekaj. It didn’t take long before there was a rush of wind and the heavy beat of wings and the blue dragon appeared, landing on the hill with her.

“Apple Bloom… it’s good to see you.”

“Hi, RJ.” Apple Bloom said without much enthusiasm.

Rekaj smiled sadly. “How are you doing Apple Bloom?”

“Ah’m better.” She said softly. “Ah still have nightmares about it… but princess Luna’s been helping me with those.”

Rekaj laid down and lowered his head down to her level. “I never wanted you to experience that. I taught you that spell hoping you’d never need it. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you about what it did.”

“That’s okay, RJ…” She said, though the shudder in her voice showed that it really wasn’t. “Ah know it save my life… me and the other crusaders.”

He reached out a foreclaw and gently placed in on her shoulder. “Even so; I know how hard it is…”

Apple Bloom just nodded. “RJ… Ah want to learn more about time magic. Ah want to learn more protective spells… spells Ah can use to protect my friends.” She sniffed and looked up at Rekaj determinedly. “And Ah want to learn to fight, to do something and not just stand there and watch! So that even if Ah die again; Ah won’t have to watch my friends die too!”

Rekaj nodded understandingly. “Alright, I’ll teach you what I can. But Bloom; you should know, that the reset spell is still active; it doesn’t matter that it was activated, if you were to die again, it would reset you back to when you cast it again. So it would be for the best for you to keep casting it ever so often like I told you.”

She nodded. “Okay…” Closing her eyes, she cast the spell once more.

Rekaj smiled. “Now, where would you like to start?

“Time magic… If Ah learned time magic, Ah could turn back time without having to die again, right…”

He nodded. “Yes you could.”

Apple Bloom smiled weakly. “Then let’s start with that.”

“Very well.”

~~~

“Hey, Twi!”

Twilight smiled at the sound of Rainbow’s voice, and looked up in time to see her marefriend flying into the library. “Hi, Dashie.”

She landed and gave Twilight a quick kiss. “So I saw they’re already getting started on your new place out there.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Yeah, Celestia wants me to have my full guard as soon as possible.”

Rainbow gave her a smirk. “Well I can’t object to my mare being well protected.”

“I hardly need protecting.” Twilight said softly and stole another kiss.

“So, what you working on.” She asked, looking at the table where several hoof bracelets were laid out. They were simple but elegant, each with a single small gem of varying colors.

“Well, after I made that bracelet a while back that was just the communication enchantment from the amps, I realized that those would be pretty useful. So I’ve made a few modifications and made one for you, me, and all the rest of the girls.” Twilight told her, grinning.

“Sweet, how do they work!?”

“Mostly the same, but instead of broadcasting to everypony at once, these you can say who you want to talk to, they’re color coded to the elements;” she said picking up the one bearing a red gem. “So this one is yours.”

Rainbow took it and put it on, fitting it tightly around her left forehoof. “Not bad… but I don’t think I’d wear it when I’m doing stunts.”

Twilight smiled, putting the bracelet with the magenta gem on herself. “Now you just tap the gem twice and say who you want to talk to.”

“Like this?” She tapped the gem twice. “Twilight.”

Twilight’s bracelet let out a ping and started blinking. “That means someone is trying to contact you; to accept, just tap the gem once.” She did so and Rainbow’s bracelet let out a soft ping and the gem started glowing. “Then you’re connected.” Twilight said and her voice was echoed by Rainbow’s bracelet. “Then to disconnect, just double tap the gem again.” She demonstrated and both bracelets let out two pings descending in pitch, and stopped glowing.

“Nice.”

Twilight smiled. “So any reason you stopped by?”

Rainbow gave her a smirk and threw a wing around her. “You mean besides to see you?”

Twilight blushed slightly. “Um, I guess that was kind of a silly question, huh…”

Rainbow gave her a squeeze. “I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to go for an evening flight.”

“That sounds great, but how about we take these around to all our friends first.” Twilight suggested.

“Sure. Want me to carry a couple so you don’t have to bring your saddlebags?”

Twilight gave her a smirk as her horn lit up, levitating all the bracelets at once. “I think I’ve got it,” she said and gave Rainbow a quick kiss on the cheek. “But thanks for offering.” Looking toward her guard Captain, she saw Feather raise a brow expectantly.

“How good of fliers are the pegasi in the guard?” She asked.

“Among some of the best; though the armor does slow us down a bit.” Feather told her, stretching her own wings.

“Then we won’t expect you to try and match our moves.” Twilight said with a wink. With that, she took off, flying out the door. Laughing, Rainbow chased after her, followed closely by Captain Feather; a purple aura closing the door behind them.

Spike just let out an amused snort from where he was laying, reading a comic, well aware that they had completely forgotten he was there.

~~~

“Wow… that’s still freaky watching everything going backwards and not being able to control myself.” Apple Bloom said stumbling slightly in the shade of the orchard.

“I’m just glad you managed to include me this time.” Rekaj said. It had been a few days since Apple Bloom had asked to learn more about Time spells, and she’d worked diligently to learn the first and simplest time-flow spell he had. “It was getting old trying to go on with the lesson only to have you tell me we already finished…” he groused.

Apple Bloom blushed. The first few times she’d cast the reverse time-flow spell, she’d failed to include Rekaj in the spell and as a result he was not aware what had happened other than she’d cast a spell. When included in the spell, however, he retained his memories of the time she had reversed.

“I’d say you’ve got the hang of the basic time flow spell.” Rekaj told her smiling proudly. “You’re ready to move on to time-fields.”

“Okay. What’s a time-field?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Quite simply it’s a time flow spell that only affects a specific area. However, they have a few restrictions and dangers that normal time flow spells don’t have.” Rekaj explained. “For instance, it is extraordinarily dangerous to make a time field reverse the flow of time; in fact, any extreme differences in the flow of time can be dangerous even if you don’t reverse time.”

Apple Bloom swallowed feeling a little nervous.

Rekaj just smiled reassuringly and raised a foreclaw casting his magic. “So… this is a time field.” He told her, indicating the slightly blue volume that appeared in the air forming a cube, three feet across. “Do not touch… this is a rather dangerous time field, the time inside is moving at a thousandth of normal speed. Watch.” Picking up a fallen apple he tossed it at the cube. It flew through the air and bounced off the cube as if it were solid.

Apple Bloom blinked. “Why’d it do that?”

“The time inside the cube is so much slower, that the air itself doesn’t have time to move around the apple so it might as well be solid.” Rekaj explained. “Now watch what happens if the apple is inside to start…” He dismissed the time-field and instead created a sheet of blue light that he set the apple on. Then the time-field reappeared around the apple and the sheet of light faded.

At first nothing seemed to happen, then the apple began to fall in slow motion, gradually picking up speed as it approached the bottom of the cube. The apple reached the bottom; and a spray of fine particles sprayed down, covering the ground under the cube with the finest ground applesauce Apple Bloom had ever seen while the apple itself very slowly disappeared through the bottom of the cube.

Apple Bloom stared wide eyed at the mess that had been a piece of fruit only moments before.

“As the apple left the time-field, the particles outside were suddenly moving much faster than those still inside the time-field. As a result, the apple literally tore itself apart,” he told her and let the time-field fade away.

She swallowed nervously. Did she really want to learn this kind of magic?

“So, those are some of the dangers. Now to avoid such dangers there’s a few things you can do. First of all, you can simply make the difference in time flow less extreme. For instance, if I just slow time in half…” Another cube appeared and Rekaj took another fallen apple and tossed it at the cube; this time, when it reached the cube, instead of bouncing off, it simply slowed down, passing through the cube, and then instantly sped up again when it left the other side. “Or even safer, you can do what I call softening the time-field.” The cube changed and instead of sharp edges, it seemed to blur and fade away at the edges.

Again Rekaj tossed the apple through and this time when it reached the cube it didn’t instantly slow down, instead it was as if in had entered a thick pudding, slowing down more and more as it got further in until it was barely moving. It floated through the center of the field then began picking up speed as it reached the other side, moving full speed again by the time it left the field.

“Wow… that’s pretty cool!”

Rekaj smiled. “As long as you’re careful of the dangers; time-fields can be quite useful. For instance, you can put a soft field around yourself to speed up time, making everything outside to seem to be moving in slow motion. At the same time, to everyone else, you will appear to be moving at impossible speeds.”

Apple Bloom grinned. “Like a super hero!”

“Yes.” He agreed, glad to see Apple Bloom was getting back to her old self. “Of course, anything that gets close enough to you will speed up as it enters the field, so as usual it’s best not to make the difference in time flow too great or you might underestimate the speed of something coming your way.” He smiled ruefully. “And getting hit in the face by something moving at high speeds hurts no matter how slow it seemed to be moving just moments before…”

She snickered a little bit at the thought.

“So let’s start with the basic time field, once you have that down, we’ll move on to softened fields.”

~~~

Captain Feather and two other pegasi of Twilight’s guard stood watching their charge while trying to catch their breath. Twilight and Rainbow were staying in the same general area now; fortunately, the princess had noticed how exhausted her guards were getting and agreed to stay within sight while they rested. Only one of their number was still trying to keep up with the two; trying and failing. That Rainbow Dash could outfly them, especially with them in armor, was no surprise. She was well known to be the best flier in Equestria. No pony could match her… what was surprising was that their princess was getting pretty damn close.

“That’s insane…” her pegasus lieutenant breathed, watching. “When did Princess Twilight learn to fly like that!? She’s only had her wings less than a year, right?”

Feather nodded as the last of the guard finally pulled off and landed on a nearby cloud to rest. Twilight and Rainbow had gone flying a few times since the guard was assigned to her, but this was the first time they were really pushing their limits. “It’s almost all her magic. She gained a great deal of knowledge on pegasus magic from the Achlys incident.”

“But… enough to fly like that!?” He asked watching as Rainbow led Twilight through a maneuver that most wonderbolts would struggle with. The princess pulled it off with barely a wobble.

“The scary part is that she told me that she doesn’t have the physical strength built up to put her knowledge to full use; if she did, she probably be able to even outfly Rainbow Dash… But if she and Rainbow keep flying like this…”

“It won’t be long until she does build up the strength…” He finished, sounding a little faint. “We can’t even keep up with her now; what will we do then?”

“Trust the princess not to leave us behind…” Feather said with a sigh. “It’s all we can do.”

“Right…” He watched a few moments more in silence. “You know, I never really considered that it might be possible for a pegasus to wield their magic consciously.” He snorted. “Now Princess Twilight is teaching a little filly to do it.” He glanced over at her. “You’re there for their lessons. You pick up any of it?”

Feather shook her head. “I haven’t really tried.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m always on duty; I can’t afford to be distracted.”

He frowned. “I don’t know… it seems like it would be a pretty valuable skill for members of the guard to learn.”

“Perhaps…” Feather agreed reluctantly. “But not while we’re on duty; and I don’t have the free time it would take to learn. Not to mention I wouldn’t want to intrude on the princess’s time, and she’s the only one who can teach it.”

“I guess that’s true.” He sighed looking back up at the princess and her marefriend. “I still think it would be a valuable skill to learn.”

Author's Note

So, sorry for the wait. If you haven't seen my blog post, the reason for the long delay was that I was in a head on collision and have been in the hospital for weeks. I'm recovering now, but one of my injuries is radial nerve palsy, which makes it really difficult to type. This chapter was already almost done when I was in the accident.

Anyway, I'm home now and will be getting back to writing, as slow as it is. I have to do one finger with the left hand...

Chapter 10: Summer's End

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 10: Summer’s End
***

Apple Bloom yawned. It was still early in the day, and though she hadn’t finished her chores at the farm, Applejack had agreed to let her go because today was the day. The day she was joining Scootaloo in learning how to fly.

She grinned in anticipation as she headed toward where Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash had always trained. Scootaloo had been pushing herself to the limit, practicing wielding her magic how Twilight had taught her. Finally, Twilight had told her that she was ready. She just needed to practice applying what she had learned.

Apple Bloom wasn’t surprised to find Twilight there with Rainbow, as well as a few of Twilight’s guards nearby. Twilight was talking to Rainbow softly as she arrived so Apple Bloom went to greet her excited friend. Scootaloo looked about ready to explode.

“Hey, Bloom!”

“Hi, Scoots! You ready to get started?”

Scootaloo grinned. “I’ve been ready! But you’re not.”

Apple Bloom raised a brow.

“You’re not going to fly without wings.”

“Oh, right!” Apple Bloom laughed and, with her shoulder glowing, a pair of folded wings appeared against her sides. “There we go… now Ah’m ready.”

“It will be interesting to see how well your spell imitates pegasus magic.” Twilight said as she and Rainbow joined the two fillies.

“So, you two ready to be awesome?”

“Yeah!” They shouted together.

Rainbow grinned at their enthusiasm. “Alright, well Twilight tells me we’ll have to take it a little slow so that you can get used to using your magic, Scoots; but don’t think that means I’ll be taking it easy on you! I’m going to make sure you leave here exhausted! You think you’re up to that!”

“Yes Ma’am!” Scootaloo said, giving a salute.

“Ah ain’t never been afraid of hard work!” Apple Bloom agreed.

Rainbow nodded, satisfied. “Then let’s get started.”

~~~

A week later Apple Bloom yawned as she trotted along the path from the farm, the early morning sun barely peaking over the horizon. Rainbow Dash hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d be working them hard. She wasn’t even using actual muscles when she was trying to fly and still she was sore. But it was worth it.

Already she’d managed to hover, and Rainbow had set her doing drills to improve her control. She’d fly forward a short distance and stop to hover, then fly backwards to where she started. She’d the drift side to side, before repeating the whole routine, all the while, no more than thee paces off the ground.

Meanwhile Scootaloo was still struggling to hover. She knew what to do physically, and knew what she needed to do with her magic; but she was still having trouble doing both at the same time. Apple Bloom tried to be supportive of her friend, but it was clear Scootaloo was getting frustrated with her poor performance.

There would be no flight practice today, however. Though she had her wing spell on, Apple Bloom’s wings were currently tucked under her saddlebags, and it wasn’t the practice field where she was headed so early in the morning. Neither was she headed out to the hill where she learned magic with Rekaj. No, today, the school house was her destination.

The summer break had come to an end and today was the first day of school. Apple Bloom yawned again and wondered if Scootaloo would be as tired as she was.

Then again, on the days they hadn’t trained with Rainbow, Scootaloo had been able to relax. Apple Bloom on the other hoof had spent those days learning more magic with Rekaj. Which wouldn’t have been too bad, if it weren’t for the fact that she’d asked him to train her in using the magic in combat.

Her sessions with Rekaj the past week had been nearly as exhausting as the flight lessons.

The bell rang even as she reached the school house and all the fillies and colts were headed inside, Miss Cheerilee welcoming them back at the door. Apple Bloom joined the rest of her classmates, catching a glimpse of Sweetie Belle as she entered the schoolhouse.

After greeting Miss Cheerilee, Apple Bloom entered the familiar classroom.

“You do know that cutie marks are supposed to be on your flanks, right?” a very unwelcome voice said snidely. “If you’re going to fake a cutie mark, you could at least do it right.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes narrowed; that was one downside to going back to school. She definitely wasn’t looking forward to dealing with those two again… but maybe… An idea came to her and her sa’dracori began to glow brighter.

“Who you talking to, Diamond Tiara?” Apple Bloom’s voice came from behind the bully.

Confused, Diamond Tiara looked to find Apple Bloom already seated at her desk.

“Well obviously, she’s talking to me.” The first Apple Bloom said and Diamond Tiara looked back, her eyes going wide.

“Are you sure, Ah mean it’s not like you’re trying to fake a cutie mark.” Apple Bloom’s voice came from another corner of the room. Diamond spun and her eyes went to pin pricks when she found a third yellow and red filly leaning against Sweetie Belle’s desk. Sweetie Belle had a hoof to her snout, trying desperately not to laugh.

“Yeah, Ah mean, faking a cutie mark would be child’s play for you now.” A fourth Apple Bloom said, sitting on Silver Spoon’s desk; this one sporting a simple apple cutie mark. She glanced at her flank. “Would you look at that…”

“Apple Bloom!” An authoritative voice called out and three of the Apple Bloom’s faded away, leaving only the one sitting at her own desk.

“Yes, Miss Cheerilee?” She said innocently.

Cheerilee gave her a stern look as the last of the students, including Scootaloo, entered to take their seats. “Princess Twilight informed me about this new magic of yours. You are not to use it in class; is that understood.”

Apple Bloom started to nod, then glanced back at her wings. “Can Ah keep my wings on? Ah’m trying to get used to havin’ them all the time.”

Cheerilee frowned. “Very well, but nothing else; and if I hear you’ve been abusing your magic and tormenting your classmates like I just saw, you’ll lose that privilege.”

“Yes, miss Cheerilee.” Apple Bloom said contritely.

The teacher’s expression softened as she approached Apple Bloom’s desk. “Twilight also told me what you went through this summer.” She said, gently. “So, I’ll let it slide this once.”

“Okay…”

Cheerilee put a hoof on her shoulder comfortingly. “I’m glad you’re alright.”

“Thanks, Miss Cheerilee.” Apple Bloom said giving a small smile.

She nodded, smiling as well then returned to the front of the class. “Now, welcome back everypony!...”

Miss Cheerilee wasted no time getting the children into the first lessons of the year, refreshing them on some of the subjects they’d learned the year before. Apple Bloom did her best to pay attention, but still her mind wandered a bit from time to time. Fortunately Miss Cheerilee had seen it best to keep the three crusaders separate from each other in the seating assignment, or Apple Bloom may not have learned anything.

Finally, lunch hour arrived, and the Crusaders quickly claimed spots at one of the picnic tables out in the yard.

“You sure shut Diamond Tiara up this morning.” Scootaloo said with a grin, glancing over at the snobby filly that was keeping her distance from them.

Apple Bloom blushed a bit. “Yeah, Ah probably shouldn’t have done that… but the look on her face...”

Sweetie Belle giggled. “I wish I could do illusions like that… when did you learn to make them so real?”

“RJ and Ah have been working on them the last few days.” Apple Bloom explained. “He said it would be a great way to confuse opponents; and if Ah use another spell to project my senses into one of them, it’s almost like having multiple bodies that Ah can switch between.”

“Wow, that’s awesome!” Scootaloo said grinning.

“What I want to know is how you got to your desk.” Sweetie Belle wondered. “I thought you were the one facing Diamond…”

“RJ taught me how to go invisible while leaving an illusion in my place.” Apple Bloom said proudly. “Ah was the one at my desk the whole time.”

Scootaloo snorted in laughter. “Dang, I wish I’d been there for the whole thing; the look on Diamond’s face when I came in was priceless. It’s too bad Miss Cheerilee got on your case about it.”

Apple Bloom winced. “Well, it was kind of mean… I probably shouldn’t have done that.”

“Pfft, Diamond butt deserves it.” She said dismissively.

“I admit it was funny… but yeah, it was kind of mean.” Sweetie Belle agreed.

“Whatever,” Scootaloo rolled her eyes. “At least Diamond’s not bothering us now.”

“So how’s your flying lessons going?” Sweetie asked to change the subject. “I haven’t seen either of you since our last Twilight Time.”

“It’s great!” Apple Bloom said grinning. While Scootaloo grumbled a bit.

“I’m still having trouble concentrating on my magic while I’m trying to fly.” She admitted.

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Yeah, trying to cast while doing something else can be difficult. Twilight said I still need to practice levitating while doing other things…”

Apple Bloom nodded. “RJ has been trying to train me to cast spells under pressure too. It’s definitely not easy. Maybe we can practice together.”

“Yeah, Twilight said that one of the best ways to practice concentrating while distracted, is to make a game out of it.” Sweetie Belle enthused. “Maybe we could make up some game that would force us all to use our magic while running around and stuff.”

“That sounds like fun… when though? We’re all busy most nights.” Scootaloo pointed out.

“We’re not tonight. Why don’t we meet at the clubhouse after school and come up with some ideas?” Apple Bloom suggested.

“I’m in.” Scootaloo agreed.

Sweetie Belle nodded. “Me too.”

~~~

“Hey, Twi!”

Twilight looked up, smiling happily as Rainbow glided down to land next to her. “Hey, Dashie.”

Rainbow blushed. “Twi, don’t call me that in public…”

Feather snorted at her embarrassment but Twilight just gave Rainbow a quick kiss. “Okay… I’ll try to remember,” she said in a tone that screamed ‘no promises.’

“Come on, Twi.”

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll keep the pet names for when we’re alone…”

“Alone-ish…” Feather corrected.

“Heh yeah, isn’t four guards plus yourself a little much for just around Ponyville.” Rainbow asked the guard captain.

“You spotted them all?” Feather asked, a little surprised.

“I always see everything when I’m flying. Plus I know all the guard.”

“You brought four other guards with us?” Twilight asked raising a brow.

“I did tell them to be unobtrusive. You didn’t even notice them, did you?”

“No, I suppose not.”

“So, where you headed?” Rainbow asked.

“I was actually going to meet with Rekaj.” Twilight told her.

“Rekaj? Really?”

“Yeah, I offered to show him around town and introduce him to more of our friends. Not that he really needs a guide with how long he’s been watching us.” She said with a smirk.

“You’re getting pretty friendly with him…”

Twilight smiled. “Well, what can I say; he’s been pretty friendly; and we’ve had several long conversations about his world and Equestria, as well as how his magic works.”

“So, do you trust him now?” Rainbow asked, curiously.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You know what… yeah, I think I do trust him. I’m still mad about him giving Apple Bloom his magic without asking; but, yeah, I trust him.”

“Guess I’ll give him a chance then.” She stretched her wings, using the gesture as an excuse to wrap one around Twilight. “So, where you meeting him?”

In answer Twilight just nodded ahead of them where a blue pegasus stallion was waiting near the path that led to Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Afternoon, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Captain Feather.” Rekaj called waving a hoof.

“Afternoon, Rekaj.” Twilight said in greeting.

“Hello, Blue Boy.” Rainbow greeted with a smirk.

He snorted. “You might want to think of something else to call me; that’s the nickname my mate, Nyxia, uses for me.”

Rainbow blushed a bit. “Yeah… I’ll think of something else.”

“She’s the Wyvern queen, right?” Twilight asked, Rekaj had told her a bit about his mates; at least those that were his mates for the long term. He’d admitted to having quite a few mates for one-time things where the female was only his mate until they produced a single clutch.

He nodded. “That’s right. So, shall we?” he asked gesturing down the path to Fluttershy’s.

“Yeah, I told Fluttershy we’d be coming, but I’m sure you know how she is about meeting new people.” Twilight told him.

“I’m willing to bet having Rainbow there as well will help.”

“Probably.” Rainbow agreed.

~~~

“I’ve got it!” Apple Bloom yelled, catching a ball in mid air as she held herself aloft on illusionary wings. Scootaloo was right there; doing her best to stay in the air, while trying to block Apple Bloom from passing it to one of the other two Apple Blooms in the field.

Scootaloo wobbled, losing her concentration momentarily. Apple Bloom took the chance to pass the ball to her nearest double, which happened to be her real body. She jumped up to catch it, but before she could a green glow wrapped around the ball and it changed direction.

Apple Bloom switched to her third body, this one an illusion, and tried to intercept Sweetie Belle as she galloped past, levitating the ball behind her. She Jumped at the ball.

“Scoot!” Sweetie threw the ball toward the pegasus with her magic. Scootaloo jumped up again to hover as she caught the ball, but one of Apple Bloom’s illusions sped over. Scootaloo juked to the side, nearly losing control, but managing to get around Apple Bloom as she overshot her. Bloom switched again to find Sweetie Belle had evaded her illusion.

“Over here!” Sweetie called. Scootaloo tossed the ball in the air in front of her and snapped her wings forward, sending the ball flying toward Sweetie with a blast of wind. Her aim was a little off, but Sweetie was able to reach out with her magic and catch it.

Apple Bloom took to the air after Sweetie. Sweetie laughed and tossed the ball back to where Scootaloo was. Apple Bloom tried to intercept with one of her illusions but wasn’t quite able to get there, barely nicking the ball, deflecting it a bit higher. Scootaloo’s eyes went wide, and she had to flap her wings hard to shoot up high enough to catch it. Letting the momentum of the ball flip her over backwards, she dove back down under Apple Bloom’s illusion.

But there she found another Apple Bloom flying to intercept. Distracted, she lost control of her magic and began to fall. She made a desperate throw to Sweetie Belle but wasn’t able to watch as she had to catch herself, focusing on her magic. She was already doing better; but she didn’t dare go too high yet.

Apple Bloom took advantage of the wild throw, and her third managed to jump up and catch it before Sweetie’s magic could grab it. Sweetie galloped around her, trying to get in between her and her doubles. Apple Bloom dashed forward, jumping up over Sweetie with a flap of her wings and tossed the ball toward one of her doubles.

She didn’t see Scootaloo right there, and she jumped up from the ground, flying up to intercept the ball and her momentum carried her past the third Apple Bloom… to find another in her way.

“Hey, Bloom! You said you wouldn’t do more than two illusions!” Sweetie objected.

“Ah’m not!” Apple Bloom said a little confused as there were now almost half a dozen more of herself than there should have been in the field. She looked toward the road to find a grinning blue stallion standing there along with Twilight, Rainbow and Captain Feather. “Hey RJ!”

The other two put their game on hold looking as well.

“Princess Twilight!” Sweetie called out happily and galloped over to greet her teacher, while Scootaloo did her best to fly over. Apple Bloom let her illusions fade, galloping over as well. The extra Apple Bloom illusions faded with hers.

“Hey girls!” Twilight called in greeting. “You all practicing your magic?”

“Yep!” Sweetie said grinning. “We’re playing a game of keep away; Me and Scoot versus Apple Bloom and her illusions. But we made extra rules so we’d have to practice our magic. I can only hold and throw the ball with my magic, Scootaloo has to be in the air whenever she has the ball, and Apple Bloom can only use her two illusions and wing spell!”

Twilight smiled. “Sounds like fun, and by the looks of it, you’re all doing pretty good.”

“Yeah, I saw you pull a few tricky moves there, Scoot.” Rainbow agreed. “You had a few close calls, but you were able to recover. And you stayed in the air a lot longer than you were able to just last week. Keep it up!”

Scootaloo beamed at the praise.

“You were looking pretty good too, Apple Bloom.” Twilight said as Apple Bloom caught up. “I couldn’t even tell which was the real you and you may not have been born a pegasus, but you’ve sure taken to those wings like you were. At least your adapting a heck of a lot faster than I did.”

Apple Bloom grinned and, thinking of when Twilight gained her wings, cast another illusion spell, giving herself a horn just a little longer than Sweetie’s.

Seeing it, Twilight burst out laughing.

Rainbow snorted. “You going to try for the princess gig?”

In response, there was a flash, and when it cleared, Apple Bloom was wearing apple themed princess regalia, complete with a small crown that had an ivory apple flower in the center.

Both Twilight and Rainbow were taken back by the ready response.

Rekaj just snickered.

“Apple Bloom, how did you come up with that outfit so fast?” Twilight asked after a moment, sounding amused but curious.

She blushed. “Well Ah kind of came up with it the other day…”

“I was teaching her how to conjure cloths and she decided she wanted to play princess dress up.” Rekaj told them with a smirk.

Rainbow burst out laughing while Scootaloo tried to hide her snickering behind a hoof.

“What!? There’s nothing wrong with wanting to dress up like a princess!” Sweetie Belle came to Apple Bloom’s defense.

“To be fair, Apple Bloom only thought of it because she didn’t want to conjure a full dress.” Rekaj added.

“So you can just conjure any cloths you can imagine?” Rainbow asked, finally recovering from her laughing fit.

Apple Bloom nodded.

Rainbow gave a wicked smirk. “Don’t tell Rarity. She’d have you conjuring dresses for her until you’re old and grey!”

“They only last until I end the spell.” Apple Bloom said quickly, and her regalia faded away along with her horn.

“She’d probably still want you to conjure her designs so that she can see how they’ll turn out.” Sweetie Belle told her. “Yeah, it’s probably for the best that we don’t tell her.”

“Well we should get going,” Twilight said, finally. “We were just passing by and saw you all out here practicing and wanted to say hi.”

“Okay, we’ll see you later!” Sweetie said waving.

“Wait, where you going?” Apple Bloom asked.

Rainbow grinned. “Rarity’s. So you’d better be good or we may have to let slip your little conjuring trick.”

Apple Bloom swallowed nervously.

“We’re introducing Rekaj to the rest of our friends,” Twilight explained. “We just came from Fluttershy’s and we’re going to Sugarcube corner after Rarity’s.”

Does Pinkie know you’re coming?” Scootaloo asked curiously.

“Yes, I mentioned it to her.” Twilight nodded.

“You know she’s going to throw a party, right?”

“Most likely.”

“See you there, then!” All three Crusaders called out with a wave.

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait. The good news is I've regained enough movement in my left hand that I can type normally again, and as a result, I've been doing a lot of typing. I almost have the next chapter ready already, and at the rate I've been going the last week, it shouldn't take long at all.

This chapter was mostly about showing some of what Apple Bloom has learned so far and of course her and Scootaloo getting started on flying. And since this story started before even the season 4 finale, Diamond Tiara is still pretty roten, but that's going to change...

Oh yeah, and before anyone says anything, Rekaj's mate Nyxia is a character that I first came up with about 10 years ago and the name came from Nyx of greek mythology and Onyxia, the black dragon from World of Warcraft. As Twilight said: She is the Wyvern Queen of Yuvari; a magically altered dragon.

When it comes to the dragons of Yuvari, only the aspects like Rekaj can produce offspring. But only one of a pair has to be an aspect. As a result, any normal female that wants to have a clutch, has to mate with an aspect; hence Rekaj having quite a few mates.

Chapter 11: Hero

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 11: Hero
***

Apple Bloom did a little hop as she and the other crusaders left the schoolhouse. They were some of the last out, most of their class was already out in the school yard. “It’s the weekend!” She cheered.

“Finally!” Scootaloo said grinning as well.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “Come on, School isn’t that bad; especially since Diamond and Silver haven’t been bothering us,” she said and Apple Bloom glanced over at the two rich fillies where they were talking for a bit before heading home. They had been avoiding her and the other crusader’s since their first day of school. “But weekends are nice.” Sweetie concluded.

Apple Bloom grinned. “And we have all evening to do whatever we want; we could go crusading!”

“Or practice magic some more.” Sweetie Belle added.

“We could do that too; maybe even both, we have time.” Apple Bloom agreed. “So, what are we going to do first?”

“You want to go to Sugarcube Corner for milkshakes?” Scootaloo suggested.

“Sounds good to me!” Sweetie Belle said with a grin.

Sugarcube Corner was always busy on Friday evenings, but with Pinkie at the counter, it didn’t take long at all for the crusaders to get their favorite milkshakes, and they talked a bit about school and some of the rumors going around while they enjoyed their treat.

“So we going to go crusading first? Or do you want to practice our magic more?” Sweetie Belle asked when they were almost done with their shakes.

“Ah don’t know, it’s too bad you’re going on a trip tomorrow, Sweetie or we’d have all weekend.” Apple Bloom said regretfully.

“Actually, Rainbow’s taking me to the wonderbolts show tomorrow and we’re going to stay in Cloudsdale overnight.” Scootaloo told them.

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked, surprised.

“Yep, she invited me after flight lessons yesterday.”

Sweetie smiled. “That sounds fun!”

“It’s going to be awesome!”

“So Ah guess that means Ah’ll be on my own for the weekend…” Apple Bloom said with a sigh.

“Guess so.” Scootaloo gave her an apologetic look.

“You’ll be alright, Bloom.” Sweetie said giving Apple Bloom a friendly jab.

She smiled. “Yeah, Ah’ll be fine. Ah’ll probably just get some practice in on my own. Or see if AJ needs help with anything.”

“So what are we going to do tonight?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We could practice our magic,” Scootaloo suggested. “I don’t think I’ll get much chance the rest of the weekend.”

“We could do that,” Apple Bloom agreed. “We going to keep the same rules, or do we want to try using different magic?”

“Let’s just keep the same rules for now.”

“Well, let’s get going then!” Sweetie Belle said pushing away her empty glass. Having finished their shakes as well, the other two crusaders got up, and they headed out.

“Let’s go to the south park this time.” Scootaloo suggested.

“Sounds good.”

The south park was one of the largest and most open in Ponyville with several large fields on rolling hills. It also happened to be next to one of the richest neighborhoods in the town. They were almost there when they noticed a crowd gathering down one of the streets in front of a large mansion.

“Isn’t that Diamond Tiara’s house?” Scootaloo asked.

Apple Bloom nodded. Her family did business with the Rich family often enough, that she was familiar with their mansion. “Ah wonder what’s going on.”

“Let’s go see.”

They trotted toward the crowd. As they got closer, they saw something that made Apple Bloom start to worry. There was one of the hospital’s emergency carriages out front. Reaching the crowd, they made their way through to the front where they could see. Diamond Tiara was there, out by the front gate with the family’s butler. She was sitting there, in front of a crowd of ponies, crying as she clung to her butler’s leg. The sight of the prideful little filly in tears, not caring who saw was such a shock, that she almost missed the medic ponies coming out of the mansion. It was Sweetie Belle’s gasp that got her attention.

Apple Bloom glanced at her friend and saw her eyes were filling with tears as she stared in horror. She looked where Sweetie was looking and immediately understood why. The medic ponies were wheeling out a gurney; but they couldn’t tell who the pony on it was, because they were completely covered with a white shroud…

The crusaders were young, but even they knew what it meant when medic ponies covered somepony up like that.

“Oh no…” Apple Bloom said softly, her eyes going back to Diamond Tiara. She’d been too young when her own parents had passed to really remember them, but even so, she knew the pain of losing them, at least second hoof. She knew it from the way Applejack and Big Mac spoke about them. By what they said, the look in their eyes. And more recently she’d experienced a more firsthoof taste of that pain, when she’d watched Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo be killed by a hydra. She knew it wasn’t quite the same as losing a parent, and it hadn't been permanent, but it was enough to understand… She had a sinking feeling just who was under that shroud.

She pushed forward past the rest of the crowd, slowly approaching the rich filly. Though they’d been enemies for some time, Apple Bloom still remembered a time when they were younger, when Applejack and Big Mac would take her to the Rich’s estate on business, a time that they’d been friends. It was part of what made Diamond’s insults and slights hurt so much; that they came from a former friend. But no matter how much they may have drifted apart; Apple Bloom couldn’t stand seeing her in such pain. “Diamond Tiara?” She said softly when she was a few short paces away.

Diamond Tiara looked up. Anger joining the unspeakable pain in her eyes. “What do you want!?” She demanded, her voice raw.

“Diamond… I just… I’m sorry…”

“Sorry!? Sorry isn’t going to bring my daddy back! He’s dead, my Daddy’s dead!” Diamond screamed, then took off galloping toward the mansion, the butler followed as quickly as he could. Dr. Scalpel was almost knocked over by Diamond and the butler, barely managing to step aside as he exited the mansion. He looked after the filly for a moment with a sad expression on his face, then with a heavy sigh and a shake of his head, he made his way to the gate, where Apple Bloom still stood.

Seeing her, he gave her a sad smile and went to stand next to her. “I really hate this part of the job.” He said softly as he watched the medic ponies finish loading the emergency carriage. He glanced back at the mansion. “Having to tell little colts or fillies that they’ll never see their daddy again…” He sighed.

Apple Bloom looked down, tears coming to her own eyes.

“The worst part is: If I had gotten here a little sooner, I probably could have saved him.”

Eyes widening, Apple Bloom’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”

“Nothing, just a futile what-if.” He said, and seeing the medics were done, he trotted off after them following the carriage, most of the crowd dispersing with them.

Apple Bloom didn’t move. Dr. Scalpel’s words repeating in her head. ‘If I had gotten here a little sooner…’ A plan began to take shape.

“Apple Bloom, you okay?” Sweetie Belle asked softly, her eyes red from tears.

“I’ve got to talk to Diamond!” Apple Bloom said suddenly and without waiting for a response, galloped through the gate toward the mansion. It might work, but she’d need to know exactly what happened as well as when; and she wanted to bring Diamond along as well.

They hadn’t taken the time to lock the door, so Apple Bloom went right in. She’d only been inside the mansion a few times, mostly when she was younger; but she did recall seeing Diamond’s room back then and thought she could find her way. She galloped through the halls, and soon found that she didn’t have to rely just on memory. Diamond’s cries were more than enough to guide her way.

Pausing at the door, she knocked. A moment later the door was opened by the butler.

“What are you doing in here!?”

“Ah need to talk to Diamond!” Apple Bloom told him, urgently.

His eyes narrowed. “Miss Tiara doesn’t wish to see anypony. I suggest you leave before I call the guard.”

“Please, you have to let me talk to her!”

“I said no.”

Apple Bloom clenched her jaw. “Fine… Ah’m really sorry about this.” She said and her shoulder lit up as she conjured a steel box around him, then slipped past into the room.

“Why are you here!? Get out!” Diamond Tiara screamed.

“Diamond, Ah just want to help.”

“I don’t want your help!”

“But Ah think Ah can save your pa!”

That got Diamond’s attention and she looked up in shock; shock that turned to anger in an instant. “Don’t lie to me! You’re just getting revenge for all the times I made fun of you and your loser friends!”

“No Ah’m not.” Apple Bloom said as gently as she could. “Please, just tell me what happened.”

Diamond glared at her.

“Please Diamond…”

New tears filled her eyes and she looked away. She was silent a moment more, then finally spoke. “I got home from school, and was working on my homework. Then I heard daddy yell and went to see what was wrong. I found him in the study, just lying there… We sent for the Doctor, but by the time he got here… Dr. Scalpel said it was a heart attack.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “What time did it happen?”

“I don’t know! Maybe an hour after I got home! Why do you care!?”

Apple Bloom didn’t answer, she was going over the timing in her head. It might just work. “Diamond, Ah’m going to cast a spell; a spell that will turn back time. When Ah do, you’ll see everything happening in reverse really fast. Ah’ll take us back to when we were just leaving school; then we’ll go strait to the hospital and bring the doctor here so he’ll be here in time to save your pa…”

Anger filled Diamonds eyes along with more tears. “THIS IS NO TIME TO PLAY PRETEND!” She screamed.

Apple Bloom just looked back, calmly. “Ah’m not.” She said in such a gentle caring tone, that Diamond could only stare at her unsure how to respond. “Ah’m casting the spell in three… two… one.”

Her shoulder glowed brightly and she watched as the events of the afternoon reversed themselves. Entering the mansion. Finding out what was going on. Seeing the crowd on their way to the park. Having shakes and talking to the crusaders at Sugarcube Corner. – Eating in reverse was certainly a strange experience, especially sped up as it was; she could literally feel the shake leaving her body and going back down the straw – Finally, the walk from the schoolhouse flashed by.

She ended the spell just after they’d left the building when she was mid hop. Time resumed its normal flow and nearby she heard a gasp of fear. Everypony in the schoolyard looked over as Diamond Tiara looked around in wide eyed shock, while Silver Spoon tried in vain to calm her.

Apple Bloom wasted no time. “Sorry, crusaders; something came up! Got to go!” She said quickly and hurried over to Diamond Tiara. “Diamond?” She said to get the other filly’s attention.

She looked over sharply, recognizing her voice. Surprise and realization filled her eyes.

“Let’s go.” Apple Bloom said simply, nodding in the general direction of the Ponyville hospital.

For a moment, disbelief crossed her expression, then hope shone through and she gave a sharp nod as new tears fell from her eyes. And together they galloped of toward the hospital, leaving behind a schoolyard full of confused friends and classmates.

“How do we convince the doctor to come with us!?” Diamond asked as she galloped alongside Apple Bloom, barely managing to keep up. Apple Bloom slowed down a bit, knowing the other filly wasn’t nearly as physically fit as she was.

“We’ll just tell him that your pa’s having a heart attack; we don’t have to say when.” Apple Bloom told her. It wasn’t lying… not really.

“But if we get there before it happens, won’t he be mad?”

“Probably; but we’ll probably be cutting it close; the hospital ain’t exactly close to your house. And even if we get there early, so long as we can keep him there long enough, everything will be fine. Besides, it’s not like my magic is a secret; if we need to we can just explain it to him, but Ah don’t thing we should waist time tryin’ to convince him if we can avoid it.”

Diamond nodded in agreement already getting out of breath. They still had a ways to go, so she decided to concentrate on her galloping. Even so, her pace slowed before they reached the hospital, so it was more than twenty minutes after they’d left the school that they finally arrived.

They rushed in the front entrance going strait to the reception desk.

“We need a doctor!” Apple Bloom told her, being less out of breath.

The nurse behind the desk looked up at them surprised and concerned. She could tell that they’d galloped some distance and Diamond’s eyes were still red from the tears she’d shed on the way. She knew fillies could sometimes overreact, but she wasn’t about to take any chances. Recalling which doctor was available to handle emergencies; she pushed the intercom button. “Paging Doctor Scalpel, please come to the front reception desk. Doctor Scalpel to the front reception desk,” she said, her voice echoing over the intercom system.

“I’m right here, nurse Gentle Hooves.” Dr. Scalpel said stepping out from an office just down the hall. “What’s the emergency, girls?” He asked having heard them.

“You have to come with us to Diamond’s house! And bring whatever you need to treat a heart attack!” Apple Bloom told him.

“Heart attack? Who’s having a heart attack?”

“My daddy!” Diamond Tiara cried.

That was all he needed to hear. “Gentle, have First Response, and Quick Patch ready the carriage. We’re heading out there.” She nodded and got on the intercom again. Dr. Scalpel gestured for the fillies to follow and headed toward a side entrance where the carriage was waiting. “Everything I need is already in the carriage,” he explained. The two stallions Apple Bloom had seen earlier were already hitching themselves up when they arrived.

“Where to?” One of them asked as Dr. Scalpel help the fillies into the carriage.

“The Rich estate.” Dr. Scalpel told them, climbing into the carriage as well. As soon as he was in, they took off at a gallop. There was no need to tell them to hurry; they knew their jobs. Though the stallions were faster than the fillies; even while pulling the carriage, the distance to the estate was farther than the trip from the school had been so it was nearly another thirty minutes before they finally arrived. Time that Diamond Tiara spent in silent worry, watching the town pass by outside the carriage.

Not knowing what to say. Apple Bloom remained silent as well.

“You’re certain it was a heart attack?” Dr. Scalpel asked as the carriage came to a stop.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yes.”

“How long ago did it happen?”

“Uh, well…” She blushed, rubbing the back of her neck with one hoof.

“Hurry!” Diamond insisted jumping out of the carriage and galloping toward the door.

Distracted from his question, Dr. Scalpel followed, grabbing a medical bag as he did. Apple Bloom was only a few steps behind, the two medic ponies following as soon as they’d unhitched themselves. The door being locked, Diamond had to ring the bell when she got there. A moment later it was opened by their butler.

“Miss Tiara, where have you been? Miss Spoon said you ran off after school,” he said in a mildly scolding tone then looked up at the others on the front step. “Dr. Scalpel? Whatever are you doing here?” He asked, clearly confused by the doctor’s presence.

Dr. Scalpel was taken back. “What do you mean…?” he started but at that moment they all heard a loud pained yell from inside the mansion.

“DADDY!” Diamond cried, recognizing that yell all too well.

Dr. Scalpel and the butler exchanged glances, then both hurried toward the source of the sound.

Nearly two hours later, Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara were waiting in the hall outside her father’s bedroom. Dr. Scalpel was still in with Filthy Rich; and though the two medic ponies had come and gone a few times to retrieve things from the carriage; they hadn’t said anything about his condition.

“What if it doesn’t work…?” Diamond said softly, voicing a fear that had been plaguing her for some time. “What if my daddy still dies?”

“Then we go back again and try something else. And if that doesn’t work we try again and again until we find something that does!” Apple Bloom said resolutely.

Diamond looked at her, surprised and confused. “Why are you doing this for me?” she asked. “I’ve been horrible to you… why would you want to help me?”

Apple Bloom smiled sadly. “Ah don’t really remember my ma and pa… but Ah have Applejack and Big Mac, and Ah can’t imagine what it would be like to lose one of them… But over the summer, there was an incident a little after Ah got this magic, where Ah watched Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle die…”

Diamond’s eyes went wide.

“A safety spell that Ah had cast turned back time to before it happened, but Ah still remember watching it… still remember what it was like to watch my best friends die. That’s a pain Ah wouldn’t wish on anypony…” She looked up into Diamonds eyes. “Not even you, Diamond.”

Diamond stared at her a moment more, then slowly looked down falling silent again.

It was still another hour before the bedroom door finally opened and Dr. Scalpel came out. Diamond and Apple Bloom both looked up, Diamond looking scared. The doctor gave her a reassuring smile. “Your father is going to be just fine.”

Relief hit her hard and she nearly collapsed as she began crying again, this time for joy.

“He’ll need to take it easy for the next little while, but he’ll be back to his old self before you know it.” The doctor went on while Diamond cried out the tension of the last few hours.

Finally, with one last sniff, Diamond looked up. “Can I see him?” she asked softly, in one of the meekest voices Apple Bloom had ever heard from her.

“Of course.” Dr. Scalpel said with a smile and stepped aside to let Diamond enter the room. “Just be careful.”

Apple Bloom watched as Diamond crossed the room to where her father laid on the large bed, covered by a soft looking quilt. His eyes were open and he gave a weak smile as Diamond approached. “Hey, princess,” he said sounding almost breathless.

Diamond almost broke down crying again just from the sound of his voice. She jumped up on the bed and nuzzled her father, crying for joy the whole time.

Apple Bloom and Dr. Scalpel watched the scene from the doorway, both smiling, both blinking back tears of their own.

“You know, I’ve had ponies ask me before why I decided to become a doctor.” Dr. Scalpel said softly. “It’s for times like this.”

“Yeah; times like this…” Apple Bloom agreed. They watched a moment more as Diamond curled up against her father’s side, then Dr. Scalpel quietly closed the door.

“You two got me here just in time. It wasn’t the worst heart attack I’ve seen, but it would have likely been fatal if I hadn’t been here to treat it right away. But I’m a little confused: Filthy’s heart attack occurred just as we arrived here. So how did you know?”

Apple Bloom smiled. “You remember when Princess Twilight had you examine me when my friend gave me his magic?” He nodded and Apple Bloom went on. “One of the things that magic allows me to do is turn back time.”

His eyes widened a bit as he realized the implication of what she was saying. “So then…”

She nodded. “The first time you didn’t get here soon enough and he died.” Apple Bloom gave a sniff as new tears filled her eyes. “Ah couldn’t stand seein’ Diamond like that… and then Ah heard you say that you could have saved him if you’d gotten here sooner. So Ah went to Diamond, found out when it happened, and took us back far enough so that we could get you here in time.”

The doctor stared at her for a few moments as if he couldn't decide if she were being truthful or not. The Apple family's reputation wasn't for nothing, though. “Well, I’ll be. In that case, young lady, you are just as responsible for saving that stallion’s life as I am.”

Apple Bloom looked back at the door with a small smile. “Like you said… it’s times like these that make it all worth it…”

“Indeed.”

After a few moments more, Apple Bloom gave a content sigh and glanced toward the window at the end of the hall. “Well, Ah better get goin’ it’s after suppertime and my family is probably wondering where Ah am.” she said. “Tell Diamond that if anything happens, just to come get me, and Ah’ll do everything in my power to help.”

“I’ll do that.” He agreed. “But hopefully she won’t need to. I’m going to be staying overnight just to keep an eye on him, but the worst is already passed.”

“Alright, Ah’ll see you around, Dr. Scalpel.” Apple Bloom said giving him a wave.

“It’s always a pleasure, Apple Bloom.” He said, waving back.

Apple Bloom let herself out of the mansion, and headed home feeling tired, but happier than she’d felt in a long while; thinking back to the sight of Diamond Tiara gently nuzzling her father that she’d thought gone for good. “It’s worth it…” she said softly to herself, thinking of everything that had come with Rekaj’s power so far. That one moment made it all worth it.

Lost in thought, it wasn’t long before she was climbing the steps to her family’s home. Pushing the door open, she stepped inside.

“There you are, sugarcube!” Applejack said from where she was standing by the sink, doing some dishes. “Where have you been? You missed supper; we were starting to get a little worried.”

Without a word, Apple Bloom walked over to her and wrapped her hooves around her in a hug. “Ah don’t ever want to lose you, sis… Ah know Ah’ll have to one day… but Ah hope it will be a long long time from now…”

“Bloom? Did something happen today?” Applejack asked, concerned about her little sister’s strange behavior.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yes…” she said, then looked up at her and smiled. “Something horrible, that became something wonderful.”

Author's Note

In case anyone forgot, this series diverged from Canon just before the Season 4 finale, so no crusaders of the lost mark. I also, like a lot of people, thought Diamond had a single parent, just her father. Since I planned this story a ways back I decided to just leave Spoiled Rich out of it.

Some of you may have realized, that Apple Bloom could have just acted herself and spared Diamond Tiara those memories of her father dying. In this case she just didn't think of it, and instead thought that Diamond would want to help.

This is an important step for Apple Bloom, experiencing the true reward of being a hero. She's going to need these positive memories.

Anyway, I'm already a ways into the next chapter so hopefully it won't be too long.

Chapter 12: Crusaders

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 12: Crusaders
***

“Hey, Apple Bloom!”

Apple Bloom looked up with a broad smile. The weekend had gone by quickly and had seemed just a little boring after such an eventful Friday. But it was Monday again and so it was back to school. But Monday also meant that Sweetie and Scootaloo were back from their trips.

“Hey girls! How’d your trips go?” She asked, joining them outside the schoolhouse while they waited for the bell.

Sweetie just rolled her eyes. “My parents love Los Pegasus, probably a little too much, but it was fun!”

“The Wonderbolts were awesome!” Scootaloo said excited. “Fleetfoot did this crazy spiral dive that she pulled out of just over the stands; we could feel the wind off her wings! Then Spitfire, Soarin and Blaze did a synchronized corkscrew while trailing fire!”

“Sounds like fun!” Apple Bloom said, happy that Scootaloo had enjoyed herself.

“But that wasn’t even the best part!” Scootaloo went on. “After the show, Rainbow took me to meet the wonderbolts!”

“Really!?”

“Yeah! They let her since she’s in the Wonderbolt Reserve now.”

“Well, Ah’m glad you had such a good time Scoots.”

“So, what did you do for the weekend?” Sweetie Belle asked Apple Bloom. “And what happened on Friday?”

“Oh hey, yeah! You just said something came up and ran off on us. With Diamond Tiara of all ponies.”

“Heh he… Sorry about running off on you; but it was really important.” She started to explain but before she could say more the school bell started ringing. “I’ll tell you at lunch; it’s a bit of a story.”

“Alright…” Scootaloo said reluctantly, and the three of them hurried in to take their seats.

Apple Bloom looked around the room as she entered. She didn’t see Diamond Tiara, but then she hadn’t expected to. After Friday, she didn’t think Diamond would be in school for a few days at least.

All the class had taken their seats and Miss Cheerilee quickly took attendance, skipping over Diamond Tiara’s name. When she was done she stepped out from behind the desk. “Class, I have some unfortunate news this morning. Last Friday, Diamond Tiara’s father had a heart attack; He’s alive, and recovering, but I don’t believe Diamond Tiara will be joining us for a the next few days. I hope that you’ll all keep her and her father in your thoughts.”

Apple Bloom smiled. That explained why Miss Cheerilee skipped Diamond’s name. Somepony had thought to alert the teacher. She was glad; Diamond definitely deserved a few days off.

Class went on as normal and they were just getting into the morning lesson when there was a soft voice from the door.

“Miss Cheerilee.”

The room fell silent as they all looked over at the pink filly standing in the door. “Oh, Diamond Tiara, I wasn’t expecting you to be here today.” Miss Cheerilee said, her voice full of concern and sympathy.

“I know… I’m not staying.” Diamond said softly. “There’s just… something I need to do.”

Apple Bloom stood up, worried. “Diamond, is something wrong?”

Diamond Tiara looked over at her, her expression unreadable, then took a hesitant step toward her as if she still weren’t sure what she was doing. Then suddenly she lunged at Apple Bloom, throwing her hooves around her. Apple Bloom was almost knocked off balance by the other filly’s weight, but Diamond clung to her in a crushing hug.

“Thank you! Thank you. Thank you. thank you…” she repeated again and again as Apple Bloom felt hot tears on her shoulder.

She understood then, and, smiling, she slowly raised her forehooves to return the hug as the rest of the class looked on in confusion. “You’re very welcome, Diamond.”

~~~

“So you saved Diamond Tiara’s dad?” Scootaloo asked excitedly. Apple Bloom had spent most of the lunch hour telling the other crusaders what had happened.

Apple Bloom smiled. “Yeah, once we got the doctor there on time, everything worked out. It will take him a while to fully recover. But he’s alive.”

“That’s incredible, Apple Bloom.” Sweetie said smiling, with happy tears in her eyes. “I can’t imagine how Diamond must feel; knowing how close she was to losing her daddy.”

“Yeah, no wonder she was crying all over your shoulder this morning.” Scootaloo agreed. “You think she’ll be a little nicer to us from now on?”

“That’s not why Ah did it.” Apple Bloom scolded. “If she wants to treat us nicer, then good for her; but don’t you go expecting it or hanging this over her head.”

“I know, I know,” Scootaloo said quickly. “Just saying it would be nice.”

“Ah hear ya. But Ah mean it; don’t try to force her to be nice.”

“I won’t… But hey, you’re a real super hero now Bloom; turning back time to save somepony’s life.”

“That wasn’t the first time Ah did it, remember.” Apple Bloom reminded her softly.

Scootaloo looked confused at first, but then realization hit. “Oh right… with the… yeah.”

Apple Bloom smiled as she tried and failed to avoid the subject. Sweetie Belle was also looking at her, worried. They hadn’t talked about the Hydra incident at all since it happened. She knew her friends had been advised not to bring it up, and she was grateful to them for doing so for so long. “It’s alright, girls,” she said softly. “Ah think Ah’m alright talking about it. You don’t have to avoid bringing it up anymore.”

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle exchanged nervous glances. “You sure, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie asked, her voice full of concern.

“Yeah, Ah’m sure, girls. Ah think this whole thing with Diamond’s pa really helped me get over it.” She smiled remembering the feeling of helping save Filthy Rich. “It’s times like that that make all the bad stuff worth it…”

“Then, uh… could you tell us how we… well…?” Scootaloo trailed off, clearly uncomfortable saying it.

“Sweetie got eaten. You got smacked into a tree. I’m pretty sure it broke every bone in your body.” Apple Bloom told her bluntly. “Really yours was pretty quick… if Sweetie experienced anything like what I did… yeah, I’d rather take the tree.”

“It was quick then?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “That hydra took one swing and you were gone… Trust me, being Swallowed was way worse.” She gave a shiver.

“Really, just one hit?” Scootaloo pouted.

Apple Bloom looked at her, raising a brow. “Scoots, you skipped across the ground like a rock on a pond and hit a tree hard enough you might as well have fallen all the way from cloudsdale. Ah think a hit like that would be enough to put even Princess Celestia out of commission.”

Sweetie gulped nervously. “Yeah… let’s just hope nothing like that happens again.”

“Ah’ll make sure it doesn’t. Ah have all these time spells now; so Ah should be able to just reverse time if anything starts to go bad. And Ah still have the reset spell too; just in case.” Although if she were honest with herself: she really hoped she’d never need it again. But if she did; she knew she’d be glad she had it.

~~~

After class, the three fillies headed home together; Scootaloo pulling the other two in their wagon. Sweetie would have her lessons with Twilight in about an hour so they didn’t have time to do any crusading, but they still liked to ride home together. They were just heading down the road from the schoolhouse when they spotted a blue stallion standing on the side of the road just ahead.

“RJ!” Apple Bloom said smiling as they came to a stop and she jumped out to greet him.

“Hello, Apple Bloom.” He said in an even tone.

She hesitated. Rekaj was usually much happier to see her… had she done something wrong?

“I heard some rumors about what happened this weekend; and I was able to piece together what you did…” He said in a flat voice, completely devoid of emotion.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, smiling nervously.

He stared back, his face unreadable. Finally, he smiled. “You made me proud, Apple Bloom.”

A huge grin split Apple Bloom’s face and she leaped up, throwing her hooves around him in a hug that he gladly returned.

~~~

“Twilight, Sweetie Belle is here.” Spike called over his shoulder as he let the filly in.

“Hi Feather!” Sweetie called waving to the guard at the base of the stairs and getting a smile and wave in return.

A moment later, Twilight herself appeared at the top of the stairs. “Sweetie! I’m glad you’re here.” She said and jumped, gliding down into the main room. “I can take a break!”

“From what?” Sweetie asked curiously.

“Trying to separate out my own books from those that belong to the library. Don’t want to accidentally take some of the library’s books when I move into my,” she sighed, “castle.”

“But… isn’t your castle just being built? It’s not going to be done for a long time isn’t it?”

“About eight months was the last estimate… they could go faster, but it’s not that vital, so they’re only working fast instead of at super pony speeds.”

Sweetie frowned. “But then, don’t you have months to separate out your books?”

“Never hurts to get ahead!” Twilight told her brightly, taking a seat on a cushion near the center table. Sweetie followed suit, and Twilight went right into her lesson. “So, we reviewed multicasting and track sequencing last time; and you’ve got them down pat. I think you’re ready to try the ‘come to life’ spell again, now that you understand some of the principles behind it.”

“Actually, Twilight; I was wondering if you could teach me any time spells?” Sweetie asked a little timidly.”

Twilight blinked, surprised. “Time spells? Why would you want to learn time spells?”

“Well Apple Bloom learned some time spells and they’re amazing!” Sweetie said and quickly went on to tell her about the weekend’s events. By the time she finished, Twilight was staring at her wide eyed. “Apple Bloom did all that on Friday night?”

Sweetie nodded. “Yep, but I was gone so I didn’t hear about it until today at school.”

“Wow… that’s… truly incredible.” She shook her head trying to wrap her mind around it. “To think that Apple Bloom would possess that kind of power…”

“So will you teach me time spells too?” Sweetie asked eagerly.

“I’m afraid not, Sweetie. Even with all my knowledge, Starswirl’s time spells are still the most advanced I’ve seen in pony magic, and they’re way too advanced for you right now. They make teleportation look easy. Which makes the magic that Apple Bloom has learned all the more amazing.”

“Oh, okay,” Sweetie said, looking down at her hooves.

Twilight frowned Seeing the filly’s disappointment. “I think you’re ready to try again on the come-to-life spell, though.” She tried hoping to cheer her up.

Sweetie Belle looked up and smiled. “Okay,” she said, but there was still something a little off about her smile.

~~~

“That’s it, Scoots! You’re doing great!” Rainbow shouted encouragingly.

“Yeah, you can do it, Scoots!” Apple Bloom shouted as well from where she was hovering near Rainbow Dash. Hovering almost effortlessly…

Scootaloo ground her teeth at the thought and lost her concentration. Her magic got away from her and she plopped down on the ground. She groaned as she pushed herself to her hooves. “Will you not shout at me! I need to concentrate!” She yelled glaring at Apple Bloom.

Apple Bloom shrank back from the glare, still hovering in the air. “Sorry…”

“Hey, easy squirt, she’s just trying to cheer you on.” Rainbow said landing next to Scootaloo.

“Well it’s distracting!” She growled.

Frowning, Rainbow looked up at the other filly. “Bloom, why don’t you take a few laps around the field.”

“Okay…” She said and took off to fly the edges of the field they used for flight practice.

Rainbow waited a few moments until she was out of earshot. “Scoot, you know what Twi said. It’s going to take a while before using your magic in flight will be second nature.”

Scootaloo looked away. “I was doing better the other day,” she muttered angrily. Rainbow stepped closer and put a wing around her.

“Getting upset won’t make it easier.”

She tensed a bit, then sighed. “I know… it’s just so frustrating!”

“I know it is, squirt. But I know you, and it may be tough, but I know you have what it takes to push through.” She gave the filly a squeeze with her wing. “Because you don’t give up, ever.”

With a heavy sigh she leaned into rainbow a bit. “Thanks Rainbow.” She glanced to where Apple Bloom was flying around the field. “I just wish it was as easy for me as it is for her…”

Rainbow gave her another squeeze. “Well from what Twilight told me, Bloom’s friend designed her wing spell to imitate pegasus magic without her having to do anything…”

“Like a normal pegasus.” Scootaloo said bitterly.

“Scoot…”

“I know, I know. Let’s get back to work.” She said, though she still sounded a bit down.

Apple Bloom couldn’t help grinning as she finished another lap around the field. She was getting faster and steadier in flight every day. And it was exhilarating; a thrill she’d never thought she’d experience: The freedom of flight. It was even better than in her dreams. None of them had ever quite captured the feeling of the wind whipping past her while her wings overcame gravity’s pull to carry her through the skies. She reveled in it, slowly picking up speed as she grew more confident in her newfound ability.

On an impulse she dove, dropping down toward the ground, opening her wings at the last second to pull up skimming the tall grasses of the field, then with a beat of her wings, rose back up into the sky, climbing higher than she’d yet dared. Soon she was well above the trees, soaring over the fields.

“Apple Bloom!”

She looked down, toward Rainbow seeing her looking up at her. Seeing her look, Rainbow gestured for her to come back down. Apple Bloom dove down and then backwinged to slow herself almost to a stop to land. She still stumbled a bit as her hooves hit the ground, but managed to keep from falling. “Yeah?” It was then she noticed Scootaloo standing a bit behind Rainbow looking a little upset and refusing to meet her eyes.

“Bloom, why don’t you head on home,” Rainbow said and she looked up at the older mare confused. “You’re far enough along that you can practice on your own now; just don’t push yourself, and have somepony nearby just in case. Earth ponies are tough, but I don’t know if you’re as durable as pegasi.”

Apple Bloom blinked and glanced between Rainbow and Scootaloo, the latter of which still refused to meet her eyes. “Oh… okay. Ah’ll se you later then.”

“Later.” Scootaloo said shortly, still not looking at her.

“We’ll see you later, Bloom.” Rainbow said kindly and turned back to Scootaloo.

Apple Bloom hesitated a moment more, glancing between them, then reluctantly turned and started on her way home.

~~~

Sweetie Belle scrunched up her face as she focused on casting the come to life spell again. It had been a while since she’d first tried the spell, but she’d learned a lot since then. Still, she wasn’t having much luck with it. A few sparks shot off her horn but that was as much as she managed. With a groan she flopped down on her belly.

Twilight smiled kindly. “You’re getting close, Sweetie. Much closer than last time you tried it. But I think you may be trying a little too hard. You can’t force it. If the spell isn’t formed right, it doesn’t matter how much magic you try to push through it, it won’t cast.”

Sweetie sighed. “I just can’t get it.”

Reaching out, Twilight ruffled her mane a little. “You will. You’re already very close. Let’s go over the spell forms again.” Reluctantly she nodded and Twilight levitated over the spell book. Before they could really get started though, there was a knock on the door. “Hold on a sec,” Twilight said, getting up to answer it.

Captain feather watched from where she stood near the window, but didn’t object to Twilight answering it herself. There were guards outside and they wouldn’t have let anypony knock if they considered them a threat.

Opening the door, Twilight was surprised to find Apple Bloom on the doorstep. “Hey Apple Bloom.”

“Hi, Twilight… would it be alright if Ah practice my magic here? Ah’ll try not to disturb Sweetie's lesson,” Apple Bloom asked hopefully.

“Sure, but I thought you had a flying lesson today?” Twilight said, confused. Rainbow had told her just last night that she was teaching the girls again today.

“Rainbow said that Ah’m ready to practice on my own so long as Ah have somepony nearby just in case,” Apple Bloom told her. “But AJ and Big Mac are busy an Ah couldn’t think of anypony else that could watch me so Ah thought I’d practice my magic instead.”

“I see,” Twilight said and smiled. “Well you’re welcome to practice, so long as you try not to disturb our lesson.”

Apple Bloom nodded eagerly and Twilight let her in.

“Sweetie and I are working over here,” she said indicating the nook next to her work desk where Sweetie was laying on a cushion. “Feel free to practice anywhere else, just be careful of the books.”

“Okay, thanks Twilight… Hey, is Spike here?”

Twilight shook her head. “No, he went out to stretch his wings, and I think he was going to check on the construction site…”

“Oh, okay.” Apple Bloom said, sounding just a little disappointed.

Sitting back down at Sweetie’s side, Twilight went on with their lesson.

Sweetie tried to pay attention; to not let Apple Bloom’s practice distract her. But when she spotted an illusion of herself walking up to Captain Feather, she couldn’t help looking.”

“Hey, Feather, what do you think?” The second Sweetie Belle asked in Apple Bloom’s voice.

Feather smirked looking down at her. “Pretty good, but the mane’s just a tad too short.”

The illusion Sweetie looked over at the real one. “Huh, your right.” She said and her mane grew just a little longer.

I am not that fat! Sweetie Belle thought, frowning at the illusion.

“You have to be observant in the guard.” Feather said with a wink. “Though your voice kind of gives you away.”

She laughed. “Yeah, RJ hasn’t taught me any spells to change my voice. Ah’ll have to ask him if he knows any. Ah bet he does.”

“As skilled as he is with illusions, I’d say that’s a safe bet,” Feather agreed.

“Sweetie.” Twilight said, calling her attention back to her own lesson. “Let’s get back to work okay.”

She nodded and tried to focus back on the book and the come-to-life spell, but she couldn’t help thinking about how it was one of the first spells Twilight had tried to teach her, and she still hadn’t mastered it. How long would it take before Twilight gave up on her all together?

Author's Note

Yeah, I've been pretty bad about getting this story updated... The good news is that I have nearly three chapters worth already written and that's going to be almost the end of the story... The bad news is that I have one more chapter I have to write before I get to those three... Been writing a little out of order as of late. And as usual, I also have several other stories that I've been writing at the same time. So yeah, it's not that I haven't been writing; it's that I haven't been focusing on one story.

Anyway, trouble is starting to brew between the Crusaders, and in the next chapter it will be coming to a head.

Chapter 13: Fracture

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 13: Fracture
***

Twilight smiled as she heard one of the upstairs windows open. She glanced at Feather and rolled her eyes. They both knew who it was.

“Hey, Twi!” Rainbow called, gliding down from the loft.

With a smirk, Feather leaped up and intercepted her. Rainbow gave a squawk as she was tackled out of the air and pinned down by the guard. “I seem to recall asking you to not come in the windows anymore, Rainbow Dash,” Feather said, though she was smiling as she did.

“Jeez, what’s the big deal!?” Rainbow complained from her place on the floor.

“She did ask nicely, Dashie.” Twilight said, amused.

“Alright, alright! I’ll try to remember.”

“You’ll try?” Feather pressed.

“Fine, I won’t come in the windows anymore!”

“Thank you.” Feather said, releasing her hold and letting Rainbow up.

“Don’t you ever take a day off?” Rainbow grumbled, brushing a hoof down her wing to straighten the feathers.

“I’ve been trying to get her to take more days off.” Twilight told her and gave her a quick kiss. “She insists that since the guard is currently minimally staffed that they simply can’t afford to take much time off.”

Rainbow sighed. “What’s the big deal anyway. The guards outside saw me. It’s not like I snuck in.”

“And I’ll be having words with them about letting you enter through the window later,” Feather told her.

“What, you worried I was a changeling or something?”

“That’s always a possibility. But I’m more concerned about you cooperating with the guard. As close as you are to Twilight, I need you to work with us and not make things harder for us.”

“Okay, okay…” Rainbow rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof.

“She’s just trying to do her job, Dashie.” Twilight wrapped a wing around her and gave her a squeeze.

“Yeah, I know. She’s just trying to keep my mare safe.” Rainbow said then pulled her in for a longer kiss.

Twilight kissed her back, feeling her heart flutter a bit as she did. She was really enjoying having a marefriend. And while she hadn’t decided yet whether or not she loved Rainbow, she definitely wasn’t against giving it more time. “So, what’s going on?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Not much. Just thought I’d stop by for a bit before Scoot’s flying lesson.”

Twilight looked over at her. “Is Apple Bloom not joining your lessons anymore? I know you told her she could practice on her own a couple weeks ago, but I thought she’d still want to be at the lessons.”

“Yeah, she still comes, but for the most part she just practices on her own while I focus on Scoots.” Rainbow told her.

“How is Scootaloo doing?”

“She’s getting there. She can hover and fly slowly just fine, but trying for any speed tends to be a bit much, she loses control of her magic and ends up crashing.” Rainbow sighed. “I can tell, she’s really getting frustrated.”

Twilight frowned. “I’ve told her again and again that it’s going to take time and a lot of work.”

“Yeah, and I keep reminding her… But I think having Apple Bloom there might be making it worse. She sees how quickly and easily Apple Bloom is learning and, well, you know… she’s jealous.”

“Well, I’ll talk to her during her magic lessons.” Twilight said. “Make sure she knows that she’s already doing even better than I expected. Honestly, I didn’t think she’d even be able to hover yet. How much she’s learned already is impressive. And maybe we should talk Apple Bloom into cutting back to just going to every other lesson.”

“Probably a good idea. Honestly, she could probably stop coming all together; she’s far enough along, but I think she enjoys the lessons.”

Twilight nodded. “When she doesn’t have flight lessons, she’s often been coming to the library to practice her magic while I give Sweetie Belle her lessons. I don’t mind since she tries not to disrupt us, but she could just practice at home… I think she just doesn’t want to be alone.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Rainbow said thoughtfully. “Well, we’ll just have to talk to her and see what we can do. It alright if I send her your way, this afternoon? I really want to focus on Scoots today.”

Twilight nodded. “Sure thing.”

~~~

Feather smirked a bit as Rainbow left. Twilight may not have admitted yet that she loved Rainbow, and in truth her feelings for the pegasus mare were still unclear, but she definitely seemed to enjoy the brief makeout sessions they seemed to have almost every time Rainbow came to visit. She and the guard tried not to make it awkward, and gave them as much privacy as they could, but at the same time it was clear that Twilight and Rainbow both were becoming accustomed to having them around. Feather was glad of that. The last thing she’d want was for the guard to get in the way of the princess’s love life.

Their relationship was still fairly new, though. It may be love, but it could also be a simple infatuation that would soon fade. Time alone would tell. A few months was too soon to say for sure.

“Feather, so you know, Apple Bloom will probably be coming by during Sweetie’s lesson to practice her magic.” Twilight told her after Rainbow had gone.

“I heard.” Feather said with a nod. “It’s probably for the best to be up front with Apple Bloom. Let her know that Scootaloo is feeling a little jealous.”

Twilight frowned. “Yeah, I’ll talk to her after Sweetie’s lesson tonight.”

“And it might also help Scootaloo if Rainbow gave her permission to practice on her own as well. As long as she promises not to go too high, she’ll be fine, and she’ll probably improve more quickly if she can practice flying whenever she’s going somewhere.”

Looking at her captain a little surprised, Twilight smiled and nodded. “You know, that’s a good idea,” she said sitting down and using her right forehoof to tap the bracelet she was wearing around her left fetlock. “Dashie.” She stated clearly, glad her marefriend at least had already taken to wearing the bracelet all the time. A few moments later it pinged and Rainbow’s voice came from the enchanted gem.

“Yeah?”

“Hey, Dashie, Feather had a suggestion: Why don’t you give Scootaloo permission to practice on her own so long as she stays below a certain height. It will help her improve if she can practice more, and also let her know that you have confidence in her.” Twilight said into the bracelet.

“Hmm, yeah, good idea. She should be fine so long as she stays within one story of the ground. She’s crashed worse on her scooter. I’ll do that. Tell Feather thanks for the idea.”

Twilight smiled. “She heard. I’ll see you later, Dashie.”

“Later, Twi.” Rainbow said and the bracelet let out a couple descending chimes to indicate the connection had been broken.

Feather looked at the bracelet thoughtfully. “Twilight, I know those work off of the magic of friendship, but I was wondering; do you think the comradery among the guard would be enough to power them?”

“Perhaps,” Twilight said thoughtfully. “I guess the only way to be sure would be to test it. You want me to make a few for the guard?”

“Well let’s just make a pair to test it, but if it works, would you mind making a set for the rest of the guard? The long range communications we have now are either just flares or they require a unicorn to use them. All the other ranged communication devices I know of take time to set up and have to remain stationary while in use.”

“Of course, Feather, they’re not hard to make, it wouldn’t take me long at all. It might actually help promote unity in the guard too, if you can always talk to each other. And if so, that would improve the range.” Twilight grinned. “If they do work, perhaps I’ll have to see about getting the rest of the royal guard set up with them as well.”

Feather laughed. “Well let’s see if they work and at what range first. If it's sufficient enough, then we'll see about making more.”

~~~

“Sweetie, you need to focus.” Twilight said and Sweetie Belle tore her eyes away from what Apple Bloom was doing.

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay, Sweetie…” Twilight said glancing to see what was distracting her. “What in Equestria?”

Sweetie looked again, seeing the slightly shimmering blue field floating in the air in front of Apple Bloom, Little more than a distortion in the air really; it seemed to be a simple sphere in shape.

“Apple Bloom, what is that?” Twilight asked, curiously.

“It’s a time field.” Apple Bloom answered. “Inside time is flowing about half as fast; watch!” She picked up a nearby cushion and tossed it into the sphere. Once it entered the field it seemed to slow down almost instantly, slowly traveled across the space, then sped up again once it left the other side.

“That’s impressive Apple Bloom.”

She blushed. “Ah’ve been working on my fine control. RJ says Ah need to get better before Ah try making one that moves with me.”

“One that moves with you?”

She nodded. “Yeah, RJ said that if Ah get good enough, Ah could put a field around me to speed up time so even though Ah’d be moving normal, to everypony else Ah’d be moving at superspeed!”

“Interesting…” Twilight said, thoughtfully. “That sounds like a similar affect to Accelero.”

“Accelero?” Sweetie asked.

“It’s a unicorn speed spell, first developed by Clover the Clever if I remember correctly. But I never really considered that it might be altering timeflow for the caster…”

“Could I learn it?” Sweetie asked eagerly.

Twilight shook her head. “Not yet. It’s considerably more difficult than even the come-to-life spell.”

“Oh, okay…” Sweetie said, throwing Apple Bloom a glare, though she didn’t see.

“Although…” She trailed off as if something had just occurred to her. “Sweetie, why don’t you take a break for a minute; I want to check something.” Twilight said and started up the stairs to her bedroom. “Feather, do you recall which box I put my spellbooks in?”

“I think it was the one by the nightstand.” Feather said, following her upstairs.

Once they were gone Sweetie rounded on Apple Bloom, glaring. “Why do you always have to show off!?”

Apple Bloom looked at her surprised at the hostility in her voice. “What?”

“Are you trying to make me look bad!?” She demanded, all the frustration and anger that had been building for weeks finally bubbling to the surface.

“No, of course not! Sweetie…”

“Then why are you here!?”

“I… I just…” Apple Bloom stammered, not sure what to say as she was confronted by her furious friend.

Sweetie Belle took her lack of answer as confirmation. She glared back at her a few moments more. “Go home,” she growled.

“Sweetie… I didn’t… I…”

“Go home!”

Apple Bloom looked back, a moment more, looking hurt. Then, without another word, turned and ran to the door, threw it open and galloped away.

“Oh, Sweetie…”

Startled, Sweetie looked back toward the stairs. Twilight was there looking down on her. Sweetie whimpered and ducked her head in shame as she saw the sadness and disappointment in the princess’ eyes.

~~~

Apple Bloom hung her head down as she trudged along the path to the crusaders’ treehouse. She hadn’t been showing off… had she? She thought back over the time she’d spent practicing her magic at the library. That was all it was, practice… sure some of the spells she’d practiced had been rather flashy, but it had still just been practice, right? Clearly Sweetie hadn’t thought so.

She sniffed, not really paying attention to her surroundings. It was clear she couldn’t practice at the library anymore. At least not during Sweetie’s lessons. In fact, she should probably avoid practicing around Sweetie at all…

Looking up, she found she’d reached the Crusader’s clubhouse. Originally, she and the other Crusaders had planned to meet up after their lessons to get a little crusading in before it got dark, but now…

With a sigh she climbed the ramp to the clubhouse. Scootaloo might still show up. Moving to the center of the room, she sat down in the thinking spot. With nothing else to do, she went over all her recent interactions with Sweetie Belle. Had she ever seemed upset with her? Thinking back, she realized there were several times she’d noticed Sweetie had a somewhat sour look that she hadn’t understood at the time. Always after she’d been practicing some of her spells, or showing them to Twilight.

“I didn’t mean to show off…” She said softly, sniffing back her tears. With a hoof, she wiped her tears away, and waited for her other friend.

It was sometime later that she heard hoofsteps coming up the ramp. She raised her head, ears turning toward the sound. She hadn’t heard the usual buzz of Scootaloo’s wings powering her scooter; had Sweetie Belle come to the clubhouse despite what happened?

A moment later, she got her answer when the door opened. It was Scootaloo, looking more ragged than normal, her coat lathered with sweat.

“Oh hey, Scoots. You didn’t bring your scooter?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Nope, I flew here.” She said smiling a bit, while sounding out of breath. “Well, most the way. Rainbow said I could practice on my own, so long as I stay low.”

Apple Bloom grinned excitedly. “That’s great, Scoots!”

“Yeah,” She grinned and looked around. “Is Sweetie not here yet?”

Her face falling, Apple Bloom looked away. “Ah… Ah don’t think Sweetie will be coming,” she admitted.

“Why not?”

Apple Bloom kept her eyes averted. “Ah was at Twilight’s practicing mah magic. Ah was just practicing… but Ah guess Sweetie thought I was showing off. She was pretty angry.”

“Oh,” Scootaloo said sounding disappointed. “Guess crusading is shot then.”

“We could still do something just the two of us? Or we could just practice flying some more if you want?”

Scootaloo’s eyes flashed, but she just shook her head. “Nah, I’m kind of tired anyway…”

“Oh. Okay. Ah guess Ah’ll see you at flying lessons…” Apple Bloom said looking up hopefully.

Again anger flashed through Scootaloo’s eyes, but this time Apple Bloom was watching. “I thought Rainbow said you just need to practice on your own now.” Scootaloo said, a little bit of bitterness entering her voice.

Apple Bloom was taken back. “She did… but Ah still want to come sometimes. To practice.”

“Why, she’ll just tell you to practice on your own anyway.”

“That’s okay, Ah still want to go…”

Rounding on her, Scootaloo flared her small wings. “Well maybe I don’t want you there!” She shouted.

Apple Bloom stared at her a few moments in shock. First Sweetie Belle, now Scootaloo? She’d only wanted to spend more time with them… She hadn’t been trying to show off… She’d just wanted to join them in their endeavors. She’d just wanted to be with her friends. That was why she’d taken Rekaj’s power in the first place. She’d thought having his magic would allow her to spend more time with her friends. But now it seemed that it was only tearing them apart.

She’d only wanted to spend more time with her friends.

She looked up at Scootaloo once more, hoping her friend might not have meant it, that there would be some sign that she didn’t mean it…

Scootaloo just glared back.

Tears in her eyes, and lip trembling, she dashed past, out the door, casting her wing spell as she did. Once out of the club house she leaped into the air, taking flight. She didn’t know where she was going, but she knew she wanted to be alone, so she cast a second spell, making her fade from view, vanishing into the evening sky.

Author's Note

Obviously I got stuck on this chapter for a while. Rather unfortunate that the jealousy that both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo have been feeling finally bubbled to the surface at the same time.

I have one more chapter to write, then there's two chapters that I've already written and that will carry almost to the end of the story, and the next chapter should be much easier for me, so it shouldn't take too long.

Chapter 14: Befriending Death

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 14: Befriending Death
***

Twilight sat across from Sweetie Belle in the small nook where they often had their lessons. Both were silent for the moment. It had been some time since Apple Bloom had left, but neither had spoken. Sweetie was looking down at her hooves, unwilling to look up, and see the disappointment in the Princess’s eyes.

Finally, Twilight broke the silence. “Why would you say that to Apple Bloom, Sweetie?”

Sweetie sniffed looking away. She didn’t answer at first, instead she scuffed the floor with one forehoof. “Why am I still your student?” She asked finally.

“What?”

“I’m obviously no good at magic. Apple Bloom’s already casting time spells, creating illusion bodies that you can’t even tell aren’t real, learning to fly with magic wings; and I’m still struggling to learn the come-to-life spell…”

“Oh Sweetie, do you really think I would give up on you?” Twilight said reaching out her wing to touch her shoulder.

Sweetie didn’t look up. “You should just make Apple Bloom your student, she’s obviously better at magic,” she said bitterly, blinking back the tears in her eyes.

“Sweetie, look at me,” Twilight said firmly. Slowly the filly looked up, tears falling freely from her eyes. “You are a wonderful student. You’re hard working, and plenty talented. You’ve already learned more than most unicorns ever learn.

She sniffed, looking away again.

“Sweetie, I mean it.” Twilight said, using a hoof to gently force her to meet her eyes again.

“But, Apple Bloom…”

“Apple Bloom’s magic is not pony magic.” Twilight interrupted, her voice soft and gentle. “Listen. Rekaj told me a bit about his magic. It works much differently than our magic. For Apple Bloom, it’s like a branching path where each branch is a different spell. All she has to do is memorize which branch to send the magic down in order to cast a spell,” she explained, as Rekaj had explained it to her. “But our magic, we have memorize everything, even the shape of the branches.”

Sweetie looked up at her, comprehension dawning in her eyes.

“Apple Bloom isn’t learning faster than you because she’s better at magic; she’s learning faster because her magic is a hundred times easier to learn.”

Tears filled Sweetie Belle’s eyes as she realized her mistake and remembered the hurt look in Apple Blooms eyes. “I’m such an idiot.” She whimpered. With an understanding smile, Twilight pulled her into a hug.

“We all make mistakes, Sweetie.” Twilight said, gently rubbing her back. “Perhaps I should have made sure you knew how proud I am having you as my student.”

“Are you still proud of me?” she asked softly.

“Of course.” Twilight said, confidently releasing her and reaching out to boop her nose. “Because I know you’ll make this right.”

She blushed looking down. “I should probably go find Apple Bloom to apologize.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “That would be a good idea.”

Sweetie waited a moment more, then reluctantly got to her hooves. She hadn’t even started for the door, however, when there was a loud knock.

“I’ve got it.” Feather said softly, before either of them could say anything. She opened the door to find a blue pegasus stallion standing there.

“Captain Feather.” Rekaj said quickly in greeting. “I need to speak with Twilight.”

Surprised by the worried tone in his voice, Twilight stepped toward the door. “I’m right here Rekaj. What’s wrong?”

Feather stepped back, letting him in. “Do you know where Apple Bloom is?” He asked worriedly.

Twilight shook her head. “Not at the moment, why?”

“Because I felt the reset spell activate again… multiple times.”

~~~

Apple Bloom wasn’t sure how far she’d flown. Below her was forest, nearly as far as she could see. Only the mountains in the distance, and the occasional cliffside broke the nearly endless carpet of tree canopies below. Figuring she’d gone far enough, she glided down to one of the cliffs and landed. With a sniff, she kicked a stone over the edge and watched in fall into the trees below. The wind while flying had dried up her tears some time ago, but the sting of first Sweetie Belle and then Scootaloo’s words hadn’t faded.

She hadn’t been trying to show off. She’d just wanted to spend more time with her friends. Sure she’d learned some amazing magic, but she’d just wanted to learn, she wasn’t trying to make Sweetie look bad. And once she’d gotten in the air, who could blame her for not waiting for Scootaloo to go further in their flight lessons… maybe she could have held back a bit. But with the sky calling, who could possibly resist!? Surely Scootaloo could understand that!

But now both her friends wanted her out of their sight. She’d accepted Rekaj’s magic in order to spend more time with her friends. What was the point of even having it if they still didn’t want her around? ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have taken it in the first place…’ She thought, sadly. But then a few memories flashed through her head. A small white filly looking on in terror as jaws filled with enormous razor sharp teeth closed around her. An orange pegasus skipping across the ground like a stone before smashing into a tree with a sickening crunch. Finally a pink filly, crying tears of joy as she curled up next to the father she’d thought she’d lost…

“No. It doesn’t matter if Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are mad at me! It’s still worth it! Even if they… if they don’t…” She shook her head, not wanting to think about it. “It doesn’t matter! I can still use this power to help ponies! I can still be a hero!” Looking up at the horizon where the sun hung low in the sky, she gave a determined smile. “I’ll be the best hero Equestria has ever seen!” She shouted. “I can fly, control time, cast illusions, create duplicates of myself, conjure anything I can imagine! I can’t even be killed!”

She tensed slightly as she said the last. She may be able to talk about it now, but the fear of experiencing dying again was still there, and she knew it. She snorted in disgust. ‘Some hero… afraid of your own power…’ She thought bitterly. She could actually do what even the most powerful Alicorns of all time could only pretend to do: Come back from death itself. And yet, Death still frightened her. She knew it couldn’t hold her, but the fear remained.

There was no doubt that being unable to die was one of the greatest powers she had, but to take full advantage of it, she couldn’t be afraid of it. She couldn’t afford to be afraid of dying.

She gritted her teeth, taking a deep breath. Well there was nothing else for it. Applejack always said that the best way to deal with fears was to face them head on.

Her shoulder glowed brightly for a moment, then she opened her illusory wings again and took flight. Quickly she climbed high into the sky. She still didn’t recognize where she was, but at the moment she didn’t care. If she was going to be the best Hero she could be, then it was time she conquered her fear.

Nearly to the first cloud level, she took a deep breath, and closed her eyes, gliding for a moment. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she canceled her wing spell.

Wind began rushing past her as she fell from the sky. She let herself roll in the air until her back was to the ground, feeling the wind rush past, ruffling her main and tail. Fear gripped at her heart but her wings were gone and the very fear that demanded she recast the spell was preventing her from concentrating enough to do so. She clenched her eyes shut, feeling the strange sensation of freefall. There was no telling how close she was, no telling when she’d hit or what she’d land on… she hoped it would be quick.

Her tail was whipping around painfully and her bow was long since gone. Maybe she’d gone too high, she was beginning to have second thoughts. There might still be enough time; maybe she could recast the wings spell and save herself. Maybe she could still be a hero even without the reset spell…

Dozens of branches whipped against her back, lacerating her soft hide as she crashed through the canopy. A larger branch collided with her hips and she began tumbling as pain exploded through her. Then…

She was standing on a cliff in the depths of the forest as the glow on her shoulder dimmed back to normal. She blinked a few times, then collapsed, her entire body shuddering as she realized what must have happened. ‘It’s alright Apple Bloom. You’re still you.’ Princess Twilight’s words echoed in her thoughts, pushing back the terror of knowing that she’d just died a second time. Her mind went back to that moment; to the feeling of being held in the Princess’ embrace, wrapped in her wings… held… as a mother would hold her foal.

That thought immediately began to calm her mind as she lay there. Soon she began to really think about what she’d experienced. Honestly it hadn’t been that bad, once you get past the existential terror. The death had actually been pretty quick. Sure she’d hit several branches on the way down, but it had been mere moments of pain, then it was over. And as for the rest, she’d already died to the hydra. Even if each death really was the end of that version of her, well then it was already too late to worry about it wasn’t it? Maybe dying wasn’t so bad.

But there was no guarantee that she’d always die in such a quick, and relatively pain free way. What if the death were drawn out and painful? She shivered, thinking about it. Maybe she’d try a couple more quick deaths first.

Falling from the sky had certainly been quick, but she didn’t want to keep dying the same way. The whole point was to get used to dying in different ways. Getting to her hooves she went over and looked down off the cliff. It wasn’t quite high enough to guarantee death if she jumped. Going over the spells she knew, she wondered if there were any that she could use to make sure she died… Then she recalled Rekaj’s demonstration and warnings about the time field spell she’d been practicing. That would work.

Focusing on the spell, she created a small field just off the edge of the cliff, a field where time was flowing a hundred times faster than normal. If she was right, it should be like the time Rekaj had made a slow field around an apple and dropped it. Anything entering the field from the outside should be shredded by the time-flow differential. Taking a deep breath, she jumped.

She felt the air rush past her, then her hooves hit the time field. There was a pinching sensation and she barely registered watching her legs disappear in a fine red mist, then she found herself standing back on the cliff again as her shoulder stopped glowing.

She blinked. That had been even faster than falling from the sky. Her body barely had time to register the pain before she was gone. Still a shudder ran through her body, and she collapsed as she again came to terms with the fact that she had died once more.

“I’m still me.” She said softly to herself. “It doesn’t matter how many times I die…” She let the memory of being held in Twilight’s hooves fill her, and as before, thoughts calmed and she soon felt her heartrate returning to normal.

‘Okay. That’s two,’ she said standing back up ‘…still not very easy.’ Taking a few more deep breaths she let herself calm a bit more. ‘Probably should stick to quick deaths a bit longer.’ She glanced around. ‘So how else can I kill myself quickly?’

Honestly she had a lot of ways, but many of them would be almost as instant as the time field, and so really wouldn’t be that different. But Rekaj had taught her some combat spells, and trained her a bit in using them. Most involved conjuring blades or other simple weapons that she could then control with her mind. Unfortunately she hadn’t been very talented at controlling floating blades, but blades that were essentially worn, like wing blades or a conjured hoof blade; those she’d been a natural with.

Raising her right forehoof she conjured a blade that she had trained with under Rekaj for many hours, to the point that she could summon and dismiss the blade in the blink of an eye. It was roughly half the length of her foreleg, extending from the edge of her hoof in a translucent blue wedge that could be razor sharp and hard as diamond when she wanted it to. She held the blade up, looking at it, admiring just how deadly it was.

Taking a deep breath, she braced herself as she turned the blade inward. Then, before she could lose her nerve, she jammed it into her throat.

~~~

“Now what do you mean you felt the reset spell activate several times!?” Twilight exclaimed looking over at Rekaj as they made their way to Sweet Apple Acres. Rekaj had been in town when he’d first sensed the reset spell activate and so had gone to Twilight first to see if she knew where the farm filly was.

“At least five times so far.” Rekaj said with a wince.

“FIVE!?” Sweetie Belle squeaked trailing along behind them with Spike. Feather and a squad of guards had taken up positions around the group, though only the captain was obvious.

Reluctantly, Rekaj nodded.

“Are you telling me Apple Bloom has gotten herself stuck in a loop where she keeps dying!?” Twilight asked, understandably sounding a little upset.

“No, that’s not it…”

“Are you sure? Why else would she keep dying?” Twilight demanded.

“I’m sure, because she’s recast the reset spell…”

“What?”

Rekaj sighed heavily. “That’s why I know it’s activated at least five times, because she keeps recasting it. If it weren’t for that I’d have no way of knowing how many times it activated.”

Twilight glanced over at him, her eyes widening as she realized what that meant. “You mean she might have died more than five times!?”

“Quite likely… six now…”

“You mean she just…”

He simply nodded as they kept at their fast pace toward the apple family farm.

“But if she’s not stuck in a loop, then why would she keep dying!?”

“I think she’s doing it on purpose,” Rekaj said heavily.

“What!? You mean she’s trying to kill herself!?” Sweetie Belle squeaked in horror.

“Not permanently. Let’s find Applejack and I’ll explain what I think she’s doing.”

Fortunately, the farm mare was easy to find for a group consisting of mostly flyers. When they reached the acres, Rekaj simply flew up and spotted her out in the north orchard tending the trees there. She immediately knew something was up when she saw them.

“Something happen to Bloom?” She asked, sounding almost resigned as they approached.

“I’m afraid it’s more something she’s doing…” Rekaj said heavily.

Applejack raised a brow. “What do you mean?”

“He said Apple Bloom’s reset spell keeps activating over and over and he thinks Apple Bloom is doing it on purpose.” Twilight said looking to Rekaj to explain.

Applejack’s eyes widened knowing all too well what that meant. “WHAT!? You think Bloom is killing herself over and over on purpose!?”

He sighed and nodded.

“Why in tarnation do you think she would do somethin’ like that!?”

“Because I did the same thing when I first created the spell.” Rekaj said then went on to explain. “Obviously when I created it, I didn’t actually know if it would really work, I was fairly certain, but not enough to bet my life on it.” He said with a weak laugh. “We were at war, though, and eventually I did die in battle.

“Obviously, the spell worked, but the thing was, I was still afraid of dying. I realized just how powerful of a spell it was, that I truly could not die, but still I was afraid. What good is a power you’re afraid to use? Finally, I decided I couldn’t afford to be afraid of it anymore. I went out and got myself killed again and again in all kinds of different ways until I got used to dying.”

“And that’s what you think Apple Bloom is doing?” Twilight asked, horrified.

Reluctantly, he nodded.

“So you’re saying that mah sis is out there getting herself killed over and over because she doesn’t want to be afraid of dyin’!?”

“Yes.” He sighed again and shook his head. “What I don’t understand is why she’s doing this now? I thought she might eventually but I wasn’t expecting her to do this so soon. She seemed so happy when I last spoke with her.”

“What do you mean?” Twilgiht asked worried.

“When I did this, it was shortly after my first mate, Rella, died. I was not in a good way. I was angry, and wanted revenge; I wanted all the power I could get; that’s why I decided to get used to dying, so that I could take full advantage of the spell. I’m just wondering what could have set her off.”

Twilight glanced at Sweetie Belle, seeing the look of horror and realization in the filly’s eyes. “Do you think getting in a fight with one of her best friends would be enough?” Twilight asked softly.

Rekaj looked between them realizing that the question wasn’t exactly hypothetical. “It would certainly push her in the right direction.” He confirmed sadly.

Sweetie Belle whimpered.

“We need to find Apple Bloom. Though there’s not much we can do. She’s already died numerous times. She’s probably already becoming accustom to the experience by now;” He sighed and went on; “but she’s clearly upset, and could use a reminder that she still has people that care about her.

Twilight nodded in agreement.

“Wait, hang on.” Applejack said suddenly. “Bloom showed me some of that time magic you taught her, including how you can turn back time. Couldn’t you just turn back time to before this started and find Apple Bloom then to prevent it? Come to think of it, couldn’t you have done that the first time Bloom died!?” She looked at the disguised dragon accusingly.

“No he couldn’t.” Twilight interjected. “I thought of that too and already asked Rekaj about it.”

“Well why not?”

Twilight looked to Rekaj to explain.

“It’s because of the nature of the reset spell. When it’s activated, it creates a break in the timeline.” He scratched a line in the ground as he explained. “Like I explained before, when cast it creates a temporal anchor.” He scraped a mark across the line. “Then when activated it snaps time back to that anchor and starts a new timeline from that point.” He added a new line, starting from the mark and continuing on from there, then gestured to the start of that line. “But because of that I can’t turn back time before that point, because as far as my magic is concerned, the timeline we’re in now didn’t exist before that point. I can never turn back time past the last time the reset spell activated.”

Applejack frowned looking down. “Oh… Ah suppose that makes sense.”

“We just need to find Apple Bloom. Do any of you have any idea where she might have gone?”

“We were supposed to meet up at the clubhouse after my lessons.” Sweetie Belle spoke up. “Maybe Scootaloo saw her?”

“It’s worth a shot.” Twilight said with a shrug.

Rekaj nodded. “Why don’t you see if you can find her; I’ll begin searching for Apple Bloom.” He said then turned to Twilgiht. “Princess, would you object to me using my surveillance spells?”

She frowned, but nodded. “Alright, in this case, I’ll allow it.”

“Thank you, It will be faster to search if I don’t have to worry about maintaining a physical presence. I’ll leave my illusion here at the farm in case you find anything.

“Alright, as for the rest of us; let’s go find Scootaloo.”

~~~

“Why is it those varmints are never around when I need them…” Apple Bloom muttered under her breath as she scanned the trees below. She was deep into the Everfree Forest now but still there was no sign of her quarry. After being stabbed through the throat, and later the heart; crushed, diced, and reduced to a fine mist, along with near a dozen other quick deaths, most variations of those first few; she felt confident that she could handle quick deaths now. It was time to start on slower, and more violent deaths. She’d already experience one such death; the first one, but she’d have to experience more before she’d be confident she could handle it. So she’d set out in search of some of the monsters of the Everfree. She’d thought at the very least that Timber Wolves would be easy to find, but so far she’d had no luck in that regard.

“Aw to Tartarus with it!” She growled then dove down toward a gap in the canopy. Landing beneath the trees. Taking a breath, she recast the reset spell, then started off into the dark trees. Time had passed between reset spells and it was already getting past sunset. She knew her family was likely worried about her, but she was determined not to be afraid anymore. She probably could have just left the reset point at that first cliff where she’d started, and just kept resetting from there, but it was too late now. It was already well past time for her to be home, but she wasn’t going back now.

She had no destination in mind as she walked through the darkness beneath the trees. She just kept walking hoping to come across some monster or another that would consider her a decent meal. It didn’t take very long.

There wasn’t much warning, just sudden heavy footfalls and a flash of movement to the side. Apple Bloom looked and found a large timber wolf already bearing down on her. Though this was what she was looking for, instinct kicked in and she turned, bolting at a full gallop. It was already too late, though, and two more timber wolves closed in on either side, emerging from the shadows.

One pounced and she didn’t have time to evade. She felt its claws sink into her back even as its teeth sank into her neck. Its weight bore her down to the ground and she gave a frightened whinny, thrashing her legs uselessly as the monster pinned her down. Its jaws clamped down on her neck like a vice and she felt her throat collapse. Still she thrashed trying in vain to get the beast off of her. Slowly her vision began to fade, as her lungs burned for air. Her thrashing slowed and then stopped. Finally, the last bit of light faded from her eyes.

“Ouch.” Apple Bloom whimpered, once again standing where she’d landed as her shoulder faded back to normal. She took a deep breath to steady herself and as she had after each death, took a moment to think about and analyze the experience. Honestly she was already growing used to the dying itself. The only thing different this time was the amount of pain and fear that proceeded it. It wasn’t quite as bad as with the hydra, feeling her body crushed in the monster’s throat, bones snapping…

She shivered slightly at the memory. But as bad as the pain was, once she died and reset, that’s all it was; just a memory. The pain was still temporary. She was far from used to it, but it wasn’t as bad as she had thought.

Taking a deep breath, she stood up and looked off into the trees. “Ah wonder what other monsters live in these parts.”

~~~

Gliding over one of Ponyville’s parks on her way home, Rainbow Dash spotted something she hadn’t expected. Scootaloo sitting alone by a small pond. Not only was it getting late, but the filly had told her that she’d had plans with the crusaders for the evening. Had something happened?

Not wanting to leave the filly alone, Rainbow glided down to land softly by her side. “Hey kiddo; shouldn’t you be getting home?”

Scootaloo glanced up at her. “I guess so…” She said but didn’t move.

“Something wrong?”

She didn’t answer at first, just sat there staring out over the pond. Rainbow wasn’t sure what to say; she hadn’t seen the filly this down in some time. “Do you think I’ll ever be able to fly like you, Rainbow?”

“Oh, geese. Is that what this is about?” Rainbow gave a relieved laugh, “Scoots, you’re doing incredible! Twilight told me she didn’t even think you’d be hovering yet, let alone flying around town.” She put a wing around the filly and gave her a squeeze. “I know it can be discouraging seeing how much harder you have to work at it than everypony else, but don’t let it get you down, okay?”

“But Apple Bloom is already flying way better, and she’s only had wings a few months…”

“Yeah, she’s a pretty quick learner, but she’s also cheating a bit. That Rekaj fellow made her spell imitate Pegasus magic exactly how it needs to so that she can fly. She didn’t even need pegasus instincts.”

“She’s still learning way faster.” Scootaloo grumbled.

Rainbow shrugged. “And she’s going to top out pretty quick too. She’ll be average at best. Definitely not a stunt flyer.”

“But do you think I’ll ever be able to be a stunt flyer?”

“Heck yeah, Scoots. It will take a lot of work, but I know you can do it. And when you do, I bet you’ll be one of the best flyers in all of Equestria!”

“You really think so?” She asked sounding doubtful.

“I know it!” Rainbow said confidently. “Scoots, have you seen me and Twi flying lately?”

She shook her head.

“Well long story short, Twi can even keep up with me now.”

Scootaloo looked up at her in surprise. “Really!?”

“Yep, in fact she’s this close to being able to do a rainboom herself.” She held her hooves an inch apart. “And it’s all because of the knowledge she gained on pegasus magic after… after what happened with Achlys. Knowledge that she’s teaching you.” Rainbow told her, tapping her lightly on the snout.

“Then… do you really think I’ll be as good as you one day!?”

“I think you’ll give me a run for my money, that’s for sure. Think about it, kid. Twi’s not an athlete, but by using her magic how she does, she can make up the difference and even keep up with me. You, you’re already an athlete, so if you keep at it, and learn to use your magic like she does…”

Scootaloo’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Then I could do rainbooms!”

Rainbow grinned and gave her a squeeze. “I bet you will one day, kid. It will be a lot of work, but don’t let that discourage you; it will be worth it. Besides, there’s other awesome stuff you’ll be able to do with your magic as well. Did you know Twi can create a tornado with one swing of her wing?”

“A tornado!? Really!?”

Rainbow grinned, glad she'd been able to help her surrogate sister cheer up. “Yep, and I bet there’s other neat stuff you could do with your magic as well. I’m tempted to ask Twi to teach me, to be honest. But all that studying, blegh.”

Scootaloo grinned up at her. “Ah, it’s not so bad. Twilight’s a great teacher. Me and the crusaders always look forward to Twilight time…” She trailed off frowning.

“Something wrong?”

“I… I had a fight with Apple Bloom earlier.” She admitted, looking down. “I told her I didn’t want her to come to flight lessons anymore.”

Rainbow sighed. “Yeah, I was kind of afraid that might happen.” She pulled Scootaloo against her side. “I know you’ve been frustrated, Scoots, but you shouldn’t take it out on your friends.”

“I know.” Scootaloo said looking down.

“Twi told me that Apple Bloom said one of the main reasons she took Rekaj’s magic was because she hoped it would let her spend more time with you and Sweetie Belle.”

Scootaloo just stared at the ground in silence for a few moments. “I should probably apologize, huh…”

“It’s what friends do.” Rainbow agreed, then got to her hooves. “Come on, let’s stop by the Apples’ place, and then I’ll walk you home.”

Scootaloo nodded and stood as well. “Could we fly?” She asked hopefully.

Rainbow grinned. “Sure thing, kid.”

~~~

Apple Bloom stood at the edge of a small pond in the depths of the Everfree. There was a line of stones that seemed like a convenient way to cross, but she remembered well Applejack’s story about the cragadile they ran into when the Everfree was running wild. Without hesitation she took a step closer.

The cragadile burst from the water faster than she could react, and the next she knew its jaws were clamping down on her left foreleg right at her barrel. She felt herself being pulled into the water and could do nothing to stop it.

The pain was intense as the cragadiles long jagged teeth tore through her flesh. Then the beast began to roll. Apple Bloom was pulled under, feeling her bones snap and tendons tear, little more than a rag doll at the beasts mercy. Flesh tore from flesh and for a brief moment she was released, floating in the blood clouded water. The pain was agonizing as she realized in an almost detached way that her front left leg was gone.

Then the cragadiles jaws clamped down on her again, this time around her neck and began to twist and roll once more. Something snapped…

And she was back in the forest where she’d last cast the reset spell. She glanced down at her left foreleg. “Ouch.” That had been the first time she’s lost a limb, even if only briefly. And probably one of the most painful deaths so far. Turns out, angering an ursa was actually a rather quick death. She was morbidly curious what her corpse had looked like after the house sized monster had stomped on her…

~~~

“There you are!” Twilight called out as she spotted Rainbow and Scootaloo flying overhead.

Rainbow having spotted them already, glided down, wondering what was going on, it was getting a little dark for flying anyway. “Hey guys, something up?”

“We’re looking for Apple Bloom, we thought maybe Scootaloo knew where she’d gone?” Twilight told them as the two pegasi landed.

Scootaloo looked up in surprise. “Apple Bloom is missing?”

Twilight nodded. “She had a fight with Sweetie Belle earlier and ran off, pretty upset. Then a while later, Rekaj found me and said that Apple Bloom’s reset spell was activating over and over.”

“You mean something’s killing Apple Bloom!?” Scootaloo shouted, wide eyed.

“That’s the thing… Rekaj thinks she’s doing it herself.” Twilight said heavily.

“What!? Why would she…!?”

“She’s not trying to kill herself permanently.” Twilight clarified quickly. “Rekaj thinks she’s trying to get used to dying so that she won’t be afraid of it anymore. But even so, Rekaj doesn’t think she’d be doing it unless she was upset about something, so we need to find her.”

Rainbow gave Scootaloo a pointed look and the filly bit her lip for a moment, then broke down. “I’m so sorry! This is all my fault!”

Twilight looked at her concerned. “What do you mean.”

“We were supposed to meet at the clubhouse after Sweetie’s lessons, but when I got there only Apple Bloom was there. She seemed upset and said that Sweetie probably wouldn’t be coming and I… I got mad at her, and yelled at her; I told her I didn’t want her coming to flight lessons anymore.”

“Oh dear.” Twilight said softly. “If one friend wasn’t enough, two would certainly do it… Did you see where Apple Bloom went?”

Scootaloo looked down and shook her head. “She took off and turned invisible.”

“Alright, well, Rainbow, could you take these two home and tell their families what’s going on?”

“Sure thing, Twi.”

“But…!” Sweetie Belle tried to object.

“I know you want to help, but that will be up to your families. It’s already getting late.” Twilight told them firmly.

Reluctantly they both nodded.

“The rest of us will regroup with Rekaj at Sweet Apple Acres.”

“Do you want me to rally the rest of the guard?” Feather asked.

Twilight sighed. “We may have to, but to be honest, I haven’t a clue where we’d start looking. Maybe once we meet back with Rekaj, we’ll have a better idea where to start. Just alert them for now.”

Feather nodded and signaled one of her subordinates to pass on the order.

“What if we can’t find her?” Applejack asked, worried for her sister.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to wait until she’s ready to come home…”

~~~

Frantically Apple Bloom kicked her hooves, trying to climb back up from the depths of the lake. She couldn’t even see the surface she was so deep. Not in the pitch black night. She could barely tell which way was up. Still she desperately tried to swim; her lungs burning for air. Her mind began to feel fuzzy, deprived of oxygen. Eventually instinct took over and in desperation to fill her lungs, she opened her mouth, trying take a breath. Water filled her lungs causing her to gag and gasp and slowly conscious thought faded.

Author's Note

Well it was only two months this time. Good news is I already have the next two chapters written in rough draft, so I will be posting those over the next couple weeks. And there will likely be one more chapter and an epilogue to follow. In total this story will likely be between 70-80k when it's finished.

Chapter 15: The Second Prison

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 15: The Second Prison
***

Twilight sighed as she looked over the results of her latest attempt at scrying Apple Bloom’s location. Like all her previous attempts, it had failed almost completely. Even the most advanced forms of scrying that she’d recovered from Achlys’ knowledge had only given her a very vague result.

A fatal flaw of all scrying spells was that you either had to know the place you were scrying yourself, or you could target a specific person, but to do that you had to have a sample of their magic. Usually a treasured possession would be enough to provide the needed sample, but the thing was, a person’s magical signature could sometimes change if something major happened in their life… such as having a foreign magic bound to theirs. Rekaj’s Sa’Dracori had changed Apple Bloom’s magical signature, and was still changing it. As a result, none of her spells could get a lock on the filly.

“It’s no use.” She groaned.

Feather gave her a sympathetic look. “Still can’t get a lock on her?”

Twilight sighed and shook her head. “Her magic is still in flux from taking Rekaj’s Sa’Dracori. The nearest I could get that she’s somewhere in central Equestria.” Twilight held up one of Apple Bloom’s bows. “This has the strongest sample of her magic of anything I could find, but even it didn’t give any better results than that.”

“Do you think any of your books back at the library would have anything that would help?” Feather asked. Having needed access to Apple Bloom’s possessions, Twilight had stayed at Sweet Apple Acres while Applejack, Big Mac, and Rainbow Dash had joined Rekaj, Rarity and the rest of Twilight’s guard in search of Apple Bloom, though without some clue where to look, they weren’t having much success. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were with them as well, having convinced their families to let them join the search effort.

“I doubt it, but I suppose it would be best to make sure.” Twilight said. “I’m not making any progress here. Has there been any word from the guard?”

Feather shook her head. “The pegasi and nocturne are flying a search pattern, while the unicorns and earth ponies search for clues on the ground, but with the darkness and not knowing where to even look…”

Twilight nodded understandingly, then glanced out the window wondering just what time it was. She knew it was well past midnight. In fact, it was likely getting near dawn. “Alright, well let’s move this back to the library, Rekaj, you still have a clone at the library right?”

The blue stallion standing in the corner, still as a stature suddenly became more animated as Rekaj focused his attention there. “Yes, I still have one at the library; and I’ll leave this one here in case Apple Bloom returns.”

Twilight nodded. “Alright, let us know if she does. Come on, Feather, let’s get going.”

Feather nodded and tapped a new gem on her chest piece. “All Guard Alert;” she said and after a moment the gem gave a soft chime. “Attention, Mother Hen is returning to the nest, mother hen is returning to the nest.”

Twilight raised a brow as she stepped outside. “Mother hen? Really?”

Feather just shrugged, following. “It wasn’t the worst option for a code name. Might even throw enemies off. Most think of Celestia as the mother hen…”

Twilight rolled her eyes and took off, Feather following close by her side.

Something wasn’t right.

Twilight glanced around trying to spot what had given her a strange feeling all the sudden, but nothing seemed out of place. Still she was tense the entire flight home. Even when they landed at the library without incident, she still couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.

~~~

“Geronimo!” Apple Bloom cried as she leaped off the cliff. She didn’t have her wings on, and she plummeted into the ravine. About halfway down she clipped a rock protruding from the cliff that broke both her hind legs with a loud crack and caused her to begin tumbling. She glanced of another rock, then hit a slope near the bottom, breaking several more bones and sending her into a roll the rest of the way down, finally coming to a stop just on the edge of the stream that had dug the gorge over the centuries.

“Ow” She groaned, as the pain caught up with her. All together she was pretty sure she’d broken both hind legs and one of her forelegs. There might have been a break in her other foreleg as well, but the other three limbs were demanding her attention. There was no way she would be getting up anytime soon. She wasn’t dead though.

“Ah great…” She moaned realizing she’d likely have to wait to slowly bleed to death; she was pretty sure a couple of her broken bones had torn through the skin. Honestly though, it wasn’t as bad as drowning; even with all the pain. With nothing else to do but wait to die, Apple Bloom looked around. It seemed like weeks had passed. With how many times she’d reset, it might have been, but it was still just before sunrise. The sky was just now beginning to glow as if the sun were eager to be risen to begin the day. There was just enough light that she noticed an odd shadow in the cliff opposite of where she’d fallen and a little downstream. Was it a cave?

She strained as much as she could trying to get a better look, but it was still too dark. With a groan, she laid her head back to wait for the inevitable.

A half hour later, she was beginning to wonder if she was going to bleed to death at all. Perhaps she’d have to end it herself. The pain had faded enough that she could probably focus enough to cast a spell now. She sighed. The sun was just starting to light the ravine now.

A twig snapping made her look down along the stream. There she spotted a welcome sight. A timber wolf was slowly advancing on her.

“Oh good.”

The wolf froze seeming surprised by the lack of fear.

“Well get on with it!” Apple Bloom said impatiently.

It hesitated a moment more, then seemed to decide that she’d simply accepted death, and dashed forward. Apple Bloom felt its jaws clamp around her neck and its teeth pierced her neck even as it crushed her windpipe. Just as darkness began to creep into her vision, though, her eyes fell on the strange shadow in the opposite cliff. With the sky brightening, she could just make out a little more detail. There was something there. It was definitely a cave, but it seemed a little too clean… almost as if it weren’t natural, what was more, she felt a strange urge to investigate.

Sometime later – it had taken her some time to find the spot again, even while flying – Apple Bloom looked down into the darkened entrance that had been almost completely hidden in the ravine. It was several paces above the stream with no ledge or path leading up to it. Her eyes hadn’t deceived her. It was definitely not a natural cave entrance; it had been widened and carved into a doorway. In fact, the ancient stonework seemed familiar in its simple functional design; weathered as it was. It looked like the intact stonework of Achlys’ prison. Could it be from the same time period? It certainly looked old enough.

What was odd about it was the feeling she was getting. She felt drawn to it; as if something in the depths of the cave were calling to her.

It didn’t make sense; if this were an alicorn prison like she thought, then wouldn’t they want ponies to stay away? Unless… was the alicorn imprisoned here the source of the strange attraction? Were they trying to escape by drawing ponies in to free them? She frowned.

‘Might as well check it out.’ She thought. If she messed up and the alicorn was trying to escape; then she could just turn back time and prevent it. But if it were something else drawing her in; she wanted to know why.

If it were an alicorn prison, there was the possibility of traps; but Apple Bloom didn’t think they’d be a problem. She’d just spent an entire night getting herself killed and reset again and again, after all. She was fairly used to dying at this point, so even if she were killed a few times figuring them out, she’d be fine.

Casting the reset spell, she went inside.

It was immediately apparent that this cave had been entirely natural when the ancient ponies had decided to convert it for their cause. Just beyond the entrance, the cave opened up into a fair-sized chamber with a slanted ceiling and floor. A level path had been cut heading deeper into the cave, but much of the chamber had been left intact.

Having been open to the outside; she’d expected to find evidence of the local wildlife having made their home in the cave; especially in this first chamber, but the cave was strangely clean. It was as if something had kept wildlife away.

‘Probably some kind of repulsion charm; if there are traps down here, it wouldn’t make sense to let them be set off by wild animals.’ Not for the first time, she wished she had some way of detecting unicorn magic. Perhaps RJ had a spell, she resolved to ask him the next time she saw him; not that it would help her now.

Continuing through the natural chamber, she found it ended at a carved tunnel; a tunnel lit by softly glowing crystals embedded in the walls near the ceiling. She examined the hall as closely as she could in the dim light but didn’t see any sign of traps, so she continued through. It wasn’t very long and soon opened up into a large pony-made chamber, with four columns around the outside of the room and a stout column near the center that only reached halfway to the ceiling. The entire chamber was lit by just a few clusters of glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling leaving the corners, behind the support columns in deep shadow. She looked at the short column for a second, curious about its purpose, but then spotted the way out across the chamber from her.

“Hold it, kid!” A mare’s voice called out from the shadows, making her stop mid step. There was a flutter of wings and Apple Bloom looked up to the side as a mustard yellow pegasus with a greyscale mane landed next to her. She was wearing a vest with numerous pockets and a battered, but still functional pith helmet.

“You’re Daring Do…” Apple Bloom said calmly, recognizing the mare from Applejack’s description. Figured, if anypony was going to be exploring an ancient ruin that likely contained dangerous traps; it would be Daring Do.

“Heh, that’s right.” She said with a bit of a smirk at her lack of enthusiasm. “Usually fillies your age that recognize me are a little more excited to find out I’m real.”

“Ah already knew you were real.” Apple Bloom said dismissively.

She looked a little surprised. “You did?”

“Yeah, my sis and her friends helped you out a while back with some magical rings or something…”

“The rings of Scorchero?”

“Sounds right.” Apple Bloom nodded.

“Your sis is one of Rainbow Dash’s friends, huh? Lemme guess; Yellow Pegasus, pink mane?”

Apple Bloom raised a brow. “No, that’s Fluttershy.”

Daring looked taken back. “Oh… then was your sis the earth pony, orange coat, wearing a classic cowpony hat.”

“Yep, that’s sis; her name’s Applejack. I’m Apple Bloom.”

“Heh, well I’m glad to meet you, Apple Bloom. But I’m going to have to get you out of here; this place is far too dangerous for a filly your age, and I wouldn’t want you to get hurt. Especially if you’re a friend of Rainbow Dash.” She reached her wing around Apple Bloom and started trying to guide her back the way she’d come but Apple Bloom twisted out of her grip.

“No, there’s something down here that’s callin’ to me and I’m going to find out what it is,” she insisted heading toward the next hall.

Daring Do zipped around in front of her stalling her once more. “I’m not kidding kid; this place is way too dangerous. I’m not letting you go any further even if I have to drag you home myself.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

“Ah’d like to see you try.” Apple Bloom’s voice came from behind Daring Do and she looked to see another yellow and red filly standing there. She looked back toward the first to find there were now half a dozen fillies in front of her. Her eyes widened a bit in surprise; the filly wasn’t a unicorn; she hadn’t been expecting magic. Certainly not anything this advanced.

“You can’t drag me home…” one of them started.

“…if you don’t know which one is the real me.” Another finished.

Daring gave another smirk. “That’s pretty good kid, but… WHAT’S THAT!?”

“WHERE!?” One of the Apple Bloom’s exclaimed, looking where Daring had pointed, while the rest showed no reaction.

Daring quickly scooped up that filly and flew them up into the air with a triumphant grin. “Well looky here; guess I found the right one.”

Apple Bloom twisted around in her hooves and grinned. “Sorry…” She faded away along with all but one of the others, leaving only one of the Apple Blooms that hadn’t reacted.

“…But Ah was trained by the best.”

Daring looked at her stunned; the filly she’d picked up had felt so real. Even as she’d twisted around, Daring could have sworn she’d felt her muscles flexing under her skin. “Alright, that was pretty good. But I’m serious kid. I’ve seen ruins like this before; and they’re way too dangerous for a filly.”

“Ah’ll be fine.” Apple Bloom said dismissively, heading for the next tunnel.

Daring dashed in front of her again, trying to stop her. “Kid, the last one of these I came across had some of the deadliest traps I’ve ever seen! And if you know anything about my books then you know that’s saying something.

Apple Bloom sighed. “Look Ah appreciate your concern, but Ah’ll be fine; in fact, Ah’m a heck of a lot safer down here than you are.”

Daring snorted. “How do you figure that?”

Bloom’s eyes narrowed. She sat down and raised her right forehoof, conjuring a glowing translucent blue blade extending from her hoof. Daring looked at it in surprise; so, the filly had a way to defend herself at least… Then Bloom raised her other forehoof holding it out in front of her. Daring watched, wondering just what she was doing.

She swung the blade down and the next instant her left foreleg was several inches shorter and spraying blood all over the floor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!” Daring screeched in shock.

Apple Bloom just winced a bit at the pain. A moment later, the mark on her shoulder glowed brightly and Daring had the unique experience of watching everything go in reverse unable to do anything but observe. Apple Bloom’s severed hoof flew up, reattaching itself to her leg even as her blade swung backwards until she was sitting there once again whole. Once it was over, the filly’s shoulder stopped glowing and the blade faded away.

“Like Ah said; Ah’ll be fine, but if you need more convincin’, Ah’m cutting off your leg next time.”

“Uh, no… no. I’m good.” Daring said, still in a bit of shock. This filly was something else. She shook her head. “Alright, that’s great and all, kid; but I’ve seen traps that could kill you in an instant in places like this.”

“Ah’ve already died several dozen times today; a few more won’t matter. Now Ah’m going to find out just what is drawing me to this place; if you want to tag along, then come on, you’ll be safer with me anyway.”

She once again headed toward the tunnel deeper into the ruins.

“Do you even know what these ruins are?” Daring asked following.

“Do you?” Apple Bloom challenged.

“Kid, I may spend a lot of time treasure hunting; but I am an archeologist.”

“That doesn’t mean you know.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ve done my research. This is the second site like this I’ve found, and this one is much more intact than the last.”

“Was the other also in the Everfree forest with a path melted through the rocks at the entrance?”

Daring blinked. “How did you…”

“Ah’ve been there. Ah’m guessing that this place is the same as that one: an alicorn prison from way back during the purge.”

“You know about the purge?” Daring asked, understandably surprised.

Apple Bloom nodded. “But what Ah want to know is if this is a prison – one that they didn’t want to be found – why is there something drawing me to it?”

“You felt that too, huh? I wonder if it’s specific to pegasi…”

With the sound of grinding stone, a slab slid down in front of the tunnel that led deeper into the ruins.

“Watch it!” Daring shouted, realizing they’d sprung a trap. Looking back the other way, they found the entrance had been likewise closed.

Then the ominous sound of grinding stone came from above as the ceiling began to descend.

“Horsefeathers…” Daring cursed, frantically looking around. “This kind of trap; there’s usually some way to stop it. A secret way, just in case one of the builders triggered it.”

Apple Bloom looked around as well. Though she had been crushed to death once already it had been much faster than this slowly descending ceiling. This, she imagined, would be more like what she felt in the hydra’s throat. Unpleasant, but not the worst she’d experienced. She just wished she’d seen what had triggered the trap, so they could avoid it next time if they died here.

“There, the center column!” Daring shouted pointing.

Apple Bloom looked to see that the half column she’d noticed earlier was positioned directly under a hole that had been revealed in the descending ceiling, but if it could be shifted just a little to the side… It was then she noticed that it seemed to be set in a groove in the floor; one that would allow the column to be moved just enough in one direction to put it under the descending ceiling.

Daring was already there, pushing with all her strength, but the column wouldn’t budge. Apple Bloom ran over to help, trying to get into a good position so they both could push, but with how narrow the column was, they couldn’t both get good leverage at the same time.

“Move, you stupid rock!” Apple Bloom shouted. Applejack could probably push the column, no problem, but she was still just a filly, and even with a grown pegasus helping, they just didn’t have the strength to move it.

“It’s no use…” Daring growled. “We’ll have to find another way!” She flew up to the hole in the ceiling to see if it led anywhere before the column sealed it.

Apple Bloom glared at the column. “Stupid rock!” She spun around and bucked it with all her strength.

It moved.

It was only an inch or so, but it moved.

Grinning, Apple Bloom coiled herself and bucked again, moving the column a little bit more. The ceiling was getting lower, so she didn’t stop. Kicking the stone column again and again, she slowly moved it into place. Finally, with one last buck, the column reached the end of the groove it was set in only a few seconds before the ceiling reached it.

With a clunk, the ceiling connected with the column and somewhere within the walls, they heard another mechanism activating. With the sound of grinding stone, the doors to the chamber opened once more.

Apple Bloom sighed in relief, flopping down on the floor to rest a moment while her breathing slowed back to normal. It was then that she noticed Daring Do staring at her.

“Dang kid, I’ve never seen a pegasus filly with that kind of strength before.”

Apple Bloom looked up at her confused for a moment, then realized that this entire time, she’d still had her wing spell on. “Oh, Ah’m not actually a pegasus,” she admitted and deactivated the spell. “Ah’m really an earth pony.”

She snorted shaking her head. “That explains it. You’re full of surprises kid.”

“Ah’m just glad we got through; Ah may be getting used to dying; but it sure isn’t any fun. She looked up at Daring. “And watching other ponies die isn’t much fun either, even if they come back too…”

Daring laughed. “Well thanks, kid. Why don’t we take a break before going on?”

Apple Bloom looked up at her curiously. “You’re not going to try to force me to go back.”

“You made it pretty clear you weren’t going to. And I’m experience enough to know a losing battle.” Daring told her, sitting down to rest as well. “So, why’re you so determined to explore this place.”

“Like Ah said, Ah want to know what’s drawing me here. And if Ah can, put an end to it, so nopony else gets drawn into the traps. What Ah’m wondering about, is if it’s the alicorn imprisoned here that’s drawing us in, or if it’s something else… If it’s the alicorn, they’re probably just trying to escape. But if it’s something else…”

Daring nodded, seeing what she was thinking. “Then why would the builders of this place want to draw ponies to what was supposed to be a secret prison? That’s a good question.”

Apple Bloom nodded then glanced at the column holding the lowered ceiling. “You know, now that Ah think about it, Ah probably could’ve conjured something to give us more leverage on that dumb column…”

Daring snorted. “Heh, yeah, that probably would have been easier, but you know, hind sight and all that. You got it done, and that’s all that matters.”

They grew silent for a bit; the only sound being that of Apple Bloom’s rapid breathing as it slowed back to normal.

“So, how’s Rainbow Dash been?” Daring asked, breaking the silence.

“She’s good, she was the one that taught me how to fly.”

Daring gave a small laugh at that. “An earth pony learning how to fly… She up to anything else exciting?”

“Well she helped save the world again a few months ago.” Apple Bloom told her, matter-of-factly.

“She did? Wait, what do you mean again? The whole thing with the Rings of Scorchero was bad, but I wouldn’t consider it world threatening.”

Apple Bloom gave her a deadpan look. “You have no idea who Rainbow Dash is, do you.”

Daring looked at her a little taken back. “…Should I.”

“Well let’s see… she performed the first Sonic Rainboom in Equestria’s history when she was just a filly, then did it again to win the best young flyer competition a few years back.” Daring Do’s eyes widened in surprise, but Apple Bloom was just getting started. “But before that, she, my sis, and their friends defeated Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony and turned her back into princess Luna. Later they used them to defeat Discord. In the battle of Canterlot, they fought off dozens of changelings and helped drive them away.”

Daring was starting to look like she was staring death in the face as she realized just who Rainbow Dash’s friends must be.

“Then they defeated King Sombra and freed the Crystal Empire. A couple months after that, they reformed Discord, and then one of Rainbow’s closest friends Ascended and became the Fourth Princess of Equestria! And if that’s not enough, they went on to save the Tree of Harmony and finally, just a few months ago, helped to defeat the alicorn Achlys; the alicorn that had been imprisoned in the ruined prison out in the Everfree forest! Which, by the way, would have been nice to know about since Achlys imprisoned Princess Celestia there!”

Daring just stared back at her, eyes wide and jaw agape as it sunk in just how important Rainbow Dash and her friends were. “Rainbow Dash is one of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s friends!?”

“Yeah, and Twilight was with Rainbow Dash when they helped you out.” Apple Bloom told her.

“What?” Daring squeaked.

She raised a brow. “Are you telling me that you didn’t even notice the purple alicorn in their group?”

Daring swallowed nervously and shook her head. “Was she…upset that I didn’t notice her?”

Apple Bloom snorted. “You don’t know Twilight. She doesn’t care about recognition; she was just ecstatic to be helping on one of your adventures. She’s been a big fan of your books since she was a filly.”

She let out a relieved sigh.

“Might be a good idea to keep in touch with the rest of Equestria, though.”

“Heh, yeah. I guess it would be a good idea.” She agreed then looked over at Apple Bloom. “So, your sis is one of the element bearers, huh?”

“Yep,” Apple Bloom nodded proudly. “She’s the element of Honesty.”

“So what element is Rainbow Dash?”

“She’s Loyalty.”

Daring considered that for a moment then gave a smirk. “Guess that makes sense. Even when I tried to push her away and told her that I work alone she still refused to give up on me. Have to admit, it was nice having somepony I could count on…”

Apple Bloom looked over at her with a grin. “Ah’m sure Rainbow would be glad to help you out again anytime you ask.”

She laughed. “Yeah, she probably would… and as annoying as her fan-girling was; I wouldn’t mind the company sometimes.”

Apple Bloom smiled sadly. “Even being a hero can get lonely sometimes.” She pushed thoughts of her friends away. She knew she’d have to deal with it sooner or later; but not just yet. “So, why’d you decide to keep it a secret that you’re actually Daring Do?”

“Heh, believe it or not; I didn’t want to be famous.”

Apple Bloom raised a brow questioningly.

“I mean. A famous archeologist, known to historians for finding lost historical treasures, sure, but definitely not a famous action hero.” She sighed. “But early on in my career I was a bit short on cash. Heck, I was flat broke. That’s something I left out of those first few books; no one wants to read about my financial troubles back then.”

“Probably not.” Apple Bloom agreed.

Daring gave her a smile. “Anyway a little while after my first encounter with Ahuizotl, I happened to read some adventure book, I can’t remember what it was called, but it was on the best seller list at the time and I remember thinking; my life is more exciting than this.

“So, I decided to try writing about my adventures, ‘maybe I’ll make a few bits’ I thought.… I did not expect that first book to sell like it did. I went from flat broke to super rich practically overnight, and pretty soon everypony in Equestria knew my name. I’m just glad my agent suggested I publish the book under a pseudonym cause if ponies knew the stories were true, they’d be swarming all over the jungles searching for the ruins I’ve been to. Even so, going anywhere as A.K. Yearling I still get mobbed.

“Fortunately, my publisher doesn’t distribute my books in the areas where most my adventures take place, so most ponies there don’t know about the books. To them I’m just an adventurous treasure hunter.

“A few of my enemies are a little ticked that I got rich off my stories that include them, and they didn’t, but they’re not exactly in the best standing with the authorities, so there’s not much they can do about it.” She shrugged. “And it helps the Princess Celestia herself told me that she would back me if any of them ever did try to make a legal claim against me. She said I have every right to tell my own stories and if they don’t want to be in them, then they’ll just have to stay out of my life.”

Apple Bloom snorted. “Yeah, that sounds like Princess Celestia.”

“You know Princess Celestia?”

“I just told ya my sis is an element of harmony.” Apple Bloom deadpanned.

Daring smirked. “Right, so I guess you’ve met her a few times.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Ah definitely know Princess Luna better, but Ah know Princess Celestia too.”

“I haven’t really met Princess Luna. The one time I met with Princess Celestia after her return was during the day, so Luna was asleep.”

Apple Bloom smiled. “She came to Nightmare Night in Ponyville, that’s when Ah first met her.”

Daring grinned. “Nightmare Night huh? I can’t imagine that went over well…”

“She was a little upset at first, she even wanted to cancel Nightmare Night at one point. But once she got into the spirit of things, she had a lot of fun. She even disguised herself as Nightmare Moon to scare us when we went to do the candy offering. Course, now she looks like that anyway…” Apple Bloom frowned, wondering how that would affect nightmare night in the future.

“Looks like what?” Daring asked, raising a brow.

“Haven’t you heard? Princess Luna looks like Nightmare Moon again.”

“She does?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yep, but she’s still Luna, she just looks like Nightmare Moon, without the armor.”

“Huh, so I probably shouldn’t freak out next time I visit Canterlot then…”

“Probably not.” She laughed.

Daring grinned then climbed up onto her hooves once more and stretched. “Well, shall we continue on?”

Apple Bloom nodded and got to her hooves as well.

“There’s probably more traps ahead you know.” Daring said, starting toward the tunnel leading deeper into the ancient prison.

“Yeah Ah know. We’ll figure them out.”

“You sure you want to go on?” She asked, clearly hoping Apple Bloom would change her mind.

“Ah’m not backing out.” Apple Bloom told her firmly. “If we don’t figure out what’s drawing ponies in here an’ stop it, then somepony might get hurt.”

“Okay, okay. I just feel a bit like an irresponsible adult, letting you tag along.”

“Ah came in here on my own, if anything, you’re taggin’ along with me!” Apple Bloom countered. “And, Ah’m going first.” She took the lead into the next tunnel.

Daring dashed in front of her. “Hey, no, no, no! We got lucky once, kid. Let me go first. I know the kinds of things to look for to avoid triggering any more traps.”

“Didn’t help with the first trap.”

“Yeah, well I was a little distracted with a filly that seems determined to get herself killed.”

Apple Bloom opened her mouth to retort, then blushed. “Ah guess you have a point… but Ah’m still going first.”

“Oh come on! Kid, are you really that determined to get yourself killed!?”

“Better me than you.” Apple Bloom said softly.

“What!?” Daring gasped.

Apple Bloom sighed. “If Ah die, time just resets back to when Ah cast my spell and Ah get to try again. If you die, ah have to watch it happen… Ah can turn back time and reverse it; but I still would rather not see it in the first place. So, if you really want to protect me, let me go first.”

“Oh…” She frowned, looking conflicted. “You’d really rather die yourself than have to watch someone else die, even though you can reverse both?”

Apple Bloom nodded, looking down. “The first time Ah died… Ah had to watch my friends die first. Ah just froze up, couldn’t do anything while that hydra… That’s why ah decided to get used to dyin’; so that next time, Ah won’t hesitate to put myself in harm’s way to protect others.” She shook her head. “Dyin’s not fun. Not by a long shot. But it’s still better than watching somepony else die.

Daring stared at her for a moment in silence, then slowly smiled. “That’s the heart of a hero, kid.” She stepped to Apple Bloom’s side and wrapped a wing around her. “So how about this; we work together, side by side, and Ah’ll do my best to make sure neither of us dies.”

Apple Bloom snorted, but gave a small smile all the same. “Alright.”

The path beyond the first trap opened back up into a mostly natural cave again with a level path cut into the floor. More enchanted crystals provided light, though these where set into the low wall along the side of the path where it had been cut into the natural cave floor. The lack of pony made features let Apple Bloom relax a little. The ancient ponies would have to build something to make a trap, right? She looked down the path ahead trying to pick out anything that might trigger a trap of some kind, but it seemed to be smooth stone with no cracks or seams whatsoever.

Fortunately they crossed the natural chamber without incident, and soon they stood before another door. The chamber beyond was dark.

“The feeling is still a ways off.” Apple Bloom stated.

Daring nodded looking up and down the pony-made wall that sealed off this end of the chamber. “Yep, which means there’s likely another trap or two before then. And considering they purposely walled off this section of the cave, I bet one of them is on the other side of this door.” She reached back to one of her pockets.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath. “Well, there’s nothing else for it.” She stepped through the door.

The room lit up as she entered.

“You could have waited for me to get out my sunstone…” Daring said, following behind her. Apple Bloom looked back to see she was holding a brightly glowing stone with one wing. She glanced at the glowing crystals spread around the walls of the chamber. “Guess it wasn’t needed though.” She slipped the sunstone back into one of her vest pockets. The chamber they found themselves in was unusually tall, this time with no pillars. “Yeah, I’m betting this is another trap…”

“Do you see anything that might be the trigger?” Apple Bloom asked looking around.

Daring sighed. “No. But then if it’s magic in nature, there wouldn’t be an obvious trigger; there may not be any visual evidence at all.”

“Do you have anything that could detect it?”

“Not reliably.” She reached into one of her vest pockets and pulled out a gem pendant; an oval shaped pearl that had a distinctive ruby tint, held in a golden setting. This glows whenever it get’s close to concentrations of magic, but in this case by the time I get it close enough to detect the trigger, we’ll probably already have set it off.”

Apple Bloom frowned… “Well Ah guess there’s not much choice then; try it, see if you can detect the trigger, but if we set it off, then we take our chances trying to escape. Worst case, we die, and Ah get to meet you all over again.”

Daring hesitated then taking a deep breath, nodded, silently vowing not to test the filly’s claim. Carefully, she started forward again, holding the pendant out in front of them with one wing. “You know if it’s a magic trigger, detecting it may be futile. It could very well spread across the entire chamber. They could have set it as they left to make it impossible to enter without setting it off.”

“Then we’ll just have to try to figure a way out… By the way, Ah’m still cutting off your leg next time.”

Daring looked at her sharply then smiled when she saw the filly’s smirk. “Hey go easy on me. If it works like you said, then I won’t know any better.”

“Still cutting off your leg.”

She snorted. “As much as the morbid part of my mind is curious what that would be like; I’d still prefer if you didn’t.”

The pendant suddenly glowed with a ruby hue and Daring froze.

It was already too late.

The all too familiar sound of grinding stone announced the closing of the doors both in front and behind.

“Great…” Daring muttered, slipping the pendant back into her pocket.
The doors closed with a loud thud, and then nothing. They both looked around the silent room, wondering what was about to happen.

Author's Note

In case anyone has forgotten, this story started with Child of Misery which is in place of the season 4 finale. So Daring has not seen Rainbow Dash since the first time.

This is the last chance to guess Captain Feather's secret in this universe. It will be revealed next chapter. Just remember to put it in spoiler tags if you do make a guess.

Chapter 16: The Way Forward

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 16: The way forward
***

“Ya think it failed? It’s gotta be a couple thousand years old.” Apple Bloom said after a few moments when nothing happened.

“Closer to three thousand actually,” she said looking around nervously as well. “It’s possible, I guess. But in all the ruins I’ve been in, the traps always worked, no matter how old.” She frowned then amended; “Unless someone had smashed them to bits anyway. What the…?”

Apple Bloom looked over at the pegasus to see she was looking up in confusion. She looked as well and spotted something near the roof of the chamber, something fluffy looking and gray in color, lit from below by the dim light. “A storm cloud?”

“Wait, do you hear something?”

A deluge of water suddenly poured down on them from narrow slots halfway up each of the chamber’s walls. They barely had time to be surprised before the water level rose above their heads. Apple Bloom kicked to the surface, sputtering and trying to stay afloat in the churning water. Suddenly she felt something under her and the next instant she realized it was Daring Do and clung to the older mare’s neck as she kicked up spreading her wings and getting them both out of the water.

“Thanks.” Apple Bloom said as they came to hover just above the water inlets.

“No problem kid…” She sighed looking around. “The old drowning room… Hate these,” she said as the water level continued to rise at an alarming rate.”

“Any idea how to get out of this one? Because trust me; drownin’ is not a fun way to die.”

“I don’t doubt it…” she frowned looking down. “The last one I was in I found a secret passage under the water, but this chamber was a simple square and pretty well lit. I didn’t see any other passage than the two doors.”

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Ah didn’t either.

“So unless it’s hidden with an illusion, no secret passages.”

Apple Bloom frowned looking up and down the walls. Other than the slots where the water was pouring in, there didn’t seem to be any breaks, just smooth stone walls all the way up to… “What’s that?” Apple Bloom pointed over Daring’s Shoulder up near the cloud they’d seen earlier. There was some sort of crystal set in the wall in the center of some kind of pattern.

Daring frowned and took them up higher to see. “It’s a simple spell array,” she said after a quick examination. “Huh, looks like it’s what made this cloud.” Daring said, giving the small storm cloud a nudge.

“But why?”

“Good question,” Daring said as she looked around some more for an answer. A glint of light on the far wall got her attention. Flying closer she saw this wall wasn’t simply smooth stone like the rest; there were several veins of what looked like copper inlaid into the stone all leading together into a central point.

“What is it?”

“I don’t know… looks like copper but...” Her eyes widened, and she looked back at the storm cloud then at the copper veins. “Lightning! I think we have to cause a lightning bolt to strike the copper! The veins will act as a receptor and guide the lightning into triggering the release!”

Apple Bloom glanced between the cloud and the web of copper veins. “It’s worth a shot.” She shrugged. “Go ahead and try it.”

Daring balked. “Kid, we’re both soaking wet and I’m not a weather pony! I’ve never had any luck controlling lightning. I’ll just as likely fry us as strike the copper.”

“So!?”

“Kid…!”

“Ah’d much rather die of a lightning strike than drown again. Ah’ve already done that once today.”

“Yeah well it may not kill us, just make our last moments before we drown full of pain.”

“Then Ah’ll just turn back time and we’ll try again. If Ah knew how, Ah’d do it myself, but Ah don’t, so it has to be you.” Apple Bloom countered.

Daring sighed and flew up next to the cloud, moving it over near the copper veins. “A cloud this size, I’m only going to get one, maybe two strikes…”

“Daring.” Apple Bloom said calmly.

“Yeah.”

“Kick the bucking cloud.”

Daring glanced back at her sharply, then smirked. “You know, when we get out of here, I might just have to tell that big sis of yours about your language. Here goes.”

Positioning herself with the cloud behind her, she kicked backwards, striking the cloud with one of her hind hooves. There was a tremendous crack and a blinding flash as a bolt of searing white arched from the cloud down to the water.

“Pony feathers!” Daring cursed over both their ears' ringing. Moving the cloud a little closer to the copper web, she kicked again.

Nothing.

“Crap, like I thought, only one strike.”

Before she could say more, suddenly she felt a strange sensation as her wings suddenly reversed their beats, she felt her mouth moving, the words she’d said coming out again in reverse. She felt herself moving backwards, the cloud following to its first position and then she turned her hind leg extending, the crack and flash of the lightning strike and the reverse of her kick.

Finally, it stopped, and she found herself hovering near the cloud again, readying her first kick.

“Okay try again.” Apple Bloom said from her back.

“Right…” Daring muttered. That had felt so much weirder than the first time. In Apple Bloom’s earlier demonstration, she hadn’t really moved much; to feel her body moving in reverse, completely unable to control it. That had been an experience.

Moving the cloud closer this time, she braced herself and tried again. This time with a loud crack the lightning grounded out in the copper veins. Somewhere they heard a low rumble and a moment later the water stopped pouring in as the level in the room began to drop.

“That got it!” Daring grinned as they watched the water level drop, draining through the doors that were once again open.

Apple Bloom watched from Daring’s back as the last of the water drained away. “Huh… That seemed kind of easy don’t ya think? Ah mean, sure you only got one try, and only a Pegasus could do it, but still, it’s almost like… Ah don’t know. These traps just don’t seem that deadly so far.”

Daring frowned. “Yeah I know what you mean. In both cases what we had to do to get out was fairly obvious.”

“Do you think maybe they meant for these first couple traps to scare ponies from continuing?”

“Possibly. But if that’s the case, then the traps will likely grow deadlier further in.”

“Yeah…” Apple Bloom looked toward the door further in considering that. “Well, might as well continue on,” she said cheerfully. Honestly she was finding this rather fun.

“Have any magic to dry us off?”

Apple Bloom thought for a moment. “Nah, not really; Ah could conjure a big fan to blow on us for a while…”

“How about just conjuring some towels?” Daring asked with a smirk.

She blinked. “Oh right, Ah can do that.” Her Sa’Dracori glowed and two large fluffy towels appeared in the air in front of her.

Daring gladly took one while Apple Bloom took the other.

“Ugh my vest is soaked,” Daring groaned as she stripped off the garment along with her hat. “It’s a good thing none of my gear is damaged by water.”

“You’re probably out in the rain a lot, huh. With how often you’re explorin’ the rain forests an all.”

“More often than I like, to be honest. That’s another thing I left out of my books; how often I just holed up in my tent to stay out of the rain. Course, I can’t always avoid it. Can’t really justify staying out of the rain when the fate of Equestria hangs in the balance.”

Apple Bloom snorted. “Yeah, Ah can just see it. ‘You let Ahuizotl take over the valley with ancient magics!?’ ‘It was raining that day…’”

Daring laughed finishing up drying her mane. “That would not go over well.”

Once they were both sufficiently dry, Daring reluctantly pulled her sodden vest back on. She sighed. “Hope I don’t get a rash from this,” she said, tossing the used towel on top of the one Apple Bloom had already discarded.

Apple Bloom grinned. “Check this out.” She picked up the towels and held them out in front of her, then canceled the spell that conjured them. The towels vanished, leaving all the water they’d absorbed to splash to the ground.

“Heh, nice. Gotta admit, it would be nice to just be able to conjure what I need, when I need it instead of carrying it around all the time.” She tugged on her vest, trying to adjust it to be more comfortable. “I wouldn’t even bother with this thing if I could do that.”

“It is rather useful.” Apple Bloom agreed.

Finally, Daring put her hat back on. “Alright, now let’s continue on.”

Apple Bloom nodded and together they started into the next chamber. Like before, the cave became a natural chamber beyond the door with a path leveled in the floor, leading deeper in. Once again glowing crystals lit the way. But the chamber they found themselves in was much narrower with a steep falloff on the left side.

“Looks like there’s a few bends ahead.” Daring said, having taken the lead on the narrow path. They reached a narrow corner and turned. “Stairs. Looks like we’re going up,” then she paused, opening her wings slightly. “Huh, I’m feeling a bit of a breeze.”

“Really?” Apple Bloom recast her wing spell and opened her own wings. Sure enough, she could feel a slight breeze as well.

There seemed to be another bend in the cave at the top of the stairs turning back toward whatever it was that was calling to them.

“The light seems brighter ahead.” Daring said as they neared the top of the stairs.

Apple Bloom looked up seeing she was right. “You think there’s another opening?”

“It’s kind of looking like it.”

Reaching the top of the stairs they turned around the bend and saw that the cave was indeed getting brighter ahead. Far brighter than the glowing crystals could manage.

Daring breathed in deeply. “Fresh air.”

“Could the cave have collapsed?”

“Maybe… question is, if it did collapse, did the way further in get buried?”

Apple Bloom frowned. That would be unfortunate. She really wanted answers to what was drawing them there.

They turned another bend and the cave again opened up into a large natural chamber. But unlike the first couple; this one was brightly lit. Daring and Apple Bloom had to shield their eyes as they entered, after so long in the dim light of the rest of the cave. When their eyes had adjusted, they looked around. Toward one side of the chamber was a pile of rocks and dirt below a large hole that let sunlight stream into the cave. Fortunately it was well away from the passage deeper into the cave.

“Huh, yep looks like a collapse.” Daring took off and flew over near the pile of debris, looking up into the hole. Apple Bloom followed to see for herself. The hole went up a ways, perhaps a few ponylengths above the roof of the cave, before it seem to reach open air. She could just make out a tree to one side of the hole. They could fly out if they wanted, but without wings, a pony would likely need a rope at the very least to climb out.

“This looks kind of recent; there might even be a bit of a sinkhole up above.” Daring said, looking up at the edges of the hole.

Apple Bloom nodded noticing that most of the top of the pile of debris was loose dirt and soil. Even as they looked, they heard something falling and a few more pebbles joined the pile. Then Apple Bloom noticed the hoofprints.

“Daring, somepony’s been here.” Apple Bloom said pointing.

She looked and her eyes narrowed looking back up at the hole. “That’s not good, unless they’re a pegasus they’d be stuck down here.

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. “And if they tried to find another way out…”

Daring sighed. “We may be finding a corpse at the next trap.”

With a wince Apple Bloom nodded. “I wonder who else found this place… aren’t we in the middle of the Everfee?”

Daring looked at her surprised. “We’re actually not that far from the southern edge of the forest. In fact, there’s an ancient road not far from here that cuts though this part of the forest. Some more reckless ponies use it as a shortcut between Dodge and central Equestria.” She rolled her eyes. “Usually they don’t even know what kinds of dangers there are in the Everfree; they risk their lives just to save a few hours travel time. Most make it, fortunately, but ever so often you hear of somepony going missing.”

Glancing back up at the hole though, Daring frowned, thinking. “With this open to the elements; those hoofprints would have been washed away in the rain. They can’t be more than a day or two old; pegasi don’t control the weather in this region and it’s been raining pretty often down here for the last month, so it might not be too late yet so long as they didn’t wander into a trap.” She shrugged. “Or maybe it was a Pegasus and they’re already long gone…”

“Ah guess we’ll see.” Apple Bloom said, starting back toward the leveled path. Daring joined her and they continued on, deeper into the cave.

“At least we know we have a way out without having to go through the first two traps again. I’m guessing they’re designed to reset themselves after a time.”

Apple Bloom winced. “Ugh, Ah hadn’t thought of that. Not that they’d be much trouble, but yeah, Ah’m glad we can just skip them.”

“Hello! Is somepony there!?” A voice echoed from deeper into the cave.

Exchanging a glance, both Daring and Apple Bloom took off at a gallop, though there was something about the voice. It seemed familiar to Apple Bloom.

There were a couple twists, and a short stairway down, then the cave opened up into another large chamber. This one, well lit, though not nearly as bright as the chamber where the collapse was. This one however was a mix of natural and pony made, with one wall to the right of the entrance being completely pony made. Standing nearly ten times the height of a pony, it was clearly the next trap as there suspended against the wall nearly halfway to the ceiling with magical bindings was a unicorn. A unicorn with a light blue coat and a silver mane and tail.

“Oh thank Celestia, Trixie could use some assistance.”

~~~

Twilight glanced back at her guard captain, more than a little nervous, but she had to be sure… “Feather, could you get my copy of The Universe Before Your Eyes, by Mystic Eye? I think it’s on the top shelf. Second from the door.”

Feather glanced up at the shelves. Usually the princess would ask Spike to retrieve the books she needed, he knew where they all were after all, but since he was still out helping with the search effort… “Sure.” She said and took off, hovering in front of the specified shelf to read the titles. Finding the book Twilight wanted. “Got it,” she said retrieving the book and dropping back down to land. Turning back toward the princess, she found her standing with her eyes closed and wings held open. “Uh, princess?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped open and her horn suddenly glowed brigtly as her eyes turned furious. The next instant Feather felt her hooves wrenched to the sides as she was lifted off the ground, a glowing circle appearing beneath her. “Princess, what are you doing!?”

Twilight glared at her. “I knew something was wrong on the flight back here, but I wasn’t sure what at first. But now I realize what it was! We were flying side by side, I should have felt some of your pegasus magic rolling off your wings, but I didn’t; because you don’t have any pegasus magic, do you, changeling!?”

~~~

Apple Bloom facehoofed as she recognized the showpony.

Daring however seemed amused. “Fell down a sink hole, did ya?”

Trixie glared at her. “Trixie did not ‘fall down a sink hole.’ She was simply exploring.”

“Right… that’s why you didn’t leave any rope or anything to climb back out.”

With a sigh, Apple Bloom shook her head. “What are you doing here, Trixie?”

“Trixie… does Trixie know you?” She asked looking at Apple Bloom.

“Yeah, Ah helped my sis, Twilight and her friends trick you into thinking Twilight’s fake amulet was more powerful than the alicorn amulet.”

A blush spread across her face. “Trixie remembers.”

Daring raised a brow. “The alicorn amulet? That things a top tier corrupting artifact. Very bad news; what happened to it?”

“Princess Twilight had it locked up and hidden.” Apple Bloom told her. “After we tricked Trixie into taking it off anyway.”

“You actually put on the alicorn amulet!?” Daring said sounding amused. “Didn’t you do any research on it?”

Trixie’s blush deepened. “Trixie thought she could resist it…”

Daring rolled her eyes. “Everyone always thinks they’re strong enough to resist…”

“Are you going to help Trixie down or not!?” She shouted getting impatient.

“We’ll get you down Trixie.” Apple Bloom said and started to step forward. “Whoa!” She’d barely taken two steps when a pattern on the wall next to Trixie lit up and she felt herself yanked off the ground and her back slammed against the wall all four legs stretched outwards just as Trixie was. “Ow… Uh, Daring, you might want to stay back.”

“Yeah, I got that.” Daring said frowning. “I’ll try to look for clues how to get you two down.”

“Well this is just great.” Trixie grumbled.

Apple Bloom looked over at Trixie as their heads were the only part of themselves they could move. “So… how’d you end up down here?”

She huffed. “Trixie just happened to be passing through the forest when she felt a strange feeling, like something calling to her. So she went to investigate. She found the sink hole, but when she was trying to see where it led the ledge gave way. She couldn’t climb back out, so she decided to look for another way…”

“So how long you been here?”

“What time is it?” She asked with a heavy sigh.

“Mid-morning, Ah think.”

“Four or five hours…”

Apple Bloom winced. It could have been worse, but four or five hours stuck to a wall sounded pretty boring. “Wait, you were up before sunrise?”

“Of course! When traveling, One must rise early if they wish to make the most of the day!”

Apple Bloom nodded; living on a farm, she could certainly respect that. “Makes sense… so… can you use your magic?”

She sighed. “Yes, but obviously Trixie has not been able to break the spell.”

“Well you’re lucky you went this way, otherwise you might have drowned. The last trap we got through required a pegasus, and I doubt you could have held your breath for hours.”

“Speaking of the last trap, it was set up like a puzzle. We just had to solve it to deactivate the trap.” Daring called across the room, examining as much as she could without getting any closer. “Have you noticed anything like that?”

“Other than this wall and the path, this cave seems entirely natural. The chamber is lit by the enchanted crystals arranged throughout the room on both the floor and ceiling. There are one-hundred-eighty-seven small gemstones embedded in the wall, but only seventeen in the floor and ceiling. And my forehooves have been tingling for an hour, so will you please find a way to get me down!”

Apple Bloom raised a brow at her slip out of third-pony but decided not the mention it. Maybe they’d get lucky and she’d keep slipping… Instead she looked around noticing that there were quite a few gemstones in the far wall. But the way they were embedded in the stone. “Ah don’t think those gemstones were there naturally.”

Daring moved back toward that wall, getting as near as she dared. “No, doesn’t look like it. They seem to have been inset.”

“Think they’re part of the trap?”

“Probably, but the question is; what are they for?” Daring said.

“Yeah, Well Ah’m going to back us up a bit to get me down and then let’s try to figure this out. Worse comes to worse, Ah can turn back time until before Trixie got stuck.”

“Can you go back that far?” Daring asked sounding impressed.

“Yeah, RJ said Ah could probably go back a full week or more, but he’d rather Ah didn’t, cause however far I turn back time, it takes his magic that long to recover.” Apple Bloom explained then cast the spell before the conversation could continue. Everything flowed in reverse double-time until the moment before she’d stepped forward and gotten caught by the trap.

“That still feels weird.” Daring commented but was completely drowned out by Trixie.

“WHAT THE BUCK DID YOU DO!?”

~~~

Feather couldn’t move; the princess’ magic held her immobile in the center of the room. She didn’t struggle, she knew it was no use. “I figured it was only a matter of time.” She said softly.

“You’re not going to deny it?” Twilight asked, suspiciously.

“Not much point is there.”

Twilight glared at her a moment in silence. “Where’s the real Feather?”

“I am the real Feather…”

“You said there was no point in denying it.” Twilight growled.

“I’m not… I created this persona when I first came to Equestria seven years ago. There was no Feather before that. I didn’t replace anyone.” She looked up at Twilight. “I am the mare you chose to be your captain. And I am loyal to Equestria.”

Twilight considered her for a moment. “Why did you leave the changeling kingdom.”

She snorted. “You met the queen. Do you really have to ask?”

“You disagreed with the way she was running things?”

“She’s leading the hive to destruction. We were doing just fine, we had more than enough food to get by. We were safe. Most of us could have been content with what we had.” She shook her head. “But the queen, she was never content with ‘enough’. I knew it was only a matter of time before she did something stupid in her quest for more power. So I left.”

“You just abandoned your friends; your family?” Twilight asked disapprovingly. She didn’t expect Feather to snort in response.

“There’s no families in the hive. We’re raised communally. I don’t even know who my actual parents are. And we don’t have friends… we have rivals. Every ‘ling is fighting to get ahead of every other ‘ling. I had a few that I’d consider allies I guess, but I wouldn’t call them friends. Chrysalis encouraged us to use whatever means we could to get ahead of our peers. She thought the competition made us stronger. Most… they don’t know any better. It’s the way things are and always have been. Even I didn’t see a problem with it back then. I wasn’t happy, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the way we did things.”

Pacing now, Twilight considered what she’d said for a moment. “Did you know about the attack on Canterlot?”

“Not until I read about it in the papers. I transferred to Canterlot shortly after the attack, so I was still in Manehattan at the time. I knew the queen was going to do something stupid; but openly attacking Canterlot…” She shook her head in disbelief. “I never could have guessed she’d try something so drastic.”

Twilight frowned but she knew from Feather’s service record that she had still been stationed in Manehattan at the time. “And how have you survived? How are you getting love?”

She shrugged. “It was difficult at first. I went through several relationships. Actual relationships… I don’t know what it’s like for ponies, but when your very survival depends on a relationship, breakups can be pretty rough.” She gave a weak smile. “But once I joined the guard, I found that the comradery among the guard was more than enough to keep me going. I didn’t need to worry about gathering a supply to take back to the hive, so I didn’t need much. Since then… well you’ve read my history with the guard.”

“You’ve always been well liked; from what I’ve heard you were one of the most popular captains in Canterlot. I’m guessing that was intentional.”

Feather blushed. “I like having friends.”

Twilight couldn’t help smirking at that but then went back to pacing, clearly debating what to do.

“Princess, since I’ve been here, I’ve learned a lot. I’ve learned that there is strength in unity; in friendship. I believe in that strength. I believe in Harmony… Equestria is my home now. You are my princess, and I am loyal to you.”

“So why didn’t you just tell me?”

She winced and looked down. “I know how close you were to what happened in Canterlot. I guess I was I was afraid to. I know I should have… I’m sorry.”

Twilight looked up at her for a few moments more, then slowly nodded. Her horn stopped glowing and Feather was released to drop back to the floor, catching herself with her wings. Surprised at the sudden freedom, she looked up at Twilight.

“You didn’t lie to me, not once.” Twilight said in explanation and Feather realized her horn hadn’t only been glowing from the containment spell. “And while I’m disappointed that you didn’t trust me enough to just tell me yourself… I can understand why.”

Feather stared at her a moment stunned, then asked nervously, “Am I still your captain?”

With a sigh, Twilight nodded. “Yes, but after this search for Apple Bloom, you will be informing the other princesses, as well as your subordinates in the guard.”

Her eyes widened. “Princess, I understand where you’re coming from, and I’ll gladly inform the other princesses of the truth; but if I inform my subordinates, there’s no way it will remain secret. Queen Chrysalis will eventually find out and she’ll see me as a traitor, and she will try to have me killed. It will make me a target.”

Twilight frowned; she hadn’t thought of that. “I don’t like keeping this a secret… But I guess you’re right. We’ll keep it to just the princesses for now. Until the situation with the changeling kingdom changes at least.”

Feather nodded. “Thank you, Princess.”

“What did I tell you about titles.” Twilight said, letting a little amusement into her voice. “So what’s your real name?”

“Heh, I never actually earned a name in the hive,” she said with a bit of wry amusement.

“You didn’t have a name?”

She shook her head. “In the hive, we have to earn a name by distinguishing ourselves in some way. Until then we just have a designation. Feather is the only name I’ve ever had.”

Twilight considered that, then smirked. “I have to say. It’s not a very creative name for a pegasus.”

“Give me a break, I was new to being a pony. I had no idea what names would be appropriate at the time and panicked a bit the first time I was asked my name!”

Twilight giggled a bit, then gave a sigh. “Well I guess we better get back to trying to locate Apple Bloom.”

Feather nodded in agreement then took on a more serious expression. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“You’re forgiven, Feather, just no more secrets okay.”

“Of course, Princess.”

Author's Note

So Feather's secret is out. I thought I'd get the "she's a changeling" secret out of the way. When she shows up in others of my stories she'll have different secrets.

As for Trixie, remember that this story started with Child of Misery in place of the season 4 finale so I already had an idea for Trixie that I'm going to go ahead with in these stories even though it doesn't fit later canon.

There's likely going to be one more chapter and an epilogue that I'm working on; unless the chapter get's too long, then it might get split, we'll see. I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to do more with Twilight and Rainbow's relationship in this one or if that will be in the next part of this series. In any case, Apple Bloom and her companions are in for a bit of a surprise.

Chapter 17: Heart of Ice

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 17: Heart of ice
***

“Looks like the gems in the ceiling and floor mirror each other.” Daring said looking up and down. “Does it look like it from your angle, Trixie?

She took a moment to look up and down comparing the position of the gems. “Yes.” She said sourly. It had been almost a half hour and they hadn’t figured out the trap yet.

Apple Bloom looked as well. “That’s got to be a clue,” she said looking up at the gemstones. Lit only by the enchanted crystals they seemed to almost to glitter. Like stars really. Her eyes widened. “Ah think that’s it!”

“What is?”

Hang on, Ah want to get a better look. She said and deliberately stepped toward the trap. A moment later she was once again pinned to the wall next to Trixie. “Ow.” She groaned, Slamming into solid stone wasn’t really comfortable, but from there she could see clearly all the gemstones and the pattern they made on the ceiling and floor. And she could also see that the gemstones on the wall varied in size, with some of the larger ones appearing to follow the same pattern. “Yeah, it is! It’s like constellations. Trixie, use your magic to light up the gems on the wall that make the same pattern as on the floor and ceiling!”

Trixie rolled her eyes, but complied, casting a beam that lit up one of the gems. One by one she lit up the gems forming the pattern that matched the floor and ceiling. When she lit the last gem, glowing lines appeared between them and the gems on the ceiling and floor glowed in response. There was a low rumble and a door opposite of where they’d entered slid open. A moment later, the spell holding Apple Bloom and Trixie released and they both dropped to the ground.

“Ooof.” Trixie grunted as she flopped onto her belly. “Oh, thank Celestia. Trixie was worried her hooves would fall off!”

Apple Bloom sighed shaking her hooves a bit. “Huh, well, now that we got you down; Ah’m Apple Bloom and this is Daring Do. Daring, this is Trixie Lulamoon.”

Daring smirked. “We’ve met.”

Apple Bloom glanced at Trixie to find the unicorn blushing. “Indeed,” she said sounding embarrassed.

“Really?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Trixie here, got herself captured by one of the wild diamond dog packs in south-eastern Equestria. Fortunately I was there to save her flank before they carved it into steaks.” Daring explained.

Apple Bloom smirked seeing Trixie turn almost as red as her brother, but decided to give the mare a break and change the subject. “Well that’s three down, how many traps do you think there are?” Apple Bloom asked as she got to her hooves.

“I don’t know, honestly I didn’t even think there’d be this many.” Daring admitted. “But that feeling drawing us in feels close now. I don’t think it’s much further.”

“Yeah, could still be another trap though.”

She shrugged. “Possibly. But we’ve gotten past the last three. If there is one, we’ll figure it out.”

“Now wait just one second! You aren’t actually planning on going on, are you!?” Trixie exclaimed.

Apple Bloom and Daring Do both looked at her. “Well yeah. We want to know what it is that’s drawing us to this place.” Apple Bloom told her.

“Are you crazy!?”

“Ah did spend last night and this morning killing myself.” Apple Bloom told her bluntly.

Trixie blinked. “What?”

“Just relax, Trixie. As long as you’re with me, you’ll be fine.” She shrugged. “Or if you’re too scared, Ah guess you can go wait by the sinkhole back there.”

Trixie glanced back the way they’d come, considering her options. “You’re certain Trixie will be safe?”

“Even if something were to happen and you got killed, Ah could just turn back time to before it happened, and you wouldn’t even remember it.” Apple Bloom told her confidently.

“But what if you got killed?” She asked pointedly.

“Then time gets reset to…” She closed her eyes and the Sa’Dracori glowed brightly for a moment. “Right now, and Ah’m the only one that will remember what happened. So basically, you’re perfectly safe.”

Trixie stared at her a moment more, still a little unsure. “You’re certain?”

“Filly, you just saw her reverse time a little bit ago; and I’ve watched her cut off her leg and reverse time to reattach it just for demonstration. Yeah, the kid’s certain.” Daring cut in, rolling her eyes. “Now are you coming or not.”

She hesitated a moment more, then nodded. “Trixie will come with you.”

“Alright, then let’s go, before this trap resets,” Apple Bloom said starting toward the tunnel deeper into the cave.

“They reset!?”

“Probably. They’re meant to keep ponies out after all. Kind of defeats the purpose if they each only work on the first pony that comes exploring.” Daring told her. “But don’t worry. We know how to escape this one now, and if we need to, we can just carry you out the sink hole you fell down to avoid the rest.”

“Oh… okay.”

“Good, now let’s get going.” Apple Bloom said taking the lead.

The tunnel out of the third trap room wasn’t very long and soon opened up into a small chamber lit by multiple clusters of glowing crystals attached to the ceiling along the walls.

“Wow…” Apple Bloom said as the room came into view. Unlike the previous rooms, the walls weren’t smooth stone. Instead, every inch of the room was carved into reliefs depicting battles between alicorns and other mortal races. In many were gruesome scenes with alicorns standing victorious over the fallen bodies of unicorns, earth ponies, or pegasi. A few showed members of one mortal race or another in chains, bowing before the alicorns, and a couple showed mortal ponies clearly begging for their lives as an alicorn or two stood over them dressed for battle. One thing they all had in common, was that the alicorns were all depicted as villains. Murderers, tyrants, slave drivers…

Only one broke the pattern, at the far end, just above a narrow tunnel that was barely thee ponies wide, there was a large relief showing three ponies; a unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony, standing before two alicorns, one smaller than the other with rays of light radiating from them. But unlike all the others, these two alicorns were not made to appear angry or dressed for battle.

“This is definitely purge era.” Daring said looking over the murals.

“Purge? What… why are all these alicorns…” Trixie’s eyes widened as she saw one of the more gruesome scenes of an alicorn in armor standing smiling wickedly surrounded dozens of unicorns impaled on spears.

“The ancient alicorns weren’t like the princesses.” Apple Bloom told her. “They weren’t benevolent or kind. They ruled over the mortal races and treated them like slaves.”

“What!? How do you know…”

“Princess Celestia told me. You see, the purge was the extermination of the ancient alicorns that happened about three thousand years ago, Ah think.”

Daring nodded. “About; the purge itself took over a century. These prisons weren’t built until near the end of the purge.”

“Prison!?” Trixie gasped and it was at that moment that they heard the sound of grinding stone behind them and all looked just in time to see a stone slab slide down over the tunnel they’d entered through.

“Huh, guess there’s no backing out…” Apple Bloom said, not really concerned.

“You mean we’re trapped!?”

“Relax, Trixie. If we need to Ah can always turn back time.”

“Oh… right.”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “I think this hall might be the next trap.”

Daring nodded in agreement. “Most likely. Question is, what’s with the murals?”

“You think they’re a clue to the trap”

“Could be; but they could also just be a warning about the alicorn imprisoned here.”

Trixie’s eyes widened further. “There’s an evil ancient alicorn imprisoned here!” She squeaked. “I thought you said they were exterminated!?”

“Most were,” Daring answered. “But the most powerful were imprisoned.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, Princess Celestia said that at the time, ponies believed that the most powerful alicorns could resurrect themselves if they were killed. So, they imprisoned them instead. She said it was a lie though.” She moved closer to the hall as she spoke. It was dimly lit with the same glowing crystals as the rest of the ruin, but otherwise looked like smooth cut stone. As far as she could tell, the walls, floor and ceiling were all one solid surface. It wasn’t even very long; the chamber they were in with all the murals was longer than the hall was.

“So why would ponies believe that the alicorns could resurrect themselves?” Trixie asked still looking at the murals.

“Because Alicorn magic gives them incredible healing powers;” Daring explained. “Alicorns can survive and heal from wounds that would kill any regular pony.”

Trixie looked at her surprised. “Really?” She asked.

“Yep. Princess Celestia has even survived being stabbed through the heart.” Apple Bloom told her distractedly. She couldn’t see any sign of a trap in the hall ahead of them.

“When was that!?” Daring asked in surprise.

Apple Bloom looked back to see them both looking at her in shock. “Shortly after she and Princess Luna defeated Discord. She said most ponies still hated Alicorns back then and many of the unicorn nobles didn’t want them ruling.”

“An assassination attempt?” Daring asked.

Apple Bloom nodded.

“Wow, I never heard that before.”

She shrugged. “Well Princess Celestia has worked hard to erase the prejudice ponies had for alicorns. Back then, she said alicorn foals were killed at birth. The only reason she and Luna weren’t was because the ponies of Equestria were desperate for somepony to stand up against Discord.”

“Okay, well this is interesting and all, but could we focus on getting out of here?” Trixie said impatiently, sounding more than a little uncomfortable.

“You asked.” Apple Bloom said rolling her eyes again, but turned back to the hall anyway. “Ah don’t see anything that could be a trigger, so if there is a trap, Ah’m guessing the trigger is magic based again.

“Yeah looks like it.”

Trixie looked past them into the hall. “But it’s just an empty hallway like the one we just came through…”

“Yeah, but if it’s not a trap, then what’s the point of this chamber; most the rest of the way, there were only a few pony carved chambers and they always had a trap. The only places there wasn’t a trap, the cave was mostly natural with just a path carved through it.” Apple Bloom told her.

Daring nodded. “And why close the door behind us?”

Trixie glanced back at the door. “Maybe so we don’t go back into the traps?” Maybe there’s another way out further ahead and they didn’t want ponies trying to go back through the traps once they got through them all.”

“I guess that’s possible.” Daring agreed reluctantly. “The murals could just be a last warning about the alicorn imprisoned here. But if that’s the case, the way out must be very well hidden. Anyway, I don’t think the other site I explored had a second exit, so let’s not rush in.”

~~~

“Twi, you here?”

“Up here, Dashie.” Twilight called from her room up in the library’s second floor. A moment later, Rainbow stepped through the door.

“Thanks for actually using the front door.” Captain Feather said with a hint of a smirk.

“Heh, no prob.” Rainbow said, rubbing the back of her neck. Twilight got up from her desk and gave her marefriend a quick kiss.

“I thought you were helping with the search?”

“I was, but I had to take Scoots and Sweetie home; poor fillies were falling asleep on their hooves. So I thought I’d stop by and see how you were doing. Any luck with your magic search?”

Twilight sighed and glanced out the window, noting it was already around mid morning. “No, Apple Bloom’s magic has been too much in flux lately. None of the spells I’ve tried can get a lock on her.”

Rainbow tilted her head. “I’ll just trust you know what you’re doing.”

Twilight snorted, rolling her eyes. “You’ll pick up a few things, if you spend enough time with me.”

“What about Rekaj; he have anything new?”

“Yes, actually.” They all looked up as the dragon's avatar stepped in the door. “I was just coming to tell you. I felt Apple Bloom cast the reset spell twice now without activating it, and she’s also used a time reverse spell a couple times,” He told them getting straight to the point.

Twilight considered that. “You think she’s doing something else now?”

“I think so. What it is, however, there’s really no telling.” He sighed. “I really wish I could do more.”

“You’re doing plenty.” Twilight told him reassuringly. “We wouldn’t even know if Apple Bloom was alive, let alone what she was doing, if it weren’t for you. And don’t let Applejack get you down; she’s just worried about her sister.”

He nodded. “I know; I’ve never really cared what others thought of me…” He gave a smirk. “It’s kind of funny actually; that what you little ponies think of me is more important to me now than what my own world thinks of me.”

Rainbow laughed. “Yeah, well, we’re awesome.”

He just smiled in return. “Anyway. Whatever Apple Bloom is up to, it seems she’s at least distracted from killing herself anymore.”

“I suppose that’s something…” Twilight said. “And whatever it is, it’s starting to look like we’re not going to find out about it until she’s ready to come home.”

“I’m afraid you may be right.” Feather said, heavily. “The guard is continuing the search, but we can only cover so much ground, and without some clue where to search…”

Twilight nodded understandingly. “What about Applejack and Big Mac? They still with the guard?”

“Yes, and I’ve had the guard keep them informed of what had been going on here. Of course, Rekaj has a clone helping the guard as well.” She said then turned toward the blue stallion. “Do you want to inform the Apples of this change in Apple Bloom’s status?”

He nodded. “I think it’s for the best if I do. I’ll be back in the kitchen if you need me.” He said and turned to leave.

“So weird to think that he’s literally in three places right now.” Rainbow said shaking her head.

“Four actually, he still has a clone at Sweet Apple Acres and there’s his real body as well.” Twilight told her.

Rainbow snorted. “Crazy. Well I guess I should rejoin the search. AJ will have a fit if I take too long.”

“Alright, call with your bracelet if you find anything. And remind AJ that she can as well.”

“Heh, right. Keep forgetting about those things.”

Twilight rolled her eyes. “I’ve noticed.”

“Well I’d rather come talk to you in person.” Rainbow said stepping closer and giving her a quick kiss. “Just isn’t the same talking through a magic gem.”

Twilight smiled. “I guess that’s true; but they’re still useful.”

Rainbow nodded then headed toward the door herself. “See you later, Twi.”

“You too, Dashie.”

With one last smile, she jumped, gliding down to the main floor and was gone. Twilight looked after her for a moment with a small smile, then a thought occurred to her. She looked at Feather. “When this is over, you’re going to tell her as well. I’m not going to hide this from Rainbow.”

Feather looked hesitant at first, but then lowered her head and nodded. “Alright; when this is over, and she’s had a good night’s sleep…”

“Good.”

~~~

“Can we just go already, it’s just an empty hall.” Trixie complained for what had to be the dozenth time.

“That’s what worries us.” Apple Bloom growled, getting a little tired of the show pony. “It’s too innocent looking…”

“There’s not even any magic!” Trixie countered.

“That you can detect!” Daring countered, getting a little annoyed as well.

“Yes, that I, the great and powerful Trixie can detect. And obviously, if the great and powerful Trixie can’t detect it, then there is none!”

Apple Bloom just rolled her eyes.

“And I’m sure you detected the last trap just fine.” Daring countered.

“Trixie wasn’t expecting traps!”

“Yeah, well we didn’t detect the triggers for the first two traps either, and we were expecting them.”

“Well we did detect the second one, but only right as we triggered it.” Daring corrected.

“Oh for the love of Celestia, it’s just an empty hall!” Trixie growled and started down the hall at a quick trot before either of them could stop her. “See, nothing…”

SHING!

Daring and Apple Bloom watched Trixie’s body collapse with a spray of blood about half way through the hall even as her head rolled back toward the entrance.

“Yeah… Ah’ll be turning back time now.” Apple Bloom said staring wide eyed at the showmare’s corpse.

“Yeah, do that…”

They watched time reverse, Trixie’s head rolling back to her body and reattaching itself as the blade the had emerged from the seemingly solid wall swung in reverse, returning to its hidden slot. Then Apple Bloom kept going until just before Trixie started into the tunnel, finally ending the spell.

“… it’s just an empty hall!”

“TRIXIE STOP!” Apple Bloom shouted as she started into the hall again.

“We’re wasting time!” She objected, trotting ahead anyway. “We could be on our way out…”

SHING!

Apple Bloom facehoofed as Trixie’s head again left her body.

“Maybe a little further?” Daring suggested.

“Right…”

Again time reversed and Trixie was once again made whole. This time Apple Bloom took them back a few moments more.

“…wasn’t expecting traps!”

“Trixie don’t enter that hallway!” Apple Bloom shouted.

“You’re both being paranoid!” She shouted back and started toward the hall. Both Apple Bloom and Daring dove at her, tackling her to the ground.

“What are you doing!” She objected, kicking her hooves, trying to get them off of her.

“Trixie, you enter that hallway, you’re going to lose your head before you get halfway through!” Apple Bloom told her angrily.

“How do you know!?”

“Because we just watched it happen twice!” Daring growled, still holding her pinned.

“You… what!?”

“We watched you die, Trixie.” Apple Bloom told her. “Ah had to turn back time to bring you back.”

“What?” Trixie repeated sounding worried.

“About halfway down the hall, a blade comes out of the wall that will take off your head.” Apple Bloom told her.

“There… is?” She squeaked.

“Yes, so will you please just let us try to figure out how to get past it.”

“Okay…”

Apple Bloom nodded and she and Daring got up off of her; Daring helping her back to her hooves as well. She immediately backed away from the hall, huddling in the corner.

“At least we know what kind of trap it is now.” Daring said looking back down the hall. “Any ideas on how we could block the blade?” She asked Apple Bloom.

“Maybe, Ah know a shield spell.”

Daring thought it over. “Risky. The last trap pretty much guarantees that anyone who makes it this far will have a unicorn or some other magic user in their group. They may have enchanted the blade to pierce through magic shields.”

“But my magic isn’t unicorn magic.”

“Maybe not, but I imagine at some level, all magic is the same, and if they wanted to make an enchantment pierce shields, they’d want to make it work against as many forms of magic as possible.”

“But RJ’s magic is really powerful; if I put enough power into the spell, couldn’t that work.”

“Probably not. Not unless you knew exactly were the blade was going to hit and focused all your power there. I don’t claim to be an expert on magic, but I do know that with shield spells, the strength of the spell is spread through the entire shield. If you focus your attacks on one spot; you can break through a shield with a fraction of the power it took to cast it.”

Apple Bloom frowned. “I could conjure a big metal column; maybe that will block the blade. Maybe even break it.”

“But if it’s conjured, it’s still technically magic.” Daring shook her head. “I don’t think it will work. Besides, they probably designed those blades to go through armor like butter.”

“Well we have to try something. I saw where the blade came out, maybe if I just stay low, I’ll be alright. And I could test my shield against it just in case.”

“Kid, do you really want to take that chance?”

Apple Bloom frowned, looking down the hall, then shrugged. Her shoulder lit up again for a moment. “There, if I die, I just reset here. So I’m not really risking anything.”

Daring stared at her a moment, then sighed in defeat. “Are you absolutely sure you want to risk dying again?”

“Hey, you saw how fast that blade was. Dying to that thing will be nothing compared to being eaten by Timberwolves; Ah’ll be fine.”

Daring sighed trying to think of some other way, but nothing was coming to her. “Dang it, kid; fine. If you’re sure.”

Apple Bloom nodded and turned toward the hall. “Here goes.” She put up a shield extending almost to the height of an adult pony and taking a deep breath, started forward, keeping her head low.

She was tense, though she knew she’d be alright; she still didn’t relish dying again, no matter how fast it was. The halfway point was just ahead; she could almost see Trixie’s headless corpse lying where it had fallen. She reached the place, braced herself and took another step.

SHING!

The blade spun through the air, passing through her shield as if it weren’t even there. Apple Bloom felt the wind of it’s passing barely above her head. There was a startled yelp behind her and she glanced back to see Daring and Trixie both watching; Daring with a touch of relief and Trixie with sheer terror.

“I’m alright!” She called back reassuringly. “I’ll see if there’s a way to deactivate it!” She said, and still keeping low, continued toward the end of the hall.

SHING!

She was once again standing at the entrance of the hall next to Daring Do… “Celestia damn it!”

Daring looked at her curiously for her outburst. “Something wrong?”

“Ah just died again.” Apple Bloom sighed. “There’s a second blade a little further on that’s a lot closer to the ground.”

Daring stared at her for a moment confused, then realized what she meant. “You mean you…”

“Ah tried to see if Ah could just duck under the blade. Ah got past the first one, but not the second.” Apple Bloom told her. “And you were right, the blade went through my shield like it weren’t even there.”

“I thought it might…” Daring said, still a little off-balance

“So what now?” Apple Bloom asked. “Ah could try again, see if I can dodge the second blade too.”

“There could still be more though. And if they had one closer to the ground, I’ll bet they have one near the ceiling too, so flying over probably isn’t an option.” Daring frowned, considering their options.

“Ah could just keep trying.” Apple Bloom suggested. “Eventually Ah’ll figure out where all the blades are…”

Daring sighed. “Kid, let’s try to figure out the right way first; I know you said dying doesn’t bother you, but I’m not comfortable with letting you get yourself killed over and over. It’s bad enough that you’ve already done it once.”

“Alright.” Apple Bloom muttered.

Daring nodded, satisfied, and turned back toward the hall. “The rest of the traps, it wasn’t very difficult to figure out how to get past them. They were almost like puzzles really.”

“And they weren’t as quick or deadly as this one.” Apple Bloom added.

“Right. So I’m guessing this is the last trap. They knew for anypony to make it this far, they would have had to have made it past the first three traps. Or at least they would have if the chamber back there hadn’t caved in. So they would naturally have made this the most difficult of all. But the rest of the traps… they were more like tests really.” Her eyes widened and she looked around at the murals again. “That’s it!”

“What?” Apple Bloom asked curiously.

“The first three traps weren’t really traps at all, they were tests. Each required one of the three tribes to get past it! The first, only an earth pony would ever be able to move that column alone, and it was far too narrow for more than one pony to really get the leverage to push it, and I bet it was enchanted against unicorn magic. The second trap required a pegasus to kick the lightning out of the cloud. And again, I bet a lightning bolt from a unicorn spell wouldn’t have worked. And of course, the third trap required a unicorn to empower the gems and trigger the release.”

“Okay, but how does that help with this trap?” Apple Bloom asked.

Daring grinned. “Don’t you see? The first three traps were tests to make sure that all three tribes were present, to get to this point; and now that we’re here, the murals are the final clue! In all the murals, the only ones standing upright are the Alicorns.” She said, then pointed to the one over the hall. “Except this one. The only mural that shows all three tribes standing together!”

“And that means?” Trixie prompted, not seeing what she was getting at. Honestly Apple Bloom wasn’t quite sure either.

“All three tribes have to be present!” Daring explained excitedly. “I’m betting the trap is set to trigger if it doesn’t detect all three tribes! All we have to do, is all go together! And look, the hall is just wide enough for three ponies side by side.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Trixie demanded.

Apple Bloom shrugged, “Then Ah’ll reset again and warn you.”

Daring winced, but nodded.

“Alright, but just one problem.” Trixie said and gestured to the mural. “We don’t have all three tribes.”

Apple Bloom blinked. “What are you…” Then it hit her. She still had her wings on, and had ever since they’d first found Trixie. “Oh right.” She shut off her wing spell. “Ah’m actually an earth pony, Trixie.”

She stared at Apple Bloom a moment in shock. “Oh…”

“Yeah, surprised me too.” Daring told her. “So what do you say? Give it a go?”

Apple Bloom glanced at Trixie, then shrugged. “Sure, it’s worth a try.

“Are you crazy!? What if she’s wrong!?” Trixie demanded sounding scared.

“Then your death count will be up to three… but you still won’t remember any of them.” Apple Bloom told her calmly.

“…but… what if she’s right!? What then? You said this was a prison for one of these evil ancient alicorns;” she said gesturing to the murals. “What if we accidently set them free!?”

“Then Ah just turn back time to prevent it.” Apple Bloom rolled her eyes at having to explain again. “Trixie, we are not leaving here without figuring out what is drawing ponies here and if possible, stopping it. Ah won’t let it lure innocent ponies into these traps. So you can either help us and possibly get through this trap right now, or you can wait while we try to figure out something else.”

Trixie glared at her a moment then let out a huff. “Fine, but if we unleash an ancient evil alicorn, Trixie is not taking the blame.”

“Noted.” Daring said. “Now come on, if I’m right, we’ll be fine as long as we go through together. Hesitantly, Trixie stepped up next to Daring and Apple Bloom, and with a nod, Daring stepped forward into the hall. Apple Bloom and Trixie followed half a step behind and together they slowly walked into the trap.

“This is it…” Apple Bloom said softly when they were almost to the halfway point. From the corner of her eye, she saw Trixie close her eyes as they took another step forward… then another. When they’d taken a third step past the halfway point, Apple Bloom grinned. “What do you know, looks like you were right!”

“Well I’ve got to pull my weight somehow.” Daring said with a smirk.

“Don’t celebrate until we’re all the way through!” Trixie admonished.

Apple Bloom glanced at Daring and rolled her eyes as they continued the rest of the way through the hall. Just as they reached the end, the chamber beyond lit up.

“Are we through yet?” Trixie asked, her eyes still closed tight.

“Yep, we’re through.” Apple Bloom told her, looking around. The chamber was easily thirty ponylengths in either direction and nearly twenty high. Directly in front of them was an enormous half dome made up of two slabs of solid stone that was right up against the far wall. But in front of it, in the center of the room was a large seal carved into the floor. Obviously magical, the circular pattern was glowing softly. Slowly Apple Bloom moved toward it.

“Careful, we don’t know what that does.” Daring cautioned.

Apple Bloom nodded, but didn’t stop something about the circle demanded investigation. It was like she was drawn… Her eyes widened. “Daring, I think this seal is what’s been drawing us here!”

Daring looked at the seal surprised then focused for a moment. “I think you’re right, but if that’s so; then why would whoever built this place want to draw ponies here…”

Wanting a better look, Apple Bloom took another step forward. Magic flared to life in front of her and the next instant she felt herself being dragged forward, coming to a stop in a new circle that lit up with power. There she found she couldn’t move, it was as if her hooves were glued to the floor. Shouts from her companions alerted her that they weren’t spared and she looked to see each had been dragged into a similar circle by the magic all facing the dome that had to be the prison. Then lines traced forward from each of their circles, joining in one larger circle between them.

“What is happening!?” Trixie cried as another line of magic lit up from the center circle, directly toward the dome. There it bloomed, patterns lighting up across the dome and the dome split. With a grinding that they could feel in their hooves as much as hear, the two halves retracted, opening, and inside, silhouetted by the light of the magic that had held them were two figures.

“I think we triggered the release!” Daring called out, trying in vain to pull her hooves free.

“I told you this was a bad idea!” Trixie cried sounding almost histeric.

Apple Bloom’s attention was on the prison, however. The two figures were being lowered to the ground just outside the dome, still just silhouettes. Finally, the magic began to fade and Apple Bloom felt her hooves released.

“NO! I won’t be responsible for unleashing an ancient evil!” There was a flash of light from Trixie’s direction and a bolt of magic leapt toward the two figures, striking the smaller of the two, sending them tumbling to the ground. Too late, they got a clear look at them as the light behind them faded. Two fillies, the older of them appearing not much older than Apple Bloom.

“ADIKIA!” She cried out seeing the younger fall, and ran to her side. What she found must not have been good. She collapsed at the younger alicorn’s side, pulling her into an embrace. “No! Adikia…”

Daring, Apple Bloom and Trixie stood frozen, unsure what to do as the elder filly cried. Then the room started to grow cold.

“Why wilt thou not leave us alone.” She whispered in the nearly silent chamber. “We just wanted to live in peace… WHY WILT THOU NOT LEAVE US ALONE!” Pale blue magic swirled around her horn as she spun to face them, angry tears in her eyes. “WE NEVER DID ANYTHING TO THEE!” She cried and whipped her horn toward Trixie. Ice spikes erupted from the ground in a trail toward the showmare. Trixie’s eyes widened and she tried to cast a shield only to have it obliterated by the alicorn’s magic. In an instant she was impaled by dozens of frozen spikes, her blood staining the crystal-clear ice.

Daring leaped into the air, knowing she’d have a better chance with the speed her wings offered; but that only got the filly’s attention. She turned her magic on the pegasus, forcing Daring to evade. Icy spikes rose from the floor and descended from the ceiling all around her looking like teeth. Daring was fast, but the filly’s magic was faster, and the icy jaws slammed shut, shredding the pegasus between them, leaving one of her wings to tumble down the side of the icy tomb.

Apple Bloom’s eyes went wide at the sight and she turned to face the filly even as she turned her attention to her. For a moment their eyes met, and in that brief moment, Apple Bloom saw the pain there, not only the pain of loss, but also the pain of a lifetime of uncertainty; living in fear… Her shoulder lit up even as a wave of icy spears rushed toward her.

Author's Note

Oops...

Trixie is really out of her element here.

I wasn't originally going to split the chapter here but it was starting to get a bit long. So a bit of a cliffhanger, but it's not like it's not obvious what Apple Bloom will do.

Chapter 18: Out of Darkness

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 18: Out of Darkness
***

The look in the filly’s eyes made things all too clear to Apple Bloom, and as time reversed around her, she knew exactly what she had to do. Those fillies’ clearly didn’t deserve to be imprisoned here, and so she stopped her spell just as they were all locked in the circles triggering the release to ensure that they would be freed.

“What is happening!?”

No matter what, she had to make sure that Trixie didn’t cast her spell.

“I think we triggered the release!”

“We did, but it’s alright!” Apple Bloom called out, but Trixie didn’t seem to hear.

“I told you this was a bad idea!”

“Trixie it’s alright!” Apple Bloom shouted, but at the same time realized that she may have to stop Trixie physically. Being locked in her own circle she couldn’t tackle the showmare again; but having spent enough time with Sweetie Belle, she knew of one other way to stop a unicorn from casting spells.

The prison was opened, the two figures, still obscured by the bright light behind them were lowered to the ground.

“NO! I won’t be responsible for unleashing an ancient evil!”

Apple Bloom acted quickly, conjuring a simple rod, she gave Trixie’s horn a solid hit, disrupting her magic. “Trixie stop!” She shouted, finally freed from the circle, she quickly stepped in front of the unicorn, and gestured toward the two alicorns as the light of the spell faded, letting them be seen clearly. “Look at them; they’re just fillies.”

Trixie looked, rubbing her horn, and saw the two alicorn fillies. “Oh…”

Apple Bloom nodded satisfied, then turned to the two fillies. They’d huddled together looking out at the three explorers nervously, though the older looked determined, clearly ready to fight. “It’s okay, we’re not going to hurt you.” Apple Bloom said gently.

“Who art thou?”

“Ah’m Apple Bloom,” she introduced, then gestured to her companions. “And this is Daring Do, and Trixie Lulamoon.”

The elder filly glanced between them, still clearly nervous. “I am Ania, and this is Adikia.” She gestured to the younger alicorn that she still held under her wing. “What happened; where are the others?”

“What others?”

“The others! Those who put us in here! Starswirl and his army!” She shouted angrily.

“They’re gone.” Apple Bloom told her in a soothing tone. “They’ve been gone for a very long time.”

She looked confused. “What does thou mean?”

“You’ve been down here a long time, kid.” Daring said, taking a step closer and laying down to seem less threatening.

“How long?”

She gave them a sad smile. “Probably somewhere around three thousand years.”

Ania stared back in shock, eyes wide.

“Three thousand years!?” Adikia gasped, her small voice sounding scared as she huddled under her sister’s wing.

“I’m afraid so.”

Apple Bloom stepped forward seeing the dismay and fear in their eyes. “The world has changed a lot since then. Ponies don’t hate alicorns like they did when you were put in here. Ah mean, there’s not many alicorns around because of what Starswirl and the others did; but the ones that are, are the princesses and are loved by the ponies of Equestria!”

“Equestria?” Ania questioned looking skeptical.

“Oh right, Equestria is where we are; it’s a nation where earth ponies, unicorns, pegasi and even alicorns live together in peace and harmony!” Apple Bloom told them enthusiastically. “It’s ruled by the four alicorn princesses, and everypony loves them!”

“Really?” Adikia asked softly.

Apple Bloom nodded, grinning. “Yep, Ah’m even good friends with one of the princesses: Princess Twilight Sparkle; she lives in mah home town, Ponyville!

“Alicorns aren’t hunted any longer?” Ania asked, still having a hard time believing it.

Apple Bloom shook her head. “Princess Celestia worked hard to change the way ponies thought of Alicorns. She and her sister, Princess Luna, they both grew up when ponies still thought all alicorns were evil, even though most had been gone for over a thousand years by then. They knew what it was like, growing up being hated; so they’ve worked hard to make sure nopony else ever has to experience that. Now, most ponies don’t even remember what the alicorns were like back then.”

Daring nodded. “That’s true. Very few ponies actually know that alicorns used to be feared and hated; and even the ones that do know, know that there’s no reason to hate somepony just because of what they are.”

“You are certain?” Ania asked still a little nervous. “Ponies will not fear us?”

“More than certain.” She smiled and climbed back to her hooves. “So what do you say we get you out of here, and you can see for yourself?”

“Yeah, and if we go to Ponyville, Ah could introduce you to Princess Twilight! Ah’m sure she’d be happy to find you a place to stay!” Apple Bloom told them.

The two fillies exchanged glances and quietly whispered to one another. Ania still looked a little worried, but Adikia looked hopeful as they spoke back and forth. Finally, Ania gave her little sister a nod, and Adikia smiled. “Alright, we will go with you.”

“Excellent. Let’s get out of this gloomy place then.” Daring said, turning and leading the way toward the exit.

“I wholeheartedly agree.” Trixie said; “Trixie has had enough of ancient ruins and deadly traps for the rest of her life.”

Daring rolled her eyes. “Yeah, so you know, girls; the ponies that made this place did install traps to keep ponies out; but we figured out the trick to getting through them, so we should be…”

“WATCH OUT!” She broke off as Ania gave a shout and a rune circle lit up on the wall just to the side of the hall they’d entered through. The next instant a section of the wall seemed to liquify and open up into an archway. At the same time there were a series of loud cracks and the walls of the hallway they’d entered through collapsed partially filling the tunnel with debris including several sets of broken blades.

When nothing more happened, Apple Bloom looked back to see Trixie on the floor with her hooves over her head, and Ania and Adikia clinging to one another inside a barrier, both their horns lit up sustaining it. “It’s okay, Ah think it’s over.”

Cautiously Daring moved toward the hall. “Looks like the trap self-destructed. Probably all of them.” She glanced back at the fillies. “It’s looking more and more like somepony wanted us to find you two.”

“What, why!?”

“Most likely to free you.” Daring said, turning her attention to the archway. As she approached it, she saw that it led to a short hall that then became a stairway. “Heh, looks like you were right Trixie, there was another way out. What’s this?” Just past the archway there was a small enclosure with a set of shelves filled with perfectly preserved scrolls. One on top was turned sideways so that the wax seal was clearly visible. Her eyes widened. “This is Starswirl’s emblem!”

“What!?” Trixie gasped.

Daring picked up the scroll, then looked over at the fillies. The arch had only opened when they’d drawn near. “Something tells me, this is for you.” She said, holding it out to them.

Ania eyed the scroll suspiciously then reluctantly took it and slowly unrolled it. She read the first part in silence her eyes widening at what was written. “It is meant for thee, I think… his hornwriting is not very good.”

Daring smirked. “Yeah, sounds like Starswirl.”

“I will try to read what it says.” She said, then slowly began to read.

To whomever may find this:

If all works as I hath planned, then thou hath freed the alicorn fillies Ania and Adikia. Know that their only crime was their parentage and chance of birth. This is not the case for most of their kind. With this missive I hath included records showing the locations of all the alicorn prisons, who they hold, as well as their crimes. It is my hope that they have all held until thy time. I ask that thee ensure it is so; and if thou can, finish what we could not.

Starswirl

“So it was Starswirl who wanted you found.” Daring said softly. “He must have been the one that made the seal that drew us here, and the traps…” she looked at the others. “One of each tribe. He wanted to make sure there was at least harmony between the tribes.”

“What does thou mean?” Ania asked softly.

“We didn’t come here together.” Apple Bloom explained. “There was an enchantment that drew us here. One that must have only recently activated.”

“… he really wanted us to be found?”

Daring smiled and nodded. “Yeah, sounds like he knew you would never be safe in your time. So, he took a chance that maybe you’d be able to live a happy life sometime in the future.” She stepped next to the fillies, smiling down at them. “And you know what? I think he was right.” She said and stretched a wing around them in a gentle embrace. “I think you’ll like it here in Equestria.”

They looked up at her and there was still worry there, but there was hope in their eyes as well. Daring gave them a slight squeeze then returned to the archway. “Trixie, you still have a traveling wagon?”

Trixie blinked. “Yes.”

“We should probably get these scrolls to Princess Twilight, but I don’t have a way to carry them all.” Daring told her.

“Yeah, Twilight will definitely want to see these.” Apple Bloom agreed.

“But Trixie was not planning on visiting Ponyville…”

“Well she’s going to.” Daring told her firmly. “This is too important.”

“No kiddin’, we’ve already had to deal with one of these alicorns escaping.” Apple Bloom said.

“One escaped!?” Ania gasped.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “Yes, but don’t worry; the princesses already took care of them,” she said quickly in a reassuring tone.

“But if they have encountered others from our time, will they not be suspicious of us?”

Daring snorted. “Of course not;” she said and gestured to the scroll still held in Ania’s magic. “You’ve got Starswirl vouching for you, and he hated alicorns. And besides, the princesses are some of the most understanding and forgiving ponies I’ve ever met.”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, you’ll see. Now come on. Trixie, do you think you can carry all these until we get to your wagon?”

“Of course Trixie can!” Trixie said, sounding offended that she even had to ask. A moment later all the remaining scrolls floated off the shelves in Trixie’s magic.

“Great, let’s go.”

“Trixie still didn’t agree to go to Ponyville.” The showmare objected weakly as Daring and Apple Bloom took the lead heading up the stairs toward the exit. But even she knew it was futile.

~~~

Applejack sighed looking over at Rekaj as they took a short break from the search. The Guard had set up a temporary staging area on the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, and it was as good of place as any to rest. Big Mac had already sat down to rest in the shade of one of the nearby trees, but Applejack couldn’t rest herself. “Any updates on Bloom?”

He shook his head. “She’s hardly done anything since that last time reversal spell.”

“Well, at least she’s not killin’ herself anymore.” Applejack said heavily.

“I really wish I could do more.”

“Ah know, Rekaj. Ah know you’re doing all you can, and that you’re worried about Bloom too. It’s just, she’s my little sister, you know?”

Rekaj nodded. “I understand.”

Applejack gave him a sad smile but before she could say more a familiar buzz rapidly approaching filled the air.

“Applejack, Rekage!” Scootaloo shouted as she skidded to a stop, Sweetie Belle jumping out of the wagon tied behind her scooter. “Did you find Apple Bloom yet!?”

With a sigh, Applejack shook her head.

Their faces fell at the news. “Is she still…?” Sweetie started, but couldn’t finish the question.

Rekaj put a hoof on Sweetie’s shoulder comfortingly. “No. Early this morning Apple Bloom stopped getting herself killed and started doing something else. I’m not sure what, but she’s mostly been using time manipulating spells since then, and in the last few hours, she’s hardly used any magic at all. I can’t begin to guess what she’s doing, but I’m hoping it’s a sign that she’ll be coming home soon.”

“Really?”

“I hope so.”

Sweetie frowned, thoughtfully. “So, what do you think she’s doing now?”

“I really don’t know. I can only guess what spells she’s casting based on how the draw on my magic feels. She’s cast a few time manipulating spells in the past few hours, but that’s about all I know.”

The fillies looked down in disappointment and Rekaj found himself wishing he had more to offer, when the bracelet Applejack was wearing gave a soft chime.

“Never goin’ to get used to that…” Applejack muttered as she tapped the gem. “Hello?”

“It’s Twilight, Applejack.”

“Ah figured as much, sugarcube. Yer the only one really usin’ these things.”

“I noticed.”

“You have some news for me?” Applejack asked hopefully.

“Yes… but I don’t think you’re going to like it.” Twilight said hesitantly.

Applejack glanced at Rekaj. She knew the dragon had copies of his pony form both at Twilight’s library and back at the farm, but surely he would tell her directly if he had news. “What do you mean.”

Twilight sighed audibly through the bracelet. “I’m having Feather call off the search for now.”

“What!?”

“They’re still going to patrol a perimeter around Ponyville watching for Apple Bloom, but without some way to narrow down the search, we just don’t have the resources to search half of Equestria.”

“But Twilight!”

“I know you’re worried, AJ. But there just isn’t anything we can do. We know Apple Bloom is alive, and we know she can’t be hurt physically, at least not permanently. But we also know that if she isn’t ready to come home, and doesn’t want to be found; then she won’t be found. This search has been futile from the start.”

“But Twilight; She’s mah sister! You can’t expect me to just wait around while she’s out there all alone!”

“I’m sorry, AJ. I’ve already given the order. And I’m asking Rekaj to make sure you and Big Mac don’t go off on your own. Please try to understand. I want Apple Bloom to come home almost as much as you do, but the search just isn’t working. If we had some idea where to look, it would be a different story, but with her able to fly and manipulate time, she could be almost anywhere in Equestria by now.”

Applejack wanted to object; but deep down, she knew Twilight was right. She’d seen enough of Apple Bloom’s abilities using Rekaj’s magic to know that Apple Bloom wouldn’t be found until she was ready to come home. “Alright, Twi; I understand.” She said finally, but couldn’t keep the disappointment out of her voice.

Tapping the gem to end the connection, she looked up at Rekaj. “Did you know about this?”

He sighed and nodded. “I heard them discussing it. But Twilight wanted to be the one to tell you.”

She frowned at that but had to agree she’d want to hear it from Twilight as well. “Well, Ah guess all we can do now is wait… I just hope she comes home soon.”

~~~

Despite how united the pony tribes were, it was still a rare sight to see a unicorn and pegasus mares walking side by side, pulling a small traveling wagon. Especially two mares as different as Daring Do and Trixie Lulamoon. But for Daring Do, what had to be the strangest part of the arrangement was that it wasn’t the first time it had happened.

“This is a lot more peaceful than last time.” She commented with a bit of a smirk.

Trixie groaned. “Don’t remind Trixie.”

“Just saying it’s nice not having to jump at every little sound because somepony pissed off one of the largest, and most intelligent I might add, diamond dog pack in Equestria.”

“You’re one to talk; Just how many nemeses do you have after your hide? And how about all the collateral damage your little adventures cause? Trixie’s sure nopony has ever been angry with you for all the damages.”

“Fair enough.” Daring conceded.

They walked in silence a few moments more until they heard laughter coming from the wagon. Trixie looked back and used her magic to open the window. “You three had better not be eating all of Trixie’s supplies!”

“Ah, come on, Trixie. Ah promised to replace everything, and get you a bushel of apples to boot.” Apple Bloom’s voice came from inside the wagon.

“Fine, just don’t make a mess of Trixie’s wagon!” Trixie called back and closed the window again.

“Still keeping up that whole great and powerful act, huh?” Daring asked.

“Tis not an act! Trixie is Great and Powerful!” Trixie objected, though not loudly enough to be heard inside the wagon.

“Sure, and that’s why you became a completely different pony during that fiasco down south.”

“Trixie doesn’t know what you’re talking about.”

Daring smiled. “Of course not. You know you’d probably be a bit more successful if you dropped the grandiose act and just let your magic speak for you. You pulled some impressive magic when we had to escape the diamond dog dens. I’ve only ever seen one other Unicorn do anything like it… Oh ponyfeathers, that was Princess Twilight. And I described her as just a unicorn in the book too!” Daring slapped a wing across her face as her hooves were occupied with walking.

Trixie snorted. “When Trixie last met her, she was ‘just’ a unicorn.”

“Yeah, well she was an alicorn when I met her, but I didn’t even notice. Heck, I didn’t even get any of their names except for Rainbow Dash. And Apple Bloom said she was a fan of the books too… I really hope she isn’t upset about it.”

Trixie snorted. “You think that’s bad; there’s a reason why Trixie wasn’t planning on going back to Ponyville. Last time Trixie went to there, she tried to take over and banish Twilight Sparkle from the town… She thinks Princess Twilight Sparkle will be more likely to be angry with her.”

“Heh, I guess you’ve got a point. But for Celestia’s sake, will you quit with the third person already? You never talked like that when we were running through the jungle.” Daring said with a roll of her eyes.

Trixie sighed. “Fine.”

Daring smiled at the small victory. “So was that the incident where you used the Alicorn Amulet?”

“Yes, it was… Not my finest moment.”

“What was it like?”

She frowned. “At first it was amazing; Trixie… I felt so powerful, and I was able to cast spells that I’d never been able to cast before! I was even able to best Twilight Sparkle. But then… things began to change. It wasn’t until a few days later that I realized just how much it affected me. I… I did some horrible things to the ponies of Ponyville. Especially Twilight’s friends.”

“So why’d you challenge her in the first place?”

Trixie sighed. “Because the first time I went to ponyville, there was an incident. I’d claimed in my show that I’d defeated an ursa major…”

Daring snorted. “Have you ever even seen one? It would take a battalion of unicorns to fight one off!”

“Well that’s the point! I’m supposed to be the ‘Great and Powerful Trixie!’”

“Yeah, but that’s just unrealistic.”

Trixie kicked a stone in the path. “I know that now, but back then I didn’t have any idea just how monstrous those things are. Anyway, a couple of colts took my stories seriously and went out to find an ursa so they could see me fight it off themselves.”

Daring looked over at her sharply. “So you inspired a couple of colts to get themselves in trouble? What does that have to do with Twilight Sparkle?”

“Well those colts somehow managed to find an ursa and led it back to town.” Trixie all but growled.

“They actually found one!?”

She nodded. “I… well I knew I couldn’t really fight it off and at first I panicked and it crushed my old wagon. Then I tried a couple things to see if I could scare it off, but only succeeded at making it angry. And then Twilight Sparkle showed up.

“I still have a hard time believing what she did. She put it to sleep almost effortlessly, then levitated the ursa and an entire water tower at once, all the way back to its cave in the Everfree.”

“By Celestia… and she was just a unicorn then?”

Trixie nodded. “You can imagine my humiliation at being shown up. And then to make matters worse she tells everyone that it was just a baby, an Ursa Minor.”

“Ah, that’s a bit more believable. But still, wow!”

Trixie sighed. “After that, my reputation was ruined. Word traveled far and wide about what had happened. I ended up having to take odd jobs to make ends meet. Even worked on a rock farm for a season. Me, a Canterlot unicorn, working on a rock farm… All because of Twilight Sparkle.”

Daring glanced over at her hearing a little doubt in her voice. “Because of Twilight, huh? Sounds more like your own boasting was what was really to blame.”

She didn’t respond at first, walking for a few steps in silence. “I know,” she said, reluctantly. “It was just easier to blame Twilight. And… I guess, I was jealous.”

“Well I can definitely understand being jealous of that kind of talent; but still, you’ve got plenty of talent yourself. I tell ya, it’s too bad I wasn’t on any sort of quest at the time, cause that whole escape would have made a great addition to one of my books. Maybe I’ll write a book of side stories, all the little adventures I’ve had between the big ones.”

“You said you wouldn’t tell anypony,” Trixie objected.

“I’d change your name and description,” Daring told her dismissively. “Though I don’t see why you don’t want anypony to know about that. I mean, sure you messed up at first, but you more than made up for it later. Honestly, knowing my readers, they’d probably love you once they read the whole story.”

“Just keep me out of your books. I can earn my own fame.” Trixie said firmly.

“As you wish.”

A shadow passed over the road ahead, making them look up in time to see a pair of pegasus guards fly over.

“Huh, usually don’t see guards around here.” Daring commented.

“Well there is a princess in Ponyville now, and it’s not much further.”

“Guess that’s true.” She shrugged.

“Are you going to just walk into town? Won’t ponies recognize you?”

Daring smirked. “You’d be surprised how many ponies don’t recognize me without my gear. Even some of my biggest fans will just see another mustard yellow pegasus until I put on my hat. ‘Course it helps that almost everypony thinks I’m not real.”

“Yes, but aren’t there a few ponies in Ponyville that know you are real?”

“Guess that’s true, I’ll have to be sure not to let Rainbow Dash freak out in public.”

Trixie snorted, remembering the pegasus from the few times they’d met. “Good luck with that.”

~~~

Twilight yawned and stretched briefly before finally rolling out of her bed. After canceling the search for Apple Bloom, Feather had convinced her that she should at least get a couple hours of rest. She had reluctantly agreed.

Giving her wings a quick stretch and once over to make sure no feathers were badly out of place, she headed back down into the main floor.

“Feeling better?” Feather asked with a smile from the foot of the stairs.

“A bit.” Twilight said trying to suppress another yawn. “Any news.”

Feather frowned and shook her head.

Twilight sighed. “I hope Applejack isn’t too mad at me for canceling the search…”

“I think Rainbow and Spike both talked to her.” Feather assured her. “And Rainbow’s also been flying the perimeter around Ponyville with the guard.”

“That’s good, Rainbow doesn’t miss a thing when she flies.” Twilight said proudly.

“Wish more pegasi could say that.” Feather rolled her eyes. “Some don’t seem to notice anything unless it’s right in front of them.”

Twilight gave a smirk that turned into another yawn, knowing she used to fall into that category herself.

A knock at the door interrupted further conversation as Feather quickly crossed the room. “I’ve got it.” She said and opened the door just enough to look out and see who it was. Twilight heard someone speaking but couldn’t make out what was said, then Feather looked back at her. “Princess, you’ve got a visitor.”

Twilight yawned again, and went to the door. Feather opened it for her, and stepped outside herself. Blinking a bit in the afternoon sun it took her a moment to make out the mustard yellow pegasus with a with a graytone mane. It took her a moment more to realize who it was without her hat. “Daring Do? What in Equestria are you doing here?”

Daring bowed. “There’s a couple things actually, princess.”

“No bowing, please.” Twilight said with a sigh.

“Uh, right.” Daring said straitening and seeming a little nervous. “Uh, first of all, I wanted to apologize for not recognizing you the last time we met, and uh for what I referred to you as in the book.…”

“‘Rainbow’s purple unicorn friend’ you mean?” Twilight asked with a bit of a smirk.

Daring winced. “Yeah…”

Twilight gave a dismissive wave. “Don’t worry about it. You do have your secret to worry about after all, it was probably enough of a risk including Rainbow. I’m actually surprised she hasn’t been approached by more fans asking her about how she got into the book.”

“I uh, actually didn’t know how famous Rainbow was when I included her.” Daring said rubbing the back of her neck. “I only just found that out recently. And that actually brings me to one of the other reasons we’re here. You see we were originally going to stop by the Apple family’s farm first, but Trixie couldn’t remember where it is and unfortunately Apple Bloom fell asleep before we reached Ponyville.”

Twilight blinked and looked past Daring, noticing the traveling wagon parked in front of the library and the unicorn mare trying to look unobtrusive standing next to it. Then the last part of what Daring said registered. “Apple Bloom!?” She shouted eyes wide. “Is she here!?”

“Twilight…?” Apple Bloom’s voice came from the wagon, and a moment later a drowsy looking yellow filly jumped down from the back. “Oh, hey, when did we get here?”

Twilight dashed forward and caught the filly up in a hug before she could say another word. “Apple Bloom! Everypony’s been so worried about you!”

Surprised at first, after a moment Apple Bloom returned the hug. Having imagined the princess’ embrace for comfort many times over the long night, she found it even more so now. “Ah’m sorry, Twilight. Ah had a lot I needed to work through…”

“I know. I heard what Sweetie Belle said… and Scootaloo told us what happened later.”

Apple Bloom tensed slightly being reminded of how everything had started. It seemed so long ago now, but it was just yesterday wasn’t it? Twilight noticed her reaction and sat back so she could look her in the eye while still holding her gently in her wings.

“You know they didn’t mean it, don’t you?”

Apple Bloom looked down. “Yeah, Ah know… It still hurts.”

“I know, but I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive them.”

Looking up again Apple Bloom gave a weak smile, but nodded.

Twilight smiled in return and Gave her another brief hug then got to her hooves. “So. How in Equestria did you end up with Daring Do and Trixie of all ponies?”

“That’s a bit of a story.”

“It’s actually one of the other reasons we’re here.” Daring Do put in. “I ran into her while exploring what turned out to be a purge era alicorn prison.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “You found one!?”

“Yeah, but that’s the thing; there was a strange magic drawing ponies to it. That’s how we all ended up there.”

Twilight looked at her confused. “Were they trying to escape?”

“That’s what I was worried about. Apple Bloom too. Really, I would have brought her back much sooner, but she was very insistent about finding out what it was.”

“Yeah, stubbornness runs in her family.” Twilight said giving Apple Bloom a smirk. She blushed but didn’t try to deny it.

Daring gave a small laugh. “Yep, I can tell. Anyway, it was probably fortunate for Trixie that she was, we ended up finding her stuck in one of the traps. She’d been drawn to the prison by the magic as well.”

“So was it the alicorn?” Twilight asked.

“No it wasn’t.” Apple Bloom answered. “There was this big seal built into the prison that was enchanted to draw ponies there.”

“Why would they want ponies to find it?”

“To free them, ‘cause they never deserved to be imprisoned in the first place.” Apple Bloom told her then turned back to Trixie’s wagon. “Girls, come on out and say hi!”

Twilight looked toward the wagon in time to see a filly with a unicorn horn, just a little older than Apple Bloom peer out at them. She hesitated, seeing Twilight, then jumped down out of the wagon, opening her wings briefly as she did. Then turned and helped a second, younger alicorn filly down as well.

Twilight put a hoof to her mouth. “Oh my… you two were imprisoned?” She asked sounding horrified at the thought.

The older of the two nodded.

“Twilight, this is Ania, and Adikia.” Apple Bloom introduced then turned to the two fillies. “And this is Princess Twilight Sparkle.”

“We are pleased to meet you.” Ania said respectfully, giving a small bow. Her sister imitated the gesture.

Twilight smiled and nodded. “I’m pleased to meet you as well. But why were you two imprisoned?”

Ania looked down, unsure how to answer. Seeing this Daring stepped in.

“We found a scroll written by Starswirl himself stating that these two were imprisoned simply for being alicorns. From what it said, we think he had them imprisoned in order to protect them. Because otherwise they would have just been killed. Then he rigged the prison so that it would draw ponies in to free them some time later when he hoped they would be safe.”

“I see.” Twilight said and gave them a sympathetic look. “You poor fillies, you must feel so lost.”

Ania nodded.

“Well don’t worry, you’re safe here in Equestria. You can stay here with me for now; we can worry about more permanent arrangements later.” Twilight told them with a reassuring smile, and gestured back toward the library. “Come on inside. Sounds like you could use a chance to relax.”

They looked up at her nervously, then glanced at Apple Bloom.

“Go on, Twilight’s great!”

Ania looked back and Twilight then nodded. “Thank you.”

Twilight smiled. “And you, Apple Bloom, we’d better tell your family you’re here.”

“Already done, Princess.” Feather said from back by the Library door. “I alerted the rest of the guard as well as the Apples as soon as I knew Apple Bloom was here. I expect they’ll be here soon.”

“Probably.” Twilight agreed. “Well why don’t you all come in and relax.”

“Actually, Princess. Is Rainbow Dash around?” Daring asked.

Twilight nodded. “She was helping the Apples and my guard search for Apple Bloom here.”

“In that case I’d rather not have her make a scene in the center of town. Don’t really want to be noticed, you know.”

“Oh right, your secret…” Twilight frowned. “Well if you head toward the Apple’s farm, you could probably catch them before they get to town.”

“That would probably work, but I don’t know the way.”

“Ah’ll show her.” Apple Bloom offered.

“You sure?” Twilight asked surprised.

“Yeah, Ah should apologize to Applejack and Big Mac for making them worry.”

Twilight looked at her a moment, concerned. “Okay, but so you know, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo might be with them as well.”

Apple Bloom’s smile faltered. “Yeah… Ah should probably give them a chance to apologize too, huh?”

“They do feel really bad about what they said.” Twilight assured her.

She hesitated a moment more, then nodded. “Well we should get going if we’re going to catch them outside of town.”

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll see you later, Apple Bloom.” She looked up at Daring Do. “Stop by the Library before you leave, Daring. I’d like some more details about the prison these two were in.”

“Oh right, Trixie, the scrolls.”

Trixie nodded and silently levitated out the preserved scrolls they’d found.

Daring took one and offered it to the princess. “According to the note Starswirl left, these have the locations of all the alicorn prisons as well as details on who is imprisoned in each.”

Twilight looked at the scrolls in surprise. “I see…” She took them into her own magic. “Well, then definitely stop by later. If these do have information on the alicorn prisons, it would probably be in our best interest to check on them and make sure they’re still holding.”

Daring nodded. “I will,”

“Thou art not going to leave us here? Art thou?” A scared voice asked.

“I’ll be back soon;” she said, looking down at the alicorn fillies and reaching out her wing to ruffle Ania’s mane. “You’ll be safe here; so try to relax.”

“Yeah, we’ll be back soon. Besides, Twilight’s great.” Apple Bloom told them confidently. “But we need to hurry if we want to catch my family and all them, before they reach town.” She said and gave them a wave before turning to lead the way.

They nodded nervously, and with one last smile Daring turned to follow Apple Bloom. “Later then.” She said with a wave and together they headed back out of town.

Author's Note

So I actually rewrote this chapter a couple times, not really changing what happened but trying to get the wording and flow better. That in addition to having two other stories in progress on the site and several more that aren't published yet, it took me a while to get this done. I really need to try and focus more. Trying to write half a dozen stories at once probably isn't the best idea.

Anyway, there's just one more chapter and then it will be on to the next story in the Alicorn Imperium Universe. Fortunately that chapter is already finished in rough draft so I'll probably post that in the next couple days. One of my other in-progress stories is also nearing completion and in fact, I've got the second last chapter of that one almost finished as well, so I'm going to be sure and finish that up before I start posting anything new.

Chapter 19: Daughters of the Purge

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

Chapter 19: Daughters of the Purge
***

Apple Bloom set a quick pace as she trotted out toward her family farm. She was nervous about seeing her friends, but she wasn’t going to let that delay her seeing her family again. She hadn’t really thought about how worried they must have been. Now that Twilight had reminded her, she was feeling more than a little guilty.

“So I take it your family didn’t know where you were or what you were doing.” Daring said walking easily alongside her.

“No.” Apple Bloom admitted with a sigh. “Ah didn’t really think about how worried they must be.”

“Oh, dang. Well, I guess I’m not really one to talk; the first adventure I went on, I didn’t tell my parents either and I was even younger than you.” She smiled thinking back. “I was gone for three days. My mom grounded me for a month. But I knew it was because she loved me.”

“Yeah, AJ will probably ground me too.” Apple Bloom said with a small smile. “Ah know they’ll be happy to see me, though.”

Daring glanced at her. “And your friends?”

She was silent for a moment, kicking a small pebble in the road. “We had a fight… well, Ah guess it’s more Ah had a fight with each of them; but they were kind of about the same thing. Sweetie Belle; she’s Princess Twilight’s student and has magic lessons with her a few times a week. When Ah got my magic, Ah asked if Ah could practice in the library while Sweetie had her lessons. Ah just wanted to spend more time with Sweetie, but Ah guess she thought Ah was showing off. And Scootaloo thought Ah was showing off at our flight lessons too. Ah wasn’t trying to; just, once Ah got flying it was hard to hold back…”

“I believe you, but it does sound like they were a bit jealous. Not that I can blame them; I mean, that magic of yours is pretty impressive.” Daring said with a smile. “But, from what the princess said, it sounds like they feel pretty bad about it.”

“Yeah…”

Daring reached out with one wing and gave the filly a quick hug as they walked. “Give them a chance. As I was reminded not too long ago, good friends are usually worth it.”

“DARING DO!?”

“Speaking of…” Daring looked up as a familiar blue pegasus dove out down from above. “Hey, Rainbow Dash.”

“What are you doing here!?”

“Hey, Rainbow.” Apple Bloom said with a smirk, realizing Rainbow hadn’t noticed her.

Rainbow looked, then did a double take. “Apple Bloom!?” She glanced back at Daring Do. “What are you doing with Daring Do!?”

“Walking home to see my family.” She answered bluntly.

The sound of ponies galloping up the road made them all look up in time to see Applejack and Big Mac come around the next bend followed by Rekaj in his pony illusion, and then Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle chasing after. “Apple Bloom!” Applejack cried in relief, seeing her sister.

Daring took a step to the side just in time for Apple Bloom to be bowled over by her sister. “Apple Bloom! Where have you been!?”

“Sis… can’t breath!” Apple Bloom wheezed, as Applejack held her in a crushing hug on the ground.

Applejack loosened her grip a little, but didn’t let go. “What were you thinking, running off like that!?”

“Sorry, Sis.” Apple Bloom said softly, returning the hug. “Ah had some things Ah needed to work through.”

“We know… Rekaj told us what he thought you were doing.”

She was silent a moment just enjoying her sister’s affection. Rainbow and Daring took the opportunity to slip away, leaving Apple Bloom with her family and friends. “Ah’m not afraid anymore.” She said, finally.

“Oh, Bloom…”

“Ah’m okay, Applejack. Ah’m sorry Ah made you worry.” She hugged her a moment more, then looked up at their brother. “You too, Big Mac.”

“We’re just glad you’re alright, Apple Bloom.” Big Mac said with a gentle smile.

Smiling as well, Apple Bloom wriggled free of Applejack’s grip and jumped up to hug Big Mac as well. A hug he gladly returned.

Finally, she released him and dropped back to the ground.

“Sorry Ah used your magic so much, RJ.”

“I gave it to you to use, Apple Bloom,” he told her dismissively. “And to be honest, I did expect you to do this eventually. Just not this soon.”

She gave a hesitant smile. “What good is a power if you’re afraid to use it?”

“I did the same thing when I first created the spell,” he told her, understandingly.

“Well Ah’m not afraid anymore… still don’t like it though.”

He laughed. “I should hope not.”

Apple Bloom grinned, then took a deep breath before turning toward the last two. Both Sweetie and Scootaloo lowered their eyes as she looked at them. For a moment an awkward silence fell over the group. Sweetie’s lip trembled slightly. Eventually, she couldn’t take it anymore. Without warning, she leaped forward, throwing her hooves around Apple Bloom.

“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it, Apple Bloom! I was just being stupid, and jealous… I’m so sorry!” She apologized, crying into Apple Bloom’s shoulder. A moment later, Scootaloo joined the hug, adding her own tearful apologies.

Apple Bloom was genuinely surprised. Twilight had said they felt bad about what they’d said, but she hadn’t expected it to be to this level. “It really hurt… what you both said.” She said softly, prompting another round of apologies. She endured it a few moments more, then sighed. “Ah heck; Ah can’t stay mad at you girls. Ah forgive you.”

She felt some of the tension leave the other crusaders at those words, though they didn’t let go. Finally, Apple Bloom reached her hooves up to return their embrace even as a content smile spread across her face.

~~~

Twilight watched Apple Bloom lead Daring out of sight before turning toward the owner of the wagon currently parked in front of the library. “Trixie, don’t go and skip town just yet. There’s something we need to discuss later.”

Trixie sighed. “As you wish, princess,” she said, sounding resigned.

Twilight glanced at Feather, and she nodded in understanding; the guard would make sure Trixie didn’t leave.

That done, Twilight turned to the two alicorn fillies. “Come on inside;” she said, gesturing for them to follow her. “I imagine you’ve had quite a day.” She opened the door and stepped inside, holding it for them.

They still seemed hesitant at first, but then Ania put her wing around Adikia and with a determined look, led her sister into the library.

Twilight smiled reassuringly and gestured toward the side table. “Grab a cushion and have a seat. I’ll make us some tea and we can talk.” She told them as Feather entered, closing the door behind her. They both did as Twilight said sitting at the small table. Twilight stacked the scrolls Daring had given her on an empty shelf, then went to the kitchen to make some tea. A few minutes later she returned with a tray of snacks, cups, and a teapot full of one of the sweet teas she remembered liking as a filly.

The fillies were silent as she set the tray down and poured the tea. Done, Twilight sat down facing them, levitating her cup as she did. “It’s alright, you don’t have to worry about offending me.” Twilight said in a gentle tone. “You two have obviously been through a lot and I’m sure you have a lot on your minds; a lot that you’re worried about. So why don’t you go ahead and ask your questions first? I’ll answer as best I can.”

They hesitated a few moments, and Twilight waited patiently. “Has it really been three thousand years?” Ania asked softly.

Twilight smiled sadly and nodded. “Yes, it has.”

She looked down. “What do we do now?”

Reaching out with one wing, Twilight gently lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “You begin anew,” she said with a comforting smile. “And you’re not alone. I promise, I’ll be here to help you every step of the way.”

Ania looked up at her, seeing the sincerity in her eyes and for the first time in a long time, felt real hope for the future. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” Twilgiht told her with a smile. “So is there anything else you’d like to ask?” she asked then took a sip of her tea. As she did, she noticed Adikia taking a sip of her tea as well. The younger filly winced and set her cup back on the table. “Is it too hot?” Twilight asked her. She shook her head.

“She does not like tea.” Ania explained.

Twilight’s eyes widened slightly. “Oh, I’m sorry; would you like something else? I have some apple juice, milk, or just water if you’d like?

“Apple juice, please.” Adika said softly.

Twilight smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll be right back.” She got up and started toward the kitchen. Halfway there, she heard the front door open and both she and Feather looked to see who it was. The guard relaxed visibly as Spike entered.

“Hey Twilight, I’m back.”

“Did Apple Bloom find AJ and the others?” Twilight asked.

He nodded. “AJ, Big Mac and the crusaders took off at a gallop as soon as Feather sent the news. I saw them as I flew over…”

He was cut off by a gasp one of the fillies. He looked to see who it was and his eyes went wide. Twilight felt magic building even as Spike began to react. He raised one claw, his own magic bursting to life and projecting a barrier in front of him. It was barely in time. His barrier took form even as a wave of ice spikes sped toward him from across the room. They slammed into his defense with enough force that he was thrown back into wall next to the door.

“WHOA!” Twilight shouted casting her own barrier between Spike and his attacker, Ania. Even as she did, Feather put herself between the filly and her princess taking a defensive stance. Ania was still glaring at Spike, her horn glowing with surprising power while her sister huddled behind her. “Whoa, easy! Spike is a friend!”

Ania looked at her with confusion and fear. Then, after glancing back at Twilight’s barrier, shifted to defense, casting a small bubble shield around herself and Adikia.

Spike groaned. “Nice to see you too, Ania,” he said sarcastically.

Twilight turned to him, shocked. “Spike? Do you know them?”

He looked back seeming surprised that she had to ask. “Twilight, these two are daughters of Achlys.”

Twilight looked back at them, her own eyes going wide. Ania looked back, defiantly; her eyes full of both fear and determination, as her sister hid behind her.

Author's Note

This is going to be it for The Blue Mage, obviously this isn't the end of the story for this series but while Apple Bloom is going to be involved, the focus is going to be shifting away from her for a bit. For now I've been working on a prequel to this series that is about The Purge and Achlys' role in it, which will also include, among other things, the origin of little Ania and Adikia as well as why they were imprisoned and not just killed like most young alicorns.

It will be a while before I get that one ready to begin publishing and I have a couple other in progress stories one of which is near completion as well, so I'm going to finish that one up before starting anything else.

Anyway, hope you've enjoyed the story so far, there's definitely more to come.

Chapter 1: Sa'Dracori

The Blue Mage
By Nebula Star

A quick note: This story is set after Child of Misery, reading that story is not required, but this story does contain some major spoilers for it, so if you do want to read it, definitely read that one first.

Chapter 1: Sa'Dracori
***

Apple Bloom sighed heavily as she trudged through the west orchard, kicking a small rock as she slowly made her way down the path. She'd already finished all her chores for the day, but that was part of the problem. Normally she would have gone to find Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo so that they could go crusading, but neither of her friends were available.

Scootaloo had decided that enough was enough; she was going to learn to fly before the summer's end, no matter what it took. For that reason, she was with Rainbow Dash, and would be for most of the day. Rainbow was almost as determined to get Scootaloo in the air as Scootaloo was herself.

And Sweetie Belle... Apple Bloom's thoughts drifted back to a few weeks before.

~ "Twilight?" Sweetie Belle asked softly while Apple Bloom and Scootaloo cleaned up their things from Twilight Time. Apple Bloom paused in putting away her various potion ingredients to look up, her eyes drawn by concern for her friend.

"What is it, Sweetie?" Twilight asked gently, clearly noting the same hesitant, worried tone in Sweetie's voice that had drawn Apple Bloom's attention.

"I... Will, will you teach me more about magic?" Sweetie asked, looking up at her seeming afraid that Twilight would turn her down.

Twilight looked surprised by the request, but slowly smiled. "I take it; you mean more than what we do during Twilight Time?"

She nodded. "I... I know you're busy with your own studies, and that I, I'm not very talented. But I... I want to learn more!"

Reaching out a hoof, Twilight gently stroked Sweetie's mane. "Sweetie, you're plenty talented! Sure magic may not be your special talent, but you've already learned more than a lot of unicorns ever do! Most don't bother learning anything more than levitation and whatever might go along with their special talent." Sweetie Belle smiled weakly at the praise. "I have to ask though, why do you want to learn more?"

The unicorn filly looked down at her hooves, sniffing back sudden tears. "I don't want to be useless," she whimpered.

"Useless?" Twilight repeated, confused.

"I just watched you die!" Sweetie Belle cried. Twilight understood then and gently pulled the filly into an embrace. "I just watched... I couldn't do anything to help. Even when we were searching for Princess Celestia; I couldn't do anything to help..."

"Sweetie, you can't blame yourself for that. Nopony expected you to do more. You did exactly what you should have."

"I just... I don't want to be useless anymore." She whimpered as Twilight held her gently wrapped in her forelegs and wings.

"You're not useless Sweetie. You never have been."

She sniffed softly. "I... I want to learn more about magic. Then maybe... maybe I can help out more, when bad things happen. I know you're busy, but I... I really want to learn more."

Twilight held her a few moments more, then leaned back and looked down at her smiling. "Well, you want to know a secret? You have to promise not to tell anypony."

Sweetie nodded, her curiosity sparked. "I promise."

"You know when the Tree of Harmony brought me back?" She nodded. "Well, it didn't just give me a new body and new life. It also gave me all of Achlys's knowledge about magic."

"Really!?" She exclaimed wide eyed.

"Yep! More than seven thousand years' worth of studying magic crammed into my brain all at once," Twilight told her.

"Wow! You must know everything now!"

Twilight laughed. "Not everything. But I certainly know a lot more than I did before," she smiled and gently stroked Sweetie Belle's mane again. "So I think I can afford to cut back on my own studies in order to teach you if you'd like."

"Really!?" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. Twilight just smiled down at her and nodded. Ecstatic, Sweetie Belle jumped up, throwing her hooves around Twilight's neck, hugging her tightly. "Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou!"

With a laugh Twilight returned the hug.

"Does this mean I'm your personal student? Like you were Princess Celestia's?"

"Heh, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Twilight hedged. "Why don't we go talk to Rarity and your parents and set up some times for you to study with me, and we'll try it out for a month or two. If you still want to continue studying with me after that; then we'll make it official. Sound good?"

Sweetie nodded beaming up at her while Apple Bloom watched from across the library. ~

Apple Bloom sighed again as she walked along the orchard path. Sweetie Belle had begun lessons with Twilight the next week, and, so far, she showed no signs that she wanted to quit. So for most the afternoon, four days a week, Sweetie Belle was in lessons.

She was happy for Sweetie Belle of course, and she couldn't blame Scootaloo for being determine after struggling for so long to fly. But their activities left Apple Bloom without either of her closest friends to spend time with. It seemed everypony had something to do this summer except her. Even Twist was busy learning more about candy making as an apprentice to her aunt, Bonbon.

"And here Ah'd been lookin' forward to summer," Apple Bloom muttered to herself.

"Not quite what you expected?"

Apple Bloom jumped spinning in a circle at the unexpected male voice. "Who's there!?" she exclaimed not spotting anypony.

Soft laughter seemed to come from all around her. "I'm not there, I'm merely projecting my voice where you are," the voice came again, "But I would like to speak with you in person if you are willing."

"Who... who are you?" Apple Bloom asked nervously.

"Let's save introductions for when we're face to face, little one. I'm not far;" a shimmering trail of blue light appeared in front of Apple Bloom leading toward the edge of the orchard. "Just follow the path and you'll find me."

Apple Bloom stared at the glowing trail nervously. She knew it was magic, of course, but there weren't many who were capable of such magic. The only ones she knew for certain were the princesses and Discord. But the voice didn't sound like Discord at all. So she had no idea who this voice could be. She supposed it could also be a unicorn with a talent for illusion magic, but Apple Bloom didn't know of any other than Trixie.

"And why should ah trust you?" She demanded. Of course, she wasn't exactly sure what she could do to resist somepony with seemingly powerful magic if he decided to force her cooperation.

He laughed softly again, though it was a kind, understanding, kind of laughter. "It's alright, little one. I only wish to speak with you. I mean you no harm."

"Why me?" Apple Bloom asked, still very nervous.

"Because I believe you will most appreciate what I have to offer."

"Offer?" Apple Bloom repeated. "What do you mean; what you have to offer?"

"I'd like a chance to speak with you face to face, little one, before I tell you more."

Apple Bloom considered following the path for a moment, the voice sounded kind enough, but still. "Ah don't know..."

"Would it make you feel better if I Pinkie Promise that I mean no ill will toward you, your family or your friends."

Apple Bloom blinked. "How do you know about Pinkie Promises?"

"I've been watching over this world for some time, and one does not need to watch Ponyville for long to know about the infamous Pinkie Promise," he told her sounding amused. "Would it make you feel better?"

Apple Bloom considered it a moment. "You know what would happen if you broke it, right?"

"I'm honestly afraid to find out," he said sounding sincere.

"Well, alright."

"Very well then. I promise that I bear no ill will toward you, your family, your friends, or anypony in Equestria. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Apple Bloom licked her lips nervously. "Well, alright... Ah guess it can't hurt to talk," she said and hesitantly started trotting along the path marked by the blue magic. The magic led her out of the orchard, thankfully on the far side from the Everfree Forest, and up toward a nearby grassy hilltop. As she followed the magic up the hill she thought she saw a slight shimmering in the air near the top of the hill. Curious she continued on.

It happened from one step to the next, as if a veil was lifted and suddenly there was a massive blue form in front of her. Far larger even than any of the princesses, blue scales covered his body. Four legged, with translucent webbed wings folded against his sides, it only took Apple Bloom a moment to realize what it was that was lying on the hilltop looking back at her.

Her eyes widened and she let out a scream before turning and trying to run, only to find her way blocked by a shimmering blue wall.

"Relax, Apple Bloom," The same voice as before said in a calming tone. "It's me."

She turned back, realizing she was trapped. "You... You're a dragon!"

The dragon laughed. "That I am."

"W-what are you doing in Ponyville?" She asked trying to calm herself.

He laughed. "Well to put it simply; I was bored and I find this place charming and entertaining."

Apple Bloom blinked a few times as her mind processed what he'd said. Finally, she raised a brow questioningly. "You mean we're just a source of amusement to you?"

He laughed again, softly, a low rumble that Apple Bloom could feel in her hooves. "I'll admit, it's true, but know that I have always been ready to intervene if things started going too badly."

She gave him a disbelieving look. "Uh, huh... then why didn't y'all do anything when Achlys tried to take over?"

He seemed a bit taken back. "Who?"

Apple Bloom glared at him. "Achlys; she tried to take over a couple months ago, she nearly killed the princesses!"

"I was not aware," he said sounding sincere. "I'm not here all the time. And nothing has seemed amiss since I've been back. Did everything turn out alright?"

Apple Bloom snorted. "Mostly, but it sure as hay wasn't any fun."

"Well I'm sorry you had to go through that. But at least everything turned out alright in the end."

"Ah guess..." Apple Bloom said as she glanced behind her to see if the wall of magic was still there. It was.

He noticed. "Please, just sit down and try to relax, Apple Bloom. I already promised that I mean you no harm, I just want to talk."

Though she was still a little nervous, she didn't see that she had any choice and reluctantly sat down facing the Dragon. "Who are you?"

"Ah yes, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I," he said with a smile. "My name is Vele'Rekaj, Aspect of the Arcane, leader of the blue flight. You can call me Rekaj."

"Rekash?"

"Rekaj," he corrected calmly smiling.

"Rekage?"

He laughed softly and shook his head.

"Can I just call you RJ?"

He laughed a little louder. "You may, Apple Bloom, but only because I like you," he told her with a smile.

"So, what did ya want to talk to me about?" She asked, feeling a little more at ease. He did seem to have a friendly personality.

"Just a few things really. Mostly I just want to get to know you better, and then I may have an offer for you, but we'll get to that later," he said shifting slightly and stretching his semi-transparent wings. "The first thing I'd like to ask you is what do you think about those with great power?"

"What, you mean like the princesses?" She asked.

Rekaj nodded. "As well as others of great power."

"Well the princesses are great, Ah mean they're always lookin' out for ponies and protectin' us. And Discord is not too bad anymore. But I guess there are ponies like that Achlys, and the changeling queen. And my sis told me about this evil King Sombra that tried to take over the Crystal Empire. They were all pretty mean."

"Do you feel like those three abused the power that they had?"

Apple Bloom nodded. "Definitely. They didn't deserve it one bit."

He smiled. "And what do you think qualifies someone to deserve such power?"

"They have to want to use it to help others," Apple Bloom said confidently.

"Is that what you'd do if you had such power?"

She nodded. "Of course. If Ah had power like the princesses, Ah'd only use it to help others."

"Really?" He asked with a knowing smile. "You'd never use your power just to have a little harmless fun? Maybe play a few innocent pranks?"

Apple Bloom blushed. "Well... maybe Ah'd have a little fun sometimes. But Ah'd never use it to hurt anypony, or do anythin' bad."

He smiled. "Your honesty is one of the things I like about you Apple Bloom," he said with a smile. "It's refreshing as I'm all too often surrounded by lies and half-truths."

"My big sis taught me to be honest as an apple," Apple Bloom said proudly.

"Yes, your sister is quite an honorable pony."

Apple Bloom smiled. "She's great."

"And you have learned well from her," Rekaj said with a smile. "So, if you had power that would let you do just about anything, what is it you would like to do?"

"Ah don't know. Ah mean, Ah'm sure Ah'd think of somethin'." She sighed. "But it doesn't really matter. Without my friends, it's just wouldn't be much fun."

"But your friends are busy with their own pursuits." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Apple Bloom said, looking down and kicking at the ground. "Scootaloo wants to learn to fly by the end of summer, and Sweetie Belle decided she wanted to learn more magic from Princess Twilight."

"And nothing is as fun if you don't have someone to share it with," he agreed softly, and Apple Bloom nodded. "What if your power allowed you to join your friends in their pursuits?"

Apple Bloom looked up. "Ah guess that would be better than nothin', but there's no point in wishin' for things that will never happen..."

Rekaj smiled slyly. "Apple Bloom, what do you notice about me?"

She looked up at him considerately. "Well... you're big, but not nearly as big as some of the dragons we saw fly over during the migration. And you're really blue."

He stood and stretched his wings out to their full extension. "What else?"

"Your wings are huge!" Apple Bloom exclaimed noticing how they were proportionally far larger than even Spike's wings in his new older form. "And you look a lot more... Ah guess Ah'd say 'sleek' than most dragon's Ah've seen, although Spike is pretty good lookin' now." She blushed slightly.

"I noticed Spike seems to have grown quite a bit recently," Rekaj said, folding his wings as he did.

"Nah, it just turns out that he's really a six-thousand-year-old dragon, but the princesses shrank him back down to the size he is now with an age spell," Apple Bloom told him.

"Really?" he asked and Apple Bloom nodded. "He's about as old as I am then. Perhaps I'll have to speak with him sometime."

"You're six thousand years old?"

He nodded. "Just about. Anyway, is there anything else you notice about me?"

She frowned looking him over, there was something, but it was hard to put into words... "Ah don't know... you look different kinda, like..."

"Like I don't belong?" He suggested.

"Yeah, Ah guess so," she agreed.

He just nodded. "I'm not from this world, Apple Bloom. My home is a world called Yuvari. A world that works quite differently from yours; especially when it comes to magic. In my world, dragons, and dragon-kin are the source of just about all magic. Dragons being by far the strongest race, and dragon aspects like myself being the strongest of the dragons."

"So your magic is very powerful, is what your sayin'?"

"Yes." He smiled and settled down, lying on the ground once more. "I'd like to make you an offer, Apple Bloom."

She looked up at him a nervously. "What kind of offer?"

"Well, it's actually more that I'd like to give you a gift, but you have to choose whether or not to accept it," he clarified. "What I'm offering you, is nothing less than my own power."

Her eyes widened. "You want to give me your power?"

"Access to my power," he corrected. "The power will still be mine and will always reside within me. But what I'm offering will give you access to it, to use whenever you like."

"How?"

"I'm offering to give you my Sa'Dracori, Apple Bloom, and in so doing, make you my mage. But understand, this is not something to be taken lightly. My Sa'Dracori will give you access to my power, and with it, all the responsibility that such power holds. Should you ever abuse it, I will take it back, something that would be very painful for you," he told her and she gulped, but he just smiled confidently. He shifted, lowering his head down closer to her. "Don't worry Apple Bloom, I would never do such a thing unless I truly believed you'd gone evil at heart."

"Um... okay," she said nervously. "What did you mean about making me your mage."

He gave her a reassuring smile before answering. "A dragon's mage is merely the holder of their Sa'Dracori. Most are expected to serve the dragon whose magic they wield, but in your case I'll make an exception. If you accept my Sa'Dracori, I would, of course, teach you how to use my power as I'm the only one who could, but other than your lessons I would require nothing more of you. You would be free to do as you please."

"Then why do you want to give me your power?" Apple Bloom asked worried he was hiding something.

He shrugged. "I thought perhaps it would stir things up a little around here. That, and I'll admit, I've taken a liking to you Apple Bloom, and I thought you might enjoy having my power."

Apple Bloom looked up at him skeptically. "So y'all are willin' to just give away your powers? Just like that? And you don't want nothin' in return?"

"Not 'give away,'" He reminded her, sounding amused. "I will retain my powers. My Sa'Dracori will merely give you access to them as well. The only sacrifice this is for me is that I will not be able to choose another mage so long as you hold my Sa'Dracori. But considering I haven't had a mage in over four centuries anyway, that really isn't a big deal for me."

"Okay... so y'all are willing to give me access to your magic, huh? Um... what exactly can your magic do?" She asked curiously.

He grinned. "What can you imagine?"

"What do you mean?"

"My magic does have specific limitations, but within those limitations there are infinite possibilities.

"Blue Flight Magic can be classified into three basic fields. The first being illusion. I trust you can imagine what that entails. The second field of Blue Flight Magic is conjuration. Quite simply, this is creating something from nothing, however, anything created through conjuration is temporary; once you stop casting the spell, the conjured object will cease to exist."

"Could you conjure anything?"

He nodded. "Anything you can imagine can be conjured and controlled by my magic. You can also combine conjuration and illusion to create illusions that have mass, texture, even warmth to the touch." As he spoke an exact duplicate of Apple Bloom appeared in front of her. She stared at it, stunned. It looked so real. Reaching out with a hoof, she gently touched the other Apple Bloom, feeling the soft fur of her coat, even the warmth emanating from her body. Then the other Apple Bloom flinched and giggled.

"What, ya never seen a pony before?"

Apple Bloom leaped back; it even sounded just like her!

Rekaj laughed softly at her reaction. "It's still just an illusion, Apple Bloom," he told her and then with a wave of his claw, the second Apple Bloom faded into nothing.

Apple Bloom looked up at him, far more interested in the power he was offering now. "What else can it do?"

He smiled at her excitement. "Well, even with only the first two fields of Blue Flight Magic, the limits are quite literally your own imagination. But there is one more field to my magic that is perhaps the most impressive, as well as the most mysterious of all. I simply call this field, the arcane. Arcane magic is all about manipulating the very fabric of the universe, of bending the world to your will. It is how I was able to cross the dimensional boundaries to come to this world; it can allow you to warp the world around you to conceal you from detection or move instantly from one place to another; and it can even be used to control time itself."

"You can control time!?" Apple Bloom asked in awe. She knew Twilight had managed to travel back in time once, but as far as she knew, that was as far as Twilight's time magic went. Perhaps she knew more now that she had Achlys's knowledge as well, but even so...

He smiled. "I could teach you spells to slow time, or speed it up, reverse, or even stop time all together. I also know spells that can allow someone to travel to the past, but I'm afraid I won't teach you those..."

"Why not?" Apple Bloom asked.

He sighed. "Because it's dangerous. Once you travel into the past, you're entering an alternate universe. If you don't know how to properly anchor yourself in your own universe, then there's a good chance that you'll never be able to get back."

"Oh... Ah guess that would be pretty bad."

He nodded. "I also don't know what would happen if you went to a universe that is not connected to the one I'm in. Doing so may break the link of my Sa'Dracori and leave you powerless to return as well. It would be best if you don't mess with time or inter-dimensional travel. Besides, I think you'll find time flow spells to be enough of a challenge."

"It sounds pretty amazing," Apple Bloom agreed. "Ah'd really be able to do all that?"

He smiled and nodded confidently. "You're certainly clever enough to learn and make good use of what my magic has to offer. If you accept my Sa'Dracori, of course."

"Yeah..."

"Still not convinced?" He asked raising a brow ridge.

"Don't get me wrong. It sounds like a lot of fun havin' powers like that, but I just don't think Ah need it. Ah mean, it still won't help me spend more time with my friends."

He smiled knowingly. "Ah, but I could teach you a spell that would give you wings, just like a true pegasus, then, could you not join Scootaloo in her flying lessons. Perhaps even help her with her goals as well?"

"Your magic could make me a pegasus!?" Apple Bloom asked excitedly.

He laughed. "Well, the wings would be illusionary. Or rather, constructs of conjuration, illusion and just a touch of arcane. But in the end they would work just like the real thing. You would even be able to feel them just like they were real limbs. You would have to learn to use them, but I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be willing to teach you was well as Scootaloo, being the friend she is."

Apple Bloom grinned. She could just imagine the look on Scootaloo and Ranbow Dash's faces if she were to show up for flight lessons with a brand new pair of wings.

"And of course, you'll need to spend some time practicing your spells; as will Sweetie Belle if she's studying under Twilight Sparkle. The two of you may just have to spend some time studying together..."

She looked up at him, grinning. "Are you trying to bribe me into saying yes?"

He laughed. "I'm just telling you the benefits," he told her then turned more somber. "On that note however, there are some other effects of the Sa'Dracori that you should be aware of before you make your choice."

"Like what?" Apple Bloom asked, realizing he meant that there were some effects that she may not like.

"Well first of all, the Sa'Dracori will mark you. It takes the form of a circular blue mark on your right shoulder. I can teach you a spell to conceal it, but only when you're not using magic. When you do, the Sa'Dracori will glow brightly and becomes nearly impossible to hide."

Apple Bloom glanced at her shoulder trying to imagine what it would look like. "Well, that's not too bad. Sounds kind of cool that it glows when you use it. It's kind of like a unicorn's horn."

Rekaj smiled. "Yes. Another thing you should be aware of is that receiving the Sa'Dracori will hurt. The Sa'Dracori has to bond with you and the bonding process is quite painful, though it only lasts a moment."

She winced. "Okay..."

"And Finally, the Sa'Dracori will extend your life a great deal and keep you young and strong practically until the day you die."

Apple Bloom blinked. "That's a good thing, isn't it? But wait, it will keep me young? Does that mean I'll never grow up!? I'll always be a filly!?"

"No, you'll continue to grow up, just once you reach adulthood, your aging will practically stop." He explained, then smiled sadly. "There is both good and bad to long life, Apple Bloom. It's hard to say for certain, but in all likelihood, with my Sa'Dracori, you would probably end up living to be between three and four hundred years old."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "Three to four hundred!?"

He nodded. "But while your life will be extended. The lives of your friends and family will not."

Realization dawned on Apple Bloom at what he was getting at and her ears folded back. "Oh..."

"That is the bad side of having an exceptionally long life. Having to lose all those you care about long before your own time comes. With the exceptions of your other immortal friends, you will likely outlive all your friends and family." Reaching out to her, he gently lifted her chin with the side of his claw, smiling reassuringly. "But there is good as well. Think of how many more friends you can make in such a long life, friends that you never would have had a chance to meet if you'd only lived a normal lifetime. Perhaps you'd even find love that you never would have otherwise. And besides, you won't be immortal; you will eventually join your friends in the next life."

Apple Bloom looked up at him seeing in his eyes that he spoke from experience. "You've lost friends?"

He smiled sadly. "Freinds, children, mates... even a few I had once believed I would never lose. I remember every one, and every one pains me; but I've learned to remember them fondly, and to look forward to the time when we will be reunited when my time in this life finally comes to an end. I don't fear making new friends, or finding love again; even if I may lose them as well, the years I have with them are worth it."

Slowly Apple Bloom smiled. "Ah guess that's true. No matter if Ah live longer, it doesn't lessen the years Ah have to spend with my friends."

"Yes," Rekaj agreed smiling. "It's still difficult to lose your friends, but if you remember to enjoy the years you have with them, then long life becomes a gift, not a curse."

Apple Bloom nodded understanding.

He let her think on it a few moments more. Finally, he smiled. "So, it's time to decide. Knowing all the good and the bad that comes with it, will you accept my Sa'Dracori, Apple Bloom?"

Apple Bloom looked up at him considering his offer. She knew the choice was hers to make, even now she knew she could turn it down and he'd simply accept her choice. But did she want to turn it down? The power he was offering her; the chance to spend more time with her friends. And being able to do magic, that and he had implied she could even learn how to fly like a pegasus. Not to mention the other abilities he had mentioned. Being able to control time itself!? It was hard even to imagine.

Slowly Apple Bloom looked up at Rekaj and smiled. She knew her choice. "Ah accept."

He smiled back, but held up a claw. "Are you certain. Once I give you my Sa'Dracori, it will be excruciatingly painful to remove should you change your mind, and will scar you for life."

Apple Bloom hesitated only a moment then nodded. "Ah understand. Ah accept," she said resolutely and he smiled.

"Brace yourself then, as I said, this will hurt, but only for a moment." With that, he reached out one claw, and very gently touched Apple Bloom's right shoulder.

Pain erupted through her body at the touch. She let out a scream as every inch of her seemed to be burning at once, right down to her bones. She'd never experienced anything so painful in her life. It was only a brief moment, but it felt like it dragged on and on. Then it was over, and Apple Bloom opened her eyes to find she'd collapsed in front of Rekaj, breathing heavily. Slowly she got to her hooves again.

She could feel something, she realized, something new. Looking down at her shoulder, she saw the mark Rekaj had told her about. It was made up of a circle not quite containing triangles within triangles. Each triangle was smaller than the one before, each flipped in the opposite direction of the next. It didn't look half bad; she kind of liked it actually.

What really got her attention though was what she could feel from it. It was almost like a vast pool of light that she didn't see with her eyes. Rekaj's power.

Finally she looked up at Rekaj and slowly grinned. "Wow, you weren't kiddin' about the pain."

He smiled. "Yes, receiving a Sa'Dracori is always painful."

"Ah can feel it, though. Your power... it's just there, waitin' to be used. There's so much."

"As I said, I am a dragon aspect and so one of the most powerful dragons in my world. I would estimate that as far as sheer power; my magic likely exceeds even that of your alicorn princesses."

Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "You mean Ah'm more powerful than the princesses now!?"

He laughed. "Possibly. But it's hard to really know for sure since my magic works quite a bit differently than theirs. In any case Apple Bloom, you are now one of the most powerful pony's alive. I hope you understand the responsibility this entails."

She nodded. "Of course!"

"Good, then shall we get started on your first lesson? It would be best if you learn the basics right away and then I'll teach you the spell to conceal the Sa'Dracori. That way you can wait and surprise your friends when you've learned a bit more."

Grinning, Apple Bloom eagerly nodded. "Let's get started!"

Author's Note

You may be wondering if Vele'Rekaj is from anything. The short answer is: nothing published.

He is one of my own characters and so as far as anyone need be concerned; he is just an odd OC. There will be a little bit more about his world in this story, but not much, the focus will be primarily on Apple Bloom and other canon characters; in fact, after these first couple chapters, Rekaj is going to mostly be in the background.