Redeeming Chaos

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2: New Colt On The Block
Chapter 3: Surprises
Chapter 4: Nightshade's Prophecy
Chapter 5: Impending Chaos

Chapter 1

"GROOOOOOOOOO!"

The monster's bellow seemed to shake the very mountainsides themselves as the alicorn streaked across the night sky. He suddenly wheeled to the side as a column of crackling amethyst flame roared past. The young demigod was a rather inexperienced flyer, and the enraged dragon could sense it's victim rapidly tiring.

Perfect

I can taste its fear, its very life essence already seeping right out with the fatigue.

Time to kill

Flapping furiously to stay aloft, the young alicorn barely evaded the dragon's assault as a second violet fireball blazed past its quarry. Willing himself to maintain top speed, he mustered the courage to quickly glance over one shoulder, and nearly wing-locked then and there;

He was staring down the dragon's gullet, barely a meter away from its horrible, glistening fangs.

And the gap was closing by the millisecond.

With all the strength he had left, the alicorn spread his wings to their full span, and focused all his willpower towards his forehead. With a sound like a freshly lit fuse, his jet-black horn began to shimmer with a green aura. The dragon's eyes widened in surprise as a loud bang resonated across the valley and the alicorn vanished from sight and reappeared a split-second later.

Directly atop the seething dragon's head!

Curse you, teleportation spell!

Immediately, the beast began to thrash about in the air, barrel-rolling like mad and flailing its claws about in an attempt to swat away its unwitting rider. The alicorn could feel his grip on the dragon's back-spines slipping, and spread his wings again in an attempt to dismount. But as he did, the monster's knife-like talons raked his outstretched left wing, cleaving the appendage right from his body.

Mind and eyes clouded with the immense pain, the alicorn began his spiraling plummet to his death, when he felt his body seize up and freeze mid-fall. Shaking his head vigorously in confusion, the young pony found himself hovering in thin air, surrounded by a familiar electric blue aura and being whisked through the moonlit night behind one of Princess Luna's finest royal chariots. His splendorous wings were gone, as was his formidable adversary, the latter of which was replaced by an angered unicorn in Elvis Coltstello glasses, and with a simmering orange beaker emblazoned on his flank.

"Cosmos Sagittarius Quark, how many times am I going to have to tell you?!"

"I-I'm sorry, father! I didn't mean to! I was j-j-just playing pretend, y'know like I always do, and I slipped over the edg--"

Quantum ignored him and continued: "The Princess of the Night was kind enough to provide for and personally oversee our transport to our new home. It would behoove you to display your gratitude for her by thanking her personally, instead of hopping off without so much as a farewell!"

"Yes, father..." Cosmos looked down, feeling ashamed. Leave it to him to completely overlook the fact that I almost fell to my doom just now. It's like... Like he doesn't even care anymore... Not since...

Cosmos's thoughts trailed off as his father whisked the little unicorn colt back into the safety of the chariot, just as it touched down on the outskirts of the town at the Quarks' new home. Quantum mechanically thanked the Princess and her guards, while the boy timidly murmured a barely audible "Thanks" as the charioteers turned and left for Canterlot.

"Well... Here we are, son. Our new home; nice and far from all the hubbub, just how we like it."

The cottage was of just the right size, Tudor-style and somewhat rustic, and right on the outskirts of Whitetail Wood. Taking a quick look around, the exhausted colt just hung his head and trudged inside. Just how you like it. It's like I'm asking to be a social pariah.

"Good idea, Cosmos. Go inside and get some rest. You've got a big day ahead of you tomorrow, what with your new school and classmates and all. It's a good thing the Princesses had those movers arrange all of our belongings before we got here, or you'd be spending the rest of the night on the cold, cold ground."

The little unicorn's pupils shrunk to pinpoints. "S-school!? T-t-tomorrow!?!?!?"

His father nodded. "Yes indeed. And you have but a few hours until morning, so off to bed with you! If you need me, ring the bell by the basement door. But do not, and I repeat," his glasses flashed menacingly, and Cosmos cowered as Quantum's voice grew terrifyingly cold and stern "DO NOT. Go. Down. Those. Stairs. Are we clear?"

Swallowing hard, Cosmos nodded his head in affirmation, still shaken and wrought with anxiety as he scampered upstairs to bed.

The Next Morning

Cosmos wanted to punch a hole through his alarm clock when he realized how much time he'd actually slept, but he settled with using what little magic he could to switch it off and drop it hard on the floor as he crawled out of bed.

As he sluggishly prepared for school and slogged downstairs in a funk, he found the professor sitting at the dining room table a copy of the local paper and a cup of his signature French Roast. Without looking up from the news, he addressed his son dismissively.

"School starts in approximately fifteen minutes, what took you so long to awaken?"

"Ughmmmph..." Cosmos incoherently groaned, not actually listening. The colt telekinetically grabbed a golden delicious from the fridge and whipped himself up a dandelion sandwich, placing them in his school-saddlebag with a notepad and pencils, and trudged to the door.

"The school is located on the other side of town, somewhat in the Everfree Forest area. Just travel in a straight line down the road, and you should make it straight through town and to the schoolhouse on the other side. But make haste!"

His father's words finally inspired him to actually see what time it was:

"TEN 'TILL 9:00?! I'M GONNA BE LATE!!!"

Dust flew by in billowing clouds as the young unicorn tore through town, dodging past various townsfolk (and bumping into a few) as he made a beeline from his new home to the quaint little schoolhouse on the other side of town.

Several fillies and colts on the playground turned their heads to the frantic Cosmo-bullet charged for the schoolhouse door. Unaware that it was still locked, he slammed full-force against it, collapsing in a dazed heap on the welcome mat, and prompting many of the foals on the playground to burst into laughing fits.

Smooth move, Quarkface, Cosmos berated himself grimly. Haven't even gotten into school yet and I'm already a laughing stock.

The klutzy colt picked himself up and dusted off, when he noticed a commotion coming from the other end of the playground. Trotting over, he noticed two little fillies dressed in maroon capes lined with gold. One of them was an earth pony with a yellow coat, her crimson mane adorned with a large pink bow. The other was a pegasus with an orange coat, magenta mane and tail, and a slightly frayed edge on her cape. Both seemed to be running away from... Something.

Something in the grove of trees behind them.

And whatever it was, they looked legitimately afraid.

Oooh, this is a bad idea... Cosmos couldn't help but think to himself as he crept into the woods under the cover of some
shrubs, but his curiosity got the better of him as he crept past the treeline and into the grove.

The early-morning mist was still lingering above the forest floor, creating a mysterious feeling in the air. Cosmos swallowed hard, willing himself to be courageous, and continued to trek through the trees until an feminine scream pierced through the silence and scared timid Cosmos nearly out of his skin. Collecting himself, he took off in pursuit of the cry and found himself in a clearing. At its center was what he assumed to be a filly, bound, blindfolded, and gagged, continually repeating her muffled plea "Save me!"

This fair young lady was in distress. Cosmos knew that much. And he was just the colt-knight to rescue her.

But as the brave Sir Quark approached the immobilized damsel, he heard a branch snap in the fog behind him, and a fleeting shadow whisked by as he whipped his head around. Heart pumping, the young knight drew his dagger to cut the fair maiden free of her bonds. Just then, a low growl resonated through the eerie murk of the forest. Hearing this, the filly ceased her cries for help, and began to whimper in fright

"It... It's too late... He's found me..."

The knight whipped around just in time to see a pair of fiery, piercing eyes towering above, glaring down at him from amidst the branches. His heart about to burst from his chest, Sir Quark brandished his dagger and shield and braced himself for the worst.

In a burst of flame the creature lunged at its opponent, and the knight felt himself falling as the world began to melt around him. The last thing he heard was the anguished shriek of the maiden and a bloodcurdling snarl, as everything descended into pitch darkness.

Chapter 2: New Colt On The Block

Sweetie Belle glanced down at the dazed colt on the forest floor. Looking up at Spike, she found that the baby dragon was just as perplexed by the newcomer as she was.

“Have you ever seen this colt before…?” She inquired. Spike shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. Luckily for him, having scales insured his head against most blows, but the little colt wasn’t nearly as fortunate. His collision with Spike put him out cold, and he lay in a foalish-looking, haphazard heap.

Spike scratched the back of his head and blushed a bit. “I guess I overestimated my jump a bit, huh? All this fog made it hard to see who was ‘coming to your rescue.’ Gotta stay in character, you know?” He laughed sheepishly. “And call me crazy, but I actually DID feel like a terrifying adult dragon that time around. I usually feel silly pretending to be grown-up, but this time felt… different… like, more realistic.”

“I got that feeling, too! There was a minute there when I actually felt truly afraid and helpless… It was like I was actually all bound up and awaiting my rescuers…”

Sweetie took another look at the unicorn, whose half-closed eyes had lolled back in his head. “Yeah, I think you won by default this time. Looks like we’re not Cutie Mark Crusader Knights and Damsels after all… Speaking of which, where’d my friends run off to anyway?”

As if on cue, the other two Crusaders appeared out of the receding fog, taking on a heroic stance with their makeshift blades and pointing them at Spike.

“We’ve returned, and just when you thought you’d thwarted us for good! Unhand the fair maiden, beast! Or thou shalt taste the unforgiving cold that is my sword!” Scootaloo swept the blade in a wide arc offensively, over-exaggerating to stay in character

“Yeah, what she said!” Apple Bloom piped up, trying hard to disguise her thick Southern accent to play along.

“Uuugh, why am I always the damsel in distress?” Sweetie groaned. “Whoever got their Cutie Mark being a distressed damsel?! I wanna fight too!”

With Cosmos down and out, the woodland clearing was in a perfectly normal state, and the fillies’ looked more like goofy war-scene re-enactors than actual knights without the young colt’s magic aura. Upon seeing the unconscious unicorn on the ground, Sweetie’s friends looked up to her and Spike for answers, only to find their expressions equally as puzzled as theirs.

“Ummm… Do we know this kid?” Scootaloo inquired after a few moments of awkward silence.

“Ah don’t think so…” replied Apple Bloom.

“Maybe he’s that new student Cheerilee kept telling us was coming?” Sweetie analyzed the fallen colt yet again. He was a deep violet in color, with a black horn and curly charcoal-colored mane, and a bizarre marking encircling his left eye.

Not too bad-looking for a colt, I suppose. I do like his mane-cut, though… And he’s a blank flank, just like me!

While gazing at Cosmos, the unicorn filly lost track of time. At first, her three friends blinked a few times and looked at her, trying to comprehend what was going on. After a few moments, something clicked and they began to grin in mirth.

“I’ve seen that look before, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo prodded her friend with an elbow and suppressed a gleeful snicker, causing her to snap out of her “entrancement” with a jump.

“Huh? W-what?! Nononono! No! Him? I mean, I do really like his mane, but as a coltfriend? A very special somepony? I don’t even know him! Yeah, I suppose he is kind of cute-looking, b-but y’know, I guess what I mean to say is… I’ve heard Twilight say you shouldn’t judge… a book… by… its…cover?” Her outburst tapered off as she noticed her friends giggling and shooting each other “I told you so” glances.

At this, Sweetie stomped off towards the schoolhouse in a huff, a slight blush beginning to spread across her snowy-white face.

I mean, there’s no denying it, he’s a pretty good-looking colt! Well, once you get past those lolled-back eyes…

But do I like like him?

Oh, why even ask yourself that? You haven’t even met him! For all you know, he could be a real nasty little colt…

That’s it, I won’t judge him before I get to know him, but I don’t like him now…

Or do I?

No! No no no no!

Maybe?

“GAAAH!”

All this second-guessing of herself made Sweetie doubly frustrated as she proceeded. Watching their friend stalk away to school, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo suddenly noticed just how long they’d been out playing “Knights in Armor.”

“For the love of Celestia! Miss Cheerilee must’ve begun class ages ago!” Scootaloo dashed after her flustered unicorn friend. “C’mon Apple Bloom, we don’t want to be too late again! Not for the third time this week! And especially not after what she told us that last time…” the orange pegasus shuddered at the very thought of the teacher’s harsh warning yesterday.

Apple bloom gathered their swords and costumes and stuck them in her saddlebag. “Spike, please take care of him,” she gestured to Cosmos, still spread-eagled on the ground “and try and wake ‘im up. Ah really can’t afford to risk missin’ anymore class time.”

Spike looked hesitant “But Twilight’s probably wondering where I—“

“Pretty please?” Apple Bloom’s demeanor immediately shifted as she stared at Spike with her irresistible puppy dog stare, adopting ever so slight a pout as she blinked a couple times for effect.

Completely moved by her display, the baby dragon sighed. “Fine, I’ll do it.”

Apple Bloom hopped around him a couple times before hugging him tightly. “Oh, thankyouthankyouTHANKYOU Spike! You’re the best friend a filly could have around!” After releasing Spike from her death grip, the jovial young earth pony high-tailed it to her morning classes.

Spike sighed again and looked down at Cosmos. “Well, I guess the least I can do is lend you a helping claw after conking you out like this.”

Mulling over the best way to make the colt come to, he finally resorted to dragging him by the tail over to the schoolhouse, where he brought up a full bucket from the nearby well and emptied its contents on Cosmos’s face. Almost immediately, the poor colt spluttered and gasped back to life, quickly looking around and clearly bewildered by the sudden change in scenery. Noticing Spike, he immediately pelted him with questions:

“Wh-what happened!? Where is the fair damsel? And the horrible reptile-monster? And why aren’t we back in the woods!?”

Spike smiled and helped Cosmos to his hooves. “Don’t worry, everything turned out fine; the damsel’s safe and everything’s A-okay.”

Suddenly the colt’s eyes widened again: “Wait… has the school day started already!?”

The baby dragon nodded. Cosmos went pale and his eyes nearly bugged out.

“I’M LAAAATE!!!” He charged up the schoolhouse steps and made for the front door.

“Wait, I forgot to ask! What’s your name?” Spike called after him. But he was too late; Cosmos had already barged inside and into the second humiliating situation of the day.

***
Everyone in the room was staring at him inquisitively, including the two fillies he’d seen outside the woods earlier. The teacher had abruptly stopped her lesson as he’d made his entrance, and stared along with the rest of her students.
Expecting the worst, Cosmos closed his eyes and braced himself for a lengthy, degrading lecture about showing up on time.

Cheerilee blinked twice, before a warm smile of realization washed over her face.

“You must be Cosmos! We’ve been expecting you!”

A wave of relief washed over him as he realized he was in the clear. Without a word, Cosmos smiled self-consciously and nodded once.

“Class, I’d like you to meet Cosmos Quark! He’s just arrived in Ponyville all the way from Manehattan, so be sure to be extra nice to him,” The teacher’s kindhearted smile turned back to Cosmos. “My name is Miss Cheerilee. If you ever need anything, or have any questions you’d like to ask, don’t be afraid to raise a hoof!”

Cosmos nodded again, relieved to be finally out of the spotlight. He quietly hurried off to an available desk in the front left corner of the room, which happened to be in front of Cheerilee’s desk. Several whispers floated about the room as he chose his seat.

“What a teacher’s pet,” one foal muttered to another. Fortunately for him, Cosmos was out of earshot, and he took out his notepad and pencil to join the class’s calligraphy lesson.

After what seemed like ages of name-writing in cursive, the lunch/recess bell finally rang and the other foals galloped for the door. Their newest classmate trailed behind, his lunch in tow, and found a spot to sit amongst some bushes. He quickly (yet politely) wolfed down his dandelion sandwich and apple, and gazed about at all the other kids, who were raucously enjoying their break from class.

One particular group managed to catch his eye. A particularly young, pinto-spotted colt was perched on the play structure, clutching a plastic wheel, and shouting out orders to the various other colts around him.

“First mate Shady Daze!” He addressed a periwinkle colt with a navy blue mane and tail.

“Yes, Cap’n Pipsqueak!” The colt replied, grinning broadly.

“Check me captain’s quarters and make sure these sorry lubbers haven’t pinched any of me loot!”

“Aye aye, sir!” Shady Daze swung underneath the structure and began counting the ship’s woodchip treasure.

Captain Pipsqueak turned to a beige-colored pegasus colt with a brown mane, manning the structure’s right stairway, but staring absentmindedly at a group of fillies playing hopscotch. “Boatswain Featherweight!”

The colt snapped back into reality and noticed the smirking face of his captain. “Y-yes, Captain?”

“Check the starboard jib and make sure it’s secured. Oh, and keep them eyes off yonder sea-ponies; they’ll spell nothing but trouble for all of us!” he added with a sly grin.

The boatswain fluttered up to the roof of the slide to examine the sail in question. The miniscule captain looked up at another pegasus, slate-gray with a slicked-back mane, hovering above the playground’s spiral slide. “Lookout Rumble!”

“Where? For what?!” Rumble cowered fearfully, eyeing the sky for any incoming cannon fire.

Pipsqueak groaned and face-hoofed. “No no no, matey, you’re the lookout. And just… keep doing what you’ve been doing.” Grinning in embarrassment, the young pegasus saluted and continued scanning the skies.

“And as for you two,” The pinto colt turned to a pair of young unicorns. One was short and turquoise with buck-teeth, eagerly awaiting the captain’s command. The other was lanky, yellowish-orange, and had a vacant expression pasted on his face.

“Deck-hands Snips and Snails, I want you to swab this here poop deck,” their faces fell at this, “‘till it shines like Long John Silvermane’s long-lost booty!”

The two unicorn colts groaned and answered in unison: “Aye aye, Captain Pip…”

As he watched his fellow classmates go about their pirating duties, Cosmos’s eyes sparkled, and he couldn’t help but break into a grin. Subconsciously, his ebony horn began to shimmer with its emerald-hued aura, which wafted over the playground.

All of a sudden the play structure and its inhabitants vanished from sight. In their place rocked a magnificent pirate galleon, crewed by a band of convincing-looking swashbucklers. A lone sea turtle paddled along in the ship’s wake, and on its shell sat a bedraggled-looking unicorn colt, watching from his isolated vantage point with joy all across his face.

Playing pretend was Cosmos’s favorite of all games. His sessions of pretend were the most vivid and lifelike of any other colt in Equestria, though he nor anyone else who knew him could seem to figure out why…

The captain of The Flying Dutchpony also got the sense that this was no ordinary game of “Pirate Adventures.” Captain Davy “Pipsqueak” Jones was stunned to find himself at the helm of an actual ship! Slack-jawed with awe, he scanned every nook and cranny of the wooden galleon, from bowsprit to gaff to the bulwarks, and found everything to be perfectly authentic! As he rushed below deck to ensure that the bulkhead was in good condition, a devious grin spread across his tiny face.

If everything up there was completely real, and not imaginary, then that must mean…

Captain Pipsqueak dashed for the hold, pushing past First Mate Shady, and thrust the door wide open.

The room was chock full, just as he’d suspected.

But not full of worthless woodchips.

From wall to wall of the hold lay a veritable fortune of gold doubloons and open chests! The captain’s eyes glimmered with the splendor of his newfound riches. Cackling gleefully, he pranced about the room and threw the coins into the air like confetti. But an urgent hammering on the hold door disrupted his joyful romp.

Captain Pip peered out the door to find the lookout, his pupils shrunken in shock.

“C-c-captain!” the pegasus stammered, almost breaking character in his fright. “You’ve gotta come see this!”

Meanwhile, back on the playground (and outside the range of Cosmos’s “alternate reality aura”), Sweetie Belle had grown tired of playing hopscotch with the other fillies (a game she wasn’t terribly good at in the first place). Seeing the colts lost in their own pirate-world, she decided to go join them. Playing pretend is pretty fun after all, even with crazy colts like them…

Castaway Cosmos was the next to notice, after the lookout. Glimpsing something out of the corner of his eye, he found himself completely transfixed by the sight of a lovely white sea pony bobbing toward the ship. Her pink and purple mane seemed to shine with the light of the midday sun, and her beautiful emerald eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Completely oblivious of the gawking young unicorn, Sweetie ambled right up to the front of the ship and addressed the captain, who peeked over the bow and took one look at the sea filly before pivoting 180 degrees and walking off “Hey, that’s not very nice, Pip! I just wanted to see if I could join you guys’ game.”

Captain Pipsqueak scoffed at her request. “Never in a thousand million lifetimes, sea witch! And that’s CAPTAIN Pip to you!”

Wow, he sure does get into character! He might be going a bit overboard with it, though… Cosmos thought to himself

“Come on, Pi— I mean, Captain! You do this every time I try and play with you guys! I don’t see what the big deal is…”

“’Tis bad luck to bring a female aboard a stallion’s ship, and ‘tis worse luck yet if she happens to be a wretched siren such as yerself!”

“I’m NOT a siren! (Whatever that is…)” sea pony Sweetie splashed her tail down on the water in frustration. “And wait until Miss Cheerilee hears about this! You’ll be in big trouble!”

The pinto-colored buccaneer snorted dismissively. “Not only is she a witch; she’s a low-down tattler as well! I’ve grown tired of your nonsense, cretin!” He summoned his underlings Snips and Snails. “Deck-hands, aim the cannons!” The lackeys saluted in compliance and rolled in the big guns.

Sweetie gave an exasperated sigh at this, but the castaway noticed something different about her: the young captain’s name-calling was changing her appearance as well as her demeanor. Her lovely sea pony features faded away until she truly a seaweed-covered hag, staring dejectedly at her reflection in the water.

Geez, I really ought to go help her out…

But what about all those colts watching? I’d be a laughing stock all over again…

That may be true. Regardless, I’d never get over myself if I just stood by while they actually threaten that poor filly, even if it is just as part of a game. Here goes nothing!...

At that point, Cosmos sprang from the turtle’s back, between Sweetie and the galleon’s artillery. Before hitting the water’s surface, he generated the best force field spell he could muster, just as Snips and Snails fired the twin cannons at the white unicorn. But partway through their trajectory, the cannonballs transformed into two clumps of mud and grass, and splattered ineffectively against the magic barrier.

Everypony on the playground gasped at the new colt’s sudden intervention, including Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, who were stunned by the unicorn’s selfless display. Upon recognizing her defender, Sweetie blushed a deep shade of scarlet and her eyes widened in disbelief.

Confused by the sudden turn of events, the pirate crew looked about to find that they were back where they’d begun at the beginning of recess: back on the same old play structure.

Pipsqueak rushed beneath the structure in desperation, to find that all his precious loot had been replaced by woodchips once again. It had been so real… he reminisced, letting the worthless pieces sift out of his hooves. All of a sudden, his sorrow turned to boiling rage, and he wheeled on Cosmos.

“How could you? You… You had to go and ruin our bloody game, didn’t you? One day in this Celestia-blessed town and you’re already making enemies before friends! I hope you’re happy, you… you fun-spoiler! You bloody KILLJOY!” In his fury, Pipsqueak piled all his angst on the most obvious cause of his loss, with no regard whatsoever for how his words were hurting his fellow classmate.

Before the pirate captain could fling any more daggers at his forlorn victim, the school bell sounded, drawing all the foals back into class. Cosmos spent the rest of the school day trying to prevent himself from crying, and avoiding the icy glares of the pirate colts. At the same time, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were planning on thanking him for his heroic deed directly after class. When the long awaited bell finally rang, they made his way to the new colt’s desk, but to their dismay, the outcast colt had already left ahead of the crowd.

***
Cosmos ran down the road at breakneck pace, until he was a safe distance from the dreadful schoolhouse and in Ponyville itself. With a crestfallen sniffle, the colt plodded through the streets, while all around him Ponyville’s residents went about their daily business as cheerfully as always.

One such resident, a particularly bubbly earth pony, was having an exceptionally good day, until she spotted the upset standout in the downtown bustle.

“Aww, looks like someone needs a visit from the laugh doctor!” Pinkie Pie hopped her way over to the unicorn. “After all, laughter is the best medicine!”

But just as she’d approached him head-on, the pink mare noticed the colt’s face.

It was one she’d never seen before. That means...

It was a newcomer. One of the two that Twilight had been telling her about!

With an overly dramatic gasp of surprise, Pinkie froze mid-bounce and sped off down the block.

Quite confounded by Pinkie’s eccentric behavior, Cosmos sighed and continued his trudge home, eventually arriving at his house.

Walking inside, he found the baby dragon from earlier that day, bustling about the kitchen and preparing a batch of cupcakes. When the dragon noticed the colt’s arrival, he gave him a friendly smile.

“Hey, I don’t think we ever got formally acquainted earlier. My name’s Spike! What’s yours?”

“Cosmos…” replied the bewildered unicorn.

“Welcome to Ponyville, Cosmos! I think you’ll really like it here; it’s a great place to make friends”

Suuure… Cosmos thought, but said nothing.

“Well, looks like these cupcakes are finished! Want one?” Spike held out a yellow-frosted cupcake to his new acquaintance. It was absolutely delicious, which Spike could see from the approving look on Cosmos’ face.

“Glad you like it!”

Suddenly, the door to Quantum’s basement lab creaked open. Out stepped a lavender purple unicorn with a dark violet mane and bright pink highlights. She noticed the new face in the kitchen with Spike, and smiled as well. “Hello, Cosmos! My name is Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me Twilight. Your father’s told me all about you!”

Cosmos faintly smiled back. “Nice to meet you!”

Spike noticed that the basement door was slightly ajar. “Say, what are you guys cookin’ up down there?”

Noticing the open door, Twilight quickly pushed it shut in a (failed) attempt at being subtle. “Oh, nothing really. Just some little science experiment for the princess. Now, I’ve got to run back to my own lab and run some tests for the professor."

Before turning to leave, she addressed her assistant: “Spike, why don’t you and Cosmos go find Dr. Quark's book on thermodynamic mechanics? When you do, just leave it by the basement door for him and ring the bell. I’ll see you both later!”

The colt and the dragon headed up to Quantum’s and Cosmos’s mini-library, and found the book in no time flat. Spike ran downstairs to leave the book for the professor, but when he returned, he found the unicorn colt immersed in a rather large, encyclopedic book. “Hey, what’s that about?”

“It’s ‘Equestria’s Unusual Occurrences and Entities’” Cosmos showed him the cover. “It’s got everything from cockatrices to the Slendermane. Y’see, I’m a bit of a paranormal activity fanatic…”

“Cool!” Spike’s reply was earnest and enthusiastic. “Have you ever heard of the Dusk Lurker?

“The who?” Cosmos answered quizzically.

“The Dusk Lurker. He’s a mysterious pony… thing, who’s rumored to know everything there is to know about everything and everypony. But he doesn’t come out until after dark, I guess.”

“Everything!?” Cosmos was stunned. Maybe… just maybe this Dusk Lurker can tell me where… where Mom went off to… His nickname doesn’t sound so inviting, though…

“Yeah, at least that’s what they say. I know where his house is said to be; I can show you if you’d like to see it,” Spike offered.

“Would I? Yes, please!” The colt seemed almost too enthusiastic about the prospect of seeing the local legend.

“Well, allrighty then! Remind me to do that sometime soon…” There were a few moments of awkward silence, in which Spike sat down beside Cosmos to get a better view of the book. “The Skull Colt and the Legend of Marejora’s Mane? That almost sounds like an awesome comic book title!”

Cosmos grinned, relieved that his first new friend shared his interest in the paranormal. “Yeah, it sure does! We should write/draw it sometime!”

“You know, we should!”

As the two continued their bonding session, neither of them realized the stoic, shadowy presence outside. Only after the sun had set did it creep in through the downstairs living-room window, survey the room, and silently go about its work under the cover of darkness.

Chapter 3: Surprises

Earlier That Evening

The grounds were silent that evening.

Dead silent.

As in, so quiet that you could almost hear a conversation coming from all the way down the mountainside in Ponyville.

These were the kinds of nights he used to love. Gallivanting across the countryside, doing as he pleased. And not caring who he splattered with flying pies, stampeded with deer-bunnies, or flattened with ballerina bison in the process.

Right now, he’d give his own deer antler to be able to shatter that silence in a cacophony of pointless noise.

There was only one, slight problem. A problem that made him grimace in disgust. He couldn’t physically scowl, however.

Because he was encased in statue form.

For the SECOND time that millennium.

For somepony who’s all about friendship and all that dreck, Celestia sure is quick to have her little crony ponies turn others into stone, the angry spirit snarled from within his confines.

What a filthy hypocrite. Did I lay a paw on her? Even a single talon? NO! Sure, things did get… out of hand that first time, but last time was different! No harm done!

Well, I suppose I did turn her beloved Elements into hopeless, sour, no-good, lying, hoarding, and deserting shells of their former selves… But it was all in good humor, and I didn’t mean for anything to go seriously wrong! Nopony got hurt (at least, not that badly, I think...)

Oh, what’s the use? Face it, Discord old friend, you’re stuck in here for good this time. Ever since that wonderful scuffle between those three blessed little fillies, they’ve closed off my section of the gardens to outsiders. Even that delightful break-in visit from my dear Screwball wasn’t enough chaotic force to break me out of this confounded stone casket! It’s hopeless!

The least they could do is let me have a visitor every once in a while… All the other statues like to do is play charades. And they always pick the same stupid poses! Talk about predictable!

And oh, it does get ever so lonely here… Come now, Celestia; just because I’m the Spirit of Chaos doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings, too…

A single, glassy tear rolled down the statue’s awestruck, frozen face.

Get ahold of yourself, Discord! You’ve got the rest of time to get out of here! It’ll happen…

Someday…

Wow, do I always talk to myself like this? I really ought to see a shrink—!

The semi-psychotic spirit’s train of thought was brought to a halt when a dark bird flew into the garden clearing and landed in a dead willow, directly across from Discord’s stone self.

“GRAAAWK!”

Aaah, finally! Some cacophonous noise to disrupt all the silence! I was beginning to think— wait, what’s that you say? My rescuers are coming? They’ll be here in two days?!

Despite his imprisonment, Discord managed to make the statue give a little hop into the air.

Callooh! Callay! What a glorious day this is indeed! Now go, my fine feathered friend, and spread my tidings of joy for all Equestria to hear!

The statue’s gaping mouth turned up ever so slightly, into a sinister smirk, and its eyes flashed with embers of hellfire.

And when the time is right, we’ll finally enact our vengeance on those horrible Elements of Harmony. All the stops are out now, and the organ will be playing their funeral dirge before they even know what hit ‘em!

Meanwhile

“For the LAST TIME, Rarity! We’re not going to touch anything this time!”

“That’s precisely what you said before, Sweetie! Remember? When you spilled grape juice all over Hoity-Toity’s special order?”

“But this time’s different, sis! No grape juice involved!” Sweetie Belle protested.

“Or chewed bubblegum,” chimed in Scootaloo.

“Or that bouncy-ball slingshot…” added Apple Bloom sheepishly, remembering how their last visit to Carousel Boutique had ended.

“I’m dreadfully sorry, girls, but I’m ever so busy with a special project right now. I simply don’t have time to do any foal-sitti—“ Rarity froze mid-sentence, as an idea crossed her mind.

“Say, Crusaders? Would it be too much trouble to ask a small favor of you three?”

“What kind of favor?” This had Sweetie curious. Usually Rarity didn’t want her to touch a single thing in the boutique, for fear of her klutzily ruining it.

“Oh, it’s ever so important that this be kept an absolute secret. Think of it as… a secret mission!” Rarity’s ruse was quite convincing to the fillies. They beamed at one another and shouted in unison:

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SECRET AGENTS! YAY!!!”

“Now now, girls! It won’t be secret if you shout it out to the whole neighborhood, now will it?”

Scootaloo grinned up at the unicorn mare, hopping in anticipation. “Is it an incredibly super amazingly awesome sort of mission?”

“It certainly will be amazingly awesome, but you must have it completed within an hour! Now, I’ll show you three where you’ll be working on this… this… project.”

“Mission.” Corrected Apple Bloom.

“Oh, yes, how silly of me. That’s what I meant to say…”

Meanwhile, in Cosmos’s Bedroom

“…And nopony in the valley survived as the monster buried their castle, and the entirety of the kingdom!”

Spike and Cosmos glanced at each other in horrified awe of the story before them. The creature (if you could even call it that) described in Cosmos’s book was truly mind-blowing. They simply could not understand how anypony (or more appropriately: anything) could have the gall to sing upbeat doo-wop while threatening an entire civilization and the majority of its citizens.

“Wow…” Spike breathed. “That thing sounds awful. And to think; this all happened right here in Equestria. And not even a hundred years ago!”

“I know, it’s really crazy…”

Another uncomfortable silence ensued, as the two tried to rid themselves of the dreadful mental images of screaming ponies and the singing monster.

Spike was the first to break the silence, once again, as he flipped to a random page in the book. “Hey, I’ve heard of this one! A draconequus!”

“Yeah, I was just reading about them the other day. It says here that they’re some sort of chimerical monster, composed of various random animal parts.”

“Y’know, I’ve actually met a draconequus once.” Cosmos stared at the baby dragon in disbelief at this comment.

“You have?!”

“Yep. His name was Discord,” Spike shuddered at the mention of his friends’ spirit nemesis. “A real nasty character, if you ask me. But even he was no match for Twilight and the Elements of Harmony! They locked him right back up in statue form in no time flat.”

Cosmos, shaken by the mention of the Chaos Spirit, stared blankly down at the book.

Discord… I know I’ve heard that name somewhere before… A long, long time ago… But where?

And yet another awkward lapse in conversation.

Not sure of how to proceed, Spike gazed around the colt’s new room, his eyes finally falling on a somewhat new poster on the wall by Cosmos’s bed.

“Hey, I didn’t know you were a Bon Pon3 fan! So am I!” He further inspected the poster and was nearly blown off his feet. “And it’s signed!? Did you actually get to see their Equestria tour?”

“Yep…” All of a sudden, the young colt was sullen. “That was the last time my dad… Actually seemed to care about me.”

Spike looked shocked. “W-what do you mean…?”

“The concert was three years ago… And only a year after mom had…” Cosmos choked a bit. “…gone away. There was that blessed period of time when I thought he actually loved me… At least a little bit…”

“But then everything changed. It was then that he became completely obsessed with his travels and work. And now, it’s almost like he doesn’t even think I exist…” Cosmos could hardly prevent himself from weeping in front of his newfound friend.

Concerned, Spike gave the colt a sympathetic hug. “Well, if you ever feel too lonely, don’t hesitate to head over to the library. I could use some company, what with Twi putting me to work all day long.” He smiled reassuringly. Still sniffling a bit, Cosmos returned the smile.

Their sentimental bonding moment was suddenly interrupted by a loud crash from downstairs, followed by the clambering of hooves.

“Okay, that time I DEFINITELY heard something coming from down there!” Spike got up and made for the door to find the cause of the commotion. He was about to open the door when Cosmos heard his father hollering up from downstairs.

“Cosmos, I think I heard something from the living room! Go check and see what it was!”

The unicorn shot Spike a reluctant glance.

“If my dad didn’t make that sound… then who… or what… did?”

“Beats me.” Spike shrugged, his face nonchalant with a hint of worry.

Cosmos’s blood was pumping remarkably faster now, as he slowly crept down the staircase as noiselessly as possible. Spike tagged along, closely behind.

The main floor was utterly dark except for a faint, dusky gray light seeping in from outside, and the moon’s eerie glow. Shadows seemed to be twice their height in the darkness, and Cosmos couldn’t help but get the feeling he was being watched.

Suddenly, the colt felt a presence whisk past his tail.

He yelped and bolted for a moonlit patch of floor, quick as a wink. As he tried to stabilize his heart rate, he his eyes darted around the ink-darkness surrounding him. And as he looked, something else suddenly dawned on him.

Where’s Spike?!

“Spike…?” He managed to squeak, cautiously setting one foot into the darkness

At that moment, a floorboard out in the darkness creaked, and the sound of hoof-steps echoed the room for a moment, before receding into the silence. Cosmos’s eyes bugged out in horror, and his heart rate went haywire.

“Hello…? Is anypony there?” He asked, his voice trembling from sheer panic. Nopony answered. Taking a deep breath, Cosmos began to edge his way across the room in search of the light switch.

But somepony beat him to it. The lights flicked on, and Cosmos nearly fainted for the second time that day at the sight in front of him.

***

“SURPRISE!!!”

Every single mare, stallion, filly, and colt in all of Ponyville leaped out from every nook and cranny of the house, armed with party-blowers and noisemakers. The party inside was complete with a welcome banner, live music played by local DJ Vinyl Scratch, and a great refreshment table (including Spike’s delectable cupcakes). Cosmos’s face quickly turned from one of terror to one of bafflement.

How did that many ponies manage to get into my house…? This is practically the entire town here! And how’d they manage to set all this up so… quickly? And quietly?

Before he could mull over his question any longer, Pinkie Pie bounced up to him and immediately began jabbering at him, a mile a minute:

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! You must be Cosmos Quark! And this is your ‘Welcome to Town’ party! I saw you looking really down in Ponyville earlier today, and when I noticed you weren’t from here, I thought maybe you were sad because you hadn’t met anypony yet and had no friends… And that made me sad too. So my friends and I decided to pitch in to make a surprise welcome party for you and your dad, since you’re brand new here and don’t know many ponies yet! And boy oh boy, what a surprise it was!” She giggled, noticing the colt’s stunned expression, and reached out to close his gaping jaw for him.

“Ooh, ooh, ooh! Come with me! You’ve got lots of new friends to meet here! I’ll show you mine!”

The hyperactive pink mare hopped over to a group of five other ponies, one of whom he already recognized from earlier that day as Twilight Sparkle. The first pony to approach him was an amber-colored earth pony, with a brown cowpony hat atop her flaxen mane.

“Howdy, Cosmos! Ah’m Applejack, head proprietor of the best apple orchard this side of Dragon Mountain. It’s a pleasure to meet you, partner!”

“No, no, the pleasure’s all mi—” Cosmos was about to finish his polite reply when the next of Pinkie’s friends, a sky blue pegasus with a rainbow-streaked mane, introduced herself.

“What’s up, kid? The name’s Dash. Rainbow Dash. I’m the fastest thing in Equestria, and don’t you forget it!” For emphasis, she promptly did a loop-de-loop and nailed the landing in less than a second. Cosmos’s jaw dropped again, and Dash smirked at this.
“So, Cosmos, what brings you to our neck of the woods anyway?”

“Well, my dad asked Equus University—“ Before he could explain, the next of the friends walked up; a ravishing snow-white unicorn mare with a deep violet mane.

“Welcome to Ponyville, darling! My name is Rarity, and I own the Carousel Boutique on the south side of town! It’s lovely to see a new face around town! I’m sure my younger sister agrees; she’s about your age, and would love to have a new playmate. Now where in Equestria did she run off to?”

As Rarity wandered off in search of Sweetie Belle, the fourth member of Pinkie’s friend group cautiously stepped forward. She was a soft yellow, with a long, carnation pink mane that partially hid her face.

“Umm… hello there…” she murmured softly, in barely more than a whisper. “M-my name is Fluttershy…” Shifting from one hoof to another, she steeled herself to make eye contact with the colt. He was taken aback by her timid, yet warmhearted turquoise eyes as she continued to mumble. “It’s v-very nice to meet you, C-cosmos…”

“And you’ve already met me!” Twilight piped up. “Now, if everyone will excuse me for a minute, I’m going to go see if the professor is ready to take a break yet… After all, this party is for him as well.” She trotted off to the basement door and slowly crept inside.

Smiling earnestly, Cosmos turned to and addressed the five others (including Pinkie): “Thank you everyone, for this warm welcome to your town. I really do appreciate it.”

The purple-&-black unicorn colt continued to talk with the other five about his life in Manehattan (or as he called it, the “Big Apple,” which peaked Applejack’s interest), when suddenly he felt himself being dragged away by the tail.

“I’ll talk to everyone later!” he called back to them as he turned to identify his “kidnapper.” It was none other than Spike, who looked back at him with a playful grin.

“My friends need to talk with you.” He said, grinning the whole time.

Oh, no! Cosmos thought. He must be dragging me over to talk to those other pirate colts! I’m so doomed!

But the ponies waiting for him weren’t the pirate colts at all. Before him stood three little fillies, two of whom were the caped “adventurers” he’d seen before school. The third was the “sea-pony” he’d stood up for at recess.

“I’m Apple Bloom, and this is Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle,” began the yellow filly. “and As the Cutie Mark Crusaders, we’d like to thank you for your heroic defense of our member Sweetie Belle.”

“It was totally wicked cool how you showed those other mean colts who was boss and spoiled their fun!” Scootaloo gave Cosmos a friendly hoof-bump on the shoulder.

“Yeah… thank you…” Sweetie Belle barely managed to squeak out, more quietly even than Fluttershy.

Just as Cosmos was about to respond, Apple Bloom gestured up to the banner hanging above them.

“This here banner is a little token of our gratitude for what you did for the organization, and we were wondering if you’d like us to make you an honorary Crusader!”

“Gee, I… I don’t even know what to say… this is too amazing… y-yes! Yes please! I would love to be a member! A-and thank you for everything!” Tears were flowing in noticeable rivulets down Cosmos’s face.

“Yo, Cosmos! What’s the matter? It’s just our little club, it’s not that big of a deal…”

“It’s just… I’ve never been able to make any friends this quickly before! Sometimes even none at all…” Cosmos wiped his tears and beamed at the fillies. “Th-thank you again!”

“It’s no problem, really… We’re always glad to have you on board!”

Just then, a small shape pushed its way through the tight wall of conversing ponies and landed in a heap amongst the four other foals. It was Rumble, the lookout from the boys’ pirate game. Seeing their new friend back away from him fearfully, the original Crusaders stepped between Cosmos and the confused gray pegasus.

“Back away from him you no-gooder!” Spat Scootaloo.

“Yeah! What she said…” Apple Bloom stomped one hoof down resolutely.

“Wait, wait! I come in peace,” Rumble surrendered to the somewhat older fillies before him. “I just wanted to come over here to… to apologize… for both Pip’s and my behavior….

Cosmos warily approached him. “You sure you’ve got no sour feelings towards me for ruining that game?” He asked.

“Who, me? Oh, not at all! Sometimes I think the captain can get a little out of hand with his role playing… When I saw him picking on Sweetie, I wasn’t sure what to do in that situation, but you handled it like a pro and took care of everything!”

“He sure did!” Chimed in Apple Bloom.

“Definitely!” Agreed Scootaloo.

“Mhmmm…” breathed Sweetie, mostly to herself.

At that moment, Vinyl had stopped playing slow, “mingling” tunes and put on some lively dancing music, and everypony there started getting funky.

Everypony, that is, except for Cosmos.

Finding himself surrounded by grooving ponies, Cosmos stealthily slipped out of the dance mob and hid under the refreshment table, without anypony noticing his retreat.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders, Rumble, and Spike were completely absorbed by an upbeat rendition of Cannibal and the Hockhunters’ “Land of 10,000 Prances.” Spike was getting down with “the mashed potatoes,” while the foals rocked “the pony” with one another.

“Nice moves, Spike!” Apple Bloom called out as Spike broke into a bout of “the monkey.”

“Thanks, you’re not too bad yourselves! I’ve been working on ‘em ever since the big Canterlot wedding. They’re almost to par with my sick shuffling!”

The colt, dragon, and fillies laughed and sang along with the “na na na na na’s” as the song finished out. They danced through another whole song, the Canters’ “Do You Love Me? (Now That I Can Prance),” before noticing the absence of their new friend. After bumping through the crowd and searching the room, the young ones finally found Cosmos curled up under the table and dozing off.

“Hey, Cosmos! Why aren’t you out breakin’ it down with the rest of us?” Spike asked.

“I… I dunno… I guess I’m just not a very great dancer…” Cosmos looked down sheepishly.

“Neither are we, or anyone else here. Everypony looks pretty silly, but it’s all really fun when we do it together!” Apple Bloom grinned at him.

“I’m sorry… I really don’t think it’s that great an idea…!” Cosmos was cut off when he noticed the disappointment on his friends’ faces, especially Sweetie’s.

Suddenly bombarded by her shimmering, emerald puppy-dog eyes, Cosmos couldn’t bring himself to say no to them.

“I… suppose I could try for a little bit… but no laughing at me, okay?”

Cosmos was barely able to finish his sentence as the group yanked him out from under the table and practically threw him onto the dance floor.

But just as the colt was about to join in the partying, the music suddenly changed mood. The dance pace slowed, and a sentimental love song began to fill the room.

“Uh-oh…”

Cosmos, among other things, was always painfully hopeless when it came to love and romantic situations. He desperately looked around for an out.

Not a slow dance! Gotta hide, gotta hide, gotta—huh? This song… it’s… so familiar!

Then he remembered.

It was the song his mother and father always used to play, when he was but an infant!

Cosmos’s eyes glistened. Inhaling deeply, he let the music carry him away from the cottage by Whitetail Wood, back to the lakeshore and his last memories of his mother…

“It’s so beautiful, mommy!”

“Yes, it is, Cosmo. Look at how the stars twinkle off the water, like little fairy lights.”

“Someday, I’m gonna go up and visit those stars with you and dad!”

“That would be amazing, my dear… I’m sure we can, someday”

“You promise?” The foal beamed up at his mother, with shining eyes.

“I promise”…

… Cosmos closed his eyes, brimming with nostalgic tears. Unbeknownst to him, his horn began to shimmer with verdant aura. The music’s lovely intro gave way to the touching verse, as the room melted into a wide lake that sparkled with moonlight and stars.

♪You and I must make a pact
We must bring salvation back
Where there is love,
I’ll be there… ♫

The partygoers all noticed the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere:

“Wow, Pinkie sure is getting good at this party-throwing business! This lake-surface dance floor hologram is a really nice touch!”

But for Sweetie, Spike, and Rumble, it was déjà vu of the pirate adventure and knight rescue from earlier that day. Sweetie, in particular, had a strong hunch that the new colt was behind the change in scenery.

Where’d he run off to this time? I reeeally wanted to dance with him…

That does it! I’m gonna go find him, and I’m going to dance with him if it’s the last thing I d—!!!”

Rounding a group of dancing ponies, she saw him.

The moon’s placid glow reflected off his glossy coat, and seemed to dance through his curled ebony mane. He wore a look of exquisite sentimentality, gentle tears swirling on the breeze like crystal raindrops as his face turned skyward in some sort of silent prayer.

♪I’ll reach out my hoof to you,
I’ll have faith in all you do,
Just call my name and
I’ll be there… ♫

To Sweetie, everything seemed to grind to a halt all across the lake, and she felt as though she were on the highest point of Mt. Canterlot itself. Everypony else seemed to be frozen in space and time.

It was just her and Cosmos.

No one else was there.

No one else mattered right now.

The young unicorn felt her face heat up once again, and her heart started to race as she came to her realization.

He was directly in front of her. His eyes opened in a flurry of tears, and Sweetie fully lost herself in them. They were of the purest green, and gazed back at her with a look that sent her heart rocketing.

With an incredibly anxious gulp, Sweetie began: “Hi, Cosmo… I was just wondering if… if I could have this dance…?”

“You… want to dance with me…?”

“Yeah, I mean if it’s not… too much trouble…” Sweetie looked away, blushing uncontrollably.

Cosmos’s gaze seemed to caress her very soul. “Sweetie…”

The filly’s heart skipped a beat. “Cosmos…?”

“Sweetie Belle…” the look in his eyes was simply entrancing.

That’s it. I don’t care what my mind tells me.

This is love at first sight, no doubts about it!

♪…Just call my name and
I’ll be there ♫

The two unicorns drew nearer to one another, the lake surface twinkling and rippling beneath their hooves. Their heads were just inches away, and Cosmos brought his neck so close to Sweetie’s that their coats brushed together.

Just as Vinyl began blasting the PON-3 Rock Anthem.

As the techno pop resounded over the whooping, grooving crowd, the moonlit lake faded out of existence as Cosmos’s horn stopped shimmering. Snapped back into reality by the sudden change of mood, Cosmos immediately noticed his proximity to Sweetie and leaped backwards, eyes wide in shock.

“I’m sorry, Sweetie…” He apologized shakily. “I honestly don’t know what came over me…”

“It’s all right…” Sweetie tried her best to sound normal and cheerful.

Ponyfeathers! I was that close!...

After the Party, at Sweet Apple Acres

“Thank you for letting us stay the night here, Miss Applejack!”

“Yeah, thanks AJ! That was real thoughtful of you!”

“Aw, shucks. It’s no trouble at all, really. When ah heard the professor and Twilight were going to be runnin’ errands tomorrow in Fillydelphia, I wasn’t about to let you and Spike get along all by yourselves. It’d be awful lonely for you two.”

“And thanks for letting us come along, too!” Scootaloo gave a hop of excitement. Beside her was Sweetie Belle. Both of them had decided to join in on the sleepover fun.

“The more the merrier, as ah always say! Y’all have fun now, and try and hit the hay sometime soon, all right?”

“We promise!” The young ones raced upstairs to Apple Bloom’s room and set up their makeshift beds.

They played several of Jenga Xtreme and Trivial Pursuit, and finished up a 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of the Canterlot royal gardens. Finally, after about an hour of friendly chatting, the group decided to call it a night.

For several minutes after his friends had fallen asleep, Cosmos lay awake and stared at the ceiling of the bedroom before finally slipping into a fitful slumber.

***

The young unicorn opened his eyes, blinking back the sleep dust as he came to recognize his surroundings. He was back in his house, somehow, on the living room couch, and there was a small, unfinished jigsaw puzzle on the living room table.

Cosmos had always been partial to jigsaw puzzles, so naturally he dove right in and got to work assembling it. As he finished the border, he began to feel an unpleasant chill waft over the room. Filling in more pieces in the center, he began to come to a grim realization:

He was assembling an image of his own living room.

Feeling his breathing grow faster, Cosmos tried to resist the urge to complete the puzzle. But the impulse was too strong for him, and the image he pieced together next simply added to his growing unease.

It was a picture of him, doing a jigsaw puzzle.

His fear growing by the second, the colt kept working away mechanically, filling in all but four pieces of the bizarre puzzle. The pieces of his living room window.

Squinting his eyes shut, he pushed the first two pieces into place, finding them to be completely dark. Relieved, he fitted in the last two. And nearly fainted in terror.

Staring up at him were two insane, blood-red eyes.

Like nothing he’d ever seen before.

He didn’t dare turn his head, but impulse got the better of him once again. Wincing, he turned. And the windowpane shattered.

“AAAAAAH!”

Cosmos sat bolt upright in bed, and looked around wildly. His scream had awoken and thoroughly spooked everypony else, and they all looked at him in fear and worry.

“What happened, Cosmos?” Scootaloo asked, genuinely concerned.

“A bad dream?” Spike postulated.

“Yeah, I suppose it was… just a bad dream…” Cosmos sighed in relief.

“AIEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”

Everyone in the room whipped around to look at Sweetie, who was staring in absolute terror at the bedroom window.

A pitch dark figure was staring back at them.

Its wild mane cut was silhouetted ominously against the moon. Blinking its shining white eyes twice, it vanished into the night without a sound.

Chapter 4: Nightshade's Prophecy

“What in the name of Equestria WAS that… that thing?!”

The foals and Spike stared out the window, five pairs of eyes trained on the spot where the mysterious figure had been moments ago.

“Beats the hay out of me,” Scootaloo shrugged. “But whatever it was, it sure wasn’t a pony! Did you see that mane cut?!”
Sweetie nodded, her face stunned. “And those eyes?! They were so small! And… bright!”

Apple Bloom was still shaking a little from the shock of the encounter. “Should ah go get my sister? And have her report this to the Ponyville police? For all we know, it could be some sort of crazed killer!”

“NO!” Cosmos interjected. Everypony else stared at him incredulously.

“Are you out of your mind?!” Scootaloo’s disdain was cold and obvious, and the timid colt shrank away from her.

“Hey Scoot, take it easy on the poor guy,” Spike stepped in between the two, turning to Cosmos. “She does have a point though, my friend. That thing could be really dangerous!”

“I know,” Cosmos scuffed at the ground with a forehoof. “But I just… I have this feeling, that maybe…”

“Oh, come on! Out with it already, Cosmo!” Sweetie Belle implored.

“I think, maybe that creature was in the window… “

“Yes”? Four sets of eyes trained themselves on him expectantly.

“Because it was trying to talk to me.”

***

“Remind me again why we’re doing this?” Scootaloo frowned, as the posse left Sweet Apple Acres and made its way down the tree-lined path into town.

“Cosmos said that the thing in the window was trying to communicate with him or something like that. And as his new friends, it’s only fair of us to be there for him!” Spike replied.

“Even if he is a few apples short of a bushel,” Apple Bloom mused, giggling a bit.

“Wait a minute.” The orange pegasus stopped in her tracks. “If we didn’t see where that creature made off to, how do we know where it is right now?”

“Following a hunch, I guess?” Cosmos grinned sheepishly, eliciting an exasperated groan from Scootaloo.

But just then, an idea wormed its way into the young colt’s head. “Hey, Spike? Where did you say that… Dusk Lurker fellow lived again?”

Spike blinked in confusion. “The old house behind the school, I think…? Hold up, Cosmo.” He had caught on. “You don’t mean to tell me you think our mystery guy is actually the Dusk Lurker… do you?”

“I honestly don’t know. But I think it’s worth a shot to go try there.”

In a few minutes, the group had made their way to the Ponyville schoolhouse on the west side of town. They passed the eerily-silent building and playground, and could see the dilapidated abode across the schoolhouse field, surrounded by a grove of trees and a rotted-out wooden fence.

“Well, that’s the place,” Spike observed, pointing it out. “Before you do anything though, Cosmos, I think you should hear the other part of the Dusk Lurker legend…”

“…Other part?”

“Yeah.” The baby dragon looked grim. “They say that the Dusk Lurker collects eyeballs, because he has none of his own. So if anypony unwittingly approaches him, well… Long story short, they can kiss their eyes goodbye!”

Cosmos eyed him suspiciously. “You’re bluffing. I know you are…”

But Spike maintained seriousness. “No way! It’s totally true, C’mon Sweetie, back me up on this one!”

The white-coated filly nodded, verifying Spike’s point. “That’s how the story goes, anyway. Rarity used to tell me about it to get me to stay indoors at night.”

“Well, all I know is that you four are a bunch of chickens who can’t even pony up enough to disprove a little urban legend. I’m goin’ in!” Scootaloo was already on the wildly overgrown property, and headed for the house.

“Wait up, Scootaloo!” Cosmos took off to catch up to her, with Spike in tow. Apple Bloom and Sweetie exchanged a confident nod before following after their friends.

The abandoned-looking yard was choked with weeds and trees, and the house’s siding and roof were so tangled with ivy vines, it looked like part of greenery itself. The intrepid band rounded the abode through the jungle of a property and rapped on the huge, oaken front door.

Which opened on its own with a rusty, grinding *creeeeak!*

Always alert, the five young’uns stepped into the foyer and front hall. They were finding no sign of any current inhabitants, until—

“Ah, I’ve been expecting your arrival…”

A wispy, aged-sounding voice came from behind them. Wheeling around, they gawked up at the voice’s source.

They had never seen anything like him before. He had the lower body and trimmed hocks of an equine, all of a deep navy blue color.

But his upper body.

That was the bizarre part.

He seemed to have a second torso, of a paler blue. Two extra forelegs were growing from it, and the forehooves had the strangest adjustable mini-limbs on them. And his face and eyes. That matted hairdo! He was like nopony they’d ever seen before.

“You must be…” began Scootaloo.

“… the Dusk Lurker?” Cosmos finished for her.

“Ahhh! Stay Away! I like my eyes just where they are!!” shrieked Sweetie Belle, huddled behind her friends.

The being’s stern expression softened. “Do not worry yourselves, young ones. I mean you no harm.” His face grew solemn as he addressed the group. “So that is what I’ve come to be known as… their only memory of me is that of a monster, a vile creature of the night...”

Scootaloo looked utterly confused. “Wait… what? Then what are you, exactly?”

“My dear, I am a centaur, and the last of my kind. My name is Nightshade.” The towering creature stooped to one knee in a bow of sorts. “It is a pleasure making your acquaintance, children of the earth.”

“A what?” Apple Bloom asked.

“A centaur, child.” The being replied. “One part pony, one part human.”

“Human…??” The young ones looked at Nightshade as if he was out of his mind. “What in Equestria is a human?!”

“A race of the distant past, I’m afraid. I will tell you all that I know in due time. But first, allow me to get you children something to drink.”

The centaur ambled over to his kitchen, leaving the foals and baby dragon standing bewildered in the hallway. He returned with four clay goblets of herbal tea, one too few for the group.

Reluctantly, Cosmos got Nightshade’s attention. “Excuse me, Mr. Nightshade, sir? I’m sorry to trouble you, but we’ve got one cup too few for our group…”

The centaur looked puzzled. “Please forgive me, I only heard the presence of four voices.” It was then that Cosmos got a really good look at his eyes. They were constantly staring in the same direction, and were glassy and pale as the moon.

He's... he's blind!

Sweetie Belle seized the potentially romantic opportunity. “Oh, that’s quite all right Cosmo, you can share with me! I’m not sick, or anythi”—

But before she could finish, their host made his way to the kitchen again to fetch another drink.

Drat!...

When he returned, the centaur led the children up to the rooftop of his home, where the treetops concealed a large balcony. A break in the branches above gave way to a lovely view of the star-filled sky.

Spike picked up the conversation where their host had left off. “So, Mr. Nightshade what are those humans you mentioned earlier? And what do they have to do with ponykind?

“So, you’re the fifth of the young ones,” the centaur turned his unseeing head to the baby dragon. “And from what I can sense, you aren’t a pony, either.”

“Nope,” Spike replied. “I’m 100% dragon; the only one here in Ponyville!”

“It is ever so nice to meet a fellow minority species such as myself.” A warm smile lightened their host’s aged face. “And to answer your question, young one, the humans no longer exist here in Equestria. As I said, they are a race of the distant, distant past…”

“What happened to them…?” Sweetie asked, her attention piqued.

“The humans were a brilliant and resourceful species, who brought many a valiant contribution to this fair land. They served as protectors of the Greater Spirits of Equestria, in a time before it was even named so…”

The centaur continued: “but as time progressed, a group of the humans began to lust for power and control of the land. They attempted to easily overthrow the Spirits with their unrivaled ingenuity. And it was from this brash rebelliousness that the Spirit of Chaos was first born.”

“The Spirit of Chaos… You mean Discord!?” Spike’s eyes went wide, and Nightshade nodded.

“Discord fed off the human’s ill sentiments, and led them to defeat the Great Spirits and lay claim to this land. But the draconequus became madly power-hungry, fueled by the drive of the insatiable humans. And this madness transformed him into a monster. A wretched abomination known only as the Disaster.”

The posse stared at Nightshade, each with a look of shock and disbelief.

“W-what happened then?” Apple Bloom shakily inquired.

“The Disaster reigned supreme in Equestria for many a year. It was during this time that I came into existence, as the twin son of the Umbral King Andradon and the equine maiden Libra. My own twin brother became a slave to the Disaster’s reign of destruction. But alas, he proved to be the Chaos’s weakest link.” The centaur smirked grimly.

“The birth of the Royal Sisters produced the Rainbow of Light that quelled my brother’s dark forces and vanquished him. When the sisters came of age, the rainbow manifested its power into the Elements of Harmony you know today. With the Elements, the Princesses were unstoppable. They split the Spirit of Chaos from his almighty Disaster form, and imprisoned him in stone for a thousand years. And as for the Disaster…”

“What could Celestia and Luna do get rid of such a powerful enemy?” Scootaloo interrupted, not entirely convinced by Nightshade’s story.

“It does seem like such an enemy would be impossible to destroy completely. And it is true that the Princesses could not get rid of the Disaster entirely. So they did the next best thing…”

“Which was…?” Everypony looked at Nightshade, dying to hear the rest of the story.

“They constructed a portal, an arch between dimensions, which became known as the Everlasting Gateway. Within it, they sealed away the malevolent entity. And atop the hallowed Gateway, they placed the Keystone of Unity, the most magical of artifacts ever to exist in Equestrian history. So long as the Keystone remained in place, the Disaster would be eternally locked within his trans-dimensional prison.”

The foals and dragonling still looked confused. “But… if that’s what became of Discord and the Disaster… then whatever happened to the human race?”

Nightshade’s brow furrowed into a solemn frown. “Celestia and Luna knew of the humans’ corruption and usurpation of the Spirits’ rule. And for their wrongdoings, the Sisters had the humans banished to the Everlasting Gateway along with their abysmal creation. And my own species was exiled to the farthest reaches of Everfree, to pay for the crimes of my misled brother. Sadly, I am all that remains of the centaurs here in Equestria, but my time here is quickly drawing to an end.”

“Then what do we have to do with all this?” Cosmos asked warily.

“Before the Banishment of Humankind and the Exile of the Centaurs, and right after the Disaster had been sealed within the Everlasting Gateway, my mentor the Oracle summoned me to his chamber. He was dying, but he had something of great importance to tell me before he did. It was his Final Prophecy.”

Nightshade closed his glassy eyes, as if reliving some long-forgotten memory. And then, he spoke:

“The thousand years have come and passed
And Sands of time now shift.
With age-old evil nigh at last,
To vanquish Heaven’s gift.

The Sacred One must find the Key
Ordained to fell the Beast,
Lest doom should rage from Chaos’ sea
Until all life has ceased.

One ally bears the heart of gold
To never lead astray,
Another brings the fire, bold,
To always find the way.

The third provides a clever mind
To aid as they embark,
And lastly, one whose love burns kind
To raise Him from the Dark.

On evil’s cusp, where none have tread,
The One must face the Lord of Dread.”

Everything was absolutely silent for what seemed like hours, after Nightshade had finished. Cosmos was the first to speak up.

“But… what does that have to do with us?! I still don’t get how we have anything to do with that Prophecy of yours…”

The centaur’s visage became frightfully stern. “I waited for one thousand years, hiding for risk of exile, so that I could relay to you the Prophecy. The Prophecy that would dictate the fate of all Equestria.”

Everything was starting to piece together for the young colt. “So that means, Discord will return, and the Disaster”—

“Will reclaim its dominion along with him, yes. And with the Elements permanently separated from the Sisters’ control, there is nothing they can do to prevent the Disaster’s resurrection.”

“Wait a minute,” Spike interjected. “How come the Disaster didn’t break free last time Discord was released? The Princesses were separated from the Elements back then, too!”

“He couldn’t have broken free,” answered Nightshade. “because the Keystone was still in place. Now, with the Prophecy’s foretold events unfolding, the Keystone has gone missing. And this is why I came in search of you.”

Despite his blindness, the centaur stared right into Cosmos’s own eyes. Straight into his soul.

“It’s you, Cosmos Quark.”

“You are the Sacred One.”

Chapter 5: Impending Chaos

Absolute, awestruck silence fell over the room for a good five minutes. Then, Scootaloo spoke up.

“…Okay, there’s obviously been some sort of a misunderstanding here. I’ve only known this colt for a little less than a day, and I can tell you right now that he’s not even CLOSE to hero material. Sorry Cosmo, I’m just telling it like it is,” she added, after an offended “Hey!” from Cosmos. “Now, if you want real superstar hero material, look no further than Rainbow Dash! She’s so awes”—

The aging centaur cut her off. “I know a great deal about Rainbow Dash, young one…” His voice hid a hint of derision at the mention of the rainbow pegasus. “But I assure you, I did not wait out the last millennium in this very spot to find that I’d informed the wrong Sacred One. The Oracle and his Prophecies have never lied once.”

“Cosmos, you are indeed the One. And you have been destined by the almighty Spirits to challenge Discord’s strongest incarnation and reseal the Gateway.”

“…..WHAAAT?!?!”

I…b-b-but he’s a GOD! … and I’m just a lowly unicorn…” Cosmos stammered, adding under his breath “who no one seems to care about…”

Nightshade gazed resolutely down at the foal. “Do not doubt me, Cosmos Quark. The moment of the Chaos Spirit’s release is rapidly reaching fruition. You must do what you know in your heart to be right, for yours is a pure and incredible spirit. And do not let a single soul sway you to think otherwise. “

As the centaur finished his words of motivation, he noticed the satin sky beginning to warm with the rise of the new day’s sun.

“I must depart now, children, or the goddess’s Sun will take notice, and I will meet the same fate as my unfortunate species. Do not forget what I have told you, young ones, for it will all make perfect sense in due time…”

His image began to dissolve into thousands of light points. But then, Cosmos remembered his whole reason for consulting the centaur.

“Wait! Mr. Nightshade, I have to ask you! Do you know anything about what happened to a pony named Ellipse? I just need to know! Please!”

But he was too late.

The thousands of beacons began to dissipate, and vanished altogether on a morning breeze.

***

Luckily for the foals, their mostly-sleepless night had given way to a relaxed Saturday morning, and they trotted back to the schoolhouse playground in uncomfortable silence.

“That Nightshade fellow sure was strange,” Scootaloo began, desperately trying to break the quiescence.

“But nice!” Sweetie chimed in. “And that tea was incredible. Almost as good as the Celestia’s Seasonings brand Rarity buys.”

The three Crusaders and Spike got on the swing set and monkey bars, engrossed in a conversation about something or other (Freddie Marecury & “Princess’s” latest hit single, probably). But Cosmos sat alone at the top of the slide.

I just don’t understand… why me? Isn’t my life tough enough as it is? Now I have to worry about going off to fight some Chaos demon, or… something, and I haven’t even lived in this town for more than a couple days! Oh, if only Rainbow Dash really was the true Sacred One…

Unbeknownst to him, his horn began to radiate a deep black aura, fueled by his pessimism. None of his friends seemed to notice the dark glow.

But one friend did take notice of the young colt’s self-isolation, and decided to do something about it.

“Hey Cosmo,” Sweetie climbed the slide ladder and sat herself down beside her fellow unicorn.

Cosmos was taken aback by her suddenly reaching out to him. Of all his new friends, he found her to be the hardest to understand by far. Underneath her cheerful, slightly scatterbrained exterior, there was a deeper, stronger emotion apparent to the young colt. It wasn’t an outright bad emotion; he just couldn’t seem to determine what exactly it was.

“Oh, hi Sweetie Belle,” Cosmos mumbled a reply.

“So, um… what’s on your mind? You seem, I dunno… kind of gloomy right now…” the white-coated filly awkwardly put a hoof on his shoulder, beginning to blush as she did so.

“It’s just… Nightshade… And the whole Prophecy deal… I had no idea I was destined to do so much; I think there’s got to be some mistake somewhere. I can’t be the one to find the Keystone and save Equestria! It’s just not possible!!” He buried his face in a hoof, overwhelmed by emotion.

“That’s it, huh?” Sweetie inquired.

“Pretty much…” Cosmos sniffled a little, losing control.

Sweetie drew him in close for a big hug. “Well, even if his Prophecy was right… you wouldn’t have to worry.”

Cosmos quickly wiped away the dampness from around his eyes. “…Really? Why not…?”

His new friend smiled warmly and released him, hooves still on his shoulders. “Because you’ve got us,” she gestured down to Apple Bloom, Spike, and Scootaloo. “And we’ll be there for you through thick and thin! You’ve got to have faith in us, Cosmos. And I promise you,”

Her expression became serious, her eyes seeming to pierce his very soul.

“I swear to you right now, we will not let you down. Okay?” The heart-melting smile returned to her face. Feeling reassured, Cosmos smiled back. And unnoticed by both of them, the malevolent aura around his horn began to flicker, and disappeared entirely.

With Sweetie’s pep talk over, the two cruised down the spiraling slide together to rejoin their friends. And on the way down, Cosmos could’ve sworn he felt a quick peck on his cheek as the two foals jostled against each other in the corkscrewing descent.

Must’ve been an accident, he thought, bluntly dismissing the action and joining the others.

But just as the foals and dragon had begun to converse as a full group again, a streak of silvery fur and feathers plummeted from out of nowhere and landed shakily beside the group.

“Hey!” Rumble was gasping noticeably, recovering from his rookie landing. “Did you hear?!”

“Rumble, you’re gonna have to be more specific than that…” Spike rolled his eyes.

“Look here!” The gray colt threw a copy of the Cloudsdale Inquirer at Spike’s feet. Emblazoned across the front page was a gripping header:

“Cloudy With a Chance of Chocolate Rain; Spirit of Chaos Forecasted to Break Loose Again?!”

Intrigued, Spike began to read bits and pieces aloud. “Royal guard officers testify… bizarre occurrences around Mt. Canterlot… Discord not actually broken free yet… But signs point to his inevitable release!?!? Holy sweet Celestia!” the dragon dropped the paper as if it were aflame. “Do you even realize what this means?! Nightshade’s Prophecy was totally true!”

“Wait half a darn minute,” Apple Bloom interrupted. ”This is the Cloudsdale Inquirer we’re talking about. The same paper that tried to predict Nightmare Moon’s hostile victory over Celestia and the Elements? What I s’pose I’m trying to say here is, you can’t always believe in this thing 100%.”

“AB’s right, guys,” Scootaloo chimed in. “The Inquirer is notorious for spreading false gossip. This could just be another hoax meant to build up pointless hype…”

Cosmos still looked unsure. “But if this truly was the case, how do you explain the fact that this story fits so well with the legends and Nightshade’s Prophecy?”

“That may be so,” Scootaloo continued. “But we still shouldn’t believe everything it tells us.”

“She does have a point, Cosmos…” Rumble admitted sheepishly. “Sorry for hyping the whole thing up, everypony; I can be a little naïve sometimes.”

“It’s quite all right, Rumble,” Apple Bloom gave the paper back to the pegasus. “Let’s all just forget about this whole Chaos Prophecy hoopla and get back to the farm; I’ll bet Applejack’s worried sick, what with us gone all morning and everything…”

***

The rest of the day went by rather slowly, compared to the almost surreal encounter with the centaur prophet. After Apple Bloom was harshly rebuked by her sister for “runnin’ off without so much as a note,” her friends stuck around to help her with her punishment; picking up all the rotten apples from the west orchard.

Eventually, the grueling task turned into a game when Spike decided to peg Scootaloo with a particularly worm-riddled specimen. In the blink of an eye, the air was filled with mushy apples as the foals and dragon pelted one another with them. It was so much fun; they almost didn’t hear Applejack heading up the path toward them.

“It’s HER! Quick, we gotta clean this place!!”

The group scrambled into action. Just as Applejack rounded the bend to their little clearing, they had swept the last of the foul fruit into the stand of tall grass nearby.

“Well, I’ll be! This place is looking real nice, Apple Bloom! You and your friends here oughtta come on in and get a drink. You must be parched!”

She then remembered what it was she coming to tell them in the first place. “Oh, and Twilight just came by, Spike. She said she wanted to talk to you and Cosmos, but ah don’t know what about…

The dragonling and colt exchanged a confused glance, following Applejack back down the orchard path to the barn. There stood Twilight Sparkle, but something was slightly… off about her.

“It’s about time, Spike!” Twilight huffed. “By Celestia, can’t you waddle any faster?”

Spike looked slightly hurt. “Geez Twi, that was a little harsh, wasn’t it?”

Twilight gave him a condescending glare, her horn glowing menacingly. “Was that back-sass I just heard?”

Spike swallowed hard. “N-no, ma’am!”

“Good!” Twilight wheeled back around and began to lead the two back to town. Cosmos tilted his head as he followed behind. What in Equestria could’ve happened that made her so angry all of a sudden?

Just as he asked himself this, the young unicorn noticed a small patch of fur on Twilight’s withers was slightly discolored from the rest of her body.

Slightly… grayer.

It was barely noticeable, but definitely there; a splotch of some sort, right between her shoulders. He knew he wasn’t just seeing things.

“Would you hurry it up back there?!”

“Sorry, sorry!” Cosmos scampered to keep up with Spike and the peeved mare.

“Say, Twilight?” Asked Spike innocuously. “Why exactly do you need to tell us so urgently and all?”

The purple unicorn’s foul glare morphed into a grim smirk. “Oh, you’ll both find out in due time.” Her horn began to glow again, this time with a malevolent shade of crimson.

All in due time, you fools…

***

Cosmos slowly opened his weighted eyelids as he came to his senses.

Ooof, my head… what a day this has b—wait.

W-where am I?

All around him was sheer and utter darkness, filled with a rhythmic industrial noise. His dragon friend lay unmoving at his side, probably asleep. The colt could feel that he was in some sort of small room. But for some strange reason, it felt as if the room was…moving?!

Sure enough, the shrieking sound of metal on metal made him jump with a start, and an earsplitting whistle cut through the pulsing piston-sound

The sound of a steam engine.

Why in the name of Equestria am I on this train right now?! One minute I’m at Sweet Apple acres talking to Spike and Miss Twilight, and next thing I know, I’m—

The memories began to seep back into his consciousness. The memories of what had happened before his blackout.

“Spike had asked Twilight why she’d called us back to town so urgently… and she said we’d find out in due time…”

The car door swung open with a bang, and Cosmos started in alarm. As his eyes began to adjust to the darkness around him, he could see an equine silhouette in the doorway. As a faint light shone through a sliver of window curtain, the colt could see it glimmer off of a pair of familiar glasses. The silhouette’s horn crackled to life with a beacon, revealing the shadow’s true alias.

“F-f-father! What are we doing here?! Why did Twilight knock Spike and I unconscious?!

Above the glasses, his father’s brow furrowed into a solemn grimace. “That doesn’t matter now. We all have extremely important business to attend to, and time is running out. You must listen to me, for I won’t repeat myself more than once…”
“What are you two trying to hide from m—“

Cosmos was cut off abruptly, and he felt a throbbing pain as his father’s forehoof connected sharply with his lower jaw.

“You shut your rebellious mouth, and DO AS I SAY!!”

Hot tears began to stream down the unicorn colt’s face as he cowered before his father’s wrath. Looking up at his infuriated parent in disorientated confusion, Cosmos did notice that something was noticeably more off about him than usual.

And then he saw it.

Right at the base of Quantum’s neck.

Another discolored splotch, like the one on Twilight.

It looked like some sort of… slime…

Or ooze…

Mesmerized for a moment, Cosmos snapped himself back to reality. Despite his aching jaw, he still managed to stammer. “Y-yes sir. What is it you need, father?”

“The train we’re aboard is on a direct route to the capital. When we arrive at our destination at the Canterlot central depot, I need you to hurry as fast as you can to the south edge of the royal sculpture gardens; it should be due east of the depot, through a small stand of trees. You’ll have to scale the garden’s hedge without alerting the princesses’ guards. If they catch you, there’s nothing I can do or say to help you.”

Cosmos shuddered, imagining a cold and musty dungeon cell with him inside it, trapped for the rest of eternity.

“As soon as you enter, I will give you further instructions. But you must be sure to make haste in your mission, and constantly be on your guard so as not to let the guards notice you."

“But father,” Cosmos piped up, “will I be doing something… illegal, by breaking into the private royal gardens like that? Are you telling me to break the law?” Such was Cosmos’ fear at the prospect of being a criminal, he almost didn't feel his father’s hoof on his face as he was sharply cuffed again.

“What sort of rebellious fiend has gotten into you, boy?! If you question my instruction but one more time, so help me Luna, I will—“ he cut himself off, eyes ablaze with irrational fury, then began to simmer down. “Never you mind that. Just… Do as I say, be quick and vigilant, and there should be no trouble whatsoever.”

“But—“

“Do it for your mother, Cosmos!” Quantum’s words echoed through the colt’s mind, and his mind flashed back to the past, to a time when everything looked brighter, when even the smallest nuances of life had their own beauty, place, and splendor.

Back when his mother loved him.

Cosmos, no matter what happens,

I will love you.

Forever, and always.

Just as his eyes began to brim with tears, there was a shriek of metal and a hiss of steam as the train slowed to pull into the station. At long last, the car squealed to a halt, and the few passengers began to unload from the lefthand side.

Utterly bewildered and confused, Cosmos looked to his father, silently pleading for some guidance as to how to proceed.

Quantum urgently gestured toward one of the car’s righthand windows, whisper-shouting the word “Go!”

“But what about Spike?” Cosmos hissed back, gesturing to his snoozing friend.

“I’ll take care of him. Just go, NOW! Before it’s truly too late!” the unicorn stallion shoved his son toward the furthest window and magically threw it open. With one last glance back at the car, Spike, and his somber father, Cosmos leapt out the window and into the waning light of the Canterlot dusk.

***

Meanwhile, deep in the maze of the sculpture garden’s hedges, a much more sinister force was stirring within his stony confines, eyes aflame with hatred and anticipation.

I can feel your presence, your ingenious mind. It coaxes the very essence of my spirit from this wretched prison.

The dawn of my freedom is close at hand. Do what you were born to do, my child, my brilliant servant.

Release me.