Alicornae

by BirdBodhisattva

Rating: everyone
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Dark, Princess Luna, Original Character, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 11427

Alicorns. Their origins are fraught with mystery, yet their abilities and roles are undeniable. But as Equestria begins to face dangers it had never seen before, perhaps the time has come for the veil of this final mystery to be lifted.

Night. The period comprised between dusk and dawn. In olden days night was a synonym of danger, thanks both to the natural fear that ponies have of the dark, and the very real threats that used to lurk within it.

But with the passage of time, as it is with all things, such fears eventually faded away. Progress and understanding dissipated the imaginary horrors that lurked in the darkness. And as ponies mastered the use of light, first with the magic of the unicorns and then with the invention of electricity, the shadows themselves were defeated.

But although the fear itself may have faded away, the reason of why it existed in the first place is still very real…

Published 2018-03-17 22:00:06 UTC
Last updated 2018-03-30 18:55:29 UTC

Night Guard

It was a night that could describe all other nights.

A crescent moon, just a few nights shy of becoming full, was up in the skies, its splendor unmarred by the presence of clouds. Its silver glow shone down, painting everything in a curious light. Not with the oppressive glare that was provided during the day, but with another smoother variant that revealed hidden, more delicate, beauties.

While the moon brought light to things below, the heavens themselves were no different. Countless stars hung on an impossibly dark firmament, like a display of diamonds inside the cave of the richest dragon, but much, much grander.

The wind blew gently on a forest, the rustle of leaves adding to the serene atmosphere that permeated through everything.

But such tranquility was about to be broken.

Over a certain patch of trees the wind quickly became a gale, as five pegasi quickly flew over the forest on a tight formation. They appeared to fly with both speed and stealth in mind, as none of the five distanced themselves from the sea of treetops over which they darted, and no sound could be heard from them apart from the flap of their wings.

All five of them wore purple and dark-blue armor, metal plates offering protection all the way to their flanks, to the point that not a single cutie mark could be seen.

And that was as much intentional as was the protection of the armor itself. Although everypony’s individuality is something precious and to be cherished, it was something that had to be cast away while they wore that armor. Right now they were a single unit, a single squadron of ponies, brothers and sisters responsible for the protection and safety of each other, even if it meant to risk one’s own.

Proud members of the Night Guard.

Suddenly, the silence of the night was disturbed by an eerie sound. A long piercing howl echoed through the forest, and the skies above it, lasting almost a full ten seconds. It would have been impossible for a normal pony not to hear that sound.

In fact, it would have been impossible for a normal pony not to be frightened by that sound.

But as if on cue, the five pegasi quickly corrected their route, and headed straight to the origin of such a frightening howl.

"We are almost there! Keep it together!"

Shouting at the top of his lungs, the lead pegasus kept flying straight ahead. The other four ponies were right behind him, although any resemblance the formation they were once flying in was no more.

The other four wove random patterns around each other, sometimes flying in zigzags and sometimes swapping positions on the most unpredictable way possible. The only thing keeping them in a straight path being the lead pegasus, who was flying straight as an arrow.

And there was a reason for their erratic behavior. A very deadly reason.

The forest underneath them was now a haze of terrifying noises. The sound of wood being splintered, trees being shoved aside with unnatural strength, and the terrible clamor of jaws snapping followed the five pegasi. Though they couldn’t see them, their pursuers were right beneath them, underneath the sea of treetops.

Keeping pace with fully grown pegasi, even though the beasts ran through a dense forest.

In fact, they sometimes even outpaced the pegasi.

"WATCH OUT!"

With a yelp as much as with a warning, one of the armored pegasus launched herself towards her friend, the two of them nearly spiraling out of control and into the trees below them.

But her reaction, as dangerous as it had been, couldn’t have come any sooner.

A giant figure lunged out of the forest moments later, its grotesque form reaching the place where the two ponies had been moments before with frightening speed. The thing was huge, with a body as long as six ponies one in front of the other, and with a mouth large enough to swallow a grown stallion. Its entire canine body seemed to be made out of wood, with a frightening green light coming out of its eyes.

Timberwolves, the ghastly magical predators of the untamed forests of Equestria.

Its jaws snapped shut in the direction of the two pegasi, who were mere inches out of its reach, before gravity took hold of it once again and it landed on top of a tree.

The lead pegasus’ neck almost snapped as he looked back, quickly counting how many of his squad members were still following him. His wings tensed for a moment as they reflexively prepared to halt his momentum, and even dive into the forest to rescue anypony if needed be.

But with a short sigh of relief, he counted that all four of the pegasi were still following him.

His eyes rested for a moment on the timberwolf who had just tried to catch one of his team members. The beast was perched on top of the tree where it had landed, and seemed to regard him as well for a short moment.

If there was any trace of intellect on the beast’s eyes, he couldn’t see.

But what he could see was instinct. Hunger and aggressiveness being the greatest among them.

The creature let out a long and frightening howl, which no doubt carried itself across the whole forest and far beyond it, and dived back to the earth to continue its pursuit.

The howl was echoed by the other timberwolves who were still in pursuit, right underneath the pegasus.

The lead pegasus swallowed hard as he realized just how many of those things were right on their heels. But he couldn’t let fear get to him, not now.

"Keep flying and stay sharp! We’re almost there!", he shouted once again, trying to encourage his squad. Because although he knew their wings were burning as much as his, he also knew that they had to complete their mission.

On the edge of the forest, a large group of ponies was gathered. Every last one of them wore a purple and dark-blue armor, with bat-like and lunar motifs adorning its sides and their helmets.

A full company’s worth of Night Guard ponies was waiting in ambush on the edge of the forest. Earth ponies stood with shields and spears ready forming a large semi-circle, their weapons pointed inwards. Unicorns stood right behind them in support, their spells ready to fire the moment their prey was lured into the waiting trap.

A reserve group composed entirely of pegasi was waiting nearby, their role would be to support the earth pony line in case it broke anywhere, or to attack from above should the opportunity present itself.

Flying above the waiting ambush was a single pegasus. And if one didn’t immediately notice him thanks to his isolated position, relatively far away from the rest of the rest of the Night Guard, there was a host of other characteristics that would surely make him stand out.

For instance, the armor he wore seemed slightly more elaborate, the front of his helmet resembling a beak of sorts. He was also slightly larger than the other ponies, although he seemed more slender than a normal pegasus.

But the most telling of his characteristics would surely be his wings… they were unmistakably the wings of a bat.

Captain Nightgale regarded the ponies below him with a critical eye, nodding to himself after realizing he couldn’t find any fatal flaws. He took a moment to look at the formation itself, noticing how it did resemble the lunar phase of its chosen name, the “Waning Crescent”.

Now, if that moon was truly going to hold its form, and not collapse before the enemy, he would see…

The hairs on his ears began to prickle, driving him out of his thoughts. Despite his particular sub-race being composed entirely of fliers, since neither unicorns with their shining horns or earth ponies with their need to settle and farm could survive in the dark caves of his home, they did have their own advantages.

Hearing being one of them. The “extra fluff”, as other ponies called it, he had in his ears was in fact an array of delicate auditory sensors.

And moments later the other ponies caught up to what he had noticed.

A long howl echoed through the air, followed by another, then another, until what could only be described as a phantasmagorical choir could be heard coming from within the forest.

This seemed to put them all on edge, although they surely did their best not to show.

So they have a bit of steel on those marshmallow hooves, he though with a chuckle, good.

"Steady yourselves, mares and stallions. The Night Guard exists to face these terrors, let us not be found wanting.", he said to the ponies below him.

He didn’t even notice that once he said that, shields were raised a bit taller, and magical horns seemed to glow a bit brighter. His eyes were fully concentrated on the horizon.

And on the five figures he had been looking for this whole time.

"Shields up and hooves strong Night Guard, the bait is coming in with our prey!"

With a strong shout, captain Nightgale heard as the ambush underneath him prepared itself in its earnest.

Magical traps were set out in the middle of the formation, their need for constant consumption of magical energy from the spellcasters resulting in the choice of them being laid out in the last minute. Ballistae and heavy rock throwers were armed and readied. And the pegasus reserves took flight and formed up behind Nightgale.

The captain himself took out a magical cylinder from his armor and broke it, the magical device starting to emit a soft light.

He raised the device over his head and kept it still, signaling the five distant pegasi exactly where they had to head to.

And suddenly, the five distant pegasi weren’t so distant anymore.

"Night Guard, prepare for combat!", he ordered loudly, and felt the tension in the atmosphere around him rise.

"Ten seconds!", the rattling of shields and weapons completely stopped, everypony holding their equipment in a death grip.

"Five seconds!", Nightgale assumed that even the other ponies could hear it now, the dry barks of the timberwolves as they ran and the sound of their monstrous footsteps as they pursued the bait squad.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Nightgale saw the white in the eyes of the lead pegasus as moments later he passed right beside him, his wings spanning their full length to begin slowing down from what had been a flight for their lives.

But he had other concerns on his mind.

"HOLD!", he bellowed, as the monstrous creatures burst out of the woods on the next instant.

The forest seemed to have come to life, and with murderous intent, as the enormous wood-wrought monsters emerged out of the tree line at full speed, their feet leaving out small craters on the soil thanks to their massive weight.

The first four creatures probably never registered the circle of ponies before them, as they quickly stepped into the magical traps laid before them. The savage creatures turned into a shower of twigs as the magical explosions destroyed their bodies.

The following timberwolves seemed undeterred by the demise of their kin, and continued charging at full speed. Without any need of orders, they were attacked by everything the ponies had. Magical spells were launched, blasts of pure energy tearing off thick chunks of wood from the beasts, metal bolts were shot from the ballistae and heavy rocks fell from the skies.

Nightgale remembered being against the use of those machines, because of the risk of hitting their own troops. But now he had finally been convinced otherwise, after witnessing a well placed metal bolt hit a timberwolf’s head, completely neutralizing it.

Yet still the timberwolves kept coming.

They finally hit the shield wall, the line of earth ponies mustering all their strength to keep the much larger creatures away. Magical barriers cast by the unicorn they were defending quickly found their mark, and once the earth ponies realized they had held the timberwolves in check, they began striking back with their spears.

More timberwolves came out of the forest, and fanned out to meet the full Crescent formation.

And everywhere he looked, it seemed like the formation was holding.

"Alright, no need for us to stay back then!", reaching down with his mouth, Nightgale quickly grabbed a whistle he had tied to his neck and blew it.

One long blow, and as the ponies below him heard it they understood the signal. Offensive spells stopped being fired, and the ranged weapons reloaded, but didn’t shoot.

Shortly after he blew a short blow, and the pegasi dived into the fray.

Fighting a timberwolf head on was a bad idea. In fact, fighting any magical creature was a bad idea, but the Night Guard had to find a way around it. After all, they couldn’t allow monsters like these to pop up in a city and hope that the Royal Guard did anything, could they?

So they did what ponies did best, they worked together.

The pegasi flew straight down in groups of threes, each group aiming at a different timberwolf. They went for the largest (and most defenseless) part of the creatures, the top of their thoraxes, where the spine of a normal creature would be.

Diving down at full speed, the trio of ponies would turn around at the last possible second, and kick with the full strength of their momentum.

Sure, the thorax of a timberwolf was also the place where its wood-skin was thickest, to the point that a single pegasus wouldn’t be able to do much with that sort of attack.

But three armored pegasi? That was a whole different deal.

Allowing his wings to propel him downwards, Nightgale advanced with two other ponies towards one of the timberwolves, gravity aiding as he went. Moments before what would have been a painful collision he somersaulted forwards, and slammed down with his hooves.

The pleasing sound of a crack followed, his strike almost perfectly in synch with the other two pegasi, causing the creature’s legs to fail underneath it, falling squarely on the ground.

With his hooves still planted on the creature, he jumped upwards and prepared to repeat the process.

One, two, three times. Several timberwolves fell all around him. They had come in surprising numbers at first, more than any other pack he had ever seen, but their numbers had a limit.

And they had probably hit that limit, the timberwolves were retreating.

With no other cue than perhaps some animal instincts, the few remaining timberwolves turned tail and started running back into the forest. Their attack ending as abruptly as it had begun.

Nightgale stood on top of a felled timberwolf and surveyed the scene.

His mind worked furiously as he looked around him, searching for anypony who appeared to be wounded, limping, or anything like that. The moment after the battle, while adrenaline was still high and ponies still had their brave acts on, was the ideal moment to spot any such thing.

But all he saw around him were the tense faces of his subordinates. Most of them were still fierce from the life and death situation they were in moments ago, a scant few seemed shell-shocked (he mentally wrote down which ponies were like that), but all of them were… recovering.

He had seen it before, and he was looking at it right now. The face of the ponies around him slowly turned from attention into relief. And surely enough.

"We… we did it?"

"They ran away! We did it!"

"We drove them off! I can’t believe it!"

"Three hoorays for us! For the Night Guard!"

Captain Nightgale rolled his eyes to the side as the ponies around him erupted into near euphoria. “Surface ponies…” he thought with a bit of sarcasm. But he would allow it, victory tended to raise morale, and it usually skyrocketed when it came to combat greenhorns.

And sure enough, even he felt relieved over how successful that whole ordeal had been. After all, that company was comprised of nothing but greenhorns.

In fact, what satisfied him the most was the fact that he didn’t spot any “heroes” during that whole ordeal.

Or perhaps, he had spoken too soon…

"What are you doing cheering? We have to chase them! Come on Night Guard, with me!"

As if he had come straight out of a heroic fairy tale, a pegasus stood on top of one of the piles of timber that had accumulated during the ambush, quickly roused his fellow ponies, and flew into the forest.

Alone.

Most of the ponies didn’t even seem to have heard them, thanks to their own cheers. And the few ponies who did hear him, and did see him fly daringly into the forest, seemed to have frozen out of shock.

Good, at least every other pony noticed that it was absolutely stupid to charge into a dark forest in the middle of the night, no matter how great their victory had been.

"NIGHT GUARD, FORM RANKS AND STAY PUT!", shouting up towards the rest of his subordinates, making sure to use his specialized vocal cords (usually reserved for echolocation) to be properly heard, Nightgale flew towards the forest.

He felt his chest tighten a bit as he realized what he was doing himself.

After all, the only thing worse than a dead stupid hero was two dead stupid heroes.

But that pegasus was a Night Guard just like him, and by the Moon he wouldn’t allow that pegasus to become a dead stupid hero.

He would become a very punished private once they returned to Canterlot, an expert latrine cleaner perhaps, but that would come later.

Nightgale maneuvered through the forest, the fresh trail opened up by dozens of advancing timberwolves, and reinforced by the few who retreated, making his flight just a bit easier. He strained his ears to the limit to try and locate exactly where that rookie was.

“Come on… prove you’re a proud bat-pony…!”

Moments later he caught the sound he needed to hear. And that he honestly wish he hadn’t.

A loud “thud”, followed by a short yelp, and the unmistakable sound of a pegasus hitting the ground and painfully rolling on the dirt.

With the tapping noise of timberwolf claws slowly approaching their prey.

Nightgale forced his already tired wings into overdrive, the burning sensation on his wing muscles reminding him he had just been in combat. But he shoved the pain to a corner of his mind and kept going.

And thankfully, he arrived at his objective shortly after.

"Back off, beasts!"

He assessed the situation almost instantly. A trio of timberwolves was closing in on the pegasus. The large dent on the side of his armor suggested he had been hit by one of the creatures while at full speed, but the terrified expression he wore suggested he was still alive and conscious.

"I said BACK OFF!"

Closing in from the side of the timberwolves, he hit the closest one squarely on the head and kicked off towards the pegasus, landing next to him.

"C-captain?! I-… You, I was-!"

"Shut up private!", he commanded. The pegasus looked terrified enough to be incapable of speech, and he didn’t have time to sugarcoat his words. "Can you fly?!"

He kept his eyes straight on the timberwolves. The creatures had retreated slightly after he caught them by surprise, perhaps fearing more ponies were on the way, and Nightgale was trying to make it look like that was the case for as long as possible.

His heightened ears picked up the pegasus moving his head, and shortly after mutter something that was definitely a “no”.

Great, he thought, frantically analyzing his options.

If he were an earth pony, which he was glad not to be, then just perhaps he would have the necessary strength to neutralize a timberwolf with a single kick. Of course, that would require him to hit them precisely at their massive heads, which would also include the risk of him being swallowed whole by their enormous mouths.

He could try to grab the rookie and make a vertical run for it. But timberwolves were notorious for their unnatural speed while inside forests, and he knew just how high those things could jump when propelling themselves from a tree…

But maybe if he screamed at them…? His race’s echolocation was infused with natural magic, and he knew that some creatures could be disoriented by it, so maybe…?

His eyes shot wide open when he noticed the timberwolves crouching down slightly. They were preparing to pounce.

No time to think.

Infusing as much magic as he could in his vocal chords, however that worked since he didn’t know the first thing about magic casting, he released the sharpest scream he could and jumped backwards towards the rookie pegasus.

The ground shook under him, and the trio of timberwolves exploded into a shower of twigs and wood.

Nightgale looked at the spectacle in disbelief, his hooves around the young pegasus and his wings spread out ready to fly upwards.

Incredulity, and the sudden lack of danger, the only things stopping him from doing so.

"C-captain..? That was… That was amazing!", the pegasus, still clearly shocked, spoke out dumbfounded.

"That wasn’t me, private…", he answered, partly speaking to himself while he thought for a bit. "And in fact, I can only think of one explanation for this."

Nightgale looked straight into the darkness of the forest, and moments later he found what he was looking for.

The soft sound of a chuckle, followed by approaching hoofsteps, all but confirmed his suspicions.

"Princess Luna?!", the younger pegasus almost jumped up in surprise, forgetting about his hurt wing for a moment and quickly bowing down.

"My princess.", Nightgale followed suit, bowing low after releasing the pegasus.

They said that to look upon an alicorn was to look upon the image of perfection, the image of what all ponies should be.

Many scoffed at the idea, the princesses themselves being the most vocal about that. There had been a time when the princesses were revered as gods, due to obvious reasons, but that belief had faded with time (and no small amount of effort from the beings themselves).

And yet… Nightgale couldn’t help but to understand why those beliefs formed in the first place.

There was simply something about them that… he couldn’t describe. It wasn’t beauty. Of course, all of the princesses were beautiful, undoubtedly so. But they also had a certain… grace about them.

The way they spoke, the way they walked. Nightgale had already been in the presence of all the four (well, five counting the newborn of the Crystal Empire) princesses, and was well accustomed to the presence of Princess Luna herself thanks to his duties. But every time he was in her presence he felt that same thing.

Perhaps, he thought, it was something on the instinctual level. The same way the timberwolves, or any other creature, recognizes and obeyed the alpha of his pack, perhaps so it was with ponies.

After all, he thought, nowadays it was easy to chalk off that notion as “cultural”, since Celestia had been ruling Equestria for so long. But everypony simply thought the princesses were dependable, almost by instinct. They accepted their rule and flocked around them like children awaiting guidance.

And he didn’t disapprove of that. In fact, in his home town, Princess Luna herself was revered as a protective entity. And that had been the case until the day she returned from banishment, and actually became even more revered as a flesh and bones patron to his people.

Even personally speaking, the greatest pride of his life was to serve her.

But still, he couldn’t help but wonder… how natural it felt to follow her.

"Please, rise up. I’ve said it countless times before, my Night Guard needs never bow before me.", she said to the two pegasi.

"Yes, princess.", the Captain answered, being mimicked shortly after by the pegasus beside him.

It was also natural to follow her when one considered what they were capable of. Even if one were to disconsider the whole “day and night” thing… He knew from experience it took a barrage of spells from able unicorns to take down a single timberwolf, but he just saw Princess Luna obliterate three of them with so much as an afterthought.

"Now, can you walk?", Luna asked, gently addressing the wounded pegasus.

"Y-yes, ma’am! Princess, ma’am!", the pony answered, perhaps over excitedly.

Nightgale quickly glared at him to quell the humors of the pony, but his glare went completely unnoticed by the nearly prancing youngster.

"But apart from those details, I am proud to inform the whole operation was successful, my princess."

"I see. Thank you, Nightgale, as always. And I would like to discuss a few details later today, but for now let’s just return home."

"As you wish, princess.", he answered curtly.

Luna looked sideways at the captain, trying not to be too unsubtle about it. The bat pony was just a bit shorter than her, which meant he was slightly taller than the regular pony, with a dark grey coat and black mane. He was an exemplary military officer, his leadership rivaling that of the current head of her sister’s Royal Guard, and she could say without a doubt that she wouldn’t have raised the Night Guard nearly as quickly or effectively if it was not for his efforts.

Years ago, not long after her return from banishment, when she went to the badlands in search of the secluded bat ponies, she expected to find the distant relatives of the race she knew so well millennia ago. Distant relatives, but completely unrelated. In fact, she thought it would take her years to build bridges between the equestrian ponies and bat ponies.

She surely had not expected them to welcome her with a week-long celebration, and with scores of them practically begging to directly serve under her.

It took some sorting out, but eventually she managed to work around both their actual needs and their wishes.

She brought a host of their representatives to Canterlot, and slowly integrated them into positions that would facilitate the communication, trade and cultural exchange between the “surface ponies” (as they called them) and the bat ponies.

Because as much as they were infatuated about Luna… they weren’t so much about ponies in general. And that was a problem she had yet to fully solve, and that her sister told her it would in fact take some time to fully settle...

Anyhow, about Nightgale himself, Luna always thought him to be a bit of a mystery. He was unshakably loyal, something that was looked upon with suspicion in the early years, but he could also be overly frank, curt, and sometimes even cold to other ponies.

Perhaps it had something to do with their culture…? Try as she might, she never managed to spend more than two full weeks on their home city, the cavernous complex underneath the badland mountains, and every time she went they invariably held a celebration in her honor so…

She sighted inwardly. Thank the heavens she had Tia to help her through all those troubles.

Finally, moonlight came into their view, signaling they had arrived at the edge of the forest.

Bringing into view something she was not expecting.

"Oh?" ,she laughed a bit, "is my own Night Guard going to ambush me?"

Before her was a veritable phalanx of shields. A wall of shields, three ponies deep, was barring her way, spears held ready. She could unmistakably see the horn of unicorns poking up from behind the formation, and she guessed the pegasi reserves were behind those, ready to fly up at a moment’s notice.

The First Quarter formation, a straight lined all-purpose pattern.

The forward most earth ponies must have finally realized it was her, and they quickly lowered their shields, surprise showing in their eyes.

“Princess Luna?”, “By the night, it’s her!”, “Hey everypony, Princess Luna is he-!”

"Night Guard! Shoulder… ARMS!", with a sudden bellow, which she thought was sprinkled with a tiny bit of anger, captain Nightgale quickly settled down the armored ponies before her.

True to their training, they snapped back into position almost automatically, spears hitting the ground with precision almost worthy of a parade.

Luna wondered just how much Nightgale had been drilling those ponies while they were out of her sight.

"It’s all right captain, I’ll take it from here."

She could hear him breathing in, and habit told her he was preparing to bellow another order, presumably “AT EASE!” in a tone that suggested anything but. So she quickly interrupted him before he even had the chance.

She also suppressed rolling her eyes sideways at the bat pony’s usual bluntness, remembering her sister’s advice to “Always be regal, Lulu, everypony is always watching!”.

Spreading her wings, she quickly took flight, settling at an altitude where she could see everypony properly.

With the slightest touch of magic, a fraction of what she would use to speak in her “Royal Canterlot Voice”, she began addressing her…

She respected her sister’s use of the word “subjects”, but personally she had never been fond of it. Of course, she yielded to its use when addressing the general population.

But still, even if it was only when she was with her Night Guard, and away from prying eyes, she preferred addressing them in another fashion.

"My dear companions.", Luna began, sincerely meaning every word she said. "Members of the Night Guard. I would firstly like to thank you all for your dedication, and congratulate you for your successes. Not only have you selflessly chosen to serve Equestria, taking risks and facing off many perils, but you also chose to do so away from the eyes of most. But be sure that my promise stands: Your work shall never go unnoticed or without praised!"

Every member of the Night Guard was, obviously, a volunteer. And the very first thing they had to go through during their training was a “reversal” on their biological clocks. Basically, they had to swap night for day. The process didn’t involve any magical or scientific methods, they simply were drilled and trained during the night, and given the day to rest.

And for various reasons, for the longest time this first period was the one with the highest abandonment rate.

This was one of the explanations of why for so many years the Night Guard was predominantly (almost totally) composed by bat ponies. They had nocturnal habits. But as the years passed more and more ponies wished to enlist into the Night Guard, and actually managed to change their habits.

Which finally culminated on this very night.

"And furthermore, I would like to commend everypony for this momentous occasion. For the first time in the history of the Night Guard we are capable of fielding a full company, composed by all of the three pony tribes!"

She made sure to precisely word what she was saying. There was still a lot of tension between bat ponies and, basically, everypony else, so she had to make sure she stated this achievement was not about races.

It was a tactical, logical and military fact that a fighting force composed of earth ponies, pegasi and unicorns was far superior to one composed simply by pegasi. And for the first time, the Night Guard had achieved just that.

It was just a coincidence that the whole company didn't have a single bat pony among its ranks, although Nightgale more than made up for that be it in skills or... other traits.

"You have trained and practiced for years, and this very night you have succeeded in your first real and unsupervised operation.", she finished, watching the many ponies raise their heads with pride at her words. "And Equestria is safer thanks to your actions."

As if sensing she had finished her speech, the ponies began to cheer. Some of them even banging weapons against shields, much to the silent ire of their captain.

"Now.", Luna continued, speaking just loud enough for them to understand she wasn’t interrupting their cheering. "Shall we head back to Canterlot? I believe the sun will dawn in just a few hours."

Luna sat on the balcony of her room, overlooking the castle, Canterlot, and a good portion of Equestria from where she was. The scenario before would have been stunningly beautiful to behold, and all the more serene thanks to the calmness of the night itself.

But her worried eyes could see little of said beauty, instead...

She could see dark alleyways on the city itself. She could see distant villages, isolated if not for thin snake-like roads.

She could see vast forests and mountains, no doubt harboring all sorts of magical beasts, despite the calm and serene atmosphere that her moonlight shone upon them with its pale glow.

Luna sighted deeply.

"And what could that sight possibly mean, my dear sister?"

Catching her completely by surprise, Luna turned around and saw her sister approaching. Celestia wasn’t wearing any of her usual regalia, not her shoes or even her crown. Luna didn't feel uncomfortable when her sister was fully attired, in fact it even felt natural, but for some reason seeing her like this made her feel more like… Tia, her dear sister.

Luna tried to smile at her sister’s approach, but found out that she couldn’t, so she simply turned back to the scenario before her.

"How did you manage it, Tia…?", she asked, unsure of exactly how her sister would interpret her voice tone.

Depressed seemed like a possible pick, or at least worried.

"How did I manage what, Luna?", Celestia asked, sitting next to her sister.

"To rule all of Equestria? I mean, you did it for a thousand years while I was… away. And I’ve only been back for just a little while and things feel so…"

She trailed off, unsure of how to continue, and when she turned back to her sister she realized Celestia was looking straight into her eyes.

She had the kindest smile Luna had ever seen on her.

"Luna, the answer is simpler than you think it is. I just didn’t manage.", Celestia answered.

Luna simply shook her head, unsure of what her sister actually meant.

"Please don’t jest sister. Just look around you, everypony can see that Equestria thrives and is happy under your rule. And besides, the last time I checked, there hasn’t been any major incidents that you couldn’t deal with and… What?"

Celestia simply looked at her with a curious gaze, until Luna finally stopped talking.

She then turned towards the sun, her white horn slowly lighting up with a golden magical aura.

"Perhaps you were too busy catching up to a thousand years’ worth of news, dear sister. But haven’t you noticed that I didn’t really do much regarding the “major incidents” you speak of?", Celestia asked, with a tinge of humor on her voice. "It was mostly the Elements of Harmony themselves that sorted those things out, be it summoning their current bearers, or through various other ways."

With a slow and delicate motion, she gently started to raise the sun to its place. And without even noticing she was doing it herself, Luna also began to lower the moon.

"And during all that time you spoke about, I didn’t really do anything major. I just guided our subjects during their daily lives. Acting as a judge here, passing out a law there, and oftentimes simply being the voice of reason for delicate situations."

When the sun and moon were finally at their places, Celestia turned back to her sister.

She then spoke with a voice that, during their long time together, Luna had almost never heard her speak with. A voice that she could swear was trembling just a bit.

"For a thousand years I didn’t manage anything, because we were always meant to rule together."

And before Luna could be sure of anything, Celestia hugged her.

"Now, before you start worrying about anything. You are doing a great job as a princess, you are making improvements on things that I had never even considered, and you are working harder than I have in over a hundred years. So you don’t have to worry about anything, okay?"

Her dear sister was speaking with so much pride and honesty that… Luna couldn’t do anything but return her hug. And for a short while all her worries did go away. It was just like that when the two of them were together.

"Dear sister, you are vastly underplaying your role…", Luna answered meekly. "I’m sure you were vital for our subjects during all those years."

After a short while, Celestia separated herself from her sister, wearing a smile that was part “big sister” like, and part her usual ruler smile.

"Well, I’ll take your word for it if that’s what you think, Lu. But why don’t you go rest now? I’m sure the next night will demand your full attention, like they always do."

And as if her words had some sort of power over Luna, she did start to feel the full weight (and tiredness) of her own body.

Sleepily agreeing with her sister, Luna made her way back towards her own room.

"Sleep tight, dear sister.", Celestia said, somehow knowing that her sister hadn’t really heard her, so tired that she was.

Which left her at the balcony, alone, looking at the scene Luna herself must have been surveying not long before.

Celestia sighted deeply, completely aware of how she was mimicking her own sister’s actions before she had arrived.

But she couldn’t help it.

Because she knew Luna was totally right.

There was something wrong with Equestria. Something that began to accelerate ever since her sister’s return.

Almost every year a different cataclysm would occur, and be avoided by the smallest of margins.

Discord’s return, the changeling’s attempted coup, King Sombra, Tirek, and many, many other things…

And she knew Equestria itself was reacting. In the thousand years during Luna’s imprisonment she had been the only alicorn in Equestria, but now during a short span of ten years three new ones had appeared.

It was almost as if the land itself was preparing. As if everyone was preparing. Even Luna, though her dear sister might gloss it over as being “of her nature”, was taking actions about it. While Celestia was worried about maintaining the kingdom itself, Luna seemed predominantly worried about bringing other races into the fold. She was even taking the military aspects of the kingdom under her wing, a part that Celestia had to admit she had largely disregarded thanks to the amount of work she already had in her hands.

Celestia looked at the rising sun, and allowed herself a few moments of contemplation before her royal duties required her to be somewhere.

She recalled wishing for a hundred years just for herself, alone with her sister, the first time she laid her eyes upon Luna after the Elements of Harmony purified her. She had so much to tell her about, so much to apologize for, so many things she wanted to do with her…

But lately, she felt as if she wouldn’t even have until the end of the decade’s worth of peace and tranquility.

"Sleep tight, dear sister. I love you.", she spoke to no one.

And walked back into the castle.

After all, the kingdom needed its princess.

Encroaching Shadows

Dear Princess Celestia

I know this letter might come as a surprise, especially since we have met not long ago after Star Swirl’s return. But I still wanted to convey to you some of my recent observations on a particular field of magic.

It never fails to surprise me how much magic there is around us. From the magical properties on a pegasus’ wings that allows him to manipulate weather, to the mysteries of the cutie marks.

And recently I’ve been studying the properties of specific magical objects, and my studies couldn’t help but to point that they could all be tied to a single source, maybe even the magic of Equestria itself! Just take as examples the Friendship Map, The Elements of Harmony and many other things. I mean, according to the “legends” (which we were able to confirm to be true) Rockhoof himself was “imbued with power” during a moment of need, and proceeded to perform all the deeds he became known for. Seeing this much evidence I can’t help but to theorize there could be some kind of greater force at work here.

It also never fails to annoy me how few books there are on these subjects! How am I supposed to make a research on something without the minimum of ground theory?!

Anyways, I’ve decided that I will focus my studies on the magic of Equestria itself. I have the feeling that there are so many other magical events that could be tied to it, as a focus or origin perhaps, that I can’t help but at least give it a try!

And because of this, I will spend the next few weeks on the Crystal Empire in order to conduct some research on the Crystal Heart.

I will be sure to relay any of my discoveries to you. I’m so excited about this!

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle

You can send the letter now, Spike

Celestia chuckled as she read the letter, for a number of reasons. The silliest of them being because she could almost imagine the scene as the letter was written, Twilight merrily (and methodically) preparing her luggage while dictating the letter that Spike was writing. No doubt excited over the chance to see her brother and sister-in-law, and of course her niece.

The mental image of Spike discreetly crossing out the last line was also amusing. Celestia briefly wondered if Twilight was aware of how often those mistakes occurred, the baby dragon being much more prone to simply scratch them out rather than to start another letter over.

Best that she didn’t know, she concluded quickly, knowing full well about Twilight’s perfectionist streak.

But most of all, she felt especially glad to see how her young student had grown, like she did with all the letters she had received from her.

Twilight might not even be aware of it, but Celestia had already seen that pattern time and again. That drive to research and discover, that curiosity about the world that surrounds her. There was not a single doubt in Celestia’s mind that very soon Twilight would be writing the very same books that “annoyed her didn’t exist”.

And the fact that Twilight Sparkle would live much longer than the regular researcher made it all the better.

“You have already done much greater things than Star Swirl, my dear Twilight, although you might not have noticed”, Celestia said, magically folding the letter back and teleporting it away to her room. “Although it would make me happier if you started signing it as ‘Your dear friend’ instead of ‘Your faithful student’…”

Breaking out of her reverie, Celestia heard as the wooden doors of the room were gently opened.

Nopony had been announced by her guards, so it must have been the guest she had specifically called for.

“Excuse me, princess”, with a short bow a nervous and aging earth pony entered the room. He wore a simple suit with a bow tie on his neck, and clearly had put his best effort in looking presentable for that occasion.

Celestia couldn’t help but to smile sweetly as he entered, bidding him to sit in front of her with a hoof.

She smiled because everything about that pony was honest.

His suit was something at least decades old, hoof knitted with a technique that had long been outdated by the use of sewing machines and the likes. It wouldn’t surprise her if those clothes had belonged to his father, passed down as a treasured heirloom. His cutie mark as well, on his slightly wrinkled flank, was of a hammer and a farming hoe, immediately declaring him to be a simple worker at heart. Although simply looking at that pony’s eyes would have been enough for her to understand that much.

But most of all, she smiled because she had known that old pony when he was a little foal. It was on occasions like these that she noticed how quickly time flew.

“Thank you for coming all the way to Canterlot, Bristle Plains, I trust you had a pleasant trip?”, Celestia said, gently pushing a cup of tea she had asked for beforehand in his direction.

“Ah, please princess, just call me Bristle. And it’s my pleasure, us small folks being called by the princess herself is a gift on itself”, he said, the characteristic accent of somepony who lived far away from cities clear on his voice.

She smiled encouragingly as the earth pony picked up the cup and tentatively sipped it, levitating her own cup towards herself shortly after.

“I’m glad to hear it, although I wouldn’t agree with the ‘small folks’ part.”, she said, noticing the earth pony get slightly flushed at her remark.

Bristle Plains was the leader of a small village north of Canterlot. It was almost located on the territorial border of the Crystal Empire, near the base of the mountains that cut off the frozen north from the rest of the world.

The village itself was mostly self-sufficient and completely ordinary, the occasional traders going to nearby cities to buy tools and goods going completely unnoticed by the economy of Equestria at large.

“Well, if the princess says so…”, Bristle answered in a low tone of voice, “but still, can I ask why your highness called for me? It was awful nice to ride on the carriage that brought me here, but…”

He couldn’t hide the worry in his voice as he said that. Although Celestia had instructed the guards who brought him to be as polite and reassuring as possible, she still wondered had crossed his mind with such a sudden summoning.

She quickly recalled the fact that the last time she had visited their village, they had been worried that she would declare they were supposed to start paying taxes or tributes. Truly they were simple, honest people.

Granted, her last visit had been when Bristle Plains himself was a foal, decades ago. But she knew that way of thinking wasn’t something that disappeared in such a short period of time.

“Well, if you wouldn’t mind, I would like to discuss the future of your village”, she said tentatively, carefully choosing her words and observing the pony’s reactions to them, “I understand that your family has been in charge of that village for many generations, right?”

“Well, me father was the village leader before me. And me grandma was before him… But what do you mean about our village’s future, princess?”

“Well, I have a proposition…”

“I’d like to thank you for your time again, princess. I’m sure my folks back at home will be mighty happy with your idea!”

“Thank you again, Bristle Plains. I will be looking forward to your answer once you have consulted your village.”

Having accompanied the earth pony out of the castle, Celestia nodded as he bowed deeply (too deeply, Celestia thought) before getting inside the carriage. Considering how distant his village was, Celestia had arranged for him to be picked up and taken back through her own means. Moments later the carriage was being taken to the skies by a pair of strong gold-armored pegasi, heading northwards with increasing speed.

Turning around with a satisfied smile, Celestia began walking back towards the castle.

Only to see her aide approaching her.

“I take it the meeting went well, my princess?”

Dressed in an impeccable black suit, with a long mustache that didn’t seem to move even when he spoke, the respectable looking unicorn walked towards her while floating a long parchment by his side.

The parchment, she knew, contained her official schedule.

“Indeed, it went quite well. He seemed a bit intimidated by the idea at first, but I think he warmed up to it quite quickly.”

Her idea had been a simple one at first. The Crystal Empire had reappeared just a few years prior, with Cadance assuming leadership over them almost immediately. It had taken a few years for them to organize themselves, both culturally and technologically, but the Crystal Empire had finally begun asserting itself as a national individual.

And that was particularly relevant on the economical scope.

The gem industry, along with various others, was being slowly but surely changed by the sudden increase in competition, as well as by the unexpected increase in demands caused by a whole empire literally popping out of thin air. And that was a good thing, Celestia thought, as she recalled the economic spur that washed over Equestria when Manehattan became an economical potency.

But said progress, in this particular case, was grinding to a halt due to the sheer distance between the Crystal Empire and other large cities.

So why not use this predicament as an opportunity to encourage growth on an even larger scale?

“Bristle Plain said he would convene with his village, but I am confident that they will accept being added to the rail network expansion we are making towards the Crystal Empire.”, she said, walking towards the castle with her aide by her side.

The project she was referring to was a massive train rail expansion, which would link several of the existing cities with other small villages, and would converge on the Crystal Empire itself on the frozen north.

Despite the apparent simplicity of it, the project had been through months of planning. With Cadance herself, with governors of other cities, ministers and nobles, and obviously the engineers who would work on the project itself. And the difficulties had ranged from budget, to petty politics, to the daunting tasks that would be to dig tunnels through the Crystal Mountains Range.

But still, for some reason she felt that she had been more motivated on tackling this task than she had been for years in doing anything else!

Cadance’s rule over the Crystal Empire, Luna’s diplomatic projects, Twilight’s studies, everypony had been working so hard towards the improvement of Equestria that she couldn’t help but to review her own actions these past decades. And although the kingdom had been growing at a steady and peaceful rate these past centuries, it had struck Celestia just how much more she could get done with her own hooves.

To the point that she didn’t even notice that she was humming merrily as they walked.

“If I may, princess, your meeting was concluded a bit earlier than expected. And the minister of internal affairs has been asking for an audience with you for some time now. Would you like me to arrange for it?”

Snapping Celestia out of her thoughts, her aide patiently waited to write down on his long parchment as she pondered. The “ministry of internal affairs” was basically something she had created while she was struggling on how to free some of her time. Between the avalanche of papers she had to face daily, and the need her people had for her personal attention, she finally came to a conclusion that she had known for quite a while, but had never really wanted to face.

That if she wanted to start doing things more efficiently, she wouldn't be able to please everypony.

So, she started delegating some of her less important duties. And among other things, the tasks that had involved her presence (such as opening ceremonies for new buildings and public appearances) had been given to her minister of internal affairs.

Consequently, she was pretty sure that the audience he was asking for was probably to tell her how it was "impossible for a single pony to attend so many duties in a single day!", or how "everypony would much rather that a princess went on the public events, not some official representative!", or some other complaint of similar nature...

For the fourth time.

With an internal sigh, Celestia concluded that she at least had to grant the pony his audience, and patiently hear him out. Although it would be rather pleasant if that same pony realized that she had been doing his current work (and many other things) for the past few centuries.

“Well, if we have the time then have him sent to the throne room. I’m sure he has important things to bring to my attention.”

“Very well, princess.”, she heard her aide answer, followed by the scratching sound of his quill writing down on the parchment.

Celestia also heard the small chuckle he gave at her last remark.

“A-are you sure about this, T-twilight?”

Spike’s voice was shaking, and it wasn’t because he was carrying four travel bags that were at least as heavy as himself. The young dragon was far accustomed to such physical activities.

No, Spike’s voice was shaking because of what he was looking at.

“Of course I am Spike. Now get up here and let’s do some science!”, Twilight Sparkle answered with an excited tone that he had only very rarely heard. Usually with unexpected results.

With a hesitant “gulp”, Spike walked towards the Map of Friendship, his mind flashing the events that had led to this moment like (as he had once read) a movie might flash before somepony's eyes during his final moments.

It hadn’t been at all hard to realize, Twilight had explained to Spike earlier that week, that the Map of Friendship (or rather, the table upon which it was relayed) was the most magically fascinating item of the castle. Up to the point that Twilight had been exhaustively studying it for the past few days.

Studies which had finally come to the conclusion that the table (along with the castle itself) could be classified as one of the “items” she had mentioned to princess Celestia, on the last letter she had sent a few hours earlier. In fact, she had even omitted on that same letter that she already had a grimoire's worth of notes on the subject, as well as the fact that she had built a prototype for a magical measuring device specifically tuned for that subject.

Actually, the last few days had been quite enjoyable, with Twilight on a "research spree". Things were usually like this when a new subject came up that interested her, and it was a characteristic that he particularly admired on her.

But still, the scene that Spike was looking at was somewhat scary.

Twilight was standing on top of the table. The Map of Friendship was not being displayed, instead there were several concentric circles, arcane symbols, and other mystical shapes floating over the table.

In simple words, a magical circle. A very complex magical circle.

The circle had been magically drawn by Twilight over the last hour, after she had finished packing her research material and their things, and every last line had the characteristic purple hue of her magic. Even now her horn was still glowing as she kept the whole configuration stable.

Twilight looked around her as she waved Spike to come over with a hoof, and the dragon slowly climbed up to the table, carrying a sizable amount of luggage with him.

Apparently satisfied with her last once-over, Twilight’s eyes incidentally rested on Spike as she finished her inspection of the magical circle.

She had the excited expression of a musician about to perform.

Another audible gulp went down the young dragon's throat.

But Twilight noticed Spike's apprehension. Actually, it would have been impossible for her not to notice. A wave of sisterly thoughts washed over her as she looked at him, and her face slowly calmed down to that of the caring friend Spike knew well.

“Ohh Spike, are you really that worried about this?”, she asked, her tone mellowing down as she realized just how nervous he was, “I know this is a spell we have never tried before, but there is nothing to be afraid of. It’s just a spell.”

"I know its just a spell... but still...", he said sheepishly, unsure of how to express himself. In fact, Spike himself wasn't so sure as to why he was so nervous. He even recalled how she had meticulously explained to him how the spell worked while she developed it, he knew there was no reason for him to be feeling that way.

That spell was heavily based on her theory that there was a “source” to the magic in Equestria. “Sure there is magic all around us”, she had said out loud, dictating for him to write on her notes, “but this magic could be like, say, the warmth of a sunny day. And if there is warmth, there must be a sun.”

She had no idea of how to prove the existence of this “sun”, as she would say, but she could start drawing a map of sorts if she discovered places or things that were connected to this theoretical source.

And since she had a very strong feeling that the Map of Friendship and the Crystal Heart were two such items, she had devised that spell.

“It’s just like a teleportation spell Spike", she said softly, trying to calm him down even if just a bit. "I’m just going to try to tap into the link that the Map and the Crystal Heart could have, and see if we can teleport between them through it. I mean, it won’t even work if there isn’t a link to begin with, then we can get the train like you suggested”, she finished with an encouraging smile.

Spike already knew all of that, he had heard that same explanations several times already, in different ways mostly while Twilight was mumbling to herself. But still, for all the confidence and care that Twilight had put into that spell and her words, he still felt that nagging sensation that he simply... didn't know the source of.

“I know, I know…”, he finally said. “It’s just that this spell feels a bit… scary. It kind of reminds me of the one Starlight Glimmer made. The one that messed up with time and all...”

Twilight looked around her, and realized how right Spike was. Even the place where the spell was being cast was the same.

The more analytical corner of her mind wrote down how much that corroborated with her theory. But the part of her that cared for Spike was much stronger in that moment, and she quickly shoved those mental notes aside.

“Oh, I see what you mean… But don’t worry Spike, I promise nothing like that will happen, okay?”, she said, gently floating the luggage he was carrying to the table, and covering him with one of her wings in the warm equivalent of a hug.

Spike still seemed a bit apprehensive, but he seemed to have finally made his mind after a deep breath.

“Okay Twilight. I trust you.”

"That's the trustworthy assistant I know so well!", she said, her heart lightening upon hearing Spike's words, "Ready to meet the fans of 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' again?"

"Heh... ready", she heard him answer. As well as she felt the young dragon grab her wing, like a young colt would take her older sister’s hoof.

“Alright then, lets do this!”, she said with a boost of confidence.

Letting her experimental excitement wash over her again, Twilight focused on her horn, it’s glow intensifying in synch with the magical configuration surrounding her.

The spell (if her theory proved to be correct) was supposed to open a portal, and link it with anything that shared certain characteristics with the Map of Friendship.

Naturally, she tried to be specific as possible, and had taken several security steps. For example, a great majority of the magical spell involved trying to make the portal link with something that was crystalline in nature. That, and several other sub-enchantments in the spell involved avoiding linking with something that had (lets say) too much elemental magic associated to it.

After all, who knew just how many such places that were magically relevant existed all over Equestria? How many Trees of Harmony, Statues of Discord, or other forgotten places existed that nopony knew about?

As much as it would have been the magical discovery of the century, Twilight didn't want to find out that there is a great magical temple buried deep inside a volcano. Had she made a simple and broad linking spell, there was a possibility that the exit gate would “link” with something like that, so she had been extra careful for this first test.

Focusing her magical energy on the base of her horn, she began powering up the magical circle step by step, following the same order as she did when she prepared it. As Twilight focused, she slowly worked her magic towards the tip of her horn, the magic circle now shining a bright violet as it stored more and more energy.

Finally, she expelled her magic in a spherical pattern, igniting all the power she had gathered in the spell at the same time.

She had closed her eyes to concentrate, but could feel the magical geometry of her spell weaving into itself, and forming something that felt like a perfect circle in front of her. And as soon as that circle was formed, she felt as if a great pressure was building up, pulling her towards it.

It all happened in an instant. Twilight Sparkle felt as if she had traversed through a tunnel. A great and vast tunnel.

But her hooves touched solid ground right before she opened her eyes. A rather familiar feeling crystalline ground.

“Spike… Spike, we did it!”, Twilight exclaimed happily.

As she opened her eyes, and saw right before her the Crystal Heart. Floating at its rightful place in the middle of the grand hall of Cadance’s castle.

“Okay Twilight. I trust you…”, Spike said, trying to reassure himself as much as he was trying to give Twilight some confidence. The magical circle's patterns floating around both of them like a trap about to spring.

It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust her. In fact, there wasn’t a single pony in the whole of Equestria that he trusted more than Twilight.

The problem was that he just had a bad feeling about her spell. Something that he had never felt before, and Spike had admittedly been through a lot over the last few years.

But if he didn't know the source of his fear, he would just have to tame it with his courage like the brave dragon he was.

And this was Twilight's project he was talking about, so he would bear with it for her sake.

"That's the trustworthy assistant I know so well! Ready to meet the fans of 'Spike the Brave and Glorious' again?"

"Heh... ready", Spike answered, his voice lower than he thought it would be.

He didn't feel brave. At all.

“Alright then, lets do this!”

In fact, the feeling Spike had in his guts became almost unbearable when he heard her say that.

He held on tight to the wing Twilight had around him, as he felt her magical energy flow out of her and into the circle around them.

She was right about one thing, he thought, it really was just like when she used teleportation magic, it just felt a bit slower.

And with the suddenness that every magic has when it is finally activated, a great wave of violet light washed over them, its light being reflected in the crystalline walls of the room.

An instant later a great circular portal appeared before them, and Spike felt himself and Twilight be pulled into it.

He only had time to think about one thing before the invisible energy dragged them through the portal.

That the great circular portal was black, like a puddle of tar seen from above.

No... He realized as a chill ran down his spine.

The portal was dark.

From then on everything happened too fast, as if he was inside a dream, or had just woken up from one.

Spike and Twilight were flung through the portal, and suddenly found themselves within a transparent tunnel, made of something that resembled the surface of a bubble. He could see, all around them, that there was an entire maze of those bubble-like corridors. Some of them grand and vast, others thin and small. An entire complex, almost, connecting nearly everything.

But those tunnels were also transparent, and he could see through them as well. He could see so far that he had no idea if this place had any limits.

And his mind nearly turned inside out when he realized just what he was looking at.

He could see Equestria. Spike would never be sure if he could comprehend what he was looking at, but he was “seeing Equestria” as a whole, the entirety of its area connected by those same tunnels. He could see the entire world in which he lived as if he was outside of it. Perhaps from below as if Equestria was over a plate, and he was underneath it. Perhaps from above, as if he was flying higher than any dragon had ever dared to fly. But he could see all of Equestria from inside that tunnel.

He could see the space near Equestria as well, the Sun and Moon floating around the land like two spheres perfectly balanced on a weighting scale. Their harmonious dance making the place around which they orbited much more alive.

And he could also see beyond Equestria. Far, far into the distance.

All around him, in all directions, as if there was a great spherical barrier surrounding Equestria on all sides.

Darkness.

But it wasn’t any kind of darkness, it wasn’t like a dark room in which there simply was no light, or the darkness of space like he saw while Twilight was studying astronomy. No. Spike knew, he simply knew thanks to some instinct he didn’t even know he possessed, that he was looking at something alive. Something that could think.

Something evil.

His mind was going in circles as he tried to understand just how massive was the thing he was looking at.

After all, he knew that great dark thing was far away. Impossibly far away. Farther than the farthest star was from Equestria according to what Twilight had taught him. But still, the simple fact that he could see that Equestria was completely surrounded by it showed just how utterly massive that thing was.

A great dark. Titanic. Thing. Larger than anything that could ever be possible to exist.

He felt all of his senses be assaulted at once.

His eyes told him that he could see mouths, great gnashing mouths with teeth that were each larger than the whole of Equestria. His eyes saw mouths and forms, even though they also told him that the thing was absolutely black.

His mind told him that whatever it was, it was far more intelligent than anything that had ever existed, and far older for that matter.

His heart told him that it was looking back at him, the same way that Spike was looking at it.

There was a strange sound ringing in Spike’s ear, a faint sharp noise that felt like a needle in his head.

So overwhelmed his mind was by what he was seeing, that it couldn’t even process that the sound was his own screaming.

And as quickly as they had been pulled into the tunnel, they were pushed out through another circular gate, this one made of pure white light.

Spike didn’t even register Twilight’s joyous commemoration as he collapsed onto the ground, the world -and his consciousness- mercifully fading around him, making him forget about the great darkness he just saw.