Illesio was, surprisingly, having a good day.

Never before had she felt like she had a purpose, a goal in life beyond doing her work and surviving the next day, which admittedly was a little sad, but nonetheless certainly not the worst worldview she'd ever seen.

She was a journalist, the most universally despised--and contrarily admired--kind of pony in existence. The public hung from the press's fingers like a marionette, if you knew what strings to pull. Politics, intrigue, any kind of lies and deceit were the stagnant pools that the mosquito-like journalists would revel in. Practically even suck your blood, too.

And her new role in a desperate cover-up of terrible secrets, incredible and dangerous technology, and perhaps even an evil scheme or two?

Fits me perfectly!

Clear Sight turned his head and gave Illesio what probably amounted to a wink, it was hard to tell...Guess he made a good choice, then.

Meanwhile, Res and the Bearers were having a lengthy discussion about what to do, she wasn't really paying attention. Doc was telling her the proper combinations of commands to input into the Reality Instance Tripod, which according to him housed...time...tethers, or something equally implausible.

Doc was a strange case, he reminded her of someone, maybe from a comic book or something, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

She snapped out of her reverie in trying to remember who...exactly, just in time to see Res walk back towards them and say, "You know, really, its kind of sad. Here we are in a jam and we've already resorted to the multiverse theorem." He shrugged.
"Oh well, nothing for it. Got it ready?"

Doc was in a state of concentration, and replied, "Almost...one more line...there. Should be ready."

"OK," Res said, "what timelines are the best bet?"

Doc replied, "The most stable ones are pretty simple to find, there's three relatively close ones that suit the bill. Good to go."

Starswirl had walked over, and eyed the machine with a strange wary wonder. "How in Equestria did you make this machine? Its magic is more complex than anything I ever accomplished..."

Clear Sight smiled. "Well, I got the idea from you, apparently, I don't remember because I traveled back in time from what is now the future to give myself the idea in the past. Or at least, I think I did, I don't remember that either." He scratched his head.

The Bearers gathered around, and introduced themselves as Rockhoof, Mistmane, Flash Magnus, Mage Meadowbrook, Somnambula, and Star Swirl.

Illesio took the time to ask, "...So is your name one word or two? Starswirl...Star Swirl?"

"Oh, two separate words, to be precise," replied Star Swirl.

"Dangit," she said. "I've been visualizing it wrong for ages. So sorry."

Clear Sight quickly got into a discussion with Mistmane about the sacrifice she had taken in being old, and managed to somehow turn the subject to the media the modern-day residents of her home town had created. Soon Mistmane was listening wide-eyed to Clear Sight regale her with tales of mechanical houses, bird men, and witches.

Doc, Star Swirl, and Mage Meadowbrook all became one group talking about science, and revealed that Mage Meadowbook had actually been the first to come up with a method of enchanting items permanently for her artifacts, although she agreed that the modern way was more efficient. Star Swirl wanted explanations of all the technology he had seen so far, and Doc was only too happy to oblige.

Res was accosted by Flash Magnus on the somewhat unexpected subject of fashion, which became even more unexpected when Rockhoof joined in. Apparently he had an eye for it, who knew.

Somnambula, however, walked directly over to Illesio and struck up a conversation.

"Good afternoon to you," she said in a lilting, pleasant accent.

"Good afternoon to you too," Illesio said. "So...you came back from limbo after a thousand years, huh?"

"It was not really as bad as you would think," was the reply, "It was as only a moment to us. However, our self comitted banishment was, in the end, for naught, as our objective failed."

"Oh no, that's terrible," said Illesio. "To think, a huge sacrifice and knowing that you probably won't ever be free, and even if you are, that your friends and family would have died ages beforehand, and all of that for nothing?"

Somnambula smiled. "Well, not for nothing, to say...He's been here the entire time, and I think your friend with the strange facewear has already noticed him...but there is another honorary member of our circle. His name is Stygian, and his story was tragic..."

Somnambula then proceeded to tell her the entirety of their backstory, up until the reformation of the Pony of Shadows by Twilight Sparkle, Starlight Glimmer, and their new Bearers.

"Wow, so I guess," said Illesio, "the banishment wasn't entirely a failure, since you still got to stop the Pony of Shadows and take back your friend from its clutches...You said he was here already?"

"Yes, but he has been rather timid as of late, he fears himself. I tell him there is nothing to fear, that we must hope in our own convictions, but even when he wants to understand, he struggles."

A huge chorus of laughter burst out in a newly formed group of Doc, Clear Sight, Rockhoof, Star Swirl, Mage Meadowbrook, and Mistmane. Flash Magnus and Res were chatting in the corner.

Illesio interrupted. "Hey, guys, there's a rumbling from up there, I think we've got to get this show on the road."

Res listened for a split second, then nodded, saying, "Yep. Doc, do the honors."

Doc pressed a button and...nothing happened.

"That's supposed to happen," he said. "If it made a noise, something would have been wrong."

Clear Sight then looked around at everyone, and said, "Alright, let's get memory business over with."

Somnambula spoke up. "Wait, there is one more of us to take into account."

Clear Sight nodded. "Yes, he's been quite cleverly concealing himself up on the catwalks. He's got a good eye for...keeping in the shadows." he chuckled.

He yelled up, "Don't worry Stygian, I got you too," and was rewarded when a pair of pale blue eyes appeared from behind a support beam and a faint voice answered, "Thank you."

Clear Sight reached for the necklace under his shirt, and this was when Illesio finally got a good look at it: it was an octahedron the size of a grape colored with a deep, pure emerald color.

She gasped.

Res said, "What is it?"

Clear Sight said, "What is it oh freaking geez--"

And the world turned to light.

Author's Note

whooo stygian is the worst name, it literally means 'very dark'

I've got nothing to say about this other than pointing out the very, very nearly pseudocanonical nature of this fic

2 hrs

Cheers to fame and fortune and a good set of luck,
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