Spero

by Piemaster128

Rating: teen
Tags: Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Main 6, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Romance, Mystery, Spike
Length: 146923

For her entire life, Twilight Sparkle had been secretly observed and assisted by an unknown guardian. But when said guardian conquers Equestria, Twilight is left in a difficult position. Who is this pony, and why does he have such an interest in her?

From the day of her birth, an unknown guardian has watch over Twilight Sparkle. He has secretly protected her, assisted her, and been there for almost every significant event in her life, watching from the shadows as she grew into the wonderful and loved Princess of Friendship.

And yet, trouble is brewing, and with Twilight's life is now in danger, her unknown guardian must come out of the shadows and do all that he can to protect her, even if it breaks both their hearts in the process.

But just who is this pony? Why does he have such an interest in the Princess of Friendship? Why does he seek to protect her even at the cost of her happiness and his own?

And what is the force that threatens the young mare's life?
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This story was written in November 2017 as part of Writers Challenge put forth on EQD. It only took me until now to actually edit it fully and start publishing it, so enjoy :twilightsmile:

Cover art belongs to ShujiWakahisaa. Thank you for letting me use this art :pinkiehappy:

Published 2018-06-09 16:30:06 UTC
Last updated 2024-07-05 15:12:21 UTC

Chapter 1: The Proposal

Ok, Twilight.

You’re calm.

You’re in control.

You’re not currently pacing outside the main gate just before the magic shield Celestia made to make sure Canterlot isn't invaded and your mane isn't sticking out in all directions because you’re stressed and Ponyville is conquered and your friends are captured and you don’t know what to do or how to save them and OH MY LUNA, I AM NOT CALM!

Focus, Twilight.

DON’T TELL ME TO FOCUS, BRAIN! THIS IS A DISASTER AND I CAN’T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT! THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME TO PANIC!

And pacing while waiting for Celestia and Luna is going to help?

Well, no, but it helps distract me and—

No, it makes you focus on it MORE! Now calm down, and think through what happened one more time. There must be a solution, and if you analyze your facts, you can find it. Just THINK.

Ok, ok, right. Just think about what happened, and try to think of a solution. No problem.

It started five days ago. I was going to Canterlot for the week to assist the princesses with the yearly budget calculations. Primarily because we are using a new organizational system this year to keep track of everything and because Celestia wanted me to get experience in managing a budget, but that’s not important. My friends couldn’t come because they were all busy in Ponyville, and Spike and Starlight were off visiting the Crystal Empire to help prepare for their annual festival next week.

The first day was fine, if rather boring. The second day was also fine, though I had quite a headache after we suddenly had to move the funding of a few programs around and I am still not sure why. Celestia took care of that though so it was all still good. Day three? Oh, you know, just receiving word that EVERY TOWN IN CITY IN EQUESTRIA WAS NOW CONQUERED!

Focus, Twilight. WHAT. DO. YOU. KNOW?

STOP TELLING ME THAT! I KNOW I NEED TO FOCUS BUT I REALLY JUST CAN’T RIGHT NOW OK!?

Breathing technique, then back to thinking.

Deep breath in, Depp breath out. Move in sync with hoof…ok, that’s better…marginally.

The invading force came out of nowhere, sometime literally appearing in the city or town’s guard or police stations before quickly subduing all resistance. They attacked at night, and by morning had captured everywhere. The only place NOT captured is the Crystal Empire, but the invaders currently have them trapped inside their shield regardless. They’re not attacking though, strangely enough.

Actually, that’s probably the strangest thing about this army. They aren't ACTING like conquerors. They let the messengers come back and report to Celestia. They let her scouts go into occupied cities and see what was going on. They keep trains and weather schedules consistent, except they only permit supply trains and keep an eye on all of them and all weather patrols.

And they have done almost…nothing. No enslaving the population. No ripping up all the resources to ship back home. No cruel punishments for disobedience. Everything, at least as far as the scouts can tell, is just…carrying on like normal. Well, except for the no-pony-can-leave-the-town-you-are-currently-in-unless-it-is-a-real-emergency thing, but that’s really it. Why conquer all these places just to leave them practically the same as you found them? It just doesn't make any sense!

Heck, even one of the messengers, who was there when they invaded, said they managed to take over without ANY CASUALTIES! One of the enemies apparently even saved an Equestrian soldier from the falling part of a statue that had been knocked loose by a rogue spell. Were they just lucky that no one was killed, or did they somehow PLAN it that way? It’s just…so unusual.

And you know how invaders normally act?

Equestria’s been invaded by Changelings at least twice, and I think some of the other villains could count as their own army based on how strong they are. Now where was I? Oh, yes, the WORRISOME BIT! The fact that the army CAPTURED MY FRIENDS!

All right, all right, just stay calm. The girls are still ok, seeing as their leader let one of our scouts check up on the girls while they were under guard, so don’t panic…YET! And stay focused.

I AM FOCUSED! Which is why I know that apparently their leader, who we still don’t know anything about, is coming to Canterlot TODAY to negotiate a deal, and is apparently bringing the girls with him. Or at least, they SAY negotiate, but considering that he’s bringing the girls with him…or her, I don’t know how much will be negotiations and how much will just be demands. Ohhh, why can’t I have just been a librarian? That would have been so much SIMPLER!

But then you wouldn't have met the girls, or learned all the magic spells you know, or have been taught by Celestia, or—

Ok, ok, I get it, brain. Ugh, still wish thing were at least a LITTLE bit less complicated. Or that this didn’t happen so gosh darn FREQUENTLY! The only reason I don’t ever go on vacation to the tropics is because I just KNOW that’s when the villains will choose to randomly attack and concur Equestria. Ugh…how I wish I could have a vacation…

“Twilight?”

“GAH!” Twilight screamed, jumping five feet in the air. Her wings sprung out and flapped hard enough to keep her airborne. Looking back, she could see that Celestia and Luna had arrived, along with a large amount of the Canterlot Royal Guard and the Night Guard backing each princess respectively.

Wait, how long had she been out here?

Glancing ever so slightly to the left, she saw that it was now nine in the morning according to the clock tower. She had no idea what time it had been when she first stepped outside, but the sun had been on the horizon, so it must have been at least three hours, maybe more. She also noticed, rather embarrassingly, that she had actually worn a groove in the ground with her constant pacing.

Oops.

“Eheheheh,” Twilight said sheepishly, blushing brightly. “Sorry, Princess. I guess I was a little…distracted.”

“It’s all right, Twilight,” Celestia said, embracing the purple alicorn after she descended back to earth. “We all have a lot on our minds right now.”

Yes, yes we do. At least Celestia’s warm fur help to calm her down, as usual. Or maybe she was just cold from the cool morning air.

“Indeed,” Luna said, nodding. “This entire situation is very troubling.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Twilight said, looking back at the grove she had worn before her ears perked up. She could hear hooves marching. She turned to look beyond Celestia’s barrier and could just barely see the invaders coming up the road…and coming…and COMING…

They moved with purpose and unity, marching in perfect rows up the road while being led by a huge figure under a cloak with a hood. It made her gulp. There were fewer of them than she thought there would be, but there were still A LOT.

Why were there so many?

“Let’s hope we can find a solution once we see what their leader wants. I just pray whoever they are is willing to see reason.” Celestia said with a sigh, pulling Twilight under her wing. It was so warm, and for a moment Twilight just wanted to bury her head in Celestia’s side. Celestia’s hold always offered her comfort, always let her know that things would be ok, even if it was only for a moment. But the sound of marching solders quickly brought her back to reality, and Twilight knew it would only be a matter of minutes until they arrived.

They lapsed into silence afterwards, listening to the steady sounds of hooves approaching the gates. Even though Celestia’s shield was the strongest in Equestria, Twilight still felt nervous.

This army had concurred the entire country in one night, yet hadn’t even TRIED to get to Canterlot since they took over two days ago. Did that mean that they KNEW they could get in? That they could smash Celestia’s shield and march over her as the magical feedback disabled her? Did they not see her, the strongest alicorn in Equestria who RAISED THE FREAKING SUN, as a threat? And if they DID break the shield, how many innocent ponies would be hurt in the ensuing battle as the royal guard tried to fight a battle they couldn’t win? And what would they do to her and Luna if they defeated Celestia!?

No, no. She had to stay calm. If the invaders were bringing her friends, and had gone through all this trouble to prevent casualties to Equestrian ponies, then maybe they were really here to negotiate. Twilight wasn't sure WHY they would even NEED to negotiate when they were clearly strong enough to just TAKE what they probably wanted, but she was sure she would find out soon enough.

After what seemed like forever and yet not long enough, the soldiers came into clearer view. They wore orange armor with light blue accents, the symbol of a bright star adorning the center of their chest plates. What’s more, she could now accurately judge just how huge their leader was.

And by huge, she meant TALLER THAN CELESTIA!

Oh dear. This could NOT be good.

All the soldiers were ponies, their races varying equally between earth ponies, pegesi, and unicorns, yet it surprised her how…ordinary they all looked. No super-imposing armor, no massive hulking ponies. They looked like regular solders, just in different armor. The only outlier was their leader, a unicorn who stood taller than any other unicorn she had ever seen. As they approached, Twilight felt her breath catch in her throat.

Her friends, they were all there too.

She couldn’t help but sigh in relief when she saw them. Rather than being chained up and forced to walk with the soldiers, they all looked perfectly free, save for red metal bands with blue gems attached to their right forelegs. They were riding in a wagon being pulled by two of the enemy soldiers as the advancing army stopped a fair distance from Celestia’s shield.

Granted, none of them looked very pleased to be where they were, especially Rainbow Dash, who looked like she wanted to punch the cloaked figure, but Twilight was just glad to see them all unharmed. Hopefully they wouldn't do anything ras—

Rainbow leapt up and charged the cloaked figure, only for her leg band’s gem to start glowing, freezing her in midair a foot from her target. None of the soldiers even reacted to her move, and Rarity facehooved at the display. This must have happened before.

“I don’t think trying that the twenty-third time is going to change the outcome, my dear,” the cloaked figure said with a chuckle. The voice was deep and smooth, implying that he was a stallion, and yet something about it just made Twilight shiver slightly. There was something…familiar about his voice, something that made her feel vaguely warm. Something that made her feel…connected? Why? She didn’t have time to think before he spoke again. “Now I must speak with the princesses, so if you could please not interrupt, I would be very grateful.”

His horn lit with a bright orange light and he levitated the still-immobilized Dash back the the wagon. Once he let go, the magic band stopped glowing, yet the rest of the gang moved to hold Rainbow back before she could charge again.

Please let them keep Rainbow calm, Twilight thought. This was already stressful enough as it was.

“Now then,” the leader said, turning back towards the shield. His force had stopped about fifty feet away from it, but this did not seem to deter him. He stepped away his soldiers and approached the shield with a complete lack of concern for its power. “Allow me to introduce myself,” he said when he came to a stop twenty feet away.

There was a small flash as the figure teleported his cloak away and revealed…

T-That’s…He’s a…

Twilight’s jaw fell open in shock, and she could just barely feel Celestia’s wing tightening around her in protection. But Twilight was far too distracted by what she saw to care.

The leader wasn’t a unicorn.

He was an ALICORN!

The pony in front of them was the first male alicorn in, as far as Twilight knew, ALL OF HISTORY! He was a good head taller than Celestia, with an bright orange and red mane, a black coat, bright orange eyes, and a cutie mark of two hooves holding one another with the sun and moon shining above them. His horn was longer than Celestia’s and Luna’s, his wings were MASSIVE and looked incredibly strong, and his body looked very well toned. Everything you might expect from a BUCKING MALE ALICORN!

THUMP!

A loud noise from her friends’ cart caught Twilight’s attention and she turned to look at them, still keeping one eye on the male alicorn. Rarity had disappeared from view, and from Fluttershy’s worried expression, she knew that her friend had fainted. Not that Twilight blamed her. In reality, she was slightly relieved to see that she wasn’t the only one freaking out right now. Applejack and Pinkie shared a surprised and uncertain glance while Rainbow quickly got over her shock and glared even more intensely at the stallion as she reached over and grabbed Fluttershy protectively. Fluttershy looked torn between huddling under Rainbow’s wing or going down to check on Rarity.

“My name is Credence Sparrow, although I prefer Sparrow,” the alicorn said, his voice pulling Twilight’s attention away from her friends. “And I am the king of the island nation Delubrum. I have come to speak with you so that we may make a bargain.” His voice was clear and full of authority. And yet…there was something else in his voice. Something…uncertain? Twilight didn’t know.

“What is it that you want?” Luna said, stepping forward. The stallion looked at her for a moment before turning back to Celestia.

But he didn’t look at Twilight.

At all.

In fact, it almost looked as if he was avoiding eye contact with her.

“Before we speak, I must ask that you lower this barrier, or at least create a hole through we can speak unimpeded,” Sparrow said, his wings shifting slightly as he stared intently at Celestia. Twilight saw that though most of her feathers were black, the outermost ones were bright orange, giving his wing a defined, almost wicked-looking edge. “You have my word that my ponies will not enter the city or make any move towards you or yours.”

Celestia frowned as she stepped forward, nudging Twilight in a way that told her she should stay back. “And how can I trust anything you say?” she asked, her voice firm despite the fact that she actually had to look UP to meet Sparrow’s eyes. “You invade our land, conquer our ponies, and bring innocent mares into this conflict.” She nodded towards Twilight’s friends. “All of which occurred without the slightest provocation from us. Furthermore, seeing as we are talking just fine as it is, I see no logic behind lowering the shield.”

The alicorn…sighed? It wasn't an annoyed sighed, or even a tired sigh, but more of a…sad sigh?

But why would he be sad?

“You’re right, you can’t trust me yet, but I swear on my life that my ponies will not act unless yours do,” Sparrow said, “but I must insist that you lower this shield. Please, I want to have a civil discussion with the two of you, and while we can do that when separated as we are, it is not ideal.”

Celestia’s eyes narrowed. “No.”

“Then I am apologize for what must be done,” Sparrow said, and he lit his horn again. Celestia braced herself, while Luna lit her own horn in preparation. Twilight gulped. She waited, waited for the shield to begin shuddering, for the blast of magic to emanate from his horn.

One second…two seconds…thr—

“GAH!”

There was no flash of magic, not outpouring of force from the glowing horn of Sparrow’s, no indication that he had made any kind of move at all. But just like that, both Luna and Celestia fell to their knees as their magic gave out, their heads drooping and their manes flowing much more slowly as they gasped for air. The shield around the city disappearing quietly into nothing.

“Princess!” Twilight called out in shock, and she heard her friends and the many guards yell the same thing. She rushed forward as the royal soldiers all pulled out their weapons, pointing them at Sparrow. The male alicorn made no move, but his own guards drew their weapons as well and stepped closer to their king. Twilight’s friends looked ready to jump up, but their bands were glowing, keeping them all in place.

“What have you done!?” the captain of the Night Guard shouted, lifting his weapon higher so it pointed at the male alicorn’s horn. But Twilight moved before he could do anything, rushing to place herself between Sparrow and the princesses. She didn’t think there was much she could do — heck, maybe she couldn’t do ANYTHING — but she wasn’t about to let them be hurt any more without a fight.

“You need not worry for their safety,” Sparrow said, looking at the panting princesses and their young protector. “The spell simply drains them of their magic for a few minutes. They will be fine in a short while, I promise you that on my life.”

As his eyes met Twilight’s, she felt her breath catch in her throat. His eyes were hard, yet…incredibly sad. Twilight didn’t know how, or even why, but she knew, just KNEW, he had wanted to avoid this. That this was tearing him up on the inside. Her breathing sped up as she continued to look into his orange eyes.

Why? Why was she breathing so fast? Why did she know how he felt just by looking?

Why did this seem so familiar? Why did his sadness make her sad?

Suddenly, an arrow whizzed overhead right at Sparrow’s horn, but he plucked it from midair with his magic with barely a glance. The soldiers behind him tensed, their own weapons starting to glow with an orange light. Movement swam in the corners of Twilight’s eyes, causing Twilight to turn away from the opposing army. The royal guards were quickly moving to surround her and the other princesses, weapons high. Ready to fight. Ready to die to protect them.

Her breathing grew shallower and faster. The guards were going to fight, to fight a fight they couldn't win, a fight she KNEW they couldn’t win.

She couldn’t let them do it. She COULDN’T.

What do I do?

There was only one answer.

She had to stop this.

“WAIT!” she yelled, halting all the ponies in their tracks. “Please. Just…Just stand down.”

The words tasted bitter. Her head fell in defeat.

“Princess?” the Night Guard captain asked in shock.

“Stand down,” she repeated. “We…We can’t beat him. No pony needs to get hurt in a pointless fight. Just…Just stand down.” She was crying, but she didn’t care who saw. She didn’t know if it was because of looking into his sad, sad eyes or the fact that she knew she couldn’t do any more than her mentors could. She didn’t care. If they were going to lose anyway, at least she would be able to protect her ponies.

“T-Twilight,” Luna muttered between gasps for breath. She still couldn’t stand, but she wasn’t letting it stop her from trying. The guards all looked at one another before lowering their weapons. They didn’t like it, and Twilight didn’t either, but she knew there was no other way. Behind Sparrow, the opposing army lowered their own weapons. The orange glow surrounding them vanished.

“Thank you,” Sparrow said, a small genuine smile crossing his lips for the first time.

“What do you want?” Twilight asked grimly, keeping her wet eyes locked on the male alicorn. “You said you came to bargain, and that you wouldn't invade, so what are your demands?”

Why would he even bother to make demands at all when he could just take what he wanted? It’s not like they could stop him now.

“Right to the point, I see,” Sparrow said with a nod as he looked almost proud of her. “Very well, though I prefer to use the term ‘requirements’. The truth of the matter is that I have no interest in the cities and towns I now control. In truth, should you grant me what I desire, I will free all of them and return to my island with my army, no questions asked.”

“HUH!?” Twilight exclaimed, looking at Sparrow in shock. He had conquered pretty much all of Equestria in a single day, and now he was willing to give it all BACK!? For the second time that day, she was so surprised that she felt her jaw open in pure bafflement.

But wait, what if the thing he wanted was something horrible? What if he wanted the Elements of Harmony? Or the Crystal Heart? Or—

“Why?” Celestia asked, pulling Twilight from her spiraling thoughts. Turning around, Twilight saw that Celestia was still panting slightly, but had managed to sit up. “Why not take what you want? If you can disable me and my sister so easily, why did you not just take whatever it is you want? Why all this display?”

“You’re correct,” Sparrow said. “I could take what I want, true, but I would rather not do that. Despite what you may think, I am not a tyrant, and I would much rather give Twilight a choice, rather than just take from her.”

“Huh? Me!?” Twilight said, taking a step back in surprise, a step back away from him.

She didn’t like the sound of this…

“Yes, my dear,” Sparrow said, smiling sadly at her. “The thing I want is something only you can provide. And should you agree, I will release all of Equestria, your friends included, and leave Equestria in peace.”

Twilight’s breathing was picking up again. What could she POSSIBLY have that he could want!? Her castle? The elements? A rare book?

Please let it be a book. She could always get another one.

“W-What do you want f-from me?” she managed to stutter out, wishing she could look away from him.

“What I want,” Sparrow said, raising his foreleg, “is your hoof—” There was a flash, and a small black box appeared on his hood as he knelt down— “in marriage.”

The box opened, revealing a solid diamond ring.

It was the most unique ring Twilight had ever seen. It was made of a pure, flawless diamond and had a large variety of rare gems of all colors and shapes embedded in the outside edges, making it look as though a rainbow had settled inside the diamond itself.

Twilight couldn’t stop staring. She saw nothing, nothing but the ring and the stallion holding it. Her eyes shot from one to the other at blinding speeds, her breath catching in her throat as her mind tried to make sense of what he had just said. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t speak, she couldn’t act…

She…

She…

At some point, Twilight’s mind decided for itself that she needed a hard reset, and the world truly began to fade into oblivion. However, before she fell into unconsciousness completely, a single word escaped her, backed by the full force of the Royal Canterlot Voice…

347 miles away…

Discord was angry.

Not a playful, prank-inspiring angry, but well and truly pissed off.

Normally, this would be the grounds for evacuation of the nearest mile of land as Discord let his anger off, but he COULDN’T! All because of the source of his anger!

Why was he angry?

Well, let’s see…

It had been a perfectly calm day on the deserted island where he had chosen to take the week off. No chaos, no teasing poor Sparkle Butt, no bugging old Sun Butt, just him and the relaxing day on the island. He needed a vacation, especially after the Changeling incident. But then it had been spoiled by these STUPID PONIES in orange armor! They had appeared, and before Discord could react, he had found himself now floating an a magic bubble. One that rendered him completely HELPLESS! He couldn’t even make comics appear out of thin air to entertain himself! And the worst part was…

“Hey, Grind Stone?”

“Yeah, Simmer?”

“You ever wonder why we’re here?”

Oh dear COTTON CANDY were his two guards (if they could even be called that) ANNOYING! The random banter, the pointless complaining, the conversations that accomplished nothing productive, it was TORTURE!

And he couldn’t even poof his ears away so he could stop listening!

Someone PLEASE end him! Or at least TURN HIM BACK TO STONE!

ANYTHING WOULD BE BETTER THAN THIS!

“Please don’t tell me you’re getting all metaphorical on me again. You know I don’t do well with metaphors.”

“I think you mean ‘philosophical,’ and, no, I'm not. I mean, why are we still RIGHT HERE! The sergeant and Donut were supposed to be here to relieve us of guard duty almost an hour ago. What the heck are they doing?”

“Maybe enjoying this nice tropical island? Seriously, the first thing I do then they get here is going to be to take a nap under one of those palm trees.”

“I’m actually surprised you haven’t already. You never take things seriously.”

“Yeah, but the king said that under no circumstances were we allowed to let Discord out until he was done, and I don’t think the excuse ‘Buck it, I’m lazy’ is going to work this time.”

“When has that EVER worked?”

“More often than you would think…”

“Would you two just SHUT UP!” Discord yelled in frustration. “This is embarrassing enough with out you reminding me that I’m being held captive by a couple of morons!”

“How rude. Can’t you see that we’re trying to have a meaningful discussion over here?” Grind Stone said.

Discord’s eye began to twitch and he banged his head into the magic bubble, hoping that by some miracle he would either be let out, or that he would hit it so hard that he would fall unconscious. Either option seemed appealing right n—

“WHAT!?!?!?!?”

Discord and the annoying guards jumped as the loud exclamation of confusion echoed across the island. However, to Discord, that voice sounded very VERY familiar.

“Was that Twilight Sparkle?” he asked in confusion, his anger at the morons in front of him forgotten.

“My guess is yes,” Grind Stone smirked. Simmer groaned and pulled out a few gems and dropped them onto his partner’s outstretched hoof.

Apparently, they had made a bet.

Yet Discord couldn’t care less about that. Right now, he was far more concerned about what could have possibly caused Twilight Sparkle to shout so loudly.

Was there some new disaster going on? Was Fluttershy ok? Were the girls in trouble again?

And what did it have to do with dumb and dumber who were still guarding him?

Author's Note

Well...that escalated quickly...
I REALLY want to say more, but that might involve SPOILERS!!! So i'll just leave it at that. More shall come as soon as I can. So enjoy and let me know how I'm doing so far :twilightsmile:

Chapter 2: Is This a Deal, or Blackmail?

Celestia shook her head to clear it, or at least to try and make it stop ringing. After Sparrow had made his offer, one that had nearly made her faint, she had felt a spell surround her head.

And not a moment too soon, as Twilight screamed so loudly that Celestia was certain every window in Canterlot was now shattered.

Thankfully, the silencing spell had prevented her from going DEAF from the volume of The Royal Canterlot Voice. Unfortunately, it had not stopped the sheer FORCE of Twilight’s scream, which frankly felt like she had run face-first into a wall. Celestia, Luna, and all the guards on BOTH sides sprawled backwards like they’d been bowled over by a hurricane. The only one who stayed upright was Sparrow, but judging by the skid marks in front of his hooves, not even he was completely immune. At least the cart containing Twilight’s friends hadn’t been overturned…

Wait, TWILIGHT!

Ignoring the pain as best she could, Celestia frantically turned her attention back to Twilight. Said purple princess had collapsed where she stood, falling onto…a light blue pillow? Where had that come from?

Had Sparrow teleported it in? Were his reflexes so fast that he had been able to teleport it in, even as he weathered the force of Twilight’s shout? Or did he know Twilight was about to faint after he…

Sparrow…

Sparrow had PROPOSED!

He…he wanted Twilight AS HIS WIFE!

He invaded Equestria, took her and Luna down, captured and brought Twilight’s friends to Canterlot, all so he could PROPOSE TO TWILIGHT!?

That…This couldn’t be happening.

Please, someone, anyone tell me this was just a horrifying dream, she thought. Some prank by Discord, ANYTHING!

But no, she knew, she KNEW from the pain, both physical and mental, that this was real.

That just made it all the more horrifying.

Stumbling closer to her student, Celestia’s only source of relief was that Twilight was breathing evenly. The purple alicorn seemed to have merely fainted, and a quick scan with her horn confirmed that she was not suffering from magical exhaustion. She would be fine once she slept for a while, preferably in her room, in her bed…

Unless Sparrow intended to just take her!

No, no, that’s not true, she thought. It couldn’t be true. He had said he wanted her to make the choice, and if he was just going to take her, he would have grabbed her the moment she fell unconscious.

But that still did not ease the shock and pain Celestia felt in her chest.

He wanted her student, and she was powerless to stop him.

But maybe…

“I believe that is an understandable reaction,” Sparrow said, catching Celestia’s attention. He hadn’t moved— in fact, he was still standing in the ruts his hooves had made — but the sad, sad way he looked down at the youngest alicorn made him seem far too close for Celestia’s liking.

She had no words for him. There was nothing she could say to express the myriad of emotions swirling through her head. She settled for extending her wing over Twilight, blocking her from Sparrow's view. It felt like an empty, meaningless gesture.

Sparrow didn’t comment on her actions, instead turning towards the ring still levitating in his magic. Celestia found her gaze drawn to it as well, as though it was a magnet. The ring was beautiful, mesmerizing even, with the way it sparkled in the light…and yet she found it completely repulsive, if only for what it symbolized.

A way to bind Twilight to Sparrow.

A gilded shackle if ever there was one.

And yet…

There was something about looking at the ring that stirred some unknown emotion deep within Celestia’s chest. Something…warm? Safe?

But why?

The spell was broken as Sparrow took a deep breath and closed the ring case with an audible snap. With another quick flick of his horn, two clear glass orbs teleported next to his head. “Now, I realize that this is a very big decision for her to make, so I will give her seventy-two hours to give me an answer.” He sent one of the orbs over to Twilight’s friends. Celestia tensed as she watched it, wondering if it was about to burst when barely any of them were paying attention because Fluttershy and Rarity had fainted and Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were bending over them and—

The orb sailed into Applejack’s hoof and absolutely nothing happened.

Celestia was certain Sparrow was grinning at her when he pushed the other one towards her. “The orbs will allow her to communicate with her friends about this issue. Should she say yes, she must simply place the ring on her horn, then meet me here in three days.” He pushed the ring box towards her as well.

Celestia took the two objects, barely registering her action as she tried to think of a solution.

Three days.

Three days before Twilight…

No, no, that wasn’t…no, it would NEVER be enough time. Twilight shouldn’t be forced to make such a choice. She shouldn’t be the one to surrender herself.

Celestia had to do something, ANYTHING. Maybe…Maybe Sparrow might take her in Twilight’s place! Twilight would still be devastated, but at least then she would still have her family and friend to comfort her! And Luna! Luna would still be here to move the sun in her place, and to offer Twilight the comfort that she could not!

She opened her mouth as the stallion began to turn away, but he cut her off.

“I know what you are going to say, Celestia, and the answer is no,” he said. “Twilight is the only one who can accept my deal. Neither you nor Luna nor Cadence can take her place, nor can anypony else. I’m sorry.”

And with that, he and his recovered forces turned away completely, heading back down the mountain path.

Celestia stood there, watching them disappear from view as her hope crumbled into dust.

Even when trapped in Tartarus, even when bested by the Changelings, even when she had been unable to save her sister from Nightmare Moon, she had never felt this powerless.

She was here, with all her magic, all her knowledge an experience, and yet…there was nothing she could do. No way to stop this male alicorn and protect her student.

Celestia had never felt so numb.

She felt Luna come to her side, her dark feathers gently brushing against Celestia’s in a attempted gesture of comfort. But she didn’t say a word, and Celestia could feel her sister’s wing quivering with suppressed emotions and knew that Luna felt just as trapped and helpless as she did.

Somehow, that made Celestia feel worse.

But there was nothing else they could do here, so Celestia retracted her wing from Twilight and used her recovered magic to levitate both her and the pillow she slept on into the air. Sparrow’s gifts, if they could even be called that, floated behind her and she, Luna, and their guards made there way back into the city.

As they walked, Celestia mutely observed the city. As she had suspected, the windows of almost every building had been shattered by the force of Twilight’s scream, and already ponies were beginning to clean up. As they passed, the citizens of Canterlot looked up at the passing Princesses, looks of confusion on their faces and a faint sense of hope in their eyes. But Celestia had nothing to say that could ease their concerns or reinforce that hope. She could not give them her ever-present smile, or any sort of sign that things would be ok. For the first time in years, she had no plan, no way out, no strategy to help them escape, and no way to pretend she did.

She had failed them, and there was nothing she could do to hide that fact.

After a long and quiet march, they arrived at Canterlot Castle. The moment they walked through the doors, Celestia turned towards Twilight’s room. She heard the guards disperse behind her and Luna, but did not give any indication that she noticed. Relying purely on muscle memory, Celestia let her mind swirl in circles as she walked down the halls. She had to do something, think of something. But no matter how many times she let her mind rerun the facts, no new solution came to mind.

It was only a brush of Luna’s feathers that brought her back and made her realize that they had arrived at their destination. Nodding in thanks, Celestia opened the door and entered her student’s room.

It was exactly the same as it had been this morning, despite the fact that the world had now changed in a horrible, horrible way. The bed was unmade, a reminder that Twilight had just slept there the previous night. The desk was covered in books and papers, all relating to the budget rewrite that had meant everything a few days ago but were now entirely pointless. The door to the balcony was open, reminding Celestia of how much Twilight loved to watch her sunrises and sunsets.

Celestia felt her breathing hitch as a terrible realization crossed her mind. Would Twilight ever get to see a Canterlot sunrise or sunset again? Would the two of them ever be able to just sit out on the balcony and watch as the sun rose over the horizon, casting Canterlot in a golden glow?

Shaking her head and trying to stop her thoughts from spiraling out of control, Celestia levitated her sleeping student off the blue pillow and onto the bed, her magic wavering as the emotions swirled through her mind. As she gently pulled up the covers and tucked them around Twilight, making the purple alicorn as comfortable as possible, she couldn’t help but fight back a sob.

How many time had she done this? There had been so many nights when a young Twilight had fallen asleep in the library, and Celestia had carried her back to her room, not that she had minded. In fact, she had loved it. She loved the feeling of her young pupil nuzzling into her fur, sighing contently, as though simply being in Celestia’s hold meant everything would be fine.

So much had changed since then, and yet here she was, tucking her student into bed after a long, long day.

Only…would she ever get this chance again?

After three days, would she ever even get to SEE her again?

Celestia cried.

The Princess of the Sun, a pony who gave light to the life of so many others, who had waited a thousand years to see her sister again, who had taught and helped raise Twilight into the princess she had become and was practically her second mother, cried.

This situation, it was just too much. Even in the midst of all her defeats, there had always been hope of a solution, the blind trust that someone or something would come and give her the chance to make up for her mistakes or weakness.

But there was none of that now.

Even as she stared at her student, the one pony who had always filled her with hope, she could find none within herself.

She felt Luna hug her, felt Luna’s tears running down her cheeks and how they soaked into her white fur. Celestia grabbed her sister with her wings, wanting nothing more than to hold her close. Together, the two princesses sat and cried over the bed of the youngest alicorn, hoping that somehow, someway, things would turn out ok.

At Sparrow’s camp, one hour later…

“LET ME PUNCH YOU, YOU JERK!” Rainbow yelled, struggling in midair as the magic band around her leg held her immobile. She had tried — and failed — to sock Sparrow in the jaw at least fifteen times since the large alicorn had announced his ultimatum. And she gave no inclination that she would be stopping any time soon.

Applejack shook her head. She knew trying to hit the alicorn would not only be futile, but probably wouldn't do anything anyway considering how strong he was.

Granted, she ALSO wanted to buck him upside the head — multiple times, while wearing metal horse shoes — but she knew she wouldn't be able to get close enough to do so. And given how long Rainbow had spent tugging on her band, Applejack knew the darn thing wouldn't be coming off until their captor said so.

Heck, even PINKIE couldn’t worm her way out of it when Applejack had asked her to try, and it was PINKIE!

“I'll pass, if it’s all the same to you,” Sparrow said, his face warmly amused as he floated Rainbow back over to where the rest of the girls were sitting. They had been set up right in the center of camp with two guards posted at the entrance all day and night, just in case they didn’t know they were still prisoners…and yet they’d also been given a surprisingly large and comfortable tent.

This alicorn was downright weird.

Not even Pinkie weird, just…weird.

He had remained close to their wagon as they returned to the camp, and had just finished escorting them personally back to their tent when Rarity and Fluttershy had woken up. Rarity being Rarity, she’d been so shocked to hear that the whole proposal wasn’t some horrible dream that she had fainted AGAIN! But before any of them could react, Sparrow had teleported a bed right next to her so she could fall onto it. No surprise, no confusion, barely a change in expression. It was like dramatic fainting unicorns happened all the time around him.

Applejack was a little happy to see the jerk had at least some decency to help Rarity, but she could not figure out why he had a freaking BED of all things ready to go at a moment’s notice.

But what confused her the most of all about this alicorn was just his…behavior in general. His soldiers all slept in sleeping bags or on mats, but the tent allotted to her and her friends was big enough to hold full beds for all of them. And a bathroom. And a set of closets. And even a KITCHEN!

Why in the HAY would they need a KITCHEN!? Bonfires were perfectly fine, and it wasn’t like Pinkie would be baking a cake anytime soon.

Truth be told, she was actually a bit worried about Pinkie. The party pony had barely said a word the entire trip, and that was worrying given how Pinkie was usually the one to stay the most positive even in the most stressful of situations.

Then again, not many situations were as stressful as this one. Pinkie had been silent and her mane had remained deflated for the entire trip, Fluttershy had been a nervous wreck for a good portion of the trip given all the armed soldiers surrounding them, Rainbow had been anxious with being unable to fly, Rarity had been worried about Ponyville and her sister, and Applejack had just been plain homesick.

And all of this even BEFORE Sparrow’s stupid proposal.

THAT had just added more stress to the already stressful situation. Now Rarity had passed out twice, Rainbow was mad as Tartarus and refused to give up on attacking Sparrow, Fluttershy had become hysterical until Pinkie had pulled into a tight hug and refused to let go, and Applejack felt as though the world itself had gone MAD!

She had been certain that Twilight was safe in Canterlot before the proposal, but now Applejack was worried about her more than she had ever been before. Not only was she the target of this weird alicorn’s…affections or whatnot, but she only had three days to make a choice that would change her entire life. Not to mention the fact that she keeled over after trying to blow out the eardrums of every pony within fifty miles of Canterlot. Even Celestia had looked worried about her.

What’s worse was that Applejack and the others were never even given a chance to see if Twilight was ok before they were carted off once again. Heck, she was personally still recovering from Twilight’s shout even after they had lost sight of the her and the princesses. Even Rainbow had to take a good fifteen minutes to recover before she could begin trying to attack Sparrow in earnest.

Though at least Celestia would be able to get Twilight medical attention if she was in trouble. But Applejack and the girls wouldn’t be there to comfort her when she woke up which, while not the worst thing Sparrow could have done, was still pretty rage inducing.

Sure, they could talk through that orb-thing, but that wasn’t the same as being able to hug her and reassure her in person.

“YOU’LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH THIS!” Rainbow yelled, pulling Applejack out of her thoughts. The pegasus tried to fly again, but her band glowed and pinned her wings down. Undeterred, she charged for the alicorn, but froze entirely before she’d taken five steps.

An exhausted sigh escaping Sparrow's lips. “I’ve read that line in so many books that I know for a fact that it’s extremely cliche. In fact, I’m half temped to say ‘you’re right’ just to avoid another cliche. Unfortunately, you’re not.”

‘Unfortunately?’ Why would it be unfortunate that he WOULD get away with marrying Twi? Either he DID or he DIDN’T want her to marry him. It couldn’t be both.

“Twilight’ll never take your deal!”

“Yes, she will. You know that, I know that, and she knows that. She will stress and bargain with the universe, something I wish I could prevent, but my deal is the only path forward. If she says no, then we’ll be at an impasse.”

“So we’re just gonna be stuck here with y'all until she agrees ta marry you?” Applejack asked, glaring at the alicorn. It was bad enough that he was hurting Twilight, regardless of whether or not he sincerely wanted to prevent that, but the idea of being held here away from her family for only he knows how long was an infuriating prospect.

But to her surprise, he actually shook his head.

“No. I understand you all have lives to get back to, so no matter what, you’ll be on your way back to Ponyville once the three days are up. The only difference will be whether or not my soldiers and I will still be in Equestria by that point.”

“Um, Mister Sparrow, sir?” Fluttershy asked from within the tight hold of the still-silent Pinkie.

“Just Sparrow please,” he said, his face softening as he turned to look at the pegasus.

“Oh, um, all right, then…Sparrow?” Fluttershy corrected. “W-Why are you going through all of, well, this…” — she waved her hoof in at the busy camp — “j-just for Twilight? Y-You seem nice, when you’re not being scary…or mean,”

He does? Really, Fluttershy? Applejack thought, her face changing into a deadpan. He may not be abusing or mistreating them, but he DID still virtually ponynap them and drag them to Canterlot against their will. And that’s not even MENTIONING his proposal to Twilight! She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. Only Fluttershy could still see some good in him even after his proposal. Only Fluttershy…

“…and Twilight is very understanding. If you just talked to her…”

“I am doing this because I need to,” Sparrow answered quietly. “I need to take Twilight with me when I return home, and rather than force her to come against her will, I am giving her a choice.”

His voice seemed…off…to Applejack. She had spent years learning how to spot lies, and while he wasn’t lying per se, there was something he wasn’t saying.

Something very, very important.

“Some CHOICE!” Rainbow shouted. “You JUST said that she either goes with you, or she stays trapped in Canterlot with all of us stuck under your hooves!”

“And would you rather I kidnap her in the middle of the night, leaving all of you with no knowledge of her fate?” he asked, and his voice went as hard as steel until he was almost yelling. But there was something else there. Something else Applejack couldn’t quite put her hoof on. “Or drag her away kicking and screaming to my ‘evil island’?”

Sadness.

Of course. Now that she recognized it, Applejack could see it plain as day, threatening to burst into the open if his firm, in-control manner wavered.

She had used to talk in the exact same manner after she had lost her parents, using a hard or sometimes even enraged tone to try and cover her own pain. And that meant that Sparrow must still be in the middle of morning somepony he had lost. Is that why he went through such trouble to avoid casualties, and why he made sure to reassure all of Ponyville that no one had been killed? Because he knew the pain of losing someone close to him?

But what did that have to do with Twilight?

“Or would you rather have the ability to speak with her now and once she chooses to come with me?” the alicorn continued, causing Applejack’s thoughts to grind to a halt.

“Wait, y'all are gonna let us talk to her AFTER she accepts your…deal?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew he was going to let them talk while Twilight was still in Canterlot, but she was genuinely surprised that he would let them do so if Twilight left with this mad pony.

Something just didn’t make sense about all of this.

“Through the orb I gave you, but yes. Cutting off her communication with her friends and family would be both cruel and very unnecessary.”

Applejack’s eyebrow raised further. What the heck was this stallion playing at?

“You don’t want this, do you?” Pinkie asked, her voice soft.

All eyes immediately shot towards Pinkie. It had been the first time she’d spoken since they had left the camp earlier that morning. She still looked sad, maybe even on the verge of tears, but now she looked extremely tired as well. In fact, it almost looked as though she had…given up.

Was it possible to feel any more hopeless in this situation? Because Pinkie’s tone and look were doing a pretty good job of robbing Applejack of what little hope she had left…

“You don’t like this at all. You hate using your soldiers to do this, and you hate having to drag us into this. But you care for Twilight.”

Sparrow chuckled, but it was heavy and sad as he turned to face Pinkie. “What gave that away, my dear?”

“Your smile.” Pinkie said matter-of-factly. “Your smiles are fake around us, around your troops…so long as you’re near us, they’ve been fake all the time. They’re like masks, nice looking, but just a cover…but when Twilight told everypony to stand down, when you thanked her for stopping the conflict, you had a REAL smile. She’s the only pony to make you smile.”

Sparrow was silent for a time, breaking eye contact with the girls as his body seemed to slump. To Applejack, it looked as though Pinkie's words had brought back some very, VERY painful memories, so much so that it was perhaps overloading him to the point where he became…numb. She knew that feeling all too well, even after all these years.

So there’s a reasonably good chance that he’s lost somepony close to him, and now he’s come to Equestria to try and take Twilight as his wife. Could Twilight just be a replacement for whoever he lost? Applejack thought, before shaking her head. No. Something about that idea just seems…off. If Pinkie’s right, and he hates what he’s doing, why do it at all? And why go about it like this? Fluttershy was right in that it would make a whole heck of a lot more sense if he just talked to Twilight.

Something tells me I’m missing too many facts to try and understand this pony…

“I suppose you’re right,” Sparrow said at last, pulling Applejack from her thoughts.

He took a deep breath and forced his body into a more tense, upright posture, but Applejack could see him wavering. “You are free to wander the camp at your leisure, but you must not interfere with any activities of the soldiers, or attempt to procure any of our weapons for yourself. If you need anything brought to the tent, just ask the soldiers I have positioned here. Do not attempt to leave the camp, do not attempt to attack my ponies, and do not attempt to attack ME,” he added, looking at the still mostly frozen Rainbow Dash. “Have a good day.”

Uh…what?

Did he REALLY just say that?

Applejack shot a quick glance towards her friends and she wasn’t the only one who seemed to be thinking ‘Is he for real?’

As Sparrow turned and left, the band on Rainbow’s leg stopped glowing, granting her full movement once again. Her enraged expression said she wanted more than to go after the retreating alicorn again, but instead she just growled and went towards her own bed. Apparently, even she realized that it was pointless.

Applejack sighed and looked around at her friends again. Fluttershy was still with Pinkie on Pinkie’s bed, though she looked as though she wanted to try and comfort Rainbow but didn’t know how. Pinkie still looked sad and distant, while Rarity was still passed out on her own bed. All of them just looked so defeated.

It hurt. They were her friends, and at times like this she would normally say something that might cheer them up. Or at least something that could give them hope.

But she couldn’t think of anything. For once, she felt like there was no light at the end of this tunnel.

Later that day, in Canterlot Castle…

Twilight groaned and coughed as she woke up. Ugh, her throat felt like it had danced with sand paper, and her mouth was as dry as a desert. Opening one eye, she spotted a large glass of water on her bedside table. All for her. Lighting her horn took a few tries, especially given how her head was spinning, but eventually she managed to get the glass into grabbing distance. Taking it into her hooves, she greedily began to chug the water.

Oh, sweet relief… she thought as she gulped down the last of the water and belching loudly. She didn’t care if anyone heard it. She was just glad her throat felt better. Plus, it made her laugh a bit when she realized that it probably would have even impressed Applejack, five time champion of the Apple Family Burp Off. Yes, that was a THING. A very strange thing, but STILL A THING.

Still chuckling, Twilight levitated the water back to her nightstand before blinking in realization. That was her nightstand, in her room, and she was in her bed mostly covered in her sheets.

Why was Twilight in her room again?

She distinctly remembered leaving this morning, so why was she back in bed?

A sparkling rainbow suddenly caught her eye and she turned towards her window.

What she saw made her heart nearly stop as the memories came flooding back.

Sparrow’s ring, the one made of solid diamond, was sitting on her other bedside table.

Twilight felt herself beginning to hyperventilate. Sparrow, the conquerer of Equestria and first male alicorn in recorded history wanted her, HER, to MARRY HIM!

In exchange for ALL OF EQUESTRIA!

It, she, that, WAT!!!

No…NononononononoNONONONO! This can’t be real! PLEASE! PLEASE TELL ME THIS ISN’T REAL! I-I-IT’S JUST A B-BAD DREAM OROROROROR—

Twilight backed away from the ring like it was a snake poised to strike. I, I can’t, this couldn’t, how, why, whaAAAAA!

Thump!

She had backed up so much she had run out of bed, and her body apparently decided that if she was going down, she was taking the sheets with her.

Wrapped in a ball of cloth on the hard floor, Twilight slumped as her mind tried to make sense of it all. Sparrow wanted HER, and he had all of Equestria under his power as a bargaining chip to try and get her to comply.

She…She…She was helpless.

EQUESTRIA was helpless, and now she would either have to give up EVERYTHING to get things back to the way they were, or she would have to sacrifice ALL OF EQUESTRIA for her own freedom! Which meant that she wouldn't be around to help everything go back to normal, or that things would never go back to normal at all!

He had said he would leave in peace, and chances are…

She had to go with him.

Twilight burst into tears.

She didn’t try to untangle herself, or even try to stand. She didn’t race down the hall to try and find her mentor, or run to the library to try and build a book fort so she could hide from reality. She just curled up in her little fabric prison and cried. There were no solutions here, no ways out. Her friends were captured, she was stuck in this city, and no pony was coming to the rescue.

There was no way out, and no hope of escape, not this time.

And it HURT.

Twilight didn’t know how long she cried, only that at some point, the sheets began to move on their own, parting to reveal the sad face of her mentor. Twilight had seen Celestia sad in the past, but this was one of the very rare time when she could tell the older alicorn had been crying too.

The two ponies embraced one another, Celestia wrapping her young student in her wings and hooves, just like she always had when Twilight was young. But even the warmth and gentle squeezing of the wings was not enough to fight off the cold hard reality of what was happening.

This could be the last hug she ever got from Celestia.

Twilight felt a sharp pain in her heart.

She shuddered, and Celestia squeezed her tighter, tucking her head on top of Twilight’s as though she could hide her from Sparrow with her own body.

Twilight could feel the other alicorn shaking with suppressed sobs.

She hadn’t had a moment to think about this. What must her friends and mentor be going through?

Oh Luna, what would she tell her PARENTS? Or Shining and Cadence and Spike and Starlight and and and—

It…It was just too much. She pushed those thoughts to the side, trying to bury as far into the soft feathers as she could. It actually made her feel a little bit better.

“I’m sorry, Twilight,” Celestia whispered, her own tears falling onto her student’s back and tail. “I’m so sorry. I-I’ve failed you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Twilight said, sniffling. “You did everything you could. H-He’s just…just…”

“Stronger? Better? A more worthy leader?”

“No!” Twilight shouted, backing up enough to look her startled teacher in the eyes. “Don’t you ever say that! You and Luna led Equestria to peace for more than a thousand years! Even if he might have more powerful magic, or some trick up his sleeve he used to stun you, you’re still better than him! You taught me, helped me become an alicorn, helped me meet the most important ponies in my life…You give everypony in Equestria hope, and even if things are bad right now…they still trust you…and I do too.”

She buried her face into her mentor’s chest again. There was a silence, before Celestia let out a sad chuckle.

“You, my dear Twilight, have given me hope from the moment I first met you,” she said softly, hugging the younger alicorn tighter. “Hope for Luna, hope for the future…hope for so many things. Even listening to you now makes me hope things will turn out all right. No matter how hopeless I may feel right now.” She nuzzled the top of Twilight’s head while the smaller alicorn blushed at the praise.

They sat like that for a while, pushing the problems of the world off to the side for a little while longer. But alas, it was eventually time to start discussing what to do, even if Twilight didn’t like it.

“Celestia,” Twilight began, somewhat embarrassedly, not moving from her position in her mentor’s lap. “What happened, after I…passed out?”

Celestia sighed heavily, but spoke with a calm and even voice.

“Well, first you shouted in the Royal Canterlot Voice so loudly that you ended up smashing all the windows in Canterlot,” she began, smiling ever so slightly at Twilight’s embarrassed laughter. “Then, Sparrow said he would give you three days to make a decision. He also gave us the…ring, and an orb he said would let you talk to your friends. I put the orb on your desk, and the ring…well, I couldn’t move it out of the room without you coming with me, so I assume it is enchanted to stay with you.”

“Of course it is,” Twilight sighed, closing her eyes. “Three days…That’s…not a lot of time.”

“No,” Celestia agreed. “But I promise my sister and I will be here should you need us. Or if you simply want to talk.”

“Thank you.” The two lapsed into silence for a time, this one not as pleasant as before, but still nice. However, Twilight quickly realized that she had to speak to her friends. If she had taken the news so badly, she could only imagine how worried all of them must be about her.

Plus, talking with them always helped her feel better, especially at times like this.

Lighting her horn, she felt around with her magic until she found the glass orb. She could tell the alicorn had made it. It had the same traces of magic she had felt when his soldiers weapons had started to glow. As she levitated it over, Celestia spoke again.

“Would you like to talk to them alone?” she asked. Twilight shook her head.

“I don’t mind you being here with me. They’re you’re friends too.”

“I suppose they are, all because of you, my dear,” Celestia smiled as Twilight blushed again. Shaking her head to try and clear it, she reached out with her magic and focused on the orb, and that was all it took before the glass started to light it and images started to swirl inside it.

The orb was apparently sitting just behind Rainbow Dash, because when the colors settled, there was a rainbow tail filling the orb. Before Twilight could speak, she heard Pinkie’s voice.

“Maybe we should try calling Twilight with the orb thingy?”

Rainbow snorted.

“Not to be mean or anything, but she probably pulled a Rarity and fainted again once she woke up.”

“HEY!” Twilight yelled, and she heard Rarity yell the same thing through the glass.

Rainbow jumped with a ‘YIPE’ and fell to the floor with a thump, showing Twilight an empty bed and a faint trace of purple along the edges.

“Oops, sorry, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight apologized, and then glared at the orb. “And for your information, I am NOT as bad as Rarity. No offense,” she added, tilting her head to see if Rarity would come into view.

“None taken, darling,” her friend’s voice said. The orb’s image was covered in the light blue of Rarity’s magic and blurred until it settled on the unicorn’s saddened but relieved face. Her mane was a bit messy, but there were no mascara stains, so it looked like she hadn’t been crying. Small victories, at least. “And I must say that I am glad to see you. Are you all right? The others filled me in on what happened, and…well…”

“I’ll…get back to you on that…” Twilight sighed in exhaustion. “I just woke up and am…still working through things. I’m still pretty concerned about all of you. Are you ok? Did Sparrow or anypony else hurt you? What’s—”

“Now, now, one question at a time,” Rarity soothed. “Despite the circumstances, all of us are perfectly fine. Well, aside from a slight bump on my head from when I fainted, but I think we can all agree that it was justified given the situation.”

“But what about THREE times?” Rainbow asked. The image in the orb zoomed out and showed a smirking Rainbow walking into view as Rarity glared at her. “Hey, YOU’RE the one that fainted. And that jerk didn’t even propose to you!”

“Rainbow…” Applejack said warningly, stepping into the view from the left side while Fluttershy and Pinkie entered from the right. She nodded towards Twilight, which made the rainbow pony redden.

“I, uh,” Rainbow said sheepishly, but Twilight shook her head.

“It’s ok, Rainbow. Trying to avoid his…deal…won’t do any good, but can we maybe talk about that later?”

“Sure, Twi,” she said. “Whatever you want.”

“Thank you,” Twilight sighed. She was about to speak again but Rainbow interrupted her.

“Oh, and uh, hey Princess Celestia.”

“Hello, Rainbow Dash, and everypony else,” Celestia said warmly, smiling at the ponies in the orb. The five mares nodded in greeting, grinning as well. “I am glad to see you are all unharmed. And I am sure Twilight is as well.”

“That’s a bit of an understatement, don’t you think, princess?” Twilight asked, smiling as Celestia stuck her tongue out. Something about her mentor being playful even at a time like this did wonders to calm her nerves.

“Now what I really want to know is how all of you are doing,” she said as she turned her attention back to Rarity and the others. “When I heard he had taken you prisoner, I nearly had a panic attack, even with the reports. I know Rarity said you were all ok, but…?”

“We’re all fine, sugercube. Well, as fine as we CAN be, given the situation,” Applejack said. “Despite Sparrow needing to be taught what a deal is, he’s, admittedly, been rather kind to us.”

“Yeah, it’s weird,” Rainbow said. “Besides the stupid bands—” She pulled on the offending piece of metal as though for emphasis — “he hasn’t actually done anything to us. He let us ride all the way up here in that wagon, gave us an, admittedly, cool tent—” She gestured to her surroundings, although Twilight couldn’t actually see any of it — “and gave us everything we need. He won’t let me go FLYING, but that’s about it.”

“Maybe because you keep tryin’ ta punch him?” Applejack asked with a raised eyebrow. “But she’s right. He’s done squat to us other than bring us with him after he took Ponyville.”

“How did he take Ponyville?” Celestia asked. “Our reports say most of his forces joined up with him on the way up the mountain. What happened before they arrived?”

“Well…” Applejack began.

Two days ago…

Applejack wasn’t sure if she should be worried or just annoyed. Applebucking season was just a week away, which meant she had plenty of chores she needed to do in order to prepare. She had woken up at the crack of dawn as usual and had looked out her window to gaze at her orchard.

The only problem was, said orchard was not cast in the light of the sun, but cast in the light of a huge orange barrier currently covering the sky.

Apparently it was gonna be one of THOSE days.

Though given how it WAS Tuesday, she didn’t feel as surprised as she probably should have been.

Seriously. Why is Equestria always in danger WHEN I AM SO GOSH DARN BUSY!? This would have been FINE three weeks ago, but ENOPE! It HAD to be TODAY!

Quickly dashing out of her bedroom, Applejack woke the rest of the apple family before making for the front door. However, she had barely stepped out of the house when a deep, echoing voice sounded across their orchard.

“Attention, Ponyville, attention.” Its tone was calm and collected, even pleasant. “As some of you have seen, or are currently seeing as I wake you up — sorry about that, by the way — Ponyville is currently being held under a shield of my creation. Fear not, this is only temporary and will disappear within the next day or two, should everything go according to plan. However, I must now ask that all Ponyville residents report to the town hall for a meeting. We have attendance sheets that we have taken from the town hall, so we will know if anyone does not attend.

“Along the way, you will notice my ponies in orange and blue armor. Please do not antagonize or attack them. They are simply here to keep order, and will not bother you should you leave them be. I will not lie that these next few days may be a bit stressful, but I promise you that everything will return to normal by this time next week…mostly. But for now, please make your way to the town hall. Yes, that includes you, Rainbow Dash. Don’t think I can’t see you hitting my shield. You leave a rainbow trail after every impact. Please don’t hurt yourself and come to the meeting. It will make things easier for everypony.”

Applejack blinked.

That was…weird. Normally, creatures that try to take over Ponyville don’t sound so polite. Or hold town meetings.

Then again, that politeness could just be a front. It was always harder for her to determine if somepony was lying if she couldn’t see their face, and judging their genuineness was even harder.

But that wasn't really important right now. Whoever that was clearly knew who Rainbow Dash was, which likely meant that they had done their research on both her and the rest of her friends. And if that was the case, she needed to go and find the girls in case that creep tried anything. She wasn't sure if she could do much — if his claim about the shield was true, they probably would need Twilight’s fancy magic to help — but that didn’t mean she couldn't go and support her friends.

“Looks like we’ve got a town meetin’ to attend,” Applejack said as her family emerged from the farm house. Big Mac looked wide awake and gave her a nod in confirmation, his face not betraying any emotions. Applebloom was riding on his back, practically asleep, while Granny Smith was trailing up the rear and was muttering something about pears.

Applejack smiled at her family before turning towards Ponyville.

Together, the Apple Family began the trek into Ponyville. Applejack wondered what they would see when they got to town. A mass panic? Everypony marching into the town square with their heads held low? Was anypony trying to flee?

She just hoped that everypony was still ok, especially the rest of the girls.

At least Twilight would be ok, given how she was in Canterlot. It was highly unlikely anything would try and attack there with three princesses defending it, especially now that the Changelings had been reformed.

Eventually, the thatched roofs of Ponyville came into view and they could see what the voice was talking about. Along the side of the road were mares and stallions in orange armor with light blue highlights. They stood tall and proud, but unlike the guards of Canterlot, they seemed far more relaxed. These soldiers didn't stare at them with stony, emotionless expressions, or follow them with their eyes. Their expressions looked calmer, warmer, and even perhaps a bit encouraging.

Perhaps the biggest surprise was that as they approached, Applebloom nervously made eye contact one of the soldiers and received a smile and wave in response. And this wasn’t patronizing as far as Applejack could tell. He genuinely looked concerned about Applebloom’s fear and looked as though he was trying to at least mitigate it. It was unexpected, to say the least.

They’re still dangerous though, Applejack thought, eyeing the sword the soldier was carrying on her back. Kinda hard to say ‘we come in peace’ when yer carrying weapons around. Though I don’t see any ponies with their weapons drawn, so that’s something…Let’s just hope it stays that way.

At the center of town, a large group of ponies had already crowded in front of the town hall, waiting nervously. The Apple Family gave their names to one of the soldiers holding a list and stopped near the back, where there was a little more room. Applejack took a quick moment to look around. Pegasi sat on clouds or hovered in the air above them, close enough that they’d be able to see and hear what happened next. There were more of the orange and blue soldiers here too, surrounding the crowd and circling the skies. As the last of the Ponyville citizens trickled in, the guards seemed to close ranks, creating a barrier of their own.

While that was definitely unsettling, Applejack noticed that they still stood a good distance away and kept their weapons in their holsters. So unnerving, but not yet threatening. At least she was in between them and the rest of the town’s ponies should things get outta hoof.

There was no sign of anyone who seemed to be the soldiers’ leader, and despite her best efforts, Applejack couldn’t see any of her friends due to the size of the crowd. Even Rainbow, who frankly stood out like a bruised apple, was nowhere to be found, assuming she was there at all. Applejack REALLY hoped she wasn’t still trying to break through the shield. Not only was she liable to royally piss off the one in charge of this whole mess, but she could really hurt herself too.

Applejack wasn’t a magic expert by any means, but if somepony or other creature was strong enough to create a shield around all of Ponyville, then chances are that said shield would probably be harder than rock. Rainbow might be hard-headed, given how often she crashed into Applejack’s apple trees, but even she had her limits.

Plus, Applejack was sure that Rainbow wouldn’t be able to break it, no matter how little she cared about her own safety. The pegasus was strong, but not THAT strong. However, before Applejack could think more on her friend, the doors to Ponyville town hall opened.

Out stepped what had to be the largest pony Applejack had ever seen. They was HUGE, even taller than Princess Celestia! Applejack gulp slightly in fear. She had never seen any creature, pony or otherwise, come close to Celestia’s height without having the power to match their size.

The leader was a unicorn with a long black horn, but the rest of their body was concealed under a large purple cloak with a hood that made them look almost regal yet no less intimidating. As they walked, all the soldiers around the town hall saluted. Their leader returned the gesture and gave them a short nod, at which point the soldiers fell back to their previous positions around the town’s paths.

The unicorn stopped at the top of the stairs and looked around at the surrounding ponies. As their eyes passed over Applejack and her family, she could see that they were a bright orange. But there was something about them that made her shiver as his gaze lingered on her for a second before moving on. Not from fear, exactly, but from…something she couldn’t identify.

But before she could try and figure it out, they started to speak in the same deep, calm voice that had carried across the town.

“I believe introductions are in order, seeing as everypony save for Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo and Pinkie have arrived.” the pony said. The deep voice told Applejack that the leader was a stallion.

Dang it, Dash! You had better not have gotten Scootaloo and Pinkie wrapped up in whatever crazy scheme you’ve thought up this time! Applejack thought. ESPECIALLY if you’ve gotten Scootaloo mixed up in all this. Celestia knows that filly looks for trouble enough without you encouraging her.

“My name is Credence Sparrow, and right now, my soldiers have taken control of every city and town in Equestria save for Canterlot and the Crystal Empire.”

Applejack couldn’t stop herself from gasping, and she wasn’t the only one. It sounded as though a sharp breeze suddenly blew through the crowd.

If this stallion was telling the truth, then he had taken control of almost all of Equestria in only a single night.

That…that couldn't be true, could it!?

Applejack didn’t know, because for once in her life, she had absolutely NO IDEA if this stallion was lying or not! There was just…something about the way he spoke. His words SOUNDED true, but Applejack had always felt this sensation when somepony spoke to her, some gut feeling that told her if what she was hearing was true or false. But for this pony, that instinct was just…absent.

That, somehow, was even more terrifying then the idea of Equestria may have been conquered.

Applejack felt Applebloom press up against her leg, shivering slightly. She must have slipped off of Big Mac’s back to be closer to her. Looking down, Applejack could see the utter terror in Applebloom's eyes. She clamped down on her own fear and buried it inside for the time being. She wrapped a leg around her little sister and squeezed her gently in comfort as the stallion continued to speak.

“However, you needn’t fear for your fellow ponies. I specifically ordered my ponies to avoid any casualties on either side, and I have received reports that they were successful in that front. I will not put anypony through the pain of losing somepony you love, not if I can help it. There were a few bumps and bruises, but nothing serious or permanent. I promise.”

While his words did cause Applejack to relax slightly, it also brought up a new worry in her mind. Even if he didn’t want anyone to be killed, what if that was just so he could use the ponies of Equestria for his own purposes? Queen Chrysalis didn’t want to kill anypony, but that was just so she could imprison them and steal their love.

Plus, he DID still conquer them. The murmuring of the crowd told her she wasn’t the only one feeling unsettled.

“Now I am sure you all have questions,” Sparrow continued. “First of which, how does this affect YOU?

“In truth, not much. I have no plans to take anything from you, or to demand anything from you in particular. The only major change will be that for the next few days, no pony is allowed to try and leave Ponyville. As much as I would prefer to avoid doing so, I am afraid that I do not have the numbers, nor the resources, to keep track of every pony in Equestria.

“The only exceptions will be for those who work in the weather services, those who work in transporting goods between towns and cities, such as mail ponies, and those that have a family emergency in another town. If you fall into these categories, you need only ask a guard for permission and provide proof of work, or for a one-pony escort should it be a family emergency, and you will be cleared to leave. Be warned, however — we will know if you don’t arrive at your destination.

Well, THAT doesn’t sound threatening at all, Applejack thought with an eye roll. It almost sounded like he didn’t want them to think that they were trapped here in town and that this was all just some mild inconvenience.

He was failing pretty badly on that front.

“You are also probably wondering what I intend to do next. I plan to go to Canterlot and make a deal with the Princesses regarding our current situation.”

You mean how you slipped in from out of nowhere with absolutely no warning or previous communication and took over Equestria in a single night? That situation? Applejack deadpanned.

“As I said in my announcement, should everything go to plan, your town will be back to normal in just a few days, so please just be patient, and things will work out.”

And what if things DIDN’T go according to his plan? How long would it take for things to go back to normal then? How long would they need to be imprisoned in their own town by solders in fancy armor? What if Rainbow tried something stupid like fighting the soldiers or flying away? What would happen to her? All these thoughts just made Applejack even more uncertain of the situation at hoof.

“And now…” It was subtle, but Applejack hear the slight shift in his voice. He still sounded strong and confident, but now his voice was tinged with…regret? “I must now ask that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony come forward. Be assured, I swear on my very life that you will not be harmed in any way, and that I will provide a means for you to communicate with your family through letters, but I must insist that you make the trip to Canterlot with me.”

“Aw HAY no!” came Rainbow’s voice as she appeared out of…well, Applejack didn’t actually SEE where she came from, but she had no time to try and stop the rainbow-maned mare as she charged Sparrow.

RAINBOW! DON’T! Applejack thought, trying to call out, but she was too late. Rainbow was past her faster than she could see, and she had to try and stay on her hooves just from the force of the gale the pegasus produced as she flew past. But almost as quickly as Rainbow had appeared, she stopped dead in her tracks, floating in an orange aura only a foot away from the cloaked figure. “What the!? Hey!”

“Glad to see you decided to join us, Miss Dash,” Sparrow said casually, seemingly unmoved by the fact that he had nearly been sucker-punched by the fastest mare alive. “I must admit, had you not screamed before attacking me, I may not have been able to stop you before you could hit me. You truly do live up to your reputation as the fastest mare in Equestria.” He laughed and shook his head.

He’s…not mad? Applejack thought, her eyes never leaving the stage as she watched Rainbow and Sparrow with rapt attention. She REALLY hopped he wasn’t mad.

“LET ME GO!” Rainbow yelled, struggling to move inside his magic hold.

“I will, I will,” he assured as levitated out a red band with a blue gem from under his cloak. “I just need to make sure we don't have any problems during our trip.”

He snapped the band around Rainbow’s outstretched right foreleg. Nodding to himself, he lowered her to the ground and released her. She immediately tried to fly up and punch him again, but the band immediately glowed, freezing her in place once again.

“This band will allow me to track your location, as well as protect you should your life be put in danger,” Sparrow said, looking at the shocked face of Rainbow Dash. “And should you try and attack me or my guards, they will automatically activate and freeze you in place.”

It was hard to see from this distance, but Applejack thought for sure that Rainbow Dash looked completely terrified being held in place like that.

“Uh-oh,” Applejack muttered, her eyes never leaving Sparrow. But before she, or any of the stunned ponies in the crowd could react, a buzzing sound filled the square and a new voice called out.

“I’LL SAVE YOU, RAINBOW!” Scootaloo yelled as she flew off a nearby roof on her scooter. The stallion was either so surprised, or so confused, that he couldn’t react before she crashed into his head. However, due to his sheer size, the scooter and filly did not even make him flinch. Instead, his horn speared the scooter, leaving it and its occupant dangling down in the large stallion’s face.

Given that his head was actually BIGGER than Scootaloo’s entire body, Applejack was sure that Scootaloo was utterly terrified right now. And she was too, but her body refused to move as she watched the scene unfold.

The square was perfectly silent for a good twenty seconds before the unicorn burst out laughing. Lighting his horn again, he gently levitated Scootaloo off her perch and placed her on the wooden deck next to the still frozen Rainbow Dash. He then pried the scooter from his horn and with a quick flash of magic, completely repaired it and returned it to the small pegasus filly.

“I give you points for style and courage, but I am afraid that I might be just a LITTLE too strong for you, my dear,” Sparrow chuckled. He gently patted Scootaloo on the head, but when she flinched, he retracted his hoof as though he’d been burned. Applejack swore she saw sadness flash onto Sparrow’s face, but he quickly replaced it with a warm smile. “You may make quite the guard one day, however. Keep training, and you’ll go very far.”

“A-A-Am I in trouble?” Scootaloo asked, looking up at the much taller unicorn and gulping slightly.

He chuckled again. “No, my dear, you’re just fine, though I would ask you NOT do that again. I really would rather not have a headache today. Now, please go with Rainbow and my friends. She will be coming with me to Canterlot for a few day, but I promise that she will be back once my business has concluded. For now, though, feel free to spend as much time with her as you can before we go.”

As he spoke, two of the flying pegasus soldiers came down and saluted. Sparrow returned the salute, and they led Rainbow and Scootaloo away.

Or, at least, they led a rather nervous looking Scootaloo away. Rainbow was still frozen and glaring at Sparrow, so she had to be carried away on the second soldier’s back.

What the hay? Applejack thought, her mouth hanging open at the scene she had just witnessed. Despite being rammed in the head with a scooter, Sparrow had actually PRAISED Scootaloo, and she could tell it was genuine. He wasn’t mad, and his apparent kindness didn’t disappear.

So did that mean that he WAS telling the truth? That this kind front he was putting up wasn’t actually a front, but actual kindness? Did he really intend for everything to be back to normal in a few days? And if he was such a kind pony, WHY THE HECK DID HE INVADE AT ALL!?

Ugh, so many questions. This makes my head hurt more than when Twilight tried explain how unicorn magic worked…Or that time Rainbow crashed into me at top speed while trying to perform a Sonic Rainboom…

“Now then,” Sparrow said, pulling attention away from the retreating forms of Rainbow and Scootaloo. “I know that Pinkie Pie is not here—“ Applejack caught a glimpse of the Cakes, both glancing worriedly at each other, and she felt another pang of fear —“But I know for certain that Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy are here. Yes, dear, I can see you over there,” he added, nodding towards a set of bushes.

A surprised ‘EEP!’ came out of the shrubs, and almost every pony in a ten foot radius of the plants jumped. Applejack bit her lip. This guy was good. Clearly, no pony else had noticed Fluttershy’s hiding place. But why wasn’t he concerned that Pinkie wasn’t here? Did he already know where she was hiding? If so, that was a feat in and of itself.

And then there was the idea that he now wanted all of them to just surrender themselves to him. She was actually half-tempted to just try and hightail it out of there. But where would she go if she did? He could probably find out where she lived, if he didn’t already know, and she couldn’t go anywhere outside of town with the barrier. Plus, he HAD seen her in the crowd, so any attempts to run would probably just end up with her being caught and frozen like Rainbow. He most certainly had the range and control to do so.

“Sis?” Applebloom asked, looking up. Applejack sighed and lowered her head to hug her sister tighter. Without any real options, Applejack lifted her sister onto her back and gave a look to her brother and granny. Both of them knew that look, and she knew their looks too.

I need to go.

Be careful.

Stay safe, dearie.

Applejack nodded and turned back towards the town hall, Applebloom hugging her neck tightly. Sparrow was looking at her, almost expectantly. She glared at him and started walking forward. Just because she was coming quietly didn’t mean she had to like it. Even if his kindness was genuine, even if he was going to release them in a few days, and even if he DID keep all his promises about returning their lives to normal, he was still a conquerer that was separating her from her family without any say from her or her friends. And she refused to cower before him. Ponies started parting for her, and in what seemed like almost no time at all, she had reached the stage. She raised an eyebrow as another band was levitated out and attached to her leg.

“This really necessary?” she asked, waving the band around to see how it fit. It was attached firmly, though not painfully, to her leg, and was clearly not going to be coming off anytime soon.

“Just a precaution,” Sparrow said. “One can never be too careful after all. And I promise that your sister will be escorted back to your family once we are ready to leave,” He nodded towards Applebloom, who ducked her head down. Without another word, Sparrow pointed the two apple sisters in the direction Rainbow had been carried off in, and Applejack turned and walked off without looking at him. With her head turned away, she could see a highly annoyed Rarity being led onto the stage by two soldiers, Sweetie Belle clinging to her back. Fluttershy had nervously stepped out of the bushes, but when a nearby soldier started slowly walking towards her, she jumped back in with a whimper.

Applejack halted at the edge of the town hall to look back at her two friends. She might not be able to do anything, but she would still feel much better knowing they were safe. Thankfully, despite Rarity’s annoyance and reluctance and Fluttershy’s terror, both of them were led to the stage without incident. Seeing them get fitted with their own leg bands was unnerving, but seeing them start to follow after her unharmed was relieving enough for Applejack to finally turn and round the town hall.

“Miss,” a soldier said, saluting to her as she came around the building. He, along with about thirty other soldiers, were standing near a large cart where a now mostly unfrozen (her wings were still stiff and held at an awkward angle) Rainbow was trying to comfort a panicked Scootaloo. The rainbow-maned mare was whispering kind words and telling Scootaloo just how awesome she had been, and it seemed to be working, if only a little. Applejack knew the little orange pegasus wouldn't be the only one needing comfort. Applebloom was squeezing her neck so tightly it was almost hard to breathe.

“Applebloom,” she began and her sister let out a small sniffle.

“Please tell me you’re gonna be ok,” Applebloom whimpered. “I know you fight monsters and stuff all the time, but, but…”

“Shhhh,” Applejack whispered, reaching around and pulling Applebloom off her back and into a tight hug. “I know this isn’t a normal ‘savin' Equestria’ thing, but you don’t need to worry about your big sis. I’ll be home as soon as I can, safe and sound. We all will.”

“Do y-you promise?”

“I promise. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Applejack said, performing the motion of a Pinkie Promise™ before wrapping her legs around her sister again.

The two of them lapsed into silence after that, enjoying their embrace as they waited for the inevitable separation. Rarity and Fluttershy arrived less than a minute later, with Rarity’s attention on a sobbing Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash pulling Fluttershy in for a group hug between her and Scootaloo. Poor Fluttershy was trembling like a leaf, and Applejack made sure to scoot over and offer her a few pats on the back to try and help calm her down.

After about fifteen minutes, Sparrow himself rounded the Town Hall as he gazed at the four mares and three fillies currently in the back of the wagon. He didn’t speak, but Applejack noticed that his posture was more…actually, it was rather hard to tell. It looked like he was trying to maintain his regal air of authority, but he was doing a pretty horrible job if that was the case.

In fact, he almost looked…well, Applejack wasn’t quite sure. Though she didn’t have much time to think on it as the soldiers around them began to move.

Three unicorn soldiers approached Sparrow and shared a few hushed words with the stallion before saluting once again. Applejack had a feeling it was time to say goodbye, and she was proven correct as the three soldiers moved towards the back of the cart.

“Applebloom. Promise me you’ll stay out of trouble, ya hear me?” Applejack said softly, giving Applebloom one last squeeze. Her sister gave a tearful nod before burying her face in Applejack’s chest one last time.

When the soldiers arrived, the three fillies gave their older sisters one final hug before reluctantly breaking contact with them and moving to the back of the cart. The soldiers said nothing, but each one helped one of the fillies down to the ground and gently led them back towards the town hall. As Applebloom cast one last glance back, one final thought crossed Applejack’s mind.

Be safe, sis. I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can…

Back in the present…

“We left about five minutes or so after that and began the trip up here,” Applejack finished. “As we left Ponyville, the shield vanished just long enough to let us out before popping back up, and Sparrow himself disappeared for about an hour before reappearing with Pinkie. Pinkie…well, she’s asked that we didn’t question her about where she was. And…that’s pretty much it.”

“Very strange,” Celestia said, her brow bending in thought. “I can see Ponyville every morning when I raise the sun, but I don’t remember seeing a shield around the town that day. Could he have managed to hide it with an illusion spell?”

“That might explain how he was able to get all his ponies into the cities without anypony noticing,” Twilight said. “That, or they actually managed to teleport here somehow, but I have the feeling they would need to have somepony here to act as a anchor first. Although, his cutie mark didn’t look like it was related to illusions or teleportation, so that’s all just speculation.”

“Not much we can do about it now,” Rainbow grunted. “Besides, I don’t think that’s gonna help us think of a way to kick Sparrow’s butt.”

“I don’t think we can, Rainbow,” Twilight said glumly, looking over at the ring still sitting on the small table. “I don’t even know if there is a way out of this at all. At this point, taking his deal might be our only option…”

“What! No way!” Rainbow yelled. “You can’t say yes to his stupid deal!”

“But what else can I do!?” Twilight cried, “He has all of Equestria, all of YOU! And he was able to beat Celestia and Luna without even trying!”

“That doesn’t mean you can just give into his demand!”

“I must agree with Rainbow on this one,” Rarity said. “You shouldn’t need to go and marry that BRUTE just for our sakes.”

“Now, just calm down, everypony,” Applejack said. “Let’s not start yellin’ at each other. Everypony’s more stressed than ma’ family during a vampire fruit bat infestation, but that ain’t an excuse to start shouting.”

“I agree,” Celestia said. “Despite how…severe the circumstances appear to be, we need to try and remain calm. Nothing was ever solved by ranting and raging.”

That seemed to be enough for the girls to calm down. Twilight could understand why tensions were high, but it was nice to see that Celestia’s soothing words were enough to stop what could have turned into a loud and unpleasant argument.

Twilight really didn’t need any more stress right now, and seeing her friends fight was the exact opposite of relaxing.

“Applejack?” Twilight asked. “What do you think I should do?”

The orange mare sighed and lowered her hat over her face. “I’m afraid I don’t rightly know, Twilight. As much as I don’t see any other options, I don’t like the idea of you giving up everything you have just for us. Heck, I was half tempted to try and offer myself until Sparrow said he would only take you. But whatever you decide, I’ll accept it.”

Twilight nodded.

“Fluttershy? What do you think?”

“I…” Fluttershy began, and hesitated. “I…think you should do it.”

“HUH!?” Rarity and Rainbow exclaimed. Fluttershy flinched, but Applejack shushed them and put a foreleg around the pegasus’s shoulders.

“I don’t LIKE the idea, but…but the only other option would be to fight him. And we can’t just use the elements or the rainbow power again, because he would still have his entire army even if it did work. S-Saying yes is the only way to make sure no pony gets hurt…”

“That’s…very reasonable,” Twilight agreed. “Thank you, Fluttershy. Pinkie?”

Pinkie stood there.

Just stood there.

Throughout the entirety of Applejack’s story and the later discussion, she hadn’t spoken. She had nodded and shaken her head, but had never spoken. It was very un-Pinkie-like. Twilight had noticed some of the girls giving Pinkie worried looks, but given how no pony had said anything, Twilight guessed that this funk of hers must have been going on for quite a while.

Even now, she looked very conflicted, but finally, she spoke up.

“You should do it.”

The response was so abrupt and straightforward it made Twilight to blink in surprise.

“Just like that?” Twilight asked.

“Yep.”

“But Pinkie,” Rainbow interjected, “if she says yes, we’ll never see her again!”

“Yes we will.”

Wait, what? Twilight thought, her mind grinding to a full halt. Pinkie didn’t sound like she was being hopeful. In fact, it sounded more like she was just blatantly stating a fact. How in Equestria would she know that? And why does she sound so sure of herself?

“HUH?!?!” The rest of the girls cried in pure shock, though Pinkie didn’t seem to notice.

“How do you know that?” Celestia asked.

“Sparrow told me…” Pinkie answered, her voice soft and distant. “When he came to get me…”

Two days ago…

Pinkie Pie felt as though the world was falling apart. Saying she was sad was possibly the biggest understatement of the last five years. Even her mane had completely deflated, which was quite a rare occurrence.

It was just supposed to be a normal day. Go to town, make ponies smile, prepare for Twilight’s ‘Welcome Back Party,’ so much to do. But then her Pinkie Sense had started going bananas. She had new combos, new twitches, and all of them led her to the spot where she had been sitting all night.

Right in front of the Tree of Harmony.

The tree had glowed brilliantly when she had arrived late last night, twinkling and sparkling enticingly until Pinkie followed her senses and touched the crystal trunk.

But when she did, her Pinkie Sense had stopped, and she had learned what all those twitches and itches had been trying to tell her. The message they had wanted to convey.

It was not a happy one.

Pinkie legs started shaking so badly that she plopped down right in front of the tree and just sat there, staring at the crystal. Hours passed, and still Pinkie sat, thinking of what she had learned, trying to make sense of it all. Wondering what she could do.

Hoping that her senses could have been wrong, just this once.

But then she heard the tell-tale sound of hooves clopping on stone, which told her all she needed to know. Eventually, the hooves stopped, and there was a slight thump as the pony sat down next to her. For a brief moment, she secretly hopped that it might just be one of her friends, or Cheese Sandwich, or some random pony who just decided to walk to the Tree of Harmony with her.

But when she caught a brief glimpse of purple and black on the very edge of her vision, she knew what she had seen was all true.

She didn't turn to look. She just kept staring at the tree.

“I had a feeling you would be here,” the stallion said.

“You did?” Pinkie replied sadly.

“Well, yes, but that’s because I was told you would be here. So it’s more like I knew you would be here, even before you did.”

“Ok…”

The two lapsed into silence for a time before he spoke again.

“It is beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. But you already knew that.”

“So I did. Tell me, Pinkie, why are you here? Despite knowing you would be here, I was never told why.”

“Pinkie sense.”

“Ah…”

More silence.

“You’re going to take her, aren't you?”

The stallion sighed.

“Yes, I am.”

“Will we ever get to see her again?”

“If everything works out, then yes, I believe you will.”

“…Will you protect her?”

“To my dying breath…”

“I hope this works out.”

“As do I. Are you ready to come with me?”

Pinkie sighed, sniffed, and swallowed hard.

“Can we stay here a bit longer. I’m…still trying to process this…”

“Of course, Pinkie. Just let me know when you’re ready.”

Back in the present…

Twilight stared at Pinkie as she fell silent. She hadn't been sure what to expect, but to hear that Pinkie knew this was coming, and that Sparrow had plans to reunite her with her friends should things work out…was not what she expected. Not at all.

But what was there to work out? If she said yes, wouldn't that be the end of it? She goes with him, gets married, and…what? He just lets her come home to visit?

All of this was just so CONFUSING!

Ugh, what the heck is this stallion’s game!?

“Pinkie…is that all that happened?” Applejack asked, looking at her pink friend uncertainly.

“N-No,” Pinkie admitted, her head hanging. “T-There’s more, but…I can’t tell you what it was.”

“Pinkie Pie,” Celestia said with concern. “If this information can let us help Twilight…”

“I can’t,” Pinkie whispered, her eyes starting to water. “I-It’ll only complicate things, m-make them w-worse. P-Please, just trust me when I say she n-needs to go with him. I-It’s the only way.”

Fluttershy moved over so she could hug Pinkie, who leaned into it.

“I…ok, Pinkie, I trust you,” Twilight said, sighing. “But I still don’t know about this. Everything about this just seems off, and there’s still the fact that I could be gone for years, maybe even DECADES if I say yes. Ohhhhhhh, I just don't know what to DO! And the fact that I have three days just means that I’ll be freaking out for ALL THREE DAYS! UGH!” She facefloored in frustration and sat up immediately with a loud groan. “And NOW I have a headache!”

“Perhaps we should take a break,” Celestia suggested. “There will be more time to think on this later, but for now, we should probably get some food. It’s much easier to think on a full stomach.”

As if agreeing with her, Twilight’s stomach growled accordingly, prompting the mare to blush slightly.

“I…DID skip breakfast this morning.”

“So I noticed,” Celestia giggled.

“Girls, is it ok if we talk more later?” Twilight asked.

“Sure, Twilight,” Rainbow Dash said, “We should probably get something to eat too. I’m STARVING!”

“Sparrow just brought back some peach cider if you want it,” a solder called from out of the range of sight of the orb.

“CIDER?!” Rainbow yelled in excitement, her head shooting around to look at the guard. “WHERE!?”

“In the mess tent—”

And that was as far as he got before Rainbow was gone, the force of her takeoff knocking the orb out of Rarity’s magic. The orb in Twilight’s magic suddenly turned clear and quiet.

“Dang it, Rainbow,” Twilight groaned, rolling her eyes at Rainbow’s antics. Yet she couldn’t hide the smile that worked its way over her lips. Something about seeing so normal as Rainbow’s obsession with cider made her feel ever so slightly better about this whole situation. She and Celestia stood up, stretched, and moved towards the door. However, just as they stepped out into the hall, a small flash of blue caught their attention. Turning around, they saw that the ring box was now floating towards Twilight, the diamond sparkling innocently in the light blue glow.

Apparently, it wouldn't leaving her alone any time soon.

Author's Note

The mystery deepens...

That's...all I can think of without spoiling anything...Ugh, writing Author's Notes for this story is hard for some reason. So, enjoy the story and like and comment if you enjoy my work so far.

Also, I sincerely hope this can actually be submitted seeing as I am once again on vacation in a virtual dead zone. So if you can read this, CONGRATULATIONS! TO ME!!! THE INTERNET IS WORKING!!!

ENJOY IF YOU CAN!!!

Chapter 3: The Decision

The rest of the day was a bit…ok, VERY stressful for Twilight, though that was more Sparrow’s fault than anypony else's.

Scratch that. This was DEFINITELY all his fault.

After getting some food, Twilight spent some time with Celestia and Luna in one of the castle’s many sitting rooms. Mostly, they just had tea and trying to recover from that morning’s ordeals. Other than Luna making a small comment about not wanting Twilight to take the deal, both of the other princesses had respected her wishes to avoid talking about Sparrow.

Afterward, Twilight took time to walk in the garden, hoping that it would clear her head. She would have asked Celestia or Luna to come with her, but not only were they busy trying to deal with the fallout of Sparrow’s actions that morning – more specifically, trying to calm the now very restless public. It didn’t matter much. Twilight hadn’t been alone since waking up and decided having some personal time might be best. Though she loved Celestia and Luna, seeing them just reminded her of the fact that she might soon be forced to leave them.

Unfortunately, her plan did NOT work as every time she tried to think about something else, ANYTHING else, her mind just focused on the fact that this might be the last time she was able to walk through this garden, cataloging all the trees and seeing what new creation Luna had planted, for a very long time.
Maybe even forever.

The fact that the ring continued to follow her even if she tried to get away from it made things even worse. She couldn’t even ignore it because the box had a habit of opening all on its own, allowing the ring to gleam beautifully in the sunlight. Eventually, she gave up and went back to her room to try and read, but even that proved to be too difficult for her distracted mind. Even just standing in one spot and trying to take a step back from this whole situation using Cadence’s breathing technique proved to be useless. She just couldn’t focus.

It wasn’t until dinnertime when she finally was forced once again to confront the issue of Sparrow’s proposal. And the reason for that came in the form of two ponies she knew very well.

“MY BABY!” Twilight Velvet yelled, throwing open Twilight’s door with such force that it may have dented the wall. Twilight, who had been pacing (again), jumped into the air in shock. Of course, she was only able to hover for about two seconds before being pulled back down to earth and into the death grip of her mother.

“We heard you shout this morning and by Celestia did it make us jump! I was so worried about what would make you do that and then Celestia wouldn't let us see you because you had passed out and she didn't want to overwhelm you and I was so afraid something horrible had happened and—”

“Velvet, honey,” Night Light said, walking into the room behind his frantic wife. “Please remember to let Twilight breathe. I think she’s becoming a little too blue.”

“Oops, sorry, sweetie,” Velvet said, lightening her grip to allow her daughter to start breathing normally. “But seriously, Twilight, what happened? Is it serious? The only time I ever even came close to yelling that loudly was when I was in labor, so this must have been even more serious than that.”

“Honey, you weren’t even CLOSE to being that loud,” Night Light said, but his wife and daughter ignored him.

“Ugh, too much information, Mom,” Twilight groaned, and then she sighed. “And, yes, this is…serious. I just…ugh, how do I even begin to try and tell you what’s happening?”

“Just start at the beginning, dear,” Night Light said. “Take your time and tell us what’s wrong. Surely it can’t be that bad right?” Twilight facefloored. “Ok, maybe it is that bad, but you’ll still feel better if you get it out in the open.”

Twilight knew he was right. While she had been dwelling on the deal for hours, she hadn’t actually told anypony about it in detail and how it was affecting her. Sure, she had spoken to her friends and the princess a little bit on the subject and gotten their opinions, but she hadn’t actually explained the events of the day to them because they had all been there. Venting to her parents, all thoughts of duty off the table, probably would help her clear her thoughts, at least a little bit.

So she told them. She began with what had happened at the gate with Celestia’s and Luna’s defeat. She told them about Sparrow’s offer, and her obvious reaction. Her parents’ jaws drop squarely open in shock, but they didn’t interrupt her, which was good because she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop now that she’d started. Soon, she was ranting.

“How is this even a deal at all?!” she cried as she paced in front of her flabbergasted parents. “I mean, do I even have a real choice in the matter? Either I say yes and free Equestria, or he keeps his hold on my friends, my home for the last five years, my country…heck, I probably wouldn’t even be able to VISIT anypony outside of Canterlot, and everypony else will just be stuck wherever they are because of me!

“And this whole thing just seems so off to begin with! Why conquer Equestria? Why not just approach me and ask me out? Yes, I might be so surprised and stressed that I might faint, but IT STILL MAKES MORE SENSE THAN THIS!!! And WHY ME!? Celestia, Luna, Cadence…All of them are more beautiful and talented and envied and sought after, so why go for the nerdy pony who spent YEARS living in a LIBRARY and who just learned about friendship FIVE YEARS AGO!?

“At first I thought this might be a political thing, but we didn’t even know he EXISTED until he invaded! What POSSIBLE political motive would he have? A foreign hostile country we have a bad history with I could understand, if there were any, but some random pony from a far off kingdom we’ve never even heard of? It just doesn’t MAKE ANY SENSE! And even if I do say yes, what then? Do I spend the rest of my life in a tower or some castle locked away unless he says otherwise?

“And why did he go for my friends? I would probably still be forced to say yes even if a SINGLE TOWN was captured, even if my friend were completely unaffected, so why did he capture EVERY SINGLE TOWN AND CITY AND DRAG MY FRIENDS ALL THE WAY TO CANTERLOT!? AND — mumph!”

A grey hoof covered Twilight’s mouth, bringing an abrupt end to her rant.

“You are an amazing pony, Twilight,” Velvet said, her tone brokering no argument, “And any stallion would give their left hoof for you. Even if there are ponies that are more worthy than you, that does NOT mean you are not still a fantastic, beautiful mare that has accomplished incredible feats these last few years. Don’t you EVER think otherwise.” Twilight fidgeted, but nodded, looking down. “Now, do you want to know what I think?” Her daughter nodded again. “I thought so.

“Well first, I think this stallion needs a good kick to the face. Alicorn or not, this is putting far too much stress on you, and it isn't fair for him to force this kind of decision onto a pony he’s never even met, regardless of reason.”

“I agree,” Night Light said, smiling. “And I am sure Shining would agree to if he were here in Canterlot.”

“Second, don’t ever give up hope. Given how your little rant didn't include any solutions, am I correct in assuming that you are stumped?” Twilight nodded once again. “I thought so. But even though I myself am at a loss of what to do right now, that doesn't mean we should give up entirely. We have some time, and I promise that both of us won't stop thinking and thinking of any possible solution that might help you. Even if…there is no other choice but to go with him, it doesn't mean we can't still try and find a way out.”

“I-I know,” Twilight whispered as Velvet removed her hoof, her head hanging. “B-But that just makes it even worse. A choice is supposed to have two options, but the second option is so selfish and horrible that I can’t even consider making it. H-How can I say no if that means the rest of Equestria pays the price? I’m a princess, but even if I wasn’t, what kind of pony would trade the happiness of so many ponies for their own?” She sniffed. Her eyes beginning to water.

“Not a pony like you,” Night Light said, pulling Twilight and Velvet into a hug. “You’re a kind, loving pony, and even if it took you some time to learn about friendship, no pony has done a better job at it than you. I mean, that IS what turned you into an alicorn after all,” Twilight smiled as she remembered how proud they had been of her that day. How proud she had felt of herself. “I know this is hard for you, but I also know that you will make the right decision, even if it isn’t the one you prefer. And we will understand and support your decision, because we will trust you to do what’s best for everypony.”

“But what about you?” Twilight whispered, tears starting to fall from her eyes. “What about my friends? The princesses? Shining and Cadence? Starlight and S-Spike? I’ll be l-leaving all of you, a-abandoning you. E-Even if he told Pinkie the truth that I-I would get to see everypony again, h-how long will it be, a-and how long could I even stay?” She choked back a sob, and the tears started coming faster. “I-I don’t want to g-go…”

“I know, sweetie, I know,” Velvet whispered, hugging her daughter even tighter. “But sometimes, you just need to have hope. Hope that, no matter how bad things seem, that everything will be ok in the end. It’s not an excuse to be idle and just let things happen, but hope can give you the willpower you need to push on. No matter what happens, or what he does to you, never, EVER, give up hope. I feel hope every time I look at you, and I know so many others do too.”

“We will see you again, no matter what choice you make. I promise you that.” Night Light said, giving both of them a loving squeeze. Twilight didn’t let go. She needed them now more than ever.

And her parents were right. Even if the worst came true and she had to leave, she would see them again. She just had to hold on to that hope.

Later that night, 54 hours remain…

There was an uneasy calm hanging over the city of Canterlot. By now, many ponies had heard, through one means or another, what had occurred that day. There was talk of the mysterious stallion, talk of his outlandish offer to Princess Twilight, talk if she would agree or not, and talk if the stallion would even uphold his deal at all if she complied.

It was this night that two things occurred. The first was a light blue flash just outside the city of Canterlot, over its famous waterfall. There was a panicked scream that was lost to the noise of the falling water.

The second, was the faint outline of a thin, black creature, weaving its way through the water of the Canterlot lake, looking for something.

Or rather, someone…

The next day, 48 hours remaining…

The night before hadn’t granted Twilight the sleep she had wanted. She had spent the rest of yesterday with her parents before turning in early (by her standards, at least). Given the mental exhaustion of the day, it had been a wise move, and she was out the moment her head hit the pillow.

Unfortunately, her dreams, while not nightmares, had caused her to wake up so many times that she eventually just gave up on sleep all together. She saw herself reliving the events of the day, or standing before the majestic gates of Canterlot at the end of her allotment, her brain whirling with ideas on what to do as Sparrow watched her, patiently.

In her last dream, she had accepted his proposal, and had been swept into an elaborate, stunning wedding gown to be married right on the spot. THAT had shocked her so bad she had literally jumped out of bed and clung to the wooden frame above her head, her wings absolutely refusing to cooperate for a full five minutes.
Suffice to say, her mind was spinning way too fast after that, and nothing seemed to be able to slow it down.

Her day really didn’t improve after that. After lying in bed for at least an hour, she got out of bed just in time to watch Celestia raise the sun. It felt wonderful for about twenty seconds, but then became bittersweet as she realized that it might be one of the last times she watched a Canterlot sunrise. Sure, she could watch the sun rise from anywhere on Equis, but there was always something special about the ones in Canterlot.

And the ones in Ponyville.

Maybe if that stupid ring hadn't come floating after her onto the balcony and reflected the morning sunlight, she could have actually enjoyed the view.

After that sad little reminder of her predicament, Twilight made her way to the dining room and somehow managed to have a good breakfast, one made a fair amount better by her parents joining them at Celestia’s invitation. Despite being bittersweet as well, it was still rather nice, and managed to make her smile for real. She was even able to ignore the ring for the most part.

After breakfast, her parents departed to the royal library, saying they were going to try and see if they could come up with some sort of solution to Twilight's problem. Twilight would have loved to help them, but her mother had insisted she let them handle the books, knowing Twilight had already read them all anyway.

Celestia agreed, and made sure to keep Twilight company for the rest of the morning. Luna would have joined them, but she had overworked herself the previous night trying to contain all the nightmares and was going to try and sleep. It almost made Twilight feel like she was Celestia’s student again, something that made her smile far more than she had the previous day.

Even Celestia teasing her playfully about giving her a pop-quiz made her smile happily.

But despite Celestia’s assurances that things would work out, Twilight just couldn’t stop thinking about the ring and Sparrow. The former because it kept catching her attention almost every time she managed to forget about it, and the latter for making such a stupid ring box in the first place!!!!

And she really, REALLY wanted to forget about both of them. Especially if these were going to be her last days in the castle. She wanted them to be memorable, and not because she spent all her time thinking about a stupid stallion and a stupid ring box.

After lunch, Twilight left for the gardens to talk with her friends. Sparrow had also enchanted the glass orb to be tethered to her, but instead of following her around like his annoying engagement ring, it would just…appear when she thought she needed it. Very convenient, if still confusing.

Their conversation started off almost…normal, or normal enough, until Rarity and Rainbow swerved off topic within the first two minutes and made it clear that they still opposed her accepting Sparrow’s proposal, even for their freedom. This of course led Fluttershy and Pinkie to once again voice their support for her accepting the deal, and Applejack announcing that she was still unsure. The only slight difference was that Pinkie promised Twilight that she would make the right choice when the time came, something that Twilight found to be strangely reassuring.

Thankfully, she was able to change the subject and ask them how they were doing, and to her surprise, they were actually getting along with Sparrow’s soldiers, for the most part. Rainbow had been restrained in the mess tent after she nearly drained an entire cider barrel, although Sparrow had apparently brought a few extra kegs just in case.

Applejack had spent some time talking to the soldiers, and from what she could gather, most of these ponies actually seemed pretty decent. A few had even apologized for what was happening. They did make it clear, however, that they trusted Sparrow enough to follow his orders even though they didn’t know what his full plan was, something that Twilight found to be very similar to the Canterlot royal guards. Also, Applejack had apparently managed to best quite a few of the guards at both hoof-wrestling and a cider-drinking contest, both of which she was quite proud of.

Rarity had managed to get her hooves on some spare cloth and needles from the soldiers’ supplies and had been ‘stress-sewing,’ as she put it. Her first creation had been a orange and gold vest that had impressed some of the soldiers so much that Rarity had actually gotten a few requests for more items. Something that did not surprise Twilight in the slighest given how good Rarity was at sewing.

Fluttershy had probably the most interesting news of all. According to a smug Rainbow and Rarity, she had a CRUSH on one of the guards. Specifically, a unicorn stallion named Right Word. As the story went, Right Word had found an injured young fox that had gotten tangled up in some of their camping supplies. Knowing Fluttershy's expertise in animal care, he had requested her help. Once the kit had been taken care of, he had then given her a tour around their campsite’s perimeter, showing her the locations of the animals that had made their home nearby.

Fluttershy did speak rather fondly of him, but said that it was only because him showing her the animals’ homes had greatly reduced her anxiety, which had been horribly high ever since they had been forced to leave Ponyville. Right Word had given her a few new friends to talk with, including some birds, three mice, a couple of bunnies, and even a few frogs.

She also INSISTED that it was NOT a crush, but the way she was blushing and trying to hide behind her mane and wings didn’t do much to convince Twilight. She was happy to see Fluttershy so excited and animated when she talked about him. Plus, Applejack said she had met him when Fluttershy came back and had talked with him just enough to know that he was a decent stallion.

Twilight hadn’t expected to hear much from Pinkie, given her saddened state, but to her surprise, the party pony had actually spent the last day baking enough pies for everypony in the camp.

Actually, that wasn't completely true. She had made one for everypony in the camp, but she had made two for Sparrow: one to eat, and one to throw at him once she was done handing out the rest of the pastries. Surprisingly, her bracelet let her get away with throwing a pie right in his face. As hilarious as it was, Twilight found this to be a bit odd, even for Pinkie. She had been so sad and lackluster lately that Twilight just had to ask why she did that.

Pinkie responded by telling her that most of Sparrow’s soldiers had hid smiles, while a few of them had outright roared with laughter, and Sparrow even chuckled and made a show of licking as much of his face clean as he could. To Pinkie, it wasn’t about hitting him, or even just trying to go back to being her old self. It was her job to make ponies smile, even if she was having a hard time doing that herself.

It was such a Pinkie answer, and Twilight had to admit that she giggled at the thought of the huge, imposing alicorn covered in banana cream filling.

The girls ended the conversation shortly before dinner, allowing Twilight to spend the night with her parents. Unfortunately, their search for a way to help Twilight had been fruitless, but Twilight still appreciated the effort more than she could accurately articulate. After laying out on her balcony with them and watching the moon rise, she bid her parents goodnight and tried to get to sleep that wasn’t full of odd dreams.

She wasn’t entirely successful, but this time, she had a visitor.

That night: 32 hours remaining…

“Princess Luna,” Twilight sighed happily as the Princess of the Night came into view. She had just been watching Sparrow juggle her friends before they turned into pies and proceeded to chase him around the room, which was a fairly obvious sign that not only was she still stuck on thinking about that stupid stallion, but now Pinkie’s pie story was also firmly implanted in her brain.

At least it made it pretty easy to identify that she was dreaming.

“Hello, Twilight,” Luna said, greeting her with a short hug. “I came to check up on you. I did my best to do so last night, but due to the short length of your dreams and the amount of nightmares Sparrow’s invasion has caused, I was unable to contact you directly, or even establish a link to see what your dreams were about. I apologize. If only that stallion realized just how much of a mess he was making,” She growled.

“Does the mess involve pie?” the dream Sparrow asked as he was hit by another pastry over Luna’s shoulder. He flashed them a playful grin through the blueberry filling, to which Luna responded with a deadpan glare and a flash of her horn, which turned the crazy dream into a tranquil, grass-covered field with a small hill, a few puffy clouds, and a single oak tree. However, the dream Sparrow didn’t go away. Instead, he flopped onto his back to watch the clouds pass overhead. “I will say this is MUCH more relaxing,” he said as he licked a spot of fruit off his nose.

“It seems your mind is still quite stubbornly thinking about him,” Luna noted, her expression conveying the fact that she wasn’t shocked to see the dream Sparrow still present, but was no less annoyed that he was.

“Is that really a surprise?” Twilight asked, looking at dream Sparrow, who smiled and waved at her before returning to watch the clouds. “He’s been stuck in my mind so much that I could barely sleep last night, just like you said.”

“I noticed,” Luna said. “That is what I have come to talk to you about. Due to my sleep schedule and my increased workload since this whole mess began, we have yet to have a one-on-one conversation. Not that I blame you,” she added as Twilight opened her mouth to apologize. “Things are still hectic right now, and our lack of communication is no fault of your own.”

“Still, I’m sorry I didn’t come to you earlier,” Twilight said, bowing slightly. “Your opinion is just as important as anypony else’s.”

“Thank you,” Luna said, smiling reassuringly. “In truth, I was going to speak to you yesterday, but your parents beat me to it. I figured that they should be able to spend time with their daughter in regards to such an important issue. Besides, we have the time now, and I would very much like to say my piece.”

“That sounds fine,” Twilight said, sitting down on the grassy field and motioning for Luna to join her. “Since I’ve asked everypony else, what do you think I should do?”

“Turn him down,” Luna said flatly as she sat. “Alicorn or not, this is a blatant misuse of his power, and you should not be forced to marry him just because his ego demands he show off. If he were a real stallion, he would court you in an honorable way, not like some deranged barbarian flaunting his conquest.”

“Owwwwww, my pride,” the dream Sparrow moaned, earning a glare from Luna.

“I don’t think he’s doing this to brag,” Twilight said, looking off into the distance and trying to ignore the flailing figment of her imagination behind her and Luna. “From everything I’ve heard and seen, I don’t know what to think. But bragging just seems…off. If he was going to brag, why stop at just Equestria, and why not just come in and take me? I feel like ‘claiming’ me after a battle would give him more bragging rights than forcing me to make a deal.”

“Even if it forces you to be humble and surrender yourself to him?”

“I’ve never even cared about reputation. If something is the right thing to do, you do it, whether it gives you ‘bragging rights’ or not. And if he knew anything about me, he would know I think that way. And I KNOW he knows more about me than just my title. He knew my friends, where I would be this week, my connection to you and Celestia…”

“It is quite the question. As much as I think he is still misusing his powers and influence, there is still something else going on. Some alternate motive. But that just makes me think you should say no even more. We don’t know what this stallion is capable of, and in truth, I fear what he might do to you if he were to get a hold of you.” Luna shook her head. “He says he will allow us to keep contact with you, and your friend Pinkie claims that he said that we will all be able to see you again at some point in the future, but would he try to change you in the time you are gone? Make you love your new life and keep you from ever returning on your own…?”

“You worry too much,” dream Sparrow said. “I wouldn’t harm a hair on her head.” He smirked, only to be punted across the dreamscape by Luna’s magic.

“You’re perception of him is not quite what I expected,” Luna said, looking off as Sparrow bounced off a cloud and then proceeded to bounce around the sky in an impossible manner. It almost reminded Twilight of Discord, in a way.

“Maybe I’m just hoping for the best,” Twilight sighed. “Maybe I’m just hoping that there’s some other side to him, some side I can actually like if, or when, I take his deal.”

“Even trapped in the Nightmare, aware of my surroundings but powerless to do anything to stop myself, I had always hoped something would be able to stop me, or perhaps even free me one day. I had nearly given up hope, until I saw you awaken the Element of Magic. No matter the situation, hope is important,” Luna agreed.

“Everypony keeps saying that. Saying that I bring them hope. But I’m not even that special.” Twilight said, looking down towards the ground. “But hearing all these ponies talk about me like that, how I’m some sort of beacon of hope is just...I don't know. It’s so hard to comprehend.”

“I think you are humble to a fault, though that is not necessarily a bad thing,” Luna said, wrapping a wing around Twilight as Sparrow went flying overhead, singing some random song about coconuts. “Never underestimate yourself, Twilight. You have accomplished so much already, and even if Sparrow does take you away, he can’t stop you from doing amazing things.”

Twilight chuckled. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll find a way to escape, or convince him to let me go…”

“He shouldn’t be trying to imprison you in the first place. But if anypony can find a solution, it is you, Twilight.”

“But what if he doesn’t imprison me?”

“A cage can be very large, Twilight Sparkle. Even if he gives you access to his whole island, so long as he stops you from leaving, it is still a prison.”

“If you love something, set it freeeeeeeeeeee,” Sparrow cheered as he tumbled overhead, spinning in circles as he fell and bouncing off a cloud with a ‘honk’.

“I don’t remember your head being this…confusing,” Luna said as she watched dream Sparrow with a raised eyebrow.

“Might be sleep deprivation,” Twilight said. “Or all this thinking is making me go crazy. It wouldn’t be the first time…”

“Then I will leave you for tonight, Twilight.” Luna giving Twilight one final hug. “It was a pleasure to speak with you as always.”

“Thanks for talking with me, Luna,” Twilight said, returning the hug.

Luna smiled as she stood up. “I will leave you to your rest. Come speak to me if you need anything, and I do mean anything. You are our top priority right now, I assure you.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna said as she lit her horn, created a doorway in the dreamscape, and exited.

“I’M FREEEEEEEE! FREEEEEE FALLLLLLIN!” dream Sparrow said as he dropped from the sky again. This time, he hit the ground before bouncing back into the sky and singing in reverse.

“Luna’s right. My mind is confusing,” Twilight said as she lay down and tried to ignore the stallion bouncing around in her head in more ways than one.

The next day: 24 hours remain…

Twilight awoke just as the sun began to work its way over the horizon, the first bits of light reflecting off Sparrow’s ring as the sun began to peak in through the window.
This might be her last day in Canterlot, and yet, to her surprise, she felt strangely calm despite the bittersweet sentiment of this sunrise. Tomorrow, she would need to make her choice, a choice that might result in her leaving her friends for years to come.

But whatever happens, happens. She might not like it, she might not think it was much of a choice at all, but no matter what, she could not lose hope. Even if she said yes, even if she had to become Sparrow’s wife, she just had to accept the outcome, and hope that things worked out for the best.

That evening, 12 hours remain…

Twilight squeezed her parents as hard as she dared, holding them in her wings and hooves as they both squeezed her with all their might. “I'll see you both tomorrow right?”

“Of course, sweetie,” Night Light said. “We’ll be waiting for you at the gate, no matter what.”

“Not even that crazy stallion could keep us away,” Velvet agreed, squeezing Twilight tighter. “I’m just sorry we couldn’t help you find a solution.”

“You did your best,” Twilight said, finally starting to release her hug. “And that's all that matters to me. I love you both, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

"We'll see you tomorrow, little star,” Night Light said, giving his daughter one final kiss below the horn. Her mother gave her one final quick hug before Twilight walked them to the door. With one final wave goodbye, Twilight closed the door and let out a sigh. It had once again been a very, very long day of thinking, but it had been far less stressful than the last two.

Turning away from the door, Twilight went out to her room’s balcony to look at the stars and the city of Canterlot. The sky was beautiful, the stars twinkling and the moon casting the land in its calming light. At the late hour, the brightness of the city was reduced to a gentle glow. The sight made her sigh in relaxation. Despite what tomorrow might bring, for the moment, she felt…at ease.

She knew she would have to make a choice, and soon, but for the moment, the stress of that choice was out to dinner, leaving her a few minutes of peace.

She wasn’t sure how long the peace lasted, or how long she sat there staring out at the stars, but eventually, she heard hoofsteps outside her bedroom door.

Twilight’s ear twitched as she heard her bedroom door open and close. The slight clinking of armor told her that it was just one of the guards. It was a little unusual for him to enter her room without prompting, but it wasn’t anything too out of the ordinary. “Princess?” the guard called out. Turning from the moonlit view, Twilight walked back inside.

“Yes? Is ther—”

Twilight froze over the threshold, her eyes locked on the guard standing there.

To her naked eye, he just looked like a guard. A normal unicorn guard. But there was something off about him. She didn’t know what it was, but she could FEEL his magic, and what she felt made her fur stand on end.

Normally she couldn’t feel magic unless she focused directly on the pony in question, but with this guard, she could feel it without even trying. It lacked any kind of warmth or life, instead feeling cold and downright SLIMY. Even Changeling magic didn’t feel this disturbing, and she had plenty of experience with that after her kidnapping…

“Princess? Is there something wrong?” the guard asked, tilting his head to the side. His voice sounded genuinely concerned.

But his eyes and smile told a very different story. They had an unfriendly gleam to them, as though he was a predator, and she was his prey.
It…wasn’t natural. Not in the slightest.

“What are you?” Twilight asked, lowering herself into a defensive position.

“I…don’t follow,” the guard said, taking a step forward. “I’m sure whatever the problem is—”

“Stay back,” Twilight commanded, lighting her horn as she took a step back towards the balcony. For that split second he had gotten closer, his magic had felt SO much worse, and her horn just amplified the sickening feeling of…of pure WRONG.

Her mind was racing, wondering what could have happened to this unicorn, looking for escape routes…teleporting away or flying out the window were her primary options, but she probably could overpower him if necessary. Maybe she could find out what was wro—

Twilight gasped as the breath was stolen from her lungs. Her body trembled and shook as she tried to remain standing as a paralyzing wave of FEAR washed over her. Her magic died out and her legs refused to move. She tried to breathe, even just a single inhale, but the feeling of FEAR was just too overwhelming.

All because of the soldiers eyes.

For a second, he looked at her out of normal blue orbs…and then they flickered until they turned pure black and green.
Dark magic began to leak from the sides of his face. The solder chuckled an unworldly chuckle as the evil energy began to manifest around his body. Twilight felt the surge of power like a stab in her horn and a wave of nausea rolled through her stomach...
The lights in the room dimmed as black tar emerged, winding around the guard like snakes until his fur became pitch black.

She screamed at her body to move. To close her eyes. To cast a spell. To DO ANYTHING!
But she couldn’t move.

Couldn’t think.

Couldn’t act.

Those eyes…that magic…it held her, imprisoned her, silenced her desperate commands to her limbs…She was drowning in an ocean of fear, her body had broken down, leaving her mind trapped in a hollow shell that refused to obey her commands, merely shaking and gasping as that horrifying gaze held her captive…

“It’s ok,” the guards whispered softly, with all the venom of a hissing serpent. “It will all be over soon…”

A portion of the solidified magic began moving once again, snaking around his body until it solidified into a sharp foot-long blade and lashed out.
Aimed directly for Twilight’s heart.

Time seemed to slow as it approached. She couldn’t dodge, couldn’t scream. She couldn't even fall to the ground.

She was paralyzed.

I…I’m going to die…

In a blast of blue light, the ring Sparrow had given her teleported in front of the attack and lit up like a sun, obliterating the tar blade and making the guard stagger back, covering his blinded eyes with a howl. With his gaze broken, the spell of fear was lifted just enough that control returned to her limbs, and Twilight finally had the capacity to do one thing.

RUN!

She spun around and dashed for the balcony, not daring to see if the unicorn was following her. But before she could reach the railing and jump for freedom, another guard, a bat pony, swooped up from below the ledge and blocked her path.

“Leaving so soon?” she hissed in the same awful tone as the unicorn. Twilight caught a quick flash of green in the Night Guard’s eyes and diverted her gaze, jumping to the side to avoid the paralyzing stare. But she knew this left her trapped with the bat pony on the balcony and the guard at the door. And if she was caught in their gaze again…

There was another bright flash, and Twilight looked up to see Sparrow’s ring in front of her again, placing itself between her and the attackers. The bat pony was slowly stalking in from the balcony, and the unicorn guard had recovered and was now approaching with his body between her and the door. The inky magic was now pouring out of their eyes in greater waves, allowing them to see even with the bright light the ring provided.

And yet, despite the continued presence of fear running through every cell in Twilight’s body, the bright blow of the ring seemed to hold it off. She still felt as if she was being pulled down into an ocean of fear, but now she had a life preserver fighting to keep her afloat. She could move again. She could react.
And she could think.

I need to get out of here! Twilight desperately thought as she backed away from the two guards, trying to reach out for her magic again. But teleportation spell fizzled out as another wave of fear washed over her, nearly dragging her back into the paralyzing abyss. She was backing up into a corner, running out of time! But again and again the teleportation failed, the ocean of fear trying to swallow her every time she reached for her magic, destroying her concentration and causing her body to tremble even worse than it already was! She had to do something, anything!

Maybe another spell might work! She reached out for one of her nightstands with a levitation spell hoping she might be able to throw them at her attackers, only for the spell falling to pieces not even halfway through completion. She tried a simple shield spell, only for the barrier to never form. She tried a prank spell that would summon a wooden doorway and slam the door in the guards’ faces, yet it never appeared. Every spell, even the ones she could perform instinctively after hours upon hours of practice, failed her.

Why isn’t my magic working!

All the while, she continued to back into the furthest corner of her room, trying to buy herself as much time as she could. The ring followed her, continuing to impose itself between her and the guards. Yet her attackers didn’t rush, and both still looked rather confident as their magic expanded. Almost half the room was consumed with writhing black energy, the darkness consuming all light in the room save for that coming from Sparrow’s ring.
Even with the ring protecting her, the fear was still too much for Twilight to do anything! She couldn’t even work up the voice to scream for help!

Someone, ANYONE! Please! I need help! she cried in her head, trying to make the words come out. Only strangled sobs escaped her mouth as she tripped over her own legs, falling on her flank as she continued to back up. She was trapped, she was crying, and she couldn't fight back.

Nothing could have prepared her for this.

“You will not survive, not this time,” the guards hissed as one. They were now standing side by side, and the dark magic of their bodies seemed to join together, forming a single mass of black energy that attempted to smother the ring’s light. The new mass of shadow almost seemed to taunt her, forming multiple snake-like blades that whipped around the two grinning guards.

I-I never even got the chance to say goodbye, Twilight sobbed, retreating until her back hit the wall behind her, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. Any hope the ring had given her had vanished, even as said ring continued to defiantly stand between her and the new mass of horrible magic. Three days of anxiety and fear, and I don't even get one final goodbye.

She tried to push magic into her horn, ALL OF IT, hoping that something, ANYTHING would happen. And yet all she got was a few small sparks of energy.

Mom, Dad, Celestia, Luna, Shining, Cadance, girls, everyone…I’m sorry…

The mass of nearly twenty shadow blades lashed out, aiming to impale the young alicorn.

The ring refused to back down. The magic around it surged, and suddenly a bright blue shield appeared in front of it, just big enough to cover Twilight. When the first knife hit, Twilight screamed and cowered, but the knife seemed to disintegrate upon contact. The two guards growled in anger.

For a moment, Twilight felt hope return, hope that maybe, just maybe, she would make it out of this alive.

But then the shield began to crack.

It’s going to fail!

“DIE!” the guards roared, their combined magic lashing out one final time, ready to smash the shield and kill the ring’s charge.

“NO!” a deep voice growled, directly in front of the ring’s shield.

Sparrow, the stallion that had caused Twilight a world of grief, who had conquered her home, who had confused her to no end and was currently her only suitor, appeared out of thin air, his entire body covered in orange and blue armor. No flash of teleportation, no indication of how he knew she was in trouble, how he had managed to find her, or even why he looked ready to take on an army—
He was just THERE!

And right in the path of the attack!

The blades of shadow struck him dead in the chest, but instead of hurting him, both guards hissed as a massive blast of orange magic erupted from the armor, obliterating the attack and slicing the mass of shadow back into two individual entities, light returning to the room as the mass of shadow was blasted.

What!? How!? Twilight gasped, though in shock or relief she couldn’t tell. Then, before she could even begin to comprehend what had just happened, two of Sparrow’s soldiers, a pegasus and an earth pony, appeared out of thin air, both dressed for battle as well. The pegasus darted forward with glowing orange blades attached to her wings, and the earth pony leapt with a strange set of shoes that sparked with orange lightning.

T-They know how to fight this thing!?

How was this even possible?
The shadow guards were not prepared for the assault and cried out in pain as the weapons struck home, cutting through the shadows the way a knife cuts through butter.

But that wasn’t all. Twilight watched in shock and horror as the two guards began pulling on the shadows with their glowing orange hooves. As they pulled, Twilight could SEE the guards’ normal appearances underneath the blackness.

WhatthebuckwhatthebuckWHATTHEBUCK! WHAT THE ABSOLUTE BUCK IS THIS THING!?”

They were REAL guards, but they were POSSESSED! By some sort of BLACK MAGIC TAR THING! A BLACK MAGIC TAR THING THAT SPARROW KNOWS HOW TO FIGHT! Oh Celestia, WHAT THE HECK IS HAPPENING!?!?

Sparrow lit his horn and quickly ended the struggle between the ponies and the shadows, ripping the latter from their host. The two freed guards collapsed, unconscious, while Sparrow teleported a long orange sword into his magic and sliced the two writhing bundles of shadows. The darkness let out a wailing scream that made Twilight cover her ears and cower again as the shadows were burned into nothingness.

And then, it was over. The room was silent save for the shaky and tear-filled gasp that still escaped Twilight as she tried to gain control of her still pounding heart. It was…jarring.

“Nothus,” Sparrow growled, making his sword vanish with a flash of orange magic and extinguishing the glow on the ring. It and its box fell softly into Twilight’s hooves as though nothing had happened, and Twilight couldn’t help but clutch it tightly to her chest. Annoying or not, it had saved her life. She had no idea how to feel about that. “Check her guards outside. Make sure they are all right, and use the sana if necessary.”

The two guards saluted and moved towards the door as Sparrow teleported in two sets of bandages. He deftly wrapped them around the guards’ heads, and they began to glow light blue with magic.

Twilight didn’t know how she knew, but she could sense that those were more than just bandages. They were removing any of that dark magic that remained in the guards, clearing away the cold and slimy magic that still permeated their beings and replacing it with the normal warm glow of a pony’s natural magic…somehow.

It made her breathe a little easier, yet still her heart continued to hammer away inside her chest.

But…how could she know something like that without knowing HOW she knew it?

Was it an alicorn instinct? Like her being able to sense that something was wrong with the guards? Or was it something else? She had never read anything about this, nor had she heard Celestia and Luna mention it to her as part of being an alicorn, so how did she know?

“Twilight,” Sparrow said, and when she blinked, he was right in front of her, kneeling so he could look into her eyes. She flinched, but Sparrow did not seem to notice or care. “Are you all right? Are you hurt in any way?” His face was calm, yet showed genuine concern for her as his eyes and his magic gently scanned her for any injuries, flowing over her body warmly and soothingly.
And yet, his eyes told her a different story. She couldn’t make out all of the emotions that they conveyed to her, but one thing was certainly obvious.

He was afraid.

Twilight tried to speak, but between the near-death experience, the confusion at his appearance and actions, and just…EVERYTHING, her mouth didn’t seem to want to move correctly. Was it just shock, or was it because he was here, with her, looking at her as though both of them had just awoken from some terrible nightmare?
She couldn’t tell. She nodded and ducked away from his gaze. She needed time to process what the hay had just happened, and this stallion wasn’t helping. Especially since she still had no idea how he had even known she was in trouble.

“Sir,” one of the soldiers said as he came back into the room. “Her guards are incapacitated, but we were able to apply the sana before the magic took hold of them completely. What should we do with them?”

Sparrow seemed reluctant to look away. “Bring them in,” Sparrow said, nodding to them. “I think it’s best if we take all of them to Celestia and Luna for the time being. They need to be informed of this attack, and I believe it would be best if Twilight were to spend the rest of the night with them.”

The guard saluted and left again. Sparrow returned his gaze to Twilight and offered her a hoof. Twilight, reluctantly, began levitating the ring box close to her head and took his hoof as he helped her to stand. He was incredibly gentle with her, a stark contrast to both the pain and stress he had caused her all week, and the brutal way in which he had just fought those two possessed guards.
Once she was standing, albeit very shakily, he gently draped a wing over her and led/assisted her over to the two downed guards while his soldiers brought in two more. They looked normal, but Twilight could tell the dark magic was still being eradicated from their bodies.

She also couldn’t help but notice that despite their sharp appearance, Sparrows wings were actually rather soft.

Then, they were all in the throne room. Twilight didn’t even feel the normal tingle of teleportation as they moved. They just…moved.

How did he DO that?

“Twilight!?” Celestia called out.

She was sitting in her throne, looking completely shocked and a bit terrified. Twilight vaguely realized that there were several guards in the room with them, both Celestia’s and Sparrow’s, but she was so relieved at seeing Celestia, at being ALIVE to see her again, that she couldn’t bring herself to pay attention to them.

“She was attacked,” Sparrow said, his voice strong and forceful. “Her guards were possessed. Do not remove the bandages until they stop glowing. And I would suggest she remain with you for the time being.”

And then, without so much as a goodbye, he vanished.

Celestia stared in horror at where he had been standing before swallowing hard and turning to Twilight. Twilight could tell that she was seeking conformation, and she nodded.

“He…He saved me,” she whispered as her legs gave out and she sat on the floor, shakily grabbing the ring box out of mid-air and pulling it to her chest.

She didn’t know why, but it just…made her feel safe right now.

Back at the camp, 11 hours remain…

The girls all jumped as Sparrow reappeared in their midst. He had been talking to them again before his emergency had come up. Yet the conversation seemed so distant now. He had wanted to return directly to his tent, to retreat from view so that he might be able to try and process what had nearly happened to Twilight, but he wasn’t able to focus his mind enough to create a new teleportation path. So he had to use the old one.

That image of her, cowering in terror against the wall and crying uncontrollably…it had almost been too much for him. At that moment, he had wanted nothing more than to grab her, hug her, tell her that everything would be all right. That he would never let that dark presence hurt her.
But he knew he could not, especially not with how much stress he had caused her over the previous week.

He sagged, his armor returning from whence it came. His breathing was heavy, his heart was racing, and nothing in his body felt normal.

“Sir?” one soldier asked. She sounded concerned, and she had good reason to be. This wasn't the first time in recent years that Sparrow had been pushed so close to his limit. Even now, he could feel his control slipping.

But he couldn’t lose control.

Not yet.

“Send Right Word to my tent, and triple the guards around The Bearers. We can’t risk their safety. And initiate code ‘Umbra.’” He refused to have any more incidents that night, and if there was any trace of Akumu left in Canterlot, his soldiers would find it and eliminate it.

The soldier saluted before dashing out of the tent. Sparrow turned to follow, but Applejack’s voice stopped him.

“Now wait just a second! What do y’all mean ‘you can’t risk our safety?”’ Sparrow didn’t have time for this.

“Ask Twilight,” he grumbled, walking out of the tent as he tried desperately not to snap at her or the other Bearers. They had every right to be concerned, but he was not in the state of mind to deal with that concern.

Already his soldiers were moving about with purpose. Good to see their training paid off. But he wouldn't let that distract him. His officers knew what to do in event of a code ‘Umbra’. Moving as fast as he could without running, he arrived at his own tent, reached out with his magic and activated the built-in silencing wards. Only those inside would be able to hear what was going on.

“Sir, you requested me?” Right Word asked, already waiting inside the magically enchanted tent. His tone of voice said that he knew what was coming.

Punctual as always.

“I need a moment…” Sparrow said, using his magic to make a blue and yellow door appear on the nearby wall. Upon opening, it revealed a large, open room contained in a separate pocket dimension, one designed specifically so that no amount of magic could cause it any damage.

Sparrow shut the door and waited the long, agonizing seconds until the protection wards full engaged.

Then, he let go.

“RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

His magic exploded into a deep shade of red as he screamed, the waves slamming against the walls like roaring fire. When his voice died, he screamed again, and again and again and AGAIN—

All his rage, all his anger, all of it at seeing that accursed parasite again, at having it TRY TO TOUCH HER! Twilight’s fear, her tears, the sight of such a beautiful and kind creature cowering in the corner of her room, her eyes looking as though she had seen death itself! These images ensnared his mind and drove his rage even further!

He could almost see what could have been. Her room soaked in blood, splattered across the walls and floors as her crumpled body lay in a pool of it, her soft blue coat stained red and black by the work of that…that DEMON! Her cutie mark, violated beyond recognition by his unrelenting bloodlust!

Why? WHY? WHY?

Why?

No. Twilight’s coat is purple…It…It didn’t happen. I saved her…

I saved her…

His rage burned out as streams of tears began to fall, another feeling, one that was buried deep beneath the writhing mass of anger, rose to the surface once again.

Fear.

He staggered out of the door, back to where Right Word was waiting with the one thing he needed now more than anything. He was shaking, both from magical exertion and mental exhaustion as his legs gave out, causing him to fall right in the middle of the floor. Right Word said nothing as he unfolded the weighted blanket in his hooves and threw it over the shivering form of his king.

Sparrow pulled it in as close as he could, breathing in deeply, allowing the scent of peaches to fill his nose. Oh, how he missed this smell, how he wished its owner was still there with him…

Slowly, his shaking began to cease and his breathing became steadier. His mind was still a raging mess, and he knew that perfectly well.

“How could I let this happen?” he whispered when the weighted blanket had eased his shaking enough to keep his voice steady. “How did it even get so close to her?”

“Sir, it’s ok,” Right Word said, gently rubbing the back of the much larger alicorn. “Your protection spell worked. You got there in time. She’s still ok, isn't she?”

Sparrow nodded half-heartedly.

“But she…she almost died…I-I almost lost her!”

“But she’s alive because of YOU!” Right Word said forcefully. “You SAVED her. And that’s all that matters.”

Sparrow sighed, but his shivering slowed significantly. His lieutenant was right. He was always right.

“I-I thought I would have more time. He…He just went for her less than a week ago. Why would he risk attacking her again? If…If I hadn’t given her the ring…”

“Sir, we BOTH know that we can’t understand how or why that thing does what it does. All that we can do is make sure it doesn’t claim any more victims. We’re already starting to sweep the city and the surrounding area, doubling our number of undercover agents, and our ponies in the crystal caverns say there hasn't been any movement or magical activity. And by this time tomorrow, she will be in the one place it can’t find her. It won’t get that close to her again, we promise.”

Sparrow took one last deep breath of the peachy perfume and he finally started to truly relax. “Thank you, Right Word. What would I ever do without you?”

“Go crazy?” Right Word suggested, smirking as Sparrow laughed.

“Yeah, that sounds about right. Are we all ready for tomorrow?”

“Yes, sir, all our ponies are ready and waiting. They just need your word to retreat from Equestria.”

“Good, good,” Sparrow said, standing up and pulling the blanket close to his body. “Let’s just hope Twilight makes the right choice.”

“I am certain she will, sir…”

Back in Canterlot Castle, 10 Hours and 59 minutes remain…

“TWILIGHT!”

Rainbow’s panicked voice exploded through the orb that had just appeared in Twilight’s lap. Twilight screamed and jumped upwards, latching onto Celestia. The ring box in her hooves and the glass orb went flying, but Velvet caught both in her magic before they hit the floor, her, Night Light, and Luna all having just ran into the room in a panic.

“Rainbow, don’t DO THAT!” Twilight yelled, her mane standing out in all directions. “I’ve already had a panic attack tonight, and I DON’T NEED ANOTHER ONE!” She gasped as she tried to bring her recently calmed heart rate back to normal levels for the second time that night.

“Oh, uh, sorry. But Sparrow was acting weird, and he just told us to ask you what happened.”

“And given how his entire camp is acting like a hornet’s nest that’s just been kicked, we reckoned it must have been important,” Applejack added. She and the rest of the girls were all huddling around the glass orb – Twilight could just see everypony’s worried eyes. “I swear, the fella looked fine one minute, then terrified the next just before he vanished right in front of us. Did something happen?”

“We were just about to ask,” Luna said, helping Twilight down from her perch on Celestia’s neck. “All we know is that Sparrow appeared with her in the throne room and said she was attacked.”

“WHAT!?!”

There was a loud clunk and the image in the orb blurred until it settled on five sets of panicking hooves, all of them immediately trying to grab the orb as a flurry of question were shouted at the orb.

It took a few tries to get their attention again, but once they quieted down to listen, Twilight explained what had happened in her bedroom that night. Going through everything that had just happened was…hard. There were multiple points where she broke down, her parents, Celestia, and Luna wrapping their forelegs around her the first time until she could calm down and then refusing to let go until her tale was completed.

She just wished she could feel her friends hugging her too.

When she finished, everypony was just staring at her with wide eyes and open mouths.

“I-I can’t believe this,” Velvet said in shock. “What kind of monster can POSSESS ponies!?”

“Not that we have ever seen,” Celestia said. “The only thing close to this was the sirens sowing chaos or Discord turning ponies into the opposites of themselves. Never have we seen something take direct control of a pony in this way. And yet…”

“The shadow Twilight mentioned sounds strangely similar to King Sombra, only without the crystals,” Luna finished for her. “But even he had never managed to directly control ponies. When our army marched for the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago, there were rumors from a few escaped Crystal Ponies that he was creating some form of magical technology to make them complacent, but never something like this.”

“I just wanna know how Sparrow knew Twilight was in trouble,” Applejack said. “He seemed to be perfectly fine for the entire conversation, then he just froze and whispered something…I think it was Twilight’s name, before yelling ‘Code Umbra’ to the guards outside our tent and rushing off. He looked pretty panicked.”

“And that’s when things became hectic?” Celestia asked.

“Indeed they did,” Rarity said. “And then, without warning, Sparrow was wearing that armor of his. I swear, I blinked once and it was there. He then told the two soldiers outside to prepare for teleport, and then he was gone.”

“Could it have been the ring?” Night Light asked. “Twilight said it reacted to protect her, or at least held that shadow…thing…off long enough for him to appear, so maybe it had some sort of alarm spell on it?”

“Perhaps,” Luna agreed, engulfing the ring with her magic and frowning. “But unfortunately, the ring has so many enchantments on, many of which appear to be so tightly woven that I can’t pick out each one individually and determine for sure if that is true. However, based on what Twilight and her friends have told us, that is the most likely the case, as the only other option I can see doesn’t seem to fit in this instance.”

“And…what’s the other case?” Rainbow asked.

“That this was a set up,” Luna said. “What better way to get her to say yes to his proposal than to act as the hero that saved her from an unknowable assassin? But again, this seems highly unlikely.”

“He would need to be one heck of an actor,” Rarity said. “I swear, he looked like he had seen a ghost when he came back.”

“He also looked exhausted,” Fluttershy said. “But not in the physical way. It was more like…I really can’t explain it…”

“It was real,” Pinkie whispered.

“How do you…was it your Pinkie Sense?” Twilight asked, her eyes widening as Rainbow moved to hug the party pony comfortingly.

“I…I felt the warning when Sparrow did. M-My Pinkie sense said Twilight was in danger…in danger of…of…”

She trailed off, turning to look out of the tent. The rest of the girls in the tent moved to join the hug. They all knew how accurate Pinkie’s senses were, so if they had told her that Twilight was about to die…no wonder it was taking a big toll on her.

“What do we do now?” Twilight asked. “Even with the ring, that…thing…might still be out there. W-What if it has more ponies possessed?”

“I may have an idea,” Luna said, looking at the downed guards. They had been moved onto stretchers while Twilight had talked, but Luna had asked for them to be left in the room for the moment while the doctors performed their checks. “The magic in those bandages is said to remove the…let’s call it ‘the shadow’ for now. If they do in fact manage to remove it, then perhaps we may be able to create a spell that mimics said magic. I don’t know if we can DO that, given the unusual nature of Sparrow’s magic up until this point, but if we can, it may allow us to remove the shadow from any more corrupted ponies. Perhaps we might even find a way to use it as a weapon against the shadow.”

“It would certainly be better than waiting for it to strike again,” Celestia nodded. “Should you need help, simply call on me for assistance, sister. And I believe that I can keep an eye on Twilight and her parents tonight.” She nuzzled the top of Twilight’s head. “If this…shadow…produces a wave of fear, then Luna and I are the least likely to be affected by it.”

“Why’s that?” Rainbow asked.

“Because Luna works every night to fight off the nightmares of the world, and I myself have seen things in my long life far more terrifying than you could possibly imaging,” Celestia said, smiling. “Fear may be powerful, but it will NOT stop me from protecting those I hold dear. That shadow is dangerous and should be avoided, make no mistake, but it will take more than magic eyes to stop me. No offense, Twilight.”

“None taken,” Twilight said. “Just, please be careful. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I promise,” Celestia said, nuzzling her student again. “This foe has proven to be both elusive and dangerous, and I will not underestimate them.”

“Indeed,” Luna said. “But now I think it is time for all of us to get some rest. Seeing as Sparrow has not mentioned any kind of extension on the time he has given Twilight, we must assume that she will still be forced to make her choice tomorrow morning. Something that we should all be well rested for, especially after tonight. I will begin studying the magic and shall remain nearby should you need me, sister.”

“And I will take Twilight and her parents to my room. We should be safe there once I create a few more protective wards.”

“How many are already there?” Nightlight asked curiously.

“At least a hundred, all of them added over the course of the last thousand years to insure I had someplace safe to truly let me guard down. It is the most secure room in the entire castle, even if a good fifteen of the wards were put in place to stop Luna from pranking me when she returned,” Celestia teased.

Luna stuck her tongue out playfully with a loud ‘Nahhh,’ and Twilight giggled for the first time all night. There was just something about such a casual sibling interaction that made things feel a little bit more normal. It certainly helped lighten the mood, even if only slightly. Twilight would take anything at this point.

“What about us?” Rainbow asked. “What if that…thing, comes here?”

“Given Sparrow’s and his soldier’s affinity in fighting the shadow, I would think you would be safe,” Luna said. “Attacking the source of your weakness isn't a strong idea if those involved can fight back.”

“He did triple our guards,” Fluttershy reminded them. “I think we’ll be ok…I hope.”

“We will,” Pinkie said. “The shadow won’t come here. It knows better.”

And with that, the conversation was mostly over. The girls said their goodbyes, taking turns to hug the orb before it went dark. Despite her uncertainty, Twilight followed Celestia to her room. Her parents did need to help her walk for a while because her legs were still a bit unsteady, but their physical closeness was soothing. When they arrived at Celestia’s room, the princess of the sun quickly ushered them into her bed and laid down next to them. Her horn lit with a brilliant gold as she casted more wards throughout the room.

Snuggled between her parents with the large, warm wing of her mentor draped over her back, Twilight was able to quickly fall asleep, the comfort and warmth of her family driving away what remained of the fear that had filled her not so long ago.

Later that night: 8 hours remain…

“You seem conflicted, my dear.”

The voice of dream version of Sparrow made Twilight facemap on the dream version of her crystal map in her castle. She was sitting across from him in the throne room, in her own throne, while he sat in one that appeared to be made for him, given that his cutie mark on the back.

“Why are you HERE?” Twilight yelled. “Can’t I just have a bit of time to think in peace without any distractions? I need to make my decision tomorrow, and having a constant reminder of my problem ISN’T! HELPING!”

“But maybe it could,” dream Sparrow said, smiling at her in the same mysterious, knowing way Celestia always did.

“And how could a figment of my imagination POSSIBLY help me right now?” Twilight groaned, looking up and resting her chin on the table between them, which was now covered in an assortment of breakfast foods.

“Why, I can help you debate, of course,” dream Sparrow said as he helped himself to the fruit in front of him. “You want to make a decision, yet you constantly bounce between the positive and negative aspects of the deal, never just examining it from one point of view.” He tossed a peach into his mouth. “But like this, I can be the positives of the deal, you can be the negatives. And as such, we can debate.”

“So I’ll be debating against my own head?” Twilight asked annoyedly.

“You do so every time you make a decision,” dream Sparrow said, shrugging. “You weigh the positives and negatives, the risk and rewards, every time you choose one way or another. This way just allows you to focus on one side of things while I present the counterarguments. Less stress for your conscious mind, but more gets done.”

“How do you know all this?”

“How should I know? It’s YOUR brain that’s making me talk to you at all,” dream Sparrow said, tossing the peach core over his shoulder, where it turned into a small butterfly that looked like Princess Celestia. Somehow.

Eh, dreams.

Twilight sighed. “It’s not like I have any other ideas. Fine, let’s start with the obvious then. I will be forced to leave my friends, my family, and everything I have ever know to go with a stallion I have never met and whose best idea in courting me is to conquer my home and give me an impossible deal that will affect my life forever.”

“When Celestia sent you to Ponyville, you felt the same way, without the whole marriage thing. But you DID think that making friends was impossible and not worth your time, yet in the end, your life was changed for the better. You discovered the magic of friendship, became a princess, and have had more fun these past few years than you ever had in your entire life.”

“But now I am about to LOSE all that I got from that last choice to some random stallion!”

“How so? So long as your friends keep the orb, you can still see them, talk with them, and hear about their lives. It might not be as great as being able to interact with them, but it’s not like you will be away from them forever, especially if he keeps his promise to let you visit.”

“But what if he DOESN’T!?”

“To quote almost everypony you know, you just need to have hope. Plus, he hasn’t actually broken any of his promises yet. Even when he entered the city, it was to protect you, and that itself was him upholding his promise to Pinkie to protect you with his life.”

Twilight was silent for a moment. She knew he was right on that…or SHE was right because this was her own dream, but it did bring up another question. “Why would that need to be a promise at all? What was that creature, and why did it seem like he KNEW what it was and how to fight it? His soldiers were even able to start freeing the possessed ponies before he gave any instructions. So why are they all equipped to fight this…shadow, or whatever it is.”

“I don’t know. But the fact of the matter is that he still was willing to jump in front of what very well could have been a lethal attack for you. Even if he knew he could survive the blow, he was still protecting you without hesitation, AND upholding his promise to Pinkie that he would protect you even if he knew it would kill him. Admit it, some part deep inside you knows he would have done the same thing, even if he didn’t have his armor on.”

That brought a sudden rush of tears to Twilight’s eyes, and she struggled to keep from sobbing over imaginary pastries and pancakes.

“But why?” she cried. “Why be willing to do so much for me? Why come for me at all? Who even IS Sparrow? All I know is his name, his kingdom, the fact that he uses magic I can’t even begin to explain, and…that he saved my life. But that’s it…”

“I know only as much as you do,” dream Sparrow said, standing up and walking around the table. “But let’s be real. Despite the lack of information, despite the fact that he saved you, and despite the fact that he has your friends and all of Equestria under hoof, your answer was always going to be yes. Right?”

Twilight opened her mouth, maybe to deny it, maybe to agree with it, but in the end she just shut it and nodded as her tears began to spill over.

“But WHY are you going to say yes?” dream Sparrow asked, lifting her chin gently with a hoof. “You and I both know that you would say yes just to save a single town, because it would be the right thing to do, but there’s more to it, isn’t there? So what are those reasons? Why do you actually WANT to go?”

“I…” Twilight tried to speak, but her tongue just wouldn’t make the words come out. But she realized her was right. She DID want to go, to leave everything behind, to travel with him to whatever island he called home.

That realization, that insight, hurt. It felt as if something inside her was aching worse than anything she had ever experienced before. And yet, it was a necessary pain. It finally gave her back her voice, and let her express the truth that she had refused to accept these past three days.

“Because…Because I want to know why.” Twilight whispered. “I want to know why he did this, why he’s so interested in me. Why the world’s only male alicorn decided that I was worth revealing himself to the world for. I want to know who he is, how his magic works, what his island is really like. There’s just…so much I don’t know, so much I NEED to know, and…”

“And?”

“And…I trust him to keep his promises. I don’t know why I do, but…I do. I know he will let me come home one day even if just to visit, that I can still see my friends while I wait. And…I know that if I go with him…I’ll be able to learn why he did all this, for me…”

“But it still hurts, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It really does. But…I just need to have hope…and trust that everything will work out…somehow.”

Dream Sparrow smiled, just as the vision came to an end.

At the main gate: 0 hours remain…

Sparrow was waiting there, just outside the gate, exactly where he had been standing three days before. Behind him, Twilight’s friends stood, all of them in an anxious huddle, their eyes locked on her. In front of the gate, standing before the Princesses and her parents, all of whom had been hugged farewell, stood Princess Twilight Sparkle. The box with the diamond ring hovered in her magic.

“Have you made a decision?” Sparrow asked, his voice strangely gentle against the silence.

Twilight nodded, looking at the ring. Its gems shone in the morning light with all the colors of the rainbow, making it shine in a way that was unforgettable.

Even if I don’t really have a choice, this is my decision, she thought as she levitated the ring out of its velvet lining. I need to know. There’s no other way…

Girls, Princesses, Mom, Dad, Shiny, Cadence, Spike, Starlight…everypony, please forgive me. I promise I will see you all again, no matter how long it takes…

With this final thought, Twilight slid the diamond ring over her horn, and it fit perfectly, as though it had been made for her. Her answer was yes, and she would accept whatever came next…

Author's Note

We interrupt this rather stressful story to bring you a horror story!
Plus one sin (if you get the reference, give yourself a cookie :scootangel:)
Also, I maaaaaaaaay have played to much of Majora's Mask :derpytongue2:

Also, do not ask what I was thinking when I wrote Dream Sparrow for his first appearance. I really have no idea but I couldn't really think of a way to change it or revamp that section, so.....yea.

But there it is. Her choice has been made, and her path has been set. Where will this road take her, and will the mysteries that surround the Mysterious Stallion ever be solved? Only time will tell...

Next time...
Define 'missed'...

Chapter 4: Arrival

“You ruined the moment, Rainbow.”

Sparrow closed his eyes, groaned, and shook his head, his hoof between his eyes.

Less than three seconds after Twilight had put on the ring, Rainbow had charged Sparrow, only to be stopped in midair by her leg band. “Still, I am glad to see you have accepted my proposal Twilight,” he said, opening his eyes again. “I promise, you will not regret this.”

His eyes met hers, and Twilight could see relief and a good amount of excitement in those orange orbs. It was actually a bit disconcerting to be able to read his emotions so easily. Celestia and Luna usually hid their's so well. He was so open with them that she actually felt uncomfortable and broke eye contact, instead turning towards her friends.

Despite Sparrow’s obvious happiness, comforting tone, and gentle smile, Twilight still felt the weight of her decision in the looks her friends gave her.

Rainbow looked furious, but more at Sparrow than at Twilight, and was trying to hold back tears. Applejack had her hat pulled down, hiding her expression from view. Rarity looked like she was trying REALLY HARD not to faint again. Fluttershy looked sad, but also understanding, and was doing her best to grin. And Pinkie…Pinkie was smiling a sad smile as she cried, as if she knew this would be the outcome, but was also relieved in some way.

“I have one condition,” Twilight said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. “I…I need to say goodbye to my friends before I go.”

Sparrow nodded. “A very reasonable condition.” As though on cue, Rainbow Dash returned to the ground. “I will give you some time while I order the withdrawal.”

He stepped to the side, allowing the girls a direct path to Twilight. They wasted no time in charging her and tackling her in a hug. Over the tangle of multi-colored manes and forelegs covering her face, Twilight saw Sparrow smile, almost sweetly, and call Right Word to his side.

“Celestia damn it, Twilight,” Rainbow half-yelled, half-cried as she squeezed the purple alicorn. “Why!? Why are you going with him!?”

“I need to,” Twilight said, her own eyes watering as she relished in the hug they were giving her, the feeling of their forelegs around her… “I need to know why he’s doing this, and there’s no other way to free Equestria. I…I wish there was, but we can’t beat him. You know we can’t.”

She tapped Rainbow’s leg band. Rainbow just hugged her tighter.

“It’s very selfless of you, Twilight,” Fluttershy whispered. “Please be careful…”

“Don’t let that barbarian lay a hoof on you! Aim below the belt if you need to!” Rarity said, her makeup running.

“We’ll miss you,” Applejack said, her voice quivering.

“You’ll be ok,” Pinkie whispered.

“I’ll see you all again,” Twilight whispered. “I know I will…”

No more words were spoken between the girls. No more words needed to be spoken. They just sat there on the ground, hugging until they heard Sparrow speak up again.

“My ponies are retreating. I am afraid that…it is time to go.” He sounded genuinely apologetic, but that didn’t make letting go any less painful. Regardless, Twilight focused on giving her friends one last big hug. She wished she had gotten a chance to do this with Shining, Cadence, Flurry Heart, Starlight…but they were still hours away at the Crystal Empire. At least she had been able to spend an hour that morning saying goodbye to her parents and the princesses.

With one final goodbye, she stood up, and slowly left the comfort of her friends’ grasp. She didn’t look back towards Canterlot, towards her mentors or her parents, or even towards her friends as she approached Sparrow, afraid that if she looked back, she might just collapse from sadness.

Sparrow stood nearby, ready and waiting as his soldiers vanished in flashes of orange and blue magic until only he was left. Twilight knew she wasn’t ready, but she had a deal to uphol—

“TWIIIILIIIIGHT!”

Twilight’s head whipped around so fast her mane was flung into her face. But even that couldn’t distract her from the voice she had just heard. Just down the road and LIMPING towards her was—

“SPIKE!” Twilight yelled in surprise and horror. If he was limping, then he was HURT!

For the first time in days, the deal, the goodbye, everything left her mind as she made a mad dash for the small dragon, his safety her only concern. As she approached, her panic doubled as he got closer and his injuries became more apparent.

Spike looked HORRIBLE!

His leg was in some sort of brace made of tree bark and vines, and his arm was in a sling made of a dirty piece of cloth. He was covered in bruises, he had a black circle over his left eye, and he looked like he was missing a few patches of scales. Twilight barely remembered to stop and not crush him in a hug.

“What HAPPENED!?” she cried as she came to a skidding halt in front of him, grabbing him in her magic and starting to assess the damage. “Did the soldiers do this to you?! Did you get in a fight with a manticore?! How are you even HERE!?”

“Twilight, relax,” Spike said, giving her a lopsided smile. “I’m ok—”

“You broke your ARM and your LEG! And you were just WALKING ON THE BROKEN LEG! THAT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE AS BEING OK!!!!!”

“Twilight, I don’t believe holding him upside down is going to help,” Sparrow called out.

She turned to see him coming up behind her. Celestia, Luna, her parents, and her friends were running to catch up, not far behind him. Twilight blinked, looked back at Spike, then flushed as she realized that she was in fact levitating Spike upside down. Quickly, yet gently, she righted him, but didn’t let him go. “Though I also wish to know what happened,” Sparrow continued. “If my soldiers were responsible, I need to know so I may reprimand whoever was behind this.”

“Huh? No, no, it wasn’t a pony that was behind this…well, not intentionally, at least…” Spike chuckled awkwardly. Then he blinked. “Wait, your soldiers? What—”

“Not INTENTIONALLY!?” Twilight cried in shock, cutting the dragon off and moving her face right next to his. “How does somepony NOT INTENTIONALLY BREAK A BABY DRAGON’S LEG!?!?!?” Twilight knew her right eye was twitching, but she didn’t care.

“It was my idea!” Spike exclaimed, waving his healthy arm frantically. “I had Starlight and Sunburst teleport me to Canterlot, but they…missed.”

“Define ‘missed,’” Sparrow said with a raised eyebrow as he arrived followed shorty by the rest of Twilight’s family. “Also, I will explain what I mean by 'my soldiers’ once I hear what happened to you."

“Um, ok, I guess. I…well, I appeared five feet from the edge of Canterlot, fell into the waterfall, and…kinda took a fast trip down the side of the mountain. I spent the last two days walking, er, limping, back up here. I was hoping there might be a passing pony that I could get a ride from, but the road was deserted.”

Twilight looked at Sparrow, who swallowed and bowed his head towards her.

“I had no idea that he would be coming, and the fact that your student and her friend managed to teleport him such a distance without aid from my magic was quite impressive. Had I known, I would have sent one of my soldiers to pick him up. I apologize for making him walk back up the side of the mountain, especially given his injuries.”

Spike raised an eyebrow at his response. “Um, not to be rude, but, who are you? And, wait, you’re an alicorn!” He exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes. Yes I am. My name is Credence Sparrow,” the alicorn said with a small bow. “I am the king of the distant island of Delubrum. The soldiers who were temporarily stationed in Equestria were my own, and, as I promised Twilight, they have now withdrawn so that we may return to my home. Also, Twilight…will be accompanying me as well.”

Twilight felt the sadness that had filled her just a few minutes before come flooding back, nearly threatening to overwhelm her. She had to leave Equestria, and now Spike was here just as she was about to be taken away. She would only get a few more minutes to see him before she was forced to leave him behind…

An incredible sense of guilt washed over her, making the terrible feeling inside her even worse. For three days, she had fretted over this decision, and she had been so caught up in her fears and worries that she had barely even thought of Spike. She hadn’t even left a letter for him, hadn’t even written a simple apology for not giving him one last goodbye. She hadn’t even requested Sparrow to have his soldiers deliver a letter to him! Even if he had said no, she could have at least TRIED!

But no, she hadn’t done that. And now, he had arrived just in time to see her off.

Oh Celestia, how am I supposed to explain that I am now WILLINGLY ENGAGED to Sparrow!?

Tears began to flow as she let her head hang, trying in some small way to hide the pain from those around her. The sadness spiraled out of control so much that she almost missed Spike’s next words as he continued to speak to Sparrow.

“No, seriously, who are you?”

Twilight looked up just in time to see Sparrow looking taken aback, and then utterly confused.

“Ummmmm…the comedic relief?” he said uncertainly, shrugging.

Pinkie and Rainbow both snorted and Spike raised his eyebrow as far as his bruised face would let it go.

“Isn’t that Pinkie’s job? Or Cheese Sandwich’s?” Sparrow scratched the back of his head in a level of embarrassment Twilight hadn’t thought was possible for him to achieve.

“Perhaps…But I was never very good at improvisation. Despite how crazy it might sound, I was telling the truth. I am the one in change of the soldiers, and Twilight has agreed to come with me in exchange for their withdrawal.”

“That’s impossible,” Spike said confidently. “Twilight wouldn’t just leave Equestria to go with some pony she could have only known for a few days. Right, Twilight?”

Twilight couldn’t answer him. How could she, when her mouth refused to even squeak? When her only thoughts were on how much it would hurt him he realized Sparrow was telling the truth? When she was forced to leave him behind as she traveled to a new and unknown land? She couldn’t make the words come out, and the deafening silence let her know that nopony else could either.

Spike turned to look at her with his good eye, mouth open like he was ready to ask what was wrong, but as the silence stretched longer, Twilight could almost see the words die on his lips. He turned, looking at the rest of the assembled ponies, but no one could meet his eyes as tears began to flow for them just as they had for Twilight.

“We…had an agreement…” Sparrow answered at last. His voice was gentle, caring, but marked with sadness and regret as well. But said regret did nothing to ease the pain in Twilight’s heart. “Twilight has accepted my engagement ring in exchange for me pulling my troops from Equestria. I am sorry you had to find out this way…”

Snapping his head back to Twilight, Spike’s gaze traveled up to her horn, his eyes widening in shock as he spotted the ring at last. Twilight let her head fall, unable to watch the realization sink in.

For almost a minute, there was complete and utter silence.

And then-

“Oh, HELL NO!”

“Spike, language!” Velvet exclaimed nearby before immediately covering her mouth with a hoof. Twilight knew saying that was her default reaction whenever she heard a child use such language. Regardless, she was promptly ignored by the small dragon.

“You’re not taking her!” Spike yelled, managing to limp between Twilight and Sparrow. Twilight tried to tell him to stop, that he might aggregate his injuries, but her mouth still refused to form words.

“She has already agreed,” Sparrow said calmly. “And I plan to gift her friends and family with a device that will allow you to see her and speak to her as often as you like. I know that will not be the same, and that you will likely hate me either way, but know that I Pinkie Promise you will see her again, and that I shall protect her so long as I draw breath.”

"And no pony breaks a Pinkie Promise,” Pinkie said with a firm nod.

“Even I know better than to risk that,” Sparrow agreed. Yet despite the strength of such a promise, Spike remained unmoved, simply growling at Sparrow.

“I-I need to go with him…” Twilight whispered, her voice returning as nothing more than a soft whisper. “I-I’m sorry.” She gently wrapped her wings around the injured dragon. Spike let her pull him to her chest, looking between her and Sparrow as she held him for what she hoped wouldn’t be the final time.

“If she’s going, then so am I!” Spike exclaimed.

A series of gasps rang out around the farewell party and Twilight’s head shot up in shock.

“Spike…you can’t,” Twilight said, her eyes watering harder now as she instinctively hugged him tighter. “I-I’m the only one that can go.”

This was so much worse than saying goodbye to her friends. And that was already horrible beyond belief, Twilight thought, instinctively nuzzling the top of Spike’s head.

“What…What is Spike to you, Twilight?” Sparrow asked.

His face was conflicted, full of several different emotions that Twilight couldn’t read. “What is your relationship with him? I know that for years he has been a part of your family and has spent quite a few of those years as your assistant, but please tell me what he is to you. I cannot read your mind. I’m sorry — I know it is an odd question, but please help me understand your bond with him.”

It was an odd question, and one that made her feel even worse as all of her happiest memories with Spike immediately came rushing to the surface of her mind.

She closed her eyes, unable to look at him or Spike. “It’s…hard to say. H-He IS my assistant, technically, but that is only a small part of what he is to me. I…actually can’t think of any one way to d-describe it. He’s just…someone who's always been there for me. Ever since I got my cutie mark, he’s been there for me. Even as a hatchling, he was a reminder that I could do anything I put my mind to. That no spell, no challenge, was beyond my ability. I casted a spell that most adults could only ever dream of as a foal…and he…”

The tears were flowing strongly now, and she couldn’t hide them anymore.

“He gives me hope that I can overcome anything…even when I don’t have hope in m-myself…”

It was quiet when she finished. All she could hear was sniffling, from herself and her friends and family nearby. But she didn’t want to look. She didn’t want another reminder that she and Spike were so special to everypony around them, not when she had to leave him and her other loved ones behind forever.

“If that is how you view him…I can make an exception and allow him to accompany you, should he so choose,” Sparrow said gently.

“WHAT!?”

Twilight wasn’t sure what made her jump more — his declaration, or everypony’s response to it. Her eyes immediately scanned every inch of his face, searching for any small sigh that he was lying.

But she found none. He was being genuine, and that realization relit some small spark of hope in her chest that perhaps her time away wouldn’t be so horrible after all.

“OH, COME ON!” Rainbow yelled. “WHAT ABOUT US!?!?!”

“Taking you would be removing all of Equestria’s best-known heroes in a single night, which would likely lead to a full-scale panic.” Sparrow said matter of factly. “There will already be enough panic when I leave with Twilight, regardless of my Pinkie Promise that you will all see her again one day. Spike, on the other hand, will not draw nearly as much panic should he choose to come. Make no mistake, all of you share incredibly amazing bonds with Twilight, but Spike and her share a special connection all their own. Frankly, I should have offered both him and Twilight this option from the start.” He bowed his head towards the purple alicorn. “For that, I do apologize.”

“Seriously!? All this trouble and now I can go just like that?” Spike asked, glaring at Sparrow as Twilight tried to find her voice for what seemed like the fifth time in under ten minutes.

“Just like that,” Sparrow said with a nod and a slight smile. “Plus, now that you are here, I can imagine you would try to smuggle yourself to my island even if I refused to take you. Better to just cut out the middle-mare, wouldn't you say?” He said with a wink. Did…Sparrow just make a joke?

“If I’m allowed to go, then I’m going,” Spike said, his tone brokering no argument.

“But you can’t!” Twilight protested, her new worry for Spike jump-starting her brain. “We don’t even know where I’m going! What if the island is dangerous, or the ponies have a habit of fighting dragons! Or, or…”

“So it’s ok for YOU to go, then?” Spike countered. “If it’s so dangerous there, then I need to come so I can help protect you! Especially so I can make sure HE doesn’t try anything!”

He pointed a sharp claw at Sparrow.

“You tell him, Spike!” Rarity cheered, giving the large alicorn a glare as dangerously sharp as the gems on her flank.

“How noble of you,” Sparrow said, smiling at the dragon with what almost seemed to be pride. “Truly, I am impressed that you would be so willing to leave your home behind so that you may continue to help Twilight. There are many creatures in this world that could learn quite a lot from your example. Other dragons, especially.”

“Quiet, you,” Spike growled, seemingly ignoring the compliment. “I don’t know what your deal is, but if you’re taking Twilight, then I’m coming, end of discussion.”

“But what about Ponyville? Our friends? Our family?” Twilight begged, crying harder now as she recalled everything she was about to leave. “You’ll lose them all…both of us shouldn't have to suffer the cost of this…”

“That’s just all the more reason to come,” Spike said, pressing himself into Twilight’s embrace again. “You need me, and if you’re gonna lose all that, then you shouldn’t have to lose it alone. Besides, I’ll have you, and as long as we’re together, we’ll be ok!” He squeezed Twilight as tight as his damaged body would allow.

Twilight sniffled, but hugged him back. She hated the idea of Spike suffering the same fate as herself, possibly even more so than the idea of leaving him behind, but it was his decision, and it would probably just hurt him more if she refused him.

“Ok,” she whispered. “Just please don’t do anything crazy once we leave. You've been hurt enough already.”

“How do you think I feel?” His laugh sounded pained. “I’m gone for less than a week, and look at the mess you’ve got yourself into! I’ll need to keep a close eye on you once we get there just to make sure you stay out of trouble.”

“Oh, hush. I’m not the one with a broken arm AND leg. The first thing we need to do when we get there is find you a doctor.”

“I’ll have a medic waiting,” Sparrow said, pulling out a piece of parchment and quickly scribbling something down. It vanished with a poof once he added the last period. “I’ll be certain that he receives the best medical care our island has to offer.”

“Oh…thank you,” Twilight said reluctantly, moving to lift Spike to her back. Regardless of his kindness, most of her mind didn’t like the idea of thanking him for anything right now.

Sparrow held out a wing to stop her. “Allow me to carry him, if you would. The teleportation magic I use is…jarring upon first exposure. Not so much for small distances, like last night, but for larger ones it can lead to severe disorientation. You both may fall over upon reaching my kingdom, and while I will do my best to steady you when we arrive, it will be safer for me to hold him so he isn’t accidentally dropped or jolted.” And with that said, he knelt down.

It was...strange to see him like that. The ruler of a distant island who could defeat Celestia and Luna with a single spell kneeling before her, his massive wings splayed out to the sides and his head perfectly level with her own. Twilight also noticed for the first time that his orange and red striped mane and tail didn’t magically flow in the wind. They just sat there like a normal mane and tail.

All of that together made him look almost normal. Not some imposing figure capable of summoning an orange sword and cleaving a creature made of pure fear in half. Not a king in control of a vast army. Just a pony kneeling before his princess. It was like he was trying to be humbled by her presence.

Yet it felt familiar as well…

Twilight shook her head to clear it. She didn't like the idea of having Sparrow hold Spike, especially as injured as he was, but she knew so little about the teleportation magic that she knew it would be better to be safe than sorry. Reluctantly, she helped Spike position himself onto the alicorn’s large back. Once he was secured, Sparrow stood up walked over to Twilight and wrapped his wing around her, pulling her close. They turned to face the rest of the gathered ponies.

Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Celestia, Luna, Mom, Dad…Twilight gave every pony around her one last loving look.

So this was it…

“I-I love you all. I-I’ll miss you,” she said quietly, earning one last nod of agreement from everyone around her.

“Oh, before I forget,” Sparrow said, lighting his horn. The glass communication orb floated out of Pinkie’s mane, rose into the air, and split into eight identical balls. Each of the girls got one, as did Celestia, Luna, and Twilight’s parents. As the orbs settled into the girls’ hooves, the metal bands on their legs vanished.

Rainbow immediately flared her wings, but a quick chomp on her tail from Applejack held her back as Sparrow spoke. “Now we must be off, but I have a feeling that we will meet again.”

And with that, he, Twilight, and Spike were gone.

??????

Curse him, curse him, CURSE HIM!

So close, SO CLOSE! Hope was within their grasp, and then that ACCURSED SPAWN OF TRUST APPEARED!

Not even the daughters of the sun and moon knew they were here, and yet HE DID!?

Worse yet, they had FELT Hope’s magic inside the ring, protecting her and buying time for him to appear. HOW DID SHE DO THAT!? How could she have had access to such power when she had been so firmly entrapped in their gaze!?

And yet, it was not a total loss.

They had felt Trust’s fear.

Oh that WONDROUS FEAR! So much of it, so strong, so filling…

Perhaps they should try a new approach…

One that might allow it to feed on his FEAR for as long as they desired!

That was SO MUCH BETTER.

But it was too soon. They were still too weak, especially with hope still tainting their food supply.

Yet they were patient.

They had waited two thousand years for their revenge.

What was a few more months?

Yes. just a few more months. Trust’s love would grow and develop and deepen and flourish for his little Hope until he cared more about her than he did HIMSELF!

THEN they would strike!

Fear born from love was the strongest fear in existence! And it was SO EASY to HARVEST!

Yes, this was PERFECT!

Pitiful insects. Love was a useless emotion that only served to weaken those beneath them!

Their fear would restore them to their rightful strength, their rightful place!

Soon, this world would know their true ruler once again…

An unknown location, possibly somewhere over the rainbow…

Colors. So many colors. They flowed and twisted in all patterns and directions. They touched her, filled her, embraced her. She could hear a voice calling out to her, whispering sweet reassurances as the colors swirled and danced. She would be ok. She would be safe.

She would understand.

But then, all at once, the colors vanished, leaving her alone and strangely cold. She fell, where or why, she didn't know. Her eyes couldn’t make sense of the scene before her. But then, she stopped. There was a slight ‘poomf’ as she landed on something…soft. So very soft. Softer than a cloud. It held her, cradled her, and let her sink into it at just the right amount. It was so comfy, she didn't even try to move. Why would she need to?

A gentle murmur reached her ears. Was somepony speaking? Silly pony, the Princess of Friendshipping wasn't here right now. She was drifting away on a luxurious bundle of fluffy not-a-cloud. She giggled, her eyes still refusing to make pictures correctly. Or was it just that there was nothing to see now that the rainbow had left? The murmur reached her ears again, and something WARM covered her body.

She sighed. She was resting on something soft and warm and fluffy, covered in something soft and warm and fluffy. So much fluff. She was in a fluffy sandwich! What a wonderful feeling. So wonderful in fact, she might just go to sleep right now.

Yes, that seemed like a great idea. Her eyes were getting so heavy, and her thoughts were becoming so slow, but that was ok. She was in a warm fluffy place, a place where she would be safe.

The quiet murmuring voice said so.

With a small yawn, she closed her eyes, and drifted into a peaceful slumber, the worries of the waking world far behind her.

Sparrow smiled as he looked down at the sleeping form of Twilight Sparkle. They had appeared right in the middle of the medical ward in his castle home, and Twilight had immediately collapsed. He had known this would happen, which is why he also teleported a mattress with them to catch her, but she appeared to be taking her first experience with the island’s magic better than he had hoped. She would still need to adapt to it, but the fact that she had managed to stay awake at all where as almost everypony else in Equestria would have immediately passed out was indeed very promising.

“What in the name of Celestia…?” Spike groaned. Looking back, Sparrow could see that Spike’s eyes were spinning in different directions and his face looked a rather unsettling color of green.

“Remember how I said the magic I use was jarring? That was an understatement, especially across such a distance. But don’t worry, you should be fine in a few hours. Your innate magical resistance is very high, even for a dragon, so that will help you reorient yourself. I assume Twilight’s method of hatching you is the reason for that.”

“T-Twilight,” Spike murmured, trying to climb down and move towards his friend, but Sparrow levitated the dragon off his back and towards a waiting nurse instead.

“She is more sensitive to my magic than you, so she may be asleep for a day or two. But rest assured, she will be fine. Once you have you have been given an examination and a real cast, you may see her for as long as you’d like.” He nodded to the nurse and she wheeled Spike away on a hospital bed.

When they were out of view, Sparrow turned back to the very comfortable looking Twilight. She muttered something unintelligible and snuggled deeper into the blanket covered in peach tree images, smiling as she slept peacefully.

Smiling himself, Sparrow levitated the mattress off the ground and made his way out of the medical ward, dodging nurses and the occasional bed with ease. Once outside, he turned left and began walking through the cobblestone castle. His hooves thumped softly as he walked, stopping now and again to greet passing ponies or to answer a question from one of his staff.

Most of the ponies in the castle knew of the situation involving Twilight and were aware she would be arriving today, but at least half of the questions Sparrow fielded were from workers who were struggling to keep from staring. Whenever he passed a pony gaping open-mouthed at him, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Knowing they’d have a new resident is one matter, but seeing his new fiancé unconscious on a floating mattress certainly had to be an unusual sight, even for this island.

He tried to explain as patiently as he could. Perhaps he’d have to make a formal announcement later to make sure all his staff knew of the situation. But presently, word of mouth would have to do.

Eventually, he and the slumbering Twilight reached the upper level of the castle and the royal sleeping chambers. Sparrow stepped past his own room and continued down the hall, closing his eyes as he passed the next room at the middle of the hall. Even after all this time, he just couldn’t bring himself to look at the beautiful hoof-crafted doors.

They still brought back too many memories.

Taking a deep breath, Sparrow came to a stop at a set of large blue and gold doors, his magic reaching out and unlocking the door for the first time in centuries. Directly above the door stood an image of a constellation, golden lines connecting the stars until they created an image of two foals staring up at the North Star, signifying the hope every child felt when they gazed upon the stars for the first time.

Even after all these years, Sparrow could never forget the meaning of that image. Nor could he escape the pain that flared in his heart upon seeing it. Shaking his head and bracing himself, he opened the door to the room that had been left unused for almost as long as he could remember, Twilight not far behind.

The light blue paint on the cobblestone walls had barely faded, and the high ceiling, painted to look like the night sky, almost looked new. The glass door that led to the balcony had its curtain pulled back, allowing sunlight to flood the room. Beams of light fell on the well-stocked bookcase, the desk, the dresser, and the large bed covered with fluffy pillows, all of which had been meticulously kept dust-free over the years by his enchantments. The orange-pink color of the peach wood furniture and the closet and bathroom doors seemed to glow.

It was just how she left it, down to the still-open spelunking book on the nearby table.

Sparrow took several more deep breaths as he struggled to compose himself. This room always brought back memories, many good, but always overshadowed by those that still haunted his nightmares. In fact, this was the first time in centuries that the room did not reduce him to tears upon entering.

Could it be because he knew that it would finally be used after all this time? No longer left empty and frozen in time, but filled with life and energy, a home to the pony he loved?

The pony he loved who was currently murmuring something about pineapples and ancient runes in her sleep on the mattress behind him.

Sparrow chuckled and finally managed to shake off his paralysis. He levitated the mattress to the bed, lowering it onto the mattress already on the bed frame to keep from disturbing Twilight. The purple princess muttered, unintelligibly this time, and rolled over, clutching the peach tree blanket to her chest tightly.

Sparrow smiled as Twilight burrowed her nose in the fabric. Could she smell the fragrance that lingered in the cloth after all these years? The sweet fruity fragrance that Star had loved so much?

He hoped so. That wondrous blend of peaches had always helped keep his nightmares at bay. Perhaps Twilight would come to love it just as much as he and Star had.

Lighting his horn, Sparrow placed a few detection wards and protection spells around his sleeping fiancee. He could think of absolutely no reason why she would be in danger right now, but he wanted to be absolutely sure. After what had happened in Canterlot, he was willing to take no risk whatsoever in protecting her. He leaned down and gently placed a kiss on Twilight’s forehead, just below her horn, earning a happy murmur from the sleeping mare.

“I promise,” he whispered, “when this is all over, I will make this up to you, somehow. Sleep well, my little star.” He turned away, leaving the peaceful mare to her dreams.

Some time later, back in Canterlot…

“Well, that explains a lot,” Discord said, frowning in contemplation. A rare sight indeed.

He was with the princesses, the bearers, and Twilight’s parents in one of the castle’s sitting rooms. He had been released from his bubble prison just a short time ago, and had immediately teleported to Canterlot to try and figure out what in Chaos’s name was going on. Although he hadn't even been able to utter a single word before being tackled by a crying Fluttershy.

That was never a good sign. And it was made worse by a straight-maned Pinkie crying nearby.

And THEN it got even WORSE once he realized that they were short one nerdy princess, and that EVERYPONY was crying, even Celestia.

In truth, there were very few times Discord had seen the monarch of the sun cry, so things must be serious indeed. The only answer he was able to get was that Twilight was gone, engaged to the alicorn stallion who had conquered Equestria. That had been enough to shock Discord into silence until they returned to the castle for a more detailed explanation.

Well, that and have some tea to help them all calm down. Granted it WAS peanut-butter-and-chocolate tea conjured up with a snap of his talons, but it still got the job done.

Yes, he was surprised he had that much patience too. But then again, seeing a crying Fluttershy can do a lot to you, and it was clear she would need some time before being ready to talk.

Actually, everypony looked like they needed time, so he was glad they were willing to go that extra mile to actually tell him as much as they had already.

As it was, Fluttershy was currently sleeping and clutching him like a giant teddy bear, wearing a pair of fuzzy earmuffs that Discord had poofed onto her head so he could get some more details without waking her up. Waking her would have just been mean.

“What do you mean, Discord?” Celestia asked, her eyes still shining with tears.

“Well, I was ambushed by a few of those guards you mentioned while I was on vacation, and they had this weird magic bubble thing that they used to hold me.” He summoned a miniature island with a tiny him on it relaxing, before the copy was suddenly trapped in a little bubble. “It was really quite annoying, especially considering the fact that the guards had the IQ of potatoes, so I may just be a liiiiitttttttllllllle bit more crazy than when I left. I swear, when I find that alicorn that sent them after me, I am going to encase him in a block asparagus flavored jello before tossing him to the moon! Or maybe into that pit full of stone heads that all scream at you for no reason.

“Unless of course he turns out to be my parol officer…” Discord continued, scratching his chin in thought.

“Your parol officer?” Luna blinked in surprise. “And what do you mean by that?”

Waving the little island out of existence, Discord summarized his conversations with the strange figure that had threatened him after his reformation and had spoken with him again after the Tirek incident.

“And you didn’t tell somepony about this BECAUSE WHY?” Velvet growled.

“Because chances are that I wouldn't have been able to without being turned into a statue again!” Discord defended. “YOU spend a THOUSAND YEARS as a statue, with your nose itching after only FORTY-TWO YEARS, THEN try and tell me that you wouldn't do ANYTHING to avoid that fate again!”

He would have kept going, but he caught a whiff of burning hair and realized his eyebrows were starting to smoke. Even if Fluttershy couldn’t hear his yelling, those earmuffs wouldn’t keep her from noticing if he spontaneously burst into flames.

He sighed in frustration and blew puffs of air at his eyes until the smoke cleared off. Time to change the subject. “Plus, I had never even seen the guy, so even if I DID mention him to anypony, what could I say about him other than he was powerful?”

“Hmm, I don’t know, that you knew he had an interest in Twilight?!” Night Light said, glaring.

“I knew he planned on meeting her one day, but THIS was NOT what I thought he meant! There’s no way I could have seen this coming!”

“I’m…kinda with Discord on this on,” Rainbow agreed. “What would he have told Twilight anyway? ‘Hey, there’s this power figure that can turn me to stone and he wants to say hi?’ That would have probably caused her to panic…assuming she took him seriously given all the pranks he pulls…”

“And assuming I even got that far into the sentence,” Discord said.

“Yea, that too,” Rainbow agreed.

“What I want to know is why he's so interested in her,” Rarity said. “And just how long has he been watching her anyway?”

“And why not just come forward?” Applejack asked. “If he wanted to meet her, what was stopping him? Yeah, she might be a little nervous at first, but she would probably try to befriend him once she calmed down. This IS Twilight we’re talking about.”

“Unless he was waiting for her to be old enough to marry,” Luna said, scowling.

“But then why not come until now?” Celestia asked. “Twilight has been over the legal age of marriage for more than five years, and she’s been an alicorn for more than three. Why wait until now, and why go through such extreme measures just so she would say yes?”

“I’m the lord of chaos, and even I’m confused,” Discord said, shrugging. “Maybe he’s just crazy? You know what they say: absolute power makes the monkey go bananas.”

“No pony says that,” Applejack deadpanned, even as a banana hat replaced her stenson, complete with a monkey wearing a crown on top. The monkey, realizing it was now in a completely new spot without any warning, joined Applejack in glaring at Discord until he undid his spell.

“He’s not crazy,” Pinkie whispered at last.

Her voice was very, very bland, flat enough to give Discord the chills since it was THAT far from the norm of the bubbly pink mare. But none of the other ponies reacted, which told him that she must have been like this for a few days at least. Jeez, this REALLY was bad.

“He just…goes a bit overboard at times…”

For a few seconds, Discord could swear he heard a coo-coo clock going off in his head before it spontaneously burst into tiny pieces as he tried to understand the deeper meaning behind Pinkie’s words.

Oh sweet exploding chocolate milk, did she KNOW this loony toon?! Did she have past experiences with him?!

“Wait a moment,” Discord said, pulling out a blue stop sign with neon yellow letters with his tail. “You know this Sparrow fella?”

He wouldn’t put it past the party mare, given how even HE couldn't understand how her mind worked, but it was STILL a huge shock.

Pinkie was silent for about twenty seconds, and Discord could almost see her mind sorting through the all the words in her vocabulary and picking out the right ones. “Yes, but…not through experience. I met him the same day as everypony else. But…I know of him…and I can’t tell you how…” Her eyes filled with tears again.

“But surely just a little hint won’t hurt,” Discord said, reaching out to try and comfort Pinkie, only to jerk his eagle claw back as a small yet bright burst of rainbow light shone through her mane. Every pony present jumped, and Rainbow took it a step further and leapt onto the back of the couch, poised for a fight.

Discord, on the other talon, had been blasted enough times to recognize that type of magic. And despite the fact that literally ANYTHING could be pulled from Pinkie’s mane, rainbow-friendship-lazer-magic was NOT something he expected in the slightest. Or even thought POSSIBLE! EVEN for Pinkie.

“Oh dear, I guess not…” Was all he could mutter as he tried to get his heart out of his ears and back into his chest where it belonged.

“Pinkie? What was that?” Rainbow asked, her eyes wide.

“Harmony magic,” Discord said, not taking his eyes off the pink mare. “It seems our favorite tree is playing with current events…”

“Not playing,” Pinkie said. “Just making sure things aren't ruined before they begin…”

Later that night…

Sparrow chuckled as he watched Twilight drift off to sleep once again. With her body still adjusting to the magic of his island, Twilight was VERY disconnected from reality and had only been able to wake up for a few minutes before drifting back into the land of dreams. In fact, even just opening her eyelids seemed to make her giggle.

It was actually quite adorable.

But it was actually good that she had managed to open her eyes as this meant that she was awake, which in turn meant that he could now assist with her recovery in a more meaningful way. Using his magic, he had levitated the still very sleepy and loopy Twilight Sparkle into a sitting position before presenting her with two plates of pancakes, and a glass of peach juice. Adapting to the island’s magic took a lot of energy, and ensuring that the person adapting was well fed was one way to speed up their recovery.

Thankfully, Twilight was plenty hungry and had devoured all the food laid before her, though Sparrow did question why she was giggling so hard when she began to eat the pancakes covered in orange slices. Either way, the food had quickly vanished, and Sparrow could tell it was having the desired effect as her eyes began to focus more once she had finished.

Unfortunately, she was still far too delirious to actually form words, something that actually seemed to frustrate her as her mouth flopped uselessly like a goldfish. However, a quick pat on the head seemed to mollify her, and once he had laid her back down, she was asleep again almost instantly.

With a bit of luck, she should be up and moving by tomorrow if Sparrow was guessing correctly. The following day for sure. But for now, Sparrow turned to his newest companion.

Spike, now without a swollen eye and with two magically-created casts, was standing nearby on a pair of crutches. He had a few bandages around his chest and head, both glowing faintly with magic as they worked to heal his cracked rib and the last few bruises he had. Thankfully, his dragon scales had helped him weather most of the fall, and what scales had been shed due to damage were were already beginning to regrow.

He had, as Sparrow expected, insisted on coming to see Twilight the moment he was cleared from the medical ward, and while he wasn’t exactly happy to see Twilight in such a state, he did seem to believe Sparrow when he had told him that she would recover as long as she rested.

Small steps.

“You know you could have mentioned that this would happen before we left,” Spike said, glaring up at Sparrow.

“I thought she would already have enough on her mind, and this was unavoidable anyway. The magic protecting the island is…let’s say incomplete. It provides the protection we need, but negatively affects anypony that has not yet experienced it. Plus, I thought that she could use the rest, especially after the last few days.”

Twilight grinned in her sleep and rolled over, muttering sweet nothings to nopony. It made Sparrow smile.

“You could have just not taken her here in the first place, or done any of this, you know,” Spike grumbled. “Then she wouldn’t BE stressed.”

“Maybe not,” Sparrow said. “But unfortunately, that wasn’t an option.”

“But there must have been SOME other option, right? I mean, I don’t know you at all, but you at least SOUND like you don’t want her to hate you. So why do all this? Why be such a jerk?”

“Ponies often do crazy things for those they love. You’ll understand that one day…”

Later…

Sunlight played annoyingly on Twilight’s eyelids, making her groan in annoyance. Her body felt heavy, but she managed to move her head enough so that the light was no longer shining in her face. But unfortunately, the sun had done its job splendidly and she was now awake. The soft sounds of birds and the ever-so-faint murmur of city noise reached her ears as well and was enough to rouse her to the point where trying to return to sleep would be an uphill battle that she just didn’t think she could win.

Grumbling to herself, Twilight yawned as she attempted to sit up, which was much harder than usual due to the fact that her body felt unusually weak.

But why? She felt like she had been asleep for quite a while. Was it stress, or recovering from exhaustion?

Pushing down her concern until she was more awake, Twilight focused on opening her eyes as she finally came to an upright position. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. The room came into focus, only to see something that shocked her to full alertness in speeds that would impress even Rainbow Dash.

“Good morning,” Sparrow said, standing in the doorway as he levitated a tray next to him. He was wearing an orange torc and crown, both covered in sapphires, and a set of orange metal shoes with one large sapphire in the front of each. The sight of him, and the brief glance she got of the unfamiliar cobblestone room was enough to remind Twilight of her situation.

Yet instead of fear, sadness, or even concern, the only emotion that began to fill her chest was rage. He had done it. She was here, with him, on his stupid island, miles and miles away from almost everyone she cared about, and he was just standing there like everything was right with the world. It made her grind her teeth in anger.

She had just gone through three of the most stressful days of her life, so no matter what he did or said, by Celestia she was going to let him have it!

“YOUooooOOoOOo…” she tried to yell as she leapt to her hooves, only to stumble drunkenly.

Am I on a boat? she asked herself woozily, because it seemed like the entire room was tilting side to side. Her legs were so weak and the sloping was so bad that she quickly collapsed, but Sparrow caught her with his magic.

The orange glow around her felt…soothing. In fact, it actually seemed to help stop the room tilting, allowing her to see him clearly once again. Which was both nice of him, and something that just served to make her madder.

I’m still mad at you, Sparrow! Stop being nice to me and making it harder for me to hate you until I have the strength to yell at you, dammit! You can be nice once I scold worse than Fluttershy scold’s Angel and you apologize for dragging me here in the first place! She yelled in her head, her mouth having trouble forming the words as the room continued to tilt. Thankfully, the room stabilized further as he placed her back on the bed, covered her lower half with the blanket, and plumped the pillows behind her so that she was sitting up.

“Yes, me,” he said. “I know you have a lot to say, and probably a lot to yell at me for…”

Gee, ya THINK!? she yelled in her brain as he continued.

“…but I must insist that you wait until you have recovered before you do so. Unless you would rather pass out again, at which point I still suggest at least eating first. You’ve been unconscious for quite some time due to the magic of my island and your body is still adapting to it.”

As he spoke, he levitated the tray over to her. “Here. I may not be the best cook, but I believe I have performed said skill decently enough for you enjoy. And food will help with the weakness you are experiencing.”

“Why…” Twilight began, only for Sparrow to shush her.

“Eat now, talk after. Trust me.”

Yes, trust the stallion that forced me to take a deal and leave my home behind and who couldn’t be bothered to tell me that I was going to pass out when I came here. Riiiiiiiiggggggghhhhht.

Not now, brain.

Twilight grumbled, but given how her vision only just straightened out, she conceded. Scolding could come later. She watched as he placed the tray on her lap, slowly, as though he thought she’d bite him if he moved too quickly. It was covered with a large plate of pancakes covered in syrup, a bowl of peaches, a large glass of orange juice, and some slices of toast with some honey and jam on the side.

It was…rather nice.

She expected food, but this seemed more like something a husband would make his wife, rather than a simple meal for a guest. Though given their engagement, she supposed that did make sense, especially if he was trying to make a better impression now that he had her out of Equestria.

That still didn't mean she liked him though, or was any less furious at him, but she did acknowledge the effort.

Less thinking, more eating, her stomach demanded. Twilight agreed, and for the moment pushed all thought out of her head and reached for her magic, only for Sparrow to speak up at the last moment.

“I would recommend not using magic for the time being. You are still recovering, so trying to use your magic will likely end up giving you a headache.”

Dang it.

Her stomach protested even louder, so Twilight decided to buck it and just shoved her face into the food, starting with the pancakes. Her cheeks felt warm as she realized Sparrow apparently planned to stand and watch her, but after the first bite, her hunger fully awoke and she didn’t give her embarrassment another thought. There were sweet pockets of juiciness scattered throughout the fluffy goodness that surprised her. Were those peaches? Peaches were actually really rare in Equestria, so she had only ever had them a few times as a filly, but if this is what they tasted like, she dearly wished she had sought them out more, regardless of price.

She scarfed down the pancakes in record time and immediately went to work on eating the sliced peaches in a similar manner, stopping momentarily to try and use her hooves to slather a piece of toast in honey. She failed, her hooves struggling to grasp the knife and jar correctly, but soon Sparrow took over, allowing her to return her attention to the peaches.

The moment the sweet fruit hit her tongue, she knew that yes, those WERE peaches in the pancakes, and somehow they were even better when eaten alone! They were juicy, her mouth flooding with sweetness with every chomp, the fruit offering little resistance to her excited near-frantic eating. These were even better than Applejack’s apples!

She then spent time alternating between the peaches, the toast, and grabbing a long drink from the glass of orange juice until the tray was empty. Everything was DELICIOUS!

Grrrr…If Sparrow DID make this all himself, then I need to thank him.

Apparently, her brain did NOT like that idea.

No, be nice, Brain. If he’s a good cook, then it’s ok to tell him. You’re not saying you like him, you’re just acknowledging his skill in the culinary arts. He can still be a jerk, it’s just that now he’ll be a jerk that can cook. Also, he might give me more!

Oh, that would be nice, even if he isn’t.

When there was nothing left but empty dishes and a single peach slice half-stuck in Twilight’s mouth, he levitated all but a napkin away from her and teleported it away in a flash, likely to the kitchen of the castle.

“Did you enjoy it?” Sparrow asked politely.

Twilight nodded reluctantly, inhaling the rest of the peach with a slurp. He smiled widely. “Glad to hear. It’s been a while since I’ve personally cooked for anypony, so I’m happy to hear that my skills haven’t completely rusted yet.”

Twilight rolled her eyes as she wiped her mouth off with the napkin before another need suddenly made itself present. One much more serious than hunger.

She attempted to stand again. The world didn’t start spinning this time, but her legs still wouldn’t support her and she had to sit down.

Oh dear…

“Twilight? Is everything ok?” Sparrow asked, his head tilted in concern.

By Celestia, this is going to be awkward.

“Please tell me that this…castle? has indoor plumbing.” Twilight asked quickly.

Sparrow blinked in confusion.

“Of course. But wh—oh.” His eyes widened. “Ah, yes. I suppose that makes sense. Allow me to assist, please.” His horn lit up, quickly enveloping Twilight and levitating her off the bed. He then quickly turned to the door located on the wall opposite of her bed, opening it to reveal a rather massive bathroom. But there was only one thing Twilight could see for the moment.

The toilet.

“Just yell if you need anything,” Sparrow said as he placed Twilight in the middle of the spacious bathroom, directly in front of object of her desire, and closed the door. Twilight wasted no time using what strength she had to move and do what she needed to.

Ahhhh…

Once that major distraction was out of the way, she took a minute to look around the bathroom in greater detail. By Celestia, this place was HUGE! The room itself was almost three times as large as her bathroom back in the Crystal Castle, and that room had already been pretty massive. Everything from the pure silver sink to the gold towel rack was polished to perfection, and appeared to be slightly higher than she was used to, as if the room had been designed for someone taller than Twilight.

The room was very extravagant as well, much more than Twilight would expect of a bathroom. The sink and towel rack were only a small part of it. The walls, despite being made of cobblestone, were incredibly smooth and had varying shades of grey, tan, brown, blue, white, and even the occasional light pink rock that formed abstract patterns along the walls. It was strangely beautiful, yet a little bit distracting as well.

The silver sink sat atop a large set of white marble cabinets, the marble similar to the pillars that lined Canterlot Castle only far more shiny.

Canterlot…

Twilight shook her head. She could miss Canterlot when she had a better sense of just where the heck she was.

Focus on your surroundings now. Worry about feeling homesick later. She thought.

Above the sink and cabinets sat a large mirror surrounded by emeralds, sapphires, diamonds, topaz, amethyst, and so many more types of gems, each surrounded by a small circle of pearls. It almost looked like her new ring in a sense, and while pretty, it was also a bit…much. Seriously, that had to be the most expensive mirror in existence, and even Rarity might think they went overboard with the gemstones.

And that was saying something.

The circular rug that covered most of the floor was a deep red with gold thread creating the image of a young tree in the center. There was even a small chandelier hanging in the room to provide light! Why the HECK is there a CHANDELIER in a BATHROOM!?

However, what really drew her attention was the bathtub. Actually, no, it was far more akin to a small pool than a tub based on the sheer size and splendor of the dang thing. It was even full of gently rippling water, which was really impressive because it took up half the giant room for Celestia’s sake! Rather than filled with tiles, the inside of the pool was filled with smooth purple stones. It was sunken deep into the floor, with a few steps leading up to its edge. At the far side of the pool was a large pile of smooth grey rocks, water cascading down from the top and pooling in various small coves above the pool before flowing down into the tub below via a few small waterfalls.

It actually gave the appearance of being a natural outdoor spring rather than a pool in a massive castle. In fact, even just hearing the water gently splash down the rocks into the various pools was actually fairly calming.

When she finished, Twilight dropped back the floor, only to almost fall as her legs nearly gave out. She grunted and caught herself on the water tank. Why was she so tired anyway? How long had she been out for, anyway? Given by the fact that Sparrow had brought her breakfast, it had to have been at least one day since she arrived, but why had she been asleep for so long?

And what happened to Spike?

She felt a sharp twinge of worry, but even still, she found it unlikely that Sparrow would harm or restrict him given how willing he was to allow Spike to accompany her.

“Sparrow,” Twilight called out, hoping he was still nearby.

“Yes?” he replied through the door.

“Where’s Spike?”

“In the village. He wanted to go get something for you for when you woke up. Don’t worry, I sent two guards with him in case he needed help bringing anything back and to make sure he doesn’t strain any of his injuries. They also have a tracking crystal so I can find them easily.”

“How is he? Is he healing ok?”

“He is as good as can be expected. The injuries have been treated, and thanks to the doctors I have at the castle, his recovery is progressing as well as we could have hoped. I also made sure that my most trusted guard was with him and that he had an emergency medical alert crystal in case anything were to happen. Would you like to go see him, or wait for him to come back?”

Twilight thought on that for a minute. Even with Sparrow’s assurances, she was still worried about Spike’s health. But at the same time, she believed that Sparrow was telling the truth. Sure, she still wanted to scold him to no end and maybe smack him silly, but so far he hadn’t outright lied to her. Plus, it sounded as though he had put quite a few precautions in place to protect Spike just in case anything happened, possibly to help ease her worry. If Spike had already seen a doctor and gotten treated for his injuries, then chances were that she couldn’t really do much to help him save for showing him that she was ok as well.

And that could likely wait for a few minutes anyway because if she had been asleep for an extended period of time, than she REALLY needed a bath, especially since she hadn’t taken one since before…THAT attack.

Shaking off the terrifying memory of that shadow monster, Twilight spoke. “Let me take a bath first, then I’ll let you know.” Maybe it would even help her get her strength back.

“The pool has multiple levels. The steps are located every few feet in each direction, and the edge near the waterfalls is about nine feet deep. Towels are on the left when you get out. On the side right of the pool near the stairs there is a ruby and a sapphire with a gold casing holding them in place. Push them to make the pool hotter or colder, respectively. There is also an emerald on the opposite side of the steps. Push that when you are done to activate the cleaning spells to remove and replace the dirty water.”

Did he have the bathroom memorized or something? Or was his the exact same, assuming this wasn’t his room she had been sleeping in. Was it his room? She would have to ask later, though she hoped it wasn’t, because it was still WAY too early to be sharing a bed with him, engaged or not.

Also, this was now officially the most advanced bathtub in the world, and Twilight was tempted to ask how the complex the spells holding it all together worked and if she could study them. Again, later. Bath first. And she might have to wait until she wasn’t as likely to yell at Sparrow and could actually listen to what he said before asking how the tub worked.

She had to scoot her way along the floor to reach the tub, but getting in was relatively easy given the steps that led up to the edge. Upon reaching said edge, she could see that there was a series of blue lights inside the bath giving the water a gentle blue glow, something she had failed to notice before she was sitting on the edge of the pool. It was actually rather pretty.

Focus, Twilight.

She tested the water with her hind hooves. It was actually rather warm, so Twilight dipped a bit further in until the water came up to her chest. Yep, definitely warm, yet also…tingly? Why was it tingly? Hmmm, and maybe it was a bit too warm? Looking back at the steps, Twilight spotted the sapphire and the ruby Sparrow had mentioned, set into the rim of the tub. Leaning over, she pushed the sapphire and—

“GAH! COLDCOLDCOLDCOLD!” she yelped as she scrambled out of the tub and nearly fell off the outer edge. She had expected the waterfalls to start pouring colder water, not for all the water in the pool to suddenly drop five degrees instantaneously!

And it was still getting colder if the water around her back hooves was any indication!

Twilight pushed the sapphire again, hoping it would stop the cooling, but it just dropped the temperature faster! Twilight yanked her hooves out of the water fully as it became ice-water and glared at the sapphire. She wedged her hoof underneath the gem to pull it up, and that finally seemed to halt the temperature change. The water was now somewhere between REALLY COLD and POPSICLE, but it was at least stable. Though it was cold enough that she really, really didn’t want to go in anymore.

“Twilight? Are you alright?” Sparrow called in, sounding concerned.

“Yes! Perfectly fine!” Twilight called back, trying to focus on the problem at hoof and not scream at Sparrow.

Ok, these gems are really sensitive, and somehow cool and heat the entire pool at once. Good to know.

No thanks to Sparrow.

Not now, brain, she thought, before looking at the ruby. Forget too warm, after that rush of cold water she wanted a HOT bath now, like back at the Ponyville Spa. Poking the ruby far more gently than the sapphire, Twilight heard a small click then watched the water. On the bottom of the pool, Twilight saw a magic rune begin to glow ever so faintly as the temperature of the pool began to steadily rise. She would love to study how such a small rune could heat such a large amount of water so quickly, but she would worry about that once she didn't feel like a pony popsicle.

After about twenty seconds, the water began to steam. Satisfied, Twilight pried the ruby back up and gingerly placed her back hooves back in the wa—

Ohhhhhhhhh…

The water was PERFECT now.

Caution aside, she quickly entered the bath, descending down the steps until all but her head was covered. Once she was mostly submerged, she lay back and began to float. Oh, this is so NICE. It was like a hot tub, though without the bubbles.

DID it have bubbles? She wanted it to have bubbles.

And boy, was this wondrous for her weak body. Normally, after a hot bath, she would feel relaxed and rather sleepy afterwards, but this warm bath seemed to have the opposite effect, easing the pain in her weak muscles and restore her strength. But that was just what she needed now. She spread her wings in the water, letting them be warmed and cleaned without restriction.

“Twilight, are you ok?” Sparrows voice called out. "It's been nearly half an hour.”

Really?

It only felt like a few minutes to her, and the pool didn't even feel any colder. But oh, what a great few minutes they were! Alas, she still had things to do, such as actually getting clean. Sitting up and working her way back up the the upper levels, she glanced around and saw a bar of soap and various shampoos and wing-care products located on a small shelf of orange-pink wood, right in range of her hooves. She didn’t even need to leave the pool.

“I’m fine, just enjoying the bath,” she called before she grabbed a random shampoo and began to wash.

As she worked to actually clean herself, she began to think. She had been out for at least half a day more than likely, which meant that her friends and family were likely worried even if Sparrow had let Spike talk to them. She needed to get in contact with them at some point today, no matter what. That way she could at least tell them how she was coping.

And how AM I coping?

Twilight furrowed her eyebrows. She had been asleep for her entire time here so far, which felt a bit concerning to her, but Sparrow seemed to think it was normal. She was in a new place with no idea where anything was, had trouble with the freaking tub/pool, and she had no idea how she was going to be treated. Was she going to be forced to stay in this room, only allowed out when Sparrow said so? Would he force her to go to galas and balls as his date? Would she be allowed to go anywhere without an escort, whether it be Sparrow himself or his guards?

She had been so worried about the choice that she never actually asked or even thought about how she would be living on Sparrow’s island. The only bit of info she had was Sparrow asking her if she wanted to see Spike, which implied she would at least be let outside. And he HAD brought her a rather fancy breakfast and let her use this GLORIOUS bath, which implied he at least wanted her to be comfortable.

That, combined with his behavior back in Equestria, suggested that he wasn't a cruel tyrant that would abuse her or Spike. That at least helped stomp down her impulse to panic. But she still needed more information about him before she could create a better picture of him in her head.

And she still had to yell at him at least once for everything he had done to get her here in the first place. Can’t forget that.

Definitely no reason to truly panic just yet. Twilight thought, giving herself a mini pep talk. Slight anxiety over not knowing what your life will be like for the immediate future, definitely, but no panic or fear. It’s just like moving to Ponyville all over again. Maybe a BIT more extreme, but you can adapt.

Sure you can. It’s not like there was less input on your part than when Celestia sent you off and that a crazy alicorn will be watching your every move and want’s you to marry him. Nope, it’s just another trip to a new Ponyville.

At least he’s not trying to bring about eternal night or drop me off the side of a cliff, Twilight countered, remembering her first night in Ponyville.

That made her brain shut up.

She shook her head. She could get some answers once she was done.

Twilight dunked her head underwater to clear the shampoo, finished rinsing her wings, and, reluctantly, climbed out of the wonderful pool. She pushed the emerald on her way out, causing the water to glow a faint green as all the soap and shampoo was sucked down towards the bottom of the pool via a series of small whirlpools.

Huh, neat.

She would have to ask him about that too.

The towels on the left were so big they were more like blankets, yet were far enough away that she couldn't reach them from the stairs of the tub. This bathroom was definitely designed for someone taller than her. At least the bath had restored enough of her strength that she could now walk enough to reach them rather than having to resort to more scooting.

After drying off, she wobbled her way to the sink, where she found a nice blue comb inside one of the drawers. Had Sparrow stocked this room for her while she was unconscious? It made sense given how she hadn't thought to pack anything in the aftermath of the attack. After sitting down to ease the pressure on her legs, she picked up the comb and ran it through her mane and tail until they were both presentable, looking around for a toothbrush as she did so. She could see toothpaste, but strangely, no toothbrushes. She would need to remember to ask for one.

After another short trip that ended with her sitting on the rug in front of the door, she opened the door back into her…her new room, she supposed, and took a look around now that she was awake enough to take it in.

The cobblestone room was painted a light blue, several shades lighter than Rainbow Dash’s coat. The ceiling was painted to look like the night sky, every star so perfectly in place Twilight was sure she would have mistaken it for the real thing had it been presented side-by-side with the night sky. They were even brighter or dimmer depending on the star, just like the real sky! She would need to study it in more detail after she found Spike.

To her left was a glass door surrounded by dark blue curtains, which had been pulled back to allow the warm morning sunlight to flood the room. This in turn caused the orange-pink wood of the dresser, nightstands, desk, bed frame, three doors, and the fully-stocked bookshelf to almost glow with a pleasantly calming light.

YAY! BOOKS! Twilight thought excitedly on impulse. If nothing else, at least she might be able to expand her knowledge while here. Maybe they even had some long lost books on magic! Or books that explained how Sparrow’s magic worked! Or—

Focus… her brain scolded.

Right. Right. Sorry. The books will still be here later.

The next thing that caught her attention was the bed. As with everything, it was massive, probably big enough for Celestia, and was covered with bright orange sheets. It was a four-poster canopy bed with orange-pink carved poles that supported the blue overhang. There were a series of thin blue cloths tied to each pole that could be pulled around the boarder of the bed, offering her some privacy should she so choose.

It was also was covered in a rainbow of at least twenty pillows. Each pillow had the design of a village on it, yet the destination and size of said village seemed to vary greatly. Some were set on top of a mountain with or without snow, some on the coast, a few in the open rolling plains like Ponyville, and a few others set in a deep forest. The largest one in the center depicted a castle, the large grey structure captured with such detail that Twilight had to wonder how long it must have taken to stitch.

What confused her, however, was why there was a second, far smaller mattress with a blanket covered in peach trees sitting on top of the bright orange bed sheets of the main bed. And why was it half buried in the pillows? Had Sparrow put her on the smaller mattress and then just forgotten to put her on the real bed? And why hadn’t she noticed that when she had woken up!?

Speaking of said pony, Sparrow was sitting just off to the left of the glass door, going through a bunch of papers with a quill and inkwell floating next to him. After writing something down, the top paper would vanish and he would move onto the next. As if realizing he was being watched, he looked up and smiled kindly at her.

“I trust everything is to your liking, my dear?” His voice was smooth, yet genuine.

“I think I need a toothbrush,” Twilight replied, to which Sparrow chuckled.

“Yes, I suppose you do. My apologies, but the last few days were a little busy with all the work I needed to catch up on. I promise one will be waiting here for you when we return.” As he spoke, the quill wrote something down, and the paper vanished without him even looking.

“How long was I out for?” Twilight asked. “And can we go find Spike since he isn’t back yet? Even if I’m still having trouble walking?”

“Yes, we can go find Spike soon and I can carry you if need be, though I can see you are looking far more steady than you were an hour ago, which is good. As for time, you were out for roughly two full days. This is currently your third day on the island.”

“Two days!?” Twilight cried in shock, stumbling as her legs almost gave out again. Sparrow’s warm magic caught her before she fell. “I was out for that long!? But my friends—”

“Have been informed of this,” Sparrow reassured her. “I gave Spike his own orb to speak with them, and he has kept them up to date on how you have been faring, seeing as they most likely would not trust me.”

“Can’t imagine why,” Twilight said before she could stop herself, and panic instantly began to bubble in her stomach. What was she thinking? What if she—

But Sparrow only chuckled. “Yes, I suppose it’s the mystery of the century,” he replied, shrugging helplessly.

Twilight stared at him, baffled. He actually went along like it was just a joke? Did he not notice she had spoken rather hostilely, or was he just willing to overlook it? Did he think her sarcasm was justified based on all he had put her through, or was he just being cheeky? COULD an ancient alicorn more powerful than Celestia and Luna be cheeky?

Unable to hear her internal thoughts or confusion, Sparrow continued. “But that can be addressed later. Right now, I want to show you something. Please close your eyes.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Whyyyy?” she asked uncertainly. If he tried to kiss her, he was getting bucked in the face, alicorn or not. Assuming she could actually make contact. Though it wasn’t like she was in any shape to stop him, which just made her more nervous.

“I just want to show you something,” Sparrow said gently, possibly picking up on her fear. “I promise I won’t do anything other than lead you somewhere close by, and if you are truly uncomfortable, I can show you it normally. It’s completely your decision, and I won’t force you to do anything.”

He sounded genuine at least. And like her dream version of him had said a few nights ago, he had yet to actually lie to her. But was that just because he wanted to gain her trust, or was he truly genuine? He didn’t seem to be good at hiding his emotions from what she had seen, and if he wanted to kiss her without her permission, it wasn’t like anything was stopping him even with her eyes open.

And there was some part of her, some unexplained voice that said she could trust him, at least for now.

“Fine,” Twilight said, closing her eyes. “But DON’T try anything!” she added, pointing a hoof in his direction and managing to not fall over.

“I Pinkie Promise I will not,” Sparrow said, his hoof gently touching her shoulder. Slowly, he led her forward. She heard the door open, and felt the warm wind wash over her. It…actually relaxed her. After a few more steps, he stopped her and she felt him reposition himself behind her.

“Welcome…to Delubrum…”

Twilight opened her eyes, and was amazed.

TO BE CONTINUED…

BONUS DELETED SCENE

(Authors note: The following scene was originally placed after the section told from Discord’s POV, but was deemed to be too similar to the later section of Twilight having breakfast after waking up. It is also something that Twilight does not, and will not, remember anyway, so it is mostly just filler and does not affect the main story in any way. However, it is rather silly and entertaining filler! So rather than just cut it entirely, I now present it to you as a small bonus section. Enjoy if you so choose, and gain a deeper insight into how Twilight was thinking when Sparrow and Spike first came to bring her food)

Somewhere, sometime later…

The world was dark. So very, very dark. Why was it dark?

Oh, my eyes were closed.

That would do it.

Silly brain, she giggled to herself.

Slowly, Twilight managed to force her eyes open. There was light, but…it didn’t really help her. Everything was blurry, and the sounds she could hear were…muffled and distorted. Slowly, she tried to sit up, but her body wasn't cooperating. She could feel it moving, but there was something heavy covering her that she couldn’t seem to lift off. It was warm though, and if it weren't for the fact that her stomach had chosen that particular moment to growl loudly, she would have probably just gone back to sleep.

Can’t sleep. Need foooooooooood. Tummy says so.

However, rather than continue to struggle, Twilight saw a new light enter her vision. It was bright, but different than the other light.

But why…oh. It was a different color. That’s why. The first light was normal light, but this light was ORANGE light. Silly brain, you knew that. Were you still sleeping? You know what Celestia used to say. Um…wait. What was the saying again? Bad brain! How could you forget that…saying…thing.

Oh, this new light seemed to be lifting the heavy thing off of her, and she felt herself beginning to move. The light was warm, grasping her body softly without restraining her like the heavy thing as it moved her.

Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! I’m flying! Sorta! I think?

She was being lifted upward, and up and up until she was sitting straight up. The blob that was her vision shifted and swirled and move in ways that made her feel queasy and even more disoriented. The light didn’t let her go once she was upright, which she was grateful for because she felt like she would have fallen otherwise.

However, all of this was quickly forgotten as her nose, the one thing that seemed to be working half decently, picked up a wonderful smell. She knew that smell, knew it so well…

Pancakes. Wonderful, fluffy pancakes!

Something floated into her view, hovering in the light that was holding her. Something that smelled of the wonderful food of champions! The moment it was within rage of her teeth, Twilight buried her muzzle in the source of the smell, immediately being rewarded with the wondrous taste she craved. It was different than she remembered, sweeter and full of solid morsels, but she was too hungry and tired to care.

She ate and ate until there was no more food, and this made her sad. But then MORE came!

Oh, thank you, Mister Light. Thank you for filling my belly. This bunch taste sweet too, but it’s slightly different than the last, this time with more…orange? Yes, it tasted like orange. But it was GOOD orange. Wait. Color doesn’t have taste! No wait…Oranges! Yes, it tasted like ORANGES, not orange. Twilight giggled. Silly brain, food doesn’t taste like a color. Unless you ate colored chalk, but this was WAY to juicy to be chalk. Unless it was a really tasty marker…

She finished far, far too soon, and then the light came again and removed the empty…plate? Yes, that was a plate. Now that she had eaten, she could see a little more clearly. As the plate was taken away, the light brought something clear over. Something…glass. Why would it bring her glass?

Oh. It is a glass. The light is giving me a drink. Thank you mister light!

That sure was nice of it.

Opening her mouth in preparation, Twilight felt a small bit of plastic rest upon her tongue. A straw. Immediately she began to suck, and was rewarded with something sweet and cold. It filled her mouth and washed away the remains of the pancakes, quenching the thirst she didn’t realize she had.

But soon that was gone too, and then a soft thing came and gently wiped her mouth. A napkin, maybe? Grateful for the light’s help, Twilight tried to thank it, but while her mouth seemed to function enough for eating, speaking still required too much effort. Even so, she felt a light pat on her head and she realized the light understood what she was trying to say.

Yay, the light can read my mind. Are you a magic light?

Oh, she was going backwards now, back down to the soft and fluffy thing again as the heavy warm thing came down on top of her and enveloped her in its embrace.That was probably a good idea, seeing as she was feeling so tired. So very, very…very…

She passed back into the realm of dreams without even realizing it.

Author's Note

Discord, give Sans his stop sign back!

Also, TA-DAAAAAAAAAA! SO SO sorry this took so long. Given how this was still in a rough form that I had written almost a year ago, this chapter took far longer than normal to get up to the quality you are all used to. So special thanks to my girlfriend/editor for helping make this the best it could be!

As a side note, 'Freedom Shall Ring' is next on my list, followed (I hope) by 'How to meet the parents!' More is coming, I promise you that.

Also, yay, random bonus section that was mostly just filler! Seriously, this chapter might be the second longest chapter I have written to date, which is why that became a bonus section in the first place as it was all filler. Hopefully the next one will be at a more manageable length. Also, yes, the tub scene was not filler. It IS important.

Trust me :moustache:

Next time: Laugher plus Generosity equals ???

Chapter 5: A New Home

The first thing that Twilight realized was that this island was MUCH bigger than she thought it would be.

From her high perch on the balcony, which Twilight estimated to be AT LEAST twenty-five stories above the ground, she could see most of the city below the castle and the lands beyond it. The city itself was bigger than Canterlot, but the design of the buildings gave it a much more earthy feel, just like Ponyville. About one in every four buildings appeared to be actual living trees with reddish bark, the same color of the wooden furniture in her room. It made her think of her library in Equestria too, at least before Tirek came along.

I wonder if one of the trees has a library in it! And if they know how to grow these tree homes, maybe I can FINALLY find a way to regrow the Golden Oaks Library!

If I…ever get back…

No, don’t, don’t think about that right now. Just focus on the city.

The non-tree-buildings, which appeared to be a mix of shops, restaurants, and houses based on their designs, never seemed taller than four stories based on the positioning of their windows. Yet all of them looked lively, painted with bright, happy colors as ponies moved all through the streets and between the various shops. There were also a scattering of palm trees, implying that the island was somewhere in the tropics.

Though the hot yet pleasant summer weather here was also a good giveaway, given that it’s still early spring in Equestria.

Beyond that, there were plots of farmland and orchards and wide open fields full of nothing but grass. Those plains went on as far as she could see on her right, wrapping around either side of a large mountain in the far distance, and on her left the ocean stretched out past the far horizon. Though she couldn’t tell how tall the mountain was from this distance, it still appeared to be HUGE. The only thing she could tell was that all of it, from the city to the rolling fields to the ocean, was massive.

And stunningly beautiful. She couldn’t explain it, but everything just seemed spectacular. The fields especially. For some reason, even despite her tiredness, she had this sudden urge to just…run. To run through the fields, with the wind in her mane and the grass beneath her hooves.

That sounded lovely right about now.

This place would be an amazing for a vacation.

Well, you DID say you wanted to take one before Sparrow showed up.

Yes, but THIS was NOT what I had in mind, BRAIN.

“If I may,” Sparrow softly spoke from just behind her, directing her attention away from the scenery. “I believe the view may be even better from the air.”

As he spoke, he slowly extended a hoof and knelt down before her, offering a ride.

Twilight opened her mouth, then closed it again. She had no idea what she wanted to say. She REALLY wanted to see more of the surrounding land and city, given how at least half the view WAS cut off by the castle, but kind tone or not, she still didn’t like him. Yet not liking him and wanting to see more of the island weren’t mutually exclusive. She could still enjoy the view and despise her flyer.

Plus, he was asking her permission rather than simply sweeping her off her hooves and into the sky. Giving her a choice in the matter. And given his magical talent, chances were she would be safe on his back even if she were to somehow fall off.

Which is good, because I CAN’T fly right now and it’s all his fault. At least he’s trying to help make it up to me.

It could be worse.

Twilight nodded slowly, accepting his steadying hoof as she climbed up his wing and settled on his back. Once she was in place, Sparrow quickly stood back to his full height, making Twilight squeak in surprise. Opening his wings to their maximum length, Sparrow gave a powerful flap and within three seconds they were airborne and rapidly ascending. Twilight held on tightly as the wind went rushing by and in only a few wing beats, the two of them had cleared the top of the castle.

Then Sparrow slowed his ascension and opened his wings to glide, giving Twilight a full 360-degree view of the surrounding area.

The castle was made of cobblestone, giving it an old but sturdy look. Yet despite the dull colors of the rock, it still looked rather welcoming. Almost homey, somehow. The grand wooden entrance doors on either side of the castle were wide open, allowing ponies to easily flow into and out of the castle. There was a wall surrounding the castle with a vast and impressive garden in between the two, but the wall had four silver gates that were currently wide open to allow ponies in and out.

It's very different from Canterlot, which only has the one main entrance, yet I think like it this way. It makes the castle feel more open to the public while still remaining impressive and majestic. It…probably wouldn’t be that bad of a place to live, and if it’s so open to the public I would at least get to meet new ponies, even if I’m not allowed to leave without Sparrow’s permission.

The outside of the castle was decorated in bright orange and blue banners, one of which had a golden stitching design that looked like a young sapling glowing in the darkness of a cave. There were also a variety of balconies at all levels and stained glass windows that covered the sides of the castle, contrasting the dull cobblestone that surrounded them and adding to the welcoming atmosphere of the castle.

Some of the windows depicted rolling plains. Other depicted orchards or forest or even mountain ranges. And still others depicted villages, just like the pillows on her new bed, yet in far more exquisite detail. All of them were just as, if not more, beautifully crafted as the windows in Canterlot Castle, and Twilight could just imagine what it would be like to stand in the middle of the hallway or room that had even one of these windows.

So much color…

The city completely surrounded the castle on all sides, expanding outwards until it came in contact with another wall, which in turn had a few houses outside of it. There were a total of ten gates evenly spaced along the wall, and between each of them stood a massive half-circle arch that must have risen at least five stories into the air, each scaling about half of the wall. There were nine of them in total.

Are those arches…glowing? I can see light, and the wall beneath the arch looks…off somehow, but I can’t make out the symbols. And why are there small flashes of light every now and again? I think I’ll need to investigate those later.

Directing her attention away from the arches, Twilight turned to get a better look at the rest of the island.

While the west side near the very edge of the town had an ocean, there was no sign of water in ANY other direction, reinforcing Twilight’s initial thought that for an island, this place was BIG! In fact, it turns out that there were TWO mountains far to the east. Twilight hadn’t been able to see the second one behind the first from her balcony, but up high, she could see that there was SNOW on the second peak, despite the fact that they were certainly in the tropics. THAT’S how tall it was.

She could also make out no less than three other cities: one that was a floating city like Cloudsdale; one that she could just barely make out further down the ocean coast; and a final one in the center of the rolling hills inland.

“Wow…” she whispered, her eyes constantly tracing the land as Sparrow slowly evened out until they were hovering.

“It is quite a sight, I agree,” Sparrow said with a hum. “It’s why I tend to do a morning lap around the island before I get to work in the morning. Seeing it all really does help me remember how lucky I am, and remind me of who I am supposed to look out for every day.”

“Every day?” Twilight asked.

The bigger alicorn nodded. “Just my way of looking out for everyone, no matter where they live in my kingdom,” he said, his wings banking slightly as they circled the city high in the sky.

He flies around the whole island every day, just to remind himself of who he’s protecting? That’s…really touching.

And a far cry from the conqueror of Equestria.

Not now, brain. Just…not now.

How can somepony who turned my life upside down so easily appear so…caring? Ugh, how can one stallion be so CONFUSING!?

And, wait. How big IS this island? Even at Rainboom speeds, flying around all of Equestria in one day would be a lot to ask of Rainbow Dash time wise, not to mention the amount of energy that would take, and that’s assuming Sparrow can move that quickly given his size.

And I somehow doubt that Sparrow starts his day by waking the entire island up with a Rainboom.

“How big is this island?” Twilight asked in wonder. “I can’t even see the other side!”

“It is roughly one-tenth the size of Equestria. Roughly,” He said, scratched his chin before nodding.

“It’s THAT BIG!? How has no pony ever found this place, or even just caught a glimpse of it?” Twilight breathed, still looking over the landscape. This wasn’t some place that could just be ignored.

“Magic,” Sparrow said, his voice suddenly…regretful? “My magic, many years ago, was used to permanently hide the island from outside view after…a rather disturbing attack on my people. It isn’t perfect, but it keeps us safe, and that’s what matters.”

‘Was’ used? So is the island no longer hidden? Or did he cast a spell years ago that just used his magic as a base, and that is still protecting the island to this day?

“Am I…allowed to go see it? The rest of the island?” Twilight asked, her voice wavering uncertainly. She was unsure if she WANTED Sparrow to pick up on her uncertainty in her voice or if she was MAD that she couldn’t stop herself from sounding as such. “Or am I restricted to the castle and town?”

Part of her mind was still clouded by the anger she held towards him and told her she would be kept in the castle and town. However, another more logical part of her mind looked at their brief interactions TODAY and said she would be free to go wherever she chose.

In truth, she had no idea what to expect right now, and her exhaustion was not helping matters in the slightest.

“You are not my prisoner,” Sparrow said, sparing a glance back at the unsure princess on his back. His words were calm, yet Twilight could still hear a pang of regret in his voice, as if he disliked the fact that he ever gave her such an impression. “After everything I have put you through so that you would come to my home, it would be unfair of me not to let you explore it fully.”

Wait. Is this the first time he’s admitted that what he did was wrong? Explicitly to me, at least? That’s…well, I still don’t forgive him, but I can at least respect the fact that he’s admitting he was a jerk. Knowing you made a mistake is the first step to fixing it, even if it doesn’t help you correct the mistake. And it will make any future apologies at least a bit more genuine.

“As such,” Sounds parrow continued unabated, “you are free to go wherever you please. I only ask that you take at least one guard with you if you are ever outside a town. My island is safe, but…well, better safe than sorry. Especially in a new environment.”

“That’s…reasonable. And surprising. Aren’t you afraid I’ll try and run?”

“No. I trust that you will uphold our deal. And given how beautiful my kingdom is, it would be a crime to keep anypony from experiencing all it has to offer. Though perhaps wait until you are recovered before venturing out of the city, hmm?”

“I feel like I would need to do that anyway,” Twilight said. “Still…thank you? I guess?”

“You guess?”

“I am still stuck here, on an island, with you…”

“You make it sound like it’s a bad thing,” Sparrow said in a tone that Twilight was SURE indicated that he was currently pouting. It almost made her laugh. Did kings pout? “Besides, we aren't alone here. There are thousands of other ponies, all of whom I am sure would love to meet and befriend you. Or would you prefer us to be alone on a desert island? I think there might be one to the southeast if you would prefer that better.”

Twilight deadpanned at him as he turned to smile playfully at her.

He chuckled. “Only kidding, my dear.”

Before she could think of a response to that, Sparrow suddenly cheered, “Now then, off to town!” and folded his wings. Twilight barely had time to go wide-eyed before the two of them began to quickly plummet like a rock, causing Twilight to scream as she grabbed onto his neck for dear life.

Immediately, he flared his wings out again, bringing them to a halt about fifty feet lower in the sky.

“Twilight? Are you all right?” Sparrow asked, twisting around.

There was panic clearly evident in his voice and on his face, but Twilight did not care at all.

“NO! What the hay was THAT!? Why did you just decide to FALL OUT OF THE SKY!?!?!” she screamed, panting as she groaned. Her weak muscles did NOT enjoy the sudden tensing as she had grabbed onto him, and now all four of her legs felt unpleasantly tingly.

Seriously, what the HAY!? I officially take my thank-you back! Once I have my strength back, I am totally gonna PUNCH HIM!

Or maybe have Spike set his tail on fire.

No, bad Twilight. Spike shouldn’t be taught that, even if this MANIAC WAS PLUMMETING OUT OF THE SKY WITH ME ON HIS BACK!!!

“I’m sorry,” Sparrow’s voice reached her ear, barely audible over the winds this high in the sky. Yet even then she could hear the momentous amount of regret tinged in each word, causing her to pause in her angry internal monologue.

“Truly. I…” He swallowed hard and looked away. “Diving from the sky like that was something I was terrified of doing until a good friend of mine convinced me to give it a try when I was a young colt. It’s just…something I’ve always done, a little bit of adrenaline that reminds me of my friend, who has long since passed on. I guess I just…got caught up in the moment that I forgot that you weren't her.”

"I didn't mean to scare you like that. I have no excuses…”

Twilight opened her mouth to scold him some more, but a memory of her own brought that to a halt.

Rainbow once took me flying BEFORE I had wings, and she didn’t even bother to slow down as I screamed my head off. Not to mention all the loops and spins she did that had me puking once we landed.

Heck, her first lesson of my flight training was to push me OFF A CLOUD to see if my reflexes let me hover. She didn’t even WARN ME, and both those incidents were completely intentional. Save for the me getting sick part.

So you’re just going to forgive him?

…Yes, Brain. THIS time. He DID scare me, and my legs DO hurt more now, but it was a mistake. And he did stop immediately once he realized I was panicking.

“Just…give me some warning next time,” Twilight said, holding back her anger save for an annoyed snort. “And maybe wait until I can actually FLY again. I would at least feel better knowing I have my own wings to catch me.”

“I promise, I will not do that again without asking,” Sparrow said, sounding relieved as he turned back to her, only to snort slightly. “And, um, s-sorry about your mane, hehe,” the large alicorn chuckled as his horn lit, teleporting in a small mirror and a comb.

Twilight blinked, looked at the mirror, and groaned. Her mane was sticking back at such a ridiculous angle it reminded her of the time Fluttershy had been licked by a manticore. Not exactly what she would call ‘style,’ and definitely something that would make Rarity faint in shock.

And I JUST combed it too! Great, juuuuuuuuuuust great. At least I have a comb now.

“Very funny,” Twilight muttered, taking the comb from him with her wing and the mirror with her hoof. “Can we go see Spike now?”

"As you wish,” Sparrow said, his wings tilting slightly to allow them to move into a very gentle decent, the ride perfectly smooth. So gentle in fact that Twilight was certain it would take them at least ten minutes to just reach the top of the castle again.

Is he overcompensating after scaring me? Or is he just making it smooth so I can brush my mane again?

In the end, it didn’t matter, so Twilight just tried to focus on fixing her mane. By the time she was done, they had drifted low enough to brush the top of the castle and were continuing to descend down to the city below. Sparrow took large looping circles that gave her a perfect view of everything the city had to offer.

Whether it was the well-crafted marble fountains, or the small park on the north and south sides, all of it looked even more beautiful up close. And despite the height, quite a large number of ponies would actually stop and wave up at them as they passed.

Does Sparrow make a habit of going into town? Or is everypony just that nice? Is it both? I know he flies around the island every day, but Celestia and Luna rarely have time to leave the castle most days outside official events.

Then again, the island is smaller than Equestria, so it makes sense that he would be less busy.

When they finally slowed to a stop just above the road, they were hovering right next to a large reddish-brown tree building. They were to the south of the castle, and the sign outside the tree indicated that it was a LIBRARY!

BOOKS!

No, bad brain. Spike first, then books, thought Twilight, shaking her head to clear it.

Swinging her legs around to his left side as he landed, Twilight blinked as Sparrow extended his wing, bending the feathers into a set of steps. She stepped on it gingerly, expecting her weight to make the wing crumple, but surprisingly, it held up, and she easily walked to the ground.

All over the small clearing, ponies moved about their days. Most would give a smile and a wave at Sparrow, one he would acknowledge with a nod and smile of his own. There were a few that ignored him, but those ponies looked harried, like they were in a rush, or were busy talking or reading as they walked and weren’t really paying attention. But the vast majority of them DID notice him and acted as if were nothing special.

It…wasn’t how she expected the ponies to act with their leader simply dropping out of the sky. If Celestia or Luna just randomly flew down from the castle, ponies would probably be bowing, and no pony would be able to ignore them. Even Twilight still bowed to them up until she had gotten her wings, despite her close relationship with Celestia.

Maybe he likes to be treated more normally? Celestia and Luna usually try to keep up a regal appearance whenever they go out, save for a few occasions like Nightmare Night, but if Sparrow acts more casually around his ponies, maybe they treat him more normally as a result?

“Twilight!” Spike’s voice rang out.

Twilight turned and looked to the opposite side of Sparrow where a still bandaged Spike was hopping along on his crutches. A unicorn guard with a tan coat, a brown mane and, and pink eyes followed closely behind him with a box on his back while a mare pegasus guard with a red coat, blue mane, and orange eyes followed in the air. Both of them were wearing orange armor, though the unicorn had a blue torc with a green gem in the center that stood out from the rest of the guards she had seen. “You’re awake!”

“Yeah, I am,” Twilight agreed happily as she walked around Sparrow and nearly ended up falling on the dragon in a massive hug. She hadn’t meant to do that, given how her legs had basically given out, but he didn’t seem to mind or be in pain as he eagerly returned the hug. “But what about you? You still look pretty bad. Are you ok? Should you even be walking around right now?”

“I’m fine,” Spike said with a smile as he waved a claw to try and dismiss her concerns. “Doc says I’ll be good in about a month. But till then, I just need to keep using these and take it easy.” He gestured to the crutches. “Not that bad, considering the height of that waterfall.”

“You are NEVER allowed to go over that waterfall ever again. Or try to teleport halfway across Equestria,” Twilight scolded as she shook her head and hugged him tighter (though not too tight). Still, she was happy to see he had actually been taken to the doctor.

However, any further talk was interrupted by a loud series of squeals. Twilight barely had time to turn around as a group of at least thirty foals all lunged at Sparrow. Rather than standing his ground, Sparrow let out an overly dramatic cry as he toppled to the ground, skillfully avoiding the foals as they clambered all over him.

“ARGGGG NOOOOO!!! FOALS!!! MY ONE TRUE WEAKNESS!!!” Sparrow cried in a definitely-fake tone of voice as the foals all piled on top of him while Twilight just stood there, dumbfounded.

He, that, foals, huh?

Of all the things Twilight expected from the ruler of a distant kingdom that had essentially forced her into an engagement, playing with a herd of foals in such a childish and silly way was so far beyond what she expected. She could have sworn that she heard some part of her brain breaking from the effort of trying to understand what the hay was going on.

Yeah…I got nothing, her brain said, and Twilight couldn’t help but agree.

After about a minute, Sparrow let out a final groan of defeat before letting his head fall back, closing his eyes, and sticking his tongue out for effect. The foals immediately stopped jumping and looked at him questioningly.

“Is he dead?” a small filly with a teal coat and a two-tone charcoal mane asked, poking Sparrow in the nose.

“NNOO!” Sparrow said dramatically, his head shooting up and his wings extending. The foals all squealed and tried to run, but between Sparrows legs, wings, and magic, he soon had all of them in his grasp as he proceeded to relentlessly tickle them with his feathers. All the children squealed and struggled to escape their captor, but any that did were quickly brought back to receive their punishment in full.

It was insanely surreal…and also insanely cute, and one of the last things Twilight expected.

Celestia, this day is confusing.

“Children!” a voice called out, prompting Twilight to turn as a panting pegasus mare ran up. She had a blue, orange, and pink mane that was tied up in a bun, purple fur, orange eyes, and a series of three books for a cutie mark. “Please, we can play AFTER your lessons. And I am including you in that category, Sparrow,” she added, glaring at the stallion.

“But I’m helping,” Sparrow defended, smiling innocently. “They have so much energy, they’ll never be able to sit in class for too long. This way, they’re all nice and tired and won’t have the energy to run around.”

…Is he being serious? Children don’t work like that! Between watching Flurry Heart, supervising the Ponyville foals during their research projects in the library, and teaching the Cutie Mark Crusaders, I SHOULD KNOW!

“That argument is just as flawed as the other fifteen times you have used it, so I’m not even going to bother explaining why you’re wrong,” the mare chided, though she was hiding a faint smile. Twilight had no idea if one or both of them were being serious or not. “Now then, children, excluding Mr. Sparrow, please come along, we still have more lessons to cover, and recess is over. You can all go out and play once we finish.”

This was met by a series of ‘Awwww’s from the disappointed foals, but Sparrow was still smiling as he released his winded captors.

“Might I ask what we are learning about today?” Sparrow asked, standing back up now that his tormentors were off of him.

“Modern history,” the mare said. “Specifically, we were just about to begin our studies on The Long Night and the mare responsible, Nightmare Moon.” She emphasized Nightmare's name dramatically, prompting the foals to huddle closer to each other. Twilight’s eyes went wide, especially when she saw a playful smile pass over Sparrow’s lips.

“Then you’re in luck,” he said before Twilight could try and react and/or escape. “Because we just so happen to have one of the heroes that defeated Nightmare Moon right here,” he said proudly, gesturing to Twilight.

“REALLY!?” All the foals exclaimed, turning for the first time to the purple alicorn and her dragon.

Oh dear oh dear oh dear OHDEAROHDEARDANGITSPARROWWHYYYY!?!?!

The foals practically pounced, and if not for Sparrow’s own magic taking effect to stop them, they would have undoubtedly bowled over the terrified Twilight. Of course, that didn’t stop them all from asking questions a mile a minute.

“You saw Nightmare Moon?”

“Was she big?”

“And mean?”

“Did you shoot her with rainbows?”

“Where was Princess Sun Butt?

“Were you scared?”

“Is that why you’re an aloroocrn…”

“Can you show us the spell you used?”

“Can you fly?”

“She has wings, of course she can fly!”

“Do you like cupcakes or pancakes better?”

That last one was SO much like Pinkie that Twilight giggled for a second before she realized that the pink mare would likely never get to meet this young colt who obviously shared her spirit.

It made her heart ache.

Girls…

It took her a few seconds to refocus on the foals, by which point several small arguments had broken out among the crowd before the mare let out a sharp whistle, prompting immediate silence from the children.

Wow, she was good.

“While I do thank you for the suggestion, Sparrow,” the mare said, “It would still be up to Miss Twilight to decide if she would actually be willing to share her story. Though I have to admit, a first-hoof experience would probably trump any of my lectures.” With a little shake of her head, she looked sternly at the foals. “However, we need to ASK, politely, and go back to class if she says no.”

The foals nodded, then, as one, spun around and assaulted Twilight with thirty pairs of big, pleading puppy-dog eyes.

“PLEEEEASSEEE?”

It was very much NOT FAIR.

What could she do against that? These were the very kind of puppy-dog eyes a foal used on their parents to beg for candy, or a new toy, and Twilight had seen enough children on sugar rushes to know that even parents couldn’t resist.

AND THERE WERE THIRTY OF THEM!!!

“I…suppose I can,” Twilight said shyly, blushing nervously.

The students cheered enthusiastically, bouncing up and down like the CMC when they had finally gotten their cutie marks. There was a slight flash behind her, and she turned to see that Sparrow had poofed in a blue cushion for her to sit on.

Wait, we aren’t going to go back to the classroom first? Am I just supposed to tell the story in the middle of the street?

Looking back towards the students, she saw that all of them, the teacher, Spike, his guards, and even some of the passing ponies were now watching her expectantly. The children were even sitting or lounging in front of her, like she was about to tell a bedtime story. Despite her reservations, the hopeful, happy expressions the foals’ faces were too much for her to resist.

“I will leave you to it,” Sparrow said. “I have some of my own errands to take care of, but should you need anything, simply ask Right Word,” he said, prompting a nod from the unicorn guard. “Silent Sky, Captain Bull’s Eye requested you return to the east wall, so please head there immediately. Twilight and Spike should be ok for the time being.” The pegasus saluted before taking to the air and quickly vanishing into the distance.

“Also, please be gentle, everypony,” Sparrow said. “Twilight is feeling a little under the weather today, and needs to take it easy. So no tackling her, ok?”

“OK!” all the foals agreed happily. Sparrow winked at them, gave Twilight one last loving glance, and with a final warm smile, he vanished right into thin air.

Why did he just give me such an…adoring look? It was…weird. Then again, he is a weird stallion.

I’ll worry about it later, if at all.

“So, where should I begin?” Twilight asked as she sat down heavily, a little unsure about…everything.

“How about when you came back to the tower in Canterlot and freaked out?” Spike suggested somewhat playfully, somewhat sarcastically, earning a few giggles from the foals.

“I was not ‘freaking out,’ I was legitimately worried because one of Star Swirl’s prophecies was about to come true. And…”

And off she went, weaving an engaging tale of how she became one of the saviors of Equestria, and how she met the most important ponies in her life. While it should have hurt to remember her first adventure with her friends given how far apart they were right now, it instead worked to lessen her pain by reminding her of all the trials they had overcome.

Discord, Changeling, Tirek, Starlight, the Crystal Empire, all of these had been challenges that she had overcome thanks to her friends and the lessons they had helped teach her.

This one was no different, and she would overcome it one way or another…

About ten seconds later…

Sparrow magically appeared on the opposite side of the city roughly fifteen feet in the air above his destination, giving him enough time to spread his wings and slow his fall as he aimed for an open spot on the road. This was his common method of travel, so the ponies below immediately moved to give him room to land. Upon landing, he gave a warm smile and slight bow to those who moved for him before looking to his destination.

In front of him was a large, three-story building with a large variety of wares both inside and out. The walls were dark blue, and the view through the windows told him that the store was fairly packed. Sparrow lit his horn and with a poof, his entire body shrank so that he was now only one foot taller than everypony around him. Even his crown and torc shrunk and readjusted to fit him. He could have gone as small as a colt if he wanted to, but that would take too much energy for such a short visit and he wasn’t in the mood to be buffeted by the customers, so he went with just being small enough to get inside without having to duck through the door.

That and making sure his horn wasn’t so long that he would accidentally knock everything off the higher shelves anytime he turned around. Hidden Treasure was still a bit annoyed about that after last time.

He HAD been drunk, but still.

Inside was very lively as ponies shopped for everything from food to antiques to gardening supplies and everything in between. The only thing you couldn’t buy here were beds and baths. But beyond that, chances were the owner had what you needed or could get it within a few days.

“Sparrow!” the clerk behind the counter exclaimed, waving to the smaller alicorn. Said clerk was an old stallion in his sixties with a pear-colored mane, a faint blue coat, brown eyes, and a cutie mark of an overflowing treasure chest. “What can I do you for?”

“I need a toothbrush,” Sparrow said, looking around for anything else of interest. The stock changed so frequently that he never quite knew what was here at any given time. “It seems it’s the one thing I’ve forgotten for my new guest. How have you been, Hidden Treasure?”

“Got a few new ones behind the counter. They just came in half an hour ago and I haven't had time to get them out,” Treasure said, reaching down and pulling out a few sealed cases filled with toothbrushes. “And you know, same old, same old. Just got back from a trip to Arbor, found some interesting wares, including an old soldier’s helmet from who knows how long ago.” He spread the products on the counter and fixed Sparrow with a sharp stare. “But I think I need to be asking you that question. I can tell when something’s bothering you, sonny.”

“Always could see right through my mask,” Sparrow said with a chuckle and a sigh as he pulled out a few copper coins to pay for the toothbrushes. “I don’t suppose I can just say it’s nothing?”

“Nope.”

“Didn’t think so. Mind if we talk in private? I…may need some advice.” Sparrow said, quietly. Hidden Treasure had been Sparrow’s previous top advisor before he retired and was replaced by Right Word. He was also one of the few ponies who knew everything about Sparrow’s plan to bring Twilight to the island, and what he hoped it would accomplish.

If anypony could give him advice, it would be Hidden Treasure.

“Not at all. Pearl!” Treasure yelled, catching the attention of a white mare with a light pink mane, pink eyes, and an open oyster with a pearl as a cutie mark. “Watch the store for a while, would ya?” The mare saluted before turning back to the shelves she was stocking.

Once he finished ringing up and bagging the toothbrushes, Hidden Treasure came out from behind the counter and led Sparrow towards the back room. “So spill it, boy. What’s the problem?”

“I think that would be obvious, given how almost everyone knows what I did in Equestria.” Sparrow said as the two entered a small sitting room in the back of the store.

“I know, but it helps to say it, rather than to just let someone else blurt it out and get it wrong. Now, come on…”

“Well, for starters, my plan worked,” Sparrow sighed. “I took over Equestria, and successfully managed to bring home the world’s most beautiful, intelligent, and adorkable mare so that her life would no longer be at risk. Even though it was practically against her will.”

“Ah, you’re still on that.”

“Wouldn’t you be?”

“Of course I would be. But given what you said your options were, I certainly think this is more preferable compared to just up and kidnapping her in the dead of night. Or her getting killed by Akumu. Besides, from what I heard, you successfully managed to get her to leave her room rather than her just locking herself in there.”

“Actually, I was in there to bring her breakfast before she woke up, and she really doesn’t have the strength to resist me right now.”

“Did you force her to come here with you?”

“Of course not.”

“So she came to town of her own free will, and that’s a plus. What did you tell her to convince her to come out?”

“Well, she had said she wanted to come here to find her friend, Spike, who was in town. I just went from there.”

“Makes sense, but why fly her down rather than just…pop into existence like you normally do?”

“Because before coming here I took her on a flight to see the surrounding area from above the castle. I thought she might enjoy the view of her new home for the time being.”

“And did she complain?”

“Only at the end,” he said with a cringe. “I…may have gotten her mixed up with Star for a minute and…nearly dive-bombed into town before she started to freak out.”

He looked down in shame at the memory, but Treasure gave him a comforting pat on the leg.

“Well then, other than scaring the poor mare with some of yer crazy flying, I think things seem to be going ok so far.”

“I still can’t help but think she hates me though.”

“I know you, boy, and there isn't a pony on this island that could hate you. You’re far too compassionate and forgiving for any pony to truly hate. I think it’s safe to assume she hates the situation, and your role in putting her in this situation is likely just rolling over onto you, especially seeing as she doesn’t know why she’s truly here yet.

“Also, it’s been at most an HOUR, you idiot. I heard from Right Word how she's been asleep these last few days, so if she just woke up this morning, then of COURSE she hasn’t had time to adjust yet. You even said that you JUST showed her what the city looks like from the sky. And it’s not even ten in the morning yet. Give her time to actually ADJUST, THEN panic, then come to me, then send HER to me, then kiss and make up, and—”

“PLEASE don’t go any further than that. I haven’t even set the wedding date yet,” Sparrow groaned, blushing and hiding his face in his hooves as Hidden Treasure groaned in disappointment.

“Hmph, fine. But the point still stands. You don't know how she feels right now, and chances are she might not even tell you if you ask, so the only thing you can do is try to keep calm and be a good host. Once she calms down, then focus on winning her heart.”

“If I even ca—OW!” Sparrow yelped as Treasure bit his ear and gave it a hard tug.

“None of that. You worked too hard to get this far, so I’ll be darned if I see you lose hope now. Especially now that yer little dream mare is safe from harm.”

“And how would you suggest I do that?” Sparrow asked as he rubbed his ear, earning a deadpan stare from the other stallion. “I haven’t had a date in over two thousand years, so I suspect I’m a little bit out of practice. And I’m afraid I might go overboard…again.”

“Again?” Treasure asked with a stern expression and a raised eyebrow. Sparrow sighed.

“I…may have gone overboard during the Equestria takeover. I dragged Twilight’s friends into the mix, something…something I really didn’t need to do looking back on it. I caused her enough stress and fear by just taking over Equestria, something I still need to apologize for. But grabbing her friends too was…unnecessary.”

“Well it’s no use getting all mopey about it,” Treasure said. “Wait for her to adjust, then apologize. For both those things. Maybe buy her an apology cake too, especially if she develops a taste for Whisper’s peaches. Besides, this isn't the first time you’ve gone overboard. Remember the time I brought back Arbor moonshine?”

“All too well,” Sparrow laughed. “You wouldn’t happen to have brought back any more, would you?”

That earned him another bite on the ear.

“You want my advice, start off small. Flowers, breakfast, small talk, all that jazz. Then once she gets to know you more, apologize to her about using her friends and conquering her home. That way she won’t think you’re just saying it to get on her good side. Then move on from there.”

“You make it sound so simple…”

“It IS simple. You just gotta be patient.” Treasure smiled, nodding confidently. “You waited this long, what’s a few more months?”

Sparrow chuckled. “I suppose that’s true. What would I do without you and Right Word?”

“Spend every day running around like a headless timber wolf.” Treasure said in a completely serious voice.

“Thanks, Treasure. So glad you have confidence in me.” Sparrow deadpanned.

Hidden Treasure smirked. “Anytime.”

Halfway across town…

“Green. No. BLUE! Yes. Yesyesyes, goooood. Yes, PERFECT!”

An excited mare dashed about her shop as cloth and gemstones and sewing instruments of all types flew through the air seemingly with no logic or reason. All the while, a dress resting on a ponyquin went from ‘meh’ to ‘FABULOUS’ in no time at al—

“WAIT!” she screeched, causing everything to pause mid-air as if time itself had stopped. “Wait,” she said again, almost hissing the word as she focused on every inch of her body.

Flicky tail…

Ears twitching left-right-left-left-triangle-down…

Right foreleg and left eye twitching in 6/8 time…

“Somepony needs a new dress! In a pre-classical era style from Saddle Arabia about, mmmmmmm one-thousand-nine-hundred-twenty-three years ago, but mixed with modern designs and colors to match a purple coat but, ooohhh…maybe some light blue would do…Hmmm…”

As she spoke, the chaos around her moved, everything reorganizing itself as she continued to mutter to herself. With the dress before her completed, what was not needed quickly shot back into their appropriate drawers as new supplies for the next dress came floating into view, including a new blank ponyquin as the one with the finished dress flew off towards the packaging area.

“Ohhhhhhh, I KNEW I should I have read up on pre-classical dresses last Saturday! Oh well. TO THE LIBRARY THEN!!! Oh, wait. I only have ten-point-seven-two-seconds left. Ok then. NEXT ROUND THEN!”

Everything was quickly put away and a large, luxurious couch was dragged in from somewhere off-screen.

The mare hopped up onto the couch, arranged her pillows perfectly. Then waited.

A small ‘ding’ sounded from nowhere in particular, and the mare immediately passed out, falling perfectly onto the pillows and snoring away peacefully…

Half an hour later, back with Twilight…

“And that’s how Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were reunited,” Twilight finished.

The foals in front of her cheered, making her smile. All of Twilight’s reading had helped her become a rather good storyteller (at least as far as she could tell), and she did occasionally read or teach at Ponyville’s school as a guest speaker, but this was the first time she had ever done so with such a large group. However, the children had appeared to love every moment of her story, and they had even convinced Twilight to sing Pinkie’s song.

That was a little embarrassing, but given how ponies normally broke out into song anyway, it wasn’t too bad.

“That was a very good retelling, Princess,” the teacher said with a smile. “What do we say, everypony?”

“Thank you, Princess Twilight,” the foals chimed, giving Twilight their best smiles.

“It’s no problem,” Twilight said, rubbing her head sheepishly. “And please, call me Twilight, Miss…”

“Oh, I’m sorry. My name is Book Smart,” said the mare. “And very well, Twilight.”

“Miss Twilight?” a small colt with a red-and-blue mane and orange coat asked. “What happened next?”

“Yeah!” another filly called out. “Did you fight any more monsters?”

“Now, now, children,” Book Smart said gently. “I think we have taken up enough of Miss Twilight’s time today. And it’s about time we head back to class for math.”

“Awwwwwww…”

“I’ll still be around,” Twilight reassured the disappointed foals. “And…maybe I can help out again another day?”

“That would be wonderful,” Book Smart said with a gracious nod. “Simply drop by whenever you so desire. The school house is number twenty-seven on Oak Road.”

“YAAAAY!” the foals cheered before they rushed forward, hugging all four of Twilight’s legs as tightly as they could. Twilight blinked in surprise, trying not to laugh as some of the foals began climbing on the others so they could hug her body instead, having apparently run out of room on her limbs.

It was beyond adorable, and despite her tiredness, Twilight didn’t mind in the slightest that she was almost completely covered in small, excitable foals. Their hopeful and excited expressions gave her the energy to remain standing and wrap her wings around as many of them as she could. Spike just laughed at the silliness of the scene while Right Word and the nearby ponies smiled.

I really need to visit these foals again soon. Seeing them so happy will make any day better.

“Ok, everypony,” Book Smart said, clapping her hooves to get the foals’ attention, “it’s time to say goodbye to Miss Twilight. Come along, now.” She used her wings to help dislodge the foals from Twilight and usher them away. The foals reluctantly released their new friend and waved goodbye as they walked. Twilight returned the gestured and smiled. Crazy day or not, that was a lot of fun. In fact, it actually seemed to make her feel better physically too. When she had stood up, she had found that her legs were not quite as weak as they were about half an hour before.

“You seem happy,” Spike noted, getting up from his own position on a bench near the tree. Right Word levitated her cushion over to himself before making it vanish with a poof.

“I am happy,” Twilight said with a happy sigh. “I mean, did you see their faces? They loved the story, even if it was more of a history lesson. That just felt so…right.”

“Maybe you would have been a teacher if you weren't a princess,” Right Word commented. “Though I suppose teaching the young is part of the job of a princess, seeing as how Celestia has her own school.”

“That’s true,” Twilight said. Then she blinked, looking closer at the stallion. “Wait, who are you again? Right Word was your name, right? I remember Sparrow saying your name, but…”

“No need to worry,” Right Word said with a smile. “And you got it right, hehehe. My name is Right Word, and as for who I am, I am Sparrow’s trusted guard and advisor. I am not his captain, or general, but I am the one responsible for assisting him in a variety of day-to-day tasks, though what those are is highly variable. I am also a trusted ear for him should he simply need to talk. While I am normally near him and ready to provide aid, he assigned me to look after and assist young Spike with whatever he needs given his injuries.”

Twilight blinked. I, wow, that was a lot of words. All I wanted to know was who he was, and instead he gave me his entire resume. It’s a little funny actually, and maybe a bit endearing that he’s willing to share so much about himself with somepony he just met. Or maybe he has a tendency to ramble a bit when he meets someone new.

“And he’s really good at it,” Spike said, pulling Twilight out of her thoughts. “He’s been helping me all day while I went looking for a gift for you. I thought you’d need cheering up when you woke up.”

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said, carefully hugging the dragon. “Though I guess it has something to do with food?” she added jokingly, looking at the donut label on the side of the box on Right Word’s back.

“What? They have AMAZING donuts here!” Spike defended. “And since you were asleep for so long, I thought you’d be hungry. Plus, they had ones filled with peaches!”

GRUMBLE!

Twilight’s stomach growled at the mention of more peaches.

Oooh, those do sound REALLY good right about now. If they were half as good as the ones she had for breakfast, she was sure they’d be delicious. Actually, I specifically remember an orchard during the flight with Sparrow. Is this their main product, like how Applejack mainly grows apples?

“Are peaches common around here?” Twilight asked as Right Word brought the box around from his back with his pink magic and levitated out two donuts. Twilight immediately took hers with a hoof and bit into it. She was rewarded with a blissful taste.

Ohhhh, these are somehow even better than the ones I had this morning! Why have I never tried peaches before!? They are so GOOD!

“Indeed they are,” the Right Word answered. “They are the primary crop of the island, though the best ones are grown in the orchard right outside of town, at least in my opinion. Given your entrance with Sparrow, you probably saw it on the way down.”

“I did,” Twilight agreed between bites. “I’ll have to visit there once I have my strength back.”

“You mean you’re still not ok?” Spike asked in concern.

Twilight patted his head reassuringly. “I’m just a little weak,” she said as she finished her donut. “Give it a day or two and I should be back to normal. I hope,” she said as she grabbed a second donut and immediately devoured it.

So gooooooood…

“Would you like to go back to the castle and rest then?” Right Word asked. “Or would you prefer to keep exploring the city? Or we could go to the library? It’s usually very calm there at this time of day.” He pointed to the tree next to the group.

“That’s the library?” Spike asked.

Twilight went wide-eyed and squealed. She had gotten so wrapped up in her story and the memory of her friends’ first adventure that she had completely forgotten about the library!

Yay! BOOKS! Probably books no one in Equestria has ever even read! EEEEEEE! DOUBLE YAY!

“Talk about deja vu. I thought Golden Oaks was the only library in a tree,” Spike muttered, looking at the large treebrary. “It even looks to be about the same size too. Also, why are some of the buildings trees? I forgot to ask.”

“The climate,” Right Word said as the three of them began to approach the tree. “These large trees grow exceedingly well in the warm, wet climate we have here, though we are in a bit of a dry spell currently. The trees were what our ancestors used to live in, as they provided better shelter than normal homes in the stormy season. However, with advances in magic, we have found ways to build homes that can survive the tropical storms, so now we have about a 50-50 split between tree homes and normal ones, though this village tends to lean more towards ‘normal’ homes.”

“Wouldn’t the tree be the normal homes?” Twilight asked, her mind off books for the moment as she began mentally writing down everything he was saying. Any history or lore she could gather about this island, the better.

“My family grew up in a non-tree home, so that’s just what I consider to be normal,” Right Word said with a shrug.

That makes sense.

When they reached the front of the tree, Twilight took a minute to read a sign hanging out front.

Delubrum Capital Library

All Species Welcome

Open 9:00 am to 6:00 pm

Knock if not during operating hours

She then turned to the front door, which was made of a much brighter red wood, and gave it a gentle push.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES!!

Inside were so many, MANY books, and many of them were ones she didn’t recognize! There were small tables with cushions scattered around the lower level with bookshelves lining the walls, with a second level with even more shelves!

But all of this was just what Twilight noticed in passing as she immediately walked to the nearest bookshelf as fast as her weak legs could carry her. She pressed her nose to the spines and took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of paperbound books mixed with the subtle smell of a living tree that the shelves were crafted from.

Oh, how I missed this smell. It’s not the same as Golden Oaks, but it’s just as good. All those days of re-shelving, all those parties in the main area. So many good memories.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“GAH!” Twilight screamed, jumping as the voice spoke right in her ear. Her exhausted legs gave out from the strain and Twilight felt gravity take over as she crashed into…something soft? Gasping in shock and blinking at the lack of pain from the wooden floor, Twilight looked down to see a cushion wrapped in pink magic had broken her fall.

Looking up, she realized that, thankfully, Right Word apparently had the reflexes of a speeding Rainbow Dash and had used his magic to save her at the last second. He looked relieved to have caught her in time, while Spike looked like he did whenever Twilight took him to a haunted house on Nightmare Night.

Mouthing a quick ‘thank you,’ Twilight turned to look at her tormentor, who was now laughing her head off. The mare in question was an large earth pony almost as big as Big Mac, with a light orange coat, a peach-colored mane, soft blue eyes, and had a cutie mark of a small tree.

“Oh, that never gets old,” the mare said as she wiped a few tears from her eyes.

“I assure you, Strong Sprout, it does,” Right Word said, holding his own chest as he let out a deep sigh. “I swear, between you and Soft Wind—”

“Yes?”

“GAH!” Right Word yelled as he, Spike, and Twilight all jumped for a second time as a second mare LITERALLY appeared out of thin air right next to the unicorn. Twilight had been looking right at him before the second mare just…APPEARED!

How the heck did she do THAT!?

The only one who didn’t jump was Strong Sprout, who merely laughed at their reactions for a second time.

Trying to get her heartbeat back under control, Twilight took a good look at the new mare. She was a pegasus with a purple coat, a yellow, purple, and blue mane, brown eyes, and a cutie mark of a paper airplane blowing on three gust of wind. Both she and Strong Sprout just laughed again, enjoying their little prank.

“How did you DO that!?” Spike asked, holding his own chest with his good arm.

“Invisibility spells,” the two mares chimed. Both of them vanished again, then reappeared next to Twilight a few seconds later and promptly helped the purple pony back to her hooves before performing a hoof bump.

Invisibility spells for pranking? That sounds like something Rainbow would do.

Twilight wasn’t sure if the thought made her want to smile or cry.

“Might I suggest waiting until Twilight isn’t weakened by the island’s magic before doing that again?” Right Word asked.

“Oh BUCK,” Strong Sprout cursed, looking at Twilight sheepishly. “We’re sorry, Princess.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Soft Wind agreed awkwardly. “We didn’t hurt you, did we?”

“No, no, it’s ok. You didn’t know,” Twilight said, giving each of them a small pat with her wing. “I forgive you. And please, call me Twilight.”

The familiarity seemed to perk the two up instantly, and soon everyone in the library was smiling again.

“But how…?” Spike began, finally finding his voice.

“All ponies on our island have been taught the skills to access unique magic,” Right Word explained as he sat down on one of the nearby cushions. “Our ancestors discovered the magic, and Sparrow has helped pass down the knowledge used by ponies in his time in order to access and cast said magic. Magic that is…less restricted to a pony’s race, but is also more unpredictable and variable. Save for displacement, which is our form of teleportation, most spells are unique to the pony casting them and cannot be easily replicated by others. These two just happen to use their skills for pranking rather than anything productive,” he added playfully, and it was clear he was joking.

“Hey, we can be productive,” Strong Sprout defended as the pegasus beside her stuck her tongue out at the unicorn. “Why, a few minutes ago, I finished dusting all the books in the library.”

“After getting distracted for two hours with the newest study of farming practices,” Soft Wind teased, poking the earth pony in the ribs. Strong Sprout blushed and grumbled. The pegasus giggled and nuzzled Strong’s cheek before moving to nuzzle under the earth pony’s chin. Strong grunted, but returned the nuzzle, and soon enough she was smiling again.

“Are…you two together?” Twilight asked, glancing at both of their legs for rings. Given how many mares there were in Equestria compared to stallions, same-sex couples were common in Equestria. However, Twilight wasn’t sure if the gender ratio was as skewed here or if same sex couples were as common.

She DID see a ring on Strong Sprout’s leg, but not on Soft Wind’s.

“Married for ten years,” Soft Wind said, gesturing to a golden ring on the base of her wing. “Best decision of my life, proposing to this pranking goofball.”

“Hey, I popped the question, remember?” Strong protested, showing off her own band proudly. “So technically I’M the one who proposed to YOU!”

“Pffff, you know I asked first.”

“Pretty sure it was a tie,” Right Word said with a grin. “Practically the whole town saw it, remember? And all of them think you asked at the same time.”

“As if,” the two mares replied together. They blinked in surprise, then turned to each other and glared. Then stuck their tongues out. Then made ridiculous faces with both eyes going in opposite directions.

“You’re good. That’s why I asked you. No, I asked YOU!” They both exclaimed, speaking at the same time.

The two glared again, before bursting out into laughter and sharing a quick kiss.

“Love is weird,” Spike said, shaking his head.

“You’ll understand when you’re older,” Soft Wind said with a wink. “Now then, how can we help you, Twilight? I can just tell from the way you went and sniffed our books that you must be an ex-librarian.”

“Yes, I was and…I really don't know,” she said, taking a moment to get a better look at the library now that she had calmed down a bit. Other than the books on the shelves, there was a desk to the far right that was stacked high with books, and a few doors that likely led to other rooms in the tree. There was a light blue rug that covered the steps leading up to the second level, and plenty of windows that looked to provide natural light to the library no matter the time of day. It was beautiful.

However, she was unable to look around for very long before her mind quickly began to drift back towards the books, something that made her want to bounce in place with glee.

“There are so many books here, and so many I’ve never even seen before!” Twilight squealed. “Ohhh, I just can’t wait to get started. Maybe I can start on that unique magic? I can’t cast right now, but even just getting a head start on it would be great!”

She picked up the nearest book and opened the cover, only to blink.

The book wasn’t in Equestrian.

“About that,” Strong Sprout said, walking over to another bookshelf. “About three fourth’s of the books are written in our native language, which is Labyrin. It is a precursor to Equestrian, but it is not nearly as easy to read, and is likely considered to be a dead language by any scholar outside of our island. And unfortunately, I doubt there are any books on our magic that are in Equestrian. There hasn’t really be a pressing need to translate them until now.”

But…but books…mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…

“But then why are you all speaking Equestrian? And why was the sign outside in Equestrian?” Spike asked, hobbling over to the somewhat heartbroken Twilight and giving her a comforting hug.

“It’s taught to all of us in school and at home, and most ponies here use the two languages interchangeably,” Right Word said. “The problem is that most ponies don’t see the need to write their books in both languages because everypony can read both of them anyway. So they tend to stick with our native language over the imported one.”

“We have been working to translate some of the books for fun,” Soft Wind said. “But it’s a slow process. And not exactly large-scale since, again, there hasn't really been a pressing need to do so. We can use our friend’s printing press to print new books, but we would still need to translate them all first, and each book takes days. As for the sign, it’s enchanted to show whichever language the reader prefers, or whichever language they are more fluent in if a gap in understanding exist. Unfortunately, you can’t do that with books because the enchantment would need to be applied to each page individually and the pages don’t have enough space for the rune.”

“The rune?” Spike asked in confusion, scratching his head with his good claw.

“A magical rune. Think of it like a magical alphabet that is used to spell out what you want a spell to do. To create the translation spell, you need to make a circle, then spell out the spell on the boarder. Then so long as you put magic into the circle, the spell will work. The sign outside feeds off of the natural magic of the island, causing it to be constantly powered, though you can use gemstones with magic stored inside to power the spell.

“And we can’t just put the rune somewhere on the book, because the enchantment would be too strained as it tried to change the entire book every time someone opened it.” Strong Sprout said with a sigh. “So all we can do is work to slowly change them manually.”

“So there’s no way I can read all these books?” Twilight asked sadly as Spike gave her a reassuring pat on the back. But Soft Wind smiled.

“Of course there’s a way, sweetie. It just requires a bit more effort.” She spread her wings and flew up to one of the shelves on the second level. After a few minutes, she returned with three large books. “These three books are the most basic tools we have for teaching someone who knows Equestrian how to read our language. I know it’s a lot, and we can personally help you once you get into them, but they should hopefully get you started.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said, smiling slightly as she was handed the books. “By the way, Right Word, how exactly is the Equestrian language imported? I though you were all isolated here.”

“We are, for the most part,” Right Word said. “However, there are certain…tasks we tend to perform out in the rest of the world, and with Equestrian being the dominant language and highly recognizable, the guard was taught Equestrian some two thousand years ago.”

“From there, it began to diffuse its way into the population,” Strong Sprout said. “Some foals would be hearing their parents say it, which in turn would let them start speaking it, and soon it became another full language of the island.”

“It took about three hundred years and eight generations,” Soft Wind chimed in. “But that’s how it happened. It also helps that the soldiers of the island come from all ten of the villages.”

“Why do you even need so many soldiers?” Spike asked, a slight bit of suspicion creeping into his voice. “And what do you mean by ‘tasks’ in the rest of the world?”

“It’s mostly just information gathering,” Right Word tried to assure him. “And nothing secretive or restricted. We just like to keep up to date on what’s happening, what new technologies are being created that we might not have, who's in power; all stuff that is common public knowledge that a tourist might be able to discover. Think of it as reading the local paper to learn what’s new in the world.”

“Really? That’s it?” Spike said suspiciously, still not entirely convinced. Right Word nodded.

“For the most part, yes. We do also occasionally send soldiers to investigate large magical disturbances, such as the reappearance of the Crystal Empire, but we rarely intervene unless it’s a true emergency or crisis. We try to respect all nations’ privacies, and in my lifetime, our guards have never had to get involved in another country’s affairs until recently, though that goes without saying.”

Gee, ya think? Twilight deadpanned internally. I think conquering Equestria definitely counts as ‘getting involved.’ And I don’t like the idea of them gathering information from every country on Equis, even IF it is all public knowledge. Why can’t they just open diplomatic relations? Given the size of their army and the power Sparrow wields, why do they need to stay hidden at all?

Didn’t Sparrow say they were attacked before his shield was up?

Yes, he did. But he also said it was many many years ago. Surely they could have found another way to stay safe without completely cutting themselves off from the rest of the world if the attack was so long ago. And why can’t they just keep the shield up and still engage in relations? Sure, the ambassadors might need a few days when the first arrive like I do, but that shouldn’t stop them. And it seems like Sparrow and his guards are able to come and go easily enough.

And if they're isolated, doesn’t that mean the rest of the population can’t travel to Equestria freely? That doesn’t seem fair at all!

Unless that thing that possessed the guards back in Canterlot could sneak in via teleportation. And if everypony on the island can teleport between here and Equestria, it would only take one possessed pony to breach the Island’s safety, wouldn’t it?

Twilight blinked at that thought. If that…thing could possess ponies, then could the island be at risk if anyone besides guards left the island? Sparrow’s armor HAD stopped the attack by the possessed guards, and those guards had recoiled when the attack had been destroyed. But was that just…normal, or was the spell on the armor specifically designed to counter that shadow creature?

And if this thing was such a threat, why hadn’t there been ANY sign of it across the recorded history of Equestria? It certainly hadn’t been in the history books Twilight had read, and there were a LOT of them.

Ugh. So many QUESTIONS.

She was so distracted she almost missed Right Word’s next sentence.

“As for the size of our guard, well…”

“Let’s just say there’s a part of our history we would rather…not get repeated,” Strong Sprout said, looking down with a sad look on her face.

“And it might be best NOT to ask Sparrow about it,” Soft Wind said. “He was there when it happened, and from what we all know, it’s…still a rather painful memory for him.”

“Does it have something to do with an attack?” Twilight asked, voicing her internal thoughts. “Sparrow mentioned that that’s why the island hasn't been found.”

The three exchanged uncertain glances, though Twilight wasn’t sure why they were uncertain.

“You’re…correct,” Right Word said, sounding as though he was choosing his words carefully. “But while the attack on our people and its impact on our culture is well know, its impact on Sparrow is…less known, save for a few of his most trusted ponies. I know, but it isn’t my place to say…He really only lets that impact show on the Day of Mourning, a day at the end of each winter where we remember those who died in the attack.”

“That must be one bad memory,” Spike said.

“That,” Right Word said sadly, “is an understatement. Of that much, I can assure you.”

He’s still haunted by what happened to him, even so many years later? Twilight thought. So does he keep the guard as big as it is because he doesn’t want something new to come along and attack them like what happened in the past…or because what attacked them the first time is still out there…

Author's Note

SOOOOOO sorry this took so long. See, Sparrow's character has changed a lot since I wrote this rough draft more than year ago now, so it took a bit to work out how every scene would play out now that he was far different than when I first made him.

Also, and this is a bit embarrassing, but...remember the hint I provided last chapter. Yeaaaaaaa, I kinda sorta lost track of what chapter that character would appear in, soooooo...That hint will apply to NEXT chapter, and only part of this on given how I added a small part to include her without introducing her. Can you guess which part?

Anyway, let me know what you think, if i made any mistakes (because some always manage to slip through, even in professional medical writing), and if you can guess what happens next

Also, BOOKS!!! :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 6: Day on the town

Twelve minutes twenty-three seconds later…

‘Ding…’

Blue eyes snapped open.

“TO THE LIBRARY!!!”

Five minutes and forty-two seconds later…

The library had lapsed into silence for the most part. Twilight tried to give the few language books in front of her some attention, but her mind was still preoccupied with what Right Word had said.

Come on, brain. Focus on the BOOKS! We aren’t going to figure out anything else from what we know so far! Sparrow was here when the attack happened, and keeps his army so large as a precaution so it doesn’t happen again. We have no way of know if the thing that attacked them is still out there or if he’s just being cautions, so stop wor—

BANG!

“GAH!” Twilight cried in shock,leaping to her hooves in shock despite the protest of her legs. The door to the library had been kicked in with a bang and a pink and purple blur immediately shot past, leaping over Spike, sliding under Twilight, and bouncing up to the second floor before Twilight could even blink. Both Sturdy Sprout and Soft Wind sighed.

“Here we go,” they said together with headshakes and small smiles.

“Yepyepyep,” a voice called out from above before the blur came dashing back down the stairs with a book on its, or rather HER, head. “Only got one minute and four-point-two-zero seconds left this round, so I need these books, a pillow, and a super-fast introduction. Gogogo!” she squealed, bouncing in place so fast even Pinkie might have had a hard time matching it before bouncing back up to the second floor.

She’s almost as energetic as Pinkie…

I like her already.

Not the time, brain. Twilight thought as she tried to get her heart rate back under control. Though you are right. She does certainly seems to be as energetic as…Pinkie. At the thought of the pink, bubbly mare, happy emotions immediately began to rise to the surface of Twilight’s mind, dragging with them the feelings of loss she that still filled her mind.

Shaking her head, Twilight pushed down on the bittersweet emotions that threatened to flood her being and instead tried to focus on the rapid and seemingly random noises coming from the second floor.

Why did I just hear a trumpet?

“On it,” Soft Wind called out as she took the books behind the checkout desk at the end of the library. “Twilight, this is Speedy Diamond. She’s a dress maker.”

“One of the best,” Sturdy Sprout said as she ran to one of the doors along the side wall, opened it, and pulled out a fluffy blue pillow. Twilight blinked, then turned just in time to see Speedy Diamond bounce back down the stairs with two more books on her head. Trying to follow the bounding mare with her eyes, Twilight was able to see that she was a unicorn with a pink coat, a windswept purple mane, blue eyes, and a series of six colored gems in a circle as a cutie mark, all of them in the shape of stars. She wore a simple short golden dress with a pocket on the front.

“The very best!” Speedy Diamond said, doing a backflip, grabbing the books, and dashing over to Twilight to give her a strong hoofshake that felt like one of Applejack’s. Which, strangely, did not seem to upset her leg in the slightest. “I’m sooooooo happy to meet you, and I’m sorry that I can’t spend more time to say hi but I only have twenty-point-three-six seconds left, so pleeeeeeeeease be here when I wake up. Ok? OK?”

And with that, she dashed around the room again, grabbed the blue pillow, sat down on one of the cushions, and sat there, unmoving.

What—

Then, there was a small ding from Speedy’s dress pocket, and she instantly passed out, dropping face-first onto the pillow before her.

Uhhhhh…

Twilight just stared, before looking back at the other three ponies in confusion. She WOULD be concerned in any other case, but no pony else seemed to be worried and both Strong Sprout and Soft Wind seemed to be fully prepared for this to happen.

That being said, even Pinkie had never randomly fainted like that. The closest Pinkie had ever come TO fainting was when she just overworked herself and needed to take a nap somewhere impractical. Yet that didn't seem to be the case here.

Does anypony know what just happened?

“Speedy Diamond suffers from an extremely unique version of bipolar disorder,” Soft Wind said with a reassuring smile, as if reading Twilight’s mind. “Rather than have extreme mood swings between happiness and sadness, she experiences bouts of hyper-activity and narcolepsy, going from unconscious to fully awake and energetic to unconscious again.”

“No pony knows why it happens,” Sturdy Sprout said as she brought over a blanket and tucked it around the sleeping unicorn. “Not even Sparrow. The only thing we know is that it’s somehow linked to her magic and the magic that protects the island. But that’s it. The only other thing we know is that she can actually set her watch to follow the shifts between awake and asleep, and it’s why she’s so good at telling time. Though while she insists that they follow a predictable and continuous schedule, we…all think it’s completely random.”

Now why does THAT sound familiar?

Brain, shush! Twilight scolded, trying not to remember her own experience with the Pinkie Sense. She didn’t need to be reminded of how far away from home she was right now.

“Even more strange, it only happens on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays,” Right Word said with a shrug. “Every other day, she’s completely normal, with a normal schedule. She’s not even hyper on her off days. It makes no real sense at all, especially considering that she somehow knows when a pony needs a dress or suit, even before they do, and that said ability seems to work perfectly regardless of what day it is.”

“She sounds almost like Pinkie Pie, or maybe Rarity on a busy day,” Spike said, his eyes filling with small hearts at the mention of said unicorn, causing Twilight to playfully roll her eyes. It didn’t last long however, as when both of them turned to look at the unconscious mare again, they both realized realized that she had shifted her position so that she was now resting with her back hooves on the table and her head on the pillow she had just been sitting on.

Meaning that she was now completely upside-down.

It did NOT look comfortable.

“How did she—” Spike began, only to be cut off.

“Don’t question Speedy,” Right Word, Soft Wind, and Sturdy Oak all said at once.

“Definitely Pinkie then,” Spike said, nodding. “Twilight?”

Definitely Pinkie…no, focus. It’s ok, everything is ok…

“I’ll…take your advice on this one,” Twilight said, sighing. “I really don’t want a repeat of The Pinkie Sense Incident right now.” She shook her head to try and ignore the large pang of sadness that filled her chest upon remembering that particular adventure. Everything from the frog on her face, to the mud puddle, the two doors smashing into her and the one opening beneath her, the anvil…her acceptance of Pinkie just being Pinkie. The friendship l-letter she had w-written.

Breath Twilight. In, out…In, out…

It’s not working.

“Weird, but kinda cool when ya think about it,” Spike said, not seeming to notice Twilight rapidly performing Cadence’s breathing technique. “Can you all tell us a bit more about her? Other than her…disorder?”

“Sure,” Soft Wind said as she moved to sit down near Twilight. “Speedy is…unique, and can be a little much to handle at times, but she’s a very nice mare no matter where she is in her cycles and loves meeting new ponies. She’s also very generous. You’ll see her offering to assist around the city or to running errands for busy ponies if she doesn’t have a dress order she needs to fill.”

Just like Rarity…

No, no, focus on the here and now. Breath…

“She also helps set up school events and other community happenings like fairs and celebrations should they fall on her…hyper days, as she calls them,” Sturdy Sprout added. “Given her speed and precision on those days, she can set up and tables, chairs, booths, what-have-you far faster than anypony else. You just need to make sure she has room to work and that there is a pillow or bed nearby so she can go to it when she crashes.”

Just like Pinkie, setting up all those events and parties to help everyone smile…I-I need to focus…

“How long do these cycles last?” Twilight asked, finding her voice again and trying to keep the growing pain out of her voice. She tried to distract herself by looking at the sleeping mare that was now curled up on the table and clutching the blue pillow like a teddy bear. She tried thinking about her condition and the scientific explanation that may exist. She tried thinking about what it must be like to live with such an unpredictable, or maybe predictable for her at least, schedule. She even just tried to think about how peaceful she looked sleeping there, without a care in the world.

But it wasn’t working.

Not at all.

She almost missed the three other ponies shrugging.

“Again, she may find them predictable,” Right Word said, “But the rest of us sure don’t. It seems like a different amount of time passes for each cycle, yet she always somehow knows just how much time she has left. The longest round I have seen was about three hours of hyperactivity followed by four hours of sleep, and the shortest was only a few minutes each.”

“Yeah, you may sometimes see her sleeping randomly across town,” Sturdy Sprout said, chuckling. “Sometimes she just doesn’t have the time to get where to she was going, and ends up needing to sleep where she can.”

She can do that? Most cities in Equestria are pretty safe, but just falling asleep in a random spot could be pretty dangerous. Especially if she were to end up in a bad part of the city. Is this city really that safe? The only place I know that would be THAT safe most of the time would probably be…Ponyville.

“Has anyone tried to help her?” Spike asked, ignorant of Twilight wiping a single tear from her right eye. “I mean, that sounds like it would be pretty annoying, and possibly dangerous if she’s always falling asleep everywhere.”

“She’s seen every doctor on the island,” Right Word said. “Even Sparrow examined her, but her abnormality was so ingrained in her magic by the time he examined her that no pony could find anything a way to cure her. But despite all the problems it may cause her, Speedy has said she doesn’t really want it to be cured. She thinks it makes her unique.”

“Which it certainly does,” Soft Wind said, smiling at the snoring mare. “Besides, she’s happy, so no need to go changing things.”

It was wonderful that Soft Wind thought that, and that the other two ponies in the room were nodding along with her, but some part of that small sentence finally triggered something in Twilight that had her speaking before she could stop herself, a fiery edge in her voice.

“Any chance you could tell Sparrow that?”

That alicorn upended my entire life, and no amount of peaches is going to make up for that. And no matter how nice and wonderful everypony here on the island is, they can't replace my friends back home.

“Oh, ummm…” Soft Wind said, looking down.

And NOW I feel guilty because Soft Wind and the others don’t deserve to be on the bad end of this emotional roller coaster I’m trapped on! Ugh…Why now? They don’t deserve to be burdened with my problems.

Twilight sighed and deflated. “I’m sorry,” she apologized, “I didn’t mean it like that, and I’m not angry at you or anything. Just…”

“Remembering your situation and inadvertently directing it in your attitude?” Right Word suggested.

Wow, he’s good.

She nodded. “Sounds about right. I mean, I was perfectly happy back home, but now I’m in a new place, with my friends and family who knows how far away, and everything just remained me of home and it’s just…why? Why did he do that? Why change everything?” Twilight whispered, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She had done a pretty good job not thinking about this so far, but between Speedy and the library being so similar to Golden Oaks, there were just too many similarities for her NOT to think about home.

And of everything she had lost.

And I was so happy just a little bit ago. Is this going to be a recurring theme? Happy one minute, depressed the next?

However, before anypony could respond to her questions, the purple pony felt a pair of hooves wrap around her. Blinking, she looked up and to her right, seeing that Speedy Diamond had apparently woken up while she was distracted and was now giving her a hug. Despite barely knowing the mare, the hug felt…nice.

It felt even better when Soft Wind, Sturdy Sprout, Right Word, and Spike joined in.

Hugging a sad pony to try and cheer them up. Speedy really is like Pinkie, Twilight thought. Yet, the pain of her loss didn’t return, almost as if her new friends were protecting her from such negative feelings.

“Thank you,” she whispered, leaning into the embrace and wiping her tears away.

Despite all the turmoil he had caused her so far, Sparrow had been right. There were plenty of ponies that wanted to befriend her. Even if she was currently separated from her Ponyville friends, there were others that were willing to try and help fill that empty feeling inside, even if they didn’t know they were doing so.

The idea of new friendships filled her with hope that she might not be nearly as lonely on this huge island as she had originally thought.

“Everything will work out,” Speedy Diamond said, breaking the hug and picking up her books in a flash of yellow magic. “Now then, I know I asked you to wait for me to wake up, but that was because I knew you would need a hug and now I have a dress to make so I must be off, thankyoudon’tworryeverythingwillbefineBYE!”

She went from normal speeds to bouncing in place until she was almost vibrating to dashing out the door so fast that Twilight could feel a heavy breeze for a movement before she disappeared.

All in less than two seconds, if Twilight was any judge.

She actually laughed out loud.

I wonder if that excitable unicorn could outrun Pinkie Pie.

Seven hours later…

Twilight, Spike, and Right Word walked down the slightly less crowded street with Right Word carrying four books on his back. It was around dinnertime, and Twilight had decided that it was time to leave the library, mainly because she was hungry again, they were out of donuts, and she didn’t want to impose on Strong Sprout or Soft Wind, who had been planning to have a date night today.

On the plus side, her energy was back up to a point where she no longer needed to sit down every hundred feet or so to rest and let her legs recover.

They had spent most of the afternoon in the library, with Twilight starting on the book on the island’s native language and Spike reading one of the Equestrian comic books he found in the top level. Apparently some guards would bring them back after taking a trip to Equestria, and the two playful librarians had managed to acquire a few for themselves.

Unfortunately for Twilight, she had never tried to learn a new language before and was having a significant amount of trouble so far. Even just trying to remember the basic vocabulary or how to ask simple questions like ‘what is your name?’ was proving to be difficult, though there was a chance that her exhaustion might be hampering her progress.

Especially given her skill in memorizing vocab lists.

Either way, after three hours of trying to learn the basics, she had given up and asked Sturdy Sprout if any of the books written in Equestrian had information about the island. Thankfully, there was a small encyclopedia that fit the bill perfectly.

I do love a good encyclopedia.

From the very beginning, it was much more enjoyable than the language one and even though she was only partway through, it had already taught her a lot. The island was estimated to be three-hundred thousand square miles, meaning that Sparrow’s guess of it being one-tenth the size of Equestria was quite accurate.

There were nine other towns scattered across the island as well, each of them in surprising varied places and geographies. There was the cloud city, two coastal cities, a large forest city, one that was apparently split between the base and the peak of one of the mountains…they all sounded incredible.

So incredible in fact, Twilight had spent the last few hours flipping through the book to see all the pictures taken of the island, only stopping on occasion to read a paragraph or two before resuming her browsing.

All of said pictures were amazing and did an incredible job of showing her the beauty of the island. There were even a few underwater pictures of a coral reef that was just off the coast of the eastern side of the island. Unfortunately, it located on the exact opposite side of the island as the capital, so chances are she wouldn’t be able to go see it anytime soon. Still, it might be worth the trip one day if she was going to stay here for the foreseeable future.

In truth, she had been so captivated by the pictures that she had only fully read the first chapter, the intro, and had just begun the second chapter, which was dedicated to the Capital of Delubrum.

She had also learned that the capital was named Oasis, which was thankfully it’s name in both Equestrian and Labyrin, the island’s native language. Which was good, seeing as she didn’t think calling it ‘The City’ in conversations would be very helpful, and having a word she could actually pronounce made it significantly easier to remember.

The book also told her a bit about what each part of the island produced, though she had only just started to dive into that part of the book when her stomach had made it clear that she needed food.

Still, at least I have something to read tonight if I’m not too tired.

So far, the main thing she had learned was that each town on the island had at least one thing that they were famous for. For example, the ocean town of Columpna was famous for their massive parties and the amusement park built on their largest pier, while Oasis was know for its famous peaches. Which was impressive, given how the book said that peaches were grown almost everywhere on the island.

Why peaches? There were so many foods that grew in tropical climates, but why were peaches so popular? Twilight didn’t know, but she couldn’t really complain given how DELICIOUS the peaches here were.

GRUMBLE GRUMBLE!!!

Annnnnnd I’m making myself hungry again.

“Here comes a bird,” Right Word said, pulling Twilight from her thoughts.

“A bird?” Spike asked. Twilight blinked and looked upwards.

I don't see any—

“Why, yes,” Right Word said with a nod. “A sparrow, in fact.”

Twilight glanced down at them just in time to see Spike blink, look up, and faceclaw.

“That pun is horrible,” he said as Twilight turned her attention back to the sky. High above, Sparrow himself was gliding down into town, slowly circling the group like a bird of prey.

Which, in fact, meant he WASN’T acting like a sparrow, seeing as they weren't birds of prey.

At all.

How did I not notice him? Twilight thought. She found herself stiffening and took a deep breath to relax. She knew that he would return to her eventually, and given how long this day had been so far, she couldn’t really bring herself to stress about his sudden appearance. Her emotions had been on such a roller coaster today that she just didn’t have the strength to freak out, especially given how it had actually been rather good regardless of her homesickness.

I’m sure you’ll find the strength when he starts talking to you. And he DOES look to be the size of a sparrow right now, given how far away he is.

Not helping, brain.

“Any chance he hasn’t seen us?” she asked Right Word hopefully.

“Nope,” Right Word said. “And I’m certain that he enchanted your ring so that he could always find you in case of an emergency.”

“Meaning she can never escape him,” Spike growled.

“Normally, I would agree with you,” Right Word said calmly. “And I’m not saying it isn’t a bit invasive, but Sparrow just wants to keep her safe. He won’t always be by her side to protect her, and given how weak Twilight is at the moment, it likely just gives him a little peace of mind. Plus, if the ring didn’t have that feature, then chances are Twilight could have been seriously hurt, or worse, a few days ago.”

At the mention of what had happened back in Canterlot, Twilight had to suppress a shudder. Just that FEELING of FEAR creeping through every inch of her body.

Just…uuhuhuhuhuuhuh…she almost missed what he said next.

“What’s more, I can assure you that Sparrow can not only be trusted not to abuse this feature, but also that he will be willing to remove it once Twilight has her strength back.”

“How do you know that?” Spike asked, squinting suspiciously.

“Because Twilight is more than capable of defending herself in almost any situation she might get into on the island due to her skill with magic and years of training, her attacker from Canterlot can’t find us here which means she is as safe as she can be for the moment, and Sparrow want’s to make her comfortable, so all she would have to do is ask him to remove the locator spell once she is recovered and he would do so to make her feel better,” Right Word said, his voice confident and honest.

As much as Twilight hated to admit it, he did have a point, both in regard to the ring and Sparrow’s likely actions. Having the ring keep her safe like it had back in Canterlot had absolutely been worth the loss of privacy, especially right now if it meant Sparrow didn't need to constantly hover over her or worry about her well-being twenty-four-seven. Thought she DID wish he had bothered to actually TELL her about that little feature beforehoof.

As for Sparrow himself, he did genuinely seem to be trying to make her comfortable, though she would need to wait and see if this behavior of his was normal, or just a way to try and make it up to her for all the trouble he caused. And Right Word appeared to be rather trustworthy, regardless of his position with Sparrow, so she believe that he was telling the truth as best he knew it.

Still, she wished he hadn’t mentioned that THING again. Even if it COULDN’T get her, just the THOUGHT of it sent another shiver down her spine as her breathing began to pick up, the memory of that attack bubbling back to the surface of her mind.

It may have actually been a small blessing that she had passed out upon arriving here. Without Celestia and Luna to help her, she was CERTAIN she would have been having nightmares about it for the last two days. Heck, she would probably have nightmares about it TONIGHT! And for who knows how many days after that! Just…THOSE EYES! Those pits of hatred and darkness, paralyzing her in place as it—

“Hello down there!” Sparrow called as he dipped a bit in the air, coming down slightly faster. “Enjoy the town?”

And just as quickly as it had come, the fear was gone.

No eyes, no soul-consuming terror.

Just…a normal afternoon in the still-busy streets of the town.

How did…why am I suddenly so calm? It’s like I was having a panic attack and now I’m just…perfectly fine. Like it never happened.

Maybe because he saved you from that shadow thing? So hearing him reminded you of how he fought to save your life when you needed him the most? At least if we have the ring on, that shadow THING can’t get us, especially if Sparrow KNOWS when we're under attack.
Yeah…

“She spent most of the day in the library, sir,” Right Word called back, pulling Twilight out of her thoughts.

The large alicorn let out a hearty laugh. “I can’t say I'm surprised, given her exhaustion. Still, I’m glad to hear she found somewhere nice to spend the day,” he said as he came in for a landing, kicking up a small bit of dust as he flapped his wings. “But I do hope she takes the time to look around more once she is feeling better.” He gave a slight bow to Twilight before looking at the books on Right Word’s back. “Ah, already looking into our native language I see. Make much progress?”

“No,” Twilight said, a bit curtly, “It’s…more difficult than I imagined.”

“Learning a new language normally is,” Sparrow agreed. “Although I will admit ours may be more difficult than most. Should you need help, feel free to ask myself or Book Smart, as both of us have experience teaching others our language. Book Smart especially loves teaching no matter the subject.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Twilight said, silently deciding to seek out Book Smart for help. “I suppose you’re here to take us back?” Given his size, she wouldn’t be surprised if all three of them could fit on his back.

Actually, he was so big he might be able to carry her and her friends if he really tried. If they were here, at least…

No, bad Twilight. No moping. Focus.

“Not necessarily,” Sparrow said, causing her to blink. “I received a stipend to spend as I please, so I was wondering if I might treat you to dinner at a local restaurant. It would be the perfect chance to see more of the town and to meet a good friend of mine.”

“You get an ALLOWANCE?” Spike asked before Twilight could respond. Right Word covered his mouth to try and stifle his laughter.

It actually makes sense if you think about it.

It does? But I only got paid for taking care of the Golden Oaks Library. I never got a stipend.

What about after it was destroyed? You had it set up so that any money you were paid would be deposited directly in the bank, and then would withdraw funds when you needed them. Why was your account still growing after you lost the library, and at a faster rate than before?

I…don’t know, actually. I never really payed attention to it or how quickly it was growing.

I know. And then you need to consider how Celestia and Luna managed pay for things they want, like how Celestia will occasionally eat out in Canterlot for dinner.

…I never actually thought about that either. And Celestia even used to buy me candy from the stores in Canterlot! How could I never think about where the money came from?!

Because Celestia and Luna don’t buy a lot of new things that aren't already in the castle somewhere, so probably never noticed the small differences between their personal items and the castle’s versions. Which is surprising, given how I think Celestia owns at LEAST fifty different tea sets.

Also, they probably didn’t have a whole lot to buy in the first place save for food given how much is already provided for them in the castle, and what they did buy with you was likely small enough that you just never noticed or thought on it. Especially given how much you used to read, even when spending time with Celestia.

“Yes, Spike,” Sparrow said, rolling his eyes yet unable to hide his smile as. “The royal funds are only to be used on important matters that benefit the island or assist in my and my advisers ability to rule. And unfortunately, date nights don’t count as important matters of the state.”

See? Perfectly logical.

Ok, ok, point to you brain. Or maybe four points in this case. Still, it’s nice to see he’s at least responsible enough not to waste all his country’s money. Though now I’m curious about what MY stipend…used to be…

NO MOPING! BAD TWILIGHT! FOCUS!

“Hey, wait! What about us?” Spike asked, gesturing to himself and Right Word.

“I thought you two might like to try ‘The Crystal Cafe,’” Sparrow said, teleporting in a small bag that made a jingling sound just like bits. “Seeing as how all gems have a unique flavor, almost like spices, this restaurant enchants gems so that ponies can eat them. The original owner got the idea after researching dragons’ eating habits. It allows the restaurant to give all their food a unique taste that blends the natural taste of the gems with the food they bake. It would be my treat, of course.” He smiled as the young dragon began drooling.

Actually, Right Word was drooling too! That must be one good restaurant.

Twilight knew that it was so rare for ponies to incorporate gems into food, so anything with gems in it was quite a treat for Spike. It’s why he had tried so hard to bake a gem cake, and why he was so devastated when he ate all the gems instinctively while preparing the batter.

Spike shook his head. “I, no. Twilight needs me. I…I can go later.”

Twilight was touched that he was still trying to protect her from Sparrow, but his heartbroken look was just too much. He had already given up so much of his happiness by coming to the island, all to try and make her feel more comfortable and less homesick. He shouldn’t have to sacrifice anymore of his happiness for her. She wouldn’t allow it.

Besides, I need to face Sparrow alone sooner or later.

“You can go, Spike,” Twilight said, smiling as the dragon’s face lit up with excitement. “I’ll be ok. Plus, I don’t think he’ll try anything out in the open,” she added as a whisper.

Spike’s smile got so wide it looked like it might fall off.

It reminded her of Pinkie on her birthday…

What did I JUST say!? NO, bad Twilight! No! Moping! Be happy for him and focus on the NOW!

Ok, ok brain. Sheesh. At least Sparrow’s nice enough to treat him to dinner. Celestia knows Spike deserves it after willingly leaving Equestria just to be with me.

Spike hugged Twilight as best he could before grabbing the bag levitating near him and limping off. But after a few seconds, he stopped and came back.

“Um…Where is this place again?” he asked shyly. Twilight chuckled and shook her head while Right Word and Sparrow smiled.

“I’ll show you the way,” Right Word said, turning to lead Spike away. “Princess, I will bring these books to your room when I return,” he called back. Before long, the two of them were out of sight, lost in the crowd.

“That was…nice of you,” Twilight said to Sparrow after a moment of hesitation. “Thank you for treating him like that.”

“You're welcome,” Sparrow said, smiling calmly, “He had refused to leave your side these last two days, so I thought I should reward him for his dedication. And given our situation, I thought this might be a good way for us to get to know one another a little better or for me to answer your questions about the island. I did tell Spike a little bit, but he was more focused on you than me whenever we spoke and he didn't ask many questions.”

“I never even said I wanted to go to the restaurant yet,” Twilight said, frowning up at him.

“You also didn't tell Spike that you didn’t want to go with me, or say that you would rather go with him, which tell me that you DO want to join me, even if only so I can answer your questions.” His smile suddenly faltered, and he shifted uncomfortably. “Am I…interpreting that correctly? If not, I apologize for making assumptions and overstepping my bounds.”

She hated him.

He was right, he was being polite, and he was apologizing for possibly making assumptions, but she still hated him.

Stupid polite Sherlock-Hooves-acting jerk.

How can you be mad at him for being polite again?

I don’t know! But I am, so there!

“Fine, yes. I want food now, and I want you to answer my questions so I stop having so many. Happy?” Twilight said, frowning harder.

“A bit,” Sparrow said, looking concerned for a moment but he seemed to shake it off. “But that’s mainly because I think you will like the owner of the restaurant. Now then—” He flashed his horn and suddenly he was significantly smaller, only a few inches taller than Twilight “—Shall we be off?”

He gave her a gentle smile before extending a hoof. Twilight reluctantly took it before he turned to lead her down the street, going slow enough for her weakened legs to keep up.

“What did you do?” Twilight asked, her curiosity about his magic getting the better of her. There was no way that was just a simple illusion spell. He had ACTUALLY changed his body to be smaller while simultaneously shrinking his crown, torc, and shoes to fit his new frame.

And he made it look EASY!

“A compacting spell,” Sparrow said, glancing to his side to wink at her. “Being big has its advantages, but most buildings aren’t built with my size in mind. And I’m not sure if the restaurant we are going to will have any outdoor tables left. Furthermore, I…thought it would making walking to the restaurant more enjoyable since I won’t be towering over you the entire time, as well as making us a little more inconspicuous.”

“Not THAT inconspicuous,” Twilight said, raising an eyebrow. He WAS still the king, and SHE was still a female alicorn that had just appeared on the island a few days ago and hadn’t been seen outside until just a few hours ago. So unless there were more alicorns on the island, Twilight herself was bound to attract quite a bit of attention.

“IT’S TIME FOR FASHION!”, a high-pitched voice suddenly rang out across the street.

Was that Speedy Diamond? Twilight thought, getting just enough time to see Sparrow’s eyes go wide and his response to her comment die in his throat before the pink unicorn suddenly appeared directly before the two of them with a mad look in her eyes. Sparrow’s body tensed as if he was about to turn tail and run, but he never got the chance as Speedy’s horn flashed.

Twilight suddenly found herself in what she could only describe as a pink-and-yellow tornado! Everything was a blur, and she had no idea that was happening or which was way even UP as she was spun, flipped, and tossed every-which-way and in every possible direction!

AaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaaAAAAAAaaaaAAAAAA!!!

Is this what it’s like to be in a washing machine!?!? Twilight thought as she desperately tried to regain SOME kind of control of her body that was currently flopping uncontrollably through whatever-this-was.

Then, it was over. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to stop spinning in different directions.

OooOOOoooOOOooo…What the—

Don’tvomitdon'tvomitdon'tvomit...

“My work, it is done. What do you think?”

Twilight blinked again and shook her head.

What the heck did Speedy’s spell DO!?

And why did it fell like she was wea—

Twilight went wide-eyed as her vision finally cleared. In front of her was a large, full-body mirror. She was now wearing a dark purple dress covered in light purple star designs that matched her fur color. It also had a light pink see-through silk that attached to her shoulders and ran back below her folded wings and attached to the edges of her dress directly above her cutie mark.

Lifting a hoof, she saw that she was also wearing dark purple shoes with star-shaped amethysts on the front of them. Her mane was done up in the same way it had been during her coronation, somehow, and it gave her an almost regal appearance. She also swore that she could smell the faint aroma of peach perfume, sweet but not overpowering.

All in all, she was completely stunned, unable to even focus on the memory of her coronation that her mane now invoked.

You look beautiful…

Yeah…

Hearing Sparrow groan from her left, she finally pried her eyes away from the mirror to see that he had undergone a similar makeover.

Sparrow was wearing a rather sharp-looking orange suit that was the perfect size for his smaller appearance. His mane was combed to the side and now had a bit of a shine, and his crown and torc now sat next to him in a small pile, but he still wore his shoes. Twilight had to admit that despite her negative feelings towards him, he did look rather handsome like that.

It was also a bit funny to see the mighty and powerful alicorn’s eyes spin in different directions as he tried to remain standing, his face a slight shade of green.

Could this be karma for kidnapping us?

Maybe…

“Whyyyyy?” Sparrow groaned, shaking his head. “Why couldn't you just let me dress myself? Why did you need to use the Tornado of Fashion?” He looked at himself in the mirror, mouth agape and eyes wide open. “And how did you know my measurements? I changed the size of this spell only yesterday so I could be closer to Twilight’s height! And how did you know TWILIGHT’S measurements? Wait, don’t tell me. Speedy Sense?”

“Speedy Sense,” the unicorn nodded vigorously, sticking her tongue out at Sparrow playfully. Yep, she was this island’s Pinkie and Rarity all wrapped up into one, and this second encounter with her worked to further ease the homesickness Twilight still felt in her heart. “Soooooooooo…what do you thiiiiinnnnnkkkk?” she added, bouncing up and down so fast she was almost vibrating.

Is she about to pass out again?

Brain, shush. Focus on the dress.

“It’s…amazing,” Twilight said, looking back at her own reflection. “How much—”

“No charge,” Speedy said with a boing. “Just wear it and love it, and that’s all I need! Enjoy your date, and be sure to try the peach pie!”

And with a flash of yellow magic, the bouncing mare and her mirror were gone, leaving behind a rather perplexed Twilight and an annoyed-looking Sparrow.

No price for an exquisite masterpiece of a dress. How many times has Rarity done the same for me? The all-too-familiar heavy feeling filling her chest now that Speedy had left.

“I do wish she wouldn’t do that,” Sparrow said, shaking his head again as he teleported his crown and other accessories away. “I mean, she is wonderful, I love her outfits, and she made you look incredibly stunning, but the whole spinning and force-fitting…it’s a miracle I don’t vomit when she does that. I really wish she would just ask instead. Is that too much to ask?”

“Yes. Yes it is,” Twilight said, trying to ignore his compliment as she began walking in the direction Sparrow had been guiding her before Speedy interrupted. "Maybe she only had a minute left before she passed out again and wanted to make sure we were ready before then. Or maybe she had another order to fill out. Either way, it could have certainly been worse, and shouldn’t you be used to things like that?” It wasn’t until the end of her little speech that she realized that her voice had become rather hard, almost scolding in tone.

And now my homesickness is making me irritable again. Sparrow does deserve it, but I'd rather I be in control of these stupid mood swings! And scold him because I want to, not just because I’m grumpy.

Sparrow was silent for a moment as he moved to catch up with her, matching her stride. “You are correct, and bring up valid points. Though I will admit I have a very low tolerance for anything involving…spinning.” He paused for a moment before speaking more softly. “You’re still, understandably, mad at me, correct?”

“Yes,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath and letting it out, just like Cadence taught her.

Cadence…

FOCUS!

Ok, I needed that.

“And having every little thing around me remind me of Equestria in some way is making things worse, even when I know you’re trying to be nice by treating me and Spike to dinner with your own money rather than just taking us back to the castle for food.” She huffed, trying to find something to distract her.

While not nearly as busy as earlier in the day, the roads were still full of ponies moving all about. A father was chasing a small pegasus filly through the air, trying to catch her as she giggled happily. Two young earth pony stallions were assisting an old mare in moving a large box into a nearby store. Two unicorns were sitting on top of one of the houses, giving her and Sparrow a quick wave that they returned.

Surprisingly, just seeing all these normal activities of the ponies around her worked wonders in soothing her temper.

“I don’t blame you, Twilight,” Sparrow said, giving a short sigh of his own. “And I can’t say I don't deserve any anger you want to give me. Believe me, our first meeting was in no way my first choice for methods of introducing myself, and frankly, had I the time, I would have tried another way. ANY other way.

“And for what it is worth, I’m sorry we had to meet the way we did, and for my action in Equestria. It may not make a difference, but I will apologize to you from now until the day I die if only to let you know how much I regret my actions, and how much I wish there had been another way.”

As he spoke, the two of them emerged into a small square with a rather decorative fountain in the middle. It was made of marble and had three ponies, one of each race, holding a jug that flowed with water. All around the fountain, ponies moved about. Some headed towards the multitude of restaurants that lined the square, some simply passed through, and a few others stopped to sit by the fountain and relax.

Or, on occasion, kiss.

Twilight shook her head as she let Sparrow take the lead again, focusing on his response.

“…I think you mean that, and I respect that you are so willing to admit that you regret your actions,” Twilight said. “Yet conquering Equestria was still the path you chose. Regret or not, you still did it, and you still forced me to make the choice of either marrying you or staying trapped in Canterlot with the rest of Equestria under your control. And I use the term ‘choice’ VERY lightly.” Her voice sounded tired, even to her. “And you still haven’t even told me why. Or why it had to be so suddenly.”

“I will…” Sparrow said, deflating slightly. “I always planned on telling you why. I promise it’s true. But for the moment, I feel like you have enough going on for me to burden you with more.”

“Have you considered that part of the burden is that I know almost nothing, about you OR the reason you want me as your wife?” Twilight asked softly, suppressing a shiver at the idea. “Knowing why I’m here might help me adjust.”

“You are here because, whether or not we like it, it’s where you need to be. And I brought you here the way I did because I had to. The other options were unacceptable, and this was the best I could do.” Sparrow said, his face neutral, but it seemed to Twilight, both through his posture, his voice, and his eyes that he was reassuring himself just as much as he was trying to reassure her.

But why?

UGH! SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!

“Ah, we’re here,” Sparrow said as they rounded the fountain, breaking Twilight from her thoughts as she looked forward. In front of them was a wooden two-story building with a large balcony extending from the second floor. There were also a few tables out front, and a large sign over the front door that looked like it was made of twisting branches. It read ‘Garden Paradise’ and fit with the theme of the building, which was that of a tree despite not actually being a tree this time. The large windows on the sides of the building showed that the place was packed inside, but apparently still had a few open seats outside the building.

A building that looks like a tree without being a tree. Who in Equestria came up with that ide—wait a minute. That table over there had my and Sparrow’s cutie marks on it!

True enough, there was sign on one of the tables with her and Sparrow’s cutie marks under the word ‘Reserved.’ She looked at Sparrow in shock, but he only shook his head.

“I was too busy with an incident among my guards to make a reservation today,” he said. “And I didn’t tell the owner that I would be dropping by. It seems Speedy might have lent us a hoof in that regard.”

But how would she kno—

It’s Speedy. She’s basically Pinkie.

Point taken.

“Indeed she did,” a voice called out, prompting Twilight to look up. A pegasus with an orange coat, golden feathers and eyes, a red and orange mane, and a cutie mark of a slice of pie came gliding down from the upper balcony. She was a little bigger than the average pegasus, standing at roughly Twilight’s height, and looked like she could hold her own against a pony like Rainbow Dash. She was wearing an apron that read ‘Gotta Love Pie’ and had a rather warm smile on her face that Twilight couldn’t resist returning.

She seems friendly.

Something about her smile, and the mare in general, just made Twilight happy for some reason. But given how her day had been going, she really didn’t mind a bit of happiness right now.

“Speedy came by about four hours ago and said you needed a reservation, Oh Mighty Lord,” she added, drawling out the title and snickering. Quite a few of the other nearby ponies joined in, and even Twilight had to hide behind her hoof to try and avoid laughing.

How did she do that? Just by meeting her it feels like my whole day just became twenty percent better.

“Twilight, meet Pie Crust,” Sparrow said, smiling himself and rolling his eyes at the same time. “A good friend of mine who simply loves to tease me to no end, and perhaps my favorite cook on the island…or at least in the capital.”

“Yer just saying that cause you like the moonshine brewers more than me, even if they DON’T TECHNICALLY make food” Pie Crust said, planting a hoof to her head dramatically. “Oh, woe is me, being outdone by alcohol.” She smirked playfully, earning another playful eye-roll from Sparrow and a laugh from Twilight, even if she wasn’t quite sure if ‘moonshine’ differed from regular alcohol. But when Pie Crust turned to Twilight, her smile was softer. “You must be Princess Twilight. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” She extended her hoof, which Twilight accepted.

“Just Twilight, please. And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Thank you, and of course, Princess,” she said jokingly. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle a bit at that. Something about her carefree demeanor was just that infectious. “And might I say how FABULOUS you look tonight,” the pegasus added, making Twilight blush shyly. It didn’t help that absolutely NO ONE ELSE was dressed up NEARLY as fancy as she and Sparrow were.

“Now, why don’t you two take a seat and I’ll go get you some menus and breadsticks,” Pie Crust said, gesturing to the table. Twilight moved towards one of the seats, not really surprised when Sparrow pulled it out for her. And with a happy nod once they were seated, Pie Crust took off again, flying back up to the balcony and out of sight.

I can’t explain why, but Pie Crust just seems to be the type of pony that can brighten anyones day, no matter how miserable. I might just need to come back here whenever I’m having a bad day, if I can get some money, at least.

I’m willing to bet Sparrow would give you some if you asked.

True.

“So, Twilight,” Sparrow said, pulling her attention back down from the balcony, “is there anything else that you wanted to ask me? I know you have questions, so please let me do what I can to clarify them. Though, if it is all right with you, can we…move past our previous topic of discussion? If just for now?”

“Why? You still haven’t explained why you did what you did,” Twilight said, frowning.

“Because that issue is still the most raw rift between us, and I can see just talking about it makes you angry,” Sparrow said softly, and Twilight realized that he was right. “I promise I will tell you about it once we have both had time to come to terms with what happened, but if we could leave it for later, I would be grateful. And I will gladly answer anything else you want to know within reason.”

He sounded…truly genuine. Like he actually wanted to help her gain at least a bit more understanding.

It did make her feel at least a little bit better, especially given how consistently he was trying to be kind and gentle. She was still mad at him, but at least it was a step in the right direction.

“Ok, I’ll drop that discussion. For now,” she said, taking a moment to think.

What's a good question to ask him? About his magic, maybe?

How about how much he knows about you? He knew you were in Canterlot, he knew your friends, and he knew how to take down the princesses without any effort. Chances are, her likely did quite a bit of research into who you were and what you would be doing at the time of his invasion.

Her brain was right. He DID know quite a bit about her before he showed up. Why else would he want to marry her if he thought she was just a random alicorn? He HAD to know more than he had let on as of yet.

“How much do you know about me?” she asked, crossing her hooves in front of her chest. Part of her was a little uncomfortable about being in a public place, but her thirst for answers overrode that concern. “You knew my friends, you knew my relationship with the other princesses, heck, you probably knew that I was in Canterlot when you chose to invade! Maybe even planned it so I would be away from my friends at the time.”

“Easy question first, I see,” Sparrow said with a small sad smile, though Twilight could tell that he thought it was the exact opposite. “Very well. First, yes, I did know of your trip to Canterlot, and it is why I chose that time to launch my plan. I knew you would be away from your friends, but still with the ponies you trusted more than anyone.”

“Celestia and Luna,” Twilight said.

Sparrow nodded. “Your parents as well. I knew all of them would be there to comfort you through your time of stress. I also thought that Canterlot would be the safest place for you, though I am sorry that was not the case.” He paused for a moment, looking as if he were debating whether or not to continue, before he released a heavy sigh. “The truth is that I have been watching you for years. I have done my best to respect your privacy, but I did what I could to learn about you. Your hobbies, your relation to others, your accomplishments, all that I could gather from observing you in public.”

“So you were spying on me,” Twilight said, unable to keep the anger out of her voice or hide the shiver that ran down her spine. Part of her wanted to say ‘stalking’ but…that word didn’t seem appropriate, though she couldn’t explain why. “Did you spy on me on your own, or did you have guards report on me?”

“It varied,” he said, stopping to thank Pie Crust as she came back with menus and breadsticks. She didn't seem to be bothered by Twilight’s heated glare at Sparrow, though Twilight wasn’t sure if that was because the pegasus was purposefully acting ignorant. Regardless, she was happy that Pie Crust wasn’t calling any attention to their conversation.

After they placed their orders for drinks, Sparrow continued. “I will admit that I tried to go myself most of the time, if only so I could see you myself, but that wasn’t always possible. I am a king first and foremost, and my ponies come before my own interest.”

“Just not my interest,” Twilight muttered, soft enough for him not to hear. When he tilted his head in confusion, she moved on to a new question while looking over the menu. “Why did you have such an interest in me at all? How did you even know I existed? Even after my coronation I still wasn’t in the limelight that much…”

“I took an interest in you because the moment I saw you, I knew you had incredible potential,” Sparrow said, smiling softly. “Though if you want a more specific answer to when and why that was…those fall under our earlier conversation, I’m afraid. Again, I will explain my reasoning when the time is right, but if we could hold off on that for now…I would appreciate it.”

UGH! Is EVERYTHING going to fall under the ‘we’ll talk about it later’ category???

Maybe ask what his favorite flavor of pancake is. If he says ‘we’ll talk about it later,’ then the answer to your question is yes.

Oh, be quiet, brain.

“How does your magic work? Or the magic of this island?” Twilight asked, trying to move onto something else before she became too angry again. "Sometimes you use your horn and it appears to be normal spell casting, other times you just…” She paused and waved her right forehoof around for emphasis, “make things happen. You teleport without using your horn and just APPEAR somewhere new, you knock out Celestia and Luna without using a spell that I could see, and it seems like other ponies here can do similar things as well.”

“That is a very long and complicated answer, and it would be so much easier to show you rather than tell you,” Sparrow said, looking over his own menu. “Regardless, I will do my best to explain it. Our method of magic use does not rely solely on a pony’s internal magic. As you likely know, ponies usually pull on their internal, natural magic and direct it to either their horn, hooves, or wings in order to perform magic, and this can limit what they can do based on their race. Our magic…well, it pulls magic from the world around us, brings it deep into our bodies, and then expresses it using our entire being rather than just our horn or other limbs. This allows us to cast spells that would normally be outside our reach, and it also allows us to cast with far less effort.

“However, despite the fact that any pony can use it if they know how, using this type of power for too long can be damaging to a pony’s natural magic. Training with this worldly magic improves how long a pony can use it without harm, or how much magic they can use without experiencing the negative consequences, and there is, so far as our best scholars can tell, no known limit to how much you can train your magical abilities in this field. However, it takes time to master and understand this magic unless you’re an alicorn.”

Twilight blinked curiously and tilted her head to the side. “Unless you’re an alicorn?” she asked. “What does that have to do with it?”

“Alicorns are naturally closer to the source of this magic than a normal pony,” Sparrow said, “and as such, our bodies are more adaptive to it. As it is, I can cast for a near infinite amount of time without feeling the side effects, though whether that is due to my age or my training with the magic, I couldn’t say.”

“Wait, how old are you?”

“Just about a century over two thousand years,” Sparrow said, chuckling slightly as Twilight’s jaw dropped.

I’m engaged to a stallion who’s over TWO THOUSAND YEARS OLD!?!?!?

I wonder if that makes him older than Celestia and Luna.

NOT THE TIME, BRAIN!

What? It’s a legitimate question!

Because I’m trying to cope with the fact that he’s almost 100 times my age and don’t need more questions to distract me!

Twilight tried to get her brain back into gear for nearly three minutes so she could ask more questions, but by the time she recovered Pie Crust returned to take their orders. Twilight ordered a garden salad with peaches and five hayburgers while Sparrow ordered some mozzarella sticks, a bowl of pasta, and two salads. Given his normal size, Twilight was actually a bit surprised he had gotten so little.

Then again, the total amount of food did seem to match how much Celestia and Luna ate. He was also fully grown just like them, while according to Celestia she was still growing and need a lot more food than the average pony.

“What…” Twilight began once their orders were placed, but she had to stop and take a deep breath to try and calm her nerves before her mouth could complete the question. “What was that shadow?”

She tried to keep the tremor out of her voice as the memories of the attack tried to force their way to the front of her mind, but she was sure she wasn’t successful.

Sparrow was silent for nearly a minute before answering. And when he did, he looked caught between rage, fear…and sorrow.

“Something…that I have been trying to destroy for more than two thousand years,” Sparrow said, his voice quivering slightly too. “It is perhaps…the only thing alive that is older than I am, and something that has far out stayed its welcome.” It was subtle, but Twilight could actually FEEL the magic around him increase as he spoke before he took a deep, calming breath.

“But what—”

“Twilight,” Sparrow said, and she was startled to see that he was full-out PLEADING. “Please. I know you want answers, but that…THING, it can’t reach you here. I promise. And I…I need time before I can speak about it. Just the though of it is…triggering.”

I know the feeling…

It was clear the Sparrow’s emotions towards that creature were more…complicated than the pure fear Twilight had felt. He was all but slumping over the table setting and his eyes were growing misty as he stared at the table. Yet at the same time, there was something else deep inside them. Some sort of inner fire just waiting to be released. Both these conflicting signs made Twilight hesitate. She didn’t want to be outright MEAN, and she certainly understood not wanting to talk about something so terrifying, but she had to ask just one more thing.

Are you sure?

I…I need know. And…I can apologize if I go too far, but I hope I don’t.

“Is it…is it related to the attack on the island you mentioned?” she asked very, very cautiously.

Sparrow nodded slowly, his eyes never meeting Twilight’s. “Ok, that’s all I need to know right now. Everything else about that…THING, can wait for later,” she said. Sparrow relaxed slightly.

“But…” she continued, prompting Sparrow’s ear to perk up. “Please…Please promise me that you will tell me about it one day. It’s…It’s more terrifying than anything I have ever experienced, but…I still need to know what it is. And why it w-wanted to k-k-kill me.” She stuttered as Sparrow flinched slightly, yet the sight of her trembling seemed to galvanize him into action.

“I promise,” Sparrow said, his posture becoming straighter as he looked her in the eye, his hoof reaching across the table to gently touch her own in a sign of comfort. “I will explain it one day, and I promise that it shall never harm a hair on your head for so long as I live. And…thank you for understanding.”

That was where the conversation ended for the moment as Pie Crust returned with their food. And it. Looked. DELICIOUS.

The salad was huge, almost twice the size she was expecting! The lettuce, cucumber, scallions, cherry tomatoes, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and cheddar cheese all looked perfectly sliced and were perfectly colored. And, of course, it was absolutely COVERED in delicious peaches that made Twilight’s stomach rumble just by looking at them.

The hayburgers looked just as good, arranged in a perfect circle on a large plate with a nice heaping of hay fries right in the middle, forming a cute yet delicious looking tower.

FOOOOOOOOOOOD…

Sparrow immediately dug into his pasta, but just as Twilight took her first bight of the salad, which was bliss on a fork, she noticed a quick flash of magic at the end of Sparrow’s fork, just as it entered his mouth. He didn’t seem to notice it, but behind him, Pie Crust winked.

Twilight just blinked in confusion.

What did she—

Sparrow’s eyes went wide as his mouth compressed and his face suddenly became redder and redder.

“HHHHOOOOOOTTTTT!!!” he yelled as fire erupted from his mouth. Twilight ducked out of pure reflex, and Pie Crust fell over laughing as the alicorn made a mad dash for the fountain, his mouth still trailing smoke, and immediately plunged his head into the water with a burst of steam.

However, what surprised Twilight the most wasn’t what had just happened, but how everypony else was reacting.

They were all laughing!

Their king had just been seen LITERALLY spitting fire, and they were all watching it as though it was just some kind of joke! Yet no one seemed concerned, and Pie Crust had winked, so was it a joke? Were there peppers or some other food that let you breath fire on this island?

I think we may have found the only thing worse than drinking hot sauce.

Not. The. Time.

After about half a minute, Sparrow’s head emerged from the water with a gasp as Pie Crust finally managed to stand again.

“That NEVER gets old,” the cook laughed, whipping a tear from her eye.

“Must you ALWAYS do that!?” Sparrow gasped, his face still red from whatever had been added to his food.

“I don’t ALWAYS do that,” Pie Crust defended. “Only about fifty percent of the time.” She stuck her tongue out at Sparrow playfully. Twilight, despite her EXTREME level of confusion, couldn’t help but giggle. Something about seeing such a powerful creature being laid low by a harmless Rainbow-style prank just made her want to laugh.

Well, so long as the only harmful effect of a flaming mouth was a now soaking wet mane and suit. But given how Sparrow seemed to be talking without any trouble, it seemed safe to assume it was harmless.

“Remind me again why I come to this restaurant so often,” Sparrow said, releasing an loud, exaggerated sigh. “Because I am seriously considering making this my last dinner here.”

Pie Crust just smirked. “But then how would you get your Cinnamon-Peach Pies? You know I’ve got the best recipe around, and without me, you would lose your favorite dessert. Plus, I’m just trying to keep your life a little interesting,” she said innocently, closing one eye and sticking her tongue out playfully.

“In exchange for not having my mouth catch on fire, it might just be worth the loss,” Sparrow said with an eye roll and a very, very small smile, shaking his head and lighting his horn to dry his mane and suit.

“How did you do that?” Twilight whispered while Sparrow was distracted.

“You just need to teleport some sun spice onto his food riiiggghhhhttt when he closes his mouth,” Pie Crust replied as she pulled out a small glass bottle and slipped it into a small pocket on Twilight’s dress.

Wait. I have a POCKET in this dress? How did Pie Crust know about that? How did I not notice it before now!?

“Here. I’ve got more inside, and given what happened in Equestria, you might want this.”

“Tha—wait. How do you—?”

“Sparrow told everypony on the island that you would be coming to the island for your own protection, and what he planned to do to make sure you would come as quickly as possible. Now, I don't really agree with his method of getting you here, but I DO trust him to do what is right, even in this case. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn't be able to blow off some steam should you so choose.” Pie Crust grinned wickedly and gave Twilight’s side a playful nudge with her elbow.

He told the ENTIRE ISLAND!?!? WHY would Sparrow tell EVERYPONY how he made me come to the island? Wouldn't that destroy his public image? How would he possibly justify invading a foreign country at all!?

Maybe because everypony here knows more about that…THING that attacked you than we do, and knew you would only be safe here? After all, if it attacked them in the past, it would be part of their history.

I, that…ok, maybe that makes a bit of sense. But why would they be willing to go along with this just to bring one pony, ME, here to this island? What about everypony else back in Equestria that might be in danger? And WHY did he need to let EVERYPONY KNOW? Does this mean EVERYPONY knows I’m now ENGAGED TO HIM!? Oh Celestia, do they know about my reaction right after he proposed!?

It wasn’t that—

I screamed my head off, smashed every window in Canterlot, fainted in the middle of the street, and then had a panic attack the moment I woke up! YES IT WAS THAT BAD! I’m mortified just THINKING about it! And if everypony knows, how long before wedding gifts start arriving!? Or before Speedy starts insisting that she make me a WEDDING DRESS!?!?

Calm down, girl. Just breathe. It is embarrassing, but it’s not like the news of the wedding wouldn’t have spread like wildfire anyway once you got here. Plus, I doubt even Sparrow knows about your panic attack, and the other reactions were probably normal given the circumstances. Still a little embarrassing, but I doubt anyone will make a big deal about them.

As for Sparrow telling everyone, if he told them all about us before he came to Equestria, then chances are ponies have had time to calm down and think things through, given how it’s nearly been a week since he invaded. And if you need proof of that, Strong Sprout and Soft Wind never even mentioned the wedding, and neither did Speedy.

And as for why…well, given the size of his army, the chances of him hiding what had happened were bound to be slim, so maybe he wanted to be open about what was happening to preserve the ponies’ trust? Above all else, that’s one thing that seems to be in no short supply.

But does that mean ponies are willing to do whatever he says just because they trust him, even if they disagreed with his methods? How can they possibly trust him that much? What am I missing here?

“Don’t think too hard about it,” Pie Crust said, apparently seeing Twilight’s internal struggle. “If I know our Sparrow, he’ll explain things when it’s the right time. Trust me. Oh, and be sure to enjoy your meal. Desserts are free for first-time visitors.” She gave one last wink before turning around and walking back towards the inside of the restaurant. Twilight sighed before shaking her head. Why couldn’t she just get a straight answer in this place!?

“Ugh, my tongue is gonna feel weird for days,” Sparrow said as he sat back down at the table, suit dried and mane re-groomed.

“Couldn’t you just make some sort of anti-spice spell with your island magic?” Twilight asked as she returned to her own culinary masterpiece. So goooooood. The peaches were just as fresh and juicy as the other ones she’d eaten that day and their tangy flavor was perfect in the salad. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d enjoyed a salad this much.

“Not unless I want to eliminate my sense of taste for the duration of the meal,” Sparrow said with a headshake. “Plus, every time I prepare for her, nothing happens, and every time I don’t, she somehow gets the better of me. She truly is a master at pranking. And cooking. Ohhhh, her cooking…”

Is he drooling?

Yes. Yes he is.

“The food is worth the pain?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“Oh yes, especially her desserts,” Sparrow said, looking fondly at the window. “Perhaps they’re not TECHNICALLY the best on the island, but they certainly are the best in MY opinion. I can’t imagine my life without them.”

“Are ALL the best things in this city?” Twilight asked, her taste buds lighting up as a particularly good piece of peach made its way onto her tongue.

“Not exactly. As that encyclopedia you found will tell you, all the villages here have something they do better than any other, but many of them also have a variety of things that are really great as well. For example, we may have the best peaches, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad on the rest of the island. You can still enjoy them all, even if you prefer the ones from here. Plus, bear in mind that I live here most of the time, so naturally I will think everything here is better than elsewhere on the island.”

“Ok, I guess,” Twilight said, taking some time to eat while she thought of her next question. Of all the ones she could think of, one in particular leapt to mind. One that she wasn’t actually sure if she even wanted to ask. But, seeing how it would come up eventually, she decided to just get it over with.

“When…is the wedding?” Twilight asked, staring resolutely at her food. Sparrow was quiet for a few seconds before he responded.

“Not for quite some time,” he said, his voice…actually, Twilight couldn’t identify what emotion it was. “While I know you agreed to marry me, I…understand that it is still a major step. As such, I am putting it off so that you can have some time to adjust, meet the ponies I rule, come to terms with your decision, and get to know me better. It will happen, but…when? That all depends on when you feel you are ready. If you want an estimate, I will say about a year, but I will delay it further if you are still having trouble adjusting.”

Or we could just co-habitate. That would make things WAAAAAY simpler.

I doubt he’ll settle for that given all the trouble he went through to make me his fiancee. Still, at least I have time to think on this.

“I…thank you,” Twilight said, sincerely. Her captor or not, that amount of time was enough for her to push the thoughts of the wedding out of her mind, at least for now. She just hoped she COULD adapt. Stressing like this for the rest of her life would never work, and the sooner she married him, the sooner she might be able to see her friends in person again. She just hoped she would be told the truth about his actions before the wedding, rather than after.

Author's Note

And here it is. The last chapter that I had pre-written and was nearly waiting for edits on.

The bad news, I have no more chapters currently written out.
The good news, any chapters I DO write beyond this point will likely need significantly less editing time as I now have a much better grip on the characters and their personalities. However, Freedom Shall Ring and my next How to... story are going to come first as they have been waiting for a while now. This story will continue, but given my GRE in Psychology is coming up THE SAME FREAKING DAY as the Season 9 premiere, it might be a little while before my next update.

Still, hope you enjoy, and I look forward to giving you all a humorous interlude next time :twilightsmile:

Interlude 1

A few blocks away, while Sparrow and Twilight have dinner…

As always, the open-air bar of Vinum Clava was bustling this early evening. Many of the customers were soldiers who had just finished for the day, but there were also plenty of locals in search of a peaceful and relaxing place to hang out and swap stories.

At one of the large tables near the bar sat four stallions. One was bright red unicorn with a tan mane, the other a slightly darker red unicorn with a blue mane, one was a bright orange earth pony with a yellow mane, and the fourth one was pink pegasus with a grey mane.

The orange stallion was hunched over the table, groaning, stopping only to give a small thank-you to a waitress as she delivered a large bag of ice to him, which he immediately moved under the table as soon as she had turned away.

“Wait, so what happened to Grind Stone, Simmer?” the pink stallion asked.

“I told you, Donut,” the bright red stallion said. “That new drill leader punted him across the field! Just a single kick between the legs and he went flying! And he even landed on a cement divider between his legs too!”

Both stallions shivered at the mere thought.

“And you said she somehow got away with it?” Donut asked. “I didn’t think King Sparrow would stand for that…”

“It’s because Numb Nuts over there completely messed up our stealth exercise, and nearly got Simmer sent to the medical wing,” the dark red stallion said with a grunt. “And all he had to say to defend himself was ‘buck it, I’m lazy.’ Darn fool never stood a chance…” He sniffled.

“Sarge, are you…crying?” Donut asked in surprise.

“Of course! Do you know how LONG I have waited to see somepony kick the snot out of Grind Stone? It was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen! My one true hatred in life, flying through the air, only to land yin-yang first on a concrete divider…it was a dream come true…”

“Oh, shut up,” Grind Stone muttered, adjusting the icepack between his legs. “It was a miracle she didn’t break something. And now Sparrow says she’s gonna be in charge of us permanently!”

“Really? Why? And what happened during the stealth training?” Donut asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“She’ll be in charge because Grind Stone’s a lazy bum despite having bonded one of the rarest magical artifacts on the island, and Sparrow agreed with Miss Ball-Buster that he needed to finally get his butt in gear,” Sarge exclaimed joyfully. “And seeing as every other method of motivation has failed, what better way to do that than to threaten him with bodily violence!”

“I doubt King Sparrow said THAT,” Donut said skeptically.

“He didn’t, but King Sparrow agreed that the new instructor was the best pony for the job, especially seeing as how he has made us fail the stealth mission five times already. He didn’t condone the punishment she gave Grind Stone, but after making sure he was ok, the King said that so long as she sticks to normal guard punishments in the future, she is free to train us,” Simmer clarified.

“It was Simmer’s stupid plan to impersonate the guards that failed when we were about to reach the exit,” Grind Stone muttered.

“That’s because you said your name was Agent Pluto!” Simmer exclaimed in exasperation.

“Yep, Grind Stone messed it up pretty bad,” Sarge agreed. “Good thing we had our contingency plan to fall back on.”

“Sarge, for the last time,” Grind Stone groaned, “shooting the guard in the face with your magic cannon artifact does not count as a contingency plan…”

“Sure it does! A magic cannon to the face can solve a variety of problems!” Sarge happily exclaimed. He reached below the table with his magic and grabbed his bag. After rummaging for a few seconds, he withdrew a green stone that immediately glowed bright red and quickly grew to form a device about two hooves long. It had an open barrel that began shining with red runes running down its length, was lined with large rubies about half a hoof wide, and had a large magical trigger on the bottom.

“For example,” Sarge said, pointing the weapon right at Grind Stone’s head as it gave a menacing click, “just watch how quickly it solves insubordination!”

“Sarge, not now,” Simmer groaned, grabbing the weapon in his own magic and canceling out the transformation, reverting it back to a small green stone. “You know the rules. One: no shooting teammates unless their wearing training gear, and two: no using deadly magical artifacts in public places.”

“I know, I know,” Sarge grumbled. “But it was set to ‘stun’ mode.”

“Which hurts almost as much as the ‘not-stun mode,’” Grind Stone muttered.

“But not as much as being kicked across the field, I bet,” Sarge smirked.

“So when is this new mare going to start training us?” Donut asked.

“Tomorrow,” Simmer said. “She wants to get us going as soon as she can, and is already planning to make us run ten laps around the city in the morning.”

“It’s gonna suck,” Grind Stone grumbled.

“Maybe you should tell her that,” Sarge said, smiling with a mad grin. “Or better yet, when you inevitably slack off and she ask why, you should tell her you’re just too lazy. In fact, you should tell her that at least ten times a day!”

“Why, so I can be punted around the city like a soccer ball?”

“…Maybe…”

Meanwhile, two tables over…

Sitting at a large table near the window, four stallions sat around a large plate of muffins, having a conversation no more productive than their red counterparts.

One was a grey unicorn with a silver mane, one was a dark blue earth pony with a darker blue mane, one was a light blue unicorn with a golden mane, and the fourth was a pegasus with a light green-blue coat and a purple mane.

“I can go ask her about the trap!” the earth pony said happily.

“Caboose, don’t,” the blue unicorn groaned in exasperation.

“You could ask her if she has the hots for me, Caboose,” the pegasus said to the earth pony. “I think I felt a connection the last time she punched me in the face.”

“Ask her if she wants to make an emotional hot connection with your trap, got it.”

“OH HO, even better!”

“Would you two stop using the word trap!” the blue unicorn exclaimed, double face-hoofing in exasperation. “Seriously, how did you even get onto this conversation about TRAPS in the first place?”

“Oh, well, the new training lady said she was impressed with us completing the stealthy thingy and that she was going to make us a new harder one, Church.” Caboose said matter-of-factly.

“A harder one, bow chicka wow wow!” the pegasus exclaimed, earning a smack to the back of the head from the grey unicorn.

“Shut up, Tucker,” the blue unicorn groaned. “And, wow, that almost seemed…too correct for you, Caboose. There must have been a part you didn’t under—”

“And when we get to the end she’s going to throw us a really big surprise party!”

“Ah, there we go.”

“I was pleasantly surprised that he grasped as much as he did, Church,” the grey unicorn said, rolling his eyes. “Though I DID promise him a new button if he managed to listen to the conversation.”

“Button!? OH MAN I LOVE BUTTONS!” Caboose said happily, pulling out a large piece of cloth covered in buttons from…somewhere and poking all of them with his fore-hooves for no real reason. “Beep bop, boop beep boop bop bop…”

“I’m pretty sure you could bribe Caboose to jump off a mountain for a few buttons, Wash,” Tucker said with groan. “It’s not like he wouldn’t survive it anyway.”

“Didn’t he already fall off the mountain during your initial training?” Wash asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yep,” Church said, shaking his head as Caboose continued to push his buttons. “And he came back up without a scratch on his whole body. Hay, he actually said it was awesome and wanted to go again! Of all the ponies that could be unkillable, why’d it have to be him!?”

“You’re just saying that because he ‘kills’ you every other day,” Tucker said.

That earned him a muffin to the face from Church.

“And is it WRONG for me to not want King Sparrow to repair ‘me’ every week? Seriously, this body is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and Caboose breaks it all the time!” Church said angrily.

“Break it? OK!” Caboose exclaimed dramatically!

“CABOOSE, NO—”

But it was too late. Caboose picked a green button up off the piece of cloth, throwing it forward with such force that it knocked Church’s head clean off. The rest of his body crumpled to the floor and the illusion of skin and fur dissipated, revealing the gold-tinted metal body covered in runes beneath. The head flew a few feet before Wash could catch it in his magic, though he thankfully got it before it could hit anypony.

Only a ghostly outline of Church was left where the metal body had stood as the button bounced off the far wall and landed back in Caboose’s hoof like it had never left. The rest of the ponies nearby were so used to this happening that they didn’t even bat an eye.

“HARMONY DAMN IT, CABOOSE!” Church yelled, his fore-hooves passing through the table as he tried to smack it.

“TUCKER DID IT!”

“You can’t say that when I’m sitting right next to you,” Tucker said with a deadpan stare.

“TUCKER SAID IT!”

“Why did I join the guard again?” Wash grumbled as the three idiots in his squad immediately began to argue back and forth. Getting up, he levitated the discarded metal golem and its head over and gave them a quick check. Given how often Caboose broke the dang thing, Wash had become the impromptu repair pony for it when the damage wasn’t so severe that they needed to seek out King Sparrow.

Thankfully, despite the raw physical force Caboose used to throw the button, the new neck-release mechanisms did their job, releasing the head at the right moment and allowing most of the force to be transferred into momentum, sparing it and the rest of the golem from much of the damage it would have otherwise taken.

Reconnecting the head with a small click, Wash plopped the golem next to Church’s ghostly form. The blue unicorn immediately phased into the body, activating the runes and restoring the illusion of a flesh-and-blood pony, and continued arguing with the other two ponies at the table without so much as a blink.

A few blocks away, at the Garden Paradise…

Sitting on the balcony above where King Sparrow and Princess Twilight were having dinner, a light blue pegasus with a vibrant red mane and red eyes sat, watching her companion in amusement. Said companion was a dark purple-red unicorn with a scar over her right eye, a bright red two-tone mohawk mane, and very light blue eyes.

What made said unicorn unique, however, was her horn. While the base looked normal, the top half was a few shades lighter than the rest, and the stark boundary between the two colors on her horn was jagged, as thought the horn had been broken and a new one grafted back on top.

But Yellow Jessamine knew that wasn’t quite the case. She had read Fizzlepop’s file, or Tempest Fizzlepop as she now went by, and had learned not only how Tempest had lost her horn, but also how King Sparrow himself had seen fit to help her regrow it. Rather generous, given her role in attempting to attack the Hippogryphs.

But then again, when she had asked Sparrow more directly about Tempest, Jessamine had learned that said unicorn was partly a victim of outside influences. Her boss, the Storm King, had been horribly corrupted by Akumu to the point where his infectious influence had begun to spread to Tempest herself. Heck, the corruption had been so bad that if the Storm King hadn’t tried to attack the hippogriffs home island, King Sparrow might not have learned of their existence until it was too late to purify Tempest.

Once he had been defeated and the corruption removed from Tempest, it had become clear that her actions were out of desperation. She had been so deprived of hope that she was willing to do nearly anything to get her horn back, even siding with that power-hungry maniac that was sure to betray her once he had what he wanted. With the Storm King defeated and her only known chance at recovery dashed, she had lost nearly all hope, becoming almost completely unresponsive to anything. Even Jessamine’s good friend Soft Touch had been unable to treat her depression. There was a picture in her file that still made Jessamine shiver, one of Tempest just…staring blankly at her holding cells wall, the light gone from her eyes.

And according to Soft Touch she had remained that way until Sparrow offered her a second chance. He had offered to regrow her horn. In exchange, he wanted her to serve in the islands guard for a minimum of ten years with Jessamine serving as her probation officer for the first two. Tempest hadn't believed him at first, but said that if he could really fix her horn, she would make it fifteen years.

Nothing could compare to the teary-eyed expression Tempest had when she woke up after the procedure to find her horn fully regrown. She had practically sworn herself to Sparrow's service right there, only stopped by the fact that she was too weak to stand and had nearly fallen on her face trying to get out of bed.

Since then, she had been training with Jessamine and the guard while simultaneously trying to learn how to use her newly regrown horn. She was actually surprisingly shy when she started out, likely because she was now training with ponies she had just recently fought against. But Sparrow had cleared her of any wrong doing, and so the guard was patient with her, and slowly worked to show her that they were taking her second chance very seriously.

A few surprise visits from Sparrow didn’t hurt either.

While Tempest had yet to achieve significant results in terms of magic capability, she had never given up in trying to use her new horn and was continuing to progress in her anima mea magic training at a steady rate.

Currently, Tempest was focusing all her attention on the small roll in front of her nose, her tongue sticking out comically as she tried to make something happen.

Slowly, a small bit of blue magic appeared at the base of her horn. It rose to the boundary between the old horn and the new, paused, then slowly, slowly began to creep up the new portion of the horn. As it did, the bright blue glow began to overtake the roll, glowing steadily brighter until the roll slowly began to lift off the plate.

The silly grin on Tempest’s face could make any pony’s day just a little bit brighter. Even as the glow around the roll imploded and Tempest let her head fall to the table, panting in exhaustion, she never lost that happy smile.

“It’s about damn time,” she muttered, smirking at the roll in front of her.

“Having fun?” Jessamine asked, smirking as Tempest remembered she was there and blushed slightly. Jessamine chuckled. “Another month, and maybe you’ll be ready to levitate some butter to go with that roll.”

Tempest snorted and rolled her eyes, but chuckled.

“You underestimate me. In a month or two, I plan on being able to levitate something as heavy as a pony. Maybe even an annoying pegasus,” she jabbed, smirking herself.

“You’ll have to catch me first,” Jessamine said with a playful glare before her expression softened. “In all seriousness though, I am glad to see you improving.”

“Really?” Tempest asked, tilting her head in confusion. “I seem to recall you being rather suspicious of me for quite a while. Especially since you’ve basically been my probation officer for the last six months. You only really started treating me as a friend a week ago.”

“I was suspicious, and I am still here to keep an eye on you, but after Manehattan I think we can be a little less formal,” Jessamine said. “Your first true field mission, and you manage save a city guard from being crushed by a falling statue and nearly broke your own leg in the process. Quite the improvement from the shy mare who barely said two words to anypony a few months ago.”

“King Sparrow said no casualties,” Tempest said swiftly. “I wasn’t about to fail my first real mission.”

“And you didn’t. You went above and beyond, proving that all your talk of loyalty to the King wasn’t just bluster.”

“Of course it wasn’t,” Tempest snapped, before sighing dejectedly and slumping forward. “I owe him too much to be anything but loyal. If it wasn’t for him, I’d still be blindly follow the Storm King on the small chance that he wouldn’t betray me as soon as he got what he wanted. What even were the chances that I would get my horn back if I had kept following him?”

“Probably zero,” Jessamine said, completely serious, “but it also wasn’t all your fault. Akumu’s influence, even just by proximity, is strongest on those without hope or trust. You had neither at the time, so it’s understandable that you would be susceptible to someone under his influence.”

“And what about now?”

“Now?” Jessamine asked, her smirk returning. “If you could see how adorable your face was when you were levitating that roll, you would know you have more than enough hope to resist him.”

“I was not adorable!” Tempest said, blushing fiercely.

“You totally were!” Jessamine said, laughing at her companion’s flustered expression. “Your tongue was sticking out, and your smile looked like Speedy Diamond whenever she’s in hyper-dress-mode. It. Was. Adorable.”

She ducked to avoid a roll tossed by the irate unicorn across from her.

“I hate you,” Tempest growled, still blushing.

“And I hate you. Quite the relationship, wouldn’t you say?” Jessamine said, sticking her tongue out playfully as she giggled.

Tempest snorted, before chuckling slightly. “Yes, I suppose it is. Though I will admit it’s pretty hard to TRULY hate the ponies that gave me back my horn, even if they are overconfident snarky pegesi,” she said with a mock glare that was completely ruined by her happy smile.

“A perfect match for a grumpy glaring unicorn, wouldn’t you say?” Jessamine said with a wink. That earned her a few chuckles as Pie Crust arrived with their entrees.

The two fell into silence for a few minutes after that, working on their meals before Jessamine spoke again.

“I do, however, need to talk to you about what happened today.”

“What part?” Tempest said, her expression telling Jessamine that she knew exactly what part.

“The part where you broke multiple regulations and ended up punting Private Grind Stone across the training field with a well-placed kick between the hind-legs.” Jessamine said, trying not to wince as that particular memory came back.

“Ah, that. Do we need to? King Sparrow already gave me a warning not do that again…or at least not to punt him all the way across the field next time.”

“Yes, but I want to know why. Both why you saw it fit to nearly neuter one of our soldiers, and how in Concordia’s name you managed to get away with it.”

Tempest chuckled and shrugged. “The why is simple. His own laziness and inability to act as a competent soldier led to his team failing their training and nearly got one of his own squad members seriously injured when his weapon misfired and hit his own teammate. To say nothing of the fact that he forgot to set it to the mandatory ‘stun’ mode. If it weren’t for Simmer’s armor, he could have been seriously hurt. And rather than explain himself or detail why he shouldn’t be punished for completely compromising the mission, he instead just said ‘buck it, I’m lazy.’”

“Sounds like Grind Stone alright,” Jessamine said, rolling her eyes. She, like every other senior guard, knew of Grind Stone’s legendary ineptitude and laziness, something that was even more frustrating for two very specific reasons.

First, his natural magic was very similar to Jessamine’s, meaning that if he actually bothered to train with it, he would be able to move five times the speed of your average sprinting pony, making him a terror on the battle field. Yet he was too lazy to even bother trying to bring that skill to a useful level.

The second, and possibly more insulting reason, was his weapon. All guards, when they first joined, were asked to tour a room containing the seven legendary weapons once wielded by the island’s founders. These weapons owners had long since passed on, but the weapon’s magic was still active and would continually seek out a new pony to become their wielders. Even Tempest had toured the room, but none of the weapons had called out to her.

If none of these legendary weapons responded to the new recruits, the ponies in question were then asked to tour another room filled to the brim with less powerful magic weapons. Just like before, these weapons would continually seek out new owners, and almost anyone who entered would have at least one weapon call out to them. If selected, the pony would simply need to pick up the weapon and activate it in order to permanently bond with that weapon.

Jessamine had been selected by a set of magic hoof shoes that could either fires blast of blue magic energy or that could enhance her punches for some extra power. The former was great for long range, and the later was great when she was using her magic to run super fast. It was the perfect weapon.

Tempest, on the other hoof, had been selected by a rather powerful magical spear. When active, the golden spear could channel lightning or even absorb incoming magical attacks and redirect them as lightning enhanced versions of said attack. Rather fitting given how her magic had functioned before her horn was fixed, and the spears gold and blue lightning stylization made it look rather epic too.

But then there was Grind Stone.

Of all the ponies that the legendary weapon ‘Muta Iecit’ could have bonded with, it HAD to choose the laziest pony on the entire island! That weapon was wielded by one of the seven founding ponies of Delubrum, and its new user was a complete idiot!

At least Tucker was willing to work and improve his skills with the legendary ‘Industria Gladio.’ Grind Stone just couldn’t be bothered to do anything productive.

If it weren’t for the fact that he had that weapon, he likely would have been moved to support roles long ago.

“And as for why Sparrow allowed it,” Tempest continued, pulling Jessamine back to the real world, “it was because despite the best efforts of every major leader in the army, including yourself, Grind Stone has never taken any of his work seriously. He’s lazy, rude, and has never made any significant progress in his training. If he hadn’t be chosen by Mut…mat…mt le—”

“Muta lecit,” Jessamine assisted.

“Yeah, that. If he hadn’t been chosen by that stupid weapon, he would have been kicked out of the military years ago. But he has it, and given its power and importance, he needs to be trained. And even if I can’t threaten to kick him across the field again, the fact that I did the first time should hopefully show Grind Stone that I am serious about training him by almost any means necessary.

“Well, ok, that’s only part of it. The truth is that because I was trained and ascended the ranks of the Storm King’s army, I have a unique training and skill set among all the guards on the island, and King Sparrow thinks it may be different and strict enough to finally help Grind Stone get his act together.

“Plus, while King Sparrow did say that punting Grind Stone across the field was not appropriate under any circumstances, he did agree that something had to be done about his behavior. In fact, given how badly Grind Stone screwed everything up and how many times he has held his own team back, the King said himself that Grind Stone needed a good smack to get his butt in gear, though he did think I was a liiiiiiiiittttttttle too literally in that regard.”

“You think?” Jessamine said with a playful smirk. “I could hear his cry of pain from across the training field. That’s more than a ‘little’ too far, don’t you think?”

“Which is why I don’t think he’ll be tempting fate again anytime soon.”

“You might be surprised.”

“Well then he better be prepared. Even if I can’t kick him again, I can sure as harmony make him run laps and do pushups until he finally learns to stop complaining so much,” Tempest said with an evil grin, causing Jessamine to roll her eyes.

“Just be careful not to actually break him.”

“No promises,” she said with a wink.

Author's Note

We interrupt this deep and mysterious story to bring you RED vs BLUE!
Plus 1 sin...(Current Sin count, 2)

And YES, this is, in fact, CANNON! It's insane and has so many references but it's still cannon.

For those of you who have never seen RED vs BLUE, look up season 8, episode 10. I would provide a link, but given the language and and violence, I'm not sure if I'm allowed to put one here on FIMFIC.

And, despite how silly this was, notice that I did manage to actually include some world-building, including the islands magic weapons, a bit more about the mysterious enemy, and of course, introducing everyones favorite edgy pony, Tempest Shadow/Fizzlepop Berrytwist. I can already tell that she will make a great Texas...

In other news, the next REAL chapter of Spero is undergoing first round edits, but it may be a little delayed. I have a special plan for the day the final episodes release, so that special surprise may take up more of my editors time. But it will come, have no doubt.

Enjoy and have a happy Twilight Day :twilightoops::twilightsheepish::twilightsmile::twilightblush::twilightangry2::facehoof::moustache:

Chapter 7: Garden Talk

Twilight moaned in bliss. This pie, THIS PIE, was incredible! She wasn’t sure if it was better than Pinkie’s, but dear CELESTIA it was, at a bare minimum, just as good! Oh, how she LOVED this pie. It took all of her self-control not to simply inhale it. She had to SAVOR it!

Speedy Diamond was right to recommend this pie. It is…oh my Harmony…

I need to come back here every chance I get, even if just for this pie!

“Believe it or not, that is always the first reaction a pony has when trying my signature peach pie, no matter their doubts beforehoof,” Pie Crust said, causing Twilight to open an eye and see her satisfied smile. Twilight nodded, smiling back as she continued to eat her lovely piece of heaven. After asking about the wedding, her and Sparrow’s conversation had lapsed into silence as they ate. All the while, Twilight had tried to digest all that she had learned from him.

His island’s magic. Him spying on her. The fact that the entire island knew about the eventual wedding. All of these topics had swirled around in her head during dinner. In truth, she had wanted to ask more about his island’s magic and why only alicorns could supposedly use it without negative side effects, but the other topics had kept distracting her from forming any specific questions.

Especially her question about the shadow that attacked her.

No mater how hard she tried, her thoughts always found a way to turn back to that creature. Just the mere thought of that creature was enough to send a chill through her body, no matter how calm she was. Why did it attack her? Why did it attack the island, and why did said attack lead to Sparrow hiding the entire island from the outside world for who-knows how long? Was there something she and the girls could do to help fight this thing before it struck again?

Yet the most baffling part was that whenever her worries began to run away from her, a quick glance at Sparrow seemed to immediately calm her down. Was it because he had saved her before? Or was it because he had promised to protect her, both to her face and to Pinkie via a Pinkie Promise™? Or was it something else entirely?

All too quickly, her delicious food had been finished, and Pie Crust had returned with a dessert menu. Immediately, the peach pie had stood out, both because Speedy Diamond had mentioned it after the Tornado of Fashion™, and because Sparrow had ordered it without a second of hesitation.

So Twilight decided to try it as well. After all, she had liked all the peach-flavored items she had eaten so far, so why wouldn’t she like this too?

It turns out, she had greatly underestimated Pie Crust culinary talents.

This pie, this one massive slice pie, was perfect in every way. The warm peaches covered in a delicious filling lit Twilight’s taste buds up brighter than the sun as she scooped a piece of it and a small bit of strawberry ice cream into her mouth.

The sweetness perfectly balanced, the hot pie mixed with the cool ice cream, all of it just…

Nothing could compare.

In truth, Sparrow drooling at the sight of them being carried over should have been a clue as to just how GOOD they were.

“Stellar as always,” Sparrow said as he finished his own piece, his face nearly as blissful as Twilight imagined hers was. “Remind me, why I haven’t hired you to be my personal chef?”

“Because I turn down your offer every time you ask, and because if I did accept I would lace half your food with sun spice and get fired three days in?” Pie Crust said, smiling and raising an eyebrow. Twilight giggled.

Think we can convince her to come cook for us?

No, but maybe we can convince her to sell us a whole pie in a take-out box the next time we eat here. That way we can take it back to the castle and eat it at our leisure!

That works too.

“Good point,” Sparrow said, smiling himself and rolling his eyes. “Still, thank you for everything besides the prank. You never disappoint.”

“Of course, your highnesses,” she said with a wink, giggling at Sparrow’s deadpan stare. Twilight giggled again and dove into the remains of her pie.

So gooooooooooood…she thought as the last of her pie disappeared down the bottomless abyss that was her mouth.

As she licked the last spoonful of ice cream, Sparrow lit his horn and teleported a variety of coins, some gold, some silver, and some bronze, into Pie Crust’s hoof as payment. “Quite the tip. It’s almost double what you normally give me,” she said, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Consider it a thank-you for hosting our, well, our first date, I suppose,” Sparrow said. “Given how long it’s been since I last had a date, I’m glad everything went ok, minus the sun spice of course,” he continued as he stood up and stretched his legs and wings. Twilight was still so happy from the pie she didn’t even care that he used the word ‘date.’ “Ready, Twilight?”

“Almost,” Twilight said as she used her magic to gather up the last crumbs of the pie and eat them in one bite. Yum. She had to come back here and get more pie. Or maybe Pie Crust would deliver a pie to the castle if she asked nicely enough? Oh, she sure hoped that was something the chef wouldn’t mind doing. “Ok, I’m done now.”

Pie Crust chuckled, and Sparrow smiled fondly at her. Getting up herself, Twilight stretched her limbs and let out a yawn. She certainly felt better than she had this morning, but she was still rather tired. “So…now what?”

“I believe it is time we return to the castle, if that is all right with you,” Sparrow said, gesturing towards said building. “It’s getting late, and while I am glad to see you feeling better, it might be best not to push it. Also, I believe your friends will be gathering together so that you can speak with them soon.”

Twilight’s eyes widened.

MY FRIENDS! How did I forget about them!?
Because Sparrow was there when you woke up, then distracted you for a while, then had little foals distract you, then you distracted yourself at the library, then—

Ok, ok, I get it. But I still should have remembered that they haven't heard from me since I arrived!

In all that had happened today, the idea of contacting her friends and family had completely escaped her attention! And if she had been unconscious for days, then they had to be worried sick! Did they think she was hurt, or that Sparrow had lied to them? And how did he know they would be gathering together? Was he spying on them like he had her!? She had to get in contact with them right—if it had been DAYS, then they had to be—

“Twilight, please calm down,” Sparrow said, gently toughing her hoof with his. “Just take a minute to breathe calmly and let me explain. I promise everything is ok.”

Twilight blinked, before realizing that as her mind had begun racing off down various horrible possibilities, her breathing had begun to quicken until she was practically hyperventilating. She quickly brought her hoof to her chest and began her breathing exercise. Slowly but surely, her breathing slowed down over the course of a minute.

Sparrow smiled and nodded, still holding her hoof. It was warm and soft, his touch surprisingly gentle.

“Thank you. Now, Spike and I have spoken with your friends and family every day since you left,” he said. “We have been keeping them up to date on your health, and I told them that you would almost certainly been awake by tonight, and that Spike would speak with them if that was not the case. They understand why they couldn’t speak with you, and will patiently wait until you call them using the glass orbs I gave them all, have no worry about that.”

Oh. Right. She had forgotten about those things too.

It has been a pretty exciting day.

Understatement of the century there, brain.

Twilight took one last deep breath. “Ok. Thank you for telling them.” Even if me being separated from them and unconscious for the last two days is your fault in the first place. “Should we fly back then?”

“Up to you,” Sparrow said. “The orb will come to you if somepony wants to talk with you, and you can also call it with your magic once you recover. For now though, I could easily teleport it to us and create a privacy shield so you can speak with your family undisturbed, so there is no rush. But if it is ok with you, there is…one last place I would like to show you. A place I know you will be able to speak with them without interruption.”

His voice became very quiet and…lonely?

“What kind of place?” Twilight asked.

“It’s a private place on the castle grounds, somewhere…peaceful. And beautiful, especially at night. And should your friends call you while you are there, I will leave you so they may speak to you in peace,” Sparrow said, his gaze turning towards the castle, his expression surprisingly unreadable.

“I…suppose that is ok,” Twilight said, nodding. “How far away from here is it? Is it on the other side of the castle grounds?”

“Not at all. It’s actually very close to where we are now. Shall we walk, or would you rather we fly or teleport?” he asked kindly.

Nope, no more teleporting until I’m better. I do not want to pass out again. And while we could fly, I do want to see a little bit more of the city.
Good plan.

“Let’s walk,” Twilight said quickly, and Sparrow nodded. Together, the two of them set off towards the castle wall. Sparrow extended his hoof to help support Twilight as they went, and she reluctantly accepted it. Her legs were feeling much stronger than they had earlier that day, but they still felt weak and tingly at times. She would still rather not risk falling and hurting herself, even if she was still uncertain about Sparrow.

By now the sun had set, and the many lights lining the buildings had been lit, casting the town in a warm yellow color of lamp light as moths fluttered near the glowing light. The trip was short, but along the way Twilight got to watch the ponies of the town go about their business.

All along the street, many ponies were still out and about. Some were heading for home after a long day, entering the numerous houses that lined the street or carrying saddle bags filled to bursting, some were sitting outdoors and conversing with others, likely friends or family, and still others were merrily walking and talking down the street. A few were even reclining up on the roofs, watching the sky together. A hoofful foals ran about, likely either trying to get home before bedtime, or just trying to spend as much time with their friends as they could, if the foals in Ponyville were any template to go off of.

It was peaceful.

Eventually they arrived at the large stone wall and the still wide-open gate. The two guards in orange and blue armor at the gate saluted them as they entered the inner wall. Despite seeing it from the sky, Twilight was surprised by just how much space lay between the wall and the castle itself. The entire space was basically a large open grassy field with a few scattered trees dotted throughout, though there were several patches of garden covered in numerous tropical flowers of all colors and sizes. Off in the distance there appeared to be a large cleared-off area that looked to be a training ground, similar to the one her brother used to work at in Canterlot, but it was too far away to see the details.

What was really unusual, however, was the mass of trees and flowers located to their left looked almost like a miniature forest. Why would there be a miniature forest next to the castle? Wouldn’t that interfere with ground-bound communication or give enemies a place to hide? It seemed a little bit illogical to keep a small forest inside the castle walls.

The path to the castle was clear with smooth cobblestone leading towards the doors, but Sparrow made a left and took them onto a winding dirt pathway that led through the large garden around the castle, directly into one of the thickest patches of trees. The only light to guide their way was that of the moon above, or the glowing blue flowers that lined the path.

Why is he leading us into this mini-forest outside the castle?

I…don’t know brain. But even with my magic being so weak, something about this place just feels…different. I can’t describe it really, but I can certainly tell that this forest is, unique maybe? Enchanted? I might want to come back here once my magic has recovered.

After what seemed like far too long walking in what Twilight assumed was a small patch of forest, they reached a large stone arch shaped like a horseshoe, hidden in a small clearing among the trees. It stood alone, hidden from above by the tree branches, yet not a single tree grew within fifteen feet of the arch. Pulling away from Sparrow, Twilight cautiously stepped closer for a better look.

She had been wrong – the arch wasn’t made of stone. It was actually all grey crystal. There were spherical notches along the entire shoe, each of which held a large sapphire that glowed faintly in the evening light. And beneath the arch itself, it looked as if the scenery behind it was…rippling?

Yes, rippling, almost like a pond.

“Everything will be all right,” Sparrow whispered, drawing her attention away from the arch and up to his gentle smile. He had stepped up beside her, and began gently guiding her towards the arch once again. “Trust me.”

The fact that he needs to say that at all about walking a few steps forward makes me more cautions than I think it should…

It’s just an arch, Twilight thought as Sparrow’s long horn passed under the arch, the distorted air rippling even more, almost like a pebble had been thrown into the proverbial pond. And he’s going first. What’s the worst that could happen?

Haven’t you learned never to say that by now?

Ignoring her brain’s jab, Twilight followed Sparrow under the arch and…

“Wow.”

Her jaw dropped in shock.

As they passed through the arch, the world around them rippled and changed completely. They were now standing on a large hill surrounded by flowers of all colors and sizes. Some actually looking big enough for her and Sparrow to sit on if they were so inclined. Not only that, but many of the flowers actually glowed brilliantly in the darkness of the night, casting the hill in all the colors of the rainbow. It created a bizarre yet stunning pattern all around them that captivated Twilight to no end.

At the top of the hill sat a single tree, surrounded by ornate bronze lanterns that cast the hill in a golden glow without blocking out the dazzling colors of the nocturnal flowers. A small bench rested below it, and a hammock hung from the highest branches.

This is amazing! How did he do that!? What is this place? Can we come back here whenever we want!? Oh, do you think we could sleep on one of those giant flowers!?

Sheesh, brain, calm down.

“Welcome to the royal garden,” Sparrow said as Twilight took a few steps forward on her own, her eyes taking in every detail of this incredible place. “It is a place only I, or those I approve of, can enter. You are the first pony in years, aside from myself, to enter here.”

“How…what…?” Twilight asked, looking at him, then all around again, then at the arch, then the tree, then back at him.

What the heck is this place? And why did we need to cross under that arch? Was it some sort of portal, like that mirror back in my castle?

“It’s a pocket dimension,” Sparrow said, answering her unspoken question as her turned to gaze up at the stars, his eyes…actually, Twilight didn't know. It was as thought both happiness and sadness were fighting to make themselves known in his expression, but sadness was just barely winning out. “I and…another…set this up as a place we could have some peace from the outside world. Time moves the same, and the sky perfectly matches the sky outside, but you will never be disturbed here. It is a safe haven, the likes of which no evil could ever hope to penetrate.

“When you are ready to leave, simply pass back through the arch and it will take you back to the castle. Should you ever need or wish to enter in the future, merely think of the arch in the garden forest and you will find your way to it. Your ring will let you find it, and your magic shall allow you to enter without issue,” Sparrow said, lighting his horn and teleporting in the glass orb he had given Twilight in a burst of orange magic. “Here you are.”

He was clearly avoiding looking at her.

Something is bothering him.

I know. He’s not even looking at most of the garden. Just the stars.

Twilight cautiously took the orb in her hooves. “Who…helped you make this place?”

“…A friend,” Sparrow said, his voice once again unreadable as he turned his back to her. “One who I am sure would have loved to meet you.”

And then, without a word, he walked back towards the arch.

“Thank you…for showing me this,” Twilight called out just before he crossed under the arch. “It’s…amazing.”

Sparrow did not respond, but Twilight was certain she saw a single tear fall from his face, the droplet glistening in the moonlight before striking the grass.

“You’re welcome,” Sparrow said, his voice sounding as though the weight of the world was resting upon his shoulders, “but it is not nearly as amazing as you, my dear.”

And with that, his body passed through the arch, and he was gone. Twilight found herself staring at the spot he had been, her face reddening as his final compliment registered.

Angry at him or not, the thought of being compared to a place as beautiful as this made her heart flutter, even if only slightly.

That may not have been the best question to ask, her brain interrupted. Given how his reaction, I think it might be safe to assume whoever helped him build this place is…gone.

You’re right…but I didn’t think his reaction would be…that. Or that he would end by complimenting me like that.

He wants to marry you. A compliment like that is probably expected, though the real question is whether or not he only did it to try and curry favor with you. It’s still really sweet the way he said it, but still. And what did you think his reaction would be?

…I’m not sure…Do you think maybe, I reminded him of his friend?

Maybe? I really have no idea.

Twilight took a deep breath and shook her head. More questions, but she would worry about them later. Right now, her friends deserved her attention. Twilight walked up the hill and sat down on the bench, basking in the warm light that surrounded the tree. Reaching into the orb with what little magic she had, she tried to connect it to the others back in Equestria.

“Aaaaamamamaaa,”

GAH!

What the buck!?

“Huh?” Twilight exclaimed, completely confused at what she was seeing.

Rather than show her friends or a room in Canterlot, the orb instead immediately formed the image of the inside of somepony’s mouth! The glass looked to be almost completely covered in saliva, given the swirly look of the image, and was only made worse as a tongue dragged itself across the orb. However, her exclamation seemed to alert the orb holder that somepony else was using it, and the mouth retracted to reveal the curious (if still blurry) face of Flurry Heart.

“Twali,” Flurry babbled excitedly as she looked at her aunt through the orb, her hooves banging the glass rapidly.

Dawwwwwwwww. How is it that one filly somehow manages to always be so cute!?

Twilight giggled at the foal, waving through the orb.

“Hi, Flurry Heart. Yes, it’s Aunt Twily. Is your mommy there?”

Flurry burbled in reply before taking the orb in her hooves and flying around a couch and through a nearby door. Upon reaching the other room, Twilight could see her friends and family sitting around one Canterlot Castle’s sitting rooms.

“Twali,” Flurry babbled again as she moved closer, catching the blurry ponies’ attention.

“Twilight!” Cadence’s voice called out, followed shortly by the rest of her friends and family. “Oh, um, just hold on one second.” A dark cloth, held in Cadence’s pink magic, covered the orb for a moment, but when it was removed, the image was clear and Twilight could see the relieved faces of her friends and family, all of who were huddled around the orb she was speaking though.

Everypony looked tired, or, in Shining’s case, very tired and pretty frazzled, but also very happy to see her. Even Pinkie’s mane had returned to its poofy state. Well, mostly. It hadn’t quite recovered all of its curl yet, but it looked way better than it did the last time Twilight saw it.

Twilight found herself smiling the biggest smile she’d had all day. Just the sight of her best friends was enough to fill her with hope for the future, even if they were so far away.

“Sorry about that, Twilight,” Cadence said. “Flurry must have grabbed one of them while we weren't looking. Though I don't know why your…call, I guess, would go to that single orb rather than the other ones.”

“Maybe because Flurry was touching it while the rest of them are sitting on the table?” Twilight asked. “Or maybe I just need to practice more with this when I’m not so tired.”

Cadence looked like she was going to respond, but she was beaten to the punch by Shining as he practically shoved his face into the orb.

“Twily, are you ok?” Shining asked, his left eye twitching ever so slightly. “What did he do to you? Did he try anything? If he did I swear I’ll make him regret it! Where are you? Do you know of any way that you can escape? Can we come find you? Why…why are you wearing a dress!?”

Why is THAT on his list of questions?

He likely would have continued had Cadence not yanked him back by his ear. “Owowowowowearearearear—”

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at his expression as Cadence pulled him away.

Just as overprotective as always. Never change, BBBFF.

“I’m ok Shining. A little weak, but fine.”

"But you were unconscious for the last TWO DA-OW!”

“Shiny, calm down,” Cadence said firmly, hugging him and giving his ear another tug with her magic. “She said she’s fine, and she’s only been awake for a few hours at most if Sparrow and Spike are to be believed. And I doubt she would look so calm if her had in fact done anything to hurt her. Though I will admit I am curious to why she is wearing a dress.”

“And such a FABULOUS one at that,” Rarity said in excitement, earning an eye-roll from Rainbow and a deadpan stare from Applejack.

Yep, glad to see Rarity’s still Rarity.

Hey, what do you think would happen if we locked Speedy Diamond and Rarity together in a room?

Either they would drive each other crazy trying to see who’s idea for a dress would be better, or have such a frenetic brainstorming session that everyone in Ponyville would have a new dress by the time they were done. Now focus, please.

The other voice just snickered at the imagery.

“Ok, in order,” Twilight said, shaking her head to clear it. “Again, yes, I’m ok. Tired, still a bit weak, but ok. He didn’t do anything, except for bring me here, take me to dinner, and show me that he’s a really reckless flyer. He hasn’t tried anything. I’m on his island, and I’m not going to try and escape,” because I don’t think I can, she thought to herself, “because I don’t want to break my deal with him.” Plus…Sparrow would likely still be able to bring me back, Twilight thought, her mood dampening a bit at that. And I don’t want to risk that…THING coming for me again. “I’m not sure if you will be able to find me either, as the island is protected. And a new friend I made today made me the dress…”

“Your first day, and you already made a friend who made you that stunning masterpiece! Oh my, how did she even find time to sew it!?” Rarity gushed.

“Erm…I have no idea, actually. Speedy Diamond is…ok, it’s like she’s part Pinkie and somehow knew that I needed a dress and was able to make it for me in only a few hours…or maybe seconds. She somehow created this…magic tornado that let her dress me in under a minute, thought I have no idea what happened inside it. She is also made it for me for free.”

“How generous! And if that dress is a common piece of hers, I can just tell that she has an amazing taste for fashion!” Rarity squealed, “You MUST let her speak to me at some point. I just KNOW she can give me so many ideas for new dresses.”

I can’t tell what’s a bigger priority. Keeping Speedy away from Rarity, or away from Pinkie.

Brain, shush.

“Focus, Rarity,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes. “This is about Twilight.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow said, taking to the air. “Besides, even if the island is protected, if she knows where she is, we can come and pull off a daring rescue!”

“But, um, Spike didn’t know where they were, remember?” Fluttershy chimed in.

“Well yeah, but this is TWILIGHT,” Rainbow said with a smirk. “She probably already found a library and spent all day looking around it to figure out where the island is.”

She’s half-right.

“You’re…partly right,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “I found a library, but more than half the books are in a different language, one native to the island. I spent some time just trying to get through the first chapter of a teaching book before I found something I could actually read, and my options were limited. So, unfortunately, I still have no idea as to where I actually am in relation to Equestria. Sorry, Rainbow.”

Rainbow slumped in mid-air. “Really?”

“Really,” Twilight said sadly. “Plus, the whole island is hidden from the outside world anyway, and while the spell hiding it was created using Sparrow’s magic, it’s apparently been operating independently of his input for a very long time. So even if you knew where to find me, you still might not be able to find the island itself, even if I gave you the longitude and latitude.”

“Grrrr…” Shining growled, starting to pace before Cadence put a gentle hoof on his shoulder and drew him back to the couch. Flurry Heart looked between the two of them, before flying up to hug her daddy’s neck. “Thanks, you two,” he replied, kissing the top of Flurry’s head.

“Is there anything else you managed to learn?” Celestia asked, the orb’s image shifting to focus more on her. “Any new information might help to shed some light on this situation.”

“Not much, unfortunately,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “All that I really know is that the island is massive, they grow peaches everywhere, and that Sparrow sealed the island off after some kind of attack related to the thing that tried to kill me.”

Unbidden, a horrible thought entered her head. “Wait, it hasn’t showed up again, has it?” she cried. It was bad enough just thinking about that THING attacking her, but what if it went for somepony else now that she was on Delubrum? Would it go for somepony else? Sparrow had put quite a bit of focus on protecting HER when the talked at dinner, but he never mentioned anyone else.

“Nopey dopey!” Pinkie chirped. “No evil shadow monsters here.”

“Pinkie is correct, Twilight,” Luna said, halting Twilight’s panic, at least for the moment. “The mysterious attacker has yet to make another move. And in a related note, my sister and I have been able to personally replicate the magic found in the bandages used to help the possessed ponies, all of who are awake and recovered.

“What’s more, we have begun to try applying the magic to other spells, some protective, others offensive. It is…difficult, but so far we have been able to enchant small bracelets with the protective spell, and we have been able to weave the magic itself into standard horn beam spells. It’s not much, and progress has been very slow even between the two of us, but it should allow us to help protect our guards once we enchant more bracelets and allow us to fight back should that shadow appear again.

“Unfortunately, no pony else has been able to replicate the magical signature used in those bandages save for us and Cadence, and even she has had trouble using it for prolonged periods. At best, she can enchant three bracelets or fire two attacks before she becomes exhausted, which would unfortunately leave her vulnerable should the creature try to attack again. Furthermore, it means that, for the time being, most of the research will need to be conducted by myself and my sister.”

“I’m sorry I can't be more help. The magic is…hard to comprehend, to say the least,” Cadence agreed. “Though Celestia and Luna have requested all mages, even novice ones, to assist in trying to help discover more about this magic, and possibly how to use it in armor enhancements or combat spells. I believe that even your friend Moon Dancer has accepted a job posting for magical researchers that Luna put out and is currently assisting in the search of the royal archives.”

Yep, that sounds like Moon Dancer all right. Given how much time she spends reading, it’s no surprise that she would jump at any chance to search the royal archives. But if this magic has never been seen before outside the island, why would it be in the Canterlot archives? And why would only Celestia, Luna, and Cadence be able to use it? If this magic is the same as the magic Sparrow mentioned at dinner, then shouldn’t anypony be able to use it with enough practice? Or is a different magic that’s restricted to alicorns?

Given how Sparrow’s soldiers fought that…THING alongside him and what he said at dinner, I doubt that this is a different type of magic that only alicorns can use. Especially because I doubt they would want to rely on only him to make these magic bandages. Old and powerful or not, having only one supply pony for an entire army, especially for something as vital as those bandages must be, is a bad idea.

But then why can't anypony else use it right now?

Maybe because they’re going blind right now? Sparrow said that anypony could train with the island’s unique magic to increase how long they can use it, but that implies that the caster would need to know how to use the magic first. And right now, almost no one in Equestria knows how to use it. He also said that alicorns are closer to the source of this magic, so maybe that is helping Celestia, Luna, and to a lesser extent Cadence use the magic despite having almost no experience in it. It’s like they’re using a limb they never knew that had, and it’s still weak right now from disuse.

“At least you can use it,” Shining said grumpily, pulling Twilight back to the present. “I couldn’t even get a spark when trying to copy it. How am I supposed to keep this thing out if I can’t even be sure that my shields will work against it?”

“If this is the same magic that everypony on the island uses, then, according to Sparrow, alicorns are better at using it. But it shouldn’t be restricted to just alicorns,” Twilight said, her eyebrows furrowing in thought.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Night Light asked, looking at his daughter in confusion. Twilight opened her mouth before remembering that she hadn’t told them everything Sparrow had mentioned at dinner that night. She immediately corrected that by telling what Sparrow had told her about the island’s magic, as well as a few of the other topics he had covered. A couple times her friends looked ready to interject, but she asked them all to hold their questions to the end so she could explain everything at once.

“Very interesting,” Celestia said, frowning, “A magic that everypony on their island can use, but one that alicorns appear to have a higher affinity for. But if the bandages use this form of magic, why is it that only myself, Luna, and Cadence can use it? Given what Sparrow told you, it sounds as though Shining should be able to channel this magic, if only for a short period of time. Yet he is unable to, and Cadence still struggles with it despite the fact that she is an alicorn. Perhaps the magic in the bandages has some subtle differences to it?”

“Maybe Twilight can ask about it?” Fluttershy asked. “I mean, it couldn’t hurt.”

“If we can trust him to tell the truth,” Rainbow said with a scowl. “Who’s to say he won’t just keep this fancy magic to himself and his ponies?”

“I…don’t think he would,” Twilight said hesitantly. “Especially if I ask.”

“What do you mean, Twilight?” Luna asked.

“It’s just…I don’t think he would withhold something like this if it meant fighting that…THING! And as much as I may dislike him, he’s actually never LIED to us. Yes, his actions have been…overblown and sometimes downright insane, but…”

That’s putting it mildly.

“You don’t think he’s a liar,” Applejack finished.

Twilight nodded. “Not really, no.”

“That’s a lot of trust for somepony who kidnapped you,” Shining said with a frown. “Let alone somepony who’s forcing you to MARRY them.”

“Please don’t remind me of that…" Twilight groaned, causing Shining to wince. “And I’m just saying that if he was willing to protect me from that THING, then they clearly aren't friends, and he might not be opposed to helping you fight it as wall. I don’t know if it’s really TRUST, exactly.” She swallowed. “It’s just…”

“Just?” Pinkie said, tilting her head in confusion.

“He’s…not what I expected,” Twilight said, looking away from the orb to gaze around the garden.

“What do you mean, sweetie?” Velvet asked.

Twilight opened her mouth, before closing it and trying to think of what to say. “He…isn’t acting like I thought he would. I can apparently go as I please so long as I have a guard outside the capital. He made me breakfast by hoof rather than just having a chef do so. He introduced me to a pony or two, but as a friend of his rather than a trophy or as a fiancée. He took me to dinner at a nice restaurant rather than just taking me back to the castle and having the chefs make something for me, and didn’t seem to be angry or aggressive when the chef secretly put something on his food that was so spicy he had to submerge his head in the nearby fountain.”

That got quite a few snickers from Rainbow and Pinkie, and even Twilight couldn’t hold back a smile at the memory.

“I gotta remember that prank,” Pinkie giggled, casting a quick glance at Rainbow. Twilight snickered before continuing.

“Not to mention the fact that he told the entire population of the island what he did to bring me here, the invasion and everything, and yet they still seem to trust him despite the fact that they don’t know his reasoning. There doesn’t seem to be even a hint of a scandal from what I've seen so far…

“And as much as I hate to admit it, despite a bad joke or two, he’s…been rather bearable, even nice,” she continued. “No gloating, no smug attitude, no hovering over me…He let me do what I wanted, and he never forced anything on me. Even with the dinner, he asked me to go with him and apologized when he thought he was making too many assumptions about me. He seems uncertain at times, and apologizes multiple times if he ever thinks he’s overstepped his bounds. He might even be willing to leave me alone so long as I ask, though how much, I can't say. I just can’t seem to figure him out, or why he does what he does.”

Or why he made me make that stupid fake choice in the first place.

“But above all he doesn’t seem…well, evil is maybe a bit far, but he doesn’t seem to be some overbearing, all-powerful ruler like I thought he was. He just…seems like a pony.”

“That is quite different from how he acted here,” Celestia agreed, her brow furrowing in thought. “Thought I will admit he was rather courteous during his invasion.”

“Pinkie, didn’t you say that Sparrow wore a mask?” Rarity asked, looking at the pink mare.

Pinkie nodded. “Yeah. He wears a mask,” she said. “But it broke when he saw Twilight.”

“So, what?” Shining asked. “His whole conquering thing was just an act, and he was just…playing a part to get my sister?”

“No,” Pinkie said, shaking her head. “He can be a conqueror if he wants to, but he doesn’t really like to be one. His mask was to hide his discomfort with conquering.”

“How do you know?” Shining asked with a slight suspicion.

“Pinkie Sense.”

“Riiiight…”

“Don’t question it, Shining,” Twilight warned. “I did, and it ended up with me getting hit with an anvil.”

“You WHAT!?” Celestia, Luna, Shining, Cadence, Velvet, and Night Light all cried.

“Did I…forget to mention that?” Twilight asked sheepishly.

“YES!”

“Was that before or after the Smarty Pants Freakout Incident? Because that might explain a lot,” Rainbow joked, receiving a deadpan glare from Twilight, heated glares from the surprised group of the princesses and family members, eye rolls and head shakes from Twilight’s friends, and some baby burbles from Flurry Heart as she climbed up to sit on Shining’s head.

“Not the time, Rainbow,” Fluttershy said in a highly scolding voice that immediately made Rainbow wince and sink to the floor, chuckling guiltily.

“Sorry, my bad,” she squeaked.

Hey, the doctor did check you out and found that you only had a mild concussion at the time anyway, partly because all of the cargo had been enchanted with a feather fall spell. Just don’t mention the piano or the wagon full of hay.

Good idea.

“The point is,” Rarity piped up, “if Sparrow is wearing this…mask to hide his emotions, then it might be harder for US to determine his true motives. But given how Twilight seems to be able to break said mask just by being around him, she might be able to learn more now that she is on his island. At the very least, she can see if he actually feels any remorse for his brutish actions.”

“He…does certainly seem to be uncertain about everything,” Twilight said, frowning in thought. “And there have been times when he seems downright miserable, but…it’s hard to tell if it’s because of me and what he did, or because of something else. Like, this garden,” she said, holding the orb up and panning it around the garden, hearing oh’s and ah’s of her friends and family. “It’s beautiful, but when Sparrow left me alone here he was crying, but I can’t tell exactly why he was.

“And I couldn’t help but feel that I might have reminded him of that somepony when I came here.”

“Being sad because you remind him of someone isn’t the same as feeling guilt for forcing you to leave your home behind. Or for putting the burden of leaving on YOU through some stupid choice,” Shining snorted. “And he didn’t even let us say goodbye.”

“He also didn’t stop us from talking to her,” Cadence said, giggling slightly as Flurry Heart tried to eat Shining’s ear, much to his discomfort. “It’s not ideal, but it does show that he doesn’t want Twilight completely isolated from us.”

“So?”

“SO, it means that not only will we be able to check up on her in case anything goes wrong, but that he wants her to be comfortable. It may not mean much given all he’s done, but it’s a sign to me at least that he cares about Twilight’s feelings to a degree, and by extension, her.”

Please tell me she’s not analyzing our relationship with Sparrow to see if we would be a good match.

She isn’t.

“And as much as we all may not like it, I do think Twilight should spend more time with Sparrow, if only so she can try to learn more about his motives, including why he invaded Equestria, what or who Twilight’s mysterious attacker was, and if his wanting to marry her is at all related to how he feels about her.”

Oh Harmony, she IS analyzing our relationship with Sparrow to see if we would be a good match! WHY!?!?!

Calm down, brain. She’s not doing that! What she just said was completely reasonable.

But it’s Cadence! She has been trying to set you up with a colt since you turned thirteen! Why else would she want to know how he feels about us!?

Maybe to try and see if his whole wedding idea is just a cover for something else? Seriously, you're overreacting.
“You mean you want Twily to perform reconnaissance for us?” Shining asked.

“Yes, exactly,” Cadence confirmed with a nod.

See? No matchmaking. And she has a good point. The only way to learn more about Sparrow’s motives is to spend more time with him.

That…ok, fair point. But I don’t need to like spending time with him.

Of course not. He DID kidnap me, and it will take more than one apology and a dinner for him to make up for it. Especially given that stupid fake choice he made me fret over for three days.

“How are things in Equestria?” Twilight asked. “Are things back to normal, er, mostly?”

“Mostly, yes,” Celestia said, her voice calm, but heavy. “Almost all damage caused by Sparrow has been fixed, though that was already very minor to begin with, and while the public remains uncertain about losing you, many seem to be hopeful that you will one day return, according to a recent poll conducted by the Canterlot Times. This may have been helped by the fact that somepony leaked the knowledge that we—” She gestured to the whole group “—would still have direct contact with you while you were gone.”

“They’re not afraid Sparrow might come back?”

“Not as far as we can tell,” Luna said, her face neutral. “Given how unusual his actions were and the lack of death or destruction, many do not seem to be afraid of his possible return. Confused about his motives, certainly, but there is a surprising lack of fear. Some are even hoping that he will return should another villain try to take over Equestria.”

“Pfff, we don’t need him to take out some ancient evil! We’ve done that plenty more times than that jerk!” Rainbow boasted proudly as she jumped back into the air, earning a giggle from Fluttershy.

“Though this lack of fear could be helped by the surge in guard recruitment across all our military branches,” Shining said. “All divisions of the military, from the Royal Guard to the Air Force to the Crystal Guard and Navy, have seen massive spikes in ponies joining, and Celestia and Luna have recently doubled the military budget, most of which is going into training new guards and trying to create weapons and armor that might be able to counter that smoke monster.” His face fell into a stern frown.

“I hope you can at least find a way to protect ponies from that…THING,” Twilight said, shivering. The orb bobbed slightly as her hooves shook.

The mere thought of it possessing innocent ponies and turning them against others…

It was like something out of a nightmare.

“It can’t get you, Twilight,” Pinkie said confidently, her voice breaking through the fear that had begun to fill Twilight’s mind. “You’re safe there.”

There was not an ounce of doubt in Pinkie’s voice, and though she wasn’t Applejack, Twilight was certain that Pinkie was telling the truth.

“That just leaves the rest of Equestria,” Applejack grumbled, earning a face full of Pinkie’s tail to mute her.

“But if we know it’s out there, then we can start working on a strategy to counter it,” Shining said with a determined nod. He turned back to Twilight. “Don’t worry about Equestria, LSBFF. I promise to keep everypony safe while you’re gone. Stupid smoke monster or no!”

“Hey, we can take care of ourselves! And we’ve saved Equestria plenty of times!” Rainbow exclaimed, getting right into Shining's face. This quickly devolved into a friendly argument over who was better at protecting Equestria.

But regardless, just hearing Shining say that made Twilight feel a little bit better. Even if they were still unsure of how the creature worked or its motives, the fact that he was so ready to fight it and protect her home filled her with the hope that everything would be ok. If there was anypony that could stare down a creature made of fear, it would be her hard-headed big brother…

An hour later…

Right Word walked thought the lowest halls of the castle, the dark cobblestone glowing thanks to the many magically powered gem-lights lining the ceiling. He knew every inch of these halls, yet it had been quite some time since he had journeyed down this one in particular. In the distance, the faint sound of a blacksmith’s hammer clanged away, guiding him towards his destination.

He had just returned from dinner with an unconscious Spike, who had eaten so much food that he had passed out only three blocks from the restaurant. Not that Right Word blamed him – their food was SO good! After putting Spike to bed and placing the books for Princess Twilight on her room’s desk, he had gone to seek out the King. It hadn’t been hard to guess where he was once Right Word saw the pink smoke billow out from the royal forge’s chimney.

Only one forge had pink smoke.

Reaching the end of the stone hallway, Right Word’s hoof guard glowed bright orange, causing the door in front of him to unlock with a click. He pushed it open, and was immediately blasted by a wave of heat. No matter how many times he came here, he couldn’t help but gaze around in awe at the incredible room accessible to only himself, the royal forge masters, and the King.

Very glad my armor has temperature-regulating runes, otherwise I’d be baking alive in here.

The forge was massive, nearly thirty feet tall and had ten thousand square hooves of open space. Seven massive furnaces lined the walls, six of which were currently frozen in time so that their masters might return and work again without needing to reheat them. Around them lay pieces of armor or weapons, some completed and cooling or hanging on racks, others still being assembled. Right Word made sure not to touch any of them, or risk one of the forge masters lecturing him for half an hour.

Again.

It was just one little dent I needed to fix. How can one pony get so mad over a moved hammer? How did he even know I touched it at all?

At the very end of the room stood a forge ten times as large as the others. It was covered in gold plating and decorated with a giant diamond in the shape of a heart at the very top of the forge. Within it, bright pink flames billowed and danced, casting a beautiful light across the mostly abandoned room.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

And in front of the Master Forge stood the King, the only one strong enough to tame its fires. His shoes, crown, and torc were all gone, replaced with a protective metal mask and a blacksmith’s apron. All of them were resting in an open locker well to the left left of the forge, safe from harm. There was also a new sharp looking suit, one that was clearly designed by Speedy Dimond.

I certainly hope Sparrow didn’t throw up in the Tornado of Fashion™ again.
Looking back at the king, Right Word could see that in Sparrow right hoof was a large hammer that continually smashed into the reinforced anvil with a loud clang, creating a shower of golden sparks that danced and weaved through the air and burst in a small shower of rainbow sparkles.

Magical Smithing? Right Word thought in surprise. That’s rare. Normally, we enchant the armor after its been created. But to weave magic into the armor as you make it… It’s been three years since I last saw him make some armor with such a delicate technique.

His hoof moved to his chest, gently tracing the golden torc he wore as a detachable piece of his armor. It too had been created through Magical Smithing, making it tougher and lighter than any other armor they had available, as well as giving him a boost in raw magic power when he wore it. Its creation had been the first time Right Word had ever seen Magical Smithing in pony, and was what allowed him to join the guard despite his medical ailment.
I’m surprised he's not still with Twilight now that she’s awake. Then again, with Akumu roaming about, perhaps it’s not that surprising that Sparrow would make time to start forging more armor. But what kind is he making, and for who?

Right Word said nothing as he approached, stopping just outside the red boundary on the ground as Sparrow continued to work. He dared not disrupt the King’s concentration, lest the armor he was working on be ruined or explode from magical imbalance. Plus, if it DID explode and somehow manage to damage the Master Forge, then they would have no way to perform Magic Smithing at all until it was fixed.

And that could take weeks.

After a few minutes, the clanging stopped, and the red-hot chest plate the king was working on was quickly dumped into a nearby caldron of water.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

A cloud of golden steam exploded out of the caldron, quickly turning white as it rose towards the ceiling, indicating that armor was now stable and ready for more normal forging. As the now cool chest plate rose up, Right Word could see that a cutie mark had already been engraved in the gold-tinted metal.

Even without the colors to match it, Right Word could easily recognize the cloud and tri-colored lightning bolt that belonged to a certain brash pegasus.

“I find it a bit ironic that you decided to make armor for the pegasus that is most determined to punch you in the face,” Right Word called out, stepping over the line now that the crafting was complete.

Sparrow jolted at his voice, before chuckling as he flipped his mask up and wiped the sweat from his brow. “Perhaps, but she is also the one most likely to charge head-first at Akumu, regardless of how unwise that course of action may be. So I thought it best to begin making her armor first,” he said, reaching for a water bottle nearby.

“So I am assuming that means you will be creating armor for all of the Bearers?”

“Indeed. I can’t imagine any of them sitting on the sidelines should Akumu finally reveal himself, even if it is only to help heal those who get injured. So I thought it best to make sure they are prepared. Or at least protected from Akumu’s wrath, should they not fight directly.”

“Blitzkrieg Armor isn’t really made for defense,” Right Word said with a raised eyebrow, glancing at the chest plate. He could tell this chest plate was made from Blitzkrieg Armor by the thinner and more flexible plating, as well as the fact that a few plates were missing altogether. When completed, it would allow the wearer to call upon lightning to give the wearer a burst of speed and to blast nearby targets as they flew past. It could also create a cone of lightning in front of the wearer so that they could plow through obstacles with devastating effectiveness.

However, the reduced protection and boosted speed meant one good hit could cause the wearer to lose control mid-flight and that any crashes were far more dangerous to the wearer. It should never be worn by anypony save for the most skilled of flyers.

At least the training the Wonderbolts undergo would likely be enough for Rainbow Dash to use the armor effectively. Combined with Rainbow’s natural speed, I doubt Akumu would even be able to hit her in the first place.

“I plan to make up for that deficiency once the full armor is complete with various enchantments. The Magical Smithing will enhance them to offer better protection. I don’t think that Akumu will be able to hit Rainbow Dash given her speed and training, but I plan to make her, as well as Twilight’s other friends, Magic Smithing chainmail as well to offer them extra protection, just in case. It’s better to be safe than sorry, after all.” Sparrow slid the facemask back into place. “Now then, time for the helmet. Please step back, my friend.”

“Sir, why aren’t you with Twilight?” Right Word said, not moving an inch. He knew Sparrow better than almost any pony on the island, Hidden Treasure and a few others aside, so he knew that something was off given how late the King was working and the large bags below his eyes, highlighted perfectly by the pink flames of the forge.

“She is talking with her family in the royal garden. I thought it best to leave her be for the time being,” Sparrow said, his voice carefully neutral. “And I left a small alarm on the garden portal so that I would know when to send a guard to escort Twilight back to her room.”

“Rather than doing so yourself?”

“I’m busy,” Sparrow said softly.

“Doing something you could easily do later. And I do not doubt for a second that you would make time to escort Twilight back to her room personally compared to this,” Right Word said firmly. “If Twilight said she doesn’t want to see you again tonight, that would be one thing, but given your weak excuse, I am assuming that she said nothing of the sort.”

Sparrow merely slumped, his horn lighting and reactivating the protective spell on the forge behind them, the pink flames now protected behind a strong orange shield.

At least he recognized he wasn’t winning this argument.

“Sir, when was the last time you slept?” Right Word asked, his magic pulling off Sparrow’s mask. Just like he thought, Sparrow had large bags under his eyes, and they were also bloodshot.

There’s no way he could have gotten that bad over the course of a few hours. I would have noticed this before I left him—of course! He’s been using illusion magic to mask his exhaustion! Harmony damn it, I thought we talked about this!

“I can go for days, Right Word. Benefits of being an alicorn,” Sparrow said, closing his eyes.

“Yet you have barely slept since we first moved to take Equestria. So allow me to rephrase my question: How much sleep have you gotten since Princess Twilight was moved to the island?” Right Word knew that he wouldn’t like the answer.

“…Six hours.”

“Every night, or over the last three days?”

“The latter.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t,” Sparrow said, letting out a long sigh.

“Sir, she is safe—”

“It’s not that,” Sparrow said, standing up suddenly and turning away. His horn glowed and the apron and tools he had been wearing were returned to their rightful places. “She is safe, and I know that. But I still can’t sleep. Every time I try, my mind just runs in circles. The attack, the invasion, my proposal, all of it just running around in a whirlpool in my head. All of it centering around that stupid choice I passed on to her.”

Passed on—of course.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Right Word.

“You’re kept awake by your own guilt over the proposal,” he said.

Sparrow nodded. “It was my choice to make,” he said as he slowly began to draw some of the pink flames out of the forge, the magic fire flowing into one of many empty glass orbs sitting nearby. “Either leave her in danger, or spirit her away to safety. Yet I still passed this burden onto her, creating a fake choice to try and lower the toll on myself.

“I created the choice to convince myself that I was not merely kidnapping her for her own protection. That I was letting her have some input or at the VERY least giving her a chance to say goodbye to those she loved. That way…I wouldn’t feel so bad about what was going to happen either way. But now I can’t stop thinking about the pain I caused her. About how I left her in danger for three full days while making her struggle with a choice that was never hers to make in the first place. How she will likely have nightmares for weeks to come all because I couldn’t get her to safety fast enough…”

“And the guilt from doing so is keeping you awake each night, completely destroying the original purpose of her choice,” Right Word said.

Sparrow’s posture slumped as the fire finished flowing into the orb, telling Right Word that he hit the nail on the head. “Sir, you need too apologize for that, and explain why you were forced to make the choice at all.”

“She’s still recovering. And adapting to such a big change—”

“That’s a flimsy excuse and you know it,” Right Word said, darting in front of Sparrow and glaring at him just as a small chime sounded.

“Yellow,” Sparrow said suddenly, his eyes widening slightly. Right Word blinked, before shaking it off.

“Don’t change the subject,” Right Word said.

“But-”

“Whatever it is, it can wait,” Right Word said, cutting Sparrow off as he opened his mouth to speak again. Sparrow just closed his mouth and nodded.

“Good. Now then, I know you’re struggling right now, but you NEED to tell Twilight about why you brought her here, as much as you possibly can without risking her safety, because I guarantee if you don’t that this stress will get to both of you until something explodes. And that will only make things even worse than they already are.”

“I-I know. But I don’t know how…”

“Only you can figure that out,” Right Word said. “But if you don’t confront this issue in one month, I’ll tell her everything I can and explain this to the best of my ability. It won’t be ideal, but it will at least give her some of the answers she is searching for.” He put a hoof on Sparrow’s shoulder. “But it should be you who explains everything to her. Please don’t push me to do that.”

“I will try,” Sparrow said softly, nodding as he stared at the floor. “I don’t know how, but I’ll try.”

“Good. Now I think you know what you need to do.”

Sparrow grimaced. “Right Word—“

“Sir, as your advisor, I insist. You need sleep, and if the medication Herbal Remedy made for you is the only way to get it, you need to take it. I will come with you if need be to make sure you take it, don’t doubt that.”

“I—” Sparrow sighed. “Ok, I’ll take the medicine when I get back. After a bath, at least. I’d rather no go to sleep smelling like a bonfire.”

“Fair enough.”

"And before I go, we need to address that,” Sparrow said, pointing a hoof directly at Right Word’s chest. Right Word blinked before looking down. The green gem on his torc had turned yellow, which meant he needed his medication soon.

“The tone-“

“Was your torc’s warning tone,” Sparrow said, nodding. “I tried to warn you, but you really wanted to say your piece.”

“That I did. Do you happen to have my next batch of medication?” Right Word asked, blushing slightly in embarrassment. He was just glad the stress of scolding Sparrow didn't aggravate his condition and turn it red. Still, he really should have noticed that change to yellow.

“I just finished it before I began work on the armor, ” Sparrow said, his horn lighting and grabbing a small bottle from next to the Master Forge.

Right Word relaxed as he took the bottle and unscrewed the cap. Inside were a number of perfectly spherical emeralds, glowing faintly with magic. He levitated one into his mouth and swallowed it whole. The magic in the emerald tingled pleasantly on the way down, and his torc’s gem changed from yellow to green once again.

“Thank you, sir.”

“Anytime, my friend,” Sparrow said with a soft smile. “Will you be heading to bed as well?”

Right Word opened his mouth to say ‘yes,’ but stopped.

“Actually sir, you said that you left an alarm on the Royal Garden, correct?”

Sparrow blinked before facehoofing. “I did, didn’t I. And I just mentioned it less than five minutes ago. How did I forget that?”

“You were distracted by our conversation, your guilt over making Twilight choose to come to the island, me aggravating my condition, and you’re also sleep-deprived.” The unicorn smiled. “Don't worry. I will go wait by the portal so you don't need to send another guard. I will ensure Twilight safely makes it back to her room.”

“I can—”

“Go get some sleep,” Right Word said, his tone brokering no argument. “You can see her again tomorrow. But tonight, you need sleep.”

Sparrow sighed. “Very well. Thank you, my friend.”

“Anytime, my friend. Now please go get some rest. You will need it.”

Sparrow nodded, and without a sound, he vanished from the forge.

If he’s still awake when I’m done, we are going to have words, Right Word thought before he called on his own magic. The world fell away as he displaced himself out of the castle, appearing right next to the garden portal a few seconds later.

A few minutes later…

Twilight stood up and stretched as the glass orb in her magic finally went dark. Once everypony back home had pulled Rainbow and Shining apart, the conversation had migrated towards other, lighter topics.

Rarity had spent the week working at her Canterlot Boutique rather than traveling back to Ponyville, and had insisted that Twilight put the orb down so she could get a good look at the dress Speedy had made for her. Twilight hadn’t minded, though she did need to call Rarity off after ten minutes, otherwise they would have been there all night.

Fluttershy and Applejack had been returning to Ponyville each day via teleportation to take care of their animals and farm, respectively, and had been able to give Twilight a quick update on what was happening back home. So far, everypony in Ponyville was sad given her rapid departure, but had asked Applejack and Fluttershy to thank her when they got the chance. They all understood what she had done, and were grateful that she was willing to leave her home behind for them.

It made Twilight’s chest fill with joy to hear that so many ponies wanted to thank her, even if it had been beyond her control.

In related news, her castle would now be guarded by a squad of Royal Guards to ensure that everything remained in order while she was gone, and the old librarian Fine Print had agreed to watch over her library and ensure that the citizens of Ponyville could still check out the books at their leisure.

Rainbow, meanwhile, had been taking part in a new training regimen created by Spitfire meant to get the Wonderbolts back into fighting shape rather than just being a stunt team. It was hard work, and involved extra practice using some old pegesi weapons like wing blades and hoof claws, but so far Rainbow seemed to be having a blast given her excitement. Especially when it came to the wing blades.

And finally, Pinkie Pie had been taking these last few days to relax around Canterlot Castle after jumping back to Ponyville to make sure the Cakes were ok. It was surprising to hear that she hadn't thrown a party in all that time, but once Twilight heard that she had baked enough pies for everypony in the castle, including all the guards in Canterlot, Twilight realized that she was doing just fine.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Luna had been helping things around Equestria return to normal. They were planning a trip to visit each city and town captured by Sparrow and his forces to reassure the population that things would be ok. Cadence and Shining would be helping look after things in Canterlot while they were gone for the next few weeks, while Flurry Heart would be the emotional support. Though Twilight was certain that the last bit was a little bit of a joke given how much of a hoof-full her niece could be.

Then again, she might just be the perfect distraction to get everypony’s minds off of the more serious issues for a while.

As for Starlight and Sunburst, both of them were currently running the administrative side of the Crystal Empire, which is why they weren’t currently in Canterlot. Twilight was a bit sad that she was unable to see her student, but Pinkie promised to go visit them with an orb once she caught up on all her missed parties in Ponyville.

It was nice to catch up with everypony and hear about what they had been doing, offering a nice distraction from the craziness that was her own life. But it was getting late, and she was still exhausted. So she reluctantly said her goodbyes and was given many in return before she finally ended the call.

That was fun.

Yes, it was. I just wish I could see them for real rather than over a small crystal ball.

Maybe Sparrow would be open to you visiting them?

After all the work he put into bringing me here? I doubt it.

You never know unless you ask.

Her brain had a point there. But that was something for another day. Right now, she just wanted to go back to that room she had woken up in and fall asleep. As she slowly walked back down the hill towards the arch, she cast another look across the beautiful garden. Nothing had changed, yet there was just something about it that intrigued her no matter how long she stared at the multitude of glowing flowers swaying in the breeze.

I definitely need to come back here when I feel better.

With that final thought, she stepped back through the arch and the world once again shifted until she was standing back in the castle’s yard.

“Good evening, Princess.”

“GAH!” Twilight shrieked, jumping sideways and nearly falling over. Looking to her left, she saw an equally startled Right Word standing there. “Right Word? What are you doing here? I thought you were with Spike!”

“I’m sorry, I thought you saw me,” Right Word apologized with a small bow. “Spike and I finished dinner, so after returning him to his room, I sought out King Sparrow. Unfortunately, he seemed intent on working himself until he passed out, so I sent him to bed after offering to escort you back to your room.”

How exactly does a single unicorn send a full-grown alicorn off to bed? That sounds more like something your Dad would do every time you stayed up too late studying, not something you need to do for the freaking alicorn-king of an island.

I have no idea.

“Why didn’t he want to sleep? Is there some sort of emergency?” Twilight asked. “Or is this normal for him? And why are you telling me?”

“He normally sleeps a fairly regular schedule, but he does occasionally stay up for days at a time to work on a problem that is stumping him,” Right Word said. “As for why, I thought it best to inform you, just in case you were curious as to why he wasn’t here to escort you personally.”

He makes a good point. Given Sparrow’s interest in you, chances are you would have asked why he wasn’t here before long. He’s just saving some time.

Maybe, but I think that telling me that he was running himself ragged was a little bit much. I mean, he didn’t look that bad when he left the garden.
“Now if you would follow me, Twilight, I can take you back to your room,” Right Word continued. “I am assuming you would like to take the shorter path? Or would you prefer to teleport?”

“Shorter path, please,” Twilight said, walking closer. “I’m not ready to teleport again just yet.”

Right Word nodded, and once she was beside him, he led her back through the winding forest that was the garden. He matched her slower speed, something Twilight was grateful for as her legs were beginning to feel weak again.

As they walked, Twilight took a minute the time to enjoy the peacefully atmosphere of the small forest. Despite being so close to the city, all she could hear were the sounds of various nocturnal creatures going about their business. Crickets chirped, an owl hooted nearby, and a small bat darted after an insect off to their left. It wasn’t as peaceful as the royal garden, but it was still very nice.

But soon Twilight’s mind wandered back to one thing Right Word had said.

Why would Sparrow not want to sleep?

Maybe he likes feeling half-asleep all the time?

…I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

I'm half joking, especially given how often you used to be half-asleep while studying for one of Celestia's test. But jokes aside, maybe he always thinks there are just more productive ways to spend his time? You used to skip out on sleep if you found a particularly good book. Heck, you still do that.

Maybe. Or maybe he has nightmares? He knows about that smoke…THING, so maybe he has nightmares about it? I remember I could barely sleep for a week after that incident with the quesadillas. I kept having nightmares about cheese!

Heheheheh. It’s kinda funny looking back on that now.

It is not!

Is too.

But we’re getting off topic. If you’re so curious about this, you could just ask Right Word. If he sent Sparrow to bed, then maybe he knows why he’s staying up so late.

But then why didn’t he just tell me?

No clue. Privacy, maybe? If you don’t think he’ll answer anything about that, then maybe just ask about Sparrow in general? Right Word IS his most trusted advisor. Bets are he knows more about Sparrow than anyone else, both professionally and personally.

That’s true…It couldn’t hurt to ask. And maybe hearing more about him from a pony that really knows him can help me get a better understanding of his behavior and why it seems to so heavily contradict his actions in Equestria.
Or it could just confuse you more. Still, it’s probably worth the effort to ask.

Agreed.

“Right Word?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, Twilight?”

“Can you…tell me more about Sparrow? Either why he’s staying up so late or just, well, anything about him, I guess? I still don’t know a whole lot about him, and you seem like you would be able to fill in quite a few of the gaps, given your role as his advisor.”

“Certainly. However, and I do apologize in advance, but you would need to ask him yourself if you want to know why he’s staying up so late,” Right Word said calmly. “It’s related to a very personal issue, and I am afraid that I don’t feel comfortable disclosing it without his knowledge. But I can certainly tell you about Sparrow, if you can be more specific.”

“What is he REALLY like?” Twilight asked without a moment’s hesitation. “The way he’s been acting since I woke up… It’s almost exactly the opposite of what I expected, given his first impression of conquering Equestria. I can notice some similarities, such as his calm and courteous attitude, but there’s just so much conflict with his actions during the occupation. So is his current behavior an act, or was his behavior at first in Equestria an act?”

Right Word was quiet for a moment.

“What you saw in him today is far more in line with his normal behavior. Kind, thoughtful, a bit playful, willing to be the butt of the joke if it makes others laugh. That is who he is, and while he is very capable of wearing a mask and sinking into another role almost completely, that will never change who he will be once the mask comes off.

“Do keep in mind, however, that I am likely very biased, especially given the work he put into making sure I could join the guard, and my relationship to him.”

What the heck does that mean?

“Why wouldn’t you be able to join the guard normally? You don't seem to be the kind of pony that would ever commit a crime, so that's likely out, and you look perfectly healthy as far as I can see,” Twilight said. “Was it based on where you lived? No, wait, the guard would probably provide housing. Hmm…”

“It's understandable that you think that. No pony could tell that I was abnormal just by looks,” Right Word said with a small forced smile.

“Abnormal?” Twilight said, frowning. Between that and his forced smile, Twilight was almost certain that Right Word was insulting himself, even if only slightly. “Just because you can’t see something doesn’t make you abnormal for having it. And it doesn’t make you any less of a good pony. And from everything I’ve seen so far today, you seem to be a very decent pony at least.”

Right Word blinked in surprise at her rebuttal, before chuckling slightly. A more genuine smile played at his lips. “That’s very nice of you to say, Twilight. I do try to be the best I can be, regardless of my own self-doubts. You see, the truth of the matter is that I actually suffer from epileptic seizures.”

“WHAT!?” Twilight cried, her eyes going wide as she gaped at him, coming to a stop just at the edge of the tree line. "How the heck were you even CONSIDERED to be allowed to join!? That could be deadly if your put under enough stress! And why would you put yourself at risk by joining?!”

“The first rule of the island is that anyone can join the guard, even if only as a supporting role,” Right Word said, stopping next to Twilight and putting a hoof on her shoulder. “It’s been that way since even before Sparrow was born, and despite the title of King, he lacks the power to overturn that rule. The only way it could be overturned is if every village on the island votes on a legal amendment to change it. And that, to my knowledge, has never even been considered.”

“But why would you put yourself at such a risk?” Twilight insisted, her worry leaking into her voice. “What if something horrible happens?”

Right Word just smiled. “I appreciate your concern Twilight, but the truth is that I am in far less danger than you might think. And it’s all because of this…”

He tapped his armor. With a small click, the chest plate separated to reveal a golden torc around his neck with a green gemstone set in the very front. Strangely, despite the color, the gem didn’t look like an emerald. It was perfectly round and smooth, and the inside actually seemed to pulse slightly with magic. The outer edges looked to be almost clear, with the color becoming more solid towards the center of the gem. Yet as she stared at, she swore that the color’s shade and pigment was constantly shifting. She could see other colors flash by as well.

Red, purple, orange, yellow, black, white…Each change was brief, and lasted only for a moment, yet Twilight knew she wasn’t just imagining it.

In the end, Twilight didn’t know WHAT it looked like, especially as the magic inside actually seemed to be making the color swirl. Normally if a gem was enchanted, you could see the rune or feel the magic without actually seeing any changes. But in this case, the magic inside actually appeared to…flow somehow, as if each pulse of magic from the enchantment was physically changing the coloration and structure of the gem.

It was like a ripple in a pond, where each wave moved a patter on algae into a new shape. That was the only way Twilight could think to describe it.

“When I was diagnosed, it was the first day of basic training. I was only eighteen at the time,” Right Word said, tapping the armor again, causing it to remold perfectly around the torc. “I had my first seizure right there on the training field, in front of Sparrow and my grandfather, no less. I thought my dream of becoming a guard, or anything really, was over. It was the worst day of my life, by far. But Sparrow had other ideas.

“I was put on bed leave, and three days later I was visited by the island’s best mental expert, Doctor Clear Mind. I don’t know how his magic works, even after all these years, but he worked with Sparrow to address my problem. I was pulled from the main physical training, but given all of the educational training while I waited for some hopefully good news. After a month, I was granted access to the castle’s Royal Forge to watch Sparrow create this torc through a specialized process know as Magical Smithing. It’s…well, I CAN’T explain it, but suffice to say it’s something only he can do.

“I can still remember that day,” he continued, his eyes closing as he smiled. “The way the magic in the air reverberated with each strike, the way the forge lit up with rainbow sparks with each clash of metal, the feeling of power as the pink flames of the Master Forge looked to respond and grow as he worked. And then, at the end, he had me place a small spark of my magic into the still red-hot torc, ensuring that it would always respond to me alone. It was an incredible experience.”

Pink flames?

“When he was done, I was given the torc as a gift,” Right Word said, opening his eyes again. “The enchantments in it actually block the seizures from happening so long as I wear it, which, of course, is now basically all the time since I rarely take it off. If the gem is green, it means it’s not holding anything back. If it’s yellow, it means that I will have a seizure if I take it off, but that the seizure is still weak enough that taking a special kind of medication will prevent it altogether. If it's red, then the medication won’t be enough, so I either need activate the ‘bleed off’ effect, which will give me a few smaller, weaker seizures to prevent a more powerful and dangerous one, or I need to find Sparrow or Clear Mind to cast a spell and get me back down into the yellow range.

“It was, and still is, a harmonysend for me,” Right Word said, smiling happily up towards the castle just outside the tree line. He took a deep breath before he began walking again, Twilight not far behind. “I would have never been able to pursue my dreams if it weren't for this torc, and I would have never have been so determined to become Sparrow’s next right-hoof stallion. I owe him so much, and even with the Equestrian Invasion, I still believe in him as a King.”

But you also know more about him than we do, including his motivations. So if his actions were actually justifiable, you would know but we still wouldn’t because no one tells us anything! And helping you with a medical condition doesn’t mean his invasion IS justified! The two actions are not mutually inclusive!

I agree. Good ponies can do bad things, and bad ponies can do good things. Thought I will admit, Sparrow helping Right Word may be a point in his favor, at least in showing that his compassion could be genuine. Thought he’s still a long way from earning my forgiveness.

Do you think Sparrow was genuine when he said that he had tried to find other methods of getting you to come to the island?
I don’t think I can rule that out yet, but I’m not at the point where I can just believe him based on words alone yet either. At the very least though, once things stabilize a bit, we should see if he’s willing to share his find with Equestria. Finding a way to stop or at least mitigate seizures is incredible! Just imagine how much good that could do if the technology was spread through Equestria!

It does raise the question of what else he can do…but doesn’t it also seem a bit, I don’t know, odd? Speedy Diamond has that odd bipolar disorder, and now Right Word has seizures. That means that roughly one-third of the ponies we’ve gotten to know on the island have some sort of unusual ailment. And four of them we didn’t even ask if they had such a condition.
It could be coincidence, especially given how six ponies isn’t a big sample size, but given how the island’s magic made you pass out…

It could be that the island’s magic could possibly be related to these negative effects! It is known that exposure to high quantities of unstable magic over long periods can result in negative health effects. Could that apply to this island’s magic as well? Though, actually, we can probably rule out my fainting after the teleportation. Given the massive distance, the level of shielding surrounding the island, and the unique nature of the magic, chances are that was more of a one-time incident rather than a negative long term heath effect.
Ugh, now I really wish I could read some of those books in the library. I doubt this kind of magic was ever tested in the studies I read on negative health effects related to magic, so I would love to see if similar studies have been conducted here. Though maybe Sturdy Sprout and Soft Wind could translate some related studies for me? Hmmm.

“Copper coin for your thoughts?” Right Word asked, pulling Twilight out of her mind.

I can ask about the island’s magic and its effects later. Right now I should probably focus on learning more about Sparrow.

And because if you get started on learning about their magic now, you’ll be at it all night, or at least until you pass out from exhaustion.

That was one time!

It was WAY more that one time! Remember when you woke up with your face covered in ink because you fell asleep on an unfinished scroll? Now that was silly.

“Just thinking,” Twilight said sheepishly, trying to ignore her brain’s teasing before taking a deep breath. “I am glad to hear that Sparrow was able to help you join the guard. Is that what you were referring to when you mentioned your relationship to him?”

“No, actually,” Right Word said, smiling again. “The truth is that I knew him personally ever since I was a foal, mostly because of my grandfather, Hidden Treasure.”

As they spoke, the two of them finally arrived at the large wooden doors of the castle. Twilight’s eyes traced the intricate carvings that covered the door as the passed through. The swirling design along the outer rim of the doors looked like some kind of writing, while the patterns along the doors themselves looked like leafy vines growing on a thick tree. It was beautifully designed, and…familiar? Had she seen a picture in the encyclopedia?

She couldn’t remember.

“See, my grandfather was actually Sparrow’s top advisor for years before I even considered joining the guard,” Right Word continued as they entered the castle. The inside was gently lit with glowing yellow gems, casting a calming aura across the lavish entrance way.

There was a large red rug running down a grand cobblestone staircase at the other side of the room, perfectly clean despite the amount of hoof-traffic Twilight had seen earlier. The hall was decorated in banners, orange ones with Sparrow’s cutie mark, and blue ones with a different cutie mark Twilight didn’t recognize. It showed an image of a constellation, golden lines connecting the stars until they created an image of two foals staring up at what Twilight could only assume was the North Star given it’s size and brightness compared to the stars that made up the foals.

It looked strangely captivating, and the longer Twilight stared at it, the more her worries for the future seemed to lessen.

“Beautiful, aren't they?” Right Word said. “Those blue banners are probably my favorite part of the entrance way.”

“They are pretty amazing," Twilight said, her eyes still tracing the banners as they walked. “What is that mark in the middle of them? What does it mean?”

“The mark itself is called the Puer Stella. As for it’s meaning, it is widely thought that the mark is meant to symbolize hope; that no mater how dark the night, no matter how bleak the circumstances, there will always be a light nearby, waiting to guide you. I’ve always found that looking at it does wonders for calming a troubled mind. Perhaps that’s why Sparrow put a small banner with that symbol in my hospital room after my first seizure. ”

“I can see what you mean,” Twilight said. “Just looking at them is…calming. I can see why you leave them up in such a prominent place.”

“Indeed,” Right Word said, smiling. “They have been hanging here for as long as I can remember.” Twilight smiled back without taking her eyes off the banners.

You do realize you interrupted him right? Her brain snarked, causing Twilight’s eyes to widen.

"Oh, I interrupted you, didn’t I?” Twilight said, finally looking away from the banners and chuckling in embarrassment. “You were talking about your grandfather?” Right word just chuckled.

“No need to worry. I still find myself distracted by the banners from time to time as well. As I was saying, my grandfather used to be Sparrow’s right-hoof pony before I took over for him. Every winter on Hearth’s Warming Eve, my family would come from across the island to come visit him and my grandmother. My first memories of this tradition were when I was four, and I clearly remember Hidden Treasure being a little late coming home.”

“And then, to my surprise, he arrives dragging King Sparrow into the house by his ear! Sparrow hadn’t had enough time to remove his crown and torc or even shrink himself down to a normal size, and he could barely even fit through the front door!”

Twilight couldn’t help but join in Right Word’s snickering at the idea of Sparrow nearly stuck in a doorframe. There was just something so ridiculous about such a tall and imposing figure in such a helpless situation.

But then Twilight realized something.

“Why was he there at all?” she asked, tilting her head in slight confusion. As she spoke, they made a right turn out of the main hallway and began to descend downwards on a gentle slope. “And, wait, sorry to interrupt again, but isn’t my room towards the top of the castle?”

“It is, but this way will allow us to skip most of the stairs. You’ll see what I mean when we get there,” Right Word said, maintaining his smile, though it became rather muted.

“As for why Sparrow was at our house…He is an alicorn, Twilight. Despite all his time and how much the ponies of the island love him, he is still alone in a sense. He will outlive everyone he meets, and he has no family to speak of outside of mine.”

“Outside of yours?”

“Through genealogy records, my family was able to confirm that we are distantly related to Sparrow through blood. His father had a sister, and she had one son. Fast forward two thousand years, you get me, the youngest in the sister’s bloodline and the latest in a long tradition of right-hoof stallions and mares for the King.”

They’re actually related? I…actually wouldn’t have guessed that.

“Every time Sparrow’s last advisor retires, he invites everyone on the island to participate in a competition to see who will become his next advisor. They can be from any profession, and there are only two requirements, really. An advisor cannot have a violent criminal record, though nonviolent crimes do not disqualify somepony so long as they have not committed another crime in the last two years, and that they must be willing to come live in Oasis to serve him. While there have been some advisors not from my family, at least eighty-percent over the last thousand years have actually been from my family line.

“Regardless of who the advisor is, however, they have an unspoken extra task come Hearth’s Warming. The attack on our people actually happened only two days before Hearth’s Warming, and as such the date is forever tainted for Sparrow. If not forced to attend a gathering of family or friends, he will simply sit in the castle library, losing himself in the world of fiction novels so that he no longer needs to face reality. It only gets worse if he manages to acquire Arbor Moonshine, at which point he is likely to drink himself into unconsciousness with only a few safety spells to ensure he doesn’t cause himself any permanent damage.”

Ok, that’s actually kind of depressing. Not even you were THAT bad before you met the girls.

Gee, thanks.

Twilight rolled her eyes at her brain. As she did, the ground leveled out again, taking them into what looked like a large underground tunnel. Right Word immediately made a left at the junction and Twilight followed.

“Even when my family was not directly advising him, we would get in contact with the pony who was and ensure that he is with family on Hearth’s Warming, no matter how distantly related. In the case I mentioned earlier, Sparrow was being difficult and refusing to come, so my grandfather had to improvise…with hilarious results. I can just imaging the confused looks everypony gave Hidden Treasure as he dragged Sparrow down the street by his ear.”

“If you’re related to him, how do you view him? In terms of family, I mean. And is that why you mentioned your relationship with him?”

“Yes. See, to me, Sparrow was always more of a silly uncle than a king. Somepony there to tell jokes, dramatically retell stories from long ago, someone to pelt with snowballs. Somepony to fall asleep on, to go to when I was afraid. Ever since that night, to me he was just a part of the family. Not some ruler sitting in a castle all day, not some perfect figure or deity above the rest of us. Just a normal pony. I actually still view him that way often, especially during the holidays, though not as much as when I was a foal.

“It was…actually quite jarring to be selected as his next advisor. At first I thought I needed to put aside our relationship and simply be his advisor, something made even more difficult by the fact that I didn’t even have my cutie mark when I began. Yet almost immediately, I found that this wasn’t the case.

“Being his top advisor isn’t just about obeying him or providing guidance. It’s about being his closest friend. Somepony for him to talk to, somepony to be there when he needs you, somepony for him to confide in with his many worries and fears. Despite his appearance, Sparrow IS still a pony, and there have been plenty of times I have been there to just enjoy the day with him…or to comfort him when the stress of the world just becomes too much to bear.”

“That makes quite a bit of sense actually. Celestia’s assistant Raven Inkwell always seemed to treat Celestia more as a friend whenever she was off duty, and Celestia always referred to her as a friend as well,” Twilight said, smiling at the memory of the three of them sharing tea after a long day of magic lessons.

“Exactly. Actually, that was how I earned my cutie mark. Shortly after my appointment, we received word that a rouge griffon mercenary band was planning to attack the students of Celestia’s Gifted School of Unicorns on their camping trip.”

“Wait, you don’t mean the trip ten years ago, do you?!” Twilight said, her eyes going wide. She remembered that trip, how excited she was to go and learn about all the interesting plant species at the base of Canterlot’s mountain. But she didn’t remember anything even resembling an attack!

If Sparrow was involved, that might be why.

But that means he was watching me for at least TEN YEARS! I know he said he was watching me for quite a while, but I didn’t think he meant for that long! Does that mean I’ve been in danger from this shadow creature for almost ten years and I never even realized it!?

“Yes indeed. We learned afterwards that they were planning this attack for a good three months, but that they had stepped up their preparation efforts when they learned that Celestia’s private student would be there. It was a ransom target they couldn’t resist, and seeing how they were operating in Equestria illegally anyway, they didn’t seem to be all to concerned with what the consequences of their actions might have been.

“Regardless, we stopped them, and your trip continued without interruption.”

“But does that mean he's been watching me for more than ten years?! How long has he been watching me?!” Twilight asked.

“As far as I know, he has been watching you since before I joined,” Right Word said. “But the exact length of time is something you would need to ask him about. I would say at least twelve years as of now, but it could be more. Do you have any other questions before I continue?”

“Does that mean that I was in danger for at least twelve years? That my friends in family were in danger too?” Twilight asked anxiously, only to blink in surprise when Right Word shook his head.

"No, you were not in any significant danger. My understanding is that the creature that attacked you was unaware of your existence until only a few weeks ago. I personally don’t know how it found you, but I do know that had you remained undiscovered, we would have never needed to bring you to the island in the first place.”

But then why didn't Sparrow just say that in the first place? And that still doesn't explain why he wants to marry you.

I don’t know. And given Sparrow reluctance to talk about it, I doubt Right Word can tell me.

It never hurts to ask.

“But then why did he bring me here to marry me?” Twilight asked, agreeing with her brain.

“Sparrow has asked me not to tell you that, unfortunately,” Right Word said with a sigh. “But I can tell you that I think you deserve to know, and that I will try to convince Sparrow to explain things soon.”

“But why doesn't he want to tell me?”

“Actually, he wants to explain things, very much so, but he is afraid to as well, almost to the point of inaction. All I can ask is that you give him some time. Did you have any other questions before I continue my story?” Right Word asked.

Twilight shook her head. She could let this issue lie, at least for now.

“Ok then. After we stopped the griffin attack, we then discretely turned them and the evidence of their plans over to the Canterlot royal guards. However, regardless of how well prepared we were and how successful we were at stopping this attack, the entire situation still shook Sparrow.

“He has always been concerned for your safety, but this small attack would have been the first time you were even in any real danger had we not prevented it. Because of this, he began having nightmares about what might happen if you were ever hurt. He has spent many years hunting that creature that attacked you, but now he began to worry if something far less dangerous might slip through the cracks. It was driving him to exhaustion, especially given the increased workload he had to deal with here on the island due to a drought and a mass infestation of parasprites.”

“So what happened?” Twilight asked.

“I got this feeling in my chest. I couldn’t explain it, but I somehow just knew I needed to say something to him. So I threw a bucket of water on him in the middle of one of his panic attacks,” Right Word said. “When he finally recovered from the shock, he asked me one question. ‘Why?’

“And so I told him: ‘Twilight is Princess Celestia’s student, likely the most powerful unicorn of her generation, and a prodigy. Everything we know says she can defend herself if need be. She may not be ready to fight your greatest enemy at this point, but she CAN handle anything else Canterlot can throw at her. You know she can, otherwise you would be by her side right at this moment rather than wearing a groove in the floor.”

Quite the compliment for your skills.

“I don’t know where the words came from, but they did the trick. That little speech was just what Sparrow needed. He admitted to me that he may have been getting a bit paranoid, to which I just raised an eyebrow. He laughed, then thanked me in earnest, saying I really did have a way with words.

“And that’s when my cutie mark appeared. A comment bubble with three periods, signifying my talent for knowing just what to say to somepony in need of a little hope.”

“Did it help you make Fluttershy feel better?” Twilight asked, remembering her conversation with the shy mare over the orb a few days ago.

Any painful feelings over missing her friends were halted when Right Word nearly tripped over nothing.

“No, er, well yes, um, maybe, I-I mean I just needed her help with the fox and the tent and she looked so nervous and much more beau—relaxed when she saw the fox so I tried to help because it was my—our fault that she was so upset and—” Right Word hastily tried to explain with a bright red blush.

Twilight struggled to hold back her snickers.

Looks like Fluttershy’s crush might not be one-sided.

We should tell Cadence about this. She would have a field day!

Agreed. Though maybe we should wait until things settle down. Or at least until Equestria and Delubrum are more open to one another. I’d hate for a possible relationship to suffer due to stress between the two countries. Equestria especially will likely need time for everypony to calm down after the invasion.

And Right Word likely can’t go see her because he has a job to do here on the island and because the rest of your friend would likely recognize him given how much they playfully teased Fluttershy. Good point.

“A-Anyway, yes, my talent involves the ability to know what ponies need to hear to help them overcome what is bothering them. It certainly helps with my role as Sparrow’s advisor.” Right Word said, his blush beginning to recede as he took a few calming breaths.

It sounds like it would, Twilight thought, her mind drifting back to all Right Word had told her. If Sparrow’s job really was so stressful, then it would be good to have someone nearby to help keep him in the right mind.

“Does that happen often? The panic attacks, I mean?” she asked quietly as they continued to traverse the castle halls. She had barely even noticed where they were going.

“In the last few years, yes, though in most cases it is just bouts of worry that don’t quite classify as a panic attack, at least according to the royal doctor,” Right Word said, briefly glancing at her before looking forward again. “Nightmare Moon, Discord, Changelings, Tirek… Many things have happened these last few years. There have even been events beyond Equestria’s boarders, such as the rise of the Storm King and the attack on the Hippogriff home, or the near civil war of the Minotaur tribes. All were resolved and disaster averted, but events like these have been rather rare up until now.

“In truth, I don't think it could be a coincidence that all of this was happening now, and all over the course of a few years. It’s just too unlikely, and Sparrow thinks so as well. Such is the reason why all of these events currently weigh on Sparrow’s mind, even if they have already been resolved.”

“Are you saying all those events could be related to the shadow…THING?” Twilight asked, shivering slightly.

“It is certainly possibly. Especially when it comes to the Storm King. We are nearly certain that the creature that attacked you played a role in his rise to power.

Who the heck is the Storm King?

I-I don’t know, but I’m actually a bit afraid to even ask! I mean, we saw how that THING possessed the royal guards and made them attack me, but how much worse was it for this Storm King guy? And if he was capable of raising a force strong enough that Sparrow saw fit to intervene, how evil was he? Oh Celestia, what would have happened if Sparrow hadn’t stopped him? What if he had attacked Equestria!?

Whoa whoa whoa, calm down, girl! It’s ok! Regardless of who he was or what the THING did to him, it’s over now. Sparrow stopped him, and nothing good will come from freaking yourself out over what the Storm King MIGHT have done. Just take a deep breath and relax. Ok?

I, ok, your right, Twilight thought, taking a few deep breaths to stem her panic. It is over. I don’t need to worry about it, and if I am curious about what exactly happened later, I can ask and see if they will tell me what happened. Thank’s brain.

No problem. Thought, now that I think about it, I still wonder why Sparrow came for you now. If he brought you here to keep you safe, then why did he wait until AFTER you fought two demigods, a mad king, a mad queen, a unicorn who nearly broke time, and a centaur who stole all of Equestria’s magic? Wouldn’t one of those things make him panicky enough to intervene before now? And if he was willing to stop a mad king from attacking the Hippogriffs, whatever those are, why wasn’t he willing to stop the Changelings or King Sombra?

That’s a good questions, especially if he’s been watching me for years beforehoof. He had to have know about everything crazy that’s happened to me in that time. So why didn’t he help me in any of those fights? Or rescue me when me and the girls got kidnapped!

“Ah, here we are,” Right Word said, pulling Twilight back to the real world. While she had been distracted by her brain, they had emerged into a large room roughly five hundred hooves across. It was cast in a bright blue light and had three more hallways connecting to it, like a hub of sorts, or a junction.

The room was perfectly circular, and along the perimeter of the room were a number of glowing, perfectly circular floor plates. What was strange was that each floor plate was located directly next to a long, smooth tunnel that stretched out further that Twilight could see, each of which was covered with a see-through orange shield. Some floor plates were not located next to a tunnel, but were instead located directly below one of the many large holes in the roof of the room that were also covered in orange shields.

Some of the tunnels didn’t appear to have a floor plate next to it or below it, but there still appeared to be a gap in the floor that could easily fit a floor plate. In comparison to the normal tunnels, these tunnels with gaps next to them had shields that extended out from the wall to cover the blank section of stone, sealing off the area where a floor plate looked to normally go. Looking more closely at the tunnels, Twilight also realized that each one went at a different angle. Some went perfectly horizontal, some went nearly straight up, and a few even went down further into the ground.

How exactly are we supposed to get you our room from here?

I…don’t know. Twilight thought, looking around.

Aside from the tunnels and the glowing floor plates, the room didn’t appear to be very different from the hallway they had just exited, save for how busy it was. Ponies walked to and fro, carrying everything from fresh linens to armor and weapons.

As Twilight watched, an earth pony in a rather fancy-looking uniform stepped out onto one of the plates. Immediately, the center of the plate rose up, projecting a magical screen just a few inches above the plate. The pony reached out with their hoof and tapped the screen a few times, and it flashed green three times. Suddenly, an orange barrier appeared, surrounding the floor plate and the stallion to form a perfect cylinder before the entire plate began rising into the air. It rose towards the ceiling, and the shield blocking the circular hole directly above the floor plate vanished a few seconds before the floor plate slid perfectly into it, disappearing from sight.

“Magic elevators!” Twilight cried, her mouth splitting into a wide smile. All elevators in Equestria were still mechanical in some form or another, but these one were fully magical!

Oh, this was AMAZING!

What kind of spells do they use? Where is the power source? Internal, or somewhere in the walls? How are they able to go at so many different angles? Do they only go around the castle, or do some of them go to other places like the town too? OH, could some actually lead to to the outer wall surrounding the city? If so, could they have been made to help provide the wall with quick reinforcements? Oh! That pony just disappeared in a flash! ARE THEY TELEPORTERS TOO!?!?!?

So. Many. QUESTIONS!!!

Down, girl. You are literally drooling over these elevators now.

Twilight was going to tell her brain she wasn’t, only to realize that she very much was.

Ok, if I’m drooling over elevators, I think that’s my cue to go to sleep as soon as I get back to my room.

Agreed.

“They are rather impressive, I agree,” Right Word said, passing her a tissue before walking out toward the center of a room where a plate twice the size of the others sat. Twilight quickly wiped the drool off her chin and followed, her eyes still darting around excitedly. “These elevators were created generations ago as a means of quick transportation anywhere within the castle. They are reserved for castle staff and guards only, but allow us to move quickly throughout the castle when displacement isn’t an option, such as when we need to transport weapons or armor or need to go to a high-security area. They also can teleport us to the outer wall if need be.”

Good guess about them being connected to the outer wall.

Thank you, brain.

“Can you explain how their enchantments work?” Twilight asked eagerly as they stepped onto the large plate. The entire thing glowed orange as Right Word stepped onto it, then blue as Twilight stepped onto it. Right Word raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t say anything about it.

“I’m afraid these are beyond my comprehension,” Right Word said, placing his hoof on the center of the plate. His hoof flashed orange twice, before a loud click sounded from below and the plate immediately began to lift straight up towards the celling as an orange shield formed around them. “Sparrow might know, and I know the schematics are still located in the royal library, but I’m afraid I have never had a chance to look at them.”

“I’ll have to look at them later then. These things are incredible,” Twilight said, nodding confidently as they rose up through the castle. The lift was almost perfectly smooth, to the point that if the walls hadn’t been passing them by, she might not have even realized they were moving at all.

After about a minute, the plate came to a gentle stop and the shield disappeared. They now stood in a very fancy hallway. The red rug covering the length of the hallway looked of a much higher quality than the one in the entranceway, and was covered in orange and blue swirling designs that looked almost like an aurora borealis. At the ends of the hall were two staircases, each going down. The side where the plate was located had ten suits of armor in each direction, each far fancier than anything the guards wore. Even Right Word’s armor couldn’t compare.

And then there were the doors. In front of them stood a large set of double doors even Sparrow at full size could have walked through with ease. They were perfectly white with an elaborate golden crown decoration in the center of each. The left door had a handle made of an orange topaz while the right door’s handle was made of a large sapphire, and both were sculpted in an intricate curved design.

Overall, it was a work of art.

How much do you think a door like this cost?

Not now, brain.

“Is this Sparrow’s room?” Twilight asked, stepping off the elevator as she stared up at the magnificent door.

“…No,” Right Word said, with obvious hesitation. “His room is down the hall to the left, and yours is down the hall to the right.”

He started to walk down the right hall, away from the large double doors.

Twilight blinked, before looking down the left hall. Sure enough, there was an orange door down to the left of the elevator about two-thirds of the way to the staircase leading down, though Twilight couldn’t make out the specific details. She could, however, tell that the door was smaller than the grand ones before her.

For a reason Twilight couldn’t explain, it felt…odd that the doors in front of her were not for Sparrow’s room. That he was still down to the left of the fancy doors while she was down to the right of the fancy doors. After all, why wouldn’t the King of the island sleep in the best bedroom in the castle?

Another mystery for another day…

Twilight turned to the right and walked after Right Word, who had stopped partway to her room, waiting for her to catch up.

“Here we are,” he said, nodding towards the door at the end of the hall. It was a deep sapphire blue with golden trimming around the outer edge and a golden door handle.

That was all Twilight saw as her eyes were drawn up above the door. At the top of the frame, surrounded by more gold, was an image. An image that perfectly matched the ones on the blue banners downstairs!

That’s the Puer Stella!

You’re right! What the hay? Why is the image on the banners engraved about our room’s door!?

How would I know? Maybe Sparrow put it there to try and make me feel better? Right Word did say that Sparrow put a small banner in his room after his first seizure, and that the symbol is meant to inspire hope.

But then why would he engrave it outside your door rather than just hang a banner in your room?

Twilight would have tried to answer, or even ask Right Word, but her response was cut off by a large, loud yawn. And like a switch being flipped, she realized just how tired she truly was.

Her legs were aching again, her eyes were drooping, and her thoughts were already beginning to slow.

No clue, but I am really in no shape to worry about it right now.

Maybe you burned a little bit too much energy squealing over the elevators. As much as I want to learn about this door and why the Puer Stella is above it, I agree. It can wait for tomorrow. We’ve had a loooooong day.

Agreed. Tomorrow. I can worry about it all tomorrow, she thought as she turned her attention back to the door itself. Right Word’s lifted his hoof-guard to the door, which glowed a gentle blue, clicked, and swung open gently.

“Per standard protocol, these doors require magic to open,” Right Word explained. “Your natural magic is keyed to the unlocking spell, so you need simply touch the door to open it. You can also push the ruby on the inside door handle to temporarily disable the spell should you want your door to remain unlocked. Also, Spike’s room is one floor below us. Simply follow the stairs to your right down one floor and it will be the first door on your right. We marked it with his name for your convenience.” He opened the door and led her inside.

Twilight could see that it was indeed the same room she had woken up in, nothing having changed since that morning save for the door to the balcony being closed, the blinds pulled shut, and the books from the library neatly stacked on the desk next to the open book. What was amazing, though, was that the room wasn’t completely dark. The ceiling must have been enchanted as well, as the room was currently cast in gentle twinkling light of the consolations painted above her. Each star twinkled just like it did in the real night sky, every constellation matching its real-sky counterpart perfectly.

It was beautiful.

At least until Right Word flicked a switch, casting the room in a gentle yellow light from the golden gems lining the walls. Twilight blinked as her eyes adjusted again, and Right Word stepped up and gestured towards the wall next to the door.

Looking where he was pointing, Twilight saw a purple amethyst and a green emerald embedded in the wall, each surrounded by a golden frame similar to the ones in the bathtub.

“These gems are communication devices. The amethyst can be used to call room service or a maid should you need them. If the pony who responds can’t help, they will be able to find somepony who can. The emerald is to call for the guards. Pushing it once will allow you to talk with a guard should you need an escort into town or somewhere outside the city.

“Should you be in danger and can’t talk or have a medical emergency, simply push it twice in rapid succession to initiate an SOS. You can also yell ‘SOS’ or send a magic blast at it to trigger it. There is also a similar emerald in your bathroom and on the side of your night stand, just in case you cannot reach this one. I doubt you will need it, but it is better to be safe then sorry.”

Quite impressive security. We should have them try and upgrade Canterlot Castle at one point. Celestia knows how much safer they could make that castle.

Later…Twilight thought at her brain as she let out another titanic yawn. The bed looked oh so inviting.

“Thank you, Right Word,” Twilight said, finishing her yawn. “I look forward to seeing you in the future.”

“As do I, Princess,” Right Word said with a smile. Twilight rolled her eyes as Right Word turned to leave. However, he stopped just before closing the door. “Twilight…”

“Yes?”

“I know you still have mixed feelings about Sparrow—”

No kidding.

“But despite how biased I may be, I want you to know that I think he did what was right, and that I would have done the same thing had I been in his position. I’m sorry I can’t tell you why I know that, but trust me, he isn’t nearly as bad as you think. Just give him a chance. He’s far more nervous than he lets on, and if you can show that you trust him, even just a little bit, it will make him all the more willing to share his secrets with you.

“You will get your answers. Of that, I can guarantee.”

And with that, he closed the door.

Well, that’s dramatic. And I’m pretty sure you deserve answers even if you don’t trust him.

Ok, seriously brain. You’re right, but please stop and just let me sleep! I don’t need to be thinking about this all night!

I will stop once you’re in bed—

Twilight flipped off the light switch, then took a flying leap using whatever strength she had left and crashed into the bed and mountain of pillows with a ‘poomf.’

There, now shush, Twilight grumbled as she tried to get under the covers. This bed was so soft, and the blankets were so fluffy Twilight nearly fell asleep right there. But though some great effort, she managed to climb under the covers and prop her head up on a single pillow depicting an ocean town before the world truly began to fade.

At the same time…

Sparrow stared down at the burlap sack in his hoof as he lay in bed.

He had bathed, gotten dry, and then stalled for nearly forty-five minutes.

He was a King, a ruler, and one of the strongest creatures in this world. Yet he couldn’t face the sleeping world without fear of what may lie within.

Oh, Star. This was always so much easier with you beside me.

Acting before he lost his nerve, he pulled out a small bundle of medicine wrapped in a large leaf and tied with a bow of grass and immediately swallowed it. It was bland, but far better than the horribly bitter medicine contained within.

He downed a glass of water, put the bag back on his nightstand, and laid back. He could feel the medicine already escaping its unusual container and spreading throughout his stomach, numbing everything as the world itself ceased to exist.

Author's Note

And so ends Twilight's first day on the island. And oh my gosh this took a while to write.

Sorry about that, but I really wanted to make sure I could give everyone the character development they needed before closing the day out. I think it turned out rather well, no doubt thanks to the wonderful editing of my glorious fiancee/editor. Thank you again my angel :twilightsmile:

And as always, there are some things you should keep an eye on in this chapter. I won't say what for fear of spoilers, but I'm guessing everyone will be able to identify at least one interesting detail when it comes to the Royal Forge.

I hope you enjoy it and I will see you all next time :rainbowdetermined2:

Chapter 9: The Trade Festival

Once Twilight and Spike had left Spike’s room and spoken to Silent Sky, the pegasus agreed to escort them to the trade fair. With Spike riding on Twilight’s back for ease of transport, they set off down the busy corridor.

Left at the first turn, straight at the second and third intersections, right at the armor set with the giant four-leaf clover, Twilight thought to herself as they walked through the halls. It might take some time, but hopefully she would be able to learn how to navigate the hallways on her own relatively quickly. She always hated wasting other ponies’ time at Canterlot Castle when she had first started her lessons with Princess Celestia just because she didn’t know where she was.

Remember that time you got so lost you accidentally ended up outside the dungeons your first week as Celestia’s student? All because you refused to admit you were completely lost?

Please don’t remind me, brain, Twilight groaned. She could still remember how freaked out she had been as she just became more and more lost. It wasn’t an experience she wanted to repeat. At least if she did get truly lost here in the castle, there would likely be somepony she could ask for directions or assistance, especially of all the rooms had those communication gems like her room had.

And worst-case scenario, Sparrow could use the ring she still wore to find her. A small blessing for something she would still rather not think about.

I wonder if there is a spell that could let you talk to Sparrow over the ring if you needed help. Though imagine if he panicked because he thought you were in trouble, but you were just lost looking for the kitchen?

Twilight did have to admit that would be a silly scenario, though it would also probably be a bit too mean to freak him out like that. Whatever she may think of him, she knew he was genuinely concerned for her safety, after that pony with the awful curse had attacked her, so making him think she was in danger just seemed a bit too…cruel.

Even with everything else he had done.

A few more turns and they arrived at another magical elevator, one much smaller than the one Twilight and Right Word had used the night before.

“What’s that?” Spike asked, looking down at the circular platform as Twilight stepped onto it. Just like last night, the ring immediately turned from orange to blue once Twilight stepped onto it. “Whoa! Is that supposed to happen?”

“It’s a magic elevator,” Twilight said. “Right Word had us use one last night, and he made it sound like they could be found all over the castle. That one turned blue too, though I’m not sure why. Maybe it turns blue when it’s about to move or when it has reached some kind of weight limit? Silent Sky, do you know?”

“I understand it to a small extent, Princess,” Silent Sky said, pushing a button on the wall. A forcefield appeared behind them and the ring began moving down at a diagonal. “Specifically, I know two ponies who cause a similar reaction on the elevators. My theory is that something about a pony's individual magic causes the change in color, though I don't know why it only happens for some ponies and not others.”

“Still, it’s pretty cool,” Spike said with a grin. “I wonder if it would turn green if I stood on it by myself. Or maybe purple!”

“It would be interesting to see if reacts to dragon magic the same way it reacts to pony magic,” Silent Sky said as the elevator shifted to going completely forward, and then went straight down a moment later.

Twilight was about to ask if any dragons lived on the island but was cut off when the stone in front of them was suddenly replaced with windows, allowing the three of them to look out across the city as they continued their decent.

Whoa.

Both Twilight and her brain had the same thought at the same time, and Spike let out an impressed whistle. The sprawling city lay before them, clearly packed with far more ponies than the day before. Even at this height, Twilight could see the numerous new stalls that had been set up overnight. Some were large and looked to be run by multiple ponies of all races, while others were small but still clearly visible thanks to fancy displays or large signs that Twilight was certain she would have been able to read even from here had they not been written in Labyrin.

But it wasn’t just the stands that were new. Colorful decorations had been hung up around the town as well, streamers and balloons and wide colorful banners and even wacky-waving-inflatable-leg-tube-ponies. As they continued to descend, Twilight could see the roads between the castle and the inner wall were decorated too. Peering closer, she saw that the stands inside the inner wall were different too. Carnival games, fried food stands, even a few play areas for foals were set up and well in use. If the roads surrounding the inner wall were full of ponies selling their wares, then inside the inner wall was a carnival for families to enjoy as the trade fair carried on.

Twilight could nearly feel the festive spirit in the air. The joy, excitement, and hope that filled everypony’s hearts as they came together, as they met up with others from across the island to just enjoy the day. It was incredible that even a weekly event like this could pull in such a crowd that Canterlot would only see on holidays like Hearth’s Warming.

And even before she got outside, Twilight just knew that this was a special day for everypony involved.

I’m so glad Spike wanted to go to the trade fair.

Me too, Twilight thought just as the elevator’s front view was once again blocked by stone as it began to descend backwards towards the castle’s interior.

“That looked awesome!” Spike cheered, pulling Twilight out of her thoughts. “Is it always that busy, Silent Sky?”

“Yes, it is,” the guard said with a small smile. “Ponies come from all over the island to participate in Trade Day. It’s an old tradition back from when the island first became united under a single rule, both a way to share what we have created, and a way celebrate our unity as a single people. It used to be a yearly tradition, but it became more frequent once the portal gates were installed.”

“What’s a portal gate?” Twilight asked, her curiosity rising.

“Have you seen those large arches along the outer wall?” Silent Sky asked. Twilight and Spike nodded. “Those are not merely for decoration, Princess. They are gates that connect to another location on the island. All you must do is step through the gate, and you will come out underneath its partner elsewhere on Delebrum. The large gates you can see along the wall are connected to the major cities across the island, though there are also a number of smaller gates in those cities linking to towns and other small settlements across the island.”

“That’s incredible!” Twilight gasped, barely able to keep herself from bouncing excitedly in place. “The amount of energy they must take must be extreme, but the convenience, the ability to move goods and ponies from one place to another could completely revolutionize other countries! It could make the Equestrian Train System nearly obsolete!”

“Here we go,” Spike said, his tone of voice clearly indicating that he was both smiling and rolling his eyes at the same time. “I see a few research papers on those portals alone happening in the near future. Just don’t forget to eat this time, ok Twilight?”

Twilight turned to give him a mock glare, but all she got was a quick boop from Spike’s uninjured claw.

He’s right, you know. But then again, a nice research paper might be a good way to relieve some stress, so long as you don’t overdo it again. And don’t you give me that look! We BOTH know you have a tendency to overdo it when it comes to researching new magic. Remember the transfiguration spell?

Yes, I remember, Twilight internally groaned. At least there’s no chance of me switching my friend’s cutie marks again just by looking at some portals.

…I really hope you didn’t just jinx yourself.

Not helping, brain!

“Why do you need such big portals anyway?” Spike asked, pulling Twilight back to the real world.

“For…evacuation,” Silent Sky said, his tone suddenly somber.

Twilight blinked in surprise, and her lingering excitement quickly chilled in her chest.

“What? What do you mean ‘evacuation?’” she said before she could stop herself.

“The portals’ original purpose was for evacuation,” Silent Sky said, releasing a sad sigh. “If the island came under attack, everypony could flee through them into the capital city, which is the most defended city on the island. And in the event of a sudden or island-wide emergency, a team of specialized ponies can activate an emergency spell built into the gates themselves, which will automatically teleport everypony within range of the portals back to Oasis. Said spell is also able to identify hostile creatures and avoid teleporting them, as well as teleport injured ponies to a staging area at the nearby hospital. Worst-case scenario, the portals teleport everypony, and then the ones outside the city explode as a way to try and damage an enemy force.”

“Has that function ever been used?”

“Once,” Silent said, his eyes moving downwards. Twilight recognized the signs of grief and worry written across his features. It was the same feeling she had whenever her friends were accompanying her into danger. But why would a safety feature of the portals elicit such emotions?

Silent Sky took a deep breath, before letting it out slowly, just like Twilight tended to do when stressed. He then nodded to himself, before he spoke again. “The only time this spell was use was on the darkest day of our island’s history,” he said, his voice full of sadness. “Our entire island was overcome with an enemy force. All of the nine other cities were almost completely destroyed, and it is only thanks to the portals that the number of ponies lost was so low. The cities were rebuilt, but it does not make their destruction any less harrowing of a tale.”

The attack on the island! It MUST be!

I can’t imagine what else it could be.

“Well, THAT’S not ominous or anything,” Spike said after a few seconds, sounding a bit worried.

“My apologies,” Silent Sky said with a small bow as the elevator began to pass by another window. He looked at the bustling crowds, and Twilight saw his melancholy state quickly begin to ease as a few happy shouts of laughter sounded through the glass. It made her smile, too. Something about the bright colors and excited noises made the grim history suddenly feel abstract and far away, and she was glad to see Silent more relaxed.

“I did not mean to unnerve you,” Silent continued as the window turned into stone again. “The incident in question happened a very long time ago. Since then, the portals have only been used for domestic transport and helping our different cities remain connected to one another. They are quite useful should you ever want to spend your days off exploring the island.”

“They certainly sound useful,” Twilight agreed, thinking carefully. She hadn’t meant to bring up such painful memories for Silent Sky, and she was more than happy to talk about something, anything, more pleasant, but there was there was one more question on her mind. Something she felt she had to know, just in case. Surely if she was gentle and picked the right words, it wouldn’t trigger any more bad feelings for Silent Sky?

“If, for…whatever reason, this emergency teleport was to be used again, would there be enough room in the city for everypony on the island?” she asked. Logic told her no, but there was something else, something in her heart that told her Sparrow had a plan.

“There would,” Silent Sky said as the elevator began to slow down, and thankfully, he didn’t look upset at all at her continuing the conversation. “Not only are there a large number of underground bunkers around Oasis in case of just such an occurrence, but the castle and the areas of the inner wall also have plenty of room to help house ponies while the crisis is being resolved. Thankfully, such an event will hopefully never happen thanks to the shield that protects the island.”

The elevator came to a stop and he gave a warm smile.

“Now, how about we go enjoy Trade Day?”

A short while later…

Twilight was smiling. Not just on the outside, but inside as well. For the first time since her arrival, things actually felt at least somewhat normal. Her questions, her worries, her homesickness, all of it just seemed to disappear under the intensely festive atmosphere that surrounded them.

Once they had stepped out of the open doors of the castle, they had immediately been swept up into the festival. Ponies had waved and yelled out greeting as they moved. Foals had come running up to see her – ‘a real Equestrian princess!’ they cried, and they were so cute that Twilight decided not to ask what ‘a fake Equestrian princess’ was – asking an endless stream of questions before being pulled away by their parents with gentle apologies. Vendors offered her a free sample of their wares or a free try at one of the many games set up, something she and Spike were more than willing to give a try.

It was a strange balance, being welcomed both as a princess and as a regular member of the community.
And the welcomes. Even if it was only brief, so many ponies had come up just to say hi and to welcome her and Spike to the island. While Twilight could still feel the pang of homesickness in her chest, there was so much here that reminded her of the good things as well. The fair was so full of smiles and laughter that it felt almost like a party, a party that Pinkie would have been proud of. Rainbow and Applejack would have gotten a kick out of the various foods on display while Rarity would have swooned over the numerous crafting and jewelry stands. Even Fluttershy would have loved to explore the petting zoo set up on the castle grounds and to see the different tropical animals scattered around.

The memory did sting, a bit, but there was just something so magical about feeling the way she did so many times back in Ponyville. To experience that joy, that sense of home that she thought she might never have felt again. To feel that sense of belonging to a community, of being connected to those around you in a way that you would have never thought possible.

It was the same feeling that Twilight had felt all those years ago when she discovered just how much her friends meant to her.

A feeling that she was accepted, that she was somewhere full of ponies who wanted to get to know her – the REAL her. It reminded her of that spark she had felt inside her very being, the one that had allowed her to harness the power of the Elements of Harmony. Even if she was far from those who had helped her originally discover that spark, the memories this festival brought out reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

And that gave her hope for the future.

Even the lingering traces of weakness she had felt the day before were barely noticeable as she moved through the fair. They had arrived outside the inner wall, and Twilight could feel her eyes trying to take in more information that physically possible as they danced between the numerous signs and stalls. So many different items on display, so many different ponies speaking in both Equestrian and Labyrin, she could practically feel the electricity in the air, energizing her into exploring as much as possible.

Spike was the same way, constantly shifting on her back as he tried to get a good look at everything around them. He would frequently tap the top of her head to point something out, bouncing happily and talking fast, clearly just as excited as Twilight was. And how could they not be? From crops to furniture to books to decorations and décor and gems and minerals…there were so many different items on offer Twilight didn’t even know where to begin.

“Can we look at those gems?” Spike asked, pulling Twilight away from a beautiful set of water paintings to see what he was pointing at. Sure enough, a blue pegasus was offering a number of different gems of different sizes at his stand. Some were small enough to fit on Twilight’s crown, while others were bigger than Twilight’s head! But what caught Twilight’s interest the most was the pony’s leg.

The lower two-thirds of his right leg were a much darker blue than the rest of his body. At first she thought that perhaps it was some sort of prosthetic, yet as she, Spike, and Silent Sky moved closer, she could tell that this was not the case. The way it moved, the uneven distribution along the pony’s leg, even the fact that Twilight could swear she could see veins running underneath its surface made it clear that this was no simple, or even highly advanced, prothesis.

In fact, it seemed like the pony’s leg was…pure sapphire.

Could this…be another strange condition? Like Right Word’s seizures?

I don’t know. Hopefully it won’t be rude if we ask about it.

“Whoa! Cool leg!” Spike blurted out, making Twilight actively try not to facehoof.

As subtle as ever, her brain happily chirped.

Not now, brain.

“It is, isn’t it?” the pegasus said, smiling and making a point to show it off as he finished helping his customer. “You wouldn’t think having your leg slowly turn into crystal would be a good thing, but it does have its benefits.”

“It—what?” Twilight asked, her words of apology dying on her lips as her brain skipped a beat. “I mean, WHAT!?”

The pegasus just laughed and nodded to what looked to be his assistant behind the stand. The young unicorn nodded back and smoothly took over helping another nearby customer.

“Nothing to worry about, Princess Twilight, I assure you! Just a little side effect gem-mancers like myself need to put up with. I take it you haven’t been told about the city of Smaragdus yet?”

Twilight shook her head, still struggling to get her mind back on track of the pony’s leg was slowly turning into CRYSTAL.

“What’s a gem-mancer? And a Smaragdus?” Spike asked, shifting so he could get a good look at the pegasus and his stock of gems. “Oh, and I’m Spike. What’s your name?”

“Clear Cut’s the name, and being a gem-mancer is my game,” the pegasus replied with a small bow. “Smaragdus is the name of the city I hail from: better know as The City of Gems. As for what gem-mancy is, well, why don’t I just show you?”

As he spoke, Clear Cut picked up a small purple gem from his selection and balanced it on his crystalline hoof. His face scrunched up in a bout of concentration, his crystal leg beginning to glow and his wings extending.

Twilight’s eyes went wide. She could now clearly see the veins within the sapphire leg as magic appeared to flow down them and into the gem itself. The gem shuddered, and then sprang to life, new growths expanding outward at random angles until it was twice, then three times its previous size. Then, using his wings, Clear Cut began to shape the new gem growths as if they were clay. His movements were smooth and relaxed, yet quick and precise, the crystal slowly molding from a mass of random offshoots into something more defined.

He's…He’s making my cutie mark! Twilight realized, watching as the familiar starburst began to take shape. She watched intently, careful to not interrupt him as he worked out the delicate details. The last thing she wanted to do was disrupt something so beautiful, and besides, maybe she could learn a bit about the process simply by watching.

After about five minutes, Clear Cut’s leg let loose one final burst of light, the light flowing down his leg and into the design he had created. The gem seemed to shine, before the growth quickly halted, leaving the creation in its final form for everyone to admire.

It was, in Twilight’s mind, perfect.

A beautiful replica of her layered starbursts, complete with the small surrounding stars attached by little wisps of crystal so small that Twilight almost couldn’t see them. The lines and angles were so clean and crisp that if she didn’t know any better, she wouldn’t have thought pony hooves could have made them. And even when the light had died down, it still glowed slightly, sparkling with a natural beauty. Not quite like how Clear Cut’s leg shimmered with veins of magic, but it…managed to catch the light, even under the partial shade of the stand. It even had a light purple stand made of crystal that allowed the entire the masterpiece to neatly sit straight up.

It was so perfectly created that Twilight, Spike, and a number of other ponies who had stopped to watch him stomped their hooves in applause at his skill.

“A gift for you, my dear,” Clear Cut said, smiling as he hoofed the gem over to Twilight.

“I—,” Twilight began.

“No buts,” Clear Cut interrupted, winking. “Consider it a welcome gift, or an apology gift on behalf of the ponies of Smaragdus. Whichever you prefer.” Twilight opened her mouth, realized she didn’t know what to say, closed it, and gently accepted the gift.

It really is beautiful. And it almost reminds me of the sculptures the crystal ponies back in the Crystal Empire make.

I wonder if their magic is related to this, gem-mancy, Twilight thought, gently passing the sculpture to Silent Sky, who just as gently deposited the sculpture in the saddlebags he was carrying.

“That’s amazing!” Spike said once the applause had died down. “And you can just grow more gems whenever you want?”

“I wish,” Clear Cut said with a long laugh. It was only then that Twilight realized that the ends of his feathers were also covered in crystal. “While some gem-mancers can do that, my talent requires a base gem to begin the growth process. Once I have a base, I can begin to grow it easily enough, but it’s a slow process. Helps me in my work, certainly, but don’t expect me to be making gem barriers or weapons in a flash.”

“Wait, weapons?” Twilight asked, looking at him in confusion. The pegasus nodded.

“Yep. While many of us gem-mancers use our talents for crafts, it is entirely possible to use our abilities for combat.” As he spoke, he picked up another small gem. “Unlike myself, some ponies could turn this tiny gem into one about the size of my head in only a few seconds flat! Now imagine that, but even faster and able to explode out of the ground from almost anywhere! Perfect for forming defensive barriers or grabbing something sharp to throw at the enemy. It’s hard to learn to use gem-mancy in that way, given how it’s a type of magic that traditionally favors a slow and methodical approach, but it is entirely possible with enough practice. In fact, my friend’s son Simmer is a gem-mancer who works as a guard.”

So it’s a type of magic that’s works better when cast slowly, but with skill and training can be used in combat.

“What else can gem-mancers do?” Twilight asked curiously.

“And how does it relate to your leg?” Spike asked, earning a frown from Twilight.

“We can do quite a lot, in fact!” Clear Cut said, thankfully sounding completely unbothered by Spike’s blunt question. “The city of Smaragdus uses gems to make a large majority of its buildings, so us gem-mancers are in constant supply to help expand them, fix them up, change their color, add or remove windows, all that jazz! We help install new features like plumbing and heating since you can’t exactly lay new pipes in solid gem without a gem-mancer to soften it up. Then we’ve got the crafters, like me, and the miners that can help us find rarer gem types that we can’t grow on the surface, and technicians that help make gems needed for purifiers.”

Purifiers? Like, water purifiers? I don’t really think gems can be used like that unless they use the gems as a base for an enchantment.

Maybe that’s what he meant? Or maybe the gems can be used to store magic to use as fuel for the purifier? There a lot of ways a gem could be used in a purifier, and maybe those technicians can enchant the gems to serve multiple functions.

That’s true. I wonder if there are any gem-mancer technicians at the festival today?

“As for my leg,” Clear Cut continued. “As I mentioned before, it’s a side effect of gem-mancy. Regardless of race, creatures that are gem-mancers will, over time, have parts of our bodies be replaced with what we call ‘living crystal.’ This living crystal acts quite a bit like normal flesh, save of course for the different colors and the improved durability, but it also has additional benefits.

“For starters, it lets us use gem-mancy much more easily over time, though for some reason this doesn’t really increase the speed of the crystalizing process. If a crystalized limb, say a leg, does get broken off somehow - don’t think about it too hard - it can then be replaced with gemstones which will slowly change back into the way the limb was before. If the crystalizing changes our internal organs, say our liver or lungs, then this not only repairs any damage they may have sustained, but it also improves their function. A childhood friend of mine had a liver defect, but once the crystalizing changed his liver, he could drink anypony we knew under the table easily!”

“It sounds like there are a lot of positives, despite how unusual it is,” Spike said, closing watching Clear Cut’s leg as the pegasus readjusted his display. Seeing the young dragon’s interest, Clear Cut help out his leg to Spike, letting the drake poke it a few times.

“Don’t I know it! It’s just a shame we haven’t figured out a way to help ponies who aren’t gem-mancers,” Clear Cut said with a sigh and a sad smile. “Sure, Smaragdus makes the best prosthetics on the island, but any internal injuries can’t be healed by gem-mancy unless the recipient is a gem-mancer too. There are some minor things we can do, such as make medical spells trapped inside gems ponies can eat, but not nearly as much as you might thing. And unless you’re born in Smaragdus, chances are you won’t become a gem-mancer.”

“Are you saying only ponies born in Smaragdus can become gem-mancers?” Twilight asked. “Can’t ponies study to become one?”

“Alas, no, you cannot,” Clear Cut said. “The magic of the island’s shield has…unusual effects sometimes. In Smaragdus, the magic has seeped into the crystals in such a way that only ponies born in or close to its borders can become gem-mancers, and only about thirty percent of ponies born in Smaragdus show an aptitude for the practice. No known pony who has been born outside the limits of the city has ever been able to learn how to use gem-mancy.”

So the magic of the island does affect ponies in significant ways! Even if we can’t confirm if it’s related to Speedy Diamond and Right Word’s conditions, he seems very confident that it is directly related to a pony’s ability to use gem-mancy. And he mentioned the island’s shield too!

The one that Sparrow created but was said to be incomplete for whatever reason. Maybe that ‘incompleteness’ still lets some outside magic in, leading to these weird effects! Or maybe it alters magic coming in and makes it more unstable compared to the magic in Equestria? Hmmm, actually, could it actually be what is causing these unusual effects in the first place? We should keep an ear out for any other instances of magic being related to a specific part of the island or a specific trait or unique brand of magic.

Agreed. Though I wonder if there is a type of magic that lets somepony breath underwater. THAT would be so cool! Imagine being able to explore a coral reef without need of scuba equipment?

That does sound pretty fun!

“Now, don’t let me keep you,” Clear Cut said, pulling Twilight back to the real world. “There’s plenty of ponies to meet and plenty of our island’s culture to enjoy. Though if you’re ever in Smaragdus, feel free to come say hi!”

“We’ll be sure to visit,” Twilight said with a smile. “Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.”

“Anytime!” Clear Cut said, grabbing a large gem from his stand. “Here, a healthy snack for the young dragon!” He tossed it deftly so it landed perfectly in Spike’s uninjured claw.

“Thanks!” Spike exclaimed, taking a big bite out of the gem. Twilight giggled and thanked Clear Cut once more for his generosity. He just smiled back, waving as the three of them began to move on.

“That was fun,” Spike said between bites. “I kinda want to go see Smaragdus now.”

“Me too. Soon,” Twilight agreed. “Silent, do you have any suggestions for vendors who might be here today?”

“…Hidden Treasure, perhaps?” Silent Sky said after a moment’s thought. “His store is here in Oasis, but he trades in items from around the island, and would be a good pony to ask about other vendors who might be visiting today.”

“Hidden Treasure? As in Right Word’s grandfather? And Sparrow’s previous advisor?” Twilight asked, thinking about her conversation with Right Word last night. She didn’t remember him mentioning that Hidden Treasure owned a store here in Oasis. Had she missed it in her exhaustion? Silent Sky nodded, not seeming to pick up on her confusion. “In that case, he sounds like a pony worth meeting. Can you lead us there?”

“Where did you learn that?” Spike asked, as they worked their way through the crowd. The moment Twilight opened her mouth to answer, though, she saw a booth full of numerous baked peach goods and quickly stopped to buy one for herself, Spike, and Silent Sky despite the pegasus’s hesitation.

“Right Word mentioned it last night when he escorted me back to my room,” Twilight said, making a note of the stand for later as she quickly inhaled her small peach scone. “He talked about himself and his family’s history as Sparrow’s advisors.” She told Spike most of what Right Word had told her the previous night about himself and his family as Silent Sky resumed leading them through the city.

“Wow, his family’s really been around for that long?” Spike said once Twilight finished (and once he had stopped laughing at the image of Sparrow being dragged down the street by his ear). “That’s crazy! And Hidden Treasure used to be Sparrow’s advisor? I bet he could tell us all about him!” He scratched his chin in thought. “I wonder if any other families on the island keep track of things that far back.”

“I don’t know if anypony else does. Honestly, even Celestia and Luna might not have records back that far, given the chaos Discord caused,” Twilight said. “But I agree that Hidden Treasure might be able to tell us more about Sparrow. Though,” she added, her eyes drifting to a stand selling more flowers than she could count, “that doesn’t mean we need to rush through Trade Day to get to him.”

Spike grinned and immediately pointed to a pony selling beautiful paintings.

It took about half an hour to get where they were going, but neither Spike nor Twilight minded taking their time given all they saw along the way. One stand had a collection of coral from the large reef on the other side of the island, something that interested Twilight so much that she bought a piece for her room. One of the tree homes had a bunch of stalls set up around it, all of them containing plants and seeds from around the island. One stand was selling what appeared to be the Arbor Moonshine that Right Word had mentioned the night before, though the smell was certainly a bit off-putting in Twilight’s opinion. Another tree home was covered in banners advertising what looked to be some form of…art? Twilight couldn’t read the banners themselves, but what was being sold looked so misshapen and bizarre that it was the only thing she could think of.

The festive atmosphere showed no signs of dying down as they got further from the castle. Ponies were engaged in animated conversations with friends or stall owners everywhere Twilight looked. Foals continued to run and play all around them, a few stopping to look at a booth or to buy some food from the various ponies selling dishes from across the island (all of which looked amazing). Other pones simply sat on the roofs of nearby houses or took time to rest on the branches of the nearby tree homes, taking a breather from the hectic fun atmosphere of the street. It was amazing to see, and not even the remaining hints of exhaustion from the day before could dampen her mood.

Eventually, they reached a large three-story building with a sign titled ‘The Treasure Chest’ proudly displayed across the top of the front door. Unlike the other buildings nearby, this one had several cloud platforms and steps around the outside of the shop, allowing customers to wander up and around the building as well as travel inside.

Furthermore, while most of other stalls on the trip here had been selling things, the stalls at this store looked to be evenly split between ponies selling wares and ponies willing to buy new wares for the store. Even as they approached, Twilight could see an earth pony stallion with a pear-colored mane wave down a pegasus employee, who took a crate from the pony in front of the stall and carry it up to another stall on the third floor and immediately start unpacking the set of pottery inside. The earth pony in question shook the customer’s hoof before handing him a bag of what Twilight assumed was money.

“That is Hidden Treasure,” Silent Sky said, pointing to the earth pony. “He tends to use this day as a way to both sell off his excess stock and to try see who is willing to sell to him. If you ever need to find anything specific, he is likely to have it, or will know how to get it. He is also a highly skilled negotiator. He also frequently takes trips across the island to look for new wares and claims to have been almost everywhere on the entire island.”

Sounds like he has a lot of connections and knows the other settlements pretty well. Forget the encyclopedia, he could probably give you a firsthoof account of almost anywhere on the island if Right Word is correct. It will definitely be worth it to get to know him better even if he didn’t used to work with Sparrow. Heck, maybe he could even give you a tour of the island.

Agreed. I wonder if he’s anything like Right Word, Twilight thought as she began to walk towards Hidden Treasure’s table. I hope so.

When he saw her approach, the earth pony yelled towards one of his employees. “Hey, Indy! Take over for me! Got a royal coming for a visit.”

“Should I hide the moonshine?” a stallion wearing a cowpony hat with a whip cutie mark yelled back.

“Nah, it’s our newest royal, not the one who’s always knocking stuff off the shelves! I’m sure she’ll be fine!” Hidden replied, stepping out from behind his stall. “Princess Twilight and Sir Spike the Brave and Glorious, a pleasure to finally meet you two!” He gave them a warm grin and a tiny bow of the head. “I’m Hidden Treasure, former advisor to Sparrow and currently the best deal hunter in Delebrum. Seeing as I’ve never met you before, I’m assuming either Right Word or Silent Sky over there sent you my way for one way or another? Or am I completely wrong and you just happened to see my fabulous shop and got curious?” he added, winking.

“I recommended you when the princess asked if I had any vendors I would suggest,” Silent Sky said, earning a nod from Hidden Treasure.

“Ah, that explains it. Well, it depends on what you’re looking for, my dear princess.”

“Just Twilight is fine,” Twilight said with a small smile. “And I don’t really know if there is anything I am looking for in particular right now, save maybe for some books about the island that are in Equestrian.”

“Not many of those, I’m afraid, but I’ll be sure to keep an eye out for you,” Hidden Treasure said. “I did have a book on the island’s magic in Equestrian, but unfortunately, I just sold it a few weeks ago. But you never know! Another copy may turn up at my door tomorrow! That’s the beauty of a place like mine.” He turned to Spike. “How about you, little dragon? What can the master of bartering do for you?”

“Do you have any comics in Equestrian?” Spike asked curiously. “Or maybe a game or Ogres and Oubliettes? I didn’t get a chance to grab either of them when we came over,” that last bit being punctuated with a small burst of annoyed smoke. Hidden Treasure just smiled.

“Now, that I can do. Come along inside and I’ll get you sorted out in no time,” he said with a wide wave before turning around and heading towards his store’s entrance. Twilight and Silent Sky followed while Spike bounced excitedly on Twilight’s back.

He’s so cute when he’s being a giant nerd.

Shining was the same way whenever a new expansion came out. Remember when he was nearly late for his date with Cadance because he was so absorbed in the new campaign he was writing?

Oh, remember how much he was blushing when Cadance dressed up as her ranger character for Nightmare Night?

Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at the image of a dumbfounded Shining staring at Cadance in her costume as she had sauntered her way up to him and give him a quick kiss on the cheek. He and Spike were such a nerds, and Twilight wouldn’t have it any other way.

Hidden Treasure opened the door for them, and Twilight blinked in surprise. Every shelf was packed with an assortment of objects ranging from antiques to food to coat and mane care to books and games. It was like the trade fare outside had been compressed down and forced to fit into the store, and it was just as jampacked as that description would imply. It was better organized than some of the antique stores back in Ponyville, something that brought out a momentary pang of homesickness in Twilight’s heart, but it still held an air of ‘organized chaos’ about the place that made her reshelving instinct twitch.

“Is it always this cluttered?” Spike asked blatantly.

“Spike—” Twilight began to scold, only for Hidden Treasure to chuckle and wave her off.

“Yes, it is,” he confirmed. “If I see something worth buying or selling, I scoop it up and bring it here. The main floor is where I put most of my finds while the upper floors serve as the more ‘traditional’ store with defined sections. Down here I just put things where I think they’ll best fit and go from there. It gets a little crowded at times, and almost always looks like a random mess, but hey, that just means there’s always something new every time you come to visit!”

Laughing, Hidden Treasure grabbed a box of antiques and moved it to another shelf almost at random. Nodding in satisfaction, he led them back towards what looked to be the main checkout counter.

“Now then, Twilight,” Hidden continued as he began digging around behind the counter, vanishing from view. “How do you like the island so far? Sources tell me yesterday was the first day you were awake, so what are your first impressions? Good, I hope?”

“Mostly,” Twilight agreed. “The ponies here are really friendly and welcoming, even if they’ve never met us before. And the island itself seems…amazing, really. Even if I’ve only seen Oasis, what I’ve seen and heard about the other cities makes me want to go and explore them once I’ve adjusted a bit more. I really want to go see that one port city on the other side of the island, especially.”

“Aqua? Aye, that’s a good place to visit,” Hidden agreed, popping up momentarily to place a box for Ogres and Oubliettes on the counter, much to Spike’s delight. “In fact, it’s my favorite place to go when I’m out hunting for deals. It has beautiful scenery all year round, wonderful food from both the land and the sea, and is quite a bit calmer than Columpna, which can be a bit party-happy at times. Still, there’s plenty of fun attractions there, and I definitely recommend a visit. It’s the perfect place for a vacation, let me tell you. Especially their cooked seaweed.” He ducked down again. “But don’t think I didn’t hear that ‘mostly.’ So what hasn’t been so good?”

I’m sure he knows at least one thing that isn’t so good.

Not now, brain.

“The language is…difficult,” Twilight said after a moment’s hesitation. “I know I haven’t had much time to look into it, but from what I saw yesterday at the library…”

“It is pretty tricky to pick up, or so I’ve heard,” Hidden Treasure agreed, popping back into view again with a few comics, including a Power-Ponies comic. “Especially given how you can say the words in any order so long as the word form is correct.” He brushed off his hooves and began punching the numbers into his cash register. “I’m just thankful I grew up speaking it. However, I can tell when a pony is dancing around an issue. Trust me, our King is a master at that. And while I normally wouldn’t pry, I think this is a case where it’s better to talk and get things off your chest. So, what about our King, Mister Sparrow?”

“What about him?” Spike growled. Twilight felt the heat on her neck as he huffed another angry bout of smoke. “He gave her a fake choice and forced Twilight to come here, end of story.”

“There’s always more than one side to a story,” Hidden said, his tone carefully neutral as he looked at Spike with an expression Twilight couldn’t figure out how to read. “And sometimes we need to do bad things for the right reasons. If there was one thing I learned during my time with Sparrow, aside from the fact that boy should never be allowed to drink moonshine within fifty hooves of anything breakable, it was that sometime there are no good options; only less worse ones. And when that happens, you need to act in the way you think is best, because not acting at all will be so much worse.”

“That doesn’t make it better, even if it is true,” Spike countered, glaring down at Twilight’s back.

“I didn’t say it did,” Hidden agreed. “I’m just saying to try and keep an open mind. I was at Sparrow’s side for years, so I can tell you that he wouldn’t make the choice to do what he did without serious consideration. He’s a kind stallion, and I know he never meant to hurt anyone. But I can also tell you that you’re more than allowed to be upset with him.”

“Do you think I should forgive him?” Twilight asked, looking into Hidden Treasures eyes. She could almost see the glint of certainty in them.

“That’s up to you to decide. As his friend and longtime confidant, I hope you can one day find it in your heart to forgive him, but I know that such a thing will take time. Don’t think you need to do so right this second, or even this week or this month. It’s been ONE day since you woke up, so if you do want to try and forgive, do so at your own pace. All I can ask is that you try to give him a chance to tell his side of the story and earn your forgiveness. He may not always do it as quickly as one would like, but if I know Sparrow, and I think I do, he will explain himself very thoroughly when he is ready. That said, don’t feel shy about giving him a good smack in the head if he needs it,” Hidden said with a wide grin, prompting Twilight to blink in shock and Spike let loose an affirmative growl.

Why would he even say that!?

Oh, come on – he’s CLEARLY done that to Sparrow before! Repeatedly too, I’m guessing, going off of his tone. Maybe he knows it works! Or maybe he thinks it’ll make you feel better! Either way, I like him!

Later, around lunchtime…

Twilight had to admit, these carrot dogs from the City of Ager were AMAZING.

After saying farewell to Hidden Treasure, she, Spike, and Silent Sky had continued to explore the city and the wonders of Trade Day, browsing the various eclectic stalls whenever something caught their eyes. Twilight found herself drawn to different wares that made her think of her family: a set of Ogres and Oubliettes dice for Shining, a book of constellations for her dad, a guide to extreme sporting for beginners for her mom (thankfully in Equestrian), and a poster of a roller-skating rink for Cadance. She’d bought them all, carefully nestling them in Silent Sky’s saddlebag next to her crystal gift from Clear Cut.

Maybe I won’t be able to go home and see them for a long time, she thought, but that doesn’t mean I can’t bring some home here.

The homesickness had struck again, harder this time, and for a moment, Twilight was sure she was going to cry, but then, a foal from a nearby shop had came running up and presented her a purple scallop shell with a huge gap-toothed smile and the sharp pang in her chest quickly eased. The little one’s energy and happiness was just so infectious that Twilight soon found herself smiling back, showing the child the crystal cutie mark sculpture and watching his eyes grow wide in awe.

Everypony is so nice here. And so excited! This really is a magical day.

Slowly, the homesickness eased and Twilight soon found herself feeling more cheerful as they passed more and more excited, happy ponies. She had been just about to ask Silent Sky if he had any other recommendations when her stomach abruptly let her know that she had lost track of time and she was ready for lunch.

So she had let Spike pick a vendor to purchase food from, bought enough for everypony despite Silent Sky’s insistence that she not buy him anything, and then managed to find a bench where they could eat. It was nice to sit down and just relax for a little while, and despite feeling better than the previous day, Twilight was pretty sure her legs were thanking her for the break. The crowds moved around them, and Twilight found herself simply watching.

A foal was trying to buy some candy from one of the vendors, but their attempts at adorable haggling didn’t appear to be working very well. One vendor was juggling a few tomatoes to try and attract customers, while a pegasus guard slowly flew along, looking for signs of trouble. Two ponies further away were in a heated debate about the value of their comic books and why they couldn’t just trade them to the other pony for what they were offering. So much of it reminded Twilight of the Rainbow Falls Trade Festival, but after waiting for a few seconds for the sadness to hit her again, the feeling never manifested.

Was she adapting to her new home already, or was it just that the positive festive atmosphere was helping to dull the pain, even if only for the day? She didn’t know, but the idea that she was adapting so quickly was both a scary thought and a happy one. Scary because it felt as though she was leaving her old life behind too quickly, but happy because if she was going to spend the rest of her life here, it was a little reassuring to know that she wouldn’t be miserable that entire time.

However, this little debate over how she should feel was interrupted when she noticed some of the ponies nearby moving to make way. Looking at the source of the commotion, Twilight felt a slight uptick in her anxiety as she saw Sparrow’s black horn poke its way above the crowd, followed by his bright red and orange mane. She knew it was only a matter of time before he showed up, but she still found herself wishing for it to be later.

Look at the plus side: just because he’s here doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy Trade Day. And if he annoys you, maybe you can buy something really heavy for him to carry around.

That’s just mean, brain. And impractical since he can likely just teleport it back to my room at anytime.

Fair enough.

Twilight finished her carrot dog as she continued to watch Sparrow get closer. He currently at his normal, very large size, yet he was actually very good at navigating his way through the crowd despite that, easily dodging and weaving around the various ponies who didn’t see him in time to move. He also appeared to be wearing a large set of saddlebags that looked fairly full. Perhaps he was looking for things to trade as well.

Actually, her brain piped up. Is it just me, or is his mane…shorter, than it was yesterday?

Twilight blinked, then looked closer. It was hard to tell, but it did look like his mane was at least a little bit shorter than it had been previously. As he continued to get close and Twilight caught a glimpse of his tail when he turned to greet a pony, Twilight thought for certain that his tail was shorter than the night before.

Maybe he went for a mane and tail cut? I don’t know what he normally looks like, so maybe both were a bit longer than he was comfortable with? It would explain that other business he needed to attend to this morning.

Maybe, but I also doubt that a mane cut would take this long to finish given how it only looks like he had a quick trim.

Twilight conceded that point but decided to drop the issue. It was just his mane, after all.

BUUUUURP!

“Ohhhh, that was good,” Spike exclaimed, reclining back as the smell of dragonfire from his burp quickly faded. “I love Trade Day!”

“I’m glad to hear that, Spike,” Sparrow said as he finally reached their bench, causing Spike to sit up in surprise. Silent Sky was already up and saluting his king, reaching his wing out to steady Spike without a word.

“Where did you come from?” Spike asked in shock, his surprise quickly changing into an annoyed glare.

“Over there,” Sparrow said, almost playfully, pointing in the direction he had just come from. “I wanted to meet up with you and Twilight, but thought I’d take some time to explore the fair first before coming over. Even after so many years, I still find myself surprised at the different wares my ponies are selling. Even today, I saw a pony selling pumpkins that were somehow perfect squares. Quite unique! Have you been enjoying the fair as well, Twilight?” he asked gently, turning to Twilight with a somewhat hopefully expression.

“I have,” Twilight said with a small nod, unable to hide her smile. Not even his appearance could dampen the positive mood this day had brought her. She could still feel the energy of the festival flowing through her chest, washing away many of the negative feelings she had been feeling the day before. “It’s been a great way to learn more about the island and what its ponies create. And the positive energy over everypony around us is…infectious.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Sparrow agreed with a wide grin. “It’s part of the reason I love to come out to enjoy this day whenever my duties allow me.” He let out a small sigh, his expression falling slightly. “Alas, I won’t have as much time today as I thought I would to go exploring. As such, would you mind if we took the time to go and visit the friend I mentioned in my letter right now? She is right nearby, so it shouldn’t take too long. I understand if there was something else you wanted to do or some other stands you wanted to visit instead, however.”

Are you thinking what I’m thinking?

You’re my brain, so I would certainly hope so, Twilight thought before focusing back on Sparrow.

“I would love to meet this friend of yours,” she said. “We just finished lunch and we didn’t have any specific plans at the moment. Your letter also said you thought we would get along well, so I would like to see what she is like. And given how you mentioned that she is a peach farmer, I would very much like to see her farm, if possible. Especially if her peaches are as good as the ones I had yesterday,” Twilight said honestly, her mouth watering slightly at the thought of more of such a wonderful fruit.

“Seeing as I bought those peaches from her, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” Sparrow said with a smile. “Spike, would you like to accompany us, or would you like to continue exploring with Silent Sky? With Twilight’s permission, of course,” he added quickly.

Twilight was a little bit torn about Spike leaving. On the one hoof, she didn’t want to stop Spike from having fun on his own, especially given all that there was to see today. But on the other hoof, she also wanted Spike to stay with her for a little bit longer so they could enjoy the day together, even if she might end up leaving the fair for a time.

“I’ll stick with Twilight,” Spike said, giving Sparrow an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture with his good claw. Sparrow just blinked, looking a little surprised at Spike’s open hostility. Twilight, meanwhile, was caught between feeling proud of Spike for trying to protect her and feeling a little bit frustrated at his anger. She knew Spike had every reason to be angry, even if he did look silly trying to intimidate somepony more than ten times his size, but seeing him angry just reminded her how angry she was at Sparrow too. And despite how justified that anger was, she didn’t want it to taint today’s fun.

Thankfully, that feeling of frustration didn’t last long as Sparrow quickly shook off his shock and smiled, showing no ill will towards the young drake. Any lingering negative feeling were quickly replaced by a warm feeling in her heart as Silent Sky carefully helped Spike climb onto her back and the small dragon hugged her neck protectively. Sparrow nodded happily at the sight, and after Twilight gave Spike a quick nuzzle, they all set off once again.

Twilight was just glad her legs seem to have had enough rest and were ready to go again, as she was genuinely curious about Sparrow’s friend.

I wonder what Sparrow’s friend will be like? He seems to be on good terms with a lot of ponies so far, but they are all pretty different.

Well, given how Sparrow said she’s a farmer, we can assume she’s likely be pretty strong, either magically or physically, or both, maybe, and likely hardworking. Other than that, I have no idea.

Yeah, me neither. Maybe she’s like Applejack? A strong earth pony who helps harvest and move around heavy loads of peaches? Or maybe she’s a pegasus with a talent for weather manipulation to help grow the peaches. Or maybe even a unicorn who knows spells to keep the trees healthy or how to keep pest off the crops.

That would certainly be pretty cool.

“Ah, there she is,” Sparrow said, pulling Twilight from her thoughts. Looking ahead, she saw a stand that was surprisingly average compared to the extravagant ones around it. It was just a simple wooden stand made of the same orange-pink wood as the furniture in her new room. It wasn’t brightly painted or extravagantly exclaiming its wares. And yet, it had far more ponies waiting in line than any of the nearby stands did.

Those must be some good peaches. Though given how good the ones we had yesterday were, I’m not too surprised.

Ignoring her brain, Twilight followed Sparrow to the back of the line, arriving just as the pony in front finished and moved away with a small bag of peaches. Twilight caught a glimpse of the earth pony manning the stand. She looked to be a bit older than Twilight, with a coat and mane both the color of, of course, peaches. She had a very long mane, almost as long as Fluttershy’s, and Twilight couldn’t help but wonder why she hadn’t tied it back, given how it might get in the way of physical work.

“So, what is your friend’s name? And what is she like?” Twilight asked, watching as another customer was served. Sparrow’s friend was quick.

“Her name is Whisper,” Sparrow said. “Though don’t let her name fool you. If she’s your friend or you get her on a topic of interest, she can talk your ear off. She’s run her family farm for years now after receiving it from her grandmother. She’s a master gardener, not just of peach trees, but of all plants, and even helps out in the castle gardens from time to time. She also loves to play and talk with her animals, and despite her size she is quite—”

Before Sparrow could finish, the pony at the front of the line dropped the coin he was using to pay, and it quickly rolled under the stand. Rather than reach down to grab it, Whisper instead just lifted the entire stand!

With ONE hoof!

“Strong,” Sparrow finished with a chuckle. Twilight did her best to close her gaping mouth before somepony noticed.

Dang. I don’t even think Applejack could do that. Color me impressed.

She could probably beat both Applejack and Rainbow at hoof wrestling. At the same time.

“Ok, that was pretty cool,” Spike agreed, watching as Whisper grabbed the coin with her free hoof and put the stand back down. Twilight was able to get a look at her cutie mark before the stand was back in place. It was a bunny holding a peach, almost reminding her of Angel Bunny holding an apple out to Fluttershy as a gesture of peace. It was a sweet image that made Twilight smile, even if Angel was a little brat most of the time.

I wonder if Whisper would get along with Fluttershy. I don’t know if the two of them will ever have a chance to meet, but I should definitely introduce them if such an opportunity ever arises, Twilight thought as the customer thanked the peach-colored mare as if what had just happened was nothing out of the ordinary and moved on. Now that they were closer, Twilight could see that Whisper’s eyes looked to be a bright green, almost like the leaves back on Applejack’s farm. Her, too. I bet Applejack would love getting to know another farmer.

Once again, Twilight was surprised that the thought of her friends didn’t drag up any unpleasant memories. This festival was really influencing her, though she didn’t mind it in the slightest. Instead, she just smiled slightly at the positive memories as the line continued to move. In no time at all, she and Sparrow were next.

She stepped forward alongside Sparrow, and she could see Whisper’s expression go from a warm smile to a neutral line the moment she caught sight of the King.

“Your Majesty,” she said, her tone unreadable.

“Whisper,” Sparrow said with a happy nod, seemingly not offput by her attitude towards him. “I’ll have a dozen peaches on top of the regular order, and I would like to introduce you to Twilight and Spike. Both of them have tried your peaches already and so I thought I would introduce you. If possible, I was hoping you might show them your farm once you head back to resupply should they be interested.”

Whisper looked at Twilight, then at Spike, her expression growing cheery once again. “Princess Twilight and Spike the Brave and Glorious! It’s a pleasure to meet you! I would love to show you my farm. And your timing couldn’t be better! I only have four peaches left after THIS one’s order,” she said, her voice becoming cold again as she lifted a crate with Sparrow’s name onto the counter alongside a bag of peaches.

Sparrow nodded, thought Twilight was sure she could see him wince a little at her tone. “Thank you. Did you receive my revised order for next week?”

“Yes,” Whisper confirmed, her eyes narrowing. “But no more nonsense, or you’ll be on my ‘do not talk to for a few weeks’ list.”

That is a very specific list to have.

Brain, shush!

“No more nonsense,” Sparrow agreed, teleporting the box away and opening the bag to offer Twilight, Silent Sky, Spike, and himself a peach. Even though she just had lunch, Twilight couldn’t help but bite into the peach the moment its scent reached her nose. Given the munching behind her, Spike appeared to have a similar mindset. “Though I do hope you will forgive me one day,” Sparrow continued.

“I’m sure I will. You’re not that dumb. But you need to earn her forgiveness first,” Whisper said, nodding in Twilight’s direction.

She’s mad at Sparrow for what he did to bring me here!

Is that really so surprising? You’re still pretty mad at him, too. You’re just so happy given how your day’s been going so far that you’ve forgotten about it for the time being, which is a GOOD thing. Besides, you can still be made at him and happy about how your day is going. They aren’t mutually exclusive.

I know that, brain, but she’s the first pony I’ve seen that’s actively angry at him! Sure, Pie Crust spiced his food and Speedy Diamond was potentially a little excessive with her fitting last night, but this is the first pony we’ve seen that’s calling him out on his invasion directly! Actually, I wonder why she’s doing that? Why is she actively calling him out when everypony else is just passive-aggressive at worst?

No idea. Maybe she’s angrier, or maybe she’s more blunt than other ponies. We can ask later, assuming that we do go to her farm with her.

“THAT’S NOT RUNNING, GRIND STONE!”

A furious shout suddenly rang out, yanking Twilight out of her mind and prompting her and everypony near her to whip their heads around. Running down the street in what appeared to be a roped-off jogging lane was a group of ten guards. Eight of them were grouped up and were making easy progress down the street while two of them lagged behind, one apparently very exhausted and the other extremely frustrated. The lead mare was also wearing a pole with a red flag on her back, indicating that there was a group of runners coming.

The angry unicorn guard and the end of the group let loose a small lightning bolt that zapped the flank of the guard in front of her, prompting a startled yelp from the orange pony. The ponies enjoying Trade Day merely watched the guards continue their run within the cordoned off lane. Or in the orange pony’s case, a staggering jog. “IF I WANTED YOU TO LAZE AROUND, I WOULD TELL YOU TO DO WHAT YOU DO EVERY HARMONY-DAMN DAY!”

“This is cruel and unusual punishment!” the orange pony exclaimed, running to catch back up with the other guards in front of them.

“No, it’s the BARE MINIMUM, YOU LAZY—BZZZZZZAAP!”

“YIPE! STOP DOING THAT!”

“THEN STOP FALLING BEHIND! I’M GOING TO MAKE A SOLDIER OUT OF YOU IF IT KILLS BOTH OF US!”

“Why can’t it just kill neither of us!? And can’t we just take a small break!?”

“IT’S ONLY BEEN AN HOUR! YOU’VE GOT AT LEAST TWO LEFT BEFORE I EVEN CONSITER GIVING YOUR LAZY FLANK A BREAK! NOW MOVE YOUR FLANK BEFORE I START KICKING IT RATHER THAN ZAPPING IT!”

Twilight swore the orange soldier was suddenly moving twice the speed as he surpassed the rest of his squad, his tormentor not far behind.

“Tempest, no punting,” the pony wearing the flag called out scoldingly. “I only approved zapping because he was refusing to keep up, and I WILL remove that privilege if you don’t use it sparingly.”

“You actually approved it!? Whose side are you on!?” the orange pony yelled as the group finally started to disappear from view.

“Whichever side actually gets you to start pulling your weight as a chosen weapon bearer! And don’t be so dramatic! She just recovered her magic yesterday, and I had her test a bolt on me before I let her use it on you. It does NOT hurt THAT much!”

“I believe that duty calls,” Sparrow said with a faint sigh. “Whisper, it was great to see you again. Twilight, Spike, feel free to continue enjoying Trade Day, and if you do decide to accompany Whisper, I hope you enjoy seeing her farm. It is quite a beautiful sight.”

And with that, Sparrow took to the air, quickly moving to follow the guards.

“Still mad,” Whisper said, glaring at Sparrow as he flew away, before she let out a loud sigh and resumed her cheery demeanor once again. “So, Twilight, Spike, I am about to head back to my farm to get more peaches. Would you care to join me?”

“Um, sure,” Twilight said, looking back to see Spike nodding as well. “But if I can ask…”

“You want to know why I was so cold with Mister King back there?” Whisper asked, placing a ‘Sold Out, will be back in an hour or two’ sign on her stall, prompting a few ‘awwww’s’ from the ponies still in line. As the line dispersed, Whisper picked up her stall’s coin box and placed it in her saddle bag. Twilight nodded, and Whisper blew a bit of her mane with a huff. “It’s simple. While I trust him and I’m sure he had his reasons for doing it, I do NOT approve of what he did back in Equestria. Or how he made you come here the way that he did. It just…EEERRRGGGG! It makes me so angry that he would do something that so underhoofed and cruel! Especially because I know him, and every time…EVERY…DANG…TIME, he’s done something this out of character in the past, it has been for a really, REALLY good reason.”

“Has he ever invaded a foreign country before?” Spike asked, tilting his head a bit. “Because I’m pretty sure we would have heard about something like that. Or are you just saying he’s done something this insane and mean before?” He let out a little huff of smoke. “Because if so, how is he still allowed to be king?”

“I’m saying he’s done some things in that past that have appeared to be pretty stupid at first but always turn out to be far more thought-out than you would think,” Whisper clarified. “This was a lot more thought-out than his previous stunts, but it was still laced in his brand of ‘what the hay is our king doing’ energy.”

“Is that ‘what-is-he-doing’ feeling a common occurrence?” Twilight asked.

“Most definitely, sweetie. In fact, you should see some of Sparrow’s ideas for charity fundraisers,” a new voice called, prompting Twilight to turn and behold…Speedy Diamond? Blinking to check, Twilight confirmed that the pink and purple mare approaching them was in fact Speedy Diamond. Yet, she was walking a calm, almost slow, pace, a far cry from the zippy energy she had shown yesterday. “One time he let ponies throw pies at him for a silver Del a pie. By the end of the day, he had raised more than a million Del and was buried under a pile of whipped cream almost as big as he was.”

“Remember when he wore that blue and orange suit with green polka dots when he lost a bet with Right Word?” Whisper chimed in.

“THAT was a crime against fashion!” Speedy hissed, taking on a thousand-yard stare for a few seconds before shaking herself to recover. “Speaking of fashion, I fixed your brother’s glasses and work clothes. Mind if I tag along with you?”

“I don’t mind at all,” Whisper said with a grin. “Thank you for fixing those so quickly, too. Do you mind if Diamond comes along, Twilight? Given your and Spike’s reactions, I take it you’ve already met her?”

“I don’t mind,” Twilight said, unsure how to broach the question bubbling in her mind.

“Me neither,” Spike agreed. “And is that really you, Speedy?”

“Just call me Diamond,” Diamond said with a giggle. “I prefer Diamond on my ‘calm’ days and Speedy on my ‘hyper’ days. And yes, I’m still me, last time I checked in the mirror. Unless I’m somehow a changeling, though the chances of that aren’t very high, I would hope.”

She grinned at Spike, who chuckled and held out his uninjured claw, which Diamond gently bumped. Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the interaction. She was glad to see Spike was already making new friends.

“All right, we’re good to go,” Whisper called out, returning everypony’s attention to her as she hitched herself to her peach cart and tossed them all a peach. “Here, free samples for the road, and yes, I will get you another one to take home to your wife when we get back to the farm, Silent,” she said, causing the pegasus to blink. “Now, come on.”

And with that, she was off, with Twilight and the others following alongside her.

“Do we need to take one of those big portal things?” Spike asked as they moved, his eyes drifting up to one of the large arches on the outer wall before drifting back to the different vendors still selling things around them.

“Nope,” Whisper said as she paused to let an older stallion move to the other side of the street. “My farm is right outside the city. Prime land passed down through my family for generations. If you’re entering the city from the east, chances are you’ll see my farm on the way in. Perfect for business too, though a majority of my business comes from the city and the Castle itself. Local ponies sure do love my peaches.”

“Can you blame them?” Diamond asked, grinning as she took a bite of her fruit.

“No, I suppose not,” Whisper said with a happy grin. She had a spring in her step, one that wasn’t at all hindered by the large load she was pulling behind her.

“Whisper, if I can ask, why were you willing to call out Sparrow for invading Equestria?” Twilight asked. “I don’t mind that you did, but so far no one seems to have treated him with so much…” She tried to think of the right word.

“Hostility? Anger? Being so done with his nonsense right now?” Diamond chimed in, causing Spike to snort in laughter.

“Let’s go with the last one,” Whisper said. “And it’s like I said before. Despite being his friend, I don’t approve of what he did, and just the thought of such nice people like you being caught in this nonsense just pisses me off.” She took a deep breath. “In fact, I’m so upset with him that I feel like I’m at the point where if I let my anger out, I would be literally spitting fire at him – and no, I can’t actually do that, as far as I know, so don’t ask.

“But at the same time, despite what he’s done…I still trust him and his judgement, at least to an extent. He’s spent years working in the interest of everypony on the island and doing all he can to win the trust of his people, so I really don’t think he do something so drastic and out of character unless he had a good reason.

I’m just pissed off because he hasn’t told anypony what that reason IS! Anytime he’s done something this big in the past, he’s shared his reasoning with everypony by now! And he’s not infallible, so I can’t even know if the reason for all this IS justified or if he just THINKS it’s justified and that is driving me up the wall! In fact, given how rotten his actions were back in Equestria and the fact that he still hasn’t made up for them yet, it almost feels like I can’t trust him right now! And THAT somehow just pisses me off even MORE! I know most ponies will be willing to wait for him to explain things himself, but I just want to shake him silly right now until he stops making me upset with him!”

Twilight could almost see the steam coming out of Whisper’s ears during her rant. A part of her wanted to try and comfort her, but she didn’t know what to say to make the situation any better. Thankfully, Diamond seemed to know what to do and wasted no time draping a leg over Whisper’s back, gently rubbing up and down the earth pony’s spine until her breathing began to slow.

“I know how you feel,” Diamond said gently. “But just give him some time. If he hasn’t told us why he’s done all this by now, then maybe he’s just waiting to tell Twilight first. And I trust that we’ll find out what’s going on in due time.” Whisper snorted, but eventually nodded in agreement.

“But how can you trust him so much in the first place?” Spike asked, taking the words right out of Twilight’s mouth. “Even if he is a king? What makes him so trustworthy, and why does not being able to trust him upset you?”

“He didn’t tell you yet?” Diamond asked, her eyes sparkling with a hint of surprise. “It’s because that’s his aspect!”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, turning to look at Speedy Diamond in confusion.

Why does this sound so…familiar?

“Of course Sparrow didn’t explain this,” Whisper groaned before taking a deep breath. “Celestia is the Alicorn of the Sun and Luna is the Alicorn of the Moon. The sun and moon are what we on the island would call their respective aspects. It’s what makes up a core of their ability and magical potential. Cadance is the Alicorn of Love, which while not a physical object, is still considered to be her aspect. Sparrow, for all his flaws and lack of explaining why he’s being a jerk recently, is the Alicorn of Trust. His unique magical abilities revolve around the trust ponies put in one another, and as a result he works his hardest to make sure that said trust isn’t misplaced.”

“That’s why ponies aren’t likely to be seen actively being hostile to him, even if his actions were extreme,” Diamond said with a nod. “Because they trust him. He’s spent centuries working to show everypony that he is worthy of their trust and doing what he thought was best for the island. Even if a lot of ponies disagree with his invasion of Equestria, he has spent so many years trying to do best by them that they are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and to wait for him to explain himself. Both because trust is what he represents, and because he’s worked hard to earn it from each of us over the years.”

“Though don’t take our passiveness as a sign of acceptance,” Whisper said. “Trust or not, I know quite a few ponies that are deeply upset with him, and only time will tell if he is able to prove that what he did was right or if he made a mistake. And if it is the latter, you can bet I’ll be giving him a piece of my mind. Loudly, and forcibly, and hopefully when there’s a bunch of other ponies around!”

“Agreed,” Diamond said, “Though I’ll probably stick to scolding him in private. Unlike Whisper over there, who can be a bit of a hot-head at times.”

“I AM NOT!” Whisper cried in shock, sounding almost offended even as she tried to hide a grin. “I just get a little bit…angry sometimes. Especially when ponies are messing with my farm or my animal friends.”

Twilight, however, was too distracted to respond.

Trust.

Sparrow is the embodiment of Trust.

That’s why ponies all trust him. Why no pony seems to be hostile even if they have a problem with his actions. Heck, maybe that’s why I thought that I could trust him when we first met, even if he immediately had an insane proposal! But what does magic involving trust even look like? Can he make ponies trust him regardless of his actions?

Wait, no. If that was the case, then I wouldn’t have any problems with what he did, would I? Because he could just make me trust that everything he did was for the best. And Spike wouldn’t be angry with Sparrow either, or at least not nearly as much as he is right now.

Unless…he’s just going to use his powers more subtly over time? To slowly build my trust in him in a way that seems natural but will eventually have me agree with everything he says? But assuming that Sparrow DOES have some sort of plan like that and that he DOES something like that to everypony else on the island, then why would Whisper and Diamond be able to show their dissent? Given how much the guard and Right Word trust Sparrow, their anger wouldn’t be needed for any kind of show to convince others that his powers don’t cause blind trust, especially since he could just eliminate that dissent with his trust abilities if he was that manipulative.

And Whisper and Diamond said he actively tries to make sure that everypony’s trust isn’t misplaced. That he works to gain everypony’s trust without the help of his magic. And they both seem to be honest; Whisper especially seems to be bluntly honest, a bit like Applejack when she’s having a bad day. And if they say he worked to earn their trust and that he’s normally a good pony, I think I can at least conclude that this isn’t all some long con. I still need to find out what he is REALLY like but…I don’t think he will just make me trust him.

Actually…Maybe his magic does have a subtle effect, and so he works to try and make sure it doesn’t make ponies trust him without cause? I know Cadance said ponies tend to be less confrontational when she’s around, and even a bit more romantic towards their respective partners, but that might just be because she’s the Princess of Love. But I don’t know how well I can compare Cadance to Sparrow here. Sparrow is stronger than both Celestia and Luna and, given his age, he may be more knowledgeable about magic as well. In fact, he could easily be hiding the extent of his power so as not to freak me out!

I think we can safely assume he IS hiding the full extent of his power seeing as Celestia and Luna do the same thing all the time. However, I also agree that he isn’t using it on you, at least presently. If he was, we probably wouldn’t be this upset with him and would likely notice some discrepancies when he’s not around. Or at least, I would hope we would…

That’s a fair point, but we also don’t know what he can do when he’s actively using his abilities compared to when he’s not. Like, say we get into a disagreement with him. What if his power could be used to prevent me from arguing with him? It would definitely be more obvious and wouldn’t be the subtle effects I was worried about, but it’s still a pretty unnerving prospect.

But would he do something like that at all? Because if he was going to do something like that whenever things got tough, then why would he put so much effort into earning ponies trust though his actions rather than just relying on his power? Maybe…Hmmm…Ok, maybe we should come back to this when we have more information. Panicking about what he can and can’t do is counterproductive if we can’t even be sure how his power works.

Plus, doesn’t this all seem…less surprising that it should be?

That…I mean, I guess? We didn’t have any theories on what he might be the Alicorn of, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to suddenly learn what his magic was based on.

That’s not what I mean. It’s more like…how do I even explain this feeling? It’s like…taking a test and all the questions seem familiar, or seeing somepony who you are sure you’ve met before. We didn’t know Sparrow was the Alicorn of Trust until now, but now that we know, it just seems…normal? It feels like…

Back in Canterlot, Twilight finished, remembering the day Sparrow had proposed to her. That strange sense of familiarity at seeing him. The way she could read his emotions so clearly right from the start, something that had taken years of time with her friends. She didn’t think much of it at the time, but looking back on it…

Why did she have these feelings about him? Some part of her wanted to say that her role as the Princess of Friendship had helped her improve her ability to read his emotions, but she never had the same feeling when she met Diamond, Whisper, or anypony else on the island. It was only Sparrow that brought those feeling to light.

Now that she thought about it, Twilight realized that she was still feeling those same pangs of familiarity now that she did back then. Almost as if…some part of her had known he was the embodiment of Trust, before she actually did.

A few hours later…

Down below the castle, in one of the old storage areas that was currently used for guard training, three members of the red team and three members of the blue team were currently practicing their stealth skills once again. Only this time, something odd was happening.

“Hey, Sarge, doesn’t this seem a little bit…too easy?” Simmer asked in a concerned whisper. “I mean, we haven’t seen any patrols in the last five minutes.”

“So?” Grind Stone said. “What’s so bad about it being easy? The less time we need to spend dodging patrols, the less time we need to spend crouching behind a corner. Seriously, how to you guys manage to stay crouching for so long?”

“Maybe because we actually practice our squats, lazybones.”

“Both of you shut up,” Sarge grunted, his eyes narrowing. “Simmer, you’re absolutely right. It’s quiet. TOO quiet. Something’s up.” He clicked his magic artifact in preparation. “Let’s move. Whatever’s happening, something tells me we don’t want to stay here.”

“But it’s just another stealth exercise,” Grind Stone said, following after the Sarge and Simmer as they made their way around the final shipping container and into the metal hallway that should lead them to the end of the training exercise course.

Though even Grind Stone had to admit it was weird that nopony was guarding this exit. This was where they had failed the last few times after all.

“Yeah, a stealth exercise where Tempest said we would need to finish within fifteen minutes or things would get MUCH harder,” Simmer said. “And it’s already been twenty minutes since we started!”

“Not all of us are afraid of time limits, you know,” Grind Stone said with an eye roll. “I just want to know how the heck Caboose finished in under three minutes! Seriously, he’s just making us look bad at this point.”

“Anypony who makes you look bad is fine by my book!” Sarge happily exclaimed. “Now come on, the exit is right there. We just need to open that door—”

BANG!!!
Without warning, the metal door in front of them was bucked clean off its hinges, forcing the three solders to dodge the heavy metal projectile as it was sent cartwheeling down the hallway.

“Door’s open, Sarge,” Grind Stone groaned sarcastically as he slowly got back to his hooves.

“What in tarnation!?” Sarge exclaimed, leaping back to his hooves and pointing his weapon at the open door. The pony standing in the ruined frame sent a shiver down Grind Stone’s spine.

It was the maniac that had punted him across the training fired the day before: Tempest Shadow. She was wearing a full set of purely black armor, including a helmet that was strangely bearing the symbol of the Storm King on it. And she was looking at them with a grin that could only be described as predatory.

“Why did you do that!?” Simmer cried in shock. Tempest just chuckled.

“Because, my dear little ponies,” she said, her voice sounding just like that of an evil super villain. “Since you failed to reach the end in under fifteen minutes, this stealth exercise has now been upgraded to a combat exercise. Against me!”

“So, I suppose the only question left to ask is,” Tempest said, cracking her neck as Grind Stone felt all the blood drain from his face and pure adrenaline began to flood his every cell. “Who’s first?”

Author's Note

At last, it is done...
Sorry this update took sooooo long! I knew some of what I wanted to create for this chapter, but I actually had quite a bit of writer's block for this one as aside from introducing Whisper, I really had no idea what else to include in this chapter. But I got there in the end, and two chapters from now will pick back up with Twilight and the gang as they go to the farm. And I got it out one day before my birthday and one day after Make Your Mark Episode 2 came out, so rather perfect timing if I do say so myself.

Side note, I do like Make Your Mark chapter 2 so far. I haven't had time to watch it all, but the first three episodes were good and I look forward to seeing more of it.

As for the NEXT chapter...well, anyone who has watched season 8 of Red Vs. Blue knows exactly where this is going :pinkiecrazy:

Next Time: Tempest has fun...a bit TOO much fun perhaps.

Chapter 10: This one goes to Eleven

“Attention all units,” Jessamine said over the announcement system of the underground complex as the combat simulation siren began to blare. “Combat training has now begun. All magic artifacts, save for melee weapons, now require energy crystals to serve as ammunition rather than your own internal magic. Additional magic artifacts can be found throughout the combat arena and the full-use spell is now in effect, meaning that anypony can use any artifact they encounter or steal from another creature, save, of course, for Founder Artifacts. Caboose will be allowed to provide support from the control room. The objective of all other units is now to defeat Tempest Fizzlepop in combat or through environmental means.

“Gentlecolts, good luck,” she added and hung up. And she didn’t need to wait long for the chaos to begin.

“RUUUUUN!” Simmer yelled in a panic as he, Sarge, and Grind Stone came galloping out of the hallway leading towards the exit where Tempest had been waiting in ambush.

“OH CRAP, WHERE IS SHE!?” Grind Stone yelled as they jumped down from the elevated platform and into the maze of shipping containers. Sarge, at least, had the common sense to fire off a few shots from his magic cannon back the way they had come, and even threw a magic bomb down the hallway to try and delay Tempest for a couple of seconds.

“I DON’T WANT TO DIE!” Simmer screamed hysterically as they disappeared into the maze of containers. Jess tried not to facehoof.

“Jess! We have to help them!” Caboose exclaimed, prancing from hoof to hoof in the control room next to Jessamine’s station of monitors. Jessamine hid a sigh. Even though she had explained what was going to happen before the exercise began, she knew Caboose would likely still be lost for quite a bit.

“You can’t help them, Caboose, at least not directly. Only they are allowed to directly fight Tempest.”

As if summoned by her name, Tempest came sprinting out of the hallway and practically flung herself from the raised platform onto one of the shipping containers, disappearing into the maze in hot pursuit of Red Team. Well, MOST of Red Team, given that Donut, along with Wash, was undergoing his yearly psychological evaluation.

Maybe that was for the best. Knowing Donut, if he was here, there’d be a lot of glitter involved and this whole training session was already enough of a mess.

“The only thing you can use is the control console in front of you to help them.”

“But she’ll kill them!” Caboose exclaimed, pointing out the window dramatically.

“They’ll be fine,” Jessamine said with a small eyeroll. “All safety spells are now set to ‘endurance,’ and you remember what that means, right? If they get hit with something, it’ll hurt, but the spells will block pretty much all the actual damage. Same with everypony’s weapons – they’re all stuck on ‘stun’ mode. Your team will be a bit sore, maybe a little bruised, but they’ll be all right.”

I hope, she added to herself as she turned back to the cameras. It only took a moment for her to locate the Red team, and she could tell that things were just getting started.

“Come on, stallions! Double time! Hay, I’d settle for single time!” Sarge exclaimed, his head swiveling around as Simmer and Grind Stone tried to catch their breaths.

“Maybe we should just fight,” Simmer said, using a wall to push himself back into a standing position. “I’m afraid she’s gonna start picking us off one by—”

BANG!

“ONE!” Simmer screamed in terror as a black armored hoof punched through the wall and grabbed him by the throat.

Oh boy…

“Heeerrrre’s TEMPEST!” Tempest screamed in what Jess could only describe as sadistic joy, pulling Simmer’s face into the wall with a loud clang of his helmet and then kicking the entire wall across the floor and into the maroon pony.

“OW!” Simmer’s muffled yell came from behind the wall.

That had to hurt, Jess thought with a small grimace. He’ll be ok though. No pony dies from being bruised.

“Lesson one, anything can be a weapon if you try hard enough!” Tempest yelled to the trapped pony before turning towards Grind Stone and Sarge.

Grind Stone, despite clearly panicking, tried to summon his founder’s weapon, but Tempest was faster and hurled a broken chunk of wall at him, knocking the crystal gauntlet off his leg before it could materialize the weapon. Sarge tried to bring his weapon to bear, but Tempest was already moving and knocked the cannon upward as he pulled the trigger. The magic blast flew straight up and rained sparks down as Tempest gave Sarge a quick punch to the stomach and threw the red stallion towards Grind Stone.

Unfortunately for the orange stallion, between his panicked backpedaling and Sarge tripping over the piece of wall, Sarge’s head ended up nailing Grind Stone right between the legs. Even Jess winced at that.

“OWww!” Grind Stone cried, whinnying in pain as Sarge staggered back to his hooves. The orange stallion fumbled for his gauntlet, but it was too far away and neither he nor Sarge could recover before Tempest charged them, tackling them through three wooden walls and hurling them into a strangely tall tower of metal drums.

Jess slammed her hoof on the announcement system. “Tempest! What did we say about hitting below the belt?”

“Hey, that was a complete accident!” Tempest defended. “How was I supposed to know Sarge would trip? Just thought they would crash into each other!”

“I understand that, but you need still need to be more careful,” Jess said, trying not to let her annoyance leak into her tone. “Grind Stone’s had enough injures down there after yesterday, and even if he’s been given extra magic protection today, I don’t need you causing any more med wing trips by going too hard.”

“Noted. I’ll do what I can to avoid any unnecessary injuries,” Tempest said with a nod. However, she was still grinning slightly as she began to stalk towards the downed Red Team members.

Note to self: Accident or not, I need to keep an eye out for any more improper strikes.

“Hmmm…” Caboose said, prompting Jess to look over at the blue stallion. Said stallion was staring intently at the control panel. So intently, in fact, it looked like he might be trying to psychically communicate with it. Which, if it happened, wouldn’t be the strangest thing he would have done. Shaking her head, she turned back to the cameras.

On another monitor, she noticed Simmer finally managed to free himself from between the wall and the crate he had been pinned to. Yet strangely, she still couldn’t see Church or Tucker on any of the monitors. Where WERE they?

“Oh harmony, forget this! I need a bigger weapon!” Simmer exclaimed to no pony in particular before rushing off back the way Red Team had come.

Another note to self: Simmer talks to himself when stressed and may potentially give away important information. Have Wash help him with that, Jess thought as she watched Simmer run towards the control booth.

Within seconds, he was standing on a platform looking up at Caboose and Jess with big, nervous eyes. “Caboose, help us!”

“How? Jess won’t let me!” Caboose exclaimed, giving her his best pouty face. “She’s being mean! This place is filled with mean ladies!”

Jess rolled her eyes again, but she couldn’t quite hide her smile all the way.

“Push some buttons? I don’t know!” Simmer said, waving wildly at the console in front of Caboose.

Caboose blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then smiled widely.

Here we go.

“Buttons!?” he exclaimed like a foal on Hearth’s Warming Day. “OH PONY, I LOVE BUTTONS! Beep bop bo boop…”

His hooves began hitting every button he could find on the console (and a couple off of it…somehow). Up above Simmer, a smaller storage container tipped over, dumping a load of unbonded magic weapon gems and ammo crystals at Simmer’s hooves.

Jess knew the whole area was filled with hidden caches of training gear to be found during these exercises, so finding one in a place only a pegasus might be able to get to wasn’t surprising at all. She was, however, a little surprised that one had been placed on a random box of all places, especially with so many ammo crystals.

Simmer grabbed one that transformed into a large set of side-mounted magic projectile launchers! “Wow! That actually worked perfectly! Thanks!” he yelled, grabbing as many of the ammo energy crystals as he could before running off.

“Great!” Caboose yelled out happily after Simmer, before turning to Jess with dopey confusion on his face. “How the heck did I do that?”

“Invisible magic,” Jess said. Despite all of his prowess with machinery (when he wasn’t breaking it, of course), Caboose had basically no understanding of electricity, but somehow, replacing the word ‘electricity’ with ‘invisible magic’ just WORKED for him. Jess had no idea who figured that out, but on days like today, she was glad for it. No reason to make Caboose even more confused with everything going on.

“Oooh, ok,” Caboose said, satisfied.

Jess gave him a quick pat on the head and turned back to the cameras. With those magic launchers now in play, maybe the Reds and Blues would actually stand a chance against Tempest now.

Maybe.

Ok, a small chance, but still a chance.

Jess turned back to the maze camera just in time to see a blur of aqua as Tucker collided with Simmer as the maroon pony rounded the corner, both ponies falling to the ground with a painful thump.

THERE’S Tucker! Seriously, where the hay was he? He was on the other side of the maze, not the other side of the ISLAND! How did it take him this long to catch up after I made the announcement? Did he not try flying over the crates to find the disturbance? Or did he not want to risk Tempest finding out where he was? Note to self, again: Teach Tucker about using flight in short bursts to gather reconnaissance without compromising your position.

“Hey, Simmer, what the hay is going on in there?” Tucker exclaimed, staggering back to his hooves as the crystal pony groaned. “Church and I split up, but then I heard the announcement and couldn’t find him again. Well, I heard part of it. I think the speakers are bugged. They cut out before I could hear half the message.”

Ok, another note to self: have maintenance check the speaker systems before the next training round. And if Church isn’t with Tucker, then WHERE IS HE? I can’t see him on any of the monitors. Hopefully he didn’t turn off his ears again. King Sparrow still doesn’t know how Church managed to create that feature in the first place…

“Ow!” came a pained cry from Grind Stone, yanking Jess out of her thoughts.

“Tucker! It’s you! You gotta to help us!” Simmer cried, finally managing to shake off the impact and leaping back to his hooves. He pointed at the crystal wristband around Tucker’s leg. “Do you know how to use that thing!?”

“My sword? Hay yeah, I know how to use it,” Tucker cockily exclaimed, puffing his chest and wings out in pride. “What’s not to understand about swish-swish-stab? It’s a freaking sword dude, not an airship.”

I’d HOPE it wasn’t an airship. I can’t even imagine the amount of chaos you all would cause with an airship. Sarge causes enough chaos with that vehicle of his even when it’s broken!

“Then come help me,” Simmer grumbled, charging off past Tucker. The greenish-blue pegasus shrugged and followed behind the irritated unicorn.

Tempest, meanwhile, was decidedly kicking Grind Stone and Sarge’s collective plots as she knocked them to the ground once again. Both ponies tried to stagger back to their hooves, but only Grind Stone managed to pull himself together in time to dodge metal drum Tempest threw next. Sarge wasn’t so lucky and was nailed in the face with it, staggering away as Grind Stone frantically materialized his back-up weapon. He fired a burst of lasers at Tempest, but the mare was too fast and dodged the inaccurate shots with ease, closing the distance to the two stallions.

“Lesson two,” Tempest yelled. “Recover quickly and be aware of follow-up attacks. Never assume the enemy will wait for you!”

And yet you attacked them before they even COULD recover! Jess thought, suppressing a small sigh. I need to remember to talk to her about this later. Jess turned her attention back to the cameras.

Quick as a flash, Tempest grabbed both Grind Stone and Sarge by the necks, smashed their heads together, then punched them both so hard that the stallions spun in place. Sarge tried to use his magic cannon, but a quick buck from Tempest sent the shot wide and made the older stallion collapse. Grind Stone tried to fire again, but Tempest dodged and knocked the weapon away.

“Time for some close quarters combat training!” Tempest yelled as she proceeded to strike Grind Stone with a series of quick jabs and kicks, forcing him back. She delivered a powerful buck, knocking the orange stallion over, but before he hit the floor, she grabbed his leg and yanked him back to her, raising her hoof for a dramatic downward strike.

DON’T YOU DARE, TEMPEST!

“WAITWAITWAIT—” Grind Stone screamed, desperately waving his hooves in a blind panic.

Thankfully, Tempest adjusted her aim at the last second, scoring a brutal blow to Grind Stone’s stomach instead. But Jess could barely let out the breath she was holding before the unicorn drove her hind hoof into Grind Stone’s side, sending him flying into a nearby storage container.

“Tempest, don’t think I didn’t see where you were about to punch Grind Stone!” she yelled into the microphone as Grind Stone moaned in pain and fumbled to find his hooves. “What did I just say two minutes ago?!”

I don’t care if that could have been so much worse – she should NOT have been aiming there.

“But I didn’t hit him there! And I wasn’t going to! In fact, Grind Stone! Lesson three! The enemy will always seek to exploit any opening, no matter how underhoofed! You can’t let yourself be caught in that position! When I was trained, my opponents wouldn’t hesitate to exploit such an opening,” Tempest called out, earning another groan from Grind Stone. Jess just facehoofed.

She looked up again just in time to see a large orange rectangular device that had been precariously balanced on the smashed storage container wobble and drop, falling onto the still-struggling-to-stand Grind Stone. He vanished, only to come flying out of the nearby blue rectangular device, flopping across the ground in pain. Jess saw Tempest blink, then looked at back at the orange device.

“Oooooh, right. The teleporters are available today. Neat.” Tempest said, looking at the device thoughtfully.

At least the teleporter means Grind Stone is out of melee range for the moment, Jess thought as she shook her head. Just because it’s better than when you were trained doesn’t mean that it’s acceptable here. Even if she IS following my order and avoiding unnecessary injuries. However, before she could tell Tempest that such a move was excessive, another voice yelled out.

“Hey, sweetcheeks!”

Tempest whirled around to face the voice, before quickly ducking to avoid a blue orb flying directly towards her face. The orb instead hit the wall nearby and erupted in a burst of magic, raining sparks over Tempest and Grind Stone. Grind Stone didn’t react, but Tempest leapt back to her hooves in a battle stance, her eyes quickly locking onto her newest challenger.

“Remember me? Step away from the idiots!” Tucker called out, flying down and stylishly sliding across the floor into a two-legged stance. His crystal wristband glowed a bright green and, with a dramatic swish of his foreleg, two beams of pure magic exploded out from the band, extending away from Tucker’s hoof into a razor-sharp dual-bladed sword.

And then, for no reason, he posed dramatically, as if he was some famous knight about to do battle against Akumu itself. All while giving Tempest his cockiest grin.

Why WOULDN’T she remember you? You literally just saw each other about an hour ago before the match started. And why are you POSING!? This is a guard training session, not some famous play! If you hadn’t yelled, you might have even been able to launch a stealth attack against Tempest! Why are you LIKE THIS, Tucker!?

Tempest, however, gave a downright predatory grin and cracked her neck in anticipation.

“Finally, somepony who might actually give me a good workout. Let’s see if you know how to really fight. And if not, I’ll be sure to give you some tips,” she said enthusiastically, slowly walking forward to meet Tucker. Tucker matched her pace, and the two of them slowly began to circle one another.

Jess leaned back in her chair, trying to prepare for whatever nonsense would come out of this match, but a smudge of maroon appeared on a storage container behind Tempest’s head, followed by a very panicked-looking Simmer.

She clicked over to a camera that was closer to him as he slowly clambered onto the container, dragging a rocket launcher with him.

Now THIS could be interesting. What is HE up to?

“Oh harmony, please don’t let her see me,” Simmer whispered, carefully loading the ammo into his weapon. His voice was so soft that even with the closer camera, Jess could barely hear him, but she could tell it was shaking. Badly

“What’s this button do?”

Jess turned just in time to watch Caboose hit a purple button on the console.

Clank!

BANG!

“Huh?” Tucker exclaimed in shock.

Jess whipped her head back to the cameras just as a large storage container slammed down in front of Tucker, cutting him off from Tempest.

The unicorn on the other hoof, jumped back in surprise. “Where the heck did that come from?” she asked to no one in particular.

“Yes! I saved Tucker!” Caboose yelled over the intercom in excitement. “OH WAIT! I saved Tucker.”

You don’t need to sound so depressed about that, Caboose, Jess thought, unable to hold back her chuckle at the sheer absurdity of…whatever was happening here. She would have said that she had long since lost the plot, but she wasn’t entirely sure these guys ever HAD a plot to begin with.

“Caboose, what are you doing?!” Tucker yelled in annoyance. “You’re messing up my plan with Simmer! I was supposed to distract her for him!”

Jess double-facehoofed.

WHY would you yell that out ON THE MIDDLE OF THE BATTLEFIELD! You NEVER YELL YOUR PLAN AT THE ENEMY! For Harmony’s sake, Tucker!

“What!?” Tempest yelled, whirling around just in time to see Simmer finish loading the ammo into the battle saddle.

“YOU RATTED ME OUT, YOU IDIOT!” Simmer screamed in a highly justified panic. He frantically took aim at Tempest and firing the first shot from the right launcher. An oval of magic came blasting out, speeding towards its target on a stream of magic fire. Tempest leapt to the side, barely dodging the ensuing explosion as the projectile hit the floor next to her.

Tempest sprinted over and grabbed the blue teleporter device. “Lesson four! Never give away the location of a teammate moving to flank. Hey, Simmer!” she yelled, hurling the teleporter at the panicking unicorn stallion. “CATCH!”

“Oh, buck!” Simmer yelled, frantically backpedaling and firing his left weapon at the teleporter. Jess was fairly certain he meant to hit the EDGE of the device and knock it away from him, but instead the blast went straight through the blue device—

—and came out of the orange device at the base of the storage container, homing in on Simmer and sending him soaring into the blue teleporter.

“Oh, BUUUUUUUUUUCK!” Simmer yelled, flailing as he hit the blue teleporter and immediately emerged from the orange one. Tempest was waiting right there to grab him, flip him over her head, and buck him across the room.

Because of course she was.

“That was awesome—OW!” Tucker exclaimed as he flew over the container, only for Simmer to collide with him in mid-air and send both of them to the ground in a painful heap.

“Lesson five – always watch for friendly fire.” Tempest said, far too happily.

Jess sighed and sank back in her seat, rubbing her forehead. It was times like these that made Jess wonder just HOW these goofballs had been so successful on all their previous missions. Even before she and Wash had joined the squad, they had always done extremely well in the field. But anytime they were in a training environment, things just didn’t seem to click.

Maybe I should just end this now. They haven’t had any luck so far…But they are all together now, save for Church, so maybe things will change? Sparrow still wants to learn how they’ve been so successful, so maybe they just need a bit more time to find their momentum. Plus, I still need to gather more info on how Tempest tries to teach others.

…Ok, I’ll give them another fifteen minutes unless something goes truly wrong. Then I’ll end it if they haven’t found their groove.

Meanwhile, next to her, Caboose was tapping his hooves together, clearly still trying to figure out how exactly he could help his teammates. Suffice to say, it wasn’t going well.

“Can we use turrets on her? Or some exploding fiery things?” he asked hopefully. Jess just shook her head.

“No, Caboose. You only have access to the crane controls and the cameras,” she said, pointing at the buttons on the console. “That’s it. I explained the controls to you when you first came in here, remember? It’s up to you to figure out how you can use that to help your team.”

Caboose pouted, then looked back at the console and hit a big blue button. For some unexplained reason, the sound of a confetti cannon sounded somewhere nearby, though Jess had no idea where. Freckles wasn’t even deployed right now, and she knew that none of the buttons were supposed to do that.

Oh, what the hay. It was Caboose.

Jess brushed it off and turned back to the cameras. On the floor of the facility, the Reds and Tucker all staggered back to their hooves. She could tell from their pained groaning that they were sore, and the looks of worry on their faces told her that they knew this wasn’t over yet.

“I certainly hope that isn’t the best you can do,” Tempest taunted, sounding almost giddy. “I have so many more lessons to teach.”

Jess definitely needed to have a word with Tempest after this. Maybe several. She was clearly having WAY too much fun with all of this.

“What do we do, Sarge?” Grind Stone asked almost drunkenly, looking around in a panic. He patted frantically at his armor, and it took Jess a second to realize he was missing now both his weapons.

Interesting. Let’s see what Mr. Lazy Bones does now.

“Don’t know. I’ve never hit a girl in my life!” Sarge exclaimed in concern, readying his cannon and pointing it towards Tempest as she stalked towards them.

“Yeah, I noticed. TRY HARDER!” Simmer squeaked, his legs shaking even harder as he aimed his rocket weapon. Tucker grunted and deployed his sword again, taking a fighting stance. Grind Stone, apparently giving up on locating either of his weapons, elected to grab a nearby traffic cone and hold it at the ready with a loud “HAH!”

Right…They store some of the construction materials down here too. Of course…

Jess facehooved again as Tempest laughed and charged forward.

Jess could only compare what happened next to watching a dancer in motion. Tempest dodged another blast from Sarge’s magic cannon, snatched it out of his grasp, and kicked him away. Tucker tried to follow up with a stab, only to be kicked in the face and smacked with the cannon. Simmer tried to fire another rocket, but Tempest easily leaned back, the breeze from the rocket gently blowing her mane.

“What the bu—” Simmer began, only for Tempest to kick him in the chest, sending him flying back through a teleporter as she turned back and aimed Sarge’s weapon at the terrified Grind Stone.

“—UUUUUUUUUUCK!” Simmer cried as he flew out of one teleporter on top of a nearby container, landed in another one, and then flew out of THAT one and slammed into Grind Stone’s back. The orange pony staggered forward with his cone, and Tempest leaped in, kicked him in the face so hard he was knocked onto his back, and landed on his chest with Sarge’s cannon now pointed directly at Grind Stone’s face.

“Ha-how,” Grind Stone groaned in pain, only to squeak as he noticed the cannon.

“Lesson six. Enemies can be projectiles too if you try hard enough,” Tempest said, arming the stolen weapon with a menacing click-click.

“Oh no! Grind Stone!” Simmer called in a panic, but he had been thrown clear in the shuffle and Jess knew there was nothing he could do in time.

“Bye-bye!” Tempest exclaimed as she pulled the trigger.

“Yipe!” Grind Stone shrieked.

But the cannon didn’t fire. Instead, it let out an anticlimactic clicking noise.

Tempest and Grind Stone both blinked in surprise. Jess felt her right eye starting to twitch.

Did Sarge run out of ammo in the middle of a fight? AGAIN? Why wouldn’t he bring more? I told them to pack as if they were going into a situation where they could only use ammo crystals, so why …Wait, don’t tell me.

“Private Grind Stone! You should be ashamed of yourself!” Sarge shouted as Jess watched Tempest try to figure out why the weapon wouldn’t fire, even going so far at to point the barrel at her own face and look down it like it had personally betrayed her. “We’ve run out of ammo crystals AGAIN! THAT’S YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!”

I knew it.

I would say I’m surprised.

But I’m not.

“Why is HE, the LAZIEST PONY IN THE SQUAD, in charge of THAT!?” Tempest asked incredulously. “Especially if this has already happened MULTIPLE TIMES! That only makes it worse!”

She was, however, ignored by the ponies on the floor (save for Tucker, who still looked so stunned that Jess wasn’t sure he was aware of ANYTHING right now) as Grind Stone just let out a relieved laugh.

“Huh, I guess this is the first time my laziness would have actually saved my—LIFE!” he squeaked as Tempest firmly planted a leg on his stomach and held the cannon above her head like a golf club. His eyes went wide and he began to desperately flail around under Tempest.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this? Jess thought to herself.

“FOOORRRREEEEEEE!” Tempest yelled, grinning like a loon as she lined up the shot with Grind Stone’s side.

“PROTECT ME, CONE!” Grind Stone yelled, holding his traffic cone above his head as he thrashed. But the cone could do nothing as Tempest swung downwards. And unfortunately, at the last possible second, Grind’s last panicked flail caused his body to shift heavily to the right and the butt of the cannon slammed between his legs rather than his side, sending him flying off and crashing into Simmer.

“Watch it!” Simmer cried as the two tumbled.

“YOU watch it!” Grind Stone retorted, his voice at least three pitches higher than normal.

OH FOR—If that wasn’t clearly an accident, I would end this fight here and now! Jess all but screamed in her mind as she let out an exasperated groan. She hit the button to unmute the microphone, only to think better of it and release the button again. The only thing that made her feel slightly better was that Tempest was clearly frustrated with herself at the incident.

Jess could see the discomfort and self-anger in Tempest’s eyes as she looked between Grind Stone and the cannon before throwing the weapon away in disgust. She then vigorously shook her head and took a few deep, quick breaths. Jess had been her parole officer long enough to tell that Tempest was trying to recenter herself.

I wonder what she’s thinking, Jess thought. Tempest is clearly a bit shaken by that accident, but it looks like she is trying to get back into it. Will she dial back her attacks now? She eyed the button that would end the training simulation. She debated hitting it, before groaning and shaking her head in exasperation. The last hit was an accident, and she needed to see how Tempest altered her fighting style given what just occurred (or, more importantly, if she DIDN’T alter her fighting style). That didn’t stop her from doublechecking the safety spell readouts to make sure they were set at the correct levels.

Still, the fact that Jess was the one overseeing this whole training session, and had been the one to approve it, led to a knot of guilt forming in her chest. She owed Grind Stone an apology after all this. He may be the most irritating lazy bum Jess had ever met, but everything about this training session had turned into a huge mess and that wasn’t right. She also would definitely need to retake charge of his training personally once this was all over, as clearly Tempest’s style (if it could be called that) didn’t mesh well with his character.

I don’t know how well THAT’S going to work, given how much trouble I had training him in the past, but clearly this current arrangement is even worse than anything I had with him. At least the safety spells look to be holding steady.

“You idiots! Let me show you how it’s done!” Sarge exclaimed dramatically, pulling Jess back to the camera feeds. He had his hooves up in a fighting stance, but for whatever reason, he was putting all his attention on the crumpled forms of Grind Stone and Simmer and COMPLETELY ignoring Tempest even as she clanked her way towards him. The moment he turned, he received an armored hoof to his helmet’s faceshield, which sent him flying gracefully through the air down to join his team.

“Nice demonstration, Sarge,” Grind Stone said. Jess could practically feel the sarcasm dripping in his tone as the orange pony staggered back to his hooves.

“Oh, shut up,” Sarge grumbled.

“Ok, I feel better now. I’m ready to keep fighting,” Tempest sighed as she cracked her neck, clearly feeling a bit better. Jess groaned at the red team’s shenanigans, though out of the corner of her eye she could see Tucker climbing back to his hooves.

She could also see Caboose hit a large green button, causing a large container to slowly move over Tucker and Tempest.

Interesting. I want to see what the Reds and Blues do next. They have a good opportunity here.

“Hey guys, look up there,” Simmer whispered, pointing to the box. Tucker, who finally managed to pull himself together, looked up and immediately had an expression on his face that just screamed ‘I have a horrible idea, but it might just work.’

“Hey Caboose!” he yelled. “Remember when I said not to help me? Forget that! I need you to help me! RIGHT NOW!”

Oh dear.

“What holds up that crate!?” Caboose asked Jess excitedly, looking over the console.

“The crane controls are on the left side of the console,” Jess said, leaning forward, actually curious if this would work or not. Tempest WAS pretty strong, and while the enchantments in the room would protect her regardless, would it be enough to let her keep fighting if the crate hit her?

Caboose took a quick look at her, outright giggled, and began hitting every possible button on the left side of the console.

CLANK!

The crane released, and the large rectangular container dropped. Tucker dove out of the way just as Tempest saw what was happening.

“Oh, for Harmony’s SAKE!” Tempest screamed as the container plummeted towards her.

THUNK!

“I can’t believe that worked!” Tucker cried in what Jess could only describe as joy-at-no-longer-at-risk-of-being-punched, sliding to a stop, only to turn and see something no pony was expecting. Something that had even Jess’s jaw falling open in surprise.

Tempest had caught the container, not only with her hooves, but also with her MAGIC!

Jess quickly swapped one of the cameras to the ground-level one, giving her a clear view of the almost-pinned Tempest. The purple mare’s eyes had become pure blue, like the lightning sparking all over the container and her body, and her horn was glowing like a miniature sun. She was forced into a kneeling position, her face only inches from the floor, but Jess took a quick glance at the health monitor and Tempest was completely unhurt.

“Heck. Yeah,” Tempest grunted, slowly standing back up. She hefted the container up with both her hooves and her magic, and once it was higher, Jess could see that the unicorn had left a massive dent in the side.

Tempest’s mouth was pulled into a strained grin as she stared at Tucker proudly. “Now. We’re. Talking.”

“Oh buck, that didn’t work!” Tucker exclaimed, frantically jumping up in a clear panic.

“I’m actually surprised that DIDN’T work,” Jess admitted to herself. Caboose wasn’t listening; he looked wholly captivated with the sparking lightning flying all around Tempest. “She just used magic for the first time last night. I know Tempest is a bit of a badass, but I didn’t expect her magic to be this strong so soon after recovering her abilities. Maybe that was just the crack in the wall she needed to break through and use all of her potential.”

Could it be that the danger of the container dropping on her triggered a magic surge? Or could it be something else? Tempest did say that she used to use a lot of magic at once to fire her lightning bolts. Could she struggle with smaller tasks but excel at full magic casting? I should have Doc look into this.

“Hey, Tucker!” Tempest yelled, pulling Jess back just in time to see the magenta unicorn’s strained face twisting into a manic smile. “CATCH!”

With a powerful shout, her magic and physical strength came together to fling the massive crate at the aqua stallion and the Red team crowded against the wall behind him.

Come on, Tucker. You know what to do here.

“We gotta get outta here!” Grind Stone screamed in terror, frantically looking for a way out of the dead end they were trapped in.

“We’ll be crushed!” Simmer cried.

“Don’t worry, guys!” Tucker exclaimed, deploying his sword. “I got this!”

The weapon in his hoof glowed aqua and doubled in length almost immediately, and just as the box was about to reach them, he swung forward with a loud ‘SWISH!’

A massive blue-green wave of energy emerged from the sword and perfectly sliced the box in half.

Perfect. Well done, Tucker…Wait, what?

Tucker smirked and gave his sword a little twirl, but his celebration was cut short by a number of pained cries. The container had been full of, ironically enough, med kits. Med kits which now completely buried the Reds as they spilled out of the container.

Jess winced, just a little this time. That was just bad luck, but Tucker was getting quite a lot better at controlling his founder’s weapon. Six months ago, that move would have only been half its current size.

“We were crushed,” Grind Stone moaned, poking his head up from beneath a mountain of kits, his eyes rolling in opposite directions.

“Oh, blueberries,” Tucker muttered. “Tempest, can you please—OW!”

He turned to face Tempest, only for the somehow-not-exhausted unicorn to kick him in the chest and keep walking. HOW she wasn’t exhausted to the point where she couldn’t move was beyond Jess, but she could have Doc look into that later too.

“Focus, Tucker! Lesson seven! The enemy isn’t going to give you a break just because you pull off a flashy move!” she said, and to Jess’s surprise, she nodded as Tucker recovered his balance and glared at her.

Is Tempest actually impressed with him?

“All right, you know what, that’s it. Come here!” Tucker grunted, charging Tempest.

Meanwhile, on another monitor, Jess saw Simmer emerge from behind the cut container piece. “Oh, thank Harmony, I thought I was a goner,” he exhaled, running over and beginning to look through the piles of med kits. “Sarge, where are you?”

“Here!” Sarge exclaimed, bursting out of a heap of med kits with one perfectly speared on his horn. “What happened? I feel defeated, and yet inexplicably rejuvenated!”

Why does he sound so happy about that?

Grind Stone rolled his eyes, and Jess was sorely tempted to do the same.

She turned back to the first monitor, where Tucker was trying to land a hit on Tempest. Unfortunately, he wasn’t having much success.

“Swish—gah!” he yelled, swinging his sword, only for Tempest to dodge and deliver two quick punches to his ribs.

“Return to your stance faster! Don’t leave yourself open!” Tempest chided.

“Swish—ow!” Tucker tried a reverse swing, only for the same result.

“Don’t stop if it leaves your back open to the enemy! Follow through, or even spin to get back into a defensible position!”

“STAB!” He thrust his sword at Tempest, but she dodged and grabbed his leg. “Harmony damn it!” She twisted his leg behind his back, grabbed the weapon, and delivered a kick to his faceplate, disarming him.

I wonder if she could teach me that move, Jess thought, though she couldn’t help but wince at the same time.

“Oh come on!” Tucker yelled as he was knocked across the floor face-first, sliding past the reds and flipping directly into a teleporter. “This is ridiculous!”

“Whoa, did you see that?” Grind Stone exclaimed in shock.

“How would I have missed that?” Simmer asked in pure deadpan as he picked the magic launcher device back up and reequipped it.

Back across the room, Tucker stumbled out of the portal, his armor and fur now covered in strange black and dark purple splotches. But before he could try to regain his balance, Tempest was there, catching him by the throat with one hoof and holding the sword with the other.

However, before she could attack, the sword powered down and vanished.

“Huh? I thought all weapons could be used by anypony in this training?” Tempest asked.

“The founders’ weapons don’t apply to that rule,” Jess said over the loudspeaker. “They aren’t affected by that spell. I told you that before we started, and during the opening announcement.”

“Oh, right,” Tempest groaned, and Jess was pretty sure she would have facehoofed if she wasn’t still holding Tucker by the neck. Speaking of said (mostly) greenish-blue pony, Jess saw a smirk play across his lips that let her know that he was about to say something monumentally stupid.

Tucker, please don—

“What’s the matter, Tempest? Having trouble keeping it up? Don’t worry, it happens to everypony. Well, not me but—"

Jess’s eye twitched.

He just…I can’t EVEN! Did he learn nothing from Wash!?

Jess was so flabbergasted at his stupidity that she couldn’t muster the will to chastise Tucker for his stupidity, or even move, for that matter. However, after a minute, she felt somepony’s hoof grab her own. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a confused Caboose grabbing her left forehoof, before he gently brought it to her face in the perfect motion of a facehoof. The fact that he looked at her like a puppy begging for a treat did make her grin a little, at least.

“Thank you, Caboose,” she said from behind the hoof, earning a happy smile from the blue pony before he went back to hitting all the buttons on the control panel. Somewhere out on the floor, a slide whistle sounded.

Jess wasn’t even going to question it this time.

As Jess brought her hoof down, she could see Tempest’s eyes light up in understanding.

“Oh, you PERVERTED little—” she growled.

Tucker flinched, and Jess could clearly see that he realized his mistake.

Whatever comes next is your own dang fault, Tucker.

Meanwhile, the Reds, clearly in no hurry to be thoroughly thrashed again, simply watched as Tempest began to beat up Tucker. Well, Grind Stone and Simmer watched. Sarge, however, had that look he always had when he was assessing the battlefield. As he scanned the area, his eyes locked onto the launcher Simmer was carrying, then at Tempest, and then back again. His face lit up in excitement.

“Hey, that launcher one of the modified versions, right?”

“Oh, yeah, I think it is. I didn’t even notice that,” Simmer admitted, poking around at the green band on the launcher.

“Ow, OW, HEY, DON’T—OW!” Tucker shouted, prompting Jess to check back in on the camera watching him. She winced.

“LESSON EIGHT! DON’T TAUNT AN ENEMY WHO HAS YOU BY THE THROAT!!!” Tempest yelled angrily.

“Tempest, I’m pretty sure legs aren’t supposed to bend that way! I know Tucker’s not injured like Grind Stone, but keep it to normal punishments, please! I don’t care how much he was asking for it!”

“Understood!” Tempest yelled up, before resuming her beatdown with a fair bit less intensity – which was, unfortunately, still WAY too intense for Tucker.

“And that means it has heat seeking!” Sarge exclaimed in glee, pulling Jess back to the Red’s monitor just in time to see the red pony smiling widely.

“OW, come on, can’t you take a jok—OW!”

Jess checked the other monitor quickly, shook her head, and turned her attention back to the Reds.

Wash tried to teach you why your jokes were a bad idea, Tucker. You should have listened.

“Now, lock on and let her rip!”

“Oh, right, I forgot about that,” Simmer said.

“Holy Harmony, OW, you can’t do this—” Tucker said, before he was cut off and the Reds turned to see him get thrown bodily out of the teleporter.

“—iiiiiich!” he finished as he fell to the floor with a loud clang, coughing as he looked at himself. By now, his armor was now completely black and his fur was now completely dark purple. “Darn it, I hate this black stuff, what the hay is it!?”

I don’t think even Sparrow could answer that question, Tucker. Nor could he explain why it only happens to you.

“There she is!” Grind Stone cried, pointing at the discolored Tucker.

Jess’s eyes widened in surprise. Wait, what? Do they actually think that he’s—

“Huh?” Tucker asked, looking up.

“Get her!” Sarge yelled.

He and Grind Stone charged at Tucker while Simmer hung back, looking from his teammates to the pegasus and back again in pure confusion. Meanwhile, Jess tried not to walk over and slam her entire head into the console Caboose was still playing with. It took WAY more effort than it should have.

“Wait, guys…” Simmer tried to interject, but Grind Stone and Sarge were already whaling on Tucker, who cowered and tried to block their blows. Needless to say, he didn’t do very well.

Tempest, meanwhile, was just watching all of this happen from near the other teleporter, and Jess could tell that she was trying not to laugh. She wasn’t doing very well either.

“OW, come on! I’m not Tempest, I’m a Blue!” Tucker cried, curling in on himself. “I’m not the one we’re all fighting! Leave me alone!”

But the only relief he got was Grind Stone quickly tiring himself out.

Note to self, said Jess’s rational brain, somewhere under all the noise of ‘how on EQUIS did we get HERE?’ the rest of her brain was currently screaming, work to make sure these idiots can recognize their own teammates! Also, develop a new plan to continue working to improve Grind Stone’s stamina.

“Kicking is hard,” the orange stallion muttered. “Why did we need to run so much today if it was just going to tire us out for this stupid exercise?”

Unfortunately, with Grind Stone out of the way, Sarge had the room to grab Tucker, pull him into a headlock, and then begin punching him repeatedly.

“Why are you hitting me, I’m not Tempest!” Tucker yelled as he tried to get free. The real Tempest, meanwhile, was now covering her mouth to muffle her giggles. Jess just groaned.

“Sarge, hold on, hold on!” Simmer yelled, prompting the older stallion to look up at him in confusion. “That’s Tucker, not Tempest! He a pegasus, remember?”

“See, I told you! How’d you miss that I don’t have a horn?” Tucker yelled, earning one more punch from Sarge before he let go. “Ow, why did you do that!?”

“Meh, force o’ habit.”

WHY is that a force of habit? That is the first time you’ve ever managed to get Tucker into a headlock! IT CAN’T BE A HABIT IF IT’S NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE!

“Man, you stallions need to foc—whoa, whoa,” Tucker began, only to stumble on a med kid and lurch backwards into Grind Stone.

“Hey, watch it—whoa, whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa!” Grind Stone called out, staggering back until he finally managed to catch Tucker. “Careful, don’t fall in the…uh.”

Somehow, the two of them had managed to end up balancing perfectly on their hind hooves over the orange teleporter Tucker had been thrown through a minute before. “Hold still, hold still, umm,” Grind Stone muttered, looking around wildly.

Jess could tell that he was looking for Tempest and could spot the moment when he caught sight of her across the training area. Tempest, meanwhile, turned from the boys’ struggle to the blue teleporter next to her.

Oh boy, Jess thought as she saw a faint smile appear on Tempest’s lips as she walked over towards the teleporter.

“I can see her! She’s over there, all the way over there!” Grind Stone called out, pulling Jess’s attention back to the two struggling stallions. “We have time to get out of this!"

“Are you suuuuure?” Tempest asked casually as her head and shoulders emerged below the two precariously balanced stallions.

Maybe I should add a teleporter safety lesson to Tempest’s training. You’re not supposed to remain partially in them like that for too long in case something malfunctions.

“Uh-oh,” Grind Stone squeaked. His expression screamed ‘This will not end well.’

“Grind Stone, I see her,” Tucker whispered. However, before either stallion could do anything, Sarge leapt forward and tried to punch Tempest. Unfortunately for Grind Stone, Tempest simply ducked back through the portal, leaving Sarge’s hoof to connect squarely with the orange stallion’s groin.

This time Jess did face-console. This hit wasn’t Tempest’s fault, but holy Harmony did she feel bad for Grind Stone.

Should I end the session? Jess thought. There’s only five minutes left, but they still haven’t come close to beating Tempest or truly coordinating their efforts, save for Tucker dropping the crate on her. And the injuries are escalating, both for Tucker and for Grind Stone. But Simmer did find the extra feature on the magic launcher.

…Ok, I’ll give them a chance to use he heat seeking missile, then I’ll end it if it fails.

“NOT MY FAULT!” Tempest yelled, her voice tinged with both concern and a slight hint of amusement.

“Hey, that’s my line!” Caboose yelled, sounding very happy that somepony else had said that for once. Jess looked over and saw his hoof on the loudspeaker button. “Now say ‘Tucker did it!”

“TUCKER DID IT!” Tempest yelled.

Jess face-consoled again.

And now Caboose knows where the loudspeaker button is. This will only end well.

“What is the universe’s problem with my balls!?” Grind Stone cried in miserable pain. Jess raised her head just in time to see the orange stallion cover his groin and flop into the teleporter. This, of course, left Tucker by himself, and despite his panicked flailing and flapping of his wings, he was no luckier and fell back into the teleporter as well and into Tempest’s waiting hooves.

Before Tucker could even begin to catch his balance, Tempest caught him around the waist and lifted him up. “SUPLEX!” she cried, slamming Tucker to the metal floor, before flipping over his downed body, pinning him with her hind legs, and proceeding to punch him repeatedly. Again.

It wasn’t a standard combat tactic, but it wasn’t really outside the rules either. Jess groaned, but elected to let Tempest continue unless it got out of hoof again.

“OW, right to the mount huh? OW, not even gonna buy me dinner first? OW, I like your OW style!” Tucker quipped, trying to use his forelegs to block Tempest’s blows, but his sassy commentary was clearly making Tempest punch all the harder.

Jess couldn’t be sure if this was actually some sort of insane plan by Tucker at this point. Because if it was, she failed to see how it was helping at all.

“Shut! UP! ALREADY!” Tempest yelled between punches.

Case and point.

Jess tore her eyes away from the unfortunate sight to check on the other Reds. Simmer had engaged his launcher’s targeting system, the magic reticle hovering just in front of his face, but for some reason he hadn’t fired yet.

“Simmer, what are you waiting for!?” Sarge exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

“They look the same!” Simmer responded in fear, the targeting reticle quickly jumping back and forth as if trying to choose a target. “Which one do I shoot!?”

“OW! SHOOT THE ONE WHO’S WINNING, YOU IDIOT!” Tucker yelled.

It IS always better to air on the side of caution to avoid harming your own allies, Jess noted, nodding thoughtfully. Now we just need to increase Simmer’s confidence in himself and his ability to tell his allies from his enemies in stressful situations. Even if this should be a REALLY easy choice.

Unfortunately, before he could do that, Grind Stone staggered into the shot, still cradling his crotch.

“Grind Stone!” Simmer yelled. “Watch it!”

“Huuuuh?” Grind Stone muttered, clearly still a bit out of it.

Oh for…really? Just really? I don’t even know what to say at this point.

Tempest looked up at the commotion, and her lip curled back in concentration. She kicked Tucker at the orange stallion, knocking him back towards the other Reds. However, before Tucker could get too far away, Tempest grabbed him by the leg, pulled him back towards her and, in a move that Jess swore moved in slow motion, punched the pegasus in mid-air. The hit was so strong that all of the black mess covering Tucker cleared off in a puff as the aqua stallion bounced painfully behind Simmer.

I’m starting to think Tempest’s love of dramatic moves might just match Tucker’s love of sassy catchphrases.

“Wow, she knocked that stuff right off you!” Sarge said, sounding impressed.

“Oww, that wasn’t worth it,” Tucker groaned, slowly getting back up.

“You’re all clear, Simmer!” Sarge yelled. “NOW SHOOT HER!”

FINALLY! The goofballs actually have an advantage! Don’t waste it, you guys! I know you can get at least one good hit in!

Tempest saw what they were about to do and quickly turned to run.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” Simmer screamed, pulling the trigger and sending a red magic projectile quickly homing in on Tempest.

“Oh, you want to play? Well then, LET’S PLAY!” Tempest yelled, jumping at the teleporter in front of her. She grabbed the frame as she passed, swinging herself out of the companion teleporter on the floor, and she hit the ground running. The rocket followed her, and Tempest wheeled around, charging right at the Reds and Blues. “SHARING IS CARING!” she cackled.

She is having way too much fun right now. I need to make sure she tones it down if I have her train with the Reds and Blues again. Though at this point, that likely won’t be for quite a long time.

“Are you freaking kidding me!?” Tucker cried in a panic. “RUN!!!”

He spun on his hooves, trying to run, only to bump into Simmer, who in turn smacked Sarge in the face with his projectile launcher.

Jess facehoofed again, but that didn’t stop her from seeing Tempest grin viciously as the guys staggered about. While Jess didn’t know exactly what she was thinking, some part of Tempest’s expression just screamed ‘It’s time to show them my moves!’

“Here’s a shout out to that old griffon, General Falcon!” she laughed, leaping onto her hind hooves as she kept moving forward. “FALCON—” She smashed one forehoof into another — “PUNCH!!!”

She delivered a brutal punch to all three stallions at the same time, knocking them clean over. Only Grind Stone escaped this brutal blow, and Tempest slid right between his legs as he staggered back.

I wonder if she can teach me that move…

“Huh?” Grind Stone said, looking up to see the missile coming right for him.

Uh oh.

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE! DODGE! ROLL! JUMP! DO SOMETHING!” Tempest yelled as she sprinted away.

But Grind Stone didn’t move. He only screamed in panic, “Oh Harmony, NOT LIKE THIS!”

Nononononono—I do NOT want Grind Stone to be out of commission for weeks! Tempest, I swear if that rocket hits him where I think it will—

Grind Stone covered his crotch in preparation for pain. However, in an insane piece of luck, the projectile flew neatly between his legs without going off. Grind Stone blinked, then sagged like a sack of potatoes. “OH, thank Harmony. I thought I was…”

Jess turned to the next monitor just in time to see Tempest jump into another teleporter on the ground.

Leaving the rocket to collide with a large pile of explosive magic barrels!

Oh, for the LOVE OF—

“BUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!” Grind Stone yelled as he and the rest of the stallions tried to run. It was all for naught, however, as the rapid set of chain explosions engulfed the four stallions, launching them all into the air in violent and dramatic fashion. The control room shook from the impact, and at least half of the cameras flickered with static.

Meanwhile, Tempest safely rolled out of the teleporter in view of one of the unaffected cameras just in time to see the fireworks, watching as Simmer, Sarge, and Tucker crash to the ground near her.

Jess peeked at the health monitors and let out a sigh. The guys were all fine - aches, bruises, and massive cases of damaged morale, but fine – which was a relief, but she could tell from their moaning and groaning that they were out of the fight for the time being. Tempest stood above them, smirking and dusting off her hooves.

“Another job well done,” she said proudly, before blinking and looking around. Then she tilted her head in confusion. “Wait. What happened to Grind Stone? Hey, Jess, where’s Mister Lazy?”

“I…don’t know?” Jess called back, looking at the cameras. She couldn’t see Grind Stone on any of them. Most of them had cleared up now that the explosion was over, but a few had completely malfunctioned and were full of static. And she couldn’t see or hear anything from outside the control room’s window either. “I can’t locate him. I think he got hit with a barrel, but I lost track of him in the explosion. The protective spells haven’t alerted me that anypony has been teleported to the med bay, so he should still be on the floor.”

“Well, clearly not—” Tempest began.

CRUNCH!

Out of nowhere, Grind Stone fell from the sky and landed squarely on a cement divider being stored on the floor.

Crotch first.

Just like yesterday.

WHY!? WHAT ARE THE FLIPPING CHANCES OF THAT HAPPENING!?

“EEEEAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! WHY WON’T THE UNIVERSE JUST KILL ME!?” he wailed, falling off the block and onto the floor.

“Grind Stone!” Simmer gasped in shock, trying to sit up only to fall back down in exhaustion.

“Where did that divider even come from?” Tucker groaned, trying to stand and failing horribly.

“So beautiful,” Sarge said softly, laying contently on the ground as he smiled.

Jess buried her face in her forelegs, barely managing to contain her frustrated scream. Her whole body started to tremble and massive spike of guilt stabbed at her chest.

I should have followed my gut and ended this earlier!

“Why is Grindy’s screen all red?” Caboose asked, pulling Jess’s eyes over to the medical screen. Red warnings were flashing wildly on the screen as the emergency teleport rapidly charged and an alert was automatically sent to the med bay.

“Oh BUCK! THAT WAS NOT MY INTENTION WHEN I JUMPED IN THE TELEPORTER! What are the chances of that even happening!? I swear I didn’t mean for that to happen!” Tempest exclaimed in shock. “There is no way I could have known!”

Thankfully, as the teleport spell kicked in and warped the sobbing Grind Stone away to the medical wing. Jess could feel her heart rate increasing as the health spells analyzed his injuries, her leg twitching nervously as the progress bar filled the screen far too slowly.

Please let him be ok. Please don’t tell me…

The health screen let out a small ping and the initial analysis popped onto the screen. Scanning it rapidly, Jess could feel herself letting out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. The spells indicated that Grind Stone’s injuries were non-life threatening and that he did not appear to be at risk of any permanent damage. The protections spells had held together even through the technical glitches. “Thankfully, according to the health spells, Grind Stone doesn’t appear to have any permanent damage,” she announced over the loudspeaker. She could see everypony on the floor relax a bit at the news, Simmer especially, and the guilt in her chest receded ever-so-slightly at the news.

“Oh, thank Harmony. I mean, it IS Grind Stone, so I shouldn’t be too surprised given how I KNOW he can take a beating, but still,” Simmer said, his voice flooded with relief.

“Lucky lazybones,” Sarge muttered just loud enough for the cameras to pick up on.

Tucker huffed out a laugh at that, and Simmer swatted at him with his free hoof, but he was a bit too far away from the pegasus and way too tired to even try sitting up, so his hoof just clipped the edge of Tucker’s armor instead with a weak ‘herg.’ Tucker laughed harder, which then turned into a laugh-slash-strained-groan as his battered body moved too much, and Sarge let out a loud snort.

Jess let them blow off steam for another minute, taking deep breaths and shaking her head to try and regain her focus. It helped, a bit, but not as much as it usually did, and her eyes kept flitting back to Tempest, who was standing awkwardly away from the guys and shifting her weight from one leg to the other.

Clearly, this fight was over, so Jess began to pull up the systems that would disable all the spells that were covering the room. There were a lot of them though, so it would take a few minutes for the system to prepare them all for deactivation. She also sent a quick request to the medical wing for more detailed info on Grind Stone’s injuries. In the meantime, she turned back to the floor.

“I’ll handle training with Grind Stone from now on, Tempest,” Jess said firmly over the intercom. Tempest practically jumped out of her armor and snapped to attention, and an odd, slightly nauseated sensation churned in Jess’s stomach. She took another deep breath before she continued. “Accident or not, you and Grind Stone clearly do NOT work well together. Furthermore, we will hold off on you leading anymore exercises on your own until we can make sure you are ready for the responsibility. No exceptions. For now, just hang tight. I’m going to begin the spell shutdown procedure.”

And I need to apologize to Grind Stone for all of this nonsense. Even if there is no permanent damage, I did put him into a fight with Tempest before both of them were ready. And I was the one to give up on training him in the first place. That’s on me for not sticking with it and working to get him ready for this.

I have to make this right. Somehow.

Meanwhile, Tempest just nodded in response to Jess’s scolding. “Yeah, that might be for the best,” she said, a slight tremor in her voice. “I’m just gonna walk around a little bit…if that’s ok. Try and clear my head a little, let the adrenaline burn off a little bit,” Tempest said, sighing as she began to walk away from the downed stallions.

“That’s fine, but stay within sight of the control tower. Everyone can take a few minutes to calm down, and we debrief everypony once the spells are deactivated before we end for the day.” Jess said, silently wishing she could take a few minutes to go walking as she tried to figure out just what she was going to say to everypony. Unfortunately, she had to keep an eye on Caboose and the spell shutdown progress. She also didn’t want to leave in case an update on Grind Stone’s condition came in.

What AM I going to say? Sorry for putting you in a fight none of you were ready for, including Tempest? Don’t lose hope just because this was a disaster? I know what we need to work on, so all this pain was worth it? I know we NEEDED to run this training exercise both for the boys and for Tempest, but that still doesn’t make dealing with the fallout any easier.

Wait. Wait wait wait. Hold on. I’m forgetting something. I KNOW I am. But what is it. Tempest was fighting Simmer, Grind Stone, Sarge, Tucker—WAIT! What the hey happened to C—

“Hey, Tempest,” a new voice casually called out.

Something flew in from off camera and collided with the side of Tempest’s head, and Jess could see from her wince that this was the first bit of pain she had felt this entire match. Tempest quickly turned to see…a golden tinted metal head?

Church!?

WHERE THE HECK HAVE YOU BEEN!?

Blinking in confusion, Tempest looked up to see the ghostly form of Church standing there, smiling as his weapon floated in his magic. “Why don’t you pick on somepony your own size?”

BRO, YOU ARE LITERALLY SHORTER THAN TEMPEST! What is it with you and Tucker making these ridiculous quips that don’t make any sense in context!? But you know what? You’re a ghost, so go ahead and fight Tempest while the system finish its preparations for the shutdown! It’s not like she’ll be able to hurt you anyway! Don’t get yourself into trouble in the meantime!

Thirty seconds later…

CLONK.

“OW!”

CLONK.

“OOOWW!”

CLONK!

“THIS SHOULDN’T BE PHYSICALLY POSSIBL—”

CLONK!

“OW, Tempest, STOP! You are embarrassing me!” Church cried as, against all laws of physics, Tempest continued to beat his ghostly form into submission with his own head. Having grown up with her brother being a ‘ghost’ for most of his life, in Jess’s professional opinion, this really, REALLY shouldn’t have been physically possible given how Church was intangible in his ‘ghost’ form. Yet Tempest was, somehow, managing to hold ghost-him by the neck as she used Church’s head as a bludgeon.

How that invincibility working out for you little bro? Jess thought with a small giggle. I always warned you that somepony might find a way to fight you in your ghost form, but you never listened. She could see the rest of his body discarded nearby, so he must have specifically left it so he could use his head as a projectile. Which, in this case, left him open to a beatdown by Tempest.

“Where even were you this entire fight!? I just spent twenty minutes showing your team how a Storm Warrior fights AND YOU MISSED ALL OF IT!” Tempest yelled in frustration, delivering another blow with the head.

“OW! I split up from Tucker to try and sneak around the outer edge of the room! And I stashed my body nearby so I could move through the floor and the wall to avoid being seen, but I never heard Sis announce that we were actually fighting, so I thought I still had time to finish the exercise! I didn’t know we were fighting until I saw the explosion!” Church yelled, trying to avoid another clonk from the head. “Just let go already!”

“No way, keep hitting him!” Tucker yelled from where he and the Reds were resting after their ordeal. “He needs to get beaten up too!”

“Hey, Sis! A little help here!?” Church yelled to Jess, who was still in the control center watching this very one-sided fight continue. Thankfully, at that exact moment, Jess’s screen lit up to signify that the system was ready to disable all the active spells.

“All right, that’s enough,” Jess announced, letting Caboose hit the large red button he had been eyeing since the beginning of the match. A loud buzzer sounded throughout the facility, followed by a series of small flashes as all the safety spells deactivated. “Training is over. Tempest, you can stop beating my brother with his own head now.” Tempest paused, then grunted in disappointment. Thankfully, she did release the ghostly Church. She also gave him back his head, which Church quickly reattached to the discarded body nearby before phasing into it.

Note to self, again: bring up this strange flaw in Church’s body to Sparrow. The last thing we need is an enemy realizing that Church is vulnerable to being beaten by his own head. And, perhaps more importantly, have someone perform an investigation into Tempest’s magic. Between not burning herself out lifting that crate and now this unusual ability to grab intangible things, clearly something has changed in how her magic works. Her interaction with Church could be a sign that her anima magic is starting to develop. On the other hoof, her not being burned out could be a sign that her standard magic operates under an ‘all or nothing’ effect, which could give her some resistance to burnout. We need investigate to find out just what is happening with her.

“Ow, my jaw’s gonna feel weird for weeks!” Church complained, rubbing it with a hoof.

“Quit whining,” Tucker said. “You didn’t even get blown up!”

“All right, that’s enough,” Jess called out, exiting the command center and flying down to where the assembled ponies were waiting. She swallowed hard and lifted her head high, falling back into ‘drill instructor’ mode and pushing away her concerns and guilt for the moment. I can deal with everything myself in a few minutes. Right now, I to be strong and clear.

“It’s evident that you all need to seriously improve your fighting skills if this training exercise was any indication. Your teams have run quite a few successful missions in the past and you have a reputation for achieving the impossible, but you all still have a long way to go. Don’t start, Tucker,” she added as the aqua pegasus opened his mouth to argue. “You know it’s true. Did you even think to use your magic for anything but your sword?”

Tucker closed his mouth with an audible click and exchanged an awkward look with Sarge, and Simmer looked at the ground guiltily.

I’ll talk to him separately, Jess thought, looking away from the maroon pony before she drew any extra attention to him. This was not the time, place, or company to work through Simmer’s crystalmancer worries. “Tomorrow we’ll be going over your mistakes and focusing much more on personal combat training and teamwork exercises. Dismissed.”

With a closing salute, the stallions all trudged off towards the locker room, grumbling all the way.

Well, save for Caboose, who was just as cheery and bubbly as always. Soon only Jess and Tempest were left, and Jess could feel her emotions begin to shift. The frustration, the guilt, the sense of personal responsibility for this mess all began to creep back in as Jess took a good look at the mare in front of her.

Tempest didn’t look tired, exactly, but she wasn’t exhibiting that same confidence and bravado that she had earlier that day. Her eyes were troubled and uncertain, her posture was more reserved, maybe even hesitant, and her ears were slightly bent back. A far cry from the eager mare who had approached the morning’s training exercises like a warrior ready to fight through any obstacle to obtain her goal.

“Sooooo, am I in trouble again?” Tempest asked, somewhat sheepishly.

“Not directly,” Jess said, her voice firm. “Despite what happened, you did remain within the bounds set by King Sparrow. With Grind Stone, you never directly targeted his injuries from yesterday, and all of the safety spells did their job in keeping him from taking any lasting damage.” Thankfully.

“Still not even sure how that last one happened,” Tempest admitted. “I am sensing a ‘but’ thought.”

“And you’d be right,” Jess said, her gaze becoming a bit more of a glare. “Ignoring Grind Stone’s accidents, you worked to provide a challenge the Reds and Blue well. TOO well. You were clearly enjoying showing them up, to the point where this almost seemed to be a GAME to you. And when they finally got the upper hoof, you actually got upset and started fighting harder.

“You never tried to fight them at their level, providing them with a decent challenge that they could learn from. Your ‘lessons,’ as you called them, were much more like condescending taunts than teaching tools or techniques the guys could actually use, such as when you told them to recover quickly when intentionally not giving them enough time to do so. Or when you told Grind Stone not to let himself be caught in a vulnerable position after nearly punching him below the belt. Even if you were never going to let them win, victory still should have at least felt obtainable to them. Instead, you spent most of the time just showing them up and mopping the floor with them!”

Jess tried to keep her voice from rising too much, but it was a struggle, to say the least.

Keep it together, Jess. You need to keep your cool. Don’t let your frustration get the better of you.

“I…well, when you put it like that, it does make more sense…” Tempest said, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “But, why didn’t you tell me before we started?”

“Because this was a test for you too,” Jess said. “You were the leader of the Storm King’s army, one of his top generals that led his forces on numerous campaigns. And you only got that far because of your skills and cunning, something that many of the storm beasts we interrogated vouched for. The reason you had been allowed to move up so quickly within the ranks of King Sparrow’s army despite your probation was because we knew you had incredible skill.

“But all of the skills you demonstrated since joining our guard have been combat-based. We know you have experience giving orders and controlling troops, but we had no idea if your leadership skills and style would work well with the rules and regulations set out for our guard commanders. So, my superiors decided to let you lead, at least temporarily, to see if you had what it takes to head your own unit. And we both know what happened on your first day training the Red team.”

Tempest blushed, but the unicorn let Jess continue uninterrupted. “I will admit, I didn’t reprimand you as much as I likely should have.” And that’s on me. “However, given Grind Stone’s long history of infuriating those assigned to train him, King Sparrow decided to let you have another chance with this test. But what happened? You pushed as hard as you could, not trying to help the teams improve through a healthy challenge, but by giving them a beating so hard that it will be a miracle if they aren’t demotivated for the next month.”

Not that I helped much in that regard, she thought with another stab of guilt. My speech to them wasn’t exactly positive or uplifting.

“Yeah, well, that’s the way leadership was in the Storm Army,” Tempest said, her voice carrying with it a weight that made Jess stop and blink in surprise. It was the weight of a pony who had been cut down and broken until the scars had become their armor. “In the Storm Army, training isn’t as clean as it is here. It’s being beaten down every day with grueling drills, being paired against impossible partners with the expectation that you fail, and being given only enough medical care to make sure you can still get up and do it all again tomorrow. There are no motivational speeches, no instructors holding back to teach you. Just you fighting for survival, and making sure to give it all, every day, or you risk falling behind and being left at the back of the pack. If a solder at Grind Stone’s level was pitted against me, I would be expected to go all out, because their logic was that the only way to make him better was to hurt him until he fought back enough to stop the pain.

“I didn’t rise up the ranks because I was smarter or better at training others; it was by being ruthless and watching for the mistakes others made and learning from them. I only started to get actual strategy training and decent instruction once I became an officer. Then it was all about competing with the other officers to prove myself to the Storm King himself. To prove to him that I deserved my deal to be upheld and that I was worthy of his time.” She let out an almost hollow-sounding chuckle. “If only King Sparrow had found me before he did. I might just have become a general in his army by now. All without the years of torment to try and get back something he was willing to give me for free.”

“That…explains a lot, actually,” Jess admitted. She hadn’t been a part of the operation that took down the Storm King, nor the cleanup that occurred afterwards, but she had noticed a lot of subtle signs as Tempest’s parole officer. The way she had flinched during her initial training at every mistake, as if expecting harsh reprimands that never materialized. Her genuine shock at the doctors checking her over after she nearly got hit by the statue in Equestria. Her confusion as to why she was given days off and the fact that Sparrow had actually ordered her not to train on those days.

Jess had reported all of this to Tempest’s counselor, as was standard for Sparrow’s parole procedures, but had been told not to ask Tempest about these behaviors directly. Given the hopeless state she was in only months before and the years she spent in the proximity of an Akumu-corrupted Storm King, the counselor thought it best for Tempest to be allowed to process everything on her own or in the counseling room for the time being. If she wanted to talk about things with anypony else, then it had to be on her own terms, and only when she was ready.

This is the first time I’ve ever heard her talk about the Storm Army in so much detail. She normally just tries to ignore it whenever it comes up, and I made sure that even the Reds and Blues know not to bring it up. Is this a sign of her trusting me more? Or a sign that she is starting to feel better about discussing her past?

Yet, if that ‘always be fighting’ mindset was drilled into her for years, is it any wonder that she went so hard on the guys?

“It may have been worse, but that was also during the time I was being corrupted by a creepy fear monster, so I can’t really say how that affected anything,” Tempest said dryly, but when she reached to scratch the back of her head again, her hoof was shaking, and Jess could tell she wanted to move on. The pegasus made a mental note to tell Tempest’s counselor about this conversation, but let the subject change without incident. “But, based on your tone, I failed your hidden test. So, what now? Am I being demoted? More probation? King Sparrow going to come scold me again?” Her voice sounded neutral, or, at least, she tried to make it sound neutral, but Jess could pick up the subtle notes of defeat in it.

“Sparrow will be made aware, but whether or not he comes to ‘scold’ you is up to him,” Jess said, her voice still firm but her glare no longer present. “Same with your probation. However, no, you will not be demoted, and you will not be removed from the team unless Sparrow tells me otherwise. However, you are no longer allowed to supervise any training on your own, and you most definitely won’t be allowed to spar with Grind Stone for the foreseeable future. Either Wash or I will be the ones to lead any future training and will tell you when and where you use your skills and when you should hold back. Additionally, now that we have a better understanding of your leadership skills, you are to begin taking mentoring classes, ones that we can now tailor to your current position and learning style to better help you achieve your goals.

“You have talent, and a lot of potential. Your brief one-on-one with Tucker was close to what we would consider a true teaching session, and while harsher than I would like, it showed me you do have the ability to train others in a constructive way if you try. But as of now, you do not have what it takes to be a leader in Sparrow’s army. But with enough practice and willingness to learn a new way of thinking, I don’t see why you can’t become a strong leader in your own right. Any questions?”

“No, ma’am,” Tempest said, straightening up and saluting, her tone and expressions noticeably perking up in the process.

Maybe I’m not so bad at adding morale to the end of my speeches, Jess thought, feeling her own mood lift slightly. Talking to Tempest was good practice. Now I just need to do the same thing when I meet with everypony individually tomorrow. But if I can do it with Tempest, then there is a chance I can do it with the boys too.

“No, Miss Boss Lady.”

Caboose appeared out of seeming thin air next to them and Tempest jumped sidewise, squealing in surprise. Jess, who was used to Caboose being as stealthy as a ninja, was not phased.

“Would you stop doing that!?” Tempest exclaimed. “That’s the third time this week!”

“Doing what?” Caboose asked, tilting his head innocently.

“Can we help you, Caboose?” Jess asked, wondering why he had come back to the floor. Last she had seen, he was chatting happily to Church, who (as usual) was very much being a grumpypuss about it.

“Yes, hello. I was wondering if the now-somewhat-less-angry Tempest could show me her magic glowy thing again? I couldn’t see it too well up in the control box, but it looked kind of pretty.”

Tempest blinked.

Then blinked again.

Then looked at Jess uncertainly.

Jess grinned, then nodded. “Go ahead, Tempest. We’re done here. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Tempest returned the nod before turning to Caboose, grinning a little herself.

“So, you liked my magic?”
“Yes! It was nice! Almost like Pretty Tornado’s magic, but more sparkly! Was it hard to do?”

“It was, but it was so worth it! And I still can’t believe I did that! I mean, did you SEE the size of that crate!?” Tempest asked, a small bit of filly-like joy working its way out. “I thought for sure I would be taken out of the fight, but then my horn was all like ‘ZOOOOOOM’ and I caught the box! I can’t wait to see what else I can do! Oh, do you think I can teleport, or maybe—”

And off the two of them went, Tempest enthusiastically talking about all of the things she could do now that she had discovered a part of her that had been lost, Caboose eagerly listening even though Jess was sure he didn’t understand half of what she was babbling about. Yet seeing them bond gave Jess hope that Tempest could overcome her struggles, just like Wash had done thanks to the Reds and Blues.

“Enjoying the view, sis?”

Over the years, Jess had long since gotten used to Caboose’s method of stealth and his tendency to pop up at the most random times.

Church, on the other hoof, was a completely different story, and it was only through sheer training and exposure to his shenanigans that prevented her from either throwing something or punching him in a panic.

“Why must you ALWAYS do that?” Jess asked in exasperation, looking down at where her brother’s ghostly head was peeking up from the floor. Church just smirked.

“Tradition,” he said, floating up through the floor to join her. “So, how’s my baby sis doing?”

“I’m doing about as well as can be expected, given how today has been going,” Jess said with a small sigh. “Though I am surprised to see you so soon. I thought you were going to the locker room.”

“I was, but I knew that you, my grumpy sister, would probably be beating yourself up over what happened today, because Tempest failed your test or because you felt bad for us all being smashed flat or both or whatnot. And given that, I figured you would probably need some company tonight. So I decided to be the good big brother that I am and come make sure you weren’t getting all mopey for something that wasn’t your fault.”

“I can’t exactly escape all the blame,” Jess said. Church rolled his eyes yet thankfully remained silent. “Things didn’t go to plan, at all, even if it could have been worse. Much worse, if Tempest’s account of her training was anything to go by. Not to mention the fact that I could have done more to prepare Tempest for the test, or at least better assessed how she might handle a leadership role after what happened yesterday.”

“Hey, the whole point of that test was to see how she does WITHOUT any training or guidance, wasn’t it? So you could see how she operated and how to best help her move forward? And even if it was your fault, so what? You made a mistake. Do you really think that our little group of misfits, who fail on a near daily basis, are going to be upset at you for making a mistake?”

Jess couldn’t help but smile a little at that, especially given how silly Church’s face looked whenever he tried to raise an eyebrow.

“Maybe, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot of work to do to help both Tempest and your ‘little group of misfits’ get prepared for future battles. I need to update our mentorship teacher on what I learned about Tempest so she can start making lesson plans, I need to go over my notes to figure out how to help you all function as part of a somewhat coordinated group, I need to wait until Grind Stone’s test results come back and see if he needs a restricted regimen for a while and figure out how to make up for all the NONSENSE that’s happened to him this week—”

“WELP!” Church exclaimed, and Jess cut off, realizing that her voice had been getting louder and louder with every word. Great, she thought, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. Way to make it obvious, self.

“As awesome as you are, you can’t do all that on an empty stomach now can you?” Church asked, giving her a wide grin that was just a little too knowing for Jess’s taste. “So how about I, your caring and super-smart brother, take you to get something to eat? After all, it had been a while since we’ve had a brother-sister dinner. I’m feeling…pizza.”

“I don’t…maybe,” Jess said uncertainly. “That does sound good, but I’m still worried about Grind Stone. I feel like we should at least check up on him first—”

As if harmony itself was waiting for her to say that, a scroll suddenly appeared between the two siblings in a small pop of teleportation. Jess instantly recognized the medical seal on it, and snatched it out of the air.

And as her eyes scanned each line, Jess could feel some of the tension still left inside her chest slowly start to unwind.

“Now how’s that for timing?” Church chuckled. “So, how’s Mister Lemon Drop?”

“According to the doctors, they want him to take the rest of the week off, but afterwards he should be good to return to fully active duty,” Jess said with a soft sigh. “And, apparently, Simmer has already made his way to the medical wing, and the doctor says the two of them are bickering like an old married couple.”

“HA! If that’s not a good sign, I don’t know what is! So now that we don’t need to worry about Grind Stone…”

You have a very one-track mind sometimes, brother. But it’s times like this that I love you for it.

“Yes Church, I could really go for some pizza,” Jess agreed, her stomach grumbling at the thought. “Some good old Island Paradise, just like the old days.”

“What is it with you and that abomination of a pizza?” Church groaned.

“Hey, it’s delicious. Especially the croutons!”

“You already have the bread in the crust, especially since you tend to get the extra poofy crust! The croutons are just MORE BREAD!”

“And that’s the BEST PART!”

“You’re ridiculous.”

“And YOU put ranch dressing on your pizza! Don’t you tell me I’M ridiculous!” Jess said, earning a soft chuckle from Church.

“Ok, you got me there, but I still think it’s weird.” Church said. “But then again, I am a ghost in a golem body, so I think the ‘weird’ train has left the station a decade or two ago. Heck, I still don’t even know how I still CAN eat while I’m a ghost, but hey? If it works…”

The ghostly stallion floated over to a nearby container, and Jess could just make out the end of a golden hoof sticking out from behind it before Church reclaimed his body. Once the gold had been replaced with the familiar blue of Church’s fur, the stallion happily trotted back to Jess and wrapped a leg around her shoulders as the two of them began to walk towards the exit. It was a familiar feeling, one that worked alongside her brother’s continued rambling to help the stress of the day slowly fade away. She leaned into his grip, sighing softly as her mind finally began to calm.

Author's Note

We interrupt our normal story to bring you one of the best Red Vs Blue episodes. Plus 1 sin. (Current sin count = 3).

But yes, at long last, another story update from the world of Spero. Don't worry, we will get back to the normal story revolving around Twilight in the next chapter. But given how the Red Vs Blue idiots are cannon in this universe, I couldn't resist having this be the 10th chapter of the story. It just fits so well, and also gives us a lot of development into these characters. And they will be popping up throughout the story, so I though it would be a good time to give them some development.

I am just glad that I managed to get this out today as it is none other than my Fiancee/Editors BIRTHDAY! She worked really hard on this story and loved working with these goofballs, so a special thank you to her for all her hard work. Happy Birthday sweetie.

As for all of you, I hope you enjoy the story and I will see you all next time.

Prologue: Her Unseen Guardian

Twilight Velvet let out a tired, yet joyful sigh. She was exhausted, to say the least. The last few hours had been long, painful, and an emotional rollercoaster with more ups and downs than her first time bungie jumping. There were a few parts of it where things got hazy, but those were few and far between.

She remembered her water breaking just as she was about to sit down for lunch. She remembered the frantic rush to the hospital as she was carried by her husband’s magic. She remembered the contractions increasing in frequency, the pain escalating as she came closer to delivering the bundle of joy she had been carrying these past eleven months. She remembered pushing and pushing until at long last, the pressure abated, and a shrill cry pierced the delivery room.

She remembered clutching her baby just after she had come out, not caring for the fluids still clinging to her soft purple coat. She would remember all of those moments for the rest of her life…

Though she had a feeling that her husband, Night Light, would most remember her crushing his hoof to death and screaming ‘YOU DID THIS TO ME!’ right before they could see the baby’s head. Thankfully, he only had bruises, nothing an ice pack wouldn’t fix, and he had accepted her apology with a kiss on the forehead and a nuzzle like the sweet, understanding stallion he was.

It had all been worth it.

The small bundle of cloth in her hooves giggled, its occupant looking up happily at the first pony in its life. The very same pony that had brought her into this world. Velvet lowered her muzzle and gently nuzzled the small bundle she held, prompting more cooing from her brand-new purple filly. Both the gestation and the delivery had been far tougher than she remembered them being for Shining Armor, but she wouldn’t change a single thing. Now, after eleven months of cravings and mood swings and everything else, she had a brand new member to add to her family.

A new filly, named Twilight Sparkle. A filly, that filled her with hope…

Later that night…

The Newborn’s Nursery was calm. All the little fillies and colts were wrapped snugly in blankets and sleeping soundly, drifting for the first time through the never-ending sea of dreams.

All, except for Twilight Sparkle.

In her small bed, the filly fidgeted in her cloth prison, tossing and turning, whimpering in fear as her first rest was tainted by an awful nightmare. Normally, the monitoring nurse would notice this and move to comfort the small filly, but now, no onlookers could see through the powerful illusion that had just been woven inside the room’s walls. An illusion that would ensure the small filly was not disturbed.

The air to the left of Twilight Sparkle seemed to move as an invisible pony slowly released his spell, allowing him to fade back into view as he extended a dark black hoof extended and gently brushed the mane out of Twilight’s face.

“Shhhh, shhh, it’s all right, little one,” a deep, smooth voice whispered. A soft yet bright orange glow gently touched the filly’s horn. Almost immediately, Twilight stopped fidgeting and relaxed, her horn letting of a small burst of purple magic. When the purple touched the orange, the two energies mixed and burst into a miniature aurora of all the colors of the rainbow.

It only lasted for a second, but it was enough to wake the small filly. She let out a little yawn and looked up curiously. She didn’t even cry.

“You have such beautiful eyes…” the stallion said softly, his hoof still brushing the filly gently. Twilight giggled and tried to free her hooves from her swaddled blanket. The stallion chuckled, and flicked his magic, undoing the cloth and freeing the small filly’s hooves. Twilight immediately reached up to grab the hoof above her. Chuckling at her enthusiasm, the stallion moved it so that it was now resting just above her stomach. This greatly pleased her as she could now use all four of her hooves to hold it.

“So young, so carefree…” he mused, smiling as he used his hoof to lightly tickle her. The filly laughed and tried to squirm away from her new friend, but he was just too strong. Twilight’s giggling was loud, but with all the spells surrounding them, the other foals slept soundly. The stallion closed his eyes, listening to her joy.

But alas, their time was short. Slowly, the hoof began to recede and vanish as the invisibility spell once again took hold, prompting a protest from Twilight. She began to sniffle and reach back for her new friend.

“Don’t worry, little one,” the voice said, moving his hoof to her head again so he could pet it affectionately. “I have a gift for you, so that I might always be with you.” Slowly, a small doll appeared and was gently pushed towards the young filly by the bright orange magic. It was grey, had a red button for the right eye and a blue button for the left eye, had grey yarn for hair, and wore blue pants with white polkadots. It was smaller that Twilight, but not by much.

The stallion placed the doll into Twilight’s hooves and the newborn foal babbled happily, squeezing the doll with all of her six-hour-old might. She attempted to eat some of the yarn, but immediately spit it back out, grimacing at the taste. Chuckling, the stallion lowered his head and softly kissed the young filly on the tip of her horn, prompting another small burst of magic that left the foal staring in awe at the pretty colors. He retracted his head, and the blanket under Twilight glowed a bright warm orange. It wrapped itself around the small filly, tucking her and the doll in so snugly only their heads were sticking out.

Twilight didn’t seem to mind, nuzzling her new toy and letting out a small yawn. Despite her excitement over her new friend and the doll, she just didn’t have the energy to keep her eyes open for much longer, and as the stallion began to hum a soft, soothing melody, she quickly lost the battle and submitted to slumber once again. But this time, she slept with a smile on her small face. The stallion smiled down at her.

“You have a great future ahead of you, my dear,” he whispered, a single tear falling onto the blanket that held the small filly. “And I promise, I will always be there when you need me the most. I will not fail again.”

And with that, he vanished completely, the room now just as it was before he had arrived.

Twilight’s third Hearth’s Warming…

“Mommy, Mommy, wake up!” a high-pitched voice squealed excitedly as its owner happily bounced on her side of the bed. "It's Hearth’s Warming, it’s Hearth’s Warming!”

“Hmm? Oh, ok, ok, I'm up, I’m up…” Velvet yawned, sitting up and rubbing her eyes as she glanced at the clock. It was 7:00 am right on the dot. Granted, that was the time she said the Twilight was allowed to wake her up, but it was still far too early for her. But with two excited and very awake children, sleeping in for once in her life was just a pipe dream at this point.

Plus, seeing how Twilight and Shining reacted to their gifts was always priceless in her eyes. The way their eyes got big as they proceeded to bounce around like they had springs on their hooves was just too adorable. Good thing Velvet had bought all that extra film for the camera.

Twilight, getting rather impatient like all young fillies on Hearth’s Warming, began to try and push her mom out of bed so she would move faster. It didn’t work at all, but Velvet still found it adorable. Still, sitting here was pointless, so she obliged the small filly’s request and dropped down on all four hooves so she could start walking. She could already see that Shining Armor had pulled her husband halfway out the door, a sight that made her chuckle softly as she moved to join her boys.

Not wanting to get left behind, Twilight leapt off the bed and dashed to the door, stopping only to bounce up and down a few times before dashing after Night Light and her Big Brother Best Friend Forever (or BBBFF as she called him).

As the family moved through the house, Velvet was able to spare a glance out the nearby window as her daughter continued to nudge her to move faster. The sun had yet to rise, yet the moonlight still reflected beautifully off the snow that continued to fall, just like it did every year on Hearth’s Warming. She never got tired of seeing Princess Celestia’s work.

She would have loved to stop and watch it, but her daughter demanded her as they approached the stairs. Despite her speed and energy, Twilight was still a little too short to easily get up and down the stairs. Yet Velvet also knew that Twilight would protest any assistance and claim that she was a big filly who didn't need any help. So rather than try and stop her mad dash, Velvet just made sure to keep her magic at the ready just in case she tried to accidentally take the fast route down.

She could also see light sparking on Shining’s horn and knew he has the same idea. It made her smile. He was such a great brother, and Night Light seemed to think so too as he gave their a warm pat on the back. Ever since Twilight had been born he had taken on the role of protective big brother, and it was always sweet to watch him with her.

Thankfully Twilight didn’t trip, and the family was able to enter the family room without any delays. But once they crossed the threshold, Velvet and Night Light stopped short and gasped. There were more decorations than there had been the night before, and there were extra gifts under the tree, gifts wrapped in unfamiliar paper. The tree looked bigger and had a few new ornaments on it, ornaments that Velvet had been saving up for ever since the holidays began. And even then she had accepted the fact that she wouldn't be able to use them until next year since she would likely need to by them after the holiday.

But the biggest shock was what was sitting on a rainbow-colored present right at the base of the tree.

“Mr. Smarty Pants!” Twilight cried excitedly, rushing forward to hug the small grey doll. To this day, Velvet and her husband had never managed to find out where that doll had even come from. Even the hospital staff had been clueless about it, and it had only been because of Shining Armor insisting that the doll made his sister happy that she and her husband had decided to let Twilight keep it. It did always seem to calm Twilight down when she was upset, even now, but Velvet couldn't help but wonder about it from time to time.

Said doll had also gone missing almost a week ago, and no matter how many times Twilight had searched every nook and cranny of the house, she couldn’t find him. She had even levitated the refrigerator and enlisted Shining Armor to help her, but their search had been fruitless. But now here he was, looking brand new, and even having a small quill and notebook attached to each arm. Something that Velvet had NOT been responsible for, despite the fact that she was the only one trusted by Twilight to repair Mr. Smarty Pants.

Twilight grabbed the doll and spun around with him before scolding him about running away when she wasn't looking. While she was distracted, Velvet noticed a letter sitting on the box where the toy had been sitting. When Shining went to see if he could find his own gifts, she levitated the letter over to her, broke the seal, and began to read.

‘Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I’m very sorry that Mr. Smarty Pants had to leave for a while, but he had a special Hearth’s Warming gift he wanted to give you. So he made the journey to visit me and tell me what it was you wanted more than anything this year. I was so impressed, I cleaned him up, gave him a new quill and notebook, and gave him a quick ride home. So sorry for the long wait, but I thought it would be best to surprise you this morning.

Happy Hearth’s Warming,

Santa Hooves’

Velvet blinked in pure confusion before passing it to her husband. As Night Light read, she could tell he was just as clueless.

Neither of them had written the note, nor could they think of who did.

Before they could duck out of the room to talk, Twilight saw the letter in their hooves and they couldn’t help but pass it to her. She read it excitedly (if slowly) and gasped. Quickly placing Mr. Smarty Pants on her back, she dashed over to the rainbow-colored gift and went to town on the poor paper, causing Shining to look up from his own gift hunt as paper flew in every direction. Once the small flakes of colored gift wrap had calmed down, both parents gasped in shock.

Sitting there was the newest edition of the Full Equestrian Encyclopedia, a book so packed with content that it cost nearly a hundred bits for a single copy. Not to mention that the special cover and rim told them this was the LIMITED EDITION version, which was upwards of THREE HUNDRED bits. Twilight had been dead set on getting this book, but the sheer price (because there was such a limited stock) and the popularity (because Celesta had created it) had meant Velvet and Night Light hadn’t been able to even find a copy (or at least one more reasonably priced).

But now some stranger had just GIVEN it to Twilight! FOR FREE!

Velvet glanced at Night Light again, who gave her an unsure but unafraid shrug, and Velvet found herself relaxing a little. The idea of some mysterious intruder making its way into their home was unsettling, but after the decorations and the lovely gift for her daughter…Velvet couldn’t see how the intruder would want to hurt them after that.

Nevertheless, she made a mental note to ask Night Light about better locks for the windows. But not today. She was not going to let uncertainty ruin or consume their Hearth’s Warming.

The night of the Summer Sunset Celebration…

Nightmare Moon scowled as she watched the six naive ponies enter the Everfree Forest. What fools. Did they truly think they could even come close to stopping her? She was a GODDESS! They were just insignificant bugs, bug that should bow in fear and respect to her!

But here they were, entering the forbidden forest on some sort of ‘heroic mission.’ She would laugh at their stupidity if she wasn't so annoyed by their resistance to her display of power.

Oh, what to do about these little interlopers? She could just kill them all, but what was fun about that?

Kill half of them, and send the others back in fear of her might, to spread stories of her greatness and invulnerability? That could work.

Or perhaps she would just enslave them. A ruler needed servants, after all, and they might make good maids in her new castle in Canterlot.

She did like that idea very much. All of those ‘brave’ little brats bowing and scraping and tripping over themselves to please her.

Oh, the possib—

Then something cold, metallic, and unrelenting pressed into her neck, freezing her in terror.

There was a knife held to her throat.

No. That was IMPOSSIBLE!

She would have detected an intruder. She was invincible! Nothing could get past her protective wards!

But something had, and that something sounded very VERY pissed off.

“Should you harm a single hair on their heads,” a deep snarling voice echoed behind her, “I will strike you down where you stand and rip Luna from within you, parasite.”

He…He knew Luna still existed!? But…But…But even CELESTIA thought she might be gone for good!

Who? HOW!?

“The only reason I don’t do so now is because I know the separation would hurt Luna for years to come,” the stallion continued. “I obey the will of Concordia, and as such I know that it is not my place, nor my destiny, to destroy you, parasite, but don’t think I am not willing to break the rules in order to protect those six mares. THIS is your ONLY warning.”

And with that, the blade withdrew.

Nightmare spun to face her adversary, but he was already gone. A quick flash of her horn confirmed it.

He had, somehow, obliterated her wards without even alerting her to his presence and managed to escape just as easily.

For the first time in her life, the Nightmare shivered.

Whoever that was far too strong for her to match. He could even be watching her now for all she knew.

It was…a terrifying prospect.

And who was this…Concordia? If they were anywhere near as strong as he was…

The Nightmare shook her head. If that stallion wanted to stop her from conquering Equestria, he would have done so. But he didn’t, so she saw no reason to stop her plans even if she couldn’t harm those six mares.

That did still leave the problem of six mares wandering into HER territory in search of a weapon that could defeat her, and there was no way she was going to just LET them find one. Fine. If she couldn’t hurt them, then she would convince them to turn back the best way she knew how.

Through FEAR!

She wasn't call The Nightmare for nothing!

Later, in the abandoned castle throne room…

WHAT THE ACTUAL BUCK!?

Not only had the mares evaded all her traps, but they NOW HAD THE ELEMENTS! EVEN AFTER SHE HAD SMASHED THEM TO BITS!

THIS COULDN’T BE HAPPENING!

SHE COULDN’T LOSE!

SHE WAS A GODDESS!

And they were just…JUST A RANDOM GROUP OF MARES!

But wait…the magic…

It was FADING.

The elements weren't going to fire!

Oh, the look on their faces when it would fail. The fear, the horror, the desperation! These mares would rue the day they messed with Nightmare Moon! She woul—

Suddenly, a beam of bright orange magic shot through the nearby window and struck the crown above Twilight’s head. The power returned to the Elements of Harmony as the small purple mare opened her eyes, revealing a blinding white light as multiple streams of rainbow-colored magic flew between the six mares. The Elements united, forming something the Nightmare had hoped never to see again.

The massive rainbow of magic that had banished her to the moon.

Only this time, the magic felt different. It was whole, COMPLETE! Celestia had only managed to use a FRACTION of the power available, but THESE STUPID MARES WERE ABLE TO USE ALL OF IT!!!

She knew she wouldn’t be walking way from this one.

She tried to jump up, to fly, but an orange glow locked her back hooves to the floor, paralyzing her.

She screamed as the rainbow vortex engulfed her.

She had lost…

A small blue alicorn with a light blue mane appeared from within the rainbow as the inky form of Nightmare Moon was burned away. The orange magic that had held The Nightmare down rose to catch the smaller pony as she collapsed.

As the power of the elements began to subside, the six mares who had been bearing the energy started to collapse as well, but the orange magic caught them as well and lowered all the unconscious ponies gently to the stone floor of the castle.

There was a brief displacement of air as the stallion that had threatened Nightmare Moon teleported into the throne room. He let out a soft chuckle as he knelt down next to the still unconscious Twilight.

“Well done, my dear. It was only fitting that you would save Luna from that parasite. How I wish I could congratulate you in person…” he sighed as he gently brushed the mane off of Twilight’s face. “But you’ve made an important step today. One that has only brought the day that I can finally meet you all the closer. Be sure to keep your friends close, my dear. You will need them for the road ahead.”

Smiling softly, he reached forward and planted a small kiss on Twilight’s forehead, just below her horn. Twilight mumbled something about encyclopedias and smiled slightly to herself.

The stallion was gone less than ten seconds later, just as Pinkie Pie began to wake.

During the invasion of the royal wedding…

“Sir, are you sure we shouldn’t intervene?” a unicorn with a brown short-cut mane asked as he looked down at the city of Canterlot, a pair of binoculars held in his pink magic. The Changelings were now in full control, and just moments ago he had seen Twilight and her friends being led into the castle after their brave fight across the invaded city ended in failure.

“I’m sure,” the stallion said, his horn aglow with bright orange magic as he watched the city intensely. Both of them were standing on a cloud overlooking that city, the stallion’s spells hiding them from the invaders. “Concordia has told me that I can’t interfere unless she says so. As much as I hate this, we need to wait.”

“Seems like waiting won’t really be an option soon,” the unicorn said, watching as more Changelings emerged from the castle and began to hunt down the remaining ponies not yet captured.

How the unicorn would love to teach them a lesson. It was bad enough that they just had to sit and wait for both Nightmare Moon and Discord to be defeated, but watching an army invade Canterlot — an army that was vastly inferior to their own army, nonetheless — was just painful.

What was the point of all his training and work on perfecting his magical combat if he was never going to use them? Especially when he was LITERALLY so close to the action he could spit on the Changelings if he so chose.

At the very least, the unicorn knew he wasn’t the only who hated sitting around like a bug on a log. The stallion next to him was pacing, his black hooves stomping the cloud restlessly as he continued to stare down at the city.

“I know,” the stallion said, before taking a deep, calming breath. “But we need to trust Concordia. She’s never been wrong before.”

He WAS right about that, but still. Couldn’t they at least try to minimize the damage? Even just a dozen of their ponies would make a big difference. Not to mention he still didn’t know how the Element Bearers would be able to get out of this one, seeing how they were already captured.

“Still. I don’t even see how they can get out of thi—”

BOOM!

A massive pink shockwave suddenly emanated from the throne room of the castle, flinging the Queen Changeling and all her subjects out of the city. Both ponies on the cloud could hear her scream as she was carried outward at an incredible velocity. The slime that had begun to coat the city was obliterated as the wave passed, freeing the captive ponies. Both ponies on the cloud braced themselves as the energy approached, only to blink in confusion as it passed over them harmlessly, simply blowing their manes back.

Both of them turned to watch as the Changelings were flung across the sky, heading right towards their home in the badlands. Blinking again, they both turned back to the city. It looked almost back to normal…except for the craters the Changelings created when they dive-bombed Canterlot during the invasion.

There was silence for almost a minute before the stallion chuckled.

“HAHA! See! I told you Concordia wouldn’t let us down!”

The unicorn just let the binoculars fall and face-hoofed.

“Of course…” he muttered, relieved that the Changelings had been defeated and slightly exasperated that he had been forced to sit on the sidelines for the third time in a row. “It’s always something.”

“Not always,” the stallion replied. “Remember when we had to stop those griffons who planned to kidnap the students at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns on their camping trip? We had to intervene there.”

“But that was EASY! Not some…apocalyptic event like the sun not rising! I just want to be able to HELP when these disasters come around. Is that too much to ask!?” the unicorn cried, throwing his hooves into the air before face-clouding. The stallion just chuckled and gave his companion a reassuring pat on the back.

“You will get your chance, my friend. But look on the bright side. We don’t need to help with cleanup and repairs.”

“Other than making sure ponies don’t start going on witch hunts to root out Changelings?” the unicorn asked with a knowing look.

The stallion chuckled. “Well, yes, but I think Celestia and Luna will be able to handle most of that. Benefits of them being the most trusted rulers in the known world and all that.”

“But you are still going to send agents around Equestria to make sure other ponies don’t start accusing innocent creatures of being Changelings, right?”

“Of course. I will take no more risks than I have to.”

Twilight’s ascension…

The stallion smiled as he stood in the massive crowd of ponies. He was currently in the guise of a blue unicorn with a white mane and a gemstone for a cutie mark. He didn’t normally risk disguises, both because of the high magic cost and the risk of it being disrupted, but there was no way in tartarus that he would miss experiencing this day with the rest of Equestria.

Also, it was hard to buy a large, over-the-top top hat with Twilight’s coloration and cutie mark when you were invisible. And he REALLY wanted one.

The little filly he had sworn to protect had just been awarded her crown, her title, and most importantly, her wings. Well, most importantly to him, anyway. They were a symbol to him, a symbol of just how unique she was and just how important she would become.

Maybe everypony else would focus on her title and crown, but he didn’t mind.

She had earned her wings, and that was all that mattered.

He had known for years that this day would come, and yet it still brought tears to his eyes to see it finally happen. Despite the odds, despite the hardship, despite all her trials, Twilight had persevered and done what many thought impossible, and with only minor assistance from himself. She deserved to be recognized for her accomplishments, her success, and with her new authority, he knew she would continue to make Equestria a better place.

Twilight was now riding down the streets, waving to her new subjects as they cheered and yelled for her. As she got closer and closer to his spot in the crowd, the stallion stretched his neck up so he could see her up close.

Oh, she was beautiful.

Her mane was smooth and flowing, almost sparkling in the bright sunlight of the day. Her dress was perfectly tailored to her, hugging her body’s curves flatteringly. The sunlight was shining down on her in just the right way, enhancing her already lovely face without making her squint.

And her eyes…

Her eyes shone like amethyst, bright and full of life and joy…just like Star’s had been on their wedding day…

Suddenly, the stallion felt the overwhelming urge to abandon his disguise and run to her. To hold her, congratulate her, kiss her, and…and…

And he couldn’t.

That single thought was like a hard buck to the chest, so forceful and intense that he almost burst into tears right then and there.

Even after all this time, after all this work, he still couldn’t hold her or even congratulate her in person. He was still just a stranger, a lone stallion who had helped her and watched over her for years, but could not tell her his name. Or how proud he was of her.

Or how much he loved her.

He had a new urge now. To just leave the crowd so and go and cry in peace, to let his sorrow overtake him just like it did at least once every year…

No.

This was not the time for him to have another breakdown. This was her day, and he should spend all of it being happy for her. He wasn’t going to miss this, because even if it hurt, her happiness made the pain worth it.

Star would have wanted him to be happy for Twilight’s sake, and there was no way he would let her down.

His time would come.

He just had to be patient.

And with that final thought, he tossed the bouquet of roses that he had bought earlier directly towards Twilight. She caught them, casting a smile of thanks at the crowd as she sang a song of how everything would be just fine…

After the defeat of Tirek…

Discord was nervous, to say the least. Sure, little Princess Sparkle and her friends — well, he guessed they were his friends too, but still — had defeated Tirek, gotten a new castle (that was FAR too tacky for his taste), and had even been willing to forgive him. Even after betraying them and selling them out to Tirek, they had forgiven him.

It…It really was something he had never expected.

It filled him with this strange warmth he had first felt from Fluttershy.

And he couldn’t even enjoy it, because something WEIRD had happened.

Weird even for HIM.

After being freed the second time, he had received a rather…terrifying threat. This pony (or creature, given that Discord had never actually SEEN him) had not only been completely immune to Discord’s magic, but had even managed to turn the god of chaos’ hands and tail to stone, leaving him powerless.

It had been so jarring that all Discord could think was ‘How could this guy turn the god of chaos to stone?! I am the freaking GOD of CHAOS and even I DON’T THINK THIS MAKES SENSE!’

He had been so surprised he hadn’t even had time to freak out about being turned back into a statue.

This crazy powerful creature had then left a rather simple rule: if he hurt or betrayed the six mares that had reformed him, he would pay.

This, combined with the fact that this guy’s magic was VERY similar to the magic that helped ignite the elements when Discord had first broken out, said that he was be more than capable of delivering on his threat.

And now Discord had just broken that one rule.

So now, he was hiding in the deepest depths of the deepest cave he could find, hoping above all hope that this mysterious creature wouldn’t be able to find him. He wasn’t even using chaos magic for fear that it might give away his location. All he had to do was lay low here for a few years and the—

“You seem tense, Discord.”

YIPE!

WHERE THE HECK DID YOU EVEN COME FROM!?!?!

Discord jumped in surprise, something he thought he was incapable of feeling until he met Pinkie.

Oh, if only it was her he was dealing with. Being shot to the moon via party cannon sounded like a much more pleasant experience than being turned to stone again.

“Oh, you know, just an itsy bitsy teeny weenie bit worried that I’m about to become a statue again,” Discord said, trying, and failing epicly, to act cool while desperately trying his best to think of an excuse.

He had none, which was quite surprising even to him.

He didn’t turn around, knowing that he would never be able to find the source of this creepy voice no matter how hard he tried. Just as well. He wasn’t exactly keen on watching some smug pony smirk at him as he turned into a statue.

But then the voice chuckled.

“As much as I love watching you, the mighty god of chaos, squirm in fear, I’m not here for that. At least, not this time.”

Discord blinked.

Then he blinked again.

Then three more times just for good measure.

“You’re…not? But, I—”

“Yes, you broke the rule I laid out nearly a year ago. Yet, when the time came, you saw your mistake and were willing to admit you were wrong. You even helped Twilight find the key she needed to unlock the Chest of Harmony. I am willing to let you off the hook, this time, if only because you already received a rather fair punishment. In fact, I should actually be thanking you.”

Ok, now Discord was REALLY confused.

“I break your rule, which leads Twilight to fight Tirek and get tackled through a MOUNTAIN, lose all the magic of Equestria to a mad tyrant, and nearly get KILLED, and you want to THANK ME!?”

Either Discord was the luckiest creature on Equis, or this guy was crazier than the lord of chaos.

“I would have never let her get killed,” the voice said. “All that alicorn magic made her body harder than diamond and more magic resistant that perhaps anything in the entire world. And even if Tirek had tried to hurt her once she was depowered, he wouldn’t have gotten very far. You didn’t think I wasn’t nearby, did you? I saw everything.”

Because THAT doesn’t sound creepy at all, Discord thought, but he certainly didn’t want to test his luck with Mr. Super-Powerful-Very-Crazy-Surprisingly-Unvengeful-Maybe-Pony. “You still haven’t answered my question,” he said instead. “Why thank me?”

“Because with your help, she has begun the next stage of her journey, bringing her all the closer to her destiny. She will only grow stronger now, both in raw power and in the ties she has with others.”

So, what? He was Twilight’s personal trainer, only in regards to her destiny? Does that show up on his resume?

“You seem to be taking quite the interest in our little princess. Am I allowed to ask why?”

“Let’s just say I have been waiting to meet her for a very long time, and that because of you, the day I finally can has just gotten a whole lot closer.”

A brief pulse of magic emanated behind Discord, signaling to him that his visitor was gone again. He sighed. He hadn't been this relieved since he was finally able to scratch his nose again after 873 years of having it itch.

But he still had so many questions, and for the first time he well and truly wanted answers. The biggest one was why that guy was so interested in the nerdy purple princess he loved to tease?

And what plans did he have for her?

The night after Starlight’s graduation…

Within the Crystal Castle, Princess Twilight Sparkle slept soundly. Today, her student Starlight Glimmer had graduated in her studies of friendship, becoming more independent and being recognized along with Trixie, Thorax, and Discord as saviors of Equestria. Together, the four of them had saved her friends Celestia, Luna, Cadence, Spike, and her personally from the grasp of Queen Chrysalis.

She had never been more proud.

But alas, the stress of deciding to let Starlight graduate had worn Twilight out so much that she was asleep less than a minute after she hit the pillow that night. It had been a good day, and to her, the future looked bright.

However, just outside, a lone timber wolf emerged from the Everfree Forest. Unlike normal timber wolves, this one was massive, almost twice as large and twice as fierce. Its wood was far darker than that of its brethren, and its eyes glowed a dark purple color that was full of malice.

Without hesitation, the timber wolf charged towards the castle and jumped. It landed on the wall halfway up to Twilight’s balcony, its claws glowing with dark magic that turned the crystal as black and brittle as rotten wood. Digging its claws into the weakened wall, the wolf slowly began to scale the castle, drawing closer and closer towards the balcony. With the moon obscured by clouds and all the lights in the castle shut off for the night, the beast was all but invisible to everypony’s eye.

Except for one.

With a blinding flash, the part of the castle not being damaged by the dark magic attacked the timber wolf, the crystal under the creature’s head exploding outwards and punching the beast off. The wolf howled in shock and pain as the crystal struck, losing its grip as it plunged a good thirty feet to the ground. But it was still in one piece. The creature scrambled to its feet and opened its mouth, launching a ball of inky magic at the castle. The castle responded instantly, erecting a magic shield around itself that easily stopped the attack.

The timber wolf growled and prepared to charge, only for an orange metal sword to suddenly appear in the side of its skull. The force of the thrown weapon sent the wolf sprawling, its body breaking up into thousands of pieces.

But this was not the end of the fight.

The dark magic that had been possessing the timber wolf had evacuated its host just before the blade had struck, and was now hovering above the pieces of wood, twisting and coiling like a serpent. The sword’s handle glowed bright orange as it reversed course to strike at the snake-like creature. The dark magic twisted and spun, forming itself into solid blades to try and deflect the sword, but was caught off guard as a stallion leapt from atop the castle. Orange magic blast erupted from his horn as he crashed to the ground, smashing the snake’s blades almost as soon as they appeared.

Knowing this wasn't a battle it could win, the dark magic tried to retreat, to slip back into the forest where it could escape, but the sword, the stallion, and the castle were having none of that. The top spire on the Castle of Friendship lit up, a bright rainbow light firing off and blocking the dark magic’s escape route. Recoiling from the light, the snake could not stop the gleaming orange sword from finally landing the perfect strike, cleaving it in half.

The dark magic let out an otherworldly scream as the light permeated its being and destroyed it from the inside. It dissolved into small wisps until there was nothing left. With the dark presence defeated, it was as if the whole world let out a breath it was holding. The air suddenly felt lighter and fresher, as though a wind had blown everything away.

The stallion let loose a breath he hadn’t known he had been holding, relieved that the battle was over as he turned to see the castle repairing itself and retracting the crystals had struck the wolf. However, that calm only lasted for a few seconds before he caught sight of Twilight Sparkle, frantically looking out from her balcony in search of the disturbances.

All these years, all that time spent hiding in the shadows, all his hard work.

Down the drain…

Or so he thought, until he saw the telltale flicker of magic around the castle, and around himself and the wolf’s remains. He quickly lit his horn to check the nature of the spell, only to truly collapse as relief flooded his mind.

Concordia had created an illusion spell while he had been panicking about and fighting the timber wolf. Oh, he had never been so happy to have that crazy lady intervene in all his life. If it weren’t for her…

The stallion shook his head as he got back to his hooves. Thankful or not, there was still a chance that Twilight would come to investigate where he was, so he had best determine the source of this dark magic as quickly as he could.

The metal sword vanished back into its pocket space as the stallion moved to inspect the ground where the dark magic had been. He knew he could not stay for long, but he would not leave until he identified the source of this threat. A soft orange glow covered the land as the figure searched for any clues as to just what the magic was. It almost wasn’t necessary. He had a sinking feeling that he already knew exactly what had sent the magic.

His scan confirmed it.

“Akumu,” he whispered, ice filling his veins.

It had been so long since he had felt this magic, but he knew for certain that it was Akumu’s. There was no way he could ever mistake it for something else’s.

‘Indeed,’ a voice sounded. The stallion tensed, until he realized he heard the voice echoing inside his head.

He knew that voice.

‘Concordia?’ he asked, reaching out with his magic to connect to the source of the voice. It was one thing to have her help him, but for her to contact him…

‘Yes, my child, it is I. You must come visit me as quickly as you can. There is much we must discuss.’

He nodded, wasting no time as he vanished in a pulse of magic, leaving nothing but the destroyed remains of the timber wolf behind.

Shortly after the timber wolf attack…

“Sir, please stop pacing,” the brown-maned unicorn said, watching unsurely as his king moved.

“I…I can’t,” the stallion said, his normally stoic voice strained and worried. “How could it have come to this? With Akumu making moves now, it’s no wonder Concordia would want Twilight brought somewhere safe, but this!? I...don’t know if I can do this…”

“But you KNOW it’s what has to be done,” the unicorn said. “If she stays where she is, it’s only a matter of time until sh—”

“I KNOW!” the king roared.

When the first tear fell, it was like a dam breaking, and he plopped to the ground, water flowing steadily down his face. "I know…” he whispered, voice completely broken, “but this…this wasn't how it was supposed to go. I was going to protect her, keep her safe, wait for her to fulfill her destiny all on her own. Then, and only then, I would reveal myself. I would explain everything, tell her…But now…now I need to engage in this… ugh, I don’t even know what it is, but…”

“Sir,” the unicorn said as the stallion moved to sit near his king, “what is it you truly fear about this? Truthfully?”

The king sighed.

“I…I fear she will hate me. That this plan of Concordia’s will drive her away from me. That…That I will lose her . Even if this plan does succeed, will her hatred for my actions make all of my work, my patience, meaningless? Will I ever really have the chance to be with her, or will I be alone for another two thousand years…”

“You won’t be alone,” the unicorn said, placing a hoof on the king’s. “My family has served you over the past two millennia, and even if I may not be as old and wise as some of my ancestors, that doesn’t mean I will abandon you should the worst come to pass. Everyone here on the island will be there for you, and if she does come to hate you for this, then we will all speak up on your behalf. You know we will.”

The king said nothing, but smiled ever so slightly as he nodded.

His companions words were true.

They always were.

“Plus, since when has Concordia ever steered you wrong before? It’s because of her that you even have this chance in the first place. You just need to have hope,” the unicorn continued, grinning as his king finally allowed a small smile to grace his lips.

“I always have hope. But thank you for reminding me of that. How is it that you always know just what to say?”

“Well, it IS my talent.”

“Good point,” the king said as he stood up and stretched. “How long until our forces can mobilize?”

“A week at max, sir,” the unicorn said, saluting. The king nodded.

“Good. Twilight will be in Canterlot then, which will give us the perfect opportunity to act. In the meantime, I will tell the rest of our people what has happened, what will happen, and what will hopefully happen. I will join you in the preparations once that is completed.”

The unicorn nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave before the king called out, “And make sure you tell my ponies that I want absolutely NO CASUALTIES on either side. We do this quick, clean, and with as little disruption and damage as possible. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. You are dismissed.”

And with that, the king’s companion left the room and the large stone doors slammed shut behind him. The king sighed and turned to look out the window overlooking his kingdom.

“Twilight, please find it in your heart to forgive me…” he whispered as the plan was set in motion.

Author's Note

Whelp, this only took about 7 months to publish. Though it's mostly my fault since I kept writing and giving my editor/girlfriend more work so she never managed to get to this story, but ho well. It's out now and that's what matters :twilightsmile:

Sorry for those of you expecting more Flashlight, but I do promise that I am still working on the How to universe and Freedom Shall Ring. I just really wanted to get this done first, as I have never really tried a story like this one before, and it was mostly just a spur of the moment story during last November. Hope you all like it :pinkiehappy:

Chapter 8: New Days Bring New Theories

Moon Dancer yawned, her eyes slowly opening as she groaned. She was still in the Royal Archives, tucked away in a quiet corner where she wouldn’t be disturbed, even in sleep. In retrospect, she probably should have gone home rather than using the book on advanced magic theory and rune diagrams as a pillow, something her neck whole hardily agreed with.

I can’t help Twilight and the princesses if I run myself into the ground, Moon Dancer thought as she yawned again and began working the kinks out of her neck and spine. Shortly after Twilight had been taken by the invaders’ ruler, the Royal Sisters had put out a notice that they needed any and all ponies interested in magical research to help them examine a sample of the invaders’ unique magic. The end goal was to hopefully replicate the magic, though right now many ponies were still trying to figure out how it worked at all, Moon Dancer included.

Some ponies were studying it in the labs the sisters provided, others were researching in the castle’s various libraries, many of which were normally reserved for more senior magical staff or university magic professors. Though at this time, assuming her sense of time was correct in the first place, everypony else was probably at home or in the quarters the Royal Sisters had provided for any researchers who wanted them. Moon Dancer had chosen to stay at home given how close it was to the castle, but she had barely left the library ever since the princesses had shown her that truly fascinating, if very confusing piece of magic.

It had piqued her curiosity like nothing had before. She could still remember the sample she had been given, the strange feeling that permeated her body when she held it and the tingling in her horn when she tried to levitate it. It was like nothing Moon Dancer had ever experienced or even heard about in her many years of research. And despite being granted access to the normally restricted sections Royal Archives, she had still failed to find any sort of book that described or even made a passing mention of this magic. She had even brought all of her meals back to this table so she could keep working while she ate, and yet that extra time hadn’t helped her in the slightest.

Her progress was nonexistent at this point.

Though the fact that she couldn’t even describe the magic was likely making the search all the harder.

Grumble…

“Ah, right. Food,” Moon Dancer muttered to herself as empty stomach rumbled loudly. She had managed to ignore her hunger for most of the night, but now that it was morning her stomach was letting her know just how displeased it was. Her eyes were too, given how they kept blurring her vision no matter how many times she rubbed them. Maybe a break was a good idea. She wouldn’t be helping anypony if she couldn’t even read due to hunger. More research could wait. She turned in her chair before dropping to the floor with a solid thump.

THUMP!

“GAH!” she squealed as one of the books stacked on the table crashed to the floor, shattering the silence of the library. Taking a few deep breaths to calm her pounding heart, Moon Dancer turned to glare at the book, before blinking.

She didn’t remember grabbing this book from the shelves. She would have remembered a book with the Element of Magic boldly displayed on the front cover, she was certain of it. Curiously, she levitated the book up and took a look at the cover.

A Beginner’s Guide to Anima Mea: Discovering and Learning to use your Elemental Affinity.

Moon Dancer blinked again, then opened the front cover. The book had an identification card just like all the others, but the card’s design was…wrong. It still had all the right info from the library, but it was all in the wrong places. And it was big…and OLD.

Like, VERY old.

She had read plenty of old books from the more public sections of the Archives, but she had never seen a card that looked like this. And that title…what was an Anima Mea? Or Elemental Affinity? Was the latter referring to magic based in natural elements like fire and water?

GRUMBLE!

Food first, then once I can see straight I can get back to reading, Moon Dancer thought, closing the book she had used as a pillow and replacing it with the new one. It could easily be a dead end once again, but she wouldn’t know until she read it.

Three hours later, in a Canterlot alley…

“You’re a bit late. Have any trouble?” the stallion asked.

“Not particularly,” the mare replied. “It just took her longer to wake up then I thought it would. I’m still surprised she was able to sleep at all on something as hard as a book.”

“You’d be surprised. And I take it that means Moon Dancer has the book?”

“Yep. Just a little slight of magic, and the book fell as thought it had been on top of one of her towers of books. She started reading it once she had gotten breakfast and hasn’t stopped since.”

“Perfect. The sooner we can start passing on our knowledge, the better equipped Equestria will be. How soon do you think it will be until she takes the book to the princesses?”

“Hard to say. She’s really engrossed in it, but it might take some time before she realizes that this is actually what she’s looking for. However, once she understands that, I’m sure she’ll deliver the book at once. As a bonus, I also believe she possesses at least a minor affinity for hope, so I imagine she’ll be able to replicate the sample she was given with enough practice.”

“Quite the rare talent she has if you’re right. Still, make sure she doesn’t spend too long with the book. The guards need to start training too.”

“Don’t worry. If she hasn’t moved on by the end of the week, I’ll do what I can to convince her to visit the princesses.”

Meanwhile, on Delubrum…

Go away sun, was Twilight’s first coherent thought as a ray of light angled itself perfectly to strike at Twilight’s eyelid. She groaned and tried to shift her face away from the light, but the effort required to move only woke her up that much more. Why can’t Celestia ever just let me sleep?

You know that she’s not actually waking you up on purpose, right? That would imply that she knows where you are and is willing to change the angle of the sun to perfectly match the angle of your head—

CELESTIA DANG IT BRAIN! Now I’m definitely won’t be getting back to sleep!

Sorry! Force of habit!

Twilight let out an angry growl directed at her own brain as she reluctantly opened her eyes. The first thing she saw as her vision came into focus was the perfectly painted representation of the night sky and the blue overhang above her bed. Blinking, she sat up.

Right, I’m still on Delubrum, she thought, and then looked down. And I’m still wearing the dress from last night. At least I remembered to take the shoes off.

She must have been more tired than she realized. She could barely remember getting in bed at all, let alone falling asleep.

She rubbed her eyes and looked around the room. Everything looked the same, with the sunlight casting the orange-pink furniture in a soothing glow just like the day before. The books on the bookshelf were in the same places as before, the curtains near the balcony door were still pulled back, and the bed was still covered in more pillows than Twilight would ever need. Given how much had changed over the past few days, it was actually a little bit calming to see that everything in the room was the same as it was the day before.

That everything hadn’t suddenly changed again.

Though Twilight felt a small pang of sadness as her eyes passed over the bookshelf again. Chances were that none of those books were in Equestrian, something made only more likely as Twilight saw that the titles on the books spines were in Labyrin, at least the ones that were big enough for her to see from her bed. However, she also noticed that Right Word had stacked the library books on the desk, including the encyclopedia and the language books, so maybe the books on the bookshelf wouldn’t be out of reach forever.

Wait, is that…

Twilight looked where her brain was indicating, and she immediately felt more awake. Sitting on the bedside table was a large tray just like the one Sparrow had used yesterday. It was once again covered in a large plate of pancakes, a small bowl of peaches and a small bowl of oranges, and a glass of orange juice. Balanced against the glass was a small green cloth bag tied with a golden thread and a folded note with her name on it.

Ignoring the way her mouth was watering at the sweet smell of the peaches and the unsettling way that it once again looked a bit too much like what a husband would make for his wife, Twilight cautiously picked up the note first.

Dear Twilight,
I hope that you slept well and I apologize that I was not there to deliver this to you in pony. A small incident came up in town that required my direct attention, so I am afraid I will likely be unavailable until lunch at the earliest. I have left this food here for you so that you may continue to regain your strength.
Given your progress yesterday, I believe that it is safe to assume that you will now have access to your magic once again. However, it might be safer to keep casting to a minimum if you can, and I suggest that you avoid any strenuous spells such as teleportation or transfiguration. With your current rate of recovery, you should be back at full strength by tomorrow evening at the latest, so I promise that you will be casting spells again very soon.
While I will unfortunately be unavailable to continue answering your questions until lunch today, I do have an idea as to how you can both learn more about our island and continue to meet new ponies. Every Tuesday, the capital city of Oasis hosts a trading market where ponies from all over the island gather to exchange their goods. Each of the main cities across the island differs in what they produce and the ponies that live there, so I guarantee that going there will help you expand your knowledge of the island.
And, in truth, there is a good friend of mine that I would like you to meet at some point during the day as well. She is a renowned peach farmer, and I know the two of you will get along swimmingly.
Spike was still asleep when I wrote this. If you make a left when leaving your room, his room can be found one floor down the stairs and it will be the first door on the right. Should you feel too weak to go to him yourself, simply call on a guard for assistance using the emerald next to your door.

I have left you a small pouch of coins as well should you wish to buy anything. Bronze coins are worth one Del, silver are worth ten, and gold are worth one hundred. For future reference, gems can also be used, though their value is less consistent and would require a more detailed explanation that I can prove you now.
I hope that you enjoy your day, and I look forward to seeing you again.
Sincerely,

Sparrow.

Well, at least he didn’t say ‘Love, Sparrow.’

Brain, I am warning you.

Sorry, sorry, but I know you were thinking about that.

Twilight decided not to dignify that with a response and instead focused back on the tray. If her magic was back to a usable level, then she should try to gauge her strength sooner rather than later, if only to make sure she didn’t overtax herself unintentionally.

Reaching for her magic, she focused on one of the peaches in the small bowl. Her horn responded, and slowly the peach began to float into the air. The aura was fainter than normal, but Twilight was happy to see it again. Expanding her focus, she took hold of an orange as well, levitating that into the air next to the peach. The added strain was minimal, so she lifted another peach.

For the next few minutes, Twilight slowly levitated different parts of her breakfast into the air. It wasn’t until she lifted everything save for the tray that she began to feel she was reaching her limit. As a final test, she placed everything back on the tray before carefully enveloping it all in her magic. The pressure on her horn became uncomfortable, but not unbearable enough to stop her from levitating the tray over to her.

Ok, I think this is my limit, Twilight thought as she let the tray fall gently onto the bed in front of her. She could feel the pressure slowly ease until she was left with only a mild and rapidly fading tingle. I shouldn’t try to levitate anything heavier than this tray.

Good to know. In that case, maybe you should look around to see if you could find some saddlebags? That way, if you do want to go to the trade market and buy anything or go check out more books, you can carry it easier. Especially if you take Spike with you, seeing as how he’s in no condition to carry anything at the moment and might want something too.
Although, now that I think about it, maybe that won’t be needed? Right Word was accompanying Spike yesterday, so maybe you won’t need to carry anything if we bring a guard with us?

I think we should be ok without a saddlebag, Twilight thought, taking her first bite of her breakfast. Especially since I imagine having a guard would be a good idea just in case something happens to aggravate Spike’s injuries. And I think I will go to the trade market. It actually sounds kind of exciting, to be honest! It sounds almost like a cultural exchange, albeit at a smaller scale. And it could offer a good chance for me to learn more about the island and cross-reference it later using the encyclopedia.

The breakfast was as delicious as yesterday’s, the blend of peaches and oranges in the pancakes so amazing that Twilight couldn’t help but scarf it all down as quickly as physically possible without getting any of it on her dress. But even that deliciousness couldn’t quite quiet a little voice in the back of her mind that said it was a bit too…married.

Twilight frowned as she wiped a stray crumb off her face. She didn’t want to think about THAT right now. But oh well. Breakfast was breakfast, and Sparrow was probably just trying to make a good impression on her.

Hopefully.

Once she was done, she put the tray back where she found it, put the dress and the shoes Speedy Diamond had made her away in the closet, and headed to the bathroom. One bath later, and she felt as ready as she could be to face the new day.

Should we call a guard to escort us? We still don’t know our way around, and we probably wouldn’t even know how to get out from the elevator hub given how distracted we were.

Let’s go get Spike first, Twilight thought as she made her way to the door, making sure to grab the bag of coins before she left. Right Word and Sparrow said he was one floor below ours. He’ll likely want to come with us, and I’m sure his room would have a call panel just like ours so he can contact help if he hurts himself. From there, we can see if I feel strong enough to fly, and I’ll call a guard if I don’t.

Works for me.

The hallway was as beautiful in daylight as it was the night before, but it was also strangely empty. It was at least late morning, yet there wasn’t a single pony in sight. She couldn’t hear any other ponies either; no sounds of conversation, no hooves clopping along the stone or carpets, no sounds of maid carts being pushed though the hallways. She understood she was probably in a private part of the castle, but still. It was…a bit unsettling.

Giving herself a little shake, Twilight turned to her left and began to head for the stairs down to Spike.

WAIT!!!

GAH!!!

Twilight stumbled not even three hooves from her room as her brain screamed in her head! It was so loud and startling that she barely managed to avoid dropping the bag of coins floating in her magic. What is it, brain?!

I just thought of something! Go look at Sparrow’s bedroom door!

What? Why?

I have a theory about the mark above our door but I need to see his to prove it!

Why can’t you just tell me—

Because! NOW GO!

Ok, ok! Just calm down, brain. Sheesh, Twilight groaned as she reversed course and made her way down towards Sparrow’s door. What could possibly be so important about his door?

Her brain didn’t respond, though Twilight had the faintest impression that her brain was giving her a ‘just wait and see’ look, like a mother directing her child towards a surprise. HOW her brain could give her a look at all though was pretty darn odd. Maybe she was still tired and was imaging things? Before she could think over that question, she arrived at Sparrow’s door and all other thoughts were driven from her head.

There, sitting at the top of the frame, was Sparrow’s cutie mark. Two hooves holding one another in front of a spinning image of the world.

Ok, so now what? It’s just the image of Sparrow’s cutie…mark…

And just like that, the pieces fell into place in Twilight’s mind.

She face-hoofed.

Then sat down and double face-hoofed because one hoof wasn’t cutting it in the slightest.

Then added her wings to the mix.

I’m an idiot. A complete—HOW DID I NOT PUT THIS TOGETHER!?!? It’s a CUTIE MARK! The Puer Stella is a CUTIE MARK! THAT’S why it’s hanging in the entranceway on the banners besides Sparrow’s cutie mark! Because he’s a KING, and whoever that mark belonged to must have been his QUEEN!

Exactly! The Puer Stella was above your door AND hanging in the entranceway, which means it couldn’t just be a symbol of importance to the island! It must be the cutie mark of the island’s last Queen! And it might even be why Sparrow isn’t sleeping in the clearly larger room in between his room and your room! Because he no longer has a Queen!
And so he doesn’t feel comfortable sleeping in the room clearly meant for the royal couple after marriage! Oh, sweet Celestia, HOW DID I NOT NOTICE ANY OF THIS YESTERDAY!?!?!

Hey, give yourself SOME slack! When you woke up you couldn’t even stand on your own, and you were tired all day. And even when you got back, you were not only even more exhausted but were still being bombarded with new information about the elevators, about Sparrow, and about the security functions in your room.
You had too much going on and kept noting things away for later, which is understandable and perfectly justified if you ask me. No need to beat yourself up over any of it.

But still! It seems so obvious now! All the clues were there in plain view. And now I just have even more questions! Who was this other pony? How long ago did she pass and why has no pony mentioned her by name? Did she pass from old age, or was it more sudden like from a disease?

Would she be the one who helped Sparrow make that garden of his?

YES, exactly! He was so sad last night in the garden, so could that have been because it was his wife that helped him build it? And if so, that means he’s probably still in mourning! And pretty deep mourning too!

Then why is he still so insistent on marrying you? If he is clearly still in pain from his loss, then why didn’t he wait until he had moved on before coming after you? Heck, why go through all this effort to marry you at all? Unless…
Unless what?

Could…could he just see you as a replacement for whoever the Queen was?

Twilight felt almost sick as a wave of vertigo wash over her at the mere idea that Sparrow would be using her like that! That she might just be a replacement for someone else! Did she really agree – hay, she was practically forced to agree! – to go with this strange pony just to be a replacement bride?!

“Could that really be true?” Twilight muttered to herself, her voice sounding small and distant. Her heart was bounding inside her ribs, beating so hard she was starting to feel pains in her chest and her vision started to blur and—

She brought a hoof to her chest, forced herself to take a deep breath, then slowly let it out. Then she did it again. And then a third time, just like Cadence had taught her. Slowly, the vertigo began to disappear, her heart’s furious pounding began to calm to a more reasonable rate…

Wait. Cadence.

Like a light being turned on, Twilight suddenly remembered what Cadence had told her the night before. About how Sparrow’s actions up to this point indicated that he cared about Twilight’s feelings, and by extension, her! Could she really be just a replacement if he cared so much about her? Would he risk being stabbed by a shadow monster for somepony who was just a replacement?

With her breathing now steady, she quickly went back over everything she knew about Sparrow and everything she had told her friends and family the night before.

I…don’t think I’m just a replacement. Twilight thought, the vertigo passing completely. I mean, if I was just acting as some sort of replacement for his late wife, then wouldn’t he have wanted the wedding as soon as possible? Instead, he’s holding off on it until I feel comfortable with the island, and didn’t even bring up the wedding yesterday until I asked about it. The only thing so far that might imply that I was a replacement might be the fancy breakfasts that he's made me, but even that’s not really much of a sign.

Good point. If you were a replacement, he probably would have already had everything planned out for the wedding and ready for the moment you were back on your hooves. Could it maybe be because of politics?

Politics?

Yeah, I mean, think about it. He’s an alicorn, sure, but he’s also a king. If he were to be killed by something, somepony would need to take over for him, and there might not be a clear line of succession, at least not like that. Would Right Word be next in line given how he is Sparrow’s right hoof and a descendent of Sparrow’s bloodline, or would there be some debate among the other high-ranking ponies on the island about who should become the next king?
If there isn’t a clear line of succession, what if there is a lot of pressure from other high-ranking ponies for him to take another wife as quickly as possible so that there is a new queen, and thus a second pony to help rule the island? Or at least someone who is available should Sparrow somehow die to prevent instability, however unlikely his death may be?

That could make some sense, but that still brings us back as to why he hasn’t insisted on marrying me yet. Hmmmmm…We already established that he could still be in mourning, so could he be trying to buy more time before his next marriage? That by taking someone from off the island, he would have a reason to delay the marriage and engage in a longer courting cycle while I took the time to become accustomed to the island and its traditions? Especially since choosing somepony from a foreign country would ensure that no ponies on the island could advance their political agenda by trying to marry into the royal family.

That has some merit, I suppose. Though that is assuming, of course, that would even be an issue. We still have no idea how the politics of the island work save for there being a king and a massive army ready to protect the island. Plus, if Speedy Diamond is able to just fall asleep in the middle of town without worry and Sparrow is ok with being tackled by a bunch of school children whenever he goes out, then maybe politics aren’t really much of an issue on this island in the first place compared to Equestria? The nobles back in Canterlot would have a heart attack if Celestia ever let something like that happen.

Right, this is all just speculation. We have no way to know if politics play a role or not, at least not yet. And even if they did, it still doesn’t explain why he chose ME!

You mean a young, smart, caring, empathetic, highly talented, and beautiful alicorn that he has been protecting from danger for years, has a wonderful thirst for knowledge that appears in adorkable ways, and is the only alicorn not over one thousand years old who is still single?

BRAIN! Twilight squealed, feeling her face heat up in embarrassment and shock.

I’m just stating the facts! You are, in the eyes of many, quite the catch. And don’t even try denying that you’re attractive. You are, and I see I forgot to add exceedingly humble to that list. Plus, seeing how Sparrow lost his first, or whatever number, wife, wouldn’t it make sense that he would try and court somepony that would be ageless like him? Having somepony who he wouldn’t lose to the passage of time seems like a reasonable idea, especially if his last wife died from old age.

I…ok, you have a point. I wish you didn’t and that he would have picked somepony else, ANYPONY else, but I can see your point. But this still leaves us with so many questions about his motives and why he chose the method he did to get me to come along. I mean, if we assume that he was worried about that…THING coming after me, which I think we can safely agree that yes, he was telling the truth on that, then why insist on a marriage at all?

Unfortunately, I don’t think we can answer that right now. The best we can do is keep gathering what new information we can and continue improving our theory as time goes on. Though I’m not sure if we should ask about Sparrow’s wife. We definitely shouldn’t ask Sparrow, but I don’t know about other ponies as well.

Why not? I definitely agree about Sparrow; regardless of what he’s done, bringing up such memories would just be cruel if he's still in mourning, but why not others?

I’m…not sure exactly. But it kinda feels like snooping into something that we shouldn’t. And what if Sparrow wants to tell us himself when he’s ready, and somepony gets in trouble for taking about it too soon? Or they get the facts wrong and leave us with a flawed view of what really happened?
Plus, we probably have enough information to work through at the moment. Do we really need to dig for more new info into our already hefty backlog of questions and concerns?

Hmmm…Ok, you make good points, but I think we should see what Spike thinks too. He’s spent the most time with Sparrow of anypony we personally know, so maybe he can help us decide what to do.

Sounds fair to me. Good thing he’s only one floor below us. Let’s go.

Twilight nodded to herself and stood back up, taking a moment to stretch. As she did, a thought occurred to her. She wasn’t exactly a stranger talking to herself, but these last few minutes had been…different. More…cerebral, maybe? Typically when she was trying to solve a problem like this, she preferred to walk around or pace in a circle to help her think. She rarely ever just sat down and just talked to herself without doing much else.

Furthermore, a part of her was curious as to why her brain was saying some of the things it did. Most of the conversation appeared to follow the normal flow of thought, but her brain then suddenly complimenting her? She wasn’t even thinking about that beforehoof.

Actually, that comment was strikingly similar to something Rarity might say if Twilight was feeling nervous about a new dress, if maybe a bit over the top. Could it be that she was projecting her friends personality into her internal voice? She still missed them so much, and she did just talk to them last night, so could her brain be trying to sound more like them because she was lonely? The six of them had worked together on so many problems over the years, and Twilight always found her thoughts to be clearer when the girls were there to lend support.

Then again, she did also have a conversation with a dream version of Sparrow the night before she left Equestria. Maybe she was overthinking things?

Twilight shook her head. She was worrying too much. This was no different than her pacing around outside the Canterlot gate the day she met Sparrow. Her exhaustion and the stress all the events of the last few days were just making her paranoid.

And with that, she turned and trotted back past her room. She descended the stairs at the end of the hallway, though she was a little surprised that they only went down one story. Maybe it was to give the upper level some privacy, or to help protect it in case of an invasion from lower levers? Before she could answer, she emerged into another hallway.

This hallway was less opulent than the one above, but it was still very nice. It contained a soft green rug running the length of the cobblestone hallway, a few sets of armor that looked to be standard, undecorated guard armor, and a few beautiful paintings depicting various biomes. Unlike the floor above, there were light orange-pink doors on both sides of the hallway, and there were far more of them. There also appeared to be a few branching hallways further down, though Twilight couldn’t see where they led from where she stood.

What surprised Twilight the most however was just how many ponies there were down here! In this hallway alone she could see three guards, two maids, and five ponies wearing some kind of military dress uniform, and at least two well-dressed ponies that looked almost like nobles all moving about. Were they all important guests staying in the castle? Part of Sparrow’s government? Were they—

Focus…
We came here for the adorable baby dragon, remember?
Right, Spike now, more questions later. Thanks, brain.

Thankfully, just as Right Word and Sparrow had said, Spike’s door was the first one on the right of the staircase, labeled with a green nameplate. It was also slightly open, and Twilight realized that she could just faintly hear Spike’s voice.

“Do we really need to do this again? I feel just as fine as I did yesterday!” Spike complained.

“I’m afraid so, sweetie,” a kind, motherly voice replied. “I need to make sure you didn’t aggravate your injuries when you went walking around yesterday. Sparrow’s orders. Just sit still and we should be done in a few minutes. And just because you can’t feel a new injury doesn’t mean something isn’t being stressed unnecessarily, so it never hurts to check.”

“Fine,” Spike grumbled. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle to herself, easily able to imagine the adorable pout on his face. But who was that other voice?

Probably a nurse. It makes sense to have somepony around to keep an eye on a recovering patient, especially one tied directly to the island’s newest member of royalty.

Yeah, that does makes sense, Twilight thought, taking a step forward and gently knocking on the door.

“One moment, please,” a third voice called, and the door opened fully to reveal a guard with a red coat, blue mane, and orange eyes standing before a room that was only a bit smaller than Twilight’s upstairs. Any further observations were put on hold when she realized that the guard looked very familiar. “Ah, Princess Twilight. I assume you are here to see Sir Spike.”

Isn’t he the guard who was with Spike and Right Word yesterday?

“Just Twilight is fine,” Twilight said shyly on instinct. “You’re…Silent Sky, right? You were with Spike yesterday?”

The stallion nodded.

“Yes, Princess, I was,” he replied, apparently ignoring her request. “I am one of the ponies that has been assigned to guard Sir Spike should you be unavailable. That way he is always protected by at least one pony at fighting strength.”

“I don’t need protection,” Spike called out from behind him.

“Hold still, dear,” the motherly voice said. “Squirming will only make it take longer.”

As if sensing Twilight’s desire to look into the room for Spike, Silent Sky stepped out of the doorway to allow her access.

He was sitting on a large plush bed definitely built for at least two ponies, and was currently covered in a soft white aura of magic. Standing next to the bed was an older unicorn mare with a pink coat, white mane, brown eyes, and a cutie mark of a caduceus in front of a heart. She was wearing a small white nurse’s hat and a white gown with a blue sash across her chest, marked with letters in the island’s natural language, and had a large brown medical bag sitting next to her. Her horn was glowing with a white aura to match the one covering Spike, and she was giving Twilight a warm smile.

“What a pleasure to finally meet you, Twilight,” the nurse said happily. “Spike talked quite a bit about you these last few days whenever I came to check on him. Oh, and sorry about Mister Formal over there. He always calls ponies by their titles, no matter how much you tell him not to.”

“I simply wish to ensure that a pony’s status is acknowledged and respected, Head Nurse Brave Heart,” Silent Sky said calmly. “To call the Princess or the Savior of the Crystal Empire by anything other than their titles simply won’t do.”

“You mean like how you still call Sparrow ‘King’ even though he tells you not to every single time you talk to him? Assuming you aren't just standing there silently like your name implies, of course,” Brave Heart teased, giggling as Silent Sky frowned at her. Before he could respond, however, Brave Heart’s horn gave a small flash of green magic. “Ah, there we go, all done!” The aura around Spike flickered and winked out. “No new injuries and no unnecessary strains, though do remember not to scratch your new scales until they harden.”

“But they’re itchy!” Spike whined as Brave Heart gently swatted his unbroken claw away from a lighter patch of scales.

“That’s why I put the medicine on before the scan,” the nurse said. “Just like yesterday, it takes some time to start working, but it will help with the itching. Just be patient.” She turned towards her bag and levitated up a large sapphire from inside. “I’m sure this will help get your mind off it,” she added with a knowing look as Spike licked his lips.

“Is there anything I should know about his injuries, just in case?” Twilight asked, smiling faintly as Spike began happily eating the sapphire.

“Not too much, and all of Spike’s guards have at least basic medic training in the off-chance that something is wrong,” Brave Heart said as she closed up her bag. “Though I will tell you what I told them. Don’t let him scratch his new scales, be sure to move a bit more slowly if you end up carrying him so as not to jostle his injuries, he should have twice his normal minimum gem intake to ensure his body can repair his scales and bones quickly, and, of course, no more waterfall jumping,” she added playfully.

“It’s not my fault I fell in the water,” Spike grumbled, pointing adorably as he continued to munch on his gem.

“I never said it was,” Brave Heart said, her smile becoming more gentle. “And I can appreciate that you were trying to help your friend. Though next time, maybe leave the dangerous uncontrolled teleportation across half a continent to the professionals.”

Does this island have professionals that perform uncontrolled teleportations across half a continent on a regular basis? Because if so, I have so many questions…

Brain, focus…

“Wait…didn’t all the solders teleport back to the island? I seem to remember overhearing that in the medical bay,” Spike said, his eyes narrowing.

“I believe that you misheard then. They didn’t teleport. They used displacement,” Silent Sky said from near the door.

“What’s the difference?” Spike asked in confusion.

Good question, Spike. I thought Right Word said it was just their form of teleportation.

Maybe they use the island’s magic, and that somehow makes it safer than using normal teleportation, especially over long distances?

“Teleportation uses the multi-dimensional axis of mmph!” Silent Sky began, only for Brave Heart to cover his mouth with her hoof as she approached the door.

“Teleportation uses the magic inside the pony, is limited by their knowledge of the location they are trying to teleport to if it is outside their sight, to the point where they usually need to have visited the location personally before teleporting there, and is limited greatly by the pony’s own power levels. Displacement uses the magic of the world itself, and as such requires less energy from the pony in question, and the pony doesn’t need to have visited the location before-hoof to travel there.”

“I could have told him that,” Silent Sky protested, frowning again as the nurse moved her hoof.

“And you would have been here for at least an hour explaining all the technical aspects of it rather than the simplified version,” Brave Heart teased. “I could already start to see his eyes cross, and you hadn't even finished the first sentence!”

Didn’t Sparrow mention something similar last night? About ponies of the island using the magic of the world around them to cast spells? Do you think this is what he meant?

No idea, but we best remember anything else we hear about it for future reference.

“Is there anything else different about it?” Spike asked.

“There is a time delay,” Brave Heart said, covering Silent Sky’s mouth again, earning an unhappy glare from the pegasus. “Teleportation is always nearly instantaneous, while displacement has a time delay based on how far you travel. When you displaced from Canterlot to Delubrum, there was about a three minute delay from when you left to when you reappeared here on the island.”

“It was likely a bit shorter actually,” Silent Sky said, pulling the hoof off his mouth. “While the strength of a normal pony isn’t usually enough to affect the timing, King Sparrow’s magic is strong enough that he typically moves from one place to another more quickly, usually arriving a few seconds before his guards over shorter distances and a minute or two over longer ones, assuming he has any with him at the time.”

Like when he appeared in your room! He arrived in front of you, then his guards appeared a few seconds later! That actually matches up with what we’ve seen so far.

Agreed, but please focus, brain. We can’t keep going off on tangents like this.

Says the pony who started the last tangent we had.

Twilight just mentally rolled her eyes at her brain and focused back on the present. “Can all the ponies on the island use displacement? Or is it limited to only a select few and the rest need to use enchanted items to displace? Can you take other objects with you when you displace? Is it the only spell that uses the magic of the world, as you put it?”

“Almost anypony can do it with the right teaching,” Brave Heart said before Silent Sky could speak. “And those who can’t can be given special items to help them along. It can be used to transport inanimate objects or other ponies, though that does raise the difficulty level exponentially. And it is only one of the spells that use the magic of the world. I’m sure you’ll encounter quite a few others as you spend more time on the island.

“But unfortunately, that’s all the time I have. I am needed back in the medical ward, so I’m afraid I can’t stay, but I do hope we will get a chance to talk more, Twilight. Have a good day, and remember not to let Spike scratch his scales!”

“I will. Thank you for looking after Spike, Brave Heart.”

“It was my pleasure,” the nurse replied with a smile, her horn flaring and lightly smacking Spike’s claw away from his scales one last time. Spike groaned a little as she walked out the door.

“I shall be outside if you need anything, Princess,” Silent Sky said, bowing slightly to Twilight before following Brave Heart out the door and closing it behind him.

“She’s worse than Mom,” Spike grumbled, reaching for his scales again only for Twilight’s hoof to stop him.

“But Mom also never gave you such big gems when you were sick,” Twilight said with a playful smirk.

“True,” Spike agreed, licking his lips again. “So what’s on your mind?”

“Huh?”

“You spaced out a few times while we were talking,” Spike said, giving Twilight a knowing smile. “And you only do that when you’re really stumped by something. So come on, what’s up?”

I didn’t think we spaced out THAT much.

He’s lived with us his whole life, remember. He knows all our tells and habits. And he probably knows we’re spacing out right now!

True.

So Twilight told him everything. The cutie mark above her door, the banners in the castle entranceway, the mark above Sparrow’s door, what she thought it all meant. She explained her theory about how Sparrow was still grieving, the reasons he wasn’t marrying her yet, and everything else she had discussed with her brain that morning and with Sparrow the night before.

“Huh, no wonder you were so distracted,” Spike said, scratching his head. “That is a lot to take in.”

“I know. And I still can’t believe I didn’t see any of it until just this morning.”

“Hey, don’t feel too bad. I’ve been awake since we got here, and I never put it together either!” Spike said, giving Twilight a winning grin.

She smiled back. “Thanks, Spike.” She gave him a quick and gentle hug before her expression became more serious.

“Do you think we should ask around about Sparrow’s last wife?” she asked, sitting down next to the dragon. “I’ve been pretty divided about if I should or not, but I wanted to hear what you thought about all this. Especially since you’ve had more time to interact with the ponies around here than I have.”

“I…really don’t know, actually,” Spike said with a frown. “Yeah, I’ve been awake longer, but most of my time was spent either watching over or worrying about you. Even when I was interacting with Sparrow, the guards he assigned me, or Brave Heart, I didn’t ask about Sparrow very often. Yesterday was actually the first time I left the castle, and that was mostly because I wanted to get you something for when you woke up.

“Although,” he added, moving a claw to his chin, “everypony I did ask questions was a little bit evasive when it came to Sparrow or the invasion. Sparrow really didn’t explain anything to me, and the others didn’t really seem to know his motives aside from protecting you. But no pony ever mentioned an old queen, or why you had to marry him.” Spike let out a puff of angry smoke from his nostrils at the mention of the wedding.

He’s so adorable when he’s trying to be protective of you.

I know, right? Twilight thought, suppressing a small giggle. “That’s ok, Spike. I wouldn’t expect Sparrow to give you many answers, and given how Sparrow is possibly still mourning, it isn’t surprising that no pony brought up the last queen. I just wish I could decide if I should ask about her or not.”

“Do you need to know right now?” Spike asked. “I mean, you’ve only been awake for a day, and we still barely even know anything about the island at all.”

“But it could be related to why he wants to marry me. If he just wanted to protect me, then why force me to become engaged to him?”

“I wish I knew,” Spike said, growling a little more. “But the point still stands: do we need to figure this out now? Couldn’t we just, you know, focus on learning what he’s protecting you from and worry about the whole marriage thing later? You did say that he’s gonna hold off on the wedding for now, so maybe we can focus on just the black smoke thing for now? Well, that and the island?”

He makes a good point. We at least have something to go off of when it comes to the THING that attacked you. Everything we know about the queen is just theories right now.

And if we’re focusing on both problems, we might be too distracted and skip over some important facts. And even if that…THING can’t get us here, it might still cause problems in Equestria, so the sooner we learn about it, the better.

“I think you’re right, Spike,” Twilight said, giving Spike another quick hug. “We can worry about the last queen and the marriage later. Right now we should just focus on that…thing and the island. Though hopefully Sparrow tells me more about why he made me come here soon. I can’t stand not knowing, and all of this speculating is just making me more curious!”

“Focus on the island, Twilight,” Spike said with a cheeky grin. “And try not to think about all your other theories for more than ten seconds next time.”

Twilight gave him the best ‘I-am-not-amused’ glare she could muster, thought the effect was undercut by her suppressed giggling. “Fine, fine. It’ll be almost impossible, but I’ll do my best not to think about it too much. Though speaking of the island, Sparrow did mention that there is a Trade Festival going on today. Would you like to go see it? It might help tell us more about this place.”

“Oh yeah! Brave Heart mentioned that they have a lot of food stands from across the island there! That sounds great, especially since I think she mentioned one of the cities specializes in gems!” Spike exclaimed, licking his lips in anticipation.

“Then let’s go see Silent Sky and head out,” Twilight said with a smile, Spike’s enthusiasm helping bury her anxiety for the time being…

Meanwhile…

“What exactly happened, Lily Pad?” Sparrow asked, his brow furrowed in concern as he and Right Word followed the mare in front of them. It wasn’t every day that the head of one of Oasis’s water treatment centers put in an emergency request for Sparrow’s attention, especially the treatment center that was directly connected to the castle’s water supply. The castle guards were always on standing orders to assist the plant with any needs they might have, so for them to come directly to Sparrow…

“We don’t know, sir,” the mare in question said, quickly leading Sparrow and Right Word through the clean metal hallways of the treatment center. All around them, numerous ponies ran by without so much as a second glance. There were no alarms sounding, but something was very clearly wrong. Sparrow could feel it.

“Then please start at the beginning,” Right Word said, his tone implying that he too could feel that something was wrong. Lily Pad nodded.

“At some point yesterday, the filtration system detected a massive spike in magic contamination in the water. Your magic, to be precise,” she said, looking back at Sparrow with a nod.

That normally wouldn't come as too much of a surprise to Sparrow or Right Word. Given how Sparrow’s magic had created the shield covering their island, it wasn’t uncommon that his magic would find its way into anything on the island, even the water. It was why they had purifying crystals and treatment centers like this one, to help remove the excess magic. But normally these magic contamination levels were low, especially in water.

“How much of a spike?” Sparrow asked, his brow furrowing.

As he spoke, they emerged into the command center overlooking the treatment facility. Just like in the hallways, ponies were currently running to and fro, most of them focusing their attention on a set of screens with red warning symbols flashing on them. Looking out through the windows, Sparrow could see that most of the machines in the facility were working normally, pumping water in a continuous stream. That was reassuring, but only a little, because he could also see a large number of ponies gathered near one of the reinforced walls off to the left of the facility, a wall he recognized as one that separated the main floor of the facility from the isolation rooms use for more contaminated water.

A wall that was currently giving off an unusual orange glow as the ponies nearby frantically worked in protective suits.

That cannot be a good sign, he thought.

“The spike went right off our charts, sir,” Lily Pad said grimly. “Our spells couldn’t even calculate how much magic was in there, though there didn’t appear to be any wild magic at first, luckily. We still had to perform an emergency dump of the water into isolation room 3 to prevent it from overloading all of our purification crystals and contaminating the main water supply. Yet despite the fact that those rooms are designed for purifying high level magical contamination that our normal machinery can’t handle, the magic level was so high it knocked out the control spells for the room, and all attempts to recreate or reactivate them have failed. Even if we could teleport or displace in, which we can’t given the anti-magic properties of the walls, we wouldn’t dare risk it given the level of contamination. We don’t know if our hazmat suits could handle the strain either.”

“Has any magic escaped containment?” Sparrow asked, his magic reaching out to examine the area around the room. It appeared as though everything was still normal, thankfully, but he couldn’t be sure. The thick walls combined with the myriad of ponies trying to reestablish the control spells were interfering with his senses too much, and he couldn’t afford to be imprecise, not now.

“None has escaped into the main room, sir, the walls have held, but the decontamination room closest to the isolation room has been breached. The magic leak was calm, not wild, at least at first, but our sensors in the level 1 room stopped sending us data readings just an hour ago, so we have no idea if it is STILL calm magic or not. We have ponies trying to restore the sensor spells and others working to probe the magic in the rooms directly through the walls, but the anti-magic properties of the walls are making it difficult for them. We worry that the other two decontamination rooms won’t last under this much pressure either.”

“Ma’am, I think you’ve got to see this,” a pony called, interrupting Lily Pad as he waved her over frantically.

“Excuse me a moment,” Lily Pad said, bowing slightly before rushing over. Sparrow watched as the two ponies talked quickly and quietly to one another as the stallion showed Lily Pad a few papers, his concern rising when Lily Pad gaped in shock, before quickly issuing a few new orders and running back over.

“Sir, the situation just escalated! We’ve just confirmed that more magic is entering the air from the water at an alarming rate, meaning the entire room is at risk of breaching if something isn’t done soon!”

“It’s what?!” Sparrow asked, just barely avoiding shouting. Right Word immediately tensed up at the news, his eyes going wide in shock. Buck. If that was true, then this was even more precarious than he realized. Outside, magic entered the air all the time when contaminated water evaporated, but here, NOW, in a controlled environment, it shouldn’t be happening at all…

“The magic is entering the air,” Lily Pad repeated. Her voice was steady, but her face shared his concerns. “We aren’t one hundred percent sure why, but our specialist theorizes that the water itself is releasing its stored magic into the air, as if the water itself can’t physically hold all of the magic stored inside it.”

“That shouldn’t even be possible!” Right Word said, his voice barely controlled. “Water should only be able to hold a certain amount of magic per milliliter. No pony has ever managed to super-saturate water beyond the known limit.”

“Believe me, I’m just as baffled as you are,” Lily Pad said. “This shouldn’t be possible, but it’s the only theory we have right now. And regardless of how it happened, we’ve just confirmed that the magical pressure in the room is constantly increasing, like a balloon filling up with more and more air. This may also be why it’s leaking into the decontamination room as well, because the room can’t hold the magic and its being forced out through the point of least resistance. And though it’s hard to tell with so much magic inside, our specialist has also started to detect power spikes that resemble lightning inside the isolation room itself. Putting it all together, sir, we believe the magic might be becoming wild. We can’t confirm that for sure, but I don’t have any other explanation.”

Buck, Sparrow swore in his head. That is the last thing we need right now. Magic in the water was usually fine so long as it stayed calm and remained at low or medium concentrations. And while the magic did become more chaotic once it entered the air, it was usually so dispersed that it didn’t become a problem so long as purification crystals were set up in areas where the magic tended to gathered naturally. But in such a confined space and at such high concentrations, it was at an incredibly high risk of becoming wild.

And if it became wild…

I need to get in there, Sparrow thought, his magic reaching out for his Founder’s Weapon through their shared link. His sword responded to his call without a moments hesitation, disappearing from its sheath in the castle and reappearing within the storage space he had created for just such an emergency. Close enough to summon with barely a thought should he need it, but hidden enough that ponies nearby wouldn’t worry about what dangerous entity might require such a powerful artifact to combat it.

“Lily Pad, do you have a hundred spare purification crystals?” Sparrow asked, turning his attention back to the mare and causing her to blink in surprise.

“No, sir, we don’t. We do usually have more than one hundred spares, but the spike yesterday overcharged a number of the crystals in the main purification system, and those that haven’t been used to replace those are currently surrounding the isolation room in case it gets breached. We’ve requested more, but they haven’t arrived yet. Sorry sir.”

“No need to apologize,” Sparrow said. “You did what you were trained to do in this situation, and I think you made the right choice.” He turned to his advisor. “Right Word, I believe we have some spares at the castle. Gather one hundred of them if you can, then meet us at the isolation room. Displace back outside the facility, just to be safe.”

His advisor nodded, then spun on his hoof and hurried away. Not for the first time, Sparrow felt a rush of gratitude at the unicorn’s promptness. Every moment counted, and the sooner he had those crystals, the better. Even if there was no wild magic, he couldn’t take any chances. He turned back to the mare and could immediately tell she had a question.

“Sir,” Lily Pad began, “How are do you plan to get the crystals into the room? Are you able to displace them into the room despite the over-abundance of magic?” She asked, looking at him with some thinly veiled curiosity.

Sparrow took a deep breath. Lily Pad probably wouldn’t like what came next. “Unfortunately, Lily Pad, that won’t work. The crystals can’t be opened when I displace them, otherwise they’ll just absorb the casters magic. And we also can’t rely on their automatic opening spells, especially if the purification crystals already in the room aren’t responding. As such, I need to get into that room.”

The moment he spoke those words, he felt the familiar tension rise in his chest as the situation just became that much more real. He was going into a highly contaminated area to head off the development of unstable wild magic and prevent a magical disaster. Just like he had so many time before.

“You mentioned the decontamination rooms. Are the doors there still operable?” Sparrow asked, pulling himself back to the present.

“Y-Yes, sir,” Lily Pad said with a forced nod, her voice wavering uncertainly. “The magic d-decontamination rooms leading to the isolation chamber are still operable, though we d-don’t know how much magic had leaked into those rooms. None has escaped, but t-that’s all we can tell for c-certain.”

Definitely not good. Not too surprising, all things consider, but still bad news. "Take me there, and summon every pony on your staff with magic isolation spells that you can spare from other task. We can’t let any of that magic escape the containment room. Given the concentrations of magic inside the isolation chamber, I’ll need to go in myself to get it under control.”

“Y-Yes sir! W-Will you need any protection?” Lily Pad asked, her voice still stuttering slightly even as she turned to the left and quickly lead Sparrow towards the exit closest to the isolation rooms. “Even if w-we don’t know how effective they will be against such large concentrations of magic, our hazmat suits should at least offer some protection.” As they left, Sparrow could see another pony in the control room hurry to a large communication crystal, relaying the King’s orders to whoever was on the other side.

But Sparrow directed his focus back on Lily Pad. She did a very good job trying to maintain her professionalism, but Sparrow could tell she was panicking a little bit about him going into that room as he currently was. Her question especially sounded a little bit panicked, as though she wanted to offer him something, anything, that might offer him some protection against the magic that no other pony could handle.

If only she knew the magical disasters I had to personally prevent before the invention of the purification crystals. Or the wild magic storm that once threatened Star’s hometown, he thought. But it had been so long since the last huge disaster, which had probably happened before Lily had been born if Sparrow remembered correctly, that it was no wonder the younger mare was worried about him going inside alone.

So he gave her the softest, most reassuring smile he could. “No,” he said gently. “My own magic can’t hurt me, even at such high concentrations. I’ll feel like I drank thirty pots of coffee when I’m done, and maybe have a headache, but I’ll be perfectly fine, I assure you. If there is wild magic in there, the power boost I’ll get from the excess calm magic will help me counter it – assuming there is any at all, of course,” he added, quickly when he saw Lily Pad freeze in concern. He widened his smile, resting a hoof over her back. “I promise you, you do not need to worry about me. Even if there is wild magic inside that room, I have more than enough practice dealing with it. Trust me.”

Lily Pad gave a quick shudder, before she nodded with determination. “Ok, sir. I trust you. Please just be careful, as I don’t know if we will be able to render assistance if something does happen.”

“I promise,” Sparrow said with a nod as the two of them began moving once more. “Now, once I’m inside the isolation room, I want your ponies to focus on getting the purification crystals inside the room back online. If I can lower the magic level enough, you should be able to activate them and drain the rest of the magic.”

“Yes, sir,” Lily Pad nodded, taking a sharp right turn. “I’ll let our spell maintenance ponies know you’re going in so they can be prepared to reestablish the spells once the magic level drops enough.”

Down a set of stairs and one turn later, and they arrived at a heavy set of steel doors. Numerous ponies dressed in protective equipment were already gathering in a semicircle around the entrance. Lily Pad immediately broke off to head for the small control room nearby where two mages were working. Sparrow continued towards the doors, only pausing when he heard a set of armored hooves running up behind them.

Perfect timing, as always, Sparrow thought as a slightly breathless Right Word had returned as punctual as ever one hundred purification crystal chambers floating like dust motes behind him.

Sparrow grabbed the nearest one, twisting the container lid handle clockwise until it clicked and lifting it up so he could inspect the inside. A clear gem was held in an aluminum frame that pulsed faintly with energy, ready to divert excess island magic into the crystal. The container itself showed no flaws or defects, ensuring that once the gem was fully saturated, it could be contained without risking anypony around it.

“Excellent. Thank you, my friend,” Sparrow said with a slight smile. He quickly scooped up the rest of the containers in his magic. “I take it these are from our emergency stock?”

“Yes, sir. I think we can all agree this certainly counts as an emergency.”

“Agreed. Lily Pad, are your ponies ready?”

“Yes, sir! Ready when you are,” Lily Pad called out from the control room.

“Good. Right Word, wait for me with Lily Pad. This shouldn’t take very long.”

“Yes, sir. Be careful,” Right Word said as he headed towards the control room.

“When am I not?”

“Do you really want me to answer that?” Right Word called out, and even without looking, Sparrow could tell he was grinning.

“Ponies! Shield up!” Lily Pad called out. As one, the ponies around the room lit their horns, and immediately a multi-color shield sprung up around Sparrow and the metal doors ahead. “Ready when you are, sir.”

“Good. Let’s go,” Sparrow said, walking up to the door with the containers floating along side him. As he moved, the shield compressed inwards, ensuring that as little of the room was exposed as possible.

“Opening level 3!” Lily Pad called. With a loud clank and the spinning of lights, the first doors opened. And Sparrow immediately became glad the ponies behind him were there as he felt the magic in the air suddenly jump a few levels. “Magic spike! Level 3 is showing minor contamination! Nothing our ponies can’t handle, but this means sensors for levels 2 and 3 are malfunctioning! Unknown contamination levels ahead!”

“Close the door once I’m through, then open the next set and wait one minute before closing it! Don’t worry about the last door – level 1 with be just as contaminated as isolation once that final door opens!” Sparrow called back, hurrying ahead as fast as he could without crashing the purification crystals into each other. His fur was tingling, but he tried to ignore it. This wasn’t the worst level of magical contamination he had felt, not by a long shot. It wasn’t like before when no pony but him could fix the problems caused by the island’s shield and he had to run himself ragged across the entire continent trying to fix all the problems on his own. But if the magic contamination was already this intense, then he needed to get this under control soon. He didn’t want another Black Bay incident.

So many ponies lost, so many scarred for life…

“Yes, sir!” Lily Pad called out, pulling him from his memories. He shook his head and kept moving.

The shield ponies pushed forward as close as they could get to the level 3 room without actually entering it as the heavy doors started to shut. Sparrow quickly glanced over his shoulder at them before the doors closed. They were sweating even in the cool hall, but still looked steady and strong. Good. That meant the contamination out here was still low, so they’d have enough stamina if more leaks spring up. That made Sparrow feel a little better.

Once the locks behind him clicked, the next doors leading to level 2 began to open.

Sparrow braced himself, but thank harmony the contamination in the next room wasn’t much worse than in level 3. He couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief, some of the tension draining from his body. If the magic wasn’t too bad in level 2, maybe the magic in the isolation chamber wasn’t as at risk of leaking as he had thought…

At least not bad enough that things were at risk of going horribly wrong and tainting the city’s water supply. If that happened, the effects would be unpredictable, and it could take weeks for them to completely neutralize the contamination.

He made it through easily, the containers still floating alongside him. When the door behind him closed, the next one opened, and Sparrow felt the magic in the air jump. It wasn’t as intense as he’d been expecting, but the fact that so much magic was leaking through the heavily reinforced doors was not a good sign. What’s more, the slightly orange tint to the color of this room showed that the magic was definitely increasing. But despite all that, there was still no sign of any wild magic.

Sparrow took a deep breath. The doors may be leaking a lot, but if they were holding up this well, then he still had some time to sort this mess out.

Once the door behind him closed, the final door separating him from the isolation room immediately began to open—

Sparrow staggered, gasping.

His magic surged, causing the canisters to fly into the ceiling with a clang.

The amount of energy coming from the pool of water in the isolation room…

No words could do it justice.

The pure power emanating from it, the raw energy that filled every inch of that room. Already Sparrow could feel his mane and tail growing, expanding outwards as they began to flow on a nonexistent wind, reacting to the energy that was flooding his every cell.

He felt great.

He felt spectacular!

He felt every fiber of his being surge with impossible levels of strength!

He could carry his castle on his back!

He could lift a mountain!

He could suplex Akumu right into the center of Equis!

Then he could throw him through the MOON ITSEL—

FOCUS!

Sparrow shook his head roughly, then slapped himself. Hard. Hard enough to send a tooth flying.

A new tooth regrew to replace the old one in seconds.

I need to get this under control before I lose myself!

Sparrow gently brought the containers back down from the ceiling, focusing all of his attention on handling them without crushing them into dust with his turbo-charged magical power. Thankfully, their quick trip up to the ceiling didn’t appear to have done any damage. Selecting ten at random, he rotated the lids, then gently lifted up the crystals inside, careful not to let his overcharged magic do any damage.

Immediately, the crystals began to fill with orange swirling energy. Slowly but surely, the magic in the air directly around him began to drop. Sparrow could feel the cloud of power hanging over his thoughts begin to dissipate, clarity and logic overtaking his baser instincts. He could feel his mane and tail continue to grow longer as they began to burn off more and more of the excess magic still flooding his cells. Hopefully he wouldn’t need to slap himself in the face again.

With his mind now under control, Sparrow quickly began taking stock of his surroundings. He was standing on the edge of the metal walkway near the entrance to the room, having subconsciously walked forward while on his power high. The water that had caused this mess was still sitting in the sunken pool in the middle of the room, bubbling slightly as it continued to release the magic trapped within.

At least, that’s what Sparrow thought it was doing given how there should be no reason for the water to be bubbling at all in such a controlled environment. Unfortunately, with so much magic around him and inside him, he found it impossible to sense anything save for the calm magic that was flooding the room.

BBBZZZAAAAPPPPPP!!!

Out of nowhere, an orange lightning bolt struck one of the crystals. The gem rapidly filled with energy before the emergency shutdown activated, and the container rapidly closed itself with a click.

Oh Concordia damn it!

Sparrow looked up, and his worst worries were confirmed. There, hovering near the celling of the room, was a pool of wild magic.

The calm magic that filled the room was thick and orange, but it seemed downright ordinary next to the wild magic, which seemed to shift and twirl in a myriad of colors that Sparrow could only describe as somepony having put liquid rainbow in a blender. It looked as if reality itself was being bent and twirled, anything beyond the cloud of magic being warped beyond recognition. Small sparks of magic lightning danced within the cyclone of color and space-time, growing larger and larger as they collided with one another and drew energy from the surrounding room.

How did I not notice that sooner!? Are my senses really that clouded?

It wasn’t too big, all things considered, only about as big as Sparrow himself. Sparrow has seen far larger clusters of wild magic in the past, but even still, he knew not to underestimate how dangerous it could be. Even as he watched, Sparrow could see it slowly expanding, the twirling vortex slowly reaching out with tendrils of bent space as it pulled more magic into itself. With so much concentrated magic around him, if Sparrow didn’t get the rest of this energy under control soon…

Focus, Sparrow. You know what to do. This isn’t the first time you’ve had to clear out an area of wild magic, and certainly not the worst case of it you’ve seen. Arbor has had magic storms ten times worse than this. Just keep yourself in check and drain the wild magic first.
The first ten containers were reaching their limits, the aluminum and the lid were flashing red in warning as they slowly began to close themselves. At least the automatic closing spells weren’t being affected by the magic levels. Sparrow quickly grabbed ten fresh containers and opened them as one just as the original ten containers finished closing, their lids automatically spinning counterclockwise to lock them. A set of metal clamps folded upwards and the container lid turned green, indicating the sealing process was successful.

He grabbed another twenty containers and quickly levitated them into position surrounding the wild magic, ready to cut the vortex off from its supply of calm magic. Once they were in place, he opened all of the containers at once. Energy swirled into the crystals so quickly the containers shuddered in Sparrow’s grasp, but the wild magic trembled and started to shrink, as if it were a beast being driven back by a circle of torches.

Sparrow grabbed another twenty containers as the wild magic struck out, two more lightning bolts erupting from the center of the vortex. One hit a purification crystal that was surrounding the wild magic, while another weaved its way through the new gap in the circle of crystals before breaking free. It flew around the room like a winged serpent before moving to circle Sparrow. However, when it got close enough, one of the purification crystals flashed blue. Bolt immediately zeroed in on the container, the spell acting like it was a lightning rod to draw the bolt in and neutralize it.

Even after all this time, it still surprises me just how much wild magic appears to have some sort self-preservation mechanism, Sparrow thought, quickly opening two more containers and moving them to the locations of the two that had now shut down. Still, that preservation isn’t perfect. Every bolt of lightning I drain reduces the power of the wild magic by a significant amount. Sparrow shook his head. He couldn’t let his curiosity about wild magic distract him. If the lightning kept striking out, he might not have enough containers to drain the calm magic from the room.

I better try and ground some of that lightning before I lose any more containers. He swallowed hard, opening another ten around himself as the ones nearby began to close again and grabbing another twenty. He was so glad he had prepared for a situation like this.

With a thought, his sword Custos Fide appeared by his side from within its storage space, hovering in his levitation. With a flash of his horn, the sword flew forwards until it was right at the edge of the wild magic, just as another lightning bolt struck another container. At once, the lightning inside the wild magic began to surge towards the sword, striking out like hissing serpents defending their nest. The moment the first bolt hit the sword, an orange magic circle covered in runes appeared around the crossguard, keeping the electricity trapped inside it. Sparrow smiled as more lightning attacked the sword, the spells he had added to it attracting more lightning from the wild magic pool and preventing it from escaping the blade.

Years of trial and error and dozens of times electrocuting myself but the results still speak for themselves, Sparrow thought, smiling and opening the twenty container he had grabbed and watching as the rest of the wild magic began to shrink more quickly now that the lightning was being drawn away.

He could still remember the first few times he had tired this spell. The magic circle hadn’t been strong enough, and upon shattering it would let all of the lightning trapped inside the wild magic rush out through the sword and crash into anything nearby, including him. But that was centuries ago. With his current spell, so long as the sword remained in the cloud of wild magic, the lightning wouldn’t be able to escape.

Though draining the lightning from the cloud of wild magic was only half the challenge. The next part was certainly the more dangerous step as it would require him to make direct contact with the wild lightning, thought the abundance of magic in the room would certainly help him keep everything under control. In preparation for the next step, he began to direct and shape some of that excess magic into his right hoof, a glowing set of runes appearing along his leg.

When the steady flow of lightning attacking the sword started to rapidly slow, Sparrow triggered the second part of the sword’s spell. A second magic circle appeared at the tip of the blade, and a blue light traced a cone-shaped shield between it and the circle on the crossguard, trapping the lightning from before it could escape.

Sparrow removed the tip of the sword from the shrinking cloud of wild magic, the lighting thrashing about even more violently as it was disconnected. A crack rapidly appeared in the sword’s shield, but Sparrow quickly forced more magic into the spell, sealing it before any bolts could escape. He knew what would happen if that shield broke, and he needed to end this quickly.

As the sword approached him, Sparrow bent his head until the hilt of the sword touched his horn. Then he began to concentrate, raising his right forehoof as the runes rushed down his leg towards his hoof. A third magic circle appeared in front of his hoof, connected to his leg by four bands of magic runes.

Wild or not, this magic was still based off of his own internal power. It had once been a part of him, and so it WOULD obey him.

Even if he needed to magically wrestle it into submission himself.

Thankfully, the churning ocean of power flowing through him would make the process at least a bit easier.

The world began to fade away as Sparrow focused all of his might on the wild magic. Unlike calm magic, which would appear as a solid aura or flowing strands like rivers, this magic was a jumbled tangled mess of energy with no direction or focus. Only chaos, like a thousand strands of yarn tangled into an incomprehensible mass that could warp the very fabric of the world around it.

But harmony was the balance of chaos and order, and as an alicorn, Sparrow was a being of harmony. And so he let that balance fill him as, piece by piece, he began to feed the magic through himself, pulling one strand at a time and feeding it into his horn. But he didn’t absorb it. Instead, he let it flow through him, like water running through a hose as he purified each strand piece by piece. Once the stands were purified, he directed them down his leg, through the band of runes, and into a third magic circle at the tip of his outstretched hoof.

The wild magic tried to fight back, lashing out at the shield with even more ferocious intensity and trying to attack his horn and the nerves that helped channel his magic. But Sparrow’s shield still held, and he redoubled his efforts to keep the wild magic contained.

He knew how damaging this magic could be if it got out of control, and just how bad it could be if it stirred the magic he had absorbed into a frenzy. If left unchecked, wild magic could force him to enter an uncontrolled surge, one that could be deadly to anypony close to him.

He could not allow that to happen.

So Sparrow took it slow, despite the thrashing of the wild magic. The last time he’d absorbed too much too fast, his horn had nearly cracked and it took nearly a year to recover. He couldn’t risk that happening, not now.

He pulled apart the tangled web of wild magic thread by thread, guiding each one as it was purified and then placed in the magic circle at the end of his hoof. Time seemed to dilate, everything moving in slow motion as more and more of the threads were taken, purified, and returned to the third circle as calm magic. Thread by thread, piece by piece, the most dangerous part of the wild magic was brought under control.

Every time the wild magic surged and his control began to falter, and there were quite a few surges strong enough to do so, he felt the familiar pang of fear briefly run through his chest. But the familiar tingle of his backup spells stored within his sword were always there, quickly reminding him that he was in control. That he was ready and able to face this challenge.

He had done this hundreds of times before. He knew how to cut off the flow of magic if it became too unstable. He had created backup spells inside his sword that could teleport him to his magic-proof pocket dimension should he begin to surge, and had practiced all of his spells in that very room to ensure that they were stable and ready to go. He would not falter. Every time the wild magic began to surge, he drew more energy from the sea of calm magic surrounding him and kept going.

He would succeed in his task. He knew he would.

And then, the final thread was purified.

Sparrow released a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, relief filling his chest. The last traces of the lightning had disappeared from his sword, leaving nothing but the third magic circle holding the bundle of calm magic. Looking up, he saw that the rest of the cloud of wild magic had nearly vanished as well.

With its role complete, the Custos Fide disappeared once again back into its storage space. Sparrow brought the circle on his hoof to his horn and quickly absorbed the magic back into himself, the magic circle and runes disappearing. It wasn’t ideal, adding even more magic to the ocean of power inside himself, but the only other option would be releasing it back into the oversaturated room and risking it erupting again. At least, by internalizing it, that wouldn’t happen, even if his bones were starting to ache with a deep, pulsing buzz.

That’s one problem down, Sparrow thought, allowing himself to smile a little as the last of the wild magic disappeared. Now I just need to deal with the abundance of magic in this room before more of it starts going wild.

With the wild magic gone, the magic level of the room had dropped significantly, likely to the point where the facilities protective suits would work again, if only barely. But despite that, the room was still tinted orange and Sparrow could still physically feel the abundance of magic surrounding him. And the purification crystals around the room still hadn’t come back online either, so there was likely still too much interference.

Just how much magic is in here anyway? Sparrow thought. And what the heck could cause this much magic buildup? The whole reason we keep purification crystals around the island is to stop this kind of buildup. Otherwise…

He shook the thought off. This wasn’t Black Bay.

Right now he just needed to worry about trying to bring the magic levels down as much as he could. Most of the containers had filled up as he was working on purifying the lightning, so he grabbed all the remaining ones and opening them all at once. The magic in the room began to drop quickly, and Sparrow could only hope that it would be enough to allow Lily Pad’s ponies to reactivate the room’s purification crystals. If the containers filled up and the purification crystals lining the room didn’t come back online, Sparrow would have no choice but to start absorbing the magic on his own.

The thought alone made his teeth clench. His internal magic was already well above its normal levels, but there wouldn’t be any other alternative if he wanted to get this room under control here and now. Hopefully if it did come to that, he would be able to keep control of himself without any more punches.

I should have brought an empty bottle with me, Sparrow thought, trying to ignore the magical aches that were becoming more noticeable with each passing minute. At least then I’d be able to channel my magic into liquid magic so I didn’t have to worry about losing myself to the magic again. Concordia, please let these last containers be enough, he silently prayed to himself.

THUUUUMMMMMMMMM!

As if in response, a loud noise suddenly filled the room. Sparrow blinked, shook his head, then looked around as the orange tint of the room finally began to recede. The stacks of hundreds of purification crystals lining the walls and the sunken pool had all opened, humming as the spells began to work at last.

“Sir, you did it!” Lily Pad’s voice called out over a communication crystal near the door. “The contamination has dropped to manageable levels and our mages were able to re-establish the control spells and communication spells! We can handle it from here! Right Word also informed me that its safe for you to be around other ponies even with the excess magic you absorbed, so come on out whenever you’re ready!”

“On my way,” Sparrow said, silently thanking Right Word for reassuring Lily Pad in his place. He looked back at the one hundred containers floating in his magic and. All but a few of them were now sealed, with the open ones now flashing red to indicate that they would be sealing themselves soon. One thing was for certain – the ponies in the castle lab would be quite happy.

Thankfully, the three rooms back were almost magic-free thanks to the purification crystals in each of them, so the trip back was relatively short. Though Sparrow couldn’t help but groan as he caught his reflection in the window of the doors control room. His mane was now HUGE, nearly twice the size of Celestia’s. It was at the point where Twilight and her friend could probably all hide in it and no pony would notice. He always hated it when it got like this, especially since he couldn’t actually turn the magically-flowing-in-the-wind-like-a-story-book-hero thing off until he burned off enough of his excess magic.

It wasn’t really a PROBLEM, per say, it’s just that he almost never let his mane magically flow in the wind, so anytime it happened all his subjects would stare at him, transfixed by his new appearance. And he didn’t like them staring so much. It reminded him too much of how they looked at him when he used the full extent of his power, something that never felt right…

Sparrow shook off that thought and focused on getting back to the control room as soon as possible. His mane wasn’t nearly as bad as the unpleasant ache that ran through his body as a result of the excess magic. He knew how to deal with it, but the sooner he got rid of all this excess magic, the better.

When he arrived, Right Word and Lily Pad were waiting for him, the former giving him a knowing look and the latter staring at him with barely contained curiosity.

“Right Word, take the purification containers to the processing lab, then meet me back in my room with some scissors.” Sparrow said, passing over the containers to his friend.

“Of course, your magic-maned-kinglyness,” Right Word said with a smirk before grabbing the containers and vanishing before Sparrow could do anything other than blush.

Why must he do that every time I look like this?

“Does that always happen when you’re exposed to your own magic?” Lily Pad asked, idly batting at Sparrow’s flowing tail with a hoof. “Or is it only at extreme concentrations? Does it also happen if you use too much magic, or—”

“It only occurs if I am exposed to my own magic at high or medium concentrations, depending on the length of time, or if I am using the fullest extent of my power when I cast spells. I know you have more questions and I’m happy to see you still maintain a healthy curiosity, but please focus, director. We still need to deal with the aftermath of this after all,” Sparrow said softly, earning an embarked ‘eep’ from the mare as she jumped to attention. “Is there anything else that you need, or can you handle everything from here?”

“N-No sir, we have it covered,” Lily Pad stuttered, trying not to look back at Sparrow’s tail in curiosity. “A-And Right Word helped expedite my request for more purification crystals. We should be fully restocked by the end of the day, including our spares,” she continued, her eyes now definitely focusing on his tail every few seconds.

Every dang time.

“Then please contact me once you have cleared the lingering contamination. Afterwards, I want tests run to determine if there are any magical pollutants in that water that could have cause it to become so saturated with my magic and I want you to try and determine where exactly the water or said pollutants came from. You are to give this your full attention, and I will gladly send a specialist in magic contamination should you need the extra assistance. Understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. And thank you again for alerting me to the situation.”

And with that, he vanished, reappearing in his room at the castle, and let out a long sigh, hanging his head. This was turning out to be one heck of an interesting day, and he hadn’t even seen Twilight yet. Hopefully today would be calmer on that front.

I hope she is enjoying the trade fair, Sparrow thought, summoning Custos Fide once again. Levitating its sheath over from its stand near the window, Sparrow couldn’t help but pause as he caught his reflection in the orange blade. The orange sword brought back so many memories, and once again it had helped protect the ponies of this island from disaster.

Just like it had centuries before his birth. And just like it would continue to do so long as he drew breath.

Focus Sparrow. Time to drain all this excess magic, he thought, shaking his head before sheathing his sword and gently returning it to its resting place near the window. With that, he turned and walked over towards the table where he had set up all of his lab equipment near the far side of his room, stopping for a few seconds to look at himself in the mirror.

Is my mane STILL growing!? I swear it’s even bigger now than it was back at the treatment plant. How is it growing so fast? I know I absorbed the purified wild magic, but come on! It wasn’t even that much!

Swallowing his groan, Sparrow sat down, opened the bottom drawer on his lab table, and grabbed one of the specially reinforced bottles inside. He opened it and brought its mouth to the tip of his horn.

Then he began to focus.

The world around him began to fade once again as he focused all his attention on his magic, on the raging waves of energy disrupting his normally calm ocean of magic. He focused on the extra energy he had absorbed, sitting on top of his normal magical pool, ever so slightly different.

He began to capture it, to siphon out the absorbed magic and compact it. He squeezed it with all his might, adding more magic and condensing that as well. The magic began to change, going from something ethereal and untouchable to something physical.

Drip…

Drip…

Psssssss…

From his horn, Sparrow could feel the magic begin to solidify. He didn’t need to open his eyes know what was happening. Even now he could feel the storm of magic began to calm as more and more of his magic was converted into a glowing orange-red liquid that slowly dripped from the end of his horn.

Drops at first, but then eventually a soft steady stream of liquid, like a small sink just barely turned on. Sparrow couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief as the aches that plagued him rapidly began to fade away as he released the extra magic.

He continued like this for several minutes, gathering as much of the extra magic as he could. Once his magic pool was back to normal, he started pulling magic back from his mane and tail, slowly causing them to revert to their normal colors and fall heavily against him and the floor. All the while the bottle continued to fill.

After what had to have been at least ten minutes, Sparrow stopped and opened his eyes. He watched as the last few drops of liquid magic dropped into the bottle in front of him, the glowing liquid of pure power continually swirling and dancing in an almost mesmerizing way.

“Half a bottle? That’s quite a lot,” Right Word’s voice said gently.

Sparrow nodded, not at all surprised that he hadn’t noticed Right Word’s entrance.

“Which should tell you just how serious that problem at the treatment plant truly was,” Sparrow said, grabbing an enchanted cork from the lab table and pushing it into the next of the bottle. The cork flashed green to let him know the bottle was now secure. “All that magic, enough that it started to become wild in less than twenty-four hours…What could have possibly caused it?”

“I don’t know, sir,” Right Word said. “But hopefully the analysis of the water should tell us something. Even if the magic is mostly gone, there may still be traces of chemicals or contaminants that led to such an outpouring of magic. There’s no use worrying about it right now. The important thing is that we stopped it before it got out of hoof.”

“Agreed,” Sparrow said, as he placed the bottle on the lab station in front of him. He would have use for it later. “Though please report to me immediately should any similar issues occur. Once is coincidence. Twice is a sign that something is wrong.”

“Or that somepony really needs to pay more attention to the proper disposal regulations,” Right Word said with a small grin.

“Yes, or that,” Sparrow chuckled, remembering the time a lab assistant had accidentally mixed up the disposal drains in the castle’s lab, resulting in her sink firing light lasers out of the pipes. It gave them quite the scare at the time, but it was rather funny looking back on it. It didn’t hurt that the lasers, while bright red, ended up being completely harmless. “Now then,” he said, standing up and looking at his now twenty-five hoof-long mane. “I believe it’s time for a trim.”

“Yeah, a ‘trim.’ Remind me why you don’t have a permanent barber on staff again?”

“Because I would only need them once in a blue moon, and why hire someone else when you are the best one I have ever known?” Sparrow said with a grin.

Right Word just rolled his eyes, but smiled. “It’s times like these that make me think that I do everything around here.”

“Isn’t that basically your job description?”

“Quiet, you.”

Author's Note

(Looks to see that the last update for this story was more than a year ago)
Oops...I swear I didn't mean to wait this long to write this chapter, I promise!

I blame the entire second half of the chapter for the delay. It started out as a short section meant to provide a bit of world building and hint at something interesting, but it took a while to find the right balance in tone. Its one of the few chapters where I've actually gone through 4 full drafts instead of the normal 3. I promise I will try to write the next chapter in less time.

Let me know what you think.