A Process of Elimination

Chapters

Chapter I ~ The Strange Guard
Chapter II ~ The Captain
Chapter III ~ The Prince
Chapter IV ~ The Noble Colt
Chapter V ~ The Proposal
Chapter VI ~ The Gala
Chapter VII ~ The Dungeons
Chapter VIII ~ The Fractured Mask
Interlude ~ Sünden der Mutter – 1st Movement
Chapter X ~ The Retrospective
Chapter XI ~ The Therapist
Chapter XII ~ The Encounter
Chapter XIII ~ The Archives
Chapter XIV – The Library
Chapter XV ~ The Filly
Chapter XVI ~ The Omen
Interlude ~ Sünden der Mutter – 2nd Movement
Chapter XVII ~ The Exam (Redux)
Prologue ~ The Exam
Chapter IX ~ The Beginning

Chapter I ~ The Strange Guard

Act I

~ Foalhood ~

My first week living in the castle had had its ups and downs, but all in all, I couldn't say it wasn't... interesting.

The Princess had wanted me to get acclimated to castle living before she started my lessons, and to that end I had spent most of that first week simply wandering around and getting familiar with many of the different areas of the castle and getting to know some of the castle staff.

Princess Celestia had put me under the care of one of the Castle Guard, a stoic looking pegasus mare with a deep red coat by the name of Crimson Storm. At the time I thought the name was both odd for a mare and a little on the nose given her coat color, but I didn't outwardly say anything about it.

As we were introduced, I smiled up at the mare with my friendliest grin, trying to put my best hoof forward. I wanted to get along with everypony, sure, but more important than that, the Princess was watching.

"Hi there, my name's Twilight Sparkle!" I greeted cheerfully as we stood on either side of the doorway to my then new bedroom in the castle's residential wing, "the Princess said you were the one that was gonna show me around the castle?"

In response, the tall and rather lean mare just stared at me with impassive golden yellow eyes and my bright smile slowly slipped from my face as I waited for an answer. Eventually I turned back to Celestia, whom I'd been conversing with about my extended stay here in the castle.

She sat near the desk that'd been set up for me in the room, and my nervous expression turned to one of bemusement when I saw she was looking not at me, but at the golden armored mare in the doorway.

She tilted her head slightly with a questioning raise of her brow. Before I could make sense of it, I heard a small cough and turned back to the guard. She had that same impassive expression, but this time she spoke, her voice both surprisingly deep and surprisingly quiet.

"It's... a pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle," she said in a rather flat and uncomfortable tone, as though she wasn't used to speaking in general, "the name's Crimson Storm, and yes, I'll... be showing you around the castle... for the time being."

"Uh... yeah," I replied, caught off guard and now just as uncomfortable in the rather awkward atmosphere, "thanks, and... um..."

I once again looked to Celestia for help and she chuckled before giving me a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, Twilight," she replied, nodding towards the soft spoken mare, "she may look rough-and-tumble, but she's actually a bit shy and doesn't speak much. Believe it or not, she was actually the one who volunteered to show you around, isn't that right, Storm?"

"As you say, Your Highness," Crimson Storm replied with a curt nod, "I've... been told more than once that I need to learn to... communicate more."

I took another look at Crimson Storm, trying to guage her true feelings on the matter, which itself wasn't an easy feat. The mare's face was a mask of stone and in the end, I couldn't discern anything from her. Apparently that wasn't the case with Celestia.

"I understand this isn't exactly what you expected when you asked me for help, Crimson Storm," Celestia said, as though reading the mare's mind, "but I believe you may just gain more out of this venture than you realize."

I gave the Princess another bemused frown, one she returned with a mysterious smile. This had been the first time I'd seen her wear that kind of smile, and it certainly wouldn't be the last time.

I would come to learn that whenever she wore that smile, life would always get a bit more interesting for me.

In any case, I turned back to Crimson Storm, determined to try my hoof at another, more successful introduction, but the mare had already stepped away and began trotting down the large hall.

"Wha—hey, wait!" I cried out, scrambling after the mare, "wait for me!"

I stopped and turned at the sound of Celestia's laughter.

"Be patient with her, Twilight," the Princess said with a small smirk, "she can be a bit... difficult to deal with, but she really is a good mare beneath all the hard faced stoicism."

I didn't quite see it at the time, but I nodded anyway and hurried after the pegasus guard. She had already gained a good bit of ground while I was speaking to Celestia and I had to gallop a bit to catch up.

I dodged out of the way of the other castle staff wandering the halls of the castle as I made my way to Crimson Storm. Eventually I managed to catch up and frowned up at the mare, who had finally noticed I wasn't following and slowed her pace somewhat.

"Sorry," she muttered dispassionately, "I thought you were right behind me."

"What? No, I wasn't!" I replied incredulously, "you never even said you were leaving! You didn't look back! You just... left!"

Crimson Storm said nothing in response, merely glancing at me sideways for a moment before shifting her wings slightly and looking ahead. My own petulant frown deepened and I went to complain again, but then I remember Celestia's words and let out a grumpy, resigned huff instead.

"Okay, let's start over," I said, forcing a smile, "my name's Twilight Sparkle. It's nice to meet you, Crimson Storm."

I held out a hoof for her to shake, but she stopped and merely looked at me. She blinked once and I could just make out a slight frown of confusion.

"We already met back in your room," Crimson Storm replied flatly, "why introduce yourself again when I already know who you are?"

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. Even as an eight year old filly, the mare's complete non-understanding of social cues had left me speechless.

"It's... I mean, w-we didn't really... um..." I rubbed the back of my neck feeling an odd mix of irritation and embarrassment, "w-when we introduced ourselves before, it didn't... really go the way I wanted..."

It was then that I remembered that, while I was nowhere near as bad at social interaction as Crimson Storm seemed to be, I wasn't exactly a social butterfly myself, having spent most of my time before moving to the castle indoors studying.

Sure, I had a friend or two, but I rarely hung out with them, and other foals my age may as well have been grass on the side of the road for all the attention I paid them.

Then there was Crimson Storm.

She was a full grown mare in Celestia's Royal Guard, and she was even worse at talking to ponies than I was. I found the whole idea incredibly odd and a little creepy for some reason.

"I see..." the mare finally replied tonelessly, "I'm sorry to hear that."

With nothing more than that, she began briskly trotting down the corridor again. I gave a half sigh, half groan as I followed after her. It looked like Celestia was right about the mare, and I wasn't going to get through to her so easily.

"Where are we going?" I chose to ask instead, "what's our first stop?"

"Kitchen," Crimson Storm replied, "then the great hall."

Honestly, that was fine with me. It had been a little more than a few hours since I had eaten breakfast and I was starting to get hungry again. Of course, this was all assuming Crimson Storm was going to the kitchen to get something to eat.

"I skipped over lunch to come see you," Crimson Storm replied when I asked her as much, "I've decided to get something to eat while showing you both the kitchen and the great hall."

"Oh, okay," I replied, nodding in understanding, "I guess that makes sense."

And so we continued onward towards the kitchen. We moved past a host of maids, guards, and the general public that had been waiting on Celestia to finish her break and return to the throne room for Day Court.

On the way, I began to notice something odd.

As I trotted after Crimson Storm, I started to hear various whispers and mutters from passersby. My ears perked up and I cast a curious glance around.

A few mares and stallions had stopped a little ways behind and I noticed, with some apprehension, that they were all casting furtive glances in my direction.

In trying to avoid their gazes, my eyes were instead drawn towards a lavishly dressed earth pony stallion and a unicorn mare wearing some sort of fancy frilled dress as they spoke in hushed tones.

"...filly from the exam?"

"Yes indeed, nearly destroyed the entire school and everypony in it from what I've heard. Turned her own parents into plants and summoned a full grown dragon big enough to break through the ceiling. The expenses to reverse the damage must be immense."

"And the bits are no doubt going to come out of our pockets. How dreadful. And to think, the Princess is letting her stay here in the castle! What on Equus is she thinking? Honestly..."

"It does boggle the mind to think that our fair princess would put all our lives in danger like that. Such an unstable child should be kept away from the masses, or at the very least away from the castle..."

Their voices weren't as quiet as they seemed to believe, and I heard every word.

The conversation came to an abrupt halt as the stallion's eyes finally wandered over to the very filly they'd been discussing. His own eyes widened as he saw me standing there staring back with my mouth hanging slightly open.

He nudged the mare he'd been talking to and nodded towards me, causing the mare to also look in my direction. The mare's face as she noticed me was the very picture of disdain—the expression so caustic that I winced and looked away, my ears folding back in shame and embarrassment.

I looked back just in time to see the mare open her mouth, no doubt to shoot some kind of scathing remark my way. The stallion however, put a hoof on her shoulder and she turned back to him with an irritated scowl.

He in turn simply shook his head and ushered her away. The mare made to argue, but seemed to decide against it and followed after the stallion, but not before throwing one last scowl my way.

Mercifully, the others who'd stopped to stare and whisper had also decided to clear out one by one. Soon enough, Crimson Storm and I were once again left alone as the last of the onlookers returned to what they were doing or moved on to wherever they were going.

I watched them all go for a moment before sinking to my haunches. Up until that point, I hadn't even considered the consequences of what I had done that day. I really had very nearly destroyed the school, but all I cared about then was the fact that I had gotten my cutie mark and became Celestia's personal student.

I was so happy.

The fact that so many ponies might've died if Celestia hadn't intervened when she did never once crossed my mind. Well... it had, but not in the way that it should've.

Thinking about it then, it still hadn't really. Sure, I did feel guilty that I hadn't once given any thought to how my actions had affected others—had affected my own parents—but when I thought back to my vision, all those ponies being reduced to ash and scattered away along with the school and the rest of Canterlot...

I wanted to laugh.

I wanted to laugh like I supposedly did back then, and that alone caused me to shiver slightly. It wasn't like I didn't know right from wrong, and I knew intellectually that such a thing would be a tragedy, but I couldn't help what I felt.

Maybe that wealthy stallion was right, maybe I did need to be kept away from other ponies like some sort of freak. I would've continued to sit there in the middle of the corridor feeling sorry for myself had it not been for a strong hoof on my own shoulder.

I looked up, eyes full of unshed tears, to see Crimson Storm gazing past me and towards the direction of where the two noble ponies had left. To my surprise, her eyes were narrowed slightly in disgust and there was a deep scowl on her face.

"Trash."

I blinked, completely taken aback by the sheer amount of venom the mare managed to pump into that one single word. It was to the point that I forgot my own sorrow in favor of sudden curiosity.

Did Crimson Storm hate the nobility?

My question of course, went unanswered, but with that one word, Crimson had lifted my mood, if only slightly. It wasn't that I myself hated the nobility—I honestly had no real opinion of them despite what had just happened—but it was just nice to know somepony was on my side.

Maybe.

She hadn't really agreed or disagreed with them, and the look on her face didn't really give anything away either. What did convince me that she might be on my side after all was what she said next.

"Don't let them get to you," Crimson said, her tone neither reassuring nor comforting and her expression as stony as ever, "they treat everypony that isn't a noble like scum. You get used to it."

With that, she gave me an awkward pat on the back and continued towards the kitchen. I looked after Crimson Storm a moment before wiping my eyes, letting a small smile cross my muzzle, and trotting after her.

It wasn't exactly an uplifting speech, but at the very least, the mare's words managed to lift my spirits somewhat. It was the intent that mattered, and it was something I was able to acknowledge and appreciate, even as a filly.

We eventually reached the kitchen and, much to my surprise and the head chef's irritation, Crimson Storm piled a mountain of food onto a tray while she mostly let the kitchen staff show me around.

We headed back out and towards the great hall, the pegasus guard with a large stack of several vegetable dishes atop her back, and myself holding a more modest tray of carrot soup, a few sticks of celery, and some seasoned bread in my magic.

As we both finally entered the great hall, I could see a few more guards eating and chatting at one of the two lengthy tables that took up a large amount of space.

I tried to start some small talk on the way to the hall, but hadn't managed to get much out of Crimson Storm other than a few muttered and mumbled one word answers and short, curt sentences.

I wouldn't give up though, and as we made our way to one of the tables, I resolved to get Crimson Storm to open up one way or another. With my mind so focused on the difficult task ahead, I had almost completely forgotten about the incident with the two noble ponies.

Almost.

Chapter II ~ The Captain

I didn't remember much of the tour around the castle truth be told, but there were a few things I did remember about that day.

Two instances in particular stuck out in my mind. One of them involved a conversation I had with Crimson Storm, and the second involved a meeting with the Captain of the Royal Guard at the time.

The first instance was when we sat down to have lunch in the great hall.

By the time we'd gotten there, most of the other ponies, many of them other Royal Guards like Crimson Storm, had already finished eating, and the hall was fairly empty. Crimson Storm had removed her helmet, and much to my amusement, her mane was cut in a similar fashion to my own.

Both her mane and tail were pale grey, and both were cut straight and even at the end like mine were. The only difference aside from the color were that both hung down lower, with the flat bangs of her mane falling past her brows and partially into her eyes.

While the similarity was interesting, that's not what I wanted to focus on. My focus was to get Crimson to open up and tell me about herself. Back then I had no idea why this was so important, especially considering I didn't really enjoy communicating with others.

Part of me wants to say it was because I wanted to impress Celestia for whatever inane reason, but in truth, it was something about that mare in particular. There was something that drew me to Crimson Storm, and for the longest time I couldn't figure out what it was.

Whatever the case, I didn't want to push her away, so I remained silent for a good portion of the meal. I used the quiet moment to think of something to say and how to word it in such a way that I could get the response I wanted.

I continued to drink my soup as I cast inconspicuous glances in her direction, trying to gauge her mood. Even when she was eating she gave nothing away—aside from the fact that she was a surprisingly sloppy eater, that is.

I had spent all of maybe an hour and a half in Crimson Storm's company, and in that time I'd realized there was nothing I could think to say that would've caught the mare's interest.

Then, by chance, my eyes fell on the golden helmet resting on the table next to her, and that's when I got an idea.

"Um... hey, Crimson Storm?" I asked innocently. She didn't respond verbally, but she did glance in my direction as she tore off another piece of seasoned bread, and I took that as my cue to continue, "how long have you been in the Royal Guard?"

There was no answer for a long moment as Crimson Storm continued to silently chew on her bread. She swallowed a few moments later and reached for the alfalfa crisps before stopping suddenly, her hoof hovering over the food.

For the first time since I'd seen her, she looked... thoughtful. A second later she slowly grabbed a hoofful of the crisps as she spoke, her tone almost... wistful.

"Years," she replied dully. I frowned, thinking that was all I was going to get out of her, but then she continued, "it's been four years, three months, four days, six hours, twelve minutes, and... twenty-five seconds since I joined the Royal Guard."

I blinked in surprise, my mouth hanging slightly open at the unexpected answer. I was somewhat known for being quite an organized filly for my age, but even I couldn't hold a candle to that kind of record keeping, and it was all from memory.

I was more than a little impressed to say the least.

"Wow," I nearly whispered, my smile growing wide, "I... you remember right down to the second? That's... that's amazing!"

"I have a very good memory."

"I'll say," I replied with an impressed nod. Upon seeing the mare shrug and dig back into her food, I quickly searched my mind for anything else to talk about, "um... why did you join the Guard anyway?"

Crimson stopped eating again and turned to face me. I couldn't read the look on her face, but for some reason, it felt like she was looking into me rather than at me. This continued long enough that I began to feel uncomfortable, but just when I was about to say something, she finally spoke.

"There was... something that I wanted," she answered slowly before turning back around and staring at her plate. She went quiet again, seemingly lost in thought, then, "something I've been searching for... but even after all these years... I still haven't found it."

"And... what is it?" I asked curiously, "what were you looking for?"

More silence.

"...Crimson Storm?"

"...I don't know."

I furrowed my brow in bemusement, wondering just what the mare was talking about. How could she not know what she was looking for after so many years? It didn't make any sense to me, and I was about to say as much, but then she suddenly stood up, placed her helmet back on, and began trotting away, leaving her unfinished meal behind her.

"Hey, wait!" I called out, quickly polishing off my own soup before hopping off the table and scurrying after the mare, "stop doing that! Wait for me!"

Thankfully she stopped this time around and I didn't have to gallop after her again. I wasn't sure if we were supposed to just leave our food there, but it didn't look like Crimson was going back so I reluctantly moved on, following behind her as we continued the tour.

Nothing of note really happened for the next couple of hours or so. I tried talking to Crimson Storm again, but she no longer wanted to talk, only speaking when she had to, and saying nothing more about herself.

I started to get the impression that she was upset with me, but I couldn't tell because she wore the same blank faced expression as always. I decided to stop trying for the moment nevertheless, and together we both trotted the halls in silence.

I ended up learning more from other ponies who worked in the castle or just ponies who had been around the castle enough to know their way around, rather than Crimson Storm herself. More often than not, the mare would simply stand off to the side, only giving the occasional one word comment.

As the day wore on and we saw more and more of the castle, my attention moved further away from Crimson Storm and more towards the ponies around us. Everywhere we went, I began to notice the strange, almost worried looks we were receiving.

It made me remember the nobles, and I started to get more self conscious, sidling closer to Crimson Storm almost subconsciously. At first, I thought it was because of what those nobles had said about me and what I had caused at the school, and maybe to an extent, that's what it was.

Then I noticed that some of those looks weren't directed at me at all, but rather, the pony I was traveling with. I looked from them to Crimson Storm and back. The red mare didn't seem to notice their gazes, or if she did, she completely ignored them.

I however, couldn't ignore it, as it wasn't just the looks.

For all the looks I myself got, many of the ponies we stopped to talk to were generally pretty friendly towards me. I was happy for it, and maybe because I was genuinely interested in getting the lay of the castle, I didn't realize it at the time, but when I went out of my way to pay attention to how other ponies treated Crimson Storm, I could see it.

Other ponies either completely ignored her, or would subtly try to coax me away from her with some kind of distraction. Nopony would actually say anything about her though, and that's what I found so weird. Eventually I decided to ask Crimson Storm what it was all about, and prayed she would answer.

"Hey, Crimson Storm?" I asked as we passed through yet another pony filled corridor, "are ponies... scared of you or something?"

"I don't know," the mare said after a long moment, "why would they be?"

"I dunno," I replied uneasily, "it just seems like a lot of them are trying to avoid you, or not talk to you, or keep me away from you. I even saw a few ponies run away whenever we got close."

Well, they didn't actually run, so much as they saw Crimson Storm coming and very briskly trotted the other way.

"It doesn't look like anypony likes you very much," I continued, regretting the words almost as soon as they'd left my mouth, "I-I mean, I don't think there's anything wrong with you," I lied, "but the way the other ponies look at you..."

"Well, why don't you ask them, then?" Crimson suggested, not looking in my direction, "if you're so worried about it, find out for yourself. Listen to ponies, hear what they have to say and come to your own conclusions about me."

And with that bit of rather surprising advice, she fell silent.

I also fell silent as I mulled over her words. It certainly would make a lot more sense to ask other ponies rather than Crimson herself. The mare wasn't exactly a font of self-awareness, or any kind of real awareness at all if I was being honest.

She also wasn't very talkative.

She was right, though. If I was going to get any kind of information on her, it was going to have to come from the ponies who'd been around her the most. Given her role in the castle, that meant I'd most likely have to talk to the other Guards, which was just as well, because it was the barracks we were headed to next.

Unfortunately we didn't even make to the barracks before there was trouble. Just as we were about to exit the castle's main halls and head outside towards the separate structure housing the Guard, two more ponies pushed open the double doors leading to the courtyard and the barracks beyond.

I scrambled to a stop and scurried off to the side to make way for the two ponies coming through. Crimson Storm merely stepped to the side and saluted.

I wondered why until I actually got a better look at the two. Both ponies were wearing armor, but, whereas one wore the same standard golden armor as Crimson, the other pony, a larger, older stallion, was wearing much more extravagant gold and violet armor.

The large, pale white unicorn stallion looked around briefly before his hard green eyes stopped on me, then Crimson Storm. His eyes narrowed and he gave her an impatient scowl, his strong jaw tightening ever so slightly.

"Ah, Lieutenant Storm," the stallion rumbled, "I understand the Princess has given you some time off to escort this..." he cast a quick dismissive glance my way before turning back to Crimson Storm, "...foal around the castle?"

"Yes, Captain Blueblood," Crimson replied flatly, maintaining her salute, "I've been told I need to express myself more, so I spoke to the Princess and she suggested I spend time with the filly, sir."

"That so?" the Captain replied, turning back to me with a scrutinizing gaze. Something about the stallion sent chills down my spine and I took an involuntary step back. The Captain snorted, shaking his head and turning back towards Crimson Storm, "and you didn't think to consult with your Captain before agreeing to this little endeavor?"

"With all due respect, sir," Crimson began, "you were off duty at the time, and the Princess—"

"Excuses," Captain Blueblood replied, shaking his head in disappointment, "did the thought that you might be needed to attend other, more important duties ever cross your mind?" he took a step closer to Crimson, his frown deepening, "I rely on you, Lieutenant. I trust you to get things done, and things get very... difficult to manage when you shirk your responsibilities like this. Do you understand?"

The impassive look in Crimson Storm's eyes didn't change, but I could just make out the tightening in her jaw and the sudden stiffness in her posture.

For reasons I couldn't fathom at the time, that worried me far more than I thought it should've. Up until that point, it was like nothing really seemed to phased the mare—not the stares, not the whispers, not my endless questions... nothing.

Well, nothing except for those nobles.

Now though, standing before this stallion, she seemed almost... scared. I didn't know how I knew back then, but something deep in my gut told me Crimson Storm feared this stallion, and I found myself wanting to know why when she'd been so calm and collected before.

"Yes... Captain Blueblood, sir," Crimson Storm replied tonelessly after a moment, "I understand perfectly. I'll be sure to make you aware before I make any decisions that will interfere with my duties."

The Captain eyed Crimson for another few seconds or so before giving a slow nod of satisfaction.

"Good," he replied, smiling ever so slightly. He gave a sharp flick of his immaculately groomed golden tail and trotted past the mare. Stopping a little ways ahead, he turned to look back at her from over his shoulder, "come with me, Crimson Storm. I have a task for you."

"But... sir, the filly," Crimson Storm started, sounding taken aback for the first time since I'd met her, "the Princess already tasked me with—"

"Nevermind that," Blueblood interjected with an airy wave of his hoof, "Private Bulwark was just about to finish his shift for the day, so he can take care of the foal."

"Wait, what? Me?" came a reedy, incredulous sounding voice from somewhere behind me. I whipped around to see the other stallion that had come in with the Captain standing there looking back at Blueblood, mouth hanging open, "b-but, sir, I... I already had plans to—"

"To do what, Private?" Blueblood asked, giving the sputtering earth pony stallion a dangerous look, "tell me, what plans could you possibly have had?"

The Private took a step back before hanging his head and letting out a quiet sigh. A moment later he straightened up and snapped a halfhearted salute.

"Understood, Captain," he barked, "I'll see to the foal."

"Good stallion. Now then..." the Captain replied with another nod. He switched his gaze over to Crimson Storm, a smile once again adorning his face, "...come along, Lieutenant. You have much to do, and I don't have a lot of time to waste."

I turned to Crimson Storm, silently pleading her not to go with my eyes, but she ignored me. Her expression had once again become that of stone as she looked straight ahead.

"As you say, Captain."

With that, she gave another salute and trotted past me without another word. I stood there next to the Private, watching as she and Blueblood continued down the corridor.

Not once did she look back.

Author's Note

I'm still not back on my normal schedule just yet, so my stories are updating rather sporadically. I'm still figuring out a few things for this story so bear with me here, if updates on this story specifically take a bit. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter III ~ The Prince

"So I guess it's just you and me, huh?" the Private said suddenly. I looked up at the dark green pegasus stallion to see him giving me an apologetic, lopsided smile, "you're that filly the Princess took in as her student. Twilight Sparkle, right?"

I said nothing in response, only nodding shyly. It was as though this whole experience had sucked the motivation to be outgoing right out of me. All that was left now was the socially awkward filly who spent far too much time reading and studying on her own.

I looked back over to where Crimson Storm and the Captain had gone, but they had already disappeared.

"Hey, c'mon, don't worry about them," the stallion said, causing me to turn back to him again. He nodded towards the hall ahead, "the Captain may be a bit... abrasive, but he really is a good stallion who looks out for his troops."

I didn't believe that for a moment, and I don't think this stallion did either.

There was something off about that Blueblood stallion, but I couldn't put my hoof on what it was. All I knew was that he scared Crimson Storm, and he made me feel incredibly uncomfortable.

"Anyhow," the private gave me a friendly smile and held out a hoof, "as you might've already heard from Captain Blueblood, my name's Bulwark... just Bulwark."

I looked at the outstretched hoof, then at the stallion himself before slowly raising my own hoof to meet his in a slightly awkward hoofbump.

"Thatta girl," Bulwark chirped, "now then, what say we continue that tour, shall we?" he looked around, his smile falling into a bemused frown. Then he lowered his head so that we were eye to eye and whispered, "so uh, where were you headed again?"

I giggled despite myself and told Bulwark where Crimson and I had planned to go next. With that, the tour continued, the atmosphere completely different than it was when I was with Crimson Storm.

Unlike the silent mare, Bulwark was incredibly friendly and talkative, regaling me with tales of his time in the guard and the overall goings-on in the castle. It turned out he had only joined the ranks of the guard a month or so ago.

I in turn, told him about my brother, and how he planned to join the guard when he was a bit older. The conversation continued on like this for the next half hour or so as we trotted around the rest of the castle.

There hadn't been much left to see by the time Bulwark took over, and we soon wound up back near my room just a few moments before it was time for the Princess to lower the sun.

I figured now was as good a time as any to start my investigation into what was going on with Crimson Storm. While being with Bulwark proved to be a lot more fun than I expected, I still couldn't help but wish I had finished the tour with Crimson instead.

"Bulwark, can I ask you a question?" I asked as we made our way down the hall towards my bedroom door, "it's... um, it's about Crimson Storm."

"Oh?" Bulwark replied, looking down at me with a curious raise of his brow, "what about her?"

I shuffled my hooves uncomfortably as I tried to think of the best way to word my question.

"Well, it's just that I noticed a lot of ponies don't really seem to like her," I explained, "and I was wondering why. She's kinda quiet, yeah, but she isn't mean or anything, so why do ponies avoid her like that?"

"Ah, that," Bulwark looked around with a hesitant frown before letting out a quiet, resigned sigh, "alright look, you seem like a nice kid, but if you want my advice, you should stay away from that mare."

"But why?" I pressed, taking a step forward and frowning at the stallion, "why should I? What did she do?"

"Well, I... it's not really about what she did, per se," Bulwark replied reluctantly, "it's more that the... you know what, never mind, I really shouldn't say."

"What? C'mon, why can't you tell me?" I practically growled, my frustration beginning to boil over, "why should I stay away from her? She's not a bad pony, so what's the problem?"

"I'm sorry, kid," Bulwark replied, backing away as he raised a placating hoof, "it's not really my place to say. If you wanna know more, you're gonna have to ask Crmson yourself."

"But I already—"

"Look, this is your room, right?" he gestured towards the door beside him. Before I could answer he turned away and looked back at me over his shoulder, "it was nice meeting you, Twilight, but I gotta go. I wasn't lying when I said I had plans."

"Wait!" I called out as the stallion quickly trotted away, "hang on a minute!"

I watched him trot ahead and turn a distant corner before letting out an aggravated growl. I stomped a hoof into the ground and telekinetically threw open my bedroom door before storming inside and slamming it shut.

Just what was going on?

Why wouldn't that stallion tell me what was wrong with Crimson Storm, and why did he ask me not to hang around her? As I threw myself onto my bed in an angry huff, I wondered about it, but at this point, there wasn't much I could do... except for maybe talking to Celestia.

It seemed a simple and effective plan all things considered. I was, after all, the Princess's new protégé, and I felt that should've allowed me some kind of leverage over the situation.

Were it only so simple.

Back then I was a rather meek and by the books sort of filly in many cases, but with Celestia, the traits worsened tenfold. I wholly believed my petty concerns to be far below that of Princess Celestia, and so when the thought came to ask the Princess about it, I immediately scrapped it, not wanting to waste Celestia's time.

And so I lay there in my bed, staring up at the ceiling and wondering just what I could do for Crimson. It wasn't quite time for me to turn in just yet, and I found myself with a bit of free time. Now, this normally would've been where I sat or laid down with a good book to read, but I couldn't get Crimson's situation out of my mind.

It clawed at me like some gluttonous house pet that hadn't been fed all day. I thought about Crimson and how she acted, I thought about our earlier conversation at breakfast... and I thought about Captain Blueblood.

There was something that I wanted... something I've been searching for... but even after all these years... I still haven't found it...

What had Crimson Storm been searching for? Did it have something to do with Blueblood, or was I just making connections were there were none? I clenched my teeth and gave another growl of frustration at the whole thing, angry that I was just going around in circles and not coming to any real conclusions.

In my irritation my thoughts turned more to the hard faced, arrogant Captain. What was it about that stallion that put me and Crimson Storm on edge like that? Judging by his name, he might've been some kind of nobility, and realizing that brought me to another realization.

He was probably some kind of nobility, and Crimson Storm clearly hated the nobility if her earlier reaction to those two nobles who'd been talking about me was anything to go by. Could Captain Blueblood be the cause of the hatred, and if so, why?

Did Blueblood do something bad to Crimson Storm?

At this point I should've calmed down and thought about this rationally, but I was on a roll, and my thoughts tended to run away with me whenever I was on a roll. Already I could envision Blueblood doing horrible things to Crimson when nopony was looking.

Of course, the 'horrors' I'd conjured up in my mind at the time were just silly foalhood bullying tactics like calling her names and stealing her food, and getting a gang together so they could rough her up in the courtyard or some such nonsense.

I didn't register just how serious a crime something like that last scenario would be, but I was just a filly. I had no idea that far worse things lurked in my subconscious, at least, not yet. As it was, I had managed to convince myself that Blueblood was bullying Crimson.

Like the foal that I was, I decided I needed to do something about it.

With that thought in mind, I began to make plans. I concocted several hare-brained schemes as I lay there, and eventually I pulled open a thick notebook my brother had given me some months back. I had made quite a bit of use of it, especially when I'd been studying for the entrance exam, and I decided that it would serve another purpose here.

Within the notebook I jotted down my various plans to investigate what was happening between Blueblood and Crimson Storm. It was as I was just finishing marking down the last of my schemes that I heard a soft knock on my bedroom door.

"Twilight? Are you still awake? Can I come in?"

Celestia's voice floated in through the door and I blinked in confusion before turning to the large window on the opposite side of the room. As it turned out, I'd been planning and writing long after Celestia had lowered the sun, and I could make out the oddly pockmarked moon sitting high in the sky.

I yawned, realizing just how tired I was, then began to panic as I also realized all of my notes were on full display for the Princess to see, and I did not want the Princess to find out about my little investigation.

I quickly snapped the book shut with my magic and shoved it and the quill I was using under the bed before turning back to the door with a wide nervous grin. I readjusted it to look a little less conspicuous before calling out for Celestia to enter.

"Twilight?" Celestia repeated as she pushed open the door. As she stepped in she gave me a concerned frown, "is everything okay? You sound a bit frazzled."

"E-Everything's fine, Princess," I replied a little too quickly, "nothing's wrong, just... y'know, getting ready for bed!"

Celestia's frown deepened, and as her gaze intensified, I could practically feel the rattling of my nerves. She clearly wasn't buying it, but thankfully she didn't pursue the matter. Instead, she made her way over to my bed, her warm smile returning a moment later.

"So long as everything is well, my faithful student," she finally replied, "though I'm surprised to see you up this late, and at your age?"

"It's fine, Princess," I answered, looking somewhat embarrassed, "I'm... used to it. I spent a lot of late nights studying for the exam, so this isn't anything new."

"Ah, yes... the exam," Celestia turned away, her features darkening for an instant. A second later she turned back to me, her worried frown once more in place, "how are you holding up after all this time? You haven't had any flashbacks or anything like that, have you?"

"No, nothing like that," I replied, shaking my head, "I actually haven't really thought about it at all since I came here."

That hadn't been a total lie.

Up until I overheard those nobles talking about me and what I did at the exam, I hadn't once given any thought to the event, excited as I was to be in the presence of Princess Celestia for such an extended period of time.

"Well that's certainly good to hear," the Princess responded with a light chuckle. She moved closer and sat herself next to me on the bed as she continued, "so... how was your tour around the castle with Crimson Storm?"

The smile I'd managed to pull off fell away completely at the question. I looked down at my hooves and frowned silently before replying a moment later, my tone somewhat quieter.

"Crimson Storm is weird," I answered, "she doesn't talk much, and when she does, some of the things she says are weird. She always has this... blank look on her face, and she's just... really hard to talk to, y'know?"

"Yes, it is as I said," Celestia replied with a knowing nod, "she can certainly be difficult to get along with, but surely you—"

"I like her though," I interjected, turning back to the alicorn with a small smile, "I don't know why, but there's just something about Crimson Storm that I like. Yeah, she's weird, but... well..." I tried and failed to come up with a specific reason for my affinity towards the mare, giving Celestia a simple shrug instead, "...I dunno."

Celestia stopped and blinked at me in surprise.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," Celestia finally replied with another chuckle. Her smile dropped slightly as she continued, "I worry about the mare sometimes, and truth be told, my student, I thought meeting you would be the perfect opportunity for her to open up."

"She did," I replied before frowning slightly, "well... kinda. We talked a bit during lunch, but I didn't really learn much about her."

"I see," Celestia answered with a thoughtful expression, "well, lunchtime conversation is a step in the right direction. Just give it some time and I'm sure she'll let you in eventually."

I smiled in response, but my mind was already moving onto the next subject. I didn't want to ask Celestia about Crimson Storm, and from what she was saying, it didn't seem like she knew anything beyond the fact that Crimson had trouble communicating with others.

So I asked another question instead.

"Princess?" I continued somewhat reluctantly, "there... is something else."

"Hmm?" Celestia, who'd been idly staring out the window in the short silence that followed her earlier statement, turned back to me expectantly, "what is it, Twilight? Did you have another question?"

"Well... um," I shifted uncomfortably before speaking again, "do you know anything about... Captain Blueblood?"

"Blueblood?" Celestia repeated, caught off guard by the question. She collected herself a short moment later and gave me a quizzical frown before explaining, "Captain Blueblood—or Prince Blueblood VI—is the head of the highest ranking noble house in Canterlot. His family has served the crown faithfully for generations."

"Wait, so he's a prince?" I asked incredulously, "but... but does that mean he's related to you?"

"Distantly," Celestia replied carefully, "his family married into mine centuries ago in a time of political upheaval in order to... smooth a few things over. Don't let the title of 'prince' fool you though, my faithful student, he and the rest of his family hold no actual claim to the throne," she leaned in close, speaking in a stage whisper, "though they certainly like to act like they do."

"Oh," I replied, not really understanding at all, "so then... how is he a prince?"

"The title of 'prince' in this instance simply refers to the stallion that holds the most sway over all the other noble houses, and Blueblood's family has ruled over the others for generations.

"I know he joined the ranks of the Royal Guard in order to follow in his grandfather's, Blueblood IV's, hoofsteps, and made it to the rank of Captain quickly, though he still maintains his seat as the head of the Blueblood family with his son, Blueblood VII, as the next in line to inherit the title."

Celestia shook her head and the quizzical frown returned.

"But I believe I've said enough on the matter, and any more would be mere gossip," she said with a hint of finality, "tell me, why did you ask about Blueblood of all ponies?"

At Celestia's prompt, I pushed my questions about the title of 'prince' and Celestia's family aside. I made sure not to give any of my suspicions away as I replied.

"It wasn't anything important," I replied with what I hoped was a convincing innocent smile, "Crimson and I ran into him during our tour, and he seemed... interesting is all. He said he needed Crimson for something, so I had to finish the tour with a pony named Bulwark. He's the one that brought me back here."

It only just hit me then, but I suddenly and finally registered the fact that I was lying to the Princess. I was actively and willingly keeping secrets from the millennia old ruler of Equestria. Somewhere in the back of my mind I was shocked at myself, as I wasn't really one to lie to anypony—not like this.

Sure there was the odd foalish fib here and there to try and cover up some small embarrassing mistake I'd made or minor trouble I'd gotten into, but it was never anything serious, and I was never convincing enough to get away with it anyway.

Now I was lying about something that could have potentially heavy repercussions, and I wasn't even batting an eye. I was nervous, certainly, but that was simply due to the fear of getting caught in the lie, not the actual worry that I was lying to Princess Celestia.

What was worse was that the sudden revelation did nothing to deter me from pursuing my chosen path of deceit.

"Ah, Private Bulwark, was it?" Celestia replied, snapping me out of my thoughts, "a nice enough stallion I'd say. What did you think of him?"

"He's fun to talk to, but I kind of wanted to hang out with Crimson more though," I answered honestly. I looked up at the Princess, my expression turning hopeful—almost pleading, "I'll get to see her again, right?"

"Of course, Twilight," Celestia laughed, "I think it'll be good for the both of you, but right now... I think it's best you turn in for the night. It's getting late and we have much to do tomorrow."

"Oh, alright then," I conceded, partially relieved that the conversation had ended, "goodnight, Princess."

"Goodnight, Twilight," Celestia replied, pulling me into a quick, but affectionate wing hug, "and remember, if you ever have any issues with what happened back then, you can always come to me."

"I will," I answered, giving Celestia a genuine smile, "thanks, Princess."

With that, she rose from the bed, adjusted her wings, gave me one last warm smile, and trotted out of the room. She lit her horn and the door closed behind her with a soft click.

Once she was gone, I got comfortable, laying back against the pillow and pulling the blanket over me. Rather than close my eyes however, I once again stared at the ceiling with a small frown. My thoughts returned to Blueblood and the fact that he was not only a noble, but the highest ranking noble in Canterlot.

What would somepony like him want with a pony like Crimson Storm? Even more than that, I wondered just how I was going to find out more about the situation. Now that I knew just what kind of pony Blueblood was, several of the plans I'd made went out the window.

After several more minutes of ruminating on another plan of action, I grunted in frustration and gave up, deciding a good night's rest might help smooth out my thoughts. Besides that, I really was tired, and when I finally closed my eyes I was out in only a few minutes.

As usual, I didn't remember much about the dream I had, but this time there were a few details that did stick with me as I awoke the next morning, though I couldn't make any sense of them.

What I did know was that the dream involved Crimson Storm, Captain Blueblood, a dark room at the bottom of a steep set of stone steps... and something dark red and sticky splattered all over the floor.

Chapter IV ~ The Noble Colt

For as many foalish and inane plans as I'd made, none of them wound up coming to fruition. It was the day after I'd made those plans that my life as Princess Celestia's student really began, and by then I found myself far too busy to even see Crimson Storm again, let alone spy on either her or Blueblood.

Days turned into weeks, and between my studies and personal lessons with Celestia I eventually got so caught up in being a student, that I more or less forgot about the whole situation altogether in favor of making sure I did my mentor proud. Not helping matters was the fact that I'd seen neither hide nor hair of the red mare in the following days.

For the first few days after I'd written down my plans, I tried to find her with what little time I had available to me, to no avail. I was upset about it to be sure, but I soon decided that my obligations to the Princess came first, so I stopped looking not too long after that. I'd seen Captain Blueblood a few times, but didn't have the nerve to ask him where Crimson was.

It wasn't until I'd completely given up and moved on that I finally saw her again, and not in the way I'd expected to. I learned a few horrible truths that night about Crimson Storm, Captain Blueblood, and myself as well.

For me though, it was more that—for the first time since I'd woken up in that hospital after the 'incident'—I was forced to confront an uncomfortable truth that I'd known about myself for quite some time, but never truly acknowledged.

It all began when I was introduced to Captain Blueblood's son, Blueblood VII during a lull in my lessons. That year's Grand Galloping Gala was just around the corner, and the entire castle staff was in a frenzy trying to prepare for the event, even though it wasn't supposed to be held for another week.

I was able to attend the event as the Princess's 'little lady-in-waiting', much to my complete disbelief. By that time, Princess Celestia and I had grown fairly close, and the whole thing had been her idea. I'd nearly fainted at the notion, but that just amused her all the more, making me think it was all some sort of joke at my expense.

The role was genuine however, and Celestia had put my lessons on hold in order to help prepare me for it, as well as oversee the actual event preparations. At the same time, I was urged by the Princess to spend some time away from my studies. There were a lot of ponies coming in from all over Equestria to attend, including parents and their foals.

Some of these ponies were invited to stay in the guest rooms at the castle itself, and Celestia thought I should take the opportunity to try and mingle with some of the other colts and fillies my age. The problem here was that the other colts and fillies my age were the sons and daughters of wealthy high society ponies.

I had already grown wary of nobles by this point, and knew nothing good would come of my attempts at friendship with the other foals. Still, I tried for Celestia's sake, and went out of my way to communicate with the others, something I would soon come to regret.

A couple of days after Celestia told me to try and make some friends, I found my chance during a visit to the Royal Gardens. I had only meant to pass by on my way to the Archives to sneak in a bit more studying, when I spotted a trio of unicorn foals in the distance, trotting amongst the many statues.

Though the Princess had told me there were foals out and about, I hadn't really seen any up until this point, and figured I'd rather get this out of the way sooner rather than later. As the trio moved through the small forest of statues on display, I quietly followed after them.

The group consisted of a short and pudgy colt with a greyish coat and curly teal mane and tail, a giggly filly with a seafoam green coat and a burgundy colored mane and tail, and a tall colt with a light grey coat, and light amber mane and tail. The tall colt seemed to be the oldest of the three, though I couldn't tell by how much.

There was something about the large colt that seemed oddly familiar, but at the time, I couldn't place my hoof on what it was. I watched as they all stopped in front of a marble carved statue of a stern looking unicorn stallion in what looked like old fashioned formal military attire, rearing on his hind legs.

The statue itself wasn't important to me, but in my endless need to impress my mentor, I'd memorized the history behind each and every statue in the garden, and that knowledge was what I felt would be important now. Each of the foals stood before the statue, with the tall colt eyeing it with an almost smug sense of superiority, as though he was the one that had carved it himself.

For a moment, none of them said anything, and as I watched, I could see the white colt frown slightly as he cast an expectant glance backwards at the other two. Neither of them said anything however, and simply returned the look with confused stares between the light grey colt and the stature.

I heard the colt give an exasperated sigh and turn to face the others with an annoyed scowl.

"Do neither of you imbeciles know who this is?" he snapped, "not a clue? No?"

I sensed my opportunity and waited for the right moment to pounce on it as he spoke again. The pudgy grey colt tilted his head and squinted at the statue in bemusement before looking back to the taller colt.

"Sorry, Blueblood, but I don't have a clue who this stallion is," the rotund grey colt replied with a nervous smile, "should we?"

My eyes widened at the mention of the colt's name, and my smile widened as the memory of all those plans I'd written came back to me. That colt must've been the son of the Captain, and if I could get him on my good side, then I might be able to learn more about his father.

I went to step out past a hedge I was hiding behind and introduce myself, but the baleful glare Blueblood gave the other colt made me pause. The smaller colt cringed back and the filly giggled nervously before speaking up.

"W-Well, obviously he's a soldier of some renown," she replied, trying and failing to sound like she knew what she was talking about, "I'm certain anypony who's everypony knows about this stallion and what he's done for Equestria and the Princess."

Blueblood whipped around to face the filly, narrowing his eyes.

"And tell me, Winter Chime," Blueblood answered slowly and deliberately, "what, praytell, is this stallion famous for specifically? What has he contributed to our great nation and her Royal Highness, hm?" he took a forceful step towards the filly, who stumbled back, her nervous grin morphing into something more panicked as Blueblood spoke, "do you even know his name?"

"Well I... ah... I mean he's..."

She trailed off and giggled again, much to Blueblood's frustration. He sneered down at the two other foals and was about to reply when I finally stepped out and spoke up.

"General Ironblood III," I explained with a hint of pride. The others snapped their gazes over to me, and my own smile widened at their surprise and I continued, "a distinguished General from back when Equestria still had a standing army, rather than the Royal EUP Guard we have today."

There was a heartbeat of silence as I waited for the others to respond, and then...

"Excuse me?!" the filly suddenly snarled, causing me to flinch back in surprise and my ears to lower in dismay. I took a step back as she glared at me, her eyes blazing and her voice shrill with indignation, "who in Equestria do you think you are to just... just show up out of nowhere and..." she narrowed her eyes slightly before speaking in a low thoughtful tone, "...wait a minute, aren't you—"

A light grey hoof held her back as she began to advance and she blinked in silent bewilderment before turning to Blueblood. The colt held her back, but his eyes were focused on me, a small smirk playing across his face.

"Ignore this idiot," he said calmly, his arctic blue eyes roaming over me with interest as he lowered his hoof, "she likes to talk and posture, but rarely has anything of worth to say. Please, continue."

His tone was polite, but I could hear the casual disregard for the filly next to him, and from the indignant and somewhat hurt look she quickly tried to cover up, I could tell the filly heard it too. That aside, something about the colt's gaze made me shudder in disgust in a similar way to when I met his father.

I suddenly wanted to leave right then and there, but I resisted the urge and pushed on, unwilling to waste the opportunity given to me. I cleared my throat and tried to smile as I continued my explanation, but it just came out as an odd mix between a nervous smile and a worried grimace.

"W-Well, um..." I shuffled awkwardly, suddenly all too aware of my shyness and ineptitude when it came to talking to other foals my age, "he—G-General Ironblood, that is—made a name for himself during the Battle of Horseshoe Bay when he and a small contingent of his own soldiers, mostly consisting of unicorns and pegasi, successfully managed to fend off a larger group of minotaurs trying to invade Baltimare by way of the Celestial Sea."

"And...?" Blueblood pressed, taking a step forward, "go on, there's more to be told, right?"

"R-Right, um..." I was beginning to regret my decision more and more as time went on, and wanted nothing more than to hide in a hole somewhere, but I continued on, "w-well, for his outstanding service in the war against the Republic of Minos, he was awarded the Equestrian Badge of Honor, given to him by Princess Celestia herself."

"And what else?" Blueblood urged, smiling in anticipation, "surely you know what became of Ironblood and his family, right? What became of the Ironblood family name?"

"Uh... no, not really," I replied sheepishly, "I... haven't really looked into his genealogy. Sorry."

Blueblood's smile fell into a disappointed frown and, with a heavy sigh, he retreated back to where he stood before. He huffed and pushed a stray lock of his long amber mane out of his face before giving me a sardonic smile.

"Well that's a pity," he said, his tone as light and charming as he could make it, "but I suppose you know more than these two simpletons, so that's something to be commended."

He ignored the two grumbling and stuttering foals behind him and trotted up to me. This close, I could definitely see that he was older by a few years—certainly older than me, but not quite as old as my brother. This did nothing to comfort me, but I held my ground for the moment as he continued to explain.

"It was actually from the Ironblood family that the noble Blueblood house was born, with the grandson of Ironblood III at the helm," he said matter-of-factly, "rather than become a soldier like his father, and father's father before him, Ironblood V decided to take up a seat on the then newly formed council in the then newly built city of Canterlot."

"Really?" I replied, genuinely surprised and a bit intrigued despite myself, "I haven't done too much research on the early days of Canterlot's governing body, at least, not yet."

"Oh, you really should take some more time to look into it," Blueblood replied with a small, indulgent chuckle, "it's quite the fascinating study if I do say so myself. Celestia still held a very large portion of the power to be sure, but to let a group of elected ponies oversee the day-to-day issues of the city was unheard of, and caused quite a stir if the stories are to be believed."

He chuckled again and brought both our attention back over to the statue as he spoke.

"No longer did the Princess rule alone—as far as the city went at any rate," he said in a wistful tone, almost if he himself had been there in that time, "she'd given other ponies power, a 'piece of the pie' so to speak, and over time, the noble houses, which held little power at the time, grew into something grand and magnificent."

He turned back to me, his smile widening with pride and his icy eyes sparkling with something I couldn't quite place at the time. Whatever it was, it deepened the unease I felt, and I couldn't help but take a step back.

"Unlike his fathers before him, Ironblood V used his wit rather than his brawn to secure his family's name as the most powerful noble house in Canterlot," Blueblood continued in an almost reverent tone, "through a political marriage, he became a relative of the Princess herself, and as a sign of his family's newfound status, he changed the family name from Ironblood to Blueblood and took up the title of the first 'Prince of Nobles', Prince Blueblood I."

I was still trying to take the new information in when Blueblood moved closer, raised his head proudly, and put a hoof to his chest.

"...And I am next in line to inherit the title," he exclaimed, inclining his head slightly, "my name is Blueblood VII, son of the Captain of the Royal Guard and current Prince, Blueblood VI."

As though it was an afterthought, he turned and gestured to the other two foals behind him, his expression growing somewhat dull and disinterested.

"This is Winter Chime," he said, pointing to the nodding filly, "her mother, Winter Bell, is the current chief justice of Canterlot's Supreme Court, and this," his frown deepened almost imperceptibly as he turned his attention to the smirking grey colt, "is Greedy Gut. His father, Stingy Gut, own's several of the banks, not just in Canterlot, but in Manehattan and Baltimare as well."

The other two went to introduce themselves, but Blueblood silenced them with a look before turning back to me with a kind smile. That smile, coupled with the way he treated what I initially assumed were his friends, set me on edge, and I returned his easy smile with a weak one of my own.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

Blueblood paused expectantly and I blinked stupidly for a moment before registering that I was supposed to introduce myself. Flustered, I chuckled awkwardly and stuttered out an introduction.

"I... I'm Twilight. Twilight Sparkle," I replied lamely, "I, uh... I'm... I just became Princess Celestia's personal protégé a little over a month ago."

"Her protégé you say?" Blueblood replied with an intrigued raise of his brow, "well, this is a pleasant surprise, isn't it?" he trotted around me, looking me up and down with that small smirk from earlier, "in fact, I'd say this was a fortuitous meeting for the both of us."

"It is?" I asked, both dumbfounded and wary, "h-how so?"

"I bet you've grown pretty close to the Princess, haven't you?" Blueblood asked pointedly, "what with the personal lessons and everything, yes?"

"Well, yeah... I guess so," I replied, furrowing my brow, "but why does that matter?"

His smirk widened a touch in response and I had to suppress a shiver.

"In that case, I think we might be able to help each other," he answered, "if you're as close to the Princess as I think you are, you might be able to help me and some of my... friends, given time of course."

"What do you mean?" I asked, growing more wary by the second, "how can I help a pony like you? I'm not really poor, but I'm not exactly a noble either."

"Oh, don't worry about that," Blueblood replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof, "I'm sure we can still be friends, and who knows? Maybe with a bit of help from my father's current friends, we can even remedy that."

"Remedy... what?" I took another step back and my frown grew more pronounced, "are you saying you can... make me a noble or something?"

I had a bad feeling about where this was headed, but at the same time, I had a chance to find out more about his father and maybe Crimson Storm if I was lucky. Even so however, I could hear Crimson's voice in my head—I could hear the utter contempt in her voice when she talked about the nobles, and that gave me pause.

"Well, I'm not promising that much, but I can definitely make your life easier," Blueblood replied. He paused a moment, "...well, I can't personally, but I know ponies that can, and all I ask in return is a few favors."

"I don't know," I replied hesitantly, "I'm pretty sure you're overestimating how much power I actually have. Yeah, Princess Celestia and I have grown pretty close, but I'm still just a filly, and she's... well... she's the Princess. I can't just ask her to do a bunch of stuff for me."

"Oh?" the tall colt replied with a raised brow, "I don't think you're giving yourself, and your position, enough credit," he chuckled knowingly and moved to stand before the other two, "I'm not asking for anything major right at this very moment. I just want you to remember me for now, and what my father and I can offer."

He fell silent and his gaze intensified for a brief moment. I wondered what he'd say next, and was surprised when he trotted right up to me and held his hoof out. I looked at his hoof, then to the other two foals behind him, noting the filly's studiously blank expression and the other colt's wide, stupid grin. After a moment, I returned my bemused gaze to Blueblood. He simply smiled in response as he held out his hoof.

"What say you, Twilight Sparkle? You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours, and maybe, with a bit of time, we can all be good friends."

Chapter V ~ The Proposal

I never really gave Blueblood an outright answer to his offer, but he didn't seem to mind. On the contrary, the noble colt, much to my surprise and suspicion, seemed content to let me stew on the matter for as long as I wanted.

In the meantime, probably in an effort to win me over, he insisted I hang out with him and his cohorts until the Gala kicked off. Every fiber of my being told me not to go—told me that it was a terrible idea, but I was a shy and meek little foal.

Maybe not as shy and meek as a certain mare I'd meet later in my life, but it was enough that I was easily susceptible to peer pressure—a concept I had yet to truly experience up until that point. Reluctantly, but surely, I agreed, and spent the rest of the day, and most of the week leading up to the Gala, seeing just how the richer foals of society lived and acted.

I don't know how I managed to stomach it, even as a foal myself.

I suppose I just kept telling myself to do it for Crimson Storm and the Princess, the former of whom I still hadn't seen. In any case, I followed the three rich foals around as they wandered the castle and mingled with a few of the other foals as well as some of the more important adults staying at the castle for the Gala.

I listened as they talked about things I neither knew nor cared about, mostly things about themselves and their family's exploits, assets, or just general self-aggrandizing nonsense. I was more or less ignored for the most part, except when it was convenient for me to be brought up in the conversation.

Whenever I was spoken about, it was usually in the context of the incident involving the nearly catastrophic magic surge I'd suffered during the exam. The topic made me uncomfortable and self-conscious, and the more it was brought up, the more withdrawn I grew. Not helping matters was how I was talked about, but never directly talked to.

It was as though I wasn't even there, and I couldn't bring myself to say anything about it because of the guilt and shame I felt whenever they talked about the consequences of my actions. I learned just how far reaching the damage I could've caused, and in some cases, did cause, stretched, and it made me feel horrible.

It made me feel like I'd failed even though I'd gotten my cutie mark and become Celestia's protégé. It made me feel as though I hadn't earned it, and over time, I'd started to believe it. After all, what did I really do other than damage school property and put ponies lives in danger?

I put the Princess's life in danger, and laughed all the while like some crazy pony. I began to feel nausea mix with the odd giddiness I'd feel every time I thought about the incident, and the combination made me sick and miserable.

Blueblood did nothing to dissuade the insults and dirty looks of the other nobles—at least, not in their presence. It was only when we were all out of sight that he said anything about it, offering me words of apology and consolation, giving me his best encouraging smile, and like the naïve little filly I was, I wiped away my tears, smiled back, and thanked him for his support.

I've said it before, but I wasn't a social butterfly, and while I wasn't as bad as Crimson, I still had little experience when it came to how foals treated other foals, how the rich treated everypony else, and most importantly how somepony raised to know how to get what they want, manipulated the ignorant pony who had access to what they wanted.

I was that ignorant pony, and before I knew it, I'd gotten mixed up in Blueblood's machinations. He may have been a foal like me, but he was intelligent and cunning, no doubt due to his upbringing. I didn't know that, and the more he comforted me, the more I came to see him as a friend, a lifeline in the roiling sea of scorn and self-importance that was the community of Canterlot nobles.

I didn't even question the fact that he'd gotten rid of his two companions at some point. If anything I was grateful for it, as they hadn't been nearly as nice as the older colt. Winter Chime in particular seemed to have it out for me for some reason, and I was all too happy not to see her anymore.

The entirety of that week, at least when I wasn't with the Princess, was spent in the company of the wealthy, whether I was with Blueblood or not. As the Gala drew closer, more and more nobles could be seen hanging about the castle, and you couldn't go anywhere without seeing at least a few in the area.

The castle staff suffered at the hooves of some of the more temperamental of the nobles, and I did the best I could to help with the preparations, but as the week before the Gala neared its end, I found I just didn't have the time.

About two days before the night of the Gala, Blueblood approached me, his expression pleasant and unassuming. There was something in his smile that made me uneasy, but by this point, I'd fully considered Blueblood a pony I could trust, the only pony I could trust, besides the Princess.

To me, he was the first true friend I'd made since coming to the castle—not counting my foalsitter Cadence, and my older brother, that is—and so I ignored the feeling and listened to what he had to say. He caught me just as I was on my way to have breakfast with the Princess that morning, stopping me in the corridor just outside my bedroom.

"Blueblood?" I asked, giving the smiling colt a bemused frown, "what are you doing here so early?"

"I'm sorry for holding you up, Twilight," he replied, bowing his head apologetically, "I'd heard that it was common for you to dine with the Princess during breakfast hours, and I'd hope to meet you before then."

"Really?" I replied, wondering just what Blueblood could want now of all times, "what for? Did something happen?"

"No no, nothing like that," Blueblood assured, raising a hoof, "I simply wanted to talk to you about the little matter we'd discussed when we first met is all."

"When we met?" I furrowed my brow in thought a moment before realization struck. My ears flattened and I swallowed nervously before replying, "o-oh... right... that," I scraped a hoof against the floor and gave Blueblood an apologetic frown, "I'm sorry, Blueblood. You helped me a lot and I appreciate it, but I can't just ask the Princess for favors like that."

Blueblood's smile dipped ever so slightly.

"I see," he said quietly before taking a step forward, "I understand your hesitation, Twilight. You respect the Princess a great deal and don't want to feel like you're manipulating her into doing what you want. I get it, but won't you at least hear me out?"

"I..." I swallowed again and looked away a moment, checking to make sure the halls were relatively empty before returning a nervous gaze back to Blueblood, "a-alright, fine. I guess I can at least hear what you want."

"That's all I ask," Blueblood replied, his smile returned in full as he stepped away, "I'm sure you've met my father at some point, yes? Prince Blueblood VI, current Captain of the Guard?"

"I've met him," I replied, now fully on guard for what came next, "what about him?"

"Well you see," Blueblood began, leaning in close and speaking in a conspiratorial whisper, "my father is, as of right now, unmarried and desires to take a bride."

"Unmarried?" I repeated, surprised at the notion, "but what about your mom? They aren't together?"

"I'm afraid not," Blueblood sighed despondently, "my father's previous wife—my mother—was discovered in a, ah... compromising position with another stallion some time ago," his face scrunched up into a nasty sneer, "she and my father have since divorced each other, and we no longer speak."

"Oh... I didn't know that," I responded quietly. I wasn't quite sure what he meant back then, but I did know that ponies rarely severed the sacred bonds of marriage. For the Captain to cut off his marital ties to his wife, she must've done something heinous, "I'm... sorry you had to go through that."

"Please, don't worry about me, my friend," Blueblood replied, waving the matter away with a dismissive hoof, "it's all in the past now and I've moved on," his serious expression returned a second later, "my father wishes to do the same, and it's for that reason that I ask for your help."

"But what can I do?" I asked, bemused, but much more willing to listen now that I knew the details, "how is me being close to the Princess gonna help you with your dad?"

"After my mother's betrayal, my father fell into some... bad habits," Blueblood grimaced, as though remembering some particularly unpleasant memory, "for his sake I won't go into details, but believe me when I say he needs all the help I, as his son and sole heir, can possibly give him."

I mulled Blueblood's words over in my mind for a good few moments, searching his eyes for something, though not knowing what exactly. A week ago I wouldn't have been able to do such a thing, but another reason I'd grown to enjoy Blueblood's company was that he inspired a confidence I didn't normally feel all that often.

Looking at him, I could see his concern was genuine, and after another moment, I smiled and nodded. It was possible that the reason his father gave off such bad vibes was that he was still bitter about the divorce, I thought. Maybe he was just lashing out, maybe his off putting attitude was a mask to hide his pain.

"Alright, if it'll help your dad, then... I'll talk to the Princess for you," I replied, "what did you need me to say?"

"Excellent!" Blueblood laughed, his smile brightening, "I knew I'd be able to count on you, Twilight. Now then," he composed himself and spoke quietly, "my father has been searching for another mare to take my mother's place, and he's become quite smitten with a certain pegasus from his guard."

Something twitched in the back of my mind and my smile slipped slightly. A thought was beginning to form, but I ignored it as I continued to listen to Blueblood.

"I'm not sure if you're aware," he continued, "but during times of peace, and as long as there are others capable of filling their roles, Captains are given a certain amount of leave each year to do with as they see fit, and my father wants to spend his time getting to know this mare better."

"Okay," I replied, ignoring the small knot of unease in my stomach, "so he wants to... what, go on a date with the mare?"

"Something like that," came the cryptic reply, the quiet tone of which did nothing to settle my sudden unease, "the problem is, the mare doesn't have the same privilege, and even with his rank, my father can't simply excuse her from her duties. What I'd like you to do, is convince the Princess to allow my father to take the mare with him on leave."

"Um... well," I responded, growing more unsure by the second, "can't he... y'know, try to ask the Princess himself?"

Blueblood frown and narrowed his eyes slightly. I looked down at my hooves, unable to meet his gaze.

"He's already consulted with the Princess about the matter, but she refused," he replied slowly, "it may surprise you to know that, though our Princess is a benevolent soul, she tends to be a stickler for rules where the Royal Guard is concerned."

"Then—"

"But," Blueblood pressed, stepping in close and causing me to stumble backwards a bit, "as her personal protégé, you just might be able to convince her to give the mare some time off to be with my father."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The unease I was beginning to feel had grown into full on doubt, and I found myself wanting to back out of the whole deal. The older colt was coming on strong, his eyes flashing with something I hadn't seen before, and it was beginning to remind me of how his father looked when he addressed Crimson Storm.

And that's when it hit me. Deep down, I'd already known who he was talking about, but hoped I was wrong. I now had the feeling I wasn't, and in a moment of clarity, I knew what I had to do. The colt was intelligent, he was cunning, he was confident, but though I was younger and much more naïve, I had my moments of insight.

"Blueblood," I began quietly, "the mare that you're talking about, does she love your dad?"

"Of course she does," the colt replied without missing a beat, "she's fallen for my father just as he's fallen for her, and I only mean to make both of them happy by bringing them closer together," he frowned again, "why? Do you doubt my intentions? If that's the case I assure you—"

"One last thing," I interjected, looking Blueblood in the eye, "was the mare's name Crimson Storm?"

Blueblood's eyes briefly widened in shock before narrowing. He tried to hide whatever dark emotion he was feeling behind a mask of mild surprise, but the setting of his jaw gave him away.

In that moment, he looked just like his father, and that was when the spell broke. I saw Blueblood for what he truly was, and I found I didn't like what I saw. I could tell that he knew something was off about my reaction, and that he was trying to come up with a way to convince me to convince the Princess.

"Indeed," Blueblood finally replied, his tone somewhat clipped, "I... wasn't aware that you knew of her," he sighed heavily, "yes, she is the one my father has his sights set on. If you know Crimson Storm, then you know she can be a bit... shy. Believe me when I say she really does share my father's feelings."

"No, she doesn't!" I snapped, shocking Blueblood again, "she hates nobles, and she would never agree to something like that! She doesn't love your dad, and you know that, don't you?"

As I waited for an answer, Blueblood's expression slowly became inscrutable. He said nothing in response, and, spurred on by his silence, I spoke again.

"I'm sorry, Blueblood," I continued, shaking my head, "if what you said about your mom and dad is true, I really am sorry, but I'm not gonna ask the Princess to do this for you or him."

After what felt like ages, Blueblood finally replied, nodding his head slowly.

"So that's it then," he muttered, his expression still unreadable, "I suppose it was too much to ask for after all," he rose to his full height and inclined his head slightly, his next words spoken with an air of polite formality, "very well then, Twilight Sparkle. I guess that means our business ends here. I'm sorry it came to this, but I will respect your decision."

He began to trot past me, and I watched him go with wary eyes. Before he got too far, he stopped and turned to look at me over his shoulder.

"Just remember that you could've made some rather powerful allies had you cooperated," he smiled, "I bid you goodbye and good luck in your endeavors, and though we couldn't see eye to eye, I do hope to see you again at the Gala."

With that, he turned and trotted away, leaving me to fall to my haunches and finally let out the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. I sat there for a moment, pouring over everything that had transpired, and found that I wasn't angry, but sad.

The one foal I thought I could call a friend had only tried to use me for his own gain. I was alone again, and though I wanted to cry, I didn't. Instead I frowned and rose back to my hooves before resolutely marching off towards Celestia's chambers.

In that moment I realized that Crimson Storm had the right of it, and though it may not have been nearly as strong as hers, I also began to harbor a deep dislike for the nobility from that point on. As I pressed on, I resolved to forget the whole experience altogether and focus on doing my best to help Princess Celestia prepare for the upcoming Gala as best I could.

It seemed she was the only one I could count on after all.

Chapter VI ~ The Gala

The night of the Grand Galloping Gala arrived, and it was just as boring and sordid as the Princess said it would be. The whole affair took place in the castle's large ballroom, which had been lavishly decorated for the occasion. polished marble tables and plush ornate chairs had been set up throughout the entire area, with a massive open space for ponies to dance if they so desired.

There was a large buffet table off to the side, and even a massive fountain of what I thought was some kind of punch at the time. When I went to partake, I was hastily informed that it was red wine which had been magically made to replenish itself within the fountain.

A modestly sized orchestra full of some of the best musicians Canterlot had to offer had also been gathered together to play, and of course, there were posh, pompous, arrogant nobles everywhere I looked. The Gala was full of many of the most wealthy and influential ponies in Equestria, and it was Celestia's job to greet and converse with each and every one of them.

I, as her lady-in-waiting, had to sit by her side and listen to their nonsense right along with her. I sat there uncomfortably in the fancy, frilly, formal white dress the Princess had made for me by the royal tailor. I smiled and nodded and looked every bit as adorable as I was supposed to, all the while hating every minute of it.

I wanted desperately to complain and go off to do something—anything else, but I put up with it for Celestia's sake, as I always did. I would've much rather isolated myself in my room with my textbooks and maybe some hot chocolate, but it wasn't meant to be. Eventually however, when the number of nobles seeking Celestia's attention had thinned out somewhat, she let me go and enjoy the festivities.

I doubted there was much to enjoy, but I took the opportunity to stretch my legs and wander about all the same. I made my way around the ballroom looking for something to hold my interest, and I spotted a surprising amount of foals my age—more than I'd seen around the castle at any rate.

They were all either stuffing their faces at the buffet, whining to their parents about some inane issue or another, or boasting to each other about said parents and what they'd accomplished. Really, it wasn't all that different from what the adults were doing, just louder and more obnoxious.

There was one filly that caught my attention however.

Sitting alone at a table in one corner of the ballroom near the entrance, was a grey earth pony filly. She sat slumped over the table, one hoof propping her head up as she stared out at the orchestra. Unlike the other fillies who'd been adorned in ridiculously frilly dresses much like mine, she instead wore a black tailcoat, not unlike those of the ponies in the orchestra she was eyeing.

At first I thought she was simply enjoying the music, but as curiosity pulled me closer to the table where she sat, I could see the bored expression on her face. More surprising than that however, was the dull lifelessness in the mulberry eyes beneath her long and elegant black mane.

She reminded me of Crimson Storm.

Not knowing what to say, but deciding all the same that I had to say something, I quickened my pace as I moved towards her table. She flicked her eyes in my direction, but her expression didn't change, nor did she say anything as I reached the table and pulled out the other chair.

The only reaction she made as I sat down across from her was to return her attention to the orchestra. I wanted to say something—introduce myself maybe, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything now that I was actually sitting there, and I became acutely aware of just how bold it'd been to just take a seat next to a pony I knew nothing about.

Against my better judgement I had chosen to associate myself with another, older foal who was clearly a noble. I'd told myself I wouldn't after Blueblood, and I'd meant it... but this filly was different. Everything about her told me that she wasn't like any other high born foal I'd seen or met.

Like Crimson Storm, I'd been drawn to her by some odd force I couldn't explain, but this time I was the one with nothing to say. I opened my mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out, and I ended up just squirming uncomfortably in my seat.

Face red with embarrassment, I eventually decided to take the other filly's cue and watch the orchestra play. It really was a beautiful song the group had chosen to play, and while I was no connoisseur of music, I could appreciate the skill with which they performed the rather somber piece.

"Wonderful, isn't it?"

I jumped slightly at the unexpected voice and turned to see that the filly hadn't taken her eyes off the orchestra.

"U-Um, I'm sorry," I said nervously, "did you... say something?"

"Well, it seems you aren't going to, so I may as well," the other filly replied in a rather thick Trottingham accent, "and I was talking about this particular piece the orchestra is playing. It's a wonderful piece of music."

"Oh, y-yeah, it is," I agreed, feeling awkward. I turned back to the orchestra and watched them silently for another moment, "...it kinda sounds sad though."

"Of course it does, it's a dirge," the filly snorted disdainfully. She waved a hoof in the air, taking on a mock tone of awe and respect, "Schwarzer Regen und Dunkler Himmel in G Minor, one of the lesser known works by the late, great composer, Allegro Melody."

"Schwarzer Regen und..." I flicked an ear and gave a quizzical frown at the unfamiliar language, "that's... Germane, right?" I tilted my head slightly in confusion, "and I'm not too familiar with this kind of thing, but aren't dirges usually played at funerals or something? Why are they playing something like that at the Gala?"

"Allegro wasn't from Germaney, but he had a fondness for the language, so he used it when naming a lot of his works," the older filly explained disinterestedly, "and the dirge itself was my mother's idea of a clever joke," she paused, as though trying to remember something, "the Gala may be lively, but the guests are nothing but soulless husks that don't know they already died long ago, or something like that at any rate. This song is meant to reflect that."

"Oh... that's..."

I didn't really know what to say to that, so I trailed off and said nothing. She had mentioned it was her mother's idea, meaning her mother had probably chosen the song. I didn't know how this filly or her mother were related to the orchestra, but given the filly's attire, I assumed they were involved somehow.

I decided I didn't care enough to ask about the matter, but that left us with nothing else to talk about that I could think of. We sat together in another awkward silence, but this one didn't last long before the other filly spoke again, her tone thoughtful.

"I do like the song though," she mused, "it's a rather odd creation from a stallion known for the quick and hectic pace of his many other masterpieces," she made a show of frowning in contemplation, "the way my father tells it, he originally wrote the piece in the wake of his wife's tragic death under mysterious circumstances."

That caught my attention.

"Really?" I asked, leaning forward, my ears perking up in interest, "how did it happen?"

At that, the filly turned her head slightly to look at me. She didn't just cast me a dismissive side glance like before, but actually looked me in the eye. She looked confused at first, but after a moment she smiled. It was a small, almost imperceptible thing, but it was the first I'd seen since speaking with her.

"Well that's interesting," she replied, fully turning to face me, "you're the first pony I've met who didn't immediately try to change the subject from such a morbid topic," her small smile faltered slightly, "...aside from mother."

"I am?" I asked, frowning bemusement, "but why? Wouldn't anypony be curious about something like that?"

"Most certainly not," the other filly snorted before hanging her head and frowning deeply, her eyes glazing over slightly. I barely heard her next words as she spoke, "...no sane pony likes to think about death."

Something in her voice caused me to wince in discomfort. I couldn't quite parse what it was at the time, but there was some kind of intense emotion behind her words, and it made me want to comfort her. Before I had the chance to respond however, she quickly moved on, her minuscule smile returning an instant later as she raised her head.

"In any case, Allegro's wife, Cantabile, died around half a millennia ago and nopony knows exactly how," she continued, leaning forward and speaking in a low, conspiratorial near whisper, "it's said her bloated body washed ashore on a coast not too far from Trottingham. Her dress was torn to shreds and they found a badly rusted knife next to the body, but there were no visible wounds."

"Wow, that's... weird," I muttered in response, "what do you think happened?"

"Well, personally—"

She paused, her ears perking up and a small, irritated frown crossing her face. I wondered why, until I noticed that there was no longer any music playing in the background. With a sigh, the filly adjusted her bowtie and hopped down from her seat before turning back to me.

She gave me an apologetic smile, but what little light I saw growing in her eyes as she spoke, had completely died out. Even I could see that the smile was as empty and lifeless as her eyes.

"Well, it was a pleasure, but I have a... prior engagement I must attend to," she exclaimed with a polite nod, "perhaps we'll meet again at some point."

"O-Oh, right... yeah," I replied, hiding my disappointment behind a strained smile and giving a half-hearted wave, "it was... nice meeting you too."

She gave one last nod of acknowledgment before turning away and trotting off towards the stage where the orchestra had just finished playing. I watched her go, wondering what she was up to, but the other ponies onstage had moved off of it, and I got my answer soon enough.

The filly had moved around to the back of the stage and I lost sight of her for a moment. A minute later, two unicorns came back onto the stage—one of them holding what looked like a miniature bass in their magic and the other holding a small stand and what I assumed was sheet music.

While one of the ponies set up the stand and sheet music, I spotted the well dressed filly trot onto the stage. I watched, surprised as the filly stoically accepted the miniature bass—a cello, I reminded myself—and bow before stepping in front of the stand.

The pony that had set up the stand, lowered it enough for the filly to see the sheet music and, with that done, the both of them quickly left the stage, leaving the filly on her own. It was then that I noticed just how quiet it had gotten, and I looked around to find that the majority of party goers had stopped what they were doing and were now watching the stage.

Excited whispers and muttering could be heard throughout the crowd as the filly propped herself up on her hind legs, bow in one hoof and cello in the other. She hadn't even started playing and I was already stunned. I'd only ever been to one concert in my life at that point, and each and every musician had been a unicorn, which made sense given how easily they could manipulate instruments.

It was common knowledge that string instruments in particular were exclusively used by unicorns, given how complicated it was for a pony to use them with anything other than magic... or so I thought. I'd never seen an earth pony even attempt to use a string instrument let alone play one, and yet this filly made wielding one without magic look almost effortless.

Then, without any sort of preamble, she began to play, and the entire ballroom fell completely silent.

She played with the skill of a musician three times her senior and with four times as much experience. I didn't know the name of the song she played, but it was fast, sharp, and intense—a far cry from what the orchestra had played earlier. If I had to attach an emotion to what I heard, it would've been anger, or perhaps aggravation, and I loved every second of it.

I sat there at the table watching the extremely talented filly drag the bow across the strings of her cello at a breakneck pace, completely enraptured by the sound. With some effort, I pulled my attention away from the filly onstage and saw that I wasn't the only pony who'd been blown away by the performance.

I realized then that I never actually caught the filly's name, much to my embarrassment and frustration. The encounter had been so strange and awkward that I'd forgotten to introduce myself altogether.

Setting the thought aside for the moment, I swept my gaze across the throng of nobles and saw that all of them were watching the filly with rapt fascination... except for one stuffy looking slate grey unicorn mare near the stage. She watched the filly with something that looked like immense dissatisfaction, her jaw set in a fierce scowl and her smokey grey eyes narrowed dangerously.

The mare had a black mane tied back in a Prench braid and, aside from the severe expression, the color of her eyes and the fact that she was a unicorn, she was the spitting image of the filly. Or rather, I thought with an odd sense of dread, the filly was the spitting image of the mare.

The filly didn't seem to notice however, all of her attention focused on the music. She never faltered, never looked away from the stand, and the tense expression on her sweaty face never wavered even once. She was all but lost to the world, and when the song finally ended several minutes later and the crowd stomped their hooves and shouted their praise, she looked as though she'd been snapped out of a trance.

I would've cheered right along with them, but something caught my eye at the last moment and I turned towards the entrance of the ballroom. Standing in the shadows just outside the double doors, was the one pony I never expected to see at the Gala.

Crimson Storm stood outside the room sans armor, watching the crowd silently with an inscrutable look. At that moment, all thoughts of the filly and her outstanding performance left my mind, as did everything else save for the red pegasus mare standing in the doorway. It was hard to tell with her coat color, but I could just make out a slightly darker tinge of red in her cheeks.

What was more noticeable was the unsteady way she stood, looking as though she might fall over at any moment, only to catch herself before she got too far. I wanted to call out to her, but something told me that would've been a very bad idea, and I instead opted to go to her.

It didn't look as though she'd seen me, and this was confirmed when she stepped back and began briskly trotting down the hall and out of sight. I quickly trotted to the doors before stopping and casting a brief worried glance over my shoulder at where the Princess sat.

She was still conversing animatedly with the gentry, so I took the opportunity to slip out after Crimson Storm, concern gnawing at me and spurring me on. Had I been paying more attention to my surroundings, I would've seen that my departure had not gone unnoticed by a certain colt and his friends.

Author's Note

I know this was probably a cliché scenario, but I'm a sucker for these kinds of fateful meetings, especially when they portend something dark and/or sinister happening in the future...

Chapter VII ~ The Dungeons

I left the Gala and followed after Crimson Storm, only to lose her within moments. She hadn't looked all that steady on her hooves, but apparently she was well enough to lose a filly in these mostly empty corridors.

Still, something tugged at me about Crimson Storm's condition, and I couldn't help the growing dread forming in my stomach. That ominous feeling was what made me chase after her in the first place, but in doing so, I only found myself lost in an area of the castle I didn't recognize.

I may have been a foal, but I wasn't completely ignorant in what some adults did in their spare time. Everything I saw about Crimson as she stood in the doorway pointed towards the mare being inebriated, and, while that was extremely surprising, that wasn't what worried me—at least, that wasn't the main thing.

What worried me more was why she was drunk, and what her intentions were. Add to that the fact that I hadn't seen her in what felt to me like ages, and there was no way in Tartarus that I wasn't going to check on her.

I wandered the halls, ignoring looks of bemusement and the odd muttering or two from the few ponies trotting about as I searched. I asked a few of the guardsponies I saw if they'd seen Crimson Storm, but as soon as the name left my mouth, they'd get nervous and either deny they'd seen the mare, make some excuse and leave, or completely ignore me outright.

Had I not been so worried about Crimson and frustrated with the stonewalling I was receiving, I probably would've been more suspicious. As it stood however, the attitudes of the ones I asked only made me more determined to find the drunken guard. I wasn't sure how long it had been since I started searching, but even in my single mindedness, I was keenly aware that the Gala was still going on, and that Celestia was most likely going to be wondering where I was soon.

I growled and stomped a hoof in frustration at the thought that'd I'd have to give up the search after I'd come all this way, but it couldn't be helped. I'd already left the party and probably made the Princess worry and realized that, much to my dismay, I should head back, even though I had nothing to show for my efforts.

That was when I truly began to realize just how lost I was.

No matter which way I looked, every passage seemed the same. I saw a couple of stairwells and began to wonder if I'd ascended or descended to another floor in my absentmindedness. Thinking back, it was hard to remember exactly where my hooves had taken me, and as I wandered about, trying to find my way back, I began to panic.

I called out for help—for anypony to come and show me the way back, but the corridors had become terribly empty, with no nobles, castle staff, or guards in sight. Something else I noticed as tears started to stream down my face, was just how shabby this part of the castle looked.

The pristine marble walls had become somewhat greyed and flaky, there were far fewer doors lining the hallways, and the black and white checkered marble floors and lush maroon carpets had given way to hard grey stone. There weren't even any windows that I could see, and the more I saw, the more my frenzied panic gave way to quiet fear.

I stopped shouting, because at that point, I felt I would've stumbled across some kind of monster down here in this place. It was eerily quiet, and I could hear my own tiny hoofsteps echoing in the hall. I remember thinking some bad pony, or worse, would pop out of one of the few closed doors and grab me, and began to hyperventilate.

I was about ready to throw all caution to the wind and charge down the halls screaming for help when a voice somewhere behind me called my name and made me jump and scream anyway. To my own credit, or perhaps stupidity given the situation, I didn't immediately flee for my life.

Rather, I turned with wide fearful eyes to see the owner of the voice and came face to face with none other than Blueblood VII. The colt, against all odds, had somehow found me in this Celestia forsaken corridor. I almost thought he wasn't real, and the fact that he was, should've raised a few questions, but I was too out of it to care at the moment.

All hostility—all suspicion, disapproval, and decency—all of that was shunted aside as I slammed into the teenage colt and wrapped him in a tight, shaky hug. I sobbed and wheezed into his withers, his look of concern turning into one of shock, then cautious reassurance as he uncomfortably patted me on the back. After a moment my sobs became sniffles and I finally managed to take a step back and collect my thoughts another moment after that.

"I apologize if I scared you, that wasn't my intention," Blueblood said with a warm, if apologetic smile, "do you feel any better now?"

I nodded mutely as I sniffed again and wiped my eyes. Now that the fear and panic had abated I was left feeling awkward and embarrassed at my own display. Blueblood just seemed to take my sour silence in stride, his concerned look returning as he spoke again.

"That's good to hear, but if I may ask, what are you doing all the way down here, Miss Sparkle?" he inquired, looking around him, "this is quite a ways from the Gala," he looked back to me with a quizzical expression, "I'd expected you to be by the Princess's side, yet here you are, lost and alone in this dreadful place."

"I... I was... looking for somepony," I muttered, not meeting his eye, "I got lost and ended up here somehow."

Now that I was able to think clearly, I remembered my dislike for the colt, and in light of that, I wasn't willing to give him anymore information than that. Of course, there wasn't much more information to give other than that the pony I happened to be searching for was Crimson Storm, but that hardly mattered to me at the time. That aside, the more important questions to be asked were once again at the forefront of my mind, so I asked them.

"What are you doing here?" I replied, my eyes narrowing slightly as I rose my head to face Blueblood, "how did you even find me here?"

"The guards," the colt answered simply, "I'd been meaning to speak with you during the Gala and apologize about our previous altercation, but you were nowhere to be found," he trotted past me and down the hall a bit before stopping and turning back to me with a small smirk, "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, Miss Sparkle, but you've gained a reputation for being something of an introvert—a loner if you will, and I simply assumed you decided to return to your room for the night. Imagine my surprise when I checked to find that you weren't there either."

"You went to my room? And what do you mean 'loner'?" I squawked, taken aback, "I mean sure, I like to be left alone sometimes, and I spend a lot of time in my room when I'm not with the Princess, but I don't think I'm a loner."

The argument didn't sound very strong in my own ears and we both knew what he said was the truth. In the days following my declination of Blueblood's offer, I'd usually spend my time alone in my room when I wasn't helping Princess Celestia prepare. Even before that, I'd spent a great deal of time studying alone whenever I could.

"Come now, Miss Sparkle, it's clear for anypony to see that you aren't particularly fond of company," he sighed and bowed his head, "and I'm afraid I have to take some blame for that. I know what you must think of me after our disagreement, and you're right. I was wrong to try and use you for my own gain and I apologize for that. That's what I wanted to tell you during the Gala.

"When I didn't see you at the Gala, I slipped out to look for you, and grew worried when I was informed that you hadn't returned to your chambers either," he explained, his expression turning serious, "I asked around and found out that you'd come this way, so I followed after you, and found you here."

"Oh," I replied, not really knowing what else to say. I eyed the colt, looking for any sign of insincerity, but his words and look seemed earnest enough, so I chose to let bygones be bygones, "well, thanks, I guess—for the apology, and for looking for me. I don't know how long I could've been stuck here, wherever we are," I frowned and scanned the area once again, "...where are we anyway?"

"You don't know?" Blueblood asked, apparently surprised. He chuckled a moment later and trotted ahead, motioning for me to follow, "in that case, let's head back and I'll tell you what I know on the way."

I hesitated for a moment, looking from Blueblood's retreating form to the opposite side of the hall where I'd originally come from. I could've sworn I heard other hoofsteps besides our own, but another nervous look around revealed nothing. After a few seconds, I bit my lip worriedly and moved to catch up with the colt.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" I muttered, glancing behind me, "I'm pretty sure the exit's back that way... at least, I think it is."

"There's another set of stairs closer this way," Blueblood replied with calm confidence, "I wouldn't exactly call it a shortcut per se, but it's close enough. Once we reach the staircase and head straight up, we should end up on the first floor, a little ways from the ballroom."

"A-Alright then, if you say so," I replied, just happy to finally be leaving this horrible place. We trotted along quietly for a moment while Blueblood got his bearings, and, unable to stand the eerie quiet, I spoke first, "so what is this place, and how do you know so much about it?"

"My father brought me here once for something of a... history lesson," Blueblood explained. He turned to look at me from over his shoulder, "are you aware of just how old this castle is, Miss Sparkle?"

"Well," I answered, trying to wrack my brain for the information, "according to Princess Celestia, Canterlot Castle was built a little over nine-hundred and ninety years ago. She told me she herself had a hoof in the design."

"She certainly did," chuckled Blueblood, "but as you know, times change, and often times the past is forgotten and left behind in favor of the future. That's true for a lot of things, including architecture. This place," and he gestured to the dirty, flaking grey walls and cracked stone floor, "happens to be an old abandoned part of the castle—so old, that I doubt even the Princess has even thought about these ancient corridors in ages."

"Wow," I nearly whispered, looking around the hall in wonder. The fact that I was trotting through a piece of ancient history put these unsettling corridors in a new light for me, "so rather than remodel the place, Princess Celestia left it as it was..." a strange decision in my opinion, but I wasn't going to complain, though my curiosity had been piqued, "so... where do these halls lead anyway?"

"I'm so glad you asked," Blueblood answered as he pushed open a heavy looking wooden door with his magic, "you see, the reason these halls were abandoned was because the Princess had no more use for them after the war against the minotaurs."

We stepped through the creaky door and I froze, my eyes wide with shock and confusion. Before me was a set of steep cobblestone steps leading down into a thick, musky darkness. I couldn't see anything below, but as I stared down into that darkness, my mind wandered elsewhere.

"Equestria was a very different place back then, or so my father tells me," I heard Blueblood say from somewhere distant, "back in the war, we would capture and interrogate prisoners until they spilled their secrets, and these halls led to the very place where captured prisoners would be held."

It happened in an instant.

I'd been so distracted by a memory that had been trying to push itself to the surface that I was completely caught off guard when I felt something shove me forward. A cry of surprise became loud sharp yelps of agony as I stumbled, tripped, and rolled head over hoof down the steps. I felt something catch and tug at my dress a moment before a terrible ripping sound reached my ears. I gave a pained grunt as I hit the cold hard ground below.

I groaned and whimpered at the sharp pain shooting up one of my back legs, and winced at the overall soreness beginning to spread throughout the rest of my body. I'd definitely hit my head at some point during the fall, and it pounded incessantly, though thankfully my horn hadn't gotten caught, but even in my addled state I knew it wasn't a good idea to try and use magic. I tried to rise to my hooves, but cried out and fell back down into a heap as another stab of pain buckled my leg.

I'd been knocked senseless by the tumble and found it incredibly hard to concentrate on any one thing. My vision was hazy with tears and spots of black, making it even harder to see anything in the gloom around me. I coughed a pain-filled cough, grunted and winced as I shifted my weight, and craned my neck up towards the top of the steps.

My eyes widened as I saw not only Blueblood's outline, but two others as well peering down at me from just beyond the doorway. My mind worked furiously to figure out just what was going on, but the pain in my leg overrode any kind of rational thought for the moment, and I could only whimper helplessly.

"A bit much, don't you think, Winter Chime?" came the familiar, and slightly irritated voice of Blueblood, "if she suffers any sort of permanent injury, things are not going to go well for us," there was a beat of silence and the shadow of the colt leaned in close to the other silhouetted pony and hissed, "and if things don't go well for us, I'll make sure that they go much worse for you, got it?"

"Y-Yeah, I got it, Blueblood, s-sorry," another familiar voice squeaked, "it won't happen again, I promise!"

"You better make sure it doesn't... now then," there was clearing of the throat and the largest silhouette began to make its way down the steps, "I apologize on behalf of Winter Chime, Miss Sparkle. I assure you I had every intention of having this chat of ours peacefully and without anypony getting hurt, but... well..." I could see the outline of Blueblood shrug, "there's nothing for it now, I guess."

As I listened to the colt, my eyes flicked over to the other two still standing at the top of the steps. There was no doubt about it—the friends Blueblood had ditched before were back, and they'd all been working together to... what? Why were they doing this, I wondered.

I had gotten the feeling Winter Chime didn't like me very much for some reason—that had been evident from the moment I met her. That she was apparently the one who'd pushed me down the steps didn't surprise me at all, but what about Greedy Gut?

I could tell he was the other pony in the doorway, but he hadn't said anything about what was going on, and I couldn't make out his face from here. He simply looked on from above as Blueblood continued to casually make his way down the steps towards me.

Then the door slammed shut, leaving Blueblood and I completely alone.

I yelped at the noise and tried to scramble to my hooves again, only to be painfully reminded of my current condition. I wasn't sure if my leg was broken, and now I couldn't see if it was, but it certainly felt like it. For a few moments, everything was suddenly bathed in complete darkness, then a bright blue light from somewhere above me lit up the area.

I looked back up to see Blueblood's horn aglow, the light casting unnerving shadows over his features and the walls around us. He looked down at me, wearing that pleasant, charming grin, as though he was taking a leisurely stroll in the castle gardens, but I could see something else in his eyes that made me shiver.

Maybe I'd just been imagining it due to the light, but somehow I doubted that.

"Now I realize how this all seems, but it was only my intention to talk, nothing more than that," he sighed and shook his head as he reached the bottom of the staircase, "honestly I'd meant to bring you somewhere more..." he looked around him with a disgusted grimace, "...aesthetically pleasing than this, but it serves my purposes well enough."

"W-Why?" I mewled weakly, "Blueblood... I..." I sucked in a breath and whimpered again as I accidentally put weight on my bad leg, "m-my leg... Blueblood, I n-need help, please!"

I wanted to cry in earnest.

I wanted to scream and and wail and bawl my eyes out, I should've—and I think I normally would've, but somehow I managed to hold it back. My amethyst eyes, wet with tears and wide with pain and pleading, met Blueblood's calm, almost impassive blue orbs. After a long, tense moment of silence save for my ragged breathing, Blueblood trotted past me and further into the darkness beyond the stairs.

"Honestly I'm not sure how father can stand to see ponies like this," he mused aloud as he moved further and further away, "I've always preferred words over hooves when it came to getting what I want personally. I've tried to see it his way, but this just isn't doing it for me."

He stopped a short distance away and turned back to me, looking me over with a deep frown. I matched his frown with a pathetic whine and another wince of pain, and he snorted before turning away and speaking again.

"Lucky for you, my mother had the sense to teach me some minor healing magic before she betrayed my father and disgraced our family, but we'll have to hold off on that, I think. Though I dislike seeing you in such pain, this also suits my needs... at least, for the moment."

His voice echoed off the walls ominously and I couldn't help but shiver again.

"Blueblood?" I asked, struggling to turn so that I faced the colt. I chanced a glance behind me and in the dim light of Blueblood's horn, it didn't look like anything was broken, but there had probably been a sprain at least, and the fancy white dress I wore was ruined, practically in tatters at the bottom. I clenched my teeth against the spike of pain and turned back to Blueblood, "w-what are you talking about? W-Why did you—"

"As I said before, I wanted us to be able to talk in private, you and I," Blueblood interjected, "to be completely candid, Miss Sparkle, I haven't quite given up on this deal of ours just yet, and I wanted to..." he had his back turned to me, but I could him roll a hoof around in the air, as he searched for the right words to say, "...rework the conditions of the offer. Before that though, I believe you wanted to know where these halls lead, correct? Well, I was going to tell you before I was so rudely interrupted. Again, I'm sorry about that."

He paused a moment and looked up, his head moving back and forth as he searched for something I couldn't see. Another second later the light surrounding his horn went out and the room was pitch black once again. It didn't last long before Blueblood's horn lit up again, this time only flashing once.

There was a soft fwoosh, followed by several more as sconces previously unseen, began to blaze one by one along one wall. In the soft orange glow I thought we'd wound up in some kind of hallway made of dark grey flatstone, but that wasn't the case.

On one side of the room, across from the lit sconces, I could see rows of cells with thick iron bars, some open, some shut tight, and others with the bars snapped off in places. There was a barred door at the end of the room far behind Blueblood, leading deeper into the dark stony room. The memory that had been gnawing at me since I first saw the stone steps suddenly came rushing back to me with the intensity of a hurricane.

A dark room at the bottom of a stone staircase... Crimson Storm laughing... Captain Blueblood... battered and broken and ripped apart... blood... dark and sticky... on the ground, the walls... stuck to her hooves... in her fur... her mane... her teeth...

"Or was that... me?" I muttered, my eyes losing focus as I tried to remember, "was Crimson Storm really there, or was that me? I can't..." my unfocused gaze returned to the older colt making his way back over to me, all confident smiles, "was it... Blueblood?"

A pleasant thrill coursed through my entire body as the images warped and twisted in my mind. I watched, as though I was outside looking in, as the madly laughing red mare became a giggling lavender filly. I watched as the bloodied white stallion became a mangled and mutilated white colt.

What's... what is this? Is that the dream I had?

The thoughts swirled together in my mind until I could no longer discern the difference between the actual dream and what my mind had only just conjured up. Somewhere deep down I could feel the sharp pain in my leg and the lesser pain in my other extremities, but that and the growing confusion and disorientation was becoming drowned out by the oddly pleasant tingle coursing through my body.

It was almost enough to make me laugh aloud, despite the pain.

"There we go!" came Blueblood's voice, finally snapping me out of whatever reverie I'd been in, "that's much better!" he stopped in front of me and looked around again, his smile falling into another sour grimace, "well, maybe not. This place is rather filthy, but that's to be expected after hundreds of years of neglect."

He shook his head and tutted in mock disappointment before turning back to me, his smile once more back in place. He raised a hoof and swept it across the room in a grand gesture.

"In any case, Twilight Sparkle, allow me to welcome you to the abandoned dungeons beneath Canterlot Castle."

Chapter VIII ~ The Fractured Mask

Blueblood silently paced back and forth in front of me with a thoughtful frown. I paid him little attention, my mind still trying to come to terms with the images I'd seen. In light of that, it didn't matter to me what Blueblood wanted or that I was even down here alone in some old dungeons where I most likely wouldn't be getting any help.

In that moment, it didn't matter that I was injured, it didn't matter that my dress was ruined, and it didn't matter that I'd been tricked. My small frame still tingled oddly from the pleasant sensation those horribly macabre thoughts had given me, and I squirmed uncomfortably, unsure whether to be amused or afraid in this situation.

But why would I be amused at all, I wondered. There was nothing amusing about being injured and stuck down in an old abandoned dungeon and at the mercy of somepony who most likely had nothing good planned for you.

And yet, something inside me found the whole thing utterly ridiculous—laughable even.

"I'm curious, Miss Sparkle," Blueblood began suddenly, "you've gone quite far out of your way just to go looking for this pony. What made you think they'd be all the way down here?" he stopped his pacing and moved in close, lowering his head so that he was eye level with me, "who exactly was it that you were looking for?"

"N... None of your business," I heard myself growl through clenched teeth, "I got turned around and wound up here, that's all. It doesn't matter anyway because they weren't here."

I was still unsure of how to feel, so instead I opted for defiance. Blueblood had said he didn't want to hurt me, but I couldn't be sure of that given his other lies. Being scared however, wasn't getting me anywhere and while I was still worried, I could at least manage to put up a brave front.

"Yes, that is a shame," Blueblood sighed as he straightened up and stepped back, "but I'm fairly sure I already know who you were so desperately trying to locate," he cast a sly smirk my way, "it was Crimson Storm, right? That creepy Royal Guard?"

"She's... she's not creepy!" I snapped before grunting in pain, "s-she just... isn't good at talking to ponies. That's no reason for everypony to be scared of her."

"Oh, it's not Crimson Storm everypony is scared of, Miss Sparkle, I assure you," Blueblood chuckled mirthlessly, "rather, they're scared of the one 'holding her reins' as it were."

"What?" I asked, dumbfounded, "what are you talking about? Holding her reins? What does that mean?"

"Crimson Storm wasn't always the way she is now you know," Blueblood continued, as though he hadn't heard my question, "she used to be... a lot like you actually. Shy, introverted, naive as sin, but ultimately a nice pony that was easy to get along with," he paused, sighed, and shook his head, "but then she caught my father's eye, the poor mare."

I grimaced, half from the pain in my leg and half from the thought of the elder Blueblood. I knew from the beginning that there was something wrong with the stallion, but I had no idea just how horrible he really was, not until his son laid it out for me.

"My father, Prince Blueblood VI, Captain of the Royal Guard, Head of House Blueblood, one of the wealthiest and most influential ponies alive," the colt snorted, "and without a doubt, one of the most ruthless ponies in existence. I'm not sure if you've met my father, but he is not a stallion to be trifled with."

"I already told you I've seen him before," I replied quietly, my eyes wandering away from the colt as I thought back to the interaction between the Captain and Crimson Storm, "I could see for myself that your dad wasn't a very nice pony."

"Ah, that's right, you did mention as much. Well, that, at least, is something we can agree on," Blueblood responded with a small smirk. It soon fell into a frown as he began his pacing once more, "like Crimson Storm, my father used to be a different stallion. He was still a cold and calculating sort, but he had a heart... somewhere in there," his frown deepened into a dark scowl, "until my mother found it and tore it out."

I watched Blueblood carefully, and saw that the hurt in his expression was genuine. I believed him, but no longer sympathized like I did the last time he'd mentioned what happened with his mother. To anypony else this wouldn't have been so surprising given the circumstances, but I found it strange.

"We were happy—well, as was reasonable to be at any rate, but my mother," he snorted, "or as father was fond of calling her, 'that harlot', found another stallion to keep her warm at night it seems, and that's when things fell apart for our family.

"We were, and still are fine as far as finances and power are concerned, but the reputation of the House of Blueblood took quite a hit, and my father changed after that... drastically," it was his turn to wince as he spoke, "he grew more bitter, surly, angry, violent, especially around mares."

"Did he hurt you?" I found myself asking, deep down for entirely the wrong reasons, "did he... wait," everything clicked together and my eyes widened in realization, "...he hurt Crimson Storm."

"Hurt Crimson Storm?" Blueblood laughed joylessly, "Miss Sparkle, he broke Crimson Storm, that's what he does now. He broke her down over time and made sure that anypony who realized what was going on stayed silent about it. He is after all, a very powerful stallion in almost every sense of the word."

"S-So... all those ponies that wouldn't tell me what was wrong with Crimson Storm..." I muttered, my eyes wide and once again growing wet with tears, "all this time, the reason she was so... s-so..."

"Now you begin to understand, Twilight Sparkle," Blueblood exclaimed, jabbing a hoof in my direction, "when I said Crimson Storm had caught my father's eye, it wasn't as a potential lover, but as a simple plaything to vent his frustrations on," he let his hoof drop and gave a heavy sigh before falling to his haunches in front of me, his expression weary and resigned as he looked at me, "and where do you fit in all of this? Where do we fit in all of this?"

That was a good question, I thought, where did we fit in all of this? From what I could see, and by the way he spoke, it didn't seem like Blueblood agreed with what his father was doing, and yet here I was, still bruised, still sore, still unable to stand, even though he apparently had the magic to heal me.

He said he didn't like seeing me hurt, and yet refused to take the pain away simply because it suited him to keep me in this state, and for what, so he'd have a captive audience to listen to his monologue? His sob story about his family? The only thing I cared about was what his father had done to Crimson Storm.

As these thoughts took hold, my tears began to dry up—the horror of what I'd discovered slowly being replaced with something altogether different. My open mouth slowly closed shut, then turned down in a slight frown and I didn't reply to Blueblood's question. The older colt seemed not to notice though, lost in his own words as he was, and continued speaking.

"It's quite simple really," Blueblood continued, pushing one lock of his golden mane out of his face, "I want my father back, like how he used to be before mother's betrayal. After he's... had his way with that pegasus mare, he comes home, and for a time, I get my father back," he looked away from me, his eyes distant and wistful, his voice quiet and slightly shaky, "you have no idea what that means to me... no idea..."

He grew quiet, and stayed that way for a long minute before turning back to me with a small smile. My frown only deepened at that smile—there was something off about it, that, and his eyes. There was something desperate about his expression, something slightly unhinged.

"That's why I need you, Miss Sparkle," he explained, rising to his hooves and taking a step closer, "you are most likely the closest pony to the Princess right now, it is you, above all others, who have her ear," he lowered his head and practically pushed his face into mine, his eyes and smile growing wider and wider by the second, "you can convince her to give Crimson Storm to my father, and then I can have my father back, and things will be like they were before!"

He was practically shouting now in his excitement, and all the while, my disgust and anger were mingling—mixing together to create something I'd never experienced before. There was an insistent pounding in the back of my head, and my heart was thumping loudly in my chest. Somewhere deep down, that odd sensation was beginning to rise up again, but I tried to push it back down, afraid something horrible would happen if I let it overtake me.

Then the strangest thing happened.

My eyes, by chance, happened to flick away from Blueblood's face and to the room behind him. Off a little ways into the distance, near one of the cells with the broken iron bars, I spotted several of the bars that had snapped off lying scattered about, some long, some short, all of them very sharp at one end.

I looked back at Blueblood and another image flashed across my mind, but this was no dream, it was an idea. It was an idea involving one of those iron bars, some simple levitation, and a decent amount of force—enough to drive metal through flesh and bone. This was not an idea that a filly should have, this was not an idea that anypony should've had, and yet there it was, and the more Blueblood spoke, the better the idea seemed.

"This is why I haven't given up, this is why we're down here now, and why I'm talking to you!" Blueblood was raving, completely oblivious to my internal struggle, "I need this, Twilight Sparkle, do you understand? Crimson Storm may suffer for it to some degree, but that would be a small price to pay for the love of a father, don't you think? What say you, Miss Sparkle... will you help me? Will you talk to the Princess? You'll be rewarded handsomely—whatever is in my family's power to give you, just name it and—"

"I don't care about your dad, and I don't care about you, Blueblood, and after what he did to Crimson Storm, I hope he burns in Tartarus. I hope both of you do. I'm not telling the Princess to do anything, so you can go tell that to your stupid father."

It was my voice, they were my words, but I could scarcely believe either to be the case. All the anger had drained out of my tone, and was replaced with something dark and cold. My heartbeat had quickened significantly, and the pounding in my head had grown so bad, I could feel it reverberating in my spine, but it didn't hurt oddly enough.

Blueblood, for his part, seemed to have frozen, his eerily wide smile locked in place. For a moment we both stared at each other, and eventually, his smile gradually melted away and his expression grew blank. At the same time, that feeling I'd been working so hard to hold back started to slip through, and it was my turn to smile.

I smiled, and in that tense silence—with my heart thumping and my head pounding—my horn began to light up, almost, it felt, of its own accord. My eyes never left Blueblood's, but I could feel my magic wrap reassuringly around something further behind him.

I knew what I was about to do, and I knew it was bad, but in the face of the satisfaction I'd soon feel, the consequences didn't register. Nothing registered except for the weight of the cold iron and the end of this stupid situation. It had seemed absurd to me before, and now I knew why. It was because I could just kill Blueblood and be done with the whole thing, so simple a solution that a foal could've come up with it. So simple that—

Something smashed into my horn and everything went white, my world suddenly exploding in pain.

I cried out, trying to cover my face with bruised legs, as blows continued to rain down one after another. My magic winked out and somewhere in the distance, past the almost unbearable pain, I could hear something hit the floor with a loud, metallic clang. It was clear Blueblood hadn't noticed, as he was far too busy trying to pummel every inch of me he could reach.

I could hear him grunting and growling with rage, sputtering furious half formed words as he swung at me repeatedly. I could see his face, his wild eyes bulging out of his head and his mouth twisted in a horrible snarl. At some point I'd curled up on the ground, trying to protect myself from Blueblood's assault. It felt like an eternity before it ended, but end it did, and just as abruptly as it had started.

I was left lying there, a whimpering, blubbering mess of bruises. Both the terribly pleasant sensation and horrifying murderous intent had long since gone, beaten right out of me. Ultimately it was probably for the best, but at that moment I would've given anything to feel that instead of the pain I was feeling now.

Then everything stopped.

A series of outraged grunts and protests from Blueblood caused me to open my eyes, which had been squeezed shut and were already started to swell. What I saw gave me more than a bit of pause, and my mouth fell open in shock. Sitting on her haunches with the furious colt locked and struggling in her front legs, was Crimson Storm.

Looking up to where the entrance was, I could see that the door was open and that Blueblood's friends were nowhere in sight. I turned back to the red mare, my heart swelling with relief and gratitude, but that quickly died out when I saw the look on her face.

Whereas Blueblood's expression had been full of white hot rage, Crimson Storm's face was a calm mask, but the ice cold fury in her eyes was all too easy to see, and all of it was directed at Blueblood. Her cheeks were still stained a slightly darker shade of red, but it looked as though any other semblance of inebriation had vanished.

"C... Crimson Storm," I croaked between painful coughs, still unable to believe what I was seeing, "y-you're here... how did you..."

"I'm sorry you had to go through all of this, Twilight," she replied, her tone just as flat as it always was despite the situation and her obvious fury. Her eyes remained fixed on the struggling colt as she spoke, "I meant to see you sooner, but I haven't been able to. I've been... busy... but I'm here now, and everything is going to be... just fine. He won't hurt you... not anymore. He won't hurt you..."

One of her legs tightened around Blueblood's neck and he gave a choked gurgle, his furious indignation replaced with fear and panic as the gravity of his situation finally settled over him. Once Crimson Storm was certain the colt was lucid, she released a bit of the pressure and smiled down at him. It was the first time I'd seen her smile in any capacity.

It was a terrible smile, full of hatred and ill intent. It was a smile that reminded me of the dream I'd had. It was a smile that reminded me of the one I'd given Blueblood just as I was about to do something very, very bad.

I suddenly felt very sick.

"Crimson Storm," I began in a horrified near whisper, "w-what... what are you doing?"

"This is why I hate nobles, Twilight," she continued, as though I hadn't even spoken, "they're all the same... all of them, and the wealthy, renowned, revered House of Blueblood?" she gave an unsteady chuckle, her eyes clouding over slightly as she peered down at the now terrified colt, "well... like father like son as they say..."

Her voice had become shaky and unstable, the pitch rising higher as she spoke. I watched with no small amount of unease as she leaned in close to Blueblood and whispered in his ear, her wide smile falling into a knowing grin.

"...isn't that right, you little monster?"

Interlude ~ Sünden der Mutter – 1st Movement

My name is Octavia Melody, and like Twilight, I too have a story I wish to tell.

I have my own sins to bear, and while the acts I've committed are no less horrifying and unforgivable than those of the one I called my closest friend, those acts and my own twisted disposition come from a much more personal place. I suppose you could say the darker aspects of my psyche were something I was destined to inherit from the beginning.

If you are unsure as to what I mean, then allow me to tell you a bit of my family and where they come from.

The first thing you must understand is that every member of my family, from immediate to extended, is a unicorn. The second is that the vast majority of those family members have been or are currently musicians of some repute. As such, the Melody family has become tremendously wealthy over the course of many generations.

I am the first earth pony to be born into the family and that is where the root of the problem lay. My family's hometown of Trottingham was a large but rather isolated town in the middle of the Griffish Isles east of Equestria, and much of the populace consisted of unicorn traditionalists.

For centuries the vast majority of the citizens of Trottingham held to the old fashioned belief that unicorns were the superior tribe. They believed themselves above earth ponies and pegasi, a belief that originated from the settlers that migrated to the Griffish Isles from the Old Capital of Unicornia long ago. Earth pony and pegasi travelers from the Equestrian mainland rarely visited for this reason, but the opposite was true for those originally from Trottingham.

To many Trottingham natives, Canterlot was a city of opportunity, and there were a great number that chose to move to Equestria to seek their fortune in the modern capital city. Supremacist notions aside, Trottingham was by no means a backwards town economically. In an effort to modernize the town, there was some trade with both Equestria and the Griffonian Kingdom, but generally Trottingham was fairly self sustaining and had been that way for ages.

I won't go into details because I myself do not know them, but through some clever decision making on the part of a previous mayor, and the approval of the council at the time, Trottingham had become an economically wealthy town almost on par with places like Manehattan or Fillydelphia, though still on a much smaller in scale due to the fact that it was a smaller town compared to the larger cities in Equestria.

Having said all this, it's important for you to understand that while Trottingham was culturally and economically rich, many of its citizens were wealthy backwards thinking unicorn supremacists. In this modern day and age there were occasionally some ponies that had traveled to Equestria and come back denouncing the old fashioned ways and views of the town, but not nearly enough to make much of a difference.

More often than not those ponies were shunned or treated with no more respect than an earth pony would receive. In the end, those ponies would move back to Equestria and the status quo would continue. Back during my great-grandmother's generation, my family had been among the Trottingham natives to move to the Equestrian capital of Canterlot.

The Melody family had already been well known in Equestria for producing some of the finest classical musicians in the world, and it wasn't long after they'd arrived before they made a name for themselves among the Canterlot nobility. On the surface, the Melody family had learned to tolerate the other pony tribes—more so out of necessity than anything—but in reality they very much held firm in their supremacist beliefs and still do to this day.

Now you can see how being born an earth pony in that kind of environment would be... problematic. I suppose I should be grateful that I wasn't born in Trottingham, but that hardly mattered given who I was born to.

I won't try to justify what Twilight and I have done, but I want you to know that, like Twilight, I am not well mentally. This however, originates not from some possible mysterious magical ailment, but rather from the sadistic mare that raised me as a tool instead of a daughter.

Thus we come to my mother, Septima Melody.

Whereas the rest of the Melody family had nothing but disdain for anypony who wasn't a unicorn or the Princess herself, Septima Melody looked down on everypony. It didn't matter if they were earth ponies, pegasi or other unicorns; to her, they were all worth less than the dirt beneath her hooves, and she wasn't shy about showing it.

The only pony she showed even a modicum of respect for was my father, and even then the love and tolerance between the two was as fragile as glass and just as transparent. My father was another unicorn whose family had moved from Trottingham to Canterlot, and the stallion carried the same prejudice and supremacist views of any other unicorn from that isolated town in the Griffish Isles.

My mother had gone back to Trottingham for a time when she was younger, and that was when she'd met my father, Capriccio. They both traveled back to Canterlot together and married after a few years, Capriccio taking the Melody family name in the process. Other than that, Capriccio Melody is hardly worth mentioning.

Though I'd always wondered how he could fall for a mare like Septima Melody. Maybe it really was different back when they'd first met; maybe they really had loved each other deeply then, but by the time I was born, the love had become as brittle as dried leaves.

Still, while my father despised me as much as the rest of my family, he chose to ignore me altogether, unlike my mother. Septima was the real problem; that mare was the one who'd made me what I had eventually become, but I tell this tale to give what I feel is some much needed insight rather than to simply place blame.

Septima Melody was an exceptional musician—perhaps the most talented mare the Melody family had produced in several generations. With only a bit of practice, she could play just about any instrument with flawless precision and a great number of the songs she composed were received by the masses as nothing short of brilliant.

Naturally, all that prodigious talent combined with great wealth and the influence of the nobility made for a mare with bottomless pride and arrogance. Somehow, despite her horrendously haughty and sometimes downright cruel and vindictive disposition, the nobles still fawned over her. They fell over themselves to get in her good graces, did what they could to earn the closest seats during her concerts, and all the while she devoured the attention like a ravenous timberwolf.

For my mother, life in Canterlot was a paradise, but she wasn't without her enemies. There were other musicians—some other nobles, but mostly commoners who'd desperately struggled their way to fame only to have their dreams crushed underhoof by Septima Melody.

Sometimes they were in the way of some selfish ambition, sometimes it was because of some perceived slight against her, and sometimes it was because my mother simply didn't like the pony or found it amusing. Whatever her reasons, Septima had eventually become a monster in the eyes of many.

She had become somepony that needed to be brought down; somepony that needed to be taught a lesson in humility. My mother didn't see the consequences of her actions—didn't see the hole she'd dug for herself; she couldn't, completely wrapped up in her own world as she was. Like the villain in a play who thought themselves untouchable she was consumed by her own hubris, and just like that villain, that was her downfall; the end of her reign as one of the greastest musicians alive today.

In Canterlot, most ponies generally tend to trot everywhere on their own, unlike places like Baltimare or Manehattan where coaches were the most common way to travel around the city. In the wealthier districts of Canterlot however, it was a far more common practice to hire a personal coach, especially if said pony was traveling through the poorer or middle class districts.

My family was no different in this regard and my mother often took a personal coach whenever she traveled to and from a concert. It was on the way back from one of those concerts late one night that her life took a turn for the worst. She'd been playing with the rest of the Canterlot Philharmonic Orchestra at the Great Celestial Theatre, which was located near the south of what would be considered Canterlot's middle class district.

Naturally, Septima's performance was perfect and the show was a roaring success. After the show, my mother shook off her fans and separated herself from the rest of the crowd as she made her way back to her own personal carriage. Drunk off all the praise and adoration she'd received, the mare didn't realize the pony pulling her coach wasn't the one who'd taken her to the theatre.

Now, all of this was told to me by my mother herself and this part in particular was told during one of her episodes, so the details here get a bit murky in my memory. From what I can remember, the coachpony had somehow managed to make its way to an abandoned street in one of the seedier neighborhoods of the poorer district without my mother's notice.

Once she realized something was wrong, it was too late. She found herself ambushed by a group of thugs and was dragged off to some dark alley to be beaten mercilessly. Among the many injuries she'd presumably sustained, the worst by far was to her horn. The thugs had snapped her horn clean off and left her to stew in her own tears, bile and agony. The way mother tells it, I can only imagine how nightmarish an affair it must've been.

Looking back on it, I would've laughed if it weren't for the suspicions I had about my own conception.

Mother had always been strangely tight lipped when it came to that subject. Oh she and my father would talk for ages about how I should've never been born and how I was a blight on the otherwise perfect Melody family, but neither ever spoke of how or why I was different from the rest...

In any case, the only other thing I remember about what my mother told me was that she'd been left screaming for help for at least a few hours before the City Watch found her broken and weeping in that alleyway. It was a horrendous scandal that made its way into every paper in Canterlot and even a few in some of the other larger cities in Equestria.

I eventually found out that a few members of my family had paid quite a hefty sum of bits to certain important ponies to have the grittier details of the assault left unpublished. I never found out everything about what happened, but I'm certain it was for the benefit of the family as a whole.

As for what became of Septima...

Her horn grew back eventually, as all unicorn horns do, but until it healed, she was out of commission for several days and her musical skill suffered for it. Even after it healed, her flawless precision and razor sharp focus were never the same. She also suffered mentally from the event and refused to talk to anypony for several weeks after the incident.

She spoke again after a period of time, but it was clear she had changed... and not for the better. She began to have horribly violent episodes, she would occasionally mumble nonsensical things to herself when she thought she was alone. Over time the sudden rages and incoherent babbling lessened, but never completely disappeared even after I was born.

For the most part she seemed to revert back to her normal self, at least in the eye of the public. A few things had changed however, aside from the rages and babbling. She resumed writing compositions and while they were as beautifully written as they'd always been, she could no longer bring out the best in the music she played, and those who heard her play took notice.

Her popularity began to wane, but she still had just enough skill to remain a prominent figure in the society of classical musicians. Despite her reduced presence however, she'd become somewhat calmer overall—more sedate, more measured in her attitude towards others. If one paid close enough attention, one could still see the utter loathing and disgust she harbored for her fellow ponies, but she had become adept at hiding her vitriolic hate.

This was all before I was born of course, and it was only a few years after I'd been conceived that I learned the truth. It was only after my mother had gifted me my first cello that I saw the twisted creature Septima Melody had truly become behind closed doors.

The living nightmare my life would become began with my mother, her lessons, and that wonderful, damnable cello.

Author's Note

Wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to go this route and make these Octavia centric interludes, but the idea was already in my head and wouldn't go away so here we are. More interludes to come in the future.

Also, sorry for the out of order release, but this was the chapter I ended up finishing first. Everything will be back to normal once I finish the next chapter of The Ties that Bind.

Chapter X ~ The Retrospective

Act II

~ Dissonance ~

What happened down in those dungeons changed me in a way I could've never expected. Maybe 'change' isn't the right word for what happened; as much as I tried to deny it back then, it might've been more accurate to say that I had become 'whole'. It was like a part of me had been locked away behind my subconscious mind, and the events that transpired in those dungeons released that lock and merged the conscious and subconscious together.

No, back then it was more like they were haphazardly and clumsily welded together. I began to 'see' things nopony else saw in more ways than one. Over the years, during the course of my stay in Canterlot Castle and my time as Princess Celestia's star pupil, I started to think differently.

For the longest time, I was scared—horrified of what was happening to me, but over time, the curiosity began to outweigh the fear. It was a slippery slope at that point, because whenever I got curious, I would lose focus on everything else. Curiosity went hoof in hoof with interest and intrigue, and eventually, gradually my mindset began to change.

It was a wonder I managed to stay sane for all those years... or that's what I would've thought if I believed for even a moment that I was ever sane to begin with. I wondered how I was able to keep up the appearance of being a normal filly—a normal pony for so long when my mind had become so twisted.

To this day I'm not quite sure, but I do know that it wasn't always easy. I'd almost aroused suspicion and nearly revealed just how crazy I was on more than one occasion, but in the end, I always got lucky somehow. Something would always come to my rescue, whether it was my own wit, some outside element, or the simple ignorance of whoever I'd encountered.

Then one day, something happened.

For the longest time I'd danced with the idea that I might've been insane, but in the past, I always tried to find excuses, tried to justify my thoughts and actions to myself. It wasn't until this incident that I truly believed myself to be a madmare.

If I had to choose, I'd say that there were five... no, six defining moments in my life, and all of them seemed to revolve around my 'sickness' in one way or the other. The exam would've been the first defining moment of my life, as that was what I believe set this whole thing into motion.

My experience in the dungeon was the second, as that was when the thin veil of my innocence had been lifted and tossed aside. That was when I truly began to see who I really was and what the darker recesses of my mind held. Most of my time in the castle after that had been learning to cope while dealing with the trials and tribulations of being Celestia's student. what probably exacerbated matters was the fact that I had to also deal with ponies I didn't like, or even outright hated.

Canterlot was a breeding ground for negative emotion where high society was concerned, and being as close to the Princess as I was made it hard for me to avoid the nobility and their machinations as I would soon learn. My encounter with Blueblood VII that night in the dungeons wouldn't be the last time I'd have to deal with him and his ilk, and the third defining moment in my life had much to do with him, his friends, and what happened with Crimson Storm.

Crimson Storm...

Ultimately I never did find out what that mare was searching for, nor did I ever see her again. After the incident in the dungeons, I told the Princess my side of the story and what Blueblood had revealed to me about Crimson Storm and the Captain. I was shocked to find that Celestia had already known.

The Princess never told me the full details of what happened between her and Crimson Storm after I was teleported back to my room, but she did reveal that Greedy Gut of all ponies, had returned and told her everything he knew about the situation just before she was about to send for the guards to take Crimson away.

It turned out, by pure luck—whether good or bad I couldn't say—the pudgy colt had stumbled upon the truth of what Blueblood's father had been doing to Crimson Storm. He'd kept his discovery a secret for fear of some kind of retaliation or punishment from Blueblood.

Evidently the whole thing sickened him, and he lost a lot of respect for Blueblood VII and his family after that, though he still didn't say or do anything about it until after all was said and done. Unlike Winter Chime, Greedy Gut wanted nothing to do with Blueblood's plan, but he was also painfully aware of just how powerful the House of Blueblood was and wouldn't risk his or his family's ruination at the hooves of Blueblood's father by disobeying the colt.

The Princess of course, told nopony about Greedy Gut's involvement other than me, and I swore I wouldn't tell anypony. It might've been irresponsible of the Princess when she'd agreed not to tell a soul, but as I've said, we were close and up until this moment, years later, I'd kept that promise—or rather, had completely forgotten about it over time.

In any case, I asked Celestia about how she was able to find me, and found out that she'd noticed I was missing shortly after I left the Gala. From there all she had to do was ask the castle staff which direction I'd been headed in and had eventually deduced my location based on a 'hunch'.

As for how Crimson Storm found me, Celestia had no idea and couldn't get the mare to tell her. The only thing she was able to find out was that she was supposed to have been off duty that night and had apparently went out drinking somewhere at some point. She'd used some kind of excuse to return to the castle and after that... I don't know. Nopony knew.

I began to wonder if maybe she'd been following me, but if that was the case, why hadn't she intervened right at the beginning? Why wait until the situation had gotten as bad as it did? Could it have been that she was waiting for the right opportunity to catch Blueblood off guard?

Thinking about it now I wonder if her intention all along was to enter the castle so she could kill Blueblood. If that was the case, had she simply used me as a distraction? I want to believe that wasn't the case, but the more I think about it, the more sense it makes. Maybe Crimson Storm really had cared about me back then, but if she was out for some sort of revenge against the Blueblood family, then I may have been just a pawn despite any kind of bond we may have shared.

When I asked Celestia how Crimson Storm had found me, she told me she didn't know; she told me Crimson Storm didn't say, but now I wondered if the Princess had known all along and was trying to protect me from the truth.

Come to think of it, I never really found out anything about Crimson Storm at all.

Really, why should I be surprised that she may have just been using me? I thought I connected with her—and in many ways I still think I do—but that didn't mean she didn't have her own goals, her own ideals, her own demons. She was hurting far more than I could've ever imagined and I was just a filly who didn't understand, but now I do... and despite the very likely possibility that I was used, I still couldn't bring myself to dislike her.

She was a victim, she didn't deserve any of what happened to her. I know that sounds hollow coming from a horrible pony like me—a pony that's caused so much suffering since then, but I truly do believe that. Celestia ordered the whole incident to be kept under wraps so as not to incite any unrest amongst the citizens, and because of that, I never found out what happened to Crimson Storm, but if she's still alive out there somewhere, I hope she was able to find what she was looking for, even if she's no longer a Royal Guard.

Of course, having gone through all of that, my issues were far from over.

There was after all, the matter of the Noble House of Blueblood, as well as my own dreams and how they affected me. Ever since that night, I began to remember the gruesome dreams and visions I had, and things only spiraled downhill from there.

She'd never outwardly said anything of the sort, but even as a filly I'd gotten the impression that the Princess thought I was scarred for life after what happened with Crimson Storm and Blueblood.

She was never fully convinced that I was okay after the exam, and I guess she thought that night must've pushed me over the edge. While something had definitely changed, me being scarred for life—at least in the way Celestia was imagining—was far from the case.

Yes, I had questions—lots of questions, and yes I had horrible dreams, but those dreams were a different sort of problem I dared not talk to the Princess about. Mostly though, I was just confused and angry after the Princess and I had discussed the matter of what happened. She said I'd have a chance to talk to her about it from my point of view, but then a lot of rather convenient royal duties got in the way and we didn't talk about it until almost a week later.

At that point I was frustrated, and the only thing keeping me from lashing out was the memory of the dream I'd had after Celestia had sent me back to my room. It was horrible, it was gruesome, it was vivid and visceral, but mostly it made me think. I remembered each and every detail and the feelings it stirred within me were... hard to describe.

For a good while it occupied my mind and kept me distracted from the frustration of being kept in the dark by the Princess. We did discuss that night in private eventually, but I was told very little about what actually happened after I was sent away, and nothing at all about what happened to Crimson Storm in the end.

All I really gathered from the talk was that the issue of Crimson Storm's attempted murder had been dealt with in secret and that I didn't have to worry about her anymore. Had that been the end of it I still would've been frustrated that I wasn't being told everything sure, but I could've gotten over it over time.

Then I asked about Blueblood VII and his father, and that's what changed my frustration to outright fury. Celestia had been told about the way Captain Blueblood had treated Crimson Storm by Greedy Gut, but when she'd asked Crimson Storm directly about it, the mare had either denied any claims or simply said nothing.

To her credit, the Princess didn't stop there, and did question ponies who'd worked with Crimson Storm, but if any of them knew the truth, none of them said a word about it. She said something about a possible trial, but without any evidence, it wouldn't go anywhere. There was also the fact that Winter Chime's mother was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court—a fact which I hadn't forgotten—and as the Prince of Nobles, the Captain most likely had her and most of, if not all of the associate justices in his pocket.

Normally I wouldn't have known anything about that as a filly, but my time hanging out with the Captain's son before the Gala had opened my eyes to a few of the darker dealings the nobility were involved in. I didn't understand all of it, but I'd learned enough to know that not all was as it seemed when it came to who held the power.

In short, there would be virtually no punishment for the Captain's actions because nothing could be proven.

There were only two things I could take solace in. One was the fact that whatever had happened to Crimson Storm, she was most likely far from the Captain's reach. The other was that the actions of the Captain's son were a little more difficult to hide.

It was true that I'd been healed before the Princess arrived, but the sorry state of my fancy white dress had been evidence enough for Celestia. She initially wanted to blame Crimson Storm for harming me, but I was very quick to point out otherwise. Again I wasn't told exactly what Blueblood's punishment would be, but the Princess assured me it would be severe.

At the time, that was enough for me, but that was mostly because of what I'd personally done to the colt in the aforementioned dream I'd had. Among the many feelings that dream invoked in me, one of them had most certainly been a very grim satisfaction. In my mind I'd already given the colt the punishment I felt he deserved deep down.

I told Celestia nothing of what I truly felt, as there was a lot more fear, disgust, shame and confusion than any sense of gratification. I'd planned to take the memory of that dream, and all dreams following it to my grave, but that wasn't meant to be—at least, not for the first dream.

I'd made the terrible mistake of telling somepony about the first dream I actually remembered, and it would be the last time I told anypony anything about the darker thoughts that lay inside.

My story is far from over, and before it's done, I want to give you an idea of what my life was like from that point forward. I also want—no, I need to tell you of the events that led up to the moment I truly accepted that I was a very... sick pony. Before that though, I think it might be best to bring attention to the only other pony who'd known anything about my secret aside from Octavia.

Author's Note

So originally this chapter was a lot shorter, and to make up for it was planning to release two chapters at once. Then I actually started writing the other chapter and it turned out to be a lot longer than I was expecting. I also felt there was some bleed over from this chapter so I cut some of what I wrote out of that chapter and put it back into this one.

Now this chapter is at what I feel is a decent length and I'm almost done with the next chapter (which, even cut, is still pushing 4k words). I'll be working on the next chapter of The Necromancer's Apprentice from here, but in the meantime, the next chapter of this story should be out tomorrow hopefully.

Chapter XI ~ The Therapist

It just so happened that my next therapy session had been scheduled not long after the Gala. Now, it's not like I hated therapy, or my assigned therapist, Sound Mind, I just found the whole thing... uncomfortable. The stallion was nice enough, but I didn't like the questions he asked—I didn't like how vulnerable they made me feel, and the piercing gaze he would give me occasionally didn't help.

It felt like he was seeing right through me—like he was reading my mind.

I'd only had a total of two therapy sessions so far since the exam—one a few days after I'd gotten out of the hospital, and another not long after I'd moved into the castle. The first time had been more for an introduction than any actual session, and the second time had been Sound Mind more or less getting to know me. I'd only met the stallion twice, but both times he'd given off this mysterious air that kept me at a distance.

Up until the third session, I hadn't really said much about myself or what I was thinking, but that was before the Gala. Back then, I didn't have any kind of emotional baggage weighing me down, at least, not that I knew about. Then that night happened, and it left me a confused mess.

It left me vulnerable.

It was only a day or two after I'd had my talk with the Princess that Sound Mind came to visit me at the castle. In lieu of an actual office, we used the private sitting room near Celestia's chamber this time around. It made me all the more nervous about speaking my mind, but both the Princess and Sound Mind assured me nopony other than the therapist would hear what I had to say.

Sound Mind mentioned something about a patient confidentiality clause that even Princess Celestia herself had to follow. It did little to quell the unease, but I nodded along nevertheless and we proceeded to talk for the third time. What follows is an account of that third session, and in telling you this, perhaps you might understand why I found Sound Mind so unsettling.

The setting may have been different than the last two times I'd seen the psychotherapist, but the meeting played out more or less the same. I sat in one of the rather cushy white armchairs, and Sound Mind took the seat opposite me. There was a clipboard along with a pencil, both of which he'd set off to the side.

In both the meetings we'd had before, I had never once seen the stallion write anything down on, or even look at the clipboard he kept with him. It's like he brought them as a formality as opposed to actually having a need for them. At the time I thought it might've just been because he thought it might look awkward mouth writing after everything I said.

Hoof writing was a skill most ponies tended to pass on due to the difficulty involved in mastering tactile magic. It was easier for earth ponies, but even then, many thought it simply wasn't worth the trouble. It was a skill mostly used by earth ponies whose jobs revolved around dealing with lots of paperwork. I just assumed Sound Mind neglected to learn how to write with his hooves and didn't want to bother with his notes.

Between the two of us was a low coffee table with two mugs sitting atop it. At the Princess's insistence, a maid had brought both of us something to drink. Sound Mind had asked for some actual coffee, and I'd gotten some hot cocoa. It wasn't all that cold in the room, but it was getting closer to winter and the weather was getting colder. I figured if I had to drink something it was as good a time as any for the warm beverage; that, and it was one of my favorite drinks growing up.

There was a moment of silence between us as Sound Mind took some time to sip his coffee. I watched him somewhat warily, shifting uncomfortably in my seat from nervous anticipation. I couldn't help but wring my hooves at the thought of what kind of probing questions he would ask.

The stallion didn't look intimidating in the slightest; he was a tall, thin earth pony with a tan coat and a short, neatly cut black mane and tail. Beneath his horn-rimmed spectacles were calm, intelligent, piercing amber eyes that almost seemed to glow in the rather dim light of the sitting room.

That last part may have just been my imagination, but that didn't ease the nervous lump in my throat. Honestly, aside from his eyes, he didn't exactly cut a very imposing figure overall, but then again, it wasn't his overall appearance that made me shy away.

"It's good to see you again, Twilight," he began, setting his mug back down on the table before speaking again, "how's life been treating you since we last met?"

The stallion had a pleasant voice; deep, but not overly so. The way he spoke reminded me a bit of my dad, but rather than comfort me, it only made things that much more eerie. I winced slightly at the question and took a moment to answer, my gaze locked squarely on the table in front of me.

"I got attacked during the Gala," I muttered, slightly annoyed at the particular question. I flashed a quick frown in his direction before lowering my eyes once more, "didn't the Princess tell you about what happened?"

"That she did," Sound Mind replied with a sad shake of his head, "a terrible business, that. I'm glad you managed to make it through such a nasty experience," he leaned forward and gave me that look; that intense, searching gaze he used sometimes, "yes, Twilight, I'm aware of how you might be feeling, but I'd like to hear it from you. Do you think you'll be okay? Mentally, I mean."

I looked away and shrugged half-heartedly.

"I'll probably be fine after awhile," I replied quietly, "I'm a little angry about what happened, but—"

"Angry?" he interjected with a raised brow, "not scared? Aren't you horrified that you may have very well died down there in that dungeon? Most foals your age would be terrified to leave their room after what I'd heard you experienced."

"I don't know," I murmur, shrinking in on myself, "I... I mean yeah it was scary, but the Princess came and everything worked out, right? B-Besides, it's not like Crimson Storm was trying to hurt me," I couldn't help a small scowl cross my lips, "it was Blueblood who did that. And that stupid Winter Chime pushed me down the stairs, a-and then Blueblood, he wanted me to..."

I snapped my mouth shut and froze, the memory of what Blueblood had told me about his father running through my mind. That inevitably caused me to think about my own thoughts as I listened to him, and that made me remember what I wanted to do to Blueblood.

What I almost did.

"...Twilight?"

I blinked and looked up to see Sound Mind frowning at me in concern. He no longer had that strange searching look, but his eyes were still fixed on me. I grimaced and looked away again, upset that I'd already said so much and almost revealed something that should've never come to light.

"I'm fine," I huffed, "yeah, I was scared before, but the Princess saved me and she told me Blueblood got punished, so there's no reason to be scared anymore."

"And what of the mare? Crimson Storm I believe her name was?" Sound Mind asked leaning back in his seat, "she may not have intended to harm you as you say, but that doesn't change the fact that she very nearly killed a foal right in front of you. Surely that must've left you shaken?"

My mouth twitched at the word 'kill', but I held my silence for another moment and thought about my answer. I should've expected the stallion to be that direct; he'd been that way from the beginning, always cutting to the heart of the matter and asking the hard questions.

"I... well... i-it did, but..." I struggled with my words, but Sound Mind merely continued to watch me patiently. Seeing his calm, expectant expression, something clicked in my mind and I frowned—my tone growing suddenly cold, "...I'm trying not to think about it."

Sound Mind eyed me with an inscrutable expression for a long second before giving a small chuckle and reaching for his coffee mug.

"I see," the stallion replied after taking another sip of coffee, "I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable with my questions, Twilight, but I'm worried for you, and I'd be rather remiss in my role as a therapist if I didn't try to pry a little. I'd like you to open up a bit more sure, but like I said in our last meeting, you don't have to tell me anything you're not ready for me to hear."

I didn't have a response to that, so I remained silent and waited for him to speak again. He held his mug in one hoof and idly tapped the arm of the chair with the other, seemingly lost in thought as he watched me. It went on long enough that I was about to say something about it, but then he finally spoke again.

"This anger of yours," he began, "where does it come from? From what the Princess tells me, you seemed to have formed quite the bond with Crimson Storm despite the fact that you two hadn't known each other all that long. Are you upset because the Captain wasn't punished for his supposed crimes against Crimson Storm?"

"Well... yeah!" I snapped, rising up in my seat, "it's not fair! That evil pony hurt Crimson Storm so much for so long, and he's not gonna get any kind of punishment for it! Nopony's saying anything about what happened, not even Crimson Storm herself! The Princess can't do anything because there's no evidence anypony can use against Blueblood's dad, and... a-and... um..."

My angry tirade ground to a halt as I stared at Sound Mind. He looked as calm as ever, but that eerie look had returned, and as I trailed off, he took the opportunity to speak in my place.

"You're mad that justice hasn't been served then?" he inquired softly, "you're angry that Captain Blueblood is going to get away with the abuse of a poor mare who only lashed out at his son because she felt she had no other choice."

An odd smile crossed his face, and something about it made me shiver slightly.

"She wanted revenge, and she felt killing the Captain's son was the only way she was going to get it," he continued, taking another sip of coffee and leaning forward to place the mug back on the table, "and you sympathize, don't you?"

My mouth opened, but no words came out. I slowly sunk back into my chair and tried to think of a response, but all I could manage were a few stuttering, half formed words. Sound Mind ignored them and pushed on.

"No... it's more than that, isn't it?" he pressed, his strangely bright amber eyes staring deep into my own wide amethyst eyes, "there's something that's not being said here—something very integral... a much deeper issue that hides just beneath the surface..."

It felt like the air was growing colder by the second, and I found it hard to look away from the stallion's burning gaze. This had been by far the most unnerving therapy session I'd had with Sound Mind, and I had to resist the urge to flee from the room—from the stallion's piercing amber eyes.

Then, the therapist leaned back in his chair and sighed, and just like that, all the tension in the air vanished. His strange smile vanished along with it and was replaced with a more kindly sort of grin.

"...but I can see I've made you uncomfortable yet again," he continued in a more measured, friendly tone, "I apologize, Twilight. I'm good at what I do—very good, but I tend to get a bit carried away when I feel I've gotten close to a breakthrough. It's the reason I don't get as many clients as I'd like," he shrugged, "I'm trying to work on that, but old habits die hard, y'know?"

At my lack of a reply, Sound Mind sighed again and picked up his clipboard from where he'd set it. To my surprise, he began writing down something on the parchment attached to the clipboard with a steady looking hoof. Despite being shaken by Sound Mind's earlier words, I couldn't help but wonder why he'd forgone the use of his notes if his hoof writing was so fluent.

The next few moments passed in relative silence as Sound Mind continued to write something down on his clipboard. It gave me a chance to calm down and think about my situation and the therapist's words. I wasn't sure how much he'd guessed, and wondered just how he'd even guessed how I truly felt at all.

I couldn't wrap my head around it, and if I was being honest, it kind of scared me. This was why I didn't like talking to Sound Mind; every time I did, I couldn't stop myself from giving something away, and when I did, he always managed to drag out much more information than he should've been able to. I was afraid if I'd said anything else, he'd find out exactly what I'd been desperately trying to hide.

"Alright, Miss Sparkle," he finally said after placing the clipboard down in front of him, "I did have a few more general questions and some other matters to discuss, but I think after everything that's happened to you recently, it would be prudent to end our session here for today. You're clearly still stressed about the situation and in my opinion it might be better to give you some time to clear your head."

I gave an audible sigh of relief at that, letting out a breath I hadn't noticed I was holding. The therapist chuckled at my reaction to the news, but then frowned at me as I went to hop off my chair.

"Before we end things here though," he began, causing me to stop, grimace slightly, and slowly ease back into my chair, "there is one more thing I'd like to ask you. I know I've said you don't have to tell me anything you're not ready to tell me, but if you could give me an honest answer, I'd greatly appreciate it."

"Um... okay?" I replied hesitantly. I wasn't sure I liked where this was going, and the fact that his intense expression had returned with a vengeance only made me worry more, "I guess that's fine... i-if it's just one more question..."

My regret in saying that was immediate, but it had already been said, and besides that, there was something different about the way he looked at me. He looked... needy, like he was desperate for an answer to the question he wanted to ask. It was weird to be sure, but I found myself not wanting to turn him down outright.

"Thank you for your cooperation, Twilight," he replied gratefully, a small smile breaking out on his face. He relaxed a bit and cleared his throat before speaking again, "now then, my question for you is this..." he paused, seemingly for effect, then looking me dead in the eye, he asked, "...given the opportunity—if it was up to you, and if there were no consequences for your actions—how would you punish the Captain, Twilight Sparkle? What would you do?"

The question floored me.

Once again, the stallion had cut straight to the heart of the matter, and that question alone had revealed he knew something about the true nature of my thoughts. Perhaps I was looking too deeply into it, but as I said before, my imagination tended to run away with me when I was a filly, and all I could think of at the time was 'he knows!'

My eyes were wide and panicky, my heart was racing, and my breathing grew shallow as my imagination ran wild with horrible possibilities. What is he going to do? What if he tells the Princess? What would she do? Would she drop me as a student? Would she do to me whatever she did with Crimson Storm?

Those thoughts and more swirled around and around in my head and my fear grew more and more; that was, until Sound Mind spoke again, his calm and pleasant voice breaking through the mire of distress that was building inside me.

"There's no need to panic, Twilight," he assured with a kind smile and placating raise of his hoof, "as I said, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," he took up his mug and finished off the rest of his coffee before giving a soft, satisfied sigh, "if you'll allow me to be completely candid for a moment, this is more for my own curiosity than anything else."

"Your... curiosity?" I asked, nonplussed at the nonchalant admittance.

"That's right," he nodded and put the mug back down, "as I've said before, I don't get to work with very many clients, and even less in your... unique position. This may be a bit unprofessional of me to say, but as a client, you fascinate me, Twilight Sparkle."

"I do?" I asked, taken aback, "why? How?"

"To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself—not yet anyway," he replied with a thoughtful hum, "but I'd like to find out. Thus, the question," he gave me an apologetic smile, "again, I'm sorry for causing so much undue stress, but always remember that, barring a few extreme circumstances, everything said between the two of us is absolutely confidential."

"Yeah, but..." I bit my lip and stared down at my hooves, "I don't really know if..."

With my head down, I couldn't see Sound Mind's expression, but I could hear the concern in his next words.

"Twilight, I know there's something you're afraid to tell me—afraid to tell anypony," he said after a second or two. I stiffened and snapped a fearful look in his direction, but the stallion only smiled back, his eyes full of warmth and understanding, "but I want you to know that I'm here to help. I know that there are some things that can't, and shouldn't be bottled up."

"I know that," I replied without much confidence, "I know what you mean. The Princess already told me that, but..."

"...but?" Sound Mind urged.

I squirmed for a bit, both mentally and physically, unsure of what to do. I had initially planned not to tell the therapist anything, but somehow he'd already almost guessed at my true feelings, and he was right in a way. At this point I wasn't sure how long I could keep up hiding such a dark secret, especially from somepony as perceptive as Sound Mind.

Maybe I would feel a bit better if I told Sound Mind something about what was really going on. Not everything, but maybe if I told him about that dream, he might be able to shed some light on what was happening to me. That was what he was there for after all, and he did say he was legally required not to tell anypony what we talked about.

"I've... had strange dreams," I began reluctantly, "ever since I got out of the hospital after... what happened back then."

"The exam," Sound Mind muttered, to which I nodded silently. He gave another thoughtful hum, "does the Princess know about these dreams?"

"Nopony does," I replied with a shake of my head, "up until the night of the Gala, I didn't even remember the dreams I had. I just know they were... weird. They made me feel... weird."

"I see," Sound Mind replied, "can you describe that feeling in more detail?"

"Not really," I answered, frowning as I tried to remember the sensation, "I just remember feeling scared and... something else."

"And you said you hadn't remembered any of these dreams until after what happened during the Gala," the stallion surmised, "I take that to mean this was the first time you've actually kept the memory of what happened in those dreams?"

I gave an affirmative nod, but didn't say anything, prompting Sound Mind to continue.

"There is something I find rather strange," he said, tapping his chin, "you call them 'dreams', but your behavior and unwillingness to talk about them would indicate them to be 'nightmares'. You even said yourself that you felt scared when you woke up even though you didn't remember anything."

"I don't know," I replied, my eyes still firmly locked on my hooves, "they might be nightmares, but they don't really feel that way to me. It's just that... the things that happen in the dreams... they're bad things. Really bad things."

Sound Mind was quiet for another long moment—long enough for me to look back up at him out of nervous curiosity. He wasn't looking at me, but rather seemed to be lost in thought about something. His eyes had wandered off towards some point in the distance and his mouth was turned down in an odd frown.

"Um... Mister Sound Mind?" I asked worriedly, "a-are you okay? Did I... say something wrong?"

"Hm?" he muttered, blinking and turning to look back at me. He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly, "ah, sorry about that. No, you haven't said anything wrong, Twilight. Please continue," he motioned for me to speak, "can you tell me a bit about the dream you remembered?"

"Well, it was about Blueblood—the Captain's son I mean," I began, swallowing nervously. I wanted to stop there before I said anything else, but I'd already started and figured it was now or never, "in the dream I did something horrible to him. A lot of horrible things actually."

"Such as?" Sound Mind asked.

I watched him silently for a moment, looking for something in his expression. I wasn't exactly sure what I was looking for, but whatever it was, I didn't find it, so I continued.

"I... we were back in the dungeons, but this time I was the one standing over Blueblood..."

As I told Sound Mind what had transpired, my mind went back to the dream, its contents still horribly vivid in my mind. Even now, all these years later, I can still remember how our roles had been reversed...

I was the one standing over Blueblood in that dark, damp dungeon. My leg had only been sprained, but I'd made sure Blueblood's was completely broken as I slammed into it with a thick iron bar I'd picked up from somewhere. It took a few hits, but eventually there was a loud, satisfying snap, and unfortunately for him, I didn't know any healing magic.

Crimson Storm was nowhere to be seen, nor was Celestia, Greedy Gut, or Winter Chime. It was just the two of us, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. I remember just standing there for the longest time, simply enjoying Blueblood's wordless cries of pain. At one point he threatened to tell his father what I'd done, but that only made me laugh.

Then I shut him up with a telekinetic swing of the bar. It connected to his jaw with an audible crunch, and I was happy to hear something break. It may have been a dream, but I swear I could feel the impact of the blow, and it sent shivers down my spine. A foalish giggle escaped my lips as I lowered myself down to his level so that we were face to face.

"You're not gonna tell daddy about me because I won't let you," I whispered, softly tapping the iron bar against the mangled side of his face. He whimpered again and my grin widened, "and even if he did come through that door right now, it wouldn't matter, because I'd just do the same thing to him that I'm gonna do to you."

Those were the first and final words I spoke to the colt before madness and bloodlust took over. What followed next couldn't be described as anything other than me beating Blueblood into a pulpy mass of fur and bone and flesh. I stabbed at him with the sharp end of the bar, piercing the skin anywhere I thought wouldn't be fatal. I smashed at his ribs and spine until I heard them break, then hit him a few more times for good measure.

Then a few times more because it just felt that good.

On and on and on it went for I don't know how long. His screams never let up, no matter how much I brutalized his poor twisted frame, and my laughter never stopped. Both the floor around us and my face, chest and front legs were speckled and spattered with red so dark it was almost black in the dim light.

I wasn't too familiar with how dreams affected the senses, but I know they shouldn't have been as strong as they were then. The smell of copper was thick in my nose, and its taste was overpowering, but all of that only enticed me to hit Blueblood that much harder.

Each heavy thud of the bar against Blueblood's increasingly motionless body grew a little wetter until it became a horrible, beautiful squelch. It was a bittersweet sound, because it meant that my fun was just about over. I pouted for a moment as the colt screams died down to gurgles and his eyes began to flicker closed.

Then I got an idea.

With a smile as wide as the ocean, I let the magenta aura around the bloody iron bar fade and it fell to the floor with a loud clang. That done, I lit up my horn again and grabbed hold of Blueblood's head, causing the colt to perk back up despite his broken, near unconscious state.

I couldn't help but laugh again at his horrified expression. It was comical in its intensity, and was made all the more so as I started to mentally squeeze his head in. I wasn't sure whether or not I was strong enough to cave in somepony's skull with just my magic alone, but it seemed I'd softened up his head enough to make it work.

I was even able to wring one last gurgling scream out of him before the pressure grew too great. I was giddy with anticipation, my heart racing as I watched his face twist and contort into all kinds of funny shapes. I just continued squeezing and squeezing and squeezing until—

"I believe I've heard quite enough for now, Miss Sparkle."

The calm tone of Sound Mind's voice snapped me out of a reverie I hadn't even known I was in. I blinked a few times and looked around the room, feeling disoriented, groggy, and slightly giddy.

"Huh? What..." my confused gaze eventually rested on the therapist's passive face, "Mister... Sound Mind? What happened?"

"A very good question, that," he replied easily, before leaning forward, "why don't you tell me, Twilight Sparkle? What do you think happened?"

"Well," I began, scrunching my face up in thought, "we were talking about my dream and..." I froze, my face gradually growing paler as realization washed over me, "a-and I... oh..."

I started to shake violently, tears filling my wide, horrified eyes as I tried to remember exactly what I'd told Sound Mind. The words I used escaped me, but I knew without a doubt I'd told him everything about that dream—far more than I meant to, and probably in gruesome detail.

"Oh no..." I muttered weakly, "nononono... no—I didn't mean... I..."

"Twilight relax," Sound Mind said in as soothing a voice as he could muster, "I'm not here to judge you—"

"I'm a monster," I continued as I started to hyperventilate, "I'm just like the Captain—worse than him! Those noble ponies were right, I shouldn't be here! I don't deserve to be the Princess's student! I should be locked up or sent to Tartarus o-or... or—"

"Twilight!"

I started at the stallion's stern tone and looked up at him, shivering and sniffling all while. Once he had my attention, he eased back in his chair and gave me another warm, understanding smile. It wasn't as potent as one of Celestia's smiles, but it was still surprisingly effective.

"There's no need to panic," he said softly, "everything is going to be okay, do you hear me?"

"But it's not!" I whined, "ponies don't have those kinds of dreams! They don't do the things I did! I'm not normal, and when the Princess finds out she—"

"She's not going to find out."

That stopped me cold and all I could do for the next few seconds was stare at the stallion in disbelief.

"W-What?" I nearly whispered.

"She's not going to find out," Sound Mind repeated seriously, "Twilight, since you opened yourself up to me, I'm going to be honest with you," he looked at me from over his horn rimmed glasses, his strangely intense gaze unfiltered by the spectacles he wore, "if I were any other therapist, I'd most likely have reported what you've told me to the Princess and let her sort out the issue."

My heart leapt into my throat at Sound Mind's words, but before I could say anything, he raised a hoof.

"Let me finish please," he continued quickly. He waited until I'd closed my mouth before speaking again, "thank you. Now as I was saying, if you'd told me about this dream with any sort of horror or regret or guilt, we wouldn't have had a problem, but that wasn't the case here."

"What do you mean?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer, "what happened? What did I do?"

"That right there is one of the problems," he replied, pointing at me, "the fact that you don't even remember what you said to me might suggest something serious," he lowered his hoof and shook his head slowly, "for your sake I won't repeat back what you said to me or how you said it, but I do want you to know that it wouldn't be a good idea to tell anypony else about your dreams."

"W-Wait," I replied, my fear and panic slowly giving way to hope, "so... you're telling me to keep it a secret? You want me to keep it a secret?"

"I do," he nodded, "and though any good therapist worth their salt would do otherwise, I'm also going to keep our conversation a secret."

"But w-why?" I hiccuped. I didn't want to push my luck, but I had to know, it didn't make any sense to me then, "I'm a bad pony! I... I wanted to... t-to..."

"It's because I don't think you're a bad pony," Sound Mind replied kindly, "I just think you may be confused and scared by both recent events and what happened during the exam. There may some residual trauma left over from the exam, and your mind may be trying to cope with it in strange and unexpected ways, but I truly believe you can overcome something like this on your own."

He stood from his chair, trotted around the table to where I sat and put a hoof on my shoulder. He removed his glasses and looked down at me with such sternness and confidence that I couldn't help but believe every word he said to me.

"I'll say it again. You, Twilight Sparkle, are not a bad pony," he exclaimed with absolute conviction in his voice, "you may have bad thoughts every once in awhile; you may hear voices in your head that tell you to do bad things, but all you have to do is ignore them and you'll be fine, do you understand?"

"I just have to ignore them?" I repeated timidly, to which he nodded emphatically. I blinked and looked at my own hooves, feeling a strange but welcome sense of relief flood through me, "I just have to ignore them. I... I can do that."

"Good girl," Sound Mind chuckled, patting my shoulder before stepping away and back towards his own chair, "just remember what I told you and everything will work out," he gathered up his pencil and clipboard as he sat back down, then looked at the old grandfather clock sitting at one end of the room, "ah, it looks like we finished just in time for the Princess's first recess," he turned back to me, "I still have something I need to take care of, so why don't you go on ahead and let her know we're done here?"

"Oh... o-okay then," I replied, leaving my untouched cup of hot cocoa on the table and hopped down from my seat and quickly headed towards the sitting room entrance. I was more than happy to leave the stallion to his own devices, but as I neared the large, oaken door I stopped and turned to give the therapist one last grateful smile, "goodbye Mister Sound Mind, and thanks for... y'know. I promise I won't tell anypony else."

"Think nothing of it, Twilight," he replied with a small smile and a wave of dismissal, "you have a good day now, and I'll see you again next month. Oh, and let's not speak anymore about what transpired here from now on, eh?"

"Um... r-right, okay," I replied, suddenly wary of the stallion for some reason, "I'll be going now."

He didn't reply this time, already staring back down at his notes. I watched him for another moment longer, wondering what felt so wrong. He seemed to be off in his own little world, scratching away at the parchment attached to his clipboard. Then he chuckled to himself suddenly and a wide grin split his face.

My heart skipped a beat and I felt a cold chill run down my spine at the sight. Deciding it was time to leave, I quickly turned the handle, pulled the door open, and let myself out of the room, wanting to put as much distance as I could between myself and Sound Mind.

To this day, I wasn't quite sure what that was all about, and I never had the nerve to ask, but our meetings from that point onward were normal—well, as normal as one could get with Sound Mind's... eccentricities. The stallion kept his word and didn't tell the Princess or anypony else about that session, as far as I knew anyway. Just as he suggested, we never spoke about my 'condition' again, and I never told another soul about the dreams.

At least, not until the last time I met Octavia Melody.

Chapter XII ~ The Encounter

Life had become somewhat quiet for the most part in the year and a half or so following the incident with Blueblood and Crimson Storm. It's quite some time to skip ahead I'm aware, but honestly, nothing much had really changed for me during that time—at least when it came to my own inner demons. Frankly, I'd been too afraid to face them and had tried to live my life with my head down, acting as normally as I possibly could being Celestia's personal protègè. Not sure what to do with myself, I did my best to shut out what happened and ignore the twisted dreams that plagued me almost every night. It had gotten to the point where I'd dream not just of Blueblood and his father, but any random pony I'd seen in and around the castle, and each dream was more gruesome than the last it seemed.

In a word, I was scared.

Despite Sound Mind's reassurance that I wasn't a bad filly, I couldn't accept my own horrible thoughts so I shut it all out and pretended like my problems didn't exist. With more than a bit of assistance from Sound Mind of all ponies, I learned how to keep my emotions in check, and I found that over the next few months, I became fairly good at hiding what I truly felt from others—surprisingly so in fact. The psychotherapist still unnerved me, but I can't say I wasn't grateful for his help in the matter. What made things all the easier for me was that ever since my talk with Celestia after that incident, I'd seen neither hide nor hair of Blueblood VII or his right-hoof filly Winter Chime. I'd seen Greedy Gut a few times, but it had mostly been in passing and whenever he did notice me he'd get scared and scamper away. I thought it was strange at the time, but didn't really pay it any mind... that is, until I found out much later why he was avoiding me.

It was after that incident that I really began to lean on my introverted behavior. I became a borderline recluse, mostly locking myself in my bedroom and focusing on my thaumatological studies in my free time. Whenever I needed to leave I would make sure to be courteous and smile to whoever I came across, knowing full well that the Princess would start to worry if I showed any sign of my unease or fear. It was why I was able to get away with my reclusive tendencies for so long; rather than worry that I was distancing myself due to what happened, they simply chalked it up to preferring my privacy over the excessive company of others. I didn't know it back then, but I was effectively creating a mask for myself—a mask that, while far from perfect then, would do wonders in hiding who and what I really was beneath that innocent exterior in the years to come.

I'm sure it wasn't normal for a filly of only ten years to act the way I did, but my circumstances and psyche were anything but normal. Certainly, things had settled down for a time, but things would inevitably start to change for the worse once again after a time. It wasn't until near the end of that year and a half of peace that I began to drop my guard somewhat, but I did eventually. It was when I'd started to finally get used to life in the castle—when it finally started to feel like a second home—that my life was once more turned upside down, and I was far from prepared. Just like when I first met Blueblood VII, my new problems didn't immediately make themselves clear.

Living in the castle, there was no small influx of visiting nobles; whether they were there for legitimate reasons regarding the businesses many of them owned or to try to push reforms that would benefit them specifically, complain about current mandates in place, or to simply vie for Princess Celestia's favor or the favor other more powerful nobles like Blueblood VI, I couldn't seem to escape them. While most of them paid me no mind whatsoever, there were some who remembered what had happened during the exam and would point and whisper. Not only that, but despite Celestia's silence on the matter, word had somehow still gotten around about what happened during the Gala, though most of it was focused on Crimson Storm and none of it was flattering. The hushed gossip had gotten so bad that I eventually just tuned it all out together.

Then came the day I chose to visit the Royal Archives seeking study material for an exam I'd be taking at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns—a decision made by the Princess herself.

It was completely overcast that day due to a scheduled drizzle that was supposed to last throughout the afternoon and into much of the evening. I remember it well because I spent a good deal of time in my room staring out the window at the sky above while I was lost in thought. I'd moved the desk I normally sat at while I studied next to the window some time ago. It afforded a spectacular view of the rest of the city below the castle and it was something I could certainly appreciate, even if most of my attention was usually focused on the book I was reading or the paper I was writing. That day was different though; the evening before, just as I was about to turn in for the night, I'd received a visit from the Princess who informed me then that I would be taking another exam and that it would once again take place at CSGU. Naturally, my panic was immediate and overwhelming. Why would Princess Celestia have me go through that again knowing what happened?

Was this some kind of punishment? Did she find out about the twisted persona I myself was trying to hide away from? What could possibly possess her to make such a decision? What if something happened again? These were my immediate thoughts upon hearing the news straight from the pony's mouth. Thankfully, Celestia was quick to assure me that this would be a written exam only, which did wonders for my nerves... until I heard that if I passed, I'd be attending classes there three times a week for the next three months. The details were still being worked out, but Celestia assured me that I was far enough along in my personal lessons that even with only a couple of days of attendance a week I'd be more than capable of keeping up with the other students.

"But if that's the case, then why send me there at all? I already have the best teacher in the world!" I had whined to the already exasperated Princess, "and if I'm already ahead, then why even have the exam?"

"I'm surprised at you, Twilight," Celestia had replied in mock bewilderment, "was it not your dream to get into my school? Didn't you want to rise to the top and graduate as one of the greatest mages since Star Swirl the Bearded?"

"I can do that just fine with you teaching me," I pouted in response, "you know way more than anypony teaching at the school. Why do I have to go there to learn from teachers that know less than you do? There has to be another reason, right?"

When Celestia didn't answer right away and instead shot me a strange look, I began to worry that I might've gone too far with my gripes. Celestia must've noticed because a moment later she shook her head and chuckled in amusement.

"No need to worry, Twilight," the mare said with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "the disparity you show between your age and your wit sometimes just never ceases to amaze me is all."

My only response to that was to blink at her in bemusement. I knew what she meant and the comment made me blush slightly, but I honestly hadn't thought I'd said anything particularly clever. The Princess sending me off to her school for lessons taught by ponies who didn't have her extensive font of knowledge and wisdom didn't make any sense to me. That there had to be another motive should've been obvious to anypony. Still, I was right; Celestia did indeed have another motive, and it seemed some of the earlier assumptions I'd had about her worries were wrong somewhat judging by her explanation.

"But yes, you're right," the Princess continued, her smile becoming a little softer and slightly apologetic, "there are in fact, two reasons why I'm having you attend the school. The first is that I will be busier than usual these next few months entertaining an ambassador from Saddle Arabia during her extended stay in Equestria."

Though I wanted to argue, I couldn't really say anything against that. Celestia was a Princess before she was a teacher—she had to be. There were certain duties she had to perform and many of those duties took precedent over furthering my education. To assume otherwise would not only be selfish, but ignorant. Even as a filly I understood that much, and that's why I kept my mouth shut. Then Celestia continued and what she said next made me realize that simply acting like nothing was wrong with me hadn't been enough.

"I also think it will be a good experience for you," the Princess said, pulling me across my bed into a loose hug and looking down at me with an expression that oozed both motherly affection and concern, "I know you like your solitude, but there are things worth learning that can only be taught by being surrounded by your peers, foals your own age striving to reach the same heights as you. Those kinds of things I can't teach you, Twilight."

And so I sat alone in my room at my desk the next day, tired from lack of sleep due to stress and unable to focus on my studies. I turned my gaze instead to the murky grey sky above as if waiting for the answer to my predicament to reveal itself in the clouds. I normally didn't let my mind wander often anymore for fear of where it might take me, but I couldn't help it this time. I couldn't help but wonder what was in store for me. Celestia had been right; before my first disastrous exam, I wanted nothing more than to be a student attending that school, but things were different now—Iwas different in more ways than one and I was afraid of what might happen if I was around others my age. I was afraid of what competition would do to me, and of what I would do.

I'd heard that gaining the title of princeps magus upon graduation was a battle in and of itself among students, and back then I was willing to throw myself into that fight if it meant I could reach Star Swirl's level of mastery, but now... now I was on the fast track to that goal and I didn't even have to compete with anypony. It really was a dream come true, or it would be if I could just keep a lid on my more macabre nature. As it always inevitably did whenever my mind wandered, the thought of my sickness rose to the surface and began pushing aside my more mundane worries. I grimaced and shook my head before turning my attention back to the textbook I'd been trying to read for the last half hour or so. Truthfully I'd already read through the entire thing more than once, but I'd figured a refresher couldn't hurt. In truth, I wasn't too keen on passing this test, but that didn't mean I was going to fail on purpose either—I wasn't that kind of pony and refused to be that kind of pony even in these circumstances.

I'd just have to pass and deal with whatever came next. I couldn't let the Princess down and there was no way I could live with the shame of failing a written exam I could've passed with ease. The problem was that I wasn't getting any work done and this textbook wasn't holding my attention well enough.

With a melancholic sigh, I closed the book and floated it back over to my personal bookshelf before hopping off my seat. Before I'd gone to bed, Celestia had given me a roll of parchment with a list of the subjects that would be on the upcoming exam and their descriptions. After a moment's thought, I took the rolled-up scroll from where it sat on my desk, unfurled it, and looked it over. Most of the subjects I'd already studied and memorized completely, but there were still a few topics I had yet to fully grasp such as transmogrification and crystal-based magic. I furrowed my brow before looking back over to my bookshelf. At a glance, I knew I didn't have any tomes that covered those subjects, at least not in any great detail. There were, however, bound to be textbooks that covered those topics extensively in the Royal Archives.

The thought brought a small smile to my face; normally ponies weren't let into the Archives without good reason, and I was no exception. The Royal Archives, unlike the Grand Canterlot Library, were home to books deemed too dangerous, controversial, or otherwise classified to be distributed to the general public. Still, being the Princess' student did have it perks in that I was allowed to enter so long as I had a chaperone and it was for my studies. The Archives housed more knowledge than anywhere else in Canterlot and I was happy to have any excuse to enter. Thankfully I just so happened to have such an excuse floating before me. And so, with parchment in tow and renewed spirits, I practically skipped to the door of my bedroom, pulled it open and stepped out... only to literally bump into somepony I hadn't seen in a while and had almost forgotten about entirely.

"Agh! Watch where you going, you—" the other filly I'd nearly bowled over stumbled back before shooting me a glare, a glare that transformed into several different unpleasant expressions in the span of a second when she saw who'd run into her, "...you!"

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" I blurted out as I attempted to recover the scroll I'd dropped with my magic, "it was my fault, I wasn't paying attention and... and... wait... I know you... you're..." I blinked and frowned as I finally turned my eyes toward the other filly. My eyes widened and my heart sank into my stomach a moment later when I finally recognized the seafoam green coat and burgundy mane done up in a loosely braided bun, "...Winter Chime."

She was one of the last ponies I wanted to see again and seeing her again, the memory of that night in the dungeons flashed through my mind with vivid intensity—particularly the violent push down the stairs and the resulting pain in my leg. Winter Chime's eyes flashed with rage at the sound of her name, so much so that I took a fearful step back. Caught off guard and suddenly on edge, I glanced around to see if Blueblood was nearby, but to my slight relief, there was nopony else in the hall at the moment. I turned back to Winter Chime just in time to see the glare slide off her face and her expression to twist into a half-lidded smirk. The change was so abrupt that I couldn't help but shiver involuntarily and take another step back.

"Twilight Sparkle," she finally replied in a sickly sweet voice, "it's been far too long since we've seen each other. I'd love to catch up, but I have things to do elsewhere. I'm sure we'll meet again soon though... and I'll be able to give a proper apology for all that nastiness from before," her smirk vanished behind a genuine-looking smile for a brief second as she made her way past me, "who knows? Maybe we can even become friends! Real friends!" with one last wave she turned away and trotted further down the hall, "I'll be looking forward to catching up!"

I watched her as she left, taking note of the muffled snigger she failed to completely hide. It wasn't long before she turned a distant corner and was completely out of sight, but her departure did nothing to quell the rising dread in my gut. If anything it only grew as unpleasant memories began to resurface despite my attempts to shove them deep into the recesses of my mind. I swallowed and quickly scurried off the other way, grateful that the Archives were in the opposite direction from wherever Winter Chime was headed. I tried to focus on the Royal Archives, I tried to think about the knowledge contained therein, I tried to mentally catalog what I'd need for my research, but nothing helped. All I could think about was what the near future held and how motivated I'd suddenly become in passing that exam.

Author's Note

And we're back in business ladies and gentlemen.

Chapter XIII ~ The Archives

My sudden encounter with Winter Chime was a shock I had a hard time getting over as I made my way to the Royal Archives. As preoccupied with my thoughts as I was, I'd completely forgotten that I needed a chaperone present before the pony guarding the doors to the Archive would even let me in. The Royal Guard and I knew each other by name and face by this point, but rules were rules and Ironsides was a stickler for said rules. That being the case, all I got when I finally reached the doors to the Archives was a stern look and a firm "Sorry kid, but you know the rules." from the aging earth pony Guard.

We went back and forth on the matter, but the stallion's stubbornness ultimately won out and I had no choice but to back down. That wasn't before a brief image of a dream I'd had about the stallion flashed across my mind. In my irritation I let my mind wander and found myself thinking about what I'd done to Ironsides with my magic, one of the Archive doors, and his own helmet. Looking back, that dream had been both strange and horrifying. It's ridiculous to think I could do anything like that as I was back then. Still, implausible or no, those dreams and the strange emotions that came with them still scared me.

It was for that reason that I chose to retreat, hoping the stallion hadn't noticed how pale my face had probably looked. It happened in rare cases were the image of somepony I'd done terrible things to would pop up in my mind when I talked to that particular pony. It usually happened when the dream had been recent, and in the case with Ironside, that dream had only happened a few days ago at the time. Luckily I had some techniques I could use to get my mind back under control, both learned from my therapist and one I learned from my old babysitter back before I took that exam.

Before I could think about using any of what I'd learned, a sudden distraction presented itself. I hadn't even gone a few yards down the corridor from where Ironsides was standing when another familiar stallion rounded the corner, whistling some kind of tuneless yet jaunty ditty. The stallion in question was none other than Bulwark, the rookie Guard I'd first met after I'd been separate from Crimson Storm. He'd become a full-fledged Guard in the time since then and I'd seen him around the castle every so often, but we never really talked much again aside from the odd friendly greeting here and there.

As far as Guards went he was pretty friendly and had a fairly laidback personality that had somehow only grown over the last year and a half. Seeing the stallion coming my way, my eyes lit up and I jumped on the opportunity. Once I was close enough I galloped over and flagged him down, much to his surprise.

"Oh, hey, kiddo!" he called back as I rushed over to him, "not very often we get to see you out and about. How've you been?"

"I'm doing okay, thanks... but listen," I replied, trying to catch my breath, "are you... busy right now?"

"Just making my normal rounds, but my break's coming up here in a few," he shrugged before giving me a curious frown, "Why? You need something?"

In response, I held out the roll of parchment I'd been carrying and he took it, his curious frown turning somewhat bemused.

"I was headed to the Archives so I could do some research on a few subjects for an exam I have coming up," I explained as the stallion unfurled the scroll and looked over the contents, "but Ironsides won't let me in without a chaperone."

"Ah, so that's it then, is it?" he nodded before rolling the parchment back up, "well, I'm just about done here so I don't see any problem keeping an eye on you for a while."

"Really?" I asked, taking back the scroll, "is it okay for you to help me while you're on duty? I mean I appreciate it, really, and I know I asked but I don't want you to get in trouble..."

"Nah, it should be fine as long as you don't spend too much time looking around," he replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof, "just grab what you need and I'll take care of the chaperone business."

"Um, actually... I can't really take books out of the Archives," I murmured, staring down at my hooves and hoping this wasn't a deal-breaker, "we'd have to stay in the Archives while I do my research."

"Hmm..." Bulwark furrowed his brow in thought for a few seconds before giving a careless shrug, "eh, we'll figure something out. C'mon, let's go talk to Old Ironsides about letting you in."

With that, he led back down the corridor to the Royal Archives where Ironsides was still keeping vigil at the doors like a stone sentinel. All the while I silently resolved to try and talk to Bulwark more often whenever I had the chance to see him. There weren't very many pegasi wandering about the castle; even within the Royal Guard, the unicorns and earth ponies outnumbered them by a fair margin. In fact, the only other pegasus I'd gotten to know in the castle had been Crimson Storm, so I was hesitant to get close to another pegasus in the military.

I knew intellectually that they were entirely different ponies with entirely different personalities, but in my paranoid filly brain, that didn't matter. Still, after having talked to him again and having seen him around and openly conversing with other ponies, he really did strike me as just an all-around nice stallion. He was open and sociable and nothing like Crimson Storm was, so I began to think, maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more friendly.

I may have been okay being a borderline recluse, but that was mostly because I was scared of talking to others for fear of what I might think or do. At the end of the day though, ponies are social creatures who need somepony to talk to every once in a while. That was doubly true for foals, and as reluctant as I was to get close to anypony else, I sometimes couldn't help but feel a bit lonely holed up in my room all the time. With that thought came the idea that maybe some time away from the castle would actually do me some good—an idea that was quickly quashed by my earlier mentioned fears.

Trying not to think about what going to school would be like, I refocused my attention back on the world outside my own mind. We'd reached the entrance to the Archives and Bulwark was already talking to Ironsides who was eyeing me with a look I couldn't quite place. Looking back, I think it might've been worry, but his wrinkled face was so grizzled and his dark green eyes were so hard that the expression came off as kind of scary instead. Needless to say, I was quick to lower my gaze, doing everything I could to not meet his.

After a bit of back-and-forth between Bulwark and Ironsides, the older Guard finally relented and let us pass. I gave Ironsides a murmured 'thank you' and hurried in past Bulwark who held one of the doors open for me. There was a strange and nostalgic mix of scents wafting through the massive repository of Equestria's recorded history that always put me at ease. The moment I stepped into the multistory wing of the castle, all my fears and worries melted away.

I was no history buff, but the sheer amount of knowledge contained within the Royal Archives always filled me with a sense of awe and reverence. There were rows and rows and rows of not just tomes, but all manner of carefully preserved documents, old important photographs, all kinds of maps, and historical artifacts. Seeing it all was enough to make me forget about my encounter with Winter Chime and my horrid dreams.

It wasn't often that I was let into the Archives, but whenever I did get a chance to come here, it always felt like my own personal holy sanctuary. I was so enraptured by it all that I completely forgot about the stallion who'd made it possible for me to be there that day. An impressed whistle brought me back to reality and I jumped slightly before turning to see Bulwark cast his own surprised gaze across the expansive space before him.

"Y'know, I've passed this place a bunch of times before, but this is the first time I've actually been inside," he commented, "I heard the Royal Archives were huge but this is way more than I expected," his gaze fell to where I stood and he raised an inquisitive brow, "you sure you're gonna be able to find what you need before the sun sets?"

"Yup!" I replied easily, puffing out my tiny chest with pride, "Ancient Scroll told me about how everything is categorized and I've more or less memorized where all the tomes and documents related to thaumatology are."

"Ancient Scroll?" Bulwark asked with a bemused frown.

"Oh, he's the Royal Archivist," I replied as I began to make my way to where I knew my research materials were waiting, "he used to be a teacher at Celestia's School and knows all kinds of neat stuff."

"Ah, I gotcha," Bulwark nodded in understanding, "sounds like an interesting guy."

"Yeah, he is," I agreed, "I haven't talked to him in a while though. I wonder if he's at the desk today..."

Before I could really get into my research I needed to check in with the pony sitting at the front desk to get my ID card. The Archive ID card was a bit different from a library card in that only certain ponies—usually castle staff, certified scholars, or other ponies whose jobs specifically required one—could own and use one. The other difference was that, like everything else in the Royal Archives, you couldn't take one with you when you left.

The cards were stored in a backroom behind the front desk and the pony at the desk would have to retrieve it for you before you could peruse the Archive's contents. I was lucky enough to be granted my own ID by the Princess herself despite how young I was as a gift for passing a particularly difficult test awhile back. The ponies who worked in the Archives, including Ancient Scroll, weren't too keen on the idea of giving a foal access to the precious items stored upon the many shelves.

Thankfully, my somewhat fastidious nature and love and respect for knowledge as a whole did a lot to convince them I could be trusted. Ancient Scroll was my favorite pony to talk to whenever I visited, but I had a fairly good relationship with all the ponies working in the Archives. I was hoping to see the old stallion, but as Bulwark and I made our way to the front desk I could see that it was another pony working behind the desk—a middle-aged unicorn mare I hadn't seen before.

The mare had a lime green coat, a bobbed light grey mane, and tired amber eyes that sat behind thick half-moon spectacles. By the dour expression she wore, it was clear the mare would've rather been anywhere else but where she was now. Normally the front desk was handled either by a chipper earth pony stallion named Silver Clip or the old unicorn stallion Ancient Scroll himself, but neither of them were anywhere to be seen.

Instead, I went up to greet this mare whose attention was focused solely on some trashy gossip magazine she was lazily flipping through. I remember being irritated that the mare had chosen to read some boring magazine when there were literally thousands of other far more interesting things to read all around her. Rather than say anything about what I thought, I instead tried to catch her attention.

"Um... excuse me," I said, craning my neck up as I came close to the desk, "Miss? My name is Twilight Sparkle, I'm here to..." I trailed off, noticing she hadn't even bothered to look up from her magazine. I frowned and tried again, speaking a bit louder this time, "ma'am? Hello? I'm here to do some research and I need my..."

No response from the mare.

I didn't want to fault the mare too badly for ignoring me while she was reading because I knew I had the same problem. That said, I still couldn't help the building irritation of being brushed off by somepony that was supposed to be helping me. Before I had the chance to worry about my irritation turning into something a little more problematic, Bulwark stepped forward and cleared his throat loudly. The mare started slightly and whipped her head around to face the stallion.

Her expression ran the gamut from annoyed to surprised to false geniality.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in an apologetic tone, "I'm so sorry, dear. I'm afraid I was rather enthralled with..." she gave the magazine a quick side glance before sliding it away, "...ah, but nevermind that. What brings you to the Royal Archives today?"

"Well, I'm so glad you asked," the Guard replied before jerking his head towards where I was standing, "believe it or not, it's this young lady here who brought me to the Royal Archives. It seems she has some business with you."

The mare finally turned to me and the moment we locked eyes she made a face—I wasn't sure what kind because it disappeared far too quickly for me to make out. Whatever the look had been, she replaced it with an apologetic smile.

"You'll have to forgive me, dear," she said, "I... didn't quite see you down there."

"I called out to you... twice," I replied flatly. I wanted to complain a bit more but I chose to ask another question instead, "who are you anyway? And where's Silver Clip? He's usually the one sitting there—him or Ancient Scroll."

Something about this didn't sit right with me, but I couldn't quite place my hoof on why at the time. All I knew was that I was getting very bad vibes from this lady.

"All fair questions I suppose," the mare said with a nod, "well from what I understand, the young stallion has unfortunately left his position to pursue another career path," she gestured to herself, "I'm his replacement, you see. You can call me Floral Delight."

"W-Wait, what?!" I cried, blinking in disbelief, "But Silver Clip loved his job! Why would he quit?"

"I'm sorry, deary, but I couldn't tell you," Floral Delight shook her head sadly, "all I know is what I've heard. As for the Royal Archivist, it seems he's been away on vacation as of a few days ago. His temporary replacement should be here by tomorrow. In the meantime, it's just me and a few of the other assistants here right now I'm afraid."

"Vacation?" I repeated quietly, my brow furrowing in bemusement, "but... well, he has been working here for a long time..." I tried to convince myself that it made sense, but something still felt off. Unable to place it and aware that I didn't have a lot of time as it was, I shook my head and decided to move on, "okay... well, like I said earlier, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I'm here to do some research. Can I have my ID, please?"

"Twilight Sparkle, you say? Hmm... you seem awfully young to have an ID," Floral Delight frowned thoughtfully before stepping away from the counter and towards the door leading to the backroom, "bear with me for a bit, would you, dears? I won't be but a moment."

A few seconds later she disappeared into the backroom. The moment she was out of sight, Bulwark and I looked at each other and the stallion spoke first.

"Hey, maybe it's not really my place to say," he began, lowering his head closer to me and speaking in a near whisper, "but the timing seems kinda strange, don't you think?"

"Maybe..." I replied just as quietly and with a good amount of uncertainty, "I don't know, but I think... I get the feeling that lady already knows me."

"Really?" Bulwark raised his head and stared at the backroom door, "you think so, huh? Well, Miss Delight is certainly trying to live up to her name, but to be honest I'm not exactly buying it."

So that was it; We both knew something was wrong, but all we could do was wait for the mare to come back out with my ID. I had several questions, but I figured it would be better to ask some of the other ponies working here in the Archives. I was fairly sure I wasn't going to get any more answers from Floral Delight. Bulwark and I waited for a good five or six minutes while the mare searched for my ID, and with each passing minute, I began to grow more worried.

Silver Clip would've been in and out of the backroom in a minute with my card, but this mare had been taking far too long. It was possible that she was having trouble with the filing system given that neither Silver Clip nor Ancient Scroll was there to teach her how it worked. The problem with that was that there were still other ponies who could've helped her figure it out, and I was sure Silver Clip would've taught her before he left.

All these thoughts ran through my head as I waited for Floral Delight to return, and when she finally did, there was no card to be seen.

"I'm terribly sorry—Twilight Sparkle, was it?" she began, taking her place back behind the desk, "it appears I have no identification cards under that name."

"What?!" I shouted, "of course there is! There has to be! The Princess gave me that card herself!"

"O-Oh? Is that so?" the mare replied, her eyes widening in genuine shock. For a brief second her surprised gaze shifted to Bulwark before moving back over to me, "w-well, that's certainly... ah, perhaps it was misplaced," she cleared her throat softly got her surprise under control before continuing in a calmer tone, "if that's the case, then I'll do my best to locate your ID, but in the meantime, I can't allow you use the Archives without it."

"But... but I need to use the Archives. I have an exam coming up," I whined, "what am I supposed to do now?"

"Well, if you're looking for a suggestion, there's always the Grand Canterlot Library," the mare proposed kindly, "granted their selection isn't as... extensive as what we have here in the Royal Archives, the amount of research materials they have in stock is by no means meager."

"But that's—"

"Well, I guess it can't be helped then," Bulwark cut in, "it's a shame, but what can you do, right? We'll leave it at that for now and take our leave. Thanks for the help."

"Anytime, dear," Delight replied with a genial smile, "we'll do our utmost to find that ID of yours. It's not every day you're given a gift like that, and from the Princess no less!"

"I know, right?" the stallion replied as he gently began to lead me in the other direction towards the entrance, "she's one lucky filly, having a mentor like that."

"Indeed," the mare replied, "well, you have yourselves a wonderful day now."

"You do the same," he called back before turning to me, "come on, now. We'd best get going."

"But my ID—"

"We can't do anything about it right now," he whispered, "in times like this, it's best to just retreat and regroup."

"But..."

I turned to look back at Floral Delight, only to find her once again with her nose in that trashy magazine, the courteous smile completely gone as if it had never existed. Seeing that, I felt something dark and unpleasant try to crawl its way out of me. Thankfully I was able to recognize it for what it was and quickly shoved it back down in a panic before turning away and practically marching back to the entrance.

"Fine, let's... let's just get out of here."

I heard Bulwark pause behind me for a brief second before following a moment later. I didn't look back to see what the issue was and didn't say anything else until we'd put a good bit of distance between ourselves and the Royal Archives and Ironsides. I finally turned to confront Bulwark, but the stallion spoke first.

"Yeah, there's definitely something fishy going on alright," he surmised with a sigh, "and before you get all huffy about what happened back there, let me just say I get where you're coming from, but I don't think arguing about it would've helped."

"But maybe there was something else we could've done about it," I argued, "we could've asked the other ponies working there. They know me already!"

"Somehow I don't think that would've worked out either," Bulwark replied with a shake of his head, "I'm no detective, but if there really is something going on—if they're trying to keep you out of the Archives for whatever reason, then I'm sure Miss Delight would've taken those other ponies into account."

"Why would she do that, though?" I asked, almost desperate for an answer, "I didn't do anything to her. I don't even know her!"

"Sometimes it's not about the pony right in front of you, but the pony standing behind the pony in front of you," he murmured in response, almost to himself. When he saw my look of utter confusion he chuckled and shook his head again, "look, why don't you take Miss Delight's advice for now? I'll see what I can do about your ID card."

"Wait, you will?" I asked in surprise, "but... don't you have to go back on duty soon?"

"I'll make time somehow," he waved away my concerns with a hoof, "'sides, it's the least I can do after... well..." his lazy smile fell slightly and he chuckled again before turning away and looked back at me from over his shoulder, "just... don't worry about it. I've gotcha covered, little lady."

I tried asking him what he meant, but he started off down the corridor, waving back to me one last time.

"Just make sure you study hard and pass that exam, alright?" he called back, "you wanna make the Princess proud, don't you?"

And with that, he turned a distant corner and was gone. Like Winter Chime, I watched him go until he was out of sight. I stood there for a moment, mulling over what had just happened, but in the end, I just left to find Princess Celestia. I wasn't sure exactly what I was going to tell her, but it was true that I still had some studying to do. If Bulwark wanted to help me then I would leave it up to him. After my encounter with Winter Chime and what happened in the Archives, I got this deep ominous sense that life was going to get hard for me again.

Ultimately I decided to double down on ignoring the problem. After all, I just had to pass the exam and then school would keep me too busy to worry about any potential drama that might come up. That's what I said to myself anyway. Whether or not I actually believed it was another matter entirely. And what's more, my successful attempt to hide my twisted emotions back in the Archives did nothing to stop the dreams I had about Floral Delight later that night.

Author's Note

Sorry about the wait, folks. I had to drag this chapter kicking and screaming out of my brain and onto the keyboard. So it took a bit longer than I would've liked. :twilightsheepish:

Chapter XIV – The Library

With my ID missing and no other viable avenues left to me for the moment, I had no choice but to inform the Princess of my situation and intentions and find another chaperone willing to take me into the city. The Grand Canterlot Library was a fair distance away from the capital—past the wealthier districts infested with the nobility and sitting right in the middle of the most populated part of Canterlot.

I'd been out and about a few times during my stay in the castle and of course when I've visited my family on occasion, usually during the holidays. Outside of those specific occasions, however, going outside to do anything was usually the furthest thing from my mind. I had everything I needed in the castle, everything was more or less provided for me courtesy of the Princess and the castle staff.

I don't want to give the allusion that it made me spoiled or anything, the issue was that I didn't mesh well with a general crowd of strangers. Before the incident and during social gatherings within Canterlot Castle my anxiety was manageable—negligible even. If anything like what happened before happened again, I knew I could bring it up with the Princess.

Out in the city proper, there were no such assurances. There was only a vague sense of paranoia and fear that something might go wrong and that it might end up being my fault. Needless to say, having been forced outside to confront those fears in a situation where I was already wary that something was about to go wrong didn't help my nerves in the slightest.

That was to say nothing of my escort, a diminutive and rather mousy unicorn mare who looked almost as uncomfortable wandering around town as I did. From what I understood, she normally acted as one of the maids within the castle. Evidently, it was an off day and she had no pressing matters to attend to so she agreed to accompany me to the Grand Library.

She was a nice enough mare, but her somewhat timid disposition was only making me more nervous as we made our way deeper into the city. The soft rain pattering against our umbrellas as walked, fairly soothing though it was, did little to quell my unease. Though I couldn't quite shake the nameless apprehension, we thankfully managed to wade our way through the crowded streets and make it to the library without incident.

The Grand Canterlot Library was a step down from the Royal Archives, but admittedly it wasn't by much. It was a sizeable building with several wings, including one dedicated to everything we knew about Star Swirl the Bearded. Just as Floral Delight had said, the information contained within the Grand Canterlot Library should've been more than enough to fulfill my research needs.

The problem wasn't the lack of resources—it never had been, not really. The real issue I had with having to go to the public library as opposed to using the Archives in the castle was the sheer amount of traffic coming in and out of said library. Dozens of ponies used the library each day for both work and recreational purposes during the day, even in this weather.

While something could definitely be said for a well-read population, it made the place a nightmare for a borderline recluse like me. I felt like I was going to get lost in the crowd, and my escort looked exactly how I felt as we pushed our way through the procession of patrons. After some excessive apologizing from the off duty maid, we entered the library and headed straight to the front desk near the entrance.

Fortunately, I'd remembered to bring my public library card with me when I moved to the castle. It was one of the first things I remembered to bring with me and I'd gotten a good bit of mileage out of it before I was allowed into the Archives. Funnily enough, it was also a gift for my previous academic achievements—a laminated little number that had no expiration date.

A single flash of that card to the stallion attending the front desk and I had unfettered access to almost every wing in the Grand Canterlot Library. That didn't mean as much as having access to every bit of the Royal Archives, but it was still something I was thankful for. The next half hour or so was spent locating everything I needed for my research.

Once I'd collected everything I needed the next couple of hours melted into a haze of theories, algorithms, abstract diagrams, and complex terminology. The rest of the world faded into something incomprehensible as I lost myself in my studies. I had no clue where my escort had gone or if she'd even left to begin with nor did I care if that was the case.

This, for me, was complete bliss... of a sort. There was nothing I loved more than immersing myself in my academic pursuits, especially after what happened with Blueblood in the dungeon. It kept my mind active, focused—distracted from other things I would've rather not had to think about. I could shut everypony and everything else out and be the exceptional student I strived to be.

It was the first time in a long time that I'd had a study session outside of the Archives and at that moment a fleeting thought crossed my mind. I entertained it, realizing that being away from the castle—away from the toxicity of the nobles and their vicious rumors—wasn't such a bad thing. it might actually do me some good to do leave the castle more often.

And naturally, it was as I was entertaining that fleeting thought that I heard it.

It was a nothing statement spoken by a complete stranger sitting all the way at the opposite end of the same lengthy table where I was taking notes. It was a meaningless bit of background dialogue between two ponies that should've gone in one ear and out the other. They were words that should've passed right over me like an unobtrusive breeze. And yet for some reason, those simple words were enough to shatter my concentration to pieces.

"...nah, I'll be transferring schools once the semester's out."

My quill stopped, hanging suddenly forlorn over a sentence half-written near the bottom of the parchment. I flicked an ear towards the distant conversation almost involuntarily. Something—I wasn't exactly sure what at the time—made me pause and listen. Perhaps it was due to that vague sense of foreboding I hadn't been able to shake until a moment ago.

The unicorn who'd spoken seemed to be a student in his teenage years, not a colt anymore but not quite a full stallion just yet. His words were tinged with a bit of melancholy and a weary sigh escaped his lips as he leaned back in his chair. Sitting across from him was a unicorn mare who'd looked about the same age. In response, she leaned forward, her expression full of concern.

"What? Why? I know you enrolled late, but it's only been two years!" she replied in bewilderment, "i-if it's about the curriculum, I know somepony who can help! My older brother works as a part-time tutor, he can—"

"It's not about the curriculum, Azalea—well not entirely anyway," the stallion interjected with raised hooves, "that's part of it, but it's mostly my mom."

"Your mom?" the mare replied, more bemused than before, "I thought she was all for you going to CSGU? She even paid the additional tuition for enrolling mid-term."

"Yeah well, that was before the whole 'exploding magical filly' thing," he sighed, "you know how overprotective she is. After that mess, I practically had to beg her to let me stay this long."

And there it was, a fear I'd nearly forgotten about—a fear hidden somewhere deep in the back of my mind. The fear that if I went out somewhere I might run into somepony who recognized me from the incident. Other concerns had buried it somewhat, but I had never quite gotten over the guilt of what happened during the exam.

The Princess had assured me that she'd take care of the issue regarding what happened back then, but I had my doubts. Having just heard what I did, I felt those doubts turn to certainty. The incident hadn't been forgotten by the public. Even if the teachers didn't say anything, there was no chance in Tartarus that the students wouldn't.

The thought nearly made me sick to my stomach, but what made it worse was having to hide the almost reflexive smile that crossed my face at the memory of what I'd seen during my catastrophic magic surge.

"Now all she ever talks about is how the school doesn't care about the safety of its students," the stallion complained, "says the school board should bar foals who haven't gotten past the 'magic surge' phase from enrolling—not that I really disagree, but still..."

"But you weren't even there when it happened," the mare replied indignantly, "and besides, they've already taken precautions against something like that happening again."

"Yeah, I told her that already but she's not having any of it," the stallion groaned, "says as long as they're accepting unstable foals in as students then there could be another incident like that one."

"That wasn't a normal magic surge though!" the mare continued to argue, "that was... I don't even know, but from what I've heard, the filly had some abnormally powerful magic that went out of control. Normal foals don't cause that kind of destruction when they surge, Alpine."

I desperately needed to leave before they noticed me—I wanted to, but I was rooted to the spot. I don't know if was a twisted sense of curiosity or some perverse delight in hearing about the incident, but something kept me listening despite every nerve in my body telling me to flee the library. Torn between wanting to run and wanting to hear where the conversation went, I remained silent, my eyes fixed on my unfinished notes.

"Tell that to my mom," the stallion grumbled bitterly, "no matter what either of us says, the decision's already been made. Come the end of this school year, I'm out and headed to some fancy public school just south of the noble district."

"But it had nothing to do with you," the mare muttered despondently in turn, "well... y-you'll keep in touch, right?"

"What? Y-Yeah, 'course I will, Zelly," the stallion—Alpine, replied with a reassuring, if slightly flustered smile, "it's not that far from CSGU, and even if it was, the commute back to this part of town wouldn't be all that bad. We can still... y'know, hang out..."

The conversation at that point seemed to veer off to other topics. I breathed a small sigh of relief and tuned the apparent couple back out. They'd known of me but there'd been no confrontation and I was free to collect my things and leave before anything else happened. That had been my intention at least, but the moment I turned to leave—

"You're that filly, aren't you? The one who's irregular magic surge ruined the exam?"

—I was immediately greeted by the sight of another unicorn filly standing mere inches away from my face.

Startled by her sudden appearance I shrieked and stumbled away a step or two, dropping all my notes and books in the process. The filly looked about my age, maybe a little younger, with a mane and tail that were strikingly similar to my own. Hidden behind thick black horn-rimmed glasses were dark violet eyes that shone with intelligence.

Everything about the other filly's demeanor—from her stiff posture to her words and expression—conveyed a cold and clinical sort of curiosity that only served to make the unexpected encounter all the more unnerving. Save for a slight furrowing of her rather bushy brows, the other filly stood unphased by my reaction and simply waited silently for a reply.

"U-Um no, I... how did you—"

"I was there—at the exam, I mean," the filly interjected, cutting off my clumsy, unprepared response. With a flick of her horn and a bright greyish glow, she gathered up all the notes and books I'd dropped as she spoke, "I was actually next in line to take it after you. I saw the whole thing."

"You... you did?" I asked in a panicked near whisper.

"I did," she replied simply. She motioned for me to take my things and reluctantly I did, though my hesitation went ignored as she continued to speak, "it was... quite a fascinating spectacle to say the least, though I have to say, I wasn't expecting to ever actually meet you face to face like this."

Having taken back my things, I didn't really know what else to say. I was mortified, terrified, and the forwardness of this filly more than anything put me at a complete loss for what to do. I opened my mouth to make some kind of response when I suddenly got the eerie feeling that I was being watched.

I turned and sure enough, the two older students from before had stopped their conversation and were eyeing us—eyeing me. I couldn't gauge either of their expressions from where I was standing but there was a sudden shift in the atmosphere that I didn't like. No doubt my outburst had caught their attention and I was almost certain they'd heard my exchange with the filly.

With that conclusion in mind, I finally decided to make my exit.

"I-I'm sorry," I quickly stammered, pushing my way past the surprised filly, "thanks for the help, but I have to go."

"Wha—h-hey, wait!" I heard the filly call out from behind, "wait a minute!"

But rather than look back I just kept going, not even knowing where I was running off to. The only thing I wanted at that moment was to get as far from those three as possible. Completely ignoring the usual etiquette I showed whenever I was in a library, I quickly scurried past surprised and offended ponies, occasionally muttering an 'excuse me' or 'sorry' as I passed.

By the time I finally stopped to catch my breath I realized I had no idea where I'd gone. I knew the Grand Canterlot Library fairly well from the days before I lived at the castle, but I didn't know everything about it. There were several places in the library I'd never been to either because I wasn't allowed entry or that particular section of the building held no interest to me.

It was in one of those sections that I wound up, surrounded by countless bookshelves full of unfamiliar books. Looking around I couldn't see any other ponies in the immediate area and the silence was oddly pressing. I was reminded heavily of the empty corridor that led to the abandoned dungeons. The memory of it made me shudder slightly as I turned this way and that, trying to find out where I'd come from.

"W-Wait! Please, just hang... h-hang on a minute!"

A cacophony of panting and wheezing and the clop of hurried and uneven hoofsteps against the carpeted floor caught my ear and made me turn, my eyes wide with a mix of panic and surprise. A short distance behind and getting closer with each moment was the bespectacled filly from before.

Her glasses had gone askew and her face was positively shining with sweat but she didn't stop. I wasn't exactly an athletic pony to begin with, but I wasn't on my last legs like the other filly seemed to be. The idle thought that the filly was even more out of shape than I was crossed my mind, but I quickly discarded that in favor of the situation at hoof.

"What? What do you want?" I cried, taking another step back as the filly stumbled to a stop in front of me, "i-if it's about the exam I'm sorry! I didn't mean to—"

"It's... it's not about the exam," the filly panted wearily. She paused and hung her head for a moment as she desperately tried to catch her breath, "okay, well... it kind of is, but... g-gimme... just gimme a second..."

I was unsure of what to make of the situation as a whole, but looking at the worn-out filly and taking in her words, it didn't look like she'd chase me down to antagonize me. If anything it seemed like she had something important to tell me. My curiosity grew just a bit more and rather than take the chance to run again, I chose to wait. It was, sometime in the near future, a decision I'd both come to cherish and regret in equal measure.

"You... your name is Twilight Sparkle, right?"

I flinched at her question.

"Yes, but... how do you know my name?"

She let out one last winded breath before straightening up and adjusting her glasses. When she spoke again, it was in that same clinically cold tone of curiosity as before.

"My name is Moon Dancer, and if you don't mind, I'd like to pick the brain of the filly whose magic surge single-hoofedly turned the thaumatological community on its head."

Chapter XV ~ The Filly

Moon Dancer wanted to pick my brain.

This filly, who had watched me spontaneously raise a dragon to adulthood and nearly destroyed an entire school with my magic surge, wanted to know what made me tick. The idea was so laughable that I actually did chuckle a bit at her words, though it was more an uncomfortable, disbelieving chuckle than anything else. Looking back, I'm sure she wasn't trying to sound like some obsessed stalker, but at the time that's just about all I could think when I heard that.

"I-I'm sorry, but I... I really need to go," I replied, anxiety making my voice several octaves higher than normal. I wracked my brain for some kind of excuse to leave and thankfully it didn't take me long to find one, "I... I got separated from my chaperone! She's probably really worried, so I should—"

I began edging around the other filly in an attempt to escape and even managed to make it most of the way before Moon Dancer followed after me.

"I can help you look," she offered almost immediately, "two heads are better than one, right?"

"W-Well, I mean that's..."

I felt like the saying didn't exactly apply here the way she probably meant it to, but she didn't seem to care either way. The bespectacled filly seemed to lack any kind of self-awareness, brushing off my admittedly subtle attempts to remove myself from her presence. Given my self-conscious and diffident nature, I couldn't simply tell her to just get lost and be done with it.

In the end, I just let her follow me around as I tried to find my way out of what I now knew was the administration and finance wing of the library. I didn't want to think of her as a nuisance, but at that moment, that's exactly what she was. Unfortunately, trying to suppress my irritation only made it manifest in other ways. As we made our way back to the main area, Moon Dancer—too busy trying to get my attention—hadn't been paying any heed to where she was going and bumped into one of the taller, wider, heavier bookshelves.

In reality, nothing happened and the bookshelf didn't even budge an inch, but in my head, I didn't quite see it that way. What I saw was that same bookshelf toppling over like a massive domino on top of the inattentive filly. What I heard was a startled cry and a sickening crunch followed by a long and gratifying silence. It was only one instance and the image was nowhere near as vivid as what happened with Crimson Storm, but it did wonders to ease both my anxiety and aggravation.

My imagination hadn't taken over like that in a while, but then again, I hadn't let my guard down like that in a while either. I wanted to be worried, but I couldn't bring myself to stop the satisfied sigh that escaped my lips. I couldn't even bring myself to complain all that much because the thought of Moon Dancer's life being snuffed out made her presence much more bearable.

It was funny how that worked.

Funny... and more than a little concerning.

In any case, I was in a slightly better mood and found myself more willing to talk, though what about was still cause for some worry. Surprisingly, one of the first questions out of Moon Dancer's mouth wasn't about my mental state like I'd feared, but a question I hadn't even given any thought to.

"That mana... where did all of it come from?" she asked, adjusting her glasses and eyeing me with something like awe, "I was certain you were going to fail that exam, but when the sonic rainboom happened and your magic just—"

"Wait, sonic rainboom?" I interrupted with a confused frown, "what's a sonic rainboom? You mean that giant explosion everypony was talking about?"

It had been some time since the incident, but I'd never really tried to delve into why it happened or what triggered my magic surge in the first place. Back then, I simply wanted to distance myself from the events of the exam and gave no thought to any of the circumstances surrounding it. By the time the experts and the media had pinpointed the exact cause of my surge, I'd already shut it all out, and Celestia never bothered to tell me.

Of course, that was likely her way of trying to help me put the traumatic event behind me.

"You don't know?" Moon Dancer replied, her expression matching my own, "how do you not know? You were the one most affected by that destructive phenomenon—well, you and that pegasus filly."

"Pegasus... filly?" I hadn't thought it possible for my expression to grow even more confused than it already was, and yet, "what are you talking about? What pegasus filly? What does she have to do with what happened back then?"

I hadn't wanted to talk about the exam, that's the other reason why I wanted to get away from Moon Dancer. But now my curiosity was taking over and I couldn't help but ask. Thinking back, there were quite a lot of details I'd purposefully overlooked about that incident—far more than I expected given what Moon Dancer had to say. The other filly stopped and looked at me, searching my face.

"You really don't know, do you?"

"No, I don't," I frowned, "I... I wasn't really in a good place after all of that happened. I hardly even remember any of it, and to be honest, I didn't really want to."

It wasn't a complete lie, but...

"Oh... I see," sudden clarity seemed to come to Moon Dancer then. She cleared her throat before looking away awkwardly, "right, I uh... I suppose you wouldn't, would you?"

Her weirdly professional aloofness vanished and in its place was embarrassment and what I thought might've even been a bit of guilt. Apparently, she finally realized how overly forward she'd been in her approach and was regretting it—and from the look on her face, she was regretting it deeply. The sudden change in her demeanor had been so drastic that I was completely caught off guard and had no idea what to say.

For a long, uncomfortable moment we each just stood there outside the administration and finance wing, neither of us knowing how to proceed. Wanting to break the awkward silence, I started to open my mouth to say something. I wasn't sure where the conversation would go,but Moon Dancer saved me the trouble when she sighed and turned to face me.

"I'm... sorry," she said, her face the very picture of apologetic, "I get carried away when it comes to... erm... these kinds of things," she cleared her throat again and regained some of her cool attitude, "I didn't think about how painful something like that must've been for you and for that, I apologize... but I won't apologize for being curious."

I just looked at her.

In all honesty, I completely understood her reasoning because I was the same way when it came to my own interests. Not only that, but I could tell her apology was genuine, if a bit curt. I had no problem forgiving her for her lack of self-awareness, but it was her last statement that threw me off and left me without a proper response. She sounded so defensive—as though she was trying to wear her curiosity like a badge of pride... and with her next words, I realized that's exactly what she was doing.

"After all," she continued, adjusting her glasses and puffing out her tiny chest, "I'm a scholar, and scholars should never apologize for being curious. If we're not willing to ask, then how are we supposed to learn, right?"

"I, uh... I guess that's true," I replied slowly. I paused, then chuckled in spite of myself a moment later, "but you know, there's also a lot to be learned by just listening."

"Also true," Moon Dancer gave a sage nod as if she'd known that all along, "but it's not like you were offering up anything on your own, so I'm sorry but that rebuttal doesn't hold water where you're concerned."

I couldn't help it, I laugh aloud at that.

"A-And what are you laughing about?" she asked, looking affronted.

Her expression just made me laugh all the harder. It got to a point where I was starting to draw attention to myself, and I quickly got it under control. I shook my head and motioned for the two of us to continue walking.

"I'm sorry," I replied, still chuckling a little, "I don't really know what came over me, but I know what you mean. I can get carried away too sometimes so I can't really blame you—not completely anyway."

I was too young to understand why Moon Dancer's words and attitude made me laugh then. I realize now that it was because she was just like me in a lot of ways, just a little more impatient to be who she thought she was meant to be. As a filly, it was something I only understood at a subconscious level, but that was enough. Even if I couldn't pin down the exact reason, it was enough for me to make a connection to who I thought would be the first real friend I'd ever had beyond my brother.

Talking to Moon Dancer became a lot easier at any rate.

"Oh... well, I'm glad to hear it," Moon Dancer replied, and her next words and expression became uncertain, "so, ah... you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but..."

"My magic during the exam?" I guessed, "I can't really tell you where it all came from, but the Princess says a magic surge like that, while rare, isn't as uncommon as you'd think among unicorn foals."

"Really?" Moon Dancer asked, intrigued, "and wait... you said the Princess? When did you hear that from the Princess? I don't remember her saying anything like that at the exam."

"Oh, well I... uh..." I hesitated, then smiled awkwardly, "she... came to visit me after I woke up in the hospital. She wanted to let me know everything was okay and we started talking and... yeah."

Again, it wasn't a complete lie—Celestia had been to visit me in the hospital, but that conversation hadn't happened until much later when I'd already become her protege. I hadn't initially meant to lie, but something at that moment told me not to tell her the whole truth. Somewhere in the back of my mind, it felt like it would've been a bad idea so I said nothing about my teacher-student relationship with Princess Celestia.

"Huh," Moon Dancer replied after a thoughtful pause, "well if anypony would know, it only makes sense it would the Princess. She's lived for ages at this point and I guess statistically there would've had to have been similar cases at some point in the past," she shook her head and smiled a slightly envious smile, "still, you're pretty lucky, what with the Princess coming to see you personally and all."

"Yeah," I said before changing the subject, "b-but anyway, you still haven't told me about that pegasus and the... what did you call it? A sonic rainboom?"

"Right, the sonic rainboom," Moon Dancer nodded, "I don't know all the details, but apparently there was this race happening in Cloudsdale..."

She then proceeded to tell all about how this pegasus filly flew so fast she caused a sonic boom. Evidently, she'd managed to tap into the mana in her veins to build up extra speed, and when she broke the sound barrier, all that mana got released in one huge burst, thus the sonic rainboom. There was more to it, but that was essentially the basic outline of the working theory crafted by thaumatological experts.

Supposedly, it was a phenomenon that had only happened maybe two other times in history—a feat so rare that it had slipped into legend. For some reason, there were some that even called it 'the miracle that begets miracles', a phrase that only made me frown as I remembered the 'miracle' it bestowed upon me. Thankfully, having realized that she'd been too forward in asking about me, Moon Dancer was all too happy to veer off into other topics.

We talked for a little while longer about other things, like our academic pursuits and our current studies and the like. All the while I did everything I could to skirt around the fact that the Princess was my personal teacher, mentioning only that I had a private tutor. I was beginning to feel bad about the half-truths and lies of omission, but at the same time, I wasn't ready to trust the other filly just yet.

I was growing to like Moon Dancer the more we talked, but I hadn't forgotten Blueblood or even Crimson Storm. Yes, I was trying to put all of that behind me, but the wounds and conflicting emotions were still there beneath the surface. Still, we'd reached some common ground in our desire to learn so I pushed my concerns down and just let myself enjoy the conversation for a time.

Eventually, we found our way back to the main area where I spotted my mousy caretaker having a silent panic attack over by the front desk. An uncomfortable-looking pony behind the desk—the earth pony stallion I'd shown my library card to—was trying to calm the frantically whispering mare with little success. I winced at the sight and backed away a step before turning to Moon Dancer.

"Hey, so..." I nodded toward the off-duty maid, "that mare over there? She's the one I came here with, and it kind of looks like I should be getting back."

"Huh?" Moon Dancer followed my gaze and grimaced at the distraught mare, "oh... yes, you should probably do that before she embarrasses herself anymore."

"Yeah," I chuckled as I began trotting toward the desk, " well, it was nice meeting you, Moon Dancer—"

"Wait," she held up a hoof, "you said you were studying for a mid-term entrance exam, right?"

"Yeah... that's right," I replied slowly, "if I pass, I'll be accepted into CSGU as a sort of temp student for the next three months."

"Right, well..." she hesitated a moment, but collected herself quickly, "my mom works here as an admin service manager so I can pretty much come here anytime I want. If you need any help with your studies, I usually come here every weekend around this time so..."

She trailed off expectantly and I was left to mull over her offer. I only had about two weeks to study before I took the actual exam and I expected to have my ID for the Royal Archives in hoof well before then. Once I had that, I wouldn't need to come back here, but ultimately I decided it wouldn't be an issue to have her help me over the weekend. Besides, I didn't know exactly when I'd get my ID back so until then the library was still my best option.

"That sounds great," I finally replied, choosing to ignore Moon Dancer's not-so-subtle sigh of relief, "I'll probably be coming back here for the next few days to study and check out a few more things for reference."

"Alright then," she gave one last adjustment of her thickly rimmed glasses and slipped back into her aloof persona, "I'm pretty busy myself, but I'll see if I can take some time to find you then."

"Sounds good."

My last reply was somewhat distracted as the stallion had apparently spotted me from afar. He pointed me out to my panicking caretaker and I took that as my cue to leave. I waved one last goodbye to Moon Dancer and made the rest of the way over to the maid, looked like she was doing everything she could not to just hug me like I was her lost daughter returning back home.

After a surprisingly stern talking-to from the maid about my disappearance, I checked out my study materials and we began heading out the double doors and back out to the city. The drizzle from earlier had turned into a full-blown downpour, but the umbrellas we'd brought were enough to keep most of the rain at bay. My chaperone may have been miserable in the pouring rain, but I couldn't be happier with how my visit had ended, even if it hadn't started out all that well.

While I might've had something to look forward to for my next trip to the library, I couldn't really say the same about my return to the castle, unfortunately. My troubles were only just beginning where the castle was concerned.

Chapter XVI ~ The Omen

I returned to the castle in a better mood than I'd been in a long time. I had my study materials and a potential new friend. I was even willing to come around to the idea of going to school despite my fears that somepony would recognize me as 'that filly who destroyed the school'.

That optimism died relatively quickly when I thought back on the conversation I'd overheard earlier, but the fact that I'd even entertained the idea as a good one in the first place I thought said volumes about how I was feeling when I got back.

I was still all smiles when the mousey off-duty maid and I ran into Bulwark on our way back to my room. We were making our way down one of the outer corridors that lined the courtyard when we spotted the lackadaisical Guard talking with another one of the castle maids.

The rather portly unicorn mare was clearly on duty and looking slightly bemused as Bulwark spoke but I wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying. I'd meant to drop my borrowed books and notes off before trying to catch the Princess for a quick update. That plan slipped my mind as we got closer and I saw Bulwark's uncharacteristically grim expression.

I opened my mouth to call out with a greeting but the words caught in my throat and I slowed my pace a bit when I saw his face. Looking from Bulwark to the maid, somehow I knew in that instant that whatever they were talking about had to be bad news. What's more, I just knew it had something to do with me.

Call it conceit or paranoia, but something in my gut was telling me that my day was about to get a lot worse. I wanted to turn right around and head the other way. I, in no way, wanted to deal with whatever was coming, but it was too late. Sure enough, the stout maid just so happened to glance our way and was already pointing me out before I could make my escape.

I winced as Bulwark turned his head to follow the mare's pointing hoof and my heart sank at his deepening frown. I nearly jumped out of my skin as the timid mare next to me suddenly spoke. I'd completely forgotten she was there, but as we both watched the grimacing Guard make a beeline our way, she leaned over and whispered hurriedly in my ear.

"I believe you know your way back from here, young miss," she said with a slight quaver, "I'm sorry but I have other matters that need tending to now that we've returned to the castle so I'll take my leave and bid you farewell."

"What?!" I cried, feeling somewhat betrayed, "but... but wait! You can't—" But she was already trotting back the way we'd come, her quickly receding hoofsteps echoing mutely as she stepped through the open doorway into the castle proper.

I watched her go for a moment, my mouth hanging open in disbelief at being abandoned so suddenly. It was clear the mare had sensed the trouble in the air just as I did. I wanted to be angry, but I couldn't really fault the mare. After all, this really wasn't her problem and she was wise to back out before it somehow became her problem.

The sound of Bulwark's approaching hoofsteps pulled me from my thoughts. I looked over my shoulder and, sure enough, the stallion was making a beeline right for me. The maid he'd been speaking to, meanwhile, wandered off to resume whatever duties she'd been tasked with. Left with no choice, I fully turned to face Bulwark and tried to prepare myself for the worst.

“Twilight, just the filly I was looking for,” he called out, “wasn't sure when you'd be back but I'm glad I caught you when I did.”

His expression was still serious but his tone was more casual than I was expecting. I allowed myself to relax for just a second, thinking maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Unfortunately, my relief wouldn't last long. The guard reached me, then turned around and started heading back the other way toward the opposite end of the outer hall.

“We got ourselves a problem and I don't have a lot of time to explain,” he raised a hoof and motioned for me to follow after him, “c'mon, I'll give you all the details on the way.”

“On the way to where?” I demanded, scrambling to keep up with the larger pegasus' longer strides, “Bulwark, what's going on?”

I didn't get an answer until Bulwark and I made our way past the courtyard and into the castle on the opposite side of where I'd come from. I chose not to pester the guard, knowing he would answer eventually and honestly dreading whatever explanation he had to give. Eventually he let out a beleagured sigh and spoke, his eyes trained on the corridor ahead.

“So... I did a bit of digging while you were gone—about the library card thing, I mean,” he began.

“And?” I pressed, “did you find out what happened to it?”

He snorted and a disgusted grimace crossed his face. The expression didn't look right on his normally jovial features but I was too worried to care at the moment.

“Oh, I found out alright,” he practically sneered, “it wasn't easy, but I managed to pull a few strings. Got myself into that room behind the desk in the Archives.” He glanced down at me with a humorless smile, “Give you three guesses on what I found in there.”

“My... card?” I answered with a mix of hope and hesitation, “But didn't that receptionist tell us it wasn't there?”

“Yup,” he replied with a bitter chuckle, “turns out Floral Delight had somehow 'accidentally misplaced' your ID card during her transition into her new role as receptionist.” The guard let a grim smile slip, “At first she wouldn't cooperate with me to find it, but a short missive from the Princess herself on your behalf changed the mare's tune real quick.”

“The Princess got involved?” I asked, my eyes widening in surprise.

In the end I'd chosen to leave out what happened in the Royal Archives when I told the Princess I wanted ot go to the public library in the city. I'd wanted to just put the issue aside and let Bulwark take care of it since he was willing to help. Well, he'd certainly helped and I was extremely grateful, but I hadn't expected him to go straight to the Princess like that.

I wasn't sure how to feel about it.

“Are you surprised?” Bulwark replied with a raised eyebrow, “it took some doing, but I was able to get close enough to mention the situation to Her Majesty. All it took was a few words and she allowed me access to search the Archives, no questions asked.”

He frowned, “It was honestly kind of scary. She probably would've marched off to the Archvies herself if she hadn't been so busy. I think she was ready to actually.”

“Wow,” I muttered, both stunned and genuinely touched, “I had no idea...”

“Well, yeah,” the pegasus shrugged, “the Princess cares about you. Like, a lot. I'm just some lowly grunt who's met Princess Celestia only once before and even I can see that much.”

“I know she does,” I replied, “it's just... I'd wanted to keep her out of it. I thought she'd have more important things to worry about.”

Bulwark frowned at that and his tone when he next spoke was slightly admonishing. “C'mon, kiddo. You and I both know something weird is going on here. If the Princess is willing to help, then let her help—especially with this. You know she'd make time for you even if she had more important things to do.”

“Yeah, I... guess so,” I grumbled, still hesitant, but seeing his point. To be honest, the thought of taking advantage of the Princess' fondness for me still made me uncomfortable so I decided to change the topic. “A-Anyway, what did you mean when you said we had a problem. This is good news, right? So what's the issue?”

“Ah, right,” Bulwark replied, his mouth slipping back into a frown, “well, yeah, that was the good news. Now it's time for the bad news.”

I swallowed nervously, suddenly feeling I was a bit too hasty in my decision to change the subject. Bulwark, not noticing my unease, pressed on as we rounded another corner. Looking around, I noticed we were coming up on the corridor that led to my bedroom and a sinking feeling settled in my stomach.

“The whole deal with the ID card was why I was looking for you to begin with,” he explained, “wanted to give you something to look forward to when you came back, y'know? That was the plan anyway, but then... well...”

He trailed off as we finally reached the door to my room, a dark scowl crossing his face. We stood there in silence for a moment while the pegasus guard stared at the closed door like he was preparing himself.

“...Well what?” I asked, taking a tentative step forward, “what happened?”

Instead of giving me a verbal answer, Bulwark looked at me, gave a heavy sigh, and raised a hoof to the door's handle. He hesitated for another second, then turned the handle and pushed the door open. Standing next to him, I was able to see the space beyond the open entrance and what I saw turned my blood to ice.

My bedroom had been completely ransacked. And it wasn't just a few things misplaced here and there either. All manner of books and parchment had been scattered across the floor. My bed had somehow been overturned. Cabinets and dressers and even my desk had been toppled over, the contents torn free and thrown about the room.

The large windows had been smashed and it was clear from the dampened floor and drenched tomes and rolls of parchment nearby that the earlier rain had blown in. In short, my bedroom was an absolute disaster—like a miniature hurricane had rolled through the place. Taking it all in, I gradually felt my shock and horror freeze into something cold and hard.

I suddenly felt strangely dissociated from the situation as I stepped into the room. There was a clarity that hadn't existed a moment ago and I found I was able to analyze the mess with a calm and critical eye. I heard Bulwark make his way into the room behind me.

“When I went out to find you, this was the first place I decided to check, naturally,” he continued in a somber tone, “on the way here I saw some pudgy colt hanging around the corridor near your room.”

My ears perked up at that, but I didn't say anything and just let the stallion continue. While he spoke, I started to search the room for clues as to who might've done all of this. I was also on the lookout for anything that might've been missing.

“The kid looked awfully guilty about something,” Bulwark continued, “he booked it when he saw me coming, and I didn't think much of it then... not until I got to your room anyway.”

“What made you come into my room?” I asked. My voice sounded strange in my own ears. It was a flat, dead thing far removed from what a foal should sound like. When I didn't hear an immediate response from Bulwark I stopped what I was doing and turned to the pegasus. “Bulwark?”

I found him giving me a weird look, like he wasn't sure what he was looking at. Once our eyes met, he blinked and shook his head as if to clear it, then spoke again. “Sorry, I just... well anyway,” he cleared his throat, “I knocked on your door and figured you weren't back yet when I didn't get an answer. But then I thought back to that colt and realized the kid looked kind of familiar.”

“That was probably Greedy Gut,” I guessed, “one of Blueblood's lackeys. He was there when Blueblood attacked me in the dungeon."

“Right,” Bulwark nodded thoughtfully, “I saw him a few times in the week leading up to the Gala. Something about him rubbed me the wrong way—something about how he was wandering around near your room.”

“So you decided to investigate?” I asked.

“Yeah, that's about the size of it,” Bulwark confirmed, “Against my better judgment I invaded your privacy and, well... this is what I found.” He glanced around the room, his expression turning bemused, “Not sure if that colt did this or not, but what I don't understand is how nopony heard the racket this would've caused.”

“A silencing spell probably,” I surmised as I searched around my upturned desk, “and if that was the case, that either means it wasn't Greedy Gut or he had help from a unicorn.”

“You think it was him?” Bulwark asked.

“I don't know for sure,” I replied truthfully, “but I don't think so—at least, I don't think he wanted to if he did.”

“What makes you say that?”

“I've seen Greedy Gut around the castle a few times since what happened in the dungeon, and I get the impression he feels bad about the part he played in Blueblood's stupid schemes.” I shook my head and frowned as a growing sense of dread began to pick away at the strange, icy feeling that had taken over me. “In any case, I... I think I might have a few ideas about who did all this.”

“Really?” Bulwark asked. The guard's brows furrowed at the slight tremor in my voice, “Care to, uh... share?”

“Before that,” I said, trying to ignore the cold sweat and shaky hooves as I did one more inscreasingly frantic sweep of the room, “did you tell the Princess or anypony else about this?”

“No, I... didn't get the chance,” Bulwark replied, looking more concerned by the second as he watched me desperately search through the countless books scattered across the floor, “I was about to head off to let the Princess know what happened when you finally showed up. Why? Did you find something else out?”

“You were right, Bulwark,” I admitted as I fell to my haunches in defeat. I turned to stare out the broken window, a hollow pit forming in my stomach., My mind reeled as I thought about what I couldn't find and what it might mean. “I think I might need to rely on the Princess a bit more—at least for this.”

“Why?” Bulwark pressed. He took a step toward me, worry etched in every line of his face, “Twilight, what happened? What's going on? Whoever did this... did they take something?”

It took a moment for me to answer, but I eventually gave a slow nod and turned to the pegasus guard. I was unsure of just what kind of face I was making as I replied. “I think so. I can't find my journal, Bulwark. I think... I think they took my journal.”

Interlude ~ Sünden der Mutter – 2nd Movement

Most of the memories from my earliest years were of quiet ridicule and disdain from both my family and the noble families my mother still firmly under her hoof at the time. I, of course, was much too young to fully comprehend their vile sentiments toward me, and looking back, that may have been a blessing. It was a small blessing, and one that lasted not even into my sixth year, unfortunately.

That was when my mother discovered my talent for music.

Up to that point, my foalhood had been a relatively peaceful, if lonely, affair. The veiled hatred of my mother, the icy dismissal of my father, the cold and distant professionalism of the maids and the rest of the staff within the Melody Family manor. I'd been entirely oblivious to all of it, or perhaps I should say that such treatment was all I knew. I was rarely allowed beyond the manor's walls, and even then, I was kept at leg's length from anypony and everypony that approached my family.

Whenever I wasn't studying noble etiquette or basic education, I spent all of my time locked away in my bedchamber with only books from my mother's private library to keep me company. And when I say “locked away” I mean that quite literally. I had no control over whether I was allowed to leave my room or not, but that in and of itself didn't bother me overmuch. I had my books and that was enough for me back then. I was a contrite and obedient little filly, content to take abuse without so much as a peep.

I had no basis for how a foal should be raised, and only realized just how terribly I'd been treated in hindsight. And it didn't take long for that painful truth to set in, either. The transition from my life of quiet isolation to the focus of my mother's ire and ambition was a startlingly quick one. I was sheltered from her violent rages for five years, never knowing the true depths of her madness as I sat in my room, drowning my young mind in horror stories and murder mysteries.

I'd never been a happy foal, but for the first five years of my life, I was content to be left alone with my books. And then came the third month of my sixth year. That was when I was made to understand just how dark and twisted the world could be. That was when I learned of my mother's madness and cruelty. That was when I realized that horror stories weren't always just terrifying tales of fiction.

And throughout the rest of that year and well into my tenth, I discovered just how beautiful and painful music could be. I also discovered that, in a way I'd never realized until it was too late, I was very much my mother's daughter.

It all began, as many squabbles between nobles do, with impugned honor and bitter family rivalry. Before I explain, it's important to understand that in Canterlot, there is a caste system within noble society that divides nobles into two different classes. There are the noble houses that hold political and economic power, like the royally tied Bluebloods and the judicially powerful Chimes.

They are the top of this small caste within a caste, leaving the noble families who gained their wealth through the arts and sciences at the bottom. This includes musically talented families like mine and the Bulwarks, a family of renowned shipwrights. We were all considered minor nobility, but the minor nobles far outnumbered the higher noble houses.

This, naturally, led to far more feuds as minor noble houses in similar professions inevitably butt heads over one matter or another. More often than not, the matter was trivial, and the feuds were nothing more than temporary little spats that lasted maybe a month at most. But that wasn't always the case, and some feuds lasted for years—even ending in a blood debt in some rare cases.

My story truly began as a result of one such ongoing feud between the Melody and Euphonia families. House Euphonia had a similar structure and rank to my own, with two key differences. While House Melody was comprised primarily of talented string instrumentalists, House Euphonia was mostly made up of accomplished pianists. The second difference was that, unlike House Melody, the members of House Euphonia weren't averse to intertribal marriages—far from it.

The ponies of their house consist largely of pegasi, but you'll find plenty of earth ponies and unicorns that share Euphonia blood. For those not in the know, musicianship for any pony tribe other than unicorns can often be a struggle. Anima tactus helps, but tactile magic, while inherent to all tribes, is difficult to master, no matter what type of pony you are. By that metric alone, the Euphonia Family was incredibly impressive.

More than even their tactile skills and prodigious talent with the keys, it was House Euphonia's sheer tribe diversity that made them famous among other nobles and musicians. Normally, most noble houses took a view similar to the Melody Family in that they tended to marry into their own tribes, so this was—and still is—seen as a novel amusement to some nobles and deliciously scandalous to others. My mother, then still the Head of House Melody, hated them for this.

Her bigotry often caused unwarranted conflict between our houses, and we'd already become bitter enemies by the time I was born. I wasn't privy to any of this, and would likely have remained blissfully ignorant of the whole affair for years to come, had it not been for one inciting incident. The wife of House Euphonia's patriarch, by complete coincidence, just so happened to give birth to a pegasus colt on the same day that I was born. This in and of itself wasn't an issue, but the colt's apparent talent from an impossibly young age was.

The colt, Legato Euphonia, was a true wunderkind, showing unbelievable growth in his use of anima tactus. That, in turn, allowed the foal to grow incredibly proficient in his piano skills. It's said that, by the age of three, Legato Euphonia was already as good as a student four or five years his senior. All the while, I was forbidden to even approach my family's hallowed collection of custom-made chordophones.

In short, Legato was, by all accounts, well on his way to becoming the most prolific pianist the Euphonia Family had ever borne. Hushed whispers within the lower aristocracy would even herald him as the greatest musician since my mother in her prime. Needless to say, Septima Melody did not approve. Not one bit. It didn't help that the patriarch of the Euphonia Family would boast of his son's musical prowess at every high society gathering he went to.

This cycle of boasting, bigotry, and bickering between our houses would go on for the next few years without my knowledge. That is, until I was dragged along to a meeting between the Heads of House Melody and Euphonia one cool autumn evening. I had turned six a scant couple of months before, and my mother's initial excuse for bringing me along was to make my debut in high society.

It wasn't exactly the worst lie, all things considered. After all, I was still groomed to be a fine young lady of nobility, despite my incarceration within the family manor. I never particularly cared for the lessons given my teacher's frosty attitude, but they served me well. I never discovered what the pretext of this meeting was, but I was at least old enough then to realize something wasn't quite right.

Trotting amongst the family and staff of the Euphonia Family manor, I caught several pairs of eyes. Eyes full of confusion and curiosity, eyes full of disdain and hostility, eyes full of distrust and dishonesty. Many ponies gave me and my mother cold and calculating looks, sizing us up. Trying to guess our angle. I felt like a rabbit amidst manticores. Still, I obeyed mother and acted the prim and proper daughter she expected me to be.

I paid little attention to the sharp barbs hidden within the idle pleasantries my mother and the Euphonia House head, Rubato Euphonia, shared as we made our way to our destination. I was too enamored by the wondrous étude that had caught my ear as we reached one of several piano rooms. I'd heard snippets of beautiful pieces played on string in my family's manor, but this was something different. Something new. My mother sneered, calling the notes that wafted from within the piano room, unrefined.

Her words were tightly restrained, of course. If she'd said what she really thought, I'm certain we'd have been thrown out of the manor on the spot. Besides that, she wasn't entirely wrong, looking back. The music was coming from a foal—a supremely talented foal, yes, but a foal nonetheless. A foal who still had many years to perfect his craft. That wasn't something I understood back then. All I could hear was sweeping arpeggios and pitch perfect chords that took my breath away.

I'd heard music before, but until the moment we finally stepped into that room and the sound fully washed over me, I'd never actually listened. The piano room itself was small and relatively sparse as far as decorations, but the matte black petite grand piano that was its centerpiece more than made up for all the unused space. Sitting hunched over that piano, sweeping his hooves over the keys like his life depended on it, was none other than Legato Euphonia.

The pegasus colt was rather tall for his age, roughly half a head taller than I was at the minimum. Beyond that, his features were relatively unassuming—from his tawny brown coat to his lighter, sandy brown mane and tail. One other thing I noticed from where I stood were his eyes. They were a cold, almost metallic blue, and burned with a passion for what he was playing. His expression was intense, focused entirely on the keys, the notes they produced, and nothing else.

It wasn't the colt himself that kept me captivated, but his passion for what he was doing and the melodious fruit that passion had borne. I don't remember how long I stood there beside my mother and Legato's father. For what might've been seconds or minutes, I was completely oblivious to whatever discussion was taking place between the two adults. Much like Legato, I couldn't be bothered to listen to them, not while my mind was so ensorceled.

Had I bothered to pay a bit more attention, I would have realized just how heated the discussion between those adults would become. I would have known much sooner about the deal that was struck as a result of that heated discussion. Though, it surely wouldn't have mattered in the end. Ultimately, my mother would storm out of the Euphonia Family manor, dragging her scared and confused earth pony daughter behind her.

And so, I was torn from my reverie, forced to return to the Melody Estate without ever having spoken to the colt who'd opened my mind to the wonders of music. He hadn't even known I was there, and even as mother pulled me away, he never once took his metallic blue eyes away from those keys. I wanted so badly at that moment to feel that same drive, that same passion that Legato felt for his music, but such a thing wasn't meant to be. Not then. Not yet.

Before that, I would come to know intimately the reality kept hidden from me until now. Innocent wonder turned to grim foreboding as my mother and I rode the coach back home. A dangerous silence hung over the carriage like a pitch-black thunderhead. I sat across from my mother, whose severe features may as well have been carved from stone. I wanted to ask why she seemed upset, but a primal fear kept my mouth shut the whole way back.

Once we'd returned home, mother wasted no time in introducing me to the cellar I'd never known we'd had until then. I cried out as my mother forced marched me through the halls, out into the garden around the back of the manor, and toward the bulkhead door that led down into the cellar, but I was a ghost for all the good it did. Nopony stopped us. Nopony asked any questions. Nopony so much as looked in my direction.

We entered that dark and dusty place alone and unmolested, my mother and me. And once that cellar door slammed shut and the enchanted wall sconces burst to life, I realized, even through my terror and confusion, that I'd been blind. Young as I was, I understood on some level that I knew nothing of the world's cruelty. I also understood then, that I would soon learn well that cruelty, and that the lesson would come at the hooves of Septima Melody.

What once might have been a storage space fit for the most avid of antiquarians, now lay in absolute ruin. Paintings, dressers, armoires, books, antique chairs and tables, porcelain dishware, and so much more. It all lay broken, cracked, burnt, shredded, and scattered across the cellar floor. I would've called it a sight akin to a natural disaster, but that would've been wrong.

Even at my age, or perhaps because I was so young then, I could tell this had all been deliberate—the brutal savagery of a creature enslaved to their uncontrollable fury. I hadn't needed to comprehend the origin of the many dark stains smeared across the floor, as well as the torn and crusty rags strewn among the chaos—rags that had likely been designer outfits of the finest make once upon a time.

No, the consideration of those implications would come later, and they weren't needed regardless. I knew full well the danger I was in, but what could I do? I was a simple foal. An earth pony foal. I had no power. I had nopony willing to help me. I had nothing. I cried and screamed and tried to pull free of my mother's magical grasp, but all that did was further fan the flames of her wrath.

I knew deep down what was about to happen, I just didn't know why, but Septima Melody would tell me. She would make the reason for her wroth all too clear as she hurled me bodily into a pile of broken and splintered wood and glass and porcelain. She ignored my wails as she screamed about what a disappoint I was until her throat was raw. She lamented my birth, cursed my name, made sure to beat my inferiority into me.

That I shared my rotten earth pony blood with such a prestigious family was a crime, and this was my punishment. And the tirade went on and on and on for what felt like one agonizing eternity. I'll spare any further details of what happened in the cellar that night, but suffice it to say, I learned firsthoof why my father kept unicorns who knew powerful healing magic on the family's payroll.

My mother could have killed me that night. I know she wanted to, and I know that she very well might have, had it not been for the deal she'd made with Rubato Euphonia. It was more of a challenge, really. Legato was Rubato's youngest son. His wife had borne him an older brother and a sister before that. While not nearly as talented as their youngest sibling, the two older siblings were outstanding pianists in their own right.

This meant that there was plenty of talent to go around within the Euphonia Family. And then there was me. I was the only foal born to my mother, and she never had another after me. Neither she nor my father ever told me why, but as I grew older and learned more about my mother's past, I formed my own suspicions. I had aunts and uncles and several cousins who would come to visit often, but as far as immediately family went, it was just me, my parents, the maids, the butler, and the rest of the hired staff at the manor.

I was the one and only daughter of House Melody—the only one who would one day inherit the family's name and fortune. The idea infuriated my mother, and I would continue to feel that ire and hatred in every action Septima Melody took against me from then on. That night, there in the cellar, marked the end of my innocence, and the beginning of a nightmare from which there was no escape.

Needless to say, I was now terrified of my mother. I wanted nothing to do with her. I wanted to escape the manor, to run away and never look back. I wanted to run back to the Euphonia manor and beg them to take me in. I wanted to hear more of Legato's breathtaking refrains, to drink in his passionate fervor as he completely immersed himself in the music, but it wasn't meant to be. My family's manor became a gilded cage and my mother was the warden.

I either learned absolute obeisance, or spent yet another night in the cellar with Septima. That was my ultimatum, and for me, it wasn't a difficult choice to make. Once my mother was certain I understood, she finally revealed to me the deal she'd struck with the Euphonia Family patriarch. In essence, there was to be a grand contest in one month's time between myself and Legato to determine the most talented musician out of the two of us.

The contest itself would take place in a public venue and was free for all nobles to attend—a suggestion made by Rubato in an obvious bid to humiliate my mother, and she knew that, but she accepted anyway. Her arrogance and ego wouldn't allow the mare to do otherwise. And if I didn't come out on top, my mother informed me in no uncertain terms that I wouldn't live long enough to regret my loss.

And so, it was with that lovely incentive hanging over my head like the hoof of the Pale Horse that I was tossed headfirst into an impossible challenge—or so I believed. It was with that same promise of retribution that Septima bestowed upon me my very first cello. And for a moment, I very nearly forgot about the impossible stakes as I took hold of that beautiful instrument. I nearly forgot about the pain and the terror, and all my worries about what the future might hold were washed away.

But only for a moment.

Chapter XVII ~ The Exam (Redux)

Thanks to some rather clever spellwork from some of the castle's more knowledgeable unicorn maids, getting my room fixed up wasn't too much of an issue. Barely a few hours had passed before everything was as it should be—for the most part. There was still the matter of my missing journal and, of course, the culprit who'd messed up my bedroom and taken the thing.

As I mentioned to Bulwark, I had some ideas about who might've taken my journal. The possible culprits were obvious for anypony who knew my situation and what happened with the dungeon incident. The issue wasn't figuring out who the mastermind was—there was no doubt in my mind that it was Blueblood. No, the biggest issue was getting the evidence to prove it was him and whoever he'd put up to the task.

I was ready to go looking for clues and start interrogating ponies myself, but ultimately decided to let the Princess know about it. I figured I wouldn't have been able to keep something like this under wraps anyway—not for very long. Needless to say, Princess Celestia was... not happy. She hid it fairly well, but I'd been around the Princess long enough at that point to know when she was irate, and it was never a comfortable thing to behold.

Still, the fact that she was upset on my behalf made her cool anger a bit more bearable. She'd told me in no uncertain terms that she'd get to the bottom of the matter and to leave it to her while I prepared for the upcoming exam for CSGU. I had my own thoughts about the situation. It was clear that whoever had ransacked my bedroom had likely planned to do so while I was at the library. If that was the case, then my missing ID wasn't a coincidence and the archivist, Floral Delight, was potentially involved.

And then there was Greedy Gut and Winter Chime. Having been there during the previously aforementioned dungeon incident, they were already likely suspects—especially Greedy Gut. Even if he hadn't wanted to be involved, it was obvious he knew something. Given his recent demeanor, I was hoping it would be easy to squeeze something out of the rotund colt. Winter Chime was a vindictive filly who I knew for a fact had it out for me, but she'd probably be more difficult to pin down.

Her mother, Winter Bell, was apparently the chief justice of Canterlot's Supreme Court. I didn't know all that much about law as a filly and didn't Winter Chime would be tried since she was just a foal. That said, if there were any kinds of punishment to be had, I was sure her mother would just sweep it all under the rug, just like she probably did with what happened in the dungeon. In fact, that was my entire worry about this whole thing.

I wanted to leave it to the Princess to take care of. I wanted to take solace in the fact that she would stop at nothing to get my journal back and punish whoever took it and ruined my bedroom. In the end, I did choose to let her handle things, but I couldn't help but doubt. Somewhere deep down, I was afraid that, even if she did manage to "solve the case" as it were, I had a sinking feeling it would all end up just like before.

There was no violence or potential murder at play either, so why wouldn't it end up just as before? A light punishment—if any—was pretty much a given. Even if got my journal back, I had a strong feeling that wouldn't matter in the end. Blueblood was planning something, and he'd taken my journal as part of that plan. It was all I could think about, even as I tried my best to focus on my studies. As if all of that wasn't bad enough, my mind started to wander back to the conversation I'd overheard back in the Public Library—the one between the two students.

I'd been too distracted by the sudden appearance of Moon Dancer to dwell on it, but she wasn't around anymore. With that distraction gone, my thoughts were free to drift toward an unsettling realization—one that had somehow slipped my mind when the Princess first mentioned I would be going to CSGU. I was not at all an unknown entity amongst the CSGU student body. I was that filly—the one who'd very nearly destroyed the school. Ponies were being transferred out of Celestia's School because of me. Because of what I did.

Moon Dancer had hunted me down specifically because of what happened during my exam. I knew that, but it hadn't really registered until now. The realization that I'd be tossed into that environment after what happened during the entrance exam had me literally trembling with anxiety. It felt like I was a slab of meat being thrown to the timberwolves. I, naturally, discussed my not-insignificant concern with the Princess one night, and she assured me it would be fine.

She told me there were measures in place to keep me safe from the fallout of my disastrous entrance exam. She wouldn't tell me what those measures were, but she tried to hammer home that there was nothing to worry about on that front. Her words, while comforting, did little to put my mind at ease. Still, what could I do but wait and hope for the best? I would do just that, but I knew I'd also have to prepare for the worst. I wouldn't get caught off-guard again, not like with Blueblood and his ilk.

Unfortunately, my conviction did little to help me concentrate on the task at hoof. When the time came to take what was essentially my make-up exam about a week and a half later, I didn't exactly feel prepared. That the Princess hadn't yet made any real progress in the investigation of who took my journal didn't help. On a less stressful note, I found out the exam was mostly meant for transfer students or exchange students arriving later in the school year and would take place in one of the study halls of Celestia's School.

All in all, it was supposed to be a rather quiet, low-key affair, unlike the previous exam I'd taken—or attempted to take at any rate. All I'd have to do is go in, take the exam, turn it in, and leave. Then I'd wait a couple of days for the results before starting school the next day. That was how it was explained to me the day I set out to take the exam in question. The Princess was busy preparing for the delegate she was supposed to entertain while I was at school, so this time around I was escorted by another of the castle staff.

To my surprise, the Princess had given the task of escorting me to her school to the castle stewardess. Normally, the stewardess was busy managing the lower ranked staff and their day-to-day duties, but apparently Princess Celestia had asked the mare to do it as a favor. The mare's name was Thorny Rose, and despite the abrasive sounding name, she was a sweet old unicorn mare that gave off an air of dignity and grace that few of the nobility could match.

As we rode together in a simple carriage also provided by the Princess, Thorny Rose took the liberty of explaining the aforementioned exam process. She'd even gone so far as to try and assuage my fears of what might come of my attendance. I'd only seen the mare a few times around the castle, but this had been the first time I'd actually interacted with her for any length of time. And while her assurances still left me dubious about whether things would be okay, I found that I liked the elderly mare quite a lot, and her gentle but confident tone did help calm my nerves a bit.

Once we reached the school, though, all of my worries returned with a vengeance. The school itself was massive, and as the stewardess and I left the carriage and made our way to the main building, I could see that not a single trace of my mistake during the previous exam remained. The design of Celestia's School had been inspired by Canterlot Castle, and that meant plenty of spires and arches built upon a foundation of pearl-white stone.

It was a very elegant and even slightly whimsical design that reminded me of Princess Celestia herself if I was being honest. Unfortunately, all I could focus on at that moment were the many students scurrying about the place. It was still fairly early in the morning, but the campus was bustling with ponies coming in and out of both the main and auxiliary buildings. I stood frozen for a moment, heart racing and legs trembling as I thought about every single thing that could go wrong the moment I stepped into that school.

Thorny Rose was having none of my minor panic attack and kindly, but insistently, ushered me forward. I protested, obviously. I wanted, more than anything right then, to be literally anywhere else, but there was still a part of me that wouldn't allow me to run away. Some stubborn bit of me that was convinced I could make it through this, and it was that part of me that kept my legs moving forward. Best to rip the bandage off now and get it over with, that stubborn part of me seemed to say.

And so, I followed Thorny Rose into the school, pointedly keeping my eyes focused on anything and everything that wasn't another pony. For a good while, things actually went pretty smoothly. Thorny Rose was able to register me at the front desk with no issues, and as we navigated the labyrinthine halls of the school's main building, nopony seemed to pay us any heed. In fact, we made it to the study hall with no incident whatsoever. Thorny Rose excused herself once we arrived, letting me know she'd be back once the exam was over to pick me up.

The thought of her absence sent me panicking all over again, but she once again assured me that I had nothing to worry about. I was shocked to find that she was right—for the most part. I wasn't the first to arrive, but I wasn't the last either, which was a huge relief. That said, while most of the transfer students ignored or didn't notice me, I did notice a few looks directed my way. The looks were fleeting and nothing came of them, so I just tried my best not to worry about it and focus on the imminent exam instead.

The entire exam process, to my utter disbelief, went off without a hitch. The proctor had passed out the multipage test, explained what the exam would entail, and I spent the next couple of hours filling out the answers to the best of my ability. The room was quiet save for the rustling of parchment and the scratching of quills. Once we were done, we simply had to wait for the proctor to come and collect our tests. It was everything I could have hoped for in a test taking environment.

I wasn't sure about how I actually did on the exam and wouldn't know for another two or three days, but I was confident I didn't do too badly at least. By the time the exam finished, and Thorny Rose returned to pick me up, I was practically giddy with relief that everything had gone so well. I was so happy that I didn't give the increasingly strange looks I was getting from the students I was passing on my way out any thought. I barely noticed them at all.

I noticed a few ponies whispering or talking to one another as they cast unreadable glances my way, but I was too busy talking Thorny Rose's ear off about my exam to worry about it. That's at least what I told myself, anyway. I told myself I hadn't noticed, and I think I truly tried to believe what little I did manage to pick up didn't bother me too much. I didn't realize it back then—that I was walking a little faster, talking a little too quickly or with a bit too much volume as Thorny Rose and I left the school.

I'm pretty sure Thorny Rose noticed, though, but she didn't say anything about it. She just kept up that kind, matronly smile as I rambled on and on about things she probably didn't care one whit about. Even when we finally made it back to the carriage and started heading back to the castle, I didn't acknowledge my shaking hooves, and neither did Thorny Rose. I just kept talking, and Thorny Rose just kept smiling that sad, indulgent smile.

Prologue ~ The Exam

It all started with a vision.

Upon nearly failing the entrance exam to get into Celestia's prestigious School for Gifted Unicorns, the sound of an explosion ripped through the air and triggered something within me.

Before I even knew what was happening, my horn had blazed to life with a violent burst of power and my world had been reduced to white hot agony. I don't know what the cause was for what happened next, and I doubt I'll ever know for sure, but for me, this is where it all began.

As I floated there, writhing in pain from the intensity of the magical feedback, I began to see visions of all the ponies in the classroom. The other CSGU hopefuls, the staff overlooking the exam, my parents... the Princess and her Royal Guard.

I saw each and every one of them burned away in the arcane fire of my own magical backlash. One by one, they were burned to ash. They screamed, they tried to run, they scrambled away. they covered their faces, but none of them could escape the eruption of raw arcane power.

I think it was the looks of horror that stuck out to me the most.

In any case, they all died, and the strangest thing happened in that moment. As they burned away, and as I continued emitting deadly waves of mana—as the school was inevitably destroyed, along with the entire street. the city beyond, and eventually the whole mountain was reduced to a pile of so much rubble...

I no longer felt any pain.

Looking back on it, maybe I had snapped from the agony and despair. Maybe something—some synapses in my brain had gotten twisted in such a way to make me into what I was... what I eventually became.

I don't know.

What I did know was that when everything finally settled and the Princess had finally gotten my magic surge under control, they said I'd been laughing like a filly possessed even as tears spilled down my face.

I just kept laughing and laughing and laughing until I passed out.

I don't really remember that part all that well, but I do remember the vision. Though it had turned out Celestia had made it in time and nopony around me had suffered anything more than some minor scrapes, superficial bruises, and easily reversible transmutation in the case of my parents, that vision stuck with me.

Everything was fine in the end... or so I thought.

Not only did I pass the exam, but I became Celestia's personal protégé and got my cutie mark in the process. I had even apparently managed to hatch the dragon egg during that exam—something that was supposed to be impossible.

I had also somehow made it rapidly grow well into adulthood, much to my own shock. Thankfully Celestia had managed to fix that as well, and the dragon was reverted back to a mere newborn drake.

I didn't hear about any of this until I woke up in a hospital bed in Canterlot General. I, of course, told the doctors, my parents, and Celestia about the vision, and they all deduced that I'd simply been traumatized by the experience.

Maybe I was, but the strange thing was that at the time, I didn't feel like that was the case. After all was said and done, I felt completely fine, yet at the same time, I knew—maybe instinctively, but I knew something had changed.

I knew something was wrong, but I didn't fully register it.

When I thought back on my vision, it wasn't with any sort of fear or shaking or crying or anything like that. No, the reason I had unconsciously known something was wrong was because every time I thought back on that vision of death and destruction, it was with a strange sort of relish.

I didn't realize that was what I was feeling back then, and had I realized that was the case, maybe I would've told Celestia and the others. Maybe then, I wouldn't have gone down this dark and gruesome path I trotted, but it's too late for that now.

I can't turn back the hooves of time.

In any case, it was this sense of wrongness that caused me to reject Celestia's offer to raise the baby dragon I had hatched. Normally I would've jumped to take the offer—it was Princess Celestia who had asked after all.

The thing was, when she showed me that dragon—showed me how innocent and helpless he was, I began to get scared. I couldn't figure out why, but I started shaking and my heart started pounding in my chest.

It was like something in me was rejecting the dragon, and I thought 'maybe I'm just more scared of dragons than I realized', but no, that wasn't the case. Either way, I refused—more adamantly than strictly necessary I might add—the offer to raise the dragon right then and there, much to Celestia's shock and disappointment.

I hated myself for the look she gave me, but my mind was already made up. She put the dragon in somepony else's care, and that was that. I never saw him again, and to this day I still have no idea who raised him.

It was the right decision, as I had eventually come to find out, and I was glad for it.

Things settled down after that for the most part. I stayed in the hospital for another few weeks or so while the doctors did some more thaumatological, mental, and physical testing to make sure I was completely healthy.

Apparently they hadn't found anything too strange other than an abnormally high magical capability. Nevertheless, they still had me come in once every month for therapy after I'd left due to my experience.

Once I was released, I spent a few more weeks with my family before finally moving into the castle. I was a bit confused by the change, but apparently being the Princess's protégé meant I got my own room and board within the very walls of Canterlot Castle.

It was something to do with the Princess being able to more easily manage her busy schedule if I was nearby.

Something I should probably mention was that before I came to the castle—way back when I was still in the hospital in fact—I started to have strange dreams. I never remembered the content of these dreams, but every time I woke up, I felt a strange mix of horror and excitement.

I never told anypony about the dreams, mostly because I couldn't ever remember them, but they continued on after I left the hospital. They continued to happen on and off at home, and they carried over when I moved to the castle.

The only reason I had decided these dreams were strange was because of how they made me feel afterwards. Had I known just what I'd been dreaming about, I would've probably been more horrified than excited.

Or maybe not, now that I think about it.

In any case, this wouldn't become an issue until a bit later, after I'd been living at the castle for awhile. Despite all the weirdness and supposed trauma I went through, I was happy.

I had shot straight past my dream of getting into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and had gained the miraculous honor of being tutored by Celestia herself. It really was an impossible dream come true, and for the first few days I lived in the castle, I could hardly believe all of it was real.

Unfortunately, reality had made itself all too apparent soon enough, and I quickly found myself crashing headfirst into it. With my new life in the castle, I had thought all of my problems were over, only to realize that they hadn't even begun.

My name is Twilight Sparkle, and what you're about to read is an account of my life, my sins, my rise as Celestia's golden filly, and my fall into madness and depravity as this sickness slowly takes hold of me.

Celestia, I know I don't deserve it, but please forgive me for what I've done.

Please...

Author's Note

You asked, and now here it is. Didn't know where to start at first, but I eventually decided at (or at least near) the beginning, so no jumping right into things from the get-go here. Hopefully you guys enjoy the ride. :pinkiesmile:

Chapter IX ~ The Beginning

I wasn't quite sure what was going on anymore.

In that moment, down there at the bottom of the stairs in that dark and ancient dungeon, I felt my life was about to change irreversibly. It might sound a bit melodramatic, but as a filly, this was too much to take in all at once. Confusion, fear and dread were making my stomach turn and my head pound painfully.

Questions shot through my young mind at an impossible pace; what was happening to me? What was I thinking? What was wrong with me? What was wrong with Blueblood? How did Crimson Storm find me all the way down here? What happened to Blueblood's friends? What was Crimson going to do to the colt?

As I looked into the mare's cold golden yellow eyes, I wasn't so sure I wanted to know the answer to that last question. There was something dark in those eyes, and now that I'd come back to my own senses, I suddenly became very worried for Blueblood's safety. I fought back the urge to be sick right there, and tried desperately to push back the turmoil of my own thoughts as I pleaded with Crimson Storm.

"Crimson Storm, I don't know what's going on," I said, looking from her to Blueblood, "but can we please just leave? Everything hurts and I just want to go back to my room."

"I know it hurts, Twilight, and I'm sorry that I was too late to stop him from doing that to you," Crimson replied, giving me an apologetic look before turning back to Blueblood with an unpleasant grin, "but if this little demon is anything like his father—and I'm fairly sure he is after what I've seen—he'll know some healing magic."

With one quick, brutal movement, she slammed the colt down onto the cold ground and pressed her weight down on him, pinning his legs and trapping him underneath her. Blueblood gave a pained grunt as one of Crimson's hooves ground the side of his face into the floor.

"From the way your daddy tells it, the two of you learned quite a bit from your mother," Crimson continued, "so go on, make some use of that wonderful healing magic you were taught and fix the poor filly."

Her last words were punctuated with a vicious sneer and another grind of her hoof into Blueblood's face.

"A-Agh! Okay, okay! Please, just—ngh... s-stop!" Blueblood cried, "I'll do it!"

Blueblood's horn lit up and a bright blue aura washed over me. An instant later I could feel the various aches and pains all over my body gradually beginning to ebb. Despite the tumultuous mix of emotions I was feeling at the moment, I couldn't help but breathe a small sigh of relief as the dull throbbing pain in my back leg receded.

"There's a good colt," Crimson cooed, patting Blueblood's cheek. Blueblood let out a small whimper, but Crimson ignored him as she spoke, her tone eerily casual, "you know, I've been watching you for awhile now, Blueblood—ever since you arrived at the castle in fact."

The pain was almost completely gone now, and I finally managed to rise to my hooves. I shook my back leg slightly to rid myself of some of the numbness that had set in before looking back to Crimson Storm. It was like I was looking at a completely different mare than the one Celestia introduced me to, and I wasn't sure how to feel about it, but then again, I wasn't really sure about anything at that point.

"Crimson Storm," I tried, "it's alright... I'm okay now, see?" I wiggled my back leg around to show it didn't hurt anymore, "we can just go tell the Princess what happened and let her deal with it. Please, let's just get out of here, okay?"

The mare eyed me silently, not a trace of emotion to be found in her stare. It was different from when I'd talked with her before; the look she gave me was so cold and empty that for a second, I feared she'd set her sights on me next.

"It might be best if you leave without me, Twilight," she replied with an eerie calm, "I have work to do, and when it's done, you'll most likely never see me again. You can tell the Princess what happened here if you want, but you'll have to find your own way back."

"What are you talking about?" I asked, dreading the answer, "Crimson Storm... what are you gonna do? Why can't we just go together?"

"I have work to do," she repeated, her lips curling into a joyless, vacant smile, "there's a debt that needs to be paid, and if the Captain isn't going to pay it, then I'll take what I'm owed from his son instead, consequences be damned," she slowly shook her head and lowered her gaze to the colt below her. Her smile widened a fraction of an inch, "I don't plan on leaving this place, Twilight, so you might as well go without me."

I found I couldn't respond, nor did I move an inch from where I was.

I stood transfixed by the sight of her looming over Blueblood like a timberwolf getting ready to tear out the throat of its next meal. There was madness in her golden eyes; there was a sick sort of joy and eagerness there that most ponies probably would've found horrifying in these circumstances.

I found it horrifying to an extent, but for me, it was also like looking in a mirror somehow. The image of that giggling lavender filly covered in blood came back to me, suddenly vivid in my mind. I shivered at the thought—with what, I didn't know, but it might not have entirely been disgust or fear.

"Oh, Bluey, you try to act like a gentlecolt," Crimson suddenly began in a pitying sort of tone, "try to tell yourself that you're not like him, but I know better. What you did to this filly here only proves that deep down, no matter how much you want to deny it, no matter how you try to hide behind fancy words and manipulation, you're just as much of a brute as he is. Well... you know what, Blueblood?"

She leaned in close to Blueblood and smiled that same terrible smile that we'd both worn earlier. Crimson Storm's next words brought my thoughts screeching to a halt. They came out in a low hiss that made the skin beneath my fur crawl.

"...I can be a brute too."

I watched Crimson Storm lift her hoof from Blueblood's face and raise it into the air. It seemed to hang above his head for an age, and it was with a sickening mix of dread and anticipation that I realized what would happen next. I saw the look on her face, the unsettlingly wide smile, the mad glint in her eyes, the mounting horror in Blueblood's as he turned to see that hoof above him.

I saw the hoof come down and distantly felt a surge of mana rush into my horn at the same moment. I thought I could hear a faint desperate cry somewhere, but I couldn't figure out whose it was. My mind was far too preoccupied with the sight of Crimson Storm smashing Blueblood's face into a pulpy mess to pay those other things any heed.

I couldn't do anything but stand there, my mouth dry and my face frozen in shock as the red hoof turned an even darker shade of red. The fur around it grew wet and glistened oddly bright in the light of the wall mounted torches. My ears twitched at every cry from Blueblood, every dull thud as Crimson's hoof impacted his skull, the sickening squelch that soon followed, and each labored breath and vicious grunt the crazed mare made.

Flecks of blood spattered Crimson Storm's face, and I even felt a few drops hit me, but I barely noticed.

I could feel my heart beating in time with each blow Blueblood took, and as the gruesome display dragged on, agonized cries became pained grunts, which turned to muffled gurgles, and eventually a series of quiet sighs... then there was silence. Silence save for Crimson Storm's quiet, uneven chuckle and the squelch of her hoof pounding into a mess of bone, flesh, and brain matter.

As horrible as it was, I couldn't tear my eyes away from the sight. I didn't want to tear my eyes away from the sight. I wanted to see what happened next, I wanted to know what Crimson Storm would do next. Would she mutilate the body in her madness? Would she decide she hadn't had enough and come after me? Would she ask me to join her? What would I say?

Yes.

I could hear it now.

I could see it, feel it, taste it, smell it all around me. The world—my world was changing, expanding to include concepts previously unknown to me... or rather, hidden from me. It was here in this ancient dungeon that I finally bore witness to what my subconsciousness had been hiding from me. These thoughts, feelings and emotions were at the root of all my problems, and I didn't even know it.

The truth of who I was excited me as much as it terrified me, but back then, as a filly who couldn't properly sort out her own thoughts on what was happening, I simply let that truth and the hurricane of emotions that came with it wash over me in a tidal wave of fear, confusion and bewilderment.

"LIEUTENANT STORM!"

And just like that, my life changing revelation was shattered and reality immediately reasserted itself. I blinked and my confusion only mounted at the sight before me.

Blueblood was still there, as was Crimson Storm, but there was no blood, no mangled flesh, no caved in skull... none of what I'd seen. There was only a terrified colt trapped beneath a psychotic Royal Guard bent on ending his life with her own hooves. To my shock, one of those hooves was held fast in a magenta colored aura mere inches away from said colt's face.

It was only then that I realized I was using magic to hold back Crimson Storm's hoof. I became very much aware of the strain of the act and very nearly lost my magical grip. Panic was the only thing that kept me holding on at that point. A second later I registered the fact that somepony had called out Crimson Storm's name.

Finally taking in the situation as a whole, I noticed neither Blueblood nor Crimson Storm were looking at me. Both their eyes were fixed on something at the top of the stairs. I turned to see what had distracted the two and gasped, all the fear and tension suddenly draining out of me.

Standing silhouetted just past the doorway, her wings flared and her eyes blazing, was Princess Celestia herself. It was somewhat difficult to make her out from where I stood, but there was no mistaking that height and mane.

"Princess," I breathed, letting the aura around my horn fade, "you... when did you—"

"P-Princess!" Blueblood shouted, fruitlessly trying to wriggle his way out from under Crimson Storm. Tears streamed from his wide hopeful eyes and snot ran down his face as he whined and pleaded, "please, help me! Get me away from this madmare! Please!"

Crimson Storm for her part simply stared back up at the Princess, one hoof in the air and her face a stone slab devoid of any emotion. For a long, tense moment, nopony spoke, and after a second, the red mare slowly straightened up and stepped away from Blueblood.

Not wasting even a second, the panicked colt clumsily scrambled to his hooves and scurried up the stairs, whimpering and moaning the whole way. Celestia tried to say something, probably some words of comfort or reassurance, but Blueblood galloped right past her without a word or second glance.

In a moment, he was gone, his frantic hoofsteps echoing loudly down the old corridor. Looking past Celestia, I could just make out the outline of Greedy Gut poking his head into the doorway from further back. I still couldn't see his expression, and before I could make sense of what he was doing there, he turned and hurried down the hall after Blueblood.

Celestia watched them go for a moment before returning her attention to me and Crimson Storm. Her horn flashed bright gold and in an instant I was at the top of the stairs, right next to the Princess. As I tried to shake myself free of the sudden disorientation of being teleported, Princess Celestia spoke again, her hard gaze fixed on the mare still at the bottom of the stone steps.

"You have much to explain, Crimson Storm," the Princess exclaimed, her voice as cold and grim as the grave, "I don't know what's transpired here, but its clear from what I've seen with my own eyes that you meant to harm that colt, and quite severely from the looks of it."

"Princess," I croaked through my dry throat. I swallowed and tried again, "Princess, wait. Crimson Storm... she—"

"With all due respect, Your Majesty," came Crimson's flat reply from below, "I meant to do much more than that."

The room grew very quiet as Celestia and I stared at Crimson Storm in open mouthed shock. She stared back up at both of us, her posture rigid and her face an emotionless mask. I had no idea how I was going to manage it, but I'd fully meant to try and defend her actions in some way or another.

All thoughts of trying to explain her situation to Celestia fled from my mind the moment I looked into her eyes. There was nothing in those golden yellow eyes; even I could see that she'd completely given up, and in a way, I understood. That strange connection I'd felt when I first met her was somehow stronger now than it had been before.

She'd lost her chance for revenge, and when Blueblood's father found out what she'd nearly done, there'd be Tartarus to pay on top of whatever punishment the Princess had planned for her. She was doomed either way, and I was beginning to think she'd known that all along; that no matter what happened, whether she succeeded in what she was trying to do or not, there was no going back for her.

I looked up at Celestia and could see, even through her snow white fur, that her face had gone deathly pale. I'd never seen her look so horrified, and the sight was enough to trigger my own fear.

"Y-You..." the Princess began in a shaky whisper, "surely you didn't intend to—"

"My intention was to kill the Captain's son, Your Majesty," Crimson Storm smoothly interjected. Her gaze flicked towards me and I felt my heart leap into my throat, "I might've succeeded if it weren't for the efforts of your protégé," she smiled a small, almost imperceptible smile, "...you should be proud of her."

She smiled hollowly, but I could only gape at her in bewilderment and disbelief. Time seemed to freeze for the two of us as we stared at each other, but the moment quickly passed and I nearly jumped as Celestia addressed me.

"Twilight, is this true?" Celestia asked, her tone clipped and her eyes still locked on Crimson Storm, "did she try to kill Blueblood?"

Like Crimson Storm, Celestia's face had become completely unreadable. Seeing the Princess like this somehow unnerved me more than Crimson's empty gaze. I might not have been able to see beyond her stony expression, but standing this close to her, I could see that she was shaking with some kind of emotion.

"Um... w-well yes," I admitted after a moment, "but Blueblood—"

"I see," the Princess interrupted. She looked down at me, her mask broken and a half grateful, half apologetic smile dawn on her face, "this must've been a horrible experience for you, Twilight, and I'm so sorry that I wasn't there to protect you from it. Rest assured, I won't let such a thing happen ever again."

I 'eep'd' in surprise as I was pulled into a warm, tight hug by the Princess. I may not have been expecting it, but in that moment, it was the one thing I wanted above all else. Even through her warm embrace I could still feel Princess Celestia shaking, and looking up, I could see the tears that had begun streaming down her face.

"I'm so sorry, Twilight," she repeated in a soft choked whisper, "I'm so sorry I didn't get here sooner."

Each and every apology stabbed at me like a knife, and it wasn't long before I started crying into her chest. I cried because of how heartbroken and scared she sounded, I cried for Crimson Storm and what she'd had to suffer through, I cried for what she might have to endure in the near future, I cried because I was scared and confused and didn't know what was happening to me.

All the while, Crimson Storm didn't make a sound, nor did she move an inch. She simply sat there like a statue, watching us without guilt or remorse, or sadness, or... anything. Eventually my crying died down to the occasional sniffle or hiccup, and Celestia released me. I wiped my tears away and looked back down at Crimson Storm.

"What's gonna happen to her?" I asked, knowing it was nothing good, "what are you gonna do, Princess?"

"Don't you worry about that," Celestia replied warmly, "I'll take care of everything from here, so you don't need to be afraid anymore," her horn began to glow, "I'm sending you back to your room so you can get some rest. I'm sure you'd like nothing more than to be as far away from here as possible."

She wasn't wrong, but still...

"Princess, before you send me back, there's something you should know about—"

"Now, Twilight," she cut in, "there will be plenty of time for explanations tomorrow morning, after you've gotten some sleep. I'll be up to check on you once I'm done here, alright?"

"But—"

"Twilight."

I winced and grimaced at the admonishing tone in Celestia's voice. There was nothing I could do about it now, and it was with dismay and a feeling of defeat that I turned to Crimson Storm one last time. To my surprise she smiled back up at me, and it wasn't an empty, hopeless smile.

It was a smile full of sadness, but more than that, it was genuine.

"...Alright, Princess," I muttered, reluctantly turning away from the red mare, "I'm ready."

Celestia nodded and with a golden flash, I was back in my own chambers beside the bed. I'd had some time to prepare, so the disorientation wasn't nearly as strong this time around. I was finally alone with my own thoughts, and that was far from a good thing given the vast amount of morbid subject matter I had to think about.

In one night my entire world had flipped upside down, and I had no idea how i was going to sort all this out. I crawled into bed and pulled the covers over me, I rested my head back on the pillows, I closed my eyes, and I thought.

My mind galloped a mile a minute as I tried to make sense of what I'd seen and what I thought I'd seen. I played the image of Blueblood's brutal murder over and over in my mind, unable to completely move past it. I analyzed every facet of it, marveling at just how vivid the scene had been. I still had trouble differentiating it from what actually happened.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there thinking about it, but it never got any less fascinating; if anything, it seemed to bring me some odd measure of peace the more I reminisced about it, like counting sheep. Add to that the thought of what Blueblood had done to me, what his father had done to Crimson Storm, and whatever punishment was in store for the mare, and the memory of Blueblood's gruesome death brought to the surface a sort of vindictive satisfaction.

As much as I had to mull over, and as worried as I was about Crimson Storm, Celestia had been right. I was long overdue for some sleep after what I'd been through. My consciousness began to fade and a few minutes later, I was gone, lost to the dreams I could never remember.

Only this time I did remember, and I continued to remember every single gruesome dream since that horrible night.

Author's Note

And aside from some additional exposition in the next chapter, that's the end of Act I, and while I'll be skipping ahead a bit in the timeline, we're not quite done in Canterlot yet. The second Act will probably be longer than the first, as a lot of stuff is gonna be happening.