Forbidden: A Lost Wolf Story

Chapters

1: A Light in the Night
2: Celestia's Rules
3: Ten Years Later
4: The Fifteen Year Lie
5: Breaking the Rules
6: The Coming Storm

1: A Light in the Night

The late hours of August were getting to Celestia. The deep orange of dusk gave Canterlot a calm look, as if the sun was saying that it is time to settle down. The puffy clouds were floating lazily in the sky, creating the perfect end of the day for Celestia.

Celestia used up the last bit of magic to keep the sun on a slow decent, then turned around, prepared to walk to her awaiting bed. It had been a long day. Celestia had to fix an issue with two ponies on who should run a street stand. Next, she had three meetings with the respective rulers of the dragons, hippogriffs, and changelings. Then, a run to the armory, where soldier's gear were misplaced. A trip to the Canterlot school for an approval for a field trip. And finally, a talk with the local princes and princesses that ran the bureaucracy of Canterlot.

Celestia could feel her eyelids become heavy, a sign that she desperately needed sleep. But her dreams of dreaming peacefully were put on hold when she heard a loud crack from outside. Her ears stood erect and her head turned towards the balcony where she was enjoying the view. She could faintly remember, through her lazy eye, a small flash of light just before the crack. Lightning.

She was about to return to her journey to the soft bed when she saw another flash and heard another crack. This time, she could not ignore it. She stood on the balcony, trying to find the spot where the lightning struck. She had a difficult time seeing, since the sun was beyond the horizon. She searched with her eyes for a few minutes, considering just shrugging this off as a coincidence. Just before she was about to give up, a small flicker of purple light caught her eye. It was coming from a small forest that lay near the base of the mountain which Canterlot stood upon.

The forest was not part of the Everfree, as some ponies speculated, but as with any large gathering of trees, it held mysteries that some would not wish to know. Celestia, prone to her curiousness, prepped her wings for flight. Then she took off.

After flying around for about five minutes, Celestia managed to find a clearing to land. Once she touched down, she lit her horn to provide light for herself. She tried to remember where she saw the purple light the first time, and where the clearing was in respect to it. She did not need to try hard, for she saw the purple glow emit from a nearby bush.

She quietly made her way to the bush, but froze when she saw a pair of yellow eyes reveal themselves from beyond the bush. But as soon as she saw the eyes, they were gone. Most likely a fox or other creature. Celestia resumed her slow walk to the bush, but was again frozen by something she did not expect. She saw fur next to the bush. Celestia was slightly panic-stricken when she realized that it was pony fur. Was a unicorn attacked and trying to send a signal?

Celestia quickened her pace. When she was just able to look inside the bush, she was met with an unusual smell. Musk? She was more cautious when she prepared to peer into the bush, holding her breathe. She did not hold it in for long. She saw a small figure, almost pony-shaped, curled into the fetus position. What was disturbing was how close a resemblance the figure had to a new-born filly. The only difference was that the figure already had natural fur.

The fur was shabby, grey, and untamed, almost like a... Canine of some sort? She would have taken more time to think about it, but she was quickly reminded that this was a new-born creature that was left in the woods. She would figure out what it was later, so she picked up the foal? with her magic and lifted herself into the sky.

Celestia had managed to return to her room without any trouble. I need to remind my guards that looking up for sneak pegasi is a good idea. She looked around her room for a good place to settle the foal. When she did not find anything, she placed the foal onto her bed, then prepared her magic. She built a small crib from the wooden frame of her mirror, took the heavy cover from her bed Don't wake up, and stuffed the cover into the crib, folded it accordingly, and stuck the foal in like a mother. Now that it is settled, it is time for me to get some sleep.

Celestia positioned herself under her light covers, realizing that she just gave her heavy to the foal. I can go without the heavy blankets, I guess. Just before her eyes shut for the night, Celestia used the last of her magic to place the crib next to her bed.

2: Celestia's Rules

Five Years Later

Celestia had found out that the foal was a hybrid between a wolf and a pony. Who, or what, was responsible, she did not know. She also found out that the foal had a few noticeable marks on its --his-- body. The foal was in fact a male. When the foal was about three, Celestia took him, in secret, to a doctor to be analyzed.

The doctor said that it could not be determined who or what was the father or mother, but only that it is a miracle that the foal survived the birthing process. The doctor explained that such hybrids are usually unstable and are commonly dead before the mother goes into labor. Celestia asked if there was any significance about the strange markings on the body. The doctor explained that the marks were birth marks, given to him at birth. Celestia worried that the marks were some disease, but the doctor reassured Celestia that the foal was completely healthy.

After the doctor's visit, Celestia returned to her room, let the foal roam around, and began to make a plan. She was cut short when a young Sunset Shimmer entered the room unannounced. Sunset was about eight at the time, and she was already perfecting her teleportation spell. Celestia saw Sunset and ordered Sunset to leave the room Keep calm, keep calm before Sunset could see the foal. Sunset left the room without question, baring a pouting face, and closed the door behind her. Celestia quickly looked around for the foal, and was relieved to see that the foal crawled under the bed just before Sunset's arrival.

Two years after that incident, Celestia made sure that she had tabs on the foal, whom she named Bennalose after the foal's favorite storybook character. Bennalose was a baker who was tasked with countless impossible tasks, but always found a way to complete the tasks. The foal was so fond of the character that he would refer to himself as "Ben." Celestia always addressed him as Bennalose, but the foal always preferred Ben.

Celestia saw Ben run from one end of the courtyard to the next, without any breaks. Kid has stamina, I'll give him that.

Celestia waited two hours for Ben to stop running around, slightly concerned that Ben might have overworked himself. Celestia conjured a pitcher of water and walked to the bench where Ben sat. Ben saw the pitcher and gave a smirk, one that said I over did it, didn't I? Celestia put the pitcher down and Ben began to drank. Ben did not drink like a slob, but with dignity and control. Ben knew that Celestia did not like it when he tried any funny business. When Ben was down drinking from the pitcher, Celestia sat next to Ben. Ben knew the look on Celestia's face. This was going to be a serious talk.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" asked Celestia.

"Yes ma'am," replied Ben.

Ben saw Celestia cringe a tiny bit. It was so unnoticeable that it was as if she did not move, but Ben saw the small twitch.

"I mean, yes Celestia," Ben quickly corrected.

Celestia sighed.

"I want to discuss a few rules I want you to follow," said Celestia.

Ben looked at Celestia with interest. That made Celestia a bit more relaxed.

"First, I don't want you to talk to anypony except for me," said Celestia.

Ben nodded with understanding. Celestia found it interesting that, despite being about five years old, he had a large understanding of things. I should do an IQ test on him in the future.

"Second, I don't want you to be seen by anyone except for me," said Celestia.

Again, Ben nodded.

"Third, I want you to be inside when the sun goes down. Do not be outside at night."

Another nod.

"Fourth, when you speak to me, call me what you want to call me."

Ben slightly blushed with embarrassment.

"Fifth, do not sneak around the castle without my saying so."

A nod.

"And finally, should something happen to me, where I cannot take care of you, I want you to seek out my pupil."

Celestia was a little shocked when she did not see the nod. Ben was pondering that last rule. Ben looked up to Celestia with confusion.

"I thought you said to not be seen or talk to anyone other than you," replied Ben.

Celestia let out a small chuckle.

"Think of rule six as an exemption to rules one and two," said Celestia.

"But what if you can't take care of me at night and I need to go outside at night to find your pupil?" asked Ben.

"Well... I mean you can if it is absolutely necessary," answered Celestia.

"What if you can't take care of mean, and I need to sneak out of the castle without your saying so?" asked Ben.

"Okay. Rule six is an exception to all the previous rules. Does that make sense?" said Celestia.

Ben took a second in thought, then nodded firmly.

"Good. Now that you understand the rules, shall we treat ourselves to dinner?" asked Celestia.

Ben nodded multiple times in excitement. Celestia stood up from the bench and made her way to her private kitchen, Ben close behind her. Celestia hoped that the cooks made something for both of them.

3: Ten Years Later

Ten Years Later

Ben awoke on a Saturday morning with a little more energy than before. He jumped out of his bed, ran to his bathroom, groomed his fur, and made sure his teeth were clean. He jumped out of his room, which was an extended closet that was concealed in Celestia's room, and was about to leave when he heard a cough from behind him.

Ben grimaced and slowly turned around to see the disapproving face of Celestia glaring at him. I tried. Celestia used her magic to present a number five, reminding Ben about rule five.

"May I?" asked Ben.

Celestia nodded.

Ben jumped with excitement and quickly, yet quietly, left Celestia's room.

Even though Ben was technically fifteen years old, he felt more like twenty. He roamed around the castle, making his way from the kitchens, without being noticed, to the armory, without being noticed, to the gardens, almost noticed, and finally to the dungeons, where nopony noticed. Nopony went to the dungeons. There was no need. No pony has ever committed such a crime to be landed in the dungeon for almost a thousand years.

It was here where Ben felt free to be himself. To speak loudly without being scorned by Celestia. To run around without Celestia's worried face dragging him down. To do whatever I want. Ben knew by age six that Celestia was trying to keep him secret from everypony else. So Ben made his own little secret to keep from Celestia. For fun, of course. Ben went into one of the cells and removed one of the stones from the ground. A small hole revealed a stash of books that Ben had collected without Celestia's permission from the Canterlot library and even some spell books from Celestia's old private library.

If she ever found out about these...

The books were worn and old, a sign that Celestia has owned them for many years. Some contained old folk tales that were no longer told. Others were war strategy books that generals would have referred to. Then there was the spell book.

Forbidden Magics: An Advanced Course in Training, Combat, and Utility Sorcery.

It was an old hardback with purple leather decor and grey bindings. Ben always felt that he had a connection to this book, especially because his coat was grey with purple markings. He never could figure out why he had those markings, since he did not believe that they were just birth marks. He understood that colors of ponies can be random, but with his wolf blood, he felt that his genetics would have some consistency. It was a mystery he gave up on.

He held the book with care as he turned the pages, remembering each page just by looking at it.

Good thing for photographic memory.

He went through the first fifty pages that he memorized by heart and stopped on the section that gave him the most trouble.

Magic in Creatures Other than Ponies.

Since he was a wolf-pony hybrid, he believed that he might find something under this section to give explanation as to the events that occur around him. He had magic, this he knew. What he did not know was how he could control it, let alone know where his magic came from. He created theories, but shot down many of them with the knowledge that he learned from this section.

A creature that is not a pony may possess magic under certain circumstances. One is the creature must have been born by a creature with magic. Ben did not know who or what was the creature that had magic for him to possess in the first place, so he kept that idea in mind.

Another is that the magic can be given willingly to the creature through a ritual. He always skipped passed this one because he thought it illogical for somepony to willingly give him magic.

As he looked down the list of the possible ways he could have magic, his mind started to blank, and was filled with a bright flash of purple light. He was snapped back to reality, in mere seconds, realizing that it happened again.

What is that flash?

He has seen that flash before, but he could never remember where. Ben wanted to ask Celestia if she knew anything, but a gut feeling told him that he would not like the whole answer. Ben knew that whenever he brought up how Celestia found him, Celestia became defensive and would try to divert the conversation a different direction.

Ben shook his head and returned to the book. He saw various images and descriptions of magic flows in creatures such as deer, bears, foxes, rabbits, even elephants. But no wolves. Not a single diagram or mention of a wolf with magic. He always wanted to ask Celestia why wolves were so rare in Equestria, but doing so would put both himself and Celestia in uncomfortable positions. Ben would most likely get an answer that he would not like, and Celestia would be the one to give the answer. To say his relationship with Celestia was stable would be laughable.

Ben flipped through the pages that he knew were not helpful until he stopped on a blank page in the middle of the section. Ben was curious, having not seen this page before in his private sessions. He turned the page to look ahead, but found more blank pages. He turned back, only to see a small inscription at the top of the blank sheet. It was written in what Ben thought was red ink. He took a small sniff of the dry liquid. It was ink.

For a moment, it almost looked like blood.

The inscription read, "Would you like to know more?"

Ben, always ready to make notes in the books he read, picked up his quill, dipped it in his ink pot, and began writing.

"About what?" Ben was wary to respond to books that talk back. He knew that even books had magic.

"About yourself," the book responded.

Ben took a minute to think about what the book just said. Had the book known that he was using it to find out more about himself? The quill shook in his grip, another oddity he was unfamiliar about. Instead of hooves, Ben actually had paws. With those paws were the canine claws that Celestia trimmed herself whenever they grew too long.

After taking a few moments to think, Ben finally responded.

"Yes."

Celestia exited the board room with a false smile. She had to sit through three hours of shouting between three land owners who were accusing each other of planting illegal plants on each other's lands. Celestia had to move the conversation to the board room because the noise was drawing unfriendly attention. Eventually, it was boiled down to the seeds of the illegal plants having been carried through the wind and landed on the land owners' properties.

It was midday in Canterlot and Celestia was roaming around the castle without a worry. This was one of the few days where she had little or nothing to do. She spent this particular day heading out of the castle and towards Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. She really had things to do, but she puts those other tasks off for a later date for a special occasion. She noticed during her free time that a giant dragon appeared at the school. She assumed that it was some prank at first, but felt the surge of magic shortly afterwards. She did not know at the time that she was about to meet her new star pupil.

Ben was exhausted. What he experienced was something he remembered reading in Harry Trotter. The book took him in to a memory. It was there he saw his conception. His father, a grey wolf, and his mother, a purple earth-pony with a short, shabby blue mane, sky blue eyes, and a cutie mark that he assumed was a demonic star symbol. He thought it looked similar to Lord Tartarus' Pentagon, the devil of Equestria. He was sweating by the time he saw the two make love. He wanted to vomit, knowing that he was some child of a devil worshiper. A spawn of the devil, he thought.

The mare was well talented in magic, for she gave a small, incomprehensible chant, and shortly after became pregnant. Ben almost wanted to close his eyes in horror of such a dark magic. He remembered in one of his private sessions reading about dark, forbidden magic. Even if he could, Ben swore that he would never perform such horrible spectacles of magic.

Shortly after, the birth happened. Ben did look, hoping to get a glimpse of the birthing process, even if it was enhanced by dark magic. The screams that came were dull and quiet, as if the mare had prepared, as Ben assumed she did, for this particular moment. The birth had finally ended, and the wolf quickly picked up the young Ben and placed him in the middle of a small meadow. The mare spoke another short enchantment, then fled into the forest. Ben would have followed, but caught the wolf acting particularly strange. The wolf spun his head around, and as he did so, the young Ben started to mature and grow, into a perfectly healthy toddler. The wolf then fled into the woods, but did not leave. A loud, long howl escaped from the wolf, which was shortly followed by a crack of lightning.

Ben watched in horror as a purple bolt of lightning struck the baby Ben's body. The wolf gave another howl, and another lightning bolt struck the inactive body of the toddle. The wolf then jumped out of the trees, picked up the young Ben, and placed him in a small bush. Ben waited along with the wolf, who returned to his position in the darkness of the trees. They both waited until Celestia arrived at the scene.

Ben watched as the scene unfolded before him. Celestia seeing, smelling, hearing, and all that she did. The glowing of the marks on Ben's body luring Celestia closer. When it was over, Ben asked to be returned.

Back in the dungeon, Ben was breathing heavily, sweat was pouring down his face. He first thought that what he saw was a dream, but the faint smell of musk reminded him that he was taken to a real past, to a real event that was the reason for his existence in the first place. He had decided to stand up, and when he did, he noticed the room glowing a purple glow. He looked down at his torso, and saw his marks giving off the purple glow.

Just like when I was born.

He tried to think of the purple flash, and realized that the lightning was the cause. He thought about the lightning, then gasped, as sparks started to surround him and jump across the room. The sparks were connected to the metal bars of the cells, creating electrical fields that seemed unreal to Ben. Several of the books were burnt by electricity, save for the spell book. Ben would have been horrified, but was instead focused by the fact that the sparks were connecting to his paws. No, his entire body! His entire figure acted like a conductor for electricity, but Ben was slightly relieved to not feel like he was actually being electrified.

The sparks ended, but were replaced by a loud boom. Some pieces of dust from the ceiling fell. Ben quickly looked up, feeling a surge, or something, from outside. He could not tell what it was, but it was big. And Ben then felt the urge to return back to his room. He grabbed the spell book and quickly ran back upstairs, but still making sure that he would not be noticed.

Celestia returned to her room later than she expected. She had to go through the paperwork of having Twilight Sparkle be accepted to the school, the medical procedures for the after effects of transfiguration, and finally the talk with Twilight's parents about how she would be offered to stay and study with Celestia herself. After much consideration, Twilight's parents agreed.

Celestia then spent the next half hour giving the young Twilight a tour of the castle, from the royal kitchens to the observatory. Twilight loved the observatory room, which made Celestia happy. Nopony really used the observatory for the past few years, so having somepony live in it would be great. Twilight and the baby dragon that the unicorn hatched were well asleep before Celestia was out of the observatory doors.

Back in the comfort of her room, Celestia began to clean herself up. She stepped into her shower and began to let the stress of the day sweep away, but since this was one of her most pleasurable days, she did not need to be in there long. Celestia dried herself and walked to the balcony where she would wait for Ben to return from his outing. Celestia had a pattern that she would usually follow. Once Ben returned, anytime would be best to lower the sun. But if Ben had not returned yet, she would wait to make sure she did not let Ben break rule three. Celestia waited on the balcony for about five minutes past the expected sundown, sighed, then used her magic to make the sun set on its own. She walked back inside her room, went to her door, and looked out into the hallway to see if she could catch Ben running in late.

A moment after not seeing anypony, Celestia closed the door and made her way to the closet, where she could smell something that she did not expect. Celestia walked inside Ben's room to find the wolf-pony sitting peacefully on his bed. The room was a bit tidier than usual. Celestia wanted to ask if Ben saw or did anything, but she would be cut off shortly.

"How did you find me?" asked Ben.

Celestia became tense. Ben never asked these sorts of questions after returning. In fact, Ben did not usually return to his room without Celestia knowing. Not unless he returned before she did.

"When did you come back?" asked Celestia.

"An hour ago," replied Ben.

Celestia began, "Okay. Do you want something to eat or--"

"HOW. DID. YOU. FIND. ME?" Ben emphasized each word through gritted teeth.

Celestia gulped.

"In a forest. I found you in a forest. The forest at the base of this mountain to be exact. I was performing my regular duties of setting the sun when I saw two flashes of lightning strike the forest. I went to investigate, and I found you," said Celestia.

Ben was pondering what to say next. Should he ask about what else Celestia saw, like the wolf or the mare? No, he decided. He heard enough from Celestia. The book had not lied to him. Ben put himself into a position for sleep, which Celestia saw, and bit her a quick "Good night."

Celestia dimmed the lights in Ben's room, and left him to his dreams. She walked over to her bed, thinking about how she wanted to describe in more detail the events that actually occurred when she found him. The smells, the eyes, the fur, the glow. But she decided that it would be best to tell him on a different day, at a better time. Celestia went to bed believing that she had done a justice by not telling Ben about the wolf.

Ben went to bed knowing that he was the son of a devil worshiper and a grey wolf. But neither of them knew the truth behind the events that occurred fifteen years prior.

4: The Fifteen Year Lie

Crimson Blush paced within the confines of her bedroom. The walls were covered with posters of boy bands and heavy metal music groups; the floor was littered with books, musical instruments, and dark clothing. The bed was deprived of sheets and covers, and was a bare mattress with a pillow. The ceiling had pen markings that nopony could understand. Her parents believed that it was incomplete ceiling art, but not even an artist who does large scale drawings would make head or tail of what the design was.

A knock came from outside the bedroom door, which took Crimson out of her daydream, and made her rush to the door. When she opened it, she was met with the cold glare of her mother, Blue Skies. While Crimson had a deep, dark red coat, purple mane, and black eyes, her mother was a bright sky blue coat with a purple mane and green eyes. Crimson had no cutie mark, even at eighteen, while Blue Skies' was a small cloud in a patch of bright blue.

"You're late for dinner again Crimson," said Blue Skies with a hint of harshness.

Crimson bowed her head in shame and walked out of her room without a word. Blue Skies half expected some form of retaliation from Crimson, but was slightly relieved when it did not come. Crimson almost always made it a habit to let out some curse word or threat whenever she was in a bad mood. And she was always in a bad mood. But for the past two days, Crimson's family noticed a change of tone coming from the red earth-pony. It was odd, but not unwelcome.

Once she was seated at the dinner table, Crimson began muttering to herself. Her older brother, Lance Storm, a grey earth-pony with a lightning bolt cutie mark, along with her father, Tyx, a brown earth-pony with a cutie mark that resembled tacks, did not complain about the muttering. This was common with Crimson, and the family had done everything they could to try and fix it. Medicine. Psychiatry. Meditation. She kept muttering to herself.

When Blue Skies arrived at the table, the family began to pray in silence. Their heads bowed, the family uttered the ancient Founders' Prayer, the prayer that some ponies believed warded off evil and Lord Tartarus, the devil. The room was silent at first, then Tyx began the prayer.

"All Founders. Hear our prayers, for we have begun our feast with great joy and harmony, and in your light do we strive."

Lance continued the prayer.

"Do we deserve your blessings? No. Do we cherish in them. Yes. Allow us our unified harmony in this feast under your wisdom and guidance."

Blue Skies followed Lance.

"We have sinned. We have been unworthy. We confess to our undoings, so that you may undo our evils."

Then silence.

The family waited for Crimson to close off the prayer, but she did not speak. In fact, she was not in the room for the duration of the prayer. Since all the heads were down, Crimson silently walked to the kitchen and grabbed a knife. The large knife. When she returned to the table, she uttered a single phrase.

"Hail Lord Tartarus."

The next few moments were chaotic. Blood spilled over the table, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling light. The screams echoed throughout the house, but nopony outside would hear them. The family lived on the outskirt of the Canterlot Forest, the forest at the base of the mountain upon which Canterlot resides. Nopony else lived in that area, so Crimson was free to kill and butcher as she pleased.

When the screaming ended, Crimson was left alone in the house. She dropped the knife, gazed upon her work, and smiled. The dinning room was painted red with blood, and Crimson herself was drenched in the blood, but her unique coat made it appear that she was hardly involved. Only her mane gave away the damage. She walked back to her room and gazed upon her ceiling. Then, she began the enchantment.

"Lord Tartarus, give me the power to release you. Give me the strength to do what others could only pray of achieving before. Grant me my right as your loyal servant, and grant me the power to repel all who oppose me.

The room began to glow with a sinister red light. The wallpapers pealed off, revealing red walls that almost looked as if were made out of blood. The room was engulfed in red. Then a voice came from the ether.

"My child. You have done well, but not well enough. Your brother still lives. He has suspected you for some time, and planned to escape before your trial. You may have failed me in killing your family, but you have succeeded in earning your right as my servant. I will grant you a servant of your own. Go into the forest and find the wolf who stands alone. Make love with him, and then you will receive my endless powers, and use them as your own.

"But what about my brother," asked Crimson.

"He will be of no use anymore. He is no longer important. You have done well."

"But how did he escape. Who did I kill?"

"A clone. It appears you are not the only one who was practicing magic in secret."

"Will he die?"

A pause followed Crimson's last question. Crimson thought she pushed her boundaries a little too far, but was relieved to hear the voice respond.

"If you deem it so, he will die.

Crimson smirked.

"Let him rot in Tartarus.

Crimson walked through the forest, searching for the wolf. She had changed her coat color to purple in case Canterlot guards were doing a fly-by. She also left the house with a cutie mark. It was the Lord Tartarus Star, a symbol she took as a sign of her growing powers.

The forest was dark, but not dark enough. The sun was still on the horizon when she found the meadow. And the wolf. The wolf was dirty and untamed, but Crimson knew that he would not attack her. What Crimson did not know was that the wolf would speak.

"So you are the one he sent. You're a little younger than I expected." The wolf's voice was scratchy. A small tingle ran down Crimson's spine, but she liked it. This wolf had authority in his voice as well, a feature that she would love to hear more of.

"Well, shall we start?" asked Crimson.

"Jumping right into it, aren't you?" asked the wolf.

"I don't want any more delays," said Crimson.

"Very well."

A few minutes later.

Once finished, Crimson quickly got up and began her spell.

"Le tos me los, gih tchi ze umb, an to ta meh pech es af legus mi aura."

Crimson quickly bent forward as the unborn body began to grow faster and faster. She herself felt the aging process. She did not just age the baby quicker, but she put her body into an accelerated state so that there would be no mistakes. Once finished, she felt the kicking. And the pushing. She felt everything she needed to feel to give birth. It took a minute, but she finally got the child out.

The process was not over, for the child at least. The child aged a year or two older before his growth ended. The infant was still sticky from the vaginal fluid, but was overall healthy. Crimson cast a spell on herself to make her body recover, then quickly bolted, as she heard the wolf howl. Behind her, a bolt of lightning struck down in the meadow. She heard the second howl, then the second bolt, then she was back at the house.

She made her way to her bedroom, expecting so more instructions from the voice, but was met with a message written in blood:

"In fifteen years you'll wait. Your powers must remain hidden. Once the child is ready, seek him out and bring him to the Everfree Forest. To the Castle of the Two Sisters. To the throne room.

Crimson was shocked to see this message, not because it was vague, but because she had to wait fifteen years for the next step. She cursed several curses to herself, and began to pack her things. She washed herself to be rid of the musk and quickly left the house and walked to Ponyville. Behind her, a silhouette of Celestia flying back up to Canterlot was noticed by nopony. Crimson had done her job, now she had to wait for fifteen years.

She had to lie for fifteen years about how a pony had sneaked into the house and murdered her family. She lied that the murderer kidnapped Lance and mostly likely killed him too. She had to lie, for her own sake.

5: Breaking the Rules

Ben was fascinated by the spell book. Since his experience, he had found a new section in the Magic in Creatures Other than Ponies section. There was a complete set of four pages all about wolf-pony hybrid magic, with special excerpts on some of the things that Ben wanted to know before. For one thing, he understood how he was conducting purple electricity. When he was born, he was given his magic through the endless powers of the weather.

Since the day in the dungeon, Ben had learned to harness and control his electric powers. He could summon sparks in his paws and direct them to a location of his choice. His first target was the metal bars of the dungeon. He not only could direct the lightning to the bars, but he could also control them while on the bars and off his body. Just as easily, Ben put the sparks out. He found out that by thinking about where the sparks are, they appear. When he stopped thinking, they disappeared.

Ben made sure to hide the book whenever Celestia decided to drop in on him unannounced, which she did quite often. Ben was not mad at her, since he did that every morning to roam the castle. Ben noticed that Celestia was rather joyful when around him. Ben suspected that she was playing the I-don't-know-but-I-really-do-know card on him, but decided to play along with it. Ben knew that Celestia would never find out he had her book.

Ben had spent the next two weeks practicing and perfecting his magic. He found out that his magic rotation was to the right. Magic rotation was the way magic spun within anything that had magic. For most creatures, the magic rotation could be determined by the direction hair turned. For Ben, he had a right rotation.

Ben decided to investigate and learn about magic rotations in other ponies. Since several of the ponies in Canterlot were unicorns, Ben had an easier job. For unicorns, magic rotation could be determined by the direction the lines spiraled up the horn. As it turned out, Celestia had a left rotation. Ben laughed at this, since several portraits of Celestia show her having a right rotating horn.

Ben went through eight unicorn before running across the young Twilight Sparkle. Ben knew that she was Celestia's new star pupil, since Sunset left a few years back. Twilight was head-deep into a book, a sight Ben chuckled at.

Definitely a bookworm.

Ben managed to see that Twilight was a right rotation. Ben was about to leave when he saw Twilight walking right into a wall. Ben wanted to see the crash. Ben never saw it, for Twilight managed to turn the corner and continued walking with the book in her face. How Twilight did not run into the wall, Ben would never know.

Ben continued his study of magic rotation until dusk, where he came back to Celestia's room and met a smile. Celestia caught him on time for once. Ben returned the smile and proceeded to his room. Jumping onto his bed, Ben opened up the spell book and found something interesting. Written onto the first few blank pages were signatures of names Ben could not believe were there. On one page was Starswirl the Bearded. Another had Rockhoof. There was also Mistmane, Flash Magnus, Somnambula, Mage Meadowbrook, and Stygian. But what caught Ben off guard was on the last blank page was Clover the Clever. Ben was beyond happy.

Ben heard stories from Celestia about the legendary Clover the Clever, but to have one of his books, it was like a dream come true.

That explains a lot actually.

Who else would be powerful enough to make an enchanted book that talked to the reader and provided answers through magical means. Ben was just about to get some sleep when he heard Celestia's bedroom door open. Ben dimmed his lights, hoping the intruder did not walk into the closet and see him. He heard Celestia's voice and a child's voice. They appeared to be having a discussion. A friendly discussion, Ben assumed. Ben crept over to his bedroom door and took a look out through the keyhole.

He saw the young Twilight Sparkle having tea with Celestia, a pile of papers stacked next to her seat. Ben was curious, but knew that if he was seen, Celestia would not be happy. When Ben found a spot where he was no longer interested in the conversation, he returned to his bed and closed his eyes, not knowing that that night might have been his last in the closet.

The next morning was strange for Ben. When he woke up, he did not see Celestia waiting for him, nor did he see Celestia in her room at all. Ben pondered whether to leave or not, but his stomach told him that it would not hurt to get some breakfast. In the back of his mind, he practiced how he would utilize rule six as his excuse for wandering the castle without Celestia's permission.

When Ben left the bedroom and entered the halls, he found that nopony was around. The cooks left the kitchen. The guards were not at their posts. Ben scratched his head in confusion, but kept to his regular routine of hiding in plain sight should he run across somepony still in the castle.

Ben was rather proud of his ability to hide. Even from a young age, Ben learned that by thinking he himself was invisible, nopony seemed to notice him. He could wall down a corridor full of ponies and not be noticed whenever he performed his special ability. When the book made its update, Ben found out that not only could he use spark magic, but by thinking that he himself was a spark of electricity, he would be able to jump from point A to point B in a blink of an eye. He called it a Lightning Jump. So for him to become invisible, all he needed to do was not be able to be seen by the naked eye.

Ben managed to exit the castle and saw that the city of Canterlot was hosting a parade. No, not a parade. Ben did the thinking and remembered that the summer was nearing the end, so Celestia was out for the Summer Sun Celebration. Ben would have liked to have seen it, but he would not risk getting caught by Celestia. While he could make himself invisible to most ponies, those who had a trained eye would spot him immediately. And Celestia was well trained, Ben was sure of.

So Ben decided to go for a run around the castle. He stretched his legs for the run and just when the clock hit ten, he was off. In a few minutes, he was at the guard barracks. He saw all the lockers were empty, a sign that every guard was on duty at the celebration. He then made it to the kitchens, where he snatched a few treats for himself, having forgotten that he skipped breakfast. He made it from the East Wing to the West Wing in just two minutes, a new record for himself. He managed to cover the entire castle in must more time than before. Since nopony was in the castle, Ben had little to worry about being spotted.

This place is so much bigger without all the ponies.

Ben was having more fun roaming the castle than before. He was free to be himself without being confined to the dungeon. He was--

CRASH!!

Ben stopped in place and made himself invisible. His ears were erect, trying to find the source of the crash.

Crash.

Ben turned around and found that the sounds were coming from the vault. Ben never really considered visiting the castle vault, since that was the one place where he would most likely get caught. But this time, his curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate.

Before turning the last corner that would lead him to the vault, Ben heard voices. Four voices, that almost all sounded the same, but Ben knew that there were four because they were all arguing among themselves.

"I told you to put that down! But did you listen to me, NO," one voice shouted.

"It was an honest mistake, but what are you worried about? Nopony is here," another voice argued.

"Doesn't matter! You could have triggered the alarm," a third voice said.

"And I told you that I took care of the alarm!" said the forth voice.

Ben noticed that the voices were very similar, but how was still a mystery. Ben decided to pear around the corner and saw four blue ponies scavenging around the open vault. Two were pegasi, one was a unicorn, and the last was an earth-pony. They all wore masks that looked like cat faces. Their cutie marks were most likely painted over, since Ben knew that they were burglars stealing money from the vault. The items that crashed were suits of armor. Ben wanted to get a closer look, but it appeared that his cover was already blown when the unicorn shouted something.

"Somepony is here!"

Ben quickly returned his head around the corner and hoped that he was not spotted by a trained unicorn. He heard the flapping of wings as the two pegasi flew over to the corner. Ben saw the two fly past him, stop, and look at each other with confusion.

"Um, boss. There's nopony here," said one of the pegasi.

"Look harder. He must be invisible. There is no way he escaped that quickly," replied the unicorn.

Ben held his breath and remained motionless as the pegasi swooped past him multiple times. Ben hoped beyond hope that they did not have a good sense of smell like him. But smell was not what gave him away. One of the pegasi flew so close to Ben that Ben's hair stood up from the static electricity. The pegasi stopped and turned, waving his partner over. Ben was not going to wait for them to rush him.

With a jolt, Ben undid his invisibility spell and made a break for it. He did not make it far, for the unicorn teleported himself between Ben and the rest of the castle. The pony quickly put a spell on Ben, immobilizing his arms and legs, locking him in place.

"Well. This is a surprise. And just, who are you?" asked the unicorn.

Ben did not speak, because he did not know what to say to get out of this situation. He hoped that they would let him go if he appeared to be mute, but that would be a stretch. Ben knew that the unicorn was not an idiot.

"Well, answer," asked the unicorn.

"Ben. I'm Ben," replied Ben, a little disappointed at himself.

"Ben. What all did you hear?" asked the unicorn.

"A crash, then you guys bickering, then you shouting to find me, and now you asking my questions," replied Ben, a little sarcastically.

The unicorn looked a little frustrated by that response.

"And where were you going to go?" asked the unicorn.

"My bedroom, I guess. You know, I didn't actually think about that," Ben responded.

"Well I'll let you know where you are going. Lok, Mok, take him to the dungeon! Jok, check the corridor to make sure nopony else comes down here," said the unicorn. The two pegasi, which Ben assumed were Lok and Mok, carried Ben, still immobilized, through the castle while Jok took position. The unicorn used a spell that gave Jok the appearance of a Canterlot guard. Ben wanted to struggle, but could not resist the spell the unicorn put on him. But Ben was already in a cell when he felt his arms and legs again.

Lok and Mok were flying up, having thrown the keys out into a closet that held armor. Ben was about to scream for help, but remembered that nopony else was in the castle. Plus the dungeons were sound proof, so nopony would hear him anyways. Ben began to memorize the names and appearances of the ponies. Lok was the pegasi with a smooth mane, while Mok had a tough mane. Jok was the earth-pony with a short mane. And then there was the unicorn, who was referred to as the "boss."

Ben had thought of ways to explain this to Celestia, but nothing would make a good excuse. Ben waited until he was sure the ponies were not nearby and made his escape. He turned into lightning and made his Lightning Jump out of the cell. He made sure that he was not heard, and after the few seconds of silence, Ben made his way to the vault once more. He stopped just before Jok, who was still wearing the false armor. Moments later, the unicorn was walking toward Jok with a brown sack that was full.

"Well Hok, this was fun. Why did you send Lok and Mok to the royal bedrooms again?" asked Jok.

"To see why that pony wanted to head up to his room. He must have something up there that we may need. Besides, it is still a good two hours before ponies start returning from the celebration. You know how much Canterlot ponies like their royal celebrations."

Ben would have stayed to hear the rest of the conversation, but he bolted to Celestia's room, hoping that Lok and Mok had not found out about his secret room. Thankfully, the two were still on the third story, while the royal bedrooms were on the forth story. Ben had to make sure that he could sneak past the two without alerting them. Ben did not need to try hard, since Lok and Mok were holding high beliefs that Ben was still in the dungeon.

Ben quietly entered Celestia's room and went into the closet. Ben had thought about how he would handle the ponies if they were to find his room, but no good ideas came to mind. Ben noticed the spell book open on his bed. Ben took a look and saw a single phrase written in black ink.

"Make new friends. Stop them from destroying themselves and your life."

Ben was about to question the book, but was stopped by the opening of Celestia's bedroom door. The four ponies walked in together. Ben saw that they had taken off their masks. They all had green eyes, and Hok had his mane shaved off completely, exposing his horn. Ben took a look back at the book.

Make new friends? What does that mean?

Ben noticed Jok getting closer to the closet door and prepared for a scrimmage.

"There is something here. I can sense it," said Hok. Hok pointed towards the closet door, and Jok proceeded to open it.

Ben did not hesitate. Ben summoned sparks to appear on Hok's horn to prevent him from using magic. Lok and Mok tried to fly in and punch Ben, but Ben put sparks on their wings to keep them from flying. Jok was on the ground, his limbs suffering from the same sparks, making him immobilized.

Ben collected all four ponies and put them together in a rope of electricity. They would not have any way of escaping that rope, so Ben decided to play the role of "good cop."

"So here we all are. You guys should really hold somepony outside the dungeon, you know, just in case a prisoner escapes. So you're names are Lok, Mok, Jok, and Hok. I am assuming that you are related?"

"Quadruplets," replied Jok.

"Through magic," said Lok.

Hok rolled his eyes and said, "We are not actually related. We are just partners. And you don't understand why we were doing this."

"Okay. Why?" asked Ben.

Hok said, "Because we had no choice. Celestia and the bureaucrats keep raising the taxes so that Canterlot is home to only those who can afford it. We were just barely getting by when the lords passed a new tax on pony homes. They built new homes so everypony needs to pay taxes to pay off the building of those homes. We ran out of money and had to see our home. We have to beg for food and money to survive, all because of Celestia's tax law.

"We were trying to get money to move to Ponyville, but we didn't have enough for a home in Ponyville, so we needed to get money. And nopony in Canterlot is willing to give third-class ponies money just because they asked. So we planned on stealing the money that Canterlot took from us. The taxes that we paid that were supposed to go to the new buildings weren't even used. They were just put into the vault! So we needed to steal it back."

Ben thought about what he just heard. Celestia passed a law that made ponies pay taxes for buildings that were already paid for? And if these ponies were hurt this much to steal from Canterlot, Ben could only assume how many other ponies were in the same situation. Ben did not want to forgive them, but Ben felt that he needed to help them.

Ben undid his rope spell and said, "Sorry to hear it. I'll pretend I didn't see you guys. Just, promise one thing for me."

Hok asked, "What?"

"Don't tell anypony about me. You four and Celestia are the only ponies that know about me right now. I would like to keep it that way."

"Why don't you leave?" asked Mok.

"Where would I go? I'm not exactly your everyday pony now am I?" said Ben.

"Why not come with us?" asked Jok.

Ben shook his head.

"Really? That is how you want to go? Under Celestia's wing? I know powerful magic when I see it and you have powerful magic. You should not let yourself be dependent on Celestia all the time. Look at us. We just stole from the Canterlot vault because we are going up against Celestia. You should join us," said Hok.

Ben was at a stand-still. He knew Celestia was powerful, yet these four ponies would stand against her and all who support her. And Ben was powerful, Hok said, and Hok was the pony leading this small group. Ben knew that Celestia would never forgive him, but Ben had tasted freedom before, and he did not want to let it go.

"Okay. I'll join you guys. I'll help if I can, but I can't make any promises," said Ben.

"Good. Now pack your things and lets go. I estimated we have about ninety minutes before ponies start flooding back into Canterlot," said Hok.

Ben smiled. All he really needed what his book. Ben thought about whether he would miss his routine, but quickly through the thought away, knowing that he had a chance to see the outside world.

Besides, who follows all the rules anyways?

6: The Coming Storm

The air was cold in the unforgiving north. In the cave, ice crystals reminded the pony that the temperature was well below zero. At the top of the cave was a buildup of smoke, which came from the fire that gave extra warmth to the clothed pony.

The earth pony sat by the fire and stared into it while in deep thought. He appeared to be doing nothing, but he was concentrating on how he would plan his attack on his sister, Crimson Blush. He was doing this for a good number of years now. When he successfully tricked Crimson with an illusion spell of his own making, he made sure that he knew where Crimson would go next. He had learned that night that Crimson was serving Lord Tartarus, and that she had more things to do. He had also learned that night that in fifteen years time, the devil-spawn would need to be collected by Crimson.

Lance Storm had waited fifteen years in hiding for this moment, since he knew that Crimson would kill him the first chance she got if she saw him again. Lance Storm had waited, and now he was about to make his move.

Celestia was concerned. Ben never returned more than twenty minutes past sundown. She had checked his room, but found it empty on her return from duty. She went through some of Ben's belongings, hoping to find some clue as to his whereabouts. When nothing turned up, Celestia quickly ran to her library, a place she had seen him sneaking around while she was relaxing. Thankfully, the guards that were supposed to protect the library had yet to return from the Summer Sun Festival. Celestia searched up and down the aisles of shelves, hoping to catch him. She was unsuccessful.

Celestia was about to continue her search when she was stopped by a wandering Twilight Sparkle.

"Princess? What are you doing?" asked the young filly.

Celestia hesitated. Twilight had no knowledge about Ben, and she wished to keep it that way. The problem was, Twilight could tell Celestia was in a hurry, so Celestia cleverly made up a lie to tide Twilight's curiosity.

"I'm late for an emergency meeting. Sorry Twilight. Head up to your study. This does not concern you."

Twilight accepted this and continued her walk back up to the observatory. Celestia sighed, then quickly flew through the halls to continue her search. She was stopped when a guard motioned her to follow him. Celestia thought that Ben was caught, and Celestia needed to act upon it.

Celestia found a small bit of relief when she turned the corner to not find Ben tied up in ropes and at spear-point. But the damage that needed her attention was just as worrisome. The Canterlot vault had been looted. Badly. The guards were using spells to trace the ponies who were responsible, but were unfruitful in their findings. Celestia ordered guards and servants to record all the damage and loss, then quickly used a spell of her own. Her trace spell was more advanced than the guards, and was neither relieved nor distraught about her findings. Ben was there, along with an earth pony, a unicorn, and two pegasi. Celestia followed the trace through the halls, undisturbed by the guards and servants, and found herself heading down into the dungeon.

Celestia found in her trace that Ben was locked up and freed himself from the cell and continued back up to the vault. While in the dungeon, however, Celestia found a floor stone askew. She lifted the stone and, with her trace magic, found several books hidden in the hole. The books were no longer there, but she saw that there were about five to seven books hidden there by Ben, who read through them on several occasions. Celestia had finally reached the trace that depicted Ben in a strange stated. Sparks of electricity emitted from Ben's body and filled the dungeon. Celestia was horrified, having not seen this type of magic before. What terrified Celestia the most was the fact that Ben had control over the magic and his purple marks were glowing.

Celestia ended her trace spell, and nearly fainted when the realization hit her.

The two lightning strikes. Was that the reason for his magic? For his nearly endless stamina?

There was no other explanation. Celestia slowly trotted up to her bedroom and slumped into her bed, hoping the grief would help her sleep. After what felt like hours, Celestia finally managed to enter a deep sleep.

The night was beautiful in Ben's opinion. Being part wolf, Ben had the urge to do more at night, but resisted some of the urges. The small make-shift house that was built by the Guys, as Ben referred to, was more roomy that Ben expected. There was a functional kitchen, bathroom, and other appliances. Lok, Mok, Jok, and Hok each had their own bed, while Ben wondered if one of them would offer him a bed as an act of courtesy, but second-guessed it as he was fully capable to sleep on the ground. He has done it before.

Hok managed the kitchen and cooked up what Ben believed to be mashed potatoes. Lok and Mok put up the lights to help everypony see more clearly. Jok walked over to Ben and asked, "Like it?"

"Well... " Ben hesitated. "It's not the worst place in the world to sleep."

"Yeah, well, it's home. For now, at least." replied Jok.

Ben pondered over that last statement for a while, even after Jok had walked away to help Hok with the cooking. He had the opportunity to just stay in Celestia's closet, but left that to help these ponies. He had them at their throats, but let them go. And now they were repaying him by offering him a bed at their place. Minus the actual bed.

Ben was silent while eating mashed potatoes, still contemplating his choices. The potatoes were delicious in Ben's opinion. A sudden thought was brought to the front of his mind. Ben imagined how the bureaucrats would feel if they had to eat mashed potatoes. Ben found this humorous, since he knew those ponies would never allow themselves to eat common pony food. Ben's thoughts then turned towards Celestia, and how she would have felt when she discovered his disappearance. Ben quickly shook his head, remembering that he was past Celestia now.

Ben looked at the four ponies in front of him at the table, seeing something that he never saw before: fighters. These ponies were fighting to stay alive, even without having to throw punches or kicks.

Punches or kicks?

Ben felt like he had struck the best option for how he could help the Guys, and himself at the same time. Ben knew he had magic, and while he had a good understanding about how to utilize some of it, he was still pretty weak if he were to compare himself to guards or assassins. So the best option for helping himself improve his magic and help the Guys with money was a fight club.

It was unorthodox, but Ben thought it would work. Ben quickly finished his food and waited for the Guys to finish as well. The Guys noticed the excitement, and felt it too when they heard Ben's plan. A fight club would be the best thing to do to earn more money and stay under guard radar. Especially since the golden rule about fight club was: You don't talk about fight club.

It was Mok who surrendered his bed to Ben. Ben took it without question, knowing that Mok would likely find a soft cloud to sleep on in the night. Ben was nearly asleep when he heard a loud bang come from Canterlot Castle.

Celestia was jolted awake by the loud bang that erupted from within the castle. It was a tremendous boom that awoke all of Canterlot. Celestia rushed out of her room, hoping that somepony knew where and what that sound was. She flew through the hallways until she saw the mass of ponies crowding around a spot in the main hall. The ponies parted to let Celestia through. What Celestia saw was horrifying.

Written in scorch-marks were the words: I WILL FIND YOU DEMON PONY!

Celestia thought to herself that she failed. She knew that the message was directed towards Ben, but who that pony was, Celestia did not know. All she knew now what that Ben was in danger. Ben was being hunted.

Crimson Blush managed to slip past the mass of ponies without being noticed. She had seen the message. No doubt it was Lance trying to get to the hybrid before her. Crimson cursed to herself for being so slow. She had just missed the hybrid going out, but she was also thankful that Lance had not gotten to the hybrid first. Crimson used her magic to scan the castle for any trace of the hybrid. She found a hit in Celestia's room. With a swiftness that would make a fox jealous, Crimson slipped past everypony and reached the bedroom with ease.

Inside, Crimson found nothing that would hint the presence of the hybrid. But her spell led her to the closet, where she easily undid a powerful illusion spell. Beyond the closet space was a separate bedroom that spelled of wolf. She knew that smell, since she got a strong whiff of it that night fifteen years before. She scanned the room and found that the hybrid was a perfectly healthy wolf-pony hybrid who went by the name of Ben.

Ben? I would have named him something like Grogar or Tirek. Oh well...

Crimson also found out that there were four other ponies that were in there. She focused her spell and learned that Ben had actually held captive four ponies with his magic. He was learning. Crimson found that Ben had left Canterlot Castle with these ponies after letting them go. She was slightly furious with this action. Ben was supposed to be a demon, a pony of evil, but he just let four ponies go after having them by the throat.

Crimson shook this thought out of her head, realizing that Celestia had raised Ben, so Ben would not know the lust and power of being a demon. She was going to change that.

Lance through rocks to the walls of the cave and shot lightning bolts from his personal cloud in anger. He had the bastard. He had the demon pony. He was going to kill it, but was too late. By now, Crimson probably had the bastard child in her possession and was preparing her next move. Lance bucked and shouted curses in anger. He was so close, but now it was all over. Lance had sat down to calm himself when he heard a strange voice from within the cave.

"If you want him dead, you will need to be better and faster."

Lance stood up and looked around to see where the voice came from. His eyes found another pair of eyes looking at him from the darkness. The eyes were animal, and familiar. Lance took a few steps closer to find a wolf staring at him. Lance was shocked. How did this wolf find him? Lance was about to ask, but was cut off when the wolf continued to speak.

"I have your scent. I had it since that night. I knew you were there. It is not easy to sneak up on a wolf, you know."

It was the wolf from that night. Why it was there with him, Lance wanted to know.

"Why are you here? What do you want with me?"

"I'm here to let you know that it is best to put this quest aside. You have no right to trust me, but listen to what I say. That hybrid is not what you think it is. He is beyond you in power and intellect. I made sure of that myself."

Lance scowled at that statement. This wolf clearly had no clue just what Lance was capable of. Nonetheless, Lance played along and asked, "What would you have me do then? Let my sister teach that hybrid how to be more powerful? Or have it be smarter than anypony?"

The wolf responded, "I will let you know that the hybrid is beyond the reach of Crimson. He was not taken by her, but instead fled Canterlot on his own terms. But I advise you to not seek to kill the hybrid, but instead your own sister. She is the one who is in direct contact with the one."

Lance was about to retort, but thought about what the wolf said. If this wolf spoke the truth, and the hybrid was safe from Crimson, then that would give him the leg up on her. If she failed to retrieve the hybrid for Lord Tartarus, then she would most likely be punished, which would make her weak. The perfect opportunity to strike.

Lance was about to accept the wolf on the offer, but the wolf vanished. Strange, but Lance knew that certain creatures had magical capabilities. He as an earth pony would know. Now he had a new plan.

Celestia was tired. She felt it, but she did not let it keep her from her mission. She had to get to Ben. Before anypony else did. In order to do that, she had to reach out to an old friend of hers. She never had reason to call on this pony before. But in this case, speed and secrecy was key. And this pony was the best at both. Celestia knocked on the door, hoping the pony would answer.

After a few minutes, a light came on in the living room. Celestia primed herself for the pony, and when the door opened, she quickly got to business.

"I have a contract. Search and rescue. The target is Bennalose, a wolf-pony hybrid that has purple marks on his body. I need him captured and contained in secrecy. He will likely be with four ponies: a unicorn, two pegasi, and an earth pony. Bennalose can use electrical magic to teleport and attack, so use caution. Make sure he is alive and that nopony else learns about his existence. Clear?"

"Clear." responded the pony.

Celestia flew back to the castle, hoping to finally get some rest.

Speedy quickly copied down Celestia's orders onto a piece of paper, folded it, and ate it. He let the orders sink in. Once finished, Speedy flew to his closet and grabbed his suit and helmet. He fit the suit over his light blue coat and wings, and his helmet covered his blue hair and eyes. His eyes were strange, in that the eyes appeared to have chambers. There were eight chambers that surrounded a ninth, circular chamber in the middle.

He sighed and made his way to the front door, knowing that his small retirement from the Contracts was finally over.

Crimson entered her home and quickly made her way to her bedroom. Once inside, she called upon Lord Tartarus for her next set of instructions.

"You failed to retrieve him. I am displeased."

"I am sorry, Lord, but there were certain circumstances that rose. But--"

"But nothing. You were supposed to retrieve the specimen, but now he is likely beyond our reach. Celestia has just called upon a bounty hunter to search for the specimen. Even though your brother did not acquire the specimen, you failed just the same. You deserve to be punished."

Crimson braced herself for the strike, but was alarmed to see that she was not struck, nor had any magic removed. Instead, she was presented the scene of the wolf and Lance speaking to one another. Crimson saw how the wolf let Lance know that she herself was Lance's target. Crimson was horrified by the realization that she was compromised. Lance knew that she did not have Ben, so Lance had the upper hand. Plus, even with her normal powers, Crimson was no match for Lance. He was always stronger than her. And he had the upper hand. Crimson was motionless.

"I will leave you to your fate. If you fail to survive, you will be damned forever. You will never taste immortality, only pain and despair."

And with that, Crimson was alone.