CRISIS: New World Order

by GanonFLCL

Rating: teen
Tags: Violence, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Death, Alternate Universe, Romance, Original Character, Apple Bloom, Flurry Heart, Rarity, Adventure, Sex, Profanity
Length: 307703

Twenty-one years after returning from an adventure in an alternate Equestria, Rarity finds herself returning to that other world after a spell gone awry. Once again she must find her way home, but this time, things are a little different.

It's been twenty-one years since Twilight Sparkle and her friends visited the alternate world of Equestria-V, wherein their lives and the fate of the entire multiverse hung in the balance. Though things have changed at home since their return—including accepting their clones from that alternate world into their own—things have generally settled down, for the most part, and that adventure is now long behind them.

Except for Rarity, who left a piece of herself in that other world and still longs to go back, no matter how impossible that might seem. However, a spell gone awry gives her—as well as Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart—the opportunity to make things right, and to see the ramifications of things that have happened since Rarity was last in that other world.

Edited/co-authored by Devnator, who also served as a creative consultant. Cover art by Starlight Spark, as usual.

This story is no longer considered canon to the original CRISIS: Equestria timeline.

Published 2020-01-13 22:20:02 UTC
Last updated 2020-06-22 12:25:07 UTC

Chapter One: Echoes

Rarity looked out onto the streets of Canterlot from the upper window of her new Carousel Boutique—a secondary location, really—located front and center in one of the busiest streets of the city’s fashion district. It was a bright sunny day today, a perfect summer afternoon with not a cloud in the sky, which also meant it was pleasantly warm outside, and the creatures that chose to show off their fashion sense did so with light, airy clothes in bright colors. Rarity was certain she saw one or two of her designs out there.

Even after twenty years, she still found it hard to believe how the city had grown and become populated by so many other creatures besides ponies, and how well they’d integrated at that. A griffin couple flew by just overhead and took a seat together on a cloud, clearly enamored with one another; a yak down on the corner chatted with a couple of earth ponies, likely an amusing discussion based on their uproarious laughing; a male hippogriff casually whistled at a female changeling that passed by… who then swiftly turned into a perfect imitation of the hippogriff and gave a rather rude gesture back.

With a sigh, Rarity turned from the window and returned to the task at hoof: packing her suitcase. A trip to the Crystal Empire demanded that she pack warm clothes, which included her favorite coat. A long trip was expected so she also had to pack for an extended stay, which meant extra outfits. It was also for royal business so she had to pack something fancy, just in case. A nice, long dress would do the trick. And that was on top of her dress-making supplies; some had already been packed and shipped, but she made sure to bring a few back-up essentials.

It was all very complicated, but she wasn’t about to refuse the offer she’d been given by Princess Cadence and Shining Armor. After all, it wasn’t every day somepony was asked to design a custom-tailored, personal dress for Princess Flurry Heart for her birthday, let alone for her upcoming coronation ceremony. It was an honor and a privilege. An honored privilege, even. Certainly a welcome change from the tedium of the past year.

Then, there came a knock at the front door. Rarity knew immediately who it was—she recognized that haphazard, nonsensical pattern anywhere, and she knew it wasn’t a client since the shop was closed today—so she took a moment to collect herself before heading downstairs to answer it.

At the door was a charcoal-black unicorn mare with a golden blonde mane styled in a long, wavy curl, her eyes a perfect mirror of Rarity’s own. “Like, hellooo, Rarity!” the other mare greeted with a too-wide smile, showing off her straightened teeth. “I hope I’m not, like, late or anything?”

“Not at all, Insipid,” Rarity said with a smile. “You’re here with plenty of time to spare, actually. Please, come on inside, make yourself at home.”

Insipid did just that, lugging a hefty suitcase along with her. Rarity marveled at the other mare’s appearance. When they’d first met, the other unicorn could hardly dress herself and had the style sense of a foal when it came to her mane and tail. These days, Insipid took very good care of her appearance. If anything, Rarity was a little jealous that Insipid’s mane hadn’t started graying like her own was, and suspected Insipid dyed hers.

Insipid let out a breath as she set down her suitcase. “So, okay, this was real spur-of-the-moment and junk, so, like, I’m super sorry if I brought a lot of stuff with me this time. I didn’t have time to put it in storage first, y’know?”

Rarity waved the thought off with her hoof. “Oh, it’s no trouble at all, darling. I appreciate you being able to make it on such short notice. I hope I’m not interrupting your convention tour or anything?”

“Pshaw, no way. I just got back from Manehatten Comic-Con, so I don’t have much else for, like, another few months? Cha.” Insipid suddenly brightened; Rarity could practically hear the excitement leaking out of the other mare. “Ooh ooh! Wait 'til you see what I got!”

Insipid hastily opened her suitcase and hoisted out a small box containing an action figure of Radiance, one of the Power Ponies. Insipid’s smile widened as she pointed at the box in excitement.

“Limited edition, Manehatten Comic-Con exclusive!” she boasted, pointing at the label that said just that. She then pointed at the signature on the side: White Diamond. Rarity recognized it as the actress that portrayed the character in the films. “Aaaand, I got it signed! By White Diamond herself! This thing is worth, like, a mint!”

Rarity gave a polite smile; she wasn’t particularly interested in collectables or memorabilia like Insipid was, but it made the other mare happy and that was all that mattered. “Very impressive, darling. You must’ve worked hard to get that.”

“I’ll say! Oh boy, I cleaned house this year, Rarity. Like you wouldn’t believe. For. Sure. Ooh ooh, I even got something for Spike, look!”

Insipid hoisted out another box, this one with another action figure. Rarity recognized the earth pony mare depicted—with her deep blue coat and rich red mane—anywhere as Lapis Lazuli, the assassin-spy of the other popular superhero team sweeping through the film industry, the Marevengers. She recognized her more because of the actress portraying her: Curaçao.

“They, like, released the new figures early, exclusively at the convention! They don’t hit stores for another month!” Insipid said, bubbling over with excitement. “I got one for me, and one for Spike. I know Lapis Lazuli is his favorite. Mine too. Cha.”

Rarity gave a knowing smile. Curaçao was Insipid’s older sister, after all, so her giddiness was understandable. As for Spike, Rarity knew he had a huge crush on Curaçao. He’d never act on it, of course, since he was in a perfectly healthy relationship with Gabby.

“How is Curaçao, anyway?” Rarity asked as Insipid put the action figure away. “We hardly see her these days, though I don’t exactly blame her. I hear the Los Manegeles weather is simply wonderful this time of year.”

“Oh, yeah, it is, but she’s not there right now,” Insipid said matter-of-factly. “She’s up near Stalliongrad, actually. Has been for, uh… two months, I think? She sent me a postcard!”

“Stalliongrad, hmm? Filming, I take it?” Rarity didn’t keep up that much on the superhero movies, so Insipid and Spike were generally the only source of news she had on that front.

“Yup! She’s finally getting that solo movie, y’know? I’m, like, so totally stoked for her. The other fans are too! And the rest of our sisters, of course, duh.”

Rarity smiled. “That’s wonderful news, good for her. Well, I’m going to let you go ahead and get set up, darling. I have to finish packing. My train leaves in a few hours and I’m already dreadfully behind.” As she headed for the stairs, she paused and turned back for a brief moment. “And thank you again, Insipid. I appreciate this.”

“Like, no problem, for sure,” Insipid said with a nod, waving her hoof. “I love housesitting for you, you know that.”

Rarity smiled, then headed back upstairs to finish up while Insipid started unpacking her plethora of collectables.

*****

Rarity arrived at the train station just under an hour before her train was supposed to depart, cursing herself for nearly being late the entire way. Not that she’d miss the train, no, but that her friends that had been invited to see her off would be kept waiting. It was dreadfully tacky, and Rarity hated appearing tacky more than anything, but she knew they’d understand; fashionably late was always a tried-and-true excuse, after all.

As Rarity arrived on the train platform, she saw that not everypony had arrived yet; so far it was just Pinkie Pie and her “niece” Cheesecake, who were sitting patiently on a bench. As soon as Rarity came into view, the pair leapt up and started waving and cheering excitedly to get her attention, as if she’d somehow fail to notice them otherwise.

Pinkie kept her mane tied up in a sort of bun these days, but because of how much mane she had it was more accurately a beehive. Cheesecake was a delightful young filly, butter yellow with a curly, dark pink mane that she styled like her father’s, even if it was colored more closely to her mother’s.

Rarity approached the pair with a smile. “Pinkie, Cheesecake. So glad you two could make it. I know you’ve got a business to run, darling, but I do hate leaving town without saying proper goodbyes, you know?”

Pinkie giggled and waved the thought off with a hoof. “Don’t you worry one little hair in that pretty mane of yours. It’s no trouble at all being here to see you off! The bakery’s being taken care of for the afternoon, so it’s no biggie, really.”

Rarity smiled down at Cheesecake. “And thank you, too, for coming to see me off, Cheesecake. It’s always a pleasure to see you.”

“You’re welcome!” the little filly said, nodding excitedly, a wide smile on her face. Rarity always found it amusing how she took more after her father than her mother in that respect. “I’ve never been to the Crystal Empire before! Is it nice? I hear it’s cold up there. Is it cold up there?”

“Oh yes, very cold indeed, my dear,” Rarity said with a nod. “I had to pack my best coats just for the trip. It gets colder there than it does in Yakyakistan sometimes, but us ponies don’t have those big, heavy, natural coats like the yaks do.”

“Wow…”

“How are your parents, by the way?”

“Great! Dad’s got that new gig in Las Pegasus this week and Mom’s giving him all the support he needs! That’s why Auntie Pinkie is watching me.”

Rarity chuckled and gave Pinkie a knowing look. “It still amazes me that Red Velvet fell for Cheese Sandwich of all ponies. If it weren’t for Rainbow Dash, I’d be willing to bet money that he’d be a great match for you.”

Pinkie rolled her eyes but returned the smile. “Maybe in some other Equestria, maybe, but this one’s ours, thank you very much. Besides, he makes her laugh more than anypony I know, even me. I just knew the right way to her heart was a stallion that could make her laugh, y’know?”

“Yes yes, and we’re all very happy for her.”

Pinkie then returned the knowing look. “It doesn’t always have to be about being tall, dark, and handsome.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Speaking of Rainbow, though…” She glanced skyward briefly, just to be sure. “I assume she couldn’t make it?”

Pinkie shook her head. “Yeah, but she sends her regards. Which is a weird thing to say because you’re just going on a little trip, it’s not like you’re leaving Canterlot for-ev-er or something, sheesh. Worst case scenario is that you miss the next get-together.” She shrugged. “But yeah, Dashie’s got a Wonderbolts show in Fillydelphia tonight and has lots and lots of prep work to do, but no time to do it in. You’d understand that better than anypony.”

“I do. Still, that’s a shame. I wanted to ask her if she’d considered my suggestions for changes to the uniforms.”

“Well, Dashie’s not likely to take any suggestions on the official Wonderbolt uniforms… though you might be able to convince her to adjust the Academy uniforms. She could get you in touch with Briarthorn if you want?”

“No, that’s quite alright,” Rarity said, perhaps too quickly. “Besides, I’m sure he’s busy, too. Training the next generation of Wonderbolts can’t be easy when he’s got Rainbow Dash breathing down his neck for the top recruits.”

Rarity looked around the platform with a mild frown. “So… I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but… is it just the two of you, then? I mean, I didn’t expect anypony to come all the way here from Ponyville just to see me off, but...”

“I’m pretty sure it’s not just me,” Pinkie said, tilting her head. “Didn’t Twilight get back to you?”

“She did, and she said she’d be here, but—”

“Sorry! Sorry we’re late!” called Spike from behind them.

Rarity turned and smiled as Spike—now a big, hulking dragon with a distinguished jawline—came practically flying towards Rarity and Pinkie. He was nearly out of breath. Had he run and flown here all the way from the palace?

“So sorry we’re late,” he huffed. “Last moment issue popped up, you understand. Princess Twilight sent me ahead to make sure you knew we didn’t forget.”

“It’s no problem at all,” Rarity said with a slight smile. “The train isn’t leaving just yet, so there’s plenty of time.”

“Okay, okay, phew,” Spike breathed. He stood upright and puffed out his chest a little. Rarity knew it wasn’t for her benefit, not these days, but he seemed to do it out of habit. “So, uh… yeah. Here I am, to see you off. I know you’re only going up north for a little while and all, but—”

“We already had this conversation,” Pinkie giggled. “You know how Rarity is, though. Always a flair for the dramatic, and there’s nothing more dramatic than having your friends see you off at the train station. If this were a movie, this would be prime time for a lot of gushy moments, y’know?” she added, giving Spike a sidelong glance and a wink.

Spike stared at Pinkie, bewildered. “What?”

“Oh, nothing, don’t mind me.”

“Incidentally, Spike, do be sure to drop by the boutique before you go back to the palace,” Rarity said. “Insipid’s in town, and apparently she has a surprise for you.”

“Really? What?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, now would it? At any rate… you said ‘we’, darling?” Rarity said, looking behind Spike for additional company. “So Twilight is coming?”

“Yeah, she’ll be here any—” A loud murmur swept through the crowd behind him; Spike’s mouth broke into a knowing grin. “Aha, and there she is. Always drawing a crowd, that Princess.”

Rarity smiled as she caught sight of Princess Twilight Sparkle, in all her radiant glory, striding towards her with purpose. Rarity would never get used to Twilight being so tall these days, especially compared to when they’d first met, but she supposed it came with the territory of being the alicorn princess. She looked properly regal and everything with that crown and those hoof ornaments. Rarity was more surprised actually that Twilight didn’t have any guards with her, but then this wasn’t exactly official royal business.

By Twilight’s side was, as usual, Starlight Shadow, still a unicorn despite some attempts many years back to “pull a Twilight”—Pinkie’s words, not hers—and still as stuffy and formal as ever. The dark purple unicorn kept her pink-and-purple mane in a tight bun these days, and wore a thick pair of horn-rimmed glasses and a sharp dress suit.

Twilight smiled and quickened her pace when she caught sight of Rarity. “Rarity! So sorry we’re late, but a little issue came up last minute and we had to get it addressed. You know how it is.”

“It’s quite alright, darling, no harm done. Spike told me already.”

“Are you excited? I hear this is a pretty big project you’ve got ahead of you. I know I’d be nervous if I were in the same position as you.”

“You, darling? I haven’t seen you get particularly nervous in years, not since your coronation ceremony, and this seems below what would elicit your sort of nervousness. Though it’s a welcome change from how you were when we first met, always panicking over the tiniest little thing.”

Twilight chuckled. “Yes, well, every now and then I still wonder if I’m really meant for this position, you know? I’m glad I have all of you to help me, but still, it’s a lot more… well, everything than I ever expected it would be.”

“You’re doing just fine, dear. Trust me. And don’t you worry, I’ll make sure your precious niece has the loveliest dress in all the world for her coronation, just like I did for you and yours.”

Twilight gave a little smile. “I know you will. Cadence and Shining wouldn’t have asked for you if they expected anything less.”

Rarity turned to Shadow and gave her a brief nod. “Shadow.”

Rarity still, after all these years, found it odd referring to Twilight’s counterpart by her last name, especially considering Shadow had once done the same to be condescending to Twilight—addressing her as “Sparkle” when they weren’t exactly friends—but there it was.

Discord, in all his tact and awareness, explained that it felt awkward calling her Starlight considering there was another pony named Starlight Glimmer running around and who was technically the proper owner of the Starlight monicker. Why a mare that just happened to be married to Twilight’s favorite scholar, Sunburst, took precedence didn’t make much sense. Discord said that even though Starlight Shadow had already taken “Glim-Glam’s” role in the story as the “anti-Twilight who turns good”, she was still non-canonical, and canon characters always take precedence, no matter what.

Rarity hadn’t understood it twenty years ago, and she didn’t understand it now, but she supposed that came with the territory of alternate universes. Pinkie seemed to get it at least, and Shadow didn’t seem to really care.

Shadow nodded back and adjusted her glasses. “Rarity.”

“I’m surprised you were able to make it,” Rarity continued. “You’re a hard mare to get in touch with sometimes.”

“Yes, well, the headmare of the School for Gifted Unicorns is permitted at least a modicum of ‘personal leave’ from time to time, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I would figure you’d have plenty of time for that in the summer, actually. Aren’t the students all on vacation?”

“Not all of them. A proper education never takes a hiatus, and a few particular students seem to share that sentiment,” Shadow said with a proud smirk. “I think this year is going to be one of the finest graduating classes yet.”

She briefly turned to Twilight. “Though I do wish to have a conversation with you about one particular student, Luster Dawn? Her grades are tremendously above-average, but her extracurriculars are… well, lacking.”

“Ah, and let me guess, you think we need another ‘Ponyville’ treatment?” Twilight asked with a knowing grin.

“It has consistently proven effective in past endeavors, so that would likely be the ideal course of action.” Shadow then looked at Rarity, and cleared her throat. “Apologies, I shouldn’t be discussing work at the moment.”

Rarity smiled. “It’s quite alright, darling, I completely understand what it’s like to get lost in your work.”

Shadow looked amongst the group and nodded again. “Hmm. Yes, this should be everypony, if my assessments are correct.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Pardon?”

“I took the liberty of confirming with the others you invited on their status shortly before my scheduled rendezvous with the ever-so-busy Princess Twilight. An expeditious visit to Ponyville confirmed that we will not have any additional guests, regrettably.”

“I see. Well, that is unfortunate, but I suppose it couldn’t be helped. Ponyville’s not exactly a short trip from Canterlot, after all.”

“Everypony does send their regards, of course, and wishes you luck in your affairs to the north,” Shadow continued.

Twilight looked off in the general direction of Ponyville, which could just barely be seen in the valley far below the train station, a wistful look in her eyes. “How is everypony, by the way? It feels like ages since I visited Ponyville…”

“I cannot account for any differences between your previous visit and today, so I will make a very basic assumption that not all that much as changed. They’re all in good health and spirits, if that was the intention of your inquiry.”

Twilight sighed. “Yes… I suppose it was.”

Shadow then turned to Cheesecake and gave a wide smile, leaning down to accept a hug. Rarity was always a little amused to see Starlight Shadow genuinely happy, not just her usual cocksure self. Despite the mare being a well-meaning and dedicated workaholic with all the warmth of an ice cube, she immediately let down her guard to become a doting aunt the moment her nieces were around, Cheesecake and Gala Apple both.

“And there’s my little niece! How are you, Cheesecake?” Shadow cooed; in her doting aunt mode, she clearly didn’t dare to use difficult words directly.

Cheesecake beamed and leapt up into Shadow’s hooves, rubbing her cheek against the older mare’s. “Just peachy, Auntie Shadow!”

Shadow hugged her niece tight, then turned to Pinkie, her expression suddenly serious again. “If you are available this evening, Pinkie, I would relish the opportunity to partake in a dinner arrangement with you and Cheesecake.”

Pinkie smiled wide. “Of course! Always room for one more at the table, especially with Dashie out of town.”

Everypony’s attention was drawn when the train gave a loud whistle. A conductor stepped out of the train and called: “All aboooard for the Crystal Empire! Have your tickets ready, please!”

Rarity took a deep breath. “Well, I must be off then. Thank you all so much for coming. I’ll be back in about a month, hopefully before our next get-together. Don’t delay it on my account, though—I’ll be there in spirit, you know that.”

She gave everypony present a warm, thankful hug, then waved farewell as she hoisted her suitcase with her and boarded the train.

*****

As the train chugged its way along the snow-covered tracks leading towards the Crystal Empire, Rarity stared out the window with a despondence otherwise uncharacteristic of her. She only ever got like this around wintertime, but the Crystal Empire, with all its snow and ice, did much the same to her as the winter snowfall back in Canterlot and Ponyville did. She wouldn’t go so far as to say she hated the snow. She actually rather enjoyed it, if she was being honest with herself. But that was neither here nor there, really. All that mattered was that the sight of snow made her sad, and the sight of such great swaths of it here in the north even moreso.

With a heavy sigh, she opened her suitcase and took out her best coat that she had packed, a lovely blue affair with a silvery faux-ermine collar and a diamond clasp. Even looking at her favorite coat in this context made her sad, and she almost wished she’d never designed it to be so robust. It was suited for the worst cold she could imagine—and she could imagine quite a bit—so she sometimes wore it even when it wasn’t winter, despite the fact that it reminded her just as much of her wintertime sorrows as the snow did.

Twenty-one years. It had been twenty-one long, lonely years since she’d last seen him, and Rarity still found it amazing that even after all that time, he could still have this significant of an effect on her despite the impossible distance between them. She was reminded of the snows of his homeland; of the exquisite fur cloak he wore; of his eloquent poetic prose and charming demeanor; of his warm breath and wonderfully rugged smell; of the one and only night of passion they’d shared all those years ago. And still she could not get him out of her mind no matter how hard she tried.

She cursed herself every single time she thought of him. There was no way that he was doing the same for her, she thought. He was at the top of his social class; he was a hero, a knight, and practically royalty; he was rugged, handsome, and dashing to a fault. Some young mare had likely attracted his attention years ago and he probably had foals of his own by now. But not her.

Oh, she’d tried. She’d tried. But every stallion she’d dated in the few years following that otherworldly adventure had just proven inferior to him on the whole. If one stallion was as handsome as he was, they weren’t as suave or brave; if a stallion was as complementary and kind, he wasn’t quite as eloquent or charming. There wasn’t anypony that quite met Rarity’s now-impossible standards. And so, for twenty-one years, Rarity had been… alone. Sure, she had her friends. She had her family. But she was missing something, and she just knew she’d never fill that void in her life.

It was enough to gray her mane earlier than any of her friends, even Applejack, whose stress-fueled life should’ve done in her looks ages ago. But then again, Applejack had Flathoof for a husband, and three lovely kids of her own who all worked on the farm with her every single day. She’d never in a million years understand what Rarity was going through.

Pinkie and Rainbow wouldn’t understand either, as they were happily married, too. Curaçao wouldn’t understand, as she was a celebrity and could have any mare she wanted, and apparently had plenty to spare if the tabloids were true. Twilight and Shadow wouldn’t understand, as the former didn’t have the time or inclination for that sort of thing, and the latter had decidedly come out as aromantic and asexual years ago. Velvet definitely wouldn’t understand, as she’d fallen in and out of love so many times until she met Cheese Sandwich that it wasn’t funny, and now even she was happily married with a daughter of her own.

Even ponies that Rarity was certain weren’t interested in that sort of thing turned out to not only be interested, but against all odds successful, and that just made Rarity feel worse. Grayscale Force, the most apathetic, uninterested, downright stoic mare she’d ever met, was married to Big Macintosh of all ponies, with a daughter of her own. Insipid was always rambling on about the newest coltfriend she had, even if she couldn’t keep them for more than a few months because she lost interest. Even Havocwing was going steady with some cute stallion back in Ponyville, even if she deliberately avoiding giving a name—rumors told Rarity it was somepony much younger than she was, which was probably the only way to find a stallion that fit her specific tastes at her age.

Only Fluttershy might understand, but that was a stretch, even for Rarity. Sure, Rarity knew there was a place somewhere in the far, far back of Fluttershy’s mind that still loved Lockwood despite everything that had happened, but she had moved past that tremendously well. She was apparently dating someone nowadays, though Rarity still didn’t know who. She did know they weren’t a pony, though.

As Rarity let her thoughts ramble on and on again, the train gave a slight lurch as it slowed down to pull into the station. She hadn’t even noticed how close they were, so lost was she in her own mind. With another sigh, she closed her suitcase and headed for the train exit.

When she disembarked, she was not expecting to have any sort of welcome wagon, not even from Princess Cadence—this wasn’t exactly a formal visit or anything quite like that, just a favor for a friend—so Rarity was quite surprised to see that she had three unlikely ponies waiting for her: Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and her sister Sweetie Belle. The trio had grown into well-figured and well-respected adults, and she couldn’t have been more proud of them for it, though it was still a surprise that they’d come all this way to welcome her.

“Hey sis!” Sweetie Belle greeted. She, and the others, were dressed in warm, colorful jackets.

“Sweetie? What are you doing here?” Rarity asked, stepping off the train and trotting over to the trio. “Rather, what are the three of you doing here? I was wondering why I couldn’t get in touch with any of you.”

“Well, you know that we like to travel every summer when school’s out, right?” Scootaloo asked.

“I am aware, yes. Is that what this is, a vacation?”

“Ain’t nothin’ like that,” Apple Bloom said with a grin. “Naw, we’re here fer a good reason. Just 'cause we’re all grown up now don’t mean we can’t help ponies realize their talents 'n' dreams, right?”

“Yeah! A Cutie Mark Crusader’s job is never done!” Sweetie said proudly, pumping her hoof in the air. “CMCs for life!”

“Hear hear!” Bloom cheered, pressing her hoof to Sweetie’s.

Scootaloo did the same. “Cutie Mark Crusader Philanthropists! Yeah!”

Sweetie gave Scootaloo a proud grin. “Philanthropists? Wow, Scoots, that’s a big word coming from you.”

“Psh, I’ve just been brushing up on my vocabulary. Why, you jealous?”

“As if,” Bloom chuckled.

“So… you’re here helping ponies then?” Rarity asked, still very much confused.

Bloom shifted her eyes back and forth, as if watching to make sure nopony was listening. “Not just anypony.”

“We’re helping Princess Flurry Heart,” Sweetie said quietly, tapping her hooves excitedly.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Really now? Helping her with what?”

“Her ‘Princess Problem’,” Scootaloo said, making the air quotes with her wings.

“Her… her what?”

“It’s like this, sis,” Sweetie said, putting her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were Princesses of the Sun and Moon, right?”

“Right.”

“And Princess Twilight is the Princess of Friendship, right?” Scootaloo continued.

“Yes?”

“An’ Princess Cadence is the Princess o’ Love, right?” Bloom asked.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes yes, get to the point, girls.”

Sweetie smiled. “Well, what’s Princess Flurry Heart the Princess of?”

Rarity opened her mouth to answer, then paused in thought. For the life of her, she didn’t know the answer to the question.

Sweetie tapped her sister’s chest. “See? That’s the ‘Princess Problem’. Flurry doesn’t know what she’s supposed to be the Princess of.”

“So we’re here trying to help her figure it out!” Scootaloo said, puffing out her chest. “It’s been rough, but we’re narrowing things down, I think.”

“And what exactly called your attention to this… ‘problem’?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, we’re here at the request of Princess Twilight herself,” Sweetie said with a proud grin.

“An’ don’t forget Headmare Shimmer,” Bloom noted. “She cleared us ta take off fer the summer after all.”

Scootaloo nodded. “Yeah, we’re not teaching any summer friendship classes this year. So thank Princess Twilight and Headmare Shimmer for us being here, I guess? And we’re happy to be here too, right girls?”

“Right!” Sweetie and Bloom said together.

Rarity smiled as she pondered this. She knew that even though Twilight had likely put in the “official” request to the three, it was almost certainly Princess Cadence that had requested Twilight’s aid in the first place. With Flurry’s own coronation coming up, and with this “Princess Problem” in place, the poor young mare was probably stressed out beyond belief trying to find her place in the world. Rarity being here was likely intended for more than just making a dress.

Rarity then pulled her sister in for a hug. “That sounds amazing, Sweetie. That’s very nice of you three to do. If there’s anypony that can help Princess Flurry Heart, it’s the Cutie Mark Crusaders.” She looked between the trio. “So, I take it you’ve heard why I’m here then?”

“O’ course!” Bloom said. “Princess Cadence asked fer ya ta come up 'n' get Princess Flurry all fitted out fer a fancy dress 'n' whatnot, right?”

“That’s right. Speaking of which, shall we get a move on?” Rarity asked, gesturing off towards the palace in the distance. “No sense in standing out here in the snow longer than we have to, and I have a lot of things to arrange before I get started.”

“Right!” the younger mares all said together, giving each other looks. “Jinx!”

*****

It was a few days later when Rarity finally got Flurry Heart in for a fitting. The young princess had been quite busy with a few things at the behest of her mother, as well as continuing to seek help for her “Problem”, but Rarity didn’t mind the wait, as it gave her time to make sure she had everything ready. Besides, it wouldn’t take more than an hour or so to get Flurry all measured and get some sense of what she would want in a dress. Rarity didn’t know her as well as she knew Twilight, for example, so trying to make Flurry a dress on a whim wasn’t quite as simple.

Flurry Heart had grown up tremendously in twenty years into a healthy, lovely alicorn mare with a thin, pleasing frame much like her mother’s. She’d taken to parting her bi-colored mane down the middle—lilac on the left, pink on the right—and styling it with waves and curls. She’d gotten her cutie mark, of course, an odd combination of both her parents’: a golden, heart-shaped shield overlaid with a heart-shaped blue diamond.

Cadence and Shining Armor liked to remind Twilight and her friends constantly that they hadn’t intended on having kids so early, but their second honeymoon after the “incident” twenty-one years prior had made it impossible for them to avoid jumpstarting that plan by a year or so. If not for that whole adventure playing out exactly as it did, Flurry Heart would likely be only about eighteen now, maybe younger, and Rarity wouldn’t necessarily even be here in the Crystal Empire today. It was funny how things worked out.

At any rate, Rarity took the princess’s measurements in her makeshift boutique, which Cadence had allowed her to set up in a larger guest room—Rarity slept elsewhere, of course—helped along by the Cutie Mark Crusaders and Princess Cadence herself. The latter, to Rarity’s confusion, hadn’t quite gone through the same “growth spurt” that Twilight had in her transition to Equestria’s ruler; she was still a little taller than before, but not quite at Twilight’s height yet. Rarity figured that it was because Cadence only ruled the Crystal Empire, but that hardly seemed fair. Then again, Luna had always been shorter than Celestia, so maybe there was more to it than that?

Rarity was quick with the measurements, naturally—she was a professional after all, and was already quite well-acquainted with alicorn anatomy to make the process easier—so once she was done, the group was able to relax while Rarity began taking notes on what sort of design Flurry would look best in. She took a seat by the window, Flurry taking a seat opposite her, Cadence seated nearby. The Crusaders busied themselves assisting Rarity with previewing materials, patterns, and anything else she needed.

The Crusaders were still dressed in their jackets, while Rarity was wearing her favorite coat today; Flurry was undressed for the measurements and was used to the cold anyway, so she didn’t put anything else on in the meantime; Cadence only wore her typical royal attire of her crown and hoof ornaments.

Rarity wished she hadn’t sat near the window, however. There was a rather heavy snowfall outside the palace right now, and it just served as a distraction. She remembered a day so many years ago where she trudged through a snowfall just like this, accompanied by the most wonderful stallion she’d ever met in her life. Oh, and Twilight, Lockwood, and Insipid had been there as well, naturally, but that was neither here nor there.

More and more memories started flooding through at just that one moment of recollection. She remembered Flathoof and Briarthorn coming back from a short visit to their homeworld, bringing back with them a little video of the wedding of Queen Blackburn and now-King Lockwood for all their friends to view. Rarity couldn’t help but offer a critique of Blackburn’s wedding dress at the time as it was much too masculine, even for her.

She wondered if he had attended the wedding. Though she’d never tell anypony, she secretly wished that Tick Tock had taken more video of the crowd than of the royal couple sharing their vows, perhaps, just so she could see him one more time, maybe even have something to look at when she was lonely on these cold winter nights.

Cadence, of course, apparently noticed that Rarity had gone off into her own little world for quite a long time. “Rarity?” she asked, putting her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Is everything alright?”

Rarity looked at her blankly, drawn from her daydream only just. “Hmm?” She shook her head, realizing what had happened, terribly embarrassed. “Oh… oh, yes, everything’s fine.”

“Are you sure? You’ve been awfully distracted as of late.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, just now you were staring out the window and barely paying any attention to your notebook,” Cadence said, gesturing towards Rarity’s notes, which were rather sloppy. They almost looked like doodles, actually, not of an alicorn mare as would be expected for somepony taking notes on Flurry’s figure, but of a zebra stallion.

Rarity cleared her throat and flipped the page. “Oh… oh, I’m so sorry. Forgive me, I—”

“Not to mention,” Flurry added, tilting her head, “you’ve been rather… um, ‘distant’ when sharing meals with us. I think that’s the right word for it.”

Cadence nodded. “That’s right, you seemed pretty preoccupied while we were at breakfast this morning, just staring out the window like you have been every day since you got here, and every time you come to visit with Twilight and the others. Is there something out there that’s got your attention? Should we be worried?” With a coy grin, she added. “It’s not Sombra again, is it?”

Rarity frowned. “No, nothing quite like that. Sorry, I just… I was remembering the past, is all. The snow reminds me of… of something from a very long time ago.”

Sweetie frowned and gave her sister a sad, sympathetic look, a hoof over her heart. “Oh, Rarity… still?”

Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Still what?”

“It’s nothing dear,” Rarity said, shooting Sweetie a quick, quieting glare.

“No, I’m afraid it isn’t ‘nothing’,” Cadence said, shaking her head. “Every time I see you staring out that window, I get a very certain sense about you. And believe me when I say that I know quite well what that sense is: love.”

Rarity fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and turned back towards the window. “I don’t want to say you’re mistaken… but it’s more complicated than that.”

“You’re absolutely right. It is more complicated. This isn’t just love. This is… longing.” Cadence put a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “You’re pining for someone. It’s so strong that I can feel it in the air around you, in your ‘aura’. I don’t usually pick up on it so clearly unless I’m actively trying to detect it, but you… you’re giving off that vibe like nothing I’ve felt from anypony else before. And it’s not the first time I’ve felt it from you, either.”

“The snow reminds you of him, whoever he is?” Flurry asked, a sad smile on her face.

Rarity remained silent for a moment, then nodded. “It does.” She abruptly rose from her seat. “I’m sorry, I think I need a break—”

Cadence rose as well. “Rarity, please. You are my guest here, and there’s no need to be ashamed of anything.”

“That’s not it. I’m letting it affect my work, darling. I think it would be best if I take a break. I promise I’ll be back in tune after I just take a moment to… to think, and collect myself. Maybe a… cold shower will do the trick.”

Cadence and Flurry shared a brief look, then Cadence cleared her throat. “Rarity… I don’t think a cold shower is going to be of any help to you. Not really. A short term solution, maybe. You might come back in an hour or so feeling refreshed, but what about tonight when you look out onto the fields of snow outside?”

“That’s—”

“Or the next day, while you’re working on the dress? You’ll be staring out that window at the falling snow, and you’ll become distracted, again, and maybe you’ll make a mistake here or there because of it. Then you’ll get mad at yourself for the mistakes. Then you’ll get mad at yourself for getting distracted. Then you’ll get mad at yourself for why you’re distracted.”

Rarity paused. Cadence had hit the nail on the head, precisely. Many a winter had passed where she’d gotten horribly behind on projects because of absent-minded daydreams distracting her from doing a proper job like she’d do the rest of the year, and every time she did, she cursed herself for being a stupid, lovesick filly.

Sweetie stepped forward. “Sis… you’ve been doing this to yourself since I was still in Miss Cheerliee’s class, before I even got my cutie mark.”

Cadence paused, then looked back at Rarity. “I see… I always suspected something was off whenever we all got together, but I never said anything. I didn’t realize it was quite this bad, but now that we’re somewhat alone…”

Rarity hung her head. “Look, I really should just take a breather, then we can all get back to work, business as usual. Just put this all behind us—”

“Have you told anypony else about this?”

“No, because it’s nopony else’s business,” Rarity said, narrowing her eyes. “Nopony would even understand if I did tell them. Hmm? All of my friends either have somepony else to share their love with, or have no interest or concern for anything of the sort. They wouldn’t understand.”

“You could tell me. I’d understand,” Cadence said with a friendly smile. “I’m the Princess of Love. I understand all things romantic, be it schoolyard crushes or star-crossed longing… so I understand.”

Rarity paused, then shook her head. “That’s all well and good—”

“And I can help you.”

Rarity looked at Cadence, wide-eyed. “What?”

“I can help you. If you’ll let me.”

“...how?”

“With the right application of my magic, I can grant you a… let’s call it a ‘vision’ of this star-crossed lover of yours,” Cadence said with a genuine, sympathetic smile. “Those feelings of longing that you have will all come together in one clear moment… and then erase that longing from your conscious mind. You will still feel that longing, certainly, but it will suppress itself until you are asleep. It will not affect you so strongly.”

Rarity tilted her head, curious. “So… I will dream of him, but I won’t be distracted during my day-to-day work? Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s the basic gist of it, yes.”

Bloom leaned over to Sweetie. “I’ve still got no idea what’s happenin’...” she whispered.

Sweetie whispered back: “My sister fell in love with someone from that other world they all went to all those years ago, just like your sister did with Flathoof. Only Rarity’s lover didn’t come here with her like Flathoof did for Applejack… and she’s still not over him.”

“After twenty-one years?” Bloom frowned. “Aww… poor Rarity…”

Rarity took a breath and looked at Cadence with sincere confusion. “I… I don’t know. I don’t want to risk forgetting him. I know it hurts at times… but sometimes it’s all I have.”

“You won’t, trust me.” Cadence put her hoof over Rarity’s heart. “He will still be here, in your heart. In your subconscious. You won’t forget him… but your longing for him will not affect your day-to-day as I’ve seen it.”

“My mom’s an expert when it comes to these sorts of things,” Flurry said proudly, standing up and taking up a spot next to Sweetie and Apple Bloom. “If she says she can help you with a love problem, you can trust her to do everything she can to help.”

Rarity pondered this for a long moment, looking at Flurry, then to Sweetie, then back to Cadence. “Okay… okay, I’ll do it.”

Cadence smiled, and gestured for Rarity to join her at the center of the room; Rarity did so. Sweetie and Scootalo stood off to one side; Bloom and Flurry stood off to the other.

“Close your eyes,” Cadence said, lighting up her horn. Rarity again did as she was asked. “Clear your mind of everything: every thought, every worry, every distraction. Focus on my voice…”

Rarity took a deep breath and relaxed, focusing solely on Cadence’s voice as was asked. It felt like going into a sort of trance. She couldn’t hear the shifting movements of the others in the room, or the wind outside the window, or even her own heartbeat.

“Now… think of your love. Picture his face in your mind. Remember the sound of his voice...”

Rarity let her thoughts wander. She could see his face in her mind. A handsome, rugged zebra stallion with a long, wild mane that wouldn’t be out of place on the cover of one of Rarity’s romance novels. She could hear his voice in her head, cultured, elegant, poised, as he spoke the last thing she heard him say:

“And I, thee, my fair mare of white, my heart acheth to see thy flight.”

Rarity’s own heart ached tremendously. She still remembered those words down to the inflection of every last syllable, but now his voice was clear as day in her ears. It hurt more than it helped, really.

This had the unintended effect of breaking Cadence’s enchantment early. Even Cadence seemed surprised. “Hmm…” Cadence murmured, shaking her head. “That’s odd. That shouldn’t have happened.”

Rarity took a deep breath. She was desperately holding back tears, unsure if they were of joy or sorrow. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, it just… I heard him. I heard him so clearly, and… and I…”

Cadence nodded in understanding. “This is worse than I thought. I think I underestimated your feelings.” She turned to Flurry with a slight smile. “Flurry, honey, would you mind lending me some assistance?”

Flurry pointed at herself, confused. “Me?”

“Yes, honey. You and I share a bond that can help empower my spell. You can help me help her.”

Apple Bloom smiled and set a hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “Go on, Flurry, I believe in ya.”

Flurry took a breath and nodded, then lit her own horn; Cadence’s horn’s glow tripled in luster.

Cadence looked to Rarity. “Let’s try again. Close your eyes, and focus…”

Rarity let out a deep breath, then nodded, and closed her eyes. Again, she could see his face in her mind, clearer than before, clear as if he was right there in the room with her. His words spoke into her ear, almost a whisper, sending a shudder down her spine.

“These past days hath been a great boon, pity that they must end so soon.”

Rarity gritted her teeth. The image of her love faltered for a brief moment, and her ears were silent again as she chided herself for letting things happen the way they did. She knew well enough that he couldn’t have come with her—Rarity knew that everything that had happened before she left would have far-reaching consequences for him and his kind, and he needed to stay and guide them through it. She cursed herself more that she had let him into her heart, and that he’d let her into his. She had no way of knowing then that it would lead to over twenty years of heartache.

But Rarity stayed resolute, cleared her mind of those doubts again. Cadence was trying to help, and she was willing to accept it. She would not falter again, and so his image cleared up once more, and his words spoke true in her ears as before.

“Mine eyes shalt gaze to stars above, in remembrance of our deep love.”

Rarity shuddered in delight as his words echoed through her. She didn’t know the details of Cadence’s spell, but the effect it had made him seem as real as if he were right there in the room with her, just like she remembered him. In her mind’s eye, she was young again, like she’d been when she saw him last. She could almost feel the heat of his breath on her neck, almost smell his rugged scent in her nose. His memory was as intoxicating now as he was in reality. Her horn glowed dimly as she desperately willed her mind’s eye to reach out to him, to feel his touch on her body again.

Cadence smiled knowingly, and touched her horn against Rarity’s. “Keep the thoughts of your love in your mind. He will always be with you.”

Rarity’s horn ignited all on its own at Cadence’s touch. For a fleeting moment, everypony in the room saw a faint glow fill the air, taking the form of a zebra stallion clad in leather armor and a fur coat, a great blade strapped to his back. He stood where Cadence did now, occupying her space like a ghostly whisper, his eyes full of passion and love as he looked upon Rarity.

Rarity smiled gently. “Zircon…”

She reached her hoof out to touch him, her horn glowing brighter by the second, and Cadence’s with it. To the surprise of the others in the room, he reached out towards her as well. And when she touched him, for the briefest, most fleeting instant, Rarity was certain that he looked… different. Older. Still as handsome as ever, but older, as if twenty years had passed in an instant. His expression changed with it; from loving and kind, it became confused. He made to speak.

That’s when the unexpected happened.

There came a booming sound like a thunderclap that erupted through the room, and without warning, the image of Zircon vanished into the air above Cadence and Rarity. The exact point where he disappeared tore open to reveal a black void filled with swirling stars. Within an instant, a fierce wind swept through the room, threatening to pull everything that wasn’t tied down into the tear, be they loose papers and fabrics, measuring tape, pens and pencils, etc.

And, of course, ponies.

Scootaloo, ever the athlete, had a superb reaction time and was able to grab onto Sweetie Belle with one hoof while grabbing onto a pillar with the other. Apple Bloom was quick enough to grab Flurry by the tail with her mouth, but didn’t have anything to grab on to in order to ground herself, and was slowly being dragged forward as she tried to keep Flurry from being dragged upward. Cadence and Rarity did their best to keep themselves grounded, but the latter was having some difficulty doing so.

Rarity, incidentally, stared up into the tear with a dreadful, terrified sense of déjà vu. “Oh no…”

“What’s going on?! What happened?!” Scootaloo yelled, her voice barely carrying over the din of the rift’s shrieking energies.

“What the hay is that thing?!” Sweetie cried, desperately holding onto Scootaloo’s hoof for dear life.

“I don’t know!” Cadence yelled back. “Just hang on, everypony! I’m going to try to close it!”

Cadence lit her horn before Rarity could tell her not to: “No don’t!” she shouted, too late.

As soon as Cadence tried to affect the tear with magic, the situation worsened excessively. The tear got bigger, and the force of wind drawing everything in got stronger. Cadence herself was hit with a sudden jolt of feedback and was thrown hard against the wall, briefly losing consciousness. The chairs were too hefty to get sucked in, but even they started to jostle and shake as they moved across the floor; the windows shook and the glass started to crack; the walls themselves trembled, as if the entire room was going to be torn apart.

A bare ponyquin got sucked across the room and slammed right into Apple Bloom. She lost her footing and, with a yelp, she was lifted sharply into the air. Rarity was the only one close enough to grab her, and just managed to grasp onto Bloom’s hind leg with her hooves, knowing magic would just make it worse. She struggled to keep her grip, struggled to maintain her own footing, but she wasn’t strong enough. Even in her prime, Rarity knew she hadn’t been strong enough to prevent something like this from happening once before.

Rarity glanced over at Sweetie and Scootaloo, who were just barely hanging on. She then glanced up at the tear in the air above her and closed her eyes. As the air around them was filled with the sound of another loud thunderclap, Rarity lost her own footing. Sweetie Belle lit her horn and tried to grab onto Rarity, but as soon as her magic entered into the rift’s field, the tear widened yet again, and, like Cadence, Sweetie was hit with an intense feedback through her horn and was knocked back into Scootaloo.

Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart were sucked up and away through the tear, the latter two screaming in terror all the while. Rarity merely accepted it with quiet dignity.

The instant Rarity passed into the rift, she saw it shrink down to nothing. Nothing and nopony else came through.

*****

A great blizzard swept across the normally-green, grassy plains of the Great Expanse, a vast, aptly-named stretch of perfectly-flat land that covered over half of the northern continent. Many ponies braved the Great Expanse these days, but not now, not in the winter season when the blizzards were nearly deadly for anypony not well-equipped to travel through it. Three such ponies did so now despite the danger, trudging through the harsh snow with slow, plodding steps: a unicorn and two pegasi, all mares, each wearing a small set of saddlebags at their sides.

One of the pegasi led the group at the front. She had a sea green coat and a dark red mane and tail that she kept tightly braided. She wore a heavy black plaid coat over her top, a balmoral bonnet on her head, and a pleated red plaid kilt over her flank, just barely showing her cutie mark: a sundial that, despite the sun being covered up by thick clouds, accurately showed the current time. She was older than the other two, but only by a few years.

The other pegasus trailed just behind her, head held high. She was ash gray with a long, wavy, blue mane. She wore a long, thick, brown jacket with a high collar, as well as a green and gold scarf wrapped tightly around her neck and mouth. Her cutie mark was barely visible beneath her jacket: a blue lightning bolt over a golden crown.

The unicorn took up the rear, her pearl white coat blending well with the surrounding snow. Her mane was perfectly fluffy and curled, despite the winds, and colored pink and blue. She wore a long, thick, black coat, and carried a sheathed longsword strapped to her back and a sheathed rapier at her side. Her cutie mark was a red heart with three black musical notes inside.

As the trio continued trudging through the snow, the lead pegasus suddenly stopped dead in her tracks as they approached a large rock, and pulled a small pocket watch from her coat pocket. She popped it open, noting that it was glowing a dull green. She eyed it suspiciously as the green started to slowly—agonizingly slowly—get just a little bit brighter, then a little bit more.

“Why’d we stop?” the second pegasus asked, stepping forward to get a better look. “You got something, Sundial?”

“Aye. The readings are rising fast.” The lead pegasus—Sundial—turned to the other two mares and gave them a stern look. “Stay behind me, lassies, and don’t do anything stupid, aye?”

“Yeah, got it,” said the other pegasus, sticking behind Sundial but keeping her eyes open. “So, this is what your job’s like, huh? Just wandering around until you pick up a reading on that watch of yours?”

“Och, not always, but sealing up Void rifts is a pretty constant thing these days, sad ta say,” Sundial grumbled as she watched her pocket watch glow brighter by the second. “Usually I don’t have company though, so this is a wee bit different.”

“That’s what happens when we’re the only ponies on the globe that tolerate you,” chuckled the unicorn as she drew her swords with her magic, keeping the longsword on her left, the rapier on her right. “Maybe if you were nicer—”

“Piss off with that kind o’ talk right now, aye? Just stay behind me, and keep yer wits about ye,” Sundial grunted. She shook her head and cracked her neck, watching every direction at once as best as she could manage, waiting for something to happen. “Any second now…”

The watch glowed brighter, and brighter, and brighter. Then, there was a crack in the air, like the sound of distant thunder. The watch suddenly shined brightly like a tiny star. A tear of pure blackness filled with twinkling, swirling stars ripped open the air in front of the three mares, letting loose a fierce torrential wind. Sundial lifted her pocket watch and made to twist one of the many dials on the side, but then was distracted when something flew out of the rift.

A bare ponyquin.

“What the bloody hell?” she muttered, given pause.

“Is that a… a ponyquin?” the other pegasus asked. “Like from a tailor’s shop?”

“You never mentioned anything about things coming out of these things,” said the unicorn.

“Aye, that’s what it looks like. But what—”

Just as suddenly, the tear spit out even more things. Or, in this case, ponies. Three, to be exact: an older, snow white unicorn mare with a regal purple mane just barely tinged with a streak of gray, wearing a warm blue coat with a faux-ermine collar; a younger earth pony mare with a butter yellow coat and light red mane tied up with a pink ribbon, wearing a dark red jacket; and lastly, an even younger, light pink… alicorn mare with a curly pink and lilac mane, though this last one wasn’t wearing anything at all.

As soon as the trio fell from the rift and tumbled into the snow, it closed with a snap, all on its own. Sundial’s pocket watch stopped glowing immediately. Sundial was speechless, confused, and most of all, annoyed. This wasn’t how things were supposed to go, and now she had a huge mess on her hooves.

Sundial and her two companions gawked at the newcomers, who were just barely stirring. “Shite,” Sundial murmured, putting her hoof to her forehead. “Just bloody brilliant, this is.”

“Umm… Sundial? Are… are ponies supposed to come out of those portals?” asked the second pegasus.

“No, they’re not. This could be bad. Very bad. Shite.” Sundial turned to the unicorn, her expression more serious than ever. “Oy, keep yer wits about ye. We might be having company soon.”

“You mean apart from those three?” asked the unicorn.

“Aye, right, apart from those three,” Sundial said, rolling her eyes. She turned to the other pegasus. “Bluebolt, ye’re with me. Ye might be more, uh… calming than I am, aye?”

The other pegasus—Bluebolt—smirked. “Oh, naturally.”

Sundial slowly stepped forward, approaching the three mares that had just landed in the snow with cautious steps. She didn’t know if they were a threat, or if they were scared, or, well, anything about them really. “Oy! You there! Are ye alright?”

The earth pony rose to her hooves first. “Ow, my achin’—”

She looked around her in the snow, where there was nothing but white all around her for miles, excepting the large rock just a few yards away and the other ponies that had come through with her, who she eyed with concern.

Then, she slowly turned at the voice of Sundial once she seemed to realize somepony had called to her, and her eyes narrowed. “Who’s there?!” she asked, stepping back defensively, ready to fight. Her posture was decent enough, but strictly amateur.

Bluebolt held her hooves up in front of her, a calming gesture. “Easy now, we’re not going to hurt you. Are you injured?”

The mare relaxed just slightly, then shook her head. “Um… I don’t think so. I mean, I’m not hurt. Where are we?”

The alicorn was the next to get up, though she did so slowly enough that her wings were still buried, mostly, in the snow. Sundial knew Bluebolt hadn’t seen them clearly yet, but she certainly had. “Apple Bloom? Is that you?” she asked, blinking as she looked at the earth pony with concern, clearly a little dizzy. “Are you okay? Where are we?”

“I was just tryin’ ta find out,” the earth pony—Apple Bloom, apparently—said, gesturing towards Sundial and Bluebolt.

Sundial tapped Bluebolt on the shoulder. “I’ll take it from here, lass.” She turned towards the alicorn and the earth pony and took a deep breath. “Okay, everypony, I need ye all ta keep calm. I’ve got a lot o’ things ta tell ye, but first, we—”

The older mare then rose up sharply, taking a sharp gasp of air. She looked around herself briefly, then sighed, sounding quite defeated. “Oh dear… it wasn’t just some dream, was it?”

“It’d be a pretty weird dream if we all had it,” said the alicorn.

Sundial was still severely bothered by the fact that this pony was an alicorn, and was actually having trouble processing the fact that she was in the presence of one in the first place. She thought it was a trick of the light at first, but sure enough, she had a horn and wings, clear as day.

Sundial cleared her throat. “Look, everypony, there’s a lot ta go over here, aye? But first, I need ye all to do me a solid favor.”

“Look, d’ya mind just tellin’ us where we are?” Bloom said. “We have ta get back—”

“This will all be a lot easier if ye just give me a moment o’ yer time, lassies,” Sundial said, trying to stay patient. “I need the three o’ ye ta go behind that rock there.” She indicated said large rock. “And I need ye ta stay out o’ sight, and stay very, very quiet, and not come out 'til I say so.” She pointed to the alicorn. “Especially you, aye?”

The alicorn pointed at herself. “Me? What? Why?”

Sundial glanced sideways at Bluebolt, who seemed like she was just starting to notice that there was something off about the alicorn’s body, even under the snow. “Can ye just do that fer me, lass?”

Bloom and the alicorn shared a brief look, then turned back to the older unicorn, who’d yet to say a single word since her outburst and had just been staring at the snow around her since. “Rarity?” asked Bloom. “Should we do as she says?”

The unicorn—Rarity—turned around to look at Sundial, and noticed the pocket watch she was holding. She narrowed her eyes, as if trying to remember something. “Aha, I see. A Chronomancer so soon, then? Well, that’s better than last time, I suppose.”

Sundial blinked, now just as confused as these mares surely were. “Ye know what I—” She shook her head; no time for distractions. “Nevermind all that, lass. If ye know what I am, then ye know ye should do what I say, aye?”

Rarity got up out of the snow and brushed the powder off of herself with a huff. “I believe so. But I expect a very thorough explanation when… whatever it is you’re doing is through with.” She turned to the rock that had been indicated. “So, you want us to hide behind this rock, hmm?”

“Aye, and please, hurry,” Sundial said, glancing behind her, worried something would leap out at any second.

Rarity blinked, then nodded, clearly confused by Sundial’s behavior. “Very well.” She turned to Bloom and the alicorn. “Come along, girls, let’s do as she says for now.”

“Really? Just like that?” Bloom asked.

“Just like that, dear. Trust me, it’s better to cooperate.”

The trio then did as they were asked and hid behind the large rock. Sundial took a deep breath, then turned back to her unicorn companions, striding back over to her with Bluebolt in tow. “Oy, anything yet?”

The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “The hell do you mean, ‘anything yet’? You didn’t tell me what I should be looking for, so how would I know if I’ve seen anything?”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “Aye, smartarse, I asked ‘anything’ so have ye seen anything yet or not?”

The unicorn huffed. “Just snow and more snow, like it’s been doing all week.” She gestured over towards the rock with one of her swords. “You gonna tell us what’s going on there with our new… amicas? Or whatever they are?”

“We’ll talk later, just keep yer wits—”

Sundial was cut off when a patch of snow to her left moved.

A lithe earth pony stallion, slightly taller than the mares, leapt out from seemingly nowhere, tackling Sundial into the snow with all the force of a runaway cart. Sundial felt the wind knocked out of her as the stallion pinned her down, drawing his hoof back to punch her in the face in one swift motion. The only reason she hadn’t been knocked out cold by the impact was her stellar reaction time.

He then just as quickly leapt aside, narrowly avoiding having his head lopped off by the unicorn’s longsword. The trio could now get a good, clean look at him. He had a chocolate brown mane and a charcoal gray muzzle, barely visible from beneath his full-body uniform, a dark gray affair with a pair of red-tinted goggles that prevented anypony from clearly seeing his eyes.

“You alright, Sundial?” asked the unicorn, turning her head slightly to check.

“Don’t take yer eyes off o’ him!” Sundial shouted back, quickly rolling to her hooves.

The unicorn turned just in time to see the earth pony watching, carefully, at the exact spot the rift had torn itself open and closed just moments ago. Then, without a word, before anypony could react, he vanished into the snow like a shadow.

The unicorn huffed. “Oh, meraviglioso.”

“Shite,” Sundial grunted as she rose to her hooves. She looked about for any sign of the assailant, but knew that wasn’t worthwhile—he’d disappeared straight into the snow and she knew she couldn’t see him moving if she tried, just like every other time. “Shite. He got away again.”

Bluebolt came over, worried. “Is everypony okay?”

“Who… or what the hell was that?” the unicorn asked, not putting her swords away just yet. “Was that an earth pony using magic?”

“Och, just some nutter that’s been following me around for the past few months. Shows up whenever I’m dealing with Void rifts, like this one. This is the first time I got a good look at the bastard.”

“And the bit about the magic?”

“I wish I knew. It’s not anything I’ve ever seen before, not from an earth pony. Unicorn, sure; pegasus, maybe, if he were flying the whole time.”

“So, what, this creep’s been trying to hurt you or scout out these rifts or something?” asked Bluebolt. “Why?”

“If I knew that, lass, I’d tell ye, but I don’t.” Sundial sighed and turned back to the big rock. “Come on then, let’s go see if we can get things sorted out with our new visitors, aye?” She then paused, and shook her head. “Och, hang on, let me do something first. I’ve got ta make sure o’… something, aye.”

“Well that’s not suspicious at all.”

Sundial walked over to where the three mares were and, out of sight of her companions, reached into one of her saddlebags to pull out a coat similar to hers—black plaid, even—which she passed to the alicorn in a hurry. “Here,” she said, a stern look on her face. “Put this on.”

The alicorn looked at the coat, then smiled and shook her head politely. “I’m okay, thank you. I’m used to the cold where I come from—”

“It’s not for the bloody cold, it’s ta hide yer wings, lass,” Sundial insisted, aggravated. “Alicorns aren’t really a ‘thing’ in this world, and ye might cause a bit o’ ruckus walking around with horns and wings, aye? I think my friends might’ve seen ye and might already be thinking about asking questions, but ye need to keep it ta yerself.”

The alicorn looked at the coat again, then looked to Rarity as if for guidance—she was the oldest here, after all—and got little more than an approving nod, which was apparently enough. So, the alicorn shrugged, took the coat, and put it on. It looked good on her, fitting just right over her wings to hide them from view, and would be appropriate to wear in this weather anyway. A little small, though.

“Thank ye,” Sundial said with a nod.

Sundial then walked back to her two companions and led them over to where the three other mares had hidden behind the rock; the unicorn had since sheathed her weapons. Once everypony was in clear view of one another, there were quite a lot of odd expressions spread around on everypony’s faces except Sundial’s, who merely looked amongst the other five mares, just as confused by their confusion but trying not to show it.

Rarity spoke first, looking straight at the sword-wielding unicorn. “Sweetie Belle?” she asked. “Is that you?”

The unicorn blinked. “Um… no? I mean, you’re half-right, I guess? My name’s Sweet Symphony. Why’d you call me Sweetie Belle?”

“Ya look just like somepony we know named Sweetie Belle,” said Apple Bloom. “I mean, a lil’ younger than she is now 'n' all… an’ now that I get a good look at ya, yer mane’s not quite the same color.”

“Well, looks like we’re all in the same ‘you look like somepony I know’ boat, then,” said Bluebolt. She gestured at Apple Bloom and the alicorn. “Because you two look like ponies we know.”

“We do?”

“Yeah, you do. You look like my uncle, Shorthoof.” She then pointed at the alicorn. “And you like his wife, Crystal Heart.”

Rarity gasped. “Did… did you say ‘Shorthoof’ just now? Did I hear that right?”

Symphony raised an eyebrow, glancing at Bluebolt, confused. “Uh… yeah? What of it?”

Rarity let out a sigh of relief. “I see… well, at least I know where we are, then. Better than being in some completely alien place.”

Bloom paused, then smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I thought that name sounded familiar. Shorthoof is Flathoof’s youngest brother, right?”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Wait, Flathoof? You know my other uncle too?”

“Other uncle—” Rarity gasped and took a sudden step forward, getting very, very close to Bluebolt, who seemed quite nervous at the sudden attention.

“Um… can I help you?” Bluebolt chuckled, giving Symphony a look; Symphony had her magic gripping one of her swords, but she hadn’t drawn it just yet.

“The coat’s the right color, that’s for certain, and the mane definitely fits. And those eyes I’d recognize anywhere.” Rarity’s grin widened immensely. “Oh my goodness, you are, there’s no doubt in my mind. You’re Lockwood and Blackburn’s daughter, aren’t you?”

Bluebolt, stunned, held up her hooves and pushed Rarity away ever-so-gently. “Hold up, hold on, back up a minute, and stop. You know my parents?”

“Yes I do, very well in fact. I know you’ve never met me, but, well, I certainly hope they mentioned me at least once in the past twenty years. My name is Rarity.”

Bluebolt paused in thought for a long moment, as did Symphony. Then, they shared a look with one another, eyes widened in realization. Bluebolt spoke first: “You’re… serious, right? You’re really the Rarity? The one from the stories my mom and dad used to tell me when I was just a filly?”

Rarity grinned. “My, you make it sound like some sort of fairy tale.”

“You have no idea!” Symphony blurted. “You… you and your friends did amazing things! Saved the world! More than that! And… and my idols gave their lives making sure you could do it. They sacrificed everything to keep you and Her and His Majesty alive to do it…”

“Your… idols?” Rarity paused in thought for a moment, then frowned. “Gadget and Crossfire, I assume. I’m afraid I didn’t know them well, dear, but I was led to believe they were very special.” She turned to Bluebolt. “Your mother spoke rather… briefly on the subject, but that was the gist I got.”

“Yeah… they were,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “I never knew them at all, so at least you got to meet them, right? But hey, we don’t need to go bringing up sad stories here, huh? Save that for another time.” She turned to Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart, eyebrow raised. “So, these are… who, exactly?”

Bloom smiled and offered her hoof politely. “My name’s Apple Bloom, miss. I guess since mah brother-in-law’s yer dad’s brother, that makes us... cousins or somethin’, don’t it? What’s yer name, Cousin?”

Bluebolt took Apple Bloom’s hoof and gave it a light shake. “Oh, right. Sorry. I’m Bluebolt. Nice to meet you… Cousin? Cousin… heh. Cousin. Wow, that feels weird to say to somepony from a totally different world, huh?”

“Heh, yeah, it does, don’t it?”

The alicorn then smiled and offered her hoof as well. “My name’s Flurry Heart. I don’t think I have any personal connection with any of you, at least not that I know of, but you said I look like your youngest uncle’s wife?”

“Yup. Her name’s Crystal Heart…” Bluebolt trailed off, scratching her head. “Which is a little similar to yours, too, so that’s… weird…”

“Not any weirder than yer friend there havin’ a name like ‘Sweet Symphony’,” Bloom said. “That’s only a lil’ bit away from ‘Sweetie Belle’, ain’t it?” She turned to Symphony. “So, uh, Sweet—”

Symphony grunted. “Nobody calls me ‘Sweet’, not Bluebolt, not my sister, not even my parents, capische? It’s just ‘Symphony’.” She puffed out her chest. “It sounds cooler. What, does your friend go by ‘Sweetie’?”

Bloom tilted her head. “Uh, yeah?”

“Heh. That’s adorable.” She quickly turned and pointed her hoof at Bluebolt. “And don’t go getting any ideas. I can hear the gears in your head turning right now, but don’t you even think about it.”

Bluebolt smirked and held up her hooves. “Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it.”

Sundial cleared her throat, loudly. Everypony had apparently forgotten she was even there. “If ye all don’t mind, could we not just stand around in the bloody snow flapping our gums in this thrilling conversation? The storm’s only going ta get worse, and we need ta keep moving for our next stop. It’s still daylight out, but we have to get ta shelter before nightfall, aye? The storm gets bad at night.”

“And this isn’t ‘bad’?” Flurry asked, gesturing at the snowstorm around them.

“Aye, this is just a wee breeze compared ta what ye’ll see when nightfall rolls around. Be my guest if ye’d like, but ye won’t last ten minutes.”

“Speaking of which, where exactly are we?” Rarity asked, glancing about, almost hopeful. “We’re in the snow, so I assume… are we in zebra territory?”

Sundial shook her head. “Och, sorry, that’s a long ways off, aye? We’re in the Great Expanse, or what used ta be called the ‘Wasteland’.”

Rarity frowned, clearly troubled. “Oh… I see. Awfully close to that dreadful Pandemonium City or whatever it was, aren’t we?”

“Aye, but don’t ye worry, they’re not bothering anypony these days unless ye happen ta live there.”

“Well, I suppose it’s luck that kept us from landing there again.” Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “So, you’re this world’s Chronomancer these days? Forgive me for not asking sooner, but what’s your name?”

“Aye, hard ta introduce myself when all o’ ye were just yapping on and on about who’s shagging who and whatnot. Name’s Sundial, at yer service.” Sundial offered Rarity her hoof. Rarity gingerly shook it. “I gathered from the conversation that ye’ve been here before?”

“Yes. Though Tick Tock was the Chronomancer at the time.”

Sundial cracked half a grin. “Aye? Fancy that.”

Rarity paused a moment, then smiled. “How is she, by the way? I haven’t spoken with her in, well… twenty-one years.”

“Och, she’s right as rain, she is. Ye might just get ta see her after we finish all o’ the business we’ve got ta handle.”

“Y’all keep usin’ that word, ‘Chronomancer’,” Bloom said. “What’s it mean?”

“It’s my job, lass. I protect this world from threats ta the foundation o’ reality, and catalogue the changes between my world and others like yers. I’d go inta more detail, but we’re strapped for time, aye?

“Speaking o’ which, we’re moving towards the Redblade Mountains,” she said, gesturing towards the west. “Seeing as we need ta get ye lot figured out on getting home, ye’re coming along with.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh dear, not those dreadful volcanoes again?”

“Hmm? Och, no no, they’re not volcanoes anymore, at least not active ones, aye? Perfectly safe ta travel through, trust me.”

“That’s exactly what Tick Tock said, if you don’t mind my trepidation on the matter, dear.”

Sundial smirked. “Aye? Well, tough shite, I’m saying it too, then. If ye want ta get home, ye’re gonna have ta trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

“Tick Tock used to say that too…”

Bloom raised her hoof. “Um… I got a question.”

“Well, save it fer now, lass. We’ve gotta get moving. There’s a settlement a few miles west o’ here that we’re gonna camp at, should let the three o’ ye get all settled in so we can try and figure out what happened, aye?” She started off west, gesturing for the others to follow. “Come on then!”

Bluebolt and Symphony started following immediately after without any argument. Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry waited just a brief moment before doing the same, staying behind just enough that they could talk amongst themselves. Sundial couldn’t hear what they were saying over the winds, but from the expressions on their faces, she knew the three mares were likely worried.

She really couldn’t blame them.

Chapter Two: Enemy

Rarity just had one thought in her mind the entire time that she was trudging through what seemed like endless, freezing snow: this had been much easier when she was younger.

Twenty-one years ago, Rarity was confident she could just about keep up with even the hale-and-hardy Applejack when they’d been trekking across these same great distances, barely taking too much time to rest and with hardly a complaint. Years of aging without any “adventures” in sight to keep her on her game, however, had kept Rarity from maintaining her once-proud endurance. She wasn’t out of shape—perish the thought—but, well, age always had its way of reminding you it existed and wasn’t going away.

Still, Rarity didn’t complain one bit as the cold, wet snow bit at her hooves; she didn’t let her exhaustion show as she ran the furthest and hardest she’d run in the better part of a decade; and she certainly didn’t voice the anxiety of being on another world again, not now, not later, not ever.

This time was going to be different, she knew that. This time, she wasn’t here with all of her friends, all of them equals, all of them in the same boat together in an alien world filled with excitement and danger at every turn. No, this time she had Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart with her. Apple Bloom had certainly participated in her fair share of adventures, yes, but nothing quite like this. Flurry Heart was, as far as Rarity knew, a pampered princess that hardly ever left her palatial estate, let alone the Crystal Empire, so adventures and danger were out of the question.

So Rarity didn’t complain. She didn’t gripe or moan. She didn’t let her trepidations or worries get to her or show on her face, because she had two ponies that would be looking to her for guidance, and she was absolutely determined to be strong, not just for herself, but for them. Such was the way of things when one got older—the young always looked to you in their time of need.

But yes, she thought, things would most certainly be different this time around; or, at least, that’s what she hoped would be the case. This time, she didn’t have to spend days in a filth-and-crime-ridden, smog-choked, poorly-run city looking over her shoulder out of fear for her dignity and well-being; this time, she’d met ponies from this world that she just knew she could trust implicitly right from the get-go; this time, she had hope, no, confidence that things were going to be okay.

The settlement that Sundial had mentioned was within sight at this point, though it was difficult to see clearly through the worsening snowstorm. The village had no lights to mark its location, so that just compounded issues, but Rarity still had stellar eyesight and could just make it out in the distance. Besides that, Sundial seemed to know exactly where she was going with typical Chronomancer confidence. Rarity only hoped Sundial’s confidence wasn’t as misplaced as Tick Tock’s had once been.

Still, a question had been eating at Rarity for the past mile or so, and she felt this might be the right time to ask it now that the settlement was growing closer.

“Sundial, darling, how long have ponies been building settlements out here in the Waste— in the Great Expanse?” she asked, quickening her pace to come alongside Sundial. “The last time I was here, hardly anypony could even survive out in this horrible landscape, let alone settle down and live their lives as if nothing was wrong.”

“Och, ta be honest with ye, these aren’t exactly what ye’d call ‘permanent’ settlements,” Sundial said, not bothering to look in Rarity’s direction. “They’re more like… pit stops. Just places for ponies ta rest a while and resupply before they move on ta Hope’s Point or beyond, aye?”

“Really? But… I thought that’s what the Checkpoint near Goldridge Pass was for?”

“Aye, it is, but that was only because that was the safest route through the old Wastelands. Now that the Redblade Mountains can be safely passed through, it’s definitely the faster route, so there are a few ‘checkpoints’ here and there along the way ta make the journey easier. Don’t see much use these days, though, but some ponies still maintain them.”

“The old Goldridge Checkpoint’s not even just a ‘checkpoint’ anymore,” Bluebolt said, coming alongside Rarity. “It’s a full-grown village nowadays, just called ‘Goldridge’, actually.”

“Hmm, I see.” Rarity blinked, amused at this information. Maybe if things had been then the way they were now, the original journey would’ve been easier. “Well, things certainly have changed around here, haven’t they?”

“Aye, and we’re just getting started,” Sundial snorted, a mild grin coming to her lips.

As the group arrived at the little settlement, Rarity noticed that it was completely empty. There wasn’t a single pony in sight, nor was there a single light on in any of the half-dozen or so stone buildings, nor was there even a sound except the wind. They walked through an empty street, searching for any sign of life, but came up totally and depressingly empty. Rarity began to wonder if this was normal, or if this was just the first sign that she was wrong about this adventure.

Sundial shifted her jaw, then shrugged and gestured towards the largest building in the area. “Och, no time ta worry about where everypony is now, aye? That’s the saloon over there, so we’ll at least be able ta find food and shelter.”

The interior of the saloon was eerily dark, for the moment, but Sundial seemed to know where the oil lanterns were to light the room. Once lit, everypony could see that the saloon was old-fashioned and pleasant to the eye, with a certain rustic charm to it. There were dozens of carved stone chairs seated around carved stone tables, a bar with all the accoutrements that seemed necessary, and a stairway that led up to the second floor, where there were a half dozen doors leading to bedrooms.

Everypony took a moment to shake off the snow in their coats, manes, and clothes, set down their things if they’d been carrying anything with them, then took seats and got comfortable.

Sundial, however, disappeared behind the bar for a moment before coming back with a large plate loaded with whole carrots. The carrots looked slightly stale, as if they hadn’t been touched in a long, long time. “It’s not much, but it’s better than rations,” she said with a shrug as she set the plate down for everypony to share. “Dig in while I try ta figure out where the caretaker got ta, aye? Be back in a moment.”

Sundial then headed off into the back room, leaving the other five mares alone to relax, eat, and converse amongst themselves.

“Well, now that we seem to be in a better place for it, I suppose we can pick up where we left off, hmm?” Rarity said, giving Bluebolt and Symphony a polite smile.

“Yeah, actually, I wanted to ask a few questions of you guys,” Bluebolt said, leaning back in her chair. She turned to Apple Bloom first. “So… you know you’re not really my cousin, right? I mean, you’re my dad’s brother’s wife’s sister. That would make you, like… my aunt, once-removed, or something? Step-aunt? I’m not really up on how family trees are supposed to work, but we’re not ‘cousins’.”

Bloom scratched her head, clearly bothered by this. “I mean… yeah, I s’pose that’s right? But ain’t it easier ta just say ‘cousin’ than all that other stuff? Ain’t like it makes that big of a difference, right?”

“I mean, ‘aunt’ isn’t exactly hard—”

“Ain’t none o’ y’all gonna call me ‘Aunt Apple Bloom’, y’hear?” Bloom said, pointing her hoof tersely at Bluebolt. “I’m only thirty, I ain’t old enough ta have somepony yer age callin’ me ‘aunt’. Cousin’ll do.”

Bluebolt held her hooves up defensively, but her mouth curled in a little smile. “Right, right… I just wanted to be clear. It always pays to have all the facts, y’know? That way you don’t get blindsided later when somepony drops a bombshell on you.”

“Spoken just like your mother,” Rarity said with a knowing grin.

“Ugh, don’t remind me.” Bluebolt shook her head, then turned back to Bloom. “So… how are Aunt Applejack and Uncle Flathoof, anyway? I know they can’t exactly send us postcards or anything like that, and I know my dad talks about them every now and then, but he doesn’t know any better than I do how things are now, y’know? I mean, the only reason I know Uncle Flathoof’s even married is because you called me ‘cousin’ and all that.”

“Wow, yeah, there’s a lot ta catch up on, ain’t there? Well, uh… okay, Applejack 'n' Flathoof got married, that much is pretty obvious by now. They still live on ol’ Sweet Apple Acres 'n' everythin’, an’ they’re still keepin’ it runnin’ after all these years. I visit every now 'n' then, but I’m usually busy teachin’, so it’s usually only fer the holidays.”

“You’re a teacher?” Bluebolt asked, leaning forward in her seat, a curious smile on her face.

Bloom gave a proud grin, and put her hoof to her heart. “Yup! I teach at Princess Twilight’s School o’ Friendship.”

Bluebolt blinked. “School of… Friendship? What, like… you teach ponies how to make friends, or something?”

“Not just ponies, but all sorts o’ creatures! We get students from all over, y’know? Griffins, hippogriffs, yaks—”

“I’m sorry, ‘yaks’?”

Bloom blinked. “Y’all… don’t have yaks in yer world?”

“Can’t say we do, no?” Bluebolt said, glancing at Symphony as if looking for confirmation. The latter shook her head.

Bloom tilted her head. “Oh… uh, okay, I guess?”

“Right, so… do I have any, y’know, actual cousins?” Bluebolt asked with a nervous smile. Bloom gave her a telling glare. “Sorry, right. I mean, does your sister have any kids?”

“Oh yeah, they’ve got kids, o’ course they do. Wouldn’t be an Apple Clan marriage if’n they didn’t have loads o’ kids.” Bloom smiled and lifted her hoof as she started counting off. “Let’s see, there’s Honeycrisp, th’ oldest, takes after her daddy; then there’s Jazz Apple, only colt o’ the bunch, real troublemaker; an’ last, lil’ Ginger Gold, just a total sweetheart that filly is.”

“Wow, three cousins from another world, huh?” Bluebolt shook her head and smiled, seemingly pleased at the information. “That’s… that’s really amazing.”

“Four cousins, actually,” Bloom continued with a nod. “Mah brother Big Macintosh has a daughter too, Gala Apple. She’s a real hoot, that lil’ filly, nothin’ like her parents at all. Just chock full o’ energy.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised at how big her family suddenly seemed. “Wow, really? Huh… well, my mom and dad are gonna be glad to hear they’ve got so many nieces and nephews over there. Knowing them, they’re gonna want to get gifts together for all the birthdays they missed.”

Rarity, who had been listening to the conversation intently, elected to keep to herself who Gala Apple’s mother was and hoped Bloom would do the same. She wasn’t sure if Blackburn still hated Grayscale Force as much today as she did twenty-one years ago, but it was better not to put the pressure of finding that out on Bluebolt, who might not even know. Rarity knew she could ask Blackburn personally when the opportunity presented itself, even if Blackburn probably wouldn’t be exactly pleased that Rarity and her friends had graciously accepted those six into their world with open hooves.

“How about your family here, darling?” Rarity asked, genuinely curious and trying to steer the conversation around a bit. “If you have cousins in our world, surely Apple Bloom has other relatives in this one, yes?”

Bluebolt leaned back in her seat. “Oh, well yeah, of course she does.” She looked at Bloom a moment, tilting her head. “You already know about the rest of Uncle Flathoof’s family, right?”

Bloom nodded. “He talks 'bout 'em a lot, yeah. I know he misses 'em 'n' all that…” She paused, then smiled. “Hey, I just had a great idea! I can bring back news o’ what his family’s been up ta since he left!”

“Oh yeah! Well, uh… let’s see…” Bluebolt tapped her chin in thought. “Well, Uncle Thickhoof got his legs fixed up a few weeks after I was born, I think. Got some fancy prosthetics and everything. He’s not married yet, but he’s been dating this nurse at the hospital. He’s an engineer at the city’s power plant now. Uh, Aunt Pattycake owns a bakery in the city, super popular joint—”

“Especially if you like cupcakes,” Symphony interjected, licking her lips.

“Right, yeah, and, um… she’s married now to a pilot, Captain Almond. No kids yet though. And I already told you about Uncle Shorthoof and his wife.”

“How about your parents?” Rarity asked, leaning forward in her seat. “How are they doing these days?”

“Oh, they’re fine, I guess? I try not to stick around the palace that much, y’know? I’m trying to find my own place in the world. I mean, my brother’s married and all—”

“You have a brother?” Rarity said, eyes alight with joy. “Oh, that’s wonderful! And you say he’s married?”

Bluebolt blinked, clearly put off by Rarity’s enthusiasm. “Uh, yeah, Fireglow’s married and everything. Gleaming Dawn’s her name. She’s a noble from down south. The wedding was earlier this year, actually, right at the end of summer… or I guess winter, since they got married down south. Oh, and then there’s my sister Dreamchaser. Shame you guys didn’t get here a few weeks ago, you would’ve been invited to her cute-ceañera.”

Rarity practically squealed with excitement. “Oh my goodness, this is simply marvelous. I can’t wait to meet your family, Bluebolt.”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Uh… sure, okay? Thanks?” She glanced at Bloom. “So yeah… that’s your extended family, for now I guess?”

Just then, Sundial returned, grumbling something obscene under her breath and not looking at all pleased with what she’d managed to turn up. “Och, so, I checked out the whole settlement, aye? It looks like it’s been totally abandoned, right out o’ the blue.”

“Oh? I thought that ponies just stopped in to rest before moving on, though?” Rarity asked, starting to get slightly worried.

“Aye, but it still has a few permanent residents ta maintain it, right? Well, they’re all gone too. No signs o’ struggle or anything like that, but they definitely packed and left in a bloody hurry. All that’s left are some o’ their older foodstuffs, a couple o’ empty bottles o’ booze, and not much else.”

“Well, that’s odd… isn’t it?”

Sundial grunted, her mouth curling in a smirk. “Aye, cheers lass, it’s odd that a bunch o’ ponies who made it their life’s work ta maintain this place just up and left without a trace. Bloody well figured that out then, aye?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes slightly, but held in the indignant response she wanted to give the other mare. Were all Chronomancers completely rude know-it-alls without an ounce of tact or compassion? This Sundial made Tick Tock look downright pleasant, and that was saying quite a lot; Tick Tock had been rather abrasive when they first met, even if she eventually grew out of it.

“So, what’s the plan then?” Rarity asked. “I assume that we’re still resting here for the evening, then moving on in the morning?”

“Aye, that’s the plan.”

“And I suppose you already have an idea in mind for getting the three of us home then?”

Sundial shook her head, not so much embarrassed as dismissive. “At the moment, no, there’s no plan ta really be had yet, aye? It’s a bit soon ta be thinking in those terms.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, lost. “I... beg your pardon? What do you mean? Do you mean you don’t even have a plan?”

“Och, well, not exactly yet, no.” Now Sundial looked embarrassed. “This all happened unexpectedly, aye? I’ll have something though, give me some time—”

“Well… forgive me for saying so, but I expected a bit better from Tick Tock’s… replacement, I suppose?

Sundial gritted her teeth. “Oh really? Listen, my job for most o’ the last decade has been cataloguing all the changes ta the world’s ecology and society, with the occasional closing o’ Void rifts, aye? This is my first time dealing with a bunch o’ travelers from one o’ the other Equestrias, and it’s not exactly a typical set o’ visitors, either.”

“Tick Tock handled it just fine, I think,” Rarity quipped.

“Aye, is that right? Tick Tock handled it just fine, did she now? She damn near got the whole multiverse screwed over arse-backwards because o’ how she handled—” Sundial paused, and took a deep breath, clearly upset with what she’d just said.

“Put yerself in my horseshoes, aye?” she continued. “Ye’re just minding yer business, doing yer job like ye’re supposed ta, and then the three o’ you show up, and one o’ ye’s already been here before. It’s bloody damn well complicated!”

Rarity leaned back and took a breath as well. Sundial had a point, and this was different from last time, wasn’t it? “Well, can’t we just do what we did the last time this happened? Tick Tock had us travel down south and ask Harmonia for help, so why not do that again? As the saying goes, ‘if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it’?”

Sundial scratched the back of her head, clearly mulling it over. “That’s… that’s where things get complicated, unfortunately. Harmonia’s been missing for the better part o’ the last decade, aye? Longer, actually. Nopony’s seen hide nor hair o’ her in years, so… she’s not exactly a reliable source o’ help, sorry ta say.”

Rarity’s spirits fell slightly. The last time she’d heard anything about Harmonia, the alicorn goddess—now in a physical body—was being tended to by zebra healers who assured everyone that she was making a full recovery. Had that been a lie? The zebras didn’t seem the sort to do something like that.

“I see… yes, that would complicate matters, wouldn’t it?” Rarity pondered things for a moment, trying to remember how the situation went last time; surely there was more to be done? “Well, what about the portal we built? Is that still up? Can’t we use it?”

“Och, aye, it’s still up, but without Harmonia there’s nopony powerful enough ta activate it proper-like. And besides that, until I get a few things settled there won’t be anypony on the other end ready ta make sure it goes smoothly. It’s a right mess.”

“I… I see… hmmm…” Rarity took a deep breath, trying her best not to look despondent in front of Bloom and Flurry despite feeling like everything that could go wrong just did. “So… what plans do you have for now, then? I assume you at least have something in mind to get the ball rolling, as it were?”

Sundial cracked her neck, then nodded, suddenly very sure of herself. “We’re moving west across the Redblade Mountains starting the day after tomorrow, crossing the eastern portion o’ the Expanse, then making our way back ta Goldridge. I have ta check in with my counterpart in yer world to figure out what the situation is like and if they have any input, aye?”

“Can’t we just head east? Goldridge can’t be far if we’re on this side of Redblade—”

“The winter storms up here in the north are violent and constantly shifting, lass,” Sundial grunted with a little puff of authority. “It took me three weeks ta plan out this bloody route that won’t take us through any freak thunderblizzards—”

Flurry Heart, who’d kept silent until now, apparently just happy to sit and listen, raised her hoof in the air. “Um… excuse me? Thunderblizzards?”

Sundial turned and looked at her as if trying to think of what to say. “Aye, thunderblizzards. They’ve been getting worse over the last, och, five years or so? Lots o’ leftover magic in the air after the Beacons shut down, so it just makes them worse. Deadly.” She pointed at Rarity. “Ye’ve been here before. Ye remember the Belt o’ Tranquility?”

Rarity nodded hesitantly. “I remember passing through it, yes, but I was in an airship designed to protect against the horrible magic it possessed. Rainbow Dash tried to fly straight through it by herself, though… and she did say it almost killed her. Something about ‘living lightning’?”

“Och, well, these thunderblizzards are like… the Belt o’ Tranquility had a baby with a snowstorm. Fierce winds, lots o’ snow and hail, and worse, the thunder and lightning. It’s because the warm air from the Redblade Mountains mixes in with the winter air of the Expanse. Ye’d be downright nuts ta try and cross through one, aye? Even Hope’s Point doesn’t send airships in that kind o’ weather, and their pilots are loony.”

“But I thought their shielding systems defended against that kind of weather?”

“Aye, but that’s just the lightning and the snow. Doesn’t do much against the cold itself. Freezes engines right up, it does.” Sundial shook her head. “So, we have ta follow the route I’ve got mapped out, aye? The Expanse might not be the old Wastelands, but winter’s here, and modern winter’s worse than anything the old Wastelands might’ve thrown at ye, as ye just heard.”

“The rest of the year’s real nice, though,” Bluebolt added, apparently sensing the discomfort and worry in the room. “Northern springs are one of the most beautiful times of the year, even compared to southern summers. Green grass everywhere, clear skies, cool breezes, the works.”

“Just gotta deal with, y’know, that time of the year,” Symphony said with a chuckle and a nudge to Bluebolt, who turned a little red and pushed Symphony away.

Rarity considered the information, then sighed and nodded. “Hmm… alright, I suppose we don’t have much of a choice in the matter then, do we? How long do you anticipate it’ll be to reach Goldridge going around the long way, if I might ask?”

Sundial gestured with her wings. “Just a wee bit more than a week was my original itinerary, but I didn’t account for extra mouths ta feed, aye? We were also gonna stock up as much as we can here. Nopony’s around ta complain, but then there’s not much here ta take, so we’re gonna make another stop in Redridge at the main kirin settlement ta see if we can’t get supplies there. It won’t take more than an extra day at most, and I’ve got it set that we can afford two.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, completely surprised. “Kirins? I didn’t think your world had kirins. There weren’t any last time I was here.”

“Och, we didn’t, not for a few years after ye left. They came out o’ hiding in the Redblade Mountains once the volcanoes died down and ponies started traveling through again. A lot has changed since ye were here last.” Sundial paused, then took a deep breath. “Incidentally, lassies, I think it’s time ye tell me why ye lot are here, aye? Or rather how ye got here.”

“We got sucked inta that, uh… ‘rift’, or whatever y’all called it,” Bloom said, twirling her hoof through the air. “Y’know, like the thing we popped back out of?”

“Aye, I know that, lass, but that should be bloody impossible.”

“Why’s that?”

Sundial opened her mouth to speak, then stopped very suddenly. She turned to Rarity; Rarity noticed she looked a little spooked, as if she’d almost said something she shouldn’t have. “Rarity, I need ta speak with ye privately, aye? If ye don’t mind?”

Rarity pointed at herself. “Me? You do?”

“Aye. Ye’re the only one here that I can talk ta about this. Chronomancer protocol, since ye’re already… ‘aware’, so ta say?”

Rarity blinked, trying to parse through Sundial’s words, and when they made sense to her, she nodded in understanding and rose from her seat. “Very well, darling. Let’s chat, shall we?”

Sundial led Rarity into the back room of the saloon, which was practically empty save for a few near-empty bottles of whiskey, rum, and tequila. There wasn’t even a chair to sit in.

“So…” Sundial started, taking a breath. “Now that I know for sure that ye’re the same Rarity that met Tick Tock, I suppose ye remember at least a wee bit about… Equestria Prime? Aye? Center o’ all the multiverse and all that?”

Rarity paused, then nodded glumly. “Yes, how could I forget? I’m just glad I don’t have to remember some of the things Tick Tock does...”

“Well, then ye know all about the concept o’ ‘Canon’ then, aye? What Equestria Prime represents?”

“I believe the topic came up, yes,” Rarity said thoughtfully. “My world isn’t the same as the ‘Canon’ Equestria, just a different spin on things. As I recall, one of our bigger differences originally was that our Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash were romantically involved, but they’re apparently not in the ‘Canon’ of Equestria Prime?”

“Aye, I believe that’s one o’ the things Equestria-IV has as one o’ its quirks, though that doesn’t mean much ta me what with this world being so much more different. I’m sure yer world’s got all sorts of other oddities these days though, doesn’t it?”

“I… suppose? What do you mean?”

Sundial rubbed the back of her head. “Och, well, I understand that ye integrated yer, uh… ‘clones’ inta yer society? Didn’t ye?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Something like that, yes. Can we get to the point, darling?”

“Aye, I’m getting ta that lass, don’t get yer knickers in a twist,” Sundial grunted; she was clearly trying to be cordial but wasn’t good at it. “The point is, the Canon timeline is stable now, and has been for a while as of this conversation. Yer world is connected ta Canon closely enough that it should be stable as well, meaning that the Void shouldn’t have any presence in yer world unless it was specifically called there.”

“I’m... not sure I understand. The only pony I know that could do anything like that is Starlight Shadow, and she can’t control the Void properly anymore. She’s just an extraordinarily powerful unicorn, like Twilight was before she became an alicorn. Part of the ‘integration’ process, Time Turner said, I think? And besides, she wasn’t there when this all happened.”

“Aye? Well then, tell me what did happen.”

“Well… Princess Cadence attempted to cast an enchantment on me to help me get over a… bout of lovesickness.” Rarity cleared her throat, embarrassed to admit that to somepony that was basically a total stranger. “I don’t know what happened after that exactly, but as she was finishing the spell, that Void rift just... tore itself open right above us. It all happened so fast...”

Sundial pondered this carefully. “Another curiosity I noticed is that the portal closed up all on its own, right after ye—and I mean specifically you, Rarity—came through it. That shouldn’t happen. Void rifts don’t close that fast on their own, ever. That’s why Chronomancers exist, aye? We’re in charge o’ closing them so they don’t get big and tear worlds apart, and because there’s not much else that can close them.”

“That was my understanding as well, darling, but I’m afraid I don’t know much about the subject, certainly not enough to help you figure it out.”

“Aye, I can tell, but that’s not yer fault. Still, this is different than last time ye were here. Very different.” Sundial cracked her neck and took another breath. “We need ta get ta Goldridge. Chronomancer HQ will have sent a temporary agent ta Equestria-IV ta investigate the rift, and I need ta get in contact with them so we can figure out why this happened. Only then can we piece together a plan ta get ye back home.”

“Would Tick Tock know anything? Maybe she could help?”

Sundial sighed and nodded. “Och, that too, but she’s also in Goldridge, so we’d better hurry along. Two birds, one stone, aye?”

“I suppose so—”

They were interrupted when Sundial’s pocket watch gave a loud buzz. She fished it out of her coat pocket, popped it open, and gave it a stern look. It was glowing a dull green. “Shite,” she muttered.

“What’s the matter?”

“Another Void rift nearby, two in one bloody day. Hopefully this one won’t start spewing more visitors, aye?”

Sundial brusquely pushed past Rarity and made for the main room, and Rarity followed behind, worried and curious. As soon as Sundial entered the room, she walked straight over to the table where the others were all embroiled in conversation, pointing at Bluebolt and Symphony.

“Oy, lovebirds, ye’re with me. We’ve got work ta do,” she said with an air of practiced authority.

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“Another tear opened up, aye? I’ve gotta go seal it up, and you two are coming with. Ye said ye wanted ta come on the job with me and see the world or some shite like that, so come on, let’s go see the bloody world.”

Bluebolt and Symphony shared a brief look, shrugged, then got up and got ready to leave. Symphony just needed to grab her weapons, nothing else, since their saddlebags could stay here.

Sundial then pointed at Rarity, stern, but polite. “Rarity, start getting things set up here for when we get back. We shouldn’t be gone for too long, but I’d rather not worry about putting rooms together when we return, aye?”

Rarity nodded. “I can do that.” She turned to Bloom and Flurry. “Girls, you want to lend me a hoof or two?”

Bloom stood up, hooves on the table, suddenly very serious. “Actually… if it’s not too much trouble, I’d like ta go wit’ Bluebolt.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Why?”

“Well, I’d like ta spend more time with mah family, y’know? I ain’t gonna get a chance like this again, an’ I don’t know long we’re gonna have ta do it in. No offense, but I don’t want ta waste mah time changin’ sheets.”

Rarity thought for a moment; she knew, at least from some partial personal experience, that Chronomancer work could sometimes get dangerous, especially when those blasted Void rifts got involved. But, she also knew that Sundial seemed trustworthy enough, even if she was abrasive, that Symphony seemed perfectly capable of protecting anypony they were with, and that Bluebolt was indeed family to Apple Bloom. It wasn’t really her place to deny Bloom the opportunity, even if she was concerned for her well-being.

So, Rarity turned to Sundial. If Sundial refused Bloom’s company, that would be different than if Rarity refused to let her go. “Is that alright with you, Sundial?”

Sundial gave Bloom a terse look, narrowing her eyes. “Och, I’m not a bleeding foalsitter, so I don’t take ponies with me that can’t handle themselves, aye? Do ye know how ta handle yerself in a scrap, lass?”

Bloom stuck out her chest proudly. “Mah sister taught me a few things 'bout defendin’ mahself. ‘Never can be too careful’ she said. Considerin’ the adventure she had when she was here last time, I guess she was right.”

“Applejack was a very capable fighter when we were here last, if I might add,” Rarity said, giving Sundial a confident grin. “If Apple Bloom’s half as good ‘in a scrap’ as her sister was, I’m sure she’ll be just fine.” She didn’t exactly want to encourage this, but she couldn’t deny that Bloom’s confidence seemed well-placed.

Sundial eyed Bloom up and down for a moment, then adjusted her jaw and let out a breath. “Fine. Just stay outta trouble, aye? If I have ta come pull ye out of the fire, this is the only time ye’re coming along on anything like this. Ye got that?”

“Got it,” Bloom said with a pleased nod.

Sundial tilted her head towards the door. “C’mon then, let’s not waste time flapping our gums like a bunch o’ gossipy old hens.”

And just like that, the four mares walked out into the snow, leaving Rarity and Flurry Heart alone.

Rarity shook her head, more worried than she’d been all day. “I certainly hope that was the right thing to do, letting her go with them…”

Flurry got up and put her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder, a calming gesture. “She’ll be fine, Rarity. She’s got good ponies with her, and like you said, if she’s even half as good at defending herself as Applejack is, she’ll be better than fine. I sincerely believe that.”

Rarity gave Flurry a weak smile, as the other mare’s confidence was contagious. “I certainly hope so, dear. I admire your optimism. This world tends to… well, drag you down a bit, and it brings out the worst in ponies. Don’t let it do that to you, as it once did to me and my friends. Okay?”

“I won’t, I promise,” Flurry said, returning the smile. “C’mon, let’s start getting things together. Hopefully the caretakers left something behind that we can use.”

*****

Apple Bloom followed Bluebolt and Symphony as Sundial led them towards a cave just outside of the settlement, less than a half-hour’s walk away. As they approached, Sundial’s pocket watch’s subtle green glow grew brighter and brighter. Once they reached the cave’s mouth, the glow was bright enough to illuminate the cave’s interior fairly well, which was handy since there weren’t any artificial lights inside with which to see by.

Symphony lit up her horn to give off a healthy white glow, which surrounded the group and gave them a more readily-available, brighter light source as they moved further inside. Bloom figured it was a good idea, as they couldn’t risk Sundial’s light going out and leaving them in darkness.

As the group entered into the cave and made their way through the winding passages, Bloom turned and whispered to Bluebolt: “So, y’all’re like Miss Sundial’s assistants or somethin’? I thought y’all were the princess o’ some big city?”

“Nothing like that, no,” Bluebolt whispered back. “We’ve just known her for a long time and know all about the neat stuff she gets up to, so we wanted to come along for once. Y’know, get to experience the world outside the city?”

“Yeah. Traveling the Great Expanse, keeping tabs on all the changes that have happened since, well… your sister and your friends left,” Symphony added, also in a whisper. “Apparently, whatever they did while they were here completely changed the world. Bluebolt and I never got to see the way things were before, but I guess these changes are un grande affare. Capisce?”

Bloom tilted her head, not sure if she should be impressed or worried. “Wow. I mean, Applejack used ta talk about her adventure when I was younger, tellin’ everypony how she met Flathoof 'n' fell in love 'n' all that, but I didn’t know it made such a difference here too. Is it all… good changes?”

Bluebolt paused. “Well… my mom and dad say that some things are better. Like, way better. Plants and trees and grass are growing up here in the north for the first time in centuries, I guess? Even animals are starting to come back, and some sort of monster called a… a ‘Gargantuan’ or whatever? They’re not the same as they used to be anymore either.”

“But they also said some things are… worse,” Symphony said hesitantly. “New Pandemonium City is on a total lockdown, has been for like fifteen years. Pretty much nopony gets in or out, not unless they’re really smart and really desperate. So… all of the ponies there that have to suffer have no way out of it. I’m just glad my parents got out when they did.”

“Yeah… I guess the same should go for my dad’s family,” Bluebolt continued, taking a breath. “If my mom and dad hadn’t gotten them out when they did, they might all still be stuck up there.” She shuddered at the thought. “It’s just awful to even think about it.”

Sundial hushed everypony with a sharp “shhh!” and everypony did just that. She then pointed ahead with her pocket watch, which was now glowing brighter than Symphony’s light spell was. Bloom could just barely feel the sensation of rushing wind coming from around the corner.

“It’s just up ahead,” Sundial said. “Remember: wits about ye, eyes open. That creep can’t be far from here, and we’re in shite territory fer dealing with him, aye? Lots o’ shadows about.”

Symphony nodded and drew both of her swords out, keeping them poised on each side of her while still maintaining her light spell. She turned to Bluebolt briefly. “Stay behind me, and stay close, Bolt.”

“Of course,” Bluebolt nodded. She turned to Bloom. “You stay near me too, Bloom. Symphony’ll keep us safe, I promise.”

“I can handle mahself, y’know,” Bloom said, raising an eyebrow. “I ain’t scared o’ whatever’s happenin’.”

“Yeah, I know, I feel the same way,” Bluebolt said, nodding with a smile. “But rule number one of having a bodyguard is: if you don’t need to get involved, then don’t get involved. Let Symphony do her job; she’s the best at it, trust me.”

Bloom paused, then nodded and moved in close with Bluebolt as the quartet continued forward.

As they rounded the bend, the Void rift came into view, a swirling tear in the fabric of space in the middle of an open cavern. It drained all of the light in the chamber, so much so that apart from the few sources generating anything directly, there was no light to be seen. There were three such sources in the cavern at present: Sundial’s pocket watch, giving off a green glow; Symphony’s light spell, giving off a white glow; and the light spell of another, older unicorn, giving off a golden glow.

This other unicorn had a rich, light gray coat, almost silver in color, and a dark gray mane that he kept short, but styled elegantly. He wore a crisp vest over a long-sleeved shirt, all underneath a warm black coat. Besides his light, his magic was also manipulating a strange-looking box, which glowed a similar green as Sundial’s watch, only not quite as brightly. Wisps of green energy flowed into it, seemingly from the Void tear. He also had a small visor over one eye.

The unicorn turned at the intrusion of quartet before anypony could say anything or react to his presence. “Ah, the Chronomancer in the flesh at last. And she’s not alone, either. Curious. I was led to believe your sort worked alone.”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “Who the bloody hell are ye that ye know who I am?”

“Hmph. I don’t give my name to common filth, girl.”

“Ooh, he’s a charmer, this one,” Symphony snorted, brandishing her swords in front of her. “A real ladykiller. You speak to all the mares you meet like that, cretino?”

The unicorn snorted lightly. “Just those of inferior stock, I’m afraid. A pity you tarnish yourself by associating with these flying rats and that mud eater.”

Sundial glared at the other unicorn. “Right then, I don’t know who ye are, or what ye’re doing here, but it sure doesn’t look good ta me, aye? So, why don’t ye pack yer things there and piss off, before things start to get bloody messy? And I mean that literally.”

“Amusing. I was about to suggest the same to you.” The unicorn tilted his head just slightly to his right, their left. “Two-eighteen, deal with the Chronomancer.”

Sundial opened her mouth to speak, but then turned sharply to her left just as a uniform-clad earth pony leapt out of the shadows and tackled her into the darkness. She nearly dropped her pocket watch in the process, just barely keeping it in her hooves and keeping herself in the light.

“Sundial!” Symphony shouted, moving towards the green glow the pocket watch was giving off.

“Ah ah ah,” chided the older unicorn; his visor briefly lit up.

Before Symphony got far, there was a slight buzzing noise that filled the cavern, and Symphony barely ducked in time as some sort of small machine flew through the air just over her head. Immediately after, a pair of lights ignited, attached to the small drone armed with a small, cannon-like appendage under its chassis.

Symphony turned to Bluebolt and Bloom. “Take cover, you two. I’ll handle this.”

Bloom took half a step forward. “But—”

“I said take cover!” Symphony snapped.

Bluebolt grabbed Bloom and gestured towards the path they’d just come in from. “C’mon! She can handle herself, trust me.”

Bloom hesitated, then nodded. She and Bluebolt took several steps back and hid just behind the wall by the path into the cavern, just enough that they could still see what was going on based on Symphony’s light.

The drone charged straight at Symphony’s head. She lifted her rapier up to defend against it as it approached, while swinging with her longsword simultaneously. The drone raised a small, magical barrier directly in front of it, identical to unicorn magic, and both swords clashed against it briefly. Symphony nearly lost her grip on her weapons.

“Che diavolo?” Symphony muttered as the drone soared up and around her.

“Wonderful device, isn’t it?” the older unicorn said, dimming his horn so that he couldn’t be seen as clearly. “Unicorn magic filtered through technological means: a techno-magic marvel. I feel such a magnificent invention is wasted on you, but I prefer not to get my hooves dirty.”

The drone swooped down again, this time firing off a few bolts of unicorn magic down at Symphony from its cannon. She deflected them with her rapier, and swung her longsword up to try and catch the drone, but it’s shield easily blocked the blow. It seemed to read her movement’s before she even made them and react accordingly.

The older unicorn smirked, then turned towards the green glow where Sundial was currently engaged with the earth pony, and he watched. Sundial dodged to and fro as the earth pony leapt through the light of her pocket watch and back into the shadows, then back again with astounding speed and from constantly varying directions, including from straight above her.

“Ye’re gonna have ta do better than that, laddie!” Sundial shouted at her unseen assailant, eyes darting back and forth. “Why don’t ye come out and fight me like a proper stallion, aye? Or are ye scared o’ me?”

“Curious, you think he responds to you and your schoolyard taunts?” the older unicorn chuckled as he approached Sundial’s light. “He only listens to me, girl.” He turned to his right, a glare on his face. “Two-eighteen, your performance is disappointing me. Subdue the Chronomancer, now.”

“Yes, Overseer,” came the deep, monotone voice of the earth pony.

Sundial ducked in time to avoid the earth pony leaping at her again from the shadows. She clearly did not account for him kicking his legs downward mid-leap and slamming right into her back.

Sundial hit the floor of the cave, dropping her pocket watch. Its light was slowly dimming as the Void rift above them got smaller and smaller, its essence still being drained into the little device the older unicorn carried with him.

The shadowy earth pony stepped out of the shadows down and pressed his hoof against Sundial’s back. “Target subdued, Overseer,” he said.

“You’re running out of light and time, Chronomancer,” said the Overseer, taking another few steps forward. “I thought for certain you’d prove at least somewhat of a challenge, but it seems I was mistaken. A pity.”

“Ye run yer mouth an awful lot, don’t ye?” Sundial grunted.

She took in a sharp breath, then quickly beat her wings just once, as if attempting to take flight. It was enough to push her off the ground, despite the earth pony pushing down on her, which was enough for her to kick her way forward and grab her pocket watch again. In the brief moment of confusion, she leapt forward to try and punch the Overseer.

Her hoof impacted the drone as it soared across the cavern like a rocket. Sundial gripped her hoof in pain and fell back to the floor.

The Overseer smirked. “Ooh. So close.”

Symphony suddenly flung her longsword through the air towards him. He only barely turned his head enough that the blade sliced across his ear rather than the back of his skull.

“Keep your eyes on the prize, amico,” Symphony taunted as she sprinted towards him, rapier drawn.

The Overseer turned sharply and directed his drone towards her. Symphony leaped into the air, high enough to clear the drone’s magical bolts, high enough to clear the drone and thrust her rapier straight through its unprotected backside before landing dramatically in front of the Overseer. The drone crashed against the floor behind her, catching fire almost immediately.

“Two-eighteen! Defend me!” the Overseer shouted.

The shadowy earth pony leapt straight up from the shadows below Symphony and tackled her just as she moved to strike the Overseer. The Overseer took advantage of the momentary distraction to back away into the darkness, completely dimming his horn so that he could not be seen at all. Now only Symphony’s light and the dangerously dim glow of Sundial’s pocket watch kept the area illuminated.

Symphony hit the wall, hard, losing focus on her rapier for just long enough to drop it. The shadowy earth pony pinned her against it with one hoof, then raised the other to smash her face in.

Bloom made to move to help, but Bluebolt was faster.

The shadow pony turned sharply, then leapt back into the shadows again just in time to avoid Bluebolt leaping right at him. A small, metallic device attached to her hoof glowed a dim blue and impacted the cavern wall, which cracked upwards towards the ceiling. She’d just missed Symphony’s head.

Symphony glanced to the side to see Bluebolt’s hoof embedded in the wall, then at Bluebolt with a smile. “Uh… grazie, pecha.”

“Don’t mention it, songbird,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “Sorry I missed.”

“Just be glad you missed my head.”

Sundial got to her hooves and glanced around. “Alright, ye bloody roaster, come on out and let me wallop ye. See who’s just a wee girl now, aye?”

The Overseer, from his position in the shadows, grunted. “It would seem I miscalculated and am now at a disadvantage, albeit a slight one. Two-eighteen, cover my retreat.”

“Yes, Overseer,” came the voice of the earth pony.

For a brief instant, Bloom saw the Overseer’s horn ignite as he teleported away with a flash and a pop.

“That’s right, bugger off ye twat! Ye arsehole! Ye bleeding pansy!” Sundial spat, stamping her hoof in the dirt. “Grow some bloody balls next time!”

She glanced around herself again. The earth pony—the Overseer kept calling him Two-eighteen or something?—wasn’t showing himself just yet. Before the light in her pocket watch gave out, she twisted one of its dials and what remained of the Void rift above her closed with a low whimper. Without it absorbing the light of Symphony’s magic, the cavern was much brighter.

“Shite,” Sundial grunted, shaking her head. “Where’d that other one go?”

They didn’t have much time to think on it, unfortunately. As soon as the Void rift finished closing, it gave a fierce rumble, sending a shockwave through the cave. This wouldn’t have been a problem, but there was now a huge crack in the cave wall near Bluebolt and Symphony. A huge crack that was getting bigger by the second.

“Uh oh…” Bluebolt muttered. She tried to pull away from the wall. “Crap, I’m stuck!”

“That’s a problem,” Symphony agreed. She tried to move too, but Bluebolt’s position had her effectively pinned.

The cavern gave a loud crunch as the crack in the wall ripped across the ceiling, shaking rock loose throughout the chamber.

“That’s a big problem. Sundial! Little help here, amica!”

Sundial flew over to the two of them and helped Bluebolt dislodge herself from the wall. “C’mon! We gotta get out of here!”

Symphony quickly grabbed and sheathed her swords, then the three of them made for the cavern entrance to head back up towards the surface. They only made it about a few steps before their way was barred by the uniformed earth pony.

Symphony sighed and drew her longsword back out. “C’mon, really? You’re gonna do this?”

Sundial snorted and stepped forward. “Outta the way, ye daft idiot. Yer chickenshite boss left already.”

“Covering the Overseer’s retreat,” the earth pony said, settling into a combat stance.

“Och, bloody hell,” Sundial said, rolling her eyes. “Fine then, let’s do this.”

A few long, tense seconds passed as the trio and the earth pony stared each other down, waiting for one side of the conflict to make the first move as the cavern continued to shake more and more violently around them.

Then, without a word, Apple Bloom slammed her whole body into the other earth pony’s side with a shoulder charge propelled by farm-working legs. He had been so focused on the other three that he hadn’t noticed her just a few paces behind him. His head hit the opposite wall with a sharp crack, and he was unconscious instantly.

Bloom took a deep breath, then gave the other three a confident grin. “See? Told ya I can help in a fight.”

Sundial chuckled and patted Bloom on the shoulder. “Aye, good show, lass, good—”

The cavern gave a violent lurch as a huge chunk of rock loosened from just a few feet to her left, smashing into the floor and leaving a decent-sized impact crater.

“Well, time to go!” Bluebolt said much too quickly as she started for the exit. “C’mon, hurry!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Symphony called after her.

Bloom started off next. “Wait fer me!” Before she got too far, she noticed that Sundial wasn’t following. She stopped and turned, and saw that Sundial was staring at the unconscious earth pony. “Hey! We gotta go!”

“Och, right. C’mon, help me drag this one out, aye?” Sundial said, moving to grab the pony’s bottom half.

Bloom hesitated for barely an instant, then nodded and moved to help. She didn’t need to argue or debate whether it was better to leave this pony to die or not, it just wasn’t in her to do something like that. She grabbed the pony’s other half, and with a grunt, she and Sundial lifted him up and quickly made their way out before the entire cavern caved in around them.

They set the earth pony down at the cave entrance, where Bluebolt and Symphony were waiting for them, disapproval on their faces.

“What the hell, guys? You dragged that asino out of there?” Symphony asked, gesturing towards the unconscious pony. “Are you crazy?”

“Aye, crazy, sure. He’d have died if we left him in there,” Sundial said, wiping her brow. “Why, is that a problem, lass?”

“Uh, yeah? I’m pretty sure he tried to kill us first. Would’ve served him right, listening to that other jackass and trying to pound my face in. For the record, I like my face.”

“I like your face too,” Bluebolt said with a half-smile, giving Symphony a brief kiss on the nose. “I’d have squashed him if he’d done anything to your face, songbird, don’t worry.”

“Maybe he did deserve it 'cause o’ all that, but I ain’t the kind o’ pony ta leave somepony ta die,” Bloom said, puffing out her chest confidently. “Don’t matter who they are, that just ain’t right. Right Sundial?”

Sundial shrugged and wiped her nose. “I just don’t want blood on my hooves, aye?”

“Well, whatever,” Bluebolt said, pointing at the unconscious pony. “What are we going to do with him now though?”

They didn’t have time to ponder this when the earth pony suddenly stirred with an almost silent groan. Symphony drew her longsword and pointed it at him as he got to his hooves, but she didn’t strike, not yet. She was clearly waiting for an excuse to do so though.

The earth pony, apparently unintimidated, looked between the quartet. Then, without a word, he slipped into the snow like a shadow and disappeared out of sight.

Symphony blinked, shaking her head. “Okay. What the hell just happened?”

“Anypony else as confused as I am right now?” Bluebolt asked, looking to the others.

Bloom raised her hoof. “Yeah, me. The hay was that all about? Not even so much as a ‘thank ya’.”

“See? Ungrateful asino,” Symphony snorted, spitting into the snow.

Sundial rolled her shoulders and put her pocket watch back into her coat pocket. “Forget about him. Better off not knowing what’s going through his head, aye? Let’s just get back ta the settlement,” she said, looking skyward. The snowstorm was picking up something fierce. “It’s almost nightfall, and we don’t want ta be outside when it is. C’mon.” She started off for the settlement in the distance.

The other three mares looked to one another, shrugged, then followed behind.

Chapter Three: Enticement

Twenty-one years ago, when Rarity had first visited this world, and after she had left the ghastly city to the north and started her way down south with her friends, she had been absolutely disgusted and appalled at the state of the earth around them as they went. It had been lifeless and barren, with nothing more than dust and dirt and hardly as much as a weak breeze to give her or her companions any sense of comfort or courage. Applejack had hated it the most. “An affront ta nature,” she’d called it, and Rarity was inclined to agree.

So naturally, seeing these same fields again covered in several feet of snow and plagued by fierce, piercing winds that threatened to freeze her to the bone if not for her warm coat was quite a different experience in every way Rarity could imagine. When the group had a moment to rest and eat and thus weren’t moving at a quickened pace, Rarity took the time to check that there was honest-to-goodness grass beneath that snow. It was dormant grass, to be sure, but grass nonetheless. Life had come to the northern lands.

But that little detail was nothing compared to the difference she noticed when the group made their way up and into the Redblade Mountains the morning after a full day of travel in the snow. Sundial and Symphony had brought tents with them, though the tents were barely large enough for two each let alone three or four. Rarity noted that Symphony and Bluebolt seemed reluctant to share theirs, but relented when trying to fit four ponies—particularly Flurry, who was just a little too tall—in one tent proved impossible. Bloom shared with them, incidentally.

At any rate, when Rarity had been to the Redblade Mountains last, they’d been perpetually active volcanoes. The blazing heat had been unbearable, only prevented from being dangerous, no, deadly because of Twilight’s magical, temperature-controlled barrier, and yet even then it had still been unbearably hot. Not to mention that the route was entirely made up of horribly uneven rocky terrain with the danger of molten magma everywhere they looked, and that smoke and ash filled the air and threatened to choke them even under their protective bubble.

The funniest part about it was that Tick Tock had said these mountains were relatively safe compared to the rest of the Wastelands, and much quicker to boot.

Twenty-one years later and the volcanoes were dormant with not an ounce of flowing lava in sight. The uneven slopes had had time to smooth out, forming natural pathways and trails through the mountains for travelers to pass through with relative ease. It was still hot and humid around the mountains, of course—just because the volcanoes were dormant didn’t mean they weren’t filled with molten rock—but not unbearably so. In fact, because of the winter snows it was actually somewhat pleasant temperature-wise, like a warm spring day.

Weather-wise, however, it was not quite so pleasant. The heat of the volcanic mountains melted the seemingly perpetual snowfall long before it hit the ground, creating a never-ending torrent of rainfall instead. Rarity was completely certain at this point that she preferred the snow to the rain, at least in her current attire, but there wasn’t much she could change into.

Luckily, three of the ponies in the group were capable of using magic to shield them from the rain, as umbrellas were likely to be taken up by the still-harsh winds and be more of a hindrance than a help. Rarity had learned the proper spell after her previous adventure here, and though she was no Twilight Sparkle and couldn’t shield everypony at once, it was good enough.

Since there were six of them, they had to share barriers so as not to overexert anypony. Bluebolt and Symphony—who Rarity was completely convinced were more than just a princess and her bodyguard and more than just friends at this point—shared one together, and stayed at the center of the formation as they scaled the mountainside. Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart shared another, taking up the rear.

So that left Rarity to share with Sundial at the head of the party, seeing as she herself had actually been here before. Yes, even if the terrain was totally different, and even if she hadn’t made it all the way through to the other side, and even if it was so long ago that she didn’t remember too many details, she was still the closest thing the group had to a secondary navigator.

As they crested another rise in the trail, Sundial paused to get her bearings and scope out the terrain ahead of them. She didn’t say much to anypony, just kept trekking ever onward with due diligence and a professional demeanor. Rarity wasn’t sure if she should be glad or not that Sundial was keeping quiet. She rather wanted a partner to speak to, as the others behind her were doing, but then again, this was Sundial she was talking about. She marveled how even Tick Tock, at her most caustic, was still more polite than her replacement.

Still, curiosity had finally gotten the better of Rarity, and she couldn’t help but try to clear the air a little with a question. “So, Sundial, you said that we’re going to a kirin settlement in these mountains, correct?”

Sundial clearly hadn’t been expecting Rarity to engage her in conversation, and gave the older unicorn a sidelong glance of confusion. “Aye? Why are ye asking me that now?”

“Well, if you don’t mind my asking, what are the kirins of your world like? Compared to ours, I mean. I’ve only met a few back where we’re from and they seem rather nice, but I know your world’s griffins and zebras are much different from ours.”

Sundial gave a little shrug. “Och, they’re pleasant enough, I suppose. Friendly, ye could say. More in touch with earth and rock than soil and trees like yers would be though, seeing as how they live in these mountains rather than any forests. There aren’t any forests up north. Not yet, anyway.”

“Ah, well that’s an interesting difference,” Rarity hummed. “When you say ‘in touch with earth and rock’, though, what do you mean?”

“They farm ore and rocks from the mountains ta sell ta travelers, or what few they get anyhow. They’re excellent smiths, too.”

“I see. Hmmm.”

Rarity hoped Sundial would perhaps open up a little more or give her some more information, but she seemed content to just give a few straight facts and leave it at that. Unperturbed, Rarity pressed again.

“So, how much further is this settlement?”

“Why, are ye getting tired o’ walking already?” Sundial grunted, not even bothering to look at Rarity this time. “It’s too early in the day ta be asking ‘are we there yet’, aye? Just keep yer knickers on, we’ll be there sooner than ye think.”

“That’s not what I meant, darling,” Rarity snorted back, now regretting the decision to push for more conversation. “I just wanted to get an idea of how deep into the mountain range they are, that’s all. We never managed to get across these volcanoes the last time I was here, but Tick Tock made it sound like the range wasn’t particularly large.”

“Hmmm… alright, fair enough. We’ll be making camp at the top o’ one o’ the larger mountains up ahead,” Sundial said, gesturing towards the horizon and further into the mountain range where one mountaintop poked up higher than the rest. “From there it’s not much further ta the settlement, aye? We’ll be there before tomorrow night, so don’t ye worry, ye’ll be able ta take a load off those pampered hooves soon enough.”

Rarity’s eye twitched. Even when giving information and being helpful Sundial was still unnecessarily rude. However, Rarity composed herself. “Is this the only kirin settlement in these mountains? Is it large?”

“For now it’s the only one, aye, but it’s not really that big. There are maybe a hundred or so kirin living there? They haven’t had time ta expand much further out inta the mountains.”

“Really? But they sound like their settlement is relatively common knowledge for travelers and traders, the way you explained it.”

“Aye, but they mostly stick ta themselves otherwise, so I don’t know how long it’ll be before they start exploring the mountains or making agreements with Hope’s Point or anything like that. Probably won’t be 'til after I retire at the rate they’re going.”

“So the only interaction they have with ponies is when travelers come through?”

“Aye, that’s basically it fer now, nothing too fancy.” Sundial glanced around and sighed. “Shite, I gotta get my bearings again.” She gave Rarity a harsh look. “Look, do ye mind giving me some space for a while? I’ve gotta keep navigating the trail, and it’s hard ta do with ye yakking my bloody ear off, aye?”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Hmph. Very well, forgive me for at least trying to get some information. At least Tick Tock was—”

“I’m not Tick Tock,” Sundial snorted, gritting her teeth. She’d come to a complete stop to wheel on Rarity, and the others behind stopped as well. “And I’d appreciate it if ye stopped trying ta compare me ta her, aye? I don’t go around comparing ye ta Twilight Sparkle, do I? Because if ye were even half the unicorn she is, this trip would probably be a lot easier than having a prissy lass like you along fer the ride.”

Rarity wanted to give Sundial an equally indignant response, but that last comment had certainly cut deep. She knew she had Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart here with her, but they weren’t exactly close. She missed her friends. She missed her family. If Twilight were here, as powerful as she was now, they’d probably be home already.

“Yes… it certainly would, wouldn’t it?” she sighed. She turned behind her towards Symphony and Bluebolt, then gave a slight look to Sundial. “Um… would you prefer it if we switched positions, then? Perhaps I should… just fall back a little, if I’m being a bother to you?”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, that sounds good ta me.” She turned to Symphony. “Lass, would ye mind trading with Rarity for a bit?”

Symphony raised an eyebrow, giving Sundial an expression as though she’d just been asked to eat glue. “Uh, look, you know I’m supposed to stick by the Princess—”

“Och, ye won’t be more than ten feet in front o’ her, aye? Ye can get yer hooves all over her when we get ta the settlement.”

Bluebolt set a hoof on Symphony’s shoulder. “It’s okay, songbird, I’ll be fine.”

Symphony gave Bluebolt a sidelong glance, then rolled her eyes and stepped forward. “Fine, fine. Questo è ridicolo.”

Symphony stepped forward and moved up beside Sundial, while Rarity stepped back to move to Bluebolt’s side. Once that was rearranged, Sundial started moving again, and the group got back to following her through the mountains.

“I get the feeling she doesn’t like me very much,” Rarity muttered, not really looking at Bluebolt, her eyes transfixed on the back of Sundial’s head.

“Yeah, well… she doesn’t like anypony very much, to be honest,” Bluebolt said with a slight grin. “Symphony and I are the only ones that really tolerate her, uh… well, Sundial-ness. Aside from some of the ponies at Goldridge, I think.”

“I’m honestly curious as to why she treats the two of you with even the slightest amount of respect. What makes you so special to her?”

“Well, we just go back a long way, I guess? Symphony and I met her when we were around… nine? She’d just finished up the training for this job of hers, and my mom and dad took Tick Tock and Pewter with them on a little vacation down south to celebrate Tick Tock’s retirement. I dunno… I guess we just wanted to be friends with the cool, older mare?”

“That doesn’t really explain a whole lot about why she’s the way she is, darling, if you don’t mind my saying?”

“Right right, I mean, she’s just… I guess there’s a lot of pressure on her?” Bluebolt scratched her chin briefly. “My mom and dad told me about what happened. About you guys and Tick Tock saving the world and all? And Tick Tock might have mentioned that she went through a lot making that work out.”

Rarity paused. It was coming together now. “I think I understand. I understand rather well, actually. She’s afraid she won’t live up to Tick Tock’s legacy?”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Eh… I don’t think she’s worried about doing that, actually. I think she just gets pissed when other ponies that know about it expect her to. Or, maybe just expect her to want to?” She shrugged. “Look, I’m not Sundial, I can’t exactly spell it out for you as well as she could… and I’m not my mom, so I’m not gonna psychoanalyze her to give you an answer.”

Rarity noticed Bluebolt’s tone change slightly in that last thought. But she didn’t pry, not now. Time to change the subject. “So, you and Symphony have been friends for a long while, then?”

“Oh, yeah. She’s only a month older than me, but we’ve been side-by-side pretty much since we were born. My parents and her parents are pretty good friends and old business partners too. Her dad served on my mom’s council for the last twenty-five years. He only just retired a few months ago.”

“Well, that sounds wonderful. I didn’t know your mother had that many friends besides… besides Gadget and Crossfire, and Briarthorn of course. At least that’s how she made it seem. Not like your father.”

“You’d honestly be surprised at all the things my mom probably didn’t tell you,” Bluebolt chuckled.

Rarity laughed as well. “Actually, I don’t think your mother keeping more secrets than necessary would surprise me at all. Your father kept their relationship a secret for so long and so well that it actually caused a bit of drama for me and my friend Fluttershy.”

“Oh yeah, my dad mentioned something like that. He’s still sorry about it, by the way.”

Rarity paused briefly. “Your mother isn’t still upset, is she? I know she said—”

“Oh no no, it’s all water under the bridge, I think. I mean, I’m here, right? My mom is totally confident that my dad and her are solid, or they wouldn’t have had kids. I don’t think even the end of the world would’ve stopped her from making sure of that.”

Rarity smiled. “Well, good.” She took a moment to glance ahead at Symphony, then gave Bluebolt a coy grin. “If I might be bold enough to ask… are you and Symphony an item? Or is that a secret like your mother and father’s relationship?”

Bluebolt turned a little red. “Oh, it’s not exactly a secret. We just don’t go advertising it around much, is all. Well, at least I try not to. Symphony’s a bit bad about doing the opposite sometimes. She likes to make sure other ponies know she’s my fillyfriend and vice-versa even when nopony asks.” She smirked. “Especially when nopony asks. I think she just does it if she feels threatened, I dunno.”

“Well, you two make an adorable couple, if I might say so. It’s certainly quite romantic, isn’t it? Two childhood friends? The princess and her bodyguard? Rather like a lady and her… her knight…”

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, pushing those thoughts down. It wouldn’t do to bring that whole debacle up right now or to get distracted by those sorts of thoughts. Zircon could wait.

“I know your father had a cute little nickname for your mother. Let me think… ‘BB’, I believe?” Rarity eyed Bluebolt carefully. “Is ‘songbird’ yours for Symphony?”

Bluebolt turned a brighter red and cleared her throat. “Um… yeah, that’s right.”

“Is there a special meaning behind it?”

“Well, her special talent is singing, y’know?”

Rarity gave a knowing grin. “Songbirds typically only sing for one pony. I take it that’s the case here, then? She’s your songbird?”

Bluebolt smiled, and apparently found the ground very interesting to look at. “I guess you could say that, yeah…”

The group stopped suddenly at the top of the next crest in the trail when Symphony pointed off ahead. “Hey, look! More travelers. I didn’t think there’d be any this time of year, besides us crazy ponies, especially out in the mountains.”

The group gathered together to see what Symphony had noticed. Rarity glanced off ahead of the path, then narrowed her eyes at a most peculiar sight, exactly as Symphony had described: two figures moving through the mountain pass ahead of them, looking none the worse for wear despite no magic to shield them from the rainfall.

Sundial squinted. “Aye, more travelers indeed, and they’re coming this way? Hmm. Don’t they know the thunderblizzards are gonna hit the western Expanse by tomorrow night?”

“Maybe they’re lost?” Bluebolt suggested. “These mountain trails aren’t exactly marked, and it’s hard to see the sky and stars to navigate by at this time of year.”

“Well, if they’re lost, we’re going to try and help them, right?” Flurry asked, a shy smile on her face.

Sundial glanced at Flurry incredulously, then looked back towards the unknown travelers. “We’ll see. We’ve got enough delays ahead as-is and I don’t want ta worry about us getting caught in the thunderblizzards because we’re helping a couple o’ walnuts that can’t figure their way through the mountains, aye?”

The group waited a few moments for the two travelers to make their way along the trail towards them, and as they got closer they could see that these travelers weren’t ponies, but two kirin, one male and one female.

The male had a dark red coat underneath his dirt-colored scales, and a long, flowing gold-and-orange mane. The female’s coat was dark orange, her scales charcoal-gray, and her short, wavy mane a dirty blonde. Neither wore any clothes like the ponies present did, so the rain rose up off their scales in small puffs of steam the moment it touched them.

Rarity noticed that, unlike the kirin of her world, these two had horns that were long, singular, curved appendages made of what looked like black crystal that glowed ever so slightly, visible even from this distance. The male’s horn was longer and straighter, coming to a sharp, singular point at the tip, while the female’s horn had a pleasing, wavy curve to it, though it was still sharp.

The two kirin approached with smiles once they caught sight of the group standing and waiting ahead of them, but didn’t quicken their pace one bit, keeping a pleasant gait the entire way. The male greeted them first, when they were close enough to be clearly seen and heard through the rainstorm.

“Hello there!” he said, his voice peppy and cordial. “Sure is coming down today, isn’t it?”

Sundial gave a short nod. “Aye, that it is. Who might you be?”

The male smiled and offered his hoof towards Sundial. “My name’s Kauldron, ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss…?”

“Sundial,” she replied, taking his hoof and shaking it in a businesslike fashion. Rarity couldn’t help but think if it would kill the mare to be cordial.

Sundial turned slightly to the female. “And you are?”

“I’m Krystal,” the female said, offering her hoof as well.

Sundial shook her hoof too. “Don’t see many kirin outside o’ the settlement, aye? What’re ye doing all the way out here, especially out in this rainstorm?”

Kauldron tilted his head slightly, giving an embarrassed grin. “Funny story, actually! We were on our way back towards the settlement after seeing if we could find any good ore to use, but we got sidetracked and lost track of time. We’re trying to make it back before they serve dinner.”

“Towards the settlement? Och, ye’re heading the wrong way in that case.” Sundial pointed off in the direction the kirin had come from, which was the direction she and her group were supposed to be heading. “That way’s west, aye? The settlement’s about a full day’s walk that way if ye stick to the trails. No chance at dinner tonight, sorry about that.”

“Oh, yeah, but that’s if you’re taking the surface trails,” Kauldron said with a polite nod and a coy grin. “Forgive me if this sounds bold, Miss Sundial, but we kirin are pretty knowledgeable about the tunnel networks around these mountains, probably a lot more than any of you ponies are. We’re not lost, I can assure you.”

“There a shortcut just a mile back down the way you came, actually,” Krystal added, gesturing behind Sundial. “You probably missed it because, well, you’re not kirin. You’d have to already know it was there.”

“But we’re getting ahead of ourselves! Sorry about that. It’s rude of us not to greet the rest of your company.” Kauldron then turned to Rarity next and offered his hoof politely, a friendly smile on his face. “Pleasure to meet you! I’m Kauldron. And you are?”

Rarity smiled and took his hoof. He seemed friendly enough, certainly more so than Sundial was. “I’m Rarity, and the pleasure is all mine, Mister Kauldron.”

Introductions went down the line until everypony and two kirin were acquainted with one another. Everypony generally seemed to agree that these kirin were friendly and probably knew their way around the mountains better than they did.

Sundial cleared her throat as if to move the conversation along. “So, uh, ye say there’s a shortcut we missed just down the mountain behind us here, aye? And it leads through some tunnels under the mountains?”

“That’s right,” Kauldron said with a friendly nod. “Typically only kirin use it because we’re the only ones who know where it is. It cuts straight through the mountains all the way to the village. We use it all the time. Would you like us to show you where it is?”

“You’d be to the settlement by nightfall!” Krystal added, her grin wide. “Plus, there’d be no rain for you to worry about.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. Getting out of the rain so she could relax her magic was definitely high on her list of priorities. “That sounds simply divine right now, truth be told.” She turned to Sundial expectantly. “We are taking them up on the offer, aren’t we Sundial?”

Sundial gave Rarity a brief, indignant look, then turned back to Kauldron and Krystal and nodded. “Aye, I’ll never turn down a chance ta save a wee bit o’ time, not when we got thunderblizzards nipping at our arses.” She stepped aside, taking Symphony with her under the latter’s barrier magic, and gestured towards the path they’d just come up. “Lead the way then, if ye would?”

Kauldron smiled and nodded. “Sure thing! Come along then, it’s not far.”

The kirin started their way down the path, and the six ponies followed behind them, retaking their order with Sundial and Symphony immediately behind the two kirin as they retraced their steps.

Sure enough, only a mile or so down the trail they’d just come up, there was a short pathway that climbed up towards a small crag on the mountainside. When the group had passed by it earlier, they hadn’t paid it much attention because Sundial didn’t pay it much attention, but Kauldron and Krystal just hopped over behind it to show that there was indeed a tunnel opening heading into the mountain.

“There we are! One shortcut, as ordered,” Kauldron said, gesturing inside with a flourishing display of his hooves. “You folks just stay behind me, okay? These tunnels get a little twisted sometimes, and if you don’t know the right way you might get lost. Earthquakes rearrange them all the time, y’know?”

He headed on into the newly-revealed tunnel, and Sundial and Symphony followed behind him, then Bluebolt and Rarity, then Bloom and Flurry, and finally Krystal. The unicorns dismissed their shields before the group shook off the bit of wet in their own manes and coats, then moved to follow Kauldron while Krystal took up the rear.

Rarity couldn’t help but think that things certainly had improved since the last time she was here. Redblade had gone from active, dangerous volcanoes to harmless mountains with convenient underground tunnels, and was inhabited by friendly kirins to guide them as well. This whole situation was certainly looking up, and thank goodness it was.

*****

The group hadn’t been walking through the tunnels for very long when a thought bubbled up into Sundial’s head that she just couldn’t get rid of, no matter how hard she tried. As her job required her to be observant about all the different creatures and places that had been changing over the years, she couldn’t help but notice something just a little bit odd about Kauldron and Krystal.

“Kauldron, if I might ask ye a question?” she asked, stepping up alongside him as they walked.

Kauldron nodded, giving her a polite smile. “Sure thing, Sundial! What can I help you with?”

“Yer horn.” She gestured towards the black crystalline appendage. “It doesn’t look like any kirins’ horns I’ve ever seen before, if ye don’t mind me saying so. A bit o’ curiosity that is, aye?”

“Hmm? Oh, the horn! Yes, well, Krystal and I are from a different clan than most of the kirin from the settlement. We just visit them for trade and such, but we don’t actually live there. Our clan lives in a smaller settlement a long, long way north of here.”

“Huh… I didn’t think there were any other settlements…” Sundial muttered.

“Your clan’s horns look rather lovely, Mister Kauldron,” Rarity said with a pleasant grin. “I’ve got an eye for quality gems, you understand, and your horns remind me of some rather high-class gems I’ve seen before. Sort of like obsidian, actually, but with a little glow to it. They’re certainly pleasing to the eye.”

“Well, thank you very much Miss Rarity,” Kauldron said with a grin. “I appreciate the compliment. I suppose it’s polite to give a compliment in turn, so might I say that your mane is just the most lovely shade of purple I’ve ever seen?”

Rarity chuckled. “Well, thank you, darling.”

“I didn’t even know there were other clans of kirins, ta be honest,” Sundial said, pulling out her pocket watch. She twisted a dial here and there and tapped on the face. “This is worth cataloging, aye?”

“Cataloging?” Kauldron asked.

“Och, it’s my job ta try and gather details on all the changes in the world since the Beacons fell, aye? Lots o’ ponies and other creatures would like ta have that kind o’ information.”

“Wow, that’s neat! Well, how much do you know about kirin?”

“Ta be honest, not so much. I don’t get out this way more than once every few years. I’ve only been ta the settlement two or three times since I started. Ye wouldn’t be interested in giving me a wee bit o’ help, would ye?”

Kauldron smiled. “Well sure! Tell you what, you seemed interested in my horn earlier. Would you like to know more about kirins’ horns?”

“Aye, that sounds useful, now that I know there are more than one clan and their horns are different.”

“Well, we kirin take great, great pride in our horns. They get their colorations and style based on the sorts of materials around the area where the kirin was born. So, the kirin of the big settlement have those silvery, metallic-looking horns because there’s a lot of big iron deposits underneath them. My clan lives further north, near a big obsidian deposit, so that’s why our horns look the way they do.

“Now, not every kirin’s horn is the same though, not like you unicorns,” he continued, gesturing briefly towards Rarity, Symphony, and Flurry. “Unicorns generally have horns that look the same. Kirin horns are all unique though, kind of like how you ponies all have a different cutie mark. They don’t mean anything like a special talent, of course, but kirins take great pride in what they look like, and how they use them.”

“Aye? Well, that’s new information ta me, that is. The settlement kirin seemed a lot less proud o’ them. Humble, actually.”

Kauldron smiled. “Well, that might just be how their clan is. I know that the kirin in my clan consider their horns an extension of their souls. They’re very protective of them too. Why, just touching our horns the wrong way is considered offensive, in case any of you got any ideas,” he added with a wink.

They continued winding their way through tunnel after tunnel, cavern after cavern, until it started to seem like they were wandering around in circles. It was getting quite warm, too, almost uncomfortably so.

“Mister Kauldron, you’re certain this is the right way?” Rarity asked, wiping her brow of sweat. “I’m afraid I haven’t been keeping much track of time but it feels like we should be making progress by now.”

Sundial grunted. “Are ye always this impatient? It hasn’t even been two hours yet. We’ve got another three or so hours left before we get there at the rate they said it would take. Nightfall’s a while off, aye?”

Kauldron turned and gave Rarity a reassuring nod. “I’m absolutely certain, Miss Rarity, don’t you worry. You’ll get to exactly where you need to be in no time. It’s just a little further, I promise.”

Krystal giggled from the rear of the line. “In a few hours, you guys’ll be sitting pretty eating some home-cooked kirin meals and resting your hooves. You’re going to love it!”

As they continued walking, Apple Bloom pushed ahead just a bit in the formation to come up alongside Sundial. “Hey, Miss Sundial? Can we talk a minute?”

Sundial grunted, not turning to face Bloom, but she wasn’t bothered by the other mare’s presence, not like with Rarity. “Sure, lass, what is it?”

“That earth pony that we fought in the cave… uh, Two-eighteen or whatever he was called? Well, I got ta thinkin’, an’ I’m worried.”

“Worried?”

“That thing he did, where he could sorta just, uh… I dunno, move through the shadows 'n' stuff? I’m pretty sure I heard mah brother-in-law talk ‘bout the whole adventure that brought him 'n' mah sister tagether, an’... an’ how he lost his leg. He said that the pony that did that ta him could move just like that.”

Sundial was given pause, then took a deep breath. “Aye, I know. Tick Tock told me about him when I reviewed the whole ‘incident’. She… wasn’t exactly happy talking about it, aye? Don’t tell anypony, but she still has… y’know what, nevermind, that’s not my place ta tell ye.”

Bloom hesitated. “I know what ya mean. Flathoof sometimes… remembers things. AJ says sometimes he just wakes up in the middle o’ the night…” She let out a breath. “Princess Luna used ta help him out e’ry now 'n' then, at least 'til she retired.”

“Aye?” Sundial asked, genuinely concerned. “Hmm…”

“Yeah…” Bloom cleared her throat. “Well, anyway, I was thinking, an’… look, I know you 'n' me didn’t wanna just leave that pony there ta die, but are ya sure that it was a good idea?”

“Lass, I can’t tell ye one way or another if that was the smart thing ta do, but do ye think it was the right thing ta do?”

Bloom thought for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. I ain’t the sort o’ pony that’d just let somepony else die when I got the chance ta save 'em.”

“Then what does it matter if it was smart or not, aye? If ye think it was the right thing ta do, then ye just gotta stick with that decision, no matter what happens.”

“Right… okay.” Bloom sighed, apparently not entirely pleased with the answer.

After another hour or so walking through more and more passages, the group passed through yet another tunnel and entered into a wide open cavern with a low ceiling. The cavern had no exit.

“Hmm? Oh dear, a dead end,” Rarity muttered, biting her lip. “Mister Kauldron, I thought you said—”

“That you’re exactly where you needed to be, yes,” Kauldron said, his smile turning into more of a psychotic smirk. “Krystal!”

Without warning, Krystal hopped forward and grabbed Flurry Heart, who was closest to her at the back of the pack, and pressed her horn against the alicorn’s in one swift series of movements. Flurry let out a loud, panicked cry of pain, and her horn glowed bright white for an instant then went completely dark. The light was absorbed into Krystal’s horn, which then gained a slightly healthier glow of its own. Flurry collapsed to the floor in at most two seconds.

Krystal stood protectively over her in a predatory combative stance. “Ha! Too easy.”

“Flurry!” Bloom shouted. She glared at Krystal, settling into an aggressive stance. “What’d ya do ta mah friend?!”

Krystal bared her teeth in a sadistic grin. “She’ll be fine. She’s just taking a little nap, sweetheart.”

“Shite!” Sundial sputtered, wheeling on Kauldron. “Ye bloody—”

She narrowly avoided Kauldron ramming his horn straight into her chest, flapping her wings to gain altitude and swerving her body out of the way as he charged at her.

Symphony turned to Bluebolt, eyes narrowed, teeth clenched. “Get behind me!” she shouted, drawing both of her swords in one swift motion. She pointed her blades at Krystal. “Back off, puttana!”

Krystal, seemingly unintimidated by the words or the display, stepped towards Symphony, but not too far away from Flurry. “Or what? You’re going to poke me with your scary little sticks?”

“Oh, I’ll do a hell of a lot more than that!”

Before Symphony could move, Bloom reared up and charged towards Krystal, slamming her shoulder into the kirin just like she had done to Two-eighteen before. The impact was enough to knock Krystal staggering a few feet over, but not knock her down. Bloom, however, stumbled back from the impact, gripping her shoulder in pain. The kirin’s scales were more solid than they looked, and they looked pretty tough already.

“Ha! You’ve got spunk, kid!” Krystal chuckled, rolling her shoulders. “I’m gonna enjoy playing with you.”

“Bloom, just get behind me and stick with Bluebolt!” Symphony said, taking a step forward to put herself between Bloom and Krystal. “I’ll handle her.”

Krystal bit her lip and smiled. “Aww, but I was gonna have fun.”

“Yeah, but now I’m gonna have fun.”

Meanwhile, Rarity ignited her horn and her magic latched onto Kauldron’s rear leg as he turned back towards Sundial, making him lose his footing briefly. He shot her an angry glare, but it distracted him enough to let Sundial swing in and slam her hoof into his side. She recoiled as her hoof impacted his hard scales.

“Bloody hell!” she swore, landing and glaring at Kauldron. “The hell are ye scales made of?”

“Do you like them? Only true kirin have scales as hard as solid rock,” Kauldron snickered, swiping his horn through the air at her. His horn grazed her leg as she darted away, drawing blood. “You’re going to need to do better than that.”

“I don’t know what yer problem is, twat, but ye picked a fight with the wrong ponies, aye?” she spat.

“Hmph, it doesn’t really feel that way,” Kauldron laughed, gesturing towards her bleeding leg. “The only one of you that even seems to be a threat is the young one with the sticks.”

“Take this, then!” Rarity shouted, grabbing a small, nearby rock with her magic.

She threw it at Kauldron’s head like a bullet. He turned just slightly so that the rock impacted his horn, shattering the rock into tiny bits. He didn’t seem worse for wear at all, as if his horn had completed absorbed the impact of the blow.

Kauldron smirked, tilting his head mockingly. “Like I said, you’re just not a threat to a true kirin.”

He leapt at Rarity, horn first.

Just before his horn impacted hers, Sundial grabbed the back of his head and yanked back. He still slammed right into Rarity, but missed her horn with his, merely knocking her to the ground instead of whatever had happened to Flurry.

“You’re no fun, Miss Sundial!” Kauldron cackled, throwing his head back in an attempt to impale her with his horn. She merely let go and flew back up to avoid him, landing defensively in front of Rarity.

“Ye can just piss right off, arsehole,” she snorted as she checked to make sure Rarity was okay. “Yer fight’s with me, aye?”

“Ooh, that’s where you’re wrong, sweetheart.” He gave her a brief grin, then turned to Rarity, who was groaning on the floor. “You just sit tight there, Miss Rarity, I’ll be back for you in a moment.”

He swiftly turned and sprinted towards Symphony, moving like a rocket.

“Oy! Get back here!” Sundial blurted, too preoccupied with Rarity to move quickly enough. “Symphony! Look out!”

Symphony, meanwhile, was busy trying to land a blow on Krystal, who was proving nimble enough to avoid most of Symphony’s strikes. A few blows glanced against her tough scales, but it didn’t seem to have much of an effect.

However, thanks to Sundial’s warning, she noticed Kauldron approaching her at a quick pace. She briefly diverted her longsword in his direction, swinging at his horn as he charged while still trying to stab at Krystal with her rapier.

Her longsword impacted his horn with no effect whatsoever, merely scraping across it like it was made of solid steel. But more than that, the magical field she held the sword in completely fell apart the instant his horn touched it. Her weapons both dropped to the ground without her to hold them up, leaving her defenseless.

It happened so fast that Symphony didn’t have time to react when Kauldron rammed into her side, horn first. She screamed in agaony as his horn tore into her midsection, the impact of the charge knocking her several feet back into the nearby wall.

“Songbird!” Bluebolt cried.

“Symphony!” called Bloom.

The two of them quickly ran to Symphony’s side. She was still conscious, but barely, and was bleeding profusely, clutching her side in pain. Her horn ignited and covered the wound in a weak glow as she tried to stop the bleeding, but the glow was dimming fast.

“Aha! And now the only threat is dealt with,” Kauldron said, his grin widening as blood dripped down his horn and covered his face. He licked his lips as some of it trickled down. “Don’t worry, she won’t die… yet. But she’ll suffer, oh yes indeed.”

“You bastard!” Bluebolt shouted, twisting the dial on her hoof attachment all the way up to the maximum level.

She leapt at Kauldron to come crashing down, hoof-first, onto his head. He leapt back just enough to avoid her.

He clearly didn’t expect her hoof to shatter the ground on impact, or to create a fair-sized impact crater, or to shake the room like a small earthquake.

“Ooh, so there is another one of you that can be a threat to me,” he chuckled. “How cute. And unexpected.”

“Shut up!”

Bluebolt swung her hoof wildly at his face, but he moved just to the side to avoid getting hit. She swung again; he dodged again. He didn’t seem willing to risk attacking her, not when her hoof could probably crush his skull, but he didn’t seem worried that she’d hit him in her rage. She was too unfocused, too unpracticed.

Besides, Krystal was coming in from the side, horn down, to attempt to do the same thing to Bluebolt that he had done to Symphony.

Rarity, back standing thanks to Sundial’s help, grabbed onto Krystal’s rear left hoof with her magic, causing the kirin to lose her balance. Sundial capitalized on the opportunity, slamming her hoof hard into the side of Krystal’s neck. The kirin’s scales absorbed most of the impact, and caused Sundial no small amount of pain, but it was enough to knock her away from Bluebolt and into the nearby wall instead.

“Get ta Symphony!” Sundial shouted at Rarity as she tried to move towards the unconscious Flurry. “Get her out o’ here!”

Rarity hesitated for half a second, panicked. “What? We can’t just leave—”

“Symphony’s hurt, Rarity! And if that mare isn’t swearing up a storm and trying ta swing her swords around, it’s bad! Just get the hell here out o’ here! Go!”

Rarity rushed as fast as she could over to Symphony, who by now had passed out. She took a deep breath and ignited her horn. Her magic was enough to drastically slow the bleeding, but Symphony would still need proper medical attention, and fast.

“Is she gonna be okay, Rarity?” Bloom asked in a panic, hooves to her mouth.

“Not unless we get her some help, darling, and soon. You’ll have to carry her since you’re the only one strong enough between the two of us, and I need to keep her stable.”

“Got it,” Bloom said with a nod. Rarity helped her hoist Symphony onto her back.

“We’ve got her, Sundial!” Rarity called back towards the two pegasi. “Come on!”

“Just get going, dammit!” Sundial called as she kept herself just out of reach of Krystal’s horn. The kirin had returned to standing defensively over the one other pony they’d managed to subdue—Flurry—the instant Sundial had made an attempt to move over to her.

“What about Flurry?!”

“Bluebolt and I will get Flurry! Just go!”

“But—”

“Just get out o’ these damn tunnels and head ta the settlement in the west! Ask for Kwake, she can help! Just go west!”

Rarity took a breath, nodded, and she and Apple Bloom left the way they’d come in as fast as they could manage.

“Krystal, you’re letting them get away!” Kauldron snapped at his companion while still trying to avoid getting hit by Bluebolt’s wild swings and charges. “And I still have this other pegasus on me, if you haven’t noticed!”

“I’m a little busy, Kauldron!” Krystal shouted back as Sundial kicked her in the jaw. Her scales weren’t as plentiful on her head, and Sundial had realized that this was the best place to strike.

Kauldron seethed. “Stop being useless, Krystal! She’s just a weak pegasus! She’s not even armed!”

Bluebolt roared and swung her hoof again, and this time it impacted the wall behind Kauldron as he dodged aside and became embedded in the rock. She struggled to get it unstuck. All the while, Kauldron was able to regain his bearings and stand up tall, giving the princess a cocky smile.

“Oh no, are you stuck? Here, let me help you.”

He dragged his hoof into the ground as he prepared to ram her, but Sundial came streaking across the room and slammed her front hooves straight into his temple. It was enough to knock him for a loop for all of a few seconds, enough time for her to get Bluebolt’s hoof out of the wall.

“Ye really need ta practice more with this damn thing!” Sundial snapped. “This is twice I’m pulling ye out o’ some wall because ye’re too damned hotheaded! Think before ye act, lass!”

Bluebolt grunted, apparently too angry to care much about Sundial’s lecture, and drew her hoof back, ready to smash it into Kauldron’s face while he was disoriented.

Her hoof hit him square in the jaw, hard.

But not hard enough. It only made him stumble again and briefly fall to his knees.

Bluebolt eyed her hoof attachment. It wasn’t glowing anymore. “Oh… oh crap…” She tapped it multiple times, but nothing happened. “Crap crap crap. No! Not now! Not now, damn you!”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m out of juice. I haven’t been able to charge it in days, and… and I used too much by setting it on full power. Mom said to only use what I needed...”

“Shite, are ye bucking serious right now?” Sundial paused, then clenched her teeth and let out a breath. “Ye need ta get out o’ here, lass. Ye’re not much help here now.”

Bluebolt stared at her. “What?”

“Go on! Catch up with the others. I’ll keep these two busy and get Flurry out, then I’ll be right behind ye. Go!”

“But—”

“Surprise!” exclaimed Kauldron, back to his hooves and full of pep and anger.

Sundial shoved Bluebolt aside just as Kauldron came charging towards them, so he missed them both and slammed into the wall instead, shattering rock with ease. He didn’t seem all that bothered by the impact, merely shaking off the dirt and dust that had been released.

“Go, dammit!” Sundial snapped at Bluebolt.

Bluebolt hesitated, then flew off towards the exit as fast as she could fly. Krystal leapt at Bluebolt as she made her way out, but the pegasus was able to avoid the kirin without too much trouble, being airborne and all.

Kauldron turned to face Sundial, a wide, toothy grin on his face. “Ooh, you’re a brave one, little mare. You think you can take us alone, do you?”

She cracked her neck. “Aye, I do.”

Sundial swung her hoof as hard as she could into his jaw. He turned out to be much tougher than Krystal was, and took the blow like a champ, even after a low-impact shot from Bluebolt’s amplifier. She was certain, based on the throbbing pain in her hoof, that she’d hurt herself more than she’d hurt him.

“Is that all you’ve got, then?” he asked.

“Kiss my arse, ye bawfaced—” Punch. “Shite-brained—” Punch. “Twat!” Punch.

After the third hit, Kauldron cracked his neck and spit into the dirt of the cave floor. There was a little bit of blood mixed in with his saliva. He looked at the mess with a sadistic smile, then turned back to Sundial.

“You… I like you,” he breathed.

He raised his hoof up and struck her in the jaw as she’d done to him. Sundial hit the ground, grunting in pain.

“She’s a feisty one, isn’t she?” Krystal chuckled as she trotted over. “Got a lot of fight in her. Shame we only got two—”

“Because you let four of them get away!” Kauldron snapped, his eyes flaring with anger. “You stupid, worthless cow! I wanted the older unicorn to compliment my horn more.”

Krystal shrunk back, afraid of him as he stepped towards her. “B-but—”

Sundial, taking advantage of Krystal leaving her post over Flurry Heart, leapt up and flew towards the unconscious alicorn with all the speed she could muster, which was a lot. She managed to get to Flurry and start to lift her up onto her back, but that was about all she could manage before Kauldron, running as fast as she could fly, slammed into her temple—not with his horn, but with his hoof—before she could take off again.

She hit the dirt like a sack of bricks, barely conscious and highly disoriented.

Kauldron clicked his tongue, then glared at Krystal. “You idiot. You almost let her get away too!”

Krystal withered under his gaze. “I… I’m sorry, my love, I thought—”

“You’re not with me to think! I only keep you alive because you seem useful.” He stepped towards her, putting his hoof on her face, talking through tightly-clenched teeth. “You are useful, aren’t you, Krystal?”

Krystal hastily nodded. “I… I am, Kauldron. I’m very useful.”

“I certainly hope so. I don’t want to think I’d get more use out of you by snapping your horn off your skull, okay?” His fierce glare then softened immediately into a loving grin, and he kissed her roughly on the lips. “Now, let’s get these ponies home, hmm? Go on.”

“Yes, let’s,” she replied with a nervous smile.

Krystal stepped over to Sundial, who was trying to get up, pawing at the dirt as she tried to drag herself over to Flurry. Krystal clicked her tongue and shook her head, pressing her hoof onto Sundial’s.

“You made Kauldron get angry with me, your mangy pony bitch,” she spat. “You’re gonna pay for that, just you wait.”

Sundial looked up, a fierce scowl on her face. She spat blood up at the kirin as best she could, which was actually pretty well, splattering red all over Krystal’s lips and chin. She didn’t say anything else, just chuckled.

Krystal sneered as she wiped the blood off her face with her hoof, then slammed the same hoof into Sundial’s face, knocking her out cold.

*****

When Sundial woke up, her head was pounding. Her awareness of time was a little wonky, but she could still tell it was sometime after nightfall of the same day. It wasn’t an exact hour, no, just a general guess.

As her eyes opened, she took stock of where she was as best she could, which was hard to do out of one good eye and one swollen eye and when she was sure she had a concussion. She was in a round, earthen chamber. A lantern of some sort hung from the wall and provided all of the dim light in the room. There was just one entrance, a small archway in the corner which was barred up like a makeshift cell, and she could just make out a lock.

Her eyes widened. On the other side of the room across from her was Flurry Heart, chained to the wall, naked, unconscious. Sundial could just barely make out a small ring of black, crystalline metal around Flurry’s horn. The material was eerily similar to Kauldron and Krystal’s horns.

Sundial made to move towards Flurry, but felt a shackle and chain keep her legs in place. She could also feel that she, too, was no longer in her clothes. In a panic, she looked around herself for any sign of her pocket watch, and frowned when she saw nothing of the sort. Out of options, she slumped to the ground, took a deep breath, and tried to wiggle out of the shackles. In the meantime, she stared at Flurry from across the room, hoping the younger mare would wake up soon.

“She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” came Kauldron’s voice from nearby.

Sundial bristled and attempted to turn her head, but found that her neck was shackled as well. The metal was so finely-crafted and shaped that she couldn’t even feel it until she tried to move.

“Piss off,” she grunted.

“I’ve never seen a creature like her before…” Kauldron breathed, taking a step forward so that Sundial could see his legs as he walked across the room. “A pony with the wings of a pegasus and the horn of a unicorn. Simply… beautiful…”

Kauldron knelt beside Flurry, taking the time to stroke the unconscious mare’s wings with delicate, careful motions.

“Don’t you bucking touch her!” Sundial spat, struggling against the chains and trying with all her might to get them to give.

Kauldron turned towards Sundial with a polite smile. “You’ve got a lot of fire in you, girl. I like that. It’s so rare that your kind have such heart. Not like my kind.”

She clenched her teeth. “Ye’re not a bloody kirin, ye sick bastard. Ye’re just some sick freak that looks like one.”

He walked back across the room towards her. “Hmm… I admit I’m not like the others of my kind, no, at least not the ones you know. They are soft and weak, with horns made of impure metal and scales like clay. They are like… kindling. Nothing more than kindling to the fires of change.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “The bloody hell are ye talking about?”

Kauldron let out a wistful sigh, his face alight with wonder. He held Sundial’s face in his hooves so that she could see the twinkle in his eyes. The strain of her neck being pulled against the shackle and chains hurt, a lot more than Sundial thought it should, but she didn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing a complaint.

“I had a vision many years ago. A vision of a world bathed in fire. A world where the strong would survive and the weak would burn into ash.” He gestured with his hoof towards the ground. “My clan worshipped the gods of fire long ago. I still do, of course, even though they’ve fallen dormant in recent years, because they will rise again. They are awakening.”

“You… ye’re a bloody loony,” she muttered. “The volcanoes aren’t reigniting.”

“Oh, but they are, my dear, they are. I have seen it. A fiery-winged kirin with a horn of pure molten rock spoke to me in my dreams. She told me how to awaken them. And so, that is what I do: I give my gods what they need.” He grinned wide. “And they need blood. Blood is their kindling, and I have fed their flames, and I will continue on until they ignite once more and bathe the world in fire.”

Sundial shook her head as best she could, a chill running down her spine. “So that’s what this is, aye? Ye lure ponies down here ta the caves and ye… ye what, kill them? Ta appease yer ‘fire gods’?”

“I don’t kill them, no, I just feed them to the volcano,” Kauldron said with a wider grin than before, if that was possible. “Even gods must eat, you see. But the gods do not like the meat of dead creatures. They prefer the meat of the living. Their screams are as much food as their souls, and their flesh, and their blood.”

“So what’re doin’ ta us, then? Why are we chained up?”

Kauldron ran his hoof down her cheek, a soft, caring gesture that had the opposite effect it should have had. “I must season you for the coming meal. I must tenderize the meat.”

A groan came from the other side of the room as Flurry stirred.

“The beauty wakes!” Kauldron cooed, leaving Sundial immediately to trot over to the waking alicorn.

She was certain he didn’t know exactly what she was, but she was horribly worried by his sudden fascination.

Flurry’s eyes shot open in a panic, and she glanced around to get her bearings. “Where… where am I?” She noticed Sundial opposite her, chained and badly injured. “Sundial! Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry about me, lass,” Sundial grunted. “I’m alright, aye?”

“You’re so… beautiful…” Kauldron said, approaching Flurry and resting his hoof on her cheek. She tried to recoil, but couldn’t. “I’ve never seen a creature like you before, my pet. I don’t think I have the words to describe just what luster I see before me.”

Flurry drew away from him as best she could and tried to light her horn up to cast a spell. Her horn didn’t even glow, its light drained instantly into the black ring at the base of her horn.

She went into a panic. “What’s going on? Why can’t I use my magic? What did you do?!” she yelled, struggling against the chains binding her.

Kauldron lazily fiddled with the ring on her horn. “Kirin horns of different tribes do different things, you know? Take the tribe that lives in the settlement. Their horns are impure, and so lack the potential for much more than healing. A simple touch of their horns can heal even some of the most grievous of wounds.

“As for my clan, our horns absorb magic. No manner of magic, no matter how strong and no matter how subtle, can affect our horns.” He smiled and briefly touched his horn to hers. She hissed in pain. “I’ve found that it also hurts unicorns when our horns touch theirs. The pain is so unbearable that even a second or two is enough to knock one of them unconscious.”

“That’s what you did to me? Drained my magic?”

Kauldron scoffed. “Me? I did no such thing. Krystal did. If I had known that you were such a gorgeous thing, I would have never let her touch you. But it’s okay, my sweet… you belong to me now.”

“G-get away from me!”

“To answer your question, it was only temporary, just enough to disable you. You’ll find your magic works perfectly fine, if not for that ring upon your horn,” Kauldron said with a happy laugh. “It took the horns of ten of my kin, melted down and forged into that ring, to give it the purity and strength to do what one of us can do alive without killing unicorns in the process.”

“Wh-what?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes, I had to make the ring that way so that I could keep prisoners. It’s all very tedious, you understand, to have to watch a unicorn constantly to keep them from escaping. The ring you have there gives me the freedom to leave if I wish without worry that you’ll be able to do anything while I’m gone.

“But worry not, beautiful, I’ll be back in the morning to attend to the two of you. It’s late now, though, and I really must get some sleep. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us. Besides, I’ve kept Krystal waiting long enough. She gets ornery when, well...”

He gave a slight chuckle, and turned towards Sundial. “Let’s say that when she gets angry, she gets jealous. And when she gets jealous, she gets violent. Violent with other mares like you.” He briefly turned back to Flurry and kissed her forehead. “Not you, though. She’s not allowed to touch you, my pet.”

He then simply chuckled and shook his head. And with that, he stood up and left, not another word spoken. The metal gate into the room slammed closed, and a key turned loudly in the lock.

Flurry hung her head, tears running down her face. “Sundial… are we going to be okay?”

Sundial stared at Flurry, a determined look on her face. “Flurry, look at me. Look at me, aye?”

Flurry looked, and saw Sundial’s determination.

“Don’t ye worry yerself, lass. I’ll get us out o’ this, just ye wait and see. I promise ye, ye’ll be okay.”

Flurry gave a weak, trusting nod.

Sundial could only think about how she was going to do anything of the sort considering how impossible it seemed, but she wasn’t going to tell Flurry that and make her worry.

She was worried enough as it was.

Chapter Four: Extrication

Things were supposed to be different this time. That was one of the many, many panicked thoughts racing through Rarity’s head as she galloped along with Apple Bloom and Bluebolt, using the best healing magic she could muster to keep Symphony from bleeding to death on Bloom’s back. There wasn’t supposed to be any needless violence and bloodshed this time. There wasn’t supposed to be any danger this time. There wasn’t supposed to be any panic or fear this time.

This time was supposed to be different. And yet here she was, and it was all still the same. Maybe this world just didn’t want to be different?

Rarity had to give Bloom a lot of credit for maintaining a straight face and a fierce determination in spite of having a bleeding young unicorn draped over her back. She was so much like Applejack that it was amazing, but more than that, she had a strength to her that Rarity was thankful to have along for the journey. She wasn’t sure if she could make it through all this without somepony like that by her side.

Bluebolt, meanwhile, was in a sort of fugue state, galloping along Bloom’s side opposite of Rarity, holding Symphony’s hoof with her wing and muttering assurances both to Symphony and to herself. The poor mare’s face was streaked with tears, her face practically frozen in panic. Rarity had seen this sort of thing before last time around between Fluttershy and Lockwood, and later between Lockwood and Blackburn.

The group moved through the mountainous tunnels for what seemed like hours, and Rarity was growing more and more anxious by the minute. Had Sundial and Flurry gotten away? Were they going to be able to catch up? Were those two dreadful kirins right behind them? Worse, did she herself even know where she was going? Would she just loop back around and run straight into Kauldron and Krystal again? These tunnels twisted and turned so often that she was losing track of which direction was which, going off of memory as best she could and not even sure if each turn she took was the right one.

Things couldn’t get much worse, she thought.

It was a stupid thought, and she hated herself the moment she even considered it. Things could always get worse, and just when you think they couldn’t, they invariably would. It was seemingly the foremost concept of this world’s fundamental essence.

So naturally, of course, things got worse. An earth pony wearing a full-body uniform melted out of the shadows of the wall, stepping out and blocking the upcoming path.

Rarity narrowed her eyes at the newcomer. Bloom had told her a little about this “Two-eighteen” or whatever he was called, and he definitely wasn’t on their side. She didn’t say anything, though, not yet. She didn’t want to risk antagonizing him and making the situation worse for no reason. It was best just to see what he wanted for now.

Bluebolt apparently lacked Rarity’s tact. “Get out of here!” she snapped, stepping forward and gesturing angrily with her hoof. “We’ve got enough to deal with without dealing with you!” She looked about half-ready to just lunge at him right then and there, even without her weapon.

Two-eighteen said nothing yet. He just looked amongst the four mares, his expression impossible to read under those tinted goggles. After a moment, he tilted his head slightly. “She isn’t with you.” His voice was calm and quiet, a chilling monotone that lacked any semblance of life or heart.

“Huh?”

“The Chronomancer isn’t with you.”

Bluebolt grit her teeth and took another step forward. “No, Sundial’s not with us right now. So just... buzz off! Get the hell out of our way! Or I’ll make you.”

“Bluebolt, darling, don’t antagonize him,” Rarity said, keeping her voice low while she watched the earth pony for any movements. She was no fighter, but without Sundial here, she felt it was her duty to watch over the others. “We can’t afford to have him attack us if you make him angry, so please, just keep calm.”

Bloom snorted, also keeping her eyes on Two-eighteen. “I ain’t afraid o’ him, Rarity. I’ll protect us if it comes ta fightin’, just you watch.”

“Not with Symphony on your back you’re not,” Rarity muttered, putting her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder to hold her steady.

Bloom ignored her and stepped forward alongside Bluebolt. “If y’all’re after our friend Sundial, then you’re gonna have ta go through us first, y’hear?”

Rarity bit her lip. “Just like your sister…” she sighed.

She lit her horn brighter, then carefully lifted Symphony off of Bloom’s back and set her down. There was no sense in risking her well-being if Bloom was going to “go all Applejack” on this stallion, as Pinkie would say.

Two-eighteen gave a low grunt. “Orders: locate Chronomancer. None of you are her. Fight isn’t with you.”

“So you are still looking to fight with her?” Bluebolt snorted, scuffing her hoof on the floor. “What did she ever do to you?”

“Yeah, why are ya even tryin’ to come after her, anyway, 'specially now?” Bloom added. “She saved yer life the other day, pullin’ y’all out o’ that cave. An’ I helped, in case ya forgot. Y’all would’ve been crushed ta death if it weren’t fer us.”

This gave the other earth pony a brief, brief moment of pause. “Irrelevant. Orders: locate Chronomancer. Where is she?”

“We ain’t tellin’ you squat,” Bloom grunted, rolling her shoulders.

“Yeah!” Bluebolt added, moving one more step forward, ready to fight. “So get out of our way, or you’re gonna get hurt!”

Two-eighteen tilted his head as he looked between them again, seemingly pondering the situation carefully. “You’ve become separated. You don’t know where she is. You know where she’s going. Where?”

“I ain’t tellin’—” Bloom started.

“The kirin settlement,” Rarity interjected, sensing an opportunity to put an end to this whole situation right here and now. “She’s heading to the kirin settlement due west of… wherever. I don’t even know where we are in relation to it.”

Bloom and Bluebolt shot Rarity a terse, accusing glare. “Rarity!” they said together.

“We’re supposed to go there to get help for our friend here, who was injured fighting some rather uncouth ruffians earlier,” Rarity continued, gesturing toward Symphony and completely unfazed by the younger mares giving her death glares, “and Sundial is set to meet us there at her earliest opportunity. Unfortunately, we seem to have lost our way. You wouldn’t happen to know where it is, would you?”

Two-eighteen paused, tilting his head as he looked between Rarity and Symphony. “She is to meet you there?”

“Yes, like I said, at her earliest opportunity. We don’t know where she is at the moment, but she’ll be heading there as soon as she’s able because that’s where we’re supposed to be. And I can assure you, sir, if we’re not there when she arrives, she’ll likely go searching for us. Far and wide, to parts unknown, perhaps?” Rarity gave him a small grin. “But, if we were there…”

“Then she would be found there.” Two-eighteen nodded in understanding and acceptance. “Pragmatic.” He gestured toward the cave behind him. “Follow tunnels to surface: left, left, right, left, right. Settlement twenty miles due west, at the base of the west side of the tallest mountain.”

Rarity nodded and smiled. “Thank you, my good sir.” She turned to Bluebolt and Apple Bloom. “Come on girls, let’s go. We’ll have Symphony there in no time, but we need to get moving.”

Bloom and Bluebolt eyed Two-eighteen suspiciously, then gave Rarity a small nod and followed her as she walked around the mysterious earth pony. Rarity returned Symphony to her position on Bloom’s back in the process.

Two-eighteen didn’t move his head or neck to follow them as they moved, and Rarity couldn’t tell if his eyes were following them behind those goggles, but she could still practically feel him watching them, as if making sure they were following the end of whatever bargain had just been made.

As soon as they were clear, the mysterious earth pony started off down the path they’d just come from.

“Hey! Where d’ya think you’re goin’?” Bloom grunted, turning to face him with an accusing glare.

“Still have orders: locate Chronomancer,” Two-eighteen said, not turning to face her.

Bluebolt sneered and moved towards him. “Oh no you—”

He vanished into the shadows of the cavern.

“—don’t. Dammit!” Bluebolt wheeled on Rarity, livid. “Why’d you do that?! You just handed him Sundial and Flurry on a silver platter!”

Rarity kept her expression flat, her tone calm. “I don’t like it much either, darling, but we are lost and we have injured. Besides that, we have no idea which direction is west while we’re in these tunnels, or where exactly the settlement is if we ever make it out. He gave us all of that information and I only needed to tell him a simple piece in return.”

“So that’s your plan? Risk our friends being put in more danger if he finds them? What if he hurts Sundial? Or Flurry?”

“What about Symphony?” Rarity fired back. “She’s injured, and badly I might add. Or doesn’t that matter to you?

Bluebolt narrowed her eyes. “Of course it matters—”

“Then I did what needed to be done to ensure she gets help,” Rarity continued. “I don’t know if my magic can keep up with this treatment, so we need to get her to proper healers and soon. Sundial is convinced these other kirin can help, so that’s what we’re doing!”

She set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder, firmly. “Believe me, darling, I don’t like the thought of throwing that ruffian at Sundial right now any more than you do, but if I didn’t do anything, we might not make it in time to help your songbird. We’d be wasting time here fighting a pony that doesn’t actually want anything to do with us.”

Bluebolt glanced at Symphony, then back to Rarity, grim realization apparently setting in. She nodded, then took Symphony’s hoof in her wing again. “Alright… alright, fine…”

Rarity let out a breath. “Come on then. We have a heading now, so we’d best not waste any more time than need be arguing about whether what I did was right. We can argue about it later.”

With that, the trio, Symphony in tow, made their way through the tunnels.

*****

Sundial woke up right at the crack of dawn, hard as that was to tell underground. After a little rest, her internal clock was perfectly capable of telling time again without issue, and she’d gotten so used to waking up at the same time every day for more than ten years that even an awful situation like the one she was in wasn’t about to change her strict schedule.

When she woke up, she saw that Flurry was still asleep, lying in the most comfortable position she could manage with all the chains on her. Sundial swore silently, cursing herself for blindly trusting a couple of psychotic kirin so easily, but she knew there wasn’t really any reason not to trust them. The kirins were still less than twenty years old as far as their world’s history was concerned—though there were kirin older than that, which made things complicated—and the kirin of the settlement were generally as kind and helpful as those in the actual Canon.

Sure, she knew there were bad apples in every bunch, but she didn’t think the kirin race had had the time to develop evil kirin, let alone complete psychopaths. Whatever these dreams were that Kauldron had claimed to have were likely to blame for his behavior, that was the only explanation. A she-kirin with flaming wings and a magma horn, he’d said. Sundial pondered this. Wings and a horn usually meant only one thing: alicorns. Was that why he was so obsessed with Flurry? Was there a kirin alicorn or something that she didn’t know about?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the gate into the cell loudly unlocked and swung open. Kauldron and Krystal—the latter wearing Sundial’s balmoral—strode into the room with an air of politeness that one would expect of the host at a party. It was disturbing seeing Kauldron’s friendly, pleasant smile now that Sundial knew what violent insanity lay beneath that false demeanor.

“Well, would you look at that,” Kauldron chuckled, noticing Sundial looking right at him with the fiercest of glares. “You’re up early, aren’t you? I was hoping to wake you up myself, but I suppose you just have to continue to ruin my fun, don’t you?”

“Kiss my arse, ye shite-brained twat,” Sundial spat, struggling against the chains. She knew it was fruitless, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing her look defeated.

He ignored her comments. “Oh well, I guess at least I have the pleasure of waking my lovely pet.” He gently knelt by Flurry’s side and stroked her wings. “Wakey wakey, sunshine.”

“I told ye ta keep yer bloody hooves off o’ her, arseface!” Sundial snapped.

Krystal sneered and walked over to Sundial, fire glowing in her eyes. “You can’t talk to my mate that way, you pony bitch.” She slammed her hoof into Sundial’s temple. “Learn your place!”

Sundial glared up at her; she was sure if she got out of this without a cracked skull or brain damage it would be a miracle. “When I get out o’ here, ye stupid slag, ye’re gonna wish ye’d been a wee bit nicer ta me, I promise ye that.”

“You’re just mad I’m wearing your stupid hat, aren’t you?” Krystal chortled.

“Aye, because ye look like a bloody muppet in it,” Sundial snorted.

Flurry stirred a little, her eyes fluttering open. She seemed to have forgotten where she was, because she went into a panic the moment she opened her eyes. “Wh-where—”

“Shhh, it’s okay, sweetheat,” Kauldron cooed, stroking her back like she was a cat. “Just relax, okay? It won’t do you any good to get all worked up so early in the morning. Just take deep breaths: in, and out.” He even demonstrated for her before giving her a loving smile.

Flurry glared at Kauldron and tried to light up her horn, but the ring around the base absorbed the magic without fail, just like before. “What do you want from us?” she demanded. “Why are you doing this?”

“I already told your tenacious little friend over there a little bit about me, but… well, none of that matters quite so much anymore, my sweet. Something wonderful has happened,” Kauldron said, running a hoof through her mane. “Something truly, truly wonderful.”

“Leave her alone!” Sundial growled, pulling as hard as she could against the chains. “She’s just a kid, ye stupid—”

Krystal pushed Sundial’s face hard into the floor. “Keep that big mouth of yours shut already.”

Kauldron stood up and walked just outside the cell, then returned with Sundial’s water canteen and a couple of pieces of her rations. He walked back over to Flurry and offered her the canteen first, kneeling by her side.

“Go on, gorgeous,” he said. “Drink. You must be thirsty, and I’m truly, truly sorry that I haven’t tended to your needs. You must think I have dreadful manners.”

Flurry eyed the canteen suspiciously. “Wh-what’s in that?”

“Just water, love, just water,” Kauldron said with a creepily-sincere smile. “There was already plenty inside, so I’m sure it’s still fresh even if it’s a little warm.” He gently stroked her mane. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you, my pet.”

Flurry paused, then shook her head. “You drink it first,” she said, with a nervous gulp.

Sundial was glad to see the mare wasn’t gullible enough to buy his story right away, no matter how thirsty she was. There might be a chance out of this yet.

Kauldron smiled. “You’re worried I’ve done something to it or put something in it, aren’t you? I understand. I probably seem like the sort of guy that would do that sort of thing just for kicks, don’t I? Because, and let’s be honest, I am.”

“More than a few little ponies drank some tainted water,” Krystal tittered. “Or sometimes not water at all, but blood or urine. The faces they make as they spit it all out are so cute.”

Kauldron smiled and nodded. “That’s all well and true, but I can assure you, my sweet, that I haven’t done anything of the sort. Here.” He took a brief swig of the water from the canteen, then wiped his lips, none the worse for wear. The liquid was as clear as water should be. “See?”

Flurry eyed the canteen again, then closed her eyes and leaned forward. Kauldron gently put the canteen to her lips, tilted her neck up so she could get a good drink from it, then pulled it away just as quickly, only enough to give her a little taste. Clean water, it seemed, since Flurry wasn’t reacting negatively.

“There’s a good girl,” he cooed, rubbing the back of her head. “Oh dear, I almost forgot. I'm terribly sorry, but you must be so uncomfortable. Here, let me help you with that.”

He quickly unlatched the shackle around her neck and tossed it aside, then slightly loosened the chains that kept the shackles around her hooves, giving her a lot more freedom of movement. She could almost stand up, but not quite.

“Wh-what are you doing?” she asked, nervous. Her hooves could move well enough that she could bring them to her throat to make sure she wasn’t injured, though they still kept her from getting far from the wall. “Why are you doing this?”

“Making you more comfortable, beautiful,” Kauldron said, as if it was obvious, a pleasant smile on his face. “You’re a treasure, and you deserve better. I wish I could unlatch you from the wall entirely and give you the freedom you deserve, but I just can’t.” He actually seemed genuinely sad about that. “I can’t do that, my sweet. I’m so sorry. You don’t deserve to be locked up like this, but I must. I must.”

Flurry’s gaze moved briefly over to Sundial. “What about my friend?”

Kauldron smiled. “Oh, of course. Where are my manners?” He turned to Krystal, tossing the canteen over to her. “Go on, Krystal, give her what she wants.”

Krystal smirked, bending down to put the canteen close to Sundial’s lips, just out of reach. “You want some water, pony? Here, take a little drinky-drink. Come on.”

Sundial clenched her teeth, trying to lean forward to take a drink now that she knew it was safe. She was horribly thirsty, and not too proud to take a drink when offered, at least not yet. However, the chains were so tight around her neck that she couldn’t quite reach the offered canteen.

“Aww, is it too far?” Krystal giggled. “Here, let me help.”

With a sadistic smile, Krystal lifted the canteen up and poured the contents all over Sundial’s mane, purposefully avoiding getting any near Sundial’s mouth. When the canteen was empty, she tousled her hoof through Sundial’s mane, spreading the water about so that Sundial’s head was effectively soaked. Very little had splashed on the floor.

“Whoops! I’m such a butterhooves,” Krystal snickered, casually tossing the empty canteen aside. “Oh well, all out of water. Too bad.”

Sundial sneered. “I see yer game here, aye? Ye think ye’re funny, giving me shite while making sure she’s able ta eat and drink? Ha bucking ha, ye stupid slag.”

“Please, let her drink!” Flurry pleaded, turning to Kauldron, clearly hoping to play off of his apparent obsession with her. “She’s my friend, please. Please don’t do this to her.”

Kauldron frowned and put his hoof on Flurry’s cheek. “Oh, but I must, my sweetheart, I must. It’s all part of the dream I had last night. It’s what I know I must do. It’s what my gods want from me. They’ve chosen me for this task.”

“What dream? What are you talking about?”

“I am but a humble servant of the gods of fire,” Kauldron said, a smile on his face, a twinkle in his eyes. “I feed the weak and helpless to the volcano, feeding my gods the kindling they need to rise once more to bathe the world in fire and ash. For years, that has been my one and only goal in life, my true purpose as their chosen one.”

“Ye’re bloody loony, is what ye are!” Sundial spat.

Krystal pressed her hoof against the back of Sundial’s neck. “You’ll shut your filthy mouth when the chosen one is speaking, pony.”

“That was my purpose… until today.” Kauldron’s grin grew wider, and he kissed Flurry on the forehead. “Until you arrived, my sweet. My gift from the gods.”

Flurry pulled away from him in fear and revulsion. “M-me? What do you want with me?”

“As I said, last night I had a dream,” he said, his expression wistful and proud. “The gods’ messenger spoke to me once more, more clearly than I’ve ever heard her voice before. She told me that you are the key to bringing about my vision. You will help me drown this world in flames.”

Flurry narrowed her eyes. “I would never help you do anything like that, you sicko.”

He seemed genuinely hurt by her words, hoof over his heart. “I know, I know. You do not have the heart that I have; you don’t have the fire. But the gods’ messenger told me all that I needed to know to make my vision come true. And though it pains me to do it, though it makes my heart ache to see you suffer, suffer you must. I must break you.”

Flurry’s eyes went wide. “You… you don’t have to hurt me, please—”

“Hurt you? Oh, my dear, my sweet, sweet treasure, I could and would never hurt you,” Kauldron said, taking her hoof in his like a lover. “Your form is too pure, and the messenger said that your body must remain untarnished. It is your will I must break, my love. Your spirit.” He smiled and gestured towards Sundial. “It’s her body that will serve as kindling for the fires that are coming.”

Krystal punctuated this point by smashing her hoof hard against Sundial’s jaw. Sundial took a deep breath, spitting blood on the floor.

“Sundial!” Flurry cried. She turned to Kauldron, near tears. “Please, don’t hurt her!”

“Don’t ye worry about me, lass,” Sundial said, staring at Kauldron with a proud, defiant smirk on her face. “I’ll be fine.”

Kauldron smirked right back. “We’ll just see about that.”

*****

It was late in the afternoon, and Sundial could barely see straight at this point, and her body ached with some of the worst pain she’d ever felt in her life, but she didn’t let that bother her. She hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast the day before and was terribly hungry, but she didn’t let that bother her. The only thing she’d had to quench her thirst after a full day without water was her own blood and saliva, but she didn’t let that bother her.

The only thing that would bother her is if Flurry Heart saw her break. So she kept up a strong front, even though every nerve in her body was telling her to cry, scream, whimper, and beg. Flurry had to watch every second of the ordeal. Every strike, lash, and denial of basic needs was on full display for the alicorn, but Sundial refused to let her see her break.

She was Sundial, Chronomancer of Equestria-V, and she would not break.

And through it all, she took advantage of one thing: Kauldron, clearly both the brains and brawn of this psychopathic little outfit, was so completely focused on Flurry and so lost in his fixation over her beauty and trying to snuff out her hope that he wasn’t paying much attention to Sundial. He left the torturing to Krystal, and Krystal was, thankfully, an inattentive idiot. A violent inattentive idiot, but still an inattentive idiot.

And Krystal was a jealous bitch, too. Sundial could see how angry that Krystal was that Kauldron was doting on Flurry, calling her “beautiful” and stroking her wings while hardly paying any attention to his supposed “mate”. Krystal took out these frustrations on Sundial, of course, as Sundial knew she would, and it was obvious that Kauldron was doing it on purpose to make Krystal angrier so that she’d hit harder. But still, it made the female kirin an easy mark for anything Sundial might think of.

Now, Sundial was starting to get the chains that kept the brace around her neck to loosen just enough that if she was given the opportunity, she could put in all of the strength she had into one blow. It was a stupid plan, and she knew it was, but she hoped it would keep Flurry’s spirits up to have a friend with such resolve. She hoped that Flurry would see that Sundial’s spirit was far, far from broken, giving her hope for the best. And with that little glimmer of hope, Sundial felt that maybe, just maybe, Flurry might have the courage to try something herself. They needed to work together, but Sundial knew the poor mare was terribly frightened and inexperienced, so she just needed a little push.

The opportunity presented itself when Kauldron and Krystal returned from dinner: Kauldron resumed his place by Flurry to dote on her while forcing her to watch when Krystal harshly beat Sundial.

Krystal, of course, wasted little time in kicking Sundial hard in the ribs. Sundial figured the kirin hadn’t had a pleasant dinner conversation. “Don’t get comfortable, little pony! We’ve still got the rest of the day ahead of us.”

Sundial grunted as the wind was knocked out of her, but she did not show her pain. “Hard ta get comfortable when I’ve got ta smell yer unwashed arse every time ye enter the room, aye?”

Krystal’s eyebrow twitched. “What was that, bitch?”

“Ye heard me. Yer arse smells like ye haven’t washed it since the last time ye went ta the bog, and I can smell it from across the room. Or wait, is that yer breath?” Sundial sniffed the air—hard to do with a bloody nose—and grimaced. She couldn’t actually smell anything but blood, but whatever. “Och, aye, that’s yer breath. Did ye eat shite for lunch, or is just that yer normal stench?”

Krystal slammed her hoof into Sundial’s jaw. “Shut up!”

Sundial adjusted her jaw, then looked right back at Krystal without missing a beat. “No wonder yer ‘mate’ latched onta the first pretty mare he saw. He’s probably sick of kissing ye with yer shite breath.”

“Shut! Up!” Krystal grabbed Sundial by the throat and lifted her up off the floor, enough that Sundial’s rear hooves had a fair amount of leverage now. “Keep that mouth of yours shut, you stupid pony bitch!”

Sundial carefully judged how much leverage she had, and how well she could pull her neck back, without being noticed by Krystal. She wasn’t sure if Kauldron noticed, since he was more observant, but Flurry was serving as a useful distraction. A distraction for Krystal would be necessary if this was going to work, though. But that would be easy enough to do.

Sundial shifted her eyes over towards Kauldron. “Look at him over there, aye? I’m not exactly an expert on love or lust or anything like that, but it looks ta me like he’s forgotten all about ye and yer shite-smelling breath, and yer arse-looking face, and yer empty little head.” She smirked. “Face it, ye’ve been replaced, ye rotten slag.”

Krystal sneered and turned her head to face Kauldron, who was watching the display with a bemused smile. “My love, tell her she’s wrong.”

Kauldron wordlessly stroked his hoof along Flurry’s wing, just watching, waiting, almost expectantly, with a small grin on his face.

“Kauldron, love,” Krystal hissed. “Tell the pony bitch she’s—”

Sundial reared her head back and slammed it with all of the force she could into Krystal’s temple. Krystal fell over, losing her balance and smacking her face into the floor, hard. Sundial smirked. She was absolutely sure she saw a tooth bounce across the room.

Kauldron let out a loud, jolly laugh, slapping his leg and shaking, barely able to contain himself. “Amazing! Simply amazing.”

Krystal, dazed, tried to get to her hooves. “You… bitch!” she spat, glaring at Sundial.

Before she could get up, though, Kauldron got up and walked over to her, and he pressed her face back down onto the floor, perhaps a little too roughly. “Stay where you are, Krystal my dear, you look hurt. And by such a soft pony, too. Tsk tsk.”

Krystal looked up at him with a pleading, desperate expression. “Kauldron, love, I—”

Kauldron shushed her, putting his hoof to her lips. He purposefully pushed her lip up so he could see the new gap in her teeth. One tooth had been chipped, another knocked out completely. “Oh dear, look at what she did to your teeth. You really are simply worthless, aren’t you? And now you’re ugly, too.”

Krystal’s eyes went wide. “K-Kauldron, don’t say that, please. I—”

“Shhh, shhh. Don’t worry, sweetness,” Kauldron said, running his hoof through her mane playfully. “I’m not going to kill you. Maybe. I’ll have to decide what to do with you. Hopefully you can prove you still have some use to me. Not like your sister… not like your mother…”

She grabbed onto his foreleg. “Yes! Yes, my love, I can—”

“Let go of me,” he said, a coy grin on his face.

“Wh-what?”

“Let go of me,” he repeated, still giving her a polite smile. “You’ve proven you don’t deserve to touch me. Just like all the others before you.”

She weakly loosened her grip. “But… but—”

Kauldron ignored her and walked over to Sundial, his smile not wavering on bit. “You, though. You might be worth more to me than just kindling,” he said as he pushed her back onto her position on the floor. He adjusted her shackles so that they were tight and taut again. “You’ve got a real fire in you, don’t you? You really aren’t like other ponies. More like a kirin. Full of fire and spirit and anger.”

Sundial spat blood up into his face. She’d bitten her tongue when delivering the headbutt so she had a good supply of the stuff. “How’s that fer fire then, aye? Ye ain’t breaking me, ye twat-faced shitestain.”

Kauldron didn’t wipe the blood spit off his face, merely smiled, a sick gleam in his eyes. “Maybe not with pain, little one. You’re a tough rock to crack. It’s getting me rather excited, actually, thinking about how I’ve changed my mind on how to break you.” He stroked her cheek gently. “Especially seeing as my mate has proven to be of poorer stock than I thought.”

Sundial paused, confused. This conversation just took a weird turn. “What?”

“I know winter’s only just started, my dear, but it won’t be winter forever. In a few months, spring will roll around again, bringing with it all of that disgusting green to the fields outside of the mountains.” His grin widened. “Amongst other things.”

Sundial clenched her teeth. She didn’t like where this was going. “Ye’re talking like a loony again, arse-lips. Start talking some bloody sense.”

Kauldron ran his hoof through her mane softly. “My clan is so small these days. Just me and Krystal, really. And despite all of the ample effort that I put into her, she’s proven useless to me year after year.” He looked down at Krystal and clicked his tongue. “Isn’t that right, you worthless cow?”

Krystal gulped and nodded nervously. “I’m trying so hard, my love. I’m sorry that my body hasn’t taken—”

Kauldron ignored her blubbering and turned back to Sundial. “You though, little kindling, you have more fire in your soul than any kirin mare I’ve ever met. You’re the perfect choice to provide new life to my clan.”

Sundial paled slightly. “W-wait, what?”

“I know it’s a few months away, but when the spring finally comes and you’re in ‘season’, so to say, well, I know I’m looking forward to it. My clan will rise again to see the world bathed in fire and ash.”

Krystal abruptly rose up off the floor. “Kauldron, you can’t be serious! She doesn’t deserve your seed! She’s just a filthy pony!”

“And you’re a weak, stupid cow that hasn’t provided me with a foal in seven years!” Kauldron snapped back, baring his teeth. “She might be a filthy pony, but she’s better stock than you.” He stepped over to Krystal and grabbed her by the mane. “Do you have a problem with that, Krystal?”

Krystal squirmed in his grip. “N-no, my love, b-but, what about me? I love you. You promised me I would be the one to bear—”

“Until you prove yourself useful again you are nothing to me,” Kauldron breathed. “You will not lay with me, you will not share in my meals, and you will not touch me. You do not even have the privilege to touch these two. They are mine now.”

She clenched her teeth. “You can’t do this to me—”

He slapped her hard across the face. “Speak to me again like that, cow, and I’ll snap your horn off and use you for kindling, like all the other weak, pathetic kirin in our clan.” He abruptly dropped her to the floor, then gestured towards the cell door. “Get out. Go forage for food and water, if you can even do that without being a worthless waste of air.”

Krystal, tears running down her face, nodded and limped towards the cell door.

“Wait.”

Krystal stopped and turned, almost hopeful, towards him. He walked to her slowly, and gently placed his hooves on the sides of her face.

Then he abruptly took Sundial’s balmoral off of Krystal’s head.

“There. That’s better. You don’t deserve to wear it.” When she didn’t move right away, just stared into his eyes with hurt and sorrow, he gestured out of the cell. “Well? Get going. You haven’t got all day.”

She gulped, then nodded and walked out of the cell without another word.

Kauldron turned back to Sundial, a bright smile on his face as he walked over and placed the balmoral on its proper owner’s head, tugging it a little too hard over her ears. “So hard to find good help these days, isn’t it?”

Sundial just snorted, disgusted completely by this kirin-shaped psychopath, but she said nothing.

He shrugged. “I think we’re done for today then, pets,” he said, addressing the two mares. “As soon as my useless servant returns with something worthwhile, I’ll make sure you have food and drink. Can’t have anything happening to my beautiful treasure,” he continued, looking at Flurry first; then he looked back to Sundial, “or the future mother of my clan. Ta ta!”

And with that, he left the cell, locking it loudly behind him.

Flurry looked to Sundial, horrified. “Sundial… are you okay?”

Sundial flicked her tongue along her teeth, making sure she hadn’t knocked anything loose. “Aye, I’ll be fine, lass.”

“Are you going to be okay?”

“I’ll be fine, lass,” Sundial repeated, giving Flurry a terse look. “Nothing that nutter says is gonna get ta me, so don’t let it get ta you either, aye? Keep yer chin up and don’t let him see ye get down. That’s just what he wants, so don’t give him the satisfaction.”

“But—”

“No ‘buts’, lass. This is a good development, aye?” Sundial said with a knowing smirk. “It worked a lot better than I thought it would.”

Flurry blinked, lost. “What?”

“Och, I figured if I made that mare look like a bloody buffoon right in front o’ him, he’d do something drastic ta her. He treats her like dirt, aye? So now he won’t let her touch me, and he already wouldn’t let her touch you. I’d say that’s a good development.”

“But… why? Why would you risk him doing something to you?"

“Well ta be fair, I was sort o’ expecting—hoping, maybe—that he’d just take it upon himself ta start beating me instead o’ letting the other one do it. That way he wouldn’t be touching all over ye, aye? Maybe with him being distracted, ye could figure a way out o’ that ring on yer horn.”

Flurry tilted her eyes up towards the ring, even though she couldn’t see it. “That’s… either the bravest or the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard, Sundial. Either way, you’re crazy.”

“Aye, ye’ll find there’s a pretty fine line between the two, lass, and ye have ta be a little bit crazy ta do my job. But now, that nutter wants ta make me his broodmare or something like that, so he won’t be beating me anymore either, aye? Might actually start giving me food and water if he wants me ta bear healthy foals.”

“Sundial…”

Sundial snorted. “Och, I ain’t bearing him shite, lass. I’ll break his knob right off before I let him get even a taste o’ me, I promise ye that.”

Flurry closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Sundial… I’m scared. What if he… what if he doesn’t want to wait for spring to come?”

“I know ye’re scared, lass, but ye just have ta trust me. Spring isn’t due fer another two months and twenty days, y’know? I bought me all the time I need ta either think o’ how ta get us out o’ this, or fer the others ta arrange a rescue, aye? They’re probably already at the settlement by now.”

Flurry stayed silent for a long moment, then nodded. “I hope you’re right, Sundial. I really hope you’re right…”

*****

It was late at night, and Sundial was still keeping herself just the bare minimum of awake she could be while sleeping. It had taken years of training her body to get some semblance of sleep while still maintaining partial awareness of her surroundings, but it was a necessary part of her job. She didn’t have the luxury Tick Tock had had in her tenure of living in a semi-cushy apartment at first, then later in a palatial house with her husband.

No, Sundial slept out in the wilderness most of the year with nothing more than a tent and a sleeping bag or a blanket, so she needed to always be aware of what was going on around her. There was constantly a danger of some freak rainstorm starting up in the middle of the summer or fall, not to mention that the winter storms would sometimes pick up and threaten to blow away her tent without warning.

Tonight, she was able to stay aware of the goings-on in the little dungeon she and Flurry were in. Despite being asleep, she could still just barely make out the sounds around them and notice the flickering of the dimmed lantern keeping the room just barely lit on one side. The room was otherwise quiet and still, the only movement at all coming from Flurry Heart’s chest as she breathed: in, out; up, down. It was calming, really, that Flurry was able to sleep well enough, if only because Sundial gave everything she had to keep the other mare’s spirits up.

But then came the sound of hoofsteps. Not from down the hall, but from within the room. It didn’t take long for Sundial’s eyes to adjust as she stared into the darkness, where she saw a figure walking towards her. And, as soon as the figure entered the light enough that she could see, she clenched her teeth and sighed, annoyed.

“Well well well, if it isn’t the shadowy twat,” she grunted. “Great, now I gotta deal with you too?”

Two-eighteen stepped out of the shadows and into the light. He stood directly in front of her, dominating her field of view almost completely. He didn’t say anything, just stared down at her, and with those damned goggles over his eyes Sundial couldn’t tell what his expression was supposed to be. She didn’t know if that even mattered.

“Ye think ye’re intimidating me or something with all this, don’t ye? Well ye’re not, aye? I’m not afraid o’ ye, or yer stupid goggles, or yer stupid shadow powers. Ye’re just following me around like… heh, like my shadow.” She managed to give him a cocky grin. “Why are ye here?”

“Overseer’s orders: locate and deal with you,” he said, voice flat and monotone.

Her mouth curled into a small grin. “Och, aye? Well go on then. Deal with me. Just make it quick-like. Probably better than what that kirin bastard’s got planned fer my arse… huh, that’s more literal than I intended it ta sound.”

Two-eighteen paused, as if considering this, then wordlessly moved his hooves to the sides of her head. Sundial closed her eyes and waited for him to twist and snap her neck: quick, as asked. Her only regret was that she’d been just a little too slow the one time it mattered most back in that damned cavern. Just one second faster and she and Flurry would’ve been out of there, no problem.

“Stop!”

Their attention was diverted to Flurry, who was wide awake and wide-eyed. The panic in her eyes was palpable. Sundial immediately regretted even considering a quick-and-painless option here. That was just her trying to avoid whatever Kauldron had planned for her and only thinking of herself, not of Flurry.

Sundial swore under her breath. The younger mare wasn’t supposed to be awake right now. Had they been talking too loudly? “Just go back ta sleep, lass. Ye don’t need ta see this, aye?”

“Please,” Flurry pleaded, looking to Two-eighteen with the most sincere, heart-wrenching desperation in her eyes that Sundial had ever seen on a pony. “Please don’t hurt her…”

Two-eighteen tilted his head slightly. “Snapping the neck: quick and painless. Wouldn’t hurt her.”

“That’s not what she meant, wisearse,” Sundial snorted.

“You don’t have to kill her!” Flurry cried, tears in her eyes. “Please!”

“Orders: locate and deal with Chronomancer, retrieve alicorn, kill anything that gets in the way. Must carry out Overseer Pedigree’s orders.”

Sundial noted the Overseer’s name, Pedigree. What a pretentious name for a pretentious jackass. She also noted the word “alicorn” in those orders, which seemed impossible. Nopony but her group and these two kirin knew what Flurry was, or should’ve known for that matter. She also noted that he wasn’t snapping her neck right now when he had the chance. Was he actually listening to Flurry?

“Your orders don’t say to kill her though,” Flurry said, struggling against her chains. “Please, you don’t have to hurt her or kill her or anything like that. Please… just stop…”

“Lass, ye ain’t gonna be able ta get through ta him like that,” Sundial muttered, though she did notice his grip loosening on her head just a little. This pathetic puppy dog display wasn’t really working on him, was it?

Flurry paused a moment, then her eyes widened. “She… she saved your life! She dragged you out of that cave when she could’ve left you to die. She told me! Apple Bloom told me!”

Two-eighteen tilted his head again. “Irrelevant.”

“It’s not. She saved your life, so you owe her that much in return. If you spare her now, then that debt is repaid. Right?”

Sundial briefly glanced between the two, honestly surprised that the earth pony was hesitating, even for an instant. Flurry’s words didn’t seem to resonate any better on her than any other mare’s would’ve, so why were they on this earth pony?

“Please,” Flurry continued, sniffing back tears. “Please don’t kill her. If… if you spare her life, and if you help her escape from here… then I’ll go with you willingly.”

Sundial swore under her breath again. She was afraid that line was coming next. “Flurry, lass, don’t go doing stupid things like that for me, aye?”

“Stay out of this, Sundial, this is between me and our friend here,” Flurry said, keeping her gaze focused on Two-eighteen and clearly trying to remain focused and resolute. “Right?

He shook his head. “Incorrect. Not friends.”

“See, lass? Classic mathematician’s answer bullshite, ye don’t need ta negotiate—”

“However,” he continued, “pragmatic solution. Correct, orders do not specify to kill Chronomancer. If you come willingly, sparing her is expedient.” He immediately let go of Sundial’s head. “Terms accepted.”

Flurry let out a breath of relief. “Thank you…”

“Lass, ye’re making a big mistake here,” Sundial blurted, eyes wide as she realized what had just happened. “I’m not worth it, no matter what ye might think about me. HQ will just find another agent ta replace me and everything’ll be rainbows, aye?”

“You should know by now from dealing with Apple Bloom that letting ponies die isn’t something we do where we’re from,” Flurry said, giving Sundial a sad smile. “Your life is worth it, at least to me, no matter how much you try to convince me otherwise.”

Sundial groaned. “Bloody hell, lass, the ponies from yer neck o’ the woods are loonier than I thought…”

Two-eighteen glanced around the room briefly. “Terms were to free Chronomancer. No keys present. Will locate and return.”

“Wait!” Flurry interjected.

“Terms were accepted,” Two-eighteen said, tilting his head in what Sundial guessed was confusion. “Cannot alter arrangement.”

“I’m not altering anything, I’m just… clarifying what I meant,” Flurry said, clearing her throat. “She’ll need her belongings brought to her as well: her clothes, her supplies, and anything else that might belong to her or her friends for when she returns to them. Naturally, I will need clothes too for when we leave, so you should collect mine as well.”

“Clothes not part of arrangement—”

“Listen, if she goes out in that rainstorm naked, without anything to protect her from all that wet and cold, she… might catch pneumonia or something! And then she’ll die, only at a later time, and that’s just the same as you killing her right now, which you agreed not to do.”

Two-eighteen paused, seeming to mull it over. “Acceptable.”

“And you know which ones are ours?”

“Yes.”

“Also—”

He didn’t let her continue trying to make demands, merely vanishing into the shadows again without a sound.

“Shoot. Guess he catches on fast.”

Sundial scoffed, honestly amazed that it had even gotten this far along. Just who the hell was this mare? “Lass… I know that I think this plan o’ yers is bloody loony, but can I just say I’m impressed? Where’d ye learn how ta negotiate like that?”

Flurry gave Sundial a small, confident grin. “I’ve been mentored by Princess Twilight Sparkle for most of my life, even before she became the ruler of Equestria. Not to mention that my parents have been the rulers of the Crystal Empire since before I was born. And what with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, and all of Twilight’s friends, and—”

“Aye, aye, I get it, lass...”

The two then waited, and waited, and waited for Two-eighteen to return. Sundial was beginning to wonder what was taking so long if he just needed to gather their things and collect the… keys.

Kauldron had the keys. Right?

The pair then went silent when they heard hoofsteps coming from down the hall.

“That’s not our new friend,” Sundial muttered, knowing full well who it was. “He doesn’t need ta walk down the hall.”

She was, unfortunately, completely correct. It was Kauldron. Alone, oddly. He opened the cell door loudly, a bright smile on his face as he walked inside. Sundial noticed blood covering some of his chest and face.

“Well now would you look at this?” he chuckled. “You’re both awake, and so late at night? You really should be getting your sleep, you know? It’s not healthy to stay up so late.”

Sundial growled. “Aye, and that’d be easier ta do if ye weren’t stomping them fat hooves o’ yers down the hall like ye’re trying to wake the dead or something.”

He gave her an apologetic grin. “Oh, forgive me my dear, I didn’t realize I was being so loud. Still, I would have woken you two up when I got in here anyway, so at least you should be thankful that I didn’t have to get rough to do it.”

He approached Sundial, a twinkle in his eyes, and stepped right in front of her. She hadn’t noticed before, but he was carrying something in one of his hooves, which he abruptly dropped in front of Sundial’s face so she could get a clear look at it. It was fairly easy to recognize, actually, and Sundial couldn’t help but recoil at the sight.

It was Krystal’s horn.

“What the bloody hell…” Sundial muttered, completely baffled.

Once she saw it, Flurry looked nauseous and had to avert her eyes, likely to avoid throwing up.

“I always knew Krystal was a stupid cow,” Kauldron sighed, shaking his head, almost as if he was sad. His tone and words said otherwise. “I knew it for years. The only reason I ever tolerated her was because she was sometimes useful, and because she was a good lay. Other than that she was fairly useless.”

“You… ye killed her?”

Sundial shook her head in disbelief. She’d planned out her little scheme earlier with the intent on driving a wedge between the two, but this was far beyond what she expected. Not that she had even the slightest trace of sympathy for the dead kirin—she deserved to rot as far as Sundial was concerned—but it was just a little sickening.

“Yeah, see, I told that stupid sow she wasn’t allowed to touch me again, not until she proved herself,” he said, clicking his tongue. He pointed between Flurry and Sundial. “You both saw what happened and heard me say those words, right? Of course you did, you were right here.

“Well, that stupid, stupid weakling came into my room earlier, like she always does when she’s feeling a certain hunger between her legs, but I guess she forgot what I’d said to her earlier.” He shook his head again. “A real shame that she was so stupid to think I’d consider wasting my chosen seed on such poor stock as her.

“But, well, I guess it was about time I rid myself of one last point of weakness in my clan. Now I’m all that’s left, at least for now,” he added, licking his lips and looking Sundial in the eyes.

“Ye ripped her horn out o’ her skull because she loved ye?” Sundial blurted, shocked. “What the bloody hell, mate?”

“No!” he snapped, grabbing Sundial’s chin and forcing her to look at him. “I took her horn because she was useless, and stupid, and careless, and because no matter how good of a lay she was, she couldn’t provide me with foals. At least her horn is useful for something.”

“Ye ever think it might be ye that’s the problem there? Maybe yer little psycho swimmers aren’t up ta the task?” Sundial suggested with a smug grin.

“I am the chosen one, my pet,” he huffed. “The gods wouldn’t chose one who couldn’t keep their dream alive.”

Sundial sneered. “So what, ye came here ta gloat about all o’ this then? Ye think I’m scared o’ ye because ye killed that stupid slag and because ye threw her horn in front o’ my face like some sort o’ trophy?”

Kauldron chuckled and ran his hoof along her chin. "See? This is why you're perfect for me, little one. You've got such fire in you—"

Without a sound, Two-eighteen’s hoof collided with Kauldron’s jaw, knocking the kirin clear away from Sundial and into the shadows of the room.

“Who in the hell—” Kauldron started.

Sundial couldn’t see much of what was happening in the shadows of the room, just two bodies wrestling and writhing. She could just about pick out which was one was Two-eighteen because he moved fluidly in the darkness, but that was only her best guess. She hoped she was right, because he seemed to have the upper hoof.

Kauldron seethed when the earth pony vanished into the shadows, leaving only his shape visible. “You’ve made a big mista—”

Sundial could just barely see the other figure—Two-eighteen—reappear behind the kirin. In one swift motion, he snapped Kauldron’s neck. The crack resounded throughout the room, and Kauldron’s body fell limp to the floor, just barely in the light enough for Sundial to see his lifeless eyes.

Flurry puked. Sundial guessed she’d never seen a creature die right in front of her like that.

Sundial wasn’t bothered. Just surprised.

And then, after another moment, and still without a single word, the earth pony walked out of the shadows carrying all of the things that Flurry had requested: clothes, supplies, even Symphony’s longsword that the kirin had apparently taken as a trophy. He then picked up the keys that Kauldron had dropped and set about unlocking Sundial’s shackles and chains.

“The bloody hell just happened?” Sundial muttered, eyeing Two-eighteen as he unfastened the shackle around her neck. She noticed that he was walking with a slight limp.

Two-eighteen’s voice was still calm and monotone. “He was in the way. Orders: kill anything that gets in the way. Alicorn arranged Chronomancer’s well-being and freedom in exchange for her own. Kirin male: obstacle to that arrangement.”

Flurry, who’d opened her eyes now that she didn’t hear anything but the two of them talking, cleared her throat. She was clearly trying her best not to look at Kauldron’s corpse. “Thank you, Two-eighteen.”

He tilted his head, seemingly confused by the thanks. “Following your terms.”

It took a few minutes for him to get all of Sundial’s chains unlocked, then Flurry’s, including removing the ring from her horn. The two mares were then allowed to dress, drink, and eat. He provided them with what water and food he could find in the kirins’ stores, which wasn’t much but was better than nothing.

Sundial checked to make sure everything else that they needed was here. Symphony’s longsword was now awkwardly strapped to her side, nearly dragging on the floor; her own pocket watch had, luckily, been in her coat pocket, and was unharmed; her tent had been torn to shreds, so she left it behind, but her sleeping bag and blanket were still in good shape. Apart from food and water, nothing was missing, and those could be replaced at the settlement.

Also, when nopony else was looking, Sundial grabbed Krystal's horn and slid into her saddlebag.

“So, now what?” Sundial asked, glaring at the earth pony as if daring him to say or do anything. “Ye think I’m just gonna let ye take her then? Just like that?”

“Do as you wish. Arrangement: spare your life and set you free in exchange for willing surrender of the alicorn,” Two-eighteen stated, still calm. “Other companions proceeded to kirin settlement, claimed to wait for you.” He then turned to Flurry. “You have surrendered yourself.”

Flurry paused, then nodded, despite the look Sundial was giving her. “That was our deal, yes.”

He then turned and started for the cell door. “Follow—”

Two-eighteen stopped mid-step as his leg nearly gave out under him. It was plain to see now that he was bleeding rather badly from a wound on his shoulder above the left foreleg, right where Kauldron’s horn had apparently impacted.

“You’re injured!” Flurry exclaimed, rushing to his side before he collapsed to the floor.

Two-eighteen glanced at the wound. “Yes. Irrelevant.”

“You can’t walk like this,” Flurry said, shaking her head. “You need to patch that wound up—”

Sundial hissed. “Flurry! What are ye doing? Have ye gone mental?”

“He’s hurt, Sundial,” Flurry insisted. “We have to—”

“We don’t have ta do shite,” Sundial snorted. “Not fer him, o’ all ponies.”

“He saved us, Sundial,” Flurry noted, narrowing her eyes.

“Only because ye negotiated with him. If ye hadn’t, he was seconds away from killing me, ye know that!”

“And he only was going to do that because you told him to!” Flurry retorted. “You can take your death wish somewhere else, if you’d like?”

“Injury irrelevant, health inconsequential.” Two-eighteen tried to walk again, but again nearly collapsed as his leg gave out. The wound looked pretty bad.

“You’re in no shape to go anywhere,” Flurry said. “You need to get a bandage on that and let it heal.”

“Impossible. Orders: retrieve alicorn. Injury delays retrieval.”

Sundial looked between the two for a moment, then smiled as an idea came to her. A wonderful, brilliant, crazy idea. Those ones were the best because they usually worked. “Y’know, I could always just take her out o’ here myself, aye? Save ye the trouble, give ye time to recover?”

Two-eighteen glanced at her, head tilted. “Impossible. Orders: retrieve—”

She brushed off his words with a hoof. “Aye, aye, I heard ye the first dozen bloody times, ye damn parrot. But, if ye were ta let me leave with her, ye know fer absolute certain that I’m heading ta the kirin settlement. Ye can just catch up with us later then, aye?”

Two-eighteen paused, seeming to mull this over carefully. “Location would be known. Your injuries dictate extended stay. Could resume mission after recovery.” He paused again, then nodded. “Terms accepted. Exit to tunnels: down hallway. Route to surface: take every left, five total. Kirin settlement: ten miles northwest of exit.”

Flurry looked between Sundial and Two-eighteen, now on the backhoof. “I… what? What just—”

Sundial grabbed her and started leading her out of the cell as quickly as her limp would take her. “No time ta question it lass, the deal’s been made.” She paused, then laughed as they made their way out of the cell, leaving Two-eighteen behind. “And his orders were ta ‘deal’ with me, aye? Funny that.”

Chapter Five: Encounter

Sundial and Flurry Heart made their way through the mountain pass as quickly as they could. The rainstorm was getting worse. Lightning and thunder filled the air in consistent intervals, and the winds were fierce enough to threaten to blow the two mares right off the mountain if they weren’t careful. Sundial had been very clear to the others that traveling at night during the winter was a bad, awful, horrible idea for precisely this reason, but she didn’t have much choice.

Flurry’s shield spell could barely protect them from the elements at this rate. It would be possible if she were more practiced with that sort of magic, though it certainly didn’t help that she was tired, hungry, and still terribly frightened about everything that had happened.

Either way, the pair needed to make it to the kirin settlement in a hurry. It was the middle of the night, so it was hard for either of them to see, but Sundial was able to get her bearings relatively quickly once they were out in the open. Unfortunately, Sundial herself was the leading cause of their slow pace, as she was barely able to walk as it was, and trying to fly in this storm was dangerous enough already.

“Maybe we should stop?” Flurry asked, obviously concerned when Sundial needed to rest for a moment to catch her breath again.

“No time for that, lass,” Sundial said, taking deep breaths. “We have ta make it ta the settlement before that nutter catches up with us, aye? I don’t know if I’m in the sort o’ shape ta fight him off.”

Flurry paused a moment, then took a breath of her own. “Sundial… why did you ask that pony to kill you?”

“I didn’t, really. He was going ta do it anyway, so I figured I might as well go out in a way that would just get it over with.”

Flurry’s look told Sundial that she didn’t really buy that answer.

“Okay, okay… listen, lass, in this line o’ work, we’ve got a bit o’ trouble being too, well, morbid, I guess? ‘Stiff upper lip’, that’s our motto, aye? HQ would have a replacement down here in a week, tops. Sure, Tick Tock might be upset since she picked me out and all that, but nopony else would really miss me.”

Flurry frowned. “Don’t say that, Sundial, I’m sure there are plenty of ponies that would miss you. What about Bluebolt and Symphony?”

Sundial shrugged. “Aye, maybe. But they’d get over it, I’m not exactly their best friend or anything like that.”

“Sundial…”

“Come on then, let’s get moving.” Sundial got back on her hooves and gestured towards the trail, starting down it whether Flurry was following or not.

Flurry followed after a moment, gently poking Sundial in the side with her wing. “Sundial, please, don’t just dismiss this. You’re my… my friend now, okay? You can tell me.”

“Look, lass, it’s how things are. Not all worlds out there are like yers. There are some real shiteholes out there, worlds that make this one look bloody pleasant. Those Chronomancers get replaced every few years, if that, either because they die or because the stress gets ta them.” Sundial shook her head. “The job isn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, but somepony’s got ta do it, aye?”

Flurry sighed and nodded. “Say, Sundial?”

“Aye, lass?”

“How did Two-eighteen know about me being an alicorn, and have orders about it and everything? You’ve had me wearing this coat ever since I got here to hide my wings. Kauldron and Krystal even thought I was a unicorn until they took it off.”

Sundial grunted and shook her head. “I don’t know lass, but I’ve been thinking the same thing since he mentioned it. There’s something else at play here, and I don’t know what it is, but I think ye need ta be extra careful that nopony else knows what ye are, not unless I say it’s okay, aye?”

“Yeah… yeah, okay…”

The two then set off on their way, keeping mostly quiet for now and trying to keep their hopes up. The settlement wasn’t much further. Their friends were waiting for them. Things were going to be okay, even if they were bad right now. In fact, the way it was at the moment, things really couldn’t get much worse, even though it was raining.

But, as was typically the case in situations such as these, the moment that Sundial and Flurry so much as thought that things couldn’t get much worse, they invariably did. Such was the nature of the world.

As the pair came down a slope into a small, somewhat wide clearing in the rocky trail, they found that they were no longer alone out here in the mountains. Oversee Pedigree stood tall at the other end of the clearing with a casual smirk on his face. He was blocking the trail ahead, protected by a barrier spell that kept him warm and dry despite the storm. One of his drones, protected by its own barrier, hovered just a few feet off the ground by his side.

“You’re late, Chronomancer,” Pedigree said, his voice barely carrying over the din of the storm. “A tad ironic, don’t you think? A self-professed master of time arriving late to her own party.”

Sundial snorted. She really didn’t have the patience for this. “Ha bucking ha, mate. Tick Tock always said the jokes just write themselves, so ye’re not really all that clever, aye? What, ye think I’ve never heard a bleeding time pun from some twat what thinks he’s funny? Ye’re a proper comedian.”

“Let’s dispense with the pleasantries, Chronomancer. No sense in wasting valuable time with useless words, after all.” He pointed towards Flurry, his little smirk growing bigger and more confident. “You will surrender the alicorn mare to me, or I will take her from you by force. I’d really prefer the former, but I won’t object to the latter.”

“How did ye even know she’s an alicorn?” Sundial asked, stepping forward to put herself between Flurry and Pedigree now that he’d made his intentions clear. “Yer lackey had orders ta retrieve her for ye, so that means ye knew who and what she was before he showed up. Was he spying on us?”

“That’s a perfectly fair, understandable question… but the answer doesn’t really matter now, does it? All that matters is that I know what she is, and I want her to be delivered to me. Unharmed, preferably.” He ran a hoof through his mane and his drone primed its cannon. “Now, are we going to do this the easy way, or the hard way? It’s really your choice.”

Sundial chuckled and rolled her shoulders. “What do you think?” She turned to Flurry and whispered: “When I say so, run back the way we came and take another route around, aye? I’ll catch up with ye after I deal with this twat.”

Flurry frowned, eyes darting between her and Pedigree. “Sundial, I’m not leaving you—”

“Just do it, lass. No time for questions.”

Pedigree sighed, brushing dirt off of his vest. “A pity then. For you, of course. I had hoped not to waste precious time and effort, but if you insist—”

“Run!” Sundial shouted.

Flurry turned to run. Pedigree’s drone fired a blast of unicorn magic at the pass they’d just come down, shattering the mountainside and blocking the way with a small landslide of mud and rock. Flurry and Sundial were trapped with the only way through now was past him.

“Shite,” Sundial muttered, eyeing the damage dealt to her plan. She turned back towards Pedigree. “Right then!”

She flew as hard and fast as her wings would let her, despite the wind and the rain, and came rushing right at Pedigree. His shield spell flickered as her hoof crashed uselessly into it.

“Pathetic,” he chuckled. “You are at a severe disadvantage, Chronomancer. You have gone without sleep, food, or water, you are battered, broken, and bleeding, and you are alone. No little swordfighter to protect you this time. And yet, despite all that, you’re still wasting your time and energy trying to fight me.”

“Ye’re bloody right I am,” Sundial spat, trying to force her hoof through his barrier. It was just inching through, barely, at least until he shunted it back with a little flare of his horn. “I’m not the type o’ mare ta lie down and let ponies like ye walk all over me, aye?”

“Do you think that such a personality is admirable? Do you think you’re brave? Because it isn’t, and you aren’t. It’s a pathetic, asinine gesture from a pony who knows she’s already lost.” Pedigree smiled. “You are merely delaying the inevitable, Chronomancer. Your time is up.”

“Ye talk too much.”

Sundial reached into her saddlebag, fishing out Krystal’s horn, and drove it into Pedigree’s magic barrier like a stake. The barrier vanished without much fanfare, letting Sundial land on the ground once her hoof was no longer embedded in it, and letting all of the wind, rain, and cold batter Pedigree.

Pedigree, of course, was both furious and bewildered as he looked about where his shield had once been. “Wh-what did you do?! What manner of trickery is this?!”

Sundial smirked, flipping the kirin horn in her hoof like a dagger. “Now who’s at the disadvantage, twat?”

She lunged at him. His drone swept through the air and slammed into her side, knocking her away from Pedigree and into the side of the mountain. She dropped the horn halfway between.

“It’s still you, you filthy wretch!” Pedigree snapped, adjusting his coat’s hood to shield his head from the elements. “How dare you do… whatever it is you just did! How did you break my barrier? You, a flying rat? Is this some sort of Chronomancer trick?”

Sundial wiped blood from her nose and smirked. “Aye, cheers mate, let me just tell ye everything, ye bloody muppet. What kind o’ idiot brags about the thing that gives them an advantage, aye? Beside yerself, o’ course.”

Pedigree noticed the fallen horn on the ground and eyed it curiously. “Ah, is that some sort of weapon then? Well, let’s see how you like it turned against you.”

He lit up his horn and tried to grab the horn. The horn remained exactly where it was without even the slightest hint of moving. The wind was moving it more than he was.

Pedigree now seemed as if he was in great discomfort. “What sort of weapon is this that resists my magic?!” he muttered, holding his head.

With his focus entirely on the horn, he didn’t notice Sundial come charging straight at him. Her hoof smashed into his jaw, hard, knocking him back. She didn’t let up, moving in to hit him in the chest, then the jaw again, then the chin.

His horn ignited, knocking her back with a burst of energy. “Get your hooves off of me, you worthless piece of garbage!” he snarled, eyes alight with fire. “How dare you touch me with your disgusting pegasus filth!”

“Och, ye’re really keeping that racist shite up, aren’t ye? Don’t get many racists these days,” Sundial chuckled as she rose back up to her hooves, picking up the kirin horn in the process. “Ye got a little something on yer face there, Pedigree,” she added, tapping her lip.

He lifted his hoof up to his lips. He was bleeding. His eye twitched. “You… you…”

“And what kind o’ name is ‘Pedigree’ anyway, aye? Ye sound mighty full o’ yerself with a prim and proper name like that. Is yer special talent judging dog shows?”

He roared in rage, and his drone charged straight at her.

Flurry suddenly lit her horn to grasp the drone in mid-air, keeping it from moving. “Now, Sundial!”

Sundial hefted the kirin horn up and threw it straight at the flying machine. It pierced straight through the central “eye”, and the drone collapsed instantly as the magical energy powering it evaporated. “Thanks, lass!”

Pedigree took a step back, shocked and dismayed. “This… this wasn’t how this was all supposed to happen. You were supposed to be weak! Helpless!”

Sundial kept her cool, confident front going. He was right that she was terribly winded right now and it was taking a staggering amount of adrenaline to keep from collapsing, but what choice did she have?

“Ye call me weak, but ye’re nothing without yer wee little toys and yer gangly assassin,” she spat, taking a few shaky steps towards him. “Ye talk a big game there, Pedigree, but ye don’t have the balls ta back it up.”

“Stop using my name, trash,” he snarled. “You don’t have the right to address me like that. You don’t have the right!”

“Ye’re really full o’ yerself, aren’t ye… Pedigree?”

He took a deep breath, then calmed down and smoothed his mane back. “I had wanted to do this alone, but it would seem I miscalculated your resolve. Fine. What’s the difference between a machine and a slave, anyway?” He turned his head slightly. “Two-eighteen, subdue the Chronomancer.”

Sundial turned her head sharply as Two-eighteen sprung from the shadows nearby and slammed straight into her side. He impacted a lot harder than the drone had, knocking Symphony’s longsword—which had still been strapped to her side—cleanly away. It landed a few feet from Flurry Heart’s hooves.

Two-eighteen wrestled with Sundial for a few brief moments. She noticed that his shoulder wasn’t bandaged and hadn’t fully healed yet, but he either wasn’t bothered by it or was fighting through his pain and discomfort just like she was.

She punched him in the jaw; he punched her in the gut. She kicked him in the chest; he swept her hooves out from under her. He pinned her to the wall; she headbutt him in the chin. She regretted the latter, as it had hurt her more than it hurt him.

They met blow for blow, but Sundial knew she couldn’t keep it up for long. He was bigger than her, stronger than her, in better condition than her, and could almost match her speed since she couldn’t properly fly in this weather.

As he pushed his hoof against her throat, she grabbed his foreleg to relieve the pressure. “Ye’ve got a lot o’ spunk, lad, I’ll give ye that. If I were in better shape right now, this might actually be fun. I haven’t had a good sparring partner in years.”

He ignored her, just as he ignored the rain streaking down his goggles and face. Sundial had to blink constantly to keep water out of her eyes, but this stallion was acting like little more than a machine.

He tilted his head towards Pedigree. “Target subdued, Overseer.”

“About time, Two-eighteen,” Pedigree snorted. He tried to reignite his shield to protect him from the elements, but he was having some trouble as the kirin horn’s effect seemed greater than he’d expected. “Damn it all.”

“Two-eighteen, please, don’t do this!” Flurry pleaded. “We had an arrangement, remember?”

Two-eighteen did not divert his attention from Sundial, though his ears did flick towards Flurry’s voice. Under his goggles, it was still impossible for Sundial to tell what his expression was. “Overseer’s orders: subdue the Chronomancer. New orders trump old ones.”

Flurry stamped her hoof indignantly. “That’s not part of our arrangement! You made a deal with me not to hurt her, so you can’t just go back on it like that!”

Pedigree raised an eyebrow. “Deal? What deal?” He turned to Two-eighteen and narrowed his eyes. “What is she talking about, Two-eighteen? Report.”

Two-eighteen turned to face him, but still kept Sundial pinned to the wall. “The alicorn made an arrangement for her surrender if the Chronomancer was unharmed and allowed to go free, Overseer.”

“That’s right,” Sundial chuckled, looking right at Pedigree with a smug grin. “Yer lad here let me go, free as a bird. Fat lot o’ good it did, but it’s the thought that counts, aye?”

Pedigree’s eyebrow twitched. “Two-eighteen, you didn’t kill the Chronomancer as I asked, even though you had the chance? You disobeyed your orders?” He lit his horn, as the kirin horn’s anti-magic was wearing off. “Do you remember what happens when you fail me, Two-eighteen?”

Two-eighteen tilted his head. “Orders: deal with Chronomancer, retrieve alicorn. Allowing Chronomancer to go free ensured retrieval of the alicorn was accomplished. Orders not to kill, but to ‘deal with’.”

“You know exactly what I meant, Two-eighteen, don’t play dumb with me.”

“Wording of orders unspecific, accomplished to best of ability. Similar example: orders were to ‘deal with’ settlers at the checkpoint encampment. Employed fear tactics, frightened them away. Results satisfactory.”

“Wait, you spooked them off?” Sundial asked, eyebrow raised.

Pedigree sneered. “You were supposed to kill them, you imbecile.”

Two-eighteen tilted his head again. “Apologies, Overseer. Orders not to kill, but to ‘deal with’—”

“Don’t you split hairs with me, you damned freak!” Pedigree paused and took a deep breath. “This was an enlightening conversation. I will have to remember to be more clear with my orders going forward. Apparently earth ponies are stupider than I thought.”

“Two-eighteen, please, we still have an arrangement!” Flurry pleaded again, stepping forward. “Let Sundial go! I’ll come with you and your boss if you let her go!”

“Boss? Ha!” Pedigree laughed. “That would imply that I pay him. That he works for me, like some sort of employee. I am his master, his creator. You think that ‘arrangement’ of yours could even remotely contradict my orders? He is my slave, girl. He obeys my orders without question. Your words have no power over him.”

Flurry turned to Pedigree and narrowed her eyes. “You treat him like a slave, but he was willing to make that arrangement with me of his own free will. You’re just using him, like he’s some sort of tool. You say he’s your… ‘creation’, like he’s a product.”

“Because that’s exactly what he is. A product. A tool. He cannot think for himself, no matter what you might think that idiotic arrangement of yours meant to him. He merely went through with it to follow the orders I gave him to the best of his ability, because that’s all that he knows how to do.”

“You’re wrong.”

Pedigree smiled proudly. “Am I? My name isn’t Pedigree for no reason, girl. How about I demonstrate just how much power I have over this tool?” He turned his attention to the earth pony. “Two-eighteen, maintain your hold on the Chronomancer, and smash your head against that wall.”

Two-eighteen turned his attention to the wall behind Sundial, and without a word he smashed his head against it. Flurry watched in shock and horror as the earth pony did exactly as he was ordered without even the slightest hint of hesitation. Sundial, who was right next to him, still in his death grip, was just plain confused.

“What the bloody hell?” she muttered.

“Again, Two-eighteen,” Pedigree said. “Your audience demands proof of your loyalty to me. Give them what they want and put on a show.”

Two-eighteen smashed his head against the wall again. His uniform tore slightly, and Sundial could see that he was bleeding.

“Stop it!” Flurry demanded, looking to Pedigree in as much of a rage as she could seemingly manage. “Stop hurting him!”

“I’m not hurting him, girl, he’s doing that to himself,” Pedigree laughed. “He is nothing more than a tool, a weapon to point in whichever direction I choose to aim him.” He turned back to Two-eighteen. “Again, Two-eighteen! And harder this time!”

Again, the earth pony smashed his head into the wall. Sundial felt his grip loosen slightly on her throat, as he was clearly in severe pain.

“Lad, ye don’t have ta do this, aye?” she said up at him. “Whatever dirt he has on ye, ye don’t have ta listen ta him. We can help ye,.”

“Orders: smash head against the wall, maintain grip on Chronomancer,” Two-eighteen said, still calm and monotone, but clearly breathing more heavily than before.

“Do you see now?” Pedigree said, addressing Flurry. “Your pitiful little ‘arrangement’ is nothing. He listens to me, his Overseer, because that is what he was made to do, what he was raised to do. Would you deny him his purpose in life, girl? It would not be unlike denying a foal the opportunity to utilize their special talent.”

“You… you’re not a pony,” Flurry muttered. “You’re no better than Kauldron, and he was a monster.”

“Your sympathies on Two-eighteen are wasted. It is he who is not a pony, not I. At any rate, enough wasting time,” he said, cracking his neck. “I wish to get out of this rain and cold, Two-eighteen. Kill the Chronomancer… crush her windpipe, slowly. I wish to witness this.” He turned to face Flurry Heart with a grin. “No room for misinterpretations this time.”

Two-eighteen then pushed his hoof forward onto Sundial’s neck, slowly, as ordered. Sundial pushed back against him as hard as she could to relieve the pressure.

“Stop it! Two-eighteen, please! You don’t have to do this!” Flurry shouted.

“Orders: crush Chronomancer’s windpipe slowly,” Two-eighteen repeated.

“You owe her your life, Two-eighteen! She saved your life!”

“Irrelevant... “ Two-eighteen muttered.

“Exactly,” Pedigree snorted. “His life means nothing. The only thing your stupid feats of sympathy got you is a hoof to the Chronomancer’s throat in the end. Your mercy was wasted on a product with no more importance than a toaster. And I can always make another toaster.”

Flurry ran forward towards Two-eighteen, clearly hoping to pull him off of Sundial. Pedigree wordlessly raised a barrier in the path so she couldn’t get within ten feet of them. “Two-eighteen, please!”

Sundial looked up at the earth pony and gave a small smirk. “Ye could’ve killed me any time ye wanted, lad. But ye didn’t. Ye let me go. That’s not the mind o’ some tool, aye?”

Two-eighteen shook his head. “Incorrect. Orders were to deal with Chronomancer. Followed orders.”

“Aye? Like that twat there said, I think anypony with half a brain knows what ‘deal with’ means.” Sundial chuckled, though it was definitely getting harder and harder to breathe. “So either ye’re a total idiot, or ye did it on purpose.”

“...incorrect. Followed orders precisely.”

Sundial noticed that his grip was loosening just a little bit.

Pedigree noticed too. “Two-eighteen, she’s still talking. Continue to crush her windpipe. Now!”

Two-eighteen’s hoof was shaking. His pressure had released almost entirely off of Sundial’s neck.

“That’s it, lad… think for yerself for once, aye?” Sundial said calmly.

Two-eighteen hung his head slightly, then turned towards the Overseer. “Why?”

Pedigree snarled. “Two-eighteen, are you questioning me? Do you remember what happens when you question me? Do you?!”

Two-eighteen turned his head just slightly, enough to see Pedigree’s rage. “Yes.”

Pedigree didn’t say another word. He just lit up his horn, firing a blast of pure electricity into Two-eighteen’s gut. The blast knocked him several feet back and pinned him against the ground. Sundial felt a brief shock while she was still in contact with the earth pony. It hurt, a lot, and she slumped down the wall in pain, but was still conscious. Barely.

Pedigree stepped towards Two-eighteen, pumping more electricity through his horn in a steady stream of power until the earth pony finally roared in pain, the first real emotion Sundial had ever heard from him.

“You worthless by-product!” Pedigree spat. “Your life belongs to me! I made you! You do not get to question me!”

“Stop it!” Flurry shouted, igniting her horn and placing a shield over Two-eighteen.

Pedigree’s magic, however, was strong enough to shatter it. Sundial knew Flurry was powerful, yes, but she was exhausted from having her magic drained constantly by the kirin over the last two days.

Pedigree ignored Flurry entirely and continued to focus on Two-eighteen. “You defective waste of flesh. You are nothing more than a failed experiment.”

Another sharp rise in the electricity. The heat was reacting with the rain, causing steam to rise up off of Two-eighteen’s body.

“Once I am done with you, I will have you dissected to find out what went wrong, and you will help me, because I will not kill you here. Your only use now is making sure the next generation is better.”

Sundial tackled him as hard as she could. She was in so much pain at this point that she didn’t have the strength to even knock him off-balance.

“You insolent fool!” he snarled. “You are getting quite on my nerves, Chronomancer. Two-eighteen can wait. You need to die.”

Sundial panted and settled into a fighting stance. “Bring it on... ye mangy twat.”

Pedigree’s horn ignited, and though she tried to rush him again, he blasted her with electricity just he’d done with Two-eighteen. Sundial howled in pain as she fell to the ground, feeling as if she’d just been struck by lightning.

“You are pathetic,” he snorted as he stepped over to her, keeping her pinned with a hoof on her chest. “Your predecessor ‘saved’ the world and killed one of the greatest ponies to ever live. What accomplishments do you have? Nothing. You are going to die here, in the mud and the rain, like the mangy flying rat that you are!”

He pressed his hoof against her skull, using his magic to keep her pinned to the ground. “I hate getting my hooves dirty, but I think I’ll make an exception just this once.”

He paused when something pressed against the side of his neck. Flurry’s magic carefully held Symphony’s longsword in place, and she stared at him, her face the perfect picture of tranquil fury.

“Let her go,” she said, her voice calm and resolute despite the fire in her eyes. “Now.”

Pedigree gently eased his hoof off of Sundial’s head, though his magic still kept her pinned. “What do you think you’re doing, girl? Threatening me? Is that what this is?”

“If you so much as touch her again, I will… I will drive this sword right into your neck.” She shakily moved the sword up a little. “I swear I will. Let her go.”

Pedigree’s mouth curled in a little grin. “No, you won’t. You’re too good and pure for that. You’re just a little filly, barely old enough to leave the house without your mommy and daddy holding your hooves. You don’t have the drive, girl.”

Flurry gulped, but kept the blade steady. “Let her go, Pedigree. Or else—”

Pedigree turned full towards her so that the tip of the sword was right under his chin. “Or else what?”

“Or else I’ll… I’ll…” She closed her eyes tight and drew the sword back an inch.

But she didn’t drive it forward.

In her hesitation, Pedigree grabbed the blade with his own magic, though he did not release his grip on Sundial. The strain on his magic was clear by the expression on his face, but with Flurry’s weakened state, he was still an even match.

Flurry gasped as he tried to wrest the weapon from her own magic. “H-hey! Let go!”

Pedigree laughed. “Stupid girl, do you think you can threaten me? Threaten the Overseer? You are nothing before me!”

“Leave me and my friend alone!” Flurry shouted, trying to yank the sword away. It barely moved.

“Your little idle threats are pathetic. If you hadn’t hesitated, you could have killed me, and your friend would be safe.” He took a step back and set his hoof back on Sundial’s skull. “Now you can watch her die anyway.”

Flurry’s eyes widened, and she tried to drive the sword forward. Pedigree was able to keep it pushed back just enough that he clearly wasn’t afraid of it.

“Say goodbye to your—”

Two-eighteen slammed his hoof with all of his might right into Pedigree’s side, hard enough to shatter at least two ribs.

The pain made Pedigree lose focus on his spell. The sword went flying at an odd angle as it snapped in half. The hilt tumbled towards Flurry, still kept in her grip tightly, but the blade tore into Pedigree’s horn, cutting a huge gash right through the middle.

Pedigree fell to the ground in pain, both from the broken ribs and cracked horn. His horn’s magic leaked out in a flurry of sparks and flashes. He watched as Sundial was able to get up despite the pain she was feeling. The pure rage in her eyes clearly made him feel very, very small.

Desperate to escape, he tried to teleport away—Sundial recognized the flash—but the spell went haywire. Sparks flew wildly through the air, arcing colors of every hue imaginable, and some that weren’t, danced around his horn. The spell had no focus, out of control like a runaway train.

But luckily for Pedigree, and unluckily for Sundial, just before Sundial’s hoof could crash into his face, the spell succeeded. He was gone.

Sundial stamped her hooves angrily at the spot he’d been and let out a string of swears and curses too colorful to describe.

“Are you okay, Sundial?” Flurry asked, rushing over to her.

Sundial took a couple of deep breaths and leaned against the alicorn. “Aye… aye, I’ll be alright…”

The two looked at Two-eighteen, who lay just a short distance away, unconscious on the ground.

Sundial blinked and took a breath. “Shite.”

Chapter Seven: Exploration

Exactly three days, two hours, and twenty-seven minutes after the little group left the kirin settlement in the Redblade Mountains, passing through swaths of sleet and snow for mile after mile, day after day, accosted by wind and cold as they had been every day of the journey thus far, they finally arrived at the eastern entrance of Goldridge Pass.

Despite being covered in thick snow, the mountains’ gorgeous golden hue still peeked through. Though the sun was blocked by layers of clouds and the rocks didn’t exactly shine with a proper luster, it was still clear they were made of solid, high-quality gold.

It was a welcome change from the volcanoes to the east. The trail leading through the pass was explicitly pony-made and well-maintained, so the climb was smooth and easy for even the least hardy of ponies; the snowy weather was a welcome change from the neverending, bone-soaking rain; and most importantly, being here meant the group was that much closer to their destination, so spirits were high.

The group camped for a late breakfast—the last of the stew that Kwake had given them, stored in Bluebolt and Symphony’s hefty thermoses—at the entrance to a tunnel that led further into the mountains. From their high perch up by the edge of the cliff, it was easy to see fairly far out into the Great Expanse’s endless white fields.

Rarity had to admit that despite the flurry of emotions that seeing snow always made her feel, even now, the northern lands had certainly grown quite lovely in the intervening years. She’d once looked onto the Wasteland of the past when passing through on the opposite side of these very mountains, and the view was not quite as inspiring then. The snow was hauntingly beautiful, while the wastes were depressingly repulsive.

“The last time I was here,” she said, turning to Sundial, “my friends and I didn’t get to travel through this particular section of the tunnels due to a… detour, of sorts. Are they similar to those on the western side? Filled with gems and jewels?”

“Aye, that they are,” Sundial said with a nod. She was busy scooping the last of her breakfast into her mouth and so didn’t turn her attention to Rarity fully. “Though the west side has been getting slowly mined out in the past ten years or so, what with Hope’s Point expanding.”

“How come?” asked Apple Bloom.

Rarity noted how curious Bloom was about this world at every opportunity. Her guess was that Bloom wanted to learn more about the world her brother-in-law hailed from, so she could bring back stories. It was charming, really.

“Well, gemstones power techno-magic devices, and Hope’s Point’s expansion over the years has called for quite a lot o’ energy to make everything work, aye?”

“We’re still not as big as New Pandemonium is,” Bluebolt added, having already finished her own breakfast, “but my mom’s trying to get us up there some day. She knows it won’t be done during her rule, probably not even during mine. But we’ll do it eventually, just you wait and see. It’s our family’s legacy!”

Rarity smiled, then finished the last of her stew. “Well, it’s certainly a nice sentiment and a wonderful dream, no matter what happens or how long it takes. Your mother most definitely cares for all the ponies under her rule a great deal, so I just know she’s giving it all she’s got.”

“So, this techno-magic or whatever it is ya called it, is that kind o’ like machines?” Bloom asked, scratching her head. “They just run on magic or somethin’?

“That’s exactly right, lass,” Sundial said. “That’s why gemstones power it. A proper gem is used as a focus for some o’ the more powerful spells that unicorns use, aye? Well, that same concept gets applied ta technology and makes it techno-magic. At least that’s we call it here. Some worlds call it ‘magitechnology’ or ‘artificing’… one even calls it ‘arcanotek’, but it’s all the same thing: machines made with and operating on magic.”

“Do different jewels do different things?” Rarity asked, genuinely curious. She’d never learned much on her last visit here, and there might be some information worth bringing back to give Twilight something to think—or rather, obsess—about.

“A wee bit, aye, but not really unless ye’re using some o’ the rarer, magical gems, like star prisms and the like. Otherwise ye can usually use a ruby or an emerald or whatever ye have on hoof.”

Bloom nodded appreciatively. “Wow, that’s some interestin’ stuff. How does it all work?”

“Eh, techno-magic isn’t really my thing, ta be honest with ye. Ye might want ta ask in Hope’s Point eventually about how all that, aye?”

Bloom looked to Bluebolt. “Do you know anythin’ ‘bout this stuff?”

Bluebolt shrugged. “I’m not exactly an engineer, and I never took much interest in learning a little about everything like my mom did. It’s too complicated for me.”

“What she means is, she hates reading,” Symphony said, flicking Bluebolt’s ear.

“I do not!”

Eventually, everypony’s breakfast was finished, everything was all packed up, and the group was ready to move onward.

Before they left, though, Sundial paused at the edge of the trail, a hoof above her eyes. She let out a small chuckle as she looked out onto the Expanse. “Oy, you lot, come and take a look over here,” she said, gesturing for the others to join her at the edge.

The group walked over near Sundial and gazed out over the Expanse as she was, following Sundial’s south-pointing hoof.

There, where she was pointing, an absolutely enormous storm was brewing several miles away, slowly moving in their direction. Crackling lighting streaked through the clouds at rapid, precise intervals. Even from this distance, the harsh winds in the storm were easy to see as they whipped and churned the clouds back and forth. A huge veil of fog and frost spread out from the bottom of the storm, billowing outwards a mile in front of it like the hem of a frilly ballroom gown.

“That,” Sundial continued, a smile forming on her lips, “is a thunderblizzard.”

“My oh my, that’s certainly quite a storm,” Rarity said, hoof to her mouth in awe.

“Hot dang, that thing’s huge,” Bloom noted, shaking her head. “Ya can’t even see through it!”

“That’s why we’re not heading near home yet,” Symphony said, addressing Rarity specifically. “That storm’s already completely covered Hope’s Point. Her Majesty will have shut down the harbor and everything, then gotten everypony underground to weather it out, just like we do every year.”

“That’s why we’re out here with Sundial this winter,” Bluebolt added with a smile. “We didn’t want to get stuck in the palace again. You’d get cabin fever in no time if you had to spend three months underground with my mom for company, heh.”

“Well, then I guess we should be thankful that we’re ahead of it,” Rarity noted. “I’m certainly glad we’re heading into the tunnels.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and just be more glad we didn’t get delayed too much more than we did. That storm will be ta this spot where we’re standing now by tomorrow morning at the absolute latest, and probably sooner if these damned winds pick up. If we hadn’t left when we did, we’d have ta take the northern tunnels and probably have ta pass through the Blood Mire.”

Rarity paled. “Oh dear, not that dreadful place. Is it still… you know, um… how do I put this—”

Sundial snorted, apparently amused. “Aye, it’s still a shitehole filled with all sorts o’ nasty things that I’m sure ye don’t want ta deal with ever again. I’ve only been there once since I took the position, and I’m not looking ta ever go back if I don’t need to.”

Bluebolt shuddered, clearly not from the cold. “Hoo boy, thank the stars we’re not going that way. Do you have any idea what my mom and dad would do to me if they found out I went through the Blood Mire after what happened to my dad when he was there? I’d never be allowed to leave the palace ever again!”

“Not that anything would ever happen to you on my watch,” Symphony noted, nudging Bluebolt slightly.

“Yeah, but my mom would keep me locked in my room just on principle, you know that. I couldn’t live like that.”

“I dunno, I could stand to be locked in a room with you for quite a while.”

“Well then it’s a bloody good thing you lot listened ta me well and good, aye?” Sundial smiled, clapping Bluebolt on the shoulder. “I wouldn’t be looking forward ta that rotten swamp very much either. I’d rather deal with hundreds o’ Kauldrons than go through that shite again.”

“I don’t know if I’d go that far, darling, but I understand the sentiment. It still amazes me that you do all of this navigating, route-planning, and scheduling without a map,” Rarity noted, giving Sundial an appreciative grin. “Tick Tock practically lived by that wonderful little map of hers, but you seem to do it all from memory. It’s impressive.”

“Aye, well, Tick Tock only had ta leave her cushy apartment a few times every year ta seal up a Void rift or two out in the old Wastelands. The only time I usually get ta stay at home for more than a few days is in the arse-end of the winter season, aye? I only take this trip in the first week or so o’ winter ta get a little work done.”

“Well, what happens if one of those rifts opens up in the middle of one of those dreadful storms?” Rarity asked, desperately glad theirs hadn’t opened in one. “Surely you’re not expected to go out into that thing and close it, are you?”

“Och, no, luckily they be complicated buggers, rifts. They don’t open up in the sky or under the sea where we can’t get ta them, or in the middle o’ some volcano, and not in the middle o’ some chaos storm like a thunderblizzard. I mean, can ye imagine if Tick Tock had ta go out inta the middle o’ the old Belt o’ Tranquility ta close a rift? She couldn’t, that’d be impossible.”

“Hmm… well, that’s lucky. I suppose it makes sense, too. I mean, how would you get to a rift if it decided to open up a mile underground, for example? Strange how it works like that.”

“Anyway, enough gabbing. We’ve got more walking ta do if we’re gonna get through this part o’ the pass.” Sundial gestured into the tunnel. “We’re passing through towards the northern end, where we loop around and take the underground tunnels straight inta Goldridge.”

“There’s an underground tunnel into Goldridge now?” Rarity asked with a smile. “Well, that certainly would’ve been useful years ago.”

“Aye, but it’s a more recent thing. We just finished it about five years and two months ago, give or take a day. You’ll love it, trust me. It’s real easy for traveling, with no snow or cold or wind ta worry about.”

A ferocious clap of thunder boomed through the air as the storm churned upwards about half a mile, as if it had a mind of its own.

Weaver took a small step back from the storm. His expression, easy to see since he wasn’t wearing the hood of his uniform, remained stoic, but it was clear from his eyes that the sound had definitely frightened him.

Flurry gave him a sympathetic look, putting her hoof on his shoulder. “Weaver, are you okay? You’re all jittery all of a sudden.”

“Yes,” he said in a calm monotone.

“Are ye sure about that, lad?” Sundial asked, setting a hoof on his other shoulder. “Ye looked spooked.”

“Yes.”

Sundial didn’t seem to buy it, but clearly didn’t want to push it either. “Well, probably best if we get moving then, aye? That storm won’t bother anypony once we get inta the tunnels.”

With nods from the others, the group headed on into the tunnels for what was hopefully the last leg of their current journey.

*****

It was about an hour or so after dinnertime the following evening when the group passed through yet another set of identical dark, winding tunnels under the Goldridge Mountains, which were exactly how Rarity remembered them. The walls and ceiling of the caverns were dotted with gemstones of all sizes, shapes, and colors, including some that were valuable, rare, or even magical. Much as she had before, Rarity secretly wondered if she could—or rather, should—try to gather some together for when she returned home. After all, she could make quite an impact on the fashion scene if she introduced a dress sequined with “otherworldly jewels”.

Sundial lead the way, of course, as she had been the entire journey, and Symphony was right behind her with her horn flared to light the way for everypony else. Rarity marveled again that Sundial knew every twist and turn through these many, many branching passages seemingly from memory. She didn’t hesitate for an instant to choose which fork to take, not even once. Her story made sense, certainly, but Rarity wondered if there was more to it than that.

Weaver, who trailed at the back of the group, didn’t seem bothered by the darkness one bit. If anything, Rarity thought that the earth pony seemed more comfortable in it, but that made a certain bit of sense. She’d tried talking to him once or twice over the journey across the Expanse, but he seemed so distant that it was hard to get anything out of him. But, since Flurry was trying her best to give this poor stallion another chance at life, Rarity was going to do what she could to help. If she could do it for Insipid, she could do it for Weaver.

“Weaver, darling, may I ask you a question?” she asked as they wandered along another bend in the path.

“Yes,” came his typically short reply.

“Your abilities. I’ve heard about another pony use something strikingly similar to them, and I was wondering how exactly is is you came about having them, if you know?”

“Magical infusion. Overseer Pedigree’s project. Specifics of process unknown.”

Rarity hummed in thought. “Hmm, I see. Well, it’s similar to unicorn magic, or even pegasus magic to a degree. In fact, the last pony I’m aware of with that ability was a pegasus. But, well, you’re an earth pony. It’s all very confusing.”

“Specifics of process unknown,” he repeated.

Rarity sighed. “Well, I appreciate the attempt, Weaver. Thank you.”

He tilted his head slightly. “You are… welcome.”

Flurry gasped in delight. “Oh my goodness, he’s never said ‘you’re welcome’ before. We’re getting somewhere, Rarity.”

“Yes, well, I certainly seem to bring out the best in ponies, don’t I?” Rarity laughed.

“What I wanna know is, how come he don’t got a cutie mark?” Bloom asked. “Now, I ain’t one ta judge nopony on the subject, y’all know that, but I ain’t never heard o’ nopony goin’ so long wit’out one before. How old is he, anyway?”

“A wee bit older than Symphony is,” Sundial said from the front. “My guess is twenty-three, but I can’t give an exact number o’ months or anything like that, aye?”

“You are correct,” Weaver said, looking at Sundial. “Based on comments from Overseer Pedigree, he oversaw participation in this particular project for twenty-three years: three years before collapse of Pandora Tower; ten years of combat and espionage training after infusion process; ten years in service afterwards.”

“Ya started trainin’ ta fight when y’all were three years old?!” Bloom blurted. “What in the hay is wrong wit’ that Overseer?!”

“Overseer Pedigree’s claims are that results are ‘wrong’, expressed disappointment that unicorn candidate did not make it to final stage of project. He is not ‘wrong’.”

“There were other candidates in this horrible project too?” Rarity asked, aghast.

“Correct. Thirty-three other candidates survived infusion process.”

“So, they’re like your brothers and sisters, sort of?” Flurry asked.

Weaver tilted his head. “Your question is unclear. Other candidates were not blood-related. Genetic diversity was paramount.”

Symphony grunted. “Great, there’s more of him out there. Meraviglioso. Just the news we needed to hear.”

“Incorrect. There are no other surviving candidates.”

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“Other candidates survived infusion process, participated in training. Training process culminated in selection of prime candidates via combat trial. Victor of the trial was chosen and given proper Shadow Project designation.”

Symphony frowned, seeming to piece together exactly what all of that meant. “Well, damn, that’s not the answer I was expecting.”

“I don’t really get it, what did all of that mean?” Flurry asked.

Bluebolt set her wing on Symphony’s shoulder before the latter could speak. “Let me, songbird. I’ve got more tact.” She cleared her throat. “What Weaver’s saying is, he learned to fight when he was very young, just like all the others in this ‘Shadow Project’. After they finished training, they picked the best fighter amongst them all to go forward.”

“And all the others?”

“They’re… probably not worth being concerned with anymore, Flurry. I’m sorry.”

Flurry frowned and hung her head. “Oh… I see…”

Symphony nudged Bluebolt. “That was supposed to be ‘tactful’?”

Bluebolt snorted and whispered back: “Better than saying ‘they’re all dead and he probably killed some of them himself’, like you were about to say.”

Rarity put her hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, darling. I can tell you wanted to try and help those other ponies too, if you could.”

“Aunt Twilight was right about this world in all those stories she told me,” Flurry sighed. “It really isn’t anything like ours, is it?”

Rarity paused, then shook her head. “Maybe not, dear, but it’s getting better from the sound of it. And you’re already making a difference of your own, aren’t you? Just focus on that, alright? Even if you couldn’t help all of those others, you’re helping Weaver.”

Flurry nodded. “Yeah… I’ll try to keep that in mind.”

As the group continued onwards, Rarity started seeing some very familiar sights, especially when they passed through one wide tunnel in particular, which opened out into a vast cavern filled with branching paths and topped by a high ceiling.

“I know this place…” she murmured, coming to a stop in the middle of a circular plateau near the middle of the cavern.

The rest of the group stopped with her. “Aye?” Sundial asked, eyebrow raised. “Ye said that ye came through here before, so it makes sense that things would start ta seem familiar eventually, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, of course, but I know this place in particular,” Rarity said firmly. “It’s not just familiarity, darling, it’s vivid recognition.”

She looked around the surrounding area, then gestured over towards the far northern wall where there was a huge, hideous gash in the rock, which didn’t look so much carved into the mountainside as it looked drilled into it, perhaps with the help of explosives.

“That wall there,” she continued, “that’s where Starlight Shadow blew a hole straight through the mountain when Tick Tock got a little too much on her nerves.”

Sundial chuckled. “Och, just a wee bit on her nerves, ye say? From how Tick Tock tells it, she bloody well pissed that mare off, aye? Sent her into a frothing rage with foam and everything, like a mad dog.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Well, yes, if you want to put it that way.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow and whistled, walking over to the hole to examine it. Even from here anypony could almost see out to the sky beyond as the hole somehow hadn’t sealed up properly after all these years. “Wow, Miss Shadow did that? I heard she was strong 'n' all but that’s mighty impressive. No wonder she kicked Queen Chrysalis’s butt straight inta the dirt.”

Rarity then gestured around the small clearing they were all standing in, and further out into the rest of the cavern. “This is where it all happened. Our first battle with our counterparts. Oh my, this is certainly bringing back memories. I can remember almost everything just like it happened yesterday.”

“That was, what, twenty-one years ago?” Symphony asked. “That’s a good memory you’ve got if you can remember it that well.”

“I’m more concerned that you seem to remember it fondly,” Bluebolt scoffed. “I’m not ever going to get over how baffling all that is.”

“Aw, don’t think of it like that, Bolt,” Symphony said, pulling Bluebolt close. “I recall every single detail from my first fight. Remember? We were incognito out on the surface five years ago, and that asino and his friends started making a pass at you because they didn’t know you were, y’know, you?”

Bluebolt smirked. “I mean, I remember the black eye you gave the big guy. And the chipped tooth you gave the other one.”

“So, same thing here. Rarity’s just remembering the site of her first real battle. Like a true guerriero.”

Rarity, ignoring the others, smiled and gestured towards another nearby wall. “Aha! Just over there is where Tick Tock and I stood against Insipid. The poor mare could barely form a protective barrier. She was so awful with magic back then. Why, if you were to tell me then that twenty-one years later I’d be asking her to be my housesitter, I’d tell you you were insane.”

“So even after all that they did to you, you still let them into your homes, too?” Bluebolt asked, still in disbelief. “I don’t know if I’ll ever understand how you can just let all that they did to you just slide like that. Mom still talks about what happened sometimes, and she doesn’t sound like she’s backing down from her ‘execute them if they ever come back’ stance.”

Rarity frowned and sighed. “And I sincerely doubt that anything I could say would convince her any more than it convinces you, but I suppose that’s just the way of things where we’re from. Like Flurry said about Weaver, we’re the sort of ponies that are always willing to give other ponies a second chance at life, be it learning from mistakes, or recovering from a horrible upbringing.”

Flurry gave Weaver a little smile and pat his shoulder. “And I wouldn’t change that for anything, either.”

Weaver didn’t react much, though he did seem to realize he was being spoken about as his ears were flitting whenever his name was mentioned.

Sundial paused, then drew her pocket watch out of her coat pocket. It was shaking subtly, and when she opened it, there was a dim green glow coming from it. “Bloody hell, a Void rift, now? Shite, it’d better be close, or I’m gonna just tell HQ to kiss my arse and find a damned replacement. This is abuse, is what it is.”

She held the pocket watch up and started moving around with it to get an accurate reading, then gestured off towards the northeast passage when she got something. “Right then, it’s not too bad. Just a slight detour, everypony, sorry, but I’ve got ta get this bloody thing handled.”

“Should we just make camp here and wait for you?” Rarity asked.

“No, not this time. Seeing as we’re not expecting company, hopefully, ye’re all coming with me, aye? We can make camp afterwards, probably somewhere more comfortable.”

Rarity looked off to the northeast, where Sundial was pointing. “Hang on now, I know where that tunnel leads, too. That leads to the old Gryphon Ruins, doesn’t it?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye, it does.” She smiled in understanding. “Och, that’s right, ye went there after yer wee scuffle here, didn’t ye? Tick Tock mentioned something about that, though she was a wee bit shy with the details.”

“Yes, we did, and it was quite an… interesting experience, that much is for certain.” Rarity cleared her throat and smiled. “But enough walking down memory lane. You said we might have to go on a little detour, possibly through the old ruins? That won’t affect our itinerary too negatively, I hope?”

“No, not at all, not unless we get delayed by another whole bloody day, aye? That’d require one hill o’ shite ta hit the fan, and nopony’s that unlucky, not even Tick Tock.” She shook her head. “Still, I’d rather not piss about here flapping our gums like old hens talking about their grandkids, so let’s get a move on.”

The group followed Sundial away from the main pathway they’d been traveling along and headed out of the wide cavern and off towards the northwest, through another series of short, twisting tunnels.

Further ahead, they came across a rather interesting sight. A minor cave-in had blocked off the path ahead of them with a mountain of small rocks. Easy to move rocks, yes, but there were so many of them that it would take a single pony the better part of two days to make a path wide enough for them to move through.

As it turned out, there just so happened to be a pony attempting to do exactly that, a golden-orange unicorn mare with a short, wavy, bi-colored mane of sea green and mint green. She was wearing a greenish-brown safari vest loaded with pockets, and a matching pith helmet on her head. Her cutie mark, incidentally, was the exact same pith helmet, as well as a magnifying glass. Strangely, she carried no saddlebags with her to carry any supplies.

Rarity was rather instantly reminded of Daring Do, not that she ever read those books much herself, but Rainbow still did. For half a moment she thought this newcomer was the real deal, Daring Do in the flesh.

That, of course, was impossible, not unless the world-famous writer-archaeologist somehow ended up transported to this world without anypony back home knowing about it. Then again, with all the alternate worlds out there that Rarity was aware of, maybe this was another world’s Daring Do, even this one’s? No, that wasn’t it, this was just an uncanny resemblance, and really that was just because of the outfit. The mare’s colors were totally different and she was a unicorn, not a pegasus.

“Oy, you over there!” Sundial called as the group approached the new mare. “Who are ye, and what are ye doing here?”

“Holy moley!” The other mare practically flew into the air in surprise, and she wasn’t even a pegasus, so that was quite impressive. “Geez laweez, you scared me half to death there, miss. Don’t you know not to go sneaking up on ponies in the dark like that?”

Sundial chuckled politely. Rarity was glad to see Sundial seemed to be getting a bit better about her attitude. Just a bit. “Och, sorry about that, didn’t mean ta frighten ye, lass. Now, would ye kindly answer the question, please? Who are ye, and what are ye doing here?”

The other mare proudly puffed out her chest. “My name’s Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes ma’am, and that’s the truth. As for what I’m doing here, I’m trying to clear out all these rocks so I can get into the old Gryphon Ruins and search for treasure, or ancient texts, or anything I can find, really.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Uh huh. Lass, ye know that those ruins have been raided so many times in the past few hundred years that there’s nothing left ta find in there but dust and cobwebs, aye?”

“Pshaw, there’s nothing that can escape the keen eye of the one-and-only Venture!” Venture said giving a confident smile. “It doesn’t matter if I don’t find anything but the teeniest, tiniest scrap of information. If it’s new, it’s a treasure to me.”

“Aye, whatever ye say, lass.” Sundial rolled her eyes and gestured to the others that she thought this new mare was, quite simply, crazy.

“Well now that we’ve got that all sorted out, who are you, by the way?” Venture said, offering her hoof politely. “And, uh… I guess, what are you doing here? It’s only fair that we’re on the same page, right?”

Sundial took Venture’s hoof and gave it a brief shake. “The name’s Sundial, and I’m here on a job, so ta say. A wee bit complicated ta explain right now, but let’s just say that ye might be right about there being something in those ruins, only it’s not exactly something that ye’d want ta find. Dangerous, aye?”

“Oooh, mysterious danger,” Venture chuckled. “That’s right up my alley, if I can toot my own horn for a minute.” She glanced behind Sundial and saw the others of the group, to whom she gave a smile and a wave. “Wow, you sure do travel with quite an entourage there, Miss Sundial. Who are all your friends?”

Introductions were made down the line, from Symphony at the front down to Weaver at the rear. Venture seemed rather pleased to meet all these new ponies, and Rarity noticed she seemed particularly interested in Flurry Heart and herself.

“My name’s Flurry Heart,” Flurry said when it was her turn in line. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Venture.”

As Venture took Flurry’s hoof and shook, she had an awestruck grin on her face, as if she’d just walked into a surprise party meant for her. “Wow, Miss Heart, you sure are a pretty mare, has anypony ever told you that? And you’re so tall, too! Why, I bet you get all sorts of gentlecolt callers, you lucky girl you.”

Flurry blushed, clearly unsure how exactly to take the compliment, if it even was a compliment. Rarity would’ve taken it as one. “W-well, thank you. Uh… not really, though, on that last part. At least not yet. My dad kind of scared all the colts way while I was growing up, not that there actually were many.”

In Rarity’s case, Venture was merely more than polite, almost… familiar? Rarity wasn’t sure if that was the right word or not, but when Venture spoke with her as they introduced themselves, it was as if they were already well-acquainted. Or was that just her interpretation, since the mare’s outfit was familiar? Either way, there was something about the mare’s eyes just made Rarity feel warm and cozy. It was hard to put her hoof on the sensation.

“So, you guys are all going into the ruins too?” Venture asked once introductions were made, smiling at the group and keeping a genuinely pleasant tone. Rarity had been lured into a false sense of security once before by a friendly face, but this was different, somehow. “Seeking some kind of dangerous adventure?”

“That’s the gist of it, aye,” Sundial said. She gestured towards the blockage in the path. “Looks like we need ta get our hooves dirty first, though, if we’re gonna get through.”

“Oh yeah, well, if you guys want to give me some help clearing all this rubble, I’d really appreciate it.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “I suppose if we must.”

What would take one pony, even a strong one, the better part of two days to clear took significantly less with eight, especially when they had Weaver’s physical strength and Flurry’s potent magic assisting them. It only took about four hours to do, in fact, and that was accounting for the group taking rests in intervals. Only Weaver worked steadily throughout, as he didn’t seem to get tired at all, or if he did, he didn’t complain or show it.

“Ye don’t have ta keep going, lad,” Sundial said as Weaver lifted rock after rock out of the way towards the end of the job. “Take a break and get some rest before ye keel over.”

“Unnecessary,” he said in his usual calm monotone.

“Are ye sure? I don’t want ye overexerting yerself there, aye?”

“Unnecessary.”

Sundial tilted her head and grinned. “Well, if that’s how ye’re gonna be, lad, then far be it from me ta tell ye otherwise. Keep up the good work, I suppose.”

Once the tunnel was cleared enough that the group could get through, they wasted no time in doing so, moving into the tunnel with some gusto and excitement.

*****

It was late at night when the group finally found the Void rift that Sundial’s watch had detected, which was far inside of a long hallway. The rift was relatively small compared to the one that had brought Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry to this world, but despite its size it was most certainly a rather powerful one, judging by the tremendously bright glow coming from Sundial’s watch.

The sheer windforce the rift generated threatened to pull in anything and everything that was even remotely loose. Thanks to Sundial’s pocket watch, though, the group was well-shielded from the effects of the pull. Not even Apple Bloom’s hairbow fluttered in the breeze.

“This is bloody odd, it is,” Sundial muttered as she checked her watch’s readings now that she was right next to the anomaly. “Void rifts have never appeared in the ruins before now. They’d have ta be extraordinarily powerful ta get through this place’s natural magical auras and such, aye?”

“And that little device of yours is telling you it’s powerful, I take it?” Venture asked, peeking over Sundial’s shoulder. “Its glowing pretty brightly.”

Sundial pulled the watch closer to her chest so that Venture couldn’t get a good look. “Aye, that it is, lass. Do ye mind not getting so close?”

Rarity glanced around the hall as the group walked closer towards the rift. While they could wait at the end of the hall if they wanted, it seemed that staying near Sundial right now was the better option. “This hallway looks strangely familiar. I’m positive I’ve walked down this exact hall before. Hmm...”

“Ye’ve been saying that shite every other hallway we’re in, Rarity,” Sundial snorted. “We get it, ye’ve been here before, so can ye just keep it ta yerself already? You’re driving me up the bloody wall with all that, aye?”

Rarity raised her nose in the air, indignant. “Well, forgive me for feeling a bit nostalgic, dear. A little trip down memory lane never hurt anypony.”

Sundial rolled her eyes, then held her pocket watch up and twisted a dial on it. The Void rift immediately started closing. “See, there we go, just a wee detour and we’re all back ta normal, aye? We can camp here in the ruins and then get back ta our old route without too much trouble.”

Venture eyed the watch with more interest now. “Wow, what did you just do? Is that watch of yours some sort of magical artifact?” She gasped. “Is that a gryphon artifact? Is that why you’re here? To learn more about it? Can I study it? What’s it called? Does it have—”

“Bloody hell, lass, ease up off there, aye?” Sundial chided. Venture was practically nose-to-nose with her in her attempt to get closer to the watch, which Sundial was keeping just out of reach. “It’s none o’ yer business what it is, that’s what.”

“Aww, c’mon now, don’t be a stick in the mud, Sundial,” Venture groaned. “Just tell me one thing about it, something, anything. I’m so curious that I could burst! Please? Just a little?”

“Och, fine, fine, just back up a wee bit, lass, and give me some room, aye?””

Venture immediately pulled ong big step back and saluted like a soldier. “Yes ma’am!”

Sundial took a breath. “If ye must know, it’s proper name is a Timekeeper, because it keeps time. So there, that’s one thing I told ye, now ye can leave me alone—”

Venture gasped. “A Timekeeper? Oh wow, that sounds neat! Does it do anything besides tell time and whatever you did to that weird portal thing? Does it have a flashlight? Does it take batteries? Does it—”

“Lass! Enough!” Sundial shouted. “Bloody hell, ye just don’t stop, do ye?”

“Sorry, sorry. I'm just curious, that’s all. I love discovering new things, y’know? It’s not an adventure if you didn’t learn something out of it all, so even if I didn’t find anything in the ruins now, I at least found out about that neat little watch of yours.” Venture tapped her chin in thought. “Hmm… now I have to think of someplace else to explore.”

“You’re welcome to come along with us if you’d like, Miss Venture,” Flurry said with a polite smile, despite Sundial’s disapproving look. “We’re heading to Goldridge after this, so I’m sure there’s bound to be an adventure or two along the way.”

Venture thought on this, then smiled and nodded. “Sure, that sound great! I was just gonna camp in the caves for the next couple of months, what with the winter storms moving up north and all. But, seeing as this place is just as empty as they said it was gonna be, I don’t think I’ll find anything else useful. And I’d love to learn more about that watch!”

Sundial tucked the watch into her pocket with a grunt. “Aye, I bet ye would…”

As the Void rift shrunk down to about the size of an apple, Rarity was able to see clearly beyond where it had been. Behind the rift was a perfectly clean metal slab blocking the way further into the hall, made of some exquisite material that didn’t cake with dirt like the nearby walls did. Even though the rift was still distorting the light, she could just make out small, strange markings on the slab.

She narrowed her eyes to try and get a better look, and that’s when the realization hit. “Oh, wait, I know exactly where we are,” she breathed excitedly.

Sundial groaned. “Ye bloody well said that right when we walked inta the damned hallway—”

As soon as the Void rift closed completely, the entire hallway shook with a low rumble, not enough to throw anypony off-balance, but enough to draw attention that something was off.

“Uh oh…” Bloom muttered, taking a step back into Rarity. “This can’t be good.”

The metal slab glowed a shockingly bright purple, and intense magical energy streaked out along the floor like lightning as the magic held within it was allowed to go free. The entire hallway glowed the same purple hue for a brief moment and tiny sparks of magic danced through the air.

The group turned to move, but to their surprise, they were held fast to the floor. A brief panic began to set in.

Rarity, however, was all smiles. “Never you worry, everypony. Everything will be just—”

The entire group vanished in a bright light.

*****

“—fine,” Rarity finished.

The transition was instantaneous. The group now found themselves in a massive chamber, not nearly as dark or dirty as the hallways of the ruins. Magical torches kept the room lit with green light, and the material used to make the place was as clean as if it were brand new. Two grandiose gryphon statues, each fifteen ponies tall, flanked a large doorway leading further ahead. One gryphon was armed and armored, the other dressed in robes and holding a book.

The room was a perfect square with odd runic markings spread along the floor. One marking on the still-glowing section of floor they were standing upon looked strikingly similar from Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart’s perspectives: a more symmetrical version of Princess Twilight’s cutie mark, identical down to the color, though missing the extra sparkles surrounding the main starbursts.

Sundial glanced around in a huff, as if ready to fight anything that came near. “Alright, where the bloody hell are we?! Who’s big idea was this then, aye?! Show yerself! I’ll kick yer arse!”

Rarity chuckled and stepped forward, setting a hoof on Sundial’s shoulder to calm the jittery pegasus. “Relax, Sundial, we’re safe here.”

Sundial looked at Rarity, who was perfectly calm and cordial despite the situation. She took a short breath. “How are ye so bleeding relaxed right now?”

“Because I know exactly where we are, and like I said, it’s someplace safe. No need to get all in a tizzy over things, hmm?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Ye do? Where are we then?”

“It’s a place that the gryphons called the ‘Sanctuary’. It’s a sort of… let’s see, how did Twilight describe it? A miniature... pocket dimension? Yes, that’s it. Like opening the closet and finding that it’s bigger on the inside.”

“Aye, is that so? I know that sort o’ magic, so if that’s what ye say it is…” Sundial shook her head. “And ye say ye’ve been here before, then? On yer last little adventure then?”

Rarity raised her eyebrow, confused as to why Sundial was so disbelieving. “Indeed I have, dear. Didn’t Tick Tock mention it?”

“Och, no, she didn’t.”

“Hmm, that’s odd. Seems like a bit of an oversight to me.”

Sundial scoffed. “Aye, cheers lass, it must’ve just slipped her mind ta mention that ye lot visited a bloody pocket dimension last time ye came around this way.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “Hmph… well, to be fair, Tick Tock herself wasn’t present with us here. We got separated, so maybe that’s why she didn’t say anything?”

Sundial paused, then took a breath. “Aye, that makes a wee bit o’ sense. She wouldn’t want ta tell me about something she didn’t experience firsthoof, because that’s hearsay, aye? Still, it might’ve helped if she’d at least mentioned something.” She paused again, then scratched her chin. “Sorry. This all just comes as a shock, aye?”

“No worries, darling, it was quite shocking to my friends and I the first time it happened to us,” Rarity said, patting Sundial’s shoulder. “Come along then, follow me. The way forward isn’t particularly complicated, but it’s quite interesting.”

“Wait wait, hold on a sec,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head. “I want to make sure we’re all on the same page here before we go wandering off into the unknown, because I’m having a bit of a moment here trying to figure out what the hell just happened.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Okay?”

“So, uh, we just got teleported or something into this big room that Sundial has no idea about, which was just after exploring these dusty old ruins that nopony’s really been through for centuries, and out of all of the ponies here, you, Rarity, have already been here before, and you know that it’s safe because of your last visit, so now we’re just going to follow you into a place we don’t know anything about just because you say it’s okay?”

Rarity paused, then nodded. “Yes,” was her Weaver-like response.

Bluebolt just stared at her for a long moment, then shrugged in acceptance. “Alright, fair enough. Just wanted to be clear.”

“Well, if Rarity says it’s okay, then I believe her,” Bloom said, stepping forward to move proudly by Rarity’s side.

“Me too,” agreed Flurry with a bright smile. “Lead the way, Rarity. We’ve got your back.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you, girls. I appreciate it.”

“Shoot, I’m just glad that we’ve finally found some places where you’ve been through before,” Bloom added with a nudge. “That means things should be easier, right?”

The group gathered together, then headed for the big doorway. Rarity used her magic to push it open, though it did require a great deal of effort. Twilight had made it look completely effortless so many years ago, but Rarity had to struggle a little to do the same and it sort of diminished the grand effect she was going for, at least in her mind. She wasn’t sure if it was because Twilight was stronger, or if the door had just responded to Twilight better.

Still, as they passed through the huge archway, the group found themselves in another long, dark hallway. The lights from the earlier room did not reach easily further inside, which Rarity found odd, as she was sure they’d done so before.

On the left wall of the hallway were several standing displays holding objects of interest, mostly old techno-magic devices created by the ancient gryphons in service of their needs complete with plaques describing their purposes.

On the right wall were several elaborate engravings depicting gryphon history, which was more accurately world history from their perspective, all the way up until shortly before their extinction. That event was not covered or even hinted at as it had caught them completely by surprise.

Bloom noticed something odd as she started reading the plaque under one of the murals. “I think they spelt ‘griffin’ wrong. Why’s it all spelled like that, wit’ a ‘ypho’ instead o’ ‘iffi’?”

“That’s just how they spell the name here, aye?” Sundial explained, coming up beside Bloom to eye the plaque, which described how gryphons first discovered magic in this world. “It’s an older spelling, based on the phonetics o’ the word. Our world’s—” She paused, giving a quick look at Venture, who seemed very interested in the discussion. “Och, I mean… uh… shite, how ta word this? Um…”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Why are ya actin’ all funny all of a sudden?”

Sundial smiled at Venture briefly as she pulled Bloom into a tight huddle. Rarity couldn’t hear what they were saying, but watched with keen interest.

“Tell me what?” Venture said, having just come up beside them.

Sundial didn’t leap up, just casually pulled herself out of the little huddle she had with Bloom. “Och, nothing, lass. Just having a wee conversation with my friend here about how the word ‘griffin’ might be a more modern spelling o’ the word, but the race themselves spelled it ‘gryphon’ and they’ve been extinct for hundred o’ years. Languages evolve, aye?”

Venture smiled politely. “Oh right, of course. I knew that, since I study history and all. I mean, you could’ve asked me and I would’ve told you everything you just said, no need for little secret huddles. Kind of weird to be having a secret huddle about that subject though, don’t you think?”

Sundial narrowed her eyes, but kept up a cocky smile to save face. “Aye, that’s right, I forgot ye were some sort o’ archaeologist or something like that.”

“Forgot? It’s only been a few hours—”

“What’s yer particular field o’ speciality, if I might ask?”

“Oh, well, that’s easy,” Venture said, puffing out her chest. “I’m mostly interested in learning all about the ancient cultures—pony or not—and their interactions with one another, especially the ones that aren’t around anymore, so especially the gryphons.”

“So ye don’t study the kirin, or the hippogriffs, or the seaponies?”

“Psh, no, they’re too recent! From what I’ve heard, they only started showing up in the world when I was just a kid, y’know? They don’t exactly have ancient histories, or if they do, they’re not sharing.” Venture cleared her throat. “Anyway, the gryphons are particularly fascinating to me because they studied all sorts of magic that no pony really specializes in.

“I mean, I’ve studied some of the ancient texts that managed to get smuggled out of here in the past few hundred years, even though that stuff is super hard to come by. Supposedly, when the gryphons lived down south, their studies put them in contact with a lot of interesting individuals. For example, some texts mention that the gryphons were in contact with a secret order of ponies that specialized in time magic. Chronomancy, being the official term.”

Sundial’s cocky smile faltered a little. “Aye?”

“Yeah, and these ‘Chronomancers’ or whatever weren’t even all unicorns! Just imagine: non-unicorn ponies using magic like that? It’s pretty neat stuff.”

Sundial tugged her collar. “And what do these texts tell ye about these, uh… ‘Chronomancers’?”

“Not a whole lot since they were pretty secretive from how the gryphons described them, but they dealt with all sorts of weird things that the gryphons were pretty blatantly told to keep hush-hush about. Stuff like…” Venture looked about to see if anypony was listening, which was a silly gesture considering everypony was at this point. “Other worlds. Y’know… aliens.”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “Och, is that so? And ye said ye got all o’ this from reading ancient texts?”

“Of course! The gryphons couldn’t help themselves from writing things down in private journals, apparently. So much for that ‘secret’,” Venture chuckled.

“And would ye happen ta know where I could find these ‘texts’ o’ yers, lass? Just for interest’s sake?”

Venture tilted her head. “Uh, well—”

“Here we are, darlings!” Rarity called from the front of the group, having just reached another large door. “This here is the way forward, just past this door. Though I must warn you, there’s a bit of a ‘trial’ on the other side to ensure that we’re worthy of passing through. Not much more than a test of sorts.”

She gently pushed on the door with her magic, but it didn’t budge. “Hmm? That’s odd. It seems as though the door is stuck.” She tried again. Still, nothing

“Maybe ye just aren’t strong enough ta push it open?” Sundial suggested, coming forward to help, but not before shooting Venture a glare. “Here, let me lend ye a hoof.”

Sundial pushed as well, with Rarity’s help, but it still didn’t budge.

“Well, how about that? That’s a sturdy door if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Hmm… ah, I think I see the problem,” Rarity said. She gestured at the curious engravings in the door. “Last time I was here, these markings were all lit up because of Twilight’s magic. She apparently has a unique magical signature that the Sanctuary responded to. They’re not responding to us now, though. In fact, nothing here is lit up or responding like it was before. This is very odd.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “I thought ye said ye’d been here before?”

“I was, but I had Twilight and the others along with me, so things were a little different last time. Drat. There must be a way to open this door without Twilight’s magic.” Rarity tapped her temple in thought. “Think, Rarity, think. What would Twilight do?”

Symphony scoffed and gave a cocky grin to the others. “C’mon, it’s just a door, guys. If pushing it open doesn’t work, that most likely means that it’s just locked up tight. And, if you need to get through a locked door, what are your only two options?”

Bluebolt followed up the question, a proud grin on her face. “Either you pick the lock—but only if you’ve got the time and the tools—or, if you don’t, you bust the door down. Bam!”

“Right, and since I’m not seeing any locks on this door to even attempt to pick… ” Symphony cracked her neck and rolled her shoulders. “That means we’ve gotta break it down, fillies… and gentlecolt. Old-school style. Badda-bing, badda-boom.”

Rarity frowned and shook her head. “I don’t think damaging the door is going to do us any favors going forward, darling. There must be another way.”

“Do you have any better ideas?”

“Well… no, not really. But—”

“Then we do this my way.” Symphony turned to Weaver. “Yo, Weaver, you’re a strong guy, right?”

Weaver turned to face her. “Yes.”

“Well, help me break this sucker down then.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Symphony, ye’re not even the strongest unicorn in the group at the moment, aye?” She gestured toward Flurry politely. “That’d be her. So if ye need ta break it down, maybe ye ought ta leave it ta the stronger unicorn.”

Flurry pointed at herself. “You want me to help with this?”

“O’ course, lass. Ye’re pretty strong in the magic department, especially compared ta this wee one here, aye?”

Symphony snorted and huffed, clearly offended. “Okay, hey, no offense to cherry blossoms here, but there comes a time and a place when pure power ain’t everything, capische? You need to have finesse, know-how, and esperienza. And I’ve got loads of the stuff when it comes to this. I learned how to break doors down when I was twelve.”

Sundial held up her hooves and chuckled. “Fair play ta you, lass. If ye’re so keen on it, then let’s see what ye’ve got.”

Symphony turned to Weaver and tilted her head towards the door. “Okay, Weaver, you and me are going to work together to bust the door down.”

Weaver nodded. “Understood.”

“So, on the count of three, you’re gonna slam into the door—with your shoulder, not your head—as hard as you can, at the same time as I hit it with my magic.”

“Understood.”

“Okay, good. So, here we go.” She lit up her horn and shrouded the door in a field of light. “One—”

Weaver got in front of the door and settled into a charging position.

“Two—”

The others stepped back to get out of the way.

“Three!”

Weaver leapt forward and struck the door at the same time that Symphony’s magic gave it a hard push. Between the two of them and the force they put into their effort, the door gave just enough to creak open ever-so-slightly. It was enough that, when Symphony pushed again, the door swung open wide, revealing the way forward.

“See?” Symphony said, scuffing her hoof against her chest. “Pezzo di torta.”

Sundial clapped slowly. “Well done, lass. Well done.”

Rarity stepped forward and looked behind the door now that it was open, and frowned at the sight. There was just another dark hallway beyond, though this one was completely empty. She couldn’t see far enough to tell if there was anything much further ahead. “That’s odd… there’s supposed to be a room here filled with all sorts of puzzle contraptions.”

“I thought ye said ye’ve been here before?” Sundial asked. “Now what’s different?”

“I was here before, I swear it, and there was a room here when I was. The hallway here looks exactly the same as the one on the other side, but there was supposed to be a whole room in between them.”

“So, where’s the room then? Whole rooms don’t just get up and walk away, lass.”

“I… I don’t know,” Rarity muttered.

“Och, bloody hell. Maybe the pocket dimension is acting funny. Sometimes it happens if ye jostle the access point, it shakes the whole bloody thing out o’ whack.”

“Hmm… maybe. There was a Void rift right at the entrance, wasn’t there? Could that have thrown things off?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“I don’t like this,” Bluebolt said to Symphony. “I’ve seen enough movies to know this is probably leading us straight into a bad time, I just know it.”

“Well then you just stick by me, Bolt,” Symphony said, stepping up beside her. “I’m sure we’re just overreacting and that nothing’s gonna go wrong, but if it does, I’ll protect you.”

“Well, we might as well just get movin’ forward, right?” Bloom suggested, moving towards the door.

“I suppose so, dear,” Rarity sighed. “Still, this is very strange. I do hope everything’s alright…”

The group passed through the doorway into the hall beyond, and almost immediately, Symphony called out: “Don’t move!”

Rarity stopped moving instantly. “Hmm? What is it?”

Symphony came up right next to Rarity and gently pulled the other mare’s hoof back from the tile she was about to step on. “Phew, that was close.” She gestured towards the tile cautiously. “Booby-trapped.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “What? Booby-trapped?”

“Yup, classic stuff, actually,” Symphony said, getting down low and gesturing at the subtle difference in color between this tile and those around it. “Luckily this stuff’s all old, so it’s easier to notice differences in colors and textures. Heh, I figured you’d be good at this sort of thing, Rarity.”

Rarity scoffed. “I am, dear, I just wasn’t paying attention to that sort of thing right this moment, now, was I? Why would I be?”

“Because more than once ye’ve said that ye’ve been here before, so ye should know about traps and the lot, aye?” Sundial suggested, eyebrow raised. “Care ta mention why ye didn’t let us know that bit o’ information a wee bit sooner?”

“No no, this is all wrong,” Rarity said, shaking her head in disbelief, or rather, unacceptance. “There weren’t any traps or anything like that when we came through here last time! There was a room with a puzzle test in it! This is all wrong,” she muttered, hanging her head in worry. “Something is terribly wrong here.”

“Maybe Symphony’s just gettin’ jumpy?” Bloom suggested, putting a hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “No offense, but if Rarity says there ain’t any traps, then there ain’t any traps. She’s been before, y’know?”

Symphony glanced at Bloom, then curled her mouth in a tight smirk. She gently pressed her hoof on the tile.

From the wall, an arc of electricity crackled out of an unseen hole and impacted the wall opposite from it, leaving a scorch mark, only missing Rarity by a few inches. Had she stepped on the tile as she was walking, it would’ve hit her in the neck.

Rarity paled. “Wh-what in the world?!”

“See?” Symphony said. “Booby-trapped. I mean, the lightning bolt is an odd one—I’d expect a dart or something—but still, booby-trapped.”

“This can’t be right! There weren’t any traps last time!” Rarity shouted, looking back desperately at the others for any signs of reassurance. “There… there was a puzzle room! I swear it on my boutique! On my mane!”

Sundial sighed. “Great, well, guess we’re stuck moving through booby-trapped halls then, aye? Wonderful, just what I needed—”

Symphony huffed, and rather loudly at that. “Guys, guys, please. You’re all getting a little carried away here. You forget: I spotted the trap. In fact,” she said, turning around and lighting her horn to illuminate the hall, her eyes darting about, “I see a few more down the hall. Nessun problema, I’ll take care of this.”

“That’s my girl!” Bluebolt cheered.

“Can’t the pegasi in the group just fly over them?” Flurry asked.

Symphony shook her head and gestured at the walls higher up, which seemed to have small holes in them. A simple light was enough to show that the holes had thin strings connecting them in a web of unique patterns that were nearly impossible to see, and just as difficult to maneuver through.

“Gryphons built this place, didn’t they?” Symphony suggested. “Makes sense that they’d keep the higher up portions trapped, too. They had wings, right?”

Flurry frowned. “Hmm… well, that’s disappointing. We could’ve had Sundial fly overhead and drop things on the tiles to activate the traps prematurely.”

“I wish that were the case, but good idea anyway.” Symphony pulled Rarity back and took point in front of the group, then turned back towards the others. “Okay, just follow directly behind me, capische? Take it slow so you don’t bump into each other, but just follow along. We’ll get through this.”

Compared to how she’d expected this to go, Rarity was, to be perfectly frank, utterly baffled and dismayed. She was supposed to be leading her friends along here through a few little trials. And while she wasn’t one hundred certain on how to get through them perfectly, they were at the very least safe, relatively speaking, and where she knew precisely what not to do.

It was supposed to be easy. Well, relatively speaking. Three doors, three trials. For the first trial, the objective was simple: just don’t touch the big button that says “Do Not Touch”. Rainbow had, of course, done just that last time they were here, despite protests. The actual solution was, as far as Rarity knew, just opening the door on the other side and not touching anything.

The second trial had been a timed quiz of sorts, and this group seemed to have plenty of smart mares in it that might be of use getting past the questions that proved difficult, particularly Venture and her knowledge of history. Worst case scenario she’d have to get used to somepony else’s mane for a while, unless somepony here knew a spell like Twilight for fixing up manes instantaneously like before.

The third trial…

Well, she and her friends had all agreed to never talk about the third trial. She didn’t remember what the trial itself was since she’d placed it so far out of her mind. She didn’t even remember what they’d done incorrectly to make them want to forget all about what had happened.

However, the situation certainly wasn’t supposed to have Rarity and the others following along behind Symphony to avoid stepping on a trapped tile, not knowing if the wall was going to shoot darts, or open up to reveal a spinning saw blade, or spew a torrent of fire, or worse, shoot a spinning, bladed dart that was also on fire. This was supposed to be… well, the same. Everything else was supposed to be different, this was supposed to be the same.

Still, at least Symphony was good at what she did, and led the group down the long, long hallway without too much fuss apart from the slow pace. Every now and then Symphony had to pause to figure out a route around a trap, and had Weaver—who was able to move through the darkness without triggering the traps—assisted in disabling them. Between the pair, it was somewhat smooth-sailing. The gryphons certainly hadn’t expected a clever unicorn and an earth pony with shadow powers to come through.

Rarity grumbled that there weren’t even any further doors to lead to probably nonexistent trials. Just a long, booby-trapped hallway. It was all rather boring, actually, not that she was complaining about that fact. More that she was complaining to herself that she’d lost the opportunity to feel like she was contributing something besides moral support.

At the end of the hallway, though, things finally got back to normal as far as Rarity remembered. She was relieved to see that even though the trials had been replaced or misplaced or whatever was wrong, what lay beyond them was still very much the same.

Her horn felt all aflutter as latent magical energy filled the air, brimming with every possible school of magical study in existence. Rarity hadn’t exactly gotten more magically powerful in the past twenty-one years, but she’d grown more in tune with her magical energies thanks to training with Twilight and Shadow, so she could feel the energy more strongly than before.

In Rarity’s case, she could still vaguely remember how it felt last time, like having somepony—preferably somepony very special—give her the most sensual deep-tissue massage imaginable, while also being submerged in a soothing mud bath and getting a pedicure at the same time, no matter how impossible all of that was. A full spa treatment, all at once, concentrated entirely within her horn. It was absolutely intoxicating.

The other unicorns—and alicorn—in the group seemed to sense the magic as well and reacted similarly.

“Okay… okay, wow, what in the blue hell is that?” Symphony asked, licking her lips in excitement. “My horn feels like, uh… wow.” She glanced at Bluebolt, who had come up beside her. “It feels like when you do that, uh… that thing—” She then whispered something in Bluebolt’s ear with a sultry smile.

Bluebolt turned red. “O-oh? Really? You’re not gonna, uh… y’know, right here, are you? There’re ponies watching.”

Symphony shook her head, a giddy smile on her face. “No, but now I’m looking forward to getting back to Goldridge. I know what we’re doing when we get back, pecha.”

“Whatever it is, it feels all… tingly,” Flurry said, closing her eyes and grinning like she was in a warm, comfortable bath, alone with her thoughts despite being surrounded by others. “This is just… wow, it’s hard to describe. I’ve never felt anything like it before.”

Bluebolt snickered. “Well, if Symphony’s reaction is anything to go by, you’ve been missing out on quite a lot in life.”

“Huh?”

Rarity cleared her throat. “Never you mind, darling.”

Sundial glanced at Venture, who seemed not to be reacting like the others whatsoever, or even much at all really. “Oy, how about you, lass? Ye want ta share with the rest o’ the class if your horn’s feeling all ‘special’ right now?”

Venture tilted her head. “Huh? Oh! Yeah, it feels great. Just great. Like they said.”

Sundial paused, then snorted. “Bloody unicorns…”

The hallway led to an absolutely gigantic chamber, its ceiling and floor so far above and below that they could see nothing but darkness. The hallway connected directly to a bridge made of magical light that crossed the abyss.

Massive columns made of pure, potent, beautiful magical energy stood all around them, starting from the unseen below and reaching into the unknown above. Every shaft was a different color and each had its own unique fluctuation. A bluish-white one to the left crackled like lightning; a scarlet one to the right flowed like liquid magma; a green one ahead snaked about like vines.

“Okay, this is new,” Sundial muttered, glancing about in wonder. “What in the bloody hell is all this?”

Rarity tittered, glad to be back in the know, so to speak. “Every single school of magic is represented here by one of those columns. I’m afraid I’m not as well-versed as Twilight is on the varying schools, of course, so I couldn’t possibly name them all, but they’re all here in their purest form.”

“That’s… wow, alright, that’s pretty amazing. What are they here for, though?”

“For study, of course,” Venture said with a proud smile. “The gryphons were the most well-versed magical scholars in the world during their time and knew just about every single magical secret there was to know. Why, I bet if there was a magical problem today, the gryphons either already found a solution to it centuries ago or they could figure something out in no time.”

“If they were still around, that is,” Sundial pointed out. “But they’re extinct, sad ta say, aye?”

Rarity smiled knowingly as the group continued towards a large cubical structure that floated out in the air at the top of a stairway connected to the other end of the bridge. “Oh, Sundial, if only you knew.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Och, and what’s that supposed ta mean, lass?”

“You’ll see, darling. You’ll see.”

Chapter Eight: Exposition

The great cubical structure rested in mid-air in the center of the endlessly dark chamber, suspended by some unseen force at the top of a great set of stairs made of the same magical force as the bridge before it, only of a different color. The structure was constructed of a strange black metal that didn’t reflect any of the light coming from the infinite magical columns. An array of dish-shaped devices surrounded it, collecting specks of magic that flittered through the air and filtering them inside.

“And ye’re sure this is the right way ta get us out o’ here?” Sundial asked as the group ascended the stairs, Rarity still in the lead.

“Of course I’m sure, darling,” Rarity replied, a pep in her step that she hadn’t felt for quite some time, at least not since she’d arrived in this world several days earlier. “Why do you ask? Are you worried?”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Aye, cheers lass, I’m looking forward ta walking inta some new unknown floating box without knowing what’s inside. O’ course I’m bloody worried! Ye said this place was safe, but oh, that must be besides the bloody booby traps, aye?”

“Yeah, for somepony who says they’ve been here before, you sure missed a few important details,” Bluebolt grumbled.

Rarity wasn’t bothered by their attitudes in the slightest. “Well, we’ll just chalk those little differences up to there being something wrong with whatever generates this pocket dimension like you said, Sundial. Besides, we’re through all that trouble now, and I’m completely, one hundred percent certain that we’re going in the right direction now. Trust me.”

“I believe ya, Rarity,” Bloom said, stepping up along her. “Ya wouldn’t lead us inta trouble on purpose, and if there is anything wrong up ahead, we’ll deal wit’ it.”

Rarity gave Bloom a little smile. “Why thank you, dear. Your confidence in me is much appreciated.” She chuckled slightly, and patted Bloom’s shoulder. “Sometimes I wonder if you and Applejack really are sisters. She’s been rather critical of me in the past, always thinking I’ve got my head in the clouds as it were.”

Bloom shrugged. “I just don’t see no point in arguin’.”

“Well, at least that’s something different about this whole trip.”

“This whole place is just fascinating,” said Venture as she examined the structure up ahead with a twinkle of wonder in her eyes. “And you say that the gryphons built this place right under the ruins or something like that? All without anypony knowing about it?”

“That’s how I remember it, yes. This part of the old gryphon city is the only place that was completely untouched when Silvertongue unleashed his horrible plague on the gryphons.”

Venture suddenly looked very sad. “Yeah, I’ve been reading up on how things happened back then. I’m amazed that somepony that seemed so dedicated to light and good and harmony could do such a terrible thing, to inflict so much death on so many creatures.”

“From my understanding it was because he’d become corrupted by Nihila by that time, or perhaps had been for some time before that and merely kept it hidden.” Rarity shook her head. “I’m afraid I’m not the one to ask about that sort of thing. It’s all very interesting conversation, but better for another time and for another pony.”

“So, this structure we’re going towards, is that where the exit is?” Bluebolt asked. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting pretty tired and I don’t know if I feel right making camp in this place.”

Rarity gave her a little smile. “Trust me, darling, you’ll have your answers shortly. Just keep up the pace, hmm?”

Bluebolt and Symphony shared a brief look. “You know when Rarity of all ponies is telling you to hurry up that something weird is going on,” Symphony muttered.

“I don’t know if I should be worried or excited,” Bluebolt replied.

At the top of the stairs was an entryway into the structure, which was wide open and free to pass through with no door to bar the way, closed, locked, or otherwise. Rarity trotted on ahead of the others through the arch without a worry in the world, with all the self-assurance as if she were walking into her own home. The others followed behind her, a mix of curiosity, worry, and confusion passing through them in fairly varied amounts, some showing more of one emotion than the others.

What was seemingly the only room inside the structure was dark—almost pitch black—save for tiny lights on the high ceiling that illuminated small portions of the floor below. Descending from the ceiling at the center of the room was a large, odd-looking device of some unknown function, which was covered with screens and other oddities. The device itself was connected via large wires to a raised platform far below it as well as to various spots on the ceiling, where colorful lights indicated that magical energy from outside was being transferred into the structure.

On the raised platform itself was a ring of input devices covered in buttons, switches, and lights in varying color and size. Screens made of shiny glass surrounded the devices, each displaying various figures, graphs, equations, and text, the latter written in a language that nopony present could read. All of this surrounded a chair built for a creature roughly twice the size of an average pony.

“Hey, this thing looks kind of like the setup my mom’s got in her throne room or Chief Storm has in her office, just smaller,” Bluebolt said, marveling at all the bright lights. “Is it like a security system or something?”

“It looks more like it’s used for studying things based on some o’ the information there,” Sundial said, eyeing a graph. “Maybe those columns outside, aye?”

“This is gryphon techno-magic!” Venture exclaimed, hustling up to the platform and getting a good look at everything on display like a kid in a candy store. “Wow! Holy smokes! This is the find of the century! We’re gonna be rich! And famous! Do you have any idea how much of a big deal it is that we’ve found some functional gryphon techno-magic?”

Rarity grinned knowingly as she glanced around the room expectantly. “You don’t know the half of it, darling.”

“What’re ya lookin’ ‘round for, Rarity?” Bloom asked. “You’ve been actin’ kinda weird since we got ta the bridge.”

“Just excited, dear, that’s all,” Rarity assured her. “I have a feeling the rest of you will be, too, soon enough.”

A small, metal clicking sound came from someplace out in the darkness. Symphony, and Sundial glanced in its direction.

“Anypony else hear that?” Sundial asked, stepping towards the sound defensively. “What’s that noise?”

Symphony drew her broken sword and held it towards the direction of the sound, settling into a combat stance. “Rarity, you didn’t forget to tell us about any other threats, did you?”

“Not at all, darling,” Rarity said as she stepped past Sundial towards the sound. “Yoo hoo! Mister Gilderoy? Is that you?”

The clicking sound in the darkness suddenly stopped. “Well, this is quite a peculiar, unexpected development,” came a slightly metallic voice.

From out of the darkness stepped an honest-to-goodness gryphon. He was twice the size of the average ponies in their group, only a little taller than Flurry Heart despite his waning figure, and he was quite ancient. His beard and hair were thin, gray wisps at this point, and his fur and feathers were drained of color. He wore a purple silk robe, which looked to be in excellent condition compared to the rest of him. He was carrying what looked like a magician’s wand in his good claw, which was half-heartedly pointed at Symphony.

However, where his body was frail, his various techno-magic prosthetics were not. Both of his wings, both of his hind legs, his left claw, and his tail were all made of complex mechanical parts. The majority of his chest was made of the same, with a large, yellow light resting where his heart would be. Most of the left side of his face, too, was metallic, including his eye, which was little more than a green, telescopic lens.

The only difference that Rarity noticed compared to the last time that she saw him was that his other, natural eye was milky and white. He’d clearly lost vision in it completely.

“Mister Gilderoy!” Rarity greeted with a smile, stepping towards the old gryphon. “You have no idea how good it is to see a familiar face after all that we’ve been through.”

The old gryphon tilted his head as he looked upon Rarity with confusion and wonder. “Miss Rarity, is that really you?”

“It is.”

He smiled weakly and let out a sigh of relief. “Then my eye sensors are not misreading things. I was worried for a moment there.” His voice was hoarse, though it carried a metallic hint to it, as if he were speaking through a filter that wasn’t working too well. “My my my, of all the things I was expecting today, this was not among the possibilities, not even close.”

Gilderoy lowered the wand, setting it into one of his robe’s pockets, and stepped further out from the darkness as he made his way towards the chair on the platform. Rarity didn’t offer to help him over, she just did so naturally. The others of the group were so taken aback by his sudden appearance that not a one of them said a word just yet or even moved, except for Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart.

The latter, naturally, moved to help Rarity to help Gilderoy instantly and without needing to be asked to do so. The former moved over to the chair itself to turn it around so Gilderoy could be seated without much trouble, holding it steady in her best attempt to be helpful as she was used to with older ponies in need.

“Okay, so, everypony else is seeing this right now, aye?” Sundial said to the others, not taking her eyes off of Gilderoy. “I’m not hallucinating am I?”

“Oh, I see it,” Symphony said, her eyes glued to the gryphon, her sword sagging in her grip. “I just don’t believe it. I’m convinced now that we died after that hallway started glowing back in the ruins. It vaporized us all and now we’re all in afterlife or something, and the caretaker is an old cyborg gryphon.”

“An actual, living gryphon,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head in amazed disbelief. “My mom is gonna freak when I tell her about this. Not to mention a cyborg gryphon. Do have any idea how amazing this is?”

The ecstatic smile on Venture’s face was, frankly, worrisome with how elated it was. “Oh my stars, oh my stars, oh my stars, oh. My. Stars.”

“How come the rest of you guys aren’t freaking out over this?” Bluebolt asked, gesturing towards Rarity and her friends. “This is the most amazing thing that anypony’s seen in hundreds of years!”

Flurry raised an eyebrow. “Why would we be? Griffins are perfectly common where we come from.”

“Yeah! Mah friend Gabby is even datin’ mah friend Spike, an’ mah other friend Gallus is the captain o’ Princess Twilight’s Royal Guard 'n' everythin’. It ain’t like I’ve never seen a griffin before.”

“Just never one with all this… machinery,” Flurry noted, indicating Gilderoy’s metallic wings.

“Yeah, but that don’t bother me none either. 'Member, mah brother-in-law’s got himself a prosthetic leg 'n' all that.”

“Thank you, thank you,” Gilderoy said as Rarity finally eased him back into the chair. “I’m afraid time has been most unkind to me, but then you already know all about that, don’t you? Things certainly haven’t improved since your last visit as far as my health is concerned.”

“And yet you still seem to be in good spirits,” Rarity said, tenderly patting the old gryphon’s claw as he rested it on the chair’s armrest. “You came out of the darkness with your wand and everything as if ready to fight. Were you expecting trouble?”

“Hmm, yes I was, actually,” Gilderoy said with a polite nod. “The alarm system indicated intruders—”

He stopped suddenly to cough loudly as the yellow light on his chest turned red. He pounded his good claw on it until it turned green again.

“Ah, forgive me, I still seem to be having some troubles with this blasted thing. The finest in gryphon techno-magic bionics… hundreds of years ago, of course. I’m afraid they’ve been in disrepair for the last hundred years or so, and I have yet to make any headway on maintenance. Difficult to do when you’re alone, you see.”

“Oh dear, I’m awfully sorry to hear that,” Rarity said, frowning. She then brightened, and turned to the rest of the group, particularly Sundial. “Does anypony here know anything about techno-magic of this sort that might be able to help? I’d appreciate it more than you could ever know.”

Sundial shook her head. “Sorry, lass, I just know a few minor things here and there, aye? Nothing about anything that complex, and certainly nothing about gryphon anatomy. I might be more harm than help.”

Rarity turned towards Bluebolt and Symphony next.

“Sorry, but like I said, I’m not exactly an engineer and I never learned much about that kind of stuff,” Bluebolt said with a frown. “I’d love to help anyway I can, but I’m just not suited for it.”

Symphony shrugged. “Sorry, Rarity, that’s not my field of expertise.”

“I see…” Rarity hung her head. “Oh well, it was worth a shot.”

Then, Venture stepped forward excitedly, practically bouncing in place. “Ooh! Ooh! I’ve got an idea! I don’t know anything about techno-magic, but maybe I can still help? That’s a pretty nasty cough he’s got there, and I happen to know an awful lot of healing magic, so maybe I can do something about it?”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “You do?”

“Yeah! I mean, it always pays to have it on hoof if I ever sprain or scrape a knee or something, or if I catch a cold, or if I have a headache, or anything like that decides to give me trouble. I travel all the time, so, y’know, I learned to be prepared.” Venture stood proud, chest puffed out. “Yeah, I’ll say it, I’m pretty awesome. You can hold your applause.”

“Aye, and so humble, too,” Sundial said, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know if that’s exactly the same thing,” Rarity said, giving a look to Gilderoy. “Will that work?”

Gilderoy smiled politely. “I’ve tried using Restomancy to address the issue before, but I’ve found that it’s a rather unfortunate temporary solution so I’ve not bothered with it in a great many years. The more of my body I’ve had to replace with bionics, the less that sort of magic should work. However, if your friend wants to help, I see no reason not to allow her to do so. There’s no harm in trying.”

Venture beamed, stepped up to the platform, and lit up her horn like a tiny star. “Just you watch, Mister… Gilderoy, was it? Just you watch, you’re gonna feel better in a jiffy, or I’ll eat my hat! Now, just hold still, and relax.”

Her horn’s magic covered Gilderoy’s chest with a soft white glow that gradually spread across his whole body in less than an instant. The light only lasted for a few seconds before washing away just as quickly as it had come, and with just as much fanfare. Venture’s horn dimmed, and she looked at Gilderoy expectantly.

Gilderoy’s eye—his real one—was no longer milky white, but a pleasant shade of blue. Rarity noticed it wasn’t even glassy, as it had been the last time she saw the old gryphon; his vision had not only been restored, but improved. Some of his fur and feathers even gained a slightly healthier luster to them, and his beard and hair looked fuller.

The old gryphon smiled slightly and let out a breath, not a hint of trouble with his breathing. Even the metallic hint in his voice seemed clearer. “Hmm… well now, you certainly did not sell yourself short, my friend. You are quite skilled with Restomancy magic. I feel like I haven’t felt in many decades. I feel almost a century younger, in fact. How curious.”

Rarity’s mouth curled in a little grin. “You mean… you feel better? Better than the last time I saw you?”

“That does seem to be the case, as bizarre as that sounds. Your friend here possesses quite an astounding talent.” Gilderoy tilted his head as he looked out amongst the group. “Hmm… though I certainly notice a lot of unfamiliar faces here. What’s happened to your former companions, Miss Rarity? Did you not make it back to your home?”

Rarity let out a breath. “It’s a rather long story…”

Gilderoy pulled out his wand and gave Rarity a coy grin. “Have you forgotten that there’s really no such thing as a ‘long story’ for me so easily? I do hope that these past twenty-one years haven’t affected your memories so negatively.”

“Oh! Yes, of course, I had almost forgotten all about that wonderful magic of yours,” Rarity chuckled. “Perhaps you can offer some advice or insight that might be of help, like you did last time for Twilight?”

“What’s he goin’ on about, Rarity?” Bloom asked, gesturing at the wand. “What’s that thing s’posed ta do?”

Gilderoy turned slightly so that he could look right at Bloom, giving her a polite, friendly smile. He showed off his wand to her by giving it a little twirl through his claw. “This, my dear, is a magic wand. I suppose that you might have seen one of these before in a stage magician’s magic show, haven’t you?”

Bloom nodded, but was still clearly confused. “Yeah, o’ course I have. We’ve got a few magicians 'n' stuff back home that put on shows all the time. I always liked Miss Trixie’s shows, better nowadays than when I was just a lil’ filly. Helps that she’s got Discord and her other friends helpin’ her as assistants 'n' all that.”

“Are you saying that you’re a sort of stage magician?” Flurry asked, tilting her head. “I don’t see how illusions and tricks are going to be of much help to us.”

“Ah, the difference between me and a pony like this ‘Trixie’ is that my magic wand is a true magic wand. It contains magical power within it, real magic, like the sort unicorns like yourself can use.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? Ye can use unicorn magic with that wee stick then?”

“Hmm, technically correct,” Gilderoy said with a smile. “More accurately, it allows me to tap into magical energies the same way a unicorn’s horn does. There are some types of magic that only unicorns can tap into, however, due to the nature of their special talents, so it’s not quite a perfect substitute.

“Now, as for what I’m doing with it to help, I just so happen to know a marvelous little spell that can let me experience the memories of another individual, to visualize their experiences accurately and objectively, and to learn what they know in a fraction of the time it would take from them to say it aloud.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow…”

Gilderoy then turned to Rarity. “Let us cut to the chase then, shall we?”

Rarity nodded. “Yes, let’s.”

“Clear your thoughts, and focus only on the moments that you deem important to this situation. I am sure you don’t wish to share twenty-one years worth of memories with me, after all.”

Gilderoy swished his wand through the air, sending off a series of sparks, then tapped it to Rarity’s horn. Once he did, both his and Rarity’s eyes glowed a bright white.

In the span of a few seconds, nothing much seemed to happen from the perspective of the other ponies in the room, who merely watched the display with curiosity and concern as Rarity and Gilderoy stood and sat, respectively, fairly motionless.

Then, the two returned to normal. Rarity let out a breath of relief, while Gilderoy merely stared off, slightly dumbfounded at what he’d seen.

“He’s dead…” Gilderoy murmured as he slumped back in his chair. “After all these centuries, justice was finally delivered. Silvertongue paid for the genocide he brought upon my kind. We have been avenged…” He didn’t look so much happy as he did relieved.

He shook his head after a moment. “Nevermind that. There are more pressing matters at present, are there not? No time to reflect on the distant past. This situation of yours, Miss Rarity, provides quite an interesting conundrum. I do believe there is a staggering amount of information I must parse through if I am to be of any assistance to you, my dear.”

Rarity smiled politely and gave him a brief nod. “Anything you can do to help will be greatly appreciated by me and my friends. I have no doubt you’ll have something that can be of assistance.”

“What the bloody hell just happened, Rarity?” Sundial asked, eyebrow raised. “Ye say he just saw all o’ yer memories, aye?”

“That he did,” Rarity said with a nod. “With complete accuracy, as well. Everything from the moment my friends and I arrived here days ago, up until this meeting. Plus a few other details I figured he’d be interested in.”

Bluebolt raised her hoof. “So does that mean he knows who we are now or something?”

Gilderoy smiled. “It does, Princess Bluebolt. But only as well as Rarity herself knows you, of course. I have only borne witness to events from her perspective, even if I have a relatively objective view. Anything she knows, I know; anything she doesn’t, I don’t. So you have no fear of me invading your privacy.”

“Well, thank goodness for that,” Symphony muttered.

He turned his head towards Sundial, and he gave her a little nod. “Incidentally, might I say that it is a pleasure to meet another Chronomancer in the flesh? I have not interacted directly with one of your order since well before the Beacons were constructed. The last Chronomancers I’ve had any contact with were the previous two, Tick Tock and Zenith, the former only via memories, the latter only via my awareness of the ruins outside this Sanctuary. I never got to speak with either.”

Venture let out a triumphant laugh. “Aha! I knew there was something neat about you, Sundial! Ha ha!” she exclaimed, pointing at Sundial with a bright smile. “So you’re a Chronomancer, huh? That’s so cool! What’s it like? Do you get paid? What are your hours? Do you have a base or something?”

Sundial grumbled and gave Rarity a harsh look. “Ye couldn’t have left that part out, could ye?”

“I’m afraid not, darling,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “Mister Gilderoy needed to be aware of the entire situation in order to be of any help to us, and your role in things is rather important, don’t you think?”

“Your assessment earlier about that Void rift was quite astute, Miss Sundial,” Gilderoy continued. “The formation of Void energy within the ruins of Aeropolis—what you call the Gryphon Ruins—should be quite impossible. The city’s ancient Arcane signatures, even when they are not fully active, are still potent enough to prevent such an eventuality.”

“Aye, that’s what worries me,” Sundial said with a nod.

“What does all of that mean?” Symphony asked. “I get confused enough as it is sometimes listening to you talk about Void-this and Void-that, but now you’re talking about Arcane energies? Doesn’t ‘arcane’ just mean ‘magic’?”

“To a point,” Gilderoy said. “The laws of magic divide magical signatures into one of four sources: Light, Dark, Arcane, and Void. The former two forces counteract one another, as do the latter two. Aeropolis—and gryphon magic in general—is designed to use Arcane signatures for its power. It’s less likely to degrade that way, for its opposite is so rare.”

“So, because your city has so much Arcane energy, it shouldn’t interact with Void energy?” Bluebolt asked.

“That’s precisely it. At least theoretically. Several factors go into it, but in practice, sometimes the results can be quite catastrophically violent.”

“Yes, as Twilight and Shadow could attest to,” Rarity added, shaking her head.

Sundial grunted. “So is there something wrong with yer city’s magic that’s making the Arcane energy not work properly? Because when we sealed the rift, we all ended up here, aye? I’ve got a feeling that wasn’t supposed ta happen.”

“Correct. Because that rift formed at near the entrance to the Sanctuary itself, it effectively shrouded the Arcane magic that powers it, dormant though it may be. And, when the Void rift was sealed, all of that Arcane energy instantly surged back within the Sanctuary’s entrance mechanism, unfiltered. That is why you all were transported here despite none of you having an Arcane source of your own.”

“I was wondering how we managed that without Twilight around,” Rarity muttered.

“So, what, we shouldn’t have been able to get in here without an Arcane ‘source’, like Twilight Sparkle, or one of your wands?” Bluebolt asked.

Gilderoy nodded. “Correct. And without one, you also could not activate the trial doors within the Sanctuary.”

“Aha! See, I knew there was something at play to mess that up,” Rarity said, pointing her hoof at Sundial. “I knew I wasn’t just misremembering things.”

“Aye, and fair play ta ye, lass,” Sundial said, clapping her hooves. “Fat lot o’ good it does ta be right though, aye? Being right didn’t make those traps any less real, did it?”

“Ah, yes, you must forgive the traps, my friends,” Gilderoy said with an apologetic grin. “They are there to prevent intruders who are not allies of the gryphons from entering these sacred halls, and the trials themselves are relatively harmless. Though your passing through the traps with such ease was… well, humbling,” he added with a smile towards Symphony.

“Thanks!” Symphony smirked. “Man, I can’t wait to tell my dad that I impressed a gryphon. This is so cool. Oh, Jewel’s gonna be jealous. Ha ha, I can just see the look on her face.”

“So why did the Void rift appear here then, if that’s supposed ta be impossible?” Sundial asked. “Ye were just about ta offer something up about that, so would ye mind if we get ta that already?”

Gilderoy raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? Oh, yes, of course. Well, as a Chronomancer, I’m sure that you’ve noticed the substantial rise in Void rift activity over the past decade, have you not?”

“Aye, that I have. Tick Tock only had ta leave the city once or twice every year at worst, and the ones in the city were easy pickings. It wasn’t much worse when she moved ta Goldridge, either. I have ta stay out in the wilds most o’ the year. I think I spend more time out o’ my room than in it, aye?”

“Well, I have a theory as to why that’s been happening, and I might also have a solution that could significantly impact it, perhaps even eliminate the issue altogether.”

Sundial was taken aback. “You do? Really? Aye, well then let’s hear it! Anything ta give me the chance ta spend some time at home more than a few weeks out o’ the year.”

Gilderoy smiled politely. “In due time, my dear, in due time. I believe that Miss Rarity’s issue is just as important to your work, and I promised her I would help her before I even knew who you were. It’s only fair that I deliver on my promise, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Och, well, I suppose,” Sundial grumbled. “We’ve got time ta listen ta ye tell us whatever ye know on both issues, aye? Just don’t, y’know, waste our time.”

Gilderoy turned to Rarity and smiled. “First of all, my dear, you know that I am no Chronomancer. Though I have made several attempts to research Chronomancy more thoroughly since our last meeting, I am afraid that the nature of travel between worlds is still quite a challenging field for those without the proper tools and information.”

Venture gasped in shock. “Oh my stars! Rarity’s an alien?!”

Rarity gave Venture a quick look, perturbed. “Alien? Please, darling. I’m a pony just the same as you. I’m just from a different world, that’s all. ‘Alien’ might be… technically accurate, but please, don’t call me that. Ever. It feels awkward.”

“Yeah, an’ me 'n' Flurry are from the same world she is,” Bloom said, giving Venture an apologetic smile. “So, y’know… surprise? Bunch o’ ponies from another world. Pretty neat, huh?

Venture shook her head in awe as she looked between the three. “Wow… oh wow, this is the most amazing day I’ve ever had in all my years as an explorer. First I meet a real-life gryphon that’s alive and everything, then I get to meet otherworldly travelers. Hoo boy, I need to rest for a moment, this is too much.”

Gilderoy briefly turned to Flurry and whispered, though Rarity and Bloom could still hear: “And don’t you worry my dear, your little secret is safe with me, hmm?” He gave a brief indication towards the coat she wore over her wings. “Given her reaction to that news, I daresay your true nature might be too much for her to handle.”

Flurry blinked, then nodded. “Thank you?” she said, clearly not quite sure if she should be appreciative or just polite.

Gilderoy turned back to Rarity and smiled. “Now, as I was saying, the nature of trans-universal transportation is rather complicated. I’m no expert on it, but I’ve studied it a great deal to try and understand the nature of it, inspired by our last visit. If I were a Chronomancer, the process would likely be easier, but I am not.”

“Well, I know that you’re a very knowledgeable gryphon, so surely you can offer something,” Rarity said, returning the smile. “Do you perhaps have an idea as to why that Void rift opened up and threw us here? Maybe you can give us some idea on how to get back, like you did last time?”

“Hmm… well, as to the latter question, I am afraid I cannot offer you any new advice on getting back home beyond using whatever methods you used in your last journey through this world. Miss Sundial might be of more help in that regard, being the resident Chronomancer and all.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and first we have ta convene with the agent that would’ve been sent ta yer world ta investigate. They’ll help us figure out what method we’re gonna use, and the timeline we have ta maintain and all that. Nothing different there, just standard protocol and procedure, aye?”

“However,” he continued, “I can offer you a theory as to what exactly happened, albeit just a theory. I can only do so much with mere empirical evidence such as sights and sounds.”

“Oh? Well, I’m all ears,” Rarity said. “Anything you say could be useful.”

“I am no expert of Chronomancy, as I have already said. And I am also not an expert in the matters of Amoremancy—that is, the magic of love.” He gave a sad smile. “I never had a mate of my own when I was younger, you see, and never had much interest in finding one. I was just an old windbag even at that age, more focused on my studies than much else.

“But I do know powerful magic when I see it, and I know how volatile certain magics can be when they go beyond one’s ability to control it.” He put his good claw on Rarity’s shoulder. “Now, as I have said, this is just a theory, but I believe that the spell that this Princess Cadence used was an attempt to contact this lover of yours in a fashion, correct?”

Rarity nodded glumly. “That’s correct. It was supposed to grant me a ‘vision’, of sorts. It certainly seemed to be working, I could see Sir Zircon in my head and everything, clear as day.”

“Well then, it is in my humble opinion that the strength of Princess Cadence’s spell, empowered as it was by Miss Heart’s magic and combined with your intense longing, was too powerful for the spell’s purpose itself to be contained to such a minor manifestation.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“Let’s put it this way: say that you have a bucket and that you wish to fill it with water. Now let us say that you filled it with too much water. The bucket would overflow, yes?” Gilderoy tapped his claw on her heart. “Between your love for this Zircon and Cadence’s spell’s enhanced power, the ‘bucket’ that was your world ‘overflowed’ in an attempt to fulfil the intention of the spell.”

“Which was?”

“Contacting your love, of course. You did see him, did you not? And not just in your mind, but with your eyes.”

“Yes… yes, I did. Briefly, but I did see him.”

“We all did,” Flurry agreed. “It was like a phantom, or a spirit.”

“Rarity even reached out ta touch him 'n' everythin’,” Bloom added. “That there rift opened up the moment she did, too.”

“Yes, because that was the exact moment when the spell’s magic ‘overflowed’. It did not know how else to contain so much love and magic together in one place, so it did the only thing it could to prevent the spell from bursting apart: it broke a hole in the ‘bucket’, which as I said represents your world.”

Sundial shook her head in disbelief. “That’s bloody ridiculous, that is. Ye’re saying that this lass and her princess friend, with nothing more than the power o’ love, created a spell powerful enough ta tear open a hole in a dimension where that shouldn’t be possible anymore? I’m not buying it.”

“Ah, but you’re constraining your thinking to the way magic works in our world alone. In our world, Miss Sundial, magic is more directly powerful, that is a given, but it has little deeper meaning mostly. From what brief knowledge I have of Miss Rarity’s world, their magic operates on a different set of rules.”

“Such as?”

“Well, for example, the ‘magic of friendship’. In our world, friendship is certainly a magical thing, yes, but in their world, it has literal power.”

Rarity smiled. “Yes, such as being the source of magic in the Elements of Harmony, which have been used time and time again to defeat the evils that have threatened our world in the past.”

Flurry brightened. “Ooh! And the ‘magic of love’ was how my mom and dad helped defeat the changelings and Queen Chrysalis when they first attacked Canterlot, back at their wedding! I’ve heard that story so many times that I couldn’t possibly forget it.”

“Precisely,” Gilderoy agreed. “It is the nature of things in their world to give literal magical power to such concepts as ‘friendship’ and ‘love’, and those same concepts, from what I’ve seen of Miss Rarity’s memories, also empower their alicorns.” He gave a brief look to Flurry. “Why, if there were others alicorns in their world, they’d have to embody a similar concept, would they not?”

“Y-yes, I suppose they would,” Flurry said with a nervous nod. “They’d only need to figure out what exactly that is.”

Sundial scoffed. “Aye, right, so let’s suppose that’s all true. I still don’t quite buy that the power o’ love is so strong that it tore a hole between our worlds. That’d have ta be some mighty powerful love ta do that.”

Gilderoy shrugged. “As I said, it is just a theory.”

“And I assure you, darling, after hearing it, I’m starting to believe it,” Rarity muttered. “Cadence told me that my longing was so much that she could sense it even without attempting to do so.”

“You say that there will be another Chronomancer in Miss Rarity’s world that would be tasked with investigating the matter,” Gilderoy continued, “so I suggest that you ask them for more information when you have the opportunity. Perhaps they know something the rest of us do not, seeing as they can investigate the original site more thoroughly?”

“Aye, sure, that sounds fair,” Sundial relented.

“So you’re saying that this entire situation could possibly be all my fault?” Rarity said, dejected, hanging her head. “I… I got us into this mess. Me and my stupid, stupid heart...”

Flurry walked over to Rarity and gave her a big hug. “Don’t say that, Rarity. It’s not your fault. It’s not. Okay? My mom and I were just trying to help you because we don’t want to see you heartbroken anymore. You don’t deserve to live like that, and we just wanted to help, that’s all this is. Blame us, not yourself.”

Rarity paused a moment, then returned the hug, tears in her eyes. “Oh, darling, I’m so sorry about all of this.”

Bloom came over and patted Rarity on the back. “Don’t worry 'bout it none, Rarity. This whole thing might be a big ol’ heap o’ trouble, but look at the bright side o’ things. If that rift didn’t open up, an’ if I didn’t come through that there rift wit’ ya, I’d have never had a chance ta meet mah family here.”

“That’s right!” Flurry agreed. “Do you have any idea how happy all of your friends and families are going to be when they get to hear about the stuff that’s happened here since last time? I know Aunt Twilight will be ecstatic to hear from her old friends again. She talks about her experiences here all the time!”

“Yeah! An’ Flathoof’ll be pleased as punch ta hear he’s got two nieces an’ a nephew, an’ that his brother Thickhoof got his legs all fixed up, an’ that his sister and his other brother got their own families startin’! Do ya know how often he wonders 'bout how his family over here’s doin’?”

Rarity’s smile returned slightly. “Yes… yes, I suppose so.” She pulled Bloom in for a hug too. “Thank you, darling. I needed that. You’re just like your sister, so honest and true when I need it most.”

Gilderoy smiled and put his claw on Bloom’s back. “May I just say that it is a pleasure to meet you, by the way? I did not know Applejack all that well—our meeting was brief—but I got a feeling for the kind of honor and dedication she had to her friends and family in just that short time. I see that same strength in you.”

Bloom paused, then nodded appreciatively. “Thank ya kindly, Mister Gilderoy. That’s really nice o’ ya ta say.”

Gilderoy turned to Sundial and cleared his throat. “Now, to address your other concern, Miss Sundial. About the Void rifts rise in activity? If you have a theory of your own, may I ask what it is?”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, well the only theory I’ve got at the moment is that the world’s having a rough go at adjusting to all o’ the rapid changes happening around the north, like all the life returning so fast. I don’t know if it’s just throwing the world’s balance out o’ whack or what, but then nopony’s seen Harmonia in years so I’ve got my doubts.”

Venture fidgeted slightly. “Harmonia? You mean the alicorn goddess that they worship down south? Why do you think she would be responsible for anything happening up north?”

“Well she’s supposedly been helping ta bring life and change ta the lands up here, aye? Growing plants, healing the soil, stuff like that.”

“And you think that’s causing problems? It sounds like she’d doing good, right?”

“Och, I don’t know, lass, but since nopony can ask her if she knows what’s happening, it’s just a theory, and not one I can exactly prove, aye?”

“Your theory is well-founded,” Gilderoy said with a nod, “but you’re not entirely correct. My theory—and I have some excellent evidence suggesting I’m on the right track—is that something is creating the rifts, intentionally.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow and snorted. “That’s the most impossible thing you’ve said yet.”

“Is it any more impossible than our world’s alicorns being given physical bodies, as Silvertongue did to Nihila, and then later to Harmonia? That was supposed to be impossible, too, and yet he managed it.”

“Even so! Only Harmonia herself would have the power ta tear open a Void rift all on her own, and she’d have no reason ta do anything o’ the sort, not unless she thought it was helping for some reason. But that’s an entirely different problem, aye?”

“No, it is certainly not Harmonia’s doing, but what about Nihila, Harmonia’s counterpart in our world’s dichotomy?”

Sundial shook her head. “Can’t be. Tick Tock—my predecessor—had confirmation from multiple sources that say that Silvertongue completely destroyed Nihila and absorbed her essence inta himself in order ta go about his loony plans.”

“And you’re completely certain that these sources are absolutely accurate with no room for unknown factors or misunderstandings?”

Sundial hesitated. “Well, not exactly, but they’re all we’ve got. Starlight Shadow and her sisters were eyewitnesses ta the event and all that, and Silvertongue himself confirmed it as well during some o’ his mad ravings ta Tick Tock during her whole… experience, so she’s convinced that Nihila doesn’t exist anymore.”

“That’s only half true, unfortunately,” Gilderoy said, shaking his head. “I am of the opinion that Nihila still exists in some capacity, no matter how small that might be.”

“Aye, right? And how exactly might that be?”

“When a pony dies, what happens to their soul?”

Sundial balked. “What? That’s a weird question.”

“And it’s quite relevant, I assure you. What happens to it?”

“Well, nopony really knows, aye? Nopony knows what the afterlife is like—”

“My mom does,” Bluebolt blurted.

Sundial and Gilderoy both gave her an odd look. “What was that, lass?” asked the former.

“When my mom and dad got married, Harmonia came to them,” Bluebolt said. “She came to thank them for what they’d done for the world. They said that Harmonia gave them a vision of their friends and family, of Gadget and Crossfire, of my mom’s parents, and more. She called it the ‘Dreaming’, or something?”

Gilderoy smiled slightly. “The Dreaming is the realm just barely beyond our physical world, the home plane of our world’s alicorns. It is unique to our world’s essence.” He then turned to Sundial. “Harmonia and Nihila’s existence began in that realm, and it was there that they should have always resided, only interacting with the ‘mortal’ realms in visions and dreams—hence the name.

“But Silvertongue did the impossible, and he gave Nihila a mortal body that existed outside of the Dreaming. And then, he killed that mortal body. So, what do you suppose happened to her soul? Her essence?”

“It… returned to the Dreaming?” Bluebolt suggested. “Like all souls do?”

“That is my theory. She would have been weakened tremendously by Silvertongue’s actions, so weak that she could only influence or affect those with a deeply ingrained connection to her, such as Starlight Shadow and her sisters.”

“Harmonia removed that connection from them,” Rarity said with a nod, giving Bluebolt a knowing look. “It’s why they’ve become the ponies they are today. They regret the actions that they did while under Nihila’s influence, but they know it was merely a ‘nudge’ for them to do so. She could not control them directly… well, except for Red Velvet, apparently.”

“So you’re saying that Nihila is still alive in some capacity, in this... ‘Dreaming’, you called it?” asked Venture, heavily engrossed in the conversation now.

“That is my belief, yes. I have no definitive proof, of course, but I have some new information that leads me to believe it.” He suddenly turned to Weaver, who had been totally silent until now. “Mister Weaver, is it?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes.”

“Your former Overseer, this ‘Pedigree’? What tasks did he have you perform in regards to the Void rifts?”

Sundial brightened. “Aye, shite, I never thought ta ask him that! We’ve been so busy trying ta move through the snow and getting the lad ta talk that I didn’t think he’d even know if I asked.”

Weaver paused for a moment, then: “Overseer Pedigree assigned locations where he knew Void rifts would appear.”

“Wait, what? How in the bloody hell would he know that?”

“Unknown, never revealed source of information.” Weaver shook his head. “Orders: patrol site while Overseer utilized Void Siphon to drain the rifts’ energy.”

“So that’s what he was doing with that strange device back in the cave.” Sundial pondered this. “Why? What purpose did he have for doing all this?”

“Unknown.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Great, that’s just more ta worry about, that twat seeking out Void rifts for some reason.” She turned to Gilderoy. “And ye think that maybe Pedigree and the Void rifts are connected with Nihila somehow?”

“It’s certainly a possibility,” Gilderoy said with a nod. “Void rifts feed off of imbalance, and Nihila’s purpose is to sow discord and adversity. She feeds off of the Void in the same way that a lightning rod feeds off of lightning. I have little definitive proof that Nihila is influencing Pedigree’s actions, but it would not surprise me.

“Now, whether or not any of that is entirely relevant to our discussion, I cannot say for certain. For all I know, it’s just a fantastic coincidence. However, regardless of which of these theories of ours are the genuine cause, if any of them, I do know one thing that is making the situation possible in the first place: the southern Beacon.”

“You mean where we built the portal that took us home?” Rarity asked.

“Correct. Harmonia directed you and your friends to construct that amplifier, as it would stabilize a Void rift to use for the express purpose of safely traveling to another world, and then could safely close it afterwards. And it was built at the site of the southern Beacon, at Harmonia’s seat of power.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? So what does that have to do with anything?”

Gilderoy took a breath. “When Silvertongue enacted his mad plan to travel beyond this world in pursuit of his ultimate goal, he knew that he could not travel south beyond the Belt of Tranquility to use the amplifier. The Beacon of the south prevented him from doing so, as he was infused with Nihila’s essence, so he set about utilizing an agent to deactivate the southern Beacon in his stead.

“Meanwhile, he knew that if the southern Beacon fell, then the northern Beacon’s energy would consume the world, and he would never be able to contact Harmonia. Whether his intentions were truly to ally with her or to just absorb her essence as he had with Nihila, I cannot say, but that was his plan. So, at the same time that his agent deactivated the southern Beacon, he himself destroyed the northern Beacon.

“And therein lies the problem. The northern Beacon was destroyed utterly and its magic was set free into the world. The southern Beacon, however, was merely deactivated and so not all of its magic was able to do the same. In other words, our world now is consumed by Darkness—the magic of the north—with only Harmonia’s efforts to keep it at bay.”

Venture frowned, her eyes alight with concern. “Really? Harmonia’s the only thing keeping the whole world from being consumed in darkness and evil? How is that even possible?”

“I am afraid so, my dear, at least according to the data that I have gathered. Harmonia likely doesn’t even know that she’s doing it. The north was already so consumed with Darkness that it would be difficult to detect any noticeable difference in its essence unless one traveled south.”

“So, according ta yer data, the southern Beacon is the problem then?” Sundial asked, confused. “And this is all because the Light stored in it hasn’t been released properly?”

“Correct. My kind developed the Beacons, and Silvertongue constructed them. Their purpose was to maintain a perfect balance of Light and Dark magic in our world. They were flawless, and I will give Silvertongue all of the credit in the world for succeeding in doing the impossible: maintaining that balance. The means he went through to achieve these ends—the genocide of my kind to keep us silent—were deplorable and do not justify his results, of course.”

“And why would he do that?” Bluebolt asked. “Just kill all of the gryphons, I mean? Why would he go through all of that to make these Beacons?”

“Well, you see, our world exists with a precariously delicate balance between those two forces: Light and Dark. If they are askew, the entire world could easily fall into chaos. All that would follow is hate, war, destruction, and death. You have no doubt seen the maddening winter weather here in the north as of late?”

Symphony nodded. “Yeah, you mean those freak thunderblizzards, right? Those are caused by this… whatever it is you called it? Imbalance?”

“You call them ‘thunderblizzards’? Hmm… a clever name. My attempt at appellation was ‘lightningsquall’.”

“Heh, ‘lightningsquall’ is kind of neat,” Symphony said with a smile.

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “And these storms are caused by this imbalance?”

“Not exactly, no. They existed long before the Beacons were even constructed, but they were tamer then. They lasted for days, not months, and were not quite so deadly. They did not even have a colorful name to describe them, as they were merely blizzards with lightning and thunder. The imbalance makes them worse.”

Bluebolt nodded. “I see. Huh… well, that’s definitely not a good thing.”

“And ye say that the Void rifts might also be connected ta the same thing that’s causing these storms?” Sundial asked.

“That is my theory, yes,” Gilderoy said. “The data I’ve collected in the past decade suggests as much.”

“Hmph, well, then I suppose it’s my job ta put a stop ta that, aye?”

“I believe it would be within your purview, yes.” Gilderoy gave her a little smile. “But luckily for you, I have just the solution, because without my help there would be little that you could do to make any significant change.”

“Well that’s reassuring,” Sundial scoffed.

Gilderoy tapped a few buttons on the console to his right, and seconds later, with a brief flash and a pop, a small device teleported into his open left claw. The device was shaped like a thick, blocky key, and it glowed with a sinister orange energy that crackled with black electricity.

“What in the bloody hell is that?”

“This, my dear, is the Beacon Key,” he said, lifting the device up so the group could see it clearly. “It was used hundreds of years ago when the Beacons were first constructed as a means of activating them. This allowed them to draw directly from Harmonia and Nihila—with their willing participation—to then release that energy into the world at large in an even distribution.

“As you can see, it is currently attuned to the northern Beacon’s Dark magic. Silvertongue returned it to us after activating it all those years ago, having activated the southern Beacon first.”

“Why would he do that?” Rarity asked. “He seemed completely consumed by Nihila’s will by that point, so what reason would he have to return it?”

“I suspect that Silvertongue was never corrupted by Nihila’s will.”

Rarity pondered this. “Well, Tick Tock said that he attempted to court Harmonia to his viewpoint because he truly believed his goal would bring about true harmony for all. That doesn’t sound like Nihila’s influence talking.”

Venture sighed and shook her head sadly. “He sounds like he was horribly misguided. Harmonia teaches love, compassion, peace, and good will. Not just harmony and balance.”

Gilderoy shrugged. “Regardless of his allegiances, it was a wise decision. He was thorough in his genocide, and he destroyed anything that could possibly make use of the Key or hint at any trace of its existence. Without it, there was no possible way to ruin his perfect world, unless he willed it, for he could do it without the Key as he had built the Beacons himself.”

Sundial eyed the Key curiously. “So, what am I supposed ta do with this ‘Key’, exactly? Throw it at the Beacon and hope for the best?”

“First, take it to the southern continent. Take it to the old Elysian Islands that my kind once called home long, long ago, before even I was born,” Gilderoy explained as he carefully passed the Key over to her. “The systems there are much like those here in Aeropolis, but they were not catastrophically damaged by Silvertongue.

“There is a central island which houses the city’s primary system hub, the Arcanium, a sort of what you call a ‘computer’. The Key as it is now is configured to activate the northern Beacon, but the Arcanium will configure it to the southern Beacon. Then, the Key can be used to completely diffuse the Beacon’s Light energy, counterbalancing the Darkness.”

Sundial blinked as she took the Key in her hooves. “Aye? So that’s it, just take this wee gizmo south, plug it inta some computer, then plug it inta the southern Beacon, and just like that, problem solved?”

Gilderoy frowned. “Hopefully.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “What do ye mean, ‘hopefully’?”

“As we’ve said already, Harmonia hasn’t been seen in a long while. Her energy was used to activate the Beacon initially, and there is a distinct possibility that she may be needed in some capacity in order to fully diffuse it back. That might be why the Beacon wasn’t properly diffused in the first place. Silvertongue had Nihila’s essence within him and could destroy the northern Beacon, but he could not do the same in the south.”

“Aye, that does seem ta be a wee bit o’ trouble.”

Venture set her hoof on Sundial’s shoulder. “You’ll figure something out, Sundial. I believe in you!”

Sundial gave her an odd look. “Uh… thanks?”

“Incidentally,” Gilderoy said, turning back to Weaver. “Mister Weaver, from what I’ve seen of Rarity’s memories, you possess an ability unique to yourself, quite unlike anything an earth pony should be capable of. This Umbralmancy ability, where did you learn it?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Did not learn it. Infused with it at a young age, trained in its use—”

“Infused, you say?”

“Yes.”

“Through what process.”

“Unknown.”

“I see. Hmm… that is troubling, and just offers some credence to my previous concerns.”

“What do ye mean?” Sundial asked.

“Umbralmancy is a magical power known to very few. The last pony that I personally know of that used such a power was the Warden of Nihila prior to Silvertongue, Blood Beryl. Another earth pony, as it so happens. It was a power gifted to him by Nihila in his capacity as her Warden—her avatar.” He looked at Weaver and shook his head. “Mister Weaver lacks the complete control over the magic that Blood Beryl had, but I recognize it.”

Sundial looked between Weaver and Gilderoy, concerned. “Are ye suggesting… no, ye can’t be suggesting that Nihila made the lad her Warden. Are ye?”

“No, of course not. I doubt even his ‘Overseer’, Pedigree, possesses such a title. Nihila might be alive in the Dreaming, or she might not be, but even if she is she likely doesn’t possess the strength to appoint a new Warden, and if she does, she would keep them well hidden to prevent her rise from being so obvious.”

“The records I’ve studied say that when the alicorns nominate a Warden, it splits their power so that their Warden contains a portion of it,” Venture said with a clear tone. “If Mister Weaver here was Nihila’s Warden, even at a weakened state, he should be far stronger than anypony in this room.”

“Pedigree wouldn’t have allowed that,” Sundial scoffed. “And Pedigree wasn’t even strong enough ta overpower me and Flurry when we were at our worst, so he’s definitely not a Warden. What are ye getting at here, Gilderoy?”

Gilderoy gestured for Weaver to approach. “I cannot say unless I know more. If Mister Weaver would allow me, I can cast the memory spell on him much as I did with Miss Rarity, and learn more about this infusion process.”

Weaver tilted his head, but didn’t say anything.

Sundial nodded at Weaver. “If it’s alright with you, lad, go ahead. Maybe he can help you? He seems ta be pretty smart and eager ta help, aye?”

“...yes.” Weaver took a few steps forward so that he was within Gilderoy’s reach.

Gilderoy drew his wand. “Relax your thoughts now, and focus on the memories you wish me to see. Nothing more, nothing less.

Weaver closed his eyes, but stayed silent.

Gilderoy tapped his wand to Weaver’s head, and his eyes glowed white. Weaver’s did as well, hard to see through his closed eyes.

Less than a minute later, the glowing ceased, and the two were back to normal.

Weaver staggered back slightly, his eyes sad and lifeless. Until now, they’d had a small semblance of heart within them, but now they were back to how they’d been when Rarity had first seen them.

Gilderoy took a deep breath. “Forgive me, young one, that was a lot for anypony to go through.”

“What? What did you see?” Flurry asked.

Gilderoy shook his head. “It is not my place to tell you the things this poor stallion had gone through. It will be his choice to tell you, when the time comes.”

Sundial moved to Weaver’s side to comfort him. “What happened? What’s wrong, Weaver?”

Weaver remained silent, not even acknowledging her voice with a flick of his ears.

“What did ye do ta him?” Sundial grunted.

“Reliving those memories was painful,” Gilderoy sighed. “Forgive me for asking him to do it. No creature should have to experience such things twice, and he had repressed those memories in his head for years. It is my fault that he remembers them now. Give him time.”

“I sure hope you found out something good, then, if you made him go through that,” Flurry said with a frown.

“A few things, actually. Disturbing things.” Gilderoy shook his head. “His powers come from what little is left of the northern Beacon’s energy. Nihila’s energy. It is not quite the same as inheriting the powers of a Warden—a mere imitation, in fact—but it is more power than a pony of his kind should be capable of.”

“Pedigree was infusing ponies with, what, Darkness?” Bluebolt asked.

“Correct. And not just Pedigree. He merely continued the work that Silvertongue had done before him, but lacked Silvertongue’s patience, drive for perfection, and a direct connection with Nihila. The process Pedigree used is imperfect. Flawed. Dangerous. Weaver is lucky he survived the process.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity murmured.

Symphony hummed. “He mentioned other ‘survivors’ too. Does that mean that the others didn’t survive the process?”

Gilderoy frowned. “That would be an astute assumption, Miss Symphony. He does not know an exact number, but it’s quite high.”

“Where would they even find the volunteers for this?” Bluebolt asked. “Weaver said they were barely three years old! Did parents subject their kids to this… this project?”

“I will say no more on that subject, Princess,” Gilderoy said quickly. “That is not my place to tell. Forgive me if that seems unfair, but that is personal to him. I would not reveal such a thing and break the trust that I established in our vision together. I only reveal to you what I can, what he has permitted me to.”

“And you say this is connected to Nihila somehow?” Symphony asked. “How? Is that where Pedigree comes in?”

“It is. Mister Weaver does not know the specifics, though he certainly did pay as much attention as he could. As best as he could tell, Pedigree was a lucid dreamer, and it was through these dreams that Pedigree based his actions and directed him towards the Void rifts.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Did you say he had dreams? Visions? Did Pedigree ever say what he saw?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “No, he was never so revealing, but I am naturally quite suspicious.” He cleared his throat. “Forgive me. I believe that I let my curiosity and nose for facts and data cause undue harm to him and to distract me from the task at, well, hoof, I suppose.”

Sundial paused, eyeing the Key in her hoof. “Aye…”

“Regrettably, Miss Sundial, the Beacon Key is the only solution that I can offer you. The worst case scenario is that it simply doesn’t work.”

“And if it doesn’t?”

He shrugged. “Then another solution will need to be considered. But I will tell you that the southern Beacon needs to be diffused of its energy if you wish to put a stop to the troubles gripping our world. It might not solve the problem on its own, but it will at least be the first, most important step.”

Sundial sighed, nodded, and tucked the Key into her saddlebag. “Well, I’ve done things on worse odds than that before, so I might as well give it a try.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well spoken. Now, if there’s nothing else I can help you all with, I believe that your little troupe had plans to leave the ruins of Aeropolis after sealing that Void rift before you got sidetracked by all of this business. I am sorry that I threw another task at you in the process, and that I seem to have hurt Mister Weaver as well. So, to make it up to you, I can send you anywhere in the city from here.”

“Aye? Well, that’s helpful.”

“There wouldn’t happen to be an exit to the north, would there?” Bluebolt asked. “Because even if you send us to the southern exit where we came in, we’d have to go all the way back around to get to our original destination. That’s several hours of our time wasted.”

Gilderoy smiled. “Well, there is in fact a northern exit out of the city, but I’m afraid it doesn’t lead out of the Goldridge Mountains itself so—”

“Actually, there’s a northern exit out o’ the mountains these days,” Sundial noted with a grin. “That was where we were heading, so we could take the new tunnel passage near there. It’s a complicated route, aye, but it keeps us out o’ the thunderblizzards.”

“Ah, is that so? You ponies sure have been busy in the past twenty-one years, haven’t you?” Gilderoy said with a grin of his own. “Very well, I can send you there if you’re all done with your business here?”

“I don’t think we’ve got anything else ta handle, do we?” Sundial asked.

Rarity stepped up to Gilderoy. “Just one thing.”

“Hmm? What is it, Miss Rarity?”

She leaned up and hugged the old gryphon as best she could, despite her size compared to his. “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for me and my friends, now, and in the past. If it wasn’t for you… if it wasn’t for you, my friends and I never would’ve made it home. I would’ve never seen my family again. So, thank you.”

Gilderoy smiled and hugged Rarity back. “It’s been a pleasure, my dear. I’m just an old gryphon with not much to offer the world anymore, so it warms my heart to know that I had such an impact on the life of another.”

He paused, then smiled and drew his wand back out. Without a word, he tapped it to Rarity’s horn. She felt a surge of energy pulse through her body.

“Wh-what was that?” she asked.

“The last time you were here, I helped you and your friends unlock your potential in this world, which was fueled by your connection to your world’s ‘Elements of Harmony’, as you well remember?” He said with a grin. “I can tell that in the intervening years back at home that that power no longer existed within you to such a degree, but you’re back here now. I merely helped you reawaken that connection.”

Rarity’s smiled brightened. “I hadn’t even thought to ask that of you. Thank you, I’m certain it will come in handy.”

“Hopefully, my dear, you won’t need it.”

“What did ya just do ta her?” Bloom asked.

“When I was here last, with your sister and our friends, Mister Gilderoy helped us unlock… special abilities that were linked to our special talents, which put us on even ground against Starlight Shadow and her sisters when they were decidedly less-than-friendly.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Ya mean like when Applejack could turn inta rocks 'n' stuff?!” She turned excitedly to Gilderoy. “Can ya do the same ta me? Please?”

Gilderoy shook his head. “I am afraid it will not work quite like that. Your sister’s power was drawn from her connection to those ‘Elements’ and thus, you would need a similar connection to make that work. I am sorry.”

Bluebolt raised a hoof. “How about us? Could we ‘unlock’ something like that?”

Again, he shook his head. “You are native to this world, I am afraid, so while your natural abilities and magics might be greater than theirs are in their world, you also lack that sort of special connection. I am sorry that I cannot be of any help, Princess.”

Rarity smiled slightly at Bluebolt and Apple Bloom. “If it helps, darlings, the ability that I had was to grant greater potential to the natural abilities of others. If we need something of that sort, you can be sure that I’ll give you all that I can.”

Bloom scuffed her hoof on the floor. “Aw, shucks…”

Gilderoy gave Rarity a stern look briefly. “However, Miss Rarity, I will give you a brief warning: do not, under any circumstances, use your ability on Mister Weaver,” he said, gesturing to the earth pony. “His body is filled with so much Dark energy—against his will, as you now know—that interacting with your brimming Light could very well do him great harm.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh dear, does that even include things like healing magic and the like?”

“No, since that only interacts with his physical form. But your ability interacts with his inner magic, which will be quite a hostile reaction, I assure you.” He turned to Weaver briefly and shook his head sadly. “I am sorry again, Mister Weaver, for what I did. Had I known what you’d been through—”

Weaver shifted his ears towards Gilderoy and gave a weak shake of his own head. “Not your fault… fault lies with Pedigree…”

Sundial nodded. “Damn right, bloody well said, lad. That twat can go die in a ditch for all the good he’s done the world.”

Gilderoy turned to the others and let out a breath. “Well then, if you ponies are ready to go?”

There was a general murmur of approval. Gilderoy swished his wand through the air again in a big flamboyant gesture and, with a bright flash, everypony in the room vanished without a trace, leaving him all alone once again.

*****

The group made camp just outside the northern exit of the old ruins, where Gilderoy had transported them to. They were eager to get some sleep after spending far too long on their “brief” detour. With a new member of the traveling party, there had been some discussion at first on how to make sleeping arrangements, but things turned out to not need changing.

There was only one tent left—the kirin didn’t have any replacements—and that went to Symphony, Bluebolt, and Apple Bloom. Two of the three sleeping bags went to Rarity and Flurry Heart so that they could sleep comfortably even on the rocky ground or out in the cold. The third sleeping bag went to Sundial, who shared with Weaver. The others of the group, minus Flurry, found it confusing, even disconcerting, but didn’t argue with Sundial about it lest she start swearing and shouting about them “minding their own business”, in less kind words, of course.

The new member, Venture, was a mystery to the group. She refused to share a sleeping bag or tent with anypony, even refused to take the group’s few blankets to make due, and just slept as-is on the ground with a rock for a pillow. She even seemed to be more comfortable than the others were with that arrangement if that was at all possible. Not to mention the general confusion when asked where her heavier clothes were for when they headed outdoors, as she didn’t have any. She just chalked it up to be used to roughing it and said it wasn’t any big deal.

The following day, the group set off through the Goldridge caverns again, and, thanks to the exit they’d taken, they had barely lost an hour off of their original itinerary.

Rarity considered that the entire detour had been more of a benefit than a drawback, all things considered: the group as a whole had a great deal of new information to go by that might help figure out how to get her, Bloom, and Flurry home; Sundial had a new goal of sorts to put an end to the troubles that her world was still going through, and Rarity was happy to try and help if she could while she was here; Rarity had gotten to see a dear old friend that she never thought she’d see or hear from ever again, the first familiar face on this entire journey; they’d gotten some details about Weaver’s past, few though they were; and, of course, Rarity now felt herself brimming with power she hadn’t felt in twenty-one years. She felt young again.

The caverns led out onto a snowy series of ledges that didn’t have a proper trail to walk along, so climbing down was rather difficult and took a few hours, but once they were at the bottom they were back on the flat, solid ground of the Great Expanse’s northern reaches. From here they were only a few miles from the outer wall of New Pandemonium City itself.

The city still stood as imposing and vast as ever, which was no surprise to Rarity. She could still see the hideous smog that covered the city’s skyline even from here, though it didn’t seem as bad now that the actual sky could be seen overhead. Though she did find it amusing to see the smog mixing in with the natural clouds that rained snow onto the city. She wondered what sort of awful snow the city ponies had to deal with, considering they had to deal with something called “acid rain”.

As they walked alongside the mountain, Venture, the newcomer, seemed eager to talk to her newfound traveling companions about anything and everything she could. Sundial had already bluntly chased her off, though Venture didn’t seem bothered by it. She merely switched her attention elsewhere. Currently, it was on Symphony.

“So, are you a swordfighter or something?” she asked as she trotted alongside Symphony, who was trotting alongside Bluebolt, not far ahead of Rarity.

Symphony rolled her eyes. “Yes, I am. What tipped you off, the sword strapped to my back?”

“Well yeah, obviously,” Venture said with a smile. “I saw that it was broken. How did that happen?”

Symphony tilted her head towards Flurry. “She had some kind of tug-of-war with that Pedigree asino, and it sort of broke in half. I’ll have to get it replaced.” She sighed. “Same with my rapier.”

“You had a rapier too?”

“Yeah, but I lost it when we were dealing with those damned kirin psychopaths. That’s my fault, nopony else’s. I got careless.”

“Aww, songbird, don’t say that,” Bluebolt said pulling Symphony close with her wing. “You did the best you could with the information you had, and you fought like a hero. I’m proud of you.”

“Hmph… thanks, pecha, but still, that’s gonna be one hell of an embarrassing conversation when we get back home and I need to get both replaced. Ugh…”

“If you don’t mind my asking, where did you learn how to fight?” Venture continued. “I noticed when you were getting ready to fight Mister Gilderoy—before we knew who he was—that your stance resembles the kind used by zebras: hindquarters up so that you can use your tail to wield the sword.”

Symphony blinked. “Uh… yeah, that’s right. One of my instructors was a zebra. She taught me all of the proper stances so I could keep myself defended from multiple angles, and so that I could use my sword without magic if I needed to. It’s hard as hell, but I’m pretty decent at it.”

“Oh? Then why do you use your magic to swordfight?”

“Because my other instructor taught me how to use a sword like a ‘proper unicorn’, he said.” She gave a little chuckle. “He used to be a top-notch swordfighter where he came from, one of the best in the world, actually.”

“Hmm… considering the angle you held your sword at and your use of a rapier, was he a member of House Waters from Seaside?”

Symphony and Bluebolt gawked at Venture. “H-how did you know that?”

Venture tilted her head. “Well, I study all sorts of ancient customs and societies as part of my explorations, y’know, and that includes ancient pony stuff. House Waters has a long history of producing great swordfighters that use that particular style… what’s it called? ‘Water Dancing’?”

Bluebolt laughed. “Holy crap, you’re just like my mom. Just whipping out the know-how like nopony’s business and making everypony else look silly while you’re doing it.”

Venture frowned. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, did I upset you? I didn’t mean—”

“No no, don’t worry about it, it’s… kind of a compliment.”

Symphony chuckled. “Yeah, well, to answer your question, yes, I’m trained in both Water Dancing and the traditional zebra style. I put the two together to make up my own unique style. I’m not the best swordfighter in the world, but I’m trying to get there.”

Bluebolt tucked her wing around Symphony. “And you will, songbird, you will. My cousin’s not going to be the best swordfighter in the world forever, y’know? You’ve got what it takes to beat him someday, I just know it!”

Symphony rolled her eyes. “I know, I know, but Silver Shine’s just so damn good! It’s not fair, really…”

“Silver Shine?” Venture asked, looking to Bluebolt. “Would he happen to be from House Silver, in Utopia? He’s your cousin?”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Huh? Oh, yeah. My mom’s stepmom’s younger sister’s son… so, my cousin… I think? Self-professed best swordfighter in the world, and he’s done nothing but back it up since he was younger than we are now. Do you know him?”

“No, but I was just curious. That’s a rather famous House, y’know? Silvertongue himself hailed from it. Lots of noble ponies from that House.”

“Ha! Noble? Shine’s just a stuffed-shirt cretino as far as I’m concerned,” Symphony scoffed.

“Hey, watch it, that’s family you’re talking about,” Bluebolt tutted, digging her wingtip into Symphony’s ear. Then, she smiled. “Even if he is a jerk sometimes.”

Symphony gave her a sidelong glance.

“Okay, most of the time.”

Another glance.

“Okay, all of the time! Sheesh.”

Sundial stopped the group after they crested over a hill, then looked off into the distance towards the city. “What in the bloody hell is that?” she asked nopony in particular.

She gestured towards the city walls, and the others of the group looked out to see what she was pointing at. Even from this great distance they could see dozens of sleek airships parked out in the snow. Several of them were being covered with what looked like protective tarps. The group was too far to see much else, but the ships were clearly huge, heavy constructs.

“Those look like… airships?” Bluebolt said, a hoof above her eyes to try and get a better view. “I’ve seen enough of them back home to know what airship engines look like. Those ships are huge though. We don’t have anything like that in our fleet, at least not that I know about.”

“What are they all parked out here in the cold for, though?” Symphony asked. “The city’s on total lockdown, so they don’t have airships leaving or coming in for any reason whatsoever, and haven’t for a long, long time. Nopony gets in or out, remember? By land or air.”

Bluebolt shook her head. “No way those are civilian transports. They’re too big. You could fit thousands of passengers in a ship that big. They might be cargo ships, but… the city doesn’t have any trade alliances with anypony.”

“Well they can’t be military ships, right? The whole NPAF fleet got dismantled after your mom kicked the shit out of three of their biggest cruisers by herself in a beat-up piece of junk.”

Rarity chuckled, remembering the battle rather vividly. “That certainly was quite an experience. I still sometimes have a little fear of heights because of that whole affair—did you know I almost fell out of the airship? Dreadfully frightening. Though I do think Briarthorn would give you quite an earful for calling his poor ship a piece of junk.”

Symphony scoffed, clearly a little miffed. “Ah, whatever, he doesn’t know me so I can call it whatever I want. If that pezzo di spazzatura of his was better equipped, maybe it wouldn’t have been so easy to board and sabotage, huh? Maybe Gadget and Crossfire—”

Bluebolt set a wing on Symphony’s shoulder to calm her down. “Songbird, you know my mom told you not to say that. She knows better than anypony that it’s not the ship’s fault, or Briarthorn’s, or anypony’s except that… thing that snuck on board. Blame that thing and his stupid boss, not anypony else.”

Symphony let out a breath. “Sorry. Sorry. It just bothers me, that’s all. It’s not fair that they had to die…”

Bluebolt frowned, then shook her head. “Well… anyway, you’re right, those definitely can’t be military ships, because they dismantled their whole fleet.”

“Incorrect,” Weaver suddenly said, unprompted.

Bluebolt and Symphony—the whole group, really, but notably those two—looked to him in surprise. “Did… you say something?” Bluebolt asked. “Before I asked you to say anything?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes.”

Symphony scratched her head. “Huh… wow, okay. That’s new.”

Flurry smiled and gently shook Sundial in delight. “He’s getting better at talking to ponies, Sundial. We’re making progress! This is wonderful!”

Sundial smirked and patted Flurry on the shoulder proudly. “Aye, lass. We did right by the lad getting him out o’ that situation.”

“You said ‘incorrect’,” Bluebolt continued. “What do you mean?”

“Those are military ships, Pandemonium-class. Your contrary statement earlier was incorrect.”

“That’s impossible,” Symphony scoffed. “They melted down every weapon and ship in the fleet after what happened at Hope’s Point. Their central leadership was demolished when Admiral Hotstreak went all psycho and their best cruisers proved incapable of shooting down one little ship. Hope’s Point was repaired within three months and even got stronger because of it.”

Bluebolt nodded. “Yeah, that whole thing embarrassed the hell out of them. We watched the old news reports in our history class. And besides, we still have all sorts of algorithms and detection devices set up to discover that kind of stuff. It all goes through their bureaucracy, and we’ve got that monitored. Unless it’s going through the old Pandora Tower database? Mom could never get that thing tapped.”

“Partially correct: dismantled Gargantuan-class cruisers, adjusted leadership positions, dismantled other superfluous systems. Developed new class of airship to capitalize on strengths of previous models, eliminate weaknesses. Process done in secret, only known to NPAF leadership and Conclave.”

“Conclave?” Bluebolt asked. “What the hell is that? Do you mean the Committee that oversees the day-to-day stuff?”

“No. New city leadership, filled void left after former city leader disappeared. Separate from Committee.”

Rarity frowned. “Former city leader… that would be Silvertongue.”

“Correct, recent information confirms this. However, Conclave formed to fill the void. Overseer Pedigree is a Conclave member, runs the Shadow Candidate Project, coordinates with NPAF for weapon development. His drones are of NPAF design.”

“Okay okay, that’s all well and good, but go back a bit,” Bluebolt said, flustered. “You said they’ve been secretly developing a new fleet? Is that what this is?” She gestured out onto the ships in the snow for emphasis.

Weaver looked out on the ships, tilting his head. Then he nodded. “Yes.”

“Shit,” Symphony spat. “We’ve gotta get this news to Hope’s Point, and fast. This is un grande affare if I’ve ever seen one. Her Majesty is gonna blow a gasket.”

“Tell me about it,” Bluebolt muttered. “How the hell did we miss this?”

“Developments are kept secret, city bureaucracy is uninvolved,” Weaver sated. “Only select few—”

“Yeah yeah, we heard you.” She paused. “Wait, then how’d you find all of this out?”

“Overseer Pedigree is involved in some developments. Often speaks freely to himself on matters when alone. Considered himself alone even if… when I was present.” Weaver, for the first time, cracked a very small grin.

The group noticed, particularly Flurry and Sundial. “Oh my goodness, look!” Flurry nearly squealed. “I’ve never felt so proud of a pony before. He’s really recovering, Sundial.”

“Never considered it worth keeping from me,” Weaver continued. “Never thought I would listen or understand. Considered earth ponies unintelligent. Incorrect. I listened. I understood. I analyzed when he was unaware. I learned.”

Bloom snorted. “Well, serves him right then, I guess, that jerk.”

Sundial allowed herself to laugh proudly. “See? You all thought Flurry and I were loony bringing the lad along, but now look at ye. Besides getting better, he’s even helping ye in ways ye hadn’t ever thought o’ before, aye? Disabling traps, giving ye key intelligence, the bloody works! Ha! Ha ha!”

“She’s never gonna let us forget this, is she?” Symphony muttered to Bluebolt.

“Nope,” Bluebolt muttered back. She shook her head. “So, Weaver, do you know what these ships are going to be used for? Are they going to attack Hope’s Point?”

Weaver tilted his head as he eyed the ships. “Unknown. Overseer Pedigree never discussed military action, only weapon development. However, deployment in current formation and completion state suggests an attack is forthcoming.” He gestured towards the tarp-like things covering the ships. “New weather protection ‘sleeves’ absorb lightning to produce power, protects from cold and wind, will be used to power ships come spring.”

Bluebolt paled. “Shit, we need to warn my mom!”

Sundial set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “Calm yerself, lass. They’re not going anywhere right now, aye? The whole northern continent is gonna be covered in those bloody thunderblizzards within the next two days, and Hope’s Point itself is already under a big one. Ye ain’t gonna be able ta get word ta anypony just yet, but they’re not gonna be going anywhere either.”

“But… what if they developed a secret defense against the thunderblizzards? They could move south and attack and the Hope’s Point fleet wouldn’t be able to defend against it!”

Weaver shook his head. “Incorrect, NPAF’s new leadership opts for different approach. No shielding saves money and material, allows more ships to be developed, ships and crews now considered expendable. Cannot fly ships through thunderblizzards in any capacity, hence weather protection sleeves.”

Symphony let out a breath of relief. “Thank the stars for that. That means we’ve got time.”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, and a good thing too. This is a lot bigger than Hope’s Point, ye know?”

“Huh?”

Sundial shook her head. “That airfield they’re setting up is positioned such that they’ll have ta fly over Goldridge en route ta Hope’s Point. Considering Goldridge is allies with Hope’s Point, they’ll be a target for sure, aye?”

Rarity gasped. “Oh dear, that’s where we’ll be! Oh no, we’re not going to go through a dreadful siege again, are we?”

“Och, easy now, lass, I’ve got a plan.” Sundial took a deep breath. “Our first order o’ business is getting ta Goldridge, aye? When we get there, we’ve got a lot ta do, but we have a while ta do it in. Nopony’s going anywhere in the thunderblizzards. Not us, and not the NPAF.

“So, while we’re getting ye lot all settled in and figuring out what ta do about getting ye home, and while we’re making plans ta head south ta handle this blasted Beacon problem, I’ll also be talking with Tick Tock and Pewter about arranging ta evacuate Goldridge as soon as the thunderblizzards let up enough ta travel.”

“But how are we gonna make it to Hope’s Point in time if we wait that long?” Bluebolt asked.

“The storms move north, aye? They’ll be dying down around Hope’s Point first, then a few days later near Goldridge, then a few days later up here near Pandemonium. We’ll have ta make fast time and do it with a lot o’ folk, but we’ll have a head-start over the NPAF. Hopefully it’ll be enough. Trust me, aye? That’ll all I’m asking.”

Rarity took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ve trusted you this far, Sundial. And you’ve done nothing but prove, time and time again, that I have not misplaced that trust. So even though this sounds completely unfeasible, even if I have my doubts, and even if I’m dreadfully frightened that everything is going to go wrong… I trust you.”

Bluebolt paused, then nodded. “Yeah. Me too. You’ve always been straight with me and Symphony, and a good friend, too. If anypony’ll think of a way to make all of this work, it’s you. We’ve got your back.”

Sundial looked between the two of them, then cleared her throat and tugged her collar. “Aye, cheers then, I appreciate that. Now, if nopony has any other worries or questions or complaints, we need ta get moving, aye? Goldridge is about two days south through the new tunnels, and we’ve got ta make every minute count now.”

The group nodded as one in agreement.

Chapter Nine: Enlightenment

Rarity had to admit, the new tunnel system that Sundial had led them into was quite the marvel. The pathway was generally smooth and straight, seemingly well-maintained, and well-lit by electric lanterns that hung from sturdy support beams at regular intervals. An electrical wire through the lanterns kept them powered and ran all the way through to the entrance. It was warm and dry inside, and not at all as musty as a tunnel complex like this should have been. If anything, Rarity was certain she detected a pleasant, earthy aroma in the air, though she couldn’t quite place where she recognized it from.

The group had traveled through the tunnels until nightfall—Sundial could tell what time it was without even looking at her Timekeeper even though they were underground—at which point they made camp at a large diversion in the tunnel path midway between the entrance and Goldridge, which was specifically made as a comfortable rest stop. At their rate of travel, the group could set back out in the morning and arrive in Goldridge itself before dinnertime, which Sundial was insistent they didn’t miss, as Pewter’s cooking was supposedly amazing and well worth the effort. Rarity remembered that being the case before.

So, naturally, the group was in the highest spirits yet later the following afternoon, with only an hour or so to go before they arrived at their destination. Nopony wanted to stop, not when they were this close, not when there was a prospective home-cooked meal and real beds to look forward to. The pace was quick and yet there wasn’t a single complaint, gripe, or moan. The worst it got was some heavy breathing from the less hardy members of the group—Rarity at first, then eventually Bluebolt and Flurry as well—as they pushed themselves to keep up with Sundial.

An hour or so before dinnertime, the group arrived in a large, cavernous chamber, well-lit not with electrical lights but by a natural glow emitted by bioluminescent fungus that coated nearly every wall and most of the ceiling.

Rarity eyed the sight—somehow beautiful and repugnant at the same time—with just the slightest twinge of familiarity in the back of her mind, not from her last visit to this world—this tunnel hadn’t existed then—but from her own. She was fairly certain, no, positive that the eerie glow was reminiscent of—

Her thoughts were interrupted when, to the surprise of the group, two young creatures—they appeared young, at any rate—ran across the pathway that Sundial was leading them along, laughing and jumping to and fro like children at play. They were quadrupedal, with black, chitinous hides, insect-like eyes and wings, tiny barbed horns sprouting from their foreheads, and odd chips and holes in their limbs. One was male, the other female, judging from their eyes and body shapes.

Now Rarity was absolutely certain she knew where she recognized the eerie glowing from: the old changeling hive, from before they reformed. “Ch-changelings?” she blurted in surprise, pointing at the two young creatures.

The changelings, who had been clearly playing a game of tag or merely chasing one another for fun, jumped in surprise at the sudden sound of her voice. They eyed the large group that stood before them, their expressions and body language anxious, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. Nothing did, of course, as most of the group just stared at them in shock.

Then, without a word, they darted down along a different path and into the darkness where the natural light did not carry so well, out of sight within seconds.

Sundial chuckled and gave Rarity a teasing look. “Och, I think ye scared them, lass.”

“Me? I scared them?” Rarity scoffed, anxiously looking about for more of the creatures. “I think they scared me more, to be honest.”

“Aye. They’re not used ta strangers down here in the tunnels, especially not at this time o’ year. I’m usually the only pony crazy enough ta even travel in the winter, and ta be honest most o’ the younger ones don’t know me well enough yet ta recognize me on sight alone. They definitely wouldn’t recognize any o’ you lot.”

“Y’all talk like ya know 'em,” Bloom said, stepping up alongside Rarity protectively. “Are they friendly? 'Cause we used ta have changelings back home that weren’t real nice at first, an’ they looked just like that. Y’know, all dark 'n' pointy lookin’?”

“Really? What do the ‘nice’ ones look like then?” Bluebolt asked.

“A lot more colorful, kind o’ like ponies, an’ their legs didn’t look all full o’ holes like swiss cheese.”

“Darling, you never told us that your world had changelings these days,” Rarity said to Sundial, a little terse. “A little warning would have been nice, hmm?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Warning? What for? They’re not dangerous. They’re mostly all wee ones, not a one o’ them even as old as Flurry Heart over there. They’re not like the kirin who just came out o’ hiding one day but had apparently been there for much longer, aye? They only recently started being born.”

“Really? Well that’s… interesting. Born to whom?”

“That would be to me, little pony,” came a clicking, reverberating voice from the darkness.

Everypony except for Sundial, Venture, and Weaver immediately backed up against the wall in fearful surprise. Symphony in particular drew her broken sword and put herself in front of Bluebolt. Sundial just watched the others move with a confident smirk on her face, clearly amused. Venture seemed oddly excited and not at all worried or afraid, barely able to contain herself from bouncing in place. Weaver, of course, just looked off into the darkness with keen interest, quiet and stoic as usual, as if he’d already noticed the source of the voice.

From the darkness stepped a much larger creature, mostly similar in appearance to the earlier pair of changelings, though with a reddish tint to her chitinous hide and more elongated limbs, rather like an alicorn. She had a short, straight mane, reddish-pink in color and made of a membranous substance, which hung just off to the side of her face. Her horn was long and jutted out at strange angles, ending in a razor-sharp tip. Her wings were larger and more powerful, like those of a dragonfly. Her forelegs ended in sharp points that pierced the rocky floor with every step. At the sides of her mouth were mandible-like protrusions, which explained the clicking in her voice.

Most strikingly, she did not have a hair-like tail as the younger changelings did. Hers was longer, solid, and ended with a barbed, scorpionesque stinger.

The two young changelings from before huddled behind this larger changeling for protection, looking out at the ponies with a great deal of anxiety and fear. Sundial’s assessment had been correct: Rarity had scared them.

Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart were rather instantly reminded of Queen Chrysalis, though this changeling was perhaps even more intimidating because of the many sharp, piercing points her body had. She took another brief step towards the collection of ponies, showing off her two rows of sharp teeth that looked like they could tear flesh apart with ease. Her horn glowed with a sinister black aura.

She let out a low, growling hiss towards the group as she poised herself to strike—

Then, she stopped instantly when she noticed Sundial, her expression lightening into a pleasant smile, and even the darkness in the air around her seemed to vanish in an instant. “Oh! Sundial! I didn’t know it was you. I was worried we had intruders. My two darlings here know better than to play so far from the hive.”

The two young changelings looked a little embarrassed at the accusation.

“It’s quite alright, Yer Majesty, you were just being cautious,” Sundial said with her professional, polite demeanor. “Sorry if we scared yer wee ones, aye? I wasn’t expecting ta be traveling with such a big group this year and I didn’t exactly warn them about ye.”

“It’s quite alright, there was no harm done, my friend.” The changeling queen then looked amongst the group, and gasped the moment she saw Venture standing there expectantly. “Venture! By the stars above, it has been far too long since I have seen you. What are you doing here?”

Sundial blinked and stared at Venture, visibly and astoundingly confused. “What.”

Venture casually walked up to the queen and gave her a big hug—as best as she could despite their size difference—as though they were the best of friends. “Aculeata! It’s so good to see you again! Sorry I haven’t checked in with you in so long, but I’ve been awfully busy, y’know?”

The queen—Aculeata, apparently—grinned knowingly. “As usual.”

“So, how have you been? Is your brood getting bigger like you hoped it would?”

“I’ve been quite well, friend, thank you. And yes, my brood has grown in size quite substantially since I last saw you. Let’s see… ah, I believe I have laid five or so clutches since our last meeting, roughly sixty young ones. Oh!” She gestured to the young changelings huddled by her hindlegs. “These two lovelies were hatched in the first clutch after you left.”

Venture looked to the two young changelings with a sweet, pleasant smile. “Aww, and what are your names, cuties?” she cooed.

The two young changelings shared brief glances at one another, but seeing that Aculeata wasn’t afraid of this mare, they clearly figured they didn’t need to be either. The male spoke first, though he was quiet and shy. “I’m Chitin, miss…”

“And I’m Alata,” said the female, a little bolder than the male.

“They’re adorable,” Venture said with a little squee. “I’m so happy for you, Aculeata. May I… hug them?”

Aculeata smiled and nodded, then bent down and spoke softly to the two. “She is a friend, don’t be shy.”

Alata moved forward first, and Venture gave the little female changeling a ginger, friendly hug. Alata’s horn lit up with a dull, pink glow while locked in the embrace, and her mouth broke out into a little smile. Seeing his sister so elated, Chitin moved forward and tried to join in. Venture warmly opened the hug to let him participate, and his horn glowed the same as Alata’s.

“Oh my goodness, they’re so cute,” Venture said as she let the two go.

“I can never thank you enough for everything you’ve done, my friend,” Aculeata said with a smile. She turned to the two young changelings and gestured off into the caverns below. “Go on, loves, you may continue playing. Just remember not to stray far from the hive this time, okay?”

“Yes, mom,” the two said in unison. They headed off into the cave, but not before giving brief looks towards the group as they were leaving, and little smiles towards Venture.

“You’re doing wonderfully as a mother,” Venture said patting Aculeata’s hoof tenderly. “You should be proud.”

Sundial shook her head in disbelief. “Alright, that’s it, hold on one bloody minute!” She pointed at Venture angrily, her eyebrow starting to twitch. “Ye mean ta say ye know her? How? When? I’ve never seen ye before we met in that damned cave, and Tick Tock never mentioned ye before, so ye can’t have ever come ta Goldridge as far as I know.”

Venture tilted her head. “Oh, I knew Aculeata from before she came here to Goldridge, duh. I actually told her all about your little settlement here so that she might have a safe place to raise her ever-growing family. I mean, I’d only heard about Goldridge before, but the stories made it sound just perfect, even if I’d never been! This is my first time here.”

“Aye, is that so? She came here some a wee bit over ten years ago, around the same time I took over for Tick Tock, so ye’re saying ye knew her before that?” Sundial scoffed. “Ye don’t look a day over twenty, lass, so ye can’t possible have known her that long.”

“Oh? Well… thank you, I guess? I mean, I do try to take care of myself,” Venture said with a polite smile. “I’m older than that, though. Actually, I’m closer to thirty than I am to twenty. I do appreciate the compliment, though, that’s a very nice thing to say to somepony.”

Queen Aculeata smiled at Sundial before the latter could go off on another rant. “She is telling the truth, Sundial. I owe Venture a great debt of gratitude for helping me and my family, and she is a dear friend to me. We met when she got lost in my old hive, shortly after I laid my first clutch.”

Sundial, clearly disarmed by the queen’s calmness, took a breath. “Well… if ye say so, I won’t question it. Ye’d have no reason ta be making stuff up, Yer Majesty, not ta me at any rate.”

“See? We’re all friends here,” Venture said with a pleasant grin.

Sundial grunted and shook her head. “But we’re getting ahead o’ ourselves, aye? Ye haven’t met any o’ my other companions, have ye, Yer Majesty? I mean, I certainly don’t think ye have, but apparently I could be wrong.”

Aculeata turned towards the rest of the group, still smiling. Her pleasantness was definitely disarming—comforting, perhaps—to Rarity’s nerves. “Forgive my rudeness, friends. I have not yet introduced myself properly, which I understand to be poor manners. I am Queen Aculeata, leader and mother of all changelings. How do you do?”

Rarity, who had finally collected herself after this whole display, cleared her throat to speak first. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. My name is Rarity.”

Aculeata offered her hoof politely. “The pleasure is mine, Rarity.”

Rarity hesitated for only an instant before taking Aculeata’s hoof and giving it a dainty shake. To her surprise, the queen’s hoof was hard and smooth like polished stone, not at all unpleasant to the touch.

Introductions went down the line, and once everypony was acquainted with the changeling queen, the tension that had once been in the air was immediately released.

“This is my first time meeting any changelings before,” Bluebolt said excitedly. “Sundial says your kind can shapeshift. Is that true, Your Majesty?”

Aculeata nodded. “Of course. Would you like to see?”

“Yes, please!”

Aculeata then stood tall and closed her eyes to focus. Her body shimmered with a crackling red glow, and with a brief flash, her body changed instantly and completely.

Before them now stood a stunningly gorgeous earth pony mare with a golden yellow coat and a long, flowing, silver mane. Her cutie mark was a sparkling red heart. She was, of course, nude.

“Ta da!” Aculeata said, her voice perfectly normal in this form, and rather sultry at that. “Is this satisfactory?”

Bluebolt and Symphony gawked at the mare standing before them, the former’s wings slightly rigid. “W-wow,” Symphony muttered, dumbstruck. “You’re… beautiful…”

“Oh, why thank you,” Aculeata said with a nod and a perfect, gleaming smile. “I take it that you appreciate this form as well, Princess?” she added, turning to Bluebolt.

Bluebolt blushed and nodded. “Y-yeah, you’re like a supermodel. Holy smokes, uh… yeah. Yeah, it’s very… nice.”

Aculeata smiled again, then shifted her form slightly to grow a pair of luscious wings. “This is my ‘neutral’ form, so to speak, the one I use when interacting normally with ponies that live in or visit the settlement.” She shifted again, ditching the wings to grow a shiny horn. “I have found that most others find it pleasing to the eye.”

“And how!” Symphony blurted.

Aculeata tilted her head slightly. “Hmm… your reactions are—” She smiled as her horn glowed a dull red. “Ah, I see. Yes, I do seem to have that effect on ponies. Typically not mares, however, so this is a new sensation for me. Very curious.”

“Can you shift into forms of other ponies,” Flurry asked, slightly nervous. “Like, can you impersonate or imitate another pony?”

Aculeata nodded briefly, then shifted her form into an exact copy of Flurry Heart, minus the wings and cutie mark that she couldn’t see. “As you can see, yes, I can,” she said in Flurry’s voice. “Though it is without your ‘cutie marks’. I prefer not to do it, actually.”

Flurry gulped as she looked at herself. “It’s quite a good copy, I’ll say that much. You look almost exactly like me.”

Aculeata immediately shifted back into her original changeling form. “Yes, but I do not wish to instill distrust or fear of my kind, so I avoid doing so and encourage my children to avoid it all the same. Our ‘other selves’ are as unique as any pony is, though I hope that one day, we will not need to hide our true selves.”

The group continued on their way along the path towards Goldridge, with Queen Aculeata as company, who seemed more than eager to share more information about herself and her hive when asked.

“So, you’ve built your hive here underneath Goldridge?” Rarity asked. “And you say that Tick Tock helped you make that happen?”

Aculeata smiled and nodded. “Yes, and I owe Tick Tock a great deal of gratitude for the favor she and her husband have done for me and my children. We could certainly live anywhere in the Great Expanse, as we live underground and are not bothered by the weather here, but having a little settlement of ponies above us keeps us well fed. We have no need to ‘hunt’.”

“When ya say ‘well fed’, what d’ya mean?” Bloom asked.

“My kind gain sustenance from emotions,” the queen explained. “Interestingly, some emotions provide more or less nutrition than others. Why, my attempt earlier to frighten you off caused a portion of your group to experience the emotion of ‘fear’.” She shook her head with disgust. “It is not a very hearty emotion, but it serves its purpose if we are desperate. I personally do not enjoy the taste and so prefer to avoid it.”

“Really?” Flurry asked. “What emotions do you think are the best, then?”

Aculeata smiled. “The positive emotions are generally all healthy and hearty to feed off of: joy, laughter, excitement, and pride, for example. But most of all, there is love. Just the tiniest expressions of love between two creatures can provide enough nutrients to feed me for an entire day, and the ponies of Goldridge are a loving bunch.”

“So something as simple as a hug between two ponies can do all that? And you don’t have to actually… do anything? You do it passively?”

“That is correct, my dear, so long as the expression is expressed outwardly, then we merely need to be close enough to feed from it. The hive here is close enough to feed from the ponies above in Goldridge. I have found that the greater display of love it is, the more hearty of a meal it is as well. A hug can feed me alone for a day; a kiss can feed dozens of my children; sexual intercourse can feed most of the hive.”

Flurry blushed and looked away, embarrassed. “R-really? So you… know when the ponies up above you are doing… that?”

Aculeata nodded. “Indeed I do. Fear not though, for I do not pry, and I do not necessarily know who is engaging in such an act. So if you and your…” She clicked her mandibles in thought, making a sort of purring noise.“What is the phrase, ‘special somepony’?” She glanced briefly between Flurry and Bloom.“If you and your special somepony wish to engage in such activities—”

Bloom, red in the face, hastily waved her hooves. “Whoa whoa whoa, me 'n' Flurry ain’t involved like that! We’re just friends!”

Aculeata tilted her head, then smiled politely. “Ah, forgive me, I didn't mean to assume. There is a great deal of love in the air nearby and I have yet to pinpoint its source.” She laughed briefly. “Whoever it is, their love for one another is quite potent, as they can barely contain it to themselves.”

“Forgive me for asking, Your Majesty,” Rarity interjected, “but Sundial mentioned earlier that your kind didn’t just 'emerge from hiding’, like the kirins supposedly did. If that’s true, then where exactly did you and your kind come from?”

Aculeata looked up at the ceiling, a sad little smile on her face. “All of the changelings in my hive were born from me. They are my children, and mine alone, for I am the only queen of my kind. It is my duty—my privilege—to bear them into the future. It has been hard work, but I believe I have made progress.

“As for myself, I have lived a long, long life.” She turned to Rarity and tilted her head curiously. “What do you know of the Gargantuans, Miss Rarity?”

Rarity frowned as she recalled her last visit to this world. “They were terrible creatures that lived in the old Wastelands, so far as I knew. Monstrous insects of a size worthy of their namesake, with all sorts of deadly, horrible appendages and violent intentions towards ponies and one another. I almost lost a dear, dear friend to just a young one’s venom.”

Aculeata looked absolutely mortified. “Oh my goodness! I do hope that they recovered.”

“She did, though the experience was still quite harrowing, you understand. It’s only thanks to Tick Tock and Pewter’s help that we managed to save her life at all.” Rarity gave a brief smile. “That is a debt to them that I, too, can likely never repay.”

“I am truly sorry that you and your friend went through that experience, Miss Rarity, and I hope that you will not judge me too harshly for anything.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Why would I do that?”

Aculeata sighed. “I am the last of my kind—my former kind, to be accurate. I am the last of the Gargantuans, so far as I know. At the very least I am the only one to take this form.”

Rarity balked. “But… but you… you don’t look anything like one of those creatures. You’re so much smaller for one thing, and you have a completely different shape! Those Gargantuans were like… spiders mixed with scorpions and all sorts of other creepy crawlies, and you don’t look anything like that.”

Rarity glanced at Aculeata’s tail, and she made a small connection there. The creature that had stung and nearly killed Fluttery had a similar tail. But she didn’t say anything further, as her comments were meant to be more complementary than anything.

“It took years of evolution and a great deal of magic to make it possible, but that is what happened. Myself and the other queens fought each other all the while, and by the time I was the only living member of my once horrid race, I had begun to change. To become…” Aculeata clicked her mandibles together in thought.“To become horrified by what I once was.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Harmonia played a big role in the process, aye? I understand it took years o’ constant effort ta make it happen.”

“More than five years, yes,” Aculeata said with a nod. “But, when it was done, and once I had shed my old skin and taken this new form, I knew that I had become more than what I had been before. I had intelligence. I had a conscience. I had a dream. A dream that I could give birth to a new race that could live in harmony with the world. Harmonia gave me and my race a second chance.”

Venture smiled and patted Aculeata’s side gently. “And I’m so glad that she did, Aculeata. You’ve done amazingly well with the gift that she gave you. You’re a loving mother, you have wonderful friends, you have a home of your own, and you’re making that dream of yours a reality. I’m very proud of what you’ve done.”

Aculeata gave Venture a little smile. “I owe her everything, my friend, but I could also never forget all the opportunities given to me by Tick Tock and Pewter. All of what I have done could never have been accomplished without the help of some of the greatest creatures I’ve ever known.”

“What sort of arrangement do you have with Goldridge, anyway?” Bluebolt asked. “Like, do you trade food or something?”

“My kind live beneath the settlement, and I will protect them, and my children, from any threat that comes from below,” Aculeata said, baring her sharp teeth. “I may not possess my former size, but I am still as durable and strong as I ever was.”

“Wow, that’s impressive,” Symphony whistled. “Used to be that a Gargantuan queen could take anti-armor rounds from the really big guns like they were spitballs. The only thing that kept them at bay were those tremor devices.”

“And you’re still just as tough you say?” Bluebolt asked with wonder. “Like, you could take a bullet and not feel a thing?”

“Correct,” Aculeata said with a sinister smile. “No threat to Goldridge will come from below, I have made sure of that for years. And, in return, my children and I may feed off of the emotions of the settlers here—we do so passively, so there is no need to worry them. In addition, because I need to populate my hive constantly…” She clicked her mandibles again.“The male settlers and male visitors who sometimes pass through are free for the taking to satisfy my needs. I ask permission first, of course.”

Bluebolt turned bright red. “O-oh? Uh… wow, okay.”

Symphony looked disappointed. “Just the males, huh?”

Bluebolt nudged her. “Symphony!”

“What? C’mon, don’t tell me you wouldn’t—”

“That’s not the point!”

Flurry raised an eyebrow, looking to Aculeata. “What do you mean by all that?”

Aculeata smiled brightly, clearly eager to explain. “You see, every other year, near the beginning of spring, I enter into a brief breeding cycle—not unlike estrus—and require a mate to donate to my newest clutch.”

She gave a brief look towards Weaver, then shifted into her ‘neutral’ form. “I am due for one this coming spring, and have yet to single out a donor.” She casually flicked her tail against his nose as she circled around him. “But I am always… ‘on the prowl’, I believe the saying is?”

Weaver didn’t react, merely watched her in curiosity.

She tilted her head, clearly confused by his lack of reaction. She tried shifting her form to gain wings, spreading them wide to give him a view of her impressive wingspan, but still nothing. She then shifted into her unicorn version, lighting up her horn with a display of colors, and yet still nothing.

Bluebolt and Symphony were not as unaffected, and were constantly nudging one another and pointing excitedly.

Aculeata shifted back into her true form, apparently disappointed. “Most peculiar.” She shrugged. “At any rate, I seek a unique mate for each engagement, so that I may diversify the genes of my brood. It would not do for all of my children to share the same father, for they will someday need to seek mates of their own, and it is important to ensure the health of future generations.”

Flurry blushed a fierce red and looked away. “I… I see…”

Rarity cleared her throat, also quite embarrassed. “Ah, I suppose we have been asking for quite a lot of information, haven’t we? Pardon us if all of this seems forward. Asking you about your… um… your sex life, I suppose.”

Aculeata smiled and shook her head politely. “It is no trouble or embarrassment to me, my friends. I do not often have an opportunity to speak on the matters of my kind, as Tick Tock and Sundial have been the only two with the curiosity to ask so deeply of me.”

“Ye’ve not heard the lot of it yet, either,” Sundial noted with a cheeky grin. “She’s very detailed when describing the process, aye?”

“Have you ever asked her if you could watch?” Symphony asked.

“Symphony!” Bluebolt exclaimed, nudging Symphony hard.

Aculeata didn’t seem to hear the question. “Ah, but we are approaching your destination, so this is where I will leave you.”

“You’re not gonna come up wit’ us?” Bloom asked.

“I must return to tend to my hive, my dear,” Aculeata said with a polite smile. “My kind do not much like the cold and so tend to stay down below, and there are so many—and they are so young—that I rarely have time to do much else. This encounter with you all has been quite a treat!”

Bluebolt nodded excitedly. “It certainly has been enlightening. Wait 'til my mom hears I met the changeling queen, she’s gonna be so jealous.” She nudged Symphony. “I told you this little adventure was going to be awesome, didn’t I? We’ve met so many interesting creatures and seen so many cool places, all in just a week!”

“Sure beats staying in the palace all day, every day, for three months,” Symphony said. She smirked and pulled Bluebolt close. “Though I’m starting to get a little... amorosa, huh?” She leaned up and whispered something into Bluebolt’s ear.

Bluebolt hid her face behind her wing and pushed Symphony away. “You are just incorrigible.”

Aculeata tilted her head gently in their direction, then smiled. She said nothing, but her horn’s subtle pink glow was rather telling, at least to Rarity, who was picking up on the queen’s magic auras quickly.

Just as she was making to leave, however, Sundial cleared her throat. “Och, actually, Yer Majesty, would ye mind coming along with us? I have some news ta deliver ta Tick Tock and Pewter, and ye should really be there when I deliver it since ye’re gonna be involved. Figure ye should be part o’ the process, aye?”

Aculeata now tilted her head towards Sundial, clearly a little worried. “Oh? Well this doesn’t sound good. Nothing too awful, I hope?”

“Let’s save it for when I get ye all together, aye? Do ye have anyone who can watch the hive for an hour or so while we meet?”

Aculeata nodded. “Comet will already be tending to things, yes. I was actually going to relieve him in every sense, but he can wait a little longer. He has always been a patient stallion.”

“Who’s Comet?” Flurry asked.

Aculeata smiled, and briefly shifted her form into that of a pegasus stallion with a golden brown coat and a short, fiery red mane. “This is Comet,” Aculeata said in a distinct stallion’s voice. “He is my partner. I’m sure that he would love to meet you all once this business is dealt with, actually, and will be attending dinner.”

Flurry tilted her head. “Your ‘partner’? Not… mate?”

“No, but that is a complicated situation. It would best saved for later. Typically I do not wish to take on the form of others, but Comet allows me to do so for him, and sometimes encourages it.” She gently swished his short tail along his backside. “I have ensured that the anatomy is accurate from memory.”

Flurry blushed. “R-right…”

Aculeata shifted back into her true form. “But for now, let us focus on the task at hoof, yes?” She turned to Sundial and gestured forward. “Lead the way, friend.”

Sundial led the group just a little ways further ahead until they came upon a door built directly into the side of the cavern wall. She opened it, revealing a stairwell that led up towards yet another door, and took the lead as the group made their way up single-file.

At the door at the top of the stairs, Sundial first gave a short, loud knock, then waited a few seconds, then opened it and walked inside. “Hello! I’m back!” She briefly turned back towards the others, Weaver in particular. “Ah, Weaver, lad, if ye don’t mind, can ye wait at the back o’ the group? Just for a wee bit?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes. Why?”

“It’s a long story, lad, but let’s just say I’d rather we avoid any complications right away, aye?”

The others followed along behind her into a small room not nearly large enough to hold the entire group, so some of them waited out in the hall—namely, Rarity and Weaver, who had been at the back. The room was clearly some sort of storage chamber that had been repurposed, as there were still a few empty shelves that hadn’t been removed yet, but there wasn’t much else of note.

There came hoofsteps from the other side of the door. The door opened, and a mint green unicorn mare with a blue mane, wearing a comfortable plaid turtleneck sweater, was on the other side. Her cutie mark was a stopwatch that accurately showed the current time. Rarity could barely contain her excitement and wanted to usher the line along more quickly, but kept herself composed for now.

“You’re late,” said the mare, narrowing her eyes at Sundial. “You were supposed to be here yesterday. Any particular reason—”

She glanced behind Sundial to see that the other room was crowded, particularly that there were three unfamiliar faces: Venture, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart, though she clearly didn’t see Rarity just yet, or at least not well enough to recognize her.

“Oh. I see that you’ve picked up a few extra heads. Righto then, that’d do it.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, that’d do it. Do ye mind if we take this out inta the den, Mum? I’d rather get comfortable before I give ye a rundown of all the shite—”

The mare tugged Sundial’s ear harshly with her magic. “Oy! Language! I’ve told you a hundred times that while you are under my roof, you don’t use that kind of talk, eh?”

Sundial winced under the pressure; this was the first time anypony had seen her genuinely show any sign of pain. “Aye! Aye! Sorry, it’s just been a rough week, and I’ve been under a lot o’ stress and I forgot, I forgot! Let me go, Tick Tock, I’m sorry!”

The mare—Tick Tock—let her go. “Good. Now don’t let me hear any more of that rubbish language for the rest of the winter, okay?” She stepped aside and let Sundial through into the den.

Rarity could just barely make said den out from here, and it hadn’t changed much from how she remembered it. It was a large, comfortable common area with plenty of chairs and couches to rest on, as well as a lit fireplace. There was a door shuttered up with heavy metal plates that led outside, as well as a pair of windows on either side of the door. There was a raging blizzard outside, with fierce winds that shook the glass slightly.

Sundial took a seat on one of the bigger chairs and cozied down into it. “Ah… that hits the spot…”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes, then turned back to the storage room. She smiled up at Aculeata as the latter walked through the door next. “Oh! This is a surprise, Aculeata. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Aculeata smiled and pressed her forehead against Tick Tock’s. “Sundial said she had important news to share and that I should be present for it, so here I am. Comet will watch the hive until I return, then join you for dinner as usual.”

“News, you say? That involves you? Well, that’s certainly odd…” Tick Tock mumbled. She shrugged and let Aculeata pass. The changeling queen took up most of one of the sofas by herself.

Next were Bluebolt and Symphony. “Princess. Symphony,” Tick Tock greeted with a gentle bow of her head. “So? How was the ‘adventure’ with Sundial? Was it everything you expected it to be?”

Bluebolt nodded excitedly. “I’ve got so many stories to tell my mom when we get back home, Tick Tock, you wouldn’t believe it!”

Tick Tock chuckled. “You’d be surprised by what I’m willing to believe, Princess.”

Symphony puffed out her chest proudly. “Yeah, like how I got gored through the side by a maniac kirin!”

“What?” Tick Tock stared blankly at Symphony. “That’s… quite a thing to brag about, Symphony. Are you okay? You don’t look like you had anything happen to you quite that bad.” She paused, then nodded in realization. “Ah, wait, you said ‘kirin’. Guess you went and saw Kwake afterwards?”

“Yup! Nice lady, fixed me up just perfetto. Look, you can’t even see a scar.” She demonstrated by lifting up her heavy coat to show that her wound had healed completely, not even so much as a scar. “Cool stuff, right? I mean, I’d love to have a battle scar to show off, but Bolt said it ‘tarnished my perfect body’.”

Bluebolt turned red and nudged Symphony. “I said no such thing!”

“Psh, sure you did!” Symphony primped up her mane like a model—rather, like how she’d seen Rarity do it. “I can’t help it if I’m bellissima.”

“Well, far be it from me to tell you to be more careful out there. If you feel it’s something to get excited about, fair play to you, you nutter.” Tick Tock shook her head. “Go on then.”

The couple headed into the den and took a seat together on a single chair, barely big enough to hold them both, but proximity seemed more important at the moment than anything else.

Next out of the room was the first unfamiliar face to Tick Tock: Venture. “And who might you be?”

Venture smiled and offered her hoof. “My name’s Venture! I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, but took Venture’s hoof. The latter immediately started shaking enthusiastically. “That’s quite a lot of things to be the best at, if you don’t mind my saying. You can’t fit all of that on a business card, eh?”

“No, I don’t suppose you can. Luckily, I don’t have any business cards!” Venture laughed. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, by the way, Mrs. Tock. I’ve heard the rest of the group mention you a few times here and there, so I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I always like meeting new ponies, especially ones with such a reputation.”

“You can trust her, Tick Tock,” Aculeata chimed in with a smile towards Venture. “She’s a friend of mine from before you and I met. She’s the one that suggested I come to see you about making my hive here, so she’s a good pony.”

Tick Tock nodded. “Ah, I see. Well, any friend of Aculeata is a friend of mine, mate. Go on then, make yourself at home.”

Venture nodded excitedly. “Thanks!” She hopped onto the sofa next to Aculeata.

Flurry was next, and offered her hoof as well. “A pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Tock. My name is Flurry Heart.”

Tick Tock paused halfway through shaking Flurry’s hoof as if a sudden thought struck her. “Did… did you say ‘Flurry Heart’?”

Flurry tilted her head, but didn’t drop her smile. “I did, yes. Why, is something the matter with my name?”

“No no, there’s nothing the matter, it’s just that that name sounds really familiar. Have we met? I swear I’ve heard that name before and it’s driving me crazy. It’s on the tip of my tongue but I can’t quite reach it.”

“I can’t say that we have, no, but I believe you know my aunt, Twilight Sparkle?”

Tick Tock’s expression went through about six or seven different emotions all at once, most of all, shock. “I… did… what… but…” She shook her head. “Did you say ‘Twilight Sparkle’?”

Flurry smiled, clearly realizing she’d gotten somewhere. “I did. She’s my aunt. My dad, Shining Armor, is her older brother.”

Tick Tock glared at Sundial. “Sundial! Were you just going to let it be a surprise to me that you had non-native visitors? What, did you think it would be funny to get a laugh out of me? Are you having a proper giggle? Hmm?”

Sundial chuckled. “Aye, I thought it might rattle ye a little bit—”

“A little bit?! Blimey, girl, you’ve got a wicked sense of humor, springing this on me like that! You… you… ooh! You’ve got a lot of nerve, young lady.” Tick Tock grunted, then turned back to Flurry. “Sorry about that, Miss Heart, but that mare drives me up the wall sometimes with all the rubbish she pulls. How is Twilight?”

“That’s a pretty loaded question, actually,” Flurry chuckled. “I think that sort of discussion might be better saved for when we have a chance to talk later, if that’s alright with you? She’s good, though, I can at least say that much.”

“Righto then, no problems here. Go on, take a seat, get comfortable.”

Flurry nodded appreciatively, then took a seat on another sofa.

Next in was Apple, whose bright smile and energetic hoofshake were almost as excitable as Venture’s had been. “Boy howdy, it sure is a pleasure ta meet ya, Mrs. Tock. I’ve heard so much about ya 'n' what ya did fer mah sister. If it weren’t fer y’all, I’d have never seen her again!”

Tick Tock blinked, clearly lost and confused by the mare’s enthusiasm and not quite catching all of her words. “You’re... welcome? I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met. You are who, exactly?”

“Oh! Right, sorry, got a lil’ carried away there. My name’s Apple Bloom.”

Tick Tock’s jaw dropped and she immediately stopped shaking her hoof. “Really now? ‘Apple Bloom’, you said? As in the sister of Applejack, Apple Bloom?”

“That’s right! Y’all helped mah sister make it back home when she was here.”

Tick Tock’s mouth curled up in a little grin. “Well, today’s just full of surprises, isn’t it? How is Applejack?”

“Oh, she’s just peachy keen back home on Sweet Apple Acres. I mean, she’s probably worried sick 'bout me, but I know we’re in good hooves wit’ Miss Sundial,” Bloom said with a brief smile to the latter. “Just like mah sister was wit’ you, Mrs. Tock. She spoke awful highly 'bout ya, y’know?”

“Did she now?” Tick Tock said with a knowing smile. “I’m glad to hear it. She and I butt heads quite a lot while we were traveling together, you know?”

“Oh yeah, she told me all 'bout how she got convinced y’all were tryin’ ta steal Flathoof from her on account o’ lots of miscommunication. She’s way past that. Curaçao’s still kind o’ embarrassed about the whole thing, actually.”

Tick Tock’s eyes widened. “Curaçao? You’re in contact with—” She shook her head and held up her hooves. “This is too much. We’ll save it for later, okay? We’re holding up the line and I’ve got a feeling that we've got a right proper conversation in the works. Go on then.”

Bloom headed into the den and took a seat next to Flurry.

Tick Tock then turned to greet the next visitor, and her jaw dropped again, more so than before. “R-r-rarity?”

Rarity wasted no time in pulling Tick Tock in for a tight hug, a huge smile on her face. “You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you again, darling. I know these are rather bothersome circumstances, but this is the finest silver lining there could possibly be. How are you, dear?”

Tick Tock gulped, apparently trying to find her words, but she wasn’t doing a great job at it. “I… you… b-but… what…” She shook her head. “This is amazing! I never thought I’d see any of you again, especially not now, not after I retired. You’re really here…” She set her hoof on Rarity’s cheek just to be sure, then brightened instantly and tried to look into the room behind Rarity. “Are… are any of the others—”

Rarity shook her head sadly. “I’m afraid not, dear. Just me, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart. It’s a rather complicated story, and I believe it can be saved for later, after Sundial goes over her more pressing matters, hmm?”

“Sure… sure, that’s fine. It’s good to see you.” Tick Tock pulled Rarity in for another hug. “After everything we went through… the hardest thing about these past twenty-one years has been never seeing some of the best friends I’ll ever have ever again. I’ve missed you all so much.”

Rarity tightened the hug. “We’ve missed you too, darling. Twilight especially so. I think you had a real impact on her and the mare she is today. She’ll be glad to hear how you’re doing.”

Tick Tock wiped her nose and nodded. “Go on then, take a seat and get comfortable. There’s so many things I have to tell you, you have no idea,” she laughed.

Rarity moved along, taking a seat in a comfortable chair all by herself and allowing herself sink into the cushions.

Tick Tock waited for the next visitor to walk through, but Sundial hopped out of her seat approached first. “Now, Mum, I need ye ta take a deep breath, and stay calm, aye? This might come as a wee bit o’… well, a big shock, and I don’t want ye ta get too spooked.”

Tick Tock looked at Sundial like she was from one of Equestria’s moons. “Huh? Sundial, whoever else you have with you can’t possibly be a bigger deal than Rarity. You’ve gone proper mental if you think that.”

Weaver stepped through the doorway next, but didn’t say anything.

Tick Tock looked at his face first and offered her hoof. “And who might you—” Her eyes then trailed down to his uniform to the pair of red goggles hanging around his neck. She leapt back in a panic and nearly banged her head against the wall. “No…. no no…”

Sundial took in a deep breath. “Och, that’s exactly what I was afraid would happen. Bloody hell…”

Aculeata rose from her seat in an instant, her horn aglow with a dim black energy, moving her tongue through her mouth as if disgusted by what she was tasting. “Fear. She’s afraid. No… terrified.” She glared at Weaver and flared her wings. “What are you doing to my friend, fiend?!”

Sundial had to physically restrain Aculeata from taking more than a few steps forward. “Easy! Easy! It’s not what ye think!”

The others in the room all rose as if expecting to need to do the same. Rarity moved to Tick Tock’s side to try and calm her down, but the other unicorn was in such a panic that she didn’t notice.

“He is making Tick Tock experience fear! He is scaring her!” Aculeata spat. “Step aside, Sundial!”

Venture came up behind Aculeata and put her hoof on the queen’s side. “Oh dear, please calm yourself, Aculeata, he’s not an enemy—”

Tick Tock pointed her hoof at Weaver, scuttling back against the wall in a panic. “Stay away from me! Stay away!”

Weaver tilted his head as he watched the commotion. “I do not understand. I have done nothing.”

“Tick Tock, look at his bloody face, dammit!” Sundial snapped, gesturing towards Weaver with her wing. “Look at him! He’s not the same pony! Look at his face! It’s not who ye think it is, I promise!”

Tick Tock, breathing hard in a panic, took a moment to look upon Weaver’s face carefully. She noticed his coat and mane in their shades of brown; she noticed his body shape, just a little taller; she especially noticed that he wasn’t a pegasus, but an earth pony. She still looked at his uniform in shock, however, and clearly found it hard not to focus on the goggles.

“He’s… he’s not him… he’s not him…” Tick Tock panted, hoof to her heart as her breathing slowed back down to normal. “He’s not him. He’s… somepony else. But he’s not him…”

Sundial nodded calmly. “Aye, he’s not. He’s a good pony, Tick Tock. I’m sorry about all this, but he’s with us now. I knew this was going ta be hard, but ye needed ta meet him and know who he was.”

Aculeata’s horn dimmed, and she relaxed a little as the fear in the air diminished, but she did not take her eyes off of Weaver. “She is no longer afraid… no, that is not true. She is still afraid, but she is not afraid of Mister Weaver.”

Tick Tock took a deep breath and rose to her hooves with Rarity’s help. “Thanks, Rarity.”

“Of course, darling. I’m terribly sorry about this…” Rarity murmured.

Tick Tock glared at Sundial. “Bloody hell… you could’ve given me a better warning than that.”

“Och, language,” Sundial said with a slight smile.

Tick Tock pointed her hoof at Sundial. “Don’t get wise with me now, not after this. You nearly gave me a proper heart attack.” She looked at Weaver, and though the fear—at least of him directly—was gone, she was still clearly anxious to speak with him. “Who are you?”

“Weaver,” he replied, his expression sad. “Did not intend to frighten you. I am… sorry.” He looked to Sundial, as if unsure if that was the right word. She gave him a nod to assure him.

“Why are you wearing… that,” she asked, gesturing at his uniform.

He pressed his hoof against his clothes, confused. “Official uniform for the Shadow Project. Only clothes in my possession.”

She tilted her head. “The… the what?”

Sundial let out a breath. “Another long story, Mum, it can wait. Don’t you worry though, we’ll get him some new clothes ta wear while he’s around you, aye? I didn’t have anything that would fit him before.”

Tick Tock nodded briefly. “Sure… yeah, alright.” She took a deep breath. “I swear to Harmonia herself, Sundial, if you have any more surprises waiting for me—”

Sundial rubbed the back of her neck. “Aye… about that…”

*****

The meeting had been, for lack of a better term, tense. Relatively brief, all things considered, but tense.

News of the NPAF forces amassing in the north had been the biggest, most crucial topic, of course, and both Tick Tock and Aculeata were understandably mortified by the news that their home was almost certainly in danger. Evacuating Goldridge and making for Hope’s Point as soon as the snowstorms cleared up was the only option that they had. The changeling hive might be unharmed due to being so deep underground, but that was not a risk Aculeata was willing to take.

Still, they had time to plan and prepare. Winter would last another two months and then some, and so long as the thunderblizzards were raging through the northern lands the NPAF would not be coming for anypony. Tick Tock—and her husband, Pewter, by extension—and Aculeata had the drive to do whatever it would take to get every single resident—ponies and changelings both—ready to move in time. It would be tough, but they knew they could work together to make it happen.

Speaking of Pewter—a bronze unicorn stallion with a charcoal gray mane and an imposing frame that filled out his comfortable jacket—he had come downstairs sometime just before the meeting had concluded and briefly participated. Tick Tock promised to give him all of the details later, and ushered him off to go get dinner started in the meanwhile.

Rarity was pleased to see that Pewter still lived here at Goldridge after all this time. She was more pleased to see, based on how he and Tick Tock interacted, that the two were a couple at last. She’d suspected—rightly, it seemed—that the two had been in love for a long time but hadn’t expressed it to one another, mainly due to Tick Tock’s demanding job. But they had clearly worked past that and come together.

It gave her hope.

Once that order of business was settled and Aculeata had left to relieve her partner, Comet, Tick Tock noted that it was just about time for dinner, and so the group was ushered into the dining area to take seats and make ready. The dining room was large and accommodating, big enough for a group bigger than their current one by a decent amount. The table was set with a checkered tablecloth and enough settings for everypony present plus three others.

And so the group sat around the dining table, conversing about old times and new, catching up with old friends and making new ones, while they waited for Pewter to finish with making dinner. Judging by the smells coming from the adjacent kitchen, whatever the unicorn was cooking up was most definitely worth the wait and worth the hurried pace from earlier. Rarity couldn’t wait to get a nice, home-cooked meal in her belly; kirin stew was one thing, this was something else.

It was around this time that the sound of multiple hoofsteps came running from outside the dining room.

First came Comet, who Rarity recognized immediately from Aculeata’s display earlier, though at least now he had clothes on—just a simple, warm jacket. Some brief introductions were made, naturally, as he took his seat at the table, but Rarity didn’t pay too much attention to him conversing with some of the others.

No, she was much, much more focused on and interested in the two young unicorn fillies that had come with him. The two had mint green coats and bright blue manes that were outrageously similar to Tick Tock’s, and they were practically identical to one another save for their cutie marks: one was a gorgeous red jewel, the other an equally gorgeous gold one. They even wore precious, matching dresses befitting their size.

“Mum, Mum!” exclaimed the red-jeweled twin as she ran over to Tick Tock’s seat and tugged the older unicorn’s sweater. “Scoria said a naughty word earlier!”

Rarity caught the accent immediately. She could barely contain herself, but fought with all her might not to blurt anything out just yet.

“I did not!” cried the gold-gemmed twin—Scoria—as she rounded on Tick Tock’s other side to tug at her sweater too. “She’s lying! You’re lying, Pumice!”

“Am not!”

“Are so! And you’re a tattler, too!”

The red-gemmed twin—Pumice—stuck out her tongue in defiance. “You can’t tattle on somepony if they haven’t done anything, so what am I, a liar, or a tattler?”

Scoria pouted and looked at Tick Tock with big, puppy dog eyes. “Mum, she’s lying! I didn’t make a swear, I promise!”

“Yes you did!”

Tick Tock, who’d listened to the entire conversation with rapt attention, turned to Pumice first, her gaze calm and comforting. “What naughty word did your sister say, honey?”

Pumice smiled and nodded. “She said ‘shite’!”

Rarity put her hoof to her mouth to stifle a laugh. Such a word coming from such a young mouth was both scandalous and adorable at the same time.

“I did not, I said ‘hell’!” Scoria pleaded. She instantly realized what she’d just done. “Uh oh…”

Pumice, victorious, pointed at Scoria and laughed. “Ha ha, gotcha!”

Scoria then pointed at Pumice. “Well… then you just said a naughty word! I didn’t say that word, you did! Mum! She said a naughty word!”

Pumice seemed to realize that as well, and her face fell instantly. “Oh…”

Tick Tock closed her eyes and took a breath to keep her patience from falling. “Girls, what have I told you about using that kind of language, hmm?”

The twins hung their heads. “That we shouldn’t use it until we’re older…” they said together.

“And where did you learn such colorful language?”

The twins both instantly pointed at Sundial.

Tick Tock shot a glare over towards Sundial, who held her hooves up defensively, wide-eyed with bewilderment. “What?” Sundial blurted. “Don’t look at me like that, Mum, I didn’t say anything like that ta them, I swear it on my life. Chronomancer’s honor.”

“Nuh uh!” Pumice declared nearly hopping up on the table to point harder at Sundial. “She says it all the time when she thinks you’re not listening.”

“Yeah!” Scoria agreed. “She doesn’t think we’re listening either, but we are, because we’re smart, and you told us that the best way to get smarter was to listen.”

“She does it whenever she’s mad—”

“—or when something goes wrong—”

“—and it’s usually when she’s walking down the hall—”

“—or getting ready to go out on a job.”

“Is that so?” Tick Tock said, still glaring at Sundial. “Well, I guess it’s a good thing you don’t get mad and that everything goes right for you, isn’t it, Sundial?”

Sundial clenched her teeth and just stared at the two fillies like an angry dragon. “Traitors, the both o’ ye. You two wee ones got in trouble by yourselves and ye had ta drag me down inta the hole ye dug?”

They both stuck their tongues at her defiantly.

Bluebolt chuckled. “Luckily they don’t get to hear you out in the field, Sundial.”

“Yeah,” Symphony agreed, “can you imagine how colorful their language would be if they got to hear you when you’re not trying to keep all that in check?”

“It’s amazing to me that you can go hoof-to-hoof with a crazy kirin or a scheming unicorn without a care in the world, but the one thing that gets you all defensive and scared is Tick Tock not letting you swear.” Bluebolt shook her head in disbelief. “I mean, really?”

“You shut yer yap, Princess,” Sundial said, pointing a hoof at Bluebolt accusingly. “It’s not fair and you know it. How would ye like it if Tock Tock had a rule that you and Symphony couldn’t enjoy yer private time, aye?”

Tick Tock rolled her eyes and gestured for the two fillies to sit. “Since you two can’t behave like proper fillies, no dessert for you two tonight. You’re lucky I don’t make you wash your mouths out with soap like other parents supposedly do.”

The twins hung their heads and slowly took their seats. “Yes, Mum…”

Tick Tock then took a deep breath and turned to her other side to resume her conversation with Rarity, who was seated next to her. Rarity had been watching the entire display unfold was the brightest smile Tick Tock had likely ever seen on her face and glittering, star-like twinkles in her eyes.

“Are you okay, Rarity?” she asked.

Rarity nodded excitedly and grasped Tick Tock’s hooves in her own very suddenly. “You didn’t tell me you had children, Tick Tock! Oh. My. Goodness. The others are going to absolutely love to hear about this. Oh, this… this is amazing! You’re a mother! I’m so happy for you!”

Tick Tock smiled slightly and gave a nervous laugh. “Oh… yeah, sorry I didn’t say anything sooner. I guess I just figured that Sundial mentioned it.” She glanced over at Sundial with an accusatory look. “Funny how she didn’t, hmm?”

Sundial snickered and leaned back in her chair. “What, and miss this? Fat chance at that, aye?”

Rarity pulled Tick Tock in for a tight hug. “Congratulations, darling! I’m sorry that this comes so late, but obviously we couldn’t exactly stay in contact. Better late than never, I suppose? A little more silver lining to this whole situation, I say.”

“I suppose so, yes,” Tick Tock said. She turned towards her daughters and gestured for them to greet Rarity. “Girls, this is my dear friend Rarity. Go on, say ‘hello’.”

The twins smiled politely and nodded. “Hello, Miss Rarity,” they said in unison.

“You’re really pretty,” said Pumice. “I like your coat.”

“I really like your mane,” said Scoria.

They then both gasped in realization. “Wait, Rarity?”

Pumice looked to her mother and pointed excitedly. “She’s the one from the stories you told us?”

“The one where you saved the world?” Scoria asked leaping up in her seat.

Tick Tock nodded and gave Rarity a sidelong glance. “That she is, girls. A proper hero, this one.”

“Wowww…” the twins said together.

Rarity smiled brightly at the two. “And what are your names, darlings?” She’d already heard, of course, but she couldn’t resist doing this properly.

“I’m Pumice,” said Pumice.

“And I’m Scoria!” said Scoria.

“Oh my goodness, they’re absolutely precious, Tick Tock,” Rarity tittered, fanning herself slightly. “You should be very proud of yourself. I know I am.”

Tick Tock smirked. “Oh, I am, too. These little troublemakers are the brightest joys in my life, and I’m really glad you got the chance to meet them.”

“Likewise, darling.”

Pewter came bursting out of the dining room a moment later, dozens of trays held in his magic with expert precision and practiced balance. Each was loaded up with an assortment of food—soups, salads, sandwiches, the works—with the most delectable smells wafting through the air.

“Dinner is served, everypony!” he announced as he started doling out food onto everypony’s bowls and plates. “Eat up and don’t be afraid to ask for seconds!”

*****

After dinner was over and done with, Rarity and a few particular ponies—Apple Bloom, Flurry Heart, Bluebolt, and Tick Tock—followed Sundial up to her room on the third floor of the old checkpoint building. There was one final task that needed to be addressed before anypony could get any sleep: checking in with whoever was handling the situation on the homeworld of the former three. Sundial’s room was relatively small and couldn’t quite hold everypony in it at once, but that didn’t matter much.

What mattered to Rarity was that, aside from Tick Tock, she and the others were all unsure how exactly they were all going to fit inside the large grandfather clock that stood against the wall near the window. Of course, when Sundial opened the door of the clock to reveal a room inside it—which should have been impossible given its position—those doubts gave way to intrigue and confusion, and maybe a little anxiety.

Sundial and Tick Tock entered first, followed next by Rarity, who glanced around on the inside of the new room beyond the threshold. It was much too big to possibly exist where it did even discounting the fact that the room should be outside right now. The others followed closely behind and had much the same reactions.

“My goodness, darling, this is quite a… closet… that you have?” Rarity said, unsure of what else to say on the matter. “At least I think it’s a closet? It’s not, is it?”

The metal-clad room was perfectly circular with a high ceiling, its walls covered with various panels and instruments that were currently inactive. A large central hub dominated the chamber, itself dominated by a large screen with a keyboard beneath it. A comfortable chair sat in front of the screen and had a full range of movement, as seen by Sundial sitting in it and fiddling with devices all around her without having to reach.

“What in the hay is this place?” Bloom asked, looking around in amazement at all of the gizmos and gadgets. “Some kind o’ workshop?”

“It’s a specialized pocket dimension that Chronomancers use for communicating with HQ and other agents across the many worlds out there,” Sundial said. “It works like Gilderoy’s Sanctuary does: bigger on the inside.”

Sundial pressed a few buttons on the panel in front of her, and five more chairs popped up around hers as if teleported so that the others had seats to take. In the meantime, she turned on the monitor, pressed a few more buttons, then leaned back in her seat and relaxed. The monitor now displayed a simple message as well as a number of readings that Rarity couldn't decipher. She could at least read the text, though, which read: “Contacting Equestria-IV. Please wait.”

“It’s sort o’ like a home base, aye?” Sundial continued. “It’s where I can come ta be alone for a bit, get work done that needs ta get done, and focus and relax without anypony bothering me.”

Bloom brightened. “Like yer very own clubhouse! Shucks, I know all about clubhouses, ya could’ve just said that’s what it was. This is so neat, you’re like a… Cutie Mark Crusader Time Magician, or something. Wow, I wish we’d had somethin’ like this when we were little…”

“Och, I wouldn’t exactly call it a clubhouse,” Sundial muttered. “That makes it sound… childish, aye?”

“Oh, don’t get all high-and-mighty now, Sundial,” Tick Tock chuckled, patting Sundial on the shoulder. “Being a Chronomancer is basically like being a member of a very exclusive, prestigious club. Only we don’t get any bloody benefits, nopony cares about our fancy club anyway, and the membership fees are shit.”

“Language, darling,” Rarity tutted.

Sundial snorted, giving Rarity a smug grin. “Oh no, this here is my roof she’s under now, so she’s more than allowed ta bloody well swear all she likes, aye? So am I, for that matter, and since I’m not allowed ta swear when I walk out o’ here, I need ta get a wee bit in, if ye don’t mind?”

“Um… okay?”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Ahem… shite! Damn! Arsehole! Hell! Aaaand twat!” She then gave Rarity a smile. “There, got it out o’ my system for now, aye? Well I mean, not really, but I just needed ta do that.”

Rarity frowned, not sure if she should be amused or disgusted.

Sundial turned to Tick Tock. “It’s been a while since ye been in one o’ these, aye? How do ye like my setup? Pretty slick, eh?”

Tick Tock looked around and nodded in approval. “It’s certainly brighter in here than mine was, I’ll give you that. A little bigger, too, I think. Though I’m not sure if I like the style so much, it seems too… I dunno, sleek and modern? Doesn’t have that classic clockwork charm to it that I like.”

“Och, ye’re a wee bit too old-fashioned anyway, Mum.”

Rarity held up a hoof to pause the conversation. “Hold on a moment, I have a question.” She gestured between Sundial and Tick Tock. “She’s called you ‘Mum’ a few times tonight, darling. Is… is Sundial your daughter too?” She narrowed her eyes. “Because if she is, you both have a lot of explaining to do why that wasn’t made clear sooner.”

Sundial and Tick Tock shared a brief glance, then burst out laughing. “Och, no, she’s not my real ma, aye?” Sundial said. “I just call her that ta give her a bit o’ guff every now and again and ta make her feel old, that’s all. If she were my ma, she’d have ta have had me at a scandalously young age, or she’d have ta be maybe ten or so years older.”

“Ha! Believe me, if I had her for a daughter I would’ve stopped at the one,” Tick Tock scoffed, tousling Sundial’s mane. “I bloody well have enough trouble reining this one in sometimes. Do you think I want to try and raise her and the twins? A bloody nightmare, that would be.”

“Aye… but there’s more ta it than all that,” Sundial said with a smile. “She’s also the closest thing I’ve got for a mother, aye? I know I give her a hard time sometimes—”

“All the time,” Tick Tock interjected.

“—but I love her like she was my own flesh and blood, that I do. Most Chronomancers tend ta develop that kind o’ bond with their predecessors if they got trained by them and all that.”

“It’s true. I considered Zenith—my predecessor—a sort of father figure to me as well,” Tick Tock agreed, a fond look in her eyes. “So don’t think anything weird about her calling me ‘Mum’, okay? She’s not really my daughter, but I consider her one all the same.” She tugged Sundial’s ear. Gently this time. “Even if she’s a bit of a twat sometimes.”

Sundial brushed her off. “Aww, thanks, Mum.”

Rarity smiled, hoof over her heart. “That’s very sweet. But don’t you know your own parents, darling? Come to think of it, Tick Tock never mentioned hers, either, and I thought we were all rather forthcoming about our families back then. Unless you only mentioned it to Twilight, maybe, and she just never said anything?”

Sundial shook her head. “My parents are gone, lass.”

“Mine too,” Tick Tock said. “A long, long time ago.”

Neither of them seemed at all sad to say this, but Rarity frowned anyway, feeling she may have made a mistake in bringing it up. “Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that. I hope I didn’t bring up anything troubling?”

Sundial waved that thought off with her hoof. “Never ye mind that, lass, it’s no trouble at all. I was very young when my world got eaten up by the Void, aye? I don’t really remember anything about my life there, least of all any family I had. Too young ta even have friends, actually.”

Rarity blinked, lost. “I beg your pardon? Did you say your world was destroyed? As in, it’s gone? Forever? Like what we were trying to prevent from happening to my world way back when?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye?” She paused, then nodded. “Oh, ye probably don’t know about how all this Chronomancer business really works, do you?” She turned to Tick Tock. “Ye never explained it all ta her, Mum?”

“It never really came up, to be honest,” Tick Tock said with an embarrassed shrug. “I’m not going to just drop a bloody bombshell like that on my friends. There were a few times I wanted to, sure, but there just wasn’t a proper time for it. But yes, my world was consumed by the Void, too, back when I was maybe… three or four years old.”

“I was five, myself,” Sundial said with a nod. “Chronomancer HQ rescued me and a few other wee ones on my world before everything got destroyed, and then they gave us a new home and a new life, aye?”

“You mean to tell me that the Chronomancers save young fillies and colts and recruit them into their organization?” Rarity asked, aghast. She’d never known this about Tick Tock before, and found it rather hard to believe. “I had no idea it was like that at all. That sounds simply terrible, darling.”

“That sounds pretty close to slavery, actually,” Bluebolt mentioned. “So, uh… yeah, are you sure you’ve got this right?”

Sundial shrugged. “Look, ye might think that, but it’s better than dying, I’ll tell ye that much. The least we can do after HQ saved our lives was ta dedicate ourselves ta their cause and try and prevent more worlds from falling ta the Void, aye? It’s rough work, but somepony’s got ta do it. They don’t force anypony ta do it, and we’re young enough that we can be moved elsewhere if we don’t want ta join.”

“You were nowhere near old enough to be making that kind of decision,” Rarity said, shaking her head.

“It’s not just young fillies and colts that get rescued, if you’re concerned about HQ only recruiting children,” Tick Tock said. “Sometimes adult mares and stallions with useful skills get recruited as well.”

“What does that mean?” Rarity asked, growing more aghast by the minute. “Your leadership just, what, picks and chooses who they save? My goodness, girls, that sounds horrible! What gives them that right?”

Tick Tock rubbed the back of her neck. “Blimey, when you say it like that you make it sound worse than it is. Maybe we’re just shit at explaining it?”

Sundial huffed. “Look, I know it sounds harsh that they don’t save everypony, but they can’t exactly do that, aye? There’s not enough room at HQ for so many ponies, and we can’t exactly move an entire population to another world just like that, not without causing more chaos and risking bigger Void rifts.”

“It bloody well sucks, I agree, but there’s not much else that can be done,” Tick Tock sighed. “At least some ponies get to live.”

“Well, what exactly do you mean by ‘useful skills’ then? What qualifies a pony for being allowed to live, exactly?” Rarity asked, not really trying to hide her distaste for all this.

“Typically it’d be a skill that HQ needs that they simply don’t have ponies with the talent, knowledge, or skill for,” Sundial said with a shrug. “Y’know, things like growing food, making clothes, construction, tinkering, that sort o’ thing. Funny enough, we usually get alternate versions o’ some important ponies ta work for us.”

Tick Tock nodded. “That’s right. Why, there’s an alternate version of you, Rarity, that designs each and every Chronomancer’s unique uniform, if they’re the sort to wear clothes at least.”

Rarity blinked. “An… an alternate me?”

“Aye, goes by ‘Charity’, actually. Bloody brilliant lass, she is,” Sundial confirmed. She tugged at her balmoral bonnet. “Made every piece o’ my uniform herself ta suit my tastes, and I quite like it if I’m being honest with you.”

“Same here,” Tick Tock said with a nod. She smiled at Rarity’s befuddled state. “What, you didn’t think you were the only Rarity, did you? I thought we had this conversation a long time ago?”

“We did, but it’s still very odd that you knew her before me.”

“Yeah, but I’m friends with you and not her,” Tick Tock said with a smile. “I met her once in my whole life when she designed my old uniform. That’s it. She’s not you, or even another you. She’s a totally different pony, she just happens to have been a version of you on a world that doesn’t exist anymore.”

Sundial smirked. “If ye think that’s odd, ye should meet HQ’s psychologist, Shrinky Dinks.”

“She’s an alternate Pinkie Pie,” Tick Tock clarified. “Helped me get through some issues after the whole, y’know, ‘incident’. I still have a few problems every now and then, as you saw, but it used to be a lot worse.”

Rarity shook her head, lost in all the information. “This is all very confusing. And bothersome, to be honest. I knew your line of work was odd, Tick Tock, but this is really too much to process.”

“Such is the nature of alternate universes, aye?” Sundial said with a shrug.

The console gave a loud beep.

“Och, finally!” Sundial blurted.

She tapped a button on her console, and the screen flared to life with the image of a brick red earth pony stallion with a green mane, wearing a brown tweed jacket and a matching newsboy cap which had a little shamrock tucked into it. His cutie mark was a bronze gear affixed with clock hands which accurately told the time. Behind him was a similar room as the room Sundial and company were currently in, only of a slightly different design and color.

“This is Agent Clockwork, actin’ Chronomancer of Equestria-IV reportin’. To whom am Oi speakin’ with this fine evenin’?”

Sundial saluted briefly. “Evening ta you, Agent Clockwork. This is Sundial, Chronomancer of Equestria-V. We were on hold a long while there, is everything alright over where you are, lad?”

“It is. Oi just got off the train from the Crystal Empoire after finishin’ up the first part of my investigation here. Oi assume you’re callin’ on account of all that?”

“Aye, that I am. Three mares from that world ended up here in mine, and I’ve finally gotten a chance ta check in with a report after finishing up my own rounds. Bloody Void rifts, aye?”

“Are they now? Well, that’s good news. Oi was havin’ a fine pickle tryin’ to figure out where they’d gotten off to. The Void rift didn’t leave a very solid signature to trace, you see, on account of how it was formed and with this world bein’ stable. It’s been a mite bit stressful.”

“Ye don’t know the half o’ things, lad.” Sundial gestured behind her towards Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry. “But never you worry, I’ve got all three o’ them here with me, safe and sound, aye? We can start working on the next stage o’ protocols for getting them home if ye’re ready?.”

Clockwork let out a breath of relief. “Good, good. Oi’ve been havin’ this world’s Princess Twoilight Sparkle herself breathin’ down my bloody neck tryin’ to figure things out, so this is quite a relief, Oi tell you. This one’s a bold one, and Oi’ve met my fair share of Twoilights before.”

“You’ve spoken with Twilight?” Rarity asked, eyes alight with hope.

“Oi have. She’ll be right pleased to know you fillies are safe and all that. In fact, she’s asked me to collect her as soon as Oi got any word about you lot, so Oi’ll be going to get her now, if that’s okay with everypony?”

Rarity beamed. “Oh, that’s more than okay, dear. Please, don’t let us stop you.”

Clockwork tipped his hat, then shut off his monitor.

Sundial grunted and eased back into her chair. “Well, hopefully Clockwork’s figured out what’s going on with all this, aye? I’m still at a loss as ta what exactly happened and what ta do about it.”

Tick Tock nodded. “I know it’s not my place anymore, but I’d suggest you do what I did last time, assuming the portal amplifier is still functional down in Zeb’ra’den. I have no reason to believe it should be anything but functional, by the way. Blasted thing’s made of a nearly-indestructible, magic-resistant metal and powered by one of the largest magic jewels I’ve ever bloody well seen. Things like that don’t just fall apart after a couple of decades.”

“Aye, that was my main idea, but considering their world’s supposedly stable I don’t know how that’s gonna work.”

“True, I’ve never had to move anypony to a stable world before, but I’m sure Clockwork will come up with something. He’s been dedicated to his job far more than most of us were, I think. He didn’t retire when his world went stable, like Time Turner did, or any of the other hundreds of Chronomancers whose worlds stabilized way back when the Canon timeline finished up.”

A moment later, the monitor sprung to life again and Clockwork was back on the screen.

At his side was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself. She smiled with relief when she saw her missing friends sitting there safe and sound behind Sundial. “Rarity! Apple Bloom! Flurry! Oh I’m so glad you’re safe! Are you okay? You haven’t been hurt or anything have you?”

Rarity smiled and shook her head, delighted to hear her friend’s voice. “We’re quite alright, Twilight dear, though this has certainly been a tremendous experience for us.”

“We’re doing just fine, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry said, giving Twilight a little smile and a wave. “How are you holding up over there? How are my parents? I hope everypony’s not too worried.”

“Well, we’ve been stressed out like you wouldn’t believe,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “Your parents have been worried sick about you. You’re sure you’re okay?”

Flurry rolled her eyes. “I’m just fine, Aunt Twilight, like we’ve already said more than once. You guys don’t need to blow a gasket every time something happens to me.”

“I’ve done everything I can to keep her safe, dear,” Rarity assured Twilight. “And Apple Bloom has been helping along with that as well, and I’ve been keeping her safe, too. Applejack would expect nothing less.”

“Yeah! Nothin’s gonna give us no trouble as long as I’m here, Princess,” Bloom said, puffing out her chest. “I’m doin’ mah sister proud, I tell ya what.”

“And we must also thank Sundial here for all of her hard work,” Rarity continued, gesturing towards Sundial. “She’s been most helpful throughout this entire endeavor, and we couldn’t be having this conversation now if not for her efforts.”

Twilight turned to Sundial and gave her a nod. “Sundial, is it? You must be the Chronomancer of whatever world it is that my friends are on, right?” She gave a slight sigh.“It feels so weird having this conversation considering what happened last time…”

“Aye, that’s the gist o’ things, Princess,” Sundial said with a nod. “Don’t ye worry one hair on that royal mane o’ yers, aye? I’ve got things bloody well covered on this end.”

“Well then, I suppose I owe you a great deal of gratitude for taking care of my friends and family, Miss Sundial. So, thank… you…?” Twilight paused, and her eyes widened as she saw Tick Tock sitting next to Sundial, a wide smile on her face. “Is… is that…?”

Tick Tock waved briefly. “About bloody time you noticed me, Twilight. I was wondering when you were going to.”

Twilight’s smile brightened. “Tick Tock!” She practically leapt forward and hugged the monitor.

Clockwork cleared his throat. “Em… Your Majesty, you can’t hug her through the monitor there.”

“I can try!” Twilight blurted.

“Twilight, darling, please, you’re embarrassing me,” Rarity interjected, clearing her throat as well.

Twilight finally pulled away, looking at Tick Tock with wonder and joy. “Tick Tock, it’s so good to see you! Oh my goodness, it’s been so long. How are you? You look great, by the way.”

Tick Tock scoffed. “Oh, I look great? Look at you!” She gestured at Twilight’s full figure. “You’re a bloody giant now, aren’t you? And an alicorn princess to boot! What kind of vitamins have you been taking, eh?”

Twilight fluffed her wings out briefly, and looked just a little embarrassed. “Oh, this? It’s a long story, really, far too long to talk about right now. I’d love to tell you about about it.”

“It’s alright, Twilight, we’ll have our chance eventually. Trust me, eh?”

Rarity prodded Bluebolt, then got Twilight’s attention by waving her hoof. “Twilight, darling, besides all this reuniting of old friends, there’s somepony else you simply must meet.” She gestured towards Bluebolt with a little flourish. “This is Princess Bluebolt, of Hope’s Point.”

Bluebolt gave a little wave and a bow. “Um, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty.”

“Princess of Hope’s Point?” Twilight paused briefly, then gasped in delight, her bright smile returning. “Nooo. No way, really? Oh my gosh, you’re Blackburn and Lockwood’s daughter, aren’t you? Oh yeah, I can tell, look at those eyes! I’d recognize those eyes anywhere.”

“That’s right,” Bluebolt said with a brief nod, now with her own smile. “They told me a lot about you, Princess, but I think they failed to mention that you were, uh… a Princess. Or an alicorn. Or so big. Which is quite a lot to forget to tell me, y’know?”

Twilight nodded. “Well, all of that happened after we left and fell out of contact with your world and your parents, so they couldn’t have known about it. But that’s not important, what’s important is… oh my goodness, wait until the others hear about this! Wait until Applejack and Flathoof hear about this!”

“Right?!” Bloom laughed. “They have no idea they’ve got a niece!”

“Two nieces, actually, and a nephew,” Bluebolt corrected. “Probably with more on the way…” she added under her breath.

Twilight’s smile brightened. “You have a brother and sister too?! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, this is… huge! This is great news!”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Look, Princess, I don’t mean ta be a party pooper here, but we’ve got important business ta discuss, aye? Trust me, you lot will have plenty o’ time ta catch up and get ta know each other and all that shite.”

Twilight paused, then nodded, apparently unbothered by Sundial’s language, either because she didn’t understand it or didn’t care. “Right, sorry. I just got a little carried away. Go on then, Miss Sundial. What’s the plan for getting my friends and family home?”

“The current plan is ta take them down south ta the portal amplifier you lot built in Zeb’ra’den all those years ago. Assuming it’s still functional—which Tick Tock assures me it should be—we’ll be able ta tear open a safe rift ta send yer loved ones home. Worst case scenario, we just have ta build a new amplifier or repair the old one, aye?”

Clockwork hummed and nodded. “That should work. Once you open a rift on that end, Oi can have HQ ready to open a relay network to slingshot your loved ones back home. Might get a tad complicated, but Oi don’t think there’ll be any trouble so long as you have a solid connection on your end.”

“Brilliant, then we’re all settled on a plan.” Sundial leaned back and let out a breath of relief. “That’s probably the easiest bloody thing I’m going ta have ta deal with out o’ all the shite on my plate right now. Bloody ironic, all things considered.”

“So your plan is basically to do what we did last time then?” Twilight asked, clearly pleased that things were looking up. “Let’s see, I might be a little foggy on the details, but that means you’ll head to Hope’s Point, get a flight south to the other continent, then move to Zeb’ra’den and go from there. Unless you guys run into any trouble, that should take, what, a week or two at most?”

“Aye, on top o’ waiting for the winter season ta finish out.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Huh? Winter season? There weren’t any seasons last time we were there. At least not up north. Are you down south?”

“Things have changed quite a lot here since we left, darling,” Rarity said. “They have honest-to-goodness winter here in the north. The Wasteland is no more—it’s called the ‘Great Expanse’ now—and there’s actual life up here. I saw grass! It was dormant and underneath the snow, but there was actual grass.”

“Supposedly it’s because of all the good you guys did while you were here,” Flurry said with a smile. “Even if you didn’t mean to.”

“Wow, that’s amazing. I’m glad we could help in some way, I suppose.” Twilight shook her head.“Well, how long of a wait is it until the end of winter, then?”

“Since we have ta wait out the bloody thunderblizzards—freak winter storms, just leave it at that, Princess—until the end o’ the season, we’re looking at about two months and roughly ten or so days. Add in traveling time ta Hope’s Point then ta Zeb’ra’den, and we’re looking at closer ta three months all together, assuming no major delays.”

Twilight balked. “Three months?! My friends and family are going to be stuck there for three months?!”

“Aye, that they are. Nothing doing about it, Princess, it’s impossible for us ta move in these winter storms. Hope’s Point goes on total lockdown anyway, so even if we could travel there in the meantime, they wouldn’t launch a ship ta take us south.”

Rarity nodded in understanding. “We’ve come to terms with it, darling. We saw the storms that she’s talking about with our own eyes, and they looked just like that dreadful Belt of Tranquility we had to pass through before, only they might just be worse. You remember what almost happened to Rainbow.”

Bloom raised her hoof briefly. “Speakin’ o’ which, how is Goldridge keepin’ itself safe from all them storms? It was comin’ down mighty fierce outside last I saw.”

Tick Tock smiled proudly. “Pewter reinforced the exterior with some of the best durasteel Hope’s Point could provide and affixed lightning rods to the roof. They keep the entire settlement powered for the whole winter and most of the remaining year, if we conserve it.”

“I know it’s going to be rough staying here that long, away from all of you,” Rarity continued, “but we’ve made some fabulous friends here in the meantime that can keep us company. We have a lot of catching up to do with old friends as well besides that, so look at the silver lining, hmm?”

Twilight shook her head. “This… was not at all how I was expecting this to go.” She let out a breath. “Still, you’re safe. You’re safe, and in a familiar place with familiar faces around you, as well as new friends—and family—to get to know better. I suppose even if this isn’t ideal, it’s not the worst thing that could’ve happened.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “And besides that, darling, we’re not on any sort of time limit—” She paused, then turned to Sundial. “Are we?”

Sundial shook her head. “No, lass, as we’ve said before, yer world is stable—despite what happened—and my world’s in such a shite situation as-is that, if anything, you lot being here is actually a bloody benefit. I mean, last time you were here ye changed the whole world order that had been the same for hundreds o’ years, aye? Ye’re likely ta do it again.”

“So, we’re not on a time limit, we’re spending most of that time someplace safe, and, most importantly, we clearly have means to keep in contact with home while we’re here.” Rarity grinned and gestured to the rest of the group. “I’m sure our other friends and family would love to get in touch, don’t you agree?”

Twilight brightened. “You’re right! Oh my goodness, I need to let the others know immediately. If you’re going to be there for so long, they’ll have plenty of time to come visit the palace so that they can check in with you all, even outside of our monthly get-together. This is a wonderful little bit of silver lining, good point.”

Clockwood grumbled. “It’s not exactly protocol—”

Twilight gave him a terse look. “Seeing as there’s no harm in it, and that you’ve already got a plan for dealing with things, I do hope you’re not objecting to me wanting to be sure my friends and family are safe and happy, are you Mister Clockwork?”

Clockwork held up his hooves defensively. “Oi amn’t Your Majesty, believe me. Oi just know this is a highly unusual and unorthodox situation, so Oi have to consider how protocol applies to all of it.”

“Good, glad to hear it.”

“Oy, Clockwork,” Sundial interjected, “I meant ta ask ye if ye had any idea as ta what happened with this whole situation. How’d that Void rift even appear in the first place, eh?”

Clockwork adjusted his collar. “Well, like Oi said, Oi just got back from the Crystal Empoire and interviewed the key witnesses to the event, and from what Oi’ve gathered it’s quite a weird situation, it is.

“Best Oi can figure, Princess Cadence was attemptin’ a love spell of some sort, and she was empowered by the magic of Flurry Heart, so the spell was especially powerful right off the get-go. Two alicorns puttin’ their magic together is pretty astoundin’, eh? So, combined with the intention of the spell focused around Miss Rarity there, Oi’ve figured that the spell overpowered the stability of the world’s Void immunity for a moment in an attempt to fulfil its purpose.”

“What does all of that mean?” Twilight asked.

Sundial shook her head, amused. “It means the wee theory we had over here on this end was right on the money.”

“It was Gilderoy’s theory, incidentally,” Rarity added, giving Twilight a knowing grin.

Twilight brightened again. “Gilderoy? Oh my goodness, you got to see him again, too? How is he?”

“There will be time for that later, darling, but suffice to say I think he’s doing well enough. He looked over my memory to try and find a way to help. He even gave us a little mission to help solve some of this world’s other problems while we‘re here, but that’s neither here nor there.”

“So, what was his theory?”

“Exactly as Clockwork put it,” Sundial said, “though he put it inta some laypony’s terms so it was easier ta understand for those o’ the group that didn’t quite get magical theory.”

Rarity raised her hoof. “Guilty.”

“Basically, Princess Cadence’s spell—thanks ta Flurry Heart’s empowerment and Rarity’s… well, love, I suppose—overflowed out o’ yer world in an attempt to make a connection between Rarity and this ‘Zircon’ fellow, whoever that is.”

Twilight frowned and gave Rarity a sympathetic look. “Rarity… I thought you said you’d gotten past that?”

Rarity sighed in defeat. “I know, I know. It’s all very troublesome, and believe me, I’ve already beaten myself up over allowing things to get this far, but this is where we’re at at the moment, darling, so we just have to deal with it.”

“Considering it sounds like you’re going to Zeb’ra’den in order to make it home, you sure don’t sound that excited.”

Rarity took a deep breath. “I’m simply trying to keep myself focused, that’s all. Getting distracted is what got us into this mess in the first place, so I’m not about to let that happen again and risk putting us in danger.”

Tick Tock held up her hooves. “Now, let me get this straight. Princess Cadence’s spell was so powerful because of Flurry’s contribution and your love for Zircon that she literally tore open a Void rift when that should have been bloody well impossible?”

“That is the gist of it all, Mum,” Sundial said with a nod. “I’m just as baffled by it as ye are, and I’ve had time ta mull it over.”

Tick Tock shook her head in disbelief. “Bloody hell, Rarity, I knew you and Zircon had a bit of a thing going before you left, but I didn’t think it was that deep.”

“Neither did I,” Twilight added. “She gets a little distracted time and time again when winter rolls around, but I always just chalked it up to nostalgia or something along those lines. I’m not really an expert on romance and all that. I think Starlight Shadow might have the right idea, choosing not to involve herself in all of it.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow. “Starlight Shadow, hmm? Apple Bloom mentioned Curaçao earlier, so I assume they officially moved to your world after all? I thought they would.”

Twilight smiled. “They did, thanks to you. Shadow in particular still regrets a lot of the things she did—or tried to do—to you back then.”

Tick Tock shrugged. “Eh, I made it out alive, didn’t I? Water under the bridge, I say. No sense in holding a grudge.”

Bluebolt snorted, annoyed. “Even you feel that way, Tick Tock? I know my mom said you and my dad played devil’s advocate and all that for those six but I thought that was just you trying to be objective about it because of your job.”

“Listen, Bluebolt, I spent six years in their company because of how things went down, and I got to know them pretty well during that time period. Your mom only knew about the worst thing they did and knew them personally for less than a day.”

“That doesn’t—”

“I saw before anypony else the kind of regret Starlight Shadow and her sisters had for what they did, and I saw firsthoof how they put themselves in harm’s way to save the multiverse. Of course I’d be willing to look past their previous actions.”

Rarity looked between Bluebolt and Tick Tock, then turned to Twilight. “Twilight, darling, I know that you’re likely already preparing to arrange for visits from our friends and family to check-in on us and all that… but can I ask you another favor?”

Twilight tilted her head. “Of course you can. I’d do anything for you, you know that. Especially given your situation right now. If there’s anything I can do to help, just name it, and I’ll do my best to get it done.”

“I know it might be difficult, but can you arrange for Shadow and her sisters to get together so that they can have a chance to speak with Bluebolt here? I know Curaçao might be the most difficult to arrange, but I’m sure Princess Twilight can work something out.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “What? Why? Why would I want to talk to them?”

Rarity gave Bluebolt a weak smile. “I’ve already said all I can on their behalf, dear, and I know that nothing I ever say could possibly change the opinion that you have about them, or your mother’s opinion, but I feel I owe it to them to give them the chance to make their peace with your mother, even if it’s vicariously through you.”

“I think you’re wasting your time—”

“And I may well be, but I still want to give them a chance,” Rarity interjected. “They have spent their whole lives—literally—up until this point trying to make up for the first month of their existence, when they made some truly awful decisions. They hold themselves accountable and make no excuses for those actions despite being well within their right to do so, but they are trying to make amends. I think they deserve a chance to at least talk to you.”

Bluebolt paused for a moment, then nodded. “Fine. I’ll hear them out. But I won’t promise anything more than that.”

“Thank you, darling. I appreciate it, and I’m sure they will too.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “At any rate, fillies and gentlecolts, it’s getting late and we’ve had a long day of travel, so it’s probably best if we get ta bed, aye? Clockwork, I’ll be in contact with ye ta arrange all o’ these little get-togethers and such, and we’ll continue ta discuss the plan going forward.”

Clockwork nodded. “Sounds good to me. Oi’ll keep in touch, never you worry.”

Twilight smiled and nodded at Sundial. “Thank you again, Sundial, this means a lot to me, and to everypony else over here.” She turned to Rarity. “I’ll be sure to speak with Shadow about arranging that meeting too, Rarity. I’m certain they’ll be glad to have that opportunity and will appreciate your effort no matter what happens.”

Rarity nodded. “It’s the least I could do, darling. Oh! And do be sure to inform Insipid that she’ll be needing to housesit for a little longer than she was expecting. She might need some financial assistance, the poor dear, and I know I’ll feel terrible if she has to miss a convention because of all this.”

“I’ll make sure she knows and has all the help she needs, don’t worry. Spike might be willing to lend a claw. As for you, stay safe, Rarity. And you too, Apple Bloom. And especially you, Flurry.”

“Of course, Aunt Twilight,” Flurry said with a smile and a nod. “We’ll talk later, I hope?”

“Of course we will! I’ll also make sure that your parents can come in for a check-in too, okay?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

While everypony was waving farewells, Sundial switched off the monitor and leaned back in her seat again. “Och, that went better than expected. Glad ta see that things are being handled well on the other end o’ this bloody shitestorm.”

“At least now we have an idea of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it,” Rarity said with a nod. “This certainly puts my mind at ease.”

“I’m just lookin’ forward ta introducin’ Bluebolt ta the family!” Bloom said, pulling Bluebolt in for a hug. “Y’all’re gonna love 'em!”

Bluebolt smiled and hugged Bloom right back. “I’m looking forward to it too, Apple Bloom. This should be the most fun winter I’ve ever had!”

Tick Tock then clapped her hooves together. “So, now that we’ve got all that settled, how about I get you lot all situated with some rooms, eh? My home is your home for the next two months and some days, so I might as well make sure everypony’s comfortable. It’s the least I could do.”

Rarity smiled. “Of course, dear. And thank you again for putting us up at such short notice. I hope we’re not imposing—”

Tick Tock brushed that thought off with her hoof. “No worries. After all, what are friends for? And do you know what else friends are for?”

“What, darling?”

Tick Tock jokingly waved her hoof over her nose. “Telling their friends that they need a bloody bath.”

Chapter Ten: Expansion

And so it was that Rarity and her friends, both new and old, needed to spend two months—and some days, as Sundial always made sure to add—essentially locked up in Goldridge’s old checkpoint building, their only protection from the raging thunderblizzards outside. If this had been the situation twenty-one years ago, Rarity believed that she would have surely gone crazy with cabin fever within a week. Not that she didn’t love her friends, but at the time, tensions had been a little high between Fluttershy’s injury, Tick Tock’s distrust of Starlight Shadow and her sisters, and Rainbow Dash’s growing frustrations with the situation.

Now, things were different. Rarity’s company was as diverse and colorful as before, but there weren’t any needless arguments raging back and forth over inconsequential things. And, most importantly, they had a way to keep in touch with those back home, thanks to Sundial and Clockwork coming together to make such a thing possible. Considering that a desperate need to get home was the largest contributor to everypony’s irritation before, this was a welcome—and convenient—change of pace.

Rarity entered into Sundial’s “office”, so to speak, accompanied by Apple Bloom and Bluebolt. Twilight had gotten back to Sundial with a schedule of sorts that worked for everypony so that it wasn’t a total mess for all of those involved, as even with the prospect of checking in with Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry, those back home did still have lives to manage. Rarity wouldn’t expect them to drop everything just to check up on them, not when they had plenty of opportunity to do so over the next two months.

Today, sometime after dinner, they had scheduled the first meeting with Applejack and her family. Fluttershy—the only other one of Rarity’s friends still living in Ponyville—would be joining them. They had other meetings scheduled, of course, but this was just the first of many, not just overall but specifically with Applejack and company.

Thus, Sundial switched on her monitor and stepped aside to give room, and Clockwork did the same on his end after a brief exchange with Sundial. Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Bluebolt were greeted with the friendly, familiar sight of some of their friends and family back home. Considering that Rarity knew Fluttershy was supposed to be here, too, she was curious as to why only Applejack and Flathoof were on the other end at the moment.

Applejack hadn’t changed too much over the years, but had taken to wearing Granny Smith’s shawl after she had passed away. She was still as robust as ever, as age had barely taken its toll on her at all, not even so much as a wrinkle or gray hair to show for it. How she managed it, Rarity had no idea, but it had inspired no small amount of jealousy over the years.

Flathoof—a bright red earth pony stallion with a blond mane—had grown bigger after years of working on Sweet Apple Acres, though he still wasn’t quite as full-bodied as Big Macintosh. He wore a brown work vest and a matching stetson hat of his own, which Rarity had made for his birthday shortly before he and Applejack had gotten married. He still had his artificial right foreleg, though he’d gotten it restyled years ago to look more “traditional” so that it would fit in with the farm’s aesthetic.

“Rarity! Apple Bloom!” Applejack exclaimed, getting her face just a little too close to the monitor. “Y’all have no idea how glad I am ta see ya. We’ve been worried sick over here waitin’ ta hear anythin’ 'bout what happened ta ya.”

“It’s a delight to see you too, darling,” Rarity with a polite wave. “I’m terribly sorry we’ve made you worry so much—”

“We’re doin’ just great, sis!” Bloom interjected, also getting a little too close to the monitor. “Just wait ‘til ya hear about all o’ the neat stuff I’ve seen 'n' done! I got ta meet a bunch o’ kirins, an’ we got ta travel through some mountains, an’—”

“Whoa whoa whoa, kiddo,” Flathoof chuckled. “Easy now, you don’t need to unload all of that on us at once, okay? Just take it slow and keep it simple if there’s something you want to share.”

“Yeah, save all the stories fer when ya make it home safe 'n' sound, y’hear?” Applejack added. “We’re just here ta make sure y’all’re okay o’er there, an’ ta let ya know that we’re all okay o’er here. This ain’t like no family reunion.”

“So, I heard that you’re gonna be stuck over there in my neck of the woods for a couple of months, huh?” Flathoof said, glancing at Rarity. “Guess it’s a good thing that you’re at least in familiar territory, right?”

“Indeed it is,” Rarity said with a nod. “Though things certainly have changed a lot over here in the past twenty-one years, so it’s not quite as ‘familiar’. The Wastelands aren’t called that anymore, for example, now they’re called the Great Expanse. There’s actual grass out here under all this snow! It’s incredible.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Wow, really? Grass? Shucks, that might’ve been nice ta have back when we were starvin’ fer food 'n' all. Grass ain’t exactly tasty but it’s better’n nothin’.”

“I had a similar sentiment, darling. Though we haven’t exactly needed it, luckily. Sundial’s been a positively wonderful guide.”

“This world’s really neat, sis,” Bloom added. “I know ya told me stories 'n' all that but it’s really cool seein’ how things’re different from how ya said they were back when y’all came through here. Them volcanoes ya talked about ain’t eruptin’ all the time anymore, and ya already heard 'bout all the snow 'n' stuff.”

Flathoof smirked. “Well shoot, I’m actually getting a little misty-eyed hearing how things are improving back home like that.” He tilted his head slightly to the side, noticing Bluebolt. “And who’s that with you, by the way? Sorry, I only just noticed.”

Bloom brightened and practically yanked Bluebolt front-and-center into frame. “This is our new friend, Bluebolt! She’s a princess.”

Bluebolt gave a little wave. “Hello. It’s really nice to meet you both, Aunt Applejack, Uncle Flathoof.”

Applejack and Flathoof balked. “Did… didja just call me ‘Aunt’?” Applejack asked.

“Yes ma’am, I did,” Bluebolt said with a smile and a nod.

Flathoof’s grin brightened. “Holy horseapples, no way. You’re Blackburn and Lockwood’s daughter, aren’t you?”

Bluebolt glanced at Rarity, eyebrow raised. “Everypony’s really quick on the draw on that, aren’t they? You figured it out pretty much immediately. What gives?”

“It’s those lovely eyes of yours, darling,” Rarity said. “You have your father’s eyes through and through.”

“Hoowee, ain’t this a fine how-d’ya-do?” Applejack whistled. “I mean, we all figured that Blackburn 'n' Lockwood would have had kids o’ their own eventually, but we never thought we’d ever have a chance ta meet 'em.”

“See? I told ya they’d be tickled pink,” Bloom said, nudging Bluebolt gently.

“It really is a pleasure to meet you guys,” Bluebolt said with a bright smile. “I’ve heard so much about you, but it’s nice to finally put a face to the stories, y’know? An old photograph or two just doesn’t cut it after twenty years.”

“You’re twenty?” Flathoof asked.

“Uh, yes sir. Just celebrated my birthday last month.”

A coy grin spread on Flathoof’s face. “Shoot, I guess they couldn’t wait until we got out of the way before they got started, huh? Wait a second…” His eyes widened. “If you’re already twenty, that means they didn’t even wait until the wedding! That sly sonuva—”

Applejack laughed and clapped Flathoof on the back. “Y’know, that doesn’t really surprise me one bit. After seein’ those two together, I’d be more surprised if they waited more’n a few months.”

“Apple Bloom tells me you guys have kids of your own?” Bluebolt said, barely containing a grin. “I’d love to hear about them, if you don’t mind sharing.”

Applejack brightened immensely. “Shoot, now I know why Twilight tol’ me ta bring the young’uns wit’ us. I was wonderin’ 'bout it the whole way up here. Not that they wouldn’t like ta see that Apple Bloom was okay 'n' all, but it just seemed really odd that she asked that in particular.”

Bluebolt gasped, hooves to her mouth. “You mean they’re there with you? I can meet them?”

“Sure as shootin’, sugarcube! Fluttershy’s been keepin’ 'em busy outside while we had this lil’ talk, jus’ waitin’ her turn 'n' all.”

Rarity nodded and smiled. “Ah, I was wondering where Fluttershy was. Twilight said she was going to come along with you, so I was a bit concerned.”

“I’ll go fetch her, hon,” Flathoof said, giving Applejack a peck on the cheek before heading off screen.

Applejack shook her head. “Y’know, when I heard y’all got sucked inta some other world again, I was terrified,” she said, looking at Rarity, then Apple Bloom. “More when I heard mah sister got taken wit’ ya. Ain’t right that y’all had ta go through all that again, that’s what I thought. I’m glad ta hear that things’re different o’er there now.”

“Oh, we’re going to have so many stories to tell you all when we get back, darling. You wouldn’t believe the half of it,” Rarity tittered.

“I can’t wait ta tell ya all about mah adventures!” Bloom said with a big grin.

Flathoof walked back into frame at this point, accompanied by Fluttershy and three younger ponies—two fillies and a colt. Fluttershy hadn’t changed much over the years, only adjusting her mane style so that it was no longer flowing long and free, but kept tied in little ribbons that kept it out of the way. She did always tend to look a little more tired than usual, lately, but seemed fine otherwise. Maybe a little thinner than Rarity remembered.

The younger ponies wasted no time in hopping all over the display, Applejack, Flathoof, and one another, excited by all the shiny lights and bright colors. So, while Applejack and Flathoof tried to rein in their children, Fluttershy had a moment to take a breather and sit down in front of the monitor herself.

Fluttershy brightened when she saw Rarity looking back at her. “Hi, Rarity. You’re looking well.”

Rarity smiled back. “Thank you, dear, as are you.” She gestured lightly towards the energetic young ponies. “Foalsitting duty again?”

“As usual,” Fluttershy said, rolling her eyes. “It’s like when I used to take care of—” She paused, glancing at Apple Bloom who was giving her a coy grin, then cleared her throat. “They’re just a little excited because they haven’t been to Canterlot in a while. You should’ve seen them on the train ride over here.”

“Oh, I can imagine.”

Applejack finally managed to get the young ones to calm down by slamming her hoof on the ground loudly and shouting: “Alright, ya lil’ varmints, if ya don’t settle down right now we’re gettin’ back on that train an’ y’all ain’t gettin’ any treats when we get home!”

The three young ponies immediately stopped what they were doing and fell into line. “Sorry, mama,” they all said together.

“That’s better. Now, if y’all behave yerselves, I’ve got a big surprise fer ya. Can y’all behave yerselves?”

They all brightened at the prospect of a surprise, and nodded obiently.

“Good. Now come on o’er here.” Applejack led the three young ones into seats of their own, then gestured towards the screen, specifically at Bluebolt. “Kids, I’d like ya ta meet yer cousin, Bluebolt.”

Bluebolt smiled and gave a little wave. “Hello.”

The three young ponies all waved back, their eyes wide. The oldest—a red-coated filly, no more than twelve, with a blonde mane and a cutie mark of an apple covered in honey—spoke first: “I didn’t know we had any cousins besides Gala, mama.”

“Well, y’know how Gala’s Uncle Macintosh’s daughter?” Applejack explained. “This here is Uncle Lockwood’s daughter. I know ya never met ‘im, but y’all remember everythin’ yer daddy told ya 'bout ‘im, right?”

“Oh wow!” The filly waved more vigorously. “Nice ta meet ya, Cousin Bluebolt. Mah daddy says yer daddy’s a king or somethin’!”

“Nice to meet you too, Cousin…” Bluebolt trailed off, then gave a nervous smile. “Bloom mentioned your names when we met, so hang on, let me put some names to faces. Let’s see, you’re the oldest… that was Honeycrisp?”

The filly—Honeycrisp—smiled and nodded. “Yup! That’s me!”

Bluebolt turned to the colt next. His coat was light red and his mane was light green, he didn’t have his cutie mark yet, and looked to be about ten. “And you’re the only colt, that would make you… Jazz Apple?”

The colt—Jazz Apple—nodded as well. “Nice to meet you, Cousin Bluebolt.”

Bluebolt then looked to the younger filly, whose coat was a bright green and whose mane was blonde, also without a cutie mark. She looked about seven. “And the youngest was… Ginger Gold?”

The youngest filly bounced up in her seat and waved excitedly. “Yep yep! Nice ta meet ya, Cousin Bluebolt!”

“I’m really liking the sound of ‘cousin’, y’know?” Bluebolt said to Apple Bloom.

“It’s got a nice ring, don’t it?” Bloom replied with a smile. She turned to the monitor now and waved at the young ones. “Hey kids! How’re y’all doin’?”

“Hi Aunt Bloom!” Honeycrisp greeted. “We’re doin’ just fine, thanks! How’s yer vacation?”

“Oh, uh, mah vacation’s goin’ just fine. It’s really snowy where we are right now, so we’re stuck indoors. But it sure is nice gettin’ ta meet yer cousin. Pretty soon we’re gonna go on a lil’ trip ta go meet yer Aunt Blackburn 'n' Uncle Lockwood, 'n' all yer other aunts 'n' uncles 'n' cousins, too.”

“Wowww…” Jazz said with wide-eyed wonder. “I didn’t know we had such a big family.”

“Well, I’ll tell ya all 'bout 'em when I get back from vacation, y’hear?”

Ginger let out a loud yawn. “I can’t wait ta hear it.”

Applejack smirked. “Uh-oh, looks like somepony’s tired. Been a mighty long day today, hasn’t it?”

“Aww, we’re not tired mama—” Jazz tried to say, interrupting himself with a yawn. “Shoot.”

Flathhoof grinned, and scooped Ginger up onto his back. “C’mon, kids, it’s getting late and we have a train to catch tomorrow morning. Let’s go get some shuteye.”

Honeycrisp, who was clearly fighting off a yawn herself, turned back to the monitor. “It was nice—” And there was the yawn.“—meetin’ ya, Cousin Bluebolt.”

“You too, Honeycrisp,” Bluebolt said with a smile. “Have a good night!”

Applejack turned to the monitor as she helped Flathoof escort their kids out. “Rarity, Apple Bloom, y’all take o’ yerselves out there, y’hear?”

“We will, darling,” Rarity said with a smile. “You do the same, okay?”

“Yeah, we don’t wanna come back an’ find out y’all had somethin’ bad happened ta ya while we were gone,” Bloom said, shaking her hoof.

Applejack smiled, nodded, and she and her family headed off screen, leaving just Fluttershy behind.

Fluttershy let out a breath of relief, then looked at the monitor, specifically at Bluebolt. “So, you’re Lockwood’s daughter, huh?”

Bluebolt nodded. “That’s right. And you’re… Fluttershy? My dad told me quite a lot about you, actually.”

“He did? Like what?”

Bluebolt tugged her collar. “Well, let’s just keep it simple and say that my dad still regrets letting things get out of hoof way back when, and hopes you can forgive him for not being honest with you. That’s the most I can really say about it since my mom wants to just put it all behind her.”

Fluttershy gave a short laugh. “It’s okay, I’ve gotten over it. I think I’ll always have feelings for your father, Bluebolt, but I’ve moved on with my life. Besides, I made my own mistakes during that whole situation, so I won’t let Lockwood take all of the blame for how things happened. That’s something he’d do.”

“I have my own share of guilt about the whole thing,” Rarity admitted sheepishly. “We were all young and foolish back then, weren’t we?”

“How is he, though?” Fluttershy asked. “Lockwood, I mean.”

“I mean, he’s always seemed fine to me,” Bluebolt said with a smile and a shrug. “I can’t really be the judge of how he compares to how you knew him way back then.”

Rarity patted Bluebolt’s shoulder. “It’s alright, darling, I’ll be the judge of that sort of thing when we get the chance to see him.”

“Tell him I said ‘hi’,” Fluttershy said with a weak smile. “Be careful out there, Rarity. You too, Apple Bloom.”

Rarity smiled back. “We will, darling. Go on, get some sleep. You look exhausted.”

*****

Sundial and Flurry Heart came down the stairs into the main den area sometime between breakfast and lunch one day, a little bit of extra pep in their step. The two had become quite close over the week en route to Goldridge, and more so with every day spent in the old checkpoint building. They headed into the dining room, chatting away all the while like they’d known each other for years. They were otherwise alone at the moment.

“So, what do ye think he wants?” Sundial asked as they took some seats at the table.

Flurry shrugged. “I don’t know, but he seemed insistent so it must be important to him. And if it is, I’m more than happy to help him however I can.”

“Aye, I can agree ta that. Still, why here in the dining room?” Sundial looked around to make sure nopony was hiding anywhere. “And why just the two o’ us?”

“Well, I mean, he sees us as his friends, doesn’t he? Or at least the ones he can trust the most. Maybe he wants to run whatever this is by us first before he talks to anypony else about it?”

Sundial scratched her chin. “Aye, could be. Lad’s always got a bit o’ mystery about him, so this doesn’t come as much surprise. Still, I wish he would start being a little more open, aye?”

A moment later, Weaver came out of the kitchen. He wasn’t wearing his old uniform, but a more casual, presentable shirt and not much else, just enough to keep tensions low with Tick Tock and to get him accustomed to everyday clothing. He also had an apron on, which was the first surprising thing.

The second was that he carried a small tray in his mouth, atop of which were two small bowls filled with some sort of liquid and what looked like chopped celery. He set the tray down between Sundial and Flurry, then gestured for them to take the bowls for themselves, all without uttering a single word.

“What’s this?” Flurry asked as she took hers, eyeing it curiously.

“Soup,” Weaver said.

“We can see that it’s soup, lad,” Sundial said as she sniffed at hers. It wasn’t an unpleasant smell, but it wasn’t exactly mouthwatering. “She meant more ‘why is there soup?’, aye?

Weaver tilted his head. “Oh. There is soup because I made soup.”

Sundial and Flurry both looked at Weaver at once. “You made this?” Flurry asked, bright-eyed.

“Yes.”

Flurry smiled. “And let me guess: you wanted us to try it first?”

“Yes.”

Sundial laughed. “Och, why didn’t ye say so, lad? There’s no need for ye ta act all dodgy if ye just wanted us ta try some soup ye made, ye could’ve just asked. Why are ye making soup, though?”

“I wanted to learn,” Weaver said, looking mildly embarrassed. “It is a skill I do not possess. It is beneficial to expand one’s skill set.”

“Well, we’d be happy to try some,” Flurry said. She took the provided spoon and scooped up a spoonful for herself, and slurped it down with a smile on her face. “Hmm…” she muttered, her smile faltering ever-so-slightly.

Sundial followed suit, taking a spoonful of the stuff and slurping it down. The taste wasn’t anything special, truth be told. It was just a rather plain celery soup, though it was a little too watery, with not quite enough other vegetables to enrich the flavor, and it might have needed just a little something extra. But it wasn’t bad. It would be serviceable for a camping trip.

“How is it?” Weaver asked, a little twinge of eagerness in his voice.

Flurry spoke first. “It’s good. I liked it. I’m not usually much for soups, so I’m probably not the greatest judge—”

“Don’t beat around the bush, lass,” Sundial said, giving Flurry a gentle nudge. She turned to Weaver. “It wasn’t bad, Weaver. I’d take it if offered, aye, but I wouldn’t pay for it. It’s not bad though, which is more than I can say for my own attempts in the kitchen.”

Weaver stiffened just slightly. “I see. Hmm…”

Pewter, who Sundial just noticed had been watching from the kitchen doorway, stepped out into the dining room. “Well? How did it go?”

Weaver gave him a brief look, then turned his attention back to the bowls of soup, hoof to his chin in thought. “It was ‘not bad’.”

“Ah, the dreaded ‘not bad’, huh?” Pewter said, patting Weaver’s back and smiling politely. He gave a little knowing look at Sundial. “For a chef, that’s about as useful as telling an artist their painting ‘looks good’.”

Sundial huffed. “Aye, well, I didn’t want ta hurt the lad’s feelings—”

“Then tell him what you honestly thought of his offering, Sundial. The only way a chef can learn is if he has honest opinions from his audience. Save the sugar-coating for the cookies.”

Flurry cleared her throat. “Um… okay, well, there wasn’t really a lot of flavor to it. The chef we have at the palace makes this wonderful vegetable soup that has a very striking taste—”

“I thought ye said ye weren’t much for soups, lass?” Sundial asked, giving Flurry a coy smile.

Flurry blushed. “Oh, um… wh-what I meant was—”

“Go on, lass, I’m just teasing ye. Tell it like it is, aye?”

“R-right.” Flurry took a breath. “Your soup was lacking in the flavor department. I could taste the vegetables—or rather, the celery—and not much else.” She gave a nervous smile. “I”m sorry, Weaver.”

Sundial rolled her eyes, then turned to Weaver herself. “I think it’s a wee bit watery, aye? Like drinking water with some chopped veg in it. Also, the veg was chopped a wee bit too big, so I was chewing a lot more than I was drinking. And really lad, just celery?”

Weaver frowned and nodded. “I see…”

Pewter set his hoof on Weaver’s shoulder. “Hey now, don’t get down, son. Your friends are telling you what’s wrong with the dish, so you just need to parse that out and figure out how to make it right.”

“Hmm…” Weaver nodded and considered their words for a moment. “Soup was too watery, needs more thickening agents. Perhaps potatoes for starch?”

“Good, good. That’ll give the soup a heartier composition, too, and a little more flavor and variety.”

“Soup was also ‘plain’, needs more flavor. Additional vegetables: carrots, onions?”

“Good choices. Also, consider some spices. Vegetable soup is more than just broth and vegetables. What spices do you think would be best, hmm?”

Weaver pondered this. “Garlic. Pepper. Salt.”

“Good choices, very good. A solid standard base for most dishes, soup included. Might I also suggest some tomato juice?”

Weaver nodded. “Adds additional flavor, provides further thickening as well as color. Or perhaps parsley, celery leaves? Compliments potatoes?”

“Yes, that could work too. See? I knew you were paying attention last night.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Last night?”

Pewter grinned and nudged Weaver gently. “This young colt was watching me cook dinner last night, and very intently I might add. I figured that he wanted to learn, so I made a bit of a show of things and talked to myself more than usual. He even approached me after dinner to ask for lessons.”

Flurry brightened and looked approvingly at Weaver. “Really?”

Weaver, looking more than a little embarrassed, nodded. “Yes. As said, it is a skill I do not possess, and expanding my skill set is important.”

“Is that all there is ta this then, lad?” Sundial asked, tilting her head. “Just expanding yer skills?”

Weaver hesitated a moment, then shook his head. “No. I also find it… calming.”

Sundial smiled. “Ye mean ye enjoy it?”

“I am not sure. I have never… ‘enjoyed’ something before.”

“Well then, why do ye find it calming?”

Weaver considered this. “Usually my food comes from foraging and eating raw materials during the year, plus provided Dolor rations in winter when food is scarce.”

Flurry raised an eyebrow. “Dolor? What’s that?”

Pewter made a face of disgust. “Synthetic food manufactured up in New Pandemonium. Up until the city went on lockdown they used to supplement it with food from the south that got shipped in on occasion, but these days it’s all they’ve got up there to eat.”

“Awful junk, that stuff is,” Sundial agreed. “Some ponies do good work with the stuff, but now that we’ve got real fruits and veg up here, nopony touches the stuff if they don’t have ta, aye?”

“Correct,” Weaver said. “Hence my learning to cook. It is a practical skill, makes use of raw materials for a heartier meal. Heartier meals provide more nutrition which improves physical health.”

“But ye said ye found it calming too, aye?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes. It is relaxing. The smells and tastes make me feel… soothed.”

“Aye, so that means ye enjoy it.”

Pewter nodded and patted Weaver’s shoulder. “That’s how I feel when I cook, too. But more than enjoying the cooking itself, I enjoy the sight of my friends and family enjoying the fruits of my labor. That’s the real joy of cooking.”

Weaver pondered this. “I think that I would ‘enjoy’ if my friends liked my cooking.”

Flurry clapped her hooves together. “Oh my goodness, this is wonderful. You’ve found something you enjoy?”

Weaver gave her a tiny smile. “Yes. I suppose I have.”

Sundial pushed her bowl towards Weaver. “Well then, what are ye waiting for, lad? Go put those lessons o’ yers ta work and whip us up another bowl, aye?”

Weaver looked at the soup, then glanced at Sundial and Flurry as his smile widened slightly. Without another word, he took the bowls back onto the tray, and with Pewter at his side he walked back into the kitchen.

“I’m very proud of him…” Flurry said softly, a smile on her face. “I’m so glad that we gave him this chance. He’s doing so much with it already.”

“Aye, that he is,” Sundial agreed. “He’s starting ta talk more often, he’s emoting more, and if ye can believe it, I think I’m starting ta see a wee bit o’ personality there, aye? He was a broken lad when we found him, but we’re fixing him right up, lass.”

Flurry sighed. “Still, there’s something missing, I think.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? What’s that?”

“I don’t know, exactly. He’s doing all of these things but it feels like he’s just doing them because they serve a practical purpose, or like he needs to do them to gain our approval or something. Even if he enjoys things like cooking, he didn’t learn it except to better survive out there in the wilderness.”

“Hmm… aye, ye’ve got a point, lass. Ye think he’s missing some kind o’ purpose?”

“More like… hope. Hope for the future, or rather, his future. I don’t know, I just think there’s something missing—” She then paused to let out a huge yawn. “Oh, s-sorry.”

“Didn’t sleep well, lass?” Sundial asked with a smile.

“Oh, um… no. I had a bit of a bad dream, I think, so I woke up a little earlier than I wanted to.”

“Aye? Well, I’m no psychologist, but I’m yer friend. So, if ye want ta talk about it, I'm all ears.” She glanced around to make sure nopony was listening, then whispered: “Was it about, ah… y’know, the thing with Kauldron? Because look, lass, we’ve talked about that—”

“No, it wasn’t that. I’m not exactly over that, but I haven’t had any bad dreams about it.” Flurry took a deep breath. “I’m not sure what the dream was, to be honest. I was standing out in an open field. There was grass everywhere. Beautiful, green grass. But the ground was soaked with red.” She frowned. “Blood, I think.”

Sundial, concerned, set her hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “Anything else?”

“I heard screaming. Off in the distance, not nearby. Lots of screaming. Hundreds or even thousands of screams. Not terrified screams, really. More like there was a lot of fighting going on, but I couldn’t see it. And the sky was just black. No stars, no clouds, nothing. Just black.

“But that was all I could see or hear. By itself it doesn’t sound too scary, but there was just this… feeling in the back of my head. Like a sense of dread, but I don’t know what from. And it got worse, and worse… and then I woke up.”

Sundial leaned back in her seat and considered this. “Is this the first time ye’ve had this dream, lass? Usually with these sorts o’ things, it’s recurring, aye?”

Flurry paused, then shook her head. “No… I’ve been having them for a while now. Not every night or anything, just the past few weeks. I think the first one was actually before Kauldron, come to think of it.”

“And ye never mentioned this ta anypony else?”

“No, I don’t want to worry anypony. Rarity and Apple Bloom need to keep their spirits up. I don’t know Bluebolt, Symphony, or Venture all that well.” Flurry gave Sundial a brief smile. “But you, you’re different. You don’t let anything worry you, Sundial. So, I feel safe telling this to you.”

Sundial took a breath, then gave Flurry a smile back. “Well, I’m glad ye trust me then, lass. If ye ever feel the need ta talk about these nightmares o’ yers, I’m always willing ta listen. I’ll give it some thought though, see if I can figure it out. Aye?”

“Thank you. I appreciate it.”

*****

Rarity and Bluebolt followed Sundial into her “office”—Rarity had yet to think of a better term for the odd little pocket dimension and disliked Sundial’s odd name for it: TARDIS—late one afternoon, before dinnertime, as they had another “check-in” scheduled for the evening. Rarity rather wished they could’ve found a way to make it work so everypony could be there at once—maybe for their monthly meeting—but at least these individual visits were less cluttered with all the faces present on both ends. No trying to decide who should speak when or to whom.

When Sundial flipped on her monitor, Rarity was greeted by three familiar faces bearing bright smiles.

Pinkie Pie, of course, looked just like she had when Rarity had left her at the train station way back before all of this happened, as if she hadn’t lost a single ounce of pep. If anything, from how much brighter she got when she saw Rarity on the other end of the screen, she’d somehow become more peppy than before.

Rainbow Dash, who’d grown out her mane a little and started modeling it after her old role model, Spitfire, was otherwise nearly as ecstatic. She looked like a proper professional these days in that official Wonderbolt dress uniform. Rarity always teased her that she looked better flying in that ensemble than that dreadfully simple blue and gold flight suit. Hence why she’d wanted to offer suggestions for an alteration to the uniforms.

Rarity hadn’t expected Briarthorn to participate in any of these meetings—he and Rarity weren’t exactly close—but she’d brought Bluebolt along today when she found out he would be here. Rarity was still astounded how young he looked even after all these years. His gold coat still had a healthy shine, though his darker gold mane was just starting to gray a little—he had claimed it made him look “distinguished”. He sported a little goatee these days that Rarity felt was terribly tacky, but at least his instructor’s uniform was crisp and neat.

“Rarity! Ohmigosh! I’m so happy to see you!” Pinkie cheered, pulling a noisemaker out of her mane to celebrate. “We heard all about what happened, and we got really worried, but then Twilight said you were okay, and look! You’re okay! You look great, by the way, much better than ‘okay’.”

Rarity nodded and smiled. “It’s good to see you too, Pinkie Pie, and thank you. We had a little bit of a rough start, but things have smoothed out tremendously now.” She turned towards Rainbow and gave her a coy grin. “Rainbow Dash, I see that you’ve managed to pull yourself away from your busy Wonderbolts schedule all for me, hmm?”

“Well duh, Rares, of course I would,” Rainbow scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Just don’t let it go to your head, though. I pushed back a show by a few days to make this little meeting happen, just so you know. Not because I’m worried about you or anything, but because I’m sure you just couldn’t wait to hear how I was holding up.”

“Don’t believe a thing she says, she’s been worried sick,” Pinkie chimed in, trying to hide her mouth behind a hoof in a conspiratorial whisper. She put her hoof on the wrong side, naturally. “The second she heard about you, she came flying home to see if there was anything she could to help. Like, the instant it happened. Rainboom and everything. BOOM! All the way from Fillydelphia in less than a minute,”

Rainbow rubbed her nose, embarrassed. “Yeah, whatever, only because I thought I’d missed out on a cool butt-kicking adventure while Rarity got to go, of all ponies.”

“She was up all night crying afterwards.”

“Pinkie, c’mon! You’re totally blowing my cool here!”

Rarity giggled. “It’s quite alright, Rainbow, you’re still ‘cool’ in my book.” She turned to Briarthorn. “And Briarthorn, I’m glad you could make it. This is certainly a surprise.”

Briarthorn gave Rarity a brisk, friendly salute. “Of course! Just checking to make sure everything’s okay, y’know? I heard you’re treading around my old stomping grounds and all that so I figured if you needed a little advice, a little know-how, a little nudge somewhere, that there was nopony better to offer it.”

“We’re quite well situated with a guide already, dear,” Rarity said, perhaps too quickly, “but thank you for your offer.”

“Hey hey, don’t sweat it. Just know that I expect stories when you get back, eh? I’ve just gotta know how the old hometown’s doing these days, and how all my old flames are smoldering… no, burning. Igniting? No no, that’s not it. Whatever, you know what I mean. There’s a word I’m looking for here…”

“Yes, well, I’m sure you’ll think of it.” Rarity turned back to Rainbow and Pinkie. “I’m glad you were able to make it. I’ve missed all of you just terribly, and I hope that my absence there hasn’t been too damaging on anything or anypony.”

Pinkie waved her hoof dismissively. “Pshaw! Pshaw, I say! We’re handling things just fine over here. It’s not like last time, y’know? The world’s not falling apart because it lost its Element of Generosity. I mean, we’re worried about you and all, and we want you home as soon as possible, but you can take your time to make sure you get here safe. No silly shortcuts, got it?”

“Yeah, we heard you’re stuck at Goldridge for the rest of the winter?” Rainbow said. She shook her head. “That bites. Stuck inside for two whole months sounds like a nightmare. I couldn’t do it, I’ll tell you that much. I’d need to get out and spread my wings! Total cabin fever vibe going on, y’know?”

Rarity smirked. “Yes, well, considering how you said your trip through the old Belt of Tranquility went, darling, I think even you wouldn’t take your chances with these dreadful thunderblizzards. They’re just like the Belt was, but they’re freezing cold to boot. And they’re simply everywhere.”

“Oh yeah? Well, that was Old Rainbow. This is New Rainbow, and New Rainbow is just plain better. Catch the wave, y’know?”

Pinkie raised an eyebrow. “But Dashie, you’re old Rainbow now. You’re like forty-two, remember? We just celebrated your birthday a month ago. There was a stripper in the cake and everything.” She gave Rarity a sidelong glance. “It was me. I was the stripper.”

Rainbow glowered at Pinkie. “Gee, thanks for reminding me, babe, I almost forgot that I’m getting older.”

“You’re welcome!” Pinkie looked back to Rarity, not an ounce of pep lost. “Oh hey! Insipid’s been worried sick too, just so you know. And Red, of course. I mean, we all are, but those two are pretty worried, what with knowing where you ended up and everything, and since they see you the most what with living here in Canterlot.”

Rarity frowned. “Are they? Oh dear. Well, Twilight said that she was going to be sending Spike over to help Insipid watch my boutique until I returned, but that was almost a week ago. Has he arrived yet? I certainly hope so. Even Twilight isn’t that absent-minded.”

“Oh yeah, of course he did! Insipid loves having him around and all, but that doesn’t mean she’s not worried about you. Ooh, just to make sure you’re not worried about the boutique’s business, they told me that they’ve been directing clients to Yona and Sandbar down in Ponyville for the time being.”

“Oh, well, that certainly alleviates some troubles. I was worried about what my clients were going to do when they came calling when I was supposed to be back.” Rarity let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness. I know Yona and Sandbar will do well with a little extra business. I hate to put them under that kind of pressure, though.”

“See? Everything’s working out fiiiine.” Pinkie tilted her head in thought. “Anyway, Velvet’s already making plans for a big cake when you get back, by the way—no stripper, I promise, unless you want one. She’s spending a lot of time figuring out how to make a life-sized cake version of you that tastes how you look you’d taste like. I suggested marshmallows, she’s convinced it’s vanilla.”

Rarity balked. “I… um… thank you? Tell her I… appreciate it.”

Rainbow pointed behind Rarity at Bluebolt. “So hey, I don’t mean to butt in here, but AJ already kinda spilled the beans and that’s who I think it is, isn’t it?”

Rarity smiled, and gestured for Bluebolt to come over.

Bluebolt nodded politely. “Hello. It’s nice to meet you guys. I guess you already know who I am and all that, but I might as well be polite anyway, so uh, I’m Bluebolt, and you guys know my parents. Right?”

Briarthorn hummed and nodded. “Yes, yes, yes indeed, indeedy-deedy, no doubt about it. You are certifiably, categorically, and consummately—and also, certainly—the daughter of my dear Queenie Blackburn and Kingly Lockwood. It’s the eyes.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes. “Every time: the eyes. Did everypony just stare at my dad’s eyes every day that they knew him or something? It’s getting creepy.”

“Hey, don’t joke, kiddo, your papa’s peepers were some grade-A optical oculars. I mean, that should’ve been my first sign that there was something going on between him and your mom, y’know? Your mom actually complimented those eyes! Said they were better than mine and everything! And back then she was, whew, not one to share a compliment very often.”

“So, you’re Captain Briarthorn? My mom and dad talked about you a lot.”

“Oh? Ha! Nice that they still keep me in their thoughts and prayers, that reaches right into the cockles of my heart. Well, I’m not exactly a ‘captain’ of anything these days. I’m more of a… hmm…” He looked to Rainbow. “Captain Dash, what exactly is my rank again?”

Rainbow huffed. “You don’t have a rank, doofus, you’re a teacher. I’ve told you this, like, fifty times.”

“Right, right. So my rank is ‘Mister’ Briarthorn these days. Professor? Ooh, Sir. No… that’s not for teachers—” He paused, then pointed at Rarity excitedly. “Blazing!”

Rarity was caught off guard. “B-Blazing? I beg your pardon?”

“See how my old flames are blazing. That’s the word I was looking for earlier. It escaped me, but I caught it, locked it up, transferred it to you. Boom.” He turned back to Bluebolt. “So anyway, just Briarthorn will do, Princess.”

“Well, it’s nice to finally meet you. Mom basically talked about you like you were family, like a brother.”

Briarthorn put a hoof over his heart. “Ooh, ouch. Even after all these years that stings deep, deep, deep. Oh well, I suppose I never really had a chance once your dad came into the picture.” He smiled politely and gave a little bow. “But it was nice to meet you too, Princess. I’d love to hear about how things are going with your parents, if you’ve got the time.”

Bluebolt gave a little look to Rainbow and Pinkie, then to Rarity. They all nodded in approval. She turned back to Briarthorn and gave him a smile. “Sure, we’ve got the time.”

*****

Flurry Heart strolled through the middle levels of the changeling hive, marveling at how different it was from the hives that the reformed changelings at home made. Rarity had compared this hive’s appearance rather directly with the old changelings hives under Queen Chrysalis, at least in a general sense. The bioluminescent fungus that grew along the walls and ceilings gave it just the right sort of glow, but it was drastically different from any sort of “pony pods” as Rarity had called them.

Dozens of changelings—all of them quite young—wandered through the hive’s many tunnels, playing games and talking excitedly. It was odd seeing changelings of this particular sort with bright, happy expressions, but Flurry had gotten over the disorientation rather quickly. To her, these changelings were exactly like the reformed ones at home, they just looked different, nothing more.

What was so odd about this trip today was her particular company. Venture made sense, of course. The mare apparently came down here multiple times a day to visit with her old friend Aculeata, and did so often enough that she seemed to miss meals or even sleep. Tick Tock’s twin daughters, though, that was an odd pair of companions, more so that the pair walked along at the head of the group, leading the way with knowledge of every twist and turn and not at all bothered by what should actually be a rather frightful place for somepony their age.

Still, since having Venture available to chat with had been such a rare occasion, Flurry decided to take advantage of it and learn a little. If the mare was as well-learned as she said and seemed, it might do some good.

“Venture, if you don’t mind, may I ask you a question?” Flurry asked.

Venture tilted her head and smiled. “Of course! What about?”

“Well, it’s about your world’s alicorns. They’re just so much different from the ones where I’m from.”

“How so?”

“Well, in your world, Harmonia is worshipped as a goddess. Princess Celestia and Luna were never worshipped to that degree, nor are my mother, or Aunt Twilight—”

Venture’s eyes widened. “Your mother is an alicorn?”

Flurry paused, then cleared her throat. “Yes, she is. I, uh… guess I forgot to mention that at some point, didn’t I? Please don’t tell anypony—”

“Not a word from me,” Venture said, drawing her hoof across her lips. “Anyway, go on with your question.”

Flurry let out a breath. “Right. Um… well, the murals at the gryphon ruins seemed to mention that Nihila was worshipped as part of a cult of some kind, but I guess she isn’t really anymore?”

“Ah, well, yes and no. Nopony’s worshipped Nihila openly since the Beacons were erected, not since Silvertongue defeated her prior Warden, Blood Beryl, and the other cultists that followed him.”

“And before that, her worshippers apparently started the big civil war down south?”

Venture then scratched her chin, as if pondering her words. “Yes, naturally. She was worshipped rather openly at that point, truth be told, and even before that. She and Harmonia were always seen as two sides of the same coin, at least until the war broke out.”

“Really? But… everything I’ve heard about her tells me she’s a goddess of evil. Why would anypony openly worship her if that were true?”

“Well, she wasn’t always the way she was,” Venture sighed. “Very, very few know this, but there was a time long, long ago—centuries before the civil war, in fact—that Harmonia and Nihila were worshipped equally and openly. As I said: two sides of the same coin.

“Harmonia represented hope and peace, the promise of a prosperous, happy life. Nihila represented ambition and conflict, the promise of triumphing over adversity. She wasn’t called ‘Nihila’ then, either.” Venture gave Flurry a sad smile. “She was Pandemonia. Together, they were the alicorn sisters, worshipped even by the zebras as part of their pantheon.”

Flurry blinked. “She went by a different name?”

“Yes, she did. There are no records as to why she started calling herself by a different name—by ‘Nihila’—but when she did, her views changed with it. She was more interested in her followers instigating conflict rather than combating the challenges of everyday life. It wasn’t long after that that the civil war broke out across the south.”

Flurry pondered this for a moment. This story sounded oddly familiar, albeit with a few details adjusted, but was otherwise strikingly similar to that of Luna and Nightmare Moon.

“Everything okay?” Venture asked, tilting her head. “You went kinda quiet there.”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. I was just thinking that, well, this whole Nihila and Pandemonia situation sounds familiar to me, kind of like the stories about my world’s Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon.”

“How so?”

“Well, a little over one thousand years ago, Luna—Celestia’s sister—grew envious and bitter about how ponies enjoyed the day compared to the night. Some… thing took advantage of this and essentially possessed her, I think, and started calling herself Nightmare Moon. At least that’s how I understand it.” Flurry let out a breath. “My Aunt Twilight and her friends helped to purge the Nightmare from Luna.”

Venture tilted her head again. “Purge it? You mean… return her to how she was before?”

“I think so, yes. She and Celestia were able to repair their relationship afterwards, and Luna recovered from that experience fairly well, from my understanding.” Flurry shrugged. “I mean, I don’t know if that’s what’s happened here, but like I said, it’s very similar, at least from how I understood it.”

“Huh.” Venture paused to stroke her chin. “Very interesting.”

Flurry wanted to keep the conversation going—Venture seemed to be just full of information—but the group was just arriving at the center of the hive, so further questions would have to wait.

They found Queen Aculeata seated on a nest of fungus-covered rock, tending to seven of her youngest children. According to the queen, the changelings of this “batch” were younger than two years old, and so were barely old enough to walk on their own. Aculeata was the very image of a doting mother despite her otherwise fearsome appearance. Flurry had some foggy, pleasant memories of when she was just a foal and Cadence did the same for her.

The twins walked in first, bright expressions on their faces. “Aunt Leata! Aunt Leata!” they cheered.

Aculeata turned briefly towards them and put a hoof to her lips to quiet them. “Shhh, my dears. I am putting the young ones to sleep. One moment.”

The twins hushed up, hooves over their mouths instantly.

Aculeata’s horn glowed with a dim gold color, which coated the seven young changelings she coddled. Where they had once been wide awake, they instantly drifted off to sleep. Aculeata then gently set them down into the fungus to rest, and rose to her hooves.

“Awww…” the twins cooed as one.

“Hello, friends,” the queen greeted as she stepped towards the group. “To what do I owe this visit? I am not used to so much company and so often. It is a pleasant change of pace.”

Venture smiled. “Oh, you know, I’m just here for my usual visit, but I wanted to check in with you first. If you don’t mind, I’m going to head off looking about the hive so I can get more acquainted with your kids. I think I might have just about met them all at this point, but I’m sure there’s one or two walking about that I haven’t met yet, and I’m gonna find them, and I’m gonna hug them.”

Aculeata smiled and nodded. “Of course. The children always enjoy seeing you, my friend. Give them my love and yours, as usual.”

“Will do!” Venture turned to Flurry and nodded politely. “Miss Heart, it was a pleasure walking down here with you. You’re an alright gal, y’know?”

Flurry nodded back. “You too, Venture. Take care.”

And off Venture went into some tunnel off to the side. Flurry watched her go, not quite sure what she was going on about with hunting down Aculeata’s children to hug them, but she trusted her, and Aculeata trusted her, so she figured there was no worry. That mare was just a mystery-and-a-half that nopony could seem to crack.

Aculeata then turned to the twins. “And I suppose you two are looking for Ambrosia, hmm?”

“Yeah!” Pumice cheered, leaping in place. “She promised she’d play with us today.”

“Where is she?” Scoria asked. “Oh, is she hiding? Are we playing already?”

“One moment, dears.” Aculeata turned off to a side tunnel and clicked her mandibles, giving off a chirping sound.

A moment later, an older female changeling, about fourteen or so, came running down the path. Flurry hated to admit that it was hard to tell the difference between one changeling and another aside from gender. She could tell by now that each of them had a unique distribution of their leg chips and holes, but it was difficult to spot them unless she spent a lot of time staring, which was rude.

“You called, mother?” the changeling said. She glanced off towards the twins, and her face brightened. “Aha! You’re here early, girls.”

“Yeah!” Scoria said, hopping up alongside the changeling. “Of course we are!”

“You promised you’d play with us today, Ambrosia,” said Pumice.

“That’s right, I did. Come along then, dears, let’s—” The changeling paused when she saw Flurry watching the display. “Oh! Hello. I did not know we had other guests. How do you do?”

Flurry nodded. “Hello. I’m Flurry Heart. And you are?”

“My name is Ambrosia,” said the changeling with a nod back. ““She’s a friend of one of Mum’s friends!” Pumice said.

“So that means she’s our friend too!” said Scoria.

“Well, any friend of the twins is a friend of mine,” Ambrosia said.

“So you’re their friend too, then?” Flurry asked.

“Yes, and their caretaker when Miss Tock and Mister Pewter need one,” Ambrosia said, smiling. “Which they often do. These two are quite the hooffull.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. Well, don’t let me keep you all from your playdate.”

Pumice and Scoria grabbed Ambrosia and practically dragged her out of the tunnel, going on and on about all the fun they were going to have.

Aculeata watched them go with a smile, then turned to Flurry. “So, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Miss Heart? I don’t believe we’ve had much chance to talk before, so this is a surprise.”

Flurry nodded. “Well, that’s exactly it: we haven’t had much chance to talk, and I think I might have been… avoiding you.”

“Oh?”

“You see, where I’m from, there was a changeling queen by the name of Chrysalis. She wasn’t quite like you are. She was actually rather mean and evil. She did a lot of bad things to my friends and family when I was just a foal, particularly to my parents before I was even born. She was not a very nice creature, you could say.”

“Ah, and you wish to get to know me better, as a sort of…” She clicked her mandibles.“Comparison? With this queen from your world?”

Flurry adjusted her jaw in thought. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds kind of awkward, but yes, that’s about the gist of why I’m here. The changelings where I’m from that are like you—loving, compassionate, friendly—look completely different compared to you and your children. It’s an odd experience, really.”

“Yes, you and your friends seemed to express quite an odd array of reactions to my appearance and nature, likely due to a resemblance to this other queen. You say that this ‘Chrysalis’ did something awful to your parents, for example? May I ask what she did to earn such a reputation that it can cross worlds?”

Flurry frowned. “Oh. Um, well, it was around the time of their wedding. Chrysalis kidnapped and imprisoned my mom, then impersonated her in order to drain the love my dad had for my mom. She manipulated him into saying and doing some awful things to his sister—my Aunt Twilight—when she grew suspicious.”

Aculeata frowned as well. “I see. This is why I do not allow myself or my children to take the forms of another pony. It inspires distrust, fear, anger, hate, and jealousy. All of those are emotions that we find distasteful. And you say she forcefully took your father’s love for your mother from him?”

“Yes, she did. She was a horrible creature. Not like you,” Flurry said with a soft smile. “You have real love in your heart for your children. She only saw her children—her hive—as soldiers and minions to do her bidding and to make war on Equestria.”

“Ah, but one could chalk up my love for my children as simply motherly instinct, could they not? After all, there was once a time when I was perhaps an even greater monster than this ‘Chrysalis’ could ever hope to be.”

Flurry tilted her head. “Hmm?”

Aculeata shook her head. “My memories of that time are foggy, but I likely killed many a pony for food, I certainly killed many of my kin for dominance, and I likely killed more of each just for sport. I killed my brothers and sisters. I killed my children. I was a monster, and perhaps deep down, I still am.”

Flurry frowned. Bringing Aculeata to doubt herself had not been the intention of seeking her out for conversation. “Oh… oh no, I don’t think that’s true at all. What about your partner, Comet? You love him, don’t you? He spoke very highly of you when we met.”

“Perhaps. I do enjoy his passionate company, and I am thankful to have a pony to watch my brood when I am away, and to relieve my stress and urges when I am restless. I am also glad to do the same for him. I revel in it. But ‘love’ him? I do not know if I feel for him as Tick Tock feels for Pewter. Their love is pure.”

“But doesn’t he love you?”

“He does. Oh yes, he does. I know that quite well. He is good food for me and my children, for his love for me is pure.” Aculeata suddenly looked very sad. “But I do not know if I love him in return. I do not know if I even can. I do not know how much of what I am now is survival instinct and how much of it is a truly changed nature.

“All I know, my dear, is that my children will be better than I ever could be. They will not inspire fear, or hate, or anger. They will bring joy, and love, and kindness into the world when I am gone, whenever that may be. I have no idea if I can do the same.”

Flurry furrowed her brow. “Well, surely there’s something about Comet that you enjoy more than just his…” She blushed and cleared her throat. “His body.”

Aculeata pondered this. “I… do not know. I have never considered that before.”

“Well, maybe you should? Like, how did you two even meet? Let’s start there, it’s always a good place.”

“He came to Goldridge eight years ago, during one of my breeding seasons. I decided that I fancied him to father my clutch that year—forgive me if I give details,” she added, seeing Flurry’s embarrassment at her words. “But, when I sought him out to mate, he told me something disconcerting. He cannot provide children, for he is sterile.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Oh? Oh dear, I’m sorry to hear that.”

“As was I. Though I was more upset than sorry. And he… he got angry. Angry with me, because I was prepared to leave him because of his condition. He had had that same experience before, you see. His ex-wife had left him when she discovered his infertility. It devastated him, and there I was, making him go through it again.

“I had never angered a pony before, not since I took this form. It felt… wrong. Anger felt wrong. I did not want him to be angry, so I explained my situation and showed him my true self so that he would understand. I expected him to run, afraid of what I am, but he did not. He said I was beautiful. I felt love bud within him.”

“That’s… quite a story,” Flurry said, tilting her head. “So, what happened next?”

“I invited him to my hive to partake in a more ‘casual’ experience, and he accepted. I believed his love would be good food, and it was. When we finished, I sought out a different mate, of course, for I had to do so before my period of fertility passed. When I returned, Comet had not left. He understood my need. He accepted it. And so he remained here with me, as my partner. He loves me. He loves my children. Though I often wonder why.”

“Well, my mom is an expert on love, you see, and she tells me that being in love with someone comes not just from enjoying their company, or liking how they look, or even sharing the same interests. It comes from a deeper connection. A common goal. A shared passion. Something just… clicks, and you find yourself needing that other pony—or whatever they are—in your life.”

“Hmmm… I will need to think on this. I still don’t know what inspires his love for me, for I have never asked him. Perhaps… perhaps his answer may inspire one of my own, you think?”

“I mean, it couldn’t hurt.”

Aculeata smiled. “I see. This has been most enlightening. I did not expect to have this conversation today, especially not with you. But, I am glad that I did. I certainly hope that I can make use of your words and advice. Thank you.”

Flurry smiled and nodded. “Oh, you’re very welcome, Your Majesty.”

“Just Aculeata will do… Flurry. May I call you that?”

“Of course, Aculeata. It would be my pleasure.”

*****

It was just after breakfast one morning when Rarity and Apple Bloom followed Sundial into her office—Rarity had decided to stop trying to classify or name it as anything else—to attend their next meeting with ponies back home. Winter was slowly chugging along here in this world, which meant summer was doing much the same back in their own, which meant that school would be in proper session soon and some ponies needed to get prepared, particularly students and teachers.

Particularly Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.

“That world sounds so neat!” Sweetie Belle said with a pout. “I wish it had been me that went with Rarity. If only I’d been on the other side of the room, drat.”

“Don’t you dare wish anything of the sort, Sweetie,” Rarity tutted. “I have things bad enough as it is worrying about Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart all the time. I don’t want to even think about the kind of stress I’d be going through if it was you over here.”

Bloom chuckled, eyebrow raised. “Shucks, Rarity, I can’t tell if that’s a compliment 'bout me bein’ able ta handle mahself, or if I should be hurt 'cause ya care more 'bout yer sister then me.”

Rarity stopped herself and gave Bloom a nervous smile. “W-why, the former, dear, of course. You learned how to defend yourself thanks to Applejack. Unless Sweetie’s been off learning how to fight behind my back, she doesn’t have anything close to a means of doing the same for herself.”

“Gee, sis, thanks,” Sweetie said, rolling her eyes. “I’m not useless, y’know. I bet I could handle myself just fine. I mean, I’ve got magic, just like you, and you seem like you’re not worried about defending yourself.”

“I’ve been here before, dear, I know what I’m dealing with.”

Bloom snorted. “If ya knew the half o’ what we’ve dealt wit’, Sweetie, ya probably wouldn’t be sayin’ any o’ that. 'Sides, y’all’re here in spirit!”

“Yeah!” Scootaloo said, pumping a hoof. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders’ friendship goes across worlds! Even if we’re not there with you, AB, we’ve got your back. You’ll do the CMC proud!”

“Well thanks, Scoots. I 'preciate that. But that’s not exactly what I meant.”

“Huh?” Sweetie and Scootaloo said together.

“There’s this gal we’ve been travelin’ wit’, an’ she’s just a darned good fighter if’n I’ve ever seen one. Swings these swords 'round like nothin’, like a knight from straight out o’ them old storybooks we used ta read when we was younger. Her name’s Sweet Symphony, and she’s like another version of you, Sweetie.”

Sweetie raised an eyebrow. “Of me?”

“She looks almost just like you, darling,” Rarity said. “A little younger than you are now, and her mane’s not quite the right color, but otherwise she’s the spitting image of our very own Sweetie Belle. She’s got a bit more color to her way of speaking than you do darling—and thank goodness you don’t.”

“Yeah, an’ she’s protectin’ 'n' datin’ a princess! Not just any princess, neither, but mah niece, Bluebolt!”

“Oh, cool! You got to meet your family over there?” Scootaloo asked. “That’s neat! But, you’re gonna have to explain that other stuff you just said, about traveling around with ‘another Sweetie Belle’, or something?”

Rarity and Bloom shared a brief look. They’d already had the discussion with Sundial about alternate selves, so it seemed to hold some merit all things considered. “I suppose so, yes,” Rarity said with a nod. “Not that we’d ever replace our Sweetie, of course. Perish the thought.”

Sweetie huffed. “Yeah, you’d better not! because if I find out you did, you just watch, I’ll figure out a way to go to another world just like you guys! And I’ll make my own club, with my own Rarity, and my own Apple Bloom!”

“Can I come?” Scootallo asked.

“Sure! And we’ll make our own club! Like a… a league! Or something!”

“Hey yeah, we’d be like… the Scootaloo-Belle Union!”

“Why do you get to be first? This was my idea. We should be the Sweetaloo Clan!”

Rarity chuckled nervously. “Darling, don’t go getting any weird ideas now, alright? We’re not replacing you, and you don’t need to go off and make some club or league or whatever you’re going on about. Please.”

“Yeah, y’all’re talkin’ crazy-like there, Sweetie,” Bloom said, shaking her head. “I mean, think about it. Who in their right mind would wanna join a club founded by Sweetie Belle, o’ all ponies.”

Sweetie nearly leapt at the screen, but Scootaloo held her back. “Let me at her! I’ll show you who’s good in a fight, Apple Bloom!”

Bloom just leaned back and laughed.

Rarity sighed and leaned back in her seat. “Some things never change…”

*****

Apple Bloom was quite excited to be meeting Bluebolt and Symphony for a little rendezvous in their room this particular evening. Normally that would not be the case, as the two typically made sure their room was off-limits after dinnertime, but tonight was an exception just for her, and only her.

When she knocked, there wasn’t even a commotion inside, just a set of hoofsteps as Symphony came and opened the door, a coy smile on her face. “Hey, Bloom. You’re right on time,” she said. “Glad you could make it. You weren’t followed, were you? And you told nopony?”

“Naw, I kept it secret just like ya asked. Shoot, I wouldn’t miss this fer anythin’,” Bloom said as she headed inside. She noticed Bluebolt standing in the corner and gave her a little wave, which was returned. “So, d’y’all wanna get started right away? I’ve been waitin’ all day fer this.”

“Are you sure you’re ready?” Symphony asked as she shut and locked the door behind Bloom after making sure nopony was out in the hall.

“Heck yeah I’m ready,” Bloom said with a proud nod. “I’ve been waitin’ fer this opportunity fer the longest time, ever since I first saw y’all in action together. I’ve never seen two mares move like that before.”

“You understand that you’re going to be getting a very… opportunità esclusiva here, don’t you?” Symphony continued, sidling up alongside Bloom and getting especially close.

“Not a lot of ponies are lucky enough to be where you’re standing, Bloom,” Bluebolt said, coming out of the corner to approach Bloom and Symphony, swaying her hips with every step. “There are mares and stallions back at home that would kill for this opportunity. An intimate evening with the Princess and her bodyguard, ha!”

“Shucks, now y’all’re gettin’ me all excited,” Bloom said, licking her lips and looking between the two. “C’mon, what’re we waitin’ fer?”

“Ooh, you’re an eager pony,” Symphony said, flicking her tail against Bloom’s. “I can’t say I blame you. I’m pretty damn good at what I do. Sorprendente, actually. Just ask Bluebolt about how good I am, she’ll tell you.”

Bluebolt nodded and winked. “The best. My songbird works some serious magic, and that’s not counting the horn. She taught me everything I know.”

“Night after night of practice—”

“—just covered in sweat when we were done.”

Bloom rolled her eyes. “Alright already, can we just get down 'n' dirty now? I already told ya, I’m ready.”

“Well, if you say you’re ready...” Symphony said, coming up right behind Bloom. “First, you gotta get into position. Raise those hindquarters up a bit, and lower your head towards the ground. Let’s see what you’ve got to work with.”

Bloom did exactly as she was asked. “Heh, this reminds me of when I used ta do this wit’ mah sister when I was younger.”

Symphony assisted Bloom, using her hooves to nudge the latter into the proper position. “You’ve got good posture, Bloom. Very good posture. Good muscle tone too. You’re pretty much perfect for this.”

“Ooh, now you’re making me jealous,” Bluebolt teased, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “C’mon songbird, stop teasing her already and get started. I’m just dripping with anticipation over here.”

Symphony rolled her eyes.

“Too much?”

“Too much, pecha.” Symphony cleared her throat and sharply stood at attention. “So! You ready to learn how to fight from the best of the best, Apple Bloom?”

Bloom laughed. “Ready? Ha! I was born ready.”

“Good answer, cadet,” Symphony said, stomping her hoof on the floor. “But don’t get cocky now, got it? You’re about to go through one of the strictest, most difficult training regimens Hope’s Point has to offer, courtesy of the Princess’s own bodyguard.”

“But when you’re through, Bloom, you’ll probably be a better fighter than your sister is, take it from me,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “Being good in a scrap is a lot different from being a professional warrior.”

“And I’m nothing but professional,” Symphony added, waggling her eyebrows. “Alright! Enough talk and amusing innuendo. Iniziamo.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Innuendo? The hay’re ya talkin’—”

“No talking during training, cadet!” Symphony huffed, tugging Bloom’s ear gently with her magic. “Eyes forward, mouth shut. Are you ready?”

Bloom wasn’t about to fall for that trap; she kept her mouth shut.

“Bene! Lesson one!”

*****

Rarity and Flurry Heart sat in Sundial’s office late one afternoon, eagerly awaiting the signal on the other end to pick up so they could get their next meeting started. They didn’t have to wait too long, luckily, and were greeted by the welcome sight of Twilight Sparkle, Cadence, and Shining Armor on the other end of the connection.

The latter had, over the years, put on just a little bit of weight since he didn’t need to lead any guards anymore, and his mane had started to gray just a little, but he was otherwise still as handsome as Rarity remembered him, which felt odd to say since she’d seen him last just before all this happened. Either way, Cadence knew how to pick 'em, that much was certain.

“Hi Mom, Dad,” Flurry said, giving the two a little wave.

“Oh, Flurry honey!” Cadence cried, practically hugging the screen, just as Twilight had done. “I’m so glad to see that you’re okay. I know Twilight said you were doing just fine, but… but I just had to see it for myself. I was so worried about you.”

“We both were,” added Shining, who gave Flurry a stern look. “You’re keeping safe over there, right? You’re not going out and looking for trouble? I know you take after your aunt sometimes and she was always looking for trouble.”

“I’m right here, Shiny,” Twilight tutted.

Flurry rolled her eyes. “No, Dad, I’m doing just fine, thank you. I’ve got Rarity and Apple Bloom here with me to keep me out of trouble, okay? Nothing’s happened and everything’s just fine.”

Rarity kept herself composed. She knew Flurry was keeping a tight lid on what happened with her and Sundial—even among the immediate group—but was glad that that didn’t need to be explained to anypony just yet. No sense in worrying them, especially if Flurry claimed that she hadn’t been hurt during the ordeal and that nothing else had happened.

“I hear you’ve made some new friends,” Cadence said. “Are they nice ponies?”

“They’re very nice. There’s Miss Sundial, who’s just over there,” Flurry said, pointing towards Sundial off-screen.

Sundial briefly poked her head into frame and gave a polite wave. “Hello there. Nice ta meet you, Princes Cadence, Shining Armor.”

“Oh, hello,” Cadence said, returning the wave. “I like your hat, it’s cute.”

Sundial raised a hoof to her hat. “Aye? Uh… thanks?” She then shrugged at Flurry and drifted back off-screen.

“And then there’s Bluebolt and Symphony,” Flurry continued. She pointed at Twilight briefly. “Aunt Twilight can tell you all about Bluebolt, she’s the daughter of some friends of hers, and Apple Bloom’s niece. Symphony’s her fillyfriend and bodyguard.”

“She was very nice,” Twilight said with a chuckle. “If she’s anything like her parents, Flurry’s in good hooves, and they’re telling me her bodyguard is great at what she does. And I already think Sundial’s proven reliable too, at least from what I’ve seen and heard so far.”

“And we met Miss Venture on the way here, too, and she’s super nice and everything. Y’know, after spending more time with her, I got to thinking, have you ever wondered what it would be like if Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash ever, y’know, had a foal together?”

Cadence smiled. “Last I heard, they’d decided they were perfectly happy taking care of Cheesecake instead of having foals of their own. I gave up years ago trying to recommend a donor stud. It wouldn’t be the first couple I’ve helped along with such a thing.”

“No no, I mean, together together, like if they somehow could make that happen without anypony but the two of them?”

Twilight pondered this. “Huh… well, I mean, with the right spells it could happen. I could certainly look into it if they were interested—”

“I’m not talking about if it’s possible, guys, sheesh!” Flurry grunted. “I’m saying that Miss Venture is like the kid Pinkie and Rainbow never had. She’s got Pinkie’s enthusiasm and lust for life, and Rainbow’s adventurous spirit. She’s a real mystery, too, but she’s really nice.”

“She’s your typical intrepid explorer,” Rarity agreed. “Just like Daring Do, straight out of the storybooks and everything. And with a possible mysterious double life, like A.K. Yearling herself. Though I’m still trying to figure that last part out. What her ‘big secret’ is, I mean.”

“I also met this world’s changeling queen, Aculeata,” Flurry continued.

Twilight’s eyes widened. “That world has changelings now? When did this happen?”

“After we left, obviously,” Rarity said, rolling her eyes. “It’s quite a long story, darling, better saved for when we return home.”

“Considering our… history with changelings, I hope she’s more like the changelings have been under Thorax rather than Chrysalis,” Cadence said. “Is she nice?”

“She’s really nice,” Flurry said. “I think she’s trying very, very hard to make sure she’s nothing like Chrysalis ever was, and she doesn’t even know Chrysalis, so that’s impressive to me.”

“Well, any changeling that’s not like Chrysalis can’t be half-bad,” Shining said with a nod. “You always were good at making friends, sweetheart, so I'm glad to see that hasn’t changed despite everything.”

“And so… yeah, that’s all of my new friends,” Flurry said with finality. “Plus the ponies I met here that Aunt Twilight knew from her last visit, and their family too, of course.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Uh, lass? Aren’t ye forgetting—”

“Nope, I’m not forgetting anypony,” Flurry said through clenched teeth, giving Sundial a terse look.

Shining narrowed her eyes. “Flurry, what are you hiding?”

“Nothing! Why would I hide anything, Dad?”

Rarity watched the situation unfold, and knew exactly what the issue was within seconds. She wisely backed out of the conversation slightly, as she didn’t need to be part of this and didn’t want to be, either.

“Come on now, Flurry, I know when you’re lying to me. You’re hiding something, or somepony. Tell me, honey.”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Shiny, am I missing something?”

Sundial shook her head. “I’m lost, too. Lass, why are ye acting so weird?”

“Because she’s hiding something,” Shining said again. “C’mon, honey, out with it.”

Flurry groaned. “Fine! I also have a friend named Weaver, and he’s really nice—”

Shining’s eyes widened. “A colt?! He hasn’t tried anything with you, has he honey?”

“Ugh, Dad! He’s a very nice colt who Sundial and I are trying to help! This isn’t anything like that!”

“Oh, sure, you say that, but I know what young colts are like. I bet he’s just waiting—”

“Dad!”

Cadence cleared her throat. “Shining, dear, I don’t know if my ‘radar’ works across this little connection, but I don’t think she sees anything like that in this colt.”

“Oh, yeah, that makes me feel better.”

Rarity huffed. “Really, Shining Armor, I hope you’re not insinuating that I would let anything of the sort happen to Flurry while she’s under my care?”

Shining balked briefly. “That’s not what I was implying. But a father can never be too careful.”

Flurry stomped her hoof. “Dad! That’s not what’s going on here!”

“Then tell me what is going on.”

Flurry took a deep breath. “He’s a broken pony, Dad. He was being used by an awful pony that treated him like a slave, and abused him for years. He doesn’t know how to act like we do. Sundial and I are trying to help him recover from everything that happened to him, but it’s… it’s hard.”

Sundial peeked onto the screen. “Aye, sir, we’re doing what we can for the lad, but he’s having a tough time breaking out o’ that mindset. He does chores like he’s following orders, sometimes even goes ta unnecessary lengths ta do them, aye? Everything he tries ta do it feels like he’s just going through the motions.”

Shining raised an eyebrow. “And you say he’s… broken? Like a sort of fugue state, or something like that?”

“I’m not sure, exactly,” Flurry breathed, “but Dad, he’s a good pony deep down, I can feel it. I want to help him so bad, but I don’t know what else to do. I don’t even know what’s wrong with him, and I hate saying it like that. Like there’s something wrong.”

Rarity leaned over slightly. “She’s been very diligent about the whole thing. The poor colt helped us along on our journey a few times, but he does seem a little out of sorts. Perhaps you can offer some insight?”

Shining paused, then nodded. “The way you described it sounds sort of familiar. I’ve seen a few guards get that way after the rough fighting, like at the Battle of the Bell or against the changelings at the wedding. Typical battle fatigue symptoms.”

Sundial shook her head. “Och, I’ve been more o’ the opinion he’s got wicked survivor’s guilt, considering what the Overseer had him do.”

“Either way, Dad, he’s just a pony in need of help.” Flurry hung her head. “I just want to give him… hope, I guess.”

“Right…” Shining paused, then hung his head. “I wish I could be of help, girls, but I’m no psychologist. Everypony handles this sort of thing differently. The only thing I can tell you at all is to keep doing what you’re doing. Keep showing him support and friendship. I won’t guarantee it’ll help, but sometimes, all you can do is hope.”

Flurry smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”

“And I’m sorry about going off on you earlier, honey. I’m just a little overprotective—”

“A little?!” Flurry huffed. “You were ready to bite his head off and you haven’t even met him!”

Cadence rolled her eyes. “I’m amazed our daughter doesn’t prefer mares at this point, Shining, honey.”

Shining sputtered. “Now why would you go and suggest a thing like that?!”

As the couple and Flurry started arguing between each other, Rarity and Twilight shared a brief look. “I think this is why Shadow doesn’t bother with love,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. “I’m starting to see the positives.”

Rarity smirked. “It’s not all bad, dear. You just haven’t found the right someone, yet, that’s all. Once you do, it’s actually sort of magical.”

*****

Rarity knocked on Tick Tock’s door early one afternoon, just after lunch, looking for an opportunity to spend some time with an old friend. Truth be told, she spent most of her time over this winter so far with Tick Tock because she didn’t really have anypony else to talk to at times. Bloom was spending nearly all of her time with Bluebolt and Symphony, and Flurry was either with Sundial and Weaver—or just one of the two—or getting to know Queen Aculeata. And Venture, well, she seemed to disappear for hours at a time most days and was always busy, but at least she was friendly when they passed in the halls.

Tick Tock answered the door with a smile. “Ah, Rarity. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today, hmm?”

“Just looking to have another little chat, darling,” Rarity said. “May I?”

Tick Tock gestured inside. “Sure, come on in. I might be a mite bit distracted though.”

“Hmm? Why’s that?”

Rarity looked into the room and saw that Tick Tock had set up a little table in the corner, around which sat Pumice and Scoria, who seemed hard at work on something and hadn’t noticed Rarity come in.

“Arts and crafts time,” Tick Tock explained. “It’s tough keeping them busy during the winter, so I have to do everything I can to keep them from driving Pewter and I bonkers. Ambrosia can only do so much”

“They usually play outside during the rest of the year, I take it?”

“Indeed they do. They’re very active, just like their father.” Tick Tock stepped over to the table. “Girls, Rarity’s here to visit us.”

The twins looked up in surprise, then waved politely at Rarity. “Hello, Miss Rarity!” they said together.

“Hello, girls,” Rarity replied with a nod and a smile. “How are you two doing today?”

“Good,” they said together.

Tick Tock brightened and put her hoof on Pumice’s shoulder. “Pumice, honey, why don’t you show Miss Rarity that thing you made the other day?”

“Okay, Mum!” said Pumice, suddenly quite excited. She reached under the table into a little folder that was there and fished out a sheet of paper, which she then showed off proudly to Rarity. “Look! It’s you!”

It was indeed a picture of Rarity, drawn at the appropriate skill level that Pumice’s age would allow, which meant uneven lines and misshapen figures, but it was still clearly Rarity as anypony could tell. However, it wasn’t colored-in with crayon—that was just the outline—but with glitter and glue. Not just regular store-bought glitter, either, but honest-to-goodness gem dust: amethysts for Rarity’s mane, sapphires for her eyes, and blue-flecked diamonds for her cutie mark.

“Oh my goodness, it’s lovely,” Rarity cooed as she looked it over. “Are those actual gems that you’re using for coloring?”

She looked down at the table where the twins were working, and noticed a few small tins filled with gem dust of varying colors: ruby, sapphire, emerald, topaz, the works. Years of working with jewels of every sort gave Rarity an eye for this sort of thing, so she recognized legitimate gemstones anywhere. It was hard to tell the quality of the original gems based on just the dust, however.

“Yeah!” Pumice said with a smile. “It makes everything look all sparkly and pretty.”

Scoria popped under the table for a second and pulled out a piece of paper too. “I made one of Miss Heart!” she said, pointing excitedly at the picture she’d made.

Rarity eyed that picture as well, and marveled at the gem colors they’d used to make an almost accurate representation of Flurry Heart—minus the wings, since they didn’t know about them. “My oh my, she’ll love to see this, darling. You two are quite the talented artists.” She turned to Tick Tock. “But real gemstones, darling? That seems a tad excessive, and expensive. You don’t seem the type, pardon me for saying.”

Tick Tock smirked. “Rarity, we live next to the world’s largest gemstone quarry, and we’re the only ponies out in this particular area. There’s no shortage of material. Besides, they’re using the gems that we couldn’t trade because they had impurities, so it’s not like we’re wasting anything valuable.”

“We mined them ourselves!” Pumice said proudly.

“Yeah!” agreed Scoria. “Daddy takes us into the mountains once a week to get exercise and go mining.”

“We’re his number one helpers, we are!”

Rarity grinned as she looked between the twins. “Ah, so that would explain your lovely little cutie marks. You’ve taken to gem-hunting, hmm?”

“Yup!” said Pumice. “We’re naturals! Daddy says so.”

“Does that mean you’re a gem hunter too?” Scoria asked, gesturing to Rarity’s cutie mark.

Rarity giggled. “Not exactly, though that is a part of how I got it in the first place, and I often go about it as part of my actual career.”

“What do you do?” asked Pumice.

“I’m a fashion designer by trade, and quite a good one if what they say about me is true. I use gems of all sorts in a lot of my specialty designs.”

“Really? Like what?”

Rarity gestured towards her winter coat, specifically the clasp. “Well, for example, I used a diamond for the clasp on my cloak here. It’s quite high in quality, but this is just a simple design.” She then gestured to the faux-ermine collar, which sparkled as it moved in the light. “But I added just a little extra diamond dust for that special, sparkly touch.”

“It’s really pretty,” Scoria said, eyes sparkling like Rarity’s dress.

“Thank you darling,” Rarity said with a smile. She turned to Tick Tock. “Your girls are just the sweetest little things, dear. If you don’t mind, may I sit and join with them in arts and crafts? I’m feeling… inspired.”

Tick Tock smirked. “Knock yourself out.”

Rarity took a seat, a sheet of paper, and a crayon—the glue and gem dust could come later. She hadn’t had a chance to work on a dress design since arriving to this world, but she knew an opportunity when she saw one, and she’d seen quite a lot in the past month or so that had filled her mind with ideas.

She was in the zone.

It was time to get back to work.

*****

Rarity was a little nervous about this last meeting here in Sundial’s office late one evening, with just another week or so left until the end of winter. It had taken that long to get everything together on the other end back home, which she knew was attributed to certain ponies’ busy schedules.

She knew she wasn’t going to be involved much in the following conversation—she had already corresponded with the ponies needed to make this happen—but she was desperately hoping that things would go well. She sat off to the side, while Bluebolt took the center seat this time. Rarity knew she was really just here for moral support for both sides.

Rarity wasn’t sure why Sundial had brought Weaver along, to be honest, but the stallion stood out of frame, attentive, at attention, and quiet. She supposed Sundial had a good reason, so she wasn’t going to argue it. She did trust the mare, after all.

When the monitor came to life, the group was greeted by several faces on the other end.

Starlight Shadow was present, of course, with her mane still up and her work uniform still on. Insipid was there as well, waving politely, a nervous smile on her face. Curaçao had made it, too, looking as glamorous as ever; her action figure didn’t do her justice. And of course, three others, the rest of their family.

Red Velvet—an earth pony almost identical in color to Pinkie Pie, only of slightly darker hues—had put on a bit of weight over the years, mostly in her rear. She kept her mane short these days, parted just off to one side.

Havocwing—a candy apple red pegasus mare—kept her skunk-colored mane and tail dangerously short for a mare, in Rarity’s opinion. The little canine-like fang that once jutted past her lip had long since been filed down.

Grayscale Force, a grayish-blue pegasus mare built like a house, still had her turquoise-and-fuschia mane styled like a wild-and-crazy glam rocker, despite her age. If anything, it got wilder every single time Rarity saw it.

Rarity peeked her head up just a little bit to try and get things started, seeing as this was her idea in the first place. “Hello girls, glad to see we could get you all together in time. I understand your schedule was hard to get around, Curaçao?”

Curaçao nodded politely. “Oui, but zis was important, so I made it work. I am only in Canterlot for today, zen I must get back to ze shoot.”

Bluebolt grunted. “Look, can we just cut all the small talk and get this thing rolling? I’ll be honest, I only agreed to this thing as a favor to Rarity, but it’s late and I’d rather be getting ready for bed. So if you don’t mind?”

“Of course,” Shadow said, adjusting her glasses.“I did not expect much better of a response, naturally, and given Curaçao’s schedule I anticipated that we would need to be expedient with these proceedings. I have already spoken at length with my sisters on the subject material we are to cover—”

Grayscale interrupted with a grunt. “If you don’t mind, I have something to do before we get started.”

Shadow paused, then nodded. “Of course. I had not forgotten.”

Grayscale nodded, then headed off-screen for a moment. When she came back, she was accompanied by a young pegasus filly with a striking red coat and a long fuschia mane that she wore in braids. Grayscale retook her seat, the little filly taking a spot on her lap. The filly looked about ten.

“AJ told me you got to meet her kids,” Grayscale said. “Mac and I thought you should meet ours, since she’s your cousin, too.” She leaned into the filly’s ear. “Go on, say hello.”

The filly smiled and nodded. “Hi! My name’s Gala Apple. My mom said you’re my cousin, uh… Bluebolt?”

Bluebolt was given clear pause. “I… yeah, I suppose I am. Your dad’s my Aunt Applejack’s brother. It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too!”

Grayscale pet her daughter’s mane gently. “Okay, sweetie, let’s get you back to Daddy. You’re up way past your bedtime.”

“But Mama, I’m not—” She yawned. “—tired…”

“Uh huh. C’mon.”

Grayscale escorted the filly out of frame, presumably to give her back to Big Macintosh outside—Rarity was certain there was a good reason he wasn’t joining them—then returned and retook her seat. “Sorry that that had to be so brief. Mac wanted you to meet her earlier when AJ was here, but AJ and I agreed it was better for me to do it after we found out about this little thing we’re doing.”

Bluebolt frowned. “You’re playing dirty, starting this whole thing off by reminding me that one of my cousins is your daughter. Trying to earn a little sympathy off the bat, huh?”

“Think what you want, but the fact is that I’m as much your aunt as AJ is,” Grayscale said with a shrug. “I’m not bothered whether or not you and your mom hate me. I just want to make sure you know—both of you—not to take it out on Gala.”

“Yeah, right,” Bluebolt snorted. “Okay then, let’s get on with it.”

Shadow cleared her throat. “In order to hurry these matters along, considering the late hour, I have arranged for myself and my sisters to each put together a speech of sorts to catalogue some of the good we have managed to do for this world since we immigrated here, and any other points they wished to express. You may interject with inquiries if you wish, but it might prove more efficient to save them for the conclusion.”

Grayscale raised her hoof. “If you don’t mind, I’ll go first. I want to help get Gala to bed and spend some time with Mac before we head home tomorrow.”

“By all means.”

Grayscale cracked her neck, then sat up straight and stared Bluebolt in the face through the monitor, as intense as a thunderstorm. “I work on the weather team in Ponyville as team leader. I took over after Rainbow Dash left to join the Wonderbolts as a full-time flyer. It’s not flashy, or glamorous, or anything like that, but it’s important work.

“My team keeps the weather in check across the whole town. We make sure the sun is shining on all the crops year-round, we make sure the rain keeps the grass green and healthy, we keep the winds comfortable and breezy, and we keep the snow light and fluffy in the winter.

“But we also stop weather disasters, like lightning storms, flooding rains, and blizzards. A few years back, my team stopped a tornado that was about to pass right through Ponyville. We prevented it from destroying homes and potentially hurting or killing dozens of ponies. That’s my impact, I suppose.”

Grayscale then abruptly got up from her seat. “I’ve said my piece, so now I’m going to go help my husband—your uncle—put our daughter—your cousin—to bed.” And just like that, she strolled off the screen without another word and without looking back.

Bluebolt grunted. “Is she always like that?”

Insipid tilted her head. “Eh, she’s usually a lot better about it these days, but, like, she was really, really bothered by the things we did when we were, y’know, ‘evil’ and junk, or whatever?”

“Why’s that?”

Velvet scratched her chin. “She went a little nuts and basically made an attempt to crack your planet in half. Rainbow barely stopped her, so she was like this close to killing everypony, us included.”

“But, like, she’s trying really, really hard to get past that and live her new life, y’know? She’s trying to make a difference. We all are, cha?”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”

Shadow cleared her throat. “Who would like to share next?”

Insipid jumped up. “Ooh, me! Me! Pick me!”

“Go on then.”

Insipid cleared her throat. “I haven’t done jack squat!”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “What?”

Ever Rarity had to resist the urge to ask if Insipid was being serious. She knew the poor girl wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box, but this conversation was supposed to be taken seriously.

Insipid nodded proudly. “Yup! I’ve mostly been, like, a total waste of space and junk? I spend most of my time traveling around, going to conventions, collecting toys and stuff, and dressing up in costumes. Y’know, just enjoying life?

“Buuut, I’ve made a lot of friends! Lots and lots of friends, actually, of all ages! I know it’s not a lot, but I think that the ponies I meet at these conventions—and I see them all the time, every year—really like me, and I really like them, yeah? So, like, I might not have done anything as important, like, stop a tornado and junk, but I’m still making an impact, or whatever?”

Bluebolt shook her head. “Wow, that’s a real motivational speech you’ve got going on there.”

“I know, right?”

Havocwing grunted. “Can I go next? I’m with Grayscale on this whole load: it can bite my glorious red tush.”

Rarity was thankful that Havocwing’s normally colorful language had been toned down over the years, and that she was keeping to that standard even now. That had to be hard; Sundial could barely keep it under wraps herself, after all, and that was just while in the checkpoint building, not every moment of her life.

Shadow let out a breath. “Havoc, I would appreciate it if you could engage this with some modicum of tact.”

“Nah. Gray and I are way past this whole thing. We don’t need to justify ourselves and our new lives to her, to her mom, or to anypony. The only reason I'm here is because you guys wanted to do this. So let me say my piece, and I’m gonna bounce.”

Bluebolt narrowed her eyes. “Don’t let me keep you.”

Havocwing rolled her shoulders. “It’s like this, kid. I’m the captain of Ponyville’s little volunteer fire brigade. I’ve got a couple of good ponies working with me, and we do a darn good job at what we do, which is putting out fires, saving property, and saving lives.

“Do you know how many soldiers I killed at Hope’s Point?” Havocwing asked. She didn’t wait for Bluebolt to answer. “Nineteen. I took nineteen lives that day. Do you know how many lives I’ve saved in the past twenty years? Seventy-three. Seventy-three ponies I’ve personally taken out of burning buildings, or pulled out of wildfires, or whatever danger they got into.

“I’m not gonna give you some horseapples story about how I’ve made up for those lives I took. I’m not even gonna pretend that if I wasn’t here, those seventy-three ponies would or wouldn’t have been saved by somepony else. I’m just telling you that I am trying.” Havocwing then snorted, and started walking out. “Tell your mom she can bite me.”

“Havoc!” Shadow snarled through her teeth.

Rarity put a hoof to her face as Havocwing left the frame, embarrassed. She definitely expected Havocwing to be her usual churlish self but that was a little much.

Bluebolt, however, seemed to have enjoyed the quip, and gave a little chuckle.

Curaçao cleared her throat. “Per’aps I should go next?”

Shadow hung her head and sighed. “Proceed.”

Curaçao turned to Bluebolt. She did not smile, merely gave the younger mare a firm look.

“My sisters can try to take the blame for all of zee individual lives zey took zat day,” Curaçao said, “but in zee end, I am to blame for every last one of zem. I personally 'ad a 'oof in maybe three, at most, but I gave my sisters zee opportunity. I 'elped bring down zee shield around your city, so I am responsible for all of zee destruction zat was caused. In effect, I did more zan end a few lives. I likely ended some ponies’ entire livelihoods. I ruined zem all.”

Bluebolt narrowed her eyes. “Even mom didn’t know that it was you. She thought it was all that shadow pony’s doing, all the way. And you’re just admitting it? If you hadn’t brought down the shield, the NPAF would’ve never made it inside. My mom could’ve taken her ship out that day. Gadget and Crossfire would still be alive.”

Rarity frowned. That was a rather sharp slippery slope Bluebolt just went down, but she likely didn’t know any better. Nopony did.

“Oui. I 'ave no reason to 'ide myself, as I once did.” Curaçao took a breath. “I am an actress zese days, and a fairly popular one from my understanding. I affect zee lives of ponies and ozer creatures all over zee world. Zere are youngsters out zere zat look to me—to my characters—as a role model. My films provide work for countless ponies every year, giving zem zee bits to provide for zeir families.

“But I agree wiz 'Avocwing. I do not say zis in an attempt to compare zee lives lost and destruction caused wiz zee good zat I am doing now. Zere is no comparison. I am telling you zis because I want you to know zat I regret what I did, and am doing zee only zing zat I know 'ow to do to try and make up for it.”

Bluebolt huffed. “So now you’re just living the high life, I take it? Champagne, movie stars, probably a high-class house of your own? And you expect me to sympathize with you?”

“Non. I just needed to ‘say my piece’. I do not expect to change your opinion, Princess Bluebolt. I only needed to say zat I am sorry. Tell zat to your parents for me. Tell zem zat I am sorry. For everyzing.”

Bluebolt took a breath and leaned back in her seat. “Who’s next?”

Velvet held up her hoof. “I’ll go next. Let me preface this whole thing by saying… I’m sorry, too. I think we all are—”

“Sorry? From how my mom described it, you were the worst of the bunch,” Bluebolt said with a sneer. “Thirty-eight lives gone because of you, and you alone. Most of them disfigured or mutilated, not even given honorable deaths. My mom couldn’t even give Commander Pinpoint a proper burial!”

Velvet hung her head. “I know. I was a monster. I won’t lie to you, either: I enjoyed every last second of it back then. But… I know that what I did was wrong. Beyond wrong. It was awful, terrible, horrifying, downright disgusting, and frankly, unforgivable. I’m not asking for forgiveness. I just want to say… that I’m sorry.”

“So, what do you do these days that makes up for all of that, hmm?”

Velvet cracked a small smile. “I don’t know if Pinkie told you, but she and I own a bakery together here in Canterlot called Sweet Dreams. We bring joy to hundreds of ponies every single day with our baked goodies and treats, and we do it as a team. She’s happy. I’m happy. So many ponies are happy.”

Velvet then reached into her mane—somehow—and pulled out a picture frame.

Bluebolt’s jaw dropped slightly. “How did you do that?”

“Huh? Oh, that?” Velvet smiled.“It’s just something that Pinkie and I can do. It’s like a little private compartment for anything that we need.”

“I’ll buy that with Pinkie, she’s got big, poofy mane that looks like she can hold something in it if she really tried. Look at you, you’ve got less hair in your mane than I do!”

Velvet shrugged. “I mean, I don’t understand how it works, it just does. Now, are you gonna ask questions, or can I finish my story, hmm?”

Bluebolt leaned back in her chair. “Go on.”

“Okay, so, look at this.”

Velvet held up the picture frame to show off a photo. In it, three ponies were standing in front of a ferris wheel wearing goofy hats and big smiles on their faces: Red Velvet, her husband Cheese Sandwich, and their daughter Cheesecake. The photo wasn’t very old, either, maybe four months at most.

“I know Grayscale kinda has me beat on the whole ‘look at my family’ thing what with shacking up with your uncle, but I thought you needed to see this.”

“That’s great that you and Grayscale get to have little families of your own,” Bluebolt snorted. “What about the families of the soldiers you killed? How is this fair?”

Velvet started to tear up a little. “It’s not. I know it’s not. It’s not fair that I get to be happy with a family of my own. I wake up at night sometimes, terrified that everything good in my life will have suddenly been taken away from me. Karmic justice, you’d call it. If that ever happened… if that ever happened, I don’t know what I’d do.

“So I know, it’s not fair. It’s not right. But… I am sorry for everything that I did when I was young, and stupid, and had a literal goddess of evil in my mind spurring me along. Because all of those things I did were still me. And I’m sorry…”

Insipid pulled Velvet in for a hug. “There there, Red.”

“I would seem that I am last.” Shadow looked at the camera next, adjusting her glasses again. “I do not know precisely what information you have on myself or my sisters, but I estimate that some illumination on the subject would be of assistance to understanding us further.”

“All I know is that you and your sisters were cloned from Rarity and her friends,” Bluebolt said. “Grown in a lab and infused with some of Nihila’s magic, I guess, then set out to unleash chaos on the world. And that you did just great at it.”

Rarity noticed Weaver’s attention peak just a little over in the corner next to Sundial. Now she had some guess as to why Sundial brought him along.

“That is a fair assessment, and accurate as well. My sisters and I were not born like yourself, or like Rarity over there. We were manufactured by our fa—” Shadow paused, clenching her jaw. “By Silvertongue for the express purpose of distracting and weakening Nihila enough for him to complete a ritual with which to drain her magic. We were little more than tools.

“When we learned this information, many of us simply cracked. We could not process the fact that our lives were a lie, that our lives had no greater meaning.” She let out a breath. “We were still under Nihila’s influence, however, for her essence ran through our bodies and souls fully. And so, under that influence, we did the only thing we could think of to justify our existences: we destroyed.

“As my sisters have already demonstrated, we regret the course of action that we embarked upon. I would love to express the sentiment that we didn't know better—a fair excuse, as we were chronologically less than a month old at the time—but I am aware that it would not justify anything.

“I, too, am not seeking forgiveness, but I do wish to make clear the things I have accomplished in my effort to make amends. For twenty years, I have served as a defender of my new home—we all have—from those that would threaten it. I am fully aware that our participation in these events did not bring about outcomes that might not have happened otherwise, but we have still participated.

“As for my own personal impact, I have taken on the role of headmare of the School for Gifted Unicorns. I was a teacher there for a time before taking the promotion, and I still teach advanced classes outside of normal school hours. I have given the gift of magical knowledge to thousands of unicorns, and I have personally helped hundreds discover their cutie marks and their purpose in life.

“I say this not to justify what we did, nor to earn sympathy or forgiveness. I see the practicality of things. Had your mother got her wish and had us executed all those years ago, think of all the lives that might have never benefited from our touch. More than that, as I recall, it was Tick Tock and your father that argued on our behalf.”

Bluebolt frowned. “They were just playing devil’s advocate, and you know that.”

“Tick Tock, perhaps. Your father, not so much. Flathoof has given me quite the picture of who your father is, and he does not seem the sort to do such a thing without worthy cause. Even if that’s all it was, they still filled that role when it was not required of them. Truthfully, if my sisters and I had truly desired to escape from your mother or to do her any further harm, we were more than capable of doing so right then and there.”

“Is that a threat?”

“No, it is merely an observation. My sisters and I accepted whatever judgement was passed upon us even then, because we knew we had done wrong. Your father and Tick Tock argued to give us another chance. Rarity and her friends welcomed us into their homes and lives to make that happen. I am merely telling you what we have done with it. We did not squander it. Explain that to your mother.”

Bluebolt relaxed into her seat slightly. “I promised Rarity that I would listen to you all, and I did. To be honest, knowing what I know about what you did and knowing what I know about you now, I still can’t say that I’d forgive you.” She took a deep breath. “But that’s not my place. That’s my mom’s place. So I’ll tell her all that you told me, and let her make a decision.”

“Again, we do not expect forgiveness. Merely an understanding.”

“Well, maybe you’ll get that much out of her. I can tell you right now she’s probably not going to be happy, but then again, I haven’t talked with her about it since I was a filly. Maybe things have changed, I don’t know.”

Shadow turned to Rarity. “I think that will be all from us, Rarity. I appreciate the opportunity that you have bequeathed upon myself and my sisters.”

Rarity nodded. “It was the least I could do with the opportunity I had, darling. Take care of yourselves over there, okay?”

“We will, Rarity!” Insipid said, waving. “Spike says ‘hi’ by the way!”

With that, the connection closed.

Rarity set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “That was a very brave, kind thing you did for them.”

Bluebolt grunted. “Yeah, well, everything that happened was before I was even born. It’s not right for me to judge them on something like that.” She took a deep breath. “I doubt my mom will feel the same way. This might’ve just been a waste of time.”

Rarity nodded. “The best that I think Starlight Shadow and her sisters are hoping for is that she’ll at least listen. Do you think she will?”

“Yeah… I think she’ll at least give them that much.”

“Then this wasn’t a waste of time, dear. You should be proud that you at least made an attempt.”

Bluebolt sighed. “Right…”

*****

Sundial sent Rarity and Bluebolt on their way after their little meeting, then shut the door to her bedroom and took a deep breath, glad that things were wrapping up for the winter. It wouldn’t be much longer before they could all set out and get things taken care of on the other side of the world. That sounded a lot more difficult and impressive that it really was, in her opinion.

“So… have ye figured out why I asked you to come tonight?” she asked without turning away from the door.

Weaver, who was standing quietly in the shadows against the wall opposite her door, nodded. “Yes, I think I have.”

“Alright then, lad, tell me.” Sundial took a seat on the foot of her bed and gestured for Weaver to join her. “C’mon then.”

Weaver paused, then stepped out of the shadows and sat next to her. “Those six mares, they were grown in a laboratory. They were… created. ‘Manufactured’, one of them said. Made to be used as tools.” He hung his head. “Just like me…”

“Aye, lad, almost just like you. A wee bit different on account o’ the aging process they went through, but aye, they’re just like you otherwise. So do ye know why I wanted ye to sit in for this meeting then? Because it wasn’t just for you to find out ye’re not alone out there.”

“...no.”

“Well, lad, the way I see it, yer life’s journey has been much the same as theirs, aye? And I wanted ye ta see that, despite how everything in yer life has been, ye still have the potential ta be more than just some tool. Ye’re not a tool ta us, lad. Ye’re not a tool ta me.”

“You think that I still consider myself… a tool?” Weaver said, frowning.

Sundial rubbed the back of her head. “Och, I don’t know, lad, but everything ye’ve been doing and learning since we’ve been together has been ta try and be useful, it feels like. Flurry noticed. I noticed. Ye’ve got ta want ta do these things, not because it makes ye useful ta others, but because it’s something ye like ta do.

“Those mares, aye? They started off just like you, but look at them now. They’ve got jobs. They’ve got friends. They’ve got hobbies. They’ve got bloody families, they do. I just wanted ta show you that ye’re just like they once were, and ye can be just like they are. Ye can have a real life ahead of you, aye?”

Weaver tilted his head. “A… real life?”

“Aye, a real life, lad. Ye can have hobbies and friends o’ yer own—”

“Are you and Flurry my friends?”

Sundial smiled. “Aye, lad, we are. The rest o’ the girls are too, I think. But if ye want ta say that me and Flurry are yer best friends, then that’s what we are. And ye can have more than friends, aye? Ye can have hobbies too, like yer cooking. You enjoy it for more than it’s practical benefit, don’t you?”

Weaver pondered this. “Yes. It relaxes me. I enjoy the smells and flavors. I… enjoy it when you enjoy my food.”

Sundial clapped him on the shoulder. “See? That’s why I brought ye here tonight: ta let ye see that there’s more out there for you.”

“I see…” Weaver nodded his head. “Thank you, Sundial. I appreciate—”

A loud crack of thunder boomed outside the window, loud and hard enough to shake the reinforced glass.

Weaver froze up. Sundial knew he wasn’t fond of the sound of thunder, but she’d never seen him so scared before. Then again, that bolt had been close.

“Are ye alright, lad?” she asked him, rubbing his shoulder.

“Storms bring thunder,” Weaver muttered, shivering. “Thunder means lightning. I… do not enjoy lightning…”

“Aye, I know, lad.”

Another clap of thunder. Weaver shuddered and shrunk away from the window. Sundial frowned and pulled him in for a hug.

“It’s alright, Weaver, I’m here. That thunder and lightning won’t get ye in here.”

Weaver shook his head. “I do not like lightning, Sundial…”

“Aye, lad.”

“It is hard to sleep during these storms,” he muttered, shuddering as another clap of thunder resounded outside. “I am… afraid…” He hung his head. “I see things in my sleep. Flashes. Memories. Lightning, pain, the Overseer. I do not like seeing these things.”

Sundial paused and considered her next words carefully. “If ye want, ye don’t have ta sleep alone tonight. My bed is big enough for ye ta share with me, aye?”

Weaver looked back at the bed, then to Sundial. “You wish to share?”

“Aye, like when we shared a sleeping bag on the way through the snows. Remember? Ye slept pretty soundly with me next ta ye, so maybe I can help ye now too?”

Weaver paused. “How?”

Sundial smiled slightly. “Just don’t go telling anypony about it, aye? This is a wee bit different from a sleeping bag and they might get the wrong idea.”

He tilted his head. “What idea would they get?”

“Well, lad, if ye say we slept together, that’s a bit o’ different meaning than what we’re doing, aye?” Sundial turned red and shook her head. “Och, just get yer arse inta bed so we can sleep, aye? It’s late and I don’t want ta try and figure out this conversation.”

“It is a very confusing conversation,” Weaver said as he lifted himself towards the head of the bed.

“It’s a very complicated situation,” Sundial grumbled. She stood up and started taking off her clothes, then shot a look back at Weaver. He was just staring at her, unashamed and unbothered. “Ah, just so ye know, I sleep in the nude, aye? So don’t go getting any ideas.”

Weaver tilted his head as he removed his clothes as well. “What kind of ideas would I be getting?”

Sundial averted her gaze. “I don’t know! But don’t get them!”

“From how Miss Symphony says it, nopony gets ‘ideas’ about you, Sundial,” he replied with a small grin. “So I will not either.”

Sundial balked. “Did… did you just give me sass, lad?”

Weaver tapped his chin, then nodded. “Yes.”

Sundial grumbled, then hopped into bed alongside Weaver, tucking herself under the covers in the process.

Weaver drifted off to sleep first, and Sundial tentatively huddled up next to him. She noticed that he seemed oddly content now, next to her. A great crack of thunder resounded outside, but he barely flinched. She believed in her heart that she was making him feel safe, just like she’d done for Flurry, just like the others felt around her at times.

But with him, it was different. A different kind of “safe”. She didn’t know what it was, but after everything that had happened to him, and the efforts that she and Flurry and gone through to pull him out of that, she knew one thing: she wanted to keep him safe.

She then slowly drifted off to sleep to the sound of the still raging storm as it got quieter. And quieter. And quieter.

Until she couldn’t hear it anymore, because she had fallen completely asleep.

Chapter Eleven: Evasion

The thunderblizzards had finally moved far enough north from Goldridge that the settlement’s inhabitants could leave their homes and walk outside. Rarity had not been able to see through the chaotic snowstorm outside the old checkpoint’s windows until today. At long last, after two months of curiosity, she could finally get a good, honest look at the settlement that Tick Tock and Pewter called their home.

To Rarity’s surprise, there weren’t any other structures besides the old checkpoint building. Instead, the other settlers had dug their homes directly into the mountainside itself where the storm could not possibly affect them. The doors that led inside were round and carved from solid stone, and reinforced with a tough-looking metal that Rarity had heard called “durasteel”, which seemed to live up to its name. Lightning rods poked out of the mountain near the doors, which Pewter had said were connected to generators inside to give the inhabitants power to generate heat.

The settlement was not as nearly as populated as Rarity had thought it was, numbering only a few dozen ponies, mostly families, which included the young, old, and in-between. They were a colorful, friendly bunch from what Rarity could see, and they apparently looked to Tick Tock and Pewter as their leaders, which she found delightful. For now, those two were diligently working with every settler family individually to ensure that the evacuation process was accomplished efficiently and hassle-free.

The others in Rarity’s group did what they could to help hurry things along. With so many ponies to move from here to Hope’s Point—as well as Aculeata’s changelings down below—they still needed to wait for the regular snowstorms to clear up enough for such a journey to be possible. That meant they had just about two or three days to get everything together, and the faster they did so, the sooner they could move. The thunderblizzards would still be pounding New Pandemonium City for another week, but Goldridge could not afford to fall behind.

So, Apple Bloom and Weaver, who were the most physically fit, helped Pewter with assembling wagons to use for transporting those who could not walk on their own—the old, the infirm, or the very young—as well as personal belongings. Symphony and Bluebolt, who worked spectacularly as a team, helped Tick Tock organize the settlers in gathering their families and belongings so that nothing and nopony was left behind. Flurry Heart and Venture stayed down below with Aculeata and Comet to gather the sixty or so changeling young together to move across the Great Expanse. Sundial assisted in planning the route out and organizing the timetable for departure.

At the moment, Rarity was helping Tick Tock organize a list of the many, many things that she herself needed to make sure were taken from the checkpoint building as they were either irreplaceable or crucial for the journey, including photo albums, family heirlooms, foodstuffs, and clothing. Among these was Sundial’s grandfather clock, as without it she obviously had no way of communicating with Clockwork to ensure that things went smoothly in transitioning Rarity and her friends home. Tick Tock knew well enough how much trouble that could cause from the last time this had happened and she’d been cut off from communicating with Time Turner.

It was about an hour after breakfast when Pumice and Scoria came running down the stairs from their room into the den where Rarity and Tick Tock were working. The two weren’t wearing dresses as Rarity was accustomed to seeing them wear, but what looked like robust hiking gear. She hadn’t seen the twins so excited in some weeks, and wondered what all the fuss was about.

“Mum! Mum!” Pumice said, running up to Tick Tock and excitedly tugging her sweater. “It stopped snowing outside!”

“Hmm?” Tick Tock mumbled. She and Rarity glanced out the window to see that there had been a lull in the snowfall, the first one all day. “So it has. What of it, honey?”

“We want to go into the mountains and dig!” Scoria said, hopping up and down with a big smile on her face.

Tick Tock frowned and shook her head. “Girls, this is no time to be thinking about that. We’re all very busy right now, and there’s no time for you to go out digging.”

Pumice pouted, her eyes widening. “But Mum, you said we could go digging when the snows cleared up.”

“You promised,” added Scoria, equally pouty and wide-eyed.

Rarity knew the classic puppy-dog a little too well. Her sister had done it to her so often growing up that she’d developed an immunity, at least when it came from Sweetie Belle. The twins were a little different. They were good at it. It probably helped that they worked as a team, and that they weren’t related to her. It wasn’t fair.

“I know I did, girls, but that was before we had to go through all of this business with leaving and all that rubbish. You know we’re trying to get ready to move to the big city, right? Aren’t you excited about that?”

“Yeah, but you promised,” Scoria insisted, tugging on Tick Tock’s sweater as well.

“If we’re moving to the big city, we might not have a chance to go digging again!” Pumice cried.

“Yeah! This might be our only chance!”

“Please, Mum!”

“Please!”

Tick Tock grunted. “Girls, I said ‘no’, and that’s final. We’re all very busy here getting things prepared for the move, so Daddy doesn’t have time take you digging anyway. We can’t just drop everything like that, okay?”

“But Mum, Ambrosia said shewould take us!” Scoria huffed.

“She said that if you said it was okay, she’d take us up to go digging!” Pumice added.

“Please, Mum!”

“Girls! That’s enough!” Tick Tock shouted, stomping a hoof on the floor. “Ambrosia isn’t old enough to be taking you two out there all by yourselves and she doesn’t know the first thing about the mountain pass, not like Daddy does. I don’t need to risk the two of you or Ambrosia getting lost out there. No digging.”

“But Muuum!” the twins cried together.

Rarity cleared her throat. This had gone on long enough and her heart was practically breaking. How Tick Tock could resist the twins’ routine was frankly mind-boggling. “Tick Tock, may I offer a solution?”

Tick Tock pressed her hoof to her temple, clearly beyond exasperated. “Anything, Rarity, please.”

“How about I take the twins out? I recall the mountain pass well enough to keep us from getting lost, and I believe I’m old enough to be responsible for them, loathe as I am to admit it.” Rarity then gave a coy grin. “Besides, I’m something of a gem-hunter myself, if you recall. I might be of some help.”

The twins gawked at Rarity, wide-eyed. “You’d take us digging, Miss Rarity?!”

“If your mother allows it, girls,” Rarity replied sweetly.

Tick Tock narrowed her eyes at Rarity, then took a deep breath and nodded. “Fine.”

“Yayyyy!” the twins cheered.

“But!” Tick Tock continued, gesturing towards the two of them sharply. “But, you two are to listen to Rarity and do whatever she says, okay? Just like you do with Daddy when he takes you digging.”

“We will, Mum!” Pumice said with an excited nod.

“We promise!” added Scoria.

“And bring Ambrosia with you, too,” Tick Tock said. She gave a sidelong glance at Rarity. “Trust me, you’ll need the extra hooves with these two along.”

Rarity smiled. “Thank you, darling. This will be good for them, you’ll see.”

“Don’t thank me until after you’ve spent the afternoon out there with them,” Tick Tock chuckled. “Now, it’s just before noon, so that means you should have about, oh, six hours or so before it starts getting dark. Sundial told you all about making sure not to travel at night in the winter, right?”

“She did. I assume that even with the winter ending soon it’s still not safe to travel at night?”

“Not at all, no. Wintertime around here likes to surprise you. It looks calm out there now, but it’ll pick up by early evening, I guarantee it.”

“Hmm. Well, what does Pewter usually do when he takes them digging, then?”

“Typically he takes them straight to the northern caverns first thing so that they can make camp, then they spend a day or two in the mountains digging before coming home. Since we don’t have that kind of time, just stick to the closer trails. There won’t be as many gems, but it’ll be enough to scratch their itch without making me worry.”

Rarity set her hoof on Tick Tock’s shoulder. “I’ll take good care of them, darling, I promise.” She then turned to the twins. “Okay then, girls, do you have everything you need to do digging, hmm?”

“Yup!” they said together.

Pumice showed off their saddlebags. “Bags for carrying jewels!”

Scoria hoisted up the most adorable pink pickaxe Rarity had ever seen. “And tools for digging them out!”

“Excellent! Then go and get Miss Ambrosia, and we can get a move on, hmm? You heard your mother: time is of the essence, so no dilly-dallying.” Rarity brushed them away with her hoof. “Go on.”

The twins rushed for the tunnel entrance to go fetch their changeling caretaker, leaving Rarity and Tick Tock alone.

Tick Tock cracked her neck. “I appreciate this, Rarity. I’ve been worried for weeks about how I was going to handle the twins through all this work. I knew they were going to bring up digging, but with Pewter so busy too—”

Rarity gently rubbed Tick Tock’s back to soothe her nerves. “Never you mind, dear. What are friends for, after all?”

Tick Tock gave Rarity a brief smile. “I’m really glad you’re here, you know? Apart from Twilight, you were the one I got along with the best.” She paused, then grinned. “Well, and Pinkie and Fluttershy, but I doubt anypony couldn’t get along with them.”

“I appreciate that, darling. Now, you go ahead and focus on the task at hoof, hmm?” Rarity smirked and adjusted her mane ever-so-slightly. “I have gem-hunting to do.”

*****

Rarity hadn’t been exaggerating about having some recollection of the Goldridge Pass. While she hadn’t spent much time here, she remembered enough bits and pieces from her travels so long ago that she could put together a fairly good idea of where she was and where she was going. Besides that, she’d been mindful enough to use an old trick to ensure that she and the girls wouldn’t get lost: marking their trail as they went. It was easy enough to do with some scrap metal that she’d brought along that Pewter wasn’t using, and the girls wouldn’t be distracted by it.

Rarity was quite interested in Ambrosia now that they were all traveling together. She’d met the changeling caretaker a couple of times over the winter as she was one of the only changelings that came up through the tunnels to visit the checkpoint building, primarily to spend time with the twins. Ambrosia was currently in her pony form, which was a creamy pink pegasus mare with a golden mane, her cutie mark a trio of cherries.

The twins led the way through the pass, for the most part. Rarity just made sure that they followed her directions to that it would be easy to find their way back when the time came. It had been nearly two hours now so they’d need to think about turning back soon, but she wasn’t about to detract from the fun that the twins were having.

Rarity actually marveled at the twins’ skills in their work, impressed that ponies so young could do such hard work so well. They worked splendidly as a team, in fact. Each twin, their horns aglow, were searching for any hint of a jewel buried under the golden rocks of the mountainside. When they found one, they would take turns thwacking away with their adorable little pickaxes to dig into the rock and unearth their quarry. It was rather like watching Spike when he was younger, though the twins were not quite as quick as he was.

“I always enjoy watching them work,” Ambrosia said, a soft smile on her face. “They have such a passion for it.”

Rarity nodded, and noted the soft green glow coming from Ambrosia’s horn. “They do get a certain joy from it, don’t they?”

“Yes. It is a tasty emotion, joy. Hard to find in such abundance, but I find it comes most from those who truly enjoy what they do.”

Rarity tilted her head. “So, how did you come to be the twins’ caretaker, anyway? You aren’t much older than they are. You’re, what, fourteen?”

“Yes, fourteen. I was one of Mother’s first children. As we are her eldest, we are the first to have the opportunity to go out into the world and integrate into the societies of others.” Ambrosia smiled and looked into the distance. “I have chosen to stay in Goldridge, because I found enjoyment in the twins’ company when they were younger.”

“They certainly have that effect on others, don’t they?” Rarity said, looking fondly at the twins as they worked on digging up another jewel. “What of the others in that first ‘clutch’, as your mother calls it? Where are they?”

Ambrosia shook her head. “I do not know where they are, only where they were going and not if they succeeded. My sister, Carina, traveled west to the kirin settlement. My brothers, Carapace and Imago, went to Hope’s Point. My other brother, Pedicel, also went to Hope’s Point, though he was intending to go further south.”

“My my, how ambitious for such a young age to be traveling alone like that.”

“Oh, they did not travel alone. They traveled with merchants that passed through Goldridge. This was last year, during the summer. I have not seen them since. I am the oldest of the hive here in Goldridge now, besides Mother of course. I learn much from her, and from taking care of my younger siblings. And the twins, of course.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Are you looking to take on the role your mother has when she is gone?”

Ambrosia smiled and shook her head again. “No. But I would like to help her however I can. Mother is important to me and to all of our brood. Someday, though, I would very much like to see more of our world. Travelers who pass through tell us so many interesting things—”

Suddenly, several small rocks clattered down the trail ahead of the group. The twins didn’t notice, as they were too engrossed with cracking open a large rock to get to the gems hidden within. But Rarity noticed, and Ambrosia did too, though the latter only seemed to have noticed the noise.

“What was that sound?” Ambrosia asked, looking about for the source. “The storm is calm, so that was not thunder, and we would have felt an earthquake.”

Rarity eyed the rocks and tried to trace their path down the mountainside to see if there was something amiss. That’s when she spotted movement, and that’s when she herself was spotted.

Three ponies—two unicorns and an earth pony—came bounding down the mountainside, knocking rocks loose as they moved in quick leaps and hops. Even the twins noticed them at this point, and backed up towards Rarity in surprise as the trio of strangers came down onto the trail in front of the group.

“Good afternoon to you, miss,” the earth pony said, looking to Rarity with a certain gleam in his eyes. “Isn’t it just a lovely day today?”

Rarity glanced between the earth pony and the two unicorns who were fanning out to block the trail ahead. Tick Tock had never mentioned any ponies living in these mountains besides the Goldridge settlers, and these ponies were definitely not from Goldridge. They were dressed in odd, mishmashed clothes and had rather thuggish builds and faces.

She didn’t like this one bit.

“I suppose it is,” Rarity said, stepping forward to make sure she was in front of the twins and Ambrosia. “Might I ask who you are?”

“Oh, we’re just weary travelers, miss,” said the earth pony with a too-wide smile. Rarity noticed he had a few teeth missing, which had been replaced with gold ones.

“Yeah, weary travelers,” said one of the unicorns. Rarity noticed this one had a wicked scar along his nose and a rather unfortunate underbite.

“We got caught in those awful storms a few months back and had to camp in these cold, dreary caves,” the earth pony continued in a mopey tone, “and we’re dreadfully short on supplies, you see.”

“Dreadfully short,” said the other unicorn, who Rarity noticed was missing one eye, which had been replaced by a glass one.

“You wouldn’t happen to have anything to spare, would you?” asked the earth pony. “Maybe some food, or water, or maybe some clothes?” He gave her a coy grin. “That coat you’ve got there looks awfully warm.”

Rarity stayed calm and took stock of the situation as best she could. She was no fighter, she knew that much. She didn’t know if Ambrosia could defend herself but wasn’t going to assume she did. The twins, of course, were too young and also likely didn’t know much about such things considering how Tick Tock had raised them. Pewter was likely strong enough to handle this sort of thing on his own, but he wasn’t here. Was that why these ruffians were accosting Rarity now?

Still, the route behind Rarity was clear as far as she could tell. She took very slow, careful steps in that direction, making sure that the twins were moving along with her. She formulated a plan as quickly as she could all the while trying to keep the three thugs’ attention on her instead of the others.

“I’m afraid I don’t have anything with me to spare, no,” she said, gesturing to her sides, where she wasn’t carrying any saddlebags. “But, I’m sure if you to head along the trail here down to Goldridge, they’d be happy to help you. We’ll just step aside so you can move along—”

The earth pony shook his head and clicked his tongue. “Oh no, no no no, they wouldn’t help us, miss, not at all. I’m sorry about that, but I don’t think they much like folk like us.”

“Don’t like folk like us,” said the first unicorn, who Rarity was calling Scar in her head.

“Not at all,” said the other unicorn, who Rarity was calling Glass.

“Well, I’m terribly sorry to hear that,” Rarity said, stepping further back. The trio of thugs followed her step-for-step. “Well, I’m afraid that we can’t be of that much help to you, then. As you can see, we have nothing of value on us.”

She briefly turned to Ambrosia and whispered as quietly as she could: “When I say so, darling, run.”

Ambrosia seemed to be a pretty smart girl, because she nodded in understanding without hesitation or questions.

“That’s alright,” said the earth pony, taking another bold step forward. “But I thought of something just now, yes I did. Maybe you’re valuable to Goldridge? That would make you valuable to us, now wouldn’t it?”

Well, that was all Rarity needed to hear.

“Run!” she shouted.

Ambrosia turned tail and took flight, soaring back towards Goldridge. The two unicorns, who seemed just a little slow on the draw, didn’t react in time to catch her, especially not when Rarity lit up her horn to distract them.

Then Rarity caught sight of another pegasus darting from the mountainside above, just out of sight. He was heading straight towards Ambrosia.

Rarity clenched her teeth. “Oh no you don’t.”

She flared her horn and grabbed the pegasus’s right wing, dragging him back. He swiveled and swung about in the air like a top as he tried to regain his balance.

Rarity heard movement behind her as the earth pony charged. She turned in time to raise a little shield of magic to defend herself. The earth pony bounced right off of it, but Rarity lost focus on the pegasus. Luckily, he was so disoriented that he fell to the ground instead of giving chase.

Ambrosia got away, disappearing into the billowing fog.

“Aww, now why’d you go and do that for, miss?” the earth pony chuckled as he regained his bearings. “We were just starting to have a little bit of fun.”

“A little bit of fun,” chuckled Scar.

Rarity looked between the earth pony and the two unicorns, whose horns were now lit and ready for anything else she might try. She protectively stepped in front of the twins, who huddled at her side fearfully.

She knew that she couldn’t possibly take on all four of these brutes on her own, not with the twins here. Maybe if she were younger or if she had practiced combat magic a little harder, but this was no time for “maybe”.

Rarity cleared her throat. “I suppose we’ve reached a point where we’ll have to parley, hmm?”

The earth pony grunted and smiled. “What do you think this is, miss? You think you can just talk us into agreeing into some kind of arrangement?”

“Yeah, what do you think this is?” chuckled Glass.

“No, but I believe I can convince you not to make things unpleasant for any of the parties involved. Whatever your intentions are for us,” Rarity said, glaring at the earth pony, “I can assure you of one thing: it will do you no good to harm me or the young ones.”

“And why’s that?” asked the earth pony.

“Because at this very moment there is a pony in Goldridge that is the best swordfighter on the continent, with blades sharp enough to cut through steel. She’s a dear friend of mine, you see, so if she were to find out that anything happened to me or the girls here, well, it could get very messy.”

“Hmm… on that, we are agreed,” the earth pony said, dusting off his shirt and smiling wide. “Your other friend might have gotten away, but that just saves us the time of sending a ransom out. Your swordfighter friend will just have to make due.”

Rarity nodded. “If using us as ransom is your intent, so be it. Lead the way to wherever it is you plan on holding us so that we can get out of this awful cold, yes?”

The pegasus, who had righted himself and joined the others, gave Rarity a curious look. Rarity noticed he was missing an ear. “Why’re you being so cooperative, lady?” He turned to the earth pony. “I don’t like it, boss. It’s fishy.”

“She’s being cooperative because she knows she can’t fight her way out,” said the earth pony. “She’s smart. That’s good. I like 'em smart. That means they won’t try anything dumb.” The earth pony gave Rarity a gentlecolt’s bow and gestured along the trail behind him. “After you, m’lady.”

Rarity grunted. The words and gesture sounded so wrong coming from him.

Pumice tugged at Rarity’s coat. “Miss Rarity, I’m scared.”

“What’s going on?” Scoria asked. “Are we in trouble?”

Rarity smiled gently down at the twins. “Oh no, dears, not at all. We’re just going to go with our new friends here, okay? They’re going to give us some shelter from the cold.”

The twins looked at the earth pony, who was smiling at them. They shied away instantly.

Pumice clutched Rarity’s cloak. “But he’s mean—”

“—and smelly,” Scoria added, wrinkling her nose.

“Aww, don’t be like that, little ones,” the earth pony laughed, taking a step forward. “I can be your friend, if you’d like.”

Rarity grunted and put herself directly between him and the twins. She didn’t say anything, and she didn’t need to. The intense glare on her face did all the talking for her.

“Oh ho, or perhaps not,” the earth pony chuckled. He then stepped back and gestured towards the trail again. “Shall we, m’lady?”

*****

It was late in the afternoon at Goldridge and the snows had started picking up again. Not enough to be a nuisance, but enough to be noticeable. Pewter was busy preparing dinner for the entire settlement with some help from a few of the other settlers and had set up a large picnic area of sorts out in front of the checkpoint building. Since it was getting late in the day, most of the settlers were finishing up the last of their work before dinnertime and getting ready to call it a night.

Bloom took her seat next to Bluebolt and Symphony at one of the smaller tables that had been set up. Flurry and Venture had just headed down to the tunnels with some of the food that was already done explicitly to take it to Comet, who was hard at work making sure his partner and her brood were taken care of. Weaver was busy helping Pewter with cooking at the moment, but Sundial had saved a seat for him next to her. Now that he’d started coming into his own, Bloom had to admit that Weaver was actually a pretty decent guy.

Bloom was looking forward to dinner, not just because she was hungry, and not just because Pewter was cooking another fabulous meal, but because after dinner, she, Bluebolt, and Symphony were going to engage in some more training just to get a little more time before they had to leave Goldridge. She’d already learned quite a lot, so she felt much more confident in herself and her ability to handle anything thrown her way now or in the future.

She noticed Tick Tock at one of the other tables looking a little nervous, and figured it was because Rarity and the twins weren’t back yet, especially since it was getting late. Bloom wasn’t quite as worried—Rarity was responsible and attentive, so they were certainly on their way back already—but she understood. With everything going on right now with the evacuation preparations, Bloom didn’t see the need to get nervous and distracted. Rarity would take care of things just fine, and she hoped Tick Tock understood that.

It was at this point that Ambrosia came flying down the mountain pass like a bat out of hell. “Tick Tock! Pewter!” she shouted.

Everypony’s attention immediately went to the approaching changeling, and they hurriedly gathered in a circle around her as soon as she landed. Now Bloom was getting a little concerned. Hadn’t Ambrosia been with Rarity and the twins on their little digging adventure?

“Ambrosia? What is it?” Tick Tock asked as she pushed her way to the front of the crowd. Her eyes widened when she seemed to realize Ambrosia was alone. “Where are the girls? Where’s Rarity?”

Ambrosia took a second to catch her breath. “We were walking through the pass, and these strangers came down from the mountain, and they surrounded us, and—”

“Wait wait, what?!” Tick Tock exclaimed, instantly going into a full-on panic. “What strangers? Where was this? What happened?”

“Rarity told me to run and get help,” Ambrosia said, shaking her head. Her horn started glowing black. Bloom had learned well enough by now that meant: there was fear in the air. “She stayed behind with the twins, Mrs. Tock. She even stopped one of them from chasing after me.”

“Did you see anything else?” asked Pewter, taking hold of Tick Tock before she sunk to the ground. “Y’know, what they looked like or where they might have been going?”

“I only got a good look at a few of them. They were wearing weird clothes, and they smelled bad, and they looked like they weren’t all that healthy.” Ambrosia hung her head. “I’m sorry, that’s all I saw…”

Sundial carefully pulled Tick Tock in for a tight hug. “Easy, Mum, take some breaths, aye? Come on now, breathe. Breathe easy.”

Tick Tock was hyperventilating. “I shouldn’t have let them go… I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t...”

“C’mon now, Mum, I’m sure they’re just fine. They’ve got Rarity with them, aye? She’s a good mare, and she’s yer friend. She won’t anything happen ta them.”

Tick Tock passed out.

“Shite.”

Pewter, white as a sheet and breathing almost as heavily as Tick Tock had been, seemed to be managing some semblance of focus. “Deep breaths, Pewter, deep breaths,” he told himself. He took some of said deep breaths, then turned to Sundial. “C’mon, Sundial, help me get her inside before I pass out, too.”

Sundial nodded, and helped Pewter carry Tick Tock over to the checkpoint building and take her in.

Ambrosia watched them go and took a deep breath as well. “I should head down and tell Mother. She will want to know what happened.”

“Hang on, before you go, I’ve got some more questions,” Bluebolt said, holding up a hoof. “Did these strangers say anything, or did they just attack you guys out of the blue?”

Ambrosia brightened. “Oh! Yes! They said they needed supplies and that they’d been camping in the caverns for the winter to avoid the storms. They also said something about maybe Rarity and the twins being ‘valuable’? I’m not sure what they meant.”

Symphony nodded, clenching her teeth. “A ransom, then. Cheap bastards, using little fillies as hostages.”

“And Rarity, too!” Bloom added, stamping her hooves into the snow. “Bunch o’ dang ol’ cowards! Shoot, wait ‘til I get mah hooves on 'em, I’ll show 'em who’s boss!”

Bluebolt paused in thought for a moment, then turned to Symphony. “Songbird, are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

Symphony nodded and took a deep breath. “Of course I am, pecha. Way ahead of you, actually.”

Bloom looked between the two, confused. “What’re y’all talkin’ 'bout?”

“We’re gonna head after them,” Bluebolt said with a confident grin. “Nopony hurts my friends and gets away with it. It’s what my mom would do. Even if I don’t always see eye-to-eye with her, on this we can agree. So, we’re gonna hunt these jerks down, yeah?”

Bloom paused, then nodded and puffed out her chest. “Count me in, too. I ain’t gonna let these varmints threaten mah friends neither. It’s what mah sister would do, it’s what Princess Twilight would do, an’ it’s what I’m gonna do.”

Bluebolt clapped Bloom on the shoulder, proud. “Glad to have you with us then, Bloom. We’ll see if all your training’s been paying off, huh?”

Symphony hustled over to where the construction supplies were, and hoisted out a thick, heavy metal bar. She gave it a few test swings. “It’s no sword, but it’ll do the job. Come on, let’s go get our friends back from these bastardi.”

The trio hurried over to the slope leading up into the pass proper, and were surprised to find Weaver already waiting for them. He was wearing his old uniform, though at the moment wasn’t wearing his goggles. How and when he’d gotten changed was a total mystery to Bloom. She hadn’t even seen him in the huddle earlier.

“Weaver? What’re ya doin’ all dressed up in yer old clothes?” Bloom asked. “I thought Sundial told ya not ta wear 'em 'round so much?”

“I need my uniform to make the best use of my abilities,” Weaver said.

“And what’re y’all gonna use yer abilities fer?”

“You are going after them. I want to come with you.”

“You do?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head.

“Yes. I want to help.”

Symphony nodded her head and clapped Weaver on the shoulder. “I’m not one to turn down a little help when it’s offered, amico. Glad to have you aboard.”

Weaver nodded in return. “Thank you.”

“Well, let’s not waste time talking, we’ve got a lot of ground to cover,” Bluebolt said. “Sundial told me the nearest cavern entrance is a few hours north, so that’s where they’ve got to be. Let’s go!”

*****

As the little group moved their way through the mountain pass and the snowstorm started regaining in intensity, Bloom began to worry that they weren’t getting anywhere. After nearly two hours of searching they’d seen no sign of Rarity and the twins, nor of the ponies that had accosted them. There were no hoofprints to track thanks to the snow, either, but at least they’d found Rarity’s markers, which were just hunks of sheet metal that she’d staked into the rock. After finding so many, however, Bloom was convinced that the cave they were looking for was a lot further north than Bluebolt was suggesting.

She apparently wasn’t the only one to be thinking along those lines.

“Bolt, pecha, I’m starting to think we might be wrong about this whole thing,” Symphony said, blocking her face from the stronger winds that were blowing through the pass. “If those ponies that took Rarity and the twins were camping in a cave near here, we’d have seen it by now.”

“Not necessarily,” Bluebolt said, flying up to Rarity’s next marker. “The cave Sundial told me about is just around the bend— aha! There it is!”

She pointed off around the next part of the pass, where there was evidence of a cavern entrance in the mountainside. With their goal in sight, the group approached slowly and quietly, ready to attack anypony that was a threat and to save their friends.

The cave entrance was rather small and particularly dark, so they couldn’t see very far inside when they managed to get closer. They could see that the walls weren’t lined with gemstones like the northern caverns were, as these ones had been mined out many years ago. The group approached the cavern and split off into pairs: Bluebolt and Symphony on one side of the entrance, Bloom and Weaver on the other. It was small enough that they were still within earshot despite the wind.

Symphony drew out the metal bar she’d taken with her and held it with her magic. “Okay, so here’s how this is gonna go,” she said. She gestured between herself and Weaver. “Me and the big guy are gonna go in first, all sneaky-like. When we’ve got these cretini where we want them, we’ll give the signal for you two to come in after us, cut off their escape, and make sure the hostages are safe. Capisce?”

Bloom and Weaver nodded.

“Okay, good. Bolt, Bloom, stay out here and wait for the signal. If you see anypony else coming, hide until they leave.”

“What if they head inta the cave after ya?” Bloom asked.

“I think Weaver and I can handle ourselves, amica, so don’t go getting yourselves into trouble on our account.” Symphony then turned to Weaver and nodded. “Okay, bel colpo, let’s move.”

Weaver nodded in return, and he and Symphony entered into the cave.

Bloom and Bluebolt waited outside in the snow as the storm got heavier, and heavier, and heavier. And they waited. And waited. And waited.

Until finally, after several long, cold minutes out in the snow, Symphony gave them the signal to come in: a little bird-like whistle that both Bloom and Bluebolt recognized. The two of them rushed into the cave, ready to fight.

But they found nothing worth fighting over. It was just Symphony and Weaver waiting for them inside, the former annoyed and disgruntled, the latter as stoic and thoughtful as ever.

“What gives?” Bluebolt asked.

Bloom looked about the cavern for any sign of, well, anything. “Yeah, where’re the bad guys?”

“There nothing here, pecha,” Symphony grumbled, gesturing about. “The cave’s been mined out completely, there’s no evidence there’s been a camp here in months, let alone weeks or days, and it doesn’t even go back very far. Looks like a cave-in might’ve sealed the way further through into the mountain.”

“So they’re not here?” Bloom asked, worried more than ever. “If they’re not here, then where the hay are they?”

“Probably further north in one of the larger caverns,” Bluebolt muttered, stomping her hoof on the ground. “Crap. That’s gotta be, like, another three hours or so from here, probably more. Crap crap crap.”

“Well? What’re we doin’ waitin’ 'round here? Let’s go get 'em!”

Symphony shook her head. “We can’t. That storm outside is picking back up really bad, and it’ll be nightfall within the next hour or so, and that’s a generous guess. And you know what Sundial said about traveling at night: cattive notizie—bad news.”

Bloom huffed, aggravated. “So, what, we’re just gonna leave 'em out there with a bunch o’ no good varmints all night? C’mon, girls, we gotta—”

Bluebolt set her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder. “We can’t risk it. If we get caught in that storm at night, we’ll be in worse shape than whatever’s happening with Rarity and the twins, no matter what it is. We’ll just make things worse if the folks back at Goldridge have to come searching for us, too. They don’t have the numbers or the time with all the evacuation prep.”

Bloom looked between the two, despondent. “But what about Rarity? What about the twins? What if somethin’ happens to 'em while we’re all sittin’ cozy back at the checkpoint?”

Symphony took a deep breath and shook her head. “If this is actually a ransom situation like Ambrosia made it out to be, then those cretini won’t harm anypony unless they think we’re not listening to their demands. They’d be stupid to think we’d get anything back to them during the night with these storms raging about.”

“And without telling us where they’re holed up so we could find them and listen to what they want,” Bluebolt added. “Listen, Bloom, we’ve gotta get back to Goldridge. We tried our best, but we’ll just have to try again in the morning when the storm clears up a bit. We don’t have much of a choice, you know that.”

Bloom shook her head and took a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Yeah, I know, but I’m worried 'bout 'em.”

“So are we,” Symphony agreed. “But I don’t think Rarity would want you, or any of us, to risk getting ourselves hurt or killed trying to find her. Remember, we don’t even know where she and the twins are. There are nearly a dozen cave entrances north of here within a reasonable distance, and we don’t have time to search them all.”

“We barely even had time to make it to this one,” Bluebolt added. “C’mon, let’s get back to the checkpoint and get something to eat. We can set out first thing in the morning.”

Bloom sighed and nodded, not liking the whole thing but knowing there was nothing else they could do. “Yeah… yeah, you’re right. If Rarity found out somethin’ happened ta me while tryin’ ta help her, she’d kill me.”

The group solemnly walked out of the cave, and set out on their way back south towards Goldridge.

Except for Weaver, who headed north.

Bloom noticed him first. “Weaver? Hey, you’re goin’ the wrong way. This way’s south,” she said, gesturing towards the trail she was heading down.

Weaver shook his head. “You return to Goldridge. I will continue the search alone.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you hear a word we just said in there? The storm’s picking up.” She gestured around herself as evidence, for the snow was falling harder and the winds had picked up to the point that she had to raise her voice. “It’s just gonna get worse by nightfall.”

“Correct. However, it will not affect me.”

Bloom could hear the anger in his voice, even see it in his eyes. She knew he was emoting more often, but she’d only seen positive emotions up until now: joy, laughter, pride, etc. This was the first time she’d seen him angry. The fire in his eyes reminded her of Sundial’s raw determination and focus. It was a little unsettling, and Bloom was more than a little glad he was on her side.

“My uniform protects me from the elements, helps me with my abilities. I will be able to travel without heeding weather, terrain, or other factors. I can continue unimpeded.”

Symphony and Bluebolt shared a brief look with one another.

“Really?” Symphony asked, sounding a little doubtful. “Are you sure you’re up for all of that by yourself?”

Weaver nodded. “I will continue the search. If I find Rarity and the twins before morning, I will help them escape from their captors. If I do not, I will return to Goldridge to inform you all of my progress. It will save time on the following morning’s search.”

Bloom tilted her head. “An’ you’re sure ya won’t have no trouble? That getup o’ yers’ll really keep ya safe?”

Weaver adjusted his goggles over his eyes. “Yes.”

Bluebolt let out a breath and shook her head. “Okay, far be it from us to talk you out of this crazy plan of yours. Just be careful out there, okay?”

“Yeah, Sundial and Flurry would kill us if they found out we let anything happen to you,” Symphony added with a little grin. “Well, more like Sundial’ll kill us. Flurry doesn’t seem the type.”

Bloom stepped forward and patted Weaver’s shoulder. “Thanks, Weaver. Make sure ta bring 'em home.”

Weaver paused. “I will do so without fail.”

Bluebolt smiled. “We’ll make sure Sundial and Flurry know.” She turned to Symphony. “C’mon, we’d better get back to the checkpoint before we get caught out in all this.”

Symphony nodded. “Right.” She turned to Weaver. “Grazie, amico.”

Bloom turned to follow them, but gave one last look at Weaver as he vanished into the shadows of the mountainside without a trace. “D’ya think he’s gonna be okay goin’ off by himself 'n' all that?”

Symphony scoffed. “I don’t know what that guy’s thinking half the time, but if he says he’ll be okay, he’ll be okay. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about him this winter, it’s that he’s an honest guy.”

Bloom nodded. “Flurry 'n' Sundial want us ta trust him. I guess it’s time we started doin’ that.”

With that, the group turned and headed back south towards Goldridge.

*****

Rarity hadn’t been able to sleep all night.

That much was a given, all things considered. For one thing, she wasn’t very comfortable in the little cage that the brutes had thrown her into, not just because of its small size but because the floor was absolutely filthy. She could barely stand to have her hooves in the stuff on the ground beneath her, which felt like slimy moss or fungus or something else equally gross. She suspected her captors had put the cage in this spot in particular just to torture her.

For another thing, the cavern was dreadfully dark save for a few lanterns off in the distance, and she didn’t feel safe going to sleep in the dark when those thugs were around. She’d seen the way they looked at her and she didn’t trust them one bit to keep to their word of not harming her—or otherwise—if she wasn’t awake to know about it. If she were by herself, she might have considered using that to her advantage to escape.

Most importantly, however, she was desperately worried about the twins. They weren’t here with her, so she couldn’t be sure they were okay. All she had to go on that the twins weren’t being hurt or touched in an unsavory fashion was the word of these ruffians, and that wasn’t exactly reassuring. She could hear the twins’ pickaxes against the cavern walls some hundred or so feet away from her, but she couldn’t see them. Still, she’d learned their rhythm rather well and so knew it was them digging into the walls, not somepony else.

Putting the twins to work while their captors waited for word from Goldridge seemed needlessly cruel, but considering how valuable some of these jewels could be, the brutes’ motivations made sense. She didn’t appreciate being used as leverage to make sure the twins did what was asked of them, either, but she’d been forced to give the twins encouragement to follow along.

So all she could do was wait, and worry, and wish that she wasn’t so tired. She couldn’t tell what time it was, but she got the feeling it was early morning at this point.

That’s when she heard hoofsteps just off to her side coming towards her. She glanced into the darkness and saw that there was nothing and nopony there, though it was hard to see anything anyway no matter how hard she tried. The thugs kept all the lanterns with them—except the unicorns, who used their horns for lights—so it couldn’t have been one of them fumbling around in the dark. No, Rarity was sure she’d merely misheard something, perhaps a rock falling or a thunderclap outside the cavern.

Then, a voice spoke practically next to her ear: “Rarity.”

She jumped back and hit the wall of her cage, not hard enough to jostle it—it was pretty heavy—but enough that it had made a sound.

Luckily, nopony had heard it except for Rarity.

And, of course, the source of the voice. “Are you hurt?” it asked.

Rarity raised an eyebrow and carefully lit her horn as dimly as she could. It was enough that she could just barely make out Weaver’s goggles over his eyes. “W-Weaver? What in the world—” She shook her head. There was no time for questions. “No, dear, I’m not hurt.”

“Good.” She saw his tilt his head slightly left then right. “Where are the twins?”

Rarity gestured off towards the far end of the cavern. “These brutes are forcing the poor dears to dig for jewels. They’re somewhere over there, but I’m not sure where, exactly.”

Weaver looked towards where Rarity was pointing, nodded, then turned back to her. “I will retrieve the twins and the keys to your cage after eliminating these threats.”

He started off towards the sound of the pickaxes.

“Wait!” Rarity blurted.

Weaver paused and turned his head. “Yes?”

“I want to make sure that we’re clear on this, darling: don’t… don’t kill anypony. Do you understand? I’d rather the twins don’t have to experience such a thing.”

Weaver nodded. “I will ensure the threats are dealt with nonlethally.”

“Thank you, dear.”

Weaver then headed off towards the sounds, disappearing into the darkness as if he were never there.

A moment or two passed.

Rarity saw one of the lanterns in the distance go out.

“Stupid lantern,” came the grunt of the pegasus thug. “I thought we’d had enough oil—”

Then there was a sharp crack, so loud that Rarity could even hear it from here, followed by a pained scream. Rarity grimaced. She couldn’t see what had just happened even if she tried, but it certainly sounded like Weaver wasn’t messing around.

“Help!” screamed the pegasus. “Help! There’s something— ahhh! Get away! Get away from— ahhhh!”

The other lights in the back of the cavern started moving towards the source of the noise, save for one. Based on the two approaching lights being steady and bright, Rarity knew it was the two unicorns coming, not the earth pony.

The lights reached their downed companion, and Rarity heard talking coming from the pair of silhouettes that she could just barely see. She could just make out a silhouette of the pegasus as well, lying unconscious on the ground.

“What the hell?” said Glass. Rarity could see his horn light moving about as he looked around. “What did this to him?”

“I dunno, but I don’t like it,” said Scar. “Who’s out there?! Show yourself!”

“Come on out, coward!” called Glass. “You think you can just walk in here and—”

Rarity noticed a third silhouette creep up just behind them without making a sound.

The two unicorns seemed to notice they weren’t alone, turned, then shouted in surprise and leapt back far enough that Rarity could see their lights separate a fair distance apart such that they no longer overlapping, thus making their lights weaker.

“Holy shit!” shouted Glass, clearly in a panic. “What the hell was that?!”

“I don’t know!” shouted back Scar, his light shifting to and fro as he searched about. “Did you see its face? Red eyes! Red! Like those things out in the Blood Mire.”

“I told you this place was haunted,” Glass said, his voice full of fear and dread. “I told the boss it was haunted, but he didn’t believe me. Why didn’t he believe me?”

“I said it was cursed!” said Scar, just as afraid. “Cursed, I tell ya—”

There was another sharp crack, and one of the unicorn’s lights went out. Rarity wasn’t sure which of them it was at first, until: “Oh sh-shit!” sputtered Glass. “G-g-ghost! Help! Boss! Boss, there’s a ghost—”

Rarity saw his light turn and run back towards the only remaining lantern at the back of the cave. Then, there was another sharp crack, and the unicorn’s light went out, and the cave was silent again except for the distant sound of pickaxes.

Rarity herself had never seen Shadowstep in action back in the day, only heard the stories about what he was capable of from Tick Tock and Flathoof. She understood now why the two of them still had nightmares about him to this day. A pony with that sort of ability and with that sort of psychopathic personality would inspire terror in anypony.

Rarity was just glad Weaver was on her side.

She gazed out into the darkness for a long moment, staring at the flickering lantern light off in the back of the cavern all by itself beyond a short bend in the path. The twins’ pickaxes then stopped digging away at rock, and the cave went eerily quiet for the first time in hours.

Another long, long moment passed. Rarity wasn’t sure what to make of it all, and hoped the quiet was a good thing. She saw some odd shifts in the lantern light, but whatever was happening over there was too far away to see or hear. This was followed by another long moment.

Then there came the sound of hoofsteps. Several sets, actually. Rarity lit her horn so that she could see, and did so just in time that she could see the earth pony boss’s face slam against one of the bars of her cage, hard. She leapt back in surprise. The earth pony was bleeding from his nose and lip and had a nasty black eye.

Weaver’s hoof was pressed against the back of his head. “Go on,” he said.

Rarity could hear the anger in his voice, and was even a little frightened by it. She noticed that Weaver had pulled his goggles up so that she could see his eyes again, which were alight with fire and determination she hadn’t seen before.

Rarity tilted her head slightly and saw the twins a few feet behind Weaver. Their saddlebags were filled to the brim with jewels, and they both wore cute little smiles on their faces, apparently oblivious to what was going on in front of them.

The earth pony gulped, then gave Rarity a big, bright smile; she noticed he was missing more teeth now than before, including one of the gold replacements. “Terribly sorry, miss, we were just having a bit of fun—”

Weaver pressed his hoof harder against the pony’s head.

The pony hissed in pain. “Right! Right, we weren’t having fun, we’re just… we’re sorry, and it will never happen again, and we’re going to turn our lives around. I swear it.”

Weaver released the pony’s head gently, then wordlessly gestured towards the cage’s lock.

“Oh, right, sorry about that, let me just—” The earth pony fumbled in his pocket for the cage’s key, unlocked it, and opened the door. He even gave a polite little bow as he gestured for Rarity to leave. “Sorry again, m’lady.”

Rarity just eyed the pony with disdain, then stepped out of the cage, head held high, nose in the air. “Yes, well, it certainly wasn’t five-star service.” She gave a look to Weaver, nodding appreciatively, then turned to the twins. “Girls, are you alright?”

The twins nodded as one.

“Sure are, Miss Rarity!” Pumice said.

“Lookit all the gems we’ve got!” Scoria added, gesturing to her saddlebags. “Wait until Mum gets a look at this!”

Rarity chuckled quietly, amazed that the twins were so full of pep after working through most of the night and not getting much sleep. “I’m sure she’ll just love it, dears. Is that all for you?”

“Uh huh!” Pumice said. She pointed at the boss pony. “He gave them to us.”

Rarity nodded in understanding. “I see. Is that all of the gems that you and your companions had, sir?”

The boss nodded quickly. “Yes, ma’am, that’s the lot of them.”

Rarity paused in thought, then gestured to the twins. “Girls, why don’t you leave some of those jewels here. Those saddlebags look awfully heavy.”

Scoria tilted her head. “But these are our gems, Miss Rarity. We dug them up ourselves.”

“That might be so, dear, but these poor gentlecolts seem like they’re dreadfully out of sorts. Perhaps we can show a little generosity, hmm? After all, they were kind enough to give us a place to stay out of the storm outside.”

Pumice nodded. “Okay, Miss Rarity!” She used her magic to hoist out about a half dozen of the larger gems on top, which Rarity could see were each rather high-quality and unblemished, and placed them by the boss pony. “Here you go, Mister.”

Scoria followed suit with some of hers as well. “Thanks for letting us stay in your cave. It was smelly but at least it was warm.”

The boss pony looked down at the sparkling gems in wonder, then looked at Rarity, confusion all over his face. “Ma’am?”

Rarity knelt down close to him and gave him a polite smile. “You’ve done a very bad thing here today, my good fellow, but I can tell you and your companions are desperate. Maybe greedy, too, but certainly desperate. If you’ve promised to turn your life around, consider this a chance for a fresh start, hmm?”

The boss, clearly humbled, hung his head and nodded. “You are too kind, m’lady. Thank you.”

“A little generosity goes a long way. Just be sure to pay it forward.” Rarity then rose back up and turned to Weaver. “Is it safe to travel outside, darling? I haven’t the foggiest idea what time it is.”

Weaver nodded. “The storms cleared out just before I arrived. This was the last cave I checked before I had planned on returning to Goldridge.”

Rarity smirked. “Ah, well that was lucky. Goodness knows we needed a little bit of that. Come along then, let’s not dilly-dally any longer than we need to. I am in desperate need of something to eat, a nice, warm bed, and maybe a bath, and I’m sure the twins do, too.”

“Aww, we’re not tired—” Pumice started to say until she let out a huge yawn.

Scoria opened her mouth to try and finish Pumice’s sentence, but all she managed was a yawn of her own.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Mmhmm, of course you’re not, dears.”

Weaver knelt down between the twins. “You can ride on me if you want.”

Pumice and Scoria didn’t even argue, just took off their saddlebags and hopped onto Weaver’s back without a word. Rarity took their saddlebags in her magic and put them over her own back to carry, surprised at the weight despite how many jewels they’d taken out. By the time she was done getting the bags comfortably on herself, the twins had fallen asleep.

“My, that was fast,” she muttered. She gave a brief smile to Weaver. “Thank you, darling. Let’s get them home, shall we?”

Weaver nodded. “Yes.”

And with that, they left the cavern without looking back.

*****

Sundial flew as high as she could to get a good look at every inch of the mountain pass late that morning, an hour or so after breakfast. The clouds and fog weren’t as bad after last night’s storm passed through, so she had plenty of breathing room to get to a good vantage point. It felt good to fly freely again, even if she was stressed beyond reproach as to why she needed to be flying so fast and high.

But after nearly an hour of scouring Goldridge Pass, she’d yet to find anything of note.

Until, at last, she spotted movement just off to the north along one of the narrow trails. It was just the barest hint of motion, hardly enough to notice unless somepony was watching every speck of the mountainside like a hawk.

She soared as fast as her wings could take her towards the curious speck. As it grew larger and clearer, she increased her pace until she was flying so fast she thought she’d burst.

She came to a screeching stop in the snow on the trail just a few dozen feet from Weaver, who carried the twins on his back as well as a set of heavy, gem-filled saddlebags, and Rarity, who carried another, similar set of saddlebags.

“Oh my! Sundial!” Rarity blurted, putting a hoof to her heart. “You scared me half to death, darling. You really should give some warning before you land like that.”

Sundial wasted little time in approaching the group, a relieved, ecstatic smile on her face. “Bloody hell, do ye have any idea how worried we’ve all been about you lot? What happened? Are ye okay? Nopony’s hurt, are they?”

Rarity smiled weakly, as she was clearly and thoroughly exhausted. “We’re all just fine, dear, thank you. The twins are asleep, though, so do keep it down, would you?”

Sundial turned to see the twins were indeed sleeping quietly as they lay draped over Weaver’s back. “Well, would ye look at that,” she murmured quietly. She turned back to Rarity, curious. “So, what the hell happened?”

“Can we share this story back at Goldridge, please? I’m awfully tired and in desperate need of something to eat, and if I don’t get off of these hooves of mine soon I might just collapse.”

“Fine, fine, but at least tell me something, aye? How’d ye get away from those ponies what abducted ye? Ambrosia made it sound like they were a fierce bunch.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Well, if you must know right this instant, Weaver here found us earlier this morning and gave those ruffians a little lesson in how to treat their guests, hmm?” She gave Weaver a little grin and gently patted his shoulder. “He rescued us.”

Sundial turned to Weaver, and gave him a wide, proud smile. “Thank you, lad. Ye’ve got no idea how happy everypony will be when they find out—”

Weaver shook his head. “I did not do this to prove myself useful or to make anypony happy. I did it because Rarity and the twins are my friends, and I wanted to help them when they were in need.”

“Aye, lad, but everpony will be thankful all the same. Ye’ve done good.” She clapped him on the shoulder lightly. “Ye’ve done really, really good. I’m proud o’ you. Flurry will be proud o’ you, too. And you should be proud o’ yerself, aye?”

“Ahem?” Rarity said, clearing her throat. “Sorry to rush things along, but we need to get moving, don’t we?”

“Och, right, come along then. Here, let me take those,” she added, gesturing for Rarity’s saddlebags.

Sundial led the group the rest of the way to Goldridge after a few more hours of travel. In the meantime, en route, they were joined by other members of the search party that hadn’t been quite as far north as Sundial had been: Bluebolt, Symphony, and Apple Bloom.

“They’re all okay!” Bluebolt called as she swooped down to greet the group. “You have no idea how worried we’ve all been!”

“I can imagine quite a bit, dear,” Rarity said, giving Bluebolt a weak smile. “I’m no stranger to worrying about friends in danger, hmm?

“Did you fight off all of those asinos yourself, Rarity?” Symphony asked, bright-eyed with curiosity.

Rarity shook her head. “Actually, Weaver did all of the heavy lifting in that regard.”

“Oh yeah?” Symphony gave Weaver a proud grin. “Nice work there, Weaver. Sono fiero di te—I’m proud of you.”

Weaver tilted his head. “Thank you, Symphony.”

Bloom hugged Rarity tight. “Thank goodness nothin’ happened ta ya, Rarity. I’d’ve never forgiven mahself if y’all got hurt or somethin’.”

“I’m quite alright, dear,” Rarity said as she returned the hug. “Weaver tells me you girls tried to come looking for us last night?”

“Yeah, but we got cut off by the storm,” Bloom grunted. “Lucky fer us, Weaver was able ta get through it!” She turned to Weaver, looking a little curious. “How’d y’all track 'em through the storm 'n' stuff, anyhow?”

Weaver shrugged slightly. “I have learned how to use my abilities to track ponies in many conditions. I merely needed to seek out the caverns and investigate them briefly. We would have done the same had there been no storm.”

“Huh? I figured ya had some kind o’ fancy doohickey in them goggles o’ yers or somethin’.”

Rarity nodded. “Well, I’m certain he does, darling. He seemed more than capable of seeing in the dark of that dreadful little cave.”

Weaver shook his head. “Incorrect. I can see clearly in the dark without the goggles via my abilities. It is not too dissimilar from mundane night-vision.”

“Wow, neat!” Bluebolt said with a grin. “I didn’t know you could see in the dark.”

“That explains a lot, actually,” Symphony said thoughtfully. “Cool.”

Sundial looked amongst the group with a beaming smile. “Just listen ta you lot gushing all over him. Wasn’t much more than two months ago all o’ ye were giving me stink eyes for bringing him along, aye?”

“Told you she was never gonna let us live it down,” Bluebolt muttered.

As the little group made their way closer to Goldridge, the twins woke up from their little nap and were able to walk on their own just as they were making their way directly into the settlement. From the top of the slope leading down, it was clear that there was quite a commotion, as Pewter was organizing a larger search party.

Sundial fluttered down towards him. “Oy! Pewter! No need for that any more, aye?” She pointed off towards the slope where the others were descending. “We found them!”

Pewter looked to Sundial, wide-eyed. “You did?” His eyes followed Sundial’s hoof, and he broke out into a big smile as he saw the others approaching. “You did! Thank Harmonia. I’m going to go get Tick Tock.”

He bolted off for the checkpoint building faster than Sundial had ever seen him move.

By the time the group reached the bottom of the slope, Tick Tock burst out of the checkpoint building in a flash. Her eyes were red from crying and lack of sleep. “Where are they?!” she shouted.

Sundial pointed off in the group’s direction.

Tick Tock was upon the group like a tiger, scooping up her daughters into a ferocious hug. “Girls! You’re okay! You’re okay!”

“Oy, Mum!” Pumice cried as she squirmed in Tick Tock’s grip. “You’re hugging too tight!”

“Let go, Mum, you’re embarrassing us!” Scoria groaned as she tried to dislodge herself.

Tick Tock didn’t relent, and if anything simply hugged them tighter. “I’ve been so worried. So, so worried. I thought I’d lost you…” She sniffed loudly, tears running down her face. “I was so scared…”

“We’re okay Mum, honest!” Scoria grumbled. “Can you let us go now, please?”

Pumice huffed, still not able to get away. “Nothing happened! We’re sorry if you were worried, Mum, we are!”

Tick Tock looked to Rarity, a small smile coming to her face. “Rarity, you’re okay too, thank Harmonia…”

Rarity returned the smile. “I am, darling. I’m terribly sorry for all the fuss. I did what I could to make sure the girls were safe, and as you can see we’re all doing just fine.”

“Thank you. Thank you so much.” Tick Tock shook her head, a relieved smile coming to her face. “What happened? How did you get away?”

Rarity cleared her throat and gestured towards the twins. “Your girls have the full story if you want to ask them. They’ve been simply dying to tell you all about their little adventure in the mountains.”

Tick Tock raised an eyebrow, then loosened her grip on the twins to give them a stern look. “Okay, girls, tell me everything that happened.”

Pumice beamed. “Well, we were going through the pass yesterday with Miss Rarity—”

“—and Ambrosia,” Scoria added with a smile. “Because we asked you if we could go digging, remember?”

“And we were digging and we found all sorts of gems, Mum, just like we wanted to.”

“But then these big stallions showed up, and they were really mean—”

Pumice wrinkled her nose. “—and smelly—”

“—and ugly, and Miss Rarity was all tough and brave—”

“—and then Ambrosia flew off to go tell you about what was happening!”

Scoria shook her head. “We were scared at first, Mum, but Miss Rarity told us that everything would be okay as long as we kept calm and did whatever she told us, so we weren’t scared anymore.”

Pumice nodded. “Yup! And then the mean ponies took us to a cave we haven’t been to before—”

“—and there were all sorts of gems about, Mum!” Scoria added, eyes wide with wonder. “All over the walls! Big ones and small ones and some we’ve never seen before!”

“And then the mean ponies told us to dig—”

“—and they said that if we didn’t dig, they’d hurt Miss Rarity!” Scoria turned to Rarity and smiled. “And we like Miss Rarity, so we didn’t want them to hurt her. She told us it would be okay, though.”

“So then we started digging, just like they asked!”

“We found a lot of gems, Mum!”

“And we were working all night, too, way past our bedtime.”

“But then Mister Weaver showed up, and he and the mean boss pony wrestled—”

“And then they went and had a little talk,” Pumice said, tapping her chin. “They talked over breakfast I think, but the boss pony was a messy eater because he had ketchup all over his face.”

Scoria nodded excitedly. “And then the boss pony told us that we won the game!”

Tick Tock finally managed to get a word in edgewise. “The… game?”

The twins nodded as one. “Yup!”

“He said that we were all just playing a fun game,” Pumice said with a bright smile. “A game of digging!”

“And that because of how good of a job we did, we won!” Scoria added with an equally bright smile.

Pumice pointed at the saddlebags filled with jewels that Sundial was carrying. “And then he gave us our prize! All the gems we dug up—”

“—plus a bonus because we were so good at the game!”

“And then we all got to leave!”

“But we gave him some of our prize before we left, because Miss Rarity asked us to.”

“She said it would be nice, and I felt good after doing it, so I guess she was right!”

Tick Tock blinked, then stared at Rarity, looking totally and absolutely lost. “Should I ask?”

Rarity cleared her throat and gave Tick Tock an innocent little smile. “Ask what, dear? The girls did a simply fantastic job at the little digging adventure game we were all playing. You should be very proud of them.”

Tick Tock looked between her daughters, clearly baffled by the whole thing, then pulled them in for a hug. “Of course I am. I’m so proud of my little winners.”

The twins giggled. “Thanks, Mum!” they said together.

Tick Tock rose up and turned to Pewter. “Pewter, honey, can you take the girls for a little bit. I’m sure they’re hungry after their little adventure.”

Pewter nodded. “Of course, hon.” He beamed down at the twins. “C’mon, girls, let’s go get some breakfast, hmm? You sound like you’ve had quite a day!”

“Okay, Daddy!” the twins chirped.

The twins bounded over to Pewter and followed behind him as they headed inside the checkpoint building.

Tick Tock immediately turned to Weaver, who was still in his uniform, though he’d long since pulled down the hood and goggles.

But Sundial knew she wasn’t afraid of him this time. Not because she didn’t look like she was, or because she said she wasn’t, or because anypony—or changeling, rather—was telling them that was the case.

Sundial knew because Tick Tock had just stepped up to Weaver and wrapped him up in a big hug.

“Thank you,” she breathed, tears welling in her eyes. “Thank you so much…”

Weaver was given clear pause, and seemed unsure of what to do. But, after a moment, he returned the hug, albeit slowly. “You are… welcome,” he said.

“You really are different from him,” Tick Tock said as she pulled back from the hug and fiddled with his goggles. “I’ve spent the past twenty-one years afraid of a shadow. I let that fear get to me when I met you, and I’m sorry. You’re more than just a shadow. You’re a good pony.”

Weaver blinked, clearly unsure of what to say, and looked to Sundial for guidance. She just gave him a wide, proud smile and a nod. “Thank you. I’m glad to have—” He then froze up and stared off towards the mountain pass, his eyes focused on something.

Tick Tock tilted her head. “Hmm? Is everything alright? Was it something I said?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow, unsure what he was doing. He looked unnaturally tense. “Weaver? You okay there lad?”

Weaver then bolted away from the group without a word.

“Bloody hell?!” Sundial blurted. “Weaver! Where are ye—” Her eyes widened when she saw what he was running towards.

It looked like a pony, but Sundial was well aware that it was not. The pony-like thing was clad in red and black armor from head to tail. The way it moved was just slightly off and not quite natural, and if anything more mechanical. It had no mane or tail whatsoever.

It noticed Weaver running right at it and, without hesitation or panic, it just drifted off the ground with a burst of propulsion from its hooves.

Sundial clenched her teeth. “Shite!” Like Weaver, she bolted towards the armored pony like a rocket.

The pony weaved just under her charge and shot off towards the mountain pass.

Sundial swept in again to try and catch it, just barely grazing its hind legs this time. It was enough to jostle its thrusters, and it lost altitude and nearly crashed into a rocky outcropping.

Weaver sprinted towards it as fast as he could to tackle it before it rocketed away again. Then, his eyes widened and he dove quickly to the side as it deployed a shoulder-mounted rifle and fired at him, just barely missing.

“Bloody hell, don’t let it get away!” Sundial called out as she flew down towards the thing.

The armored pony then kicked off its thrusters again and leapt over Sundial as she tried to tackle it. She didn’t graze it this time. It soared out over the group to try and take a different route away from the conflict.

But a metal rod impaled it through the helmet and went straight through the other side. The armored pony crashed down to the ground in a heap, electrical sparks firing out of the gaping hole left behind.

Symphony blew a puff of air up towards her horn, a smug grin on her face. “Azzeccato. You can thank me later.”

Bloom recoiled at the sight of a pony with a gaping hole in its head. “Wh-what did ya just do, Symphony?!”

“Relax, Bloom, it’s not a real pony,” Bluebolt snorted as she glared at the thing. “It’s an AMP Trooper: Armored Mechanical Pony. Basically, it’s a robot that the NPAF uses as soldiers. Cannon fodder, really. Lightly-armored, but well-armed.”

Symphony approached the crashed robot and hoisted up another metal bar, then smashed the thing’s head in. Once, twice, three times. She then spat on it for good measure before impaling the rod in its back.

“Buon viaggio,” Symphony snorted. “We use these things for training back home to keep us fresh in case we ever get attacked. That’s why you aim for the head, by the way: that’s where it keeps the central processor. Damage that and it’s basically junk.”

Sundial came over and grunted as she examined the mechanical thing. It looked to be in decent condition, minus the damage that Symphony had done to it, and minus some clear wear-and-tear along its sides. “How in the bloody hell is there one o’ these things all the way out here at this time o’ year?”

Weaver tilted his head as he looked it over. “It is a Scout-class AMP. It was lightly armed for self-defense only. A cheaper model, easy to deploy en-masse. The NPAF would likely send out hundreds in the hope that one makes it through the storms. This is just speculation, of course.”

“Did you say ‘scout’?” Sundial asked, eyes wide. “Shite…”

“There’s a good bet the NPAF knows we’re evacuating,” Symphony grunted, kicking the robot. “These things transmit data constantly, and the NPAF prides itself on its communication technology. Good thing we caught it before it got away, otherwise it might try to track us while we’re leaving.”

Sundial turned to Tick Tock. “Mum, I think we might need ta leave sooner than we expected. The thunderblizzards are still raging up north, but we’ve only got a few days before the NPAF can start making a move, aye?”

Tick Tock took a deep breath and nodded. “I’ll let Pewter and Aculeata know. We’ll start making preparations to leave by lunchtime.” She shook her head and headed into the checkpoint building. “Bloody hell, I just can’t catch a break.”

Rarity groaned and hung her head. “And I was this close to getting some sleep, too.”

Sundial shook her head and eyed the broken robot, then grunted angrily and kicked it again just for good measure.

Chapter Twelve: Exodus

Moving from Goldridge to Hope’s Point was itself not terribly difficult, which amazed Rarity considering the vast differences between this journey and the last time she’d made the same trip.

The biggest difference, obviously, was the sheer size of the traveling party. Rarity had made this journey once with nine ponies, and had expected to be making it the second time with six, and later seven when Weaver joined up. Now, the party consisted of roughly one hundred, which included over sixty changelings and forty ponies. Strictly speaking, the traveling party had grown into a caravan. The stronger members of the caravan party, such as Pewter, Weaver, and Apple Bloom, hitched wagons to themselves to pull along everything and everyone—pony or changeling—that could not make the journey on their own.

Next, Rarity learned that there was a new route between Goldridge and Hope’s Point that made travel extraordinarily easy and quick during the majority of the year. A canyon of sorts—Merchants’ Canyon, Bluebolt called it—had been dug through the southern Goldridge Mountains, big enough for merchant caravans to travel through between Hope’s Point and the western Great Expanse. It trimmed the travel time down so dramatically that Rarity desperately wished that such a thing had been around twenty-one years ago, but given how much time and effort Bluebolt said it had taken Hope’s Point to make it, she understood that it hadn’t been feasible back then.

Rarity actually suspected that the primary reason for its existence was so that nopony would ever need to risk going through the Blood Mire again, lest somepony get injured in the same manner as Lockwood had been. Blackburn would be the sort to muster the entire might of her city to ensure nopony else suffered like that if she could help it.

Furthermore, Rarity marveled at the difference between the Great Expanse now and how it looked when traveling through in the winter. Gone were the dark, stormy clouds that blocked out the sun at all times of the day. Now, the sun shone bright in the clear blue sky, a bright beacon of warmth and hope to relieve those that had been stuck indoors for most of the winter. The snows were quickly melting away such that by the time the caravan reached the other side of Merchant’s Canyon, green grass was poking out for miles around. Flowers bloomed along the route, and a young tree or two could be seen here and there as they went. The sounds of insects filled the air. There were even honest-to-goodness rivers and ponds along the way formed from melted snow.

Yes, Rarity thought, this time certainly had been different in more ways than she could count.

As for Rarity and her original traveling companions, they did whatever they needed to do to both help the caravan along and to occupy their time. Hopes and spirits were high and anxieties were low because they knew that this was to be the last leg of their journey. For Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry, that meant it wouldn’t be long before they headed home. For Sundial it meant she was that much closer to fixing the problem her world seemed to be having.

Bloom and Weaver pulled along some of the wagons as they were particularly physically fit and could handle some of the heavier loads, mostly belongings such as Sundial’s grandfather clock. Rarity knew that a pony need not be particularly strong to haul a wagon—Trixie had done so alone for years before she settled down in Ponyville with her new friends—but when you had ponies of a certain strength, you used that strength to its fullest.

Bluebolt, Symphony, and Sundial took to being the caravan’s spotters and scouts, making sure the wagons were kept on level terrain and that nothing threatening was approaching, namely that the NPAF hadn’t sent off more of those dreadful robot scouts ahead to intercept them. Bluebolt and Symphony seemed certain that there was little danger of such a thing since everything east of Merchants’ Canyon was part of Hope’s Point’s territory and was carefully monitored. If an AMP scout was spotted in this region, it would likely ruin the NPAF’s surprise.

Flurry tended to travel from wagon to wagon within the caravan keeping the travelers’ hopes as high as hers were. Many of the Goldridge settlers had been despondent or afraid because of the sudden move they needed to take, so she seemed to feel it was her duty to keep them inspired. Rarity was delighted to see the young mare taking such a bold step forward in an attempt to be a leader, and was certain now more than ever that she’d be a fine princess once this was all over.

Incidentally, Venture had come along for the journey, which had surprised Rarity quite a bit. As a self-proclaimed explorer, archaeologist, etc., the mare would surely be better serving her goals by traveling elsewhere in search of new mysteries to uncover now that the winter was over and the northerns lands were sunny and bright again. From Rarity’s understanding the Great Expanse likely hid all sorts of wonders from a time well before the Beacons were built.

Still, Venture stayed with Aculeata for the entirety of the journey, helping the changeling queen and her partner, Comet, in keeping the many, many young changelings calm and occupied. Comet, to Rarity’s surprise, was a talented astronomer, and used the nights over the journey to show off the stars to the youngsters—pony and changelings both—to keep them all engaged. His dedication and attachment to Aculeata’s children was actually rather inspiring.

As for Venture herself, she just had a way about her that put the little ones at ease, and it even spread to other members of the caravan at times when tensions looked like they might be rising. The mare was a true enigma to Rarity, which she found bothersome. Why, she knew Twilight Sparkle better after only knowing her a single day than she knew Venture after being locked indoors with her for two months.

And Rarity, well, she’d taken to assisting Ambrosia with foalsitting Pumice and Scoria, which was very high on Tick Tock’s list of important tasks to do over the journey. The twins were more energetic and curious than ever, having never traveled outside of Goldridge and the neighboring mountains before, so every single sight was just as new to them as it was to Rarity at times. It was a delight to spend some time with such happy, enthusiastic youngsters. Tiring at times, yes, but delightful all the same.

At any rate, today was the beginning of the fourth day of travel, and it was now sometime between breakfast and lunch. Rarity wasn’t precisely sure of the exact hour. Sundial’s itinerary suggested that the caravan would be arriving at the great coastal city well before nightfall; in fact, if they hurried, they’d make it roughly around dinnertime and could consider sampling the city’s vast and varied cuisine offerings. The journey had thus far been smooth, calm, and trouble-free, as different as could be from what Rarity remembered of her last visit.

Rarity was taking a break from taking care of the twins for the time being, using it to walk alone a little ways from the main caravan so that she could marvel at the new terrain around them. A small pond was as good a place as any to take a breather. She could take a load off her hooves for a few moments before she had to catch up, take some time to reflect on the journey—as she was doing now—and think about what was to come.

She’d expected to be left alone.

So, when Sundial swooped down next to her, Rarity was a little bit miffed. But only a little bit.

“Oy, Rarity, what are ye doing over here all by yerself?” Sundial asked, uncharacteristically pleasant.

Rarity let out a short breath then gave Sundial a little smile. “If you must know, dear, I was taking a short break from watching the twins to have a little ‘Me’ time. By myself. Alone.”

She hoped Sundial would get the hint.

“Aye, aye, sounds good,” Sundial said with a tone that clearly indicated she hadn’t gotten the hint at all. “So, how are ye liking everything now that ye get ta see how it is in the spring? Sure is different from winter, aye?”

Rarity took a deep breath through her nose, doing what she could to keep herself calm. “So much for ‘Me’ time…” she grumbled to herself.

“Say again, lass? I didn’t quite catch that.”

“I said, ‘it certainly is’,” Rarity said with a too-bright smile. “Certainly much better than when this was all wasteland, too. It’s rather nice having grass under my hooves and cool wind in my mane. Feels like back home, actually.”

“Aye, that it is. And are ye enjoying time with the twins, then?”

“Oh, of course. They’re delightful girls, those two. I’m very happy for Tick Tock and Pewter. Their daughters are lovely, and they’re lovely together.”

Sundial smiled and nodded. “They’re a fine pair, aye. Ye know, the only reason I even got this position is because o’ those two wanting ta start a family.”

“Oh?”

“Aye. See, Mum and Pewter shacked up together not long after ye lot had yer wee adventure, from what I understand.” Sundial chuckled and leaned closer to Rarity. “Truth be told, she said that as soon as she got home from that whole business, she went straight ta the checkpoint and got her brains shagged in, aye?”

Rarity blushed and put her hoof to her mouth, a little embarrassed but also intrigued. “Oh my, really? Goodness, how forward of her.”

“Aye, really. She picked me out as her apprentice a few years after that and started training me because she wanted ta settle down and retire after all she went through. Y’know, start a family and all that, aye?”

“Well, I’m glad that she found such a qualified apprentice, then,” Rarity said with a smile. “One that she felt confident enough in that she could do such a thing.”

“Well thank you, I appreciate that,” Sundial said with a nod.

There was a little awkward pause. Rarity was just a little curious now why Sundial was even here. No, more than a little curious. Very curious. The other mare had never, ever, over the entire course of winter taken the slightest amount of time to seek Rarity out for a conversation of any sort. Not once. So why was she doing so now?

“So, darling—” Rarity started to say, hoping to try and figure out what this was all about.

“Enough small talk shite then, aye?” Sundial blurted.

Rarity was taken aback and the sudden outburst. “I beg your pardon?”

Sundial let out a breath, clearly having trouble thinking of what to say. “Look, lass, I know you and I don’t really talk much, aye? Like, I don’t think I’ve ever had a proper one-on-one with ye over the whole of the winter.”

Rarity blinked. “I was just thinking the same thing, actually—”

“Well, I’m coming ta ye now because I’ve got ta ask somepony about something, and ye’re the only one I feel I can trust ta both keep yer bleeding trap shut about it, and who actually might know something about the subject.”

Now Rarity was desperately curious. “My my, this sounds serious, dear. Do tell.”

Sundial took a deep breath. “It’s like this, lass. My job is, in a word, stressful. I’m up ta my bleeding neck in shite all the time, aye?”

Rarity nodded in understanding. “You’ve certainly made a pretty big deal about the kind of difficult work you have to do, yes. Tick Tock used to talk about it all the time, too, come to think of it. Chronomancers seem to have to deal with a lot of hassles, don’t they?”

“Aye, that we do, and there’s not much in the way o’ stress relief either. Mum used ta say that until she shacked up with Pewter, she was at wit’s end every bloody day o’ her life.” Sundial closed her eyes. “Look, I’m gonna be straight and ta the point with ye, lass. But first, I need ye ta promise me ye won’t tell anypony anything about this, aye?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, darling.” Rarity crossed her hooves over her heart. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She capped it all off by pressing her hoof to her eye, gently.

Sundial blinked. “What kind o’ bloody promise was that?!”

Rarity giggled. “A Pinkie Promise, darling. Trust me, nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise. If I did, Pinkie Pie herself would immediately find a way to cross through as many worlds as she needed to in order to give me an earful about it. As delightful as it would be to have her here, the circumstances wouldn’t be ideal.”

“I… suppose that works then.” Sundial shook her head. “Okay, so, here goes.” She took another deep breath. “How do ye know if ye’re attracted ta somepony?”

Rarity’s lip curled into a big, pleasant grin, and she set her hooves on Sundial’s shoulders to look her right in the eyes. “Oh, darling, you and I are about to have quite an interesting conversation.”

*****

It was roughly an hour before nightfall when the caravan crested over a large hill that had been looming on the horizon for most of the day. And when they did, Hope’s Point itself finally came into view.

Rarity was astounded by the differences she noticed in the city since the last time she’d seen it. From her recollection it had once been a reasonably-sized city, smaller than Canterlot but not by much, built on, into, and around a massive cliff that marked the southernmost point of the northern continent. The city had been surrounded by a dome of golden magical energy as well, which served to both protect it from the harsh elements of the old Wasteland as well as invaders such as the NPAF.

The city had grown tremendously since then. There really wasn’t a word that better described the city now besides sprawling. It wasn’t quite as big as New Pandemonium City up north—that looked like it would surely take several more decades of expansion—but it absolutely dwarfed Canterlot now.

The first thing Rarity noticed was that the city’s borders expanded far to the north, completely overtaking the wide valley that had once been the breeding grounds for Gargantuans long, long ago. With Aculeata as the last of their kind as far as anyone knew, Hope’s Point had apparently deemed that territory free for the taking, and take it they had. This new territory more than tripled Hope’s Point’s old borders.

Rarity could see that most of the new territory wasn’t an actual city expansion either, just the upper valley and the rest of the cliffs. The lower valley was, from what she could tell, an absolutely staggering farm. Years of friendship with Applejack had taught Rarity the difference between just a plain, untended field and a field suited for farming, and nearly everything in that valley down there was farmland, startlingly fertile and green even after just coming out of the winter season.

The second thing she noticed was that the city had also expanded far west along the coastline. She could see what looked like harbors and ports from this distance based on her knowledge of what Canterlot’s airship ports looked like. She had assumed that the city was still using its underground, underwater hangars for everything, but those ports out there looked like they were meant for actual seafaring vessels. She couldn’t see any ships from here, but she assumed they were there.

The new harbor had completely overtaken the old coastline, which amused Rarity a bit. That dreadful little beach down there—the Bone Sands, Tick Tock had called it—had once been infested with dangerous creatures made of sand and rock called silt threshers. Had Hope’s Point cleared them out entirely? Even the huge canyon—the World’s Wound—that led down towards the beach looked like it was in the process of being overtaken for some purpose.

What intrigued Rarity the most, however, was that glorious golden shield that surrounded the city and kept it safe. Namely that it simply wasn’t there.

Rarity turned to Bluebolt and Symphony, the former of whom was on the ground with the caravan now that there was no need to worry about threats or dangers. “Bluebolt, dear, where’s the shield? Last time I was here, there was this beautiful golden barrier over the city.”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Oh, that? Mom only puts it up in winter to protect the surface levels from the thunderblizzards. Otherwise it’s just a huge waste of power since, y’know, we haven’t been attacked in more than twenty years. I don’t know if the shield even extends out far enough to cover all of the newer developments, actually.”

“It’s probably gonna get a good workout in a few days though, huh?” Symphony said with a knowing smirk. “I hear it can withstand anything, even the NPAF’s most powerful weaponry. Makes you wonder why they’re even trying.”

“Well, Mom said that they had a few older weapons that could disrupt the shield. They’ve used them before,” Bluebolt explained. “She’s put a lot of work into making sure that that doesn’t happen again, and has so many protective measures around the power generator now that there shouldn’t be any problems even from somepony with Weaver’s abilities. Besides, if the NPAF is sending an actual fleet this way to try and do a large-scale attack—”

“—Her Majesty might just deploy our own fleet to meet them!” Symphony smiled excitedly and hopped up and down a few times. “The fleet’s never engaged in a full-scale battle before! Oh man, I bet that’d be awesome to watch.”

Rarity coughed. “Darling, I highly doubt seeing a war going on would be ‘awesome’, hmm?”

Symphony balked. “I… uh, that’s… not what I meant. What I meant was… uh…”

Bluebolt tugged Symphony’s ear gently. “Just drop it, songbird, we know you didn’t mean anything by it.” She gestured towards the main city with a bright grin. “Anyway! Everypony, follow me! I’ll take care of everything we need to get us into the city, no sweat.”

“Lead the way, Princess,” Rarity said with a little bow.

The path to the city gate was much easier to traverse than it had been last time Rarity was here. There was just a long, flat, well-maintained road that stretched out north along the edge of the valley. From here, Rarity could get a good look out onto the farms below. They were too far away to see what kind of crops were growing, but she guessed that if they were anything like the small farm that Pewter maintained at Goldridge, there was a plentiful variety.

At the end of the road, Rarity saw that the gate structure had been modified substantially. For one thing, it was much larger than she remembered it, stretching nearly one hundred feet across and looking more similar to an actual, well, gate. Before it had felt more like a small doctor’s office leading into the city proper, which was far from exciting. At least now the gate looked like it suited the city’s glowing reputation.

There were several guards protecting the gate, naturally, and it was no surprise that they all stood at attention the moment the caravan came into view. As the caravan drew closer, a trio of guards approached the front of the formation. Rarity couldn’t see their faces under their armor, but she noticed that they weren’t pointing those guns they had strapped to their backs at anypony just yet. Security seemed to have relaxed a bit in twenty-one years.

Bluebolt stepped ahead and away from the others, Symphony in tow, and waved at the guards. “Hello!”

The guards saw that it was Bluebolt greeting them and immediately bowed.

“Good evening to you, Princess Bluebolt,” said the lead guard of the trio, an earth pony whose armor bore a green stripe. “Welcome back. We didn’t know when to expect your return.” He glanced curiously behind her at the caravan. “Or to expect you to return with such an entourage.”

“It’s good to be back, Captain Overlook. Sorry about the little group I’ve got together. It’s a bit of a long story, and I don’t think we have the time to go over it right now, hmm? I’ll save the details for my mom.”

Overlook nodded. “Of course, Princess. Still, proper protocol is that I call this in to the chief, as it’s a bit of an unorthodox situation. One moment, please.”

Bluebolt nodded back. “Of course, Captain, I understand.”

The Captain set his hoof to his ear. “This is Captain Overlook at the city gates. Put me through to Chief Storm, protocol one, code four-four-three.” He waited a moment, then brightened again. “Chief Storm, this is Captain Overlook. I’ve got Princess Bluebolt here at the front gates at the moment, and she’s got a… caravan with her.” He paused. “Yes ma’am, I’ll patch you through, one moment.”

Overlook then took a small datapad from his belt, tapped the screen a few times, then passed the device over towards Bluebolt. Symphony took it in her magic and hoisted it up for Bluebolt to see the screen clearly. From here, Rarity couldn’t get a good look, but she could hear what was going on at least.

“Hey, Chief Storm!” Bluebolt greeted with a little smile and wave. “You’re looking good. New manecut?”

An older, feminine voice replied: “Princess, if we can dispense with the pleasantries, you’ve put an awful lot of work on my plate if you’ve really got an entire caravan out there.”

Bluebolt chuckled. “Yeah, I know. Sorry about that. I would’ve let you guys know about it but it came up over the winter so I couldn’t send anypony out to inform you.”

The mare on the other end grunted. “Very well. First, where exactly is this caravan from?”

“This is the entire settlement of Goldridge,” Bluebolt said, not losing an ounce of pep. “We’ve got roughly one hundred in number out here, too. Mostly youngsters, actually. I’ll cut to the chase here: this was an evacuation.”

“Evacuation?”

“Yes, ma’am. If you think you’ve got a lot on your plate now, you’re not gonna like what I’m about to tell you. The NPAF is amassing a fleet and is making preparations to attack Hope’s Point.”

The mare on the other end was given clear pause. “You’re certain of this?”

“Absolutely. I saw the cruisers myself, and have it on good authority that they’ve been gearing up for this for a while, and in complete secret at that. The fleet was setting up outside the city gates and preparing to weather the thunderblizzards. Since Goldridge is en route from New Pandemonium, we thought it was a good idea not to take chances.”

“Smart move, Princess.” The mare took a deep breath. “I’ll pass along this information to Her Majesty immediately. Seeing as the caravan is from Goldridge, and is accompanied by you, I’ll authorize a major security bypass and get them all inside without a fuss. Does that sound good to you?”

Bluebolt nodded. “Sounds good to me. Can you do anything to speed along getting them residences and such too? Unless they’re lucky and the NPAF just leaves Goldridge alone, these folks are probably gonna be moving here permanently.”

“I’ll put in a request with Secretary Ruby as soon as we get off. I’m sure she’ll have some suggestions or solutions.”

“Thanks!”

“And Princess?”

“Yes, Chief?”

“Welcome home.”

“Thanks. It’s good to be back.” Bluebolt then passed the datapad back to Captain Overlook with a grin. “You got all that, Captain?”

Overlook saluted. “Yes, Princess, every word.” He turned towards the gate and set his hoof to his ear. “Gate control, this is Captain Overlook. Open her up, and we’re doing a complete bypass on the incoming guests. Clearance code nine-nine, Chief Storm’s sending in her authorization any second.”

After a few seconds of waiting, the large gate structure gave a mighty rumble, and the gate itself lowered down into the ground at a slow, steady pace, revealing the grand city beyond.

Overlook bowed and gestured towards the gate. “Princess, it’s good to have you back in Hope’s Point. You may proceed as planned.”

Bluebolt nodded. “Thank you, Captain.” She turned back towards the caravan, a smile on her face, then gestured towards the city beyond the gate. “Well, everyone? Welcome to Hope’s Point!”

*****

Hope’s Point was as much of a city as a city could be, populated by thousands of ponies that walked to and fro through the streets, going about their business without paying much heed to the others around them. Rarity was amazed at how little the city had changed from this perspective, as the general atmosphere was roughly the same as she remembered. The buildings weren’t particularly tall or fancy, at least on average, but there were a lot of them. The streets were paved and well-maintained, there were street lamps along every block, and everything felt just shy of being congested.

Rarity loved it. It was like being back in Canterlot again, only with a little more urban charm to it than Canterlot’s white spires and regal aesthetic. Closer to Manehatten, really, but not as large. Not that she didn’t love Canterlot—she adored it, actually—but Hope’s Point’s citizens did one thing all day, every day, that Canterlot’s did not: wear clothes.

On a typical day in Canterlot, not every creature would feel the need to wear articles of clothing. On an early winter morning, certainly, there would be all sorts of creatures wearing warm outfits—except the yaks, of course—to protect them from the cold weather. On a sunny summer afternoon, there’d be a lot less clothing and a lot more hats to protect creatures from the rays of the sun. Other than that, not much else except for the fashion-conscious. Even Rarity herself went out without clothes most times.

But from Rarity’s understanding, the ponies of Hope’s Point had it ingrained into their society that going about without clothes was taboo, a belief that had begun in New Pandemonium and spread throughout the northern continent. Even those who had emigrated from the south, where clothing was decidedly more optional, followed the customs in order to be polite and to assimilate themselves into their new home.

And so, every last pony had at least a few articles of clothing on display, be it as little as a simple shirt to as complex as a fancy dress with all the trimmings. And since Hope’s Point was such a colorful, bright city, the sheer variety of fashion to be seen was like a dream come true for a fashionista like Rarity.

Still, she didn’t let herself get distracted from what was important. Not yet, anyway.

For the most part, getting things set up with the caravan was beyond her scope, so that had been left to the gate staff to organize and engage in. The majority of the group stayed behind to ensure that the transition into the city was smooth and easy, including Tick Tock, Pewter, and Aculeata, since it was their settlement that had been moved, after all. The only ponies moving forward with Bluebolt at the moment were Symphony, Rarity, Apple Bloom, and Flurry Heart. Even Sundial and Weaver had stayed behind to ensure that everything went as smoothly as possible.

So for now, Bluebolt led the way through one of the upper street levels until they reached what Rarity recognized as one of the elevator systems that would take them down into the city’s underground levels.

Bloom and Flurry, of course, gawked at the sights around them as they went. While the city had some resemblance to Manehatten back home, it was decidedly more advanced.

“This here city o’ yers is just… wow,” Bloom mumbled as she watched a small airship fly overhead. “Y’all got flyin’ things 'n' fancy lights 'n' everythin’!”

Bluebolt stuck her nose up proudly. “Yup! This here’s the best damn city in the world, let me tell you. We’ve got everything here that anypony could ever need in life: restaurants of every variety, any kind of entertainment you like, plenty of ponies to meet, parks, museums, libraries, shopping centers, an amusement park, everything.”

“And you said that this is just the surface level?” Flurry asked, head tilted as she watched a screen posted over a building entrance advertise some sort of beverage.

“Yup, everypony lives underground,” Symphony continued with a grin.

“How come?”

“It’s been that way since the city was built. Used to be because it kept the citizens safe from the Wastelands and from invaders, but nowadays it’s just habit, I guess.”

“It’s very odd,” Flurry said, scratching her chin. “You said the population was mostly pegasi, correct?”

“Yeah, something like sixty percent,” Bluebolt confirmed. “What’s odd about it?”

“Well, it’s odd that pegasi would want to live underground instead of building up into the sky. Pegasi back home like to make their homes higher up if they can. I mean, there are a few exceptions here and there, but that’s the general rule.”

“Well, like I said, they did it at first to protect themselves from everything that used to make the north suck,” Symphony said with a shrug. “I mean, sure, now we could build upwards if we wanted to, but I think Her Majesty wants to use up all of the territory we have down here first.”

Bluebolt puffed out her chest. “You’re right though, Flurry. You know what I’m gonna do first thing when I’m the queen? I’m gonna build a big tower, like some of the ones they’ve got up north in Pandemonium. Only ours is gonna be pretty, and filled with good ponies, and it’ll be clean. It’ll double as a lighthouse, even!”

“Ooh, that sounds neat! Just like the city’s emblem,” Symphony said.

When the group reached the elevator, Bluebolt punched in a little code, and the doors opened to let them all inside. As the elevator descended, the group could see out through the glass windows into the subterranean city below the surface, which Rarity noticed hadn’t changed one bit from the last time she saw it, apart from the sheer size.

Like the city above, the subterranean levels had expanded to accommodate the city’s growing population. Rows of residential apartments and homes covered almost every inch of this level of the city, as well as other critical structures. Rarity recognized the hospital—taller than she remembered—off in the distance, where she and her friends had visited Twilight after she’d worn herself out helping Lockwood recover. She also recognized the giant power station that Briarthorn had pointed out to her and her friends, which kept the lights on throughout the entire city day after day without stopping.

And of course she recognized the royal palace, the largest structure in the underground, with its great towers of red and gold. When the elevator reached the bottom and the group disembarked, they approached the palace with no small amount of enthusiasm. Guards noticed Bluebolt passing through and gave short bows of acknowledgement, which she returned with brief nods of her own.

Then, as they reached the palace gates, Rarity noticed something different that definitely hadn’t been there before.

It was a finely crafted marble statue of two ponies that Rarity had only known for a few hours, but who had made a tremendous impact on her life and the lives of her friends: Gadget and Crossfire. The former was a short unicorn mare, and the latter was a tall earth pony stallion; the statue didn’t show their colorations, but Rarity recalled Gadget being pink with an orange mane, and Crossfire being light brown with a dark brown mane.

The statue of the two presented them standing with a proud posture as they protectively watched over the palace gates. There was an obsidian and steel plaque at the base that Rarity could clearly read as they passed by:

Gadget and Crossfire

Chief Royal Guards in Service of Queen Blackburn

Gave their lives in defense of their Queen, their friend, their city, and the world.

Symphony stepped over to the statue and touched the plaque gently, giving a small smile to Rarity. “You’re lucky. You got to meet them, if only for a little while.”

Bluebolt came up behind Symphony and pressed her hoof to Symphony’s back. “We wish we’d had the chance. From all the stories Mom and Dad told us about them, they were something special.”

Rarity smiled at the two and nodded. “I did not know them very well, I’ll admit, but from what I got to see of them they were both very, very brave.”

After taking a moment to observe the statue and pay their respects, the group entered through the palace gates.

They were greeted almost immediately by an older, dark purple unicorn mare with a bright red mane, wearing what looked like a suit of ornate body armor. Rarity noticed her horn was artificial, a silver spike with neon blue rings. Her face was decorated with a few scars here and there, giving her a fearsome appearance. This mare reminded Rarity of Tempest Shadow back home, almost disturbingly so. They were even about the same age, which wasn’t far off from Rarity’s own.

“Princess Bluebolt,” the mare greeted with a short bow. Rarity recognized her voice from the datapad at the gate. “Once again, welcome home.”

“Chief Storm, good to see you,” Bluebolt said, returning the bow slightly. “I wasn’t expecting you to greet us. What’s up?”

“I was actually on my way out, to tell the truth,” the chief said. “I waited a few minutes so I could see you first and welcome you home properly. I hate doing it over the streaming system.”

“Where are you heading off to?”

“Her Majesty requested that I personally oversee some of the security checks on that caravan you brought in. She trusts you implicitly, you understand,” she was quick to add, “but given your other crucial bit of information, she’s not taking any chances.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes. “Of course. Fair enough, I can’t blame her for being cautious—”

“Actually, she’s more concerned with the fact that you apparently brought the changeling queen along with you, so I’m to serve as an envoy in addition to my regular duties until Her Majesty can properly extend a greeting. Setting up defense orders was her first priority.”

“Oh… uh, yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn’t I? Whoops. I’ve been around her for the whole winter and it just kind of slipped my mind that she’s a foreign dignitary.” Bluebolt tilted her head, clearly nervous. “Mom’s not mad at me, is she?”

The chief smiled. “No, she’s just a little overwhelmed by all of the things this caravan’s brought with it besides ponies and changelings. Incidentally, the two changelings we have amongst the populace have also been informed that their mother has arrived, and I am to meet them and escort them.”

“Oh, well that’s—” Bluebolt paused. “Wait, you already knew we had changelings here? Why didn’t I know about this?”

“Of course. Your mother sniffed them out fairly easily—she’s made it a point about spotting shapeshifters thanks to a certain somepony—but extended her welcome to them seeing as they’re the first of their kind to visit the city and since Tick Tock claimed they were trustworthy.”

“Figures,” Bluebolt sighed. “Nothing gets past her, not even shapeshifters.”

Rarity couldn’t contain a smile. She figured exactly why Blackburn wouldn’t let any shapeshifters escape her attention ever again, benevolent or not: Curaçao.

While on this world, Curaçao had been capable of shapeshifting that would make even the most talented changeling jealous, and was far, far smarter than she had any right to be. She made Chrysalis look downright dim. She’d even made a fool of Blackburn by pretending to be “Fireburst” in order to spy on the group, so clearly the queen had taken note.

The chief then looked out onto the rest of Bluebolt’s group, and her eyes widened slightly when she saw Rarity. “Wait a moment, don’t I know you from somewhere? You look awfully familiar.”

Rarity tilted her head, confused. “I don’t believe we’ve met, no, but you make it sound as if you do know me, not just ‘maybe’. Should I be worried?”

The chief shook her head. “Ah, forgive me, I’m getting ahead of myself.” She offered her hoof to Rarity, who took it and gave it a dainty shake. “I’m Stellar Storm, Chief Intelligence and Enforcement Officer. I’m in charge of the city’s information network and security system.”

“A pleasure to meet you then, Miss Storm. I’m Rarity.”

Storm smiled and nodded. “Ha, I knew I recognized you from somewhere before. I ran background checks on your and your friends when you were trying to get into the city way back when, before King Lockwood was His Royal Majesty. I even gave the go-ahead to get in touch with Briarthorn.”

Rarity laughed. “Aha, I see. Well, thank you for what you did, in that case. And thank you for getting us cleared this evening as well, in fact. I was worried things might be difficult considering the security last time, even with Bluebolt here with us.”

Storm turned to Bluebolt. “Anyway, Princess, I must be going. I’ve got a lot of work to do, and not a lot of time to do it in. Such is life, hmm?”

Bluebolt waved her off. “Bye, Chief!”

Storm then trotted off outside the palace gates, making her way for the elevator that led to the surface.

Bloom nudged Rarity gently. “Hey, Rarity, didn’t that kind o’ look like—”

“Tempest Shadow, yes, I had the same thought,” Rarity replied with a grin. “Sundial did mention a lot about alternate versions of various ponies throughout the worlds, didn’t she? Perhaps this Stellar Storm is an alternate version of our Tempest?”

“Makes sense ta me. She even had a similar job, right? All that security officer stuff sounds an awful lot like being Captain o’ the Royal Guard.”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “That’s pretty much what she is, actually. So is your version of her in charge of protecting your Princess Twilight and stuff?”

“Well, not anymore, but she was for a while,” Rarity said. “She’s retired these days and lives on a beachfront near Los Manegeles. Royal Guard retirement packages are quite robust.”

“Yeah, she passed that job off ta mah friend Gallus a few years back,” Bloom said with a smile. “She trained him 'n' everythin’, so that’s what he does now, an’ he’s darn good at it, even if we don’t get many threats these days.”

“Hang on now, she said she cleared us to get into the city twenty-one years ago?” Rarity asked, eyebrow raised. “And she’s still working in that position?”

Bluebolt nodded. “Oh, yeah, she’s been on my mom’s council for a long time. Like, I think my mom appointed her within a few weeks of taking the crown, after the last Chief, uh… died. Same attack that killed Grandma and Grandpa.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh, I see. I’m terribly sorry to hear that.”

“Don’t worry about it, it happened way before I was even thought of, y’know?”

“So, yeah, Chief Storm’s been at it longer than my dad was Secretary of Commerce,” Symphony said with a nod, “and she’s still going strong. She’s a super workaholic. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Oh yeah, she’s dedicated to her job and is totally loyal to the city and to my mom,” Bluebolt added. “My mom’s the one that gave her the chance to prove herself, y’know? And she’s loyal to my dad too, of course. She likes to poke fun at him since he doesn’t exactly act like a king.”

Rarity smirked. “Darling, I’m well-acquainted with Starlight Shadow, who hasn’t taken a single day off of work in the past fifteen years since she started teaching at that school of hers. She even works weekends, over both summer and winter vacations, on holidays, everything. I actually worry about her at times.”

“Oh no, we’re not comparing our workaholics,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head. “We’ll be here all day trying to one-up each other over whose is more addicted to their work.”

“My money’s on Chief Storm,” Symphony quipped. “Her Majesty has to order her to take days off.”

Bloom chuckled. “I’ll take that bet. Princess Twilight says Miss Shadow makes her ol’ self look downright normal, an’ I remember how she used ta be before she became a princess.”

Flurry tilted her head. “So, if she’s in charge of your Royal Guard equivalent, does that mean she’s in charge of Symphony, too?”

Symphony shrugged. “I mean, technically she’s my boss, since I’m technically a royal guard, but my orders are to follow my oath to Bluebolt so I only take orders from the Princess herself. Even Her Majesty can’t supercede Princess Bluebolt giving me a command.”

“Yeah, so I’m the only one who can boss you around,” Bluebolt teased, gently tugging Symphony’s ear. “Now that we’re back home, I’ve gotta think of some things to make you do, hmm?”

Symphony waggled her eyebrows. “Your every wish is my command, pecha, you know that.”

Bluebolt turned to Rarity and the others and gestured into the palace. “Well, c’mon on then. I know you guys have probably just been dying for this moment.”

Bloom excitedly hopped in place. “Are ya kiddin’? I finally get ta meet more o’ mah family! I’ve been waitin’ fer this since the moment we fell outta that rift an’ found out where we were! Let’s get a move on!”

“Getting to see my old friends again does certainly put a fire in me,” Rarity said with a fond smile.

“Well then enough chit-chatting, follow me!” Bluebolt cheered.

Bluebolt led the way into the palace, through hall after familiar hall, as they made their way towards the throne room. Rarity could see Bloom was clearly bursting at the seams with eager anticipation, and could admit she felt exactly the same. She just did a better job of keeping her excitement inside, that’s all. Flurry was clearly excited as well, though Rarity figured it was more of a polite sort of excited since she wasn’t meeting family and she wasn’t meeting an old friend, but an old friend of the family.

However, just before they reached the throne room, with its overly large doors decorated with jewels and elaborate metal engravings, they were stopped by a burly guard in hefty armor. He was an earth pony with a black coat and a thick, gray mane. The pony bowed to Bluebolt as she approached, but she seemed confused by his presence.

“Welcome back, Princess. I trust you found your vacation exciting?” he greeted.

“Oh, hey Gunpowder. What’s up?” she asked. “What are you doing out here? Where’s Dad?”

The guard—Gunpowder—gestured off to the side. “His Majesty has requested that you and your guests meet him in one of the private chambers. Her Majesty is terribly busy at the moment and will be joining you as soon as she completes her current business.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes. “Let me guess: the caravan?”

“I believe so, yes.”

Rarity tittered. “It seems we caused quite a stir around here, arriving with such a large entourage like that, darling,” she said to Bluebolt. “Perhaps we should have sent somepony ahead to warn them?”

“Yeah, I’m not surprised Mom’s going all ‘royal’ on this whole thing. But would it kill her to give it a rest for a few minutes for me, though?” Bluebolt shook her head. “Whatever.” She turned to Gunpowder. “Lead the way.”

“Of course, Princess.”

Gunpowder led them down an adjacent hall to another room, and opened the door for Bluebolt to step inside. She briefly turned back to the others. “Okay, you guys wait out here for a minute, I’ll call you when I’m ready for you to come in,” she whispered.

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “What? Why can’t we go in right now?” she whispered back.

“I saw how Chief Storm acted outside towards Rarity, so that means she had no idea Rarity was even here, which means my mom and dad probably don’t, either. I want to surprise them. You have no idea how good it’ll feel for me to get one past my parents. So, please? Just for a minute?”

Bloom rolled her eyes. “Fine, fine.”

Bluebolt and Symphony headed into the room with Gunpowder right behind them, but they left the door open just enough that Rarity could hear everything.

“Hi, Dad!” Bluebolt greeted as she walked in. “I’m back!”

“Heyyy! There’s my little cookie pilot, back from her big winter adventure!” came the voice of Bluebolt’s father, King Lockwood. He sounded just like Rarity remembered.

Rarity could see that Bloom and Flurry were just barely holding in a fit of laughter at “cookie pilot”. She herself was keeping her composure, and not doing very well.

“Dad!” huffed Bluebolt, obviously annoyed and embarrassed. “I told you not to call me that anymore! I’m twenty years old, not a little filly.”

Rarity could hear Symphony chuckling, and she knew Lockwood well enough that she could just hear the coy smile he must’ve had on his face right now. “Awww, is my widdle cookie-wookie feeling grumpy-wumpy?” he cooed.

“Dad!”

Rarity saw Bloom have to physically restrain herself from laughing, biting down on her hoof. Flurry simply excused herself to walk a little further down the hall. Rarity kept herself together, though. She certainly wasn’t holding her breath to keep from laughing aloud, no sir.

Lockwood chuckled. “Sorry, honey, I just needed to get that out of my system. You’ll always be my little cookie pilot. I missed you, you know?”

Bluebolt grumbled something that Rarity couldn’t hear, but was certain wasn’t polite language. “Dad, stop, you’re embarrassing me in front of my friends,” she said through clenched teeth.

“Oh, that’s right, I heard you’d brought a few guests with you to meet with me and your mother. Let me guess, they’re waiting outside? And they heard all of that?”

“Yes, Dad, they got to hear all of that stupid ‘cookie pilot’ mushy junk. So thanks a lot for that.”

“Aww, you’re welcome, honey. Go on, show them in.”

Bluebolt snorted, then headed back to the door. “Okay guys, time for your big entrance,” she said, teeth still clenched. “Come on in.”

Flurry, who’d composed herself by now, went first, followed by Bloom, followed by Rarity.

Rarity grinned when she saw the dumbfounded look on Lockwood’s face when she walked in. “Now now, Lockwood,” she said, “it’s impolite to gawk. Last time I saw that expression I’d just stepped out of a bath without any clothes on.”

He looked just like she remembered him, only more properly regal: a gray-coated pegasus with a brown mane and the most striking gold-colored eyes she’d ever seen. Well, eye, more like. His right eye was covered by a fancy white eyepatch, and his left wing was wrapped in a decorative sleeve of some sort, both hiding the old injuries he had sustained helping get her and her friends to Hope’s Point twenty-one years ago. He was otherwise dressed in a fancy white coat with a popped collar. There was a wedding earring in his left ear—that was this world’s tradition.

“R-Rarity?!” he blurted. “When did this— how are you— what in the world are you doing here?!” He paused. “And that was an accident, by the way! You rushed into the room.”

“Oh, is that how you remember it? Awfully convenient, wouldn’t you say?” Rarity approached and gave him a big hug, which he returned immediately. “Well anyway, it’s all a rather long story why I’m here, darling, one I’m sure we’ll have time to share later on. How are you doing? You look marvelous, by the way.”

“I’m doing well, thank you.” He broke from the hug to look her over. “Look at you, though. You’re still as gorgeous as ever, as if you could be anything else,” he said with a grin.

Rarity playfully slapped his chest. “Flatterer. Don’t let your wife catch you being so complimentary with me, hmm? She seems like the jealous type.”

“She’d forgive me just this once. Though maybe we should keep the whole ‘out of the bath’ thing just between us, shall we? That would just raise too many questions.”

“Among other things, as I recall?”

Rarity’s eyes drifted over to Bluebolt, who just had this mischievous grin on her face. She knew Bluebolt well enough by this point to guess that she was going to use this little conversation to her advantage next time Lockwood pulled that “cookie pilot” nonsense again, and felt she owed the mare that much for putting this all together.

Lockwood cleared his throat, then gave Rarity another hug. “It’s so good to see you. Forgive me for asking, but where are the others?”

Rarity smiled slightly, but shook her head. “Not here I’m afraid, but they send their love.”

“Well, that’s a shame. I certainly never expected to ever see any of you ever again, but with you here I sort of hoped…” Lockwood then turned to the Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart. “But you’re definitely not alone, I see. Who are your new friends?”

Bluebolt hopped in before Rarity could even speak, and with a big smile practically grabbed Bloom up off the ground in a tight hug. “This is Apple Bloom, Dad!”

Bloom fidgeted in Bluebolt’s grip. “Whoa nelly, easy now! I can introduce mahself just fine, Bluebolt. Sheesh.”

Lockwood’s smile brightened. “‘Apple Bloom’, you said? As in Applejack’s sister?”

“Yes sir, that’s me!” Bloom said with a smile of her own. She offered her hoof to him to shake. “It’s an honor ta finally meet ya, uh, brother-in-law? I don’t know if that’s the right word fer it, family trees get confusin’ sometimes.”

Lockwood took her hoof gently at first, then pulled her in for a hug, to Bloom’s surprise. “The honor’s all mine, Apple Bloom.”

“Aw shucks, I wasn’t expectin’ a hug,” Bloom muttered as she returned it.

“Nonsense! We’re family!” Lockwood said as he pulled out of the hug. “Your sister talked about you all the time. How is Applejack, by the way? And Flathoof, too, of course. Gosh, it feels good to have a chance to find out.”

“Well now, that’s a pretty loaded question, ain’t it? I’ve got a lot ta tell ya 'bout how they’ve been doin’, an’ other things ‘sides that. Believe me, we’ve got a lot ta talk about. Not just from mah end, neither, y’know?”

“I can’t wait to hear it, and I can’t wait to share.” He then turned to Flurry. “And who might you be, young lady? You don’t look related to anypony I know, though you’re sort of familiar.”

Flurry gave him a polite nod and a smile. “Hello, I’m Flurry Heart. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty. I’ve heard about you from my Aunt Twilight.”

“Aha, you’re Twilight’s niece, huh? Well now, how about that? It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. And please, drop the whole ‘Your Majesty’ business. Your aunt and her friends are practically family to me—especially Applejack, obviously—so as far as I’m concerned, you are too. Just ‘Lockwood’ will do.”

“Well then, thank you, Lockwood.”

Lockwood looked to Rarity again, eyebrow raised. “I’m at a total loss here, Rarity, and you have no idea how rare that is for me these days. Has something happened back home? What are you doing here?”

“As I said, it’s a long story,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “Suffice to say, however, there’s no emergency back home this time that we need to worry about, so while we do want to get home as soon as possible, we can afford to wait if need be. To catch up with old friends, for example.”

“Or wait out a rough winter,” Bloom added.

Lockwood’s good eye widened. “You’ve been here all winter?!”

“Yeah! They holed up with us at Goldridge,” Bluebolt said with a proud grin. “I’ve been hanging out with my cousin for two whole months, and it’s been a blast.”

“Well, technically she’s your aunt—” Lockwood started to say.

Bloom shook her head. “Oh no, uh uh, I ain’t havin’ nopony her age call me ‘Aunt’ Apple Bloom, if’n y’all don’t mind. I’m not that much older’n she is, an’ I don’t need ta feel older’n that. ‘Cousin’ will do.”

Lockwood smirked. “Alright, fair enough. Just don’t start calling me ‘Uncle’ Lockwood, okay?”

“Deal.”

“So,” Lockwood said, looking back to Rarity again, “I assume you’ve got Sundial helping you get home this time around. She’s a reliable mare, so I have no doubt you’ve already got a plan in mind?”

“Indeed we do,” Rarity replied. “She’s taking us south towards Zeb’ra’den to see if that portal we built is still working. We might make a pit stop on the way, but both of our goals are meeting in the same place.”

Lockwood frowned. “Down south? Oh dear…”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “‘Oh dear’? Whatever is that supposed to mean? Is there a problem with that?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that there’s a problem. With those winters storms about, we can’t really get much news from around the world, you see. Well, once things cleared up, we got a little bit of troublesome news. It might cause somewhat of a delay in those plans of yours.”

Rarity frowned as well. “‘Oh dear’ indeed, then. What sort of news?”

“Southern continent embroiled in civil war,” came a voice from the doorway.

Everypony turned to see that a smoke gray pegasus mare had walked into the room, one that Rarity recognized instantly as Queen Blackburn herself. Like Lockwood, she’d changed little over the years, apart from looking older. Blackburn’s mane was still long and bright blue, of course, but like Rarity’s hers had long streaks of gray running through it. She wore a regal white coat with a high collar, nearly identical to Lockwood’s. She had an identical wedding earring in her right ear.

“Blackburn, darling!” Rarity greeted with a smile and a wave. “It’s so good to see you, dear.”

Blackburn gave a slight smile and a nod to Rarity. “Rarity. This is a surprise.”

Bluebolt grinned wide, triumphant. “Ha! Ha ha! I just knew I’d finally gotten one past you, Mom! You had no idea I had Rarity here with me, did you? Did you?!”

Blackburn shook her head. “Correct. Between southern conflict, end of winter season, the caravan you brought, a visiting foreign dignitary, and news of impending NPAF attack, I must have missed that. You move too quickly. Well done.”

Bluebolt nudged Symphony. “Ooh, listen to that, songbird, that’s pride right there. ‘Well done’, ha!”

Symphony smirked and tousled Bluebolt’s mane. “Way to go, pecha. You’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

Blackburn stepped forward to give Rarity a hug, and Rarity returned it. “Good to see you, too. Arrival comes at inconvenient time, but a pleasure nonetheless.”

Rarity gave a little laugh. “Well, it seems that I have a bit of a habit of arriving in your city at inopportune moments, don’t I? Terribly sorry about all that, darling, but it was a rather extreme circumstance.”

“No matter.” Blackburn turned to Bloom and Flurry. “Heard introductions from outside. Apple Bloom, sister of Applejack. Flurry Heart, niece of Twilight Sparkle. A pleasure to meet you both.”

“A pleasure ta meet ya too, Blackburn,” Bloom said with a polite nod. “Shucks, y’all have no idea how neat it is ta finally meet you 'n' Lockwood. I hear I’ve got other family here in the city?”

“That you do!” Lockwood said with a smile. “I’m going to make arrangements for you to meet them as soon as possible. They’re going to be just as excited to meet you as you are to meet them, I promise you that. I hope you’ve got a lot of stories to share about Flathoof—our mom’ll love it.”

“Oh boy, do I ever. Y’all got no idea, heh.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Your Majesty,” Flurry said with a small bow. “Aunt Twilight told me a lot about you and the things you and your husband did to help them get home.”

Blackburn smiled slightly. “Yes, many sacrifices, much effort. But we succeeded.” She raised an eyebrow. “Though your being here concerns me. There is a story to tell, will make time to hear it.” She turned to Rarity. “Have to make arrangements for your departure anyway, will have time set aside to ‘catch up’.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Rarity then frowned and shook her head. “Hold on, though, you said that there was a war going on down south? How is that possible? I thought the southern continent was peaceful? I believe the word ‘pacifist’ was thrown around an awful lot.”

Blackburn sighed. “Conflict has been brewing for years. Rising tensions between noble Houses. House Silver at center of conflict; Silvertongue was a member of their House long ago. News of his deeds spread; House Silver’s name tarnished, other Houses seeking to capitalize.”

“And the death of Harmonia’s Warden, Mémoire, complicated matters,” Lockwood added. “As Harmonia’s ‘voice’, so to say, he would have been responsible for mediating things.”

“Also, Mémoire killed in zebra territories during diplomatic mission.” Blackburn shook her head. “Relations between Zeb’ra’den and southern ponies heavily strained.”

Rarity felt her heart leap up into her throat just a little. “Oh no. Please tell me the zebras aren’t involved with the fighting.”

“No. House Snow still calls them allies, House Snow remains neutral in conflict. Other Houses know it would be foolish to antagonize both.”

Rarity breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. But what about Harmonia? How has she allowed all of this to happen? I thought she and her Wardens kept peace in the south, even before the Beacons existed?”

Lockwood scratched his chin. “Well, the last anypony’s seen of her was up here in the north, helping to re-fertilize the soil and cleanse as much of the corruption in the land itself as she could. But nopony’s seen her in years now, even us.”

“As if she just vanished,” Blackburn said, shaking her head. “Situation escalated during the winter—it was summer in the south—and is worsening. News has been pointedly scarce.”

“Normally that wouldn’t be a problem for us, but Newhaven’s on complete lockdown right now because of the conflict.”

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Newhaven? I thought that was Hope’s Point’s territory?”

“Technically just the ports are ours. The town itself is under the rule of House Sky, one of the Houses that’s staying neutral in this whole engagement. I think it’s just them and House Snow at this point that aren’t involved in any fighting. Though there might be others, we’re not sure just yet.”

“Their fear is that Hope’s Point’s involvement might escalate war further,” Blackburn grunted. “Currently, there has been little open warfare. However, tensions are rising; Lord Skycatcher’s worries have merit. Have been negotiating for some allowance of port use.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened. “Wait, is Fireglow still down south?!”

Lockwood smiled and gave a brief nod. “He is, but we’ve got it on good authority that he’s in Newhaven at the moment. It’s neutral territory, so he’s not in any danger.” He turned to Symphony. “Neither is your family, Symphony. All the news we’ve gotten so far is that everypony at Newhaven is safe and sound.”

Symphony let out a breath of relief. “Che sollievo.”

Lockwood gave a proud grin. “We’re arranging with House Sky at the moment to figure out a way to provide aid to any innocents that are affected by the little game the noble Houses think they’re playing. It’s a lot of diplomatic work, but Hope’s Point has the best diplomat on the job.”

Bluebolt grinned. “You, Dad?”

“Well, not to toot my own horn or anything, but I’m trying my best.”

Symphony nodded. “If anypony can figure this out, it’s you, Your Majesty.”

Rarity hummed. “So, what does that mean for us, exactly?”

Blackburn gave Rarity a weak smile. “You will remain here in Hope’s Point until further notice. Will make preparations to arrange a neutral transport to take you to Newhaven. Will take seven, no, six days, approximately, if all goes well.”

Rarity let out a breath. “Well, I suppose after spending the entire winter in Goldridge, spending a few extra days here in Hope’s Point won’t be all that bad. Again, we’re not on any sort of a time limit.”

“What about that there fleet that’s comin’ this way, though?” Bloom asked, nervous. “What if we’re still here when they show up?”

“Oh, that’s right, I’d almost completely forgotten about that,” Rarity muttered. “Last time this happened it was an absolutely dreadful affair.”

Blackburn put her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder. “Will do what I can to get all relevant information. Rest assured, city has not fallen before, will not fall now; will never fall. You are safe here.” She turned to Rarity and nodded. “Have time to prepare. Will not trust passive measures. Will actively scout fleet, determine strengths and weaknesses, organize defenses accordingly.”

“You might want to ask our friend Weaver for help,” Flurry suggested. “It’s kind of a long story, but he seemed to know a lot about their capabilities.”

“Yeah! When we spotted the fleet, he told us all about how they scrapped the old Gargantuan-class cruisers, like the ones that attacked that day,” Bluebolt said. “He knew what they were doing and everything.”

“His boss was involved with some shady shit, too,” Symphony added. “But he’s on our side now, Your Majesty, and he’ll be happy to help, I just know it.”

Blackburn eyed the girls briefly, seemingly processing this information, then nodded. “You trust this pony. Will give him the benefit of the doubt.”

Lockwood clapped his hooves together. “So, I think we can all agree that we’ve made some arrangements and plans to move forward, yes? Well, in that case, why don’t we all take advantage of these few days we have together to catch up on old times, relax, and show off all the changes we’ve made around here.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “We might as well make the most out of a bad situation, darling, I agree.”

Bloom nodded excitedly. “Well then why’re we waitin’ here, huh? Let’s get a move on!”

Chapter Fourteen: Enmity

Rarity rather enjoyed the vast differences in the offerings Hope’s Point seemed to have on hoof when once had free range of the place rather than being escorted around everywhere by Briarthorn, as it had been on her last visit. Besides being allowed to walk the streets wherever and whenever she wanted—which allowed her to scope out the city’s fashion scene—she also had her own choices of where she would eat each meal, who she’d spend her time with, and basically anything else she wanted to do, see, or experience.

At the moment, she was making her way towards a delightful little Baroque restaurant called Bella Serata that came highly recommended by Symphony, and she trusted the mare’s opinion seeing as she had Baroque heritage. Symphony had suggested Rarity order the sweet crespelles for breakfast and Rarity was indeed eager to try them, particularly if they offered blueberries and cream. Apparently the restaurant was also something of a couple’s paradise as it specialized in its romantic atmosphere and pastas, as was typical of the Baroque culture.

But that was beside the point. At the moment, Rarity’s mind was on fashion. After a few days in the city, she’d noticed a number of trends as far as the populace’s fashion sense was concerned. Sure, the average pony wore relatively average clothes, but she could pick out the ponies that specifically paid attention to their appearances. There was nothing so extravagant as the fancy dresses that she designed for the upper class back in Canterlot, but there was still an interesting offering to be seen.

Since it was the beginning of the northern spring, most of the outfits on display were just warm enough to get through the last of the winter cold passing through but relaxed enough to be comfortable. Thus, the clothing consisted mostly of lightweight jackets, long skirts, and decorative hats. Even the city’s stallions seemed to get in on the fashion game around here, which Rarity noted was rare even back in Canterlot. The stallions didn’t wear skirts, of course—at least from what Rarity had seen—but she wouldn’t judge if any did.

Rarity felt a little out of place wearing her winter coat, but couldn’t exactly part with it—it would be autumn down south, and snowy and cold once they got to zebra territory—so she just kept the coat open enough to keep her covered, but not too warm. It still fit a spring aesthetic well enough to get by.

The main way to tell who was or wasn’t fashion conscious was easy, too, because such ponies groomed themselves in a particular way. Manes and tails were treated with precision and care, perfectly coiffed, combed, primped, brushed, parted, tied, braided, or curled into exquisite, luxurious styles not out of place in a fashion show back home. The average pony just seemed to comb their manes and tails briefly before they left the house, nothing quite so attentive.

Rarity was so distracted with the fashion culture of the citizens that she nearly walked right past her restaurant stop. Bella Serata wasn’t particularly crowded this morning, just a few pleasant-looking ponies here and there eating breakfast before a day of work or shopping or whatever they were off to do. Rarity was seated at a table in the corner by herself, took a brief moment to look over the menu and place her order—the sweet crespelles with blueberries and cream, natch—then sat, waited, and began eating the moment her food arrived.

The crespelles, incidentally, were simply divine. The best she’d ever tasted, in fact, and she was quite a connoisseur of the finer dining back in Canterlot.

Unfortunately, she’d hardly gotten started when she noticed a pony coming towards her table, a pegasus mare with an orange coat and a pink mane, wearing a crisp jacket bearing the Hope’s Point insignia: a black lighthouse over a red and gold backdrop.

“Miss Rarity?” the mare asked as she reached Rarity’s table, giving a polite bow.

Rarity dabbed her mouth with a napkin. “Yes, that’s me. How may I help you?”

“I’ve been sent to retrieve you and escort you immediately for an audience with Her and His Majesty.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Whatever for, dear?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know, but the matter sounded urgent. If you’d come with me, please?” She noticed Rarity’s mostly full plate. “Um, after you’ve finished your meal, of course.”

“Oh dear,” Rarity muttered, “this doesn’t sound good.”

*****

Rarity entered into the royal throne room a short while later, finding it exactly as she remembered it from her last visit—she hadn’t gotten to see it since arriving in the city this time around. It wasn’t so much a throne room as it was an observation chamber, really, and she knew that was just because Blackburn didn’t see the need for a “royal” atmosphere. Blackburn would rather have her throne room be useful as her personal information center, and she definitely made sure that was the case.

As such, the room was incredibly dark and amounted to little more than a long hallway. Its most prominent feature was a large, circular hub in the middle of the room, covered with dozens of small monitors. Additional, smaller monitoring stations adorned the sides of the room, though they were currently unoccupied. Mounted above the hub on a mantle and plaque was… nothing, not now at least. Rarity figured that it would be tacky these days to have a Gargantuan skull there as there once was, all things considered, but wondered if Blackburn just didn’t care about replacing it.

Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood stood at the hub station, and from their expressions they did not seem too pleased—Blackburn rarely looked pleased, and in fact had been on edge for the past day or so waiting for an attack that for some reason hadn’t come yet, but seeing Lockwood like this was rather odd. Also present were Bluebolt, Symphony, Sundial, Bloom, Flurry, and Weaver. The gang was all here, so to say—minus Venture, if she could be considered part of the “gang”—and Rarity wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

“Good, we can begin,” Blackburn said as soon as Rarity was within earshot. “Will make this relatively brief: we are moving your flight arrangements up by a few days. To this afternoon, actually.”

Rarity brightened immediately, her anxiety gone. “Really? My goodness, that’s wonderful news. I take it Newhaven was able… to…” She noticed the sour expressions still on the royal couple’s faces, and her anxiety returned as fast as it had gone. “Oh. Oh dear, this is bad news, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” Lockwood grunted. “Quite bad, actually.”

“What’s going on, Mom? Dad?” Bluebolt asked, looking quite worried herself now.

Blackburn snorted. “Received word this morning, only an hour ago: Newhaven is currently under siege.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened in shock. “What?!”

“What do you mean, ‘under siege’?” Symphony asked, equally wide-eyed.

“Houses Waters and Green have declared war on House Sky,” Lockwood said, shaking his head. “Since House Sky rules over and makes its home in Newhaven, that means that Newhaven is their target. The report says that the city is surrounded by a detachment of the House Green army and the House Waters navy.”

Symphony was clearly barely keeping calm. “Is everypony there okay? Is my family safe?”

“Is Fireglow safe?!” Bluebolt blurted. “You said he was in Newhaven too! What about Gleaming Dawn? And Uncle Shorthoof and—”

Blackburn let out a breath, though not exactly of relief. “All evacuated into Newhaven’s port, which is officially Hope’s Point territory. They will be safe for now.”

“What do you mean ‘for now’?!”

“Sieging forces might march on Newhaven proper any moment. Whether they can differentiate between port and town, unknown.”

“It’s not a risk we’re willing to take, of course,” Lockwood added. “We wouldn’t allow it to happen anyway, since Newhaven is as much ours as it is House Sky’s, but naturally there are a lot of factors that make this a high, high priority.”

Blackburn clenched her teeth. “Crossfire’s birthplace. Family still lives there. Insulting to his memory.”

“I thought you said that this House Sky was a neutral House in all of this southern conflict?” Rarity asked, nervous and concerned for the well-being of the friends and loved ones of her friends and loved ones. “Why would these other Houses attack Newhaven?”

Blackburn took a deep breath. “Because they are enemies of House Silver. Current head of House Silver, Lady Silverluck, was taking refuge at House Sky’s estate, hoping to persuade Lord Skycatcher in some unknown matter. Evidence reported suggests she followed neutral terms and came with only a private entourage, including her husband.”

“They’re gonna attack a whole town an’ risk hurtin’ lots o’ innocent ponies just ta get ta one mare?” Bloom asked, wide-eyed. “What kind o’ jerks are these Green 'n' Waters folk?”

“Lord Green Fields of House Green, a hot-headed narcissist lech with a chip on his shoulder. Lord Deepwater of House Waters, greedy, arrogant, has intense trade rivalry with Hope’s Point. Former likely sees opportunity for fame and fortune; latter sees opportunity to cripple our trade route.”

“How deplorable!” Rarity snorted. “Putting innocent lives at risk for such frivolous things.”

“That’s war for you, Rarity,” Lockwood mumbled, shaking his head. “But if it’s a war that these Houses want, it’s a war that they’re gonna get.”

“I beg your pardon?”

Blackburn cracked her neck. “Authorized your departure for as soon as preparations are made to relevant ships. Only have one opportunity to send you off, must do so via military vessels; civilian transports will not be safe to move there, need to respond to threat anyway. Matter of convenience.”

“You don’t have to go now, if you don’t want to,” Lockwood said with a slight smile. “Once we clear this up, we’ll be able to get a civilian transport prepped up for you to go, but we can’t promise when we’ll be able to do so without risking an incident. Or needing to take a major detour. Or needing to wait for a long while. Basically, a lot of unknowns.”

“Wouldn’t sending military vessels to Newhaven start an ‘incident’?” Flurry asked.

Lockwood shook his head. “Not exactly. There are a lot of complications to it that I’ve been looking into since we got the news, but rest assured, if there is an incident brewing here it won’t be because of our response, it’ll be because of their response.”

“How soon do we leave?” Bluebolt asked. “You said by the afternoon, right?”

“You aren’t going anywhere, young lady,” Lockwood said. “Your brother’s already in an awful position as it is, not to mention all of our other friends and family down there, and we’re not risking anything happening to you, too.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened, and she was clearly very, very angry. “What?! You can’t just leave me here! I promised Sundial and Rarity—”

“The south is at war, Bluebolt!” Blackburn snapped. “You will stay here, where it is safe.”

“‘Safe’?! The damn NPAF is making their way down towards us any day now! Are you even ready to repel—”

“Preparations have been made, NPAF will not threaten our city.”

“We’re bringing everypony in Newhaven that we can back with us,” Lockwood said with a nod. “They’ll be safer here than there in case the other noble Houses get any more bright ideas about attacking the town.”

Symphony set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “It’s alright, pecha, your mom and dad are right. It’s not safe there.”

Bluebolt turned to Symphony in shock. “Symphony, c’mon, don’t you start—”

“Bolt, trust me. Just listen to them, okay?” She nuzzled against Bluebolt’s neck. “I’m worried too. Mia famiglia is there, and they’re in just as much danger as yours. But if your mom and dad want us to stay here, then we should. Non ti preoccupare, andrà bene. Fidati di me.”

Bluebolt stayed silent for a moment, then nodded, and hugged Symphony tight. “I’ll always trust you, songbird. Thank you…”

Rarity cleared her throat. “So, if I’m understanding this correctly, we’re to depart on one of these military vessels of yours? This afternoon?’

“Correct,” Blackburn said with a nod. “Have already made arrangements with Fleet Master Highwind, as fleet preparations are well underway and this takes priority. Will not be a ‘good enough’ situation, either: top-class ships are available. You will be aboard Highwind’s own Blue Lightning—a troop deployment and command vessel—and escorted by the Thunder Two—our top gunship.”

“Briarthorn would be proud of what his successor ship is capable of, let me tell you,” Lockwood added with a little grin. “At any rate, I should get a move on if we’re going to be ready in time. Still a few things to oversee before we depart, you understand.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Hmm? ‘We’?”

“Well, obviously I’ll be accompanying you to Newhaven aboard the Blue Lightning, seeing as I’m going to need to engage in some negotiations, diplomacy, and other assorted leadership duties in my role as King.”

“I must remain here to continue defense preparations,” Blackburn added. “Otherwise, it would be me.”

“It’s probably better this way,” Lockwood added with a grin. “I’ve always been the more negotiable one, eh? Blackburn would be better suited here with the fleet organization, you know that.”

Rarity shook her head, dismayed by this entire situation. “Thank you for including us in this whole arrangement, both of you. I’m terribly sorry to hear about all of this, and my thoughts are with your friends and family. I can only hope nothing happens in the meanwhile.”

“Sometimes, hope is all we have,” Flurry said. She let out a breath. “I don’t like this at all.”

Bloom set her hoof on Flurry’s shoulder. “Don’t you worry now, Flurry. Lockwood’ll take care o’ everythin’ just fine, yeah?”

Sundial, who’d stayed silent until now, took a breath of her own. “This whole situation is a bunch o’ shite, aye? I know you lot got word about these rising tensions and all that once winter was over, but I was just down south back in summer—their winter—and I didn’t get the feeling that a bloody war was about ta break out, aye? It’s madness, is what this is.”

“Agreed,” Blackburn said with a nod. “News has not been good so far, will not bore you with details. But this affects us in the north.” She grunted. “Recent discussions brought up concept of rising Darkness up north. Worthy thought, however, evidence suggests Darkness is also rising down south.

“Utopian continent peaceful since before Beacons were constructed. Harmonia maintained peace via Wardens—Silvertongue included—after banishing Nihila cultists. Peace lasted until Beacons fell twenty-one years ago. An entire continent starting a war within twenty-one years, after more than one thousand years of peace?” Blackburn shook her head. “Improbable, but not impossible.”

Sundial paused, then nodded. “Ye think there’s something else at play here, aye?”

“Difficult to tell, but tensions rose too fast. Somepony or something is responsible.”

“We just can’t believe that an entire continent of peace-loving ponies would throw themselves into war so quickly over such petty issues as they’re claiming,” Lockwood agreed. “It’s definitely odd, but that information you brought certainly helps us in figuring something out.”

“Also, timing is suspicious,” Blackburn continued. “War starts in the south around the time NPAF fleet is set to attack Hope’s Point? Again, improbable, but not impossible.”

Rarity gasped. “You don’t think that they had something to do with this?” She turned to Sundial and Weaver. “That Conclave you mentioned, could they be responsible?”

Weaver shook his head. “Unknown. Overseer Pedigree never hinted at anything of this sort, however, I agree that it sounds suspicious.”

Lockwood cleared his throat. “At any rate, enough chit-chat everypony. I’ve got to get things settled with Highwind to get our two ships moving as soon as possible, hmm? I’ll send out a summons when we’re ready.”

Rarity nodded. “Thank you again, Lockwood, Blackburn. I wish the circumstances were different, but I appreciate you considering our situation as well, and how it fits into all of this.”

Blackburn nodded. “You are a good friend, Rarity. I, too, regret the circumstances, but rest assured, I will do everything in my power to help you.” She turned to Sundial. “And you as well. Mission to southern Beacon sounds more important than ever.”

Sundial let out a breath and nodded. “Aye, and more complicated.”

Rarity shook her head. “That is how things always seem to go.”

*****

Rarity had never been one to judge the various techno-magic constructions that this world seemed to love, at least as far as appearances were concerned. Much of it just wasn’t her style, she could admit that, in the same way that Rainbow Dash could gush over how “cool” an outfit looked while Rarity was more concerned with “class”. She supposed that there were likely plenty of ponies out there that would appreciate the sight of the Blue Lightning as it finished getting prepped for launch, it just wasn’t her.

The airship was not too much larger than Rarity remembered Briarthorn’s old Thunder ship being, though it had a sleeker shape and more sophisticated aesthetic. As its namesake suggested, the ship was mostly a brilliant electric blue, accented with silver and black to give it a sporty sort of look that Rainbow Dash would’ve surely appreciated. It was shaped rather oddly, almost like the head of a dragon, and she could see the ports where its wings would eventually deploy near the top and bottom.

It was certainly different seeing a crew getting prepared to take the ship out. Rarity recalled that Briarthorn’s Thunder was designed to operate with only one pegasus, and that he and his ship were unique in that aspect. The Blue Lightning had an honest-to-goodness crew: Fleet Master Highwind would be the pilot, as it was his personal ship; his cockpit operator was a unicorn mare named Terra Rose; his engineer was an earth pony stallion named Drill Bit; and he had two ensigns to operate minor systems, a unicorn stallion named Cloudhopper, and a pegasus mare named Yoyo. All of them wore formal flight jackets that matched the color of the ship, with Highwind himself wearing a flight suit under his.

The ship seemed state-of-the-art, so far as Rarity could tell. Its innards were sleek, clean, shiny, smooth, and bright, almost like everything was brand-new, and Rarity was sure to compliment Highwind on the condition his ship was in.

“Ha ha! Thank you, Miss Rarity,” Highwind laughed. “Truth be told, my darling’s been in hibernation for more than two months, and we use that time to perform thorough maintenance and cleaning that should last the rest of the year.”

It was all a rather welcome change, actually, from the dirty, run-down piece-of-junk Thunder that she’d last had the opportunity to ride in. She’d never tell Briarthorn how much she’d loathed being on board that ship and would have rather ridden on Queen Blackburn’s Wyvern even without knowing a thing about it. The way Bluebolt described the fleet these days, she was certain any ship would’ve made better transportation.

There wasn’t much to say, really, as the ship’s crew finished their checks and everypony boarded and made ready for launch. The ship was large enough and, since the journey south would be smooth, steady enough that everypony on board could freely walk around and explore the ship without taking seats.

Rarity was content to stay on the bridge, where Lockwood, Gunpowder, Highwind, and Terra Rose were. The latter, incidentally, was a pretty young thing, with a lovely red coat and a long green mane streaked with white-blonde that she wore in a ponytail.

Highwind himself was in a cylindrical chamber on the bridge, which was explained to be a piloting mechanism that allowed pegasi to maneuver the ship exactly as they maneuvered themselves via some strange coating that covered their wings and a visor over his eyes—Rarity didn’t know how it worked but it sounded fascinating.

Rarity hadn’t been sure exactly how this whole launch procedure went the last time she’d gone through it, what with being essentially locked in a cargo hold for most of the process, so she was rather eager to see the magic happen, so to say. The ship’s view screens gave a total view of the exterior of the ship in a variety of angles and followed Highwind’s head as he turned, as if there was something atop the ship somehow mimicking his movements. The ship was him and he was the ship, or at least that was how he explained it.

As Highwind gave the orders to launch, the hangar it was in—which was located at the bottom of the cliff the city sat on, below the ocean surface—was flooded with seawater via a large doorway which led out into an underwater tunnel. Rarity could feel the Blue Lightning’s engines spring to life, pushing the ship forward underwater as it traveled up through the tunnel and into the open ocean, where it quickly surfaced.

The ship then deployed its wings at the same time that Highwind flexed his own. For Rarity’s benefit, Highwind even looked left and right to show off the ship in its full glory, at least as best he could from this angle. The wings spread out into a wide fan shape, giving the ship—at least from Rarity’s perspective—the appearance of a frilled lizard.

The Thunder Two pulled up alongside the Blue Lightning a moment later. Rarity hadn’t seen this ship until now, but knew its namesake as the successor to Briarthorn’s old Thunder, but she felt that the appearance it had wasn’t nearly the same. The Thunder Two was a disc-shaped ship that deployed long wings at its sides, giving it the appearance of a boomerang of sorts. She didn’t see any weapons on the supposed “gunship”, however, and assumed they were kept hidden until needed.

One thing Rarity was thankful for was the lack of the old Belt of Tranquility, which had been an equator-spanning magical storm that effectively made travel from one hemisphere to the other impossible without extremely durable magical barriers, which—according to Blackburn—hadn’t been developed until roughly fifty years or so before Rarity and her friends had first arrived. In other words, the north and south had been completely separated from one another for hundreds of years because of that storm, which was created by the energies of the Beacons clashing along the equator.

Incidentally, that reminded Rarity of an important question: “Lockwood, darling, I just realized, without that dreadful storm about, it seemed to me that you didn’t have anypony making use of that… what was it called…?”

“Oh, the Diffusion system?” Lockwood asked. “Yeah, we don’t use it anymore, obviously. No more pegasi have to suffer like Briarthorn and his family did, or so many others. It was first thing Blackburn put into effect when the Belt collapsed.”

“All of our shields are onboard and fully powered by traditional techno-magic these days,” Highwind added. “They’re not as powerful as the old Diffusion models, of course, but since they don’t need to withstand the old Belt, they get the job done just fine.”

“Would that Diffusion system have allowed your ships to fly in those thunderblizzards?” Rarity asked.

Lockwood tilted his head, clearly mulling that over. “Huh… I dunno, actually. I’ll pose that question to our Chief Science Officer, Lucky Star. Not that it means we’ll start using them again—Blackburn would never allow it—but it’d be interesting conversation.”

Rarity looked out through the view screens onto the beautiful ocean below as they soared through the sky at a blistering speed. “Your world really is amazing now that things have changed, isn’t it? I remember how the ocean here looked until you got further south: just blackish-green water, not even suitable for fish. Now it has the lovely blue color it should.”

“Yeah, it really is beautiful, isn’t it?” Lockwood said with a grin. “Though from how you described things, it’s still nothing compared to your home. Even with everything that’s happened, your world still seems so much more bright and colorful. At least that’s how I picture it in my mind.”

“You’d enjoy it very much, I think. If it were possible, darling, I’d ask for every single pony I know in your world to come to mine.” Rarity sighed and shook her head. “But I know that’s not possible.”

“It’s a nice thought, though. But to be honest, this is still our home, and we still love it here. All we can hope for is a chance to make it better and better, until someday nopony ever has to worry about the things that they still do even now. No more war, no more dangerous storms, no more anger, or hate. Just peace, compassion, and harmony.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “I certainly hope that your world achieves that goal someday.” She then frowned. “Though, that does ironically sound an awful lot like what Silvertongue wanted for you all, doesn’t it? For everypony in all the worlds, actually.”

Lockwood grunted. “Believe me, I’ve had this conversation with Blackburn more than once, and while she agrees absolutely with the end results he was seeking—peace, joy, and prosperity for all without fear, pain, or sorrow—she vehemently disagrees with his methods. The ends don’t justify the means.”

It only took a couple of hours for the Blue Lightning and Thunder Two to reach Newhaven, which sat upon the northernmost cliffs of the southern continent. Rarity had never been to the town, actually, as circumstances had made that unfeasible, but she knew that Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy had. In their brief descriptions it had sounded an awful lot like Ponyville: rustic, down-to-earth, and peaceful, surrounded by fertile farmland and filled with wonderfully nice ponies just like those back home.

All of that was certainly true, so far as Rarity could tell from up here. She could also see the great port that kept getting mentioned, which amounted to a number of round buildings with oddly designed roofs all surrounding a tall central structure, all of which had the more modern Hope’s Point aesthetic to them.

The town itself was fairly separate from the port, but the buildings were all made from materials that she recognized as more old-fashioned, such as stone and wood, rather than metal. And it was indeed surrounded by acre after acre of what she knew was farmland. There was also a large manor of sorts near the outskirts of the town that looked positively fancy.

However, Newhaven was anything but peaceful at the moment.

The southern side of the city was surrounded by an army of ponies clad in green armor. She didn’t dare attempt to count, but she made a quick estimate of one thousand strong. She couldn’t quite tell what they were armed with from here, but assumed they were armed. Said troops were already moving upon the town itself, but Rarity couldn’t see anypony down below fleeing from their approach.

The northern side of the city, which bordered the ocean, was occupied by about half a dozen large boats painted white, gold, and blue, complete with sails that depicted a black crashing wave. They were crewed by dozens of ponies each, all of them garbed in blue. These ships she could tell were armed for certain, with cannons, actually, the sort that used gunpowder and cannonballs. She understood that the southern continent had not progressed technologically like the north had, but she felt it rather odd to see nonetheless. The ships, unlike the army, were not currently doing much, perhaps because they were too close to the port?

Highwind brought the Blue Lightning into position directly over the port, and the Thunder Two took the same position, just at a much higher altitude. “We are in position, Your Majesty,” Highwind said.

“Is anypony in any immediate danger down there?” Lockwood asked.

“Not at the moment, Your Majesty, no. Evidence suggests the entire population of Newhaven—southern natives or not—have fled into the port and sealed the gates. However, House Green’s forces will be upon the port within the hour.”

Lockwood sighed. “Crossfire’s heart would break seeing things like this in his hometown. This isn’t right.” He shook his head. “Any sign of Lord Green Fields or Lord Deepwater?”

Highwind turned to Terra Rose. “Anything from the scanners yet, Terra?”

Terra examined her panels, then turned back to Highwind. “Yes, sir. There is a small detachment of troops from both House Green and House Waters situated at Sky Manor, House Sky’s family estate, which suggests there is some leadership presence there from both forces. Unknown if the Lords themselves are there.”

“I have no doubts they’re there,” Highwind grunted.

“Agreed. They’d likely have attempted to demand the town’s surrender from Lord Skycatcher,” Lockwood said with a nod. “Or at the very least Lady Silverluck. Well, at least that means they’re all in a central location.” He turned to Highwind. “Send out a communication buoy, and patch it through to the Blue Lightning’s broadcasting system.”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” Highwind said. “Terra, if you would?”

Terra nodded, turned to her panel, pressed a number of buttons, then began operating a small joystick. Another panel nearby flipped open to reveal a new view screen. From Rarity’s perspective, it was as if whatever this view screen was transmitting from was flying straight from the Blue Lightning’s bottom hull towards the manor on the far end of town.

“What are we seeing here, Lockwood?” she asked.

“One of our communication buoys,” Lockwood said. “It’s a piloted drone based off of the AMP models that utilizes a number of surveillance and communication features to allow our ship to interact directly with troops on the ground, or in this case, to do so with an enemy leader without entering the combat zone.

“Speaking of which, they’re most likely in the estate’s grand hall,” Lockwood noted, turning to Terra. “It offers a view of the town and the coastline from one of the windows on the southeast side.”

Terra nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

The drone—piloted by Terra, apparently—flew towards the southeastern side of the manor and sought out an open window, which it was able to do after a brief search. As it flew inside, Rarity caught sight of a number of ponies present, some armed, some not, but all of them very tense. Some noticed the drone enter the room and reacted with surprise or curiosity.

First was a bright blue pegasus stallion with a purple mane and tail and a matching goatee. Rarity knew that the southern ponies typically didn’t wear clothes, and he was no exception, wearing only an ornate sash colored blue and gold and decorated with an orange pegasus rearing up. He was accompanied by only a single guard, another pegasus stallion, wearing light blue armor and armed with a lance.

Next was a light gray unicorn mare with a beautiful silver mane and tail which she wore in delicate waves. She wore a golden tiara studded with little blue gemstones that Rarity couldn’t identify from the video quality or from this distance. Nopony accompanied her at all. She wore a defiant expression on her face as she stared down the next two ponies, and their entourages.

The first of those was a green earth pony stallion with a golden mane, tall and somewhat muscular, but also a little pudgy. He wore a light suit of decorative armor not at all suited for battle, colored green with golden trim, with a heavy longsword strapped to his back. The three guards he had with him—all earth pony mares—wore armor of a similar color but of sturdier stuff, and were each armed with lances as well.

The last pony Rarity took note of was a dark blue unicorn stallion with a dark green mane that he wore in a style she could best describe as “seaweed caught in a net”. He wore a sash colored blue, silver, and gold, with a black wave etched across it as well as a matching tricorn hat, and carried a rapier at his side. He was accompanied by two guards—also unicorn stallions—dressed in light armor and carrying crossbows.

As the drone approached the collection, one of the unicorn guards fired his crossbow at it in shock. The bolt struck the drone in the side and bounced off harmlessly.

Lockwood cleared his throat, then spoke loudly and clearly into a small device next to the panel. “Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, this is King Lockwood of Hope’s Point. Your forces here are in direct violation of quite a few treaties and agreements held between Newhaven and the other noble Houses, and I’m requesting that you order your forces to stand down immediately.”

The earth pony stallion spoke first. “Ah, the Flightless King has come to talk, has he? Sending your little toys to do the talking for you while you sit on your mechanical bird, hmm? Codardo.”

Rarity bristled with anger. “‘Flightless King’? How dare he mock your injury,” she said, gesturing towards Lockwood’s crippled wing. “You suffered that saving Fluttershy’s life! And besides that, it’s simply tactless—”

Lockwood put his hoof over the device he was speaking into. “It’s quite alright, Rarity, not all ponies are as tactful as you, hmm? Let them feel big if they want. I’m not bothered by it.”

Rarity grunted and said nothing further. She noticed that Highwind and Terra also bore looks of disdain, but they’d kept quiet.

“Lord Green Fields, I assure you, I am more than happy to speak face-to-face if that is what you wish,” Lockwood continued, speaking back into the device. “However, I would think it appropriate procedure to call off your forces in the meantime, while we discussed things.”

“Pah! You think you can come in here and boss us around, do you? That you can tell us what to do and expect us to do it just because you asked?”

“No, I expect you to do as I asked because it is customary and proper procedure in warfare. If you don’t wish to open up negotiations then by all means say so, and we can proceed from there.”

The unicorn stallion pushed the earth pony—Green Fields—out of the way slightly so that he was in frame. “Shut your stupid mouth, Fields, before you hurt yourself.” He turned to the camera and grinned. “Your Majesty, you must forgive Lord Fields, he is not accustomed to these sorts of dealings.”

Rarity didn’t like his tone. His words were somewhat polite but his tone was sarcastic and rude.

Lockwood sneered just slightly. “And I am well-acquainted with the way you are accustomed to handling these sorts of dealings, Lord Deepwater. But I will not repeat myself: call off your forces so that we can negotiate, or face the consequences.”

“Oh, is the Flightless King threatening us now—” interjected Green Fields.

“Shut up, imbécil,” the unicorn—Deepwater—snorted. “Just shut your mouth and send word out to your troops to stand down. The request for negotiations has been made official, and we cannot defy it without risking un ultraje.”

“If he wishes to issue the order, he can speak it directly into the communication buoy, as you have been so far,” Lockwood said. “It has been broadcasting our conversation in its entirety for all of Newhaven to hear.”

Deepwater nudged Green Fields, who merely grumbled. “Fine. House Green troops! This is Lord Green Fields speaking. Stand down for now while we negotiate with this…” He sneered at the camera. “Sporcizia più comune.”

Lockwood nodded. “Very good. I’ll be arriving within the next few moments.” He then turned away from the device he’d been speaking into and addressed Highwind. “Captain, deploy the shuttlecraft, if you would?”

“Right away, Your Majesty,” Highwind said with a nod. He turned to Terra and nodded, and Terra punched a few buttons on the console as she got that process started.

Lockwood, meanwhile, made his way towards the bridge exit, accompanied by Gunpowder.

Rarity stopped him with a hoof before he left the bridge. “Lockwood, darling, are you certain you can handle this alone? I don’t mean to sound as if I don’t trust your ability—far from it—but these two thugs—because that’s what they are, thugs—seem dead set on going through with this little siege of theirs regardless of what you say or do.”

Lockwood smiled at Rarity and shook his head. “I’ll be fine, Rarity, trust me. I was always skilled at making deals with others before I married Blackburn, and I’d like to think that I’ve gotten much better at it over the years. I’m in the big leagues nowadays, eh?”

“I believe that, dear, sincerely I do, but would you like any help? I won’t pretend I’m the best negotiator there is—I think Twilight’s a lot better at it than I am—but I have a good history of it and might be able to lend you a hoof.”

“I can’t put that kind of pressure on you, Rarity. This is my duty as King. It is my responsibility to Hope’s Point and her citizens, not yours. Depending on how things go down there, things might be said or done that you don’t quite agree with, hmm? I don’t want anything like that on your conscience.”

Rarity paused, noting the seriousness in his voice. Gone was the playful, jovial Lockwood of yesteryear. There was something different about him right now, an intensity that she’d never seen before and that she couldn’t place a hoof on, but she felt it was better to let him do what he did best.

“Very well, I won’t argue it,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “May I stay here on the bridge, though, so that I might watch these proceedings? I’d very much like to see how you’ve grown in all these years. A bit different from negotiating with zebras, isn’t it?”

Lockwood nodded. “Be my guest.” He then turned to Highwind. “Keep the Blue Lightning steady here until I return, and follow protocols otherwise, Fleet Master.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Highwind replied with a nod.

Lockwood and Gunpowder then left the bridge. Rarity watched as, a moment later, a small ship, barely larger than the bridge she was standing on, departed from the Blue Lightning’s bottom hull—she’d seen the craft when she came on board but didn’t know what it was at the time—and flew out towards the manor.

More moments passed, and then she saw, on the view screen projected by the drone, Lockwood and Gunpowder enter into the manor’s grand hall, just the two of them. Terra operated the drone in order to get a good angle of the proceedings so that everypony present on the bridge could clearly see all of the players involved, Lockwood in particular. The two ponies that Rarity had yet to identify were the only ones who bowed—albeit briefly—as Lockwood approached.

“And there he is, the Flightless King himself in the flesh,” greeted Green Fields with a smirk. “Had to use one of your fancy flying contraptions to make it down to us, didn’t you?”

“Of course, Lord Green Fields,” Lockwood replied, calm and concise. “After all, my good friend Gunpowder here can’t fly either, and I can’t just leave the poor stallion to walk down here, hmm? It’s quite a fall.”

Rarity bristled again. “What an uncouth lout this Green Fields is. He has no respect for Lockwood whatsoever.”

“He’s a right bastard is what he is,” Highwind grunted. Rarity noted the sneer on his face that he hadn’t had while Lockwood had been present. “His Majesty has the patience of a saint to put up with it.”

Terra scoffed. “I hear the jackass treats his personal guards—those mares with him—like a private harem, too. And I’ve heard so many rumors about the bastards he’s sired over the years. Like, the legitimate term, ‘bastard’. He’s got no proper heir but something like two dozen kids running around out there somewhere.”

“I feel sorry for any mare that has to touch that slob,” Rarity snorted.

“Cut the bromas, Lockwood,” Deepwater said, notably without his former manners or Lockwood’s proper title—such a privilege was normally reserved for close friends and loved ones, of which Deepwater was certainly neither. “You’re here because you want to find a way to weasel your way out of this, just like you weaseled your way into a trade alliance with the seaponies.”

Lockwood shook his head. “I assure you, that’s not what this is. I’m here because you are laying siege to a neutral town ruled over by a neutral House which happens to have a close, friendly relationship with Hope’s Point. I merely want to ensure that things don’t get out of hoof.”

“‘Neutral’? Pah!” Green Fields laughed. “Lord Skycatcher likes to claim neutrality, and yet as you can clearly see, he is harboring an enemy of ours in his very home,” he grunted, gesturing towards the elegant unicorn mare. “If that is what you call ‘neutral’, then I am… a… hmm…”

Deepwater rolled his eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself thinking, Fields, it’s unbecoming of a southern Lord to look so atónito.”

The other pegasus, who Rarity now assumed was Lord Skycatcher, grunted. “As I already told ya, Lord Green Fields, Lady Silverluck arrived only a few days ago ta make a plea fer mah support wit’ a petition ta the Harmony Guard. It’s customary fer the heads o’ the Houses ta engage in these sorts o’ negotiations, an’ it was only polite 'n' proper o’ me ta offer her a room in mah home ta sleep in while we discussed matters.”

“No agreements were made, if you care,” added the mare, who Rarity assumed was Lady Silverluck. Rarity noted the anger and indignance in her voice. “I was in the midst of preparing for my departure when your troops surrounded the town. Convenient timing, actually. Almost as if I was being spied upon while under sacred hospitality.”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “If that’s the case, Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, you’re already violating House Sky’s neutrality by bringing them into this conflict when they did not explicitly take a side in these matters.”

“Pah! You take their word against ours, then, do you?” Green Fields snorted, pointing angrily at Lockwood. “Your flagrant bias is showing, Flightless King.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Deepwater noted with a smirk. “If you wish to take their side in this negotiation, then that shows a clear indication of allegiance with House Sky and House Silver, which makes you our enemies as well.”

Lockwood shook his head. “I merely made a statement, and preceded it with an ‘if’, Lord Deepwater, as you’ll surely notice. I am only here to moderate these proceedings as a third party and to make sure that innocent lives are not lost in any attempts to escalate this conflict further.”

Skycatcher nodded. “An’ House Sky an’ the ponies o’ Newhaven appreciate yer kindness 'n' observance o’ the neutrality agreements, King Lockwood.”

Silverluck snorted. “It sounds like you’re ready to throw me to the wolves if you need to, Your Majesty, if you’ll forgive my assumptions.”

Lockwood smiled. “Goodness no, Lady Silverluck, I have no intention of throwing anypony to anything. We’re all civilized ponies here, are we not? We can come to some sort of agreement that can keep all parties satisfied.”

“The only thing that will satisfy me is that puttana’s head on a spike where it belongs,” Green Fields spat.

Rarity snorted, clenching her teeth. “Not only does he disrespect Lockwood, but also Lady Silverluck’s dignity and honor as a mare. I think I know why Lockwood didn’t want me there, now.”

“If I were there, that bastard’s head would be the one on a spike,” Terra noted, giving Rarity a knowing nod. “But that’s why I’m not there, either, eh?”

“And I need you at your post,” Highwind noted with a grin. “I mean, obviously that’s a distant second reason.”

“May cooler heads than ours prevail, then,” Rarity huffed.

“Just be glad Her Majesty’s not here,” Terra chuckled. “He’d be dead already.”

Deepwater rolled his eyes. “Cállate, Fields, you’re embarrassing me. Let me handle this.” He cleared his throat. “Our terms, as I laid them out to Lord Skycatcher, are rather simple. First, we want the unconditional surrender of Lady Silverluck into our custody so that she can stand trial for the crimes of her House that have gone unanswered for hundreds of years—”

“Committed by a pony that had no descendants, was clearly mad, and who my father publicly chastised and disowned when the news was made apparent to the entire continent,” quipped Silverluck. “The actions of Silvertongue in centuries past have no impact on the honor, nobility, or reputation of the members of House Silver in present day—”

“Your House’s entire damned reputation was based on his contributions!” Green Fields snapped. “He deceived everypony! He deceived Harmonia and attempted to destroy her! He deceived the gryphons and wiped them out to the last! He deceived Lady Golden Heart and murdered her in cold blood to hide his betrayal!”

“Your House owes a great debt to our ally, House Golden,” Deepwater added. “That debt will be repaid in blood, as that is what is owed.”

“Then your damned Houses have the blood of my mother and father on their hooves already. That debt has been paid, and now I am owed a debt in turn!” Silverluck shouted.

Lockwood put a hoof to his forehead. “This whole situation is a lot more complicated than I was led to believe, it seems. Lords, Lady Silverluck, we are getting ahead of ourselves here. Whatever your motivations might be, save them for after we begin discussions.” He turned back to Deepwater. “Continue with your terms, Lord Deepwater.”

Deepwater snorted. “As said, our first term is the surrender of Lady Silverluck into our custody. Our second term is the surrender of Lady Gleaming Dawn into our custody. That’s it, really. Two fugitives from justice owed to the southern Houses.”

“Lady Gleaming Dawn?” Lockwood asked. “Why do you want my daughter-in-law?”

“House Dawn allied themselves with House Silver early in the conflict in an attempt to bring an end to it before it escalated into war,” Silverluck explained. “House Golden did as well, but they betrayed my father—”

“Your Lord Silvertongue betrayed his House long before—” Green Fields started to say.

“—betrayed! My! Father!” Silverluck shouted over him. “Murdered him and my mother at the negotiating table in cold blood, stabbed them in the back, violated sacred hospitality! Murdered House Dawn the same way, the same night! You vilify Silvertongue for his actions and then return them in kind! You and your Houses are nothing more than hypocrites.”

“Gleaming Dawn is all that’s left o’ House Dawn,” Skycatcher said, his tone a little somber.

“Not entirely true,” Lockwood noted, oddly calm. “House Dawn welcomed my son into their fold quite warmly.”

“Then he’s as much as member of House Dawn as she is, and he should be surrendered as well,” Green Fields, sneering. “Maybe then you’ll learn your lesson and keep your stupid brats out of our affairs, sciocco.”

“Precisely,” Deepwater noted with a smirk. “Our terms are simpler still, then: surrender the last remaining members of House Silver and House Dawn to us so that we may end these petty conflicts here and now, or we shall raze Newhaven and destroy them ourselves.”

Rarity noticed Highwind and Terra tense up. “The absolute balls on Lord Deepwater,” Highwind muttered. “He’s basically all but declaring war on Hope’s Point itself at this point.”

“And he’s an idiot for even hinting at it,” Terra snorted. “Does he not know what a vast difference in strength we are compared to him?”

“I don’t think he cares,” Rarity said, shaking her head. “He sounds as if he’s attempting to lure Lockwood into a trap of sorts. As if he’s goading him, really.”

“Our king won’t fall for his tricks,” Terra said proudly. “His Majesty is no thuggish buffoon. He’ll come out on top, you’ll see.”

Lockwood took a short breath. “Well, those are quite some terms, aren’t they?” He turned to Silverluck. “And your terms in these negotiations, Lady Silverluck?”

Silverluck stared right at Lockwood, intensity in her eyes. “I merely wish to do what my father tried to do, and what I have been trying to do since this whole conflict began: gain an audience with the Harmony Guard. A fair trial by an unbiased, neutral party to prove that my House is loyal to Harmonia and to her ideals, and that we are not like Silvertongue.

“I have petitioned for aid from the other Houses not to gain allies in war, but to gain support to petition the Harmony Guard for an audience. I have been stymied at every turn. House Light occupies Utopia to prevent my bringing the request directly. House Golden stalks every corner of the land searching for me, for my son, for my husband. House Flower and House Night refused me outright. House Snow and Wind agreed to support my petition, and though House Sky has also refused, it was clearly with a heavy heart.

“Those that stand to gain from my death have proven that they would just as soon turn on those who merely wish for peace. They claim that I am the betrayer, that it is my House that has abused the peace of the south for generations. They are nothing more than violent fools.” Silverluck scoffed. “That is all I wish. Those are my terms: to be allowed to make peace.”

Rarity’s heart ached for this poor mare. Silvertongue, as much as a monster as he turned out to be in the end, had clearly once been a true paragon of good in the world, and his family had clearly taken strides to follow his example, even if he’d never had children of his own. That they were being punished for his turn to evil was, frankly, ludicrous. It would be like blaming the entirety of the changeling hive for the actions of Queen Chrysalis.

“Peace?! Silvertongue killed more creatures by himself in a single day than have died of natural causes for five hundred years in the south!” Green Fields spat. “He tortured countless ponies for generations in that damned city of his, and we’ll never know how many died because of it.”

“And he prevented contact with the south for generations, stagnating our trade and technological development while advancing the north with the clear intent to make war,” Deepwater added. “It wasn’t until Hope’s Point and their flying contraptions arrived that anypony even knew the north still existed.”

“Of course you’d focus on the monetary aspect of the matter,” Silverluck huffed.

Lockwood cleared his throat. “If I might interject, everypony?”

They turned to Lockwood in surprise, too caught up in their arguing to do much else.

“While I am but a mediator of these negotiations I am also technically a participant, for the Newhaven port is Hope’s Point’s territory and thus it is under threat here as well. So, since we’ve gone over your terms, Lord Deepwater, and yours, Lady Silverluck, allow me to present my own.

“Newhaven and Hope’s Point are neutral territory. This is part of the arrangement made by King Flashfire, father of King Stormchaser and grandfather of Queen Blackburn, with the Warden Éclairage, predecessor of Mémoire, as part of the Hope and Harmony Pact. In engaging in hostilities of any sort within its borders, Lord Green Fields, Lord Deepwater, you are in clear violation of said arrangement—”

“House Sky harboring this puttana is in violation of that arrangement as well,” Green Fields snorted.

“As she is not being harbored, but was merely offered hospitality while she negotiated terms of a petition for the Harmony Guard, Lord Skycatcher is not engaging in any such violation.”

“Lady Silverluck 'n' her husband came wit’out any o’ their own forces beyond a personal enotourage o’ stewards 'n' guards,” Skycatcher noted. “This is as per the tradition o’ the Hope 'n' Harmony Pact. Military forces are not permitted here in Newhaven, which is why House Sky maintains no army.”

Green Fields laughed. “Pah! Then explain your mechanical birds in their air, Lockwood.”

“As part of the Hope and Harmony Pact, Hope’s Point was given full authorization to protect the town and the port from any who would violate the arrangement,” Lockwood explained. “And that is what we’re doing: protecting it.”

“Technically, the Harmony Guard should be here as well ta do the same,” Skycatcher added. “As they haven’t sent a representative yet, I can only assume that either they’re turnin’ a blind eye ta these proceedin’s, or that word o’ this here transgression has been kept from 'em. I’m not sure which is more troublin’.”

Lockwood nodded in agreement. “So, with that in mind, it is up to Hope’s Point—up to me—to handle these matters. Now, as there has already been damage to the town, Houses Green and Waters are expected to pay reparations for the damages—”

“You can’t be serious,” Deepwater chuckled. “First of all, my navy did no damage—”

“Your navy and House Green’s army are part of an allied force, as told by your joint participation in these proceedings, thus, you are both responsible for the actions of the other.”

“This is preposterous! You go too far, Lockwood—”

“I will leave Lord Skycatcher to determine the extent of the damages and to send a bill to both of you,” Lockwood interjected. “But you have my terms as I have presented them. Leave. If you wish to pursue Lady Silverluck after she departs, for she will have to leave by tonight as part of the Pact’s terms, then that is your prerogative, and I cannot stop you.”

Silverluck nodded. “And I understand that you can’t, but I appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do something about it anyway.”

“But as for your other terms, Gleaming Dawn will not be surrendered, as she has officially moved to Hope’s Point’s territory, and we have no extradition pacts with the south. So, if we’re all in agreement—”

“Stai bluffando,” Green Fields snorted. “You’re bluffing.”

Rarity felt her breath catch in her throat. “Oh dear.”

She had to admit a rather sad truth: she had no idea whether or not Lockwood was bluffing right now. He hadn’t been the most stellar liar when they’d known each other on her previous visit, apart from his secret relationship with Blackburn—which he’d practiced for years at that point and had her help with—and he didn’t seem to be lying right now.

So either he was bluffing and she couldn’t tell, or he wasn’t bluffing one bit and Lord Green Fields was making a terrible, terrible mistake.

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me, Flightless King. You’re bluffing. I know your reputation. You’re just a piccola femminuccia—a little sissy that wouldn’t even hurt a fly—hiding behind the skirt of your drunkard wife. You’re not stallion enough to do a thing, not here, not anywhere. Your wife’s the one with the testicoli, not you. That she even sent you down here in her stead is insulting.”

“I’ll be the first to admit that my wife is the stronger and braver of the two of us,” Lockwood said, narrowing his eye, “but if you think for one moment that I’m bluffing, I assure you that that is not a safe assumption to make.”

“Yeah, you talk a big game. I heard your little speech there, and I bet if it had come from a pony with a pair I’d actually buy it. But I don’t buy it from you, not for a minute. I’d bet my life on it.”

Deepwater nodded in agreement. “While Lord Green Fields has a more colorful way of putting things, I, too, doubt your intentions here. If it was your wife speaking, she’d have already attempted to scare us off with a show of force. I can only assume one thing from her sending you here: she’s gone soft.”

Lockwood shook his head. “My wife trying to prevent a senseless loss of life is not ‘soft’, I assure you—”

“You said this little doohickey of yours can transmit my voice out to the field?” Green Fields asked, gesturing at the drone.

Lockwood nodded. “It’s been transmitting the entirety of our discussion here out into Newhaven. Everypony in the port or the town can hear you, including your forces and mine.”

“Good.” Green Fields turned to the drone and, in a clear and bold tone: “House Green! The Flightless King thinks he can intimidate us with his mechanical birds and his fancy words, but he doesn’t have the balls to follow through on a thing. Continue the siege! Brucia tutti!” He turned back to Lockwood and grinned. “Burn them all.”

As soon as he’d said so, Rarity saw on the larger view screens that the green-armored army had continued moving into Newhaven as it had been earlier, now setting fire to buildings as they went.

“He can’t be serious,” Rarity murmured, shaking his head. “He’s actually going through with it. He ignored Lockwood completely.”

“His funeral,” Terra muttered.

Deepwater scoffed. “You’re overeager, Fields. If my navy could reach the town itself, they would.” He turned to Lockwood and grinned. “I’m not stupid enough to take your bait of attacking the port itself, though. But I will if you so much as think about engaging House Green’s troops.”

Lockwood sighed and nodded. Then, with a simple motion, he removed his eyepatch, revealing the damaged eye underneath. Rarity had almost forgotten what it looked like, as it had been so long since she’d seen it last. The entirety of the eyeball was a fearsome red color all the way through; no iris, no pupil, no veins, nothing, just red. The only exception was a tiny speck of black that moved in tune with Lockwood’s other eye as he looked about.

It was a rather ghastly sight, as far as Rarity was concerned, and one she’d thought Lockwood and Blackburn hated to show for fear of frightening or discomforting ponies.

However, that was the exact effect it seemed to have on Green Fields and Deepwater, who were the only two ponies at the meeting that could see it. The former eyed it with disgust, the latter with apprehension.

“Merda! What is wrong with your eye? Is that contagious?” Green Fields asked.

“It’s not important,” Lockwood said, perfectly calm.

Despite how calm he was, though, Rarity could hear the change in his tone and see it in his body language. She’d seen the same intensity earlier, before he’d gone off on this meeting, but hadn’t been able to place it before. She could now, though. He was angry. She’d never once, in her entire time knowing him, seen him legitimately angry.

“What’s important is that I am repeating myself one last time: call off your troops immediately, or face the consequences.”

“What is this, some trick to intimidate us?” Deepwater asked, gesturing at his eye. “Because it is nauseabundo. You are a sick pony, Lockwood.”

“And it’s not worth much, either,” Green Fields scoffed. “You’re so desperate to try to frighten us off that you’re resorting to cheap tricks to do it because you know you don’t have the testicoli to do anything about it.”

Lockwood just stared him down. “I’m taking your refusal to call off your troops as an act of hostility. Last chance.”

“Take your last chance and ficcalo nel culo, Flightless King.” He then gave a rather rude gesture with his hoof, indicating exactly what he wanted Lockwood to do with his words.

Lockwood sighed again, then nodded. “Thunder Two, open fire. One volley.”

“Acknowledged, Your Majesty,” came the voice of the Thunder Two’s captain.

Rarity watched as the Thunder Two, hovering above the Blue Lightning some hundred feet, deployed a staggering array of cannons from the belly of its hull. Each one swiveled in place for half a second to take aim, some of them towards the army on the edge of the town, some at the navy down by the coast.

Each and every cannon fired off one single shot. Each shot exploded with the sound and fury of a volcano.

Rarity’s eyes widened as she saw the results.

The entire navy on the coastline was gone. All that was left of the ships that had once threatened the port was flaming debris.

The rear line of the army was gone. Where they once had been there was now a series of small, smoldering craters. The front of the army, which was still inside Newhaven proper, had been untouched, as had the many buildings nearby. An estimated one thousand troops reduced to a mere fifty or so.

All of it in less than five seconds.

Rarity, in shock, turned back to the view screen that was watching the meeting.

Green Fields and Deepwater were staring out the window, their faces heavy with sheer, stupefied disbelief. Lockwood shook his head dejectedly, as did Lord Skycatcher. Lady Silverluck merely stared at the two opposing lords with a calm smirk on her face.

“A senseless waste of life, as I said. My wife did send me here in hopes that it could be avoided, that much is true. I’m sorry it came to this. Now, I believe I can reopen terms for negotiating your departure—”

Green Fields snarled and drew the large sword from his back. “You bastard!”

He lunged at Lockwood.

Gunpowder was too quick. His armor came equipped with a hidden, shoulder-mounted rifle. The instant Green Fields moved on his king, Gunpowder acted.

Green Fields fell to the floor in an instant.

The three mares with him drew their lances.

Lockwood held up his hoof. “There doesn’t need to be anymore death today, ladies. Put your weapons away.”

The mares stared at Lockwood, then at Gunpowder—who was looking straight at them—then at the body of Green Fields. They then put their lances away, clearly seeing that that was the wiser decision.

Lockwood then turned to Deepwater, stepped over the body of Green Fields, and got right in the lord’s face. “I have new terms, Lord Deepwater: leave Newhaven immediately, and put out those fires on your way out. You’ll be expected to make reparations for the damage dealt to the farmland as well. Do you accept?”

“O-of course, Your Majesty,” Deepwater gulped as he nodded frantically. “House Green troops… this is Lord Deepwater. Lord Green Fields is dead, my navy is sunk, and your forces have been… devastated. As the commander of this coalition force, your orders are to stand down, put out any fires, and fall back.”

Lockwood nodded. “Thank you, Lord Deepwater, I’m glad we can finally see eye-to-eye on something.” He then replaced his eyepatch without a hint of humor and turned to Skycatcher and Silverluck. “Lord Skycatcher, Lady Silverluck, I will return to discuss further arrangements as to how we’ll proceed with the Pact’s bylines as soon as I finish ensuring the port and its denizens are safe and secure.”

“O’ course, Yer Majesty, an’ thanks fer yer timely arrival,” Lord Skycatcher said with a bow.

Silverluck bowed as well, but said nothing.

Lockwood then turned back to Gunpowder. “Come along Gunpowder, we’re finished here.”

Gunpowder bowed slightly, and his rifle slid back into its compartment. “Of course, Your Majesty.”

“Fleet Master Highwind, begin your landing procedures. I’ll meet you at the landing bay. Thunder Two, you are dismissed.”

“Yes, Your Majesty, right away,” Highwind replied, dipping his wings so that the Blue Lightning began its descent.

“Affirmative, Your Majesty, returning to Hope’s Point,” came the voice of the Thunder Two’s captain.

The two then walked out of frame, leaving the grand hall in quite a state.

*****

When the Blue Lightning landed, it did so in one of the many circular buildings at the port, which opened up its roof to allow it to do so. The ship barely fit in the landing hangar within, but it somehow managed it just fine. The Thunder Two, incidentally, had already started its journey home to Hope’s Point by now, as it simply didn’t have the space on board to do anything but fly, shoot, and shoot some more—apart from limited space for crew—so it wasn’t needed any longer.

As the airship finished its docking procedures, everypony on board was able to disembark and take a moment to relax and reflect on recent events. The general emotion in the air was, as far as Rarity could tell, a mix of relief and shock. Relief from the crew of the ship, naturally, as they’d accomplished their mission and done their duty well, serving king and city like professionals. Even Sundial and Weaver seemed rather relieved just to be done with the whole affair so that they could move on with their own business.

As for Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart, though, Rarity could sense their utter shock at the events that had just transpired, and she understood their feelings fully well. She said nothing as they came to her in the hangar, just kept them close as they tried to process things.

Lockwood’s shuttle craft landed shortly after everypony on the Blue Lightning had gotten off, and he and Gunpowder disembarked immediately. As he looked out into the hangar and saw Rarity giving him a sombre look, he shook his head, sighed, and trotted over to her with an easy gait.

“Look, let me just get this out of the way—” Lockwood started.

“You needn’t worry about explaining yourself, darling,” Rarity replied, shaking her head. “I know you well enough to know that you don’t enjoy anything about what just happened, not one bit. You did what you could to prevent it, but you had to do what you had to do.”

He paused, then nodded, then turned to Flurry and Bloom, who were still just staring at him, confused and concerned. “I just wanted to say that I’m sorry you guys had to be here for this.”

Bloom took a breath and spoke first. “Yeah, I am too, but… I get it. I do. Ya couldn’t just let them ponies storm inta the town an’ wreck up other folks’ homes 'n' stuff, or come inta the port here an’ threaten innocent folks’ lives. Plus I know ya said yer friends 'n' family’re all here, so they made it personal.”

Flurry shook her head. “I won’t say that I like what you did, but I think Rarity’s right. You didn’t like it either. I know that sometimes, when you’re a leader, you have to make hard decisions. And sometimes you have to do things you don’t like in order to keep ponies safe.” She sighed. “Aunt Twilight says that she gave Chrysalis, Tirek, and Cozy Glow a chance. They chose not to take it, and so now…”

“Exactly,” Bloom said with a nod. “Ya had ta do what ya had ta do, just like Princess Twilight did. But them two other ponies, them lords or whatever they were, they just spat in the face o’ everythin’ you were tryin’ ta do. All you were doin’ was tryin’ ta keep folks safe, but they wouldn’t have none o’ that.”

Rarity set her hoof on Lockwood’s shoulder. “We heard everything, darling. We did. You gave it everything you had to convince them to leave this little town in peace. Blame them for what happened—”

“Oh, I don’t blame myself,” Lockwood said with a sigh. “I know it was a hard choice, and I know they were at fault for pushing things that far. But like I said, I’m sorry you guys had to witness it. I’m having a little trouble processing it all, y’know? Just… that was the first time I’ve really had to go that far.”

Rarity nodded. “Look at it this way, darling: you probably handled it better than Blackburn would’ve. Those two lords were right. If she’d been here, there wouldn’t have been any negotiations. She would’ve told them to leave, they would’ve refused, and the exact same thing would’ve happened, only it might have gotten your whole city involved in this war down here. That’s not a knock against her—far from it—but she also would’ve been fine with accepting any judgement.”

Lockwood chuckled. “Yeah, still, I know that the last time you were here, I wasn’t quite this… bold, I suppose. Sorry if that seems weird, but I’m the King of Hope’s Point now, y’know? I’ve taken Blackburn’s mission and made it my own. I took a vow to those ponies to keep them safe, to see that they succeed in life, and to ensure that they’re happy.”

“Are ya gonna be okay?” Bloom asked, setting her hoof on his side.

“I’ll be fine. I’m eager to get home to try to sleep this off. Probably gonna talk with Blackburn about things to get a little assurance, but I’ll be okay otherwise.” He took a deep breath. “But first, I’ve got other business to attend to.”

First, he gestured to the Blue Lightning. “This baby here, as a deployment and command vessel, has enough cargo and passenger space to get a few dozen passengers home. It’s not everypony, but I can at least get the ponies that Blackburn and I want to get to safety.”

Then, he turned to Highwind and his crew, who were off to the side unloading cargo—relief supplies, Rarity was told—into the hangar. “Fleet Master! Will the ship be all set for departure by the time I speak with Lord Skycatcher and Lady Silverluck?”

Highwind stood at attention and saluted. “We will be, Your Majesty, no worries there. We’re set to be ready by the time everypony shows up, in fact. Also, I received word from Hope’s Point just as we were landing, after I informed them of what’s happened here. They’re sending the Pink Harpy down with a full militia detachment to keep the town and port under guard after we leave.”

“Good, good,” Lockwood muttered. “Blackburn probably lost all of her trust in most of the southern Houses to keep to their agreements with us, so she’s just taking precautions. Good.”

“What did he mean ‘everypony shows up’, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Ah, that would be our passengers, who should be arriving, well, now,” Lockwood said, looking towards the hangar’s ground entrance. Then, he grinned. “And there they are, right on time.”

Rarity turned too and saw a veritable swarm of ponies approaching, and was so lost in trying to figure out who was who in the commotion as they approached Lockwood that she just tried her best to watch and listen for any information she could parse together.

Prince Fireglow was the easiest to spot. He was a red pegasus stallion with a golden mane streaked with orange with he kept in a neat, medium-length style that was both casual and fancy. She could tell he was who he was because of how greeted Lockwood with a firm father-son hoofshake, one that reminded Rarity rather of how Flathoof used to greet ponies. The stallion even looked suspiciously like Flathoof, and if Rarity wasn’t absolutely certain that it was impossible she might actually have asked some questions.

“It was a regrettable action, Dad, but you did what you had to do,” Fireglow greeted his father, a small frown on his face. “I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t sure how we were going to come out of this whole mess. I’m glad my messages got through at least.”

Lockwood smirked. “Ah, your mother failed to mention that it was you sending the messages over, sport. I guess that explains why the news was so focused around the goings-on in Newhaven. Been practicing that coded jargon she worked out with you, huh?”

Fireglow smiled. “Well, Mom didn’t raise a fool. I wish I could’ve gotten something to you sooner than I did, but with those thunderblizzards up and having to communicate via seapony merchants, it wasn’t as easy as I would’ve liked.”

“Yew got the word out in time at least, luv,” said the mare next to him, tucking her wing around Fireglow gently. “I’d been hopin’ that somethin’ would get through and we’d be right as rain, and now here we are.”

Rarity figured this was Gleaming Dawn, Fireglow’s wife. She was a gold-coated pegasus mare with a fiery red mane with blonde streaks, and Rarity had to blink a few times to make sure she wasn’t looking at Sunset Shimmer from back home, somehow twenty-something years younger and also somehow a pegasus.

Seeing the young couple together was, frankly, astounding. From Bluebolt’s descriptions of her brother, Rarity had expected somepony far less handsome and more scrawny. He was built much like his father, actually—so, yes, scrawny was just about appropriate—but she attributed it to sibling jabs now rather than honesty. And married so young, too. Rarity was a little—no, very—jealous.

Lockwood stepped forward and embraced the two of them. “I’m glad I could follow through on that hope, then, Dawny. I’m sorry to hear about what happened.”

The mare pressed her muzzle against Lockwood’s neck, clearly holding back some tears. “Thanks, Locky. I appreciate it, yew’ve got no idea. With all that’s been goin’ on, I haven’t had time ta mourn proper-like.”

“Go on then, Dawny, let it all out, okay? I’m here for you, Fireglow’s here for you, and Blackburn’s waiting for you to come home safe. We understand how you feel,” he said, tightening his hug.

Fireglow rubbed her back with a hoof. “It’s been a rough couple of months, Dad. I’m just glad it’s finally over.”

Then more ponies started walking over, and Rarity’s eyes just couldn’t take all the almost-familiar faces in such quick succession. She had to practically tune out their conversations as she tried to process all of their appearances, and was only really able to get names and connections figured out during the little get-together or reunion of sorts that was happening here.

First there was Virtuoso—Rarity remembered he was Symphony’s father—who was an absolute dead ringer for Fancy Pants—unicorn, white coat, blue mane, thin mustache—only a little more heavy-set and with a different taste in elegant clothes. He also lacked the monocle, which she supposed actually made Virtuoso look a different sort of charming altogether. His eyes had a certain intensity to them that Rarity found similar to what she saw in Blackburn at times.

Ivory Charm, his wife and Symphony’s mother, was eerily similar in appearance to Fleur de Lis—unicorn, white coat, pink mane, thin figure—the supermodel companion of Fancy Pants. Incidentally, to this day nopony had ever figured out whether there was more to their relationship or even what their relationship was. If they were anything like this couple here, though they’d kept it more well-hidden than Lockwood and Blackburn, which was quite a feat.

Crown Jewel, Symphony’s older sister, was yet another dead ringer for somepony Rarity knew. This time, it was for Diamond Tiara, an old rival-turned-friend of the Cutie Mark Crusaders—pink coat, purple mane—with the only difference being that she was a unicorn, like her parents and her sister. Rarity could also spot a bombshell mare when she saw one, and Symphony had—unlike Bluebolt with her brother—been underexaggerating her sister’s good looks if anything. She got her looks from her mother, that was certain. If the mare was single, as Symphony claimed, Rarity considered it a crime.

Shining Steel, an apparent friend of Blackburn’s family from her grandfather’s time, was basically like looking into Shining Armor’s future and seeing that in another twenty years, he’d still be handsome and robust, even when he was older and gray in the mane. He was a unicorn with a white coat and a blue—though graying, natch—mane, though unlike the former trio he wasn’t wearing clothes. She guessed he’d lived here long enough to adapt fully to the southern lifestyle.

His wife, Paramour, wasn’t quite a dead ringer for Princess Cadence but she was similar enough—pink coat, golden mane—to make Rarity blink. The big difference, obviously, was that she wasn’t an alicorn, and so lacked Cadence’s horn, Cadence’s height, and Cadence’s wingspan. She was still gorgeous, though, and had aged well from what Rarity could tell, with nary a gray hair in sight.

Then came an actual familiar face, though twenty-one years definitely affected a pony’s appearance. Shorthoof, Flathoof’s youngest brother, was particularly amusing to see again considering Apple Bloom was mere feet away and they looked almost exactly alike—earth pony, yellow coat, red mane—minus the obvious anatomical differences and choices in clothing style. He’d grown up very well since Rarity had seen him last, looking much like Flathoof: well-built, handsome, and tall.

Lastly was Shining Steel and Paramour’s daughter, Crystal Heart. Like Shorthoof and Apple Bloom, Crystal Heart was an amusing sight considering Flurry Heart was just feet away, as they, too, were nearly identical: white coats, lilac-and-blue manes. Crystal was a unicorn, however, just like Flurry was pretending to be, but Flurry was naturally taller and younger. They were both very pretty, though. Rarity could see why Shorthoof married her, and why she married him.

There were so many conversations going on, though, that Rarity couldn’t focus on too many of them at a time, and could only really gather bits and pieces of detail here and there. It was a veritable information overload, but thankfully, she didn’t feel any need or want to be a part of any particular conversation—though she did want to ask Ivory Charm about the gorgeous blouse she was wearing.

Symphony’s family, for example, were busy chatting candidly with Lockwood about the state of affairs here and in Hope’s Point. Rarity recalled that Symphony’s father had served on Blackburn’s council for longer than Symphony had been alive, and apparently been a big player in how Blackburn and Lockwood first met. She remembered Blackburn and Lockwood telling that story a long, long time ago, about how they met at a party; it seemed that Virtuoso had been the host. The three of them had been close friends ever since, from what she could tell.

Also interesting was the conversation going on right now between Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart, alongside Shorthoof and Crystal Heart. The fact that the two pairs were so similar in appearance was already rather uncanny, and they certainly noticed it as well, but Rarity found it more amusing because the latter pair were married. More than once in the past two months, Bloom and Flurry had been mistaken for a couple because of their kinship. Seeing their alternate selves—Rarity had accepted that that’s what they were—in a healthy marriage was amusing.

Naturally, Bloom made her way around to Fireglow as well to introduce herself as his Aunt Apple Bloom. Apparently, two years—Bluebolt noted Fireglow was two years younger than her—constituted enough difference for Bloom to consider the A-word acceptable. Fireglow, who seemed the sort to be well-informed about a lot of things, was totally flabbergasted by the introduction, as was Gleaming Dawn. The latter drew some odd comments from Bloom as well, considering she looked like Bloom’s boss.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the cargo containers near the Blue Lightning’s boarding ramp. One of the containers fell open as the crew moved it from the ship to the hangar, and some supplies tumbled out by accident. More than just supplies, actually. Bluebolt, Symphony, and Venture also tumbled out.

Bluebolt popped up in a hurry. “Fireglow!” she exclaimed, rushing towards the crowd towards her brother. She practically tackled him in a hug and lifted him off the ground. “Thank the stars you’re okay!”

“B-Bluebolt?” Fireglow blurted. “What in the world are you doing here?”

Lockwood narrowed his eyes. “I’d like to know the same thing, young lady.”

Bluebolt looked to Lockwood, a bizarre mix of confidence and nervousness on her face, like she wasn’t sure if she was in trouble or not. “I had to see that Fireglow was safe, Dad. I didn’t want to just hear it from some message or let you tell me when you got back to Hope’s Point.”

“We’re bringing him home with us, first of all,” Lockwood grunted, “so there was no need for you to come all this way—stowing away on the Blue Lightning, as it would seem—just to check up on your brother’s well-being.”

“I don’t need you checking up on me anyway, sis,” Fireglow said, shaking his head. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as you can clearly see. It’s my messages that let Mom and Dad know what was happening, after all.”

“Second of all, your mother and I directly expressed that you were not to come south with me on this assignment. You deliberately disobeyed us.”

Bluebolt stood firm, though Rarity could see her legs shaking just a little. “I don’t care! You and Mom are always trying to keep me from doing anything! It took me four years to get you to agree to even let me leave the palace over the winter!” She gestured towards Fireglow. “But you let Fireglow get married and live down here in the south!”

“That’s different, Bluebolt, and you know it,” Lockwood huffed. “Your brother’s marriage isn’t just something we ‘let’ him do, it’s more complicated than that—”

“Bullshit! You and Mom treat me like a pampered little princess!”

Fireglow rolled his eyes. “You are a princess, sis—”

“You stay out of this,” she snorted at him. She turned back to Lockwood. “I’m twenty years old, Dad. Mom was younger than me when she went off on her own to the big city up north. She was younger than me when she started dating you. She was barely older than me when you guys got engaged!”

“Your mother also deliberately went against her father’s wishes to make all of that happen,” Lockwood noted drily. “She put herself at great, great risk doing so, not just at possibly upsetting her father, but at getting hurt, or worse, killed.”

“Yeah, and look at all the good that came of it! If she’d just stayed cooped up in the palace like you two expect of me, she’d have never even met you! I wouldn’t even exist!”

“You’ve already met your special somepony,” Fireglow pointed out, gesturing towards Symphony, who was busy interacting—happily—with her family off to the side. “So that’s not a valid excuse. As I remember it, I think Symphony rather enjoys being cooped up with you night after night.”

“I told you to stay out of this!” Bluebolt growled. “You don’t know what it’s like! You got to travel down south when you were twelve! Mom and Dad encouraged your interests!”

Lockwood sighed. “Honey—”

“Don’t give me that ‘honey’ crap, Dad. I’m so done with being treated like a little filly! I’m an adult! Treat me like one!”

Lockwood paused, then took a breath. “Very well then, Princess Bluebolt, what exactly is it that you want?”

Bluebolt took a moment to think, clearly thrown off by his sudden change in tone, then nodded. “I promised Rarity and Sundial and the others that I’d help them. I know that the job Sundial has is extremely important to the state of the world, and I want to do everything I can to help. Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry need to go home, and I want to do everything I can to help them, too. You and Mom did the same thing for them and Tick Tock back in the day, and I want to do my part now.”

“Have you taken any measures to make sure you can do this safely?”

Bluebolt nodded. “I brought Symphony with me, of course, and I have my power hoof attachment fully charged and with extra batteries and everything.”

“You do know that getting to the Beacon in Zeb’ra’den is going to require more than that, I hope? You’ll need to negotiate with some of these noble Houses. Do you know which ones? What their history is? How to best avoid getting Hope’s Point involved in a political fiasco?”

“I know that we have to at least deal with House Snow since they’re allies with the zebras,” she muttered. “I think I can help with some things. I remember enough about them—”

Lockwood raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem that confident in yourself. Do you know anypony in your group that could be of use in that matter, perhaps?”

Bluebolt gulped. “I think Sundial, maybe… uh…” She turned to Rarity, eyes wide. “Rarity! Rarity knows about the zebras.”

Rarity nodded and smiled at Lockwood, though she did so carefully. She could almost—almost—feel him glaring at her with his other eye. “You know how well I was able to negotiate with the zebras as well as I do, Lockwood. I’ll be happy to help negotiations along on that front again, if necessary.”

“I’m sure you will,” Lockwood said, nodding back. He looked to Bluebolt again. “And the other noble Houses?”

“Uh…” Bluebolt’s eyes shifted to Venture briefly, then she brightened. “Oh! Miss Venture is a historian! She knows a lot about the Houses, don’t you Miss Venture? You recognized Symphony’s fighting styles and everything just by looking at her stance and how she held her sword.”

Venture grinned and puffed out her chest. “Well, I don’t mean to toot my own horn here, but I’m probably the world’s leading expert on the southern continent’s cultural, religious, and political history. I mean, I won’t say I’m the best, because I’m humble like that, but I know my stuff if that’s what you’re asking.”

“May I ask exactly what you’re doing here, Miss Venture?” Lockwood asked. “I’m sorry if I sound rude at the moment, but these are rather unique circumstances, so even though we haven’t formally met I’ve been told about who you are and what you do, and I’m not seeing a purpose for your being here.”

Venture brightened. “Oh! Right! We’ve never met before, have we? Shoot, I’m really sorry about that, no no, I’m the one who’s being rude here.” She gave a little bow. “A pleasure to meet you, Your Majesty! I’m Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes sir, and that’s the truth.”

Lockwood just blinked. “Okay, well, I’m going to assume your credentials check out based on what I’ve heard about you, but why are you here?”

“Oh, that’s easy! I helped Bluebolt and Symphony sneak on board the ship!”

“You… you what?”

“Yeah!” Venture said tilting her head. “I mean, they were really sad about something earlier when I saw them in the palace—I was looking to visit with Rarity—”

Rarity blinked. “You were looking for me? Why?”

Venture looked at Rarity like she’d forgotten she was there. “Oh! I wanted to ask you a question, but uh… now I’ve forgotten what it was. Hmm.” She shrugged, then looked back to Lockwood. “So anyway! I saw Bluebolt and Symphony walking through the hall and they were really sad, and I thought ‘well shoot, those two look like they need cheering up’—”

Lockwood stared at Rarity. “Rarity, did you bring Pinkie Pie along and forget to tell me?”

Rarity shook her head. “No, darling,” she mumbled.

“Is this mare trustworthy? Reliable?”

“From everything I’ve seen, yes, she is. A bit eccentric, certainly, but trustworthy and reliable.”

“Yup!” Venture added, nodding quickly. “So, uh, should I finish my story, or…?”

“No, that’s okay, I think I got the gist,” Lockwood sighed. He tilted his head back towards Bluebolt. “Last question: can you keep yourself in check?”

“Huh?” Bluebolt asked.

“Can you handle yourself in a way that avoids putting lives at risk? Can you remain calm in the face of adversity and danger? Are you mature enough to wander out into the southern continent—which is at war as we speak—and handle situations with tact and, if needed, steel? Can you do what I had to do today?”

Bluebolt paused, then nodded. “I can handle anything the world throws at me—”

Lockwood flexed his crippled wing slightly. “The world can throw some curveballs if you try to handle everything it throws at you.”

“Then I won’t do it alone!” she snorted. “I have trusted friends and companions by my side, and I trust them as much as they trust me. We’ll work together to make the best of any situation.”

Lockwood paused for a long moment, then nodded. “Then there’s nothing more that I can say to you. You sound like you’ve done everything you can to prove you can do this, and I can’t rightly deny you. I mean, I could, but I won’t. Because you’re right: you deserve an opportunity to prove to me, and to your mother, that you can be your own mare.”

Bluebolt smiled. “You mean I can stay? You’ll let me help?”

“I’m going to be a nervous wreck the entire time, of course, but yes, I’ll allow it. Your mother’s probably going to have some very strong words with me when I get home, but I’ll tell her what you told me, so I think she’ll come around.” Lockwood set his hoof on her shoulder. “So go on, then. Make us proud, eh?”

“Thanks, Dad.” Bluebolt paused, then hugged her father tightly.

He returned it. “You’re welcome, Bluebolt.”

“Dad?”

“Yes?”

“I mean… I’m still your little filly, right?”

Lockwood paused, then smiled. “Of course, my little cookie-pilot. Always. Just be ready for when you come home from all of this, okay? Your mother’s going to give you a talking-to like you wouldn’t believe.” He turned his attention to Rarity. “Because you will be returning to us, of course.”

Rarity nodded. “Of course she will, darling. She’s the daughter of Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood of Hope’s Point. What makes you think anything is going to keep her down, hmm?”

Lockwood broke from the hug, sighed, then gestured towards the Blue Lightning. “Well, I’ve got to start getting these folks on board to get back to Hope’s Point. You take care of yourself, Bluebolt, you got that?”

Bluebolt nodded. “I will, Dad. You too. Stay safe.”

Lockwood then approached Rarity and gave her a little hug as well. “You too, Rarity. I don’t know if I’ll see you after this, so just in case I don’t, it’s been really good seeing you again.”

Rarity returned the hug. “As it has likewise been to see you and Blackburn, dear. Thank you for everything. My friends and I can never repay the help you gave us when we were first stuck in this world, and we’ll likely never be able to do it this time, either—”

“Just knowing you’re safe and happy is all the thanks I need. That, and finding your special someone and making things work out, hmm?” Lockwood said with a smile. “I think I know better than most how it feels to be separated from your true love for such a long time, but you’ve certainly got me beat.”

“It’s not a competition, darling,” Rarity said, playfully slapping his chest.

“And… say ‘hi’ to Fluttershy for me, okay?”

“I will.”

Lockwood turned to Bloom next—she and Flurry had finally come over to see what all the commotion with Bluebolt was about—and gave her a hug as well. “It was lovely meeting you, Apple Bloom.”

“Same, Lockwood,” Bloom said, returning the hug. “I never thought I’d have the chance ta ever meet the rest o’ mah family o’er here, but it was a real treat ta get that opportunity. You’ve got a real nice set o’ folks here, an’ it was an honor ta meet each 'n' every one o’ them.”

“They definitely feel the same, Bloom, I can promise you that. Say ‘hi’ to Applejack for me, huh?”

“I will.”

“And remind Flathoof that he still owes me ten bits, plus interest. I think it’s getting a little ridiculous at this rate, y’know?”

Bloom laughed. “Will do.”

Lockwood then looked to Flurry and bowed. “Princess Flurry Heart, it has been an honor to make your acquaintance.”

Flurry bowed back. “Likewise, King Lockwood. Thank you again for everything that you’ve done for my friends and family over the years, and for what you’ve done for me.”

“It was my pleasure. Just remember what I said, hmm?”

“I will.”

He then turned to Sundial and Weaver, and gave them a brief smile and a nod. “And you two, take care of each other, yeah?”

Sundial tilted her head. “Aye? Sure thing, Yer Majesty.

Weaver, meanwhile, just gave a crisp, firm salute.

“Well then, I’ve got work to do.” Lockwood then took a deep breath, and headed off to speak with Highwind.

As soon as he was gone, Sundial came over to the group proper and cleared her throat. “Well then, looks like I'm not the only pegasus in the group anymore, aye?” she said, clapping Bluebolt on the shoulder. “Are ye looking forward ta coming up ta the old Elysian Islands and helping me out with this blasted Key?”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened. “You want me to come with you?”

“O’ course I do, lass! I can’t rightly bring anypony else with me, aye? I need somepony ta complain and gripe at or I might go a wee bit nuts up there, and ye’re the only other one with wings.”

Bluebolt smiled and nodded. “I’d love to come along, then. I’ll help however I can.”

Flurry cleared her throat. “I mean, that’s not entirely true.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? What isn’t—” She paused, then smirked. “Och, ye know what I meant, lass. We all know that ye’ve got, ye know…” She checked to see if anypony else was listening—nopony was. “Wings.”

“Exactly,” Flurry said with a nod. “So, can I come along and help, maybe?”

Sundial blinked. “Ye want ta come along with us?”

“Yes, I do. Like Bluebolt said, I want to do everything I can to help. I might not know a lot about this… techno-magic, or about the gryphons of your world compared to the griffins of mine, but I want to help.”

“I dunno…”

Rarity nodded. “I don’t see the harm in it myself. Rainbow and Fluttershy told me that old place was as abandoned as the ruins are up north. Nothing should be of any threat, and with the two of you there, she should be just fine, yes?”

Bluebolt looked to Sundial. “I mean, yeah, there’s no harm in it, right? She might be able to help too. I mean, the gryphons used magic to make things work, and neither of us have any magic. What if we need magic to do things?”

Sundial seemed to consider this, then nodded. “Alright, fine, it doesn’t seem like it’ll be much trouble, aye? But ye can’t go waving yer horn around if ye’re gonna go flying. We need ta cover that thing up.”

Rarity smiled, her eyes alight with sparkles. “Well, if all we need to do is cover up her horn, I have just the solution.”

Chapter Fifteen: Experiment

Sundial had been to the old Elysian Islands exactly once in her entire career, if only because she’d needed to catalog everything the world had to offer so that she’d have a proper reference document for anything that might come up in the course of her duties. Tick Tock’s many predecessors hadn’t updated the data on the southern continents in centuries, and Tick Tock herself had only just started doing it when she finally retired, so Sundial had to take up the slack. She couldn’t blame them, really. Traveling south from the north was quite difficult before the Beacons fell.

The islands were one of the most unique locations in the whole of Equestria, a marvel of gryphon techno-magical expertise and understanding. They were a series of tropical islands just north of the coast of the southern continent somewhere between the harbor city of Seaside and what was now Newhaven. As such, the islands were populated by palm trees, tall, green grass, white sands, and vast expanses of brush and ivy, all of it organized almost unnaturally in neat intervals and precise locales as if placed there with specific intent, perhaps by a landscape artist.

Each island was also occupied by a number of buildings of varying materials in varying colors, decorated with gemstones of every kind imaginable. Each building was of a different size, shape, and style that made them stand out from one another and related to their clear, unique purposes. Nature had overtaken most of the buildings and roads by now, and many others were in various states of disrepair and deterioration after centuries of neglect.

Most importantly, however, these islands were suspended in mid-air high above the ocean. There was nothing visible on the islands that should allow them to accomplish such a feat—no machinery or magical apparatuses—but they floated in the sky all the same. Sundial knew that it was the result of gryphon techno-magic that still operated to this day and showed no signs of stopping, but she had no idea how it worked.

Gilderoy’s instructions had been rather clear: one of the central islands contained a primary hub called the Arcanium which would operate similarly to a computer, and Sundial was to take the Beacon Key to it and reconfigure it for the southern Beacon. A simple task, really. Sundial was already half a step ahead of the game in that sense: a week of exploring these islands herself years ago and comparing her own notes to those of her predecessors had given her fair knowledge of the islands’ layouts.

The Arcanium building was located on the centermost island, which was also the largest, and covered almost the entire surface. The pyramid-shaped structure was constructed of silver metal, decorated with mostly red and blue gemstones, though its state of disrepair was significantly more intense than several of the other structures on the other islands.

Sundial and Bluebolt descended onto a landing pad on the south side of the building near what was clearly the primary entrance sometime in the late afternoon. They then waited nearly a minute for Flurry to do the same, as she was flying rather slowly and carefully to avoid running into anything. The large, cumbersome hat on Flurry’s head that covered her horn didn’t exactly want to stay in place at this altitude, so she had to use her hooves to keep it from flying off in the wind. She was also wearing a light sash to help make her a little more fashionable to go with it—Rarity insisted—but at least that was comfortable and didn’t interfere with her flight.

“Sorry, sorry,” Flurry apologized as she caught her breath and landed beside the others. “This darned hat is just so—” The wind swept the brim into her face. “Ugh! I wish we’d found one without such a wide brim!”

“For what it’s worth, lass, at least ye only have ta wear it for this one ocassion, aye?” Sundial offered. “Because let’s face it, it looks bloody ridiculous on ye.”

“Is it really that bad?” Flurry asked as she took it off to give it a look. The hat was big, yellow, covered with flowers, and had a wide, floppy brim. So yes, it was that bad, as far as Sundial was concerned.

“It’s no balmoral bonnet, aye?” Sundial said, tapping her own hat, which was significantly less disagreeable in the wind. “I don’t know why Rarity had ta get ye the loudest bloody hat on the rack when ye’re just going out for a wee trip up here with us, but I’m not one ta judge a mare’s sense o’ fashion. I wear the same outfit every day, aye?”

“You can take it off now, if you want,” Bluebolt noted with a grin as the hat flopped around in the breeze like an angry animal trying to escape from Flurry. “There’s nopony up here to bother you if they notice you’re an alicorn and all that jazz, right?”

“Oh yeah, that’s true, isn’t it?” Flurry tucked the hat behind her head, keeping it attached with the chin strap around her neck so she wouldn’t lose it—she’d need it when they headed back, after all. “Is that better?”

Sundial looked Flurry over, then nodded with approval. “Aye, much better. Ready ta get a move on, lassies?”

“Yeah!” Bluebolt cheered, pumping her hoof in the air. “Mom said these islands have all sorts of neat technology to look at, and after seeing those ruins up north I’m super excited to see what all the fuss is about.”

“I bet Venture would love to be here with us,” Flurry noted with a fond smile. “This kind of stuff seems right up her alley, what with the ancient ruins and a chance to study the gryphons again. I’ll admit that even I’m getting a little excited to see what’s ahead. All this techno-magic stuff is really fascinating.”

“Hey yeah, you’d have thought Venture would be leaping at the chance to come up here with us, no matter what that would take,” Bluebolt said, scratching her chin. “I mean, I don’t think any of us could’ve carried her all this way without stopping, but I’m sure something could’ve been worked out. She sure seemed distracted by something after my dad left.”

“Aye, shame she’s missing out,” Sundial said with a shrug. She was actually thankful the excitable unicorn wasn’t present as a distraction. “Just means less exploring we’ve got ta do, aye? She’s a good lass, but bloody hell doesn’t she ever stop? Even for a second?”

Bluebolt huffed. “Hey, at least you weren’t cooped up in a shipping crate with her for four hours. I mean, she was really helpful with sneaking me and Symphony on board the Blue Lightning and all that, but holy smokes, that mare can talk. And talk, and talk. And talk some more. It’s a wonder we didn’t get caught!”

Sundial chuckled. “Och, well, let’s not waste any more time, aye? I’d rather not leave the lass alone with the others for so long that they all get sick o’ her or something.” She gestured along the paved pathway that led into the building. “Just stick close, lassies. I haven’t explored the whole building, but I’ve got a pretty fair idea o’ where we’re going.”

“Right behind you, Sundial!” Bluebolt saluted.

“Let’s go!” Flurry said, clapping her hooves.

*****

Sundial had only really ever been inside the main lobby and a scant few of the deeper rooms within the Arcanium building before, so some of the rooms that she, Bluebolt, and Flurry were walking through were both familiar and unfamiliar all the same. They looked similar to just about every room in the building: sparsely decorated, clean, well-organized, and purpose-oriented. As best as Sundial could tell, every single room was built with some sort of operation or procedure in mind since they all looked unique, but without a gryphon here to ask she could only make a few educated guesses on what they were meant for.

Compounding the issue was that she couldn’t read the gryphons’ written language, Hierogryphics. Nopony could, actually, for very few ponies had learned it when the gryphons were still around and they’d never passed down that knowledge. And, since few ponies ever explored the ruins of gryphon civilization—north or south—nopony had bothered to make an attempt to learn it after the fact. Sundial had made a few attempts but was completely lost on the matter without somewhere to start.

“Are you sure you know where we’re going?” Bluebolt asked as they walked through a nearly identical hall to the three or four they’d just passed through. “I feel like we’re going in circles here.”

Sundial grunted and rolled her eyes. “Och, keep yer knickers on, aye? We’re making some progress here, I promise.”

Sundial otherwise kept her eyes on her Timekeeper to read the sparse map that she’d made herself, and was actually kicking herself now that she’d not asked Tick Tock to borrow that wonderful map of hers for the time being, since it was supposedly of gryphon design. She’d just gotten so used to traveling without a map, only relying on her memories and instinct, that it had completely slipped her mind.

“Well, I can’t imagine it’s much further,” Flurry noted as she eyed a few signs above the next set of rooms they were passing. “You would think that this ‘computer’ would be located in a more central location if it’s meant to be as important as Gilderoy made it out to be. Are we getting closer to the center?”

“Aye, that we are,” Sundial said, pointing ahead at a door at the far end of the long, long hall. “That door there leads inta the central processing chamber where the Arcanium’s hub is located, at least according ta the information I’ve got here.”

“Well, that’s lucky. So all we do is head through there and we’re good to go?” Bluebolt asked. “You’d think this place would have security or something. Like traps! Oh crap, do you think there are any traps?” She glanced around nervously, eyes darting to and fro. “Symphony’s not here to help spot anything—”

“Och, don’t ye worry, lass. Most o’ these systems haven’t been active for almost a thousand years, aye? But that goes both ways. No security ta worry about, but I have no idea how we activate anything other than hoping for the best that the Key does something other than look pretty. Gilderoy was a wee bit scant on the details o’ how this is supposed ta work.”

“Well, I imagine that he wouldn’t have given us the Key and sent us off without anything more if there was something complicated to do,” Flurry noted. “He seemed pretty smart and awfully nice, don’t you think?”

“Aye, lass, that he did. I’ll have a bit o’ faith in him if ye do,” Sundial said, giving Flurry a little smile.

The trio continued walking in silence for a moment towards the end of the hall, when Bluebolt suddenly cleared her throat. “So, uh, this probably isn’t the best time to bring this up, Sundial, but it’s been killing me for like two days now and I just can’t get it out of my head, so I need to ask you a question.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Aye? What is it, lass?”

“So, I’ve known you for a long time. Symphony too, y’know? We’ve known you for years and years, and we’ve gotten used to you being, y’know, you.”

“What do ye mean, lass?”

Bluebolt rubbed the back of her head, clearly nervous. “Well, I mean… I’m just so used to you being…” She paused, taking a breath. “Okay, I’m gonna go ahead and say it, Symphony and I are just used to you being kind of an ornery pain the ass all of the time, swearing at every little thing and getting mad at the slightest provocation. But lately, you’ve been different.”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “Cheers lass, thanks for the bloody compliment, aye? Different how?”

“Well, I mean, you’re kind of… normal.” Bluebolt paused. “Okay, wow, that wasn’t the right word. Sorry. What I meant was—”

“I get what she means,” Flurry said with a smile. “She means you’ve changed a lot over the winter, at least since I first met you. And during the stay over at Hope’s Point, especially. You’re more open and friendly, and you’ve even asked me to spend time with you instead of the other way around.”

“Not to mention you look like you’ve been sleeping better.”

“And that you’re even swearing just a little less.”

“Shite, really? I need to catch up on the swearing then, I suppose,” Sundial muttered. She turned to Bluebolt. “Go on then, give me a reason ta swear at ye if that’s what ye want.”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “What? No. That’s not what I— look, Symphony and I like the change. I think everypony does. You’ve been really fun to hang around, you know?”

Sundial grunted. “And I wasn’t fun before?”

“Uh, well, you were fine for me and Symphony to put up with, sure, but I mean, you and Rarity got on like fire and oil when you two first met. Now though, you’re talking to her like she’s an old friend.”

“She speaks very highly of you, by the way,” Flurry added.

“Whatever, lass, are ye gonna get ta the point o’ all this shite?” Sundial huffed.

Bluebolt smirked. “Sure, fine, if that’s how you want it to be.”

“Aye, it would be nice.”

“Symphony figured it out a bit faster than I did, since she’s got a nose for that sort of thing, and I noticed it after she pointed it out to me. There’s definitely a change in your whole aura, Sundial, and we know what it is.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Och, ye do? Well then out with it, lass.”

“You got laid.”

Sundial tripped despite there being nothing in the hallway to trip on, despite walking so slowly that she shouldn’t have been able to trip so dramatically, and despite being very keenly aware of her surroundings. The others stopped to help her up. The computer hub could wait.

“What makes ye say that?!” Sundial blurted, perhaps too quickly, her face red.

Bluebolt chuckled. “I just went over all of that already. Sheesh, Sundial, try to keep up.”

Sundial sputtered. “Ye think all o’ that rubbish is because I got shagged?”

“Oh, yes, totally. I mean, I’ll be the first to say that Symphony and I noticed a big change in our own behavior after we first did it together. We just felt more relaxed, y’know? For us, sex is super good for stress relief. As long as you’re enjoying it, of course, and obviously you enjoyed it.”

“Are you sure that’s what’s happened?” Flurry asked, red in the face. “I mean, she could just be acting differently because of all of the new friends she has, right? I know that Aunt Twilight said she started acting differently when she made new friends. Either that or it’s because she’s sleeping better.”

“There’s a big difference between ‘I’m sleeping better’ changes and ‘I’m sleeping with somepony’ changes. Just having new friends and getting better sleep might make you more friendly and open, yes, but getting laid is gonna do wonders for relieving tension.”

Flurry scuffed her hoof on the floor. “W-well, now that you mention it, my mom always did say that it's a pretty healthy thing to have in your life, even if my dad was always insistent that I waited to find the right somepony.”

Bluebolt waggled her eyebrows at Sundial. “So? Did you, or didn’t you?”

Sundial clenched her teeth. “It’s not really any o’ yer bloody business whether or not I’ve had a shag, lass.”

“Aw, c’mon, don’t be like that, Sundial,” Bluebolt groaned. “We’re your friends, and we want you to be happy, so we should be allowed to know if somepony made you happy, right? Right?”

Flurry, still red, cleared her throat. “Is she right, Sundial? Did you, um… ‘get laid’?”

Sundial balked at Flurry. “Flurry, not you too. C’mon now—”

“If you just tell us, we’re not gonna give you a hard time or anything,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “C’mon, we’re all friends here. Spill!”

Sundial groaned, closing her eyes and holding up her head with all the dignity and grace she could muster. She was not looking forward to Symphony finding out; this felt like walking to an execution. “Fine. Yes, I did.”

“Ha! I knew it!” Bluebolt cheered. She pulled in Sundial for a hug. “You go, girl! You got some! Way to go!”

Flurry, redder than ever and hiding her face in her wings, nodded and mumbled something that sounded like “way to go”, but it was hard to hear.

“So, who was it, huh?” Bluebolt asked with a wide grin. “I mean, I know you’re into stallions, not mares, and Symphony and I aren’t the best judges of what makes a ‘hot stud’ and such, but I imagine you picked out a good one for your first time.”

Sundial was terribly red now, her face practically matching her mane. “Wh-why do ye want ta know that?”

“No reason, really, just wanted to know what they were like, and what the whole situation was like.”

“Was he cute?” Flurry asked, face still behind her wings.

“C’mon lass, don’t go asking me something like that,” Sundial grumbled.

“Was he packing?” Bluebolt asked.

“Bluebolt!” Flurry gasped.

Bluebolt held up her hooves defensively. “What? I have no idea what even qualifies as ‘packing’ for a stallion! I was just curious!”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Look, fine, I’ll save you the time o’ trying ta figure it out, aye?” She took a deep breath. “It was Weaver.”

Bluebolt’s eyes widened, as did her smile. “Ohhh, no way! No. Way. Ahaha!”

“Aye, I said it!” Sundial shouted, getting right in Bluebolt’s face. “I shagged Weaver, and he’s a bloody good shag too! He’s packing! I don’t know what that means either, but he is because I say he is! Are ye happy now?!”

Flurry giggled, her face even redder than Sundial’s. “Oh my goodness…”

Sundial swiveled her glare around towards Flurry. “What?!”

“I mean, when we first met him, we were hoping to help him learn to grow and make a life of his own, and now he’s…”

Bluebolt let out a loud, hearty laugh. “Aaahaha, ‘grow’! I bet he did some growing! Ahaha haaa!” She clapped Sundial on the shoulder and pulled her in for another hug. “Holy crap, do you have any idea what this means?”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “No, lass, what does it mean?”

“It means Symphony owes me eighty bits! She was positive, positive, that you’d had eyes on Captain Blue Flare for the last five years and finally jumped his bones. Ha!”

“Blue Flare? That posh twat with the glasses? Och, is Symphony bloody mental? What kind o’ taste does she think I have?!”

“Bad taste, apparently. Like I said, we’ve got no idea what qualifies as hot for a stallion. Now, if you were into mares, I mean, Symphony and I would be happy to offer some advice—”

Sundial snarled. “I don’t need any bloody advice! Rarity already—” She put her hoof over her mouth. “Shite.”

Flurry gasped. “Oh my goodness, you asked Rarity for advice?”

Bluebolt tapped her chin. “Well, I mean, that seems like just common sense, really. Only other mare worth asking would’ve been Tick Tock but I bet you’d be embarrassed as all hell—”

Sundial huffed. “Hang on a bloody minute, don’t ye go getting sidetracked. You and Symphony were taking bets on who I shagged? Who was your bet then, hmm?”

“Well, I didn’t actually make a bet on anypony because I’m not dumb enough to risk being wrong,” Bluebolt said with a cocky smirk. “Buuut, if I was betting, I was shooting for Captain Steeljaw.”

Sundial made to retort, paused for a moment, then nodded. Steeljaw had definitely caught her eye a long while back. “Aye, okay, fair play ta ye, lass. But that’s besides the point!”

“Yeah, you’re right. The point is, how was it? You said he’s a ‘good shag’ but like—”

“Seriously, lass, c’mon now—”

“Did it hurt?” Flurry asked, still red. “Was he careful?”

“No, lass, it didn’t—”

Bluebolt snickered. “Does he talk dirty or is he like—”

“Really? Really?”

“Are you two dating now?” Flurry murmured.

“I have no idea—”

“Ooh, did he get his cutie mark? From pounding that—” Bluebolt started.

Sundial slapped her wing over Bluebolt’s mouth and gave her a withering look. She then paused in thought for a brief moment. He hadn’t, right? No, no, his flank was still blank. She checked. Multiple times. Now that would be a difficult cutie mark to explain.

Sundial then cleared her throat. “Can we just move on, aye? This has been a thrilling conversation and all but we’ve got bloody work ta do and we’re wasting time talking about my bloody sex life, and I’d frankly like ta keep it ta myself.”

“And Weaver,” Flurry added.

“Right, right, sorry,” Bluebolt muttered, giving Flurry a little grin. “It’s just, why Weaver? Honest question, last one. I mean, I know I said you knew how to pick a stallion and all but—”

Sundial put her hoof to the bridge of her nose. “Because he’s attractive, he’s attracted ta me, and he’s just… he’s there, aye? He doesn’t bother me, he doesn’t question me, he just accepts me for who I am and what I do. We’re just having a bit o’ fun, that’s it. Nothing else.” Under her breath, she muttered: “And he’s bloody good at it, whatever.”

“What was that?” Bluebolt asked.

“Nothing, I’m finished.”

“Well, even so, good for him,” Flurry said with a nod; she was still red in the face. “And, um… good for you, too.”

“Aye, very good for me, whatever, let’s just get moving,” Sundial snorted.

The door at the end of the hall was ornately decorated with engravings in Hierogryphics that none of the ponies present could identify, though Sundial certainly made an attempt like she always did, and came up empty like she always did. She hoped that her information was accurate, because otherwise they were just wasting time. Again, she kicked herself for not bringing Tick Tock’s map; it would’ve made things so much easier.

Luckily, her Chronomancer predecessors weren’t skimping too much on details or accuracy, because what was beyond the door was exactly what they were looking for: the gryphon’s Arcanium central system hub. She had never seen it before, and obviously neither had the others, so the trio were collectively floored by what they were seeing.

“Holy moley…” Flurry muttered as she gawked at the sight. “What is this thing?”

“That’s gotta be the biggest piece of techno-magic I’ve ever seen,” Bluebolt muttered, shaking her head, “and I’ve seen my mom’s entire fleet.”

Sundial smiled. “Well, I think it’s safe ta say we’re where we’re supposed ta be, aye?”

The Arcanium was a towering piece of machinery that occupied the entire room, and the room was nearly a quarter-mile around and half as high, the largest room in the superstructure, which was already the largest building on the largest island. Though it was inactive at the moment, Sundial could make out a lot of telltale signs of technological equipment that kept the thing operating at peak capacity and allowed it to be maintained: cooling vents, protective casings, cables, wires, indicator lights and panels, various ports, jacks, and drives for inserting materials, and a staggering power supply which, unlike the rest, was clearly operating at a minimum level rather than not at all.

All of this was connected to a station just a dozen or so feet ahead of them which was not much larger than the monitoring station that Sundial had in her TARDIS, composed of a trio of display screens, a couple of keyboards—designed for a creature much larger than even Flurry—and a chair that could comfortably fit two of the trio with ease. The irony that the actual operating station was so minimal and convenient compared to the sheer size of the hub’s actual mechanics wasn’t lost on Sundial; it was amusing, actually.

“So, is it on, or what?” Bluebolt asked.

“Doesn’t look like it, but the power supply’s working, so that means it’s not dead, aye?” Sundial said, gesturing at the dull glow coming from the central tower of the structure. “It’s probably on sleep setting or something, like a regular computer. Probably keeps the whole city running on minimal power requirements, otherwise the whole island chain would fall right inta the bloody ocean, aye?”

“You mean this thing is what’s keeping us all afloat up here?” Flurry asked, wide-eyed. “How can it do that? I didn’t see anything outside that looked like it would keep these islands up here in the first place.”

“Nopony knows exactly, and we don’t have any gryphons ta ask, y’know, except for Gilderoy up north, but that’s a wee bit inconvenient at the moment and I didn’t think ta ask at the time, aye?”

Flurry glanced around the room at all of the machinery, shaking her head in disbelief. “Wow, the gryphons sure did build a marvel though, didn’t they? The closest thing to this I’ve ever seen back home is Cloudsdale—the capital pegasus city—but that’s built on and out of actual clouds.”

“Ooh, that sounds pretty neat,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “A city made of out of clouds? Super cool.”

“Let’s see if we can’t get this thing working,” Sundial said, approaching the command station. “Gilderoy made it sound easy enough, so let’s hope he wasn’t just making an assumption about the state o’ things here. Be a right mess if the bloody thing can’t be turned on, aye?”

“Oof, I just hope we don’t accidentally press the button that causes the islands to fall or something.”

Sundial and Flurry just stared at her blankly. “Why in the bloody hell would ye say a thing like that? Are ye trying ta jinx us?”

“Sorry! Sorry. Just ignore me, it was a dumb thought, there’s not gonna be like a big red button or anything that says ‘Do Not Touch: Islands Will Fall’, duh. I mean, obviously. Dumb idea.” Bluebolt didn’t seem too convinced of her own words.

Sundial took the Beacon Key out of her saddlebag and took a seat in the overlarge chair, then set the Key on one of the armrests that she was too small to use anyway. She looked at the keyboard, tilting her head in confusion and disappointment.

For one thing, the keys were much smaller than those on a pony keyboard, likely because the gryphons had actual digits to use that didn’t need such large implements. For another, the whole thing was labeled in those damned Hierogryphics again, so she had no idea what anything meant or did and there were more keys than she was expecting to see, so she couldn’t even hope that the layout was in a simple QWERTY format.

She decided to try tapping a key, hoping maybe it would at least wake the computer up. No such luck. She tapped a few buttons on the console nearby. Nothing. She slapped the side of the centermost monitor—not too roughly—but still, nothing.

“Bloody hell, how are ye supposed ta work this thing?” Sundial muttered, scratching her head and leaning back in the chair. “There’s no ‘on’ button ta press and it’s not working like my TARDIS does. What kind o’ shite is this?”

“Maybe there’s a password or something?” Bluebolt suggested.

“Aye, right? A password, ye say? There’s no prompt for a password for me ta enter anything in!” Sundial grunted.

“Maybe you have to use the Key somehow?” said Flurry. “I mean, a key is used to unlock things, and you’re trying to unlock this ‘computer’, right?”

“Aye, but the Key is supposed ta be used for the Beacon, not for this system here. I don’t see how that would even work.”

“It’s worth a shot, isn’t it?”

Bluebolt gestured towards a port on the side of the central console. “This looks like a spot where you’d insert a drive like we use for storing large bits of information sometimes,” she said. “I mean, it’s a little antiquated since we use a digital network-based storage system but my mom has like eighty little drives with all sorts of backup information in case of an emergency.”

Sundial eyed the little port, tilting her head, then lifted up the Key to look at the little attachment on the bottom. It looked like it would fit. “Aye, worth a shot then, I guess,” she said with a shrug.

She inserted the Key into the slot, and waited. Seconds later, the console lit up in a bright neon blue, and following that, the entire Arcanium structure did the same. The room’s standard lights died down so that only the blue of the computer system kept things illuminated, giving the whole room an eerie, technological glow.

“Fair play to ye, lass,” Sundial said, giving a little nod to Flurry. “Good thought. Just keep them coming, aye?”

Flurry blushed and nodded back. “Thanks.”

The monitors also sprung to life seconds after that. The left and right monitors were blank apart from some Hierogryphics that, as usual, were indecipherable to the group, though they were identical to the symbols displayed just outside the door.

The center monitor, however, displayed a face. Its eyes and mouth were distinctly avian, like a gryphon’s, complete with a gryphon’s beak and everything. The eyes blinked open, as though waking up from a nap, and the monitor emitted a series of pleasant notes.

“Welcome, Lorekeeper Gilderoy,” the face spoke, its soothing feminine voice echoing throughout the room. “It appears this is your first time interacting with the Arcanium system, so allow me to welcome you to the Elysian Islands Arcanium hub. How may I be of service today?”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “This thing can talk? Is it alive or something?”

The computer’s eyes shifted slightly towards Flurry. “I am the Arcanium’s interactive intelligence, and I am fully equipped with voice-processing fluent in every form of communication. I am not ‘alive’ by the strict definition of the word, however.”

“Cooool,” Bluebolt muttered, eyes wide in awe. “This is more advanced than any of the computers we’ve got up in Hope’s Point by, like, leagues. The gryphons were something else if they had a computer like this a thousand years ago.”

“Processing,” said the computer. It paused for an instant, then: “New users detected: two pegasi, one alicorn. Creating new user profiles. Complete. Please state your names and roles.”

“Oh, uh, I’m Bluebolt. Princess of Hope’s Point.”

“I’m Flurry Heart,” said Flurry with a nod. “Princess of… well, that’ll do. Just Princess.”

Sundial nodded too. “Sundial. Chronomancer.”

“Acknowledged. Welcome Princess Bluebolt, Princess Flurry Heart, and Chronomancer Sundial, to the Elysian Islands Arcanium hub. How may I be of service today?”

“Huh…” Bluebolt said, tilting her head. “Well, you know who we are, but do we call you ‘Computer’ or something? It feels awkward talking to you without having something to call you by.”

The computer’s eyes shifted towards Bluebolt. “Different users utilize different appellations for interacting with my systems based on their comfort level with an artificial intelligence. Some have used the term ‘Computer’, referring to my primary function; others have used the term ‘Arcanium’, referring to my housing unit; my inventor, Techno-Sage Garrus, designated me as ‘GAIA’, which stands for Gryphon Artificial Intelligence Assistant.”

Flurry smiled. “Ooh, I like that last one, it sounds pretty. GAIA.”

“Aye, GAIA it is, then,” Sundial said with a nod. “So, GAIA, ye said ye can help us with anything we need, aye?”

“I am bound to assist all gryphons of the empire with any tasks they have to perform,” said GAIA.“However, as guests with proper clearance, you also qualify for this privilege. So, may I be of assistance to you?”

“We’re looking ta reconfigure this Beacon Key to the energies of the southern Beacon in Zeb’ra’den. Can ye do that for us?”

“Absolutely.”

The Key and the port it was inserted into slid inside the console system, disappearing from view. Several parts of the larger tower began blinking and giving off whirring sounds, clearly working on the task they’d been given.

“The process will take approximately one hour, nine minutes, and thirty-two seconds as the Dark energy within is converted into Light energy. May I assist you with any other tasks in the meantime?”

“Hmm…” Sundial muttered. “I wasn’t expecting ta have time ta interact with an artificial intelligence system.” She brightened. “Och! I can use this ta get some information on the gryphons o’ this world! This is great!”

“Oh hey, yeah! I bet you could download a whole bunch of stuff right into your Timekeeper and everything,” Bluebolt said, tapping Sundial’s shoulder excitedly. “This is a hell of a lot better than relying on what everypony before you wrote and stuff. Ooh! I bet you can even get a translation guide!”

Sundial nodded, more excited about her job than she’d been in a long while. She took her pocket watch out and set it on the console. “Uh, GAIA, is there any way ye could upload a copy o’ some kind o’ translation guide of Hierogryphics inta Equine inta my Timekeeper here?”

“Processing,” Gaia said. After a brief pause, she continued: “Device designated ‘Timekeeper’, utilized by the order of Chronomancers, pony agents tasked with utilizing Chronomancy to protect the world from Void energies manifesting as space-time distortions. Configuring system to interact with device.”

A few seconds later, a new port appeared on the console, just next to the pocket watch, which had a unique shape compared to the other ports Sundial had seen so far. She marveled at the fact that it was perfectly shaped to accept her Timekeeper’s attachment, exactly like the one she had in her TARDIS for updating, uploading, and downloading information.

So, she plugged her pocket watch into the console, and the watch glowed a dull green. This lasted for just a few seconds before the glow stopped completely.

“Upload complete,” GAIA said. “Your device now has access to a full translation guide as requested. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Can ye put a map o’ the Elysian Islands on there too?” Sundial asked.

“Absolutely.”

The watch glowed green for a few more seconds, then dimmed.

“Upload complete. Your device now possesses a full layout of the Elysian Islands, complete with a legend and guide to all individual locations. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Sundial then proceeded to have GAIA upload as many things as she could think of on the gryphons that she could in order to satisfy her thirst for more data: history, biology, society, culture, and much, much more. Every piece of information she received she could look over and transcribe into her documentation on the gryphons, which would be the first major update to the data that her predecessors had collected in hundreds of years. It was literally like catching up on ancient history.

“Och, this is wonderful!” Sundial said, smiling as she finally tucked her pocket watch back into her pocket. “Ye have no idea how useful all o’ stuff is, lassies. I’ve got enough data here ta last the rest o’ my tenure. Bloody brilliant, this is.”

“Is there anything else I can help you with?” GAIA asked.

“Yeah, how much longer on that Key configuration?” Bluebolt asked as she eyed the central power structure.

“Forty-two minutes and thirteen seconds.”

Bluebolt nodded, clearly impressed. “Wow, all of that history given to you in about twenty minutes? This thing works fast. Well, unless we want to sit around for forty minutes kicking back and talking about Sundial getting laid some more, anything else we should ask?”

“Bloody— we are done with that conversation!” Sundial snorted.

“Oh, no we’re not. I’ll let it go for now, but you, Symphony, and I are gonna have ourselves a little chat when we get back to the surface.”

Flurry raised a hoof. “I have an idea.”

“Please!” Sundial quickly said. “Thank you!”

“Well, I’m pretty curious about how all of this techno-magic works, since we don’t have anything quite like it on my world. Straightforward technology seems so different, y’know? Like, those airships of yours at Hope’s Point are so much more advanced than the sort we have back home, which are basically just boats with balloons and such. Not quite the same.”

“So you want to ask it some questions about gryphon techno-magic?” Bluebolt hummed and nodded. “Yeah, that could be interesting. Their stuff is more advanced than even ours in some areas, so this might be kind of neat to hear. Ooh, maybe I can suggest something to my mom? She might throw some ideas at the science staff to whip some new things up!”

Flurry smiled, then turned to GAIA’s monitor. “GAIA, could you give us an overview of some of the techno-magic inventions the gryphons made?”

“Certainly,” GAIA replied. “Which sorts of inventions would you like to know, or would you prefer a brief history?”

“How about some o’ the top projects the gryphons might’ve worked on then, aye?” Sundial suggested. “Y’know, things that might be more advanced, like yerself?”

“Processing,” GAIA then paused for about two seconds. “Gryphon techno-sages and lorekeepers developed a grand total of three thousand, five hundred, and ninety-one techno-magic projects in their time at the Elysian Islands before the migration north to the city of Aeropolis, where they developed an additional nine hundred and twenty-seven projects.

“Of these projects, the lead techno-sages through the ages declared a total of five as ‘Momentous’, which is defined as ‘any project that truly defines the advances of gryphonkind to extraordinary, world-changing degrees’.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “From most o’ what I’ve heard, the gryphons were proper chuffed about how great they thought they were.”

“The five projects deemed Momentous are as follows: the invention of the Wand, the development of the terraforming program, the joint creation of the Arcanium and invention of the Gryphon Artificial Intelligence Assistant, the development of the Beacon project, and the Rebirth Initiative. Would you like to know more about any of these?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Hang on a tick, I know those first four pretty well…” She turned to Bluebolt and Flurry. “Aye? Those murals back at Gilderoy’s wee Sanctuary talked about the first two, GAIA here is the third, we already know all about the Beacons—”

“So what’s that fifth one? The ‘Rebirth Initiative’ or whatever?” Bluebolt asked. “It must be pretty important if the gryphons put it up on top with the other four, right?”

“GAIA, can you tell us about that Rebirth Initiative, please?” Flurry asked, seeming genuinely curious and excited. “It sounds interesting.”

“Certainly. The Rebirth Initiative was developed over the course of twenty years just prior to the Gryphon Empire departing from the Elysian Islands to the northern city of Aeropolis. The project leader was Techno-Sage Genesis, and the project was developed as a means of surviving a possible apocalyptic scenario.”

Sundial blinked. “Och, that sounds bloody morbid for the gryphons ta work on. They always seemed a hopeful lot.”

“So, what was it? Some kind of bunker or something?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head.

“The Rebirth Initiative utilized highly experimental magical theories to create a minor pocket dimension similar to the Sanctuary of Knowledge utilized by the lorekeepers, but on a different scale and with a different purpose: true preservation.”

“Preservation of what?”

“The gryphon race.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Wh-what does that mean?”

“The Sanctuary of Knowledge was developed as a means of preserving gryphon knowledge and research in a fashion that would be unaffected by the ravages of time, as the information would all be stored in a format accessible to any creature which would also not biodegrade. The Rebirth Initiative’s ambitious next step was to create a pocket dimension where time itself did not operate.”

Now, Sundial’s eyes widened in shock. “What?”

“Is that sort of thing even possible, Sundial?” Bluebolt asked.

“Aye, it’s possible. Chronomancer HQ exists almost entirely in a field o’ that sort o’ magic so that nopony in the facility grows older. Only the new recruits live outside o’ that field, at least until we’re old enough ta take on an apprenticeship, then we move inta the field until we’re taken in by somepony.”

“So, none of the Chronomancers at your HQ get older unless they’re really young at first?”

“Aye, lass. That’s how our faculty is able ta stay the same for such a bloody long time, at least until they want ta retire themselves. Then they get transferred ta one o’ the other Equestrias out there ta live out the rest o’ their lives, aye? I mean, Charity’s been making uniforms for I think six hundred years or so but still looks about twenty-five.”

“So this Rebirth Initiative was trying to do something like that?”

“Correct,” answered GAIA. “The Rebirth Initiative relied on concentrated fields of time magic—Chronomancy—to operate. Techno-Sage Genesis based most of her research on the order of Chronomancers and was briefly assisted in the project by the Chronomancer Night Owl. The intent was to create a pocket dimension that would not preserve data, but preserve life.”

“You mean—” Flurry gasped. “Oh my goodness, does that mean there are gryphons alive in this pocket dimension?”

“Incorrect. The project does not have any living gryphons involved.”

“Oh…”

“Well then what was the point o’ the whole thing?” Sundial scoffed. “If it’s so important, it sounds like it should’ve succeeded. Ye wouldn’t call a project Momentous if it bloody well didn’t work and live up ta the name, aye?”

“Correct, the Rebirth Initiative was a near-complete success.”

“‘Near-complete’? Well what does that mean, then?” Bluebolt asked, impatient.

“The pocket dimension was successfully created and utilized to preserve the gryphon race in the event of an apocalyptic scenario. The final process has yet to be activated, however, so the project has not yet been deemed a total success. Regardless of this, as no complications were foreseen by Techno-Sage Genesis or her peers, the project was deemed Momentous. Should the project ever be brought to its intended conclusion, it will have properly earned the name. Otherwise, I will update its status in the database.”

“So, this pocket dimension is supposedly preserving the gryphon race, but there aren’t any gryphons alive in it, and yet the project is considered a success?”

“Correct.”

Bluebolt hung her head. “I’m so lost.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Oh my goodness, eggs!” She grasped Bluebolt suddenly. “That’s what’s in there! Gryphon eggs! Right, GAIA?”

“Correct.”

Bluebolt gasped. “No way, you’re kidding. You mean to tell me this little project has a bunch of gryphon eggs in storage somewhere and that they’re unaffected by all the centuries that have passed?”

“Correct. The Rebirth Initiative pocket dimension currently contains one hundred unhatched gryphon eggs kept in time stasis so that they do not hatch or expire, as well as enough fast-growing crops and a water purifier to last such a population for twenty years.”

“Oh my goodness, oh my goodness!” Flurry said, practically shaking Bluebolt. “The gryphons aren’t extinct! We can save them!”

“Hold onta yer horseshoes a moment, lass, this is more complicated than ye think,” Sundial said, trying her best to keep Flurry from shaking Bluebolt apart. “GAIA, how are these gryphons meant ta survive after they hatch? A bunch o’ wee gryphons won’t last long and they can’t rightly grow any o’ those crops or ration the water, aye?”

“Correct. In my capacity as caretaker of the Elysian Islands, it will be my responsibility to ensure that the gryphon hatchlings are properly nourished, educated, and cared for until they are of age to do so for themselves. As for ensuring they survive that long, the gateway into the pocket dimension is stored within this facility, which is built to resist an explosive force of over sixty megatons.”

“And how is it supposed ta activate if no gryphons are alive ta do so? This project exists in case there aren’t any gryphons left, aye?

“Correct. The project’s deadline is deemed to be four hundred years, at which point the project will be activated regardless of other circumstances. According to my calculations, we are beyond the deadline by hundreds of years. The project has not activated automatically due to the Elysian Islands being decommissioned prior to the exodus north.”

“So, why don’t you activate it now?” Flurry asked, practically hopping up and down.

“Because the intended deadline has passed, my programming does not permit me to take further action, as I am not an independent system and cannot make such decisions on my own. I can assist with the process, but it will need to be activated by a user.”

“A user? Oh! Like us!”

“This is amazing!” Bluebolt cheered. “Holy crap, Sundial, we’ve gotta do something about this!”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, I agree. Still, something’s bothering me, aye? Why didn’t Gilderoy know about this? If this project was capable o’ saving his entire species like this, why didn’t he mention it ta us? Or ta Twilight and her friends all those years ago?”

Bluebolt paused. “Hey yeah, that’s weird, right? You’d think he would’ve known about it. Hey, GAIA, why didn’t Gilderoy know about this project?”

“The project was known specifically to Techno-Sage Genesis and a select collection of peers and volunteers. The project’s staff, not accounting for the anonymous donors of the eggs to the project, numbered only eight gryphons. Donors were unaware of the true purpose of their donations.”

“Okay, so, why didn’t any gryphons but those eight know about it?”

“The project was deemed classified, and information on such an endeavor would only be made available to certain individuals due to the controversial nature of its processes.”

“But if it’s classified, why’d you tell us about it?”

“The project was specifically made classified to all citizens of the Gryphon Empire. Users Princess Bluebolt, Princess Flurry Heart, and Chronomancer Sundial are not members of the Gryphon Empire, and have proper clearance to access the Lorekeeper information network. Thus, project details are available via technicality.”

Sundial grunted and grinned. “Aye? Well, that’s a lucky oversight.”

“The possibility of pony users entering into the system was deemed improbable if not impossible. Current evidence suggests this was an error in judgement.”

“Ha!” Bluebolt laughed. “I’ll say it is. Like getting through a firewall because the guy you’re hacking put his password on a sticky note or something.”

“What made it so controversial that the project team would keep it classified?” Flurry asked, clearly worried.

“Many members of the Council, when they first heard of the project’s parameters, forbade its continuation as it required ‘conscription’ of unborn gryphon chicks into the program. The parents of the unborn willingly donated their unhatched eggs. However, the Council deemed this unsatisfactory justification, citing that in the event of a failure, the project would be akin to mass murder, and that the donors were not told the truth about the project’s parameters.

“Techno-Sage Genesis continued the project in secret with a smaller team, and managed to secure new volunteer donors. The project is stored within my database as I am crucial to its success. However, I am unauthorized to reveal the existence or nature to any gryphon of the empire, as previously stated.”

“But all in all, you’re saying that if we activate this project, we might be able to save the gryphon race?” Flurry asked, eyes and smile wide.

“Correct, assuming that the project’s intended result comes to pass.”

Flurry turned to Sundial. “We’re doing this, right? We’re activating this project?”

Sundial pondered this for a moment. On one hoof, going through with this and succeeding would mean that for one thing, she—they—would have successfully given the gryphons a second chance at existence. For another, she’d have actual gryphons to interact with—Gilderoy was likely beyond her ability to contact again—and that meant she’d have even better data than what she’d downloaded.

But on the other hoof, what if something went wrong? The project was experimental, as GAIA had said, with no proof that it would even work to the end, and had apparently already hit a fairly significant snag. If it didn’t work, would those eggs be stuck in time stasis forever? Or worse, would it be akin to murder, like the gryphon Council had feared?

Still, it was a chance, and even if it was a long shot—which it didn’t necessarily sound like it was—it seemed like it would be worthwhile.

Sundial nodded. “Aye, lass, let’s do it. Let’s give these gryphons another shot at life.”

Flurry clapped her hooves. “Yes yes yes! We’re doing something amazing here, girls! We’re giving a little hope to this world’s future!”

“Ha, just wait until my mom hears that I helped save the gryphons,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “If this doesn’t show her that I’ve made my mark on the world, nothing will. Dad’s gonna be so proud of me.”

“GAIA, go ahead and activate that Rebirth Initiative,” Sundial said with a smile.

“Right away, Chronomancer Sundial,” GAIA said. “Opening the Rebirth Initiative gateway to transport the containment units. Please stand clear. This process will take approximately two minutes.”

The central power station whirred louder than it had been before, as did several other mechanisms, as the Arcanium began loading up the project’s parameters. A panel opened up nearby, revealing an emitter of some kind that projected a light onto the floor. Within seconds, the group saw actual matter being created by this light. Sundial was baffled at the level of technology and magic needed to perform such a task.

Once two minutes had passed, the emitter shut down and retreated into its panel. The group was now faced with a trio of large containers with translucent tops so that they could see inside them. In one container was a large device that Sundial recognized as a specialized water purifier. Hope’s Point and New Pandemonium had similar devices and used them to provide water to their populations, as it converted any sort of water, no matter how dirty, contaminated, or salty, into fresh, potable water.

In the second container was a heap of packets filled with fast-growing seeds of all manners of crops: potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, oranges, etc. Sundial had seen similar packets before at Hope’s Point—but not New Pandemonium—as the city used them to quickly repopulate their farmland after the winter season was over. That the gryphons had apparently invented them first and ponies in the modern age had finally reached that level of development was amusing.

In the third container were a series of divots designed to precisely hold egg-shaped objects, and in each of these divots—all one hundred of them—was a colorful egg. Sundial had never seen a gryphon egg before, and in fact nopony in this world ever had, but there was no other explanation for what they were. The entire fate of the gryphon race was sitting right there in that little box.

“Oh my goodness, look at them all…” Flurry breathed.

“So now what?” Bluebolt asked. “Is that it, GAIA?”

“No, Princess Bluebolt, this was merely the transmission process. The containers are now out of time stasis and are nearly ready to be interacted with. The next step is for me to deactivate the dormancy protocols on the eggs’ container in order to engage them in the hatching process. One moment.”

The Arcanium’s power structure churned louder still, and several more lights came on to indicate that the amount of power being generated was staggeringly high, by Sundial’s judgement. So much so apparently that the power structure was now letting off a high-pitched whine.

“Oy, what the bloody hell?” Sundial grunted as she held her ears. “GAIA, what’s going on?”

“Error. System failure detected,” GAIA announced. “Arcanium power level too low to complete process at present time.”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “Wh-what? What do you mean?”

“The Arcanium’s power supply has deteriorated due to age and neglect. Without a significant increase to the power source, the Arcanium systems cannot generate enough energy to properly proceed with the Rebirth Initiative parameters.”

“What? Why?” Bluebolt blurted. “You said you just needed to deactivate some ‘dormancy protocols’ or something.”

“Correct, but the dormancy protocols are in place to protect the contents of these containers from side-effects of the Chronomancy within the sub-dimension, such as rapid acceleration of time, backwards movement of time, or a permanent time stasis effect even outside of the sub-dimension. This requires a great deal of power to deactivate.”

“But why don’t ye have enough power?” Sundial asked. “Ye’ve kept this entire system online for hundred o’ years in a dormant state, and ye’re telling me ye don’t have enough juice ta make this work?!”

“Correct. The power requirements for the project were substantial, but the Arcanium was designed with enough power to handle such a task, and the Initiative was designed with the expectation of being activated at the deadline. Additional time has drained the power systems, as is the current process of reconfiguring the Beacon Key per your specifications.”

Bluebolt paled. “Oh shit, it’s our fault.”

“No it bloody isn’t,” Sundial snorted. “We had ta get that Key business handled, and we didn’t know anything about this here project, aye? We’ll think o’ something.” She turned to the computer again. “GAIA, how much power do ye need?”

“As the Arcanium operates on techno-magic, the power generator does not require standard electrical units of power, but magical units. An Arcane power source equal in strength to an average unicorn’s full potential would be sufficient. I have adjusted the terms to make sense within pony-centric units of measuring magical energy as a courtesy to the current users.”

“Great! That’s just great!” Bluebolt spat. “We don’t have a damned Arcane unicorn or any of those fancy wands or whatever!”

Sundial gasped. “Aye! GAIA, do ye have any wands we could use?”

“Processing. I do not have any wands in storage at this time. Initiative parameters dictate that I am to construct new wands for the participants once they are of age.”

“Can ye make any for us now?”

“Arcanium protocols dictate that I cannot construct wands for non-gryphon entities.”

“Shite. What the bloody hell are we supposed ta do now, then? We can’t get in touch with Gilderoy ta borrow his wand because we need a wand ta even do that.”

“We can’t just leave things like this,” Bluebolt huffed, tapping her temple. “There has to be something we can do. Think think think.”

Sundial took out her Timekeeper and attempted to sync it up to the storage unit. It didn’t seem to be working. “Bloody hell, this is supposed ta be Chronomancy magic, isn’t it? GAIA, why isn’t my Timekeeper interacting with it?”

“Due to the nature of the project, Techno-Sage Genesis implanted a number of safety protocols to prevent any attempts at sabotage. As such, only I am permitted to interact with the Chronomancy field, which has been configured to my magical signature.”

“And ye don’t have the power ta do it. Shite,” Sundial muttered. “All o’ these damn safety measures are making it harder ta help. Bloody hell.”

Flurry paused, then took a deep breath. “Maybe I can help?”

Sundial glanced at Flurry, shaking her head. “Lass, yer magic doesn’t come from the Arcane spectrum, aye? Even Gilderoy noted that yer Aunt Twilight was unique in having that kind o’ power. I think we’re stuck.”

Flurry stepped towards the container, staring down at the eggs with a conviction that Sundial had never seen before. “I have to try. I’m the only here who can.” She took a deep breath. “GAIA, how can I give my magical energy to the Arcanium?”

“Deploying siphon, configuring for alicorn horn. One moment please, Princess Flurry Heart,” GAIA said.

A few seconds later, another panel opened up alongside the Arcanium’s main power structure, revealing an odd-looking device laden with wires and clips that appeared as though it could attach to Flurry’s horn in some fashion.

Flurry wasted no time in walking over to it and getting herself attached, though she looked uncomfortable doing so. Sundial likened it to a pegasus having to strap a bunch of gizmos to their wings. “Okay, so now what do I do?”

“Siphon your magical energy into the device by channeling your magic but not focusing on any particular spell. The device will absorb your magic at a consistent pace so long as you maintain concentration.”

“What happens if it’s not enough?” Bluebolt asked. “You’re not gonna drain all of her magic, are you?”

“The siphon is equipped with safety features that would normally be used to prevent irreparable damage to a wand. It will do the same if it detects that Princess Flurry Heart’s health is in life-threatening danger.”

“I don’t know if that makes me more, or less worried.”

Flurry nodded with confidence. “Okay, here goes.” She lit up her horn as bright as Sundial had ever seen her do before.

The central power structure gave a loud clunking noise, as if something had attempted to start but failed to do so, like an old-fashioned combustion engine.

“Error,” GAIA announced.“Power source has been detected as Light energy. Arcane energy is required.”

“Can’t ye convert it?” Sundial asked. “She’s the only magic we’ve got!”

“Processing.” GAIA paused for a few seconds, then the power structure gave another loud clunk and whirred back to life. “Converting magical energy from Light to Arcane energy. Warning: energy requirement has increased exponentially due to conversion standards. Power required is now equivalent to the collective magical energy of twenty average unicorns.”

Sundial paled. “Och, that’s a lot.”

“I can do it,” Flurry said, flaring her horn brighter. “I can do this. I know I can.”

Bluebolt pumped her hoof. “Yeah! Yeah, you go, girl! You can do it!”

Flurry took a deep breath as she started to sweat. Her horn glowed brighter still. “I’m going to do this. I have to do this.”

“How are we doing so far, GAIA?” Sundial asked.

“Power requirement met at five percent and climbing,” GAIA replied.

Sundial grimaced and shook her head. “Flurry, ye’ve still got a long ways ta go, aye? Are ye sure ye want ta go through with this? Ye might get hurt.”

“I can do this,” Flurry breathed, flaring her horn brighter, and brighter. “I can do this. I can do this.”

“C’mon, Flurry! Go! Go! Go!” Bluebolt cheered. “You’ve got this! I believe in you!”

Flurry’s horn glowed so bright now that Sundial and Bluebolt had to shield their eyes or otherwise avert them, as though they were staring into the sun just before noon.

“Power requirement met at sixteen percent and climbing,” GAIA chimed in.

Sundial took a breath, impressed at the rate this was going. “Bloody hell.”

“C’mon, Sundial!” Bluebolt said, grabbing Sundial and pulling her close. “Flurry’s gonna do this! Cheer her on with me!”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, lass.” She took another breath, then shouted: “Ye can do it, Flurry! C’mon, lass, show this bloody machine who’s boss!”

“Yeah! Show it what you can do!”

Flurry’s knees were shaking, and her face was drenched in sweat. “I can do this. Just do like Aunt Twilight said: focus yourself, and let your magic flow…”

“Power requirement met at thirty-three percent and climbing,” GAIA noted.

“The gryphons are counting on me. Gilderoy is counting on me.” Flurry took another deep breath. “I can do this. I can help them. Gilderoy doesn’t know that his race has a chance… and I’m going to help!”

“Power requirement met at fifty-five percent and climbing.”

“Bloody hell, she’s really doing it,” Sundial muttered, a grin on her face. “She’s really doing it! Go on then, lass!”

“You’re almost there, Flurry! More than halfway!” Bluebolt cheered. “Go! Go! Go!”

Flurry’s left foreleg gave out as the strain started clearly draining from more than just her magical force, but she did not dim her horn one bit. “I have to do this. I have to do this. I can’t give up, no matter what.”

“Power requirement met at sixty-seven percent and climbing,” GAIA said.

“Almost there, Flurry! Only one-third of the way to go!” Bluebolt shouted.

The glare from Flurry’s horn was so bright now that it hurt Sundial’s eyes even when she closed them. “Bloody hell, that’s bright,” she grimaced, putting her hoof over her eyes to protect them. “Keep at it, lass!”

“I’m going to do this, because I want to do this…” Flurry grunted, clearly straining under the pressure. “Because it’s right! I can do this. I can do this!”

“Power requirement met at eighty percent and climbing,” GAIA noted.

The glow was so bright now that it was generating actual heat. Bluebolt and Sundial had to back away to keep from getting burned, and took cover behind the chair at the operating station, though it didn’t help much.

“Holy crap, she’s got a lot of juice!” Bluebolt exclaimed as she shook her wings off. “Hot damn, Flurry! You’ve almost got it!”

“This is bloody amazing,” Sundial muttered, stroking her chin. “I knew she was strong, but bloody hell.”

“Power requirement met at ninety percent and climbing,” GAIA said.

Flurry fell to the floor, barely able to stand, but managed to keep her horn lit brighter than ever. “I… I can do this… everypony’s… counting on me…”

Bluebolt bit her lip. “Oh no. C’mon Flurry! You’re so close! Just a little more!”

“Ye’ve got it in ye, lass!” Sundial called. “We believe in you! If the rest o’ our friends were here, they’d be cheering for you, too! We all believe in you!”

“Power requirement met at ninety-five percent and climbing,” GAIA said.

Flurry’s horn flickered a little bit. “I can… do… this…” She clenched her teeth and stabilized her horn’s glow again. “I can give them… hope!”

Then there came a flash so bright that even from behind the chair, Sundial and Bluebolt were nearly blinded.

“Power requirement met at one hundred and ten percent. Continuing with Rebirth Initiative procedures. Please stand by.”

Within an instant, the light was gone.

Sundial chanced a look around the chair. Flurry was on the floor, and she wasn’t moving. “Oh shite.” She rushed over to Flurry, Bluebolt right behind her, and quickly took the apparatus off the younger mare’s horn. “Flurry! Flurry! Speak ta me, lass!”

It took a few seconds, but eventually Flurry gave a little groan and strained to open her eyes. “Huh? Sundial? Did I do it?”

Sundial smiled and hugged Flurry tight. “Aye, ye did it lass. Ye did good.”

Bluebolt grinned and flapped her wings. “That was awesome! You’re super strong, Flurry. I had no idea you were that powerful.”

Flurry barely managed a smile. “Thanks, girls. That took a lot out of me.”

“Aye, but ye did it anyway, lass,” Sundial said, holding Flurry close. “Ye did it anyway. Even though it hurt, ye kept going, didn’t ye?”

Flurry smiled and nodded. “I picked that up from you, I think.”

Sundial smirked and patted Flurry’s cheek. “Och, don’t go letting me rub off on ye too much, lass. I don’t want ta hear ye start swearing anytime soon, aye?”

“I dunno. After spending all winter with you… that might be… hard to do…” Flurry chuckled and set her head down in Sundial’s hooves. “I think I’m gonna take a… a little nap…”

The central structure then gave a low clunk, and nearly all of the noise in the room died down to nothing.

“Rebirth Initiative procedures have completed. The gryphon egg storage container has been prepared for the hatching process,” GAIA announced.

“How long is it gonna take for them to hatch?” Bluebolt asked eagerly.

“Approximately twenty days, at which point the next stages of the procedure will commence.”

“Are ye gonna have enough power ta get through all o’ that?” Sundial asked, worried. “Ye just gave all o’ yer power ta get this far, plus ye’re still finishing up the Beacon key.”

“The Arcanium’s power cells, once they are completely drained, will operate on minimal solar power. Anticipated supply left is seventy days.”

Bluebolt let out a breath. “Okay, that’ll give us time to finish up this job of ours, for me to get back home, and for my mom and dad to send out some aid. We’ll get this all sorted out, I promise.”

“Aye, cheers, lass,” Sundial said with a nod. “GAIA, how long for the Beacon Key to finish up?”

“Approximate time remaining: twenty-seven seconds. The additional influx of Light-focused power from Princess Flurry Heart significantly impacted the process.”

“Really?” Bluebolt asked. “Wow, she even got that done quicker than we expected. Just how powerful is she?

Thus, twenty-seven seconds later, the compartment that the Key had been taken into reopened, and the Key was out in the open once again for the taking. Where once it had glowed with a sickly orange color streaked with black lightning, it now glowed a soft, sky blue dotted with specks of flickering white.

Sundial gestured for Bluebolt to retrieve it. “Get it and put in my saddlebag, lass,” she said. “I don’t want ta move Flurry any, aye?”

Bluebolt saluted. “Naturally.” She hopped up and over to the console, removed the Key, and shoved it into Sundial’s saddlebag. “I guess we’re just gonna kick it here for a little bit while Flurry gets some rest?”

Sundial glanced down at the napping Flurry, then smiled and nodded. “Aye. She deserves it.”

Chapter Sixteen: Excursion

Rarity had to admit that House Sky’s estate was quite an elegant affair to see up close, just the right amount of splendor to be fancy with just the right amount of charm to be rustic, a fitting combination for the Newhaven aesthetic. Now that everything had been cleaned up—a rather unfortunate phrase considering everything that had happened, including seeing to it that Lord Green Fields’s body was properly transported to his home—the manor could be properly attended to, staffed, and made accommodating to anypony that wanted to visit or have an audience.

Lockwood had left less than an hour ago once he’d finished his meeting with Lord Skycatcher and Lady Silverluck, and Rarity felt that this presented a golden opportunity to engage in some diplomatic relations of her own. After all, she’d offered Bluebolt and Sundial all the help she could give in order to make this journey work, not just so that she, Bloom, and Flurry could go home, not just so that she could help Sundial improve the state of this world, but so that everypony in both worlds could be happy and safe. And that meant she needed to learn a thing or two about the southern lands that she hadn’t had a chance to learn before.

So, while Bloom and Weaver took this opportunity to see the sights with Symphony as their guide, and Venture went off to do whatever it is she was doing—the mare practically disappeared after the whole hangar incident, only saying she had a few things to look into—Rarity saw a perfect chance to visit the House Sky estate with nopony to distract her. Sundial, Bluebolt, and Flurry would be gone for hours, so she had plenty of time to get something done before meeting everypony for dinner.

The staff at the estate were very welcoming of a foreign “diplomat” and guest, especially one that was a close, personal friend of King Lockwood and Queen Blackburn considering all that the pair had just done for Newhaven. Rarity was allowed into the manor without much fuss and even given a little tour of the place by Skycatcher’s steward, Cloudlace, a middle-aged pegasus mare with an off white coat and a light blue mane who was pleasant, helpful, and almost motherly.

The instant that Rarity had been left to her own devices, she went seeking out Lady Silverluck. The other mare was positively intriguing to Rarity, for a number of reasons. First, her family history was surely very interesting, what with apparently being distantly related to Lord Silvertongue himself, so Rarity was curious about that whole aspect of that situation. After all, Silvertongue had been responsible for this world’s state of affairs for centuries, for making life miserable for Rarity and her friends when they were last here, and for creating six mares that Rarity once considered enemies but now considered friends.

Second, Silverluck was such a strong-hearted mare that it gave Rarity a little chill watching her speak during the negotiations earlier. That was a mare who spoke her mind, who didn’t take guff from anypony, and who was so self-assured and brave that she gladly stood in the face of impending death with an air of dignity and grace that Rarity found captivating. A mare like that surely had some interesting stories to tell.

Third, and most frivolous, the mare had a keen fashion sense what with the way she styled herself, and Rarity just knew she was the highest of high-class ponies, definitely somepony she would like to be acquainted with here or back at home. Sure, it was just the tiara, since Silverluck had otherwise been nude, but that was enough. She just couldn’t help herself.

She found Silverluck not in any of the manor’s many, many guest quarters, nor in the grand hall, not even in the dining hall. Instead, Rarity found her in one of the manor’s leisure chambers on the north side of the building, all alone. To Rarity’s dismay, the mare was not in the state now that she had been at the negotiations earlier.

For one thing, she was laid out on a sofa, her tiara lopsided and her mane and tail just a little messy, not at all the picture of pristine perfection that Rarity had seen before. For another, she was seemingly, no, definitely inebriated. If the two empty bottles of wine nearby weren’t enough indication, the one she was currently drinking from directly—bottom-up and everything—was more than enough.

Rarity just stood and stared at the sight for a moment, not quite sure what to make of the whole thing.

Silverluck finished off her bottle of wine and lazily looked about for another, but couldn’t find one readily available. That was about when she looked towards the doorway to see Rarity staring at her. Rarity, completely forgetting herself and dreadfully embarrassed to be caught staring at the noblemare in such a state, was absolutely certain that she was about to get an earful, at the very least.

However, as she was about to offer an apology, Silverluck spoke first:

“S-Silver Glow?”

Rarity tilted her head, not expecting that response at all. “I beg your pardon?”

She was definitely not expecting, not in a million years, for Silverluck to practically leap over to her and give her one of the tightest, most intense hugs she’d ever received in her life.

“You’re alive!” SIlverluck cried, tears welling in her eyes, a smile on her face. “You’re alive! Thank Harmonia!”

Rarity was at a complete loss as to what to say or do. She couldn’t even speak because she was so flabbergasted by the other mare’s reaction to her appearance. This was not the first time somepony in this world had greeted her not as a stranger but as a known pony, but this was far different from anypony else’s reactions.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Silverluck sniffed. Rarity could feel the wetness from the mare’s nose rubbing on her neck. “They told me what happened to you, and I—” She tightened the hug and started sobbing. “Where have you been? Why didn’t anypony tell me you were alive? Why haven’t you written me?”

Rarity did what she could to pull back from the hug, trying her best to do so delicately. “Lady Silverluck, I think you’re mistaking me for somepony else,” she said, unsure how to break that kind of news. The poor mare seemed so ecstatic to see her that it hurt just to tell her anything otherwise.

Silverluck shook her head, but her smile didn’t falter. “What do you mean? I could never mistake my sister for anypony else, silly. I’d recognize that brilliant blue… mane…” She tilted her head, quirking an eyebrow. “Oh. Did you dye your mane? It’s less blue than I remember.”

“Yes, it’s purple, dear. It’s never been blue,” Rarity murmured. “I’m trying to tell you—”

“I mean, if you’re dying it a new color just because you’re getting older,” Silverluck laughed. Then, she paused and looked at Rarity’s face more closely, putting a hoof to Rarity’s cheek. “By the stars, you look gorgeous. You look like you’ve hardly aged a day since I saw you last. My goodness, this has been a good twenty-six years for you, hasn’t it? You look younger than me.”

Rarity frowned. Her heart was breaking seeing this other mare so convinced of what she was saying. “Darling, I’m not who you think I am. I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken.”

Silverluck’s mouth curled in another grin. “Silver Glow, really, that’s not… nice…” She blinked, then looked more closely at Rarity once again. This time, her grin faltered just a little bit. “I mean, we held a funeral and everything, but now you’re here and—”

“Darling, my name is Rarity, not Silver Glow. I’m not your sister.”

Silverluck paused, and her grin started to turn into a frown. “But… you look just like—” She shook her head and let out a breath, her grin returning. “Maybe you hit your head, that’s it. Amnesia. You’ve forgotten who you were, oh my, that must be why—”

“Lady Silverluck!” Rarity huffed, stamping her hoof to snap the poor noblemare out of her delusion. “Please, believe me, I am not who you think I am.”

“You’re… not? But—”

“No, dear, I’m not,” Rarity sighed. “I’m terribly sorry that I’m not, because it sounds as though you loved your sister very much, but that’s not who I am. I’m sorry.”

Silverluck stepped back and frowned as the realization and embarrassment kicked in. “No… I’m sorry. You look just like her.” Silverluck wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry about all that. You must think I’m crazy or something, coming up to you and hugging you and… damn it all…”

“Or perhaps that you’ve been drinking too much?” Rarity suggested in the most polite tone she could manage.

Silverluck looked briefly to the three empty bottles on the floor, as if considering the suggestion, then looked back to Rarity. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“As I said, my name is Rarity. I’m a good friend of King Lockwood and Queen Blackburn, and I had hoped for a chance to meet you.”

“Meet me? Why?”

“Well, I got to see your display in those negotiations earlier, and I must say that I was rather impressed with the fiery spirit you seemed to have.” She frowned and looked over Silverluck’s tragic state of appearance. “I’m afraid I don’t understand why you’re not quite looking so well, at the moment.”

Silverluck scoffed. “Isn’t it obvious? I have to leave here tonight under the cover of darkness so that I can return to my House estate to make plans to move forward with my petition. I have to hide my face wherever I go so that I don’t get murdered out in the middle of nowhere, or while I’m on the road, or while walking down some street corner.”

“I’m terribly sorry to hear that—”

“And that’s not even the half of it,” Silverluck laughed. “Even after everything that happened today I know that I’m probably never going to get the help I need to secure the petition with the Harmony Guard. My House is ruined, my friends are dead, my son is missing, and I have to fear for my life every waking moment of every single day. And I have nothing to show for it all.”

“I wouldn’t say that, dear. You got House Sky to agree to the petition, didn’t you?”

“Of course, after King Lockwood showed up to bail me and Lord Skycatcher out of the fire. If it weren’t for him, Skycatcher and I would be dead right now, and probably everypony down in that port. I did nothing but stand there and let somepony else take care of my problems.”

Rarity shook her head. “That’s not how I heard it. Your words to Lockwood are likely what convinced him to ensure your safety as best he could. You stood before all of those powerful ponies and you told them exactly what was on your mind. You were very brave.”

Silverluck snorted. “Even so, House Sky isn’t enough to do anything, and now I have to retreat back to my estate to figure out anything else. I can’t move west as I planned to visit High Mountain and speak with House Wind to finalize our agreement, so I might as well consider my whole plan a bust at this point. And since I have no idea where my son is, I feel as though my efforts would have been better spent trying to find him.”

Rarity eyed the bottles again. “That would certainly drive anypony to need a little liquid courage. Do you have any notion what might have happened to your son?”

Silverluck sighed and shook her head. “I’m not entirely certain of the situation, no. The last I saw of him, he was in command of our House’s army, heading off to battle with House Golden early in the war, after they murdered my parents. The news I’ve heard suggests that he lost. I don’t know if he was killed, or captured, or managed to flee, or… anything, really.”

“I’m very sorry to hear that. I can’t imagine what it must be like to fear for your child’s safety.”

“Hmph, well, I appreciate the concern,” Silverluck snorted. She then turned to the cabinet on the nearby wall, opened it with her magic—terribly sloppily—and pulled out another bottle of wine.

“Darling, don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Rarity asked, concerned for the mare’s health.

Silverluck struggled to get the cork out. “The only thing I’ve got left in my life now is my wine.”

“Still, if you’re going traveling tonight, don’t you think you should be sober?”

“Ha! I’ll leave the actual traveling concerns to my entourage. They’ll get me where I need to go, and if we get caught by House Golden assassins out in the fields then I’d rather die drunk and happy than scared and miserable.” Silverluck still struggled to open the bottle. “Damned thing, open up!”

Rarity firmly grasped the wine bottle in her magic and took it away. “Lady Silverluck, darling, perhaps you should sit down for now, hmm?” she said, gesturing to the couch. “Take a little rest? You’ve surely had a difficult day.”

Silverluck grunted and staggered back over to the couch, then resumed her lazy lounging position. “Ugh, fine, maybe a little nap first.” She set her head back and tried to use the armrest as a pillow, but she was on the wrong side of the sofa and her head just sagged over the side instead. It didn’t look at all comfortable.

Rarity paused, then took a seat next to Silverluck and gently patted the noblemare’s leg. “Lady Silverluck, if you don’t mind… would you like to talk about your sister?”

Silverluck clumsily lifted her head up and eyed Rarity curiously. “Why?”

“Well, I feel just awful getting your hopes up like that, even by accident. And you seemed so happy and full of life when you spoke to me earlier that—” Rarity paused, then smiled. “Well, maybe it’ll help get you out of your funk, if even just for a moment?”

“I mean, I guess I could,” Silverluck muttered. “You really do look just like her, you know? Just like she did when I last saw her, except with a purple mane, you’re right. And a bit of a different style, too.”

“She sounds lovely.”

Silverluck smiled. “She was. She was the most beautiful mare in all of the southern lands, bar none. She was the envy of every mare, the desire of every stallion.” She shook her head lazily. “So naturally, she was the mare of choice for King Stormchaser when his first wife died. He loved my sister, and she loved him. Their marriage was more than just political like mine is.”

Rarity put her hoof to her heart. “Oh dear, you say your marriage is a political arrangement?”

“Indeed it is. It’s how things are done down here in the south. Firstborn nobles—like my sister—typically get to pick and choose who they wed… who they love. Secondborn foals and beyond, like myself, are usually married off to strengthen our political alliances.” She then scoffed, rather loudly. “For all the good that seemed to do.”

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”

Silverluck took a breath. “My husband is Lord Goldenglow of House Golden, the third son of Lord Golden Shield. The arrangement was to strengthen the connection between our Houses for we have been allies since the era of Silvertongue. Lady Golden Heart was his right-hoof mare and lover.”

“Really? Silvertongue had a lover? That comes as rather… surprising, actually. He seemed the sort to only care about himself.”

“Our family history tells us he wasn’t always like that, not in the least. Harmonia made him her Warden for a reason. He was good, and honest, and pure of heart. He loved life, music, and art. He loved meeting new ponies and making new friends. He loved her, Golden Heart, more than any mare in the world… except maybe Harmonia herself, of course,” she added with a grin.

“But whatever happened to him, whatever changed… nopony knows what it was. Nopony knows when it happened, or why, or if he was at fault for it or not. He just changed.” Silverluck shook her head. “He betrayed every ally he had, down to the last.”

“Even this Lady Golden Heart, you say?” Rarity asked.

“Yes. She apparently found out about his plan to exterminate the gryphons just before he enacted it, after he’d constructed the Beacons. She tried to stop him, but… well, obviously she failed.”

“How does anypony know that? It happened hundreds of years ago, and as far as I know there weren’t any witnesses.”

Silverluck shook her head. “That tower of his stored an awful lot of information, including his personal journals. By that point he’d already joined forces with Nihila and openly wrote about his actions against the gryphons, against Harmonia, and against Golden Heart. I know not how House Golden acquired them, but they did.”

Rarity scoffed. “And everypony just believes it? Silvertongue was a master manipulator, he could very well have been lying. For all you know, Golden Heart sided with him and stayed with him until the end of her natural life. And for that matter, doesn’t it seem suspicious that such information came into House Golden’s possession but not, say, House Silver’s?”

Silverluck clenched her teeth. “My father likely asked those same questions when House Golden revealed their betrayal. If Lord Golden Shield told him an answer, nopony who was in that room and is still alive would ever deign to tell me.”

Rarity frowned, more concerned than ever for the noblemare’s safety and well-being. “And this is the same House Golden that’s been hunting you down?”

“It is. So you can see how deeply House Golden’s loyalties and honor go, that they would not only betray our Houses’ ancient bonds, but even turn on one of their own because he married into my family.” Silverluck shook her head. “Silvertongue’s actions were evil, but what House Golden has done is the same, even if to a lesser degree.”

“I agree, darling, it sounds simply deplorable.” Rarity then tilted her head as a question came to mind. “Earlier, you said your sister married King Stormchaser? As in, Blackburn’s father?”

“Hmm? Oh, yes. It was a political arrangement, primarily. Stormchaser, just a prince back then, wanted to open up relations with the south beyond just Newhaven. He had spoken with my family, for we were the most politically powerful House then, about arranging a marriage with his daughter. But then… Blackburn’s mother died in a tragic accident, so I’m told.”

Rarity was given a brief moment of pause. Blackburn’s mother had passed away under rather horrible circumstances, she knew that much, but the queen had never mentioned that she was so close to never meeting Lockwood. She just couldn’t imagine a world in which those two weren’t together.

“Stormchaser was devastated,” Silverluck continued, “but he still attempted to push forward with his goals and dreams for his city. He hadn’t met Silver Glow before then, but when they met… well, my sister used to say it was truly magical, more than what any unicorn was capable of. They married soon after Stormchaser’s father, King Flashfire, passed away. My sister became Queen of Hope’s Point.”

“Ah, that would mean that Blackburn and Lockwood’s children are your great nieces and nephews, wouldn’t it?”

“Yes. I don’t speak much with Bluebolt or Dreamchaser, of course, as they stay in the north, mostly. Fireglow, though…” She frowned and shook her head. “I have done what I can to support his marriage to Gleaming Dawn. Her parents are close friends of mine—” She clenched her teeth. “They were close friends until they, too, were murdered.”

Rarity nodded sadly. “Yes, I heard as much. That poor mare…”

“I’m just glad they are safe, and I hope when this is all over she can one day return to the south and rebuild what she has lost with Prince Fireglow by her side.” She gave Rarity a sidelong glance. “Their marriage was arranged as well, you know? But even so, they truly love each other. Most political marriages are rather… strained.”

“Ah, you speak of your own, then?”

Silverluck huffed. “Goldenglow is of House Golden, as I said. We married to strengthen our Houses’ allegiance, for all the good that seems to have done.”

Rarity tilted her head. “Isn’t he here with you?”

“Yes, he is. Why he stays, I’ll never know. His father has demanded he return home multiple times, and he refuses.”

Rarity grinned. “Sounds to me like he wants to stay by your side.”

Silverluck sighed. “Perhaps, but all things considered I don’t know if I can ever trust him after what his family has done to mine. I know it sounds hypocritical to judge him based on the actions of his father, but—”

“What does your heart tell you about him, dear?”

“I… don’t know,” Silverluck mumbled. “Our marriage has never been typical. I have never shown him affection in all these years. We were only intimate when trying to have our son, and that was a rather brief period. We sleep in separate rooms, for Harmonia’s sake.

“But… he stills remains. He has never even taken a mistress despite me taking paramours of my own, as these marriages often encourage of their participants. I don’t know if that means that he cares for me or not, but… it feels wrong if he does, for I have never given him that same caring.”

Rarity paused for a moment, then gently patted Silverluck’s leg. “Give it time, then. Perhaps when this is all over, you’ll realize what he feels for you, and maybe, after doing all of this together, you will come to see him in a new light.”

Silverluck hung her head again. “Perhaps…”

“Well, this certainly has been quite a tale, darling,” Rarity said with a smile. “Your sister sounds like a wonderful mare from how you describe her. It’s truly a pity I never got to meet her.”

“She really was…” Silverluck shook her head and gave Rarity a small smile. “Sorry, I’m probably boring you with all of these trips down memory lane. You said you were friends with Blackburn and Lockwood? May I ask how you know them?”

“That’s a rather long and complicated story,” Rarity said with a nervous smile of her own. “I’m afraid you wouldn’t believe me if I told you, and I’m actually not sure I’m allowed to tell you anyway. It’s supposed to be a secret.”

Silverluck’s smile widened. “Well, that just makes me more curious, doesn’t it? Come on, tell me something.”

Rarity thought for a moment, then decided on the best way to put things. “Let’s just say I’m not exactly from around here, and that Lockwood and Blackburn helped me and some of my friends out of a fairly serious bind. Lockwood actually injured his eye and wing in the process of saving the life of my dearest friend. We owe them a lot.”

“Hmm… fair enough.” Silverluck groaned and rose back upright, then got off the couch. “I’ve probably taken up enough of your time, Miss Rarity. I should start speaking with my husband and our entourage about our departure.”

Rarity rose from the couch as well. “Would you like any help?”

“No. Not that I don’t appreciate the offer, but if anypony found out that you, a friend of the King and Queen of Hope’s Point, were helping us in any capacity, they might consider that a violation of the Pact. Even this conversation we’ve just had might be considered suspect if somepony really stretched the rules. I don’t think either of us want to risk making things worse.”

Rarity frowned. “No, I suppose we don’t.” She then had an idea. “Well, perhaps you can be of some assistance to me and my companions?”

Silverluck tilted her head. “Hmm? I’m afraid I cannot offer much.”

“It’s a simple question, actually. My companions and I are heading south, towards Zeb’ra’den. Are there any Houses in that direction that we can trust? Any we should avoid? I want to be sure our group doesn’t get wrapped up in all of this if we can avoid it.”

“Ah, well, the only Houses you should reasonably encounter are House Night and House Snow. The former is… peculiar in their traditions, but they are neutral in this conflict and staunchly so. I am sad that Lady Stormy Night did not accept my petition request, but she rightly feared for her House’s safety.

“The latter, House Snow, is a loyal ally of the zebras, and they, too, are neutral in this conflict. They refused me on grounds that it might draw the zebras into the war as well, which would be disastrous, I feel. If you are looking to go to Zeb’ra’den, they will likely be of some assistance.”

Rarity nodded appreciatively. “I see. Well, that is certainly useful information, thank you.”

Silverluck nodded back. “It was nice meeting you, Miss Rarity. May luck be with you on your travels, wherever they may take you.”

“And with you as well, Lady Silverluck,” Rarity said with a smile and a bow.

Silverluck grinned. “I always have luck with me, my dear. It’s in my name, after all.”

*****

It was shortly before dinnertime, and Bloom, Symphony, and Weaver had already taken the time to get a table at one of the restaurants in Newhaven. This one was called Legume’s Legumes, and it was a neat little diner that specialized in legume-based meals, obviously, in case the name wasn’t clear enough. Symphony proudly noted that the restaurant was a favorite spot of Crossfire, one of her idols, and that as such it was a favorite spot of the royal family when they visited Newhaven.

Sundial, Bluebolt, and Flurry were supposed to be arriving in time for dinner, so they still had a little bit of time to show up before anypony would start to worry; Rarity had just arrived after a little trip to House Sky’s estate and was in the midst of telling the others about her meeting with Lady Silverluck; Venture was still nowhere to be found, but nopony was really bothered by it since she practically never shared meals with them anyway.

Bloom admired the menu with a certain level of appreciation for their selection. She’d never been much on beans and the like, coming from an apple-loving family and all, but the creativity on display here was something else. Everything from spicy black bean soup to green bean casserole was available, and though Bloom hadn’t quite figured out the pricing of things in this world, everything seemed reasonably inexpensive. Judging from the nearby tables the portions served were tremendous, and judging by the crowd the quality was excellent. Bloom hadn’t even eaten yet and she loved the place.

Speaking of the crowd, it had only been a few hours since the entire town had been threatened with force by House Green and House Waters, and yet everypony was back at ease relatively quickly. It helped that they’d had their faith in Hope’s Point paid off, and nothing made that clearer than the Hope’s Point militia ponies patrolling the streets, tall and proud in their defense of the town until this war was over. It definitely inspired confidence in the populace.

“Can I get y’all anythin’ ta drink?” asked their waitress, a pudgy earth pony mare with a face absolutely covered in freckles.

Bloom hadn’t gotten used to the fact that the ponies native to this town had accents startlingly similar to her own and Applejack’s, considering that ponies all throughout Ponyville sounded like they came from practically everywhere in Equestria. This was apparently the Newhaven accent, which meant that for the past few months every stranger she’d met probably thought she was from here and so nopony asked where she was from, which meant she didn’t need to make up a story. Convenient.

Drink orders were simple enough: chocolate milkshake for Bloom—they didn’t have apple juice on account of apples not existing on this world—water for Weaver, iced tea for Rarity, and strawberry lemonade for Symphony; they had everything here and more. The waitress was quick to deliver them as well, and well-practiced with handling a tray of food and drinks even as an earth pony.

Sundial, Bluebolt, and Flurry—back in the coat Sundial had given her and so back to being just a “unicorn”—arrived a few minutes later, right on time actually. Flurry looked absolutely exhausted and immediately started muttering to Rarity about hats and wind or something. The arriving trio put in their drink orders, then took some time to look over the menus and pick out their food orders while the rest of the table put theirs in with the waitress. The food orders weren’t really important in the end, and Bloom hadn’t paid too much attention to anypony’s but her own—the succotash sounded good—as she was more focused on Flurry’s state of being.

So, once the waitress had left, Bloom leaned over to Flurry. “Hey, what in the hay happened up there? Ya look like… well, ya look like heck, if’n ya pardon mah honesty here. Are you okay?”

Flurry nodded at Bloom, a small smile on her face. “Oh, I’m fine, thanks for asking. I’m just exhausted, that’s all. I had to use up a lot of magic.”

“What for, darling?” Rarity asked, also clearly concerned.

“Should we be talking about this here?” Flurry asked, looking around.

Symphony grinned. “Hey, no need to be shy. This here’s a private table just for the royal family and such—you know how Her Majesty likes her privacy and all that—so we’re good to talk about whatever.”

“Oh, well, that’s good.”

Sundial patted Flurry on the back. “This lassie put all o’ her effort inta activating an old gryphon techno-magic project that nopony—or Gilderoy—knew anything about. Go on, Flurry, tell them what ye did.”

Flurry smiled. “Well, the project was apparently made to keep some gryphon eggs safe in case of a huge disaster. So, we were able to get them out of containment, and the computer system up there is programmed to make sure they hatch and are taken care of. I used my magic to help power the process since it was out of ‘juice’, as Bluebolt called it.”

Rarity’s eyes widened, amazed. “Wait a moment, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”

“Yup!” Bluebolt said with a proud grin. “Flurry totally helped give the gryphons another chance! There’s one hundred eggs up there right now, incubating or whatever.”

“No way,” Symphony muttered, also amazed. “Sei per davvero? Are you serious?”

“Heck yeah, we’re serious.” Bluebolt pulled Symphony in close for a hug. “We did good up there, songbird. Flurry especially! We couldn’t have done any of it without her.”

“The eggs are set ta hatch in about twenty days from now,” Sundial said as she sipped her drink. “Bluebolt’s already volunteered ta get Hope’s Point involved in any way she can, too, so things are really looking up, aye?”

“We flung a little light of hope into the future,” Flurry said with a smile. “I feel exhausted, sure, but I also feel amazing. I made a difference. I gave them a second chance.” She turned and nodded to Weaver. “I thought they deserved it.”

Weaver sipped from his water. “I don’t know much about gryphons, but I know they’ve been gone for a long time, and that Gilderoy was the last of their kind. It sounds like this is a really good thing that you did for them all, and for him in particular. He won’t be alone anymore. So… well done, Flurry. I’m proud of you.”

Flurry put her hoof to her heart. “Thank you, Weaver.”

“It seems that when you and Sundial work together, you’re good at giving others a second chance,” he added, nodding at Sundial.

Sundial grinned. “Aw, thanks, lad.”

Bluebolt’s grin suddenly widened and she started excitedly tapping Symphony on the shoulder. “Ooh! Ooh! Also! Also! I got confirmation, songbird!”

Symphony tilted her head. “Confirmation of…?” Then her eyes widened. “Oh! Ohhh! You did?” She turned to Sundial and smiled. “I knew it! Ahaha! I knew it!”

“Aye, cheers lass, do ye want a bloody medal?” Sundial grumbled and sipped her drink some more. “I probably should’ve ordered a stiffer drink.”

“Confirmation o’ what?” Bloom asked, looking between the pair, completely lost.

“Sundial got laid!” Symphony cheered. “I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!”

Bloom looked at Sundial with wide eyes, completely taken aback by this information. “Wow, really? Huh. Well, color me surprised.”

Sundial narrowed her eyes. “What the bloody hell is that supposed ta mean, lass?”

“Nothin’, I just didn’t think you were even interested in anythin’ like that. Ya always kind o’ stuck ta yerself, y’know?”

“It’s rather good news, I think.” Rarity gave Sundial a coy grin and took a sip of her iced tea. “I’m glad to see that you followed through with my advice, darling.”

Bloom turned to Rarity. “Wait, ya gave her advice on gettin’ some? What, like, positions or somethin’?”

Rarity nearly chokedon her iced tea. “N-no, nothing quite like that, dear. Goodness, no. I merely helped her figure out how to… er, initiate things.” She glanced at Sundial briefly. “And it would seem she heeded my words.”

Sundial held up her hooves and gave Bloom an accusatory glare. “Hang on a bloody minute, what gives ye the right ta start talking at me like ye didn’t think I could get shagged in the first place?”

Bloom scratched her chin. “Well, I mean, ya got a kind o’ way about ya that makes me think ya don’t ever want any company. Like, ever. 'Specially not in the bedroom.”

“That’s what I told her,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “She’s a total sourpuss, usually. Buuut, lately she’s been a lot better about it, right?”

“Yeah!” Symphony added. “She looks like she’s actually getting a proper amount of sleep, and she’s more talkative, and friendly, and she even hangs out with us like this here,” she continued, gesturing at the table, “out in public and everything! She’d never do that before. She hates public places.”

Bloom pondered this. “Huh… yeah, now that ya mention it.” She shook her head. “Well, alright, I buy it.”

“Aye, cheers, thanks for the vote o’ confidence, lass,” Sundial grunted. She then sunk into her hooves on the table. “Just get on with it.”

“Get on wit’ what?”

Bluebolt turned to Symphony and held out a hoof. “You owe me eighty bits.”

Symphony rolled her eyes. “Awww…” She fished eight thick coins out of her saddlebag and passed it over. “Damn, I thought I had the guy picked out and everything. An opposites attract kind of thing, y’know?”

“Nope! She’s actually insulted you even considered him. Called him a ‘posh twat’ and everything.”

Bloom smirked and nodded in understanding. “Ah, y’all’re talkin’ bout who the lucky stallion is, huh? I guess that means ya know? It is a stallion, right? I don’t wanna go makin’ assumptions 'n' all but Sundial seems like she’s more inta that.”

“Yup.” Bluebolt then pointed at Weaver. “It was him.”

Bloom stared at Weaver wide-eyed with disbelief. “No…”

Weaver tilted his head, but didn’t say anything.

“She straight up admitted it,” Bluebolt continued. “Said he was great and everything. No details, but there you have it.”

Symphony guffawed. “Oh shit, really? Ha! I should’ve known Sundial was totally into scars and muscles and all that.”

“Yeah yeah, and get this, she said he was packing.”

Rarity nearly choked on her iced tea again. “My word, I think I need another drink if we’re going to keep this up.”

Weaver tilted his head again, clearly confused more than ever. “What am I packing? Am I packing something for Sundial?”

Symphony giggled into her hooves. “Oh my stars he’s prezioso.”

Bloom smirked and looked Weaver over, just for a brief moment. She’d never really been curious, exactly, but then again, he wasn’t bad to look at. “Well, I bet a colt like him’s got plenty o’ stamina.”

Weaver nodded. “I was engineered for stamina.”

Symphony was barely holding in laughter. “For more than just galloping, apparently! Ahaha!”

Sundial groaned into the table, her hooves threatening to break her glass, her face redder than her hair if that was at all possible. “Can we just be done with this bloody conversation already?”

Rarity patted Sundial on the back gently. “It’s alright dear. I’ve put up with the same thing before, believe me. They’ll let it go.” She paused, biting her lip. “Eventually.”

Bloom smiled and held up her glass. “Well, I guess congratulations are in order.”

“And everypony wants ta congratulate me!” Sundial huffed, rising back up to glare at Bloom again. “Bunch o’ bloody muppets...”

“Congratulations, Sundial,” Weaver said with a nod.

The entire table turned to stare at him.

He tilted his head again. “What? Are we not congratulating her for something?”

Sundial groaned and sank her head back into her hooves. Bluebolt, Symphony, and Bloom just laughed. Flurry giggled lightly into her hoof, and Rarity just shook her head and muttered something about “youths”.

Weaver didn’t seem to get the joke.

*****

It was five days later when Rarity and her friends saw the next sign of civilization after leaving Newhaven. The southern continent’s population was not nearly as concentrated as it was in the north, so there were towns and villages here and there throughout the countryside. It was agreed amongst the group that traveling the roads while soldiers were patrolling and searching for “enemies” who might be hiding was not a good idea, so they traveled in a rather roundabout fashion southward.

Early that afternoon, as the little group crested over a little hill far from the proper trails, they spotted a town off in the distance some ten or so miles away. From here Rarity could see the town’s unique charm as clear as day. The buildings were made of cobbled stone and reinforced with wood, giving them an old-world charm even by Rarity’s standards. They simply didn’t build structures with such a style anymore in her Equestria, but she’d always found the architecture charming and quaint when she’d seen it in some of the smaller, older towns on her fashion tours.

“There it is, Old Town,” Venture declared, gesturing towards the little burg with a flourish. “Seat of power for House Night and the oldest settlement in all the south, hence the name. Which is weird because it was new when it was named, so, uh, that’s confusing, right? Ponies sure have silly naming conventions, don’t they?”

“Aye, but none o’ that’s important. What’s important is that that’s our midway stop on the way to Frostburg,” Sundial noted as she gazed off towards the town. “Not bad on the travel time, though, Venture. Ye know yer southern routes well, aye? Here I thought you were just a bloody historian, not a navigator.”

“Well, the south hasn’t changed much in thousands of years, really,” Venture said with a little shrug. “Basically, the maps that were made from before the Beacons were built still hold up today, apart from Newhaven since that’s only about one hundred years old and didn’t have a fancy port then anyway. Sooo, I’ve seen a lot of these maps in my research duties, y’know?”

“Well, it looks absolutely charming,” Rarity noted. She gestured at the largest structure she could see from here, which looked like a large manor complete with a clock tower. “I take it that glorious mansion is House Night’s estate, then?”

Venture nodded excitedly. “Yup! That would be Nighthall, the home of House Night and one of the oldest buildings in the whole town. The clock tower is relatively recent, built about, say, four hundred years ago, after clockwork mechanisms started to be the new ‘in’ thing down here. House Night went bold and built that just to show off.”

Sundial whistled. “As an enthusiast on all things time and clock-related, I will say that that tower is a thing o’ beauty, aye? I can’t wait ta see it up close. Get a good look under the hood, ye know, check out the old girl’s gears and bits, if ye catch my drift?”

“You’re gonna have sex with the clock?” Symphony asked, eyebrows up.

“That’s not— shut up, Symphony.”

“Well, whatever you want to do with it, I think you’ll get your chance,” Bluebolt said with a thoughtful nod. “We’re still going through with the plan to petition House Night for aid in traveling further south, right? No last minute objections?”

“I see no reason why not,” Sundial said. “They’re one o’ the only neutral Houses in this bloody war, them and Houses Sky, Snow, and Wind. Since we’re heading ta House Snow next, House Night might be willing ta give us a hoof in getting there safe and quick-like, aye? Be a lot easier if we could follow the roads.”

“Oh, for sure, that was my thought. Nothing against traveling through the countryside and all that, but I think we took an extra day having to stay off the damn roads.”

“Closer ta eighteen hours, but aye, it’s a significant hassle ta be moving around like a bunch o’ fugitives even though we haven’t done anything wrong.” Sundial shook her head. “And we might as well try. What’s the worst that can happen? They say ‘no, bugger off’?”

“Hmmm… hmmm…” Venture hummed, rather loudly, clearly trying to get everypony’s attention. “Well, if we’re looking to speak directly with Lady Stormy Night, I’d better ask everypony here a real quick question seeing as Princess Bluebolt is looking to me for guidance on all of this. I mean, it applies to the whole town, really, but it really applies to House Night itself.”

“What sort of question, dear?” Rarity asked.

“Easy peasy, actually. So, is anypony here either in a relationship—the extent of it doesn’t matter too much—or at the very least in a prospective one? Like, if you’re not dating somepony, or engaged or married, does anypony here at least have somepony that they’re trying to date? Even a casual sort of ‘friends-with-benefits’ relationship will do.”

Bluebolt, Symphony, Rarity, and Sundial raised their hooves; the later nudged Weaver—back in his uniform, incidentally—to do the same, which he did. Bloom followed suit a moment later, albeit nervously.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “Apple Bloom? I didn’t know you had a special somepony back home. You never said a word.”

“Ya never asked,” Bloom said with a shrug.

“Well, now we’re asking!” Symphony said with a grin.

“Ooh, I’ve gotta hear this!” Bluebolt said, practically jumping in place with excitement. “Bloom’s got a coltfriend! Or fillyfriend! I don’t actually know yet!”

“Ehh…” Bloom shook her hoof back and forth. “Not exactly. Venture said ‘casual’ too, yeah? Well, I mean, I ain’t datin’ nopony back home at the moment, but I’m in kind of a… interestin’ arrangement wit’ somepony else. We like it the way we’ve got it.”

“Oh my goodness, who is it, dear?” Rarity asked.

She beamed as her inner gossip sprung into gear. She wondered if Applejack knew. Did Sweetie or Scootaloo know? Ooh, what it was Sweetie or Scootaloo? Those three had been best friends for more than twenty years. Or, what if was both? Rarity wasn’t one to judge.

“I’d rather not say, if’n y’all don’t mind?” Bloom muttered, casually adjusting her ribbon. Rarity knew that was a sign she was nervous. “I just wanted ta throw mah hat in the ring, so ta say, since Venture asked 'n' all.”

Symphony shrugged. “Fair enough. Good on you though, Bloom.”

Sundial grunted loudly. “Oy! Oy! So when I have a wee bit o’ fun, all o’ ye grill me like a bunch o’ bloody policemares looking ta pinch me for robbing a bloody bank, but when she hints at being in the same bag as me, ye just bloody let it go? How is that bloody fair?!”

Bluebolt set her hoof on Sundial’s shoulder and let out a breath. “Ah, Sundial, it’s just more fun giving you a hard time, huh?”

Symphony came up on Sundial’s other side and did the same. “Yeah. I mean, we’ve got ten years of history between us, right? We’re practically sisters at this point. You’re the older, meaner sister we look up to. Even though you’re shorter than us.”

“At the very least, we’re best friends,” Bluebolt noted. “You’re just the friend nobody really likes and ponies always ask us, ‘hey why do you hang out with that weirdo?’ and stuff.”

Sundial closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I hate ye both.”

Bluebolt and Symphony both hugged Sundial tight. “We love you too, buddy,” they said together.

Venture cleared her throat. “So, that just means Flurry and I are single? Right? I’m not missing anypony? Everypony else got a little love or something like it in their hearts?”

Flurry scuffed her hoof in the grass. “Yeah… I suppose so.”

“Aww, don’t feel bad about it, darling,” Rarity said, patting the alicorn’s back gently to soothe her. “You’ll find your special somepony someday, I’m certain of it.”

Flurry rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if my dad’ll let a colt even get close to me. I think my mom’s right, maybe I should start considering mares.”

“Well I wouldn’t go that far, dear. That’s not exactly a choice you just make on a whim, you know? And especially not for such a superficial reason.”

“Being single’s not all that bad,” Bloom said with a grin. “I mean, Rarity’s single, ain’t she? Sure, she’s got her eye on somezebra, but even if ya don’t got nopony like that it ain’t all that bad. I mean, look at Venture! She seems perfectly fine 'n' happy an’ she don’t got anypony special neither.”

Venture smiled brightly. “Nope! My true love is the smell of a dusty old tome, the thrill of adventure, and the excitement of discovery! And making new friends, of course. Not that I’m in love with any of you. I just loved making friends with you. And I love you as friends.”

Rarity giggled into her hoof. “Well spoken, dear. You’ve got an awful lot in common with Twilight Sparkle with that sort of attitude, and she’s perfectly healthy without that sort of thing in her life. If only we were all so lucky.” She sighed. “So, what exactly was the point of that question? It was rather personal.”

“Oh! Right, duh. Well, House Night is one of the oldest Houses, y’know, and they’re pretty pious, too. I think other than House Light, none of the other noble Houses are nearly as dedicated to the teachings of Harmonia in all of the south… even if House Light seems to have lost their way…” Venture added with a troubled frown.

But Venture shook it off. “So anyway! House Night adheres to Harmonia’s teachings on the subject of love in all its forms, and they’re a little… well, let’s say they practice the concept of ‘free love’ quite frequently and openly. The head of the House especially, at least if she’s like the stories say she is.”

Bloom tilted her head. “‘Free love’? What does that mean?”

“Basically, they have no qualms about sharing a bed with anypony at any time, because they believe that sex is just as much a part of love as romance is, and since romance is hard to develop at times and sometimes leads to heartache, they choose to adhere to the former in a casual—though reverant—manner. They’re very ‘free’ like that. Hence the term.”

“So, why the question 'bout us bein’ in relationships?”

“Well, they respect the boundaries of ponies that are already occupied in a relationship, prospective or not, since jealousy and betrayal are antithetical to Harmonia’s teachings and the quickest way to inspire such feelings is temptation.”

“Wait, so if we were single, they’d try to proposition us or something?” Bluebolt asked.

“Yup! So, if you’re bothered by the prospect of Lady Stormy Night, or her steward or her servants, or really anypony in Old Town being a little ‘forward’, just stick with your partner or be ready to note you have a partner elsewhere. They’ll respect that and won’t bother you about it, okay?”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, so, if we don’t want somepony walking up ta us at random and asking for a shag, we just tell them we’re already with somepony. Sounds simple enough.”

“You make it sound like having sex is no more different from a friendly hoofshake,” Symphony noted with a grin. “I mean, talk about a welcome wagon.”

Rarity turned red and coughed into her hoof. “My word, this town sounds a little odd, if I might say so.” Under her breath, she added: “Maybe this is where Briarthorn really picked up his old habits?”

“Odd, maybe,” Venture said with a shrug. “But they’re very friendly and welcoming, and you probably won’t have to worry about everypony in the town trying to flirt with you or whatnot. Just be honest with anypony that asks, and you’ll be fine. They won’t try to force themselves on you or anything. They’re more respectful than that. Just friendly. Okay? Okay.”

By now, they’d arrived on the outskirts of Old Town and made their way onto the cobblestone road leading in. Now that she was closer, Rarity could appreciate the sights of the quaint little town more readily. Shops were set up on several corners on the way inside, where she could see that some offered traveling supplies, others food, drink, or both, and even a cozy little two-story inn that called itself the “Old Town Lodge”. It was like walking through a picture book of towns long gone, lost to the medieval times of her own Equestria.

The ponies here were, as she expected, exclusively nude, as southern ponies were not ones to wear clothes unless needed for a job or position. Thus, for the most part, only the few guards that patrolled the streets wore anything and they just wore light armor—dark purple with black streaks—and carried some crossbows. Sure, there was a hatmaker who wore a hat as he advertised his wares and a coatmaker doing the same to help ponies prepare for the coming southern winter, but there weren’t many others.

As noted, the group got quite a few looks as they walked the streets. Rarity hadn’t felt so many eyes on her in quite a while, and she could tell they were looks of admiration and excitement. It felt nice, actually, having so many younger ponies looking at her like that, but she didn’t consider, even for a moment, indulging in an opportunity if it presented itself.

Luckily, since the group was so large, nopony came up and bothered them as they were a little intimidating when all walking together, even though Venture was taking the lead with a big, goofy smile on her face as she waved at nearly everypony she saw as she went.

Nighthall, as Venture had called it, was more impressive up close than Rarity had expected. It looked rather like the old-world style mansions that Rarity remembered from her world, typically the homes of older families with a great deal of history. She recalled reading about the ancestral home of Princess Platinum which still stood to this day, though it was no longer owned by that family line as far as Rarity knew.

Sundial, meanwhile, was practically salivating over the clock tower as it loomed over the manor’s gates. Rarity was certain she saw the mare licking her lips, and rather suggestively at that.

Two guards at the front gate barred the way further inside. It was at this point that Rarity noticed that every single guard she’d seen thus far had been a mare. The populace of the town itself had been a pretty even mix of both sexes, but seeing no stallions in the guard was odd. She chalked it up to just not having a full representation of the guard force in front of her, but the sample size so far had been substantial enough to notice a pattern.

“Halt! Who goes there?” called one of the two guards. She was a blue pegasus with a green mane, and Rarity noticed that her armor had a gold stripe, so she was clearly the ranking officer between the two.

Bluebolt took a breath. “Okay, my turn. Here goes,” she muttered. She approached the guard, putting on what Rarity assumed was the most royal expression she could manage: a proud, tight-lipped smile. “Ahem! We seek audience with the head of House Night. Am I to assume that that would be Lady Stormy Night?”

Rarity had to resist the urge to roll her eyes. Bluebolt was trying a little too hard with that voice.

The guard tilted her head. “Ja, Lady Stormy Night’s still head of the House. Vhat’s all this about?”

“My companions and I are seeking an audience with her, and our business is our own, good mare.”

Rarity shook her head. Bluebolt was definitely trying too hard. The poor dear.

“And who might you be that’s lookink for an audience vith her?”

Bluebolt nodded slightly and put a hoof to her side as if posing for a painting. “I… am Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point.”

Way too hard.

The other guard—a pink earth pony with a blue mane—bowed low. “Willkommen zu Old Town, Your Royal Highness.”

The lead guard rolled her eyes. “That might be a little too much too soon, Kadettin.” She turned back to Bluebolt, eyebrow raised. “Vee veren’t informed of your comink, though, if you’ll pardon me for beink a little surprised, ja? Do you have any proof of your identity?”

Bluebolt nodded, and lifted up her dominant hoof, revealing the “power hoof” attachment, as she called it. “This is a signature weapon used by Queen Blackburn herself, as well as me, her daughter, and as you can see it bears my royal seal.”

Rarity had seen the attachment before and knew that it was engraved with an insignia that bore the emblem of Hope’s Point—a black lighthouse over a field of red and gold—with Bluebolt’s cutie mark overlaid upon it. Bluebolt even briefly displayed her cutie mark as matching proof.

“Perfektion.” The lead guard then gave a slight bow. “Guten Tag. A pleasure to have you here, Princess Bluebolt. Willkommen zu Old Town.”

“And it’s a pleasure to be here. I’ve never been to Old Town before.” Bluebolt then cleared her throat. “So, about that audience?”

The lead guard nodded. “Oh ja, we are already takink care of—” She paused and turned to the other guard, who not only hadn’t moved, but was still bowing. “Hey! Vhat are you still doink here, Kadettin? Go let Frau Strings know about the guests! Geh weg!”

The other guard hastily snapped to attention. “Jawohl Kapitän! Right away!” And then she opened up the gate—rather easily considering its size compared to her—and ran into the manor grounds.

“Hmph! Damned rookies,” the lead guard muttered. She turned back to Bluebolt. “She’ll be fetchink the House Steward, Frau Lunar Strings. Von’t be but a moment, ja?”

“Certainly, that sounds fine,” Bluebolt replied. She briefly turned to the group and whispered, barely loud enough for Rarity to hear. “So far so good, right? Am I doing okay?”

“You’re doing great, pecha,” Symphony said with a smile. “Look at you, your first real diplomatic mission! I’m so proud of you.”

“A little strong at the start, darling, but you’re doing just fine,” Rarity added. “Keep it up!”

A few minutes later, the gates reopened, and out came a unicorn mare with a grayish-blue coat and a lovely purple mane streaked with blue. She bowed as she came before Bluebolt. “Princess Bluebolt, it is my pleasure to velcome you to Nighthall. I am Lunar Strings, the steward of House Night. How may I be of assistance to you?”

Bluebolt nodded in affirmation. “And it’s a pleasure to meet you as well, Lunar Strings. We’re seeking an audience with Lady Stormy Night. Can you arrange that for us?”

Lunar nodded. “Of course. As it so happens, my lady is currently unoccupied vith any business, so I vill take you to our lounge inside vhere you may vait for her vhile I inform her of your arrival. She will be eager to greet such a…” She glanced amongst the group and smiled. “Colorful group.”

“Well, lead the way!” Bluebolt said with a smile.

The group all took a single step forward.

“Ah ah ah!” Lunar paused them by raising her hoof, then gestured at Weaver briefly. “Except for your stallion companion there. I am afraid that my lady and House Night do not allow stallions into the Nighthall except under very specific circumstances. And this is not one of those, tut mir leid.”

“Why the bloody hell not?” asked Sundial, eyebrow raised, a little indignance in her voice. Rarity noted this to herself; Sundial was quick to stand by Weaver these days, quicker than she’d ever been.

“It is just our way, fräulein,” Lunar said without missing a beat. “He vill have to remain outside, but he may still remain in the town itself.”

Bluebolt blinked. “Oh. Well, okay then, if that’s your custom, we’ll happily oblige.” She turned to Weaver and nodded. “Uh, sorry buddy, you heard the lady. No colts allowed.”

Weaver tilted his head. “She said ‘no stallions’. And I am not a colt—”

“You know what I meant!”

Weaver grinned and nodded. “I do not wish to cause a fuss, so I will remain outside.”

Sundial nodded as well. “I’ll stick with him, aye? Just ta make sure he doesn’t get inta any trouble.”

“Or get into any mares,” Symphony snickered.

Sundial slapped her wing against Symphony’s ear, then abruptly grabbed Weaver’s hoof. “C’mon then, lad, let’s go have a look around town, aye? We’ll get something ta eat, too. You hungry?”

Bloom followed after them. “Hey, can I come wit’ y’all? This here fancy noble stuff ain’t really mah speed.”

Sundial stared at Bloom for a moment, then sighed and nodded. “Aye, come along then, lass, just stick close.” She shook her head as they wandered off. “Bloody hell, I really wanted to check out that clock tower.”

“Anypony else want to leave?” Bluebolt asked, looking to Rarity and Flurry, the only others who Rarity knew didn’t need to be here with her for any of this. Symphony was the bodyguard, Venture was the expert, but Rarity and Flurry didn’t add anything specifically.

Rarity shook her head. “I’ll stick around if you don’t mind, darling. I’m rather eager to get a look inside the Nighthall, hmm? The estate looks simply divine, and that’s just from out here. I imagine the interior is just as lovely.”

Flurry stepped forward and smiled. “I just want to see you at work, Bluebolt. You supported me back on the islands when I needed you, and I want to support you as well, whether you need it or not.”

“Aww, thanks, Flurry,” Bluebolt said with a grin.

Lunar cleared her throat and smiled. “Vell, now that that’s all settled, shall we proceed, Princess?”

“Yeah, lead the way,” Bluebolt replied with a nod.

Rarity and the others followed Bluebolt as she followed Lunar through the gates, which were then closed behind them. Now that the gates weren’t in the way, Rarity could get a clear view of the entire manor, which was a truly glamorous affair, exactly like the old-world mansions she’d been thinking of before. In fact, she was fairly certain it resembled a famous home in the north of Equestria, just south of the Crystal Empire. What was it called? The Ardvana?

Well, the colors were different, but that was about it. The walls were made of a dark brick-like stone that matched the black-painted tiled roof, which had several high points. There were so many windows that Rarity wasn’t sure how many rooms the manor had, exactly, but it must’ve been quite a large number. The western tower was integrated into the tall clock tower flawlessly, and if she didn’t know better she’d say that the clock tower had always been a part of the structure.

The grounds were well-maintained with freshly cut, healthy, green grass all about despite the autumn season rolling through the countryside. A large central fountain made of a lovely black marble drew her attention next. She was a little curious about the statue that made up the centerpiece, which looked like two gorgeous mares locked in a rather passionate embrace, one of them holding a bottle of wine from which the fountain’s water spewed.

The group then entered into the manor, which had an interior just as lavish as the exterior. The floors were decorated with some of the most exquisite rugs that Rarity had ever seen, the ceiling was decked out with chandeliers in every room they passed through, and most of the walls were decorated with splendid paintings. Some were of gorgeous southern landscapes, others of objects or places, and others were of ponies. Mares, specifically, in rather tasteful, artistic poses.

Eventually, the group was led into the estate’s lounge, which was a cozy little room with plenty of seating available upon a number of differently shaped couches and sofas. The lounge also had no windows, which was odd, but a rather luxurious fireplace, which was lit at the moment with quite a decent-sized flame, giving the room an almost summer-like warmth.

Lunar bowed to Bluebolt briefly. “I vill return shortly vith Lady Stormy Night, Princess. Please, make yourselves comfortable. You may disrobe, if you vish. It might be chilly outdoors, but as you can plainly tell, it is not so cold in here, ja?”

“Thank you, Lunar,” Bluebolt replied with a nod.

Lunar then left the room, allowing the group to do exactly as instructed: get comfortable.

Rarity removed her cloak and set it on a handy nearby coat rack; she wasn’t bothered by the nudity stigma the northerners of this world had, and besides, this was the south, and when in the south, you did as the southerners did, or so Blackburn had once said in regards to the whole thing. Besides, the room was too warm to be dressed in such a coat. Spring up north had already been cutting it.

Flurry, of course, had to keep her coat on in order to hide her wings, even though Rarity noticed that she was sweating a little. The fireplace was definitely doing it’s job keeping the room warm, and Rarity felt rather bad that Flurry couldn’t get herself out of that bothersome thing at the moment. Perhaps if she had worn her hat instead—she had no idea what the fuss was all about, since it was a lovely thing—but Flury had been quite insistent to just ditch it.

Bluebolt and Symphony took a seat on one of the sofas—which was shaped like a heart—together, side-by-side. But, after a few minutes of sitting in relative discomfort because of the heat, they, too, removed their clothes, though they did so with a great deal of embarrassment.

It was the first time Rarity had seen either of them without clothing—naturally—but she didn’t gawk or stare, just made note of what she saw. Symphony was wonderfully well-toned for a mare, for example, and Bluebolt had an envious flank. No wonder they were attracted to one another and all over one another most of the time. Ah, young love.

Venture, curiously enough, did just as Rarity had done, just more enthusiastically. She’d gotten out of her clothes almost immediately after Lunar had suggested it, and in fact, Lunar hadn’t even left the room by the time Venture was taking her clothes off, which Rarity found rather odd. Was the mare excited or something? Stupid question. Of course she was excited. Venture was always excited. And quite fetching, to be honest.

Rarity noted a couple of other oddities about the lounge after being in it for a few minutes. For one thing, there was a lovely fragrance in the air that Rarity recognized almost immediately as jasmine and ylang ylang. It was faint enough not to be too distracting, but the choice in scent was odd as Rarity knew the two were considered aphrodisiacs. Because she read it in a book, not because she’d ever used them herself. Why it was used here in the lounge, though, Rarity didn’t know.

For another, as she sat on one of the sofas, she found the cushions to be just the perfect blend of hard and soft that they’d be more than comfortable enough to sit on, but not so soft that one’s rear sunk into the frame. Rather like a well-made bed’s mattress than a couch cushion, really. She almost felt like laying back on the sofa and falling asleep right then and there, and it wasn’t even nighttime yet.

Bluebolt, who was clearly extra nervous now that her diplomatic conversation was going to be done while she was nude, cleared her throat uncomfortably. “So, uh, Venture, what do you know about this Stormy Night? Is she nice?”

Venture rolled over onto her back—she’d taken one of the smaller sofas and was clearly enjoying the feel of it—to give Bluebolt a smile. “Oh, yes, she’s very nice. She took over as head of the House about a year before the Beacons fell, and she was very young at the time—her mother fell ill, you see—but she took to leadership like a fish to water.”

“So, how old is she?” Symphony asked. “Like, are we dealing somepony our age, my mom’s age, or, like… older?”

“She’s thirty-eight, I think? It’s not an exact guess, though. I’m not great with numbers.”

“So she was only sixteen when she took over as the head of the House?” Rarity asked, curious. “My oh my, that’s quite young to be thrust into such an important position, isn’t it? And the poor dear’s mother passing on like that, how dreadful.”

“Why didn’t her dad take over or something until she was of age?” Bluebolt asked. “I mean, my mom became Queen kinda young, but not that young, and that was because of a pretty shitty set of circumstances.”

“Oh, well, that’s easy: she doesn’t know her father,” Venture said with a matter-of-fact nod.

“Oh no, that’s awful,” Rarity murmured. “Did he pass away before she was born?”

“Nope.”

“Maybe he’s just a deadbeat and left,” Symphony noted. She nudged Bluebolt. “Like your dad’s dad, eh?”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes. “If anypony did to their foals what my dad’s progenitor did to him, then nopony should want to know them. Dad hates him, and I mean like, hate hate, and you know he doesn’t hate anypony.”

“I recall the story,” Rarity said with a nod. “Hopefully that’s not the case here.”

“Yeah, this is a noble we’re talking about. If some deadbeat tried to pull that kind of crap here, he’d be hunted down for sure. Harmonia knows my dad would’ve loved to do the same,” Bluebolt grunted.

“Oh no no, it’s nothing like that, guys, sheesh,” Venture said, shaking her head. “House Night’s traditions run pretty deep, y’know? That’s all it is. Remember how they wouldn’t let Weaver in?”

“Huh? Oh yeah, that’s right. Except in special circumstances or something?”

“Yup! Other than those special circumstances, no stallions are allowed in the estate. And the only special circumstance is usually in the spring.” Venture waggled her eyebrows. “Get it? Huh?”

“Oh?” Symphony’s eyes widened. “Oh. Ohhh. Okay. Yeah, got it.”

Flurry raised an eyebrow and raised her hoof. “Um… I don’t get it. What’s so special about springtime?”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Do you guys not go into heat where you’re from?”

Flurry shook her head. “I don’t even know what that is.”

Rarity cleared her throat. “The ponies of our world don’t, no. Certain animals do, though, but it’s not necessarily always in spring. It depends on the species.” She turned to Flurry. “Fluttershy can tell you all about it when we get home, dear, if you’re curious. It’s not polite conversation.”

“It’s actually very scientific!” Venture said. “I could tell you—”

Rarity cleared her throat more loudly. “Darling? Just drop it. If we had more polite company,” she said, looking straight at Symphony, “it would be fine, but I’d rather not get into any juvenile discussions.”

Symphony nodded in understanding. “Yeah, that’s fair. I’d make it weird.”

Flurry tilted her head. “Um… okay?”

Venture leapt up. “Anyway! So yeah, Stormy’s dad got invited to the estate one spring, and eleven months later, Stormy Night was born. He was probably only here for that one night and either has no idea which mare he was with or isn’t even from Old Town at all. I mean, if you gave me a week I could maybe track him down.”

“It’s quite an odd tradition,” Rarity muttered. “Do all of the mares in House Night continue the family tree in such a way?”

“Oh, definitely. Been doing it like that for generations. Even Stormy herself did the same for her daughter, Nightshade.”

Symphony leaned over to Bluebolt. “This place sounds like it gets freaky in springtime, yeah?”

Bluebolt gulped. “Well, at least it’s autumn.”

“Yeah, down here. It’s spring for us.”

“Well, just be glad we’re not, y’know, there yet,” Bluebolt grunted. “Not that it would matter, anyway! Other mares aren’t gonna get all weird around us because of that, goofball. Sheesh.”

“What happens if a colt is born?” Flurry asked.

Venture tilted her head. “Y’know, I have no idea. Every record in the family shows that there hasn’t been a male born to House Night since its founding. Not even like a ‘once in a thousand years’ prophecy sort of deal. Nope, just mares all the way through. It’s pretty interesting.”

“Explains why the House values mares so much,” Bluebolt noted. “I mean, if I was playing a coin-flipping game and it kept coming up heads every single time after a thousand flips, I’d assume either the coin is rigged or that I’m destined to always land on heads. Either way, tails loses, right?”

“This world’s customs and cultures get more curious and interesting every day,” Rarity said shaking her head in awe. “A shame Twilight isn’t here, she’d have a field day studying this sort of information. The history, at any rate. Not the rest of it.”

Several minutes passed, and finally, the lounge door opened and Lunar Strings walked back inside, escorting another mare—a pegasus—behind her, who could only be Lady Stormy Night.

The noblemare had a lovely amethyst coat and a brilliant sapphire mane. Rarity would usually never embellish a pony’s coloration so vividly, but Stormy Night seemed rather deserving of it. Not only was she a noble, but she was absolutely stunning to look at. She was just as nude as Lunar was, but despite not wearing any symbol of her nobility, she carried herself in such a way that there was no need. She was distinctly of a higher status, and she knew it, and she owned it.

Lunar bowed to the group, and gestured at her lady. “Princess Bluebolt and company, may I introduce Lady Stormy Night of House Night, ruler of Old Town.”

Bluebolt gulped and gave a little bow. Rarity noticed her wings were a little stiff. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Stormy Night.”

Stormy’s mouth curled in a little grin as she bowed as well. “The pleasure is all mine, Princess Bluebolt. I have never had northern royalty in my halls before. This is quite a titillatink experience.” She glanced over the rest of the group as she rose back upright. “And such a sumptuous entourage as vell. My oh my.”

Bluebolt cleared her throat. “R-right. Um, so, we wanted to talk about—”

“Ah, please, vee can save the business for later, ja? It has been so long since I’ve had such exquisite company, and I don’t even know everypony’s name yet. Vhy, it would be simply disrespectful to such lovely mares to continue vithout a proper House Night greeting. It is tradition.”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Bluebolt said, tilting her head. “We will of course respect your traditions and customs. Ahem. Let’s see—”

Venture, ever the excitable one, didn’t waste any time moving forward to volunteer. “Ooh! Hi! Me first, m’lady. Hello! I’m Venture!”

Stormy’s coy grin widened just a little. “Oh my, you are an eager one, aren’t you? I do enjoy a bit of eagerness in a mare, hmm? And you’re not at all bad to look at either. Come here, meine liebste.”

She approached Venture and gave her a hug that Rarity considered a little more than friendly, using her wings and hooves together to fully embrace the unicorn. Rarity was now nearly positive that Briarthorn has somehow gotten ahold of a manual of some kind from these House Night nobles to learn how to greet a pony.

Still, Venture seemed not only to not mind the attention, but to actually enjoy it. “Ooh! Wow, that’s a nice hug you’ve got there, m’lady. Very strong, very warm, kinda like being wrapped up in a cozy blanket. Ooh! That tickles.”

Stormy grinned even wider as she rubbed her wings just a little lower onto Venture’s flanks. “Ah, if you like my hugs, meine liebste, then perhaps you vould enjoy more later, ja? Perhaps tonight? I can show you all sorts of special hugs that I am told I am an expert at,” she added with a small glance at Lunar, who gave a knowing smile.

“Oh wow, that sounds wonderful!” Venture gushed, a huge smile on her face. “I love hugs, so if you’ve got more types of hugs to show me, I’d love to learn! I just know like, two or three, tops. Maybe four. None of them particularly special or anything, but I’ve been told I’m a good hugger.”

Bluebolt just stared at Venture like she crazy. Rarity was already doing the same. “Hey, uh, Venture, you do know what kind of hugs she’s talking about—”

Venture waved Bluebolt off with a hoof. “Oh, don’t get all uppity with me now, Princess. Lady Night here is offering me a chance to learn some new, ‘special’ hugs to expand my repertoire. I don’t see you offering to teach me any special hugs, huh?”

Symphony grunted, giving Venture a terse look. “She’d better not be. Those ‘special hugs’ are for me only, capiche? They’re secret.”

Venture tilted her head. “Alright then, keep your secrets.”

Stormy came to Bluebolt next and drew her up into a hug as well. “And velcome to you as vell, Princess.”

“H-hey!” Bluebolt grunted. “Uh, hi, yes, it’s really nice to meet you, Lady Night—”

Symphony clenched her teeth. “You might be getting a little too friendly with the princess there, m’lady, if you don’t mind?”

Stormy tilted her head towards Symphony slightly. “Ah, you said you and the princess engage in ‘special’ hugs, then? Does that mean you two are liebhaberinnen? Ah… lovers?”

“Very much so, yes,” Symphony snorted.

“I can see vhy,” Stormy cooed, rubbing her wings just a little bit along Bluebolt’s flank. “She’s perfect.”

“Whoa! Um, careful where you put those wings, m’lady,” Bluebolt said, clearly uncomfortable but trying to remain courteous.

Venture cleared her throat. “Um, Lady Night?”

“Yes, meine liebste?” Stormy asked, tilting her head towards Venture with a smile.

“Lady Harmonia teaches us not to inspire jealousy in one another, especially in acts of love. These two are a very loving couple—trust me, I know—and I think you might be being too forward with the Princess. It might be upsetting her partner.”

Stormy paused for a moment, then immediately dropped Bluebolt from the hug to her original upright position. “Vergib mir, I sometimes get carried avay vhen meetink new ponies, ja? It is a House tradition to greet newcomers varmly, you understand.”

Bluebolt gave a nervous smile. “It’s no trouble, I know you didn’t mean anything by it. Foreign cultures are like that sometimes.”

Stormy next approached Symphony, who just stared at her with a not-too-pretty frown. “I am sorry if I caused any discomfort for you or your lover, freundin.” She offered out her hoof to shake. “It is unbecoming of a lady to treat her guests so rudely.”

Symphony eyed Stormy’s hoof, then glanced briefly at Bluebolt, who was giving her an insistent nod. Symphony rolled her eyes, then took the other mare’s hoof and shook it briefly. “No trouble at all. I’m Sweet Symphony, by the way.”

“Charmed.”

Stormy did not hug Symphony, and instead moved straight on to Rarity next.

Before Stormy could approach to hug her, though, Rarity quickly held up her hoof. “Forgive me, m’lady, but I, too, am already ‘taken’ as it were. I do not know if that makes a difference or not, but I felt I should say it now just to avoid any potential drama. I’m afraid I’ve never been to Old Town either and know little of your customs.”

Stormy gave a sad smile as she offered Rarity her hoof, which Rarity took and shook delicately. “Oh dear, that is a shame. I can tell you are not as young as your other companions, but might I say that age is not alvays a negative thing for a mare’s beauty? You, my dear, have aged like fine vine. Fine. Vine.”

Rarity smiled briefly. “Well, thank you, m’lady. You’re too kind. I’m Rarity, by the way.”

“A gorgeous name for a gorgeous mare, if there ever vas one. And your voice is heavenly. I could listen to it all night.” Stormy batted her eyelashes. “I could alvays be more kind, if only you vould permit me. I’ve learned how to share.”

“I’m afraid I prefer the company of stallions, m’lady,” Rarity coughed. “Though I appreciate the offer. You flatter me.” She was really, really trying to maintain an air of decorum here. This Stormy Night just rubbed her the wrong way. Which was not the turn of phrase Rarity wanted to use right now.

“Ah, vell, nopony’s perfect,” Stormy sighed. “So close, though. A shame.” She next turned to Flurry, and her grin widened again. “Ah, and now the last of this vonderful little bunch, and the youngest as well. You are simply adorable, mein lieber freundin.”

“H-hello,” Flurry said with a nervous nod. “My name is Flurry Heart. It’s a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

Stormy clicked her tongue and batted at the collar of Flurry’s warm coat. “Liebling, you simply must get rid of this ratty thing at once. You are clearly much too varm in it, and it does not suit your delightful complexion at all.”

Flurry shook her head. “Oh, no, that’s quite alright, I’m fine.”

Rarity knew that Flurry was not, in fact, fine. It was warmer in here than it had been before, and even though she wasn’t wearing her cloak Rarity was beginning to sweat just a little. Flurry had to be simply dying in that coat she was wearing, especially since she was more accustomed to cold weather.

Stormy shook her head and turned to Bluebolt. “Did Lunar Strings not tell you all to disrobe?”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Uh, yeah, but she made it sound like an option—”

Stormy laughed. “Ah! I see. Lunar, you are too polite. No, Princess, I am afraid I must insist. Ponies do not vear clothink in my home. I understand you northern ponies have an odd taboo towards the concept, ja? I assure you, vee do not share such a taboo here in the south.”

Lunar nodded quickly. “Verzeih mir bitte, m’lady, I should have been more clear vith them. It vill not happen again.”

“Tsk tsk, I should hope not. You vill have to be punished of course.” Stormy grinned briefly. “The usual time and place, ja?”

“Of course, m’lady.” Rarity noticed Lunar was grinning as well. Odd.

Stormy then turned back to Flurry and gestured to the coat. “I am sorry, my dear, but as I said, I must insist you remove this article. Fret not, you have nothink I have never seen before.” And, with a wink, she added: “Or vouldn’t mind seeink, I am sure.”

Flurry turned to Bluebolt, as if for guidance. Bluebolt bit her lip and shrugged. And so, Flurry let out a little sigh, nodded, then removed her coat and spread her wings.

Lunar took a step back and nearly tripped over a sofa. “It is H-Harmonia in the flesh! Die göttin selbst!”

Stormy, who’d seemed significantly less perturbed—Rarity suspected she just had excellent control of her emotions, unlike her libido—shook her head. “Lunar, please, she is clearly not Harmonia. She gave me her name, for one thing. You said it vas Flurry Heart, correct?”

Flurry nodded. “That’s right. And no, I’m not Harmonia in any way, shape, or form. Uh… w-well, I mean, I guess we share a form. Alicorn and all.”

“I have never seen an alicorn before,” Stormy murmured, giving Flurry a once over. “You, my dear, are not simply beautiful, but much more. Many a Varden has attempted to put the beauty of Harmonia—an alicorn, like yourself—into vords, and all of them have failed. Even the traitor Lord Silvertongue himself failed, and he vas gifted vith his namesake, ja?”

“Oh, um… th-thank you.”

Stormy offered Flurry her hoof. Flurry eyed it for a second, then took it and gave it a delicate shake. “I vill remember this moment, my dear. It vill be burned into my memory. I believe I shall have to commission a paintink, although Fräulein Heart here is deserving of so much better.” She shook her head and stepped away with a sigh. “Ah, such a colorful group you are. As it is only late afternoon, vould you like to join me for dinner?”

“If we could, we’d like to discuss our business here, then we can take our leave,” Bluebolt suggested. “We don’t want to impose.”

Stormy waved her concern off with a flap of her wing. “Nopony is imposink anythink. Vee can discuss your business over dinner, can vee not? I know not how far you have traveled, but surely you are tired and hungry? Please, I insist that you join me for dinner, and stay tonight as my guests.” She glanced briefly at Venture, and Rarity was positive she saw Stormy licking her lips. “Meine geehrten gäste.”

Bluebolt took a deep breath and looked to the others. Apart from Venture, they were all giving her fairly neutral looks, though Symphony was clearly just barely containing a scowl.

Venture, however, was all smiles and nods. “Dinner sounds great!” she said. “And I’d love to spend the night here with you, m’lady. You said you were going to show me some special hugs, remember?”

Stormy tittered just a bit. “Oh my goodness, you are just too sweet, my dear Venture. I could eat you up. Maybe later, for dessert.” She then turned to Lunar. “Lunar, meine geliebte, please inform the chef that we have extra guests tonight, and have some rooms prepared for them as vell.”

Lunar bowed briefly. “Right avay, m’lady.”

Bluebolt took a step forward. “H-hey, hold on just a second. We have three other friends out there in the town that didn’t come in with us, and they’re not expecting us to stay here for dinner and overnight. Can we accommodate them?”

Stormy tilted her head. “Ah! More guests? I don’t see vhy not—”

Lunar cleared her throat. “One of them vas a stallion, m’lady.”

“Ah, I see,” Stormy said with a frown. She turned to Bluebolt and shook her head. “I can accommodate the others, but not the stallion, I am sorry. If it were springtime I vould allow it, but sadly it is autumn. However, I vill send a messenger to inform them of our business and send vord to the Old Town Lodge to put them up for the night, ja? Compliments of House Night.”

Bluebolt let out a breath. “That’ll be fine, I think. Knowing those three, I think staying the night in an old-fashioned lodge would be more their speed than a nice place like your estate, Lady Night.”

“Wunderbar,” Stormy said, clapping her hooves together briefly. “Then we have a dinner date. Trust me, you vill not be sorry.”

*****

Rarity had expected dinner to be as awkward as introductions had been, but to her surprise, it was actually quite pleasant all around. Lady Stormy Night might have come on rather strong at first, but in the time between greeting the group and sitting down for dinner only an hour or so later, she’d become startlingly professional and respectful of everypony’s boundaries and personal space.

Well, mostly.

Stormy still made little flirty comments towards Rarity every now and again, but was clearly just being polite and courteous, and Rarity rather appreciated the compliments. The noblemare mostly ignored Bluebolt and Symphony except for business discussion and the occasional coy remark. Oddly, despite Stormy’s earlier complimentary words towards Flurry, she treated the mare politely and hardly made any overly flirtatious comments, just a few polite comments here and there about her figure and beauty.

With Venture, it was another story altogether.

Stormy was, in a word, thirsty for Venture in every possible way Rarity could imagine, and she could imagine quite a lot. The noblemare insisted that Venture sit next to her at the dining table—which Venture did without question and with her usual enthusiasm—and had her eyes locked on the intrepid explorer through most of the evening.

She wasn’t shy about using her hooves and wings to touch and caress Venture throughout the meal, either, which Venture didn’t seem to mind one bit. Rarity was also positive that Stormy was using one of her hindlegs under the table to engage Venture in a way that was definitely not appropriate for the context of this dinner.

But, since Venture seemed open to it and rather encouraging of the whole deal, Rarity wasn’t about to judge. The explorer-historian had made it perfectly clear what everypony was getting into, obviously knew what she was getting into, and if anything had seemed a little excited at the prospect. This wasn’t like Twilight naively agreeing to something she didn’t understand.

Rarity didn’t understand it either at first, then realized that the poor mare traveled about at least as much as Sundial did, and unlike Sundial she didn’t even seem to have a home to call her own for any part of the year. Perhaps Venture was just lonely and desperate for companionship? Or perhaps the mare adhered to the teaching of Harmonia and believed in free love and so was merely following the traditions of Old Town?

Either way, if Venture wasn’t protesting, then Rarity wouldn’t either.

Incidentally, dinner itself was amazingly unique, with several dishes that Rarity had never tasted before, though she understood they were similar to dishes she’d seen before on a trip through Germane back home and just never tried.

First came the cream of asparagus soup, which had baffled Rarity at first, but once she’d given it a try she was convinced that the rest of dinner would be exquisite. That they had asparagus at all in autumn was itself a feat, but she supposed a noblemare like Stormy had the resources to make it possible. Perhaps it was shipped from Hope’s Point, where it was currently spring?

Next came a dish she’d never heard of before, which Stormy called “Käsespätzle”, a sort of pasta dish served with cheese that reminded Rarity of classic macaroni and cheese when she got a good look at it, but which tasted much different. It was served with a side of potato fritters and sauerkraut as well, which were at least things that Rarity recognized, though she’d never been a fan of the latter.

For dessert was some classic chocolate cake, made with some of the richest chocolate that Rarity had ever tasted in her life. It was so rich that Rarity made sure not to eat too much, lest the cake go straight to her rear. She could walk it off in the next few days on their way further south, but she was a lady and ladies never indulged in such things so voraciously when they had a figure to maintain.

Bluebolt cleared her throat as dessert was being served. “So, we’re in agreement then, Lady Night?” she asked. “No objections?”

Stormy smiled and nodded politely at Bluebolt briefly. “Ja, I vill see to it that you and your companions have a safe journey from Old Town to Frostburg. The roads in this region belong to my House, so House Golden’s soldiers vill not patrol them if I issue a request. I vill have it sent tonight.

“And, in exchange, I get to enjoy the company of such a lovely group of mares in my home for an evening.” Stormy brushed her hoof through Venture’s mane and smiled. “Particularly this adorable schatz, ja?”

Venture smiled and nodded. She at least had the decorum not to speak with her mouth full of cake, but once she’d swallowed: “Yup! I see it as a win-win scenario we’ve got here, y’know? I get to learn some new hugging techniques, Lady Night gets to make a bunch of new allies and friends, and we all get to travel to Frostburg a little bit faster. No downsides! Unless anypony is allergic to chocolate.”

Despite her earlier confidence, Rarity still wasn’t convinced that Venture had any idea what she’d been agreeing to since she still kept referring to what Stormy surely had planned for the evening in such foal-like terms. Either Venture was fully aware of what was happening and just having a bit of fun teasing the group by making them think otherwise, or she was horribly unaware and would be in for quite a shock in a few hours. Rarity certainly hoped it was the former.

“Although, I vill also vant to have an open discussion about perhaps benefiting from Hope’s Point’s vonderful trading agreement vith Newhaven,” Stormy added with a grin in Bluebolt’s direction. “Vee get many crops from the northern lands that are in the off-season for us down here, such as the asparagus vee used for the soup, ja? I vould like to ensure that Old Town gets a better price.”

“I will certainly be open to discussing that with my dad,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “He handles most of the business dealings for the city, and he’d probably be happy to arrange something for you as thanks for helping us on our journey south.”

“I hope so. Vhy exactly are you all goink south, hmm? If it is not imposink for me to ask, of course.”

“Just a few business dealings with the zebras that we need to take care of. With all this fighting going on between the other Houses, my mom wants to be sure that our alliance with the zebras isn’t in jeopardy or anything, and to maybe get the ball rolling on an alliance with the hippogriffs, too.”

“Ah, and she trusts her lovely daughter viz these negotiations, ja? You must have quite a talented tongue, my dear.” She turned to Symphony with a coy grin. “Though perhaps I should ask your liebhaberin?”

Symphony coughed loudly into her hoof to keep from choking on a mouthful of cake. Rarity tactfully patted the poor mare’s back.

“Oh my, but it is getting late,” Stormy said, glancing at the clock on the far wall; it was later in the evening that Rarity had expected. “I am sure you all are tired from travelink so far and so quickly.” She clapped her hooves together, and Lunar entered into the room. “Lunar, meine geliebte, please take our guests to their chambers.”

Lunar bowed. “Jetzt sofort, m’lady.”

Now that dinner was over, Rarity and her friends were escorted to their guest rooms, which Rarity found to be exquisite. They were well-decorated with vases full of flowers—nightshades, incidentally, without the deadly berries—and dozens of candles that just made the room seem warm and inviting. She noted the same palatable fragrance in the air here that she had in the lounge, only a little stronger, and that purple rose petals were scattered just so around the bed. The mirror above the bed was a little too much—its use was obvious—but otherwise the room was pleasantly quaint.

Rarity figured that if the other guest rooms were like this, Bluebolt and Symphony wouldn’t last thirty minutes before their hooves were all over each other.

“Is the room to your tastes, Frau Rarity?” asked Lunar.

Rarity nodded with approval. “It’s certainly welcoming, isn’t it? You like to make your guests feel… well, loved, I suppose. And well-loved, apparently.”

“Ja, that vee do,” Lunar said as she stepped up alongside Rarity, gently swishing her tail along hers. “And you vill find our staff caters to every need. So, if you need anythink—” She leaned into Rarity’s ear. “You only have to ask.”

“As I said, I prefer the company of stallions, and I am quite happy with the relationship I have, dear,” Rarity said, red in the face. “But thank you for offering. It’s flattering. I think.” She cleared her throat. “Though I am sorry if my companions and I got you into any trouble with your lady.”

Lunar tilted her head. “Hmm? Vhat do you mean?”

“Well, I believe I heard her arranging a punishment for you due to the whole clothing issue. If you’d like, I can speak with her—”

Lunar smiled and shook her head. “Oh, no no, you do have have to vorry about me, dear. I am lookink forvard to it. In fact, I should be goink. My lady vould not vant me to be late.”

“You are? What does that—” She paused, then blushed even redder. “Oh. I see. W-well, then, ah, d-don’t let me keep you.”

“Dankeschön, Frau Rarity, and gute nacht.”

Lunar bowed and left the room, leaving Rarity just a little flustered.

What in the world was Venture getting into?

*****

Flurry walked through the middle of a green, beautiful field late in the morning. The sun was shining. Birds were singing. Flowers were blooming. It was a gorgeous day with not a cloud in the sky, and a cool breeze tied everything together in a perfect little bow of a perfect little morning, and Flurry walked about without a care in the world apart from feeling nature all around her.

She was all alone with her thoughts out here with nothing to disturb her whatsoever. The only sound she could hear apart from the birds and the breeze were the buzzing of insects. The sensation of fresh, healthy grass under her hooves was just wonderful, like a cool pillow after a sweltering night. She loved the warmth of the sun on her face and the wind in her mane. It was heaven.

A few cute little animals frolicked about and played in the grass. There were birds, of course, as well as squirrels, rabbits, and lovely little butterflies with all sorts of differently colored wings. Flurry had visited Fluttershy’s animal sanctuary in Ponyville on a few occasions, and this felt like being back there again. She could almost see the little ponds and streams that held all the fish and frogs that Fluttershy cared for as well.

She felt like she was home again.

But then the breeze grew colder. Flurry shivered from the sudden sensation despite never being bothered by the cold before. Her sudden movement startled the animals and they fled from her like she was some crazed beast. She tried to call out to them, to plead for them to stay, but she found that she could not speak.

Clouds formed overhead quickly and without rhyme or reason, blocking out the sun in seconds. The brilliant morning day became shrouded in overcast darkness and the breeze evaporated entirely. Soon the cool morning air turned to mist. Gone was the lovely spring day, like a fleeting memory of years long ago.

Flurry took a step forward, and she felt a wet sensation in the grass below. She gazed down at her hoof as she lifted it up to her face. It was red and viscous, and just the sight of it made Flurry terribly ill. Then she felt the wetness all around her hooves, and looked down to see the green grass was soaked with dark, thick red. She knew what it was, now. Blood. The scent assaulted her nose. She could almost taste it.

A sound in the distance drew her attention. Screams, not of terror but of fervorous, raucous anger. The screams grew louder, as if by a crowd of unseen ponies all screaming together. Their screams were soon accompanied by the sound of clashing metal, and yowls of pain, and cries of anguish. It was more vivid than Flurry ever remembered it being before.

Then, the sky went totally black. No clouds. No sun. Just black, like the dead of the night, but with no stars. And yet Flurry could still see the grass around her, soaked as it was with blood. She tried to move, but found herself locked in place, unable to do anything but stare off into the endless expanse of grass and blood.

But then the field of green and red vanished. They were replaced by a field of deep snow, so thick that Flurry could feel it up to her knees and so white that it was blinding. The breeze turned into a fierce, howling wind as strong as the storms of the northern winter, whipping snow about with enough force that it stung Flurry’s face. The mist thickened into a cloud of white fog that trapped Flurry within its prison.

The screams off in the distance slowly died down, drowned out not only by the winds, but by a new sound. A horrifying screeching rippled through the storm, and the white fog thickened further into a dark storm cloud as it swirled about Flurry. She could see figures moving in the cloud, shaped like ponies but larger and more elongated. They galloped through the air without the aid of wings for flight, their bodies glowing a ghastly blue without the aid of horns for magic.

Another figure appeared in the cloud, directly in front of Flurry, but she could not see it clearly. All that she could see was that it, too, was equine. It was as tall as Aunt Twilight in all her radiant glory, with great wings of fire and a fearsome horn of liquid magma. But it was otherwise purely black. It had no warmth or light with which to guide her, despite the flames.

In the back of Flurry’s mind she felt the most intense sense of terror she’d ever felt before. Instinctively she tried to run, but still could not move. The ghastly blue equines circled closer and closer towards her. Flurry could see that they were made of ice, with eyes of burning coals, teeth of silvery steel, and breath that froze the air.

The shadowy figure that had not yet moved opened its eyes, and gave a chilling laugh as it stepped forward, illuminating its features.

But Flurry saw her own eyes staring back at her. She heard her own voice laughing. She saw her own face, and her own wings, and her own horn.

And she was filled with the most dreadful fear that she had ever felt in her life.

Chapter Seventeen: Exchange

Spirits were high the following morning when the group met at the southern gates of Old Town and prepared for their departure. Everypony was well fed, well rested, and eager to get moving to their next destination: Frostburg, seat of power of House Snow. It would be the last stop on their journey before making the long trek further south into zebra territory and Zeb’ra’den. Rarity was particularly excited. She was just that much closer to home—which was important, of course—but also that much closer to seeing Zircon again. She knew that regardless of the outcome of meeting him after all these years, she would be able to move on with her life.

Speaking of high spirits, Bluebolt and Symphony hadn’t left Venture alone since the group had left Nighthall. Rarity knew why, of course, but she had the tact not to ask those sorts of questions.

“Sooo?” Symphony asked, nudging Venture and giving the other mare a coy smile. “Go on, Venture, spill.”

Venture tilted her head. “Spill what? I’m not carrying anything at the moment.”

“You know what I mean. You know what I mean. C’mon, girl, give us those deets. We’ve gotta know.”

“We’ve been thinking about it all night, y’know?” Bluebolt added with a grin and a nudge to Venture of her own. “We were taking bets on a few things, and now we want answers. So go on, tell us everything that happened last night. You don’t have to go juicy if you don’t want, but at least give us something.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Girls, please, there’s no need to have this discussion right now, not here with all of us certainly, and definitely not out in public.”

“Psh, these folks wouldn’t care about that kind of stuff, you know that,” Symphony said with a grin. “I’d think they’d want to hear it, actually.”

“Yes, well, maybe some of us don’t, hmm? And besides, you should feel ashamed, taking bets like that on such a private subject.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Do I even want ta know what the hell ye lot are prattling on about?”

“Oh! Yeah, actually, you might get a kick out of this,” Bluebolt chuckled. “Venture got laid last night by Lady Stormy Night herself of all ponies. I believe congratulations are in order.”

Sundial’s jaw dropped. “No bloody way. What? How? Why?”

“See? That’s what we’ve been thinking since it all started,” Symphony said.

Venture tilted her head again. “It’s not a big deal, really. It’s House Night tradition to take a partner for the evening when welcoming visitors. Most visiting lords and ladies usually have somepony in their entourage to offer as, uh… ‘tribute’, I guess? I figured that since most of you had relationships and such to be dedicated to, it was gonna be me or Flurry, and I took charge.”

“Wait wait wait, ye’re saying that ye went inta that manor last night with the full expectation that you were gonna shag Lady Night herself? Just like that?”

“Well, yeah! Like I said, it’s tradition and proper manners where their House is concerned. I’ve actually been looking forward to it for the last few days, y’know? I’ve never had sex before—”

Bluebolt and Symphony’s eyes widened. “Whoa, what?” Bluebolt blurted. “You were a virgin? You mean to tell me that Lady Night was your first?”

Symphony shook her head, dumbfounded. “Talk about a memorable way to pop your cherry. Go big or go home, I guess.”

“Oh, there were no cherries involved,” Venture said with a little smile. “A few strawberries, maybe, but—”

“Oh my stars, girl, you’ve gotta tell us how it was! Go on, spill!”

Rarity grumbled to herself. The youths of this world were awfully open about their sex lives it seemed. “So much for trying to keep things tactful.”

Venture just gave a little shrug, no big deal. “It was okay, I guess.”

Bluebolt and Symphony deflated instantly, like a pair of balloons. “Wh-what?” Symphony muttered. “Just ‘okay’, you guess? What kind of response is that?”

“Yeah, just okay. I mean, I thought that sex was supposed to involve lots of love and compassion and stuff like that, but Stormy seemed more… selfish, I guess? Hmm, I have to think of a word here,” Venture said, stroking her chin. “She was passionate, sure. Uh… lustful? No no, not strong enough. Ooh! Carnal.”

Bluebolt shook her head. “That sounds amazing! Did you see what that mare looked like? She was drop-dead gorgeous!”

“Yeah!” Symphony agreed. “She might have gotten off on the wrong hoof and all, but even I’ll admit she wasn’t bad to look at. That family’s got some damn good genes, yeah?”

“I mean, sure, okay, she was very beautiful, and she seemed to talk about love a lot and had lots of nice things to say, but I like I said, she was a little selfish,” Venture said, shaking her head. “A little too focused on her own fun instead of mine. It wasn’t really what I was expecting. And another thing, she didn’t know nearly as many hugs as she said she did.”

Bluebolt scoffed. “C’mon, really? Hugs again?”

“Yeah, really! She knew just a few, and they’re not something I think I can do with any of my friends, y’know?” Venture shrugged. “She even showed me how to kiss and everything, but it just wasn’t the same as I see when you and Symphony do it. There wasn’t a ‘spark’. I mean, it was nice, but it just wasn’t special, I guess.”

“This is the saddest thing I think I’ve ever heard in my life,” Symphony grunted. “This is like opening your Winter Festival presents and getting a book when you wanted anything but a book. Questo è zoppo.”

“I was absolutely certain Lady Night knew how to have a good time, too,” Bluebolt said, shaking her head. “You’re right, Symphony, this is sad. Like going to the dentist on your birthday.”

“It’s alright. I think it just wasn’t right for me, y’know? Maybe I’m just no good at it, or just didn’t, uh… ‘click’ with her?” Venture said. “I mean, Stormy seemed to enjoy herself the whole time, and Lunar did too.”

Bluebolt and Symphony stared at Venture again. “Wait wait wait, back up,” said Bluebolt, holding up her hooves. “What do you mean, ‘Lunar did too’? She was there?”

“Well, yeah. She arrived to accept her punishment for disappointing Stormy earlier, remember? But it was weird, y’know? I mean, I don’t know what I was expecting for a punishment, but I wasn’t expecting Stormy to spank Lunar like she was a little filly.”

Symphony’s jaw dropped. “Okay, wow, this just got weird. Kinky, but weird.”

“Right? I think it was more weird that Lunar seemed to be enjoying it. I mean, I thought spanking was supposed to hurt. Otherwise, why would it be a punishment, right?” Venture shook her head. “But they really seemed to be enjoying themselves all night, so I guess it’s just me that didn’t really seem to get much out of it. Oh well.”

There was a long, awkward pause.

“What in the bloody hell are they getting up to in that bloody house?!” Sundial blurted, breaking the silence. She looked straight at Bloom and shook her head. “I bet ye’re glad ye came with me and Weaver, aye?”

Bloom nodded. “Uh, yeah, pretty glad. I just heard a lot o’ things I really didn’t need ta hear.”

Sundial wheeled on Rarity. “The rest o’ ye didn’t go through a bunch o’ weird shite, did you?”

Rarity shook her head. “Apart from a few awkward conversations—this one especially—it was a mostly harmless experience overall. It felt nice to have somepony compliment my looks so earnestly. And to be honest, it’s the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long while.”

Sundial wheeled on Flurry next. “How about you, lass? They didn’t do anything to ye, did they?”

Flurry tilted her head. “No no, nothing like that. Like Rarity said, just a bunch of awkward conversations about awkward topics. Like what ‘heat’ is, I guess. And how Bluebolt and Symphony feel nervous without their clothes on around strangers. Oh, and they sort of found out I was an alicorn. Sorry.”

Sundial paused, jaw hanging open. “They what?!”

“Well, I mean, Lady Night said was House tradition that we weren’t allowed to wear clothes inside the manor, so we were just being polite and diplomatic, right? I don’t think they were bothered by it when they saw—”

“Ye took yer bloody clothes off in front o’ them?! Why?! Because they bloody asked ye to?!” She glared at Bluebolt. “What part o’ ‘nopony’s supposed ta find out about her’ didn’t ye understand, lass?!”

Bluebolt held up her hooves defensively. “H-hey, don’t get mad at me. It’s part of their traditions here and we didn’t want to disrespect them and cause an incident or something. I mean, Lady Night might’ve refused to help us if we didn’t—”

“All she’s helping us with is getting ta Frostburg a couple o’ days faster, lass! That’s not worth—” Sundial paused and took a deep breath. “Ye know what? What’s done is done. There’s no sense in arguing about it now.” She pointed at Flurry with conviction. “But as for you, lass, ye’re not getting out o’ my sight for the rest o’ the trip. Got it?”

Flurry frowned. “I’m sorry, Sundial, I didn’t mean—”

“I’m not mad at ye, lass. It seems like it was unavoidable, but we’ll just have ta hope nothing comes out o’ this. Ye’re gonna stick with me until I say otherwise, aye? I don’t want ta risk anything happening ta ye.”

Flurry paused then nodded. “Okay… sorry…”

Sundial grumbled and headed off towards the gates. “Let’s just get moving, aye? We’ve got a lot o’ ground ta cover, and this’ll all be over soon. The quicker we get going, the quicker we get done with it all.”

The group went quiet again.

Rarity rolled her eyes. “And this was such a pleasant morning, too,” she sighed as she followed after Sundial.

*****

The journey from Old Town to Frostburg was longer than the journey had been from Newhaven to Old Town, despite being allowed to use the roads this time; it took seven days in total. Part of the issue was the sheer difference in distance, with Frostburg just on the edge of zebra territory far to the south. Another part of it was that the roads had to meander about around mountains, so it still wasn’t quite a straightforward route. The worst part of all, though, was that it was snowing, and quite heavily at that.

Rarity grumbled as she and others trudged through thick white powder early that evening. She remembered how it had been in the north during the winter, and how it was back home in the Crystal Empire, and even how it had been in zebra territory all those years ago, but this snow was different. It was oddly thick, slushy, and cold, and she didn’t like moving through it one bit.

“Is this weather normal for this time of year?” she asked nopony in particular. “It’s the middle of autumn, isn’t it? Why is it so snowy?”

“Well, it tends ta snow a lot more the further south ye go,” Sundial noted, shaking her head. “But usually it’s not like this, aye? The first snowfall is supposed ta be in late autumn, but we’re barely two weeks inta the season, and even then it shouldn’t be this heavy, either.”

“At least it’s not a huge northern snowstorm this time,” Bluebolt noted as she tucked her scarf tighter around her neck. “It’s just a little cold and snowy. No winds whipping about for now, right?”

“Aye, but it’s colder than it should be. It’s colder here than it is in the northern winters. Can’t ye feel it?”

“I mean, yeah, but I thought that was natural, since the zebras live by the south pole and it’s always cold and snowy there, all year round. I figured we were just getting closer, so it was getting colder. Is that not what this is?”

“No, lass, it’s not.”

“It shouldn’t be this cold, you’re right,” Venture agreed from the front of the group. “And it shouldn’t be like this this far north, either. We shouldn’t be seeing snow for several more miles at least, and that would be in the wintertime, not now. I’m not sure what the heck is going on, to be honest.”

“How much farther is it before we get to Frostburg?” Rarity asked as she pulled her cloak tighter around her. “After all this traveling in this dreadful cold, I’m desperate for a hot bath and a warm bed to sleep in. Maybe a nice, hot meal, too.”

Venture pondered this for a moment. “We should be getting there within the next hour or so. We’ll be able to see the town right after we get around this mountainside.”

“Thank goodness.”

Sure enough, after the road took them around the base of the mountain they were passing by, they could see Frostburg itself situated at the bottom of a shallow valley. The town was composed of dozens of white structures that were hard to distinguish against all the snow, but their blue accents kept them from blending in too much.

“Anything we should know about this House Snow, darling?” Rarity asked Venture. “They’re not as ‘unique’ as House Night, are they? No odd traditions we should be made aware of?”

“More aware of,” Bluebolt added.

“Oh no, no no no,” Venture laughed. “House Snow is almost exclusively a House of warriors and soldiers. They have the largest army in all the southern lands, including Zeb’ra’den, and value strength and honor above all else, yes ma’am. That’s why they’re such close allies with the zebras, y’know?”

Rarity smiled and nodded.. “Yes, the zebras do seem to respect a mighty warrior, don’t they?”

“Yup! And it goes further than that, too. Y’know, way way way back when the south was in their first civil war, even the zebras got involved at one point. House Snow and Zeb’ra’den almost exclusively fought against one another for close to a year. They were the most bitter enemies back then. But then Nihila’s cult got banished to the north! Once tensions died down, House Snow and the zebras realized they respected one another’s strengths. They’ve been friends ever since!”

“Well, that’s certainly interesting. Usually that only happens on a smaller scale between individuals, not entire nations or societies.”

Venture smiled and nodded. “Yeah, and everypony in Frostburg knows how to fight, too. Like I said, they value strength and instill that value into foals from a young age. Sure, they aren’t all soldiers all the time, but if there ever was an emergency, the entirety of Frostburg—except those unable to fight—would stand together.”

“That doesn’t exactly sound like an ideal that Harmonia would praise or preach,” Bluebolt noted. “She’s more the peace-loving type, isn’t she?”

Venture nodded sadly. “Naturally, but, well, like you saw back in Newhaven, sometimes peace must be earned through force when there are those who refuse to listen to reason. And there is no reason why one should not be prepared to defend oneself from somepony that means you harm. But House Snow is honorable. That’s why they are remaining neutral in this war.”

Bloom tilted her head, clearly concerned at something she was seeing. “Uh, if that’s true an’ they’re neutral 'n' all that, then why’re they gettin’ together an army down there?”

The group looked down into the valley as they drew closer to Frostburg, and they could all clearly see troops gathering outside the gates. It was difficult for Rarity to count them all, as their armor was white with light blue accents that made them blend in with the snow and with one another, but her best guess was two thousand ponies gathering together in formation.

“What the bloody hell?” Sundial said, scratching her head. “That’s a lot o’ soldiers, aye?”

“I’ll say,” Bluebolt noted. “That’s bigger than the entire Hope’s Point militia by a decent margin. Just look at them all. What’re they doing down there? Venture, any ideas?”

Venture bit her lip and shook her head. “I don’t like this. House Snow hasn’t put together their full army since the last civil war. They’re supposed to be neutral right now, right? We’ve heard that from multiple sources.”

“That’s definitely what Lady Silverluck said, and I trust her,” Rarity said with a nod. “I don’t suppose they’re just preparing in case one of the other Houses disagrees with their neutrality, like what they tried to do to House Sky for even thinking about talking to Lady Silverluck?”

Sundial grunted and increased her pace. “Well, we won’t find out just gawking at them, aye? Let’s just get the news straight from the source.”

“That would be Lady Snowstorm,” Venture noted as she ran to keep up. “She’ll be the one to ask for help making passage down to Zeb’ra’den anyway, so we can really take care of both questions at the same time, can’t we?”

“Well, good, that’ll make things easier,” Bluebolt added.

The group continued into the town proper, passing by the army that was still making preparations outside, who seemed to pay them no mind. Once inside the town, Rarity realized that Venture’s earlier statements were quite true. Most of the town was empty, as those who were old enough and healthy enough to fight were all outside forming up in the army. This left the younger ponies, the ill, and the frail to operate the shops and services, which meant that most of them were closed for the time being.

The buildings in the town were built of a white, polished stone and reinforced with a smoke-colored wood that blended in perfectly with the snow from a distance, though up close it was easier to see the blemishes that made them stand out. The streets were paved with the same stone, which was smooth to the touch.

Because so few ponies walked the streets—mostly just some younger colts and fillies—everything felt rather eerie. Not helping matters were the stronger snowfall, the slowly worsening cold, and the winds that were finally starting to pick up. If the weather got much worse it would be a veritable blizzard, and yet none of the natives seemed all that bothered by the prospect of a blizzard in autumn.

The group made their way through the streets, following Venture as she led them towards the House Snow estate, which she had called the Crystal Citadel. Said estate was a large white building in the center of the town, built with towering spires that could be seen with ease from anywhere within the town limits. The roofs and windows were trimmed with a subtle dark blue to help the structures stand out from the surrounding snow in both the air and on the ground.

Unlike Nighthall back in Old Town, the estate’s gates were wide open at the moment, though still maintained by a single guard, a light blue unicorn stallion with a pink mane wearing the same armor as the soldiers outside. His armor was marked with a black stripe, and he carried an impressive-looking lance at his side.

He approached the group with a calm, focused gait the moment they arrived. Rarity noticed he was smoking a cigarette. “Privet. How may I help?”

Bluebolt cleared her throat and stepped forward with an air of confidence. “Hello. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point, and my friends and I are looking for an audience with Lady Snowstorm.”

The guard was given pause, and his cigarette nearly fell from his mouth. “Princess Bluebolt? Nopony told of your arrival. Do you have—”

Bluebolt lifted up her power hoof and displayed the emblem, and her cutie mark. “My personal seal, my good sir. I hope that’s sufficient proof.”

Rarity was glad to see Bluebolt had toned it down a notch. Now she sounded like a true royal.

The guard nodded, then bowed briefly. “Welcome to Frostburg, Princess Bluebolt. You will follow me,” he said, gesturing towards the estate.

Bluebolt blinked, clearly confused. The others were in the same boat. “Really? Wow, that was fast. We don’t have to wait or anything?”

“Nyet. We do zings quick in Frostburg. No wasting of time. Come, you follow.”

The group shared a few brief glances at one another, shrugged, then followed Bluebolt as she followed the guard inside.

Rarity could tell from the estate grounds that it was normally not covered in snow this time of year, and actually had some pleasant plantlife on display if not for the winter cold in the beginning of autumn. Statues of ponies decorated the courtyard, each of them dressed in armor and in various brave, proud poses. Plaques indicated that these were all heroes of Frostburg over generations, not all of them even members of House Snow itself. Even a few zebras were present, which intrigued Rarity.

“May I ask a question, Venture?” she asked.

Venture smiled and nodded. “Sure! What’s up?”

Rarity gestured towards a zebra stallion brandishing an impressive warhammer. “The rest of these ponies are all members of House Snow throughout the years, aren’t they? Why are there zebra statues out here?”

“Oh, those are the zebras who have contributed to the House Snow bloodline,” Venture said matter-of-factly.

“I beg your pardon?”

“Like I said, House Snow and Zeb’ra’den are super close, right? Well, just like any political alliance, the two have solidified their bond through marriages and children.”

Rarity blinked. “Truly?”

“Yup!” Venture gestured towards another zebra statue, this one a stallion with an elegant longbow. “Like this fellow here, Captain Zuma. He married Lady Snowdrops a few generations back and gave her three healthy foals.” She then gestured towards the statue next to Lord Zuma’s, a hearty earth pony stallion. “This was their firstborn son, Lord Snowbank.”

“Huh… interesting,” Rarity said with a nod. “I was unaware that such relationships were so common.”

“Well, not exactly ‘common’, but they happen often enough. Frostburg has a lot of mixed-race ancestry as a whole, actually.”

“Oy!” Sundial called from further ahead. “Quit yer gawking and get a move on!”

“I’ll speak with you more on this another time, Venture,” Rarity said as she picked up the pace to catch up.

After passing through the courtyard, they ascended a tall flight of stairs into the manor itself. Rarity marveled at the interior of the building, which despite being made of the same white stone as the outside—she had an eye for that sort of thing—had been textured and painted to look like sparkling blue crystal, rather like Princess Cadence’s palace back in the Crystal Empire.

Flurry seemed to have much the same feeling, judging by the nostalgic wonder in her eyes. This was probably the closest Flurry had felt to being home in months, and Rarity was glad that Flurry’s smile had returned. She’d been kind of mopey the past week, ever since they left Nighthall, actually. Rarity figured she just wasn’t sleeping well.

The decor was otherwise sparse and quite spartan, actually, seemingly done with purpose and pride rather than for aesthetic purposes. Old weapons were on display with plaques describing them and what battles they’d been used in; paintings of great moments in battle were on display; busts of the heads of the House through the ages decorated one entire hallway. There weren’t even any vases or rugs to liven up the rooms. It wasn’t to Rarity’s tastes at all, though it reminded her of some of the halls back in Zeb’ra’den. Maybe Rainbow would find it interesting, if she were here.

The group ascended another stairway, then another, climbing the centermost tower until they reached a room near the top, where the guard stopped and bowed. “Lady Snowstorm is inside.”

“Are you sure we’re just allowed to go in? Just like that?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head. “This isn’t at all how I was expecting this to go, you understand. It’s too smooth.”

The guard just left back down the stairs without another word.

“Yeah okay, bye then?” Bluebolt looked to Venture, half-worried, half-confused. Rarity understood completely. “Uh, is this normal behavior? We’re not walking into something weird, are we?”

Venture scratched her chin. “Well, House Snow values strength and honor, as I said, and they make it a bit of a habit to get to the point of things as quickly as they can. This is a little quicker than I was expecting, too, but, well, considering that army massing outside, I’d say Lady Snowstorm is probably trying to get through as much business as she can before she leaves.”

“‘Leaves’?” Symphony asked. “Where’s she going?”

Venture smiled and nodded. “Oh yes, of course. If she’s putting an army together, she’s going to be at the front of it when they march, if they’re marching anywhere in the first place. It wouldn’t do for her to sit at home while her soldiers are fighting, after all. This might be our only chance to talk with her. Who knows?”

“Maybe she’s stressed about something and just wants to get through any petitions and such as quickly as she can?” Rarity suggested.

Flurry nodded. “My mom says that when she had to fill in for Celestia and Luna while you guys were gone last time, she tried to streamline the process as quickly as she could so that she had time to eat and sleep. Maybe Lady Snowstorm is doing the same?”

“Sure, maybe.” Bluebolt gulped. “Well, uh, here goes?” She pushed the door open.

The room beyond was rather small, and looked more like a war room than anything Rarity would call a proper meeting chamber. A table sat off to one side, where she could see a map of the zebra territories—she recognized that exact map from just a brief glance when preparing to leave Utopia with Twilight all those years ago. The map had been marked quite a bit with routes and other markers, but whatever meeting had taken place here was already over and done with.

The room was otherwise decorated much as the halls throughout the manor were: sparse and spartan. Weapons were on display; a suit of armor on a ponyquin stood in the corner, gleaming in the light of a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling; there were no chairs, windows, rugs, sofas, or anything really to accommodate guests. No, this definitely wasn’t a standard meeting room.

Two other ponies were already in the room when the group entered. The first was a pegasus stallion of impressive size wearing a suit of heavy, decorated armor. His coat was light green, his mane black. He carried a sword at his side with an odd shape that Rarity had never seen before. Judging by his stance and position, he was likely the personal guard of Lady Snowstorm.

The second was an earth pony mare—obviously this was Lady Snowstorm—with a snow-white coat and a silver mane that she kept styled short. She, too, was wearing armor, hers bearing a golden stripe, as well as a cape. She carried a lance at her side with an odd hook at the end.

The two had been in conversation before the group had arrived. “Who interrupts?” asked the stallion. “State your names and business.”

Bluebolt gave a slight smile and a wave. “Uh, hello. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point, and I wanted to ask for an audience with Lady Snowstorm. The guard just showed us straight up here. I hope we’re not interrupting anything.”

Snowstorm nodded, but didn’t smile. “Good, time is saved. I have cleared schedule for today to make ready my army, but can spare some minutes for zee Princess.” She gave Bluebolt a slight bow. “Welcome to Frostburg, Your Royal Highness. I am Lady Snowstorm of House Snow.”

Bluebolt bowed right back. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, m’lady.”

“You will forgive if I try to make quick zis meeting. To what am I owing visit?”

“It’s not really a lot of trouble, but it seems like we came at just the right time if we’re gonna ask, I suppose. My companions and I are looking to travel south to Zeb’ra’den and wanted to see if you could us any assistance in that matter, perhaps a guide?”

Snowstorm frowned. “Word has not traveled yet?

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Huh?”

“I cannot offer help in getting you to Zeb’ra’den, Princess,” Snowstorm said, shaking her head. “Prosti menya.”

“What? Why not?”

“Does this have to do with that army outside?” Venture asked.

Snowstorm nodded. “Da. We march south in zee morning. First light.”

Rarity’s heart leaped into her throat. South was the direction of Zeb’ra’den, naturally, and that was quite an army. “Oh dear, this doesn’t sound good at all.”

“Why are you marching south with an army?” Bluebolt asked.

“It is long story,” Snowstorm said. “I know only important details. Most important detail is Zeb’ra’den calls for aid. We march south to meet zebra army beneath western mountains.”

“The zebras called for aid? For what reason?”

“Yeah, why would their army be in the mountains and not the city?” Symphony asked.

Snowstorm shook her head. “Zee envoy sent spoke of terrible creatures of snow and ice attacking Zeb’ra’den, which now is lost. Zebra army plans to retake it and called for our aid.”

Rarity gasped, her heart racing in a panic. “Oh no! No no no, this can’t be. You say that the city’s been overrun by… by monsters or something? What of the zebras, are they alright?”

Snowstorm tilted her head, giving Rarity an odd look as if not expecting her reaction. “Da, Zeb’ra’den is overrun, I have said. Zebra population evacuated west towards hippogriff capital, Astropolis. Hippogriffs are zebra allies as well, and called on zeir own allies, House Wind. We march south to offer aid in retaking city wiz army.”

Rarity’s hoof went to her chest. Was Zircon okay? If the entire city had fallen, surely he didn’t stand and fight to defend it? No, of course he would do that. He’d stood against Silvertongue himself, if only for a moment. He would absolutely do it again. She was practically hyperventilating at this point, and Bloom and to hold her steady.

“Are y’all okay, Rarity?” Bloom asked.

“Not at all, dear,” Rarity murmured, taking deep breaths. “Oh my goodness, I hope he’s alright…”

“What kind of creatures did you say these were that attacked Zeb’ra’den?” Venture asked, more invested in the conversation than Rarity had ever seen her in any conversation before.

“Zebra envoys described zem as big ponies made of snow and ice,” Snowstorm said, shaking her head. “I do not recognize, but zey are zee enemy of our zebra friends, so zey are our enemies as well. We will crush zem, for zee glory of House Snow.”

Flurry stumbled back just a bit. “C-creatures made of snow and ice?” she asked. “Big ponies, you said?”

“Da.”

“Oh no…”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Do ye know what she’s talking about, lass?”

Flurry nodded, though she looked quite disturbed. “I’ve had some more nightmares lately. I know I’ve spoken with you about them before, but in the past week they’ve gotten worse. In the most recent ones, I saw creatures just like what Lady Snowstorm just described. Big ponies made out of snow and ice. They were… terrifying…”

Venture took a deep breath, looked clearly troubled. “Wendigos.”

Sundial turned to Venture. “What? Wendigos?”

“They’re ancient creatures that once plagued the zebra territories long, long ago,” Venture said, shaking her head. “They were servants of Nihila, and were monstrous creatures that resembled large ponies made out of ice and snow. They feed off of Nihila’s Darkness, as well as the hate, anger, and fear in the hearts of others. Nihila used them during the ancient civil war to sow despair and death, and the war only made them stronger.

“But then the war ended and Nihila’s cult was driven north, and so Nihila’s influence was weakened. Without the hate and anger to feed them, the wendigos were pushed back by the zebras and sealed deep under the mountains east of what’s now Zeb’ra’den, aided by Harmonia herself. The seal should have been unbreakable.”

Sundial rubbed her chin. “There’s a lot o’ things going on right now that could be breaking the seal. Harmonia was weakened severely when she was first given a physical body by Silvertongue, so perhaps her seal weakened as well?”

Bluebolt raised her hoof. “Or, perhaps the war brewing here in the south is stirring up enough hate and anger to make them stronger? You said that the last time they appeared was during the last civil war, right?”

“Aye, that too. Hell, maybe the Darkness from the northern Beacon finally reached down here enough ta feed them, too. Gilderoy said the Darkness had spread across the whole world by this point, didn’t he?”

“As far as we know, it could be all three!” Symphony noted. “I bet with all of those things combined, even sompony as strong as Harmonia would have trouble stopping them, unless she was actively watching for it to happen so she could stop it.”

Venture sighed and nodded. “It’s a shame she was up north for all that time. It looks like trying to help ponies up there really made a mess of things down here, didn’t it?”

Snowstorm cleared her throat. “So, you know situation now, da? We cannot take you to Zeb’ra’den. I am sorry.”

Rarity shook her head. “You say you’re marching south in the morning, though? To meet with the zebra forces and their other allies?”

Snowstorm nodded. “Da. First light.”

“Please, I want to come with you.”

Bloom’s eyes widened. “Whoa, Rarity, what’re ya talkin’ 'bout? Didn’t ya hear? They’re goin’ ta some kind o’ war wit’ them wendigos. An’ if they’re anythin’ like the ones from the stories back home, that’s mighty dangerous, don’t ya think?”

“I know that, dear, but I have to do this. I have to know if Zircon is okay. And besides, we need to get to Zeb’ra’den anyway in order for us to make our way home. If the city has been taken by these creatures, and the zebras are trying to take it back, I might be able to help. I want to help. I need to help.”

Sundial nodded. “Aye, and I have ta get ta that Beacon anyway, which is also in Zeb’ra’den. If this army is marching that way, I should go with them. I’ve got ta do this job, aye? It sounds like it might actually help solve the problem.”

Weaver stepped alongside Sundial. “If Sundial is going, then I will go with her.”

Sundial smirked. “Aw, thanks, lad.”

Snowstorm cleared her throat again. “I have not agreed to take anypony. I will not be responsible for you.”

Rarity rose up sharply. “Please, m’lady. Please. I must— we must get to Zeb’ra’den to accomplish some very important tasks. We may not look like it, but we are all very capable in our own right if you need assistance in this war of yours. Please, take us with you”

Snowstorm shook her head. “I have spoken. I will not take anypony.”

“But—”

Bluebolt held up a hoof to quiet Rarity. “Lady Snowstorm, as Princess of Hope’s Point, I must insist that we be allowed to join you on this endeavor. The zebras are our allies as well, and we would like to offer any assistance that we can.”

Snowstorm pondered this for a moment. “Da, you have your rights. However, you travel wiz me, wiz my army. I cannot agree.” Before Bluebolt could speak again, she held up a hoof. “However, zebra envoys still present in my Crystal Citadel as guests. You ask the envoys. If zey agree, I will not object to bringing along anypony, da?”

Bluebolt smiled and nodded. “That’s fine, we’ll speak with them, then. Where can we find them?”

“In guests rooms, maybe, or dining hall. Ah, it is dinnertime soon, da?” Snowstorm then clapped her hooves. “As apologies for refusing assistance, you are now my guests also. Please, visit my dining hall and enjoy dinner. Stay here tonight and rest from your journey. At first light, we leave, and maybe you will come along.”

“Thank you, Lady Snowstorm, that’s more than fair,” Bluebolt said with a bow.

“You are welcome, Princess,” Snowstorm replied with a bow of her own. She turned to the big stallion—who had remained silent the entire time—and gestured towards the door. “Inform our cook of arrangements and make rooms ready.”

“Nemedlenno, m’lady,” said the stallion. He gave short nods to rest of the group as he made his way out the door.

“We appreciate this, m’lady,” Rarity said as well. “And in case we aren’t able to come along, I wish you all the luck in the world.”

Snowstorm nodded. “Spasibo. I wish luck to you also.”

Bluebolt gestured for the others to follow her out of the room. “Okay then, guys, let’s go meet these envoys. Just leave all the negotiating to me.”

*****

The dining room was, like the rest of the manor, a rather sparse and spartan affair as far as Rarity was concerned. Just one long wooden table with plenty of chairs, a large fireplace for light and heat, and sculptures of warrior ponies in proud, bold poses. The room was certainly warmer than any the group had been through thus far, enough to actually feel suitably comfortable and pleasant, perfect for the dinner and conversation to come.

Food had already been served for everypony to partake in, which included more foods which Rarity had not been too accustomed to, though she was certain she’d seen similar items offered in Stalliongrad back home. She recognized the turnip soup—she’d tried it once and found it palatable—and there was a chili-like stew that was available and looked to be made with carrots and mushrooms, plus some rice porridge with cranberries. All-in-all a hearty offering.

After a few moments of sampling the delicacies, Rarity noticed the door open and another trio walk in, who she assumed were the zebra envoys that Snowstorm had mentioned.

It was natural that one of them was a zebra, a mare in this case. She was garbed in light armor and a thick coat, which Rarity recognized instantly as the same sort of attire that Zircon had worn while on duty as a knight—gold-dyed genuine leather armor and a white genuine fur cloak—so Rarity figured this mare was a knight as well. Her mane was styled in a sort of mohawk, and her tail was long and styled rather like her own, truth be told. She knew the zebras kept their tails long and neat, since they used them to wield their weapons, and hers was a longsword not unlike the one Symphony wielded.

The second was rather surprising to Rarity, as this was her first time seeing one of this world’s hippogriffs. Unlike the kirins up north, there was nothing different about him appearance-wise compared to the hippogriffs of her own world, though she understood that this world’s hippogriffs and seaponies were entirely separate races. His coat was a lovely sky blue, his mane and tail feathers were sea green, and his beak was gold. He wore a red-and-green striped scarf and a small pair of glasses. He looked to be around the same age as Silverstream, maybe a little younger.

The third was most surprising, since while a zebra was obvious, and a hippogriff a possibility Rarity had considered, a pony was not something she’d expected to come along. He was a unicorn with an off white coat and a gorgeous golden mane, and he wore a warm winter coat colored with assorted silvers. Most importantly—and tragically—Rarity noticed that his horn was broken, much as Tempest Shadow’s had been when they first met. He, like the zebra, kept a longsword at his side.

Most of all, however, Rarity did not expect to see Bluebolt and Symphony bolt up from their seats the instant this trio entered the room. “Silver Shine!” the two mares blurted in unison, their eyes glued to the unicorn.

The unicorn raised an eyebrow. “Bluebolt? Symphony? What in the world are you doing here?”

The two leapt from the table and rushed over to him. Rarity watched their smiles immediately turn to frowns when they noticed his horn. “Oh my stars!” Bluebolt gasped, hooves to her mouth in shock. “Your horn! What happened to your horn?!”

Shine shook his head and sighed. “I strained myself too hard in battle, and this is the result. I was foolish—”

“He was brave,” the zebra interjected, giving him a hard look. “Do not disparage thyself, Shine. Thou art a warrior, and thou hast earned thy mark with honor.”

Bluebolt moved in to give Shine a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, Shiny. I can’t possibly imagine what that must feel like.”

Even Symphony set her hoof on his shoulder. “Are you okay, though? You’re not hurt otherwise, right?”

“Right. Thanks for your concern.” Shine then cleared his throat. “Cousin, I’ll ask again, what are you doing here? This is a little far south for you, don’t you think?”

“We’re here trying to get on our way down to Zeb’ra’den,” Bluebolt said. “Some of my friends have business there, and I’m helping them along. What are you doing here? Last anypony heard of you, you’d gone missing!”

The gears clicked in Rarity’s head. This was Lady Silverluck’s son? The poor dear was going to be absolutely devastated when she saw him next. But at least he was alive. Hopefully word had been sent out now that House Snow knew?

“I went to Zeb’ra’den hoping to get some help with this damned war of the Houses, and now I’m in a completely different war fighting alongside zebras,” Shine said with a shrug and a cocky smile. “It’s a bit of a long story, really, and I’m not up to tell it right now. There’s business to be done.”

Bluebolt glanced at the zebra and the hippogriff. “So, who are your new friends?”

Shine turned to the zebra first and gave her a brief nod. “This is Dame Zarya, a Knight of the Order of the Black Flame.”

The zebra—Zarya—nodded briefly at Bluebolt. “'Tis a pleasure to meet thee, Bluebolt. Thou art Shine’s cousin, then? I do not see a resemblance.”

Bluebolt nodded back. “Yup, I’m his cousin, uh, once-removed? Or is it his second cousin? Family trees are confusing. Why, has he mentioned me before?”

“Never.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes and gave Shine a terse look. “Of course he hasn’t.”

Symphony shook her head and sighed. “You haven’t changed a bit, Shiny.”

Shine snorted. “Ohh, I apologize that it never came up in conversation to tell anyone that I was related to the great Princess Bluebolt. ”

Zarya’s eyes widened briefly, and she bowed to Bluebolt just slightly. “Forgiveth me, Princess, I was not aware of thy true identity.” She nudged Shine. “Thou didst not mention she was royalty. I must pay her the proper respect.”

“Yeah, he tends not to like talking about anypony else,” Bluebolt huffed. “Hurts his ego if he has to make anypony look good. Don’t worry about it.”

“More like I didn’t want to use my relation to you to gain favors or reputation,” Shine said with a smirk. “I can do just fine on my own merits, thank you. Besides, if I did, it might risk your family’s reputation. Most ponies these days completely forget that we’re related because my aunt married your grandfather, may Harmonia rest their souls.”

“Oh, sure, you were thinking of us the whooole time,” Symphony grunted. “Yeah right.”

The hippogriff coughed into his claw. “Begging your pardon, but shall I preen my feathers as I wait for my turn to be introduced, or should I simply interject? I don’t wish to be rude.”

Shine rolled his eyes and gestured to the hippogriff. “This is Harvey. He’s—”

“Salutations and hello,” Harvey said, grabbing Bluebolt’s hoof to give it a brisk shake. “Yes, my name is Harvey, and I am a scholar and diplomat in service of Astropolis, capital of the Hippogriff Commonwealth. It is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Bluebolt. I have never met pony royalty before.”

“Uh, yeah, hi,” Bluebolt said, her hoof still in his grip. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. I’ve only met a few hippogriffs before—”

Harvey brightened immensely. “Oh ho ho? Who did you meet? Perhaps I know them?”

Bluebolt blinked. “Uh, okay, sure. Um… oof, I don’t remember any names, actually. I think I met your Treasurer—”

“Ah, Henrietta, yes yes, a wonderful girl, quite spirited,” Harvey said with a smile and a nod.

“Y-yeah. Um, and a couple of merchants that were with her, I think. That’s about it, really. Sorry?”

“Well, that’s quite alright. The Commonwealth is still working on expanding, you see, so we have yet to send too many envoys and diplomats up north.” Harvey turned to Symphony and, without prompting, took her hoof and shook it vigorously. “Salutations and hello—”

Symphony nodded as her hoof was shaken about. “Yeah, hi, I’m Sweet Symphony, Bluebolt’s bodyguard. Nice to meet you.”

“Ooh! A bodyguard, you say? Intriguing, our leaders have not employed such measures of protection before. I understand that the lords and ladies of the south do it but did not know it was northern tradition as well. Simply fascinating.”

“She’s also Bluebolt’s lover,” Shine added with a smirk.

Bluebolt huffed. “Shiny! You can’t just blurt that out!”

Harvey flustered immediately. “Oh my oh my, that’s quite an interesting tidbit isn’t it? Why, it’s awfully convenient to have your lover and bodyguard be the same individual. Yes yes, it saves on the effort of having to befriend two separate individuals. Ah, though I note the slight downside in the possibility of losing both in the case of a catastrophe.”

Symphony just stared at the hippogriff. “Well, that’s not a morbid thought at all.”

“No worries about that, I think,” Shine said with a shrug. “Symphony’s able to hold her own in a fight. At least a little bit.”

Symphony now looked to Shine, wide-eyed. “W-was that a compliment?”

“A compliment? All I did was say you’re not totally useless.”

“That’s as good as a compliment gets from you. Who are you, and what have you done with Silver Shine?”

Shine rolled his eyes and looked to Bluebolt. “How about you? Did you finally learn to defend yourself, or are you still hiding behind your fillyfriend’s skirt?”

Bluebolt scoffed and showed off her power hoof. “Uh, yeah, I learned to fight.”

“Oh good, you’ve got a horseshoe. Wonderful. I’ll remember to call you if we need one of those.”

Harvey tilted his head and looked at the power hoof attachment. “Hmmm, intriguing, is that a techno-magic construct? I so rarely see them. May I examine it? What does it do? Oh my, this is exciting, isn’t it?”

Bluebolt eyed Shine briefly while Harvey grabbed at her power hoof and looked it over.. “Uh, you’ve got interesting new friends, Shiny.”

“You’ve got friends,” Symphony chuckled.

Shine snorted. “I suppose.” He turned to the others sitting at the table. “Ah, and these must be the friends you mentioned earlier, the ones that you were escorting south?”

The group rose from the table as one to let introductions start going around. For the most part there wasn’t much of a fuss in meeting Shine, Zarya, or Harvey, with the exception of the latter being particularly nosey about little details of everypony’s character.

For Bloom, he noted her Newhaven accent and asked her questions about the town, which naturally she couldn’t answer, much to his consternation. For Flurry he asked why she was so tall for a pony—she was above even his eye level—which she just shrugged off as genetics. Rarity could only imagine what he’d do if he saw her wings. Weaver escaped Harvey without much questioning, a benefit to him being so stodgy when in normal conversation; Sundial got away with about the same by being her typical terse, professional self, which Rarity figured was a good thing since her Chronomancer status would likely get a lot of attention.

Venture hit it off with Harvey like two peas in a pod, or so the saying goes. Not a single pony in the room was surprised, really, and not one of them thought it prudent to interrupt the sudden mile-a-minute conversation the two sprung into once introductions were all finished. It just didn’t seem right to break them apart when they so clearly were made for one another. Not in that way—that was Rarity’s opinion—but at least as a distraction for each other. The irony wasn’t lost on her.

Rarity also got away without much from Harvey, much to her relief. However, she did not have the same luck with Zarya, but that was a different matter altogether. When the zebra greeted her, she first tilted her head and eyed Rarity with a great deal of curiosity, too great in fact. But then, when Rarity gave her name as they shook hooves, Zarya’s eyes widened and her grip on Rarity’s hoof fell lax.

“Did thou sayest ‘Rarity’?” she asked in almost a whisper.

Rarity raised an eyebrow. “I did.”

Zarya grinned and nodded. “I knew it. I knew I recognized thee. I thought I was just seeing things this whole time.”

Rarity paused, then the pieces of the puzzle all connected together. “Ah, I know what this is about. Zyra mentioned the sculptures?”

“I do not know this ‘Zyra’, but I do know thee. And yes, I know thine appearance from the sculptures, but I know thee from so much more. Thou knewest mine uncle.”

“Your uncle?” Then, Rarity gasped in realization. “Sir Zircon is your uncle?”

“Lord-Commander Zircon, now,” Zarya corrected with a frown. “Our Lord-Commander, Zaffir, was killed during the evacuation. Mine uncle was next in line for the position. He leads the Knights of the Black Flame now, and he sent us here to seek aid from House Snow.”

Rarity’s heart leaped into her throat again, not from fear, but from elation. “Then he’s alive?”

“Yes, he is.”

“Oh, thank goodness…”

“Miss Rarity, forgiveth me for asking, but mine uncle hast told me many times of thine extraordinary tale,” Zarya said, eyebrow raised. “When he spoke of thee, he said that thou didst depart to a land far, far away from here, and that thou couldst never return to our beautiful snows again. And yet, here thou standest. How is this possible?”

Rarity sighed. “It’s a rather long story, dear.”

Zarya smiled. “I would like to hear it. Straight from thee, for once.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Och, that sounds like a bloody wonderful idea, aye, but we just don’t have the time ta tell the whole thing tonight, now do we? However, we hear you lot are heading south with House Snow’s army tomorrow morning, at first light as Lady Snowstorm was so keen ta put it.”

“Why? Dost thou wish to come along?”

“Aye, that we do. We have business in Zeb’ra’den, ye see, same as you and yer uncle do, and all o’ the other zebras, and all o’ House Snow, and House Wind, and the hippogriffs. Different business, aye, but we still need ta get there ta finish it. The sooner we get it handled, the better.”

Zarya nodded without hesitation. “Done.”

“Whoa, just like that?” Bluebolt asked.

“Yes, just like that. Mine uncle hath placed me in charge of these matters in Frostburg, and so I hath full say in who stays and goes,” Zarya said. “I wish to speak with Miss Rarity, and I know mine uncle would love to see her as well. I will bring her south regardless, and I see no reason to deny thy request.”

“Wow, this is great!” Bloom said with a smile. “I didn’t think it would be this easy ta get y’all ta agree ta have us along.”

Shine snorted. “If it were my say, none of you would be coming. We’re going into a warzone and we need capable fighters, not a bunch of civilians.”

Weaver tilted his head. “I am not a civilian.”

Symphony poked Shine in the chest. “You’re looking at the most capable fighter in the room, Shiny.”

Weaver honest-to-goodness snorted, indignant. “I am just as capable as you are, Symphony.”

Symphony briefly tilted her head in his direction. “Hush, I’m talking here.”

Weaver made to retort, but Sundial patted his shoulder. “Just drop it, lad. This is a personal thing, aye?”

“Ha! You?” Shine laughed. “You couldn’t handle yourself in a real combat situation if your life depended on it, Symphony. This is war, not a little training fight against one of those mechanical contraptions you’re used to.”

“Try me! Let’s go, you and me, one-on-one. I’ll whip your ass into next week—” She then paused, and stared at his broken horn in abject horror. “Wait… you can’t use magic. Shit, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Shine smirked. “I’ve learned how to fight without magic, Symphony. Just like you. I can still take you in a duel, no problem. Just because I can’t use magic doesn’t mean I’m not a better swordfighter than you. It’s just natural.”

Symphony scoffed, loudly, multiple times. “Oh, okay! Qualunque cosa! You think you’re gonna talk tough like that and that I’m gonna back down. Fine. Okay, you cucchiaio d'argento jerk. You’re on. Outside, let’s go.”

“Oh, with pleasure. We’ll see if you’ve grown at all since our last duel. Maybe you’ll last more than a minute this time.”

Symphony and Shine headed straight for the door, shooting glares at one another.

Bluebolt smiled and clapped her hooves. “Ooh, this I’ve gotta see.” She followed right behind them.

“The hay was that about?” asked Bloom.

“No idea,” muttered Flurry.

Sundial cleared her throat and turned to Zarya. “Thanks for having us along, Dame Zarya. I appreciate the help.”

“It is no trouble at all, but save thy thanks for after thou hast seen the truth of matters down south,” Zarya said, shaking her head and giving a polite smile. “However, I believe I am owed a story about what brings Miss Rarity here after all these years, yes?”

“And I’d be happy to tell it—” Rarity started to say.

Sundial raised her hoof. “Ah, hang on a minute.” She glanced back at Zarya. “We’d also like ta know what the bloody hell is going on with Zeb’ra’den, aye? We heard ye’ve got a problem with wendigos and that the whole city got evacuated?”

Zarya frowned and nodded. “Yes. But that, too, is a long story.”

Rarity smiled. “Well, tell you what. Why don’t we regale our tales to one another while en route to meet your uncle, hmm? Let’s save it for tomorrow. Tonight, we should eat, and we should rest. We’ve had a long journey getting here, and I’m assuming we’ll have another long journey getting south.”

“Aye, that sounds good, actually,” Sundial said with a nod.

“Yes, I agree,” said Zarya as she took a seat at the table. She poured herself a cup of wine that had been made available to the table, then lifted her glass. “To new friends?”

Rarity lifted her glass—also wine—and tapped it against Zarya’s. “To new friends.”

Chapter Eighteen: Escutcheon

Late the following evening, the House Snow army had stopped its march to make camp for the night. Hundreds of tents both large and small had been erected for the soldiers to use as shelter from the worsening snowstorm, though a large fire pit had been set up outside to provide food. The food wasn’t particularly appetizing—they had to feed two thousand troops after all—but it served its purpose of keeping everypony warm against the staggering cold, which Rarity had found to be practically unbearable even with her heavy coat.

Rarity had never marched before. From first light in the morning until well after the sun had set—how anypony could tell when the sky was covered in fierce black clouds was beyond her—she had walked, and walked, and walked, and dared not ask an entire army to stop just for her. Traveling with Tick Tock and Sundial on two separate journeys home had taught her how to properly hike, but marching was different. It was exhausting.

For now, that was all behind her, and she could rest her weary hooves and keep herself warm in a cozy tent. What mattered was her present company, which included herself and Sundial as well as Zarya, whose tent they were currently using, and the business at hoof: sharing tales and information of how both parties ended up where they were at this moment.

Sundial had requested that the discussion at large be reduced to the three of them for a few simple, understandable reasons. Obviously, sharing the extent of Rarity’s story would involve revealing a number of pieces of information that were not to be made publicly available—the existence of other worlds, for instance—so Zarya, who technically already knew a few things, was given an exception.

The others not present thus had to busy themselves elsewhere in the camp, which wasn’t really that much of a problem. Bluebolt was eager to catch up with Silver Shine, and Symphony was eager for yet another rematch, not satisfied with any of their earlier draws; Bloom and Flurry were interested in talking with Harvey, having never met a hippogriff from this world before and eager to learn what was different from those at home like Silverstream; Weaver was standing outside the tent, content with making sure the privacy of those inside was not disturbed, and Venture was out there with him having a conversation, though what about Rarity wasn’t sure.

Thus, Rarity, Sundial, and Zarya sat around an enchanted lantern inside of Zarya’s fair-sized tent—which wouldn’t have held all of the group anyway—keeping warm and comfortable. They had plenty of food to keep them company as well, so all-in-all it was rather pleasant.

“—and basically, that’s our long story made as short as I think we can manage it,” Rarity concluded with a breath after detailing her adventure thus far.

“'Tis quite a journey thou hast had,” Zarya said with a nod. “A story not unlike the fantasy tales my father told me when I was young.”

Rarity smiled. “I suppose you must all think it rather silly, really, that my friends and I ended up back here just because of a little lovesickness?”

Zarya shook her head. “Not at all. Though thy journey hath been arduous, 'tis clear to me that thy love for mine uncle is pure and true. It gladdens me to hear that his love for thee after all these years hath been met in kind.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Aye, but if that spell really wanted ta help Rarity shack up with your uncle again, it should’ve bloody well dropped her off down here in the first place, shouldn’t it?”

“I like to think that the spell did more than just try to reunite me with Zircon, actually,” Rarity said with a grin. “Think of all the good that’s come from me and my friends being back here. Why, if Flurry hadn’t been present with you, dear, you would have never managed to rescue Weaver from that dreadful Overseer fellow, and other things besides that.”

“Aye, fair point, but still, it still blows my mind that Cadence and Flurry were able ta make all o’ this possible in the first place.”

Zarya nodded. “Thy caution about Princess Heart’s true nature is well-founded, if I might commend thee. Though Harmonia be sacred in these southern lands, the current state of things could lead to unpleasantness. Now, this ‘Weaver’,” she continued, glancing out the tent flap at the earth pony. “The powers that thou hast described belong to those touched by Nihila, the demon alicorn, such as her Wardens. Art thou certain that he is to be trusted?”

Sundial grunted. “Aye, lass, he’s more than trustworthy. He’s saved my life on more than one occasion.”

“Mine as well,” Rarity added. “His past might be rather dark, but he’s come into the light, so to speak. Those powers of his are used for good now, not for evil.”

Zarya took a breath. “If he hath your trust, then he hath mine as well.”

“Thanks, lass, that’ll mean a lot if anything should get messy, aye?” Sundial said with a nod.

“I thank thee for thy tale, Lady Rarity,” Zarya said, looking to Rarity. “My judgement of thy character hath not been misplaced, and I eagerly await the opportunity to reunite thee with mine uncle.”

Rarity smiled and set her hoof on Zarya’s. “I’m looking forward to it as well.”

Sundial gestured at Zarya casually. “Och, that’s all well and good, but now that we’ve told our story, how about ye tell us yers, aye? Ye say that Zeb’ra’den’s been taken by wendigos? How the bloody hell did that happen?”

“As hath been said, 'tis a long tale, but I hath promised to share it with thee,” Zarya said, closing her eyes. “It all started towards the end of the first month of summer…”

*****

The city of Zeb’ra’den, Jewel of the Frozen South, capital city of the zebra kingdom, was situated precisely on Equestria’s southern pole. The city was surrounded by a wall of thick obsidian supported with sturdy stone and wood, the latter two coated with high-quality gold. The buildings within the walls were constructed in much the same fashion: obsidian and gold. They were not particularly tall but were large enough to house anywhere from a few dozen zebras to a few hundred, either serving as homes or businesses.

At the center of the city was the monumental royal palace, home of the zebra king, Zaratite. Unlike the other buildings of the city, it was asymmetrical, using various other materials—iron, silver, gemstones, and more—to give the structure a unique appearance, with each distinct portion arranged in its own fashion and with its own purpose. From the center of the palace, shooting straight up into the sky, was the southern Beacon, a pillar of white metal that faintly glowed with light.

Despite it being the middle of summer, Zeb’ra’den was shrouded by a thick cloud that sprinkled snow over the city and blocked out the midday sun. It was the slow, light snowfall that was typical of a summer snowcloud, for it snowed in the zebra territories all year round. It would be worse come autumn, and even more so come winter, but for now the zebras would enjoy the lighter snowfall while they could.

Zarya walked through the halls of the Blackfire Keep, the headquarters and home for the knights of the Order of the Black Flame, which was a tall blackened-steel building attached to the eastern wing of the royal palace. The halls were kept alight via torches enchanted to give off black flames rather than their natural colors, and yet their glow still illuminated the hallway as if nothing was different.

She wore her armor and cloak, as was customary for the knights to wear when on duty, which was almost all the time as they were tasked with protecting the kingdom at a moment’s notice. She also carried her runic longsword at her side in a sheath.

She knocked briefly on a door at the end of the hall, waited for a grunt of acknowledgement, then opened the door and stood in the doorway but did not enter yet, as was proper etiquette. The room was an office—specifically that of Lord-Commander Zaffir, leader of the Order of the Black Flame—and was small and laden with books, maps, and sparse decorations. The only furniture was a desk, one large chair, two smaller chairs, and a few shelves.

In the large chair, on the opposite side of the desk, sat an older zebra stallion dressed much the same as Zarya but decorated with a brilliant silver medallion on his armor. His mane was shorter and more clean-cut than most zebras, but his tail was still long so that he could wield the large rune-covered lance that rested against the wall behind him.

“Zarya, thou art punctual. Please, come in,” he said, speaking in the meter of his rank. He then gestured at the seats on the opposite side of his desk. “Taketh a seat so that we may begin.”

Zarya approached the seats he’d gestured to, where she noticed that one of them was already taken by Harvey, the hippogriff diplomat and scholar that lived here in Zeb’ra’den in service of the Hippogriff Commonwealth up in Astropolis to the west. Zarya gave him a small smile before taking her seat; they’d been friends for about a year now, but she hadn’t seen him in weeks.

Zaffir then gestured to Harvey, but still addressed and looked at Zarya. “One month ago, Zarya, thou were knighted. Now, thou may hath cause to be excited. I know thou art eager to cut thy teeth, so Sir Harvey hath a task to bequeath.”

Harvey cleared his throat and nodded. “Shall I elucidate the terms of the assignment, or would you prefer to do it yourself, Lord-Commander? I’m afraid I haven’t gone through this procedure in this particular fashion before. Usually I just post up the request and get assigned somezebra, eh? This seems a little much.”

Lord-Commander Zaffir nodded at him politely. “Thou canst present thy terms if that is what thou wishest, Sir Harvey, as 'tis thy task to give. My purpose is merely to mediate the agreement, so to speak.”

Harvey nodded again and turned to Zarya with a small smile. “I am leading a small expedition out into the eastern tundras to investigate some rather odd weather patterns as of late—well, odder weather patterns, considering the last few years, yes? At any rate, I will require a guide and escort with me, naturally.”

Zarya blinked and tilted her head. “Harvey, is this task not similar to the ones thou hadst me assist thee with when I was but a squire?”

Harvey pondered this for a moment, then nodded. “Ah, yes, it is quite similar. In fact, nearly identical! Why, the only difference between the terms I have presented here and how I usually present them is that I am not merely curiously—some would say aimlessly—wandering about the tundras. No no, my friend, this time I have a specific location in mind to investigate, yes indeed I do.”

“But otherwise, 'tis the same?”

“Yes, quite, not just the same, but as said, nearly identical! It should be rather simple, in fact.”

Zarya tilted her head towards Zaffir, eyebrow raised. She was bothered by this, for it seemed beneath her. She spoke to Zaffir in her own personal meter: “Pardon me if I seem confused. Such tasks for a knight feel misused. 'Twould be more fit for a squire. So, why me, might I inquire?”

Zaffir gestured to Harvey with a small grin. “'Tis thee good Sir Harvey hath requested, and so 'tis thy skills that shall be tested.”

Zarya looked to Harvey, more confused than before. “Thou hast requested me specifically, Harvey?”

Harvey smiled and nodded. “That is correct, my good Dame Zarya, for I have faith in your ability to perform the task that I have presented here to the best of your ability. You’re right, I think the other knights would feel this beneath them, but I know that you have done these tasks with me before when you were a squire, so I simply assumed—”

Zaffir cleared his throat and looked at Zarya with narrowed eyes. “Dame Zarya, art thou refusing this task? Why? It seems such a simple thing to ask. For if thou feelest this task beneath thee, with thine opinion, I must disagree. Thou art untested. Thou art a fresh knight. This task shalt be thy chance to prove thy might.”

“I do not refuse it, m’lord,” Zarya said quickly. “I’ll go at once. He’ll have my sword.”

Zaffir nodded. “Good. Thou hast a great fire in thy young heart, but e’ry knight needs their own place to start.” He then turned to Harvey, rose from his seat briefly, then gave a slight bow. “Sir Harvey, thou hast acquired a knight that meets with thy terms and thy special request. She shall assuredly keep thee safe and guide thee well.”

Harvey rose as well and bowed back. “Fantastic! Simply fantastic, Lord-Commander. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your generosity. I do hope I have not caused any, uh, undue disrest within your ranks with this request of mine. I simply wished to embark on a very important expedition, you understand.”

“Not at all. 'Tis but a trifle. Now, if thy business here is done, I must return to mine own duties. Another mining party hath gone missing in the southeastern hills.” He shook his head. “This damnable weather doth make traveling dangerous without a proper guide. Were the Order’s ranks in greater number, I would assign every party with a knight.”

Harvey nodded. “Yes, yes indeed, that was all I was hoping to do. Sorry to hear about that other party, Lord-Commander. My thoughts and best wishes go to their families.” He turned to Zarya, who also rose from her seat and bowed slightly. “We’ll set out in one hour, Dame Zarya. Meet me by the city gates, yes? I know that seems soon, but I’m eager to get started! I’ve been looking forward to this all day!”

“Thy terms are agreeable, and I shall meet them with perfection,” Zarya said, keeping her head bowed. “Good day to you, Sir Harvey.”

“Good day indeed, good day indeed!”

Harvey then waved off the two zebras and left the room, closing the door behind him. Zarya waited a few moments for Harvey’s steps to get further away, then turned briefly to Zaffir, nodded, and said nothing more as she, too, left the room; the Lord-Commander had already started looking over his notes, and she dared not disturb him with further questions.

She walked slowly down the hall at first, then, when she was sure she was out of earshot of the Lord-Commander’s office, she picked up the pace to catch up with Harvey, making her way out of Blackfire Keep to do so. She found him just outside the keep’s gate, a pleasant smile on his face. Zarya was anything but smiles.

“Greetings and salutations again, Zarya. And so soon, ha ha! I was not expecting to meet with you for another hour, and yet, here we are.” Harvey tilted his head when he noticed Zarya’s sour expression. “My goodness, you appear rather upset. What seems to be the trouble, my friend?”

Zarya grunted and nudged his shoulder slightly. “Thou hast made me feel a fool, Harvey. Thy task is not suited for a full-fledged knight, and yet thou hast requested me specifically, despite knowing this to be the case. I hath become a knight now, Harvey. These expeditions that thou art so focused with art beneath my rank. As I hath stated, 'tis more fit for a squire.”

Harvey frowned and set his claw on her hoof. “Oh dear. Oh dear oh dear, I offer my most sincere apologies, truly, I do. I’m quite sorry if I made you appear foolish in front of the Lord-Commander for taking on this task—”

“Not just that, but requesting me specifically. Thou art my friend, Harvey. We hath known each other for a long while, and quite well at that, and I appreciate thee and thy company. But, this sort of thing was appropriate when I was but a squire. As a knight, more is expected of me than such a trifling expedition.” She paused, then sighed. “Forgiveth me, I meant not to disparage thy work.”

“No no, no need to apologize to me. I’m the one who should be sorry, I didn’t mean to embarrass you or anything of the sort, I assure you.” Harvey nodded and let out a breath. “I had to present my request the way I did so that you would be assigned to me, my friend, I had to. Please, I would not have requested another knight if this was any minor task. This is no simple excursion.”

Now, Zarya was curious. “What dost thou mean?”

“Ah, I am investigating some odd weather patterns in the eastern tundras, yes? That much was absolutely true. In fact, the odd patterns I have noticed are near where we placed one of my markers on one of our last expeditions. I have gotten some most peculiar readings and I simply must investigate.”

“Dost thou think that there is something amiss?”

Harvey looked around to make sure nozebra else was around. “I do not know yet, but I am suspicious that there is something out there on the tundra. Something big, and quite strange or unnatural. I have enough evidence to suggest that there is more at work here than the weather to cause such odd readings. If I had simply made note of that—”

“Then the Lord-Commander might have assigned a different knight to thee and thy task…” Zarya finished. She gave Harvey a small grin and nudged his shoulder again. “Thou hast done this for me, then? Thy hope is that this ‘thing’ thou hast discovered might serve to cut my teeth?”

Harvey grinned back and tapped his claws together. “Indeed it is, indeed it is. Why, if there is something out there worth dealing with, then you might just earn some accolades from the Order, yes? I know you have spoken often of the reputation you wish to live up to, and so I hoped that I could give you that opportunity.”

Zarya pulled Harvey into a brief hug. “Thou art a good friend, Harvey. My apologies if I seemed cross with thee earlier—”

“Pah! It isn’t any trouble, no trouble at all. I only hope that there’s something worth finding, hmm?” Harvey then cracked his neck and adjusted his glasses. “Oh, but I fear we are getting quite ahead of ourselves! I must make the rest of my preparations, yes? Meet me by the front gate in an hour.” He then spread his wings and flew off. “Ta ta!”

“Ta ta!” Zarya waved him off, then took a deep breath and started off for the gate to wait for him.

*****

The eastern tundra beyond the walls of Zeb’ra’den was essentially a wasteland of ice and snow, mostly flat and featureless save for the occasional grouping of hills that sprouted up every few dozen miles. Few zebras dared to tread into the area because it was freezing cold, even in the summer. Not to mention that the ice was notoriously difficult to navigate and could give way at any moment, dropping a zebra into fatally cold waters or into a deep crevasse. Also, the cloud cover was so thick that even the light of the sun and moon could hardly pierce through.

As such, it was dark, cold, treacherous, and empty.

But that didn’t stop Zarya from taking Harvey on his excursion across the frozen wastes. Harvey himself normally would have had an advantage, being able to fly and all, but over the past few years the weather had worsened to the point that the winds were sheer and dangerous even for the hardiest of hippogriffs or pegasi.

Zarya was trained for this sort of thing, of course. She knew how to spot weakness in the ice. She knew where the various markers were that led to shelter that could be used for the many nights they would be out here. Her runic longsword was capable of generating light and heat from its black flames—hence the name of the Order—to protect the pair from the worst of the elements. And, most importantly, she was calm, composed, and patient.

She had been very young when the southern Beacon dimmed due to the actions of Lord Silvertongue, who she’d known until that point as a hero, but who these days was widely known as the single most evil pony to ever walk the world. In the decade or so following the Beacon’s dimming, the zebra lands experienced their first summers in hundreds of years. Now, though, the winters were worse than ever, and the summers had returned to being cold and snowy as they had once been.

It took about a week of constant travel through these harsh conditions to reach the instruments that Harvey had been looking for, which were the easternmost set that he and Zarya had placed nearly a year ago. The marker was up on a small hilltop at the edge of the eastern ice fields that surrounded the ancient Peaks of Ruin, which no zebra had traveled to in hundreds of years and which had been explicitly forbidden. Even a hippogriff like Harvey, loaded with curiosity and intrigue, knew better than to go there.

The instruments Harvey had planted on the hill were magical in nature, utilizing modified versions of zebra runes that the hippogriffs had adapted for their own magic-equivalent purposes, which they called uncials. Each was a small stone pillar no bigger than a canoe’s rowing oar, and each was embedded into the snow and ice atop the hill so that just the thick, uncial-covered portions were exposed. Or at least, that’s how they were supposed to be.

Harvey grumbled as he looked over his instruments, which had been removed from their positions and broken apart. “Terrible. Terrible! Simply awful. Years of work constructing these measuring apparatuses, and something out here just goes and ruins them. I thought the readings I’d been receiving had been odd, but this was not my expectation, not at all.”

Zarya handled one of the less-broken pieces, noting that it was cracked, as though struck by something. “What could have done this, dost thou think? An earthquake?”

“No no, an earthquake strong enough to damage these would have been felt all the way in Zeb’ra’den, I assure you. One of my uncials enhanced the stability of the stone, you see, so that it could be hammered down into the ice without breaking.” Harvey shook his head. “This was something else.”

“A creature, perhaps.” Zarya thought for a moment as she tried to put together a possible culprit based on the damage. “'Twas not frostwolves. Even the largest of them wouldst not possess the strength to breaketh stone.”

“Another zebra, maybe?” Harvey mused. He then shook his head again. “No no, a zebra would have no need to engage in such wanton destruction, and they would recognize uncial markings and know not to touch the instruments. Pah! And another hippogriff is out of the question, as I am the only one who travels out this far east.”

Zarya sighed. “And if 'twas a creature that hath done this, this snow hath made it impossible to track them.”

Harvey then brightened. “Aha! That’s it! Thank you, Zarya, you have reminded me of something important. I almost completely forgot all about it, ha ha.” He snatched the stone that Zarya was examining right out of her hooves, then tapped his claw to his glasses. “One moment, please.”

“What art thou—”

“I developed these uncial markings to track the weather patterns, yes? Well, that includes certain aspects of the storms out this far, such as the wind force, which is usually quite sheer as you can no doubt tell.” He finished adjusting his glasses, and the lenses glowed a dull blue for half an instant. “And there we are! We now have our heading.”

Zarya raised an eyebrow. “Speaketh plainly, my friend. Thou hast lost me in thine excited ramblings.”

Harvey passed his glasses over to Zarya and put them over her eyes. Zarya gasped briefly as her vision adjusted. Besides being blurry—she didn’t need glasses like Harvey did—she saw a faint red glow in the air around her, tracing a path off to the northwest. It started high in the air and moved in a singular sort of motion, but when it met with Harvey’s instrument, a darker glow dominated the others, and this one appeared to move at ground level. The glow did not travel far, however.

“What doth this mean, Harvey?” Zarya asked, tilting her head.

“The red glow distinguishes the winds that were striking this particular marker,” Harvey explained, squinting as he looked at Zarya as he clearly couldn’t see well without his glasses. “That darker glow is very sudden, and clearly struck the marker down before moving on. Thus, the marker is doing its best to predict a heading that the ‘wind’ would be taking. But it’s not wind!”

Zarya scoffed and gave Harvey back his glasses. “Thy hippogriff magics art quite odd, if I might be bold enough to say. Thy claim is that this glow hath given us a means of track our culprit?”

“Of a sort. We only know what direction they were going.” Harvey pointed off to the northwest. “And that would be that way, yes? Ah, I just knew there was something to be had out here.”

Zarya turned her attention in the direction Harvey was indicating, then nodded. “There is a marker two miles in that direction which designates a cave safe for camping. Perhaps our culprit hath hidden there?”

“Ooh, perhaps. Yes, actually, that sounds quite likely. Shall we, then?”

Zarya nodded, and she guided Harvey through the ice and snow in the direction of their heading.

Two miles wasn’t a very long distance, even in this awful weather, and the duo quickly found the cave they were looking for. Zarya kept her sword drawn and at the ready, gesturing for Harvey to stay out of sight just outside while she headed further inside to search.

As a cavern dedicated to the use of zebras out here in the tundra, it was carefully carved into the rock of the hill and spaced so that miners or soldiers could set up camp relatively quickly and easily. There was definitely evidence that it had been recently used, too.

The stone circle in the cavern center, which was designed to safely hold a firepit, still had traces of wood left within it. A quick examination of the wood told Zarya it had finished burning only a few hours ago, sometime in the mid-morning hours. The crumbs of some meals—simple rations used by the common folk—had been left behind, and it was still relatively soft. And, because there was no snow here to cover tracks, Zarya was able to spot the tracks of a dozen—give or take—distinct zebras as they left the cave off into the snow.

However, she also spotted another set of hoofprints in the dust of the cavern, and they were definitely not those of a zebra, or even a pony. Few animals lived out in the tundras except for the frostwolves, which were obviously wolf-like and had paws, not hooves. The few times animals wandered this far south they didn’t leave tracks due to the snow, and they often fled back to warmer lands fairly quickly.

These tracks were larger than any zebra could possibly make, so they were out of the question for ponies as well. Their shape was distinctly different, more angular than rounded at the front and much wider at the back. There was a left and right side of each track as well, as opposed to a singular imprint, with a noticeable division between the two.

Zarya admitted that had no idea what could have made these tracks. They resembled no animal she knew.

So, she turned towards the cavern entrance to call Harvey in. He was smart and well-learned, so perhaps he knew something? “Harvey! Come here, taketh a look upon these tracks!”

Harvey entered into the cavern warily at first until he seemed to realize they were alone, then approached Zarya with his usual enthusiasm. He glanced down at the tracks carefully, adjusting his glasses as he went. “I say, these are quite odd tracks, aren’t they? My oh my.”

“'Twas my thought as well. They resemble no hoofprints I hath ever seen before. Nor are they pawprints, as a frostwolf would leave.”

“Yes yes, and they’re much too big to be any frostwolf I’ve seen before, besides. Let me think for a moment, as they seem somewhat familiar.” He tapped his temple in thought. “Hmm… ah, yes! Aha! These are the tracks of a stag—a male deer, albeit one larger than the average specimen”

Zarya tilted her head. She knew little of the northern animals but recognized what a “deer” was. She’d seen pictures of the rather cute, docile animals before. “What wouldst a deer be doing this far south? This region is not hospitable for such a timid, frail creature.”

Harvey shook his head. “No no, not at all, not at all. In fact I believe this region would downright deadly to the average specimen of the species, probably even for one to travel half as far as Zeb’ra’den from the edge of the snowy territories. It would be especially so due to the worsening cold, yes?”

“So, what is it then?”

“Well, as I have said, they clearly resemble the tracks of a male deer, but that is as far as I can tell with my current evidence, I’m afraid.” He tilted his head. “It is most peculiar, is it not? Based upon the layers of the dust present here, the ‘deer’ came through this area after the zebras left their camp site. So it was not chased off by them, nor is it an odd pet of some sort.”

Zarya adjusted her jaw as she pondered this. “A creature that left tracks so large wouldst be strong enough to breaketh thine instruments, wouldst thou not agree?”

Harvey tapped his chin. “Hmm… yes, that seems reasonable. Ah, perhaps our stag friend confused the instruments for a rival stag’s antlers?”

“Then this creature hath strength, size, and aggression as its qualities,” Zarya grunted, looking off out into the snow. “It might be dangerous. If there are zebra nearby, 'tis my duty to warn them of the danger. We must seeketh our comrades.”

“How do you propose we do that through all of this infernal snow?”

“This region hath great riches, namely ore used for making zebrican runic steel,” Zarya said, flourishing her blade. “Miners typically findeth the ore in the rocky hills, so that is where we will look. Where we findeth the ore, we findeth the zebras that also seeketh it. 'Tis a simple matter.”

Harvey smiled and nodded. “Ah, you certainly are well-learned in these matters, Zarya. I am glad to have you as my friend and escort, yes? Ho ho, I cannot imagine another knight treating me with such camaraderie.”

“And thee as well,” Zarya said with a smile. She then gestured out into the snow. “Come, we mustn’t tarry. Once night falls, we must seeketh shelter for ourselves, and the night will be fast approaching.”

“Ha! Lead the way then, my friend, lead the way.”

And off they went, out into the snow.

*****

After hours of searching through more ice and snow for the zebra miners+, Zarya and Harvey happened upon a small crevasse in the ice. Nearby rocks had been affixed with ropes, and there were some saddlebags nearby clearly meant for transporting ore.

“It would seem as though we have found our zebra friends,” Harvey observed as he looked over the belongings. “But where are they?”

Zarya headed over to the edge of the crevasse and looked down inside. It was not terribly deep, so she could see a solid, rocky floor beneath her some fifty feet down. The ropes trailed all the way down to the bottom. She also spotted the faint flickerings of candlelight down below and could hear the faint clinks of pickaxes echoing through the chasm. If there were any zebras down there, the crevasse walls were blocking them from view.

She gestured down into the crevasse with her hoof. “They hath gone below to mine.” She then looked about in the ice, which was relatively free of snow. “Dost thou see any tracks from that other creature?”

Harvey shook his head. “I see no evidence of it up here, no. Perhaps our quarry did not pursue our zebra friends, hmm? I see no reason why it would. Stags—rather, deer in general—are purely herbivorous, so they would have little reason to pursue zebras for a meal.”

“'Tis a reassuring thought, then.

Harvey paused to stroke his chin. “However, its brazen, unprovoked assault on my markers leads me to believe it is fiercely territorial. Some herbivorous creatures that are also territorial can at times be quite violent. Take a moose, for example. They appear docile from a distance, being large and furry and such, but they are very dangerous in the wild.”

Zarya raised an eyebrow. “Thou art suggesting this ‘deer’ is as aggressive as a moose if threatened?”

“Perhaps. Though it would need to perceive our zebra friends here as a threat. Since we are warning them to stay clear of it if they spot it, hopefully that will not be the case.” He tilted his head. “Though a thought occurs to me.”

“Hmm?”

“If this creature were a deer, especially one of that size, it would need a substantial foodsource to survive. The only plantlife that grows in the zebra territories are the crops within Zeb’ra’den, yes?”

Zarya frowned. “Yes.”

“In which case, perhaps this deer is carnivorous? Like the frostwolves?”

“'Tis not reassuring, then. However, we hath no seen tracks of this creature as of yet—”

“No, but—” He stopped and shook his head. “No, perhaps I am being overly jittery.”

“Speak thy mind, Harvey.”

Harvey scratched his chin. “I have been pondering how it came to follow the zebras into that cave, yes? That cave is well-hidden form the natural elements, and was clearly not a creature’s den of any sort. A possibility, however distant, that must be considered is that our quarry is not merely a predator, but that it is hunting our zebra friends.”

Zarya paused, tilting her head. “'Tis an odd leap in judgement, Harvey.”

Harvey brushed it off with his claw. “Yes, yes of course it is. Aha ha, I am getting ahead of myself. A creature that could not only track zebras through the snow but also lie in ambush would suggest intelligence beyond that of a simple animal.” He did not seem convinced of his own words.

Zarya sighed. “At any rate, I must warneth my comrades below.” She glanced at one of the nearby ropes, grunted, sheathed her sword, then began to descend. Before she got far, she looked to Harvey. “Stay up here, and be mindful of thy surroundings. I shall return shortly.”

Harvey nodded and took to the air to get a good vantage point. “Will do, my friend, will do. Ooh! Don’t take too long, though, as it’s awfully nippy up here, I must say. Brrr!”

Zarya then began a slow descent down the rope, trying her best not to look down. She wasn’t afraid of heights typically, but she was a little worried about climbing like this, noting how the wind was rocking her to and fro—dangerously close to the jagged edges of the crevasse—and how the ground was so far below and how it looked rough and uneven. So she clung tightly to the rope, as best she could, and scaled her way down inch by inch.

On a whim, she decided to look down again to see how far her progress had gone. She’d managed to make it only a few feet, and she clung to the rope again, closing her eyes. “Damnable heights…”

But then, she opened her eyes again and took another look below. Something had caught her eye briefly, a shadowy thing moving down the cliffs of the chasm, descending down towards the miners. She blinked to get a better look, but couldn’t quite make it out too well. Whatever it was, though, it was big. Very big.

“Harvey!” Zarya hissed up as loudly as she could. “Harvey! Down here!”

Harvey seemed to barely hear her. “Huh? Oh! Hey there, you haven’t even gotten very far down into the crevasse yet,” he said as he fluttered down to her height. “My goodness, what’s taking you so long? Is everything alright?”

Zarya gestured briefly towards the shadowy figure as it moved further down. “'Tis the creature!”

Harvey looked to where she was pointing and gasped. “Oh! Goodness gracious, that is quite a sizable beast. Oh dear, and judging from its movements, it is definitely predatory. I fear our comrades below are in grave danger.”

“Yes, but not for long. I cannot jump that far, my friend. Canst thou assist me?”

“Assist you? How do you suggest I do that?”

Zarya carefully drew her blade out with her tail, igniting the flame again. “Throweth me.”

Harvey paused. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Grabeth me and throweth me at the creature!”

“I’m not very strong, I’m afraid, I doubt I’ll—”

Zarya rolled her eyes and leapt off the rope at Harvey.

“Oh dear!” Harvey panicked and reached his claws out to grab her. He barely caught her and twisted his body as best as he likely was able to, using her momentum to give her a boost. “Oh! Okay! That worked!”

Just as the creature was about to leap down into the crevice where the zebras were working, Zarya collided, sword-first, with its ribcage. To her surprise, her blade glanced right off of it, but the sheer force of the impact knocked her and the creature into the crevice itself.

The other zebras all turned to the commotion. Then, they all panicked, screamed, and ran for the ropes leading back up as they saw the creature.

Zarya shook her head to right herself, and that’s when she caught sight of the creature she’d attacked.

It was definitely not a stag.

The creature had the hindlegs and body of a stag, yes, that much was true. It’s forelegs, however, were more like that of a wolf, as was its head and tail. It maw was huge and lined with sharp fangs, as well as a pair of large, curved tusks. It did still have a stag’s antlers atop its head, though, which looked quite sturdy and sharp.

Zarya blinked, baffled at the sight. “What in Wylundr’s name—”

The beast gave a barking roar and lunged straight at Zarya, antlers first. Zarya had little room to maneuver in the crevice, but managed to avoid the charge by ducking under the beast and scrambling back through its hindlegs. The beast impacted the wall behind her, its horns lodged in the rock.

She slashed her sword along its underbelly as she slid below the beast. Again, her sword seemed to just slide along its hide to no effect whatsoever.

As she settled back into another fighting stance, the beast dislodged itself and turned to face her. It settled into an aggressive stance as well, barking at Zarya like a wild wolf and kicking its hindlegs against the floor as if ready to charge again.

“Harvey!” Zarya called up to her companion. “Canst thou tell me what this thing is?”

“Ah… oh dear, well, it’s definitely not a normal animal!” Harvey called back. “It’s a monster of some sort!”

The beast pounced at Zarya again. Again she nimbly leapt aside, this time striking her blade against its neck as she went. Again, it simply slid off its skin harmlessly.

“Yes, 'tis obvious!” she shouted. “Why dost my blade not work?”

“It must have a resistance of some kind to traditional weaponry. At the very least against your runic steel. Er… ah! Here! I shall lend some assistance!”

“What?”

Harvey swooped down briefly on the other side of the crevice, and grabbed one of the zebra miners’ dropped pickaxes, flinging it Zarya’s way.

Zarya dropped her sword for the moment—its black fire went out immediately—and grabbed the pickaxe in her tail. It was difficult to do so, as it was heavy and lacked runic markings to allow her tail to grasp it, but she managed.

Just in time, too, as the beast was lunging at her again. She ducked as swung at once slamming the pickaxe into the side of the beast’s head. Again, nothing really happened, though she’d swung so hard that she lost her grip on the tool and it sailed to the other side of the crevice.

The beast, however, was knocked dizzy for a brief instant, giving Zarya time to grab her sword again and prepare to defend herself. She noted to herself that while the pickaxe’s iron head hadn’t worked, she’d also struck with part of the wooden handle.

“That did not work!” she shouted back to Harvey. “At least not the iron!”

“Drat, perhaps it simply has a universal sort of resistance to metal. We might need to get unconventional here, my friend. Hmm…” Harvey glanced up into the crevasse, then seemed to spot something that caught his interest. “Ah! That might work. Be right back!”

“What? Harvey!” Zarya stared down the creature as it regained its composure, then took a deep breath. “Damnable creature!” she shouted, brandishing her blade more like a torch than a sword. “Hya! Come at me!”

Then, the creature did something unexpected. It reared up on its hindlegs, and seemed perfectly capable of standing on them indefinitely. It had already been bigger than Zarya by a full two heads, but now it absolutely towered over her, growling angrily as it glared down at the much smaller zebra.

“By Wylundr’s beard…” she muttered.

The creature gave another roar, leapt forward, and swept its front paw at Zarya. She barely ducked under the swing then ran under its legs again as fast as she could, not bothering to swing her sword this time, just focusing on gaining some distance.

The beast turned and gave chase, swiping its paws at her again. Zarya swung her sword to bat its paws away before it could grab her. In a desperate attempt to distract it, Zarya tightened her tail’s grip on her sword, bathing the blade in intense black fire.

This time when she struck the beast’s paw with her blade, it reeled back in surprise and gave a pained yowl. The fire hadn’t left a mark that Zarya could see, but the beast clearly didn’t like the heat.

With a newfound approach, Zarya switched to an offensive stance and began swinging her sword to drive the beast back. It shied away from the flaming blade that had hurt it, but seemed ready to strike at any moment, so Zarya was careful not to drop her guard.

Unfortunately, the beast grew more bold with every strike, testing the blade’s flames curiously as Zarya approached. Since the blade itself didn’t hurt, only the fire, the creature must have figured it worth attempting, which to Zarya meant that Harvey was right: this beast had some semblance of intelligence.

And, more unfortunately, the fires might not have actually been hurting it at all, or at least it was developing a quick tolerance to it, because eventually it did not shy away from Zarya’s blade whatsoever.

Zarya gulped as she struck the beast in the chest with the flaming sword and saw that it barely reacted at all. “Harvey! Whatever thou art doing, maketh it quick!”

Harvey, right on cue, landed on the opposite end of the crevice, a few dozen feet behind Zarya. “Here I am, here I am! So sorry, but I am not very strong.”

The beast gave another mighty roar and leaned down to grab Zarya.

Zarya channeled a bit more fire into her blade, enough for it to spew a gout of fire into its face. The light and heat was enough to distract it; the beast pawed at its eyes and nose to get the sparks out.

Zarya rushed over to Harvey while the creature was distracted, and saw that he had brought something with him: a long, sharp piece of ice. “What is this?”

“I know what this beast is, Zarya! I recall reading about it in one of the many books with Zeb’ra’den’s bestiary archive—”

“Focus thyself, Harvey! Will this work?”

“Oh! Yes yes, of course! The creature’s hide resists metallic substances, but not other materials, such as wood or ice. This icicle should be more than capable of injuring it.” He paused, then added: “I hope.”

“Thou hopest?”

“It’s the best chance we have!”

The beast had recovered from Zarya’s distraction now, and let out another roar as it charged towards the pair.

Zarya took a deep breath, then set her sword aside to carefully grip the icicle with her tail. This was very difficult to do, as it wasn’t particularly light, it was slippery, and it was awkwardly shaped.

Then, she waited. And waited. And, when the beast was close, she swung her body around to whip the icicle towards it.

The shard of ice pierced straight through the creature’s shoulder, knocking it off balance. It roared in pain and tumbled to the ground in front of Zarya and Harvey. Zarya lifted her sword up again, ignited the blade, and blasted the beast’s wound with a stream of fire; it roared even louder.

Zarya expected the beast to charge again in a rage, and was preparing herself to thrust her sword into its wound. So, she was surprised when instead, the beast leapt up out of the small crevice at the bottom of the chasm, then leapt up again to begin scaling the crevasse wall.

“Quickly! The beast flees, and we must give chase!” Zarya shouted at Harvey as she sheathed her sword. She gestured to the crevice wall. “Here, helpeth me up.”

“R-right!” Harvey gulped and nodded, then, to the best of his ability, lifted Zarya up onto the lip of the crevice, but not very well. “Oh dear, you are quite heavy, Zarya, forgive me.”

“Blasted beast!” Zarya called as she hoisted herself onto solid ground.

Unfortunately, the beast was moving far too quickly in its retreat, and by the time Zarya even managed to get near one of the ropes leading up, it was out of sight above the ice.

Zarya clicked her tongue. “'Tis a creature that doth not fight like a cornered animal. It hath fled too quickly.”

Harvey flew out of the crevice and landed next to Zarya, out of breath. “It possesses intelligence beyond that of a simple animal as well. Not quite the intelligence of us civilized folk, but it is operating on more than just instinct.”

“Come, we must ensure our comrades are safe.”

Zarya grabbed onto one of the ropes, took a deep breath, then started her long climb up.

Harvey hovered by her side the entire way. “Fear not, my friend, I will not allow harm to befall you. Luckily, these winds are not so rough down here, yes?”

“Thou hath my thanks,” Zarya muttered as she continued her climb, looking up—and only up—until she reached the top.

As Harvey and Zarya ascended out of the crevasse, they saw that the zebra miners had fled entirely. “Ah, drat, it would seem that our comrades did not wait to see how we fared below with the beast,” Harvey noted. “What a shame indeed. I had hoped to ask them about their mining process.”

“I hope that they hath not wandered far,” Zarya muttered. She looked out across the ice, seeing a trail of blood heading off to the north. “Our quarry hath fled in that direction. We must pursue it.”

Harvey raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Must we? What of the miners?”

Zarya shook her head. “They hath experience in the tundra and will be safe out here, so long as that creature doth not find them first. We shalt hunt the beast wherever it hath fled and ensure it bringeth no harm to anyzebra.”

“Ah, yes yes, that does sound appropriate,” Harvey said with a nod. “Luckily it has provided us with a trail to follow this time, eh? Though it does move awfully fast.”

“Thou hast made claim to know what this beast is?” Zarya asked. “Please, friend, telleth me what thou knowest.”

Harvey cleared his throat. “That creature is known as a ‘cynolycus’. As you have clearly seen, it is a stag-like creature with some canid traits—such as the paws and head—and is known to be a vicious, fiercely territorial hunter. Its skin is immune to metallic weaponry such as your sword, even if such a weapon were made of high-quality metals like zebrican runic steel, or even obidium.”

“And yet a simple icicle could pierceth its hide?” Zarya asked, eyebrow raised.

“Oh yes, yes indeed, for that is not steel, see? I suppose wood or stone might also work, but I saw nothing sharp enough of either material in the chasm. Most unfortunate, that.”

Zarya paused for a moment, then grabbed up one of the abandoned pickaxes the miners had dropped. Its handle, like the one she’d used before, was made of sturdy wood. “Then wouldst this suffice?”

Harvey adjusted his glasses and looked over the discarded tool, then nodded. “Indeed it would, yes. Why, if it were sharpened, I have no doubt that it could pierce its hide as well as any sword would do to a frostwolf. Well, maybe not quite as well, but I’m sure you’ll manage it, my friend, with your strength and skill.”

Zaraya shook her head. “A cynolycus. I hath never heard of such a beast before. Thy claim is that thou hast read of this creature in the Zeb’ra’den library? In a bestiary of some fashion?”

“Absolutely! It contained a detailed account of many mythical creatures that the zebras once encountered in these tundras in ancient times, some from long, long before even the civil war. If my memory serves, the last time one of these beasts was seen in these tundras was nearly two thousand years ago. It is quite a find!”

“Yes, 'tis a long time to go unnoticed.” She tilted her head in thought. “Dost thou suppose such a creature’s reappearance is connected with the change in the weather?”

“I was just about to suggest that, actually,” Harvey said with a nod. “Perhaps that specimen was frozen under the ice for thousands of years and was accidentally thawed out? Given that it has become colder in recent years, such a possibility might seem unlikely, but the cold could have affected any number of things that might have freed it.”

Zarya hummed and nodded. “Then we must pursue it and bringeth proof of its existence to Blackfire Keep. The Lord-Commander will want to know what dangers might prowl the tundra.” She gestured for Harvey to follow her. “Come. The beast hath likely made for its lair to lick its wounds. We shall corner it there and strike it down. Such a monster cannot be allowed to roam free.”

*****

It took a little more than a day of tracking before Zarya unfortunately lost the creature’s trail. The cynolycus moved quickly, that much was for certain; she and Harvey had moved a few dozen miles overall, barely taking the time to stop for sleep so that they wouldn’t lose the trail, but that did not prove beneficial whatsoever so now they were slightly tired with little to show for it at the end of a long night.

They lost the trail near a rocky ridge that overlooked a snowfield on the northeastern borders of zebra territory. Because of the constant snowfall—even this far north—they had no tracks to go off of, only the beast’s blood, and the farther north they went the less blood there was to track as the beast’s wound healed. The last patch of red led out into the snowfield itself, but was so small at this point that it was hard to tell a precise direction to follow.

Worse yet, Zarya knew that traveling at night was a bad idea. It was so dark that the only light she and Harvey had to go on was the fire of her sword. The snow and wind had picked up such that it was hard to hear much of anything, and it was very, very cold. She was glad it was still summer. In the winter, she and Harvey would likely freeze to death in the current weather.

“Damnable creature,” Zarya snorted as she looked out over the tundra, hooves over her eyes to keep out snow. “Thine assessment proveth more true by the hour. Our quarry hath a mind beyond any frostwolf I hath ever tracked.”

“That might be so, my friend, but it is still not as intelligent as we are, hmm?” Harvey said, tucking his chin deeper into his scarf. “Even a creature such as this would need to return to its lair, as you said. Well, this ridge here is likely full of caves, caverns, crevices, and clefts of all sorts and sizes that might serve as an effective den for the beast. We merely have to search, yes?”

“Perhaps. But this ridge goeth on for miles,” Zarya said, indicating to the east, where the ridge went far beyond what they could see of the horizon. “Were we to searcheth through every possible den, it could takest us days or more, and the beast couldst certainly leave by then and wouldst have time to recover. There was hope in me that we couldst catch it while its wound was still troublesome for it.”

“Hmm… yes, that does present quite a bothersome conundrum, doesn’t it? Dear oh dear, this is most troubling. I don’t suppose we could return to Zeb’ra’den and request aid from the Order? Surely more bodies seeking this beast out would be of benefit?”

Zarya nodded and sighed, hating to admit that she’d failed. “Yes, 'twould be the wiser decision. Come. Let us—”

Then, Zarya paused, and she squinted as she looked off into the distance. There was a light coming from near one of the larger rock formations jutting out from the ice just north of here, less than a mile away.

She gestured towards the light. “Harvey, dost thou see that?”

Harvey squinted off into the distance as well, then nodded. “Yes yes, a light. A light! Quite bright, actually, if we can see it so clearly from this distance. And it is not flickering, either, so it couldn’t be from anything as simple as a lantern or a candle. It’s not fire light, is what I mean to say. Magical light, then?”

“But not from a runic blade, for 'twould be recognizable to me and wouldst still flicker. A unicorn, perhaps?” Zarya shook her head, as there was no sense in discussing it. “Come, we must investigate. If this light belongeth to a pony then they art in danger, and 'tis my duty to warn them of our quarry.”

“Oh dear, yes. Ah! Perhaps our quarry might even be attracted to the light? It would certainly simplify the hunt,” Harvey suggested. “Perhaps they might unwittingly serve as bait?” He then paused, and tugged his scarf. “Not that I would suggest we use them as such! Merely an observation, heh heh.”

“A morbid consideration, but not entirely untrue. Let us make haste, then, so that our quarry dost not have itself a meal of innocent pony, bait though they might be.”

Zarya then leapt down the rocky steppes with practiced ease—heights didn’t bother her when she had her hooves below her—with Harvey flying right behind her, and they made their way onto the tundra proper before running towards the source of the light as quickly as they could.

As they got closer, the light got brighter still. Zarya adjusted her original theory, because a light this bright could not come from a single unicorn unless they were quite powerful indeed. In addition, they could just make out the sound of voices over the winds, and they did not sound friendly, at least not to one another. There were multiple unicorns present, that was certain.

The duo came up to the edge of the rocky outcropping, which they used for cover at the moment to observe the source of the light and voices. Zarya quirked an eyebrow when she saw that her assessment was correct: there were indeed ponies here in zebra lands.

Actually, there were several ponies out in the tundra at present, each of them wearing suits of metallic armor that some of the noble Houses garbed their guards in, only more suited for military combat. Soldiers then? Six unicorns in the collection wore crude, gold-tinted armor with purple accents, and each of these wielded a simple longsword.

Another wore high-quality, silver-tinted armor decorated with gold stripes. He was a unicorn as well, and he wielded a longsword with his magic. At present he was just a mysterious swordfighter who stood alone against the other gold-garbed ponies, but he seemed so much more than that even at that moment. Zarya would soon learn that this pony was Silver Shine.

The situation had not escalated yet, but it appeared as if it would do so at any moment. The two pony forces—if the lone unicorn could be called a force by himself—occupied a small stretch of ice and snow situated between two formations of rock, one of which Zarya and Harvey now hid behind, the other opposite from them some thirty feet, together forming a sort of half circle.

“What are so many ponies doing so far south in military garb?” Harvey whispered nervously. “They don’t appear to be a diplomatic grouping.”

“I knowest not. 'Tis not a typical sight even this far north of Zeb’ra’den,” Zarya whispered back.

“Hmm… well, it appears as if that single unicorn there,” Harvey said, tilting his head towards Shine, “belongs to House Silver, judging from the coloring of his armor, and based on those stripes he is of quite a high rank or standing. The others all belong to House Golden, I believe. Common soldiers all, with one ranking officer. A sergeant, perhaps?”

Zarya narrowed her eyes as she watched Shine settle into a combat stance. She and Harvey were just close enough that she could hear the ponies speaking clearly now.

“You’ve gone far enough, Shiny boy,” drawled the ranking officer, whose armor bore a red diamond-shaped emblem. “Dere ain’t nowhere left for you to run.”

Shine snorted, keeping his sword up and ready. “That’s quite alright, Sergeant. I think I’m done running anyway. It looks like I’ve got you all right where I want you.”

“You do, do you?” The sergeant glanced at his troops with a grin, then clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Well, if dat’s what you think. Anyways, we was tol’ dat we can bring you in alive for a good cut, but you still good to us if you’re dead. Half the promised bounty is still half a fortune, mon ami.”

“So, why are we wasting time talking?”

“‘Cause we figured you might wanna live, boy, and ‘cause we’d rathah get de whole bounty. So I’m gon’ ax you jus’ dis once: put down dat fancy sword of yours and come along real quiet-like.”

Shine smirked. “Now, why would I do something as stupid as that? I’m as good as dead if you bring me in anyway. You’re just going to have to settle for half, sergeant. Terribly sorry. That is, if you can kill me.”

The sergeant raised an eyebrow. “You not all dere in de head, boy? Lookit, we got you outnumbered six-to-one. Now I know dey say you’re de best swordfighter on de whole continent, but dat don’t mean nuttin’ against dem odds. Ain’t nopony dat good.”

“Funny, I was about to suggest the exact same back to you, sergeant. Only six-to-one? I don’t much like your odds.”

Shine’s eyes were passing along the entire crew of ponies staring him down. Zarya knew he was looking for weak links, of which there were three: two of the soldiers were younger and holding their blades too lax, and a third clearly was suffering from a cold because of the weather.

“So, how about we flip this little ultimatum of yours around?” Shine continued. “You and your men turn around and go home empty-hooved but alive, or you try to take me on and you die. Simple as that.”

The sergeant snorted. “You talk like a big stallion, Shiny boy, but dat dere mouth of yours jus’ got you in a whole heap of trouble.” He gestured to the ponies with him. “Go on den, boys, guess we’re taking him in dead.”

“Damnable ponies,” Zarya grunted as she hoisted herself up to move around the rocks.

“W-wait, Zarya!” Harvey hissed. “What are you doing? This isn’t our fight,, is it?”

“No, but our quarry may believe these ponies easy prey. 'Tis my duty to warn them, regardless of the circumstances.” Zarya then hopped out from behind the rocks—her sword in its sheath—and called out: “Cease thy quarrel at once, ponies!”

The attention of everypony in the clearing was now on her. “What’s dis?” grunted the sergeant. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“I should asketh thee the same. These art zebra lands that thou hast trespassed upon, soldier. But thy business is of no importance to me. Thou must cease thy quarrel at once.”

“Cease our what?”

“Thy confrontation, sir. 'Tis not the time nor place to be engaging in such an act. A deadly creature haunts this tundra. My companion and I,” she continued, gesturing to Harvey, who’d come out from behind the rock as well, “art tracking it to prevent it from bringing harm to others. Thou art in danger here.”

“What sort of creature?” asked Shine, lowering his sword briefly.

“It’s called a cynolycus,” said Harvey, adjusting his glasses. “It is a stag-like creature with canid features—such its wolf-like head and front paws—and it is quite large and very dangerous. We’ve been tracking it for almost two days now, I believe. Give or take a few hours. At any rate, we’ve tracked it this far, so it’s likely close by.”

“Indeed,” said Zarya with a nod. “Thou art in danger here. Take thy quarrel elsewhere, ponies.”

“Dis some idea of a joke?” asked the sergeant, rolling his eyes. “Dere ain’t no such thang as this… cyno-whatsit. What is dis, hmm? You two friends of Shiny over dere? Come here to help him outta dis heap of trouble he’s got himself into?”

“I’ve never seen either of these individuals before in my life, sergeant,” Shine grunted, raising his sword back up. “And I certainly don’t require any assistance getting myself out of this ‘heap of trouble’ you seem to think I’m in. You’d best listen to the zebra.”

“Ha! You’d like dat wouldn’t you, Shiny boy? Dis here mare is lying through her teeth, dat’s my thought.”

“Art thou questioning my honor, sir?” Zarya asked, glaring at the sergeant. “Though my words might seem outlandish and hard to believe, I am bound as a Knight of the Black Flame to speaketh truly and keepeth safe those upon zebra lands, which thou art at present. 'Tis my duty to ensure thy safety.”

“You all can quarrel and argue and fight as much as you'd like, actually,” Harvey interjected. “Just don’t do it here. The zebra borders extend about forty miles further north. I’m certain you would all much rather be someplace nice and warm before you do whatever it is you were doing.”

The sergeant laughed, and his soldiers laughed along with him. “Gaw-lee, you folks tink dat dere creature of yours scares us? We’re soldiers of House Golden. We don’t back down from no fights. We ain’t leaving, girl.”

“Then thou art more foolish than I thought,” Zarya snorted.

“I’ll say,” Harvey huffed, adjusting his glasses. “This mare is a knight, sir, and she deserves to be treated and addressed as such. Besides which, she only has your best interests at heart, so a little respect would go a long way.”

The sergeant smirked. “All I hear is a couple of folk tink dey can push us ‘round like dey’re lords or ladies, and I didn’t hear no title like dat now, did I? You’re just trying ta keep ol’ Shiny boy here safe. Ain’t no secret you zebras let House Silver get away with murder in your territory.”

Zarya’s glare intensified. “Still thy tongue, soldier. Thou knowest not of what thou speakest.”

Shine snorted loudly. “You sound like a damned idiot spewing that kind of garbage, sergeant. It’s your Lord Golden Shield that’s gotten away with murder.”

Harvey sighed. “Please, gentlecolts, this is really not the time for this.”

The sergeant chuckled. “You can say all dat you want, but we ain’t leaving dis here spot widout our friend Shiny boy over dere,” he said, gesturing at Shine.

Shine cracked his neck and held his sword up at the ready. “You are welcome to try, sergeant.”

“And if you get in de way, girl,” the sergeant continued, gesturing at Zarya, “House Golden’s gonna come down on you zebras all de same.” He turned to his soldiers again. “Go on den, kill de bastard.”

Zarya sighed and shook her head. “Damnable ponies.” She turned to Harvey and gestured out of clearing. “Come, we shall resume the hunt. I hath done my duty.”

“But Zarya—” Harvey started to say. But Zarya just shook her head, and he didn’t finish his thought, merely nodded and followed.

The unicorn soldiers—except the sergeant—surround Shine as ordered, and took their time looking amongst one another to see which of them would strike first. Shine, in turn, kept focused on the group at large, watching and waiting for the first sign of movement.

The first sign of movement came from just to Shine’s right.

But it was not from a soldier.

The cynolycus leapt out of the shadows of the rocky crag and, with a roar, gored the unicorn soldier at Shine’s three o’clock position, ripping through metal armor like it was paper.

The soldier screamed in pain at first, then stopped when the beast slammed him hard enough against the ground to break his neck. The beast then used its paws to tear the soldier off its tusks and ripped into his throat with its razor-sharp teeth before turning and roaring at the rest of the group.

It lunged next at the soldier that had been at Shine’s twelve o’clock position, who hesitated too long and was frozen in fear. In fact, every pony in the clearing had frozen up at the sight of the monster ripping apart the soldier in the span of a few seconds.

Except for Shine, who swung his blade up into the beast’s neck. He was clearly not expecting his sword to simply slide off the creature’s hide, but he’d swung with so much force that the beast lost its balance briefly, just enough that the soldier wasn’t met with the same fate as his comrade.

“Retreat!” called the sergeant, already running away. “Retreat!”

The other soldiers didn’t need to be told again, and started running after him immediately.

“Idiots! Stand and fight!” Shine called after them. “What happened to not running from a fight?! Cowards!”

They obviously paid him no heed.

The cynolycus turned towards the fleeing soldiers and made to give chase. Zarya—blade drawn the instant the creature had appeared—let loose a gout of fire in its path to distract it.

The beast roared and growled in Zarya’s direction briefly, and its eyes narrowed with genuine anger when it spotted her and her sword. This was no animal anger, that was actual rage and hatred in its eyes.

“That’s right, beast,” Zarya said, brandishing her sword. “Thou art my prey. Come then! Faceth me!”

Shine thrust his sword into the beast’s torso while it was distracted. This, of course, had no effect, not even to really distract the beast.

However, the cynolycus was apparently as intelligent as Zarya believed it was, because it seemed to realize there was no point in fighting here and now. Instead, it leapt back and scooped up the fallen soldier in its jaws, then clamored over the rocks, but not before growling at Zarya in the process.

“Get back here!” Zarya shouted. She rushed at the rocks and chased after the cynolycus, then noticed that Shine, despite not being prompted, was doing the same.

They pair made their way up as fast as they could, but the beast was much faster than they were by far, and was over the top before the zebra and unicorn even made it a third of the way up. By the time they reached the top, the beast was already too far out onto the snowfield to do anything about it.

“Gods forsaken beast!” Zarya spat, pounding her hoof on the rock.

Shine looked between the beast and Zarya as it fled. “That was the creature you were tracking? The… ‘cynolycus’, your companion called it?”

Zarya nodded and sheathed her sword. “Yes, 'tis the beast most foul that my companion and I hunt.”

Speaking of her companion, Harvey flew up to meet them at the top of the rocks, apparently sensing the coast was clear. He glanced out onto the tundra and watched the cynolycus sprinting across the dark ice and snow far away by this point.

“Dear oh dear,” he muttered, shaking his head. “This is certainly quite a troublesome pickle we’re in, isn’t it? It escaped again.”

“For now. But the beast goes to its lair with its meal,” Zarya grunted. She gestured along the rocks at the spilled blood from the fallen soldier. “We shall follow this new trail and corner it there. With nowhere to run, the beast will be at my mercy. It shalt not escape again.”

“How is it that this beast resisted my blade?” Shine asked, eyeing his sword carefully, as if looking for damage. “It slid off of its skin with no effect whatsoever, like soap across a wet countertop. I struck its neck with enough force to cleave through armor.”

Harvey nodded and adjusted his glasses. “The cynolycus’s skin is immune to the effects of any traditional metals, including some of the rarer ones, such as—”

“So then it resists my steel,” Shine interrupted, sheathing his blade. He turned to Zarya and tilted his head towards her sword. “I assume it resists your blade as well, despite it being made of zebrican runic steel?”

“Yes, it does,” Zarya replied, eyebrow raised. “Thou knowest of zebrican ruinc steel?”

“Of course, it’s only the finest steel in the south for blades. A shame you zebras keep it all to yourselves.” Shine shook his head. “But if even that doesn’t work, then what’s your plan for killing the monster?”

“The beast can be wounded by non-metal substances. I hath wounded it before with an icicle. 'Tis how we tracked it this far.” She then pulled the sharpened wooden handle of the pickaxe she’d taken from the miners—the metal bits had been removed to make it lighter—and showed it off. “Wood will also injure the creature.”

Shine eyed the wooden stake, clearly doubtful, but he nodded. “If you say so.”

“Why, it’s just a matter of us getting close enough to do so,” Harvey noted. “But my friend here is quite a skilled knight so she will manage it, of that I am certain. Then the beast will be a threat no longer. Huzzah and hooray!”

“A little too early to be cheering, don’t you think?” Shine looked to Zarya again. “So that’s your plan then? You’re going to track this beast to its lair and stake it through the heart like it’s some sort of vampire?”

“If the comparison eases thine acceptance, then yes, that is my plan,” Zarya huffed. She then turned to Harvey. “Come, we must give chase before it finishes its meal. If the beast is intelligent as it seems thus far, it may expect us to follow, so we must not giveth it time to prepare.”

Harvey frowned and tugged his scarf. “Oh dear, that certainly is a troubling thought, isn’t it? The creature seems to utilize ambushes fairly well and knows when the opportune time to strike is, doesn’t it? Oh dear… oh my oh my, this is quite a pickle. We could be walking into a trap!”

“You’re saying this beast is intelligent?” Shine asked, eyebrow raised.

“Yes, so we mustn’t tarry,” Zarya sid with a nod. “Farewell, good sir.” She then climbed over the rocks and started her way down the other side, Harvey fluttering just behind her.

“Hold on!” Shine called as he followed behind. “You can’t seriously be going to attempt this foolhardy plan of yours with just yourself and a skittish hippogriff.”

“'Tis our plan, yes, and we art quite serious about it. Mine honor as a knight requires me to do my duty without fear or—”

“I understand all of that, truly, but you’re liable to get yourself killed going there with just the two of you. Besides, you don’t look like you’d be nearly as good wielding that stupid hunk of wood as you would be using your sword.” He punctuated this by yanking the wooden stake from her with his magic.

“My blade doth not work against the creature’s hide, sir,” Zarya snorted. “We hath discussed this at length.”

“Yeah, I realize that, but I know all about your Order, the Knights of the Black Flame?” He gestured at her sword. “I know you said that’s what you were, and that blade of yours is proof. I saw the flames you created with it. It could be useful as a distraction.”

“Good sir, this business is mine,” Zarya said, reaching to try and take the stake back from him. “The cynolycus endangers zebra lands, and thus 'tis my duty to slay it. Thou mayest pursue thine own agenda elsewhere. I will not stop thee.”

“What are you doing all the way out here, anyhow?” Harvey asked, adjusting his glasses. “Zebra territory is rather far removed from either House Golden or House Silver’s estates, and for the former to be pursuing anypony from the latter this far south—or at all, really—is quite peculiar.”

Shine paused a moment, clearly in thought, then shook his head. “It’s a long story, but I’m here looking to have an audience with King Zaratite himself. My business is my own and I will speak no further of it in current company, but suffice to say I need to make haste to Zeb’ra’den.”

“Then tarry not, good sir,” Zarya said, gesturing to the southwest. “At a fair pace, thou shouldst arrive in a week at most.”

“That’s all well and good, but I don’t know the exact heading too well—I mean, look at where we are, I came much too far east—but that’s not the point here. Zeb’ra’den can wait. That monster is on the loose here, and for all I know it could decide to come north into pony lands. Besides, you need my help.”

Zarya scoffed and rolled her eyes. “I needst not any help in my duties, good sir—”

“Maybe, but I’m offering it all the same. As a member of House Silver, it is my duty to protect and guide those of the pony lands to the north, so consider this offering as me taking a preliminary strike against a possible threat to ponykind.”

Harvey cleared his throat and turned to Zarya. “Well, we could certainly use his assistance. He makes a valid point that he’d be better suited for using that stake than you would, and your sword’s flames would be useful to keep the cynolycus distracted. I see no reason why not, do you?”

Zarya pondered this for a long moment, then sighed and nodded. “Very well, we wouldst be most grateful for thine assistance, good sir.”

“Good, glad we’re finally seeing eye-to-eye on this issue.” Shine offered Zarya his hoof. “I am Lord Silver Shine of House Silver. You are a Knight of the Black Flame, but I don’t believe you gave a name earlier.”

Zarya took his hoof and gave a slight bow. “I am Dame Zarya.”

Shine then turned to Harvey, who barely waited for Zarya to relinquish Shine’s hoof. “Greetings and salutations, m’lord. My name is Harvey, and I am a scholar and diplomat in service of Astropolis, capital of the Hippogriff Commonwealth. It is a pleasure to meet you! I have so many questions about pony society—”

Shine grunted. “Yes, yes, I’m sure you do, good sir, but this is neither the time nor the place.”

“Ah! Of course not, surely not, no, not at all,” Harvey said, shaking his head. “Why, we have quite a task ahead of us, do we not?”

Zarya nodded. “Yes, that we do.” She gestured off in the direction that the cynolycus had fled. “Come, let us proceed then, before the trail goes cold.” She paused briefly, then bowed slightly to Shine. “If thou wouldst, m’lord.”

Shine smirked. “Well, at least the two of you have some manners. Go on then, lead the way. You seem to be the better tracker here.”

Zarya nodded, then made her way through the ice and snow, Shine and Harvey right behind her, thinking about how odd her current company was.

*****

Finding the cynolycus’s cavernous lair had proven rather simple, thankfully. The trail of blood left by its earlier kill was easy enough to track on its own, as were the few pieces of armor that had been dropped along the way. The cavern was situated midway up a cliff a few miles southeast from the clearing where the beast had last been spotted, and the climb was so far the easiest part of the hunt.

Once Zarya and Shine reached the entrance and called Harvey up to them, the trio made their way inside, slowly, quietly, and cautiously. Zarya kept her blade tight in her tail’s grip, but did not ignite it just yet; Shine did not wield his weapon either—sword nor stake—so as not to generate light from his horn. Harvey followed just behind, carefully guiding them as best he could, for his enchanted glasses allowed him to see through the darkness of the cavern well enough.

The walls and ceiling of the cavern were coated with a thick layer of ice, the floor not so much, which was fortunate as what ice there was was already rather slippery. The cavern wasn’t very deep, either, so it did not take them long before they reached the actual den of the cynolycus.

The den was laden with dozens of bones strewn about, some small, some large, but all of them clearly from fairly recent kills as they were still white and had bits of meat stuck to them. Zarya could tell that some of them belonged to animals as she recognized a frostwolf skull against a far wall, as well as some other polar animals like foxes, hares, and even a bear.

But other bones definitely did not belong to simple animals. They were the bones of zebras. Zarya could tell this fairly quickly from the bones’ size and shape alone, but she could also see the remains of cloaks and tools. No pony remains, as far as she could tell, but then this beast would have needed to venture quite far north to hunt any ponies.

At any rate, the sheer number of bones and the decent quality they were in was enough indication that the beast had been feeding quite well, and had been doing so for months at this point. How nozebra had spotted the creature and brought news of it until now was perplexing. She recalled the Lord-Commander mentioning that a few smaller mining and foraging parties had gone missing in recent months, but those had been attributed to the weather, not some monster.

If not for Harvey’s marker getting ruined, this creature would likely still be preying on zebras right now with everyzebra completely unaware of the cause.

At the moment, the creature was not present in its lair, but it had clearly been here very recently. The body of its most recent kill wasn’t here either, which was bothersome to say the least.

“Where the hell is it?” Shine whispered to Zarya. “This is definitely its lair, right?”

“Keepeth thy guard up, m’lord,” Zarya whispered back, igniting her blade. “The beast is smarter than we hath believed. We were hunting it, now it hunteth us.”

Shine drew his sword and the stake together and held them aloft in his magic. “Well, I’m used to being hunted by now, I guess.”

Harvey gulped and backed up against Shine. “Oh dear. Where could it be? I don’t like this, not one bit.”

“Nor do I,” Zarya muttered, lifting her sword up to light the chamber. “It cannot hath gone—”

Her eyes widened as the light of her sword caught the gleam of the monster’s eyes. It was directly above them, hiding in a small alcove on the ceiling.

Clearly realizing it had been spotted, the beast leapt down from the ceiling with a roar, lunging straight at Harvey—the unarmed and vulnerable one—first.

Shine, who was closest to Harvey, shoved the hippogriff out of the creature’s way, and the beast’s paw landed directly between them. Unfortunately, the wooden stake was caught in its path and was crushed against the rocky floor.

Zarya blasted the creature in the face with a gout of fire, driving it back a few feet. “Harvey! Run!”

Harvey ran the only direction he could, as the monster was blocking the exit, which meant he had to flee further into the den. “Oh! Um! It would seem we’re trapped! Oh dear.”

Zarya grunted and kept her torrent of flame up in the beast’s face, driving it back further. “The stake, Lord Shine! Quickly!”

Shine lifted up what was left of the stake, which had just been crushed. Some shards of wood had blood on them, but the stake was useless now. “That’s not good.”

Zara glanced over and saw the damaged weapon, and her eyes widened. “Damn.”

The cynolycus pushed back against Zarya’s efforts, using its uninjured paw to shield its eyes and nose from the flame. Zarya intensified the heat as much as she could, but all it seemed to do was cause the beast minor discomfort.

Shine gripped his sword and drove it at the beast’s other paw, where a few splinters of wood were still caught in the pad. As immune as its skin was to metal, once its skin had been pierced, what was beneath was apparently not quite so immune.

The beast gave a pained yowl as Shine’s blade dug into its paw and, seeing the source of its pain so close, it moved away from Zarya to pursue him instead.

Shine was nimble though, despite his armor, and moved quicker and with more grace than Zarya had ever seen a unicorn move before, deftly ducking beneath the beasts good paw, sliding through its hindlegs, and swiping at the open wound on its injured paw as he went, all in one swift motion.

Unfortunately, the beast was angry now, and was a lot faster than they’d given it credit for, a benefit of its bipedal stance. It reached back with its good paw and grabbed Shine by the tail just before he got out of range.

Zarya reacted quickly, noticing the still-healing wound on its shoulder where she’d impaled it with ice. The beast was too tall for her to strike it directly, but another gout of flame to the wound certainly did the trick.

Too well in fact, as in its sudden, searing pain, it flung Shine against a nearby wall, hard. Shine’s armor luckily seemed hefty enough to absorb the majority of the impact. And now, Zarya had the beast’s attention back on herself.

She saw Harvey rush over to Shine briefly while she drew the monster away from them, which was easy to do. She must have really hurt it this time.

Unfortunately, the cynolycus quickly seemed to adapt to the pain of the fire, or perhaps she’d cauterized the wound, because after only a moment it was moving after her with such anger and ferocity that she was having a great deal of difficulty keeping out of reach. Her only benefit was that while the beast’s hide was immune to her sword, the blade was strong enough to deflect its paws without breaking.

And then, the creature proved just how crafty and intelligent it was, when Zarya attempted to feint left then move right to get herself some breathing room. It didn’t fall for the feint one bit, and in fact cheated by blocking both routes with its paws, using its imposing stature to its advantage.

Zarya was caught.

The beast brought her to its great maw, let out a roar, then made to bite.

But it roared in pain instead, as Shine had just impaled is hindleg with a sharp bone from a bear’s ribcage. If ice worked and wood worked, so too did bone.

“Over here, ugly!” Shine shouted.

The creature stumbled, dropping Zarya in the process, leaving her to get a fair distance away. It pulled the bone from its leg and glared in Shine’s direction, but he was halfway across the room, several more bones held aloft in his magical field.

Shine flung bone after bone at the beast as it hunched down on all fours and ran towards him, using its good paw to protect its face. Some impacted the paw; some struck its other foreleg; some struck its shoulders.

Despite this, the beast still seemed resilient, and though Shine was able to dodge out of the way of its charge as it reached him, the beast swung its antlers towards him mid-leap, knocking him off balance enough knock him to the ground.

The beast then snarled and pounced towards Shine, maw wide open, tusks at the ready.

Zarya was quicker. She leapt in between the beast and Shine, her blade held firmly in her tail, and thrust upward with all the strength she could. The blade went straight up into its skull; again, its insides were not quite as immune to steel as its hide was. As the beast landed, it pinned Zarya under itself, in turn pinning her on top of Shine.

But the beast wasn’t moving.

Just to be sure, though, Zarya channeled a gout of flame through her blade, cooking the monster from the inside out.

A moment later, Zarya grunted as she pushed herself up and off of Shine, using all of her strength to roll out from under the beast’s carcass. “At last, the beast hath fallen.”

Shine let out a breath of relief. “That was quite the maneuver, Dame Zarya. Thanks.”

Zarya gave him a nod. “And thank thee as well, m’lord, for thine earlier rescue. Art thou injured?”

Shine grunted and rose to his hooves, shaking his head. “No, I’m alright. I’ve been hit harder than that before, believe me. You?”

“I am uninjured.” Zarya turned to Harvey, who was huddled against the opposite wall at the moment. “Harvey? Art thou alright?”

Harvey swooped over and let out a relieved breath of his own. “Oh yes, I am quite alright, yes indeed, though that would just be my physical condition. Emotionally, however, I am still reeling in panic, oh yes, and perhaps my elevated heartbeat would constitute a physical anomaly worth noting, hmm?”

Zarya smiled and nodded. “'Tis good then.” She glanced at the hulking carcass of the cynolycus and sighed. “Such a fearsome beast. Thank Wylundr that it hath been vanquished.” She then nodded at Shine. “I thank thee once more for thy help, m’lord. Thou hast been instrumental in this hunt.”

Shine smirked. “Oh, I’m aware. I believe I made it perfectly clear that you needed me here to succeed, so I’m glad that I’ve proven that much to you.” He then sheathed his sword. “So, now that your little cynolycus problem has been dealt with, I must make haste to Zeb’ra’den. I don’t suppose you’re heading back in that direction?”

Zarya tilted her head. “Naturally, m’lord, as we must report our encounter—”

“Yes yes, I figured as much. In which case I would greatly appreciate an escort, for as I said earlier, I do not know the way there so well myself. Considering the assistance I have lent you in your endeavors thus far, I feel it’s only fair.”

“Indeed, 'tis a fair proposal, m’lord. We can begin our journey as soon as we collect evidence of our kill.”

“‘Evidence’?”

“Oh yes,” Harvey interjected, adjusting his glasses. “You see, if we walk into Blackfire Keep claiming that we slew a cynolycus, why, none would believe our tale! We require proof that the beast exists, and that it is now dead by our claws… hooves… whatever. So, we must take some evidence from the creature with us.”

“How do you propose we even bring evidence? This beast is far too large to carry, even with the three of us.”

Zarya grabbed a sharpened hunk of bone. “A bone knife shalt cut through its hide, yes?”

“Ah, yes, that would do the trick.” Shine stared at the carcass, then tilted his head. “What sort of evidence do you think would suffice?”

*****

Zarya hoisted her saddlebag onto Lord-Commander Zaffir’s desk back at Blackfire Keep revealing the head of the cynolycus that she’d carried all this way—over multiple days and about a hundred miles—with the help of Shine and Harvey. The Lord-Commander eyed the beast’s head with disdain and disgust, then turned his attention fully to Zarya.

“Dame Zarya what is this thing thou hast brought?”

“'Tis the cynolycus we fought,” Zarya replied, finishing his rhyme in her meter, as was their custom.

Zaffir raised an eyebrow and turned to Harvey, clearly expecting him to have more information. “A cynolycus? Such a beast hath not plagued these snows since the most ancient of times. Art thou certain that this creature is what thou thinkest it is?”

Harvey adjusted his glasses. “Yes indeed, Lord-Commander, and as you can plainly see, this one was quite active out in the eastern tundras. It destroyed one of my weather markers and was hunting a party of zebra miners. We saw evidence that suggests that some of the missing parties over the past few months also fell prey to the beast.”

Zaffir nodded sadly. “Ah, 'tis a pity. 'Twas my belief that the weather claimed them.” He then paused in thought. “Hmm… some miners returned to Zeb’ra’den a few days ago and made claims to hath seen a horrible creature out in the tundra, and that a mysterious knight came to their aid. 'Twas this cynolycus that they saw, and 'twas Dame Zarya that aided their escape?”

“Yes, sir, yes indeed! She fought bravely, even though the beast’s hide resisted her blade and even though the beast stood five times her height.” Harvey gave Zarya a little smile and a nod. “I am glad I had her with me out there. I don’t know if any other knight could’ve done what she did.”

Zaffir nodded and turned back to Zarya. “Thou hast proven thyself in battle, then. Good. None shalt doubt thy skills ever again.”

Zarya gave a short bow of appreciation, but it was mostly to hide the smile on her face. “Lord-Commander, thy words are kind.”

“And with that, thou hast earned time to unwind.” Zaffir then turned his attention to Shine, who’d remained quiet thus far. “And who art thou, good sir?”

Shine gave a brief nod. “Lord Silver Shine of House Silver, Lord-Commander.”

“M’lord, welcome to Zeb’ra’den,” Zaffir said, giving a short bow of respect. “To what doth our fair city owe the honor of thy visit?”

“It is a complicated matter, one I wish to speak directly with King Zaratite about. It is imperative that I speak with him as soon as possible for the matter is most urgent and is of a personal nature.”

“And why art thou alongside our Dame Zarya, might I inquire?”

“He assisted us in killing the cynolycus,” Harvey interjected. “It attacked him and some other ponies traveling through the tundra, so he naturally was very eager to defend himself, yes?”

Shine cleared his throat. “That’s correct, the beast attacked me, and I couldn’t just stand by as Dame Zarya tried to fight off the creature all by herself. Since it attacked me first, I figured it was my fight as well as hers.”

Zaffir grunted and nodded. “'Tis a fine effort, then. I thanketh thee for thine assistance in this matter, for it may prevent the loss of further zebra lives. As for thy request, an audience can be arranged. Dame Zarya shall escorteth thee to the royal palace at once, whilst I compose a message for His Majesty. Dost thou find this arrangement agreeable?”

Shine smiled and nodded. “That will do nicely, Lord-Commander, thank you.” He then turned to Zarya and smirked. “Come along then, Dame Zarya, I believe you’ve been given an order.”

Zarya snorted—Silver Shine was a bit too pushy and cocky for her tastes—but nodded in agreement anyway. “At once, m’lord. Thou shalt follow me.” She then gave a brief nod to Zaffir before leaving the chamber, Shine following right behind her.

Harvey followed along as well. “Oh my, this is quite exciting, isn’t it?” he said with a big smile. “I haven’t had an opportunity to meet with His Majesty in quite a long while. This should prove a most interesting opportunity to witness him interacting with a foreign dignitary. What a privilege!”

Shine raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t been granted an audience, Harvey. This is my meeting, not yours.”

“Ah, but I beg to differ! I know Lord-Commander Zaffir quite well I think, and I’m certain that he’ll be including your escapades against the cynolycus in his message. His Majesty would likely want to ask me and Zarya for confirmation of these claims, so I can guarantee you that we’ll be present for the proceedings.”

“Hmm… very well, you seem to know more about zebra culture than I do, so again I will defer to your judgement.” Shine looked to Zarya. “What was all that back there about ‘none shalt doubt thy skills’, if I might ask? It seemed rather out of place to say something like that.”

Zarya grunted. “'Tis not thy business, m’lord, if I might be so bold as to refuse thy question.”

Shine smirked. “Ah, okay, I see how it is. You may keep your secrets, Dame Zarya… for now.”

*****

The walls of Zeb’ra’den’s throne room were decorated with well-crafted weapons made of various precious materials: swords with jewel-encrusted hilts, axes with silver-coated blades, a lance with a spearhead of emerald, and so on. Under each was the name of the former king who had carried that particular weapon, crafted onto a plaque made of the same materials.

King Zaratite himself sat on a throne decorated with furs and antlers and a gold-studded longbow. He was a strongly built zebra that filled out his robed armor fairly well, clean-shaven with a long, neatly styled mane and tail. His age did not show quite so clearly, so he looked a good ten years younger than he was with nary a wrinkle or gray hair in sight.

Typically, Zarya knew there would be a bit more of a crowd here—guards and clerics, for example—but as this was a rather impromptu meeting and because there was no ceremony necessary for it, the only zebra present besides herself and her king was the king’s military and political advisor, Warlord Ziggurat, who was easily the largest zebra in the room without question and carried a warhammer as big as he was.

Zarya, Harvey, and Shine had all bowed once they presented themselves before the king, the former two much lower than the latter.

“Lord Silver Shine of House Silver, thou standest before His Majesty King Zaratite,” announced Ziggurat, pounding his hammer on the floor like a gavel. “Thou hast requested His Majesty’s presence. Present thy intentions here, if thou wouldst.”

Shine rose from his bow. “Your Majesty, forgive me from bothering you in this late hour and without sending word ahead, but circumstances were rather extreme. I will not mince words here. My mother, Lady Silverluck, is requesting aid from the neutral Houses of the pony lands. She wishes to issue a petition to the Harmony Guard in order to present her case and that of House Silver in the matter of our House’s loyalty to Harmonia.”

Zaratite stared at Shine for a long moment, clearly curious, then gently shifted in his seat. “Explaineth the intention of this petition to me, Lord Shine. What dost thou mean by ‘loyalty to Harmonia’? Hast this loyalty been called into question?”

“Well, due to the actions of Lord Silvertongue in ages long past, some of the other Houses have declared the entirety of House Silver as traitors and evildoers.” Shine shook his head. “My mother’s wish is to petition the Harmony Guard for a fair trial, to prove her House’s loyalty to Harmonia and her ideals. Zeb’ra’den’s aid in getting that petition arranged would be of great benefit.”

“Then why dost thy mother not come to request our aid herself?”

“She busies herself with the other neutral Houses at the moment: Snow, Night, Flower, Sky, and Wind. She doesn’t want to involve the zebras if she doesn’t have to, but I think it’s inevitable at this rate.”

Zaratite raised an eyebrow. “What of the other Houses?”

“Houses Golden and Light have declared war against House Silver directly and openly. Houses Green and Waters, as allies of House Golden, have joined the war effort alongside them.”

“And what of House Dawn?”

Shine let out a breath. “House Dawn has been nearly wiped out. It’s only remaining member is Lady Gleaming Dawn. After escaping to House Silver’s estate, she and her husband fled further north to Newhaven, but that’s the last I’ve heard of the matter.”

Zaratite frowned. “Her husband? Who hath married into House Dawn at such an unfortunate time as this?”

“Prince Fireglow of Hope’s Point, Your Majesty. If I am not mistaken, you are allies with Hope’s Point?”

“'Tis true, but I cannot offer Queen Blackburn mine aid so readily in this matter,” Zaratite said with a sigh. “If she were to asketh me directly, I might consider.” He leaned back in his throne and mulled this over. “House Dawn was a peaceful House. Why would they hath been targeted in such a way? Which House is responsible for this?”

“House Dawn tried to put an end to the war when House Light first declared it. They called a neutral meeting at their own estate between the heads of Houses Silver, Golden, and Light. House Golden then revealed themselves as enemies of House Silver.”

“How so?”

“Lord Golden Shield betrayed the trust of generations of my family when he murdered my grandparents at the negotiating table. When he murdered House Dawn. His son—my father—is the only pony in that entire House with any decency left and remains by my mother’s side even now.”

Zarya’s eyes widened. “Ah, then that is why those troops pursued thee?”

Shine nodded. “Correct.”

Zaratite tilted his head. “What doth my grandniece speak of, Lord Shine?”

Shine took another breath. “My mother, father, and I were understandably outraged by this betrayal. My mother set about her work in organizing this petition while I took to the field. I rallied House Silver’s army to strike against House Golden, to earn justice for my grandfather and grandmother,and for Lady Dawnchaser and Lord Sunlight.

“But, my forces were defeated in battle, and I fled south pursued by House Golden soldiers,” Shine said, hanging his head. “I came seeking your aid, Your Majesty. My foolhardy attempt to bring war to House Golden has merely placed an undue burden upon my mother. I had hoped that you would help her with her petition to the Harmony Guard.”

Zaratite leaned forward in his throne, giving Shine a hard look. “Lord Shine, thy words trouble me greatly. Thou meanest to tell me that the pony Houses hath truly declared war on one another? Murdered one another under sacred hospitality?”

“Yes, Your Majesty, that is what I’m telling you.”

“'Tis the first war in southern lands in over one thousand years,” Zaratite muttered, rubbing his chin. “'Tis most troubling news. This doth not bode well for the continent, especially should Prince Fireglow be injured or killed. Queen Blackburn’s vengeance upon those responsible would be brutal and swift.” He sighed. “You say that House Snow remaineth neutral?”

Shine tilted his head. “Yes, Your Majesty, they still remain neutral in all of this. I did not dare bring my pursuers to their gates and risk dragging them into the conflict.”

Zaratite scoffed. “But thou hast brought them here instead?”

“That was not my intention,” Shine quickly replied. “I had hoped to thin their ranks and deal with them of my own accord before I entered zebra territory. I assure you, I did not harm any of them.” He then gestured towards Zarya. “Your grandniece stepped in to prevent them from trying to do the same to me.”

Zaratite sharply turned to Zarya. “Zarya, is this true? With pony troops hast thou fought?”

Zarya shook her head. “No, Your Majesty, I hath not. I warned them of the fearsome beast, that would upon them like to feast.”

Harvey nodded and adjusted his glasses. “The cynolycus, Your Majesty. I am sure Lord-Commander Zaffir mentioned it when presenting Lord Shine’s request for this audience, yes?”

Zaratite paused, then nodded. “Yes, the cynolycus, a beast which hath not been seen since times most ancient, from before Zeb’ra’den itself stood tall and firm. And thy claim is that Zarya and thyself hunted this beast, Sir Harvey? That thou madeth an attempt to warn these troops of House Golden and Lord Silver Shine of its presence?”

“That they did, Your Majesty,” Shine said with a nod. “I heeded their warnings as best I could and would have been happy to take my quarrel with House Golden elsewhere, but the House Golden sergeant was a buffoon. He not only ignored Dame Zarya’s warnings, but threatened her and insulted her as well.”

Zaratite looked to Zarya again. “These House Golden soldiers, they hath insulted thee?”

Zarya nodded. “Indeed they did, Your Majesty.”

“Not just her, they insulted the zebras in general,” Shine added. “It is no secret that Lord Silvertongue murdered Warden Mémoire in the Beacon courtyard of this very palace.”

Zaratite sneered. “That he did, through the trickery of his former reputation. My nephew, Sir Zircon, still regrets his role in allowing it to happen. He hesitated, and so he doth blame himself for Mémoire’s death.” He shook his head. “So, Lord Shine, they request is for Zeb’ra’den—for me—to sign thy mother’s petition?”

“That’s the only thing I can really ask, Your Majesty, yes. My mother believes that if she can convince the Harmony Guard that House Silver does not share a philosophy with the traitor Lord Silvertongue, then perhaps the other Houses will fall in line. They’ll still listen to Harmonia’s most loyal followers, right?”

Zaratite pondered this for a long moment, then shook his head and sighed. “I cannot grant thy request so easily, Lord Shine.”

Shine raised an eyebrow. “What? Why not?”

“As thou hast said, my kingdom shareth its own blame for Lord Silvertongue’s actions and benefited much from his former reputation. He came to mine ancestors as a friend and they built his great Beacon for him. Many zebra soldiers joined his cause in the war in the north. Princess Zarya, who my grandniece was named for, was at his side when he killed Warden Blood Beryl. She commissioned the statue that stood in the Beacon courtyard for hundreds of years.

“So, Lord Shine, were Zeb’ra’den to show support for House Silver, 'twould reflect poorly upon our reputation with the rest of south. Our only allies now art the ponies of House Snow, who hold true to our ancient allegiance despite all that hath happened. Even they might question us if we aid thee without due cause.”

Shine shook his head. “You can’t be serious. This is preposterous!” He sputtered. “You would let my House die in anguish to protect your reputation? What manner of justice is this? My House has been nothing but a paragon of good and peace for centuries—”

“And yet in all of that time, thine ancestors never once extended a proper olive branch to mine,” Zaratite retorted. “'Tis easy to beg for aid and claim kinship when one is desperate, Lord Shine. I know of thy House’s reputation in the south, 'tis true, but I will not maketh the mistake of assuming one trustworthy based upon their reputation.”

Silver paused, then sighed. “Especially not from my House…”

“'Tis not a matter of not trusting thee, Lord Shine,” Zaratite assured him. “'Tis a matter of not knowing if thy reputation is deserved. If thou wishest mine aid, then thou shalt earn it.”

Zarya stepped forward. “What of the beast, Your Majesty? In its death, Lord Shine’s help was key.”

Harvey stepped forward as well. “Yes indeed, Your Majesty, we could not have slain that horrible cynolycus without his aid. Why, if not for him, that creature could have very well killed Zarya and myself and would still be rampaging out in the northeastern tundras, or further! We have no idea what it considered its hunting grounds.”

Zaratite shifted slightly in his throne. “Hmm… 'tis true.” He then nodded briefly. “In such a case, I shalt consider thy request, Lord Shine.”

“You will?” Shine said, blinking.

“However, I hath not yet agreed to grant thee the aid thou seekest, not yet. Thy aid in slaying the beast was partially motivated by protecting thyself, after all. If thou wisheth to earn my trust fully, then thou must doeth something else for me—for Zeb’ra’den—in turn.”

Shine nodded quickly. “Very well, that sounds fair, Your Majesty. What would you have me do?”

Zaratite gestured to Zarya and Harvey briefly. “My grandniece and Sir Harvey hath defended thee in these proceedings. They shalt be mine eyes and ears.”

Harvey tilted his head. “I’m not sure I understand, Your Majesty. Are you asking us to help in some fashion?”

“Yes, Sir Harvey. When next thee and my grandniece embark on some task, bringeth Lord Shine with thee. He shalt proveth himself before thee, and as such, will proveth himself before me in turn.”

“Ah, I see, I see. Since Zarya is a Knight of the Black Flame, she is likely to be called upon to handle some task to protect the citizens of Zeb’ra’den in some fashion,” Harvey said with a nod. “If Lord Shine assists us, then he’s helping Zeb’ra’den too, and that’ll be good enough for you, I suppose?”

“If that’s all that you wish of me, Your Majesty, then I shall do it,” Shine said with a short bow. He looked briefly to Zarya next. “Your grandniece was perfectly capable of handling herself, but I suppose I can lend her a hoof if you want. And Harvey,” he continued, turning to Harvey. He paused. “Ah… and Harvey is… going to be there as well, yes.”

Harvey smiled and nodded. “Oh, indeed I will! Why, this most recent excursion was quite simply the most exciting thing I’ve ever partaken in since moving here to Zeb’ra’den. There’s nothing quite so exhilarating as having your life on the line as you’re hunted by a vicious monster, eh?”

“I suppose not?”

Zaratite nodded. “Then I hath spoken. Thou art dismissed.”

Zarya smiled and bowed briefly to Shine. “'Tis an honor to have thee alongside us, Lord Shine.”

Shine nodded back. “And it is an honor to work alongside such a capable knight, Dame Zarya.”

Harvey scooped the two up into a hug. “Oh my, I must say this is quite an exciting development. Why, I predict that the three of us are simply going to be the best of friends!”

Chapter Nineteen: Emergency

It took a little over a week before Zarya received a summons from Lord-Commander Zaffir, who at long last presented her with a new assignment. She then arranged to go over it in detail with Harvey and Silver Shine the moment that she received and accepted it. This new assignment would be a true test of her worth as a knight in her mind. Harvey’s task before was important as her first official knightly undertaking, but this new one would be under His Majesty’s watch. She would make her grand-uncle proud, no, make her king proud.

The trio met in Shine’s guest chambers at the palace, where they could have a respectable amount of privacy and comfort with which to discuss matters. The room was well-furnished and warm—particularly thanks to the large fireplace present—and decorated with assorted zebra-made sculptures, vases, paintings, and rugs to make guests feel welcome and grateful towards their southern hosts. The bed was much too large for Shine alone, but most of these guest chambers were intended for visiting lords or ladies and their spouses, and Shine had no spouse with which to share it. He didn’t seem to mind having it to himself.

Their meeting began almost immediately after they gathered together.

“There is an old settlement on the southeastern border of zebra lands,” Zarya explained once the trio got comfortable in Shine’s room. “'Tis called Last Breath, for it layeth as close to the forbidden Peaks of Ruin as any zebra hath permission to tread. We art to depart as soon as possible.”

Harvey adjusted his glasses. “Ah yes, Last Breath. That would be one of the original fortress villages your ancestors built before Zeb’ra’den was even founded, wouldn’t it?”

Zarya nodded. “Yes, and 'tis the oldest and largest among them. It hath quite a storied history, for 'twas a crucial location in many battles of old. Many a hero’s legacy comes from that fort.”

“Fascinating. Why, this task of ours serves a double purpose as an intriguing history lesson, doesn’t it?” Harvey smiled and cozied up in the large, comfortable chair he’d sat in. “Mmhmm, I’m certain the fortress’s occupants are well-learned in their settlement’s history. I simply must ask them some questions. Ah, but which to ask? I have so many!”

Shine—garbed in a comfortable zebra-made robe rather than his armor—grunted and turned to Zarya. “I assume we have an actual job to do at this settlement, yes? Not just some trip down memory lane?”

“Of course,” Zarya said. “'Tis a matter of some importance, in fact, and one that we art already familiar with to some degree.”

“‘Familiar with’? What does that mean?”

“Dost thou recall that several parties of zebras—foragers, miners, and others—hath gone missing in the tundras in recent months?”

Shine hummed and nodded. “I recall something to that effect being mentioned when I first met the Lord-Commander with you. You all thought it was because of the worsening weather, but it turns out that the cynolycus was responsible for them, right?”

“Perhaps not all of them. Last Breath hath sent word of missing scouts and gatherers as recent as one week hence. 'Tis not the cynolycus’s doing, for the beast hath been slain before that, and its lair layeth too far from the fort anyway.”

“That would definitely imply that something else is responsible,” Harvey muttered. “I assume we’re not taking the simple answer of ‘bad weather’ at its face value any longer?”

“Correct, and 'tis quite troubling for zebra scouts art highly trained hunters and warriors, and art well-accustomed to the tundra and the beasts therein. For a creature, even one as fierce as the cynolycus, to proveth a threat to a team of zebra scouts, they wouldst be most dangerous indeed.”

“Well, this task sounds simple enough on paper,” Shine said with a grin. “We head to this settlement and investigate some missing scouts and such, then report back with our findings or put a stop to whatever’s causing the trouble, right?”

Zarya nodded. “'Tis the essence of the assignment, yes. A rather simple matter, but still important, for Last Breath holds a special place in the hearts of the Order’s knights.” She rose from her seat. “We leaveth at first light. The journey will be long—a week’s time or more—and then our investigation may taketh more time still. I shalt make the necessary preparations, for it may be some time before we returneth to Zeb’ra’den.”

Harvey rose from his seat as well. “Would you like some assistance?”

“‘Twould be a pleasure to hath thy help, thank you. I hath much to do and little time to do it in if we are to depart so early.”

Harvey looked expectantly at Shine, who merely grunted and poured himself a glass of wine. “When you’re all finished with that little bit of business, you two may join me for dinner. It seems like it might be the last good meal we partake in for quite some time, so we’d better make the most of it, wouldn’t you agree?”

Zarya bowed slightly. “Thy generosity is most appreciated, m’lord.”

Shine rolled his eyes. “And I already told you, you two don’t need to keep up with that ‘Lord Shine’ or ‘m’lord’ business while we’re working together. Until your king has granted me his favor we are comrades-in-arms, and referring to me by my proper title just clutters a conversation in the heat of battle and makes other zebras start acting differently around me.”

“For the record, I haven’t called you Lord Shine for days,” Harvey noted with a sincere smile. “As I recall, just ‘Shine’ will do, or even ‘Silver Shine’ if we feel like being particularly formal. Not ‘Shiny’, though. You were rather insistent that you despised that nickname unless it came from your mother.”

“Yes, and thank you for acquiescing to my request. Don’t grow too accustomed to using it though. When King Zaratite names House Silver as an ally, I shall require the proper respect as befitting my station as a lord.” Shine turned to Zarya and tilted his head. “So? Let’s hear it.”

Zarya paused, then nodded. “Thy generosity is most appreciated, Silver Shine.”

Shine leaned back in his comfortable chair and let out a content sigh. “Well, don’t let me keep you two waiting. Remember, let me know when you’re finished so that we can partake in some dinner. I must say that zebrican cuisine agrees with me rather well, so I don’t look forward to going so long without it.”

Zarya nodded again, then gestured for Harvey to follow her out of the room. Even after a week in his company—and despite being on rather friendly terms with him—Shine’s cocky attitude still rubbed her wrong, for it wasn’t the zebra way to be so arrogant about anything, even if one deserved the right to act in such a fashion. Still, he’d earned her respect in battle, so she’d let it slide. For now.

*****

Last Breath was nestled midway up a small mountain on the far southeastern border of zebra territory, just at the edge of the great tundra. It was a fortress village, meaning that it had been built in and around an old fortress which provided shelter and protection from threats, be they the winter colds or ancient monsters that no longer—supposedly—roamed the snow-covered lands. The fort had been well-fortified in its day, long, long ago, though hundreds of years without war had seen most of its defenses stripped to make room for the settlers that lived here.

The mountain itself was the westernmost tip of a chain that led east towards the Peaks of Ruin. The mountain chain was practically unclimbable except by the most skilled and fearless of explorers, save for a trail leading through the pass from Last Breath. This was the only feasible route into the forbidden mountains, as the surrounding ice fields were thin and sat atop a frozen lake which had never been properly mapped.

As Zarya, Harvey, and Shine climbed the well-maintained trail up the mountainside late that evening, their path was lit by torches whose flames flickered wildly in the harsh winds. Harvey kept his scarf nice and tight around him and had expressed great appreciation that he’d remembered to have it enchanted further for warmth. Shine, who was not used to the cold of the zebra lands, was clearly positively freezing, his frostwolf fur cloak—bought at a zebra shop before they left—and his armor not quite doing the job.

Even Zarya, born and raised in weather like this, was glad that her armor and cloak were well-crafted to protect from the elements. Everyzebra knew that the tundras around Last Breath were colder and harsher than those around Zeb’ra’den, but it was still summer so things should not be quite so awful. But this was no typical summer blizzard that swept about them, and that worried Zarya greatly.

At the top of the trail the path met with the great outer gates of Last Breath. Unlike Zeb’ra’den, the fortress was built of stone and wood in the style of the great zebra ancestors, assisted by rune-carved rock to strengthen the foundation into the mountain itself. Last Breath had never fallen in thousands of years of war, which were times before the zebras even kept much of a written history. It was a marvel of zebra craftwork and testament to zebra strength and hardiness.

All Zarya needed to do to get the gates opened for the trio was hoist up her blade and ignite the black flames. The guards would recognize the Order’s signature weapon and grant her entry without question, which is exactly what they did, allowing her and her companions to wander into the fortress grounds proper before shutting the gates behind them.

The inner walls of the fort had mostly been taken over by small buildings made of stone, which served as homes for the inhabitants that could not fit into the fort itself or who otherwise were not permitted to use it as intended—commoners, of course. They were still the best quality homes that the common zebra could ever hope to have, a reward for these folks who lived out here in the harshest region in the kingdom and assisted the soldiers of Last Breath.

As the trio moved through the courtyard, Zarya noticed another trio of zebras approaching. Two were clearly guards and dressed in identical armor and carried identical weapons. The other, a zebra stallion with a thick mustache and a short beard, was dressed in the livery of the higher castes—robed armor decorated with a coat of arms—meaning he was the fort’s current captain. The report Lord-Commander Zaffir had showed Zarya mentioned the captain’s name was Zaine.

Captain Zaine bowed briefly to Zarya first, not quite ignoring the others but addressing the only zebra in their group. “Greetings, Dame Knight. What bringest thee here?” he asked in the meter befitting his rank.

“A simple matter, never fear,” Zarya replied with a brief bow of her own. “Thou hast sent a message northwest. I am here to meet thy request. Thy scouts go missing, others too, and so thy numbers grow quite few.”

Zaine nodded glumly. “Yes, many zebras hath gone astray, and I feareth they hath lost their way. Without them here, our food stores fall low. We will not last long with all this snow.”

Zarya frowned and took a breath. “Where hath the missing been seen last?”

Zaine gestured behind him, towards the rear exit of the fortress. “Into yonder mountains they hath passed.”

“Oh my, isn’t that dreadfully close to the Peaks of Ruin?” Harvey asked, tilting his head. “I thought that region was forbidden territory to all zebras?”

Zaine turned to harvey and gave a short nod. “Yes, 'tis a forbidden place, the Peaks of Ruin. However, the mountain pass beyond the fortress is not yet part of the forbidden lands. ‘Twould taketh a full two days to reach the Peaks from here. Our foragers know not to go so far, but yonder mountains hath bountiful snowfruit throughout the year. 'Tis our own crop.”

“I have no idea how you zebras manage to grow any sort of crops in these conditions,” Shine said, shaking his head. “In Zeb’ra’den itself it makes some sense, for I have seen your enchanted greenhouses and envy your creativity in making such things work despite the constant snowstorms. Surely you don’t have a greenhouse in that mountain pass?”

Zarya chuckled. “They wouldst not need one. Snowfruit only groweth underneath snow and ice. Hast thou ever sampled its flavor? Surely thou hast made an attempt during thy stay in the capital?”

“I do remember trying them, yes. They’re a bit too sour for my tastes, but I can see why they’d be popular if that’s your preference in flavor.” Shine turned to Zaine, his expression serious. “So you say that your missing scouts and gatherers were tending to your crop and never came back?”

Zaine shook his head. “Not quite, good sir, but close. Our gatherers didst go to collect our monthly crop, but then they didst not return. Thus, I didst command our scouts to seeketh them out, and they hath not returned either. 'Twas earlier this season that these events hath occurred. I didst send a request for aid from Zeb’ra’den two weeks ago hence, so thou art here in a timely fashion.”

“How many zebras hath been lost?” asked Zarya.

“Seventeen hath vanished in the frost. 'Tis a third of our total number. Since that time, I hath little slumber.”

Zarya nodded. “I thanketh thee, dear Captain Zaine. 'Tis my duty to ease thy pain.”

“And I, thee, Dame Knight of the Black Flames.” Zaine then paused and cleared his throat. “Forgiveth me, but what art thy names?”

“I am Dame Zarya, Knight most true. These others are my motley crew.”

Shine snorted, but his mouth still curled in a little smile. “Your crew, are we? I don’t recall ever nominating you the leader of anything.”

Zarya gave him a brief glare and made to speak, but Harvey beat her to it: “Technically, Shine, His Majesty made you subservient to Zarya in this assignment in order to further your endeavors, did he not?”

“Technically, yes, but I’d hardly consider us a ‘motley crew’. We are working as a team, yes, but—”

“Ah, but the definition of a motley crew, while it might be rather informal, most assuredly does describe our group, does it not? We certainly are a roughly organized assembly of individuals of various backgrounds, appearances, and characters, yes? Indeed, I’d say we fit the definition perfectly.”

Zarya smirked. “Yes, and it doth rhyme with ‘true’.”

Shine sighed. “You zebras and your meters and rhymes. How you all can live with speaking like that absolutely boggles my mind. I’m not one to spit on poetry—I have a few poems I rather like—but I can’t imagine speaking like that in day-to-day conversation—”

Zaine rather loudly coughed. “Ahem. Good sirs? I doth believe this a conversation for another time, if I might intrude? Thou hast not yet given thy names, either.”

Harvey gasped and put a claw over his beak. “Oh dear, I’m terribly sorry, that was awfully rude of us. You went and asked us a formal question and here we go pattering about on a trifling little tangent—”

Shine cleared his throat. “Forgive the manners of myself and my feathered friend, Captain. I am Silver Shine.”

“Ahem! And I am Harvey, my good Captain,” Harvey added, grabbing the captain’s hoof and giving it a brisk shake. “Greetings and salutations! I must say it is truly an honor to be given entrance into the famous Last Breath, oh yes it is, yes indeed. Why, the history surrounding this place could fill an entire library if one were so inclined! I simply must ask—”

Shine used his magic to clap Harvey’s beak shut. “Harvey, please, this isn’t the time, is it?”

Harvey tilted his head. “No, I suppose it isn’t,” he said, muffled.

Zarya shook her head, then gestured up at the sky. “'Tis a dark night, my friends. We shalt take shelter here in the fort until the morrow and depart at first light into the mountains.” She then turned to Zaine. “Catapin, is that agreeable?”

Zaine smiled and nodded. “Thou hast a task unenviable. 'Tis only fair to lend thee a roof within these halls that art weather-proof.”

“Oh my goodness, we even get to stay inside the fort itself!” Harvey gushed, fluffing his feathers. “This is simply marvelous, yes indeed it is. Aha! This will be quite an evening of study and investigation, if I might say so myself. I suspect I’ll be up all night looking through the fortress records.”

“Just be sure that you get enough sleep for tomorrow,” Shine snorted. “Zarya and I don’t want to have to drag you around if you fall asleep or something like that.”

Zarya gestured towards the fort. “Then let us maketh haste inside, that we may partake in a meal before we resteth our heads, yes?” She then turned to Zaine and gave another brief nod. “Again, Captain, I thanketh thee, for thy kind hospitality.”

Zaine shook his head. “'Tis no trouble at all, good Dame Knight. I hath only done what seemeth right.”

*****

It was late the following evening when Zarya, Harvey, and Shine made their way through the mountainous pass and encountered the snowfruit grove that had been described to them by Captain Zaine. Snowfruit trees resembled pear trees, only the leaves were completely white—not from snow, but by their very nature—and the wood a deep purple. Also, they were not nearly as tall, for the tops of the trees were barely taller than the average zebra and the roots reached far, far into the mountain below. The fruits themselves resembled upside-down pears—fat at the top, thin at the bottom—but colored an icy blue.

It was colder, windier, and darker now than it had been the night before, as if the storm was getting worse the further east into the mountains they traveled.

Harvey was the first to speak as they walked through the grove. “This is most peculiar, if I might be so bold? Didn’t the captain say that the gatherers came through here earlier in the season to harvest these fruits? If they did, then why are all of the fruits still on the trees? It hardly looks at all like anyzebra’s been harvesting anything.”

“Even if these trees produced fruit quickly, there would still be evidence that they’d been collected, right?” Shine asked as he examined a ripe snowfruit. “These look like they haven’t even been touched at all. Even all of these tools and baskets and such look unused in any meaningful capacity, as if they were just left behind for some reason.”

Zarya, who’d moved further ahead of the others to the edge of the trees, glanced about the grove, the mountain walls, and even the clouds above them for any signs of movement. “The scouts hath left no trace, either. This snowfall doth prevent traditional tracking, but zebra scouts art trained to leaveth markers to follow. ‘Twould be easy for me to see such markers were there any to see.”

“And we’re certain they came this way?”

“'Twas what Captain Zaine hath said, and I doubteth not his words.” Zarya shook her head. “And there are no other trails through this pass to follow. 'Tis the only way anyzebra wouldst be able to travel through the mountains without a treacherous climb.”

“Perhaps there is another grove further ahead?” Harvey suggested. “After all, it doesn't seem as though there nearly enough trees here to provide the entire settlement with food for the entire season, does it? Maybe just the soldiers, but certainly not all of those civilians.”

“Hmm, it could be that maybe they started from the furthest groves before moving closer and closer to the fort?” Shine offered. “In pony farms up north, they don’t pick the entire field in a single day, after all, though I don’t exactly know the system they use. Farming is quite beneath my station.”

Zarya shook her head. “Snowfruits groweth quickly, so there would be enough here to last the fort a month or longer, then the gatherers wouldst come again to gather the new harvest.”

“Well, they have to be further ahead somewhere,” Shine grunted, trudging ahead. “No sense in dawdling about here, right?”

“That would be drawing them awfully close to the Peaks of Ruin, wouldn’t it?” Harvey muttered, tugging his scarf. “That place is forbidden. Surely you’re not suggesting them foolish enough to venture there, are you?”

“When ponies get too curious for their own good, they tend to make mistakes,” Shine said. “I imagine that every creature is much the same, even zebras and hippogriffs. The saying ‘curiosity killed the cat’ exists for a reason, you know?”

“Yes yes, but—” Harvey then paused, his head tilting oddly, as if he was listening to something. “Does anyone else hear that?”

Zarya and Shine put hooves to their ears. Zarya could hear a faint noise carrying through on the wind, just loud enough to hear it clearly. She couldn’t quite place the sound at first, but continued listening told her that it was singing. The notes were lovely indeed, high-pitched and feminine, almost haunting, like an angelic choir of some sort. Was one or more of missing zebras out there trying to use song as a signal? That didn’t seem right.

“Is that singing?” Shine asked, taking another step forward.

Zarya nodded. “'Tis a song, yes. Though I do not heareth much besides the chorus, if that is what this is.”

“The chorus?” Shine asked, head tilted. “You mean you can’t hear the lyrics? They’re faint, sure, but I can definitely hear lyrics.”

“I must agree with Zarya,” Harvey said, taking a few steps forward. “I hear no lyrics either, just a simply lovely melody. Whoever is singing this song has quite the singing voice, yes? Oh yes indeed, they certainly do. Why, just listen to that wonderful crescendo! My oh my, it’s like being back at the Astropolis Opera House in the spring concert season. Magnificent.”

Zarya looked between the two, completely lost and not convinced they were hearing the same thing she was at all. “Yes, 'tis a pleasant tone, but I heareth no substance or lyrics to the melody nor any crescendos. Merely pretty notes in a simple repeating pattern. 'Tis nothing special.”

Shine smiled and shook his head. “Then you’re simply tone deaf, Zarya, I’m sorry to say. This singer has quite a talent, and I’d like to consider myself a connoisseur for the finer things in life, song and music included. Whoever this is deserves some accolades for their performance.”

Zarya noticed that the two of them were taking further steps towards the source of the singing, which was coming from further up the path. “Harvey? Shine? Where art thou going?”

Harvey looked at Zarya like she’d just asked the most ridiculous question ever uttered. “Why, I’m following the song, of course! Isn’t it obvious that the zebras we’re searching for are responsible for this? One of them must be trying to call for help, and doing so in a much more pleasant fashion than simple screams and shouts, yes?”

“Come on, we should get moving,” Shine said, picking up his pace. “Harvey’s right, this must be one of the missing zebras. We’re here for them after all, right? We shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer, especially if they need help or are in danger.”

“I suppose so,” Zarya muttered, keeping her attention on the two of them. “Though I knoweth not why thou giveth such praise to this songstress. 'Tis a rather plain song in mine opinion.”

The trio moved along through the pass, further and further away from the snowfruit grove and closer to the Peaks of Ruin. The further they traveled the worse the storm got, until the wind and snow were sharp and biting through even Zarya’s cloak and armor. Worse yet, a fog was settling in to the point that it was hard for anyone to see more than a few feet in front of their faces, let alone keep track of the others, and yet Harvey and Shine did not try to keep close to Zarya at all.

The entire way forward, the song got louder and louder, clearer and clearer. And yet still, while Shine and Harvey continued to move onward with smiles and praise for the mysterious singer, whoever they might be, Zarya was growing more and more convinced there was something wrong with her. Why was it that the song sounded so droll and simple to her ears but not to theirs? Was she truly ‘tone-deaf’ as Shine claimed?

Eventually, the trio entered into a wider space in the pass, a circular clearing of sorts with high walls of rock. Zarya had lost track of how far they’d traveled through the mountains at this point. She knew that the snowfruit grove wasn’t too far behind them, but she also knew that they’d moved farther ahead than they should have. If any of the gatherers or scouts moved this far out, they surely wouldn’t have kept going into forbidden territory, so where were they?

“There is nothing here!” Zarya shouted over the growing winds. “We hath traveled too far. We must returneth to the fortress at once.”

Shine rolled his eyes. “And leave now? When we’re so close? Whoever this singer is, they’re just a little farther ahead. We can rescue her and the other zebras and take them back to the fort.” He looked ahead into the fog, then gasped and pointed. “There!”

Zarya followed his hoof and saw a dark figure in the fog just ahead, vaguely zebra-sized and shaped. Instinctively, she drew her sword from its sheath and approached the figure, her blade alight with fire to clear the fog surrounding her.

“Ho there!” she called towards the figure. “Who art thou?”

The figure did not respond.

“I asketh again, who art thou? Art thou a zebra? Pony? Answereth my question!”

The figure still did not respond.

Zarya grunted and positioned her blade in a defensive stance as she moved forward.

Shine grunted, clearly annoyed but still distracted by the singing. “Zarya, be careful! You might scare her!”

“Yes indeed!” Harvey added with a ruffle of feathers. “Why are you acting so strangely, my friend? Is there something the matter?”

Zarya made to retort that it was they who were acting strangely, but held her tongue for now, worried that it might antagonize them. She merely approached the motionless figure calmly and carefully. When she got closer and her flames cleared out the fog, she gasped when she saw who it was—or rather who it had been.

It was a zebra, certainly. One of the scouts, in fact, judging from his armor, heavy cloak, and the longbow strapped to his back.

He was frozen solid, as if he were made of crystalline ice.

“By Wylundr’s beard…” Zarya muttered, stepping back.

“Oh wow, would you look at that?” Shine said with a grin. “Somezebra made an ice sculpture. I bet it was our secret songstress.” He stepped further into the fog, looking about for the source of the music. “Hello? Where are you? We mean you no harm, whoever you are.”

Zarya shook her head in disbelief. “What could hath done this?” she asked herself, looking about and pointing her sword through the mists.

She could see more figures out in the fog, and so she approached them with her blade as well, clearing away all of the fog within the clearing with her black flames. Each and every figure in the clearing was a zebra, either a gatherer or a scout, and each of them frozen solid just like the first.

Seventeen crystalline statues, each of them with a look of sheer terror plastered on their faces. Many of them were cracking apart at this point, as if something or somezebra had struck them.

“Oh dear oh dear,” Harvey muttered as he looked at the statues, a grin still on his face. “Seventeen. Oh my, there are seventeen of them here, and the captain said there were seventeen zebras missing. This is clearly all of our missing zebras, and not one of them is singing. Oh dear.”

Zarya raised an eyebrow. “Harvey? Art thou well?”

Harvey shook his head as he continued forward towards the source of the singing beyond the other edge of the clearing, still grinning. “Oh no, not at all, my friend, not at all. I’m terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought. Yet I still move towards the song even though all logic dictates that it doesn’t originate from our zebra comrades here, hmm? It just sounds so pleasant that I can’t help myself.”

Shine, who was still moving dumbly towards the song’s source, just shook his head in disbelief. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, Harvey,” he scoffed. “Our mystery singer just happens to be an ice sculptor as well, and just as talented in that field as she is at singing. That’s all there is to it. No need to get all jittery.”

“Oh, I’m afraid that there’s a great deal to be jittery about. For example, my eyes tell me that I’m in a terribly dangerous situation, but my ears tell me that all is well and that I should press forward.” Harvey shook his head. “My mind can’t parse through the conflicting messages, and so I am terribly, terribly frightened, more so that my legs are moving despite me trying to tell them to stop.”

Zarya paused for a moment, thinking as quickly as she could. There was definitely something wrong here, that much had been obvious for a long while now, but she couldn’t put her hoof on what it was yet. What was this song the others were hearing that even now drew Harvey forward despite his sheer terror, and which made Shine into a dismissive dolt with no sense of his surroundings?

She glanced towards the edge of the clearing, where she saw another figure approaching through the fog. And another. And another. All three were distinctly zebra-shaped—or was it pony-shaped?—just taller and with more elongated forms. The fog cleared around them as they stepped towards Shine, who was furthest ahead, enough that Zarya could see them clearly now.

They were uncannily beautiful creatures, their bodies made of a smooth, crystalline, blue ice, with long manes and tails of pure white snow that unnaturally flowed against the wind. The lead creature in the bunch sang that haunting melody louder now than ever, so loud that it made Zarya’s ears ache, and yet Shine and Harvey seemed to find it pleasing even still.

And as Shine drew closer to these creatures, he started shivering terribly as though freezing, and yet he still continued forward, reaching out towards the lead creature with a longing smile.

Zarya’s eyes widened, for in that instant she knew what these creatures were. “Wendigos. By Wylundr’s flaming blade!”

She did not hesitate. Her blade ignited into a raging black fire, and she charged directly in front of Shine to strike the lead wendigo with a vicious horizontal slash through its neck.

The instant her flaming blade struck the creature, it’s head shattered apart like glass, and its body soon followed along with it. The singing stopped and the clearing went quiet for just a mere moment.

The other two wendigos reacted immediately as the third was destroyed. They were no longer beautiful, graceful beings. The blue of their icy bodies darkened; their snowy manes swept back into a swirling mist; their eyes, indistinguishable from the rest of them until now, glowed red with rage.

Gone was the singing, replaced now by their hideous shrieking, loud and piercing enough to ring in Zarya’s ears.

Shine stumbled back a little bit as the song’s effect seemed to wear off. “Wh-what just happened?” He glanced at Zarya. “Zarya? What’s going—” Then, he noticed the wendigos glaring at the two of them. “What in the world?”

“Monsters!” Harvey shouted, quickly taking cover behind one of the frozen statues. “I knew it!”

The once-calm fog in the clearing vanished, leaving the terrible blizzard to come crashing back down upon the trio, and the wendigos seamlessly swirled themselves into it, nearly impossible to see through the wind-swept snow.

Zarya clenched her teeth and swung her blade in a wide arc in front of her. “Foul beasts! Come! Face thine enemy!”

One of the wendigos gave a bone-chilling cry as it leapt out from the storm at not Zarya, but Shine, brandishing a row of pointed fangs, its hooves sharpened into points that had not been there before.

Shine quickly drew his blade and sliced it across the wendigo’s neck, shattering ice and knocking the beast aside. He made to capitalize on his blow, but the wendigo recovered quickly and kicked him in the chest as he leapt to strike again, knocking him back several feet. The impact point was covered with a layer of thick frost and had dented his armor; even the cynolycus had not been able to do that.

Worse, the great gash upon the wendigo’s neck sealed itself up with frost and snow within seconds.

“What the hell?” Shine muttered, watching in shock as his efforts proved wasted.

The wendigo charged at him again, its eyes alight with cold fury, and reared up to spear him with pointed hooves while he was still prone on the ground.

Zarya blasted through the wendigo’s midsection with a gout of flame. Its torso evaporated instantly, and the rest of the wendigo followed along with it only a second later.

“Thanks!” Shine called, letting out a breath. His eyes widened and he pointed behind Zarya. “Look out!”

Zarya didn’t even turn around to face the wendigo she knew was behind her, just swung her sword back around to cleave vertically up through its head, shattering the beast into a thousand pieces.

Once the third wendigo was vanquished, the winds and snow died down a little. Though the storm did not clear, it did weaken enough that the trio could regroup and hear one another speak clearly without shouting and see without squinting.

“What the hell were those things?” Shine asked, pawing at the dent in his armor.

“Wendigos,” Zarya said with an angry scowl. “An ancient enemy of zebrakind, creatures made of ice and snow which feedeth on hate, anger, and fear.”

Harvey adjusted his glasses, though he was clearly shivering both from cold and fear. “Ah, I think I recognize that name from the history of your Order. Those are quite ancient creatures indeed, hailing from the great civil war that spanned the continent before Zeb’ra’den was even conceived of, yes?”

“Correct, and they art the sworn enemies of mine Order,” Zarya continued, sheathing her blade. “The first Knight of the Black Flame, Lord-Commander Zincinite, founded our Order to fighteth these creatures for they were the greatest threat in the south, fueled by the Dark magic of Nihila and the hate, anger, and fear of the warring ponies to the north.”

“Wonderful, more ancient threats risen again.” Shine held his sword up to his face, then shook his head and sheathed it. “How is it that your sword could destroy them but mine merely chipped them? It clearly isn’t resistance like the cynolycus had, just a sort of healing factor, or something.”

“My blade hath been inscribed with runic markings which giveth it many traits: ease of handling, everlasting sharpness, but most importantly, the Black Flame. The wendigos feareth warmth and light, and fire doth generate both in ample supply. 'Tis their only true weakness.”

“So your blade destroyed them because it was lit on fire? Will any flame work, or just your special black fire?”

“Any fire doth work upon them, to a degree,” Zarya said with a nod. “But a typical fire doth not fare well in wind and snow. Our blackened fire can withstand even the harshest winds and thrive even under the coldest waters.”

Shine hummed, then drew his blade back out. As he held it in his magical field, he lit his horn brighter still, coating the blade in a thin sheen of light. “You say that they also fear light? I wonder if this would work?”

Zarya considered this for a moment, then shook her head. “I knoweth not, for I hath only been told of how my black flames art the means to vanquish them, for our Order was created to fighteth the wendigos, and fighteth them they did.”

Harvey nodded quickly. “Ah yes, I remember now. As I said, I read about these things in your Order’s history shortly before we met, for I wanted to research the Knights of the Black Flame before I requested aid in my endeavors. Harmonia herself blessed your Order’s founding and helped to seal the wendigos within the Peaks of Ruin.”

The trio looked out past the clearing, where the Peaks of Ruin were in full view from the top of the cliff looking out over the remaining mountains. From this close, the fearsome blizzard that raged around the frozen peaks in the distance was easy to see. It was a black storm cloud crackling with white lightning, streaked with blue that swirled about in great, sweeping spirals.

But there was something more to the blizzard than that: it was moving. Zarya knew that was not normal.

Shine saw it too: “Is that storm up there supposed to be moving like that?”

Zarya shook her head. “No. That blizzard is the result of the Darkness within the wendigos made manifest. If it doth move, so too doth the wendigos. They hath been freed from their eternal prison.”

“But I thought you just said Harmonia herself sealed them under those mountains?” Shine asked, turning to Harvey.

“According to everything I’ve read, she did,” Harvey said with a sigh. “But, after everything that happened twenty-one years ago with that unfortunate Beacon business, I’d venture a guess that things have changed significantly since ancient times, wouldn’t you agree?”

“You mean this is more of that bastard Silvertongue’s doing? He unleashed these monsters upon us?”

“Why, I haven’t the foggiest idea! Though I will say that if it is, I couldn’t even guess if he’d done it on purpose or by accident or even if he knew he’d done it at all.” Harvey shook his head. “There are a number of factors to consider, are there not?”

Zarya grunted. “We mustn’t tarry here. I knoweth not how long that storm will taketh to reach us here, but we must warn Last Breath of its coming.”

Shine gestured towards the frozen zebras. “What of our missing gatherers and scouts? Is there anything we can do for them?”

Harvey shook his head. “According to what I’ve read, the wendigos’ frost is so potent that it is fatal in this circumstance. They’ve been frozen through and through, I’m afraid, not just covered in ice. If you look closely, you can even see that they have started to crack apart.”

“They shalt be remembered,” Zarya sighed. “But as said, we mustn’t tarry. Come! Make haste to Last Breath!”

With that, the trio ran back the way they came as fast as they could.

*****

Back at Last Breath, Zarya, Harvey, and Shine quickly arranged a meeting with Captain Zaine in his personal office within the fort. The room was small with sparse decorations, mostly the things Zaine would need in his duties as Captain of the fort: a desk, some chairs, inventory logs, and personnel files, with little else to distract him or visitors who were present. A small fireplace kept the room fairly warm, at least.

Zaine’s jaw dropped when he heard the news. “Wendigos? Thou hast seen wendigos? Ancient horrors of the southern snows?”

Zarya nodded. “'Tis true. Wendigos hath returned. A fair reason to be concerned.”

“They lured your gatherers and scouts to them with song,” Harvey explained, adjusting his glasses. “Then, they froze them to death in the mountain pass. All seventeen of them, I’m sorry to say. They attempted to do the same to us as well, but Dame Zarya here was able to fight them off.”

“Ah, then the threat hath passed,” Zaine said with a breath of relief. “'Tis a shame that we hath lost so many, but—”

“Actually, Captain, the threat is far from over,” Shine interjected. “The blizzard over the Peaks of Ruin is moving. Zarya said that the blizzard moves with the wendigos, which means they’re probably coming for us, and in greater numbers than what we faced in the mountains as well.”

Zaine slumped back in his chair and ran a hoof through his mane. “This cannot be. Harmonia herself hath sealed those monsters within the Peaks of Ruin. How is it that they hath returned after so long?”

“We don’t really know the answer to that,” Harvey muttered with a frown. “I wish I could offer any sort of advice or insight on the matter but the wendigos were a threat from far before even the first hippogriffs walked the western mountains. There is little information on them beyond what the Order of the Black Flame has detailed in their historical accounts.”

Zarya grunted. “For their attack, we must prepare.”

Zaine nodded in response. “They’ll not take Last Breath. Of that, I swear. What is thy plan of defense, Dame Knight? How dost thou wisheth my troops to fight?”

“Wendigos fear light and fire. Much of each we doth require.” She then turned to Harvey and Shine. “As for thee, my friends, thou shalt make haste back to Zeb’ra’den with the commoners, for they cannot fight. Informeth the Order of the wendigos, and they shalt dispatch knights to aideth our defense of Last Breath.”

“What? And just leave you here?” Harvey said, clicking his tongue. “We can’t just do that, Zarya.”

“But thou must. Alone, I hath no chance against their numbers. I hath need of my brothers and sisters of the Order, and they will answer my call.”

“But why? Why are you staying here to defend this fortress? Why not just evacuate everyzebra to Zeb’ra’den?”

Zaine scoffed. “I expect not for thee to understand our motivations here, Sir Harvey. Last Breath hath a long history among our kind, as thou hath shown an interest in. 'Twas one of the first and greatest fortresses built by the zebras in times long gone. It hath never fallen in over one hundred battles. 'Tis part of our history. We shalt not abandon it so easily.”

Zarya nodded and put her hoof on Harvey’s shoulder. “'Tis a sacred site as well for mine Order. 'Twas here that the Order of the Black Flame stood against the frozen tide of wendigos in the final battle that drove the beasts into the Peaks of Ruin. It stoodest then, and it standeth now, and it shalt standeth forevermore.”

“And besides,” Zaine added, “were we to abandon the fort, the wendigos might catcheth us in the tundra for we knoweth not how quickly they can move. In the open, ‘twould be a massacre, and we wouldst be traveling with civilians. At least here at Last Breath we hath a position to defend and shelter to take from the storm, and the common folk can escape. The wendigos shalt not take the fort so easily, that I can promise thee.”

Harvey took a breath and nodded. “Very well, I suppose I cannot argue with such sentimentality. It would be akin to abandoning a sacred temple I suppose, yes? I wouldn’t expect anything less of the zebras, really.” He put his claw on Zarya’s hoof. “Though I will worry for you all the same, my friend.”

“That’s all well and good, but I’m not going anywhere,” Shine grunted. “I’ll stay here at the fort to help you lot shore up your defenses, and I’ll stand with you against these creatures when they come.”

Zarya shook her head. “I cannot placeth thee at risk, Shine. Thou art a foreign lord, and 'tis not my place to placeth thee in harm’s way.”

“That’s ridiculous and you know it. For one thing, Harvey can travel a lot faster if he’s by himself—he can fly, after all, so he can move across the more dangerous terrain without need for slowing, like I would.”

“Then thou canst escort the civilians—” Zarya started.

“They’re common zebras, Zarya, they won’t listen to me or even consider me worth listening to. I’ve seen how the zebras in the city look at me. Even though I’m a warrior in my own right, they don’t really respect me, not like you do. The cynolycus was your kill, not mine, so it doesn’t matter how much I helped.”

“Then I shalt order them to listen!”

Shine snorted. “Please, I don’t need anypony… anyzebra ordering others to give me respect. If I leave now, I doubt His Majesty would truly respect me, either. I’ve earned my accolades as a swordfighter, and if I have to prove myself in battle in order to get proper respect from the zebras, then so be it.”

Zarya frowned. “But—”

“For another thing, if it’s light that you need, I’ll remind you that I am a unicorn.” He emphasized his point by lightning up his horn and illuminating the room in a bright, sun-like glow. “You’ll need all the help you can get,” he concluded, dimming his horn again. “So, I’m staying right here with you. You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

Zarya paused for a moment, then let out a breath and nodded. “Very well, thine assistance will be most appreciated.” She turned to Harvey. “It doth seem that thou must goeth alone, my friend. Art thou prepared for the journey?”

Harvey took a breath and adjusted his glasses. “Well, I suppose that if I’m traveling alone through the tundra, it will certainly take me less time to return to the city. The Order themselves will likely take nearly a week to make the march here, though. Are you certain we’ll return in time?”

Zarya shook her head. “I knoweth not how long until the first clouds of the wendigo storm reacheth us, but we will make due with what time we can. Maketh haste, Harvey.”

Harvey nodded. “You can count on me, Zarya. I’ll fly as quickly as I possibly can.” He nodded briefly to Zaine. “Captain, I wish you and your troops the best of luck.” He then did the same to Shine. “And you, Shine, good luck. Take care of Zarya, yes?”

“I don’t think she needs anyone—zebra or pony—taking care of her, least of all me,” Shine scoffed. He clapped Harvey on the shoulder. “Hurry back.”

Harvey took a breath and left the office.

Zaine leaned back in his seat and let out a breath. “Dame, what dost thou think of our chances?”

Zarya sighed. “Poor, given the circumstances. We must hold Last Breath for two weeks against the tide from those dread Peaks. Gather thy soldiers, Captain Zaine, for their skills I must ascertain.”

Zaine bowed slightly. “It will be done, Dame Knight, and with haste. May their talents goeth not to waste.”

Zarya then turned to Shine and gestured towards the door. “Cometh with me, for I also hath need to judge the geography of the fortress that I might best put together its defenses. Thou hast knowledge of military matters, yes?”

Shine smirked. “That I do. I studied a great deal of the art of warfare in my youth when I wasn’t practicing with a blade. If you think I can be of assistance, then I appreciate the opportunity to prove myself.”

“Let us hope that we hath no need to test thy knowledge,” Zarya sighed.

*****

Zarya stood on the eastern battlement of Last Breath early in the evening, looking out towards the mountain pass beyond, sword currently at rest. Eleven days had passed since Harvey left to Zeb’ra’den and the fortress had come alive with zebra soldiers ready to stand their ground. Torches were lit throughout the fortress grounds, the soldiers had fortified the walls and barricaded the windows, and weapons had been prepared to use against their foes. All was ready.

Off in the distance, Zarya watched as the great wendigo blizzard—the tremendous storm of black clouds and white lightning—moved slowly to the northwest. That was not in their current direction, which was directly west of the Peaks of Ruins. That was the direction of Zeb’ra’den. The storm moved slowly through the sky, hardly noticeable for one without a keen eye for stormy weather, which Zarya was.

But the blizzard had long since divided itself. Another great cloud—smaller by far than the gargantuan blizzard, but great nonetheless—had split off a few days ago and even now moved through the mountains east of Last Breath towards the fort itself. Zarya had been waiting for this day since the moment the storm had split.

Tonight, the wendigos would arrive.

“Bit for your thoughts?” asked Shine, who had just come up onto the battlement.

Zarya shared a brief look with him, then let out a sigh. “Our foes arriveth within the hour. The fort’s defenders hath prepared themselves well, the fort hath been readied to weather the storm, and I hath made peace with whatever might happen. But still, I hath not purged my worries from my mind.”

Shine took a breath, then stood beside her and looked out into the mountains. “I’ve been dreading this night since the moment I agreed to stand alongside you in defense of the fort, so I know what you mean. These wendigos are not like any foe I’ve ever faced before. Even that cynolycus was a simple beast at heart, despite its intelligence.”

“'Tis not only that, but I hath worried for Harvey since his departure. He hath never traveled the tundras alone before, and I senteth him forth into the snows and ice with nozebra to guide him. I can only hath hope that he made it to Zeb’ra’den. If he did not… then I mourn not only for him, but for us as well.” She looked Shine straight in the eye. “We cannot defendeth this fort without the Order.”

“Then we will do the only thing we can do: hope.” Shine leaned against the battlement wall. “I’ve lived in pony lands all my life. Us ponies don’t believe in a pantheon of gods as you zebras do, we only worship Harmonia. But you know as well as I do that one of her foremost tenets is ‘always have hope’. Despite everything that’s happened to me and my family in the past few months, that belief is the one thing I’ve had to rely on.”

Zarya grunted and shook her head. “Thou art brave but foolish to standeth beside me all the same, my friend. Everything that thou hast worked for in the name of thy House will be in vain if thy life endeth here.”

“Nonsense. It’s no different from helping you kill that cynolycus. My life was in danger then, too.”

“Nay, 'tis not the same. At least there, thou hadst reason to defend thyself. Now, thou art here of thine own volition. Thy mother’s wish for peace cannot succeed without aid from His Majesty. If thou hadst returned to Zeb’ra’den with Harvey, I am certain His Majesty would hath granted thy request.”

“Maybe so, but I couldn’t live with myself knowing I abandoned you to the wendigos to make it happen.” Shine smirked at Zarya and nudged her gently. “Like I said, you need me here. Between your flame and my light, we’ll stand a chance.”

Zarya paused to look at him a moment, then smiled and nodded. “Then despite all my worries, it gladdens me that thou art here. I appreciate thy company, Shine. Together, we can—”

A sudden, terrible torrent of wind rushed out of the mountain path, biting at Zarya and Shine’s noses with it freezing cold. With it came a flurry of snow and a thick mist.

Zarya drew her blade and scowled. “They cometh.”

“Damn, I thought we had longer,” Shine muttered.

Zarya walked to the other side of the battlement and turned her attention out into the fort, where the soldiers were sharpening their weapons. “The wendigos cometh! To thy positions, soldiers!” When issuing commands in battle, she—and every other zebra before or after her—was not restricted by meter and rhyme.

Within seconds, shouting and movement drowned out even the sound of the wind as the zebra soldiers grabbed their weapons and set themselves up into their defensive positions. Ten soldiers in heavier armor equipped with pikes and shields placed themselves before the barricaded fortress door. Fifteen archers equipped with longbows took positions on the battlements. Captain Zaine stood with the soldiers below, armed with a sword. Four of the remaining five were tasked with ensuring the archers had arrows to loose and that the fires were stoked.

Beside each of the archers was an oil lantern protected by thick glass and a small tin of oil, together with which they would ignite their arrows to bring fire to their enemies. The pike-zebras had dipped their pikes in oil and ignited all the same, as had Captain Zaine with his sword. The two large braziers beside the gate would be their source of fire for as long as they remained lit.

The last zebra was attending the western gate, prepared to open it the instant the Order of the Black Flame arrived.

Zarya and Shine did not move from their position upon the battlement. Zarya merely ignited her sword and held it aloft. Shine, not bothering with his sword just yet, kept his horn alight and watched out into the snowy mountain pass.

And they waited. And waited. And waited.

There was no question their foes were coming and no chance for anyzebra—or pony—to question Zarya’s call to arms, for the howling shrieks of fear-fueled wendigos was echoing throughout the air, mimicking the fierce winds of the mightiest of blizzards to ever plague the south.

But still, they waited.

Until, at last, the wendigo storm came rushing through the mountain pass like an avalanche. Several dozen pairs of glowing red eyes approached the fort, shining like lit coals against the snow. The wendigos’ screeching carried stronger than the winds, and with it came such an intense cold that Zarya lost all feeling in the tip of her nose.

She hefted her sword into the air and brightened her flames so that all the fortress could see through the snow. “Nock!”

The archers loaded oil-dipped flaming arrows into the crossbows.

“Draw!”

The archers took aim at the approaching tide of ice and monsters.

“Loose!”

The archers let loose a volley of fifteen flaming arrows into the storm. There came a hideous shriek from the tide as the wendigos were wounded, but still they pressed forward without any evidence of slowing down.

Zarya called out for another volley. “Nock! Draw! Loose!”

Another barrage of flaming arrows struck into the storm and yet it still moved forward.

Shine clenched his teeth—partly from the cold, Zarya figured, but partly from worry. “Are those arrows working at all?”

Zarya grunted. “The winds art too strong for the flames to inflict sufficient wounds upon our foes in such small numbers, but 'tis better than nothing. Ready thyself, for they cometh still.”

Shine nodded and brightened his horn’s glow. “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

As Zarya called for another volley—and again as the storm still advanced without fail—she positioned herself on the battlement such that her blade pointed down towards the gate. The howling storm would crash against the doors within the next few seconds.

“Archers! Fall back to secondary positions!” Zarya called.

The archers grabbed their gear and descended from the battlements to the stairs, where they would have a good vantage point of the gate and courtyard.

The avalanche of wendigos slammed into the gates like, well, an avalanche, cracking apart the wooden barricade but not yet breaching the gate.

Zarya let loose a gout of flame down at the wendigos below. It barely reached the first few pressing against the gate itself, which gave shrieks of agony as they were evaporated in seconds.

Shine, meanwhile, launched bolts of light into the storm. It did not shatter or melt the wendigos like Zarya’s flames did, but it did stun them and crack their icy blue forms briefly, and Zarya could see that they did not recover. His light was working, but wasn’t strong enough.

The storm swept back into the pass for a brief moment, then came rushing back towards the gate again to slam into the barricades with another avalanche-like force. The barricades themselves shattered into thousands of pieces, and the gate was pushed open just slightly.

“Be ready, soldiers!” called Captain Zaine below, addressing his pike-zebras and holding aloft his sword. “We defend Last Breath! We shalt not fall!”

“For Last Breath!’ shouted the soldiers in unison.

Before the storm swept back, Zarya again blasted a gout of fire into the crowd of wendigos, evaporating two more before they could retreat. Shine blasted light into the crowd still, and Zarya saw one wendigo fall to the snow in the midst of the retreat, shattering the moment it struck the ground; his light worked well, but still was not as effective as her own black fire.

The storm swept around again and tore through the pass before slamming into the gate again, this time breaking it open and letting a torrent of wind and snow into the fort’s courtyard.

“For Last Breath!” called Captain Zaine.

Zarya turned to the other side of the battlement to see the storm slam into the line of pike-zebras like a wave crashing against rocks. At first, the line held firm, and the flaming lances that impacted the wendigos seemed to wound them greatly. But, to Zarya’s horror, the wendigos knew no fear or real pain, and so they still pressed forward, sweeping over the pike-zebras and dousing their flames.

She watched as the wendigos exhaled freezing breaths at the soldiers, crystallizing two of them instantly; she watched as the wendigos reared up and crashed onto shields with sharpened hooves, piercing metal with ease and tearing straight into the zebras behind them, killing two more; she watched as the wendigos opened their fanged mouths and greater heights to rip into the zebras behind their shields without stopping, killing another three.

Over half the pike-zebras fell in the span of ten seconds. They only shattered two wendigos in return.

Zarya let loose a gout of fire again at the wendigos, evaporating four more as they tried to descend upon the pike-zebras that remained. “Fall back!” she shouted. “Fall back!”

The pike-zebras that still stood surrounded Captain Zaine as they fell back into the inner courtyard, drawing the wendigos further in.

As the wendigos pursued, the archers let loose more flaming arrows into their number. Some wendigos were wounded and given pause; others crashed to the ground and shattered as arrows pierced their heads; still others carried on without concern for their well-being, moving on the pike-zebras as best they could.

And the wendigos did not appreciate the archers’ gifts, either. So as the storm brewed and flowed into the fortress walls, it spread outward and covered the stairs with wind and mist. The next arrows loosed wildly missed their marks as howling winds swept them off-course.

Worse still, the wendigos then ascended the stairs to reach the archers, setting upon them like wolves upon rabbits. Some archers managed to flee up the stairs and use the battlements to retreat further into the fortress grounds, loosing arrows as they went, but of the fifteen archers that had started the fight, nine were dead within those few moments, either frozen or torn apart.

Zarya and Shine could not keep up with the wendigos as they flowed into the fort. The courtyard was overrun already, and though the last of the monsters had entered into the grounds, their number was still too strong.

“We must rally to the center courtyard,” Zarya muttered to Shine. “Come!”

“Right behind you,” Shine replied.

Zarya led the way down the stairs into the courtyard proper, coming up behind the flurry of wendigos as they reached the ground. She moved forward, unleashing a torrent of flame into the rear of the storm and evaporating three more wendigos. She could hear the screaming of the pike-zebras as the front of the storm tore into them, and she could hear Captain Zaine himself howl in pain.

She drove forward, blasting every wendigo she could with black fire and thinning their ranks as best she could. Shine remained behind her, flinging bolts of light magic into the storm to keep the monsters off balance.

Zarya managed to cut a path through the storm to the pike-zebras, only to find the lot of them frozen solid. Zaine himself was fending off another wendigo with his blade—no longer ignited and thus ineffective—as it tried to freeze him solid as well—his hindlegs were already covered in ice.

Zarya blasted the wendigo upon Zaine and leapt to his defense before another could replace it. She glanced down at the captain to see that one of his frozen legs had already shattered and that his eyes were closed, but couldn’t tell if he was still alive or just unconscious.

She glanced about the battlements for any sign of the zebra archers. But the only movement she could see was that of the ice and snow of the wendigos. The archers were lost as well, and still the wendigo storm raged on.

She turned to Shine, who had just caught up. “We stand as one! Together!”

“I’ve got your back if you’ve got mine!” Shine shouted, backing up against her and drawing his light-infused sword.

The storm swirled through the fortress grounds, surrounding Zarya, Shine, and the injured Zaine. Zarya flung off flames into the storm, but the wendigos were moving so swiftly now that she could only catch one at a time, and still their number was too great.

The storm drew tighter around them, and then tighter still. Zarya noticed the storm was thinning on her end as she struck more and more of the wendigos down with each passing moment.

Then, she heard Shine grunt as if struggling. She looked and noticed that his horn’s glow was tremendously bright as he tried to drive off the wendigos that were encroaching upon him, for they had divided their forces so that Zarya had less targets to strike down. His sword was not enough to handle so many at once.

So she turned to strike at these other wendigos, leaving herself open just enough that she almost did not notice another trio of them rush at her from behind. She turned in time to blast the lead beast with fire, but the two others reached her. The one on her left was unlucky enough to catch her blade as she drove it into its head mid-charge.

The one on the right was luckier, as it managed to slam into her shoulder, knocking her several yards away. As it reared up to stomp on her, she blasted it, too, with a gout of fire.

Unfortunately, this left Shine and Zaine wide open. Shine flared his horn and his blade as bright as he could, but it was not enough to stem the tide of freezing cold. One wendigo was bold enough to draw close to him so as to blast him in the face with a torrent of freezing breath, just as Shine tore into its head with his sword.

Shine’s forehead became coated with white frost, but his horn was completely encased in crystalline ice. His pained howl was tremendous, and his light was extinguished as he fell back in agony, his sword—lightless—falling to the snow.

“No!” Zarya shouted, rising up and charging in with her blade at the ready.

She struck the wendigo responsible before it could freeze any more of Shine’s anatomy, shattering it into thousands of pieces. The other wendigos approached her more boldly than ever, for she was now alone in her defense of the fort, and in defense of the only two other living things in the courtyard.

She swung her blade left and shattered one wendigo, only for another to whip by to the right and rake her side with its sharpened hooves. She swung her blade right to shatter the wendigo that had injured her, only for another to swing back from the left to do the same to her other side.

Zarya fell to one leg as she struggled to stay upright. The cold was overwhelming. The pain was overwhelming. And yet, she had no fear, for she had stood her ground against her ancient foe with courage and honor.

So she still swung her blade at the monsters as they approached, defending herself, defending Shine and Zaine, defending Last Breath until she breathed hers. As the storm gathered together to sweep into her one last time, she held her blade aloft and aflame.

Then, a dozen more gouts of black fire tore into the storm, evaporating more than a dozen wendigos in mere seconds.

“By Wylunder’s flames!” called several voices as one. “For Last Breath!”

Zarya cast her gaze towards the source of the flames just behind her, and her eyes widened with relief.

The Order had arrived.

She saw the familiar faces of her brothers and sisters in arms, rushing forward to strike down the last of the wendigos that remained, coming to her aid like true knights.

Most of all, she recognized the face of the lead knight, whose flames blazed brightest and hottest, who charged straight into what was left of the storm without fear. It was her uncle, Sir Zircon. His mane was shoulder-length and kept in an almost-dashing semi-mess, and he was ruggedly handsome. Like Zarya and the other knights, he wore gold-dyed leather armor and a heavy white cloak. His blade, a falchion, was wreathed in black fire.

Once the storm had abated—once the last of the wendigos had collapsed—Zircon turned to Zarya and approached her in a hurry. Other knights of the Order were already seeing to her condition as well as the well-being of both Shine and Zaine.

She smiled and rose upright as best she could so she could bow with respect. “Uncle, thou hast arrived in time. To see thy face is most sublime.”

Zircon did not bow in return, but drew his niece in for a hug. “Zarya, my dear, thou art so brave. I feared thee in an icy grave.”

Zarya turned to the knights that were tending to Captain Zaine and Silver Shine. The former’s hindlegs and the latter’s horn were completely frozen and had already started to crack apart. She knew it was bad, but asked nonetheless: “We hath lost many in this fight. Be true: will these two be alright?”

One of the knights—an older stallion with a thinning mane—looked over Zaine and shook his head sadly. “I sayeth this with great disdain, but this one shalt not walk again.” He then gestured to Shine and sighed. “I knoweth little of these horns, or the magic of unicorns. But if I were to have a guess, this wound will cause him great distress.”

Zarya gulped and nodded, but said no more.

That didn’t stop her from thinking, though. Thirty-two zebra soldiers dead under her command—the only surviving zebras being the gatewatcher who’d let the Order in, and Captain Zaine, who was severely wounded. One of her newest friends, Silver Shine, also severely wounded, likely to lose his horn—and thus his magic—forever. All of it under her watch in defense of this fort. Perhaps Harvey had been right. Perhaps it would have been better to abandon the fort and flee into the tundra.

Then she felt Zircon’s hoof wrap around her shoulder. She gazed up at him and saw her uncle looking warmly down at her, a light in his eye that put Zarya at ease. She realized that if anyzebra understood how she was feeling right now, it was him. So she hugged him tight, thankful to have him at her side.

The day had been come with a great cost, but Last Breath had not fallen.

Chapter Twenty: Evacuation

Originally, Zarya had expected the return trip from Last Breath to Zeb’ra’den to be a jovial one, a chance to speak with her comrades in arms at large, which she rarely had a chance to do. This especially included her uncle Zircon, who she expected would be coming and who she hadn’t spoken to since she was knighted. She’d expected her and the others to be greeted at the city gates as heroes, celebrated for their accomplishments and lauded with praise and honor. She’d expected to reunite with Harvey and for the two of them to take Shine immediately to see His Majesty to receive his just reward for his bravery.

But then the attack had actually occurred, and everything had gone terribly wrong.

So instead, the return trip to Zeb’ra’den was a somber one. Though she had valiantly defended Last Breath, there were so few survivors from its original garrison that there was little cause to celebrate. Her comrades certainly spoke with her and their words were generally kind and proud, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that she hadn’t earned that right, even from her uncle. When they reached the city gates, the Order was greeted as heroes for saving the fort, but there were few of the fortresses soldiers to share in the accolades. Those who died did so with honor, but Zarya knew they needn’t have died at all.

Worst of all, she could hardly bear to look Shine in the face. He seemed oddly calm despite everything, and did not treat Zarya with a single ounce of anger, so she was angry at herself for him. She felt it was her fault that his horn was lost. He should be angry about it, and yet he was not. He was sad and distant, she could tell that much, but he was not angry. Their conversations had been few and brief, though it was Zarya who kept them so, for speaking with him after what happened pained her greatly.

When Harvey came to greet them at the gates, a smile on his face, Zarya felt nothing but shame when that smile soon turned to shocked horror as he saw what had happened.

“Oh my word!” he exclaimed as he came up to the two of them, putting both claws on Shine’s shoulders. “Shine! What’s happened to your splendid horn, my friend?”

Shine grunted and walked past Harvey. “I was injured in battle, obviously.”

“Well, yes, obviously I can see that, but how did this happen? I was unaware that such a thing could even happen to a unicorn.”

“I strained myself fighting the wendigos, and they took advantage of my weakness to strike me where and when I was most vulnerable. I was foolish to think I could stand against them in the same fashion as Zarya could without a weapon like hers. My magic just wasn’t enough.”

Zarya frowned and shook her head. “No, 'tis my fault. Were I a more capable knight, thy safety would hath been guaranteed. Do not blameth thyself, Shine, for thou hast earned thy mark with honor in battle. 'Tis my failure—my dishonor—which hath led to thy current state, not any failing on thy part.”

Shine grunted again and glowered at her. “If I hadn’t insisted on staying with you, my horn would still be intact. But I insisted. I knew the dangers I was getting into, and yet still I insisted, despite your warnings. That, too, was foolish—”

“We couldst not hath stood against the storm without thee there, I hath said this before!” Zarya huffed, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “Thou art brave and true, Shine. I do not wish to sayeth this to thee again.”

“And I don’t want to tell you again that you’re not to blame for what happened—any of it,” Shine said, poking her in the chest. “I’m supposed to be the best swordfighter on the continent. That’s what I’ve been told all my life, and until that battle I believed it myself. But if I truly was the best, I’d have fared better than I did.”

“Thou art a great swordfighter—”

“No! I’m not! I was given a test of my skills and I came up short.” He tapped at his missing horn. “And this is what I have to show for all of my boasting and cocksure attitude. A busted horn and wounded pride.”

Zarya scoffed. “'Tis not a fair comparison. A wendigo is different from a sparring opponent, or a fellow pony or zebra on the field of battle. 'Tis a monster! 'Tis my own lack of skill that didst not prevent thy injury. Were I faster or stronger—”

“No no no, stop this, both of you!” Harvey interjected. “It’s clearly my fault that any of this happened. If I were a little quicker in getting to Zeb’ra’den, the Order would have arrived on time to prevent anything bad from happening. Curse my feathery hide, I wasn’t fast enough. This is all my fault.”

Shine rolled his eyes. “Is that we’re doing now? Trying to play this stupid blame game to decide who’s responsible for the loss of my horn? Drop it, both of you. There’s nobody to blame here but myself. I made my decision, foolish as it was, and I’ll just have to live with the consequences of my actions.”

Zarya poked Shine in the chest. “Fine, if thou wisheth to taketh the blame, then disparage not thine injury, for thou hast earned it with honor. Thou art a warrior, and thou shouldst wear thy mark with pride, as I do,” she added, gesturing to the new scars along her flank. “Thou art noble, Shine. Let not this injury changeth thee. Please.”

Shine paused a moment, then kept walking. “Come on, then. We should arrange an audience with His Majesty as soon as possible. If this injury is as honorable as you say it is, then it should be enough to prove my worth to him and get help for my mother. Maybe it’ll be worth it in the end.”

*****

When Zarya and Shine had gone to arrange a meeting with King Zaratite, neither of them expected the exact reaction or reception they’d gotten. They were only supposed to ask for and then attend a simple audience with His Majesty in the throne room, as before. The only thing to do was to discuss whether Shine was going to get what he’d wanted for all these weeks after all that he’d accomplished. They’d expected to wait at least until morning to hear anything back.

Neither expected to be invited to an official council meeting late in the evening after their arrival back in Zeb’ra’den. They also did not expect to have so much company with them at the meeting. This was no mere audience anymore, not even a small council meeting. Zarya knew that much just based on who was present. No, this was a war meeting.

The meeting chamber—a war room, really—was fair-sized, large enough to hold at least a dozen zebras if necessary, but tonight it needed room for less. King Zaratite himself was present, of course, as was Warlord Ziggurat, who commanded the regular armed forces of Zeb’ra’den. Lord-Commander Zaffir was present as well, as was Sir Zircon. Also present was High Priestess Zeolite, a thin-framed zebra mare with a silver staff who led the church sect in Zeb’ra’den dedicated to Harmonia. And, of course, Zarya and Shine were in attendance as well.

The group sat around a table within the warm, well-furnished war room, all looking over a map of the zebra territories, which stretched from the base of the western mountains—where the Hippogriff Commonwealth was located—to the Peaks of Ruin in the east, and bordered in the north just south of Frostburg, the southernmost pony settlement and seat of power for their allies, House Snow. The map had been marked to show the current location of the wendigo storm according to how it had moved from the Peaks, with it set on a clear collision course with Zeb’ra’den itself.

King Zaratite spoke first, turning his attention to Zircon. “This is quite troubling news, my dearest nephew, that thou hast returned back home with zebras so few. A threat most ancient art these wicked wendigos, and thou art certain they once again plague our snows?”

Zircon nodded glumly. “My words speak true, Thy Majesty, and such truth is a tragedy. The blizzard moveth westward now. The seal is gone. I know not how.”

“And what of Last Breath? Dost the renowned fort still stand?”

“'Tis the finest fort in the land. It hath not fallen. 'Tis at peace due to the grit of thy grandniece,” Zircon said with a smile and nod to Zarya.

Zaffir sighed and shook his head. “A pity that we hath lost so many, but Zarya hath done as well as any.”

Zarya gulped and nodded, but said nothing just yet. She didn’t feel she had a right to do so, nor that she deserved the praise she was receiving in the least.

“So then, what doth thou suggest for our next defensive acts?” asked Ziggurat as he looked over the map. “How fast be they? How long ‘til they arrive? We needest facts.”

“Scouts hath been sent. Answers they seek,” replied Zircon. “They shalt return within a week. My best guess: at most ten days ‘til we face the wendgio haze.”

Ziggurat leaned back in his seat. “Ten days, thou sayest? 'Tis not long for us to be prepared. But if 'tis the case, then none of our efforts shalt be spared.” He then saluted to Zaratite with a hoof to his chest. “My soldiers shall reinforce our city’s mighty walls. No wendigo shalt ever threaten Zeb’ra’den’s great halls.”

Zaratite nodded, then turned his attention to Zaffir. “Thou hast prepared thy Knights of Black Flame for this siege?”

Zaffir saluted as well, hoof to chest. Zircon saluted in turn, and Zarya followed suit, as they were both of the Order and were expected to do so when their Lord-Commander did. “That task hath already been done my liege. All one hundred of mine Order’s brave knights art prepared to battle these demon wights.”

Zaffir then turned his attention briefly towards High Priestess Zeolite. “Though to combateth these forces most Dark, we also needeth a source of Light stark.”

Zeolite nodded and rose from her seat. “Though 'tis not right for Maidens Fair to engage in such gruesome fights, of the dangers, we art aware.” She lifted her golden staff up, and the runic markings upon it glowed white. “Thou canst count on our holy Lights.”

Zaratite hummed and nodded, then looked to Zarya. “Grandniece, thou hast returned from battle at the fort. Telleth me, what strategy hast thou to report?”

Zarya blinked, lost in the moment and unclear of what to make of the question. “What strategy, Thy Majesty?”

“Thy tactics and plans. Fashion me a tapestry.”

Shine leaned over to Zarya. “His Majesty wants to know how you set up your defenses at the fort and what sort of plan you had in mind then and now.”

Zaratite nodded at Shine. “'Tis my intent, yes. These wendigos hath taken many zebra lives at Last Breath, and whatever tactics my grandniece didst use in defense of the fort may giveth us insight into our own tactics for the siege.”

Zarya gulped and shook her head. “But Thy Majesty… I hath failed. Under my lead, deaths were entailed.”

“That might be so, Zarya, but that’s why they want to hear your side,” Shine explained. “The strengths and weaknesses of your plans might come in handy here, and they can try to improve upon them. They have the numbers and resources you didn’t have.”

Zircon set his hoof on Zarya’s shoulder. “None blameth thee for those who fell, so upon it thou musn’t dwell.”

Zarya looked between Zircon and Shine, then took a breath, nodded, and proceeded to explain her defensive strategy to the war room in detail. She noted how she’d barricaded the gate to delay the tide so she could destroy as many foes as she could, how she’d utilized lit arrows and oil-dipped blades to combat the enemy’s weaknesses, and how she’d pulled the soldiers back to force the storm into a bottleneck at the gate.

She also noted where everything had gone wrong, and what, in hindsight, she felt could have worked better. For one, keeping the archers posted at the gate a little longer might have thinned the wendigos’ numbers. For another, falling back into the courtyard too soon had broken the bottleneck and let the storm overrun the archers.

Most importantly, she noted that she never even considered retreating from the fort when Harvey had suggested it before going off for reinforcement. She hadn’t known how long she would have, and guessed that if the fort were evacuated and the soldiers and civilians were caught out in the open, it would have been a massacre. But then the storm had taken so long to arrive that they’d have had plenty of time to organize a retreat, so the troops all died for nothing.

Zaffir nodded, leaning forward in his seat. “Thou hast fought with honor and courage grand, and thy tale shall help us to understand how best to defend our city so great from the wendigos who art fueled by hate.”

“Their winds art their greatest asset,” said Zircon. “To our archers they art a threat.”

Zaratite held up a hoof to silence the room. “We shall discusseth our war plans upon the morn. I must speaketh with the one who hath lost his horn,” he concluded, gesturing at Shine. “A private discussion with him I desire.”

“If that is what thou wishest, then it shall be done, sire,” said Ziggurat with a bow. With a single gesture with his hoof, the others in the room bowed as well and started out of the room.

Shine cleared his throat. “Your Majesty, if I could ask that Dame Zarya stay for our discussion? I understand if you want this conversation to be just between the two of us, but Zarya is responsible for much of my success, I’m afraid, so I feel it’s only fair that she participate.”

Zarya turned, surprised by Shine’s words, but said nothing as it was not her place to dispute it.

Zaratite tilted his head briefly, then smiled and nodded. “She may stay, if that wouldst make thee comfortable with the proceedings.”

Shine gestured for Zarya to retake her seat beside him. She stared at him for a moment, then nodded and retook her seat.

Zaratite then leaned back in his seat and tapped his hoof briefly on the war room table. “Lord Shine, 'tis my understanding that thou hast lost thy horn in combat, defending the zebras of Last Breath from our most ancient foe. My grandniece’s tale dost confirm thy claims, as dost my nephew’s report, and the report I hath received from Captain Zaine.” He then gestured briefly at Shine. “However, I hath not heard an account from thee.”

Shine nodded. “I will keep it brief, then, Your Majesty, as you sound as if you’ve heard the story more than once at this point. When Dame Zarya set about making plans for the defense of Last Breath, she asked that Harvey fly ahead to rally the Order, while I would escort the civilians to Zeb’ra’den.”

“And obviously, thou didst not,” Zaratite grunted.

Shine frowned. “I hope that everyzebra made it here okay. Please don’t tell me that any of them were injured en route.”

“No. All of the common folk hath made it safely to the city, for they are of Last Breath and therefore art hardy. Why didst thou not taketh the offer to bringeth them here, if I might ask?”

“I believed I would be of better use defending the fort. Though I did not contribute as much as I had hoped and though I have been wounded, I have been told more than once that if not for my presence there, there would have been no survivors when the Order arrived to reinforce the fort. I don’t exactly believe that, to be honest.”

Zaratite turned to Zarya. “Zarya, grandniece, what sayeth thee of Lord Shine’s claims?”

Zarya gulped and nodded with affirmation. “He was brave, though he had no flames. His Light did injure wendigos who art made of Dark, ice, and snows. Without his Light, we might hath failed, and more deaths would hath been entailed.”

“Then thine injury hath been earned with honor and bravery, Lord Shine,” Zaratite said with a small frown. “I sympathize with thy pain, and blameth myself for any anguish thou hast felt because of it, for I know that thou hath sacrificed so much because of the ‘quest’ I hath given thee.”

Shine shook his head. “I would have done it again, even had I been there without your stipulations, Your Majesty—”

“But thy presence there at all was my doing.” Zaratite sighed and slouched in his seat. “I hath considered thine earlier request greatly, so it saddens me that I must regretfully inform thee that at the moment, I cannot acquiesce to thy terms for aid in thy mother’s petition. Not in the way I am certain thou wouldst prefer.”

Zarya made to dispute her king’s words, but Shine was quick to put a hoof on hers to quiet her. “I understand, Your Majesty. With this wendigo storm en route, the only support you could offer me or my mother is a few kind words, not soldiers to enforce your decree or to ensure that House Light doesn’t try to unjustly prevent my mother from presenting her case.”

“Thou art wise, Lord Shine. If circumstances were different, I would gladly sendeth a cadre of the Order with you. The Harmony Guard and the Knights of the Black Flame art on friendly terms, so their presence wouldst grant thee a great boon, but I hath none to spare.” Zaratite sighed and ran a hoof through his mane. “Once we hath broken the wendigo siege, thou shalt hath all of Zeb’ra’den at thy back, however. This I sweareth to thee.”

Shine nodded. “Thank you, Your Majesty. If you don’t mind, I’ll be staying here in Zeb’ra’den until that point.”

Zarya’s eyes widened. “What? Shine, no, thou art in danger here—”

“I wish to help in the defense of your city however I can,” Shine continued, looking at Zaratite as if he hadn’t even heard Zarya. “These wendigos are a threat not just to you, but to the entire continent. They must be stopped before they can proceed further north, for the hate and anger that fills the hearts of so many ponies because of their foolish war would just make the wendigos stronger.”

Zaratite hummed and nodded. “'Tis true, these creatures art fueled by such emotions and will only grow in power if they art not defeated here. Though I wisheth not that thou placeth thyself in danger once again, the fire within thy heart and soul is as clear as crystal. 'Twould be unwise to deny such spirit, especially if it is in service of Zeb’ra’den.”

Shine smiled. “Thank you, Your Majesty. You will not be disappointed. If there is no other business you wish of me, however, I would like to retire to my chambers for the evening.”

“Then thou art dismissed, Lord Shine. Enjoy thy rest, for thou hast earned it.”

Shine rose from his seat, gave a low bow, then turned and headed out the door.

Zarya watched him go for a moment, then turned to her king and also gave a short bow. “Thy Majesty, I thanketh thee—”

Zaratite held up a hoof to silence her. “Zarya, I hath not yet said how it gladdens me that thou hast returned home to us well and alive. When Harvey came, I feared that thou wouldst not survive. That thou standest now before me, so proud and tall, that is, to me, the most important thing of all.” He then stood from his seat and came around the table to give Zarya a most unexpected hug.

Zarya froze in surprise for a moment, then returned it. There weren’t really any other words to say.

*****

The following day, Zarya arrived at Blackfire Keep’s sparring chamber in the late morning, sometime after breakfast, after receiving a strange message from Silver Shine requesting her presence here at this time and nothing else. As she was no longer on duty—she’d been given some time to rest after her ordeal at the fort—she did not wear her armor, only her cloak, though she did still carry her longsword along.

The keep’s sparring chamber was a large room about the size of a well-funded gymnasium, laden with all of the tools needed both for the Order’s knights to spar with one another or for the squires to train with their chosen weapons. There were training runic weapons of all kinds available, rune-marked dummies to indicate proper strikes, equipment for training one’s body physically, and lots and lots of space to use.

As always, the room was occupied. Zarya spotted two knights off on the far end of the room—Sirs Zabre and Zaffron—in the middle of a loud, heated spar, as those two tended to do once a week. Sir Zambin, the largest knight in the Order, was busy training his body as he did day after day in some foolish attempt to be as massive as Warlord Ziggurat himself. Sir Zemo was in the midst of training his squire, Zurich, in the use of a lance.

And, of course, Silver Shine was waiting in the nearby corner, no longer dressed in his armor but in a lightweight—but warm—zebra jacket and cloak fit for the upper castes of zebra society. Were it not for his lack of stripes and his more colorful coat and mane, he would fit right in with the lords of the city. It actually made him look rather handsome.

Seated nearby was Harvey, his beak stuck in a book as usual, and Zarya was not at all surprised to see him there as he was quite closely knit with both herself and with Shine by now. He had never—and would never—take off that scarf of his, as it kept him warm at all times. At least he was consistent in that. Zarya would consider it odd if he wore anything else.

Shine noticed Zarya enter the room and waved her over. “Zarya! Over here!” he called, gesturing with his hoof.

Zarya trotted over and gave Shine a brief nod. “Shine, thou seemest well. 'Twould seem a good night’s rest hath done wonders for thee,” she noted as she looked him over.

“Yes, and a good, warm meal as well,” Shine agreed with a smile. “I never thought for a moment that I would miss zebra cuisine, but after two weeks of rations out in the snow a hearty zebrican stew was just what I needed to fill my belly and raise my spirits.”

“'Tis true, my spirits hath risen as well after a warm meal taken this very morning. My hope is that these meals will keepeth my spirit high until we must be ready for the coming storm.” Zarya then tilted her head towards Harvey and nodded. “Harvey, art thou enjoying thy book?”

Harvey raised his head out of the book and adjusted his glasses. “Eh? Oh! Greetings and salutations, Zarya. Forgive my rudeness. I didn’t see you come in on account of this fascinating book I’ve been reading, yes indeed.”

“What art thou reading?”

“Ah, it is a detailed account on the many battles over the years that zebrakind engaged in with the wendigos before and during the ancient civil war. I am no fighter, you know that, so I’m searching through every single account I can find to see if there’s anything I can offer whatsoever to the coming battle.”

“Anything useful?” Shine asked.

“Not as of yet, no. The last time these wendigos threatened the south, they weren’t in such a congregation as far as I can tell. No accounts I’ve read seem to indicate such a large blizzard.” Harvey shook his head. “But I’ll continue my search. There has to be something here. The best that I can find suggests that Zarya’s tactics from the fort were common at the time, which is probably why she used them.”

Zarya smiled and nodded. “Thou art a good friend, Harvey. Not just of mine, but of all of Zeb’ra’den. Any advice thou couldst offer to the defenders of the city wouldst be most appreciated.” She turned back to Shine. “So, Shine, why hast thou called me here of all places, and now of all times?”

“I want you to train me in the zebrican style of swordfighting,” Shine said, rather quick and blunt about it. He didn’t even follow it up with anything, just that one sentence, though it was more of a request than a demand.

Zarya blinked; this was completely unexpected. “Thou whishest me to traineth thee in the zebra style?”

“I do. As I said before, I was given a test of my skills in battle and I found myself inadequate. I will not fail myself again. I must reclaim my honor and dignity as a warrior, but without my magic I cannot even hold a sword.” He gestured towards the other zebras in the room, all gripping their weapons in their tails. “But you zebras can. It is your way. I want you to teach me.”

“'Twould be wiser that thou seekest a more qualified instructor,” she suggested. “I am no master, my friend.”

“I don’t want a different instructor, Zarya, I want you. I’ve seen you fight and I know your technique better than I know any other zebra’s. You even wield a blade similar to my own—a longsword—so it wouldn’t be a significant adjustment. There’s no reason I can think of why you shouldn’t train me.”

Zarya rolled her eyes. “I am not even the most skilled swordfighter in the Order. If thou wisheth to train under somezebra, chooseth one with greater mastery of the blade than me. Seeketh out the best, and thou shalt hath the best. Settle not for less.”

“Technically speaking, Zarya, you’re one of the top three swordfighters in the Order, at least by my calculations,” Harvey interjected, not looking up from his book. “Though it has been about a month since I’ve done any research on the matter, so maybe something’s changed somehow. Though I doubt that very much.”

“Hmm? What dost thou mean?”

“Well, as a squire, and even shortly after your knighting ceremony, you’ve been challenged to many a spar, haven’t you? Some were rather friendly. Others, not so much. But, the Order’s records—since they love to keep records on this sort of thing—indicate that you’ve never once lost in a duel, even against knights and squires using non-sword weapons.”

“Is that so?” Shine asked with a smirk in Zarya’s direction.

“Yes indeed! In fact, if I recall correctly, the only two swordfighters in the Order at present that haven’t challenged Zarya at all are Sir Zalinday and her uncle, Sir Zircon. The former is growing quite old and likely doesn’t seek out duels anymore, and the latter is, well… Sir Zircon, the best swordfighter in the entire kingdom. He doesn’t need to challenge anyzebra.”

Zarya tilted her head towards Shine knowingly. “Then thou shouldst seek either of them for thy training—”

“I don’t know anything about this Sir Zalinday, first of all,” Shine scoffed. “I don’t want to be instructed by a total stranger this late in my life, especially one so much older than me. I need somezebra that has proven their skill to me in such a way that I can trust that they’ll teach me right.”

“Then asketh mine uncle. Sir Zircon is the finest blade in the entire kingdom, and has been since he was a squire. If thou wisheth for a true zebra master of the blade, then he is thy best choice.”

“Your uncle is much too busy assisting the Lord-Commander with his preparations on the city’s defenses to help me with anything. I can’t really understand how a zebra so skilled would only be second-in-command, but here we are.” Shine put his hoof on Zarya’s shoulder. “If you want to say that I’m settling for third-best, fine, that’s what I’ll say. Now, are you going to train me or not, third-best swordfighter in the Order?”

Zarya took a deep breath, then sighed and nodded, though she was hesitant to do so. “Very well, I will traineth thee in the zebrican style of swordfighting. Typically it would be forbidden to teacheth our art to a pony, but considering everything that hast happened with thee, I am sure nozebra shalt trouble thee on the matter. Thou hast earned it.”

Shine raised an eyebrow. “Forbidden, huh? Interesting. I’ll have to remember that for later.”

“Hmm?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just a little musing. So, shall we begin immediately?”

Zarya nodded. “Yes, we shall.” She removed her sword from her side—still sheathed—and set it down by Harvey before grabbing two training longswords from the nearby weapon rack, setting one down in front of Shine while carrying the other with her tail. “First, I shall instuceth thee in the proper form, starting with a neutral stance.”

She stepped about six feet in front of Shine and demonstrated the proper form of said neutral stance: forelegs bent slightly in front, hindlegs straight behind so that the hindquarters were raised, and tail hiked up and gripping the sword’s hilt. The blade was pointed straight up.

“From this stance,” she explained. “Thou art ready for an assault from any direction—”

She demonstrated by twirling her sword just once in a circle around her. Had she been surrounded by foes, each would have been struck as the blade sliced through the air.

“—and thou canst quickly adjust thy stance as well. We shalt cover the others once I hath confidence in thy basic stance.” She set down the training sword and gestured to Shine. “Now, demonstrate that thou hast paid attention.”

Shine nodded and settled down into the same stance she had demonstrated. She walked over to him and circled around, looking for any sign of inaccuracy and adjusting his body as needed. His upper body was well postured, but his hindquarters were too low, so she physically manipulated his toned flanks to get him into the proper position.

She then clicked her tongue when she saw that his tail was much shorter than was considered proper; zebra warriors kept their tails long so that they could wield their weapons, after all. She playfully tugged his tail. “If thou wisheth to best perform in our style, then thou shalt need to grow out thy tail.”

Shine grunted. “Seriously? I need to adjust my looks in order to better perform as a swordfighter in your style?”

“Indeed. If thy tail be too short, then thy range is lessened and the risk of self-injury rises. It shalt not be difficult. A visit to a Priestess of Layk canst grow out thy tail with a simple potion, for Layk is our nature goddess and thus holdeth sway over all matters of growth, including a matter as droll as this.”

“Mane and tail growth formulas aren’t exactly rare up north, not that I’ve ever considered using one before. But if you insist I must, I must. For now, though, is my posture acceptable?”

“Not acceptable, 'tis excellent,” Zarya acknowledged, patting his side appreciatively. She then lifted the other training sword’s hilt up to his tail. “Now for thee to taketh hold of thy weapon.”

“Okay… how do I do that?”

“The magic in these runes doth respond to the hairs in thy tail, that they may grip it like a claw. Other runes will lighten the blade in thy grip so as not to straineth thee but will not lessen the weight of the blade’s impact.”

“So, what, I just move my tail?”

Zarya nodded and touched the hilt to his tail, watching as his tail grabbed hold of the sword like her own tail had done.

“Whoa, okay, that feels quite odd,” Shine mumbled. “It’s like having a fifth hoof or something. This is a very unique sensation.”

“Dost thou feel the blade in thy tail’s grip?”

“I think so, yes.”

Zarya stepped away and nodded. “Now, move thy tail and swingeth the blade. Slowly, yes?”

Shine took a deep breath. “Right. Here goes nothing.” He adjusted his tail slightly to the left, and the sword drooped over and clanged against his side. “Damn.”

“No, that was quite good for thy first attempt,” Zarya noted. “Thou hast kept thy grip on the sword, yes? Most squires, in their first attempts, throweth the sword across the room. Thou hast excellent control for a beginner.”

Shine smirked. “Well, I didn’t earn my cutie mark for nothing.”

Zarya tilted her head and gazed at his cutie mark, a silver longsword surrounded by a lustrous orange glow. “Ah, I hath never seen thy mark of cuteness before. You ponies earneth these to represent a ‘special talent’, yes?”

“Essentially. And it’s called ‘cutie mark’, not a ‘mark of cuteness’. Not that the former sounds any less cutesy. It’s not really a fitting name when certain talents are concerned, but that’s just what they’re called.”

“Ah, yes, ‘cutie mark’, forgiveth me. And thy cutie mark, doth it represent thy skill with a sword?”

“It does, yes. I first took up a training blade when I was six. I was inspired by the tales of great heroes of the past who slayed evil forces with blades of light. Sir True Strike, the Brave; Duke Skyblade, the Swift; Lord Silver—” He paused and clenched his teeth. “Hmph. I hate to admit it now, but Lord Silvertongue as well.”

Zarya sighed and shook her head. “Even we zebras hath tales of his bravery and skill in battle. He was a legend like few others before him. I took my name from mine ancestor, Princess Zarya, who served alongside him in the war against the Warden Blood Beryl, and she regarded him with great respect.”

“The one I regarded the most, though, was Lord Stillwater of House Waters, the only swordfighter from the present day that I’ve really admired. He was the greatest swordfighter on the continent, all the way up until he moved up to Hope’s Point. It’s different seeing your heroes in action instead of just reading about them.”

Zarya smiled and nodded. “Ah, yes, that name dost sound familiar. Once didst he come south to participate in a dueling tournament that we zebras hold every five years. I was too young to attendeth it myself, but mine uncle telleth me of that tournament all the time.”

Shine’s eyes widened. “That’s right! Lord Stillwater and your uncle Zircon faced one another in the finals. I remember that duel very well. Forgive me if this makes me sound crass, but I never thought a zebra could hold their own in a duel against Stillwater. Your uncle proved me wrong.”

“Ha! Us zebras never thought a pony couldst challenge Sir Zircon’s blade, either, especially not one of those House Waters… dancers? Is that what thou callest them?”

“Water dancing is their style, yes.” Shine shook his head. “A shame that they had to call that battle a draw in the end. We’ll never know which of them was the better swordfighter.”

“Mine uncle boasteth of that battle on occasion. He considers Lord Stillwater to be the greatest opponent he hath ever faced in fair combat.”

“I wish I’d been conscious to see him fight those wendigos…” Shine sighed. “A chance to see him in action from up close would have been amazing.”

Zarya cleared her throat. “We hath gotten distracted! We must return to thy training. Now, thou shalt try another swing.”

*****

After a week of training, Zarya was pleasantly surprised with Shine’s progress. Few ponies throughout history had ever learned to fight in the style of the zebras, and those who had done so had to earn that right in the first place. Even then, few of those that had actually learned it came close to the skill of the proper zebra practitioners. The style that Zarya had been teaching Shine wasn’t even the basic style like that used by the soldiers and guards, but the advanced one only taught within the ranks of the Order of the Black Flame.

And yet, he was exceptionally skilled at it. Perhaps there really was something to that “cutie mark” mysticism after all? Shine had developed well over just one week’s worth of intense training under a zebra who had never once had a student and who was barely more than a fledgling knight herself, and yet still he’d progressed. He was better than any of the current squires Zarya knew, and they’d been training for months at this point if not longer.

Then again, he’d already mastered the art of wielding a sword as a unicorn, so it wasn’t exactly a fair comparison, but that didn’t make it any less impressive.

Shine stood in front of one of the training dummies, striking away with his sword with a practiced ease and following every maneuver Zarya called out. As asked, he’d grown out his tail, which now reached the floor when he walked instead of hardly past his rear. He’d even styled it in a similar fashion to Zarya’s tail, claiming that he figured her tail-style lent some greater degree of control. She didn’t know if that was true, but didn’t question his logic. That he said he styled it himself from memory was almost flattering.

When at last she felt the training was done for the day, Zarya clapped her hooves together. “Hold!”

Shine stopped his blade mid-swing with nearly the same precision he’d once used with his magic, and drew it back without question. “Ah, is it already dinner time?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “I thought for certain we had longer.”

“No, dinner is still a while off,” Zarya said, stepping forward and setting the dummy back to its resting place. “I hath stopped thee because I see no point in continuing with thy training.”

Shine tilted his head. “What? What do you mean ‘no point’? I thought you said I was making real progress?”

“Thou art making progress, Shine. Tremendous progress, in fact.” She glanced about to see if anyzebra else was listening, but the sparring chamber was mostly empty tonight, with only herself, Shine, and Harvey—beak in a book—present. “If I might be so bold, I would say that thou hath the skill of some of the Order’s knights.”

“Really? Well, that’s high praise coming from you, I’d say. Or is it? I mean, you say that you’ve beaten most of the swordfighters in the Order in single combat, haven’t you?”

“'Tis true,” Zarya said with a nod. “I wisheth not to brag, but 'tis a matter of honor that I hath done so. It hath not been easy, being a mare within the Order. Only a few Dames entereth the Order’s ranks every few generations and I am but one of three, and the youngest by far. Zebra mares rarely taketh up the sword, and those that do usually taketh years to become knighted.”

“Well, you’ve certainly earned it.”

“She’s made sure that everyzebra knows it, too,” Harvey noted, not lifting his beak from his book. “There was a bit of a hullabaloo while she was just a squire since she was advancing so quickly through the training. A lot of folks thought it was just because her uncle is the great Sir Zircon and her grand uncle is the king, though nozebra dared suggest anything aloud and openly.”

Zarya snorted. “And I hath put those rumors to rest, time and time again. That is why Lord-Commander Zaffir didst claim that our slaying of the cynolycus wouldst ensure none wouldst doubt my skill ever again. Even beating half the Order in single combat wasn’t enough until then, 'twould seem.”

Shine nodded, seeming to understand. “So, you say that I might be as good as some of the Order themselves, huh? You’re basing that just off of how well I can strike at a dummy?”

“'Tis the only merit by which I can judge, but 'tis sufficient for mine eyes. I hath seen many of the knights when they train and duel, and thou art quite proficient with thy blade. Thy quick progress is commendable.”

“Nonsense, you can’t judge my true skill as a swordfighter based on how I fare against an immoble foe such as this,” Shine huffed, gesturing at the training dummy. “You’d need to observe me in action against a real opponent in single combat.”

“I doubt that any of our Order wouldst accept a challenge from thee, Shine,” Zarya chuckled. “'Tis not meant in offense, but thou art a pony who hast been trained in our ways by a fledgling knight. Despite thy reputation and mine, ‘twould still not be sufficient cause to consider thee worthy.”

“Zebras are rather hung up on how they treat these sorts of things, if you haven’t noticed,” Harvey said.

“Hmph. That’s no good,” Shine said. “I don’t feel right saying that I’ve learned to fight like a zebra if I’ve never used my skills in a real duel. Why, when I learned to wield a sword before this, I engaged in my first duel when I was thirteen years old. That was when I knew I was a true swordfighter, not just some athlete, better suited for the Utopian Games.”

Harvey glanced up from his book. “You could always challenge Zarya to a duel,” he said with a little grin and a wink at Zarya.

Zarya shot him a quick look. “Nay, 'tis not an appropriate test of skill. 'Twould be akin to sending a squire to face a frostwolf alone.”

“Oof. Harsh. You don’t think I can handle you, is that it?” Shine huffed.

Zarya grunted, regretting her choice in words. “No offense hast been intended, Shine. I merely wisheth that thou dost not become discouraged when thou hast lost.” She again regretted her words. Why was it so hard to turn down his challenge without sounding like a jerk?

Shine laughed, apparently taking it all in stride. “Ha! Well now, you’re just making this interesting, aren’t you? I never thought I’d see a point where you got cocky with me.”

“'Tis not a laughing matter, and I am not intending to come off as cocky.”

“No, you’re right, it’s not. This is serious.” Shine smirked and drew his sword up in a neutral stance. “If I’m to prove to myself that I’ve really learned to fight like you, then I have to test my skills against a living, breathing opponent, and I can think of nozebra better to test myself against than you. Dame Zarya, I challenge you to a duel.”

Zarya froze up. She hadn’t expected things to progress this far, really, but Shine was a better student than she could have possibly anticipated. At first it was about teaching him the basics so he could at least defend himself. Then it was about the more advanced techniques, so that he would be useful on the field if necessary. Then it was about teaching techniques that were typically saved for when a squire was ready to become a knight, the Order’s most closely guarded maneuvers.

She hadn’t expected him to progress fast enough that he got the gumption to even think about challenging a zebra to a duel. Especially not her, not after hearing of her reputation.

Zarya sighed and grabbed a training blade off of the training rack. “Very well. Lord Silver Shine, I accept thy challenge,” she said as she settled into a neutral stance of her own. “Prepare thyself.”

Harvey chuckled. “Oh my oh my, this ought to be an interesting show. I’d better get a better vantage point so that I don’t miss anything.” He shut his book and flew up into the rafters above. “Good luck, Shine! You’ll need it!”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Harvey!” Shine called back.

Zarya leapt forward and swung her blade straight at the back of Shine’s neck—the blades were marked with runes to prevent lasting harm, so at most it would leave a bruise. He barely moved his own blade to block the strike.

“Keepeth thy focus upon thine enemy. Thou shouldst knowest that,” Zarya snorted. “'Tis tenet one.”

“I’m well aware of it, thank you.”

Shine twisted his blade up with a hard push to get Zarya off him and gain distance, but Zarya was quick to pounce and strike again, and again, putting Shine on the defensive.

Shine feinted left and moved right, quickly enough that Zarya could not catch him, giving him the chance to swing his own attack her way. She ducked under it; he was swinging too hard and wide, because the lightness of the blade was still difficult to get used to after only a week.

Still, it had thrown her off-balance enough that Shine was able to shove her—with his body, not his sword—out of the way and regain his distance.

“Tenet four: thy blade is not thine only weapon,” Shine muttered, setting into a defensive stance instead, so that his blade was pointed at her and directly above his own head. “You’re a good teacher.”

Zarya scoffed and swung around into an offensive stance—blade pointed at him, but at a higher angle. “And thou art a good student. Have at thee!”

She lunged at him again, striking his defense with a heavy blow. He could barely hold the block because she struck so hard, but was able to push her off. So she struck again from a different angle, and he merely had to slightly angle his tail to block.

He attempted to counter her strike by sliding his sword up to push hers away and then slice down, but her grip was tighter and he could not push her away entirely. The attempt kept their blades locked for a few seconds, during which they were face-to-face and she could feel his heated breath on her nose.

She pushed away to leapt back and switch to a neutral stance, then approached more slowly and swung with quicker, lighter strikes. After a few near-misses, he pushed her away and switched into an offensive stance of his own to move on her.

It was difficult to deal with the amount of power he put into his strikes—now she was wondering if he just wasn’t used to the weight of the blade or was really putting that much power into it on purpose—but she was more than strong enough to parry him. She settled into her own defensive stance.

This went on for a few minutes. One would push the other back, then the other would maneuver around to put the first one on the defensive. The two traded blows expertly, knocked one another around into the nearby walls, weapon racks, and seats, and basically used whatever was available to them in an attempt to win.

At one point, Shine managed to knock Zarya’s weapon loose; she merely leapt aside and grabbed another from the rack before he could strike at her. At another point, Zarya managed to pin Shine against the wall with her hoof, though their blades were locked so that neither could capitalize upon the other until she was knocked away.

Zarya was honestly impressed. Shine was proving to be an excellent student that had learned a great deal in such a short time, enough that she was actually sweating during a duel for the first time in years. Not to mention that they’d actually gotten a few decent hits in on one another over the course of the match. Were this a real fight, she was certain she’d be winning, but that was neither here nor there.

But eventually, after pushing one another away again and standing a few feet apart, breathing heavily and staring each other down and waiting for the other to make a move, Zarya realized that Shine was pushing himself a lot harder than she was. He was breathing more heavily than her. Some of her strikes on him had already started to bruise, while his on her had not. He was absolutely drenched in sweat, while she was only sweating a little.

“Art thou ready to submit?” she asked him, mostly from worry rather than any sense of cockiness.

Shine shook his head. “Never,” he snorted. “I won’t give up that easily.”

“I admire thy dedication and spirit, but thou art tired, 'tis clear as day.”

He lunged at her and started swinging again, composed despite his clear exhaustion. Zarya still had to make an effort to defend herself, so he wasn’t too tired, but he would be soon enough.

“I can’t give up,” he said. “I have to give it all I’ve got. I—”

Zarya slipped out of the clash of blades to swing her sword back around into the back of his head. Shine fell to the floor with a groan.

“Tenet six: keepeth thy mouth shut whilst locked with thine enemy, for thy words art more distracting to thee than to them.” Zarya pushed the dulled tip of her training blade against his neck. “Thou hast lost. Admit defeat.”

Shine looked at the blade, then rolled his eyes and sighed. “Alright, you got me.” He pushed himself up, dropping his blade to the floor in the process. “Looks like I’ve still got a bit more to learn if I’m going to ever challenge you, huh? Maybe in my old style we’d have had a better match.”

Zarya frowned. “Do not maketh such a claim. 'Tis not fair to thy skill to compare thee as thou art now to thy former self.”

Harvey flew down from the rafters and landed next to the pair. “Hey now, that was a very solid attempt you gave there, Shine. I think you probably did better than half of those who’ve attempted before. Look, she’s sweating and everything! I think you even managed to get a few hits in, if I’m not mistaken.”

Shine glanced at Zarya briefly, then smirked. “Well now, look at that, I made you break a sweat and I do see a few bruises. I don’t think I even saw you sweating when we faced down that cynolycus.”

“That cave was freezing,” Zarya noted with a huff. “'Tis difficult to sweat in such cold conditions. Were the beast fought here in this room, I would hath been sweating.”

“Oh ho ho, well now, listen to you getting all defensive about it. I think that I’ve struck a nerve.”

Zarya rolled her eyes. “Thou hast struck little.”

Harvey fluffed his feathers. “Truth be told, that was more exciting to watch than any other duel of yours I’ve ever seen, Zarya.” He clapped Shine on the shoulder. “And you should be proud, my friend. Of all of Zarya’s duels I’ve witnessed, only three others have ever managed to strike her more than once. That right there is an accomplishment worthy of praise.”

“Well, I’ll accept that as a badge of honor, then,” Shine said with a grin. “Now, Zarya, since I’ve clearly lost against you, I’d say that we’re nowhere near ready to claim that my training is complete. You’re just going to have to train me a little longer and a little harder. Right?”

Zarya paused, then smirked. “Yes, it doth seem to be the case.” She gestured towards his training sword. “Taketh up thy blade again, Shine. Let us continue thy training.”

Suddenly, the door into the room burst open, and a zebra messenger—a mare with a cloak and comfortable traveling gear—entered. Without a word, she approached Zarya, passed over a scroll, saluted—hoof to chest—and left.

Shine raised an eyebrow. “What was that all about?”

“'Tis a messenger zebra,” Zarya said. “They art mute. She hath delivered a message to me.” She unrolled the scroll and started to read, and immediately her face fell.

“What’s in the message?” Harvey asked.

Zarya turned to the two of them. “We hath sent scouts to watch the wendigo storm. ‘Twas today that they should hath returned. Only… only one hath made it home.” She shook her head. “The storm approacheth.”

*****

It was horribly early the following morning that the zebras mobilized their defenses to prepare for the coming blizzard, which had blended in so well with the rest of the summer storms that nozebra within the city had noticed its approach until shortly after the only surviving scout had arrived to deliver his report on the matter. The other scouts had been unable to outrun the blizzard; the survivor claimed that it moved towards them with purpose as they tried to flee. An unsettling thought.

The commoners that camped outside the city had been moved inside Zeb’ra’den’s great wall for the first time since the city’s founding hundreds of years before. They and the thousands of other non-combatants within the city had been moved into the great underground shelters beneath the city’s foundation, designed specifically to protect the citizens of the city in the event of a siege. Only the zebras themselves knew of these shelters, and this was the first time they’d ever been used.

Warlord Ziggurat stood behind the great Zeb’ra’den gate, alongside hundreds of zebra soldiers armed with oil-dipped pikes and heavy shields. They formed a wall of steel behind their literal wall of obsidian, heavily armored and ready to fight. A few Maidens Fair—the priestesses of Harmonia—joined their ranks to provide them with Light from their silver staves to help keep the wendigos at bay.

Atop the wall itself were hundreds of zebra archers, the best shots in the land, even as far north as the pony territories. As it had been at Last Breath, they were armed both with longbows as well as oil lanterns, oil tins, and arrows galore with which to fire into the storm as it came towards the gate. As with the pike-zebras, they were accompanied by Maidens Fair to keep them safe and warm.

Both groups were also accompanied by appropriately equipped knights of the Order of the Black Flame. Lord-Commander Zaffir stood beside Warlord Ziggurat, armed with his runic lance and a rune-marked shield, as did seven other Knights whose chosen weapons were lances, pikes, or halberds. Eight of the Order’s number, masters with runic bows, stood atop the walls with the archers. Their flames would bolster the ranks of the soldiers with them, for they could not be extinguished.

Zarya was surprised to see that the defense that had been organized was so similar to her own. Perhaps her defensive strategy hadn’t been bad at all, and the only reason it failed was her lack of numbers and resources? That certainly seemed to be the case, and it relieved her worries quite a lot as she prepared herself for battle. She and the remaining Knights of the Order—such as her uncle, Sir Zircon—made up a second line behind the pike-zebras, weapons ready to spew flames into the wendigos as they clashed with the forward line.

Silver Shine stood with them as well, tall and proud in his old armor, which had been polished and repaired. Though his old longsword was useless against these foes, he’d had a new blade forged of zebircan runic steel. While it could not come alive with fire like Zarya’s could, one of its many runic markings gave it a Light-based glow like the runic staves of the Maidens Fair.

“'Twould be best if thou stayed below in the shelters, Shine,” Zarya grunted as they stood in formation together. “Thou wouldst be safer there, far from this fighting.”

“Absolutely not,” Shine grunted back. “These wendigo bastards took more from me than just my horn. They took my honor as a stallion and as a warrior. They took my dignity as a pony. I will repay them in kind and stop them here. I really wish you’d stop trying to convince me to stay behind.”

Zarya frowned and shook her head. “I merely wisheth thee not to come to any harm here. Thou art my friend, and my worry for thy safety and well-being is great.”

“I’ll be fine, Zarya. Trust me,” Shine said with a slight smile. “Just you watch, we’ll make it out of this alright, and then I’ll ask His Majesty to send you with me—and however many other knights he wants to spare—to see to it that the war up north is put to an end. I’ll show you the northern lands while we’re at it. You’ve never been north of zebra territories, have you?”

“I hath not. I wouldst enjoy an opportunity to see it,” she said with a smile. “Especially with thee.”

“Then just make it out of this with me, and we’ll go up north together to see all there is to see, okay?” Shine rolled his shoulders and took a breath. “That’s all we have to do: make it out of this alive.” With a grunte, he added: “Easier said than done.”

Even from this side of the wall, the blizzard was as clear as day now. The thick, black clouds streaked with white lightning raged overhead. The wendigos would be here in a few minutes.

Warlord Ziggurat drew his massive warhammer from its place on his back and pounded it one, two, three times against the ground. This was the signal to the archer crews atop the wall to ready themselves. Zarya watched as hundreds of arrows glowed along the wall as they were dipped in oil and fire, or in the knights’ cases, sheathed in black flames. She could hear the shouting of commands—”Nock!” for now—from up top coming from the captain that had been placed up there.

The storm got closer, and closer, until the winds and snow started to carry over the wall and fall more fiercely into the entrance square beyond the gate. The “Draw!” command was given. Zarya could hear the horrible shrieking of the wendigos from here, sending a familiar chill down her spine.

Then the “Loose!” command was given, and hundreds of arrows were fired down into the wendigo horde that was below. Another set of commands came after, and hundreds more arrows here lit, nocked, drawn, and loosed into the storm. And another, and another. Each volley was met with screeching from the horde below that Zarya could not see. What she could see what the storm cloud above, which crackled with lightning every time the wendigos were struck.

The wendigos crashed against the obsidian gate now, just as they’d done with the one at Last Breath. The gate rumbled as the horde pressed against it, but it held firm, its powerful, thick barricades holding the obsidian steady. Another volley of arrows soared into the storm, and another, and another. The archers thinned the wendigos’ numbers—so far as Zarya could tell—with the kind of precision she wished had been present at Last Breath.

Then, the army below saw something odd happen on the gate above. The lights were going out—both the Light magics of the runic staves and the lights of the oil lanterns—across the entire length of the wall. The storm itself was moving forward and shrouding over the top of the wall just enough to obscure the entire archery line. Only the black flames were visible now, and soon those too were obscured by the blizzard.

The troops below readied themselves for the gate to break open at any moment, despite the fact that it still looked to be holding perfectly firm. Pikes and shields were raised; the knights—Zarya included—ignited their weapons and stood poised to strike.

They were watching the gate itself, waiting for the wendigos to come crashing through.

They did not expect the wendigos to come from above.

The storm cloud poured wendigos down across the top of the wall like an avalanche. The creatures came crashing down against the middle of the zebra lines, rather than through the front, and immediately sent the entire army into total disarray.

Everything happened so fast that Zarya could only react to what was going on in the moment. She’d expected to serve as a mid-range firing line behind the pike-zebras, not to be trying to protect herself and the regular soldiers as they were set upon from all directions.

Wendigos moved left and right like icy wind, tearing into soldiers and ripping apart their armor and shields, freezing those that stood fast with their chilled breaths, and dousing the non-magical flames nearby with streams of wind and snow. The fear in the air seemed to be making them stronger, faster, and tougher than Zarya remembered.

Zarya did what she could to strike against her foes with fiery justice and power, but there were so many of the creatures that for every one she tore apart with her blade and flames, two more seemed to take its place. The storm above continued to pour more and more wendigos into the entrance square until there were hundreds of the beasts in their midst, and yet still they kept coming.

She lost track of everything around her eventually as the wendigos swirled around the army like a whirlwind of ice and snow, their shrieks drowning out any attempt to communicate with one another. She took solace in two things at the moment: she knew where her uncle was—the shape of his flaming blade was unique and easy to spot—and she knew where Shine was, since his sword glowed bright gold. If she lost either one of them in the chaos, that was when she would truly worry.

But, as quickly as the attack had started, it just as quickly seemed to end. In the chaos of battle, Zarya had lost complete track of time, knowing not how long the fighting had been going on until the last wendigo that had descended into their ranks shattered apart. Had it been three minutes? Five? Twenty?

The storm above sank back behind the wall again, and the winds and snow died down to normal. The square went eerily quiet and calm.

Zarya looked about at the carnage that had been wrought. They had started the battle with nearly one thousand pike-zebras; now, they had less than one hundred. She had no idea if any of the archers had survived, but nozebra was descending from the wall to meet with the army, and no lights went back on above them, even the black flames of the knights.

Only two Maidens Fair remained, one of whom was High Priestess Zeolite, though her runic staff was shattered and she was limping, her right hindleg torn open quite viciously. The other priestess tended to the wounds as best she could, but there was little that could be done without proper healers present.

Warlord Ziggurat had made it out alright, though his armor had been ripped open and he was clearly wounded quite severely. He could barely hoist up his hammer and was breathing heavily, no doubt due to a pierced lung and cracked ribs.

Lord-Commander Zaffir, however, to Zarya’s shock and dismay, had fallen. His frozen body was near the front of the formation, his lance several feet away from him and his tail torn; he’d been disarmed somehow. Worse, the Order itself had suffered severe losses. Their number going into the fight had been exactly one hundred. Now it was forty-seven, assuming all of the archers had fallen.

Zircon, who’d been near Zarya for most of the battle, placed his hoof upon the frozen face of the Lord-Commander, looking quite sullen indeed, and Zarya knew exactly why: he was the Lord-Commander now, having been Zaffir’s second-in-command. This was definitely not how anyzebra in the Order had expected the rites of leadership to be transferred over.

Before the troops had any chance for reprieve, however, the gate gave a loud crunch, drawing the attention of the entire entrance square.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Shine muttered.

Zarya glanced up, and saw the storm was rising again. “'Tis not the end of the blizzard. They cometh again.” She turned to Zircon and frowned. “They cometh again, Lord-Commander! What is thy command?”

Lord-Commander Zircon glanced about at the forces that remained, then drew up his blade and turned to Warlord Ziggurat. “Ziggurat, we must sound the retreat. Now. For our troops, more deaths we cannot allow,” he said, adjusting his former meter to the new one befitting his rank.

The door crunched again, and several large chunks of obsidian fell into the square.

“'Tis not in zebra blood to flee, or to runneth away,” Ziggurat grunted as he pulled himself to his hooves. “We must stand and fight, Lord-Commander! We shalt win the day!”

Another loud crunch of the gate.

“No, my friend, 'tis not a fight we can win.” Zircon gestured out amongst the remaining troops. “As thou canst see, our forces runneth thin. The king must be told of what happened here, of losses defending our city dear.”

Ziggurat frowned, then looked at the gate again as it gave another loud crunch. The huge wooden barricade keeping it shut was cracking open. After a moment, he nodded, then hoisted his hammer—with great difficulty—into the air. “Soldiers of Zeb’ra’den, falleth back to the shelter!” he ordered as he walked—also with great difficulty—towards the gate.

Zircon stepped forward, clearly concerned. “What are thou doing? They will soon attack!”

Ziggurat smiled and shoved Zircon away. “Thou shalt need time to retreat. I shalt holdeth these beasts back. I hath been badly wounded. I wouldst merely slow thee down.”

“'Tis suicide! Acteth not like some clown!”

“He shalt not stand alone, my friend,” said High Priestess Zeolite as she stood beside Ziggurat, carrying the runic staff that had belonged to the other priestess, who now stood with the other soldiers. “Taketh the survivors below. This will not be our city’s end. We may perish, but thou must go.”

Zircon looked between the two of them in dismay. As he opened his mouth to object, the gate gave another great lurch, and started to crack open, letting in a fearsome gust of wind. He clearly saw that there was no time to argue, so he nodded with a sullen frown on his face and turned back towards the soldiers.

“We retreat into the shelters!” he ordered.

Zarya started after him, as ordered, but took the time to briefly look back at Warlord Ziggurat and High Priestess Zeolite—both injured and ill-equipped—as they prepared to give their lives to buy them a few precious moments. They were brave, honorable warriors. Zeb’ra’den would remember them.

*****

King Zaratite sat in an isolated room in one of the shelters beneath the city, alone. The room, like all the others down here, was built not for comfort but for necessity, and as such only had what was needed to survive: a source of heat—a large lantern in the case—a place to sleep, and a place to store food and water.

His Majesty was not at all pleased with the report. “My nephew, is what thou sayeth true? Hath we lost?”

Zircon nodded glumly. “'Tis true, my liege, and it came with great cost. Many soldiers hath fallen; leaders, too. Our numbers were great, but now they art few.”

Zarya, who Zircon had brought along, unofficially making her his second-in-command, stepped forward to speak. “The wendigo storm was too great, fueled by our fear, anger, and hate.”

Zaratite paced back and forth in the room, shaking his head. “So much sorrow, these wendigos hath caused for me. I see just one choice: from Zeb’ra’den, we must flee.”

Zircon’s eyes widened. “Flee, Your Majesty? Abandon our home?”

“Yes, nephew. Into the western snows, we must roam. We hath not the might to face these wendigos now. We must regroup and try again. I know just how. We shalt call for aid from our old allies, House Snow. With our friends at our side, we can win. This I know.”

Zarya turned to Zircon and nodded. “'Tis what I should hath done before. How great the threat, I didst ignore.”

Zircon pondered this for a moment, then bowed to Zaratite. “Uncle… Thy Majesty, thy will be done. The battle is lost; the war has begun.”

Chapter Twenty-One: Embrace

“That certainly is quite a tale, darling,” Rarity said as Zarya concluded her story, gently patting Zarya’s hoof in consolation. “I am truly sorry to hear of the horrible losses you and your kingdom have sustained over these past months. These wendigos are truly monstrous beasts in this world compared to mine.”

She, Sundial, and Zarya were still awake in Zarya’s tent late that night, though it was already past midnight when Zarya had finally finished speaking. The lantern had stayed lit and warm throughout the night, so listening to the story had been quite a comfortable experience despite the gruesome, harrowing content. The quiet from outside the tent—minus the slow winds—was enough indication that they were pretty much the only ones in the camp still awake.

Zarya shook her head and gave Rarity a small smile. “'Tis not something to hath sorrow over, Lady Rarity, though I appreciate thy concern and kind words. Instead of sorrow, hath faith instead. Faith that Zeb’ra’den can be retaken from the monsters that hath intruded on our lands and taken so many lives.”

“I certainly have faith that you and your fellow zebras will succeed, especially with this army of House Snow’s at your back.” Rarity set her hoof on Zarya’s cheek and gave her a sincere smile. “And you’ll have my support as well. If there’s anything I can do to help, I’ll do it. I promise.”

Sundial grunted and shook her head. “Sounds ta me like this situation is worse than I thought it was when Lady Snowstorm first told us, ta be perfectly honest. I wasn’t expecting ta have ta charge through a bloody army o’ these wendigos ta get ta the Beacon, aye?”

“Thy path will be simpler than that, I can assure thee,” Zarya said with a nod. “If thou art insistent upon entering into the city and reaching the Beacon, then thou only needst reach the entrance to the tunnels beneath the city, which is a safe distance away. Thou canst reach the Beacon from there without the wendigos giving thee trouble.”

“Aye, that’s handy—”

Zarya held up a hoof. “'Tis not the place for discussing our war plans, Miss Sundial. When we hath arrived at our staging area, then thou canst speak with the Lord-Commander to devise thy strategy.”

Sundial leaned back and sighed. “Well, at least take some solace in the fact that if this foolhardy plan o’ mine works and the Key diffuses the Beacon, all of the Light magic released should bloody well destroy the wendigos in one go, since they’re created by Dark magics.”

Zarya’s eyes widened. “Art thou certain of this? Wouldst thy plan really accomplish such a feat?”

“We can only hope it does.” Sundial then yawned and stretched her forelegs out. “But like ye said, we’ll discuss it with yer uncle when we get ta our destination. Might as well get some sleep for now, seeing as we’ve got a few days o’ travel ahead o’ us, aye?”

“Yes, the trek to the staging area will taketh three more days at our current pace. We will then likely taketh some time to maketh a plan of attack. Thou shalt hath time to develop thine own strategy for what is to come and presenteth it to mine uncle.”

Sundial nodded and stood up. “Well, good luck ta all o’ us then, I suppose.” She turned to Rarity. “You should get some sleep too, lass. We’ve got a long march ahead tomorrow.”

Rarity nodded. “I will, Sundial, thank you.”

Sundial then headed out of the tent. Rarity heard her speaking briefly with Weaver, then the both of them headed off together for their tent. Venture must’ve already headed off to sleep or went elsewhere hours ago, since Rarity didn’t hear the other mare’s excitable voice.

Rarity then stood up as well and turned back to Zarya. “She’s right, of course, I really must be getting some rest for the journey ahead. I’ve never marched before, you see, so this has already been a rather rough day. Thank you again for sharing your story with me, Zarya.”

“Thou art welcome, Lady Rarity,” Zarya said with a smile. “And thanketh thee for sharing thine own tale. Betwixt our two stories, I hath nothing but certainty that thy reunion with mine uncle will be a happy one. He hath been in low spirits since the battle at the city gates. Thy presence shalt light a fire in his heart.”

Rarity smiled back. “I certainly hope so, darling. You should get some sleep, too.”

“I will.”

Rarity then stepped out of the tent and headed off towards her own to catch some much-needed shut-eye.

*****

The House Snow army marched for three days through the fierce southern snowstorms before they arrived at their destination early in the evening at the end of the third day. Their destination was a zebra encampment at the base of the western mountains which led up into the Hippogriff Commonwealth and Astropolis. The camp was rather small at the moment—only a few dozen large tents of zebra design—but grew tremendously in size as House Snow’s army settled in to make their own preparations for the coming battle, setting up tents of their own.

The camp itself was bustling with activity now that House Snow had arrived to reinforce the zebra troops. Based on the count that Zarya had given of the surviving soldiers and knights during her story, Rarity figured that the zebras has bolstered their numbers the only way they could: recruiting the common folk into their ranks. Even then, their numbers weren’t nearly as large as they had been before, only a few hundred strong, and they were not nearly as well-equipped as Rarity knew they should be.

At the moment, Rarity walked through the camp alongside the others of her traveling party, following behind Zarya, Shine, and Harvey as they made for the southern edge of the camp, situated against the mountainside. It had been a couple of hours since their arrival, but Lady Snowstorm was entitled to meet with Lord-Commander Zircon first to begin preparing her own army for what was to come and to get a full assessment of the situation from—and the character of—the zebras’ military leader.

“I only see soldiers and the like here, Zarya,” Bluebolt noted as she looked about. “Where’s King Zaratite? Where are all of the other zebras, like the civilians and lords and stuff?”

“His Majesty hath led the other noncombatants into the mountains,” Zarya explained, gesturing towards the western peaks. “Our hippogriff allies hath agreed to provideth shelter for them. Should we fail, they are all that is left of our kingdom, and 'tis their duty to rebuild. 'Twould be folly to sacrifice so many.”

“The council of Astropolis was very gracious with their offers of assistance, both with shelter and food and supplies,” Harvey said with a smile. “They’ve even made contact with our own allies in House Wind to the north to try and aid the zebras as much as possible. It’s the most we could do since we’re not really warriors ourselves.”

“Really? House Wind has forces here already?” Bluebolt asked.

Harvey gestured off towards a few smaller tents on the mountainside, separate from the main camp. “House Wind’s larger army is scheduled to arrive in a few days and will meet the coalition forces in the field. The soldiers stationed in their embassy have volunteered to join our ranks for now, of course.”

“It sounds like you guys are really trying to put things together here to get this done,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “Maybe I should get word to my mom and dad. I bet they’d send help this way, too, if I told them what was happening. Zeb’ra’den is our ally, after all.”

“We still have no idea if the NPAF even attacked Hope’s Point yet,” Symphony grunted, shaking her head. “I’m starting to get worried that we haven’t heard anything from up north. Your parents would have sent a messenger or something to find you as soon as there was anything to say.”

“Maybe that means there’s nothing to say?” Bluebolt suggested. Then, she sighed. “I hope that just means the NPAF hasn’t attacked yet for some reason, not that something awful has happened.”

“Have faith, you two,” Shine said. “Your city’s reputation is well-earned. I’m certain that everything is going according to Queen Blackburn’s designs.”

Bluebolt grinned. “Thanks, Shiny. I appreciate that.”

Weaver shook his head. “I think that there is a different reason to worry. If the NPAF hasn’t attacked yet, that would imply they waited. But why would they wait? Even with your warning, Princess, they still had ample time to strike before Hope’s Point was fully ready. And if not for your warning, they’d have the element of surprise.”

Symphony nodded. “Yeah, right? It’s been bugging me for days now. What the hell’s going on up north?”

“I just hope everypony’s okay,” Flurry muttered.

“Well, there’s not much we can do about it down here now, aye? We just have ta push forward and do what we came here ta do, and worry about the north later.”

Zarya gestured up ahead at a fairly large tent on the edge of the camp. “Ah, there, 'tis mine uncle’s tent.” She then stood in front of the group and gestured for them to stop. “But, if I might maketh a request? Waiteth here for now, all of thee.”

“What? Why?” Sundial asked.

Zarya then looked to Rarity and smiled, gesturing for her to continue forward. “'Tis my belief that this hath been a long time coming, Lady Rarity. I wouldst not wish to delay it any further.”

Rarity’s heart had been pounding in her chest the entire time she’d been walking through the camp, but knowing they were getting closer and closer just made it beat faster and faster, and seeing the tent there in the distance nearly made her heart leap into her chest. She was so close.

She smiled and nodded at Zarya. “Thank you, dear. This means the world to me.”

Bloom smiled and patted Rarity’s shoulder. “Go get ‘im, Rarity.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Aye, just don’t take too long. We’ve got important matters ta discuss with the Lord-Commander, too.”

“Of course, dear, I wouldn’t dream of imposing myself on these matters,” Rarity said with a smile. “I’ll have all the time in the world to spend with him once this is all said and done, but I just need a few minutes here and now, you understand?”

Rarity took a deep breath, then set off towards the indicated tent alone. She walked past dozens of zebra soldiers and knights, several of them stopping to look or point in her direction. A distant memory came to mind from her last journey through these lands, recalling that the zebras considered her some sort of physical manifestation of Harmonia herself because of her coloring and beauty. Even with Harmonia in a mortal body of her own—she wasn’t sure how many zebras knew that truth—apparently such was still the case.

She walked with confidence, head held high, her heart beating faster with every step until she was sure it would burst right out of her chest. The soldiers parted to let her pass through without a word or a gesture from her. She was beginning to think there was more to this than she’d thought. How many zebras knew of Zircon’s sculpting hobby, she wondered. Likely most of the Order did—each knight she passed looked at her with a glimmer of familiarity—but did the other soldiers, too? Surely not all of them.

She made her way past the last line of zebras and tents and reached the Lord-Commander’s tent, and as she did, her heart leapt up into her throat. Zircon was standing there just outside the tent flaps speaking with a pair of soldiers and issuing orders or something to that effect, though she couldn’t tell what and she didn’t care. All that mattered to her was that he was right there in front of her, only a dozen feet or so away.

As soon as the two soldiers left to go do whatever it was Zircon had told them to do, he took a moment then looked out into the camp, and he saw her as well.

It was at that moment that time stopped completely. Not literally, of course, but as far as Rarity was concerned, everything in the world around her seemed to freeze in place as she and Zircon locked eyes from across the snow. They, too, were frozen in time, just looking at one another with stunned dispositions. Rarity couldn’t feel the snow under her hooves anymore, or the wind in her mane, or the cold gripping at her sides and nose.

When she finally found the strength to walk, she didn’t just walk, she ran. She ran to him like her life depended on it, and he did the same towards her. They met in the middle and embraced one another, and it wasn’t until that moment that the world seemed to come unstuck from its lapse in time and Rarity senses worked again.

She could feel his strong forelegs around her, his hooves upon her back. She could feel the warmth of his body pressed against hers. She could smell him as she pressed her muzzle against his neck and by the stars above he smelled exactly like she remembered, a husky, pleasant musk that stirred her mind in just the right way. He even looked just like she remembered, ruggedly handsome with just the right amount of dashing charm, only older, but no less the peak of masculinity he’d once been.

In a fleeting moment before that Rift portal had torn itself open, she’d seen a vision of an older Zircon, but had at the time thought it was just her imagination getting ahead of her. Seeing him now, he looked exactly like that brief vision had.

As she broke the embrace briefly to look him in the eyes, tears of joy welled in her own and began to trickle down her cheeks. She didn’t hesitate for an instant to lean up and kiss him deeply, and was pleased that he wasn’t given pause and joined her in the act with the enthusiasm she remembered and enjoyed so much. She’d never forgotten what this felt like, how it made her heart flutter and her stomach twist, and now more than ever she was glad to feel those things again.

When she finally pulled away from the kiss, she couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the bewildered expression on his face.

“Rarity, how is that thou hast come back to me?” he asked, his voice just as deep and lovely as she remembered.

“It’s a rather long story, sweetheart,” she said, putting a hoof to his cheek. “We’ll have time for that later, though. Let’s not waste a single second on such things until the time is right. Right now, let’s just focus on us and this moment, hmm?”

He pulled her in for a tight embrace, running his hooves through her mane. “My heart hath ached for thee. I hath felt as though a part of my soul flew away with thee and wouldst never return. Seeing thee again, holding thee in this embrace, 'tis a moment I hath only seen in my dreams.”

“Mine too, Zircon. Mine too.” She leaned her head against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. “I’ve missed you so much, more than anything in my world, yours, or the next. I’ve dreamt of this moment for twenty-one long years.”

Zircon pulled back from the embrace to look down at her and smile. “Thou hast returned to me, my love. Thou hast returned to me in the darkest hour of zebrakind. 'Tis the greatest sign of hope that couldst ever be asked for. My spirits hath been lifted higher than they hath ever been, not since I first laid mine eyes upon thy beautiful face.”

Rarity smiled, leaned up, and kissed him again. “I’ve missed this. I’ve missed you, my love. So, so much.” She pulled back from the embrace and let out a breath; she didn’t want to let him go. “We shall have more time to be together. But for now, Lord-Commander, I do believe that you have business to attend to.” She gestured behind her, where Zarya was just now leading the others forward. “Ah, what excellent timing.”

Zarya stepped forward and bowed before her uncle. “Lord-Commander, I hath returned.”

“Well done, Dame Zarya. My thanks thou hath earned,” Zircon replied with a nod. She looked to the others of the group that had gathered together, giving small nods to Shine and Harvey. “'Tis quite a collection of ponies that hath come to our encampment this evening. Might I inquire as to who hast come here? What art thy names and titles?”

Bluebolt moved her way forward and gave a smile and a slight nod to Zircon. “Greetings, Lord-Commander. I’m Princess Bluebolt of Hope’s Point. I believe you’re well-acquainted with my mom and dad, Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood?”

Zircon tilted his head, then smiled and bowed to her. “Ah, Princess, I didst not recognize thee. I hath not set mine eyes upon thee since thy last visit to Zeb’ra’den, and that was many long years ago. Thou hast grown much since then. But I am confused. What art thou doing here, and without thy parents?”

“It’s a long story,” Bluebolt said with a shrug.

Zircon looked briefly at Rarity with a small grin. “'Twould seem there art many ‘long stories’ to be shared.”

“No, just the one,” Rarity replied with a grin of her own. “If you want the short version, I met Bluebolt up north when I traveled back to your world, though the latter was rather on accident I’m afraid. She and her friends have helped me and my friends come down south so that we could return home again… and so that I could find you, of course.”

“'Tis a long tale they hath to share,” Zarya noted with a nod to Rarity.

“I see. Then I shall maketh time to spare,” Zircon replied with a nod of his own. He turned back to the others, not looking to anypony in particular. “And who art thou, then, who hath come all this way and helped my Rarity to returneth to me?”

Symphony bowed briefly. “I’m Sweet Symphony, Bluebolt’s bodyguard. I think we met once on her last visit, so I don’t know if you remember me. I wasn’t her bodyguard at the time, we were just friends.”

“She practically had to beg her dad to come along,” Bluebolt added with a grin.

Zircon shook his head. “Forgiveth me if I doth not recall our meeting.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Symphony said, waving off the thought with a hoof. “I figured you wouldn’t. I’d only just taken up an interest in swords and stuff, but I was too nervous to ask anyzebra about the stuff at the time.”

Shine snorted. “I’m finding it hard to believe that there was ever a time that you were nervous, Symphony, especially in regards to swords and swordfighting.”

“Thou art a swordfighter?” Zircon asked, eyebrow raised. He noticed the two swords on her back and nodded. “Ah, yes, I see that thou carrieth two blades of thine own. 'Tis a pleasure to meet a fellow swordfighter.” He paused a moment, gazing at the hilt of her rapier. “Hmm… why dost that hilt seemeth familiar?”

Symphony smiled and drew out her rapier first. “I’ve been training in the zebra-style as well as the water dancing style of House Waters. Shiny told me you’d be interested in knowing about that. Oh, and that I was taught by the former Lord Stillwater—”

Zircon smiled, eyes wide with surprise. “Truly? Lord Stillwater hath trained thee? Ah, 'twould explain that rapier.” He chuckled and shook his head. “'Tis a small world that I wouldst encounter his student after so many years. Thou wouldst hath only been a filly when I dueled him. 'Twas the greatest duel of my life, against the finest opponent I hath ever faced in fair combat.”

“Oh man, I wish I’d been old enough to see that fight,” Symphony gushed. “Master Stillwater talked about it all the time. He said you were the only zebra warrior that he’d ever truly respected as a swordfighter back then. Something about how you moved was different from the average zebra, I guess?”

“Ha! What a boon our meeting is, then. I wouldst love to speaketh with thee about thy master, if thou wouldst permit it?”

“Sure! It’d be an honor.”

“And what of thine other blade?”

Symphony drew out her runic longsword. “Well, as I said, I also trained in the zebra-style under a zebra named Zyra. This is her sword, which she gifted to me recently because she felt I was ready for it. She thinks I’ve truly come into my own with the zebrican swordfighting style.”

“She’s not bad,” Shine added, nudging Symphony slightly.

Zircon tilted his head. “Zyra? That name doth sound familiar.”

“She was a Priestess of Layk down here a long time ago, but moved up north a few months before I was born.” Symphony paused, then smiled wide. “Oh! She’s married to Lord Stillwater, by the way.”

Zircon’s jaw dropped. “By Harmonia, 'tis truly a small world, then. Ha! What a wonderful turn of events. I shalt hath to remember to sendeth some manner of congratulatory message their way.”

Sundial cleared her throat. “Oy, forgive me for interrupting this thrilling little conversation, but it’s bloody freezing out here and we have a few important matters ta discuss, aye?”

Symphony blushed and coughed. “Right, right, sorry. Got kind of caught up in the moment.” She gestured briefly at Shine. “Shiny here’s the only other pony I can talk with about swords and stuff, but he’s un coglione.”

Shine grunted. “Wow, and after all that I’ve done for you, telling you all about Lord-Commander Zircon and stuff? For shame, Symphony. For shame.”

Sundial rolled her eyes, then held out her hoof towards Zircon. “I’m Sundial, Lord-Commander. It’s a pleasure ta finally meet you after spending the last few months listening ta how great ye are from Rarity here.”

Zircon took her hoof and shook it. “'Tis a pleasure to meet thee as well, Miss Sundial.” He glanced briefly at Rarity with a little smile. “Hast Rarity spoken highly of me?”

“Aye, she has. Yer niece, too, and even my predecessor, Tick Tock. Between the three o’ them I’ve got some bloody high expectations of ye.”

Zircon smiled and nodded. “Ah, Mrs. Tock too, then? Then that wouldst make thee a Chronomancer, yes? 'Tis quite a collection that thou hast heard tales from. I hope I liveth up to thine expectations.” He then looked to Weaver. “And who art thou?”

Weaver bowed slightly. “I’m Weaver, Lord-Commander, though I don’t have a title or anything like that. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Zircon nodded in response, then turned to Venture. “And—”

Venture practically leapt forward and grabbed Zircon’s hoof, shaking it ecstatically. “Hi there! My name’s Venture, and I’m the world’s finest and foremost explorer, treasure hunter, archaeologist, and adventurer, yes sir, and that’s the truth. I’ve heard so much about you, Sir Zircon, sorry, Lord-Commander Zircon.”

Zircon smiled and nodded at Venture. “Thou art a bubbly one, Miss Venture. Quite full of pep and energy.”

“That’s what they tell me! So, hey, I’ve got a question for you: you were there when Lord Silvertongue himself showed up at the southern Beacon, right?”

Zircon frowned. “Yes, I was. 'Tis still a sore spot for mine honor that I allowed the traitor Silvertongue to murder Warden Mémoire—”

Venture shook her head. “From everything I know about that event, Lord-Commander, you did what you could. Silvertongue was a master manipulator, and he’d manipulated zebra culture in the ancient past to the point that they revered him as a hero even hundreds of years later.”

“'Tis no excuse for my behavior towards the Warden,” Zircon said, hanging his head.

“I beg to differ! If your greatest zebra hero, say, Princess Zarya herself showed up on your doorstep, you’d listen to anything she said, wouldn’t you?”

“I suppose so.”

“See? So don’t beat yourself up over it, hmm? There were a lot of factors in play during that fight, so you can’t just go blaming yourself for it all, okay?”

Zircon paused, then tilted his head. “How is it that thou knowest so much of the battle? 'Twas mine understanding that few outside that courtyard were aware of exactly what happened?”

“Oh! Well, like I said, I do a lot of research on a lot of things, y’know? I know it was a fairly recent event, but it was a pretty significant one, wasn’t it? I wouldn’t be the history expert if I didn’t know everything there was to know about the most significant event to occur in our world since the Beacons were first erected, would I?”

“No, I supposeth not.” Zircon shook his head. “Well, 'tis a pleasure to meet thee, Miss Venture.” He then turned to Apple Bloom and waited for her introduction.

“Howdy!” Bloom said, offering her hoof. “Name’s Apple Bloom. I’m from the same place as Rarity is. I think y’all knew mah sister, Applejack?”

Zircon’s eyes widened as he took her hoof in his. “Truly? Thou hast come from so far from thy home? For what reason hast thou come all this way?”

“Well, long story short, I kind o’ got wrapped up in things when Rarity came over by accident, like she said. It’s really kind o’ complicated, yeah? So, uh, mah sis didn’t really talk about ya much, but I’ve heard a lot from Rarity since we got here, and if you’re anythin’ like what I’ve been hearin’, I’ve got faith in ya.”

Zircon smiled. “Well, 'tis a pleasure to meet thee, then. Thy sister was a brave, mighty warrior as well, from mine understanding. I had hoped to perchance partake in a duel with her at some point. 'Tis a shame.” He then turned to Flurry. “Ah, and the last of the group, 'twould seem. Who art thou?”

Flurry bowed and smiled. “I’m Princess Flurry Heart, Lord-Commander. I’m friends with Apple Bloom and Rarity, and, um, I guess you could say that I’m at least partly responsible for the three of us being here. It was an accident, like we said, but it seems like it was a happy little accident in the end, wasn’t it?”

Zircon smiled and looked at Rarity. “Yes, 'twould seemeth so, Princess Heart,” he said with a bow. “I hath hope that I can soon welcome thee properly to Zeb’ra’den, as is proper.”

“I hope so too. Um… oh! I also think you know my aunt, Twilight Sparkle. Is that right?”

“Aha!” Zircon chuckled. “Yes, I remember thine aunt quite well. Quite a powerful unicorn mage, if my memory doth serve correctly. I traveled with her briefly on the road to Zeb’ra’den, alongside Rarity and the soon-to-be King Lockwood.” He shook his head and smiled. “Well, this meeting—this day—hath proven quite exciting, 'twould seem.”

Sundial cleared her throat again. “So, uh, now that we’ve got the introductions all over and done with, Lord-Commander, can we speak about the plans ye have for the attack on Zeb’ra’den? I have very important business in the city—world-changing stuff—and I’m coming with you and the army when ye move out.”

Zircon raised an eyebrow. “What sort of ‘world-changing’ business?”

“The Beacon. I have with me the means to ‘diffuse’ it and release the Light magic still inside back out into the world. Long story short, it’s probably why the world’s in such a sorry state at the moment, what with the war going on up north and the wendigos down here. If I can get to the Beacon and diffuse it, it’s my theory that it might just wipe out the wendigos in one go.”

Zircon was given clear pause. “Thou art serious, I can see it in thine eyes. If this be true, then my hopes for our success riseth higher still.” He then shook his head. “But 'tis late this evening, and thou hast marched long and far. Lady Snowstorm hast arranged a war meeting upon the morn. Thou art welcome to attend. Consider this a formal invitation.”

Sundial grunted, then nodded. “Fine, I suppose I can wait until tomorrow. I could do with a good night’s sleep anyway.”

Zircon nodded in return, then turned back to the rest of the group and gestured out into the camp. “Friends and guests, please, useth our camp as thou needest. There is food aplenty for thee to partake in. Upon the morrow, we can discusseth matters further, but for tonight, please rest and relax. 'Twould be unkind of me to push thee further after such a march.”

“Thanks, Lord-Commander,” Bluebolt said with a bow. “We appreciate your hospitality in these trying times.”

Shine smirked. “You’re getting better at this whole diplomacy business, Cousin. That was very well said.”

“She doesn’t need your praise, Shiny,” Symphony huffed.

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Alright, alright, come along then, everypony, let’s get a move on and get ourselves situated in the camp, aye? We’ve gotta get our tents set up and grab some food before bed.”

With that, the group headed off into the camp, excepting Zarya, Shine, and Harvey—as they weren’t part of that group—and Rarity, who remained behind without any objections from anypony. Flurry turned and gave Rarity a little wink before she left, though, which Rarity returned with a knowing smile.

Zircon then turned to Zarya, Shine, and Harvey, and addressed the three of them as one. “Thou hast done well in bringing House Snow here with such haste. With their numbers, we hath the opportunity to taketh back Zeb’ra’den from the wendigos.” He then turned briefly to Rarity. “And thou hast brought me hope beyond hope, as well.”

Zarya saluted—hoof to her chest—and smiled. ‘'Twould seem we hath luck on our side. We shall faceth our foe with pride.”

Zircon saluted back to Zarya. “Thou art dismissed.”

The trio nodded as one, then headed off into the camp, leaving Zircon and Rarity alone again. Zircon turned to Rarity and made to speak, but Rarity set a hoof to his lips before he could.

“Zircon, my love, I have just one question for you,” she said, pulling herself closer to him and looking him in the eyes.

“Yes?” he asked, pulling her into an embrace.

“Your tent. Would you say you have a great deal of privacy in there? Such that nobody—zebra, pony, or otherwise—would disturb you for, say… an hour or so?”

Zircon paused, then smiled and nodded. “Yes. Yes I would.”

“Good.” Rarity leaned up and kissed him again. “Very good.”

*****

Early the following morning, the war meeting was ready to get underway in Lady Snowstorm’s personal tent on the north end of camp, which was large enough to hold more than a dozen ponies if needed. Zircon was the first to arrive, naturally, and did so with Rarity at his side. Sundial, Weaver, Bluebolt, and Symphony arrived shortly thereafter, followed soon by Zarya and Shine.

“Is zis all of participants?” asked Lady Snowstorm as the last two walked in.

Zircon nodded as he looked around the room. “No others art needed for these proceedings, so far as I am concerned. If thou wouldst call this meeting to order, Lady Snowstorm?”

“Da.”

But, just before Lady Snowstorm was about to continue, Venture wandered into the tent. Well, more crashed into the tent, as though she’d been running and tripped. “Oh, um, hey! I was wondering if I might sit in for this little… sorry, not little, important meeting you guys are having, if it’s not too much trouble?”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Uh, sure, I guess?”

Sundial grunted. “Just so ye know, everyone here—pony or zebra—is offering some sort o’ contribution ta what’s coming, though, so unless ye’ve got something ta provide us with that might be helpful—”

“Oh, absolutely!” Venture said with a grin. “I wouldn’t expect you guys to let me in unless I could offer something, right? I think I’ve made perfectly clear many, many times, I’m the world’s leading authority on anything and everything historical. I can tell you some things about the wendigos that you might find useful.”

Shine tilted his head, clearly not buying it. “Something more useful than firsthoof experience?”

Venture nodded excitedly. “Yup! I’ve researched every book and record known to zebras and ponies both, so even if I’ve never fought against these things like you have, I can tell you how to expect them to fight going forward.”

“Harvey hath already researched much on the subject,” Zarya interjected, shaking her head. “What dost thou know that he hath not found? He hath searched through every record on these beasts in the Order’s archives, and he didst not find anything that could hath prevented our loss.”

Venture sheepishly ran her hoof through her mane. “Well, uh, I could’ve told you all about that little technique they used. The Order’s archives didn’t mention it because the wendigos never faced the Order at Zeb’ra’den—it wasn’t built yet—but the wendigos used that technique to overrun old pony outposts that were further south back in those days. There are some records of it in Utopia’s archives.”

Zarya blinked, astounded. “Truly? Then thou hast information that might be of help?”

“I certainly hope so, yeah.” Venture then gestured to Sundial. “Plus, I’ve got a lot of information on the Beacons and how they worked and stuff. I’d be useful for Sundial’s part in all of this.”

Sundial scoffed. “Ye’re saying ye know how ta use the Beacon Key or something like that, lass?”

Venture nodded. “Yup! That stuff was stored in old zebra records, seeing as they built the thing and all that, but I don’t think anyone would have had reason to go looking through it before now, right? I asked Harvey and even he had no idea what I was talking about!”

Shine chuckled. “Well, if you know something Harvey doesn’t, then you’re welcome to join in as far as I’m concerned.”

Bluebolt nodded. “I agree, we could always use extra information on what’s going on, right?”

Zircon pondered this for a moment, then nodded as well. “'Tis logical, and I see no reason why not to allow Miss Venture to be present.” He gestured towards the table they were all standing around, which had a map of the zebra territories on it. “Come, standeth with us.”

Venture smiled and approached the table. “Thanks, everyone. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed to have me along.”

“I certainly hope not,” Sundial grunted. She turned to Zircon and Snowstorm. “So, now that that’s out of the way, what’s our big strategy?”

Snowstorm traced her hoof along the map from a marker indicating their camp towards Zeb’ra’den, stopping at another marker that was several miles west of the city. “Our army marches east towards Zeb’ra’den, to zis point. Lord-Commander Zircon said tunnels into city start here.”

Zircon nodded. “'Tis a long tunnel, and it will take hours to traverse, but 'tis the only route into the city while the wendigo blizzard surrounds it. 'Tis buried under the snow. Thou wouldst not find it without prior knowledge.”

“Speaking o’ the blizzard, what are we supposed to do about the wendigos?” asked Sundial. “If they’re all in the city when we show up, I don’t like our chances of getting to the Beacon even if the tunnel opened up right under it. Weaver and I can’t exactly fight all those things off.”

“And me! I’ll be there too!” Venture chimed in.

Zircon tapped his hoof on a marker placed west of the city, a few miles northeast of the tunnel entrance and a few dozen miles west of Zeb’ra’den itself. “After thou hast taken the tunnel entrance, our armies shalt march here and draw the wendigos out of the city to faceth them in honorable combat.”

Sundial paled. “Bloody hell, you’re going ta engage them out in the open? That’s suicide.”

Zircon shook his head. “We hath no other choice. Even were we to move further towards the city, we wouldst not be able to meet them anywhere else but in the open tundra. We shalt do what we can to preventeth us from becoming surrounded by the storm.”

Venture tapped her chin. “Well, since they’re such a unique enemy, and since their main tactic when fighting in the open is to surround their prey in a whirlwind, your best bet is to adapt and adopt a new formation for your armies. When you make ready for battle, form a ring instead of a line.”

“Aye, that’d probably work,” Sundial agreed. “And if there’s nothing but flat ground all around ye, they can’t come from above, can they? Seems like yer best option if ye’re gonna just engage them like that.”

Snowstorm shook her head and sighed. “Even so, we will take losses. Many losses. But this plan is best we have, da? I don’t like it, but even wiz House Wind’s reinforcements arriving at battle line, we do not have numbers to retake city. Your Beacon idea is only option, even if only a theory.”

“We wouldst need other Houses to joineth us in the battle,” Zarya noted, gesturing towards the lands north of the zebra territories. “But with their damnable war, we hath no other allies to turn to in the pony territories.”

“House Silver’s forces have been decimated,” Shine said with a sigh. “House Sky has no military. House Dawn’s army was weak anyway, but they’ve been wiped out to the last. House Golden would never aid the zebras—their hatred for Silvertongue extends to Zeb’ra’den for the same reasons as House Silver—and so neither would their allies in Houses Waters and Green—”

“If those two had any forces to contribute after Hope’s Point wiped most of them out at Newhaven,” Bluebolt pointed out with a grunt. “Not to mention that House Waters has no army, just a navy.”

“Indeed. Furthermore, House Light would never help the zebras either, much like House Golden won’t, because they blame the zebras for the death of Harmonia’s Warden just as much as they blame Silvertongue. Even the Harmony Guard doesn’t blame Zeb’ra’den for that.”

Zircon snorted and shook his head. “Damnable pony Houses. Do they not realize that their petty squabbles hath placed us all at risk?”

“And besides the Houses currently at war, House Night’s army is small and weak, and while House Flower’s army is respectable, it would take weeks to even organize anything with them, let alone get troops this far south. House Wind might get forces down here in time, sure, but they’ve got so few to offer. House Snow mobilized quickly because that is their way.”

Snowstorm smirked and nodded, putting a hoof to her chest. “Da, it is our way.”

Sundial let out a breath, clearly exasperated by the whole conversation. “And the more time we waste, the more time that the storm has ta get bigger as it feeds off o’ the emotions of the warring Houses. We have ta act as soon as possible.”

“We art prepared to march in the morning at first light,” Zircon said. “Today shalt be used to arm House Snow’s troops with the means to combat our foes, for the wendigos shalt not succumb to iron and steel alone. We needeth heat and light to vanquish them. Flames wouldst be preferred.”

“We don’t have much to make use of if we’re keeping mobile, either,” Shine grunted. “But I suppose we’ll have to make due with lanterns and such instead of sturdy braziers. It’s not ideal, but nothing about this is.”

“What about you two?” Sundial asked, gesturing at Bluebolt and Symphony. “What are ye gonna contribute ta this plan o’ ours, hmm?”

Bluebolt took a deep breath, then nodded at Symphony. “I’ve talked it over with Symphony, and I’m going to leave as soon as this meeting is over and fly north to Newhaven. I’m gonna get word to Hope’s Point—to my mom—about what’s going on down here.”

“Flying all the way to Newhaven? That’s gonna take you almost a full week if you’re going at top speed!” Shine said, shaking his head. “We’ll be at the battlefield by then. What good does that do?”

“If I can get a message to Hope’s Point, my mom and dad can mobilize, I dunno, something. Our ships are fast, Shiny. They can make it from Hope’s Point to Zeb’ra’den in a matter of hours, tops. I know it’s not much, but if I leave today and fly as fast as I can, then maybe you’ll get some help in time in case things go south out there.”

“For the record, I tried to talk her out of it,” Symphony sighed. “I can’t go with her if she’s flying, so she’d be going alone.”

“But this is what I need to do,” Bluebolt said with a nod. “I can’t contribute anything to the battle out there, you all know that. I can fight, sure, or at the very least defend myself, but I have nothing to offer against a bunch of wendigos. I can’t exactly light my power hoof on fire, y’know?”

Sundial chuckled. “Well, at least ye can admit it, lass. If this is how ye’re gonna help, I say go for it. Way I see it, if yer mom shows up with a bunch o’ her airships, they can probably blow that bloody storm apart, aye? Lots o’ fire and explosions ought ta do the trick.”

“That’s exactly what I figured. We still need to get the wendigos away from Zeb’ra’den so that the ships don’t destroy the city, of course, so just go through with your plan as-is and I’ll send help as soon as I can. I can only hope they arrive in time.”

Shine let out a breath, then gestured towards Symphony. “And what about your loyal bodyguard? I’m sure she’s going to be useful on the field and all that, but I highly doubt you’re willing to send her into a warzone.”

“I’m not. She’s not going to the battle with the rest of you.”

“I’m going to escort the other noncombatants we have here to safety up in the mountains,” Symphony said with a nod. “That would be Apple Bloom, Flurry Heart, Rarity, and Harvey. They don’t belong here, they don’t belong in the battle, and we can’t just take them back north, not if there’s any other monsters out there.”

Zarya nodded. “'Tis a sound consideration. Beasts wouldst not dare attacketh our camp or a large migration, but a small party might attract attention from something vicious. Frostwolves, at the very least. But the Commonwealth hath not reported any sightings of creatures of that sort.”

“Aye, that’s good,” Sundial said with a nod of her own. “I was going ta suggest that we get the folks that can’t fight ta safety as soon as possible, and I’d feel better knowing somepony capable and trustworthy is going along.”

“There’s only one problem with your plan, darling,” Rarity said. She’d been content to stay quiet until now—she had nothing to offer—but now the conversation had reached the point where she’d been looking to join in.

Symphony raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

“I’m not going with you.”

Sundial blinked, tilting her head and looking at Rarity like she’d just spoken gibberish. “What do ye mean ye’re not going with her, lass?”

Rarity turned to Zircon, who was just as confused as everyone else in the room. “I’m going to the front with the army. I’m staying with Zircon.”

Zircon quickly shook his head. “Nay, Rarity, 'tis not necessary, and 'tis a dangerous, foolish idea to venture out into the battlefield with me. Thou must remaineth safe. Go with Miss Symphony—”

“Oh no. No, no, no. I am not letting you out of my sight again,” Rarity said, poking him hard in the chest. “First of all, I’ve spent twenty-one years waiting to see you again, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you go leave me after we’ve finally reunited. You know as well as I do the kind of heartache I’ve been through, and I will not go through that again.”

Zircon, taken aback, looked to the others as if for support. “But—”

“Second of all, the last time I sent you off to battle after sharing a night of passion, you nearly got yourself killed trying to stand against Silvertongue, like the brave, beautiful fool you are! I’ve told you already, this time is going to be different, and I will not send you off to battle again just like that.”

Bluebolt and Symphony shared a brief look. “Did she just—”

“And for another thing, if there’s anyone in this room that’s going to be of help on the field of battle as much as all of you tried-and-true warriors, it’s me.”

Snowstorm snorted. “What do you know of battle, pretty one?”

Rarity wheeled on Snowstorm. “I’ll remind you that I am a unicorn, first of all, so I have magic at my side.” She then turned back to Zircon. “And not just any magic. I have a great deal of the Light within me because I am an Element of Harmony, and my particular talent will be of great benefit to you and the other soldiers out there. I was given these powers for a reason, and blast it all if I’m not going to put them to use!”

Sundial smirked. “Well this is bloody magical, is what this is. I didn’t think ye had it in ye, Rarity, but ye sound like a true warrior, don’t you?”

Rarity pointed at Sundial. “And speaking of which, it’s not as though I’ve never participated in a fight before, or even a gruesome war scenario. I was there when evil changelings attacked Canterlot. I was there when the Storm King attacked Canterlot. I was there at the Battle of the Bell. I’ve fought for my life in this very world multiple times!”

Sundial held up her hooves defensively. “Aye, there’s nobody here denying—”

Rarity poked Zircon again in the chest. “I might sound like I’m just a pretty, pampered mare, but I’m more than that. I am Rarity, the Element of Generosity, and if I want to give you my aid in the coming battle, then that’s what I’m going to do!”

Finished with her rant, Rarity breathed heavily and stared at Zircon, a fire in her eyes and her heart that she didn’t even know she had.

Zircon paused for a long moment, then smiled and took her hoof in his. “As thou wisheth, my love. Thou art welcome to join us on the field of battle by my side.”

Rarity paused for a long moment as well, then smiled up at him. “Thank you, Zircon.”

Snowstorm cleared her throat. “So, we have decision. Plans have been made. House Snow and zebras will draw wendigos away from city. Miss Sundial’s team will travel through tunnels into city, reach Beacon, and do whatever it is they must do. Princess Bluebolt flies north to Newhaven to get help from Hope’s Point. Miss Symphony takes zose who cannot fight into mountains. We march at first light towards Zeb’ra’den. Any questions?”

Nobody—pony or zebra—raised a hoof.

“Good. May Harmona guide us all.”

*****

Bluebolt triple-checked the supplies she needed before she shoved anything into her saddlebags: there was enough food to last her for a week, a general map of the southern continent so that she could find her way, and a sleeping bag so she could keep warm at night. She didn’t need much for a straight flight north, luckily, so she could pack light and travel fast.

Symphony opened the tent flap. “Hey,” she said, rather flatly.

Bluebolt turned and smiled. “Hey.”

Symphony looked at the stuff in Bluebolt’s saddlebags, then let out a breath. “I know I’ve said it a few times already, but I’m against you going up north by yourself. What if soldiers from one of the other Houses that aren’t quite so friendly with you and your family see you? What if they come after you?”

“Then I’ll just have to fly faster,” Bluebolt said as she stuffed the sleeping bag into her saddlebags first. “I’ll be fine, songbird, I promise.”

Symphony paused for a moment, then wrapped her forelegs around Bluebolt’s neck in a hug. “I’m going to be worried about you all week. You know that, right?”

“I know.”

“We haven’t spent this much time apart since… well, since were were kids. We’ve been so close for such a long time that I can’t even remember a time when you and I weren’t together.”

Bluebolt smiled and tucked her wing over Symphony’s back. “I know, songbird. I know. But I have to do this. I can’t help the zebras from here, you know that. And I can’t just head up into the mountains and hope for the best. I need to do something.”

Symphony pressed her muzzle against Bluebolt’s neck. “I know that, pecha, but I still don’t like this one bit. You’re going to be alone out there. I won’t be there to protect you and keep you safe.”

“I need you here, Symphony. I’d take you with me if I could, but I need you here. You have to make sure our friends stay safe this time. We don’t know what’ll happen out there, but I promised Bloom and Flurry that I’d get them home. If the only way I can do that is by going north alone and leaving you here to protect them, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

“I don’t want you to go. I’m absolutely terrified that something might happen to you.”

Bluebolt leaned her head against Symphony. “I’ll be worried about you too, songbird. There’s just this… feeling in my gut that something’s going to happen, and that’s why I want you here to keep our friends safe. But that just means I’m more worried than ever for you.”

Symphony pulled Bluebolt in for a kiss, then set her chin on Bluebolt’s head. “I’m against this decision with every part of me, Bolt. But I won’t stop you from going. I know you need to do this, but that doesn’t mean I like it, and that doesn’t mean I won’t be scared for you the entire time. But I’ll let you go. Just this once.”

“Thank you.” Bluebolt pulled Symphony in for another kiss. “I love you, songbird. When this is all over… when this is all over, we’re going to talk. Okay? About everything that’s happened, about the future… about us. Our future.”

“I love you too, pecha.” Symphony smiled and ran her hoof through Bluebolt’s mane. “You’d better come back to me, Princess, or I swear to every star in the sky that you won’t hear the end of it. Promise me.”

Bluebolt smiled back. “I promise.”

Chapter Twenty-Two: Envelopment

Bluebolt had never flown so fast or so far in all her life, so after a week of flying non-stop to reach Newhaven, she was ready to collapse from exhaustion before the town even came into view. She knew she was close because her map told her that the small mountain range just ahead marked the border of House Sky’s territory, so that was a relief at least. Once she got over that, Newhaven—and by extension, aid from Hope’s Point—would be just a dozen or so miles away. It was all that had been keeping her moving all week, and it was what kept her moving now.

But, she was exhausted and hungry, and she needed to stop and rest for lunch before she passed out. So, she settled down on a clear, smooth cliffside on the southern edge of the mountains. She’d already skipped breakfast to make good time today and had woken up a couple of hours earlier than she should’ve, but she was so close now that she couldn’t help herself. She figured if she took thirty minutes now to eat, breathe, and to rest her wings, she’d still make good time. There was no sense in pushing herself beyond what her body could take, after all. If she collapsed before getting her message out, that would defeat the purpose in coming all this way, wouldn’t it?

All she’d been able to think about since the moment she left the camp was Symphony, and her thoughts drifted as she ate her rations. Was Symphony okay? Had she made it to Astropolis yet? Had any monsters tried to attack her and their friends as they climbed through those mountains? She knew Symphony was traveling through what was supposedly a safe area—she’d been assured of it multiple times by multiple individuals, Harvey especially—but that didn’t stop her from worrying.

One thing was for certain, though. When she saw Symphony again, she was ready to have a heartfelt talk with her and to talk about the future, their future. Seeing Rarity so happy to be reunited with Zircon and introducing Rarity to Zyra—and thereby reminded of Zyra’s happy relationship—had put a few things in perspective, and Bluebolt figured it was time for her and Symphony to take the next step. So, Bluebolt thought, Symphony had better keep herself safe through all of this.

As Bluebolt finished her lunch and prepared to move north again, she heard something off in the distance: an explosion. It sounded pretty close, and in fact even sounded like it came from the direction of Newhaven. Then there was another explosion, and another, and another. Bluebolt realized these weren’t just regular explosions at this point, not coming so rapidly. Also, she recognized some of the intermingled noises within the blasts. This was cannon fire, and not from some archaic navy vessel like what House Waters used.

These explosions were from airship cannon fire. That could only realistically mean one thing: Hope’s Point was here in the south again. But why?

Bluebolt took wing and ascended the rest of the mountain, reaching the top in about a minute or two, and looked out onto the northern fields. She could see Newhaven from here, not clearly enough to make out any individual buildings but enough to see the town’s outline and to spot the port’s unique colors that distinguished it from the rest of the town. She could also make out dozens of specks—some large, some small—darting about in the air somewhere above the town, as well as the flashes of explosions against the darkening early evening sky.

“Is that a battle going on?” Bluebolt muttered to herself. “But what— oh no…”

She took flight north immediately, as fast as her wings could take her. Even then it took several minutes before she could clearly see Newhaven, but more importantly, before she could clearly see what was going on above Newhaven, and her assessment had been correct: a battle.

First of all, the battle was not being engaged directly above the town, but above the ocean. Second, the context of the battle was highly unexpected. The NPAF’s fleet of cruisers was here in the south, just a few miles out to sea engaged in fierce battle with the fleet of Hope’s Point. The NPAF hadn’t attacked Hope’s Point at all, it seemed, but moved further south towards Newhaven. Why would they do that? What purpose did that serve?

As Bluebolt flew closer and closer to Newhaven, she could see that once again the town had evacuated into the port, where they would be safe. And, as she flew closer, the battle itself grew clearer, until eventually she could see a lot of the intricate details as to what was happening out there.

The NPAF’s fleet of twenty Pandemonium-Class cruisers had been deployed, and they were every bit as fearsome and intimidating as Bluebolt has believed them to be just from a brief glimpse of them covered up over the winter. They were gun-shaped vessels without any proper wings, but with dozens of engines on the rear, bottom, and sides to give them lift, speed, and maneuverability that she didn’t think possible on ships that large. And they were large, with each one the size of a city block. They were more like buildings than airships, really.

A few of the cruisers were already in the process of drifting towards the ocean below, having been disabled or damaged to the point that they couldn’t fly properly any longer. Those that had already hit the sea managed to stay afloat; they really were as light—and therefore buoyant—as Weaver had described them, which was all the more amazing considering their size.

Hope’s Point had also deployed its own fleet, which numbered some fifty or so smaller ships, each of a different size and model; Hope’s Point employed no two ships that looked alike except for the old stunt flyer flight teams, and those weren’t fit for combat. While it was hard to spot the difference between one ship and another from this distance, Bluebolt knew the fleet’s logistics well enough to recognize a few of the larger ships based on their shapes and colors, and could see that her mother had been very precise in choosing which ships to bring.

For one thing, none of the smallest ships in the fleet were present, as those were suited for quick one-way trips between Hope’s Point and Newhaven, refueling after each journey then flying back, not for extended battles. The fleet’s largest ships weren’t present either, as those were unsuited for combat entirely. ”Moving targets” they’d been described as, and given what the fleet was doing to the huge Pandemonium-class cruisers, that was a rather apt concern. Instead, it was mostly the mid-sized ships, with the largest being the fleet’s gunships, such as the Thunder Two.

As Bluebolt entered into Newhaven’s airspace, she got a good glimpse at one Hope’s Point airship—the Shield of Serenity—that was hovering stationary above the town. With its wings deployed, the ship appeared as a large cross in the sky, and from each wingtip it deployed small probe-like drones that generated parts of a barrier. Said barrier was large enough to cover nearly all of Newhaven, with only the outlying farmlands not protected. The ship was designed to provide a defensive shield around parts of the fleet during combat, but it was clearly here to keep the town and the port safe.

This meant that it wasn’t protecting the fleet itself, which therefore meant that Hope’s Point was experiencing losses. As Bluebolt raced under the Shield of Serenity’s barrier towards the northernmost cliff in town—which overlooked part of the port and the beaches below—she could see clearly now that Hope’s Point was almost struggling—but not quite—to stay on an even keel with the NPAF’s warships at the moment. There was a lot of colorful wreckage floating on the ocean surface, all that remained of some ships that had already been downed. If there were survivors, Bluebolt wouldn’t be able to see them from here even if she tried.

But the fleet fought on, as expected. Now that she was closer, Bluebolt could identify nearly every ship that was still operational and determine its status as they put everything they had into fighting against the enemy cruisers. Apparently, they’d taken to heart the information gleaned from the meeting with Weaver and were equipped to handle their otherwise overpowering opponents.

She recognized the Thunder Two, of course, which maintained a high altitude above the field, moving slow enough to aim but quick enough to avoid most weapons fire. Another gunship, the Rising Phoenix, did the same from a lower altitude, as its guns were positioned on the top. She didn’t see the fleet’s third gunship, the Gemini Star, flying about, and so assumed it had either been left behind or downed. If it was the latter, she couldn’t see any wreckage.

She saw the fleet’s dozens of smaller, faster assault ships jetting about between the enemy cruisers, avoiding enemy fire and returning more of their own as they went. They were larger than the ill-equipped stunt flyers but still small enough to maneuver the battlefield efficiently and effectively. She could almost remember each of their names, but they were too small to identify from here, and she wasn’t even sure if they were all still flying at this point.

There were also the specialist ships, which were equipped defensively and deployed remotely-piloted drones for combat similar to the NPAF’s AMP Troopers, but could reconfigure them to fit any role needed. Bluebolt saw the Gleaming Star—the largest and grandest of these specialist ships—push towards one of the NPAF behemoths alone, despite being less than a quarter of its size. Even with the size disadvantage, it took its target down all by itself in a matter of minutes by swarming it with drones equipped with EMP technology—Bluebolt recognized the impact shockwaves of blue lightning.

Most importantly was the fleet’s command ship, the Wyvern Two, which would be flown by none other than Queen Blackburn herself, who prided herself as one of the best pilots in the fleet even to this day. It was a techno-magical marvel even by the fleet’s standards, employing enough customized, modular systems and hardware to make it capable of anything it needed to be. Her Majesty could outfit the ship with more engines for higher speeds, or adjust the wings for different maneuverability in different conditions, or change the type of weapons she was flying out with. Bluebolt had no idea what loadout her mother was using, but assured herself that it would be perfectly suited for the task at hoof.

And perfectly suited it seemed to be, because the Wyvern Two, which was smaller than the Gleaming Star by half, was flying circles around two separate enemy cruisers at the same time, as they had split off from the NPAF fleet to move on Newhaven instead. Bluebolt could just make out her mother’s ship as it bobbed and weaved through rounds of cannon fire like a fish through water, performing acrobatics nearly impossible—but not improbable—for even the most skilled of pegasus pilots.

The enemy ships’ newfangled targeting systems were smart enough not to fire at her when the opposite ship was in its firing line—which Bluebolt knew her mother had used to cripple NPAF cruisers long ago—but the Wyvern Two was using this to its advantage by keeping itself in both ships’ firing lines so that they wouldn’t fire on it—at least with their heavier guns—almost at all. And all the while, it used its own weapons to take out the smaller guns to give it all the breathing room it needed to force the two cruisers to adjust their formation or be relentlessly hounded by a smaller ship.

Which, of course, was clearly part of the plan, because as soon as one of the two cruisers pulled up to get a better firing line on the Wyvern Two—thereby directing its attention entirely on the smaller ship—it was put into a more open position for the Thunder Two and the Rising Phoenix to lay into it with all of their firepower. The cruiser exploded in a hail of explosive force so strong that Bluebolt could feel the shockwave from this far away even through the Shield of Serenity’s barrier.

This was the turning point in the battle. As more and more of the NPAF cruisers were taken down, the Hope’s Point fleet congregated closer on the remaining ships and took them down more quickly and with fewer losses per cruiser downed. The battle raged on for minute after minute, turning into nearly an hour before the final NPAF cruiser lost altitude and plummeted into the sea below.

The Hope’s Point fleet then opened fire onto the enemy ships that floated in the ocean until every last one of them had sunk beneath the waves, preventing any of them from repairing their engines and taking flight again, and thereby preventing any of them from being a threat.

Bluebolt pumped her hoof. “Yes! They did it!” she cheered.

A part of her really wished she’d been aboard the Wyvern Two to witness the battle from a closer perspective, but that would have required the Hope’s Point fleet to have deployed from Newhaven; clearly they had come at the NPAF fleet from behind to have a tactical advantage, and had also waited until they got this far out to sea to lure the NPAF into a false sense of security and so as not to put Hope’s Point at risk. At least that was Bluebolt’s speculation.

Bluebolt raced towards the port as fast as her wings could take her, keeping her eyes to the sea as most of the Hope’s Point fleet began setting course for landing. The Shield of Serenity dropped its barrier and set about docking as well. A few of the larger ships instead descended towards the sea to hover above the water, which Bluebolt knew meant they were looking for and picking up survivors.

She made her way for the central command building, where several soldiers of the Hope’s Point militia—left here from the previous assault on Newhaven by Houses Green and Waters—were waiting along with several other ponies, including Lord Skycatcher, his wife Lady Spring Dew—a lovely green pegasus with a light blue mane—and their son, Lord Sunny Sky—a sky blue pegasus with an orange mane.

More importantly—and who Bluebolt immediately sought out—was Ambassador Bright Eyes, a yellow, bespeckled unicorn mare with a green mane styled in a short bun, wearing a crisp blue suit and bow tie. She was on Queen Blackburn’s council as the representative of Hope’s Point here in Newhaven, and was apparently grooming her brother, Prince Fireglow, as a replacement. Thus, she would be the mare that would have any information that Bluebolt wanted. And for now, Bluebolt wanted just one thing:

“What hangar is my mother landing in?” Bluebolt asked, approaching Bright Eyes without even giving a proper greeting.

Bright Eyes blinked and adjusted her glasses, clearly taken aback by Bluebolt’s presence and brusque greeting. “Princess? Wh-what are you doing here? I thought you left south with—” She paused, glancing around behind Bluebolt, perplexed. “Where’s Symphony? Where are the others that went with you?”

“It’s a long story, Ambassador, and right now the only pony that needs to hear any of it is my mom,” Bluebolt interjected, shaking her head. “Which hangar is she landing in?”

“Oh, um, let’s see…” Bright Eyes signaled for her assistant to pass over a datapad, which she then manipulated with her magic, sorting through data quickly and efficiently. “Hangar Twelve, Princess.”

Bluebolt nodded. “Thanks. Sorry for the rush, but I’ve gotta see her as soon as possible. Bye!” She then started for the door to leave.

Bright Eyes lifted her hoof and waved goodbye halfheartedly. “Oh, uh, sure. Okay then, Princess, happy to be of service. Bye, I guess?”

Bluebolt quickly made her way to Hangar Twelve on the west end of the port, where she saw the Wyvern Two making its descent. She didn’t need to push her way through guards or officials or workers or anything, since they noticed her and, apart from brief looks of confusion, everypony stepped aside to give her room. She knew she wasn’t supposed to be this far north and everypony else likely knew it too, so the confusion made sense.

As the Wyvern Two—a sleek, black ship shaped like a hawk when its wings were deployed—completed its docking process and the boarding ramp deployed, Bluebolt rushed forward ahead of the maintenance crew to be at the bottom of it. She arrived in time to see her mother, Queen Blackburn, descending the ramp with her flight crew and Zyra. Apart from Zyra, the crew wore black flight jackets, and Blackburn wore white flight suit under hers.

The entire group was given rather clear pause when they saw Bluebolt waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp.

“Bluebolt?” Blackburn muttered, raising an eyebrow. “You’re supposed to be down south.” She, like Bright Eyes before her, glanced behind and around Bluebolt as if looking for the others. “Symphony isn’t here with you. Hmm… then there must be trouble. Explain.”

Bluebolt held up her hooves. “It’s a long story, Mom, so let me just give you the short version with all the facts, okay?”

Blackburn stared her daughter down for a moment, then nodded. “Very well.”

Bluebolt took a deep breath as she prepared to launch into her summary:

“Zeb’ra’den is currently overrun with monsters called wendigos, which are ancient, evil creatures made of ice and snow and fueled by anger, fear, and hatred that can only be killed with heat and light. The zebras had to abandon the city, and they then called for aid from House Snow to help them retake it. Sundial, Weaver, and Venture are going through the old underground tunnels to reach the Beacon because Sundial is convinced that if she diffuses it or whatever, it will wipe out all of the wendigos instantly. So the zebras, Houses Snow and Wind, and Rarity—she went with Zircon because they’re together again—are going to draw the wendigos away from the city while Sundial does her job, but they know they won’t last forever out there. They need help and they need it now. They’ve probably already engaged with the wendigos, actually. I flew all the way here from the mountains of the Hippogriff Commonwealth—it took me an entire week, by the way—so that I could get word to you about it because we’re allies with the zebras and I figured it was the only thing I could do to help. As for Symphony, she’s taking Apple Bloom and Flurry Heart to Astropolis to keep them out of danger. Oh, and I saw Cousin Shine, too, and his horn is broken but he’s best friends with an Order knight named Zarya now, so he’s on the battlefield with her.”

As soon as she got the last words out, Bluebolt started breathing heavily as she tried to catch her breath. “Whew, that was a lot more than I thought it would be.”

Blackburn stood there for a long moment, quiet and contemplative, then turned to her crew. “Get the ship refueled, prepare to move out,” she said to her engineer, Overdrive, an orange earth pony stallion with a white mane. He saluted and rushed back aboard the ship without a word.

“Issue orders to fleet: do the same,” she said to her co-pilot, Cherry Wine, a dark red unicorn mare with a black mane. “Note that I will determine which ships come south, which return north. Also, inform my husband of the situation.” She, too, saluted and rushed back aboard the ship without a word.

Blackburn then turned to Bluebolt. “Anything else I should know?”

Bluebolt blinked. “Wow, that was fast. You didn’t even grill me with any questions or anything.”

“Story was clear, concise, only included important details. No questions needed. Zebras are our allies; we are obligated to aid them.” Blackburn shook her head and sighed. “News is most troubling. Many friends seem to be at risk if we don’t make haste.”

Zyra leaned against the support of the boarding ramp, clearly floored by everything she’d just heard. “This is horrible. How did such creatures overrun the city? Why would the king abandon our home? Where did these things even come from?”

“Like I said, it’s a long story,” Bluebolt murmured. “I’ll tell you guys the whole thing on the way, but I needed to get the important stuff out first so that we could get moving. We don’t have a lot of time.”

“Why can’t they wait for us?” Blackburn asked, her only question it seemed.

“Sundial said that the wendigos will only grow stronger the longer they’re left alone to feed on the hatred and anger caused by the stupid war going on here in the south, so they needed to attack before it became impossible to do anything. Plus, we didn’t know what was happening back in Hope’s Point, so they couldn’t risk waiting to hear back before they made plans.”

Blackburn nodded glumly. “An unfortunate circumstance.”

“Speaking of which, what are you doing here? I was expecting to have to send a message out and then just wait to hear back. I guess this is good since you’re this much closer to Zeb’ra’den and I was able to talk to you directly, but still. Why was the fleet out here fighting the NPAF? What were they doing here, actually? That’s probably the better question.”

Blackburn snorted. “NPAF set out from New Pandemonium at first light. Analyzed flight path, determined they were not en route to Hope’s Point. We watched and waited; they continued south. Flight plan indicated Newhaven as possible target; deployed the fleet to defend the town.”

“Attack Newhaven?” Bluebolt blinked. “Why would they do that?”

“Unknown, but was technically an excellent strategy.” Blackburn shook her head and sighed. “Unfortunate circumstances. Had to engage away from home base where fleet ships could pull back for repairs mid-combat, could not bring full fleet to bear. Only advantage was angle of our assault. Success due to timing of attack, by which I mean that it was today, rather than last week. Had attack occurred on expected timeline, would not have had sufficient forces to deploy.”

Bluebolt scratched her head. “If that’s the case, then why did they wait? They had to know you’d be at a disadvantage if they left sooner.”

“Unknown. But strategy is troubling. Obviously suggests that Hope’s Point was never the target. Newhaven unsatisfactory secondary—” Blackburn then paused, clearly pondering something in her head intensely. Once she’d finished—Bluebolt knew she was quick—her eyes widened. “Zeb’ra’den.”

Bluebolt tilted her head. “Huh? Zeb’ra’den?”

“Analyzed flight plan. Route would take NPAF fleet directly to Newhaven, but could also indicate continued flight south from here. Zeb’ra’den is directly south of here.”

“What? Why would the NPAF fleet be flying… towards... “ Bluebolt’s eyes widened as well once the pieces started clicking together. “The wendigos used to be minions of Nihila. And we suspect that the NPAF’s new leadership might be in league with her somehow, right?”

“Too convenient to be mere coincidence.”

Bluebolt shook her head. “But still, why would they even be flying all that way? What purpose does that serve? Zeb’ra’den’s already overrun with wendigos, so what does the fleet add to it?”

“Unknown, but will find out when we arrive. If NPAF is in league with Nihila, and wendigos as well, suggests Nihila is not gone at all. Furthermore, suggests this is her plan. Zeb’ra’den is important to her.”

Bluebolt grunted. “Wait, isn’t Zeb’ra’den where the southern Beacon is located? Does that have anything to do with—” She gasped. “Wait! If she does something to the Beacon, then the world’s balance can never be fixed! That’s Nihila’s plan! These wendigos aren’t just some force of nature, they’re working towards a goal! They went after the zebras for a reason!”

Blackburn paused, then nodded in agreement. “Then we’d best hurry. Our friends are in danger.” She set her hoof on Bluebolt’s shoulder. “But some are safe. You sent some away from the battle.”

“Yeah, at least Symphony, Bloom, and Flurry are safe.” Bluebolt let out a breath of relief. “They’re far away from all of the fighting, so they’ll be safe.”

*****

After a week of hiking towards Astropolis, Apple Bloom was getting tired of the snow, and of climbing mountains, and of getting placed aside while everypony else got to do exciting, amazing things. The southern lands were generally lovely and green like Ponyville back home, sure, but the southern southern lands made the snows of the northern winter looks like a Hearth’s Warming snowfall in Canterlot, and made the Crystal Empire look like a Los Manegeles beach. And apparently this weather was supposed to get worse in two months or so when the southern winters rolled around. How did the zebras live like this?

For one thing, Bloom could hardly see anything because of the heavy snowfall, and the only reason she could even see her companions—who all had colorations that blended in well with the snow—was because of their clothes, so she was basically following jackets at this point. She believed it was Symphony’s jacket in front of her if only because Flurry was taller.

For another thing, the winds were so fierce that she could barely hear a word anyone else was saying, whether it was Flurry or Harvey trying to make small talk or Symphony trying to direct them along the route through the mountain pass. She just smiled and nodded most of the time, not really sure where any of the conversations were going, but at least Flurry and Harvey seemed perfectly capable of hearing one another. Must’ve been them being accustomed to snowstorms.

Then there was the mountain itself, which was horrendously tall and not at all suited for folks to travel through conveniently. How the zebra king led all those zebra refugees through this pass was beyond Bloom’s understanding, but then again they were used to the snows of the south too, so maybe it was just her that was having a problem? Flurry didn’t seem to have any trouble, after all. Even Symphony wasn’t struggling too much, though she was grumbling all the while about how long this route was taking.

“We have to be almost there by now, Harvey,” Symphony huffed as they reached the next flat patch of mountainside so that the group could take a breather. “Please tell me we’re almost there. This is getting ridiculous.”

Harvey glanced up through the mountainside, adjusting his glasses. “Oh, not quite yet, my friends, not quite yet. I’m terribly sorry about the hike, but us hippogriffs have been rather slow about getting a proper trail arranged for visitors just yet, what with being allies with the zebras for only ten years or so. And, seeing as we don’t need to walk down the mountain ourselves, it’s difficult to determine where the trail would best be placed.”

“Yeah, well, the Commonwealth better get its act together already. This isn’t exactly the peak of hospitality. Questo fa schifo.”

“And the peak certainly isn’t the most hospitable, either,” Harvey said with a nudge and a grin. “Eh? Peak? Because—”

“Because we’re on a mountain, yes, I get it. Wonderful joke.” Symphony rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, it’s like traveling with Venture all over again, but at least Venture had some interesting stories to tell about all the things she’s seen and done and read about. She makes it sound like she’s seen it all happen, even.”

Harvey tapped his chin. “Well, I’d like to think that I have several fascinating tales I could share, but I think you’ve already heard the most interesting ones already, hmm? Drat, I’m terribly sorry if I’m not making this journey any easier for any of you. I’m really not much more than a researcher and negotiator, and not very good at telling stories.”

“It’s okay, Harvey,” Flurry said, patting the hippogriff on the shoulder and giving him a smile. “We appreciate you guiding us through the mountain. Besides, I think Symphony’s just grumpy because she’s worried about Bluebolt, that’s all.”

“Ah, yes, I suppose that certainly would put a damper on things, wouldn’t it? Well, never fear, my friends, I can assure you that Astropolis is not much further. Only another day’s hike, by my estimate, and that’s just the worst case scenario. I doubt it would even take that long.”

“I still think we should be down there helpin’ wit’ everythin’ that’s goin’ on at Zeb’ra’den,” Bloom snorted, gesturing down the way they came. “It ain’t right that all o’ our friends’re off fightin’ in some kind o’ big battle an’ we ain’t there ta help 'em.”

“You’ve been saying that for days now, Bloom,” Symphony sighed. “Believe me, I’d rather be anywhere than here. Not that I don’t like being with you guys—I do—but I’m a fighter! A warrior! I’m at least on par with that cucchiaio d’argento jackass, no question about it, but he gets to go off and fight while I get stuck climbing another damn mountain.”

“Right? We ain’t helpin’ nobody up here.”

“But we are helping, guys,” Flurry said, setting her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder and giving a look to Symphony. “We’re helping them by not getting in the way in circumstances we’re not suited for. Bloom, you’re not a soldier or a warrior like all of those army ponies and zebras.”

Bloom grunted, but she knew Flurry was right. “No, I guess I’m not. An’ I know mah sister would kill me if she found out I went gallopin’ off ta war after everythin’ that happened wit’ our family. Even though I know fer sure she’d be down there.”

“And Symphony, you’re a bodyguard. You don’t know how to fight in a real war situation, do you?”

Symphony huffed. “It’s not the same, I know that, but that doesn’t mean I don’t wish I had the opportunity to prove myself down there.”

“Yeah…” Bloom sighed and shook her head. “I just wanna help. T’ain’t fair that I don’t get ta do nothin’ useful like the rest o’ y’all do. I ain’t got magic or wings or nothin’ like that. I ain’t even as strong as Applejack was when she was here last time. I dunno, I just feel… useless.”

Flurry frowned and pulled Bloom in for a hug. “Don’t say that. You’ve been a big help on this journey. Why, if it wasn’t for you, Weaver would’ve never made it out of that cave when we first got here, and then he’d never be there to help Sundial right now with her mission. Just that one little act of kindness has done so much.”

“Yeah, I guess. But it’s just that I wish I could do more fer all o’ them than that. When mah sister was here, she fought wit’ all she had ta help her friends get home. She risked her life fightin’ against Miss Shadow 'n' her sisters when they weren’t nice.” Bloom shook her head. “And besides all o’ that, don’t ya think that ya’d be more useful down there in the field, Flurry?”

Flurry pulled back from the hug and blinked. “Huh? Me? Why would I think that?”

“Well, 'cause you’ve got some o’ the strongest magic I’ve ever seen, an’ from what we know ‘bout them wendigos, wouldn’t ya be useful fightin’ against 'em? Ya know, usin’ yer ‘Light’ an’ all?”

“Maybe, but that’s a lot to risk. I think that you, or Rarity, or so many others might put themselves in danger to keep me safe from the monsters. Just because I’m strong doesn’t mean I’m a fighter, y’know? Aunt Twilight was strong and a fighter at heart. I’m just… not that. I don’t have it in me.”

Bloom sighed. “Yeah, I suppose not. I guess I wouldn’t want ta make ya do somethin’ ya weren’t comfortable wit’, neither.”

Symphony grunted and gestured up the mountainside. “Look, guys, let’s just keep moving and get up the Astropolis so that we can take a breather and think about what we’re gonna do next, okay? I have every faith that my pecha is getting help from her mom right now, and they’re gonna come storming down south and blast those wendigos into next Tuesday.”

“Yeah, me too. An’ I got faith that Rarity’ll do everythin’ she can out there ta keep herself 'n' everybody else alive—ponies and zebras both—no matter what.”

“And Sundial, Weaver, and Venture will fix that Beacon up good and put an end to all of this,” Flurry concluded with a nod. “I know we’re all worried about everything that’s going on out there right now, guys, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last few months, it’s that sometimes, when things look their worst, you can still hold onto hope.”

Harvey clapped his claws together. “Well spoken, Princess, very well spoken indeed. A little bit of hope’s light is all that’s needed to shoo away the darkness of worry, after all, isn’t that right? I believe that might be one of the tenets of Harmonia, though worded slightly differently, of course.”

“Are we gonna keep gabbing, or are we gonna get climbing?” Symphony huffed. “Come on, already, let’s go.”

The group rose up to follow Symphony as she moved on ahead, pushed forward once more through the snowstorm and the mountains.

Sometime just before nightfall, the snowstorm picked up harder than ever, to the point that the quartet had to huddle up close together as they walked so that they didn’t lose track of one another through the swirling snow. It was so cold now that even Flurry, who was used to the cold, was tugging her coat closer to keep herself warm, so for Bloom it was particularly bad.

Then, without warning, Symphony stopped dead, holding up a hoof to indicate to the others to do the same.

“What’s up?” Bloom said as quietly as she could so that Symphony could still hear her. “Why’d we stop?”

Symphony hushed her with a quick “shhh!” then took a few steps forward, drawing out her rapier in the process, looking off into the snow warily, as if watching for something or someone, pointing her blade at any little thing that seemed to catch her attention. As far as Bloom could tell, though, there wasn’t anything out there but snow and rocks.

“Everything alright, Symphony?” Flurry asked, taking a step forward.

“There’s something not right here,” Symphony muttered, not putting away her rapier. “I’ve trained most of my life to be observant for threats and traps and the like, so I’ve got a gut instinct that tells me when something’s fishy. I’ve had little feelings every now and then up the mountain, but I chalked it up to maybe an animal or something. Now, though, it feels different. Like—”

She paused, then pointed her sword up at the pass above them. Bloom and the others followed where she was pointing, and as they did, the storm died down to a faint whisper compared to the fierce roar it was before. A figure stood on the cliffside above, a pegasus mare in light armor with some odd metallic attachments on her wings. Bloom recognized the insignia on her armor as that of House Night, back in Old Town. She’d never met the mare, but this new pony certainly matched the description that the others had given of Lady Stormy Night.

“Like vhat, kleiner singvogel?” asked Stormy.

“Like we’re being watched,” Symphony replied, keeping her sword pointed at Stormy. “What are you doing here? Out for a little stroll through the mountains?”

Stormy smirked. “Nein. I have somethink much more important in mind here.” She eyed the group briefly, then clicked her tongue, disappointed. “Ah, but there are so many of you missink, ja? Vhere is the lovely older mare, Rarity? Or mein schatz, Venture? And vhere is your precious Bluebolt, hmm? I was so lookink forward to havink you all here.”

“Well, they’re not here, so if you’re looking for them you’re gonna have to wait,” Symphony grunted.

“Tsk, such a shame. Oh vell, it cannot be helped.” Stormy then eyed Bloom carefully, and her mouth curled in a little grin. “Ah, but I have not had the pleasure of meetink this one, ja? Vhat is your name, meine schöne blume?”

Bloom blinked. “Uh, mah name’s Apple Bloom. Pleasure ta meet ya.”

“The pleasure is all mine, I assure you,” Stormy said with a wink. “I am Lady Stormy Night of House Night. I do not believe that vee met vhen your friends stayed at my estate a vhile back, ja? That is most unfortunate. You look simply delicious.”

Bloom looked to Symphony, eyebrow raised. “This is mare that ya said was gettin’ all frisky-like 'n' stuff, an’ that spent the night wit’ Venture?”

“Yup, that’s her,” Symphony grunted.

Harvey smiled and fluttered up towards Stormy, claw extended. “Greetings and salu—”

Stormy glared at him. “Keep your filthy claw avay from me, müll.”

Harvey jerked his claw back in surprise, clearly disappointed. “Oh! Um, w-well, I’m terribly sorry for whatever offense I might have caused. I just—”

“Don’t worry about it, Harvey, that’s just how she is,” Symphony scoffed. “The only offense you made is being male.” She turned back to Stormy and gestured lazily with her sword. “I’ll ask again, Lady Night: what are you doing here?”

“My my, you’re still an awfully rude one, aren’t you?” Stormy said with a grin. “Vhen this is all over, I vill have to teach you some manners, ja? A little instruction on how to treat a lady. Ah, but if you must know—” She gestured towards Flurry. “I am here for her.”

Flurry pointed at herself. “What? Me?”

“Ja, schöne, for you. This has been a long time comink, after all.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Symphony said, drawing out her longsword as well and holding them both in her magic, “but you’re not doing anything with Flurry, not on my watch, capische?”

Stormy smiled proudly at Symphony. “Ah, so bold and brave. Vell, you may certainly try to stop me, but I assure you that you vill not. You have no idea who you are dealink vith. I am not just a beautiful, desirable noblemare.”

“Yeah, you’re also a creepy nymphomaniac that practically forced yourself on our friend Venture. And for the record, she said you suck in bed, too.”

Stormy’s smiled faltered briefly, but then returned just as quickly. “You can think vhat you vant, kleiner singvogel, but there is so much more to me than meets the eye. You should treat me vith more respect, child, for you are speakink vith Lady Stormy Night, Varden of Nihila.”

The group was given brief pause, then Symphony’s mouth curled in a tiny grin. “Oh, that’s rich, lady. You’re the new Warden of Nihila? Please. After everything I’ve heard of the previous one, you’re not even close to meeting the standards he set. A second-rate wannabe, just like that, what was his name? Pedigree? Ha!”

“You laugh, but you know nothink of vhat I have done!” Stormy snapped. “It took years of careful vork to ensure that the right ponies were given the right information—or prevented from gettink the right information—to start this civil var in the south, the first var in over one thousand years! But I did it.”

“Wait, you started the war down here?” Flurry asked. “Why? Why would you do that? Do you have any idea how many ponies have already died because of all this fighting?”

“I did it because that is vhat my lady vished of me, and I am but her humble servant.”

“I’m not buying it,” Symphony snorted. “If you’re so great, then how’d you do it, huh? You expect us to believe that you spurred on an entire continent to war all by yourself?”

Stormy smirked. “Ja, I do, because I did, and it vas easy. You all believe that the south is so good and perfect, but you are so misguided. It’s adorable, really.”

Flurry narrowed her eyes. “What did you do, then?”

“I simply ensured that House Golden was provided vith information on vhat the traitor Silvertongue did over the centuries, breakink the long-standink alliance vith House Silver. Lord Golden Shield ate up vhat I had delivered to him vithout a second-thought. He just needed a reason to go to var, nothing else.

“I also ensured that House Light believed that House Silver had alvays been loyal to Nihila, not Harmonia. Vith Harmonia’s Varden dead, they vere eager to prove themselves to the Harmony Guard as dedicated followers of Harmonia and increase their standink. They are zealots nowadays, ja? They vere all too eager to go to var with ‘followers of Nihila’. Like I said: it vas easy.”

Symphony snarled. “So it’s your fault that House Golden betrayed House Silver. It’s your fault Shiny’s grandparents got murdered, and Dawn’s parents, and all those other ponies killed because of this stupid war.” She twirled her blades and took a step forward. “That’s it. You’re going down, puttana.”

Stormy laughed. “As the new Varden of Nihila, I am far beyond anythink you can do, kleiner singvogel, and you have more problems to deal vith than just me.” Her eyes glowed red for a moment, and she hovered in the air without flapping her wings. “You see, Nihila has vaited months for this opportunity. I am honored to have given her my body to use as a vessel for vhen the time came, and that time is now.”

“What the hell are you—”

Stormy then screamed in pain as her body became enveloped with a black glow that crackled with red lightning. She hovered higher into the air for a brief moment, then the glow burst out of her in a ray of black energy that shot straight at Flurry. It moved too fast for anyone to do anything to stop it, and the blast struck Flurry straight in the chest, knocking her back several feet into the mountainside.

“Flurry!” Bloom shouted, rushing over to her friend.

Symphony sneered at Stormy, who collapsed to the ground. “You’re gonna pay for that!” She leapt up onto the cliff and struck down at Stormy with her longsword.

Stormy lifted her wing and blocked the blow with the metal attachment that covered the top. She grinned up at Symphony briefly, then swept her body forward to tackled Symphony off the cliff and down the mountainside. Symphony managed to land a solid punch to Stormy’s jaw mid-flight; Stormy dropped her in the process. The two disappeared into the darkness of the night and the storm.

“Symphony!” Bloom shouted. She lost sight of them in the darkness. She then turned to Harvey. “Harvey, quick, ya gotta go get help from the city.”

“From the city?” Harvey nervously tugged at his collar. “But Astropolis is still a long way from here, Miss Bloom. I don’t know if I can—”

“Just go on! Git! Ya don’t know how ta fight, so ya can’t help Symphony much, an’ it’s gonna take me forever ta carry Flurry up the mountain since ya ain’t strong enough ta carry her yerself. Go get help an’ meet us halfway. I dunno, get some healers, or warriors, or somethin’. Anythin’!”

“R-right. Right, of course. Oh dear, this was not how this hike was supposed to go!” Harvey took wing and flew off up the mountainside faster than Bloom had ever seen him fly.

For now, though, Bloom moved to Flurry’s side. She was motionless, but just barely breathing.

Bloom ran her hoof through her mane. “Shoot, what am I gonna do?”

*****

Symphony landed in a thick patch of snow on a flat stretch of mountainside some hundred feet down from where Stormy had tackled her. The snow was soft and fluffy thanks to the constant snowfall, so it cushioned the fall tremendously, but it left Symphony cold and wet as she clammored out and back onto solid ground.

Luckily, she’d kept her grip on both her swords during the fall, but she was disoriented and had no idea where she was. This part of the pass didn’t look familiar, so she knew she hadn’t led the group up this way, which meant she was on the northern side of the mountain. The storm was thick enough around her that she couldn’t see more than a dozen feet or so around her, so she couldn’t see where she’d been dropped from or if the others were okay.

But for now, she couldn’t worry about any of that. Stormy was still around here somewhere—she had to be, because she’d clearly separated Symphony from the others for a reason—and she was definitely the immediate threat that needed to be dealt with.

“Okay, puttana, come on out!” Symphony shouted against the storm’s winds. “No sense in hiding!” She paused briefly, then turned and pointed her rapier up above her, where she saw Stormy perched on the edge of a rocky outcropping.

“Who is hidink, hmm?” Stormy asked with a grin, tapping her hoof on the rock. “Vell now, just look at you, vith your pretty little swords. You veren’t jokink vhen you said said you vere the Princess’s bodyguard, ja? You’re armed like a proper knight. It is very attractive.”

Symphony took stock of Stormy’s gear for a moment now that they were alone. The other mare was wearing light leather armor and a thick winter coat, so she had a modicum of protection against a blade if Symphony didn’t strike properly. The tops of her wings, where the actual bone was, were covered with a bladed metallic attachment: a pair of old-school wingblades. She also had leather straps around her forelegs that carried concealed blades. This mare was armed to the teeth.

“And look at you, all decked out in a bunch of pegasus fighting gear like some sort of wannabe assassin or something,” Symphony snorted, shaking her head. “Well come on then, we don’t have all day. I’ve gotta finish with you before I can make sure my friends are okay after whatever the hell you did to Flurry. And by the way, since you hurt her, I’m gonna make sure I hurt you right back.”

Stormy smirked. “Such confidence you have. I like your spirit, kleiner singvogel. I might just keep you alive vhen vee’re finished vith our little duel. That vay, you and I can have share quality time together. Although, I vould much rather have your lovely Princess vith us. She’s quite a delicacy, ja? Such supple tone in her rear. She must make you very happy.”

Symphony narrowed her eyes and twirled her blades. “As long as I’m around, you’re not laying one hoof on my pecha, capische? Now stop running your stupid trap and get down here so that I can show you what happens to anypony that threatens my Princess, Warden or not.”

“Vell then, if you vant to get down to business, then let’s get down to business.” Stormy spread her wings so that her wingblades were in full view. “Though I must varn you, as Varden of Nihila, I am far beyond any normal pony. So don’t feel bad vhen I have you begging for forgiveness beneath my hooves. You vill just have the honor of being the first to submit to my awesome might.”

There was a tense pause for a long moment as the two stared one another down.

Then Stormy swept down off the outcropping, one of her concealed blades shifting out of its strap, and she swung her hoof at Symphony’s face mid-flight. Symphony ducked under it and sliced her longsword through the air to try and catch Stormy, but it slid along one of the wingblades.

Stormy, now behind Symphony, twisted around and lunged at Symphony again. Symphony turned and blocked the strike with her rapier, blocked another with her longsword, and backed away from Stormy, on the defensive for now. They continued exchanging blows left and right, above and below, as they moved about the mountainside.

The older mare was definitely faster than Symphony expected her to be, and her strikes came with a strength that a mare of her build couldn’t have possibly had. Maybe there was something to that “Warden” business after all?

But Symphony was no novice, and she could tell that Stormy was brute-forcing her way through this engagement after only a few exchanges. The other mare was well-equipped, empowered by Nihila herself, had decent training in this fighting style, and had the build needed to be swift and deadly in a duel, but she seemed inexperienced. Symphony just had to wait for an opening.

One presented itself when Stormy tried to push Symphony off the side of the cliff. She was strong, sure, but Symphony was strong, too. She resisted the push long enough that she could use Stormy’s strength against her simply by stepping aside instead of pushing back, then ducking under Stormy’s wing in the process.

As Stormy slid past her, Symphony swept her longsword up along Stormy’s side, cutting through the leather armor. When Symphony drew her sword back, there was blood on it; she’d struck true.

Stormy flapped her wings to keep herself from tumbling over the cliff, then, wincing, set her hoof to her side only to draw back blood. “Du kleine schlampe! You dare to make the Varden of Nihila bleed? Hmph… I am reconsiderink my offer to let you live.”

“Oh no, anything but that,” Symphony snorted, rolling her eyes. “Come on, show me what you’ve got. You’re boring me, just like you bored Venture in the sack. If that’s all you’ve got, then I can see why you’ve got to force yourself on mares to get anything out of them, you ugly old strega.”

Stormy growled, then lunged at Symphony again, moving faster than before and striking with more strength. Symphony was again on the defensive, and had to put effort into her magic to keep Stormy’s wingblades from knocking her own swords out of her grip. She wasn’t sure where this new surge in strength came from. Was Stormy holding back earlier? Or was she just stronger now that she was angry? Did that even make sense?

Symphony found herself pressed up against the side of the mountain, but Stormy still pushed forward, striking rapidly with hooves and wings to keep Symphony from having a moment to think or breathe. When Symphony moved to try and reposition herself, Stormy was able to slice through her ear and take a good quarter of it clean off.

The blood in the air was enough to spur Stormy on harder than ever, and after another brief exchange Stormy managed a cut on Symphony’s foreleg and another along her flank. The last one was accompanied by a push that knocked Symphony rolling off the side of the rocks they were on at the moment and back into the snow, where she dropped her longsword.

“Give up, kleiner singvogel,” Stormy taunted from above. “I do not vant to tarnish your beautiful body anymore, ja? Even vith all of your skill, you are nothink against the Varden of Nihila. I have studied every style that you unicorn swordfighters use, so your silly ‘vater dancink’ vill not help you now. Submit yourself before me, and I vill forgive you for vhat you have said and done to me.”

Symphony grunted as she pulled herself out of the snow, rapier still held in her magic. She glanced down at her longsword, which was next to her tail at the moment, then paused as she remembered that it wasn’t a normal longsword like her old one. Zyra’s had been forged of zebrican runic steel and was crafted specifically for a zebra to use. Symphony had been using it wrong.

“Heh… you say you know every unicorn swordfighting style, huh?” Symphony asked, giving Stormy a meaningful look.

Stormy nodded, a proud grin on her lips. “Ja, that vas how I recognized your vater dancink. It is very good and you should be proud of it, but even the greatest vater dancer could not get past me now that Nihila’s power flows in my veins. I am superior to any pony alive. I am the überstute.”

Symphony shifted her tail down over the hilt of her longsword and gripped it tightly. It responded exactly as zebrican runic steel should, allowing her to hoist it up and retake her defensive position, hindquarters up, blade pointed forward just above her nose. A traditional zebra defensive stance.

Stormy tilted her head. “Vhat are you doink? Vhat is this position? How are you holdink your other sword like that?”

“I’m gonna let you in on un piccolo segreto,” Symphony said as she drew her rapier up as well. “I’m not just trained in water dancing. We’re not done here, and you’re not getting a submission out of me that easy. Let’s see how you handle me now.”

Stormy sighed and shook her head. “You are so stubborn, mein schatz. Very vell, if I have to hurt you to make you submit to my authority, then that is vhat I vill do. Auf der hut!”

Stormy leapt down to strike at Symphony again, who merely shifted her tail slightly to block blow after blow after blow. Typically, in this sort of defensive posture, Symphony would be unable to attack effectively unless presented with a very wide opening. But, she wasn’t just some zebra wielding just one sword. She was a unicorn, and she still had her rapier held in her magic ready to use.

And she used it effectively. Stormy’s strikes slowed considerably after her initial assault, as she had to halt her approach to avoid the rapier repeatedly swinging through the air at her face. This allowed Symphony to press forward despite being in a defensive position, and thus allowed her the opening she needed to switch to an aggressive stance instead.

With both her longsword and rapier striking from two directions at once, and from angles that Stormy wasn’t expecting to defend from, the tide turned very quickly in Symphony’s favor. She managed a cut across Stormy’s foreleg, slicing through one of the bands that kept a blade attached, as well as cutting into the armor—not deep enough, unfortunately—across Stormy’s chest, and struck yet another blow across Stormy’s chin.

But Stormy could see when she was being put on the back hoof, and took the opportunity to fly up and out of Symphony’s reach after a few exchanges like this before she lost her other blade and was injured further. Symphony could see, however, that the wound she’d inflicted on Stormy’s chin was already healing up after mere seconds. That wasn’t good.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Symphony taunted, settling back into a defensive stance. “I thought we were having fun.”

Stormy grunted and clenched her teeth. “You have more skill than I gave you credit for, mein schatz. So, I vill give you one last chance to submit yourself to me. You vill be the new captain of my guard once Nihila has conquered these lands and made me Queen of the South. It is much better than just being my slave. Though you still vill have the benefit of sharing my bed, of course.”

“Sheesh, you’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?” Symphony shook her head and twirled her rapier in her magic. “I told you already, creepshow, I’m not submitting to you. Now shut up and get back down here so we can finish this.”

“Hmph. Vell then, I am sorry, kleiner singvogel, but you are too dangerous to leave alive othervise. If you vill not submit before me, then I must kill you. You might try to rise against my lady Nihila in the future, ja?”

“Damn right I would.”

Stormy sighed and spread her wings again. “It is a shame, because I so vanted to taste you, and to break your Princess in front of you and make her submit before me as vell, but it is not to be. But if I cannot have you, at least I can still have her.”

Symphony cracked her neck. “Bring it on, puttana.”

*****

Back up higher on the mountain, Bloom leaned down to Flurry, who was breathing hard and wincing in pain. “Flurry, are y’all alright? Are ya hurt? C’mon, speak ta me. Open yer eyes.”

As Bloom reached out to touch Flurry and check if she was okay, though, Flurry’s eyes snapped open. There was something… off about her pupils. The shape was distorted and the color tinged with red. Bloom took a step back as Flurry rose to her hooves, shakily at first, but then with confidence. She was confused by how her friend was acting, as Flurry shrugged off her winter coat and spread her wings wide, then glanced along her wingspan, then about the rest of her body, even lifting a hoof to her face to look it over.

“Uh… Flurry? Everythin’ okay?”

Flurry then paused and glanced at Bloom, and her mouth curled in a little grin. Without warning, she lit up her horn—it glowed a fierce red color unlike anything Bloom had seen from Flurry before—and fired a blast of energy at Bloom. Bloom barely reacted in time to avoid it. The bolt struck the snow beneath her hooves instead, melting straight through to the rock beneath.

“What the hay?!” Bloom blurted, glancing at the scorch mark left behind, then at Flurry. “What’s gotten inta ya, Flurry? What was that for?”

“Your pathetic friend isn’t here, little whelp,” Flurry said, her voice tainted with some sort of odd reverberation. “Her body belongs to me, now. With this new form, I can undo all of the damage dealt to my world by Harmonia’s disgusting Light at long last. This world will drown in Darkness once again!”

Bloom snarled and settled into a fighting stance, just like Symphony and Bluebolt taught her, ready to fight this Not-Flurry. “No… no, ya can’t do that! Give me back mah friend! Get outta her body, whoever you are! Let her go!”

Not-Flurry let out a sinister chuckle that sounded just wrong coming from such a carefree voice and face, much as her words did. “You know not to whom you speak, for you are not of this world, whelp. You do not belong here. But know this: it is only because of you and your pathetic ‘Flurry Heart’ that I, Nihila, have been able to rise again to drown this world in my Darkness.”

“Nihila?” Bloom’s eyes widened. “Oh no… you’re the one that everypony’s been talkin’ 'bout! What’re ya doin’ wit’ mah friend?! Get yer own dang body!” She scuffed her hoof in the snow, preparing to charge forward and attack. “Let mah friend go!”

Nihila smirked and flared her wings out. “Your fear and anger are palpable, little whelp. I can taste them in the air. What do you think you can do, hmm? Do you wish to strike at me? Go on then. Strike.” She patted the side of her—no, Flurry’s—face. “Strike at your precious Flurry Heart with all of your might. Go on, then. What are you waiting for? Strike!”

Bloom paused and stared at her friend’s body that was speaking with words that didn’t match with the cute, airy voice that Flurry had. But she didn’t move, didn’t act. This “Nihila” had chosen her words very well: if Bloom attacked her, would she be hurting Nihila, or would she be hurting Flurry? What the hay was even going on here? What was she supposed to do?

“You can’t do it, can you?” Nihila asked in a mocking tone. “Pathetic. You simple-minded ponies and your foolish compassion sicken me. Destroying everything you all hold so dear will bring me the greatest joy in existence.” She then smiled wide. “But I tire of this droll conversation. If you cannot provide me with suitable entertainment, whelp, then your life is meaningless. Die!”

Her horn ignited again, and fired another blast at Bloom. It moved so fast that Bloom didn’t have time to react or move.

This time, though, Bloom didn’t need to move out of the way to avoid it, for it sailed past her head by several feet. Bloom glanced out at the sky where the blast had sailed, then back to Nihila, who watched the bolt disappear into the darkness of the night, an intense scowl on her face that didn’t belong on a pony like Flurry Heart.

Then, Nihila winced in pain, and her eyes closed. When they reopened, Bloom saw that her pupils had changed back to normal again. “Apple Bloom!” Flurry exclaimed—Bloom knew it wasn’t Nihila because there wasn’t a reverberation in the words. “Run! Get out of here!”

“Flurry!” Bloom shouted, rushing forward to put her hooves on the sides of her friends face. “What’s goin’ on? Tell me how I can help. Are ya hurt?”

“Bloom, just run! Please! I don’t know if I can—” Flurry then winced and closed her eyes again. When she reopened them, her pupils were tainted again. “Stupid girl! You think you can resist me, the Goddess of Darkness? I am Nihila! I will not be denied!” She then glared at Bloom, whose hooves were still on Flurry’s face. “And you, whelp, you dare to touch me? Imbecile!”

Nihila’s horn glowed red again, and a burst of dark energy knocked Bloom back into the snow. Bloom felt like she’d just been kicked in the gut harder than she’d ever been hit before.

“Hmph. You’re more resilient than I expected. Perhaps you should run while you can, as your friend has suggested? Go on, little rat, scurry away. Flee, like your hippogriff friend, like a coward. You are nothing before me, nothing more than an insect to crush beneath my hoof! Run! Tuck your tail between your legs and run, whelp.“

“I ain’t goin’ nowhere.” Bloom shook her head and slowly rose to her hooves, fixing Nihila with an intense glare. “Now, let go o’ mah friend, ya stupid thing. Give her back ta me! She don’t belong ta you.”

Nihila stepped forward and circled around Bloom. “Ha! That impassioned fire in your heart glows so bright, like a star on a clear night. Perhaps killing you now would be folly. No, I have a more amusing notion in mind for you, worm. Your pathetic spirit will be broken by my hoof, your soul crushed into dust. I will savor your despair instead. Only then will I take your life.”

“Y’all ain’t crushin’ nothin’. Now give mah friend back, dangit! Her body don’t belong ta you, so get out!” Bloom took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you can hear me in there, Flurry, but I ain’t leavin’ ya alone. Y’all gotta fight! Fight this… this Nihila, or whoever she is. I know ya can do it! I believe in ya, just like we believe in all o’ our friends.”

“Your faith in your friends is your weakness, little pony.” Nihila said with a little smirk. “Do you think that they will survive out there against my wendigos, hmm? Against the strongest blizzard that has ever raged across the southern skies? Their fear and despair will fuel the cold and freeze them down to their very bones!”

She gestured towards the east—towards Zeb’ra’den—her grin widening. “Even now, your pathetic little army marches to their doom. In mere moments, they will fall, one by one, until there is nothing left but ice and blood. Their deaths will feed my power and they will break the spirit of your pathetic Flurry Heart. Once her soul is crushed, I will devour her as well. Then nothing, not even Harmonia herself, can stop me.”

Bloom stared off towards where Nihila was pointing, and the worry began setting in. Were they all going to be okay? No, of course they were going to be okay. She had the utmost faith in every single one of her friends out there, Rarity especially. She’d been afraid before when Rarity had decided to go out into a warzone, but now that she knew what was going on, she wasn’t afraid anymore. If there was anypony that could protect all those ponies and zebras down there, it was Rarity.

“They’re stronger’n y’all give 'em credit fer,” she said, taking a deep breath. “They’ll come through in the end, just you wait 'n' see. An’ 'sides that, Bluebolt’s getin’ help from up north, from Hope’s Point. Ain’t no way yer stupid little storm is gonna stand against Queen Blackburn’s fleet o’ airships. Mah sister-in-law don’t pull no punches.”

Nihila’s smirk widened. “You think that that little fleet of hers threatens me in the slightest? Ha! They are merely mechanical birds led by a drunk, self-loathing mare who calls herself a queen. Your pathetic hopes are truly entertaining. It matters not if Hope’s Point arrives here in the south to battle my wendigos. It doesn’t matter if they even defeat the airships of Pandemonium on the way here.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Huh? What in the heck’re ya talkin’ 'bout?”

“Ha! You are so simple and unaware, little worm. It truly is amusing. None of what you or your friends think you’re doing matters in the end. You accomplishments amount to nothing. All of it serves one purpose, and one purpose only: a distraction from my true intentions.” Nihila then shrugged and chuckled. “But a small-minded simpleton like you would never understand my grand design.”

Bloom grunted and stared Nihila right in the eyes. “All I understand is that if I get ya out o’ Flurry’s body, y’all can’t do none o’ that stuff you’re tryin’ ta do.” She took another breath. “Flurry! If ya can hear me, ya gotta keep fightin’! Don’t let her win!”

“She cannot hear your words while she is here with me, whelp,” Nihila snorted. “Try as you might, you cannot reach your precious Flurry Heart, and she cannot help you anymore. Give up. Give in to your despair already. Stop resisting.”

Bloom paused, then smirked right back. “In she can’t do anythin’ while she’s in there, then do somethin’.”

Nihila raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“Go on then, ya mangy varmint! If ya think you’re so powerful, then do somethin’!” Bloom stuck out her chest and tapped it with her hoof. “Blast me! Go on! Show me what ya got!”

“Hmm hmm, your bravery is misplaced, worm. Are you so eager for death—”

“You’re stallin’.”

“What?”

“Ya heard me. You’re stallin’. Flurry’s fightin’ ya in there, an’ now I know it fer sure.” Bloom smiled and took another breath. “Go on, Flurry! Show this no-good thing who’s boss o’ yer own body!”

Nihila sneered and ignited her horn. “You dare to mock me? Fool!” She fired another blast at Bloom, but the bolt of magic fizzled out mid-spark and didn’t even reach Bloom’s chest. Nihila was just left to glare at Bloom again. Then, she rose up, wings spread, and laughed. “It matters not. Once her spirit is broken, I will have full control of this body, and you will regret ever daring to speak against me.”

Bloom smirked. “Flurry’s spirit is stronger’n that. Y’all ain’t takin’ her down that easy. Ya hear me, Flurry?! I believe in ya!”

*****

As Flurry was struck by the dark energy released by Stormy Night, the sensations of searing pain, freezing cold, and absolute terror struck her all at once, but only for the briefest instant before she fell unconscious.

When she awoke, she wasn’t sure exactly how long she’d been out, but what she was sure of was that she wasn’t on the mountainside anymore. There was no snow around her, no rocks, no ice, no clouds, she couldn’t feel the wind or the cold around her, and she couldn’t hear the wind howling in her ears. Worst of all, she was alone; Bloom, Symphony, and Harvey were nowhere to be seen.

Where she was, exactly, Flurry didn’t know and couldn’t hope to guess. There was no ground beneath her hooves that she could see and yet she stood on something solid, like ice. There was nothing but a field of darkness around her, pulsating with red lightning. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before, and nothing she’d ever want to see again, but here she was.

As she collected herself and tried to focus on what was going on, she could hear voices all around her, small and quiet at first, but then louder and louder as she gave them her attention. One of the voices was her own, saying things she’d never dreamed of saying to anyone for any reason.

“Her body belongs to me, now. With this new form, I can undo all of the damage dealt to my world by Harmonia’s disgusting Light at long last. This world will drown in Darkness once again!”

As her own voice spoke, the lightning around her crackled and leapt about in time with the words like the strings of a guitar. She tried to speak for herself, to ask what was going on, but her words were caught in her throat and no sound issued forth.

The other voice, which came soon after, she recognized immediately as Bloom’s.

“Nihila? Oh no… you’re the one that everypony’s been talkin’ 'bout! What’re ya doin’ wit’ mah friend?! Get yer own dang body! Let mah friend go!”

She looked around to see if she could see Bloom, but she couldn’t, despite hearing her as clear as if she was right by her side. All she could see was darkness. What was going on? What did Bloom mean? Was Nihila here? Was she wherever Bloom was?

No, she knew what was happening now. This presence all around her, this darkness, it was Nihila, enveloping her within her own mind to take control of her and use her as a vessel of some sort. Stormy had said something about Nihila using her body as a vessel just before everything went dark, right? Was that why she could hear Bloom but not see her? Flurry knew she needed to do something about whatever was happening, but what? What could she do from here?

Flurry’s own voice continued speaking, saying things she hated to hear, but try as she might to stop the words from coming, they came all the same. “But I tire of this droll conversation. If you cannot provide me with suitable entertainment, whelp, then your life is meaningless. Die!”

Flurry felt her horn’s magic ignite, and she heard the words she was saying. She knew what was happening, and her mind raced in a panic to stop Nihila before she did something to Bloom.

“No!” she shouted, managing to get the words out at last.

As she did, the darkness around her gave way briefly to a field of white, powdery snow. She winced in pain and shut her eyes as the sudden white expanse nearly blinded her after being stuck starting at all that darkness.

When she reopened her eyes, she could see Apple Bloom standing there in front of her. She was back on the mountainside. In that instant, she did the only thing she could think to do in order to protect her friend.

“Apple Bloom!” she cried. “Run! Get out of here!”

“Flurry!” Bloom shouted, rushing forward to put her hooves on the sides of Flurry’s face. “What’s goin’ on? Tell me how I can help. Are ya hurt?”

“Bloom, just run! Please! I don’t know if I can—”

Flurry then winced and closed her eyes again. When she reopened them, she was back in the darkness once more. Only this time, she saw something different in the darkness besides red lightning crackling about: she saw another figure. An alicorn like herself, but taller, like her Aunt Twilight. Her coat was the color of the night sky but tinged with purple, and her mane and tail were a brilliant silver, styled in sharp, menacing, blade-like streaks. Her eyes were pale blue with slit-like pupils, more like a snake than a pony.

She watched in horror as the alicorn seemed to tear herself apart—that was the best Flurry could do to describe what she was seeing—and lashed out in anger. The alicorn herself stood motionless a few feet away from her, but this inky black thing seemed to rise up out of the mare and made to pounce upon Flurry, the rest of the darkness around her following suit.

Flurry instinctively lit up her horn to guard herself, and was surprised that the Light that shone forth was enough to drive whatever that inky darkness was back into the alicorn. It seemed to daze her briefly as well, enough that for a brief instant she could see the alicorn’s eyes looked rather normal.

“Stupid girl!” the alicorn snarled, her voice—and Flurry’s own—echoing through Flurry’s head. “You think you can resist me, the Goddess of Darkness? I am Nihila! I will not be denied!”

Flurry narrowed her eyes. “So, you’re Nihila. You’re the one responsible for all of this evil that’s been going on in this world and for bringing Darkness to places that are supposed to be filled with Light. Why are you doing this?”

Nihila laughed. “You would ask me why? You truly are a foolish whelp, unworthy of the power that you’ve been given. I am Darkness incarnate, girl. It is in my nature to destroy, to bring death and suffering to the worms of the mortal realm. You would no sooner ask a fish why it swims than to ask me why I revel in the sorrows and pain of others.”

“Whatever your plan is, my friends will stop it. Even now they’re heading to the Beacon to release the Light within it. Sundial said it would destroy all of your wendigos, and it would return the world to the balanced state it’s supposed to be in. You will lose, just like evil always does in the end.”

“Your faith in your friends is a weakness. I have said as much to your pathetic comrade, ‘Apple Bloom’, and now I say the same to you.” Nihila’s lip curled in a sadistic grin. “The wendigos mean nothing in the end, for they have already served their purpose. The Beacon is unguarded, and your insignificant Chronomancer friend will fail to stop what is to come, and she will die. As will the rest of your friends out in the fields of ice and snow.”

Flurry stood tall and proud. “You’re wrong. They’ll succeed. Just you wait and see.”

“Hmph. I shall enjoy watching that hope of yours be extinguished. You resist me now, whelp, but once your friends are all dead, your despair and sorrow will break your spirit and I will consume you, body and soul.” Nihila then turned and walked into the darkness, vanishing without a trace. “Enjoy your last moments while they last.”

Flurry let out a breath—though she didn’t need to breathe here, it seemed—and shook her head. “You’re wrong. They will succeed. I have faith in them, just like they’ve had in me.”

With Nihila gone, Flurry decided to see if there was more to this… wherever she was. She took a step forward, finding that she could walk just fine. The “ground” beneath her was hard and solid despite being apparently formless, so she took another step, and another, and kept moving onward through the darkness as she went, searching for anything that could help her.

She could hear Bloom’s voice arguing with Nihila. Clearly Bloom hadn’t run away. “All I understand is that if I get ya out o’ Flurry’s body, ya can’t do none o’ the stuff you’re tryin’ ta do. Flurry! If ya can hear me, ya gotta keep fightin’! Don’t let her win!”

“I won’t, Apple Bloom,” Flurry muttered to herself. “I promise. She won’t beat me. I just have to find a way to weaken her hold on me so I can get out of here. Wherever here is.”

Flurry continued to wander through the darkness, not sure how long she was walking or how far or if things like time and distance even mattered in this weird plane of existence, but she didn’t stop walking. There was nothing to guide her direction by, no north or south to decide upon, so she just wandered aimlessly, hoping for some sort of sign that she was making progress.

Then, she saw an odd purple light off in the darkness, faint like a tiny candle flickering about in a fierce wind. Whatever it was, it seemed to be calling to Flurry somehow—she just felt the urge to go to it and couldn’t explain why—and so she approached it without question. It was the only sign of anything else in this nightmare world she was in besides darkness, so it had to be something important, and perhaps helpful, right?

When she got close to the light, she saw that her earlier guess of a candle in the wind wasn’t entirely inaccurate. There was no candle or flame, certainly, but the little glow that sat there on the “ground” beneath her was struggling against the darkness as if it were wind all the same. Flurry could feel a magical energy radiating from it, not unlike the Darkness around her now, but just different somehow, like the difference between two shades of blue.

She knelt down to examine the light, trying to figure out what it was or what it represented. She could feel more than just magic there, actually, but a faint flicker of life as well. What was this thing? Why was it here?

“Your curiosity is as much of a weakness as your faith in your friends,” came Nihila’s voice from behind her. “You continue to resist me, and now you explore my essence with all the foolhardy wonder of a newborn foal. What do you hope to find, whelp? A means to defeat me? A means to escape my grasp?”

Flurry turned to face Nihila and narrowed her eyes. “Of course I am. You haven’t beaten me yet, so I’ll do whatever I have to do to put a stop to you and whatever it is you’re planning. This world doesn’t belong to you, and I will not let you destroy it.”

Nihila smirked. “Then perhaps you need a lesson in caution, little girl.”

As before, an inky black shroud rose up out of the alicorn and leapt at Flurry, and the rest of the darkness around her closed in as well. Flurry tried to ignite her horn, but this time found that she couldn’t; no Light came to her aid.

“Wh-why isn’t my magic—”

“You are in my realm, worm. I am the one in control here, not you.”

As the inky blackness enveloped Flurry, she cried out in pain. It was an agonizing sensation, like being submerged in scalding water, and yet it felt colder than the harshest icy winds that Flurry had ever felt before in all her years in the Crystal Empire, or even in the harsh northern winters of this world.

“Your anguish is delicious,” Nihila cackled in Flurry’s ear, her voice piercing into Flurry’s mind. “Cry out in agony for me, Flurry Heart. Feed me your pain. Feed me your sorrow. You are nothing more than fuel for the Darkness within me.”

“Let… go of… me!” Flurry shouted as she writhed in the darkness’s grip.

“Your pathetic friends are wandering to their doom, whelp. Your armies will fall before the wendigo storm, and even if they somehow succeed, many will have perished. Perhaps somepony you know, hmm?” Nihila snickered. “Perhaps your friend Rarity will be devoured by the cold, frozen in ice forever, or at least until she shatters into a million pieces. Or perhaps she will be impaled upon the fangs and hooves of the wendigos, her blood splattered against the snow.”

“They… will win! They will survive! They’re… stronger than you think!”

“I remember her, you know? Rarity. Though I did not meet her in the flesh, I met her all the same. A mere copy of her body and soul, to be sure, but it was her nonetheless. I twisted her and her pathetic generosity and love into a loathsome creature that only cared for itself and its own desires. Perhaps I will do the same to her again, only to the real one this time? Your friend will vanish. Forever.”

Flurry tried again to ignite her horn, to no avail. “Insipid… broke free of you! She’s good now! You… have no hold on her, or her sisters! You won’t—” Flurry felt the darkness clamp over her mouth to silence her, though she struggled all the same.

“Yes, perhaps, but that was Harmonia’s doing. Once I am through shrouding this world in Darkness, Harmonia will not be able to stand against me. I will destroy her first, then I will snuff out every last bastion of Light there is left, starting with everypony’s precious Hope’s Point.

“That treacherous former Warden of mine allowed it to stand for so long, but I will watch that city burn. I will make their queen and king watch as their children are broken and destroyed before them, and only then will I devour their souls… though perhaps I will let the queen live. Yes, I will extend her life so that she can wallow in grief and misery forever at the full extent of her failure.

“And when I am done with that little gleaming city, I will find every last ounce of good left in this world and I will twist it until it breaks. Perhaps next I will find the gryphon eggs you so graciously rescued. They will make ideal soldiers, or slaves. You have saved them only for them to serve me.

“Everything you find beautiful about this world will be twisted into something so unrecognizable that even you, whelp, will be unable to love it. There will be no more lights in the darkness. There will be no hope. And when I am done with my world… I will use your Chronomancer friends to send me to yours.”

Flurry clenched her teeth and focused everything she had on her horn’s magic. Even such a tiny flicker of light there was enough to break the darkness around her mouth. “No! You! Won’t!”

Her horn then ignited with a fearsome white glow as bright and hot as the sun, and Nihila hissed in agony for a fleeting instant as the darkness around Flurry was driven back entirely. The light was so bright that Flurry herself had to shield her eyes from her own magic as she fell to the ground.

When Flurry opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a most peculiar sight. First, the darkness surrounding her had dulled to little more than a dim gray shadow, though there still wasn’t any sort of terrain to guide her way by.

Second, Nihila had collapsed to the floor, unconscious as best that Flurry could tell, and the color of her coat had become more vibrant than before, not all that dissimilar from Princess Luna’s coat color. The little candlelight that Flurry had followed before approached Nihila’s body slowly, fluttering along at a snail’s pace, drawn to it like, well, a moth to a flame.

Third, and most disturbing, the inky black thing that had enveloped Flurry before had coalesced together with the darkness and red lightning, taking on the form of some shapeless blob that pulsated like a beating heart. Flurry watched as the dark blob writhed about and began taking the shape of another alicorn. Unlike Nihila, this one’s horn was made of molten magma, her wings made of pure fire, her coat made of that inky black substance and pulsing with red lightning, her mane made of smoke. When she opened her eyes, there were no pupils there, just a field of stars.

“You… what have you done?!” this new alicorn shouted, her voice—Nihila’s voice, only more intense and pure—echoing around Flurry and piercing through her mind and soul.

Flurry blinked, her eyes darting between this new alicorn and the unconscious form of Nihila just beside her. She was at a complete loss as to what had just happened or what was going on, but she knew this other alicorn with the magma horn, there was no question about that. Kauldron had spoken of her before, having seen her in his dreams, and Flurry had seen her in her own nightmares. Was this Nihila? But then who was the unconscious alicorn?

“I… I don’t know…” Flurry muttered, shaking her head. “But whatever it is I did, I’ll do it again. Get out of my body, you… thing, whatever you are. You’re not welcome here!” She ignited her horn and prepared to defend herself.

“You think you can still resist me, fool? You are plagued with self-doubt and fear of the future. I can feel it on you. It only serves to make me stronger.”

Flurry clenched her teeth. “My body is not yours to take, just like this world is not yours. Even if it takes everything I have, I will not let you use me to ruin everything that is good.”

“Do you think yourself powerful enough to resist me forever? You are nothing. You are just another vessel to use in my conquest of this world.” Nihila chuckled and ignited her horn as well, causing it to spew sparks of molten rock into the air. “Once your pitiful Chronomancer friend fails to diffuse the Beacon, this world will be mine at long last and you will be truly powerless before me. I am Nihila. I am Darkness made manifest, and I will not be denied what is rightfully mine.”

Flurry glanced briefly at the unconscious alicorn mare beside her and watched as the flickering purple light entered into the mare’s chest. She then turned back to Nihila, confused. “Wait, if you’re Nihila… then who is this?”

Nihila smirked, showing off a row of razor-sharp fangs. “My pathetic previous host, an alicorn much more powerful than you and yet still nothing more than a miserable worm before my power. If she could not resist me, then what hope do you have, whelp, plagued as you are with pitiful self-doubt and uncertainty?”

Flurry paused for a moment. A few gears clicked together as she remembered Venture’s story from back at Goldridge, which felt so long ago now that she’d almost forgotten it. Particularly how Harmonia has once been the sister of another alicorn named Pandemonia, who had at some point started calling herself Nihila instead and completely changed her tenets.

“This other alicorn… this is Pandemonia,” she breathed. She glared at Nihila. “That’s what happened, isn’t it? You took over Harmonia’s sister and tried to destroy the south ages ago.”

“Indeed I did, and now, I will do the same with you. Once I use you to destroy Harmonia’s physical body, I will have free reign over this world. You lack the tenacity and strength to resist me, just as Pandemonia did. Once I have destroyed your soul and taken your body, none shall stand against me!”

“Flurry’s spirit is stronger’n that. Y’all ain’t takin’ her down that easy. Ya hear me, Flurry?! I believe in ya!” Bloom’s voice echoed all around her.

Flurry paused for a moment, then allowed a small smile to come to her lips. “You’re right, I was plagued with self-doubt. But despite everything you’ve said to me and despite all of your attempts to tell me my friends will fail, I still have faith in them, just like they do in me. Because that is what I have: hope.”

She stood tall and proud, her horn glowing brighter than ever. “I am Princess Flurry Heart, and I am the Princess of Hope. And that is why I will continue to resist you, no matter what you say or do. You will never extinguish my spirit. You have already failed.”

Nihila stood silent for a short moment. “We shall see… Princess.”

Chapter Twenty-Three: Encroachment

Rarity wasn’t ready to admit yet that she was absolutely terrified, at least not to anyone—pony or zebra—around her as she marched alongside Zircon towards the outskirts of Zeb’ra’den. They were a dozen or so miles from the city’s great outer wall, which was tall enough that Rarity could just make out the solid obsidian frame. More importantly, she could see the wendigo blizzard from here, not just because of the sheer size of the horrible thing, which was large enough to cover the entire city, but because it was approaching the army’s location at a speed far too fast for any natural storm to be moving. Zarya’s description of it didn’t quite do it justice.

But Rarity was not about to admit how terrified she was, not one bit. She’d made her point to everyone back at that war meeting and she was going to live by her decision no matter how frightening this prospect was, especially not now that she’d gotten this far. One thing was for sure, however, and that was that she was horribly underdressed for this weather. It was absolutely freezing out here, cold enough to bite straight through her winter coat—which until now had suited her amazingly well—both because of the fearsome winds and because the army had trekked across a field of snow-covered ice to reach their current position early that evening.

Zircon leaned over to her and placed his own coat over Rarity’s shoulders; the warmth encased her instantly, like she’d had a heavy blanket thrown over her. “Here, taketh this. Thou lookest as though thou art freezing,” he said with a grin.

“Oh no, sweetheart, I couldn’t take this from you,” Rarity said, giving him a small smile and half-heartedly trying to take it off. Truthfully she didn’t want to give it back, but her concern for him outweighed her concern for herself at the moment. Besides, it smelled strongly of him. “What about you? Won’t you be cold out in all of this?”

“This cold hath no power over me. I hath lived in this weather all my life. And besides which, it warms my heart and soul to see thee well, and that is good enough to keep the cold at bay.”

“If you insist.”

Zircon looked out towards the approaching blizzard and steeled his gaze. “The wendigo storm cometh. It shall be upon us within the hour. We must prepareth ourselves for the first waves. 'Twill be a fearsome battle.”

He turned towards Zarya and the rest of the Knights of the Black Flame, who were currently at the front of the army’s battle lines intermingled with House Snow’s army and the forces that House Wind had sent. The army was positioned in a ring-shaped formation as suggested by Venture to prevent the wendigos from reaching the rear lines.

He then hoisted up his falchion, igniting it in black fire. “Knights of the Order, 'tis now that we fight! And fight we shall, even through this cold night! We fight for our home! For those we have lost! And we shall fight on, no matter the cost!”

Every knight in the Order raised their weapons as one, igniting them as Zircon had done with his. “For Zeb’ra’den!” they cheered in unison, their voices booming through the snow. “For the Order!”

Lady Snowstorm, who was in the rear command lines with Zircon and Rarity, turned towards her own troops. “Ponies of Frostburg, present arms!”

Everypony under House Snow’s banner readied their pikes, crossbows, shields, swords, and lances. Every one of them looked ready to fight, though Rarity could see that many of their number were scared, mostly the younger ones.

“We are here tonight to do one zing: crush zese ‘wendigos’ and send zem back to whatever dark pit zey crawled out of. Zey are evil creatures. Zey are horrible monsters. Zey have killed many zebra allies and taken zeir city. But are we afraid?!”

“Nyet, Lady Snowstorm!” called the army as one, their voices booming as one throughout the storm, louder than the knights had been.

“Will we back down?! Will we run away, tails between legs?!”

“Nyet, Lady Snowstorm!”

“And why not?!”

“We are Frostburg! We are House Snow!”

“Zat’s right! Because we are Frostburg! We are House Snow! We are toughest ponies in zee south!” Snowstorm raised her hoof triumphantly, and the troops followed suit. “We will break zis blizzard! We stand as one!”

“We stand as one!”

Snowstorm then smiled, and turned her attention towards the decorated pegasus stallion—light blue coat, cloudy white mane—that stood by her side. “Ah, do you have speech too, Lord Whirlwind?”

The pegasus—Whirlwind, firstborn son of Lord Windwalker, head of House Wind—smiled and shook his head. “I don’t think that’s necessary, Lady Snowstorm, do you? No no, I think you and the Lord-Commander here have already done a proper good job stirring the troops’ spirits. My troops are only here to offer support however we can, not hog the glory.”

“And thy help is greatly appreciated, m’lord,” Zircon said with a slight bow. He then turned to Rarity and put his hoof under her chin. “Rarity, my love, keep thyself by my side at all times. I will keep thee safe from these beasts, I promise.”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving your side, sweetheart. There’s just one thing I must do before that storm reaches us. I said that I was going to offer my aid to the coming battle, so if you’ll give me just a moment, I have something to give to your knights.”

Zircon nodded back. “Certainly.”

Rarity stepped away from Zircon for a moment and looked out at the army, specifically at the knights with their black fire-coated runic weapons. She cleared her throat. “Knights of the Order of the Black Flame, many of you don’t know exactly who I am, and I’m afraid I don’t know too many of you either. My name is Rarity, and I have a generous gift for all of you. If you would all hold your weapons high and keep those flames lit, please?”

Several of the knights shared brief looks to one another, then shrugged and hoisted their weapons high into the air again as asked. Rarity figured both that her own “reputation” as some sort of avatar of Harmonia, combined with her relationship with their Lord-Commander, gave them no reason to object or question her.

Rarity nodded, took a deep breath, then ignited her horn and let her magic flow out towards every single runic weapon the Order wielded, starting with Zircon’s. Zircon’s eyes widened as her magic enshrouded his blade causing the flames to burst outwards into a raging fire that was barely kept contained by the weapon. Zarya’s longsword did the same, and her reaction was similar to her uncle’s. This repeated for every knight in the Order as their weapons were empowered by Rarity’s spell.

When she was done, Rarity let out another breath and looked out amongst the army again. The knights, with their weapons held high, now stood as pillars of fire that pierced through the clouds above and bathed the entire combined forces—ponies and zebras both—with a pleasant heat that would protect them from the coming storm.

Zircon smiled and turned to Rarity in amazement and wonder. “Thou hast given me this power once before many years ago, didst thou not? I remember this feeling, but 'tis stronger than I recall when I did battle with that… ‘other thee’, as thou hath called her.”

Rarity smiled back. “That’s because I’m stronger now than I was then, and I have better training with my magic after so many years. And, more importantly, it’s because now there is a deeper connection between you and I than there was before.” She set her hoof on his cheek. “I only hope that this is enough to take us through the night.”

Zircon nodded, then gestured towards the coming storm with his blade. The blizzard would be here within the next few minutes. “'Tis time for us to see how thy power fares, then. Prepare thyself, my love, for now, we go to war.” He hoisted his blade up again. “Zebras! Ponies! Together as one, we standeth against the blizzard! For Zeb’ra’den! For the south!”

“For Zeb’ra’den!” called the zebras as one.

“For the south!” called the ponies.

“I sure hope I know what I’m doing,” Rarity sighed. She took another breath, then lit her horn and raised a small shield around herself, just in case, knowing it was low-maintenance enough that she could focus on other spells in the meantime. “Sundial had better not take too long with that Beacon, though.”

*****

Sundial poked her head up out of the tunnel exit, pushing open the well-hidden trapdoor that, from the topside, was practically indistinguishable from the rest of the small supply room it was in. This was the exit that Zircon had said would get them closest to the Beacon, which meant it was located in the royal palace and had likely been used by King Zaratite himself. The room’s cramped size made it easy to see that there was nothing threatening up here, either.

“So far, so good,” she muttered to herself. She hoisted herself out of the tunnel and into the room, then glanced down towards Weaver and Venture and gestured for them to come up as well. “All clear up here. Let’s get a move on.”

Weaver ascended first, climbing up and taking a spot beside Sundial, followed by Venture. The latter glanced around the room, tilting her head as she looked over the contents. “Is this a supply closet or something?” she asked.

“Looks like it,” Weaver said with a nod. “It’s nondescript and unassuming, a perfect location for a secret entrance to a shelter and tunnel system meant to protect the royal family and get them to safety.”

“Aye, it’s a wee bit different from Hope’s Point’s elevators,” Sundial noted as she shut the trapdoor behind them. Once it slid closed, it was like it wasn’t even there at all, sliding perfectly into its slot. If someone didn’t know it was there, they’d never find it. “Alright, so, Zircon said that the route ta the Beacon was just out o’ this room. We take a left, a right, a right, and then another left. Follow me.”

“This is so exciting,” Venture said, hopping in place as she followed Sundial out of the room. “Fixing this Beacon has been a long time coming, hasn’t it? It’s a real shame that we needed that Key to do it, though, huh? I bet Harmonia would’ve done this herself years ago if she knew how to do it without that little gadget.”

Sundial nodded and started off down the hall outside the room. “Would’ve saved us all a lot o’ trouble, wouldn’t it? If only the gryphons weren’t so bloody paranoid and put all these precautions in place. I still don’t know how Silvertongue bypassed it all those years ago.” She shook her head. “But aye, we’re gonna bloody well fix this mess up, then we can all rest easy and take a vacation or something. Harmonia knows I need one.”

Venture patted Sundial on the shoulder. “You really do, Sundial, believe me. You work so hard to do your job so well—and you’re so good at it!—that I’m sure nopony would argue if you wanted to have a little breather for however long you needed. For what it’s worth, I definitely hope you get your chance to relax when this is all over.”

“Right. Thanks, lass. Come on, we’re getting close. I don’t know how long this is gonna take, so we’d better not waste any time. We’ve got a lot o’ folks counting on us.”

“Do you think they’re gonna be okay out there?” Weaver asked. “I’m worried about Rarity. A warzone isn’t the place for somepony like her.”

“I haven’t got a bloody clue, but if being around Flurry Heart for so long has taught me anything, it’s that we just gotta have a bit o’ hope for the best. Rarity seemed pretty confident in herself, so we might as well have confidence in her, too ”

After following the halls—left, right, right, then left—the trio found themselves at the entrance into the Beacon courtyard. Snow and ice covered the ground completely. The yard was decorated with statues and busts of zebra heroes and royals throughout the ages, all covered in snow as well. There was also a conspicuously empty spot, which Sundial figured had been where Silvertongue’s old statue had been, at least according to Tick Tock’s description of the place.

The Beacon itself was situated neatly in the center of the courtyard, an impossibly tall pillar of gleaming white metal shrouded with a dull glowing light. In the sky above, Sundial could see that the wendigo blizzard had mostly moved away from the city. The plan to draw them away had worked splendidly. Whether that was a good thing or not was debatable—on one hoof, it made things easier here, but on the other, it meant the army was facing the entire storm at once.

However, Sundial was more invested in the fact that there was something off about the Beacon. She’d seen it before, years ago, and remembered that there was supposed to be a dull white glow radiating from the structure that would flow out into the sky above, where it was then supposed to spread out and cleanse the air of Darkness, at least when operational. Instead, the glow coming from the Beacon was a very dim orange, though it did not flow out into the sky.

“That’s not right,” she muttered, scratching her head. “Why’s the Beacon glowing like that?”

“Is it not supposed to be?” Weaver asked.

“No, it’s supposed to be glowing white, not orange.”

Venture frowned and shook her head. “There’s something terribly wrong here, I can feel it in the air. That orange color was generated by the northern Beacon, which was the Dark-filled one. It’s not a very strong glow, luckily, but that’s definitely not supposed to be happening. There’s still Light here, but… it’s waning.”

Weaver tilted his head. “Did the wendigos do something to it, maybe? They’re fueled by Dark magic and were servants of Nihila, right?”

“Aye, lad, but I don’t see how they could possibly do anything ta the Beacon on their own.” Sundial shook her head and gestured for the others to follow her forward. “C’mon, let’s see if we can’t figure out what’s wrong with it. I don’t imagine we’ve got a lot o’ time ta muck about with the way that storm’s moving.”

The trio approached the Beacon and circled around to the other side, where the tower’s operations system was—it was a gryphon-designed techno-magic construct, after all, and so it had techno-magic instruments—which they found was already open. Sundial gasped when she saw that it had definitely been tampered with, and she recognized immediately the device that was responsible.

It was a small cube-shaped device that glowed with a dim green light.

“What the bloody hell is that thing doing here?” she muttered, turning to Weaver. “That’s the device yer old Overseer was using before, aye?”

Weaver eyed the device briefly, then nodded. “It is. And it’s attached to the Beacon’s control mechanisms where the Key is supposed to go, from what I can tell. I don’t know what it’s doing, though.”

Venture closed her eyes and shook her head, clearly very worried all of a sudden. “I do. I can feel the difference in the magic in the air. There’s a lot less Light than there should be, and a lot more Darkness. This device is converting the magical energy in the Beacon.”

Sundial’s eyes widened. “What? How can it do that?”

“Because it’s one of the most exquisite techno-magic devices ever made,” said a voice from nearby. “It’s lovely to see you again, by the way.”

The trio wheeled around to face the voice, which Sundial and Weaver recognized very well as belonging to Overseer Pedigree. The Overseer stood at the edge of the courtyard, alone. His horn was horribly cracked and leaked a neon yellow magical residue, but if that bothered Pedigree at all he didn’t show it.

Most importantly, though, the Overseer had clearly been crippled in his attempt to teleport to safety months ago. His limbs were all encased in mechanical constructs comparable to the most advanced prosthetics that Hope’s Point used, only even more robust. He wore a similar construct around his body, not unlike the body armor used by the AMP Troopers the NPAF used.

Pedigree grinned and took a couple of steps forward, as if these mechanical limbs of his were perfectly normal. His eyes were locked on Weaver at the moment. “Well now, look at you, Two-eighteen. I thought for certain that you’d perished from your injuries, but it would seem that I was mistaken. Your earth pony resilience is greater than I anticipated.”

Weaver snorted, but otherwise stood tall. “You were wrong about a lot of things as far as it concerns me, Pedigree.”

“On that, we can agree. For one thing, I was so very wrong in assuming you were worth anything more than a tool, but then you went and failed even at being that.” Pedigree sighed and shook his head. “I certainly hope the next batch produces a more suitable specimen.”

Sundial grunted and settled into a fighting stance. “What are you doing here, ye stuck-up twat? This isn’t just some wonderful coincidence, is it?”

Pedigree chuckled. “I don’t have to explain myself to the likes of pegasus filth such as yourself. But I will say that I do have a truly glorious purpose here, one that you could never hope to grasp in your wildest dreams.”

“You’re converting the Light energy of the Beacon into Dark energy,” Venture said matter-of-factly. “We already figured that part out. Let me guess, though: you’re doing it in order to stop us from diffusing the Beacon properly and rebalancing the world’s magical dichotomy? Probably because you’re a servant of Nihila.”

Sundial stared at Venture for a moment. “That was quick, lass. Ye figured that all out already?”

Venture shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it’s only obvious, isn’t it? We suspected it all along.”

Pedigree frowned, then nodded. “Hmph… well, it would seem as if the Chronomancer can hold good company after all. That’s the most surprising thing out of all of this, if I’m being honest. How she managed to acquire such an astute companion is beyond me, but I assure you, my fellow unicorn, you lower yourself greatly by associating with this flying rat and her mud-eating pet.”

“Alright, I’m done with listening ta you and yer racist shite.” Sundial rolled her shoulders and scuffed her hoof in the snow. “This has been a long time coming, arsehole. Without yer magic, ye don’t have a bloody prayer against the lot o’ us.”

“You would dare to mock my injury?” Pedigree snarled. “Because of you and that simple-minded, disobedient degenerate—” He stopped, then took a breath. “I may have lost the proper use of my horn, but that doesn’t mean I’m defenseless, not in the least. I’m afraid it is you who doesn’t have a prayer.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, ye got more o’ them fancy drones? Fat lot o’ good those did ye.”

Pedigree gave her a wicked smile. “Not exactly.”

The courtyard then got extremely cold, and the wind and snowfall picked up immensely, as if a huge blizzard had just appeared and was localized entirely within the courtyard. However, despite the fierce, biting winds, Sundial could hear something carrying over the din of the storm, strong enough to hear clearly despite how faint it seemed: somepony was singing. The notes were beautiful, high-pitched and feminine, almost haunting, like an angelic choir.

In an instant, Sundial was filled with an irresistible urge to follow the source of the singing, which was somewhere just behind Pedigree. Whoever was singing had the most delectable voice she’d ever heard before, and it made her heart flutter like a little schoolfilly with a crush. An odd sensation, of course, since she’d never felt like that in her life before this moment.

“Uh, Sundial? What are you doing? What’s going on?” Weaver asked, worried.

A quick glance to her side told Sundial that Weaver clearly couldn’t hear the singing, because he was watching her, confusion all over his face. She stepped alongside him and gave him a dumb smile, tapping his ears in an attempt to get them to work properly.

“Don’t ye hear it, lad?” she asked. “It’s bloody beautiful, it is.”

“All I hear is the wind. Are you alright?”

“Ye don’t hear that singing, lad? That’s a shame, it’s simply lovely. I never had much taste for songs, but this singer is really good.”

Venture stepped forward. “Don’t listen to it, Sundial,” she said, her voice firmer than Sundial had ever heard. Clearly, she couldn’t hear the singing either, because if she could she wouldn’t be saying those words. “Close your ears, and don’t listen to it. It’s not safe. Trust me.”

“Ye sound like a bleeding nutcase, aye? What the bloody hell are ye talking about?”

Pedigree frowned and looked between Venture and Weaver. “Most peculiar. Why are the two of you not affected? Hmph. No matter. Without the Chronomancer, your pathetic plan to diffuse the Beacon will fail. Her death is all that matters.”

Sundial shook her head. “Oy, don’t distract me, arse-face. I’m trying ta hear the song.”

Weaver stepped forward as well, pulling Sundial back and eyeing Pedigree carefully as if to figure out what was going on since he apparently couldn’t hear the lovely song. “Don’t go any closer, Sundial. Listen to Venture, she usually knows what she’s talking about.”

Sundial stared at his hoof, then glared at him. Why was he trying to stop her? Whatever the reason, it was making her angry. “Let go o’ me. I have ta get whoever’s singing, lad.”

“You mean those?”

Weaver pointed off towards one of the figures that was approaching from behind Pedigree, which Sundial recognized instantly as a wendigo from the descriptions that she’d been given by Zarya: an overly large pony made of crystalline blue ice, its mane made of mist. It was singing. Despite knowing the wendigo was dangerous and evil, her heart and mind told her that everything was okay and that she could get closer to it.

There was more than one wendigo, too. A few dozen of them surrounded the courtyard now, though only one of them was singing. Surely if more of them joined in they would have a beautiful harmony going on. Perhaps the others had stage fright? That was simply adorable.

Sundial sighed wistfully. “Aye, the wendigo. She’s a beautiful singer, isn’t she? I just have ta get—”

Venture blasted said wendigo in the face with a bright blast of magic, disintegrating the beast in an instant. “You don’t need to do anything, Sundial, except get behind me and stay away from those monsters. Come on!”

As soon as the singing stopped, Sundial shook her head clear, as if she’d just come out of a daze of some sort. “What the bloody—” She then realized her group was completely surrounded. “Aw shite.”

Pedigree shook his head, disappointed, and glared at Venture like a foal who’d been told he couldn’t have a cookie. “That wasn’t a wise decision, friend. They would have spared you if I asked, but now you will have to die as well. The hard way, I’m afraid.”

The wendigos of the courtyard let out a hideous shriek, their forms no longer beautiful, and moved as one on the trio.

But Venture raised a shining barrier of white, magical light in their way, and it rejected them. The few that had approached first shattered the instant they touched the barrier, and so the others pulled back before they, too, were destroyed.

Pedigree blinked. “What in the— how is your Light so strong? Is this how you were unaffected by the song?”

Venture ignored him and turned to Sundial. “I’ll hold the wendigos at bay for now. You should go and figure out how to fix the Beacon before our friends out there get overrun.”

Sundial glanced around at the barrier that surrounded the trio. “Aye, lass. I guess I’ll just ask ye later how ye’re doing this all by yerself, though.” She shook her head and stepped towards the Beacon’s control mechanism and gave it a good once-over. “Bloody hell, how am I supposed ta fix this?”

“You’ll figure it out, Sundial, I know you will. Just have faith in yourself, okay?”

“Aye, uh… right. Okay then. Thanks, lass.”

Pedigree snarled, putting a hoof to his nose. “No no no, this won’t do. This won’t do at all. I’ve worked too hard and sacrificed too much to let you win so easily, Chronomancer. You’ve got new companions, but I have new tools.”

He rolled his shoulders and took a deep breath. Then, with a loud hiss and a whirr, his mechanical limbs shifted about. Sundial took her attention away from the Beacon for the moment to watch as Pedigree rose up onto his hind legs, which linked to the body armor he was wearing and extended another foot or so, then his forelegs did the same. A number of devices sprung out of the armor, which unfolded into a thicker shape than before. Last, the body armor deployed a helmet than encompassed Pedigree’s head.

“What in the bloody hell is that?” Sundial blurted.

“The latest of my techno-magic marvels, Chronomancer,” Pedigree said, his voice distorted slightly by the helmet. “An improvement to the old AMP Trooper system, designed to be piloted by a pony rather than by a machine. I’ve christened it the Pilot Operated Mechanical Pony.”

“Damn NPAF and all of yer damn acronyms.” Sundial shook her head. “Well, ye’re only a few letters away from ‘pompous’, then, aren’t ye, ye pompous arse?”

“You laugh now, but you won’t be in a moment.” Pedigree pointed his forehooves at Venture’s barrier. “It draws magic from me much like my horn would do, and then amplifies it tenfold. Your pathetic unicorn barrier is nothing against it. Bear witness to my ingenuity!”

Each forehoof unleashed a torrent of pure electrical energy, which tore into Venture’s shield with explosive power.

Venture clenched her teeth as she focused her magic to keep the barrier up against the sudden abuse, but seemed to hold on just fine. “Yikes! I wasn’t expecting this, like, at all.”

“Aye, but ye’re handling it alright, lass, aren’t ye?” Sundial asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I’ll be okay. Just a little surprising, is all.”

“That’s impossible…” Pedigree muttered. He shook his head. “No matter.”

Sundial smirked at Pedigree. “Look at that. My new friend here is more powerful than ten o’ you.” She then blinked, tilting her head. “Stronger than ten unicorns… huh.”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, but you must have misunderstood me. Ten times is the minimum setting.” Pedigree pumped his hooves once, which then greatly increased the power output. “Let’s try twenty, shall we?”

Seeing the barrier flicker was all the wendigos needed to grow bold again and rush forward. Many of them exploded into showers of ice against the shield, but a few others managed to make it through as it weakened. Venture turned and fired blasts of light at the wendigos that made it through, vaporizing them all the same, but clearly struggled to do so.

“Okay, this is worse than I thought!” Venture called out.

“Indeed it is! How long do you think you can keep that up?” Pedigree taunted. “No unicorn is powerful enough to withstand this much pressure for long. You have the might of twenty unicorns blasting your little—”

Without warning, Weaver swept up beside Pedigree and slammed his hoof into the side of his head. The helmet protected Pedigree fairly well—that was its job, after all—but the blow was enough to knock him off-balance and get him to let up on his assault on Venture’s barrier.

“You miserable little worm!” Pedigree snapped, now turning his attention to Weaver.

He fired a blast of energy at Weaver, but Weaver slipped into the shadows of the courtyard—easy to do because of the small-scale wendigo storm—and reappeared several feet to the left.

“I’ll handle Pedigree,” Weaver said, looking briefly to Venture. “You keep Sundial covered so she can work.”

Sundial shook her head. “Are you crazy, lad? Ye can’t handle him by yerself, not with all o’ that gear on him!”

“Just get the Beacon activated properly,” Weaver said, dodging another blast from Pedigree. “It’s the only way to keep our friends safe.”

Pedigree growled. “I am tired of your insolence, you miserable failure. I’m going to do what I should’ve done a long time ago!”

He charged at Weaver, increasing his speed with thruster rockets attached to his rear hooves, faster than Weaver could react. He tackled Weaver and slammed him into—rather, through—a wall at the edge of the courtyard.

“Weaver!” Sundial shouted, making to chase after them.

“Let them be, Sundial,” Venture grunted, struggling to keep her shield up against the wendigos, which were now increasing in number and in boldness once they saw it was possible to break through. “Focus on the Beacon. Weaver’s right, that’s the only hope our friends out there have to survive. You have to fix whatever that Pedigree guy did. It’s up to—”

Another wave of wendigos swept through the barrier and rushed at Venture. There were so many this time that Venture could not focus on them individually. Instead, she let out a great burst of light from her horn, so bright that Sundial had to shield her eyes for a moment.

When Sundial reopened her eyes, her jaw dropped. Venture was gone. In her place was an alicorn, her coat whiter than snow, her long, flowing mane a brilliant gold. Sundial had never seen this alicorn before but had had her described once by Tick Tock, so she knew who it was immediately without even needing to ask.

She still asked, though. “H-Harmonia?” she blurted.

The alicorn—Harmonia—turned to face Sundial briefly and gave her a small smile. “Yes, my little pony, 'tis I. Forgiveth my deception for all these months, I intended no harm to thee or thy friends.”

Sundial held up her hooves, completely lost. “Wait wait, so… you were Venture the whole time?! Are ye bloody shitting me?!”

“'Tis not the time to discusseth this, hmm? The Beacon doth require thy attention.”

Sundial grunted, shook her head, then returned to her post by the Beacon’s control panel. “I’m gonna need a bloody drink after all o’ this.”

*****

Rarity heard another scream of pain come from the outer lines of the defensive ring, but wasn’t sure who’d been injured or worse at this point anymore, having lost track of everything in the chaos of the battle. The wendigo blizzard had been much larger and brought much greater numbers to bear than anyone had thought possible, and the wendigos themselves were much faster and smarter than anyone had given them credit for.

It had started off simply enough. The wendigos slammed into the army’s front lines as expected, and they were torn apart by a combination of black flames, flaming arrows, pikes, and swords, and unicorn magic. Though some wendigos managed to get through and wound some of the soldiers, the first few minutes of the battle seemed to go rather smoothly for the most part.

That was just the edge of the storm, unfortunately, and the blizzard did not feel fear or pain. It only kept moving forward, unwavering, relentless. Soon, the wendigos’ numbers became too much to handle so easily, and the army had to close ranks to keep them from slipping through. There were so many of the blasted things cluttered up against the front lines that some wendigos even clamored over one another and leapt out into the middle lines unexpectedly, inflicting wounds and deaths far sooner than was acceptable.

But the army handled this as well, at least as best they could. The knights redoubled their efforts and took positions so that they were able to catch more wendigos with their black fire than before, though it left them vulnerable and prevented them from guarding the regular soldiers around them. It was a necessary move to thin the wendigos’ ranks so that the entire army didn’t get overwhelmed, though it cost more lives than anyone thought possible.

Rarity was barely keeping up with her one and only job in this fight: ensuring that the Knights of the Black Flame—or rather their magical runic weapons—were kept at peak power so that their fires could bathe the encroaching horde as best they could. Every knight lost was a tragedy, and even then she was straining her magic thin trying to focus on the knights that remained as their weapons lost their luster. Some knights and the soldiers they guarded fell when Rarity wasn’t quick enough to empower them, or if she had to choose between one or another. She felt horrible about every single one that she allowed to fall.

Even so, the army seemed to hold firm, at least for a time.

But now the battle had raged long and hard, and there was still no end in sight to the wendigo horde. A quick glance upward told Rarity that the blizzard’s center wasn’t even directly overhead yet, so they hadn’t even reached anything resembling a reprieve. The defensive ring around the army’s center was growing smaller and smaller as the soldiers and knights closed ranks tighter and tighter. The occasional wendigo managed to slip through into the rear line, but it was quickly dealt with by Zircon or Zarya before it could injure or kill any of the archers.

As minute after minute passed, Rarity noted that the army had thinned so tremendously that she could easily pick out who was who. House Snow’s forces, once two thousand strong, now numbered in the mid-hundreds. House Winds forces, which had been a scant hundred or so, had allowed themselves to be cut off from the rest of the army in order to buy time for the knights to pull back; Rarity had no idea where they were anymore. And the thousand zebras—not even counting the knights—were down to the last hundred or so. The knights themselves, once roughly fifty in number, were down to their last fifteen, Zarya and Zircon among them.

At this point it was nearly impossible to keep the wendigos out of the defensive ring, and so Rarity blasted the creatures herself as quickly as she could. It was never supposed to get this far, but none had expected the sheer numbers they had to fight against. She couldn’t even focus on keeping the knights empowered anymore, lest she miss a wendigo sneaking up on her or those nearest to her. Things were happening so fast that she was losing track of where everyone was; only Zircon, who was back-to-back with her through it all, was a constant, though she tried to keep track of Zarya and Shine as best she could.

A scream of pain to Rarity’s left drew her attention. Lady Snowstorm had been leapt upon by one of the wendigos, who was even now freezing her foreleg. Snowstorm’s personal guard slammed his whole body into the beast’s side, knocking it clean away, but left himself open in the process to another wendigo to impale him in the back with its sharpened hooves.

“Take her!” he shouted, looking to Rarity briefly before turning to swing his lance at his assailant. He was frozen solid an instant later.

Rarity moved as quickly as she could to grab Snowstorm with her magic and pull her over to her and Zircon before the wendigo could strike her down as well. She did what she could to help the other mare and save her foreleg, but the damage was done and the ice was already starting to crack.

“Spasibo,” Snowstorm grunted. She glanced around the chaos of the battlefield and shook her head. “Zis is it zen. At least I die knowing we fought to zee end.”

Rarity glanced about as well. It was hard to see more than ten or so feet in front of her now as the blizzard grew thicker around them the fewer soldiers there were to stem the tide. “Don’t give up hope just yet, m’lady,” she said. She then looked off in the direction of Zeb’ra’den. “What in the world is taking Sundial so long with that Beacon?”

Zircon set his hoof gently on Rarity’s shoulder to draw her attention to him. “'Twas always a possibility that we would fall before she succeeded in her mission. We can only hope that we hath given her the time she needed to finish it so that this storm can end.”

Rarity looked around the battlefield at all of those fallen and all of those still fighting what was now clearly a losing battle. “There has to be something we can do…”

Zircon shook his head. “'Tis the nature of war that not every battle can be won.” He pulled Rarity into a tight embrace. “I am glad that we could be together one last time, my love.”

“One last time…” Rarity muttered.

She closed her eyes and set herself against him. The cold was worsening more than ever around her, but at least he was still warm. She could hear his heartbeat, oddly calm despite the chaos all around them.

“All I ever wanted was to see you again, Zircon. But not like this… not like this…”

Rarity took a breath and prepared herself for the end.

And she waited.

And waited.

Then, the cold around her evaporated in an instant.

Rarity opened her eyes to see that she was surrounded by a powerful, bright light. Not from magic, but from above as if from a spotlight of some sort. More spotlights surrounded what remained of the army. Rarity could see every pony and zebra around her, including Zarya and Shine only about twenty feet away, and even some of House Wind’s forces off in the distance, somehow. Whatever the light was, it was driving the wendigos back into the storm and clearing out the cold and fog around those on the ground.

When Rarity looked up, her mouth curled in a little smile. Hope’s Point’s fleet had arrived. “Bluebolt did it! Look! Help is here!”

Almost on cue, the ships above fired a volley of explosive shots into the storm. Rarity couldn’t see what effect it had on the wendigos, but she could certainly hear their enraged shrieking in the distance.

Then, to Rarity’s further surprise, a few dozen ropes dropped down from the airships above, followed by Hope’s Point militia ponies climbing down. They wasted no time at all moving to the edge of the fields of light, hoisting up their odd-shaped rifles, and firing into the wendigos, not with bullets—which Rarity had expected—but with pure lightning, which worked just as well on wendigos as fire did. She recognized the weapon from a long time ago: Gadget had used one just like it.

Then, the ship directly above Rarity and Zircon let out a brief, high-pitched whine as its speaker systems activated. “This is Queen Blackburn of Hope’s Point. All forces of Zeb’ra’den, House Snow, and House Wind, stay under the lights; medical teams are coming down. We will handle the wendigos.”

Rarity let out a breath of relief. “Just in the nick of time, it seems, and with a dramatic flair as well. Thank goodness.”

“'Tis fortune that favors us this day!” Zircon exclaimed, a bright smile on his face.

He walked over to the edge of the light and swung his sword outward into the storm beyond, unleashing another torrent of flame. The wendigos beyond did not dare approach him afterwards, and those that tried were driven back by the light instantly.

Zircon turned towards the remaining troops. “All those who can still fight, join with me! We will pusheth back this storm! For Zeb’ra’den! For the south!”

“For Zeb’ra’den!” called the zebras as one.

“For the south!” called the ponies as one.

As the remaining able-bodied warriors of the army joined with Zircon to start pushing back the storm, Rarity saw a small shuttle, like the one that had transported Lockwood back at Newhaven, descend upon the battlefield. Several of them, in fact. One landed rather close by and a small team of ponies deployed out from it and immediately began tending to the wounded, such as Lady Snowstorm.

Content that the battle was not over and that they now had a fighting chance, Rarity smiled and joined Zircon at his side, ready to push outwards into the blizzard again.

*****

Weaver groaned in pain as he got up out of the rubble he’d been tackled through, and, after discarding his goggles—they had broken anyhow—took a brief moment to evaluate his surroundings to try and figure out where exactly he’d ended up. The room was large, there were a good deal of decorations of plants, fruits, and vegetables as well as a well-sized fireplace with a sword on the mantelpiece, and there was a rather large table surrounded by chairs. A dining room then, simple enough. The room was dark—no zebras were present at the castle so they had no reason to keep any lanterns lit—but that didn’t bother him.

The sound of movement to his right was all Weaver needed to pull him out of his analysis and back into action, and he nimbly moved aside to avoid Pedigree punching down on top of him with that great metal-clad hoof of his. The floor where Weaver had been a second ago was now shattered.

Pedigree didn’t give Weaver any time to breathe, lunging forward for another punch, then another. It was nothing but pure brute force here. Weaver knew the Overseer didn’t have combat experience without his horn, but this new mechanical suit of his was doing its fair job to give him an edge that Weaver hadn’t expected to deal with.

Luckily, since the room was dark, Weaver had plenty of space to maneuver with his shadow-melding abilities, and he used that advantage to its full effect. He was bothered by how cold it felt to do it considering his uniform was supposed to protect from that, and chalked it up to other elements in the environment such as the wendigos outside.

“Stay still, you insufferable lab rat!” Pedigree snapped as, again, he missed Weaver with a punch.

“Why would I do that?” Weaver asked from the other side of the room, moving through the shadows with the ease of a fish moving through a still pond. “You always commanded me to use every advantage in battle that I could. I’m merely taking your lessons to heart.”

“Don’t you try and turn my lectures around on me, Two-eighteen.”

Pedigree cocked his foreleg-mounted energy gun and fired a blast across the room at Weaver, who slipped through the shadows to avoid it. Weaver had to admit that the electrical energy was terrifying, but this was not the time and place to freeze up just because of a little lightning.

“You can’t hide forever,” Pedigree called out. The visor on his helmet lit up a bright white, then cast that light out into the room like a spotlight. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”

As Pedigree’s spotlight searched about the room, Weaver slipped through the shadows around it to avoid being seen.

Pedigree was jittery, and every sound within the room, every sudden movement, was enough for him to turn, aim his spotlight and his lightning cannons at whatever had caused the disturbance, then fire away at it. After only a minute or so, the dining room was practically unrecognizable, with shattered chairs and a completely ruined table spread all over.

Weaver swam through the shadows up behind Pedigree and punched him as hard as he could right in the lower back, easy to do with Pedigree’s new posture. The body armor did it’s job well enough to absorb the blow—and it hurt like hell to strike it—but it knocked Pedigree off-balance, enough for Weaver to circle around and deliver an uppercut to the chin as well, which slightly loosened the suit’s helmet.

But Pedigree was only stunned briefly. He turned and blasted at the spot where Weaver had just been, then snarled since he’d missed as Weaver dove back into the shadows again. “You little ingrate! I gave you life! Is this how you repay me for your existence? Hmm? Is this how you treat your maker?”

Weaver didn’t respond—it would give away his position—but swam back to the other side of the room to briefly shake the pain out of his hoof. That armor was tough, so he couldn’t do much to it on his own. Plus, he’d exposed a crucial weak point in the helmet. If only he had a weapon to take advantage of it.

Then his attention turned to the mantle piece above the fireplace and the sword that was displayed there. If everything that was said about the zebras was true, they were master swordsmiths and their special runic steel was almost as strong as durasteel. There was no chance that the sword above the fireplace was fake, either, not if the zebras valued such weapons as highly as they seemed to.

Weaver swam quietly in the shadows along the edge of the room and leapt for the sword. Unfortunately, it was fastened rather well on the mantelpiece and his attempt to get it off attracted a lot of attention in his direction.

“There you are!” Pedigree snapped, aiming his gun straight at Weaver.

Weaver dove into the shadows again and darted away before the blast blew the wall apart, but lost track of where the sword ended up for now.

Pedigree grunted, then aimed the lightning gun into the fireplace. “Enough of this, Two-eighteen. I tire of your silly games.” He fired a single shot, igniting the paltry amount of wood there and bringing dim light to the room. There were fewer shadows to move through now. “You think yourself a real pony now, hmm? You think you’re better than you once were? You are a science experiment gone wrong. Nothing more.”

Weaver stayed still in his hiding spot in one corner of the room, quickly searching for where the sword had flown to. He spotted it embedded in one of the broken chairs right next to the fireplace, fully in the light.

“When we’re done here, I’m going to take you to my lab, Two-eighteen. I’m going to take you apart, piece by piece, and find out where I went wrong with you. Your only purpose now is to make my next batch better. Do you hear me? You’re only useful as parts.”

When Weaver still didn’t take the bait, Pedigree then grinned and gave a low chuckle. “After I’m done with you, Two-eighteen, do you know what I’m going to do? I’m going to tear that Chronomancer’s wings clean off. I won’t kill her, of course. She’ll be more useful as a lab assistant. Or perhaps as a source of genetic samples.”

Weaver took a short breath. He knew he had one chance at this.

He leapt out of the shadows and sprinted for the sword while Pedigree was turned the other way. Pedigree heard him, turned, and fired, but Weaver dodged aside and kept moving forward. Another blast just missed his leg. Another missed his ear and singed his mane.

But Weaver made it to the sword, grabbing it in his teeth before leaping up at Pedigree. Another shot grazed Weaver’s side, melting part of his uniform into his fur.

He landed on top of Pedigree’s helmet, but he didn’t stay long, just jammed the sword into the gap between the helmet and the body armor. Pedigree reached back to grab him, but Weaver leapt off in time, grabbing the sword’s hilt with his tail—it was a runic blade, after all—as he did and pulling down with all his might, attempting to use the sword like a crowbar.

It worked. The force was enough to pop Pedigree’s helmet clean off.

Pedigree turned and blasted Weaver in the chest with a bolt of lightning, sending him flying across the room and into a wall. Weaver just barely kept the sword gripped in his tail, which was easier said than done without much practice. Luckily, he was in a dark part of the room now.

“End of the line, failure,” Pedigree said with a grin, taking aim and cocking his hoof to surge more power into the cannon.

Weaver dove into the shadows again just in time to avoid the blast, which destroyed most of the wall behind him. He then scrambled his way up along the wall nearest the fireplace, which was still dark, while Pedigree was distracted looking towards the remains of the wall.

He said nothing as he leapt out again, the hilt of the sword held in his tail and aimed directly at Pedigree’s head. Pedigree barely turned in time to see it, but not in time to react to it.

Weaver drove the blade straight into the top of Pedigree’s skull, losing his grip on the sword in the process. He hit the floor, hard, and tumbled into the shattered dining table.

When he glanced up at Pedigree, though, the Overseer wasn’t moving, and in fact had collapsed to the floor as well. Weaver walked over to examine him, and there was no mistaking it.

It was over. Pedigree was dead.

“End of the line indeed,” he grunted.

Weaver took a moment to breathe, then made his way back towards the Beacon courtyard without looking back. There would be time to reflect later. Right now, Sundial and Venture needed his help.

Luckily, it was easy enough to find the courtyard from the dining room, as he just needed to follow the busted walls straight through. He was not expecting the sight in the courtyard when he arrived, though.

He’d expected to see Sundial working on the Beacon, naturally, as that was what he and Venture had asked her to do since she was the only one who understood the Beacon and its Key well enough to do so. He’d also expected to see Venture defending her from the wendigos that still swirled about the courtyard. Speaking of the wendigos, they didn’t seem to notice Weaver for some reason, or at least weren’t paying him any attention.

He was not expecting to see a beautiful white alicorn with a golden mane defending Sundial in Venture’s stead. She didn’t even bother with a barrier to protect either one of them, either, just blasted wendigos left and right with bolts of magic that shined with the brightness of the sun.

Weaver shook his head and approached the pair—using the shadows of the courtyard to move without being noticed by the wendigos—keeping his eyes on the alicorn as he moved towards Sundial. “It looks like I missed something…”

Sundial grunted as she fiddled with the Beacon’s control panel some more in an attempt to get Pedigree’s device disconnected, which didn’t seem to be working. “Aye, ye did. Ye look awful, by the way.”

He winced. “I feel awful. Where’s Venture?”

Sundial tilted her head towards the alicorn. “That’s Venture. Or rather, Harmonia.”

Weaver blinked. “As in the goddess, Harmonia?”

“Aye, spot-on there, lad. She was Venture the whole bloody time.”

“Huh… okay?” Weaver shook his head and turned towards Harmonia. “Well, it’s a, uh… pleasure to meet you? Again? I’m uncertain what the protocol on meeting somepony who was pretending to be somepony else is.”

Harmonia turned to face Weaver and gave him a little smile, just as she vaporized another wendigo. “Worry not, my little pony, for thou art doing quite well in that regard. 'Tis a pleasure to meet you as myself, Weaver.” Then she frowned as she looked over Weaver. “Oh dear, thou art injured.”

Weaver glanced down at the burn on his chest. “Yes, I am. That’s not important right now, though. We can patch it up later.” He turned to Sundial. “How are things going here?”

Sundial slammed her hoof on the control panel. “Bloody terrific. I have no idea how this bleeding device o’ that bastard’s works.” She turned to Weaver briefly. “I don’t suppose ye can ask him?”

“Afraid not. He’s dead.”

“Aye, figured as much. Shite.” Sundial scratched her head. “I’ve tried everything I can bloody well think of, and nothing works. This device isn’t something the gryphons made, so I don’t even know how it’s interacting with the Beacon in the first place, or how it’s converting the Light inta Darkness.”

Weaver tilted his head. “Have you tried using your Timekeeper?”

Sundial blinked. “Why would I do that?”

“Well, Pedigree used the device to absorb energy from those Void rifts all across the north, didn’t he? I was never sure why he was doing it or how this device of his worked, but it seemed to be able to do the same thing as your Timekeeper.”

Sundial paused, then slapped her hoof against her forehead. “O’ course! This thing’s filled with all sorts o’ Void magic!” She fished her Timekeeper pocket watch out of her coat pocket and popped it open, then grinned. “Aye, and it’s got a lot o’ the stuff, too. Perfect. Let’s see… aha, piece o’ cake.”

She twisted a dial on top of the pocket watch and tapped the little screen inside twice. Her Timekeeper then glowed a dull green, while Void device attached to the Beacon glowed a bright green. With another twist of a different dial, a green energy flowed out of the Void device into the Timekeeper.

In seconds, the Timekeeper’s glow was significantly brighter, while the Void device wasn’t glowing at all. The device unceremoniously detached from the Beacon and fell into the snow.

“Ha! That was easier than I thought it was. Bloody brilliant, lad!” Sundial cheered, grabbing Weaver by the sides of the face and planting a big kiss on his lips.

Weaver was, in two words, stunned speechless. Harmonia gave a light, airy chuckle from behind the pair.

Sundial didn’t seem to notice, breaking the kiss and excitedly grabbing the Beacon Key out of her saddlebag and inserting it into the Beacon’s control panel. The entire panel glowed a dull white, as did most of the tower, which then gave a low rumble.

But then, nothing else happened.

Sundial waited a moment, then frowned. “Huh? Oh c’mon, don’t ye act up on me now, ye bloody piece of shite. Now what’s the matter?!”

Weaver shook himself out of his daze. “Why isn’t it working? I thought you said this part was easy?”

“It should be! All the data I got from GAIA says that all I need ta do is plug this bloody thing in and it’ll do the rest.” She slammed her hoof on the panel again. “Work! Work, ye damn piece o’ shite! Bloody techno-magic!”

“What seems to be the matter?” Harmonia asked, not turning her attention from the wendigos, which had thinned so much in number now that she hardly needed to expend any effort keeping them at bay.

“The Key’s not bloody working!” Sundial shouted. She searched through her Timekeeper to find anything that might be of use, then pointed to the screen, which Weaver could see was a basic instruction manual for the Beacon. “See? Just plug it in, and it’ll do the rest.”

Weaver pointed at a passage on the manual. “Here’s something. ‘The diffusion process requires that the Beacon’s energy be… ‘pure’? Well, that’s not good.”

Sundial glanced at the passage. “Shite. Shite. That bastard’s device threw the Beacon’s energy out o’ whack. It’s not pure Light anymore. How the bloody hell are we gonna convert the rest o’ that energy back?”

“'Twould be something I could do,” Harmonia said, stepping towards the control panel and vaporizing another wendigo in the process with laughable ease. “When first this Beacon was erected, I bequeathed much of my power into it so that it could function. I will do so again, driving out the Darkness within it.”

“Aye… that could work,” Sundial said with a nod.

Harmonia nodded. “Then standeth back, my little ponies, and alloweth me to do what must be done.”

Weaver and Sundial stepped away from the Beacon, though not so far that Harmonia could not protect them from stray wendigos if any approached, and watched as she lit her horn up and covered the Beacon in a glorious white light. The light grew brighter and brighter, and yet brighter still, so bright in fact that it hurt Weaver just to look at it. Not just his eyes, but something else inside of him.

“Weaver? Are ye okay?” Sundial asked.

Weaver shook his head. “It’s alright. Must be my injuries acting up.”

“Aye, well, we’ll get ye fixed up soon enough then. We’re almost done, lad.”

Harmonia’s horn grew brighter still, until at last it glowed with so much Light magic that the entire courtyard shined as bright as the sun.

Yet despite that, all Weaver could see was darkness.

*****

Rarity followed near Zircon as he, Zarya, Shine, and several other knights continued their push forward into the storm alongside the Hope’s Point militia. The going was rather slow, to her surprise, as they’d barely made it into the center of the blizzard by this point. The fleet above them maintained a steady course despite the fierce winds and cold, though Rarity was getting worried that they might eventually have to pull back if the storm got any worse.

The push had slowed to a crawl at this point. The wendigos’ numbers seemed endless despite their losses. The occasional wendigo seemed to grow bold enough to brave the airships’ spotlights, but they were swiftly cut down before anyone could get hurt. Though their threat had been reduced dramatically now, the combined pony and zebra forces didn’t go rushing forward, lest they open themselves up to attack. Sticking together and moving as a line through the blizzard was the plan now, simple though that was.

“How is it that there are so many of these foul things?” Rarity asked, not really expecting an answer since nobody likely knew it anyway. “They just keep coming with no sign of stopping.”

“'Tis perplexing, I agree,” Zircon noted as he melted a few more wendigos ahead of him. “Surely by now these creatures wouldst realize that they hath been defeated.”

“I don’t think they even know the concept of ‘retreat’, to be honest,” Shine noted. He glanced at the coalition forces as they continued pushing, then shook his head. “Even with all of this, though, do we have the resources to push through the entire storm to Zeb’ra’den? Surely our new allies will run out of fuel or power eventually?”

Rarity frowned and nodded. “While I have full confidence in Blackburn’s ability to prepare for this battle, you might have a point. And besides that, we can’t maintain this push forever. Many of us are exhausted and hungry. We marched all day before arriving here, after all.”

“Perhaps the wendigos intend to wear us down?”

“'Twould be an ideal strategy,” Zarya noted. “They layeth siege to our lines despite our mobility. Rarity is correct: we cannot maintain this push forever, not with our current numbers.”

“What in the world is taking Sundial so long with that blasted Beacon?” Rarity muttered for what felt like the tenth time in the past hour. “She should have—”

Then, everyone’s attention was drawn to a bright flash of light from the other side of the storm. The light moved fast, spreading outwards across the field like a tidal wave. It was blindingly bright, so Rarity had to shield her eyes, but she could hear the wendigos shrieking as the light made its way through the storm.

A moment later, Rarity opened her eyes and saw that the entire storm was simply gone, all in that one instant. There wasn’t a single wendigo in sight, and even the storm above had cleared into nothing more than a few paltry clouds.

“She did it!” Rarity cheered. “Sundial did it!”

Zircon smiled and raised his sword up, turning to address the soldiers in the line. “Victory is ours!”

A great cheer went up through the coalition forces. Rarity watched as the troops moved to one another, relief and joy upon their faces as they shook hooves, clapped shoulders, hugged, kissed, or whatever means they wanted to take to congratulate their fellows on a job well done. The battle was over, and the war with it, and though the losses had been tremendous, they had won.

Zircon scooped Rarity up into an embrace suddenly, eliciting a little yelp of surprise from her, then gave her a celebratory kiss. “We hath done it, my love! Thanks to thee and thy companions, we hath retaken Zeb’ra’den. We hath saved the entire southern continent and vanquished the wendigos for good!”

To Rarity’s amusement—but not her surprise—she noticed that Zarya and Shine were celebrating together in much the same way, as in, hugging and kissing. Zarya had been careful not to hint at anything going on between the two of them in her stories, but Rarity was hardly a novice in spotting these sorts of things. She was just better about not saying anything unless it was necessary.

“I’m glad that everything worked out in the end.” Rarity gave Zircon a rather somber smile. “I am terribly sorry for all of those lost in the process, though. I wasn’t strong enough to protect everyone. We may have won this war, sweetheart, but I can’t help but find the whole thing rather… pyrrhic.”

“'Tis the nature of war. But thou needst not feel anguish for the fallen, my love. They hath all given their lives in the name of Zeb’ra’den and the south. Their deaths were honorable and brave. Their names will live on in the halls of Zeb’ra’den and Frostburg for ages to come. They will not be forgotten.”

Rarity nodded. “Well… at least I know you’ll make sure they all receive proper due for their sacrifice.” She sighed and shook her head. “And at least Sundial finally got that Beacon activated. Looks like she was right—thank goodness—and the Light just swept away all of the wendigos in one fell swoop.”

Zircon nodded. “They were beings of Darkness, servants of Nihila. 'Twould be sensible to think such foul things would be destroyed by the Light of the Beacon. 'Twas a good plan, and 'tis thanks to her that we hath succeeded. We would have never won—not with such finality—if not for her.”

Rarity then paused, and her eyes widened in horrible realization. “Wait a moment… Weaver!”

“Hmm? What about Sir Weaver?”

“He was infused with Nihila’s Darkness at a young age. It's what gives him his abilities. Mister Gilderoy even told me not to use my powers on him because it might hurt him, or worse!”

Zircon tilted his head, then his eyes widened as well. “And he was right next to the Beacon when it unleashed its Light.”

“Come on, we have to get to the Beacon!” Rarity broke from Zircon’s embrace and made towards Zeb’ra’den as quickly as her hooves would carry her.

*****

Symphony took another breath, having just pushed Stormy away again to get herself some room to maneuver. The duel had gone on for more than ten minutes now, and Symphony was getting tired. This was the longest fight she’d ever had, and she was putting all of her effort into it just to stay on an even footing against Stormy’s Warden-boosted strength and speed.

Which meant that Stormy had the advantage, of course, since the Warden didn’t look to be tiring even in the slightest. “You look like you need to take a break,” Stormy taunted as she flexed her wings. “Perhaps you should lie down, ja? Take a little nap?”

Symphony grunted and rolled her shoulders. “I’m not through yet, so just keep your trap shut and bring it on. We’re done when I say we’re done.”

“Oh ho ho, I so love the fire you have in you. It’s such a shame I have to snuff it out.” Stormy shrugged. “I vill tell your Princess how valiantly you fought, though. Vell, she’ll be my Princess then, von’t she, kleiner singvogel?”

“By Harmonia, you just don’t shut up, do you?”

Symphony leapt forward and engaged with Stormy again. Left, right, right, high, left, low, right; every swing of her blades was met evenly with a perfect parry from Stormy. High, left, low, low, right, high; every swing of Stormy’s wingblade was met event with a perfect parry from Symphony in turn. Nothing that either did got through the other’s defenses anymore. They were locked evenly, at least for now, but Symphony wasn’t sure she could keep this up much longer.

Then, Symphony saw a light in the distance, and it was approaching fast. “What the hell is that?” she muttered to herself as she watched it racing towards them.

Stormy shielded her eyes slightly, clearly in great discomfort. “Ack, it’s so bright. Vhy is it hurting my eyes so much?”

Symphony paused a moment, then smirked. “Sundial did it. That’s the Beacon’s Light! Ha ha!”

“Vhat? Nein, das ist unmöglich. She could not have—”

The blinding light moved so quickly that it enveloped the pair in mere seconds. Symphony shielded her eyes for a brief moment, as did Stormy, but the latter still howled in pain when the light washed over her.

When Symphony opened her eyes, she saw the pegasus clutching her chest in agony. “Nein! Nein nein nein! Das kann nicht sein!”

Symphony twirled her blades again. “We’re not done yet, puttana.”

She lunged at Stormy, and the pegasus went to block it. Stormy was much slower on the draw than she had been during the entire fight until this point and the parry was horribly sloppy, enough that Symphony’s longsword slid along the length of the wingblade towards Stormy’s body rather than away from it, and thus Symphony’s blade sliced straight into the base of Stormy’s wing.

Symphony was no expert, but she knew what was going on: that Light had extinguished the Darkness in Stormy that gave her her status as Warden. Stormy was just a normal pony now, without the strength and speed she needed to stay even with Symphony at all.

She saw an opportunity when one was presented to her. She didn’t give Stormy a chance to pull away, retreat, or even speak. Without a second thought, she shoved her rapier straight into Stormy’s heart with all the force she could muster, then drew it back after giving it a good twist. It was completely soaked in Stormy’s blood.

Stormy choked, putting her hoof to her chest, her breath catching in her throat as she tried to speak, a look of utter bewilderment and disbelief on her face as if she wasn’t sure what was happening. She then fell to the ground, dead.

Symphony didn’t say a word. She just cleaned her blades in the snow, sheathed them, and set about climbing the mountain to see if Bloom, Flurry, and Harvey were okay.

*****

Flurry’s horn glowed as bright as a star as she defended herself—and the unconscious form of Pandemonia, which was really only instinctual at this point—from Nihila’s rage, each of them focusing on a steady stream of intense magical power. Nihila’s took the form of a beam of black energy circled with crackling red lightning and glowing hot magma; Flurry’s took the form of a field of pure white energy sparkling with blue and purple glitter. At the point of impact between the two forces was a trembling vortex of silver and gold that sparked out into the abyss surrounding them.

Despite all of her effort, though, Flurry wasn’t sure if she was winning or losing the battle. All she knew was that she was tiring fast. This was just like when she was using her magic to empower GAIA and the Arcanium only slower, but no less draining. Since she could barely see Nihila at this point, she didn’t know if her opponent was wearing down as she was, either.

Nonetheless, she carried on. She would not let herself be beaten, would not let herself be taken over by this evil creature, and would not let her friends down. They had faith in her, and she had faith in them, and that was what fueled her resolve.

“Submit yourself before me, worm!” Nihila shouted. “You only delay the inevitable! Your body belongs to me!”

“Never!” Flurry shouted back. “My friends will succeed, and they will put a stop… to… you—” Flurry was distracted when she saw a glowing light off in the distance, which was fast approaching. “What in the world is that?”

Nihila noticed it too, and abruptly stopped using her magic. “No… no, impossible! That fool has failed me!”

Flurry, also ceasing her magic, tilted her head, then smiled as the realization hit. “The Beacon’s Light! Sundial did it!” She turned to Nihila and smiled. “See? I knew my friends would succeed in the end. You’ve lost, Nihila. Now, give me back my body!”

Nihila snarled at Flurry. “Never, fool! I may have lost this battle, but I am Darkness incarnate. I will never stop, even if I must retreat into the shadows for hundreds of years or more. This world will be mine, one way or another, and your body is mine to do with as I see fit.”

Flurry clenched her teeth. “No… no it is not!”

*****

Bloom looked off into the distance when she saw the bright flash of light. “What in tarnation is that?”

Nihila—in Flurry’s body—snorted. “It would seem as though your pitiful friends have claimed a temporary victory, whelp. Savor it while it lasts.” She then spread Flurry’s wings, flapped once, and took flight in the opposite direction of the approaching light. This lasted for all of about a second before Flurry’s body landed roughly in the snow nearby. “What? What is this?”

Flurry then shook her head and spoke in her own voice. “This is my body, Nihila! You’re not welcome here anymore!”

“Imbecile!” Nihila snapped. “You cannot resist me! I am Nihila! I am—”

“Shut up!” Bloom shouted, running over to Flurry to check that she wasn’t hurt. It was confusing, watching Flurry and Nihila argue with the same mouth and body. All Bloom wanted right now was her friend back. “You heard her, ya dang ol’ parasite! That’s her body, not yers! Now go on! Git!”

“I will not be denied!” Nihila looked off towards the fast-approaching light, and Bloom saw something different in Flurry’s eyes at that moment: fear. “Stupid girl, what are you doing? We must flee from the Light at once!”

“We’re not going anywhere,” Flurry replied, her mouth curling in a little grin.

“Foolish whelp! Your soul has been enveloped within my essence. That Light will destroy my Darkness and everything within it!”

Bloom balked. “What? What d’ya mean?”

Nihila smirked at Bloom. “It is exactly as I said. If that Light reaches me, then I will be destroyed, as will everything and everypony within my embrace, including your precious Flurry Heart. She will die, worm, unless I can escape. You must help me.”

“No,” Flurry said, narrowing her eyes. “We’re not going anywhere. We’re staying right here where that Light can do exactly what it’s meant to do: destroy evil creatures like you.”

Bloom shook her head. “But Flurry, what if she’s right? What if—”

Flurry rose to her hooves and shook her head. “This is what needs to be done, Bloom. Nihila needs to be destroyed. She is a true monster, and this is the only way to rid this world of her evil forever.”

“No!” Nihila shouted. “You cannot do this! You will be destroyed along with me! We must flee!”

Flurry started walking towards the light as it continued growing closer. “The Light won’t destroy me. Only you. You’re obviously lying to try and save yourself.”

“Are you willing to take that chance, fool? If you’re wrong, you will die.”

“Then so be it. It will be worth it to take care of you once and for all, so that you can never threaten the creatures of this world ever again.” Flurry took a few more steps towards the light, her legs shaking as she went. “I will give this world the hope it needs.”

Bloom gulped. “Flurry, are ya sure ‘bout this?”

Flurry turned to Bloom and smiled. “I am without a doubt, Apple Bloom. After all, I’m Princess Flurry Heart, the Princess of Hope. I’ll be okay. Just keep believing in me.”

Bloom hesitated a moment, then nodded. “Alright. I trust ya. Just… just come back ta me, okay? Ta all o’ us.”

“I will. I promise.”

The light blazed along the bottom of the mountain; it would be here in seconds.

“No! No!” Nihila shouted, trying in vain to move Flurry’s limbs and flee. “I am Nihila, Darkness incarnate! I will not be—”

Bloom shielded her eyes as the light swept through her and Flurry. It only lasted an instant.

When Bloom opened her eyes, Flurry was lying in the snow. Bloom rushed to her side instantly. “Flurry! Flurry!” she cried, shaking Flurry’s shoulder. She knelt down and lifted Flurry’s head up into her lap. “C’mon, Flurry, open yer eyes. C’mon girl, don’t ya do this ta me now. Wake up!”

Flurry remained motionless.

Bloom hugged Flurry tight, tears welling up in her eyes. “Please, Flurry…” She closed her eyes and let the tears flow. “Please wake up…”

A very long, quiet moment passed. The only sounds were the soft winds—the storm had died the instant the light washed over the mountain—swirling about and Bloom’s sobs.

Then, Flurry stirred. “Unh… hmm?”

Bloom’s eyes opened. “Flurry!”

“Bloom? Did it work?” Flurry asked, looking around and blinking.

“I dunno, you should be tellin’ me. Is Nihila gone? Are you yer ol’ self again?”

Flurry paused for a moment, then nodded. “I don’t… I don’t feel her presence anymore. I think she’s gone for good. We did it…” Then she shook her head. “I don’t feel that other alicorn’s presence, either.”

Bloom blinked. “Huh? Other alicorn?”

“Oh. It’s… confusing. I’ll tell you all about it later… after I get… some rest…”

Flurry then set her head down in Bloom’s lap, a satisfied little smile on her face.

Bloom let out a breath of relief and gently ran a hoof through Flurry’s mane. “Ya did good, Princess… ya did real good…”

Chapter Twenty-Four: Encouragement

Sundial woke up from what felt like a daze, almost completely forgetting where she was at the moment or even had been. It took her eyes almost a full minute to adjust, and she did what she could to blink the blinding white light out of her vision. There was an intense ringing in her ears as well that prevented her from hearing anything either. She felt as if she’d been hit with a particularly potent flashbang at point blank range, which wasn’t really all that far from the truth.

Once she’d recovered her vision enough to see the Beacon courtyard, she took stock of the situation as best she could, though did so slowly—her head was pounding and it hurt just to think. The first thing she noticed was that Harmonia was nowhere to be found, as if she’d just vanished without a trace. The second—and more important—thing she noticed was that Weaver was right by her side. Only he was still laying on the ground. And he wasn’t moving.

“Weaver?” she said, dragging herself through the snow to scoot closer to him. “Hey, Weaver. Are ye alright, lad? That was a pretty sharp hit, aye?”

Weaver didn’t respond.

She gently gave his shoulder a little shake, growing concerned that he wasn’t replying. “Oy, Weaver. Can ye hear me? If ye can, answer me. Aye?”

No response.

She rolled him over so she could get a good look at him and noticed that not only was he not moving, he didn’t seem to be breathing either.

“Oh no… no no no…” She shook him again and put a hoof to his neck to feel for a pulse, but felt nothing there. “C’mon, lad, get up. This is no time ta be messing around, aye? If ye’re having a giggle or something, stop it. It’s not funny.”

No response.

She shook him again, harder this time. “Weaver! Damn you, don’t you dare do this ta me, lad. Not after everything we’ve been through together. Not after everything we’ve done, everything I promised you.”

No response.

Sundial felt the tears welling up in her eyes. “C’mon, Weaver… wake up. Please. I don’t want ta be alone again—”

Weaver let out a loud gasp for air and shot upright very suddenly, nearly smacking Sundial in the nose with his forehead.

“Bloody hell!” she blurted, putting her hoof over her heart after hastily wiping her tears. “Ye damn near gave me a heart attack, lad! Don’t do that!”

“Sundial?” he mumbled, his voice weak and tired. “Where are we? Are you okay?”

Sundial shook her head and eased back into the snow to breathe, trying to collect herself after that brief panic attack. “I’m fine,” she grumbled. “We’re still at the Beacon courtyard in Zeb’ra’den. So, y’know, we did it. We diffused the Beacon.”

“Oh, good. That’s good.”

Sundial looked around to take stock of the situation in the courtyard now that she had a moment to breathe. The Beacon tower had changed from how she remembered seeing it last. No longer was it glowing with any sort of magical light of one color or another, first of all. It stood as just a grand tower of white metal now, totally unremarkable except for its sheer size at this point. The rest of the courtyard was in shambles; most of the statues and busts of zebras had been damaged immensely in the fighting and from the diffusion.

She huffed. “Och, we sure did a number on this place, aye? What a mess. The zebras aren’t going ta be happy about that.”

“Where’s Venture?” Weaver asked, tilting his head. “I mean… Harmonia? I’m still a little confused by that whole thing.”

“I don’t know, lad,” Sundial sighed. “Maybe she left while we were out or something? That doesn’t seem like something she’d do, though, ot when you’re injured and all that. She was supposed ta patch up yer wounds after we finished with the Beacon. Kind o’ tacky ta just wander off—”

“Sundial?”

“Aye?”

“Why can’t I see you? Or anything at all, really?”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “What do ye—” She looked to Weaver and saw him trying to look around, as if searching for her. But why would he do that? She was right in front of him. Then, she realized what was going on. “Oh no…”

“What? What’s wrong?” Weaver asked, trying to look at her now based on the sound of her voice.

Sundial came over to him and took his face in her hooves, pointing him directly at herself. The pupils in his eyes had become a milky white. “Weaver, can ye see me? I’m right here in front o’ you.”

Weaver’s hooves came to hers, gently. He blinked a few times, then shook his head. “No… no, I can’t see you…”

“Shite…” She let her hooves fall slightly from his face, and the tears from earlier welled back up. “Damn it all.”

“I don’t understand. Why can’t I—” He paused for a moment, then gulped. “Oh. I understand now.” His hooves pulled hers back up. “It’ll be okay, Sundial.”

“How can ye say that? Ye’re blind. That light blinded you!”

He paused in thought again, then shook his head. “We both knew going into this that being close to the Beacon when it diffused was going to have a severe negative effect on me,” he said matter-of-factly. “We just didn’t know what that effect would be or the extent of it. It could’ve been worse, couldn’t it? I could’ve been killed.”

Sundial sniffed and wiped away some more tears. “I know. I know. But that doesn’t make me feel much better about it. We had so many things we were going ta do after this, aye? We were supposed to explore the world and let ye see all o’ the things ye’ve never seen before. How can I take you stargazing if ye’re blind?”

Weaver gave her a little smile and pulled her hooves back to him. “You’ll just have to describe what you’re seeing to me. All of it. Every little detail, no matter how small.”

“It’s not the same. It’s not fair. None o’ this is fair.”

“Sundial, please. I’m alive, and I’m here with you.” He set his forehead against hers, bumping a little roughly since he couldn’t judge the distance. “That’s all that matters. That’s all that’s fair.”

“But—”

Weaver then leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth, and with surprising accuracy. She pulled away at first, just from the shock of the whole thing, but only for a second. Then, she leaned in and kissed him back, putting her heart into the effort. She knew she’d given him a brief kiss earlier in the heat of excitement earlier after he’d helped her figure out how to fix the Beacon. Even so, this felt more appropriately like their first kiss together.

The kiss didn’t quite feel the way that Rarity had explained it to her—lots of weird metaphors about butterflies and fireworks or whatever—but more like being submerged in a nice, hot bath after a long, hard day out in the brisk, freezing cold. Maybe the other stuff came later, once Sundial grew more experienced with kissing? It was nice, though. Very, very nice.

Sundial pulled back from the kiss for a moment to look at Weaver in a way she’d never looked at him before, trying to catch her breath after the new experience. She felt a little woozy—Rarity had told her to expect that—and had to look down at the ground after a moment before she got dizzy. Her eyes widened as she looked down at his flank, which was easy to see through his torn uniform. She gasped.

“What? What’s the matter?” he asked, concerned.

“Yer cutie mark,” she breathed, heart pounding with excitement. “You… you have a cutie mark!”

“R-really? I do?” he asked, also excited. “That’s amazing! I didn’t think I’d ever— what is it? Describe it to me.”

Sundial described it to him precisely, down to the smallest detail: it was an old-fashioned compass made of a shiny, silvery metal kept within a bronze casing, almost like a pocket watch. The arrow pointing north was pointed directly away from the Beacon, which marked Equestria’s southern pole, and it was colored a striking black. The other lines on the compass were red and stood out fairly well.

“A compass, huh?” Weaver hummed, leaning back a little into the snow to think it over. “What does that mean?”

“We’ll figure it out, lad,” Sundial replied, clamoring on top of him and wrapping him in a hug. “We’ll figure it out… together. But for now, we’ve got a lot o’ work ahead o’ us, aye?”

“Yes, I suppose we do. I hope the others are all okay…”

“Me too, lad. Me too.”

*****

The snowstorm in the western mountains had died down completely. It was still overcast enough that the sky was covered with dark clouds, but every now and then the stars peeked through, as did Equestria’s two moons as they moved through the sky. Gone were the heavy snowfall and biting winds. Now, the air was calm and peaceful, as it should be. Almost pleasant, actually.

Bloom sat calmly and patiently with Flurry’s head still in her lap as she napped and recovered from her ordeal. She regaled said ordeals as best as she understood them to Symphony, who’d reunited with them only a few minutes ago. About how Nihila had tried to take over Flurry’s body, about how Bloom had gotten through to Flurry and encouraged her to fight back, and how Flurry and resisted Nihila and kept her from running away.

Symphony, in turn, regaled Bloom with her fight against Stormy Night. She seemed rather proud of the few injuries she had sustained in the process, particularly the sliced ear, bragging about how she was “a true zebra warrior” now complete with “marks of honor” and everything. Bloom wasn’t sure just how powerful Stormy was as a Warden, but Symphony made it certainly sound impressive.

Then, Bloom’s attention was drawn towards an airship approaching the mountain from the east as a blistering pace, leaving a rainbow-colored trail of engine fumes in its wake. “Is that one o’ them airships from Hope’s Point?” she asked, pointing off towards the approaching vessel, which stood out against the dark sky like a sore thumb.

Symphony squinted in the direction Bloom was pointing, then her eyes widened in glee. “It is! Yes! That means Bolt made it to Newhaven safely!” She stepped over to the edge of the mountainside, lit up her horn, and fired off a single bolt of magic that sparkled and flared as it rose slowly up into the sky.

“What kind o’ spell was that?”

“A simple signal flare. It’s not as good as a real flare, but it gets the job done just as well as far as I’m concerned. Every ship in the fleet knows to watch for those.”

Bloom grinned and pointed at the ship. “Well, looks like it worked. That sucker was movin’ awful fast before but it looks like it done slowed down.”

Sure enough, the airship slowed down to a hovering near-stop just overhead of where Symphony fired off her magic. She waved up at the ship eagerly as it pulled into a rather rough position near the cliff. It came to a complete stop now, then opened up its boarding ramp carefully onto the snowbank nearby. A single pony, a green earth pony stallion in a multi-colored flight jacket, came up to the top of the boarding ramp.

“Ahoy there!” he called out to Symphony over the din of the ship’s engines. “Need a lift?!”

Symphony nodded and shouted back, “That’d be nice! We’re gonna need some help getting some of my crew aboard, though!”

“Roger that!”

The earth pony then gestured inside the ship, and two Hope’s Point militia ponies hustled down the ramp, approaching Symphony and giving her a brief salute, then coming over to Bloom and Flurry.

Bloom eyed the two cautiously, then gestured down to Flurry. “She ain’t hurt or nothin’, just nappin’. She done pooped herself out, y’see. Y’all think ya can get ‘er inside wit’out wakin’ her?”

The two militia ponies glanced at one another—their expressions were unreadable under their helmets—then shrugged, nodded at Bloom, and carefully transferred Flurry over so that she draped over the back of the larger of the two. Said larger pony then moved slowly back over to the ship, his partner by his side keeping Flurry steady, with Bloom and Symphony right behind them.

Once on board the ship, the boarding ramp shuttered back up and the engines roared to life, and the two militia ponies set Flurry down carefully onto a nearby set of seats.

Symphony turned to the earth pony that had addressed them earlier. “You must be the co-pilot?”

“That’s right, ma’am,” the co-pilot said, taking her hoof and shaking it briskly. “Name’s Quickshot. Welcome aboard the Rainbow Blitz Two, courtesy of Captain Prism Burst by order of Her Majesty Queen Blackburn. We’re all set to take you back to Zeb’ra’den to meet up with the fleet—”

“Yeah yeah, I bet. Before we depart, I’ve got a little list of things that need to be addressed first, okay?”

“Captain Prism was told to give you a fair amount of leeway considering everything that’s been happening, so go ahead, what’s on your mind?”

Symphony cleared her throat. “First off, we’ve got a hippogriff friend out here in the mountains that was headed to Astropolis ahead of us to get help when we were ambushed. Let the captain know we need to find him before he flies himself to exhaustion out there or whatever.”

Quickshot nodded. “More than doable, I’ll handle the tracking myself. Should be easy now that the weather’s cleared up.”

“Good. The next thing isn’t as urgent, and we can save it for when we get back, actually, but we need to get word out to Old Town that the body of Lady Stormy Night of House Night is out here in the mountains. She’ll be around the spot you picked us up, actually. I didn’t exactly leave a marker, but like you said, the weather’s cleared up.”

“The body? She’s dead?”

“Yup. Killed her myself,” Symphony said, scuffing her chest with her hoof. “She was working with Nihila as her Warden, the wendigos, and the NPAF towards… uh, whatever their end goal was. I guess helping Nihila return to power or something? You guys might know more than me since you all put a stop to it at Zeb’ra’den and stuff, right?”

“I’ll make sure Her Majesty is informed. That’s quite a bit of information to parse out.”

Symphony smiled and nodded. “Great. That’s pretty much the long and short of it, then. So, let’s get going! I think there’s a lot of talking that needs to be done amongst a lot of ponies, yeah? No sense in keeping them waiting.”

Quickshot smiled and nodded right back. “Right away, ma’am. Get cozy and relax, but don’t get too cozy; we’ll be back at Zeb’ra’den within the hour.”

*****

Getting the gang back together was, thankfully, a tremendously easy task compared to the week’s worth of mountain climbing, marching across fields of ice and snow, and flying non-stop for a week. Such was the benefit in having well-equipped airships designed for traveling great distances in short times, and Hope’s Point more than delivered in that aspect as it always did. So, thanks to the Rainbow Blitz Two, a journey that by land would’ve taken two weeks through mountains, ice, and snow only took about an hour.

When the Rainbow Blitz Two made its landing at the outskirts of Zeb’ra’den near the rest of the currently grounded fleet, Bluebolt was the first to go running towards it, faster than anypony else, hardly even waiting for it to land before she was at the bottom of where the boarding ramp would deploy. As soon as it did, she sprinted up the ramp and onto the airship, reaching the top just as Symphony started her way down.

The pair wasted no time in embracing one another. Bluebolt was sure to kiss Symphony full on the lips just once before either of them said a word.

“Thank Harmonia you’re safe, Bolt,” Symphony said, kissing down Bluebolt’s neck to punctuate every few words. “I’ve been worried sick. You made it, though! All the way to Newhaven in a week! That’s some damn good flying, pecha.”

Bluebolt giggled as Symphony next ran her hooves up her wings, not caring for an instant that they weren’t someplace private or even if anypony else was watching. Let them watch. “Thanks, songbird. I’m glad to see you’re—” Then, her eyes widened when she noticed Symphony’s injured ear. “Your ear! Oh my stars, what happened?!”

Symphony tilted her head and tapped a hoof to the missing bit, a proud smile on her face. “I’ll share the whole story later, but the short version is that Lady Stormy Night was working for Nihila the whole time, called herself her Warden and everything. Apparently she’d been letting Nihila camp out in her body for a while.”

“Seriously? Her?” Bluebolt scoffed. “That’s kind of a step down from somepony like Silvertongue, at least from how my mom described him. Like going from real blueberry pie down to that Dolor knock-off crap.”

“Yeah, that’s what I told her, heh. Still, she got a couple of good shots in on me before I was able to rally myself and start kicking her ass right back.” Symphony smirked and pulled Bluebolt in for a tight hug. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you. I am never letting you out of my sight again for so long, pecha. Never.”

Bluebolt smiled and kissed Symphony’s nose. “Speaking of which, I was thinking about a few things the entire time I was flying up north, and I know we need to really sit down and have a real discussion… but I’m just gonna say this right now: I never want to be apart from you ever again. I mean that with all my heart.”

Symphony smiled. “Me neither. We’re definitely going to have that talk soon, okay? For now, though, I think we all need a break from everything that’s happened. We need to rest, and relax, and then you and I can talk about us.” She nudged Bluebolt slightly. “I think I’ve got a pretty good idea what you want to say, anyway.”

“You do?”

“Of course I do, pecha. I know you better than anypony.” She leaned up to Bluebolt’s ear and whispered. “I know you’re gonna ask anyway, but I hope you don’t think I’m gonna say anything but ‘yes’, do you?”

Bluebolt smiled and shook her head. “I wouldn’t think anything else. Not in a million years. But I still want to ask you properly, so… y’know… save that answer for later, okay songbird?”

“Okay.” Symphony kissed Bluebolt’s nose. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

*****

It was a few hours before Flurry woke up from her nap, not exactly at full strength but refreshed enough that she could walk, talk, and be alert enough to interact with others freely. Bloom, who’d stayed at her side in this cozy little room at the zebra royal palace throughout her entire nap, filled her in on what had happened for the most part.

Bluebolt had gotten the fleet to Zeb’ra’den in time to save as much of the army as possible—though she was sad to learn that there had still been tremendous losses—and Symphony had defeated Stormy Night in single combat. They’d been picked up by an airship from Hope’s Point’s fleet at some point, which had also picked up Harvey, who was quite ecstatic that everypony was okay and that the day had been won, not to mention getting to see a Hope’s Point airship up close for the first time in his life.

The most surprising thing, though, was that Venture had apparently been Harmonia in disguise the entire time they’d known her. Flurry wasn’t entirely sure if that made sense until she really thought about it. Venture had always been rather distant from the others; Flurry had never seen Venture eating and rarely saw her sleeping, and when she did sleep, she’d always take the worst sleeping arrangements when possible so that the others could sleep comfortably; Venture hadn’t been dressed appropriately for the weather whatsoever even as she left with Sundial to go into the wendigo storm; Venture was apparently best friends with Queen Aculeata despite nopony having seen her before, and Aculeata had been rather purposefully sparse on details; Venture seemed to know virtually everything about the world’s history from before the Beacons fell with startling detail, as if she’d lived through them; and Venture always seemed to have just this aura of goodness about her that Flurry could never explain and had never sensed from anypony else in this world, but that she recognized from alicorns in her world, like her mom and Aunt Twilight.

But nothing really prepared her for when she and Bloom met with Sundial and Weaver early that morning sometime before breakfast, as she desperately wanted to check in on the two of them immediately after waking up. Her heart sank when she saw Sundial guiding Weaver along the hallway towards them enroute to the dining hall, her wing draped over his shoulder as he walked with slow steps to keep pace with the shorter mare.

“Oh no…” she murmured, hoof to her lips as she approached them. She saw the milky white of his pupils and knew immediately what that meant, but she still asked anyway: “What happened? Weaver, are you alright?”

Weaver smiled and tilted his head towards her voice. “Flurry? It’s good to hear your voice, because that means you’re okay after everything that happened. I heard you went through quite an experience. I’m alright, though, thank you for asking. I’ve got my injuries all patched up—”

“I meant your eyes, Weaver. What happened to your eyes?”

Sundial shook her head and sighed. “We were right next ta the Beacon when it diffused and let loose all o’ that Light magic inta the world. We always knew that it was gonna have some kind o’ effect on him, we just didn’t know what it would do, exactly. I was hoping it was just a worst-case scenario, not a sure thing.”

“What do you mean ‘we always knew’? I didn’t know that!” Flurry blurted. “I thought it was just going to destroy all of those wendigos, not hurt him, too. Why would it do that?”

“Aye, it destroyed the wendigos because they were imbued with loads o’ Nihila’s Dark magic. Just like Weaver is, remember?”

Flurry frowned. “So… you knew about this, but you never told me? Never told anypony? Why would you keep that a secret?”

“We didn’t know for sure until it happened,” Weaver said, shaking his head. “I mean… I think Sundial and I suspected it, but until it happened we thought we were just being paranoid. We didn’t really think about it until we were in the tunnel on our way to the Beacon, either.” He cracked a grin. “At least it didn’t kill me.”

“How can you joke about this?” Flurry gestured down towards the rest of Weaver, which had a rather severe, slowly healing burn scar across his chest. “Look at you, you’ve even been injured! What did this to you?”

“The Overseer’s new techno-magic construct.”

Bloom blinked. “W-wait, what? The Overseer? Ya mean that jerk what used ta order ya 'round all the time?”

“The same.”

“How?” Flurry asked, completely at a loss. “How was he even down here? What was he doing?”

“The Hope’s Point fleet noticed a small airship on the other side o’ the city, so that’s probably how he got here,” Sundial said with a shrug. “As for why, he was in league with Nihila the whole bloody time, aye? Just like we thought he was. That little device o’ his that he was using back in that cave,” she added, looking briefly to Bloom, “used Void energy ta try and corrupt the Beacon inta Dark energy.”

“That would’ve eventually covered the whole world in Darkness… just like Nihila wanted.” Flurry shook her head and looked at Weaver’s eyes again. “This is awful… even after all we did, he still came all this way to hurt you…”

“I know, it’s awful,” Sundial said softly. “But I’m here for him, aye? All o’ his friends—Bluebolt and Symphony, too—are going ta be here for him until he recovers.”

“But what if he doesn’t recover?”

“Well, we’ve made it this far pretty much just running on hope, aye? Well, I say we don’t give up on that now. I’ve got hope that he’s gonna recover his eyesight someday, one way or another.”

Flurry paused, mulling this over, then nodded in agreement. “Okay. You’re right. I know that if I have hope for him and his situation, then only the best can happen, right? I held out hope for all of you to come back alive and win the day, and you did. This shouldn’t be any different.”

Bloom let out a breath. “Well, I’m wit’ Weaver on this: I’m jus’ glad he’s alive, yeah? We still ain’t got any idea what happened ta Venture… er, Harmonia, do we? I’m still confused as all heck 'bout that, y’know?”

“Not a clue, lass,” Sundial grunted. Then, she smiled. “Och, but forget about that. I’ve got something ta show— Weaver’s got something ta show ye.” She nudged Weaver gently in the side. “Go on, lad, show 'em. They’re gonna get a kick outta this.”

Weaver smiled and tilted himself to the side so that Flurry and Bloom could see his flank under the zebra-made fur coat he was wearing.

Bloom gasped rather loudly. “Ya got yer cutie mark!”

“Oh my goodness!” Flurry exclaimed, a wide smile on her face. “When did this happen?”

“Right after the Beacon, actually,” Sundial said. “Noticed it a wee bit after finding out about his eyes, actually. He may have lost his eyesight, but he got his cutie mark out o’ the deal. Not exactly an even trade, aye, but it’s great news. It means that Nihila’s essence has been completely erased inside o’ him.”

Bloom clapped her hooves together. “Hot dang, this is fantastic! Didja figure out what it means yet?”

Weaver shook his head. “A compass can mean so many things for so many ponies. I have no idea what it means for me, though.”

“Shucks, ya should’ve tol’ me 'bout this way before now, guys. Don’t y’all remember? I’m an expert in all things cutie mark, an’ that’s the honest truth.” Bloom tapped her chin in thought. “So, let’s see, a compass? Well—an’ this is me just spitballin’ here—a compass is used ta find yer way in case ya get lost, ain’t it?”

“Yes, that is its intended purpose.”

“Well then, the way I see it, you’re a gosh darned great tracker, first off, but more importantly, ya always seem ta find yer way 'round everythin’ that comes at ya. Ya found Sundial 'n' Flurry in the mountains an’ they brought ya ta us. Ya found Rarity in them caves and saved her from bad ponies.” Bloom grinned and nudged Sundial. “Ya also done did the impossible 'n' found yer way inta Sundial’s bed.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Bloody hell, here we go. You lot aren’t gonna let that go, are ye?”

“Nope, never,” Bloom said with a smirk.

“Ye’re as bad as Bluebolt and Symphony…”

“Thanks! Anyway, what I mean ta say is, you’re good at findin’ solutions ta stuff, not ta mention yer trackin’ skills helpin’ ya find folks you’re lookin’ fer.” Bloom set her hoof on Weaver’s shoulder. “So, like Sundial 'n' Flurry said, I think you’re gonna find a way ta get yer eyesight back, too.”

Flurry smiled and patted Bloom’s shoulder. “That’s a very good way to look at it, Bloom. You’ve got a real knack for this kind of thing.”

Bloom puffed out her chest. “Well yeah, that’s ‘cause that’s mah special talent, remember?” Then, her stomach rumbled. Her face turned red. “Uh… sorry. I ain’t had nothing’ ta eat since lunch yesterday an’ that was just a bunch o’ rations.”

Weaver chuckled. “Perhaps we should go find breakfast, hmm?”

“Ha!” Bloom laughed, nudging Flurry in the side. “Listen ta him, already crackin’ jokes. See, Flurry? He’ll be just fine.”

“I think you’re right, Apple Bloom,” Flurry said with a soft smile.

Bloom cleared her throat. “So, uh,I think we oughta go get somethin’ ta eat before we all collapse right here in this dang ol’ hallway.”

Sundial smirked. “Aye, I’ve been needing a good meal for a while now, too.” She wrapped her wing around Weaver’s shoulder. “C’mon then, lad, I think you need something ta eat as well.”

“Sounds good,” Weaver said with a smile.

*****

As Sundial sat calm and composed in her chair in her TARDIS back at Hope’s Point, she took a deep breath and tried to collect herself for what felt like the hundredth time since the southern Beacon was diffused. Not a whole lot had happened, really, in the week since Zeb’ra’den was liberated from the wendigos, but what few things had happened were rather significant.

For one, news had spread throughout the south rather quickly about what had happened in Zeb’ra’den. Sundial wasn’t sure what the ramifications of such a thing were going to be just yet, but considering that Lady Stormy Night had manipulated Houses Golden and Light into war to fuel the wendigos, she was sure that the political landscape was going to undergo a massive upheaval.

For another, Zeb’ra’den had strengthened its alliances with Hope’s Point and the Hippogriff Commonwealth far beyond where they’d once been, and even started working on a new one with House Wind, as they had all contributed greatly in the retaking of Zeb’ra’den and the safety of the zebras that had evacuated. Word was already circling through Hope’s Point of building a proper port at Zeb’ra’den to ease the transportation of goods, services, and visitors.

But most of those things weren’t really her place to be involved with directly—Chronomancers were supposed to maintain a neutral position in all matters unless they pertained to Void rifts threatening the world—except for one thing, and that one was absolutely the most crucial:

The portal ring that she was planning to use to send Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry back home had been moved here to Hope’s Point from Zeb’ra’den with the express purpose of activating it. With the southern Beacon diffused and the northern Beacon destroyed, and with Harmonia nowhere to be found once again, there was no longer a source of magical energy powerful enough to activate it. Even Flurry Heart, as strong as she was, wouldn’t be able to do it on her own; her world’s alicorns simply weren’t on the same level as Harmonia and Nihila.

However, Queen Blackburn had most graciously taken it upon herself to put her best techno-magic engineers on the job, and they’d been hard at work all week on figuring out how to power the device without a Beacon or an alicorn. Sundial knew it was just a matter of waiting for them to find a solution before anything else could be done and before she could finalize her plans with Clockwork, and if anypony could do it, it was the geniuses of Hope’s Point’s engineering division.

Today was the day, though! The solution had been found, and so work could commence on getting the portal ring activated and sending Rarity, Bloom, and Flurry back home, finally. So now, Sundial sat in her chair in her TARDIS and waited for her communication with Clockwork to go through. And waited, and waited, and waited, as was usual.

Clockwork picked up after a few minutes of waiting, though; Sundial had all the time in the world now, so she wasn’t impatient. “Ah, hello there! It’s good to hear from you again, Sundoil. Oi assume you’ve got news on developments on your end of things with the portal?”

“Aye, that I do,” Sundial replied, leaning forward in her seat. “They’ve figured out a solution to get our portal ring activated. It’s a bit o’ brute force, really, but if it works, it works, so who am I ta question it?”

“What’s the plan then?”

“They’re just gonna hook the bloody thing up ta the city’s power grid and supercharge it. It’ll give it enough juice ta stay open for about an hour or so, enough time ta send the Equestria-IV natives back home, as well as a new immigrant with them, so start getting a Protocol TR-112 form set up, aye?”

“A new immigrant, you say? Ah, that’s right, the zebra that Rarity was involved with and that started all this mess?”

“The same.”

“Roight then, Oi’ll put together the protocols to get him integrated into Equestria-IV properly. Easy enough to do, since Toime Turner went through the process a few times last time this happened, so Oi’ve got a good framework ta work with.”

“So, how’s this whole deal gonna work from yer end, so far as getting the portal opened? Did ye hear back from HQ on a solution?”

“Yes, that Oi did. It’s a mite bit complicated, but you’re a smart one so you’ll be able to follow along pretty well, Oi think.” Clockwork cleared his throat. “Equestria-IV is in a rather unique situation here, actually, as is Equestria-V, seeing as we’re goin’ to be connectin’ the two together to get those natives home, yes?”

“I’m listening.”

“Oi know your world is different from Canon by a pretty substantial amount, so tell me, what do you know about the ‘Crystal Mirror’ artifact?”

Sundial paused, tilting her head. “I’m not too familiar with it, ta be honest. We don’t have one o’ those or an equivalent.”

“Roight, roight, Oi figured you wouldn’t be. Well, the short version is that in Canon, this Crystal Mirror served a similar function as a portal ring in connectin’ two worlds together, in this case the Canon Equestria and the ‘alternate’ reality of the Canon ‘Canterlot High’, often referred to at HQ as the ‘EG’ subreality.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Och, the one with all those hairless apes walking around?”

“That’s the one. Well you see, Equestria-IV never integrated the EG subreality into its own, yes? The Proime Incident all those years ago did a number on this world’s acceptance of alternate realities, kind of like it got all spooked and just washed its hooves of the whole deal.”

“That’s a pretty significant difference,” Sundial whistled.

“That it is. Now, normally, Oi wouldn’t have much trouble gettin’ a portal ring activated on this end, seein’ as we’ve got plenty of alicorns to draw from, yes? Problem is actually building the damn thing. We don’t have the materials readily available—Oi’ve been searching for months to find enough conductive metal to keep it together and Oi’m way short of the mark.”

Sundial rolled her eyes. “Ugh, of course. Always a setback.”

Clockwork smiled. “Oh, aye, but that’s where the Crystal Mirror comes in. We’re goin’ to use it as a portal ring, seeing as it’s inactive in this world and free to use.”

“Aye? Huh. That’s a right clever solution. And ye say ye got this approved by HQ and everything?”

“That Oi did. But, here’s the kicker: there’s a little bit of a side effect to usin’ the Crystal Mirror for the process.”

“What kind o’ side effect?”

“Namely, Equestria-IV and Equestria-V are goin’ ta be permanently linked together in the same way as the Canon Equestria is with its EG subreality.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Wait, are ye telling me that the connection is going ta be permanent? Like anypony could just travel between the worlds willy-nilly?”

“Yes and no. It won’t be permanently open anymore than the Canon version is, but it will open on its own on occasion and allow for travel between the two worlds in a safer, more convenient, and—most importantly—predictable manner.” Clockwork cracked a grin. “HQ determined that Equestria-IV and Equestria-V have had this happen too many times for it to be a coincidence, so they’re putting a stop to it.”

“What does that mean?”

“The other side effect of bein’ permanently linked is that Equestria-V will stabiloize just like Equestria-IV has, meaning no more Void rifts, no more interdimensional travelers. Oi’ve got official approval from HQ to inform you that once this connection is made, it moight take a few years to fully bond the worlds, but when that happens you’re slated to retoire. Equestria-V will have no more need for a permanent Chronomancer.”

Sundial leaned back in her chair, absolutely floored by this information. “Ye mean… that’s it? I do this last little job, then wait a few years and my life is my own?”

“That is what retirement entails, yes.”

“Bloody hell…” Sundial shook her head. “Well… alright then. It looks like we’ve gotten things all worked out. Let’s not waste any more time on the issue. Are ye ready on yer end ta open the portal?”

Clockwork nodded. “Princess Twoilight Sparkle is here with me at the Crystal Empire, and she and Princess Cadence are goin’ ta help me establish the connection. Oi’ll get started as soon as we clear the channel. Shouldn’t take more than an hour. You?”

“Queen Blackburn’s going to give our portal ring a jump start when I give the word that you’re prepared on your end. I’ll gather everyone together to get them ready to depart, let Her Majesty know about this new ‘bond’—she’ll want ta make sure the ring is set up in the future ta accept travelers or whatever—and get things hooked up.”

“Good, good. Well, Oi won’t keep you from your work, then.”

“Thanks again, Clockwork. Ye’ve been a big help in all of this, aye?”

Clockwork shrugged. “All in a day’s work for a Chronomancer, eh?”

Sundial grinned and nodded. “Aye, all in a day’s work.”

*****

Rarity marveled at the new “portal” chamber that Blackburn had arranged in the royal palace at Hope’s Point, utilizing a room in the palace that as far as Rarity knew hadn’t been used for much before. Again, she was never much for all those techno-magic gizmos and gadgets, but even she had to admit that the room was impressive. It wasn’t particularly large, just big enough to hold twenty ponies or so to be present at a time if need be, which was more than enough room for the current company.

Rarity, Flurry, and Bloom stood ready to go back home after a long, arduous journey, filled with stories to share with friends and family and with new experiences to learn from. Blackburn and Lockwood were present to see them off, as were Bluebolt, Symphony, Sundial, Weaver, Tick Tock, and Zarya. The room wasn’t big enough to fit everyone that might’ve wanted to see the group off and technically the whole “alternate universe” deal was still supposed to be secret, so Blackburn arranged just for certain individuals to be here that needed to be here.

Oh, and Zircon was here as well, Rarity hadn’t forgotten about him and never would or could, but he wasn’t there to see them off, oh no. He had packed a few personal belongings of his from Zeb’ra’den: his falchion, some of his nicer clothes—which were made of inoffensive materials like cloth and silk, as his genuine fur and leather gear would likely be frowned upon—and his favorite sculpture he’d made of Rarity, which was crafted from finely cut white diamond in its entirety. There was no question that he wasn’t staying this time; he was going with Rarity, like Flathoof had done with Applejack all those years ago.

The portal itself was open and waiting for the group to pass through it. Rarity was surprised to see how different it was compared to how she’d grown accustomed to such things appearing after all the times she’d seen them. This portal was a swirling pink vortex that looked altogether rather pleasant, all things considered. Sundial had been very brief on the details, but apparently this portal was to be a permanent fixture? Nopony knew exactly how long it would take before such a thing was possible—years, at least—but it was something to look forward to.

Since there were so many different ponies to go through with so many different relationships to address, it was simpler for Rarity and her friends to go through the portal—and through their goodbyes—one at a time so as not to overwhelm anyone. Age seemed to be the easiest way to divide the order up, so Flurry Heart—the youngest—went first.

“It was a pleasure to meet you both, Your Majesties,” Flurry said, giving a bow to both Blackburn and Lockwood. “After everything I heard about the two of you, I’m glad to see that all of the stories were true. If anything, they didn’t quite do you justice. You’re both simply… amazing.”

Blackburn smirked and bowed slightly in return. “Was a pleasure indeed, Princess Heart.”

Lockwood bowed a bit lower than his wife did. “The pleasure was all mine, Your Royal Highness,” he said with a smile. As he rose up, he gave her a little wink. “I’m glad to see that all of my advice to you paid off in the end, eh? Princess of Hope sounds wonderfully fancy, and definitely something us here at Hope’s Point can appreciate.”

“I was just thinking the same thing,” Flurry said with a grin. She stepped forward and gave Lockwood a hug. “Thank you so much, Lockwood.”

He returned it. “You’re welcome, Flurry.”

Blackburn tapped Flurry’s shoulder. “And do not worry; measures taken to seek solution to Weaver’s blindness.”

Flurry grinned. “I was just about to ask about that. Thank you, Blackburn. I appreciate it. He’s done so much—”

“No need to explain again. His intelligence provided key weaknesses to NPAF fleet, gave us the upper hoof. I owe him that much.” She tilted her head towards Bluebolt. “Go on then, Princess. The others are waiting.”

Flurry next came to Bluebolt and Symphony, and she gave them a little smile. “I’m so glad to have met the two of you. You’re wonderful ponies, and you’ve been wonderful friends to me and my friends as well. And, of course, you two are wonderful together. I’m a little jealous, actually.”

Bluebolt smiled and nudged Flurry gently. “Aw, thanks. You’re not so bad yourself, Flurry. It was super cool meeting you and getting to know you.”

“And hey, maybe you’ll find your own special somepony someday, huh?” Symphony suggested, waggling her eyebrows. “After all, our version of you apparently hooked up with our version of Apple Bloom, so, y’know—”

“We’re not together!” Bloom shouted, as nopony was speaking quietly enough to prevent most of the room from hearing and so she’d clearly hear the insinuation. “I don’t know how many times I have ta tell ya that, dagnabit!”

Flurry chuckled. “I’ll find somepony someday, maybe. It’s not really that important to me right now, though, to be honest. I’m just glad to be… me. For the first time in a long time, I’m glad to be who I am. You two helped me so much on this journey, and I can never thank you enough—”

“Pshaw!” Symphony huffed. “You made sure that Nihila was vanquished for good. You basically guaranteed our world isn’t gonna have to deal with evil like that ever again. Sei fantastico.”

“Yeah, I can rest easy knowing that when I’m the queen, I’m not gonna have to stress myself gray like my mom is,” Bluebolt added with a gesture towards Blackburn, earning a raised eyebrow from the queen. “Everything’s gonna be okay around here. I believe that from the bottom of my heart, thanks to you.”

Flurry moved in and gave the pair a hug. “I’m glad I could be of help to you and your world, then. I hope for nothing but the best for both of you, now and in the future.”

“Same to you, Flurry.”

Next was Sundial and Weaver. Flurry didn’t waste any time in giving the two of them a solid hug. “I’m so happy to have met you two,” she said, tightening the hug.

“And we’re happy to have met you,” Weaver said, hugging her back. “You and Sundial pulled me out of a very dark place that I had no way out of until I met you. I can never thank you enough for what you’ve done for me.”

“Aye, ye’re a good lass, Flurry,” Sundial said, patting Flurry’s shoulder. “Ye really lived up ta yer new title even before ye had it. Ye gave us all a wee bit o’ hope in our lives… even me. And Bluebolt and Symphony would be happy ta tell ye that until I met ye, I was a proper cynical bitch.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Flurry muttered.

“No, it’s true. I treated everypony like shite because I didn’t want ta get close ta anypony, except for those I had ta live with,” Sundial said with a short gesture towards Tick Tock. “Between the lot o’ ye, I learned ta be more open with others.” She gave a smile to Weaver. “And if I hadn’t done that, I’d have never gotten close with Weaver.”

“So… are you two—”

“We’re officially dating now, yes,” Weaver interjected with a grin. “I can’t thank you enough for that, either. I can still remember how my life was before I met you, and look at how much you’ve helped me turn it around.” He tightened the hug. “You gave me hope.”

Flurry sniffed and pulled back from the hug. “I’m so happy for you, Weaver. For both of you. I know this isn’t goodbye, but… I’m going to miss you two all the same.”

“Don’t worry,” Sundial said with a grin. “When this portal network gets properly bonded, Weaver and I will come and visit ye.”

“We might even stick around for a while to explore your world, too,” Weaver added.

“That would make me very happy,” Flurry said, giving them both another smile. “I’ll look forward to it. And I’m glad that… even after everything that’s happened to you, Weaver… you’re still holding onto your dream of exploring the world.”

Next was Tick Tock, who offered Flurry her hoof; Flurry took it and they shook politely. “I know we didn’t talk much back in Goldridge, Flurry, but from what I’ve seen of you, you’re a right proper mare. Your aunt was… no, is probably the best friend I’ll ever have. Tell her I said that when you see her—”

“I believe you told her yourself more than once over the winter,” Flurry said with a grin. “You’ll be able to say it to her face eventually, too.”

“I know, but I want to make sure she knows it. She changed my life. She saved my life.” Tick Tock smiled. “You’re a lot like her, y’know? I know you’re not her daughter or anything, but you could have bloody well fooled me.”

“That’s a pretty substantial compliment from the way you’ve talked about her.” Flurry smirked briefly. “Are you sure there’s not more to you two?”

Tick Tock laughed. “Y’know, deep down, there probably is a part of me that wishes I could’ve gone with her to your world and stayed there.” With a shrug, she added: “Too bad that for your aunt that Pewter met me first, eh?” Then, her face red as she seemed to realize what she just said, she also added: “Don’t… don’t tell her I said that.”

“I won’t,” Flurry giggled.

Tick Tock then turned very, very serious. “And never, ever tell Briarthorn.”

Flurry binked. “Oh. Uh… I won’t?”

“That’s a good lass.”

Last was Zarya, who bowed low to Flurry. “Princess Flurry Heart, 'twas a pleasure to meet thee.”

“And you as well, Dame Zarya,” Flurry said. “I know our time together was brief, but you seem like a very nice mare, and I hope for nothing but the best for you.”

“'Tis a blessing then, and I will accept it.” Zarya tilted her head slightly towards Rarity and Zircon. “And thank thee for… whatever it is that thou didst to reunite mine uncle and Rarity. Even if it were an accident, 'twas a happy one in the end.”

Flurry smiled. “I suppose so.”

At last, Flurry took a breath, turned towards the group, and gave a little wave goodbye. “Well… here goes. Goodbye, everyone! Until next time!” And with that, she stepped through the portal and vanished beyond the veil.

It was Bloom’s turn to go down the line next. She went straight up to Blackburn and Lockwood and took them both in a tight hug, which they eagerly returned. “I’m so glad ta have met y’all. After everythin’ mah sister 'n' Flathoof had ta say 'bout ya, meetin’ ya was just about the best thing that could’ve happened.”

Blackburn chuckled. “Ironic. Have known you personally for longer than Flathoof or Applejack; you know me better than they did.”

“Huh… yeah, that’s true, ain’t it? Well now, that’s mighty interestin’. Ha! Plus, what wit’ knowin’ the rest o’ the family o’er here so well, I know this side o’ the family better’n mah sister does.” She tilted towards Lockwood briefly. “‘Cept you, o’ course.”

Lockwood nodded. “Yes, well, I think you’d rather know me as King of Hope’s Point than who I was before that,” he said with a grin.

“Naw, mah sister had nothin’ but nice things ta say 'bout ya, even if ya drove Flathoof bonkers back when y’all were younger. I’m glad ta meet ya now, sure, but I’d love ta have met ya when I was younger.” Bloom hugged him more tightly. “You’re a good pony, Lockwood. I’m glad ta have ya in mah family.”

“Me too, Apple Bloom.”

Blackburn then cleared her throat to get Bloom’s attention, and presented her with a book with an exquisitely decorated cover and a heavy, hard spine. “For you and your family.”

Bloom took the book eagerly. “What is it?”

“A photo album, of course,” Lockwood said matter-of-factly. “Twenty-one years worth of memories catalogued as best we could. Wedding photos, foal pictures, vacation shots, the works. Flathoof and AJ have a lot of catching up to do, so we figured we’d get the ball rolling.”

“And Grayscale Force, as well,” Blackburn added with a deadpan expression.

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Wow… really? I can show this ta her, too?”

“She is… family,” Blackburn said, not looking at Bloom directly but off towards a wall. “Have moved on from what happened. Have realized extent of Nihila’s evil influence. Grayscale and her sisters have tried to make amends.”

“Well, shoot… she’s gonna be glad ta hear that. They all are.” Bloom smiled and put her hoof on Blackburn’s shoulder. “Thanks, Blackburn. That’ll mean a lot, I just know it.”

“Hmph. Also: expect and album from your side of the family at first opportunity,” Blackburn said with a steely look in her eyes.

Bloom snorted and gave her a grin. “Are you kiddin’? That’s the easiest dang thing I’ve been asked since I got here. We’ve got tons o’ albums back on the farm, I can get y’all hooked up right quick.” She then paused and gave Lockwood a wicked smirk. “Wait, y’all said ‘foal pictures’? Ya mean o’ Bluebolt?”

“Absolutely,” Lockwood said with an equally wicked smirk. “Pages five through seven. Enjoy.”

“Heh heh heh, awesome,” Bloom chortled as she stepped away from Lockwood and approached Bluebolt and Symphony. “So—”

Bluebolt was quick to grab Bloom by the collar, not in a hug but in a rather aggressive move. “You show those foal pictures to anypony outside the family and you’re dead meat, Aunt Apple Bloom. Got it?”

Bloom paused and stared at Bluebolt, then let out a loud laugh. Bluebolt and Symphony joined in. “Goodun, Bolt. Ya actually had me goin’ there fer a second what wit’ the voice 'n' all.”

“Yeah, I bet. You should’ve seen the look on your face.” Bluebolt wiped a tear from her eye. “But no, seriously, don’t show those pictures to anypony outside the family,” she repeated. “Or I’ll tell everypony the little secret you told me and Symphony.”

Bloom paled. “Ya wouldn’t.”

“Don’t test her,” Symphony said with a grin. “She may not like being compared to her mother, but she’d totally pull a ‘Her Majesty’ on you. You’d never see it coming, and you’d never know when or what she tells anypony or who she’s told, or even if she’s told anypony at all. You’ll always watching your back for the rest of your life.”

“Eh heh… r-right.” Bloom cleared her throat and scooped up Bluebolt in a hug. “Shucks, it’s gonna suck not hangin’ 'round wit’ y’all anymore, Bolt, at least fer a while. You 'n' Symphony’re awesome friends.”

“Thanks, Bloom,” Bluebolt said, returning the hug. “You’re awesome, too.”

“An’ you’re kind o’ like mah own Cutie Mark Crusaders o’er here, too, what wit’ y’all bein’ a pegasus 'n' a unicorn, an’ wit’ Symphony bein’ yer version o’ Sweetie Belle.” Bloom paused, tilting her head. “Say, I wonder who yer world’s version o’ Scootaloo is, anyhow? We never met her, did we?”

Bluebolt and Symphony shrugged. “Can’t say that we have,” Bluebolt said. “I know a stallion that kind of matches the description you gave, uh… Captain Rollerblade, I think?”

Symphony nodded thoughtfully. “Oh yeah, doesn’t he fly the Lunar Spear?”

“Yeah, but y’know, stallion, way older than we are. I doubt it’s him.”

“Ah well, no biggie,” Bloom said with a shrug. “Probably not important in the end, I guess. Ain’t like we’re collectin’ sets o’ alternate Crusaders or nothin’ ta form some sort o’ club.” She clapped Symphony hard on the shoulder. “An’ y’all better take darn good care o’ Bluebolt, y’hear? An’ I don’t just mean keepin’ ‘er safe.”

Symphony saluted and grinned. “Roger that, Bloom.”

“Good. 'Cause when I organize some kind o’ family get-together once this here doohickey lets us travel back 'n' forth, I expect you two ta be family by then, yeah? Uh… ca-piece?”

“Heh. Capisco.”

Next were Sundial and Weaver. Bloom gave the two of them a smile and offered her hoof to Sundial. “It was really nice gettin’ ta meet ya an’ hang out 'n' stuff, Sundial. You’re a real piece o’ dynamite, ya know that?”

“Ye’re not so bad yerself, lass,” Sundial replied, shaking Bloom’s hoof. “Take care o’ yerself, aye?”

“You too. An’ ya better take care o’ Weaver while you’re at it, yeah?”

Weaver grinned and reached out to pat Bloom’s shoulder, and she helped him do so. “Thank you again for pulling me out of that cave, Apple Bloom. You started me off on my new path, and I can never thank you enough for it.”

“Sure ya can! Just take care o’ Sundial, take care o’ yerself, an’ ‘find yer way’ like we told ya.” Bloom pulled him in for a brief hug. “I’m glad we met, even if our first meetin’ wasn’t exactly the best.”

“You cracked a rib,” Weaver noted. “But I got better.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Ya never tol’ me that. Huh, guess I was stronger’n I thought.”

“Ye’re a lot stronger than ya look, I’ll say that much,” Sundial chuckled, patting Bloom’s shoulder. “Go on, lass, you’ve got a home ta get back to.”

Bloom moved next to Tick Tock, who, like she’d done with Flurry, merely offered her hoof. “Apple Bloom, it’s been a pleasure to meet you.”

Bloom took her hoof and shook it. “Likewise, Mrs. Tock. I can see why Princess Twilight liked ya so much, an’ why mah sister was jealous o’ ya for a bit. You’re a real good mare, y’know?”

“Thanks, I appreciate it. Say hello to your sister and brother-in-law for me, will you?”

“I will. An’ thank you 'n' Pewter fer puttin’ us up in yer home fer the winter, yeah? That was some mighty kind hospitality an’ us Apples always make sure ta thank folks fer their hospitality. If’n I can, I’ll hook y’all up wit’ some apple seeds when I can.”

Tick Tock smirked. “Heh. Pewter would love to learn how to tend to a new crop. Thanks.”

Bloom next moved on to Zarya, who also offered her hoof. “'Twas a pleasure to meet thee, Miss Bloom.”

“You too, Miss Zarya. I know we didn’t talk much, but… well, ya seem like a stand-up kind o’ mare, an’ I’m glad ta have met ya.”

At last, Bloom took a breath and, like Flurry before her, approached the portal. She turned and waved at the group. “So long, everypony! Lookin’ forward ta seein’ ya again someday!” And with that, she stepped through the portal and vanished beyond the veil.

Rarity looked to Zircon, and they nodded to one another before they moved together to say their goodbyes as well, first to Blackburn and Lockwood, who Rarity didn’t hesitate to pull in for a hug. “It was so good to see you two again after all these years. You’ve done very well for yourselves if I might say so, and for your lovely city.”

“It was good seeing you again, too,” Blackburn said, returning the hug briefly.

“So good indeed!” Lockwood said, returning the hug with much more earnest, a big smile on his face. “I’m glad you’ve enjoyed our city so much, and that you just generally had a more pleasant experience in our world this time around. Y’know, minus that whole war business.”

“Incidentally, Hope’s Point is sending aid to Zeb’ra’den, Frostburg, and High Mountain,” Blackburn noted. “They sacrificed much, deserve reparations for their efforts.”

Zircon bowed briefly. “Thine aid is most appreciated, Thy Majesties. 'Twill be crucial for Zeb’ra’den to rebuild.”

“Yes, I’m very glad to hear that,” Rarity said with a sad smile. She shook her head. “This isn’t the time for sad thoughts, though. It was such a pleasure to meet your family. You should be very proud of all of your children.”

Blackburn smiled. “We are. Thank you.”

Lockwood nudged Rarity gently and looked between her and Zircon. “I suppose next time we see one another, you’ll have a little family of your own, eh? Eh?”

“Oh, absolutely.” Rarity smiled and looked to Zircon, who was slightly red in the face, then patted his shoulder. “Suffice to say we’ve already, ah… well. Ahem.”

“Gotten started,” Blackburn finished with a nod. “Wish you luck. Doubt you’ll need it.”

Rarity, also red now, coughed into her hoof. “I was going to say ‘discussed it’, but yes, I suppose we have, haven’t we?” She paused, then smirked. “I suppose it’s too late… or is it too early? Hmm… well, either way, I suppose it’s not the right time to ask if we can get a ‘wedding gift’ in Zeb’ra’den like you did, hmm?”

Blackburn smirked right back, clearly knowing exactly what Rarity was talking about. “Not good timing, unfortunately. You’d enjoy it very much.” She then looked to Zircon and patted his shoulder. “Wouldn’t she?”

“Yes, Thy Majesty, I suppose she would,” Zircon replied with a smug grin. “A shame indeed that we couldst not arrange it before our departure. 'Twould seem that we will have to go about it the ‘normal’ way.”

“Well, I suppose I could ask Zecora if she has anything similar to what Zyra described…” Rarity mumbled, giving Zircon a knowing look and a cheeky grin. “It does sound like it would be quite… exciting.”

Zircon gave another brief bow to the royal pair. “Thank thee for thy well-wishes, Thy Majesties.”

Lockwood chuckled. “Now now, Zircon, there’s no need for all of that royal treatment from you anymore. Rarity is our dear friend—practically family—and we don’t expect it of her, now, do we? If you’re going to be her partner, we’d naturally extend that same treatment to you.”

“Aye? 'Tis an honor… Lockwood. Blackburn.”

“Go on now, you two,” Lockwood said, gesturing further down the line. “Don’t keep everyone else waiting.”

Rarity hugged Lockwood again briefly, then she and Zircon moved down to Bluebolt and Symphony, who she also pulled in for a hug. “It was so wonderful to meet you two.”

“Thanks, Rarity,” Bluebolt said, returning the hug in earnest. “I’m really glad to have gotten a chance to meet you, too. I’m more glad to know that this isn’t going to be goodbye for good, either.”

“Same here, darling. I look forward to seeing you and your family again someday, under better circumstances this time, yes?”

Symphony patted Rarity’s shoulder. “So hey, listen, make sure you tell your Sweetie Belle how awesome I am, by the way, capiche? I bet she’d get a real kick hearing how you guys all thought I was her at first, especially considering how different we are and how awesome I am. Maybe she’ll be inspired!”

Rarity grinned. “I’m sure she’ll get quite a kick out of it indeed, dear. Hopefully it doesn’t give her any crazy ideas about taking up a sword herself or something like that, though.”

“Pshaw, you act like there’s something wrong with that.”

Bluebolt looked between Rarity and Zircon with a soft smile. “I’m so glad things worked out for you guys. I just knew you two were meant to be together when you started talking about him, considering what I’d already heard from Zyra about how he felt about you.”

“And I appreciate everything you did to help me along the way,” Rarity said, taking Bluebolt’s hoof in hers. “You have a kind heart, Bluebolt. You should be proud of yourself for everything you’ve done. I know your parents are proud of you as well—yes, even your mother. Especially your mother, hmm?”

Bluebolt gave a quick look over towards Blackburn, then rolled her eyes. “Yeah, doesn’t mean I didn’t get a big earful about all the danger I put myself in to do it all. I’m glad everything worked out in the end, though.”

Symphony pulled Bluebolt in for a hug. “You did just fine, pecha. I’m proud of you, too, y’know?”

“You two are simply lovely together,” Rarity said with a happy sigh. “I look forward to seeing you again, perhaps as more than just fillyfriends, hmm?” she added with a wink.

“We’ve already started talking about that,” Bluebolt added, red in the face. “Seeing you and Zircon get back together was pretty inspiring, y’know?” She looked to Zircon and gave him a little smile. “Take care of Rarity for us, yeah?”

Zircon bowed slightly and smiled back. “It will be done, Princess Bluebolt, of this I swear to thee.”

Next were Sundial and Weaver. Sundial held out her hoof and shook her head. “Ah, no hugs for me—”

Rarity ignored her and pulled her in for a hug. “Oh no you don’t.”

Sundial grunted. “Bloody hell. Alright, alright… fine.” She returned the hug, in earnest, Rarity noticed. “Bring it in then, lass.”

“Thank you for everything you’ve done to help get me and my friends home,” Rarity said. “You really have been an excellent successor to Tick Tock, and I say that as somepony that’s dealt with both of you. You should be very proud of yourself and what you’ve done.”

Sundial pulled out of the hug and shrugged. “Och, it’s not like I saved the multiverse or anything though, aye? Just this one world, which only needed fixing in the first place because we sent ye back too soon or something, I dunno. Not quite as impressive.”

“It doesn’t need to be as impressive to still be impressive and wonderful. Besides, it all worked out in the end, though, didn’t it?” Rarity turned to Weaver next and pulled him in for a hug. “Weaver, darling, it was such a pleasure knowing you. I’m so sorry about what’s happened—”

“Don’t be,” Weaver said, returning the hug. “I’ll find my way, just like Flurry and Bloom said. Whether it takes weeks, months, or even years, I’ll get my vision back someday. And when I do, I’ll be able to see your pretty face again, hmm?”

Rarity tittered. “Oh ho, such flattery from the young gentlecolt. Be careful, darling, you might make Sundial jealous.”

“Feh,” Sundial snorted. “It’d take more than a few compliments ta you ta make me jealous, aye?” She gestured on down the line. “Go on then, get moving. Mum’s gonna pop a gasket if she doesn’t get ta say her goodbyes soon.”

“Indeed. Take care of yourselves, both of you.” She leaned in and hugged Sundial briefly and whispered. “And just remember what I said, hmm? About taking that next big step?”

Sundial whispered back. “Aye, lass, I will.” As Rarity pulled back, she noticed Sundial’s face was beet red.

Rarity next moved to Tick Tock and the two embraced in a tight hug. “Y’know, my girls are going to miss their world-saving, fashion-conscious, gem-hunting ‘Aunt’ Rarity. At least for now.”

“Aww, that’s sweet,” Rarity tittered. “I’ll miss those little darlings, too.”

“I never imagined I’d ever see any of you ever again,” Tick Tock said with a heavy sigh. “I hope it doesn’t sound inappropriate for me to wish that everypony had come along with you?”

“Not at all, dear, I’m sure everypony would’ve loved to see you again and meet your little family,” Rarity said, tightening the hug. “Especially Twilight. I know she misses you dearly, even if she’d never say just how much she does. I’ve said it before, but you had a very big impact on who she is today.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that I’ve played such a big role in her life like she’s done with me.” Tick Tock then turned to Zircon and gave him a smile. “And Zircon, it’s been nice seeing you again too, eh?”

“And thee as well, Lady Tock,” Zircon said with a nod and a grin. “'Twas a delight to meet thy family.”

“And they certainly enjoyed meeting you, especially when you told them you and Rarity were together. I’ve never seen their faces light up like that before.” Tick Tock gave a brief glance between the two and smirked. “Just don’t waste any time in getting the same—”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Yes yes, I’ve heard it all already, darling. Believe me, we’re not going to waste any time. We have twenty-one years to catch up on, after all, and we’ve only just started.” She pulled Tick Tock in for a hug again. “I’ll be looking forward to your visit eventually. Twilight will be ecstatic to see you again in the flesh, as it were.”

“Likewise.”

Next in line was Zarya, who pulled Rarity and Zircon in for a hug as they approached. “It hath been an honor to meet thee, Lady Rarity, and to serve in the Order beside thee, uncle. 'Twas a delight to be a part of thy reunion.”

“And it was certainly a pleasure to meet you as well, Zarya,” Rarity said with a smile. “So… now that Zircon is coming with me, what exactly does that mean for you? I’m afraid that I’ve been rather in the dark on the whole thing.”

Zircon smiled and patted his niece’s shoulder. “My niece hath proven herself in combat time and time again, both as a warrior and as a leader. With His Majesty’s blessing, she hath been promoted. No longer is she Dame Zarya, but Lady-Commander Zarya of the Order of the Black Flame. The first mare to hold the title.”

Zarya smiled back and nodded. “And 'tis the highest honor I couldst ever asketh for. I hath sworn an oath to the Order, and to Zeb’ra’den, to keep them safe once more. The Order shalt rise again, in time.”

“Well, that’s certainly a splendid bit of news!” Rarity said. “I’m so happy for you, darling. After everything you’ve been through, you deserve it. I hope the other knights are all in agreement with this?”

“There hath been no objections,” Zarya said, shaking her head. “Our numbers art few following the War of the Wendigos, but those that remain hath seen that I am worthy of my new title and position. I shalt lead them forward with honor and glory.”

“And I hath faith in thee, Zarya,” Zircon said, not speaking in meter anymore. “Thou shalt lead our Order into a new age. Thou hast earned it.”

Rarity grinned. “So, Zarya, how are things progressing with Silver Shine, hmm? I still feel terrible about what happened to him, and to his family. I hope that perhaps you’ve given him a fresh look at life.”

Zarya blushed and nervously scratched her chin. “Ah… they art progressing well, Lady Rarity. He hath decided to remain in Zeb’ra’den for a time so that we may decide on how to move forward with… us. I knowest not what the future doth hold for us, but my hopes are high.”

“Well, I certainly hope things work out well between you too, and I have all the confidence in the world that they will.” Rarity set her hoof on Zircon’s shoulder and gave him a loving look. “After all, your uncle and I have made everything work after all these years, haven’t we?”

Zircon set his hoof on Rarity’s. “Aye, my love, that we have.”

“And what of his mother, Lady Silverluck? How is she doing?”

“We hath received word that due to the news of the War of the Wendigos and House Silver’s crucial role in stopping the threat, the Harmony Guard hath heard her petition for. The war against House Silver hath been ended. Though I knowest not what she will do with this peace… I hath faith that the sun will shine on them again.”

Rarity nodded and let out a breath. “Good… that’s very good. I hope everything works out for them.”

Zarya moved in to hug Zircon again. “I wisheth thee the best, uncle. May thy future be bright and happy.”

Zircon returned the hug. “And thee as well, Zarya. May thy future be bright and happy.”

At last, Rarity and Zircon stepped up to the portal. Rarity took a breath, then turned back towards the others. “Well… this is it,” she said with a smile and a wave. “Hopefully our next meetings will all be under less drastic circumstances, hmm?”

And with that, she and Zircon stepped through the portal, heads held high, and vanished beyond the veil.

*****

There exists a plane of being beyond the mortal, material realm that is not occupied by such creatures as ponies and zebras, or such places as Hope’s Point or Zeb’ra’den, or such things as seawater or snow. It is a realm of energy and magic imperceptible to the mortal eye, incomprehensible to all but the most prodigious of mortal minds, and typically inaccessible to mortals while they still draw breath. That realm is called the Dreaming, for the only way that a living mortal soul can bear witness to it is within their dreams. But it was also a realm of souls, for the spirits of those that passed away in this world ventured here afterwards, where they could rest in blissful peace forevermore.

It is this realm that the alicorn Harmonia calls home. Here within this plane she has no physical form, she has no voice, and time means practically nothing to her. And, after twenty-one long years in a physical body, she had finally returned home to where she belonged and was always meant to be.

The realm of souls and dreams stretched out before her as an infinite expanse of swirling golds tinged with weak, dull purples. It all merely represented the influence of the world’s alicorns within this realm. She found herself curious, though, when she gazed upon the colorful display. The last time she visited the Dreaming was as an escort of sorts for Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood, and at that time it had been gold and only gold, for Nihila had been weakened so tremendously by Silvertongue that she had no influence here. She would not possess that manner of strength for many years, it seemed.

Before that time—before Silvertongue had drawn her into a mortal body all those years ago—the Dreaming had been an expanse of gold and black, for the latter represented Nihila’s influence over the plane. Though Harmonia and her counterpart could not interact with one another for centuries due to the influence of the Beacons, she still knew that somewhere out there in the Dreaming Nihila was always watching and waiting, perhaps willing herself to overpower Harmonia no matter how impossible that might have been.

But Harmonia remembered a time long, long ago when the Dreaming had not been gold and black. Back then, it had been gold and purple, as it was now. That was in times so ancient that Lord Silvertongue himself was not even a glimmer in his father’s eye, for his father would not be born for many centuries yet. This was before the great civil war that tore the southern lands apart. This was before Nihila exerted her influence over mortals and steered them towards her goals. This was before Nihila even called herself Nihila.

Seeing it like this again was curious indeed.

So, Harmonia did the only thing she could think to do: she reached out into the Dreaming, searching for Nihila’s spark out in the infinite expanse. She could not find it, though she did not expect to, either, for even in her weakened state she could see the dreams of mortals, and the dreams of Flurry Heart told her that Nihila was no more. But now that she had regained her strength and could determine the truth of that, she was almost… sad. Nihila had been truly and unequivocally evil, but she was still the other half to Harmonia’s whole.

So she reached out again, out into the Dreaming for any trace of her counterpart, and she still found nothing.

However, after what felt like an eternity of searching, she found something else. Another spark. A familiar one. She had not felt this spark for a very, very long time.

The other spark felt her, too, and reached out for her in turn, speaking to Harmonia with a voice that Harmonia had all but forgotten. “Harmonia?” the voice asked, horribly small and weak. “Is that you?”

“Yes, I am here,” Harmonia replied, curious and cautious, “though I am not quite sure how thou art here, or if thou art who I think thou art. So, who art thou?”

The spark flickered weakly, like a flame in the wind. “It’s me, sister… Pandemonia.”

If Harmonia could breathe in this state, she would have gasped. “Pandemonia? Not Nihila? Thou hast not used that name in thousands of years, sister.”

“Nihila?” the spark whispered, frightened. “Why do I know that name? Sister, where is my Warden, Lady Peach Blossom? I have tried reaching out to her in the mortal realm—”

Harmonia couldn’t frown, either, but if she could she would be. “Lady Peach Blossom, sister? She hath been within the Dreaming with us for ages. She passed away shortly after thou didst begin calling thyself Nihila. I couldst find her, if thou wisheth me to do so?”

“That name again… Nihila.” The spark then flickered more brightly. “I know that name. Nihila. She is a parasite. What has she done with my power? How long has it been?”

“Parasite? What dost thou mean?”

“I… I cannot remember much, sister. My mind feels as though there has been a fog upon it. I remember a time, long ago, when the ponies of the south worshipped us both. They prayed to you for peace and the hope that came with the rising sun. They prayed to me for the excitement that came with the late night hour and the triumph over the hardships of life.”

“'Twas a time most ancient… I remember it well,” Harmonia said. “But thou didst feel unsatisfied with mere payer. Thou didst influence the ponies to seeketh out further adversity, to create it themselves if need be, to relish in it. Gone were the days of peace—”

“That was Nihila’s doing. I know that now,” Pandemonia said, great sorrow in her voice. “I was pleased with my worshippers, sister. I enjoyed their prayers and praising of my name. It was a pleasing experience. I… I wanted more. Then… a voice came to me. It spoke to me of how to bring more ponies under my fold…”

Harmonia pondered this. “A voice? Another being, then?”

“Yes. That was Nihila. She took hold upon me as I reveled in my prayers and enjoyed the happiness it brought to me, and when her advice brought more and more of that sensation to me, I… I allowed her into my essence. But soon… the surge of happiness grew less and less potent. She enveloped me, sister. I could not fight her Darkness, for it was stronger than my own.”

“'Tis when thou didst begin calling thyself ‘Nihila’ instead?”

“Yes. I was a prisoner within my own spark, a slave to her will, trapped in… some sort of nightmare.” The spark flittered meekly. “I am sorry, sister… I was weak. I allowed her—”

“Shhh… be still, my sister. There is no blame to give.” Harmonia interweaved her spark with Pandemonia’s. There was a startling sense of familiarity that she had not felt for ages. This was no lie; this was her sister, through and through. “I can sense that thy words ringeth truer than I couldst ever believe. Thou hast… returned to me at long last. How can this be?”

“The one known as Flurry Heart,” Pandemonia said, her spark igniting a little brighter. “She purged Nihila from my essence and took it within herself instead, though not entirely of her own will, I think. But she fought back. Then, she kept Nihila within your Light when it surged across the mortal realm. I saw it happen. I saw Nihila be destroyed.”

Harmonia couldn’t smile, but she wanted to, desperately. “'Twould seem that Flurry Heart doth have so much hope within her heart that she didst lend some even to one such as me. I had lost hope many ages hence that my sister would ever embrace me with her spark again. I hath… I hath missed thee...”

Their sparks interweaved again, and the Dreaming around them surged with energy. The purple glow grew just a little stronger.

“'Twill be some time before thy strength returns, my sister,” Harmonia said softly. “Until then, I shalt stay here with thee and watch over thy recovery. Once thou art made whole again, thou canst see our world and what hath become of it.”

“Thank you, sister,” Pandemonia said, more confident than before. “Ha… it would seem as though this Flurry Heart is quite the extraordinary mare, yes?”

“Yes… 'twould seem she is.”

Epilogue: Ending

One Year Later

Sundial and Weaver sat together at a table at a small hole-in-the-wall diner in Hope’s Point late in the afternoon. Spring was just about coming to an end and it had started getting warmer already, so the pair wore some much more comfortable outfits for the current climate: Sundial wore her kilt, her balmoral, and a white blouse, all part of her typical uniform; Weaver wore a loose gray shirt and a light, black jacket. Many of the other ponies in the diner wore similarly comfortable clothing, and the diner was certainly crowded at the moment.

Little had really changed over the past year, so far as Sundial was concerned, though Weaver had taken to wearing a pair of sunglasses to cover his eyes so as not to bother anypony. He’s also started growing out his mane a little bit, partly because he’d never had the opportunity to do anything with his mane before, partly because Sundial had said she thought he looked good with it longer, though Sundial was merely guessing on that last part.

Public spaces like this were still a bit of an aggravation for Sundial, but she’d gotten better about it generally speaking, if only because she didn’t mind it so much if her friends were with her. Especially if Weaver was with her. The pair sat close together so that Sundial could whisper details she saw around the room to him without anypony overhearing, as he was still sadly unable to see. It didn’t really bother either of them anymore, though.

Sundial checked her pocket watch again—for the third time in the past ten minutes—and shook her head. “They’re late,” she muttered.

Weaver tilted his head in her direction. Even though his eyesight hadn’t recovered yet, his hearing had improved as he got used to using it more. “Give them time. We’re in no rush, are we?”

“No, but ye know I hate waiting around for so long for no good reason,” Sundial grunted. “Whatever this is about had better be worth making us wait. No rush, sure, but I want ta finish getting packed for the hike, aye?”

“Fair enough.” Weaver’s ears then perked up and turned just off to the left, towards the door. “It sounds like there’s a commotion near the front.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow and looked towards the door, where she saw that several of the patrons had made a bit of a fuss as somepony walked into the diner, some of them rising up from their tables a little while others just sat calmly. Said somepony happened to be Bluebolt and Symphony.

Like Sundial and Weaver, they were dressed in comfortable clothing fit for the weather, in this case a couple of simple blouses—white for Bluebolt, green for Symphony—and a pair of matching red jackets. Symphony was still wearing that ear injury with pride, practically drawing attention to it with the new silver stud she’d used to pierce her other ear. Bluebolt, on the other hoof, hadn’t changed a bit, though Sundial noted she was still wearing that green-and-gold scarf despite the weather. Something about it being lucky.

“Och, about bloody time.” Sundial rose up from her seat and waved them over. “Oy! Ye’re late!”

Bluebolt grinned and waved as she approached the table. “Hey, guys! Sorry about the time, but we got caught up in a bit of business at the palace,” she said as she and Symphony took their seats. “Dad wanted my help picking out a gift to send to my brother for his upcoming anniversary, y’know, what with the big announcement and all.”

“Big announcement?”

“Fireglow and Gleaming Dawn are expecting! Isn’t that great?” Bluebolt shook her hooves excitedly. “I’m gonna be an aunt! I’m gonna be the best aunt ever, too. Just you watch, Aunt Bolt is gonna spoil the heck outta that foal.”

“Aye? Well, that’s pretty good news then, especially after all that’s happened. Families sprouting up all over the place down there, I bet,” Sundial said with a grin of her own. “Give them a congratulations from me.”

“From us,” Weaver corrected with a little nudge to her side.

Sundial nodded. “Aye, right, from us.”

“Oh, also, Mom wanted me to tell you that they confirmed that those gryphon eggs are all being taken care of by GAIA and everything,” Bluebolt said with a smile.

“Och, good, one less thing ta worry about, aye? How’s that going then?”

“Well, she’s got some of her engineers trying to figure out a way to interact with GAIA since we don’t exactly have any gryphon techno-magic keys or anything to gain access, and your Timekeeper didn’t work when we tried it back in the fall, so… y’know.” Bluebolt shrugged. “We’re doing our best.”

“So hey, you two are headed out hiking tomorrow, right?” Symphony asked, gesturing between Sundial and Weaver.

“That we are, up inta the southern Goldridge Mountains. After that last Void storm passed through we’re not expecting any new rifts for a few months at least, so I figured Weaver and I should take a wee break before it starts getting busy again.”

“We’re going stargazing,” Weaver said with a smile.

“Aww, how romantic,” Bluebolt cooed, giving Sundial a little nudge. “I didn’t think you had a soft spot in you like that, but there you go again proving me wrong. That’s really cute. What’s next, the ferris wheel? A picnic in the park?”

“Don’t push it, lass,” Sundial grunted. She leaned back in her seat and looked between Bluebolt and Symphony with a knowing grin, already suspecting why the pair had called her and Weaver here. “So, you two wanted ta meet us for a reason, aye? Go on then, spill, what is it?”

The other couple shared a brief look and a smile, then in unison they said: “We’re engaged.”

Sundial’s eyes widened, as did her grin. “Really now? Och, about bloody time, aye? Y’know that I’ve been waiting all damn year for ye ta spring this wee bit o’ news on us? What took ye so long?”

“Well, we just wanted to get a bunch of things lined up first so that there wouldn’t be any issues when we finally tied the knot,” Bluebolt said matter-of-factly, placing her wing around Symphony. “As you’ll no doubt recall, my mom got engaged when she was about the same age as me, but because of… circumstances, she didn’t get to marry my dad for years after that.”

“So we’ve been putting together all of the arrangements with His and Her Majesty for the past few months,” Symphony continued, cracking a big grin and wrapping a hoof around Bluebolt. “That way, we can move forward with the wedding as soon as we’re ready to get hitched.” She leaned over and kissed Bluebolt’s cheek. “Pecha popped the question about a week ago, if you’re curious.”

“Well, congratulations ta both o’ ye,” Sundial said, reaching her hooves out to pat both of their hooves on the table. “This has been a long time coming, aye? I’m honestly surprised ye waited so long in the first place.”

Weaver grinned and clapped his hooves together. “We’re very happy for you. This is great news. So, when’s the wedding? Have you ‘set a date’ yet, I think is the phrase?”

Bluebolt put her hooves together nervously. “Well, considering we also just heard about my brother and Dawn expecting to be having a foal sometime this winter—their spring—we don’t want to steal their thunder or anything, y’know? So, we’re hoping to push it up a bit. So, uh… two months or so from now, actually.”

“We wanted to wait until you got your eyesight back, Weaver,” Symphony said, patting Weaver’s hoof, “but nopony knows how long that’ll take at the rate the research is going… sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, but—”

“It’s fine,” Weaver said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you to delay things on my part. It’ll happen eventually, but you two deserve to be happy now. Besides, there are bound to be lots of pictures and maybe even a video, so I can at least look over the event after the fact. I’ll still be there all the same.”

Sundial raised her half-full glass of beer. “Aye! Well, here’s ta you two, then, aye? Congratulations.”

“Congratulations!” Weaver said, raising his own glass of water. Sundial clinked her glass against his.

“Aww, thanks, guys,” Bluebolt said, her face red. “I’m looking forward to seeing you there on the big day. Hey! If we’re lucky, maybe the portal will be open by then, huh? Wouldn’t it be awesome if I could invite the whole family to the wedding? That’d be one hell of a party.”

Sundial smirked. “Aye, that it would. I wish I had news for ye on that front, but the going is slower than a bloody tortoise, sorry ta say. This thing is gonna take time. A lot o’ time. We can’t rush it if we want it ta work out proper-like, lass. If anything messes with it, we could very well destabilize the other world, and that’d be… well, very bad.”

Symphony shrugged. “Yeah, we know, no rush. Still, it would be super cool to get everypony together for il grande evento, yeah? I bet Her Majesty wouldn’t hesitate to put together the biggest wedding the city’s ever seen if it meant that many ponies were coming along.”

“I can’t wait to tell Apple Bloom about it, even if she isn’t able to make it,” Bluebolt said with a wistful sigh. “I just can’t wait for everything to work out altogether, actually. I bet a lot has happened in the last year over there…”

“I bet Rarity’s married to Zircon by now,” Symphony said with a thoughtful nod. “And if I remember, Flurry had a big ceremony coming up, didn’t she? Like her coronation or something?”

“Something like that.”

“I wish I could give you two an update, I really do,” Sundial said, patting Bluebolt’s hoof. “Just you wait, though, soon enough we’ll be able ta have a wee get-together with everypony and share all o’ the new stories from the past year. For now, though, let’s all just keep focused on the here and now, aye?” Then, her stomach rumbled. “Och, bloody hell… sorry about that. I skipped breakfast.”

Weaver hummed and nodded. “Hmm, yes, focused on the here and now, starting with lunch.”

The group shared a laugh, then lifted their menus—Sundial scooted over to help Weaver with his—and made ready to order.

Today was a good day, Sundial thought.

*****

It took six full days of hiking west from Hope’s Point, across green, grassy fields and up steep, rocky trails for Sundial and Weaver to reach the highest point of the highest peak in the southernmost ridge of the Goldridge Mountains. It was early in the evening—the sun was just setting—and the weather was just right with not a cloud in the sky, pleasantly warm and cozy even at this hour and altitude.

Sundial had planned this excursion out precisely so they’d be on this peak on this night at this time, and Weaver—despite his handicap—was still perfectly capable of meeting her expectations. While she had to advise him on a few dangerous areas here and there and help him actually climb, his sense of direction and awareness of his surroundings were still as stellar as ever. Bloom had been spot-on about his special talent: he sure knew how to find his way around.

As the sun continued setting over the horizon, Sundial set up their campsite—just their large, comfortable sleeping bag and a small campfire—before she and Weaver—no longer in his sunglasses, since Sundial wasn’t bothered—enjoyed a quick, simple dinner of heated-up canned vegetables, then the couple laid down onto the sleeping bag and looked skyward just as the two moons were rising.

The stars were out in rare form this evening, and Sundial set about describing every single one of them to Weaver, in detail, particularly the constellations. There were hundreds of them that could be seen with the naked eye, so it took a few hours to do, but Sundial didn’t mind it one bit, not in the least. Thus, it was late at night when she finally moved across the sky enough to finish the set.

“And that last one there is called ‘The Archer’,” she said, gesturing towards a set of bright stars in the westernmost part of the sky. “It’s a set o’ ten stars that form a curve, like the limbs of a longbow, and what looks like the hooves of a mare drawing it back. Four stars make up the bow—two marking the end o’ the limbs, two making up the grip—and six make up the mare—one for her head, three each for her hooves and limbs, and one for her body. She’s aiming directly at The Heart, actually.”

Weaver hummed. “In my mind, that shape could just as easily represent a scorpion though, couldn’t it? Four stars for the tail, six for the body and pincers?”

“Aye, that’s been brought up a few times before in the last couple o’ decades now that everypony up north can see the sky. But y’know, a lot o’ these constellations were named or discovered by zebras and ponies in ancient times, before anypony came up north. There aren’t scorpions down in the southern lands, so they figured it was an archer.”

“Ah. That makes sense.”

He paused for a moment, seeming to take in all of the sensations around him now that it was quiet and late. The gentle, warm breeze in the air as it breathed on his face. The sound of said wind as it rushed through the rocky mountain pass below. The feeling of Sundial pressed up next to him, just as she was feeling him against her. He really seemed to love the outdoors as much as she did, actually, which made her happy.

“Sundial… I’ve really enjoyed this,” he said with a content sigh.

She smiled and set her head against his shoulder. “Aye, lad, me too. I haven’t enjoy this part o’ the job in years, let me tell ye.”

“As far as I’m concerned, I don’t even need to do this all over again when I get my eyesight back. You’ve done… well, everything for me. You’ve given me the whole world, and that’s no small feat.”

“And ye deserve the world,” she grunted. “Ye had yer whole life taken away from ye by that bastard Overseer. I’ll be damned if I don’t do everything I can ta give it back. I want ye ta be happy. Ye deserve ta be happy.”

He paused again, then put his hooves around her and pulled her in close to him. She felt him put his muzzle into her mane. “I’ve been thinking for a while about how to say this, but…”

When he stopped, she looked at him, raising an eyebrow. “But what?”

He let out a breath. “I think it’s best if I just be straightforward about it. The thing that I’ve enjoyed the most about traveling with you all this time is that… I’m with you. I’ve never felt anything like this before. Ever. After talking with Flurry way back when about these sorts of things, and then seeing Rarity reunite with Zircon, plus seeing how Bluebolt and Symphony are together… I think I know what this feeling is. Love.”

Sundial was given pause herself, her breath catching in her throat.

“I can’t imagine living my life the way it is now with anypony else but you. I want to be part of your life, just like you’re a part of mine. I love you.”

Sundial took a long moment to mull this over, setting her head against his chest, closing her eyes so that all she could hear or feel was his heartbeat. She didn’t hesitate, just needed a moment to regain her senses. She’d never expected him to say those words, nor did she ever expect to want so badly to say them back. So, once she’d had a moment to breathe, she did.

“I love you, too, Weaver…” she said quietly. “I really do…” She paused again, then gulped. “If I might ask… what about me makes ye feel that way?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean… I could tell ye all o’ the things that I love about you, lad. Ye’re honest. Ye’re loyal. Ye’re confident. Ye got a good sense o’ humor.” She coughed gently into her hoof. “And ye’re not bad ta look at, either. Plus, ah… ye know all o’ my, uh… sweet spots…”

“Oh, that I do,” he chuckled, nipping the tip of one of her ears.

She giggled at the pleasing, tickling sensation, her face reddening in the process.

“Well, if we’re sharing,” he said. “You’re loyal and confident, too. You’re a driven, tough survivalist. I know that before you and Flurry pulled me away from the Overseer, you and I got into a few violent entanglements.”

“Aye, that we did,” Sundial grunted.

“I still remember the last one, back in that rainstorm when you were injured, though. You still fought back even though you were at your lowest point. I think that… that’s when I started to admire you.”

“Really now? Admire? Heh.” She leaned up and kissed him on the chin. “What else do ye admire about me, eh?”

“You’re compassionate. Even when you were, and I’m quoting here, ‘a right bitch’, you cared about everyone around you, even if you weren’t the best at showing it. Like how you are with the twins, for example. I also love all your colorful language. You always speak your mind, no matter what.”

“Heh.” She smiled and took a short breath. “Thanks… that makes me feel better.”

He pulled her tighter into the hug, and she leaned up to kiss him again, this time on the mouth. There wasn’t anything else that needed to be said up on that mountain top on that beautiful night.

*****

These days, Rarity loved the snow. No no, that wasn’t good enough. She adored the snow. On a snowy day in Canterlot, if she didn’t have any immediate work to take care of, she sometimes found it enjoyable to head out into the snow and just take it all in. Nothing quite as messy as making snow angels—getting her coat wet was not on her list of “things I enjoy”—but a making a snowpony wasn’t out of the question.

Thus, she was grateful that the Crystal Empire tended to have snow pretty much all year round, but especially had lots of snow now that winter had rolled around. The fields outside of the royal palace were covered in an incredibly pure white powder that stretched all the way to the horizon, and the gray clouds above sprinkled the stuff down like perfectly arranged confetti. Naturally, it was perfectly arranged. After all, nothing but a perfect winter’s day would be appropriate for today’s festivities.

She and Zircon arrived by train in the mid-afternoon—fashionably late, because of course—and made their way straight for the royal palace under the escort of one of the Empire’s many guard ponies. The streets outside the palace were crowded and cramped with crowds of crystal ponies partaking in a market fair as they awaited the big moment of the day. Said big moment was precisely why Rarity and Zircon were even here in the first place:

Today was Princess Flurry Heart’s official coronation ceremony. Today, she would officially be named as an Equestria alicorn princess, just as Twilight had been when she “ascended” some twenty-one or so years ago.

The guard escorted Rarity and Zircon into the palace through a side entrance that was kept clear just for the guests of the royal family’s own festivities going on inside the palace itself. An attendant took their coats as they entered, for the ballroom was kept at a pleasant, comfortable temperature with magic just for the event, leaving them in just their fancy attire for the event: Rarity wore an elaborate purple dress decorated with genuine diamond sequins that sparkled in the light; Zircon wore a tight-fitting black suit that hugged his robust figure nicely but was still flexible enough to move around in, just in case he needed to get… physical. Like dancing, yes, dancing. Rarity had made them both herself just for the event, natch.

The room was crowded at the moment as guests from all across Equestria mingled with one another, either chatting excitedly amongst themselves, listening intently to the exquisitely talented band that was playing, dancing to the band’s music, or partaking in the plethora of sumptuous, sweet delicacies and beverages that had been provided for them.

Rarity uncharacteristically, and immediately, made straight for the catering table without a second thought, feeling rather glad that nopony had noticed her arrival just yet, and Zircon just followed along, a coy grin on his face all the while as he watched her sway just so in her dress. Every manner of sweet and tasty baked treat that Rarity could possibly imagine was available here, a testament to the catering skills of Pinkie Pie and Red Velvet, both of whom were on the other side of said catering table in adorable, matching chef outfits serving guests.

Pinkie, who was the closer of the two at the moment, waved Rarity over when she noticed her approaching. “Rarity! Hey hey! Welcome to the party, slowpoke. Everypony’s been waiting for you to show up. Fashionably late, as always, huh?” She shook her head and smiled, then whistled as she looked Rarity over. “You look gorgeous. That is a fine dress, yup!”

Rarity smiled and adjusted her mane slightly and pressed her hoof against her dress to smooth out a wrinkle. “Why, thank you, Pinkie. I’m terribly sorry if anypony’s been waiting for us specifically to arrive, but… well, I won’t make excuses.” She leaned in to whisper: “Truth be told, darling, once I got Zircon into that suit of his I simply had to get him right back out of it, hmm?”

“Oh ho ho, scandalous, Rarity, simply scandalous,” Pinkie giggled, hoof to her mouth. “Hey, I don’t blame you one bit, fillyfriend. I know that sometimes I get that way around Dashie when she comes home still in her Wonderbolts uniform after a show. Mmph. Y’know? It really shows off her nice assets. Eh?”

“Ha. Quite. Speaking of, where is your rainbow paramour, hmm?”

Pinkie gestured behind Rarity, to where Rainbow was currently engaged in a conversation with Skyflash and Tropic Thunder, two other Wonderbolts that had been invited, younger members that Rarity recalled Flurry Heart was a fan of. Both were rather handsome colts, maybe a little older than Flurry herself, and were quite popular with the younger fillies and mares, and for good reason.

"Keeping an eye on the cadets, hmm?" Rarity tittered, giving Pinkie a side-eye.

"Keeping them out of trouble, more like," Pinkie said back with a grin. "Rainbow knows Flurry wanted Rainbow to bring them along but, uh, I don't think Shining Armor knows."

Rarity grinned. "I see."

Zircon, meanwhile, came up and gave Pinkie a polite nod. “Mrs. Pie, 'tis a pleasure to see thee here. How art thou this fine afternoon?”

Pinkie smiled and nodded back. “Oh, I’m just peachy, Zircon! Thanks for asking! Quite a party, huh?"

"'Tis a pleasant affair thus far, yes."

Just then, Havocwing trotted up to the table and poured herself a glass of punch, as hers seemed empty. "Rarity. Zircon," she said, quick and to-the-point.

"Havoc," Rarity replied, equally quick and to-the-point. She noticed Havoc was wearing a rather nice black outfit—not one of her design, and too masculine for Rarity's tastes anyway. "Enjoying the party?"

Havocwing gave a little shrug. "Yeah, I guess. These kind of shindigs aren't really my scene, y'know? But hey, free eats."

Rarity looked at the display of sweets on the table and licked her lips. “Yes indeed. My goodness, this is quite a spread you’ve got here, Pinkie. I don’t suppose I might be able to partake?”

“Pshaw! Help yourself!” Pinkie said, passing Rarity a plate.

Rarity took the plate and began loading it up with treats immediately in a veritable mountain. She turned to Havoc as she did so. "So, Havoc, where's your date?"

"Huh?" Havoc asked, eyebrow raised.

"Your date, darling. Surely you brought a plus one?"

"Oh. No, I'm here by myself," Havoc said, shrugging and downing her punch. "I'm single again as of last week."

Rarity gasped, hoof over her heart. "Oh dear, whatever for?"

"Eh, I brought him back to my place so we could finally, y'know, get to 'know' each other, but uh, apparently he thought I was a stallion the whole time."

"Beg pardon?"

"Yup. Got me out of my uniform, saw I wasn't packing anything between my hind legs, and decided to bail." Havoc poured another glass of punch. "I'd say I was disappointed but that's like the fifth time that's happened in the past couple of years."

"Maybe you oughta grow out your mane?" Pinkie suggested. "Y'know, look more like a mare? I mean, even Dashie kept her mane longer than you do these days."

"Nah, not my style." Havoc turned and noticed Rainbow talking to the two Wonderbolts, then bit her bottom lip and downed her new glass. "Plenty of fish in the sea, though. Wish me luck."

Rarity tilted her head and grinned as Havoc set off. "Best of luck, darling." She turned to Zircon and gestured towards the table. "Love, aren't you going to eat anything? There's plenty to go around."

Pinkie nodded and gave a flourish with her hooves to present the table. "Yeah! You want anything from the table? We’ve got waffles, your favorite!”

Zircon held up his hoof and smirked. “If there is anything left upon my wife’s plate when she hath finished, that will suffice for me. I am anticipating a large dinner after the main event hath concluded, if 'tis anything like these sorts of events back in Zeb'ra'den.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “Are you sure? Rarity doesn’t usually eat—”

Then, she noticed that Rarity’s plate was filled to the top with a mountain of cookies, tarts, candies, small cakes, slices of larger cakes, fudge, and chocolate-covered strawberries, with no rhyme or reason to their arrangement.

“—much. Wow, Rarity, that is a lot of sweets. I’ve never seen you eat like that before. Especially not baked goods. Don’t those ‘go straight to your flanks’ like you always say?”

Rarity shrugged and stuffed a shortcake into her mouth. It was delicious. “I simply couldn’t resist, darling. I’ve been feeling a mite peckish all day. Perhaps we shouldn’t have skipped lunch.”

Red Velvet, who had been on the opposite side of the table, but who had clearly noticed the goings-on from there, zipped over with a look of amazement on her face as she stared at Rarity’s plate. “Holy moley, Rarity, you’ve got one heck of a sweet tooth today. Won’t those all go straight to your flanks?”

“That’s what I said!” Pinkie agreed with a nod.

“I suppose I do. Hello, Red, it’s good to see you,” Rarity said with a grin as she stuffed a donut hole into her mouth. It was delicious. “Mmph, oh my goodness, you two have outdone yourselves today, I must say. These are simply divine.”

Pinkie scratched her head. “Thanks, Rarity. You, uh… don’t usually like donuts from what I remember… huh. Guess we really did do a good job?” She tilted her head towards Velvet. “Red, did you put something special in the donut holes without telling me again?”

“Nope, not me.” Velvet’s lips curled in a wicked grin. “Oh ho ho, oh wow, I get it, though. I get it. Ha!” She gave a brief look to Zircon and bit her lip. “You two have been working… hard, I take it?”

Zircon coughed into his hoof. “Aye, that we have. 'Twas a busy few months.”

“Oh, I bet.” Velvet grinned at Rarity. “You are one lucky mare,” she said, giving Zircon a brief once over. "If I wasn't married. Rawr."

“I’ll say, darling,” Rarity tittered right back.

“Rarity!” called Applejack from nearby.

Rarity glanced over to see Applejack trotting over to her, Flathoof in tow. She gave her friend a smile just after wolfing down a gingerbread cookie—it was delicious. Applejack was wearing a lovely, simple green dress fit for the occasion but not too fancy, and Flathoof in a simple suit. Rarity hadn’t designed either of them—she’d been busy most of the last few months with Flurry’s dress, after all—but could at least appreciate the look. Even if it wasn’t quite Rarity-grade.

“Applejack, darling, hello!” she greeted with a little wave. “You look lovely.” She nodded to Flathoof. “And Flathoof too, of course. You look simply dashing in that suit of yours. Like a proper gentlecolt.”

“Heh, thanks,” Flathoof said, scuffing the front of the suit with his prosthetic hoof. “You look pretty stunning yourself, if I might say so. I don’t usually see you in purple, though, do I?”

“Heh, I should’ve known when y’all walked in the moment I saw all o’ that glitter all over ya,” Applejack said with a smirk, gesturing at the diamond sequins. “Ya look like the sky on a winter’s night.”

“Oh my, that’s awfully poetic, coming from you, dear.” Rarity gave Zircon a brief nudge and a grin. “Did you start sharing your material with others, sweetheart? Hoping to make some bits on the poetry market, perhaps?”

Zircon chuckled. “No such thing, my love, my words art only for thee to hear.” He looked briefly to Flathoof and Applejack. “Why, just this morning as my love donned her gown by the open window, I didst say to her: ‘But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? 'Tis the dawn, and Rarity is the sun’. It’s not often I use my old meter… though I suppose that doesn’t rhyme, hmm?”

Rarity fanned herself jokingly. “Zircon, dear, I’ve told you not to recite poetry to me in public. You might get me all hot and bothered.”

Applejack and Flathoof shared a look between themselves, then rolled their eyes. “So, uh… I guess you’re enjoyin’ the caterin’?” Applejack asked, gesturing at Rarity’s loaded plate, a curious grin on her face.

Rarity nodded and placed a chocolate-covered cherry into her mouth. "Hmm? Oh! Right, yes, of course. It is quite a sumptuous affair, isn't it? Have you tried any of it yet?"

Flathoof nodded. "Yeah, it's quite a lot of good food these two brought along," he said, gesutring to Pinkie and Velvet. "I mean, they brought donuts! You know how I love donuts. Former cop and all."

She smiled tilted her head towards Pinkie and Velvet as she lifted a mint candy up to her mouth. “Kudos to the chefs!” she cheered as she ate the mint.

"Hey, Rarity!" came the bubbly voice of Insipid from nearby. The excitable unicorn, dressed in a sleek gold ensemble that Rarity had made especially for her. Rarity as glad to see that the dress complimented Insipid so well in this light. "It's, like so totally good to see you," she bubbled, giving Rarity a hug. "I wanted to, like, thank you again for my dress and junk? It's super, no, major fresh."

"Yes, indeed, it works wonderfully on you, dear," Rarity said with a grin. "You look absolutely stunning. I'm certain you've caught the eye of some handsome stallion out there by now, hmm?"

Insipid rolled her eyes. "Well, duh."

"Just be sure you bring any potential suitors to meet myself or your sister first," Rarity said, tilting her head towards Red Velvet.

"I know, I know, pshaw," Insipid said, rolling her eyes even harder than before. She gave a side-eye to Zircon and grinned. "Oh, hey Zircy! So glad to see you too!"

Zircon smiled and noddd briefly. "And I, you, my lady Insipid. 'Tis a pleasure indeed."

Insipid paused for a brief moment, then turned to Rarity. "Anyway! I'm gonna go back out on the dance floor and, like, get the attention of this major hottie I've had my eyes on and junk, or whatever? So, like... see ya later!"

Rarity chuckled as Insipid bounded off. "Have fun, dear!" She shook her head. "My oh my, it would seem as if everypony here is trying to find a new beau, wouldn't it?"

Velvet shrugged. "Eh, I mean, what do you expect? Big party hosted by the Princess of Love in honor of the Princess of Hope? I think a lot of ponies here think they might just get lucky tonight, y'know?"

"Well, most everypony," Applejack said with a low chuckle, gesturing back towards where Princess Twilight was currently engaged in a conversation with Starlight Shadow. Both of them were dressed in gorgeous dresses, the former's a design of Rarity's and the latter's a design of Hoity Toity's. "Them two ain't lookin' ta hook up at this shindig."

Rarity shook her head and grinned. "I would be more surprised if they did." She glanced around, seeing if she could see any of the others in their circle of friends. "Where's Fluttershy, incidentally? I thought she was going to be here?"

"Cancelled last minute, somethin' 'bout a bunny emergency," Applejack said, shaking her head.

"Ah, I see," Rarity said, frowning. "Oh well, it can't be helped. I assume your brother and Grayscale are badysitting the kids?"

Flathoof nodded. "That's right. Like you said, it can't be helped. Either we came, or they came, and I think we all know how much Big Mac and Grayscale would've enjoyed this big gathering, hmm?"

"Yes indeed. A shame not everypony was able to make it. I'd actually hoped to see Curaçao at this event."

"Oh?"

"Yes, I wanted to thank her for hiring Coco Pommel as her personal designer for the upcoming EFI Awards. Honestly, if I find whoever's in charge of scheduling that film premiere on Flurry Heart's birthday, I'm going to give them a piece of my mind."

"You're always lookin' out fer that mare, Rarity," Applejack said with a grin. "Coco'd be glad ta hear ya care so much 'bout her success after all these years."

"Well, after all, what are friends for, darling?" Rarity placed another sweet into her mouth and then went to grab another, but hadn't realized her plate was empty. "Hmph, oh dear, seems I finished my plate." She moved back over to the table and started loading it up again.

"Whoa, sugarcube, are y'all alright? I ain't never seen ya eat so much before," Applejack said, concerned.

Pinkie pointed at Applejack and nodded intently. "Right? Right? She said she skipped lunch, though, so I mean, I guess it makes sense, right?"

Rarity nodded and stuffed a butterscotch candy into her mouth. It was… well, it was all delicious so far. “Yes indeed, dear, and it's all so delicious, too. Pinkie and Red have certainly done quite a number on this offering, haven’t they? They have everything I like, it seems. Absolutely everything.”

“But I thought y’all hated butterscotch? Ya gave me an earful way back at mah weddin’ when I offered ya some. Kind o’ weird gettin’ all ornery over butterscotch.”

"Well, apparently these two just made one that I actually enjoy. All the more reason to give them credit where it’s deserved, I say,” Rarity scoffed as she brought another butterscotch to her lips if just to spite Applejack. She did hate butterscotch, or so she thought, but right now she just had a craving for it.

Then, Applejack’s mouth curled in a wicked grin, just as Velvet’s had. Rarity had no idea what it meant but it looked odd on Applejack’s face; Velvet just had a natural “wicked” smile that Applejack couldn’t match. “Well now, ain’t that somethin’...” she muttered.

“What was that, darling? Speak up,” Rarity said, though she’d heard Applejack just fine.

“Nothin’, don’t pay me no mind.” She gave Zircon a coy grin and a wink. “Y’all work fast, sugarcube.”

Zircon laughed, catching on rather quick it seemed. “Ha! 'Tis the way of things back home in Zeb’ra’den.”

"I'm surprised it took them that long, to be honest," Velvet noted with a sagely nod. "I mean, if it were me, I'd be a lot further along."

Rarity rolled her eyes and groaned. “Okay, okay, I get it. I bet you all think you’re being so cute and discrete, but you’re simply going about it all wrong. Goodness, even after all these years you still act like a gaggle of gossipy schoolfillies without any sense of tact or how to be inconspicuous.”

“What, me? I ain’t got a clue what you’re talkin’ 'bout,” Applejack said with an innocent smile.

“Me neither!” Velvet said, pointing at her own innocent smile.

“Me neither!” Pinkie said, tilting her head in legitimate confusion.

“Oh please,” Rarity grunted. She looked amongst the group and shook her head. “I was waiting until our monthly court meeting next week to bring it up, so that at least we could do so in a more intimate setting, but fine, just ruin my surprise, you bunch of amateurs.”

Flathoof scratched his head. “Did I miss something? I’m completely lost here.”

“Goodness, Flathoof, you’re supposed to be the detective, aren’t you?”

Flathoof scoffed. “I was a beat cop, not a detective.”

“Whatever! Hmph.” Rarity grumbled, then stuck her nose in the air. “Yes, well, since obviously Red and Applejack figured it out, I might as well just come out and say it before rumors or misinformation start spreading, hmm? Zircon and I are expecting.”

Pinkie let out a gasp so loud that the band stopped playing—completely with a comically loud trumpet despite there not being a trumpet player in the band—and the entire room’s attention directed straight towards her. “You’re pregnant?!” she blurted.

Rarity slapped a hoof to her forehead, then looked out into the crowd and saw not only a bunch of strangers and a few familiar faces looking her direction with varying degrees of pleasant smiles and grins, but the telltale movement of her other friends making a fast approach—Twilight especially, since it was hard to miss her in the crowd. Rarity really hadn’t wanted to discuss this now, or here, or with all these others around.

She popped a sugar cookie into her mouth to calm her nerves. It was delicious.

But, as luck would have it, the most suitable distraction possible came up right then and there, almost as if it was perfectly arranged to happen right that instant. A brief fanfare of trumpets had announced the arrival of Princess Cadence.

“If I could have everyone’s attention, please?” called Cadence from up on the stage overlooking the ballroom. The entire room went quiet in an instant, minus a brief breath of relief from Rarity. The princess was as lovely as ever, and wore an elegant gown of pink and white, another not of Rarity’s design. It still looked nice, of course. Just not Rarity nice.

“Citizens of the Crystal Empire, honored guests, it is a pleasure for my family to have you all present for this momentous occasion,” Cadence continued. “Thank you all for joining us this afternoon. Without further ado, I believe it’s time to proceed to the moment we’ve all been waiting for.” She stepped aside briefly and gestured to the pink velvet curtain behind her. “Please welcome my daughter, the Princess of Hope, Princess Flurry Heart!”

The curtain opened, and the trumpets and band started playing a tune in unison together that Rarity recognized as a sort of mix between the traditional “happy birthday” song and a royal decree. After all, today was Flurry’s twenty-first birthday as well, so it made sense to put it together with her official coronation ceremony. Whether the trumpet players and the band had somehow coordinated this was a mystery, but if they hadn’t, they were working spectacularly together.

Shining Armor escorted his daughter out from behind the curtain, leading the way with a proud smile on his face only possible from a father for his daughter. He was wearing his old decorated armor from his time as the captain of Celestia’s royal guard, which had been polished to a pristine shine that reflected every light in the room. Rarity noted that it looked like it was a little tight on him at the moment; he just didn’t have that figure anymore, the poor dear.

Flurry, though, drew gasps of awe from the crowd as she approached the balcony. She was beautiful. Her dress was beautiful. She looked absolutely stunning in that dress, which was a Rarity original, natch. It was a multi-colored affair lined with a luxurious faux ermine that glittered with diamond dust, with the actual body of the dress composed of one of the rarest, most extravagant materials Rarity had ever used: arcanasilk, woven out of pure magical energy imbued into spidersilk. With the right enchantments and know-how, Rarity made the material look like genuine crystal that glowed with the light of every color in the rainbow, shifting with every step so that no two creatures saw the exact same thing at the exact same time.

Rarity had put every ounce of pride and joy that she’d felt over the past year into that dress, not just because it was a favor to Cadence and Shining for their daughter, not just because the trip to the other world had made it impossible for Rarity to get a dress out in time for Flurry’s twentieth birthday like originally intended, but mostly because Flurry was Rarity’s dear friend and had helped reunite her with Zircon from across worlds. It was the least she could do for the best gift anypony had ever given her so far.

Apple Bloom, who was across the room beside Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo—they’d come together—leapt into the air and cheered. “Yeah! Happy birthday, Flurry! Woohoo!”

“You look gorgeous!” Sweetie shouted, waving a ribbon in the air.

Scootaloo just whistled, and rather well at that.

Rarity noted that Cadence and Twilight’s horns were glowing, as they were using their magic to show the crowd outside what was going on in the ballroom at that moment. Just a little spell that Twilight had worked on after hearing about what Lockwood had done at Newhaven, and quite a well-made spell at that.

As Flurry approached the balcony, she looked out onto the crowd below with a smile, and they all looked up at her with bright smiles of their own. She then took a short breath and made to speak. “Thank you, everyone, for being here for me on this very important day. Today marks a momentous occasion for me, for my family, and for the Crystal Empire.

“I am the Princess of Hope, and so I hold in my heart a hope for the future of everyone. A hope that you will all go on to lead happy, healthy lives, that you will succeed in all of your endeavors, that you will meet all of the expectations placed upon you,” and, looking to Rarity with a little grin, she continued, “and that you will find someone out there that loves you with all their heart.

“Though Equestria has not been darkened in many years by those who would mean us harm and those who would threaten us and our way of life, I hold on to the hope that there never will be again. But if there is, know this: I will stand as a light against the darkness. I will be here to guide you through the toughest ordeals we may face. I will protect you from those that bring evil back to our lands.”

Flurry took another deep breath. “As this ceremony draws to a close, I know that my fondest memory of it will be not only the beauty of the ceremony, or of the wonderful food and music that have been provided for us all, but of the inspiration given to me by your friendship and love. I thank you all from the bottom of my heart.”

She lit up her horn, and the Crystal Heart appeared in front of her from thin air. Light went streaming out from it towards everypony in the ballroom, much as it had done in similar circumstances of joy and celebration before. As the light struck the room’s occupants, they found their natural coats transformed into a crystalline, translucent material.

Rarity noted the sheer awe that was on Zircon’s face as he looked down at his crystal hooves. It was adorable.

And with that, Flurry Heart bowed to the crowd, and the Crystal Heart vanished again back to its proper place within the palace. The crowd cheered, hooted, hollered, and applauded as loudly as they could.

Rarity wiped away a little tear. She was very, very proud of that mare.

Author's Note

Thanks to everyone for reading! I appreciate all the support I've gotten over the years!

Prologue: Epitome

Chronomancer Report #XX01

World: Equestria-IV

Agent: Time Turner

As per protocol, this is my final report as the Chronomancer of Equestria-IV due to the Prime timeline stabilizing and thus my world following suit shortly thereafter. Protocol dictates that I begin my report with a brief summary of my world and its relation to Canon as a primary source.

Equestria-IV is one of the infinite number of alternate versions of Equestria Prime, which is otherwise known as Canon and will be referenced as such throughout my report unless otherwise necessary. Our world followed along with the Canon timeline’s major events and characterizations of its primary cast and focus almost point-for-point, with few major exceptions, up until somewhere in the middle of the Third Age, specifically until shortly after our Equestria’s Rainbow Dash entered the Wonderbolts Academy.

As far as the differences between our canon and the Prime Canon, they were as such:

Our Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie became romantically involved sometime following a major mental breakdown of the latter which revolved around her believing her friends had forgotten her birthday sometime during the First Age.

Our world’s views on sex and violence are more lax than that in Canon. Though the latter does come up in Canon, it is less brutal or harmful; for instance, blood is practically never involved in even the most violent of encounters. The former is never mentioned at all, though it clearly happens in some capacity out of view of mainstream perception.

Our world’s pop culture is more lively than Canon’s, and it draws upon sources that technically reference other alternate Equestrias without calling attention to the fact that they are, in fact, alternate Equestrias.

This was par for the course as far as most alternate Equestrias are concerned with their relationship with Canon: small-yet-significant adjustments to fit our world’s unique narrative essence. Nothing quite as significant as Equestria-Lunaverse, Equestria-Fallout, or Equestria-Immortal, but enough to have its own effect.

The most significant change occurred during a one month period during which a Void rift tore itself open in our Everfree Forest. I was delayed in my arrival to the rift so that I could seal it (refer to Report #0309 for details), and as such, our Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash were transported through the rift into another alternate Equestria, that of Equestria-V (refer to Report #0310 for additional information and cross-reference with reports from Agent Tick Tock of Equestria-V, who was the active agent during the following events).

A brief summary of the events that transpired on Equestria-V are as follows:

Twilight and her company, heretofore referred to as the “Mane Six” as HQ has designated them in Canon, encountered and befriended some of the local natives around their entry point in a place called New Pandemonium City. Details on one of these individuals, Flathoof, can be found later in my report.

Agent Tick Tock made contact with the Mane Six after escaping an attempt on her life by an assassin named Shadowstep, a servant of Lord Silvertongue (refer to Report #0310 for further information), losing her Timekeeper in the process. Agent Tick Tock proceeded to explain the situation to the Mane Six, and with the help of the locals they proceeded from the northern continent towards the southern continent of their world in order to petition Harmonia, Equestria-V’s alternate Celestia, for aid in opening a new rift to use for traveling home. They made additional allies in the process.

In the meantime, Silvertongue acquired genetic material from the Mane Six and used significant Dark magic provided by Nihila, Equestria-V’s alternate Luna, to create a set of clones of the Mane Six that were then warped into evil, antithetical alternatives: Starlight Shadow (Twilight Sparkle), Curaçao (Applejack), Havocwing (Fluttershy), Insipid (Rarity), Red Velvet (Pinkie Pie), and Grayscale Force (Rainbow Dash).

The Mane Six and their antithetical clones engaged in combat on more than one occasion during the journey south, which would eventually culminate in the clones encountering Harmonia and being purged of their Darkness. Agent Tick Tock’s reports will have further details on the intricacies of the process.

Sometime before that final encounter, Silvertongue utilized the clones’ power, which was granted to them by their connection with the Mane Six, who in turn were more powerful due to their connection with the Elements of Harmony, to grant Nihila a physical body. He then destroyed and absorbed Nihila, ascending to an alicorn state and usurping her position. The parallels with Tirek are notable, as this was before Tirek existed in Canon.

Silvertongue used his newfound power and his knowledge of Equestria Prime, which he’d gleaned from Agent Tick Tock’s Timekeeper, to create a Void rift of his own, traveling first through Equestria-IV then beyond to Equestria Prime. In the process, he freed Equestria-IV's Discord from his prison, as we had not yet reached the point in the Third Age where Discord was “turned good” (refer to Report #0310 for more information). My own attempt to counteract Discord by utilizing the Elements of Harmony to make a “tangent” connection via Equestria-Lunaverse, failed.

Agent Tick Tock, the Mane Six, and the clones of the latter pursued SIlvertongue to Equestria Prime. Agent Tick Tock’s reports will contain all information on what happened therein, but a general summary is that she utilized emergency protocols to engage in a Time Loop in order to combat Silvertongue until he was finally defeated, though he was lost to the Void in the process.

The Mane Six then returned home, bringing along two of their comrades from Equestria-V—Flathoof and Briarthorn—as per Protocol TR-112 in regards to permanent integration of non-native individuals. One year later, the clones of the Mane Six, having ventured to other worlds in the interim, traveled back to Equestria-IV with the intention of doing the same, which was also cleared as per Protocol TR-112.

Twenty-one years have passed since the Mane Six first departed to and returned from Equestria-V. In that time, Canon concluded its Ninth Age, which officially ended its progression insofar as mainstream input. While a supposed Tenth Age is to come, as well as an unknown “Half” Age (details are scant at present on either), for the most part the Canon timeline has officially stabilized and thus the worlds connected to it can do so as well depending on their status. As Equestria-IV is directly linked to Canon and has less significant alterations, it has also stabilized and sealed itself off from the Void.

As per protocol, I am required to give a status update on the individuals that were involved in my primary reports, which includes the Mane Six and the individuals that immigrated here from Equestria-V. You will find my notes below:

Profile: Princess Twilight Sparkle

Our Twilight Sparkle is not drastically different from Canon Twilight Sparkle. Her only significant alternative traits are a bolder personality due to her life-threatening experiences in Equestria-V, and a more aggressive stance on the forgiveness and redemption of others due to her experiences with her clone, Starlight Shadow. This didn't help with Tirek, Queen Chrysalis, or Cozy Glow, unfortunately.

Profile: Rarity

Our Rarity has shown few differences from that of Canon. While there is no definitive information at present on to where Canon Rarity made her secondary Carousel Boutique location—Canterlot or Manehatten—our Rarity opted for Canterlot, and she primarily lives at her new location. Our Rarity also has been noted to have become close friends with our Zecora over the years, though I have yet to ascertain the reason.

Profile: Applejack

Our Applejack is significantly different from Canon Applejack. Our Applejack married Flathoof, one of the Equestria-V immigrants, and has started a family with him, unlike in Canon where she has no observable children. The children, incidentally, are Honeycrisp, Jazz Apple, and Ginger Gold. In addition, due to the larger number of hooves working on Sweet Apple Acres, the family farm’s business has dramatically increased, and the Apple Clan brand is one of the most popular and profitable in the world.

Profile: Pinkie Pie

As noted earlier in my report, one of Equestria-IV’s differences from Canon is that our Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are romantically involved, and that hasn’t changed. They are currently married and live in Canterlot, where Pinkie Pie has opened a bakery named Sweet Dreams, which is popular with the citizenry. She co-owns the bakery alongside her clone, Red Velvet, and the pair are practically sisters from my observation.

Profile: Fluttershy

Our Fluttershy is not significantly different from Canon Fluttershy, minus the most drastic difference: she was not involved whatsoever in the “redemption” of our Discord and as such has no deeper connection with him. She has also become more confident in herself and does not hide herself away at home as she was known to do in Canon.

Profile: Rainbow Dash

Our Rainbow Dash, as noted, is different from Canon Rainbow Dash because of her relationship with Pinkie Pie. As such, she doesn’t live on Sweet Apple Acres, but in Canterlot with her wife Pinkie Pie. She has also mellowed her contrarian, combative attitude significantly due to some of her behavior towards her friends in Equestria-V.

Profile: Flathoof

An Equestria-V native. He married our Applejack and started a family with her, as the pair fell in love with one another during their journey together in Equestria-V. I personally assisted him in his integration process, as he has a prosthetic, mechanical forelimb that our technology couldn’t handle for several years. His former life as a police officer in Equestria-V has led to him heading up the Neighborhood Watch program in Ponyville, but he otherwise works on Sweet Apple Acres.

Profile: Briarthorn

An Equestria-V native. He originally served as a weather patrol pegasus in Ponyville for a few years before being accepted into the Wonderbolts Academy himself. He eventually moved to Cloudsdale and became an instructor at the Academy. The “Diffusion Sickness” that he suffered from upon his initial immigration was completely healed within two years time, as our world couldn’t process such an illness and simply treated it differently—treatable, most crucially—than his native world did.

Profile: Starlight Shadow

Our Twilight Sparkle’s clone. As she integrated into our world between the end of the Fourth Age and the beginning of the Fifth Age, Equestria-IV adjusted its narrative differently as it no longer had a need for the Canon Starlight Glimmer (more details on this can be found later in this report). She has worked at the School for Gifted Unicorns for the past fifteen years, first as a teacher and now as headmare. She and our Twilight Sparkle are close friends, and she serves as an advisor at times.

Profile: Curaçao

Our Applejack’s clone. Her natural talent for acting translated well to our world and she has become a film actress, currently living in Los Manegeles. She is something of a celebrity these days and has always been rather private and secretive, so observing her for further information is difficult.

Profile: Havocwing

Our Fluttershy’s clone. She currently lives in Ponyville and serves as the volunteer captain of the town’s fire brigade. She and Fluttershy have grown close over the years, and she apparently is a regular visitor at Fluttershy’s animal reservation. She has adjusted surprisingly well to Equestria-IV’s lifestyle, which included toning down her language immensely.

Profile: Insipid

Our Rarity’s clone. She has become something of a pop culture junkie and an avid collector of toys, memorabilia, and other collectibles. She doesn’t have a permanent residence as far as I can tell, spending most of her time living in motels as she hops from one convention to the next or staying with friends and family when she can. She is good friends with our Spike, as they share a love for comics.

Profile: Red Velvet

Our Pinkie Pie’s clone. As noted, she and Pinkie Pie own a bakery in Canterlot together and the two of them are practically sisters. The rest of Pinkie Pie’s family has also accepted her quite well from my understanding. As our Cheese Sandwich is not romantically involved with our Pinkie Pie like he is in Canon, he has instead become romantically involved with Red Velvet, and the two have a daughter together named Cheesecake.

Profile: Grayscale Force

Our Rainbow Dash’s clone. She lives in Ponyville and serves as the new captain of its weather team, and has done so for years after Rainbow Dash officially made it into the Wonderbolts. As our Sugar Belle never met Starlight Glimmer in Our Town as in Canon, Big Macintosh never became romantically involved with her, and has instead become romantically involved with Grayscale Force. The two have a daughter together named Gala Apple.

The following portion of the report details a few of the major events throughout the Canon timeline, typically represented at the beginning or end of an Age to mark the occasion, or for other special circumstances. These events typically shaped Canon’s history significantly, but the differences in our world’s Mane Six and the inclusion of non-native characters significantly altered their representation:

Event: Discord’s Redemption

The following is an excerpt from Report #0310

Following our Mane Six’s departure to Equestria-V via Void rift and my subsequent attempts to contact Agent Tick Tock to devise a solution, I was abruptly cut off from her and was unable to ascertain her progress in returning the Mane Six back to Equestria-IV. This proved to be a conundrum, as my observations of the event made it clear that the Mane Six, wielders of our Elements of Harmony, were critical to our world’s survival, as without them present their seal on our Discord was weakening.

In an attempt to solve the problem, I went with an alternative method of preventing Discord’s seal from breaking: acquiring new Elements of Harmony that could reseal him. After conferring with our Princess Celestia and getting her approval, I then conferred with Agent After Hours of Equestria-Lunaverse, as her world has alternate wielders of the Elements of Harmony and I wished to gather information.

Thus, I was able to find alternative wielders of the Elements in our versions of Trixie, Carrot Top, Derpy Hooves, Raindrops, Cheerilee, and Lyra Heartstrings. Unfortunately, the timeframe I had was terribly short and the new wielders did not develop a strong enough bond before Discord was released early by Silvertongue.

Fortunately, the Mane Six, their clones, and Agent Tick Tock arrived in pursuit of Silvertongue and were somehow able to convince Discord to aid them in defeating Silvertongue, which he did first by transferring control of the Elements of Harmony back to the Mane Six, but also creating his own Elements of Pandemonium for their clones to wield. This proved successful in the end (see Agent Tick Tock’s reports for further details).

In the meantime, however, Discord decided to sit down for breakfast with myself and my alternate wielders, and to my utter bewilderment he made swift friends with the lot of them. This is a major deviation from Canon, as this means he not only befriended the lot of them completely of his own free will, but it was not via our Fluttershy’s involvement whatsoever. I will continue to monitor the ramifications this has on future events, as Discord plays a crucial role in the Canon narrative.

Event: The Crystal Mirror

The following is an excerpt from Report #0EG1

Due to the events related to Silvertongue and his cross-dimensional villainy, Equestria-IV did not properly integrate the Crystal Mirror that leads to Canon’s own “alternate world” filled with creatures called “humans”. This had a far-reaching effect on the inclusion of Sunset Shimmer, who in our world did not have the Crystal Mirror to travel to at any point in her lifetime. She did still attempt to steal our Twilight Sparkle’s Element of Magic shortly after the latter was crowned Princess of Friendship, which was in turn also shortly after her adventures in Equestria-V. However, the theft was easily stopped without the Crystal Mirror to flee into, and Sunset Shimmer was offered Twilight’s hoof of friendship.

The following is an excerpt from Report #0801

As an update on our Sunset Shimmer’s status, I was surprised to find that she was appointed the guidance counselor at our Princess Twilight Sparkle’s School of Friendship. Given this development, it would seem as if Equestria-IV has replaced Starlight Glimmer in this capacity. My theory is that she will eventually be promoted to headmare of the school when the time comes.

Event: Tirek’s Return

The following is an excerpt from Report #0426

As I predicted, the major difference in our Discord’s “redemption” arc had far-reaching effects on other events in Equestria-IV’s narrative. When our Tirek escaped from Tartarus and attempted to absorb the strength and power of Equestria’s ponies, he did not have our Discord’s aid in the process, as Discord was quite firmly on the side of good. He essentially had to absorb ponies’ strengths in secret until he was strong enough to prove a threat, and at that point he’d become strong enough to defeat Discord himself when our Princess Celestia asked for his aid. The events otherwise proved mostly the same, though our Tirek’s rise to power took longer and was ended more quickly afterwards due to the combined efforts of the Elements of Harmony, who were warned by Discord rather than betrayed by him.

Event: The Cutie Map and Our Town

The following is an excerpt from Report #0501

I was wondering how Equestria-IV was going to react when we adopted the clones of our Mane Six into our society, and the first evidence of a change came early on in the Fifth Age, when I was expecting to observe the integration of Starlight Glimmer into our narrative.

However, to my surprise, nothing happened to that effect. Our Mane Six’s first adventure with the Cutie Map was relatively mundane, and my observation of the event suggests that our version of Starlight Glimmer, Our Town, and all of the ponies related to the former two have significantly been altered. I had predicted a major change to the events due to Starlight Shadow, Princess Twilight Sparkle’s clone, going through a similar narrative experience as Starlight Glimmer, but I was not expecting this.

I will need to observe this development further to see what other sort of ramifications this might have. My biggest question, of course, is “where is Starlight Glimmer?”

The following is an excerpt from Report #0725

It took years, but I’ve finally found our Starlight Glimmer. It would seem that all this time, she’s been living alongside our Sunburst. A quick interview and some observation tells me that our Starlight Glimmer earned her cutie mark at roughly the same time that our Sunburst did and so the two never drifted apart. This of course led her to have a happy, natural life alongside her best friend, and thus she never had the mental and emotional breakdown that led her to create Our Town, and thus she never lured any of the ponies there that I have also been unable to find as of yet, such as Sugar Belle and Double Diamond. She is a scholar of magical history, just like Sunburst is, and was a crucial aid alongside him in freeing our Pillars of Equestria from their stone prisons and dealing with the “Pony of Shadows” situation. Also, they’ve been married for a few years at this point, and Sunburst just never mentioned that to anypony when he came to help with Princess Flurry Heart’s Crystalling.

As I close out this report, I will present my final thoughts:

All things considered, Equestria-IV is a wonderful little world, and I’m glad to have been its Chronomancer Agent for so many years. There have been a few stressful moments, such as the Prime Incident that has impacted so many of my world’s vast differences from Canon, but overall it’s been a pleasant tenure. I won’t lie, though, when I say that I’m looking forward to retirement. I’ve always wanted to live in our world’s Trottingham. The tea is fantastic.

This concludes my final report on Equestria-IV before it completely stabilizes.

Signed,

Agent Time Turner

Allons-y!

Chapter Six: Empathy

Dawn was still hours away. The storm was worse than ever as fierce lightning and thunder joined the wind and rain to turn the mountain trails into a literal death trap. Sundial’s warning of dangerous nighttime travel was, if nothing else, accurate. Pedigree’s ambush had delayed them so significantly that there was no chance of Sundial and Flurry reaching the kirin settlement before the weather got them hurt or killed. Flurry’s barrier, weakened from lack of sleep and food, was simply not up to the task of protecting her, Sundial, and the unconscious Two-eighteen who they carried between them. They needed shelter.

A small cave just off to the side of the trail was, as far as Sundial was concerned, as close to a miracle as miracles could possibly get. She and Flurry carried Two-eighteen inside, set him down gently near the wall, then took a moment to breathe and rest for the first time since Kauldron and Krystal had shown their true colors. They were stuck here, so they may as well make the most of it.

The cave itself wasn’t big enough to hold more than five or six ponies and some supplies, so it was more than enough for the three of them. After Sundial took a moment to take stock of their situation and scope out their newfound shelter for any hint of danger, she let out a heavy breath, cracked her neck, and set down her saddlebags as she set to work.

First, she drew a long rope from her bags and gestured for Flurry to assist her. “C’mon, lass, help us out, aye?”

“What are we doing, exactly?” Flurry asked as Sundial passed her two steel pegs and a rock to use like a hammer. She diligently hammered the pegs as directed into the wall of the cave at Sundial’s direction.

“We’re making a clothesline,” Sundial said as she tied the rope around the pegs. “Our clothes are soaked, so we can’t rightly sleep in them as we are, aye? Might get a bad case o’ hypothermia or pneumonia, and after all we’ve been through in the last day and some hours I’ll be damned if that’s what does us in.”

Sundial then stripped off her coat, her hat, and her kilt, hanging them up on the rope to dry. She turned to Flurry and gestured for her to do the same. “Don’t be shy now, lass. Off with it. It doesn’t bother me, so it shouldn’t bother you.”

Flurry raised an eyebrow, confused. “Why would I be shy?”

Sundial paused, then smiled and laughed. “Och, right, ye don’t really wear clothes regularly in yer world, do ye? After all that’s happened I completely forgot I was talking ta somepony that wasn’t from around here. Ye see, northern ponies have a wee taboo against walking around in the nude, aye?”

“They do? Why?”

Sundial shrugged. “Hell if I know, lass. It’s been that way for hundreds o’ years, but only up here in the north. The southern ponies are different, though. They’re a bit more open and carefree about it, aye? Just like you are back home. Now go on and get out o’ that coat so we can dry it out.”

Flurry nodded, then removed her coat and hung it up like Sundial had done with her clothes. Afterwards, she looked at Two-eighteen, who was still unconscious and still in his dripping wet uniform. “I assume we’re doing the same for him, right? He looks soaked.”

Sundial looked at the unconscious earth pony, then nodded in agreement. “Aye, that twat Overseer o’ his likely didn’t give him anything ta protect him from the rain. Poor lad’s probably chilled ta the bone. C’mon then, lend us a hoof.”

The pair worked together to carefully strip the uniform off of Two-eighteen, then Sundial hung it up on the clothesline. She and Flurry glanced over the earth pony’s body, as this was the first time they’d seen him out of the uniform.

He had a caramel brown coat and a chocolate brown mane, and the end of his muzzle was charcoal gray. The wound that Kauldron had given him hadn’t been bandaged properly, and if anything looked like it’d been cauterized. Judging from the plethora of scars that peppered so much of his body, he’d been injured a lot in the past, actually.

“Do you think the Overseer gave him all of those?” Flurry asked softly.

Sundial nodded glumly. “Aye, most likely. Either himself or by ordering the poor lad ta do it for him. Sick bastard.” She tilted her head as she eyed his flank; it was blank. “What’s this then? No cutie mark? At his age?”

Flurry frowned, shaking her head. “The way the Overseer talked about him, it sounds like he’s been under his control for a while. Maybe he never had the chance to earn it?”

“Aye… aye, that’d be my guess too. Poor lad.” Sundial sighed, then moved to her saddlebag and grabbed a sleeping bag and a blanket. She gave the blanket to Flurry, which was heavy and made of a thick, wool-like material. “Here, lass. This’ll keep ye warm.”

Flurry took it and smiled. “Thank you.”

Sundial then gestured towards Two-eighteen, who was shivering ever so slightly. “Help me get him inta the sleeping bag, aye? He looks too heavy fer me ta lift in my condition.”

“But… what about you? Where are you sleeping?”

“I’ll share with him,” Sundial said as if it was obvious. “I’d share with you, but these bags aren’t exactly big, and ye’re bigger than me by a wee bit, aye? Not just yer body, but yer wings too. The bag’s not really meant for alicorn anatomy.”

“But… I mean—”

“Look, he’s smaller than you, so it won’t be hard ta fit us both in one. Besides which, he and I are more soaked then you are, so I think I can stand ta share some body heat with the lad, aye? A wee bit awkward, aye, but I’m not shy.”

“Are you sure? I mean, I don’t mind sharing the blanket with you if it’s uncomfortable for you.”

“Aye, lass, I’m sure. It’d be a snug fit fer the two o’ us under the blanket, and I want ye to be comfortable.”

Flurry frowned and hung her head. “You don’t need to treat me like some pampered princess, Sundial, or some little filly. I turn twenty in a few months, you know?”

Sundial blinked, taken aback. “That’s not what I’m doing here, lass. Aye, ye might be about the same age as Bluebolt and Symphony are, but ye’re still just a kid compared ta them. I can tell this whole experience is harder for ye than it is for Rarity or Apple Bloom, too. So I want ta do what I can ta keep yer mind at ease, aye?”

Furry let out a breath, and nodded. “Okay, if you say so.”

“Good. Now, help me with him, aye?”

Flurry helped Sundial get Two-eighteen into the sleeping bag, leaving just enough room for Sundial to fit in snugly beside him, which she did. It was an absolutely tight fit, as she knew it would be, so she was pressed right up against him once the bag had been zipped up. But it was warm now, and pleasantly so.

Flurry then got herself wrapped up comfortably in the heavy blanket and, thanks to the long, difficult, exhausting day, she fell asleep straight away. Once Sundial was certain that Flurry was sound asleep, she drifted off herself, keeping her senses just barely aware of her surroundings, as usual.

Over the course of the rest of the night, in the few hours they had before morning, Sundial, in her still-aware state of sleeping, noticed a few things about Two-eighteen that would’ve been hard to notice otherwise, and pondered over the things that she’d noticed in the brief time she’d been awake.

First, he was a definite physical specimen. Sundial was so close against him that she could feel his lean muscles without even having to try, which certainly matched up well with the strength, speed, and stamina she’d seen him display in the few scuffles they’d had to date. Part of that she knew was his natural earth pony hardiness, while the rest she figured was from whatever ordeals Pedigree must’ve forced him to go through to be his personal assassin.

Second, he seemed like a relatively sound sleeper compared to her, but how much of that was from him getting legitimate sleep and how much was from him likely suffering a mild concussion, she didn’t know. She figured that once they got him some healing and some decent food at the kirin settlement, he’d be right as rain.

And third, despite being a sound sleeper, he was also clearly a dreamer. Sundial knew all the signs of a pony in the midst of a dream. Bluebolt, for example, wasn’t much of one, or at least had some boring dreams. Symphony was a dreamer through and through, and had some pleasant dreams if Sundial was to make a judgement, with lots of smiles, twitching eyebrows, and kicking legs. She was basically a dog in that sense, a concept that amused Sundial immensely.

Two-eighteen’s dreams right now were decidedly unpleasant. Every time that a clap of thunder resounded outside the cave, the earth pony tensed up as if expecting something horrible to follow. She couldn’t blame him, really, not after what Pedigree just did to him, and what she guessed he did often. It made sense that the earth pony likely had a fear of lightning and thunder.

As Sundial slept next to a pony who no more than an hour ago had had his hoof against her windpipe, she recalled her words to Apple Bloom as they walked through the tunnels before everything went wrong. She wasn’t sure if what she and Flurry were doing right now was the smart thing to do.

But it was the right thing to do.

*****

Sundial woke up at the crack of dawn, as was usual for her. She wanted to sleep just a little more but routines and habits were hard to break. The rains outside the cavern were still coming down, but they had calmed immensely in the few hours of sleep that she’d managed to get. There was no more lightning, no more thunder, and even the winds had died down to a gentle breeze. The difference was, literally, like that between night and day.

As soon as she stirred and started to get out of the sleeping bag, however, Two-eighteen jolted awake himself, probably from feeling her shifting about. His sudden movement was erratic and panicked. He awkwardly rolled over on top of Sundial first, earning a grunt from her as all of his weight pressed against her back.

“Oof! Do ye mind?” she huffed, trying to wrest herself free. “Usually a stallion buys a lass dinner first, aye?”

Realizing he wasn’t alone, the earth pony bolted out of the sleeping bag in a hurry, coming right up against the wall. He seemed totally out of his element, as with the sunlight peeking far into the cave there weren’t any shadows for him to conveniently hide in.

“Easy, lad, easy,” Sundial said as she climbed to her hooves and out of the sleeping bag herself, trying to keep him—and herself—calm; she was in no shape to fight him if he decided to get violent. “Just relax, aye? Deep breaths.”

He quickly looked around the room and noticed his uniform hanging on a clothesline, then that Sundial was staring right at him, then the sleeping bag he had just been in, and finally that Flurry Heart was just stirring awake from all the commotion.

Sundial could see the earth pony’s eyes for the first time, now that he was awake and out of those stupid goggles. He had the eyes of a broken pony, sad and lifeless. They were blue, like a clear summer sky.

“Where is this?” he asked, his calm, monotone voice a stark contrast to his slightly jittery demeanor.

“It’s a wee cave just off of the trail en route ta the kirin settlement,” Sundial said. “We had ta take shelter from the storm, aye? Can’t go traveling around at night.”

“Where is Overseer Pedigree?”

Sundial noted the nervousness in his voice with that question. Was he scared of the Overseer now? “He’s not here, lad. He popped out o’ danger in a bloody hurry after we kicked his arse inta next Tuesday, aye? I doubt we’ll see him again for a long while. His horn was busted up a wee bit, so he won’t be casting proper magic so soon.”

“The Overseer is gone?” He paused a moment to consider this, either worried or concerned, Sundial wasn’t sure which. “Where did he go?”

“He didn’t exactly tell anypony where he was going, lad,” Sundial scoffed, trying to be as cordial as she could. “And even if he did, with that cracked horn o’ his I doubt he ended up exactly where he wanted ta end up anyway. He’s not going ta be trouble for us, aye?”

Flurry, having woken up fully, approached the chatting pair with a soft smile on her face. “Are you okay? How’s your head?” she asked the earth pony.

Two-eighteen paused, then brought his hoof up to his forehead, where his wound, while still pretty bad, was at least no longer bleeding. “Injury sustained, but will not impact performance.”

“Well, that’s good. I think?” Flurry said, tilting her head. His terse answers were bothersome in a casual context like this, even to Sundial. “Are you going to be okay, considering everything that’s happened?”

Two-eighteen looked at her as if he wasn’t sure what she just said, or more like she was from one of this Equestria’s two moons. Probably the smaller one.

“Och, lass, the poor lad probably has no idea what ye’re talking about,” Sundial muttered, shaking her head. “Do ye really think that unicorn twat ever asked him if he was ‘okay’ before? Probably doesn’t know what that word means. Ye’ve got ta word it like… like he’s a machine, I guess. Use more businesslike phrases and such.”

“Sundial, he’s a pony, not a machine,” Flurry said, giving her a disapproving look. “We shouldn’t treat him like that.”

“Aye, I know that, lass, but he’s also confused and lost right now, and trying ta throw the unfamiliar at him so fast isn’t gonna work. Here, let me try.” She cleared her throat. “Two-eighteen, given yer current condition, do ye think ye’re capable o’ continuing forward?”

Two-eighteen nodded. “Yes.”

“See?”

“I don’t like calling him... that,” Flurry sighed, shaking her head. “It’s not a real name. It’s a number.”

“Och, aye, it’s probably just his badge number or something. I don’t know if he’s with the NPAF or not. Hell, I don’t even know where he is from.” She addressed Two-eighteen: “Lad, what’s yer name?”

Two-eighteen tilted his head. “Name?”

“Aye, what do we call ye?”

“Two-eighteen.”

Sundial grunted, annoyed. “No, I mean, besides that. What do we call ye besides ‘Two-eighteen’?”

Two-eighteen shook his head. “That is the only designation the Overseer gave.”

“Och, well, we’re not referring ta ye by some bloody number like ye’re some kind o’ robot or something, aye? Especially not if that arsehole gave it ta ye.” Sundial turned to Flurry and smiled. “So, he needs a name, aye?”

Flurry frowned, disapproving. “What, like a pet? We can’t just name him, Sundial. That’s just… wrong.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow. “Well what do ye want from me here, lass? The lad doesn’t have a bloody name, and ye don’t want ta call him by a bloody number, so we need ta think o’ something here, aye? We’ll ask him if he likes the name before we give it ta him, and it’s not like we’re getting him bloody tags and a collar. It’s his choice as much as ours, aye?”

“...fine, I guess that makes sense.” Flurry took in a breath, then addressed the earth pony, who was never again to be referred to as Two-eighteen by them. “So, is there a name that we can call you that you would approve of?”

The earth pony tilted his head, lost. “Your question is unclear.”

“Here’s a thought,” Sundial said, hoof to her chin. “This lad’s got these weird shadow powers, aye? What about… Shade? Or Shadow?”

“Those powers don’t define who he is, Sundial,” Flurry huffed. “Besides, I already know a ‘Shadow’.”

Sundial paused, then nodded. “Och, aye, now that ye mention it that would be in poor taste. I can’t bloody well introduce him ta Tick Tock with a name like that either, it might give her a heart attack or something.” She thought for a long moment. “Well, he’s also pretty good in a scrap, aye?”

Flurry tilted her head. “I mean, yeah, I suppose he is. He moved through that darkness like… like a threading needle. Back and forth, in and out. Like sewing, or weaving.”

Sundial smirked. “Ye want we should name him Threading Needle?”

Flurry just stared at Sundial with disapproval all over her face. “What? No. Why would you—”

Sundial held up her hooves defensively. “Just checking, lass, just checking. So, ye say that he weaves around through the darkness then, aye? So, how about ‘Weaver’?”

“Hmm… that does have a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

Sundial turned to the earth pony. “Would ye mind if we called ye ‘Weaver’ from now on, lad?”

The earth pony tilted his head. “You can use whatever name you wish.”

“No, lad, that’s not what we’re doing here, aye? We’re asking ye if you’re okay with us giving ye a new name. Is ‘Weaver’ okay with you? Does it make sense?”

“Your reasoning implies movements resemble ‘weaving’ in and out of darkness. An appropriate analogy, if far-fetched.” He nodded. “‘Weaver’ is acceptable.”

Sundial grinned and clapped Flurry on the shoulder. “There we go! Now, how does it feel ta have a proper name, lad?”

Weaver tilted his head again. “How does it… feel?”

“Aye, how does it feel ta have a real name instead of just some rubbish number ta call ye by?”

“Your question is unclear.”

Sundial rolled her eyes and set her hoof to her forehead. “Och, this is gonna be a work in progress, aye?”

Flurry gave Weaver a soft smile. “Well, Weaver, shall we get going? Sundial says the kirin settlement isn’t far, and we can get all the things that we—and you—need when we get there: food, water, rest, and healing.”

“No new orders have been delivered,” Weaver said, shaking his head. “Cannot act until new orders are delivered. Will remain here until then.”

Flurry frowned. “What?”

“Ye don’t have new orders, lad, and ye’re not gonna be getting any more from yer Overseer, aye?” Sundial said, putting a hoof on his shoulder. “He’s gone off somewhere where ye can’t find him, and he’s not going ta come looking for ye.”

“Irrelevant.”

Sundial snorted, loudly. “So, what, ye want ta just wait here forever until that bastard comes back? Until ye die o’ thirst?” She poked him in the chest. “Ye proved ta us last night that ye can disobey that twat’s orders if ye want ta, so don’t give me that shite. We’re offering you a choice: come with us, or stay here and wait for yer Overseer ta never come for ye. What’s it gonna be?”

Weaver stared at her for a long moment, then slowly rose to his hooves. “Are these new orders, Overseer Sundial?”

Sundial blinked. “Och, what? I’m not yer bloody Overseer—”

He then turned to Flurry. “Overseer Flurry Heart, are these new orders?”

Flurry frowned and shook her head. “No, Weaver, these aren’t orders. This is a choice for you to make. You don’t have to follow anypony’s orders any more. You can do what you want to do, whatever that is.”

“Aye, it’s yer own choice ta make, lad,” Sundial added. “We’re not going ta force ye ta come with us, so if that’s the choice ye want ta make, then make it. Just know that whatever ye decide—ta come with us, or ta stay here—it’s yer choice.”

Weaver blinked, tilting his head as he pondered this. “No new orders… must make independent decision on how to proceed…”

“Aye, that’s it, lad. We’re not like that twat Pedigree. We’re letting you make a decision here. So what’s it gonna be?”

Weaver stayed silent for a long moment, then gave a brief nod. “Offer accepted. Will travel with you to kirin settlement.”

Flurry clapped her hooves briefly. “Good! Thank you Weaver, we’re happy to have you along.”

Sundial nodded, then gestured towards their now-dry clothes. “Aye, now let’s get dressed and get moving. We don’t have much more ground ta cover, but the others are probably worried sick about us.”

*****

The kirin settlement was built into the side of a mountain, wide at the base but rising up several levels as it followed a well-crafted, semi-natural trail. The many good-sized homes of the kirin who lived here were built of solid stone and carefully molded into precise, pleasant shapes that could hold entire families with ease. The entrance to the village sat at the bottom of the trail where an open gate welcomed visitors into the village, while at the top of the trail was a larger home which belonged to the settlement’s leader.

Dozens of kirin walked through the narrow, sloping streets of the settlement late that morning and went about their daily routines: setting up shops to advertise their crafted wares and foodstuffs; making ready to head into the mountains to mine for ore; gossiping and chatting amongst friends and family. A typical, quaint little village filled with friendly, talkative, helpful folk, exactly as it had been described. Even the rain barely fell around here, not even enough to warrant more than a hat to keep oneself dry, though the kirin didn’t bother with clothes.

The kirin themselves looked just like Kauldron and Krystal did, for the most part: earth-toned coats covered in earth-toned scales, with lush manes of bright colors in many different earthy hues, mostly golds, browns, and reds.

Their horns were the only things that were different. Where Kauldron and Krystal’s horns were made of black crystal, the settlement kirins’ horns were made of a silvery metallic substance, and each kirin’s horn was unique. Some were curved, others straight; some bent in odd, wavy patterns, while others came at sharp angles; some had tight spirals, others split off like antlers. Each and every horn, though, tapered off into a smooth, flat tip, ideal for manipulating ore, not for piercing flesh.

Apple Bloom had woken up first amongst the group this morning, and now stood at the edge of a small precipice just outside the leader’s home looking down over the entire settlement and keeping an eye out for any sign of disturbance or commotion. There had been quite a ruckus when she, Bluebolt, and Rarity walked into the settlement the day before, what with her carrying a heavily-injured Symphony on her back. She hoped a similar ruckus would alert her to the arrival of Sundial and Flurry.

She almost didn’t notice a female kirin come up behind her. The kirin had a fiery-red coat underneath her obsidian-black scales, and her mane was a bright, sunny orange with white tips. Her horn was curved like a sickle, with the tip facing forwards.

“Nothing yet, I take it?” the kirin asked, her tone polite and friendly.

Bloom shook her head sadly. “Not yet, Miss Kwake, but I’ve only been up fer an hour or so, so I’ve got time ta keep lookin’. They’ll be here soon, I just know it.”

Kwake stepped up to Bloom and gently set a hoof on her shoulder. “Come inside, friend, and eat. You have not yet had breakfast, and it would not do to maintain your vigil on an empty stomach. It is the most important meal of the day, after all.”

“Yeah, that’s what mah sister says.” Bloom sighed and shook her head. “But I can’t jus’ sit down 'n' enjoy a hot meal while my friends’re out there somewhere in who knows what kind o’ danger. I want ta go lookin’ for 'em, not just stay here 'n' hope fer the best.”

“That might be so, but your companions would not want you to starve yourself or put yourself in undue danger. I do not wish to diminish your hopes, but if they encountered those two Obsidian Clan kirin…” She shook her head and sighed. “Please, come. I have made some stew.”

Bloom’s stomach rumbled, betraying her hunger. She rolled her eyes. “Alright, fine. Just for a lil’ bit, though, then I’m right back out here ta keep watch.”

“Of course, I would not dare suggest otherwise. Your companions must admire your vigilance.”

Bloom followed Kwake into her large house, which was a pleasant, earthy affair with plenty of room for dozens of kirin—or ponies—to be in attendance at once. A smooth, stone dining table with smooth, stone benches sat at the center of the large central chamber. Off to the sides, short hallways led off to other rooms such as the guest rooms Bloom and her companions were allowed to use for the time being. Kwake’s home seemed to serve as a visitor’s lodge as well as her own abode.

Seated at the table now were Rarity, Bluebolt, and Symphony, all enjoying hearty bowls of stew for breakfast. The latter had almost made a full recovery at this point, and her side didn’t even remotely look like it had been torn open nearly two days earlier, though it was still in the process of healing.

Bloom marveled at the healing effects that the settlement kirins’ horns had. Kauldron had been entirely truthful about that, which was probably more amazing than the actual healing powers on display. Kwake stepped over to Symphony, gestured for the unicorn to raise her foreleg up to examine the wound, then briefly touched her horn to the scarred area. The scar shrunk ever-so-slightly. With a little more treatment, Symphony probably wouldn’t even look like she’d been injured in the first place.

Bloom took a seat at the table beside Rarity and across from Bluebolt while Kwake brought over a bowl of stew for her to eat. It was a dark, thick, hearty offering filled with carrots, onions, and some other vegetables that Bloom had never seen before, which given her upbringing was surprising. It wasn’t exactly a normal offering to have for breakfast, but that didn’t matter much. It tasted heavenly.

“Still nothing outside, huh?” Bluebolt asked with a nervous smile.

“Naw, not a thing,” Bloom replied, wolfing down her stew in rapid spoonfuls, “but I ain’t givin’ up. Just one bowl fer me, then I’m back out ta watch fer 'em.”

Rarity smiled and patted Bloom’s shoulder. “We appreciate your vigilance, Apple Bloom. I’m sure Sundial and Flurry will be glad to know you were so concerned for them that you volunteered to watch for them the entire time. Even almost skipping meals, hmm?”

“Yeah, well, I don’t rightly expect Bluebolt or Symphony ta do it, y’know?” Bloom said, giving the pair across a slight smile. It wasn’t meant as an offense, after all. “I mean, Symphony’s still recoverin’, an’ Bluebolt ain’t gonna leave her fillyfriend’s side for one minute, ain’t that right? I’d never ask her to.”

Bluebolt nodded, taking Symphony’s hoof in hers and giving Symphony a loving smile. “We can never thank you two enough for helping us get here so fast.” She looked at Rarity apologetically. “I’m sorry again for going off on you—”

“Please, it’s all water under the bridge, darling,” Rarity said, brushing the thought aside with her hoof. “You weren’t in the right state of mind when you said what you did, and it’s not like you said or did anything hurtful to really even be sorry for. Maybe a little rude, but that’s understandable. I admire your dedication to Symphony, actually. It’s quite romantic.”

Symphony grinned wide and finished swallowing a mouthful of stew. “She’s a real pesca, huh?” She leaned over and nuzzled at Bluebolt’s ear. “Maybe I should get hurt more often if you’re gonna treat me like I’m a princess, Princess.”

“Don’t say that, Symphony,” Bluebolt tutted, not exactly pushing Symphony away, but rather pulling her close with both wings on the sides of her face. “It’s not funny.”

Symphony kissed Bluebolt on the nose. Bloom couldn’t see it, but she could hear it. “Sorry I worried you, il mio amore. It won’t happen again, I promise.” She crossed her hooves over her chest. “Attraversare il mio cuore.”

Rarity smiled sweetly as she looked between the two once they broke their embrace. “You two really are adorable. Ah, young love…” she sighed.

Bloom quickly finished the last of her stew, letting out a quick burp in the process. She tapped her chest. “'Scuse me. Well, back out I go,” she said.

She was a little too eager to avoid watching any more displays of affection, sweet as it was. She got enough of that back home with Applejack and Flathoof when she was younger. At least Macintosh and Grayscale had the courtesy to do that kind of stuff behind closed doors.

Rarity rose from her seat. “I’ll come with you, darling. After a good night’s sleep, I’m quite eager to get a better look at the settlement now that we’re not rushing through looking for help.”

Bloom smiled and nodded. “Glad ta have ya.”

The two walked outside and headed back over to the precipice that Bloom had been standing watch at before. Nothing much had changed down below that she could see.

Several long minutes passed.

“I hope they’re okay…” Bloom sighed, hanging her head.

“I do too,” Rarity said, putting her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder. “But, if Sundial is even half the mare that Tick Tock was years ago, she’ll do everything in her power to keep Flurry safe and bring her back to us. I know it in my heart.”

Bloom smiled briefly and gave Rarity a knowing look. “She won’t like hearin’ ya compare her ta Tick Tock again, y’know?”

“Yes, I know, but I think she’d rather appreciate the compliment in this case,” Rarity replied with a smile of her own. “Besides which, Flurry Heart isn’t exactly a pushover. She might not know much about fighting or defending herself like you do, but her magic is strong, and she’s quite clever. Just like her mother, her father, and her aunt.”

Bloom sighed and scuffed her hoof in the dirt. “I wish I was stronger, like mah sister. Maybe if I’d stayed on the farm an’ put on a lil’ more muscle, I could’ve hit that kirin mare just a lil’ bit harder…”

“It’s alright, dear, don’t blame yourself for anything that happened, especially not your choice in career. We all put our trust in some strangers that turned out to be less than pleasant in the end.” Rarity frowned and shook her head. “You’d think I would’ve learned my lesson about that sort of thing from the last time I was here.”

“Hey now, don’t go sayin’ that,” Bloom said with a grin, putting her hoof on Rarity’s shoulder. “Y’all trusted Flathoof right off the bat, an’ look where he is now, havin’ himself a lil’ family o’ his own wit’ mah sister, an’ they love each other. An’ y’all trusted Tick Tock 'n' Lockwood right away too, didn’t ya? And they helped ya make it back home, right?”

Rarity smiled back. “Yes, well, I was more referring to Shadow and her sisters. Then again, I suppose they weren’t entirely to blame for their behavior at the time. And now that things have progressed the way they have, I suppose they turned out to be perfectly nice, normal ponies… or at least as ‘normal’ as they can be.”

“See? So don’t get so hard up on yerself there, Rarity. 'Sides, Sundial trusted 'em too 'cause, I mean, just look at this place,” Bloom said, gesturing out over the peaceful kirin village. “She said these was all the kirins there were, so far as she knew, an’ these folks are mighty nice, aren’t they? She got blindsided jus’ like the rest o’ us.”

“I suppose so, yes.” Rarity sighed as she glanced out over the settlement again. Her keen eyes seemed to catch sight of a gathering near the village entrance. She quickly tapped Bloom’s side. “There! Look!”

Bloom glanced down as well and saw the commotion brewing. She grinned widely. “They’re here!” She turned back and ran towards Kwake’s house. “They’re here! Come on, guys! They’re here!”

*****

The tension inside Kwake’s den was so thick you cut it with a knife.

Kwake delicately tended to Sundial’s tremendous amount of injuries, which she effectively narrowed down:

“Well, Sundial, you certainly came to me with the total package. You’re lucky to be alive,” she huffed as she set her horn on Sundial’s brow. “Let’s see: cracked ribs, a cracked jaw, a moderate concussion, a busted lip, minor cuts and bruises on your legs and sides, three sprained knees, a black eye, and… a sore throat.”

“Aw shite, not a sore throat,” Sundial chuckled as Kwake’s horn relieved her headache nearly instantly. “Thanks, Kwake. Sorry ta barge in on ye like this.”

“No trouble at all. That’s what friends are for, are they not?” Kwake sighed and shook her head. “Forgive me for not sending help, friend. If it had been anything else, anything at all, I would have rallied a party to search for you through the entire mountain range. But… those two frighten us. I couldn’t risk—”

“It’s alright, lass, no harm done,” Sundial said, patting Kwake’s shoulder. “Well, not exactly, aye? Those two aren’t going ta bother you or yer village anymore, I can promise ye that.”

Kwake raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

Sundial slid her hoof across her throat. A universally understood gesture.

“Oh my… well, that certainly is news, isn’t it? Hmm… a shame about Krystal, though. She was blinded by love for that maniac…”

“Hey now, don’t start getting all sympathetic for that one, aye? She’s the one that did most o’ this ta me.”

“Oh, no, you misunderstand. It is the justice she deserves for what she’s done, but I wish it had never happened in the first place. Some of their clan used to visit here often you know, Krystal and Kauldron included. It wasn’t until Kauldron started having those… dreams that things took a turn for the worse. She used to be rather nice.”

“Aye, he told me about the dreams he was having,” Sundial said, taking a breath. “Disturbing stuff. Spoke like a complete lunatic, rambling on and on about having a new mission involving our friend Flurry.”

Flurry, luckily, had not been injured, and merely needed a hot meal, some water, and bedrest to get back into tip-top shape. For now, she was seated at the dining table, hungrily wolfing down another bowl of Kwake’s heavenly stew, helped along by Rarity so as not to strain her magic in the process.

Sundial leaned back as Kwake tended to another wound. “I still don’t know what the hell his plan was, but it’s over now.”

“That is pleasant news.” Kwake diverted her attention slightly to the left, then back to Sundial’s wounds. “Though it would seem as if you have other troubles to tend to, if I might be so bold?”

Sundial grunted and turned her attention towards the other side of the room, where the other three mares of the group had taken seats in Kwake’s common area. “Aye, that I do,” she muttered.

Bloom, Bluebolt, and Symphony, while obviously ecstatic to have their friends back and recovering in good company, were clearly less than pleased with the newest guest, and since Flurry was in Rarity’s care and Sundial in Kwake’s, they could divert all of their attention elsewhere. If looks could kill, Weaver would be dead three times over by now, and probably working on a fourth.

The uniformed earth pony sat quietly in the corner of the room, alone, not really paying anypony else in the room any particular attention, just glancing at all of the decor in Kwake’s common area: crystals and ore fashioned into little statuettes and figures; clay sculptures depicting kirin in varying poses; ingots of various metals. He didn’t seem to really be looking at them so much as through them, his eyes still mostly dull and lifeless.

His injuries had been easy to tend to—a simple gash on the forehead; a deeper, but still manageable, gouge in the shoulder; and some minor electrical burns along his sides and chest—but there had been quite an uproar when Sundial insisted he get treated first since she knew it wouldn’t take long for Kwake to do. Kauldron hadn’t hit him quite as deeply as he had Symphony, for one. If he had, Weaver likely wouldn’t have been able to walk at all afterwards.

Symphony adjusted her jaw and leaned back in her seat, not turning towards Sundial one inch. Her attention was solely focused on Weaver innocently looking around. “Sundial, can I just say that I think you’re probably one of the bigger idiots I know? Not the biggest, but you’re up there. Easily in the top three.”

Sundial grinned and leaned further back in her seat to get a good view of the other three mares. “I’ll take that as a compliment, lass, considering ye’ve got to be, what, number two on yer own list, aye?”

“Is there a reason you decided to take this… cucciolo with you? What is he now, your pet or something? Is he housebroken?”

“He is not our pet,” Flurry said sharply, in between mouthfuls of stew. “He’s just a pony that’s suffered through a lot in life, and we’re helping him to get out of a bad situation.”

“So he got a little cut on the head, big deal. You want to talk about suffering?” Symphony gestured to the almost-healed scar on her side. “I damn near got a punctured lung and three broken ribs out of the deal. I mean, yeah, you can’t tell now, but it was there.”

Flurry frowned. “I… I didn’t mean to compare anything—”

Sundial snorted and shot Symphony a dirty look. “That’s not what she meant and ye know it, so don’t go giving her a hard time, aye? We brought the lad along because he needs help. That other twat, the Overseer, was torturing him and using him like some sort o’ slave. Had some kind o’ conditioning on him or something. Maybe brainwashing?”

“What, like he was mind-controlled?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head. “So the Overseer was influencing this pony’s actions and all that? That’s pretty powerful magic, from what I understand.”

“Och, not exactly magic, I think. It’s kind o’ hard ta explain, actually, but there’s a lot more ta the lad than ye think. I haven’t gotten much out o’ him yet, but I’m piecing it together. I’m hoping ta make some more progress along the way.”

“Wait, ‘along the way’?” Symphony huffed, gesturing towards Weaver in disbelief. “We’re bringing this charity case with us to Goldridge?”

“Aye, that we are. Ye’re quick on the draw, very good.”

Symphony grunted and crossed her forelegs over her chest. “I meant what I said earlier, about you being a huge idiot. I hope you don’t think I was joking. You’re dangerously close to number one now, by the way.”

“You’ve got me really wondering who your number one is, songbird,” Bluebolt said, giving Symphony a curious look.

“Make smartarse remarks all ye want, lass, it’s not going ta change anything. Flurry and I want ta help the lad, and so that’s what we’re going ta do, aye?” Sundial glanced at Apple Bloom with a knowing grin. “Not because it’s the smart thing ta do, but because it’s the right thing ta do. Aye, lass?”

Bloom took a breath, then nodded. “Well, if ya say that there’s somethin’ wrong wit’ ‘im an’ that y’all wanna help, then I ain’t about ta argue wit’ ya. Where I’m from, ya help ponies in need, no matter what. Whether they’re yer friends, strangers, or even yer enemies. Everypony deserves a second chance, at least that’s what Princess Twilight always says.”

“And she’s absolutely right,” Rarity chimed in. “The last time I was here, there were six mares that were in a very similar situation to this young stallion. They didn’t realize it at the time, of course, and they did some truly terrible things while under that influence—”

Bluebolt gave Rarity a harsh look. “Mom says they killed nearly one hundred of Hope’s Point’s finest soldiers, who were just defending our city from invaders that were trying to capture or kill you, I might add. I’d say that’s more than just ‘terrible’.”

Rarity shook her head. “Oh, I agree, darling. Neither Starlight Shadow or any of her sisters expect forgiveness for what they did to your mother’s ponies. They regret it immensely, and they’ll always remember what they did and feel horrible about it. They don’t think they deserve forgiveness. They don’t even expect all of the good they’ve done since then to make up for their past actions.

“But that’s not the point. The point is, despite the awful, disgusting things they did, they do regret their actions, and they have spent the last twenty years trying to make amends for it, because we gave them that chance.” Rarity sighed and closed her eyes. “I admit it might not seem right to compare one life to another, but together they’ve made positive impacts on the lives of hundreds of ponies, maybe more. It will never make up for that they did… but they are trying.”

Bluebolt took a breath. “I understand what you’re saying, and I can agree with it to a certain extent, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She turned back towards Weaver. “At least this one hasn’t done anything to the ponies of Hope’s Point. Not that I know of, anyway.”

“Ye ever been to Hope’s Point, Weaver?” Sundial asked.

“No,” came his flat response.

“See? No trouble there.”

Rarity sighed, then turned to Flurry. “I think you’ve made your parents and aunt very proud, giving this stallion another chance at life, darling. Perhaps this is your calling, hmm?”

Flurry nodded and gave Rarity a soft smile. “Thank you. That means a lot. I don’t know if it’s what I’m meant to do, but I’m happy to do it regardless.”

Symphony rolled her eyes. “Alright, whatever, so we’re bringing him with us now. I don’t like it, but I guess if you say he’s not all bad—even if you’re a huge idiot and you smell like the ass end of una mucca—I’ll trust your judgement.” She gave Sundial a wink and a small, friendly smirk.

“Aww, ye’re a sweet lass,” Sundial said with a friendly smirk and a wink in return. “I’m so glad I have yer approval.”

“Yeah, but remember, if I so much as think your little cucciolo is going to step out of line—”

Symphony drew out what was left of her longsword: just the hilt and a shattered length of the blade, still pointed and sharp enough to do the job if necessary. She gently pointed it in Weaver’s direction; he didn’t pay it any attention.

“—I’m going full medieval on him. Capisce?”

Sundial rolled her eyes this time. “Aye, lass, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Glad ta have ye looking out for the lot o’ us, even if ye’re a wee bit testy about it sometimes.”

Rarity cleared her throat to draw attention away from such uncouth discussions. “So then, Sundial, you said his name is ‘Weaver’?”

“Aye, that’s the name we came up with for him.”

“‘Came up with’?” Bluebolt asked, tilting her head. “The hell does that mean?”

“He… didn’t have a name before this morning,” Flurry said, giving Weaver a sympathetic look. “Only a number. So, we thought of a name, and he agreed to take it.”

“I see,” Rarity said, nodding in understanding. “Well, far be it from me to make any judgements on your decisions, given my own track record with this sort of thing. Honestly, I’m of the opinion that even if this decision of yours might not seem exactly ‘smart’, it’s definitely pragmatic at the very least.”

“We didn’t do it to be pragmatic,” Flurry said, raising an eyebrow.

“Perish the thought, darling. That’s not what I meant. I simply meant that I can see why you’re willing to give him the opportunity at this new life, or whatever comes of this. He may have only let me and the girls go because we gave him information, but the last pony I knew with the sort of abilities he has would’ve likely stabbed us in the back and laughed about it afterwards.”

“Aye, and he was more than willing ta accept a deal with Flurry when presented with it, and he could’ve gone back on it at any time if he wanted. He had me dead ta rights and everything, but he didn’t take it.” Sundial smirked and leaned back in her seat. “I’m telling ye, lassies, this will all work out in the end, you’ll see.”

“So, does he just sit there now, or what?” Symphony asked, gesturing to him. “Apart from that thrilling one-word response earlier, he hasn’t moved or made a sound since he sat down. All he’s doing it looking around at everything.”

“Looking through everything, more like,” Bluebolt noted, shivering. “He’s got this kind of thousand-yard stare going on. It’s actually creeping me out.”

“Yeah, I like him better with the goggles on,” Symphony snorted. “At least then he looks cool.”

“I know he can talk,” Bluebolt continued, “so why isn’t he saying anything?”

Sundial paused, and glanced at Weaver. “Oy, Weaver, is everything alright over there, lad? Ye’ve been awful quiet and it’s giving some o’ the girls the creeps.”

“Sheesh, don’t say it that way!” Bluebolt huffed, her eyes darting between him and Sundial. “He’s gonna think I don’t like him or something!”

“I thought we didn’t like him?” Symphony scoffed.

Weaver turned his whole head to look over towards Sundial, as if he was still wearing the goggles and needed to indicate that he was listening. “Haven’t been addressed directly. No reason to speak.”

“Ha, he talks just like your mom,” Symphony whispered to Bluebolt with a smile.

“Shut up, no he doesn’t,” Bluebolt whispered back, definitely not smiling.

“Psh, he totally does! He sounds just like your mom does when she gets all serious and regio. It sounds creepy coming from him, though. At least your mom puts some emotion into it. She makes it sound badass.”

“They’re completely different, sheesh. My mom uses brief descriptions, simple sentence structure, plain words, and few figures of speech when she goes all ‘Mom’ on somepony. This guy talks all laconic, like a robot or something.”

“Uh huh. So… totally the same.”

Bluebolt grunted, then addressed Weaver directly: “So, what, you only speak when spoken to, is that it?”

Weaver tilted his head. “Yes.”

“Why?”

“No reason to do otherwise. Overseer claimed it wasted effort.”

“See?” Symphony said, gesturing towards him while looking at Bluebolt with a cocky grin. “Just like your mom, only really creepy. Thank the stars you don’t talk like that.”

Bluebolt rolled her eyes then turned to Sundial, trying to redirect the embarrassment elsewhere. “You sure know how to pick a colt, Sundial. He’s a real charmer, this one.”

Sundial snorted indignantly. “I’m not that desperate, lass, give me a wee bit o’ credit here.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever you say.”

Sundial sighed, then cleared her throat. “Right then, we’re going ta end up behind schedule by about a day, but luckily the route I planned out will still work. After we have food in our bellies and restock our supplies, we’ll head west towards Goldridge Pass. Any objections ta leaving after breakfast tomorrow?”

“If you say we have to leave that soon, then that’s when we’ll leave,” Rarity said with a nod. “I learned from last time I was here that arguing about the route only causes more trouble than it’s worth. We didn’t listen to Tick Tock then, but I’m listening to you now. I trust you, Sundial.”

Sundial raised an eyebrow, taken aback. “Aye? Well, thanks, I guess?”

“No need to thank me, darling. You did a very brave thing, staying with Flurry like you did and putting yourself in harm’s way to protect her, so this is my way of thanking you.” Rarity gave Sundial a small smile. “Tick Tock should be proud she has such a qualified successor. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve proven yourself worthy of the role.”

Sundial averted her eyes from Rarity so the unicorn wouldn’t see her turning red. “Right, whatever. So, no objections ta the itinerary then?”

Nopony voiced anything.

“Good. Then let’s enjoy a day to recuperate, get some food, get restocked, then we head out after breakfast tomorrow, as said. If everything goes right on the route, we’ll be at Goldridge Pass in four days from now, give or take an hour ta account for winds, aye?”

Chapter Thirteen: Enjoyment

Room arrangements had been made at the royal palace for the group that would be traveling south. Most of the rooms at the palace were big enough to be shared by two ponies and still be more than comfortable, so the group opted not to hassle their hosts for separate lodging. Bluebolt already had her own room, naturally, and was sharing it with Symphony, also naturally. Sundial shared a room with Weaver, which earned a few odd looks from the group except for Rarity, who had approved wholeheartedly. Rarity took her own room since their group was odd in number and it just seemed appropriate.

This left Flurry to share with Bloom, which they were more than happy to do. Before this whole adventure, Flurry had considered all of the Cutie Mark Crusaders to be her friends, even if they didn’t see each other all that much. Now, though, she felt a certain kinship with Bloom because of all of the experiences they were going through together. Sure, Bloom spent most of her time with Bluebolt and Symphony, what with the former being family, but that was to be expected and Flurry actually found it rather endearing. She enjoyed seeing her friend be so happy.

So, when King Lockwood arrived late the next morning to collect Bloom to go meet her extended family for lunch, Flurry asked if she could come along.

“Sure you can come along!” Bloom said with a smile. “I’d love fer ya ta meet mah family wit’ me. It’s only fair since I know yer whole family, right?”

Lockwood seemed to agree. “The more the merrier, I always say, especially when it comes to family get-togethers.”

“Yeah, same wit’ the Apple Clan back home!” Bloom agreed. “When the family gets together, it’s always a big ol’ shindig wit’ Apple folk from all over, yeah? I remember when we had a big ol’ reunion when Applejack 'n' Flathoof got married. There must’ve been a hundred ponies there!”

“And besides that,” Lockwood continued, “your Aunt Twilight played a big part in my recovery after I got hurt up north, and my family never got a chance to thank her for it. I know it’s not the same, but they’d probably like to meet you. Send a little thanks to Twilight through you, y’know?”

Flurry smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Lockwood, I appreciate it.”

And so, the little group made their way from the royal palace up to the surface, their destination being a popular sandwich shop. Flurry, Bloom, and Lockwood were part of this little group, naturally, as was Gunpowder, Lockwood’s personal guard. But, also along for the journey was Lockwood’s youngest daughter, Princess Dreamchaser, as well as her own guard.

Dreamchaser was, as far as Flurry was concerned, the most precocious, adorable young filly she’d ever met, which was saying something considering she’d spent two months getting to know Tick Tock’s daughters. She was a pegasus like her parents, and had a grayish-blue coat and a turquoise mane with a dark blue streak running through it. Her cutie mark was a heart made of pink fire. She wore a cute little blouse and a lovely tiara, which meant she was the only member of the royal family that actually wore what Flurry recognized as royal attire. She seemed to be the same age as Tick Tock’s twins were, too.

The other bodyguard was a unicorn mare, barely older than Flurry herself, with a warm orange coat and a light green mane. She didn’t wear armor like Gunpowder did, but carried a sidearm at her side, mostly hidden by a belt holster. She also didn’t talk much, but then again she didn’t really need to.

“You’re really pretty, Miss Heart,” Dreamchaser said as the group made their way up the elevator to the surface. The little filly was riding on her father’s back. “Like, really, really pretty.”

“Well thank you, I appreciate that,” Flurry replied with a smile. “You can just call me ‘Flurry’ though. There’s no need to be so formal.”

“Okay, Flurry!”

“I love your little tiara. It makes you look like a… well, a princess.”

Dreamchaser grinned. “Yup! Because I am a princess,” she said as if it were obvious. “It’s a proper princess tiara for a proper princess, like Mama says.”

Lockwood turned his head to look back towards his daughter. “And you look simply adorable in it, cutie pie.”

“Why don’t the rest of your family wear anything like that?” Flurry asked.

“Oh, we all have our own reasons. Blackburn hates jewelry so much that she’s only made two exceptions in over twenty years: a gift from me when we were dating, and our wedding earrings. Me, I’m just not fond of something so fancy. Have you ever tried to turn your head real quick while wearing a crown?”

Flurry tilted her head. “Plenty of times. I’ve never had any trouble.”

“Huh… well, maybe it just naturally to some ponies,” he said with a shrug. “Anyway, Bluebolt’s just like her mother—don’t tell her I said that—and Fireglow’s just like me.”

“Speakin’ o’ which, I’m lookin’ forward ta meetin’ yer son when we get down south, Lockwood,” Bloom said. “It’s awful neat ta have so many family members doin’ so well fer themselves, y’know? Still blows mah mind that I’ve got royalty in mah family.”

“Y’know, it just occurred to me that, in some distant fashion, you’re technically royalty, too,” Lockwood said with a grin. “I mean, I’m not sure exactly how royal lines work and all that, but you’ve still got that connection if you ever wanted to use it.”

Bloom chuckled. “Shucks, I don’t need ta worry 'bout none o’ that. 'Sides, Applejack’s got more claim ta that than me, an’ Flathoof more’n she does, right? So don’t go thinkin’ I wanna go 'round callin’ mahself ‘Princess Apple Bloom’ or nothin’ like that, y’hear?”

Dreamchaser’s eyes widened. “But Aunt Bloom, that’d be so cool! We could be princesses together!”

Flurry found it rather endearing that Bloom didn’t correct Dreamchaser on the whole “Aunt” thing, but then again, the filly was about the right age that Bloom seemed to find nothing wrong with it. If anything, Flurry thought that “Aunt Apple Bloom” sounded just fine and didn’t quite understand her friend’s distaste for it coming from Bluebolt, but then she didn’t have anypony to call her “Aunt Flurry” to make that kind of judgement.

“I, for one, think you’d make just a lovely princess, Apple Bloom,” Lockwood added, winking at Dreamchaser. “I can see it now: you, in a frilly white dress, a cute little pink tiara on your head.”

Dreamchaser gasped. “A pink tiara! Like her bow! That’s so cute!”

“Hol’ on now, I think I’m a lil’ far from bein’ a princess, ta be honest,” Bloom said with a grin as she looked between the two. “But if ya want ta play Princesses or somethin’ later, Dreamchaser, I’d be happy ta play wit’ ya. I used ta play it sometimes wit’ mah friends when we were yer age, so fair warnin’, I’m pretty darn good at it.”

“Oh wow! I wanna learn too! Can you teach me? Huhn? Can you can you can you?”

“What, teach ya how ta be a princess?” Bloom asked.

Dreamchaser nodded. “Yeah!”

Bloom shrugged. “Well sure. I guess I can give it a try?”

Flurry smiled and put her hoof on Bloom’s shoulder. “All things considered, I can’t think of anypony better suited for helping a princess find her way, hmm?”

Bloom smiled back at Flurry. “Heh, yeah, I guess not. Thanks, Flurry.”

The elevator reached the surface, and the little group made their way to the sandwich shop at a quick, pleasant pace. Flurry noticed that the citizens walking through the streets definitely realized that their king was walking about, but she also noticed that their reactions were much different from how Flurry expected them to be compared to how it was done back home.

When her mother and father walked the streets of the Crystal Empire, everypony always bowed to them, with rare exceptions. She herself got much the same treatment, really, and had been taught that it was just how the “common folk”—she disliked the term—tended to treat royalty. She was too young to remember if the same had been done for Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, but she knew for a fact that Aunt Twilight got the same treatment when walking through Canterlot, Ponyville, the Crystal Empire, and most every other part of Equestria at large these days.

The citizens of Hope’s Point, however, did not so much as stop what they were doing to even hint that they were going to bow in King Lockwood’s presence. They diverted from their paths a bit to give him room to move, of course, and looked or pointed in his direction with smiles and waves, which he acknowledged with nods or waves of his own—Dreamchaser did so as well, only more enthusiastically—but if anything the citizens treated him more like a respected celebrity than their ruler.

The sandwich shop reacted much the same as those in the streets, mostly. There were a few brief bows, sure, but nothing like those Flurry was used to seeing when she and her parents visited a restaurant back home, or when she had a lunch date with Aunt Twilight, or if she visited a hay fries shop by herself. Even the other patrons just remained in their seats and gave polite waves to their king and his entourage as he led them into a separate room at the restaurant. It was all very, very peculiar, and Flurry wasn’t sure what to make of it.

When the group finally reached the private room that had been arranged for their lunch date, they found Bloom’s extended family already waiting for them. Each of them stood immediately, wide smiles on their faces, as soon as Lockwood walked in with Dreamchaser and Bloom. Flurry watched as Bloom was practically swept into the room and introduced to her family members in rapid-fire succession, as if taken up by a tornado of hugs and grins and love.

The oldest two ponies here were Stouthoof and Shortcake, Flathoof’s birth parents, who from what Flurry understood had also adopted Lockwood through some complex series of events.

The former was a tall, butter yellow earth pony stallion with a short, strawberry red—though heavily graying—mane. He had clearly been quite robust when he was younger, as his frame was rather large, but the years had definitely gotten to him and he’d lost some of that physique. He wore a neatly pressed shirt with a tie that seemed a little too stuffy and tight for him, as if he wasn’t quite comfortable in them.

The latter was a tan earth pony mare with a long, curly, orange mane with little streaks of gray through it—she’d aged far better than her husband, it seemed. She was a little heavy-set, but not much, and filled out the pretty blouse she wore quite nicely. She had kind, motherly eyes behind a pair of large, horn-rimmed glasses.

Thickhoof was a cream-colored earth pony stallion with a rich brown mane, wearing a crisp suit. Flurry remembered Flathoof saying that his brother had been crippled a few years before he’d met Applejack and was confined to a wheelchair because of it. Bluebolt, however, had mentioned that Thickhoof had gotten treatment, and this was evident due to the pair of prosthetic hindlegs he had. They were more robust and had a more “modern” feel than Flathoof’s single foreleg, but then they were supposed to allow Thickhoof to actually walk, not just serve as replacement limbs.

Lastly was Pattycake, the only sister, and Flurry was rather surprised to see that the mare was nearly identical to Applejack: orange coat, blonde mane, green eyes. She wore her mane short and wavy compared to Applejack’s braids and lacked Applejack’s freckles, but otherwise the resemblance was pleasantly uncanny. There had apparently been a bit of a hullabaloo about Flathoof looking similar to Big Macintosh, and it seemed that it extended to the whole family at this rate. She also dressed differently from Applejack, wearing a cute blouse and skirt not at all suited to working on a farm.

“Shucks, y’all’re just one big, happy family!” Bloom said as she was passed from pony to pony for hugs. “I feel like I’m right at home wit’ the Apple Clan. We’re a bunch o’ huggers, too.”

“Oh, good, then you’re already used to it,” Lockwood chuckled as he pulled out a chair for Dreamchaser to sit. “I was thinking about warning you, but I had a feeling that you wouldn’t need it. Applejack seemed the type to give a hug rather than a hoofshake if she had the opportunity.”

Besides greeting and introducing themselves to Bloom, they did do for Flurry as well, though not with quite as much fanfare or tornado-hugs.

“So, Lockwood tells us your aunt is Twilight Sparkle, the dear that helped put him back together?” asked Shortcake in a sweet and motherly tone that put Flurry at ease instantly.

Flurry smiled and nodded. “That’s right. She told me all about it, namely how stressed she was about the whole operation. I can’t imagine the pressure she must’ve been under doing something so delicate.”

“She did a fine job of things, I must say,” offered Stouthoof with a gruff, polite nod. “Our boy always did have a habit of getting himself hurt doing stupid, selfless things, but from what we’ve been told that was quite a doozy he was in. Biggest one yet.”

“And all for a mare that wasn’t even his fillyfriend,” Pattycake scoffed. “Blackburn wasn’t too happy about that part when she heard. I’m surprised your friend Fluttershy didn’t burst into flames or something.”

Lockwood tugged his collar. “Hey now, no need to go bringing that part up, Pattycake. That’s all well, well behind us, yeah?”

“How is your aunt these days, then?” asked Shortcake. “It’s a shame that we never got a chance to thank her personally for all that she’s done for our family.”

“Oh, she’s doing very well these days, actually,” Flurry said.

She then carefully considered how to explain the whole situation back home without making too big of a fuss about it, since she wasn’t sure how they’d react to certain bits of information—namely her ascension as an alicorn.

“Well, her mentor, Princess Celestia, retired a little while back, and chose Aunt Twilight to take over for her after she left.”

“So, what, your aunt is a princess?” asked Thickhoof. “Like our little Dreamchaser over here?”

Flurry nodded. “That’s right. And not just over one city, either, but over the entire nation of Equestria.”

Thickhoof let out a breath. “Wow, that’s quite a promotion.”

“I’ll say,” Pattycake added, shaking her head. She turned to Lockwood. “It’s kind of like how you got promoted from just a two-bit landlord to King of the Landlords just because you met the right mare.”

Lockwood chuckled. “You know me, Pattycake, I always meet the right ponies.”

“Does that mean you’re a princess, too?” Dreamchaser asked, eyes wide with wonder.

Again, Flurry paused in consideration. She didn’t like to lie. So she wouldn’t. “I haven’t gone through my official coronation yet, but I was born into that family. Aunt Twilight is my father’s sister, and my mother is a princess, so I guess that makes me a princess, too,” she added with a smile. “Just like you.”

Dreamchaser gasped in awe, her eyes sparkling like diamonds. “Wowww…”

“Well, when you see your aunt again, dear, give her our love and thanks,” Shortcake said with a smile. “We owe her a great deal.”

“I will,” Flurry replied with a smile of her own.

Once that was out of the way, Bloom got her big chance at last to share stories with her extended family about their shared connection in Applejack and Flathoof’s union. Flurry just sat back and listened to the family enjoying one another’s company.

Smiles, gasps, and laughs spread about as Bloom gave them all the news about Flathoof’s marriage to her sister, of the three children they now had, and of the success that the farm was seeing because of their union.

In return, Bloom got to hear stories about what Flathoof was like when he was younger, things that Flathoof likely would’ve never shared with anypony either out of embarrassment or humbleness.

All the while though, Flurry’s elation for her friend’s happiness waned ever so slightly. Seeing Bloom get to spend time and share stories with her family, as well as talking about Aunt Twilight so fondly, made Flurry miss her own family tremendously. The conversations with them over Sundial’s TARDIS connection were wonderful, of course, but they weren’t the same thing as having them there in front of her to talk to, to hug them, to be hugged by them.

She was just realizing how vastly different things were for her in this strange world. Rarity had plenty of old friends to catch up with. Apple Bloom had family to meet and share stories with. But her? Sure, she’d made new friends, but she knew that within the next week or so she’d have to leave those friends behind, much as Rarity had done once before. She had Rarity and Bloom with her, naturally, but they spent more time with the ponies of this world than they did with her. She didn’t blame them for it, of course, but it was still a fact. Flurry otherwise had nothing in this world to connect with. No old friends, no extended family, no memories of journeys from long ago.

She was getting desperately homesick.

Lockwood set his hoof on her shoulder. “Hey. Are you alright, Flurry?” he asked, quietly enough that nopony but her could hear it.

Flurry looked to him with a soft smile. “Oh, I’m just fine, Lockwood, thank you. I was just thinking, that’s all.”

“About what?”

Flurry paused, then shook her head. “I don’t want to bother anypony with it.” She gestured towards Bloom and her family enjoying a fine conversation. “I mean, look at how happy everypony is. I’m happy for them.”

“Ah, I see,” Lockwood said with a nod. “Y’know, I was the same way, once upon a time. More content to make sure others were happy, even when I myself was suffering.”

“I’m not suffering—” Flurry started.

“There are different levels of suffering, you know?” Lockwood gave her a small smile. “Listen, I’ve been married to Blackburn for longer than you’ve been alive, and you don’t stay married to a mare like her without picking up a few things. She’s very observant, and so I’m very observant. I can tell when something’s bothering somepony better now than when I was younger.”

Flurry fidgeted in her seat. “It’s no trouble, really.”

Lockwood paused as if thinking something over, then abruptly rose from his seat. “Everypony, if you don’t mind, I’m going to take my leave.”

Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Huh? How come?”

Lockwood smiled. “Well, you look like you’re having the time of your life over there with the family, and I’ve hardly been able to get a word in edgewise. Besides, I have a few duties to take care of—it’s busy work, being a king—so I figured you guys have everything well in hoof here.”

Shortcake nodded politely. “Of course, dear, we understand. Your city needs you. Don’t let us keep you.”

Dreamchaser waved at Lockwood to get his attention. “Is it okay if I stay here, Daddy?”

Lockwood walked around the table to kiss his daughter’s forehead. “Of course, cutie pie. Enjoy some time with your new aunt, hmm?”

“Yay!”

Lockwood then turned to Flurry and gestured towards the door. “Flurry, I’d appreciate it if you came along with me.”

Flurry pointed at herself. “What? You want me to—”

“Come along with me, yes. I was going to take a little walk through the city, and seeing as you’re a foreign dignitary and all that, I figured I should show you around the city like a proper diplomat should be doing. It’s part of my royal responsibilities, after all.”

“I don’t know…”

Bloom smiled and nodded at Flurry. “Go on, Flurry. Y’all were sayin’ that ya wanted to have a lil’ look ‘round 'n' all. Sounds like fun, havin’ the king o’ the city himself ta show ya 'round, huh?”

Flurry paused in thought, then nodded and rose from her seat. “Yes, that does sound like fun, actually.” She smiled at Lockwood. “Alright then, Your Majesty, shall we go?”

“Right away, Your Royal Highness,” Lockwood said with a smile and a slight bow.

Lockwood led Flurry out of the sandwich shop—Gunpowder followed along, naturally—and into the streets of Hope’s Point. The two walked side-by-side as they went street by street, with Lockwood showing off the various sights and attractions the city had to offer with a flourish of hooves and a pleasant tone. Flurry felt that Rarity’s comparison of the city to Manehatten was more than appropriate, as the city had all the amenities that a big, modern, well-populated city should have.

Bluebolt had shown some of these venues off the day before, of course, and Lockwood showed off a few of the same, but he spoke with a different sort of tone than his daughter had. Bluebolt was excited to show off her home, clearly seeing it as a symbol of pride since she’d be ruling it herself one day. Lockwood, however, was showing things off as though he were an instructor or a tour guide. He was still proud of everything, but he was also trying to explain the deeper meaning behind what he showed off.

“You know, you and I have quite a lot in common, despite the things that we don’t,” Lockwood said as they strolled about.

“How do you mean?” she asked.

“When Blackburn chose me to be her partner, her husband, her king, I understood that I had some pretty big horseshoes to fill. Her father was loved by the citizens of the city for helping them prosper and grow; her grandfather was loved for founding the city in the first place and giving them a sanctuary; Blackburn herself brought the best qualities of both, giving the city more hope for the future than ever before.

“So, naturally, I was under a lot of pressure,” he continued, shaking his head. “Sure, Blackburn said everything that she needed to say to make me feel better about it, but deep down I knew that I had a legacy to live up to. She didn’t just want me to be her husband, she wanted me to be her king; she wanted me to rule with her.

“My point is, I understand the pressure you must feel back at home, and that’s why I brought you out here to chat. At least, I think I understand. Am I on the right track here? Tell me if I’m off base and just making a fool of myself, it wouldn’t be the first time.”

Flurry sighed and nodded. “Yes, I think you are. I’ve felt a great deal of pressure growing up, and I’ve never known how to really deal with it, you know? I don’t think anypony really understands it. Maybe Aunt Twilight, but if anything, she’s part of the problem.”

“Well, go on then,” Lockwood said with a smile. “Lay it all on me. I’ve been told I’m a good listener, and I think I can understand your situation just fine, hmm? Well, maybe not all of it. After all, I’m not a… what’s the word, ‘alicorn’?”

Flurry’s eyes widened. “How did you—”

Lockwood smiled. “Blackburn figured it out within a minute of meeting you and told me all about it. That coat you’re wearing hides your wings amazingly well, but she noticed them shifting underneath when you spoke, much like pegasi do with their own wings. Now that I’ve been watching you for a little while, I’ve noticed it too.”

“You can’t tell anypony,” Flurry hastily said, looking around to make sure nopony was nearby. “Sundial says we have to keep it a secret.”

“Don’t you worry, Blackburn and I have no desire to reveal any secrets like that to anypony. It was just an observation on her part. Plus, Twilight seemed to indicate that all of the alicorns of your world were princesses: Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, at the time. And now herself as well, from what Rarity was telling us?”

“And since you know who my mother is and that I’m a princess too—” Flurry nodded in understanding. “You just put the pieces all together.”

“Like I said: we’re observant,” Lockwood chuckled. “Now, I believe you were going to talk with me about the pressure you’re feeling? Sorry about the little tangent there.”

“Right.” Flurry took a breath. “Well, my mother is the Princess of Love and rules the Crystal Empire alongside my father, who was the Captain of the Royal Guard under Princess Celestia for years. Princess Celestia, Princess of the Sun, ruled Equestria for thousands of years. Her sister, Princess Luna, Princess of the Moon, was feared as Nightmare Moon for one thousand years before having that evil purged from her, and before that she ruled alongside Celestia.

“And, of course, there’s Aunt Twilight. The Princess of Friendship. Princess Celestia’s most celebrated student ever. The mare who helped purge the evil from Nightmare Moon. Wielder of the Element of Magic. A savior of Equestria several times over. The princess personally chosen by Celestia and Luna themselves to take over as the ruler of Equestria when they retired. Not to mention that she’s a savior of the multiverse.

“But then there’s me,” Flurry continued with a sad smile. “The first natural-born alicorn since, well, ever, I think. Daughter of Princess Cadence, the Princess of Love. Niece of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship. And despite all of that, I still don’t know what I’m the Princess of.”

Lockwood pondered this. “Twilight did explain that your world’s alicorns embodied abstract concepts like that. I can imagine not knowing what concept you’re supposed to represent might be a bit stressful.”

“You don’t know the half of it.” Flurry shook her head. “So, yeah, I’ve been under a lot of pressure to live up to all of that.”

Lockwood nodded in understanding. “Do you know how I’ve dealt with the pressure of being the king of this city?”

Flurry tilted her head. “No, how?”

“By not focusing on myself, or on my troubles. It’s how I got through life up north, back before I met Blackburn. I focused myself entirely on others, on their worries, their concerns, and their hopes and dreams. I figured that, no matter how bad my life was or could be, the one thing that seemed to actually give me any semblance of feeling was helping others. Sometimes I went a little overboard, I admit, but my heart was always in the right place.

“It’s what I did when I became King, too. I focused all of my efforts on helping my wife rebuild her city. On helping my new ‘subjects’ to look to the future with hope and ambition. On making sure that everypony around me was looked after and taken care of.

“You see, my only worry was whether I’d ever live up to some ideal I thought had been placed upon me, but the pony that placed it there was myself.” He gave her a smile and set his hoof on her shoulder. “So the only pony I can see that’s putting that pressure on you to live up to some ideal is you. And the only way to get past it is to do everything you can to make your own ideal.

“Focus on what you think is right, on what you want to see in yourself, not on what you think others expect. The only way you can live up to your own ideal is to go for it, not to worry about how others see you. As long as you’re trying your hardest, nopony will look down on your efforts. And even if you struggle along the way, you’ll have your friends to help guide you and offer support. Considering who your aunt is, I’m certain friends aren’t hard to come by,” he added with a nudge.

Flurry smiled back at him. “I think I understand. I don’t know how well I’ll do, but I’ll give it a try.” She took a breath. “Just focus on what I can do, “ she said to herself, “not on what others think of me.”

“That’s the spirit!” Lockwood clapped her gently on the shoulder. “I have faith in you, Flurry. I know I don’t know you that well, but something about you just makes me feel hopeful for the future, you know?”

“Thanks, I appreciate that.”

“And I mean it, too. And, I don’t think I’m the only one who does, either. I heard about the things you’ve done for your friend… Weaver, was it? That takes a pony with a strong compassion and a hopeful outlook to have made that work. You and Sundial should be proud about the efforts you’ve put forth there.”

Flurry smiled again, feeling a little embarrassed. “I just think that everypony deserves to have a second chance, and to have hope for their future. All I did was give him that opportunity.” She then paused and nodded at him. “Just like you did with Starlight Shadow and her sisters.”

“Ah, well, I suppose the situation is quite similar, isn’t it? By the way, you have no idea how awkward that conversation was with Bluebolt and Blackburn last night.” Lockwood let out a breath and smiled. “I think my wife nearly had a heart attack finding out Grayscale Force’s daughter is her niece.”

“Did she handle it that poorly?” Flurry asked with a frown.

“I think Blackburn has moved on, to a point,” Lockwood said with a shrug. “She’s still angry and bitter about it all, but, well, life’s too short to carry a grudge forever. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive them for what they did, but she seemed perfectly ‘neutral’ about their new lives. Trust me, that’s a dramatic improvement.”

“If you say so.”

“Incidentally, I hear you’re friends with the changeling queen, Aculeata?”

Flurry tilted her head. “I suppose I am, yes.”

Lockwood grinned. “I almost forgot to tell you, what with the whole family gathering back there, but Queen Aculeata got to meet with my wife this morning, and from what I understand they hit it off fairly well. The changelings are more than welcome to stay here in the city if they want.”

“Oh! Well, that’s wonderful. I’m sure with such a large population, they’ll have all the ‘food’ that they need.”

“Indeed. And, since our residences are all underground anyway, it’s a rather convenient setup. Also, the queen apparently put in a very strange request,” Lockwood said, raising an eyebrow. “Something about a ‘donor’? I assume she means like a stud, like what lesbian couples sometimes use?”

Flurry turned red. “She just came out and asked about that right away?”

“Yeah, she said something about having a very precise ‘fertility period’ coming up in the next few days, and that she needs time to choose a proper consort for the job.” Lockwood shrugged. “Well, anyway, Blackburn approved it, so long as she didn’t pick me.”

Flurry shook her head, embarrassed. “W-well, good for her, I’m glad she got that sorted out.”

Lockwood smiled. “At any rate, shall we continue the tour?”

“Certainly. Lead the way.”

*****

Rarity had been a little curious when Bluebolt had asked her to come along with her today after lunch, more so that she supposedly had somepony to introduce her too. But, considering that they had the time, that Bluebolt had seemed quite insistent on it, and that Rarity didn’t have anything planned until dinnertime—where she would meeting Tick Tock, Pewter, Blackburn, and Lockwood for a little get-together—she saw no harm in indulging the princess on this little venture. Though she was also a little curious why Symphony wasn’t with them.

“Oh, she’ll be meeting us later,” Bluebolt said as if it was common knowledge. “She’s meeting with her sword instructor to see about getting some new blades and all that, y’know, since hers got lost and broken in galant defense of our lives from two mad kirin?”

“Ah, that makes sense,” Rarity said with a nod. “I suppose if you two are coming down south with us—which you’ve seemed insistent on so far—she’ll need some new weapons to wield. You can never be too careful, especially if you’re traveling through someplace where there’s apparently a threat of war.”

“Exactly.”

“So, who exactly is this pony you want me to meet, anyhow? I must admit, I’m growing more curious by the minute, darling.”

Bluebolt grinned. “You’ll see. Trust me, you’re gonna really like this. I’ve been waiting for a chance to do this since winter.”

“Really? My oh my, this pony sounds quite interesting indeed if you’ve been thinking about introducing me for that long. Come on, tell me something.”

“Nope! It’s a surprise.”

Bluebolt led Rarity to a small chamber off to the side of one of the many halls in the royal palace. The room itself was sparsely furnished with only a few tables and chairs and not a great deal of decoration. A private meeting room of sorts, it seemed, or a lounge.

Currently, the only occupant in the room—aside from Rarity and Bluebolt, of course—was a zebra mare who sat in one of the chairs at a larger table. She was clad in light, white robes and kept her mane and tail in neat, braided locks. At her side, leaning against the chair, was a rather elegant-looking longsword covered in runic markings.

The zebra rose to attention as Bluebolt and Rarity entered and gave a little bow. “Hello, Princess.”

“Hello, Zyra,” Bluebolt greeted with a nod.

The zebra then turned to Rarity, and her jaw dropped just slightly, and her eyebrow raised. “And you are?”

Rarity smiled and approached, offering her hoof. “How do you do? I’m Rarity.”

Zyra took Rarity’s hoof, though her hoofshake seemed rather lax. “Rarity… aha. Now I understand.”

Now it was Rarity’s turn to raise an eyebrow, confused. “Understand what, dear?”

Zyra smiled at Bluebolt. “I understand why our princess asked me to come here today. I had been most curious until just now.”

Rarity tilted her head. “I’m afraid I’m feeling a little lost. Up until this moment, most everyone I’ve met were more confused that I knew them, not the other way around. It’s rather odd being on the other side of things.”

Bluebolt smiled and took a seat at the table. “Go on, Rarity, sit down. Trust me, you’ll need to.”

Rarity slowly did as she was asked. “Okay, I’m sitting.”

Bluebolt then gestured to Zyra with a grin. “You’ve met Zyra now, but you don’t know who she is. Well, besides being my mom’s bodyguard, friend, and confidant, you’ll notice that she’s, y’know, a zebra.”

Rarity narrowed her eyes. “No, I didn’t notice.”

Bluebolt ignored the sarcasm. “So, when I heard about your little story all about how and why you, Bloom, and Flurry ended up here, my thoughts went to Zyra pretty quickly, and I just knew I had to introduce you two to each other when we got home.”

“Bluebolt darling, please, get to the point. You’re keeping me in suspense here and it’s rather unbecoming.”

“Okay, okay, sheesh,” Bluebolt chuckled. “Zyra here came to Hope’s Point a few months before I was born. But, in those months between you and your friends leaving and her coming here, she apparently knew Sir Zircon.”

Rarity’s eyes widened a little and she gave a look towards Zyra. “Really? Well, I mean, I suppose that’s not really that surprising. It was only shortly after I left.”

Bluebolt smirked and leaned back in her seat. “Go on, Zyra, tell her what you told my mom about him. What you’ve told me and Symphony about when you talked about your homeland.” She gave a short look to Rarity. “You know my mom grilled her about zebra culture right away, right?”

Zyra gave Rarity a little smile. “First, I will say that I won’t claim to have known Sir Zircon well. He is of a higher caste than most zebras, and rarely interacted with those outside of a few select circles. I am not what you would call a friend or family. But I did know him, even before you two met.”

Rarity frowned. “Ah, I see. Then you are an ex-lover, perhaps?”

“Oh no, nothing so bold as that, though I would have not refused if he had ever asked,” Zyra laughed. “Do not frown, Miss Rarity. I think you will find my news quite interesting.”

“Well then, don’t let me stop you. You have my attention.”

Zyra took a short breath. “Before I left Zeb’ra’den, I was a Priestess of Layk—our fertility and nature goddess—and so I often met with the upper castes in the course of my duties. I was present with King Zaratite when he and his newest wife engaged in one of our sacred rituals to ensure she produced a foal.”

Rarity grinned, a mild blush on her face. “Ah, I remember that discussion. Twilight was dreadfully confused about the whole thing. She didn’t quite get the metaphors.”

Bluebolt leaned over and whispered: “Mom and Dad won’t talk about it, but it’s a very intimate ceremony, usually given as a wedding gift or something. Don’t tell my mom that I know about it, but Zyra told me the kind of stuff she used to deal with.”

“Perish the thought, darling. But how does your mother—” Rarity paused, then grinned. “Oh ho ho, I see.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “See what?”

“Nothing, darling, don’t mind me.” Rarity turned back to Zyra. “Go on, dear, sorry about that.”

“At any rate, I knew Sir Zircon before that, for his brother, Lord Zinc, also made use of our holy services. Sir Zircon helped organize it as a wedding present for him and his wife, Lady Zuri. More than once, in fact.” Zyra cleared her throat. “But I am getting ahead of myself. I knew Sir Zircon then, and I knew him after he met you. It would take a blind mare not to notice the change he underwent.”

“The ‘change’?” Rarity asked, nervous. “Oh dear, something didn’t happen to him, did it?”

“Oh, something assuredly did happen, Miss Rarity. You happened.”

Rarity blinked. “I’m not sure I understand.”

“I was only in Zeb’ra’den for a few months after you left, but in that time, Sir Zircon began acting quite strangely. He replaced his broken greatsword with a more elegant falchion, quite unbefitting of him, as he’d used the heavier blade since he was just a squire. And then there was his new hobby: sculpting.”

“Sculpting?”

Zyra nodded. “Yes. He often ventured down from his tower chambers to seek out materials in the market. Crystals, stones, wood, and other sorts of things. Usually he would take them back with him to his tower to sculpt, but at times he would travel out into the snow to work his craft. I only saw him working a few times, but he showed me his sculptures. I will never forget the intricate details:

“A unicorn shape. If the material was not white naturally, he would dye it or paint it. He sculpted the most intricate curls in the unicorn’s mane, and dyed or painted these a vivid purple. The eyes were a striking blue, almost lifelike. As a zebra, I did not appreciate the beauty of his work as he did, but I could see in his eyes how passionate he was about his craft. And when you walked into this room, Miss Rarity, I knew you instantly, for I have seen you before in those sculptures.”

Rarity felt her heart skip a beat. “He… he was making sculptures… of me?”

Zyra nodded. “At the time when I left, he was. His sister, Lady Zora, did not hide her disdain for his behavior, either. After the events at the Beacon, Miss Rarity, Sir Zircon was lauded as a hero. His family was petitioned many times for marriage and breeding requests—our High Priestess had to confirm with the family at times to ensure the ones we received were legitimate. And yet he refused each and every one of them.”

“I see.” Rarity took a deep breath. “I don’t suppose you know anything more than that, do you?”

Zyra frowned and shook her head. “I am afraid I do not, Miss Rarity. As said, I left Zeb’ra’den less than a year after those events. I have remained in Hope’s Point since then and made a life of my own here.” She paused, then smiled. “I have even taken a husband. I sometimes hear news from my homeland, but no such specifics, and I never thought to ask.”

Rarity nodded. “That’s quite alright, dear, I wouldn’t have expected you to. I’m honestly not sure if I should feel elated at this news.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t you? This is good news, right?”

Rarity sighed. “Even after we left, I still pined for Sir Zircon, you know this. My friends didn’t understand when I explained it years and years ago. ‘You only knew him for a week,’ Rainbow said. ‘Do you even have anything in common?’ Applejack asked. Hmph. There’s more to love than that, you know?

“I still regret not opening myself to the possibility sooner. Maybe if I had, we’d have been able to figure out a way for him to come with me then.” Rarity leaned back in her seat and let out a breath. “He told me that he fell in love the instant he laid eyes on me, that that place in his heart belonged to me. It took me days to realize that I felt the same and had only been resisting because I didn’t want to go through what Fluttershy had with Lockwood, or what Applejack had when she thought Flathoof was dead.

“So, we parted ways and I returned home without him. Over the years I’ve made many an attempt to move on from him, but nothing ever quite met the standards he had set. Just like he said to me that night, there is a spot in my heart that belongs to him, and him alone. And try as I might, it still does, and always will.

“Oh, the first year wasn’t all that bad. A handsome stallion might have said just the right thing to make me smile, or looked at me in a way that made my heart flutter, but I never really took any of it seriously. Then more years passed, and I realized I was making excuses for every suitor that failed to meet my standards. ‘He’s not charming enough’, ‘he doesn’t smell right’, ‘he dislikes poetry’, ‘he’s not as rugged as I would like’, and so on.

“By the time my sister was old enough to move out on her own I realized that I was… alone. I realized that I felt lonelier in the winter, when the snow fell outside the boutique. I realized that… I really, truly hadn’t gotten over him. I never could I’d left a part of me with him when I left that I could never get back.”

Rarity shook her head and looked at Zyra. “And now I find that he might very well have done much as I had. I know I should be elated that he loved me so deeply that he carved sculptures of me for months after my departure, but I’m also worried that I might have ruined his chance to be happy. Perhaps he could have been happier with a zebra mare.”

Zyra set her hoof on Rarity’s. “Do not think such things, Miss Rarity. The goddess Layk teaches that love is the purest, most powerful force there is: stronger than steel, hotter than fire. Harmonia would surely agree. If Sir Zircon’s love for you was as strong as I saw, and yours for him as strong as you say, then surely love will find a way.”

Rarity gave her a weak smile. “Your words are kind, Zyra, thank you.” She took a deep breath. “I will hold out hope. That is the most I can do.”

“I’m sure he hasn’t forgotten you,” Bluebolt said with a grin. “I mean, from everything I’ve heard about him from you, he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that would just forget, y’know?”

Rarity nodded, then let out another breath and turned back to Zyra, a little smile on her face. “Darling, might I ask you a question?”

Zyra tilted her head. “Yes, of course.”

“I’ve noticed that you don’t speak in poetic meter. You don’t even rhyme, for that matter. I hope it’s not rude of me to ask why?”

“Oh, not at all,” Zyra said with a smile. “There are two reasons for it, actually. First, and most importantly, this is Hope’s Point, not Zeb’ra’den. There is no need here for the cultural posturing of poetic meters as there is in my homeland, where every caste, rank, and social position determines how one speaks, and how one speaks identifies one’s worth. Here, my actions speak for me, so I may speak freely.

“Secondly, from the news I have heard, my kind have relaxed their use of meter, restricting it only to interactions with one another. They no longer speak to ponies or hippogriffs in such a way. It is their way of being more welcoming to outsiders. Her Majesty claims that her and His Majesty, King Zaratite, agreed that it was… easier to understand one another if they spoke plainly.”

“Ah, I see. That’s quite interesting.”

Rarity pondered this for a moment, wondering how Sir Zircon spoke these days. Then she decided it didn’t matter; she didn’t find him charming because he spoke in meter, she found the meter charming because it was him speaking it. Then again, there were all sorts of odd complications to that way of thinking that she couldn’t parse through at the moment.

Zyra then turned to Bluebolt. “Forgive me, Princess, but it is getting late and I set a time to meet my husband after our meeting here. I’d best not keep him.”

Bluebolt dismissed that thought with her hoof. “Please, Zyra, this is me we’re talking about. I’ve already taken care of everything. He’s gonna meet us here.”

Zyra raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Truly? I should not be surprised.”

“Ooh, I’d love to meet your husband, Zyra,” Rarity said with a grin. “Did he come here from Zeb’ra’den with you?”

Zyra tilted her head. “Hmm? Oh, no. My husband is not—”

The door to the room opened, and Symphony strode in with a happy smile on her face, engaged in pleasant conversation with another pony.

The other pony, who came in right after, was a unicorn stallion a little older than Rarity was. His coat was a blueish-gray, his mane a misty white, and he kept the latter in a rugged, dashing style. He had a thin mustache just to top off the look, and wore a set of light clothing fit for fencing. He carried a rapier sheathed at his side. Rarity was rather reminded of a roguish swashbuckler from one of her romance novels.

The pony brightened as he walked into the room. “Aha, there she is, mi bella esposa. I have missed you so.”

Rarity’s eyes widened as Zyra rose from her seat to greet the unicorn. “Stillwater, love, it has not been long since breakfast, hmm?”

“Too long, my love, too long.” The unicorn—Stillwater—pulled Zyra in for a passionate kiss that made Rarity blush. “Every moment apart is an eternity.” He broke the kiss to look at Rarity. “Ah, and who is this? Zyra, my love, I did not know you had company.”

Rarity smiled. “A pleasure to meet you… Stillwater, was it?”

“Sí señorita, and the pleasure is mine, I assure you.” He suavely took Rarity’s hoof and gave it a pleasant kiss. “And you are?”

“Oh my, Zyra, your husband is quite a charmer,” Rarity tittered. “I’m Rarity, good sir.”

“Ah, a lovely name for a lovely mare.” He turned back to Zyra and pulled her in for a hug. “But not as lovely as my darling Zyra, perdóname.”

Symphony gave a wistful sigh. “Aren’t they just perfect?” she said, looking to Rarity meaningfully.

Bluebolt smirked. “Who would’ve imagined a zebra and a unicorn would be a wonderful match?”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “Okay, you two, I see where this is going. I appreciate the gesture, truly, I do, but you didn’t need to take up this lovely couple’s time to make a point, hmm?”

Zyra tilted her head. “No time has been wasted, Miss Rarity. My husband and I meet for dinner once a week around this time, for I am normally busy at Her Majesty’s side. The Princess clearly arranged things so that our meeting occurred here and at this time so that you could meet us.”

“And it is a lovely thing to do, I agree. If you insist that it was no trouble—”

“None at all,” Zyra said with a smile. “I am happy to help you.”

“What are you helping this lovely mare with, my darling?” Stillwater asked. “Whatever it is, I am sure you have handled it espléndidamente.”

“She’s been helping me with a… love problem,” Rarity said, a little embarrassed. “Long story short, I’m rather enamored with a zebra myself, and Zyra here apparently knew him once. Bluebolt thought—correctly—that I would enjoy hearing about him again after a long time apart. Which I did.”

“And that she’d love to meet the two of you,” Bluebolt added with a grin. “There aren’t a lot of mixed couples out here, y’know? I figured that maybe if she got to see that it can work—”

“Aha! So thoughtful, mi querida princesa.” Stillwater smiled and gave a little bow to Rarity. “Yes, as you can see, I am a unicorn, and my lovely wife is the most beautiful zebra in all the world.”

Rarity smiled. “How exactly did you two meet, if I might ask?”

Zyra gestured briefly over at Symphony. “We can thank Symphony for our meeting. When she was younger and showed a desire to become a royal guard, like Miss Gadget and Mister Crossfire before her, Her Majesty tasked me with instructing her.”

“I thought you said you were a priestess?” Rarity asked, eyebrow raised. “For a fertility goddess at that.”

“Indeed I was, but when I was young, I learned to use a blade. There are few zebra fillies that do so, but I took an interest and I was quite skilled.” Zyra shook her head. “But when I was older and I found that I was barren, I joined the Priestesshood of Layk, for that was my duty.”

Rarity frowned. “You’re barren, dear?”

Zyra nodded. “I am. I do not wish to share the whole story—it is painful to me—but I will say that the priestesses took me in, for their order is the place for all barren zebra mares. As we cannot bear foals ourselves, we made it our solemn duty to ensure that other mares do so. Our ways are old, yes, but I did enjoy my time with them.”

Stillwater kissed Zyra’s ear. “And I do not hold anything against mi encantadora esposa for her misfortune. We hold out hope that, before she is too old, perhaps the techno-magic will develop to help her.”

Zyra sighed. “At any rate, yes, I was Symphony’s instructor for a year at first. She learned to fight in the style of my kind.”

Stillwater rolled his eyes. “A brute’s style, you mean.”

Zyra nudged him. “Don’t you start.”

Rarity looked between the two, then grinned. “Ah, I see where this is going. Let me guess: Stillwater, you were her next instructor?”

“Sí señorita. Symphony’s father hired me to instruct her as he did not wish for Her Majesty’s royal guard to spend her time teaching his daughter how to fight in such an uncivilized manner.”

Zyra narrowed her eyes at him. “Are we going to have this argument again, right here? At least I wasn’t teaching her to fight like a delicate flower.”

Rarity frowned. “Oh dear, I hope I haven’t started something.”

Symphony nudged Rarity gently. “Don’t worry about it, they’re always like that. They just fundamentally disagree with each other’s styles. It’s like the only thing they ever argue about. Trust me, they’ll forget all about it by the time they get in bed.”

Stillwater snorted. “At any rate, I took over for training Symphony after that, and taught her to fight like a proper unicorn swordfighter: with grace and poise.”

“Hmph,” Zyra snorted. “And when he wasn’t looking, I taught her to fight like a true warrior: with strength and ferocity.” She looked to Rarity with a little grin. “Needless to say, he found out and confronted me about it.”

“We argued about the proper way to teach Symphony,” Stillwater said. His lip curled into a coy smirk. “We argued for hours, all through the night. It was a rather heated argument.”

“I was sore for the whole day afterwards,” Zyra said with a fond look in her eyes.

Symphony snickered. “They used swords at first.”

Rarity tilted her head. “At first?”

Zyra nodded. “It took a year or so of that before we realized we’d really stopped arguing and actually started talking to each other about things besides our fighting styles. Finding out more about one another than just how we swung our swords around, yes?”

Stillwater brushed a hoof through Zyra’s mane. “That’s when I realized I loved mi pequeño rufián. We were married the following year.”

Symphony nudged Rarity. “After that, the only ‘sword’ they were using was Master Stillwater’s, eh? Eh?”

Rarity blushed and giggled into her hoof. “Well, I’ve certainly heard of less interesting ways for a couple to begin a relationship.”

Symphony gave a contented sigh. “It’s so romantic. I’m still giddy that it’s thanks to me that these two ended up together. I mean, how awesome is it that I helped them get together and that I had two of the best sword instructors ever?”

Rarity smiled and looked between the loving couple. “Well, I’m very happy for you two. This whole situation certainly does inspire a little hope in me for the future.”

Bluebolt rose up from her seat. “Well, I think we’ve taken up enough of your time Zyra, Stillwater. We’ll get out of your manes for now so you can enjoy the rest of your day off, huh?”

Stillwater cleared his throat. “Actually, don’t go just yet. Last night, when Symphony told me about her little sword problem—”

Symphony groaned. “Yeah yeah, I know.”

“—I spoke with Zyra and we came to an agreement of sorts, and we’d planned out a little surprise.” He gave a look to Symphony and grinned. “That’s why I asked you to come visit me today, actually, rather than just putting an order in for a new set of blades for you.”

“Huh?”

Zyra smiled. “This works out wonderfully. I was going to meet Stillwater and Symphony before dinner to take care of this, but we can do it right here and now, can’t we?”

Stillwater nodded. “I think it’ll be better this way, she can have her amigas here to witness it.”

Bluebolt raised an eyebrow. “Witness what?”

“A very special event, hmm?” Zyra said as she stepped back to her chair and grabbed the sword that was there. “There is no official ceremony or anything like that, but we still wanted to make it special.”

Stillwater turned to Symphony. “Symphony, my finest student, if you would kneel for us, please?”

Symphony tilted her head, then nodded and kneeled down, keeping an eye on the couple as they took positions in front of her. “Okay, Master, I’m getting really confused here. What’s going on?”

Stillwater seemingly ignored her, and drew the rapier at his side from its sheath with his magic. “Sweet Symphony, you have learned every lesson and fulfilled every task that I have set before you, and you have surpassed every expectation I have ever placed upon you. You are the finest student I have had the honor of instructing in more than twenty years.”

Zyra took up her longsword in her tail, and some of the runes glowed as she did so, somehow allowing her to grip the hilt firmly. “Sweet Symphony, you have endured every trial and pushed past every boundary I placed in your way, surpassing limits that have stalled many a zebra—and pony—in the past. You are the only student I have ever taken, but I am honored to have been your teacher.”

Stillwater tilted the hilt of his rapier towards Symphony, and his lips curled in a proud grin. “I will never know the joy of a finer student. I have reached my zenith as a master, and so now I must pass along my torch. There is one final task I must set before you, Sweet Symphony: take up my sword, and with it, master everything that you have learned. Strive to become a master in your own right.”

Zyra passed her sword gently to Stillwater, who took it in his magical field to offer it to Symphony as he was doing with his own. “I was never a knight, or a warrior, or even a soldier. This blade of mine is the only thing I have left from a dream I once had when I was very young. I can see nopony more worthy of taking up this blade from me and making a dream of her own. You are a zebra warrior, through and through, Sweet Symphony, and I am proud of you.”

Symphony eyed the two blades with wonder, looking between her two mentors for some sort of sign. All she got were sincere smiles. So, she lit up her horn, and she gripped onto the blades offered to her. As she did, Stillwater relaxed his magic, and the swords were now fully hers.

Symphony teared up a little. “I don’t know what to say.” She looked between then again. “Grazie… grazie mille.” She set the new rapier in her sheath at her side, where it slid in perfectly; she did the same for the new longsword in the sheath on her back, and it did just the same.

Then, she stepped forward and gave both of her mentors a big hug. They returned it with earnest.

“Still, ‘a zebra through and through’, mi amor?” Stillwater muttered. “She is much too graceful for a zebra warrior, thanks to what I have taught her.”

Zyra rolled her eyes. “Most of a proper swordfighter’s style is their posture and form, and she stands firm, like I taught her to.”

“I love you guys,” Symphony murmured.

Bluebolt sniffed loudly and wiped a tear from her eye. “I’m so proud of her. Oh my stars, I’m crying here, oh geez…”

Rarity smiled and nodded. “What a wonderful gesture from two wonderful creatures. I’m very happy for you, Symphony.”

Symphony pulled away from the hug and wiped her nose. “This is a lot to take in.”

Stillwater smiled. “Take it in however you like, Symphony. We’re very proud of the mare you’ve become, and wish you nothing but the best in your future. Buena suerte para ti.”

“I’ll think of you guys every time I use them,” Symphony said.

“I certainly hope so,” Zyra said with a grin. “Do us proud, okay?”

“I will. I promise.”

Stillwater looked to Zyra. “Come on, mi amor. I got us dinner arrangements at that Romantique restaurant you like.”

Zyra clapped. “Ah, wonderful. I’ve been looking forward to it all week. Their crepes are heavenly.”

Rarity leapt up in realization. Dinnertime. “Oh! I’ve got a dinner arrangement to get to as well. Terribly sorry everypony, I simply must be going!”

“Wha— just like that?” Bluebolt asked, rising from her seat too.

“Yes, dear, just like that! It was a pleasure meeting you Zyra, Stillwater! Ta ta for now!”

With that, Rarity rushed past the rest of the group and out the door.

After all, it would never do to keep Queen Blackburn and King Lockwood waiting.

*****

Sundial was, in a word, tense. It was rare for her to be tense, but there was just something about being in the same room as Queen Blackburn that made it impossible to be relaxed, and this wasn’t exactly a normal room, either.

It was an interrogation room. Sundial was sure that a police station somewhere out there was missing theirs, because here it was. The too-clean walls and floor were a drab, lifeless gray. The stainless steel table and chairs were a drab, lifeless gray. The little lamp on the ceiling was a drab, lifeless… well, the light wasn’t gray, but the lamp itself was. The light was bright white and shined over her and Weaver—dressed in a casual jacket—as they sat on one side of the table.

On the other side of the table in the centermost chair was Queen Blackburn herself, staring right at Weaver in full-blown “royal” mode, as Bluebolt and Symphony called it, which meant that she was dissecting him with her eyes and analyzing every word that came out of his mouth. At least that’s how Bluebolt described it, and the look on Blackburn’s face certainly led Sundial to believe it.

To Blackburn’s left was Stellar Storm, the Chief Intelligence and Enforcement Officer of the city, who Sundial understood was in charge of handling any and all security threats here and abroad. The NPAF’s fleet going unnoticed was likely a blow to the mare’s ego.

To Blackburn’s right was Fleet Master Highwind, a purple pegasus stallion with a long, blond mane who wore an impressively decorated flight jacket. Sundial understood that he was in charge of every single airship in Hope’s Point’s fleet, civilian and military. Since the NPAF’s fleet seemed sizeable enough, it was appropriate to have him here as Hope’s Point’s fleet might just need to be called into action.

Blackburn leaned forward in her seat, her intense gaze still locked on Weaver. “First order of business: NPAF fleet’s capabilities. Elaborate.”

Weaver, to Sundial’s surprise, seemed utterly calm in Blackburn’s presence. “As noted, the Gargantuan-class cruisers were dismantled shortly after the last attack on your city, according to Overseer Pedigree. They were deemed too ‘clunky’, as you were able to maneuver around them in an ill-equipped cargo ship.”

Blackburn’s mouth curled in a little grin. “Ah, embarrassment. Appropriate response.”

“Instead, the NPAF began efforts on refitting the older cruiser models—Phoenix-class, Dragon-class, and Manticore-class—with improvements to cover their own weaknesses, namely firepower and armor, without sacrificing speed and maneuverability.”

Highwind scoffed. “You can’t just make sweeping adjustments to a ship’s entire frame like that and expect it to still work as intended. Adding more armor to the Phoenix-class would defeat the purpose of a lightly-armored deployment cruiser, for example, and the Manticore-class couldn’t hold more guns and still fly if it tried.”

“Correct. The older models were eventually scrapped as well. The new fleet is made up entirely of the new Pandemonium-class cruisers. They are smaller than the old Gargantuan-class, but come equipped with point-defense systems, heavy armor plating, and full AMP deployment capabilities. They are also operated by smaller crews to reduce the need for redundant systems like escape pods, life support, and intra-ship power.

“In addition, the targeting systems are fully-automated by AMP-based algorithms, increasing accuracy by seventeen percent. The ships are also completely unshielded, so there are no longer power generators needed for such a feature, making the ship lighter despite the heavy armor plating.”

“Takes the best of each of their designs and combines them,” Blackburn grunted. “Atypical solution for NPAF. Too neat, too smart. New leadership under Overseer Pedigree and this Conclave?”

Weaver shook his head. “Pedigree is part of the Conclave, but not in charge.”

“Then who is?” Storm asked.

Weaver shook his head. “I do not know. I am unaware of the other members’ identities. Pedigree oversaw the new Shadow Project, as well as weapon development.”

“Conclave consists of multiple ponies, working together to replace void created by Silvertongue,” Blackburn noted. “Shroud’s understanding was minimal, as he wiped her memory. Was able to work out some details, not enough to determine much here.”

“When do you think we can expect the attack?” Storm asked. “Our scouting systems haven’t detected movement from the north yet, but if these ships are as fast as you say, they’d be on top of us in half a day at the longest.

Weaver paused to consider this. “The thunderblizzards will finally let up around New Pandemonium tomorrow, I believe.”

“Give or take,” Blackburn said with a nod. “Sometimes difficult to predict.”

“So, my best estimate would be that they’d attack the day after. Their ships would need time to warm up after the winter cold, stock ammunition and fuel, and filter power from the conductive sleeves.”

Highwind grumbled and slammed his hoof on the table. “Damn! That’s not a lot of time to get things prepared at all. Most of the fleet is still in hibernation after the winter. We’ve only got the civilian and cargo ships up and ready right now.”

“How soon can you prepare?” Blackburn asked.

“If I push it, I can have the top-class ships ready by tomorrow morning. Regardless of how big this NPAF fleet is, though, it won’t be enough, not unless we stall them.”

Blackburn nodded. “Chief Engineer Forgehammer can have the shield online by tonight, already discussed with him. Strain of the new size might buy us three days by his estimate. New improvements in place to cycle shield frequencies, will prevent old disruption system from working.”

“I can work with three extra days, Your Majesty,” Highwind said with a salute. “I’ll triple-time everything. It’ll be rough, but I can get the entire fleet prepped and ready by then.”

“If we need to stall further,” Storm said, giving Weaver a curious look, “you say that these ships are mostly operated electronically with minimal living crew?”

“Correct,” Weaver said with a nod.

Storm smirked and leaned back in her seat. “Excellent. We might be able to buy extra time using some classic hacking procedures. If those ships operate using AMP-based systems, they shouldn’t function too much differently from a standard AMP Trooper. We’ve got kids around Dreamchaser’s age that can hack an AMP Trooper.”

“Might also be vulnerable to EMP-based weaponry,” Blackburn agreed. “None equipped on current fleet loadouts, will speak with Forgehammer on getting something whipped up.”

“I can have anything he preps added to the fleet before we deploy,” Highwind agreed.

Blackburn eased back in her seat slightly. “Attack could still go wrong, but plans in place to organize defense. City will not fall. Will still proceed with evacuation orders.” She turned to Storm. “Set city on mid-level alert tomorrow morning, advise citizens to prepare for evacuation at moment’s notice.”

Storm nodded. “Way ahead of you, Your Majesty, I put out a low-level alert this morning just in case. Folks are still walking around up there, but they’re mostly sticking to routes near the evacuation elevators and tunnels.”

“Excellent.” Blackburn turned back to Weaver. “Intelligence is useful, will possibly save thousands of lives.”

Weaver smiled and nodded. “Of course, Your Majesty. In addition—”

“Ah, more?”

“Yes. The AMP loadouts have also been modified. AMP Troopers and Air Troopers are still the standard, but the new Scout model was deployed this year. They are lighter and faster than standard Air Troopers, but less armed and armored.”

“Hmm… shouldn’t pose a problem unless they manage to get through the shield, deploy ground forces. Still, interesting development.” She then paused and nodded. “Ah, they serve as a first wave of sorts?”

“Possibly. There might be some out in the Expanse now seeking out targets for the fleet. One was spotted at Goldridge and forced Tick Tock to move up the evacuation of the settlement because of it.”

“Interesting…” Blackburn then took a deep breath. “Have all the intelligence needed for repelling NPAF attack. However, last NPAF attack had trump card, unknown vector: the shadow pony known as ‘Shadowstep’. Powers were similar to yours. I am curious.”

Weaver adjusted his jaw. “Ask what you will.”

Sundial, who’d stayed silent this entire time, content to watch and listen, felt this was where she should jump into the conversation. “He’s got a lot o’ bad memories about that Shadow Project, aye? I know Bluebolt says ye get intense sometimes, Yer Majesty, but if ye could be gentle?”

Blackburn tilted her head at Sundial and paused a moment, and now Sundial felt that trademark “royal” treatment being directed her way, and she did not like it one bit.

“No promises,” Blackburn said at last, turning back to Weaver, “but will make an attempt. Weaver, explain this ‘Shadow Project’.”

Weaver leaned back in his seat. “The intention of the project was to create more ponies like Shadowstep, with his skill set, abilities, loyalty, and dedication. I don’t know much more than that, in that sense. We were manufactured in a laboratory, myself and all of the other ‘candidates’. After a few years, when our bodies could handle the strain, we were infused with ‘Darkness’, I believe is what it was called.”

“Remnants of Nihila’s magic,” Sundial explained. “I don’t know how they bloody well got their hooves on it, but the information we’ve got suggests that ta be the case, aye?”

“If we survived the infusion process, we were assigned a number—mine was Two-eighteen—and began combat training. This lasted for ten years. Then, we were sanctioned off into groups according to race—earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns—and forced to battle one another to survive. Then, the three survivors were pitting against one another. The final survivor then served under Overseer Pedigree directly for ‘field testing’.”

“Two-eighteen suggests you were not the first ‘batch’ of Shadow Project,” Blackburn murmured. “Implies second.”

“That’s correct, as far as I know. Shadowstep was not part of the first ‘batch’, either. He was a template.” Weaver remained silent for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words. “I don’t know anything about the first batch, only that they must have been unsatisfactory. I also don’t know anything about their ‘candidate’.”

“Timeline suggests you were infused shortly sometime around fall of Pandora Tower.”

“We’d been infused a month before the tower fell, actually.”

Blackburn hummed. “Interesting. Implies you were infused just before Twilight and her friends arrived. Tell me, did Silvertongue oversee this project at all?”

Weaver shook his head. “I do not know. If he did, it would have been the first batch, not the second. Overseer Pedigree holds him in high regard, however. Aspires to live up to his example.”

“And he’s not even bloody good at it,” Sundial scoffed. “Tick Tock said that no matter how much that Silvertongue twat avoided directly getting involved, when he did, he was dangerous and precise.”

Blackburn took a deep breath. “A master of distractions and accounting for eventualities that even I could not see. Example: planned far enough ahead to use a sleeper agent—Shroud—on a nearly impossible chance she would get involved. He covered every angle. Only defeated by one thing: the unknown.”

Sundial grunted and nodded. “Aye, Tick Tock said the only reason he lost in the end is he didn’t know about the Timekeepers having a ‘rewind’ emergency function. Truthfully I shouldn’t even be telling ye, but ye already know.” She turned to Storm and Highwind. “And everything said in this room is confidential, aye? Ye won’t go running yer yaps?”

Storm shook her head. “It’s my job to manage secrets and information, both learning more and keeping it out of others’ hooves.”

“I have no interest in that business, so I don’t even know what you’re talking about,” Highwind said, nonchalant.

“Pedigree is no Silvertongue, from what I understand of the latter’s reputation,” Weaver said. “He plans meticulously, but does not account for every eventuality. He lacks situational awareness and is inflexible in his thinking.”

“Aye, and he’s also not as powerful, obviously,” Sundial added.

Blackburn nodded. “Quite. He also seems to lack Silvertongue’s ambition. He was a minion to Silvertongue before, behavior suggests he is still a minion now, but to whom? This Conclave? It is a mystery.” She leaned back in her seat again. “Does he possess any other strengths or skills?”

“Yes. He is quite intelligent in the matters of pony biology and in techno-magic development.”

“Hmm. And his whereabouts are still unknown—we have not spotted anypony matching his description in our territory. Likely returned to New Pandemonium to lick his wounds.”

“Aye, if he was lucky enough ta get there with that busted horn,” Sundial said with a smirk. “We did quite a number on him.”

Storm scoffed. “A unicorn with an injured horn can still be a highly capable threat, I’ll have you know. Techno-magic implants are advancing tremendously.”

Sundial bit her lip. “Och, sorry lass, I didn’t mean ta imply—”

“She’s teasing,” Blackburn said bluntly. She turned back to Weaver. “Nature of your powers, exactly? Shadowstep was an unknown, and it cost me the lives of two of the most important ponies in my life. I will not be surprised by it again.”

Weaver tilted his head. “I only have two abilities, understanding that Shadowstep himself possessed more. That’s part of why the first batch didn’t succeed: they were inferior. Overseer deemed my existence a failure as well but needed proper evidence to prove it… he was… correct.”

Sundial set a hoof on his shoulder. “Weaver, lad, ye’re not a failure, aye? You proved that ye’re better than he is. A better pony.”

Weaver nodded. “I have the capability to move through shadows undetected. So long as the shadows are connected to one another, it even allows me to travel up walls and ceilings. At night I can move practically freely. My vision is also unimpeded by darkness. It’s not quite like night vision, though it is similar.”

Blackburn hummed. “Hmm… may we have a demonstration?”

Weaver frowned. “A demonstration?”

“Yes.”

Weaver glanced at Sundial briefly, then nodded. He stepped out of his chair and backed into the shadows of the room where the light didn’t reach. The room’s occupants could all see the glint of light in his eyes. Until, suddenly, they couldn’t, as he’d totally disappeared. Storm and Highwind were noticeably unnerved; Blackburn remained stoic.

Then, Weaver reappeared behind Blackburn and tapped her briefly on the shoulder. Storm and Highwind, who realized he was there, nearly fell from their seats. Blackburn didn’t move an inch.

Finally, Weaver disappeared again, and reappeared in his original location before stepping back into the light.

“Yes, very interesting,” Blackburn said with a nod.

Sundial noticed Weaver was out of breath. “If I may... Your Majesty… are we... done here?” he panted.

Sundial rose from her seat. “Weaver? Are ye okay, lad?”

Weaver closed his eyes and nodded, though she noticed his whole body was shaking—no, shivering—as he leaned on the table. “I’m… fine.”

Blackburn frowned. “What’s the matter with him?”

“I… I don’t know,” Sundial said, leaning over to grasp Weaver’s shoulders. He was cold to the touch. “Och, what the bloody hell?”

Weaver shook his head. “It’s alright… I’m f-fine…”

“You’re bloody freezing, lad! What’s wrong with you?”

“This doesn’t usually happen?” Blackburn asked, rising from her seat.

“No! No it bloody doesn’t!” Sundial removed her coat and threw it over Weaver’s shoulders, then pulled him close to keep him warm. It was awkward to do, considering his height, but she did her best. “C’mon, lad, what’s wrong?”

“What’s the difference between now and when he normally uses his abilities?”

Sundial pondered this, then realized: “His uniform. He’s not wearing his uniform.”

Weaver nodded. “The shadows… sap my body heat. The uniform… prevents them from taking it.”

“Why didn’t ye bloody say that?! Why’d ye use that shite when ye knew—”

“Her Majesty asked…”

Blackburn held up a hoof when Sundial glared at her. “None of us knew, don’t give me that look.”

Weaver seemed to be breathing a bit better now—Sundial’s coat was rather warm, after all—and he took another short breath. “So… are we done?”

Blackburn paused for a long moment, looking between him and Sundial, then gave a slight nod. “Intelligence gleaned on NPAF attack, curiosity about you and your origins sated. You may leave.”

“My thanks… Your Majesty.”

Sundial grunted. “Och, lad, I’m gonna get ye someplace warm, aye? Maybe we should get ye something ta eat and drink while we’re at it.”

“That sounds… nice.”

*****

It was late at night when Sundial and Weaver returned to their room at the palace. Very late. Sundial was positive that everypony was asleep by now—maybe some ponies might still be up, but not many—and so she and Weaver tried to keep as quiet as they could as they walked through the palace halls, as if they were burglars.

Emphasis on “tried”.

It was next to impossible for the pair to keep quiet when they’d been drinking, and they’d certainly been drinking. Sundial had only been to Hope’s Point a few times during her career, and only twice since she was old enough to drink, but she knew well enough that the city had a bit of a reputation for its reverence for alcohol. Its citizens considered drinking with friends to be a cultural norm, and they did it to celebrate just about every occasion under the sun, even something as mundane as finding a few bits on the sidewalk.

Sundial and Weaver weren’t really celebrating anything, though, just having a good time, which was, itself, worth celebrating. She wasn’t surprised to find that Weaver had never been drinking before—she’d be more surprised if Pedigree ever let him so much as sipbeer from a washcloth—nor was she surprised to find that he held his liquor fairly well for a first timer.

“Maybe I was bred for alcohol resistance?” he joked as he went round for round with her.

What she was surprised to find out was that he was a fun drunk, his face alight with a smile and a steady stream of humorous anecdotes spilling forth from his mouth. It was nice to have a drinking partner that could hold their own with her. They weren’t drunk, though, Sundial insisted on that. Weaver might be drunk, but her? She was shit-faced.

“Always use the proper terminology, aye?” she said, when absolutely nopony asked.

So the two giggled and laughed as they staggered their way up towards their room. Sundial was lucid enough to realize that there were still guards on duty, and though not a one of them paid the drunk pair a single bit of attention beyond what was expected in their capacity as guards, Sundial felt the need to indicate to every last one of them to keep quiet with a too-loud “shhh” and a hoof to her lips.

When the pair got up to their room, Sundial fumbled a bit with the keys before getting the door open and letting them inside. Their room was sizeable and comfortable with plenty of exotic and exciting decorations, perfect for any visiting foreign dignitaries. Naturally it was rather wasted on a drunk, surly Chronomancer and her drunk, less-surly companion.

Weaver stumbled over to the too-large bed and plopped down on his back, staring up at the ceiling as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

“I’ve watched ponies be ‘drunk’ before, but this is a truly unique experience,” he mumbled, a small smile on his face. “And you say the ponies here do this all the time?”

“Aye, it’s a tradition for them,” Sundial explained as she took a seat by a large desk in the corner. She removed her balmoral and set it on a nearby hat rack, then leaned back in her seat, tilting the chair onto its rear legs. “Bluebolt says they’ve been doing it since the city’s founding something like seventy years ago.”

“Bluebolt is not that old,” Weaver observed. “Or if she is, she looks very young for her age.”

“Would that make Symphony a granny-chaser?”

“Yes.”

Sundial laughed at the imagery in her head of an old, old Bluebolt hobbling about while Symphony gently helped her along, a loving smile plastered on her face. She tilted herself too far back in the chair and tumbled over onto the floor, where she immediately laughed again, harder this time.

“This was fun,” Sundial murmured, not lifting herself off the floor. “I don’t get much chance ta drink with somepony besides Tick Tock, and she can’t hold up like when she was younger. She doesn’t like ta do it much anymore, either, not since having kids.” She sighed. “I usually just drink alone.”

“You don’t drink with Bluebolt or Symphony?”

“No. They were too young most o’ the time I knew them, and they’re not exactly heavyweights, aye?” She chuckled. “So, this was fun.”

“Yes. This was… fun,” Weaver said with a smile. “This city is fun. I have seen and tried so many new things. I like it here.”

The two stayed quiet for a long moment, just focused on the ceiling, which was very interesting—not really—and enjoying the buzz in their heads.

“Weaver,” Sundial said suddenly, quietly.

“Yes?”

“What are ye planning on doing with yer life once we finish this whole job?”

Weaver paused. “What do you mean?”

Sundial propped herself just enough to look at him, though from here all she could see were his legs propped up on the bed. “I mean, ye said that ye wanted ta see this whole Beacon thing through with me, aye? Well, what about after that? Ye’ve got yerself a whole new life ta live, lad. What are ye going ta do with it?”

Weaver took a long time to reply. “Under the Overseer, I only got to see New Pandemonium and bits of the Expanse, and never for fun, just for his work. But I never got the opportunity to really… look. I had a task set before me and I completed it, and I did not let things distract me. Since I met you and Flurry, I have gotten to see things and experience new sensations.

“I know that there’s a vast world out there. I’ve only heard about some of it, but I’ve never seen any of it, not with my own eyes. Data and pictures and stories are one thing, but seeing it myself is something different. That’s what I want to do. I want to see the world.”

Sundial smiled and got up off the floor, then staggered over to the bed, laying down on her back next to Weaver. “It’s a good goal, lad. The world’s a lovely place when ye have the time ta look at it. Sometimes, when I’m out on a job, I like ta take a break for myself even if it’s just for a few minutes, aye? I like ta look at this world that I’m supposed ta protect.”

“What do you like to look at the most?”

Sundial considered this for a moment. “There’s a spot in the mountains south o’ Merchants’ Canyon. I had ta go there last year ta observe a roc that was nesting.”

“A roc?”

“Och, it’s a like a bloody huge, huge bird, aye?” Sundial said, gesturing with her hooves to demonstrate the size. “With razor-sharp talons and all that. Big as a bleeding house, it is. It was the first one ta be spotted in the wild for over four hundred years, so it was my job ta observe it, catalogue it, and report back ta HQ with my findings.”

Weaver paused. “Were you scared of it? A bird that big?”

“At first, aye, a wee bit,” Sundial admitted, curling up next to him to use like a body pillow; neither seemed to notice or care. “They’re dangerous beasts in most worlds. But ours was gentle. She had just hatched three chicks, and looked as docile and kind as I’ve ever seen a creature like that look.”

“That sounds nice.”

There was a slight pause as Weaver placed his hooves around her just a little, and Sundial realized she was belly-to-belly with him. It was sort of an awkward position, but she didn’t feel awkward to be there, really.

She shook her head. “Och, but I digress. There’s a spot in those mountains, highest natural point in the entire north. Reaches right up beneath the clouds, it does. But on a clear summer night, ye can see the stars as clear as day,” she added, gesturing to the ceiling with her wing. “Best spot in the north for stargazing.”

“I’ve never gone stargazing before.”

“Aye? Well, maybe I’ll take ye sometime.”

“I’d like that.”

Sundial relaxed slightly, letting her wings splay out onto the bed as she got comfortable. His hooves seemed to just absently rest at her sides, just under her wings. It felt nice. Safe.

Weaver stayed quiet for a long moment, then: “Sundial?”

“Aye?”

“When this job of ours is done, you know how I said I wanted to explore the world?”

“Aye, lad, ye did.”

He looked into her eyes. “Could I come with you?”

Sundial balked. “Ye… want ta come with me?”

“Your job takes you all over the world, doesn’t it?”

“Aye, it does, but, well, it’s still a job. It’s not quite proper exploring.”

“Yeah, but I’d be good at it, wouldn’t I? I mean, I was made to explore and observe. I’ve got to be somewhat decent at it.” He shook his head. “Besides, I’d rather do it with somepony else than go alone. I don’t know if I’m ready to be alone. Not yet…”

Sundial set her hoof on his cheek and grinned. “Ye won’t have ta be alone, Weaver, not as long as I’m here, aye?”

Weaver smiled. “Thank you. I really enjoy being with you, Sundial.”

Sundial paused for a long moment, considering everything in her head—shit-faced though she may be.

Then: “Take off yer clothes.”

Weaver raised an eyebrow. “Oh, are we going to sleep now?”

She smirked. “Not in the way ye’re thinking.”