The Road Less Traveled

Chapters

Walking Down
Traveling Companions
Taking a step back
Walking In Circles
A step in the right direction
Walking forward
First Step

Walking Down

For a short time, none of us spoke. The chilly air of the cave stood still as we looked in awe at the parchment on the floor; so much about it puzzled me. First, who could've sent it? The calligraphy was unknown to me and, aside from the Princess, I had never met anypony who could cast that spell. Perhaps, I thought, another dragon. But where was it, and why would it send that letter right there and then?
And aside from all that, if that creature was indeed down and inside the caverns, how could it have teleported the scroll? Perhaps Clover's conclusions were wrong?
Spike hesitantly picked up the parchment and looked at it closely. We both ran behind him to see: as we had already noticed it, was old, ruined and torn. Seeing it more closely, we realized it was positively ancient. The writing was probably done with charcoal, but it was perfectly readable. The four words were perfectly clear, and their meaning unequivocal.
Rarity finally broke the silence. “What.. do we do?”
“We need to help him... her... we need to do something!” answered Spike. I considered the possibilities. Asking for help would've meant admitting to the Princess that we had contravened her orders, and I didn't want that to happen.
But she had demonstrated clemence in the past when I disappointed her...
Nonetheless, I had never disobeyed a direct order from her. This was something bigger than not sending her a letter; the idea of solving the matter by ourselves was starting lo look more and more palatable.
“We need somepony who can fly.” I said “Actually, we probably need a lot of fliers.”
“Well, we could call Rainbow Dash. I do hope she's back to her room by this hour.”
“Yes.. yes, that sounds perfect. No need to make this... to make this … official”
“I absolutely agree. No need to cause an uproar, is there? The guards might have more pressing matters. Like retrieving the Royal phoenix.”
“Philomena is missing?”
“Well... not really. But they wouldn't let us in here, so I had to... hum... shall we say, divert their attention? And Peewee is such a great impersonator.”
“Wait, what?”
“Suffice to say, it will take a while before they realize they're on a wild phoenix chase.”Rarity answered, with a bit too much pride in her tone.
“I see.” I mentally added that to the count of things we would have to answer for if the matter was revealed. “How long have you two been planning this, exactly?”
“Darling, improvisation is an invaluable skill for any... performer. And Spike just happened to have these wonderful black suits- this one was yours, wasn't it? I have modified it a little, I hope you don't mind...”
“Oh. So that's where it was. I hadn't seen it since the last time I sneaked around here.”
“Well, seeing as you're already an expert... do you have a plan?”
“More or less. You must go and warn Rainbow Dash. Spike.... Spike?”
“Down here!”
Spike was standing on a platform, about five metres below the one we were on.
“How... how did you get down there?”
“I climbed” he waved his arms “Isn't it cool to have hands?!”
“Well, use them get back here! I need you to send a message!”
“But if I can climb down to where that pony... or whoever it is... to where it's trapped, I can help...”
“Don't be ridiculous, Spike! You have no idea how far the other side is! You can't make it!”
“But... but...”
“Spike, please.” intervened Rarity “I don't want you to get hurt.”
Spike stopped. Finally he started climbing back up. Peewee flew around him, chirping madly again.
“Thank you.” I hugged Rarity; words were not nearly enough to express the gratitude I felt in that moment. “now can you go...?”
“Of course!” she galloped towards the exit. Meanwhile, Spike was trying to pull himself up on the platform. I pulled him up with my telekinesis and let him down in front of me. I rifled through the notes I had been carrying around: unfortunately, I didn't have any pens or pencils, so I couldn't write a proper message. If Spike had received that note from the pony in danger, I reasoned, perhaps he could also send a response. As I turned to him I immediately noticed that his face had taken a rather unhealthy-looking pink coloration. He coughed another puff of smoke.
“Are you feeling alright?”
he shook his head.
“Not... really. There was something.. with that parchment...”
That was odd. Receiving magic papers had never been a problem for him... that is, whenever it wasn't too many of them at once. I considered whether it could be the exertion of climbing the rock wall, but either way I couldn't risk having him send another message.
“Stay here for now.” I told him. He nodded slightly. Peewee landed beside him and chirped.
I had to do something. Asking for help? But who could I find that knew how to treat an ill dragon? I considered looking for a cure in the library, but that could take ages, and I didn't have enough time.
Anyway, I had to return upstairs.
I was halfway though the debris pile when I heard behind me another loud belch. Spike had just received another scrap of parchment. I galloped back; he was lying on his back, clenching his stomach. The parchment had fallen on the floor. On it, in the same block capitals of the message before, was written:

THE ROAD LESS
TRAVELED BY

I was breathing faster than a flying pegasus. Spike was moaning with pain, lying on the floor in front of me. I had no way of warning anyone without leaving him, and I didn't want to leave him there or move him. My only hope was to wait for Rarity to return with some help.
In the meantime, all I could do was kneel down beside Spike. He was still conscious, his eyes were half-closed and he was still groaning and intermittently exhaling black smoke.
“Come on, Spike! Fight it! You can do it!”
He didn't respond. Pep talk has never been my strong suit. I believe my problem with it is that I can't help but picturing the worst scenario in any given situation, and once I do, I can hardly assure anyone that they will succeed when I myself have doubts that it's possible.
I decided to stop talking. I tried casting a spell to ease Spike's pain. It seemed to work; he relaxed and attempted a smile. I smiled too.
Rarity ran down that instant; after her, Rainbow Dash flew in disorderly, almost crashing into the rock wall. Behind her came the last two persons I expected to see.

Traveling Companions

Rarity walked by me with an almost guilty expression, as if she knew that words could never truly explain the reason behind what I was seeing. I considered what possible circumstance would've led to the gathering of such a menagerie. None of my hypotheses came close to providing a proper explanation.
“So, are we going to save this... someone or what?” yelled Rainbow Dash. From her tone and her disorderly flight it was evident that she was more than a little inebriated. Behind her, in an even more tipsy state, Gilda the griffin was attempting to land on her hind legs. She brandished in her claw an empty bottle of cyder towards nothing in particular and yelled something incomprehensible, but apparently supportive of Rainbow.
As the two finally landed on the ground, Zecora slowly made her way down the debris; she was clad in a brown cape and on her sides she carried large saddlebags.
“I thought by night this city would be more tranquil
but I see trouble has a way of finding us just like in Ponyville.”
“I met her in the hallway, and she offered to help.” explained Rarity.
“Well... thanks. I... I couldn't hope for better help. Spike seems to be sick, and we still have no idea who sent the help request and where they are... and by the way, when did you arrive in Canterlot... and why?”
“I will explain all later, if you like,
but now it's better to examine Spike.”
“Oh. Yes. Rainbow Dash... and Gida, I guess. Can you two make it across this gap?”
“Race you to the other side!” yelled Rainbow. Before I could say anything else, the two had disappeared into the darkness.
“Wait! You... you... Shoot!”
I returned to Spike. Zecora was pulling up his eyelids, looking at the back of the eyes. She murmured something I didn't understand, then finished examining Spike. Finally, she sentenced:
“I fear that as far as I understand
there is nothing I can do to help your friend;
you see, unicorn magic is what caused the disease
and that, as you know, is outside my expertise.”
For a few seconds there was silence. Rarity was the first to speak.
“Do you know what this is, Twilight? Is this a spell...?”
“ If I remember correctly Hippocrates' Manual of Magical health, there are at least three hundred possible spells that can cause this state, and each has its own counterspell. If we were to try them all, making a quick estimate, it would take between five minutes and... somewhere around five months.”
Silence fell again. Rarity sat down beside Spike, who by now was almost completely unconscious, and whispered something in his ear. It was too quiet for me to hear it, but I couldn't help but noticing Rarity's pained face.
I walked around the platform. There had to be a solution; something we had not yest considered. Around the tenth time I completed my circle, my gaze fell upon the two pieces of parchment. I picked them up and looked at them again. Looking at them together, I noticed something that had escaped us before. The side that was torn on the second paper matched the first paper perfectly. Putting them together, I read:
HELP ME
WALK DOWN
THE ROAD LESS
TRAVELED BY

It was the same message. The mysterious stranger had sent not two messages, but one, torn in two. But why?

Perhaps, I reasoned, Clover wasn't wrong about the impossibility to teleport from inside the caves- perhaps even teleporting a single piece of parchment was so difficult to send that it would arrive in pieces...
Was it possible, perhaps, that there was yet another piece? Looking carefully, the upper border of the first message was torn.
I ran to Spike. Zecora was inspecting the inside of his mouth, with Peewee flying around and chirping. I jumped and pushed Zecora out of the way, right before a green flame exploded from Spike's mouth. A third piece of parchment fell in front of him. Spike belched more black smoke before sighing with relief.
“That was intense.” he said.
“Do you feel alright?” I asked.
“Never been better.” he coughed another puff of smoke “...ok, maybe I have been better. But it takes more than that to stop a dragon.” Spike patted his belly.
Rarity leaned in closer to him. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped. Spike seemed to have understood anyway;
“i heard everything” he said softly.
“I think- i'm almost sure that someone tried to teleport this message from inside the cave. The suppressive field caused by the jewels interfered with the magic spell fracturing the sent item; Spike, being the vector of the spell, suffered from this as the spell drained his energies... almost to the point of splitting him apart from the inside.”
Rarity repressed a gulp. Spike attempted to remain impassive, but his eyes betrayed his fear. I realized I probably should have toned that down.
“But i'm confident you're out of danger by now.” I tired to laugh to lessen the tension, but all I could muster was a fake-sounding lark.
“If indeed the message is the cause of this all,
I believe it's time to read the dangerous scroll.”
We all nodded and I gathered the three pieces; they matched perfectly.
The complete message was:

PLEASE FIND THE
GRIMOIRE TO
HELP ME
WALK DOWN
THE ROAD LESS
TRAVELED BY

For a while no-one talked; we all repeated softly the strange sentence, trying to make sense of it.
“Zecora” I asked “Do you happen to have pen and paper with you?”
“Of course I do, Twilight I just arrived in town
and I haven't had the time to put my luggage down.”
She opened her saddlebags and handed me a pen made out of a cane and a few sheets of paper.
I wrote down the sentence three times.
“Now, the message could be interpreted three ways. First,
PLEASE FIND THE GRIMOIRE;
TO HELP ME, WALK DOWN THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY
which would imply our person in trapped somewhere along the “road less traveled by”, whatever that is, and we need to go there to help. We also need to find a Grimoire.”
“Which means...?” asked Rarity. Spike answered her immediately.
“It's a mage's personal book of spells. Right, Twilight?”
“Exactly. Or at least, so it was in the dark ages. Anyway, if we arrange the text differently, we find
PLEASE FIND THE GRIMOIRE TO HELP ME;
WALK DOWN THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY.
Which means finding the grimoire is necessary to help them, and walking down the road is probably what we need to do in order to find it. But there is yet another possibility: that it's all one sentence
PLEASE FIND THE GRIMOIRE TO HELP ME WALK DOWN THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED BY
and our stranger needs to walk this mysterious road and we'd have to find the grimoire to help them do it.”
I stopped to catch my breath. I had spoken the last sentence all in one breath and I was afraid none of them had understood what I was saying. Zecora, at least, seemed to have caught it all.
“Regardless of which of your ideas is true
we need to know what is this path we should pursue.”
“Perhaps it's a metaphor”ventured Rarity “or some idiom we don't know...”
“You say this “grimoire” is from times of yore
perhaps even the idiom can be found in old lore.”
“You're right; If we search the library, I'm sure we'll find mention of it somewhere.” I began to mke my way upstairs.
“Aren't you forgetting something?”
“Like what?”
“Like Rainbow Dash?”
“Oh. Right. True. Hehm. I hope they don't take...”
I stopped halfway through the sentence. We all stared at the precipice.
Gilda was flying toward us.
And Rainbow Dash was lying in her hands.

Taking a step back

We ran to the edge of the cliff. Gilda was flying slowly and disorderly, carrying Rainbow’s unconscious body in her claws. She landed noisily on the stone platform, panting. Her face was the one of someone who had just sobered up very quickly and very violently.
She stood there for a few seconds, as we gathered around. Rainbow Dash was breathing regularly and lied inertly. It would almost look like she was asleep, if not for the fact that her eyes were wide open and staring blankly ahead.
Spike was the first to break the silence. “What happened?” he whimpered.
Gilda muttered something, then cleared her throat.
“She… she touched… there are these big… pink gems on the other side… and she touched one, then she fell down. Just like this.”
“She touched one of the gems?” I asked “Are you sure she didn’t do anything else?”
“That’s what I said! We had just landed and she touched the gem and…”
“Well, this is… unusual. I don’t think that was the cause, but…”
“ARE YOU SAYING THIS IS MY FAULT?”
“What? No! What do… never mind. Could you please put her down now?”
Gilda looked down, seemingly just noticing that she was still carrying Rainbow. She let her fall unceremoniously to the ground.
I cringed. The last thing we needed was to add head trauma to whatever Rainbow already had.
Zecora checked her vital signs. She then tried to close her eyes, which sprung immediately open.
“I’m sorry; I don’t know what to think
She seems to be fine, but she can’t move or blink
And if her eyes aren’t watered as they should
They will soon be ruined for good.”
“We probably should bring her to the hospital.” I stated, immediately biting my tongue. If we explained how she got her… condition, we would have to admit going to the caves, and if the word got out that we not only disobeyed the princess but endangered others in doing so.
I could see Spike and Rarity were thinking the same thing. Zecora, on the other hand, seemed much more approving of taking Rainbow to a hospital. Gilda stood where she was, still confused.
“I’m… not so sure the hospital is the best idea.” I said “Her affliction seems to be magic in nature. Perhaps if we take her to the library I can find some… solution.”
“Well, either way I think we can all agree that the first thing to do is get out of this cave and as far as possible from those crystals.” Said Rarity. We all nodded. Gilda picked Rainbow back up and we headed up the rubble pile leading outside.
We were almost out of the cellar when we were startled by a voice coming from the other side.
A voice with an unmatched power of startling.
The Royal Canterlot Voice.

Luna descended into the cellar, flanked by two unicorn guards. She looked down at us. All I can remember is how much I wanted to run away.
“YOU HAVE CONTRAVENED A ROYAL ORDER AND VENTURED INA FORBIDDEN AREA.”
I wanted to talk. I wanted to tell her that we had good reasons, which we didn’t; I wanted to tell her that Rainbow Dash needed cures and the person who had sent us the messaged was still trapped in there. But no matter how much I wanted to, I couldn’t bring myself to do anything more than whimper.
“YOU WILL NOW FOLLOW US TO BE JUDGED FOR YOUR ACTIONS.”
None of us answered. We followed Luna quietly through the halls of the castle. The sun was rising, painting the castle with a bright tallow hue. I usually loved that moment of the day, but all I could think of now was what the Princesses were going to do to us.
What made me truly terrified of the situation was that we had no justification. We didn’t have a good reason to disobey, we hadn’t taken any care to prevent us and others from being harmed, we had, in fact, endangered and hurt others and we had not even begun to fathom a solution for the problem we ourselves had created.
I was shaking, covered in cold sweat. I tried to avoid eye contact with the others.
After a few long minutes we arrived at the throne room. Celestia was already there, standing in front of the throne. I realized that Rainbow Dash had been taken away, hopefully to a clinic. Right then, anyway, that wasn’t my main concern.
I don’t think I had ever seen her quite as angry or harsh. And above all, disappointed.
Luna took her place beside Celestia. They talked quietly for a little while. We stood, helpless, in the middle of the room. I kept staring the floor.
The Celestia spoke.
“You stand accused of having violated a quarantined area and contravening a direct royal order. What do you have to say in your defense?”
For a few seconds, there was silence.
“Twilight Sparkle.” Celestia called. “What do you have to say in your defense?”
I slowly looked up towards the princesses, still not daring to look into their eyes. Thoughts were racing in my head. What did I have to say? Was it really my fault? I had tried to stop them, I was the one who tried to reason…
But it was my fault, wasn’t it? It was my idea, I had started it all…
I whimpered a few disconnected syllable. I cleared my throat and tried to speak up. I could feel the gaze of the princesses on me, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.
“I have…”
“It is my fault.” Rarity shouted. She walked up to the throne. “I am responsible for what happened. I am the one who lead Twilight and Spike in there, and if you have to punish someone, that someone is me.”
I’d have sighed with relief if I wasn’t so mesmerized. Then I realized I had to do something.
“It’s my fault too.” I said, in the loudest tone I could muster. “It was my idea originally and I should have considered it better before going.”
The princesses remained silent for what seemed like a few hundred years. After a few coughs and false starts, I spoke again.
“We have found something inside the caverns. We have received a magic message which…”
“We are aware of that. “ said Celestia.
“Well then we have to…”
Celestia took up the pieces of the parchment with her telekinesis and ripped them into pieces.
“You are to take no further action towards this situation. If you have nothing further to add, then we may proceed with our sentence.”
Nothing added anything.
“Gilda the Griffin, we recognize that your involvement with the situation was incidental and you had no intentions of contravening royal decrees. You will be let go as soon as you answer a few questions. Zecora, the reason you have been called here still stands. Return to you room, we will speak to you in the afternoon. Rainbow Dash will be taken care of in the hospital. No-one is allowed to visit or talk to her until we say so.”
The princess paused, as the guards escorted Gilda and Zecora out of the room.
“As for Twilight Sparkle, Spike the Dragon and Rarity, you are to leave Canterlot and remain out of the city until such time as we explicitly invite you to return. Your personal belongings are being taken care of by our guards. That is all.”
A few more guards flanked us and walked us outside the room.
What followed were hours of uncomfortable silence as we were escorted to the train, and rode it all the way back to Ponyville. All I wanted to do was to find something to do that would take my mind off what had happened.
When we arrived, I went straight to the library, found a start map which I needed to complete and started copying and correcting names on it. I stayed there until nightfall. Spike seemed to be focused on something of his own.
At the end of the day I was a little more relieved. I still couldn’t take my mind off the Princesses sentence whenever my mind was free of wandering.
Sleeping was out of the question.
I looked around, trying to find some books which I hadn’t read, when i heard something knocking at my door.
That was strange. It was the middle of the night, who’d want to come to the library so late? Spike was already asleep- I suppose he was sleepier or less troubled than me- so I went to answer myself.
In fact, I was glad to have that diversion. I flung the door open.
All I could see was darkness. I looked around, then shut the door and walked back in. I returned to search the bookcases, when the knocking begun anew.
I walked more slowly to the door. I realized that I was walking away from the noise. Of course! It was coming from the window.
I galloped to the window. It’s not like it didn’t happen often, but it was too late for it to be the mail. Outside I could see the silhouette of a Pegasus flying in place. As soon as I opened, I was knocked back by the Pegasus flying in. I rolled on the floor, trying to gain my footing. She flew right across the room, smashed into the bookcase and knocked it over. She then flew in the centre of the room, landing on the table.
“Rainbow Dash?” I asked.
With a voice I had never heard before, she answered “Not yet.”

Walking In Circles

Rainbow Dash looked around herself for a few seconds, as if unsure of her footing.
“Not yet.” She repeated.
Now that i could see her clearly, i noticed how weird her eyes looked. Her pupils had shrunk to minuscule dots surrounded by thin, red irises.

I stood there, wondering what I could do. Rainbow Dash gulped, breathed in deeply and said: “Thou need to find the grimoire.”
My mind raced to find any possible explanation. Out of all the spells I knew, only a handful permitted to control someone’s actions and even those were very limited.
“Rainbow Dash! Answer me! Can you hear me?” I yelled at the top of my lungs.
“No. She cannot hear thee now.” The voice was… disturbing. It was different from her normal voice, but not so different as to make me think it wasn’t really her. It sounded like she was intentionally speaking in a lower, raspier tone.
“Who is controlling Rainbow Dash?” I asked. Her motions and posture were odd, somewhat out of place. She couldn’t keep her balance.
“I have had many names. It is unimportant now. I need to find my grimoire.”
“Free Rainbow Dash from your spell and I will try to help you.” I was walking around the table, making sure to keep my eyes fixed on her. “But you need to tell me who you are and what is this book that you seek”
“There is nothing I’d like to do more than freeing thy friend. But for the time being, I need her. Now, listen. The Grimoire I need is the Book of the Road Less Traveled.”
“I’m sorry, I have no idea what that is. And why would you need Rainbow Dash to…”
“But thou hast to know! Thou art a wizard! Thy friend’s thoughts have told me…”
“You can read her thoughts?”
“I am not here to discuss the workings of possession magic. But thy ignorance on the subject is revealing.”
I didn’t know what to make of this. On one side, I was curious about what kind of unusual magic this pony could wield. On the other hand I knew that my priority was to help Rainbow, even though I wasn’t sure heather she was in immediate danger. On the side, I felt quite offended because I had been called ignorant.
“The Grimoire of the Road Less Traveled is… unique. It is a tome which cannot be copied or destroyed. It has to exist in spite of however long I have been kept away.”
I circled around her again. I realized that was making her uncomfortable. Evidently, if what it had called possession allowed her to control Rainbow Dash directly, it probably had to adapt to her body.
“What can I do to locate it?” I asked
“The Princesses wish to keep it concealed. It won’t be found in the open.”
As I listened, I made an effort to recall a spell I had recently learned. After the battle with the changeling, I had looked for a spell to protect a pony’s mind from magic, in the hope I could prevent anyone from controlling minds like Chrysalis did. I had not had time to practice it though.
“The book” Rainbow mumbled “The book wants to be found. What do you know of black magic?”
“Black magic? I have studied about it… the unicorns of old had dangerous powers connected to darkness, but all of that is lost today…”
“Not all!” Rainbow jumped on me, looking straight in my eyes. “The book is not lost, nor destroyed! No disaster or cataclysm could touch it, and now that he has returned…” she grabbed me, dragging me closer.

I cast the mental protection spell. Rainbow let me go and fell to the ground, clutching her head and screaming. I took a couple steps back, preparing to cast the spell again. The scream grew in intensity and changed in tone. After a few seconds, I recognized Rainbow’s normal voice. When she stood up and opened her eyes, they were they normal purple colour.

She looked around uncomfortably.
“What did I do last night?” she asked. “Are we in Ponyville?” she added after looking around a little more.
“Yes. Do you remember anything about last night?”
“I remember… I had too much to drink, I think.”
“Do you remember a cavern?”
She gazed at me with a quizzical look.
“Pink crystals?”
“Are these euphemisms or…?”
“You don’t recall visiting the caverns under Canterlot and coming in contact with pink magically reactive crystals?”
“No…”
“This is… we need to run some tests.”
“Wait! How long have I been out?”
“Out? I don’t even know if you were out! I don’t even know if you’re in now!”
“Twilight, you’re starting to scare me…”
“There’s no time to be scared! Come down in my basement!”

The sound of a slammed door interrupted us as three pegasi royal guards came crushing through the main entrance. They immediately seized Rainbow Dash and pulled her away from me.
Behind them came another pony, a yellow-coated unicorn stallion wearing a white coat.
He ran to Rainbow. She was putting up a fight but the guards seemed to retain the advantage.
The doctor observed Rainbow for a few seconds. He seemed surprised.
“Have you… done something to her?”
“I have cast a spell to protect her mind from magical influence. You see, according to the theories of Rasponyn The Mad…”
“This is wonderful! I was hesitant to try magical treatment, but… good work. Are you a medical professional?”
“No… but I am a professional of magic.”
“Well” he turned to the guards “Let her go, please.”

Rainbow shook off the guards and slapped one of them of the horn. The guard didn’t react.
“Do you remember clearly what happened before you lost consciousness?” the doctor asked Rainbow.
“She doesn’t” I answered for her.
“Hum. I think I’ll have to perform a small psycho-physical examination, but I’m already quite convinced her condition has improved.”
“You can do it in my basement. I have a laboratory.”
“Yes” The doctor looked at me uncomfortably “I believe I’ll take care of things I the local clinic. Can you direct me there?”
“It’s just outside of town, past the bridge… but… are you… did you come all the way from Canterlot?”
“Precisely. They brought me with a chariot and we followed your friend. Fortunately she isn’t very fast or…”

Now, I don’t intend to write a manual on liminal space-time, but you need to know that in certain moments a singularity can be observed, a moment which represents a turning point sharply and unequivocally separating time in “before” and “after”.
The moment I realized he called Rainbow Dash slow right in front of her was one of such moments. I stepped back, decided to observe with scientific curiosity what would happen next.

The reaction was in fact slower than I had expected. Rainbow seemed to go through several emotions in the span of about 11 seconds, before grabbing the doctor by his collar and pulling him so close his horn touched her hair.
“You need to learn a lesson about what speed means.”
Rainbow shot up at amazing speed, even by her standards, carrying the doctor. She flew right out of the window. I and the guards simultaneously ran outside. When I was at the door, I noticed Spike was standing on the stairs, looking down at all of us with a severely confused face.

“Don’t just stand there! Come down and help us!”
“Help you do what? You cured her, right?”
“Yes, but… just come down!”

I ran out without waiting to see if he was following. As soon as I was outside, I saw something terrifying. The doctor was in mid-air, at least sixty metres off the ground, plummeting down and screaming. The lights in the houses all around us were lighting up. The guards were nowhere to be seen.
Before I could intervene, a Rainbow bolt flew diagonally down and collided with the doctor’s trajectory. Rainbow landed softly before me, with the doctor between her hooves.

“See, that’s what fast means. Now, are you still convinced I’m not fast?”
The doctor shook and shivered as Rainbow let him down on the ground.
“Yes. Of course I know. No further examination is required.”
The guards flew down and landed before us.
“Should we… return to Canterlot then?” asked one of them panting.
“No. YES.” The doctor answered. “Actually... Return to Canterlot with the chariot. I believe I’ll walk.”
The guards shrugged and flew off, dragging along the winged chariot they had parked in the middle of the street. The doctor slowly and steadily walked away. Every single one of the neighbours observed them in confusion.
I looked at Rainbow, who was still wearing a victorious grin.
“You’re about to tell me he asked for it, aren’t you?”
“He asked for it.”
“Of course… why don’t you go home and tomorrow I’ll have a look.”
“What exactly am I missing here?”
“I don’t know. Honestly. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have an answer.”
“So… yeah, maybe I do need some sleep.”
“Maybe we all do.” Said Spike, who, I realized, was standing behind me.

No one spoke. After a brief, uncomfortable silence, rainbow flew to her house while Spike and I returned inside. I went to bed and set my alarm clock to wake me up in the morning, about five hours later.

My examinations of Rainbow Dash revealed nothing of note- no magic energy at all was left on her.
For a few weeks, we forgot the whole thing. Life just went on. Rainbow didn’t seem to mind too much the fact that she couldn’t remember all that had happened- she seemed to ascribe it to cider more than anything else.
Just when I thought I could forget that I had ever had a brush with the Dark arts, I received the letter from the Princess which was going to change my life.

A step in the right direction

Curator's note: What follows in the original manuscript is Twilight Sparkle's account of the events leading to the defeat of the unicorn Sombra and the restoration of the Crystal Empire, as well as the following two weeks. As it is in every aspect concordant with the official account, we do not believe it necessary to include it. The chapter presented here is reported to take place after the failed attempt by the magician Trixie to take over the village of Ponyville using the Alicorn Amulet.

After Trixie left Ponyville, my spirits were higher than ever. I couldn't say if I was more glad that we had succeeded or relieved by the fact that after all that Trixie had redeemed herself. And in all of this, I couldn’t help but feeling proud of what I had accomplished. It seemed like nothing could go wrong.

And of course, everything did.

The night after we had returned the Alicorn Amulet to the safekeeping of the Princesses, a knocking on my window woke me up in the middle of the night.
Immediately I knew I was in danger. The banging was constant and unrelenting. It probably had been going on for a while before waking me. I got up.
I walked to the window. The silhouette outside was unmistakable. It stopped knocking when it saw me. In the restored silence, all I could hear was the constant sound of raindrops on the glass; it was pouring outside.
I opened the window. She entered, followed by the fresh smell of nightly air.
Her rainbow mane and tail were soaked and she was dripping all over the floor. She seemed unfazed by the rain or the cold.
Her eyes were once again reduced to red dots, and when she spoke, she sounded just as raspy and unpleasant as the last time she had broken in.
“Thou... You... You are the element of Magic.”
I wondered if that was supposed to be a question.
“You are the element of Magic” she repeated “But you know not of the Dark Powers.”
I remained silent. I wasn't even sure what it meant by that. I thought of the powers of the moon, of Luna's control over dreams, but I felt quite sure it wasn't what it meant.
“You need to speak more clearly” I finally answered
“The powers of Darkness and Nightmares. The Narrow Path. The Road Less Traveled. All this is unknown to you. And yet you have proven you are strong enough to counter my spells, albeit temporarily.”
“What are these powers you speak of? Perhaps I know them by a different name.”
“The magic that allows to control another pony's actions. The magic that causes fear, confusion and madness. The creeping darkness. The manipulation of dreams and nightmares. The living death.”
The very sound of those last two words made me cringe. I retracted from her.
“You know nothing of all this.”
“No, I have never even heard... I...” I realized I was shivering.
“Twilight Sparkle, Element of Magic. Ignorant of the inner workings of half of the foundations of magic itself. You need my help at least as much I need yours.”
I gulped, thinking of what to say. Once again, I was stumped as to what that apparition wanted of me. The creature controlling Rainbow's body stared at me with its minuscule eyes.
“I can help you” I answered “But only if you free Rainbow Dash.”
“I cannot; I may let her act on her own temporarily, but I have no way of returning to my body. Not until we can acquire the book. Then, I will return her to her normal state.”
“Let me get this straight- you are now outside of your body?”
“In a sense. I am still dependent on it; every second I spend away from it, my whole self withers away. And I am sorry to say, as I inhabit this body I cannot help but hurting it just as much.”
“And what do you need to do to return there? Is there a spell or...?”
“A ritual. It is the only way for me to escape my prison.”
I took a mental note of the word it had used, ritual. The term wasn't often used in magic discourse. Just like the word curse, only lay ponies used it. Then another particular hit me.
“Your prison was in the caverns in Canterlot? But I thought they hadn't been used in centuries!”
“Perhaps they haven't. I have been lingering there for more than eight hundred years, if my calculations are correct.”
It said this with a calm, emotionless tone, as if that was so mundane it wouldn't warrant an explanation. My mind boggled as I tried to piece together what could allow one pony to survive so long; Perhaps in its own body it was an alicorn with powers like those of the Princesses; Perhaps it had been cast out of time and space for centuries like Sombra and the Crystal Empire. But what if it had been locked away for centuries just like discord, in a stone prison or an even craftier device, and I had released something even more dangerous and terrifying upon the world? The words living death returned to my mind, along with nightmarish images they conveyed; still, I had no choice but to at least hear it out. I prepared to cast the same spell I had used to quell it the first time, just in case.
“Where do we need to look for your Grimoire?” I asked “I have recently been in the Crystal Empire; there is an enormous library there and...”
It interrupted me. “If your friend's memories are not faulty... Sombra has been destroyed.” it said, while staring blankly ahead.
“Well... he has been defeated. As for him being destroyed completely, I have learned to be cautious with this kind magic; it seems to find a way to return.”
It started chuckling, and in a few seconds his chuckles evolved in an loud, unsettling laughter, as booming as it was emotionless. I cowered from it; for a few seconds, the creature in front of me had nothing of the Rainbow Dash I used to know; it had become a dark, twisted apparition, mocking me with its insane laughter.
Suddenly, it stopped.
“That we do.” he commented, with one last chuckle “But Sombra... he was too impulsive. He did understand those few powers of darkness I taught him... but he could never master the Book. His defeat proves this.”
“So he was your apprentice? You taught him the magic he used to enslave an empire?”
“It was my greatest mistake...” it stopped for a few moments “Sombra was never ready for the knowledge I imparted him and I should have known that. But he came to me when I was in my lowest ebb. When I was trapped in darkness and... alone. he offered his help. I should have refused. I should have at least tested him... but I didn't. I could let go my last chance of passing on my knowledge. He was powerful, cunning and curious... I took him as my student and...” it shook its head. Every time I looked at its face, I noticed it changing slightly. The colors in her hair were becoming grayer and grayer, just as its eyes were shrinking.
“This doesn't matter now.” it shook itself. “He never had the book. Had he perused the secrets hidden in it, you would've never been able to defeat him.”
“So who could have your Grimoire?”
“I'm afraid it is still kept by those who captured me...”
“Princess Celestia.”
“Indeed.”
We remained in silence for a few minutes. I considered what could have this creature possibly done to earn the punishment from the Princess. Having been Sombra's master, it most definitely had even more destructive powers. Was that enough to warrant its arrest? I had little doubt this creature was what Celestia feared I would find in the caves. I knew I could not trust it; every word it said could have been another lie to convince me to release untold destruction upon Equestria.
“Why should I help you against the Princesses?” I asked.
“For the same reason you haven't delivered me to them.”
“Which is?”
“Oh, I don't pretend to know. But there's a reason you're listening to me.”
I wondered if he could be right. I would've been lying if I said I wasn't curious; the creature had demonstrated powers of mental control much greater than even those of Changelings and the power to read minds, something I had never though even possible.
“Maybe I do.” I answered “So where do you think Celestia and Luna would keep the book if they had it?”
“I have no clear idea. As i've told you, the book wants to be found, so keeping it hidden is a tasking endeavor. If they don't use it... and they most certainly don't... they need someone to act as a guardian.”
“Such as?”
“It most certainly isn't a unicorn.... or any kind of pony. Anypony who comes in contact with the book will eventually be led to read it. The powerful will use it, the weak will be used. But Celestia would never allow this to happen. Dragons have been guardians of the Book in the past, but their greed eventually overcomes even their faithfulness to the task.”
“The perfect guardian would be someone who cannot read the book, then. Perhaps a magical creature such as Cerberus.”
“But even then the book would find a way to escape... it wants to be read. It would find someone who can.”
We stood in silence a little while longer. I looked at the clock, realizing it would be dawn soon. I wondered if the light of the sun would somehow interfere with the creature power, since, as it had said, they were connected to darkness.
Darkness. Dark magic.
If I were Princess Celestia, where would I hide a book of dark magic?
First option, hiding it among other books. There are whole sections on the library in Canterlot which can only be accessed by authorized scholars; some I have visited only with Celestia herself. If you keep track of it, you can make sure a few scholars read one or two pages every now and then, the book is satisfied and nopony reads enough to learn dangerous magic.
Second option, hide it in plain sight. Somewhere anypony can see it but nopony can read, or at least cannot read more than a few lines. Maybe somewhere in the castle, hidden under a magicproof glass. Maybe in the gardens, like Discord's statue.
Third option, find someone you can absolutely and definitely trust.
Like me.
I pondered the option. I had gone through every book in my library and I was certain none of them was some kind of supreme magical craft with its own free will.
But no, even though they certainly trusted me, if nopony could resist the book, they wouldn't give it to me anyway.
Right?
“What if” I ventured “they gave it to somepony who could read the book, but was otherwise trapped?”
“You mean somepony like me.”
“I... I suppose.”
I looked at it another time. The face was becoming wrinkled, as if growing older and older with each passing minute. The eyes, reduced to red dots in the middle of translucent whiteness, had acquired an eerie glow.
“It is possible.” It admitted, sighing “Perhaps even in my same prison. I considered that possibility in the past. But... would Celestia truly do that?”
“She would do what is necessary. She imprisoned her own sister to protect Equestria.”
“Yes... yes. Eight hundred years with the most powerful magic in the world, and no chance to use it...” it chuckled for a second “Such fantastic torment...” I looked outside, almost amused.
“I don't know of any other prison which could hold a being capable of teleportation; so if we're right, the Canterlot caverns are the only place to look, and now they are locked and well guarded.”
“There is Tartarus.”
“The underworld? I admit, I don't know much of it... I’m afraid nopony does.”
“Is that so? Granted, It was uncharted in my time, but I had hoped in eight centuries of civilization somepony would have bothered to explore it thoroughly.”
It had spoken with a very authoritative and disappointed tone, which actually made me feel a bit ashamed.
“I can research what we know about these options. I know of a book in the Canterlot library which lists the prisoners who had been taken to the caverns before you. Perhaps you can make sense of those names. As for Tartarus, I know of a few geographers who can help. I have thought of a few other leads, but following them might give our plan away to the Princesses and...”
“Say no more. We will save it as a last resort. As for now, I believe I have abused your friend enough. I will now let her go.”
As it finished saying those words, Rainbow's colours started slowly returning to her body. The wrinkles on her face distended and her eyes returned to their normal shape.
She blinked, looked around, then at me. I was wearing a fake smile as I considered if it was worth explaining everything to her.
Not now, I decided.
“What am I doing here, exactly? And why do I have a headache?”
“You... you came because you you needed a magical cure for the headache, of course!”
“Are you sure? That doesn't sound right...”
“Would I lie to you...?” I said, quite unconvincingly. Before she could answer, I cast the spell to protect her mind; the creature may have said it had retreated but I wasn't going to take any chance.
“All done.” I said.
“Okay... I don't really feel the difference but...” she paused “Is it morning already?”
The sun had just risen over the mountains. I was so taken with the conversation that I had not even noticed the rain had stopped in the meantime.
“I don't have time!” yelled Rainbow “I have to pack for the camping trip!”
“Well, safe travels!” I waved. Rainbow sprinted out of the window and disappeared in the distance.
I sighed heavily. I couldn't keep up the charade much longer. Perhaps talking to Princess Celestia was truly the right thing to do.
I yawned.
I was considering the option of going to sleep and thinking it through after getting some rest, when a knocking at the door recalled me. I walked down, noticing along the way that Spike was still sleeping soundly with earplugs in his ears. I answered the door.
Zecora was standing outside, seemingly very preoccupied.
“Twilight, I'm afraid I need a word with you
We thought Rainbow was safe but there's something new.”
I blinked a few times. “What?”
She took a deep breath.
“What happened in Canterlot months ago
and what we have discovered down below
was more dangerous that what I thought back then
and in fact I need to look at her again”
“Okay. I think I now what you mean. In fact, she was here until a few minutes ago now. I'm afraid she is controlled by some malicious source.”
“More malicious than you can think, I fear
remember the parchment which we saw appear?
I translated the words we found in my tongue
and searched them among words long left unsung.”
“And did you find anything? I've discovered “The Road Less Traveled” is the name of a book. Perhaps it comes from your people! That would explain...”
“My people did not write the book, nor did you own
It was handed down by a monster to you well known
the Demon my people call Laughing Lord
But in Equestria is known as Discord.

Walking forward

Discord.
The name echoed in my head, a cacophony i couldn’t be rid of.
A lot of lay ponies who know little or nothing of magic think of spellcasting as a lot of silly formulas and odd words. This isn’t the case; wizards and spellcasters don’t need this kind of complications. I did know of wizards that cast spells by pronouncing incantations and formulas, however. In the past i used to laugh at that practice, but the moment i heard that word, my opinion changed. Once i felt the devastation caused in me by the mere mention of that name, i realized how much power words can impart.
Discord.
The Laughing Lord, as the Zebras called him.
I stood for a few minutes, in complete awe, staring blankly ahead.
My breathing sped up, and couldn’t help emitting a faint whimper.
I wasn't thinking. I wasn't evaluating options. My mind was simply filled in that moment with the absolute certainty that i had released Discord into the world.
Or that i was going to.
Zecora shook me from my torpor.
“Twilight, this is no time to stay mute!
If we are in danger, we must use every minute!”
It took me a few seconds to gather enough calm to speak.
“We are in more danger than you think.” i said. “Rainbow is controlled... possessed... by the creature from the Canterlot caverns. And I’m afraid i have no idea how to free her.”
Zecora nodded.
“If a spell to destroy it had ever been found
they would not have resorted to merely keeping it bound.”
“Well... the princess would still prefer to imprison the creature than to destroy them. But... a servant of Discord...” I paused, uncertain as to how I could finish that sentence. The simple fact that someone could willingly serve Discord was almost inconceivable. Perhaps the creature didn't want to serve him, but merely to use his powers... another concept which made little sense. How could any expert wizard think they could use a power which is, by its own nature, completely uncontrollable?
“You said the fiend spoke to you short ago
perhaps it's better if you explain me all you know.”
I quickly explained to her what Rainbow had told me the previous night. It was a good opportunity for myself as well, I reasoned, to clear my mind about what I had learned.
The creature, who was Sombra's mentor, had possessed a book written by Discord himself which contained secrets of black magic. The creature had been captured by Celestia something like eight hundred years prior, and the Princess had taken the book away. However, it could not be hidden because it would actively try to escape. And now the creature, while still imprisoned in the caverns, was controlling Rainbow Dash so that we could find the book and use it to free it.
Zecora pondered on what I had said for a while. She said nothing, as her eyes darted back and forth across the room, a concerned expression on her face. As soon as i opened my mouth, she gestured me to wait. She resumed her motionless concentration.
I want to the kitchen to make some tea, deciding i had to clear my mind as well. The numbness caused by having missed hours of sleep was catching up to me. The light of the dawn was already slithering its way into the library, extending itself through the open windows and door. The breeze coming in brought with itself that peculiar smell of a sunny morning following a rainy night.
I deliberately took a long time preparing the tea, pondering my options. The obvious choice was to visit the Princesses. Using the Elements of Harmony was the only safe way to defeat Discord.
All i had to do was gather all six and...
And Rainbow Dash was not going to comply. To use the Elements, she had to be willing... and the creature possessing her would have never wanted to come close to the elements, let alone use them. And i knew too well that using the elements without all of them being present and ready was pointless.
I evaluated other options; my spell seemed to control the affection, but while that could limit the symptoms, it didn’t seem to cure the disease, that is, to expel the creature. And even then, i didn’t know whether i could keep it up forever...
I returned to Zecora. She was standing, eyes closed, mumbling to herself; i noticed her mumbling had the same poetic cadence of her normal speech. For a few seconds i stood still, wondering whether i should interject. I tried to understand what she was saying, eventually realizing she was speaking in her native language.
“Do you think we should warn the princesses?” i asked.
“The first time they tried to hold it at bay
They had no other defense than locking it away.
Perhaps they have the power to contrast our foe
But for Rainbow Dash, it will mean utter woe”
“They may have locked up the creature, but it doesn’t mean they’d do the same to Rainbow Dash!”
“The Princess would risk the safety of the nation
To save just one pony from devastation?”
She sounded genuinely incredulous, to the point she had me question my certainty about it. I decided i was right- the Princesses would never imprison an innocent.
“Of course!” i said “They would never abandon one of their subjects.”
“If you think you can give them your trust
Then i will help you do what we must
Let us send word that we need their aid
And hope I’m wrong to be afraid.”
She remained with her mouth open, as if to say something more, then changed her mind. For a little while i waited, wondering if she had other doubts or if i should say anything. I took a sip of hot tea, hoping it would help me to stay awake. I brought quill, ink and paper to the table.
Having decided to write to the Princesses, there still was the issue of deciding what to write. I felt secure, at least, in the fact that this time i had not done anything wrong. At the same time i felt somewhat guilty in doing it. Maybe it was because the last time i had spoken to Celestia about this matter, i had disappointed her more than ever in my life. But as i lifted the quill and prepared to write, another though entered my mind. That i felt somewhat loyal to the creature. It had said i had a reason not to betray it, and at the time i didn’t mind that too much. Now that i knew what the creature served, i should have cared even less. Still, there was something, some kind of connection with that creature which i felt bad about breaking.
I slowly pushed myself to write the first words.

Dear Princess Celestia

I stopped, again. How exactly could i convey the gravity of the situation?
Zecora looked at me, puzzled.
“What is wrong with you, Twilight?
What is the cause of this sudden affrigh?”
“I... i don’t know.”
“I taught you stay focused in the face of fear
Don’t let your worry get to you here.”
“You’re right. What do you think i should write?”
“I don’t know the formalities of your princess’ court
But given the circumstances, we should probably cut short.
We need to tell them the creature is at large
And hope they’re wise in how they take charge.”
“You’re right.”
I quickly wrote:
Dear Princess Celestia
Even though we thought the creature from the Canterlot Dungeon was defeated, it is still free. We need assistance to rid Rainbow Dash from its

I hesitated again. The word possession had an unpleasant feel, as though even writing it could make me a little sick.

possession and return it to its prison. Using the elements is not possible as it seems more than able to control Rainbow’s actions. Please answer immediately.

Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.

Zecora nodded in agreement. Without even bothering to tie up the message, i ran to Spike. The dragon had just woken up; he was still yawning, his eyes betraying the desire to get right back to sleep. Pewee was flying around him, loudly tweeting and chirping. The little phoenix had proven to be the most efficient alarm clock and i was ever grateful for her capacity to get spike out of bed at reasonable hours.
“Look alive, Spike! I have a letter to send!”
He mumbled something incomprehensible and most likely unpleasant.
“Just one little letter, Spike. Come on, it’s important.”
I handed him the page. Pewee landed on the dragon’s shoulder, with its eyes wide open and looking intently at the writing. Ever since she had arrived at the library, i had noticed how the written word tended to confuse and interest the little phoenix in equal measure.
Spike looked at the page with half-open eyes. Slowly and sleepily he breathed in a few times and finally sent the letter.
“And don’t go back to sleep, we’re waiting for a reply.”
He mumbled something else and walked to the bathroom.
We waited for a little while, saying nothing. Around us the noises of the village waking up could barely penetrate the walls and reached us reduced to faint, indistinguishable echoes.
We waited. Every second felt longer than the previous one. Zecora wasn’t very talkative, as usual.
During the time i had been training with her, we spent very little time in idle chat, and now was no difference; if anything, the gravity of the situation was even more reason to avoid small talk.
I realized there was one thing i had to ask.
“You said zebras know Discord as Laughing Lord? What does he look like in your culture?”
After a sigh, she answered.
“A demon of chaos, always wearing a smile
Powerful, crazy, and endlessly vile
He dances a dance since the beginning of time
and invites all creatures to join in his rhyme.
He can create nothing, and nothing destroys
but all that exists he transforms in his toys;
they say he took magic when it was but a dim light
and transformed a small power into incredible might
all wizard and sages in my land pay their due
for they say if you displease Him, he may destroy you.
For centuries he has been kept away from our land
But everyone knows his danger is still grand.
Few worship him and would like him to be back
Many more would rather repel his attack.”
“So there are zebras in you land who serve Discord. This would never happen in Equestria...”
“I wouldn’t be sure they don’t exist at all
The power of chaos does many enthrall
They hide and plot from behind the shades
Ponies disguised with many charades.”
I didn’t know how to answer. Perhaps we should have looked into these chaos-worshiping ponies at a later date; now, the creature of the caverns was our priority. I was surprised no reply had arrived yet.
“Spike!” i called.
He didn’t reply.
“SPIKE!”
Still no reply.
Without saying a single word, bot of us sprung up and ran to the bathroom.
I stopped when i saw the immobile purple body lying on the floor.
“Spike!” i ran to check on him. He seemed to have hit his head on the floor so hard it had knocked him out.
“Twilight! Quickly, look that way!
That creature is carrying a scroll away!”
It took me a few seconds to process both Zecora’s instruction and the fact that she had found a way to rhyme even in this state of urgency. I looked where she was pointing. A creature was, indeed, carrying off a scroll with the Royal Seal.
It was Peewee.
I telekinetically took hold of the scroll and tugged it towards me. The force with which the phoenix pulled almost knocked me down. I struggled to keep control against its enormous brute strength, pushing my power to the limit. I could not believe it: a creature so small pulled harder than a whole stampede.
I was afraid to be locked in a stalemate, because my endurance wouldn’t have held for long, not against such a monstrous opponent.
Suddenly, i felt the phoenix’s strength fading. Zecora, standing beside me, was staring at Peewee with incredible intensity. She muttered a few, incomprehensible words; i felt the phoenix weakening her grip and pulled harder. Peewee’s little claws started scathing the paper, desperately trying to hold on.
I let her have it for a fraction of a second, just enough for her to let her guard down. Then i threw all my remaining strength in one last pull. The scroll fell to the ground in front of me.
The the phoenix shrieked.
It wasn’t its normal voice. It wasn’t any voice. It was a deafeningly loud, unnatural screech, resembling a train’s brakes more than the sound made by a living being. After that, it flew off to the east, its brightly-colored body quickly disappearing in the light of the sun.
“How could that little phoenix have such strength in its wings?
Ever since that day in Canterlot, we’re surrounded by mysterious things.”
“That day in Canterlot... That’s it! How have i been able to ignore it until now? Peewee was the first to enter the crystal cave! It was the first one to be possessed... that’s how the creature from the cave was able to know we were there! It has been spying on me ever since!”
“So its might is a reflection of the creature’s dark magic
And it’s flown out of our reach; the situation is tragic.”
“It didn’t want us to read the letter... this must mean it’s onto us. I just hope the spell i cast to protect Rainbow lasts at least until she gets back.”
“Read the Princess letter and see what she said
I’ll make sure Spike didn’t injure his head.”
I nodded and picked up the letter. Despite the scratches, it was still readable.
What struck me first was how short and concise it was, devoid of the flourishes and embellishments of Celestia’s prose.

The situation is dire. Tell no one of what you know: the enemy has spies. Come to Canterlot at once, alone; the Elements of Harmony won’t be able to help us this time. Make haste. We need to stop Starswirl before it’s too late.

First Step

The Road less traveled
[…]Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost, The road not taken

This is an account of the events which took place after the defeat of the Changeling Army and before the Great Rebirth. I am committing this to print so that the future generations may learn from the mistakes of the past.
This is the story of how Equestria changed.
This is the story of how I learned from my own mistakes.
This is the story of how I walked down the road less traveled.

It was a bright Canterlot day; the Sun shone more brightly than ever, and the summer heat was almost unbearable. The temperature in Canterlot has always had a tendency to the extreme: it’s either frozen cold in winter or fiendishly hot in summer, with little or nothing in between.
Princess Celestia often spent her days in the many inner gardens of the castle, in the shadow of the gazebos and besides the beautiful decorated fountains. It was there that I met her that day, in the late morning; she had just finished discussing with a group of magistrates concerning some small legal matter. I didn’t pay much attention to it; I was just glad I could have a little of the Princess’ time.
She nodded me to come to her table and signaled one of her servants to come pour us some tea.
“Have you been enjoying Canterlot this far?” she asked.
“Of course” I answered “I’m always glad to be back. And so are my friends… even though I think we’ll have to be leaving soon.”
“I see. I understand that you’ll have to be back to your duties. Stay as long as you want. Now, was there an issue you wanted to discuss with me?”
“Yes. You remember how I and Cadence were trapped in the gem caves beneath the castle?”
“Of course. All of Equestria will be talking about it by now.”
“Yes… well, I wanted to investigate the caverns further. I have researched their history, and it appears no-one has mapped or fully explored them in centuries, so…”
“That is out of the question” the Princess answered with severity “You have emerged from there once, and that should be sufficient. You shouldn’t risk any further by returning in the cave.”
I feebly attempted a response, but I stopped immediately. In my years as the Princess’ student, I had learned to know her expressions well, and now I was certain she wasn’t going to budge on the matter.
“I suppose I’ll have to find something else to do.”
The Princess smiled again. As she did, the sun itself seemed to shine more brightly.
“Don’t think about those caverns anymore” she said “By tomorrow I’ll have them sealed and I’ll make sure no-one can risk their life down there anymore. Now, if you don’t mind, I have matters to attend to…”
“Certainly.”
I bowed my head slightly and walked away.
Disappointed as I was, I fully accepted the Princess’ decision. I was certain she had good reasons, even more so because of the nagging sensation that in the very moment I mentioned returning to the caves, I had caught a glimpse of fear in her eyes.

As I walked out of the castle and into the bustling streets of the city, I pondered on how to break the news to Spike and Rarity. I had promised them to take them with me in the exploration, and there was no doubt their heart was set on the idea.
I began wondering if it had been a mistake to even tell them. Of course I wanted to share with them the experience, but their interest in the gems wasn't exactly scientific. I doubted they would actually take them, but perhaps it was a risk which was better not to take.
At about noon I arrived at the train station. Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie were already there. We were all going to say goodbye to Applejack and Fluttershy, who were returning to Ponyville already; neither of them could stay away from their duties too much, and in addition to that I was fairly sure they didn't enjoy the crowding and confusion of Canterlot.
I have often pondered if the events that followed would've been different if they had stayed longer. I have concluded that what happened was my doing, and mine only. Their presence might have made my choice a harder one, but I would've ultimately walked the same path.
We chatted for a while, waiting for the rest of our friends. I don't recall exactly what we talked about. It was probably a subject of no consequence-perhaps about the high prices of Canterlot, or our projects for the day, or those rumours floating around about Changeling spies.
Rarity, Spike and Rainbow Dash arrived shortly thereafter; it was normal for Rarity to be fashionably late, and I had stopped hoping to see punctuality in Spike a long time ago; Rainbow's lateness was a recent development however. Since the day after the wedding she had started to disappear most of the time, especially in the evening, and she wouldn't tell us why; we were quite sure it had something to do with the Wonderbolts, but none of us knew what exactly.
The goodbye was quick. We were going to see each other again in a few days anyway. Afterwards, Rainbow tried to run off again, but Pinkie decided to tackle her and we all knew she wouldn't let her get away.
Rarity, Spike and I began walking back to the castle. I explained them the Princess' refusal; needless to say, they didn't take it well.

Rarity for a few seconds stood there with the same disappointed face of a filly who just lost her favourite toy.
“But… but…”
“Yes…?”
“This isn’t fair!” Rarity stomped her front hooves on the ground. “Such a cornucopia of gems right under our hooves and we can’t even see it?”
“This bites!” commented Spike. “What’s so bad about the cave? You and Cadence came out of that all right, didn’t you?”
“Yes, Spike, but this doesn’t mean they are not dangerous. We survived Discord, but you wouldn’t want to meet him again, would you?”
“Oh, come on! What is the worst thing that could happen in there?”
“Well, aside from the obvious danger of a cave-in, the gems are reactive to magic. It’s impossible to teleport from inside the caverns, which means that if we remained trapped anywhere in any of the several crevices, we…”
“Twilight, darling, don’t get yourself too worried. I understand the Princess has her reasons. We’ll just have to come to terms with the fact that the marvelous crystals which are but a step away will be lost forever and we’ll never have a chance to discover their certainly incredible properties and value. But, what else could we do? We certainly couldn’t disobey the Princess, no matter how fabulous the treasure we are missing is. Isn’t that right? There is no contravening a royal order, even for an incommensurately precious…”
“I get the point. We’re still not going. I’m as disappointed as you are that we’ll never get to study those gems. But Princess Celestia is immovable. There’s nothing we can do. “
“I understand fully.”
I looked at Rarity’s perfect smile. “You’re planning to sneak in, are you?”
Rarity fluttered her eyelashes. “I would never dream of it.”
For some reason, I decided to believe that.
I spent the rest of the day in the library, looking to see if there was any more information concerning the Canterlot caves; I was determined to find out more, whether I could verify it by myself or not. Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything I didn't already know. The little information there was, was scattered among myriads of volumes, to the point that in days of study all I had gathered was that they had indeed been used as a prison, as Chrysalis had said. It was kept safe by the powers of the gems, which could reflect magic spells and made teleportation from the caves impossible. There were few mentions of notable prisoners, but nothing that was more recent than eight hundred years prior, and none of the names was even remotely familiar. The only thing that struck me, insignificant as it was, was that the one who had studied the magic properties of the gems was Clover the Clever; I smiled thinking of how we seemed to be somewhat interconnected.

That night, I couldn't sleep. I had remained up relatively late revising my meagre findings, but nothing else had emerged. When I finally returned to bed, the many things on my mind assaulted me all at once. The caves, the gems, Clover the Clever, Rarity and Spike, Rainbow's secret, the Changeling conspiracies, Celestia's refusal and above all that nagging sensation that had been riding on my back all day, that glimmer of fear in the Princess' eye at the mention of the cave.
Was she really afraid, or was I just mistaken? And even then, what could she be scared of?
She was a goddess, after all.

Although...

Celestia's defeat at the hoof of Chrysalis had been for me, like for many others, a debilitating blow Even though we ultimately won the battle, and even though we witnessed the might of Shining Armour's and Cadence's love, it was terrible to see the one we thought was the ultimate force of good and Harmony humiliated and captured.
Maybe she was still shaken, I thought. Maybe the reason she was so worried was that she felt vulnerable after such an ordeal and, given some time, she'd come to agree that it was better to explore the danger than to seal it away.
Maybe, I thought, I just had to wait.
Maybe if I asked Luna she would know more, or at least know how to explain her sister's decision. I walked to the window, now quite certain I wasn't going to get any sleep that night; Luna's silhouette was easy to see, standing guard on the tower at the opposite end of the castle.
I could just go ask her.
She would know more.
I picked up my notes and walked out in the corridor. The marble floors and decorated columns had an ominous look at night; the dimly lit archways seemed to lead into realms of shadows where nothing could be seen or heard. I walked by Spike's room and considered waking him up. No use, I resolved; while he was sleeping, not even a Sonic Rainboom could wake him up.
My path towards Luna's guard tower took me right in front of the cellar door which led down towards the opening of the caves.
The term “cellar door” might be misleading; rather than a simple trap door opening in the ground, it was a proper, solid wood door, which lead to one of the many underground storage rooms in the castle. It still bore the signs of having been forced open as Cadence and I were escaping.
While passing, I noticed that the door was slightly open; at first I didn't pay too much attention to it, but then I considered how important that door was. Could the princess, in the wake of an invasion, really leave it unguarded and, above all, open?
I remembered that behind the door was a narrow stairway leading into the storage room; the caverns themselves were accessible through a wide crack in that room's floor.
I peeked through the opening in the door. For a fleeting second, I caught a glimpse of a cold, white light at the opposite end on the room, which then disappeared.
I considered my options. I was certain there were guards near; I could've gone looking for help.
I could have.
But I also could have gone and checked by myself. By then, I had already faced greater dangers that a few thieves, or changelings, or anything that was there.
But I was never alone when I did. Asking for help was definitely the wisest thing to do.
But maybe it was really nothing. Perhaps the light I had seen was the guards; perhaps it was better to survey the situation further before making a decision.
I cautiously walked down the stairs in the total darkness. When I was closer to the crack, I was able to distinctly see that the light was coming from down there.
At that point I was determined to find out what was going on; the cold breeze coming from the caverns surrounded me when I was a few paces away.
I walked all the way to the crevice and looked down; the white light had moved away from the opening, but its rays were still visible.
I remembered that right below the cellar lied a rocky platform, surrounded on three sides by rock formations and, on the fourth, overlooking a precipice. It was on there that I and Cadence had faced the three possessed bridesmaids. From there to the gem caverns the only way was to fly across the precipice, or to climb to the railway and from there into the cave. I had prepared the equipment to climb safely across, but right then it was all lying inside my room, cleaned, ready and useless.
I tried setting my hoof on the pile of debris leading into the cave. A few pebbles rolled down. I repressed an imprecation and attempted to land the next hoof more softly. Slowly but steadily I made my way down. As I set foot on the solid rock, I looked up across the platform and saw the intruders. There were two of them. The first was a unicorn clad in a black lace dress; the light came from her horn. The second was also dressed in black, but it was smaller. Almost like...
“Spike?”
The two turned around suddenly.
“Twilight?!” they asked in unison.
“Rarity?!”
It was indeed her. Her skill in camouflage was, to say the least, unique. Like spike, she was wearing a black cat-suit, but unlike him she had decided to “improve” it with a skirt, a hat and several tons of lace and tulle. The result was about as subtle as a manticore at a tea party.
For a few seconds I remained dumbfounded, wondering exactly what had possessed them to come down here alone, and, black suits notwithstanding, unequipped.

“You promised not to come down here!” I finally yelled.
“Well” answered Rarity “technically I promised that I wouldn't dream of it, and you have to agree, not sleeping is the only way to be sure... and since I was awake...”
“Yes. Sure. Anything you say.” I was quite offended by her puerile excuses. She had promised not to go and blatantly broken her word. Of course she was curious, but so was I, and I didn't...
I suddenly realized that I, indeed, did.
I decided to change tone. “What are you two doing down here by yourselves?” I asked, with a less accusing and more inquisitive tone.
Spike and Rarity looked at each other in the eyes. They then smiled guiltily.
“I see. Well, you won't go far. The walls of this gap are far too steep to climb down, and none of us can fly, as far as I remember.
Spike grinned. “You might want to double-check,” he put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly; the echo multiplied the sound until all the cavern was filled by distorted, cacophonic whistling.
Shortly after, a faint fiery glow came flying from the other side of the crevice; as it approached closer, I recognized it as Peewee.
The phoenix quietly landed on Spike's shoulder, then chirped as she rubbed her head against his.
Spike grinned so hard his face almost split in two.
“Peewee one, Twilight zero.”
“Well. I see you thought ahead. So, do you expect her to...?”
The phoenix suddenly stood up and started chirping. It went on for a while, flying around, tweeting and chirping incessantly and with a semblance of pattern and coherency. Her description was most certainly extensive and informative, if not for the fact that none of us spoke phoenix.
After a few minutes, she was done and sat back on Spike's shoulder with a satisfied expression.
“Was I supposed to be impressed by that?”
“Well, if you...”
Spike stopped suddenly and brought his hands to his belly, groaning.
“Is something wrong...?”
He groaned again. Rarity and I went closer; before we could do anything, a green flame almost blinded us as Spike belched what seemed to be a scroll.
The three of us gathered around it. Perhaps it had been too generous to call it a scroll. It was a small, ruined and torn piece of parchment. On it were four words:

HELP ME

WALK DOWN