MLP ~ The Song of Seven

by ScarletSet

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Original Character, Apple Bloom, Comedy, Adventure, Lightning Dust
Length: 138226

An Original Generation Story. When a rampaging dragon chases Lightning Bug deep into Mercurial Mountains, she thinks her luck can't get any worse. Instead she finds new friends, a place to belong, and an ancient mystery about the Seventh Alicorn.

...And so the Alicorns divided the three tribes amongst themselves, that one pair may rule over each nation. But the Wanderer had no tribe and no nation of her own, so instead she gave the gift of art and music to be shared by all, that all may live in harmony...

An Original Generation Story

Every pony knows that unicorns live in Lustre, pegasi in Meteoras, and galloway in Sylvain, and some think it should stay that way. The three nations don’t hate each other, but they definitely don’t like each other, especially now. Something is riling up the monsters and beasts of Cabalos and the nation’s leaders don’t know what to do. Unfortunately with generations of suspicion and pride to weigh them down, it looks like each nation will have to solve the problem on their own…

The village of Harmony wouldn’t know any of that. Deep in the secluded Valley of Life hidden in the Mercurial Mountains, this secret community lives in serenity with the world around them and each other and it’s been that ways for generations without anyone from the outside ever finding them.

That is until outsiders enter the valley, the first in a long time. One wouldn’t expect to find a hidden pocket of civilization all the way out here. Lightning Bug has never been good at making friends, but she manages to find a place to belong in this strange, happy town.
But with a rampaging dragon prowling outside, and something ancient and angry lurking beneath the mountains, none of them could go home even if they wanted to, not until their new home is safe. The six friends; outsiders and locals, will learn and grow together as heroes not just for the valley of life, but perhaps for all of Cabalos as well.

Special thanks to Pfeffaroo for the wonderful coverart!

Published 2021-09-03 05:30:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-16 16:00:27 UTC

Premiere - Prologue

In all of the world of Cabalos, no place was nearly as deadly and desolate as the Badlands that sat in the center of the continent and scraped the surrounding territories with its silver mountaintops. The frigid north of Lustre couldn’t compare, nor the dark deepwood of Sylvain, nor even the murky black waters to the far east of Meteoras. The only place worse had to be the Dragon Lands, far to the south, and perhaps the only thing worse than the Badlands or Dragons would be choosing between the two of them. So to say the captain and his men were between a rock and a hard place sold the whole ordeal awfully short.

The captain flapped his mighty armored wings and raced through the gray skies. The clouds billowed above and below him in great, dark clumps. The air tingled ever so slightly. There was a storm coming, which wasn’t exactly a good thing, but it may be the only chance they had to lose their pursuers.

The only snag was that the storm proper was gathering above a massive wall of cloud and mist, and beyond that was the Mercurial Mountains. They were already headed in this direction, but to willingly go any further would breach the ancient treaties set by the Alicorns thousands of years ago. He had a feeling they’d understand given their situation. Protocol said that under the direst circumstances any soldier had the right to turn tail and regroup, but these soldiers had placed their trust in him, and he wasn’t going to let them down. Even if that meant jumping straight into the fire.

The captain turned to his men as he flew. They numbered barely a dozen. They were all tired from the chase; their wings flapped furiously, their eyes were dim and lifeless, their armor and helmets were dented and chipped, and their worn out hooves hung uselessly below them as they flew.

They looked to him earnestly for reprieve, or directions for where to find it. He knew his men were dreading the descent, some thought that it would be from bad to worse to escape into forbidden territory, but he knew they didn’t have a choice.

Their chance of survival rested upon his shoulders, as well as the one pegasus scout who trailed in the back. She glanced around with wide eyes, a pale face, and a wingspeed that barely kept up with the others. Whether either of them liked it or not, she was his trump card, all they had to do was lead their enemy into the heart of the storm.

“Don’t be afraid, men!” Captain Maelstrom shouted. “Eyes straight ahead, ears open, wings out and proud!” His soldiers struggled to keep up with him, but he could tell they were trying. They tried to look brave and capable in front of him. “Remember, a true Meteoran can feel the enemy coming a mile away. The wind on their feathers tells all! You’ll know when to stop flying.”

The scout didn’t even bother trying to look brave. She looked absolutely miserable as she sped through the stormy clouds, her mane a mess just like her brethren, wings tired and about ready to give out. The captain disengaged and floated gently to the back of the group. He reached the scout and flew in place with her, and their eyes met. Her coat was a golden yellow, her mane black with a streak or two of color, and her brand was a ricocheting lightning bolt. Judging from her sad, aimless stare, she was probably thinking the same thing he was: Why was she here? Why was this young filly racing across the border to escape Brothers knew what? Why couldn’t she have a safe job back home on a production line, or on a railway, or at her family’s business, like other ponies her age?

Even for a decorated captain of many years like himself, hammering tacks into a railway or assembling horseshoes on a conveyor belt had its appeal at the moment.

“Now listen, Private. This is all according to plan,” he told her firmly. “Even if we can’t lose them in the clouds, we can catch them in the storm.”

The scout nodded sullenly. A nearby flash of lightning made her yelp.

“That’s exactly what we want!” the captain said as he pointed. “Once we reach the eye of the storm, I’ll send you up to get rid of the whole problem.”

The scout gawked at him. She seemed to wait for him to change his mind. She opened her mouth to protest but he cut her off. “Don’t you worry one bit. I’ll have your back the whole time. We all will. We believe in your strength.”

The captain’s ear twitched at a familiar sound. One of the other soldiers scoffed and cast a wary glance their way. He looked away just in time for the captain to glare in his direction.

“Maybe while we’re believing in her, we should ask the unicorns for help.” One soldier hollered to another, as if the captain couldn’t hear him.

“Or maybe the Brothers themselves will swoop in to save us.” Another added. “Yeah, that’s gonna happen.” And everyone let out a sad, tired laugh. Everyone except the scout of course, and the captain. He didn’t care if they had no more patience for the young scout, if they wanted to survive this, they’d best do as well as he hoped.

“Captain, here they come!” Maelstrom checked their six and watched as several dots appeared behind the clouds.

“Mountchasers, maybe?” a soldier asked hopefully. “It’s just been mountchasers this whole time, right? The other guys probably already gave up…” But then a peculiar smell burned in their nostrils. A smell like smoke and sulfur.

Dragons. You can always smell dragons before you see them. Upwind no less.

A chorus of screeches filled the air.

“Hold formation! Do not engage until I say so! Keep flying to the storm!” Maelstrom called. He took the lead again. “Fly, men! FLY!”

Dragons of all shapes and sizes broke through the clouds. Their leathery wings sliced through the air and carried them closer and closer to their prey. Their teeth and eyes glistened as the sky grew darker and the thunder rumbled around them. A flash of lightning made the scout scream and duck her head, just in time to escape a sudden swipe from a taloned fingertip.

“They’re getting real close, Captain!” a pegasus called out worriedly.

Maelstrom looked to the gray, spiky mountain range that raced beneath them. The stormwall was dangerously close. Now or never. “Follow me, soldiers!” And the captain dove. “Dive men, dive!” The other pegasus did the same.

The Scout was the last to follow. She couldn’t seem to nail the dive in time. A dragon lunged its snakey neck and opened its double-hinged jaw. A jet of fire nearly took her tail off.

The captain waited until he could see the scout again before he gave more orders. “Speed it up! Private, let’s move!” They all flapped their wings harder and let their momentum propel them along. The Scout’s pace was wanting. She tailed behind even further.

The Scout’s eyes wandered to a mountain peak far ahead. The captain followed her gaze. He spotted a shape shuffling up the peaks of one of the mountains. Monsters looking for an easy snack, perhaps? Do the local fauna know to watch for straggling pegasi who fly too close?

The creature seemed awfully big compared to its surroundings, perhaps an optical illusion at play. Its red eyes flashed as they drew near. It bared its fangs and readied its claws.

It was another dragon. A huge, grounded dragon.

His morbid observation kept him from reacting in time as the dragon whipped its tail in their direction. The gust of wind it made nearly broke their formation. It reared back on its haunches as it prepared to leap into the air, right for the scout.

“Not this time!” A soldier cawed as he dove for the dragon. “I ain’t afraid of you!”

The captain called after him. “Don’t you dare-- hey!!”

And then another screech. The dragons were upon them. They were everywhere. The pegasi’s formation fell apart as soldiers flew to their companions’ sides as they were overtaken, or broke away to avoid pursuit. A duo of dragons seized the fool soldier and were already carrying him away.

Another screech, more of a howl. The dragon below lept into the air, straight for them. Its size was no trick of the eye. It was huge. It was easily double the size of any dragon they had ever seen, maybe triple. Their leader perhaps?

“Break away! Now! NOW!”

Dragon and pegasus alike dove out of the way to escape the dragon’s path. It flew straight past them and into another peak. Its huge talons dug into the silvery rock and held it still. Its tail lashed through the air in slow, titanic sweeps that whisked the clouds away. It opened its maw and howled again.

“What type of dragon is that? It’s ginormous!” a soldier cried.

“Pay it no mind! Bring me back our soldier!” The captain said.

The captain’s second-in-command took advantage of the confusion and flew after his taken comrade. A hard, four-hooved stomp to one of the dragon’s back and a headbutt into the other’s chin knocked the soldier free from their grasp. He caught the soldier right as he would have fallen down below and carried him on his back to the others. He let him slide off into the air once he collected himself.

The captain glared at the fool soldier. “There’s no room for heroes here! Jovan favors the wise!” Another screech told the party that the dragons were reconverging. “And now you’ve done it! They’re all riled up!” Captain Maelstrom cast a discerning eye across the playing field, and then looked skyward. The stormwall was within spitting distance, and the dark clouds were now completely overhead. “SCOUT!” he called. “Get up here, now!”

The Scout gulped and did as she was told. Her head was ducked slightly as she flew up to her captain. He pointed above them with his chin. “When I tell you so, you are to fly up there alone and turn the storm in our favor. Understood?” The scout sheepishly nodded. “Good.” The Captain called to the rest of his men. “We’re just about in the center of it now, so we engage! Stick to your wingman and remember your evasive maneuvers! Risk no injury from claw or flame!”

“SIR YES SIR!” The bellow of hearty, angry voices answered his call. The pegasus soldiers dispersed in pairs and raced to meet the oncoming dragons.

The scout dutifully followed her captain higher and higher still into the storm. He hoped she was relieved to be away from the fighting, but when he looked at her, she seemed even more despondent than before. She probably felt bad for the soldier who nearly got carried away trying to save her.

The captain reached out a hoof and touched her shoulder. “Almost there, Private. Just do this and we can all go home. Once you’re in the center just--” A shrieking shape piled into the captain and sent him hurtling. The scout watched in horror as he tumbled through the air. He righted himself just in time as the dragon dove after him again. He flew to the side as it followed. “Forget about me! Show them what you’re made of!” Another pegasus came to the captain’s aid, and the Scout was left alone to continue her ascent.

The captain watched her rise into the air. He watched as she spread out her wings and closed her eyes. Her face scrunched and she bowed her head. The wind began to steady, and flashes of lightning appeared more and more frequently.

Once she reached the center, the wind and thunder increased in intensity. She concentrated and raised her forelegs out. The wind kept any dragon from pursuing her. Some stopped to watch the phenomenon take place.

The captain just finished kicking his dragon pal in the head and sent it tumbling into the mountains below. “Atta girl,” he called. “Show ‘em what Clan Mistral’s gift can do! Give them something they’ll never forget!” Almost there. They were almost there.

A scream pierced the windy sky. The captain jerked his head and watched as a pegasus was caught in the clutch of a dragon. Another dragon had lit a soldier’s wing on fire and chased him as he spun out of control. Two more fought in vain to free their friend from the constricting coils of a dragon’s tail.

To his horror, the captain saw the scout had stopped concentrating. The momentum of the storm had not ceased. It now whipped violently out of control. Lightning and thunder billowed around them, but the only thing the scout could do was watch as her brethren were overrun.

A dragon pounded into the captain and drove him against a cliffside. He wrestled with his draconic partner and bucked it away. “Now’s the time!” He called up to the scout.

“I can’t!” The scout cried. “Sir, I can’t!”

“Yes you can! Don’t worry about us! Just focus on the storm! Just focus on--”

The behemoth dragon, as if from nowhere, sprang through the clouds and caught the captain’s wing with its claws. He was sent into a freefall. He screamed and clutched his throbbing wing as the wind and the clouds and the sounds of battle sped above and away from him. The dreary landscape below grew closer and closer.

“Captain?! Captain!” The last thing Maelstrom heard was the private helplessly call after him as he plummeted below. He felt the energy crackling in the air, the wind whipping against everything it could, and then release as the clouds erupted into a massive thunderstorm. Lightning struck everything. It struck the dragons above, it struck the mountains, it struck him. Maelstrom, sore and singed, watched as the scout’s limp shape fell into the clouds. He lost consciousness before he even hit the ground.

The world once belonged to the dragons. They were the kings and queens, but they were not kind rulers. They abused and destroyed the very land that was their home. The scorched earth could give no life, and there were no rivers or trees, or animals to live in them. The dragons were content in letting the very world that birthed them fall to ruin as they hoarded their treasures and snuffed out what little life they could find.

But then, from nowhere, as if to answer the planet’s own cry for help, seven magical creatures appeared. They had mighty hooves, strong powerful wings, and beautiful horns upon their heads.

The Seven Alicorns had arrived, and with their wisdom and magic, they drove the dragons back to the desolate wastes where they first came from. They healed the land and brought forth new life upon it. Birds and fish filled the sea and skies, and then creatures of every shape and size walked upon the earth.

Of all the creatures, none were more numerous or more beloved by the Alicorns than the ponies. They were hardworking and loyal creatures, and the Alicorns loved them dearly for their kind hearts. They decided that these little ponies deserved places to call home in the new land.

The Alicorns built great cities for the three tribes on separate sections of the land. The Alicorns decided amongst themselves that the three tribes would be protected by one pair of Alicorns each, and so they divided the land and the people amongst themselves, and set out to do what they thought best for their people,

In the cold mountains to the west, the Sisters founded the Holy Kingdom of Lustre, where the wise and calm unicorn ponies could study magic. The Brothers created the Meteoran Empire amongst the islands and shorelines to the east, where their hardy and brave pegasus ponies could fly free along the seas and skies. The Lovers went deep into the woods of the south and named the land Sylvain, where the jolly galloway ponies could till the land and grow food. This was the founding of the three nations.

The Dragons and other dangerous creatures still crept upon the land, and so the Alicorns bestowed the three nations with gifts to protect themselves. They blessed their horns, wings and hooves with a bit of their own power. They sat upon their thrones and watched over their people. The Alicorns ruled over the three nations with wisdom and grace, and they named the new world Cabalos.

But the seventh Alicorn, the Wanderer, had no kingdom, and did not partake in choosing a tribe. But to every tribe the Wanderer visited, and with her she brought the gift of song and music and art, so that everyone may tell stories and sing beautiful songs about their new home.

It was the Wanderer’s wish that even if she were gone, even if the ponies became separate from each other, they could always remember the songs they sang together and dream of great stories to tell once they met again. Her dream was that they would all may live in harmony with each other, and the world.

Echo Shade smiled to herself as the last of her magical display faded into the air. The little patch of grass that served as her stage was now lightly dusted by tiny particles of magic. The colorful shapes of light and smoke were now only vague afterimages, fading away.

The rest of the town was moving about busily in the background. This was the only spot she could find with enough elbow room to screen her new performance to a willing audience. Echo had come up with this performance all on her own. Normally she’d tell the traditional tale of Harmony for the festival using her special light magic, but for today she wanted to try something new and tell a story of her own, just for practice of course. The festival wouldn't be for another few days.

She turned eagerly to her audience of two to hear what they had to say. One was a unicorn colt with a blue coat, the other was a cloud-colored pegasus filly. They were both pretty young, and though they already had their brands they still counted as foals, and as it were they were both siblings. They had sat on their haunches as they listened to her story.

They also happened to look a little perplexed, maybe even a little unsure. The filly was smiling at least, but the colt kept opening and closing his mouth as he grasped for words.

“So.....?” Echo Shade prodded. The two were still quiet. “What did you think?”

The colt cleared his throat. “Well,” Smokey Sky said as he brought a hoof to his chin. “It certainly was… saccharine. And bright.”

“And showy!” Snow Feather added cheerily with a flap of her wings. “Bright and showy!”

“Colorful…”

“Very colorful! I loved how the Seven Alicorns each had a color of the Rainbow. It was so pretty!”

That was in fact a detail that Echo was very proud of herself.

“It was maybe a little, iunno…” The colt brought up another hoof and gave a shrug. “A little distracting?”

“It was so distracting!” Snowy said as if it were the best thing in the world. “People are gonna stop in their trots just to watch the whole thing!”

Echo stepped closer and lowered her head as she listened. She kept nodding and nodding at them to urge them on. “...And?” she smiled.

“But it wasn’t… well,” The colt’s eyes shifted between his sister and Echo. Snowy wore a forced grin.

“Yes?” Echo said.

“Y’know, topical.” Smokey said carefully.

Echo’s smile disappeared. “What do you mean? I had the dragons and alicorns and everything! Didn’t you see?”

“Yeah sure, but that was also ninety percent of the whole presentation?” Smokey continued. “You obviously worked very hard on the visuals and the story of the alicorns… but what about the whole other half? The whole point of Harmony Heritage Holiday is to talk about the founding of the town of Harmony, not some alicorn epic you wrote up.”

“Yeah buh-but…” Echo stammered. “I just provided a setup, that’s all! You… you need to understand the Alicorns to properly appreciate Harmony’s founding!”

“Did you even finish writing the next part of the presentation?” Smoky asked. “Or did you spend this whole time using your light magic to draw up dragons?” Echo opened her mouth to speak, but thought better.

“I mean, it was very pretty…” Snowy offered.

“Well sure, but couldn’t it have been pretty and complete?” Smoky prodded an open book by his side. “You’re wasting time on the Alicorns and the Wanderer when you could be talking about the first generation and Sir Rat Tail.”

“But of course!” Echo said matter-of-factly. “Rat Tail was a staunch follower of her beliefs, so it’s already very important. And it makes it so much more exciting.”

“It was exciting!” Snowy affirmed apologetically. “No doubt about that!”

“It’s just…” Smoky scratched the back of his neck with his hoof. “When people expect a presentation from a Lorekeeper, they tend to expect something more accurate and less creative.”

“So, what’s wrong with a little creativity?” Echo asked. “Creativity captures the imagination of the young, and makes for a very exciting start to the rest of the festival -- for anybody!”

“Yes, Echo Shade, there’s nothing wrong having a little fun,” an old, weathered voice interrupted. Echo was startled. She and the two looked over and not three trots away stood an elder stallion. He was a gray unicorn with bushy eyebrows, a thin face, and a few ceremonial robes wrapped around his shoulders. Apparently he had been standing and watching them for some time. It was Tall Tail, her teacher.

Echo immediately gave a curt bow, and the stallion nodded back. Smokey bowed as well, but he had to bop his sister on the head to get her head down properly.

“But,” the Stallion said as he trotted over. “The point of Harmony Heritage Holiday is understanding the true story, the one Rat Tale wrote with his actions when he planted the first houses and ushered in the first generation of foals. It’s not very exciting I know, but it is still our story, you understand.”

Echo’s head lowered lightly. “Yes, Keeper,” she said slowly.

“And while your performance was certainly brilliant, promise me for the opening ceremony, the one we’re practicing for, you’ll finish the actual story? You can entertain the young and… easily-enthralled with tales of dragons and sorcery as often as you like after they learn about their heritage.”

“Of course, Lorekeeper,” Echo said as she kicked the grass with her hoof. “I know history is important.”

Her teacher smiled back and turned to the two foals. Echo hung her head once he had looked away. “Smokey, Snowy, run along now. You still need to practice, and you promised to help with the banners!”

Smokey didn’t need any more encouragement. He picked up the book with his magic and took off towards the town square. Snowy stood up on all four of her hooves and straightened her wings, but before she could take off Echo stopped her. She leaned in and whispered.

“The visuals… they were fine, right?”

“Oh, the magic was perfect!” Snowy said. “They were really bright and showy and distracting… but…”

“But?”

“If the alicorns wanted the nations to live together, why don’t they get along now? Why don’t the unicorns and pegasi and galloway work together outside the valley?” Snowy adjusted her step lightly and checked around the bustling town. “My teacher says that Harmony is the only place where every pony lives together.”

“Oh, um… We have the stories of Sir Rat Tail and the Wanderer, but it’s been so long since the Alicorns disappeared the nations forgot about the story -- the true meaning to the story, I mean.”

“That makes me sad,” Snowy said with a droop of her wings. “You should make your story super-happy so ponies listening won’t get sad!”

“Snowy, sometimes sad is… you know what, nevermind. Er, good luck with practice and stuff!” Echo waved to Snowy as she became a white speck, slowly heading for the town after her brother. Echo sighed and lightly adjusted her scarf. She idly kicked at the grass again.

The Lorekeeper smiled at her. “If you’re looking for an exciting story to tell, why don’t you go to the archives and brush up on your history a bit? You’ll probably find at least one old tale that you like. You could add that to your routine if you like.”

“I dunno…” Echo said.

“Echo Shade, you are a creative filly and a wonderful storyteller, but I think you try too hard sometimes. Not every story needs dragons, alicorns, or creative liberties to be exciting. If you dig hard enough you may find the excitement you’re looking for has been right there, all along, right beneath your nose.”

Echo Shade said goodbye to her master, shook out her mane, and started towards the town. She supposed she’d have to wait for next year before she’d try presenting her own material for the Holiday.

Again.

It’s not that she didn’t believe her master, but what could possibly be hiding beneath a bunch of dusty old books? What story worth telling would be so hard to find in the first place?

The valley of life briefly turned dark as the sky was overcast by a dark cloud, the remnants of some storm perhaps. For a time, from the outside looking in, you never would have guessed that an entire town was hiding behind a wispy cloud, covering a certain valley in the Mercurial Mountains.

Author's Note

This is a story nearly an entire year in the making. My friends EverCast and Scatter Dove wrote up the characters and world and plot, and I'm just here to tell the tale.
We hope you enjoy the journey to Cabalos.

~Team Gen S

Thanks to Parallel Black and Twilight Starfall for beta-reading and editing!

The Introduction - I

Somewhere in the Meteoran Border-sands...

The Lustrian ambassadors strutted along in their long, important looking robes across the dry, sandy landscape on their way to meet with the Meteoran soldiers. Tufts of dry, brown grass poked up from the dunes and poked their legs and robes as they walked along. The stormwall raged silently and cast a grim haze over the mountain range in the distance. It saved them the trouble of looking away. Everyone knew looking at the Mercurial Mountains was bad luck. It may pull you in, and you’ll never get out, so the stories go.

They had just approached the rendezvous point when their leader was nudged in the shoulder by one of her fellow ambassadors. He pointed into the sky with his horn, the way unicorns do. "Up there," he said. "They're coming, Minister."

"I see them.” The minister narrowed her eyes.

There were dots swooping about in the sky above them, circling like buzzards almost. Once they noticed the unicorns below, one by one they broke away from their formation and spiraled majestically through the air to meet them below.

“What if they start another fight?”

“They won’t,” the minister said. “They’re just grunts. Follow my lead and everything will be fine.”

The unicorns formed a line and stopped to wait for their accomplices to touch down. The first pegasus sentry landed on the sand in front of them with a powerful drop from above that sent sand and grass into the air. His colleagues followed him and one after another they touched down in the same loud and bombastic manner.

Once all five pegasus sentries had landed, the ambassadors were sufficiently covered in dust and sand. One blinked rapidly to get a piece out of his eye. "These pegasi, I tell you," one of them hissed. He kicked out one of his legs to shake the sand off. "Bunch of hay-munching show-offs."

"Agreed," the minister shook the grit from her mane. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. The other ambassadors followed. Their horns glowed, gently at first, and then brilliantly. Glowing torrents whipped the ends of their robes and blew sand into the air.

There was a flash, a booming sound, and then a magical force expanded outwards, away from the ambassadors. It carried all of the dirt and grit with it; the ambassadors and their robes were clean and good as new.

The minister smiled and gave a satisfied huff at their modest display. She was the first to step forward, and the pegasus leader, their captain, followed suit.

The two met and gave a brisk bow.

"Captain Sundowner, I presume?" The minister asked.

"At your service, Miss Minister of Defense. Your reputation precedes you. I understand we're running a little late today."

"Ah, yes." The minister's eyes gleamed and she smiled. "We had some business to take care of. So sorry we couldn't come sooner, but I believe it's about time we began. We are very near forbidden territory after all… and that stormwall gives me the creeps."

"Wait!" One of the ambassadors ran up to them. "Just a moment..." He dug into a saddlebag and produced a long, collapsed pole. He unfolded it, straightened it out, and dug it into the sand. A thin, flimsy flag unfurled and sagged unceremoniously from the top of the pole. It depicted two winged unicorns circling each other, accompanied by two emblems representing the sun and moon.

Both the minister and the captain groaned as the ambassador pulled out a small book, from which he read a short speech.

"Herein we ask for the guidance of those who command night and day, in the presence of the Sun and Moon do we their humble servants ask for their blessings." He closed the book shut and stepped back to the pole. "Thank you, with that formality out of the way you may proceed with the parley." The pole creaked and tilted.

"Finally!" said the captain. "Here is our monthly report… This should please the Priestess and her cabinet." The pegasus captain called forward one of his men, who handed him a paper package. One of the unicorn ambassadors passed a similar package to the minister. She lifted the package into the air with her magic and passed it along to the captain, who awkwardly retrieved it out of the air. He then fumbled his package to her in return.

“Don’t be so nervous, captain. This is all routine,” the minister said sweetly.

The captain’s brow twitched. “Of course, anything to solve the monster problem.”

A particularly green ambassador nudged his friend and whispered "Meteoras has a monster problem?"

"Everyone has a monster problem!” his friend hissed back. “We’re cooperating with the Pegasi because the Minister of Defense needs to gather as much information as possible. This normally does not happen, ever." The ambassador glared at his green friend. "And that's why nobody can hear of this, understand?"

The two leaders opened their packages and read the enclosed documents. Their eyes kept darting back and forth between the papers and each other, as if they were waiting on each little reaction. "I see you've been having fun with dragons," the minister said. "But I guess that's fairly normal for Meteorans." Her smile widened.

"And you’ve had more quakings? Sounds exciting. I must say, compared to you lot, our month was hardly as eventful... but we believe transparency is important." The way the captain enunciated his sentence made the minister frown slightly. Her ambassador companions shifted nervously.

The minister was the first to close her package and stash it away. Once the captain did the same, the minister nodded to the ambassador with the pole. He took out a small whistle-flute thing and blew hard. "Parley concluded!" he called.

Everyone present let out a sigh.

“We can finally go home!” a soldier said. “Why do these unicorns need our help in the first place again?”

“The stars are too dim for them to read, or some rot like that,” another soldier said with a shrug. “You know, unicorn reasons.” His comrades laughed and the ambassadors glared at them. The minister had hardly noticed.

The minister pulled at her cheeks. "If I had to smile like that any longer it would have killed me."

"A pleasure to deal with you unicorns, as usual," Captain Sundowner said. "Even though it saps our border forces of valuable horsepower in these dark times."

"We all make sacrifices here, Captain. Whatever it takes for peace, after all," the minister said. "Even this small contribution puts us miles ahead on the road to a solution. I’m sure even your Captain Maelstrom would appreciate a Cabalos free of monsters and dragons. Speaking of which..." The minister glanced about the party of pegasus. "Wherever is he? I assumed he would meet us this time."

"With all due respect, Miss," the captain said. "Something came up in your absence."

"I see… It looks like we both had unexpected business prior that we can't share," she said with another smile. The captain frowned at her. "But I suppose that's just how the ball rolls. The Holy Priestess of Lusters respects your privacy, as do I. She will be very pleased to see that our professional relationship remains... steady. Rest assured the Holy Priestess will be doing her best to ensure that Meteoras is very high on our list of priorities presently.”

"High Command will be glad to hear it," the captain said flatly. "Especially after a thousand years of... mistakes... gryphons... and Runewalls. Awful funny that a few monster sightings in Lustre is all it takes to get the Holy Priestess reaching out to us, and not the other way around."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Miss, with all due respect," The captain shook out his mane and brought a hoof hard down into the sand. "We appreciate the cooperation, but it will take a lot more than a smile and a few happy thoughts to build back the bridges the unicorns have burned."

The minister blinked a few times. Her fellow ambassadors became either very frightened or very angry.

"Um, Captain?" an unsure pegasus whispered.

"The parley's over!" The captain said. "I can say what I want." The unicorn minister of Defense lowered her brow and frowned at the captain as he marched towards her. "The unicorns hog all of the magic, history, and resources they can manage; they treat dragons, gryphons, and monsters like someone else's problem... but once their pretty little country is in trouble? Suddenly it's everybody's problem! ‘Now it's time to put aside our differences and put our heads together…’ says you!"

The captain angrily pushed his face towards the minister's. His helmet threatened to butt into her horn. Her expression was unmoving as he continued. “It's our men who tango with the roughest while you lot stay in your castles and your schools and while the days away to learn about 'magic'... makes my blood boil if I'm being honest. And sending their highest-ranking officer to these meetings isn't a stunt I appreciate!"

"Hey, it’s not like any of this is easy for us! Lustre has all sorts of problems!" an ambassador called back. His friends gave him a look. "...That came out wrong... But still! Just because we don't pick fights with other nations or catch hooves with monsters for fun doesn't mean it's all sunshine and roses for us."

"Such as?" A pegasus cadet challenged.

"We've got two barbaric bordering nations who don't care anything about proper study of history or of magic! Time spent on your kind is time that could be spent studying wasted." the ambassador said. "That's a threat almost as bad as any dragon or monster!"

"Barbaric?!" the cadet balked. "You look at the airship, the skyboats, the fluffing steam engine -- all Meteoran inventions -- and you call us barbaric?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, you Meteoran muscle heads build all kinds of things to further your own goals and your battles with other creatures. The Sylvain do too, credit where it’s due… when they’re not fighting amongst themselves."

"It’s all the same with you people! I don't see what makes you unicorns think you're so much better than the rest of us!" another cadet said.

"Well, that’s because it may be true! We do uphold the six Alicorn's teachings to the fullest of our abilities after all, whereas other nations have all but cast them aside."

"Last I checked," the captain broke away from his staring contest with the minister. "Meteoras has gotten along just fine without any Alicorns to give us orders. Maybe it's all this worship of mythical horses that holds the nations back!"

"How dare you!" an ambassador said. "I hope your High Command knows just how well you actually treat foreign diplomats."

The minister narrowed her eyes. "The Holy Priestess will know soon enough at any rate. We will be sure to mention this particular exchange when we get back…. and unless there’s something else you’d like me to tell her, we’d best be on our way."

The captain looked like he was about to shout again, but he reeled himself in and nodded. "That's good, fine by me," he waved a hoof and called one of his cadets over. They produced a small, colorful device from one of their bags and a series of wide, thick cards.

The cards were tossed unto the sand at the minister's feet. She squinted at them, and then lifted them into the air with her magic. Her ambassadors crowded at her shoulders to see what was the matter.

These weren't cards, they were pictures; pictographs. Details were hard to make out because they were taken from so far away. They depicted six unicorns hoofing along not through the mountainous border region, but through the Badlands proper, right at the edge of the stormwall. They all wore important-looking robes, except for the sixth. One picture showed all six unicorns speaking to each other, another showed the sixth alone with a unicorn who looked very much like the minister. The sixth unicorn had a dark gray coat and a silver mane. He was nowhere to be seen in the current party.

"Will the Holy Priestess know about this?" the captain asked.

An ambassador turned absolutely livid. "You can't do this. This is a breach of trust! I call espionage; highest-degree espionage!"

"It's hardly espionage," the cadet held out the small device. It had a green body covered in flowery swirls colored pink, and a logo etched onto the side that read 'Shutterfly.' "It's called a disposable pictogram. Foals can buy these at the store for twenty bits. Maybe it is just another barbaric invention of ours, but it helped us catch you red-hooved. Maybe if the unicorns in Lustre were more like us they'd be less likely to commit crimes in broad daylight, like dropping a spy into the Badlands. Can’t be any better than snapping a few pictos."

"This doesn't prove anything," the minister said quietly.

"It proves that you’ve gallivanted through forbidden territory without contacting us, which last I checked was not part of our initial agreement." The captain glared at the minister. "Which is a breach of the ancient treaties if I ever saw one."

"You don't know anything," the minister said. "Where exactly was this taken? Can you prove these aren't from the start of our journey? Who's to say he isn't already home? What if he was part of our entire mission and we simply lost him on the way?"

"You don't seem to miss him very much if that’s true."

"Forgive me for not wailing and beating my breast, Soldier, but we have a job to do. Either way, this doesn't concern you."

"That's funny, I think it does. After all, what could drive Lustre, the most upright do-good nation in all of Cabalos to breach an ancient treaty? What else are they willing to do? Should the other nations be worried? Should they know about whatever this is?" He gestured at the pictos.

"Worried about us?" The minister put a hoof to her heart and frowned. "Look around you, pegasus! You’ve said it yourself: the land's magical beasts are restless; Ursa Majors are congregating in Lustre, Direwolves and spirits dominate Sylvain, and sea monsters haunt Meteoras -- which you people should know best of all, not to mention the incessant earthquakes we’ve been having.

“The stars themselves give no answer, for once in over two thousands years they are almost unreadable to us. A great cosmic phenomenon has very well made Cabalos its home, the likes of which we've never seen since the Alicorns walked amongst us. The old magical creatures are anxious and afraid, and you're worried about a silly treaty?!"

"The six Alicorns you respect so much crafted the treaties, so they say,” The captain said. “I thought the Kingdom of Lustre was supposed to be holy."

"We are holy," the minister said with a frown. "We follow the teaching of the Sisters after all. The only ones that mattered. They wouldn’t have agonized over a trifle as this."

"Now even your founders are better than ours for some reason?" A cadet asked.

The minister closed her eyes. "The Sisters cared not for treaties or national pride, they cared for balance… nothing like your own Brothers, who cared only for absolutes and keeping score, especially when it benefited them the most! Thus the gryphons, thus the storms… Why, if it weren't for the dragons and those blasted mountchasers, the Meteoran Empire may have subjugated all of Cabalos by now."

"You are speaking to people who follow the Brothers," the captain said. "I personally couldn’t care less, but if I were you Minister, out here in the middle of nowhere, mocking the beliefs of the nation you’re supposed to be cooperating with... I'd be more than a little afraid."

"Is that a threat, Captain?"

"Was it, Minister?"

The minister held her heart and laughed again. It was a cold, hollow laugh. Her eyes were bright and angry. The markings on her horn lit up and her eyes began to match their glow. "You do not threaten the Mirror Shield of Lustre, the Holy Priestess’ right hoof mare, THE Minister of Defense, lowly pegasus!" The sand rippled in waves around her hooves.

"I'd like to see you try and stop me, unicorn!" The captain pawed the ground and lowered his head to charge.

Ambassadors rushed to the minister's side, and the captain's cadets and underlings did the same for him. The two groups tensed their legs and counted at the sand, ready to charge, ready to fight.

And then someone cried out.

"Wait!" the unicorn ambassador with the flag cried out. "Wait." He stuck the flagpole between the two leaders. The flag created a curtain of a barrier between the two groups. "Wait." He said again. The two leaders glared at him, but he didn't back down. The ambassador pointed again and again at the flag depicting the two winged, horned horses circling one another.

"Our Alicorns..." he pointed to the soldiers. "And your Alicorns would never want any of us to fight."

The wind hissed. The grass billowed gently. The fire left the eyes of both the leaders, and slowly, cautiously, they drew back and turned away from each other. The Pictograph and pictures now lay trampled in the sand.

"Whether any of us like it or not, these meetings will continue," the minister said. "We still expect to meet with another party next month, without incident. It doesn't matter what any of us think, Captain, only what we know. And neither of us know anything about the monsters or the quakings, which is why we must continue cooperating for now. If you'll excuse us then..."

And one by the one the ambassadors turned around and left. The pole-carrying unicorn solemnly packed away his banner and followed suit. The pegasi watched them go and deflated a little.

"H-hold on, just a moment!" The captain cried out. He ran up to the minister.

"Lay one hoof on me pegasus, and I plant you on the beach... on the other side of the bay." The minister looked completely unamused.

"Please, this is important. Our temper-- my temper got the better of me back there. I actually really need your help."

"Really now?" The minister stopped walking to listen.

"See, the pictures are proof that you've been in the Badlands. I'll promise I won't report it to my superiors. I'll even burn the pictures and destroy the film... if you answer my question."

"Go on."

"Captain Maelstrom isn't busy... he's missing."

A hush fell over the ambassadors, and the minister raised an eyebrow.

"His platoon has been splintered all across the southern shores. They fell victim to some sort of thunderstorm a few days ago."

"Hey!" An ambassador said. "We saw a thunderstorm rolling over the mountains too! It was about--"

"Shh!" he was hushed by one of his companions, and the captain continued.

"That's the official story, but all of the troops we've recovered thus far have been raving on and on about..."

"Dragons," the minister finished. The captain swallowed and nodded. "Your men got impatient waiting for us so they picked a fight with our mortal foes, suffered the consequences, and now you want my help?"

"All I need to know is if you've seen him, or any of them!" the captain pleaded. "Our intel believes that at least one of the pegasus soldiers found their way into the Badlands to escape, and they've been declared MIA. We need to know if they're still alive. We can’t fly over the stormwall, and we're forbidden any farther than this point. So please--"

The minister spoke quickly and abruptly. "We saw no pegasi. My apologies." Her voice was stiff and unemotive. She didn't show the slightest sliver of sympathy. "However, we will keep a sharp eye out on our return trip, and if we find anything, you may rest assured that word will find its way to you and your superiors before the next meeting."

"Oh, Brothers bless it..."

"But I'll be blunt, pegasus. There is no known way of crossing the stormwall, and no tribe of pony will not last long in the Badlands without food or water. Either the climate will get to them, or the wildlife will. We'll do our best, but their chances are going to be slim."

The captain bristled. The question of their own sixth agent died on his tongue. He sighed and nodded. "Of course. Thank you."

"Thank me not. It's unbecoming. You're a pegasus, and I'm a unicorn, after all." With that the minister gave a shrug and kept walking. Her ambassadors followed, and the captain was left alone. He and his men gathered the evidence and reluctantly took off and sped back to Meteoras shortly after.

“I thought dealing with no-name soldiers was supposed to be easy,” an ambassador said. “Plausible deniability and all that, right? But these guys are always so tough to deal with. Honestly, if this is what the grunts are like, I’d hate to see what a high-ranking pegasus does.”

"You don't think there really is a lost pegasus soldier in the Badlands, do you?" another one asked.

“It didn’t seem like something they would lie about. But if there is... they're probably not long for the world," the minister said with a shrug.

"You don't think the cartographer's mission could be compromised, do you?"

"No more than it already has been... frankly, meeting some pegasi would be the least of his worries. The Badlands are a strange place, he'd do well to finish his work quickly and get home. No pony should be there any longer than they have to be."

The pole-bearing unicorn looked up at the mountains and wondered to himself. "At least the cartographer had food," he said. "But a pegasus would be all on their own... in the most remote, desolate region of all Cabalos. They could have been lost for days. What's that do to a pony? I hope the Brothers are watching over them. I can only fathom what sort of trials they must be going through... what torments they face.”

Somewhere beyond the stormwall...

Our wings carry the way ahead

Hurrah, Hurrah!

Our souls alight and hooves atread

Hurrah, Hurrah!

The end's in sight and off we go

(Even though I'm really, really far from home...)

But we'll all be brave as the Brothers lead the way

Through the fire and thunder, bold and unafraid!

It's fun to sing when you're hundreds of feet off the ground. The wind's in your ears, your wings are flapping, you're all alone, and you can barely hear yourself when you sing loud and proud at the top of your lungs. Lightning Bug just wished the song made her feel a little more bold and unafraid like it was supposed to.

She learned it back in Meteoras when she was in boot camp. She sang as much as she could remember and filled in the parts that she couldn't; it made the song feel more like it was meant for her. Her mom would change the words to songs she sang to her when she was a filly too, that's where she picked up the habit from. It made her feel special whenever her mom did it. It was about the only thing keeping her sane.

This was her third day over the border, but no matter how far she flew she just never seemed to find the sea. All she ever saw was the dusty wastes and that giant, towering mountain, and around that the massive stormwall that encompassed the region, blocking her escape. If she could just find where she first woke up, right near the Meteoran border, she’d at least have a chance of being spotted by another pegasus.

Well, maybe if she didn’t jump at every bird she saw, her path might be a little straighter. Maybe if she didn’t freak out whenever she thought she saw a dragon, only for it to be an animal, she’d have an easier time concentrating. But no matter how far she flew, she just saw dirt and trees that led up to the stormwall. She wanted to see the beach, water and boats where she could find her hometown, where she’d find her mom.

She missed her mom. Her dad too, but mostly her mom. She hadn't seen either of them in almost three months. Three months and three days, that is. She was supposed to be on her way back to the capital of Stratopolis by now. Had word about her squad reached her parents yet? Her dad would be home from his business trips around this time of year. What were her mom and dad thinking right about now? She pictured her mom watching the sunset over the bay, the way she would when dad was away, only this time the two of them watched and waited for their daughter, who may very well have been eaten by dragons for all they knew, and she had no way of telling them she was alright.

Alright for now at least.

She sniffled and had to blink a tear away. Oops, she let herself get sad again. Time to sing some more.

Heavy wings and weary hooves

They will not weigh us down

Heavy hearts and weary souls

We will never be weighed -- DAAH!

Lightning yelped and ducked her head. A small bird aimlessly darted over her. She didn't think she'd find one at such a high altitude. Where was it going?

A large shadow blocked out the sun, and Lightning instinctively swooped out of the way. She watched as a massive, winged creature reached out with long, ugly talons and snatched the bird out of the air and took it down to the mountains below.

A mountchaser; a pegasus' worst enemy; scaly things with strong wings and a taste for ponies. They were known for travelling in flocks and swarming anything they could find, but this one seemed to be alone. She gulped. Dragons were bad enough, but she wasn't sure what she'd do if she had to deal with a whole flock of those things on her own.

Lightning stayed airborne and cautiously watched the shadow disappear into the massive mountain range below, the Mercurial Mountains; the crown of the Badlands. In a confusing country that crawled with dangerous creatures, the mountains were said to be the worst of all. The tallest peak hovered menacingly in the background. Even she couldn’t fly high enough to reach the top. It just sort of sat there, in the distance, never moving. She shuddered as she imagined what manner of monster or beast might be making their home down below at the mountain’s base. It was a good thing she could fly.

When she was sure it was safe, Lightning flew on ahead, but kept her altitude. Maybe if she kept lower to the ground it'd be easier to run and hide in some trees if some flying monster found her. The stormwall wasn’t too far away from where she flew. Against her better judgment, she flew straight for the gray haze.

The hazy wall of cloud and mist stretched for miles on either side. As far as she could tell, it climbed indefinitely into the stratosphere. The ground beneath it was covered in wispy marks made by the wind as it pushed away the dirt and dust. Lightning Bug swallowed and flexed her wings. She would try one more time today.

Lightning began her approach. Already she could feel the resistance on her feathers. As she drew closer to the stormwall, the air around her became so hazy she could barely see her own hooves in front of her eyes. She squinted and grit her teeth as she flapped her wings. The wind pushed her back, and she flapped harder still. Finally, the wall had enough of her feeble efforts and flung her away. The world and the ground spun around her as she tumbled through the air. She spun around and around before she corrected her trajectory and flew upright in place again. Lightning Bug checked her surroundings. She was further from the wall than when she started. It had managed to fling her nearly a mile away. She sniffled and flew away, back to the south.

Once she finally found a hill with the elevation she preferred, Lightning Bug touched down for a rest. Her hooves touched the dusty hill and she pulled off her helmet and dropped it as she sat down. The wind gently pulled at her mane and dried the sweat on her brow. She studied the stormwall in the distance, and part of her wondered if she would ever see the shores of Meteoras again.

Lightning reached beneath one of her wings and pulled free the small radio that all Meteoran soldiers carried. Even if it were durable and insulated against the elements, it was still a wonder to her how it survived so long. She turned it on and listened to the whining buzz that poured from the speaker. She turned the knob and the buzzing changed its pitch, and she listened for any semblance of a voice coming from the other end, but she heard nothing.

She clicked the button to silence the static and leaned in close. "This is Private Lightning Bug, can anyone hear me?" She unclicked the button and buzzing answered her. "This is Private Lightning Bug. Unfamiliar territory. Any available Meteoran forces, please respond." She had no clue if she was even using the proper syntax, but at this point she didn't care. When she unclicked the button again she still heard only buzzing.

Maybe it was broken after all, she thought. Maybe it got fried during the thunderstorm and she just couldn't tell. Or maybe there was no pegasus to answer her, and for miles and miles around, she was truly alone.

"Captain? Anyone? ...I just want to go home." Only static answered her once more, and so she turned it off and put the radio away. She wanted to just lie down and wait for something, anything to find her. But no, she told herself. She remembered the words all Meteoran captains tell their troops. 'It's only over when you can't fly no more!' Well her wings weren't broken, and neither were her legs, so she was going to keep trying until she found a way home.

Or until she collapsed from exhaustion and spent another day sucking the moisture from clouds to build her strength back up.

With no other options, the lost pegasus decided to take her chances to the south. Maybe the stormwall would be weaker around Sylvain. Maybe she could break through and find a galloway who could point her to Meteoras. The galloway and pegasi traded all the time, she was sure they'd be happy to help her.

To get that far, she'd need to cut through the mountains, which she wasn't looking forward to. That place gave her the creeps. They were pretty enough at night, with the starlight bouncing off of them and making them glow, but during the day they just looked like massive teeth to a mouth that spewed mountchasers and monsters to chase her.

This time a mountchaser wouldn't just miss her, this time she would fly lower to the ground... but what if some beast spotted her and snatched her out of the sky? She decided to fly in the cover of the giant trees that blanketed the edges of the mountains. It would be easier to run and hide in the branches if some flying monster found her.

The trees grew awfully tall where she flew. She couldn't have been more than a hundred feet in the air and yet their dry empty branches nearly scratched her belly as she flew past them. She wasn't sure if the trees over in Sylvain ever grew this big. She'd have to fly carefully.

Did monsters make their homes in these things? Her heart pounded at the thought. She was a fast flyer, but was she fast enough to escape what lived out here? She could barely escape the dragons...

Singing at a time like this probably wasn't the wisest thing to do if she wanted to stay inconspicuous, so she told herself she'd sing quietly this time. She needed something to take her mind off things.

Heavy wings and weary hooves

They will not weigh us down!

Heavy hearts and weary souls

We will never be weighed down!

Lightning stopped to check for any oncoming birds before she continued.

We'll march or trudge thru any land

As the Marshall and the Judge command

(And uh, something something)... The Brothers lead the way!

Meteoran Soldiers, Bold and Unafraid!

"Hey! Hey up there! You’re not supposed to be here!"

Lightning had a start and looked down at the ground. "Huh? ...OOF!" And she struck a tree. She nearly had knocked her helmet off, and the dry, dusty bark-smell filled her nose. "Ow..." She carefully pulled herself free from the branches and flapped in place as she took a twig out of her mane.

"Excuse me!" Somebody below was trying to get her attention. Another pony? All the way out here? Lightning looked down at a nearby cliff. Resting right under a tree was a skinny, charcoal-colored pony with a silver mane. A pair of red-rimmed glasses rested on his snout, and a long, spiraling horn sprouted from his forehead. She couldn’t see his brand from where she was. He couldn’t have been much older than herself. He was glaring up at her.

"What's a unicorn doing all the way out here?" she asked herself.

He stood in front of some kind of trail up the mountains. A rather large saddlebag rested on his back, and on the ground next to him there was a large piece of paper. He tapped the ground impatiently and pointed up at her with one of his gray hooves. "Could you please keep it down up there?" He gestured at his paper. "Some of us are trying to work!"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" Lightning called back. "I didn't think anyone else was out here."

"Well, that much was clear!"

"Right. I'll be quiet from now on..."

"Thank you." The unicorn's horn flashed briefly as he levitated a quill up from the paper. He turned away from her and started scribbling something down. He offered a few disdainful glances at the towering mountain in the distance as he wrote, or drew, whatever it was. Lightning tilted her head. It was a little hard to make out at this angle, but it looked like a sort of map. Maybe this unicorn knew a way out of here.

"Um... excuse me?" she called.

The unicorn groaned. "Is this what you pegasi call quiet?"

"You wouldn't happen to know a way out of here would you?" she asked. "I'm a little lost..."

The unicorn raised an eyebrow and snorted. "A Meteoran soldier, lost? Perish the thought."

"What was that?"

"Nothing. Listen, have you seen the stormwall?"

"Er."

"The massive, towering barricade of dust, wind and clouds that surrounds this region in all directions?"

"Y-Yeah, I've seen it."

"Well, have you ever tried flying past it?"

"I did! I just keep getting blown away..."

"Then what makes you think I had any luck getting out?"

"...Oh."

The unicorn must have thought the conversation was over because he went right back to scribbling on his map, or whatever it was. Lightning did not fly away. At first she watched him work, but then she had the idea to unclip her radio and check for a signal again. The loud buzzing noise caught the unicorn's attention immediately.

"Now what are you doing?" he snapped.

"I was just trying to radio my friends," she said. "But I can't get a signal."

The unicorn's eyes drifted down to the clunky, metal box in her hooves. "Ah. Of course the pegasi resort to such things. I forgot," he dipped his quill in some ink and kept scribbling.

"Do you know a spot where I could get some reception?" she asked. For some reason that made the unicorn jump and cover up whatever he was drawing. He shot her a sharp, discerning look. If she weren't already airborne, her wings would have clamped to her sides, the way they did whenever some pony stared at her for too long.

"...I suppose I do in theory," he got to his hooves. "I know of only two good spots -- how you make your way over is your own business. Listen closely because I'm only going to say this once." The unicorn stood up and pointed behind him. "That way is south and it will take you to the Sylvain savannah, a good a spot as any for a radio I’d imagine. There are direwolves that way so I'd be careful." He pointed east. "Thataways is closer to the Meteoran sea, which is where I'd assume you'd get the best signal. You'll know you're close when you find a white stretch of sand beside the stormwall. East-northeast should be a straight shot to the Meteoran Empire, but there is also a nest of Mountchasers that way so I suggest you had best avoid it. And unless there was something else I'd like to return to my work."

Lightning raised a hoof and paused. He spoke so quickly she was having trouble processing it all. He said Meteoras was where she needed to go, so she should fly northeast. Right?

"Um, no that was it." She said. "That was very helpful, thank you!"

The unicorn said nothing. He gave a shrug, sat down and started scribbling at his papers again. It was rather odd, she thought. He looked like a scholar, the sort who attended the colleges in Lustre. Weren’t there better places to lug around his homework?

Lightning forgot about the unicorn for a moment and sighed happily. Finally, a way out of here! All she needed to do was get close enough for a signal, call for help and she was homeward free.

She was about to take off when a thought occurred to her. He said there was a nest of mountchasers northeast, didn't he? Or did he say direwolves? Wolves would be no problem for her, unless they knew how to fly too somehow. Why would he warn her in the first place? She was completely confused.

"Um, actually...!" She called back. "Excuse me I--" And then she stopped. The unicorn had shot an absolutely chilling glare in her direction. It was an expression she was very familiar with, whether it was a shift supervisor, a general, or just another pony. It was the wordless command to stop being such a nuisance and carry on. "Um. Nevermind! Hehe, sorry about that!" The unicorn rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing.

Lightning swallowed. She was fine, she knew what she heard, there was no time to waste. She checked the direction of the sun and she flew away as fast as she could. Soon the unicorn and his paperwork were mere specks on the ground below.

After a few hours, Lightning could make out something on the horizon. The mountain range was coming to an end, and in its place stretched out a massive swath of white sand, just like he had said! Even here rested the stormwall, but beyond that had to be the Meteoran sea.

She laughed and cheered and sang to herself even louder as she flapped harder and harder. Lightning completely forgot about everything around her, the only thing she could see was the white sand up ahead. Even the mighty mountain behind her began to shrink as she flew closer and closer to freedom.

"Oh right, I should check for a signal asap!" she yanked out her radio and turned it on. "Hello? This is Private Lightning Bug, I'm right behind the storm wall. My coordinates are... um..."

And then she heard a screech, and a shadow fell over her.

Her blood chilled. Dragons?

She looked over her shoulder just in time to see the beaked, toothy maw of a mountchaser just miss her nose. It hung in the air above her for an instant -- its bulging eyes stared at her hungrily.

Lightning screamed. She stowed the radio away and flew for the ground. She heard the mountchaser's wings flap furiously after her. It screeched again. She must have flown too far east, just like the unicorn said. Why couldn’t she be a better listener?

The silver mountains grew closer and closer as she dived. The tallest peak appeared, not too far away. She must have gotten nowhere fast with this thing on her tail.

Lightning made out the trees and rocks poking up the sides of the giant cliff sides. She spotted a small cranny in the rocks. She flew into the trees, weaved up and down and around some branches, and made a beeline for the crevice. When she looked over her shoulder she didn't see any mountchasers. She laughed, but she knew she wasn't safe till she actually stopped flying and had lain low for a bit. And after that she'd fly east.

The crevice was cool and damp. It was in a shallow enough spot that the sun didn't hit it for most of the day. Lightning set her hooves on the entrance and wiggled her way inside. She leaned back against the stone wall and felt her hard armor tap against it. A minute, and then two, and then three passed, and no sign of the mountchaser. She let out a sigh of relief. Lightning took off her helmet and shook her mane out.

She had just pulled out her radio when a rock tapped her hoof. She heard shuffling deeper in the crevice. She slowly turned her head around.

First she saw the light reflecting off of a dozen, bulging, hungry eyes. Then she saw hundreds of gleaming, needle-like teeth smiling at her.

"Oh right, the nest."

The crevice hummed with the sounds of flapping wings, scraping claws, and hungry shrieks. Lightning stuck her helmet back on, too scared to scream, and dashed out the crevice. She didn't even start flapping until she was airborne for at least a moment, and she almost dropped her radio. The entire swarm of winged, scaly, toothed things followed her out. Birds and other normal animals fled in their wake.

Lightning’s wings finally pounded the air. She couldn't go fast enough. The mountchasers were right behind her, and they wanted fresh pony. She could hear their ugly teeth clacking behind her.

She felt a surge run up her coat. She heard crackling every time her wings flapped. “No, not here, not now!” She looked around for some place to hide, and spotted a series of jagged rocks far below.

Lightning flew into the rocks. She swerved wildly so she wouldn't splat against the sides. She glanced behind her. Some mountchasers smacked into the rocks, but a lot still made their way around the rocks and towards her.

"By the Brothers, help!" she wailed. "Somebody help!" She turned back just in time to meet headfirst with one of the massive rocks. She struck the rock and bounced off. It hurt like crazy, but her wings were fine and she still flew. She hit another. And another. Her swift flight through the stones had been derailed completely. She struck rock after rock, sometimes grazing, sometimes completely. She was like a pegasus ping-pong ball.

And then she saw it.

A dead end up ahead. A cliff face. It was coming up so quick there was barely any time for her to pull up.

Lightning looked over her shoulder. The mountchasers were still after her. They dove down low and to overtake her. They opened their beaks and prepared to chomp.

Lightning covered her head and screamed.

And then something pulled her aside. Lightning yelped as some invisible force halted her flight completely and yanked her between the rocks, just as the mountchasers would have sunk their teeth into her. She landed onto some sort of shelf. She watched as the ugly flying monsters sped by, completely unaware. She looked up just as the unicorn's horn stopped glowing. He studied the shapes outside and didn't look at her until they had all sped by.

One by one, they heard squawk after irritated squawk as they splatted against the cliff outside.

"To your credit," he said. "You did go east. Somewhat. Honestly though, this is what passes for a soldier where you come from?"

She could clearly see his Brand now. It was an askew compass, with a bright red needle.

Lightning shakily got to her feet. "Um... thank you. So much. How did you know I was here?"

The unicorn's brow was set in a hard line. "I heard you screaming," he said. "One could have heard it from miles away, in fact."

"...Oh."

The unicorn nodded in a direction. "This way," he said. "Let’s move out of their territory." He trotted away, and Lightning shakily followed him.

It felt good to give her wings a rest. They sagged on her shoulders as Lightning followed the unicorn up a rocky trail. He hadn't said much since he found her. He just soundlessly wove up and around the stones with barely a tumble. She had to keep her eyes on the ground the whole time to make sure she didn't trip. She never was as good on her hooves as she was in the air.

"We're going... south, now?" she asked.

"You know your directions! That's good," The unicorn's tone certainly didn't make it sound good. "Yes, I'm taking you to a spot where you can continue east, which should entail a mountchaser-free exit from my workspace."

"Oh, okay," Lightning studied the rocks. It was almost like a forest of stone. They provided a lot of shade from the sun. The mountain peaks had basically disappeared, and only that one, tallest mountain was still visible. The shade was nice for keeping the heat off her armor. Did he really think this entire mountainside was his workspace? Unicorns were kind of strange. Then again, she never really met any before. He probably thought she was kind of strange.

Scratch that, he definitely thought she was kind of strange -- he wasn't being very subtle about it. That was no reason not be friendly of course. "I'm glad you at least know your way around here. I kept getting lost."

The unicorn gave her a pensive look over his shoulder. "I... have a gist of things, as I've said. And yes, you already told me you got lost."

"Oh, right."

Things were quiet for a while longer. They climbed up to a region where she could make out the rest of the silver mountain range, which went on for miles in every direction, she could barely tell where the wastes began.

"Um, I appreciate the help. They almost had me."

"Mn," the unicorn didn't even look at her.

"I mean it!" Lightning flapped into the air and landed in front of him. "I never would have gotten away from those things without your help." She held her hoof out to shake. "I'm Lightning," she said.

The unicorn looked down at the hoof, and then back at her. "I didn't ask."

"Well, actually I'm Private Lightning, not that it matters that much out here. My real name is-- well..."

The unicorn let out a groan and kept walking. He brushed past her. Lightning watched him go for a moment and didn’t say anything.

"My friends just call me Lightning Bug," Lightning followed after. "You can call me that if you want. Or just Lightning is fine."

The unicorn still said nothing. She waited until they had walked a bit longer before she tried asking another question. “So, what’s your name? I didn’t ask earlier.”

“We’re here.”

“Whirr Hear? That’s a neat name.”

The unicorn turned around. Lightning screeched to a halt. If she went any faster, she may have hit her head right into his horn. He gestured around him. “We are here,” he enunciated. Lightning looked around.

To the side there was a winding trail down to the dusty wastes below, in front of them was a trail up the massive, towering mountain from earlier, and there were a few dry bushes and trees scattered about. The trees grew closer and closer together the higher it was up the second trail. The giant mountain’s base was blanketed with the greenish-brown foliage.

“This should be easy enough to navigate,” he said.

“So which way do we go?” Lightning asked.

The unicorn frowned. “You are taking this trail south from the mountains and then will head due east as fast as you can. Where I go is none of your concern.”

“Oh… okay.” Lightning shifted her hoof nervously. “I just kind of thought… You seem to know what you’re doing. I thought we’d go together or something.”

“Why.” The unicorn said it so firmly it almost didn’t sound like a question.

“Why? I mean… I was…”

“You are a pegasus, and I am a unicorn,” he said plainly. “We do not go places together. We are from different nations, and we’re presently where nobody is supposed to be, per the ancient treaties. If there was any time to mind our own business this is it, yes?”

“Yeah, but--”

“Good, now if you’ll excuse me…” And the unicorn walked away again. Lightning watched him start up the trail for the tallest mountain when a thought occurred to her.

“Wait, if nobody’s supposed to be here…” Lightning began. The unicorn stopped in his tracks. “...Then what are you doing?” It had to do with those papers he was carrying around. That’s what made sense to her, anyway.

“What am I doing here?” The unicorn looked over his shoulder at her and glared. “You are a Meteroan Soldier,” he took a step forward. Lightning took a step back. “You should not be here.” The unicorn lowered his brow and kept walking, and Lightning kept backing away. “Do you have any idea what would happen if the other nations knew the Meteoras military had even the slightest presence in neutral territory? The very fact that a pegasus soldier is anywhere near here does not bode well. So if I were you, I’d hurry home as fast as pony-ly possible, tell your superiors that their little plan didn’t work, whatever that may be -- and hope that this doesn’t spark an international incident.”

Lightning shrank back with wide eyes as the unicorn glared down at her.

“Are we clear?”

“Yes sir.” She said meekly.

“Good.” He stepped back and collected himself. It appeared he only just realized he had Lightning backed into a tree. While Lightning awkwardly straightened her wings, the unicorn averted his eyes and adjusted his glasses. “Good then. With that out of the way, I am off. Have a nice day. Or something.” And he was off again.

Lighting didn’t move from the tree until the unicorn had gone a fair distance. With her head and wings low, she carefully got back on her hooves and started down the trail.

“He didn’t have to be so mean about it,” Lightning told herself. She had gotten airborne and followed the new trail south, just like the unicorn told her. The mountain was so big that there was no way she was going to lose sight of it anytime soon. “I’m not a spy! I didn’t want to get caught out in the middle of nowhere in the first place. It’s not like I would have seen anything important, nobody lives out here!”

She rested her wings on an updraft and crossed her forelegs to think. “Unless he wanted to keep me away from something… But what could the unicorns want with a place like this?”

The lonely private blinked a few times as the cogs turned in her head. She let out a resigned sigh. “He wouldn’t have told me if I asked. He didn’t even tell me his name. Figures. Even out in the middle of nowhere nobody wants to be my friend. What do I keep doing wrong? Is it the way I talk? Was it because of my tribe? Who cares if he’s a unicorn and I’m a pegasus? The other nations are so far away, nobody would ever know if we were friends, right? It shouldn’t matter… I thought so anyway.”

Before she could self-pity any longer, Lightning realized that the draft had carried her closer to the mountain instead of to the east like she wanted. She broke away and kept flying. She scanned the horizon for a glimpse of the white sands she saw earlier, but they were nowhere to be found. She checked to see if the stormwall had somehow grown closer and was blowing her away, but no, it was still several miles from where she flew. When she looked back, the mountain was no farther away. If anything it was closer.

“...That’s odd…” She flapped her wings again, harder, but it seemed the draft from earlier had grabbed her again. She was about ready to panic when she heard the rustle of hundreds of leathery wings behind her. Lightning turned around just in time to face the oncoming swarm of mountchasers that had risen from the rocks below, teeth glistening in the sun.

Author's Note

Thanks to Parallel Black and Twilight Starfall for beta-reading and editing!

The Introduction - II

“Who would ever want to be in a place like this?” Polaris asked himself.

The unicorn grunted as he pulled his legs free from the brambles. He let out a long sigh as he righted the saddle bag on his back and adjusted his glasses. “There,” he said. “That wasn’t so bad, now was it, Polaris? Not in the slightest.” He nodded once to himself and started back up the trail. He’d reach the peak of the tallest mountain in no time. If the terrain didn’t turn on its head and get him lost.

Again.

“...Oh blast I was talking to myself again, wasn’t I? Well, yes. NO! Stop that! You are a unicorn! You are of the fair folk! You have standards! Save it for the journal. Quite right. ...Blast, get a grip man!”

It had all seemed so simple. When the Minister of Defense told him she had a job for him, one that the fate of all Cabalos may depend upon, and one that may guarantee entry into the College Professoriate, he was over the moon. Recognition at last! Once they told him the job involved mapping out an uncharted region of Cabalos, he was in absolute rapture. It was as if all those years of studying and getting sneered at in the College were finally paying off, and by doing the thing he loved best!

If they had told him he was being dropped off in THE unmapped region, the Mercurial Mountains and the Badlands, a forbidden wasteland, he may have reconsidered. Or not. One does not reconsider a “request” from the Minister of Defense. If she wants something done, it gets done. Even if it would take, in theory, months for a single unicorn to complete all on his own. Not that the Minister cared.

Polaris snorted to get some dust out of his nose. It wouldn’t have hurt them to deploy him with another unicorn, even if they couldn’t read a map. He could really use somebody to talk to right now, anybody really. He was beginning to miss the Minister, who most grew to hate shortly after meeting. How was he supposed to stay sane in this upside down world of dirt, rocks and monsters without some other soul to commiserate with?

A squawking noise brought the unicorn to his knees. He hurriedly studied the treetops and watched as shadow after shadow passed over as the mountchasers flew past. His mind briefly wandered to the lost, scared pegasus from earlier.

“I suppose I might have been a little short with her… she was lost after all. Wait! What am I saying? I’m lost too, not that I’d ever admit it… What help would I be in the long run? A pegasus has absolutely no business being here in the first place, and even if she did it’s not my place to worry over her. Quite right. That was close, for a moment I almost felt pity.”

And with that Polaris strutted onwards. He was much too busy to worry about every little problem that came his way. He already lost daylight by taking the detour earlier. He’d done his good deed for the day, the rest was in the Alicorns' hooves.

Polaris heard a low howl and ducked to the ground. He perked up his ears and listened carefully. An instant later he heard a snarling slobber breathing down on his neck. A shaky glance over his shoulder revealed the direwolf looming over him. It’s teeth were barely a hoof’s distance from snapping his head like a walnut.

“Oh no, not again.”

The massive wolf hungrily snapped its jaw shut. It’s wet teeth barely caught the last of the unicorns’ mane as he dashed farther up the mountain. The gleaming eyes of direwolves followed him from behind tree trunks and bushes as he beat the hard dusty dirt with his hooves and willed himself to ascend higher and higher over the crags and roots.

“What on Cabalos is going on here? They’re not even supposed to be up this far north! Augh, my intel must be all wrong!”

The trees cleared out for a stretch of the incline and left the black rocks jutting out of the ground exposed. Polaris reached the first loose stone he found, about the size of his head, and spun on his hooves to face the oncoming predators.

They stalked slowly and confidently towards him. Their dark, shield-like fur lay solid on their backs and was not swayed by the wind. Their wickedly long teeth were licked clean by their red tongues. Their stink wafted up the incline.

Polaris’ horn shimmered as the rock was heaved from the earth by his magic. It hovered by his head, ready to launch at any moment. “That’s close enough! One more step and things get ugly, I’m warning you!”

The wolves snarled daringly and prepared to charge when a strange sound floated through the air. Polaris flicked his ear at the sound. It almost sounded like… music? It was too tactile a sound to be a flute, but to light and airy to be strings or drums. Whatever the sound was, it had a profound effect on the direwolves. They ceased their snarling, their mouths closed over their teeth, and their ears drooped. They scuttled backwards, almost as in fear, and cowed away, back into the woods.

Polaris allowed himself a moment to glance around. He saw no sign of any other soul or beast for that matter. He shrugged and let his rock float back unto the ground. He checked around one more time before he gave a shrug and resumed his climb.

“Ah well, no time to overthink this. At least it wasn't something larger this time. They drove me towards my goal, if anything…”

With heavy, ragged breathing, Polaris pulled himself up and over unto level ground. He cleared a couple of stories at least with those wolves on his tail, now he found himself on a sort of shelf, covered with more withered trees. They dispersed along the silver slopes further north, where the terrain began to dip and weave across the range. Just one more slope or so and he’d be at the lip of a network of valleys, so his intel said. He shook his mane out.

Polaris pulled his saddlebag with his teeth until it sat right next to his legs. He poked his nose inside and levitated out a small pamphlet. He unfolded it and pored over what the Minister and her men had given him before they left him behind and continued their trek to Meteoras.

Inside was a rough approximation of the Badland’s border, and inside that was several arrows and circles drawn over hypothetical areas of interest. There were no landmarks listed, nor differences in terrain. The only thing close was in the center of the diagram; a crudely drawn mountain with an arrow pointing at it.

‘Mountain range here, direwolves further south

Points of interest: valleys, forests, tallest peaks’

And at the bottom of the note was a message in red ink, lovingly written: End of known intel. Watch out for direwolves and other beasts. Good luck! ~MoD

The unicorn scholar growled to himself and shoved the pamphlet back into the bag. “Thanks for the help, Miss Minister of Defense. I feel so safe out here…”

Polaris pulled out his current rough draft. His sense of direction came very much in handy out here; his trail from the north-west border to his present location was intrinsically detailed, sans a few blank spots that could be filled in later. He pulled out his pen and jotted down a few notes in his schedule.

“Third day: Mountain range reached… Escaped direwolves again…Met a lost pegasus…”

He tapped his chin with his quill. What did happen to her? The trees couldn’t block the sky quite like they did before, but the pegasus filly was nowhere to be seen, assuming she took flight at all. No mountchasers either, for that matter. She must be fine then, he decided.

She should count herself lucky, at least she’s not bound by oath to accomplish an impossible task, imposed upon him by one of the most powerful institutions in all of Lustre. That’s what Polaris told himself.

He put away his draft and his schedule, and he produced his own personal book. It was well-loved and very thick. He set it on the ground, opened it up to the first blank page, about halfway through the book, and with a heavy heart began writing.

“Dear Desperation Diary:

“My third day and my progress has still been miniscule. My mission to complete even a basic topography of these accursed lands is becoming more and more difficult. The rumors of this place being utterly un-navigable have turned out true; it seems I cannot trot but one hour at a time before I am disorientated, attacked or completely turned around. My trip to the highest peak is met with setback after setback. Run-in with a wayward pegasus notwithstanding… (Note to self: contact Meteoran Authorities if the opportunity presents itself).

“I did try an alternate route today and had an unfortunate run-in with a bush of brambles, and was pursued by direwolves almost immediately after. Even though I spent the last day and a half scaling these cliffs, the tallest peak grows no closer, and I am faced with the same bleak landscapes of rock, dirt and trees. These mountains make absolutely no sense.”

Polaris paused to examine the ground beneath him. He could spy a dried river, several crags, and the very spot where he had escaped the direwolves. It had certainly grown farther away, and a tumble from this height would do him no good, but what manner of optical illusion kept the mountain he was climbing so invariably tall?

One wise unicorn said that if the world were flat, a horse’s mortal sight would construe a horizon that sloped upwards, and not downwards. Could this mountain be so impossibly cosmically big as to trigger a similar effect?

Legends did say the Mercurial Mountains were remnants of a primal, savage Cabalos that had yet to have its magic tamed. Perhaps the paranormal physical phenomena of this land was more bizarre and monstrous than even the greatest unicorn mind had first conceived.

“Note to self,” he continued. “Next time I am deployed by the College of Asterim into uncharted territory, insist on a longer period of preparation that proper personnel and provisional papers may be procured!” He struck and stabbed the quill particularly hard on that last word.

Polaris allowed himself a moment to be indignant and angry, but his mood sank pretty fast. He sighed again. “Who am I kidding? The College doesn’t deploy their newest scholar into monster-infested territory because they value him! They just wanted to get rid of me…” But for what? What had he done so wrong? His insistence on archaic Alicorn doctrinal? Talking back when a Professor slighted his mother? His rejection of the Dew Leaf decimal system?

“Will I ever get out of here? Even if I can make this final stretch, is this actually possible on my own? Will I ever see another unicorn again? Will I ever see another pony again?”

And then he heard it. A scream, and then a crash.

“Daaaah~! Oof!”

At once Polaris was on his hooves. He levitated his quill into the air and twirled it like a dagger. He turned around and searched for a source of the noise. A withered tree just had some of its leaves shaken free, and one of its shriveled branches haplessly toppled to the ground.

“What manner of incompetence could ground a creature so soundly?”

And so Polaris cautiously drew near. He squinted at the treetop and tried to make out a discernable shape from the shaking leaves and rustling branches. He heard a few muffled whimpers and a squeak.

A shape fell out and hung from a bottom branch. The thing had caught its leg and now dangled upside down from the tree. It had a yellow coat, a dark mane, silver armor, cyan eyes and a pair of wings.

“Um… hi?”

“Sisters save it, it speaks!” The two stared at each other for a good moment before Polaris overcame his shock and frowned. It was Lightning Bug, the lost pegasus private. “Oh that’s just great, it’s you!”

The pegasus opened her mouth just as her hoof finally came loose. She fell and landed right in front of the unicorn’s hooves. “And what, pray tell, inexplicably flings you in my direction this time?”

“Oh, um…” Lightning Bug pulled herself up and shook out her wings. “Mountchasers again. Can you believe it? They had me right when I went airborne.”

So she did find trouble after they parted ways. It was best to show concern and ask how she managed, he decided. “Fascinating. And why did you not stick to the trail I had shown you?”

“I did! I just thought it’d be quicker if I flew over for a little bit--”

Now it was time to gently let her know that mountchasers love airborne prey. “Yes, all the better for those things to catch wind and chase you again.”

“I was in a hurry! You told me to get out, so I flew as fast as I could!”

“Not fast enough, it seems.” Lightning Bug lowered her head and looked away. “You’re not very good at this whole pegasus thing, are you?” She squeezed her eyes shut. “Do you perhaps require my assistance, again?”

“That’s fine. I’ll just go now.”

“...Good, that works for both of us.” As Lightning Bug prepared to take off, Polaris left to retrieve his bag. He started back towards the final stretch of his journey. Just over that last hill and he was gold. He managed a glance at Lightning Bug as he passed by, and what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Her back was turned to him so he couldn’t see that much, but her head was ducked and she brought a hoof up to her face. She breathed in sharply, and he thought he heard her sniffle.

Lightning Bug flicked her ears and looked over at Polaris. “...What?”

“Nothing, that’s what. As you were, pegasus.” And he kept walking. He was already several strides away before he glanced over his shoulder again, and she only just flew away as he watched. “...Smooth, Polaris. Real smooth. She must hate herself only slightly more now.”

Polaris was hot, sweaty, exhausted, and once more he had to yank his saddle bag with his mouth. This time he had to pull it up over a ledge, instead of out of a bush, and he was too tired to simply levitate it alongside himself as he climbed. He growled and wrestled with the next set of crags. His nimble unicorn hooves gripped the tiniest footholds and he easily pulled himself up, but then he had to look back at his saddlebag, lift it closely with his magic, bite it out of the air, and then slowly and painfully set atop another stable ledge where it would sit until he climbed a further ways up.

When his hoof missed a step, he nearly toppled over, and he nearly kicked away his saddlebag to the cliff below. Thankfully he regained his balance in time and offered a quiet prayer to the Sisters.

"Quite the climb, huh?"

"Er, who said that...?" Polaris peeked over his shoulder, and about two pony-lengths away he spied some stallion balancing atop his own foothold. His coat was white and covered with dirt.

"Never thought I'd find myself all the way out here," the pony said. "Then again never thought I'd have company either, so I'll count my blessings."

Polaris blinked. "Where did you come from."

"Hm? Oh, don't mind me, I've been here all along."

Polaris peeked back at his saddlebag and shook his head. "You were following me or you were out here in the mountains ..." but when he looked back, he was alone once more. "....All along?" Polaris gently brought a hoof up to his face and gave himself a smack. "Not a good sign, not a good sign... hallucinating is not a good sign. I may have to turn back if my sanity is called into question further."

With a gasp he pulled himself up and over the steepest of hills he’d ever seen and unto level ground once more. He paused to relish the firm stability for a moment before he rose to survey his surroundings.

What he saw made his heart flutter, and not in the good way.

He was standing at a very specific ledge, overlooking a very familiar landscape beneath him. The trees were dense and had not dissipated in the slightest compared to below. The mountains still towered above him, and now there was yet another final ridge to cross. It was as if the mountain had grown an extra cliff the moment his view was obstructed by the climb.

He had to be hallucinating again, right?

But wait, beneath him there should be where he first set down and wrote in his journal. That was not what he saw. The dried river, the crags... He was right where he began!

“But how?” he cried. “Of all the twists and turns I’ve taken, this trumps all! A new record for bamboozlement! It’s as if the land itself is against me reaching the mountaintop! How broken can reality be in this place?”

He backed himself into a tree and hit it with a thud. He fell back on his flank and shook his head.

“Oh?” A voice caught his attention. He looked up once more and met with a pair of cyan eyes hanging from the tree.

“...Hi,” Lightning Bug said.

“Hi,” Polaris said back through grit teeth.

"You didn't hear a voice earlier, did you?" she asked.

"No," Polaris said.

“...Do you have any food, by any chance? I’m starving.”

Polaris thought back to the single loaf of bread left in his bag.

“No.”

“Aw.”

Polaris rapidly jotted down notes as he peaked over the edge of the hill over and over again. ‘Wrong side of the mountain? Optical illusion? Space-time-wormhole?’ he jotted down any and everything he could think of as to how he could have gone in a complete circle by simply going straight up.

Lightning Bug grunted as she worked with a stick that was caught in her mane. She sat against a tree as she watched Polaris write. “...What’s the matter?”

“These forsaken mountains are what's the matter!” Polaris cried. “This makes absolutely no sense! I walked in the same direction, perfectly straight, and yet I found myself in the completely wrong area!”

“Tell me about it. I flew for hours and didn’t get anywhere, before the mountchasers got me again...”

“Disorientation in this region is common, nay, expected! But I don’t think any unicorn has ever experienced something as this.”

“That’s kind of cool.”

Polaris looked up from his notes and glared at the pegasus. “What is ‘kind of cool?’”

Lightning shrugged. “If you’re the first unicorn to get this far up the mountain, you’ll be the first to tell everyone about it when you get home. You’ll be famous.”

“I’ll be famous if I make it out at all!” The unicorn said. “Besides, I cannot return home, not until…” He paused. Lightning Bug was looking at him intently, waiting for him to finish. “Why am I telling you all this?! Quiet, I have work to do.”

“Oh, sorry.”

Polaris pulled out his draft and began marking his place on the map. He determined if he were to do the same thing one more time, tracking his position all the while, he may be able to avoid whatever mishap caused him such a wild detour… only how would he hold a map and take notes while he was climbing? He could barely keep his own bag up off the ground with his horn magic when he was scaling that hill. Perhaps he should take yet another alternate route, yes that made the most sense.

“Is that a map?”

Polaris shouted and covered his papers with his hoof. Lightning was peering over his shoulder. “That’s none of your concern!” Polaris said as he hurriedly put everything away.

Lightning kept her gaze on Polaris as he worked, and then her eyes lit up. “Wait a second… are you lost?!”

Polaris balked. “Me, lost?”

“Of course!” Lightning Bug said with an excited flap of her wings. “That’s why you’re drawing a map! You’re trying to find your way out of here, just like me!” She smiled and shook her head. “No wonder you’re so pushy and whatever, you just wanna go home. I don’t know why I ever thought you were just a horrible unicorn. Everyone gets grumpy sometimes after all.”

“...Hey.”

A wide smile spread over her face. “I know! How about we hoof it together!”

“What. Travel with a pegasus? Great incongruity! I’m a trained individual, I don’t need help.”

“It would be safer, don’t you think?” she said with a smile. “I’d be away from the mountchasers, and I could make sure nothing attacks you. I am a soldier after all, it’s what I do. And we could work together to get out of here, I could help you navigate. Two heads are better than one, right?”

“I have no need for protection,” Polaris said. “Or a second head.”

“Aw come on, We could be lost-buddies!”

“I’m not lost, I told you that! Besides, It will be a warm day up north before I trust the navigational skills of a pegasus to get me out of here.”

Lightning’s ears drooped. “H-hey! I was just trying to help.”

“You may help by staying out of my way. If this accursed mountain sees fit to collide our paths again and again, so be it, but you may do your part by minding your own business just as I’ll do mine. Now if you’ll excuse me..." And the unicorn trotted away.

Lightning watched him leave. She straightened her wings and frowned. “Well fine! I didn’t want to hoof it with some grumpy old unicorn meanie anyway! It’s not like I’m lonely! I’ve roughed it out here for days, I’ll be fine! ...All on my own… in uncharted territory… far from home…”

She swallowed hard and checked her surroundings before taking off again. Polaris could see her disappear over the western horizon. He needed to wait only a few moments before she sped back in the opposite direction, with two or three mountchasers on her tail. Her wailing came and went as she disappeared over the other side of the mountain. Polaris sighed and started climbing again.

He wasn’t sure how he managed, but when Polaris climbed over the cliff a second time, what greeted him wasn’t an identical landscape, but rather a dip into a sort of basin. There was plenty of space to walk and trot, no more mountain trails or scaling cliffs here. It was as though instead of being high in the mountains, he was instead at the bottom of a canyon, with towering cliffs and rocks on either side. Pretty to look at, but he’d hate to be trapped between the tumbling drop behind him and the tall, unclimbable rocks in front of him. He may have to press on for quite a ways before he ever found a way up the tallest peak.

Polaris had barely been walking an hour before he heard the familiar scream of a pegasus soldier. He groaned, lowered his head, kept walking and waited for the inevitable confrontation.

He saw Lightning Bug galloping up and over a small hill. Her face was as pale as her yellow coat would allow, and her wings sagged uselessly on her shoulders. She was panting and gasping for air.

“Alright, Private, what is it this time?” Polaris called. “Mountchasers again?”

Lightning’s answer was a scream. She squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head as she ran. Finally another shape followed her down the hill. It was at least three times her size. It had long, silver fangs and tough, shell-like fur covering its body. It opened its toothy maw and howled.

“...Seriously? A direwolf? That’s what you’re screaming about?” Polaris looked around and found a nearby rock. “Ah, no matter.” He hefted it free with his magic, checked to make sure he wouldn’t hit Lightning, took aim, and chucked the rock.

Lightning’s eyes widened. “No, wait!”

The rock zipped through the air, deftly flew over Lightning’s head, and smacked the giant dog right in the nose. It skid, tripped, fell, and tumbled over and over on the ground until it finally stood still; not dead, just out for the count with a bruised schnoz.

And yet for some strange reason Lightning was still running.

“Er, problem solved, Private! You may stop running now.”

“That wasn’t it!” she wailed.

“Oh? Then what was…” The ground shook. “...It?”

A hulking, black creature bounded up from behind the hill. In mere strides it barreled down the hill, ducked its mighty horns, hefted the prone wolf into the air and tossed it over the very cliff that Polaris had just scaled. It clawed at the earth with cloven hooves and shook its three horns about; two were pointed straight, the third curved into itself like a ring upon its forehead. Its snout blasted air like jets of steam as it held back its head and let out an earth-shaking roar.

“It’s a torus!” Lightning cried.

The beast kicked the earth with its plated, heavy legs. It ducked its head and charged straight for the pegasus.

“Ah, not good, not good!” Without a second thought, Polaris shed his bag and ran for Lightning. “Private, you have to fly! Get out of there!”

“I can’t, my wings won’t move!”

“Then just keep running, I have a plan!”

The torus flung its head up as it ran and grazed Lightning’s tail with the tips of its horns. The pegasus yelped and kicked hard to move faster. The torus bellowed and swiped with its powerful forearm. It hit Lightning’s armor and sent her tumbling.

A rock smacked the giant bull in the eye. It snorted and growled at Polaris, who had another stone at the ready.

“I may not look like much, but I can make it hail stone if I wanted to! Do you want that, bull?”

The torus raised its mighty hooves and pounded the earth. Dirt, dust, and rocks were flung into the air, right in Polaris’ direction. The unicorn blinked, shrugged, and yawned. The dust and dirt flew by him, and it was very annoying, but the rocks remained in place in the air. He smiled as his horn glowed.

“I tried to warn you.” And then he stomped the earth with his own hoof, and the rocks one by one took off. Each rock smacked the torus from its flank to its head to its horns. It growled and ducked under the constant buffet of stones. Polaris smiled and closed his eyes as the rocks flew. “I’m sure you’ve trounced several hapless ponies out here in the middle of nowhere, but you’ve never dealt with someone like--” And then he opened his eyes just in time to see the torus’ horns. “...me?”

He didn’t have time to scream before the horns drove themselves deep into the dry earth beneath him, and with but a shove, the bull had unearthed everything above the horns, unicorn scholar included, and tossed him into the air. Polaris flailed and screamed as he dropped, but the bull caught him with its horns and tossed him again.

And again.

And again.

It was probably the fifth time when it got bored and tossed Polaris away.

The unicorn tumbled and skid until he finally struck Lightning and bowled her over. Lightning got back to her hooves and checked to make sure Polaris wasn’t too hurt. He was bruised and scuffed, his mane was a mess, but his glasses were okay, at least.

“I…” he wheezed. “I probably deserved most of that.”

The torus bellowed and got ready to charge. Lightning forced Polaris to his hooves and pulled him along into a gallop. The two ponies raced away as the mighty black bull took off, its horns poised to kebab the two ponies. Lightning flapped her wings to gain some air, but it was in vain, they still were too worn out.

“I don’t suppose…” Polaris gasped as he ran. “You have any ideas?!”

“I did!” Lightning said with a smile. “I thought I could distract it with something about its size, another monster, so it’d forget about us!”

“Splendid! Where would we find such a thing though?”

Lightning’s smile grew wider and stiffened. She didn’t answer.

It occurred to Polaris that the very thing Lightning had mentioned may lie at the bottom of the cliff, tossed away by the torus and nursing a wounded snout. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“Well then…”

A jet of steam roasted their flanks. The torus was getting closer. They tried turning this way and that but the giant bull only came closer.

“Um, I’m really sorry!” Lightning said.

“For what, the bull?!”

And then Lightning bashed Polaris in the shoulder. He was sent flying out of the way of the torus’ stampede, and Lightning dove after him. The torus flew past, realized what had happened, and made a slow, wide turn to face its prey.

“It was the only thing I could think of, I’m sorry!” Lightning tried to help Polaris to his feet again, but the unicorn batted her hoof away as he steadied himself.

“A warning would be nice next time,” he said.

“I did!”

“No, you apologized in advance, that doesn’t count.” Polaris looked over Lightning and watched as the bull completed its turn and began its charge.

“What’s the plan this time, Private?”

“Why are you asking me?”

“You’re the soldier!”

“I never fought a beast in my life! ...I mean, I’ve never won anyway.”

“How splendid! What’s someone like you doing out here in the Badlands?!”

“I don’t know! I ask myself that every day now! ...Gah!”

The two ponies dove in opposite directions and hit the dirt as the torus dozed by them and tore up the earth. Dust and pebbles flew in its wake, and a rock tapped Lightning’s helmet as she peeked up. It would begin to turn again shortly. “Any chance we could just slip away when it's moving like that?” she asked.

“Torus are simple-minded creatures,” Polaris said as he backed away. “But they are also extremely stubborn. It most likely has our scent and shapes committed to memory -- it won’t stop chasing us until we’re trampled or eaten.”

Lightning looked around and spotted the cliff Polaris had climbed up from. “I’ll bet my helmet that thing can’t turn on a bit,” she said.

“What are you thinking, Private?”

“You can throw rocks and stuff at it to distract it, and I’ll hop on top of it and steer it over the cliff edge!”

“How pragmatically savage of you. I’m impressed, pegasus! But what hope do you have to drive it over? Have you ever ridden a bull before, let alone a torus?”

The torus bellowed as it charged. “Um… nope! But I’ll figure it out.”

The two took off in opposite directions. The torus chose to follow Polaris, which was precisely what he wanted. He wasn’t planning on the bull to leap into the air to pound and shatter the earth with its legs, however. The unicorn snagged the rocky shrapnel out of the air as it flew and buffeted the torus. He smacked its eye, which greatly irritated it.

The unicorn backed away sideways towards the direction of the cliff and coaxed the bull with more rocks. The torus stopped charging and slowly and deliberately marched for the unicorn, daring him to continue the assault. Polaris moved sparingly and allowed the giant bull to draw dangerously close.

“Now, Private!”

The bull let out a confused snort just as Lightning landed on its back. “Hah, gotcha!” She reached with her hooves and pulled hard against its two horns. She struggled to stay on, but she managed to make it swerve and turn its head wherever she pulled its horns. As long as it did the same as it ran, she was gold. “You listen to me now!”

And then the bull bucked. “Wuh-woah!” It bucked again, and if not for her hooves lodged in its horns, Lightning would have been tossed a story into the air. It kicked its rear legs over and over, and Lightning screamed as she clung for dear life.

“Hang in there Private, you almost have it!”

“I’m hanging, I’m hanging!”

The torus finally gave up removing its unwanted passenger and made a dash for the cliff. Lightning’s voice jittered and shook as she bumpily sped along. “It’s working!” She cried. “It’s working! Woo!”

The torus was within spitting distance of the cliff. One step too many and it would tumble down and meet its direwolf companion, and Lightning would let go and merely fly or glide to safety. If everything went according to plan, that is.

Which it didn’t, because the bull dug its hooves into the ground, mere inches away from the drop-off, and made a hard turn away from the cliff.

Lightning gulped. So it can turn on a bit after all. “Oops.”

“Sisters save it! Private, jump off!”

Lightning was too scared to jump even if she wanted to. Her hooves clung to the horns and had forgotten how to dislodge themselves. The torus screeched to a stop and stood up high on its hind legs, and Lightning was flung off.

She hit the ground in a daze. She shook her head and checked for where the torus had gone. The answer was right in front of her. It charged right for her and pounced into the air.

Lightning leapt back with a flap of her wings and deftly evaded its flying hooves. But then it caught her between its horns and threw her to the ground. It lifted its head for the briefest moment and then stabbed. Lightning yelped and rolled away as it stabbed with one horn, and then once more as she rolled away from the other. The creature pinned the pegasus down and dug both horns into the earth. She pushed against it with her hooves but was helpless to stop it. Its forehead threatened to flatten her as its horns sank deeper and deeper into the earth.

Polaris desperately ran for the pegasus as he racked his brain for some kind of way to save her. He prayed quickly and quietly for some sort of deliverance from the Alicorns.

Lightning squeezed her eyes shut. Her legs buckled against the creature’s horns. She could smell its breath. Its red eyes got closer and closer. She could feel its entire weight press against her. She could feel herself getting pushed into the earth. It was going to bury her. She turned her face away and screamed.

The air became alive and prickled with energy. The clouds rumbled above them. Thunder blasted through the air and brought Polaris’ charge to a screeching halt.

And then it happened.

Blue lightning descended and struck the torus. It was like a mighty javelin of light. It was there one instant and gone the next. Mere milliseconds later the booming thunder blasted the immediate vicinity with a wave of power. Dust and pebbles were sent flying, and Polaris was nearly pulled away.

“Sun and Moon above…” Polaris breathed.

The torus shuddered and collapsed. Steam and smoke wafted from its body. Lightning was still somewhere beneath it. Polaris cautiously drew closer. Could even a pegasus survive something like that?

“Private?” He asked. No answer. “Private? ...Miss Lightning?” he asked in a quieter voice. Still no reply.

Polaris was not deterred by the smell of burnt hair and skin. He poked with his horn against the creature’s still body. He hefted as hard as he could but could not budge the torus enough to tip it over.

And then he heard something scratch the earth beneath it. A burnt shape shuffled itself free from the torus’ limp head. “Owwww….”

Lightning shook her mane out and looked up at Polaris. Splotches of soot and dust covered her yellow coat, her helmet was scorched, but she was otherwise unharmed. Even her mane looked fine, if a little frazzled.

“Oh thank the sisters, I thought you’d be fried,” Polaris said. He pointed at the still-smoking torus. “Talk about divine intervention! I’ve never seen anything like that!”

Lightning tilted her head. “Like what?” she looked over at the unconscious torus. “...Oh, that.” She seemed more annoyed than surprised. She poked her wings with her snout and recoiled. “Ah great, now I smell like smoked meat.”

“Well it certainly beats being eaten like some, I’ll tell you that,” Polaris said as he helped her to her feet. “I don’t think words would do what just happened justice, but then again I am quite tired.”

“Me too,” Lightning said with a whine. “I’m so done with this place.”

“Indeed.” Polaris checked around the landscape. The torus had pounded several long, smooth circles and loops into the dusty earth with its hooves. He checked for any spots of interest inside the basin and settled on a large cluster of trees. Polaris looked between Lightning and the wood before he ducked away, without saying a word. He walked past the torus and back towards the cliff. For a moment it seemed like he just left without a word of goodbye.

But then he came back and trotted past with his previously shed saddlebag. “I don’t know about you, but I’m heading for the shade. We certainly don’t want to be here when it wakes up. ...If it wakes up.” And he was off again.

Lighting hesitated. She gave one last look at the defeated torus before she followed after Polaris. “Why can’t my Stormtouch ever work when I want it to?”

A tiny stream of silver water gently babbled away beneath the tallest tree, this is where Polaris had seated himself. Lightning joined him soon after. Her wings hung from her shoulders and left little trails in the dirt as she dragged herself to the small oasis, if it could be called that.

Polaris peeked up just as he had opened his bag. “There you are,” he said. “I think we’ve both earned a moment of reprieve from our respective endeavors.”

“Mn,” this time it was Lightning’s turn to be short and vague. She barely had the energy to talk. She plopped herself on the opposite side of the stream and knelt down to drink from it.

“We should count ourselves lucky,” Polaris said. “At least it was just a torus, I mean.”

Lightning paused in her drinking. “...Just a torus?”

“Of course! They rank pretty low on the ‘bad news’ tier we have back home, though the idea of course is that you never want to meet anything on that list, Ursa Major for example. Those still rank highest last I checked.”

“Oh,” Lightning studied her reflection. “...Does that list include dragons?”

“Yes it does! ...They’re somewhere at the bottom.”

“The bottom?”

“Yeah, the ‘not-quite bad news’ list is where they’re found. They’re tied with rabbits.”

“Rabbits?"

“Nasty little things. I certainly don’t envy any pony who has to deal with either of those.” Polaris looked at the stream. “It occurred to me that this may be a highly contested area amongst the wildlife,” he said. “Perhaps the bull fought to protect a source of water it had claimed, however tiny.”

“M-hm,” Lightning said as she drank.

“...In which case we shouldn’t tarry for too long. Some other beast may catch wind of us, and then we’d have another struggle on our hooves, and we certainly don’t want that.”

Lightning looked up at the unicorn and tilted her head. “...You’re being awful talkative,” she said.

Polaris cleared his throat. “I thought some light conversation may defuse the atmosphere a little. We both were almost crushed just now.” Lightning didn't say anything. She studied her reflection in the tiny brook. Polaris cleared his throat again. "Is something the matter?"

"Nobody is ever nice to me unless I almost get hurt, or I do something stupid."

"Why, if you're implying that mere conscience is what drives me to be friendly, you're mistaken," Polaris said. "...Mostly mistaken, I mean. Say, did you manage to find a signal before the bull?" Lightning tugged at her armor and produced the radio and turned it on. "Wait a second, it still functions??"

Lightning clicked it off. "It's survived worse. And no, no matter where I go I can't get a signal."

"Either you've never gone high enough or... Have you considered that your radio may be broken?"

"Yeah, but it's not like I can fix it. I don't have a screwdriver or anything."

"Indeed, may I see it for a moment?"

Lightning hesitated. Her eyes never left Polaris as she slowly held out the tiny metal box out to him. His horn lit up and the radio floated out of her hoof and over to the unicorn. He turned it over on all sides and spied the three screws holding it's halves together. He set it on the ground and squinted. The three tiny screws turned and slid out and he set them in a neat pile beside him. He gently slid the two halves apart. "Come take a look, tell me if anything looks odd."

Lightning hurried over and took care not to touch shoulders with Polaris. She peered over and checked the inner workings of her gadget. "I... I don't really know," she said.

"You don't?!"

"I mean, I've read the manuals but I've never had to maintain my gear before. ...And I'm kind of scared of touching anything."

"...Well I know very little about Meteoran contraptions but consider this..." Polaris pointed with his quill. "Are these wires meant to be touching?"

"They're insulated, that shouldn't be the problem."

"What about these bent... uh..."

"Transistors. They're supposed to be bent, they won't fit otherwise."

"Well... wait..." A particular piece caught Polaris' attention. It was tiny, much too small to maneuver with any hoof. It was held to the circuit board by several tiny pins, several of which had come loose. "Ah, it must have sustained a sizeable impact recently. You don't need to be a technician to know when a piece is knocked loose." Polaris squinted and worked with his magic. The tiny piece slide back into place with a click. Polaris closed the radio and magically screwed it together again. "Let's try that."

Lightning took the radio and turned it on. It still whined, but it was a much cleaner sound, and there was no buzzing whatsoever. When she turned the knob and moved the radio around, the pitch changed in ways that made anyone who has used a radio extremely happy. "Ohmygosh, you did it! That must have been connected to the antenna, no wonder I wasn't getting anything. Thank you so much!"

"Er, of course!" Polaris closed his eyes and smiled. "I'm not the best jeweler, but most Lustrian scholars have at least some experience with small, delicate pieces." Lightning didn't respond. For a minute she just listened to the quiet whine of the radio with a satisfied and almost nostalgic sigh. Polaris cleared his throat again.

“Miss pegasus?” Polaris asked. Lightning turned her radio off and looked up at him. "It has occurred to me that I’ve, well… circumstances notwithstanding, and certainly not accounting for cultural differences, I wasn't very fair to you when we met. In fact I was, well, a bit of a jerk.”

"I mean..." Lightning smiled, warm and wide. “Yeah. You were.”

Polaris coughed again. “I’d like to start over. Seeing as we almost got trampled by that thing, we may never get the chance again.”

“Sure, I’d like that. Starting over I mean, not getting trampled.”

The unicorn gave a soft laugh and rose to his hooves. Lightning did the same. Polaris gave a sort of curtsy. “My name is Polaris, of the Cynosura family. I come in the service of the Lustrian University Professoriate. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise!” Lightning stomped one hoof and saluted with her wing. “Private Lightning of Clan Mistral. Border Patrol, second division, unit six. At your service.”

The two bowed to each other and shook hooves. A spark flew as Polaris’ hoof brushed against Lightning's and he pulled his leg back. Lightning’s face flushed as she covered her mouth with her wings.

“Apologies,” Polaris said. “I guess I’ve never shaken hooves with someone who was just struck by lightning. ...Which is not something I’ve ever said before. No wonder you didn't want to touch your radio's internals.”

Lightning laughed nervously. “Um… am I allowed to ask what you’re doing out here? If that's okay I mean?”

Polaris opened his mouth, hesitated, and then gave a sigh. “I suppose that’s fine. I’m on a special mission to reach the tallest peak of the Mercurial Mountains.”

Lightning gawked at the mountain that still dominated the background. “That thing? I don’t think I could even fly that high!”

“Well, I don’t need to reach the utmost top,” Polaris said. “I merely need a good vantage point. To what ends I’m not entirely sure, to tell you the truth. I was told the fate of Cabalos may rest on my success, and it was of the utmost importance that I not tell anyone I happen to meet.”

“And that’s why you were being so grumpy,” Lightning said. “You were afraid of telling me something by accident?”

“Well, mostly. I’m ashamed to say it now, but were you another unicorn I suspect I would’ve been much more courteous. ...My experiences with pegasi have been mixed, but that was no reason to treat you the way I did.”

“Oh, stop apologizing. I know how it is to be on a mission. And if it makes you feel any better, I’ve never met any other unicorn before, but I didn’t think it was so bad.”

Polaris became very solemn. “No, I’ve been an awful example for my tribe.” Polaris grabbed his saddlebag and set it on his back. “Well, I intend to rectify that posthaste.”

“Where are you going?”

“We are finding you a safe passage down the mountain and back to Meteoras. I’ll take you back to the border if I have to.”

“What?!” Lightning jumped to her feet. “But-but,” she pointed at the mountain. “You’re so close! You can’t head back down now.”

“Oh, that will be no problem. If anything, it gives me a good excuse to resupply. I'd have to turn around in about a day anyway. Of course there is the matter of crossing the stormwall, but we'll worry about that when we come to it.”

“Yeah, but…”

“It’s the least I can do. You’re clearly in greater need here, and it would be terribly dishonorable if I, a unicorn of the University of Lustre, would so callously carry out his duties yet be remiss to lend a helping hoof to a helpless filly in need.”

“I’m not helpless!” Lightning said with a stamp of her hooves. “I only needed your help with the mountchasers once. We both worked together to stop the torus, remember?”

“In which case, if it weren’t for that freak bolt of lightning, you’d be done for.”

“That’s not-- actually… um.”

“By all means, I do understand if you’d rather I leave you alone.”

“No, that’s not it! Just give me a moment to think.” Lightning bit her lip and tapped her hoof against the ground. “Why don’t we just go up the mountain together? Maybe I can get a signal if I go higher up, and you can finish whatever it is you’re doing at the same time. We just keep an eye on each other in the meantime.”

Polaris patiently listened and brought a hoof to his chin after she finished. “It would be a shame to kill my momentum,” he said. “And what you’re saying makes sense, but do you really think you can be of any help?” Lightning blinked. “Er, sorry if that was blunt of me.”

“Well, I didn’t say I’d help, I just thought it’d be smart. Even if you weren’t the one getting tossed out of the sky by mountchasers, your navigation skills don't seem to be doing you much good.”

“Wah-- the nerve!”

“And besides,” Lightning kicked the dusty ground. “I thought you might want company.”

Polaris set his brow, and for a moment it almost looked like he was going to put on a nasty glare and tell her off again. Instead, he closed his eyes and scoffed. “Oh fine, if you insist! I offered services at my own expense, but you wouldn’t have it, so very well, you may follow me.”

Lightning burst into a smile and hopped happily. “Oh, yay! Travelling-buddies! Travelling-buddies!”

“But!” Polaris put forth a hoof and shushed her with it. “I only permit this out of pity, not because I need help, and certainly not because I’m lonely. We are not ‘buddies,’ Private. We are companions, inasmuch we are trapped by the same unusual circumstances; united by a common cause. Once we’ve reached our respective goals, I expect us to politely and professionally part paths. Deal?”

Lightning smiled and rolled her eyes. “Alright fine, deal.” And they shook hooves again, and this time there wasn’t a nasty shock. Polaris smiled at her for the first time since they met. “So… where exactly do we go from here?” she asked.

Polaris opened his mouth and then paused. “Er… actually that’s a good question.” He stepped away from the stream and the trees, and Lightning followed after him.

Polaris looked around the basin. “We’re in a sort of bowl, at the moment,” he said. “The land in between these specific mountains is fairly level, but it dips and weaves the closer we are to the center, see?”

Lightning mustered enough strength to flap her wings and ascend a story or two. “Yeah, I see it,” she called down. The network of valleys Polaris talked about probably wrapped around the tallest peak, and some of them went so far down they were close to ground-level. The peak was so tall that if there were any other valleys on the other side, it was blocked from view.

“But the tallest peak is somewhere on the other side, therefore I’ll have to cross down into the valley. So that’s where we’re headed next. To ascend, we must first go down.”

“Like the opposite of a pegasus dive-bomb?”

“Er, I suppose.”

“Great!” And Lightning flitted down and landed right next to Polaris. He gave a weak smile and removed himself a few paces, and then he set off, with Lightning following after. Things were starting to look up, Lightning thought to herself. Even if it only lasted a little bit, she wasn’t alone anymore. Finally it felt like the worst of it was well behind her.

It would be a long time before they finally escaped the torus’ stench, though.

Author's Note

The way Lightning gave her division and unit was probably completely wrong compared to IRL soldiers. As with many things in Cabalos, we shall lean on the 'it's a fantasy world' angle to mask our own incompetence.

These first few chapters will be released when they're done™, we don't want to tie ourselves down to a schedule yet.

The Introduction - III

The gray sky reflected the sun’s dim rays like a mirror, or an oven. Polaris had his nose buried in his papers, which he levitated alongside his pen. He was taking notes as he walked, even as beads of sweat dripped down his temple and off his chin. Lightning Bug trotted along slowly behind him. Her wings flapped to keep the hot air off of her, but her hoofs dragged through the dirt and her helmet weighed her head down. The air only seemed to get warmer as they climbed down into the hill.

“Hanging in there, Private?” Polaris panted.

“I’m f-fine, thank you,” Lightning Bug wheezed. “Compared to summer back home, this is… nothing. You?”

“I’m presently cursing the genes that gifted me with this garish gray coat that guzzles up the glaring sunlight…” He groaned. “But besides that, I’m… fine.”

“Good.” Lightning Bug wiped the sweat from her brow. “Cause I’d be okay with taking a rest, but only if you were tired of course.”

“I’m not tired in the slightest,” Polaris said. “I’m only, er, mildly inconvenienced by the sunlight. I wouldn’t mind taking a break in some shade, were we to find any. But if you were uncomfortable, we could stop sooner than that.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” Lightning Bug said. “Don’t stop your mission on my account. I’ll manage for a bit longer.” I think, she said to herself.

“The mission is of no importance if one of us dies of heat stroke,” Polaris said. “Which is why if you in any way feel threatened by the heat, we should stop and regain our bearings.”

“I’m a soldier, I’m trained for this sort of thing,” Lightning Bug nearly tripped over her own hooves. “But you’re a unicorn, and a scholar at that, no offense. I can take the punishment, but if you can’t, just say so.”

The two were quiet.

“I suppose I won’t then,” Polaris said. “It would take a lot more than some… little sun to stop me. And if you have no objections, then we may as well carry on until--”

“Polaris…!”

Polaris had a jolt and turned his head. Lightning Bug was face down in the dirt and had her forelegs wrapped around one of his back hooves. “...Yes, Private?”

“I’m tired, hot, and hungry. Can we please take a rest?”

Polaris did his best not to sound relieved. “I suppose if we must. Let’s find some level ground and sit tight, I’ll have us a shelter in no time."

Polaris made do with several tall stones. He placed them down just high enough to cover their heads, and then he draped a large tarp from his bag over the top. The perfect makeshift gazebo. He and Lightning Bug crawled into the relative cool of the shade and helped themselves to a relatively late lunch.

“I thought you said you didn't have any food,” Lightning Bug said.

“I did say that,” Polaris said glumly. “I was very cross at the time. I should have said I had little to spare, which is closer to the truth.”

He produced a hard loaf of stale bread and a flask filled with a purple liquid. “This here is Lustrian oat bread. It’s not very nutritious, or tasty for that matter, but it is filling.” He tore it in half with his magic and passed a piece to Lightning Bug, who in no way seemed concerned. Her eyes were wide and she had to suck in some drool from the corner of her mouth. “That’s the last of it, so if I were you I’d try to make it last..”

In the span of Polaris opening his mouth and finishing his sentence, Lightning had wolfed down the entire half-loaf. “Tang yu so mush!'' she said before she gulped down the last of it. “What was that last part you said?”

“...Nothing, forget it.” Polaris daintily nibbled at the hard corner of his piece. He smacked his lips as the powdery, gritty texture sucked the moisture out of his mouth. He popped open his flask and lifted a small portion of purple drink into his mouth with his magic. He swished around before swallowing and let out a satisfied sigh. He held it to Lightning Bug.

“Would you like some?” he asked.

“Thanks, but I try not to drink.”

“It’s merely a cordial. It’s strong, but only because it’s sweet.”

“...Is it grape-flavored?”

“There’s grape in it.”

Lightning shrugged and helped herself to the flask. She put her head all the way back and poured directly into her mouth, the way soldiers are trained to. It was incredibly sweet, and any flavor or mix of flavors was almost completely masked. It had an interesting aftertaste, and it perked her right up once it reached her stomach.

“That’s actually pretty good!” Lightning gave the flask back and sat down. She tucked her legs and wings in and got ready for a short rest as Polaris finished his piece.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Polaris said. He examined his documents. “The longer we tarry, the longer it takes until we reach the top. That means we’ll have even less time to descend the mountains before nightfall.”

“What happens at night?” Lightning Bug asked.

“I’m not positive myself,” Polaris said. “I always camouflaged my campsite and kept quiet.” He grew grave and lowered his voice. “Some nights I would hear large footsteps and… animal cries. From what I know not, but I don’t feel like taking any chances.” Polaris blinked. “Wait a second! You’ve been out here just as long as me! How do you not know?”

“Oh,” Lightning shrugged. “I never stayed down here at night. I just slept on a cloud.”

Polaris blinked again. “You… slept…”

“On a cloud.”

“A cloud?”

“A cloud. Every night. Pegasi have cloudtouch, remember? What did you think I did?”

“I don’t know, I suppose I didn’t want to assume anything stereotypical.”

“Stereotypical? What do the unicorns say about pegasi and clouds?”

“You know what, nevermind.”

“See anything, Private?” Polaris asked. Lightning looked this way and that as she flapped about in the air about two stories above him. They had reached the bottom of their first hill, but now the land was starting to look the same again. If they weren’t careful, they’d never reach the other side and find their next hill to climb.

“Nothing yet!” She called. “Just more rocks and trees.”

“Blast,” Polaris sighed. “...Wait a second… there wouldn’t happen to be a withered four-branched tree to your northeast, would there, Private?”

“...Um…” Lightning had to sing a little rhyme to herself to remember her cardinal directions. Polaris impatiently tapped his hoof as he waited for her. “Yeah, why?” She asked.

“Blast and double blast!” Polaris stamped his hoofs. “We’ve been going in circles again!”

“But we went straight the whole time?” Lightning Bug said.

“And yet there is that withered tree,” Polaris said as he pointed. “And behind us the hill with a cooked Torus on the other side is no farther than it was two hours ago… and there is no doubt in my mind that were we to continue as we have been, we’ll encounter the exact same set of cliffs as before.”

“That doesn’t make any sense!” Lightning Bug said. “I know it’s easy to get lost but this is ridiculous. We were spotting each other the whole time, weren’t we?”

“Oh, it need not matter,” Polaris said, defeated. “These mountains will find a way, logic and physics forbid!”

“You’re a unicorn aren’t you?” Lightning asked. Polaris gave her a look that said ‘yeah, why?’ so she continued. “Can’t you use your horn to like… Idunno, feel a path out of here with your magic?”

Polaris rolled his eyes. “If I could do such a thing, don’t you think I would have tried using it days ago?”

“...Oh, right. Did you try using more magic?”

“Use more magic,” Polaris murmured. “Spells are a complicated matter. One does not simply--” he held out his hooves and made air quotes. “--’Use more magic,’ if unicorns could just simply ‘use more magic’ for our spells we’d have conquered Cabalos by now. Don’t you think?”

“I guess that makes sense. I just thought your special unicorn powers might have come in handy…”

Polaris squinted. “I certainly hope you didn’t pin your hopes of getting out of here on some imaginary power of mine born from unicorn stereotypes?”

“N-no! And you’re one to talk about stereotypes.”

“Touché.”

The two didn’t move forward for a while. Polaris studied his notes and muttered to himself, while Lightning alternated between pacing circles around where they rested and taking quick flights to check their surroundings. She almost worried that the terrain would change if she didn’t keep her eye on it.

A soft sound tickled Lightning Bug's ear. She flicked her ears back and forth to see where it was coming from. She took another flight into the air and searched for the source of the sound. It was almost like music; very ethereal and shapeless music, it sounded happy and sad at the same time, and no matter where she looked she always heard it, as if it was broadcast directly to her head, like a radio.

For a moment Lightning thought she saw movement. She squinted and watched the dried grass rustle lightly in front of a large cluster of dried trees, as if something or someone had just passed by.

Lightning gently hovered beside Polaris and nudged his shoulder. “What about that way?” She asked as she pointed.

Polaris squinted. “The brush? All of those dry trees hugging the base? You can’t be serious.”

“I am serious,” she said. “Maybe the change in scenery is what we need to get a grip on things.”

“Get ourselves lost, more likely,” Polaris grumbled.

“Any more than we already are?”

Polaris relented and held up a hoof. “If you are so sure of our success, then by all means lead the way, Private.”

“I think I will,” Lightning Bug said with a firm nod. “And my name’s Lightning. You’re allowed to call me by my actual name.”

“Yes-yes whatever, just do so quickly. I don’t want to tempt any fauna that may be watching us.”

Lightning led the way, and for a while they weren’t lost, insofar the scenery kept changing, and it seemed like they weren’t going in circles any more. They entered the withered brush and weaved their way around the dusty, dry trees. Polaris of course complained the whole way, but Lightning honestly didn't mind that much. His candidness was comforting in a way, and he was being nowhere near as grumpy as when they first met. At least it beat being alone with her thoughts.

Something moved up ahead. Lightning stopped in her tracks. She couldn’t see through the trees, but she definitely saw something. For some reason her heart said it was a someone. “H-Hello?” Lightning took off into the brush before Polaris could say anything.

“Private?! Hey!” And he followed her.

Lightning came up to a sheer cliff, much steeper than anything she’d seen on the mountains. She saw the final glimpse of somebody’s tail mane flash over the edge. She heard hoofsteps beating the ground above, fading away. Before she could even open her mouth to call again, they were gone.

Lightning studied the cliff. She wondered if even Polaris could scale something like that. unicorns were part mountain-goats, so the Meteoran joke went. Their bodies were stiff and dainty, but their tiny hooves and strong legs let them scale ninety-degree inclines with ease. She was positive Polaris would need a lot of convincing to even try to climb up, but she had to find that person.

At least she hoped it was a person.

“Um, Polaris?” She turned around and saw the unicorn in mid-stride. Lightning flapped up the cliff and pointed. “I found a shortcut. I think.”

Polaris let out a sigh of relief. “Well, I’ll be the judge of that. Yes, this seems to lead to a slightly higher plane of the basin, which would take us closer to the mountain…”

“Can you scale it? It’s pretty steep.”

“Can I scale a cliff? Don’t be ridiculous. Why I should… should… hm…” Polaris cautiously prodded at the steep face of rock and searched for a hoofhold. His hoof found a grip, which promptly gave out and made him slam his shoulder into the cliff. He irritably straightened his lenses. “In theory, yes.” Polaris backed away. “But it would take much more effort than I’m willing to spend.”

“What? You’re giving up on a climb just like that?” Lightning asked.

“We unicorns know how to pick our battles, Private,” Polaris gave her a look. “This would waste our time for what would be a miniscule shortcut.”

“Aw come on! Where’s your mountaineering spirit?”

“I’m pretty sure it died after the first day. Come on, Private. I said you could take the lead and you did, time to turn back. You’re following me, not the other way around.”

Lightning bit her lip and spotted a fairly thick but withering tree jutting from the cliff just a few strides away. “Hold on just a second!” She bounded over and started tapping the tree. “I know, I know!”

“What is it now?”

“I’ll buck this tree down and make a bridge for you!”

Polaris gawked. “Oh great, now she thinks she’s a galloway. What’s possessed you to scale this one cliff?”

“Can’t explain, too busy calculating!” Lightning stuck a tongue out and started measuring with her hooves where she should kick for maximum tree-toppleage. Polaris rolled his eyes and remained still. “Right here should do it!” Lightning said as she turned away from the tree and got ready to kick. If she hit the spot just right, the tree should land right in front of Polaris.

“Um, Private, you’ve done this sort of thing before?” Polaris asked.

“Oh! Um…” Lightning practiced a kick. “Once or twice.”

“Once or twice? Private, don’t you know that there’s a whole technique and nuance to the kicking down trees bit? Why don’t you leave that to the professionals and just forget about the--”

“Hah!”

Crick! One devastating buck from Lightning Bug's hooves was all it took to dislodge a few of the stiff, brittle roots from the ground. Polaris stopped worrying for a brief moment and was almost impressed. Lightning was pleased with her progress and continued to kick, and kick, and kick at the tree.

Crick! Crack!

The tilting tree cast a shadow over Polaris, which made his ears droop. “Um, Private? You know where you’re aiming that thing?”

Crack!

“What was that?!” And she kicked again.

Crack!

A branch dropped to the ground and just missed Polaris’ head. “Gah! Private! Oof!” And another hit him on the head. He angrily put up a small magical umbrella as more twigs, leaves and nuts of all things hailed on him. “Private! You’re clearly not trained for this. You gave me no instruction and certainly had no forethought about what would happen if--”

Creak!

Crrrrk…

Polaris looked up. The final root snapped. The tall, gray tree tilted and fell. Right in his direction. “Sisters, NO!” His hooves scraped the dry earth as he tried to flee.

Fwump!

Dry branches, leaves and twigs broke the tree’s fall. It bounced and bopped once or twice. The sheer crashing sound sent birds flapping away from other trees. It would have been much louder if the tree hadn’t kept so much of its foliage.

“Polaris look! I did it!” Lightning hopped and bounced over to the side of the cliff. “Now you can climb up! ...Polaris?” He had disappeared. Lightning puffed her cheeks and frowned. “He could have said something before walking away again. Unless…” The gears turned in her head. “Oh my gosh! You okay down there, Polaris?!” She bounded down the tree and searched through the twigs and leaves. “You in there?!”

“Hn….”

The moaning came right beneath where she was balancing on the branches. Lightning yelped and pawed at the twigs with her hooves. Carefully she unearthed the disheveled unicorn’s head. It seemed the majority of the trunk had missed him, but he managed to get battered by a few branches. He wasn’t hurt, just a little rattled, and presently pretty peeved.

Lightning backed away as Polaris pulled himself out. He kicked his back legs to dislodge some debris from his coat and then glared down at his pegasus companion. She sheepishly grinned and backed away some more.

“For your sake,” Polaris breathed. “Just be glad that the tree was nearly as incompetent as you are at crushing things. Secondly; I hope for the good of us both that no creature heard that.” He took off his spectacles --still intact against all odds-- and wiped the dust off of them.

“W-Why would that matter?” Lightning asked.

“Upending the terrain and ‘renovating’ so to speak is a surefire way to challenge any beast for its territory. If anything larger than a direwolf were to see this, we may be in for another fight.”

Lightning tried to laugh it off. “If we do find another monster, we can just take it down together like last time! Can’t we?” Polaris walked past Lightning and started scaling the trunk. He didn’t say anything. “Hey, I’m sorry alright? I didn’t mean to hit you with the tree.”

“I know you are, Private,” Polaris said. “I'm not terribly hurt, and now we have a shortcut. Now can we please keep moving?"

"Yeah, ok." Lightning sighed heavily and followed after him. Nobody's ever nice to me unless I get hurt or do something stupid, she thought to herself as they kept walking. For a time she almost completely forgot about the mystery figure and the music.

Polaris didn't say anything the whole time, but it seemed he wasn't mad about the tree-bridge anymore. After a while Lightning's spirits lifted enough that she started singing and humming to herself, until Polaris grumbled to himself about thirty minutes in.

“This is what I was afraid of,” Polaris said as he ducked his head under a branch. “These are the exact kind of trees that impeded my progress before the torus. I pray to the sisters that the nettles and brambles don’t follow as well. That would mean we've gone in the biggest circle.”

“It’s not so bad,” Lightning said. “There’s plenty of space between the trunks at least, and the branches aren’t nearly too thick to fly through. I can check where we're going whenever.”

“Well Private, I’m happy for you, but I don’t have any wings, so that won’t do me much good.” Polaris said. “As for me, I can only think how we’re still lost, we’re only marginally closer to our goal, and we’re out of food. I may need to start planning on how we’re going to get down from here if we don’t reach the top in time, Private."

“Why do you keep calling me that?” Lightning spun on her hooves and faced Polaris.

The unicorn blinked. “Call you what?”

“Private! You call me that all the time. I have a name, you know!”

“I’m just being professional,” Polaris said with a shrug. “It’s customary not to infer a pony from another tribe by name but occupation, so as not to imply any inappropriate familiarity.”

“Yeah well… it’s weird and impersonal and I don’t like it!” Lightning said. “How would you feel if I just kept calling you Professor?”

For a moment it did seem like Polaris would be offended, but his lip curled into a smile and he closed his eyes. “Well, seeing as I'm not a professor yet and becoming one is my lifelong dream… I would actually like that very much.” He kept smiling as he opened his eyes. “Say it again.”

“No! Ugh,” she ducked her head and backed away. “Forget it."

“Indeed,” Polaris said. “I’d just like to see if you’re still singing in the afternoon when it gets really hot with nothing to eat.”

“I think I will,” Lightning Bug said assuredly. “Don’t you worry about me.”

It had been no less than two hours since their early lunch, and the heat and lack of food was finally getting to them. They had both had their share of the flask of cordial and it was finally empty. They dragged their heavy limbs through the dust and dry leaves and dutifully carried onwards, though their brows were soaked with sweat, their manes stuck to their faces and necks, and their eyes could barely stay open.

And yet Lightning Bug still insisted on singing, though her voice was dry and cracking like a twig.

Glory… Glory… Meteoras…
Glory, glory Mete...or...as… Phew

“Just a little longer, we can make it,” Polaris said with only slightly more vigor than she. “What if in the off-chance we find a mountain spring with some nice grand green grass to graze?”

The thought of crisp, juicy, sweet grass was both beautiful and horrible to Lightning. She wanted some so bad but deep down she knew there wasn’t any for miles. With a dejected groan she took one more step before helplessly flopping onto her belly. Dust flew into the air, and she snorted uncaringly.

“What’s this…” It took Polaris a long time to slow down, turn around, and walk the three paces back to where Lightning had fallen. “Don’t tell me… you’re giving up?” He nudged her shoulder. “Come on, soldier…! You made it this far.” He butted her shoulder with his forehead, careful not to poke her with his horn the way unicorns do. “You can do it! Just… sing a little more, or something.”

Lightning whined and buried her face in her hooves. It was a special kind of panic to know you’re trapped in the dust and heat for miles and miles, and no matter how much farther you walk, even if you were to rest for the night, the dusty, nasty landscape would just be right there again when you woke up.

Hush little soldier, don’t say a word

We’re all flying home in a helibird…

“...What?” Polaris stepped back. “Come on now, Private. Just a little further.”

“Just a minute…” Lightning whined. “I’ll be good to go, just give me a minute.”

“You’ll bake if I leave you there any longer.” Polaris said. He tried to lift her with his magic, but she was just too heavy, though he would never say that out loud.

Lightning lifted her head up off the dirt, and for a fleeting moment she thought she saw someone else nearby. Just from the corner of her eye she caught the last glimpse of a tail disappearing over the bend. The same tail from before.

She was up on her feet instantly. “Hello?” She called.

“I’m right here, Private!” Polaris said. “No need to shout.”

“No, wait!” And with newfound strength Lightning shot off down the path.

“What’s gotten into you? Wait up!!”

Polaris caught up with her about five minutes later. She was at a fork in the road and looked quite distraught. “A warning before you bolt off would be nice, next time,” Polaris said. He let out a long shaky breath from the sudden exertion. “Aren’t soldiers meant to stay together? What if we lost each other again or some creature found you? …Are you even listening to me?”

“Don’t you hear that?” Lightning asked. Polaris sighed and lifted up one ear and listened carefully.

“...There’s nothing there.”

“But there was!” Lightning said. “Just a minute ago I heard, what was it, music? It sounded like a bunch of tiny little bells, or a harp, or a xylophone, or…”

“Or it was the heat,” Polaris said.

“But I really heard it,” Lightning slumped to the ground.

“I’m glad you found the strength for a few more strides, but we must really hurry up the mountain.” Polaris took a few steps forward and realized Lightning wasn’t following. “Private?”

“Um…” she pointed meekly with her hoof. “I think it was coming from this direction.”

Polaris squeezed his eyes shut and took a breath. He sighed and shook his head. “If it makes you happy, you may lead once more,” he said. “But if we don’t find anything right away we turn right back around, deal?”

“Deal.”

About ten minutes into their detour Lightning stopped to paw at the dark ground.

“What’s caught your eye this time?”

“This dirt is awful firm,” she said.

“Your point?”

“It’s being held together,” Lightning Bug said. “By moisture!”

“That would mean there’s a spring nearby!” Polaris bounded excitedly. “Oh praise the Sisters, I take back ever thinking you were suffering brain damage.” They turned the bend, and what they found was in fact, not a spring, or any kind of water for that matter.

It was a grove of trees. Green, flourishing trees. Their branches were weighed down with fruit.

Lightning Bug smacked herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She took a step forward. The smell of leaves and fruit nearly overwhelmed her.

“It’s a mirage,” Polaris said, unblinking. “It has to be. That or some kind of magical trap. There’s no way this is real!”

Lightning Bug flew up, plucked a fruit free and stuck it into the unicorn’s mouth to make him take a bite. He stopped talking, chewed, and tears rolled down his cheeks.

Polaris sank to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. He muttered some sort of prayer. “Oh… bless the Sun and Moon that shine their light on this insignificant little star of mine!”

The grove had a decent variety, about three different kinds of fruit. There were apples, pears, and starfruit of all things. There were only a dozen or so trees, and the entire grove sat comfortably between two hills. Lightning Bug excitedly flew up and picked an entire armful from the different trees.

“Which do you want to try first?” She asked Polaris.

He had already selected a pear and plucked it free with his magic. “I’ll manage, you help yourself.” He daintily nibbled at it.

“Okay then!” And the young pegasus went about scarfing down as much fruit as she could.

“Careful, if you haven’t eaten in so long you may make yourself sick!”

“Oh,” and Lightning Bug slowed down. “Thanks, I hadn’t thought of that.”

The two sat and ate for a while. The ground was covered in cool, agreeable grass that gently pulled the heat from their tired legs and bellies. The full, living leaves and branches actually served to block the sun.

“Who do you think planted this?” Lightning asked after she finished her third apple.

“Planted?”

“It had to come from somewhere, didn’t it?” Lightning said.

Polaris wrinkled his nose as he chewed the last of his first pear. “It may not have been planted at all. This could be purely by chance. I’ve heard stories of old magic doing strange things.”

“Then maybe being stuck out here isn’t so hopeless after all,” Lightning said. “Other ponies must have found this place.”

Polaris was going to call it doubtful, but that was just as a strange melody floated through the air; the gentle strumming of a stringed instrument. Lightning’s ears perked up. She wondered if that was the same music she heard earlier.

“Polaris? You may not hear it but…”

“No, I do hear it,” he said. “Where is that coming from?”

The two carefully rose to their hooves and Polaris led the way as they carefully stepped through the trees in search of the music’s source. They happened upon a tree that was picked clean of fruit and littered with cores and seeds at the base. When the two looked up into the tree’s branches, they saw a figure perched up in the foliage playing an instrument.

His white coat was only lightly tarnished by dust, and his green-colored mane matched the leaves and branches almost perfectly. His mane was tied into a braid that hung over the left side of his face, and his tail was neatly groomed. He had no horns or wings, so that made him a galloway pony. His eyes were golden and were only half opened as he played the melody on his lute.

Star-studded hearts and hopes and dreams

Royal decrees for kings and queens

Hearts make promises that they can’t hope to keep

Loving each other isn't easy as it seems…

Polaris wasn’t sure what to make of the display, but Lightning was in complete awe. "He sounds real talented..." She sat on her haunches and listened to the galloway play a little longer, but Polaris’ patience could only last so long.

“You there!” he called up to him. “Where did you come from?”

The galloway abruptly stopped his singing and cleared his throat. "Oh, don't mind me, I've been here the whole time."

"No you haven't. You’re not supposed to be here."

“Are any of us meant to be anywhere? Where else can we go but where the winds of fate take us?”

“Excuse me?”

“He’s talented and insightful…!” Lightning gasped. Polaris scoffed at her. “Did you plant these?” Lightning asked. “Are these your trees?”

“Mine? Hah, please. I’d never get my hooves dirty. I only arrived shortly before you two.” the galloway strummed some more.

"What are you doing out here? I'm sure there are plenty of trees to sit in back in Sylvain."

“I’m glad you asked!” The galloway stood up and slid down the trunk of the tree. Lightning shyly stepped away as he drew near with his lute. “I’m here for adventure, for mystery! To follow the song~!” he strummed on his instrument. “Oh… my bad,” he quickly tuned it and struck a different chord. “Follow the song~!” he sang again.

“What song?” Polaris asked.

“Your very question only proves that you have no clue!” the bard said.

“Thank you for clarifying that.”

“The song!” the bard repeated as he held his hoof out to their surroundings. “Just as the hills of Sylvain or the shores of Meteoras sing with the song of magic, so too do the Badlands. Thus the animals, thus the water, thus this very grove we stand under! Lore like this is my higher calling." And for a moment the galloway was lost in his own head. He glanced about the grove and smiled.

What if he heard the music too? Lightning thought to herself. She tried following his gaze to see what exactly he was looking at, but all she saw was the trees, their branches and the fruit. There was no more music as far as she could tell.

"By the Lovers, I haven’t introduced myself, have I?” The bard stood up, slung his instrument over his shoulder and held out his hoof to shake. “My name is Meadow Skip. Yours?”

Polaris scoffed and looked away, but Lightning happily held out her hoof. “I’m Lightning Bug and that’s Polaris. Don’t worry about him, he’s just grumpy."

"Ah, worry not," Meadow Skip happily waved her words away. "I know how unicorns are." When their hooves made contact, an arc of energy flew from Lightning's and made her yelp. Meadow drew his hoof back and blinked. "I've heard of sparks flying, but that's new even for me! What an interesting little filly." Lightning covered her face with her wings.

When Meadow reached out to shake Polaris' hoof again, he looked away again. "Well, so long as you're busy chatting with a stranger," Polaris trotted away back to his papers and sat down to write.

"Aw, don't you wanna stay and chat too?" Lightning asked. She received no answer, so she just shrugged and looked back at Meadow. For a while longer, the three ponies just rested in the shade, and the two younger ones chatted for a bit.

“So do you know where this grove came from then?” Lightning asked excitedly.

Meadow Skip flipped his braid. “Do I? ...No, actually.”

“Aw.”

“But if I have heard the stories,” he said no more and strummed some more on his instrument. Polaris set his brow and groaned.

“What stories?” Lightning asked.

“Well, since you asked... the ones where ponies are lost and alone in dangerous lands, only to discover salvation just before starvation.” He gestured around them. “Those stories had to come from somewhere, obviously.”

“You must know a lot about this sort of thing,” Lightning said.

"Private?" Polaris had gotten to his feet and donned his saddlebag. "That's long enough and we're burning daylight. Say goodbye to the galloway and let's get a move-on."

"But what about Meadow Skip? What if he needs help getting through the mountains?"

"Our deal only concerns you and I, Private."

"Ah, don't worry about me," Meadow Skip said. "I've been on my own since I was a colt. The Badlands don't scare me. If you wanted company or a song however, I'd be more than happy to tag along. Only if I had your permission, of course."

"Splendid! You don't," Polaris said. "Let's move, Private--"

"You can come along with us!" Lightning said.

"Private!"

"Oh, I'd be honored!" Meadow Skip said. "It was getting lonely out here, singing all by myself.” He winked at Lightning Bug, and she shyly stuck close to Polaris.

Polaris groaned and marched over to the galloway. “Look here, bud,” he said quickly. “You are with her, understood? She’s with me, but I’m not with you. I’ve got enough on my plate today.”

“Sounds good to me,” Meadow Skip nodded. “So when do we set off?”

“Why we set off immediately! ...That is…” Polaris pulled another pear free and took a bite. “That is as soon as I finish this... Me and the soldier have been through a lot today.”

“Don’t I know it,” Meadow said. “A whole day out here would break the best of ponies, and I should know! I only just made it to the grove a few hours ago, myself.”

Polaris blinked. “You’ve only been out here for a single day?!”

After they left the orchard, the going got a lot easier. The trees became much more dense, and they followed a breezy dirt path that curled around the mountainside. The three ponies walked together and met no resistance the entire time.

Meadow Skip was a hardy young galloway. He might have been a year younger than Polaris. He carried himself so confidently and spoke so clearly and cleverly that Lightning Bug found herself forgetting that they were basically the same age. Polaris was much less impressed, and for a time he was completely silent as Meadow and Lightning chatted.

“So, where are you from Meadow Skip?” Lightning Bug asked.

“Nowhere in particular,” Meadow said with a shrug. “I used to have a home and a family, but one day the wind called me away to the way of the bard.”

“The wind… called to you?” Polaris asked. “Did it first pass through some other pony’s pipe?”

“Not the first time, no,” Meadow said with a laugh. “It called me to go to places yet unseen and to spread the joy of song wherever I went, and so I did. I left home with no worldly possessions but this lute and the saddle on my back. I’ve been on my own for years.”

Lightning Bug was in awe. “Wow… you’re so independent!” she said.

“Why thank you,” Meadow bowed lightly. “That’s high praise from such a lovely filly as yourself.”

“Oh stop it,” Lightning Bug turned away and blushed. “Any one would have said the same thing.”

“I wouldn’t,” Polaris said. “I thought the ponies of Sylvain were meant to be hardworking and gold-loving?”

“Oh I love gold, don’t get me wrong!” Meadow Skip smiled. “It buys me food and rooms at inns and motels. But owning land? Tilling it? Not my style. I’d rather fill the land with my music.” Meadow Skip paused and pointed at his flank. “See? It’s what my Brand is for.” His brand was what looked like three wisps of wind with three leaves floating along them; they were shaped almost like a bar of music.

Polaris screwed his face, and rather wouldn’t stare at another stallion’s flank so he looked on ahead. “Fascinating,” he grumbled.

“But enough about me, what’s your guys’ story?” Meadow Skip asked. “What brings Powerful Polaris and Lovely Lightning Bug to the Mercurial Mountains?”

“I am here on a mission, she was deployed nearby and wound up over the border by accident.” Polaris said quickly before Lightning could answer.

When Meadow gave Lightning an inquisitive look, she just shrugged. "That's... basically it. He was sent here by his boss, and I just got lost." She studied her hooves as she walked. "I can hardly do anything right."

Meadow didn't say anything, and neither did Polaris. The galloway pulled his instrument over his shoulder and played a simple song with one hoof as he walked. "♩Dah dah bada-duh, Dah dah budah-duh...♩"

Lightning's ears perked up and she watched Meadow play, bad mood forgotten. "Wait! That song, I've heard it before!" Lightning said quickly.

"What? This one? ♩Dah dah-duh...♩"

"That's the one! Where was it... it must've been when I was still a foal."

"Why, it only makes sense!" Meadow said with a strum of his instrument. "After all, it predates the three kingdoms."

"Really now?" Polaris asked.

"Of course! Everyone knows that before the nations were built the new foals of the world were sung the Alicorn's lullaby."

"The Alicorn's lullaby? I've never heard of such a thing."

"You haven't?! Oh then I must tell you!"

"You really don't have to--"

"The legend says that the first houses and castles of each nation were built both by the Alicorns themselves and every able mare and stallion, and they worked day and night. Of course back when the world was new there were hardly more than several dozen full-grown ponies per tribe, but there were plenty of foals! So while their parents were hard at work, the Alicorns watched over them, and to put them to sleep they sang this song." Meadow vocalized once more before he stowed his lute away. "The tribes weren't divided back then, so naturally each nation kept its own version of the lullaby as the ages passed. It's one of the few things the Alicorns have left us in the present age, alongside their other gifts to the tribes."

"Where did you learn all of this?" Lightning asked.

"Oh, you hear things here and there when you're travelling," Meadow Skip said. "I never liked staying in one place for very long. You start hearing the same stories over and over again..."

"Hearing nonsense is more like it," Polaris said. "Of course you cling to anything you hear if you lack a firm foundation."

"Don't tell me you don't believe in the Alicorns, friend!" Meadow said.

"We're not friends. I believe that the Sisters founded the Holy of Kingdom of Lustre, as is the extent of my knowledge. I cannot speak for the other nations, so I am in no place to call their legends true or untrue."

Meadow Skip smiled. "I suppose it pays to be skeptical when your nation resists even the most harmless influence from the outside."

"I merely find your story implausible. Even if the Alicorns personally tended to every little foal under their care, how do we know this is the exact song they sung?"

Lightning glanced to the side. "Maybe that's just being a little nit-picky..."

"And on top of that!" Polaris said. "Your story contradicts itself! If the Alicorns worked day and night without rest, to build the nations as all legends say, what time would they have to sing to a bunch of foals when their parents would do just as well? Unless you believe in something... extracanonical?" Polaris set his gaze hard against Meadow, as if it were a dare. The galloway just kept smiling at him and gave the smallest passing semblance of a shrug.

"Doesn't Lustre have its own version of the lullaby?" Lightning asked.

"Oh most certainly," Polaris said. "But we would never be so bold as to call it something so pretentious as the Alicorn's Lullaby. A song from a time pre-nations? Certainly. Perhaps the oldest song written on Cabalos? I've no quarrel with such a thought. But the Alicorns were and are important figures. They wouldn't waste their time on silly things like... music and foals. Assigning a glorified nursery rhyme to them is... gah."

"Perhaps..." Meadow ran ahead and leapt atop a large rock and turned to face his companions. "Perhaps it's not a matter of belief, but rather in your stiff reverence of them, you've come back around to not taking them seriously enough. I personally think the lords and parents of the early nations would have invested greatly in the young."

"Coming from a pony who hails from the land of the Lovers, that doesn't surprise me," Polaris said.

"What's wrong with the Lovers?" Lightning asked. Polaris just rolled his eyes and didn't answer. "I barely hear about them. Everyone talks about how different the Sisters and the Brothers were, but the other two are hardly mentioned."

Meadow gave his instrument a strum. "And there's a special reason for that!"

"It's because they hardly mattered in the grand scheme of things," Polaris said.

Meadow deflated slightly. "Well, so much for 'important figures'," he said.

Polaris shrugged as he walked past Meadow atop his perch. "The Sisters cared for balance and equality, and thus their nation stands the strongest. The Brothers were brutal and bombastic, but even their nation thrives in the present era, in spite of the pegasi's hubris. The Lovers, if the stories are to be believed, were too soft-hearted to ever take complete control of their nation. When the Alicorns disappeared a thousand years ago, the Sylvain noticed last." He offered Meadow a glare over his shoulder as he passed him by. "Thus their nation sunk into greed and hedony, and thus we receive individuals such as this."

"I think that's a little harsh," Lightning said. "I mean, I don't know any galloway, but the ones I've met were pretty friendly."

"Oh, by all means!" Polaris said. "They understand that smiling faces bring in the most bits!"

"Now-now," Meadow finally caught up with them. "You're making me blush... but as I've said, I never cared much for bits."

"Some galloway you are, then."

"Polaris!"

“Who's to say what makes a proper pony?" Meadow Skip asked. "Am I to believe that just because dear Lightning Bug isn't home running drills that she's a bad pegasus? Or just because you're not behind a desk writing magical papers or poetry that you're a sorry excuse for a unicorn?"

"Perhaps you should," Polaris said. "Perhaps the Badlands is just a magnet for all of the sorry little failures of Cabalos and we just happen to be the most recent batch of rejects to grace the gray, grizzled grit. The Alicorns surely said 'now what a bunch of sorry excuses these all are. It only makes sense that the smaller rejects should congregate atop the largest one that they may all suffer together.'" Polaris kicked away a stone and huffed as he walked.

"You really put up with this?" Meadow asked Lightning.

She grinned sheepishly. "He's just being grumpy. He doesn't mean it." Her grin disappeared. "He's not wrong, anyway. Even back home I wasn't much of a pegasus."

"Again with that. Who says these things?" Meadow asked with the first frown Lighting had ever seen him wear.

Lightning put a feather to her chin as she thought. "Let's see... my first boss... my second boss... my shift supervisor... my first commanding officer. Really the only ponies who've been nice to me are the captain and, well, my mom and dad."

"And what forever for?" Polaris suddenly asked. "What has earned you the ire of so many pegasi?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Lightning's ears lowered. "I'm such a scatterbrain, I'm barely any good on the ground, and then there's my..." her coat surged again, but this time she didn't think Polaris or Meadow noticed. "I just don't fit in, that's all. If it weren't for ponies like me... normal ponies wouldn't have anybody to compare themselves to." She added a tired giggle.

"Private, you don't need to put yourself down on my account. I was out of line, anyway."

"Oh, sorry. I've been told I pity myself too often."

"And stop apologizing!"

"...Sorry."

"What, bard? Have you no more words of encouragement?" Polaris stopped and turned around. "Bard?" Lighting turned around too. Meadow had stopped following them a few strides ago. He now stared off the side of the mountain trail they climbed, off into the withered trees and bushes several levels down.

"Don't you hear that?" he asked.

"Hear what?"

"The song," Meadow said. He leapt over the edge and skid down the side.

"Wuh- Meadow!" Lightning scrambled over and stopped at the edge. "What about going together? Polaris said he was sorry, and I'll stop complaining! Honest!"

"Oh, don't mind me," Meadow called up after them as his green mane disappeared into the shrubbery. "I'll catch up with you. Carry on!"

And he was gone.

"Fickle little thing," Polaris said under his breath, and then he turned around and kept walking. Lightning hesitantly followed after. "The tallest peak is just within reach," Polaris said. "Just a little longer and we'll reach the precipice." Lightning nodded along, but she kept wondering about Meadow. She wondered what he exactly heard, and whether he might have also seen the last flash of a tail somewhere in the distance.

The light at the end of the tunnel couldn’t come fast enough, the stallion thought. He pounded against the gritty floor, his find securely gripped in his teeth, as he skid down a pile of gravel, skipped over a large rock, and once he hit the entrance of the cave he jumped up, spread his wings, and took off towards the town.

It was hard to hyperventilate effectively with his mouth full, but he managed. His heart was racing, drumming inside his rib cage, and he felt all tingly. The branch he carried was pretty unremarkable if he was being honest-- but it smelled. It smelled like a smell he’d never smelt before. It meant trouble, it meant there was a new creature on the block, it meant something had been tearing up the forest outside long before he went outside.

It could just mean the town guard needed to be on the lookout for a brand new animal that may find its way into town, or it may mean some unstoppable, super predator had somehow not only climbed this far up the mountain range, but had managed to get this close to the Valley of Life and Harmony.

And as much as he hated to admit it, he trembled at the thought with sheer excitement.

Pitt Fall and Berry Bushel didn’t need any convincing when they saw the blue pegasus racing home like an excited dog playing fetch. They were on their way out of the valley to pick berries for themselves during their break, but they found this fellow instead.

“Get a load of this guy,” Berry said. “Even when it’s not his shift he acts like he’s guarding the royal palace or something.” He nudged his friend and pointed. “Watch this. Hey! Hey over there!” The pegasus didn’t seem to notice, and kept flying along. “Hey, Slashbuckler! Where’s your shield? What’s the big hurry?!” Berry called again.

“Yeah, where’s the fire at?” Pitt added.

“Exactly!” Slash shouted back as he dashed by. His altitude dipped as he passed by, which nearly knocked Pitt off his hooves and into the green grass.

“Woah, woah!” Berry ran to the side of Slash and held out his hoof. “Slow down there, buddy. Whatcha got there?”

The blue pegasus skid to a stop, spat his stick out, and started tapping the ground. A small cloud of busy dust followed wherever his hooves went.

“Get this,” he said. “Earlier I took a flight around the valley --like I do everyday-- and the whole time I thought I smelled something burning.”

Beat.

“Uh-huuuh?”

“I’ve been smelling it since I got up, but no one was even cooking anything yet when I flew around town,” Slash continued.

“Yeah, cause no one else gets up before dawn,” Pitt said under his breath.

“So! I took off into the tunnels, went to the woods, poked around the trees, dug up some grass, turned the corner of the trail, and I found this.” Slash reached down and grabbed the branch again with his teeth. He showed it to the two, who turned up their noses and took a step back.

“Nice stick,” Berry said.

“Probably fell off a tree, judging by it being… a stick,” Pitt said.

“Look at it!” Slash shoved it into their faces. “This didn’t just fall off of a tree. Look at the way it’s splintered, see?! Something ripped this from its home, better yet something stepped on it!”

“An anxious pegasus, perhaps?”

“No!” Slash spit the stick to the ground and started pacing back and forth. “No, no it couldn’t have been a pony; no hoof prints at the site. It couldn’t have been a mountchaser because those are too small. Couldn’t have been a direwolf either, they never go this far up the mountain -- not this time of year-- there are plenty of monsters congregating but nothing’s ever made it close to the valley before!”

Berry and Pitt shared a glance. Their hoofs started working backwards away from Slash, back towards town.

“And I found more!” Slash suddenly pointed at them and startled them. “This was just the easiest thing to bring back. There’s all kinds of damage out in the woods - trees and rocks with huge gashes torn out of ‘em, from their highest points too! And that smell, it’s everywhere! Do you understand?! What kind of creature do we know could be this large?”

“The old mare who lives next door to Thistlewind?” Berry attempted but was ignored.

“There is no doubt in my mind that there is a dragon loose in the mountains!” Slash declared.

Berry let out a chuckle. “Woah there buddy, let’s not get too crazy, there hasn’t been a dragon in these parts for, what? A hundred years at least!”

“And I mean--” Pitt cast a glance back towards town. “Is this really the best time to have one of your false alarms?”

“Well, unless you got some better idea,” Slash said. “Or you think the King is coming early this year, or you just can’t smell for some reason --”

“Leave my allergies out of this.”

“-- Then you’ve got me unconvinced!” Slash dutifully reached down and grabbed the stick once more.

“Buddy, listen,” Berry said. “Even if there is a dragon out there, there’s no way it’s getting into town through the tunnels, is there?”

“How would you know? How would any of us know? We’ve never dealt with one before!” Slash took off again, on foot this time. “I gotta tell the council so we can figure out what to do about this!”

The two friends silently watched the pegasus disappear. Pitt shrugged and started towards the hills again, but Berry yanked his tail and bopped him on the head when he turned to face him.

“Ow! What gives? What about the berries?”

“Not if there’s a dragon out there, idiot!”

Author's Note

This chapter was originally much longer and was slashed in half. The second half should go up in a day or so.

The Introduction - IV

“And construction is still underway?” the elder pony asked as she checked a pocketwatch. "No meaningful delays?" Two stallion construction workers nodded to her.

“No ma'am. Plenty of ponies and their children volunteered this year, the grand stage will be completed in a matter of hours. Store owners are setting up their stalls so there will be plenty to eat once the festivities commence tomorrow.”

“At this rate, we may very well be ready a whole day in advance, for once,” the elder said as she stuck her watch away into her robes. “And Tall Tail is still on track to lead the opening act?”

“Not last I checked,” the other pony said. “If I understand properly, he’s passing on the role to his pupil this year.”

The elder knit her brow. “Ah yes, that loud apprentice of his, just when I was about to ask what could go wrong."

"Who, the little white filly with the wings?" the first asked.

"No, the other one! It was... what was her name again?”

“Echo Shade!!” The three ponies ducked and watched the sky just as Slashbuckler flew past them.

“...What's he going to do with that stick?”

“Why do you still question Slashbuckler?”

Slash flitted above the bustling square of busy ponies. They were busy getting their carts and stalls ready for the festival. The roofs were covered in colorful streamers, and he could name each of the ponies in charge of the decorating, but he still couldn’t find the pony he wanted. He flew further into town.

The Lorekeeper’s cabin came into view. It sat right at the northern edge of town. “Echo Shade?” Slash called into the Lorekeeper’s house. He didn’t get a response. He poked his head through the door and looked around. He couldn’t hear hoofsteps or any sign of life inside the small house. Even the Lorekeeper and his little ones were out, it seemed.

He flew all the way back into town square. “Echoooo?!”

“Slash!” someone shouted. Thistlewind got his attention and pointed her hoof at the small, classical-looking building a few houses down from town hall. “Library, maybe?”

“Oh, er, right!” Slash was airborne once more and dashed away. “Thank you!”

Echo scrunched her nose as she turned another page in the dusty book.

“In 2056 Stone Slate was sworn into town council…” She read aloud flatly as she skimmed to another page. “2122 saw the first successful harvest of plums… how interesting!” She turned over a few more pages. “The council henceforth declared war—Hold up?!” She stuck her nose into the book to read every character on the page. Her ears drooped. “...Declared war on the mountchasers. Yeah okay.” She slammed the book shut and lifted it back into the case from whence it came with her magic. “I’m pretty sure there’s not a town in all of Cabalos who aren’t at war with the nasty things…”

She had just opened a new book when the door flew open. In came an excited pegasus.

“Echo!”

“Slashbuckler, you hush!!” Ink Quill the librarian frowned at him. “And mind the door.”

“Oh, sorry!” Slash shouted back as quietly as he could before he slammed the door shut without a second thought. The librarian huffed and trotted back to her desk. “Echo!” He said again.

Echo shushed him. “Slash, I’m busy. Can it wait a moment?”

“Aaaugh.” Slash marched over to Echo and slumped down next to her and her small stack of books. Echo nodded and kept reading, quietly this time.

“With the arrival of Wispy Willows to Harmony, the adolescent foal went down in history as the oldest newcomer ever welcome to Harmony… what really?” Echo Shade asked herself. “I thought the ‘kids coming to Harmony’ thing was just a coincidence. Have no adults ever arrived here?”

Maybe there was some missing information, but alas the book said nothing more on the matter, and if the library itself was anything to go by, she wouldn’t be able to find another book on the matter any time soon.

Echo tried to concentrate on reading another book, if only for a few moments. It was like chiseling at a brick wall, reading these old texts. Besides that last bit, she couldn’t find anything interesting enough that could possibly enhance the Lorekeeper’s story. It was starting to feel hopeless.

Slash was practically vibrating in his seat. He began tapping his hooves against the wood floor, which made it even harder to focus. Oh, just how could she go on with this racket? At this rate, she’d never be able to finish perusing these positively prosaic platitudes and would have no choice but to entertain Slash. Oh the equinity.

As reluctantly as she could manage, Echo closed her book and gave her best friend her full attention.

“Okay fine, what’s wrong, Slash?” Echo asked. Slash reached his down beside the table to retrieve his branch. Echo cleared the books off the table and gave Slash space to put it down.

They both examined it closely for a moment.

“I found this during my morning patrol,” Slash said.

“It’s a nice stick,” Echo said flatly.

“No, it isn’t. I know a good stick when I see one,” Slash said, perfectly serious. “It’s broken, crushed even. And the smell…”

Echo gave her friend a quizzical look. The pegasus shoved the branch towards her with his hoof.

“Smell it.”

Echo smiled sweetly and pushed it back. “I’d rather not.”

“It’s smoke and sulfur!” Slash said. “And there’s hundreds more like it outside the valley! Smashed boulders and trees that all smell the same way. I make no exaggeration when I say this is definite proof of a dragon in the woods.”

“A dragon, huh?” Echo said as she prodded the branch. “Or maybe some outsider folk were having a party in the mountains?”

“This far out? Please. There were no hoof prints at all, I checked,” Slash said. “Trust me on this one.”

Echo studied the piece for a moment and reluctantly gave a sniff. “Now that you mention it, it definitely doesn’t smell like anything else you’ve dragged home. Hmm…”

“I think that the Council should know about this as soon as possible, just to be safe, y’know?”

“I’m not so sure, Slash. Do you really think the Elders are gonna take a stick you found in the woods seriously?”

“Oh, of course not,” Slash said with a shrug. “They’d never listen to me; I’ll just have you ask the Lorekeeper to talk to them.”

Echo rolled her eyes again. “Right, you wanna cry direwolf the day before the festival, and your plan is to have me be the one to do it, because my opinion matters so much to them. I don’t think so.” She pushed the branch off the table and into his hooves as she opened her book again.

The pegasus looked up at her pleadingly. “Aw come on! You’re his apprentice! You’re the only one I can ask.”

“Even if I told Tall Tail about this I don’t think he’d listen to me. He hasn’t been taking any of my suggestions since we started getting ready for his act.”

“Just tell him it’s an emergency!”

“Oh yeah, because that’s worked before. Have you ever asked a favor from him when he’s like this? All he cares about is getting the festival in order right now.”

“Well he’d probably hate it if a giant monster ruined his plans, wouldn’t he?”

“Very true,” Echo nodded. “But he’d be even angrier if I made him look like a chump in front of the other Elders. Think about it, there hasn’t been a dragon anywhere near the valley in a hundred… wait a second,” she paged backwards through her book and found her page. “Two hundred years, there we go. These books are useful for something.” When she looked back at her friend, he looked upset and disappointed. “Sorry Slash, if you really want an audience with the Elders, you’re going to have to ask them yourself this time.”

“Well… fine then!” Slash stood up. “And once I get their permission, I’ll get a posse together for dragonwatch! I’ve been looking forward to the festival all year, and there’s no way I’m letting a scaly worm from Down Under ruin it!”

“But you’d totally go and give it a buck to the face if the opportunity presented itself, wouldn’t you?”

“Hay yeah! I mean, of all the ways to interrupt a festival, fighting off a dragon has to be the raddest.”

“Raddest. Indeed,” Echo said to herself. She shook her head and continued reading. “Well, I have to commend you for being so focused for once.”

“Never underestimate the Future Protector of Harmony.” Slash said with a smile. “I’m like a knife on a cutting board! Straight and to the point!”

“I could tell. Seeing as you’re not…” For some reason Echo began to tread carefully with her words. She motioned in Slash’s direction. “Y’know.”

“Know what?”

She waved at his back. “I mean, if you’re serious about trading blows with a dragon, it kind of looks like you’re missing something.”

“Oh, well if you’re talking about my shield—“ Slash looked at his back with a smile, which turned into a dropped jaw. “MY SHIELD!” Slash leapt into the air and started flitting about again. “I must’ve dropped it on my run into town!”

Echo nodded in agreement.

“Horse apples! Auuugh….” Slash hovered towards the door. He turned and pointed at Echo. “Don’t think this is over! You’ll hear from me again! Right after I find my shield, that is—”

“Slash?” The pegasus stopped in his tracks. “Look, I’ll tell my master that you’re worried, and I’ll tell him what you saw, but I can’t make any promises, alright?”

“Wait, you mean it?!”

“Like I said, no promises—“

Echo could barely finish her sentence before the stocky pegasus had her caught in a warm, viceful hug. “You’re the best, Echo!”

And with that he darted out of the door and left it open again.

Echo shook her head. “Dragons, honestly. ...It would be a real shame if he were right for once though. I should probably let Master know once I’m done reading...” She cast a glance at the giant pile of books still waiting for their dense pages of history and lore to be acknowledged. “Who am I kidding?” She put back what books she could and exited the library, quietly.

The climb up the mountain had finally begun. No more trees and hills. There were certainly trees here and there, and the ground was level for parts at a time, but the trip became almost completely vertical. This of course was harder for Polaris than it was Lightning Bug. Her wings covered distances that took the unicorn five minutes in mere seconds. But Lightning was polite enough to stop and wait for him to catch up. She'd busy herself by humming a song, tapping her hoof to the beat, and she'd try not to think too hard about where Meadow Skip might have ended up.

"Oh, come on Private!" Polaris gasped as he pulled himself up. "If you stop every five minutes for a break..." he dragged his legs over and nearly stumbled. "We'll never get to the top in time! Phew..."

Lightning smiled and rolled her eyes. "My wings are tired, that's all. I might have flown harder in this one day since... well, since I got stuck here."

"Well don't get too comfortable. The higher we go, the more likely your wings will come into play. Say, you haven't happened to catch a glimpse of the upcoming landscape, have you?"

“Huh?! Oh, um…” She looked around one more time. “Nuh-uh,” she said. “The next ridge is pretty steep, I can’t see anything past it. I thought I saw an easier climb over that way,” she pointed with her hoof. “But it looked like it would take longer. What do you think we should do?”

“Any signs of life? Monsters?”

“Not that I could see,” Lightning said.

"Then we should probably continue as we are. No sense taking the easy way out now."

“Really?” Lightning asked. “I thought we were taking the safer one."

“I wouldn’t call any part of these badlands safe, Private,” Polaris said. “But if I were an apex predator, the safer path is where I’d want to prowl, do you follow? Besides, time is of the essence and we’d best get moving.” And he departed. “Are you coming, Private? Private!”

“Hm?” It was much fainter this time, but Lightning thought she heard it. The music drifted in the air again, and it was much fainter this time.

“Can’t you stay focused for ten seconds? Come, we’re going up.”

“Um…” Lighting said as she stared down her path.

“We’re not going that way, I already said so. Who’s the mountain expert here, me or you? If I wanted help with machines, CQC or dragons I'd ask you. Come along now.” It apparently wasn’t up for debate as Polaris was already on his way, so Lightning reluctantly followed after. She couldn’t quite put it into words. She thought she heard music a moment ago, and the path they were taking was dead silent. Why did it feel so suffocating?

Lightning decided to keep quiet. She did this even when she spotted strange marks in the rocks on their way up the hill. The moment she laid eyes on them, a soft burning smell scratched the back of her throat. She had to be imagining it, she decided.

“Ugh!” Polaris plopped down onto level ground. “Finally. I thought the climb would never end, and with our luck, nobody would have blamed me! I cannot wait to finish up and head home to my desk and chair…”

Lightning dragged herself up behind him. She found her own patch of earth and dropped down as well. “Why… phew,” she wiped the sweat from her brow with her wing. “Why would you take this mission if you hate the outdoors so much?” she asked.

“I don’t hate the outdoors,” Polaris shook out his bag and produced his papers. “It’s the blasted Badlands I hate! Such a dreary, colorless blight upon our otherwise beautiful home…” He lifted up his pen and got to writing.

Lightning checked her radio once before she rolled over unto her back and squinted at the dim sunlight. She stretched and sighed. She must have been overreacting earlier, nothing had gone wrong since they went up the hill. It must have just been nerves.

...Unless they were just due for something really really bad to happen. She hoped she was wrong.

The wind howled like Lightning had never heard before while she was still on the ground. It wasn’t in her ears or tossing her mane like if she were airborne, but something below was causing a lot of noise. There was the stormwall, of course, but it looked so far away now. It just billowed silently in the distance, blocking any view to the outside world.

Lightning spied something below, somewhere to her left of the hill they had just scaled. A long, deep dark chasm ran down that side of the mountain and to the hills below, and she could hear the air moaning around it even this high up. It must be incredibly deep if it could make the wind sing the way it was doing. They were almost directly above it. Lightning idly shoved a stone off her perch and watched it bounce down the mountain. It made it's way to the chasm, and she heard it tap the sides as it plummeted beneath. She heard no sound of it striking the bottom. Maybe it didn't have a bottom.

"There must not be many mountains in Meteoras. Don't you know it's bad practice to throw rocks from this high up?"

“What is that thing?” Lightning asked as she pointed.

“The gorge?” Polaris didn’t look up from his papers. “Most likely some sort of chasm formed from tectonic plates, or it’s one of the so-called scars of the land from the legends.”

“Scars?”

“Yes, either the land was carved when the dragons still ruled the world, or it happened during their fight with the Alicorns.” The unicorn shrugged. “But that’s all just legend, so who can say for sure.”

Lightning idly kicked a rock with her hoof.

Polaris set down his papers and began studying the stretch of land they had just scaled. He muttered to himself as he scribbled away. Lightning rolled unto her side to watch him. She then got up on her hooves and looked over his shoulder.

“Is that a map?” she asked.

Polaris recoiled and brushed her with his shoulder. This produced yet another spark and nearly sent Polaris’ quill flying away. He steadied himself and gave her a look.

“Sorry,” she squeaked.

“A rather personal question for mere companions, don’t you think?” Polaris returned to poring over his papers.

“Do you mind?”

The unicorn huffed and rolled up his work. “I do, but seeing how many times we almost died, there’s no point in me being a stickler about it.” He stashed his papers away. “If you must know, I am indeed making a map.”

“Yes! I knew it, wooh!” And the pegasus happily cheered and flapped her wings. “Polaris was making a map! Polaris was making a map!” Her happy voice ringed and bounced around the mountain.

“Yes-yes, you’re very clever,” Polaris grumbled.

“What’s the map for?” Lightning asked. “The mountains, the hills? The tallest peak?”

“The entire Badlands.”

Lightning’s wings dropped in shock. “The whole doggone thing?!” she cried.

"Indeed. That's why it's imperative that I reach the tallest peak, so I can map out as much as possible."

“Still, that’s got to be impossible for one pony!”

“Well, that’s what they all said,” Polaris smiled and held his chin up. “But that was before they heard of me! My cartography skills are renowned the entire kingdom over ...mostly because there are so few left… but that only meant when they needed a map of Cabalos’ most dangerous region, they knew exactly who to call.”

“And they dropped you off behind the stormwall into the middle of nowhere without any help?” Lightning was still aghast. “What if you got eaten by monsters, or swept away by a storm, or got lost?”

“First of all, I can handle myself in a fight, as you’ve seen.”

“Um…” Lightning looked away.

“Second of all, I could not get lost.”

“Don’t you mean never?”

“No, I cannot get lost. It is a fact,” Polaris pointed as his horn. “My horn is attuned to the gravitational poles of the world. My latitude and longitude are always known to me. I cannot get lost.” Polaris frowned. “Which just goes to show how cursed these lands are if a unicorn’s divining can fail him out here. It will be such a relief to get home and be able to feel five feet in front of me again.” Polaris saw something down below and squinted. He took a quick peek at his papers, and then wiped off his glasses. “No accounting for spot-checks, I suppose,” he said. “Oh dear.”

"What's wrong?"

Polaris showed his paper to Lightning. "Look at this."

“I’m… er… seeing lots of trees and rocks. There's the grove where we met Meadow! Is that dotted line us? Are we at the end of that line?”

“Augh! I’m showing you classified documentation! You could at least try to act like you know what you’re talking about.” Lightning pursed her lips and sat down as Polaris sifted through his other notes. “I missed a spot,” he said. “I must have been distracted, by the galloway most likely, and I was remiss to fill in a square! This will not do!”

“What if we went back for it? Or can you do it later, once we reach the top?” Lightning asked.

“It may be out of view by then! See how the elevation changes here?” Polaris pointed at something on the map that Lightning honestly couldn’t understand.

“Oh, no!” Lightning tried to check where he was looking at specifically. “What are you going to do?”

“Loathe as I am to say it, I may just climb back down,” he said. “Even if it does cost us more time in the end… Hm.”

“We probably don’t want to risk getting turned around again,” Lightning said.

“Indeed,” Polaris said. “But I cannot simply leave my work unfinished.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Polars’ eyes lit up, which made Lightning frightened for some reason. “Why, it’s obvious! Why didn’t I think of this sooner?” Polaris put his documents away, marched up to Lightning and held out his hoof.

“...Huh?”

“You will carry me.”

Lightning’s eyes popped and her wings drooped. “Huh?!”

“Why, it’s only the natural solution isn’t it? I need a bird eye’s view, and you’ve got wings.”

Lightning’s face flushed. “Yeah but…”

“You said you’d help me earlier, didn’t you?”

Regardless of her choice in the matter, Lightning found herself several stories in the air, clutching the unicorn with her legs as she vigorously flapped her wings. Gravity, her old friend, was being as helpful as ever. It felt like she was carrying a sack of scrap metal. Weren’t unicorns meant to be light and frail or something, she thought? Her shoulders were wearing out and her forelegs felt like they were going to get pulled out of their sockets. The thought of dropping her cargo and flying away free into the sky tempted her again and again.

Polaris thoughtfully struck at his sheet over and over again with his quill. “A little further, if you’d please,” he said. Lightning squeezed her eyes shut and hefted him forward.
“Yes, thank you.” Polaris' ears perked up when Lightning made a strange gasping noise. "Aren't soldiers trained for carrying weights?"

“I... never trained for... passengers...!" Lightning cried. How… much… longer?” she wheezed.

“Half a moment. Ah, if I knew it was just a blank patch of ground I wouldn’t have bothered. Perhaps that’s why I ignored it in the first place...”

“Wait, it’s empty?!” Lightning said. “Then why are we up here?!”

“For consistency of course! Now hold still while I scratch this down...”

“Oh,” she started to cry a little.

“Buck up soldier, I’m almost done! Just think about something else for ten more seconds, that’s all I ask.”

“Puppies… kittens… rainbows…” Lightning murmured to herself. “Puppies… kittens… rainbows!”

It was certainly more than ten seconds later when Lightning nearly choked on the air. Her throat started to burn. She thought it was the fatigue, but it simply would not go away, and a familiar feeling of dread boiled in her stomach.

The sound of music filled her ears. It was coming from a direction below. Before she knew what she was doing, Lightning was descending.

“Wuh -- Private, I’m not finished! Hey, are you listening to me? Oh…!” Polaris scratched away furiously at his page to finish in time before their vantage point disappeared.

Polaris was gently placed on the ground while Lightning flitted away to look at something. “You’re very lucky I was basically finished. What did you do that for? ...Private?" Lightning had dashed away down the side of a cliff. Polaris groaned and followed after her.

Lightning recognized the trail. It was the trail earlier that she wanted to climb, but Polaris voted against. She came around a bend and stopped in her tracks.

A large rock jutted from the ground. It was covered in markings. Somebody she didn't recognize was examining it. They were wearing a robe, and she couldn't even make out the color of their coat or mane. It was like squinting through a keyhole in a dream, she could never seem to read the figure's shape. She spent an instant endlessly poring over the mystery character and being at a total loss how impossible it was to actually see what was right in front of her.

"Hello?" she whispered. She knew the figure moved to look at her, but she couldn't see their face, or their eyes.

"Private!" Polaris finally caught up. "What did I say last time about running off?"

"Sorry, I was just..." When Lightning looked back, the figure was gone. Completely absent. She cautiously approached the stone. "Didn't you see them?"

"See who?" Polaris asked. "Private!" She examined the rock from every angle. “Now I know you’re just ignoring me." He walked closer and stepped beside her and the rock. "...Say, what did you say your family name was?”

“Hm?” Lightning abruptly looked away.

“Your family name, what clan are you from?” Polaris asked. Lightning didn’t notice him produce a note from his bag.

“Oh, Clan Mistral. Why?”

“There!” Polaris finished jotting something down and put the note away. “Now I know who to send the lawsuit to when your flightiness inevitably breaks one of my bones! You never were trained to stick together, were you?”

Lightning pointed. “Look,” she said. “See those cracks?”

“...Yes. They probably formed during some rapid change in the temperature, a hot season perhaps.”

“They’re fresh,” she said. “See the colors? This just happened.”

“Then perhaps it was direwolves. They do love to scratch things up. Predators love to renovate so to speak.”

“I’m really not sure…” Lightning looked down the trail and took off again. Polaris rolled his eyes and followed after her. He found her at the edge of a clearing in the trees, many of which had been snapped in half. The pegasus stood there gawking and kept looking in different directions. Everywhere she looked, the stones were black and burnt.

“Polaris, this couldn’t have been a direwolf,” Lightning said. “We’re too high up, and they can’t cut stone with their claws. This had to be something bigger.”

“Alright fine, so it wasn’t a direwolf,” Polaris relented. “Another torus perhaps? It could have been a bugbear for all we know, we don’t have any clue as to what lives out here.”

“We do have clues!” Lightning said. “See the burn-marks on the rocks? See all of these broken trees? And can’t you smell that?”

Polaris sniffled and wiped his nose. “Now that you mention it the air is rather unpleasant… But what does it all mean?”

Lightning walked up to Polaris and looked the most serious and worried he’d ever seen her. “A dragon,” she said. “There’s a dragon out here!”

Polaris laughed softly, but once he saw how distraught Lightning really was he stopped. “Come now, Private. What would a dragon be doing out here? They hate this place nearly as much as we do,” Polaris said.

Lightning swallowed. "What if... hypothetically... A group of dragons possibly chased a group of soldiers over the border, and then we all got blown away by a possible thunderstorm, and possibly one pegasus and one dragon ended up behind the stormwall, and they've spent the last three days possibly trying to fly their way out... possibly?"

Polaris blinked a few times. "Dragons? You fought dragons?" Lightning slowly nodded. "I figured you were a little too green for that." A thought crossed his mind and his expression grew grim. “...Then again, a dragon on the loose out here would make sense. The wildlife wasn’t behaving anything like my intel suggested, lacking though it may be…”

“What?”

Polaris held his chin as he paced back and forth. If Lightning didn’t know any better, which very well might have been the case, Polaris didn’t look at all frightened by the possibility. In fact, he looked intrigued.

“A real dragon,” Polaris said. “All the way out here? Oh what a story that would make… Of course!” He suddenly shouted at Lightning, who backed up with a squeak. Birds flew from their branches.

“Of course what?” she asked carefully.

“What if everything, the restless wildlife, the tremors and the strange weather, etcetera… was all the work of one dragon? An invasive predator disrupting the natural order of things... It may very well be connected to the Cosmic Phenomenon the Minister spoke of!”

Lightning was completely lost. “What tremors?” she asked. As if in answer, the ground rumbled slightly the moment the words left her mouth.

“The tremors I’ve been feeling this whole time, actually. I've been experiencing some constant ground-shakery ever since I got here, actually. Never took it to be footsteps.” Lightning’s throat suddenly became very dry. “Well wait, that won’t do,” Polaris said to himself. “I’ll have to be realistic here. The average dragon is maybe twice the size of a pony, and they rank low on the bad news tier list. A normal dragon couldn’t have caused all this.” He was completely remiss to the quaking ground that only grew stronger and louder with each wave. The dry shrubbery behind him began to shift. Something was rustling its way through the trees.

“Tr-trees! T-T-Tremors!” Lightning pointed her hoof and cried.

“Why, if anything,” Polaris didn’t seem to hear her at all. “If a dragon were responsible for all of the above, it would have to be…” The sun was blocked out and the two were covered by a dark, long shadow. “Incredibly…” Polaris turned around and looked up. “Unusually… tall… Um…”

Red glowing eyes bore down on them. Its stiff wings flapped once. Silver teeth clacked together as the behemoth dragon hungrily licked its mouth with a long, slithering tongue. Its gleaming orange scales were cracked and fractured, and stony green growths jutted out from its body like sores. A particularly large green crystal sat in the center of its forehead wedged between two of its cracked scales. It looked tired and angry. It slathered its teeth with its tongue and a string of drool touched the dusty ground right next to the unicorn.

Polaris cleared his throat and swallowed. “Well then!” He forced a smile and looked back at Lightning. “…Private? What’s the plan? You’re the dragon expert after all, aren’t you?” He could barely finish his sentence before he was grabbed by the shoulders and yanked away, just in time as the dragon’s snout slammed into the earth where he once stood.

“Run!!” Lightning screamed as she pulled him away. The two ran back up the trail as fast as they could. Lightning stole a glance behind her. The dragon snorted a couple of times and then set its eyes right on her. “Brothers bless it, it recognizes me!” she said. “Oh this is bad… bad-bad-bad!”

“We’re not going to fight it?” Polaris asked.

“I’ve never fought something that big!” Lightning cried. “...Never won a fight that is.”

“Well if we’re going to run, let’s run up the mountain!” Polaris said. “We may be able to lose it in the rocks.”

They had just reached where Lightning had first seen the clawed stones. The dragon growled and leapt into the air. Its massive shadow sailed over the two ponies. With a sound like a thousand crashing trees, the dragon landed right in front of them and blocked off their path.

The two ponies skid on their hooves and scrambled in vain to turn around in time. The dragon brought its fist down on the ground and sent dust and rocks flying at them. “Okay, new plan,” Lightning said. “Run the other way!” The two barely turned around in time before the dragon slammed its snout into the dirt and rock behind them.

“I still don’t see…” Polaris panted as he ran. “Why the two of us can’t put up some kind of defense?”

“What?!”

“There’s two of us and just one of it,” Polaris said. “And it’s just a dragon after all. Remember how low they rank on the list?”

“That’s not an ordinary dragon,” Lightning cried. “I don’t think four other ponies would be enough to stop that thing.”

“We stopped the torus, and that’s a much deadlier beast.”

“Oh, so now we stopped the torus?!”

The wind howled in Lightning’s ears. At first she thought nothing of it, but then she remembered the gorge from earlier. She looked ahead and to her horror, she realized the dragon was corralling them towards the very chasm she spied all that time ago.

Lightning dove for Polaris and pinned him to the ground. The dragon flew past them and nearly barreled right over the edge. It dug its claws into the ground and turned itself around. “It seems like every dangerous creature around here can turn on a bit,” Polaris grumbled.

The dragon swiped its claws at the two. They ducked and turned away. The dragon swiped again, and this time it caught Polaris’ bag. He gasped as he was nearly pulled unto his back by the force. His bag opened up, and amidst the billowing wind flying up from the gorge his papers were sucked from his bag and carried away.

Polaris let out an absolutely despondent cry as he shouted after the days of work that flew away from him. “No!” And then for the first time Lightning saw Polaris truly angry. His horn and his eyes both flashed as he turned a murderous gaze to the dragon. “Some fool’s ‘boutta get stabbed!” He pawed the earth and prepared to charge.

The dragon’s wide maw dropped open as a jet of flame shot out. Polaris dropped low to the ground and just avoided getting his horn singed. Polaris got right back up and prepared to charge again. Lighting jumped up, gripped Polaris with her legs, and yanked him away into the treetops. The Dragon’s teeth snapped at empty air.

“What do you think you’re doing?!” Polaris cried indignantly. The giant trees sped by around them as they flew away. “Put me down this instant! I’m not going anywhere until that thing gets a piece of my mind--'' The Dragon’s fire breath nearly singed Polaris’ hooves. He gripped Lightning’s hooves with his own and squeezed, all thoughts of revenge forgotten. “Ah! Higher, higher!”

“I’m trying! The branches are too thick, I might drop you!” Lightning caught a gleam from the corner of her eye. The Dragon brought down its massive claws. Lightning swung out of the way just in time. Lightning let out another scream, and in her panic she dropped her passenger.

“Private!” the unicorn called as he plummeted. “I’ll charge your family for the funeral~!”

Lightning dove for the unicorn and caught him just before he hit the ground. She pulled him up and his hooves just barely grazed the ground.

Polaris once again felt a jolt. “Gah! What is your deal Private?! Are you perpetually charged with static electricity or something?!” Lightning didn’t answer.

Polaris watched the ground race beneath him, and to his side he heard hooves beating the ground. He looked over and saw none other than Meadow Skip racing alongside them. He was smiling.

"How."

"Man, I love a good gallopin'!" Meadow Skip called over the wind and the tremors. "You might even say I love a good gallopin' away! Gettit? 'cause I'm a galloway! Say, what are we gallopin' away from?" And then he met with a tree. It was quite a musical impact, what with the sound his lute made when he struck the bark. Polaris looked behind him and watched as his coat and mane disappeared behind them.

"Wait, was that Meadow Skip just now?!" Lightning called.

Polaris looked up at her. "...No?"

They sped and wove around trees, but the dragon never relented. It snapped its jaws at them and tried to catch them with its clawed fingers. Lightning found herself crying again. She had never flown so fast in her life, and certainly not with a passenger. The adrenaline made it easier to forget about her companion’s weight, the sounds of the dragon scraping along the ground, flattening trees and crushing rocks made her heart pound harder and harder in her chest. It was almost hard to breath. She outran mountchasers, direwolves and the torus, but this was different. There was no way she could ever escape from something this huge. It felt like her fate was sealed the moment this thing attacked her squadron. It would follow her to the ends of the earth and there was nothing she could do about it.

“Captain?” she cried out internally. “Brothers? Mom? Somebody, help us please!”

She turned a corner and something blue and shiny twinkled in the woods beneath them. Lightning looked below. She spotted somebody hiding in the trees. Meadow Skip? They wore a dark hood that covered their bright blue coat. They waved their hoof at her, and so she stopped.

“Private, what are you doing?!” Polaris said. “It’s still following us! It’ll see us any minute!”

Lightning scanned the ground. They had disappeared. Some birds rose from the trees behind them and fled. “Didn’t you see that?” she asked.

“What, the swarms of birds evacuating the forest? Giving us a hint, perhaps?!”

”There’s somebody down there! Look, down in the trees.”

“Are you serious right now??” A familiar growl rattled the trees behind them. “That’s our cue to beat it! Fly canary, FLY!!”

Lightning saw something blue dart through the trees. The figure ran back towards the mountain peak they had just flown past. They beckoned Lightning forward, and for some reason she didn’t even hesitate to follow. Polaris wasn’t able to get his reply in before she swung around and flew away.

Polaris tightened his grip. “We are going the way we came. We are going back the way we came! Private, turn back!”

The dragon’s horned head burst through a tree and howled at them. Lightning wasn’t paying attention. She dove below and sped after the figure. The dragon roared after them.

She could never lock her eyes on them, but she could always catch fleeting glimpses of the figure racing through the woods, almost always a glimpse of their tail as they turned a bend or dove behind a rock. Sometimes they would stop and look up at her to make sure she was still following. When the figure made a sharp turn, Lightning did the same.

Lightning followed the stranger’s path past the trees and into a sort of narrow canyon. When she stopped to look around, the figure was gone. It was as though they vanished in the span of her merely blinking. The grass was surprisingly green compared to what she had seen before. She brought them close to the ground and gently let Polaris down. She dropped to the ground much less gracefully. Her wings were tired and sore, and she was positive she wouldn't be able to carry Polaris and fly again, at least not for very long. Polaris seemed to come to the same conclusion as he offered her one sympathetic glance before he examined their surroundings.

“Great. Outstanding work, Miss Pegasus. A dead end.” Polaris straightened his glasses and dusted himself off with his tail again.

“No it’s not, look.”

Polaris squinted and spied at the very end of the canyon, wedged between the corners of two great rocks, was a tiny hole that maybe could fit one pony.

“You’ve got to be kidding,” he said.

“But this is where they were leading us! ...I think.”

“And what is waiting for us in that hole, a cave or tunnel for us to get lost in? Or perhaps the perfect cubby hole for that dragon to scoop us out from? We may as well turn to face the dragon head-on.”

“I don’t think they would have led me here if it wasn’t important!”

“Oh, of course! Rather than take advice from me, your companion, you’ll trust the mysterious stranger who only exists in the corner of your eye?”

“Polaris!” Lightning said sharply. She startled both Polaris and herself. “I didn’t mean to yell, but listen please! I know what I saw. I know I’m not that smart and I’m not good at a lot of things, but I’ve always had an eye for details. I’m a scout, it may be the one thing I’m good at!”

“Good for seeing phantoms and figments of your own imagination, more likely!”

The dragon’s roar rattled through the canyon. The earth shook with each step. The two began to backpedal further into the canyon. “If that thing catches us in here, we’re done for. We’re trapped like mice!” Polaris looked up and down the canyon walls for some avenue of escape. “There's no way we can climb or fly away fast enough. ...At this rate we may have to fight our way out. We could at least stun it long enough for one of us to flee.”

“What about the cave?”

“You really think that’s any safer? There could be something living in there that’s even worse than the dragon for all we know.”

“We don’t have much of a choice!” Lightning said. “The dragon can’t follow us in there, at least we’d be safe for a little bit--” The dragon roared again. It turned the corner and cast its red red gaze on the two ponies. It snarled and prepared to break into a run.

“Well,” Polaris said. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but... I’ll take my chances out here with the dragon.” The dragon bared its fangs. “You go on ahead, do whatever you see fit. I’ll hold that thing off and join you if I can.”

“You’re not serious,” Lightning said.

“I promised to get you to the border once my work was done. It’s now far from complete, but we can’t always get our way.” Polaris saw that Lightning was completely unmoving. Her eyes were aghast. “Don’t you worry, I’ll be fine. I won’t be any more daring and stupid than I have to be, I still intend to become a professor after all. I have plenty of adventures ahead of me I’m sure.

“Besides,” Polaris muttered to himself. “Better the devilish death you know than a slow, uncertain death in the dark. I think.”

Lightning shook her head. “...I can’t.”

“Pardon?”

“Sorry, but I just can’t leave you here!” Lightning gripped Polaris and made a mad dash for the cave with her wings. The dragon howled at them as Polaris tried to struggle free. It reached out its long clawed hand and swiped at Polaris.

“Woah-woah! Sisters!”

The dragon finally slammed its claws down and squeezed its talons. It impatiently shifted the rocks and brush from its palm and searched for its prey, but it found no pony in its claws. That was before it noticed the last of Polaris’ tail disappear into the tiny hole in the edge of the canyon. It reared back its head and howled in anger.

Lightning groaned and shook her head as she lay against the cold, pebbled floor. Polaris nearly bumped his head on the low ceiling and swore under his breath. The tiny crevice did indeed lead to a much bigger cave on the inside. The top of the cave drifted further and farther from the ground as one walked inwards. They spotted at least two tunnel entrances branching ahead of them. The tiny hole didn’t grant much illumination, but they could make each other out well enough. They could still hear the dragon shuffling about outside, snarling. It seemed to have lost track of them, for now.

Polaris checked his saddlebag. Not only had his drafts been sucked away, but the few pears he kept from the grove were now one step away from pair jam, and his bag was now dark and sticky. With just a touch of resignation, he offered a brief thanks in the name of the Sun and Moon. He then cast a glance at Lightning. She lay on the ground, slumped over on her side. Her eyes were wide open but her belly rose and fell rapidly as she caught her breath.

“Well, I hope you’re happy,” he said. “Not once, but twice I offered a noble act of service and both times you rejected them! First you insisted on sharing in my misery, and now you drag me along into yours and robbed me of an honorable confrontation with our foe.”

When he looked back at Lightning, she was back on her feet. She was backing away from the entrance with her eyes locked on the outside. Before Polaris could ask, Lightning answered. “It smells us,” she breathed.

“It what?!”

The ceiling shook as something pounded at the earth outside. Lightning was instantly on her feet and backing away from the crevice.

Just then the crevice was blotted out by a dark shape. Claws reached in through the tiny hole. The stone wall formed cracks and fissures as the hand squeezed its way inside. Polaris and Lightning flung themselves in opposite directions and hugged the sides of the cave as the dragon’s hand aimless groped around the floor. Not once, but twice did its claws just barely brush against one of their hooves. Lightning screwed her face and looked away as she suppressed a whine.

The claws raked the pebbly floor and drew rocky shrapnel from the solid stone floor. A sliver of rock slid next to Polaris’ hoof. Cautiously, Polaris reached with his hind hoof and scooted it towards him. Lighting eased herself further into the cave, and Polaris did the same after he pocketed the stone.

Finally the dragon seemed to give up. It pulled its claws back through the crevice, but the two ponies did not move. Just when they thought it might have been safe, the small room was suddenly illuminated by the red glow of the dragon’s eyes. They heard it snort and snarl in anger.

And then it was gone.

Normal daylight filtered into the small cave.

Very carefully, Lightning sidled along the stone wall. "What are you doing," Polaris hissed over to her.

“We have to go deeper into the cave!” she said.

Polaris was about to protest when the ceiling shook and pelted him with dust and pebbles. The air hissed outside. Polaris managed a glance outside the hole just in time to see the dragon's tail swinging towards the hole. He dove out of the way just as the tail met the stone with a thunderous crash. The whole room shook, rubble fell from every direction outside until the hole was completely blocked by stone and rocks. Polaris' eye twitched before he followed after Lightning. “Oh, if you insist!”

The two moved as quickly as they could manage in the dark. The rattling rubble from outside made the urge to break into a gallop hard to resist, but it doesn’t need to be said what a bad idea running through a cave would be.

“Well, what now Private?” Polaris asked. “It appears we are in for even more of a long haul than before.”

Lightning looked around carefully. “Um… I’m no whatever-ologist, but the atmosphere in here seems pretty breathable, so air’s getting in from somewhere, right? Maybe if we keep moving we’ll find another exit.”

“Well of course,” Polaris kept reaching for a wall that wasn’t there to steady himself. “But the matter of a pony passing through such a portal is the real problem. We barely fit through the one that got us here.” Lightning opened her mouth to say something but then Polaris cut her off. “And no, I still can’t ‘feel my way’ out of here, I already tried, thanks for asking.”

“Actually I was going to ask if you could cast a light spell with your horn.”

“Oh, of course! That’s why you dragged me along in the first place, isn’t it? You were banking on some stereotypical unicorn power that I may or may not have to save the day.”

“...Can you though?” Lightning asked with a smile.

Polaris frowned. He winced a little as magic coursed through his horn. The horn’s spiraled markings turned from purple, to pink, to white, and then it was bright enough to light up a small circle around the two of them.

“Yes, but my point is you didn’t know that.”

Polaris cast his light unto the ceiling and marveled at the different gradients and sediments of the stone.

“Absolutely fascinating,” he said. “If I’m identifying these rocks correctly, these caves and mountains may very well be composed of elder stones!”

“What’s an elder stone?” Lightning asked. “Sounds kind of silly if you ask me. Isn't any rock pretty old?”

“Yes, but this stone is the rocks of rocks! The oldest of old stones. This very material supposedly comprised the surface of Cabalos back when dragons roamed and old magic ruled. It was stone like this that the Alicorns tread when they first arrived, before they healed the earth. So of course it makes sense that the Badlands are the only place left to find such things, being the scar of the old world and whatnot.”

“...Huh,” Lightning nodded as if she understood. “Wait, how tough is this stuff supposed to be?”

“Oh, it’s basically indestructible!” Polaris said. “Why, it’d take a very powerful tool or spell to even chip this stuff. It’s the densest rock on Cabalos this side of a Meteoran… er, nevermind.”

“Is this the same stuff the entrance was made out of?” Lightning asked.

“Oh, most definitely! In fact… wait…” Polaris seemed to catch on to what Lightning was getting at. He produced the sliver of stone from his bag, the one the dragon had clawed from the entrance of the cave. “Oh dear.”

“That dragon can claw through this elder stone like it’s nothing,” Lightning said with a sad frown. “It may just be a matter of time until it finds us again…”

“Now now,” Polaris said. “There’s nothing telling us that it absolutely can cut through this very rock, perhaps the entrance had been weakened by the elements. Why... the rubble from earlier couldn't have been entirely elder stone...”

“Maybe,” Lightning said. “I don’t wanna put too much past a dragon. They find ways to surprise you, in the bad way.”

“Well, if worse comes to worse, we can deal with it like we did the torus,” Polaris said.

“I guess,” Lightning said as she stared at her feet. Something glimmered on the cave floor as Polaris’ light passed it by. “Wait, what’s that?” Lightning pointed.

“What’s what?” Polaris looked where Lightning directed him and the article lit up once more.

“The shiny thing!” Lightning bounded after it.

“Private, wait! Oh blast,” and Polaris followed her.

Lightning tugged at some heavy, circular object with her mouth and pulled it closer to Polaris. She set it down and had him shine his light on it. It was circular, almost completely metal, and was covered in swirled markings along the edges, with a V-shape emblem on the front. A leather strap was bolted to its underside, which looked fairly new.

“A shield?” Polaris blinked. He pawed at it with his hoof, as he couldn’t lift it with his horn without cancelling their light. “Peculiar. What’s it doing all the way down here? It looks like it’s pony-sized.”

Lightning crouched down and examined it as closely as she could. “It almost looks Meteoran!” she said. “I recognize these patterns…” Suddenly Lightning’s face paled and her eyes widened. She backed away from the shield and began peering over her shoulder.

“Hullo? What’s come over you?”

“You don’t think…” Lightning gulped before she looked at Polaris. “You don’t some pegasus flew down here and… d-died, do you?”

Polaris blinked. She was trembling, her eyes were shrunk with terror, and her wings were stuck tight as a clam to her body as she earnestly looked to him for some kind of encouragement. He knew it was up to him to dispel her current distress as delicately as possible.

“Oh it’s entirely possible,” he said. “The Badlands are infamous for their stories of ponies to pay a visit only to never return, the Mercurial Mountains most of all, where we are now in fact. However...”

Lighting’s countenance absolutely plummeted before he could even finish. “Th-then the stories about the mountains really are true!” she gasped. "It really was a mistake to hide in here! These places are bad luck, and they could be crawling with ghosts!”

Polaris paused. “Ghosts? Oh please, don’t be silly.”

“It’s not silly!” Lightning cried.

“No, Private. I am not a stallion of superstition. The concept of restless spirits I hereby professionally put, is silly. Undead phenomena has long been disproven. It was around two hundred years ago when the great unicorn Wizard Stygian published his studies on the--”

Woah, Nelly! Let’s go down

Let’s go down, Let’s go down!

Woah, Nelly! Let’s go down

Down to the valley to play…

The words kept repeating, and for a while the two ponies listened in a terrified stupor. The sweet, melancholy voice crept around the room and seemed to get louder and louder. Polaris shook himself free and got back to his feet. “Well! Regardless of what I think, I declare we’d best get a move on!” He butted Lightning up with his forehead, carefully as not to prod her with his horn. “And let’s just leave that old shield where we left it. Chop chop! Double time soldier, let’s move!”

The two found themselves running. They stopped once the singing had died down, and they found themselves back in a large, honeycombed cavern. The two stopped to catch their breaths. Lightning was on the verge of tears and kept peering behind them, perhaps expecting some spectral disaster to leer out at them from the darkness.

Polaris recovered his composure the quickest, and wiped his glasses off. “Auditory pareidolia.”

“Auditory what?”

“Auditory pareidolia,” Polaris repeated. “Mistaking a series of random noises for a pattern. A simple illusion of the ear many individuals experience during moments of intense stress, or any otherwise uncomfortable situations.”

Lightning crept closer to Polaris as she still spied on the tunnel where they had exited. “A-Are you sure?”

“Positive! You can trust me,” Polaris said with a smile… followed by a loud, dry gulp and a nervous chuckle. “Anyway, I’m sure some fresh air and sunlight will do us good right about now, so we’d best continue in earnest.”

They’d barely taken a step forward before their ears were blessed by a familiar sound.

Woah Nelly…

The haunting melody from earlier suddenly descending upon them. It crept from the ceiling and danced along the floor around them as they walked. Lightning shifted closer and closer to Polaris as they walked together. She attempted to pull him closer with her wing, but he avoided her. She saw him shakily adjust his glasses with his hoof.

“S-so, a-audit-ditory para-whatever, h-huh?” she asked.

“Y-yes, most certainly,” Polaris affirmed. “You ca-can count on it…”

Woah Nelly, Let’s go down

Let’s go down, let’s go down!

Woah Nelly, Let’s go do---AAAAAAUGH

From somewhere above a shape struck the ground and let fly a large cloud of dust from the impact. There was a twanging and almost musical sound, accompanied by a crunch. “Oof!” Lightning and Polaris backed away and huddled together. The unicorn cast his light unto the figure and elicited a surprised yelp from them. They had a white coat and a green mane. They wore a saddle with several small bags tied to it.

Lightning blinked. “By the Brothers, another pony!”

“It seems I’m destined to meet falling ponies from on high today,” Polaris said with a grumble.

Without any misgiving Lightning ran to the pony’s side. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” the figure croaked. “My lute broke my fall.” He retrieved a broken contraption from the ground. It was a stringed instrument with a now very bent neck. He sighed and sadly stowed it away into his saddle.

“...Sir Meadow Skip?” Polaris asked.

"Nobody's ever called me sir before... I like it! Glad to catch up with you two! It seems the wind carried us on the same path after all!"

The unicorn shook his head. “Of course, it was another pony,” he let out a sigh of relief. “Those noises had to have been made by another living creature. It’s the most obvious solution, really.”

The galloway looked at the pegasus and unicorn. “So… hey. What’s up.” It was more of a statement than a question.

“You were, until a few seconds ago, that is,” Lightning said.

“How long have you been down here?” Polaris asked.

“Down here with you?” the galloway asked. "Oh, I've been here the whole time. I only just got into the cave though. It was shaking something fierce outside so I squeezed into a little cubbyhole, next thing I know I'm in these caves."

“He must have hit his head,” Polaris said. “Speaking even more nonsense than usual. ...So long as that mystery is solved...” And Polaris continued as carefully and quickly as he could.

“Oh, you’re leaving already?” the galloway asked.

“He’s very serious about his work,” Lightning said with an understanding nod. “But you should come with us! We’ll get out of here together!”

Polaris almost screamed. “Private? Let’s not trouble this stallion any more for his time, he’s probably very--”

“Oh, I’m not busy at all!” The galloway said as he trotted forward. “I’d be happy to accompany you.”

“Great,” Polaris said in a way that almost made it sound not-so-great.

“I’d gladly play a song for you…” Polaris looked back at the galloway with horror. “...But seeing as my instrument is a little bent out of shape right now, that will have to wait.”

“Thank you Sisters,” Polaris mouthed.

“Aw, that’s too bad,” Lightning said. "Your singing was so lovely!"

"Why, thank you!" The galloway smiled and cast a sideways glance in Lightning’s direction. “And I will look forward to playing for such a kind and lovely filly such as yourself,” he said with a bow.

Lightning’s face flushed and she waved a hoof. “Oh no! There’s no need for that,” she said. “I was just being polite. I would really want to hear you play again once things have calmed down, though.”

“If you’re both done with your theatrics,” Polaris said. “Maybe we’d cover more ground if we weren’t so busy chatting it up with the galloway."

Polaris poked at the ground with his horn. He furrowed his brow and muttered something to himself. Meadow watched with a pensive smile on his face. He sidled closer to Lightning and put a hoof over his mouth and whispered harshly. “Don’t look now but I think he’s lost it…!” Lightning frowned and shook her head at him. That was just before Polaris soundlessly crept up to her and tapped her shoulder. She yelped and jumped five feet into the air. Polaris looked down at his hoof and swore.

“Nothing, blast!”

“Don’t scare me like that!” Lightning cried.

“It would appear your charge is completely gone…” Polaris said. “I was hoping that your interminable zap-age was somehow effecting the magnetism with my divining... So even though my divining should have gotten clearer, why can’t I get a grasp on these tunnels? In theory I should have been able to map a way out of here ages ago, but if I press more than a few steps away with my divination the path completely muddles up, and by the time we reach the area I attempted to scan, it’s wildly different than from what I anticipate. It’s almost as if the tunnels themselves are shifting…”

Lightning giggled nervously. “But that’d be crazy, right?” She looked between Polaris and Meadow. “...Right?”

“It definitely doesn’t contradict any of the legends about this place,” Meadow said. “Famously, though the badlands are rough to navigate, the Mercurial Mountains are even worse.”

“Worse how?” Polaris asked.

“Worse like say… climbing up for days and never traveling for but a few feet, twisting, winding canyons that lead to nowhere, or a vast shifting tunnel network that runs throughout the entire mountain range.” Lightning and Polaris just kind of stared at the bard. “Oh come on, you two! Don’t tell me a Meteoran Border guard and a Lustrian scholar have heard nothing about this place? And stop that staring, you’re gonna make me blush.”

“H-How did you know I was a border guard?” Lightning asked. “Or that he was a scholar?”

“Oh, it’s your armor -- light armor at that, you’re obviously some kind of scout. As for the unicorn -- it’s the way you use advanced vernacular to mask your lack of understanding.”

“Color me surprised, bard,” Polaris looked more than a little irritated. “I didn’t think you had the capacity for such cohesive thought.”

“Polaris!” Lightning said.

“Why thank you, that’s not a condiment I get often,” Meadow said with another light bow.

“And we’re back. ...Back on topic, what exactly do you know about this place?” Polaris asked. “When I was inserted here all the written material I was given fit on a napkin.”

“Well, I would've divulged earlier were you willing, but since you asked...” Meadow brushed off his hooves importantly. “Maybe this vital information wasn’t important enough to Lustre. Homebred unicorns have this tendency to ignore theories and observations that aren’t cooked up by their own scholars. That happens a lot.”

Lightning giggled.

“Continue…” Polaris urged.

Meadow trotted onwards as he spoke. “See, the legends have it that the Badlands aren’t cursed per say but enchanted by a powerful spell.”

“What does the spell do?” Lightning asked as she and Polaris followed.

“Well for starters it makes it extremely hard to navigate these parts,” Meadow said. “And the harder you think about it, the worse it gets. You’ll be walking in circles for days, or climbing the same hill forever without ever getting any higher.”

“But that’s impossible,” Polaris said. “Physically impossible! To perpetuate such a perturbing perceptual phenomenon would require extremely powerful magic.”

“Like I said, then,” Meadow said with a wink. “Legend has it these lands were enchanted to keep people who don’t need to be here out.”

“And who determines that?”

Meadow shrugged at the unicorn’s question. “Destiny, fate, iunno. Still figuring it all out myself.”

“If your legends are true, then fate must really like trapping random ponies out here to expire,” Polaris thought back to the shield. “The distinction between curse and spell seems a little pointless to me.”

“Do the legends say anything about how to escape?” Lightning asked hopefully.

“No, but there are theories,” Meadow said. “One theory says that you have to want to be somewhere rather than think. If you want to know the secrets of the mountains, you might actually find your way… or you’ll just find yourself at the entrance again. And if you want to go home, supposedly, you’ll eventually find your way out.”

Polaris and Lightning both were quiet for a moment.

“So what you’re saying is…” Lightning said slowly as she pieced it together in her head. “If we stop worrying about getting lost and just wish for something, we’ll be alright?”

“Navigational suicide,” Polaris decreed darkly. “I don’t care what magic is in place, you’ll never get out of any cave without your sense of direction. Depriving yourself of something so basic sounds like a recipe for trouble.”

“Then just let me take the lead for a bit!” Meadow said.

“I’d rather not,” Polaris said.

Lightning prodded the unicorn’s leg lightly. “But it’s kind of his turn now, isn’t it?”

“I never agreed to turns,” Polaris frowned and snorted, but Meadow was already far ahead and in the lead anyway. "We're never getting out of this." Less than a couple strides later the air grew sweeter and the musk of the cave died away. “We may actually be getting out of this!” Polaris declared.

“Oh, I hope there are at least birds on the other end,” Lightning said. “I haven’t seen any since I came here, those mountchasers kept scaring them away.”

“I noticed that too,” Meadow said. “It was so quiet and eerie out there. The poor things were probably hiding scared in their nests.”

"Hiding scared like us," Lightning studied her hooves as she trotted along. “We never would have made it if it weren’t for that hooded-pony person.”

“Again about that, Private?” Polaris asked. “Shouldn’t you know better than to blab on about that sort of thing to strangers?”

“Meadow’s not a stranger anymore, he’s a friend. Right, Meadow?" When Lightning looked ahead, he was nowhere to be seen. He must have turned a corner, but why didn't he respond? “Meadow?” Lightning cried. She ran forward to find him, but when she turned the bend, he was nowhere to be seen. She was about to dash forward, but Polaris held her back and pointed down the corridor.

“...Light,” Polaris said with a gasp. He had trotted a few paces ahead of Lightning and stared down the corridor.

Lightning blinked. “Did you just say my name? Like for real?”

“Light!” Polaris switched off his spell and pointed with his hoof. There rested a single dot of light in the darkness, maybe less than a minute of galloping away. “The end of the tunnel! The galloway was right!” And he took off running.

"But where is the galloway??"

"He's clearly survived worse, trust me!"

Lightning cast one last uneasy glance at the spot where Meadow had stood mere moments earlier before she took off after Polaris.

The two ponies slowed down as they reached the exit. It appeared as nothing more than a giant ball of light. They squinted and lowered their heads so they wouldn’t be overwhelmed. They felt their hoofs step off of smooth stone and gritty dirt and unto grass. It wasn’t the dry, crackly kind from the woods or hills from earlier, either. It was soft and healthy, and its smell instantly filled their nostrils. Wind gently tossed their manes, but it wasn’t harsh and dry like outside, it was cool and pleasant. Lightning thought she heard the babble of a small stream.

Once they opened their eyes, for miles and miles around all they could see was green. The cave exit had taken them to a large overhang where they had a perfect view of everything for miles around. Green grass, green trees, mossy stones and vine-covered cliffsides. A nearby brook flowed downhill and fed into a small river that winded down grassy hills into a lake. Birds chirped and small critters scuttled around in the trees.

They were inside a very wide and deep valley. How could they have missed it during their climb? Even Lightning should have been able to at least catch a glimpse of it during her surveillance runs in the air. And then there were those strange tower things... Six of them.

“It’s all so lush!” Lightning said.

“Remarkable!” Polaris gasped. “Absolutely remarkable. In the midst of all that blight lies this oasis... It’s like a little slice of arcadia.”

“Yeah, and it’s really green and pretty too…!”

“How could something like this exist? Are we even in the mountains anymore?” Wherever Polaris looked, all he could see were steep cliffs that rose for miles in every direction.

“...What are those?” Polaris asked.

“Those what?”

“Don’t you see them? Those… white, obelisk things.” Polaris pointed and Lightning Bug spied the six large pillars resting at different points in the valley, miles apart but perfectly legible even from their vantage point. They seemed to be covered in carvings, though she couldn’t make anything out from this distance.

“I think those are monoliths.”

“Please, see how round they are? They’re obelisks.”

“But they’re flat at the top. I'm from Meteoras, we know our pillar architecture.”

That wasn’t even the strangest part. Further ahead the two of them saw something unmistakable. Smoking chimneys and thatched roofs. A dirt path right beside them led down to them. Houses; a small village.

Somebody was living at the bottom of the valley. In fact one needed only look so far before even more clusters of houses appeared in the hills, below the cliffs and beside the forests and lake. Shapes moving in and out and between them. The distance was great but it was no less clear to either of them. The inhabitants of this valley were ponies.

“This is no mere hidden reservoir or oasis, this is a veritable community,” Polaris said. “All this time, right under each nation’s nose, there have been ponies living in the Mercurial Mountains!”

Author's Note

And thus ends the first episode, and the first part of the premiere is complete!
You have no idea how fulfilling it is to finally make use of the pages and pages of documents we wrote. We kept going in circles as we searched for the pacing and the tone. Meadow's scene was one of the most recent additions and didn't even exist until several weeks ago. In the end we had to jig-saw the different scenes and fine-tune them so that they ran together properly. I would have preferred a clearer picture to work with from the get-go, but I think it turned out alright. That's also why this chapter turned out to be so long, we initially thought of publishing three parts for the first episode, but in the end we were faced with the choice of either a double-length third chapter with several scenes cut, or we would cut it in half and publish the second part shortly after. This way we kept some breathing room and the pacing felt less choked at the cost of maybe being snappier, IMHO.

We always wanted to get this story out before the G5 premiere, and we kind of accomplished that, for as of this writing it is literally two days before it drops on netflix. I think this story will take a break and give everyone time to enjoy and process the new generation before we continue with our own little story here. It will also give us some time to map out the second part better so we can avoid some of the same mistakes.

I cannot get over how much we wrote in advance has been all used up in a matter of weeks.

Enjoy the movie, we look forward to seeing you soon!
~Team GenS

Harmonize - I

When a butterfly with wings colored yellow and little splotches of pink settled on Lightning Bug's nose, she almost wanted to cry. The isles of Meteoras were always so alive with greenery and living things --where there weren't factories and cities of course-- but she had seen so little of it for almost three months. She was deployed to the border and only saw the craggy cliffs and rocks that dotted the Meteoran-Dynamis border, right across where the dragons lived. Once she was chased past the stormwall, not only was the environment even more inhospitable, she was also even more alone. No other ponies; pegasus or not, could keep her company.

That was why meeting Polaris, brisk and abrasive though he was, was such a relief to her. But even after surviving challenge after challenge as they scaled the mountain, the thought of sweet green grass and other ponies to talk to seemed like such a distant thing, like the light at the end of a tunnel.

And yet here they were, tunnel crossed, light on the other side. Clean water flowing in the stream beside them, trees of all shapes and sizes gently bobbing in the cool air, and an entire settlement of ponies waiting to meet them down below.

“How?” Polaris shared many of Lightning's ponderings, though perhaps in a different order. While Lightning watched with nostalgic marvel, the unicorn was careful and pensive. “We barely got here in the first place with our lives! How could ponies settle here?”

“The valley must protect them from the badlands,” Lightning said.

“Indeed!” Polaris said. “But how so? How can any pair of hills or cliffs manage to nurture all of this? And the sky, it’s so blue! It’s not even nearly as arid as it was out there! And I can’t even see the stormwall from here. It used to dominate our vision from every angle. It didn’t just vanish, did it?”

“Wait a second!” Lightning unhitched her radio and turned it on. Tinny music poured from the speakers; an old fisherman song if she got the genre right. She was pretty sure she hated it, but being the first sound from Meteoras in days, for a moment it was the most beautiful song she ever heard. “Polaris look!” she bounded over to him and held it up. “It works, it works! I can try and call for help!” She changed the frequency and held down the button. “This is Private Lightning, does anybody read me? Private Lightning of the Seventh Division, friendlies please respond.” She let off the button and received no answer. “Huh?”

She cycled the frequency again, and nobody answered. She could go back to the music channel, and she was sure she would find another station if she kept cycling, but nobody seemed to hear her on the other side.

“It looks like I can only receive signals,” Lightning said. “Maybe you and I can take another look? …Polaris?”

Polaris probably hadn’t heard a word of what she said. He studied the bustling town beneath them and held his chin. “Something is very strange going on here. Or perhaps something is very, very wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Lightning stowed her radio away.

“What I mean is where did all of these ponies come from? The nations, and if so when? Those houses appear rather old from this distance… And how can they maintain such a biosphere with no outside help? They must be self-sustaining then, growing their own food and whatnot. …That being the case, they are still trespassing. Yes, of course, no pony should live in the badlands. This means it is up to us to…” Polaris had finally taken notice of Lightning. She carefully climbed down the cliffside and down unto the firm, grassy hill beneath. She moved back-hooves first and landed on all four on the ground.

“ ...Private, what do you think you’re doing?”

Lightning turned around from where she had just climbed down. She started following the dirt path down the hill. “I was just going down to meet them. Maybe they can help us, or they have food.” And she continued on her way.

Polaris’ eyes widened and he trotted after her. “Why would you do that? What if it’s not safe?” The moment he said that Lightning heard him gasp. When she looked back he was carefully setting down one of his back legs. He grumbled something to himself.

“You alright?” She asked.

“Oh, I’m fine!” and Polaris kept walking. “My point is this could be dangerous!”

“I mean…” Lightning looked past Polaris and back into the cave. “How could it be any worse than what we’ve seen out there?” She kept walking.

“My point exactly! We don't know the first thing about this place.” Polaris’ ears twitched. Lightning heard a noise, a soft creaking down, the hill, right around the bend. “...Hide.”

“Hide from what?”

Polaris dove for the bushes, and Lightning awkwardly followed suit. It was hard to comfortably tuck in her wings and helmet. She heard Polaris gasp again, but she didn’t want to ask and make a noise. After the first bout of rustling, the two held their breath and watched. The creaking sound was joined by the familiar sound of hoofsteps. Lightning’s place in the bush didn’t afford her a good look, but Polaris could see clearly.

A brown pony with a black mane pulled his cart around the bend and plodded along. The cart was full of logs and wooden beams, many of which hung out the back of the cart. He was heading perpendicular from the two of them and in the direction of the large settlement near the center of the valley.

“...Another galloway,” Polaris whispered. “Of course, the bard was a galloway too, and he only traveled for a day. Why would a bunch of Sylvain settle in the badlands?” The two watched as he passed by. He snorted once and flicked a bug away with his tail. “Most strange indeed.”

“What’s he doing? I can’t see.”

“Pulling his cart. Must be making a delivery, I’d imagine.”

“Let’s ask him where we are.” Lightning had hardly stood up before Polaris’ horn flashed and she was yanked back behind the bush.

“Are you crazy?” Polaris whispered. “No, don’t answer that, I already know.” Lightning flashed the faintest hint of a glare at him. He softened his tone in response. ”We have to think carefully here, Private.”

“Polaris, I think after everything we went through, I could handle another pony.”

“That’s not my point! I don’t know how they do it in the army, but in Lustre when faced with unknown circumstances, we approach the problem carefully and quietly, and that means not talking to the first stranger we meet!”

“I don’t know, I talked to you and things turned out alright.”

“Debatably.”

Lightning shook her head and stood up, and Polaris’ horn lit up again. “Polaris, quit it!” He didn’t even need to tug with his telekinesis to stop her. One of her wings caught a branch and got stuck. When she tried to shake herself free, she fell backwards. Polaris reached out with his hoof to grab her, and another surge jumped from her coat and shocked him.

There was a flash, they both screamed, and they both toppled out of the bush. The sound of birds flapping away sped over them. The pony and his cart pulled to a stop.

"What are you two doing up there? Shouldn't you be back in town with the others?"

Lightning carefully rose to her hooves and Polaris, seething, did the same. The stallion looked up at them from the bottom of the hill. He had an eyebrow raised and swished his tail about, but otherwise he didn’t seem very bothered, or very suspicious for that matter. He probably only looked over after they had stumbled out of the bush.

Lightning poked her head from behind Polaris. "Excuse me? Where exactly are we?"

"Private!"

The stallion squinted his eyes at the two of them and readjusted his hooves. "Why... This is Rat Tail's watch... West of Harmony, in the Valley of Life."

"Rat Tail's watch..." Lightning repeated to herself once as she glanced back up the cliffside.

"What are you, lost? First time away from home?"

"Er, something like that. How far from town are we?" Lightning asked.

The Stallion motioned his head over in the direction he was heading. "It's just a short trot that way. A gallop will get you there in no time, if you're in a hurry. I was heading there myself." The stallion glanced them over. "You look kinda tired."

"Do I? Um..." Lightning wiped at her face with her hoof and flapped her wings. "I guess I've been running a lot today."

Polaris gave a strange grunt of agreement. The stallion thought for a moment and nodded back at his cart. "You lot can hop on in the back, if you'd like."

"Can we?!" Lightning's eyes lit up.

"Sure. I'm hauling lumber, not like it can get any heavier."

"Oh, thank you so much, mister!"

Lightning bounded over and flapped into the air. She landed gently inside without so much as rocking the cart. “Come on in, there’s plenty of room!” she called down. Polaris did not join her. He walked up beside the cart, right behind the wheel, and watched the stallion carefully. The wooden wheels creaked, and they started slowly rolling down the path.

Lightning watched Polaris from the corner of her eye. He was definitely moving slower than when they were outside. Maybe he really was just tired. The cart moved along slowly enough at least, so he didn’t have to try very hard to keep up. “Didn’t mean to scare you earlier or anything,” the stallion said. “Just not used to seeing folks out this far this time of year.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Lightning said. “I’m just happy to see a friendly face.”

"What do you think you're doing?" Polaris hissed. "Didn't your parents teach you anything about talking to strangers?"

“Do you take passengers often?” Lightning asked the stallion.

“Guess not,” Polaris grumbled to himself.

“It’s been a hot minute,” he said. “I used to cart foals to and fro with my cargo till the moms and dads said they couldn’t ride no more. Only older ponies, and they’re heavier, so I try to do so in moderation.”

“I see. I used to fly foals around too!” Lightning said. “But only once or twice. Their parents didn’t like it either. And they got heavy. Had to tell them no.”

The stallion laughed as the wagon rolled over the rocky bed of a crystal clear creek. Lightning turned her head to watch the shimmering water from every angle and almost forgot to keep listening to the stallion. A little frog hopped from one stone to the other right in front of Polaris’ hooves, and he gasped and nearly lost his footing. Lightning heard him curse the slimy creature for being out of season or something, which didn’t make that much sense to her.

“Ain’t it the truth. You visit the other end of the valley and leave, and when you get back the next year, all the kids are so grown up you barely recognize ‘em, amirite? Where did you say you were from, again?”

“Oh… y’know…” Lightning swallowed. Polaris was shaking his head at her. “Out a ways, I guess…”

Lightning’s eyes were drawn to one of the white pillars in the distance. It rested right behind the rolling hills south of them, and a small group of trees cast a comfy-looking green blanket at its base. It was weathered with little pits and crevices, or it was covered with several long, sweeping markings that she couldn’t make out from this distance. She could make out the large crest embedded into the top, it almost looked like a trident, or a bow and arrow, or a flower.

“What’s that tall thing?” Lightning pointed to it. Polaris had been eyeing it as well.

“What, the monolith? That’s one of the Pillars.”

“Told you so.” Lightning smiled at Polaris. He scoffed and pretended not to hear her.

“Yep, at just about every corner of the valley, you’ll find one of those tall things jutting out of the ground. Apparently they were very important to the first few ponies who settled here, but now they just kind of stand there.”

The stallion slowed the cart to a crawl, and Lightning had to peak up from over the cart to see why. A little family of geese waddled across the trail. They were white with little black tips on their wings. She hadn’t seen any kind of geese for months. Most of the birds were either hiding from dragons on the border or getting gobbled up by mountchasers. She couldn’t take her eyes off their soft feathers and their shiny heads. Polaris eyed the waterfowl cautiously and scooted closer to the cart as they passed on the other side.

“Where did they come from?” Lightning asked. “The Pillars I mean, not the geese.”

The stallion chuckled. “Oh, who knows. Been there as long as anybody can remember. Some say the first ponies carved them from the mountains, some say Sir Rat Tail built them and set them up. Ponies say they’re magical but I’ve never been able to tell for myself. I just leave 'em be. Most other ponies do too, unless there’s a festival going on.” The stallion finally pulled the cart along again. “When it’s a holiday, they get strung up with all sorts of fancy colors and candles and lights... They’re a sight to behold at night, the type you’d ask a colt along to look at if you catch my drift. Or a filly, whichever it is.” He chuckled again.

“Fascinating,” Polaris mumbled. Lightning watched him squint at the pillar. It was awfully tall, seeing as they had gone a long ways down the trail, and the pillar had yet to lose any detail. “I cannot for the life of me identify that symbol,” he said more to himself than anybody else.

“I’m more interested in this Rat Tail person,” Lightning said.

“You mean you’ve never heard of him?” That time the stallion actually sounded a little surprised.

“Um, not really. I didn’t even know the watch was named after him,” Lightning said.

“...Huh.” The stallion stayed quiet. At first Lightning was afraid he would be angry, or suspicious. “Well, I guess some parents don’t like forcing the histories down their kid’s throats.” The stallion just shrugged and didn’t say another word.

A cloud blocked the gentle sun for almost a whole five minutes. They were very close to the settlement now, and the distant sound of voices grew much louder. Lightning’s hooves and wings tingled the way they usually did right before she met a large group of ponies — three parts hope, and two parts doubt and another two parts anxiety if she was being honest.

"Where exactly are you taking all this lumber?" Lightning asked the stallion.

The cart left the dirt road and came unto a trail of gravel and the stallion grunted. They followed the trail as it lead up to the first bridge into the town. "The Festival's the day after and we gotta hurry. All the banners gotta get hung up and that stage’s gotta be completed or else we'll get an earful from Paper Pusher and Timewinder." Lightning nodded along, and the creases in Polaris' brow grew deeper and deeper. "What about you? I thought any guards would be off-duty today."

"Oh, I'm not a guard, I'm a scout," Lightning said.

"They're recruiting scouts now? First I've heard of it... Say, are you two doing anything for the festival?"

"Us? Oh, um..."

"Nothing, hopefully," Polaris said. “I don’t suspect we’ll stay in town for very long.

"Well that's a shame. You'll miss out on the games, music, and all the free food."

The very mention made their stomachs growl, but hopefully he didn't notice. "F-Food?" Lightning whispered.

"Of course! There's carrot-sticks, sandwiches, barbecues, the whole nine yards. People all over celebrate, but when it comes to town square, people really pull out all the stops to honor Sir Rat Tail."

The cluster of houses finally started to take shape, and Lightning glanced over the town. It had to be a hundred houses or so, bunched together in the center and lightly dispersed further out. They had already passed by a house or two on their way over, but they were empty. Apparently every resident was gathering in the center with all of the cobbled streets and planted trees. Already the gentle scent of warm cobblestone blew along the cool wind, along with the scents of cut wood and sawdust, paint, even the smell of something cooking.

It reminded Lightning a lot of home. “You smell that, Polaris?” She asked.

The scholar crinkled his nose. “The odor of labor interspersed with cheap street food? Can’t say such a thing surprises me. This is all very galloway.” Polaris mumbled to himself.

“...Galloway?” The stallion asked.

Just then a shadow flew over the two of them. A pegasus filly the color of wheat swooped right above the cobbled path. “Taking passengers again? How do you ever manage to make it on time?”

“Eh, I was already late. What’s another five minutes, y’know?”

“I may, but Timewinder sure won’t.” The filly glanced at Lightning before she swooped away again. “I’ll tell them you’re coming.”

“Thank you!” he called after her. Lightning could see movement bustling in the streets ahead, but it was hard to stay focused on so many moving parts from so far away for very long.

“You all live with… a pegasus?” Polaris breathed. Just then a few more shadows flew over. Three pegasi dashed through the air as they tugged along a large white sheet like a sail. They came to a stop at two large posts right at the entrance to town, and they hung up the cloth and tied it into place.

Harmony Heritage Holiday, all day

All ponies welcome!

“Oh… a few,” the stallion said with a chuckle.

The group of ponies gathered around their hoof work. “Dude! You forgot to put the actual date on the banner!” One cried. ”Now we have to send it back!”

“It won’t be finished in time, do you know how long old lady Brush takes to paint a road sign? A whole banner won’t be ready in time for the morning after.”

“One moment,” one mare stepped back and produced a brush and a few small jars of paint from her saddlebag. The horn on her head lit up, and the brush flew up to the banner and lathered the misprint with a fresh sheet of white. She painted over words colored with bright red ‘This Saturday!!’ The words were as elegant and swirly as the signature on the corner of a painting. “There we go, good as new.”

The small group cleared away so the stallion and his cart could pass. Once they were under and past the sign, they were finally in town. Lightning craned her neck to look at the banner from every angle possible, while Polaris’ jaw hung open and he never stopped watching the group of ponies. “Galloway, pegasi, and unicorns?” He asked.

“Didn’t you read the banner?” The stallion asked.

“All ponies welcome,” Lightning repeated as a smile spread over her face. “Even us?”

“I don’t see why not. Harmony’s never been the sort of place to turn any folk away.”

“Harmony, huh?” Polaris finally looked away and scoffed. “What kind of a name is that for a village?”

“Oh, it’s not the village,” the stallion said. “This is Townsquare… which has a town square which is where I’m going, but that’s beside the point. The whole valley is Harmony, where there are ponies living, that is.”

“Is it safe to live all the way out here?” Lightning asked. “What about the dr-- I mean, what about the monsters in the badlands?”

“What about ‘em?”

“What if one gets inside the valley?”

The stallion laughed. “Oh, it happens every once in a while, but it’s nothing the guards can’t take care of. Besides, even if there was a monster loose in the valley it would still be the safest place for hundreds of miles. Nothing evil ever makes it past the tunnels, so the stories go, and most ponies have just believed that this is the safest place to be -- even compared to the three nations, not that I would know much about that, I never left the valley myself.”

The street they strode down was lined with carts of supplies and tools, and ponies of every shape and size. When they weren’t standing to the side of the street talking, they were hard at work hanging up bright banners of every color of the rainbow. Lightning saw galloway ponies pulling or pushing heavy boxes into place while unicorns lifted banners and signs up high so that pegasi could fly up and hammer them into place. They all jabbered and bantered as though they knew each other their entire lives, even the ones from different tribes.

It made Lightning think about back home in Meteoras, listening to all of the ponies at school or work, talking to each other like it was the most natural thing, even though some were soldiers and some were workers and some were farmers; here ponies of every tribe did the same exact thing, and they thought nothing of it.

“Where did they all come from?” Lightning asked.

“Well you see,” the stallion said. “After the dragon’s reign ended and the alicorns healed the land with their magic…”

“Oh, I know that!” Lightning shifted in her seat. “But how did all of these ponies end up here in the first place? Meteoras, Sylvain and Lustre are all miles away from here.”

“Well…” The stallion bobbed his head around as he thought. “I guess you’d have to ask sir Rat Tail.”

“Can you take us to him? Do you know where he is?” Lightning asked.

“Er, kind of. Once we get to town square, you’ll see.”

Town square was a large circle of cobbled street, perfectly tessellated with polished stone. It was surrounded by large buildings at every angle, most of which looked like they came out of an old picture book. Some were two stories tall, some were on stilts and had ladders leading up to the front door. Some roofs were thatched with hay and grass, others were tiled with crude shingles.

In the center there was a large, winding tree growing from an uneven hole in the road, and beside that there was a statue. Ponies were working hard on a large stage in front of the tree, and off to the side, closer to the edge of the square there was a large group of foals and their teacher.

The valley rose up around them in the distance with all its trees and steep cliffs. The north the wood grew denser, and a little east it looked like a river fed into a marsh. West the cliffs were steep and pale colored with no vines or trees, and looming over the entire settlement was yet another of the white pillars, this time with a different crest at the top.

“There he be,” The stallion said after the cart pulled to a stop. They had parked right beside the half-finished wooden stage. He pointed in the direction of the tree, about a gallop or so away.

Lightning squinted at the busy ponies working, and past the small group of foals. “Which one is he?” She asked.

“The one made of marble, I reckon.”

“The statue?!”

“But of course,” Polaris said. “This founder of theirs had to have been an historical figure. Didn’t you catch on from the gentlecolt’s stories?”

“...I guess I just wasn’t sure.”

The stallion unhitched himself, and Lightning hopped out of the cart and thanked him for the ride. She spun around and took in the sight. The pegasus from earlier and some other ponies approached the cart and she backed away behind Polaris. The stallion started unloading his lumber, and the other ponies helped. Lightning watched pegasi carry away beams of wood with one at each end, and some unicorns lifted the wood out with their magic.

The two stepped away and approached the massive tree. She kept glancing about the town. “It doesn’t feel real,” Lightning said.

“No, it doesn’t,” Polaris said darkly.

“Who do you think he was?” Lightning looked at the statue. It seemed to be a galloway pony, but he was very gaunt and slender and covered in robes.

“Indeed, I’ve racked my brain and I can’t think of even a passing mention of the pony he described. …How have I never heard of him?”

"Now, we all remember the story of Sir Rat Tail," Echo Shade said as she gave the statue behind her a nod. “He built all kinds of things while he was alive, but what was one of his greatest achievements?" Her voice rang clear and cheery above the clamor of voices and hammers in the background.

The foals all sat together in a neat clump as Echo Shade read from her material and pointed to the important historical hallmarks with her hoof. Slashbuckler had his bucket of tools resting beside him as he flew in place and hammered nails into the top of the newly-erected archway. Echo Shade cast him a meaningful glance, her own little reminder how he promised to be quiet. He rolled his eyes back at her and carefully, gingerly tapped the nail as softly as he could. "What's something that Rat Tail built that we can see every day, no matter where we live in the valley? Can anyone tell me?" Echo Shade smiled to the foals.

A bright and earnest foal raised her hoof. "The Star Pillars?" she asked.

"The Star Pillars!" Echo Shade smiled and pointed at the massive stone-white formation that rested just outside of town. Even from this distance they could clearly make out the carvings scrawled along its surface and the single symbol etched into the top. "Each of these represents one of the six virtues --pillars if you will-- of Sir Rat Tail's way of Harmony. Who can tell me what this pillar represents? Anybody?" Echo Shade pointed at the pillar's carving. She pursed her lips and furrowed her brow and tried very hard to look like she was forgetting something. "Who knows what the anchor… looking… thingy represents?"

"I know! The anchor is Faith!"

"That's right!” Echo smiled and produced a small map with six crests scattered across. She held it up for all the foals to see. “Now the flower over by the Cloven Woods, who can tell me what the flower Star Pillar represents?"

"Mercy!" Said the same foal.

"Yes, and how about the pillar with the swirling sun over by the springs?" The foal opened her mouth but Echo Shade politely stopped her. "Maybe someone else can tell us?"

A younger foal tapped his forehead. "Um... Dig... dig-viction? No... Dignity!"

"Dignity, very good." Echo Shade put the map away and pointed with her hoof to each of the six pillars in the distance. Some were very near to the town square, some were very far away, on the other edge of the valley, but all were almost completely visible. "The Eye is prudence, the fortress is Conviction, and the wings are Hope! Each of these represent the six virtues Rat Tail thought most important to ponies."

"How come Hope looks so different from the others?" a foal asked.

“Show us with magic!” One said. “Tell us the special meaning with your magic!”

Echo smiled. Her horn lit up and she lifted up the slip of paper. She pointed to the crest. “You see the wings? Those six wings represent..."

Slash's hammer missed a nail. It bounced off of the wood and made its way into his shoulder and unto his hoof. "Aww, BUCK!!" It plopped to the ground and he gripped his throbbing hoof.

"Slash!" Echo instinctively covered the nearest foal's ears. Her horn stopped shining. "The kids??"

"Hrrrrrng... Brick...!"

"...Better." She let go of the foal's head and looked back at her notes. "Well," Echo checked the time on the town hall's clock. She could already spy a few mares and stallions returning from their work to collect their children. "...I'm out of time, so you'll have to hear all about the virtues and the star pillars during the history tour Saturday!" When the foals were disappointed, Echo Shade just smiled and said "Don't worry, admission is free, and we’ll have plenty of time for magic and stories then. Just remember to ask your parents! …So they can pay us Lorekeepers and we can put food on the table."

“It went well, I take it?” Smokey Sky asked Echo. His back was saddled down, as it were, with packages. His sister Snow Feather was right behind him, a few paces away with a considerably smaller bag. She gently weaved around the parents and foals as they left the statue.

“As well as it could, I suppose,” Echo Shade flipped through all of the pages in her little script that she never got the chance to read. “It’s really hard to fit an entire lesson into everyone’s schedules on such a busy day.”

“Mhm,” the smaller unicorn shook his short tail. “Looking after the little ponies is important when most of the parents are busy, I suppose.”

“You’re making me sound like a glorified babysitter,” Echo said.

Smokey looked over at the stage being constructed, and then to the archway Slashbuckler was working on. Currently the pegasus guard was hobbling on three legs as he tried to clean up his spilled tool bucket. He accidentally stepped on his bad hoof and staggered, and the tool bucket spilled over again. “...I mean…” Just then his sister joined them.

“Tall Tail wanted us to finish the arch for Slash,” Snowy chirped as she hopped over. “What’s wrong with him? What happened?”

Echo watched as Slash attempted the delicate task of balancing the heavy tool bucket with his head and inching back to the arch. She nickered and swished her tail. “Oh, Slash is just being Slash today,” she said.

Smokey looked both ways before he crept closer to Echo and whispered. “Is he still going on about the whole drago--”

“Sh!” Echo’s horn flashed and her eyes flared, and the little unicorn flinched.

“I was just asking.”

Echo took in a shaky sigh and closed her eyes as she readjusted her scarf and her mane. “He is not ‘going on about it,’” Echo said. “For now, at least.”

“He seemed so worried,” Snowy said. “Did he forget about it?”

“I hope not,” Echo said. “After everything Tall Tail went through for him. Is he back from the meeting yet?”

“No,” the two said in unison.

“We found him outside the hall earlier,” Smoky said. “He just told us to go and find Slash and help with decorating the archway.” He shook the collection of packages on his back. “Should we, uh, wait for him to recover, or…?”

Slash was presently testing all four of his hooves again. His bucket did not finish its journey to its original resting place atop the arch, it just lay next to him as he rested against one of the poles. “No, that should be fine.” Echo thoughtfully tapped her hoof against the pavement.

“Do you think the other elders are actually mad at him?” Snowy asked.

“Who, Slash or Tall Tail?” Smoky asked.

“Tall Tail.”

“What, for humoring Slash again?” Smoky snorted. “I can’t imagine why. He’s way too lenient with him. With both of them if I’m being honest.”

Echo’s horn lit up again. “Now see here you little--”

“Oh miss Echo Shade?” an older mare and her foal came up beside them. “Do you have a minute?”

“Um, of course!” Echo looked back at the siblings. “Go help Slash, don’t rile him up, don’t say the D-word!”

“Yes, Echo,” the two said. And they clambered away.

The mare carried her foal on her back, and she kept trying to climb up on top of her mother’s head. Echo Shade kept gently pushing the little pony back with her magic as the two chatted. "I always hated history when I was her age, and I can barely get her to do her homework, but she loves listening to you.” Echo shot a small sparkle of magic from her horn, and the foal slumped back in her seat, absolutely mesmerized. "I don't know how you do it, miss Echo,"

"Neither do I, to be honest,” Echo made a twirling shape with her magic. “I just like hearing and telling a good story, that's all."

"Don’t be so modest! With all these foals for one little presentation, you must be doing something right."

Slash of all people got a good laugh out of that. Echo briskly bid farewell to the mare and marched over to the blue-coated pegasus. Snowy had already flew on top of the arch. Smokey opened a package of streamers and sorted through the colors. Slash had a start when he saw Echo standing over him with that look on her face, and he swallowed.

“Hey Slash, what color goes on the first pole?” Smokey asked.

Slash shook out his hoof. “Blue.” Smokey unearthed a blue streamer and passed it up to Snowy, and then moved in circles to wrap the first arch in a spiral of blue cloth.

"Whatever happened to your 'dragonwatch'?" Echo asked in a harsh whisper.

“What?”

“Your dragonwatch, whatever you told me when you brought back the stupid stick.”

“Oh that. You gotta speak up, I couldn’t hear you.”

“Excuse me for not wanting to start a panic.”

Slash tried to stand upright as he held his hoof. "I'm workin' on it," He said. "Just as soon as I hear from Tall Tail, besides you’re one to talk about making a fuss.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Slash, what about the other pole?” Smokey asked.

“Blue,” Slash said. He looked back at Echo. “Don’t act like you weren’t going to start another one of your light-shows,” he said. “That woulda brought production to a standstill and Timewinder would have gotten on our tails.”

“Slash?” Smokey asked again.

“What?” Slash had to look up. Snowy had carried her brother to the top of the arch and they both now sat there with their colored streamers.

“What about the middle color?” Smokey asked.

“Blue again,” Slash said.

“...Are you sure you haven’t just been telling us your favorite color?”

“Do I look like a pony who likes blue??”

The two siblings shrugged and went back to work.

“...Don’t tell me you smashed your hoof just to get my attention earlier?” Echo asked.

“No, that was my hammer slipping again,” Slash shook out his hoof. “I gotta talk to somebody to fit a grip to my tools. And then I gotta find my shield... and finish these chores for Hack Saw like I promised... and I think Sprocket wanted me for something?"

Echo sighed and shook her head. "So much for staying focused for once," she said to herself.

"I'm plenty focused!" Slash said. "I'm so focused on all these things I said I'd do before, I'm making sure they get done before I do the new thing. Even if the new thing involves dragons."

“Not so loud!” Echo said suddenly. "Dragons near the valley is a big deal so unless you’re absolutely sure about what you saw you don’t just go saying stuff like that!”

Slash sighed again. He tested his hoof on the ground. “Right, right. Sorry, won’t happen again. I’m just excited, that’s all.”

“You were excited earlier. And you sounded so urgent, and worried."

"I am," Slashbuckler said. "But there's no use freaking out about it. Nothing's gotten into the valley yet, at any rate." And he went back to picking up his tools.

Echo smiled and nodded, right before she finally spied Cedar Seed the lumber pony and the two companions waiting by the tree. One was a pegasus, and the other was a unicorn. She knew a couple of dark unicorns, but she never knew a charcoal-black one with a silver mane. She'd seen yellow pegasi before, but never one so golden with bright, cyan eyes. Come to think of it, she didn't even recognize their clothing. The unicorn wore a saddlebag so fancy it couldn't have been made in town, and the pegasus sported a whole suit of armor, the likes of which not even the guard had equipped.

Maybe the couple in the general store started selling a sweet new saddle she hadn’t heard about, or maybe Satin Splash started making costumes for the festival. Echo’s mind raced for every possible reason for the sight she saw, but she could only come to one conclusion.

The two foals tacking banners into the poles above her were of the same mind. Snowy looked below and saw the odd party make its way to the stage by the tree. She nudged her brother just as he was about to pound a nail into place with his hoof. “Smokey, look!” she said.

Her brother leaned off of his perch as much as he dared. He squinted at the two stranger ponies talking in front of the tree. “Those aren’t… no! ...Could they?”

“Do you see their clothes? I certainly don’t recognize them, or the ponies wearing them,” she said.

“Me neither. But that would make them…”

“Outsiders!” the two foals cheered at once as they looked at each other.

“Smokey, Snow!” Echo called up to them. “What did I just say?”

“We didn’t even say the D-word!”

“That’s not my point!” Echo gawked at the two stranger ponies. Now her mind was really racing. What could this mean? She already had an idea how her master and the other elders would react, especially on such an important date. “What if the elders or Slash--”

"What's the matter? Echo?"

"Hm? ...Oh! Nothing!" Echo averted her gaze. The last thing everyone needed today was an actual reason for him to freak out.

Slash looked over at the stage. Several ponies were already hard at work with the beams of wood from the cart. "Echo? Did you see something?"

"Nothing at all! Nothing strange at all!" She sidestepped in the direction of the stage. "Nothing to freak out over! Like you said… Just stay put for a second and watch the twins for me? I’ll be right back, I just need to check something…"

And then Slash's eyes popped out of his skull. "Outsiders!" He snarled and pawed his hoof on the ground. His wings flexed and he sank low to pounce like a Heleo on a cliffside.

“Slash, no! Remember what we just said about--?”

And he took off. He kicked over his toolbox in the process, and he bashed his shoulder into one of the poles on the arch. It rocked back and forth, and poor Smokey was nearly dumped onto the ground. Echo steadied him with her magic, and then Snowy caught him.

“...Guess not.”

The large clock nestled into one of the buildings struck the hour, four in the afternoon. Lightning Bug studied the large tree as she sat in its shade, while Polaris squinted at the statue. He kept throwing glances over his shoulder. “We mustn’t let our guard down,” he mumbled. “For all intents and purposes, we’re still in the badlands. …Honestly though, how can any of these ponies act so calm? Do they have no clue about the beasts or the dragon?”

“This tree’s gotta be at least a hundred years old,” Lightning said.

“...What?”

“I can tell. See how thick the trunk is at the bottom? Trees this thick have to be at least a hundred, maybe two. Do you think they built the statue before or after it was planted? Maybe someone can tell us.”

“We’re not staying long enough to find out,” Polaris said.

“Why not? It’s better than the cave, or the dragon.”

“Don’t you get it, Private?” Polaris ran in front of her and turned to face her. “All of the ponies living here are breaking the ancient treaties!”

“...So?”

“So you should ask yourself if they can be trusted!” Polaris took a step forward and Lightning took a step back. “What drives a group of ponies to live in forbidden territory? What possesses them to make their beds in such a place? Are they descended from a band of banished convicts? Are they allies of the dragons? Are they under the sway of some eldritch mountain god?!”

“Now you’re just being silly.”

“Oh, I’m silly? Look who’s telling who they're being silly!” Lightning rolled her eyes and Polaris kept talking. “What of the accounts of ponies who disappear into the mountains never to return, what if this is their final destination? They could be held here against their will! And have I mentioned that those who break the treaty shouldn’t be trusted??”

“Polaris we’re just as guilty, don’t you think? Should I trust you?”

The unicorn’s nose twitched. “That’s…”

“I think I have a pretty good track record of telling whether someone’s dangerous or not.”

“Name one example.”

“You.”

“That doesn’t count.”

“Polaris, please! They probably discovered the valley the same way we did, and just decided to settle here a long time ago. They’re not hurting anybody.”

“Intruders!” Something blue appeared a few gallops away. The two had hardly registered it before it broke into a run and bounded over.

“Woah, woah, wait just a second…!” Lightning ducked her head and backed away as it drew closer and closer. It leapt into air and pummeled into Polaris. The two spun over one another before the blue thing had successfully pinned him to the ground. They skid and rammed into the cart of wooden beams. The wheel snapped and it tipped over on its side. The wood clattered on the cobble.

“Gah! I am currently being hurt!” Polaris wailed. He found himself nose-to-nose with a blue pegasus. A messy yellow mop of a mane barely covered his eyes. His brand was some sort of shield.

"How'd you get in here? How'd you make it past the Kingsveil? Where did you come from?" the pegasus belted out question after question.

"As if unicorns come from anyplace other than the one, you oaf," Polaris said. “Get off me.”

"Oh, a smart-guy!" The pegasus said. "Let's see how smart you feel when your head's the middle ingredient of my muscle-sandwich!"

"No! Don't hurt him, please!" Lightning said, but the pegasus didn't seem to hear her. A small group of onlookers gathered. Workers looked away from their boards and nails excitedly hurried over and formed a very loose circle around the two stallions. Lightning was nearly squeezed out and had to shoulder her way back into view. Polaris and the pegasus were still staring each other down.

"Well, that figures," the stallion returned and walked up to Lightning. He cast a disdainful glance at his toppled cart. "Not exactly quiet around here this time of year, but when there's noise, Slashbuckler isn't far behind."

"How do I make him stop?" Lightning asked.

"Usually, you don't. Once he's set his mind on something it'll take an act of the Alicorns to get him to back down. Your friend's in for a bad time if he doesn't fight back. Of course you could always go and ask nicely, he's never been the kind to ignore a filly."

Lightning quit listening around the time he said 'ask nicely.' She galloped over just as Polaris threw Slash off of him and got to his hooves. The two stood rigid and glared at each other. "Lucky for you my glasses aren't broken," Polaris said. His horn flashed. "Otherwise there'd be a real problem."

"As if there isn't one already, intruder?"

"We're not intruders!" Lightning said. She ran and put herself between Polaris and Slash. "We stumbled in on accident, honest!"

“As if!” the pegasi glared at her. “Don’t tell me a Meteroan scout just happened to…” Slash blinked. “Wait a second, ohmigosh!” He hopped on his hooves and laughed. “You’re a real Meteoran soldier! I never thought I’d see one in real life!”

“Um…!” Lightning backed away.

“Wait,” Slash paused. “What are you doing all the way out here? How exactly did an outsider find the secret valley of life?” His expression darkened. “Are you all spies for the other nations?”

“Spies?!” Lightning cried.

“Of course not,” Polaris. “Think about it; if the likes of you can live in a place like this, how secret can it possibly be?” Polaris adjusted his glasses.

“You wanna buckin’ go?!” Slash stamped his hooves and ran for Polaris. He managed to bash Lightning out of the way by accident, and she toppled to the cobbled street. Her radio was knocked loose, and by some cruel happenstance, it managed to switch itself on as it clattered to the ground.

Grainy, fuzzy audio from some music station poured from the speakers, and every pony present was drawn to it. The crowd tightened around Lightning, Polaris, and her gadget, and she felt the color rise to her face. Lightning briefly wondered if any pony from the valley had even seen an electronic device before.

“Say,” one pony scratched his chin. “Is that one o’ dem newfangled battery-operated long-range two-way multi-channel portable-radios the pegasi make?”

“You are spies!” Slash said. “That’s it, you’re coming with me.”

“I think you’ll have to make us, pegasus!” Polaris reared up and flashed his horn.

Lightning ran between them. “No! I’ll tell you anything you want to know if you promise not to fight each other!” she cried.

“Yes, please!” yet another new voice called. “No fighting would be great if you’d all just hold a moment, quickly before one of the elders shows up!” Another pony ran up the path to meet them. Her coat was rosy and bright, and there was a long, thin horn on her head.

“Oh thank the Sisters,” Polaris said. “Another unicorn.” It was the first time Lightning had ever heard him sound so relieved. “Finally, someone I can actually talk to! Now then Miss Unicorn, if you could just tell me--”

The new unicorn’s horn flashed, and suddenly Slash lurched backwards, his hooves left trails in front of him. “Would you please excuse us for just a moment?” she asked Polaris sweetly. She gracefully turned away and put on the most terrifying smile neither he or Lightning had ever seen.“Slashbuckler!” she said in the tone that any child would recognize. “Don't you know better than to attack another pony like that? Is that how you were raised to handle visitors? Also, muscle-sandwich? Really, you have better threats than that?!”

“I got a little excited, that’s all.” Slash said with his ears drooping. “I didn’t mean to hit him that hard…”

Echo proceeded to get right up in Slash’s face. He dropped his nose just so that the rest of his head wouldn’t get poked by her horn. She hissed through grit teeth. “You already ran through town making a fuss today and you already got Tall Tail and the other elders anxious and I really don’t need this from you right now! What if you started an actual panic this time? What if one of the elders--”

“What is going on here?!” and everyone was quiet. “Why has production stopped?” Echo and Slash turned in the direction of an old, livid looking pony with muted colors and a gray mane. She stiffly but swiftly ran up to the gathering. Lightning hurriedly switched her radio off, stashed it away, and slipped behind Polaris as the old pony approached Slash and Echo. The crowd of ponies shifted open, and the various inhabitants awkwardly backed away from the old mare. Her expression became calm, if only for the resignation she showed the two ponies.

“Who…?” Lightning whispered.

“That’s Paper Pusher, one of the elders,” Echo whispered. “Just stay calm and don’t say a word, we don’t want her to notice you.

“Why is it so, miss?” the elder pony asked. Echo innocently pointed at herself, but the mare continued. “Why is it that whenever something goes wrong around here, especially on important dates, one of you two is always at the center of it? And how the alicorns smile upon me today, for I am graced by both of you at once!” She glared at Slash. “I’d think a guard trainee should show more reservation every once in a while.” And then to Echo. “Seeing as you’re a Lorekeeper, miss Shade, I feel like I shouldn’t have to explain the significance of keeping an historical event like this running smoothly and on track, and yet here I am! Do you think Rat Tail would have approved?”

Echo cleared her throat. “Now miss pushy…”

“What?”

“M-Miss Pusher! You’re absolutely right, and I agree with you one hundred percent! Slash was just playing with his new friend, and I had to break it up before it got any worse, you know how he is… boys, and all that.” She side glanced her pegasus friend. “Right?”

“Er… yeah, of course!” And Slash propped Polaris up and gripped him by the shoulder. Lightning did her best to keep herself hidden behind Polaris. “We were just messin’ around, that’s all!” Polaris did not look pleased, but he remained still and quiet. Paper Pusher squinted her eyes at all of them. Her eyes were so narrow it was hard to tell if they were even really open to begin with. She didn’t seem to notice Lightning, and didn’t seem to care much about Polaris.

“Hm…” The elder mare’s brow worked. She finally turned around, and Polaris was nearly dropped back to the street. “I suppose I could have asked for worse from you all today.” She glanced about the crowd. “Unless anybody saw anything strange they should bring to my attention?”

Lightning gulped, and she heard Polaris grumble.

“None I can think of,” the lumber pony said. “Nothing I’d call strange.” And to Lightning’s surprise, the other ponies in the crowd murmured their agreement. “Nothing folk like us could call strange at any rate.”

“I suppose that will do for now, then,” and Paper Pusher examined the toppled cart.. “Clean this mess up, all of you. I don’t care who pushed who, the elders will not stand for childish tomfoolery from our adult population.”

“Yes, Paper Pusher, Ma’am,” some of the ponies murmured.

Paper Pusher glared at Echo. “Expect a visit from your mentor soon, Miss Shade.” Echo smiled and backed away. “As for you.” And Paper Pusher pointed a hoof directly at Lightning. Her golden coat turned pale, and her wings clamped to her side.

“Er… yes?”

“Take off that costume. It looks ridiculous. Get back to work.” And Paper Pusher left.

Once she was out of earshot, just about every pony present let out a sigh of relief. Lightning flopped to the ground from behind Polaris. Polaris shook himself free from Slash’s grip and dusted himself off with his long tail. For a time the townsfolk didn’t even murmur amongst themselves.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Echo said. She looked at Polaris, and then at Lightning. “Outsiders in the valley. I never thought I’d live to see it! …You both okay?”

“I was until your friend attacked me,” Polaris said. Lightning saw him wince as he set his hoof down. His leg was hurting after all, she thought.

“Look, I jumped the gun and I’m sorry,” Slash said. “But the other nations being here in the valley is kind of a big deal!”

“Wait! So, is there going to be a fight or not?” one of the bystanders asked. “We’ve been doing nothing but hammer banners into posts for three stinking days!”

Echo shook her head. “Sorry folks, no street fight today,” she rolled her eyes. “Harmony will have to live up to its name for now.”

“Aww,” and the crowd slowly dispersed. Once they were gone, the only remaining ponies were the four of them and the small group working on the stage by the tree.

"Echo…!” Slash said with growing caution in his voice. “What’s Tall Tail going to say if he knew you were protecting spies from the elders?”

“They’re not spies, Slash. Can’t you see?” Echo pointed with her hoof. “The unicorn is obviously too frail for such a thing…”

“Hey!” Polaris was taken aback.

“And the poor pegasus is shaking in her boots!”

“I-I’m not shaking in my boots!” Lightning said shakily.

“Echo!” Slash whined and beat his hooves. “How else did they get inside?”

“Oh, that’s simple,” Cedar Seed said. “I gave them a lift.”

Slash blinked. “You let outsiders into the town?”

Cedar Seed shrugged. “I knew that already.”

“What?!”

Lightning blinked. “You did?”

“You kind of stuck out like a sore thumb, kid.” Cedar Seed walked around back to his cart. “But they weren’t hurting nobody, now were they? At least they didn’t topple over my cart. On that note, Miss Shade, if you’re done reeling in the blue bull, I’d like to get back to work before more of the elders shows up.”

“Oh, of course,” Echo stepped away, and Slash involuntarily followed. He nodded at her and got back to work unloading the cart. “I apologize on Slash’s behalf,” she said.

“It’s no problem,” and the stallion unloaded his first beam of wood. The other ponies helped him lug it to the stage. Polaris watched Slash from the corner of his eye as he carefully backed away towards Lightning.

Lightning never stopped watching the workers. One galloway mare struggled to heft one of the beams from the ground.

“Echo Shade!” two older foals ran over to the four of them. The blue unicorn colt was smiling. “You pulled the wool over Paper Pusher! Tall Tail would be impressed…. and angry, but mostly impressed.” He looked up at Lightning and Polaris. He narrowed his eyes and stood up straight. “I thought ponies from the nations would have looked more… dignified.”

“Dignified?” Polaris scoffed. “You try travelling three days in the wastes and see how presentable you look, little colt.” He offered Echo Shade a glance. “Why would you protect us from your leader?” Polaris asked. “Have you no sense of integrity?”

“She’s not our leader,” Echo rolled her eyes. “She’s just the keeper of records, and every time a festival rolls around she lets it get to her head and starts bossing everyone around.”

“And everyone deserves a little less of Paper Pusher in their lives,” Slash said. He awkwardly held his hoof out to Polaris. “Sorry for trying to smash your face in, I got a little excited.”

Polaris looked between Slash and his hoof and promptly batted it away. “Sorry for questioning your intellect.”

“What was that?” Slash frowned at him, and Echo stepped beside him.

“There’s no need to be hostile, really! We don’t mind visitors… they’re just rare, and we don’t even know your names or why you’re here… But I’m getting ahead of myself. We haven’t even been properly introduced yet, have we? Maybe we can just start over.”

Lightning envied how gracefully Echo moved. She closed her eyes, lowered her brow just a little bit and gently bowed. “My name is Echo Shade. I’m the apprentice Lorekeeper of Harmony.” She smiled at Slash. He sat and crossed his forearms and didn’t say anything. “...And you’ve already met Slashbuckler. Hero-wannabe and stuff-breaker extraordinaire. Oh!” Echo knelt down to the two foals. She ruffled the pegasus filly’s mane with her hoof. “And these are Smokey Sky and Snow Feather! They’re under the Lorekeeper’s care. …Not much more to say about us, I guess.”

“No, there isn’t,” Slash said coolly. “So long as we don’t get any trouble.”

“Indeed,” Polaris hesitated to say much. Lightning Bug was the one to answer her. “I-I’m, um…” She shyly kicked the air with her hoof. “I’m Lightning Bug, Private Lightning Bug. Pleased to meet you. …I like your mane. You’re very pretty-looking miss.”

Echo absolutely beamed “Aw, thanks hon! That’s not a complement I get often!” Slash snorted and rolled his eyes. “You don’t look so bad yourself. Once you have the chance to clean up after your trip I’m sure you’ll look great.”

“Thank you,” Lightning lowered her helmet and nervously tapped the ground. She held up one hoof to point at Polaris. “His name is…”

“Polaris.” The scholar reached out and shook Echo Shade’s hoof. “Professor-in-training, Polaris of Cynosura, at your service.”

“A pleasure!” Echo Shade said with a smile. “Such a gentlecolt… I know a pony who could learn a thing or two from somebody like you.” Slash rolled his eyes again and slunk in his seat. “I’d like to take a moment to apologize for the rough entry you two had. It’s been Harmony’s policy to welcome every and any pony who might find our little community. It’s just been so long since any pony from an outside nation actually wandered in that everyone got a little excited.”

“Harmony… the lumber pony said that too.” Polaris pushed his chair back and looked around him. “Is Harmony the town?”

“No, silly! It’s the entire valley,” Echo said. She pointed with her hoof. “All the way from the southern springs…” And she pointed in the opposite direction. “All the way back to the northern woods. Everything in between is Harmony! Where we’re currently sitting is merely townsquare, where the first ponies settled. Technically we’re in the Valley of Life, but wherever there are ponies there’s Harmony, so to speak. We’re all over the valley, some have houses on their own, some families live together, and there’s an entire other village in the northern corner. Most of us are here in the center for now. Whatwith the festival and all.”

“The festival for Sir Rat Tail?” Lightning asked.

“Yes exactly!” Echo excitedly stomped two hooves, and Slash eased her back with his wing. “Right, sorry. Have you two heard of him?”

“We haven’t,” Lightning shook her head. “I first heard about him from the nice Lumber Pony. We came into the valley from Rat Tail’s Watch, and he’s the one who told us what it was called.”

“Wait a second,” Slash sat up. “So you two came in to the valley from the west?”

“I…?” Lightning checked the direction of the sun and sang the little rhyme to herself again. Polaris held his brow. “Yes?”

“Then did you see anything on the way in?” he asked. “Did you see any dragons??”

“Woah, woah, heh…” Echo pulled Slash back. “He, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” She glared at her friend. “You can’t go scaring them with that sort of thing! Imagine if someone else heard you! Do you know what would happen if anyone thought a dragon was prowling outside the valley?”

Lightning’s throat was dry when she swallowed.

“...It would cause quite the stir, wouldn't it?” Polaris gave Lightning an uneasy glance.

“So you did or you didn’t?” Slash said.

“See what?”

“You know! The… the d-word! Giant scaly toothy thing?”

“Slash, that’s enough!”

“I just wanna know if they saw a giant… wyrm from down under. It’d be pretty hard to miss.”

Polaris averted his gaze. “Who can say…” He glanced at Lightning.

Lightning looked away. “I guess I can’t really say why we’re here, we’re just lost.” Echo Shade nodded hurriedly. “First it was the mountchasers, the torus, and then the… well, we just ran into the tunnels to hide, we didn’t think we’d find anybody out here. Have we done something wrong?” Lightning asked. “ If we should leave…”

“Oh no, not that,” Echo said. “We’re delighted to have you! So little changes around here if you can believe it. It’s just… the town is very volatile right now, as you know first-hoof. Um… anything you’d like?”

Polaris frowned. “What.”

“I mean is there something we can do for you? Anything to make up for the trouble we’ve caused?”

“What I’d like is an explanation,” Polaris said. “About where we are and what on Cabalos is really going on here.”

“Yes, of course! But maybe after we get you cleaned up and fed? My place, maybe?” Echo asked. “You certainly look like you could use it, and you do stand out.” Echo side-eyed the two foals. “Until then, we’ll have to keep this away from the elders.”

“All of them?” Smokey asked.

“Even your master?” Slash asked.

“Especially my master. You know how he gets.”

“But isn’t this important?” Smokey said. “Wouldn’t he know what to do?”

“Really, Smokey, if I’m being one-hundred percent honest, everything would go so much smoother if we don’t tell Tall Tail about anything.” Echo closed her eyes and nodded.

“Don’t tell Tall Tail about what now?”

Echo Shade froze. Nobody had noticed the thin, bearded pony slip behind her. His expression was far from amused when Echo turned around to face him. She gasped and tried to laugh. “Tall Tail!” She said.

“We’re in public, Echo Shade.”

“Master, I mean! Um… You’re never going to believe this but…”

“Outsiders,” Tall Tail said. “I know. My eyesight isn’t the best, but I could spot them from a mile away. Something you’d like to tell me?”

“...Sorry…?”

“And who might you be, exactly?” Polaris asked.

“Tall Tail,” the elder said. “Master Lorekeeper. It is my duty to educate young and old on oral tradition. Think of it as a full-time teacher at one of your schools with a more open schedule and zero pay. A little far from home, are we?” Lightning heard a thump and a shout. She turned around. Some of the ponies were struggling with the wooden beams from Cedar Seed’s cart. “Echo Shade.”

“Yes, master?”

“Are our guests hungry?” He pointed with his horn at a food cart at the edge of the square. The flimsy tables and chairs were empty, but the cart-owner was present and warming up his grill.

“Perhaps?” Echo said.

“Then let’s eat and talk. My treat.” He stepped away, and the two foals followed him.

“Can we join in, master?” Snowy asked.

“Haven’t you two had enough to eat today? Go and finish your work on the archway, then go and help with the stage.”

“But master,” Snowy said. “Slash broke the arch! It might topple over and… we’ve never really done anything large like the stage before and…” One harsh look from the elder unicorn silenced her. “Yes, master,” they both said. The two foals took off, and Echo lead Slash and the two Outsiders to the cart.

The counter was manned by a galloway with an indigo coat and a stained apron. Hardly anyone else was present. Tall Tail had everyone wait as he talked to the owner. The cart owner kept giving Lightning and Polaris weird looks as he cooked something from behind the counter. Any ponies that did pass them by regarded them carefully and quietly. She wanted to hide in her armor like a turtle. Soft, warm smells wafted from behind the counter and Lightning’s belly rumbled once more.

The galloway shuffled about busily while they waited. Echo looked like she had all kinds of things on the tip of her tongue, but she never actually said anything. Slash and Polaris stood at each other’s shoulders, but they just kept glaring at each other.

Slash was awfully wide for a pegasus, and if it weren’t for his bare hooves he was almost just a galloway with wings. He wore some kind of leather strap on his front leg, the type she’d see soldiers in storybooks wear. It occurred to Lightning how strange it was that a pegasus like him was so much taller than her, she wasn’t average height herself but still. He was almost as tall as a unicorn, without a horn of course.

Echo on the other hoof was very thin, almost dainty looking. Her scarf was thick enough to cover part of her shoulders, and it almost made her neck seem longer? It was pretty hard to describe, and it was a very pretty scarf. Her mane was pretty too, nicely groomed, and streaked with color. Lightning thought of her own unruly mane and wondered how a tall, long-maned unicorn like her managed to keep it so tidy.

“Almost done, Sir Tail, Miss Shade,” the owner, Stake was his name, barked over the counter. “Just another minute.” Tall Tail stepped up to the counter.

“Echo Shade?” he asked.

“Yes master?”

“Why didn’t you come and find me before dragging Outsiders into town?”

“I just found them here!”

“She saw Cedar Seed haul them in,” Slash said.

“Yes, whatever,” Echo said. “And I know, I should have come and found you first, but Slash was all riled up, and there was a crowd, and Paper Pusher showed up and I didn’t know what to do because I’ve never seen another Outsider before and you remember what Sir Rat Tail said about when Outsiders come to the valley--”

“By the Alicorns, girl!” the elder shook his head. “I don’t care one bit where they came from. I would, however, like a little warning before you offer our house to a bunch of strangers! The ponies of Harmony are nothing if they’re not generous, but charity takes consideration, especially when we’re dealing with ponies we don’t know. Like you said, they don’t seem like they mean much harm, but the other elders may not think the same, so we have to think carefully. We can’t just roll out the red carpet just yet, but they are tired and hungry. I can’t offer my own kitchen, so for now they’ll have to settle for street food.”

When she was sure her master didn’t have anything left to say, Echo smiled at Lightning, but she ducked her head and looked away. Her wing moved up slightly to cover her face. She uneasily adjusted her helmet. “Aw hon,” Echo said softly. “Don’t be afraid. You’re safe here in Harmony. Nobody’s gonna hurt you…” Echo nudged Slash in the shoulder. “Right, Slash?” Her friend just sighed. A moment later Echo coughed. “So… you two haven’t been here before, by any chance?”

“Of course not,” Polaris said. “I thought that was clear. Why, if any pony caught wind of a settlement in forbidden territory, the scandal from the other nations would be horrific, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes, of course,” Echo thoughtfully tapped her chin. “And I assume it’s the same for your friend?”

“Companion. Yes, she has never been here either, assuming she isn’t lying, which I doubt.”

“Aw, you two seem really close!”

“Hardly. She lacks the capacity to speak untruth is all I mean.”

“Oh.” Echo didn’t really seem to believe it, but Lightning didn’t have the energy to argue. Polaris was right as far as she was concerned, mostly.

A silver tray rattled against the counter as Stake pushed it over to Tall Tail. “Have at it,” he didn’t smile but his voice was cheery, and he happily took the bits passed to him. Echo smiled as she passed around the food to each of her three companions; sweet-smelling things on kebabs drizzled in syrup. Polaris took his treat with his magic, and Lightning awkwardly held her’s with her wing. Tall Tail didn’t take any.

“Eat up, you two must be exhausted. It’s on us!” Echo said. Lightning peered closer at the food. “C’mon, let’s walk and talk. I’m sure you have plenty of questions.” The owner waved to them as they took their treats and walked around the square.

“And this is safe for pony consumption?” Polaris examined his kebab from every angle.

“Absolutely,” Echo said. Lightning warily sniffed her treat before nibbling. She took a bite. They were light and fruity like a cake, but they were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, almost like a piece of candy. Her eyes lit up. She took a bigger bite, and then another, and then another, and then in a matter of seconds her first kebab was picked clean. “She gets it!”

Lightning beamed. “That was wonderful! What exactly is this?”

“Grilled bananas. We grow them to the south by the hotsprings. It’s just warm enough down there for them to grow properly. Stake here knows how to grill them best.” Echo lifted up a stick of the fruit with her magic and daintily finished a few pieces. “They’re probably not the best you’ll ever taste in Cabalos - I’d wager outsiders would know better- but it’s the perfect treat after a long day of work. Or walking in your cases, perhaps.”

They were the best bananas Lightning had ever tasted, but she didn’t think to say it.

“I wouldn’t know about fruit,” Polaris’ treat disappeared much more slowly. “...But this is adequate. It beats oat bread every day at any rate.”

A few fillies raced them by down the street, one was a galloway and the other a unicorn. Lightning watched them pass. “Don’t stare, Private,” Polaris hissed.

“Sorry, I’ve never seen a kid from another tribe before. We don’t look too different when we’re young, do we?”

“Nope,” Echo said. “Our tribe-specific traits manifest as we grow older.”

“Indeed,” Tall Tail said. “Deep down, we’re all the same, just look to the children… That’s a quote from one of our leaders. Echo?”

“Morning Glory,” Echo said. “The third-ever leader of the valley, if I recall correctly. Slash shook his head at her, and she flashed a look at him before she turned to look at the two guests as they walked. “If you don’t mind us asking… how old would you two happen to be?” she asked.

“I appreciate your generosity miss, but that’s none of your concern.” Polaris now focused on his meal. Slash huffed and pulled an entire stick clean with one bite. He chewed loudly.

Echo gave Lightning a hopeful look. “I’m turning seventeen,” Lightning said. “Why?”

“You’re not exactly foals then,” Echo’s eyes were shining.

Polaris scoffed. “Do I look like a colt?”

“It was just a simple question,” Slash said. “You don’t gotta be so worked up all the time.”

“You’re one to talk.”

“Harmony, you two!” Echo said. “Harmony!”

“What would I know of such a thing?” Polaris grumbled.

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Slash said.

“Both of you, come on!” Tall Tail said with a sigh.

“They're fed now. So what should we do about them, then?” Slash asked.

“Oh, Echo’s plan was brilliant,” Tall Tail said. “Hard to go wrong with a wash and a meal after a long journey.”

“Why thank you!”

“However,” he said. “This will need to be handled delicately, we don’t want to attract any more attention than we already have. Once you all are finished eating, a trip to the springs would be a good idea. I believe Serenity has her baths set up by now, and these travelers do need it so.”

Their little trot took them all around town square. They got to see the tree and the statue beside it from every angle, and they passed by the major buildings. The Town Hall, the tallest and oldest building with the massive clock embedded into the side, towered over everything else. The Library, the guard station, and other small service centers were closed for the day. Most of the ponies were out and about working, and the group building the stage were still toiling away.

When Lightning looked over, the group of ponies had yet to lift their beam from the ground, the one that they dropped earlier. They were still making progress on the stage, but that one heaviest beam just wasn’t going anywhere. The two foals from earlier were pitching in by nailing streamers into the base of the stage while the older ponies moved wooden boards and beams.

“Master!” The two foals said when they saw Tall Tail. They hurried over. “Where’s Timewinder?” Smokey asked.

“Haven’t seen her, Smokey,” Tall Tail said.

“Good, ‘cause they’re super behind!” Snowy flexed her wings nervously. “Some of the beams Cedar Seed brought over got fractured by you-know-who and we had to send for more wood and now we’re short a couple of hooves!”

“An earful from Timewinder or Paper Pusher isn’t the end of the world,” Tall Tail said. “Just hang on a little longer before the other workers come back.”

And Tall Tail went on his way. Polaris was about to follow after, but he saw Lightning stayed in place, watching them build. “Let’s go, Private,” he said. “I don’t know about you but a bath doesn’t sound so bad.”

“They need help,” Lightning said. “Isn’t it kind of our fault that they’re behind in the first place?”

“I don’t think we have the privilege of taking responsibility for such a thing at this time.”

“But the elder told us to pitch in. She’s not my elder but…” and Lightning trotted towards the stage. “I’ll just be a minute.”

“Wait!” Smokey ran up to her. “Didn’t you hear what the master said? You stick out like a sore thumb, what if somebody sees you? Then we’re just asking for the elders to show up!”

“The boy’s right, soldier,” Tall Tail said. “It would do more harm than good.”

“But--”

“Which is why I suggest you ditch the armor for now. I’d say that’d be a low enough profile to lend a hoof with the building.”

Lightning blinked. “Oh…” she tugged at her collar. “I just kind of forgot it was even there, I’ve been wearing it for so long. But what if somebody takes it? Or trips over it?”

“Nobody will, I’ll make sure of it,” Tall Tail said. “I’ll even run it down to be washed, if you don’t mind.”

“...Alright then…” Lightning sat down and worked with her helmet to get it loose. She undid a chin strap and unclamped something at the back, and then pulled. She made a face when it didn’t come off. Lightning tugged and tugged but it wasn’t coming loose. “...Uh oh,” she squeaked. “I think it’s stuck.”

“Here, let me help,” Polaris said as his horn lit up.

“No, I got it!”

“I insist, that looks dreadful.” He gently pulled at the helmet with his magic.

“It’s fine!”

“It’s probably that static electricity from earlier, here.”

The two pulled back and forth while Smokey watched. “Pathetic,” he said with a shake of his head. And then with an unfortunate pop noise, the helmet came loose and rolled uselessly at the little unicorn’s feet. He had a front-row seat to watch as her mane came billowing free from the heavy helmet, and settled in neat, spiky locks about her head. A long bang fell over one side of her face, and the rest curled down her neck. She blinked her big cyan eyes as she blew stray strands out of her face. She kicked off her boots and they landed beside her helmet. When Lightning Bug slid off the rest of her armor, It hit the ground with a louder thud than any pony present expected.

A long precious necklace dangled from her shoulders, free from the confines of her armor after so long. The pegasus scout happily stretched her golden coat and shook out her dark, streaked mane. Her bright wings flapped once or twice, and she wore a smile brighter than any she had worn before coming to the mountains.

“Finally!” she said. “I forgot how heavy that stuff was!” She hopped up and down with a spring in her step. Lightning Bug flew speedy circles around their little corner of the square, giggling like a school filly. “Woo-hoo! I can move again!” And she took off for the stage.

Polaris prodded her shed cuirass with his hoof, and it would not budge even slightly. “Indeed,” he mumbled.

Tall Tail slid the armor off of the ground with magic and set it aside. “And I’ll run this ahead to the cleaners,” he said. “Echo, you can take it from here, can’t you?”

“Of course, master. Hosting outsiders in our humble little town?” She tapped her hooves and squealed, and Slash’s eye twitched at the noise. “It would be a pleasure!”

“Good, have them back here by sundown for our rehearsal. After that, we can work out where they’ll sleep. In the meantime… Snowy,” he said. “Grab your brother and head home. We’ll be expecting company.” The filly nodded and ran up to Smokey, and her master trotted away.

One pony nearly got their shoulder trapped beneath the beam as they tried to force it off the ground. “Wait!” Lightning called to the workers. She rushed over and stuck her head beneath one end of the wooden beam and held it up for the mare. The mare smiled up at her and walked slowly so Lightning could keep up as they maneuvered the beam over to the stage. A pair of pegasi, one a stallion, the other a filly not much older than her, flitted over, and lifted the beam from their backs.

Lightning’s head and neck felt like they might float away from her body once the pressure was lifted. The two pegasi set the beam beside a unicorn and a galloway. The unicorn’s horn lit up as he marked several points on the wood with his magic, and the galloway took to the beam with a saw and deftly cut it in half.

Lightning ended up helping carry over four more pieces of wood. The whole time Polaris just watched. “She’s a hard worker,” Echo’s voice nearly made him jump, if only for the sight of the sulking Slash hovering by her shoulder.

“For better or worse,” Polaris grumbled. “She can’t leave well enough alone.” Polaris’ eyes shifted about his surroundings. “This place is very odd.”

“How candid of you,” Echo said with a smile. “Most of us think so too, and we’ve lived here our entire lives.”

“Your entire lives…” Polaris frowned. “Very odd.”

Lightning struggled with balancing a smaller piece of wood on her shoulders. The mare from earlier tried to show her how to do it properly, but Lightning was so flustered she only seemed to do worse. Polaris saw the telltale shimmer appear on her coat, and small arcs of energy appeared between her hooves as she stepped along the ground. The mare stepped over to help her steady her load, and Cedar Seed did the same. Before Polaris could even cry out to her, their three shoulders touched.

There was no flash, but whatever power surged through Lightning’s coat sent the three of them hurtling to the ground, and both beams of wood were involuntarily launched into the air. Lightning watched wide-eyed for a split second before she raced into the air to catch one with her hooves. The second beam happened to fly in the general direction of Polaris and Echo, who was already scrambling to sidestep the oncoming projectile.

Polaris flashed his magic, and with nary an ounce of effort and without taking a single step, he had rendered the beam motionless in the air and gently set it back near the stage. “I know of shops that went out of business for such unsafe practices,” he grumbled.

Lightning’s face was flushed as she nervously set the beam back by the workers at the stage. “I am so sorry!” she said. “I-I guess I got nervous and jumpy or something and I normally don’t bump into people honest I just got scared and my coat it does this thing um I’m not really making sense but I never meant to get anyone hurt I just--”

“Girl, girl,” Cedar Seed shook his head. “Reel it in, no harm done.”

“...I’m sorry.”

“And stop apologizing! Look, Thistlewind nearly dropped a block on my head this morning, and I nearly ran over Pitt Fall’s tail a few nights ago, and you saw first hoof what happens when Slashbuckler overreacts. Honestly an electric personality is the least of our concerns, and accidents happen, we’re used to ‘em. So don’t even worry about it.”

“...Really?” Lightning tapped her hooves together. “You’re not mad at all?”

“Don’t even!” Cedar Seed pointed and smiled. “What did I say about worrying?”

“Sorry.”

“And stop apologizing!”

“Right. Sorry.”

The way the other ponies broke out in laughter made Polaris irrationally angry, but Lightning didn’t seem to mind, so he decided they weren’t laughing at her. “We’re probably going to be here a while,” Echo Shade said.

When Snowy found Smokey he was sitting in place beside where Lightning’s armor used to be. He hadn’t moved since she took off her helmet, and he wasn’t really looking at anything, he was just staring into space. “Smokey?” She waved her hoof in front of his face. “We’re heading home, no more work for us. Are you listening?”

“That wasn’t a filly,” the colt mumbled. “That was a mare.”

“What, the outsider pegasus? …Oh, great.”

The sky was turning orange with the sunset by the time the stage was complete. Really it was far from finished, it still needed to be painted and some poles needed to be installed, but the steps were measured and squared off, and the top was completely boarded off and level. Polaris even helped lifting the last couple of pieces over with his magic while Lightning and the other ponies worked up top finishing everything. Now they lay on the cobbled streets as the sun dipped and the ground cooled.

A little wooden cup slid next to Lightning’s head as she lay down. She instantly sat up and took it in her hooves. Echo Shade was standing beside her with a smile as she lifted another cup with her magic.

“What’s the cup for?” Lightning Bug picked it up in her hooves and turned it over.

“Drinking, silly!” Echo Shade smiled and waved her hoof. “All that hard work, wouldn’t you want a drink?”

“Drink what?” Lightning held the cup to her side, and just then she felt it grow heavy. The sound of pouring water tickled her ear. She turned around and saw a red-maned galloway filly. She had a tray with cups and bowls saddled on her back, and in her teeth she carried a cute little kettle that rattled with ice. “Oh, thank you!” Lightning took a sip, and it was some of the best iced tea she’d ever had, even compared to the little drink stand down the road back home. “That’s wonderful, did you make this?” Lightning asked. The galloway filly just looked at her. Lightning assumed the kettle in her mouth made it hard to answer. “It’s really really good, thank you again!” The filly blinked at her. Her eyes shifted one way, and her hooves slowly carried her away to the next pony in need of a drink.

Shortly after, the Timewinder everyone was so afraid of finally paid a visit. Like Paper Pusher, she was a thin, elderly mare, but her eyes were sharp and discerning, her mane was well-kept, and she kept a golden pocketwatch on a chain around her vest. She glanced about the tree and the stage and nodded to herself the whole time. “Good job, everybody,” she said. “We did good work today. We’ll finish construction tomorrow.” The worker ponies cheered and happily dropped to the ground, panting and smiling and chatting with each other.

“I owe you one, girl,” Cedar Seed wiped the sweat from his brow. “Even if we never had a snag, I don’t think we woulda had this done by now. Thank you. I guess picking up hitchhikers does pay off.” Lightning smiled and laughed. “And no offense to your people or yer culture or whatever, but the armor doesn’t suit you.”

“It doesn’t?” Lightning asked as she sipped her drink. “...What, because it blocks off my coat or something?”

“No, it just looks so suffocating on you. You’re a much brighter pony than the armor implies, and you really shine with it off. That’s a nice necklace by the way.”

“Aw, thank you!”

“Private,” Polaris walked over. “The pegasus is saying it’s time to go.”

“Oh, where to?”

==

The where turned out to be a few blocks from the square by the river, where there weren’t any houses. Some industrious pony had erected several massive barrels with ladders and planks beside them. They were filled with clear, steaming water and the vessels were warmed by piles of warm stones placed beneath them.

Slashbuckler lead Lightning and Polaris up one of the ladders while Echo Shade talked to to the owner pony. Lightning cautiously peered over the edge into the steaming tub. It had to be at least as tall as a pony standing on their hindlegs.

“Your rustic methods of water management are fascinating,” Polaris said. “Is there a faucet affixed to the side? Is there a soap and a towel somewhere? Where’s the bath?”

“You’re looking at it, genius,” Slash said. Before the two could ask another word, Slash’s forehead met with their flanks, and they found themselves tumbling over into the tub. Slash nabbed Polaris’ bag off his back as he fell and placed it on the plank. Warm water spilled over and made the hot rocks beneath hiss. Echo manifested a magical barrier and chatted with the pony as if nothing had happened.

Polaris was the first to surface. His glasses sat crooked on his face and he spat out mouthfuls of water. “What the actual hay?!” he shook his hoof at Slash. “A warning next time would be nice!” Slash just snickered.

Lightning didn’t surface so much as breach. She leapt a short distance out, twirled in the air, and landed with an even bigger splash than when she fell in. Polaris’ head was thoroughly drenched, and he used his magic to steady his glasses. When she surfaced again, Lightning swam in place and preened her wings and flapped the water off of them.

“I forgot pegasi are part water-fowl,” Polaris mumbled to himself.

“This is wonderful!” Lightning said. Even though she felt the layers of dirt flying out of her coat, the water never looked any dimmer. She could feel her tiny cuts and bruises warm up and fade, as if they were sighing with relief.

“Fascinating,” Polaris checked his coat, and lightly tasted what was left in his mouth. “It tastes like water from a mountain spring. …Which I suppose makes sense.” A large brush materialized from out of no where and attacked his head. “Gah!”

Serenity, the owner pony, leaned over the edge with a long brush attached to a pole. She scrubbed and scrubbed Polaris, and then she moved on to Lightning, who giggled and laughed as she worked the dirt off her back, and then she went back to scrubbing Polaris.

“Watch the mane, watch the mane!” he cried.

“This water comes straight from the healing springs to the south,” Serenity said. “Soothes your muscles, closes small wounds, and it makes your coat softer! Works like magic!”

“Does it preserve your youth, as well?” Polaris asked.

“Nah, that’s in the fountain to the north,” Serenity smiled and shrugged.

“Really?!” Lightning gasped.

“No, of course not! She’s kidding,” Polaris said. He paused and looked up. “You are kidding, correct?”

Serenity didn’t answer.

Once the two were fished out, they were given some privacy to dry off and work their manes. They stood on opposite ends of a different tub while Echo and Slash talked with Serenity. Baths were fun, but Lightning always found them exhausting. With this, she felt like she had gotten eight hours of sleep without even blinking.

“This place is amazing,” she said.

“I suppose any community could survive if they had a magical healing spring to solve all of their problems,” Polaris said. “Imagine how all of Cabalos could benefit.”

“I'm not sure how a magic bath could solve everyone's problems. First you said they were breaking the rules for living here,” Lightning said. “Now you’re mad they’re not sharing their stuff?”

“I didn’t say that,” Polaris threw down his towel and finished combing his mane. “It’s just… how very odd this place is.”

“Polaris? Why aren’t we telling them about the dragon?”

“You saw how much of a fuss they’re capable of! Besides, there’s a fair chance it will never make its way inside. The stallion said as much, didn’t he? Besides, if we survived its onslaught, these ponies will probably be fine.”

“...How’s your leg?”

“My leg is none of your concern.”

The four walked back to town square. It was very dark now, but several ponies had lit the streetlamps so it wasn’t hard to find their way. Every house had at least one window with light shining from it. Now the town seemed less like a workplace and more like a market. Food vendors were everywhere, selling meals and treats to any passerby. The whole time they walked, Echo Shade was humming and practically skipping.

They finally met Tall Tail beside the statue. A small audience had sat to eat and talk with each other.

“Well, you’re awful chipper,” Tall Tail said.

Echo squealed happily and nodded. “Aren’t you, Master? Oh, I feel like I’m in a fairytale!” She looked over at Lightning again. “Outsiders in the Valley! I bet things will be much more exciting around here for a while, and just in time for the festival too! Don’t you?”

Tall Tail let out a tired sigh. “Yes, child. I do.”

“Do you think it’s destiny, master?” Echo asked excitedly.

“Hush, Echo. Let’s not confuse them anymore than they already are.”

“Um, I’m not confused,” Lightning said. “At least, not as much as I used to be.”

“That makes one of us,” Polaris said with a frown. “I for one am dying for an explanation. How does a community this big find itself in the center of one of the most dangerous places in the known world? And whatever are all these tribes doing so close together? Have you no respect for the ancient treaties?”

“Have you come to arrest us, Lustrian?” Tall Tail asked playfully, which was strange coming from a unicorn himself. He led them to a set of pillows in front of the statue.

“Nothing of the sort!” Polaris said. “So long as you don’t secretly traffic ponies, keep that brutish pegasus away from me, and don’t pray to some eldritch mountain god, we should have no issues.” This earned him confused and concerned looks from the pony villagers.

Tall Tail laughed heartily while Slash groaned and looked away. “Well, we don’t trade ponies last I checked, and I think Slashbuckler over there will do whatever you want so long as you ask nicely, and finally we don’t pray to the Mountain King, that’s another matter entirely.”

Lightning giggled, but Polaris was perplexed. “Wait, so there is or there isn’t a mountain god?”

“As for your previous questions,” Tall Tail said. “All very good questions, but I believe the best way for a Lorekeeper to answer them is by what we do best.” Tall Tail produced a weathered book from his bag. He set the book down before Lightning and Polaris, who peered closely at the cover. Polaris was half-ready to break out his knowledge of old Cabalos languages, but despite the age of the book, the dialect it was written in was fairly contemporary to how ponies spoke presently. “That is to say, I’ll answer with a story.”

“The Might and Mission and Mystery of Father Rat Tail,” Lightning read the title out loud. “Sounds neat!”

“It sounds like a fairytale for foals,” Polaris said with a snort.

“Ah, but don’t you know, Scholar?” Tall Tail said with a chuckle. “Sometimes history is stranger and more incredible than any fantasy. Take Sir Rat Tail himself.” He pointed to the statue. Lit candles were placed at every corner of the base, and the stone horse’s figure was illuminated with every possible detail. Finally Lightning and Polaris both noticed the long, maned tail peaking from beneath the statue’s robe.

“Rat… tail,” Polaris said. He smacked his forehead. “Tail as in his long tail, not Tale as in story… okay, I get it now.”

“Yes, not everyone gets that right away,” Tall Tail said. “A rather strange pony, if I’m being honest, and I’ve known several strange ponies.” A few laughs from the crowd answered him. “And yet this odd and meek pony is responsible for everything we know. I’d say he’s grown bigger and more powerful since when he died, but the truth is even here in the very community he founded, his story is told very little. It’s up to his family, his descendants the Lorekeepers to keep his story --the true story-- alive in our hearts.” He looked over at Echo Shade. “Would you do the honors?” he asked.

“Me, master?” Echo asked as she pointed at herself.

Tall Tail smiled and nodded. “By all means.”

“Can I… you know?!” her horn began to light up.

“If you must.”

“YES oh boy oh boy!” Echo pranced to the front of the group and prepared to cast a spell.

“Chill out, Echo Shade,” Slash said. “You’re making us look like a bunch of hicks.”

“She certainly needed no help with that, I assure you,” Polaris shot back at him.

“Slash, contain yourself, please,” Tall Tail said. “The show’s about to begin.”

“Show?” Lightning asked.

Just then, Echo Shade hit her hooves on the ground and shot a cloud of magic into the air, and Lightning forgot about everything else around her. The powdery, sparkly mist began to twist and churn like a whirlpool. Different colors danced along the haze, and one by one different shapes appeared from the smoke. Three blobs of colors appeared, and each of them were accompanied by a pony of the same color; one a galloway, one a unicorn, and the other a pegasus.

In the middle of the three colors, a white shape appeared; the shape of a particularly long-tailed galloway colt.

“Long ago,” Echo Shade said in a voice that was strong and clear. “In the days when the Alicorns walked the earth, one colt dreamed of a world with no distinction of wing, horn or hoof. He was a talented, handsome young musician who was skilled with his hooves and with his words, but he carried with him a fatal blemish; he had the long tail of a unicorn even though he was born a galloway! He was dubbed Rat Tail by his peers, and he faced teasing and torment without end all his days. He had no friends and nowhere to call his own. When tragedy struck, he had nobody to turn to.

“It was in his darkest hour when he heard the legend of the Legendary Seventh Alicorn called the Wanderer, a benevolent soul who saw not three nations, but a single family of ponies. Her domain was music, and her realm was said to be the Mercurial Mountains, where no pony dared tread. Rat Tail put his faith in the legend, gathered up a group of misfits and orphans from all three tribes, and set off to find his dream.”

Echo Shade twirled her horn, and the magical shapes became a picture of craggy mountains and withered trees. A small group of ponies and their leader stood before a green, wooded valley.

“Their journey was long and hard, but it was through their trials that they discovered the secret Valley of Life. Rat Tail knew this was the perfect spot to build the home of his dreams; one where any and every pony could live together in peace.”

With another twirl, the magic took the shape of the galloway colt, now full-grown, surrounded by ponies of every shape and size.

“With Rat Tail as their leader, they built a small village. This tiny community grew and spread throughout the entire valley. Rat Tail studied the songs and legends of the Seventh Alicorn, and with her teachings he taught and guided the valley with gentle wisdom. Every pony knew peace and friendship regardless of wing, horn or hoof.

“Rat Tail believed it was the wish of the Wanderer that every pony and every nation would live together in peace and harmony. He believed that if the valley flourished, then they could be a beacon of hope not just to lost or wayward souls, but to all of Cabalos. So before he died, Rat Tail gathered the ponies together and christened their home Harmony. Their sons and daughters tend to and build upon his legacy to this very day.”

The magical shapes brightened, melded together, sparkled, and then burst soundlessly like a set of fireworks. The particles fluttered down to the ground and gently faded away after landing. One landed on Lightning’s nose and made her sneeze, which blew the flurry of sparkles away. Polaris flicked his ears irritably and shook his head to get the magic-dust out of his mane.

“So what did you think?” Echo Shade asked.

Polaris nodded tentatively. “That is some very complex illusion magic. You’re very talented.”

“Why thank you!” Echo said with a beam. “I’m just an apprentice but I think I got enough of a personal touch to the process. Young or old, ponies do enjoy a good story, and the visuals don’t hurt--”

“Which is why I wonder why you waste such a talent on light shows for foals,” Polaris finished. Echo was taken aback and frowned. “Rather strange to show it off to adults like myself and…” he gave Lightning a look, who started pawing absentmindedly at the falling particles like a bored kitten. “...Myself. All that aside, your story; this village was founded a very long time ago, and as it was inspired and/or ordained by one of the very Alicorns who placed the treaties to begin with, you are in no violation?”

Echo pursed her lips and swung her head to the side as she thought. “...Basically? All we do with that story is compress the first one hundred pages of that book into something more… digestible.”

“One hundred pages?” Lightning cried. She took the book and flipped it open. “All that took one hundred pages?” She was bombarded by an actual cloud of dust and coughed.

“Yeah, it’s one of the shorter volumes we use for history lessons, but still,” Echo said. “Ponies just don’t have the attention spans they used to, so it’s up to us Lorekeepers to distill the important parts and tell them in ways that are easy to understand.”

“And you truly believe your presence here is sanctioned?” Polaris asked. "By this... Seventh Alicorn?"

Echo looked at Tall Tail, who nodded. “Yes, we do,” she said.

Polaris pursed his lips and glanced to the side. He shrugged. “Interesting.”

“Polaris was right, you are sooo talented!” Lightning Bug said as she shook Echo’s hoof.

“Why thank you! I just wish I can pull it off half as well in front of a full house! …Full townsquare I mean. I do try my best,” Echo Shade tossed her mane confidently. “...When master lets me, I mean.”

“Hm?”

“Now then!” Tall Tail approached Lightning and Polaris. “It’s getting dark. I believe it’s time we sort out where you’ll be staying the night.”

“Oh! Lightning can stay with us, can’t she, Master?” Echo asked.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Yes! Girl time! I barely have any friends over at my place,” Echo cheered.

“Friends?” Lightning blinked.

“You’ll stay for the festival, won’t you Lightning?” Echo asked.

“A whole other night here?” Polaris asked. “We couldn’t, we must be off as soon as possible. I need to finish my chart, and you need to find your fellow soldiers, remember?”

“But what if they need more help?” Lightning asked. “Setting up the town sounds like a lot of work.”

“It is,” Tall Tail said. “But only because we take it so seriously. We don’t mean to impose on you two at all. If you wish to depart, I can see to it personally that you receive a proper escort down the mountain.”

“If the Kingsveil ever lifts, that is,” Slashbuckler said.

“You mean the Stormwall?” Polaris asked.

“Whatever it’s called, it hasn’t let up in days! Even if you guys left the valley, I don’t think anyone’s leaving the mountains any time soon.”

“Not with that attitude.”

The two stallions glared at each other. “Well then,” Tall Tail said. “Since my residence is occupied, I believe Polaris will need someplace different to put down his head. Slash, would you do the honors?”

“What?!” they both cried. “Why him?” again in the same voice.

“What are we, the ponies of Harmony, if we’re not generous and gracious?”

“Augh…” Slash lowered his head. “Right this way, your highness.”

“Lead the way, sir brute.”

“My pleasure, Prince Prissy.”

“As you will, blue bully.” They both went on and on as they walked out of the square.

Echo and her master led Lightning down the streets to the edge of town. Even though it was dark, the warm lights from the lamps and the houses made it feel cozy and jolly. Lightning smiled and kept up as they trotted along.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lightning saw a flash of color. She cocked her head and checked the backdrop of old wooden houses on stilts and thatched roofs, and she saw something that had somehow evaded her the entire walk.

During the day, it was hard to make anything out, but during the night, the large pillar practically glowed. Lightning walked up to it and craned her neck to see the top. It sat in a huge clearing. No houses or trees for several blocks in any direction. It was covered in lines and carvings, and at the top there was a large crest carved into the top, probably as large as her.

“I see you’ve found one of the Star Pillars,” Echo said.

“It’s so pretty…” Lightning said.

“You see the symbol at the top?”

“It looks like a shield, or an anchor, or a crescent moon…”

“This one represents faith. It’s one of the virtues of Rat Tail’s teachings. If you want, you can join in on the tour tomorrow! It’s bound to be a blast. I’ll be your tour guide for the whole valley!”

“One thing at a time, Echo Shade,” Tall Tail called over to her. He kept walking in the direction of their home, and the two fillies followed after.

It was hard to make anything out in the dim light, but inside their small cottage, Lightning made out the two foals curled against each other on a mat. A cold pot of soup sat on the stove, and the coals of a fire flickered against the shadows of the room.

Echo handed Lightning a pillow. “Just take any spot alongside the wall. Master will sleep upstairs for now, ‘cause y’know… awkward and all that.”

Lightning nodded and went to find a spot for her pillow. She lied down and turned over, and she heard Echo and her master talk before headed upstairs.

“It’s just like the saying!”

“Echo Shade, please.”

“The fates of all Cabalos will change when Outsiders enter the Valley of Life! Rat Tail himself said that!”

“Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Outsiders have come to the valley before, and I’m sure Outsiders will come after. There’s just a long period in between, that’s all.”

“But Tall Tail--”

“Echo, I’m glad you’re remembering your history, but as a Lorekeeper you’ll learn to tell the difference between Destiny and a happy accident."

Author's Note

We're alive.
Happy Holidays!
If anyone is tabbing in after three months of waiting, thank you so much for your patience.
New Chapter going up sooner rather than later!
When it's doneTM.

Harmonize - II

The sky was the deepest black, the Spirit Stars shimmered brightly behind the sliding, wispy clouds, and the moon hovered high above the mountains and they glowed silver beneath the light. It was the perfect atmosphere for a long, dreamless sleep. Lightning Bug could not sleep a wink.

It could have been nerves. It could have been the anxiety of sleeping in a completely new environment. It could have been Echo Shade’s back lying heavily on her wing, or Snowy’s hoof in her face. How could anyone sleep like this? At least Smoky had more space to himself on his own mat, on the other side of the room.

Please, Stormtouch, she told herself. Don’t zap them, don’t zap them, don’t zap them…

Lightning Bug tried to turn herself over, but her wing was firmly fixed beneath Echo Shade. She could roll over on her side, but she didn’t feel like cuddling. Not that she had much of a choice with the arrangements, the ponies of Harmony were very affectionate, even by pegasi standards.

It was very stuffy. Lightning was used to open-air houses with open balconies and large windows. This single-room cottage had three windows exactly, two near the door, with another one at the back. She didn’t know how little Snowy could stand it in here.

Lightning wormed her way free and snuck to a corner of the room. She found where she had left her radio and she flicked it on. A blast of broadcasted noise filled the room for an instant and she switched it off. She peaked over her shoulder and watched her hosts toss a little in their sleep. She let out a sigh and switched the volume down before she turned it on again. She was met with a mix of noise from all sorts of stations. If there was music she couldn’t recognize it, and if there was a news broadcast she couldn’t discern anything. Would they still be talking about her and her squad, or was that old news? She switched to the frequency that should put her in contact with another soldier.

“This is Private Lightning, can anyone hear me? Any available Meteoran forces please respond.” But no response. Lightning slumped down and held the buzzing radio in her hoofs.

A large thud from outside caught her attention and nearly made her scream. She stood up as much as she dared and peeked out the back window. She expected a bird or some critter, but even in the bright nightscape she couldn’t see anything. She was just about to lie down when she heard the same exact sound. Before she could look she heard the sound again. Something was being thrown over and over at the back side of the house. The others stirred lightly but didn’t get up.

Lightning Bug was about to go right along and ignore the sounds too, but then she heard a voice. “Private!” it hissed. “Private…!”

Instantly she untangled herself and made for the window as quietly as she could. “Polaris?” she whispered. The unicorn was waiting right beneath the window. His horn was alight and he was getting ready to throw something, but she couldn’t see what it was.

“Oh thank heavens you’re up,” Polaris set the something down. “I ran out of rocks and was about to throw a rabbit.” Once he set the something down, it scampered away.

“Is everything alright?” Lightning whispered.

“Oh, everything’s fine,” Polaris said. “I was just…”

“Hm?”

“I was making sure you were alright, you know…” Polaris cleared his throat. “We’re still in enemy territory after all. Our hosts seemed generous enough, but if they were doing anything to make you feel uncomfortable, well! That just wouldn’t do, so I thought I’d check on you.”

“Actually, it’s gone pretty well,” Lightning said. “Nobody’s said or done anything since we got here.”

“You mean there have been no bouts of anxiety keeping you up? No lingering fears? No sounds in the middle of the night?”

“Besides just now?” Lightning just leaned out of the window and rested her elbows on the sill. “Not really.”

“...Oh, that’s good.” There was a long pause. Polaris sat there in the grass below for a solid ten seconds.

Lightning Bug yawned. “Well, if that was all…”

“There is a third party living in that pegasus’ shack!” Polaris got on all fours and blurted out.

“Oh,” Lightning Bug leaned against the window again and sighed.

“The pegasus lives there over the hill in this big, wooden shack with only a bed and a closet and I had to sleep on the floor and everything was fine till I heard something move and at first I figured it was the wind or another pony but it certainly didn’t sound like another pony so I decided I’d take my chances elsewhere… It must have been some kind of animal! Really, ponies should stay ahead of time if there are pets on the property prior to having guests over…”

Lightning had actually hoped whatever Polaris had to say would actually help her feel more like going to sleep, but no such luck. “That is pretty weird. What are you gonna do?”

“For one,” Polaris stamped his hoof. “I’ll have to pitch my tent somewhere out of the way of other ponies.”

“That makes sense.”

“And I was wondering if you might help me?”

Lightning blinked. “Help with what?”

“Setting up my tent! Why, it’s hardly a one-pony job…”

“But you did just fine when we had our lunch. Why do you need my help?”

“Why? Why that’s easy… er…” Polaris’ coat blended in with the dark night, but it made his eyes stand out as he furrowed his brow over and over. He swallowed. “Listen, this place still just doesn’t sit right with me and you’re the only pony here I trust more than a fellow unicorn!”

“Um, thanks?”

“And if I may be candid, I am quite uncomfortable and quite anxious. I have a lot on my mind, and I’ve barely had time to think since we came into the valley.”

“Oh. That makes sense… but at midnight?”

“You weren’t sleeping anyway, were you?”

The truth was she was not. Lightning sighed and climbed out of the window and gently glided to the ground beside him. “What exactly’s on your mind?”

The two gently strode along the outskirt of town. Not a single house was lit up. The grass and the trees almost looked blue in the light.

“When I started this mission I was prepared to deal with wolves, mountchasers, and even monsters like a torus. I never thought I’d have to worry about a dragon.” Polaris deftly stepped down a steep hill and Lightning barely stumbled after. “I certainly didn’t expect to find a place like this. I thought I’d never taste good food until I returned to Lustre.”

“So you did like Echo’s treat,” Lightning beamed and flapped her wings.

Polaris’ soft expression turned dark. “I am thankful for the respite if nothing else, but if that dragon were to find us…”

“Is that why we didn’t tell them anything before?”

“...Yes. An inelegant solution. I didn’t want to validate their concerns or else…”

“They might have kicked us out,” Lightning said.

“No, Private, worse. These ponies are no fools, credit where it’s due, that blue brute was already on a good hunch about the dragon’s presence. They may not realize how much danger they’d actually be in. If he or more ponies were to rush out and face the thing...”

“Then maybe it’s just best if we keep quiet,” Lightning said, and then Polaris just laughed.

“And you! I should’ve just escorted you out of the mountains in the first place. I don’t know why I let you convince me.”

“But if we just turned back we never would have found the grove,” Lightning paused. She looked down and her ears drooped. “Or Meadow,” she murmured.

Polaris made an uncomfortable sound. “And now we’re driven into this gilded cage by the dragon with no easy way out.”

They turned the bend on a particularly tall hill, which afforded them a very nice view of the town square. Most of the houses were dark, but indeed a few windows were lit, even at this hour. Off in the distance they could see lights on the edges of the valley.

“I think it was worth it,” Lightning said with a smile. “So far anyway. It’s all so weird and cool, don’t you think?”

Polaris didn’t answer at first. He kept walking, and Lightning followed. “How on Cabalos did this happen?”

“To us?”

“No, the valley!” Polaris said. “Where did all this come from?”

Lightning knit her brow. “Is ponies working together really so strange to you?”

“Oh, it is indeed! But that’s the least of my concern…” Polaris sat beneath a tree, and just over the bend they could see the Star Pillar, the one Echo Shade had shown her class the day prior. “The locale, the biome, the size, these strange artefacts…” He furrowed his brow and tapped his hooves. “How have we never heard of this place?”

“If the other nations think the badlands are forbidden, how could they ever find out?” Lightning asked.

“There’s no way these ponies are completely isolated,” Polaris said. “Their town hall has a clock, they have books… Hay, they have a library! Those don’t spontaneously generate in hidden, closed-off villages. There is obviously influence from the outside here, even if it’s light.” Polaris wiped off his glasses. “And don’t even get me started on the genepool and the problems that entails.”

“You mean some ponies have to be coming or going?” Lightning asked. “And someone should have seen them?”

“Exactly,”

“Maybe the Wanderer doesn’t want anyone to find it.”

Lightning didn’t think much of what she said, but it brought their conversation to a screeching halt. For a solid thirty seconds Polaris stopped talking, and when Lightning looked at him, he was staring at her.

“What.”

“The Wanderer, from the story,” Lightning said. “If this is her domain, maybe there's a good reason she kept it a secret.”

“Oh Private,” Polaris shook his head. “Don’t tell me you actually believed all that?”

Lightning felt her coat bristle. “Believe what?”

“There is no Seventh Alicorn,” Polaris said. “Either this Rat Tail made her up, or this entire valley is terribly misguided. Really, this may be my biggest concern about this whole debacle. Such an outlandish story that they’re all supposed to believe.”

“Why would you say that?!” Lightning flapped her wings. “Echo and Master Tall Tail didn’t think they were lying, at least it didn’t seem to me that way.”

“And you’d take their word over mine?”

“N-no, but…”

“There are only six Alicorns, Private,” Polaris closed his eyes and nodded. “The Sisters in Lustre, the Brothers in Meteoras, and the Lovers in Sylvain. This seventh must be an extra-canonical creation.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because it’s superfluous!” Polaris said. “There are three tribes, three nations, and two alicorn leaders each. Why on Cabalos would we need seven of them? Who would she rule? Where would she even rule?”

“The Mercurial Mountains,” Lightning said. “Echo’s story said that.”

“Who would want to rule the mountains?!” Polaris said. “There’s nothing here!” Polaris paused and looked over at the sleeping village. “Besides the obvious, I mean.” He looked back at Lightning. “All that notwithstanding, if she’s so important, where’s the historical proof?”

“Is there anything that proves she never existed?” Lightning asked. Polaris opened his mouth and no words came out. Lightning looked up at the sky. “Back in Meteoras we have stories about the music-mother, my mom said she might have been an alicorn. That kind of lines up, doesn’t it?”

Polaris rolled his eyes. “Yes, Private. My mum also told me that the Alicorns directly descended to Cabalos from the Spirit Stars themselves… but then something happened, Private: I grew up, and I grew out of fairytales. The Alicorns could not have possibly lived on burning balls of gas, and even if they did, we have no reason to believe there were seven of them.”

The night sky rolled on by like it did every night, but every night there were no less than six stationary lights hovering high above, beyond the moon, but not much farther. Lightning watched them glow against the dark blue of the night. “But there are seven Spirit Stars, aren’t there?”

“Yes, sometimes,” Polaris said. “There are six that shine every single night, and there is one additional fickle one. It’s likely the additional one has no bearing on the others at all. The Unicorns know our stars, Private.”

Lightning pursed her lips and thought for a moment. “You mean the seventh star wanders?”

“Wuh-- I-- No, but...! There’s no cause for me to believe something so silly.”

“Why not, though?” Lightning asked. “Everyone here does.”

“Because it’s impossible for someone of my standing to buy such a thing.”

“Just because you don’t believe in something doesn’t mean it’s not true.”

“It’s not belief, it’s fact!” Polaris nearly screamed.

A few birds flew from their perches in the branches. Lightning gave Polaris a look, and he settled down. “Sorry.” He readjusted his hooves and for a while neither of them said anything.

Lightning yawned.

“I just don’t see why you’d take the words of these strangers over my own,” Polaris said.

Before Lightning could answer, the two heard a familiar sound. For a split second, they thought they heard the soft and gentle wail of a ghost, and they both nearly believed it. It was coming from the direction of the Pillar near Echo Shade’s house.

Lightning’s ears perked up, and without thinking she followed the sound. Polaris followed after. They stopped at the hill right before the Star Pillar, and watched as a pony studied the strange artifact.

The galloway’s white coat reflected the moonlight, and his mane matched the muted nighttime colors of the grass and trees perfectly. He circled the pillar and tapped it occasionally with his hoof, and all the while he sang a song to himself.

Oh secret rock of ancient age, tell me your story not known by page...

“Meadow Skip?!” Lightning cried.

“The bard?!” Polaris asked.

That got the pony to turn around. His yellow eyes looked very solemn and perhaps conflicted, but once he laid eyes on the two his expression lit up. He waved over to them.

“Meadow Skip!” Lightning dashed over and laughed. “We thought you were done for!” Lightning flew up to hug him, but he gently side-stepped her, and she skid past.

“Well!” Meadow said. “I’ve met some eager young fillies, but this is something new!” He reached out and took her hoof. “Allow me to introduce myself.”

“Meadow?”

“So you do know my name! What an interesting little filly.”

“Meadow--”

“I’m just a humble bard in search of the song. And what song you may ask? Well it's the song sung by all living things, and it just happened to lead me to this valley… Of course no pursuit is so great that I can’t stop to smell the roses so to speak, especially for a lovely filly such as yourself--”

“Meadow Skip!” Lightning yanked her hoof back and stamped. “It’s me, Lightning Bug!”

Meadow kept smiling, but he blinked once or twice. “Huh?”

“The soldier! We met in the grove with Polaris, remember?”

“Oh!” Meadow’s jaw dropped. “Oh…! You don’t look like, uh… you look very different without your armor on. I couldn’t recognize you.”

“Gee, thanks.”

Polaris’ expression was far from amused when he finally caught up to Lightning. Meadow saw him and nodded. “There’s the sourpuss in question, not far behind.”

Polaris grumbled something indiscernible.

“And how are you, friend?” Meadow held out his hoof to shake.

“Charmed,” Polaris said through grit teeth. “Charmed to see you again, safe and healthy.” The two did not shake hooves, and Meadow merely retracted his hoof once Polaris was finished.

“How did you come to the valley?” Lightning asked. “I thought you’d be lost in the caves still.”

Meadow smiled at her. “Oh, I arrived the same as you I reckon.”

“Most certainly not!” Polaris said. “I’ve been in this valley for nearly a quarter-day and a night and haven’t seen you once!”

“How did you get out of the cave? Were you hurt?” Lightning asked.

“Oh, please. It’ll take more than raging rapids of water to keep Meadow Skip down.”

“A what?!”

“Oh, you couldn’t tell?” Meadow shrugged. “I didn’t mean to leave you guys hanging back there in the cave. I took a wrong step and I found myself rushing down an underwater river. I kinda thought I was done for until I got dumped out that waterfall over yonder,” and Meadow pointed in the general direction of the lake on the other side of the valley. “I just fished myself out, dried off, and took a small six-hour nap.”

“And not one soul gave you any trouble?” Polaris asked.

“Not really, on account of everyone heading the general direction of town square at least. No one really seemed to notice me. Why, did you two run into some trouble?”

“Not exactly,” Polaris’ eye twitched. “You’re very nonplussed by all this, you understand that, right?”

“I suppose? I don’t actually know what nonplussed means.”

“You’ve never been here before?”

“Nope, this is my first time in the valley.”

“You mean to tell me you washed ashore a lake in a secret community of ponies and you’re not phased at all? I’d think even a Sylvainnian would find the presence of this town a little troubling. ”

“What’s there to be troubled by?” Meadow laughed and shrugged. “I’ve gone to stranger places, if you can believe it. I just go where the winds take me.”

“Underwater rivers, in this case.”

“Tomayto, Tomahto, overripe aubergine, who can say, then?” and Meadow flicked his braid back and smiled. His eyes darted between Lightning and Polaris. “Why so prickly, Unicorn? I didn’t interrupt something with my singing, did I?”

“Most certainly not,” Polaris said. “But what exactly did we walk in on? Why are you circling the monolith like an enraptured animal on the verge of ascension?”

“Yes, well, I was about to get to that.” Meadow cleared his throat and stepped back to the pillar. “I saw one or two of these up by the lake, but I didn’t wanna seem suspicious so I just went with the flow and made my way down here. But what luck to find another one so close to town!”

“Do you know what it is?” Lightning asked excitedly. “Do you know where these things came from?”

“Ha!” Meadow laughed confidently. “Not in the slightest!”

“Oh.”

“I just think it’s inspiring, is all. A secret community is one thing, but these strange monuments are another! What are the symbols for? Do you see this writing?” He rubbed his hoof along the surface. “These are definitely Caballian-adjacent. Who knows what they speak of, though. I haven't been able to read any of it.”

“The Wanderer maybe?” Lightning asked.

Meadow smiled and pointed at her. “Yet another fascinating part of the valley! I’ve met hopeful ponies who spoke of a seventh but never thought I’d meet any who outright believed it, let alone an entire town.”

“Do you believe there was a Wanderer?” Lightning asked.

“Ah…” Meadow did seem to consider it for a moment, but all he did was shrug. “Who can say? The problem with living in a world as old and magical as Cabalos is sometimes you can’t sort history from myth. It is such a fun puzzle to think about, though. Did you know that across all the three nations, the most recurring myths are about secret sanctuaries, hidden oases and seventh Alicorns?”

Polaris got right up in Meadow’s face, his horn just missing the galloway’s forehead, and Meadow nervously backed up. “Speak truth, bard,” Polaris said. “What were you doing in the badlands in the first place? How do you keep managing to follow us? Why are you here?”

And once more a serious look on Meadow’s face was overtaken by a sigh and a shrug. “The truth is I don’t really know anything.” That got Polaris to back off. “You hear all kinds of things when you’re out and about like I am, so what if a thing or two comes true? I just think it’s fun to find places like this! Some people think there’s nothing more to Cabalos with the Alicorns gone. I think it’s just brimming with potential. And the three of us dropping in on a festival… free food and music, what luck, amirite?! No better time to smell the roses, so to speak.”

Polaris crinkled his nose and nodded. “Indeed.”

“It all makes for the perfect inspiration for songs… and a chance to come up with stuff to practice on my newly fixed lute!” Meadow swung the instrument from off his back, twirled it once, set it on the ground and gave it a strum. “Care for a listen?”

“I’ve personally had enough of your performative previews presently,” Polaris politely protested.

“I’d love to!” Lightning said with a clap.

“In that case… well~!” Meadow strummed his lute, and then a nearby cabin window light flicked on. The sound died in Meadow’s throat. “Er, perhaps some other time.” He grinned and stowed his lute away. “Wouldn’t wanna sour the community’s perception before my first performance.”

“Aw.”

Polaris swished his tail. “I suppose I’ll leave you to it then, bard. But do take care not to disturb any ponies here, sleeping or otherwise. I’ve a sneaking suspicion that our unimpeded stay here is resting on shaky ground.”

“Eh, I wouldn’t worry too much. I’ll just keep a low profile.”

“You’re positive that will be enough?”

“Get this: when in Harmony if you walk like the ponies do, nobody thinks you’re a outsider! Pretty convenient right?” Meadow asked.

Polaris frowned. “Indeed.”

“All that aside…” Meadow flourished with his hoof. “As you will, my good sir! I’ll leave you two to… whatever it was I didn’t interrupt.”

Lightning yawned. “I guess it’s time to try and sleep again,” she said. “Do you have a place to stay, Meadow?”

“Oh, I’m not picky,” he said. “I’ll just find another nice tree to nap under. Don’t worry about me.”

“If you say so,” and Lightning stepped back to make her way back to Echo’s place. “It’s a big relief that you’re okay,” she said. “Even if you are a bit… um…”

“Meadow Skip-like,” Polaris said. Meadow was still squinting at the pillar when Lightning and Polairs went back over the hill.

“Was there something else you wanted to say?” Lightning asked.

“...No, I suppose not. I’ll just retrieve my tent and pitch it somewhere.” Polaris looked very serious. “Whether what they are saying is true… we should both be careful. There may be something at play here we don’t understand.”

Polaris nodded to her and stepped back in the direction of Slash’s home, and Lightning made her way back to Echo’s hut, and the whole time she kept glancing up at the seven spirit stars.

Smokey awoke to the sounds of shouting workers outside and the clatter of pots and pans over the fireplace. He sat up from his spot on the floor and rubbed his eyes. His sister trotted over to the small table beside him with a heavy pan of oat-bread carefully gripped in her teeth. She set it down and pushed over some plates and forks.

“Wakey!” she said.

“Mn,” Smokey used his magic to pull his mane out of his face and glanced around the room. “Where’s Echo?”

“She went to talk to Timewinder and Oaksaw about jobs for today.” Snowy cut herself a piece of the oat-bread.

“And dad?”

“He’s went into town for a meeting. We’re supposed to meet him after we eat.”

Smokey looked at the pan of oat bread. “Why’d he leave so early? Couldn’t he have made breakfast?”

Snowy had to finish chewing a piece before answering. “Well there wasn’t a lot of room down here with the three of us and Lightning sleeping.”

“Hu-whaaa?” and instantly Smokey was completely awake. He looked all over the room. “Where’d she go then?”

“I dunno, but Echo said--”

“She left already didn’t she?” Smokey got to his hooves. “She left early and now she’s going to brave the badlands with that snooty unicorn!”

Snowy smacked her lips and tilted her head. “I think your logic is making a few jumps--”

“Maybe I can catch her!” And Smokey dashed out of the house.

“Smokey~! Your breakfast?” Snowy held up the pan as he disappeared out the door.

“Waaaait!” he wailed. His hooves pounded the dirt path. “Lightning Bug, wait!” Smokey hardly ran three gallops before his face impacted into something rosy colored with a white scarf.

“Smokey, what are you on about?” Echo Shade asked. “Did you drink something you weren’t supposed to again?”

Smokey put his hooves on Echo’s shoulders. “She’s gone isn’t she? Which way did she go?”

“Who?”

“Lightning Bug, the outsider!”

“Oh. Smokey--”

“There’s something I need to tell her, for her ears only! Tell me which way she went and I’ll--”

“Smokey!” Echo’s horn lit up, and the little colt was yanked off and held in place in the air. She turned him around and pointed at a tree about a stone’s throw away from the house. There in the branches, legs dangling, lay Lightning Bug, with one eye open.

Smokey swallowed. “Oh.”

“Hey there, you’re finally up!” Echo said as she walked over to the tree. Her horn stopped glowing, and Smokey dropped to the ground. The pegasus stretched her wings.

“I don’t remember falling asleep,” Lightning’s head bobbed with her chin resting on the branch as she talked. She yawned. “I’m sorry for ducking out. I just wanted some fresh air, I didn’t think I’d be out here till morning.”

“Aw, no worries hon,” Echo said. “We’re going to go see Tall Tail and get started on our chores. Snowy made oat-bread for breakfast. You could come with us when we’re done eating, interested?”

“Please say yes,” Smokey mumbled from his spot in the grass.

Lightning yawned again and got up to her hooves. With nary a hop and a flap of her wings she was back on the ground. She gave a tired smile and let Echo lead her back into the house. Smokey trailed close behind, and shortly after they’d make their way down into town together.

The clamor of the town was much louder than yesterday, and everyone was hurrying to finish their word. Lightning figured there’d be less laughing and joking today. Echo led everyone back down the hill, past the Star Pillar, and down into town square by the tree. Lightning didn’t see Meadow at the pillar, and she couldn’t see him during their whole walk. She couldn’t see Polaris, either.

Slashbuckler was finishing the arch that had gone neglected during the excitement last night. Some ponies were already working to paint the stage, and there were almost as many ponies out now as there were in the evening when she first arrived.

Tall Tail was near the tree and the statue of Sir Rat Tail chatting with some more of the elders. She couldn’t spy Paper Pusher amongst them, and that was a relief. “There you are,” Tall Tail called them over.

“Master?” she asked hurriedly. “I was going to show Lightning around town, maybe show her the sights, some things we missed yesterday. I’m sure she can find something to do as we go…”

“A tour?” Tall Tail shook his head. “You’re already conducting a tour! The foals and the Star Pillars, remember?”

Echo smiled and blinked. “Oh. Right.”

“You’ll have plenty of time to show your new friend around once all our work is finished, and perhaps afterwards we can worry about how the outsiders will be escorted down the mountains.”

“Will there be any time in between?” Echo asked.

“I honestly don’t know. Echo Shade listen ---”

“I know, I know. Being a Lorekeeper means spending time where it's important…”

“Good. Just let me finish talking to Oaksaw and we’ll be off. We’ll be going over our notes beside the stage, and once all the children arrive we’ll get to work. I should find something for the two foals to do when I’m back.”

“Yes, master.”

And Tall Tail walked away.

“Raw deal, huh?” Slash called from his perch of nailing the arch. The moment she saw Slash, Echo hmphed.

“Slashbuckler,” she said. “What happened to your guest? I haven’t seen him anywhere this morning.”

“Got me,” Slash didn’t even turn to look at her as he finished the next couple of nails. “He was gone when I woke up.”

“He’s probably an early-riser,” Lightning said.

“Then he got up earlier than me!” Slash said with a definitive rap from his hammer. “I’ve been nailing this since five in the morning!” The arch titled loudly, and he groaned. “What kind of bumbling idiot manages to knock a sturdy arch like this so loose?”

Echo mumbled something to herself that Lightning couldn’t catch.

When Tall Tail returned he held out a small stack of papers. “Smokey, Snowy!” he called. The two children responded and sat diligently besides their father. “I’ve got some chores for you two today -- it’s a short list, but it’ll likely take you all over the valley.” The elder unicorn passed the list to Smokey with his magic. “Firstly, you will go to Satin Splash at the loom and collect a box of ribbons and candles. The two of you will be decorating the Star Pillars this year.”

“The Star Pillars?” Smokey cried.

“All of them?” Snowy added. “That will take all day!”

Tall Tail nodded. “Only if you’re not punctual. Just be careful and diligent until then.” His brow set into a hard line. “Do NOT make a rush job of decorating the sacred artifacts or I will hear about it. Is that understood?”

The two foals gulped. “Yes, father.”

“Good. Give the list to Satin Splash, she should have everything ready by now.” Tall Tail then pointed with his chin towards the stage. “Come on then, Echo Shade. The sooner we start, the better.”

“Um…!” Lightning raised her hoof. “What should I do, Master Tall Tail?”

“You?” Tall Tail laughed lightly. “Why, that’s your own business, friend.”

“But I wanna help with the festival like everyone else!”

“Well…”

Echo walked over to Lightning. “Lightning, hon? Could you keep an eye on Smokey and Snowy for me?” she asked. “They’re good kids and everything but I’d feel so much better if they had a responsible older filly like yourself nearby as they worked.”

“Oh… okay! Like foal-sitting?”

“Yes, foal-sitting,” Echo said with a nod. “...Very-responsible-foal-sitting. Both ways.” Echo looked at the younger two. “Any objections?”

“Nuh-uh!” Snowy shook her head and smiled.

Smokey didn’t say anything.

“Great! Thanks again, Lightning.” And Echo walked with Tall Tail back to the stage, and the three were left alone.

Snowy was just about to fly away, but Smokey stopped her and cleared his throat. He nudged his sister. “I-I suppose we might as well start the tour?” he whispered.

Snowy’s wings drooped. “I guess,” she said. “I was just going to let Echo take care of it, though.”

“We could start with some of Town Square at least.”

“I guess…”

“So what should we do first?” Lightning asked.

“We gotta show you around town in Echo’s stead.” Smokey said. “Until we reach Satin Splash’s shop, that is.”

The two slowly lead Lightning through town square towards a series of buildings. A young stallion strode by with a wagon full of bags and packages. He waved to the two foals, and they waved back. The stallion unloaded the wagon and carried the packages into a two-story building near the edge of the square. Smokey pointed Lightning to the building. “That’s the General Store where Minty and Scales work.”

“They’re such a nice young couple!” Snowy said. “They’re closed for the festival, but you should definitely pay them a visit later.”

“Snowy, there won’t be a later,” Smokey said glumly. “They leave later today, remember?”

“Oh… right.”

“Good morning children!” A brown galloway hollered over as he tugged his cart in the other children. “Morning Miss Pegasus!”

It was the stallion from yesterday, the one who gave her and Polaris a ride, Cedar Seed. “Oh… Hi there!” Lightning waved as he passed by.

“Some kids are afraid of him,” Smokey said. “Used to be anyway. He’s really not all that bad.” They passed a unicorn mare with a saddle full of paints and brushes. “That’s Key Mono, I think she helped with the banner yesterday.”

“She’s the best painter in town,” Snowy said. “I think so anyway.”

“What’s that?” Lightning pointed north, further out of town, and the two foals followed her hoof. She pointed to a large, dingy-looking shack off to the side of the dirt road, perhaps a few gallops past the town square limits. Smokey’s ears drooped, and so did Snowy’s wings.

“That’s Spindle Sprocket’s workshop,” Smokey said. “Alicorns willing nobody needs to stop by there today.”

“Oh, okay,” Lightning paused and let the foals take the lead, and they continued their trek into town. They came to a strip of shops built together, and beside them were a few buildings on their own.

“And right over there,” Smokey pointed at a smaller, more archaic looking building. “That’s the guardhouse.”

“Is that where Slashbuckler works?” Lightning asked.

“Um, no,” Smokey scratched his head. “Nobody actually works there. Echo says we only have a few full-time guards. Anyone else are just volunteers.”

“And Slash volunteers a lot,” Snowy said.

“Most of the time the guardhouse is just a warehouse for the council.”

“Oh, oh!” Snowy hopped and ran on ahead. She stopped beside a small cluster of shops built together. “And this is Satin Splash’s store!” She pointed to the wares resting behind the large glass windows. Ponnequins were on display with elaborate and detailed dresses and suits. “She’s the best tailor in town. She gets all of her designs from outside the valley, when she can anyway. She makes clothes, suits, dresses… and they’re all really cute!” She ran back to Lightning and led her inside. They were cute, Lightning agreed, and she did recognize some of the designs, but she didn’t have the heart to tell anyone that they were a few decades out of fashion at least. Satin Splash’s references must be really limited.

“You should try one!”

“Sn-Snowy…!” Smokey sputtered. “Miss Lightning is a soldier! She surely…” his eyes wandered between the dresses on display. He glanced at Lightning and ducked his head. “She surely wouldn’t have need for such things…”

“Actually I’d love to once things have calmed down a little,” Lightning said.

“Really?!” Smokey cried. “I mean… really? Huh. I guess I didn’t take you for the type.”

“Meteorans love to find excuses to dress up. I can’t think of one tough-as-nails ladette from back home who didn’t have at least one dress in her closet,” Lightning said.

The shop was very small. Most of the floor was taken up by the displays placed besides the door. There were a couple of drawers and shelves beside the counter. Several sewing machines rested with sheets of cloth partially finished under their needles. Everything was covered in boxes, which were filled with neatly-folded bundles of cloth. A very busy galloway pony walked to and from the counter with boxes on her shoulders as she checked a list and sorted through everything.

“Good morning Smokey, Snowy…” she cheered musically. She glanced over to them. “...Mare I haven’t met before.” She smiled at Lightning, and went right back to fussing with her boxes. “Where’s Echo Shade? She was supposed to be here half an hour ago.”

Smokey quickly stepped forward all confident and responsible-like. “I’ll take care of this, Snowy,” he said with a smile. “Miss Satin,” he produced Tall Tail’s note and passed it to the mare with his magic. “Echo Shade had prior obligations, but we’ll be happy to take care of anything left in her stead.”

“Oh great! You’ll be taking these then,” and Satin pushed forward two boxes. One was filled with ribbons, and on top of that she set a slightly smaller box filled with candles of all shapes and sizes. Both were dropped on Smokey’s back, and the little unicorn staggered under the weight. Satin checked something off of a list on the table, and then excitedly dropped her notes and sighed.

“And that’s the last order of the morning. There's nothing left besides decorating the stage later today, so that gives me…” she glanced at a clock on the wall. “Three hours of rest! I bid you all good day.” She titled back and forth like a tree and promptly tumbled backwards into a cushy box of fabric, and less than a minute later they could hear her snoring.

"Everyone really works hard for the festival, huh?" Lightning asked.

Smokey stumbled outside, and his sister leaned against his shoulder to support him. “Taking care of it?” she asked with a giggle. She slid a box off of his back and took it herself.

“I almost had it!” Smokey said. Lightning reached for the smaller box of candles, but Smokey swiped it away with his magic and carried it beside him. “Let’s get a move on then, Echo’s depending on us to get the first half done before her, and I really don’t wanna be the foals who disappoint her when she’s depending on them.”

“She’s not that bad, is she?” Lightning asked. “She seemed pretty patient to me.” Neither Smokey or Snowy said anything. One of them coughed. “...Right then. Which way to the closest Pillar?”

“We should probably start with the Pillar of Faith,” Smokey said.

“Oh, okay! And that would be…” Lightning looked around every direction, but Snowy stopped her and pointed back towards the cottage.

“The one right next to our house.”

“Oh… duh.” Lightning giggled.

The three set off, only slightly slower than when the tour had first begun. They wove past town square, and Lightning couldn’t get a good glimpse of Echo or Tall Tail. Soon they were back on the familiar trail to the cottage, and Lightning just awkwardly followed the foals as they carried every box.

Lightning spied something out of the corner of her eye, by the side of the dirt-trail they followed. At first she thought it was a smaller hut, but then she recognized the camouflage pattern of the tarp, and she realized it was a tent.

“Polaris?” she dashed over to it. “Polaris! Everyone is looking for you, where’ve you been?!”

She lightly tapped the flap, but she received no response and she couldn’t hear any breathing. She peaked her head inside, and all she saw was a full saddle-bag and a bedroll. Polaris was nowhere to be seen.

Smokey carefully poked his head beside her and looked around. He crinkled his nose. “Maybe when the cleaners are done with your armor they can take a crack at Polaris’ tent,” he said.

“Where could he have gone? I saw him just last night. Or last morning… hm…”

Smokey shrugged. “Maybe he went outside the valley, or maybe he went home.”

The little foal hardly understood the situation the two of them were in, Lightning knew, and his words shouldn’t have made her nervous, but they did. Would Polaris really just leave her behind like this? He said she was the only one he trusted… but she’d heard stuff like that before from ponies who were much meaner than him.

She sighed and left the tent. No sense in worrying about it, she supposed. He couldn’t have gone far, at any rate.

The Star Pillars were massive things, but seeing one during the night didn’t hardly do them any justice. During the day, their brilliant white colors reflected the sunlight. The markings were much easier to spy in broad daylight, but Lightning sure couldn’t make any sense of it. Maybe she could ask Meadow if she saw him later.

When Snowy opened her box of ribbons, Lightning couldn’t help but giggle at the bright assortment of colors. “How many colors go on the pillar?” she asked.

“Just one,” Smokey said. “One color for each pillar.” He prodded through the ribbons with his hoof. “And the Star Pillar of Faith uses… um,”

“Smokey?” Snowy asked. She handed him a small note that was tucked away in the box of candles.

“Oh, of course! Let me see here… dark blue.”

“I thought the arch near Rat Tail was meant to be blue?”

“No, that’s bright blue. This is dark blue.”

“If you say so…”

“All right!” And Lightning gingerly removed the dark blue from the box, but before she could do anything with them Smokey once again lifted them from her grip with his horn and walked away with them. “...I’ll just watch then, I guess.”

Smokey held every ribbon with his magic and held them out for his sister. She took the end of one ribbon, and she flew around and around the pillar. Once she reached the top, Smokey stepped away until the ribbon was taut. Snowy then tied the ribbon around the very top of the pillar, careful not to obscure the crest. Once she was finished, she flew back down to Smokey, grabbed another ribbon, and flew back to repeat the process all over again. Sometimes Smokey tied the ribbon to the bottom of the pillar, and other times he tacked it into the ground a few strides away. There were six ribbons total.

Lightning found herself a comfortable patch of grass to sit on and watched as the two worked. The ribbons were tied down in two places, one atop the pillar, and another right below the crest. Somehow Snowy managed to create a beautiful pattern without covering the symbol. “Have you two done this before?” she asked.

“Oh, um…” Smokey looked away from the pillar and his sister and stopped to think.

“Smokey!” Snowy’s voice echoed from the top of the pillar. “Could you pull it already?”

“Oh, sorry!” And Smokey did so. “We helped take the ribbons down before,” he said. “And after a couple of festivals you learn how each pillar is wrapped. The Faith pillar has a lot of bends… the Conviction pillar is crisscrossed, that sort of thing.”

“I see…”

Once the pillar was all wrapped up, the box of candles was opened up. “This is the hard part…” Smokey grumbled. He retrieved at least two dozen large blue candles from the box, along with a few wooden shelf-thingies.

“How so?” Lightning asked.

“Each of these candles has to be melted into place,” Smokey said.

“And some of them have to go on the pillar with these,” Snowy held up the wooden shelves. “Right below the crest.”

“What's so hard about that?” Lightning asked.

Smokey’s horn lit up, and a tiny tongue of fire appeared at it’s tip, complete with a little ‘click’ noise. It promptly went out. “Well for one thing, I can’t fly, and some of these candles are going really high up.”

“And I don’t wanna carry him,” Snowy said as her wings drooped. "I probably shouldn't too."

“Um…” Lightning shuffled through the box of candles, careful not to accidentally snap any. “Are there any spares? Maybe Smokey can light a candle and Snowy can carry it up…”

“Nuh-uh,” Smokey shook his head. “She’s not allowed to fly with open flames anymore.”

His sister lightly bopped him with her wing. “Why’d you have to say that in front of her?!”

“I’m just being honest!”

Lightning stopped to think, and then her eyes lit up. She tapped the ground and flapped her wings. “I know!” She said. “I’ll just carry you.”

“Huh-wuh…?!” Smokey’s mouth dropped open. “I-I-I um well that is to s-s-say I cannot con-concur that as being entirely necess-necessi… necessary…”

“Oh it’ll be fine,” Lightning said. “Snowy can carry the candles, and then you and me will fly over with your magic to melt them in place.”

“Um…” Smokey gulped. “Okay then.”

Lightning hugged Smokey from behind and hefted him into the air. He remained absolutely still, like a carbuncle-kitten held by the scruff. Snowy flew alongside her as they both flew up to the top crest.

“Look, Lightning, look!” Snowy said as she did loops in the air. “Echo’s always busy and Smokey doesn’t watch me fly.” Presently Smokey’s eyes were glued to ever growing gap between him and the ground. “I’m a Skydancer, you know,” Snowy said. “It’s my mark. I’ve got a performance for the festival tomorrow,” she said. “Smokey does, too. You’ll come and watch, won’t you?”

“Oh, Snowy,” Lightning gave a sad smile. “I think if Polaris gets his way we’ll leave later today, remember?”

“Such a shame,” Smokey mumbled. He looked between the Star Pillar and the ground once more. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this high up before…” he said. “You’ve done this before? Carry ponies I mean?” A gust of wind made him yelp and cling to Lightning.

“Easy, easy,” she said with a giggle. “I got you.” Smokey didn't say anything “Yeah, I carried Polaris earlier.”

“What?” Smokey shook once. “W-why would you carry him?”

“He needed my help, just like you,” Lightning said. “Well, he kind of talked me into it, but I don’t mind. You’re lighter at least! Much lighter.”

“...Oh.”

“Let’s finish these candles and get ponies who can’t fly back on the ground,” Snowy said. She held out the first candle to Smokey. He hesitated, but he managed to get a small fire going that melted the bottom of the candle. Snowy clicked the wooden shelf into place and stuck the candle down. “Don’t move it around!” Smokey said. “You’ll just weaken the wax and a gust will knock it down. One firm press should do.”

“Alright, alright.” Snowy did as she was told. There were twelve candles total. Six on top, placed along the wooden shelves, and six at the bottom, placed in a semi-circle around the pillar.

“There!” Snowy clapped her hooves. “All done!”

“Until we do it again, Smokey said. “...Five more times.”

The Pillar of Faith looked very beautiful once it was completely decorated. If it in any way counted as a rush job, Lightning certainly couldn’t tell. With the first pillar finished, the three walked all the way to the Pillar of Mercy, at the other end of the valley, right at Rat Tail’s watch. It was fun to cross the river and follow the same trail Cedar Seed took them on in his wagon. They only had to go off the road and walk a short distance to find the second Star Pillar, the one with a crest that looked like a flower. Once more Lightning Bug watched the two foals wrap the pillar in ribbons, and when they were finished it was on to the candles. This time Smokey was much more comfortable with being carried, and they were able to secure the first couple of candles without a hitch. Lightning didn’t even think about her Stormtouch, and nothing went wrong.

Snowy put a melted candle down and sighed. “This would be so much easier if Echo were here. She could just look at a candle and melt it with her magic, wouldn’t matter how far away she is.”

“Really?” Lightning asked.

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, Polaris barely used any magic besides levitation, and he got all defensive whenever I asked him about other spells he could cast. I just kind of figured that unicorns couldn’t cast any kind of magic they wanted.”

Smokey laughed. “He’s probably was just being a priss, or he’s not as tough as he’d like you to believe.” Just then Smokey slipped in Lightning’s grip and she nearly dropped him. “What’s his deal anyway? He got real quiet after father’s story was done. I figured he would have had more questions.”

“That…” Lightning furrowed her brow. Smokey lit another candle for Snowy as she thought. “That’s a very good question,” she said. “Polaris is… I think he has a hard time believing in something if he just heard of it. Like… if he hears it from another unicorn, or reads it in a book, he’ll trust it. Otherwise he’s pretty suspicious of everything.”

“But Echo and father are unicorns,” Smokey said. “Doesn't that help?”

“Well,” Lighting had to readjust her grip and Smokey yelped. “I guess I should’ve said he only trusts other Lustrians.”

“That doesn’t make a lot of sense,” he said. “The world’s so big! What if there’s something the Lustrians don’t know?”

“They probably wouldn’t like hearing you say that…” Lightning looked to the side and mumbled. “But then I guess Meteoras is the same in some ways. Sylvain probably too.”

“You mean every pony outside the valley besides you is like Polaris?” Smokey asked. “...Ew.”

“It’s because they don’t have stories of the Wanderer,” Snowy said. “That’s what Echo told me, anyway.”

“Actually, I think we do,” Lightning said. “We just don’t call her the Wanderer.”

“What do you call her then?”

“In Meteoras we call her the Music Mother, but I only remember a few stories from when I was a filly. My mom used to tell me bedtime stories about her. I can’t speak for the other nations, though.

“What do you call the Sisters? Or the Brothers?”

“...The Sisters and the Brothers.”

“And the Lovers?”

“The same.”

“Oh.”

“Hey, what’s that pony doing over there?” Snowy asked. They had just made their way south to the springs. The ground was full of bumps and hills, and the grass grew thick and wild as they got closer. The trees were thin here, but their leaves were either huge like palm trees or had long branches absolutely covered with leaves. It reminded Lightning of the land around Clan Sirocco.

The star pillar of this area had vines and moss growing around its base, and this particular one had a familiar dark-coated unicorn examining it closely.

Lightning Bug dropped the box she was carrying. “Polaris?!” She took off into the air towards him. “Polaris!”

Polaris barely had time to look in her direction before his horn lit up. Lightning froze in front of him, suspended in the air, arms mid-hug. He moved her beside him and gently set her on the ground.
Lightning just giggled. “Where’d you go?” she asked. “Echo and Slash were asking about you. …Actually Slash didn’t but still.”

“I moved my tent and slept until daybreak,” Polaris said. “...And I just could not get anything that bard said out of my head for some reason. I had to come and look at one of these myself.”

“Okay, cool! …What did you find?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Polaris frowned. “It’s just as the bard said, these pillars are covered in some kind of language.” He scratched at the moss. His horn flashed and brought a small pad and quill up to his face. He had transcribed a few lines of text, but they were just as meaningless on paper as they were on stone. “But nothing I’ve ever seen! In Lustre every scholar must learn another language, but to no avail with this! Is it another dialect? Some ancient branch? I may have to actually seek out a local for some context, heavens forbid...”

“Excuse me.” Polaris looked over at Smokey, who had just finished trotting over with the box on his back. “We have important work to do and I’d like to politely ask that you step away from the pillar.”

Polaris blinked. He stepped out of the way and mumbled to himself. “What an authoritative little colt. Hardly proper behavior, true gentlecolts leave the ordering around to the mares.” Lightning guessed Polaris wasn’t exactly a properly behaving gentlecolt himself. Polaris watched as Smokey and Snowy got out bright orange ribbons for the pillar. “What are they doing.”

“Decorating the pillars? Remember what Cedar Seed told us?”

“Who?”

“The nice stallion with the lumber cart?”

“Oh, him,” Polaris shrugged. “I honestly haven’t thought about him in a long time.”

“Polaris…” Lightning sighed. “Everyone here’s being so nice to us, and you’re just...”

“Their own fault. I merely want to learn as much as I can before I leave later today.”

Lightning couldn’t think of much else to say, so she just sat down and sighed. “Will Polaris help with the candles?” Smokey called over. They were about to start on the first ribbon.

“I’m, er…” Lightning glanced over at Polaris, and he just sat there staring at the notepad. “I’m not sure.” She leaned over. “Polaris?”

“What.”

“Can you melt candles with your magic?”

“Candles? I suppose you must think every unicorn--”

“Yes-yes! But can you?”

Polaris regarded her quietly before returning to his notes. “No.”

Lightning cupped her hooves around her mouth and called over. “Sorry, no dice!”

“What was that?” Snowy called back.

"Polaris won’t help, Snowy! That’s what she just said.” Smokey called up to his sister.

“But my wings are tired!” she said.

“Oh, Snowy! Why don’t you take a rest?” Lightning got up and trotted over. “I’ll help Smokey for this one.”

Snowy happily accepted. She bounded past Lightning and over to Polaris, who gave her a look before she settled in the grass beside him. Smokey swallowed when Lightning took the other end of the bright orange ribbon. “What’s the pattern for this pillar?” she asked.

“Oh! Um… The Pillar of Dignity… the ribbons are absolutely straight. There’s a quick knot at the top right above the crest, but the ribbons come all the way down straight.”

“Okay, that’s easy! I guess I picked the perfect pillar to pitch in on.”

Polaris offered her an unamused laugh as he turned a page in his notes. Lightning was a little afraid of accidentally carrying Smokey away, but he held his ground well as she pulled the ribbon high into the air. She expected Smokey to give her some more instructions as she went, but he was pretty quiet the entire time. She pulled the ribbon around the top of the pillar, which was about a pony and a half in diameter, tied it into a knot, and fluttered down for the next one. Smokey was still quiet. Perhaps she was doing a really good job and there wasn’t anything to say, or it really was just this easy and any pony could have done it.

Polaris glanced over at Snowy. “Can I help you?”

“Um… you wouldn’t happen to be a prince, would you?” she asked, eyes shining.

“No. Not really.”

And her eyes stopped shining. “Oh.” Snowy got up and found a different spot to sit down. “Pity.”

Lightning heard rumbling as she lifted the second ribbon from Smokey.

Her heart stopped. Trees crashing, rocks breaking, or could it be footsteps?!

But then she recognized the soft boom of thunder. There were some dark clouds rolling over the horizon, that was all. “Private?!”

It had been a while since she heard Polaris call her that. “What? What’s the matter?”

“Is your ribbon there terribly conductive?”

Lightning paused. “I’m not sure. Why?”

And then Lightning was struck by lightning.

Again.

The shock didn’t travel very well through the ribbon, but nonetheless Smokey went tumbling back into the grass with a small smoke trail following him.

“Ohmygosh Smokey!” Both Lightning and Snowy dashed to his side. He was lying on his back, eyes wide open, chest heaving gently. He didn’t look worse too worse for wear, only a little smoky, as it were.

“Lightning Bug! Lightning Bug, over here!” a cheery voice called from afar.

Snowy’s wings hit the ground. “Oh no, Echo!”

Tall Tail was leading a small troop of foals up the hillside, and Echo Shade was with him. She was smiling and waving at them. “Hey, we found you early! Are y’all finished yet?”

“Um…!” Lightning looked between the lightly crispy unicorn colt and Echo. “Almost…!”

“Almost?” Echo looked up at the pillar. “Have we ever had a tour when the pillars weren’t finished?”

“Not since you were a filly,” Tall Tail said. “Hardly the end of the world.” He pointed up at the pillar. “And as you can see…” he said to the children. “This is how we decorate the monuments to Sir Rat Tail’s work, see?” The foals let out audible gasps. Tall Tail leaned over to his apprentice. “I’ll keep yapping, you go check on Smokey, I think he had an accident.” Echo did so, and Tall Tail continued with his story.
“Each pillar has a very specific color, and its up to responsible older ponies to carefully wrap each pillar for the night of the festival. We’ll light the candles and sing songs around them, just like the first settlers of the valley sang together around campfires and tents before the first houses were built. The pillars glowed in those days, you know. They lit the pony’s paths during the night. Each pillar glowed a specific color, the same color of the ribbons.”

Polaris had joined the small memorial for Smokey by the time Echo got to them. “What happened?” she cried. “Did he fall?”

“Oh no, of course not!” Lightning said.

“Oh thank the Wanderer.”

“The Meteoran Scout was merely struck by lightning and the colt was caught in the crossfire,” Polaris said.
“What?!”

“Why do you gotta throw her under the cart like that?” Snowy asked.

“I’m merely speaking the truth.”

Snowy knelt down to her brother. “Smokey, can you hear us? Say something!”

“...Wow… just…” he coughed a small puff of smoke. He glanced at Lightning. “Wow.”

Snowy frowned. “I think he’ll be fine.”

Lightning winced at Echo. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“No of course not!”

“Will Master Tall Tail be mad?”

“Nah,” Snowy shook her head. “He’s kind of desensitized to Smokey getting himself hurt.”

“Besides,” Echo said. “It’s not like anyone’s to blame for getting hit by a bolt of lightning… right?” Polaris and Lightning were quiet. Smokey sat up by then, and he shook his head a couple of times. “How do you feel?” Echo asked.

“Amazing… but not in the good way. Not sure if I can finish with the ribbons. I’ll have just... hang back, and follow Lightning Bug all day.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Before you do anything I’ll have to take you to the potion shack for a tonic.”

“You know what?!” And Smokey stood up and started trotting around. “I’m just fine, never been better! No tonics for me! Back to work!” He paused. “...I’d also like not to get zapped again though.” He looked up at the sky. “I didn’t think another storm would roll in so soon!”

Echo glanced at the incomplete pillar. “Tell you what, me and Snowy will finish this. You and Lightning just take a break.” And she and Snowy trotted off.

Smokey just sat down in the grass, and Lightning was going to sit next to him, but then Polaris stopped her. “Private,” he said sternly. “This way.” He led her a few trots away from the pillar where they were out of earshot of Echo, Smokey, and Tall Tail’s group. “What exactly was that?”

Lightning sighed and kicked the ground. “My bad luck,” she said. “As usual.”

“I think it’s a little more than bad luck. Your coat is always giving off nasty shocks, and it gets worse after you fly for long periods, not to mention the strike that fell the Torus! What exactly is all this?”

Lightning slumped to the ground and glanced up at the rolling clouds. She felt her heart sink and the color drain from her face. “Promise not to tell anyone else?” she whispered. Polaris became very solemn and quiet, and he nodded his head. “I have a… condition. My clan calls it Stormtouch.” Polaris’ eyes widened. He motioned for her to continue. “All pegasi can stand on clouds and move them around with our hooves, some better than others, it’s just natural. It’s one of the Alicorn’s gifts to us, like dowsing for unicorns. Stormtouch only manifests in ponies from the families of Clan Mistral, once a generation a few pegasi are born with it, and I happened to be one of them. We can channel electricity in our coats, or redirect lightning bolts, or…”

“Manipulate thunderclouds,” Polaris said. “That’s how you pegasi fuel your powerplants, isn’t it?”

Lightning blinked. “You know about Stormtouch?”

“I’ve heard rumors!” Polaris said. “I know the pegasi are adept at manipulating the weather, I just never thought a superpower was required. I thought all pegasi could control thunderclouds, so I assumed Stormtouch was some tall tail.” He glanced back at the Lorekeeper. “Of sorts.”

Lightning laughed. “No. Only us privileged few can use it.”

“You don’t sound very privileged.”

“It’s because I’m not,” Lightning said. “Somebody else should have inherited the gift. I’m no good with it.” She kicked the grass again. “It always got me into trouble back home.”

Polaris blinked and cleared his throat. He was unusually quiet. “You know… not every unicorn is born with the same kind of magic. Some train their whole lives to master a craft another may simply be born with. In Lustre we say every magic power is a gift to be treasured, even if we can’t see the worth.”

Lightning laughed again and shook her head. “If I was more of a treasure and less of a burden I wouldn’t be out here in the first place.” She tugged at her necklace.

“...Private, I really should get you home. Let the locals handle all this, we have our own problems to take care of.”

“You’re not leaving now, are you?” Neither noticed that Smokey and Snowy had joined them. Echo was pegging the final ribbon into the ground and would join them shortly.

Polaris stood up and dusted himself off with his tail. “Yes, Miss Private here is probably desperately needed back home. We really ought to be off.”

“That’s a shame, I was hoping you’d change your minds.” Echo finally joined them. “I don’t want to sound clingy, but I don’t want you all to head off back into the Badlands after three days of traveling on your own.”

Smokey tapped his hooves together and looked over at Lightning. “Could you please stay a little longer?” he asked. “We’ve never had guests over. And I… I really want to go to the festival with you, Miss Lightning.”

Snowy leaned over and hugged her brother. “We both do. It's nice to have new friends around.”

Polaris pursed his lips. When he looked at Lightning, she didn’t look too different from Smokey. She lowered her head and smiled at him. “Can’t we stay one more day?” she asked. “It’s a long way down the mountain.”

Polaris’ brow twitched. He turned away and sighed. “Oh… fine. Whatever.”

“Woo-hoo!” Echo leaped for joy and caught Lightning in a hug. Lightning’s coat gave her a zap and she eeped. “I guess they don’t call you Lightning for nothing!”

Polaris pointed at them. “But we can’t stay here forever!” Polaris said. “We have responsibilities back home. And we most certainly can’t be a burden on our guests. We’ve got to be careful about the other elders… otherwise who knows what could happen.”

“Echo Shade!” Tall Tail called over. “The Pillar of Dignity isn’t going to get its candles fixed by itself! Finish your heart-to-heart and get over here! Do you want Paper Pusher on our tails again?”

“We were conducting the very important matter of whether we’d stay for the festival or not, sir Fall Fail,” Polaris said.

The look that the elder gave him inspired the fear of the Alicorns in all three of them, the siblings, and the little foals behind him. “Perhaps we’d have more time to chat if all of our guests were half as helpful as Miss Lightning. At least she was capable of helping with the candles, Solaris.”

And the Lustrian Scholar bristled. “I’m can melt some candles.”

“Really,” Tall Tail lifted an eyebrow. “A Lustrian Scholar capable of busywork? I thought you stayed inside all days writing papers.”

Polaris had stomped all the way over to Tall Tail by then. He got up in his face. “I walked for three days in the Badlands by myself, thank you very much! I am capable of melting a candle! I am capable of many things!” Snowy awkwardly trotted over with the box of candles, and Polaris swiped a few orange ones. “You really ought to check your prejudices, and learn to remember names, old man!” He still glared at Tall Tail as he marched over to the pillar and started to climb.

“Um.” Echo tilted her head. “Should he be doing that on his own?”

“Hey! Polaris?!” Lightning called.

Polaris was mountain-goating his way up the pillar. How his hoofs managed to find any foothold in that smooth rock was beyond her. “What?!” His voice was strained.

“Do you want any help?”

“No, of course not!”

“We could stand guard in case you fall?”

“There is no need! I will be up and down, and I will not need to be caught! Just stand back and let me handle this!”

Tall Tail swallowed. “Well, Echo, I leave this to you, just make sure he doesn’t hurt himself too badly. I’ll take the foals by the springs, and then we’ll work our way to the Pillar of Mercy, and then Conviction. That should give them a head start on the last three pillars.”

“Yes master.”

“Good. Let’s go children! …I don’t want them to see what happens next.”

It was hoof-biting to watch. Polaris scaled a few stories in a manner of minutes. He had already reached the crest and was getting read to put the first candle into place, and then Lightning remembered something. “He didn’t take the shelves with him.”

“Oh dear.” Echo lifted some shelves from the box with her magic and floated them up to Polaris. “Here you go!” She called up. “These just click into place.”

Polaris could lift many things at once with his horn, so it didn’t cause him too much trouble to manage the shelves and the candles. What seemed to cause him trouble was lighting a small fire spell and keeping everything floating at the same time. Lightning remembered he had trouble carrying his bag with his magic and climbing at the same time.

“Just set the candles on the shelf!” Smokey called up.

“Light the candles all at once and just put them down!” Snowy said.

“Don’t singe your hoof!” Echo said.

“ALL OF YOU, QUIET!” Polaris’ voice echoed down the pillar. “You’re breaking my concentration!” He put down every shelf, and put down every candle. He began his climb down, and Lightning let out a sigh of relief.

And then his hoof slipped.

He screamed all the way down and hit the ground with a thud. Grass and dust went flying, and the unicorn sat there, groaning. Tall Tail and the foals were well out of earshot by then, hopefully.

“Oh my gosh!” Lightning ran over.

“Today just isn’t a good day to be a unicorn,” Snowy mumbled to herself.

“WHY didn’t anyone CATCH ME?!” Polaris howled and held his leg. “Sisters save it, that hurt!"

“You literally just said--”

“And you listened to me?!”

“How are we supposed to tell?!”
" Scratch it all, we're leaving this place! Immediately! ...Ow.”

Polaris growled and got up on all fours… and then stumbled over onto his face. Lightning reached to help him up, but her coat zapped him. “Sorry! …Wait a second…” He was favoring three of his legs. He stood up on three and stumbled around. Lightning remembered how slowly he walked down from the caves, and how slowly he followed Cedar Seed, and how upset he was when Slash pummeled him. “Ohmygosh your leg!”

Polaris wheezed.

“Why didn’t you say anything before?! …Oh Brothers… Fire and Thunder it was me wasn’t it?! I dropped you and dragged you while we were flying, and I dragged you into the cave! Why didn’t you tell me I hurt your leg?!”

Polaris gave her a look. “That…” he pointed at her. “Is exactly why. Oh…” he stumbled forward. Lightning pressed her shoulder against him to steady him.

“It wasn’t the… you know… the d-word, was it?” she whispered.

“Sisters know, Private. I know for sure you shouldn’t blame yourself. I only noticed after we left the cave …Stars above I’m a fool.”

“Tall Tail was frustrated, but he probably shouldn’t have goaded you like that.”

“And I certainly could have handled it more gracefully.”

The siblings and Echo watched the two silently. Echo walked over and looked at Polaris’ hurt leg. “Your foreleg? That’s not your dominant one, is it?”

“It is,” Polaris said.

“Oh dear. …It’s doesn’t look too bad, just sprained. At least it’s not broken,” she almost looked jealous. “I guess homebred unicorns are made of rubber, like they say.” She gently poked his hurt leg and he seethed. “Brittle rubber.”

“Is he gonna die?!” Snowy asked as she hurried over.

“Oh, he’ll be fine,” Echo said. “He’ll just need it looked at. Otherwise he'll be off his feet for a while.”

“Brilliant,” Polaris said. “It looks like I really am staying longer whether I like it or not. I was hoping to spend it on my hooves, exploring. Not nursing a hurt leg.”

Lightning felt absolutely horrible. It was all stupid, climbing that high in the first place, but she felt worse for not doing anything.
Echo had a thoughtful look on her face. “Lightning…” she said. “Would you stay with Smokey and Snowy and finish the Star Pillars? I may know someone who can help your friend.”

“You do??” Lightning asked.

Echo nodded. “She lives upstream, a bit of a trot away from town square, but the trip will be worth it if Polaris wants to try.”

Lightning looked up at Polaris. He sighed and shook his head. “It’s not like I’ll be doing anything else otherwise.”

“Excellent!” Echo made sure Tall Tail was well and truly gone, and then she cut the end of one of the orange ribbons before pegging it back into the ground. She used her magic to bind it around Polaris’ leg. “Smokey, Snowy? You go with Lightning to the Pillar of Conviction. I’ll help Polaris.”

“Aw,” Snowy sat on her haunches. “I wanted to do the rest of the pillars with you!”

“Me too, hon, but in Harmony we’ve got to look after each other.”

“Where will you take him?” Smokey asked. Echo just winked at him. A wave of terror swept his face. “Are you sure?” he whispered. Echo frowned. “...Okay then.”

Polaris cast a look at Lightning. “Private, just do what she says. I’ll be fine. …I think.”

Lightning slowly nodded, and Echo led him back up the dirt path to town. She didn’t look away until they were out of sight.

“Now, we could just take you the clinic and hope it gets better,” Echo Shade said. “Or we can talk to the expert and get it healed right away.”

Polaris glanced about the thick woods Echo Shade had just led him into. The ground was well-worn with several trails beaten by hoofs, but the thick branches blocked out the sun. Patches of sunlight dimly lit the trail ahead. It wasn’t unlike the borderline tropical region near the Pillar, only the sun could barely reach the plants under the thick branches above. “Where exactly would this expert be?” Polaris asked. “And why is it so far from town? I thought she’d be closer to the square.”

“Oh, it’ll be fine,” Echo said. The two passed over a shallow creek with a tiny bog at the end of it. They crossed over and walked through several bunches of bushes, and finally they came to an old dilapidated looking hut. A soft white haze billowed from its single chimney. A broken signpost sat in front of the hut’s creaky porch. Polaris took a moment to examine it, and then Echo lifted it into the air with her magic and planted it back into the ground. The sign read ‘Bloomin’ Brews.’

“Sounds promising,” Polaris mumbled.

Echo Shade opened the door and beckoned him forward. Polaris warily followed her into the dark, musty hut. A tiny broken bell rattled as they opened the door and stepped inside.

Even from outside Polaris could hear someone talking, and once he made his way in he saw three ponies. There was an older mare and her foal, and behind the counter sat the clerk for the shop. She was a younger galloway, and she appeared to be working a mortar and pestle as her customer shopped. Echo led Polaris to the counter.

“It’s so exciting out there, isn’t it?” the mare asked as she poked around a shelf of herbs and spices. “I heard we have visitors in town! Genuine outsiders if I recall. One of them sounded real handsome the way the young filly described him to me.” The clerk didn’t respond to her. The mare laughed nervously. “Not that you’d know that in here, of course. It’s so quiet in here… and dark.” Once again she wasn’t answered. “So… how about the weather? Sure hope that thunderstorm doesn’t stick around… again.” The colt was poking around a shelf and found a shelf of candied nuts as his mom continued her one-sided conversation.

The clerk would occasionally glance the mare’s way when she wasn’t looking, but otherwise she continued not answering.

Polaris tilted his head at the clerk. She had a dandelion coat, which was shaggy and unkempt, and her red mane nearly covered her entire face and was also very messy. He noticed the plants she was grinding with her tools. “An herbalist? If this is for my leg, I’d much rather see an actual doctor.”

“Her name is Apple Bloom, and she’s been mixing salves and potions ever since she was a little filly,” Echo said. “She’s as good as any doctor, she might even be better.”

“This place must be even more rustic than I thought if you think that’s true,” Polaris said. “What kind of backwater community trusts a plant-pony over an actual doctor?”

“Oh hush,” Echo brought him closer. “We’re friends, I’ll introduce you to her. Hello, Apple Bloom! How ya doing?”

The look Apple Bloom gave her certainly didn’t communicate that they were friends. “Can I help you?” She mumbled in a soft, sharp voice. Her gaze settled on Polaris, the newcomer. Her brow furrowed, but otherwise her expression didn’t change.

“Oh, you see my friend here hurt his leg,” Echo lifted Polaris’ bad leg up with her magic and pulled him closer to the clerk. She undid the orange wrapping with her magic.

“A little warning next time maybe?” Polaris said as he winced in pain.

Apple Bloom put her mortar and pestle away and leaned over her counter to look at his leg. She reached over and prodded it with her hoof, which Polaris did not enjoy. She muttered something as she slid back and started shuffling through one of her shelves. Polaris pulled his leg down and waited impatiently.

“This is always exciting,” Echo Shade whispered to Polaris. “She knows exactly what to do.”

“Oh Miss Bloom?” the mare and her colt came up to the desk. “I found the herbs I need.” She set down three small jars filled with dried leaves.

“One moment.” Without missing a beat, Apple Bloom withdrew from the shelf and carried a tiny bottle in her mouth. She walked around the counter and came up to Polaris and his hurt leg. The unicorn watched the small bottle of dark liquid warily.

“So what, I use this twice a day?” Polaris reached for the bottle with his magic, but Apple Bloom turned away and kept the bottle from him.

“Nah,” she said through the bottle in her mouth. “Once oughta do. Echo Shade.”

“On it~!” Echo sang. She lifted Polaris’ leg up again. This time he yelped and was about ready to shout at her. He sucked in a scream when Apple Bloom proceeded to empty the entire bottle’s contents onto his leg. Apple Bloom hastily rubbed the salve deep into his coat before she let his leg go.

“Mother Sun but that’s cold!” Polaris cried.

“Story of my life,” Apple Bloom muttered.

Polaris tested his hoof on the ground, and shifted his weight around. “And… yet that seems to have done the trick. My pain is almost entirely gone! Where did you get that concoction?”

“Dunno. Forgot.” Apple Bloom had already retreated back behind the counter and started tending to the mare’s purchase. “But you know, we get by. No matter how rustic we may be.”
Polaris snorted to himself.

“That’s our Apple Bloom!” Echo said. “Our little miracle maker, that’s what we call her!”

“You’re the only one who calls me that, Echo Shade,” Apple Bloom said as she emptied the mare’s jars into paper pouches, which she placed into a larger bag. “Three bits,” she said to her. The mare handed over three small gold coins when her son walked up to her.

“Mom?” the little colt asked. He placed a bag of the candied nuts onto the counter.

“Oh, sweetie, put those back.”

“I can pay for it myself,” the colt said. “I’ve been saving up.”

“Yes but maybe later at a different store? I already paid Miss Bloom and she looks very busy. You know she likes to finish things quickly.”

Before the colt could do anything Apple Bloom had already slid the bag across the counter to the mare. It was tied shut. “Come again, don’t get sick,” she said.

“Thank you,” the mare gripped the bag in her teeth. “Come on, son.” And the two stepped out of the store. Apple Bloom idly waved at them as the door closed behind them. She blinked slowly, one eye after the other, like a frog almost. She looked over at Echo and Polaris, who were standing right where she left them. “Why are you still here. Your leg’s fixed.”

“I just wanted to see what I owe you,” Polaris said.

“Nothing,” Apple Bloom said as she went back to her mortar and pestle. “First one’s free.”

“That’s the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing,” Echo said with a smile.

“I don’t doubt it,” Apple Bloom said. “Get moving, you two.”

“Oh, don’t be like that, Bloom!” Echo said. “Polaris here is new in town and you’re already giving him the cold shoulder?” Apple Bloom didn’t answer. “Come on, where’s that galloway hospitality?”

Apple Bloom groaned and looked over at Polaris. He couldn’t tell if she was frowning at him or not. She contorted her lips into something that may have been mistaken for a friendly smile, if it weren’t for the dim lighting and the absolute lack of empathy in her eyes.

“There.” And Apple Bloom went back to her mortar and pestle.

“What a charmer,” Polaris said. “No wonder she can afford to keep her shop the way it is.”

“Now there, Bloom might seem like a big grump,” Echo said. “Something you can relate to I’m sure.” Polaris frowned at her. “But she’s Harmony’s greatest herbalist and potion maker. When it comes to brewing up a cure, even other galloway don’t know as much about plants as she does. She’s a great pony to know.”

“Yeah yeah, I think he gets it,” Apple Bloom said. “I’m good at my job and you’re easily impressed. I got a lot of work to do before the festival and I need to focus, so unless you two wanna actually buy something…” She pointed with her hoof. “Door.”

“Well, congratulations. That was almost three complete sentences,” Polaris said with a cocked eyebrow. That time he was pretty sure Apple Bloom frowned at him.

Echo smiled and led Polaris away. “Yes, of course. I guess we’ll catch you after the festivities tomorrow?”

“Not likely,” Apple Bloom said.

“Aw, what a shame. It was good to see you though!”

Apple Bloom blinked slowly, one eye after the other. “Yeah, whatever.” And she kept whiling away at her mortar and pestle.

The Mare and her colt had met with a small group of foals once Echo Shade and Polaris left the forest.

“Oh thank goodness, I thought she’d eat you!” One of the foals said.

“Who did what?” Polaris asked.

“The witch!” a foal cried. “She’s always doing weird stuff in there.”

“Oh, her,” Polaris scoffed. “Yes, she was quite the friendly filly wasn’t she? She should get some kind of award. Surely she should be one of the town’s ambassadors. She’d fit right in alongside that brutish blue pegasus bum you hang out with.” Echo frowned as she led him back to town.

“Hey, Slash isn't a bum!” Echo snapped. She paused and collected herself. “Apple Bloom is most definitely odd, but she’s really sweet once you get to know her! She just has trouble expressing herself, that’s all.”

“She seemed to have no problem being a little smart-alec,” Polaris said. “And the way she treats her customers! Honestly, I highly doubt she’s capable of thinking of anyone except herself. Except her plants, maybe. All gardeners tend to be the same in my experience.”

Echo just sighed and shook her head. “Well, so long as your leg is better I suppose that’s all that matters. Let’s stop for lunch, and then we'll see where your friend is at with the pillars.”

“She’s not my friend, we’re merely companions.”

“Right…”

“Where did this come from?” the mare asked. Her son took a peek inside the bag and let out a delighted squeak. A much larger pouch of candied nuts had mysteriously found its way into their bag.

Author's Note

Two months-ish instead of three! Wooh!
Woo...

Once more a chapter was split in two. This means Harmonize will not have merely three parts like we planned, oh well.

With this chapter, every (mortal) character on the coverart is finally in the story! Our cast is assembled, kind of.

As always, thank you for your patience with us! I've learned that taking a break after posting a chapter and basking in it all really is recipe to put off updates, so the moment this goes up, it's back to the grind for me. It takes a long time, but it really is rewarding to churn out a chapter.

Now to see if we can finish the premiere before the new Pony Show drops on Youtube!

~Team Gen S

Harmonize - III

Somewhere in the mountains…

Tired…

Where are the comrades? The brothers?

Head hurts… Head hurts so much…

The little thing… The sparkly little thing…

Where did it go?

Hate it… Hate it so much…

Hungry…

It hides here, somewhere…

Trapped… Trapped…

Eat it. Eat the sparkly thing.

Head hurts so much…

The craggy cliffs, Valley of Life

Lightning Bug pulled herself up a stony ledge, and she couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic for climbing the mountainside with Polaris. Only this time she had two chatty foals for company, and she didn’t find herself speaking up so much to fill the empty space.

She wondered if Polaris was more talkative or even less talkative if she wasn’t around. She thought of his hurt leg, and she tried not to think about him lying down on a stretcher with nothing to do.

“Hey, miss Lightning?”

“Oh!” Lightning turned around. Smokey and Snowy had their hoofs propped up on the ledge and were failing to hoist themselves up. “Sorry about that, here,” She leaned over and held out her hoof. She pulled Snowy up first, which made Smokey a little upset for some reason. They had set their boxes down before she pulled them up, and once they were on the ledge Smokey pulled the boxes up one at a time with his magic. “Sorry about that. I’m used to climbing with an older pony.”

“Older pony…” and Smokey grumbled something else under his breath.

“Polaris would just pull himself up and then grab his things with his magic,” Lightning said. “I did most of my climbing on my own.”

“Smokey can’t use his magic quite that well yet,” Snowy said. “He can barely lift another pony right now.”

“Can we stop comparing me to an older unicorn already?!”

The Star Pillar of Conviction was the highest one Lightning had seen. Its crest looked like an upwards arrow, or a pyramid, and its base was worn and covered with dust. “It’s tall,” she said.

“It is,” Smokey said.

“Is it the tallest one?” Lightning asked.

“No, that would be the final Star Pillar,” Smokey pointed to the north to the lake and the falls, where the sixth pillar rested. “They’re all the same, but the elevation there’s the highest.”

“Ah,” Lightning squinted and made out a bright red house near the lake. Further on the northwest side of the valley, she spied another series of houses much like Townsquare, but it was a touch smaller. “What’s that?” she pointed at the red house.

“That’s the schoolhouse,” Snowy said. She shuddered. “It’s closed for spring break.”

“You don’t like going to school?”

“I’m not as good at it as Smokey,” she said.

“Oh. I wasn’t that good a student either,” Lightning said.

“It’s not a pegasus thing, is it??” Snowy asked. “Are unicorns just smarter than us?”

“No! Of course not!” Lightning almost frowned. “Don’t ever think like that. There are plenty of smart pegasi!” Her eyes drifted back to the houses to the northwest. “What about that? Is that another town?”

“We call it Northtown,” Smokey said. “But it’s more of a neighborhood. I think father lived there before he became the Lorekeeper.”

“Oh neat!”

“It looks like they’re setting up the bonfire,” Smokey said. Somewhere between the shining lake and the small town a group of ponies were gathering pieces of wood and grouping them together in one massive mound.

“What are they going to do with all that?” Lightning asked.

“On the last night before the festival, once all the work is finished, everyone comes together for an early dinner around the bonfire,” Smokey said. “They’ll stay warm, they’ll roast food and chat, and they’ll camp out if they want. In the morning they’ll finish preparations and the festival can begin. Father might be waiting there when he’s done with his tour. We should head over there just to check once we’re done with the fifth pillar.”

“Hey, I can see Slash’s house from here!” Snowy said.

“Oh, does he live in Northtown?”

“What? No, it’s over there,” and Smokey pointed to a spot on the cliffs less than a mile away.

“That poor old thing?” Lightning Bug squinted down the cliffside. The houses they did see on the way to the pillar were rustic things on stilts, but this one in particular was just a wooden box. Even its roof was just a flat slab of wood. A lop-sided door hung from a broken hinge. It didn’t seem nearly big enough to house a large pegasus like Slash. “...How spartan of him.” If Polaris was to be believed, the only furniture inside that thing was a bed and a closet. “Why does he live so far away from everyone else?” she asked.

“People got annoyed listening to him train early in the morning,” Smokey said as he set down his box. “Among other things.” Smokey looked the pillar up and down. “I’m getting tired of using my horn,” he said. “Tired in general, really. Our entire morning and we’ve only done half of these things!”

“My wings are tired but you don’t hear me complaining,” Snowy said.

“Unicorns can’t use their horns on an empty stomach, Snowy. Not well, anyway.”

“Are you hungry, Smokey?” Lightning asked.

“I don’t know,” Smokey pointed up at the Star Pillar. “We got a massive sundial with it’s short shadow pointing straight down, that tells me it’s almost lunchtime, I had oat-bread for breakfast and haven’t eaten anything since!” He turned around and realized who he was talking to. “...I am a bit peckish, so to speak.”

“You didn’t pack a lunch?” Lightning asked.

“I didn’t think we’d be out here all day!”

“Nothing in the boxes either,” Snowy finished digging around in the box of candles. “Nothing edible that is.” No, candles didn’t sound very appetizing, Lightning thought. A little green grass went a long way when you’re waiting for food; she learned this in the army, but the cliffs barely had any grass to graze. There were only dry, stringy tufts jutting out from the rocks in a couple places. No good for eating. This time she was pretty sure the two children heard her stomach growl.

“Hm…” Snowy tilted her head. “Maybe I could run down to town and bring back some lunch!”

“Lunch costs money, Snowy,” Smokey said. “Do you have any bits?”

“...No.” Snowy looked at Lightning. “Do you have any bits, Lightning?”

“Nope,” Lightning said with a sigh. “Didn’t Tall Tail say what to do for lunch?”

“No, he trusts us to take care of ourselves,” Smokey said confidently. He cleared his throat. “But he can forget a few key details sometimes…”

“Well, maybe I can go down to town and borrow some food,” Lightning took a step back. “You know, borrow on credit. I should have something back at lunchtime.”

“Did somebody say lunchtime?”

The new voice boomed down at them from overhead. A shadow briefly blotted the noontime sun and covered the three. Lightning ducked low to the ground and peaked up. She first thought of mountchasers, but she saw this was just another pegasus flying down to meet them.

“Slash!” Snowy reared back and cheered.

“And he brought food!” Smokey said. Slashbuckler carried a few paper bags in his forelegs. He touched down right beside the pillar, but it was more of a hard drop. Once he was a pony-length from the ground, he just stopped flapping, and his heavy body slammed the rocks and dust beneath him. He just shook his mane and wings out and trotted over like nothing at all.

Lightning wished she was that confident when she had to land.

“Tall Tail knew he was forgetting something,” he said as he set the bags down. “So he had me round up some grub for you all.”

“Could you really hear us from all the way up there?” Snowy asked.

“Hear what? I just always wanted to say ‘Did someone say lunchtime.’ To be cool.”

“Oh.”

Slash opened the two bags, and Lightning’s nostrils were filled with the scent of fresh bread and cut veggies. “Sandwiches for today,” Slash said. “I got one for myself, the rest are yours.” He paused and looked around. “Say, where are Echo Shade and… the other guy?”

“The big-boy unicorn hurt his leg, so Echo went back to town with him,” Smokey said.

“Figures,” Slash said. He sighed. “They’ll probably get something to eat on their own. I went and bought two whole sandwiches for nothing!”

“What kind did you buy?” Lightning trotted over and sat down. Her stomach was getting impatient.

“Only the best Harmony has to offer!” Slash pulled out a very thin sheet of paper and set it down on the ground as a faux-picnic blanket. He reached into the bag and pulled out one sandwich after another and set them down on the sheet. “We got a grilled-veggie sandwich, a cucumber sandwich, this one’s beans and salsa, this one’s carrots and cheese, this one’s an egg salad, and this one’s just grilled cheese.” Slash smiled and pulled his hoof back. “You all take your pick, I’ll choose mine when you’re done.”

“Me too,” Lightning said. “You two go on ahead.”

“She’s so considerate…”

“You say something, Smokey?” Snowy asked.

“N-no! I just asked if you wanted cheese and carrots.”

“I don’t like cheese, really,” Snowy said.

“Then you can have the cucumbers. I’ll take the egg-salad.”

Slash took the grilled veggies, and Lightning chose the cheese and carrots, which Smokey floated over to her.

The bread was thick, fluffy and chewy, it had to be homemade. The crust was thin and flaky and tasted wonderful. The greens were sweet and crispy, and the cheese… it flooded her tongue with a strong, musty taste. She smacked her lips after she swallowed. She studied her sandwich.

“You don’t like it?” Snowy asked.

“The cheese is fresh,” Slash said. “Well… made yesterday fresh, I mean.”

“Hm…” Lightning peeled back the bread.

“...You can have mine if you want,” Smokey said.

“No, it’s fine.” Lightning took another bite, made a ‘blech’ face… and took another bite. She blech’d again, but she bit again. She was too hungry to stop. “It’s just so sour!”

“Don’t they have cheese in Meteoras?” Snowy asked.

“Yeah, but it doesn’t taste anything like this.” Lightning kept taking bites. “It’s not bad… just different.” She kept chewing.

Slash finished his sandwich first, which wasn’t much of a surprise. He reached for one of the two spare sandwiches, and in a matter of moments it was already halfway gone. The others were barely halfway finished, and Lightning would certainly take a while to finish her’s. Slash’s tail swished about as he stretched in his seat. He absently eyed his sandwich.

“So, miss pegasus? Lightning?”

“Hm?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask, what’s it like in the pegasus brotherlands?”

“You mean Meteoras?”

“Yeah, duh! I’ve been meaning to ask you ever since we met, but I didn’t have the chance.”

“In between beating up the unicorn, arguing with him all night and fixing the stuff you broke, you mean,” Smokey said as he finished his meal. His sister nudged him.

“I’ve never been there myself,” Slash said. “Some pegasi from here have, but I haven’t. I’ve always wondered what it’s like out there. I’ve read about the Brothers and their soldiers in books and stuff, but I’ve never been able to talk to a bona fide Meteoran. I wanted to visit, but then the Kingsveil went up.”

Lightning silently commended the pegasus. He was calm and concise, if not for the way his tail practically wagged and how he kept reordering his hooves. He was looking at her like some kind of celebrity, or a hero. It made her uncomfortable. It could have been worse, she supposed.

“What would you like to know? I’ll try to answer the best I can.”

“Okay! …Wow, I’ve been dreaming of talking to a real soldier my whole life but now that I’m here I’m not sure where to begin!”

“Just take your time, I’m sure you’ll…”

“Do pegasi really use punches as currency?!” Slash leapt forward and was mere inches away from slamming head-first into Lightning and knocking her over. “Have you ever solved a dispute by rite of honorable combat? Have you met the Imperium? Have you flown an airship?”

Lightning blinked. Slash shyly backed away and smiled at her, ears drooped. Lightning took a bite, blech’d, swallowed, and cleared her throat. “Um… I ‘ve never seen the Imperium face-to-face. I’ve seen soldiers fight, but I’ve never entered honorable combat. I’m pretty sure the punches thing is a joke… and I haven’t flown an airship.”

“What? Not one?”

Lightning shook her head. “Not one, I could fly on my own to wherever I needed to go most of my life. I haven’t been a soldier for very long.”

“How long have you been a soldier?”

“Um… five months? Maybe six?”

Slash looked completely mortified. He put down the sandwich he was eating. “You’re just a rookie,” he said.

Lightning almost frowned. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Aren’t Meteoran soldiers supposed to train their entire lives?”

“Maybe two hundred years ago, but not now,” Lightning said.

“I thought every pegasi was a soldier!”

“We’re all under the military,” Lightning made a circle in the dirt with her hoof. “But we’re not all soldiers. The military controls everything, but only some pegasi actually join the army.” She made a smaller circle that overlapped with the first, and then she added a smaller one beside them. “Since the military controls everything, technically everyone’s a soldier. A pilot is a soldier, a librarian is a soldier, and a shopkeeper is a soldier. We serve our country and are paid for our work, even if we don’t fight dragons.”

Slash looked absolutely dumbfounded. “But you’re not a librarian or a shopkeeper, you’re a scout… right?” Slash asked.

“Yeah, of course! …Assuming everyone back home thinks I’m MIA and not KIA,” she muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m a Private and my job is a scout. I’m at the very bottom rung of the ladder.”

“So you are a soldier?”

“...Yes.”

And that gave him some relief. “Okay, good, was worried there for a second.” He held his heart and sighed. Lightning firmly bit another piece out of her sandwich, blech'd, and kept eating. She wasn’t sure how much he actually understood. She wasn’t the best at explaining things, but still. “So you haven’t flown an airship, but you totally could if you wanted to, right?”

“Ah, no. Sorry, that wasn’t part of my training.”

“Why not?!” and Slash was back to distraught.

Lightning shook her head. “Not a lot of soldiers fly ships anymore.”

“You don’t?” Slash cried. “But they’re the primary mode of transportation on Meteoras!”

“Again, maybe some fifty or so years ago, but not now. Right now every pegasus uses the trains, or plain ol' boats.”

“Boats?!" Slash cried. "And trains? Like the ones in Sylvain?”

“Trains are used all over Cabalos, but the pegasi invented them,” Lightning said. “And since a train takes so much less energy to move as opposed to a whole airship, most pegasi just take the train when they need to go someplace.”

“But a train can’t go over water!” Slash said. “Boats maybe but not trains... Can they? Do trains even run between the islands?”

Lightning nodded. “Some of them. I know for a fact Isle Mistral has a railroad that goes straight to the mainland. It’s miles long.”

“Wow…” and Slash sat back in his seat. “What do you use it for?”

“Supplies! Meteoras has a lot of water, but not a lot of real estate,” Lightning said. “Not a lot of ground to grow food. What we don’t grow in Clan Ponente we buy from Sylvain and they send it to us on the train. That’s how we get most of our fruits, vegetables and cheese!” Lightning took another bite. She chewed and swallowed. And she blech'd. “Where does the valley get it’s cheese from?”

“What do you mean?”

“You don’t have any railways here. How can you get your cheese from Sylvain?”

“Oh,” Smokey shrugged. “We make it ourselves.”

“How?”

Grrrr.

Lightning had a start. Her companions’ ears flicked. She heard another growl, and a snort. She peaked over her shoulder. A large, hairy thing padded up the hill, looking through the tufts of grass. It lifted its head from the grass and headed right for her.

“Um… guys?” Lightning stood upright. Her wings clamped to her side, and her hooves bunched together beneath her. Her tail twitched. The thing, which appeared only to be a ball of fur, turned to face her. It had two massive tusks and a large snout. Tiny, dark eyes regarded her carefully, and white markings ran across its face to its back. It swished its tail about as it went back to nuzzling the ground… and it moved closer to her.

“Smokey, Snowy?!” Lightning hissed as softly as she could. “Help! There’s this… big fuzzy thing!”

“Aw, it’s just a trog!”

The thing’s wiggling snout crept about Lightning’s hooves, and she fought the urge to scream and gallop away. Its snout traveled past her sandwich. She couldn’t stop staring at the glistening tusks jutting from its mouth, and she remembered the direwolves and mountchasers outside, and how many times they nearly managed to shred her wings and tail. She felt her coat surge. She pursed her lips. “What’s it want?”

“It’s just looking for a snack.” Slash said. “You aren’t afraid of something like that, are you?”

“I’m… uh…” It moved closer to her again and she looked away and closed her eyes. “I’m not good with big animals, okay?”

The look on Slash’s face made it seem like his whole world was crashing down around him. Snowy flew over and landed right next to the trog like nothing was the matter. The thing snorted when she landed but kept digging about. “They like roots and nuts. Some of the farmers let them roam about on their own during festival time. They get to celebrate just as much as we do!” Snowy stood up and rested her hooves on the trog’s head. It closed its eyes and growled softly as she scritched its thick fur. “There’s nothing to be afraid of, they’re just big silly piggy-wiggies~!”

Lightning relaxed a little and drew near. She reached one hoof and carefully scratched its head. The trog shook about and made her yelp. It walked into her, and she froze. It brushed its bristly forehead against her and then walked right past her to sniff at the ground some more.

“You’ve never heard of a trog before?” Slash asked.

“I’ve never seen one up close,” Lightning said. “I thought only farmers in Sylvain kept them.”

“The valley has plenty of farmers, and farmers need animals,” Smokey said as he walked over from the pillar. “For pushing, pulling, and… other things.”

The trog had completely lost interest and shuffled off someplace else, and Lightning finally settled down. She shuddered and picked her sandwich back up. “Sorry about that. Where did you say you get your cheese from?”

“We… make it ourselves?” Smokey said again.

“How?”

For a time the two didn’t say anything. It took Lightning a moment to realize they kept glancing at something. They were looking at the trog, still sniffing about the grass.

That made Lightning spit her sandwich out.

“Where did you think it ever came from?”

“I don’t know!” Lightning shook her head and sighed. “I guess I never thought about it too hard.” She looked down at her strange sandwich, and it took her about a minute to shrug and keep taking bites, and made a 'blech' face with each mouthful.

Slash leaned over to Smokey. “This Lightning Bug isn’t much of a soldier is she? Kind of a city slicker.”

“N-No! She’s not! I barely thought about trog milk either until a few years ago!”

“Lightning’s way older than you, though.”

“Yeah, but…”

They put all of their trash into one bag, which Slash took and got ready to fly back to town. “Thank you so much for the food!” Lightning said.

“Um… yeah,” Slash still had that expression from earlier when he took the bag and spread his wings. “See you all later,” and he took off.

“He’s nice,” Lightning said. “When he’s not excited.”

“He gets excited a lot,” Smokey said. He motioned back at the pillar. “If we hurry we can probably finish these before dinner.”

Once the fourth Star Pillar was finished, they made the long trek to the other side of the valley to finish the fifth, which was an interesting affair. To contrast the vibrant windswept forests, plains and cliffs from before -- a dense, wild forest miles wide clung to a spot on the west side. The river from the south split into directions after it passed Townsquare. One fed directly into the lake to the north, the other fed into this forest. The water made the plants sturdy and numerous, and the trees were so thick with foliage that they blocked out the sun. The ground was soft muddy, and pockets of bog perpetuated the interior. Calls of animals echoed through the trees, and the foals clung tight to Lightning when they made their way to the next pillar.

No pony lived here, so far as Lightning could tell.

The pillar was so overgrown with moss and mud that Lightning almost mistook it for a massive tree. Its crest resembled a single foreboding eye that surveyed its dense surroundings. Smokey was not comfortable using his horn in the forest, so it was completely up to Snowy and Lightning to tie the green ribbons to the pillar and set up the candles.

They hardly spoke the whole time, not until they were finally on their way out of the forest.

“It was so dim in there!” Lightning nearly tripped over a root on her way out of the clearing.

“They don’t call it the Dark Forest for nothing,” Smokey said.

“I didn’t think there’d be anything so scary in the valley,” Lightning said.

“Compared to outside, maybe not,” Snowy peaked over her shoulder. “But still…”

“This is the only spot in the entire valley that the first Harmonites never settled,” Smokey said.

“Why is that?”

“Some think they had to leave one part of the land untouched,” Smokey said.

“Or maybe they just thought it wasn’t worth it,” his sister said.

“Sir Rat Tail thought it was worth putting that here,” Smokey gestured back at the pillar. “Whatever that’s worth.”

“Why’d they make this one green?” Lightning asked. “Won’t that blend in with the rest of the forest?”

“Not at night with the candles lit,” Smokey said.

“Oh dear, what if a candle drops and starts a fire?”

“Please, all the mud and moisture would smother a fire before it had any chance to spread,” Smokey put down the box and dug for the ribbons. “Plus it’s too far from the bog to light any fumes.”

“Fumes?” Lightning’s question wasn’t answered.

“We didn’t rush it, did we?” Smokey asked slowly. “Do you think Tall Tail will notice?”

“If anything that took longer than the last one, not counting lunch,” Snowy said. “The mud and moss made it really hard to mount the candles.”

“How’d you get them on then?”

“Oh, that was easy,” Lightning said. “I just scraped the surface until they fit.”

“You what?!”

“Is something wrong?”

“Do you think Tall Tail will be happy that you possibly defaced a sacred artifact?”

“If the only thing keeping those candles off the forest floor was faith,” Lightning said. “I don’t think he’ll mind.”

“No, Faith was the first pillar, remember?” Snowy said.

“Help!”

The three froze in their tracks.

“Did you hear that?” Lightning asked.

“Is someone there?” The voice came from the northeast, around the edge of the forest.

The three carefully maneuvered through the greens and plants and found their way over. They came across a clearing. The ground was covered in patches of clear water, and beside them were pockets of mud the consistency of chocolate pudding. Plants gathered the edges of these pockets of moisture. A fallen tree was nearly completely swallowed by the bog, and it tilted at an angle as its trunk lay sunken beneath the mud. Sometimes the mud would bubble and burst, and the air was filled with a damp, mulchy smell.

A small group of ponies gathered around one particular patch of mud. They were all foals, and only one was an adult mare. Her son clung to her side with a paper bag in his mouth. Once Lightning and the others got close enough, they realized the problem.

A foal was nearly up to her belly in mud. She fought to keep her stomach above the surface. She wasn’t crying, not yet, but her eyes bulged and darted every which way. Once she heard Lightning and the siblings approach, she shook about. “No, don’t!” the mare said gently. “You’ll just work yourself deeper into the mud.”

“Oh…” the foal closed their eyes and whined.

“That’s Miss Felucia,” Snowy said. “I didn’t think she’d be in the Dark Forest.”

“She was probably trying to invite the witch to something,” Smokey grumbled. “Likely failed too.”

“Is something the matter?” Lightning Bug asked.

“Oh thank goodness, an older pony!” the mare trotted over to her. “They were all playing, and I was going to take them to the bonfire, but one got stuck.”

“Evidently,” Smokey said.

“How long has she been there?” Snowy asked.

“Ten, fifteen minutes?” Felucia said.

Lightning thought that was an awful long time for a poor filly to be stuck in the mud, but then she realized. Every pony present was a galloway. They didn’t have wings or horns, so there really wasn’t much any pony could do. “We tried pulling her out with vines,” one foal said. “But none of them are thick enough.”

“We tried biting our tails and pulling her out, but that didn’t work, really,” another said. All of their hooves were muddy.

“Well obviously if the risk of falling in and joining her is too great,” Smokey set his box down and stepped forward. “What you need is a little magic.” His horn lit up. “Step aside,” he held his head up and walked over to the edge of the bog. “You’re watching, right Miss Lightning?”

If four little foals working together couldn’t pull this pony out, could one unicorn and his magic really do it? “Um… yeah, I’m watching.”

“Excellent! Observe…” The little filly’s mane got tugged by an invisible force. “Heave… Ho!” Smokey jerked with his magic, and the pony did indeed move, but she was far from unstuck. “Hrm. Heave… Ho!” Still not free. Smokey frowned. “Heave…” The pony looked a little scared now. “Ho!”

Lightning had never heard magic ‘pop’ before. Smokey tumbled backwards and hit a tree. The pony remained in the mud. “I guess…” Smokey shook his head. “I guess all the ribbons and pillars really wore my magic out.”

“You didn’t even help!” Snowy said.

“Here, let me try!” Lightning took to the air and gently hovered over the filly. She didn’t take kindly to having a much older, heavier pony right above her, and she jerked about a little more. “No no! It’s okay! I won’t hurt you.” Lightning reached down and fixed her hooves firmly to the filly’s sides. She flapped her wings. The filly slowly rose from the bog! But the mud clung to her legs and had yet to break its seal.

The filly whimpered.

“Hey, listen,” Lightning said. She slowed her flapping. “We’re going to dip a little lower, and then I’m going to shoot into the sky with all my might, and then you’ll get out. Sound okay??”

“No.” The filly sniffled. “But it’s better than the mud.”

“Fair enough! On three… one, two… THREE!” And Lightning pulled like her life depended on it. She imagined pulling Polaris away from the dragon. She imagined carrying him across the forest to safety. Her wings beat like a helibird’s almost.

Pu-glunk!

With a pop and a hiss the mud finally gave up the ghost and the pony was free. The brighter, wetter sludge floated to the surface as the darker, drier layer settled on the edge of the bog. The foals hopped and cheered.

“I loosened the mud for her!” Smokey said.

“Yeah, Smokey,” Snowy shook her head. “You sure did.”

“The river’s right over there,” Lightning said to Miss Felucia. “Do you think anyone would be too offended if we gave her a quick bath?”

They must have been halfway to Northtown when they found the perfect bank alongside the river for a quick dip. While the other foals played and splashed each other with water, Lightning had the rescue-filly in a deeper section as she scrubbed her coat with her hooves to get all the dirt and mud loose. The little filly shivered, and Lightning felt pretty cold too.

“Almost done!” She said.

“And then we’ll warm you up by the bonfire,” Miss Felucia said. “Your mom will be glad to see you! …And glad that I didn’t inadvertently trap you in the mud! Heh…”

“It really is kind of irresponsible, isn’t it?” Smokey sat on the grass and looked to the side. “Letting the children of the valley run around free-range. There’s no telling what kind of trouble they could get into!”

“Children like us, Smokey?” Snowy asked.

“We had Lightning to look after us!”

“And they had Felucia.”

“Oh, it’s mostly my fault,” the mare said. “I told them if they wanted to take the shortcut, they had to follow my directions exactly, but I guess my directions weren’t good enough.”

“I for one think it’s high time the valley adopts some practices from outside,” Smokey said. “Take more precautions for our children! The foals of Meteoras don’t trot around unattended, certainly not where they could get hurt!”

“Actually, they do,” Lightning said. “Most pegasi grow up on the islands, and the sea’s never far away. But there’s no sense keeping them cooped up all day! And they’ll never learn if they don’t leave the nest, so it’s kind of necessary. If you don’t let anything happen to a kid, then nothing will ever happen to them, and that’s no good. It all worked out in the end, anyway.” Lightning splashed the filly’s face with water to wash some mud away. The splashes made the filly gasp and giggle.

“You know an awful lot about the Empire,” Felucia said. “You wouldn’t happen to be the Meteoran, would you dear?”

“Me? Yeah, I’m from Meteoras.”

“Oh gracious I was hoping to meet you!” Felucia hopped down the bank and closer to Lightning. “I heard so much about the outsiders but haven’t even seen one yet! I think it’s so neat that you’ve come to visit. We hear so much about the nations outside but we never see much of them.”

“I don’t think I’m doing anything that special,” Lightning said. “This has all kinda been one big accident.”

“Helping poor Wind Chime here wasn’t an accident,” the mare said. “I think it’s wonderful to have such a responsible mare visiting us. I think it’s exemplary.”

“Please, I’m really not doing that much,” Lightning felt the color rise in her cheeks. “ I’m glad I’m not screwing up for once. As often, anyway… Thank you.”

“Now then, let’s get these little ponies to Northtown before that storm kicks in!” Felucia looked overhead. “It’d be a real shame to cancel dinner over that.”

They chatted for a while longer, but once they were finished in the river and got near Northtown the mare took the foals in a different direction and they said goodbye. The foal shyly waved after Lightning before they disappeared into the crowd. “Let’s find Echo, or father,” Smokey said.

“Shouldn’t we go on ahead to the final pillar?” Lightning asked.

Smokey pointed. The final pillar was within running distance of the bonfire, less than two gallops from the furthest house. “It’s literally sitting right there. So long as we finish it before sundown, I don’t think another little break will hurt us.

“If you say so…”

“Why are we here again?” Polaris asked. Northtown was a much sparser settlement than townsquare. The roads were almost exclusively dirt. There was very little cobbled stone between the houses, and the lamposts were more rustic than even the ones in town. It still had food, and ponies busied themselves with snack carts and small open air cafes. They had just finished gathering the wood for that massive bonfire just outside town.

“For the big dinner,” Echo Shade said. “If you’re going to stay for the festival, you might as well join in. Not everyone’s coming, but Tall Tail will be here, and I reckon Lightning and the others won’t be far behind.”

“Shall I just stand around then? There isn’t work that needs to be done here?”

“I… I think it’s best that you leave that to the rest of us for now,” Echo said. “We don’t want to test your leg.”

“Good point.”

The two trotted along for a time.

“So hey, Polaris?” Echo Shade asked. One vendor in particular was serving a sort of grilled flatbread from ground corn. Its sweet smell wafted down the street as Echo and Polaris trotted by the edge of the settlement. “I’ve been meaning to ask… really I’ve been meaning to ask both of you, but everything’s just been so crazy and--”

“Do get on with it,” Polaris stepped along carefully.

“Right. What is it like back in Lustre? The Unicorn Motherland? I heard all kinds of stories but I’ve never been there myself.”

Polaris spotted a group of foals congregating by the corner of a street. They pointed and whispered at him, and he snorted. “I suppose you would, what with this community being so isolated. What would you like to know?”

“Anything really!” Echo said. “Have you been to the capital city? What’s the weather like in Lustre? Have you worked for the Holy Priestess? Are Unicorn Farmers really considered Lords and Ladies?”

Polaris paused. He looked behind each shoulder as they passed the foals. “I do in fact live in the capital city, and I have seen the Holy Priestess once before… and yes, technically every unicorn is a lord and lady, we have no distinction of working class back home. It’s not too dissimilar from the valley as far as that’s concerned, perhaps.

“The weather is much cooler than it is here. We have no true summer, we only have cold, colder, and one warm season. It is only unbearable for certain, short stretches of the year, and otherwise it is agreeable to the unicorn constitution.”

“What’s that mean? You don’t think the other nations are suited for unicorns?”

“But of course. Meteoras and Sylvain are too warm. Meteoras in particular is much too hot, whilst Sylvain is chaotic. Their weather shifts four whole times a year if I recall correctly, can you imagine?”

“...Um, well, what do you think of the valley? Our spring just started here.”

“It is acceptable, I suppose,” Polaris said. “But I fathom I won’t be here to see much more, we leave the day after tomorrow.” Polaris studied the bustling ponies around him. Some like the foals would stop and stare, but most paid him no mind, like he was invisible. He was used to the feeling, but not when surrounded by so many people. “None of you have left this valley at all, correct?”

“Oh, a few of us leave,” Echo said. “We used to send out merchants to collect important necessities from outside…” Echo glanced up past the mountains. The sky was blue, but there was the slightest hint of a dull gray at the fringes behind the peaks. “The Kingsveil kind of got in the way of all that,” she said. “We get by, but I think it’s been almost a year since anyone left the Badlands.”

“This Kingsveil,” Polaris said. “That is what you call the Stormwall?” Echo nodded. “So, no pony has left your little valley since this cosmic phenomena was observed, perhaps further back… hm…”

“How’s that?” Echo asked.

Polaris’ eyes wandered skyward, and he let out a huff. “Nothing, don’t worry about it.”

They had trotted nearly an entire block before Polaris froze in his tracks. “Wait a minute! If no pony leaves this valley,” he said. “Where on earth did all this come from then?”

“What do you mean?” Echo tilted her head.

“How large was this supposed original group that traveled with your founder?”

“Only a few dozen I think.”

“There are certainly more than a few dozen here today!”

“Oh that’s easy, they just had lots of kids! And their kids had lots of kids…”

“How?” Polaris asked. “Why, unless their dozens were perfectly divisible by three, how could each pegasus unicorn and galloway reliably find a mate? The genetic conundrum of this place has been puzzling me for some time now.”

And then Echo let out a soft sigh and her brow creased. “Oh, Polaris… You see, that was never a problem.”

“How so?” And then Polaris remembered the statue of Rat Tail. The Galloway born in Sylvain with a Unicorn tail. His eyes shrunk. “You don’t mean… no…”

A large flock of happy ponies trotted by, flatbreads hanging from their mouths as they contentedly marched back to work. Their tails bounced and swayed as they went, and Polaris finally saw it.

There was a galloway amongst them with the thin tail of a unicorn. His fetlocks and his build were unmistakably galloway, but his tail was thin and tasseled like a unicorn’s. It’s generally hard to see with a coat as dark as his, but the color drained from Polaris’ face. He glanced one way, and he saw a pegasus with a long, bushy galloway tail. He turned in another direction.

And then he saw a unicorn with a pegasus tail. A tall, proud, horned unicorn with the short, flayed tail of a pegasus.

His knees were trembling by then.

“Polaris?” Echo put her hoof on his shoulder. “Is everything okay?”

“You…” Polaris swallowed. “You intermingle.”

“Pardon?”

“Intermingle! Play for the enemy! Cross the streams!”

“Polaris!” and there came Lightning and the two kids. Smokey and Snowy carried the boxes, and Lightning came bounding over. She laughed and leapt into the air, and once more Polaris caught her with his magic.

“Private!”

“Yeah?”

“We have a serious problem!” He held her there for a moment and then set her down.

“What’s wrong? Are you sick? Ohmigosh is your leg---”

“My leg is fine,” Polaris looked around and sputtered. A mare passed by, one of the ponies he spied earlier.

He tugged her tail with his magic and stopped her in her tracks. Echo, Lightning, and the children cringed and backed away. Smokey covered Snowy’s eyes. Polaris pointed at the pegasus mare’s galloway tail. “This is the problem!” he said.

“Er, Polaris?”

“Does this not strike you as odd?”

“Polaris!”

Too late. The unicorn scholar received a sound buck in the face from the mare. She turned up her nose and stormed off. Neither Lightning or Echo hurried to make sure he was okay. He shook his head and stumbled back to Lightning. “This place… this entire valley… The three tribes are intermingling!”

That earned him a few looks from the onlookers. Echo laughed nervously and closed the distance between her and Polaris.

“Oh?” Lightning titled her head. “I knew that already.”

“How?! Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I mean, after the story about Sir Rat Tail I assumed it was normal.”

“Normal… Normal?!” Polaris shook his head. His hooves nearly failed him as he stepped about. “Mismatched tails… mismatched tails! The one tell of mixed heritage! You’re not supposed to find more than one in a hundred, let alone two in a row! But here in the valley…” And then he looked at Smokey and Snowy, and he finally got a good look at Snowy’s long, tasseled tail and Smokey’s short, birdish tail. “You too?!”

“Us two?”

“Your tails…” But then Polaris forced himself to smile. “You two are… native… to the valley… of course. Of course the valley’s young would have more tails mismatched. And both your sets of parents… such a case would have to be isolated to this area.”

“Both our what?” Snowy put her hooves together and thought hard, but then her brother spoke up.

“We had the same parents,” Smokey said. Polaris gasped. “We’re twins.”

And Polaris just about screeched. Several words tried to tumble out of his mouth, but the sound just wouldn’t come. Echo had to grab him by the shoulders. “Polaris? Polaris, listen. I’m sure you’re a nice guy, a great guy, and there’s not a hateful bone in your body, but you gotta take a breath and calm down before you say something stupid! …Again, I mean…”

A cup of something sweet and fruit flavored did Polaris good, but he was still suffering from some form of culture shock. Echo sat across from him at the table, at the very same outdoor cafe Tall Tail had bought fried bananas for them, in fact. When Polaris wasn’t staring off into space, he was looking at a chart Echo had drawn on a napkin. She had been explaining something to him for the last twenty minutes or so.

“Don’t they teach this in Lustre?” she asked. “You’d think something so important would be common knowledge for such an educated nation.”

“No…” Polaris said. “We surely have studies published someplace, but they are not sought out being so… uncomfortable a topic.”

“Uncomfortable,” and Echo mumbled something else under her breath. “Indeed. Look, one more time.” She pointed down at her chart. “Pony genetics are weird, really weird, even by other creature’s standards. If, for example, a unicorn marries a galloway and they have a foal together, they’ll give to birth to either or. They won’t have a half-galloway or a half-unicorn. You follow?”

Polaris nodded glumly.

“But if a galloway with a unicorn parent marries another galloway… then they’ll only give birth to another galloway, at least ninety-nine percent of the time. Generations could pass, and you’d never know a galloway’s great-great-grandfather was a unicorn! In other species, you’d get genetic tells from mixed heritage, but in ponies you’d be lucky to have anything more than an eye or a mane color pass on. Or a tail, of course, but outside the valley that should be pretty uncommon. It’s all very weird, but that’s just how it is.”

Lightning and the twins returned with their own treats from the food stall. They heard most of the conversation even from afar, so they weren’t missing much once they took their seats.

Polaris blinked a few times. “If even part of that is true… then no pony has any guarantee they don’t have an ancestor from another nation.”

“Yeah, kind of!”

“Well… unconventional genetics regardless, how can this valley thrive if there are only so many ponies to go around? Surely some must be related to another in some fashion after only a few generations.”

“Oh, of course,” Echon nodded. “That’s where new blood comes in.”

“New blood?”

“New foals entering the valley.”

Polaris shook his head. “How does that even happen.”

“The magic leads them here,” Echo sat up and pointed back at the statue of Rat Tail. “Just like how Rat Tail led the misfits and unwanted ponies to the valley, when a foal has nowhere to go, their wandering will take them to the valley of life. The magic protects them from the worst of the Badlands, and the residents of Harmony will take care of them once they make it here. Some return to their nation when they were old enough, but most stay.” She smiled and sighed. “In the old days it used to happen all the time. Now we’re lucky if we get a new resident before five years pass.”

“Do you know of any such ponies?”

“We had some arrive not too long ago,” Echo reached over and ruffled Snowy’s mane. “Smokey and Snowy here are foundlings. They were barely three years old when they wandered into the valley and Tall Tail took them in.”

Polaris shook his head. “Then who’s to say their birth family isn't looking for them? Who are the ponies of Harmony to just claim any foal that enters the valley?”

“Life is a lot easier in Cabalos than it was in the old days. The nations have orphanages, and charities, and communication is so easy… it’s much harder for a foal to simply be forgotten. We assume if a foal ends up in the valley, they truly have nowhere else to go.”

“But how…” He trailed off and didn’t finish.

“How what?”

“How can you guarantee…” and he trailed off again.

“Guarantee what?”

“Proper social development?” Polaris asked.

Lightning thoughtfully sipped her fruit drink. Echo kept smiling, something about her expression made the shadows on her face darker. Smokey and Snowy shifted uncomfortably in their seats. She took another sip. “How do you mean?” Echo still smiled.

“Can pegasi and unicorns really tend to each other’s needs?” Polaris asked. “Say you have a foal raised by two ponies of a different tribe?”

“We have plenty of those,” Echo Shade’s brow was set in a straight line. Polaris had to work hard not to fumble.

“Or perhaps two parents and a foal, and each are one of the three tribes?” Polaris asked.

“Again, several,” Echo Shade squinted. “What are you getting at?”

“Can a pegasus raised by unicorns really be the best they can be as opposed to being raised by pegasus parents? Will parents be able to meet a foal’s every need if they’re not… the same… um…”

“Okay,” Echo held up a hoof. “Now I advise you to stop that train of thought before I smack you upside the head.”

Echo Shade gestured around her. “Look, most everyone’s happy and comfortable in their skin because they know growing up that it’s normal to be surrounded by all these different kinds of ponies! Not everyone is raised the same, but everyone’s circumstances are already different! That’s true whether you were born in the valley or outside.”

Polaris was politely taking everything Echo said in silence.

“I may be just a bit biased,” she said. “And I’m not saying you couldn’t get the same experience from a single-tribe community, but I for one don’t feel deprived by being around a bunch of non-unicorns because I had all kinds of ponies to learn from and make friends with! You’re new here so I’m explaining it to you, but if you want to discuss social theory with other Harmonites, I advise you tread carefully, capisce?”

Polaris swallowed. “I guess I capisce.”

Afterwards they decided it was time to look for Tall Tail and figure out what they should do next. They finished their drinks and snacks, paid the vendor, and went on their way. With nothing better to do, Polaris didn’t speak much the entire time.

“How was the doctor?” Lightning asked Polaris. “That’s where she took you, wasn’t it?”

“She didn’t,” Polaris held up his leg and frowned. He set it down. “I was subject to some kind of home-remedy by a grouchy basement-dweller in a shack. It worked well enough, credit where it’s due.”

“Not your cup of tea, huh?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Tea… tea… That nice filly made the best iced tea I’ve ever had. I wonder where she’s at… I could really go for another cup.”

None of them noticed Slashbuckler drift by with a piece of bread in his mouth. He took a big bite and fell in step with Echo. He eyed Polaris’ front leg, which still had some of the potion left on it. “I see he’s met Apple Gloom,” he looked at Lightning. “Is that why he was freaking out earlier?”

“No,” Lightning shrugged. “I guess Lustrians don’t like the idea of the three tribes having foals together.”

“Oh. Heh,” Slash took another bite. “Doesn’t surprise me at all.”

“I was shocked, that’s all,” Polaris said. “I was under a different impression after speaking to the two of you. Miss Unicorn, your parents were both unicorns, correct?”

“I think so?”

Polaris pointed at Slash. “And you are full pegasus, right?”

“Oh, I’m a pegasus alright,” Slash said with a nod.

“That’s good…”

“My dad was a Galloway, though.”

And Polaris made that weird, squeaking screeching sound again. Lightning held his shoulder and Echo ran between him and Slash. “Now-now, let’s not start that again!”

Polaris took only a moment to compose himself. “Quite right,” he said. “New discoveries are about… allowing oneself to be surprised. I suppose…”

“Miss Lightning, before I forget!” Slash galloped over to Lightning. “Atten-hut!” and he screeched to a stop and stood at attention. “Present heart!”

Lightning blinked. “Hm? …Oh!” And she stood upright and stamped a hoof. “Sir!” She wore a serious expression and saluted with her wing. Slash did the same. The two bowed their heads and flourished their wings at their sides. They stepped closer and held out their hooves.

“Through the fire and thunder!” Slash said.

“Powerful wonders!” Lightning said.

“Bold and unafraid!”

“Meteoras remains!”

And then they clenched their hooves together.

“OO-RAH!”

Slash bashed his forehead into Lightning’s skull. She wobbled a little, blinked a few times, but she stepped away and saluted to Slash one last time, and he did the same. “That was great! I’ve practiced Meteoran Salutes and battlecries, but I never knew a pony who could actually say them back! You really are a soldier!”

The air left Polaris’ lungs as he held his heart and stared, aghast. “Are you TRYING to kill her?! What if that gave her a concussion?”

“Oh, I’m fine!” Lightning said. She shook her head and smiled. “That didn’t hurt one bit. Us pegasi have notoriously thick skulls.”

Polaris blinked. He waited a moment before speaking. “That was very candid of you just now.”

“Mh-hm!” Lightning nodded and smiled.

“Once more, Miss Shade!” They all recognized that voice. It was Paper Pusher, the elder. The frail old mare was accompanied by another elder who looked even older than her. She side-eyed the group. “Once more when there’s noise, it’s you and your motley crew! …Which only seems to be growing bigger by the day.” She turned to her companion. “Is everything finished?”

“I uh… I…” the older stallion had to find his breath. He eventually gave up and just nodded. “I just received word.”

“And of the perfectly bare stone pillar standing behind us?”

He shook his head and smiled. “On hold, Tall Tail’s request. The storm, you know.”

The sky boomed once as if in response. “I guess that saves us the trouble of asking,” Smokey mumbled.

“Then I suppose things can finally wind down for now.” Paper Pusher looked back at Echo Shade. She motioned her head in the direction of the campfire. “Your master is waiting for you. Do make sure the dinner stays under control while you’re there.” And she trotted off.

“That’s a lot of concern for something she never attends,” Slash tore out another bite from his snack.

It was good to see Tall Tail again. He stood next to the large pile of wood that had accrued right by the lake. A fairly large crowd was gathering, and ponies were carting over wagons and bags full of food. The foals had gathered in a neat clump nearby, just like when Lightning and Polaris first came to town. Lightning couldn’t imagine being responsible for all those little foals for such a big part of the day, but he didn’t seem any worse for wear.

“Miss Lightning! Thank you so much for your help. You’ve earned yourself a break. Sir Polaris! Back on all four feet, I see?” Tall Tail smiled. Polaris set his brow and grumbled something. “Echo, take you and your friends over there. Smokey, Snowy, you too. Everyone?!” Tall Tail’s deep, grand voice carried over the group. “I know you’ve heard this a lot over the past few days but we really are proud of all we’ve managed to accomplish.” A few cheers and hoots came from the crowd.

“With the Pillar of Hope as my witness, I can confirm on behalf of all the elders that construction is concluded and Harmony is finally ready for the festival tomorrow.”

An ovation followed, and a few ponies even stood up for it.

“Us Elders and those adjacent have a few finishing touches to take care of, but we thought we’d bust out the bonfire and get this ball rolling first. The food will be ready to fry in just a moment, but first! How about a word from the Headhorse?”

And a hush fell over the crowd. The older stallion from earlier, sans Paper Pusher, slowly worked his way over to Tall Tail with slow and deliberate hoofsteps.

“Who’s the he?” Lightning whispered to Echo.

“The Headhorse is in charge of Harmony,” Echo whispered.

“Like a mayor?”

“Kind of? He’s supposed to have final say on every decision the council makes, but mostly he just stands there and looks pretty.”

The Headhorse breathed in and out a few times. “Now then…” he almost whispered. Every pony leaned forward a little as they strained to listen. “Hoo, my lungs just ain’t what… where was… hm…”

“The bonfire, sir,” Tall Tail whispered.

“Ah yes! Of course! Er-hem,” and some vigor entered his voice. “I know this happens every year, and I know you know the elders love our stunts to keep you all happy.” That earned a laugh from the crowd. “But we really do appreciate you all putting up with us, and big meals like this is the least we could do. This all started when I was a foal if you could believe it! Though surely the tradition stretches much farther back… back to Sir Rat Tail myself if I recall… But that’s more of Tall Tail’s expertise.

“I could reminisce for you all, or give another long-winded speech about how great and productive we all are, but there a few buckets of oats and barrels of carrots over there that deserve much more attention than me, and I can’t wait to have a bite myself! So have at it says I, by gar!”

And the old horse horked and spat into the firewood. Everyone cheered.

“What a wry old horse,” Lighting heard Polaris say.

“Stay back, everyone,” Tall Tail said. A few unicorns stepped forward, including Smokey, and they carefully lowered their heads so that their horns touched the base of the pile of wood. “On three! One… three!”

No less than three different magic sparks from their horns and the wood was quickly set ablaze. The wave of heat made everyone’s mane fly back, and Smokey tumbled back into Echo. An absent-minded pegasus flying nearby was sent rocketing into the sky from the updraft. Slash watched them ascend higher and higher. “...They’ll be down in a minute,” he said. “...I think.”

With the bonfire lit, everypony went to work. Pans, pots, and all kinds of cookware were brought over to the fire. Ponies poured sticky dough that had been left to rise all day into pans with latched lids, which they closed and stuffed right into the coals of the fire. Long stakes were lined with corn, carrots, radishes, and potatoes, and these were set against special stands that kept them at just the right angle to toast nicely against the heat. Stews and soups were whipped together on the spot, and the pots were set to boil.

Unicorns did most of the cooking, pegasi did most of the meal prep, and galloway brought all of the ingredients. A steady train of meals sent to the fire to cook and meals coming off ready to eat formed. Ponies sat in the grass and talked or played while they waited. Foals ran about as their parents worked or socialized.

“Is there anything we can do to help?” Lightning Bug asked.

“Oh please, just kick back and relax, hon!” Echo Shade said. “You’ve done a great job all day. Leave it to the rest of us.”

“Smokey, Snowy?” Tall Tail called. His two children quickly reappeared at his side the moment they heard his voice. “You are free to do as you please, but the Pillar of Hope will not be bare by tomorrow morning, is that understood?”

“Yes, father.” The two foals nodded their heads.

“Good, so long as that is clear… have any of these ponies started making treats, or is it all just been food so far?”

“Just plain ol’ food,” Snowy said.

“Hrm. Snowy, if you could do me one favor, could you fly back to town? We need a big bag of marshmallows.”

“But we don’t have any at home, father.”

Tall Tail’s bushy eyebrows arched. “Really? I could’ve sworn there was a great big bag sitting on the dinner table, nearly big as you.”

Snowy’s eyes lit up. “Can we make smores?!”

“Only if you’re quick.”

“Oh boy oh boy!” And she was nothing more than a white streak in the air, dashing back to town for the bag.

“Now then, Echo Shade?”

“Yes Master?”

“I need to go speak with the elders. You watch the foals.”

“Um… okay!” Echo forced a smile. “But what should I do?”

“You’re training to be a lorekeeper, aren’t you? Just keep them entertained and away from the fire.” And he trotted off.

“He likes to tell people what to do, doesn’t he?” Polaris asked with a huff.

“He’s the master,” Echo said with only a little resignation. “But I let him get away with it. He’s nice enough when things aren’t busy.”

“I’ll go grab you all some grub!” Slash stood up and went for a place in line.

Thunder boomed lightly overhead. The sky was still bright, and the sun had yet to set over the mountaintops, but Lightning was still nervous. “If it rains, do you think they’ll call off dinner?” she asked.

“Honestly I haven’t a clue. This place is so odd, maybe eating soggy food as you sit drenched in the rain is a time-honored tradition here!”

“It is definitely odd,” Lightning said. “But I like it here.”

Polaris scoffed. “Certainly not more than your home country, private?” Lightning didn’t answer. “Private?”

“It’s nice here,” Lightning said. “And everyone’s nice to me. At least… I haven’t screwed up bad enough to get them mad at me yet. I’m not sure I ever will! I just… I don’t think I’ve ever felt more at home since I was a little filly back in Mistral.”

“Yes, but what about your comrades? Or your family?”

Lightning thought long and hard. The light drained from her eyes. The orange flames of the bonfire flickered on her face. “Nobody will notice if I disappear for a little bit,” she mumbled. “Not that anyone ever has.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing, look! Slash is back with the food!” And Lightning ran up to Slash before Polaris could ask any more.

Sandwiches toasted to perfection, roasted carrots and potatoes, bowls and bowls of soup, and a pitcher full of iced tea was laid down on a large picnic blanket. Lightning had to suck up some drool. The cheese sandwich felt like forever ago.

“I can only grab a quick bite,” Echo said. “I gotta get back with foals. Plus, got to work early on my summer look!” she said with a wink and a toss of her mane.

Slash rolled his eyes and bit into a sandwich. Polaris prodded a bowl of soup with his spoon. “Never had any before?” Slash asked with a full mouth. “They don’t make soup in Lustre?”

“We make soup, thank you very much,” Polaris said. “I’m just not sure what this is.”

“It’s just potatoes, veggies, and stock,” Echo said. “Perfect after a long day of work! …And stress.”

“Where’s the protein?” he asked.

“I thought Lustrians didn’t like meat, so…” Echo said.

“Who said anything about meat? Where are the mushrooms? Really, even some beans would suffice at this point.”

“You’ll live,” Slash said.

Polaris looked Slash in the eye and downed a mouthful of the soup. They glared at each other as they finished their meals.

Lightning slowly worked on a veggie sandwich and savored every bite. She found herself bobbing her head, and before long she realized that some ponies had busted instruments and started playing. Echo was doing the same, she even started humming along.

“Oh! That’s catchy!” she said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before.”

Some ponies finished eating and formed groups to dance. Strings and drums and flutes filled the air as musicians sat in the grass and played for the dancing ponies.

Echo was practically bouncing, even as she ate.

“Miss Echo! Miss Echo!” Tall Tail’s group of foals called out to her. “Dance! Dance!”

“Oh, I can’t!” Echo called over. “I just ate!”

But then she saw the young stallion with the lute strumming along to the music. He looked her way with his deep golden gaze and winked at her.

“...I might have time for one…” Echo grabbed a cup, downed it in one gulp, wiped her mouth, and thundered away.

“What’s she doing now?” Polaris asked.

“Just watch,” Slash said with a sigh. “You’ll know soon enough.”

Lightning turned around to watch.

Echo Shade galloped over, she stopped short, and then she leapt into the air, letting loose a shower of sparks right before she landed. The foals oohed and aahed. She stood upright and twirled around. Her horn left trails in the air. The pony with the lute quickened his tempo as Echo stepped to the left, to the right, and twirled with her mane and tail in the wind. Against the orange blaze of the bonfire, she looked wonderful.

Echo knelt down and drew a little shape with her magic. A glowing squirrel appeared, and it was just as lively as a real one. It glanced around, scratched its ears, and dashed around the grass. It sped by the foals and made them stand up and laugh as it passed. It brushed by Lightning, who felt the sparkly magic prickle her coat. It jumped up and nearly landed on Polaris’ face. He yelped and ducked to let it pass. He grumbled again. A few more magical creatures appeared and dashed about the group of foals. They sped away and leapt into the air before dispersing into a series of sparks.

A trail of magic flowed from Echo’s horn. It followed her like a ribbon, blowing in the wind, trailing her as she moved. She moved like a ribbon dancer as she twirled her magic around. She formed a lasso that spun on the ground. She stepped into the lasso, and she stepped out, and then it returned to its ribbon shape and she spun it around and around.

“I got it!” Snowy’s voice came from down the hill. The white pegasus filly flew over, dragging a thick cloth bag with her feet. She was panting, but she was smiling. Her father ran to meet her.

“Good job, that was fast.”

“Father, what’s Echo doing?”

Tall Tail looked over to the music and dancing. “What is she doing indeed?”

Lightning looked up at him. “She’s just having a little fun,” she said.

Tall Tail’s brow furrowed. “Lorekeepers can entertain, but we are not ourselves entertainers. We don’t draw attention to ourselves. Echo Shade!” he called.

“Yes master?” Echo wasn’t bothered in the slightest. The lutist continued to play.

“Don’t you think this is all a little distracting?” Tall Tail called.

“I was supposed to entertain the foals, wasn’t I?” she called back.

“Yes but… This is prime opportunity to hone your craft!”

“I am honing my craft!”

The music reached a climax. The lutist managed to pluck a delicate and intrinsic melody before following up with a wild strum to several different chords in a row.

Echo twirled her ribbon around, and around, and around, and its shape melted into several tiny lights, like a spinning galaxy. It grew larger and larger, and the moment the last note was hit, the lights exploded with a sound like fireworks.

Magical diamond dust showered the cheering foals as Echo took a graceful bow. The musician joined her. The moment they raised their heads they started chatting incessantly.

“That was traditional Sylvain folk music!”

“You recognized it! I knew there had to be some filly around here who knew her music. Imagine my surprise when it came from a unicorn! You’re a talented, interesting mare, aren’t you?”

“Me a mare? Oh stop it, please,” and Echo giggled and waved his words away. They shared a few more words before they parted ways smiling.

Tall Tail huffed. “Paper Pusher isn’t here, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t lurking around the corner, waiting to spoil everything.”

The musician passed them by. “Nice playing, bard!” Slash called over. “What’s your name again?”

“Hi, Meadow!” Lightning cheered and waved.

“Why haven’t I seen you before?” Slash asked. “You should perform in town more often.”

“Why thank you,” Meadow turned to Tall Tail. “Toss a coin to your bard, good sir?” he asked with a smile.

Tall Tail looked at the young galloway and groaned. “Oh hay, where did you come from?”

“I’m but a simple bard. If I were to answer truthfully, I’d have come from both everywhere and nowhere at all!”

Slash blinked. “How’s that?”

“I was afraid of that,” Tall Tail said. “You’re another Outsider.” Meadow smiled. “Just keep a low profile, would you?”

“But sir? This is the lowest I operate!”

“I can vouch for that,” Polaris said glumly.

Meadow looked back at Slash. He had stopped smiling.

"Something the matter?" Meadow asked.

Slash set his brow. He opened his mouth several times. "I'm… I’m suspicious of you!" And then he turned around and went back to his meal. Meadow just shrugged and trotted off.

“Excuse me?” a tiny voice asked. Lightning looked beside her. A little colt gently tugged her shoulder. “Is miss Lightning here? The outsider?”

Lightning swallowed. “That’s me?” she said.

“My mom was wondering if you’d mind if she sat and ate with you?”

Lightning looked over and saw Miss Felucia coming her way, balancing a tray of food on her back. She smiled and waved, and Lightning waved back. “I don’t see the problem!”

“Do you mind if she invites a few friends over?” he said. “They’re all really curious about you and mister Polaris.”

“I don’t see the problem, so long as it’s just a few.”

It was more than a few. A small audience congregated around the picnic blanket where Polaris and Lightning ate. Slash, Echo and Smokey sat next to her. Polaris didn’t care too much, but Lighting was paralyzed. It felt like every little thing she did was being analyzed and judged by this gaggle of mares and stallions. She nervously sipped her drink.

“This is her? She doesn’t look like a soldier.”

“She’s the one who pulled Rose’s girl from the bog over by the forest.”

“Really? She’s strong. Are all Meteorans that tough?”

Lightning’s hooves rattled her cup as she sipped more tea.

“So, miss Lightning?” Miss Felucia asked. “Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?”

“M-me? Oh, I don’t see the point in that. There’s not much to say…”

“There’s plenty to say! You’re our first visitor in years! We gotta know everything!” A mare next to Felucia said. “Just pretend you’re a popular pegasus princess and we’re all your loyal fans waiting for the juicy gossip! Just relax and let loose! Tell us everything.”

Playing the part of a princess did not incline Lightning to relax. She gulped. Echo sat next to her and smiled.

“Oh, okay. Um… my name is, uh… my real name is…” her face was flushed. “Everyone just calls me Lightning Bug,” she said. “That’s what I like people calling me.”

“Hi, Lightning Bug!” the crowd said in unison. Lightning squinted and tried to smile.

“Don’t kill the mockingbird,” Polaris sipped some tea of his own.

“Where are you from?”

“Um… Meteoras. All pegasi…” Lightning noticed Snowy trot over and sit down. “...Most pegasi come from there.”

Pause.

Polaris leaned over. “I think they knew that.”

“Oh.”

“How far is your home from here?” a stallion asked. “Did you fly all the way?”

“I couldn’t, it’s much too far,” Lightning said.

“Even if you flew really, really fast?” Snowy asked.

Lightning nodded as she took another drink. “Even if I flew really, really fast,” she said with a smile. “It’s got to be several hundred miles from here, maybe more.”

“Is that longer than the valley?” Snowy asked.

“It is MUCH longer than the valley, come now, Snowy,” Smokey rolled his eyes and looked all important-like and educated. “Why the valley itself is only… only… hrm…”

“We have a map,” a stallion said. “One moment.”

Echo and Snowy cleared a spot on the blanket, and the pony unrolled a thick, old looking map and laid it down. It looked like it should lead to buried treasure, it was even yellow with little gashes out of the edges. All it was missing was an X on the spot.

It was a very old depiction of Cabalos. She could clearly make out the islands of Meteoras, the mountains of Lustre, and the plains of Sylvain, the largest of all. The shape of the continent was very crude, but the mountains and rivers and elevation was very detailed. The text was loopy and elegant-looking, and the margins were covered with notes about the different nations. It was pretty accurate, but some islands of Meteoras were missing, and the Dragonlands were just one large blob at the bottom of the map. ‘Here there be dragons,’ indeed.

The map must have been penned before radios, telegrams, and other long-range communication was available to ponies.

“The valley must end up somewhere in the middle here,” the pony circled around the center of the map with his hoof. “Where do you live?” he asked. The other ponies circled the blanket and crept closer to get a better look. Lightning barely noticed, she was starting to calm down a little.

Lightning sipped thoughtfully as she pored over the map. “I live right…” She pointed her hoof at one of the large islands near the bay of Meteoras, near Skydancer’s Peninsula. It seemed so small now. “Right here, Clan Mistral. That’s where I was born.”

The group gasped. “That’s two thousand miles at least!” Echo said. “You’ve come a long way.”

“What did you do over there?” a colt asked. “Is every pegasus really part of the army?”

“Kind of. I only became a soldier a few months ago,” Lightning said. “I joined the Border Patrol and got stationed near the dragonlands.”

“Did you ever fight any dragons?” Smokey asked, wide-eyed.

The truth was there were many jobs a pegasus could take back home that seemed prestigious compared to guarding the border, but Lightning had never seen anyone act nearly as impressed as Smokey did just now. It felt kind of nice.“Y-yeah of course!” She said with a confident flap of her wings. “That’s what the Border Patrol is meant for! There are nasty dragons trying to sneak into our land all the time to carry away our livestock and crash our airships. That’s why it’s up to us to scare ‘em off. We’re a really special unit, everyone relies on us a lot!”

The crowd oohed. A few even stamped and clapped their hooves.

“That’s so cool! You’re a hero!” Snowy said.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Lightning said with a shy smile.

“What’s it like over there?” A pegasus asked.

“It’s… it’s home. It’s wonderful,” Lightning gazed to the east and smiled. “The sky is always so bright, the sea is so blue and shines like a diamond… There are boats and ships both on sea and in the air. The islands are beautiful. The ones farther west are covered in trees and forests, and the ones to the east are covered in these giant beautiful buildings called skyscrapers. The capital of Stratopolis has the tallest buildings in the empire. Maybe the entire world!”

“How do they build them so high?”

“Cloudcraft.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s what pegasi do to build tall, superlight buildings. We just mix clouds with our building materials. It’s super efficient, and cost-effective! Cause we’ll never run out of clouds.”

Everyone laughed at that. Lightning liked it. It was good to make people laugh.

“Whatever do they do with all those floors?” an older fellow asked. “What’s the point?”

“Pegasi live in them!” Lightning said. “But usually it’s reserved for only the most decorated soldiers.”

“Did you live in a skyscraper, Lightning Bug?” someone asked.

“Oh, heavens no!” Lightning giggled. “I grew up in Asperhone, that's a small town in Mistral. I grew up in a little house on stilts by the beach.”

“Then how did you end up in the badlands?”

Lightning paused.

Why indeed? Where to begin?

“Um… When I became a soldier,” she said. She pointed at one of islands near the dragonlands' border. “We were stationed here, near clan Sirocco to the south. We were supposed to check for dragons and then have a rendezvous over near the border-sands… But then dragons chased us over the border.”

“No way!” Every foal present was on their hooves now, even Smokey and Snowy. “There were dragons in the badlands??”

“What did they look like?”

“How big were they?”

“Were you scared?”

“Did anyone get eaten?”

“Hush all of you!” Echo’s horn flashed. They all shrank back. When they looked back at Lightning, she didn’t look very scared, or worried, or even that upset. She let out a very tired sigh.

“We all got caught in a thunderstorm,” she said. “I don’t really know what happened after that. I don’t even know what happened to them.”

The group was quiet for a while.

“Why did you become a soldier, Miss Lightning?” a mare asked.

Lightning tried to smile. “I just wasn’t a good fit anywhere else,” she said. “It happens. I tried being a delivery pony for a store, but that didn’t work. I tried working on a railway, that didn’t work either. I even worked at my dad’s factory for a little while.”

“And border patrol was the best fit?” someone asked. Nobody said anything. Lightning’s eyes wandered across the map. Smokey looked confused, but Snowy and Echo shared a glance. Lightning reached up and tugged at her necklace.

“Please,” Polaris said. “Save your stunned silence. We haven’t even talked about Lustre yet.”

“That’s right! Sir Polaris, what’s it like back home? Do the unicorns build their own skyscrapers?” the group got chatty again, finally.

“We have no need,” Polaris said. “Our cities are completely underground.”

“Really?!”

“Indeed. Astir na Nog is completely embedded into the tallest mountain. At night, you can see the lights of the city shine through the stone. At the peak of the mountain lies the skydome. That’s where the Holy Palace rests, where the Holy Priestess presides. The dome lets the palace bask in the sun during the day, and the moon at night. It was where I worked and lived most of my life.”

And that was just the start of the questions and answers about Lustre.

“What an absolute priss,” Slash grumbled. “Couldn’t let you keep the limelight for more than a minute, could he?”

Lightning didn’t say anything. She was actually having trouble talking. Her throat hurt. She tugged and tugged at her necklace until it nearly broke, but that wasn’t the reason why. Her lip trembled.

Echo touched Lightning’s shoulder and led her away from the group.

“Lightning? Hon?” she asked gently. “Do you miss your home?”

And Lightning’s voice almost broke. “A little,” she gasped. “Just a little.”

“Lightning, I never wanted to pressure you into anything! If you want to go back to your family I--”

“No! It’s fine!” Lightning sniffled hard and ran a hoof across her snout. “I can’t go back yet, not until, well.. It’s fine! I want to stay, I really do.”

“You’re sure?”

“Sure I’m sure! I just get emotional sometimes, that’s all. I haven’t been in the army long enough to get it beaten out of me.” She tried to laugh, but Echo didn’t look very convinced.

The party was winding down a little. Most of the ponies’ bellies were full of food and cheer. It wouldn’t last long, word was once everyone settled down a little, dessert would begin.

Assuming the thundering clouds above didn’t finally break into a storm.

There was about an hour of sunlight left.

“Polaris?” Lightning whispered.

“What is it?” The two helped pick up the scattered odds and ends from the cook out. They were being gathered together and brought by the great big lake to be cleaned.

“Thanks for earlier. When you talked about Lustre.”

“Earlier?”

“You took the heat off me when I started getting… um…” She tugged her necklace. “I appreciate it, that’s all.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

They handed the pots, pans, and cooking sticks over to the ponies at the lake. They had a tub of soap and a pile of sponges and scrubbers. One round of cleaning and the pots looked brand new. They didn’t seem to mind getting a little bit of soap into the lake. It probably wasn’t the harsh kind the nations used back home. The two walked away to grab one more batch before heading back.

A little bit away, Lightning picked up a pan with her hooves, but it slipped from her grip. She fumbled and gasped, but she couldn’t catch it. It was an old pan, and its handle snapped off once it bounced on the grass. For a moment Lightning just stared at the broken thing.

“I’m sure they don’t mind,” Polaris said. “They’ll just melt it down and make a new one.” When he looked over at her, Lightning’s lip was trembling. She wouldn’t look away from the thing she broke. “It was just an accident,” he said softly.

“It’s always just an accident!” Lightning shook her head and stomped away. Polaris ran the broken pan back to the washers by the lake, and Lightning was right where he left her. He motioned towards the bonfire, and she followed him.

“You weren’t serious, are you?” Polaris asked.

“Serious about what?”

“Never returning to Meteoras. Leaving your comrades.”

“I never said that! I might just stay for a bit, that’s all! …Assuming I don’t make things worse,” She said. “I can make sure they all know I’m okay later.”

Polaris swished his tail as they walked back to the bonfire. “So long as it doesn’t impede your mission, whatever that was,” Polaris said. “It occurred to me that you’ve never directly told me what happened to you before the badlands.”

“What is there to say?”

“Private, you’ve been very dodgy about the whole thing. Border patrol, soldiering… it’s not exactly age appropriate work, is it? Hardly a much of an honor either. You told me your stormtouch kept getting you into trouble. Losing all your jobs, joining the military, getting deployed out here… they wanted to get rid of you, didn’t they?”

Polaris paused. He turned around. Lightning had stopped following him. She studied her hooves.

“Private?”

She looked up at him and frowned. “Figured that out all on your own?” and she walked away.

“Private, wait!” Polaris galloped after her. She idly walked the edge of the lake, she kept glancing at the big body of water, and her eyes drifted down to her reflection. Polaris walked in step with her. He was quiet again. It was almost ten whole minutes before anyone spoke again.

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re right though. That’s your problem, Polaris,” Lightning shook her head and sighed. “You’ve got no tact, but you’re always right. They wanted to get rid of me.”

“What could you ever do to warrant such a thing?”

“It’s because I’m such a stupid, clumsy pegasus, that’s why!” and Lightning really did start to cry. “I crash into things, I break things, and the moment I think I can do good, my stormtouch always gets in the way! MY STUPID STORMTOUCH!” she slammed her hooves into the water. Her hooves sparked as she sobbed. “But nobody said anything! They just kept smiling and smiling. Nobody’s allowed to tell a Clan Mistral pony that she doesn’t belong! They’ll just clam up when you’re around and talk behind your back when you leave. And then they’ll hand over the pink slip and say goodbye, with a smile.”

She calmed down a little. She pushed part of her mane away from her face.

Polaris pursed his lips. “I take it pegasi care more about saving face than being honest.”

“Yeah.”

“And every pegasi was like that? Surely not your parents.”

“Of course not. I was their kid. They love me, they have to. They kept telling me how great I’d be if I just looked a little longer, because I was their girl and they’d love me no matter what. But to everyone else… I was just Lightning Bug. The screw up. The military was the only place that would take me on. But I knew it was just a matter of time until I screwed up as a soldier, and it’s just a matter of time until I screw up here.”

“These ponies seem reasonable,” Polaris said. “I’m sure they’d take care of you, no matter what.”

“No! That’s even worse!” Lightning said. “There’s nothing worse than being surrounded by people who think they’re obligated to help me!”

“And why is that?”

“Because… because…” Lightning shook her head. She looked north. Her eyes settled on the pillar. Polaris saw a gleam in her eyes.

Lightning suddenly took off, and Polaris followed her.

He found her a few strides away. Tall Tail was guarding the box of candles and ribbons that Smokey had just finished consolidating. “Girl, you’d best forget about it,” the unicorn pointed at the sky. “The heavens are ablaze! You’ll likely hurt yourself.”

When Tall Tail wasn’t looking, Lightning leaned down to Smokey. “Smokey?”

“Yeah?”

“Could you help me with something? It would mean a lot to me.”

“Sure…! Anything!”

“What’s the pattern for the ribbons on the Pillar of Hope?”

“Oh, that’s easy.”

“Private!” Polaris called to her just as she took the box and flew away, to the pillar.

The thunder was still rolling when Lightning finally reached the final star pillar. She clamped the box in her hooves. She could still hear the distant shouts of the ponies below. Amongst them she could hear Polaris. They didn’t understand, if there really was another thunderstorm coming, that meant she was the only pony who could safely fly. Everyone else should just stay on the ground. She watched Smokey and Snowy for each Pillar, she knew how to wrap these ribbons all by herself. She wished she thought of the candles though. Maybe somebody else would just take care of that later, when it wasn’t so windy.

Windy like the night the dragons attacked her team.

Echo Shade had called the final Star Pillar ‘the wings,’ and now she saw why. Its symbol was a kind of arrow, or a beacon, with large wings at either side. She could clearly make it out from almost a mile away, and the closer she got, the taller it got. It was exactly the same height as the previous pillars, but for some reason flying up to it on her own made her feel so small.

Lightning swallowed and prepared to land. She got the yellow ribbons ready and pegged the first one to the ground. She grabbed it and flew carefully up to the top. She wrapped it around, just like Smokey had said, and tied it. A few more to go.

She tried not to think about flying dragons when she grabbed the next ribbon and tied it.

“Private!” Polaris had finally caught up with her. “The old man said to leave it be!”

“I’m almost finished!”

“They’ll take care of it later, let’s run back before the storm really hits!”

“Storms don’t bother me, remember?” She flew down to grab the next ribbon.

“It’s-it’s pointless!” Polaris tried to stop her but she already flew away. “You have no reason to put yourself in so much danger.”

“It’s not pointless!” Lightning flew back down and pegged the next ribbon in. Polaris used his magic to move the box, but Lightning dashed for it and got the next ribbon anyway. She flew it up and tied it. “I have to do it, I have to help!”

“Why though?” Polaris asked. “Why go through all of this? Heck, why follow me up the mountain in the first place!”

“Because!” Lightning flew back down and pegged the ribbon.

“Because what?”

“Because I’m tired of being a useless pegasus that everyone else has to baby! I’m tired of being coddled by captains, being pitied, and sitting around while everyone else does the hard work!” She grabbed the fifth ribbon and tied it.

“And doing this will make it all better?”

“I… No…” Lightning grabbed the final ribbon. “But it would be a start!” She tied the ribbon down. “I want to be better… I want to be a pony people can depend on. I want…”

Lightning flicked her ears. She thought she heard something. Music? Like what she heard on the mountain? No, this was a voice. It was extremely quiet, almost drowned out completely by the thunder, the more she thought about it, the louder it seemed to get.

She looked down at Polaris, he wasn’t saying anything anymore. No other pony was nearby. She didn’t even see the hooded figure from before. It was when she looked back at the Star Pillar of Hope that the voice finally grew loudest.

“Private, what’s the matter?”

Could he not hear it? She could barely hear Polaris with the sound in her ears. She felt her coat prickle. The thunder boomed one more time.

A javelin of light from above struck the pillar. It was pure white. It blinded Lightning and sent her hurtling below with ribbon still in hoof. It was not there one instant and gone the next, the light remained on the pillar and grew brighter and brighter, and the noise filled Lightning’s ears. She knew she hit the ground, and she could feel Polaris run over to her, but she couldn’t hear any of it. The strange noise still overpowered everything.

Then silence. The light disappeared, so did the sound, and for a moment all Lightning could hear was ringing. She felt a shoulder heft her to her hoofs, and her vision finally cleared. Polaris supported her and gently led her away from the pillar. She could see the bonfire and the other ponies gathered back by the lake. She heard booming. It came again and again, its echoes rattled throughout the valley like a cannon shot from a Meteoran airship.

Every pony watched the skies, expressionless.

She heard Polaris swallow. “That sound…” he looked to the west, to Rat Tail’s Watch. “It isn’t the thunder.”

And then they both heard it, that awful sound.

A distant howl. Everything in the valley fell completely silent. Another howl, louder.

And then a roar that blasted from the west. The ground shook, birds flew from their branches, and every pony felt their legs tremble.

And then silence again.

“There’s no way…” Echo whispered.

“There’s a dragon out there,” Slash said. “A big one! I was right!!” and he dashed away.

“Slash, no!” Echo had no hope of keeping up with him. Slash departed, and following his example, the other ponies started shouting and panicking.

“A real dragon?”

“How did it get so close to the valley?”

“What are we going to do?”

Polaris and Lightning bug made their way back to the bonfire and watched the frantic ponies group together and watch the west side of the valley like it was a torus ready to charge. “Everyone please,” the head horse called. “Calm down! We mustn’t make matters worse!”

Their answer was a wave of confused jabbering from the residents that drowned out any other attempt at restoring order.

“Hey, hey!” Tall Tail’s deep, booming voice finally overtook the clamor. “Wouldja shut up and calm down for a moment? The Headhorse has something to say.”

Occasionally the scratching, crumbling sound would creep into the valley, but besides that nobody made a sound. Not even the animals it seemed.

“Thank you Tall Tail,” the headhorse shakily made his way to the front of the lake. “Such a nice young boy. Where was I… yes. This is not the first time danger has found its way near the valley, but its timing certainly couldn’t be worse! I can’t think of the last time a monster or beast managed to choose so auspicious a day to cause mischief. There are a few things we must remember… the magic of the valley keeps us safe.”

The Headhorse gestured to the Star Pillar of hope behind him. “Beasts and even a few monsters have wandered within these cliffs before. That monster certainly is loud... but I reckon its bark is worse than its bite. Secondly… we know the caverns. Beasts have swooped down from the sky before, or climbed the cliffs, but nothing has ever penetrated the caverns proper. Unless such a thing is capable of cutting elderstone…”

Polaris checked to make sure Lightning was alright on her own, and then he marched towards the Headhorse. A few elders had gathered around him. Paper Pusher tried to shoo him away, but Tall Tail let him pass. Polaris opened his bag and produced the sliver of elderstone he had collected when he and Lightning first entered the tunnels. He passed it to the Headhorse with his magic. “We must remain calm, collected, and… er…” the old horse squinted at the small piece of rock. He looked back at Polaris, whose grim expression didn’t need much explaining. The Headhorse swallowed a few times.

“I behest you all in the name of the Wanderer to remain calm… meanwhile I must conduct an emergency meeting with the other elders.”

“And you should come with us,” Tall Tail said. “Both of you,” he pointed with his chin at Lightning. She kept her head low and trudged forward. She and Polaris stuck with Tall Tail as the elders formed a small circle there at the lake. Echo was not invited, but she managed to hover around the group a few paces away without getting dismissed.

“It can cut elderstone??” an elder cried.

“With its bare claws,” Polaris said.

“What is the meaning of this?” Paper Pusher asked. “What do these two know about a dragon outside? They’ve been working for the past days for the festival, haven’t they?”

“Oh,” Tall Tail shook his head. “Get with the times, Pusher!”

“Excuse you?”

“These aren’t residents, they’re outsiders! I invited them to stay for the festival!”

“Outsiders in our midst?! During one of the most important times of year?” The old mare held her heart and gasped, and absolutely none of the other elders showed so much as an ounce of surprise. “You all knew?”

“Please!” Timewinder said. “I think the more pressing matter is what we’re going to do about our own people. If this was brought to our attention yesterday,” she sideglanced Tall Tail. “We might have handled the situation more tactfully, but that’s no longer an option.”

“My point still stands.” Paper Pusher looked around, but the other elders went on speaking without her.

“Worse comes to worst, we’ll have to organize an emergency shelter,” Oaksaw said. “I’m thinking the grotto near the northern falls should be as safe as any.”

“We should prep the guard,” one elder said. “Tell the boys they’re working overtime. They should expect the worst.”

“No!” Lightning cried. “You can’t! That dragon will just gobble them up!”

“We’re no Meteorans, stranger,” the elder said. “But our guards are not pushovers. A dragon won’t be any more dangerous than any of the other creatures prowling the mountains.”

“You don’t understand,” Lightning pointed at the elderstone in the headhorse’s hooves. “This is a giant dragon, the likes of which haven’t left Dynamis in years! It’s stories high, and it‘s much stronger than a pack of direwolf or a torus. My own squad of pegasi soldiers couldn’t take it! If your men aren’t careful…”

“Lass,” Oaksaw the carpenter said. “This may sound strange, but can a dragon that large even fly? Honest question.”

Lightning shook her head. “It can’t. Its wings aren’t big enough.”

“Then we’re safe from an attack from above.”

“I wouldn’t rule that out,” another elder said. “It seems to me this thing could climb the Great Barrier if it were patient enough.”

“The noise has died down for now at least. Perhaps we shouldn’t be hasty. It may just move on.”

“Maybe someone should have told Slashbuckler that.” The elders shared a brief, sad laugh.

“What riled it up in the first place?” Timewinder asked. “We heard rumblings of such a thing for days but nothing so conclusive as now ever happened.”

Polaris cleared his throat. “I think Private Lightning Bug is the only one who can answer that question.”

Lightning gulped. What was she supposed to say? That she heard music? That she thought the Star Pillar of Hope, an ancient artifact made of stone lit up like a Meteoran Winter Tree?

“Um… Have any of you heard of Stormtouch?” Only Tall Tail nodded his head. “I’m a pegasus who can control, well, lightning, (control used lightly here). Sometimes it gets out of control, and I zap other ponies, or I get zapped by thunderclouds. The last time I used my Stormtouch, I struck the dragon, and then I was separated from my squad. I met it once outside, and it recognized me. I think after that bolt just now, it knows I’m here in the valley.”

“Excuse me!” Paper Pusher said. “Am I the only one here that sees what’s happened?” She marched right up to Lightning. She shrank back against the elder’s stare, but Polaris stepped beside her. “You carried important evidence on your persons, withheld valuable intel from the Council of Elders, and freely pranced about in our midst, ate our food, enjoyed the bounties of our sacred home… and only now when danger is nigh do you come clean! What are we to do about this?”

Lightning concurred. What should they do? She never wanted to lie, or keep the dragon a secret. She was just following Polaris’ lead this whole time, and even he said it wasn’t the best idea. Confessing right after something dangerous came knocking wasn’t the best look. If they decided then and there to kick her out of the valley, she’d be at peace with it, but not before she could give her ultimatum.

She’d leave the valley before she let that dragon destroy their home.

“Where do we keep her?” an elder asked.

“The guardhouse?” one stroked his chin. “No, that wouldn’t be safe enough.”

What?

“Loathe I am to admit,” Oaksaw said. “That Guardhouse is a rickety old box of wood. If that dragon makes it into the valley, it ain’t protecting nobody.”

Protect?

“Should she hide with the others?” Timewinder asked. “Would the dragon find her? Where would the outsiders be safest?”

Tall Tail furrowed his brow and tapped his hoof. “They’d be safest out of the badlands, but so long as that thing is prowling outside there’s no sense even letting them leave the valley. It’s as Oaksaw said, if the worst does come they should all go to the grotto. We can only treat them as one of our own, as we’ve been doing.”

Paper Pusher looked at each of her fellow elders. “You can’t be serious.”

“Serious about what?” Tall Tail asked. “Protecting ponies who come to the valley, the way Harmony was intended? Even if there was some misdirection, I don’t see any reason to punish them yet. Aren’t we supposed to uphold Sir Rat Tail’s beliefs?”

“Oh no!” Paper Pusher pointed at Tall Tail. “Don’t play the ‘Sir Rat Tail’ card! That’s an appeal to an idealized figure of authority and you know it!”

“Excuse me?” Lightning raised her hoof. “Do I get a say in this?”

“I concur,” Polaris said. “What if I don’t want to hide in the valley like a foal? What if I want to help?”

“We’re doing our best to speak in hypotheticals, son,” Tall Tail said. “We need to understand our options as thoroughly as possible. There’s the chance the dragon has already left! Then it’d be pointless to do anything we’ve just spoken of.”

Lightning was about to raise her hoof again, but then the air was pierced by this whooshing sound. Every elder instinctively leapt back just as something fell from the sky and landed between them. Lightning yelped and fell over, already preparing to fight or fly, but she didn’t see a dragon. An old, polished bronze shield had dug itself into the ground. Was that dust drifting off of it, or hot air?

Lightning blinked. Wasn’t that the same shield she and Polaris found in the cave?

The sound of rushing wings and then hoofsteps heralded the return of a blue pegasus with a messy yellow mane. “I don’t know about you guys,” he trotted over and drew the shield from the ground, like a sword from a stone, and clamped it onto the leather strap on his foreleg. “But so long as that dragon’s out there, I’m not resting one minute. I think we owe it to Rat Tail’s legacy to make sure that thing stays as far away from the valley as possible.”

“Slashbuckler, where on Cabalos have you been?!” Echo called over.

“I just ran out to take a look,” Slash said. “Look! I found my shield, finally! I musta dropped it when I first found that branch.”

“What did you see, Slash? Is the dragon gone?”

“Oh, no. It’s definitely still there,” Slash said with a shrug. The other elders groaned and held their heads. “It’s been clawing at the mountains non-stop, but it stopped right around the time I turned around. I could still hear it breathing…?”

Lightning sighed.

Slash looked at the elders and smiled. “So… what’s the actual plan?”

“You didn’t hear anything they talked about?” Echo asked.

“No. Like I said, I don’t know about you guys, I literally just got here.”

“Then why’d you launch your shield at us??”

“I heard you arguing and thought it’d be kind of cool to break it up with a dynamic entrance.”

The elders groaned again.

“Listen to me, please!” Lightning pointed at Tall Tail. “I’m the one with the most experience with that dragon. The valley shouldn’t have to do anything. I’ll head out and lead the dragon away from the valley. That way you can have your festival and no Harmonite will have to be hurt.”

“Out of the question!” Tall Tail said. “Your armor isn’t even finished getting repaired, you’d be even worse off than when you came here. Besides, no pony, Harmonite or not, is leaving the Valley of Life until we have a plan.”

“Slashbuckler,” an elder said. “How quickly do you think you can round up all the fellows on guard duty today?”

Slash shrugged. “An hour or two if I’m not hurrying.”

“Good. Find them all, and tell them that the elders will need them tonight, and to await further orders.”

The headhorse nodded to himself as he handed the elderstone back to Polaris. “You keep that for now, lad. Thank you. Now if you excuse us… the elders must make a decision in private.” And then Echo led them away.

The rest of the Harmonites were chatting amongst themselves while the elders continued their secret huddle. The panic had died down, and some of the ponies were even joking amongst themselves, but it remained tense. The valley was still quiet. No birds were singing, and there was no sign of the little critters scampering about.

Lightning groaned and shook her head. Once they were out of earshot, Echo nudged her with a smile on her face. “Isn’t this great?”

“What part of a giant dragon outside the valley is great?” Polaris asked.

“Wait,” only just now did Meadow’s voice finally return. “There’s a dragon??” he called from somewhere in the crowd. “Since when?”

Echo nervously laughed and answered Polaris’ question. “I mean, nobody is ready for Slashbuckler being right about something,” she said with a nod. “I was just worried they were going to kick you out, but they’re going to protect you like any Harmonite! Isn’t it great?”

“No!” Lightning backed away. “No, it’s not!”

“Private?” Polaris asked.

“Why should any of them have to worry about our mistake? My mistake? The dragon shouldn’t be anywhere near the valley to begin with!”

“They might hear you,” Polaris said.

“Hear what? That I lied to them? That this is all my fault?”

“It isn’t, though! No more than I for coming to the mountains, no more than you for finding shelter here.”

“If I was a better soldier I wouldn’t have to run and hide all the time,” Lightning said. “And I’d be able to help without getting you all in danger.”

“Enough, enough!” Polaris’ horn flashed, and Lightning stepped back a little. “This ceaseless self-pity is pointless. The situation was not preferable, the options you were presented with were not favorable, you might have made a single mistake and that’s being generous. Even if every ounce of blame fell squarely on your shoulders however, nothing you say will make yourself feel any better.”

Lightning held her heart with a hoof. “Feel better? Who cares anything about how I feel?”

“Oh please, Private! It’s been clear to me from the very beginning that your incessant need to help others and this whole saga of shame and belittlement you carry is nothing more than a matter of pride.”

“Pride?” Lightning stamped her hooves and flapped her wings. Energy crackled over her coat. “Pride? Polaris, I don’t think you of all ponies are allowed to talk to anybody about pride!”

“Perhaps it takes one to know one.” The two ponies got up in each other’s faces and stared each other down. The unicorn’s horn shone, and the pegasus’ wings surged with energy.

And then Echo stepped between them. “Please, both of you!” she said. “Arguing won’t help either. Let’s just wait for the elders to come to a decision, then we can go from there… calmly.”

The fire left Polaris’ eyes, and his magic ceased. “...Quite.”

The energy on Lightning’s coat dissipated. She lowered her gaze. “I’m sorry for yelling,” she mumbled.

“Fellows?” The headhorse called. Lightning and Polaris were instantly attentive, but the clamor from the crowd persisted.

Tall Tail brought a hoof to his mouth. “Eh-hem!”

That got their attention.

“We have determined that there is no cause for alarm,” the headhorse said, and instantly the crowd responded with incredulous shouting. “The dragon will surely move on in a matter of hours, if not days.”

“Have you gone deaf, old horse? That thing was crying for our blood!”

“It’ll swoop from the clouds and destroy everything as we sleep!”

“Hush now, hush!” Tall Tail called. “Your concerns are noted, but our faith in the magic protecting the valley is strong. Even if the creature is as dangerous as we fear, it still has the tunnels to pass, and even so we rest in the knowledge that nothing evil has ever entered the valley. We must remain hopeful.”

“Nothing evil has entered yet!” someone called from the crowd.

Timewinder cleared her throat. “The outsiders have offered valuable insight on the situation, and we have surmised there is nothing to fear at this moment, but just to be sure…” she glanced about the elders, who all nodded at her. “We will post a guard, one tonight, and one in the morning, in which they shall leave and check for the dragon. Wanderer willing, they will find nothing, and the festival will proceed as planned.”

“This emergency meeting is concluded. Tall Tail, we leave these outsiders in your hooves,” the headhorse said. “All preparations for the festival is complete, you are free to do as you will this night. Go in peace.” And the elders slowly dispersed and made back for the town square. Tall Tail returned to Echo and the twins.

“Father, what do we do if the dragon does enter the valley?” Smokey asked.

“It won’t come to that,” Tall Tail said.

“Are Lightning and Polaris in trouble?” Snowy asked. “Do they have to leave?”

“Oh, of course not. There’s really nothing to worry about.” All the other ponies had returned to the bonfire. Some had brought treats to roast, and some were already playing games, if only slightly quieter than they were before. The thunder ceased, and the clouds rolled by peacefully. “See? Everything is back to normal. Let’s just enjoy ourselves for now.” Tall Tail walked back to the bonfire and carefully seated himself in the grass.

“I thought for sure the elders were going to cancel the festival,” Smokey said.

“Has that ever happened before?” Lightning asked.

“No,” Smokey bit his lip as he looked to the far west, where the roaring had come from. “But we’ve never had a dragon come this close to the valley either.”

“Hm…” Polaris furrowed his brow.

“Smokey, Snowy!” Tall Tail called. “Have our outsider friends had smores before?”

“Smores?” Lightning asked. “Not in a long time.”

Tall Tail smiled. “Snowy, why don’t you show Lightning how to roast some treats over the fire.”

“Oh, okay!”

“I could actually use some sugar,” Lightning said. “All that flying and storm-touching is draining.” She kept walking, and then she noticed that Polaris wasn’t following.

“You go ahead, Private, I’m not hungry.” Polaris stepped back. “I’m going to go find my tent. I may end up pitching it nearby.”

Snowy brought Lightning two bags in her teeth. One was full of white, fluffy things, the other was chocolate pieces. Lightning tried a marshmallow, and it was much sweeter than anything she had ever tasted. It was made with honey. Smokey showed Lightning how to balance the pieces carefully on a large cookie, which was held over the fire by a set of tongs. He knew the exact time to pull it out before it started to burn, when the chocolate had just finished melting and the marshmallows gained a nice golden finish, and the dry cookie was soft and supple from the heat and moisture. It was delicious, of course.

The other ponies had brought their own treats, some were kept in tubs full of cool water to enjoy, while others were placed over the fire. Some placed dough inside round metal pans, put a lid over it, and set it in the coals of the fire. Once they pulled it out, they had a sweet yellow cake with a crispy, chewy bottom. One pony shared his cake with Tall Tail’s family and his guests.

Dusk had fallen, and the light of the bonfire created an orange circle that the ponies huddled around for warmth. Meadow got out his lute and played some songs. He attracted a small audience, mostly fillies. Echo talked at length about this or that, but her master was relatively quiet. The only time he spoke was to tell Snowy to be careful of the bonfire. She was practicing her skydancing, and she tried to fly too close to the fire for his tastes.

As the night wore on, and ponies started heading home, it seemed the panic had completely died down, and everybody was back to joking and laughing, but Lightning could barely bring herself to smile at anything.

She saw Polaris with his saddlebag stride by, and she ran up to him, but before she could say anything, a strange sound made both of their ears twitch. The other ponies kept talking and laughing, but Lightning and Polaris both heard the faint, distant sound of claws raking rock. They’d hear it for the remainder of the night.

Elsewhere…

Found the spark…

Found it…

Found it…

Rock…

Found it…

Found it…

Break rock…

Found it…

Found it…

Soon…

Head hurts so much…

Author's Note

I think it's time to lay down some groundwork for our vision for this story.

Once this premiere storyline concludes, we'll proceed to post more 'episodes.' These will be mostly self-contained, but they will all advance the story. They will also be done on the cheap! They will be written to be posted as fast as possible. Details will be sparse, and we'll be relying on characters and dialogue to carry the story. This means ideally there would be less wait-time between chapters.

We have a question for our readers.

Should we continue to post episodes on this story, or should we post the new episodes on their own entry? The only reason we ask is because the difference in writing style and the massive opening chapters might feel obtuse to some. Then again, it's likely that any finale we have planned will return to the descriptive writing style of the premiere. It may be simpler to just stick to posting on this one, but any input you have would be appreciated!

Next chapter will be posted when it's doneTM.

Harmonize - IV

Seven. Lightning Bug reached out with her hoof and counted. Seven Spirit Stars. Sometimes there were only six, but for the last few nights, there were seven. The seventh star disappeared sometimes, it didn’t always join the others. What use was a seventh spirit star when there were only six alicorn rulers? As much as she hated to admit it, maybe Polaris had a point. When Echo Shade told her story she didn’t seem to be lying though, not in the slightest. Her master Tall Tail believed every word of it, and so did every other harmonite she talked to.

Maybe we don’t get to choose what does or doesn’t make sense in the world, she thought to herself.

The bonfire site was mostly empty now. While other ponies and their little ones went home to sleep, the remaining working ponies were content to lie down on picnic blankets and comforters and whatever else had been left out. They’d wake up early to get the festival ready in time for morning.

Lightning yawned for the umpteenth time. She was sore and tired, and all things considered it wasn’t nearly as bad as a day at bootcamp. Still sleep evaded her. Again.

She tossed and turned once more. Not far she could see Echo curled up in a ball, breathing softly as she slept. Her two siblings were clustered around her. Polaris had removed himself to the fringe of the gathering, and he too slept soundly, with his saddlebag as a pillow. Lightning covered her eyes with her wings and curled up.

Hoofsteps roused her. It wasn’t a single set of hooves, there had to be at least four or five ponies carefully stepping around the bonfire. Lightning peaked from behind her wing. It was the town guard and their dingy shields and spears.

“Slash?” Echo’s voice. “Slash, where are you going?” Echo’s head bobbed sleepily. Slashbuckler had just passed by her.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Me and the guys are just gonna check the perimeter outside the valley.”

“I thought the council said to wait till morning.”

“It is morning,” Slash shrugged and kept walking. “I’ll be back before the festival starts.”

Echo watched him and the other guards slip away. She squinted her eyes and put her head back down to rest. Lightning briefly sat up and watched them go. What if the dragon found them? Should she help?

Probably not. If earlier today was anything to go by, she’d just make things worse. She carefully sat back down and rolled over onto her back, and she tried to fall asleep, and not to worry, and not to think about the burning red eyes of the behemoth dragon.

“Alright, nap time’s over!” the voice of an elder roused Lightning Bug.

The morning was chilly and cool, and the ground was covered in dew. The embers from the bonfire provided some warmth. Lightning Bug spied one elder, Timewinder, moving about the campsite. “Come on, you all,” she gently nudged a sleeping pony. “We’ve got to start bright and early! It’s going to be a busy, exciting day.”

Echo Shade walked by to wake Lightning up, but she was pleased to see she was already up. Polaris joined them. His mane was a mess, and he worked at it with a tiny comb.

“Morning sleepyhead!” Echo said. “You ready for the fun to begin?”

“Where is the blue pegasus?” he asked. Echo pursed her lips. “He left already, didn’t he?”

Echo nodded.

“Figures.”

“Did you want to go with them?”

“Not necessarily.”

“You lot head back into town and make sure the stage is ready for the Lorekeeper’s performance,” Timewinder sent a small group of workers away. “You over there! Tall Tail’s apprentice? Bring your new friends with me, I’m going to need your help going over a few little things back in Town Square.”

“Oh, um, of course!” Echo hopped to her hooves and walked over. “But wouldn’t another elder be better suited for the job?”

“Indeed, I normally do this with Paper Pusher, but she is nowhere to be seen,” Timewinder said. “She’s probably nursing a wounded ego.”

“Oh.”

“To be as non-confrontive as possible, I’d like you to take her place, seeing as you had a fair hoof in driving her off in the first place.”

“No, no, that makes sense,” Echo looked over her shoulder.

“You coming, Lightning?”

“Sure, I guess.” Lightning looked around. “It’s so dismal. And quiet…”

“It’s only like that to start. Once the town wakes up a little and we get some music going it will start to feel like a real festival,” Echo said.

A small band was getting ready to perform on the stage when the group made their way back. There was a set of drums, a trumpet, and a keyboard of all things. Lightning thought she might have found Meadow Skip nearby, but no such luck.

“There’s not much to check with the banners and decorations,” Timewinder said. “But we do need to make sure every shop is open early. You just wait outside, I’ll gently check on the owners.” The first store they checked was the loom where Satin Splash worked. Apparently most of the ponies in Harmony lived in the same building they worked in.

Lightning, Polaris, and Echo sat outside. There wasn’t much to say.

“The sound’s died down,” Echo whispered. “Maybe the dragon really did leave.”

“Mn,” Lightning studied her hooves. Honestly she was doing her best not to think about anything dragon-related.

The band had started rehearsing some number when Timewinder finally stepped back outside. “Onto the next one,” she said. “I’ll have you three split up and knock on each door in this district,” and they agreed.

Lightning was nearby when Polaris rapped on the door of the general store. “Timewinder, is that you?” a voice from inside called.

“On her behalf,” Polaris said.

“Oh, one of the visitors!” And the two ponies stepped outside. “We’ll be ready in just a minute, thank you so much.”

Polaris nodded and moved on to another store, and Lightning did the same.

She rapped on a door, and she heard the hurried answer from a pony inside, so she moved on to the next door. She heard the disjointed music from the band. It sounded like an oldie her mom would listen to on the radio.

The music came to an abrupt halt.

“I thought you said we were supposed to freestyle!” she heard a musician say.

“Freestyle in the style of the festival!” their composer called up to the stage. “None of that, new-age pop music crock! Try something else.”

The musicians shrugged at each other. Once the keyboard-player got going on a melody, the others followed. What followed was somewhere between a Meteoran march and a dirge. “What on Cabalos?! Do none of you understand the power of music? You want the townsfolk to feel like they’re in danger or something?!”

Lightning froze in her tracks when a sound reached her ears. Claws scratching stone.

The dragon was still out there.

“Lightning?” Echo asked. “What’s wrong?”

A howl pierced the air once more, and the townsquare was silent. Before Lightning could open her mouth, the valley was blasted by the dragon’s roar, once more from the west.

Her hooves carried her away before she had time to think. Lightning found herself racing out of town and back over the bridge and down the trail she first rode in the back of a wagon. She was past the pink streamers of the Pillar of Mercy when she heard Polaris and Echo shouting behind her.

The ground was shaking when she finally reached the edge of the valley. She screeched to a stop and looked up the hill that led back into the caverns she and Polaris first entered the valley from.

“Private, what do you think you’re doing?” Polaris asked once he finally came up to her. She barely heard him. The ground shook once more. What was going on outside?

It felt like seconds, but minutes must have passed. A small crowd gathered behind her. She heard a few elders trying to calm everyone down.

“Gain way!!” a new voice cried. Lightning heard thundering footsteps. One by one, the town guard leapt from the shadows of the cave and tumbled down the hill. Ponies ran to catch them and slow them down. Their coats were singed, and they were missing their weapons.

Everyone was blasted by a gust of hot wind, straight from the cave’s entrance. Another pony fled the cave.

“Everyone down!” Slashbuckler’s voice. “Hot stuff, coming through!” The pegasus leapt from the cave, dove for the pony in front of him and pushed him away from the cave.

A blast of fire shot through the cave. Everyone screamed. The stream of fire leapt from the mouth of the cave for several yards. Ponies dove for the ground and covered their heads. It felt like an eternity. Lightning peaked up and watched as the last of the stream of fire dissipated.

And then a howl that shook the entire valley. The dragon’s angry roar shot from the cave and reverberated through everything. Birds cried out and flew away.

Silence again.

“Slash! What the dickens!!” Echo raced up the hill. “Slashbuckler, what happened?”

“We, uh…” Slash helped his fellow guard to his feet. “We found the dragon. It’s definitely out there. Heh…” He seethed and stumbled as he led the guard down the hill. “Couldn’t get a good look at it. We weren’t gonna engage or anything, but it smelled us and got mad, I guess.”

“Are you hurt?”

“Nah, I’m fine. Nothing I can’t fly off.”

The ground shook once more and every pony went quiet. Somebody cleared their throat, and Oaksaw and two other elders approached the crowd of ponies from behind.

“If you all would listen carefully,” they said. “Please, in the name of the Wanderer…” one of them pointed to the northern falls. “Proceed in an orderly fashion to the northern grotto by the falls. Tell any pony you find the same, spread the word. Take any food you can carry, bring only what you need. Thank you.”

The ponies hurried down the hill. The guards were helped up and some had to be carried away. Some of them even went calmly.

The next hour was compounded by ponies hammering wooden planks over the windows and doors of their houses and shops in Townsquare. Parents lead their foals down the dirt road to the falls, each with huge bundles saddled on their backs.

“Any planks or beams leftover should make their way to the grotto!” Oaksaw called above the clamor. “Any able hooves should join in the building effort! We need a tall and sturdy barricade to guard the entrance!”

Presently Lightning Bug and Polaris stuck with Tall Tail, who made a brief return to his house to gather his foals. Lightning made sure to retrieve her radio. She flipped it on once, listened to the distorted stations coming through, and pressed the receiver. “Anyone?” she whispered. Nothing. She knit her brow.

“Come on, Snowy. This way,” Tall Tail eased his daughter out the door.

“Where’s Echo Shade?” Snowy slung a sack over her shoulder with her teeth.

“Echo is with Slash, they’re helping with the building,” Tall Tail said. Lightning stashed her radio away and went to join them. Tall Tail locked the door behind them and they set off for the grotto.

Snowy tottered back and forth with her bag. “Buh wuh ig I orgot somin?”

“You’ve already brought too much!” Smokey said. “This is an emergency, we’re only supposed to take the essentials! Do you really need a whole piece of oat-bread, paper, pens, and a book?”

“Aybe.”

“I have the distinct feeling that you’re not taking this seriously,” Smokey said.

Tall Tail frowned. “Son, unless you’d like to turn around and put that dictionary back on the bookshelf, you leave your sister alone.”

“But learning is essential!”

Lightning watched the ponies work. They moved slowly, deliberately, but there was also a briskness in their steps. If they weren’t hammering away or closing their stores, they hurried along. Gone was the steady, easygoing rhythm from the previous two days. Not a word was spoken, unless it was to their foals or friends, and then it was just quick advice or directions.

There was no laughter, that was for sure.

“Sir Tall Tail?”

“Yes, Lightning?”

She lowered her voice so the two foals wouldn’t hear. “Boarding everything up isn’t going to keep the dragon out is it?”

“No, Miss Lightning, it won’t,” and Tall Tail looked ahead to the north of the valley, where hundreds of ponies were already gathered. “And I doubt that wall of wood would do much either.”

“Then what’s even the point?”

“I think a soldier of all people would understand how important it is to make people feel safe,” Tall Tail said.

“So your solution is to put a big, wooden bandage on the valley,” Polaris said. “And to do absolutely nothing?”

Tall Tail scoffed. “We do only what we can, Lustrian.”

The barricade was only about as high as a pony’s shoulder once Tall Tail got to the grotto. Ponies were walking back and forth with their hammers and nails and boards. It was a lot like the afternoon when Lightning and Polaris walked into town, but now the ponies hurried and shouted orders at each other. “Mares and foals first,” Paper Pusher called. “Would any able-bodied ponies old enough to work please pick up a hammer?” As Tall Tail and his companions passed, Paper Pusher cast a chilling glare in their direction. “I knew something like this would happen!” she hissed.

Tall Tail didn’t give her the satisfaction of a response.

Some ponies ran to and from the lake with buckets of water. Most of them were unicorns using their magic to heft the heavy vessels quickly. Echo Shade was amongst them. She smiled briefly at Lightning and Polaris as they passed, but she was quick to return to work. Pegasi lifted up poles and boards to be nailed into place. Everyone was working together, but…

It was all so sad.

“We have to do something about this!” Slashbuckler stamped his hoof. “We’re sitting ducks! We barely got anything done while we were out! We gotta scramble one more squad.”

“By all means!” Timewinder turned to a group of workers. “Would any other pony willing to join Slashbuckler on another trounce with the dragon please step forward?” And every worker promptly took two steps back. “Does that answer your question, Slashbuckler?”

“There’s gotta be somebody!” Slash searched the group of ponies. “Cedar Seed? You’re good with a pointy stick, why don’t you come and help?”

Cedar was carrying a bucket of nails. “You’re good with a hammer. Why don’t you come help with the barricade?”

“Oh, come on! I’m not saying we go to war or anything, I just wanna scare it off!” Still no pony responded. “Nobody?!”

“Son, think about it,” Tall Tail said. “Where would you scare it off to? The Kingsveil traps everything in the badlands. Even if you scared the dragon off for a time, it would just find its way back to us. Then what would we do?”

“I mean…”

“Slash, I won’t have you standing around at this time,” Timewinder said. “If you can’t find somebody for your cause, you will help with the construction, and we will drag you along if we have to!”

Slash briefly searched the crowd for support, but still found none.

“Alas,” Tall Tail said. “Not every pony is as… brave as Slashbuckler.”

“Then I’ll help!” Echo Shade dashed over to Slash’s side.

“You on the other hoof…” Tall Tail whirled and faced her. “Absolutely not!!”

“But Master, this is my expertise! I’m the perfect pony to lure it away.” Echo lit up her horn and drew a small shape in the air. “Distracting, remember? What you always tell me?”

“That’s besides the point! What experience have you in the badlands? Slash already has himself to worry about, does he need another?”

“I’ve been through the badlands before, one more trip can’t hurt.”

“Maybe once was more than enough!”

“Master---”

“No, Echo Shade!” Lightning had never seen Tall Tail’s horn light up in anger before. “So long as I’m the Lorekeeper and you’re the apprentice I completely forbid you from leaving this valley!”

“Yeah, but… but…” Echo lowered her head, and her eyes were wide and sullen when she whined. “But Papa…!”

“Oh no!” Tall Tail’s shout drove her back. “Don’t you ‘papa’ me, Echo Shade! You’re a grown mare, act like one!” He harrumphed and walked away with Timewinder.

Lightning opened her mouth but no words would come. She just had to awkwardly wait as Echo stood there and frowned. “I tried to be nice,” she grumbled. And she walked back to help with the water.

Cedar Seed put a hoof on Slash’s shoulder. “Slash, sometimes the hardest thing to do is just wait. You’ll feel a lot better when you put your hooves to work.”

“I’ll feel better when that dragon’s gone!” Slash said. He stormed off.

“Private,” Polaris leaned over and whispered to Lightning. “I don’t suppose you’d know about dragonfire?”

“What about it?”

“Does a dragon need to rest between bursts of flame?”

“Well, yeah of course. Some dragons need to wait an entire day before breathing again. No telling with a dragon that big though…”

“Hm…” Polaris scratched his chin. “I will go and find Slash.”

The Northern Grotto was embedded into the very mountain that the waterfall poured from. It was very deep and wide, and was much more spacious than the tunnels Lightning Bug and Polaris first traversed to enter the valley. If you went deep enough, Lightning was told, you could hear the waterfall drone softly through the walls. Go deeper still, and you’d leave the valley and enter a region of the badlands that Lightning never reached before.

That meant if the barricade didn’t hold, there was only one way left to go.

Lightning Bug heard stories of soldiers hiding in caves during really awful battles, but the grotto was cozy looking. There were lots of pillows and blankets, and lanterns were in abundance so it was well-lit. The ponies were finding spots for themselves and their families, and even thought they were anxious, they were calm. They passed by Echo, who was still taking buckets of water inside. She did not look happy.

The guards that faced the dragon were taken to the far back, where they lay in stretchers. They weren’t seriously hurt, but nobody was making them do anything they didn’t have to.

That was where Lightning and Polaris found Slashbuckler.

The guards looked really anxious as Slash paced around the room. They all sat up and put their hooves together, and they never took their eyes off him.

“Where is it?” he asked.

“Where’s what?”

“I know it’s in here! I haven’t seen it since we came inside.”

The guards subtly inched closer together.

Slash jumped into the group and bowled them over. They scuffled, and Lightning had to wince. She heard a mare behind her sigh and shake her head. Finally Slash unearthed his rusty, bronze shield from the pile of horses and strapped it back to his foreleg.

“Dude, this is stupid even for you!” one of them said.

“What if you rile it up even more?”

“You really wanna be the pony to drive us out of the valley?”

“None of that’s going to happen!” Slash said. “Relax. Nobody’s coming with me.” They relaxed a little. “But if somebody did, you’d be the first to hear about it.”

“We won’t be singing your praises, you know that right?” One of them asked. Slash didn’t answer. He finally turned around and saw Polaris and Lightning.

“What, didja need something?”

“I… have some information to share,” Polaris glanced at Lightning. “And I have a corroborator in the Scout here. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I have an offer to make.”

Slash arched an eyebrow.

“What offer?” Lightning asked. Polaris took Slash by the shoulder and led him to the corner of the room. She had to creep closer to listen.

“If anyone asks, it’s an escort,” Polaris said. “You are simply taking me away from the valley.”

“But nobody would be stupid enough to fall for that,” Slashbuckler said. “The Kingsveil, remember? You have no escape..”

“Yes, but neither does the dragon,” Polaris said. His brow darkened. “Luring it or chasing it away is pointless, as the dragon will simply return as it has nowhere else to go. But the way I see it is this, we're not trapped with it, it's trapped with us. All the more reason to take it down once and for all.”

Slash flicked his ear. “I’m listening…”

“Polaris?” Lightning whispered. She wasn’t answered.

“I may not know much about dragons, but I do know about the laws of energy. After speaking with the Scout, I have concluded that the dragon has mostly exhausted itself. This means there now exists a window of time where it is extremely weakened. We must use this to our advantage. I may just be a mapmaker, but I am a skilled tactician, and you are by no means a rookie fighter. Between your brawns and my brains I’m confident we can drive the dragon away while its defenses are down, if not snuff it out completely.”

Somehow, Polaris was speaking Slash’s language. He smiled and nodded the entire time. “Alright! Now we’re getting somewhere!”

“Wait,” Lightning said. “What about…”

“But we’ll need a distraction,” Slash said. “I’m not very good at those.”

Polaris wrinkled his nose. “Neither am I.”

“Heavens above, it must be a sign!” Echo Shade’s voice nearly startled them all. She hung at the entrance of the room, having just delivered some water to the guards. “I just so happened to walk in and you all happened to be having some sort of combat meeting and I couldn’t help but hear the word distraction!” Her horn lit up. “I happen to know a thing or two about that!”

“Perfect!” Polaris said. “...But what about what your master said?”

Echo frowned. “He said I’m a grown mare, didn’t he? Grown mares make their own decisions.”

Slash swallowed. “Fair enough.” The three chatted briefly, and then they made their way out of the room and back into the tunnels.

Lightning blinked. This was a very familiar feeling. “No!” She ran in front of the group. “I can’t let you do this! I’ve already watched ponies fall to this thing, I can’t let it happen again!”

“We don’t have much of a choice, Private,” Polaris said. “The way I see it, the valley is as good as gone if the dragon remains. The least we can do is put up a real fight.”

“No, you don’t understand!” Lightning ran in front of them. “You can’t win a fight with this thing!”

“Not with that attitude,” Slash said.

“Listen, please! If my whole squad couldn’t handle it, how can you three? None of you should have to go and do this.”

“Then what are you proposing?” Polaris asked.

“Let me go instead. I’m the one the dragon wants. I’ll lead it away from the valley.”

“Private, we’ve been over this.”

“But there’s no other way!”

“Hon, that’s crazy!” Echo said. “Do you know what could happen if you go through with this?”

“Does it matter?”

“Lightning Bug, my word!” Echo held her forehead. “You’re talking like you want that dragon to eat you.”

“I don’t want it to eat anyone,” Lightning said. “But it shouldn’t have to happen to any of you! The dragon chased me over the border. I was the one who got it trapped out here. It recognizes me, it hates me! That’s why my Stormtouch drew it to the valley. This is the only guarantee we have that it’ll leave the valley.”

“Or you’ll just rile it up and make things worse,” Slash said.

“I have to do this!” Lightning said. “If I can’t go on my own, at least let me go with you!” None of them shared her enthusiasm. Slash kept looking away and rubbing his neck. He wouldn’t make eye-contact with her. “Anybody?”

“No pony here can condone this in good conscience,” Polaris said.

“Then how come you’re all allowed to go?”

“Yes, but they’re, um…”

“Less emotionally compromised,” Slash coughed into his hoof, somehow. “Besides, if the dragon really does hate you… maybe that’s a good thing. The dragon didn’t want us dead, it just wanted us gone. I have a good feeling that thing could have crushed us the moment we stepped out of the valley, but it didn’t. If it really only wants you, maybe we shouldn’t give it what it wants.”

Lightning shook her head. “I don’t believe this!”

“Hon,” Echo held her shoulder. “I think what everyone’s trying to say is they’re worried about you. The way you are now, they’re afraid you’ll do something reckless. We all want the dragon gone, but not if it means losing you.”

“You won’t lose me!” Lightning said. “I’ve fought dragons before, have any of you? I know what I’m doing. Come on, Polaris. You’ve seen me fight, tell them why I have to come along.”

Polaris did not give an answer. His head was lowered, and his eyes were shut. He inhaled and exhaled several times.

“Polaris?”

He opened his eyes. “Private,” he said. “I think it’s best if you stay here.” Lightning took a step back. “It will be much safer for you here. We will draw the dragon’s attention. If we fell it, so be it. Once that is finished, you should take the time to escape. Maybe you’ll find a signal in the meantime, and you can finally return home. But first, you must remain until the dragon leaves.”

“Not you too.”

“Private, listen. It is not a good idea,” Polaris said.

“Says who, you?” Lightning said with a frown. “We’ve been through how much together and you’re just going to leave me behind? What, so you can be a hero with Slash? So you can get back at it for destroying your map?”

Polaris closed his eyes and looked away.

“We all wanna give that dragon a piece of our mind,” Lightning said. “Why are your reasons better than mine? You think I can’t take care of myself? You think I’ll just screw everything up, don’t you? You think my Stormtouch will just get in the way? Just say it! Polaris!!”

“Fine!” Polaris’ horn flashed and his eyes almost glowed. His voice echoed through the cave. “You’re a liability! You can’t control your powers, you can barely control your emotions! You were never a good soldier and you’re a poor fit for the job! Is that what you wanted to hear? Does it make you feel better? Has catharsis finally found you?!”

“I don’t CARE about feeling better!”

“Don’t you though?! Hasn’t this always been about your wounded Meteoran pride?”

“Polaris, listen…”

“No, you listen! You followed me up the mountain, you pelted me with incessant questions and relentless badgering. I’ve put up with you for almost forty-eight hours. Now you will stand still and you will listen to what I have to say!” Polaris stepped forward until their brows almost touched. “You’ve gone on and on about how awful everyone is to you, but consider this! Why should anyone move on and grow when they can just sit there and wallow in their own misery, content with mediocrity, wondering again and again why they never improve and why nobody likes them? Well here is why! You are a self-centered, self-absorbed filly who hides her vice behind a mask of humility and self-pity.”

“Polaris!”

“You’re tired of being belittled, yet you do nothing to change yourself, and still you try to satisfy this itch the Meteorans have infected you with to no avail! You don’t care about being dependable, you don’t really care about the dragon, you don’t even care what happens to this valley! You are only afraid of feeling useless. Well here’s a newsflash, Pegasus, that’s not something we get to choose! Sometimes your moment never comes, sometimes your potential is never realized, and sometimes the only thing you can do is step aside and let someone else solve the problem.”

You’re such a jerk, Lightning thought. She thought he was her friend, but he really was just like everyone else. He pretended to be nice, he pretended to care, but the moment she crossed a line, he dropped the act and yelled. She should cry, she should sob, her heart should absolutely break in half, she wanted to show him how horrible he was being.

But no tears came, in fact she felt nothing at all, because deep down Lightning Bug believed every word coming out of Polaris’ mouth.

“Stand down, Private. That’s an order.”

“You’re not my captain.”

“Stand down. Now.” He glared at her. That same glare from when they first met. That same glare everyone always gave her.

Lightning locked eyes with Polaris. She remained still. It might have been a whole minute, it might have been thirty seconds. It probably was much shorter than that. She stared until she felt her will to fight whittle away.

And then Polaris’ expression softened. Slightly. “Please, Private,” he whispered. She finally bowed her head and looked away. “Thank you.” A small group of ponies had formed at either end of the tunnels, wide-eyed, silently watching the performance unfold. They awkwardly shuffled away. Polaris looked back at Slashbuckler. “You should grab everything you’ll need. We’re likely not coming back.”

“Same to you, meet me at Rat Tail’s Watch.” And he left the grotto.

Lightning wasn’t sure what Polaris did after that because she didn’t look at him, or Echo, or anybody. Her eyes were trained on the ground as she slowly made her way outside. She walked past the barricade, past the elders, past every pony she saw. She found a spot on the sand where she could watch the waterfall, and she settled her hooves beneath her as she lay down. She watched the small waves lap at the sand. Sometimes she heard ponies come by with buckets of water, but she didn’t see who it was. They didn’t say anything to her, and she didn’t say anything to them.

It was happening again. People were going to get hurt because of her, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Slowly, Lightning nodded off and drifted away.

Cozy Glow Gulf, Clan Sirocco, approximately five days ago…

At first Lightning Bug thought she was still having a nightmare. She jerked and had a start. Instead of the warm sheets of her cot back in the academy, she was met with wet, grimy rocks beneath her hooves and rushing wind that pierced her coat and chilled her bones. She felt like she was on the verge of teetering over the edge of the cliff, and beneath her the rushing waters and pointed rocks of the bay lay ready to dash her to pieces should she fall. But she was not dreaming, and when the pegasus soldier prodded her once more, she was finally completely awake, and she remembered where she was and how she got here.

Cozy Glow Gulf, not far from the disputed lands on the eastern fringes of Clan Sirocco, one of the most dismal, dangerous places in Meteoras.

And the months of disappointment and harsh words and shouting washed over her like the black, cold waters below. The sun was almost ready to set, and it would be even more cold and dismal soon.

“Hey, city girl,” the soldier said. He nudged her again. “The whole point of taking watch is that you don’t fall asleep on your hooves.”

“I’m sorry,” it was like a reflex to her at this point. She reached for the necklace that was buried under her breastplate and pulled at thin air.

“If you can’t stay awake, do you know whose fault it will be if a dragon or a sea serpent climbs up the cliff and eats all of us?”

“I’m sorry.”

“I heard the last cadet who fell asleep got tossed into the sea by the captain himself,” another soldier said. “And the one before that was even worse. He just put her on recon duty in the border sands. Word has it the cadet’s still watching the sand-grass grow over there. I bet she wishes she was tossed into the sea.”

“Kinda like this one! The world was almost short one more scout to worry over.”

And every soldier in earshot laughed.

Lightning’s ears drooped. She smiled and tried to laugh along, like she’d been taught at this point.

“Eh-hem.”

And the laughter stopped. The pegasus soldier turned around and who did he see but Captain Maelstrom himself. They yelped and stood at attention, wings saluting as beads of sweat formed on their brows “I want you two on perimeter,” he said.

“Sir! We just finished, sir!”

“Then do it again! Double-time, princesses!”

“Sir, yes sir!” and they fled like they were running from a sea serpent.

The captain pointed to another soldier. “You there! If you can stand and laugh, you can stand and keep watch.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

What was the captain doing? Lightning Bug thought to herself. At least let her finish her shift, don’t let her get off easy! If he gave her any more special treatment, then the other soldiers will just hate her more. If the stink eye the pegasus who came to relieve her post was anything to go by, that was already true.

Lightning sighed and walked away. Maybe she should find a place to nap, after all.

“Scout?” the captain called over before she could leave.

“Yes sir?”

“On me, if you’d please.”

“Yes, captain.”

Maelstrom might have been the bravest, strongest pony Lightning had ever met. He was only a little older than her own father. He wore special armor that fit over his wings, a privilege reserved for captains, but he lacked his helmet today. She followed him as they walked the perimeter of the awful rocky bay they had been assigned.

She still didn’t know why he bothered with somebody like her.

“I know they can be harsh, but you really shouldn’t fall asleep like that,” he said.

“Sorry, sir.” Lightning studied the ground as she walked. There was very little grass. The rocks were colored by moss and algae from the sea. Clan Sirocco was very hot and humid even by Meteoran standards, but being so close to the dragonlands this particular gulf was little more than a wet, slimy rock dropped in the middle of a warm sea.

“Captain?”

“Lightning, we’re on call, it’s not the same as being on duty. Please speak plainly.”

“Captain Maelstrom… they’re right about me.”

“Oh?”

“You should just demote me to recon. Send me far away. At least then I’d be out of everybody’s way.”

“And why would I do that?” the captain asked.

“I keep messing up.”

“Such as?”

“I can’t keep formation, my landing and takeoff is no good, I can barely fight, and then there’s my ‘gift’…” Lightning stopped walking and slumped down on the warm rock. “I’m a detriment to the team.”

“That’s it?” The captain tilted his head.

“Huh?”

“I should get rid of you just because of that? What makes you so special? You think you’re the only cadet to come along and make mistakes?”

“I mean..”

“Look,” and the captain pointed at the pegasus who took her place. “Fly Winder over there is responsible for losing a whole squad’s worth of camping equipment back when he was a cadet. Yet here he is, several years later, several ranks later. He’s no Imperium Honour Guard, but he’s one of the bravest, most resourceful soldiers I know.”

The captain pointed to another soldier. “He’s one of our best pilots, but he nearly sank both a boat and a skyship during his first year of service. Now when he’s not surveying the border he flies helibirds into battle.” The captain smiled at her. “And I can’t find him at the moment, but I used to be very familiar with a colt who nearly got his commanding officer drowned when he accidentally bucked him over the edge of a carrier during a combat exercise. He’s a captain now, if you can believe it.”

Lightning was in awe and didn’t say anything.

“Everyone makes mistakes Lightning, but we all get better eventually.” He stepped away, and Lightning had to follow after.

“But what if I keep messing up?” she asked. “You really think I can be anything better than a scout at the rate I’m going?”

The captain stopped to think for a moment. He shrugged. “I can’t say,” he said. “I don’t know. If I’m being honest, I don’t really want you to stay here in the border patrol.”

Finally. A candid, honest answer. It stung a little, but it was relieving in a way. “You don’t think I’m cut out for this, do you?”

“I didn’t say that,” and he kept walking. “I just don’t think it suits you. It’s holding you back.”

“Holding me back?”

“I forgot to mention all the cadets I did end up dismissing, let me tell you about them,” Maelstrom said. “This one colt, he kept making mistakes, he was worse than you. Couldn’t follow hardly a single order I gave him, so I had to send him back to Central. Now guess where he’s at?”

"Customer Service at a cloudcraft factory?”

“No. He kept with his training, and now he’s a captain of his own squad, still serving the Imperium to this day.” Maelstrom kept walking. “About five years ago I dismissed a different cadet. Guess where she’s at.”

“Northern border patrol?”

That actually got the captain to laugh, but he shook his head. “No, not quite. She actually left the army. But now she’s in charge of one of the largest food plants back in Clan Ponente.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely, Morning Breeze was her name, you can look her up yourself if you don’t believe me.” The captain came to a cliff. He motioned Lightning to his side and sat down. They both sat there for a bit, watching the sea, spying the shores of Meteoras far to the south as the breeze and the waves sang around them.

“Some captains give their ponies the boot because they don’t suit their own purposes,” the captain said. “I try to look at the bigger picture, and I’m no genius, understand. I just don’t want a pony like you cooped up here with muscleheads like me for the rest of your life. You seem like the filly who can do much better. I want you to take your experiences here and use them as a launching pad, so you can find someplace where you can spread your wings and finally soar. Maybe that’s here with the border patrol, and I’m completely wrong, or maybe the Alicorns have an even greater purpose for you somewhere out there, and this is just downtime until you find what that is. I don’t want to get rid of you, but I do want you to keep your chin up. I want you to work with me so we can make the best you there is together. Understand?”

Lightning wanted to say she understood, but she just couldn’t. “But what if you really were better off getting rid of me? What if everyone gets hurt because of me?”

And the captain did have pause, and he stopped to think. “I don’t know.”

“I thought so.”

“But! If you really don’t want that to happen, the first order of business is getting that Stormtouch of your’s under control. Follow me,” and he went to find his helmet. She followed him back to camp and waited outside his tent. He exited with the shining silver helmet under his wing. He slid it on and got ready for takeoff. “I don’t know much about Stormtouch or any magic really, but it can’t be much different from any other skill you train for. We just gotta find some ways to help you focus. That way if something does go wrong, nobody can say we didn’t try, right?”

“I guess…” She didn’t say anything else until they were both airborne and out of earshot. “Captain?” She asked. “Are you sure you’re not doing this just because I’m from Clan Mistral?”

“Lightning, I don’t care if you’re the Imperium’s daughter or the ward of the Brothers themselves. Any cadet under my wing is going to get my help whether they like it or not. You’re the only cadet on hoof, so you’re getting all the help, at least for now.” They flew higher and higher until they almost reached the clouds. “People don’t just stop making mistakes one day, Lightning. They grow. It’ll hurt sometimes, both you and others, but if you just focus on your mistakes instead of learning from them, then you really are wasting everyone’s time. The key to being a dependable pony is to learn to depend on others first. I want you to depend on me for a little bit, think you can do that for me?”

“…Yes captain. I’ll try.”

That was the night before the thunderstorm. It was the last time she was able to talk to her captain.

Maybe she really didn’t make it out of that thunderstorm. Maybe she finally found paradise, and the Badlands was just a mirage of the journey her soul made. Now she was surrounded by good food, friendly people, green grass and clear water…

But that couldn’t be true. The Valley of Life was a real place filled with real ponies, and the dragon outside was a very real threat to their way of life.

A threat that was mostly, if not completely, her fault.

Lightning Bug thought about her Brand. A Brand represents everything about a pony, their personality, their talents, their destiny, all in one symbol. Her symbol was a ricocheting lightning bolt; harmless enough, if you weren’t Meteoran. Then you’d recognize the symbol from all of the yellow signs on railroads, construction sites and power plants.

Danger.

Stay away.

Everywhere she went her Stormtouch would make everything go wrong. Maybe Polaris was right, and she really was to blame. She really only did care about herself. She liked being treated well, having friends, being safe, and she could give nothing in return. She was all take and no give. She never mastered her powers when she was younger, and now time and time again it came back to bite her, right as she got comfortable.

But she didn’t want it to stay this way! She wanted to be better, she just never knew how. She didn’t want to lose her captain, she didn’t want to lure the dragon to Harmony, so why did bad things keep happening to the people around her?

What did she have to do to make things right?

“Lightning Bug?” a voice startled her. It was Smokey. His sister clung to his side as he stepped closer. “They set out to Rat Tail's Watch.”

“Oh.” Lightning squinted to the west. She could just barely make out a few shapes working their way across the plains and up the hill, near the Star Pillar of Mercy.

“I flew back to tell you,” Snowy said. “I thought you’d want to say goodbye.”

Lightning didn’t really feel like talking to Polaris again, but she definitely knew she’d regret it if she didn’t at least see them off. She got to her hooves and slowly walked along.

“Lightning Bug?” Smokey asked.

“Yes?”

“Whatever happens, please don’t leave the valley,” he said. “At least wait for the festival to end. Please?” Lightning didn’t answer. She smiled and walked on. The foals did not follow. They went back to the grotto. At first Lightning walked, and then she ran, and then she flew.

She came upon them in mere minutes. Polaris and Slash had just started the ascent up the hill to the cave entrance. The trees and bushes where she first met Cedar Seed. Echo Shade waved to Lightning before she touched down.

“Lightning Bug!” She said. “Have you come to see us off?”

Lightning looked up at Slash and Polaris, further up the hill. Polaris had his saddlebag, and Slash had his shield. Slash smiled, but Polaris didn’t say or do anything.

“You can tag along for a little bit if you’d like!” Echo said.

“I don’t know, Echo,” Lightning said.

Echo leaned in closer. “Hon, listen. Polaris isn’t right about everything you know. Maybe you should come anyway and see what happens.”

Pause.

“That’s fine, I just came to say goodbye,” Lightning said. “I wanted to say… you’re like the big sister I never had. I’ll miss you back in Meteoras. I’m glad I met you and your family.”

“Aw, hon.” Echo hugged her. “It was a pleasure! I hope the Wanderer guides you back to the valley someday.”

“Goodbye Echo Shade.”

“Goodbye Lightning Bug.”

Slash nodded and saluted to Lightning Bug. He headed up the cliff. Polaris stood there and did nothing. Echo went up to join them. Lightning wanted to smile and wave, in spite of herself, but she just couldn’t bring herself to. She turned around and began the journey back to the grotto.

“Private, wait!” Polaris bounded down the hill, his saddlebag rocking the whole way. “There’s something I need to say.”

“You want me to come after all?”

“Well, no…”

And Lightning kept walking.

“Wait! It’s important!”

“You don’t need to apologize,” Lightning said. “You were just telling the truth.”

“But I must! Private, if we never see each other again, what I said to you back in the grotto… it simply won’t do! I refuse to let us part on such awful terms.”

Lightning kept walking.

“Quit it.”

“Quit what?”

“Acting nice. Pretending. I’m tired of it. You think I’m useless. You thought the same exact thing when we first met, and you thought it the whole trip up the mountain. I’m not mad you think so, I’m mad you didn’t just tell me.”

“Private… I’m sorry, alright?”

Lightning stopped under the shade of the Pillar of Mercy. Polaris stopped beside her.

“I won’t follow you,” Lightning said. “So don’t worry about that.”

“You might not believe me, but I am just worried about you.”

She didn’t answer.

The two stood there for a while.

“Polaris!” Slash’s voice boomed down the hill. “We’re burning daylight!”

Lightning looked back at the empty town, the lake, and the grotto. She could see the barricade from here.

“Private?” Polaris asked. “May I… confide in you about something?”

Lightning flicked her ears. She looked at him. “About what?”

“This is… it’s kind of personal. I don’t know how obvious this is, it may come as a surprise but…” Polaris screwed his eyes shut. It looked like he was about to pull a tooth. He groaned and shook his head. “I’m… I’m… I’m a very critical pony!”

Lightning blinked. “Really.”

“I am! It’s… I don’t know! I’ve always had an eye for details, and I just expect other people to see things the way I do, and when they don’t I just… I lose it! I’m impatient, I’m rude, sarcastic, the whole nine yards. It’s not the pony I want to be, but every time I talk to someone, it’s who I become and I hate it!”

He lowered his head. Lightning wanted to reach out touch his shoulder, but then she remembered her Stormtouch. Polaris cleared his throat and looked at her.

“You don’t have that problem, Private,” he said.

“I have plenty of problems.”

“But this isn’t one of them! You talk to people, you listen to them, and you… you see them for who they are! You don’t expect anything of them, you just… are, and they listen to you! You’re not just some self centered pony. You have a good heart for others is what I’m trying to say. And that’s important! I don’t think Cabalos today realizes how important it is to just… be friendly to one another, like you were to me. The unicorns certainly don’t care for it, I’ll tell you that! Imagine how greater Lustre would be if we did!

“What I mean by all this, even if you’re not cut out for being a soldier -- hay, even if you never ever learn to use your Stormtouch… you have such an incredible talent for people! And I know somewhere out there, there’s a place that you’ll fit right in, and you’ll finally be able to be the pony you want to be.”

“But it’s not out there, with you guys, facing the dragon, is it?”

“...No.”

“That’s okay. My captain told me something similar… right before the thunderstorm.”

They were quiet for a moment. Lightning realized something. Everyone who ever yelled at her never talked to her again, but Polaris came back to apologize. The captain came back to talk to her, too.

It was nice, in a way.

Polaris stood up. “I have to go,” he said. “I’ll think about your safe descent down the mountain.” He bowed lightly. “Sun and moon watch over you, Pegasus.”

Lightning paused. She smiled and saluted with her wing. “Fire and thunder at your back, Unicorn.”

It wasn’t a perfect goodbye, but it was good enough. Polaris tarried for only a moment longer before going back up the hill. He didn’t look back once. Echo waved to Lightning one last time before the three of them disappeared into the cave.

“Let’s move people, that dragon won’t wait for you all to finish!” the horse with the hoarse voice called over the crowd. He was a dirty-colored galloway with a gaunt physique and a pair of goggles. “Hurry it up! You there -- The east side needs some nails! Hey -- spare a hammer, you can’t use two at once! We need lumber on the north and west sides! And could somebody get me a glass of water?! I feel like I’m shouting over a throatful of fyreants!”

Lightning Bug could see why the foals didn’t want her to meet Spindle Sprocket. He reminded her of every rude drill sergeant and store manager she ever talked to, but worse somehow. He stood around and gave all the orders, but he hardly did anything. He wasn’t even an elder if she understood properly.

For what it was worth, work was coming along nicely. The barricade was nearly two stories tall now, completely reinforced with planks and poles of wood. All that remained was some final touches to cover the cracks.

Presently Lightning was stationed near a naked section of the wall where she had to nail all of the planks into place. She had a small bucket of nails, a few planks, and another pony to help.

The pony she was helping was odd.

She looked like a galloway. She had a light blue coat, and big blue eyes, but she was very skinny and nondescript. Her tail was kind of thin, her mane was simple and plain, and she didn’t seem to have any fetlocks.

Her Brand was a series of colored… balls? Bubbles? She couldn’t make it out.

And she talked kind of funny.

“This is my favorite way of doing it,” she told Lightning.

“Okay.” Lightning checked around. “Where’s the hammer?”

“Watch,” the pony took a board and perfectly lined it up with one of the empty spots in the wall. She carefully picked up two nails with her mouth, and she gingerly set them on the corners of the wood. She lightly tapped them with her hooves to settle them. She did the same for the bottom. She set up four planks the exact same way, and she never finished nailing any of them into place.

“Uh…”

“Watch!” The pony said after she finished with the last plank. “This is my favorite way of doing it.”

“Okay, I’m watching.”

The pony got closer to the first plank. She set her hooves, shook out her legs, took a deep breath… and bashed the board with her skull. The wall shook. The top nails went in slightly. She bashed it again, and now the nails were completely hammered into place. One board was knocked loose and clattered to the ground.

The pony did this for every. Single. Board. After she picked up the ones that fell down, lined them with nails, and proceeded to bash them the same way.

She didn’t seem any worse for wear when she finished.

“Now you try!”

“Um… I’m going to go find some more planks.”

“Okay then! I’ll just stay and do this. This is my favorite way of doing it.”

Lightning didn’t mean to peal out of there, but she did. It just occurred to her that the pony’s Brand was a series of marbles. Scattered, lost marbles.

Polaris was right, the ponies of Harmony could get pretty odd.

She hoped he was okay.

“Oh, that’s okay, we can take it from here,” the stallion said.

“Are you sure?” Lightning Bug asked.

“Absolutely, just head inside and rest,” a mare chimed in. Lightning smiled and walked away, but the truth was she didn’t feel like smiling. She didn’t feel terrible just… she wanted to keep busy, but nobody had any work to spare for her.

Except for the marble pony from earlier, but…

“Was Bright Eyes a bit much to handle?” a voice asked. Tall Tail walked up to her as he carried a box with his magic.

“She was fine, just, uh…”

“Yes, Bright Eyes is a tad strange even by Harmony standards, but she’s really clever once she finds her focus. How are you feeling?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Lightning hung her head. “Everyone’s too busy to let me help.”

“Hm.” Tall Tail looked back at the pillar of hope behind them. “I was on my way to finish decorating the pillar. You’re welcome to come along and help if you’d like. Maybe a walk and a short chore will take your mind off things.” Tall Tail trotted off. Lightning hesitated, but she found herself trailing after. “In all the excitement the candles never made it on the pillar,” Tall Tail said. “I figured even if the festival gets delayed or put off, we can at least light one of our pillars at night.”

Lightning nodded as she followed him. It was hard to remember the terrain from when she flew over to the pillar yesterday. The path to the pillar was a long, winding road up the hill, dotted with trees and bushes that swayed in the breeze. The elevation was high at this point. It was hard to tell from a distance, but the Pillar of Hope really did tower above the others, if only because it was perched so high. It’s back was nearly covered by trees and cliffs. She craned her neck to see the top of the pillar. She could see the bright yellow ribbons, but she couldn’t quite make out the crest from where she stood.

Tall Tail wasn’t a senior, but he was getting on in years. It was a slow climb.

“I suppose it’s just as well that we took shelter here,” Tall Tail said. “With Hope watching over us. We could use some of that right now.”

“You mean the pillar?”

“I mean the virtues these pillars represent! The first settlers marked these with the six virtues of harmony. They’re the foundation of our society. Didn’t Echo or the foals say anything as you worked yesterday?”

Did he know about Echo Shade? “Not really,” Lightning said. She swallowed.

“She was so on top of it when she was telling it to the foals… I figured she’d bring it up at least once,” Tall Tail snorted to himself. “Well… I am a Lorekeeper you know. If you’d like, I can tell you all about them. We’ve got time.”

They did have time. The hill was steep and Tall Tail moved slowly to concentrate on his box of candles.

“Sure, I’d like that.”

Tall Tail peaked over his shoulder and looked in the direction of Rat Tail's Watch, by the Pillar of Mercy. Lightning’s heart froze. Echo was long gone, he couldn’t tell from here, could he?

“I suppose I ought to start with the first Pillar you likely saw. Over there is the Pillar of Mercy. We like to think it looks like a flower. Mercy represents… hm.”

“Forgiveness?”

“Yes and no… it’s more like acceptance. Mercy is about grace and humility towards others. Don’t take more than what you need, accept beliefs that you don’t share, that sort of thing.”

“That’s kind of complicated for something called Mercy.”

“It is, but it’s important. They all are.” Tall Tail worked himself up a ledge. “I assume you’re familiar with the dark forest?”

Lightning shuddered. “Why would anyone put a Star Pillar in that place?”

“We don’t know. What we do know is the importance of Prudence. Do you remember the crest?”

“The creepy eye?”

“...It is a little creepy, but I like to think of it as unwavering, and vigilant. Prudence means patience. It means waiting and listening to those around you.” Tall Tail raised his hoof and pointed to the craggy cliffs. “The Fortress represents Conviction. See how it’s an arrow always pointing up? It means never giving up. It means fighting the good fight, it means keeping your promises.

“And over by the town we have the Anchor, the one Echo showed you. The Anchor represents Faith.”

“Faith in what?”

“Friends, family, the ones you love. Faith is about trust, and when you trust somebody, you believe them, and the things they say, even when you can’t see them.”

They finally came up to level footing, and the star pillar was right ahead. Tall Tail handed Lightning the small wooden shelves for the candles, and she went to work clipping them unto the pillar. When she was done, Tall Tail began carefully placing each candle on to a shelf and melting them into place.

“On the far, far side of the valley near the springs,” he said. “The Star represents Dignity. Unlike Mercy, which is about deferring to others, Dignity is about staying steadfast, and refusing to compromise.”

“Compromise what?”

“Your values, your conscience, what you believe to be right and true.”

“Aren’t Dignity and Conviction the same?”

“Oh, they’re very similar, but they’re distinct! Conviction is about how you see yourself, Dignity is about how you appear to others. Conviction is about promises, Dignity is about honor. You wouldn’t steal from somebody or destroy something in the name of good, would you? Dignity recognizes that there’s always a choice, and we should choose to remain blameless and accountable. And then, finally, there’s Hope, the most important.”

Lightning took a step back and looked up at the final pillar. “What is Hope?”

“Hm?”

“What does Hope represent?”

Tall Tail laughed. “Why, Hope is hope! Believe in good, worry not about tomorrow, hope for a better future. See the six wings? Hope is the most important virtue, because every virtue needs a little hope in order to work. It’s not dissimilar to Faith, but it’s so much wider and fuller.” Tall Tail pressed the last candle into place. He stepped back and shook his head. “If every pony committed at least one of these to heart, the world would be a much better place, that’s what Sir Rat Tail believed.” Tall Tail sighed. “That’s why I want to keep the Lorekeeper tradition alive, to make sure every foal understands how important these are. But Echo Shade… she’s been surrounded by this her entire life. Maybe she’s too used to them, and doesn’t understand anymore. Or maybe I worry too much about her…” Tall Tail’s gaze went back to Rat Tail’s Watch. “She went with the others, didn’t she?”

Lightning bowed her head. “Yes. I’m sorry.”

The old stallion sighed and shook his head. “Slash won’t let anything happen to her. She’ll be fine. They always have each others’ back. It’s been that way since they were foals.”

“I should’ve gone with them,” Lightning said. “But I… I’m just so scared of ruining everything. Everytime I think my life is turning around, things just get worse.”

Tall Tail set a hoof on her shoulder. Her coat did not surge with energy. “It’s okay to be scared. Fearing your own mistakes is normal. I’m the same way.”

“You? No. You have to be some kind of paragon!”

“But I’m not. I know these virtues by heart, but I act against them all the time. I fear my training won’t be enough to make Echo a wise Lorekeeper, I fear the council won’t listen to me… and I fear many of these problems are my own fault. But that’s why Hope is so important. There is good in the world, and there are better things to come, and sometimes they’ll come no matter how badly we do. If we let one little mistake drag us down, then we’re betraying the virtue of Hope, that things can get better, if not in our own time, then eventually. All we have to do is believe and do better.”

“Then I’ve betrayed Hope since the day I got my Brand,” Lightning said. “I hope things get better before the valley gets wiped out by the dragon I led here.”

Tall Tail was silent.

Lightning waited a moment before flapping her wings and gliding down the hill. She didn’t know where she was going. She thought about her parents again. Were they still waiting for her? Have they heard what happened? Was there anything she could have done differently? She stopped for a drink from the river. She found a level spot where she could kneel down and drink. She studied the familiar face in the water’s reflection.

The face of a pony who kept trying and trying and trying, no matter how badly she screwed things up.

She tried singing.

Who are we? Who are we if we can't laugh the rain away?

Who am I? Who am I if I can't wait another day?

I'll grab the packing tape… I'll send my fears away

I’ll mail them to a friend called hope...

She sighed and lowered her head to drink again.

Lightning Bug heard music. She perked her ears. She heard hoofsteps. That song was the same song she heard outside with Polaris. That figure by the rocks…

But when she looked up and over her shoulder, nobody was there. She sighed. When Lightning looked back into the river, she was met with two reflections. One was a tired, yellow pegasus, the other was a red-maned pony with deep green eyes.

She yelped and stood up. This galloway filly had snuck up on her and just stood there. Her coat was almost like her own, but a bit darker. She had a brown bag slung over her shoulder, and she had a flower stuck in her ear.

“Um… Hi! I didn’t see you there.”

The filly blinked slowly at her, one eye at a time, like a frog.

“Wait a second… I recognize you! You’re the tea pony! You gave me some iced tea back in town square.”

The filly just blinked at her again.

“Are you heading for the grotto?”

The filly shook her head.

“Oh. What are you doing then?”

For a second she wasn’t sure the filly heard her. The filly slowly undid the latch on her bag. It was full of flowers, bright plants, and herbs.

“Medicine,” her voice was soft and sharp.

“Oh, I see! That’ll be important if… uh…” The filly regarded her for a moment. She walked away. “Wait! Do you need any help?”

“No,” the filly said.

“Oh. …Do you mind if I follow you for a bit?”

“...No.”

“Yay! I’ll just watch you work. I won’t get in the way, I promise.”

“Whatever.”

“Everyone I know just calls me Lightning Bug. What’s your name?” Lightning held out her hoof. The filly looked at the hoof. She reached out, shook it once, and kept walking.

“Apple Bloom.”

“Oh. My. Gosh. That’s such a pretty name! Pleased to meet you!”

“...Yeah.”

Lightning Bug followed Apple Bloom over a bridge, past the Town Square, and up to the lake, on the side opposite of the grotto and star pillar. It was a rather long walk, all things considered, but she figured she could fly back to the grotto in no time at all. The entire time, Apple Bloom would abruptly stop and paw at the grass and flowers. As far as Lightning could tell, it all looked the same, but Apple Bloom always found some special plant or flower and stashed it into her bag.

“Are you a herbalist?”

“...Yeah.”

“Neat!”

And they walked for another ten minutes without talking. Apple Bloom was quiet, very quiet. Polaris didn’t talk much, but when he did, he had a lot to say. Apple Bloom didn’t have anything to say at all, it seemed.

“I’m not really supposed to be here,” Lightning said. “I came in here with Polaris, and then we were going to stay for the festival, but then the dragon started yelling outside, and everyone else ran off and I had to stay behind and… I’m rambling. Sorry.”

Apple Bloom didn’t say anything.

“I wanted to go with Polaris and Slash, but… Polaris told me no. He said I was a liability, that I would just get myself hurt. I know he’s right, in a way, but still…”

Apple Bloom was still quiet.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, where are you from?”

Apple Bloom didn’t answer. Maybe she didn’t hear her.

“Sorry if I’m talking too much.”

They came up to a steep cliff covered in vines.

“You’re not,” Apple Bloom said.

“Oh, okay. Good. Polaris said I talked too much. And maybe I am! So if you want me to stop talking, just say so.”

Apple Bloom didn’t say so. She just pawed at the vines. She must have been searching for something. “Can I help?” Lightning asked.

Apple Bloom looked up and frowned. Lightning followed her gaze. A small bundle of flowers had sprung about fifteen feet above them. The cliff was basically ninety degrees up. If Apple Bloom could climb that, it’d be long and difficult. “Actually… you can.” Apple Bloom pointed.

“You want me to get those flowers? How many?”

“All of them.”

“Oh, okay.”

Lightning flew up to the spot. She was about to bite the clump of flowers free, but she decided she’d have to remove them carefully, so she maneuvered her hooves to try and wrestle them free from the vines. It only took her a few seconds. “I got them!” she called down. “I got--”

Zap.

No thunderclouds, no lightning from above, just a surge of Stormtouch from her coat.

A smell tickled her nose. It smelled like the kitchen of a ma and pa restaurant back in Mistral. Her Stormtouch had fried the flowers. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry!” Lightning fluttered down and cradled the crunchy flowers in her hooves. “I didn’t mean to! My Stormtouch, I shoulda told you about my Stormtouch! I… I’m sorry, Apple Bloom.”

Apple Bloom just blinked at her, slowly. She peaked at the burnt flowers. She sniffed them a few times, and then gingerly lifted them from Lightning’s grip with her teeth. She stashed them in her bag.

“It’s fine,” she said.

“Really?” Lightning had to wipe a tear from her eye.

“I was going to burn them anyway.”

“...Wait, really?”

“You ever cook with garlic?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Uh…”

“If you add it to the soup too early, you’ll diffuse its flavor. You have to fry them first to trap the aroma before you add it to a batch. Same with these flowers. I’d have to hurry back and burn them before they spoiled. This saves me a step. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh, okay.” She felt a lot better. Apple Bloom didn’t say anything more. She just walked back to the grotto, so Lightning followed her. People are only nice to me after I get hurt or do something stupid, she thought. But she actually did help Apple Bloom, by accident but still. Maybe she really could help after all. But…

“Apple Bloom? If you’re really bad at something, but you want to try and be better, what do you do if somebody tells you not to bother? Is it your fault for being bad, or is it their fault for not trusting you?”

She wasn’t sure Apple Bloom heard any of that. It was maybe a whole minute of walking before she said anything. “It depends, I guess,” she said. “How bad are you?”

“I’m… not very good.”

“At what?”

“Anything really. My Stormtouch, soldiering, flying, anything.”

“Then why’d you want to go with Polaris if you’re bad at everything?”

“Because…. Isn’t it my responsibility? The ponies of Harmony have been so nice to me, and that dragon’s only here because it followed me from the border in the first place. If the dragon does come into the valley and burns everything, wouldn’t that be my fault?”

Apple Bloom was quiet for a bit. They passed by some ponies who were gathering wood for the barricade. “I wouldn’t think so.”

“Really?”

“Bad stuff happens all the time. Sometimes people start things they can’t finish, and that’s fine. Nobody should hold it against you.”

“But Polaris said...”

“That you’re useless? A liability? Too self-centered? Personally I wouldn’t believe anything a guy like that says.”

“Wait… you heard all that earlier?”

“...Yeah.” Apple Bloom stopped. “Actually, I already knew about your Stormtouch. And I knew you’re an Outsider. I was here for the lightning strike, and I was here when Slash and the other soldiers were brought over. I was the one treating them.”

“...Oh. Why didn’t you say anything?”

Apple Bloom was quiet for a moment. “People think just because I don’t say anything it means I don’t listen. But I listen to everything. I just… don’t like drawing attention to myself.”

“Why not?”

Apple Bloom didn’t answer that one. They were nearly up to the barricade when a voice greeted them.

“Oh, Miss Apple Bloom!” Apple Bloom froze in her tracks. Her eyes went wide. She looked this way and that, trying to find the source of the voice. A mare ran up to them. It was Felucia, the mare from the bog. She looked at Lightning and smiled before turning back to Apple Bloom. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”

Apple Bloom took a step back. “What do you want.”

“I want to thank you for the little treat you gave my son! He loves it, he’s sharing it with his friends, its doing wonders for his mood.”

“What are you talking about.”

“The candied nuts you slipped into our bag when we weren’t looking yesterday! I bet you’d have a lot more business if everyone knew what a sweetheart you were.”

“Oh, that.” Apple Bloom studied the ground. “I was overstocked. I was just getting rid of it. Nothing sweet about it.”

Felucia reached out and hugged her, and she visibly flinched. “Well, whatever the reason, I appreciate it, and I appreciate you! Stay safe out there, when this all blows over I’ll find some way to make it up to you.”

“Don’t hurt yourself.”

“I just might! More business for your shop!” and she snickered. “Just a joke, of course. I’ll catch you later. Bye Bloom, bye Miss Lightning!” and she cantered off.

Lightning peaked over at Apple Bloom’s face. Surely, slowly, a smile tugged at her lips. She noticed Lightning staring at her, and her expression disappeared. “That is why I don’t like drawing attention to myself. …What are you looking at.”

“Nothing! Sorry, heh.”

“Mn,” and Apple Bloom kept walking to the grotto, Lightning followed still.

She finally noticed Apple Bloom’s brand. A hard glass jar, with a beautiful flower growing inside.

Apple Bloom shouldered her way through the crowded grotto until she found a corner covered in tarps and bags. She opened a bundle and produced a mortar and pestle. She took some of the flowers Lightning picked for her, a dash of something from her bag, and she opened a jar of paste and dropped them all into the mortar and started grinding away. In only a few minutes, she had produced a thin solution that she poured into a small container. She did the same thing two more times.

“You’re really good at this.”

She made one more concoction, this time she poured it into a much larger jar. Every finished solution went into her bag, and she emptied the herbs and flowers she didn’t use into their own little paper bags that she stashed away.

Apple Bloom looked at Lightning Bug. “Time to go.” And she stepped out of the grotto.

“Go? Go where?”

Apple Bloom frowned. “That moron Slashbuckler flew off before I could get the medicine for his wing ready. Now I gotta go and find him before he gets himself hurt.”

“You don’t mean… you’re leaving the valley?”

“Yeah.”

“But it’s dangerous out there! What about the dragon?”

“What about it? I have a job to do.” Apple Bloom’s expression didn’t soften, but the frown left her face. “…You can come with if it makes you feel any better.”

“Oh… that’s not a good idea,” Lightning said. “I’ll probably--”

“Just screw everything up? I don’t think we can get much more screwed up than a snooty unicorn, a bratty showgirl, and a pegasus who can barely fly waltzing along to get smoked by a dragon.”

Still Lightning didn’t move. Apple Bloom didn’t wait. She just shrugged and kept walking. Lightning caught up to her just as she passed the barricade. “Do you need help?” she asked.

“Eh…”

“I can help! I’m a soldier! I can escort you to the dragon, make sure no monsters or beasts get in your way. You’ll deliver the medicine to Slash, and then… then we’ll just see what happens.”

“Your call.”

Lightning took one last look over the barricade. The ponies were scared, they were anxious… but they stuck together. They worked together. They were patient with each other, and they were patient with her.

She would not let anything happen to them. Lightning Bug took out her radio. She was still met with static noise, but nonetheless, she opened the line and spoke. "Captain? If anyone can hear me, I just wanted to say it's been an honor flying with you. Brothers protect you all."

She spied Tall Tail speaking with Smokey and Snowy. The foals didn’t seem to notice, but Tall Tail caught one last glimpse of her before she and Apple Bloom disappeared over the bend.

The caves were just as dim and clammy as Polaris remembered them. He hung in the back with Slashbuckler as Echo Shade led the way with her horn lit up. “It took me and the Private nearly an hour to navigate these.”

“Just stick with us, we know these things like the back of our hooves,” Slash said.

Echo said nothing. She was pretty grim the entire way over, and she only lightened up to talk to Lightning Bug. Now she hardly said a word.

Polaris fought to keep his breathing even. His heart pounded in his chest. He could hear something moving about outside. It could be the dragon, or something else. He cleared his throat. Maybe some small-talk would put his nerves at ease.

“So, er. Miss Echo Shade?”

“Yes?” she didn’t turn to face him.

“I knew you and your papa -- Master! Um, I knew you two were close but it never occurred to me that you two were related.”

Echo cast a look over her shoulder. She looked back and shrugged. “We’re not. I’m adopted.”

“You are?”

“We all are. Me, Smokey, and Snowy. If another foal wanders into the valley in the next five years or so, he’ll likely adopt them too.”

“Oh, I see. Color me fooled, I mistook you for relatives. Not that it makes that much of a difference! Or not that two unrelated ponies can’t be relatives, or… um…”

She didn’t look back at him, but something about Echo’s presence as she walked ahead reminded Polaris of when she threatened to smack him back in Northtown. In the end, Echo just shrugged and kept walking.

Slash nudged Polaris’ shoulder, which he ignored. He nearly tripped over a rock. Slash nudged him again. “What is it…?” he whispered.

“You really shouldn’t bother her like that,” Slash said.

“I wasn’t trying to bother her! I was just…”

“It’s not something she likes talking about, so if I were you I’d just drop it.”

“Alright, alright! Sorry, I didn’t mean to make your special friend upset.”

That got Slash confused. “Special friend?” He looked down at the shield strapped to his leg. “I was talking about Echo.” Polaris must have been giving him a look. “What?”

“Nothing. Forget I said anything.”

Soon it became light enough that Echo didn’t need to use her horn. The three ponies stepped out into open daylight, and for the first time in a day and a half, Polaris stepped into the dry, dusty ground of the badlands. He did not recognize the area they were in, he couldn’t spy the canyon he and Lightning had been chased into before. He peeked back at the entrance of the cave.

“That was hardly fifteen minutes!”

“You and Lightning must have found another entrance and taken the long way around. Most entrances to the valley are pretty short,” Echo said.

“It helps if you’ve used them before,” Slash said. “Now then, where’s the--”

And then they finally heard the scratching, raking noises from the previous day. It was much clearer, and louder. The dragon couldn’t be far from here.

“It’s certainly making no attempt to hide itself this time,” Polaris said.

“Alright!” And Slash slammed his hooves together. “Let’s go slay a dragon!”

“You’re going to rush in there without a plan?”

“Wait a second,” Echo shook her head. “You told Lightning off and you didn’t even have a plan ready?”

Polaris gulped. “Er…”

“I got a plan for you right here,” Slash said. “You unicorns distract it with your magic-stuff, and then I’ll shove it down the mountain. Easy peasy.”

Polaris raised his hoof, and then put it down. “Actually that’s more thought than I was expecting out of you. But what makes you think you can handle a dragon this size?”

“Please, I’ve dealt with monsters before,” Slash swept back his mane and bashed his shield with his hoof.

“But not a dragon.”

“No, but I have faced a Manticore!”

“I feel like that doesn’t size up.”

“Like you would know, you’re a mapmaker! Have you even faced a Manticore?”

“Ah… no,” Polaris shook his head. “But I have defeated a pack of Direwolves.”

Slash shrugged and spat into the dirt. “Easy.”

“I’ve fought a torus!”

Slash’s eyes lit up. “Really?”

“Well… actually the Scout did most of the work there.”

“You mean she took out a Torus on her own?”

“...Yes?”

Echo and Slash looked at each other. “So… why did we have to leave her behind again?”

“Because!” Polaris stamped the earth. “The poor girl was emotionally compromised, basically out of her mind! She was in no state to assist us, and even if she was, am I to rely on her every single time there’s trouble? If the dragon recognized her, surely she would have flared its anger as you’ve said, and then she and us all would be in danger, and that would not do! This is something we must do without her. Besides…” And Polaris began the walk down the rocky trail. “What kind of unicorn would I be if I let my first real friend get eaten by a dragon?”

“What was that?” Echo asked. She and Slash followed after.

“Nothing. …I’ve been meaning to ask, Miss Echo, why did you choose to come along? If the dragon sees you, will you even be able to defend yourself?”

“Oh, probably not,” Echo said. “But somebody’s gotta look after Slash.”

The pegasus flapped his wings and overtook them.

“Verily.”

They began their climb up the steep ledges and dry bushes.

There was no more canyon once Polaris and the others finished their climb. The small entrance to the cave, the steep cliffs on either side, it was all almost completely leveled. All that remained was an entire quarry carved from the stone, filled with shattered rocks and stone. And at the edge, shuffling through the rubble with its claws, was the behemoth dragon. It’s tiny wings hung uselessly off its back, and its tail lashed about as it scratched at the cavern. The entrance was now big enough to fit its head inside.

“By the Alicorns…!” Polaris cried.

“It was nowhere near this bad when me and the guys were out here,” Slash said. “It must be working overtime. We hardly got a day left at this rate!”

“It’s uh…” Echo giggled nervously. “Bigger than I expected. And angrier.”

The dragon’s glowing red eyes shifted through the haze of dust and dirt as it dug through the rubble. Polaris’ eyes darted about the rubble. “Interesting… it may have leveled the playing field to our advantage!” Polaris made his way to a large rock and hid behind it. The others followed. “Here’s the plan…”

The ponies crept carefully about the quarry. They all found their positions, Polaris at the back, Echo furthest in, and Slash right beside her. The dragon ignored them for the most part, likely it didn’t hear them at all.

Strangely enough, Polaris was unafraid. Only excited.

Echo gave a confident smile and lit up her horn.

“On my mark!” Polaris called softly. “Three… two… one… Now!”

The plan was simple. Echo would cast some light shows to distract the dragon. Ideally, the dragon would become disorientated and be driven back from its project, and then a combination of Polaris’ and her own magic would drive it back to the badlands until they could finally find a way to take care of it. Slash had several ideas, but he agreed to wait until it was safely away from the valley.

Echo wasn’t very specific about her spell, and in hindsight Polaris wish he’d asked sooner. It would have made him more prepared.

First a light show, like a series of firecrackers. They made just about the same amount of noise too. That got the dragon’s attention. It’s red eyes flashed about the quarry, and its silver fangs glistened in the sun.

Echo hid behind a rock, Slash by her side, and then she cast another spell.

A big, pink blob of magic, like a balloon. It grew in size until it dwarved its caster. Polaris expected it to stop, but it just kept growing, until it was nearly the size of the dragon itself. The dragon dropped to its claws and studied the strange phenomena.

The blog gained shape. Legs, eyes, a tail.

Echo had constructed a spectral bunny-rabbit, just like she did the night of the bonfire, only much much larger. With slow, colossal movements, it twitched about, cleaned it’s ears, and wiggled its nose.

The dragon was absolutely flabbergasted. It backpedaled further into the quarry, its eyes contemplative and anxious.

The bunny took a step forward, and the dragon took a step back. Another step forward. The dragon roared and swiped with its claws. The bunny leapt back. The dragon cautiously drew nearer, it’s giant claws tapping the stony earth with each step.

Echo and Slash crept about the rock to stay out of sight as the projection led the dragon away. Polaris had to peal to one side of the quarry and discreetly made his way to the others.

“How. Are. You. Doing that??” he whispered.

“Please! I’m trying to focus.” Echo had her tongue out as she concentrated.

“Not one unicorn has ever accomplished an illusion spell of that size, but you’re doing it like it’s nothing! How did you manage?”

She glanced at him and shrugged. “It’s the same spell as before. I just used more magic.”

“You did not!”

“Isn’t that what every unicorn does?”

Polaris felt fear in that moment.

The dragon alternated between backing away, and viciously lashing out at its spectral tormentor, but Echo skillfully kept it just out of reach. The dragon was too disturbed to lunge at it with its full force, but it grew impatient of swiping empty air every time it had a clean shot. Its swipes became more frequent, and Echo had to move the projection faster, which only agitated it more.

“We should run for it,” she said. “Get the decoy far away as possible. I think it’ll chase it. We can figure out what to do from there.”

“How will you manage to stay out of sight?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but that dragon’s not being very perceptive right now.”

A howl from the dragon caught them off guard. It finally stood upright in its full height, and it lunged at the decoy with both claws. Echo drew the decoy back, and its claws missed and struck the earth. It snarled and tried again.

“No more time to wait!” Echo said. She took off, and Slash followed her. True enough, the decoy took all of the dragon’s attention. It made no notice of Echo’s glowing horn as she and Slash ran through the trees and bushes beside the mountain path the decoy led it down. It kept swiping and biting at the decoy.

Polaris hung back and never took his eyes off the other two ponies. This just might work, he thought. And then he noticed the beads of sweat dripping off Echo’s chin, and the dark wet splotches in her white scarf. She was getting exhausted. She and Slash had to stop and hide behind a rock so she could catch her breath.

The decoy stood in place, and the dragon prowled towards it, tail swishing as it licked its silver teeth. Its tail came dangerously close to brushing the rock Slash and Echo hid behind. It reached up one clawed hand and drove it into the ground beside the decoy. The tremor made Echo lose her balance and yelp.

The dragon whipped its head at the noise. It started sniffing.

Polaris made eye contact with Slash. They nodded at each other. Polaris dove for some cover and used his magic to send some rocks rolling down the cliff. The dragon turned its head again.

“Slash, now!”

Slash dove into the decoy, like one might dive behind the curtain. He flew up and readied his shield, and the decoy lifted its little paw and raised it at the dragon. Slash dove with his shield, and the spectral bunny swung its fist.

Slash’s shield made contact behind the dragon’s ear. It cried out in pain. Slash flew past the dragon and landed by Polaris.

The dragon shook its head and howled.

The decoy opened its mouth. Burning lights and sounds like firecrackers spewed from its maw, and the dragon squeezed its eyes shut and clambered backwards. Polaris found a sizeable chunk of rock, and with all his might he lifted it into the air, and held it behind the distracted dragon.

The dragon gasped and spat, and it cracked one eye open. The decoy blinded it again, and it raised its head and howled. Slash flew up and slammed it one more time with his shield. He flew away. Echo’s decoy dissipated.

Polaris brought the rock down and smashed it behind the head. The rock broke and sent trails of dust and pebbles falling to the ground. The dragon crumpled. Its head slammed into the ground, and its body rolled down the hill. Trees were uprooted and rocks were sent tumbling to the wastes below. It sounded like a thunderstorm. Echo, Slash, and Polaris ran together and held on to each other until the rumbling and noise ceased.

“Wait a second… was that it?” Slash whispered. They peaked over the hill. The dragon’s orange body lay there in a heap. Its tail didn’t move. They couldn’t even hear it breath.

“Only one way to know for sure…” And Polaris carefully crept down the hill. It must have taken five whole minutes. The three drew as close as they dared.

Still. The dragon was absolutely still.

“Is it over?” Echo asked. “Did we do it?”

Slash eyed the dragon’s still body. No sign of movement, no breath from its nostrils.

“I think we did it…” Slash smiled and laughed. “We did it! We beat a dragon!” He ran over to Polaris and punched him in the shoulder, which nearly toppled him. Polaris adjusted his glasses, but he smiled. “Hey, great suggestion on bashing its left ear. Where’d you get that from?”

“I read about it an old adventure novel when I was a colt. Imagine it coming in handy now!”

The sun was blotted out by a shadow. The dragon’s tail rose into the air, right above Echo. Her eyes went wide and she froze. The tail cracked down like a whip. Slash’s shield deflected it, but he and Echo were sent flying. Slash hit the ground and rolled into a tree. He shouted and held his wing.

“I knew it, you did hurt your wing!” Echo cried.

“It’s hurt now, anyway!”

A foot shot forward, and the dragon slowly rose up. Echo conjured her decoy again. Polaris’ horn lit up as he ran to the other two. The dragon sluggishly focused on the decoy. It snorted. It dug its claws into the ground and swished its tail.

It took a deep breath.

The dragon bellowed a burst of fire larger than its own body. Polaris put down a magical barrier, and Slash held out his shield as waves of hot air blew over them. The fire blasted the decoy and it wisped away like a cloud. The fire raged long after the magic puppet dispersed. The dragon pulled its head back and blasted fire into the air. Dust and smoke billowed about it as the pillar of fire shot into the sky.

The dragon howled until the fire came no more. It lowered its head and gasped for air, over and over, its shoulders heaving. Polaris and the others carefully drew back.

The dragon sniffed.

And then its red eyes lit up the smoke. Their red glow settled on the three ponies. The ponies drew back, slowly, carefully. The dragon turned around and raked the ground with its claws. The dragon’s mouth lit up with heat once more.

“Run, run!!” Polaris cried.

And fire blasted the ground and the trees, and everything burned.

Earlier…

“I didn’t know this led out of the valley,” Lightning Bug said. Apple Bloom and her climbed the hills beside the Pillar of Hope until they came across another cave entrance. Lanterns and small jugs of oil sat beside the entrance on little hooks in the wall. Apple Bloom took one lantern free and got to work lighting it.

“There’s four,” she said. “Or three, I lose track. Rat Tail’s Watch is just one of them.”

“I see…”

Apple Bloom took the lit lantern and strapped it to her bag. She stepped into the caves, and Lightning followed. The cave walls were stacked by crates of supplies. It was dark and musty, just like she remembered, but Bloom’s lantern was strong enough to light their entire vicinity. Their hoofsteps echoed as they stepped along the stone floor. “Why exactly do you need to go so bad?” she asked.

“Hm?”

“I thought the plan was for you to leave once the dragon was taken care of. Why not just wait it out? I really doubt Polaris cares either way.”

Lightning stopped and thought about it for a moment. “Maybe he doesn’t,” she said. “But I want to go and help. He’s my friend.”

Apple Bloom scoffed. “I thought we just established that he was a jerk.”

“Well, he was. But if he can be patient with me for being an emotional klutz, I can forgive him for being a jerk.” Apple Bloom regarded her carefully. “What?”

“I’m just hoping you don’t got friendship mistaken for something else. …Like stockholm.”

“Greetings, ladies!” Somebody had come up behind them. “I’m not intruding, am I?”

For the first time Lightning heard Apple Bloom scream. She reared back and bucked behind her, and some hapless galloway stallion was sent flying into a crate. He sat there, groaning and holding his head.

“Who the heck’re you??” Apple Bloom cried.

The stallion groaned and tried to sit up. “I’m… meeedo… medo…”

“Meadow Skip?” Lightning walked over the stallion. Green mane, white coat, golden eyes, yep that was him. She helped him unto his feet.

“That’s right!” he shook his mane out and bowed. “I’m Meadow Skip! Pleased to… ah… make your acquaintance. Don’t mind me, I’ve been here the whole time.”

“You’ve followed us all the way from the grotto?” that didn’t make Apple Bloom very happy.

“What are you doing here?” Lightning asked.

“What am I? What about you?” Meadow smiled and stepped closer. Apple Bloom frowned and stepped back. “You two lovely fillies were off to brave the unknown and you weren’t even going to say goodbye?”

“It’s none of your business, Outsider!” Apple Bloom said.

“You’ve heard of him?” Lightning asked.

“The philandering flirt with a mouth bigger than Serene Dippity’s Lake? Yeah, the Outsider from Sylvain. Probably the most typical Sylvanian I’ve ever heard of. Disgusting.”

“Oh, you’ve discussed me?” Meadow arched an eyebrow and smirked.

Apple Bloom groaned and walked further into the cave. Meadow smiled and slid his mane back. “Oh, I love it when they play hard to get, don’t you?”

Lightning blinked. “Uh…”

“Don’t go, at least tell me your name!” Meadow Skip ran ahead, and Lightning had to go in behind him.

“No.”

“Aw come on! I told you mine!”

She groaned. “Apple Bloom.”

“Beautiful! Simply beautiful! A name more Sylvanian than my own! Perfect for a pretty young filly!”

“Is that what you tell all the girls?”

“And discerning too! Nothing gets by you, does it? I have a lot to offer the discerning mare. What would you do without a master of song and tale, and worldly lore at your side?”

“Forget it.” Apple Bloom stopped, and Meadow nearly walked right into her. “I’m going home.” She slid past Meadow and started back for the entrance.

Lightning got in front of her. “But what about Polaris and Echo? And Slash’s wing! The whole point is to make sure Slash gets his medicine.”

Apple Bloom lowered her head and groaned. “This is why I don’t think out loud. People hold me to my word.” She turned around, and Meadow smiled at her. She glared at him. “You. Up front. I don’t want you anywhere near Lightning or me.”

“By all means!” And Meadow confidently took point. “Just tell me where to go, and I’ll go! Whatever the lovely fillies need. I’ll go to the ends of the earth, if you so demand! Whatever the dangers, whatever the challenges, Meadow Skip will meet them all and come back with a wonderful song of our exploits!”

Apple Bloom groaned.

“He’s not that bad,” Lightning whispered to her. “He’s just… kinda ditzy. And shallow.”

“And he’ll be the first to leave the cave,” Apple Bloom said. “If a beast just happens to be waiting outside to nab the first pony they see… that’ll be fine by me.”

Lightning tilted her head and smiled. “You know what? You’re a lot like Polaris, Apple Bloom.”

She screeched to a halt. Apple Bloom looked Lightning dead in the eye. Her green eye seemed to glow. “No. I’m. Not.”

Lightning laughed nervously. “O-Of course not! My bad…”

Apple Bloom frowned and kept walking. She didn’t say another word for the entire trek through the tunnels.

“All that being said…” Meadow turned around. “Where we going exactly?”

“We’re off to find the dragon,” Lightning said.

Meadow blinked and smiled. “The… what now? On purpose?”

Lightning Bug always told herself if she were to brave the Badlands again, it would be too soon. Instantly the dry air washed over her like a wave of hot sand. She squinted in the gray sunlight. They weren’t in the rocks and canyons where she and Polaris found the entrance to the caves, rather a dense and fairly green forest.

The stormwall still billowed in the distance. The horizon was obscured, and the sky was colored an ugly shade of gray. Still the sun beat down on them.

“Wait a second, I don’t know this place,” Lightning looked around.

“Sorry,” Apple Bloom said. “I don’t usually use the main tunnel. I’m more used to this one.”

“Not one to conform, but also a trailblazer!” Meadow said. “How interesting!”

“Here,” Apple Bloom held something out to Meadow.

“Oho?” What’s this?” He took the small bottle from Apple Bloom.

“It’s a potion for aches and pains,” Apple Bloom said. “It’s for bucking you into that box earlier.”

“How thoughtful of you! Truth be told I do have the slightest headache on the onset. I’m sure a potion couldn’t… hurt…” he had almost uncorked the bottle when a thought crossed his mind. “Say… what else does this potion do?”

“...Not sure,” Apple Bloom said.

“You’re not sure? Are there any side effects?”

“It depends on the pony. Wouldn’t hurt any worse than you already do.”

“You know what!” Meadow stashed the potion away. “I’ll just hang on to this for later. In the meantime, it shouldn’t be too hard for you too to find your scaled quarry--” Far off in the distance, they heard rumbling and rocks breaking. “Speak of the figurative devil,” Meadow said. “Best of luck to you both! It’s been a pleasure! Now if you’ll excuse me…”

Apple Bloom grabbed the strap of his lute with her teeth. It caught him by the throat and dropped him to the ground. “Not a chance. You said you’d do anything.”

“That was before…” Meadow nervously chuckled. “Before I knew you were on a date with destiny with the doggone dragon! You… you must understand that even that’s a little out of my league…”

“Nuh-uh. If you talk the talk with me, you gotta walk the walk.”

Meadow reluctantly got to his feet.

“I thought you didn’t like him,” Lightning whispered.

“I don’t. Maybe if he comes face to face with a dragon, he’ll think twice before running his mouth in front of the first filly he sees,” Apple Bloom said.

They heard the rumbling and scraping rocks the entire way. Apple Bloom lead them through the dry forest. “It sounds busy…” Meadow said. “What is it doing again?”

“It’s trying to claw its way into the valley,” Lightning said. “It wants to find me and eat me.”

“What did you do to make it want that?”

“I shot it out of the sky with a lightning bolt.”

“Oh… of course. Because that’s a thing pegasi fillies do… really?” Meadow held his head as he walked.

“You’re from the outside and you’ve never heard of Stormtouch?” Apple Bloom asked.

“When did you first hear of it?” Meadow asked back.

Apple Bloom shrugged. “Yesterday. But I’ve been living in a secret community in the middle of nowhere. What’s your excuse, oh master of lore?”

Something rustled in the bushes. The three ponies bunched together and carefully watched. A padded, clawed foot crept from the shrubbery, followed by glowing eyes and the pointed snout of a direwolf.

“Oh no…!” Lightning whispered.

“Oh great,” Apple Bloom said.

The wolf circled them as its fangs dripped with drool. “Everyone get behind me!” Lightning said. “I-I think I can take it!” Her coat surged. The direwolf flexed its claws. It padded closer and closer. Apple Bloom winced and stepped back. Lightning grit her teeth and tried to look the direwolf in the eyes, but she couldn’t. She looked away as she saw its silver teeth and red tongue draw closer. Its breath wafted over her.

“Lightning Bug!” Apple Bloom whispered.

“I’m not good with big animals…!” Lightning whimpered.

The direwolf growled softly.

And then there was music. Meadow strummed on his lute, and the direwolf closed its snout. Meadow played a gentle cheery tune and stepped away from the two fillies. The direwolf tilted its head and followed him.

“There there,” Meadow said. “You’re no villain! Just hurt and confused. A proud power of the land, driven away and deposed by a chaotic foreign power…”

The wolf growled. Meadow stopped strumming and reached out with his hoof. Gently, he petted the giant dog between the ears. It lowered its head and whined.

“We don’t like that draconic demon any more than you do,” he said. “Where might we find it, friend?”

The direwolf snorted. It peaked its head about. It dashed away. Meadow put his lute away and ran after it. “C’mon, let’s follow it!”

Lightning Bug and Apple Bloom dashed after Meadow Skip and his new friend. It lead them through trees, between rocks and over cliffs. Apple Bloom was breathing pretty hard.

“How… much… longer?” she cried.

“Just a little further!” Meadow said. “That mean ol' dragon can’t be too far now!”

A blast of heat. The three screeched to a halt as a wave of hot air swept over them. A blast of fire in the trees and rocks below. A pillar of fire rose into the sky. A howl and a roar. And amongst it all, they heard the shouting of three other ponies.

“Is that…” Meadow whispered.

“That’s the one,” Lightning said. “That’s the dragon. You can always smell one before you see it.” She scanned the terrain below. She saw three shapes struggling against the flames and running away. “Oh no, Polaris!”

Meadow held out his hoof to the Direwolf. “Many thanks, friend!” he said. The wolf opened its mouth and growled something before dashing away.

“What was that?” Apple Bloom asked.

“Oh… he just said if the dark unicorn below survives, he wants us to bash his nose with a rock. Payback, you know.”

“...You understood it?”

“Animal affinity! For us galloway, plants and animals speak to us, but it tends to be either or.“

“I knew that! But I didn’t think you could actually understand a beast!”

“Especially a beast! Direwolves are just overgrown nightwolves from back home after all.”

“Wait, what?”

“What?”

“What?”

“...”

“Guys!” Lightning cried. The dragon was clearly visible now, amongst the smoke and dust. They could see the three ponies running away. “We gotta go down and help them!”

She ran ahead. The others followed. “It can’t keep breathing fire forever!” Lightning said. “I think.”

“All the more reason to get them away as quickly as possible!” Meadow said.

Apple Bloom didn’t say anything. She watched she sky as she ran. Apparently, amidst the sounds of dragons and rocks breaking, nobody had spied the storm clouds brewing above them.

The dragon brought its claw down. Polaris and the others swerved to the right. The dragon brought down its other claw and they swerved to the left. They thundered down the cliffs and hills as the dragon chased after them.

“You know… gah!” Slashbuckler deftly dodged a falling rock. He held his throbbing wing as he ran. “I think I forgot the rest of the plan!”

“The plan‘s outdated!” Echo Shade screamed “We’re all out of plan!”

The dragon’s tail lashed at them. Echo screamed. Polaris and Slash stopped running. The dragon had caught Echo in the coils of it’s tail.

“What’s it want with her?” Slash cried.

“It must recognize her magic from the puppet!” Polaris said.

“Hang tight, Echo! We’ll get you down!” Slash jumped at the dragon with his shield, but it knocked him away with a flick of its claw. Polaris ran for the dragon’s leg and hit it again and again with his horn. He tried pulling its leg with his magic.

Echo found herself face-to-face with the dragon it snarled and smiled with its glistening teeth. Echo looked away and screamed, and instantly a barrage of blinding booming light sprung from her horn. The dragon gasped and squeezed its eyes shut. The tail lost its grip, and Echo fell to the ground. She lifted herself with her own magic and neatly landed on all fours.

She looked over at Polaris, who was still fruitlessly tugging at the dragon’s leg. Slash had just picked himself up. They both gawked at her once they saw she was okay.

“Quit fooling around!” Echo said. She grabbed both of them with her magic and pulled them along. It howled and resumed the chase. It chased them into a burnt forest, long destroyed before any dragon came to the mountains.

Echo set them both down and they hit the ground running. The dragon plowed through the dry trees. Rocks and pieces of bark pelted their legs as they ran.

“I think it’s time for a new plan!” Polaris shouted as he cleared a fallen log.

“Cool! We’re all ears!” Echo said.

“You two run on ahead. I’ll serve as a decoy so you can escape.”

“That’s a horrible plan!”

“Your magic stamina must be nearly depleted, and Slash is nursing a sore wing. I’ll stay behind and finish the mission!”

They had no time to protest. Polaris lit up his horn and pulled at a passing tree. It snapped forward and slammed into the dragon. It howled in anger and slashed at Polaris. He jumped and nearly tumbled over to escape. Polaris turned his head and brought down another dry tree. It smacked the dragon in the head. It didn’t even snarl this time, but its eyes glowed.

Polaris tripped over a log. He screamed and met the dusty ground face-first.

“Polaris!” Echo and Slash stopped running and turned around. Polaris slowly got to his feet. The dragon stopped running. It dug its claws into the ground and inhaled. Its mouth glowed with warmth as its head hovered above him.

Polaris swallowed. He held a hoof to his heart. “If this breath be final by the Queen’s decree… may the Magus guide me to restful sleep.” Polaris closed his eyes as the warm air wafted around him.

And then he heard a sound like a thunderclap. A streak of yellow and green, and Polaris found himself flying.

“I got you!” Lightning Bug. A voice Polaris was never more happy to hear.

“Private you maniac are you crazy?! What do you think you’re doing?”

“Saving your life?”

Apple Bloom and Meadow Skip dashed from the trees and skid to a stop before the dragon could see them. The other two ponies gawked.

“Outsider Galloway?” Slash asked in surprise.

“Apple Bloom, is that you?” Echo called. "Hurry, Slash hurt his wing!”

“I’m on it, I’m on it!”

Apple Bloom made her way through the smoke and found Echo and Slash hiding behind a fallen tree. She and Echo used their shoulders to heft Slash to his feet, and they carefully walked him away. “Don’t hurt yourself,” she said.

The dragon ceased its breath. It sniffed the air, and it spied Lightning Bug flying away. It snarled and got ready to leap into the air. And then it heard the soothing sound of Meadow Skip’s lute-playing. It craned its head and watched as Meadow crept from the burnt trees, strumming with one hoof as he stepped forward.

Woah, Nelly! Let’s go down, let’s go down…

Woah, Nelly! Let’s go down

Down to the Valley to play…

The dragon, oddly, seemed pleased by the display. It drew back its claws and lowered its head to listen as closely as possible.

Woah, Nelly! Let’s go down

Down to the Valley to play…

Meadow side-eyed Apple Bloom. She had just turned the corner behind a large rock with Slash and Echo. Lightning deposited Polaris nearby and they both went to join him.

Mission accomplished.

Meadow smacked the dragon with his lute. The sound was was musical and tragic the way only understood by those who owned and cared for instruments.

Meadow beat his hooves and ran after the others, screaming. The dragon squinted and snarled after him.

Just before Meadow could reach the others, the dragon’s tail came crashing down on him. The impact sent a cloud of dust and ash, and out tumbling from the force came Meadow’s broken lute, musically bouncing along until it slid to a stop.

The others solemnly looked back into the cloud of dust.

Apple Bloom bowed her head. “Rest in pieces.”

“I’m okay!” Meadow’s voice called back.

“Dagnabbit.”

Meadow came running out of the cloud of smoke. He grabbed the lute as he ran. “Move move MOVE before it catches wind of us again!”

“On it.” Apple Bloom grabbed another potion from her bag. She chucked it at the dragon. It hit the dragon’s nose and shattered into a million pieces. Dense smoke spewed from the broken vessel, and the dragon was disorientated. “That'll cover our scent, but we should hurry. That smokescreen won’t last much longer.”

The six kept running. Slash and Apple Bloom were in the back. Lightning flew ahead and led the way shoulder-to-shoulder with Polaris. He was losing his strength fast, and quickly lagged behind her. Lightning flew over and picked him up again.

“Private? About earlier, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said with a smile.

“I really am! It was my own pride that got us in danger, not yours. I’m glad to see you again.”

They came across a trench and leapt down inside. They hid themselves beneath a fallen tree. They heard the shaking footsteps of the dragon all around them as it searched for its prey.

“Maybe we should head back after all,” Echo Shade said.

“We can’t!” Lightning said. “It might just turn back to the valley and we’ll be back where we started! We’ve got to do something while we still can.”

Polaris was busy catching his breath. Apple Bloom passed him a small jar, filled with a red liquid. “Medicinal pick-me-up,” she said. Polaris chugged it down without even asking what it was. The other two were handed one vial each, which they drank. Afterwards Apple Bloom took out the medicine she had made from the flowers and got to work on Slash’s wing. He winced as she rubbed the healing ointment into his feathers.

Polaris finished his drink and let out a gasp of red-colored vapor. “Well! For a moment there I thought our success-rate had plummeted to one-percent! But with you three here I’m sure our chances have doubled at least!”

“That’s optimistic of you,” Meadow said.

“If there’s one chance out of a hundred we can take that dragon down,” Polaris said. “I say we go for it!”

“Hoo-rah!” Slash pumped his hoof and cheered, and instantly winced at his throbbing wing.

“We must consider our strengths and weaknesses,” Polaris opened his saddlebag. “Half of us are almost spent, but the other half is fresh! I know if we put our heads together, the six of us can put that dragon down.”

“Jovan favors the wise,” Lightning said. “That’s what the captain used to say.”

Polaris set down several small objects. Amongst them were an ink quill, a folding knife, a compass, an empty cordial bottle, a small medal, a package of cards, and a spool of thread. Polaris drew a circle in the sand with his hoof and placed the empty bottle in the center. “This is our battlescape. Here’s the dragon.”

“Oh, are we picking pieces for ourselves?” Meadow asked. “I want the cards!” He reached his hoof over and Polaris instantly smacked him away.

“Pick something else.”

Lightning took the quill, and Slash took the knife. Meadow reached for the spool of thread, but Echo pulled it away with her magic without even noticing him. He sighed and reached for the small medal. “This curio will do,” he said.

“That’s a charm that serves as insect-repellant.”

“It suits me, okay!”

Apple Bloom was remiss to do anything. She poked around the trench with her hoof. Polaris tapped his hoof impatiently. “Miss Apple Gloom, we need something to represent you on the field! Please pick something or…” And Apple Bloom plucked a small mushroom from the ground and rolled it over next to the other pieces. “...That will do.”

“What exactly were you all doing before we got here?” Lightning asked.

“We were doing alright!” Slash said.

“We lasted ten minutes before the dragon started pelting us with fire,” Polaris said. “It took it a long time to notice us, Alicorns willing it stays that way. It seems too angry and desperate to focus for very long…”

“And now it’s even angrier that it’s seen me,” Lightning said. “That means we need to fall back on my original plan.”

“You are not leading that thing to the Stormwall by yourself, Private!” Polaris said. “We’ve been through this!”

“I won’t! Look,” Lightning took her quill and drew a line in the dirt. “I saw something while I was carrying you. We actually skirted these woods after we met Meadow at the fruit trees.”

“You all ate from the sacred grove?” Echo cried.

“Is that a bad thing?” Meadow asked.

If anything, Echo’s eyes were shining. “No, of course not,” she said with a giggle. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes.

“If that’s so,” Polaris said. “Then we shouldn’t be too far from…” They stopped to listen, and amidst the dragon’s rumbling, they heard the wind howling. “The chasm!” he and Lightning said at the same time.

“The great trenches?!” Slash cried. “Those things are practically bottomless. If you fall in one of those, you’re never coming back out!”

“Which makes it a perfect destination for our dragon friend,” Polaris said. “All we need to do is lure it nearby and shove it over the edge! Really I’m mortified we hadn’t thought of it before… If you knew of the trenches, pegasus, why didn’t you suggest them earlier?”

Slash raised his hoof and opened his mouth, but no words came.

“So what,” Apple Bloom said. “We use Lightning as bait and hope this thing stumbles down a hole?”

“Hope is good,” Echo said. “But we got more than that. We got five other ponies to make sure the dragon goes down.”

“The rest of us should run ahead,” Polaris said. He moved the pieces about the makeshift map. “We’ll find distinct vantage points to take the dragon by surprise. Once its near the chasm, we trip it. First the unicorns with our magic, and then the Galloway with their strength. Something that big will have a hard time keeping its balance if we keep the pressure on long enough.”

“But what about Slash?” Lightning asked. “If he can’t fly as fast, what’s he going to do?”

“I think I’ll lay low until the time to strike arrives,” Slash said. “I’ll make sure nobody gets hurt,” he tapped his shield. “But when it’s time to send the dragon over the edge, just say the word and I’ll whack him upside the head.”

“Sans a few specifics to iron out, I think we’re in agreement,” Polaris said. “Any other questions or comments before we begin?”

Meadow raised his hoof. “Is this a bad time to say I actually consider myself a pacifist?”

“None? Good. Good luck everybody, Alicorns watch over us all.”

Lightning Bug hid in the trees as the other ponies found their positions. She recognized the mountain path ahead. It was the exact same road of rocks and dirt that the dragon tried chasing her and Polaris down. Today things would be different. With her new friends, the dragon would be banished from the badlands, and she’d finally won one for her teammates.

A glint from Slashbuckler’s shield told her it was time to fly.

“Yoo-hoo!” She flew up and shouted at the lumbering dragon. It’s head perked up and it snorted in surprise. “Remember me?!” It snarled and snapped its teeth. It leapt for her, and she took off. “Atta boy!” It followed her. It ran on all fours as she zipped down the mountain trail. One side of the trail finally gave away to the steep, endless chasm. She spied her friends below in the rocks. It was time.

“Now!”

Echo Shade leapt from behind a rock and flashed her horn. A magical ribbon trailed from her horn. She twirled it like a lasso and flung it for the dragon’s legs. The dragon’s red eyes went wide with surprise as it ankles stuck together. It groaned and struggled.

“I got it, guys! I got it!” Echo called. It tried to inhale, but just as Lightning expected, it’s reserves were burnt out. It couldn’t fling fire at her. She flew in place just a few lengths away and smiled at it.

The dragon stubbornly inched forward. Apple Bloom and Meadow Skip sprung from their hiding places and ran for its legs. They both turned and bucked. There were few forces in ponykind stronger than a back-kick from a Galloway.

The dragon tripped and stumbled. Echo set her hooves and pulled back. The dragon lurched backward and screamed. Slash flew up and slammed its head with his shield.

For one wonderful moment, it seemed like the dragon would fall like a toppled tree and fall into the chasm.

It did not.

The dragon dug its claws into the ground. It flicked Slash away with its tail. It flexed its legs. The ribbon loosened. Echo found herself pulled along by her own magical lasso.

“Guys, I don’t got it!!”

The galloway ran up to buck it again. The dragon’s tail met them. Apple Bloom found herself in the dragon’s coils and lifted up off the ground. She didn’t scream, she just looked annoyed.

“Apple Bloom!” Meadow called up after her. “Somebody, it’s got Apple Bloom!”

“Meadow Skip!” she called down to him. “The potion! Throw it to me!”

“Which potion?” And then Meadow realized. The one she gave to him. “Oh. Right.” He produced the small bottle, took a step back, and then flung it into the air. The bottle glinted in the sun as it spun up to Apple Bloom. She took the bottle, uncorked it… and promptly smashed it over the dragon’s head.

Most ponies don’t even know what a flashbang is, but whatever happened when the potion’s container broke came awful close. A blinding wave of heat spread like a little sun.

Meadow’s eyes went wide as he dug his hooves down for dear life.

“HOLY ---” the sound of the blast drowned him out. He was flung back into a rock. The dragon held its head and Apple Bloom was released. She met with the cliffside, and daintily made her way to the bottom, right next to Meadow, now upside down with his back resting against a rock.

“You were going to make me drink that?!” he asked.

“Hm? Oh yeah, I guess I was.”

“You guess??”

The dragon stumbled around. It shook its head. It seemed to still be stunned. Polaris came out from behind with another big rock to break over the dragon’s head. The dragon stopped in its tracks. Then Lightning saw the dragon’s eyes glance about.

“Polaris wait!”

He brought the rock down. The dragon instantly turned around and smashed the rock with its claws. Rocky bits rained down on them. Slashbuckler flew by with his shield and kept the buffet off Echo. Polaris conjured a shield while Apple Bloom and Meadow had to flee the falling rocks.

The dragon lifted its tail and brought it down. The shockwave sent Echo toppling over, and her lasso dissipated. It raised its foot and prepared to crush her.

“Oh no you don’t! Hey, focus on me!” Lightning dashed for the dragon.

The dragon lunged forward and caught her out of the air with its claws. Lightning struggled and screamed, and her coat surged with energy. The dragon winced as electrical power ran up its arm. It’s eyes twitched.

And then Lightning saw something.

The growths on its head. They lit up. Large crystals wedged between the dragon’s scales, forcing its natural armor apart, reacting with her own lightning.

Fulgurites! Gems formed by magical lightning reacting with stone, or dragon scales in this case. This behemoth dragon must have acquired these after the thunderstorm.

But how could she use this to her advantage?

A magical lasso latched the dragon’s mouth shut. It growled and shook its head about. Slash flew for its head with his shield. It merely titled its head and Slash swung at thin air. Echo pulled and pulled down below. The dragon knelt down, and then snapped its head forward. Echo was sent flying into the air. Slash flew back for another attempt, and he smacked right into his friend. They both went flailing to the ground, dangerously close to the chasm.

“No!” Lightning struggled in the dragon’s grip.

Apple Bloom and Meadow caught the two falling ponies and galloped them away to safety, only to meet the dragon’s tail as it swept the ground. It knocked all four of them into the cliffside.

Polaris screamed and ran at it with a series of rocks. He pelted the dragon’s face with stones. It shrugged these off and lifted its massive foot. Polaris let fly a few more stones before screeching to a halt and conjuring a barrier. The stones struck its hand and Lightning wiggled free. The dragon’s foot met his magic shield, and it drove both the shield and its user three inches into the ground.

“Polaris!” She flew down to the unicorn. He lay in a perfectly circular crater, horn barely staying alight, glasses broken. “Get up, come on!”

Polaris groaned and shook his head. “Run for it, Private,” he said. “We’ll do our best. Run, before it sees you again.”

Lightning set her brow. She picked Polaris up. She did not zap him once. She carried him to some cover behind some rocks and set him down.

The dragon stupidly searched its feet for any sign of the unicorn. It spied the empty crater and frowned.

“Hey, you!” Lightning stood before the chasm and shouted up at it. The dragon turned around and snarled. “One way or another, this ends today!”

Her coat surged. Her eyes lit up. She pawed the ground and flapped her wings. “This one’s for the captain!” Lightning took off at incredible speeds. She went for the dragon’s head, for the crack in its armor.

The dragon flicked her away like a fly. Lightning rolled on the dusty ground, pulled herself up, and took off again. “This one’s for my friends!”

She was beaten down again. And again. And again. And again.

“Private!” Polaris struggled from behind the rocks. “What are you doing! Stop trying to be a hero!”

“I’m not a hero,” Lightning shakily stood up. “I’m just a scout. But I’m tired of waiting for something to happen! I’m tired of settling for less! It ain’t over till my wings can’t fly no more. So I’ll keep trying and trying until something or somebody better comes along.”

The dragon howled at her.

“Yeah, you’re big and scary. But you know what?!” Lightning shouted up at it. “I don’t care anymore! I’m not afraid of you anymore! I am tired of letting you bully my friends!”

The dragon opened its maw and inhaled. Its mouth glowed.

The ponies clenched their teeth and backed away.

And then the sound of music pierced the air. It was like a flute, or a harp. It was sad, it was mellow, it was hopeful, it was triumphant. It gave the ponies the strength to stand up on last time.

The dragon screeched and held its head in pain. Its tail swung wildly. It crept closer and closer to the edge in its daze. It squinted through the pain and glared at Lightning.

It lunged for her.

“No!”

Apple Bloom and Meadow ran for the dragon. They bashed their foreheads into its shins and struggled as it pushed them back. “Meadow Skip!” Apple Bloom cried. “Plant your hooves!”

“Plant my… like this?” Meadow wasn’t sure what he or Apple Bloom did, but the ground cracked and fissured around their hooves until they were so deep into the earth that they would not budge. The dragon struggled and toppled over. “I forgot I could do that!”

“Slash! On me!” Lightning shot straight up into the sky. Slash followed her as quickly as he could.

“Why are we bailing??”

“We’re not! We’re gaining air! Let me show you how we soldiers do a Pegasus-dive-bomb!”

The dragon sat upright. A rock the size of its head knocked it in the stomach. It spat and choked. Polaris readied another stone, and Echo flung it from her ribbon like a sling. The dragon held out its claws to deflect the buffet.

And then a sound like a catapult ripped through the air. Two pegasus in complete free-fall shot for the ground before the dragon.

“Pull up, Slash!” Lightning said. “Pull up!”

They held their wings out and flew for the dragon, and their front hooves met the dragon’s face like bullets. It was knocked back towards the chasm. It nearly lost its balance. Its claws dug into the rock. It used its tail to balance itself. It spied Apple Bloom and Meadow running for it. It lunged for them.

“Oh no you don’t!” Echo shot a blinding blast of magic into its eyes. It cried out and blindly slammed its fist. The force sent Echo tumbling back, and Polaris ran to her side.

Slash came by for another dive-bomb, but the dragon risked its own balance to fling its tail at him. Again. He was hit and knocked to the ground. It heard Lightning screaming. It looked up just in time to see Lightning rushing for it, eyes glowing, energy crackling from her coat. It raised its claws and batted her away like a fly.

The world spun around her. She couldn’t tell what was up or down. Lightning heard a voice.

“Lightning Bug!” a voice was getting closer. Polaris’s voice. “Lightning Bug, I got you!”

“Polaris!” She turned her wings and tried to steer herself closer.

Polaris caught her with his magic. He swung her around. She spun like a wind turbine. A purple wheel of energy appeared around him as she spun like a stone in a sling.

Polaris flung her for the dragon. A shockwave rippled the ground and the air as Lightning shot for the dragon like an actual bolt of lightning towards the dragon’s head.

Tears streamed from her eyes as she screamed, tucked her hooves in, and lowered her head.

Impact. A wave of electrical energy swept the area. It shot skywards as the fulgurite reacted with her Stormtouch. The wave sent rocks flying. The other ponies dug their hooves in lest they be blown away. And then Lightning Bug hit the hard ground. The dragon tilted forwards, and backwards, and then it fell.

Down, down, down, into the chasm.

It was ten whole seconds before anyone heard it reach its destination. The chasm howled as a wave of wind blasted from the bottomless crevice. And then silence. Lightning did not move.

“You did it!” Polaris and the others ran up to her. “You did it, it’s gone! …Lightning?” Polaris prodded her with his horn. “Lightning Bug?”

“Oh no…” Echo held her mouth with her hoof.

Apple Bloom hurriedly searched through her bag.

The little yellow filly flinched. She curled into a ball. “Ow…. my head…”

And everyone let out a sigh of relief. Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and closed her bag. Slash laughed and nudged her shoulder. “Us pegasi have pretty thick skulls, huh?!”

“I don’t care what anyone ever told you,” Echo lifted Lightning up and hugged her. “You are the luckiest filly I know.”

“I feel kinda sorry for the dragon, though,” Meadow said. “Do you think it survived that? What if it finds a way out?”

“Well,” Slash said. “It’s wings are useless and it’s a pretty long climb. I reckon it’ll be a while.”

Lightning smiled. She thought she saw something from the corner of her eye. Or somebody, in a dark cloak. Watching from afar. She looked up at Meadow, who had turned quiet and serious. He was looking somewhere far away.

“Um, guys?” Apple Bloom pointed up. The clouds were already brewing, but now they swirled into a vortex. Cyan lightning darted between the clouds. It seemed to be hovering right above where Lightning had struck the dragon. “Not to alarm anybody… but we probably don’t wanna be here when that breaks.”

The first boom of thunder blew their manes back. The wind picked up, and a tiny whirlwind appeared on the ground. It gained speed. Lightning struck the rocks and the earth. The ponies screamed and leapt back. They ran to put as much distance between them and the oncoming storm. When they didn’t move fast enough, they consolidated.

Polaris hefted Lightning up with his magic and set her on his back. Apple Bloom and Echo ran ahead, and Slash picked up Meadow and carried him the rest of the way. They all dove behind a rock just as a massive javelin of light struck the ground where Lightning once stood. The shockwave nearly toppled them, even from behind cover. The ground was cleaned as rocks and dirt were flung far away. And then silence. >

Lightning’s eyes were squeezed shut. She tried not to think about dragons or storms or pegasus soldiers getting struck and dropping like flies. Instead she saw a shining white horse with a flowing blue mane, resting upon the rocks above, smiling down at her.

When she opened her eyes she saw nothing, and yet somehow she knew everything was going to be okay.

“Look…” Meadow nudged her. “Lightning look, the stormwall!”

Lightning peaked from behind the rock.

Blue sky. A yellow sun. White fluffy clouds. A hole had been blasted in the stormwall, and everything above them was clear and beautiful, as if they were in the valley of life again.

“It’s down!” Polaris said. “We might actually be able to escape!”

The ponies left their shelter and stared at the blue sky.

And then they heard a noise.

It wasn’t music. It was a chirping, buzzing noise. And then a voice.

“Lightning Dust!” the voice said. The ponies looked at each other.

“Lightning-who?” Meadow asked.

“Lightning Dust! This is Maelstrom, respond!”

Lightning reached for her radio. A voice. A signal. Somebody was trying to talk to her!

“That thing still works after all that?” Slash asked.

“Oh… come on, don’t do this to me! Lightning Dust, say something!!”

Lightning swallowed. Her lip quivered. “C-Captain?”

First a pause. And then the radio exploded with laughter. “She’s alive! I told you I’d find her!” Lightning smiled as a tear rolled down her face. “Girl, we thought you were a goner! Everyone was worried about you! Just wait till they hear about this.”

“The others?” Lightning asked. “They’re okay? They were thinking of me?”

“We’re all were! We’re back in Clan Ponente getting debriefed. We’ve sent search parties to the border and back. They were starting to think you were monster food, and then I got your message. How did you last so long? What happened to you?”

“I… you wouldn’t believe it if I told you…” Lightning looked back at the others. Echo smiled at her and nodded. “There are ponies out here! They took me in and took care of me. I don’t think I’d be here today if it weren’t for them.”

“You’re serious? …By the brothers there really are ponies out there. Imagine that. I doubt the Minister of Defense would’ve liked to hear that. Probably a good thing we never linked up with her in the first place. But enough about all that, you just sit tight, Lightning Dust. We’ll get a lock on your location and we’ll get you home.”

Home? Lightning almost forgot about it. Clan Mistral, the beaches, the trees, her mom and dad. That was where she came from, that was where her family was, but when she thought of home…

“Captain! Sir! That… that won’t be necessary, sir!”

Silence.

“Are you kidding me?! Girl, what’s come over you!”

“Sir, I’m not sure what to say, but… but…” she shook her head. “I want you to demote me! Put me on recon duty! I want you to post me here in the badlands.”

“After all this, you don’t want to come back? Your parents are waiting for you, they’re worried sick!”

“I know they are, but… I can’t explain it. There are all kinds of ponies here, captain! Pegasi, Galloway, and Unicorns. They all live together here! It’s… it’s harmony, I don’t know what else to call it! I want to learn more about them. They have something we don’t and I need to know what it is, I can’t go home until I find out for myself. ” The captain was quiet. “I think this is where I can finally spread my wings, sir.”

“I… I… That can be valid ground for a mission…” they heard the captain mutter to himself. “But you have to understand I can’t give the okay so long as you’re in neutral territory! Do you know what the bigwigs in Lustre will say if they know we have a soldier posted over the border?”

“That won’t be an issue, sir,” Polaris stepped in.

“What? …Who is this?”

“Polaris of Cynosura, sir.”

“That’s a Lustrian name! What’s the meaning of this?”

“I represent the College of Asterim Professorate,” Polaris said. “I can attest in good faith that Lightning Dust has done nothing to defy the spirit of the ancient treaties. She has performed admirably, and gone above and beyond the call of duty to protect her fellow ponies, pegasus or not. I have my own mission out here, but so long as she keeps an eye on me, and I on her, I guarantee you the treaties will be upheld, and the Minister of Defense will have no problem with our being here.”

“...That’s a lot to take in,” the captain said. “Most of this will have to be kept under wraps… What am I supposed to tell the Lustrians?”

“Give them a message from me, Polaris of Cynosura. Telegram, Telegraph, Magigraph, however you prefer. Send them these six words. Mission impeded, coming along, promising results. That will be all they need to hear.”

“I see… you have my thanks Lustrian, seeing as you’ve helped my Scout out there. Not something I thought I’d ever say…” The captain was quiet for a moment. “You’re asking a lot of me, girl,” he said.

“I know,” Lightning said.

“I’ll have to be the one to tell your parents.”

“I know.”

The captain laughed. “Your dad said he’d hang me over the fireplace like a mountchaser if I let anything happen to you.” Lightning covered her mouth and giggled.

“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Just tell them that I’m on a secret mission, but I’ve found friends, and I’m doing alright, and I love them very much.”

The clouds began closing over the window to the outside.

“You’re absolutely sure?” the captain asked.

“Absolutely.”

“Alright then. Take care, kiddo. Brothers protect you.”

Lightning saluted, even though he couldn’t see her. “Brothers protect you, sir.”

“Maelstrom out.”

The clouds closed, and the signal died. Lightning studied her radio. Her last link to her old home. Echo put a hoof on her shoulder. She looked up and smiled at her. Echo, Slash, and Meadow reached down and hugged her. Polaris and Apple Bloom had to get pulled over by Echo’s magic. They stood their together for a moment.

“We almost got killed by a dragon,” Apple Bloom said.

And then they all got zapped.

The trek back to the quarry didn’t feel so bad. After facing a raging, draconic behemoth, everything’s easy. None of the pegasi flew, and the pace was pretty slow, but they moved along.

“Can’t fight a dragon? Can’t hold her own?” Echo asked. “Well there’s a dragon lying at the bottom of the chasm who’d like to dispute your claim, so there! Ha!”

“What is she on about,” Apple Bloom muttered.

“She kinda snuck out without telling Tall Tail,” Lightning Bug said.

“Oh, really? Here I was thinking he was just irresponsible.”

Echo Shade hummed along, she practically skipped as they followed the trail up the mountain. “And when they come; heroes afar, strangeness for some, fate from the stars! Forged from fire, unite in song, new life restored! Voice of choir, turn right from wrong, true peace like never before…”

“That’s pretty,” Lightning Bug said. “What’s it about?”

“Rat Tail wrote the song for the Alicorns coming to Cabalos and saving us from the dragons,” Echo said. She got a glint in her eyes, and Apple Bloom groaned.

“What?” Lightning asked.

“Or…” Apple Bloom muttered.

“Or! Rat Tail wrote it for the day outsiders would come to the valley! He’s had all kinds of sayings for such an occasion. We stopped a dragon, restored peace, came together, I’d say the glove fits!”

“It’s just a coincidence, Echo,” Apple Bloom said.

“Um, hey, speaking of coincidences,” Slash said. “What was with that music from earlier?”

“Thank you!” Lightning said. “I thought I was the only one who heard that!”

“Surely a strange phenomena,” Polaris said. “Not the first I’ve heard if I’m being honest. It drove a pack of direwolves from me before I scaled the mountain. What makes the badlands conjure such sounds and why do the beasts and monsters hate it so much?”

Meadow Skip was walking ahead, not saying anything. “What does Meadow Skip think?” Echo called over.

Meadow looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I think it was Caduceus.”

Polaris blinked. “Who?”

Echo tapped her hooves and screamed. She ran up to Meadow Skip. “Caduceus the Wanderer! You’ve heard of her!”

“Again with that?” Polaris cried. “How many ponies actually believe in this seventh Alicorn hooey?” Slash and Echo gave him a look. “...What?”

“It’s not hooey,” Meadow said. “It’s lost history! In every nation you’ll find the same stories! The Alicorn who abstained from leadership, who searched the hills and trees and sea for the song! It was she who sang to the foals as her brethren built the great nations. It was she who wrote the lullaby that persists to this day! And it’s she who the ponies of Harmony accept as their guardian.”

“Even if she did exist at some point…” Polaris said. “Why would one just appear now of all times?”

“Who knows? Some say she was the first to disappear, but now she’s the first to return! Fate may be afoot, as they say,” Meadow walked along, and he and Echo chatted about myths and legends the entire walk back.

“She could have at least shown herself,” Polaris muttered. “If it really was her.”

Lightning thought back to the figure in the cloak, but she chose not to say anything.

None of them were expecting an audience when they left the tunnels. Once they passed Rat Tail’s Watch, they were met with a small crowd of ponies, gathered about the foot of the hill. Lightning spied a few of the elders. They shuffled backwards as they descended, eyes wide and ears flat.

“Um…” Lightning Bug smiled and waved. “Hi?”

“You’re not dead,” one of them said. “The dragon didn’t eat you.”

“It tried, I’ll tell you that,” Polaris said.

“So where is it now?” a pony asked. “What happened to it?”

The six looked at each other and nodded. “Taking a nap in the endless trenches!” Slashbuckler said. “It won’t be bothering anyone anymore.”

First a pause. And then applause. The ponies screamed and hugged each other. They crowded around the six and led them back to the grotto. Apple Bloom shrank back as much as she could and clung to Echo as they were shepherded away.

“They love me, they really love me!” Slash said.

“They always loved us Slash,” Echo said.

“They just have more reason to like us more,” Apple Bloom grumbled. “I need to break the sign in front of my shop again.”

Town Square as completely abandoned, and the completed barricade sat against the cliffside, barred shut. The sounds of celebrations bid the ponies inside crack the door.

“They’re alive! They made it!” someone shouted. As the six heroes and their entourage drew near, the doors flung open, and the ponies inside ran out to meet them. Apple Bloom scampered away, but the crowd swallowed her up. Cedar Seed was there, and so was every pony Lightning Bug had met during her stay, and there was Tall Tail and his two foals. Smokey was holding Snowy, her eyes were red from bawling. They lunged at Echo Shade and wrapped their arms around her and laughed and sobbed. Tall Tail took her into a warm embrace and kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry for running off, master,” Echo said.

“I begged the Wanderer to protect you. My faith was not displaced. I’m proud of you all.” And she happily tucked her head beneath his chin. “You are so grounded by the way. Once the festival is over, of course.”

“Er, of course!”

“And what of the dragon?” Tall Tail asked.

“The dragon is as good as gone,” Polaris said. “It won’t threaten the valley again anytime soon.” He set his hoof on Lightning’s shoulder. “And it’s all thanks to her.”

And the valley erupted in even more cheers. Lightning shyly ducked away, but Polaris and Meadow Skip propped her up for all to see.

It didn’t feel real. They were happy to see her, she had done something right, finally! And her Stormtouch didn’t act up once.

But then something caught Lightning’s eye. She gently wiggled free and dashed up to the hill beside the grotto. She jerked to a stop and looked up at the Star Pillar.

“What happened here?” she whispered.

Tall Tail ran to meet her. Yellow ribbons, yellow candles, and now glowing yellow markings. The crest glowed brilliantly, gently, like some kind of daytime moon.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Tall Tail said. “It must have been an hour or so ago. We had barricaded ourselves inside when we saw that blast of fire in the sky, and those awful sounds from outside nearly deafened us. But then there was a flash, and when I ran to check, the Pillar of Hope was alight! No Star Pillar has done such a thing for nearly a thousand years!”

Lightning couldn’t believe it. When she closed her eyes, and canceled out the happy cheering, she could almost hear singing. She realized it then. Whatever she heard from the Star Pillar was the same song as from outside. A song shared by the six pillars, and the magical stranger who had come to their aid.

And when Lightning opened her eyes, the sky was dim enough that all Seven Spirit Stars finally lit up the sky again.

Author's Note

One more Epilogue to go. It will not be nearly as long.

Guys.

It's been fun.

I'm exhausted. I've been staying up just to make sure this goes up before Make your Mark premieres. Why? I don't really know.

I didn't think it would take me till May to finish the premiere but here we are.

I will do my best to not make honking huge chapters like this in the future ^^,

I'll see you all in the epilogue for some final thoughts.

Premiere - Epilogue

“You remember what Sir Rat Tail said, don’t you master?” Echo Shade asked as she set the final fuse into place. Tall Tail sighed as he fixed the last firework. “When Outsiders come to the valley…” Echo said.

“...Treat them well,” Tall Tail said. “Take them in, show them grace, give them provisions, answer their questions, and then send them on their way.” He picked up his things and trotted back towards Townsquare.

“But…!” Echo followed after. “Should they hear our story, sing our songs, and count themselves our family sisters and brothers, then under the wrath of the new world will our friendship be forged, and that which is forged under dragonfire is not broken easily. Our songs will change, our home will change, and the world will change.”

Tall Tail sighed again.

“Don’t see?” Echo asked. “Outsiders, sisters, brothers… dragonfire?”

“Echo Shade, what do we say about prophecies?”

“They’re not written for the ponies who come before, but the ponies who come after?”

“Exactly. Prophecies are an encouragement to those who live in changing and trying times. Until we are absolutely sure that Sir Rat Tail himself saw a dandy Galloway, a stuck-up Unicorn, and an accident-prone Pegasus coming to the Valley and changing the fate of Cabalos as we know it… we are who come before, and we shouldn’t speculate for its own sake.”

Echo shrugged. “Speaking as a pony who met outsiders, is now good friends with some of them, and happened to take a fair amount of dragonfire… I’d say I’m a good contender at least.”

“Perhaps,” Tall Tail said. He nodded to the fireworks. “The drums will beat seven times. What do you do on the fifth?”

Echo’s horn spat out little sparks, like a flint. “That’s when I run and light the fuses.”

“Good. All must be lit before the seventh drum, and once the fireworks get going, that’ll likely be the last exciting thing you do for a while.” Echo put on a sort of half-frown. “What is it?”

“Like, you’re the master, and I’ll do whatever you say…”

“I certainly hope there’s more to it than that!”

“But how unexciting do you really think the valley will be with Lightning and Polaris sticking around?”

“I’m trying not to think about that too hard.”

The drums pounded. The stars twinkled silently above. The ponies tensely shifted their hooves about. The wind gently tossed their manes. Lightning Bug struggled in the crowd to keep her wings and tail from brushing against anyone accidentally. She begged and begged her Stormtouch to behave itself. She spied Slashbuckler and Meadow Skip, and somewhere nearby Polaris was taking notes, presumably catching up on his mapmaking. His ears were flat against his head from all the noise.

She saw Echo Shade dash across the hill. She ducked her horn and one by one, lit the trails of fuses.

The final drum sounded.

And one by one the fireworks shot into the air. The explosions were deafening. Everyone was drenched in colored light, from every color of the rainbow. The ponies cheered and whooped as if to drown out the noise.

Three young pegasi flew overhead, Snowy was one of them, and they all had ribbons trailing behind them as they swooped by.

After that it was almost like a riot. The ponies ripped the boards and planks from their houses and windows and threw them into a pile. They lit the wood on fire and danced and sang around it. The band started playing again, food started cooking again, and the festival was almost finally underway.

Cedar Seed gently nudged Lightning’s shoulder. “We’d have none of this if it weren’t for you and your friends. Thank you.” Lightning just gave a sheepish smile.

Echo came racing back and gave Lightning a hug. “I lit those!” she said.

“I saw it!”

“Just wait till you see the closing show. Master will handle those ones himself. He’s always so good at making fireworks. It’s probably the one thing he likes besides telling stories.”

“Perhaps you should introduce us sometime,” Meadow chimed in. “I’d love to hear all the stories you Harmonites come up with.”

Snowy and the other pegasus fillies touched down a short distance away. Smokey joined her just as she trotted over. “Didja see me, Echo, Lightning?”

“You were wonderful, your flying is getting better every day!”

“I wouldn’t know much,” Meadow said with a shrug. “But it was lovely as far as I’m concerned.”

“Really??” And Snowy’s eyes shone. She stepped a little closer, and her ribbon dragged along the ground. “Are you… a prince?” she asked.

Meadow paused. He clicked his tongue and winked at her. “Not sure yet, I’ll get back to you on that.”

Snowy blinked. “...Wait, what?”

“Smokey!” Tall Tail hollered over. “The story’s about ready to start, and you promised to help.”

“But I wanna talk to Lightning!” he said. “I have something to tell her before she and the others leave the valley!”

Tall Tail shook his head. “Haven’t you heard?” he walked over. “Lightning Bug and the outsiders aren’t going anywhere. Until we find a way past the stormwall, that is.”

“You’re staying?!” Smokey cried and looked at Lightning.

“Contain yourself,” Tall Tail grumbled.

“You’re staying for real? What made you change your mind?”

Lightning Bug looked up at the Spirit Stars shining in the night sky. “Ever since we’re foals, we’re taught that long long ago, the three nations worked together and loved each other. They don’t now, but nobody seems to really want things to go back to the way they were before.” Lightning smiled at Smokey, and the colt’s face flushed. He shied closer to his father. “But here in the valley, it’s like a fairytale to me! Everyone gets along, whether they’re a pegasus or not, whether they’re perfect or not! I want to know the how and why about this place. Maybe there’s something I can learn here and take back home with me.”

“Wow…” Smokey’s eyes shone. “She’s so thoughtful!”

“You may not find much, I’m afraid,” Tall Tail said gently. “We’ve been pondering the mysteries of the valley for ages, and I’m not sure we know any more than when Sir Rat Tail left us. Should the stars and the Wanderer will it, I pray you find what you’re looking for.” He nodded to his son. “Let’s go, Smokey.” He took the colt by the shoulder and led him away, but he kept casting glances back at Lightning. She waved goodbye to him, and his face froze like that until they walked out of sight.

Echo Shade lead Lightning and Meadow around the square. They could see the Star Pillars and their candles glowing in the distance, and pony after pony left a freshly lit candle by Sir Rat Tail’s statue. Tall Tail performed a story nearby for the foals, and some older ponies stopped to watch too.

“Would you stop following me, please??” Lightning heard Polaris’ voice.

“You’re still an Outsider,” Slashbuckler said. “And I gotta keep suspicious persons within hoof’s reach, especially on important days of the year.” The two where basically walking shoulder to shoulder, and Polaris was doing his best to tear away, but the pegasus wouldn’t relent.

“You were there when I helped deal with the dragon! I’m not a threat to your little village!”

“True, but what if you just accidentally cast a Lustrian spell that we’ve never seen before and cause an earthquake with that magnet magic of yours?”

Meadow smiled and held a hoof to his chest. "Oh, excuse me? I'm an outsider too! Won't somebody please escort me?"

Slash looked at Meadow and sighed. "Oh, fine, but I'm still watching you!" He said to Polaris. He walked up to Meadow and gruffly took guard.

"I was kind of hoping for the unicorn chick from earlier..." Meadow mumbled. Nobody heard him.

And Polaris saw the others and some relief found his eyes. “Ah, Lightning, thank goodness,” he cantered over. It was still weird to hear him call her that.

“What is it?”

“See, I’ve been trying to find the time to finish this, and this is as good a time as any, now that we’re all here most of us anyway…” Polaris reached into his saddlebag. He pulled out a small bundle of cloth and held it in the air with his magic. “See, I’ve been thinking about that necklace of yours. You never take it off…” Lightning reached up and pulled on it, lightly this time. “...I always thought it looked a little plain.”

“Oh,” Lightning said. She let go of the necklace. “My mom gave it to me, it was a gift before I deployed.”

“Um…” and Polaris’ face went pale. “That is to say, er…”

“Just show her, already!” Echo said.

“Right of course,” Polaris cleared his throat. “Me and the others put our heads together to try and make a gift for you, and the best we could come up with was something… complementary to your look. Here.”

He unwrapped the bundle and showed it Lightning. She brought a hoof to her mouth.

It was a pendant the same color as her necklace, shaped like an upside-down raindrop, encrusted with a round cyan stone, the same color of her eyes. It was polished smooth. “It’s beautiful.”

“That’s a fulgurite, one of the very same from earlier. The herbalist asked me to dispose of it… it had gotten caught in her mane, apparently. I thought of a better use for it. So I brought it to Slashbuckler, and he broke it and polished it down to size with a piece of elderstone. The bard and Miss Echo helped me select the right materials, and then I molded the shape and put everything together. It’s our gift to you.” And he floated it over with his magic. “I know we’re effectively trapped for the time being… but should we ever part paths, you have something to remember us by.”

Lightning gingerly slid the pendant into place and put her necklace back on. It weighed down on her neck, but it didn’t feel heavy. She counted and swayed to both sides and felt it bob around her shoulders. She beamed and tapped the ground. “I love it! Thank you so much!” She leapt and wrapped her forelegs around Polaris' shoulders. He just pursed his lips and nodded.

“Excellent, we’re glad you like it.”

Lightning let go and stepped back. She held the pendant and pressed it to her heart. “Whenever I was lonely or scared, I remembered this necklace and thought of my home.”

“But now, thanks to that dandy little piece,” Meadow said. “You can think about how you finally showed that dragon who’s boss! Not so scared and useless now are you?”

Lightning laughed. “I didn’t do that on my own! We all did, us and Apple Bloom. The truth is I’m still a little scared, and I don’t know if I’m really as amazing as everyone thinks I am. But I’ll look at this pendant and remember all of you, and how brave you guys make me feel.”

“What will you do now, Lightning?” Echo Shade asked.

“Well, I guess my first order of business is finding a house.”

“You can stay with me until you’re situated!” Echo said.

“I’d love to have you over again. What about you, Polaris?” Echo asked. “What will you do?”

Polaris shrugged. “I’ll be blunt. I’m nowhere near finished my map, and I need a base of operations, or else I’ll never get it done. The Valley of Life is as good a place as any.”

“And I for one, am happy to tag along for the ride!” Meadow Skip said. He looked at the Star Pillar of Faith, brightly illuminated by candlelight. “The Valley is a very intriguing…” and he spied a gaggle of young mares congregating near a cart, whispering and giggling as they snuck glances at him. “And a very lovely place indeed!” He slid his lute over his shoulder and walked off. “I’ll catch you all later!”

Polaris hmphed at Meadow. “Aw, be nice, he’s young,” Echo Shade said. “You know what they say about the Galloway’s country?”

“Old, sleazy, and... corny. That is the Galloway… way.” Polaris cleared his throat again. “So, besides the games, the food…” The band blasted their trumpets, and another firework made him jump. “...And the noise. What exactly does the rest of the festival entail?”

“Oh, nothing!” Echo Shade said with a smile. “Everybody’s free to chill out, hang out, or just go home, though I don’t know anyone who’d do it on purpose…”

And then the two watched Apple Bloom duck and weave her way through the crowd of ponies. She was making her way back to the forest.

“Speak of Typhon,” Echo grumbled.

“Apple Bloom?” Lightning asked. The galloway filly stopped in her tracks and tossed a look their way. “Are you going to join us?”

“...Nah. Sorry.”

“They think we’re heroes,” Lightning said. “Don’t you wanna hang out a little bit?”

“Are we though?” Apple Bloom looked away. She sighed. “Look, saving the Valley was cool and all, but adventuring and hero-ing just isn’t my style. You guys have fun, I got work to do.” She kept walking. “My shop’s always open if you need medicine.” And she cantered off.

“Classic Apple Bloom,” Echo mumbled. “Says she can’t stand people, and then she never gives them a chance. I for one am off to socialize and show everyone I care about them.” And she walked away.

“I’ll make sure that Sylvainnian stays out of trouble,” Slashbucker trotted off.

Lightning looked over the hill and spied the glowing Star Pillar once more.

“Lightning?” Polaris asked. She didn’t answer. She closed her eyes and listened. It was fainter now, but she could still hear it. “Lightning?” He asked again.

“Hm? Sorry, I’m still not used to hearing you call me that.”

“I can go back to Private if it makes you uncomfortable.”

“Nah, I like it this way.”

“Good. …Unless you need something else, I’m going to go find my tent and get it ready.”

“That’s okay, I kind of want sometime to myself to think.”

“Very well then,” and then Lightning Bug was alone for a time. Except not quite.

Amidst the music, the cheering, the lights, a figure strode through the woods. She walked carefully that none may see her, though there was nobody on Cabalos who could gaze upon her if she willed it not so. She walked like this often, and she did so alone, as she had done for nearly an entire millennia.

Her cloak covered her wings, her mighty hooves left trails of magic but not one blade of grass was disturbed by her step. She stepped to the top of the hill to watch from afar, and she finally pulled down her hood, and her shimmering blue mane billowed like a ocean wave afloat in the air. Her gentle blue eyes watched as foals played, as ponies laughed and talked together, and she closed them once to listen to the music. Oh, the power of music.

The last few days, indeed the past year, it all ran together for her. A being like her often had trouble with the passage of time. She had grown weary of it, and she had grown weary of watching the hearts of Cabalos turn cold. The disasters brought on by monsters and beast only drove them further apart. This valley, this little sanctuary, it remained to remind her of what had been, and what could be again, what for so long seemed but a dream to her.

And then came the three outsiders, and then three harmonites. Every pony came from completely different walks of life, but not only did they accept this strange little village she loved so much, they accepted each other. She always knew it was possible, but so few had known peace as this for so long. The sort of peace that could unite the families of Cabalos once again.

And so, as she watched the celebration of their home, Caduceus the Wanderer sang a song to herself, as she so often did.

Pride redeemed, old mistakes atoned

The dream is no longer mine alone to bear

A dream big enough for all to share

That the world I see would be fantasy no more

Brother and Sister together like never before

The journey’s first step is no little thing

So little I can do but wish and pray and sing…

Conviction behind, Dignity show them the way

Prudence and Mercy lead them not astray

Have Faith and be true and hearts will be moved

This is my Hope for you

It's like a dream come true

And briefly did her eyes turn from the cheer and settle on the seven shining stars above her. Symbols of hope for the ponies of Cabalos, no matter from what nation they hailed, and yet she could never look without a great longing overcoming her. She stepped along the ground, as if to draw the slightest bit closer to the glowing stars above.

But if one selfish plea would make things worth it

to make a perfect day more perfect

would be if you were down here by my side

So you could see it too…

Caduceus, the only Alicorn walking Cabalos, hung her head, and she remained there for a moment, unmoving, thinking only of the passage of time, and those she spent it without.

“Lightning Bug!”

She instinctively drew back into the trees.

“Lightning Bug, where’d you go?” Echo Shade the apprentice was searching the grass and trees beneath where Caduceus hid. The others soon joined her.

“I can’t find her anywhere,” Slashbuckler said.

“She didn’t already go home did she?” Meadow Skip asked. “She wouldn’t just leave us, would she?”

“You guys.” They all turned at Apple Bloom’s voice. She stood beside a tree, and on the ground beside her, curled up against the tree’s trunk, lay Lightning Bug, fast asleep, shoulders and wings lifting gently. “Keep it down, wouldja.”

They slowly and carefully gathered around her. Lightning tossed once and pressed herself against the trunk.

“Imma just nudge her,” Slash said. Echo promptly smacked his hoof away.

“Don’t you dare!”

“But Echooo, she’s gonna miss the Master’s lightshow!”

“Lightning Bug has had a big day,” Echo said. “I think the girl has finally earned some rest.”

They found places to sit on the grass beside her.

Caduceus crept as close as she dared. The friends guarded her faithfully as she rested, the poor girl who hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since the thunderstorm. The girl who despite the odds, despite her own doubts, despite the chance to return to her old life, chose to remain here with them, and in kind with her.

The truth was Caduceus did not know why the six were gathered here, or what the World had in store for them. But she could see the Virtues in them, and she knew they could face whatever came their way, so long as they did so together.

And she would watch over these heroes just as she did the six before.

The fireworks started. Six colors lit up the night sky, one after another. They lit up the pegasus filly’s face, and she remained asleep.

As Lightning Bug slept, Caduceus smiled and sung a song. A lullaby that she had never sung for a living being for over a millennia.

My Little Pony, My Little Pony,

So much kinder, braver, than you think

My Little Pony, My Little Pony

Be bold, be strong, hear the song and

see what the new day brings…

And Caduceus threw back her cloak and spread her wings. She galloped into the night and took off. Once she took the air, she became as a shooting star, a streak of light, and she dashed away to disappear amongst the stars.

“Master, Master!” Snowy shook Tall Tail’s shoulder. “Did you make that one? I’ve never seen anything like it!”

She spoke of the bright blue trail that even now remained suspended in the night sky against the stars. Tall Tail was at a loss for words.

Lightning Bug peaked one eye open. She saw the fireworks, and she saw the blue streak fading away into the distance. She looked at her friends, smiled, and went back to sleep.

Deep, deep in the tunnels beneath the mountains…

“Old magic…?” the creature shuddered and groaned. He held his brow with his large, stony fingers. Each cracking joint and ruffled piece of fur echoed in the darkness around him. One hand kneaded the black armrests of his throne, and his bony back scraped his seat as he leaned forward. His breath was cold and clammy like the air of the caves. “Old magic… how?”

He heard it humming above him, so softly even his own ears could barely hear it. He hadn’t heard anything like it since before land above turned to ash, long before the new life had founded their nations. Normally six points of silence, but today? One of them had come to life, and the walls of his cave shook with its sound.

“Noise,” he said. “Those pitiful creatures. Urgh…” he reached beside his seat and grabbed the mighty staff leaning beside it. He lifted it once and slammed its point into the cold stone beneath him and the air was unsettled. His red eyes pierced the darkness with their glowing gaze. “Every year they trample the memories of those who came before, and they sing their deranged songs, and every year they bring more noise… awful noise!” the massive creature stopped to breath the air. “And this stench… I recognize it… dragons. Those little soft-headed fools have allowed a filthy dragon into my domain?”

He lowered his head and growled, and the entire cavern shook. His mind and heart were like the hard elderstone, and stone does not forget easily. He remembered promises made and broken over the centuries. He remembered the lies, he remembered the anger. But most of all he remembered the noise. That awful, awful noise that haunted his dreams and roused his slumber, when all he wanted was darkness and silence.

“Their days are numbered,” he said. “I will face them soon, and they will hear my decree, and they will bend the knee to their king. They will leave this valley once and for all, or they will all be buried.”
And with one last growl, he settled into his throne, and the Mountain King once more entered a deep slumber.

Author's Note

So yeah. That's the premiere. Though this certainly could be a fic all on its own, this is only the beginning. Here we will continue posting chapters until this book or season is concluded.

This whole story started when my friends Evercast and Scatterdove started bouncing ideas off me about a theoretical new generation for My Little Pony. At that point, we didn't have the infamous bedsheets or the script leaks, all we had were those concept sheets done by Imalou. We didn't know what a new generation would look like, so Evercast and Scatterdove came up with one on their own. I got involved, the characters and plot took shape, and we knew what we wanted to make. We started thinking about how to release such a story, and as time went on it became less and less theoretical. That brought us to September of last year, where we scraped all of our writings together and put up the first chapter.

I won't mince words, the following we gained on this story has been an uphill battle. Fimfiction isn't very kind to stories that don't actually feature the original cast, so we're actively working against ourselves by posting chapters and asking for views from people who would rather read about Twilight and the other mane 6, and now Sunny and her friends. An entire new show has released since me and the others began work on our own. That is still mind-boggling to think about for me.

But we're grateful! So grateful for anybody who was curious enough to pop their head in and decided to stick around. You guys make all the hard work worth it.

We're working hard on the rest of the first book, but until then feel free to check out the story bible! It contains commissioned art much like the kind seen on the cover, and it has loads and loads of details that didn't make it into the premiere, including information about the other nations and the Alicorns themselves. It's not necessary at all to understand and enjoy the story, it might even spoil some things, but I find it helps set the mood and tone. Any art we commission tends to end up on your pony image boards under the tag fanfic:song-of-seven if you're ever curious.

Until then, thank you all again for the support and we'll meet again for episode two.

~Team Gen S

Apply Yourself - I

I don’t hear any pegasi nearby. I think all of my friends were struck by lightning. There’s dust on my wings and dirt in my mouth. I can feel a dent in my helmet poking my scalp. I struggle, but something big and heavy is weighing me down.

I open my eyes, and I wish I hadn’t.

My legs and wings are covered in these uneven, ugly chains. And above my head is a set of teeth. Sharp, gleaming teeth. Hovering right over my face. Dozens of glowing eyes shifting about. I hear their gravely voices grumbling amongst themselves. And the smell. I can never forget the smell.

Dragons.

“Do we take it back?”

“No. Too much effort.”

“You’ve actually carried a pony all the way to Dynamis with you before?”

“Nah, I don’t like how they taste.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. There’s half a dozen of them. Maybe more. The biggest one was guarding me like a prize cut of meat. Maybe they didn't notice I was awake.

“Wait, you eat ponies?”

“No, why would I eat them if I don’t like how they taste?!”

Breath moves my mane. I try to keep my face still, but the stench is unbearable. “All of you, shut up! You’re spoiling the moment.”

“What a wonderful catch, good job!” I hear a voice beside me. “...Which is what I would say, if you hadn’t caught the weakest one.”

I hear the teeth above me rattle as the dragon snarls. “I found her first.”

“Oh you can keep her. I’ve seen fellas get their wings clipped for hauling back such measly game.”

I crack my eye open. The dragon’s mouth parts as a red tongue slithers about. “I’ll just have her for myself, then. I’m hungry.”

“See? He gets it?”

If there’s any time to run, it’s now. But how am I supposed to get out of these chains? Or what if there are even more dragons than I thought? What do I do?

“Hold on!” a new voice joins the fray. “Just a moment, fellas, let’s not be rash!”

I hear a smaller pair of feat scamper over. I see a tiny dragon put himself between me and my captor. He’s less than a fourth the size of the other dragons, which is to say he’s the height of a pony. Where did he come from?

“Prisoners are a messy ordeal, don’cha know?” he’s resting his hand on his hip and clawing at his teeth like nothing’s the matter. “But ransoms and hostages on the other hand? That’s where it’s at! And I happen to know a good hostage pony when I see one.”

The other dragon snorts. “It’s just another dumb pegasus. Nobody will miss her.” He’s probably right.

“Ah-ha! And that’s where you’re wrong!” the smaller dragon points back at me. “See the coloring on her wings? The color of her eyes? This is a bonafide Clan Mistral Pegasus!”

The other dragon knits its brow. “I don’t understand.”

“She’s special! She’s a rare breed! This horse can fit so much lightning…” he smacks my leg. So I buck his shoulder. He stumbles forward and laughs a little. His shoulder has a swirling black tattoo carved into the scales. “I was saying, this pegasus probably has more magic in her than two unicorns! I bet if her country knew we were holding her here, they’d give anything to have her back.”

The other dragon shakes his head. “Ugh! Too much words! I don’t care! She’s my catch and I’m HUNGRY! I don’t want hostages, I want FOOD!”

“Wait! Hostages can give you many foods!”

“Explain.”

“Hostages can be ransomed for goods and services!”

“Alright, now we’re speaking my language!”

“Excellent! So all we have to do is write up a note, arrange a runner… figure how to split the reward…”

“Wait.”

“I didn’t even finish talking,” the smaller dragon swishes his tail about.

“I’m not sharing anything with anyone.”

“But of course! You’re not sharing with just anyone, only me!” The small dragon does a sort of bow. “After all, I’m the one who came up with the idea.”

“No deal,” the other dragon snarls. “Get lost.”

The wind is picking up. Dust is blown into the air. I finally see it.

An advancing wall of wind and dust is coming in our direction. The stormwall.

The other dragons started closing in around us. I can hear knuckles cracking, teeth clacking. The small dragon looks around and gulps. “You don’t wanna reconsider? Meteoras will be pretty mad if they found out a bunch of borderguard hooligans made off with an heir of their most important clan…”

“I said get lost!”

He roars. He lunges for the little dragon. He flies right over me and bowls over some of his allies. He turns around and swipes with his claws. It knocks me over and sends me rolling away into a rock.

“Where’d he go?!” the big one lurches this way and that. “Where are you, little coward?!” The dust is so thick that nobody can see anything five feet away. I couldn’t, at least.

I feel claws moving the chains. A jet of green flame beside me nearly singes my mane. The chains come loose and rattle as they fall to my hooves. I stand up and see the little dragon beside me. “You heard the big guy, get lost! Before they realize what’s going on!”

I’m too scared to think. I run. I don’t fly right away because my wings are sore. I must have ran past a dragon, I hear something screech and snap its teeth at me. I finally flap my wings and take off. I fly for a time, but then I hear more dragons, I hear thunder booming, the wind picks up, and I let it carry me away.

Deeper into the Badlands, straight for that wall of wind and dust…

I think I met Polaris a few days after that.

Lightning Bug is awoken by the smell of sweet grass and clean air. She stretches and rolls over on her sleeping mat. She finds herself in Echo Shade's house, sleeping on a small mat. Her hosts are sprawled across the floor, fast asleep.

She yawns and stands up. The sun had only just risen, so the others won't be up for a minute. She carefully tip-toes across her sleeping friends, slips outside, and gently closes the thin wooden door behind her.

Lightning realizes she'd completely forgotten about the smaller dragon until now, and she briefly wonders what might have happened to him between now and then. It's only been about a week since the storm, after all. Maybe they all went home, just like her pegasi friends.

There's a lot of noise. It makes Polaris peek his head out of his tent. His mane is a mess, and his eyes are squinted shut. He looks both ways and can't make much sense of his surroundings. He hasn't slipped his spectacles on, after all.

"Excuse me? Is this the kumquat stall?" A mare asks him. Polaris blinks at her. What was she doing at this hour right in front of his tent? "I just wanted to try one," she said.

Polaris ignores her and gets to work dismantling his tent. Another pony approaches and paws at the canvas with his hoof. "That's a mighty nice looking piece of camping equipment!" the stallion says. "Didja stitch it yerself?"

"Give me that." Polaris yanks the tent from the stallion with his magic.

"How much do you want for it?" asks another pony.

"My tent is not for sale!" Polaris says.

"He needs it to sell his kumquats!" The first mare adds.

"I'm not selling anything," Polaris tells her.

"Oh you wanna haggle? Let me get my bits…" The mare opens her saddlebag.

"No I don't-- one moment..." Polaris finally slips his spectacles on.

He gasps. The entire town square, previously empty when he put down his tent for the night, is now filled with ponies. Every square foot is covered by stands and stalls and tents. Ponies are bartering apples, oranges, one fellow is selling plums. Some stalls are selling shoes and tools. The street is surging with hoof traffic, and passing wagons rattle the ground.

Polaris hurriedly packs his tent into his saddlebag.

"How much do you want for a kumquat? One bits? Two?"

"I want out of here! Which way is out?" Polaris steals away into the fold, but he's quickly swept away by a throng of bustling ponies. "HELP!!"

And he's out of sight.

The two ponies are left beside the empty patch of grass where his tent used to be.

"I don't think he was actually selling kumquats."

Polaris tiredly dragged his hooves along as yet another wave of ponies nearly trample him. He pulls himself free, only to find his hooves aren't touching the ground. Had he been launched into the air?

Nope, it's just Slashbuckler. he must have swooped down and carried him to safety. "You okay down there?"

"I am now. Thanks for the assist, Pegassist-- Pegasus." Polaris adjusts his glasses with his magic. "Kindly lower me? I want to get my matters in accord.”

Slash deposits him on a hill and alights beside him. "Yeah, I should've warned you about the farmer's market. They like to start nice and early, which isn’t good for squatters."

“I didn’t think there’d be so many… and I wasn’t squatting,” Polaris grumbles.

"You're welcome to come bunk with me again if you'd like!" Slash smiles.

"No!!" Polaris doesn't smile back. "Er, that is to say, twould not be proper of me to take advantage of your hospitality and your… lovely home. I am a self-respecting Lustrian-born stallion, after all!" He swishes his mane. "I just have to find my own place to stay."

"Well, if you're serious about staying in the valley, you're gonna hafta find a job."

Polaris laughs. "Me, work? Please. Where would I even begin?"

Slash has to stop and think, but then an idea lights up his eyes. "I know! Echo Shade always has a good idea! C'mon!"

And Slash grabs Polaris and flies him away again. "Wait, I just got down! Hey!"

Something tickles Echo Shade's nose. She sneezes. "Snowy, give it a rest...!" She opens her eyes and finds a yellow feather resting on her nose. She blinks and sits up.

Smokey and Snowy are curled up, fast asleep, but where's Lightning Bug? Her sleeping mat is folded neatly and set beside the freshly swept fireplace, the dusted bookshelf, the swept floors, the scrubbed windows... The room is literally spotless. Some of her morning chores are already taken care of. Even the bedrolls smelled nice.

When Echo Shade sniffed, she smelled something cooking. Somebody was making breakfast outside.

"Ugh... not again."

"Echo?" Smokey yawns and stretches. "Where's Lightning Bug?"

"Um... I'm going to go up to the loft to talk to Father," and Echo Shade quietly makes her ways up the stairs. The yellow feather flutters through the air and rests on Smokey’s nose.

"We've gotta get her out of the house, Master!" Echo cries. "She won't stop cleaning and cooking!"

Her master is busy studying a pile of unsorted envelopes at his side. "We need to pay a visit to the post office…” He looks back at his daughter. “I thought having her over was your idea? Isn't this supposed to be girl-time or whatever?"

"I didn't want a live-in maid! She's restless! She’s emptied the fireplace, swept the floor, and I'm pretty sure she cleaned the bedroll -- which is really weird because we were still sleeping on them as far as I know?"

"I figured if anyone wanted an easy way out of their chores, it was you," Tall Tail sorts the pile, sets it aside, and makes for the stairs.

"Shouldn't we at least talk to her? I don't want her to sweep the ground we walk upon just because we're hosting her."

"Echo dear, I really wouldn't worry. She’s probably just a little stir-crazy and wants to stay busy. It's not like she's waiting horn and hoof.”

Just as they step downstairs, the savory smells of breakfast overwhelm their nostrils. Smokey and Snowy are smiling nervously as Lightning Bug flutters in place and sets the table.

She hums a Meteoran tune as she set down plates and glasses of milk. Her face lights up when she sees Echo and her father. "Oh, 'morning you two! I had nothing to do so I made a little breakfast."

"Nothing left to do, you mean..." Echo says under her breath. She was about to sit down at the table.

"Oh, let me help you with that!" Lightning dashes over and slides two stools over. Echo and Tall Tail sit down, and Lightning pushes their stools closer to the table. "Just sit back and enjoy! The pancakes are almost finished, I'll be right back!" She flies out the door, and the sounds of a frying pan flipping flapjacks follow.

Tall Tail leans over to Echo. "As soon as you're finished eating, go find Slash. Lightning Bug is getting a job and finding her own place, today or bust."

Tall Tail daintily wipes the corners of his mouth with a napkin. His plate is empty. Smokey and Snowy have also finished their meals. Smokey has practically licked his plate clean. "Now Lightning Bug..."

"Oh! Would you like some more?" Lightning zips to his side with the platter of pancakes and slips another unto his plate. "There you go! I made plenty so eat up!" She flits back to her own seat and got back to eating. She might have been on her third plate. The pile of extra pancakes isn’t even halfway depleted.

"Er... thank you."

Echo Shade's eyes are closed as she chews on her breakfast. She nudges her father with her elbow.

Tall Tail clears his throat. "Now Lightning Bug I’d like to personally thank you for the meal… but this small cottage doesn’t really fit a young filly like yourself--” Echo rolls her eyes but doesn’t say anything. “--Haven’t you thought of finding a place more spacious? …Or permanent?"

"Oh no!" Lightning holds her cheeks. "I like it here! I'm super grateful for all of you taking me in for the time being! So if there's anything you need, anything at all! Just let me know!"

We want you out of the house!

The thought ran through everyone's heads, to varying degrees of impatience. Everyone except Smokey, of course.

"But surely you’ve thought about it at least once?" Echo Shade asked.

"Oh of course, I just wouldn’t know where to begin! I’m still not very used to the valley. And it's not like any opportunities have come to smack me in the face..."

Thud! Thud!

The front door swings open, and Lightning leaps three feet into the air with a yelp.

Slash Buckler smirks and drops his unicorn passenger to the floor like a piece of baggage.

Slash puffs up his chest and salutes. "Eat up! But once you're done, I'm gonna build you guys a house!" Polaris coughs into his hoof. "Er... also do you have room for one more pony? Polaris hasn't had breakfast yet."

Lightning flutters to the ground. Her eyes light up. "My own place... Really?!"

"Oh thank goodness," Tall Tail holds his heart. He and Echo both down a glass of milk and sigh.

They finish eating. The table is cleared off, and Slash throws down an old, dusty map of the valley. "There are a few places I'm thinking of," he says. "We could have you guys settle close to Town Square, but we can go further out if you like. Thoughts?"

"I feel like I'm missing something," Polaris says.

"I've always wanted a treehouse," Lightning says. "Are there any of those here in Harmony?"

"Ah, no," Slash shakes his head. "But I could build one, I'm always up for a challenge."

"Excuse me," Polaris puts his hoof on the table. "I thought we were searching for vacancies here in town, not empty lots! Are we commissioning houses to be built? How much would such an endeavor cost? Furthermore, why would anyone want a house built by Slashbuckler?"

Smokey rolls his eyes. "Because Slash is one of the best carpenters in the valley? Duh." Tall Tail nudges his son and shakes his head.

Polaris of course can only think of the giant self-made wooden box of a house that he slept in for his first night in the valley. "Could have fooled me," he says. He stands up. "I'll worry about a residence later, to even afford a home will I not need some form of employment?"

"Oh that's right, I completely forgot!" Lightning Bug says. "I need to find a job too!"

"How about you tell me where you want your treehouse, then Echo can take you guys on a trip through town?" Slash asks.

"Terrific!" Echo stands up and hugs Lightning. Polaris is pulled over by Echo's magic and is forcibly entered into the embrace. "It's settled! For today I'll take you two jobhunting. We need to visit the Post Office anyways."

"Both of us?" Polaris wrenches himself free. "Pardon me, but I’d prefer to do this on my own. There's no sense both of us visiting the same institutions with such…” he glances at Lightning. “Vastly different skillsets."

"I mean, if you really want to go alone go right ahead," Echo shrugs. "But Lightning is going to get hired right away because I'm friends with everyone in town, and I'm also an excellent reference."

"Quite," Polaris steps outside.

"Good luck Polaris!" Lightning calls after him. "I know it can be overwhelming in a new place."

"It's appreciated, but I'll be just fine. It's been four days, nothing in this valley can surprise me anymore."

The three make their way to townsquare.

“What kinds of jobs do ponies have here in the valley?” Lightning asks. “Besides farming and woodcutting and lorekeeping I mean.”

“Oh hon, you’ll find a business for every and anything a pony can think of.”

“A radio repair shop maybe?”

“Er… probably besides a radio repair shop.” Echo clears her throat. "To start, we should take you to the bulletin board," Echo Shade says. "That's where you ought to start if you're looking for work."

"And once you finish picking one, we'll just go and find a spot for your house quick," Slashbuckler says.

"My treehouse…" Lightning Bug covers her cheeks and beams.

"Are those popular where you come from?" Echo asks.

"Do all Mistrali Pegasi live in trees?!" Slash asks excitedly.

"No, not exactly," Lightning squeezes her eyes shut. "It's actually kind of embarrassing."

"We won't laugh if you tell us, honest!" Echo says.

"Well... When I was a filly I really wanted a treehouse to play in, but none of the palm trees near my house were good for that sort of thing. They were all thin and springy. My dad tried making me one, and the tree bent under the weight, and before I could even step inside... it sprang up and the house got launched into the sea."

The others are quiet.

"I love my dad. He tries really hard."

The three pass over a small stone bridge with a thin, trickling creek underneath it. Something catches Lightning Bug's eye and makes her peek over the side. Sure enough, she finds a familiar brown lute leaning against one of the bridge's poles.

"Meadow Skip?" She calls down.

A green-maned head pokes out from under the bridge and looks up. He squints in the sunlight. "Why if it isn't Lightning Bug! What a pleasant way to start the morning! Where are you all off to?"

"Slashbuckler is gonna build me a house!" Lightning says with a hop.

"Oh, lovely! That sounds like fun."

"And after that we're going job-hunting!" Echo says. "Wanna come along? I'm sure someone in town could put you to work."

"Ah…" and Meadow slips back under the bridge. “Scratch that noise. Imma get a few more winks in. You all have fun feeding the machine."

Slash frowns and huffs. "What machine -- Meadow~!" Echo leans over the edge and calls after him. "It's not a machine! It's a small community of hard workers, nobody's getting exploited or anything!"

No answer. So the three carry on.

The bulletin board is covered in dozens of notes held in place with nails and tacks. Lightning swallows as her eyes dart from page to page. "I'm not sure I even know where to begin."

"It's simple, just pick the ones that look the most interesting!" Echo floats a few notes free and starts flipping through them. "We've got building, baking, sewing..."

"Guarding?" Lightning asks. "Security?"

"Oh, no. All guards are volunteer only."

"Then why does Slash keep going on patrol? I thought that was his job."

Echo peeks over at Slash, who restlessly marches back and forth, looking this way and that. "...No, he just really likes patrolling."

Lightning stares at the bulletins, and Echo sees panic building on her friend’s face. “Er, tell you what.” Echo’s horn lights up and she plucks a few papers free. “Here, why don't you go with Slash while I pick a few for you to try, and then we can go from there."

Lightning is very grateful to have someone else take the lead for now.

"Is this a good spot?" Slashbuckler asks. He drops his bucket of tools beside the road, in front of a large tree. Echo is several paces behind, muttering to herself as she flips through the papers.

"Yeah... but..." Lightning Bug makes a frame with her hooves. "It's too close to the road."

"What about over here?" Slash points at a particularly large tree far in the distance, near the sides of the valley.

"That's too far! What if there's an emergency?"

"Lightning," Slash sits down. "I know you had an exciting first impression, but not a lot happens in the valley, it's pretty boring around here, trust me."

Lightning spies a group of trees to the south. "What about down there?"

"What, King's Pass?"

"Yeah, that looks nice. It’s so green and pretty, and there aren’t any other houses down there!"

Slash swallows. "Nobody lives down there anymore."

"Why not?"

"We just... don't aright? It's hazardous to our health."

"Okay... oh!" Lightning flits over to an empty patch of ground. "What about here? It's not too far from the road, it's right near an intersection, and it's not far from Rat Tail's watch!"

"Lightning?" Slash calls over. It appears Lightning is missing something.

"Yeah?"

Slash sighs. "If you want a treehouse, don't you think you should find a spot that already has a tree?"

Lightning looks down at the empty patch of grass and blushes. "Oh right, hehe. Oh! What about this one?!" She flies over to a large, sturdy tree about a gallop away from the first spot. "This one looks good."

"That's more like it!" Slash trots over with his tools. "Golden Oak by the looks of it. Sturdy, reliable, shouldn't be bothered by a nail or twelve. Of course the nearby trees would get in the way... eh, that solves any lumber problem."

“How much will it cost?” Lightning asks.

“First one’s free.”

“How long will it take to build? Three days? A week?”

Slash smiles, shakes his head and closes his eyes. His wing holds up five feathers.

“FIVE WEEKS?!”

“What? No, five hours! Tops!”

“Lightning, hon?” Echo approaches with the papers. “You remember Satin Splash the seamstress? She made the ribbons for the star pillars. She has an opening, and her shop is right by the post office. Why don’t we head over there and I’ll drop off some letters for Master.”

On their way down the road, they meet the twins. “Echo Shade, have you been to the post office yet?” Snowy asks. “Can we come with?”

“Not yet, Snowy. But do you really think I’ll need any help delivering the Master’s envelopes?” Echo asks.

“No, we just wanna keep you company,” Smokey says. “Because we love you… our big sister!”

“...That and we’re out of Brightlites…” Snowy whispers. Her brother hushes her.

Echo smiles. “Oh, I think we can let you two tag along.”

Lightning Bug and Echo Shade are barely halfway across town before they notice an old mare tugging a big box along the ground by a rope with her teeth.

“Who’s that?” Lightning whispers.

“That’s Old Lady Betelnut,” Echo says. “It’s kind of early for her.”

The old mare hits a bump and nearly topples over. She sputters something under her breath and checks her cargo before continuing. The package is nearly half her height, but it looks heavy.

“Excuse me, miss?” Lightning flaps over to her and lands in front of her.

“What?! Wassat?” The mare squints and looks in every direction except forward. She finally notices Lightning and smiles. “Why hello deary. What can I do for you?”

“Do you want help with that? It looks awful heavy.”

“This? Oh no I got it, deary. I just hit a snag, that’s all.” Lightning looks at the mare’s trembling limbs. She grabs the rope in her own teeth and starts pulling. “Oh sweetie, you don’t hafta do that.”

“No,” Lightning says through her teeth. “But I want to!” She pulls it along the ground. “It might be easier if I fly this…” She takes the rope in her hooves and hefts the box into the air. It isn’t that heavy after all. “Where did you want this?”

Betelnut smiles a gappy smile and points with her hoof. “Oh, down by the post office will do for now,” she says. “It’s right by the Library.”

“Oh cool! We’re headed there anyway.”

The post office is right between the Town Hall and the Library. It’s a squat building with only one story. Lightning leaves the box on the road, says bye to Betelnut, and rejoins Echo Shade.

For some reason Echo Shade has to psyche herself up before she opens the door to the Post Office.

“What’s the matter?” Lightning Bug asks.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Echo clears her throat. “I’m just hoping the elder isn’t in today. She tends to have it out for us Lorekeepers.”

“Is that why the Master keeps missing letters?” Lightning asks. “That’s not very professional.”

“What are you talking about?” Smokey asks. “In the valley we deliver letters ourselves.”

“Then what’s even the point in having a Post Office?” Lightning asks as they step inside.

It’s stuffy and quiet inside, not unlike a library. A glass ceiling window lets in plenty of sunlight, and the tiled floor is arranged in a sort of sundial pattern, but there isn’t enough sunlight for Lightning to see how it might work. Their hooves tap the clean tile floor.

A single worker pony ducks between drawers of notes and letters, and disappears behind a big door in the corner of the office. Somebody is working at the front desk, but Lightning Bug can’t make her out.

The four walk up to the counter. Lightning notices the little bell, but Echo and none of her siblings move to press it. Lightning raises her wing and taps the bell.

Echo winces.

“Can I help you?” a familiar grouchy voice greets them. An old mare peeks her head up from behind the counter.

Lightning’s jaw drops open. It’s the angry elder from her first day in the valley. “Paper Pusher?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“You work at the post office?”

Paper Pusher organizes a pile of paper and stows them away. “It’s in the name, isn’t it?” she asks. She glances over at Echo Shade. “I assume this matter concerns the Lorekeeper?”

Echo nudges her siblings. “Go take Lightning and pick something out.” The two lead her away, and Echo swallows again. “Yes, Miss Paper Pusher! We seem to be missing a few letters from the parents for our summer learning program? We got about ten letters at the house since the festival, and we’re supposed to have around… say… four dozen?”

Paper Pusher blinks. “That’s quite the discrepancy,” she says. “Of course if you had a list that would be helpful.”

Echo pulls a roll of paper from her scarf and hands it to Paper Pusher. The old mare slips on her spectacles and frowns at the list.

“That’s how many parents signed up,” Echo says. “It’s kind of important that we get back to them as soon as possible, seeing how they paid ahead of time and everything…”

“Yes, yes, I see…”

Snowy and Smokey return with Lightning Bug and a few colorful magazines in their teeth. “What are these exactly, again?” Lightning whispers to them.

Smokey lifts the magazines to the counter with his magic. “Brightlites,” he says. “For Foals. They’ve got puzzles, stories, games…”

“Oh!” Lightning lifts one up and examines the cover. “I used to get these all the time as a kid! We had something just like them back in Meteoras…” She flips open the magazine and stares. Her enthusiasm wanes. “It’s not very Bright in here… Where’s all the color?” The pages are printed in black and white.

“Color’s expensive!” Smokey says.

“I like coloring them myself!” Snowy says. “Excuse me, Miss Paper Pusher?”

Echo and Lightning wince. Echo almost hushes her, but Paper Pusher peers over the counter and down at the little filly. “Yes, sweetie?” she asks. “What is it?”

“Could I please have a box of colors? I can pay with my own money.”

Paper Pusher is aghast. “Oh no honey, we have plenty. No sense paying for those. Go buy yourself another magazine, we should still have last month’s issue over at the stand. Get one for your brother too.”

“Really? Thanks Miss Paper Pusher!” and Snowy can’t scamper off fast enough.

Paper Pusher chuckles and smiles to herself. And then her expression vanishes.

“Colorblot!!” She screeches across the room. The assistant pony yelps and stumbles.

“Y-Yes??” he calls back.

“Two boxes of crayons from the back, pronto!”

“Did you say crayons?”

“What do we pay you for? Get a move on!”

“Yes ma’am!”

“And when you’re done there…” Paper Pusher adjusts her lenses and looks at the list. “Bring me all the envelopes you can find addressed to Tall Tail the Lorekeeper.”

“A-all of them?” the assistant returns with two small yellow boxes, which are promptly snatched from him.

“All of them,” she says. Paper Pusher hands the crayons to Snowy and her smile returns. “There you are, sweetie.”

“One of these days you’re going to spoil her,” Echo Shade says under her breath. “At least let her pay for some of it.”

“Leave it to a lorekeeper to take something a foal ought to have and put a price tag on it,” Paper Pusher says.

Echo bristles, and Lightning swears she sees her eyes glow, but nothing else happens.

The assistant returns with six envelopes. “There you are,” he says. “All letters addressed to Master Tall Tail.” Paper Pusher sorts through these before handing them to Echo Shade. Echo signs a small slip of paper before receiving them.

“All of them? She stated she was missing three dozen at least. What about the ones simply addressed to the Lorekeeper? Or the Lorekeeper’s residence?” Paper Pusher asks. Her eyes narrow. “Remember what I told you earlier about thin ice?”

“I suppose I could check again…” the assistant wanders back into the room. He leaves the door open. Lightning peers inside, and her eyes grow wide.

It is one of the messiest rooms she has ever seen in her life. The sight alone made her remember months and months of drill sergeants yelling at her and the other young recruits to keep their quarters clean.

Crunched, misshapen boxes are stacked to the ceiling, and envelopes and loose pieces of paper cover every flat surface like snow. There’s only a small space in the middle large enough for one pony to walk through. The assistant haphazardly ducks about in the mess.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Lightning is startled by Paper Pusher’s voice beside her.

“That’s one word for it,” Lightning mumbles.

“We’re far from proud of it,” Paper Pusher says. She casts a disapproving glance at the room. “Back in my day, every package was delivered personally, and on time! But we’ve grown so fast these past decades that its impossible to keep up. Now everything just sits here and languishes.”

“When will these ever get delivered?” Lightning asks.

“Folks are used to making daily trips here anyway,” Paper Pusher says. “If there’s anything for them, they just take it home by themselves.”

“Don’t people have mailboxes?” Lightning asks.

“But of course, but those are for the letters that can be delivered in a day. When folks are too busy or on opposite ends of the valley, the post office serves as a dropoff point.”

“That seems… inefficient,” Lightning says. “Back in Meteoras--”

“We’re not in Meteoras, miss Pegasus. We’re in the Valley of Life. We don’t have a military state breathing down our necks, keeping everything on time. We run only on the hard work of ponies who are willing to help.” The assistant gives Paper Pusher some more letters. Paper Pusher counts them. “This doesn’t quite add up to three dozen, does it?” she asks.

“Er, no?” the assistant says. Paper Pusher glares at him. “I’ll look again!” He slips away. Paper Pusher sighs. “Believe me pegasus, this is not how I wanted things. But this is how the Post Office is run now.”

The Assistant returns with two more envelopes. Paper Pusher glares at him even harsher now. “But that’s all I could find!”

“Indeed,” Paper Pusher hands the envelopes to Echo Shade and promptly swipes the cap from her assistant’s head. “Grab your things. You’re fired.”

The assistant’s jaw drops. “Fired?” he asks.

“Let go, relieved, terminated, promoted to customer, however you prefer!” Paper Pusher pulls him from the vault and closes the door. “Out out out! Expect your final paycheck sometime tomorrow.”

“But-but!” He’s pushed out the door.

Lightning glances at the vault. Maybe she could find the letters Echo was looking for?

“Maybe you could afford to deliver packages on time if you kept your assistants around for more than a few days,” Echo grumbles under her breath.

Paper Pusher glowers over her shoulder at the guests. “Was there anything else?” she asks.

“Um, nope!” Echo hurriedly shakes her head. “I’ll just come back later! Thank you so much!” She drops some bits on the counter before grabbing Lightning and her siblings with her magic. She pulls them along out of the building.

“Bring your master next time, we still have much to discuss!” Paper Pusher hollers after them. Smokey and Snowy are the last to pass her by. She smiles and waves. “Ta-ta, children!”

Echo slams the door to post office shut. “I swear it’s like walking into the Galeo’s den every single time.”

Lightning glances about. Betelnut and her package are gone.

“Paper Pusher is so nice!” Snowy says with a sigh. She pages through her new book.

“Well, enjoy that while you’re young, kiddo,” Echo says. She looks over at Lightning, who keeps glancing behind her back at the post office. “It’s not every day when a job open up just like that.--”

“Yeah, no thanks,” Lightning says. “I wouldn’t last a minute in there with Paper Pusher.”

Just then the former assistant passes them by with a duffel slung over his shoulder, and he’s sobbing.

“Fair enough.”

They arrive at the loom, and the twins wait outside with their magazines. Once they’re inside Lightning Bug looks around at the different piles of cloth, string and ribbons, all stacked haphazardly about the store. She swallows.

“Aw, hon. Don’t be nervous!” Echo Shade closes the door to the shop behind them. “Satin Splash has got to be the most patient pony in Harmony.”

“Oh, I’m not worried about her,” Lightning says. “Not entirely, anyway…”

Satin Splash recognizes her the moment they step in. She’s knitting something behind the counter when she notices the two guests. “Oh it’s you!” she runs up from behind her desk and hugs Echo, and then she hugs Lightning. Lightning’s coat gives her a jolt, but she doesn’t seem to notice. “We are SO grateful for all you and your friends have done! If you need anything at all, just let me know. If you want cloth, I’ve got plenty. String, ribbons? First order is on the house, it’s the least I could do.”

“Um, actually…” Lightning mumbles. “I was thinking of… er…”

“Lightning here isn’t very liquid right now,” Echo says. “She was wondering if you needed an extra hoof around the store.”

“Do I ever! I have a lot of numbers to crunch and I have an order later in the day, so if you help me tidy up that would be a great help.” Satin shows Lightning the different piles of cloth and ribbons that need sorting, and then sits behind her desk and starts chatting with Echo Shade.

Lightning taps her hooves together with a fire in her eyes. This will be easy! She reaches for her first misplaced sheet of fabric, folds it, and places it where it belongs. But when she pulls her hoof away, the fabric sticks to her leg.

Typical, static electricity, she’s used to this. She shakes her leg until it comes off. But then it unfolds itself… so she refolds it, and now it sticks to her hooves and does not come off. What if Satin notices? Will she have to leave her first working interview?

Lightning stops to think. Her nose tickles. She pauses and sniffles.

When Echo and Satin hear the sneeze and look over, and Lightning is gone. All they see is a massive ball of fabric clumped together in the center of the room. A familiar blue spark dances around the surface.

Echo winces hard. Satin clears her throat. “Lightning?”

“Yes?” Lightning's muffled voice comes from inside the ball.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh! Um…” Lightning pokes her head out of her fabric prison. “It’s just my stormtouch acting up again. Hehe…”

“Does this happen often?” Satin asks.

“Kind of.”

“How often?”

“Once or twice, or thrice.”

“A week?”

“No, a day.”

“Oh.” Satin taps her hoof and thinks for a minute. She forces a smile. “Lightning?”

“Yes, miss Satin?”

“Maybe you should… er… stop while you’re ahead.”

Lightning shakes out her mane and giggles. “You said a head.” The ball rolls over and Lightning is once more lost under the cloth. “I’m really sorry,” she mumbles from beneath. “I’ll find some way to clean this all up.”

“Oh no, that’s fine!” Satin says. “I really should have checked. I forgot all about your special Meteoras qualities. It’s no more messy than it already was.”

Echo and Satin both hear Lightning sigh from beneath the cloth.

Lightning has a sinking feeling when they leave the store.

“Did it work out?” Smokey asks excitedly.

Echo purses her lips and shakes her head. “We’re gonna try a few more places for now, what are you two gonna do?”

Snowy covers her brother’s mouth with her wing before he can answer. “We’re gonna take our magazines home and find something else to do.”

Echo and Lightning meet Polaris by the water fountain near Rat Tail’s monument. The townsquare is bustling. The farmer’s market is clearing out for lunch. They all hear music.

“Any luck, Polaris?” Echo asks.

Polaris’ despondent look tells them all they need to know. “Not one facility or enterprise in this entire valley seems to know the worth of a degree in Star-charting and topography and graphic design!” he says.

“I don’t think they have a college here, Polaris,” Lightning says.

“Oh, I’ve learned that much!” he says.

“Maybe you should look for a job that could use you instead of the other way around?” Lighting asks.

“What does that mean?” Polaris asks.

“She means,” Echo says. “Maybe you should lend a helping hoof and see what happens instead of looking for some dream job here in the valley.”

“Why would I do that? I have qualifications! Any pony could push a box or plow a field or… or…” Polaris glances at the water fountain and frowns. Lightning follows his gaze.

Meadow Skip leans against the fountain and strums on his lute. A small audience has gathered around him, consisting of children, older ponies and young mares. The mares sit around him as he plays. Several ponies toss bits at his hooves.

“Or get paid for standing around,” Polaris grumbles.

“Now now,” Echo says. “Meadow has a talent and he’s using it well! Don’t you play any instruments, Polaris?”

“I play the violin, but I had to sell mine ages ago. Haven’t found one to play. Besides, I’m not sure classical Lustrian movements and symphonies will be appreciated by these--”

Polaris spies Echo on the cusp of a glare. “Yes?”

“...Down to earth townsfolk.”

That seems to give Echo a thought, and she smiles. “I know! Why don’t you find Apple Bloom and see if she needs any help?”

Polaris scoffs. “The herbalist? She probably knows everything there is to know. Why would she need my help?”

“She runs that dingy little shop all by herself. Maybe she’d appreciate a practical, organized fellow like you to make things run smoothly.”

Polaris snorts and blows his mane away from his face. “I suppose it won’t hurt, if I ever run into her, that is.”

Echo looks over Polaris’ shoulder and smiles. She waves her hoof. “There she is. Apple Bloom!”

Lightning spies a red maned pony in the crowd leap in surprise. She turns around, sure enough its Apple Bloom with her bag of herbs and medicine. She immediately dives for a bush.

“What?” Polaris turns around. “Is she here?”

“Oh… Nevermind,” Echo says.

“Slash?” Snowy asks. She sees the large Golden Oak tree already has a platform and a skeleton nailed into place. “Wow…”

“I know, I know!” Slash’s head pokes out from the branches. “You don’t have to rub it in!”

“Rub what in?”

“The darn treehouse should be close to done already!” Slash flaps to the ground. His mane is a bit of a mess. “I’m not at the top of my game today.”

“Oh, I thought you were doing alright. What’s the matter then?”

Slash opens his mouth, clamps it shut, and looks both ways. He leans in close and whispers. “There’s a Sugarglider in this tree,” he says. “It must have made its home here cause it’s not budging!” He quickly peaks over his shoulder. “I don’t see a nest… So that means I have to put it down somewhere else.”

“Put what down?” Snowy’s wings droop.

Slash trots a few paces away and sets down a plate, and a small gadget with a net. He empties a small jar of something viscous and golden unto the plate. “Sugargliders love sweets,” he says. “So a plate of honey should be irresistible. I’ll just go back to work, and next time it flies by, it’ll probably want a quick pick-me-up. It’ll hover over to this plate, activate the pressure switch and WHAM!” Slash bashes his two hooves together and makes Snowy leap back two feet. “Marsupial immobilized, Pegasus free to continue his work.”

Slash grabs a hammer and trots back to the tree.

Snowy blinks. “I think Lightning Bug might be a little upset if she knew you were crushing small animals to make her home.”

“I’m not crushing it! I’m just immobilizing it -- with a net!”

Clunk!

“Ha! Case and point!” Slash walks over to the plate of honey, now licked clean. He checks the net, which is now empty. He frowns and looks up at the treehouse just in time to see a little white furred thing wipe its face and its ears and scamper back into the treehouse.

“I don’t think it worked…” Snowy says.

Slash frowns. “Not yet it didn’t! I’m gonna need some cider…”

“The inn is always open,” Echo Shade says. “Maybe you could find a job here!”

The inn is three stories tall, and it looks distinctly Sylvainnian in architecture in a way Lightning can’t put her hoof on. Echo Shade swings open the door and lets Lightning Bug inside. She shyly ducks through the door and instantly sets herself beside a wall. It’s a bustling lobby-diner sort of setup, and the different rooms are down a hallway. “Well, it’s really more of a motel. There’s always somebody who’s staying in town overnight to make a delivery or what have you. It sees the most use during the holidays… especially these last couple days after…”

“We know,” the entire clientele responds to Echo’s statement.

“An inn…” Lightning murmurs to herself. “I could be a waiter, or a maid! Oh oh! Do they need a night guard?

Echo brings Lightning to the innkeeper, Fullboard, and Lightning asks him about positions. “Well we got a nice big stage so people can watch things as they eat,” Fullboard wipes a plate and sets it into a cabinet. “But right now it’s empty. You got any talents? Dancing, music, standup?”

Lightning’s face turns orange from how hard she blushes. “Nonono, I mean, I played the fife during training but I was never that good at it and I never got over stagefright -- and it’s not a good idea.”

“Aw hon,” Echo says. “But you have such a lovely singing voice! I hear you when you clean everyday.”

“Nope!” Lightning shakes her head. “Nuh uh, not interested!”

Fullboard isn’t impressed. “Well if the canary can’t sing she has no business in my inn unless she’s booking a room.”

Both Echo and Lightning are a little nonplussed by the analogy but don’t say anything. They show themselves out.

“Excuse me!” Polaris calls. “Excuse me, sir, madam? Where might an enterprising young unicorn find some work?” Nobody responds. “Blast! If only there were some easy way for the townsfolk to share information and request help! Like a bulletin board or something… Of course it figures I couldn’t find anything of the sort in this small village.”

Polaris sighs in defeat and walks off to find something to drink. The inn was further than he wanted to walk, so he looks around for a store. He finds a corner store, and he recognizes it from the morning of the festival.

Minty and Scales

~~~~~

Food, books, hardware

General store

The ‘general store’ part must have been added later. Polaris finds this cute in a quaint sort of way and steps inside.

The general store is small. Each wall is stacked with shelves and shelves of goods, and there are three aisles alongside barrels and crates filled with grain and fruits. Polaris is positive that the clunky, shiny cash register is older than both of his parents. He doesn’t see a shopkeeper, so he helps himself to the shelf of bottled drinks.

They are room temperature of course, surely nobody this side of Lustre had figured out how to keep a room cool, or how to draw a few weak ice runes.

“Congratulations Harmony, this may be the most modern establishment in the whole valley, and that’s not saying much.”

He cannot find the drink he is looking for. He doesn’t want green tea, or sweet tea, or black tea, he just wants plain tea! The homemade labels are inconsistent and hard to read. Why is the plain tea on the top shelf while the novelty flavors are below?

No matter, Polaris lights up his horn and swiftly reorders the entire shelf, only he leaves a bottle of tea for himself to take to the cashier.

When he turns away from the shelf, Polaris finds himself face to face with a yellow-coated stallion. “You’re a good organizer!” he says.

“Mn,” Polaris walks past him. The stallion, a pegasus with a mottled coat, trots ahead and slips behind the counter. He rings Polaris up for two bits.

“You an Outsider?”

“Is it that obvious?”

“I thought so! Word on the street is you’re looking for a job!”

Polaris examines his two-bits-lighter purse and frowns. “Funny. The way they ignored me, you’d think I was invisible.”

“Well, I heard you from in here for what it’s worth.”

“Ah.” Polaris took a long gulp of the tea. It was not professionally packaged or brewed, but it hit the spot.

“You know, me and my wife are looking to expand the business,” the stallion says. “That’s her name out there on the sign, Minty. I call her Minty but her name’s Mint Chip. I’m Spring Scales, by the way.”

Polaris didn’t seem that interested.

“We could use an extra hoof around here,” Scales says. “You’re welcome to work here if you’d like.”

Polaris almost spits out his drink. “Me? Work retail?! Hah!” He shakes his head and walks away, laughing. “That’ll be a warm day up north. I have two college degrees, I don’t do customer service.” Polaris is still laughing as he steps out of the store. “Thank you for your time, have a nice day.”

“Er, you too! Come by anytime!” When the door closes, Scales sighs and slumps.

Author's Note

We're a timely bunch, here at team gen s. Maximum efficiency is our game!

Song of Seven is never dead, only sleeping!

We're trying something a little new here, basically we decided that in order to pump these chapters out as quickly as possible, we'd have to do away with our style of prose and try a more script-like format. This way we can tell instead of showing without it sounding too unnatural, hopefully.

For big stories like the premiere and the season finale we'll switch back to a more traditional style of writing. Kind of like an animation bump in a cartoon!

Thank you so much for tuning back in and humoring us.

Happy Labor Day!

Apply Yourself - II

“Now normally, there isn’t much to do around here,” Echo Shade says. She shows Lightning Bug around the entrance to Townsquare, where she and Polaris first entered. “But what with the festival and the… eh… you know, there’s a lot of work.” They walked past several buildings, and many of them are surrounded by scaffolding, pulleys, and other kinds of construction.

Presently no pony seems to be doing much. Any lunchtime rush has ended and most ponies have shuffled off the streets to eat. All of the construction ponies, discerned by their yellow bump-caps, just sat around on their wooden contraptions. Their foreman is too busy chatting it up with an elder to notice.

“There’s always room for more construction workers,” Echo says. “But it’s a pretty hectic job… when there’s actually stuff to do.”

“Do tell,” Lightning says.

Finally one bump-capped stallion notices the two fillies watching them. And so does another. Instantly they’re all on their hooves, lifting buckets and pieces of woods like weights, or doing pushups and planks on their wooden beams and… planks.

Lightning makes a face and side-eyes them.

“Yeah, they do that sometimes,” Echo says.

“Echo Shade! Miss Pegasus!” the foreman, Hacksaw, approaches them. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen Slashbuckler today?”

“Oh, he’s further south, by the road to Riverton,” Echo says. “He’s busy building Lightning a house.”

Hack Saw’s face twitches. “A house?” he sputters. “Why, he really ought to get a permit or something…”

“It’s outside the town limits, so he’s honoring whatever agreement you two have,” Echo says.

“Yes, of course, but it would be much easier if he actually joined the carpenter’s guild!” Hack Saw said. “He wouldn’t have to cut all that wood himself, he could build wherever he wanted, and me and the boys could lend him a helping hoof!”

Presently ‘the boys’ are chatting and badgering each other, until they notice Echo and Lightning are staring at them. They go back to flexing and lifting.

“Riiight,” Echo says.

“That is to say, we’re always looking for more helpers! Would either of you be interesting in trying carpentry? There’s plenty of work to go around after… well you know.”

Echo glances at Lightning, who quickly shakes her head.

“Actually, we just wanted to ask if you’ve heard of any other pony who happens to need help today?” Echo asks.

Hack Saw sighs. “Actually I do. Word on the street is Spindle Sprocket is looking for another intern for his shop.”

“Spindle Sprocket?” Lightning asks. “Where have I heard that name before?”

The shop in question is a large garage-looking building to the far north of town. It looks like two or three different buildings strapped together by planks of wood and strips of metal. A steady stream of smoke rises from a hole in the roof, while the chimney sits uselessly beside it less than three feet away.

As she and Echo Shade drew nearer, Lightning Bug counted off all the workplace safety violations that would have gotten this place shut down back in Meteoras.

“We don’t have a radio repair shop, but this the closest you’ll find,” Echo says.

Hanging near the front door to the shop is a sign dangling on two pieces of rope.

Sprocket ------- 's Workshop

A plank of wood had been nailed over whatever the second word on the sign was. It looks like a hasty, spiteful alteration.

“Echo Shade, I’m scared,” Lightning Bug whimpers.

“Don’t be! Sprocket is… well he isn’t terrible, and the shop is perfectly safe!”

They get to the door, and Echo Shade is about to knock when it flies open on its own. Lightning yelps and leaps behind her.

Polaris steps out of the door. He looks exhausted. He glances at the two. “I’d turn around while you still can,” he says. “This place is a death trap.” He walks away back to town, and Echo and Lightning awkwardly make their way inside.

The workshop is a cluttered building, stacked ceiling high with parts and junk. There are several desks with tools placed on them, and in the center there’s a large empty space with cranes and pulleys strung from above.

“Oh, hi there Echo Shade!” a pegasus greets them with a smile. She had just finished ratcheting two parts together. “Need something?”

“Yes, actually, we’re looking for your boss?” Echo says.

The pegasus looks both ways. “I haven’t seen him since that other unicorn came in here. I don’t know where he’s at--”

“SCOOTALOO!” A familiar raspy voice booms from above. “Scootaloo! Why aren’t the pulleys arranged in alphabetical order?!”

The apprentice-pegasus makes a noise under her breath before shouting back. “I’ll get to it, boss! There are some more ponies here to see you!!”

A noise from the ceiling. One of the many chains begins creaking. Slowly, a dirty, spindly Galloway is lowered to the shop. He’s wearing goggles, and presently he’s completely wrapped up in the chains of the crane. He slumps to the ground.

“Oh, I remember him!” Lightning says to Echo. “He was in charge of the construction of the barricade back at the grotto! …He kept bossing everyone around and didn’t really do anything.”

Echo smiles and shushes Lightning. “Good morning, Sprocket!”

“Eh, It’s a morning.” The stallion gradually unwraps himself.

“Word on the street is you’re looking for a new apprentice,” Echo says.

“I am?” Sprocket asks.

“You are?” Scootaloo asks from across the room.

“Wait, I am! I remember now.” Sprocket looks across the shop. “Me and Scoot are busy here on the first floor. We need somebody to help install the goods on the top floor.” Sprocket finds a box of cords and gadgets and slides it across the floor to Lightning Bug. She peers inside.

“What’s all this for?”

“I’m off the grid,” Sprocket says.

Echo blinks. “...Sprocket, what grid?”

“I’ve cracked the code, I’m sticking it to the stallion. I don’t need to pay the council for running water anymore.”

“Sprocket, nobody pays the council for… nevermind.”

“I didn’t understand half of that,” Lightning mutters. “But I bet Meadow would get along with this guy.”

“What I need you to do is…” Sprocket shuffles through the box and produces something that looks like a gas lamp, but there was no wick on the inside to light and the glass cover was completely shut with no way to light it. “Every shop here has to stop working once the sun goes down, sometimes sooner with how steep the valley is. But I’ve invented a way to keep the lights on so to speak.”

“We could buy oil and light lamps like the rest of the valley?” Scoot asks.

“Or!” Sprocket says triumphantly. “I could shine a light as bright as the sun right beneath my own roof! So I’ve created this little device. It emits a light source that’s trapped behind a glass bulb. I call it---”

“A lightbulb!” Lightning says happily. “I haven’t seen one of these since I left Meteoras.”

Sprocket’s eye twitches. “...This isn’t a lightbulb it’s an… er… oil-less lamp. And unlike lightbulbs, this is powered by--”

“Electricity!” Lightning says. “That’s what all these cords are for, right?”

Sprocket’s face twists into a scowl. “Well, I was going to be helpful and show you how to set them up, but since you’re so smart…!” He shoves the gadgets into Lightning’s hooves. “You figure it out!” He storms off. “If you can get it working before sundown you got the job.”

Lightning glances over at Scootaloo. The apprentice shakes her head back and forth. “Don’t talk back if you wanna stay,” she whispers.

“SCOOT!”

“Y-yes boss?”

“Come over here and help me with the pulley.”

“Uh, Scoot?” Lightning Bug asks. “What does this plug into?”

“What do you mean?”

“Back home if you had an electrical device it needed to get its power from somewhere.”

“Oh, I guess the boss didn’t think that far.”

“Seriously?”

“You could try this,” Scoot pushed a small, heavy metal thing over with her forehead, barely ankle-high for a pony. “I don’t know where he got it from, but it’s got that zappy-thing on the top,” she points at a decal.

Lightning swallows. “That’s a battery from an airship, a big one.”

“Will it work?”

Honestly Lightning doesn’t think so. “Maybe, just… lemme hang up the lightbulb first.” Lightning takes the light in her teeth and flies to the top of the workshop. The top floor was just a walkway circling around a large empty cylindrical room. If there were any doors inside Lightning couldn’t find any. She cords the light and strings it up, and then she reaches for the cords. The cords are also very old.

“Howzit look up there?” Sprocket calls up from below.

“Oh, it’s working great! I just need to…” in her haste she nearly drops the lightbulb. She flies and grabs it just in time.

“Please don’t shake the lightbulb!” Sprocket calls.

“I know, sorry!” Lightning hooks it up. “Just let me grab the cord and…”

“Hurry it up! I want to know it works before the sun even starts to fall!” Sprocket attaches the cord to the battery.

“Alright fine… mister bossy,” Lightning grumbles. She didn’t realize that her coat had accrued quite the static charge, nor did she realize how nervous she was, nor did she realize these ancient cords weren’t insulated that well. That isn’t a problem for her, necessarily. It’s a problem if her stormtouch bounces from her hooves and down to the battery below, which is exactly what happens.

The battery starts vibrating and sparking as it fills with magical pegasus lightning energy. “Boss look, it’s working!” Scoot points.

“It works! Hah! Lightning Bug, go ahead and finish the circuit.”

Lightning holds the two cords up to each other and gulps. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea…”

“Just do it already!”

Lightning didn’t even need to connect the two cords before her own energy finished the circuit. The lightbulb turns on. At first it’s dim, then it’s bright enough to illuminate the dingy shop.

“It works!” Sprocket screams. “It works! It---”

A wave of light like the sun engulfs him. Pure white light, silent and overwhelming, floods out the doors and windows and cracks in the walls and out into the valley.

Echo was on her way to check on Slash when she’s nearly knocked to her hooves by the sudden wave of heat and energy. A bird falls out of the sky. Still, motionless.

“Oh no, Lightning Bug?!” She scurries back. “I’m on my way hon! Oh… Wanderer please!”

When Echo finds the shop, the incredible light has ceased. Lightning is on the bottom floor, disheveled and tired, her mane blown back behind her head, and in her hooves she carries Sprocket’s fried invention.

Scoot is busy trying to peel her boss off a wall.

There’s silence.

“Did she, uh…” Echo looks at every pony present. “Get the job?”

Sprocket is freed from his perch on the wall, and he’s covered in a thin layer of burnt carbon. He pulls his goggles from his face which leaves clean circles around his eyes. “No she did not. And if I were a banana-slug-looking pegasus with blueish green eyes I’d be hightailing it out of here.”

Echo doesn’t need to be told twice. She takes Lightning by the hoof and pulls her out of the shop.

“That was visible from space!” Echo Shade said. The two are back at the bridge where they found Meadow Skip, but he’s nowhere to be seen. Echo tries to smile as she wipes the soot off of Lightning Bug’s coat with a rag. “If you were still trying to find your squad, that little lightbulb would’ve done wonders!”

Lightning Bug wasn’t cheering up. She leans over the side of the bridge and studies the rocks and gravel below.

“Hon come on! You’re only… let’s see, Satin Splash, the Inn, Sprocket’s… three for three!”

Lightning shakes her head. “This is how it always is! Even back home I kept screwing up.”

“What do you mean? …Lightning Bug, how many jobs did you have before you became a scout for the army?”

Lightning pauses and briefly counts with her feathers. “Two…elve?”

Echo is dumbstruck.

“First I was a handy-pony at a workshop, but I zapped my boss with every the metal piece so he fired me, then I was an errand-pony for a convenience store and I kept frying or destroying the customer’s deliveries so they fired me, then I worked on a railway and nearly crashed a train when my coat zapped the tracks and they fired me…”

Echo is still listening, but her tail and ears are drooped.

“...And then my dad tried to get me a job at the Stormforge factory he owns. First he had me as an office-filly, but I set fire to my desk because of all the paper, so he put me on janitorial duties on the bottom floor, and there was an emergency with one of the generators and I touched it just right and my stormtouch set it off and… and… well. I applied for the military and got recruited the very next day.”

Echo swallowed.

“Do you believe me now?”

“I, uh,” Echo chuckles. “Your luck may be awful and your powers may need some… practice, but that doesn’t mean you’ll never find a job! We just gotta keep looking. If we don’t find one today, we’ll just look tomorrow, for however long it takes.”

“It may take a long time,” Lightning says.

“I don’t want to think about that~~!” Echo says sing-songily. She pulls Lightning along. “Let’s find your next interview.”

“Slash?” Smokey asks. “What are you doing with that cider?”

Slash sets out another thin saucer around the base of the treehouse. He chuckles as he pulls off the cork. “Get this. Sugargliders love sweet things, which means they also love cider.” He winks. “Cider.”

“Okaaay…” Smokey takes a step back.

“And Sugargliders get really---” he winks. “Sleepy after they drink cider.”

“Uh-huh…”

“So first, I’ll pour in two shots of cider…” he empties the bottle and looks at Smokey. “And wait for the Sugarglider to come by and get a sip of the cider,” he winks. “And after it’s too sleepy from drinking the cider,” he winks again. “I’ll be able to catch it in my net and move it to a safe location so I can finish building the treehouse.”

“Uh, Slash?” Smokey points with his hoof.

The Sugarglider in question has already found the saucer. The saucer is now empty. The glider does indeed blink and wobble after having its fill.

“Ah-ha!” Slash readies his net. “Just hold still…” He throws his net down. The glider flaps and floats in mid-air, just above the reach of the net. It lands on the net and squints at Slash.

That’s the last thing he sees before it lunges for his face.

“AUGH! Get it off!” he pulls at it as he tumbles into the grass. “It’s not a sleepy-drinker! It’s not a sleepy-drinker!”

Smokey backs away and runs.

“Smokey, get the net. Smokey? What’s going on? Smokey? SMOOOKEY!!!”

“Baking?” Lightning asks. “I don’t know…”

“Aw come one, you’re already great at it!” Echo Shade says. She takes Lightning into the biggest bakery in town square. She leads her past the pretty lobby with all the shining pastries behind glass cases into the back kitchen. The kitchen is dimly lit with a dirt floor, all the sinks drain to a hole in the corner of the room, and the multi-purpose oven is the most modern piece of equipment in the entire building.

Lightning is positive she’s seen the oven in a museum back home before.

“Steamroller?” Echo calls. “I got your working interview right here!”

The pastry chef is a heavyset Galloway pony with a graying mane. He doesn’t look mean by any means, but he doesn’t look particularly friendly. Presently he’s rolling a blob of yellow stretchy dough on a counter. He snorts, and Lightning hides behind Echo.

“I was thinking one two-hour shift would work?” Echo says. “Just to get her bearings.”

“ ‘At’ll be fine,” Steamroller says. “If’n she can keep up. I got a big order to fill.”

“You haven’t seen the way this girl bakes cookies and flips flapjacks!” Echo Shade waves a hoof and smiles. “She’ll catch on in no time. Right hon?”

Lightning nervously bids farewell to Echo Shade and prepares for a short shift at the bakery.

Polaris walks down mainstreet of Townsquare once again, downtrodden, his frazzled mane hangs over his head and almost brushes the dirt road as he trudges along.

"Who are you kidding, Polaris?" he asks himself. "Two degrees and unemployed. Perhaps mother was right..."

"Polaris, is that you?" a familiar voice finds him amongst the crowd. It's Echo Shade. She trots over to him.

"Oh, hullo. What's become of our dear scout?" Polaris asks.

"She's busy with her working interview," Echo taps her hooves and makes a little 'EEEE' noise. "She's doing so well! I'm so excited for her! What about you?"

"Oh... it's, uh..." Polaris doesn't want to embarrass himself in front of a fellow unicorn. "No... sizeable development yet, but any progress is progress!"

"What about Apple Bloom? Did you talk to her?"

"I saw her once, as a matter of fact," Polaris said. "But she ignored me... Echo Shade? What's with that expression? ...Won't you answer? You're starting to scare me."

Echo Shade is smiling, intensely. Her eyes almost glow with emotion. "Come with me," she whispers. She and Polaris leave in the direction of Apple Bloom's hut, and every pony on the way clears a path for Echo Shade.

Apple Bloom is shuffling about in some boxes beside her counter when she hears rapping at the door. "Apple Bloom? Hon? Are you in there?"

It's Echo Shade. She groans.

"For the last time," Apple Bloom creaks the door open. "I'm not interested in any help right now, Echo--" She glances over and notices Polaris. "Oooh Sh---!!" She tries to slam the door shut.

She fails.

Echo Shade's horn glows. The door remains in place, unmoving like a stone monolith erected on the earth at the dawn of time. "Hon?" She takes a step forward. The door opens and she steps inside. Apple Bloom takes a step back. "I have this problem, and I was hoping you could help me?" Her eyes really are glowing in the dim light of the shack. "You see," and her tone got really pouty. "I have a good friend here who just wants to fit in and be helpful, but nobody is giving him the time of day! I was really really hoping that some kind, generous pony like yourself could take him under her wing and give him something to do? Just to see what it's like?"

Her horn hasn't stopped glowing, and it casts deep, dark shadows across her smiling face.

Apple Bloom has been backed into her counter, with no escape. She notices Polaris awkwardly tapping his hoof outside, whistling.

"I uh," she swallows. "I guess I could, for a day..."

"GREAT! That's great!" Apple Bloom is pulled forward and Echo Shade gives her a big bear hug. "You're the bestest friend a girl could ask for, Apple Bloom!"

"My pleasure," she wheezes.

"I'll just leave him here, I gotta get back to Lightning Bug. You two have fun now!" Echo Shade skips out the door and vanishes outside. Polaris shows himself in.

The two ponies just stand there in the dusty shack, surrounded by the warped light reflected though bottles and the bubbling sound of potions. Polaris coughs into his hoof. Apple Bloom does everything she can to avoid looking Polaris in the eye.

"So... what is it one does in a place like this?" Polaris asks.

"Sell potions," Apple Bloom says.

"Ah, good. Just what I thought. ...How?"

Apple Bloom groans. "I have this big order to fill out," she says. "I need it done today, and I can't have any distractions." She readies a small mixing pot and starts gathering ingredients. "Just... stand there and watch. Don't do anything unless I say so."

At first, Polaris is perfectly amiable and does as his new tutor says. Apple Bloom is mixing a batch of ointments for various customers across the valley. She is not preparing or mixing her ingredients the way a Lustrian would. Polaris grows antsy.

"Wouldn't a more viscous sap be more preferable?" he asks.

"I'm using what I can find in the valley," Apple Bloom works with a mortar and pestle.

"But I saw a gloom berry growing just outside your house," Polaris said. "Those make excellent binders for ointments. They smell better too."

"I don't work with that kind of berry for ointments."

"It was just a suggestion."

"I don't need any suggestions. Pass me that jar of powder."

"This one?"

"What did I just-- that's boom-berry powder, are you crazy?! The one right next to it!"

"I can't tell the difference! Maybe if you instructed me better… This one?"

"That one. Thank you."

Apple Bloom mashes her concoction together, and whenever she asks for an ingredient, Polaris passes it to her.

“All boom-berries are good for is blowing stuff up,” Apple Bloom says. “Not for ointments.”

"I figured. And what's this ointment for again?" Polaris asks.

"Electrical burns," Apple Bloom says.

"Why would... ah."

"Yeah. Ah," Apple Bloom steps away. The concoction is under a rolling boil, but there's no flame beneath the container. Its moved by its own chemical reaction.

"Is it supposed to do that?"

"Yeah, keep stirring wouldja? I need to grab something." Apple Bloom steps away, and Polaris hurries over and stirs with a glass rod. He notices a decidedly unsatisfying reaction in the concoction. The bubbling has slowed.

"Well this is no good, her potion is separating!" Polaris glances over his shoulder. He spies the berries growing outside the door. "Well one or two of these shouldn’t hurt.” His horn lights up, and from all the way outside he retrieves a single berry and places it inside the mortar. He crushes it and mixes it into the brew. The bubbles return, delightful! Polaris is pleased with himself. He keeps stirring.

The bubbling doesn’t stop. The batch begins to froth. White bubbles spill from the side. A distinctive smell fills the room… and is that heat he feels?

“What did you do?!” Apple Bloom drops whatever she’s carrying and gawks at the overflowing mixture.

“I just added a single gloom berry from outside--”

“Those weren’t gloom berries! Those were fresh boom berries!!” Apple Bloom cries.

Polaris glances at the mixture. The heat fogs his glasses.

“Ah.”

When he turns around Apple Bloom has already scurried under a table.

A flash of light.

“And then I said… Nay good sir, that’s my sword in your belt!” Meadow’s story draws fits of laughter from the gaggle of mares surrounding him. They’re resting by the creek just outside of town.

“You’re so clever!” one says.

“And funny!” Says another. “A young stallion like yourself ought to have a marefriend.”

“Please, please,” Meadow strings his lute. “One at a time,” he winks.

“Meadow Skip?” Smokey comes around the bed of the road. “Have you seen Polaris? I wanna ask him something.”

“Last I saw,” Meadow tests his lute. “He was heading towards Apple Bloom’s hut--”

BOOM.

A shockwave topples them all over into the grass. Smokey drops to the ground and covers his head. He looks eastward and spies a mushroom cloud rising from the Dark Forest.

All are silent. A bird drops to the ground near Meadow Skip. Motionless.

“NOOOO,” he picks up the little animal. He starts giving it chest compressions with his hooves. “STAY WITH ME!”

“He’s so sensitive,” a mare whispers.

“And kind!” says another.

Smokey looks away just as Meadow tries to force air into the bird’s lungs.

Smoke still rises from the broken shelves and out the freshly blown hole in the roof. Polaris pulls himself free from the fallen debris, and a moment later Apple Bloom does the same. Her mane is a mess, her coat is ruffled up, but she doesn’t seem to have much to say. Her expression is blank and unreadable. She kicks at the now empty pot.

“Now, in my defense,” Polaris said. “You weren’t very clear with your instructions.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes snap open. “Clear.” She turns on him. “Clear?” She takes a step forward. “You want clear, Unicorn? RUN.”

She takes another step, and Polaris steps back. “Run where?”

“Back to Lustre.” She snarls like a direwolf, and Polaris is out the broken door and gone from the hut in an instant.

“Slash?” Snowy asks.

“What are you doing?” Smokey adds.

Progress on the house has slowed considerably. The roof is up, and so are the floorboards, but the walls haven’t been nailed into place. Slash is currently sitting in front of a saucer suspended over some kind of gadget, with two containers at his side.

Smokey watches as he pours in a huge helping of honey into the saucer, followed by some cider. “Oooh, I get it, you’re going to try and catch that Sugarglider with a little bit of both, arencha?”

“Draw it in with the cider and then it gets stuck by the honey?” Snowy asks.

Slash lightly depresses the saucer, which makes a noise like the clicking of a gas stove. The fumes of the cider catch fire, and the saucer turns into a makeshift brazer. The air is filled with the smell of cider and caramelizing honey.

The wave of heat makes the twins leap back.

Slash idly smacks his lips as the flames dance in his eyes. “Something like that,” he says.

Lightning Bug does not catch on.

“Lightning! We need three dozen rolls, I only counted thirty-five!”

“Ack! Sorry! I ran out of dough and was waiting on the mixer--”

“And what about the donuts. Have they had their first bath?”

“First bath?!”

“We dunk our donuts twice for the crispy finish! Don’t tell me you’d send a customer away with a half-cooked donut?”

“No sir! I’ll get right on it!”

“And make sure the shortbread is done mixing before then! I’ll work on the pretzels.”

Her white uniform itches and there’s no room for her wings. The kitchen bakes like, well, an oven, and sweat drips from her chin, and for an awful moment it feels like her back might start foaming.

Lightning is constantly rushing back and forth between three or four different kinds of baking, and it feels like putting tracks before a moving train.

A loud ‘ding’ nearly makes her jump out of her coat.

“That’s the cookies!”

“Yessir!”

“No, don’t box them! Put the tray down and let them air out!”

“I’m sorry I didn’t--”

“The donuts! Don’t let them in the bath for too long!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I--”

“And what about the shortbread!”

“I’ll get right on it, just let me--”

“Don’t turn off the oven I still need to load the pretzels!”

“I--I--!!”

“And what about that final roll?!”

Zap. Snap.

Lightning holds her head and screams. A wave of blue electricity sweeps the kitchen.

The oil burns. The floor is covered in soot, and the oven spews smoke before swinging open. The shortbread is baked perfectly by the sudden surge of energy.

Everything else is burnt to a crisp.

“I am super super sorry, the blame falls completely on me!” Echo Shade’s words are tumbling out of her mouth. “You can send a bill to the Lorekeeper and I’ll make sure it’s cashed as soon as we possibly can--”

“Don’t trouble yourself for now,” Steamroller waves the last of the smoke from his kitchen. “I’ll let you know when.”

“Of course sir! Again, I’m incredibly sorry and I just--”

“I appreciate the sentiment, but the sooner you two fillies move on, the sooner I can get my kitchen back in order.” Steamroller closes the door and leaves the two on the street.

Lightning hangs her head and walks away.

“Aw, hon! You did alright! He wasn’t that mad at you!” Echo Shade trots alongside her. “You weren’t awful! You just need to find your rhythm, that’s all. You’re a great cook. You probably could’ve been a cook back home if you weren’t already a scout. We just need to find you a place where you can cook or sew or whatever that matches your rhythm.”

Lightning spins on her hoof and faces Echo Shade. There are tears in her eyes.

“I do all those things for fun!” she says. “I bake for fun! I’ve never been forced to get a batch right or-or make sure they’re baked perfectly! I never wanted to do this for a living!” She shakes her head. “There’s just too much pressure! I hate feeling pressured, it makes me screw up and ruin everything and I’m just such a bad pegasus…”

Lightning Bug sobs.

“Honey! You’re not a bad pegasus!” Echo Shade holds her. “I’m sorry Lightning, I’ve been going about this all wrong. I never meant to overwhelm you.”

“It’s an easy thing to do,” Lightning says.

Echo tuts and shakes her head. “Tell you what, how about we take a break and just go home?”

Lightning sniffles. “Okay.”

Smokey and Snowy meet them part of the way back. “Hi Lightning! Didja get a job or… oh?” Smokey watches them pass by.

“We’re taking a break, Snowy,” Echo Shade says. “We’re just going to go home and relax for now.”

“Oh, okay. Is Lightning gonna cook dinner?” Snowy asks.

Lightning didn’t seem to hear her. “I doubt it.”

It’s morning, and Lightning Bug drags herself out of bed. The others are tangled up in their bedsheets, fast asleep. She yawns and flaps her wings. She briefly thinks of what to make for breakfast, but then she remembers the sound of Steamroller’s voice and decides against it.

What became of Polaris? Did he have any luck finding a job? She was so upset that she forgot to ask him before she went back to the Lorekeeper’s house.

Her stomach rumbles. There’s some leftover food from yesterday morning, but she can’t bring herself to eat it. She decides to leave the old flapjacks for the Lorekeeper’s family, and she steps outside and heads out into town to find something to eat. She has her last few bits with her, maybe she can buy some food.

The inn is almost always open. She peeks her head inside, and she hears music. A few patrons are lounging at the tables, one pony mans the counter, but beside the stage sitting on a stool is a lone pony plucking a stringed instrument. A pony tosses a bit into a jar at the musical pony’s hooves, and he transitions to another song.

“Meadow Skip?” Lightning whispers. She makes her way over to him.

“Oh, good early morning Lightning Bug!” he says.

“It is early for you, I guess,” Lightning looks around the room. “What are you doing here, I thought you said you already had a good gig?”

“Yeah, that’s what artists always say before they find something better.”

“And what’s that exactly?”

“Playing for tips and free lodging!” Meadow strums his lute. “See, Fullboard over there loves my music and he loves how it attracts more patrons. So, as long as I play for him three times a day, I get a whole room for myself for free, and I get tipped for playing!”

“The room ain’t free!” the Fullboard calls from the counter. “You keep all the tips you want, but you still gotta pay for the room!”

“We’re ironing out the details,” Meadow shrugs. “What about you, where are you working now? Lightning?”

She had went for the door in the middle of his explanation. “Oh, I’m still… I don’t know,” Lightning closes the door behind her.

The general store ought to have something nice for breakfast. Lightning’s mane almost brushes the ground with how low her head is. Meadow Skip found a job. Meadow Skip of all ponies. She’s happy for him but it’s not really helping her mood.

She wishes that staying happy was easier. She wishes she was back to making breakfast without a care in the world.

She steps inside the general store and lazily makes her way to a shelf of biscuits.

“Welcome,” comes a lazy and uninterested voice from the counter.

Lightning picks a bag of biscuits and carries it to the counter with her teeth. She sets it down.

“Will that be all?” the pony at the desk asks.

“Yes, please.”

“Two bits.”

Lightning sets the two gold coins down and the cashier receives them with his unicorn magic. “There you go… thank you so much --” Lightning finally looks at the cashier and reads his nametag. She blinks. “Wait, Polaris?!”

Polaris blinks slowly as he loads the coins into the ancient cash register. “Yes?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Apparently two college degrees and three years working in the University of Lustre amount to deskwork in retail in the middle of nowhere,” Polaris adjusts his nametag.

“What about a house? Are you still pitching your tent?”

“No, the young couple are letting me use the parlor upstairs.” Polaris yawns. “They took pity on me.”

“Oh, that’s nice, I guess.” Lightning nibbles on her biscuit and looks quite miserable.

Polaris’ expression softens. “Lightning,” he says. “They’re always looking for help here. I’m sure if you asked they could put you to work.”

Lightning shakes her head. “That’s fine, they seem like good people. I’d hate to make things worse for them, or for you.”

She leaves the store.

“Oh Lightning Bug, don’t be like that.”

But she’s already gone.

Lightning Bug sits on a hill as she finishes her bag of biscuits. Maybe it will be fine, she tells herself. She doesn’t need a job to stay here in Harmony. She would just have to rely on Echo’s family for food… and she’d never be able to repay Slash for making an entire house for her.

Maybe Tall Tail would actually hire her as a maid if she asked nicely enough. That was the only solution she could think of without being a burden to everyone.

Lightning is about to finish her last biscuit when she hears someone struggling. At first she’s not sure and takes another bite, but then she hears the voice again. An older mare? Could it be Miss Betelnut again? Lightning sets her bag down and flies over in the direction of the noise.

Miss Betelnut is lugging this package nearly two times her size. She pulls it up a hill with her teeth by a rope, and her old bones are barely enough to make it budge. Lightning dashes to the other side of the package and pushes it to the top of the hill.

Miss Betelnut is confused how the package could have moved itself until she sees Lightning Bug land next to her.

“Hi there, sweetie, what’s the occasion?”

“Miss Betelnut! You can’t keep dragging these things all on your own! You’re going to wear yourself out!” Lightning Bug tries to speak with authority but it doesn’t come out quite right.

“Oh… I know that, sweetie,” Betelnut sits down.

“What’s so important about all these packages anyway?”

“My grand-daughter,” Betelnut says. “She moved out to Townsquare a few weeks ago. She says she’s all grown up and doesn’t need any help, but her flat is as empty as an Oliphaunt’s jar of peanuts!” She motions for the package. “So I’ve been sending her some of my old furniture to help liven up the place.”

“All by yourself?! What about the post office?” Lightning asks. “Won’t they deliver it for you?”

“Why Lightning, I put in my request right after she moved out! They haven’t sent one pony, so I started doing it myself.”

“Not one pony?!” Lightning cried. Her face flushes. She feels a vein pop on her forehead. Lightning’s face twists into a frown. She whinnies and snorts and grabs the rope. She lifts it up all by herself and flies away with it.

“Be careful with that!” Betelnut calls after her. “That was her favorite desk!”

Paper Pusher stamps a letter and files it away. The doors to the post office fly open. “Paper Pusher!” a voice calls.

“Yes, that’s me,” the elder mare adjusts her glasses. “Can I help you, Miss Lightning?”

Lightning Bug is livid. She stamps over to the counter where Paper Pusher is working. Her new assistant cowers away and hides himself behind a pile of papers. “So much for Harmony, right?!” Lightning says.

“That’s what I said when we let you lot stay, but that’s neither here nor there, is it?” Paper Pusher doesn’t even look at her.

“What’s the point of having a post office if nobody ever delivers anything?” Lightning asks. She glowers at the assistant, who shows himself out of the room. “Why is it that poor Betelnut has to deliver pieces of furniture to her granddaughter without you guys helping her?”

Paper Pusher sighs as she files away another letter. “Listen, Lightning Bug.” She turns to face the angry filly. She winces at the arcs of electricity bouncing off Lightning’s coat and licking the floor. “By design, government offices here don’t receive an awful lot of money, so we lack a lot of incentive. We do only what we can. Ponies are more than welcome to ask each other for help, or to hire some pony like Cedar to carry their packages for them.”

“And what if they can’t? You fire all your help and just sit in your nice little chair and lick stamps all day while ponies’ packages languish in there?” Lightning looks over to the room of unsent packages.

“With all due respect, Miss Lightning, every station manned by an elder has been very busy after the you-know-what happened a few days ago.”

“So now it’s my fault?!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“Listen here,” Lighting puts her hooves on Paper Pusher’s table. “Back home, each post office had a dedicated Delivery Pony who would make sure the packages made it to their destination on time. How hard is it to open one more position?”

“It hasn’t been done in years, Miss Lightning,” Paper Pusher says. “Have you any volunteers?”

Pause.

“I’ll do it,” Lightning says. “I’ll deliver every package!”

“Oh, will you now?” Paper Pusher shrugs. “Well, you’re welcome to try, ‘Delivery Pony.’ Just know that even if you pull it off, the post office won’t be able to pay you very much.”

“That doesn’t matter,” Lightning Bug says. “I’ll do it.”

Paper Pusher leans forward and looks Lightning in the eye, like she’s testing her. Lightning’s expression is unwavering.

A moment later, Paper Pusher stands up and walks over to the room of unsent packages. She creaks the door open, and a box tumbles out. She pulls a map from the door and hands it to Lightning Bug.

“Familiarize yourself with the districts of the valley,” she says. “In Townsquare the first house number is counted counter clockwise from the statue of Sir Rat Tail with number 12 starting at due north and ending with 11 north-north-west. Two houses north from the statue would be 12-something while two houses north-north-west would be 112- something for example. Some addresses are simply the names of their business or trade, and some like the Lorekeeper’s home have no proper address.

“Riverton to the south only has house numbers that begin with 1 or 2 to the west and east of the river bank respectively. Northtown is divided into four rows, numbered 1 through 4, with the house number increasing the further north you go.

“As for any of the miscellaneous homes and businesses located between, you’ll have to use your own judgment.” Paper Pusher hands Lightning Bug a delivery bag stuffed with envelopes. “Did you get all of that?”

The truth was she didn’t, but for some reason Lightning isn’t panicking. She confidently takes the delivery bag and slides it on. She takes the map and runs her eyes across it. “I can do this.”

“You have till sundown, that’s when the post office closes,” Paper Pusher walks away. “Good luck.”

Lightning is left alone in the room overflowing with backed up packages and letters. Some of them are piled up to the ceiling, glowering over her like a band of dragons. She swallows. “I can do this,” she says again. “Compared to what I’ve been through, this will be easy.”

“Polaris?” Minty sweetly asks. She’s a shorter pony with a bright mane and a coat colored, well, mint-like. “Could you run down to the post office for us?” She hands him a slip of paper. “We’ve got a delivery from Northtown that’s been sitting there for days.”

Polaris is currently manning the cash register. He helps a customer with checkout before taking the slip. “You have to walk all the way down there just for a small package of oats?” he asks, befuddled.

“Yes, and once I find the other slips I’ll have you bring back some more. Well, normally our friends would bring it straight to our door, but they’ve been leaving them at the post office and things have been busy ever since--”

“I know, I know,” Polaris eagerly takes his nametag off and steps out the door. “Be right back.”

“Please and thank you!”

Polaris is barely out the door when a sound like a cannonshot makes him stop in his tracks. There’s a whistling sound. Polaris looks left and right. “By the Queen! What on Cabalos--”

A yellow streak passes by, and a package drops at his feet, addressed to the general store. He picks it up and takes a peak inside; organic oats from one of the farming families at the north of the valley. “...Well that takes care of that. Blast, and I was looking forward to stretching my legs.”

He’s about to step back inside when he hears the sound again, and once more a package drops at his feet. More oats, this time slightly bigger. “What on--” He looks up. A yellow and cyan streak is rushing back and forth between building after building, zipping across the sky. It comes back overhead in his direction, and the shape freezes.

He recognizes the pegasus pony with the mailbag.

“Lightning Bug?!” he cries.

Lightning Bug is carrying a large parcel. “Sorry!” She sets it down by the door to the store. “Can’t talk right now!” and she zips away again, making the same sound from earlier. “Laterrr!”

Polaris’ mane is blown back, and he just stands there. Minty peeks her head out of the store. She looks at all the packages. “That was fast! Did you fly?”

Lightning Bug is flying faster than she’s ever flown since coming to the mountains. She pulls out her map, selects a few stops, and then races down to the ground and makes deliveries in the blink of an eye. She slides letters into mailboxes, places packages on doorsteps, and for the bigger ones she asks for a signature. She feels a little bad about waking ponies up at this hour, but the town is already stirring awake and her job is on the line!

Besides, most of them seem happy to see their mail personally delivered straight to their door.

Some of the addresses are hard to understand, but if it wasn’t for those first few words from Paper Pusher, she’d be completely lost.

She makes a few familiar stops near the center of Townsquare. At Satin Splash’s, she drops off a very large but very light box filled with thick string for weaving.

For Steamroller, the parts to fix his old oven.

Spindle Sprocket, a box of nuts and bolts that had no business being as heavy as it was.

She even stops by the inn for a delivery of pens, towels, and bars of soap. Meadow Skip answers the door, but Lightning Bug just misses him.

Echo Shade is half awake when she looks out the window of her house and sees the yellow streak darting across the sky. “There’s no way…” she mumbles.

The streak lands in front of their house and knocks at the door. Her siblings stir awake, and Echo runs for the door and opens it.

“Delivery for the Lorekeeper! …There’s a lot of it.” Lightning Bug stands there with a bundle of letters.

“Lightning Bug! Look at you!” Echo happily takes the letters, and gives Lightning a big hug. “You’re a delivery-pony now! I knew you’d find something you were good at. I’m so happy for you.”

“Thanks, but I gotta hurry!” Lightning pulls herself free. “Paper Pusher said if I don’t deliver everything before sundown I don’t get the job!”

“She did?!”

“Something to that effect.”

“Well, let me help!” Echo reaches for her scarf.

“No, that’s okay! Look, I got a map, see?” Lightning shows them the delivery route from the post office. “So long as I follow this I’m fine! I got this!” And Lightning takes off with a sound like a thundercrack.

“Good luck!!” Echo calls after her.

Smokey and Snowy poke their heads out of the door. “Was that Lightning?” Snowy asks in disbelief. A spare issue of Brightlites flutters from the pile of letters.

Smokey takes the magazine. “It was an angel,” he says in a half-awake stupor.

It’s sometime in the afternoon when Polaris is finally able to catch Lightning Bug again. He’s in the middle of a grocery delivery and sees her flying overhead near the Statue of Rat Tail.

“Private! --- Lightning Bug I mean, hey!” he’s able to coax her down to ground-level. “What is all of this? I’ve seen you zip through the sky all day!”

“I’m… making… phew!” Lightning has to catch her breath. “I’m Harmony’s new full-time delivery pony!”

“If you fly that fast all day you’re going to wear yourself out!” Polaris produces a bottle of water from his saddlebag and hands it to her. “What if your wings tire out like with the Direwolf? What if you crash?” Lightning drinks the whole thing in the time it takes Polaris to finish his sentence. She gives his bottle back.

“Oh, I’ll be fine! I’m actually kind of excited. I haven’t felt like this since cootbamp-- Bootcamp.”

Polaris produces another bottle from his bag. “You won’t be able to make your deliveries if you’re too tired to think.”

“Hah! I’m a pegasus, I don’t need to think! My thick skull retains all the information I need! Plus I just need to check the map Paper Pusher gave me--” Lightning reaches into her bag and digs around, and panic sweeps her face. “Ack! The map!!” She whips her head around. “I must’ve dropped it at Echo’s place! Ooooh…”

“Don’t panic!” Polaris says. “Just take a minute to breathe! I can run over there and--”

“It’s already been a minute!” Lightning Bug takes off. “Sorry Polaris I’m almost done I’ll talk later thanks for the water okay byeeee!”

Lightning Bug just finishes dropping off a handfull of letters at Riverton and is on her way back to the post office. She hears a familiar voice from below.

It’s Miss Betelnut, with a pile of small parcels. She’s waiting outside the door to her house.

“Hi there!” Lightning’s forehead is covered with beads of sweat. “What seems to be the matter?”

“I don’t want to interrupt you but I was wondering…”

“Are these going to your granddaughter?” Lightning picked up one of the parcels and checked the address. She remembers the map Paper Pusher gave her, and determines that they’re going to the same house from earlier.

“I can take some of them, but since you were already going in that direction…”

Lightning nervously peeks at the mountains. The sun is turning orange and slipping behind them. It’s almost sundown. “O-Oh, I can do a few more! No problem!” She reaches for the heaviest ones and carries them away.

She nearly drops one on the way over. One slips out of her hooves. She has to fly and intercept it before it hits the ground.

By the time she finishes dropping them off, it’s almost evening.

Lightning storms into the post office, her mane damp with sweat, her wings flopped to the ground, her legs trembling. She stumbles forward, the new assistant pony nervously gets out of her way. Paper Pusher quietly watches her make her way to the vault.

“Oh! Just one more letter!” Lightning chuckles nervously. “I can do that before--” The glass ceiling turns dark, and the sundial on the floor moves to evening.

Paper Pusher lifts the window shade. “The sun is down.”

Lightning freezes.

The doors swing open again, and the bell rings. Polaris and Echo Shade arrive.

“No. Nonono!” She collapses. “I was so close!”

The two unicorns walk over to their collapsed friend. Polaris kneels down beside her, and Echo Shade sorrowfully nuzzles her head.

“I was so close,” Lightning is on the verge of tears. “I had my stormtouch under control! I didn’t even screw up this time…”

“It’ll be alright hon,” Echo says. “You don’t NEED a job, we’ll be happy to look after you.”

“Oh, she has the job,” Paper Pusher says.

The three pause.

“WHAT?!” They all stand up.

“B-but you said before the sun goes down--” Lightning stumbles over her words.

“When the sun goes down, the post office closes, and we’re not allowed to make any more deliveries. Council mandate. I said that to make you hurry, I never said your job depended upon it.”

The three deflate a little.

Paper Pusher continues. “That notwithstanding, no other pony delivered so many stupid letters and packages in a single day since we opened this building, not since my age caught up with me.” Lightning is taken aback. Paper Pusher used to be the delivery pony? She didn’t just manifest behind the counter one day as a cranky old mare? “As far as I’m concerned, you were hired the moment you took the delivery bag.”

Paper Pusher gathers her things and steps for the door. She drops a small pouch of coins at Lightning Bug’s hooves before leaving.

“Come in tomorrow morning bright and early to start your shift, Delivery Pony. Until then, go home. No loitering in the office after hours. I'll have a key made for you so that you may lock up in the future.” The assistant pony follows Paper Pusher out. The bell rings as the door slams shut.

“What’s left for her to deliver…?” Polaris thinks to the now empty mail vault. “You might have peaked too soon.”

The other two are still stunned and remain there for a moment.

“Home…” Lightning mumbles. “Right, my tree house! I haven’t even checked back with Slash!”

The three make their way to where Slash was working yesterday. It is dark out, but the street lamps are lit, and a nice bright light sits right beside the road where Lightning picked her tree.

“Slash??” Lightning Bug calls. “Slashbuckler? I’m sorry for taking so long. Are you there? Slash?”

The three turn the corner, and the sight takes Lightning’s breath away. The treehouse isn’t just a box, or a typical house-shape plopped on a tree, it’s a lovely, cozy shape that compliments the tree’s strong silhouette. A stepladder about two ponies high connected the tree to the ground, and a little porch made of the same wood sat at the bottom. A rug with the words ‘Treehouse sweet Treehouse’ rests at the foot of the ladder.

Slash somehow made use of every single plank of wood, the ground was completely clean of any sign of construction.

“Slaaash?” Echo calls.

Suddenly there’s a racket from inside the house. It shakes lightly, and one by one the windows light up. Slash thunders down the steps and halts in front of the three. His mane is a mess, and judging by how ruffled his coat is, he’s been asleep.

“Welcome!” He clumsily flourishes his hoof. “To Casa de Lightning Dust!”

Somewhere a tree branch rustles, which makes Slash’s eye twitch. He looks over his shoulder.

“Slash, you look awful!” Echo says.

“Moreso than usual,” Polaris adds. Lightning jabs him in the side with her elbow.

“What happened here?”

“Hm, me?” Slash asks. “Nothing but the usual. I haven’t had this much fun building in so long, the time must have… yawn… gotten away from me.” Slash blinks for a moment. “Come on up! I’ll give you the grand tour!”

It does look slightly bigger on the inside. Slightly. It was mostly a one-room treehouse with a few small areas sectioned off. In the center was a large table with pillows placed around it. On one side of the house was an empty space for desks and drawers, and on the opposite was a spot with large barrels and jars by an extra-large window. One wall of the treehouse gave way to the treetrunk. A blue hammock swings between the tree trunk and a post running from the floor to the ceiling.

Candles and one gaslamp provided illumination, and Polaris glances at these uneasily.

Lightning is in complete awe and covers her mouth. She notices something. “My armor!” Lightning bounds over to a pony mannequin resting by the wall. It wears her armor, polished and new looking as if it came off the assembly line. “When did this get here?”

“The lorekeeper dropped that off yesterday,” Slashbuckler said. “Apparently he took it to be cleaned while you two were jobhunting.” Slash cleared his throat. “Now, I figured one side of the house could be for your trophies of battle and your armor and whatnot, and since you like cooking so much I left space for an oven by the large window.”

“Because the one thing missing from this place is another fire hazard,” Polaris mumbles.

“It’s wonderful… it’s better than I could have dreamed!” Lightning says. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to repay you?”

Slash sputters. “This is nothing, really. I could do much better if I had more wood and more hooves. Just tell me about Meteoras and the pegasus soldiers you’ve met and I think we’re square. This is done-in-an-afternoon stuff.”

“It’s been a day and a half, Slash,” Echo tilts her head. “What took you so long exactly?”

That makes Slash’s eye twitch. “That’s the other thing,” he says. “You gotta watch out for the, how do I say, rodent problem.”

Polaris bristles. “Rodent? Pegasus, did you even make sure this place was properly habitable before signing off on your work?”

Slash glares at him. “Hey! Art is a work in progress alright? I did what I could. So long as Lightning Bug keeps an eye out for the --”

Squeak? Squeak!! A little silver shape leaps from the trunk and scurries across the floor.

“SUGARGLIDER!” Slash pulls out a net from out of nowhere and slams it on the floor. The little animal gets away. “I’ve been trying all DAY--” he slams the net again. “To get rid of this thing!” He misses.

Echo yelps and ducks out of the way as Slash chases the little thing in circles around the room. Lightning just stands there and watches.

Finally Slash tumbles over into a tired heap on the floor, and the Sugarglider scurries on top of his head. “I’m sorry Lightning,” he wheezes. “I thought I had this taken care of, honest! You don’t have to move in until I get rid of this thing.”

Lightning tilts her head at the little creature. They make eye contact. Lightning raises one of her hooves. The creature rears up and hops high into the air. It spreads out like a fuzzy parachute and gently hovers down until it lands on Lightning’s hoof.

Lightning sits down and holds the little thing up. It regards her with deep dark eyes and squeaks at her.

“I’m going to call you Honey!” Lightning says with a smile.

Slash rolls over and collapses again.

Author's Note

Our first non-premiere episode is finished!

I feel like we repeated some information from the premiere but that adds to the cartoon show atmosphere doesn’t it? It’s been a while since the premiere finished IRL as well so it kind of makes sense.

Slice of life is one of my favorite things to write so this was a blast. The next episode will be jus a lil more action packed tho.

We hope you stick around until then!

~Team Gen S