Beneath The Ice

Chapters

Preface - Ponies?
Prologue - Sowing The Seeds
Chapter 1 - The Missive
Chapter 2 - The Four Nations
Chapter 3 - Trailhead

Preface - Ponies?

One of the common questions surrounding the popularity of a "children's show" like MLP:FIM is a simple one: why? I've seen that kicked around a lot. Personally, I used to think of it the same way. After having seen enough stuff about the show thrown around the interwebs, including a lot of clever mashups, my curiosity finally got the best of me. The second season had ended by the time I saw a single episode of the show.

A few months later I find myself trying to write an original story about it on a fan fiction website.

Wait, what?

I found that it's not really that hard to understand: powerful characterization seems to stick with people. Age or gender differences can be rendered largely irrelevant by it. The writers for MLP seem to have put that lesson to good use. Never underestimate the power of a feel good story either. I believe this is also why a lot of Pixar movies are beloved as much as they are.

The characters in MLP are, on the surface, a little stereotypical. Maybe that drives people off when they first see it. Once you crack that surface, however, there's a lot of depth that can be enjoyed by anyone of any age. Add in a few bits of physical comedy here, a few pop culture references there, and you have a winner.

A strange thing happened when I stumbled across this website. In a flash, I was suddenly overrun with every type of interpretation of the characters possible. And with that, my creative mind began to turn and this story arc came to be. This is not my first attempt at a fiction, but it will be the first that will be free for endless roaming eyes to see.

Other than the correct depiction of the characters themselves (the most important component of a story like this one), I am most concerned about my writing style and whether or not it will be well received. I do not have a strong visual memory, so there is a lack of evocative descriptions of scenery or emotion or physical action; I'm more of an X leads to Y leads to Z kind of person. As a result, my stories read more like how someone would watch an episode, show, or movie: dialogue reigns above all else.

For the most part, if something is mentioned, it has a direct or symbolic purpose in the story in one way or another. In a way, I would prefer for the reader to fill in the details with what they see in their own minds rather than me simply telling them what something looks like. You have the freedom to see what you want to see.

The future of "Beneath The Ice" is community dependent, as I tend to write material very slowly. If some other people get some enjoyment out of it, perhaps it will light a fire for me to crank it out a little faster. As of the posting of the first three chapters, about a third of the remaining story has been completed. I have also mapped out two sequel stories and a couple other ideas branching from this one. I don't know whether those will ever be touched, or even if I end up being the one to write them.

That said, I hope you enjoy the story.

Prologue - Sowing The Seeds

He had done it; he had broken the elements of harmony. Ponyville was the first conquest, and the rest of Equestria would soon follow.

“First Ponyville, then Manehatten, then Fillydelphia… oh and Canterlot… oh, yes… I am saving you for last. Princess, you will have the pleasure to see your entire world crumble around you.. all awhile waiting to experience your own inevitable doom. Oh, I will enjoy every moment of this!”

It had been over a thousand years since Discord had flown over Equestria, the realm that used to be his paradise of chaos. Cities and towns were scattered across the land in different places, but the main features were all the same.

“Self, please remind myself to check the Crystal Mountains, the Badlands, and Smokey Mountain to see if any signs of them remain. If I couldn’t make my day, I could always count on them to!”

As day turned to night, he moved westward from Canterlot towards Smokey Mountain. Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a small orange light along the southern base of the Unicorn Range. Above the light was a thin spiral of smoke moving upwards into the twilight sky.

“Nopony ever lived this far into the Smokey Forest during my days. What crazy loon would actually live this far out here?”

He halted his monologue to think for a short moment. “Crazy, huh? Oh, I have to meet this pony.”

Discord quickly descended towards the light and saw the silhouette of a small farm house slowly come come into view. He slithered down along a line of jagged rocks behind the cottage, grabbed an edge of the roof, and glanced out towards the front of the house. A large bonfire pit sat there along the crest of a small ridge, peering over the canopy of the Smokey Forest. Dense trees lay as far as the eye could see, spare a few small towns along railroad routes to the south. Canterlot was barely visible to the east.

At the edge of the fire pit was a blue unicorn.

“Heavier build...” Discord thought to himself. “Must be a stallion. Oh, and what is this?”

He looked down along the stallion’s back to spy his cutie mark: the outline of an open book, with two crossed scrolls placed behind it.

“If you want to be stealthy, you may want to be a little quieter.”

Discord jerked back in shock as the stallion made first contact. Apparently he hadn’t been thinking to himself. With his covert recon foiled by carelessness, Discord glided down towards the fire and sat down next to the unicorn.

The blue pony slowly elevated his eyes from the fire to view the intruder. His face took on alternating expressions of curiosity and confusion as he beheld Discord’s physical appearance. After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke again.

“You must have something to do with what I saw over in Ponyville earlier today.”

Discord’s eyes lit up with excitement. “You can see Ponyville from here? Oh, I’d love to take a look at it from a distance!” His joy quickly faded once he understood the comment. “How did you figure that out already?”

The stallion pointed out into the distance before turning his attention towards his guest. “Pink clouds, floating trees, and fields of checkerboard as far as the eye can see. Part pony, part dragon, part lizard, part bird… the association wasn’t that hard to make. So, are you the architect or are you part of the package?”

“Oh, I assure you, that is my beautiful handiwork. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos.” He paused before continuing to speak. “And who might you be?”

“I do not share my name with anypony I meet. If you prefer something other than “pony”, you may call me… Scribe.”

“Scribe, hmm? Well, you seem to be a… smart one… if you were able to put all of that together so quickly.”

“I have a lot of time to think.”

“And you don’t fear me?" Discord asked with a sense of disbelief. "You don’t think I’m here to, I don’t know, eat your soul or whatever?”

“If you were here to end my existence, you would have already made your move.”

“Oh, you’re fun.”

Discord always enjoyed banter with friends and enemies alike, but as a foe Celestia was always three things: dull, predictable, and dull again. The new hosts of the elements lacked her centuries of experience and were essentially children to him; breaking their spirits was almost too easy. This “Scribe”, however, could have made a fantastic opponent. Or maybe…

“So, Scribe, I happened to be flying over the mountains trying to figure out what part of Equestria I should next turn into a sugary confection, and I see you all alone out here in the middle of nowhere. I have to know… why are you here?”

“I seek the knowledge of the land, so I may find my role and my place in the world.”

“Oh, you seek purpose? How lovely.” And fortunate.

The spirit continued. “Wouldn’t that be easier for you to find if you were in Canterlot rummaging through the royal libraries rather than sitting out here in the wilderness? How do you survive without access to the basic necessities of life? How can you quench your desire for information? In times long past, I had an acquaintance who, at one time, was very much like you. He was obsessed with magic and the potential for transcendent awareness that it held.”

The stallion’s muzzle wrinkled at the mention of the capitol. “The ponizens in Canterlot created more problems for me than they ever solved. I travel into town for a few supplies from time to time, but I am largely sufficient here in my stead. The ponies around here don’t bother or pester me. If I was back in Canterlot, the situation would be very different. I’ve been there enough to last the rest of my lifetime.”

“I… see… how long have you been out here?”

“Over three years.”

“Well, it seems I might have found somepony as crazy as I am!”

This pony was hiding something significant and it had to do with Canterlot. Discord was getting close to what he wanted and he could feel it. Tearing down Celestia’s castle would be a pleasure long awaited, but how suitable would it be if he had a pony do it for him? From the inside, no less? It would be glorious!

“Perhaps… I can help you find your way…”

The stallion held up a hoof to signal Discord to stop. “I am a patient pony.” His voice quickly turned gruff. “As for you, chaos is the natural counterbalance to harmony. You have your role to play in this world. You cannot bring me what I seek. You cannot help me.”

Discord put his head down in disappointment. What a waste, he thought. He could forcefully turn Scribe if he wanted, like he had turned the elements, but the stallion would lose many of the qualities that he found endearing and, more importantly, entertaining.

Then, a different thought came to his mind: a brilliant and sinister thought. A smile slowly crept up along the edges of Discord’s warped face.

“Well, just so you know, I’m not the only spirit that still rests in this land…”

Author's Note

Takes place during "Return of Harmony". Subsequent chapters take place during early-mid Season 3.

Chapter 1 - The Missive

It was almost evening in Canterlot. After a long day monitoring the Sun and managing royal business, Princess Celestia sat down in her throne room to do one of her favorite things: reading letters from her closest subjects. She received many every day from various ponies, from mayors and representatives to friends and acquaintances. Letters written from Twilight Sparkle, her prime apprentice and the Element of Magic, were usually the first on her list. Although she paid heavy attention to every one of Twilight’s letters, another one took precedence today.

Celestia impatiently loosened the string around the note and unraveled the parchment, using her magic to keep it floating in front of the throne. As she read the letter, the smile that was on her face slowly faded away. When she finished, the paper fell to the ground with a soft rustle and slowly rolled back up into a scroll. After a few moments, she muttered two faint words under her breath.

“Oh no.”

As the sun went down in Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle was in the process of closing the town library. Once this was complete, she would finally be able to do what she wanted to all day long: bombard her frontal lobe with a relentless assault of images and words.

“SPIIIIIKE! Can you find “The Complete Unabridged Works of Peter Pegasus”?

“What kind of a name is Peter Potamus?”

“Pegasus, Spike. Pegasus. It’s an alias. I don’t know where ‘Peter’ came from.”

“Oh, okay." Spike slid the library's step ladder over to a set of shelves marked with a P and retrieved a thick bound book. "So, what’s on your list of things tonight?"

“I ran into Lyra today at Pinkie’s shop, and she was going on and on about a bunch of two-legged furless creatures she's seen in her dreams. There has to be some sort of monster story stuck in her head, since there’s no way that she thought of that by herself…”

Twilight turned behind her to see Spike, book in hand, in a state of obvious discomfort. His cheeks were puffing out from his face as if he was about to be sick.

“Oh come on Spike, it’s not going to be that bad.”

With a loud and obnoxious burp of flame, a scroll flew out of Spike’s mouth and landed halfway across the room.

“Twilight... I think that's a letter from Princess Celestia.”

“This would be an odd time for her to send a letter.”

Spike dropped the book and swiftly picked up the scroll. “At least she did it before I had dinner.” He preceded to unroll its contents and read them aloud.

My dearest apprentice Twilight Sparkle,

An urgent matter requires you and the other Elements of Harmony to come to Canterlot immediately. Please arrive as quickly as possible.

With high regard,
Princess Celestia

PS: Spike is to remain in Ponyville while you are gone.

Spike sluggishly lowered the paper down from his eyes, revealing a visible frown on his face. “AWWWW!”

“The Princess doesn’t summon the Elements of Harmony without reason," said Twilight, clearly concerned regarding the contents of the letter. "I don’t like the sound of this at all.”

Spike, on the other hand, was frustrated to be left out. “Oh, come on! I helped you and the others save the Crystal Empire? Why can't I help you this time?”

Twilight walked over to Spike and assumed a consoling tone as she spoke to her trusted assistant. “Spike, if she needs the elements, she needs the elements. The last thing she wants, and the last thing that I want, is for you to be in any danger. Your time will come again, I promise."

Spike loudly sighed, but as usual, understood the circumstance. “Thanks, Twilight. I’ll be good here until you come back.”

Twilight's demeanor quickly switched back to normal as she began to rummage through piles of documents on her desk. “Great! Now, if we take the next train from Ponyville, which is...”

She pulled a folded brochure from a desk drawer and glanced at a clock on the wall. “Aha! We can arrive there before midnight. We have two hours to get everyone ready and at the station.”

Twilight placed the train schedule back into her desk and walked to the library’s entrance. She looked back towards Spike as she opened the front door.

“I’ll go tell Applejack and Fluttershy. You go tell Pinkie and...”

“HEY TWILIGHT!”

Twilight shot out of her doorway with a loud gasp as a pink blur appeared out of a hedge to her left.

“Pinkie!" she said, trying to recompose herself. "How many times have I told you not to do that!”

“Sorry Twilight!" she said as she greeted her friend. "You were talking about Celestia, and me, and the elements, and something, something?”

Twilight was still in surprise, but had regained her wits. “How long were you out here listening to us?”

“Long enough! So what’s going on?”

In order to preserve her own sanity, Twilight had to stop asking questions and get to the issue at hand.

“Well, Celestia has summoned us to Canterlot and we must leave as soon as possible. Could you please find and tell Rainbow Dash for me? Meet me at the train station in two hours.”

“Okie dokie lokie! You can count on me”

As quickly as she had appeared, Pinkie’s head disappeared back into the hedge. Twilight parted some branches with her forehooves, but Pinkie was nowhere to be seen. Someday, I will find out how she does that, she thought, before turning her attention back to Spike.

“Please go tell Rarity. That’s something you’ll enjoy.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “Right away, Twilight!” With that, he saluted and was off in a flash.

It was a mild spring night, the air still carrying a hint of moisture from a rainstorm scheduled the previous morning. Twenty minutes before the scheduled departure, Twilight arrived at Ponyville's train station. As she did not know what the journey to Canterlot was for, she only packed a small number of essential items with her. Normally she would have cast a spell to increase the capacity of her saddlebags to include a quarter of her library, but there was no time to prepare.

She grew restless as the minutes begin to pass. A short while later, she saw a bouncing silhouette coming towards her from out in the distance: the one and only Pinkie Pie. She was followed onto the train platform by a noticeably delirious Rainbow Dash.

“Hey Twilight! We’re here right in time I hope! I wanted to get here a little sooner, but Dashie here was having a little trouble. Isn’t that right?”

Pinkie turned to see Rainbow standing with her head down and eyes closed. She crept up towards the napping mare and whispered into one of her ears.

“Wakey wakey my little Dashie!” The pegasus gave no response.

Pinkie then did the only other thing she could think of: she put her forehooves on each side of Rainbow’s head and violently shook it from side to side.

“WAKEY WAKEY!”

“AHHHH!” With a scream, Rainbow Dash was wide awake. “What? Where? Who? Oh, hi Twilight.”

“Rainbow, thanks for coming on short notice.”

“No problem, but…did you really have to send Pinkie to get me? I was in the middle of my mid-evening nap.”

Twilight futilely attempted to conceal a grin across her face. “Luck… of the draw?”

“Sure, Twilight,” she said with a yawn. “Egghead.”

“You can take a nap on the train. It’s an hour and a half to Canterlot from here.”

“Hello again, Twi."

Twilight swung around to see Applejack and Fluttershy, whom had snuck onto the platform during the "discussion" between Pinkie and Rainbow Dash. "Good evening Applejack. Good evening Fluttershy."

"Both of us are ready 'ta go. I let Big Mac know ah might be gone for a couple days. Luckily we don’t have any cider orders ‘ta fill this week.”

Fluttershy had also left her duties in the hands of somepony else.

“I let Angel know about our trip. He has access to some of my supplies so all of the animals should be fine.”

Meanwhile, back at Fluttershy’s cottage, Angel Bunny found himself standing in front of no less than five bushels of wheat and barley. After pulling his jaw off of the floor, he put on a pair of sunglasses and simply… smiled.

“I’m sure there won’t be any problems."

With that, Twilight was ready to go. “Great! We’re all here except for Rarity. Oh, I hope Spike didn’t get… sidetracked.”

With less than five minutes to go until their train was to leave, Rarity finally arrived to the platform, carrying with her a pair of large bags. Spike followed right behind her, huffing and puffing as he carried another set of two bags. As he set them down, he fell over onto his side in exhaustion.

“I’m here girls! I hope we’re not gone for long. I only brought enough for two days.”

Applejack preceded to ask the obvious question. “Is all that really necessary? That’s the amount of stuff ah would pack for a week’s trip into the mountains.”

“Necessary? Is it necessary for me to plan ahead? Always, dear. Hopefully I won’t need any of it.”

Twilight tried to clarify the situation as best she could. “Rarity, I don’t know how long we’ll be gone, or if we even have to go anywhere. Princess Celestia didn’t give me any details in the letter.”

“If she needed us there right way, why wouldn’t she just send a carriage or something?” asked Rainbow.

“She might not have had the time to plan for it. This is very short notice. The last time she called all of us this quickly was when Discord was set free.”

"Ah don't know about you, Twi, but ah have a little bit of a bad feeling about this."

"I do too Applejack," she replied. "I do too."

The whistle of a train was heard a short distance away. Twilight turned to Spike, who was still recovering from hauling Rarity’s belongings.

“Spike, please watch over Owlowiscious while I’m away. I’m sure he can care for himself, but keep an eye on him.”

“Of course, Twilight,” he said while continuing to gasp for air. “Best of luck.”

It had been four hours since she had sent the letter to Twilight and Celestia was growing restless. She had begun pacing around her throne room, periodically looking out of the windows into the clear night sky.

If Twilight got my message, they should be here by now, she thought. I hope she found a way to get here.

A guard yelled from the front of the hall. “Your highness! The Elements of Harmony have arrived!”

Celestia sighed in relief. “Excellent. Send them in immediately.”

With a series of nods, the royal guards opened the split doors into the throne room. Twilight led the others down the center of the hall, past the stained glass windows depicting the elements' victories over Discord and Nightmare Moon, and most recently, the liberation of the Crystal Empire. Celestia addressed them collectively as they respectfully bowed in front of their monarch.

“Welcome my little ponies. I appreciate your swift response. ”

“Princess, what seems to be the trouble tonight?” inquired an anxious Twilight Sparkle. “You only call on the elements in dire times.”

“Although we are not in imminent danger, time is of the essence. And it is not so much what, as it is who.”

Celestia motioned to a guard who brought over a stack of parchment held within a small folder. She opened the file, pulled out the top page, and placed it in front of the six mares.

“Do you recognize the pony in this picture, Twilight?”

It was an image of a dark blue unicorn stallion with a slender build and a silver-white mane. On his flank was an unusually intricate cutie mark: an opened book with two crossed scrolls. Twilight acknowledged him immediately.

“That’s… Lancer. I knew him at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I haven’t seen him in many years. Did something happen to him?”

“Hopefully nothing, yet.”

“The last I knew, wasn't he working in the royal archives for you, Princess?”

“Yes, but he left almost four years ago. I don't really know where he went.”

“So he disappeared, and ya’ll need us to find ‘em?” asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash had come to a different conclusion. “Sounds like he stole something.”

“He does have something from the archives, Rainbow, but that is not my primary concern. Do you remember much about him, Twilight?”

“Some, yes. He was very talented, but I think many of the other students might have… misunderstood him.”

“Misunderstood may be a positive way to put it, considering some of the things I’ve heard. I had a heavy hoof in his time here and that might not have been the wisest of decisions. I felt he had great potential as a royal scholar. After he graduated from the school, I personally offered him a position in the archives, which he accepted.”

“Working in the royal library would have been a dream job for manypony”, said Rarity. “Especially one from your school.”

“I had assumed the same. When he completed his schooling, he was definitely relieved to move onto something new where some of the other ponies couldn't disrupt him. After some time, it was clear that he was very unhappy. His quality of work, though, never declined.”

“Why’d he continue doing something he disliked?” remarked a troubled Applejack.

Twilight spoke before Celestia could respond. “It was all he knew.”

“Unfortunately, I believe Twilight is right. I did not urge him to grow other parts of his poniality and he suffered from it.” Celestia took a breath and turned her head back towards Twilight. “When faced with a similar situation some time later, I didn’t want to make the same mistake.”

Twilight’s head fell as she pondered the Princess’s statement. After a couple seconds, she felt a small rush of tears flow into her eyes. She blinked a couple times to remove them and brought her head back up.

“Lancer came before me one day and asked to be released from his duties. When I asked him why, he told me that he needed to find a place somewhere out in Equestria that he could make his own. He was unsure where this place was but he was certain that it was not Canterlot. I pleaded with him not to go but he still decided to leave.”

Fluttershy was having trouble understanding the situation. “Um, every pony with a cutie mark has a home for themselves. How could he not?”

“Having talent and being marked for it is one thing. Being happy with it is another. All six of you are at one with yourselves but that is not always true for everypony.”

As Celestia continued, her mood began to further deteriorate into a state of melancholy.

“Much like all of you, I asked him to send me letters while he was away. I wanted to be sure that he was safe and doing well. He was never as frequent as you Twilight, but at the start I received two or three messages from him every month. As time passed they became rarer and rarer. After the six of you defeated Discord, I received the first message from him in almost four months. He had seen some of the chaos surrounding Ponyville and was interested in what had happened. One of his primary studies had been Equestrian history, so I was not surprised he asked.”

“What did you tell him?” asked Twilight. “Wait, was he in Ponyville?”

“He must have been nearby, but he couldn't have been there long. I sent him a letter explaining what had happened, and the backstory that you already know. Shortly afterwards, he responded asking if I knew of the time before Discord’s reign. I mentioned a few things in my response and didn't think much of it. A month later he showed up in Canterlot without notice and requested an audience. I, of course, obliged.”

Rainbow grew a look of confusion across her face. “Wait. He was gone for, like, four years and then just came back?”

“It was a shock for me. When I saw him, it was clear that his appearance had… changed… while he was away. The noble color of his coat had faded, leaving him closer to a dark shade of grey. I was gravely concerned with his health and I pressured him on that as much as I could. He asked to be let into the royal library to study and I agreed on one condition.”

“What was that, Princess?” asked Twilight.

“He had to submit to a doctor’s examination. I was happy to learn that he was completely healthy, at least physically. I should have had them observe other aspects of his health, but nothing of that nature seemed wrong. He spent about two weeks in the library and left almost as abruptly as he arrived. On the way out, he left me a note saying that he would contact me after he returned to his home. It’s been a month since then.”

Celestia looked down to her left and levitated a scroll out of a small basket. “I received this letter right before I contacted all of you.” Celestia passed the rolled parchment to Twilight and motioned for her to read it.

Princess Celestia,

For many years I have wondered why I have not found clarity of mind; why I have not found my calling. I spent many years in your libraries with little to show for my effort. Living on my own has been peaceful, but it has not brought me closer to a state of greater understanding. Much of the knowledge I ingest just seems to lead to more questions than remain unanswered.

Recently, my fortune has changed. I was visited by a strange spirit some months ago who spoke to me of fellow spirits who inhabited Equestria in ancient times. At first I did not believe what he had told me, so I set out to discover for myself. This was the reason for my sudden visit to Canterlot.

During my time there, I found a few items while I was in the archives; some things locked away alongside priceless relics of the past. Artifacts that I could not just read with my eyes or feel with my hooves - I could hear them.

I brought two of them back home with me to investigate further. A short time ago, a powerful vision came to me of a kingdom lost in Equestria’s past; a vast temple carved of stone and ice buried by countless ages.

This place lies at the northern reaches of our land, deep within the Crystal Mountains. There is a spirit that lies dormant in these frozen plains – the ponification of knowledge. It calls out to me in my thoughts and in my dreams.

I have begun preparations and will depart within two days. I am to travel to the Crystal Expanse and reach the heart of this spirit’s realm. Once I learn its secrets, I will bring its very essence to Canterlot so we may usher in a new era in Equestria’s history: one where all doors, all pathways, shall be open to us.

This is my destiny. This is my purpose.

May I have your blessing and protection as my journey begins.

Lancer

As Twilight finished reading the letter, Rainbow Dash had already come to a sound conclusion. “Well, that settles it. Frozen spirits? Talking artifacts? He’s insane!”

Twilight, on the other hand, was taking it seriously. “Princess, he says he was visited by a spirit? The only spirit we’ve run into was…”

“DISCORD!”

Twilight turned to see Pinkie standing stiff as a board, her eyes frozen as far open as they could go.

“He met DISCORD!”

“Pinkie,” said Rarity, “What would Discord want with him?”

"What would Discord want with him!?!" she gasped. “Think about it! He lived in Canterlot, AND he’s a student from Celestia’s school, AND he worked in the royal library for the Princesses, AND he was obviously vulnerable, AND he’s...”

Applejack had no choice but to interrupt. “Pinkie, ah get the idea, but Discord wouldn’t have known who he was.”

Twilight grew a fearful expression as she stepped in between the others. “Girls, as much as I don’t want to believe it, the timing of it all fits perfectly. It... had to have been Discord.”

Princess Celestia nodded. “Yes, Twilight. He never mentioned him me directly, but there were hints in the other letters that led me to the same conclusion.”

“Okay,” said Twilight, “what do we need to do?”

“Before we go any further, there is something I need to show you, my little ponies. The story of Equestria… before Discord.”

Chapter 2 - The Four Nations

“Princess, how do you know what came before Discord’s reign?” Twilight asked intently. “I have not read any historical works that were written before your rule.”

“There aren't any here in Canterlot and I haven't had anypony search the library at the Crystal Empire ...but I do know of something that was alive during that time.”

“Ya’ll don’t mean Discord, do ya?” Applejack said with a grimace on her face.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

“How could you trust anything that he has ever said?”

“This may not make sense, Applejack, but I don't believe he had a reason to lie to me. It didn't help him gain anything at the time. It is... probably best for me to show you.”

Celestia’s horn began to glow as the throne room surrounding them began to fade away.

“OOOO! Movie time!”

Pinkie suddenly held a large tub of popcorn in front of her and was eating furiously. Rainbow Dash was surprised by the selection of the snack.

“Hey, I thought you only ate sweets?”

“Well it is kettle corn, Dashie! Want some?”

“No th…MMMPH”. Pinkie shoved a hoof-full of kernels into Rainbow’s unsuspecting mouth. She began to chew slowly before swallowing with a large gulp.

“Not bad, Pinkie.”

Before them stood an unfurnished stone room, the floor covered with scattered hay. A wooden door sat on one side of the room and a single open window on another. To their left stood Discord, repeatedly tapping his left foot. To their right lay two unicorns: a young Celestia and Luna. Both were chained by their rear hooves to opposing walls.

“You two troublemakers. Have you no respect for your land… my land?”

Celestia, although chained, stood defiant against the draconequus.

“You will not rule Equestria forever. We will find the Elements and banish you. You will not stop us.”

Discord was not amused by her outburst, throwing his arms wildly up into the air. “You think I haven’t heard that before? I don’t care what these “elements” are. Besides, you two won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.”

Luna echoed her sister’s statement. “A tyrant will never rule forever. Your time will come, Discord.”

“You two will never give this up, will you? Besides, I don't even "rule". I just let stuff happen! Do both of you even know why this land is mine?"

Celestia and Luna glanced briefly at each other before shaking their heads to signify the answer was "no".

"Oh, great." This revelation only increased Discord's annoyance with the situation. "Well, in that case, let me tell you… a story.”

Discord’s usually unstable demeanor faded as his face assumed an expression of thought and reflection. With a snap of his fingers and a puff of smoke, he was sitting in a large cushioned chair directly in front of Celestia and Luna. In his left hand, he held a large leather-bound book and in his right, a large smoking pipe. On his face was a pair of abnormally large reading glasses.

Celestia was duly puzzled. “You’re going to read us a book?” she asked with a hint of bewilderment.

“Hah!” Discord turned the book around to show nothing but blank pages. “This is just for effect!”

“Ok girls, let Papa Discord begin his tale!” With that, he cleared his throat and began to “read” from his tome.

Long, long ago, after the original founding of Equestria, the land was composed of numerous scattered villages and townships. Out of this chaos, a powerful realm formed in each of the corners of the continent. At the helm of each nation was an influential and unique pony.

The first was a lord of endless wisdom who lived in a magnificent temple at the very top of the world. His ponies were the most powerful magic users in Equestria and scoured the world for knowledge. Together they assembled the greatest archives of history and science to ever grace a pony’s eyes.

The second was a humble and revered matriarch who ruled from the vast swamps to the east. To her ponies, she was not only their leader, but also their second mother. She loved them as much as they loved her. She taught them to protect, preserve, and cultivate all forms of life. Their surroundings, although harsh, gifted her ponies the perseverance and resolve to overcome any obstacle.

The third was a baroness that made her home to the west past the Smokey Mountains. She ruled over a civilization defined by their elegant artisans, artists, craftsman, and performers. Although their focus was on the arts, they were just as capable in all other realms, including magic, athleticism, and knowledge. If she was to teach her subjects any single thing, it was to achieve balance in every aspect of their life.

The fourth was a powerful chieftain who resided in the desert plains to the south. He built a vast empire of warriors and gladiators who were ready to defend themselves from any threat at any moment. Although they were vicious fighters they were bound by code to never use violence unless absolutely necessary. They approached every day of their life with boundless honor and courage.

One day, a legion of dragons came to Equestria from across the sea and brought destruction across the countryside. The four leaders met one night at the center of their homeland and agreed to an alliance in order to defeat the invaders. By combining their forces and abilities, the lord, baroness, matriarch, and chieftain were able to vanquish the dragons and return peace to all of their lands.

All four, through their benevolent deeds, were granted long life so they could guide and inspire their subjects for the rest of time. The four nations continued to grow across Equestria and lived together peacefully for centuries. As time passed, however, they began to experience the pain and loss that came with their great "gift".

Slowly, their ideals began to shift and distort. The lord ran out of aspects of the world to learn and catalogue, and turned to forbidden magics to satisfy his hunger. The matriarch began to manipulate the life she taught her subjects to nurture and protect. The baroness began to urge for the perfection of her ponies’ arts over all else, even to the point of self destruction. The chieftain began to loathe the prospect of eternal peace with his neighbors and felt a subtle itch for battle and glory.

The lord soon lost control of his magic. A spell designed to expose the underground of Equestria went awry and obliterated one of the matriarch’s cities, causing vast destruction. She vowed revenge against him but was held back by the chieftain, who urged caution and patience.

The chieftain and baroness hosted a summit between the lord and matriarch to help protect the peace but it did little to calm the situation. The matron stormed out of the meeting, vowing to never assist the lord again. The relationship between the baroness and chieftain also began to break apart, as they blamed each other for the summit’s failure. A tense peace held for several years as the climate in each of the nations deteriorated.

The civilization of the baroness soon fell from poise into excess. The chieftain, disgusted by their indulgent behavior, began to plot their demise. The lord continued to seethe and scheme from his throne to the north. Meanwhile, under the matriarch’s orders, her most trusted servants concocted a plague to unleash upon the lord’s forces when the time was right.

After one of their annual conferences, the inevitable occurred. As the baroness’s forces were busy with a series of magical rituals, the chieftain’s forces struck, laying waste to many of her most precious subjects. In a single moment, he betrayed his own code and was afflicted with an insatiable lust for battle. He also turned his forces onto the matriarch, who fought valiantly to hold them off.

The lord offered his assistance to the baroness’s weakened forces, summoning some of his most powerful magicians to his side. He protected them from a distance as the battle raged. Soon, the matriarch’s forces began to break under the chieftain’s assault. Facing annihilation, she ordered her servants to unleash the plague onto his forces. Within minutes, the battlefield was covered with a green mist of disease. No pony was spared.

Except for the forces of the lord; he had foreseen this development and disengaged before they could be afflicted. The other three were not as fortunate. They retreated to their respective capitols and attempted to recover, but it was too late. The plague unleashed by the matriarch began to spread through their cities and towns, weakening them greatly.

It had gone as the lord had planned. One by one, he assaulted each of the kingdoms, trampling over their forces with his powerful magics. He imprisoned the other three leaders in magnificent tombs, never to be heard from again. With his foes defeated, the lord of the north began a long trek back to his kingdom to plan his new future.

On his journey back, the lord was surprised by the appearance of a new foe. The war between the nations had granted him victory, but it had also granted immense power to… something else.

Something he couldn’t plan for.

Something he couldn’t understand.

Something he couldn’t control.

He struggled mightily against it for years but it was all for naught. With the last vestiges of his power drained, his eternal spirit was trapped behind a wall of stone and ice at the very top of the world. With all four nations extinguished, Equestria fell into a state of disorder. This time, though, there was a difference.

Equestria had its guide.

Equestria had its visionary.

Equestria had its prophet.

Discord pulled off his glasses, set down the blank book in his claws, and leaned towards the two imprisoned unicorns.

“ME.”

The vision abruptly broke, bringing Celestia’s throne room back into view.

Twilight sat in awe in response to the scene that she had just witnessed. The ending to the story had caused Fluttershy to put her forehooves over her eyes, and she sat silently with her body slightly shivering. Rarity and Applejack were a few moments behind, still trying to understand what Celestia had shown.

Pinkie Pie, jaw agape, was the first to speak. “WHAT A TWIST!”

Twilight facehoofed on cue.

Fluttershy uncovered part of her left eye. “Is it over?”

"It was only a vision," said Celestia. "No reason to be fearful.”

Applejack was next. “Ah know ah already asked this but, do you have any other proof that Discord’s story is true? He’s not exactly sincere. After all, he tricked Rainbow into…”

She turned her head around to see a curled up Rainbow Dash snoring on the floor. She motioned to the others, who all looked to see what halted her question.

“Not again!” Pinkie gasped.

“Oh, dear”, said Rarity. “That’s not very cordial. I’ll wake her."

Applejack, on the other hand, was visibly irritated. “Rarity, I’ll handle this," she said, sticking one of her hooves in front of her friend.

She walked over to the sleeping pegasus and violently bucked her hind legs on the tile floor. A loud clap echoed through the hall. Rainbow shot straight upwards from her sleep, colliding with the ceiling and getting caught in a chandelier on the way back down.

“C’mon, Rainbow! What do ya think you’re doin’ sleepin’ through Celestia’s story?”

A disoriented Rainbow Dash was still trying to gather her surroundings. “It’s… it’s Pinkie’s fault! She gave me the popcorn and I always fall asleep during movies if I eat!”

Twilight whispered under her breath. “Always an adventure.”

Celestia gave a muted chuckle and offered a reply. “I happen to have an answer on that, Applejack. For a long time I believed that Discord may have been trying to intimidate us while he held us captive, but even then, I considered the possibility that what he said was true.”

Princess Celestia motioned to one of her guards, who trotted over with a small wooden box.

“This was found deep in the royal archives, where Lancer had been searching.”

The guard set the box down onto a small table and opened the lid. Inside were two small items. The first was a small pendant or clasp carrying the mark of a raven or crow. The second was a silvery-white ring with prominent black text engraved on its outer face.

Each of the elements took turns looking briefly at the two artifacts; Twilight was the last. The pendant looked fairly ordinary but the ring had an unequestrian quality to it that she couldn’t quite understand.

What kind magic is able to place black text on silver?, she thought. As she continued to look closer at the inscription, she could almost feel it pull her in.

“Twilight?”

Her eyes remained locked onto the box, unable to blink. After a few seconds, her right ear began to twitch.

“TWILIGHT!”

She jerked her head away as Rainbow Dash screamed into her right ear.

“Oh, uh, sorry.” Twilight blinked her eyes and shook her head as if to clear her mind. “I was… trying to make out the lettering on the ring. It looks like old Equestrian.”

“It’s in a heavy dialect, but the head librarian was able to translate it for me.”

“What does it say, Princess?” asked Twilight.

Celestia’s face came down with a grim expression as she took a deep breath.

“All praise the Lord of the North. All praise the Lord of Knowledge.”

The mares gasped and looked at one another before focusing back onto the Princess.

The reality of their situation finally hit Twilight with all of its force. “These other spirits did exist... and their war allowed Discord to take over.”

“Yes. This Lord of Knowledge was an ancient ruler of Equestria. More importantly, though, he was one of the beings that set off a chain of events that led to Discord’s reign. He might be the most influential of all of them if the story is completely true.”

Applejack, once skeptical, was now fully convinced. “And Lancer is going to try to free 'em, if he can find 'em.”

“Even if he doesn't find him, he could freeze in the north," added Fluttershy.

“Elements of Harmony, the task I ask of you tonight is to do something you have not done before. You must pursue Lancer and rescue him before he is able to reach this imprisoned Lord, or is lost to the wilderness. I have some of my best scholars tracking his last location right now. I hope to be able to give you this information in the morning. I do not know where your journey will take you, so you must be prepared for anything. Are you willing to do this?"

"Of course, Princess," said Twilight. "We will do whatever we can to save Equestria."

"Very well. I thank all of you for being willing to do this. I have had a set of rooms in the guest quarters prepared for each one of you to spend the night. Please go rest and be ready to leave tomorrow."

Back in Ponyville, Spike was ready to sleep for the night. Although he had wanted to go with the others, having Twilight gone meant he wouldn't have to get up whenever she would have. He slid into his bed, shut off the lights, and began what would be a long and fruitful slumber.

And then there was a knock on the door.

He slid the sheets down from his eyes, staring at the ceiling in disbelief.

"WE'RE CLOSED. TWILIGHT IS GONE. PLEASE COME BACK TOMORROW," he yelled.

Another knock.

"Uhhhhhhhgggghhhhh." Spike groaned as he walked down the stairs into the library's main room and towards the door.

He spoke as he opened the door. "I told you already, Twilight's go...."

Spike found himself staring at four dark blue legs with elaborate bracers around their hooves. As he raised his head to behold his visitor, he found himself face to face with a pair of large teal eyes and a dark flowing mane, sparkling with hundreds of stars.

"PRINCESS LUNA!" he gasped in shock. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I was just trying to sleep, you got me at a bad time, I didn't mean..."

Luna placed a hoof over Spike's mouth.

"That is perfectly fine, Spike," she said with a smile. "May I come in to discuss something with you?"

"Of, of course!" the dragon stammered. "Come right in."

He led the Princess into the library, closing the door behind her.

"Before getting to further business, I would first like to let you know that both my sister and I are very gracious for the bravery that you showed in the Crystal Empire. The decision for you to remain here was not a result of your actions there or anywhere else. I'm sure you were disappointed."

"I wanted to be able to help them again. I mean, if I hadn't been with them in the Crystal Castle, the Empire might have been lost to Sombra."

"Both of us appreciate your dedication, I assure you. That is one reason why I need your help with something else that is very important."

"What?" he said as his eager eyes lit up. "You need my help for a special mission?!? You've got the right dragon for the job!"

"Also, you are not to speak of our interaction to anypony. Not Twilight, not my sister. This is between you and me."

"A TOP SECRET mission?!?" said the enthralled dragon, now in an all time high. "Where do you need me? What do I need to bring?" He inched closer towards the princess, with his hands clenched together.

"Can I wear a tux?"

Luna briefly rolled her eyes before responding. "I will arrange a royal carriage to pick you up from the library tomorrow night; please be ready by 8. My guards will bring you to Canterlot where we will discuss this further. As for your outfitting, you are... free to bring whatever you wish. If you are to be gone for an extended period, we will be able to supply you with anything additional you may require."

"I will be ready tomorrow, Princess! You can count on me."

"Thank you, Spike. Have a good night."

With those last words, the dragon ran over to the door and ushered the Princess out of the library. After closing the door behind her, he cracked open a few blinds on one of the windows to see Luna's chariot fly off into the night sky.

Spike skipped into the center of the library, his hands firmly crunched together in a set of fists. He tried his best to compose himself, but it was all futile. He screamed out at the top of his lungs.

"AWWWWW YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..."

Back in Canterlot, Twilight stood silently in her guest room, staring out at the city's skyline through a pair of locked windows. Luna's handiwork always had incredible depth and detail, but there was an uneasy feeling clouding everything on this night. As thoughts raced through Twilight's head, there was a muted knock on her door. She turned her head to face the door behind her.

"Come in."

Applejack, who might have been the strongest confidant amongst her friends, quietly walked in.

"Evening, Twi. I saw your light on in the hallway. Everypony else is asleep except for you."

"There's a lot going on," she replied, turning back to face the window. "A lot to think about."

Applejack approached Twilight's side. "Ah thought that this might be bothering you. About what happened to that classmate of yours."

"How could... Princess Celestia just let him go and not help him when he needed it?"

Applejack took a few moments to gather her emotions before responding. "Twi, everypony makes mistakes. Even the princesses. Look at what happened to Luna. She let a couple bad thoughts take over her mind and that lead her to become Nightmare Moon."

"But she's been here for so long... a thousand years of rule. She knew he was miserable and yet... did nothing?"

"Every pony is different. I know that Celestia's never known anypony like you." Applejack tapped one of her forehooves across Twilight's front shoulders. "I've never known anypony like you."

The orange mare continued. "Besides, the most important thing for all of us to do is communicate. We need to communicate when things are good and we need to communicate when things are bad. It didn't sound to me like he ever talked to the Princess about what was truly bothering him. Did he ever talk to other ponies much?"

"No, not really."

"See, even the Princess couldn't force 'em to speak from his heart. We have to learn to do that ourselves. No one is to blame for this, Twi. It is what it is. We'll be headin' off tomorrow morning to find 'em and bring 'em back safely. All of us are here to help you do that."

"Thanks, Applejack."

"Everything good then?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Now get 'sum rest. I think we're gonna need it tomorrow."

Applejack quietly closed the door behind her, as not to disturb anyone else down the hall. After she left, Twilight continued to ponder the mission that she and the others were about to undertake. One question rung heavy in her head.

What if their places had been reversed?

That could have been me. If he had never been here, Celestia could have made the same mistake with me. I could be the one out in the wild right now.

Why, Princess?

Chapter 3 - Trailhead

Morning in Canterlot was unlike morning anywhere else in Equestria. The sounds of hooves on antique cobblestone streets, the random chatter of nobility, and the smells of high class living were unmistakable. For Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash, there was no enjoyment of these sights and sounds on this day. Each of them awoke to a breakfast in their respective guest quarters accompanied with a single note requesting their presence in the main hall.

As the clock struck eight, the mares once again approached Celestia at her throne. This time, she was sitting perfectly still, eyes closed, and in a moment of meditation. As they came to a stop, the Princess opened her eyes and briefly smiled before speaking.

"Good morning Elements of Harmony. I have good news to tell you before you depart. While you slept, we were able to trace Lancer's mail. You will not have to travel far."

Celestia summoned a piece of parchment to her side and unfolded it to reveal a map covered with a number of lines, symbols, and markings.

“The mail box he was using was in Emerald Village, a small town in the center of the Smokey Forest. It's about three hours west of Canterlot on the Cloudsdale-Vanhoover train line. If you ask around, you will probably be able to find where he was living. Somepony should have seen him in the area."

She folded the map up and passed it to Twilight.

"That is where your journey will begin. Track him down and bring him back here before he can do any harm, including to himself. To help you return, I have something that may be of use."

The princess levitated a string-tied bag over to Twilight from the side of the room. She loosened the knot and pulled out a glowing hourglass-shaped object. It stood about half a hoof length high and shimmered in a distinct bronze-like color.

"Portkeys!" exclaimed Twilight. "I've always wanted to use one."

"These will allow all of you to teleport over a far longer distance than a regular spell cast. Leave one of them in a safe place that you will be able to escape to if you run into danger. Also, if you come across Lancer and he does not agree to come with you, these will allow you to teleport him out. Use them wisely."

"Princess, I don't know about the others, but I know that Applejack and I didn't pack much with us when we came, " said an anxious Fluttershy. "We may not have enough if we're gone for more than a day or two."

"I wouldn't let any of you leave if you weren't well prepared. You are free to take anything from the royal stocks that you need - that includes both the kitchen and the guard stockade. Although spring is here, it is still cold if you end up traveling north. I would recommend taking some supplies for cold weather."

Celestia stood up from her throne to give her final farewell.

"Good luck on your journey, Elements of Harmony. Please bring him back to me."

The six respectfully bowed, turned, and began to leave the room with Pinkie leading the way, presumably to the kitchen. Fluttershy approached Twilight on the way out, keeping her voice very quiet.

"Twilight, I have a question for you, if you don't mind."

"What is it Fluttershy?"

"I was afraid to ask the Princess this but... if Lancer doesn't want to come back with us, and we're forced to... what happens to him when he gets here?"

"I... don't know."

I don't know..?

Three hours after departing Canterlot, the mares found themselves standing on the train platform in Emerald Village at high noon. The sun stood directly upwards in the middle of the sky as a faint smell of pine and smoke filled the air. Whereas Ponyville was settled in the middle of rolling hills and grassland, Emerald Village was literally cut out of the middle of the Smokey Forest. Walking a quarter mile in any direction from the center of town would land a pony in the middle of a dense maze of evergreen and underbrush. Needless to say, it was exactly the place a pony would want to live if he intended to disappear but stay somewhat close to civilization.

Ponyville was small compared to the major cities of Equestria, but it dwarfed the size of Emerald Village. The main part of the town was comprised of less than twenty buildings, serving as a junction between three minor railroad lines but little else. The town did, however, have one claim to fame: the smokey redwood, a tree known for its remarkable strength, durability, and rich color. A relatively small number of trees were exported to furniture makers in Canterlot every year where they were cut and assembled into high quality tables and chairs for only the wealthiest of ponies. The village housed a number of craftsponies that also produced special carvings from the redwood that were commonly used as decorations for various Equestrian holidays. Rarity was the only one familiar with the village due to the reputation of the smokey redwood as the choice of timber for many Canterlot nobles. Even then, none of the mares had never set hoof there.

"So, uh, Twilight, where do we start?" asked Rainbow.

Twilight turned to face the one pony who was familiar with the town. "Rarity, you said you knew this place? Any ideas?"

"I know of this place, I never said I knew it."

Rainbow's brain came to a complete stop. "Huh?"

"WAIT!" Pinkie Pie threw her muzzle upwards, taking a couple large sniffs of the forest air. "Is that..." Her eyes darted around the buildings in front of her before locking onto a sign in the window of one of the shops.

"MOUNTAIN BERRY PASTRIES!"

With that battle cry, Pinkie Pie darted off towards the shop. On the face of the small building was a curved sign reading "Emerald Village Grocery and Market".

Twilight pointed in the same direction as the charging Pinkie. "I guess the market is a good place to start. Everypony needs to eat."

Inside the store, the glass door swiftly swung open. A cashier sat at a register at the front of the store and greeted the entering customer.

"Welcome to Emerald Village Market. How may we help..."

A pink mare with an unruly mane violently threw her forehooves across the counter. With her eyes brimming with intensity, she brought her muzzle mere inches from the cashier and spoke under her breath.

"Where... are... the... pastries?"

"Uh.... right side of the store, halfway towards the back."

With those words, the mare darted towards the back of the store. Five more followed her through the front door a few moments later.

"Are you five with her?" asked the cashier.

Rarity sighed. "Yes. Pinkie loves her sweets, but please accept our apologies for her... uncouth behavior."

The cashier faintly chuckled. "Not a problem. I have regular customers who may be more strange. My name is Tilla and I own the market here. How can I help you ladies?"

Applejack engaged the owner. "Ma’am, we’re looking for the home of an old acquaintance of my friend Twilight here. He lives somewhere outside of town. Lancer was the name.”

Tilla looked off to the side while thinking to herself. “I don’t know a Lancer in town, miss." She turned to face the purple mare off to her left. "What does he look like?"

“Dark blue body, silver mane," answered Twilight. "Very intricate cutie mark.”

“Oh, yes, I know him. He calls himself Midnight, though. Is that the same pony?”

“Midnight? That's... probably him. When was he last here?”

“Two weeks ago maybe. He comes into here once every week or two for a few things. He also trades me some of his surplus crops."

“Do you know where he lives?” asked Applejack.

“It is somewhere up in the hills, but that’s all I know. That’s the only place where the soil is good enough to grow every type of berry. He is the best grower of those around here and I'm always anxious to get some in.” The owner looked towards the back of the store, seeing Pinkie powerfully pestering one of her bakers. "Apparently I'm not the only one."

“He was farming for you?”

“Not officially. He also sold a few things from the antiques shop a block over. I would check with the notary. He has all of the parcel information in town, so he should be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Oh, thank you so much," said a greatful Fluttershy. "We really appreciate it.”

"Not a problem." The owner glared back towards the right side of the store, where Pinkie was forcefully shoving a bunch pastries into a paper bag. "You mind helping my son out with your friend back there?"

A few minutes later, the mares stood in front of the office of the village notary. Pinkie Pie was lying belly-down on a bench outside of the building, her legs hanging freely off of the sides. Rainbow Dash, bag in hand, sat aside her while slowly eating one of Pinkie's berry pastries.

"You know, I think you might have had one too many for once."

Pinkie responded with a muted groan. "Ugggggggghhhhh."

Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Fluttershy entered the office. It was a small operation in line with the size of the town. Two shelves full of various records lined the room and a small table, likely for signing official documents, stood off to one side. In the back of the office was a tall counter stacked with books and loose papers. The back of a grey pony was barely visible behind the ledge.

"Excuse us, sir?" asked Rarity. "The owner down at the market said you could help us find somepony in town?"

“Not now please," he shot back from behind the counter. "I’m busy! I'm on my lunch. Come back in an hour.”

“There was no sign on the door, sir. We really need your help," Twilight added. "It's fairly urgent.”

The notary rustled behind the counter, sliding what sounded like a stool across the floor. He pulled himself up and leaned over the edge towards the mares. “Look, misses, I...” His face suddenly took on an expression of shock.

“The... elements of harmony? Here?!? Ahhh!” A large stack of papers flew up into the air as he fell backwards off of the counter and landed on the wooden floor with a thud.

"How do you know who we are?" asked Fluttershy.

The stallion pulled himself back up onto the counter.

“Well, I'll be. Ahem." He cleared his throat before continuing. "Uh, I have some family in Ponyville, so I have heard of you. It's hard to miss a group with so many different ponialities. I apologize for my rudeness. How can I assist the elements?”

“We’re looking for the home of an old friend. We knew him as Lancer, but the market owner knew him as Midnight.”

“Oh... him. He’s a… strange one. You sure he’s the one you’re looking for?”

“Yes. Could you please tell us where he lives?" Twilight continued the push for information. "It’s urgent, by order of the Princess.”

“By order of Celestia? Right away!”

He flew back behind the counter and pulled up a large book that had “Land Registry” written on its spine. The stallion flipped the book open and began to shuffle between pages.

“Ah, yes. Here he is. He is listed as "Midnight", not Lancer, was it? He has three tracts under his name, all next to one another. The one in the center had a small cottage built upon it by a previous owner. Three miles north of town past the first range of foothills."

He scribbled a few notes onto a piece of paper and handed it to Twilight.

“Follow the main road about 5 minutes east and head north. There is another road that will take you about a third of the way up into the hills. You’ll have to find a trail or path that leads up to the tracts once you get that far."

"Thank you very much," remarked Applejack. "If you happen to come by Ponyville sometime, please drop by Sweet Apple Acres. You can have a batch of zap apple jam on the house."

"It would be my pleasure," answered the notary. "Good luck to all of you, and welcome to Emerald Village."

After granting Pinkie some time to recover from her unfortunate carbohydrate binge, the Elements began a short walk to find Lancer's home. Finding their way up the road was no problem but there was no sign of the trail. The dense combination of tree trunks and underbrush surrounding them blocked sightlines in every direction. Time was of the essence, and Twilight was growing impatient.

“These trees are so dense," remarked Rainbow Dash. "This is almost as bad for flying as Everfree.”

With that comment, Twilight had an idea, and turned to her winged friend. “Rainbow, could you fly up above the trees and see if you find the path we're looking for."

"I might not be able to see a trail through these trees. I dunno."

“Well, see if you can spot his home then. If the notary's directions are right, it should be almost directly north of where we are.”

Rainbow leapt upward and weaved her way through the thick evergreen canopy. After emerging through the trees, she saw a small clearing about two miles away along with a small cottage sitting along a ridgeline.

She flew back down to her friends. "I see it. It's on the other side of these trees."

"What about the trail, then?" asked Twilight.

"You mean that one right over there?" Pinkie pointed to a bright yellow cross standing on the side of the road a couple hundred hooflengths away.

"Good work Pinkie!" exclaimed Rainbow. "Let's go!"

After about twenty minutes of hiking, the six emerged into a large clearing cut out of an edge of the forest. A vast garden of plants, bushes, and trees was spread over half an acre of land with the cottage perched directly behind it. The east side of the clearing was dedicated to his major crop: berry bushes. They stood slightly higher than the mares and were arranged in an almost perfect grid. The west side was covered with shorter plants, mostly vegetables. In the center there was a small structure in the shape of an A, forming a roof over a large wash basin. Sitting beside it was a water well lined with stone and a series of metal posts. Up towards the house, there was a line of fruit and nut trees, each one different from the next.

As they walked through the garden, Fluttershy was impressed with the variety of flora. "This is amazing. There must be every kind of fruit and vegetable here."

Applejack pointed towards a corner of the garden. "Look Twi, there's even an apple tree. Looks very healthy too. Seems like your ol' friend has a little bit of a green thumb. Impressive for a unicorn."

"He's only half. His mother was an earth pony."

"Really?" Applejack asked rhetorically. "Ah've never thought of that but ah suppose that may explain it."

The six walked up a small grade to the cottage. The outcropping that the house stood on was barely above the height of the forest canopy, but provided a spectacular view of the surrounding land. The only sign of Emerald Village was a few trails of smoke rising a few miles away. There was a large firepit in front of the house, with a few embers of wood still smoking.

Pinkie looked out over the forest and noticed a distinct landmark in the distance. "Hey, I can see Canterlot from here!"

"Applejack, look!" Twilight exclaimed as she pointed at the smouldering remnants of a recent fire. "Can you tell how long ago this was lit?"

Applejack walked over to a small stack of wood next to the fire, tapping it with one of her hooves. "This wood is very dense, Twi. Very slow burning. I would say this fire was lit yesterday."

Twilight realized that they were too late. "We missed him by a day!" She refocused herself on the next course of action. "Okay. We need to find a clue to where he went. Check the house."

She walked up to the front door and jiggled the door knob, but it was locked.

"Rarity," asked Twilight, "do you have a needle or something like that on you that we could pick the door with?"

"I'm sure I have something, hold on."

Suddenly there was a loud sound as the deadbolt in the door became unlocked.

All of their eyes grew wide as the door handle turned, cracking the door open.

"Uh, hello?" asked Twilight, her voice possessing a faint quiver. "Lancer?"

Twilight used one of her front hooves to slowly push the door in. With no warning, a shade jumped out of the shadows.

"HEY EVERYPONY!"

Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy jumped backwards in shock, before finding themselves face to face with somepony familiar.

"Pinkie!" Twilight said as she gasped for air. "How did... how did..."

"The backdoor was unlocked. Duh!"

"Oh. Thanks."

After the four mares walked into the home, Rainbow quietly slid over to Pinkie while she stood by the door. "Nice one," she whispered.

Pinkie blinked one eye and smiled back.

The interior of the cottage was well-furnished for being in a rural area. Most of the furniture was carved from wood, with the exception of a fully cushioned couch. Multiple shelves of books lined the sides of the main room. There was a kitchen towards the back, composed of a grill, a large wood burning stove, and an attached oven. The stove's smokestack weaved throughout the ceiling of the main room, likely to help heat the cottage during the winter months. A door to an additional room lay opposite the kitchen.

Rarity was taken aback by the quality of furnishing in the cottage. “Everything here is hand carved from smokey redwood. This is... amazing. I've never seen so much of this kind of furniture in one home before."

Hung up next to one of the shelves were two wooden instruments, with a series of shining silver strings.

"Oh, these must be what he was selling at the other shop in town. These look quite exquisite." She turned to Twilight. "Did he play an instrument at the school?"

"Not that I know of."

"Well he must have been into something with music," said Applejack, standing next to one of the bookcases. "There's a book 'ere about music theory. And a lot of different things."

Twilight walked over and began identifying the subjects present in the bookcase. "Equestrian history, Equestrian patent law, structure of local governments, astronomy, horticulture, petriculture, magic, cooking..."

Rainbow had found something slightly different than the others. "Interior furnishing design?"

Rarity saw no problem with it. "He seems quite versatile, Rainbow. Besides, there are many stallions that do what I do but for other stallions. This furniture is quite minimalist and I'm sure that it's designed primarily for function and comfort rather than form."

Rainbow jumped over onto the small couch in the room and lied down. "You may be right, Rarity..."

Pinkie had taken the opportunity to investigate the kitchen. "Oh my! This is a fantastic woodfire oven! I've always wanted to use one like this, but there are none of them in Ponyville. They're supposed to be great for cobblers! MMM MMM!"

Twilight, unlike the others, was trying not to get distracted. "I know all of you find this to be quite interesting, but we do need to find out where he went."

"You're the egghead, you figure it out." Rainbow yawned. "After those pastries and that walk and that flying, I need a quick rest... over here... on this pillow."

Twilight loudly groaned before walking into the room in the back of the cottage. It was lined with four pieces of furniture: a small bed, a dresser, and two desks. One of the desks was covered with a scattered pile of papers, while the other was completely clean. She walked over to the dresser to look at a series of photographs sitting on top.

The first was a picture of Lancer with Princess Celestia on his day of graduation from the School for Gifted Unicorns. Next to it was a picture of him with his mother and father. Both were as she remembered: his father was a dark grey unicorn with a scroll cutie mark. His mother was a light blue earth pony, similar to Rainbow Dash in tone, with a cutie mark of a feather quill.

Two more pictures stood on the opposing side of the dresser. The first was him, likely prior to his time at the school, surrounded by a set of stallions and mares that she did not recognize. The fourth was a picture of students from the school taken after one of their biannual research presentations. Lancer was present in the front, as was customary with older students. Scanning the image for anypony she recognized, her eyes froze as she saw herself in one of the upper corners. A flash of memories came back to her, of times long before she had friends as good as the others and before she had the responsibility of wielding an Element of Harmony.

Simpler times, she thought. For all of us, I suppose.

Twilight turned towards the desk covered with papers, refocusing on her current mission. Random words, phrases, and pen scratches covered them with no rhyme or reason. As Twilight began to sift through the stacks of parchment, one thought continued to echo throughout her mind.

This isn't normal. He's... gone crazy.

Amongst the words, she noticed that a number of them were repeated multiple times: thunder, dawn, cliff, stream, rage, and north. As she continued to dig through the documents, she found a map of Equestria's train lines buried beneath them. It was covered in marks of pen except for a single empty region in the northeast.

Thundering... cliffs. Raging... stream. North... dawn.

"Neighagra Falls!" she exclaimed. "At dawn! That's where he went. We need to go now."

As she turned to leave, she abruptly stopped and looked back towards the desk that was clean. There was absolutely nothing on the desk spare a small wooden box with a single metal clasp on the front.

And unlocked.

Maybe not right away.

She opened the small box to find a pendant attached to a long metal chain. It was an artful combination of silver and amethyst crystal, molded and formed together in the shape of a raven. It was almost exactly the same as the one Celestia had shown her back in the royal hall, but yet very different. Twilight levitated it up in front of her, peering at its intricacies.

You have more potential than you realize.

Twilight jumped backwards, dropping the pendant onto the floor of the room. She stared down at it, in shock at what she had apparently heard.

Did it just... no. I'm hearing things.

She turned to walk out once again, but again stopped. She looked back down at the pendant on the wooden floor.

But... maybe... this could help us.

She picked the pendant up off of the floor and looked at it once more. After a few moments, she gingerly slipped it into one of her bags and returned to the main room to address the others.

"Alright everypony! We're going to Neighagra. That's where he went."

Rainbow woke up from her quick nap on the couch with an audible yawn. "How'd you figure that out so quickly?"

"He left a map."

Pinkie poked her head up from the kitchen. "You know, that sounds way, way, way, way, way too... too..."

"Easy?" asked Applejack.

"Something like that," she replied. "Oh well, let's go! I've always wanted to see the falls! I've heard they sell amazing oatmeal scones there."

The six locked up the stallion's cottage and made the trek back to Emerald Village to take the next train to Neighagra. If they were behind Lancer by a day, they would need to be at the falls at dawn to not fall further behind. The train ride to Neighagra was going to take them backwards past Canterlot and last for over six hours. For some of them, it was plenty of time to rest. For others, it was a lot of time to think.

For one of them, it was perhaps too much time to think.