My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic: Friendship from afar.

Information Overload

Celestia’s sun had begun it’s lazy trek towards the horizon, helping the pegusai clear what remaining clouds of the storm persisted, bathing the surrounding areas in soft, golden hues.

In fact, most of Ponyville’s (and much of Canterlot’s) populace had graced the soft grasses of the Royal Garden to frolic and enjoy it’s warmth and glow - a stark transition from several days earlier. Though having move ponies to watch out for was a bit more strenuous, their cooperation and civility in the midst of such chaos made his job all the more easier.

And that’s the way he liked it. After all, the last thing he and the others under his watch needed was utter panic and strife. Whatever it was that had crashed into the heart of the capitol had nearly caused just that. Maybe it was time to consider retirement. The sound of approaching wing beats drew his attention back to the present.

“Captain Stonehoof!”

Stonehoof swivelled, facing the young cadet. Even in the strong evening sun and the gold-plated armor surrounding the new comer, he knew that pose and vocal tone anywhere, as was the same with each soldier under his command. Cirrus cloud, if not mistaken, her lithe, yet potent form both punctual and rigid. She snapped a wing tip to her brow in a crisp salute. He couldn’t help but let out a light chuckle.

Cirrus was his youngest and brightest cadet; she may not have been the strongest under his watch, but she more than made up for it with her speed and determination.

Stonehoof placed a wingtip to his brow as well, returning the salute.

“At ease, Cirrus,” came his reply. “What news do you bring?”

“Sir.” She lowered her wingtip. “Slipstream and I have continued our surveillance from the caverns to the edge of the forest. We continue to go over the tracks left behind; although the saturated ground managed to swallow most of the traces, we did come across something that I think you might find interesting.”

“Mm. Proceed.”

“Actually, sir, it would be easier to show you.”

As much as he wanted to stay on watch, the ponies below seemed perfectly content with the Royal guards mingling amongst them. Plus it would give him a chance to stretch his wings.

“Very well, Cirrus, lead the way.”

With a powerful set of wing thrusts, the pair took off from the upper balcony viewing station, arching up over the East wall before descending on the warm evening updrafts. Oh how he missed this: the rush of the wind against his coat; the speed as the pair raced along the cliff face, pulling up to continue their pace along the tree tops; watching the birds scatter as they rustled the upper foliage of the trees surrounding the castle basin. It took all of his will power to keep from barrel-rolling and squealing like a foal(something not only his troops but superiors would never let him live down).

All to soon, however, the fun ended as Cirrus angled downward towards a pair of identically clad armored pegusai.

“Skyline! Cloud Racer!” Cirrus called out to the pair, alighting upon the semi-damp earth, the Captain not far behind. “How goes the progress?” She immediately noticed that the pairs’ armor was splotched erratically with crusty white residue, like they’d sat beneath a Phoenix nest. “What on earth happened to you two?” She queried. “And where’s Slipstream?”

Her questions went unanswered as the two lock eyes upon Stonehoof, their mouths agape.

“Yes,” came the Captain’s ice-cold, powerful voice. His temperament was in jest of course, but it was always a little fun to watch his soldiers squirm a little. “What did happen to the both of you, and exactly where is Slipstream?”

The two exchanged a quick glances before snapping their wingtips up in salute. Cloud Racer was the first to speak up.

“Sir,” came the mare’s strong-yet-slightly-tinted-with-nervousness reply. “I-uh, that is, we-“ Skyline shoved an armored hoof to her lips.

“What Cloud Racer is trying to say, Captain, is that we-“

Cloud Racer shoved him back forcefully, anger flashing in her eyes. “Don’t try and speak for me, you arrogant foal!”

“Don’t lay your hooves on me, you ingrate! I’m two years your senior and I’ll do as I damn well please!”

Verbal jousting and cutting gave way to pushing and shoving before turning into an all out brawl. Soon the valley was filled with grunts and clangs as hooves clashed against flesh and enchanted steel. Stonehoof could feel his left eye start to twitch beneath his helmet. This was not what he’d expected from the newest members of the squad.

(20 years ago)

Training under Atlas in his early days at the Academy, Stonehoof spent many a session in awe of his teacher. Unlike most in their position, Atlas wore the un-enchanted chain-mail used during the earlier rule of the Two Sisters. Though light weight and flexible, they offered little in defense from the thrusts of swords and spears; nor the blasts of arcane magic unicorns and other creatures possessed. Despite this, Atlas never complained, even when a sliver of metal made its way through the ringlets.

During a particular rough bout of training, Stonehoof found himself in the infirmary with a twisted wing. As he was being treated, Atlas made his presence known, only waiting until the staff had exited before beginning to speak his mind.

“You’re quite the brawler there, Stone,” Atlas commended, slapping his pupil on the back. “I don’t think Sun Spot will tangle with you again for quite a while.”

“Is he really that scared?” Stonehoof asked through clenched teeth. “I thought the tussle was pretty evenly matched. At least until he twisted my wing with his magic.”

“Judging by the way he pissed himself when you bucked him in the chest, I wouldn’t be surprised if he jumps when you scratch your nose.”

“Aw, come on, Captain. I didn’t really scare him that badly, did I?”

Atlas gave a wry smile. “You bucked him so hard that you dented his chest plate. It’ll take the blacksmith shop days to repair. In fact, if Sun Spot had been unprotected, you’d have most likely dislocated his shoulder; broken his sternum, too.”

Stone looked down at his hooves, unsure of what to say, as an awkward silence permeated the room. He felt Atlas’ hoof on his shoulder. He gave his teacher the most pitiful, dejected look he could muster.

“I didn’t mean to, it just happened.”

“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Stone. You reacted in self defense, nothing more. Besides, for all intense and purposes, that was a war drill and he was the enemy. Had it been a normal sparring session I don’t believe the situation would’ve gotten quite so out of hoof.”

Stone simply nodded, slivers of relief overtaking the previous stricken tones of his face. He still felt guilty about what he’d done, but Atlas’ words had calmed his nerves significantly (though he would have to control his anger limits better in the future). Still, there was something troubling him, a finite niggling in his gray matter that teased, prodded and poked to get his attention. Something so obvious, like the armor pl-

It all made sense now; the wall had crumbled.

“Permission to speak freely, Sir.”

Atlas’ eyebrow rose toward the ceiling in surprise. They weren’t on duty and Stone had been fairly talkative up until just now, so what exactly had caused the sudden need for rank and file? Curiosity piqued, he decided to bite.

“Permission is granted, Stone, although I don’t see why it’s necessary.”

‘I’ve always wondered-“ Stone began, “-why you wear the old-style armor when the newer style is available?”

The room suddenly dropped several degrees as Atlas’ demeanor changed from upbeat and pleasant to rigid and ice-cold. His smile vanished, replaced by a somber from, narrowing brow to match.

“Uh, Captain?”

Atlas mustered no response, choosing instead to march over to the door and secure it with a loud “clack,” causing Stone to swallow hard. The Captain was mad, that much was clear, but what had set him off? More importantly: what was going to become of him?

“Captain?” Atlas jabbed a hoof downward in response.

“SIT!”

His hump hit the cold tile floor with a thud, jarring his injury. The pain was fleeting, just as his desire to grimace in discomfort. Hell, the floor could’ve been filled with broken glass, acid, or broken glass dipped in acid – it didn’t matter. When the Captain said “sit”, you damn well better. The move elicited an eye roll and a small head shake from Atlas, who then procured on of the aids’ rolling chairs, pushing it towards Stone.

“Wouldn’t it be more comfortable on that instead of the floor?”

Stone righted himself quickly, grabbing the newly available, and much more comfortable, seat. Atlas rolled one up as well, plopping himself down in front of his cadet. The tension was palpable.

“What I’m about to tell you is between the two of us and does not leave this room, understood?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good,” Atlas nodded, readjusting himself more comfortably. “Now, what can you tell me about the Griffon Border Wars? More specifically - who is Ivanclaw the Terrible?”

Despite his extensive knowledge due to late night binges of by the book studying about the Griffon Border Wars, Stonehoof was at a loss as to who Ivanclaw was. He simply shook his head in defeat, earning a huff and a half smile from his captain.

“I didn’t think you would,” came Atlas’ response. “A very select few have even heard the name before.” He eased back in the chair. “Even Princess Luna didn’t learn of him for a while after her return. I can only imagine what she’d have done had she not been banished to the moon.”

“I don’t understand,” came the expected reply. “I’ve never heard or read about any of this.”

“That because all knowledge of it has been redacted, save for the copies in Celestia’s private library. Even then it requires high security clearance and a vow of silence.”

“So everything I know is a fabrication? A lie?”

“Not entirely,” Atlas replied as he stood, moving from his chair to the small window just left of him. “The written account before, during, and after is all accurate - just with the more sensitive details removed. Just as I said.”

From his viewpoint, the Captain watched as his Lieutenant continued the evenings drills in his absence. Dangling from the high archway of the West Entrance, the Night guard hung motionless, tightly wound in their wing cocoons, waiting for their shift to begin. There weren’t many Thestrals left, most had long gone into hiding after the princess had been banished almost a thousand years prior. They harbored no ill-will to Celestia in what had transpired all those years ago, but they longed for the return of Luna- some even believing in the rumors of her return. How sad they must feel...

“He wasn’t always know as Ivanclaw the Terrible.”

“He wasn’t?”

“No,” came the captain’s replay. “His name was Icarus Cloud, Queen Illiana’s right-hand griffon and adviser on social matters.”

“So why did he change his name?”

“You see, the Border Wars had been going on for quite a while, with the Griffon Empire beginning to crumble financially under the weight of both starved trade and constant skirmishes. With options dwindling, the Queen ordered the council to request a meeting with Princess Celestia to work out a possible means to end the conflict. Icarus was dead set against it, arguing that doing so would show weakness to the enemy. Several of the council backed his ideology, all in agreement that if they surrendered, the princess would hold them under her iron hoof.”

“Princess Celestia would never do something so heinous,” Stone said in her defense. “She would only use force as a last resort.” Atlas gave a soft chuckle, turning back to his cadet.

“I know. Apparently the rest of the council did, too, for they sided with the Queen, agreeing with the meeting wholeheartedly.”

“I imagine that Icarus was disappointed in the outcome?”

“Undoubtedly so, seeing the Queen’s choice as a direct insult to his character. Queen Illiana tried to reason with him, explaining that finding a common ground for peace was not weakness, but strength. It mattered not to Icarus, for the seeds of resentment and, in his mind, betrayal had been sown.” Atlas walked solemnly back to his chair and sat, almost dejectedly. “It wasn’t long after that Icarus, and a hoof-full of council members sympathetic to his cause, planned a coup to dethrone Queen Illiana, sighting that someone so weak should not wield power and authority. In the end, the coup failed, having been sniffed out by her personal guards.” He gave a long, exhausted sigh. “It was sad for Queen Illiana, watching as one of her closest was dragged off, screaming and howling, cursing them all and vowing revenge on what they’d done to him and the Empire.”

“Isn’t that typical behavior when a villain gets caught?” came Stone’s cheeky reply. Judging from his superior’s expression, he wasn’t impressed.

“I fail to see anything humorous about what I’m telling you. Do you?”

“N-no sir!”

“Good.” Atlas cooled his demeanor, becoming complacent once more. “Now, where was I?”

“Um, the guards dragged him off?”

“Ah, right! Once the tense situation was settled, Illiana sent word to Celestia, agreeing upon a peaceful conclusion to end the conflict. Celestia agreed, sighting that she and her ponies would do whatever it took to save the griffons from peril, though she did wonder why they’d rejected her offers of assistance prior. To say the queen was shocked was an understatement, having no knowledge of this, calling Celestia out for trying to make the whole series of wars entirely the griffons’ fault. By Tartarus, everyone thought the negotiations were about to fall flat. That is, until news came from the dungeon that Icarus had withheld prior documentation from the Queen about said relief effort. Her shock turned quickly to anger, demanding he be executed at sunrise for his treason.”

“That must have been hard on the Queen, seeing her right-had man betray her like that, even to the point of the fall of the Griffon Empire.”

“Celestia took it pretty hard herself, wanting to save everypony she could, griffon or otherwise.”

Atlas rose from his chair once more, heading to the small fridge next to the water cooler and procuring sever bottles of Sweet Apple Acres Ale. He returned once more, providing Stone with the extra beverage. Stone just looked at the nearly frozen beverage nestled between his hooves, then to the captain, unsure of what exactly was expected of him. Atlas merely half-smiled before taking the bottle in his maw, removing the magically sealed cap with his teeth and chugging a quarter of it, wiping the excess foam from his lips with a loud, satisfied “aah!’

“Like I said, Off-duty. Drink up before it gets warm.” He took another swig of his own, letting out an unprofessional belch in conclusion. “Man, I don’t know how Hard Cider and Blossom do it, but their brew is always top-notch. I’ve tried, but I never could get those two to divulge their secret. Even Granny Smith has been tight-lipped about it.”

Stone finally broke the seal of his own drink (sans teeth, of course) and partook of the contents within. He didn’t consider himself a drinking stallion, but he had to agree with the captain: this brew was top-notch.

“So,” Stone began, wiping the brews’ foam from his lips, “what happened next?”

“Nothing at first. The treaty was signed with much jubilation on both sides, opening trade between borders once more. In fact, Celestia was so inclined to keep the peace between the two races that she ordered members of her guards to forgo the new armor and dress down into chain-mail, theorizing that it would appear less threatening and hostile.”

“What about Icarus? Was he really executed at dawn?”

It could have been Stone’s imagination or the ale, but he could have sworn the captain seemed to deflate, drawing inwards. As if something was trying to crush his very being from existence.

“No,” came the response that Stone wasn’t expecting. “When the guards went to retrieve him they found two dead sentries, an empty cell, and a solitary scroll upon the straw bedding. Scrawled upon it in blood was a simple phrase: ‘You WILL pay for your crimes! – Ivanclaw the Terrible.’”

“With armed sentries, how did he manage to escape, let alone kill them?”

“No one really know how it happened. Best guess scenario was that he had followers deep within the community that did the dirty work for him. The ‘Ivanclaw’ tag was more than likely used to throw off the investigation.

“Queen Illiana sent word to Celestia, warning her that her own guards could be in grave danger. Unfortunately, that warning arrived too late.”

“If the guards were attacked, then it would appear the Griffon Empire redacted on the treaty, ending in another conflict.”

Stone felt his chest tightening in awareness of just how devastating something of that magnitude could have been. But it hadn’t happened, otherwise he himself - as well as the whole of Equestria - would be involved in an extremely bloody war. Then something occurred to him, a nugget of questioning that had been hiding in the recesses of his mind. Until now.

“Captain, how do you know all this?” Then came Atlas’ defeated sigh.

“Because I was in the battalion that Celestia sent out.”

Now It all made sense to him. This wasn’t just some redacted history lesson. Atlas had lived it first hand and was now forced to relive it, drudging it up from the bowels of his darkest nightmares, all because Stone had made some loose-lipped comment about the captain’s body armor.

“Captain, I’m sorry I said anything.” He began rising from his chair. “Let’s just forget I said anything about-“

”SIT, DAMN YOU!!” Atlas bellowed, rattling the pictures upon the walls. “I will not suffer through this alone! You asked for an explanation and by Celestia, you’re damned well going to get one!” He chugged the rest of the ale in the blink of an eye, sending it flying across the room where it shattered to almost nothing from the force behind his throw. It was obvious to Stone that it wasn’t just repressed memories talking, but a healthy dose of cider as well. “The things I’ve seen, what they did to them...” Atlas clinched his eyelids tightly, unable to stop the moisture from forming in their corners. “I will not suffer alone!” he bellowed, the tears now flowing freely.

Off all the things that Stonehoof had witnessed in his rather young life, seeing his superior bawling his eyes out in suffering and grief ranked quite highly on his scale. And dammit to Tartarus, now he was crying too.

“It wasn’t my idea to cause an emotional breakdown!” Stone howled in response, his words slurred by a combination of waterworks and ale. “Can we please stop this?” Atlas shook his head miserable in response.

“I cant, not any more. I’ve carried this inside for so long.”

“But surely Princess Celestia knows how you feel. I mean you’ve talked with her, haven’t you?”

“Of course I’ve spoken with her!” Atlas snapped, immediately regretting the lashing out. After all, it wasn’t Stone’s fault things had occurred the way they had in the past. He just seemed to bare the brunt of the pain endured back then. Atlas sighed once again. “Sorry. She understood my pain, allowing me all the time it took to cope with it all, vehemently insisting I even retire to a desk job filling applications for new recruits.”

Stone did his best to contain a laugh suddenly roiling up in his gut.

“A desk job? You? I can’t see that ever happening.”

The heavy fog of angst and torment seemed to left somewhat as Atlas managed a half-smile and chortle.

“That’s what I told the princess, explaining that if I ran from it I’d never get better. Though I never went on patrols outside the Equestrian border again, I remained as loyal and devout to her as before. Deep down I think she took a lot of personal blame herself for even suggesting the use of light armor. I didn’t blame her, though, and neither did the few who managed to survive. To this day that fact never changed.”

“I know I’m going to regret this,“ Stone began, “but what exactly happened all those years ago?”

Atlas sighed once more, wiping the moisture form the corners of his eyes. “I remember it like it was only yesterday, Stone.”

Stonehoof leaned slightly forward, his reactions hinged on his Captain’s words.

“There were twelve of us in total: four Pegusi, four Unicorns, and four Earth ponies - six mares and six stallions - all led by Lieutenant Sparkler and hand picked by her as well. She considered us the best of the best and we were not about to disagree with her either.”

Stone absorbed ever word, ever detail, as his Captain laid out his journey before him. He did question why Lieutenant Sparkler led them out in the Wide formation (three rows of four ponies) instead of having the Rank-File (two-by-two with Pegusi in Diamond formation for aerial support). “Princess’s orders” was the response to his question, though he didn’t necessarily agree with the decision. Circumstances always look better in 20/20.

“We were five miles to Griffonstone when it happened. Don’t really know if they’d been following us for a while or exactly how many there were. Everything went black in an instant.”

“They ambushed you? Who, the griffons?”

“Most likely those who aligned themselves with Icarus. They used some type of sleeping gas so we were out before we knew hit us. When we all came to, we found ourselves somewhere underground, shackled and chained, wing-bound, and horn sheathed, completely at the mercy of whomever or whatever.

“Several of our squad called out, vainly hoping their cries would be heard. Sparkler called for everypony to remain calm, for help would come to them. There was a hum of electricity and sets of old, rusty hanging lanterns slowly sparked and flickered to life. That’s when we heard him laugh.”

“Ivanclaw?”

“Yes. He sat upon an enormous, pale throne, a sickening stench emanating from it. To our horror, what he’d been sitting upon was crafted out of a mixture of griffon and pony bones, some that still contained decomposing flesh and tendons attached; the severed heads of his prior victims were displayed above it like a grotesque visage of honor.”

Stone felt the cider reverse direction, coming up in the back of his throat. He reached over and grabbed the waste bin before retching the contents of his stomach within, the nauseating stench of warm cider and bile wafting up his nostrils. Growing up, he’d seen blood and gore before, but this was beyond sickening.

“You alright, Stone?”

Stone shook his head weakly, dry-heaving a few more times before he looked back at the Captain.

“Of course not!” He placed the waste basket back beside his chair, just in case. “What did you expect me to say after that?”

“Calm down. No need to be so defensive. I just want you to know one thing before I continue: it only get’s worse from here.”

Now came the point of no return. Should he stay the course or refuse to listen? With great strength (or morbid curiosity), Stone pushed forward, hoping to Celestia Atlas was not being serious. He nodded weakly.

“He studied us all intently for a few, brief seconds, like a lion stalks his prey, looking for weakness. The malice in his eyes would’ve made even the most stalwart soldier cringe. He reached out to his left, the sound something heavy being pulled amongst the shadows. The slack in our bonds tightened instantly as we were lifted up, our hooves and bodies displayed like ponnequins. There was a swelling of fear amongst our ranks, yet Sparkler emboldened us with her words. 'Be brave and remember the code,' she said. Ivanclaw merely cackled in sadistic delight, promising a slow, painful, torturous death if we resisted. Somehow I think he relished in that very thought. He extended his clawed appendages into the shadows once more, nodding curtly at some unseen being. The fact we were surrounded by the unseen was highly unnerving. When he removed them they were shod in a pair of thick, rubber gloves.” There was a long, uneasy pause between the pair once more. “Tell me, have you ever heard of Nettles before?”

Despite the nausea, Stone cringed, nodding as best he could without causing the need to dry-heave once again. Nettles were a unique type of sentient vegetation, long thought to have originated as an organic defense mechanism to protect the Castle of the Two Sisters long, long ago. After Nightmare Moon's banishment and subsequent abandonment of the castle, they uprooted themselves, becoming nomadic. While rather benign, when threatened, they secrete a sticky, green sap from the tips of their thorns. While not toxic or venomous, it is excruciatingly painful. So painful, in fact, that even Timber wolves avoid them at all costs. Thanks to a discovery by the royal physicians, their sap was now used in surgeries due to the cauterization effects.

“He strolled across the room nonchalantly, reaching a rather antiquated cabinet nestled within the rocky crags to our left. Metallic clangs echoed from somewhere within its confines as Ivan searched thoroughly. Moments later, the sound stopped as he slowly turned, a twisted smile upon his beak and a wooden staff nestled tightly within his grasp. He rotated his hands counter-clockwise, causing the staff to elongate, two metal protrusions to extend with a soft “snick”. At one end was a long, thin, and smooth rod, about the size of a large knitting needle, that glowed with a sickly, green tint. At the opposite was the blade of a rapier, sharp enough to scratch dragon scale, coated in the same green tint.” Atlas gave a deeply bitter laugh. “I'm sure you can guess what happened next.”

“Torture.”

“Torture? Torture is just a word compared to the savagery Ivan cast upon us that day. His was more akin to some sick fetish.” Atlas paused again for composure. This was far more difficult on him than Stone could possibly imagine. “The first to go was Thundercracker, the air scout of the Fifth Regiment. There was a metallic screech as Ivan pulled Thundercracker along the guided rails in the ceiling to the center of the cavern, like an animal ready for slaughter. There was a loud “thwack” as Ivan stuck the side of Thundercracker's jaw with the staff in his grasp. He groaned out it pain, too dizzy to do much else. That was his attention getter, as Ivan so eloquently put it, wanting details on Celestia's plans for the Griffon Kingdom in exchange for a swift death. 'Go buck yourself' was the received answer. We all knew that was exactly what he wanted to hear.”

“The Royal Guard would never cooperate with the enemy, no matter the- oh...”

“Reaching out with his claws, Ivan took Thundercracker's wing in his grasp, forcefully extended it, and with the flick of his wrist, lopped it off with the serrated edge of the staff.”

Without thinking, Stone quickly grabbed his own, mouth agape, in shock. What kind of fucked-up being would do that to a pony? Even Discord, the Lord of Chaos, had ethical standards compared to Ivanclaw.

“He opened his mouth to scream, but nothing emerged. Taking this as a sign, Ivan continued, switching ends and dragging the smooth end from the base of his skull to his cutie mark, only stopping there to gouge the sensitive flesh surrounding it. It was then he let out a pained, shrieking wail, piercing our very souls to their cores. Ivan laughed, getting the response he'd wanted from the beginning. He asked the same question once again, testing the integrity and fortitude of his captive. The answer he received was the same as before, which only pressed him to try harder. Either way, it was a win-win for Ivan.

“He continued, each gouge, each scratch, each cut causing Thundercracker to become weaker and weaker. In the end, Ivan became bored, deciding it was time for a fresh body. Taking the smooth end of the staff, he placed it in Thundercracker's sphincter and ran him clean through, the very same smooth end exiting at the base of his throat. He went immediately into convulsions, eyes rolling back into his skull, a mixture of foam and blood exiting his agape mouth. It was over quickly and, with one final spastic jerk, Thundercracker relaxed and lay still. There was the sound of slick wetness as Ivan pulled the staff from his victim's body, giving a stern look of disappointment, like he'd expected more of a challenge. Reaching up, Ivan pulled the small cotter pin connecting the chains to the pulley system. Thundercracker's body hit the ground with a wet, dull thud, the chains collapsing onto his lifeless body.”

“I need another cider,” Stone said as he stood, making his way to the fridge. “I'll try and keep this one down.”

“Get me another while you're up. I'm definitely going to need it, too.”

Procuring a couple more brews, Stone returned to his seat, handing one to his Captain. Atlas chugged a fifth of his quickly, only to pause and stare down into it.

“He was lucky, you know?” came the Captain's surprising verbalization. “Thundercracker, I mean.”

“What? How exactly was he lucky?”

“Because, despite the horrific acts he was forced to endure, it was over for him. There would be no more pain, no watching your squad being brutally taken apart. For the rest of us it was only a matter of time.” Atlas leaned back in his chair, a small creak emanating from its spring, and stared at the ceiling tile. “He didn't have to hear the sounds of meat and bone as his body was dragged off and consumed somewhere amongst the shadows, watch as Ivan split Raindancer down the center for having the temerity to spit in his face. That sick bastard even ate the unborn foal from her womb. By the gods, if Celestia had known she was pregnant she'd never have sent her on the mission in the first place.

“I don't recall exactly when it happened, but shortly before Ivan's blade was set to disembowel Sparkler, my senses were overwhelmed with explosions, dust, and light. Through the dirt and debris, I caught glimpses of Illiana and Celestia, each with their selected guards, dressed to the hilt in enchanted battle armor. Through some miracle, they'd found us, much to our relief and Ivan's disdain. In his panic, he tried to run, only to be pinned forcefully against the wall by Celestia's magical prowess.” Atlas paused one more, taking a long, healthy drink of cider. “Illiana dragged the bound Ivan off as Celestia freed us from our bonds, his screams and threats echoing long after they'd vanished from sight.”

For the first time since Atlas began retelling the horrors he and his squad had encountered, Stonehoof no longer had the urge to vomit. Instead, he gripped the edges of his seat, it's metal sides warping and folding under his direct assault.

Stone was angry. No, he was furious to the degree of blurred vision. War was war, he made no qualms of that fact. There would always be the darker side of conflicts as well. But what Ivan had done, especially to Raindancer, made him wish he had been there to do the same to Ivan himself. He could taste the copper in his mouth. He'd bit his lip in anger.

“I know how you feel, Stone,” Atlas said, extending his forelegs towards him, revealing a set of dull lines beneath his coat. Scars. Stone's anger quickly changed to shock and horror at the sight.

“You… you didn't...”

“No,” Atlas reassured, giving Stone a huge sigh of relief, “they were caused my struggle against the bonds that held me. I wanted to get my hooves on Ivan, even if it meant my own death in doing so. Though I did have thoughts after the fact, Celestia helped me through it.”

“Wait, you said 'others'. How many of yo- er, the squad made it out?”

“Five: Sparkler, Divebomb, Bright Steel, Firefly, and myself.”

“Are, are they still around?”

The air was briefly filled with an uneasy silence as Atlas took another long swill from his cider, stopping only to stare at the bottle, almost as if silently asking it how to proceed in answering the query placed before him.

“Not many of them, no.” Another long pause. There seemed to be a lot of those occurring within this conversation. “We found Bright Steel, or what was left of him, near the entrance of an Ursa hibernation cave. Apparently, he'd gone in knowing the risks of doing so. Divebomb to a much more direct approach by binding his wings and leaping from the highest spire on the castle. Sparkler remained within the Academy, foregoing active duty and focused her energies on training recruits. Unfortunately, Ivan's torture had left her sterile. Her inability to foal finally took its tole on her psyche and, one day, she never showed up for class. She was found several days later in an Everfree Forest clearing. Timber wolves had gotten her, only left the parts they didn't like.”

Stone held up his hoof, waving it in a “hold on a second” movement.

“Wait, wait. So they willingly ended their own lives? But they survived, had families and children, I assume. Even if Sparkler couldn't foal she could have adopted. Surely Celestia offered any help she could. I don't understand this. I- It-”

“It's like I said before, remember? Those who died at Ivanclaw's hands no longer had to suffer? Physical injuries leave scars, just as mental and emotional due, but they are invisible to the naked eye. It's why they made the choices the did. No amount of help could get through the blockades that their minds had formed. And, believe me, we tried.”

He rolled the nearly empty canister of cider slowly between his hooves, once again deep in thought.

“Celestia took it the hardest of us all, you know. I mean, every time one of our squad mates died under mysterious consequences, she had to inform the next of kin while spinning the facts to save them from the horrors that the deceased had endured. They could never know the honest truth, and that fact alone emotionally crushed her. She knew, deep down, the risk of retaliation was too great. Add to that the rumors of Nightmare Moon's return...”

Atlas siphoned the remaining nourishment, letting out a hearty “ahh!”, dropping the empty bottle into the waste basket with a wet, sloppy thunk, giving Stone a case of the nauseating shivers. Had it really come to this? Was the burden of their lives that much that they all welcomed the embrace of death?

“Don't think it's all horrible news I have,” Atlas spoke at the mixed emotions on his student's face. “Firefly left on good terms, returning to Cloudsdale and becoming one of the directing mares at the Rainbow Factory. Last anyone of us had heard, she'd met her special somepony and they'd had a foal together. I've never had the pleasure to meet her, but I hear she's quite the little flier. So good, in fact, she's the youngest to join the Junior Speedsters. Oh, and Celestia has taken up a new apprentice. Twilight Sparkle, I believe it is, daughter of Night Light and Twilight Velvet. Quite the curious little filly, always fascinated by anything and everything magic related. Always has her muzzle in a book, trying to absorb as much as her brain can hold in any given sitting. I'm sure you'll find her running around soon enough, so watch your hoof-falls.” Atlas let out a contented sigh. “Rumor is she's headed for Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Wouldn't surprise me in the least.”

“And Ivan, what happened to him?”

Stone nearly bit his tongue in apprehension, realizing the words that just came from his muzzle. It was painful enough for his captain to dredge up these horrid memories without him adding to it. Fortunately, it didn't seem to faze him, at least, not visually. And for that, he was thankful.

“Well, the official report received indicated that after his incarceration, and the subsequent capture of all those associated, he was banished the depths of Tartarus for the rest of his days.”

“Well, it's good to know he was held accountable for-”

“Unofficially though? She had everyone associated with Ivan led into the town square and, in front of every griffon, beheaded them, one by one, until only Ivan himself remained. He continued to rattle off threats and curses, even as the queen trussed him up as he'd done so many others. Those same harsh words quickly turned to cries of fear and pleas of mercy once his eyes came upon the very staff he'd used on his victims. I'm told Illiana took her time in exacting vengeance upon him for his crimes, allowing him to suffer for hours before his life was rendered inconsequential. Celestia didn't remain to see punishment handed down, feeling she'd been in the presence of death enough for one day.” Atlas slowly rose from his chair, stretching the stiffness forming in his muscles. “So now you know the truth of what happened so long ago. But tell me, knowing what you know now, what would you have done in my hooves?”

Of all the questions he was prepared to answer, this wasn't one of them. In fact, it was so far out in left field that it took him a few moments to process it fully. What would he have done? On the one hoof, If he'd been in his captain's hooves, he wouldn't have thought twice about exacting vengeance upon the griffons. On the other though, he'd gotten to know some really great griffons during his time at the Academy, especially Lazarus. Man could he fly! It would be a shame to take aggression out on him over something that happened so many years prior.

“As much as I can sympathize and understand your feelings Captain, I cannot, in good conscious, hold an entire race responsible for the actions of just a few. If you hold that against me I won't blame you, but my position on the matter will not change.”

Atlas then smiled. Not a fake smile, but a real, genuine, honest-to-goodness grin that curled his lips upwards towards his ears. To see his captain smile like that was strange, to say the least. Hey, at least he was smiling, right? Just why did it seem so creepy?

“Celestia told me I'd make the right choice.”

Stone blinked in confusion. Celestia? What in Equestria did Celestia have to do with anything? And what choice was Atlas referring to? Suddenly, his eyes went wide, the elephant hiding in the room grabbed it's top hat and cane, proceeding to tap-dance into view.

“Captain, I agreed to the rules at the beginning of our conversation, but...”

Atlas' smile never faltered, but his left eyebrow made a slow, steady climb toward the ceiling. Geez, could he get any creepier?

“I mean, I'm not going to speak of our discussion, as I gave you my solemn promise, but Celestia has ears everywhere, you know? I'd give it twenty-four hours until word reaches her. I'm sure your get off with minor punishment, but I'll be locked in the dungeon for years at best. I don't want to think of the worst case scenario.”

“What you say is true. Celestia warned of the consequences of leaking redacted information.” Stone visually swallowed. His fears were about to become reality. “She also stated that, when the time was right, I was to inform my replacement of what had truly happened, continuing the oral tradition until she felt her subjects could understand the truth and why she hid it from them.”

Stone worked his jaw, trying to force it to work properly after hearing his captain's words. “D-did you just call me… your replacement?”

“You've still a long way to go, mind you, but your potential is astronomical. By Celestia, you'll be the youngest to advance in your training, even younger than Shining Armor!”

Atlas rose and turned, heading towards the room's exit and unlocking the door with a loud “snick”. He looked back over his shoulder at his young cadet, still smiling.

“I've been though a lot in my years as Captain,” he began, “lost a lot of comrades, too. But what happened with Ivanclaw was the worst of the worst for all involved. Despite that dark time, not a one of us – living or deceased – broke under his torturous onslaught. Remember this: no matter the size of your army, the power of its magic or the brute strength it possesses as a whole, you're only truly as strong as your weakest link. When the time comes for me to step down I only ask that you remember what you've learned here.”

Stone didn't know what to say. After all, it wasn't every day you find out about a dark part of history and plans for your own promotion. It was a lot to take in. He looked to his captain for greater explanation only to find that the warm (albeit creepy) smile and softer features had been replaced with those of worry and concern.

“Captain, are you alright?”

He blinked his eyes several times in confusion. Had Atlas just called him “Captain”? Why in Celestia's name would he refer to him as the same title(and why did Atlas' voice suddenly sound so feminine?)

Atlas quickly made his way back to where his student was seated, grabbing him by his shoulders and shaking him gently.

“C'mon, Captain, snap out of it!”

(Present time)

“Please, Captain, answer me.”

The serene safety of his past soon faded away, sterile whites and wood tones replaced with dampness, low light and the raucousness of a continuing scuffle. A pair of deeply concerned azure eyes staring deeply into his. Stonehoof blinked away what remained of the fog of his past.

“C-cirrus?” Her concern quickly faded into relief.

“Thank Celestia.” she let out a deep sigh, “You were staring off into space for, like, five minutes or so. I couldn't get your attention. Are you okay?”

“I- yes, I'm fine. Just caught up in an old memory.” A large cacophony of punching and swearing caught his attention. He groaned in frustration. “Really?”

“I'm sorry, Captain, but I couldn't get them to stop. They're like a couple of yearlings fighting over their favorite toy.”

“Hey guy! I'm back with the- ugh. You two are fighting AGAIN?!? I can't leave you two alone for five minutes.”

“Slipstream!” Cirrus exclaimed, catching his eye as she peered around her captain, his pale blue coat and two-tone magenta mane and tail easy to spot without the enchantment of his royal armor. “Where have you been?”

“I should ask you the same question,” came his snappy retort. “I saw you fly off and leave post the moment turned my back.”

Stonehoof groaned aloud. One pair of infighting ponies was enough without these two getting into it.

“Slipstream-”

“I told you that I had to report to the captain about what we'd found. You even acknowledged that I told you this. Were you even paying attention? Or were you running off to do your own thing as usual?”

“Cirrus-”

“Well some of us have important work assigned to us that doesn't involve kissing flank!”

Stonehoof reared up on his hind legs and slammed his hooves into the ground with enough force to rustle the leaves in the nearby Night Oak trees.

“QUIET!!” he roared, bringing all commotions to an abrupt halt. “There's been enough chaos around here without you for adding to it!” He snorted in disgust at the whole mess. “I want all of you front and center. NOW!”

Momentarily, all four of his cadets were aligned, prim and proper, if you consider two beaten and bruised, one sans armor, and one unsure of herself prim and proper. They were all tired and scared from all the commotion of the previous days, so was he, but it was at times like these that he needed them all the be at their best. He would discuss that matter at a later date. For now…

“Skyline. Cloud Racer. I want the both of you to procure whatever this “information” is, bring it to me, and return to the Royal Armory where you'll spend the next twenty-four hours detailing said armor.”

Any qualms the two may have begun to formulate within the confines of their minds was quashed by Stone's steely gaze. The pair simply nodded, cantered to the base of the nearest Night Oak, returning with several large pieces of plaster tucked under each wing. They placed it on the ground quickly, nodded once more, and returned to headquarters, disappearing quickly in the distance. He immediately turned his attention to the four plaster molds laid at his hooves. Now the tricky part began in deciphering what was what. He picked up the furthest one from his left, noticing the wide yet long path with strange grooves running its length.

“Slipstream, tell me exactly what I'm looking at here. Is this some sort of wagon wheel we don't know about?”

“I had fooled around with that notion myself, Sir, but there were a couple of details that prevented those ideas from coming to fruition.”

Stonehoof's left eyebrow rose significantly. “Such as?”

“Well, despite it's size, this track is relatively shallow, meaning that if this is a new type of wagon being pulled, it would have been extremely heavy and left behind a much deeper gouge in the mud. Also, wagons don't have… whatever these strange grooves are on them. Also, there were no hoof or claw prints found anywhere near the area, meaning that whatever it was that created it was a self sustaining force – which goes along with the report of Rainbow calling it a “horseless carriage”.”

“Sir, if I may,” Cirrus spoke, “I believe, based upon the markings and grooves left behind, that these are some form of water removal channels. Whisperings around the castle guards hint that the scientists were working on a method to help make it safer for carriages and other land-based forms of transportation traveling during unfavorable conditions such as rain, ice, and snow.” She ran her hoof gingerly along its ridges. “Very advanced design, very high-tech.”

Cirrus was right on all accounts, as per the norm. The scientists back at the Academy were always trying to be on the cutting edge of revolutionary ideas. Sometimes Stonehoof wondered if those ponies every saw the light of day or if they had families the way they churned out new ideas seemingly every other day.

“So we're in agreement about the “wagon track”. Could you two care to explain these?” Stone asked, motioning to the remaining plaster molds. “I've never seen anything like them.”

Slipstream rubbed the side of his neck, confused. “It could be a minotaur, as it has four fingers and a thumb imprint, but I've never seen nor heard of a minotaur of this caliber. A centaur perhaps… but it still falls into the same category. Plus there were no hoof prints found, other than our own.” He rubbed his neck once more. “I'm sorry Captain, but I'm at a loss as to what left them.”

Of all the answers that could have been spoken, “I don't know” was one that Stonehoof was hoping to avoid. He mulled the situation over and over again in his mind, the outcome always the same: a set of unknown tracks left by an unknown being who's whereabouts were unknown. That was far too many “unknowns” for his liking. By Twilight's account of the incident, the being or creature or whatever it was, left towards the heavens from whence it came, yet he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, like they were being watched. Stone groaned inwardly, the stress of the past several days compounding an already tense set of circumstances. He needed a vacation.

“Slipstream, where is your armor?”

“At the base of the trees next to where Skyline and Cloud Racer were fighting.”

Stone glanced over his shoulder. Sure enough, Slipstream's protective plating was seated neatly at the base of an adjacent Night Oak, devoid of any scuffs, dirt, or debris, despite the proximity to the previous brawl.

“I want you to suit up and take these findings to Princess Celestia. We'll let her decide our next course of action.” Stone leaned in towards Slipstream. “Afterward you can join Skyline and Cloud Racer in the Armory and help with the detailing, seeing as how you decided to break regs.”

The sight of Slipstream's jaw nearly hitting the ground was a de-stressing moment for him; the look was priceless.

“But Captain,” Slipstream started, trying to defend his actions, “Rule 17a subsection 4 paragraph 2 states that armor be removed when dealing with non-hostile situations, especially with matters of scientific collection to prevent any cross-contamination.”

“The rules also state that any and all rules can be overruled by the commanding officer if and when that state of hostilities is unknown. And considering none of us here can verify with certainty that our visitor is gone, I have the final say in the matter.”

Slipstream dropped the subject entirely and gave a crisp, silent salute before gathering his armor. Trying to press the issue with his captain would most certainly lead to something much worse that armor duty, most likely latrine detail. He shuddered at the very thought of going through that again. As he retrieved his helmet, a small, crystalline vile rolled from beneath it, striking his left hoof gently, a blue, pearlescent glow pulsing gently from the contents inside. He blinked a few times before the realization hit him: he'd forgotten all about it! Suiting up quickly, Slipstream carefully procured his hidden artifact and returned to the captain.

“Before I leave, Captain, I found one more thing you need to see.” He took the vial gently in his wing tips, passing to his captain.

“What in the name of Celestia...” Stonehoof said absently, taking the vial gently with his wingtips. It was unlike anything he'd seen before. Within the reenforced confines of the crystal prison that held it, the strange glowing liquid rolled gently as he rocked it back and forth. There wasn't much of the substance – maybe three or four thimbles worth – but it reacted strangely to the ministrations applied to it. The contents had the consistency of warm maple syrup, pulsed gently with each twist and turn, and never left behind any residue of the inner walls of the container, even as laid the vial horizontally. It then occurred to him that he was rolling an unknown substance rather haphazardly with no knowledge of what might happen. Not his brightest moment, but he managed to hide his fallacy rather well. Yup, definitely going to berate his-self later. “Where did you find this?”

“On the bark of some trees near the old crystal mine entrance. There wasn't a whole lot of it to be found, however. I'm just glad those two didn't manage to somehow destroy what little I was able to recover.”

Cirrus's eyes went comically wide.

“Is that b-buh-blood?”

“Ooh! You know, it very well could be,” Slipstream teased. “Can you imagine it? A monster with blue blood that lurks in the shadows to stalk it's victims?”

Poor Cirrus was on the verge of collapse when Stonehoof put his hoof down, both physically and metaphorically.

“Keep it up and I'll ad latrine duty to armor detail.” That comment zipped his soldier's lip quickly. “This new information changes nothing. You have your orders, now get to it.”

Slipstream saluted crisply, gathered the physical evidence and took flight toward the palace. Stone watched until his soldier shrank to a speck before turning to a clump of Night Oaks, shaking his head and groaning aloud.

“I swear, that kid'll drive me to moonshine one day.”

“Moonshine?” Cirrus questioned, “That's a bit much, isn't it? I mean, it wasn't named after Princess Luna for nothing. That stuff is stout.”

“Well, if Celestia made an alcohol and named it Sunshine it probably still wouldn't be enough.”

The two shared a hearty laugh, a much needed relief to the compounded stress levels of the last several days. They remained silent for a moment as Stonehoof's gaze elevated into the foliage of the Night Oak in front of him, its branches heavily laded with bloodfruit seed pods; a particularly large sack of the fine nuts grew near the upper trunk.

“Looks like the Thestrals will be in hog heaven this year,” Stone said absentmindedly. “There's enough fruit seeds in those pods for the next several winters.”

“Yeah,” Cirrus acknowledged, “even if they gorge themselves every day.”

There was a time when those very pods terrified her. As a filly, her parents would often scold her when she'd done wrong, telling her that bad foals would be taken in the night by bat ponies and placed in pods, warning that naughty foals would become bloodfruit for the night ponies to eat. That alone kept her on the straight and narrow for years until, one day, she let a word she'd learned from the pony down lane slip, causing her to be sent home from school with a letter from her teacher. She remembered pleading on her knees, through sobs and sniffles, not to let the bat ponies turn her into a snack. Several long hours (and many, many apologies) later, Cirrus came to the understanding of what bat ponies and bloodfruit really were. Thestrals, her parents explained, were just a race of ponies that were close to the Lunar Princess and spent most of their time resting during the heat of the day. Apart from several physical features (and highly enhanced night vision), they were no different from anypony else. They weren't vicious, they didn't drink blood, and they definitely didn't kidnap and eat bad children. bloodfruit wasn't made from bad little ponies, either. They were a special kind of fruit that had the combination of strawberries, bananas, and blackberries only grew where the conditions were just so for Night Oaks to flourish. They were only labeled as such do to their naturally occurring crimson coloration and tendency to “weep” red when a heavy dew formed upon them. Thestrals found them to be an irresistible delicacy due to their sweet, tangy flavor and crunchy texture. Word around the castle is that, upon Luna's return and subsequent saving at the hooves of the Elements, the Thestrals gave Celestia an abundance of blood fruit as a peace offering. So impressed was the princess that she named the fruit as on of the greatest in Equestria, enjoyed by everyday ponies and dignitaries alike. Soon, Night Oak plantations were springing up in locations as far away as Neighpon and Saddle Arabia, just to be able to handle the high demand for the fruit (Thestrals simply did not have the supply to go with the heightened need).

“Do you think we'll be able to sample a few pieces once they're harvested?” She'd had it before, during her multiple shifts at the castle, but they were imported, grown with the help of earth pony and unicorn magics. But these? The one's right in front of her? A gift from the heavens. Her saliva glands began working overtime at the very thought, causing her to quickly wipe the drool away before her captain noticed.

“I don't see why they wouldn't but it's better to ask Princess Luna's permission, just to be sure.”

“Yeah... Good point.”

The pair remained silent for a few moments, choosing to view the intricacy of the leaves upon the branches instead. Slipstream hated awkward pauses in conversations, specifically when she had so much to say but couldn't form the words within her mouth.

“Um, Captain?”

“Yes?”

“Do you think it's safe now? I mean, is 'it' gone?”

Stone let out a half-chuckle. “Why, are you scared?”

“Yes, I'm absolutely terrified.” Apparently his light hearted comment hadn't been taken the right way. “I've trained for every situation, read every book and scroll, but this? I don't- I cant-”

She let out a soft gasp as the captain placed a hoof on her withers, smiling gently.

“I completely understand your feelings on the matter,” he reassured her, “as I have found myself wary of the unknown as well. After all, fear of the unknown is a perfectly reasonable outcome.” He slowly lowered his hoof back to its previous resting point. “If I'm completely honest with you, I'm scared, too.”

“I- really?”

“Hey, just because I've been around longer doesn't mean I still don't fear the unknown. Like I said, it is a natural reaction.” He gave his wings a quick stretch. “You know what else is a natural reaction? A few pints of Applejack Daniels. As soon as the night guards arrive, what do you say we hit the tavern? I could use a stiff drink right about now.”

“But what about, you know...”

“I don't think 'it' is still here. I mean, we've been patrolling the entire area around the castle for almost a week, with no signs other that the tracks that were recovered. If it was lingering about, surely it would have tried something by now.” He still had that uneasy feeling of being watched, but was beginning to come to the conclusion it was his nerves and nothing more.

“You're right, I just… think I'll take you up on that drink.”

*

The doors to the throne room:

Large.

Powerful.

Stoic.

They were also unmoving, which made a certain unicorn mare's worries grow lager and her pacing faster. What was taking so long for the princesses to get to them? Surely it was important or they wouldn't have been summoned. Was it a prank to lighten the mood? If so, it was more along the lines of something Luna would do (Celestia tended to be a little more sly, like when she visited Ponyville and the whole “Gotcha!” scene with the Cakes) seeing as it was more her forte. If this really was a joke it wasn't funny. Twilight growled and snorted, beginning the monotonous route once more. As she turned, she found her path blocked by a familiar orange pony.

“Uh, Twilight? I don't want to state the obvious but you're startin' ta wear the polish off the floor with yer pacin'. Ya need ta calm down just a tad.”

“I agree, darling. After all the hard work the staff put into the upkeep of the castle, you're making quite the conundrum for them.”

Twilight snorted once more. “I don't know what you're talking about! I am not worrying that-” she looked down, noticing the dull path engraved into the polished surroundings. Her ears drooped slightly in embarrassment. “-oh… Maybe I am little concerned...”

Fluttershy gingerly approached the unicorn mare, hoping to keep her friends from devolving into a shouting match. There had been enough of that for an entire life time. For her, anyway.

“You should, um, calm down, Twilight. I'm sure the princesses have a good reason to make us wait… if you want to, that is.”

Twilight sighed heavily, plopping her rump down on the floor.

“I know, it's just… I want answers, you know? I don't like being left in the dark, especially in light of a discovery such as this.” She found herself becoming giddy once again. “The chance for first contact is so enticing.” She sighed once more. “Sorry, girls.”

The six friends let out an “aw!” and all closed in for a group hug. It felt nice to have her friends around her. No matter the situation, through thick and thin, they'd always have each other. Sometimes it was easy to forget that. After all, they may be the saviors of Equestria, but they weren't perfect. The heavy sound of doors opening broke the group apart as a pair of heavily armored guards exited the throne room, taking their respective places outside.

“The princesses will see you now.”

Twilight nodded politely to the guards as she led her friends into the throne room, the sound of the doors closing behind them deafeningly loud in her ears. In the massively open room she suddenly felt terrified, like the weight of failure pressing down massively upon her shoulder. She'd wanted so fervently to know what the princesses had required of her and her friends, now she felt like the new filly in magical kindergarten, afraid of angering the teacher. Twilight abhorrently detested that feeling. Why was she feeling this now? Where was this fear coming from? Had she previously done something wrong and the princesses were just now able to acknowledge it? Her despair grew enormously as the realization hit her: her friends would be going down with her! Collateral damage for something they hadn't done. No! She couldn't let them take the fall for her mistakes. She'd come up with a plan, maybe even beg Celestia for-

“Uh Twilight? You okay?”

“Huh? Oh! Spike, you startled me.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Of course I'm fine. Why do you ask?”

“Well, once you saw Celestia and Luna, you just stopped walking. I thought maybe you were having another panic attack, like that one time when you didn't send a friendship lesson.”

Taking in her immediate surroundings, Twilight found that, indeed, Spike was right. She'd stopped only a few feet from the massive doors, taking notice that her friends had continued on, leaving her alone with Spike. She also caught a brief exchange between Celestia and one of her pegasus guards before he left a rather cumbersome looking group of items, nodded, and then flew out the balcony exit. Fear once again took a backseat to her now piqued curiosity. She took a deep breath, exhaling her anxiety.

“Spike, why don't you join up with Rarity and the others.”

“If it's all the same to you, I think I'll stay.”

Twilight said nothing as the two made haste across the throne room, kneeling in respect with their friends. The animosity between Spike and Rarity was still high, but she thought it better to let the two work it out amongst themselves. At least for now.

“Ah! We are most pleased to see you and your friends once again, Twilight Sparkle; however, there is no need for such formalities.”

“Yes, Luna is quite correct.” Celestia nodded, motioning for her “subjects” to rise. “We simply wanted to see you all and personally thank you for all your hard work in effort in helping the evacuation of Ponyville. I know it has been tough on you all, especially given the “circumstances” which occurred while you were here.” the princess gave a soft smile. “It's good to see you doing well, Rainbow Dash. I was relieved to hear that there were no lasting effects.”

Rainbow puffed out her chest gloatingly. “Well, I AM pretty awesome.”

Celestia simply cocked an eyebrow while Luna bit her lip to keep from laughing. Dash let out a muted “oof” as a familiar orange pony elbowed her firmly in the ribs.

“That's quite enough, Dash.” the palomino pony removed her hat, nodding politely the princesses. “Not ta be rude, yer highness’s, but ya could have talked ta us at any time with the other folks 'round here. Not that Ah don't respect the gratitude, that's not the real reason you wanted to see us, is it?”

A wide-eyed Twilight gasped loudly. “Applejack!”

“There is no need to become upset, my faithful student. Applejack is quite right in her assessment.. While we could have spoken at length at any given opportunity, we felt it better to discuss matters more privately amongst your groups of friends.”

Pinkie bounced enthusiastically before saluting the two sisters. “Don't you worry, I Pinkie promise to keep what ever secrets you're about to tell us safe – FOREVER!!!”

Princess Luna's left eyebrow rose both in question and in curiosity.

“While I am sure that you have no trouble keeping things private, Pinkie, I can certainly assure you that no such measures will be required. My sister and I wanted to talk about Ponyville.”

The entire group to a half-step back in surprise. With all the chaos that had been erupting around them they'd completely forgotten about home. With everyone evacuated and with no real form of communication with other local towns, there was no way to know what shape Ponyville now resided in, if it was repairable, or if there was even a Ponyville to go back to. Not what anyone of them wanted to focus on at the moment. Sensing the rising tension, Celestia quickly intervened.

“Please understand the situation that Luna and I find ourselves in. The capitol simply does not have the room nor supplies for this many ponies. Most of the residents are patient and understanding, but rumblings have begun and we fear word will get around the citizens of Ponyville. So far we've been able to keep it contained with the help of the Royal Guard, but it's only a matter of time until tensions escalate too far to keep subdued. That is why I need you and your friends to investigate Ponyville, see how much damage has been done by the weather. Doing so will relieve much of the tension growing amongst the populace, even if it takes longer than anticipated to complete repair work to the town.” Celestia sighed heavily. “My sister and I simply cannot handle extra load of stress this is adding.” Fluttershy sank back into her friends.

“I wasn't aware we were causing so much trouble,” she whispered meekly.

“Ah don't think that's what the princesses are sayin', sugarcube.”

Of course not, my dear Fluttershy,” Celestia reassured soothingly. “I know it seems we are throwing you all under the metaphorical wagon here, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. You all saved countless lives through your actions. I just wish others could see that as well.”

Twilight had never seen her teacher so down before, and she didn't like it one bit. Not that she was blind to the reasoning behind her emotions, it was just… unfair that the princesses had to bear the emotional baggage that their being there was causing. Surely Celestia and Luna both knew they hadn't done it intentionally. Plus she did send the Royal car specifically for their transportation…

“Please, darlings,” Rarity said her most regal tone, “there is no reason to be so distraught about the present matter. As I'm sure Twilight and the rest of my friends will agree, we will do whatever we can to make things right, even if it means anonymity.” she sighed. “That said, I can only imagine the shape the Boutique is in...” Rarity feigned a fainting spell, collapsing onto her favorite lounge chair.

“Now that ya mention it, Ah really need to get back to the farm. No tell'n what shape tha orchard's in. Plus we're gonna need ta harvest some apples ta feed the workers, at least until more supplies arrive.”

“Ooh! And I get the ovens running at Sugarcube Corner and help feed ponies, too. Don'tcha worry, Applejack, we'll turn those apples into pies, turnovers, ice cream sundaes...” Pinkie trailed off, staring blankly at the domed ceiling, a sliver of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.

“Uh, thanks Pinkie. Ah think.”

“No problemo! Things are gonna be okey-dokey-lokie!”

Fluttershy cleared her throat gingerly. “I should get back to my cottage and check on the animals. Poor dears are probably terrified.”

“Hey! And I can get back to Cloudsdale, arrange weather patterns to prevent any further precipitation while we work. The last thing Ponyville or the surrounding area needs is more rain. Maybe we can request more assistance from other weather teams, if they aren't overwhelmed as well.”

“I suppose I could use the library as a base of operations, keep everything running as smoothly as possible.”

Celestia smiled soothingly at their answers. “It would seem that you all have a plan of action. I will inform the guards immediately. They will begin discretely loading the supplies that you request, as well as any other ponies that you think may be of assistance.” Twilight rubbed her chin absently.

“Well, we're going to need the basics: shovels, picks, non perishable foods, medicals supplies such as bandages and disinfectants. Couldn't hurt to bring Dr. Monitor and Nurse Redheart along, their expertise would be invaluable. It would be a good idea to bring another pegasus with us just in case unicorn magic is still restricted back in Ponyville. That way we can still communicate until any lasting effects of the storm have dissipated.”

“We should stop the train before it gets to Ponyville,” Spike yelped as he pushed his way through the throng of pony bodies. “All the excessive rain caused the tracks at the boarding station to sink. If we don't stop short, the train could derail, causing more problems for the survey. One of the conductors told me about it before I- um, h-he told me about it...”

Celestia furrowed her brow. “I see.” her features quickly returned to their normal, royal stance. “We are all thankful that you remembered, Spike. If there is anything else that comes to mind, please inform either Luna or myself immediately.”

“Of course, your highness’s.”

Luna reached over, prodding her sister gently in the ribs.

“Dear sister, I do believe it is time for their reward. Don't you agree?” Celestia smiled in response.

“Yes, of course Luna.”

“Reward?” they called out in questioning unison.

The pair rose from their thrones, with Celestia taping her armored hoof with a soft “clink”. The doors opened once more, revealing the spa twins, Aloe and Lotus. Thy both knew Canterlot had its own stress relief centers with some of the best in griffon, minotaur and pony masseuses in all of Equestria, but they had felt it better to have some familiar faces (plus it would be nigh on impossible to get an appointment, even with a royal decree). The pair cantered softly across the polished hone of the throne room, their hoof-falls barely a whisper in the large, cavernous expanse, and knelt.

“We are at your disposal, princess.”

“How go the preparations in the royal baths? Is the “surprise” ready?”

Aloe nodded vigorously. “Everything is as you wished. And may I just say, you have ze best taste in-”

“You'll have to forgive my dear sister, princesses,” Lotus interjected, covering Aloe's mouth with her hoof, “for this is the first time we've been where the décor and amenities were of such exquisite detail. The poor dear is merely overwhelmed.” She cleared her throat gingerly. “We are ready as soon as you give the word.” Luna clopped her hooves together enthusiastically.

“Most superb! Twilight, it would please us greatly if you and your friends would follow Aloe and Lotus to the royal baths. We feel that you all have earned a reward for your efforts in evacuating Ponyville.” Twilight's cheeks tinted pink.

“We're only doing what anypony else would have done, nothing more. Not that we don't appreciate the adoration, but there really is no need for-” Rarity silenced her friend with a well-timed hoof over her mouth.

“I believe the poor dear is overly exhausted and is trying to say she's grateful for the gratitude you are displaying. Isn't that right, dear?”

“Mrmph! Glirmph!” Twilight muttered, cutting her eyes menacingly at her friend while Celestia did her regal best to stifle the laughter welling up in her throat. Her faithful student for so many years, one of the descendants of the Apple family, the fastest flier to hail from Cloudsdale in the past 1,000 years, the premiere party planner of Ponyville, the best fashion trend-setter this side of Canterlot, and the most shy, reserved and kind animal helper Equestria has probably ever seen. Looking at them now it was no wonder the Elements chose them to wield their power. Reminiscing through memories could wait. Celestia cleared her throat with a little more authority, grasping their attention. The commotion halted instantly.

“While I understand your disagreement, Twilight Sparkle, but you and your friends need this. After all, we need you all in top mental and physical condition to handle the rigors of your upcoming task.” she gave a mischievous smile. “It is also a royal decree. Just enjoy yourself, for our sakes.”

Seeing as any objection would turn into a losing battle, Twilight and her friends (Rarity most enthusiastically) conceded defeat, following Aloe and Lotus out of the throne room, the large, elegant doors closing quietly behind them. As the Solar guards returned to their positions, Celestia rested her posterior gently back upon her throne, sighing questioningly. Luna's sensitive ears easily caught the change of her sister's tone.

“Two bits for your thoughts, Tia?”

“It's just… did you notice the uneasy nature between Spike and Rarity? I could literally feel the tension between them.” Luna nodded slowly.

“As did I. Perhaps it would be wise to investigate further? I would not want bitter feelings to exist among friends. I believe dream walking would be a much more personal without involving everypony.”

“As tempting as the offer is Lulu, I feel it's better to let them work it out amongst themselves. Interfering now would aggravate the situation further. Let us give it time for now. In the mean time, we've got more important things to discuss.” Celestia rose briskly from her throne. ”Come.”

She led her younger sister out of the throne room and onto the balcony overlooking the city below. Celestia took a deep breath, taking in the still coolness of the evening air. It wouldn't be much longer until Luna took control of the moon, changing the blues, yellows and whites into the purples and maroons of night. It was peaceful… yet she was uneasy.

“You are uneasy, sister.” Luna said softly. “Are you worried about our visitor?”

Celestia sighed. “Am I that easy to read, Luna?” she sighed once again. “Yes, I am concerned, but not for the reasons you would think. Do you not find it odd that, aside from the encounter Rainbow had, there has been no further sightings? No attacks upon us or other parts of Equestria?”

“I feel you worry too much, Tia.” she waved a hoof dismissively. “After all, did not Twilight report she witnessed a ball of light retreating back into the night sky? Surely whatever it was left back to whence it came, yes?”

“How can you be so causal about this?” came Celesta’s rather sharp retort which took Luna by surprise. “I've seen much since you been gone the thousand years; enough to know everything is not always what it seems!”

“I'm not being “casual” about anything, Tia,” Luna responded, her sister's sudden outburst of temperament cutting deep, “I am simply implying that if whatever it is wanted to cause anypony harm it would have done so by now. We are very vulnerable at the moment, are we not?”

Luna did have a point. With all the extra ponies crammed inside the security of the capital walls, and the guards spread thinly in both protection and search, it would be child's play for an opposing force to decimate them, causing untold casualties in the process. She ground her hoof into the polished marble in both anger and regret. Luna approached and gently nuzzled her sister's neck.

“Do not share this burden alone, Tia. I too have had concerns about the worst case scenario, but it is quite clear that an attack is not coming as it would have occurred by now. I humbly suggest recalling the guards and have them observe the ponies instead. You hold seniority so whatever call you make I will stand behind.”

Celestia didn't speak for a long time, choosing to look upon the ponies below instead, the soft billowing of her ethereal mane the only movement as her sun sank below the horizon. The soft light of Luna's horn illuminated the balcony as she lifted her moon upon its invisible pedestal, signaling the ponies below it was time to rest and dream. Memories of centuries past tried to come flooding in and it took all of her strength to fight them off. There would be time for that later.

“Lulu,” Celestia began as she slowly turned to face her sister, “how long until you guards arrive?”

“They are already among us, simply waiting for the order to change shifts.”

“Good. Once you give the order, send a group to retrieve the small band still searching the forest. Once their task is complete, have them assist in preparations for tomorrows departure. I would rest better knowing everything was completed ahead of schedule.”

“And what of the objects collected?” Luna queried as she gazed upon the small collection of boxes recently delivered by the guards. “Would it be wise to send those as well? Or should we wait until for a time less hectic.”

“I understand your concern Luna, but I trust Twilight explicitly.” Celestia sneered impishly. “I'm also enchanting them with a time release spell before they are loaded, just in case.”

“Excellent idea! Now, let's get you to retire for the evening.” Luna prodded her sister's mane gently. “After all, our subjects don't need to see any gray in that hair of yours.”

“Very funny, Luna.”

–----------

“Please, right zis way.”

“Oh, I just can't wait, darlings,” Rarity commented as she rolled her head, her neck cracking and popping in response. “I am definitely in need of 'The Works,' if you catch my meaning.”

The twins simply giggled in response. “Of course.”

“Now don't y'all go hogging all time, Rarity,” Applejack said in reprimand. “You ain't the only one who's a might sore after this ordeal.”

“Please!” Fluttershy pleaded. “No more fighting. I don't think I can handle much more.”

The group stopped immediately as Rarity rushed forward and embraced Fluttershy tightly, forcing the breath out of her.

“Oh, I'm sorry, dear. We didn't mean to cause you any grief. Please forgive us.”

“Ah think she would if ya would let her breathe, sugarcube.”

“F-forgiven,” Fluttershy wheezed, the color returning to her cheeks. “Let's just relax for the evening, if you don't mind, that is.” Rainbow stretched her wings, eliciting a groan of discomfort.

“Yeah, relaxing is definitely on the menu, don't you agree, Twilight?” No response. “Uh, Twilight?”

Twilight chose to remain silent, looking blankly into the distance. In fact, she hadn't said uttered on syllable since leaving the throne room. No insistent ramblings about how and why the castle was carved into the mountain, a lack of giddiness about their portraits in the stained glass Halls of History. Nothing, just that empty, blank look that pierced right through her friends. Truth be told, it was starting to get really creepy. A sharp pain in her cheek snapped her out of her trance.

“Ow!” she yelped, watching a purple hand out of her peripheral vision. “Spike!”

“Sorry,” Spike apologized, moving from her side to fill her vision, “but you were acting weird. Are you okay? You seem a little pale.”

Twilight blinked, noticing seven sets of eyes looking upon he in concern. Her paleness was quickly exchanged with cheeks flushed with embarrassment. How long had she been standing there zoned out? She stammered for a moment before settling on the tried and true, “nothing, just tired” excuse. It was a complete fabrication, of course, something she knew Applejack picked up on instantly. The farm pony said nothing, much to her relief, though their would most likely be a long conversation about the truth planned for a later date. As the group resumed their trek toward the spa, there was the steadily increasing sound of hoof falls on the marble flooring.

“Twilight! Twilight Sparkle!”

She knew the voice almost instantly, having been in Ponyville hospital plenty of times over the last few years (thru no fault of her own, of course). She swiveled her neck toward the incoming voice.

“Nurse Redheart?” Her face was flush from exertion, her lungs gasping for air. “Are you alright?”

Redheart held up a hoof, wheezing as the much needed oxygen filled her.

“I (wheeze) need (cough, cough) to talk (pant) to you. It's (gasp, hack) important.”

On the verge of collapse, she was thankful to see a glass of water, held up by the unicorn's ethereal magic. She didn't know where Twilight got it or even if it was just a figment of her imagination, but she took it in her hooves anyway, putting the glass to her lips, drinking deeply. The temperature was perfectly balanced: not too cold to cause her body shock from the sudden temperature change, yet not overly hot to exacerbate her condition. Apparently Twilight had done her studies.

“Thank you,” she responded softly, the flushed color fading from her facade. “I needed that.”

The cup within her grasp levitated up before blinking out of existence. So it was magic after all.

“So...” Twilight began, a concerned smile appearing upon her muzzle, “what exactly was so important that you nearly passed out from exhaustion?”

“I'd prefer to speak with you in private without the, uh, audience.”

“Girls, why don't you run along, I'll catch up to you in a moment.”

“Are you sure, Twi?” Applejack queried. “Ah don't want ya to get lost in this maze.”

Twilight gave a small giggle. “I spent most of my childhood in or around this castle. I'm sure I can manage.”

“Well okay, but y'all better hurry. Rarity tends to hog the steam baths.” she playfully prodded her unicorn friend. “Isn't that right, sugarcube?”

“Well, I think I deserve it,” she quipped, prodding her disheveled mane. “I do so revile being in such an unkempt state.”

The two mares bickered playfully as the group walked off, vanishing around a bend in the hall. She felt a tug on her shoulder, expecting Redheart but finding Spike instead.

“Do I have to go, too?” he looked down, drumming his claws together. She wanted to say yes, but it wasn't really her call. After all, Redheart did say it was a private conversation. Twilight looked at the nurse for conformation of a “yay or nay” to his remaining.

“I suppose you can stay,” Redheart said, eying him warily, “but what I say must remain confidential. Is that clear?” The young drake nodded slowly. “Good. By the way, thank you for the water, Twilight. I haven't had to exert myself like that for a long time.”

“Well I highly doubt you would have been in that state, if what you have to tell me was not important. Speaking of which, what is all the fuss about?”

“I'm sure you were wanting to look at this earlier,” Redheart began, producing an extremely familiar chart sheet. “Blue Shield noticed a 'tug' on it while reviewing the stats with Rainbow.”

Twilight said nothing, grasping it in her magic aura and pulling it to her face, trying to hide her embarrassment. How could anypony blame her for wanting to know about her friend's well being? She grumbled under her breath, praying to Celestia that her cheeks would return to their normal shade.

“How did you manage to get this? Surely he put up a fight, protocols being what they are in the medical field.”

“I have my ways,” Redheart smiled mischievously in response. “I also felt since you are her best friends that having you break it to her would be best, after her family… she doesn't have anyone else for support.”

“Her family?” Now Twilight was utterly confused. “Break what to her?”

“Tell me, has Rainbow ever mentioned wanting foals of her own?”

Twilight bit her lip, trying not to snicker. The nurse must have really over exerted to come up with a question like that. This was Rainbow they were discussing, whose only dream was on day becoming a full fledged member of the Wonderbolts. Redheart's lack of reciprocating joy dried up Twilight's amusement instantly. She was serious.

“No, she hasn't mentioned it before. At least, not to me. Why?”

“Please, just read the report.”

Twilight did as requested, still confused about Redheart's last statement. She perused over the page, filled with charts and brief scribbles about injuries, blood pressure and type, weight, wingspan, eye color. Nothing out of the ordinary so far, just basic medical records. Why the urgency? Rainbow's health was important, but what exactly was so out of place? To her everything looked on the up and up. Redheart noticed the confusion upon Twilight's muzzle.

“Second page. Last paragraph.”

The sturdy, papyrus-based sheet flipped with a hum of ethereal magic. Twilight clucked her tongue, eyes scanning down the well written script.

“Ah, here we are. 'Patient's injuries are non-threatening, only minor scrapes and bruises along with a mild case flash blindness. Applied synthetic pegusai tears for treatment. Blood and urine tests came back positive with no signs of diseased or genetic anomalies. However...'” Twilight stopped mid-sentence, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. This couldn't be. No, it had to be a misdiagnosis. She looked up, eyes pleading. “Please tell me this is a mistake, that Blue Shield imput the data wrong.” Redheart shook her head miserably in response. “Are you telling me-”

“What is it, Twilight?” Spike questioned.

“It's Rainbow. She- I-”

“Yes,” came Redheart's somber reply. “she's barren. I'm so sorry.”