My Most Faithful Mortifer

by hamishwarfare

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Alternate Universe, Spike, Adventure, Violence, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6
Length: 139032

Life can change at the drop of a hat. One bad day changes Twilight Sparkles life in ways she could not foresee; and now can’t remember who she is.

Abducted at a young age, Twilight Sparkle’s life has changed beyond anything she could have possibly imagined…if she could only remember her past.

Follow the newly christened Sunset Shimmer as she rediscovers herself while working in the shadows for Equestria.

Published 2021-06-28 15:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-12-27 18:21:15 UTC

Chapter. 1 – The Fateful Day Out

Chapter. 1 – The Fateful Day Out

The sun shone down beautifully upon the grand and majestic city of Canterlot; and though its radiant golden rays swept over the city without thought, it almost seemed to linger upon a single park more than all the others.

Perhaps this phenomenon was made possible thanks to Princess Celestia and her ability to manipulate the sun; after all her latest protégé was currently running around its soft green grass playing with a small purple biped dragon. Watching over the two playing together was Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadance as she prefers to be known; the friend and foal sitter who was currently responsible for them.

The end of summer is fast approaching and though most young colts and fillies are not looking forward to the new school year, the one lone filly playing with her sitter cannot wait for fall to start. The start of fall brings with it the new school year, and that in turn brings new lessons from Princess Celestia.

It has been a little over a year since this young filly’s life had changed beyond her wildest dreams and it all revolved around an egg and an explosion of colour in the sky. This young filly had done something none of her fellow examinee’s had achieved; she had hatched a dragon’s egg and passed the examination beyond anyone’s expectations.

There was just one slight problem; this test was not meant to be passed.

More accurately, this test was a test of character. A test to see how these young magic users acted when it came to impossible odds; would they act responsibly? Would they lash out? Can they be trusted with the potential power they would be learning within the hallowed halls of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns? These were the questions meant to be answered.

The dragon egg for this test had been brought out of storage year after year for more than a century; it was donated to Princess Celestia herself upon its discovery within an abandoned nest. There were enchantments placed upon it to both monitor the magic output of the child as well as to dissipate any potential damage the egg may receive. All this on top of the natural resistance to magic that dragon eggs naturally possess should have made this test impossible. Not even an adult unicorn would be able to actually hatch such an egg.

And yet a young filly, Miss Twilight Sparkles, had done what only thought possible by Princess Celestia herself.

The test had gone exactly as planned and expected; young Twilight Sparkle honestly was doing as well as all the other examinee’s and appeared to be giving up when everything went to Tartarus.

There was a loud deep explosion of noise from the sky followed by a swathe rainbow of colour that came careening through the amphitheater's windows and startled the poor filly which in turn caused, something.

Along with the explosive wave of rainbow came a torrent of power from the young filly that not only hatched the impossible egg, revealing a very much alive and well baby dragon. She also turned her parents into plants, managed multiple person telekinetic lifting before enlarging said baby dragon beyond the capacity of the examination room.

It was a disaster.

Raw magic was firing out of her horn left and right delivering random effects to whatever they struck. The magic holding the examiners in the air was too powerful for them to break free with their own magic and the young filly herself was suspended in the air as well within a field of raw magic.

If it wasn’t for the timely arrival of Princess Celestia, who knows how much worse this might have become. The Princess managed to put the young filly to sleep temporarily, but it was enough to disrupt the flow of her magic, and allowed Celestia to undo all the spells.

The school had no place for her; she was too powerful and lacked sufficient control for her to be taught in a classroom environment. Had she been brought to their attention years prior then maybe they could have accommodated her, but then she would have been far too young for the school system; would she have even been able to read or write at that young age?

While the child peacefully slept surrounded by her parents - and the baby dragon strangely enough - the examiner’s told the Princess the unfortunate news. The Princess, however, showed how loving and wise she was; she offered to take the filly under her wing as teacher in order to give the young girl a future.

“Twilight, Spike, get over here already! Giggle I’ve got the picnic set up and waiting. It’s already past lunch time and at least I’m getting hungry; I’d have thought you two would be starving by now.” If there was ever such a spell more effective at summoning the young it was the prospect of a picnic lunch sitting under a tree on a beautiful summer day.

The young filly was currently assisting the even smaller bipedal dragon to learn how to walk. Since the hatching of his egg a little over a year ago, the young dragon had imprinted upon the young filly as a mother. While the Twilight was indeed very mature for her age and would have been of great help in raising a younger sibling; it is entirely different, however, to actually raise a child.

The adults in her life, including Princess Celestia, had tried to wane the young dragon away from her –perhaps reshape the image into an elder sibling– but so far nothing had changed the instinctual need to be with his mother. The adults could feed him, change him, play and even scold him; but the very first thing he did was to look to his mother, Twilight Sparkle, for approval, for comfort, and everything else in between.

“Give us a minute! Come on Spike you can do it; see your almost there. Just a little further and you'll be on the blanket nibbling on a tasty gem.” The young dragon was still too young to really be walking upright on his hind legs, but full of determination and with the assistance of a helping forehoof from his mother, he had taken his first few steps.

“Yes, see look at you Spike, your walking. Sure I’m keeping you upright with my magic and almost dragging you along with my right forehoof, but you're walking!” the smile and encouragement was everything to the baby dragon. He did not understand a single word being spoken but the smile, the tone of voice and the slight sparkle of his mother’s eyes made every wobbly step worth it.

“Gently Twily, you don’t want Spike to fall and hurt himself, do you? He’s still a baby and has a ways to go before he'll be able to do this on his own.” The young filly appeared to take no notice of what her sitter had said, instead focusing entirely on her young charge as he finally made it to the picnic blanket.

“Great job Spike, look at you. You walked a full three point six meters with only a moderate amount of help from me. Keep this up and you'll be walking all by yourself in no time. But it looks like someone wants his reward now; so here it is a nice juicy emerald.” With her horn glowing the raspberry hue of her magic a small green emerald was lifted out of Cadances wing grip and brought it over to the waiting dragon; whom, upon reaching the blanket, had dropped down onto his diaper and held up his two front paws in the universal sign of gimme gimme gimme.

Now that her small charge is happily gnawing upon his reward, the young Twilight walked the remaining distance and flopped down next to her sitter Cadance; an air of grumpiness and frustration around her.

“Being a mum is hard, and it takes up so much time. I mean I could have been reading up on advanced visualization techniques to improve my magic; but instead I’m out here playing with Spike.”

Cadance just giggled again as she brought out a plate of sandwiches, cut into triangles, as well as a small basket of apples before finally two bottles of water from the large thatched picnic basket. All of these floated into position surrounded by the light blue colour of her magic. With a satisfied smile of a job well done she joined her younger charge in lying down upon the chequered blanket.

“Well I think you're doing very well. There are some adults who do not look after their foals nearly as well as you do with Spike. Besides, aunty all but forced you out of the castle today; saying something about you never getting natural light on your coat or something.” The smile on Cadance’s face had more than a hint of mischief about it, and the twinkle in her eyes certainly contributed to the feeling as well.

Twilight just huffed before sitting back onto her haunches and took a big bite out of the sandwich that she had brought over to herself. Full puffy cheeks, eyes that screamed frustration and annoyance; all this on such a small face could be nothing else but adorable. Seeing such a reaction from her young charge caused Cadance to gently shake her head with a laugh before taking a much more reasonable bite out of her own sandwich.

The small group ate in peace and enjoyed the end of the summer air, listening to the birds that flew about the place on top of the distant sound of foals playing. Without noticing Spike had crawled over to the two ponies and had settled down next to Twilight, still slowly gnawing away happily at his lunch. The young filly, almost unconsciously, responded to this invasion of her personal space by bringing her front hoof up and gently started to stroke it down his back. The radiant smile upon Cadances face told Twilight that she had noticed what the young mother was doing; Twilight just huffed again and turned her face away from her sitter and into another sandwich. Though, she did not stop stroking her ward.

Small idle chatter started up gently to break the silence as the picnic continued at a sedate pace. Once Spike had had his fill of his gem he let out a large yawn before curling up into a ball; falling asleep right between the two ponies, though actually touching the smaller one. This brought the idle catch up chatter to a stop for a period of time so as to not disturb the young dragon. They needn’t have bothered, he was asleep the moment his eyes shut.

“Sigh, maybe you right about all that walking I had him doing; but according to mum I was up on my hooves and running all over the place in less than a year. He’s one year and three weeks old now and still struggling. I hope he’s not a moron.”

“Twilight! That’s not a nice thing to say about Spike. He’s a dragon, he walks on two legs. Us ponies walk on four legs if you hadn’t noticed; giving us much greater stability and requiring less balance to walk. Dragons and other bipedal beings have a much less stable base and require much more balance to walk than we do; I believe it takes Minotaur foals two to three years on average before they can walk.”

Twilight had the decency to lower her head at this realisation and uttered a sad apology.

“Twilight, none of us adults wanted you to be a mother at eight years old for reasons like this. Your trying I know; that you asked you mother about when you started walking was a good idea, but you must remember that she raised ponies and you're raising a dragon. There will be things that she’ll have no idea how to handle –such as when he start breathing fire for example– and they’ll be other things that Spike will ether not do or will need time to learn, his walking being a prime example of this.

“It’s good that you're asking these questions and when you show the patience from earlier, or the small affectionate gestures like rubbing his spines, it fills all of us with so much pride. But please stop going straight to insults when something does not go as you expected. You’ve got me, your mother and father, and even aunt Celestia willing to help you raise Spike to be as wonderful as you are; and he will get there, as long as you are patient with him and come to us for help and advice.”

During her disciplinary lecture Cadance had lifted Twilight off the blanket gently before bringing her over to slowly comfort the now crying little filly in a hug.

This was not the first time Twilight had put her hoof in her mouth when it came to Spike, and it’ll probably not be the last time ether; though she has gotten better as the year’s gone by. All the adults in her life were hoping to have stopped these outbursts before Spike could understand what Twilight was saying, or even remember them. Only a year or two left before then…oh dear.

After receiving a slightly tearful promise to be a better mum to Spike Cadance returned Twilight back to her position next to her adoptive son and brought out the final treat from the picnic basket; a book.

“Now I know auntie wanted you to have the same schedule as your peers from her gifted unicorn school, so that you can make friends; but I know you better than she dose. This is a tome from the Royal Archives, somewhere you're not allowed in just yet but, I think you’ve earned a small sneak peek. Now this is a collection of writings on alternative magical theory; and while most of this book is available to the public, there are enough obscure pieces that are best not known. I’m not expecting you to get all of it, heck even I don’t fully grasp some of the deeper stuff, but I thought we could read it together so we can help each other learn. So, how about it?” ‘A book she’s never read, from a library that she’s not allowed access to and the prospect of helping somepony learn; there is no way she’ll refuse. Hopefully this will brighten her mood up a little; she never was good with summer vacations.’

Almost prophesied from the stars themselves at how effective this piece of bait was at landing fish that said fishermare had her prized catch land between her two front legs; the back of the skull resting against the base of her throat with its back leaning against her barrel in an odd angle. Small front hooves trying desperately to reach for this small morsel of ambrosia the dangled just that little bit out of reach and already occupied with magic too strong for it to overrule.

Repositioning everyone, including Spike to be gently touching herself, Cadance got comfortable before finally opened the book and allowed Twilight to read.

This wonderfully peaceful and tranquil state would not last forever; could not last the day even, but eventually it was interrupted by a royal guard addressing Cadance for a private word.

“You can keep reading Twi, I'll be just a moment.” She gave a warm smile to the filly that did not even see it; her head was still too deep into the juicy book.

Getting up from her position on the blanket without disturbing either of her two young charges, she followed the guard far enough so as not to be heard by the filly while still keeping an eye on her.

The pure white coat of the guard as well as the gold armour he wore was dazzling in the sun, so much so that Cadance had a little trouble keeping eye contact.

“Princess Cadance, I bring a message from Princess Celestia. She has requested that her protégé, Twilight Sparkle, not return to the castle tonight.” His voice was the same generic tone as all of the other royal guard, so much so that Cadance was seriously beginning to wonder if the glamor spells altering the appearance of the guards for their anonymity, was also changing their voice to be the same generic tone.

“Sigh, let me guess the Griffon ambassador is acting up again with the ambassador from Zebraica. Or is it that the Minotaur ambassador has once again managed to find a barrel of Sweet Apple Acres cider and now wants to show off?” A light breeze tried to calm her now fraying nerves, but it was quick to pass, short lived and far too gentle to do anything against the building frustration.

“Umm. The latter, ma'am. Apparently he brought two barrels with him as an apology, and somehow managed to convince the other ambassadors into a drinking contest.” A look of mild panic crossed the guards face for a brief moment before continuing. “As I was leaving with your message I fear I heard a shout of triumph coming from the kitchens.”

“Yes, and we received a shipment of cider just last week, didn’t we.” A quick nod of his head blinded Cadance for a moment as the sun reflected of his helmet. “Thanks for the warning. I'll be sure to take Twilight to her parents’ house instead of the castle. Hmm, I wonder if they will let me spend the night as well.”

Even if Celestia was willing to teach Twilight Sparkle all year round, there are times when it just wasn’t possible and the annual three day gathering of allied nations was just such a time. It is meant to gather all of Equestria’s allies together to strengthen bonds as well as to hopefully resolve any potential issues that may have arisen between nations.

Cadance was beginning to suspect that it was just an excuse for her aunt to throw a party.

Any other discussion was derailed as a large wailing noise pierced the air; Spike had woken up and was now crying. Quickly trotting over, Cadance picked up Spike and cooed sweet nothings to try and calm him down; using her magic to slowly bounce him in the air.

“Aww come on Spike, who's a big nasty dragon? Shhh, Shhh, there we go. See; look at those tears drying up. You're a big scary dragon, yes you are.” A quick nuzzle and a gentle tickle and Spike had quickly calmed back down. Turning around, still with Spike in her magical grip, Cadance noticed that the guard had followed her over to the blanket. “Sorry about that, Spike gets a bit upset when he wakes up and can't find anyone. Heh, the amount of times I’ve had to calm him down like this when Twily’s…Wait, where is she?”

Looking around the area showed no sign of anyone nearby let alone a small purple unicorn filly wandering about.

“Perhaps she went to the public bathrooms?”

Cadance wanted to believe him, however looking at the picnic site revealed one fatal flaw to that idea. The book they were reading together was still there, lying splayed open, cover up. Cadance was beginning to panic.

“No, she would have taken the book with her. She’d also never leave a book lying like that. Search around! I hope I’m wrong but I don’t like how this feels,” and with that she launched a red flair up into the air, signalling distress. The single guard did not hesitate and was in the air searching before Cadances spell had even fully formed.

The two adults had been talking for less than a minute before noticing her disappearance, additional spells flying out of her horn revealed no magic had been used in the area so no teleportation, and she had one guard already searching and dozens more already arriving at her position; ‘wherever Twilight is she’ll be back soon.’

Within a matter of minutes almost a tenth of the Royal Guard were searching for her; and even more were joining in the effort as the time of her disappearance lengthened.

They would not find her.

One minute twelve seconds after the discovery of a missing Twilight Sparkle a gruff and dishevelled brown coated pegasus crash landed at full speed into an alleyway on the outskirts of Canterlot city; its only cargo an unassuming brown sack tied off at the top, had a much gentler landing being on top of the Pegasus.

“Well, well, you were cutting things rather fine, weren’t you? So, what have you got for me here?” The voice was soft with a slight accent of a faraway land; it was difficult to tell, but the voice belonged to a stallion. Everything about the voice was placid and gentle, but the reaction of the pegasus when it spoke said something else entirely.

“I-I I got a young filly for you like your looking for,” the pegasus was terrified and refused to look anywhere else than the cobble stone floor. “Puh. Please just take her and leave my family alone. That all I want.”

Suddenly the bag was taken from his back; there was no noise of hoof steps, or flapping wings, no flash of light signalling a spell, nothing. From being alone in the alleyway to having the bag taken from his back without any indication of someone's presence in an instant caused the pegasus’s eyes to shoot up in disbelief.

Standing right there looking into the brown sack that said pony had given the pegasus not ten minutes before, was an earth pony. His coat's colour appeared to be a very deep red from what little could be seen; he was wearing a pair of black saddlebags that covered his cutie mark. His mane and tail were both longer than expected for a stallion and was a bluish slate grey in colour. Covering his chest and forelegs was a black jacket made out a strange thick and rough looking material that just had to be hot to ware on a day like this.

The face quickly shot out of the bag and his front hooves were quickly tying the sack shut once more. From the second that it was open you could hear the child inside crying, but as soon as it was sealed all the crying stopped as well.

The look on this earth pony’s face was unreadable; his piercing green eyes a void of emotion. There was a toothpick in his mouth and it was being worked on quite severely before a slight smirk appeared on his face. “She’s got her cutie mark. I believe I said no cutie marks,” the eyes of the pegasus opened wide in panic but the earth pony continued. “However, you managed to find a very interesting one. So very well, I'll take her.”

Relief washed down the back of the pegasus, he had managed to survive and save his family. “S-S so can I go? Is my family safe?” The earth pony kept staring at him, like he was debating something. Finally a single picture was dropped in front of the pegasus. The photograph, clearly taken from a distance, showed his wife and two daughters, all pegasi , as well as himself. He was the only one with a red cross covering him.

Before anything else could happen the earth pony stallion spat the wooden toothpick out at him.

It was such an innocent, if revolting, gesture but the result was oh so much more. It launched with shocking speed and pierced through the pegasus’s windpipe. With an almost reactive inhale of shock, he started chocking.

“Your families safe; you gave me the Princess’s little pet. You'll be dead in moments.” He held the sack in his now free mouth before launching himself up to a wall before using just his hind legs repeated the action towards the opposite wall of the alleyway. This continued to happen until he hit the roof tops and was out of site.

The pegasus found it hard to breathe now, liquid was filling his lungs and pain started to spread throughout his body. It wasn’t much longer before he choked to death on his own blood as the toothpick stabbed his lungs with each attempt to clear the lung.

Up on the roof it took the earth stallion only a few more jumps until the wall that separated the non-flying public from a vertical drop all the way down to the base of the Canterhorn was reached. And with one final leap that is exactly what he did.

A few moments of freefall and his target was in sight; a simple cart filled with countless generic brown sacks filled with feathers of all sorts. As he drew nearer the ground, it was clear to see that there was nopony around that could possibly see him; anyone further afield would only assume he was a pegasus and hence he was also clear from distance.

At just the right time with barely a couple of meters spare the large saddle bags he’s wearing burst into life with a magical aura slowing him down from terminal velocity to a fairly comfortable landing all within a blink of an eye.

Removing himself from the pile of sacks that had just finished braking his fall he dumped the brown sack that was actually important to him onto the ground. With one last reach into his saddle bags to pull out a small pouch before opening his prize. “Ah good, you did not pass out from the G forces of landing. Tha-”

As soon as he looked inside his whole body was surrounded by a purple light and his hooves were slowly beginning to leave the ground.

“Let me go!”

“Spirited too. You might just survive your new life.”

“LET! ME! GO!” the magic surrounding the stallion was growing more intense and if anyone was to have a guess at what was about to happen, they would expect the stallion to be launched to the stratosphere.

And just like that the purple magic was disrupted leaving everything as it was.

The stallion grinned down at the now completely terrified filly, “I hope you can keep this spirit; you will need it. For now sleep. Oh and welcome to the end of your life,” a pouch of green glittering powder was dumped over the young girl sending her to sleep almost instantly.

Sealing the bag up once more the stallion earth pony carefully inserted the bag at random amongst the sea of other brown bags. Before hitching himself up, however, he removed the black jacket he was wearing as a small trail of black smoke was escaping from the confines of the inner pocket; removing said jacket caused quite an interesting transformation. His fur colour changed to a dull yellow, with his mane and tail shifted to become a dark aqua; his green eyes looking over the piece of clothing before stuffing it amongst the sacks. Feeling more like himself he finally hitched himself to the cart before trotting of into locations unknown.

From meeting that Pegasus for the last time to hitching himself to the wagon, all done within a seven minute period; ‘Man I’m getting rusty.’

Chapter. 2 – Stages of Grief

Chapter. 2 –Stages of Grief

It has been a few hours since the search for Twilight Sparkle started and so far there was no trace of her. Volunteers were assisting the Royal Guard and message pegasi have already left to inform other towns in the area of the current crisis. But as the day lengthens, there was still no news of her whereabouts.

Slumped over a grand mahogany table, partially sitting on one of the ten matching chairs inside this tastefully decorated private dining room; was the youngest alicorn princess, trying her hardest not to cry as she continues her duty to the young dragon. Her eyes were slowly dripping, constantly; her posture looked like she was breaking with each small tremor travelling through her frame. But her smile, small as it was, stayed on in a vain attempt to keep her remaining charge distracted and happy.

The large rich brown wooden doors at the far end of the room gently opened with barely a creek, drawing the two occupants attention and allowing the grand figure of Princess Celestia to access the room. Her posture was calm, gentle, and graceful, a perfect image for any ruler; but Cadance knew her aunt, she could see behind the mask. She noticed the slight shiver in the long white legs, her wing posture was a little too ridged, and her eyes appeared distant, clouded. Celestia was obviously in distress.

She continued into the room –passing several large, elegant windows overlooking the castle gardens and allowing late afternoon light into the room– before eventually sitting down next to her niece; not using any of the chairs to be closer to the smaller alicorn’s height. The silence stretched between the two princesses as they watched young Spike sitting on the table, playing with Cadances hooves.

The overbearing silence smothering the room was broken by the soft voice of Princess Celestia, “I have been unable to locate her. Wherever she is has been warded heavily against divination magic.” As she spoke her gaze refused to meet her nieces.

The smaller alicorn broke a little more; her forced calm, laboured, breathing now held a noticeable shudder to it. Cadance swallowed, “she’s alive. I can still feel her love for me, for her brother and family, for Spike.” Another swallow, “I-I can’t find her, but she is alive.” Her voice was monotone, almost lifeless, but the pure uninterrupted trickle of tears falling out of her eyes showed her emotional state more than the trembling breath.

“Then hold onto that and don’t let go of it. Right now, that is all we have. First Lieutenant Shining Armor is still leading search efforts and shows no sign of stopping. I fear I may need you to stop him if he continues with such single mindedness.”

Cadance could only shake her head “I don’t think there is anyone but Twilight herself who can stop him right now, and I don’t think I can blame him. If it wasn’t for Spike here I would be right next to him in this search.” A crack appeared in the wall of her emotional dam, a few hiccups escape her mouth, her voice a few octaves higher. “I lost her auntie. Twily was taken right under my nose.” The dam breached, soul shattering sobs encompassed her entire body, wrenching her heart with each wave that passed. Her smile crumbled.

Celestia quickly embrace and wrapped her wings around the distraught niece in a cocoon of reassurance. “No, no don’t think like that. You did everything you could; if anything the blame lies with me for asking you to take her out of the castle today. I spoke to the guard I sent to you and he said you never stopped looking at her; again if perhaps I had not made the day so bright, you would have been able to keep a better eye out. There are countless small what if‘s that would change the outcome of the day. All we can do now is face what has happened and resolve them. We will find her.” The crack in her own voice made Celestia pause; she was curious who she was trying to reassure.

The small huddle received additional support from the only other person in the room. Little Spike had managed to stand up onto his hind legs and was now trying to hug Celestia as best he could from his position on the table top, and with his small front arms. ‘Twilight, you were doing so well. Just look at how compassionate little Spike has become. Wherever you are, please be safe and come back to us.’

Shining Armor, recently appointed First Lieutenant of the Royal Guard was currently galloping like a stallion possessed; his hooves thundering down streets, heading towards a non-descriptive back alleyway near the walls separating the plateau from a several kilometre drop. Reports had come in of a dead Pegasus; and while this was not the only piece of disturbing information discovered while turning Canterlot upside down in the search for his sister, it was by far one of the most grievous.

Turning the final corner into the alleyway itself, Shining Armor slowed to a professional trot. “So, what have we got here?” he had just run almost halfway across the city after searching constantly since the report of his sister’s disappearance; but even now it sounded like he had just finished a moderately hard jog.

Walking towards him was a fellow unicorn dressed in standard Royal Guard attire; however she was not wearing the anonymous glamour, much like Shining Armor. Her coat was a dark green, while her long braided mane and tail were a shocking contrast of lavender; it was hard to tell if that was her natural mane colour or not. Her cutie mark appeared to be an eye above a dotted line path.

“First Lieutenant Shining Armor, I am Chief Warrant Officer Eye Spy and welcome to my crime scene. This body was discovered ten minutes ago by aerial search parties sweeping the area. Initial forensics estimate that this person died approximately three hours ago; what he–” Her voice had the ring of someone who, once upon a time, spoke softly, before going through the ringer of the military; there was still a soft air around it but her voice was firm with conviction.

“Three hours ago? How sure are you of the time of death?” the intensity held within Shining Armor’s eyes could have stopped a hydra in its steps.

Eye Spy swallowed down her heart a little before answering. “The window is fairly accurate, within a period of thirty minutes to at most one hour. The body has not lost a significant amount of heat, even with the difference between the average pegasus and the current air temperature.”

“Well then, this guy’s just become my number one suspect. If you’re right then that means he died just before or just after my sister’s kidnapping. I want every single grain of sand within this alleyway catalogued into evidence. I also want everything on this guy; his family, friends, pets. Buck I want to know what he had for lunch last Wednesday.” If Shining Armor had any less control of his magic than he did, he would have been breathing fire; as it stands there were only sparks coming out of his mouth. A burst of pale rose coloured magic was launched into the air in the form of a flare. “Every one of my search parties are now converging on this alleyway; you’ll have all the bodies you’ll need to get me what I want.”

“Sir, my team has already swept over the alleyway; though we’ll sweep over it again just to be sure. If your pegasi could assist us in searching the roof tops surrounding the alleyway that will be helpful.”

This raised an eyebrow “You have reason to believe another pegasus was involved?”

“We have discovered more than just a little ambient pegasus magic in the alleyway. There was ether another pegasus involved or this fella was trying to break the sound barrier to get here.”

“And no other traces of magic?”

She shook her head “Inconclusive. If there was other magic used here it was on such a small scale it has become undetectable thanks to the saturation of pegasus magic.”

There was hesitation in her ice blue eyes and Shining Armor saw it. “You have something else to add? Warrant Officer?”

Her posture was professional and calm, and while her eyes showed very little, the intensity of the debate within did leak through.

“Sigh. If this is your guy, then we may have a possibility of motive. Sitting in front of him was a picture of, what we suspect is, his family and himself. He was crossed out.”

His eyes shrunk to pinpricks, his breathing became ragged; something was said but it didn’t register in his head. ‘She was traded.’ The noise was louder now, but still it just bounced off of his mind. ‘My sister was traded.’ His ragged breathing now felt like an inferno out of his mouth, the world was turning red; he was struggling to stand his whole body was shaking so much. ‘My L.S.B.F.F was TRADED?!’

Suddenly there were stars and he felt a wave of vertigo before his eyes rested on the still blue sky silhouetted by the buildings surrounding him. There was noise of a scuffle followed by a whump.

Slowly he got back to his hooves and discovered that there was a pegasus dogpile of at least half a dozen ponies right in front of him, and at the bottom of it was Eye Spy.

“At ease soldiers,” it was surprising how much it hurt to say those words right now. The pile in front of him suddenly stopped wriggling before the one on top spoke up.

“But sir, she assaulted a superior officer.”

“I said at ease. If I need to be brought back to the present and only hitting me will work then I want to be struck. Now help her up and assist her team in searching the roof tops surrounding this alleyway.”

As one his Pegasus search team removed themselves from the pile of ponies before moving on to assist the other ponies in whatever they needed. The last one in the pile assisted Eye Spy onto her hooves, though she was favouring her right foreleg.

“Thanks for the wakeup call. I needed it.”

Eye Spy straightened herself up before fixing her eyes on his. “It is only an initial theory. Until we fully inspect the evidence, that is all it is. Now would you be so kind as to escort me to the infirmary. You’ve probably got a wonderful shiner in the works, if not a cracked muzzle, and I managed to get badly burned somehow.” Shining’s eyes travelled to the foreleg that she was trying not to use and sure enough there looked to be some very nasty burns on her pastern and along most of her cannon. He did that. He had the grace to feel ashamed of himself and let it show a little. “Clean Sweep! I’m leaving things in your hooves but make sure you look over the separation wall. No way did this happen so close to it to be a coincidence. And I mean all the way down, get the pegasi to carry you even.” A generic Royal Guard Unicorn saluted at the command before they started to direct the pegasus guards where to go.

With the situation in reasonable hooves for the moment, the two superior officers started to head back towards the castle for a meeting with the infirmary.

“So, how did that guy die?” The walk had been silent and a little uncomfortable, and while probably not the best thing to discuss when out in public, Shining wouldn’t be surprised if the papers hadn’t already heard of the suspicious death.

“We know he died by asphyxiation due to blood in his lungs. However we cannot find the cause of the blood.” Eye Spy’s eyes darted around looking for possible eavesdroppers; that she talked about the case, even as a whisper, said she couldn’t see anyone suspicious.

“Nothing on the body?”

“There was no obvious trauma, be it blunt or laceration, no foreign magic on him or any active spells. No sign of the common detectable poisons either. I’ve already got an autopsy scheduled just as soon as the field work has been completed for a more in-depth search; so hopefully we’ll know by the end of tomorrow.”

Well that was an interesting turn of events. Thanks to magic actual autopsies were very rare as the cause of death could, normally, be discovered within a dozen spells. This news just solidified in Shining Armor’s mind that he was involved in his sister’s kidnapping. But it was disturbing; whoever was actually giving orders here appeared to know exactly what they were doing.

His train of thought was interrupted as his travel companion started speaking again. “Once we confirm the cause of death I’ll start looking for old cases with similar circumstances. This was too well coordinated to just be a first time event.”

“I was thinking much the same. If you need help getting information just let me know. Even if it’s above my pay grade, between knowing Princess Cadance personally and being the big brother of Princess Celestia’s student, I can wield a surprisingly large amount of political clout. Haven’t used it yet, but my sister will be the exception.

“Sigh, also I want to apologise for causing those burns on your leg. The news you gave me was not good for my control.”

“Yes, you must be an exceptionally powerful unicorn if you can start the wild fire transformation. You were breathing fire and your mane and tail were starting to smoke before I punched you in the face. I suppose that’s the reason how you’ve managed to become a First Lieutenant at such a young age; there’s less than a hundred unicorns known who can start the transformation, and out of them you have to be the youngest by a large margin.”

This brought a small chuckle out of Shining Armor. The first one since he received the news of his sister. “You’re in intelligence aren’t you?” Eye Spy nodded in conformation, “and when I said that I knew Princess Cadance personally just now you didn’t flinch, so you know a little about me. Do you know why Cadance was my sister’s foal sitter?”

“I do not know. I only knew that your family was close to Princess Cadenza and I guessed that she was a foal sitter for your sister.”

“It was a desperate petition for help. Even as a young foal, Twily could start the wild fire transformation.” This made Eye Spy shriek out a “WHAT” “It’s true. With all the family around it was manageable; but by the time I was off to high school my parents were deep into their careers and every sitter we tried just couldn’t handle Twilight when she got angry. Heh, if I remember correctly our family was barred from every sitter service in Canterlot.

“That was when I actually went to the castle with a petition to help my parents and Twily.

“So there I was, second spring afternoon court, waiting in line for my turn to see Princess Celestia to ask her to help our family. It must have been quite a sight seeing a fourteen year old waiting in line surrounded by adults much older than me with only a small pile of paper as evidence to my plea for help; when Cadance pops up from nowhere and asks why I was there.

“Honestly I didn’t know she was a princess, but she had a friendly smile on her face and she looked like she was the youngest person in the line excluding me, so I told her of the problem my family was having. She listened to my tale, had a look through the list of former foal sitters I brought – looking back at that memory I can laugh at how high Cadances eyebrows got as she went down the list of names; there was over fifty.

“The line had moved maybe three ponies by this point when she asked if this was all I wanted; someone to foalsit my sister and who could help her control these outbursts, and I replied yes. I mentioned that we didn’t have that much money but could offer a basic salary if need be, however Cadance stopped me with a wing. That was when I realised I was speaking to a princess; I hadn’t looked past her face at all, never noticed the wings, or that the adults around me who were looking at me as if I was crazy speaking to a princess like some commoner.

“I couldn’t even open my mouth to apologise for not realising who she was when she just grabbed me and my petition in her magic before dragging me to the front of the line. We actually interrupted someone else’s turn as she marched right up to Princess Celestia and said she was granting my petition and that she would do it.

“I was in shock at what was happening, but Princess Celestia smiled at her niece and retrieved the petition. She gave it a quick read, asked for clarification on when Twilight started having her problem. I remember she deliberately did not mention what the problem was even though it was written down on the petition; even then she was looking out for Twilight and she didn’t even know her. She asked for my name, my age for some reason, where I lived and if that was everything. Once I answered every question as honestly as I could Princess Celestia approved my petition giving the task to Cadance and stipulated that Cadance be available at her own discretion and that the crown would cover the costs for the foalsitter and expenses.

“The rest is history; we left together right then to meet my parents and Twily at my house. Those two hit it off instantly and ever since Cadance has basically been a part of our family. You know, I do believe Cadance has spent more time at my parents’ house than at the castle since she started.”

Eye Spy nodded at the heart-warming story before a slight smile appeared on her face; there was an air of mischief about it. “And now you’ve been dating Princess Cadenza for a little over a month when this situation happens.”

“You know?!”

“Please, as you said I’m in intelligence, no matter how small it is; it’s my job to know what potential security threats there may be to the princesses. Before you ask, you guys have not been as subtle as you think; if the betting pool going around is any indication, at least half of the castle knows it. If I could make a suggestion I’d tell you to go to your marefriend when you get to the castle. I think, right now, that is the best place for you to be.”

This silence was deafening and Eye Spy actually wondered if she had broken the First Lieutenant “Betting pool?”

That statement only grew the smile that was currently on Eye Spy’s face “Yes I’m afraid so.”

“Half the castle?”

“At least that I’m afraid, yes.”

“Dose Princess Celestia know about it?”

“If you are asking about you dating Princess Cadenza; then yes she does know. If you are asking about the betting pool; then yes she knows about that as well.”

“Sigh I can’t believe the princess is allowing this interference with Cadances and my love life. Why hasn’t she shut it down yet?”

The Cheshire cat grin that appeared on Eye Spy’s face would have made even the god of chaos proud. “Because. She’s got money on you two getting married.”

“What?!”

“And that’s all I’m going to say on the matter. Now since you’ve managed to talk this easily I’d guess your muzzle is going to be ok, so can you please go see Princess Cadenza and make sure she’s not destroying herself with guilt, please?”

“Why are you trying to help us?” the exasperation was clear to hear within his voice. This day has obviously been more than a frantic chariot ride through a thunder storm for him; especially if he’s missing such an obvious answer to his question.

“As you said, I’m in intelligence. There are a number of reasons having a good relationship with the person who’s on track to be the youngest Capitan of the Royal Guard in history.” ‘Intelligence is both gathering information and deceiving the opposition.’ “Now hurry up in your escort duty; my leg is killing me and you’ve got a princess that more than likely is in desperate need of reassurance.”

Shining Armor could no nothing else but shake his head. “Yes Ma’am” before catching up to the retreating figure.

Within the private dining room of Princess Celestia the, relatively, small huddle of alicorns hadn’t moved much from their position. The small baby dragon had sat back down and was now asleep at the edge of the table closest to the huddle, curled into a small ball and gently sucking the tip of his tail. Some members of the castle staff had obviously been in the room and had delivered some light refreshments in the forms of various flower petal sandwiches, slices of white frosted cloud cake, some bottles of iced water and a fresh pot of tea and coffee, both resting on a warming plate. All of this was sitting at the bottom of the ten seater mahogany table with the princess huddle situated at the top.

There was a gentle knock on the large golden stained wooden doors before they opened, allowing the pure white stallion with a multi shade of blue mane and tail access to the room. He was out of his armour and had a bandage covering the left side of his muzzle.

Walking up to the white huddle of wings, he cleared his throat to gain their attention. “Umm, Princess Celestia; if you would be so kind?”

The huddle of wings moved a little as the large alicorn extracted herself from comforting her niece. “Ah, First Lieutenant. Yes, I must be needed elsewhere; we are still housing the ambassadors of our allies at the moment.”

She had barely extracted herself from the small pink alicorn, before Shining Armor took her place in reassuring Princess Cadance.

Cadance on the other had had stopped thinking entirely “Shining? Wh-what are you doing here? You should be searching for Twilight” while her voice said one thing, the desperate vice like grip of a hug he was receiving told an entirely different story; doubly so when her wings completely surrounded him.

“Cadance, it wasn’t your fault. I’m here to reassure my marefriend that this whole thing wasn’t her fault and that I’m here for her during this, difficult time. Honestly, I think I need you just as much as you need me right now; I lost control earlier and injured somepony quite badly because of it.” It wasn’t needed to be said what he lost control of, as it was the same problem that his sister had that brought them together in the first place.

Cadance gave the smallest of wet smiles to her coltfriend, before burying her face into the crook of his neck, quietly sobbed tears of both relief as well as pain. For his part Shinning stood there supporting the leaning weight of his marefriend, slowly and gently running a fetlock down her back; all the while his eyes wept a clear, slightly salty, liquid.

So engrossed with each other, neither of them noticed Princess Celestia quietly leaving the room; a sad smile on her face.

The sun had set and the room was dark before it was disturbed once again, this time by two unicorns. The first one, a mare, had a light grey coat with her mane and tail in the colours of white and purple stripes. The other figure, a stallion, was completely blue, with only a darker shade for his mane and tail separating the single uniform colour. These two unicorns were Twilight Velvet and Night Light respectively; they were Shining Armor’s parents. They were Twilight Sparkles Parents.

The huddle of comfort grew with these new arrivals. Nothing was said; nothing was needed to be said, all of them knew why they were here. They were a family desperate for comfort and reassurance from one another; trying their absolute best to reassure each other that their missing member was out there alive somewhere, and that they would see her again soon.

The lights within the room remained dark; the refreshments forgotten, the doors undisturbed. Only one noise penetrated the room; the painful sobs of a broken family comforting themselves in the only way possible.

Chapter. 4 – Good Day Sunset

Chapter. 4 – Good Day Sunset

It was the sound of muffled bird song that awoke the sleeping filly. Eyes rubbed free of sleep revealed a pair of amethysts that took stock of her surrounding, and could not help but feel confused; nothing looked familiar. The bed she was just sleeping on was a basic wooden frame with an acceptable mattress along with a plain green blanket.

The source of light for the room, a window on the wall opposite the bed, revealed to the purple coated filly that her lodgings were located within a forest; as all she could make out from her position on the bed were green leaves and brown branches. A lot of green leaves and brown branches, with extra splashes of colour thanks to a few birds dancing on the branches. Oh, and that it was currently daytime.

The room itself was plain and simple; there was a small desk with a chair resting beside the wall containing the window. The wood theme continued on to a dresser and matching small side cupboard next to the bed she was currently sitting on. A simple lamp was sitting on top of the side cupboard. To the right of the door, in front of the bed, was a full length mirror; about the only thing in the room that wasn’t made out of wood. Overall it was a very simple room, but it felt look after; clean and comfortable. Not something a prisoner would wake up in.

A small part of herself said she should be scared, terrified, to have woken up in such an unfamiliar place; but she wasn’t. While the logical thought was there, she just could not bring herself to feel scared; or any other powerful emotions honestly. A little curiosity perhaps, but nothing of any great power; she was just here, observing her surroundings and trying to remember how she got to this room.

She could not remember how she got here; or where here was. Traveling deeper into her head revealed that more information was missing; that she could not even remember her own name, or what she looked like. Seeing her forelegs revealed her coat was lavender in colour. With the assistance of her hooves she learnt that her mane and tail were primarily deep blue with a streak of pink and purple in each. The rest of herself was harder to see.

Thankfully her memory helped here; she remembered seeing a full length mirror between the bed and the door. Carefully extracting herself out of the bed and walked towards the reflecting instrument; honestly she didn’t know what to think when she finally saw her reflection.

The image was of a small purple unicorn with a dark blue mane and tail with a purple stripe down both at the third mark; as she discovered while sitting on the bed. Her eye colour was purple, but the eyes themselves appeared lifeless. Not cloudy in appearance, they just seemed to have a distance to them; cold perhaps.

Oh, she had a mark on her thigh and it was mirrored on the other one too; a pink circle with a wavy edge surrounded by five white stars, with what looked like white streaks in the center. It took up most of the space available on her thighs.

‘Guess that’s me. Wow I’m short…am I even an adult? I mean I thought I was since I have a child out there somewhere. Guess this is why it was taken from me; I’m a kid as well. I wonder what theses marks are? It doesn’t feel like a sticker or anything. A tattoo maybe? …mark? Oh. Cutie mark; the symbol of my special talent. Umm I don’t know what my talent is either. Who am I even?’

Before anymore contemplation could happen, there was a knock on the door before it started to gently open. Quickly getting out of the way of the door, she made it back to the bed as the person came into the room.

It was a tall unicorn mare with a long horn; her mane was styled into a Mohawk and it was maroon in colour as well as her tail. The mare’s coat looked like a redder version of the fillies own. She was wearing a black body suit that clung to her torso and covered that cutie mark thing.

Finally her eyes were a sharp jade in colour and the right one had a scare going across it. There was something about those eyes; were they showing respect? Wariness maybe? There was defiantly a bit of indifference. Perhaps a tiny bit of sorrow? It was hard to make out, or even fully understand what these emotions should entail. Wait there was something interesting being carried on her back; a tray.

An eye blink of time passed as the young filly processed these thoughts; heck the adult mare probably didn’t even notice the staring. In a more cheerful tone than what was expected the tall unicorn spoke up.

“Ah good you’ve regained consciousness. Come over to the desk here, you must be hungry. Here we are. Now on you go, no point holding back for ceremony with me. Dig in” That was more than enough encouragement for the filly to sit down in front of said tray; it was laden with a big bowl of vegetable stew with a few slices of bread on the side and a big glass of water.

Grabbing the glass with her magic, she paused moments before taking a drink. For some reason, the young filly could not explain, but she felt that something wasn’t right with the water. She looked back to the other occupant in the room, who just smiled and indicated that she was free to drink. It was with a few sniffs of the clear liquid the glass contained, before the filly drained the glass of its contents in a matter of moments; the food followed quickly after the water.

“Well someone was hungry, weren’t they? When was the last time you ate?” It was obviously meant to be a joke, but that one sentence hurt more than a little.

It was faint, a quiet mumble that no one was expected to hear “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that?”

“I, I don’t. Remember.”

“Oh, well that’s ok. It would have probably bee–”

“Or anything else.” Small eyes looked up to the tall mare standing a little away from the table, closer to the door. There should have been tears in those eyes with a statement like that, but there was nothing; no emotion at all. It was almost creepy. “I don’t remember where I am, or how I got here. I don’t even remember my own name. Or your name, or anything really.”

“Oh dear, we didn’t expect this as a possibility. Come on, let’s get you checked again by the doctor and I’ll try and fill you in as we walk to the infirmary.” With that the unicorn left the room, and the small unicorn filly followed.

Much like the room she had woken up in, the corridors were made out of wood and were sparse, but almost tastefully simple. The roof was pointed off and had the occasional support beam crossing the gap between walls. The walls themselves had a pale wooden beam dividing the midway point and ran the length of the corridor; under the beam was painted pure white. Above the divide were intermittent windows, retractable wooden doors for said windows and white wall sections. The floor of the corridor was a very nicely waxed wooden floor with the lengths of wooden planks following the direction of the corridor.

“Well my name Tempest Shadow and I was supposed to begin training you into an agent today; but it looks like that might not be happening. You were late arriving, so we sent scouts to look for you. Turns out your escort and yourself got ambushed by a wondering manticore; you fell out of the wagon when it was struck, and hit your head against a rock on the ground. Free Fall, your escort, managed to hold off the manticore from injuring you further until the scouts arrived, between all of them they managed to turn away the beast.

“We found that, though you had taken a nasty strike to the head, our diagnostic magic revealed only a concussion; so we patched that up and let you rest in the chambers prepared for you. Or so we thought.

“Sigh, as for who you are. Your name is Sunset Shimmer; an eight year old orphan with a magical talent that would benefit us greatly; so we adopted you. From what I have gathered, your time at the orphanage was not a pleasant one. Perhaps that is a silver lining to the situation you find yourself in?”

It was a simple story, but one that could easily be true. ‘Sunset Shimmer, that’s my name? It doesn’t sound right, or does it? There is something about it that feels right, defiantly something that connects me to it. Sunset Shimmer, yes there is defiantly a connection there, it feels right. Mostly.’

“Ok so, my name is Sunset Shimmer. That sounds familiar. I think? And I was brought up in an orphanage? I take it I was the youngest there?” Tempest raised eyebrow, but nodded along regardless “It’s just that I don’t think I had any friends my own age. I’ve got this strange feeling of always having to look up, I think? It’s really, really hazy.”

“Yes, it does collaborate with what I heard about the place you were found. It sounds like there is indeed a silver lining to this tragic event. I would put it out of your thoughts for now; if your memories come back then we can deal with them at that time.”

“Yeah I think that maybe for the best, it really hurt trying to think that far back.”

“Well, we’ve arrived at Doctor Heimlich Maneuver’s office.” Knocking on the door, the two unicorn’s had to wait a moment or two before there was a response granting them entrance to the room.

This office had a similar feel to the room that Sunset had woken up in, though with filing cabinets and a tall examination bed, than a cupboard and a standard bed.

The doctor himself was a middle aged earth pony; he had a light red coat, with a yellow and black stripped main and tail combination. He also had a goatee facial feature coloured the same as his mane. The doctor had on a white lab coat that covered his tail and cutie marks.

“Ah, little Sunset Shimmer has awoken, I see. How are you feeling? Any headaches?” his accent was deep and a little harsh, but his tone was a friendly one.

Before Sunset Shimmer could say anything; her future teacher spoke up for her. “I’m afraid she seems to be suffering from amnesia. She cannot remember anything at all; not even her own name. And she seems to get a headache whenever she tried to remember something. As we were walking down to your office, she got a vague sense of only having to look up at people and never had someone eye to eye. This gave her a bad headache.”

The doctor paused at hearing this before turning to the young filly to confirm what was dais to be true; which she agreed with.

“Oh dear. So more than just a moderate concussion then; well hop up onto the examination table and we’ll have a look at you. Give me a moment; I just need to get my nurse.” Before long a mare unicorn nurse walked into the room and the examination of her head began.

It was a long and drawn out series of questions and answers, reactions to stimuli, memory tests and even cognition tests, and all the while the unicorn nurse was scanning her head with magic and taking notes of the reactions. However, after far too long a time, the session came to an end.

He took the notes from the nurse, who at this point looked quite tired, and began to read through them. As he read a frown appeared on his face.

“Right, well this is looking a little problematic. As far as I can see with the initial readings your amygdala have been damaged somehow; this may help explain the memory loss, as it is the place where memories and emotions are processed. I shall need to do some more research, but this is a solid lead.” He flipped through a few more pages of notes before he stopped again, this time with his eyebrows rising to the sun.

“It seems like your hippocampus has received an enhancement, as the activity there is tremendous. Suffice to say you’ve got quite the pupil now, Tempest.”

For the first time in an hour Tempest Shadow was addressed. Honestly Sunset thought she’d have left by now.

“What do you mean doctor?”

“Simply put her ability to experience most simple emotions – anger, fear, surprise for example – has been hampered; by how much I cannot say right now but she most likely will have acute alexithymia because of this. While on the other side of the coin, her cognition has been boosted beyond what was already looking like an intelligent filly.

“It is unlikely she will do very well at espionage, perhaps just the infiltration aspects. But she will learn everything you give her like a sponge soaking up water. Add that to a very impressive magic well and we may have our first viable AK agent on our hands.”

“So is she cleared for training, doctor? If what you’re saying’s true then I’ve got my work cut out for me.” The tone of voice quivered slightly, it was subtle but Sunset guessed the quiver was excitement, possibly anticipation.

“Most everything should be fine; though keep it to moderate, if you can. Nothing that causes head injuries for the next seven day; I want to see her again then to do a secondary scan. If nothing has changed in that time and I see no difference in the scan results at that time then she will be able to do everything.”

Tempest Shadow looked upon the wall and found a clock, telling her there was still a lot of sunlight left to burn for the day. “So, what do you think Sunset? Think you’re up to start showing your worth to us?”

Sunset Shimmer, the young filly who was suffering from acute amnesia, simply shrugged her shoulders “Do I have much of a choice?”

“Nope, but I felt it best to be civil. Follow me out into the court yard and well go through some basic drills for today. We’ll focus on them until the doctor gives you the all clear and then we’ll hit the books.”

They were walking along the same wooden corridors as before. There were a few more ponies walking around at this point, but all of them were giving Tempest, and thus Sunset, a wide berth.

“I’m pretty sure the doctor said I couldn’t do anything that may involve head injuries. Not reading.”

That made Tempest laugh, “My philosophy is that you cannot train the mind without training the body; when I say hit the books I almost mean it literally. You’ll be studying written material at the same as say push ups, sit ups, and eventually close combat. This will help with quick thinking on the go as well retaining the information. You won’t forget the formula force equals mass times acceleration when you see it in action with my hood to your face.

“Though if you’ve got as much potential as Heimlich claims you have, then I will not be your only teacher. But that is quite a few years down the road; for now we still have a few hours of day light remaining so let’s start on those push ups and sit ups I mentioned.”

The courtyard was spacious and clean, the vast majority was flat and dirt covered. There were a few ponies training and what Sunset assumed were their trainers watching over them. Some were unicorns using magic blades; others were pegasi and what appeared to be them trying to shoot lightening through their wings. There were even a few earth ponies and one in particular appeared to be trying to harness her earth magic to create spears made out of the soil. The final most notable thing that drew her eyes was an outer wall with the letters P.R.E.D.A.T.O.R pasted in big bold letters along the wall.

It took half a dozen attempts before Sunset finally achieved the correct posture according to her teacher. After getting the first couple were completed successfully, Sunset asked about the letters on the wall.

“I never did say where we are did I? Well we are predator, a secret organisation that can trace our founding all the way back to before the nightmare rebellion. We help keep the kingdom on the straight and narrow, by working in the shadows and doing what needs to be done. It is not gratifying, everyone hates us, but it is a job that must be done to keep Equestria from anarchy; be it snubbing nobles, to breaking up invasion forces before they can rally. Now that’s enough push ups for the time being; get on your back and start with the sit ups.”

The young purple unicorn Sunset Shimmer was already in a puddle of her own sweat but she followed the orders without complaint. “Huff, Acronym?”

“Yes it is an Acronym. It stands for: Ponies Reparation of Extremely Deadly Agents Tactically Operating Remotely. Once your training with us has been completed to our satisfaction you will be placed as either a sleeper agent or an active one, decided at the time of you completing your training. These may be quiet times but that is only thanks to our hard work removing cancers before they can metastasis.

“Anyway, a few more and that will do for today; you’re not the worst I’ve seen, but still got a long way to go. I shall finish giving you a tour of the place before dinner. But be ready for dawn where we start your time in hell.”

“Do you have a library here?” Sunset was clearly tired from her light exercise session, but apparently her thirst for knowledge does not require such mortal things as rest.

“Well then, I guess that is the first place to show you. We have books on everything you are likely ever going to need and/or want to read. We’ve got books that even the Royal Archives do not possess, though you won’t be getting access to those tomes for a long time, if ever. We’ll get you introduced and then you can return after the tour and after dinner to brows. Just remember training starts at dawn so make sure you’re ready for that. This is your one and only warning that I get creative when it comes to getting students out of bed.”

The tone may have been light, but the look in her eyes said she was serious. Sunset took note of this information, but did nothing more than nod in confirmation as they walked deeper into the complex to resume the tour. This was how home now, they were kind enough to adopt an orphan like herself, and she would make them proud; ‘I will repay that kindness.’

The search for Twilight Sparkle has surpassed the twenty four hour mark and things were feeling a lot less hopeful. Many of the guards had to return to prior duties to ensure the safety of the capital, especially considering the search of Canterlot revealed more than a few areas that demanded investigating. If there was any form of silver lining to this crisis, it would be the shutting down of two separate smuggling operations and even a pony trafficking scheme.

Those thoughts did little to help the small family whose member is still missing. They had finally moved themselves from the private dining room of Princess Celestia and were now trying to rest in Princess Cadances chambers. Spare mattresses, pillows and blankets were taken to her room to allow all of the ponies most affected by this tragic event to stay close.

Even First Lieutenant Shining Armour was off duty at this time, being granted leave thanks to the ongoing family emergency. Truthfully he did not know if it was a blessing or a punishment; he was desperate to find his sister, or to be out there doing something to help. But his family needed him, and Twily would be mad if he wasn’t there for their family.

It had taken a long time but finally both of his parents were asleep on Cadances bed, using Spike as a surrogate daughter to fall asleep with. Currently Shining was sitting next to Cadance on a sofa in front of an unlit fire separated by a small coffee table. Random books were scattered across the coffee table, some even open revealing pages; but all of them were currently forgotten.

Shining Armour was trying his very best to comfort his marefriend by now all that he could do was hold her tight. She was crying into the crook of his neck, his own eyes flowing almost as freely.

Something had happened to Twilight. Something beyond words.

There was a gentle knock on the door before a sorrowful princess walked into the room; she had been summoned some time ago and it had taken all this time for her to finally arrive. “I heard you needed to see me. Has something happened to Twilight?” her posture was immaculate and stiff, her voice devoid of inflections, she was the picture of a princess; she was expecting the absolute worst news possible. If Princess Mi Amore Cadenza could no longer feel the presence of ones she loved, it could only be because they have moved on.

What she got, while no doubt disturbing, was not what she was prepared for.

It took a moment to receive the news as there was a silent talk between the unicorn stallion and the small alicorn princess. Eventually Princess Cadance looked up to her adopted aunt. “She’s still alive, thankfully. But, she must have gone through something I wouldn’t wish on anyone. It was horrible. Her love…” A moment passed while Cadance regained her composure. “I could feel it as one by one her love for all of us just disappeared.” Her voice was quiet and soft, cracking in places as she fought valiantly to keep her composure.

This was not what Celestia had prepared to here at all. While relieved her student was alive, just what corrupting powers could do that to her love? “Were the bonds tainted or corrupted in some way?”

“Sniff, no not tainted, her love for us didn’t change; they just disappeared. Vanished. The only one that remains is for Spike; but it is so faint.”

That made Princess Celestial pause. “They just disappeared? And you saw nothing that was influencing these effects? I’m sorry, I’m afraid I have no idea how such a thing is possible. But it is another lead that I shall make sure is fully looked into. Have you mentioned this development to…” her eyes travelled to the doors separating the bedroom from the rest of the suit.

“No, only Shining and myself knows this happened. Well you too, now. I don’t want to give them any more grief than I have already.” Princess Celestial could see the sudden frustration appear in Shining Armor’s posture as he embraces the young alicorn all the more firmly. It was clear that she wasn’t the only one that wished Cadance would stop blaming herself.

“Very well, I shall keep this only as a need to know. I have arranged some refreshment for you all and they should be arriving within the next half hour. If you wish I will allow you access to the information gathered so far, though I must warn you there is not a lot. Though I have to wonder, why was the love for Spike not completely lost?”

“My only guess is because she sees herself as his mother. Even though she’s only eight years old, she tried her very best to be his mum. There were lots of problems that would not have happened if she were older with more life experience that we needed to fix; but she dose love him like a child. Whatever happened to her could not break that bond; just wear it out greatly.”

“Then we shall honour her thinking on the matter. I was hoping to try and have Spike imprint on one of us as a mother figure, perhaps even Mrs Velvet while Twilight was not here, but no longer.”

“I can’t believe you were hoping to use this situation like that.” Cadance’s voice was cracking due to the complete turnaround of emotions. A torrent of fire was rapidly building within her as she looked at her aunt.

“I was hoping to avoid a teenage to young adult dragon losing his mother in eighty to one hundred years from now. You know this and we’ve discussed this at length; I am guilty of still trying to look out for him. But, the dedication Twilight must have to the role went beyond what I had suspected a child capable of. I promise you I shall not interfere in their relationship any further, other than what is asked of me from now on. Now if you’ll excuse me.” Princess Celestia turned on the spot and simply walked out of the room, closing the door gently behind her.

“You know she only said that to force your anger away from yourself and onto her, right?”

“Sigh, yes, Shiny. I realised that when she gently closed the door.”

“Did it work?” There was the smallest hint of hope held within his voice that Cadance picked up on, and not just because of her ability to feel love.

“…yes it worked a little. I still feel bad, but I no longer want to beat myself up over it. Shiny, when the intelligence reports get here, do you think you can show me how to connect the dots and find a pattern of events?”

Shining Armor sat up and looked directly into his marefriend’s eyes. It was small, but there was indeed a spark of Cadance within those light purple orbs once more. He choked back a sob of relief as a slight smile appeared onto his face. “Sure. I can teach you that and together, hopefully, we can see something that other ponies have missed…

“Cadance. Please don’t scare me like that. We’ve already lost one. I don’t want to lose another.” His voice was suddenly raw and full of emotions betraying the tough First Lieutenant look he tries to portray. It finally dawned on Cadance that she had been hurting him just as much as herself.

It was her turn to support and be the reassuring partner; she pulls him into her own comforting embrace. “I’m sorry Shiny; I can’t promise this won’t happen again. But we’ll get through this, together.”

“Together.” They lean in for a small gentle kiss full of reassurances, apologies and promises of a better tomorrow.

Chapter. 5 - New Beginnings

Chapter. 5 New Beginnings

Ten years later.

It was a bright late spring day, the sound of birds chirping were coming from the open window and while there was the odd cloud or two in the sky; they did nothing to detract from the beautiful day that was underway.

Over in the single bed within the room was a lump hiding from the intrusive rays of the sun in a combination of green duvet, white pillows and books. Big large hardbacks and smaller paperbacks both; there seemed to be half a dozen scattered around the bed and night stand respectfully.

The lump hidden within the duvet moved slightly as it tried to find a new more comfortable spot to rest. Light snores were emanating from the mound as a new position was achieved and sleep fully took over once more.

“Spike! Get up you lazy dragon!”

Reality crashed around the dream world that had started to rebuild itself as the dreamer found that new comfortable position. With a groan and a mumble, a small purple scaled hand emerged from the cocoon of blanket to try and slap something; something that obviously was not there.

“Spike! It’s ten-o-clock. If I have to come up there,” the voice left the threat hanging but it promised something creative and evil if pushed.

A louder and longer moan emerged from the duvet before the scaled hand retreated and emerged with the rest of its scaled body. “I’m up! I’m up aunt Cadance! No need for the bucket!” a slight shiver travelled down his back green fins, and continued all the way down to the tip of his tail as he remembered his cold water baths for sleeping in.

“Good. Your breakfast is waiting for you. We’ve got a busy day ahead of us.”

“Right. Coming.” With a final yawn and a stretch, Spike extracted himself from his duvet and got out of bed.

The room he slept in was quite a large one, made small thanks to the book shelves that covered the walls; each one filled to the brim with books. The wooden floor had a soft green rug in the room’s centre, and by the window rested an old brass telescope that has been lovingly looked after.

At the base of the filly sized bed was a writing desk and chair that had sheets of paper scattered over its wooden surface. There was a quill and ink set positioned just out of the way so the dragon would have to reach to access it.

Situated next to the head of the bed was a night stand with two items resting upon its top; a bedside reading lamp made from glowing crystals, and a small picture frame.

Once Spike had gathered a few sheets of paper, a portable quill and ink set, and two of the books from the bed he placed everything into a yellow rucksack. A nod of satisfaction brought his eyes over to the picture frame.

The picture it contained was of a bright eyed purple filly that looked a few years younger than he was now. Her face was graced with a shy smile on it, clearly enticed out of her for the camera as she sat upright and as tall as she could. Situated on either side of the filly was a book lying on its side and a baby dragon sitting upright with its head turned to look at her. Even through the picture, the filly’s violet eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness.

While the posture of the filly was upright and straight, there was a distinct lean towards the dragon; with one of her hooves positioned around the back of the purple scaled baby.

This was a very important picture to Spike; it was a picture of him and his mother, taken just a few hours after she hatched his egg.

“Morning mum, I hope you have a good day today. I’m helping aunt Cadance in court today; she needs me as her scribe since her usual one is sick. It’s not the most exciting of things and I don’t get much time to study as I’m sure you’d like, but it is an important responsibility just like you took your responsibilities seriously, so will I.

“Well, I better get going; we’ve got to be ready for midday. See you later.” Slipping on his yellow rucksack full of paper, quills and books; did the little dragon finally leave his mother’s old room and made his way down towards the kitchen of his grandparent’s house.

It was a large but cosy end of terrace townhouse built over three stories with the master bedroom and a large guest bedroom on the top floor, both with their own private bathrooms. The middle floor held two bedrooms, a study and a family bathroom. The walls of the corridors and stairwells were painted a gentle yellow in colour and filled with more pictures of the occupants of the home.

Arriving at the bottom of the stairs Spike passed through the bright central hallway, ignoring both the front formal lounge as well as the powder room; before finally entering the family living area of the house. It was a large kitchen and a living room area at the rear of the property separated by an arch that was once a wall.

“Well look who finally decided to join the living. When did you get to bed last night, hmm?” came the cheeky comment from his aunt Cadance, currently sitting at the big farm style table within the kitchen area. She had a mug filled with ether coffee or tea; Spike couldn’t tell from where he was standing. Sitting next to her was a plate of waffles sprinkled with blue and green gems, a glass of milk and a bottle of syrup. His breakfast.

On the opposite side of the table sat his grandmother; honestly still a bit young to have an eleven year old grandson. She was short and had a light grey coat; the white and purple strips in her mane and tail were still vibrant and distinct.

While her face held a small caring smile there was an air of weariness surrounding her; one that never truly seemed to disappear, and it did not stem from her age. Currently she was nursing a mug of tea; Spike knew this because he’d never seen his grandmother have anything else.

“Morning aunt Cadance, granny Velvet; I’m not sure when I got to sleep last night, but it must have been after midnight. I know you’ve asked me to stop but the night sky is pretty and peaceful.”

“Oh Spike, you really are your mother’s son. Well go on and eat, the waffles will be a bit cold by now; but I’m sure you won’t mind.” Twilight Velvet gave a small smile as she took a sip from her cup, clearly somewhere else for a moment.

Spike did not hesitate; jumped up onto the chair next to Cadance he started to make quick, if still polite, work on the now cold meal in front of him.

“So Cadance, what is Shining up to? I haven’t heard from him this week” Velvet may have asked innocently, but this is a game that everyone at the table knew inside and out by now.

“I’m afraid he’s still in Manehattan at the moment. There are some suspicious inconsistences in their security reports that the Royal Intelligence Service have picked up on; and as former Capitan of the Royal Guard he decided to help encourage them in explaining why they’re there.”

“But surly the RIS have enough leverage to force the matter just by actively looking into it. Why do they need a prince to get involved?”

“Apparently he had already promised his help to the First Lieutenant of intelligence if and when she reached a particularly stubborn paper pusher.”

“So, no grandfoals any time soon?”

‘And there it is. The same song and dance since Princess Cadance officially became my auntie two years ago.’ Spike just shook his head as he finished the last of his waffles, washing them down with the glass of milk. Thankfully that was still cold.

Hat’s off to Cadance, she just took it with grace and replied with a simple “We’re working on it.” There was an ever so slight blush visible through her fur that graced her face with reply, however.

Looking anywhere except the eyes of her mother in law, they were drawn to the large wall clock in the kitchen. “Oh, is that the time. Spike, are you ready? We’ve got to be going, or else we’ll be in a rush. Thanks again for the coffee Velvet and I’ll drop off Spike when I’m done with him. Don’t worry about his dinner; I suspect he’ll be back some time around eight or nine tonight, so I’ll get him fed at the castle.”

Twilight Velvet escorted the two royal workers to her front door and after a few hugs and kisses goodbye; Princess Cadance and Spike –who had situated himself upon Cadances back– were out into the main streets of Canterlot, their destination the castle. Flanking either side of the two was a pair of royal guards.

Over the years Canterlot just seemed to get busier and busier; and while everyone seemed to know who he and Princess Cadance were, he recognised maybe a clawful out of the hundreds he walked past. Out of those maybe one or two where people he actually liked.

Their walk, however, was uneventful and with light conversation between them, time passed quickly and the castles main gates came into view. It was also where their escort bid their farewells.

Arriving with time to spare it was almost leisurely as the two of them got the last of the preparations set for the final spring court of the year. Princess Cadance and Celestia took turns reigning over court duty, giving Cadance experience actually holding court and also giving Celestia time with her latest personal student. Speaking of whom.

“Princess Cadenza, Spike. Good morning; are you holding court today?” Entering the throne room was a sky blue unicorn mare with an almost white blue mane and tail; her cutie mark was of a crescent moon with a single star within the moons arch. She held an air of confidence about her, but thanks to the Princess’s personal touch it had been humbled to more acceptable levels.

“Good morning Trixie. Yes, Spike and I will be taking court today. So what brings you by? I’d have thought Celestia would have gotten a hold of you for your lessons by now?”

Trixie Lulamoon has been Princess Celestia’s personal student for the last eight years; when the princess herself discovered the young mare’s own traveling magician’s show. Seeing genuine talent, as well as love, for magic within the mare she offered her the vacant spot of her personal student.

Celestia had tried to find a student before then, but for one reason or another none of the candidate's –be they chosen from her gifted unicorn school or suggested by the nobles– had held up to Celestia’s scrutiny.

It was a controversial pick and some of the nobles complained about the upstart until they were bluer than said mare; but over the years it seemed that Celestia knew what she was doing.

Once the mare in question had gotten accustom to lecture based teaching she excelled thanks to her own passion; scoring within the top five in every subject when compared to the other children at Celestia’s school. Honestly most of the lessons Celestia had with Trixie were more to curb her self-importance, than to actually tech her magic.

“I have not seen her at all this morning; she had already departed by the time I came down for breakfast. That is why I came here to see if you had swapped places at the last minute.”

“Huh, she hasn’t said anything to me about leaving the castle; did she say anything to you Spike?” he shakes his head in negative. “I’m sorry Trixie, but I don’t know where she is then. Did she leave anything for you to get on with?”

“No, so it will be self-study…unless you would like some assistance with court today?” It was known throughout the castle that Trixie could not self-study for toffee. Amazing at practical, very good at theory when gently guided; but as soon as it came to self-studying, she folded like a house of cards.

Giggling slightly Cadance turned to Spike “What do you think Spike, think we could use another hoof around here today; or at least until Celestia returns?” He raised an eyebrow slightly, so small that there was no chance that Trixie could have spotted it. They did not need any help, Cadance barely needed his help. Her return was the smallest of nods; Cadance wanted Trixie here today for some reason.

“It’s the last session of spring, and they’re normally the busiest as people try and push things through before the start of summer. I suppose we could use a helping hoof.” While what Spike had said was true, Cadance has sat so many courts that she was use to the influx by now. Even Spike has had more experience with court than Trixie. But if Cadance wanted her here who was he to argue extra help.

Suddenly the steward appeared next to Trixie at the base of the steps to the throne; where Cadance was already seated and Spike was seated just to the back left on a small but comfortable stool ready with quill and paper.

The stallion in question was holding a thick scroll in his magic and had a small pair of reading glasses resting on his muzzle; he bowed to the seated princess. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza; it is midday and Court is now in session. If you are ready we shall start to introduce the petitioners.”

“Trixie, there’s another stool just to the side there; if you can sit next to Spike and help him when he needs it, that would be great thanks. Ok, Quill Tip please start bringing our ponies in.”

The unicorn bowed once again, “very good Princess. Introducing the first petitioner…”

And thus started the long day of answering mostly pointless petitions; some were fair, one or two were actually good or meaningful, and the rest nothing but self-grandeur.

‘Mum, wherever you are I hope your day is better than mine.’ Spike though as he started taking the first of many notes that day. Huh, maybe Trixie would be useful today after all.

The birds where chirping, with the additional sound of small chicks in the air, the noise of a frog croaking somewhere nearby and the cicadas were calling for friends; all this proved that the forest was alive. A light breeze danced around the branches to the music of the wildlife, adding its own melody of rustling leaves.

In amongst all this forestry there was a mare unicorn reading what looked like a very old tome, using her magic to both hold it up and turn its pages. She was currently reading this book while doing sit ups, upside down and hanging from a branch three meters up a tree; gripping said tree branch with nothing but her hind legs.

The mare in question was tall with piercing violet eyes, her coat was amber in colour and her mane –as well as her tail– could almost pass for fire. On either side of her flanks rested her cutie mark; five white stars within a field of deep pink. There were a few white streaks in the centre of said pink field, most of them directed towards a star.

Sunset Shimmer was keeping herself occupied deep in the forest near her residence, as she was requested to do by her masters. She didn’t know the reason why they wanted her out of the way, but who was she to go against the people who had taken her from that horrible orphanage. They had raised her, look after her through sickness and made her strong so she could protect herself and Equestia.

And she was sick. She had forgotten nearly all of her past. She couldn’t remember a single thing from her previous life outside of this compound she called home.

Correction she had one thing from that dark past life. It wasn’t much; nothing as luxurious as something physical. It wasn’t even big enough to be a memory; it was a feeling. One she was certain was true; she had a child out there, somewhere.

She could not remember if it was a filly or a colt, she could not remember how old it was, she could not even remember what fur colour it had, or what pony tribe they were. But she knew for certain her child was out there and once she was fully trained and let loose on the word, she would find them.

After that was another matter, if they were happy then just seeing the child would be enough; no point barging in on their life and ruining it. If they were unhappy on the other hoof; oh prey for the poor souls who would be so foolish as to harm a predator’s child.

This was her one piece of the past, and she told no one about it. Sunset was sure her masters would be happy to help, to reunite them and become a family again; but this was something that Sunset needed to do on her own. Having a child so young could not have come from a good place; but she would face those demons and vanquish them with full prejudice.

It would not be easy with so little information available to her; but for a chance to see her child again, it was nothing.

Sunset’s left ear flicked and she moved the book eight millimetres to the right allowing the throwing knife to sail past unheeded and strike the tree branch she was exercising on.

“So there you are. When Master Crane Wing asked you to be discreet I don’t think he meant you had to go two kilometres into the forest. Nice spot by the way.” Sunset Shimmer looked down to her primary mentor, Tempest Shadow, and shrugged.

“He asked for me to be discreet and for my polymorph disguise. Figured it would be easier just to be absent.” Her voice was still fairly monotone and emotionless, but the lessons in faking emotions have paid off. When she actually uses what she has been taught; well she never lost at poker.

“Well come on down. You’re finally getting out of here.” It was with barely a glow before Sunset had silently teleported herself out of the tree and standing next to her mentor. “Jeeze you’re too good at that; can’t even detect the magic build up anymore.”

“It’s my special talent.”

“Keep telling yourself that, so what are you reading? I don’t recognise the cover.” They started walking through the forest without a care; they were the most dangerous things in this forest.

“Predictions and Prophesies” she kept it in her magic but otherwise didn’t reveal any more of it. It was strange being able to look her mentor in the eye; she really has grown.

“I don’t know that one. Where did you get it?”

“Basement of the library”

“The bas–, that’s the restricted section. You’re not meant to set a hoof down there, you know? Not without permission and just cause,” Tempest’s jade eyes narrowed down to slits.

“I have not set a single hoof down there.”

“Then how do you explain having a book that belongs down there in your possession right now?”

‘Left eyebrow raised, eyes still narrowed; no my mentor does not know how I did it. Leaving anyway, so it won’t hurt to tell her. Besides, I have other ways now.’ “Left most bookshelf has sufficient shadow to Shadow Step directly down to the basement; from there use self-levitation to move around. Reconfigure the Phantom Sword spell into a pair of tongs to take books out of the shelves.”

Both eyes were now wide open and staring at her student in a different light. “Wow, well done bypassing all teleport wards, the anti-levitation and anti-thief wards on the book shelves and even all the traps on the stairs and floor. Sigh, Do I want to know how long you’ve been going down there? I’m guessing that since you’re reading a book about prophesies, that you’ve read a lot of the others.”

At least Sunset looked a little guilty when she replied that she had been getting down there for the past four years. Now whether she was actually guilty or not was another matter.

“I’m plugging those holes up you know. You won’t be able to get down there again without permission now.”

“You said I’m leaving so I won’t be able to read them anyway.”

They continued on in silence through the forest until the wooden complex in the trees became visible once more.

Tempest Shadow led her directly to the reception hall where the master of each tribe was waiting for Sunset, apparently.

“Ah, Sunset. When I said to be discreet I actually wanted you close enough to be called upon. Our visitor earlier was upset that she wasn’t able to meet with you before she had to leave. Tell me Tempest, where was young Sunset?”

The pony speaking to the new arrivals was a Pegasus stallion. He was old enough that every piece of colour he may have had was now washed away by time. He was white all over and his right wing was favouring his large walking stick. This was Crane Wing, Master of Pegasi.

The three ponies in front of them were all wearing a ceremonial robe of untarnished white with gold trimming that covered all of their bodies and almost touched the floor, a symbolic statement saying that everything they said while wearing those robes is truthful to the best of their knowledge.

“She was in a clearing two kilometres south, south west of here.” Tempest was precise with her words, clear and full of respect.

“Ah, I know it well. The birds of the forest gather there and create beautiful music. I am pleased to hear you also enjoy such peace.”

Sunset bowed respectfully to the Master of Pegasi.

“Getting back to the topic at hoof. Sunset please remove the polymorph on yourself so you are completely focused on our words.” This was the Master of Unicorn’s who spoke, Bright Lance; a mare who must have been as old as Crane Wing. Her coat was a pale grey while her mane and tail were mostly white with just a speckle of grey scattered throughout. The most striking thing about her was her eyes; they were milky white and clouded. She was blind.

With the smallest of thoughts possible the amber and fire mane form of Sunset Shimmer broke with a flash of light, and in her place was a lavender unicorn with a deep blue mane and tail both containing one streak of pink; her height and body structure remained unchanged by this transformation.

Surprisingly for being blind, the unicorn thanked Sunset for removing the polymorph before continuing with what she had to say. “Normal protocol dictates that now you’ve completed your training with us, we place you within the world where we have yet to reach and influence. However, you are an exception to this; for you we need you to be able to move quickly to situations that require a heavy hoof.

“We have secured you a position which is flexible enough that you can be summoned at short notice and central enough that the established infrastructure is vast. It dose overlap with an agent already established in their location, but as you will be working different cases this will not be a problem.”

The final Master, the Master of the Earth, was an earth stallion named Thunder Stomp. By far the youngest, or perhaps the best aged would be a more appropriate thing to say. His coat was salt and pepper, and his mane and tail were cut so short it was hard to see what colour it was. He looked and sounded like a retired general from the army.

“You shall be acting as a librarian for a small town south west of Canterlot. A place called Ponyville. It is a quiet place, surprising considering its closeness to Canterlot; however it is explained with its proximity to the Everfree Forest. If you find yourself with down time, you can consider protecting the town a secondary objective.”

Crane Wing spoke up once again with an accepting smile on his wrinkled muzzle. “You have trained under Tempest Shadow, as well as all of us. There is little more we can offer you that you would not already be trying out. From the looks of the book sitting next to you, even the restricted section has become a simple challenge for you; though if you have need of it please just ask. We have access to books outside this site, so feel free to request information from us.

“After that all that is left is to remember that you are now a field agent. We do not exist to the world at large. If you are caught in your missions, we cannot help you. If you are found out, you are on your own to become invisible once again. We may be what keeps Equestia peaceful, but that only works if the world fears the dark. Our power is small but focused, that is how we work and how Equestria needs us. Do you understand, child?”

“Yes, Master Crane Wing. I shall not be found lacking.”

“I am sure you will make us proud. You need to be in Vanhoover by seven in the morning to catch the scheduled train to Canterlot City. From there you will need to connect to a different train that will take you south to Ponyville. I am afraid you shall need to acquire that ticket on your own.

“Your train ticket to Canterlot, however, will be waiting for you at Vanhoover Central; simply ask the information desk upon your arrival. The documentation for your new position will be waiting at the reception desk within the Canterlot train station. The desk will also be where you get your ticket to Ponyville.

“We also have some funds for you, to help you blend in and to acquire items that you may need for your new residence. There is one more items that we have prepared for you; Tempest if you would.”

Tempest stood up and left the room, she came back moments later and in her magic was a black body suit exactly like the one she was wearing. With great care, Tempest set it down in front of Sunset before describing the suit in detail.

“This suit is different from mine, it offers moderate stabbing and slashing resistance but its more useful feature, which my current one does not have, is the enchantment Shadow Blend. As the name suggests it assists the wearer by blending the shadows around them, making you harder to detect and allow you to focus on something else. Even your brightly coloured polymorph will be hard to detect within the shadows using this suit.

“Do not wear it in public. Apart from the fact that it is rare to see somepony wear so much clothing, the enchantments are always on when worn so the shadows will start to conceal you even when you don’t want them too.”

Sunset was touched by the gifts that have been bestowed onto her; it was one of the few times that she wished she knew how to properly respond to these kind gestures. “Thank you for such kind gifts. I shall use them to their full potential, I promise you.” Hopefully that was right.

“I am sure you will. Now if you are to make it to Vanhoover by seven it is best to say farewell now; you have a long journey ahead of you, and that is before the train.” The newest agent stood up and bowed respectfully to the three masters before retrieving the pouch of bits and her new body suit.

She left the book where it was when a clearing of the throat reminded her that she wasn’t supposed to have said book. Bowing one more time to her masters she left the room with Tempest right behind her.

“Sigh, what was the book she took from the restricted section Crane Wing?”

“’Predictions and Prophesies’ Bright Lance. I wonder what prediction she was looking into.”

“You know her best out of all of us, Crane Wing. What one do you think?”

“The problem is not which one she was interest in; but which one will happen first, Thunder. That mare has an endless thirst for information” Crane Wings responded.

Thunder Stomp just snorted “I cannot believe some of the things that mare can do, and I taught her some of those things. If she’s interested in that book, maybe we should be taking it more seriously as well.”

“Those reports of trouble beyond our influence you mean.” Bright Lance added to the three’s musings. “Yes, you may very well be right Thunder Stomp. Perhaps it is time our fingers got a longer reach?”

“Perhaps it is” Thunder Stomp nodded, “this new prince appears to be cleaning up Equestria quite nicely with his Royal Information Service. We will still be needed I fear, but hopefully to a lesser extent. Provided this RIS can survive the coming years and we are only marginally needed, then perhaps it is time to venture further afield.”

Crane Wing was only half listening to his counterparts as he flipped through the pages of the lone book. Using his wing tips on each page, Crane Wing finally finds the prophecy he suspects Sunset Shimmer had been reading. One that spoke of the moon and stars, of a one thousand year wait before evil returns.

‘What has garnered your interest in this one? You have been an avid star gazer since you came to us; have you seen something we all have missed?’ He shakes his head before returning to his peer’s discussion of faraway threats; wondering if the next big threat might just be a little closer to home.

Chapter. 6 – Of Trains and Donuts

Chapter. 6 – Of Trains and Donuts

The noise, the bumpy movement, the crowdedness of it all; if Sunset Shimmer could still comprehend emotions she was sure they would have been going crazy. As it was she was lightly resting in her seat with thankfully no pony was in the seat adjacent to hers.

It took the better part of the night travelling in her own way to reach Vanhoover in time to catch this locomotive; only to then discover that Canterlot was still another eight hours away.

Still at least she could rest on this thing while she travelled, but this would be the longest she had sat still in all of her life; she was already restless and itching to move and there was still hours left of the journey. Tartarus, even her time sleeping was about a third shorter than this journey was going to take.

So here she was, resting her head against the window; half of her brain trying to catch a little rest, one of the remaining quarters just watching the scenery go by and the final quarter keeping her senses active for any possible trouble.

The slight reflection of herself in the window showed a vibrant amber unicorn with a red and yellow flamed mane and one piercing violet eye staring at nothing in particular.

She had a pair of saddle bags underneath her seat that held a few items; –the now marked ticket for this leg of her journey, a small percentage of her funds, several uncommon books that she won while playing poker with her fellow students and a bottle of water she had purchased from a pony walking down the train with a snack cart– items that were useful to have at hoof. Anything more valuable or secret than that she had stored away in a place taught to her by Master Bright Lance.

It was strange that the Master of Unicorns was only able to teach her three spells of worth. Two of them were both, admittedly, extremely useful utility spells; one was the very reason that Master Bright Lance could still see even after her eyes stopped working.

The ability to see the flow of magic was very useful for numerous reasons, the most obvious being to assist in figuring out what a spell is doing. It is a spell rarely taught and even rarer still to be mastered to the point of usefulness.

The second spell was even more useful and one no average unicorn could hope to detect, let alone pull off. In effect it was a pocket outside of reality; a small piece of the void sectioned off for her personal use.

Once established, the spell allowed for almost limitless storage of effects and with the security of only one entrance to the pocket that the caster alone controlled; well it was a very useful spell.

There were limitations to this of course; no living thing could survive within the void and items have to fit through the entrance gate to be able to be stored. The initial casting of the spell is also extremely complex and required more magic than most unicorns could fathom. Even once established there is a small but constant depletion on the casters magic to keep the access gate stable.

Running out of magic, or if the caster were to enter a coma like state, while the spell is active is an inconvenience but nothing more. With no supply of magic left to keep the gate stable; it reverses its flow and ejects everything held within it before suffocating and collapses in on itself.

But, truly, the biggest downside of the spell is if the gate connecting to the casters storage area gets completely severed. In this worst case scenario every item in the casters piece of the void is lost to it. This is not an easy feat; the spell must be specifically targeted and then a battle of wills between caster and dispeller. It is wondered if most of the fabled treasures were lost in this way.

It was within this space that Sunset ferreted away every other item she possessed. There weren’t many items in there currently – such as the rest of the money given to her by her masters, the additional winnings from her poker games and her new body suit for example – but they were the items that were valuable enough she did not want to risk losing. Or suspicious enough that there would be questions; questions she did not want to answer.

The final spell was almost the name sake of the Master; it was an offensive spell that launched a Searing Lance of heat energy from her horn. It was expensive to cast and hardly had the subtlety required of her position; but it was effective and Sunset had found the spell quite easy to manipulate. Between herself and Master Bright Lance, the two of them had developed numerous tricks to use with the spell.

Currently the train had just passed a rather large stop in the middle of nowhere. It was strange because ponies were both getting on and off; and the train station itself was one of the larger ones they had past.

Sunset hadn’t dwelled on it too much, that is, until a little after the train had departed the platform; revealing positively massive shadows scattered over the plains they were travelling through. Those shadows woke her up completely.

Angling her view to better see the blue beyond, Sunset was met with a city in the sky. Well more of a city made out of clouds but still a city in the sky.

Her mind was locked on to the thoughts of such a city; how the infrastructure worked, did tribes other than pegasi live there, if so how? Was that a rainbow waterfall she was seeing, or just refraction of light? Were those other waterfalls coming from said cloud city fresh or…

Her curiosity and wonder about the city made out of clouds was interrupted by the noises of ponies shuffling past, trying to find their seats or dealing with their luggage. She still did not have anyone sitting next to her.

Said distraction was followed up a little later by a conductor that came along and checked all the new arrivals tickets. She did hesitate at Sunset; but the clipboard she was reading from must have confirmed that her ticket was still valid because the conductor moved on from her. ‘Actually’

“Excuse me?” Sunset asked the mare conductor just after she passed. The pegasus mare turned around and asked if there was something wrong. “No, I was just curious how far it is to Canterlot from here?”

“Ah, there’s a little over three hours left until we arrive at Canterlot’s main station.”

Sunset nodded lightly and thanked her for the information. With such a long time still to go there really was not much else she could do. Reaching down to her saddle bags Sunset pulled out one of the books she had packed there to read.

“Advance Principles of Magical Core Care” was a medical book containing spells specialised in the rapid response and emergency care of every ponies magical core; be they unicorn, pegasus or even earth pony. The spells the book contained were precise, complex and focused on set principles; the exact spells she loved to manipulate and alter into something else entirely.

The rest of the journey passed with her nose in the book, her magic writing down possible ideas and altered spell equations that Sunset wanted to try out when she had some free time.

Finally, as the train finished ascending up the mountain that Canterlot was situated upon, did something happen to break through Sunset’s musings. The train stopped just out of sight of the platforms and appeared to be waiting.

Sunset had no idea what was happening, however by the grumbling that she could make out from some of the other passengers, it was a common problem. Some up shot noble or member of royalty had shown up unannounced and was now moving across the tracks to the VIP section of the station.

A sigh graced Sunset’s lips before she got comfortable in her seat once again, after packing her book and notes away. Hopefully it would not be a long delay before they were on the move again and she could finally be free to walk around and work off this excess energy. Pure study could only distract her for so long.

Princess Cadance was flying through the streets at a much faster speed than was strictly allowed within city limits. But between her flying skills, her being a princess and her Royal Guard escort; those rules were bent for her. Besides she had a perfectly reasonable excuse for all this dangerous flying; her husband had just returned to Canterlot.

Rounding the last corner her eyes landed on Canterlot City Station and that the pegasi air gate was already open and waiting for her; no doubt thanks to an advance guard.

So she just soared right through the hole in security they had created and headed off to the secluded and reserved platform for Nobles and Royalty, were she could see the top of a train just coming to a stop at the end of the line buffers.

The wait was excruciating, and took a small eternity, but eventually the pure white unicorn stallion emerged from the train. He looked a little dishevelled but otherwise in perfect health.

“Shiny!” was his only warning before his wife of two years pounced on him and smothered him with both hooves and wings. It is testimony to his military training that he was able to support both himself and his slightly larger alicorn wife in this situation. He just stood there with a smile on his face and enjoyed the feeling of being happily recognised for the first time in over a week.

“Cady, it’s so good to see you, you have no idea how much it lifts my spirits to be happily greeted for once.”

Cadance chuckled lightly as she squirmed around her husband, trying to hug as much of him as possible in one location. Strangely it seemed the best place for that was her straddling his back. “Was Manehatten really that bad?”

“The nobles over there think themselves Celestia’s gift to ponykind and how dare you question their completely honest reports of what has been happening in their province.”

“So, just like the ones we have here then?” by this point Shining Armor has started to head towards the exit. Princess Cadance frowned slightly before getting off and quickly intercepting him once more; a small pout appeared on her face along with watery eyes.

With a light chuckle, Shining Armor understood what she now wanted; with a twinkle in his eyes and a genuine smile on his face he leaned in close and gently kissed his wife. It was small; it was short, but filled with so much meaning and love. Cadance was more than happy to return the kiss with just as much love meaning.

The kiss was brief, but left the two starry eyed and dopy smiled. Their foreheads came together, bringing their mouths almost to touching once again.

“I love you,” was whispered softly, meaningfully, and honestly. Which one of the two said it was difficult to say; but both parties meant it and knew it to be true.

The moment had to pass unfortunately, and while it took a moment or two; they eventually started moving towards the exit again, walking side by side.

“So yeah, the nobles in Manehatten are as bad as the ones we have here then?” Cadance said, getting the conversation back on course.

“Chuckle, yeah pretty much. Thankfully my reputation seems to be preceding me, so it wasn’t long after I arrived that the raw information being requested of them finally started to flow.

“From there I was a fifth wheel and after confirming it with First Lieutenant Eye Spy, took the train back here. It is possible I could be called out there again, but as I said my reputation seems to be preceding me and no one dare cause me to return for the same reason within a matter of days.”

“Ah that’s my tyrannical prince and husband. When did we start the whole good princess, bad prince act, anyway?”

“I think that happened when I became Capitan of the guard. The number of times you’d counter one of my orders due to severity was laughable, looking back.”

“We wanted more guards, not less, Shiny”

“Better have one guard who can incapacitate ten enemies, than ten guard who can only incapacitate one.” Cadance just rolled her eyes and allowed her husband to continue walking out of the station. His luggage and their guard escort following close behind them.

The crowds were separated from the two Royals by their guards, though Shining could not help but watch the crowd for any suspicious activity. Once a guard always a guard.

Everything about the station seemed to be in order, except over by the main reception desk.

“What do you mean two and a half hours until the next train?” Shining could just barely make out a mane of fire over the crowd separating himself from the mare who had just shouted at the pony on reception. At first he thought said pony was in a wild fire state, but upon closer examination Shining saw that it was the actual hair colour of their mane.

Turning away from the scene he saw that his wife’s eyes had followed his into the crowd. “Impatient ponies, what can you do?” he innocently asked his wife.

Cadance raised a delicate eyebrow, “I can do quite a lot actually; after all I married one of those impatient ponies.” Was the reply, but they continued on their path out of the station. First, Shining needed to report to Princess Celestia and then there was a nephew he wanted to see and a set of parents to hug as well. It was going to be a busy afternoon.

“I’m sorry miss, but that is the next train available that stops at Ponyville.” With a sigh of acceptance to yet another delay, Sunset Shimmer bought the ticket she required.

She placed the ticket, as well as the folder containing all the details for her new position, into her saddlebags before apologising to the attendant; as that was supposed to be the right thing to do. Right?

‘So two hours to kill before I need to be back here. Well I guess I can have a look around the city. Ooh, they must have a library here.’ With a quick glance to see if anyone was waiting behind her, there wasn’t, Sunset looked back to the mare running the ticket booth. “I don’t suppose you can give me directions to the library, please?”

It seemed like luck was on Sunset’s side, because the earth pony mare manning the desk gathered a map and, using a pencil, drew the fastest path from the train station to the Royal Library. With an almost genuine thank you; Sunset was off, following the graphite trail on the map.

Canterlot was big, and it was busy. There were more ponies here than Sunset had ever seen in her life; if she could feel anxious she definitely would be right now. As it was her only reaction was a slightly raised eyebrow, before memorising the directions on the map and headed towards her destination.

The pavements were immaculate and made from cobblestone; the buildings seemed to be following a pattern of white walls with ether golden or purple roofing and highlights. A strange choice for buildings as it must take a lot of effort to keep them as clean as they appear; but Sunset was no architect, and it did make an impressive city.

The path Sunset was taking was the quickest for an earth pony or a unicorn, but there were more than enough shortcuts that she just wished she could take. Unfortunately she was officially undercover, and therefore could not use her more unique talents without compromise.

It took longer than she would have liked, but eventually she arrived at a grand arched building with detailed columns supporting the roof as it hung over the walls of the grand structure. It was built from a combination of all three of the main colours within the city; its walls were white with purple highlights, while the roof was purple and the columns in the front were gold. The big wooden arched doors were open and inviting to the bibliophile; so without any further admiration of the large building, she walked through the door and right up to the reception desk.

“Good afternoon and welcome to the Royal Library. Are you a member or are you looking to join? Most of our services are only available to members, I’m afraid.” The pegasus mare working reception appeared friendly enough with bright eyes and a happy smile. Her coat was sky blue and her mane and tail were cut short with red and straw like colours streaked throughout.

That information about requiring a membership was a hindrance, but maybe Ponyville was close enough to allow her to become a member? “I guess I’m signing up to become a new member. I’ve just been accepted as the new librarian for Ponyville. I hope that’s not too far away for me to become a member here?”

“No, no that’s fine. Ponyville is within the Canterlot region. Wait, you said you’re the new librarian there? Do you have your identification available by chance?”

Rummaging through her saddle bags, Sunset eventually found the paper work for her new position, and with that her identification. “Sunset Shimmer, my what a bright name; oh, but this will make things a lot simpler for you. Since Ponyville is within the Canterlot regional sphere of influence, you can order books from us here in the Royal Library and loan them out to the citizenship of Ponyville, or yourself.

“Once we’ve confirmed your identity a reference catalogue will be issued to Ponyville Library that magically updates available tomes to loan from us. So you do not need to become a member, since with your position you already are one.”

“Great, so can I go and get a few books now then?”

“Oh, I’m sorry but not yet, no. We need to confirm your identity and position first before the membership will fall to you. It should be completed by the end of the week however. I’ve taken a note of your name and ID number to help speed things along, but you cannot take any books with you today. Feel free to brows and do some reading, though.”

A quick glance at the large wall sized clock told her that there was little point; certainly not enough time to finish a book, let alone find one that she may actually want to read. Taking back her librarian identification she turned to leave.

“Thanks, but I’ve not got much time left before my train to Ponyville. Hey, do you know any good places to do some reading with a drink?”

The pegasus’s eyes lit up quickly. “It’s a little out of the way from the train station, but if you’ve got the time I promise you won’t be disappointed with Donut Joe’s. Best donuts in all of Equestria.”

Fishing her map out from her saddle bag she revealed it to the pegasus, “I don’t suppose you could give me the directions?” With a flourish of a pen the path was quickly drawn and her latest destination was set.

Donut Joe’s was a large and airy place, with big arched windows and tastefully decorated in a selection of different shades of green in a chequered diamond pattern under the length of the windows. There was good seating, and it was clear this place was popular, since only a few tables and stools were empty at this moment in time.

Standing behind the counter was a unicorn stallion dressed in chef whites and hat. His coat was a golden cream colour, while his mane and tail were a short scruffy brown; was it any wonder his cutie mark was that of a donut. He did have a bright smile on his face as he served people delicious looking donuts and a selection of hot or cold beverages alongside the confectionery.

“What can I get ya, this afternoon?” everything looked good.

“What would you recommend?”

“Thought you were a first timer; I think I’d remember such a vibrant mane like yours, names Joe. I’d recommend the classic pink with sprinkles; but the caramel and cashews have just come out.”

“Sunset Shimmer. And I’ll take one of each that you recommended with some jasmine tea if you have any.” ‘Huh, my mouths watering; I’m not that hungry, am I?’

“Certainly Miss Shimmer, here’s your donuts and the tea will just be a moment. Go find a seat somewhere, and I’ll bring you your tea.” Paying for her treats and spying a vacant table near the wall of windows, she trotted over to it and took the seat facing the door.

Removing the notes she had made on the train, as well as the book Advance Principles of Magical Core Care, she was about to start up once more when the smell of warm caramel hit her nose. She had almost forgotten about her donuts.

Even her emotionless mind couldn’t help but be impressed with those donuts.

“I’m back.” Entering the home he grew up in was always a mixture of emotions; so many good memories, so many memories that should have been. Still it was where he grew up with his sister and he would keep walking through that door just to remember those good times.

Entering the family living room, he greeted his mother who was working away in the kitchen.

“Shining, you’re back earlier than we were expecting? Did things go smoothly?”

He gave his mum a quick hug before answering. “Yeah, once they realised that I was the one with the power to push and not the other way round, things started to go really smoothly; so I came back early. Is dad still working?”

“Yes, there were several incidents that required him to stay a bit later, so dinners been delayed by an hour or so I’m afraid.”

“Oh whatever shall I do with all this time? Say, is Spike here?”

Twilight Velvet just raised an eyebrow. “He’s upstairs studying right now; he’s been up there for most of the afternoon actually.”

“Well it sounds like someone needs to be distracted from trying to imitate his mum.”

“Yes it’ll do him some good to stretch his legs a little. Just make sure he doesn’t ruin his appetite.”

“Will do mum. Do you want to come with us?”

“No, he needs to have a good stallion role model in his life; and while your father certainly is a gentlepony, Spike’s a dragon and needs to look up to someone who’s a little more aggressive.”

“True, I guess. Huh, maybe I should look into giving him some guard training?”

“In a few years I think that will be good for him, but remember he is still a baby when it comes to dragons.” Agreeing to at least look into it further, Shining headed up the first flight of stairs and towards a door that he still struggled to even look at.

He hesitated, pausing a moment to try and calm himself down before plunging into the depths of emotion. With one last deep breath, he knocked on his sister’s bedroom door and entered her old chambers.

“Uncle Shining, you’re back early. Did you have a good trip?”

It took a moment for Shining to respond, his mind was swimming with sad memories. Finally, with a shake of his head, he managed to respond. “Hey Spike, yeah it was a boring trip with lots of pointless bickering. But that’s not important right now; I’m here for a very important mission.”

“Yeah, what is it? Is there anything I can help with?” Spike was worried; Shining Armor going on missions can be dangerous.

“It is of vital importance that you follow me right now.” The seriousness in his voice left no question that this was an important mission. He walked out of the room.

Spike was right on his tail as they exited the house and started towards the city centre.

“So what’s the mission? Are we going somewhere far away? If so I better go back and say goodbye to grandma.”

“The mission is quite simple, and only requires that you follow me.” His face cracked just the smallest amount. “The Mission is to distract you, to prevent you from becoming your mother’s son.”

That stopped the young dragon in his tracks. “What?”

Shining Armor, still walking with purpose, took the smallest of glances back towards Spike before using his magic to lift the young dragon and settling him on his back.

“Spike, I know you want to make my sister proud and take after her, but there are some of her habits that should not be copied; the biggest one being studying the world away.”

“I guess; it’s just that this is something I know she was passionate about. So when I do study and get full marks in tests, I can almost feel that she’s smiling at me. You know?”

“Spike, if there is only one thing you can trust me to say; it is that Twilight would be so proud of who you’ve become. Yes you’re smart and she definitely would want you to be; but you’re also compassionate, willing to help anypony you can and above all else, you are just a nice person to be around.

“She would want you to make friends and to experience more of the world than just books. If for no other reason than because she would have spent all her time with them and would want something different for you. And before you say anything, yes I do know what she would think; I am her BBBFF after all.”

Shining felt the scaled arms of his nephew wrap around his neck as the young dragon hugged into Shining’s blue mane. A slight dampness was slowly forming in his mane where his nephews face was hidden.

It was a quiet few moments before Spike spoke up once again; his voice quiet and heavy. “I wish I could remember her.”

“I wish you could as well Spike,” Shining replied, just as softly. “Honestly I believe you’d be more exasperated with her than I bet you think. She really did have some horrible habits.

“She was just starting, what I hope was, a phase where she would make a checklist detailing everything she wanted to do that day; in order of events as well. Once I caught her making a check list for a list of checklists she wanted to make that day, so she didn’t need to do them later that week. I burnt it to ash as soon as I found the demonic scroll causing her to chase after me, shouting about how I ruined her life forever because I destroyed that one list.”

“Chuckle, yeah that dose sound like a pain to deal with.” Spike still spoke softly, but there was a lightness to it now; hearing about some of his mums stranger habits.

“Thank you for agreeing with me. But here, I can show you one of her biggest weaknesses that ever existed; in fact I think it was second only to a book she had not yet read. Donut Joe’s, and if I’m right and I remember Joe’s donut schedule correctly, then they should have just recently been put out for consumption.”

Walking into the store he was quickly greeted by the proprietor in question; obviously he had just been around the tables, clearing used plates and probably delivering top ups to drinks as he went. “Prince Shining, good ta see ya. And hello to you too Spike. So is it the usual for you both?”

“Joe, I’ve told you before you don’t have to use titles with me; I’ve known you too long. Actually I’m here for a caramel and cashew please; and then whatever Spike wants, but just the one. I’m under strict orders by my mother not to ruin his appetite for dinner.”

Joe’s face softened when he heard the order. He didn’t know the young sister very well, but that donut was all she would order whenever they were available.

“Right. Find a seat and I’ll bring you, Spike, a blue gem crunch and the caramel and cashew for you Prince Shining. Any drinks?” once the order was confirmed Shining looked around to find an empty table and discovered a mane that was on fire.

‘No not on fire, it just appears so. Wait, that’s the pony from the train station.’ Shining quickly spied a free table in sight of her and trotted over to it. Spike jumped off his back and quickly sat down on the closest seat to him, while Shining walked around the table a little before claiming the seat opposite him; giving him a view of this bright coloured unicorn mare.

Even sitting down he could tell that she was tall even by stallion standards; honestly she looked only a little shorter than himself. Her mane was long and wavy; really making it look like it was a flame sprouting out of her head and travelling down her back.

Her body was toned and athletically built, especially her back muscles; clearly she has had intensive training of some kind, but he’d recognise her if she was part of the guard.

The way she was sitting down on the chair was of a disciplined posture; and while most of her cutie mark was obscured by the chair, he could still make out a deep pink background and a single white star.

Currently she was reading a book while taking notes; using her magic. Her face was relaxed and calm, almost expressionless, but her eyes were darting back and forth with a single driven purpose.

The magical skill on display was also impressive. Not once did she look at the quill to make sure it was still writing actual words, or if it had started to veer off the lines. That was either complete confidence in what she was doing, or she was a showboating novice.

Nothing about the mare said she was a novice.

The raspberry coloured magical aura covering the quill did not falter in its dance across the page. ‘Raspberry coloured aura…’

“She’s been like that for the last fifty minutes at least. Her eyes are so focused and single minded, but I’ve refreshed her tea twice now and each time she’s said thank you. Never looked away from her work, but still said it. You know her?”

“Never seen her before today Joe; caught sight of her at the train station. She said something about a train in two and a half hours. That must have been at least an hour and a half ago. When next you go round again it might be best to remind her what time it is.”

“Thanks for the heads up. I’ll be sure to remind her when I’m next over, if she’s still there.” With that Joe, walked off to clear a table that had just left.

“So, Spike. I told you I was going to show you one of my sister’s biggest weaknesses, and here it is; the caramel and cashew nut donut. It may look simple and non-threatening, but these babies have saved my tail more times than I’d care to admit.”

Shining Armor then went on to regaled Spike with a few tales of his sister’s exploits and how these simple donuts calmed the savage beast.

Spike listened with great interest through every tale that Shining wove, enthralled as he imagined the scenes being described. With every story told a small budding comfort started to bloom; an almost primal instinct within him had a spark of an ember. This ember of a feeling almost seemed to glow slightly; every time he inhaled a little bit more of his donut, or the accompanying hot chocolate.

He always had these feelings whenever he heard stories about his mother; but there was something about today, something about the here and now, that made the stories feel all the more important and comforting.

It almost felt like a motherly hoof was resting on his shoulders.

‘So that is Prince Shining Armor, former Capitan of the Royal Guard; now married to the alicorn of love, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, adopted niece of Princess Celestia.

‘Good instincts, strong powerful build and a surprisingly large magical core; no wonder he was the youngest Capitan of the Royal Guard in history, before his marriage moved him into politics. But that’s all.

‘Nothing I’ve read of him concerns me; I’ve already worked out a few bypasses for his shields. In theory anyway, would like to put them to the test… Why is there a baby dragon with him?

‘No pony is acting up, suggests he’s a familiar sight to them; that he is with a Prince also seems to be a moot point. Perhaps he was adopted by Princess Celestia and they’re friends?

‘It would make sense having a baby male dragon look up to a powerful stallion figure loyal to the crown.’ Turning back to her book she finished her passage, before looking for a clock to see what time it was.

Sunset had estimated that she still had forty three minutes until the train left. And while the map told her it would take a little over twenty five minutes to walk to the station from here; it was probably best to be safe rather than sorry.

Sure enough, above the service counter was a clock telling her that she had not miss counted.

Packing everything back up she gave a slight stretch before securing her saddlebags, finished the last of her tea and the two remaining mouthfuls of the pink donut. With all her belongings gathered, she thanked Joe as she made her way out of the shop to finally catch her train to Ponyville.

Chapter. 7 – Ponyville

Chapter. 7 – Ponyville

‘So, this is Ponyville? At least it’ll be quiet. Huh?’

“LOOK OUT BELOW!”

An out of control blue pegasus with a rainbow mane, tail and magic stream was heading right towards Sunset Shimmer after she had taken her first few steps into this, town? Village? Ponyville.

It was getting firmly into the evening stage of the day; the sun was still out, if closer to the horizon than most would like, and what she saw of Ponyville was quite promising honestly.

Nice white walled, thatched roofed houses with wooden highlights gave the place a wonderfully rustic look; that each house was built uniquely from the others just added to the character. The streets were mostly all wide enough to have multiple carts pass without issue and there was even a small gentle river meandering about, adding to the ambiance nicely.

There were fields of crops beyond the train station, while in the opposite direction she could make out an orchard. What fruit it grew was unknown to her right now, but Sunset was sure she would find out before long. And next to the orchard was the infamous wild forest; Everfree Forest.

Signs of its wild magic could be seen even from where she was standing; a mist was rising from the canopy, sparking and changing both its shape and colour as it rose higher into the air. It’ll turn into a cloud if any more of it congeals together.

But right now her mind was focused on her current problem; she had to figure out what to do with this thing flying right towards her. ‘Opps, no longer sufficient time to slow her down with telekinesis.’ A slight step to the left, and the blue pegasus crashed right where she was just standing, making a surprisingly deep crater.

“Umm, are you alright?” Normal ponies are supposed to ask that after collisions like this, right?

The mare in question did appear to be in one piece; with wobbly legs and a few miss steps she was back up on her hooves. A final shake of her head brought her back to the here and now. “Ooh, man don’t do a quadruple loop de loop when the suns that low in the sky. Oh, sorry about that; got blinded by the sun as I was practicing. But hey, you must be pretty quick on your hooves to be able to dodge like that. The names Rainbow Dash. So what brings you to Ponyville?”

The mare in question was of a sky blue in colour and the cutie mark on her flanks was of a fluffy white cloud with a rainbow coloured lightning bolt. Interestingly her mane and tail were indeed the colour of a rainbow, with her mane styled in a spiky short front with long sweeping back that traveled down her neck. She was a bit shorter than Sunset and her whole body said she was an athlete built for speed and agility.

‘It sounds like she’s ok. I know pegasi magic helps with impacts and force mitigation, but that is a noticeable hole; she must be quite the powerful pegasi.’ “Hello Rainbow Dash. My name is Sunset Shimmer and I’m the new librarian for Ponyville. Could you show me the way to the Town Hall please? I need to see a Miss Mayor Mare.”

Rainbow Dash blinked at her a few times before burst out laughing.

“Ahahahaha! You, an egghead. Oh that’s a good one! No seriously, why are you in Ponyville? Here to visit a friend or family member? Or maybe you’re here for an outfit from Rarity?”

Sunset blinked back, slightly confused. She had just explained why she was here. Maybe the other way round? “I’m here to see a Miss Mayor Mare, I believe her name is. If you could show me the way to Town Hall, that would be most helpful. I am to be the town’s new librarian.”

“Wait your serious about the librarian thing? Oh, come on what’s a mare like you doing with books all day? Like, every mare in towns going to be jealous of you.”

“Why would every mare in town be jealous of me?”

“Why wo-. You know what; I think that crash might have done more damage than I thought. You said you wanted to go to the Town Hall and see the Mayor? I’ll take you there, but it’ll likely be close by now, unless they were expecting you? Were they? Anyway, I’ll take you there, but then I think I better get some rest. Well come on, Town Halls this way.” And with that Rainbow Dash started to head towards the centre of the town.

The walk into town was peaceful; Rainbow Dash, Sunset’s self proclaimed guide, pointed out a few buildings as they travelled further into town. Most of the stores you would expect to find in any town centre were there to see; a few café’s, a hey burger restaurant that smelled particularly good. There was even a tea store and a china store as well, places Sunset was sure to visit when she had time. The tallest and most obvious building that was pointed out was the Town Hall; it could be seen over most of the other buildings.

Once the building was pointed out, she offered Rainbow a chance to leave then and there; but surprisingly she stuck around. “I said I’d take you to Town Hall and that’s what I’m gonna do. Besides might as well give you a small tour on the way.”

There walked past a few ponies on their travels, and while the majority of them were polite enough to say hi to Sunset while they talked to her guide, many of them seemed to be a little aloof. Understandable really, it would be unlikely that somepony runs up to the strange new mare in town and proclaim them to be your best friend forever. Ponies were friendly, but not that friendly.

The next thing she pointed out was the top of a large tree a little in the distance; apparently the library was built into a giant tree. Wait.

“Is that a giant ginger bread house?” Sunset Shimmer couldn’t fathom the possibility of living in such a sweet smelling house. She was reassured however by her guide.

“Naa, that’s Sugarcube Corner. It just looks like a gingerbread house. It’s the town’s bakery, specialising in sweet pastries. Oh hey! Give me a second; I’ve got somepony you just gotta meet.” And with that she flew off towards the gingerbread house in question.

Sunset was left along in the street for a minute and was beginning to debate between just leaving the hyperactive pegasus, and continuing on to Town Hall. ‘She could have run off by now, especially since I can get to Town Hall from here. But she seems determined to take me all the way. Perhaps, I should wait. After all, if I am to become a part of this community, then should I not have acquaintances? Besides a little loyalty won’t do me any har–’

“WHAT TIME DO YOU CALL THIS?!” suddenly a pair of light blue eyes connected to pink were right in her face. If there was enough space to slip a piece of paper between the amber unicorn and this pink earth pony, it would be surprising. In a startled jump Sunset hopped back and landed on her rump; that was the most emotion she had ever known. It was a dizzying, confusing and gave Sunset the first few thumps of a headache.

The mare’s coat was indeed pink in colour as well as her curly, puffy mane and tail; they were only a few shades darker. On her flank was her cutie mark, three balloons all different colours.

It appeared the pink mare was actually waiting for her to respond, so a quick check of where the sun was in the sky and comparing it to a twenty four hour day, Sunset was ready to respond.

“Umm, a little after half seven in the evening?” Sunset was still experiencing shock; not just from the initial surprise, but also because she was actually struggling to track this pink mare. She was once again right in front of her, though thankfully not so close this time.

Just off to the side, Sunset could see Rainbow Dash trying her very best not to burst out laughing.

“Exactly! There is no way I can get your welcome to Ponyville party set up and then invite people over to it so you can introduce yourself to us and we can do the same in return with games, and cake and balloons and decorations, all before ponies turn in for the night. This is mostly a farming community; we get up early, not party late! Especially on a weeknight,” by this point the mare was huffing for breath so much, Sunset wondered if she was going to start hyperventilating. Or that the pink mare was trying to breathe fire. At this point Sunset could believe either option.

Another quick glance over towards Rainbow Dash confirmed there was no help was coming from that direction. Bringing her eyes back over to the enraged mare once again, she tried to gamble with the emotion card rather than straight out attacking this enigma.

“Umm, Sorry?”

The pink mare was back once again, millimetres away from Sunset’s face; staring so very intensely into her own violet eyes. “Sugarcube Corner. One o clock. In the afternoon. Tomorrow.” Then, just like that, she was back standing at only a little too close of a distance; latching both of her forehooves onto Sunset’s right hoof before shaking it as if her hoof was a spray can or something.

“Hi I’m Pinkamena Diane Pie, but everyone call’s me Pinkiy Pie. It’s nice to meet you. What’s your name? Your favourite cupcake flavour? Where are you from? What brings you to Ponyville? Are you staying long? What about your favourite colour? I’m guessing purple. Maybe lavender. Oh, no don’t answer those, then tomorrows party will be pointless. Ok, so see you tomorrow, right? Yep! Ok Bye!” and now she was skipping away like nothing had happened.

Sunset just sat there confused out of her mind at what had just happened. Nothing about that encounter made any sense at all. Nothing. She looked down at her hoof the pink mare had latched onto which was still shaking up and down in greeting. She had to give it an actual physical shake to finally stop the phantom shaking of her hoof. After gingerly placing it onto the ground and confirmed it was indeed safe to put weight on, Sunset returned to her hooves.

She must have been sitting there for a bit of time, because Rainbow Dash appeared in front of her. She hadn't even notice the pegasus approach.

“Yeah, sorry about that. That’s Pinkie Pie for you though; a good friend but she tends to get more than a little excited at, well pretty much anything. Oh, for the sake of your sanity, do not try and figure her out. Trust me, there’s a psych ward up at the hospital full of ponies who have tried and lost their minds in the process. It doesn't help that Pinkie visits them once a month to give them some 'laughter therapy' as she puts it.”

Sunset just nodded her head in agreement. The less she thought about that mare the better.

“Anyway Come on, we’re almost at Town Hall. Let’s go.” And just like that Rainbow Dash was trotting off in the direction of, presumably, the Town Hall. Sunset Shimmer could no nothing else but follow the blue mare; her mind still trying to process the encounter she had just had.

There were no other detours and not much more of a tour either, as the two mare’s finally arrived at Town Hall. Though Rainbow did point out one other strange looking building a little further down the road from the Town Hall; a building that very much looked like a blue, white and pink carousel with gold highlights. The Carousel Boutique; where this Rarity, who was mentioned earlier, lives and makes her dresses. It was yet another very distinctive building within the town.

However, as Rainbow Dash had predicted, the Town Hall’s windows were dark and the door was locked.

“Geeze, you’d think they’d leave a note or something. Are you going to be ok tonight?” Rainbow looked worriedly at Sunset, and feeling a little guilty about the delay, ‘I wonder if Rainbow plays poker? I could bankrupt her so easily.’

“You said no one was living at the library, correct?”

“Umm, yeah. We’ve not had an official librarian in, like, years.”

“Then I shall be fine Rainbow Dash. Thank you for your assistance.” And with that Sunset headed off towards where she saw the library tree earlier in her walk through the town.

The sun had finally started its descent beyond the horizon; the sky now filling up with colours that matched the yellow and red held within the mane of the amber unicorn.

Apparently Rainbow really felt bad for her. “Hey wait. You don’t have a place to stay tonight, right? I’d offer you my couch, but I live in a cloud, in the sky and you’re not a pegasus. I’ve got friends, though, who’d be happy to let you stay with them tonight. What do you think?”

By now the giant library tree was in sight. It really was a building inside a tree; leaves were used as thatch for the front door, and the lower level windows that appeared to be small seating areas separate from the main tree trunk.

Higher up the tree and it looked like the big branches were walls and windows to different rooms within the leaves; there was an obvious master bedroom with its own balcony and even a stargazing platform at the very tip of the tree. There was even a large beehive hanging from the support branch of the bedroom balcony.

With twilight approaching and the colour change in the sky, it did look like a rather comfortable place to stay.

“Rainbow Dash, I thank you for the offer, but there is no need. I can gain access to the library without a problem.” They had both walked right up to the front door of the tree building; Rainbow looking on in confusion as Sunset started to focus.

“What, did they give you a spare key or something?”

“No.” ‘Wait, maybe I should have said yes? Oh well too late now. Let’s see no wards, alarms, barriers. Wait? Is it even locked? Ok, at least they locked the door.’

Her horn gave an ever so faint glow of raspberry light, before there was the slightest of clicks.

Evidently it was still loud enough to draw Rainbow’s attention.

“Wait, are you breaking in?”

“This is both my work place and residence. I cannot break into a location that I have been given permission to be. It is not my fault that they failed to give me the keys.” And with that the red door decaled with a yellow candlestick and candle opened; it emitted a slight creek before a small tinkle from an old bell that rested above the door.

“So, cool.”

The inside was a spacious circular room with lots of bookshelves embedded into the walls. They had a modest collection of books; but from the gaps that could be seen, clearly there were a good few missing.

Further up in the room, above the book shelves, were a mixture of additional storage spaces or nooks suitable for pegasi to read in; or ponies with ladders. The raised nooks were situated in front of large windows, and you could just make out large green cushions for patrons to relax into.

Opposite the main door was a stairway that led further up the tree and beside the staircase was a door that was currently closed. Over to the right there was an area of the tree almost sectioned off that looked like a small study area; since a few desks could be seen by a large window.

Another set of doors nearby this area advertised their use in the form of two small pictures. One was a blue stick figure of a pony, while the other one was a pink stick figure pony wearing a skirt over their tail; clearly these were the public toilets.

Above the main area of the library, however, painted on the ceiling was a large detailed image of the sun; a circular central body with many separate wavy arms. All of it was painted orange and highlighted with yellow to bring out a comforting warmth to the image.

Situated in front of the stairs leading up into the tree was the librarian’s desk; and in the centre of the room there was a circular table with a wooden bust of a stallion. There was something else sitting innocently upon the circular table; a package resting on it, addressed to her.

Overall the library looked like a nice organised place to work; provided you did not mind all the wood that everything was made out of.

Sunset used her horn to scan the traces of magic within the room; working out how to get the light spells to turn on. It was with very little effort that allowed Sunset to activate said spells, causing the sun in the ceiling to glow brightly, illuminating the room.

“Wow, looks like they really were expecting you; they got you a care package and everything. Well I’m glad you managed to get inside, even if it was by other means; I just wanted to make sure you’d be ok.

“Cool, so I’ll leave you too it and I’ll see you tomorrow at Pinkie’s party, ok? Bye!” Rainbow Dash gave Sunset a one winged salute before launching into the air and out of the open library door; her rainbow coloured trail quickly disappearing into the red and gold rays of the setting sun.

Sunset just sighed before using her magic to close and lock the door behind the rainbow maned mare.

She did not stop there however; she added additional security in the form of an alarm ward. Later, once she had officially taken ownership of the property, she will most likely add additional protections; but for now that will do.

With one last temporary ward to go along with the more permanent one and she was done for now. The second one she placed was designed to block ponies from being able to see inside the building it covered by way of blocking light leaving. She could see out, but ponies could not see in. Add to that a minor still image illusion of how the place looks, and suddenly nothing’s amiss. Honest.

That was it, she was now certain that she was going to be left alone for the rest of the night. A flash of light reflected the relief washing over her body as her polymorph was finally disabled.

Gone were the bright ambers, yellows and reds, and in their place were the softer tones of her natural purple coat, with matching blue mane and tail that was highlighted with a single streak of pink. She looked like herself once again.

There was nothing wrong with the polymorph spell; enough of the upper end boutiques used it instead of hair dye; but after travelling all day and then meeting that pink pie pony. Shudder. Sunset just wanted to be in her natural birthday suit for a bit.

And weren’t you supposed to run around your new place with nothing but your birthday suit on? Sunset was sure she had read that somewhere. Maybe got told it by some of the older students?

A shake of her head brought her back from her musings; still sitting on the central circular table was her welcome care package prepared no doubt by miss Mare herself. Opening it up with an aura of raspberry coloured might revealed a letter and what appeared to be a selection of wares from the town itself; some apples, a selection of other locally grown fruits and vegetables, a pie of some kind, and an assortment of different candies. It was a surprisingly full box.

Sunset ignored the contents of the box to give the letter a quick once through and found that it was indeed a “…small sample of the fine produce this town offers for you to sample and discover your own personal favourite; my favourite is the pie, though the blue candies are fun too.” Overall the letter was meant to be an extension to an introductory meeting and tour of the town, and indeed it was signed by Mayor Mare.

Putting the letter to the side and leaving everything else still inside the box, Sunset started to explore her very first abode.

Opening the door besides the stairs leading up, she found more stairs leading down. The door was shut and interest was quickly lost, the basement was something she could explore at another time; right now she wanted to get out of confined spaces for a while, so instead she started to head up the stairs. She did remember seeing a balcony as well as a stargazing platform further up the tree.

The next floor of the tree she came too was clearly some of the libraries living quarters. The stairway opened directly to the living and kitchen area. The design was in keeping with the wood motif, with the floors and walls made out of wood. The ceiling itself was actually the thatched tree branches and leaves.

The room itself was a long slightly oval shape with two big windows, one of them at the far end of the room where the kitchen area and a dining table were also located.

The kitchen had some modern amenities with a fridge/freezer combination, a white porcelain sink, and even a range for her to cook on. They were all following the curve of the far right hand wall as you entered this room from the main staircase. There was a modest dining table resting comfortably in front of the largest window; it had four chairs surrounding it, two on opposite sides, and there was a good amount of cupboard space to store things spread throughout that half of the room. Overall it was a workable kitchen.

The living side of the room was comfortable with a desk and chair by the wall separating the room from the main stairwell. On the left wall as you walked in was the second window on this floor. More spherical than the first one and not as large, but still serving its job nicely. It allowed plenty of light into the living room. Underneath it rested a small set of shelves built into the wooden walls that were currently bare and a little dusty.

Across the room from the window was something that was quite the contrast to all the wood it was surrounded by; there, sitting comfortably by the wall, was a black cast iron log burner with its chimney angled up to intersect with the wall just a little higher up.

There was a large glass door to the log burner, giving a clear view of the inside of the modest round cast iron furnace. Right now it looked cold and a little uninviting, but come winter, this will be a wonderful sight for cold eyes.

Sitting in front of the log burner, and encroaching a little into the centre of the room was a two seater couch made out of a yellow fabric. Separating the couch from the log burner was a small dark stained wooden table; useful for placing coffee cups on no doubt.

Sunset eyed the log burner with a little trepidation; she would need to have that fire place fully serviced and its chimney swept clean before she risks lighting it. Still it was a welcome addition to her living room.

The highest room of the tree was the master bedroom. It was a spacious circular room with wardrobes built into the wooden walls, a large double bed and mattress pushed up to the wall opposite another large window with what looked to be a window box on the outside. If it wasn’t so overgrown.

The bed itself was framed on either side by a pair of bedside tables and finally, over on the far wall from the stairs was a set of Prench doors leading to a balcony. That would be something she would look at another time, when it was daylight.

It was nice to see that basic furniture was supplied and ready to be used; as well as it matching with the warm wood motif of the place. The library was built in a tree after all. The kitchen was without supplies but both hot and cold water were running freely, there were basic utensils, plates, mugs, pans as well as a stove kettle; and thanks to the care package waiting downstairs, she would be well looked after tonight.

By now the sun had dipped beyond the horizon, being replaced by its counterpart the moon; casting the world outside into the softer hues of the night. Taking the final flight of stairs up to the star gazing platform Sunset was surprised to find a working telescope up there as well; it was a very old model, but it had been lovingly looked after and all the pieces were accounted for.

It was looking less and less likely that she would need to purchase any large items for the place; her own personal utensils perhaps, some bedding definitely, and other things of that nature really.

Stepping out into the warm night air she looked over the town; she may have turned on the lights as she walked through the house tree, but thanks to her ward blocking light from escaping, the tree was still dark and she would remain unnoticed.

There she was, standing on the last platform, the highest point of the tree –and taller than all but one of the buildings in the town– in the dark of night, and her natural coat colours were the shades of lavender or darker; she was not going to be seen tonight.

Doubly so, considering she was not planning to remain at such a low altitude for too much longer.

With another more complex, though even more second nature to her than the coat changing polymorph, a raspberry hued spell enveloped her body. It took all of a fraction of a second before the magic faded, leaving Sunset standing there proudly with a pair of pegasus wings.

They were perfectly sized for her and matched the colour of her coat, all connecting to her strong back muscles. A few simple flaps for testing purposes reassured her that they were working just as they should.

With one final thought a spell started to channel before Sunset launched herself into the air, soaring deep into the night’s embrace. She was the only unicorn in the entire planet who could fly like a pagasus.

Chapter. 8 – Celestia’s Day Out

Chapter. 8 – Celestia’s Day Out

These past few days have been more eventful than Princess Celestia was expecting; between Shining Armor coming back early from Manehatten as well as her unexpected summons just yesterday. It has been an exhausting time.

Currently she was in her private chambers sitting next to an unlit fire place just staring into the non-existent flames. All her regalia had been removed with almost gleeful abandon before they were replaced with a much more comfortable and light weight semi transparent dressing gown detailed with images of her cutie mark. It comfortably covered her torso and the majority of her hind legs leaving her forelegs exposed thanks to its short sleeves.

Beside her, sitting on a side table nearby, was a highly decorated china cup with its contents slowly going cold.

It was just an hour ago that she had taken her sun down for a well-deserved rest, before allowing the moon to have her time with the ponies of the world. Her eyes travelled up to the glittering jewels of her sister’s night; trying to see which one of them had changed their position this eve. Those glittering gems in the sky were so subtle it was almost impossible to tell. Every day they were getting closer to finally freeing their mistress from the moon. To finally free Luna…

A forceful shake of her head derailed that train of thought and forced her mind to focus on something else.

The report Shining gave her upon his return was, while not as bad as her worst case scenario suggested, still bad enough that she feared the need for a heavy hoof in these changes. Clearly self-reporting was no longer working and corruption was blossoming in Manehatten.

The past two generations of advisors had told her to “modernise” her reporting system. That her ponies in power could be persuaded in one way or another to look the other way in matters that could go against her directions.

Thankfully the reporting was more financially driven than malicious thoughts against Equestria; but it was still a worrying realisation. It is such a delicate balancing act in these matters that it could, without anypony realising it, bring about the very real possibility of ending Equestria.

Ponies in power are supposed to lead by example. If they get away with breaking laws then what’s to stop others from following in their hoof steps? ‘Sigh, looks like yet another reform is on the horizon; just what I need before the manure hits in a year. Oh to have a sounding board that I haven’t influenced with my way of thinking. We did so well together…once.’

Celestia paused her thinking as she did some breathing exercises; bringing her emotions back under control. She did allow a single tear to escape however.

At least it was caught early enough that actual disruption to the populace as a whole would be minor at worse; it was just frustrating to see such promising ponies fall away to corruption.

Still Prince Armor’s idea for a full domestic intelligence service appeared to be successful so far; but it was just another area to watch and make sure that power does not go to pony’s heads. Who will watch the watchers to ensure that they are not compromised? It’s a vicious, potentially never ending cycle. ‘I do trust Shining Armor though.’

Speaking of power, her mind wondered to her summons the day previously and the potential ramifications that it could have on the world, not just Equestria.

It all began with her sitting down to breakfast having just raised the sun; her mind going over what she had planned for her student, Trixie, that day when her eyes were drawn to the table placement in front of her. There, sitting on top of the napkin on her plate was something that did not belong; something that wasn’t there when the setting was placed in front of her just minutes ago.

It was the size and shape of a black bit with a small image of a white crescent moon and three white slashes between the peaks. It was a symbol that meant so much, but also hurt just as badly. It was the last gift her sister gave Equestria before her spiral into madness. Perhaps this symbol was the first sign of it.

An organisation separate from direct control of anypony, not even a single princess; only unanimous agreement for the diarchy can bring it to heel. Yet another aspect of it that Celestia was both grateful for and hated with a passion.

Predator. Effectively assassins tasked with hunting down and disposing of threats to Equestia, both inside and out. The number of diplomatic incidents they have caused, especially with the Gryphons, would have shortened her life by centuries if she wasn’t ageless. Instead it was her waist line that was affected.

But she cannot deny that some of the peace Equestria is currently enjoying has their hoof marks over it.

Her interaction with predator consisted of receiving reports, justifications really, for the death of someone. Eventually. When she demanded an explanation, after she finds out from the papers or diplomats typically…if she ever found out.

Not that Equestria is ever to blame with these deaths. If there is ever a connection between a diplomatic death and Equestria, it can more than likely be brushed to the side for something more plausible.

The other interaction with the group of assassins happens when they want to show off a particularly promising student. It was the latter in the case of this most recent summons, and it was a now or never invitation. They knew she was available today and had asked her to come.

Of course she could choose not to go, it would make little difference to ether party; but typically when they do this they ask for assistance in placing their latest assassin somewhere. Which means Celestia actually has some influence in the decision making of said location, so then she knows where the newly released assassin can be found.

This of course makes it easier to keep tabs on these ‘agents’; and considering they are normally the most skilled of their students, it is always a good idea to keep tabs on them herself. Predator certainly wouldn’t tell her anything useful. ‘Plausible deniability my flank.’

So she left right then and there, taking a chariot with an additional relief team –due to its distance away from Canterlot– and having the kitchens pack her breakfast as a picnic for the journey. It would be a long trip, their training grounds were deep with the forests beyond the Smokey Mountains, far to the west. It would be a five hour non-stop flight to get there.

“Ah, Princess. Welcome to our humble training ground. We have prepared a meal for yourself and your guard escort; your table has been prepared and is waiting for you. Please, relax and enjoy. Afterwards we can discuss why we have asked you to visit us today.”

With only a quick change over of the guard half way through the flight, the princess’s chariot made good time and managed to touched down before one o clock in the afternoon; earlier than she was expecting.

There was only one place in the near by area that was large enough for her chariot to land safely; and that was the central courtyard. It was a large unpaved area of levelled dirt where most of the basic training would no doubt take place.

It would appear that training here would be postponed, or even cancelled for today.

The complex that predator called home consisted of four main wooden buildings surrounding a central courtyard. The buildings themselves were further connected by wooden walkways completely surrounding the twenty meter square training ground. Overall it was quite a small facility making it easy to blend into the wild, densely forested area the building was located within.

The steep angled roof tiles were multiple shades of green to break up the uniformity and make it difficult to spot from the air. The walls of the buildings had a similar mind set, but the colours were also dispersed with visible wooden support beams, breaking up patterns even more. These irregular patterns had a most interesting effect and made the whole structure all but impossible to see from within this evergreen forest. It may not have been the prettiest set of buildings you’d see, but the effect has managed to keep the complex hidden for all these years.

Celestia had even taken this colouration idea to her military advisors in an attempt to keep more of her ponies alive on the front lines; after all you can’t kill what you can’t see. And ponies had a tendency to stand out, thanks to their brightly coloured coats or manes. So far the patterned clothing to match environments has indeed worked in saving the lives of her little ponies; even with the Gryphons sharp hawk like eyes.

The princess and her four guards were greeted at the steps of the biggest of the buildings by the current three masters. The old white furred pegasus Crane Wing The Master of Pegasi; his gnarled walking stick held firmly in one wing. He did not need that walking club, his short lithe frame still as sure footed as it was nearly a century ago.

Bright Lance The Master of Unicorn’s; her aged mane thinning while still trying valiantly to retain trace amounts of her once vibrant hair colour. It had receded since the last time Celestia had seen the unicorn mare, to form a widow’s peak starting around her horn. The cloudy, unseeing eyes, of the blind mare were piercing right into Celestia’s core.

Finally the newest of the three masters, Thunder Stomp The Master of Earth. An especially well built and powerful earth pony stallion who had once been a part of her own military force; as a front line Capitan if she remembered correctly. He had been ‘retired’ some time ago thanks in part to his age, but also due to numerous complaints from senior officers.

All three were wearing their ceremonial robes of honesty, pure white robes with gold trimmings that covered nearly all of their bodies. While wearing these ceremonial robes, everything they spoke of would be the truth that they know it. While it was purely symbolic, it did give Celestia an ever so slight bit of reassurance; they would not lie to her. That did not mean they would tell her what she wanted to know; but they would at least answer truthfully.

“Hello, my little ponies. I am glad to see you are doing so well. I would indeed appreciate the chance to relax after such a long journey. I take it, Crane Wing, that as you are the prime speaker we shall be discussing one of your students?”

Here all three masters bowed ever so slightly with small smiles appearing on their faces, however Crane wing still spoke. “Not just my student, though I am the one who has trained them the most.” That got Celestia’s attention. That a student has trained with another master was just not heard off. Each master specialises in one thing; their natural innate magic. You could not train an earth pony to fly, you cannot train a pegasus to cast with a horn, you could not train a unicorn to tap into the world’s strength.

“Well then, I look forward to hearing more about this student.”

“Very good Princess; when you are ready we shall be waiting in the meeting room. But please take all the time you require.” And with that the three masters bowed before entering the building and heading towards a set of stairs leading to the next level above.

While the outside of the building was decorated to best hide it from friend and foe; inside was much more appealing. It was still basic – light, almost golden wooden beams could be seen alongside the shell white of the walls– but it held a natural beauty all to its own.

To the right were a large set of stairs leading higher up. They were old and the individual steps worn from centuries of hooves travelling both up and down them; however the stairs themselves were just as sturdy as when they were first put in place all those centuries ago.

To the left was a large corridor leading to a sharp corner; several doors could be seen, spaced sporadically. This corridor led past the kitchens and storage rooms before arriving at a set of double doors separating a bathhouse from the rest of the complex.

Princess Celestia and her guards however walked straight and further into the building where the mess hall was located. It was of moderate size; two long tables with equally long benches were situated on either side of a central corridor that led to a raised platform where the main feature of the room sat.

It was a large beautifully carved piece of rich golden wood wonderfully kept depicting Equestria with two alicorns framing the map on each end. It looked as if their fore legs where holding the country up.

The two alicorns were similar, but not identical. They were the same size and rough shape, though the right one clearly had a larger flank than the left; who looked to be better toned as well. Their tails and manes were both billowing and wavy; but while the right one had individual lines, the left alicorns mane and tail were spotted. On each alicorn were their cutie marks; the left one was of the crescent moon, while the right one’s was the sun.

On the top side of the map were all the different tribes of ponies, including the reclusive Lunar Pegasus. They were all arranged one after another in a pattern along the maps top most side and had an air about them that could only be described as happy.

The underside of the map was of two halves; the lowest contained carved images of a lot of the other races found on the planet, including the odd pony from a few of the tribes, looking dark and menacing. Above all these enemies was the image of one pony of each of the tribes wielding the symbol of predator.

This piece depicted what Luna wanted to achieve with predator; in a sense it was the charter for what predator stood for. Happy ponies and a country held up and supported by the two sisters; with their enemies kept at bay by the influence of this organisation.

It is with a painful, but bitter sweet smile that Celestia looks upon the only piece of art her sister made that had not been squirreled away deep inside Canterlot Castle. She drags her eyes away from it before her composure breaks any more, and looks for her personal table.

Just as been promised, up in the upper right corner –and just out of view of the carving– was a circular table separated from the long benches of the main eating area.

Her table had plush cushions surrounding it of rich purples and golden thread, and actually on the table itself was a large porcelain pot of tea already waiting along with five cups in a position of one cup opposite the four others. Celestia had to admit they knew how she liked to be treated, more so than some of her own castle staff.

It was difficult convincing her solders to eat with her and not to sit at one of the benches; but eventually they accepted their fate and started to eat the selection of charcoal roasted vegetables, rice, and a light mushroom and seaweed broth. It would be very different than what the solders normally ate; honestly Celestia was a little curious if they enjoyed it or not.

Fed, watered, and now much more relaxed than when she arrived; Celestia made her way upstairs and towards the only meeting room an hour later. This place had not changed since Luna had shown her it all those years ago, so she did not need directions, or an escort. She arrived at the sliding door of the meeting room and it opened before she had a chance to knock, or otherwise state her presence. She didn’t need too; Bright Lance would have seen her coming kilometres away thanks to her Mage Sight.

The Masters rose to greet her as she entered, and once everyone was comfortable and additional tea was offered, did the business begin.

“Princess Celestia. We have asked you here to assist us in a rather unique situation we find ourselves with.” Crane Wing started, and already this meeting was very different than what she was used to when dealing with predator. They never asked for her help.

“You see we have a student, a Miss Sunset Shimmer, who is ready for field work. However her training is extensive enough that it requires a different approach.”

“You indicated that this Sunset Shimmer has trained with at least two of you, but as you are the prime speaker Crane wing, I take it she is a pegasus?”

“No Princess, she is a Unicorn. I believe it may be best if we go into detail with this student”

A unicorn who is mostly taught by a pegasus? “It sounds like a good idea, yes”

“One of our agents recovered her from an orphanage after noticing she had talents useful to us. However, due to an ambush with a manticore she received a severe head injury just hours before arriving here. Our onsite doctors and nurses made her whole again, but there were complications it seems.

“Her ability to feel emotions has been heavily hampered, while her focus, logic, and post-accident memory all seemed to have been boosted. We are not pursuing how this has happened, Princess, to not tempt us into trying to replicate it. But suffice to say, she is an extremely bright mare now.

“We monitored her condition as she trained with us, giving her additional lessons on Emotion Reading and Mimicry to try and compensate for the lack of them. And it was during one of these examinations that she learnt of magic wells and by extension the magical differences of the tribes.

“Princess you are aware of the magical procedure of unicorns converting their energy so as to stabilise the magical cores of others?”

“Yes I am aware of it, though it is not commonly used. The Emergency Energy Generation spell is very complex and the conversion rate is horribly inefficient that only the most powerful of unicorns are capable of achieving it.

“It is far simpler for a doctor of the same tribe to stabilise a core with their own innate magic. But why the sudden change in topic. Wait, are you saying she can use this spell to convert her magic to that of the other tribes?”

“That is precisely what I’m saying, Princess.”

“But even if she can use the spell, why train her in it. There is no practical use for that spell out of its theorised use; it is simply too inefficient.”

“We did not train her in it, as your logic is the same as ours. She trained herself in it. She has mastered that spell and has even improved upon it, though only she knows how. At this point she has access to all of the tribe’s magic and can use them as she wishes; with only her Magic Well and one tribal magic at a time being the limiting factors.”

This is certainly something new and rather chilling. “I see. So once you discovered what she was doing, you started training her in all the tribal magic’s, probably out of curiosity to see how far she can take them. I see now why Bright Lance has had so little contact with her then. She can learn everything of unicorn magic from books or self-discovery. But to master the winds and become as sturdy as the earth; that can only be learnt from others, in her situation.”

“Exactly right Princess, if she so chooses she could do everything and live as a pegasus. I believe she struggles with the growing aspect of earth ponies though; but that could be due to there being no combat situation requiring a fast growing plant.”

“So I gather she must also know the Polymorph spell, since she would need to actually have a pair of wings in order to fly and be a pegasus. Sigh, is there anything else I should know about her before we start discussing where to put such a dangerous pony.”

At this point Bright Lance spoke up, “I have taught her how to access her Mage Sight, and to create a Void Pocket; along with my signature Bright Lance. That spell in particular, she has been quite creative with.”

Thunder Stomp was next to speak. “She can manipulate the earth, has gained access to earth ponies resistances, sure footedness, endurance and strength. She even has use of my Thunder Strike.” He seemed bitter about her learning that particular ability.

Crane Wing once more spoke up, “I have taught her everything there is to know about being a Pegasus. From flying, cloud walking, to full weather control and shock absorption. She is an impressive flyer.”

“Add those to an advanced unicorn’s repertoire and you have a very versatile fighter with excellent manoeuvrability and endurance to match. What, were you trying to make your very own alicorn?” she said that with a hint of a smile; however it faltered when the three looked at her with a straight face.

“Perhaps you still do not fully grasp our accidental success, and the seriousness of this.” It was Bright Lance who was speaking, the one who had taught this Sunset Shimmer the least.

“You mentioned a unicorn’s repertoire, so you must be familiar with the field of Scrying magic? More specifically the spell Arcane Sight and the magic’s that allows the caster to see the full spell script of other spells; and to eventually be able to manipulate said magic’s?” The Princess nodded knowing many of these spells herself. “I did not know that she knew these spells when I taught her how to unlock Mage’s Sight. She can now see the script of spells, as well as how the magic flows and how it is being used by the spell.”

“An impressive feat to be sure, but she is not the only one capable of those separate feats; you yourself have access to both of those do you not?”

“I am not as intelligent as she is. Given sufficient time to see spells, be it repeated casting or prolonged exposure, she will have worked out enough of the spell matrix to render them nearly useless against her.

“Yes, I can do this as well, but what would take me tens of minutes for simple spells such as Flair; she has disabled a three tier reinforced shield with a randomised access glyph in less than two minutes. Yes that was in test conditions, but all it will take is experience and she will be able to manipulate any spell that is thrown her way.

“There is potentially more as well. We have no proof, other than spells such as the Scrying magic she knows; but we believe she has had access to our restricted library for at least a year, maybe even two. She has not shown any other restricted magic’s but that girl is obsessed with books, if she has had access to those restricted tomes, she will have read them.”

“…I see. It is beginning to sound like you asked me to come here today in the hopes that I may kill her?”
“NO!” Crane Wing quickly interjected, “I mean no that will not be necessary. We just wanted you to fully grasp what she is capable of. In reality she is much too mild mannered to be an effective offensive agent. That is why we asked for your assistance, we would like her to be a defensive agent in protecting Equestria. One that responds to active threats, rather than the ones we have removing threats before they have a chance to become active.”

That, that one sentence made this whole thing worth it in Celestia’s mind. “Are you saying that potentially the greatest assassin you have ever produced is too mild mannered to actually do what you were hoping,” she took a sip of tea to try and hide the very large grin she currently had on her face.

“When you put it like that Princess, yes. We have, on our hooves right now, a viable pony who could actually be called an Alicorn Killer and she is too mild mannered to be an effective offensive agent. So we have come seeking your help in placing her as a defensive agent.”

Silence fell as thoughts were gathered, a few sips of tea to help ease the tension that was building as people talked. Eventually the silence had to be broken.

“May I meet this agent of yours? This Sunset Shimmer?”

“Of course,” with two thumps of his cane, Crane Wing summoned a pony to the meeting room’s door. A quick few words and the pony was off again.

“While we are waiting; Crane Wing there is still something you need to tell me. What is your relationship with this mare?”

“Princess?”

“You have taught her everything to be a pegasus. The sudden interruption when I mentioned killing her; the proud tone in your voice as you speak of what she has achieved. What is your relationship with this pony?”

The Master of Pegasi had the decency to look ashamed at his outcry, now that they had been pointed out.

“I was the first to discover she was training to use the magic of all the pony tribes. She wanted to fly, that was her only reason. She wanted to feel what it was like to be a pegasus and fly with only her own effort and magic holding her up. She wanted to fly in the sea of the stars one day. She was thirteen when she said that to me.

“It hit a nerve something terrible. I never got to teach my own daughter how to fly; and I admit that I used young Sunset as a substitute. I told her of the Polymorph spell and assisted her with useing it to grow her own wings. From there it really was like I’d imagined. Building up the flapping strength to make them actually work, getting the pegasus magic to help the wings rather than hinder them.

“It took her two years of effort and I was helping all the time, but eventually she got there. She was actually flying all on her own, her own wing muscles her own magic just getting converted into pegasi that she was controlling; even her own wings grown with a Polymorph spell.

“Before you say anything, yes I told her about the spell that makes butterfly wings. But as soon as she heard how fragile they were she replied simply with the words, ‘Well that’s dumb.’ She sounded so much like a pegasus then; I couldn’t help but get lost at all the what if’s and I started helping then.” His eyes were far away, lost to all the possibilities and what could have been that history had never given him the chance to experience.

“You must have known on that day that her temperament was not what you were looking for,” Princess Celestia was warming to this unicorn mare and she hadn’t even met her yet.

Crane Wing looked at his companions before responding to her. “Honestly we knew she did not have the aggressive nature we needed within the first year of her training. But she was just so much fun to teach; and she wanted to thank us for adopting her in whatever way she could, by making us proud of her.”

There was a knock at the door, before the same pony that was summoned previously came in again, alone. A quick whispered conversation and the pony was off once more.

“I’m sorry Princess, when I asked her to be discreet while you are with us; she seems to have translated it as ‘take off for the afternoon, I’m not needed’. I have sent for her mentor to track her down; they should be here within the hour.”

“That is quite all right. It reminds me of my own students; never around when you need them. But back to the topic at hoof. I have a place in mind, you said she likes books? Well how would she like to be a librarian? There’s a small town just a few hours away from Canterlot called Ponyville that has been without a librarian for years now.

“If she could, while she is there, thin out the monsters within the Everfree Forest which resides nearby, that will go a long way to reassuring me that you are correct about her.” The three Masters seemed happy with this idea, and the details were hammered out. She then left before it got any later in the day, missing the chance to meet this exceptional mare.

Blinking away the memories of her meeting with the masters of predator, her mind was still stuck in two different ways. Sunset Shimmer was dangerous, that much was clear, but everything she had heard about her said she was a good pony. She wished she could have met the mare in question but she had just run out of time, and needed to get back to the castle.

Then of course there was this problem coming down the line, could she risk such a dangerous figure running around just to have a backup plan in place for next year?

Getting up from her position on the floor she walked over to the, now cold, cup of tea sitting there in the side table. With a splash of magic the liquid was warmed and she took a long deep drink, draining the cup in one mouthful before swallowing. “Sigh, it is too late to do anything about it now, the die has been cast. Let’s hope your existence can bring some good, Sunset Shimmer.” Celestia doused the lights in her living area as she finally entered her bed chambers and prepared for a, hopefully, pleasant nights sleep.

Chapter. 9 – A Quiet Nights Stroll

Chapter. 9 – A Quiet Nights Stroll

The air was pleasant with just a trace of coolness to it; there was not a breath of wind to interact with and up here not a sound was heard. Patches of clouds were scattered throughout the place partially obscuring the night sky from the ground; but here, high above the stratocumulus cloud layer, the sky was the surface of a still pond. Stretching as far as the eye could see.

Sparkling glints of distant lights danced within this vast body of inky water; the safe harbour that was the moon slowly waded through the night without disrupting the stillness that was the pure glistening black backdrop.

The moon was full, as it has always been, and the dark silhouette of the mare was looking down at the world with an expression that could never be read. This complete tranquil peace was a thing of beauty; however Sunset Shimmer was more focused on the stars rather than the whole picture.

For the past few hours she has lazily skimmed through the ocean of distant jewels, being drawn into their gentle beauty and silent song; the night was better here than at her old home. Away from the ocean, there was less moisture in the air, giving a clearer picture of the stars, and allowed for the fainter ones to join in. Only the cold winter nights could have made the sky any clearer. She preferred the night so much more than the day.

Currently the purple coated unicorn with wings was lying on her back staring up at the stars trying to work out a puzzle that has deliberately bent a few of its pieces. She had taken one of the many smaller clouds and brought it up beyond the altostratus layer, so very much higher than any of its siblings positioned by the pegasi of the weather manipulation team. This gave her a completely uninterrupted view of the glittering water that was the night sky.

In her hooves was the second book she had in her saddle bags during her day long train journey; it was a book of old star charts and their positions over the last ten years. It was the most recent release in a set that goes back for over a hundred years’ worth of star gazing, and even then it was seven years old, with the next edition not due for release for another three years.

Still the information was useful and a skilled mind could work out the path that the stars were likely to take; Sunset had, she had gone through the previous ten volumes and found that the stars were wrong. Not by a lot, but there was one small cluster of stars in particular that appeared to be deviating from the rest and had been for the last twenty years or so.

Now looking up at the uninterrupted view of the night sky she could see the perpetrators in questions as well as the almost noticeable emptiness of where they should be. Again it was slight and only astronomers or dedicated star gazers would notice that something was amiss; and even then it would take dedication to find the pieces that had missed stepped. Just as Sunset had done.

The book of Predictions and Prophecies mentioned a prophecy dedicated to the Mare in the Moon; that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would help her escape and then eternal night would cover the planet. That would not be so bad in itself in her opinion; except for all the plants dying due to lack of sunlight, or the inevitable ice age that would happen. No, as much as Sunset enjoyed the night, it was best to stop this event from happening.

Well if the stars were realigning themselves –such as was evident by all of her time studying them– then there had to be some truth to that particular one. It is only a matter of when this prophecy is to be unleashed.

There was not enough time for it to happen this year, there was no significant pattern in the stars that she could see. ‘But if they altered course a little more in these directions, then we get something that could possibly be a potential pattern.

‘The stars would need to speed up a little if they were to align for next year’s Summer Sun Celebration; which is set on the longest day of the year. But they would miss the year after that unless they all but stopped. Huh, well it looks like I have a year to figure out what is the truth behind the Mare in the Moon prophecy.’

Her eyes drifted away from the twinkling count down –having memorised their current trajectory– to look back down at the sleeping ground. She rolled over from her back to her barrel, being mindful of her unnatural appendages; just because she grew them herself did not mean that they did not hurt when they were injured –phantom pain syndrome is a real possibility for her. The ground below was dark and lifeless; sleeping away the peace of the night. Still from her current height it was impossible to see anything other than big obvious shapes; her eyes not designed to work with so little light.

Thankfully there was a spell for that.

Within the time it took to even blink her eyes; they were engulfed with magic allowing her to see in complete darkness. More than enough for what she needed on this moonlit night.

The world came into focus and details could be made out once more. Well almost. Within that blink of an eye her position on the cloud had changed from lying comfortably on top, to fighting her way through the almost cotton like substance.

Her conversion spell, while incredibly useful, was limited to constant casting; her body could not store any tribal magic other than her innate unicorn magic. Halting the creation of pegasus magic so that she could cast the Darkvision spell, had left her completely unicorn and she had started to fall through the cloud.

To say that learning Flash Casting was her top priority –back when she was still training– when she found out this little limitation the hard way. Even so much as to ignore the more traditional learning within predator of Silent Casting; magic without an aura.

“Need to work on a tribal magic storage system. Or maybe go back to figuring out how to multi cast; I still say it is possible. The theory backs it up, like multiple Levitations, or Phantom Swords. Ponies just haven’t tried hard enough yet.” But in a year? Especially considering her new job, and the short notice potential of being called away? “Yeah, I’ll work on storage first; that should not be hard, just a repurposed magic crystal probably.”

For now her eyes drifted to the small town below and then to the forest just outside its borders; to the Everfree Forest. It is said to be the wildest place in all of Equestria, and because of that one of the most dangerous as well. There are rumours that at least a dozen ponies each year lose their lives by entering the cursed forest. Just entering the forest.

And now it was her job, secondary objective really, to ensure the safety of the town. What better way to save it than a pre-emptive strike on the forest and its inhabitants.

‘But if I cause too much collateral then no doubt all the beasts within might start running towards Ponyville at the same time. I won’t be able to stop such a destructive charge and my mission will be a failure.

‘The town has survived this long without a guardian; perhaps just a scouting trip tonight, with a little weeding if I come across anything? Yes that sounds better, knowledge is power after all. Oh, maybe by now the town is so use to the forest that the ponies have started using plants or other such resources from it. So eliminating it entirely could be detrimental to Ponyville; which would also be a failure to my secondary objective of looking after the town.

‘Yes, I need more information on how the town has started to use the forest. So scout and possible minor extermination tonight,’ with that she pulled herself forward and then over the edge of her cloudy support, flattened out before entering freefall.

It was still a rush every time she did this; nose down, body trailing behind in as streamline a position possible– forehooves straight ahead, hind legs as far back as they’d go with her wings following a similar position as her hind legs– and just let gravity do all the work. Manipulating her converted pegasus magic into a smaller and smaller aerodynamic point in front of herself, reducing the volume of air the magic needed to disperse around her. This allowed her to reach an even greater terminal velocity; with the added benefit of actually using less magic in the end thanks to the overall efficiency.

Going this fast, with the wind rushing past her ears at deafening noise levels, her face was slowly being pulled into a silly looking position and tears were beginning to leak out of her eyes; it was such a liberating sensation. She was not going nearly fast enough to break the sound barrier –she wasn’t actually putting any effort into the dive. Considering all she was doing was making herself as aerodynamically small as possible in terms of drag and air resistance as well as not actually using her wings for momentum, or using the pegasus magic to speed herself up, it was impressive.

Breaking through the stratocumulus level of the sky where all of the other clouds were placed upon, she finally extended her wings out and started levelling off. The speed she had generated was causing small vapour trails to form from the tips of her wings as they started to change the air pressure above and below them.

Sunset experienced a relatively low volume of G-forces thanks to her large levelling off angle; keeping her speed almost the same in the process. Now finally level, and out of potential danger from the sudden stop into the ground, Sunset Shimmer used her purple wings to glide towards the edge of the Everfree forest.

The night was getting long in the tooth by now; so if there was a pony up at this hour and who just so happened to look out the window at the right moment, even then it would be all but impossible to see her. Her coat’s natural colouration matched the background far too well for mortal eyes to see.

With barely a few extra flaps of her wings –more to slow herself down than anything else– Sunset landed at the edge of the forest; just past a large patch of dead trees belonging to the apple orchard.

The air was just as still as the rest of the town and from the edge it was quiet; but nothing like the peaceful night comforting the town. No this was the lack of noise that made the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end; the kind of threatening peace that always had an accompanying breath of wind that sent shivers down an unsuspecting pony’s spine.

Even at this outer edge the forest loomed threateningly with its dark, light consuming canopy hanging over head. Gnarled branches lay in waiting, with their reaching clawed digits that were ready to lash out at any unsuspecting passer-by. The air was rife with the smell of old rot with an after taste of damp fresh soil just tickling at the back of your throat.

The darkness was an all-encompassing fog hiding anything beyond the first few rows of the twisted wooden pylons; even with the added benefit of spell enhanced night vision, it did little to improve the distance one could see.

It was a dark and twisted labyrinth filled with beasts, monsters and other dangers around every turn. The forest itself seems to emit an aura of panic and fear making one second guess themselves, confuse them, panic them. When you entered the forest it was a mind game all on its own that quite literally meant the difference between your life, or your grave.

The forest had its reputation for a reason and ponies across Equestria did not venture in those intimidating wood if they did not need too.

If only Sunset Shimmer knew what it felt like to be intimidated?

She walked in cautiously, not out of fear, but out of tactical need. She was heading into a hostile environment, with dangers in unknown locations. It was also prudent to avoid injuries that would raise questions; so a slower stealthier pace to avoid potentially exposing herself was logical.

The forest was looking down at her trying to sow doubt into her mind, get her to fear the unknown and cause her to panic. Emotion was its biggest weapon and ponies were exceptionally emotional creatures, making it a very effective weapon against them. Without a cool head the magic they wielded became ineffective, turning what could have been formidable foes into helpless prey.

Ponies can grow use to the forests emotional manipulations, but all it took was a small distraction for the seed to start sprouting once more. Even the iron willed can only stay focused for so long before a moment of second guessing allows the forest an opening. Only one with no emotions what so ever could walk its trails without the forest having some influence on them. Sunset Shimmer’s emotions were heavily hampered, but she still had them.

Even with so few emotions that Sunset had available to her, she could not help but admit that this forest was daunting. The air around it seemed to be saturated with something that just made the whole place feel a little off. All her magical detection spells came back inconclusive not just negative; it was as if the forest itself was trying to hide its magical effects by using magic to hide it.

In her mind it was like trying to hide a ball by removing all existence of it. You still have the ball and could move it about; but if the ball interacted with something else, then suddenly that thing would be missing a section or a piece the shape of the ball.

The ball is doing too good a job at hiding, and can be seen thanks to its absence. This was what the forest was achieving; using magic of some kind to hide the fact it was using magic. Any magic detection spell would fail; the more advanced ones would come back inconclusive, which is impossible. Leaving the only probable outcome to be that the forest is indeed using magic, but it is hiding that fact with more magic.

Thinking like this actually help the unicorn mare as she travelled through the forest. It added another puzzle in her ever growing library; and gave hints and tips of what not to do when trying to hide. She couldn’t fathom the magic this forest is using to hide its nature, she doubted even Princess Celestia could catch even a glimpse. But that did not take away that it was using magic to hide its nature; inconclusive was not a fact.

All her detection spells showed the same result proving that something was blocking them. If there was no magic the results would be negative on at least one of her spells; but that all of them came to the same inconclusive answer. Well it became a statistical impossibility that magic was not behind this.

Twenty minutes into the forest and so far things had not tried to kill her too much; a few poisonous vines easily avoided, and this strange flying puffball thing was shot with a small magic lance just to be sure, its eyes felt a little hypnotic. There were a few Craigadile’s in a river she walked past but they seemed happy to ignore her, so she ignored them in return. A small patch of blue flowers looked quite pleasant and she considered coming back to them during the day; but for now she let them be and walked past without disturbing the beds they lay upon.

Surprisingly she found a house within the forest. Someone was living out here.

It was another house made out of a tree, just like the library. She could make out two windows, but there was no light being emitted from them. Considering how late into the night it had become it was not a surprise. There were several strange tribal masks scattered about, including one above the door acting like a guardian. Hanging from the branches and dangling from ropes were numerous jars and vials of different sizes and shapes; some were even glowing fluorescent colours.

From the effort of hanging the vials, to the cleared out and worn path; whoever it was living inside this tree has been there for some time, apparently unphased by the forest. Sunset would need to ask the Mayor about this in the morning. Still, she left the house undisturbed and continued onwards along her scouting path, turning it back towards town.

She had not ventured that deep into the forest, but for a first time scouting mission she felt it would do; after all it was after midnight now and she needed to get some rest before seeing the Mayor in the morning for an introduction. Then there was that welcome party thing that the pink imp is forcing upon her at one. Oh what joy that would be; however her honed survival instincts told her there would be so much worse to come if she did not attend.

Besides she got what she wanted out of this primary expedition into the Everfree Forest. She was being stalked.

A group of, what Sunset could only assume to be, Timber Wolves have been carefully stalking her for the last seven minutes –not long after leaving the tribal tree house– as she wandered through the forest. She did not have an exact number but it appeared to be five or six of them; phasing in and out of different patches of foliage, barely making any sound at all. A most useful skill for stalking prey.

Now sufficiently far away from the house tree in the forest, Sunset started her counter ambush.

Without changing her pace or in any way that looked suspicious to her would be hunters, she cast a series of glyphs at a few bushes in front of her, before generating sufficient earth magic to soften the forest floor she had just walked over. With a few more paces she swapped her magic flow again and this time stood still as she started casting a different series of glyphs.

There were eight in total, suspended at shoulder height above the ground and placed at an even distance surrounding her; all of them were within a four meter radius centred on her. They shimmered faintly, almost invisibly, in the air; slowly rotating leisurely.

After that she waited.

Nearly all her traces of magic had been small and without intent, with the exception of the first two fire blast glyphs that she placed into the bushes at her one-o-clock and eleven-o-clock respectfully. They were placed to ensure she had a valid escape route just in case, but she did not expect to need it.

Magical creatures as a whole have a sixth sense when it comes to magic and knowing the intent behind the spells being used. It is why fighting them can be so dangerous, they can almost predict what you are about to do and act accordingly.

A collection of low growls started to fill the air around her. ‘Six in total, four behind, one at three-o-clock and the final at nine-o-clock. They avoided my fire glyphs a lot more than I expected them too. Why is that?’ Now fully formed and slowly emerging from behind trees or amongst bushes came the six timber wolves in the positions that were expected.

They were entirely made of wood and magic; sporadic pieces of thick timber sturdy enough to build with, wooden splinters sharp enough to scratch granite, all further reinforced with magic gathered from the forest. Some pieces of Timber Wolves are actually sought after for their magical properties. ‘Maybe they can act as storage vessels for tribal magic? Keep one alive for testing? We’ll see.’

They were advancing, slowly and full of confidence each one both bulkier and larger than she was. Beings of magic, such as these, did not require sustenance; magic was all they needed to survive. However that does not mean that they do not have the instincts of what they manifest as. These are large alpha wolves in every sense of the word and will kill and eat but never actually feel full; honestly their lives are nothing but the sensation of constant starvation. It is a mercy to end their existence.

Suddenly the four wolves behind her let out what sounded like a confused whine. One of them had advanced faster than the others next to it and had just stepped up to his shoulder in mud. Nothing aggressive was cast, the intent behind softening earth was benign, so the magical wood monster had ignored it; and now it had to deal with this obstacle first. It was a moment of delay, keeping all the pack together. The beast had simply backed out of the mud before jumping over the obstacle.

The other wooden wolves behind her saw this and simply jumped over where the magic was, just a moment after the lead wolf.

All of the Timber Wolves behind her were now within four meters. Right where she wanted them, but still she did not move, just waited.

The two on either side of her had to be further down the pack order; and they were there to make sure she did not run off in those directions. Still they did not stop their advance and, with their prey still not moving a muscle, started to move with a little more confidence. There were no obstacles, no repositioning themselves to jump, just a slight accelerating pace that would get them to their prey ahead of their fellow pack mates. The only slight hesitation in their steps came from the realisation that they could still not detect any fear from their dinner.

They were close now, barely a few meters away, when their prey’s eyes opened with what could almost be called a smile appearing along with them.

The green magic filled eyes of the two side wolves were confused for a second, not use to their food smiling; but that quickly changed into fright as an intense desire to dodge manifested when the pony in front of them was engulfed with magic.

All this time, a spell was being worked on at a rather gentle pace. No magic flowed into the matrix so there was nothing for the magical beasts to sense, but it was set and waiting ready to be unleashed; and when the time was right, it was if a damn had been breached. A torrent of magical energy drowned the channels that were the spell lines that make up the matrix and eight Searing Lances of cutting magic were launched from the mare in question.

Even with their senses giving them advanced warning, only two of them managed to dodge the attack unscathed, the others receiving large gashes that penetrated right through whatever got hit, as the white energy beams continued onwards unabated. Each one aimed at the previously benign piece of magic floating in the air.

Directional magic may have had an intent – it wants to send things in these directions – but it too is benign. It cannot do anything without additional input like, for instance, a lance of cutting magic heading straight for it; that is something that can be directed into different directions.

It is made even easier as the beams were integrated with complementary magic’s to allow said beams to both split and change direction. The eight exceedingly powerful lances were soon divided up into an additional six other lances of high power, as they launched out at set angles and directions.

Centred on the purple unicorn with wings, eight lances launched out directly towards previously established directional glyphs that divided each beam of energy into six others. If you were to look at it from a pegasus’s view point it would have looked like an octagram with all the points joining up together.

Within this quarter of a second after launching her magic barrage, the eight meter diameter around the unicorn was awash of searing beams of light. Powerful magic that did not so much cut, as to burn through and evaporate anything they came into contact with; be it plant, lumber, or Timber Wolf.

From the second she had started to prepare her trap until this ending moment, it had taken all of twenty seconds to completely decimate the six timber wolves to well beyond the point of their natural regeneration. Two large dominating trees were on the verge of collapsing thanks to all the holes now punctured through their trunks. Even the vegetation did not survive within the eight meters diameter, as anything taller than the barrel of a pony got hit by these rays of immolation and fire; but that type of collateral was acceptable.

Using Mage’s Sight on what remained of the carcasses; Sunset confirmed that these wolves were indeed gone and unlikely to reform any time soon, if at all. She had done such a thorough job that if they did have anything of magical worth on them, it was destroyed in the attack.

“Well, that was a pleasant stretch. Best be off now though, I’ve got a long day ahead of me tomorrow…and I just remembered I still need to make my bed before I can sleep. Oh bother, best take the quick way out then.” Closing her eyes again and remembering the details of the room in question – it took quite a bit of focus considering she’d only been in the bedroom of the library once – but eventually the connection was made. With a flash of magenta light the purple unicorn was gone from this charred clearing in the forest thanks to a simple Teleport spell.

It would be a little after dawn before this new clearing would be disturbed, as a zebra comes to investigate the sound of two falling trees in the forest; only to wonder what could have caused such destruction.

Chapter. 10 – The Unexpected Visit

Chapter. 10 – The Unexpected Visit

With the dawning of a new day, new problems seem to crop up. Sunset Shimmer was just finishing up a rather relaxing bath when she heard a clear and precise knock coming from the libraries main door. It was too early to be someone who wished to use the library, she wasn’t expecting Rainbow Dash at all; and while it could be the Mayor, Sunset was all but certain she would need to see her at town hall.

She debated leaving it alone, but with a resigned sigh thought better of it. She wanted to succeed in this mission; and that involved being accepted by the town, which required a little effort on her part to be approachable.

So with a blink of her magic she was dry and now sporting her amber fur with fiery mane and tail look. With another flash of raspberry coloured light Sunset found herself once more on the main floor of the library, with only removing the red barricade separating Sunset from her unexpected guest. Who she saw standing at the door was not someone she was expecting to meet. Ever.

“Ah, you must be Sunset Shimmer. It is nice to finally meet you. I am Princess Celestia, please may I come in?”

What could she do? Sunset stepped to the side and welcomed the Princess of Equestia into her humble abode with a bow. “I apologise for the lack of décor Princess, but I have been here for less than twelve hours. May I offer you some tea? I also have a pie if you would like something to eat.”

“Just some tea would be fine.” Celestia replied gracefully as she sat down at the round central table, after Sunset had brought over some of the leisure cushions from one of the higher storage windows. Giving it a discreet magical dusting and fluff as it was brought over.

It did not take Sunset long before a simple porcelain teapot was prepared and brought down from the kitchen, being accompanied by a pair of matching tea cups. The set was placed upon the bright wooden table with one of the delicate cups being presented to the princess. It was filled with a steaming pale green liquid and emitted a light and relaxing scent. “While I am honoured to host the Princess of Equestia, I am just a humble librarian who hasn’t even officially started yet to be honest. Why would you come to see me?”

Celestia made no immediate attempt to answer the question, as she made a show of calmly taking a small sip of the tea before smiling in satisfaction; almost as if she had just confirmed something. “This is a very pleasant blend of tea. Where did you get it from?”

What, it was just jasmine tea. Well that one was from her old home but she had similar just yesterday. “I brought it with me from Vanhoover. I’m sorry but I cannot recall which shop I got it from. But I did have a similar one in Canterlot yesterday from Donut Joe’s. I’m sure he would be happy to tell you where he get his from.”

Celestia just smiled a little more. “Ah you visited Joe yesterday? Yes he does have a very impressive selection of teas and coffee’s. He has one similar to this though? He’s been holding out on me, he keeps giving me Lady Grey.” She took another sip of the steaming beverage and appeared to be in thought, almost as if she was considering her next choice carefully.

“You said you haven’t officially started yet? Why is that, I was under the impression you arrived yesterday.”

“Yes, I arrived with the seven fifteen train last night; after talking to several of the locals I arrived at town hall a little after seven forty. The place was locked up and there was no one to greet me. I was just lucky that I had been given a spare key for the library or else I do not know what I would have done.” ‘Thank you Rainbow Dash for that idea.’

Celestia nodded in understanding. “Yes, if there is one thing to be certain about, it is that governmental buildings will close when they say they will with no exception; no matter if it is even myself who is asking them to stay open late. But you said you’ve already met some of the ponies of Ponyville? Who were they and what did you think of them?”

‘Why does she want to know these things?’ “The first person who I met was a blue pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail; her name was Rainbow Dash. She was nice and gave me a small tour of the town and made sure I was going to be ok all the way to the library’s door. She said something about the mares in town were all going to be jealous of me, but I don’t know what that was about.

“The other person I met was a pink earth pony who I think was called Pinkie Pie? Yes, that sounds right. Anyway she seemed to be rather angry with me about arriving in town so late. Something about a welcome party that she couldn’t get ready that night due to this being mostly a farming community? So she scheduled one for today after one at Sugarcube Corner; which I’m told is the local bakery.”

Celestia, it seemed, was happy with these responses; as she had a small smile on her face and took another sip of her tea. “My, it sounds like your making friends already, and as you said you haven’t even been here a day. I am impressed; especially given you have so little experience with emotions.” Sunset’s eyes widened as she realised Celestia knew exactly who she was. “Yes, I was the visitor that you were told to be discreet around two days ago.” She was smiling, smiling is good, right? Better be safe.

Sunset quickly got down to her knee’s, “Princess, please forgive me. Had I known it was yourself I would have stayed within the complex.”

“It is alright Miss Shimmer. Your disappearance then gave me the chance to see you here and now. I have to admit that I am pleased with what I am both seeing and hearing. For the most part. I know for a fact I did not give you a spare key to this library.” There was a small cheeky smile on her face. That’s good right? “Regardless, your master’s mentioned one of your big tricks and I am very much interested in seeing it. Could you use Polymorph to give yourself wings and just hover with them for me?”

Sunset wasn’t quite as eager as a puppy wanting to please their master, but she suspected she wasn’t far off. With barely any thought wings matching the colour of her amber coat appeared exactly where pegasus wings belonged on the body. With only the slightest hint of a raspberry glow to her horn Sunset Shimmer was hovering in place about a meter off the ground, right in plain sight for the princess too see.

“That is very impressive use of the Polymorph spell; you really have grown your very own pair of wings using it. Right down to building up the muscles required to use them effectively. I can even see the slight subconscious movements of the feathers compensating for staying in one place. You really have been flying for quite a number of years, haven’t you? May I use Mage Sight on you?”

“Certainly Princess.”

“Yes, very impressive. Your flow of magic is so natural, I cannot distinguish between what is unicorn magic and what is pegasi; though the lack of pegasus tribal laylines dose give you away to me. Nor can I distinguish the polymorphed wings to your natural body. I dare say, if you chose, you could very well hide amongst pegasi and almost never be found. Tell me, you’ve managed to improve the exchange rate between unicorn magic to the others, are you willing to tell me by how much?”

“The Emergency Energy Generation spell that I based my own spell on had a rate that it would take sixteen percent of the unicorn’s magic to produce one percent of the other tribes. I have managed to improve the efficiency to a ratio of seven point eight percent unicorn magic to produce one percent of the other tribes. Or to put it another way I have more than doubled my pegasus and earth magic thanks to the improvements to the spell I’ve made. And I am still working on refining that number even more,” she was still hovering in place, still waiting for the princess to ask her to do something else; honestly she was getting a little bored, not that she would say that to the princess.

“That is a very impressive efficiency improvement, but still quite the taxing number. What I do not understand is why you have gone to such great lengths just to do something that ponies have already solved with other spells.”

“Because none of the spells other ponies have created actually give you flight. They give you imitations at best. Last night I flew up above all the other clouds in the sky, and by a lot, before settling down onto one of the clouds I had taken with me and just stared at the night sky. For a unicorn to do that they would need to have activated at least half a dozen spells; and that’s if those dew drop butterfly wings could withstand the altitude.

“It was so peaceful and quiet up there, and yet I felt fine thanks to the pegasus magic mitigating the ambient temperature as well as possible reduction in oxygen intake. Huh, I hadn’t considered that before. I mean I was really high up and there was bound to be a significant reduction in available air and therefore oxy-”

“Ahem”

“Oh, my apologies for that Princess. But my point still stands. Not a single spell, or even combination of spells, could achieve what I did last night without failing in one form or another. Oh speaking of last night, I did a little exploring after my time star gazing within the Everfree Forest.”

“Oh, so you have started protecting Ponyville already, have you?”

“Well it really was just a scouting mission, and only about the first few kilometres or so really, but at the very least there are six less Timber Wolves to deal with. I even double checked with Mage Sight. There wasn’t a single piece of magic left on them. A shame really, I have some ideas that require magical reservoirs, and I thought some of the wood from them could have been useful; but when the magic’s gone, it’s gone.” ‘Does the princess just want me to hover all day? I mean I could but you’d think she would want me to show off or something? She is the princess though and she did get me this position, so she must know what she’s doing.’

“Well I thank you for protecting my little ponies already. Maybe I can help you in return; why did you want a magic reservoir to experiment with.”

“Just as an extension to what I’m doing already honestly. Again like last night for example; I stopped making pegasus magic to cast the Darkvision spell and even though it took a quarter of a second at most, by the time I was back to creating pegasus magic I had to squirm my way out of the cloud. If I could just get a buffer of even a second or two it would be so useful; but I have limited funds so plan to experiment on cheap disposable reservoirs to confirm my hypothesis, before I start investing in more expensive materials.”

“You are used to a shoe string budget, I see. While admirable I fear what you are considering will require significantly higher quality reservoirs than you will ever find outside of a specialist's forge. Even from within the Everfree Forest you are unlikely to ever find something refined enough for you to even attempt to re-absorb the stored magic back into yourself safely.” Celestia could see the enthusiasm leaving Sunset’s eyes at this news.

‘She really is a scholar at heart; an experimental one but still. Oh how I wish I found you instead of predator.’ “However, consider this. As payment for protecting Ponyville from the Everfree forest, I shall supply you with items that you cannot get for your research; such as high quality magic reservoirs for example. Simply send me a letter detailing what you have done, what you are working on, and what you require. If things sound reasonable, and not a danger to yourself or others, I will send you what you request.”

The amber unicorn with wings actually did a backflip while hovering in place. ‘I definitely have her attention then. Even with her stunted emotions she is still this excited about doing research. Perhaps it will be easier to keep her complacent than I thought, a carrot on a stick if you will.’

“You would do that for me? Really? Thank you.” While Sunset was doing the acrobatic maneuverer in celebration; there was not a single breath of wind out of place.

‘I am beginning to wonder if she was a pegasus in a previous life.’

“Oh, Princess last night when I was in the Everfree I saw a house that looked like it was being lived in. There were tribal masks scattered over the place as well as glowing fluorescent bottles lighting the area. What should I do about that? I do not think I could protect the person, or people, living there while I am stationed here.”

This news made Celestia blink in surprise. ‘Someone is living inside the Everfree? Even so close to the edge it is very dangerous.’ “For now just observe, if the house is as lived in as long as you claim then it sounds like they have been there for some time. Maybe even try and make friends with whoever is living there.”

Strangely this seemed to be the wrong thing to say as her enthusiasm deflated a little. “I don’t know how to make friends. I don’t have many emotions and they are all stunted thanks to an accident I had.”

“Yes, I was told the details by Master Crane. However I think you underestimate yourself; after all haven’t you been invited to a party later on today? And did you not have another pony stay with you last night until she was sure you had a place to stay for the night.”

“Well, yes, but I had to actually think about what to say and what not to say. Those mares were actually waiting for me to respond and it must have felt strange for them to wait for what probably should have been an obvious response. I-”

“I know this might sound strange for you to hear, but those are thoughts that everypony has. What makes you different from others is that you have no previous experiences to compare with. Each interaction is a brand new one for you and you must think about every incident logically. You have been given training to help with this and it appears to be working. If you feel you need more help with this, then again you can send me a letter. It may take time for me to respond but. Hmm.”

‘Do I dare give her such access? No, allowing her to send directly to me is not advisable. Maybe another? The only other that could potentially do this is Spike, but to give her access to Spike? She seems like a good pony, but again that is something I just cannot risk at the moment.’ “I may have a faster means of communicating with each other; however that may take some effort to set up.

"In the meantime, you can send them to me by an additional security measure that I shall give you to ensure it does actually reach me in a timely manner; though please keep it secret. Think of it as a test, and if you fail, even once, you will lose all access to me. Succeed and in time you may receive even more access, which would potentially mean more resources for your projects. But when I say no one, I do mean it. Not even your Masters may know about this security measure. Are you willing to accept this?”

Sunset was squirming; the fight between loyalty to her Masters, or the prospect of furthering her research. Both sets of hooves were fidgeting as she remained hovering in place. Celestia could clearly see the young mare’s dilemma and relented slightly by giving Sunset a small bone. “It is not as if they need this measure anyway. They already have their own way of contacting me.”

Sunset was still fidgeting, however it did lessen somewhat. “They can already contact you? So, they do not need this secret way you’re giving me access to, to get in contact with you. They’re way is probably faster as well isn’t it?” Princess Celestia nodded with a small smile on her face, “then they won’t even ask me for it. So yes, I can keep this secret I believe. Actually I don’t think my master’s gave me a way to contact them. If that is the case, then I really need this measure of yours; if for no other reason than to send messages onto them.”

“I will be happy to forward messages to your Masters, provided they are not too frequent.”

“They didn’t say anything, so if it is alright with you, I will likely do a monthly report. I can’t think of anything that I’ll be doing that you wouldn’t know already, so I suppose you could read them as well. If you wanted too and have the time for it too of course.”

“Chuckle, thank you for the permission. I may have a look if I have the time, and not much else is happening.”

The two ponies entered a period of silence; waiting for the other to broach the next topic. Sunset offered the Princess a top up of her tea; curious to see what was about to happen, Celestia agreed to a fresh cup. What Princess Celestia was expecting was for Sunset to stop creating her pegasus magic and to go back to unicorn; regardless of her request to Sunset to just hover in place.

However what actually happened was that Sunset, still hovering, gently flew over to the tea pot. She daintily picked it up with her forehooves, ignoring the pots handle, before moving over to where Celestia was sitting, holding her cup in the golden glow of her magic.

The hovering mare bowed gracefully before presenting the porcelain pot to the floating cup. With full confidence and the ease of someone who has done this many times before, Sunset filled the suspended vessel before moving over to the second cup sitting on the circular table and topped that back up as well. The tea pot was then carefully set back down exactly where it was resting before being replaced by the once more filled cup in Sunset’s hooves. The whole performance was finished by her taking a delicate sip from the cup.

“I take it that was some of Crane Wing’s teachings I just watched. You would never see a unicorn do that willingly; honestly most pegasi now a days either. They prefer to use their wings and for more dexterous tasks and the handle to prevent burns.”

“Yes, Master Crane Wing was quite insistent that I learn how to do the traditional pegasi tea ceremony. That was nothing more than using my hooves to pour tea; I’ll need to buy a traditional tea set if I am to properly do the ceremony again. Actually I should buy one, just so I can practice and not get rusty. Master Crane Wing would not be happy if I forgot any of it.”

“Crane Wing was always about keeping traditions alive, even when he was your age.”

“Did you know all of the Master’s that ran predator?”

“No, not all of them; there was a period where I tried everything I could to forget that predator even existed. It was, an unhappy time for me. But I have taken an interest once again, and while I cannot say I am terribly thrilled such an organisation exists; I cannot say that I am unhappy with the results either.”

There was silence once again; Sunset did not think it a good idea to speak right now. But then, there was something else last night that she needed looking into and here was probably a first hoof witness.

“Princess?” she got a positive response, signalling to continue with her question, “what is the origin to the Mare in the Moon prophecy?” that was not a question Princess Celestia was expecting.

“Where did you hear about that prophecy?” her tone was of genuine surprise, though her face remained unchanged with its small smile.

“The library at predator.” She answered with a shrug; Sunset began to lazily sway from one side to the other as she remained hovering in the air without a care on her mind; and certainly not noticing the subtle darker tone under the surprise.

“Huff, of course predator has a copy of that book. I will have to talk to them; such a book should be in the restricted section at least.” Huh, Sunset is awfully quiet all of a sudden. Wait.’ “It was in the restricted section of their library, wasn’t it? When I saw your masters, they had suspicions that you had access to their restricted section. I guess this just proves it. Do they know this for a fact?”

Sunset had the good grace to at least look a little bashful over the situation. “Yes. I was caught reading ’Predictions and Prophecies’ by my mentor, Tempest Shadow. The very day you were there actually. Then I forgot I had it with me when I went straight to the masters, after being summoned. They saw the book too.”

“Yes well, why do you want to know about that particular prophecy?”

She shrugged “Because it is going to happen.”

“Oh, what makes you so sure about that? Because it is in a book that I deem restricted material?”

“No, it’s the stars. They’re forming some sort of pattern that’s probably going to be aligned by the Summer Sun Celebration next year.”

“The stars are forming a pattern?”

“Not just forming a pattern, some of them have actually deviated from their projected path to form this pattern. I don’t know what it is, really, but if you want I can give you my notes on this. I’ve tracked the path of the stars using star charts and over the last twenty years the stars have deviated from their expected path. However the most recent edition I have access to is still seven years old; so I’ve had to work it out using observations. Give me a second.”

With both confidence and grace, Sunset used her right hoof to reach over the opposite shoulder. Before the hoof could interfere with her flapping wings however, it disappeared into nothingness; with only a faint trace of the deepest purple appearing where her foreleg vanished. Sunset blinked, her face suddenly becoming confused.

She brought her arm around to the front as her face scrunched up into one of concentration, her tongue sticking out slightly as her decapitated hoof seemed to be searching for something. It lasted only a moment before a pleased note escaped the mare, her tongue retreating back into its domain.

The right leg was extracted quickly and with it came a thick stack of paper, being held together by course twine. Sunset gave the notes a quick glance over before she was satisfied and presented them to Princess Celestia.

“Here you go Princess. All the notes I have made on the Mare in the Moon prophecy. Including sketches of where the stars should be compared to where they are now and the predicted alignment they are going to be in at next year’s Summer Celebration.”

“Why are you giving me these notes? Wouldn’t you like to keep them; this is a lot of work.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I can reproduce them again without a problem. I figured that you’d want to see for yourself that what I’m saying is going to happen. What I don’t know is where it is going to take place or why it is happening. I suppose I know what’s going to happen if we lose. It was kind of clear about night eternal.

“I suspect this will be one of the events that my Masters will want me to stop; so if you could help with getting me more information, or any possible leads, that would be really useful.”

What could Celestia do? She gracefully took the offered stack of papers in her golden aura and gave them a small glance; just to confirm what Sunset had said about the notes. The aura of magic flared after the inspection, taking the stack of papers away with it to a location only the princess knew.

That stack of papers held nearly all of the information Celestia was hoping her student would discover on her own.

“Very well, I shall take these and look into the situation further for you. I shall let you know what I find in time.” ‘Maybe I can use these as a guide?’ “Now I believe that is more than what I had originally planned to speak to you about; but I have to admit it has been refreshing to talk shop, as my younger ponies like to say.

“Though I have to admit, I am surprised you are able to access your Void Pocket while casting your modified Energy Generation spell. I’d have thought with you constantly casting on that spell, others would become inaccessible to you?”

“My Masters and I thought the same Princess, however it appears the magic link required by the Void Pocket spell is its very own connection. Master Bright Lance has worked with me a little and this is the working theory we have. When I have more free time I want to look into the spell some more. See if I cannot –with the assistance of Arcane Sight– pin down what part of the spell matrix's script creates a separate connection to the caster.”

Celestia could not help the small smile blossoming upon her face; this has certainly been quite the refreshing change of pace. “Perhaps we may do this again sometime in the future. Here, give me your quill and some paper. When you post letters to me send them to this name and address instead; it is a sure fire way to get them to me faster than simply writing a letter to the castle. Remember this is a secret. Now if you’ll excuse me I must get back to the castle, I have a meeting scheduled at ten thirty.”

“Oh, I’m sorry Princess, I wish you had said so earlier. It is a little before quarter to ten right now, actually.”

“What? We’ve been talking for nearly two hours? My where dose the time go. Well then I really must take my leave. Thank you for the tea and for the information on the Mare in the Moon. Oh yes, just quickly. You’ve been hovering like that for at least an hour right?”

“One hour and thirty two minutes, why?”

“How are you feeling? Are you tired?”

“Umm. No, not tired at all. Not even winded.”

“Ah. That’s good to hear. Though tell me quickly, how long do you think you could hover like that for before tiring?”

It was clear Sunset was giving it an honest thought; there was even a small bit of tongue poking out of her mouth. “Probably another three hours? Though it may be closer to four? It’s a little hard to tell really. I think my muscles would tire before my magic would if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“So, approximately five hours of constant hovering?”

“Yes that sounds quite likely.”

“Right. Well I best be off; until we meet again goodbye.” Without any additional fanfare, Princess Celestia left through the front door and launched herself straight up into the sky.

“Huh, Ponyville to Canterlot in forty five minutes? It sounds like it could be a possible time. Though I’d imagine the Princess will be quite out of breath by the time she gets there.

“Oh well, let’s go see the Mayor now; get that done and then I don’t know what until this welcome party. Oh, I need to remove my wings.”

A wave of magic washed over the length and breadth of each wing. As the raspberry coloured light passed over her magically grown appendages, the wings appeared to dissolve into thin air. With her wings now returned to the magic aether, she once again looked exactly as she did the previous evening when she first set hoof into town.

At long last she was stepping out of the library for her first full day in Ponyville. She silently wondered what else was going to happen today, and if she was ready for it as she started to make her way over to town hall. Miss Mayor Mare would surely be in by now, right?

Meanwhile in the sky flying back to Canterlot –at a much greater pace than she has achieved for a good number of years now– Princess Celestia was thinking back over the significantly longer than planned meeting with Sunset Shimmer.

It was quite the eye opening meeting with very reassuring character traits, but also worrying tones and ignorance’s. Strangely it was also quite the refreshing experience for Celestia; the ideas and passion the mare expressed, even in such a dulled emotional state. Who could not smile at the achievements she has already succeeded with?

The biggest surprise though was the aerial hovering. “Five hours of constant hovering? Royal Guard pegasi train, trying to reach an almost unachievable two hours of constant hover time as a goal to strive for; then you consider she was converting the magic needed at a rate of basically eight to one. She has the potential to be my greatest asset or biggest hindrance. The magic well within that pony is certainly something to be wary of.

“Sigh, but if I give her any more information on the Mare in the Moon, she’ll figure everything out, probably within a few days of receiving it. Oh, and I’ve actually encouraged her to search the Everfree Forest. Just wonderful; and what would she think if I suddenly tell her not to go into the big obvious castle ruins that just scream ‘The answers you seek are here.’ The only logical conclusion would be that I am actually encouraging the prophecy to happen.

“Well, nothing more can be done today about this; Sunset Shimmer is going to a party and having a social adventure, which will distract her for at least the day. She will not get a chance to delve deep enough into the forest for some time yet; so I have time to give this problem some actual attention and plan a more successful route through.

“Hmm, her Cutie Mark is also quite the enigma; I wonder what streaking stars over a pink backdrop could mean? This Sunset Shimmer is just one mystery after another; I look forward to when I have time available to actually seek out the answers. Sigh, next Summer Sun Celebration cannot come soon enough.” Princess Celestia continued on towards Canterlot hoping the rest of her day wasn’t going to be as stressful as her last meeting.

Chapter. 11 – Of Mayors and Parties

Chapter. 11 – Of Mayors and Parties

It started out as such a nice morning. The birds were chirping, the sky was scheduled to be clear by nine-o-clock; she had recently got a new pot of pear jam for her toast, and even her beloved coffee machine decided that it would work first time without spilling the precious black nectar all over the floor. With her grey mane and tail styled just the way she liked them –her once bold and dark amber coat now lightening with her advancing years– it was nice to have a morning start so well.

The day before was quite the surprise for the elder earth pony; a royal steward arrives at her office mid-afternoon stating that the town was finally getting a new librarian and they were scheduled to arrive later that day. No more running the library a well as the town for her.

There was just so little time left to prepare a nice welcome parcel for this Miss Sunset Shimmer; she had her staff rush out to the market and quickly grab a few of the town’s products that were left and to see what the Cakes had fresh and ready from the ovens. Their disappearance also gave Mayor Mare some time to write a quick additional note to place inside the parcel as she worked up a small speech and tour that ended with the library in her head. It was short notice but her team managed to get everything done; they even had some time left to place the box in the library as a nice surprise before the new mare arrived.

And then they waited.

As six-o-clock rolled around there was still no sign of this librarian. A little frustrated as well as a bit confused Mayor Mare finally decided to call it a night; closed up the office and headed home for a well-deserved sleep.

She had resigned herself to receiving a knock on her door at some point during the night; but as twilight faded and the full cover of night swept over the town, there was still no sign of the wayward librarian. Eventually the siren call of her bed became too much to resist.

She woke up to a new day and with mixed feelings about not getting disturbed last night; on the one hoof she got a full night of undisturbed sleep, but on the other, she was beginning to wonder where this librarian was.

The walk to Town Hall was again uneventful; she greeted people as they went past on their way to work, or those who were setting up their stalls for the town market. Clouds were still littered over the sky, but she could make out several pegasi beginning to clear them away; it was indeed going to be another beautiful day. Mayor Mare did decide to take a small detour from her standard path, walking past The Golden Oak Library just to see if there was anything amiss; but no, it looked just as she expected it too, empty and with no signs of life.

The Mayor had not even fully sat down in her plush office chair before the first of the days problems revealed their unpleasant faces. Before entering the building several ponies came to her saying they’d seen Princess Celestia arrive in town and asked what she was doing here. Mayor Mare dismissed those claims as false and sent the ponies on their way; as the princess would not come to such a small town as this unannounced, even being only two hours away by train.

Next came in Rainbow Dash of all ponies; talking about rogue clouds in the area and that the citizens of the town need to be aware of the possibility of wild weather. Apparently one of the clouds placed last night had climbed up so high into the sky that quite a number of the weather control pegasi couldn’t reach it.

It looked like she had more to say but was interrupted by Applejack coming in saying that something strange had happened within the Everfree Forest. According to the apple farming mare, there was a new clearing near the outskirts of the forest. Several of the old trees had been knocked down and were now shredded at the cut; along with all the taller vegetation in this clearing. Her news also stated that the bodies of six Timber Wolves were discovered and were not currently reforming.

That was news that needed to be confirmed. If there was something out there that could permanently put down Timber Wolves; they needed to know what it was and hopefully make friends with it.

Then there was a knock at her office door, the first knock of the day, before her secretary popped her head in.

“Mayor Mare, there is a Sunset Shimmer here to see you; she says she’s the new Librarian.”

“Oh yeah. I met her last night. She seems pretty cool; you know being an egghead and all.”

“She arrived last night? What time?” Mayor Mare wanted a good relationship with the librarian if Princess Celestia personally chose her to be here.

“Umm, I think she came into town with the seven fifteen train. Apparently she came all the way from Vanhhoover.” That was a very long journey. If only she had known. “Yeah she managed to dodge me as I landed at the train station. I gave her a small tour as we went to town hall; even got her to meet Pinkie Pie as well. That was hilarious; Pinkie was pretty upset that Sunset Shimmer arrived too late for her to give her a proper welcome to Ponyville party that day. She’s getting one today though, so no worries.

“Anyway we got here and didn’t find anyone here to greet us or a note saying what to do. It was just luck that she had a spare key to the library or else I would have probably asked you, Applejack, if she could have borrowed your couch for the night. I’d have offered mine but she’s a unicorn and, yunno, I live in a cloud.”

“Sure I would have taken her in for a night, sugarcube. Heck if she was there, then maybe we’d know what the darnation happened in the Everfree last night.”

“Yeah if she was there I bet we’d know for sure. Anyway if you haven’t already received an invite from Pinkie, Sunset’s Welcome to Ponyville party is at Sugarcube Corner at one, if you’re free.”

“We’ll see. I do have a lot of work to get done. Speaking of which I better get heading back to the farm, especially if I wanna get to this welcome party.”

“Well at least wait until Mayor Mare invites her in here for an introduction.” Both mares looked over to the Mayor, who had the distinct feeling that things were well and truly running out of her hooves. With a sigh she looked over to the door to see her secretary still waiting for orders.

“If you could show her in please.”

With a smile and a nod her secretary disappeared behind the door. A moment later there was a tall unicorn mare standing in the doorway. Her coat was a light amber and her long mane and tail could easily be mistaken for fire; her eyes were a vibrant lavender.

The cutie mark on her flanks was quite strange; it was a sea of deep rich pink with six white streaks in the centre, around the edge were five stars in a circle. She had a very athletic build and honestly looked nothing like what you would expect a typical librarian to look like. There was an air of mystique and power around her that could be a little unsettling for those of a weak disposition.

“Good morning Mayor Mare I am Sunset Shimmer. I apologise for arriving so late last night; but the train I got from Vanhoover did not arrive into Canterlot until after three, where I found no other trains to Ponyville until the one that left at five twenty.”

“Ah, yes hello Sunset Shimmer. I am sorry about not being here for you last night, but I simply did not know at what time you were arriving. Regardless though, I hope you enjoyed a few of the tasty produce that this fair town can whip up.

“Now I believe that you met Rainbow Dash last night upon your arrival. She is the lead pegasus of the weather control team here in Ponyville. Next to her is Applejack, she is the joint owner of Sweet Apple Acers and most likely pony to offer you a helping hoof if you ever need one.” The mare in question was a powerfully built earth pony with orange fur and straw blond mane and tail; both were held together with mane ties at the end of the long strands of hair. She had bright jade green eyes and her cutie mark was of three apples; to finish her off she was wearing a light brown Stetson.

“Howdy Sunset; like the Mayor said, the names Applejack. If you need a helping hoof don’t you hesitate to ask, ya hear?”

“Hello Applejack it’s nice to meet you. As you have heard my name is Sunset Shimmer and I’m the town’s new librarian. I’d imagine your farm can get quite busy so the offer for assistance is there as well if you need it.”

“Well, that’s mighty kind of you, and from the sound of things I think we’ll get along swell. Though to be honest I don’t know how good a librarian will be when it comes to bucking apples out of trees.” Applejack was appreciative of the offer, but Sunset was a librarian and bucking trees is a lot of hard work and effort.

However Sunset just smiled lightly, “I have a few tricks that could help you around the farm; but even without them I’m in good shape. As I said if you need help and I’m available, just ask.”

“Well alright then, I’ll keep that in mind.” There was a honest smile on the farm mare’s face.

“Ha, good luck with that Sunset. Applejack is one of the most stubborn ponies around, and thinks she can do everything. Remember two years ago when Big Mac, oh that’s her older brother, got an injury to his leg and had to take it easy for a week. She was so over worked; she was sleep bucking trying to get it all done.”

“Yeah well it was bucking season and them apples weren’t going to fall out themselves.” It was quite clearly a sore point for the prideful mare, “but I did get it all done, didn’t I”

“Well yeah, but then you were stuck in the hospital for two weeks for all sorts of problems you developed because you were too stubborn to ask anypony for help. I just don’t want to see my friend in that situation again. I mean who else am I going to race in the Running of the Leaves?”

“Anyway.” Mayor Mare intervened before the argument could get into full swing. It seems this was a normal occurrence. “Why don’t you two head off so you’ll be free for Pinkie Pie’s party later on today. It would also give me a chance to fully show off Ponyville. We wouldn’t want Sunset here to be late for her own party now would we?”

“Like Pinkie would let you,” came a quiet response from the blue pegasus. It was quiet enough that Sunset wondered if the Mayor heard it. Considering the Mayor continued on talking, Sunset guessed not.

“I’ve also got a few things that Sunset, here, needs to look over for the running of the library.”

The two other mares, finally remembering that they actually had work to do, quickly said their goodbye’s and left Mayor Mare alone with her new librarian.

“I apologise for those two. They are both good ponies and they are friends but both of them are as stubborn as mules; no offense to mules of course.”

“It’s fine. As I said I met Rainbow Dash last night and could tell she had both good intentions and stubbornness about her. So what paper work is there for me?” Getting seated in front of the Mayor’s desk, the two scholar ponies got down to the business that is bureaucracy.

The morning was finally behind her and she had caught up to where she wanted to be. Lunch. Princess Celestia should have accepted that offer of pie from Sunset Shimmer; but then she did not expect to be so lost in discussing events with that mare to have lost at least an hour of the day.

It was also quite the workout session; flying back to Canterlot at such high speeds in order to make her already rescheduled morning meeting with the Summer Sun Celebration.

That meeting had been a long and exhausting battle of wills with far too many stubborn minds butting heads with each other. However it was finally accomplished to her satisfaction and things could start to proceed for next year’s event.

Entering her private dining area hoping for a quick and quiet lunch, she was surprised to find her student working away with Spike of all people. He was somehow able to keep Trixie’s mind focused as well as preventing it from wandering away too much.

Perhaps it was because he was younger than her and yet was at a similar knowledge level? Maybe it was his honest and blunt nature; maybe that was enough to pierce through her air of self-importance to apply some humility?

Honestly it could be as simple as him helping narrow down the search of what she needed to learn, like finding a needle in only a quarter of the haystack. Whatever the reason they were both hard at work and did not notice her at all.

With a small smile radiating pride, Celestia backed out of the room to let them work in peace.

Only to bump into Princess Cadance as she gently shut the door.

“Ah Cadance. What an interesting development I’ve just discovered with my student. Your doing perhaps?”

“Yes, when I was presiding over the last spring court and you had run off to who knows where, Trixie came to me asking if I wanted any help. I had already roped Spike into helping me, but I figured the more the merrier and amazingly those two could work together. Surprisingly well, honestly. Spike was able show her what to do while Trixie managed to curb his tendency to panic when things start to pile up. It was actually one of the calmer end of season courts I’ve managed and it wasn’t because of the lack of ponies demanding attention, I assure you.”

“Do you think it’s possible to keep them working together?”

“I managed it yesterday, and again this morning, I don’t see why not? Speaking of this morning where were you? Even the guards were looking for you.”

“Oh, I was just having plans that I’ve had in the work for years get almost completely destroyed in a single meeting; with perhaps the most powerful librarian to have ever lived.”

Cadance just blinked before her head tilted to the side, “…what?”

“Let’s head to a vacant meeting room. I fear some food could be useful as I give you some more details of why I have been absent over the last few days; and a second opinion could be useful right now. That and I missed breakfast.” Cadance just rolled her eyes but she was going to be getting some answers, and giving advice to her aunt was a rare commodity. So she followed Celestia and steeled herself for the horrors that were sure to come.

It was as bad as she feared. No, worse even. Oh god this looks like such a mess; all that toil and preparation coming undone in such a simple manner. It must take weeks of effort to set this right once more; and why? All this effort, what had to be hours at least of wasted time probably better spent doing something else, anything else maybe? Why would someone go through so much effort just for a single pony?

“You made it!”

Sunset shimmer had just walked into Sugarcube Corner along with Mayor Mare –after a second, and more in depth tour of the town– and the sight that lay before her was an unsettling one; once more silently thanking her diluted emotions preventing her from doing anything rash. While the main area of the shop floor was of a respectable size; it currently felt more than a little cramp.

There were at least thirty ponies of all tribes –though mostly earth ponies– and gender waiting for her to arrive and had already started to sample some of the party spread that was laid out.

And once more she had drawn the attention of this Pinkie Pie character.

“Yeah, something told me I should show myself before you started getting worried I wouldn’t turn up.”

“Oh, don’t be silly, I wasn’t worried.” Even though she said it with all the sweetness in the world and an air of pure innocence; Sunset was sure there was something there that wasn’t being said. Especially considering Mayor Mare had snuck away at some point.

“Sooo, you gonna answer those questions I asked last night now?”

“Oh, last night. Right let’s see, umm. My name’s Sunset Shimmer. I don’t have a favourite cupcake flavour, though the caramel and cashew nut donut I had yesterday was really good. I’m from Vanhoover. I am taking the position of librarian here in Ponyville, so yes I am staying here for a long time, probably. I do have a soft spot for lavender, though I don’t know if I would call it my favourite colour.

“I think that was all of the questions you wanted answered, Pinkie pie. Were there anymore?” Every question that Sunset answered correctly seemed to increase both the smile on the pink mare’s face, and also increased the vibration she seemed to be suffering from.

Pinkie launched herself into the air in excitement before landing back down with her forehooves wrapped around the taller, amber mare. “You remembered all of my questions! And in order too! Oh we are going to be such good friends.” And with that Sunset was dragged off to be introduced to everyone who was at the party.

Names and faces shot past her faster than she could remember them, or at least remember the name the face went too. Some were easier than others; both Rainbow Dash and Applejack had managed to make some time and was here enjoying themselves. It was also quite easy to remember Mr Carrot and Mrs Cup Cake as they were the only ones that were wearing aprons and were helping Pinkie Pie with the party.

There was an incredibly muscular pegasus stallion with the smallest wings Sunset had ever seen; she didn’t catch his name but was entranced by the contradiction made manifest in front of her. A pair of twins with opposing manes and coats; one coat was sky blue with a light pink mane and tail, while the other had the light pink coat with sky blue mane and tail. They were there for only a short period as they were on a lunch break. The only other noticeable pony she could remember meeting was a white Earth pony with a pink mane and tail; she said she was a nurse at the local hospital.

Every other ponies face and name, even with her brilliant mind, just seemed to slip past her. They were friendly for the most part; one or two Sunset definitely registered them as fake and had ulterior motives to be there, but she just didn’t care at the moment. She was already a little overwhelmed.

There were small mounds of food; pies, cakes, cupcakes, pastries both sweet and savoury, just to point out a few selection. The fruit punch that was available was a shockingly refreshing mixture that thankfully did not contain alcohol. Then again it was lunch time so it was not surprising that alcohol was something that was not added.

Then there were the games, just so many different games that people were playing, that adults were playing. Childish games sure but they passed the time and were quite a bit harder than even she thought they’d be; it was almost entertaining.

Things were finally beginning to calm down, it was still mid-afternoon and ponies still had work to do; she managed to catch Applejack for some small talk before she left and Rainbow Dash had left even earlier, apparently to go have a nap. It didn’t take long before every party goer had left to go back to their lives; leaving the Cakes, Pinkie pie, herself, and the few ponies that turned into customers for the cakes.

“Well thank you Pinkie. That was not something I was expecting. At all. But it was pleasant and I did indeed get to meet a lot of the town this way. I’m not sure I know even half of the faces I met today but still.” Sunset was using her magic to gather up confetti that had been launched earlier. From a cannon.

“No thanks are necessary; giving parties is my special talent, it’s what I enjoy doing and I’m good at it. But as you said it is a great way to meet people. I didn’t expect you to remember everypony, that’s my job, but people are used to you now and will feel less nervous when interacting with you. No offence but you can be quite intimidating.”

That caused Sunset to blink in confusion, “I’m intimidating?”

“Well yeah, you’re tall and clearly strong both magically and physically; I honestly do wonder if you really are just a librarian. Your face is always impassive with so few flicks of emotion running through it; it leaves ponies scared you might be somepony worse than you really are.

“I’m not intimidated by you of course; I knew when I first lay eyes on you that you’re a good pony at heart. Perhaps a little stuck in her ways, but a good pony.” Pinkie was holding open several rubbish bags and pointing out what piece of rubbish went into which bag; she seemed happy that she wasn’t the only one tiding up.

Sunset on the other hand was in a small conflict with herself. One part said to tell Pinkie a little of her past, the part of her accident; this was the instinctual part of her. The logical side of herself said it was far too soon to trust even that obvious secret to somepony she just barely knew.

“I just want to help ponies; make them laugh and come together as friends. I know not everypony will agree with me on that goal, but I’m sure it’s the best way to do things in the end. Even doctors say that laughter is the best medicine; so why not try it on something less complicated than brain surgery.”

Such a naïve and innocent view of the world; but Sunset could see a sliver of wisdom in those words; she just had to look at today. So many ponies had happily engaged with her in conversation, regardless if she intimidated them, or they were jealous of her like Rainbow Dash said they would be. Not all of them were her friends, not all of them were going to be her friend, but they understood her just a little now. And understanding goes a long way to prevent hatred.

Damn, she had to say something.

“Sigh, Pinkie I don’t really want this to get out; it’s a sensitive topic about myself, but I think you may need to know. When I was a filly I was in an accident, and managed to hit my head in a bad way. What most doctors thought to be a concussion was worse than that. It damaged the area of my brain that processes emotions. I literally cannot, emotionally, remember any encounter I have. If I have emotions they are so diluted they may as well not exist for most things. I have received training to help mitigate this and my mentor has always said I have good instincts but honestly it is a lot of hard work.”

Pinkie was looking at her with a sad smile, it was an expression not made out of understanding, or of sympathy really. Possibly of acceptance, but Pinkie’s question stop the train of thought.

“Is the hard work worth it?”

That was a question that Sunset had never asked herself before. It was a simple one and should be easy to answer, easy to even lie about; but she thought it through, and used her instincts as best she could.

“Well, I know I make too many mistakes with emotions on even simple greetings. As you said I scare ponies without me even realising I’m doing it. Being friendly and nice certainly makes aspects of living in society easier too, even if they are fake. But, honestly, I think it is worth the effort. It is certainly hard, but I am still learning, and I hope to get better at it. I think coming here will go a long way to helping me.”

Pinkie was smiling at her now. A small simple smile, that spoke far more than words ever could. “Then I am glad to have properly met you Sunset Shimmer. If you need a new coach when it comes to having fun and being silly, then I’m your pony. But if you’re ok with it I may have somepony in mind that could help you with being kind and gentle. She’s incredibly shy and I will probably need some time to build her up to it. But I promise you there will be no better pony for those lessons; just be patient with her, and try to understand if there are times she just cannot do it.”

“But I know all about kindness. The Mayor was kind enough to give me a care package; I’m helping you clean up, you giving me a welcome to Ponyville party. Aren’t those things kindness?”

“You helping out is probably the closest out of those examples to actual kindness, but really you’re confusing it with generosity. That’s why you need a teacher in kindness. As I said though, I’ll need to build up her courage before anything can happen with it, so it’ll be a week or two probably. But what do you say?”

“You think I need these lessons?” Why was Sunset even contemplating this idea, she already had lessons in emotion understanding and manipulation. So what if it was light on kindness.

“Hmm, think of it like this. Your information is incomplete. You have knowledge of all the other emotions and can use that to understand ponies; but since you do not know about kindness, your, umm model? Yeah. Your model of pony behaviour is incomplete and wrong and therefor will influence your decisions with incomplete data. Data is a word you use right?”

‘…Is she a genius or something? That makes far too much sense for just thinking it up off the top of her head.’ “All right, Pinkie. You make a really good point; my understanding of ponies will be incomplete without knowing all of the emotions to at least a logical degree. If your friend is willing, I would like to understand kindness better.”

“Oh, Sunset, you’ve made the right choice. I promise you. I don’t think the lessons will be hard. They’ll probably just be chats with tea, and hopefully cake.” Sunset was wrapped up in another bone crushing hug that blocked her view of everything but pink fur and mane.

When she was able to pull back, Sunset had to blink. Somehow all the remaining decorations and party supplies that were still up, about a third of them remained, had been tidied up in the few seconds she couldn’t see.

“Now I know you want to help some more, but really I’ve got things under control. So why don’t you just head to the Golden Oak Library and get it set up for your first customers to arrive, probably tomorrow.”

“Wh. Bu. Huh?” Suddenly Rainbow Dash’s warning about ponies going insane trying to understand the madness that was Pinkie Pie came to mind. It would be so easy to get wrapped up in this enigma; to try and peel back even a single layer.

“Y-Yeah. I, I think that might be good for me right now. You know, I’m a little overwhelmed with all the emotions that have been running around. Thanks again for the party and for giving me a teacher in kindness. Good bye Pinkie, until next time. Oh, GOOD BYE MR AND MRS CAKE. IT WAS NICE TO MEET YOU.”

She heard a faint reply from a room further back into the shop, and the smile on Pinkie’s face said she appreciated the effort, even if she was rubbing one of her ears. Sunset had the grace to look a little bashful before turning and leaving the bakery.

Chapter. 12 – Faults and Improvement (Part.1)

Chapter. 12 – Faults and Improvement (Part.1)

Time waits for no pony and no matter how much Sunset Shimmer looked down the back of the couch, or under her bed; she just could not find where the last two weeks have gone.

It was almost like half of the town had been waiting for a librarian to return to the library; even though The Golden Oak Library was still open for business before her arrival. It was just run by the local town hall. Maybe it was the entertainment of seeing the new pony? Sunset wasn’t sure and the few ponies she had asked –Pinkie Pie, Applejack and Mayor Mare– all vehemently denied this theory. Regardless of the reason though, she had been kept quite busy with her new position.

Currently Sunset was cleaning the shelves of the Mistry and Adventure section within the fiction area; a modest number of books were here, situated over three shelves of the bright and sturdy inbuilt living wood bookcase. All of the fictional tomes that once rested upon the wooden shelves were all, currently, suspended near the ceiling thanks to her magenta magic; as she washed down the shelves with a sponge and bucket of water.

Deep slow breathing with a forehead dripping with sweat, Sunset was currently set on focusing her mind on such a large encompassing Levitation spell. The sixty six different books were not a problem for her, even with them high up and around the ceiling; neither was the bucket of water, as she was not levitating it at this moment. No it was the sponge that was causing problems; more specifically the manipulation of said sponge.

Levitation is one of the first spells a unicorn learns and, once mastered, can be capable of allowing the caster to do several tasks at once. It is basic and limited in scope, but due to its simplicity requires next to no power to use; provided, of course, it is used as intended.

Lifting objects up to a reasonable total weight, basic writing with a quill; simple things that even a foal could do/think of, for the spell requires a clear picture of what is happening to work be it visual or mental.

There is no refinement or finesse with the Levitation spell; a unicorn cannot do fine work with the spell, even simple calligraphy is not possible with it. More advanced tasks require the adult version of Levitation; Telekinesis. It is far more capable in nearly every way, but can only be achieved with experience using and mastering Levitation; walking before running if you will.

Returning to basics when creating and/or practising new spell ideas is the first step in spell manipulation. It reduces unknown variables and helps narrow down where the problems could be; for an easier time fault finding, problem solving and just inspecting the spell in general. It is also safer for both the caster and the surrounding area if things get really out of hand.

Levitation and Telekinesis are also some of the spells that are the closest in allowing a unicorn to multicast. So if somepony is trying to achieve the impossible feat of actual multicasting of spells, then the most basic of said spells would be the place to start.

Currently what Sunset was trying to do was to clean the shelves with the sponge –an easy task– while lifting all the books from said shelves up to the ceiling –a moderate to challenging feat of magic; if for no other reason than the amount of books being levitated. She was doing all this, while at the same time also trying to deliberately spin every single book so that each one span in their own unique direction; without looking at them.

A complex exercise that would give an average unicorn quite the workout while using the spell Telekinesis; however for a unicorn using Levitation, as Sunset Shimmer is currently doing, this task would be nigh on impossible.

Sunset’s eyes were glued to the shelf in front of her, watching with almost fanatical interest as the wobbling sponge washed away the dust and grime that had built up over the years; all the while making sure the sponge wasn’t too dry, wet, or dirty. Her mind had its own task; it was trying to make the books spin by mental visualisation. A few spinning in their own way would be a challenging exercise; a dozen books spinning uniquely and most unicorns would have dropped everything, as the focus on the spell was spread too thin causing it to collapse. It was almost like spinning plates on sticks; except using magic, and with no sticks.

Sunset had forty two spinning in their own unique way as she focused on cleaning the shelves.

Princess Celestia had not yet sent her the magic container that Sunset was looking for; however she also saw the wisdom in Celestia’s words about reabsorbing potentially contaminated magic. It would be almost as bad as injecting contaminated blood into your veins; only with a lot more pain and a lower chance of death.

So Sunset Shimmer had gone back to her attempts at multicasting; this was the latest exercise she had devised in helping her mind think in two places at once. Was it working? This was only the first time she had tried this particular exercise, so not enough data to confirm or deny. Was it taxing on her mind? Oh absolutely.

The library door was suddenly slammed open as a small group of fillies came charging into the main room; full of loud chatter and excitement of finally getting out of school. This disturbance caused what little focus Sunset had left on the spell to break, dropping everything that was within its magical grasp. The sponge wasn’t a problem, and she wasn’t holding the bucket of water for just this reason; but the books…

The fillies all found themselves frozen in place as a wave of raspberry covered magic suddenly passed over the whole room. Any attempt to move or squirm out of the Telekinesis grip was futile, the pressure being exerted upon them all was so strong it was a wonder how any of them were still breathing. Only their eyes could move freely as they tried to find the cause of their stillness.

Standing by a set of empty shelves was the new librarian, her horn aglow with raspberry light and enough power was being emitted from the magic wielding appendage that her mane had started to shift in a non-existent wind. She was looking over to them with an unreadable expression; all of them knew that look only meant trouble and discipline.

With an almost military march to her step, the librarian walked over to the group of four young fillies –two earth ponies, a unicorn, and a pegasus. Her posture never wavered out of full confidence, sweat had gathered over her brow, but if that was from exhaustion the fillies couldn’t tell; the magic sure felt strong enough to rule out that possibility at least.

Sunset reached where the young fillies stood frozen in place –almost at the centre of the room– and if possible her face became even more unreadable. She towered over them all, more so than any other mare they knew in town; it was made worse by the silence in her hoof steps as she moved right up to the intimidated group.

“Girls, you all startled me a bit there. Remember this is a library and while normally a pretty safe place; I was cleaning the shelves and, well, have a look above you.”

Minute head movements along with their rotating eyes allowed the youngsters to look above their heads; and what they saw caused them all to gulp nervously. Less than one of their own hooves separated the four fillies from being buried in a small mountain of books.

With a wave of her horn, Sunset moved the books over to where she was cleaning and placed them neatly into several piles just off to the side; she was only about half way through the chore.

Silently she was annoyed with the suspended books; they were spinning, but their positions seemed to be converging together. It appeared that, subconsciously, her mind was trying to reduce the stress of the spell. ‘Hmm, need to refine this exercise a little more; but I believe I’m on the right path.’

Now that the danger of falling books had past the fillies all felt the invisible grip on them slowly release; giving the girls time to regain their hooves. “I apologise for the mass telekinetic grip, but I think that was the better outcome; don’t you all?” They just gave her a silent wide eyed stare.

This appeared to be the wrong thing to do. The powerful unicorn librarian just stared at them more, before the smallest of a frown appeared on her face; the fillies all knew that nothing good came out of such an impassive frown. They were now terrified. The off white coloured earth pony with purple glasses even started to tremble.

“Umm, is there anything I can help you with? I am sorry about grabbing you like that and I don’t want you to be scared of me. Respect my rules, sure, but I would like to help you if I can. What homework has your teacher given you? I’m sure I have the materials to help you study and fully understand it.”

The four fillies looked at each other in silent debate before all of them, as one, sprinted out of the door that had yet to shut.

There was a pang in Sunset’s chest as the library became empty once more. The past hour had been the quietest the library had been, giving her the idea to practice a little and clean at the same time. It was supposed to be a win-win situation.

Now fully focused on the cleaning job it took Sunset all of another minute to finish washing the shelves, dry them and place the books back into order of the Dewey Decimal System.

The library was still empty, no pony was there to distract her; she could probably hear a pin drop all the way over in the study area. All this silence made the pang in her chest feel all the more noticeable. She did not like this feeling, not at all.

There was a spark of, something, jogging her memory to a suggestion she received when she first arrived in town; and with no better idea on how to fix the unpleasant feeling dwelling within her chest, Sunset made up her mind. She placed a notice of absence up on the door before locking the library’s entrance and left; her destination a place where everypony knew your name. Or rather a single individual knew everypony’s name.

‘I guess I really do need those kindness lessons. I wonder if Pinkie has gotten anywhere with her friend? Come to think of it I never did catch her name.’

“Hi Sunset. Bad day at the office huh?” Opening the door to Sugarcube Corner revealed the sight of Pinkie Pie behind the glass display of the service counter. The place was quiet with only two tables occupied with customers, and they looked to have been there for some time.

“Yeah, I scared a group of fillies off as I was cleaning some shelves. I didn’t mean to, they startled me. But the damage has been done, and they’re now terrified of me. I don’t suppose your friend is up for giving some lessons on kindness, is she?”

There was a distinct glint in Pinkie’s eyes as she slid a cupcake over the counter. “Well actually she agreed as soon as I suggested it to her. I was more waiting for you to ask for them. I’m afraid she’ll be busy at the veterinary clinic for the rest of the day, but she should be free tomorrow. I’ll double check and get it all sorted for you. Now cheer up and eat the cupcake. It’s a brand new recipe I’ve been working on and I think this one’s come out the best. Just be a little careful, it could be messy.”

With a raised eyebrow and just a little trepidation, Sunset looked at the cupcake. It was clearly a chocolate based cupcake with a slightly lumpy pale white frosting generously spiralled on top. The cake itself was a little on the large size for a cupcake, but never the less looked quite tasty. Currently it was innocently resting within a lavender paper case.

Looking up at Pinkie for confirmation, all Sunset received was a vigorously nodding head with what looked like motions to take a big bite. Sighing, she did just that.

The sponge was moist and wonderfully flavoured with chocolate. The frosting was bitter sweet with a pleasant mild nuttiness to it; and there in the middle of the cupcake was a cavity filled with a soft thick liquid caramel that slowly oozed out of the gap created by her bite. It was rich with a slight saltiness that helped both enrich the sweetness and yet cut it back at the same time; making it more of a burst of flavour than long and drawn out.

This is a tasty cupcake.

“I knew you’d like it. It was actually you that inspired me to make it, with what you said at your Welcome to Ponyville Party. It’s a chocolate cupcake with a cashew nut icing and a surprise liquid caramel centre. It took forever to get the ratio for the caramel just right so that it stays gooey even when the cupcake has cooled, but firm enough so that it wouldn’t leak out all over the place.”

“Well, congrats. This is officially the nicest cupcake that I have ever eaten.” ‘Not that I’ve had many to compare it with.’

“Good, cause they’ve been selling pretty well. The Cakes are considering making them a permanent addition to the counter. Just like all of my other creations.”

“Well I’m glad I could do that for you at least. I better get back to the library though, before anyone comes looking for me. Say, can you prepare a box of cupcakes for tomorrow. I think four would be plenty, don’t you? Oh and what her name? I don’t think I ever got it.”

“Fluttershy. Her name is Fluttershy. Normally I’d let the pony speak for themselves; but for both of your sakes, I think I’ll give you a little heads up. As I’ve hinted at and as her name suggests, she is a very shy pony so when you do go and see her, be patient with her. Other than that, I’ll get you a nice selection of both of your favourite cupcakes ready for you to pick up tomorrow, say around half past ten, to get to her place for an eleven-o-clock tea session, ok?”

Sunset smiled and nodded her agreement; tomorrow she would start her kindness training.

It was quite unusual to get summoned to the throne room. Normally if Princess Celestia wanted to see him, she would simply hunt him down; it’s not like he was really all that hard to find. Still she had requested he come to the throne room, so that was where Spike was heading too now.

The throne room itself was grand and bright, being mostly made out of polished marble shaded in a very pale teal colour. The room itself was massive, able to hold hundreds of ponies within it and still feel spacious.

Strong supporting columns were evenly spaced out and embedded slightly into the wall; holding up an arched ceiling that could not decide if it was silvery white or shaded aqua in colour. Scattered randomly over the ceiling were white diamonds acting almost like stars. The walls were filled with both banners and stained glass windows; each one depicting a story of an important part of history.

The floor itself was polished to reflection and in the centre was a large gold inlayed maroon carpet that travelled from the doors all the way up to the throne. It was wide enough for four ponies to comfortably stand side by side as they made the pilgrimage across the room.

The raised dias where the golden sun throne rested was a little strange. It was at least two ponies high and made out of white marble. The carpet travelled up the wide steps all the way to the single golden sun throne. That was situated to the left of where the carpet stopped; not the centre.

While the décor and design of the throne room has changed several times throughout Princess Celestia’s reign; the dias never has. The sun throne has always sat on the left side of the dias, never right bang in the middle. It was just another of the many accepted quirks of Princess Celestia; right alongside her love of cakes.

“Ah, hello Spike. How are you this afternoon?” Princess Celestia was nice enough to meet Spike at the base of the raised platform that her throne sat upon. He still had to walk the significant length of the bright cavernous throne room to get to her though.

Spike bowed deeply, one of his clawed hands rested upon his stomach while the other made a fist at the base of his spine. “I am doing well Princess. Though, I must confess to be quite surprised at being summoned to the throne room; normally you would simply seek out my location, no doubt from one of the guards. Is there something wrong?” That Celestia had actively summoned him to the throne room meant it was more than just a social call. Whatever the reason she had to summon him to such a grand and prestigious location; must also call for a little formality, right?

“My my, such elegance? I take it this is the work of my niece?” A raised eyebrow was accompanied by a smile on the white alicorn’s face that threatened to break into laughter; Celestia certainly was not expecting the formal treatment.

“Yes it is, and since you have summoned me here it seems appropriate to use it in such a situation.”

“Then I shall keep that in mind for future encounters. As it happens though what I have asked you here for does require you in a more active role within the castle. However it appears that the other pony who I summoned has gotten lost, so we’ll need to wait for them.”

“Hey, I am not lost,” came the distinct tones of Celestia’s student, Trixie Lulamoon, from the open golden doors at the base of the throne room. Moments pass before said unicorn appears at the doorway, looking like she had just spent a moment at the door taking a breather. “So Princess, you summoned me; well us from the looks of things? What do you need?”

“Ah, Trixie. I’ve noticed that for the past little while you and Spike have been working remarkably well together; and so I was hoping to capitalise on that by extending your duties a little. If you both are in agreement I was hoping that you could work together to observe and learn how to manage the Summer Sun Festival this year. Of course you will be chaperoned by Quick Quill, who normally manages events such as these. But due to their recent decline in health the two of us agreed it would be for the best if there were other ponies who were able to take over just in case. As you yourself have done already, Spike, on several occasions with their more minor roles.”

This was big, actually big responsibility that Celestia was entrusting them both with. Spike looked over to see a gleam within Trixie’s eyes that was matched in intensity by her Cheshire cat grin. And while he could say he wasn’t as excited as Trixie looked, even he would admit that he still wanted to jump and down on the spot.

“As you can imagine, a lot of the preparation work has already begun. Truthfully even the preparations for next year’s celebration have already been set in motion; what you shall be doing this year is learning the aspects of setup and running such an event. If you both do as well as I expect you too, then you shall be asked to join the event managing team for next year’s celebration and perhaps on other social events as well.”

Trixie couldn’t help herself. “The Gala?”

Celestia just smiled at her student. “Eventually, perhaps. If you succeed in the Summer Sun Celebration two years in a row, then I can see little reason to prevent you from joining that events team if you wish.” Trixie let out some strange high pitch noise of what Spike supposed was happiness.

“I’ll do it Princess!”

Celestia raised a delicate eyebrow at her student’s enthusiasm. “Remember I said I wanted you both to work on this as a team. Together you both have a surprising amount of focus and cooperation, even for such a small time working together. Apart, I fear you both may fall back into old habits.”

Trixie was not listening to her mentor; instead she was trying her absolute best to give herself the biggest set of puppy dog begging eyes possible, and flashing them at Spike with full beams. He simply sighed, “I guess I would like to do more for you and Cadance than act as a backup scribe. Sure, I’m willing to give it my all.” He was quickly engulfed by a far too happy blue unicorn, who could only say “thank” and “you” repeatedly.

“Well alright then. Meet me here at nine-o-clock tomorrow morning and I’ll take you to Quick Quill where you’ll both help and learn from them as much as possible. You only have fifteen days until the celebration this year and there are many things that can still go wrong; so prepare yourselves for a busy day. I’ll see you then.”

Spike would have replied to Celestia, but he was still being strangled by the blue unicorn who could still only say two words.

It was honestly surprising how such a small and out of the way cottage could house so many different animal species; and yet not one got into a fight with the other. There was even a bear around the property that was quite content to sit there and soak up the midday sun.

Currently Sunset Shimmer was sitting at a small table near a gurgling stream that passed the small cottage home of Fluttershy; a cosy little things with cream walls and visible wooden supports. Strangely it was the thatch roof that drew ones eye to the home, as it was made out of fresh green foliage. Now whether it stayed green due to magic or because the building was also part of a living tree; Sunset could not tell at this moment.

The sun was bright and warm, and both she and her latest tutor thought it would be nice to have their first session out in the pleasant late morning sun. The bear friend of Fluttershy’s had sat down just a little bit away from the, currently, empty seat; probably as a form of reassurance, though he was trying to look like he was just bathing in the golden rays. Honestly Sunset didn’t know what was more suspicious; that she herself hadn’t asked about the bear, or that it seemed the bear was slightly nervous around her.

“Sorry for the wait; I had to wash the tea pot out as some of my mice friends had made a home out of it. The Mousekewitz family have rather expensive taste when making their home.” The soft yellow coated pegasus gently trotted over to the table; her long light pink mane and tail swaying in time to her movements. On her back, and being supported by a pair of wings, was a tray containing a beautiful white china tea set; gleaming perfect white background and detailed in blue designs depicting animals connected all the pieces together. It was obviously from far off eastern lands; and also very old.

“It’s fine Fluttershy, I’m surprised your allowing me to even see that tea set, let alone be allowed to use it. It’s a perfect antique.”

“Oh it is not a problem. I haven’t had an excuse to use this set from my grandmother for a very long time; making a new friend feels like a good reason to bring it out, don’t you think. Oh, and thank you for bringing these cupcakes with you, they’re my favourite.”

And so began a timid back and forth between two socially awkward ponies over tea.

It was during a lull in conversation that movement appeared out of the corner of Sunset’s eyes. A cloaked figure was walking along the path towards the Everfree Forest. Sunset took only a minor interest in the passing pony and with the path to the back of Fluttershy, she did not see the pony at all.

After what could only have been another minute or two, Sunset spied a group of young fillies walking the same path the cloaked figure had just taken. She recognised the young fillies instantly and it brought back the uncomfortable feeling within her chest. “Hey, Fluttershy; see those fillies there, what are their names? They were most of the fillies that I frightened at the library yesterday.”

Turning around in her seat to see where her guest was pointing, Fluttershy spotted the three fillies in question.

One was a small earth pony with a pale straw coloured coat and a light marron mane and tail; she was wearing a big bow that almost matched the colour of the mane it was tied around. Walking next to the young earth pony, was a young unicorn whose coat was an off white in colour and her tail and mane were a mixture of pinks and purples.

The final filly of the trio was a small pegasis whose coat was a soft orange, with her mane and tail a blended mixture of purple with just a little orange. This young pegasus appeared to be suffering from hypoplasia of the wing; a rare condition that can permanently ground a pegasus if left untreated.

These three fillies were the infamous ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders.’

“Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo? You scared them in the library? What happened?”

“Well those three and one other came running into the library as I was cleaning some shelves and levitating books. It gave me enough of a startle that I dropped all the books in my magic grip; if it wasn’t for a mass telekinetic grab that I cast, some of them could have been really hurt. As it was they didn’t like being held like that, even if it was for their safety, and I haven’t seen them since. I even tried to apologise but they ran. I didn’t like the feeling it left me with.”

There was a slight change in Fluttershy’s face; her expression became one of understanding and reassurance, it made the uncomfortable feeling within Sunset dissipate a little.

“Hey!” It looked like Fluttershy was going to say something, but was interrupted by somepony shouting at them. “Did you gals see where the Crusaders went to?” It was Applejack, and she was accompanied by both Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash; and one other as well. A very pretty unicorn mare with an almost silver white coat and deep purple coloured mane and tail; she had a striking resemblance to one of the small fillies that had just past.

“O-Oh, yeah we saw them heading along the road.” Fluttershy seemed to be in a quandary; she obviously liked all the mares around her, but it seemed that her social anxiety was still taking a toll on its prisoner. There were six of them in total right now, and it sounded like it wouldn’t take too much more for her to feel overwhelmed.

However the news was obviously not what Applejack wanted to hear. “Tarnation! Those fillies are following Zecora. Ether they’re up to no good, or Zecora’s put a curse on them! Ya gotta help us get them back. Come on!” and with that the four mares continued off down the path that took them to the Everfree forest. Fluttershy and Sunset looked at each other for only a second before chasing after the group of mares on a mission.

It didn’t take long for this six mare strong adventuring party to arrive at the edge of the forest, and it was only thanks to Sunset being at the back of the herd that she didn’t just charge right in.

She almost bumped into the white mare she didn’t know; though this went unnoticed by the white unicorn in question as she, along with all the other mares from the small town, hesitated at the border of the, now, looming trees.

It was actually a little interesting for Sunset to watch these determined mares hesitate at the edge of this infamous wood; something was flickering through all of their faces that she just did not understand. She made the assumption that it was fear, but she couldn’t be sure.

The quiet of the area was disturbed by a snapping of a nearby twig along with the hoot of an owl; this distraction was apparently what was needed to break whatever enchantment fell upon the other five mares of the group.

“Oh this is ridiculous. Sweetie Belle and the others just walked in, and here we are acting like fillies. Let’s get them before something truly awful happens.” It was surprising to Sunset that it was the other unicorn of the group that had snapped out of the stupor first. To have broken out of her fear induced state faster than the likes of Applejack or Rainbow Dash said a lot about her feeling for her little sister. This of course spurred the others into moving as well; it wasn’t long before all of them were galloping once more.

The six of them were moving at a fast pace through the trees and undergrowth, following along a slim trail that delved deeper into the forest. The white silver unicorn had moved into the front, while Sunset was still the last member of the pack; it was more to not scare the fillies off when they finally located them. That and she felt a little out of place; these mares all knew each other, and while she was friendly with most of them now, she still felt distant.

They had just passed through the clearing that Sunset created on her first patrol of the forest when the rescue party heard three young voices beginning to argue. There, just beyond a field of blue flowers were the missing fillies.

Sunset had every intension of following the other mares through the blue flowers and seeing if the young girls were all right. But just as she was placing a hoof into the innocent patch, she received a face full of brown feathers hooting at her for attention.

Sunset stumbled backwards while trying to shake off the weaponised feather duster; eventually giving up on the physical and covered the feathery beast with a raspberry aura of magic. This achieved what all the shaking did not, as the creature was lifted easily off of her face.

The little monster in question was an owl, definitely; but she couldn’t quite place the species. It mostly looked like a great horned owl but the colouration was a little off, in that the brown of its body feathers were paler than what is commonly found. Still it had the distinct feather like horns that were the owl’s eyebrows, as well as the characteristic bowl shape around the eyes to help focus sound to the ears. Currently it was staring at her with intelligent eyes, and she could almost hear the question, “do you realise what you were about to do?”

Any other silent talk between the owl and the pony was interrupted by the return of her companions; once again walking through the patch of flowers with the three wandering crusaders securely placed in custody. The earth and unicorn fillies were on their respective sister’s backs and the small pegasus, strangely, was on Rainbow Dash’s back. “Well, now that we’ve got these three back under hoof, let’s get out of here. The air in the Everfree dose awful things to my mane–”

It looked like the purple maned unicorn was going to say more but was interrupted by a deep feminine voice coming just beyond the tree line. Looking past the others, Sunset could just make out the same cloaked figure from earlier standing in amongst the dense foliage.

“Beware, beware pony folk. Those leaves of blue are not a joke!” The warning went unheeded by the whole group. Sunset was confused as to why this Zecora would rhyme such a thing; while the other adults were too scared of the speaking pony to hear the warning. The three wandering fillies standing on top of their respective adults back were all staring fearfully at the flaming maned unicorn.

The cloaked figure did not stay to see if her warning was heard, a few steps further into the forest and she was now out of sight from everypony; even Sunset’s sharp eyes.

“Yeah, you get out of here Zecora!” Rainbow’s voice was not nearly firm enough to make her challenge actually sound threatening. Still the party started to head back out of the forest; even Sunset seemed to have someone riding on her back. With Zecora distracting her, the owl she had captured in her telekinesis grip had managed to brake free, and was now perched on her back like it belonged there.

“Oh Sunset, who’s your new friend?” Thanks to the owl now accompanying them Fluttershy had gained some courage and was happily walking with her head held high and without a care.

“I don’t know Fluttershy. The owl just flew right into my face earlier and has now made himself at home, apparently.”

“Well, he’s beautiful; and seems quite attached to you. Do you think you’ll keep him?” that was something Sunset had not thought of. Honestly she even wondered why she was even letting it sit on her back.

“I think I’ll setup a nice place for him and let him come and go as he pleases; if he’s happy to stay then sure. I could do with the company in the evenings.”

By this point the silver white unicorn had walked closer to Sunset and Fluttershy. “Oh Fluttershy I must thank you and your friend here for helping with rescuing Sweetie Belle and her companions here. Say, are you two free tomorrow? Let me treat the two of you to the spa; it’s the least I can do.”

Sunset glanced over to Fluttershy to try and understand half of what was being said. Fluttershy, however, simply brought up a hoof to hide a giggle at her confused looked. “Thank you Rarity, I think that would be nice. Allow me to introduce Sunset Shimmer to you; she’s the new librarian in town. Sunset, this is Rarity; the owner of the Carousel Boutique.”

“It’s a pleasure dear. Oh I must say if you ever want a dress please do not hesitate to come and see me. Why, with your figure I could do wonders. In fact, maybe with you joining Fluttershy here, I could finally get her to model for me.”

Sunset could see Fluttershy stiffen ever so slightly out of the corner of her eye. “Thank you for the offer. I’ll take it under consideration.” It was the most diplomatic thing Sunset could think of in the spur of the moment. Her infiltration training focused on preventing her from being seen, not quick talking and diplomacy.

By now the group had managed to completely escape the forest and were now in the bright mid-afternoon sun. As the party followed the road everypony slowly separated; splitting back up and returned to their respective homes. Sunset followed Fluttershy to help return the table and chairs back into her house. That she was also able to pick up a few items for her new pet from said pegasus was a pleasant surprise.

The rest of the afternoon went by without any more incidents and with the sun long since put to bed; Sunset was preparing for yet another patrol of the Everfree Forest, except this time she had a companion.

“Ok Owlicious, you can join me for a stretch of your wings but I don’t want you following me into the forest, just in case things get dangerous. So far the forest has been rather quiet, but with such short nights I haven’t been able to delve too deep.”

Her whole body glowed briefly as the Polymorph spell covering her was dismissed. No longer was she amber with a fiery mane; now she was softer, covered in her natural colouration of lavender fur and purple mane. Before she continued the spell further to bring out her wings however, she felt the world shift on its head.

A wave of vertigo hit her like a freight train, causing everything to spin; then there was an incredibly loud shriek that penetrated deep into her mind. Her brain remembered such a noise from a past long forgotten. Terrified the delicate organ shut down instantly; trying desperately to protect itself in whatever way it could.

Collapsing onto the ground Sunset could make out a brown blob appearing in front of her; before the world turned black and a terrified shiver ran down her spine.

Chapter. 13 – Of Flowers and Curses (Part. 2)

Chapter. 13 – Of Flowers and Curses (Part. 2)

Relentless pounding on her head was all Sunset knew as she slowly regained consciousness. Well it was the sound that was relentlessly pounding on her head; the actual pounding was coming from her front door.

Emitting a pained groan, Sunset opened her eyes and the world slowly came into focus. She found herself still in the main library area of the building with her new pet, Owlicious, once again resting on her back.

As if responding to her groan, the pounding on the door seemed to double, and so did her headache; it was sooo loud!

“Ok, ok I’m coming.” It sounded like she had just used the legendary ‘Royal Canterlot Voice’ even though she did not put any more effort into her shout than normal, or felt any strain on her voice. At least it had the desired effect and the door was no longer being slammed against.

“Ok, what’s so important it couldn’t wait unt–” Sunset had no words for what she saw. Standing in front of her was an equally wide eyed Fluttershy staring at Sunset; her eyes travelling all over Sunset, but did seem to linger on the top of her head.

“Oh, Fluttershy. Umm, is there something wrong?” Fluttershy said nothing, but still couldn’t take her eyes off of Sunset, “ok? Well can you come back at nine? That’s when the Library is supposed to be open, is that all right?” Those words seem to penetrate Fluttershy’s defensive staring and reached her brain; she frantically shook her head before indicating heavily to let her in, all the while not saying a single thing. Sunset sighed but acquiesced to her request and let her into the library. After all it was the nice thing to do. “Would you like some tea while you prepare yourself to tell me what’s wrong?” this Fluttershy nodded to.

Sunset retreated upstairs to her kitchen and went through the motions of making a pot of tea; all the while wondering what could possibly be wrong with her latest, acquaintance? Friend? Sunset hoped it was more than the former at least.

As she brewed, Sunset could hear her door being opened and closed another three times; with the familiar voices of the mares from yesterday appearing with each subsequent opening. They all seemed distressed and from the gasps she was hearing, Fluttershy had finally told them what was wrong. Sunset made sure she had enough tea for everypony that had decided to raid the library so early. Though she had to wonder to herself exactly how she could hear all of them this well; normally the sounds of the library do not travel all the way to her kitchen.

Coming down the stairs with a tray full of cups and a pot, what she saw almost caused her to drop it out of her magic. “What happened to you all?”

Standing amongst a now mess of a library were the five mares from yesterday and, with the exception of Fluttershy, all of them appeared to have changed in some way. Pinkie Pie’s tongue had swollen to such an extent that all she could do is drool and spit at people when she tried to talk; as was evident thanks to the puddles around her hooves.

Rainbow Dash’s wings appeared to be inverted; which apparently caused her to loose her sense of direction, as she was crashing into everything and knocking books all over the place.

Rarity’s once lovely coat and mane appeared to have transformed into dreadlocks all over her body, preventing her from seeing; she was even tripping up over them occasionally as she walked.

The last one was particularly hard for Sunset to get her head around; Applejack appeared to have shrunken down to the point where it was entirely possible for her to fit inside one of their mouths. Right now she was standing on her little sisters back, who did not look happy to be here.

“The same thing that’s happened to you! Zecora cursed us all.” Applejack’s voice was significantly higher pitched thanks to her now reduced size, though she still had the country accent and determination.

“Cursed? I’m not cursed, I would think I would know if I’ve been cursed.”

“Oh yeah, then how do you explain the change in coat colour and your ears being all bat like, huh?”

“What?” Sunset looked at herself and found she was still lavender in colour and her mane and tail was still purple; her natural colours. Sunset could feel herself beginning to panic; so with two quick flashes of light the tray filled with tea and snacks found itself teleported down to the central table for everypony, while she herself had disappeared into the private bathroom where there was a mirror.

Indeed her ears had grown quite dramatically and now had the appearance of a bat’s. But that wasn’t the cause of her building panic, well most of her building panic. She had been compromised.

‘What to do, what to do? Can’t kill them all, their all too prominent in the community. Mass memory wipe has the same problem of people noticing a potential difference in attitude. It would take too long for me to individually go through them to remove the information one by one; it would take me half the day. ARGH, HOW DO I FIX THIS?!’

“Oof. Ahem, Sunset darling, I know it’s a lot to take in, but hiding in the bathroom won’t fix this. We all came here hoping to find a cure for this curse. If we can’t, then all of us can go together and demand Zecora change us back.” It was Rarity speaking to her through the bathroom door, thankfully locked preventing anyone’s entry. That Sunset was able to hear Rarity trip was no doubt thanks to her ears transformation.

‘Curse? There’s no such thing as curses. Potential hexes and a few other potion based spells, but they require more time than this to prepare. This wasn’t Zecora’s doing. And anyway that was only the ears…wait, can I use this? Can I blame my change in colour on this apparent curse? Heck it sounds like they’re doing it already for me. Once we get the cure for whatever is wrong with us sorted, I can pretend to have a delayed reaction and use the bathroom or something. It’s possible that our bodies could glow with the antidote and then all it would take is timing. This could actually work.’

With a shuddering breath, Sunset steeled herself before opening the door to the bathroom and stepped out into the delicate situation she now found herself in.

“If nothing else darling, at least your curse has giving you a marvellous coat colour. Quite the difference from your actual one; but still if it wasn’t for the ears I’d almost be tempted to say the curse didn’t affect you at all.”

It was a strange mix of emotions Sunset was trying to imitate. She was frowning slightly as one no doubt would when their coat was changed so drastically; but at the same time she couldn’t help but feel flattered at the complement of her natural coat colours. Shaking her head the two unicorns went back down stairs and started to look through the collection of books for the cure to whatever this was.

“We’ve looked through every remedy book within the library right now. Between the six that I know are, currently, out on loan and another eight that I haven’t seen at all but are supposed to be here; I’d say we’re out of leads, I’m sorry to say girls.” After several hours of frantic searching and going over checkout lists it became clear that the library didn’t have what they were looking for.

“It was a long shot anyway sugarcube. Such magic’s are probably too dangerous to just have lying about in a public library.” Sunset was still not use to hearing the high squeaky voice of the tiny Applejack currently standing on the centre table. That her changed ears keep flicking away from the high pitched noise was also an odd sensation.

“I’ve been telling you that since we got here! Enough of this egghead stuff; let’s go to Zecora’s and kick her flank until she gives us the cure!”

“Now now Rainbow, threatening anypony like that will not result in us getting the cure for these inflictions. We will need to be diplomatic to get the best possible outcome out of this”

“Oh come on Rare! She’s already got us over a barrel with this curse. There’s nothing left for us to do but to strike back!”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s a nice idea. If we apologise to her, then perhaps she will be kind enough to undo the curse.”

Sunset sighed while supressing a slight shiver; hearing such a deep and masculine voice coming out of the timid pony was something you really could not get used to. “Sorry Fluttershy, but if this Zecora really did put a curse or whatever on us then why would we need to apologise for. I know I haven’t done anything to warrant such a reaction.”

“None of us have done anything to deserve this.”

“Rainbow is right I’m afraid. I cannot think of anything that we’ve done that would warrant such a retaliation. We go out of our way to avoid her honestly.”

“Well maybe that’s the problem, Rarity. Yesterday was the first time I’ve seen her, so she comes into town, what, once a month maybe; and it just so happened to be on a day that every shop is shut. If I hadn’t ordered those cupcakes from Pinkie the day before I would not have had anything to bring for Fluttershy’s tea party.”

“The whole town always shuts when she comes to town. She’s evil and we avoid her because of it.”

“Rainbow, maybe that’s why she cursed us? Maybe she’s finally sick of not being a part of the town. That doesn’t explain why she did whatever she did to me. I’ve been here for less than a month and if she came to use the library I’d have welcomed her as much as any other pony in town.”

“But then that just proves she’s a bad pony, Sunset. If she’s willing to do that to you who’s done nothing to her at all; then just think of all the horrible stuff she must be planning for the rest of us.”

It sounded like Pinkie was trying to add a few pieces but was failing due to her swollen tongue. Eventually she got Fluttershy to sing a very strange song about Zecora; something along the lines of evil brews and turning ponies into stews? Sunset glanced over to Rainbow Dash who simply shrugged her shoulders at the antics.

“Anyway, the point is we have no option left but to go and confront Zecora. What do you think AJ?” Rainbow turned to the central table once more, hoping to get additional support from the farming earth pony; however she wasn’t there. “Where’d she go?”

Shining Armor was once the youngest Capitan of the Royal Guards and held that prestigious title for five years before finally marrying his marefriend Cadance. As soon as the vows were sealed with a kiss, his service status changed from military to royalty and he had to retire from his position. He still helped out unofficially –his royal status giving him more privileges than he had before– with the training and upkeep of the soldiers. But he had to learn his new political life quicker than either of the princesses would have liked; it was tough but he felt he was adapting well. Then he gets requests from Princess Celestia like the one he is currently reading.

“Dear Shining Armor,

“I am writing this missive to you as your Princess and not as your aunt, I’m afraid. I am in need of background information on a specific pony; and I fear that this already difficult challenge will be made more so due to a fixed deadline.

“The mare in question is the new librarian stationed within the small town of Ponyville, and the name she goes by is ‘Sunset Shimmer’. While I suspect you will find everything in order with this name; I highly suspect it is fabricated.

“This is not the problem with her; I am aware of her mid and recent past and how she became the new librarian, I myself offered her the position. The information I am seeking is her early childhood.

“She was initially raised in an orphanage; though I am afraid I do not know which one, or even which city or province. The true lack of information about her is what makes this a difficult task, as I have stated previously, her name might not even be real. I’ve enclosed with this letter a detailed description of her currently with a good approximation of what she would have looked like as a filly. The only piece of good news is that I have a detailed description of her cutie mark.

“I know this sounds like a daunting task, made even more so when I tell you I require this information delivered before the Summer Sun Celebration next year; giving you effectively one year from the penning of this letter to do this in.

“You have been the biggest supporter of the Royal Intelligence Service and it is only because of yourself and Cadance that it even exists as it is. While they have proven themselves useful to me in numerous instances, there is more than enough backlash persuading me to return it to crime scene investigations. Use them in this task and prove to me once and for all that this service is something Equestra needs.

“I wish you luck in this mission and hope your faith has not been misplaced.

“Signed, Princess Celestia.”

Shining had to pause and think over the letter in front of him; if he was being silly it sounded like this ‘Sunset Shimmer’ was a spy or something. That was ridiculous of course; if she was a spy that Celestia knew about, then why was she asking for her early history? Celestia herself would have already checked it.

Turning to the next page of the letter Shining found a picture of the mare in question and below it a detailed description. ‘Wow, small world. Basically bump into you twice in one day just a few weeks ago and now I’m looking into your past.’ His eyes travelled further down the page, past the sketch, to the written description; skimming through the flowery sentences and picking out the key words needed.

‘Let’s see, violet eyes, single coloured coat of rich amber, mane and tail both long in length and of red and yellow strips in a fire pattern style. Height is, ok yup she’s basically my height; wonder if that’s normal, or situational? Normal, it shouldn’t be too hard to find information of an unusually tall filly. Hmm horn length is slightly longer than is standard, with a thicker base as well; she must have quite some power behind her, and used it regularly growing up. So she’s definitely had specialised training of some sort then. Heh, maybe she is a spy after all.

‘Hmm, magic aura is of a deep reddish pink in colour and her cutie mark is… what? A large field of rich pink; on the outer circumference are five white stars scattered around six white streaks in the centre. That is a strange cutie mark; I wonder what her talent could be with a mark like that? Star gazing maybe?’

The final page within the letter was a hoof drawn picture of the cutie mark in question. “Jeez, this thing must cover most of her flank, and such a contrast to her coat’s colour, it feels wrong. When she got that she was certainly no longer a blank flank, that’s for sure.”

“What was that about covering flanks?” The voice came from behind him and across the room from the ornate writing desk he was currently sitting in front of. Shining Armor turned in the chair to see his best friend and wife looking at him from her own, similar, desk next to an ornate stained glass window.

“Oh, nothing much; just got a request from Celestia to do an early background check on the new librarian of Ponyville. You’ll never guess who it is. Remember that mare I told you about a couple of weeks ago; the one we both saw at the train station, and then I bumped into again at Donut Joe’s with Spike?”

At this point Cadance had walked over to his desk to see for herself. “You’re kidding. Oh wow, no you’re not. Do you mind if I read it?” he shook her head, no. “Hmm, Sunset Shimmer, well she certainly looks as her name would suggest. Just like…” Cadance trailed off, mumbling the last sentence; her expression shifted slightly, changing into something more associated with reminiscing.

“Cadance, are you ok? Wait, do you recognise her?”

“I’m, not sure Shiny. I know the name, and her description is similar to a mare I use to know; but it can’t be who I’m thinking of.” Her brow was furrowed in deep thought; but there was something else there as well, an expression of loss perhaps?

“Are you sure? If there’s even a slight possibility it’s the mare you’re thinking of, then why don’t you share your thoughts with me? So we can completely rule her out if nothing else.”

“Sigh, Shining you know I’m a lot older than you are, right? Thanks to me being an alicorn; and during that time I’ve met many ponies. The Sunset Shimmer I’m thinking of was around when I was a filly pegasus living in the Crystal Empire before it disappeared and I ascended to alicornhood.

“She belonged to a minor noble house and was exceptionally talented in magic; managing to join the Crystal Choir at the relatively young age of twenty six. I knew her back then because she was always the one assigned to look after me.

“Being fourth in line to the Crystal throne, as well as a pegasus, I was ignored politically; and so was free to go into whatever career path I wished, and thus did not have a dedicated tutor. As I said previously the Sunset Shimmer I knew was the youngest member of the Choir, and so was not very well liked; doubly so because she was only a minor noble. So she was always given the task of looking after me when I was left to my own devices.”

“Oh, that’s why it can’t be her; she’s been dead for hundreds of years. So I take it this ‘Crystal Choir’ was a magic group; considering you said she was exceptional at magic.”

“Haven’t I ever told you? Oh, forgive me Shiny, we’ll need to get a night together to discuss a bit more of my past then. But to answer your question yes, the Crystal Choir were the magic specialists of the Crystal Empires military; with a Choirmaster being the equivalent to Equestria’s Archmage.

“Sunset was the youngest member in over a century to be allowed to join, and the decision was controversial. But she prospered, and we were good friends because of all the time she spent looking after me.”

Shining’s face now held the universal image of someone who knew they were about to broach a sensitive topic, and could possibly upset his wife. “You told me that it was because of King Sombra that you became an alicorn; do you mind telling me how your Sunset Shimmer died? Do you even know?”

“Yes Shining, I know how she died. I guess it’s also time for me to tell you how I became an alicorn as well, since they’re interconnected.” Her voice was soft and horse, clearly fighting back tears from a difficult topic. “It was during Sombra’s final assault before he took over. The palace was completely surrounded by his followers, but Sunset claimed she knew of a way to escape; through a portal she had been examining and experimenting with.

“To cut a long story short, she led me deep underneath the palace to an abandoned storeroom where a strange mirror was located. She herself did not have enough power to activate it, but there was a reason why Sunset had moved the mirror so deeply underground.

“She tapped directly into the leyline underneath the palace and used herself as a conduit to send power into the mirror, activating the artefact and changing it into a portal. Sniff, unfortunately that was the wrong thing to do; not only was she slowly disintegrating in front of me, but something was clearly going very wrong with the portal.

“It was glowing so brightly, sparks were flying out of it; but worst of all, the portal that you were supposed to walk through created a swirling vortex and started to pull the both of us in.” While Cadance was not crying it was clear the memories were painful; Shining enveloped her in a protective embrace that she latched onto, hard.

“She was sucked in first but somehow managed to stabilise the portal before it ate me as well. The next thing I know, I’m waking up within the throne room here in Canterlot right in front of Celestia, and an alicorn. Beside me was the mirror, unpowered and badly damaged; but still glowing and radiating heat and thaumatic energies. There was also no sign of Sunset Shimmer at all.

“She sacrificed herself to save me, Shining. I’ll never forget her or the look of shock, worry, acceptance and love for me on her face as she was dissolving into light in front of me.

“So what’s your mare’s cutie mark? I want to eliminate the small hope I have that this is my Sunset Shimmer.” The single piece of paper in question sitting on his desk was lifted by his magical aura and brought over for his wife to see.

“Wow, yeah I see what you mean now; that cutie mark must be covering her whole flank. But this is not my Sunset’s cutie mark; hers was a split red and yellow sun.” Pulling back from the embrace, she delved into a set of her breathing exercises, calming her down. “So, I take it you are going to be using your Royal Information Service for this?”

“Yeah, if I can prove to Celestia that an information gathering service can do its job impartially and effectively she’s promised more funding. And with more funding they can start to look at old cases.”

Gently, he was embraced this time in a warm and loving hug by his wife. While he did not cry, his eyes did mist over and his voice cracked ever so slightly. “She’s still out there Cadance, she’s still alive; you not braking down is proof of that, that one little sliver of love for Spike. While that one thread still holds on, I shall keep looking.”

“Just no more ideas of searching all of Equestia by hoof please.” Cadance’s voice was slightly muffled as her muzzle was in the crook of his neck. Shining Armor at least had the decency to look a little embarrassed.

“Not my brightest idea, I admit. But this one will work; just as soon as I can prove to Celestia her fears are unwarranted.”

This had been a long and drawn out battle, but slowly Shining Armor was proven correct. That Princess Celestia is now actively asking for their use must mean that she is ready to start believing in the value of such a service. “Well Cadey, I best get too it. The faster this gets done the faster everything else can fall into place.”

“I’ll go with you; nothing I’m doing is of great importance. Besides who’s going to stop you cracking the whip to get this job done in a week without me reining you in?” He rolled his eyes to her giggle, but together they left their study in the castle with the military wing firmly in their sights.

Sunset was once again running through the Everfree Forest, though this time she had a fixed destination in mind; she was heading right for the house tree that most likely was Zecora’s home.

She was at the front of a pack that consisted of her remaining friends; one blue pegasus had lost control of straight lines and had flew off in a random direction, another friend must have went on ahead with their little sister to face Zecora alone. Sunset berated herself for ever possibly thinking that the miniaturised pony had been sat on.

Following the more official path they arrived at the house tree, causing all the girls behind her to gasp at the décor. Rarity seemed to be the biggest critic, as soon as she could see it anyway. “Oh, my. Well this looks just lovely; if you enjoy creepy!” there was no supressing the shudder that ran through her body. It was emphasised thanks to all the dreadlocks.

Sunset saw that it hadn’t changed since the last time she saw it. There were still bottles filled with glowing liquids hanging from branches, and strange tribal masks scattered around the place. She could see why some people could be, unreceptive to the look.

Carefully walking up to the door, Sunset was about to knock; when all of a sudden Pinkie Pie grabbed her around the barrel, before tossing her over to the other girls who had stationed themselves by a window.

“Sunset, were you about to knock on the door of an evil enchantress’s house?”

Before Sunset could defend herself from the deep reverberating voice of Fluttershy, a strange humming could be heard from within the tree; this shut up all conversation and forced eyes to look through the window. It got noticeably louder, before there was the distinct squeak of a door opening. With the squeak from the door, the humming was transformed into a deep feminine voice gently singing in a strange and foreign tongue. It sounded quite pleasant.

Looking through the window it was clear to see that this Zecora had come back into the room; and she was not a pony; she was a zebra. Black and white stripes in an irregular pattern covered her whole body including her Mohawk styled mane and slightly braided tail.

She was wearing large gold earrings and two spiralling collars, one as a bracelet on her front forehoof, and the other around her neck. Finally he cutie mark was of a spiral surrounded by small triangles; honestly it looked like a sun done in a tribal style.

She had just finished pouring something into a very large cauldron like pot right in the centre of the room; and was currently stirring it with a wooden handle –presumably a large spoon– quietly singing the foreign song over the brew. Apart from the song not sounding threatening, the sight was not an encouraging one.

“Hmm, the perfect temperature for ponies, I presume. Now, where is that little Apple Bloom?”

Sunset did not just hear that. This zebra could not be making stew out of a filly, could she? Sunset did not have time to wonder more on this before the front door was smashed through by Rainbow Dash. From the fleeting glance Sunset managed of the out of control pony, she appeared to be wearing a set of reigns made out of, leaves? ‘Wait, was she also flying upside down? And was something orange connected to those reigns?’

The girls still outside gave each other a quick nod before storming the front door all at once. What they found upon entering the house was a complete mess. Broken bottles scattered all over the floor, with several bookcases having their shelves cracked or dislodged. Even the mattress had somehow been crashed into and was now sitting up against the wall with a few feathers leaking out of a large gash.

The girls arrived just in time to watch Rainbow Dash crash into the cauldron and deposit its contents all over the floor; the bubbling green liquid giving off a pleasant, if rather soapy, smell. More importantly for Sunset, it did not smell of a stew. There might be a chance this Zecora could still live past this day.

“No, my brew! You ponies know not what you do.”

“Give it up Zecora! I’ve ruined whatever horrible curse you were planning to use on us, so give up and give us back Apple Bloom.” It seemed Rainbow Dashes destructive flight path had not affected her spirit in any way, even if she was a little wobbly on her hooves.

Orange movement on Zecora’s ear revealed the location of a tiny Applejack currently trying to wrestle the appendage flat to Zecora’s head; it looked to be a battle of epic proportions.

Zecora and the girls started to argue about curses and who’s fault was who’s but Sunset wasn’t paying any attention to it; all she wanted to know was the health of the missing filly, Apple Bloom. The room was too far gone to gather any real clues thanks to the mess and spilled liquid on the floor.

“Where, is, Apple Bloom?” Sunsets voice wasn’t loud, but it seemed to fill the room; causing the argument, including a head-butting battle between Zecora and Rainbow Dash, to pause in surprise.

The soft spoken words were themselves harmless, they did not hold power; it was the tone that spoke of dangerous things to come. While the voice sounded the same and the words spoken were in themselves non-threatening; all eyes were upon Sunset Shimmer and her completely stone carved face and focused eyes.

Whatever was going to happen next is something of a mystery; Sunset quickly spun round to face the door just moments before a young voice called out.

“Zecora I think I got everything that was on your lis…what in Ponyville is going on here?”

The innocent voice swept over the area and did its magic; Applejack called out to her sister, voice full of relief. All the other mares from Ponyville let out collective sighs of stress and tension, as the hostile atmosphere in the room dissipated. Sunset’s demeanour relaxed, and what had to have been a stone carved mask was metaphorically removed and a calmer impassive face was in its place.

“Apple Bloom you’re ok.” In her shrunken state it really did sound like Applejack had been drinking helium. It was quite uncomfortable for Sunsets enhanced hearing.

Apple Bloom walked past the purple furred mare still standing by the door without a thought; happily walking right up to Zecora.

It seemed the whole thing was one big misunderstanding, that their afflictions where caused by the blue flower known as “Poison Joke.” A plant that Sunset had heard off, but only ever seen the powdered form of it; she hadn’t even known it was found within the Everfree Forest.

Zecora had tried to warm them of the plant, not place any sort of spell on the group. It also helped explain why none of the fillies were affected; all of them were standing on an adult ponies back, high above the plants themselves.

Everything else about the zebra continued in such a fashion; the décor was indeed a tribal style from the lands she called home, a country called Zebrica. And the chanting performed over the pot was a nursery rhyme in her native tongue. Even the brew itself was actually for all the ponies affected by the Poison Joke.

“Super Naturals; Natural Remedies and Cure all’s that are Simply Super.” This was a book that was supposed to be in the library. Not this exact copy, Sunset checked, but the library was supposed to have a copy of this book, but it has been let out and obviously forgotten about. ‘I really do have to think of a way to get those books back.’

Still Zecora was more than happy to brew up another batch for them; if only she could gather the remaining herbs that were required. They were common enough, but did not grow nearby; she needed to visit a few shops in Ponyville.

“Oh, well as one new comer to Ponyville to another, let me and the mare’s here help with that little issue.”

The rest of the day went surprisingly smoothly; the group walk through town with Zecora, a few words were spoken here and there, and it looked like ponies were finally beginning to see that Zecora was not an evil enchantress.

The second batch of remedy was made and with the assistance of Rarity booking out the large hot tub at the local spa; all the mares affected got the bubble bath treatment required. With only a slight bit of fancy spell work and timing from Sunset, her colour changing polymorph was restored without anyone noticing; turning her back into the amber furred pony that the mares around her were getting to know. All it took was one complete dunk into the deep bubbling tub.

“Wait, you’re the mare from the library! You froze me and my friends in place, you threatened us with books; why were you trying to help my sister and her friends save me? Even if I didn’t need saving.” Apple Bloom’s eyes were wide and more than a little fearful, but her face was full of confusion.

Sunset sighed, “I didn’t mean to scare you or your friends; I did what I did to prevent any of you fillies from getting hurt. The books I pointed out to you were falling down right onto your heads before I caught them all. I never intended to hurt any of you.”

“You stopped all those books from hitting me and my friends?” Realisation dawned on Apple Blooms face and sadness replaced the curiosity. “Gee, I’m sorry Miss Shimmer; we all thought you were threatening us. I guess we didn’t listen to what you were saying after we were frozen. But don’t worry; I’ll make sure to tell all of my friends that you’re not an evil bookworm after all.”

Sunset chuckled as she looked over to the zebra standing at the edge of the large multi-pony bath. “So Zecora, it seems both of us have finally become a part of Ponyville. Or at least we’ve both gotten past the ‘You’re an evil X’ part of entering the town.” She tried to make it sound exaggerated and humorous; it was meant to be taken as a joke.

Fortunately everyone seemed to get the joke and even Sunset joined in with the laughter. The group was small, but Sunset could see herself actually enjoying the company of every pony here in one way or another; yes she was integrating into this town nicely.

She was making friends.

Chapter. 14 – Preliminary Field Analysis

Chapter. 14 – Preliminary Field Analysis

A.N – This is a chapter that contains moderate violence

It was the end of all things; it just had to be. None of her training was helping; how could it, her whole world was turning into some sort of pony like goo. Sunset Shimmer was melting, but that was ok. The world was ending, but in its place was nirvana. The afterlife wasn’t so bad; she even let out an agreeable sigh.

“Chuckle, I see you’re enjoying yourself darling. Is this really the first time you have ever experienced this?” The voice belonged to a purple maned angel, for nirvana could only have been found by an angelic being. What little there was of Sunset’s head nodded in confirmation to the question.

“Well we’ll simply have to bring you along again, won’t we Fluttershy.” Sunset couldn’t see the pink maned Pegasus, but the happy and agreeable sigh spoke more on the matter than actual words.

“Miss Shimmer, if you visit us again I would recommend a sports massage, possibly even a deep tissue massage; you have an awful lot of knotted muscles, especially on your back. Honestly I would think you were a pegasus if it wasn’t for the lack of wings.” The pink earth pony with the sky blue mane –that was currently turning Sunset Shimmer into some form of pony paste– suggested over her head as she worked on her back.

“It’ll be all the books she carries I’d imagine Aloe. Not many unicorns can carry large quantities with just their magic. But that confirms it Sunset, I’m inviting you to join Fluttershy and myself here for our weekly spa day.”

Proving the might of her iron will, Sunset managed to reform her brain into registering what Rarity had just said. With a lot more mental effort than one would expect, she responded in what could only be the appropriate response. “As long as it’s ok with Fluttershy. I wouldn’t want to impose on the two of you.”

“Oh no, I don’t mind Sunset; having another pony here has been nice actually.”

“Indeed it has Fluttershy. Sigh, I’ve tried asking Applejack to join us on numerous occasions but she refuses each time. Honestly I think she needs a massage just about as badly as you, Sunset.”

“And Rainbow Dash, or Pinkie Pie?”

“Giggle, Oh that was a fun one. I honestly think Rainbow Dash was really enjoying her time too, right up until she started getting a pedicure. Apparently she really does not like ponies touching her hooves.

"Pinkie on the other hoof just cannot act mature enough to fully appreciate a spa trip. One time she decided to take all the mud masks and turn them into one big mud mound; which she then promptly jumped on top of. Sigh, no as much as I do enjoy her company, a spa is just not for her.”

It has been a little over a month since the incident with Zecora, and during that time Sunset has both been very productive and quiet at the same time. She has sent one report to her masters, through Princess Celestia, about how she is settling in and what she has been up to. They did not respond to her report, but then again she also was not expecting one.

Princess Celestia, however, finally sent her a small crystal capable of storing pure magic. It was scarcely the size of an oval marble, but it was something she could test her theories with. It also proved to Sunset that the princess was a mare of her word.

She was the Princess and it should go without saying; however it was nice to be reassured of the fact.

So her nights were now split between studying the crystal, experimenting with storing magic, and exploring the Everfree Forest; ensuring that the numbers of aggressive creatures are at a reasonable level.

Her integration into Ponyville has also been very productive; she actually felt she was almost a part of the community. Apple Bloom and her friends had come by the library to apologise and in turn Sunset apologised as well. It was nice of the one with a lisp to give her a candy cane, it was very tasty.

Even her friendships with the five mares she had met in town had grown to the point that Sunset actually considered them friends. They did not all get together very often; but individually, or in small groups, Sunset was meeting with them at least every other day.

Bringing it up to today, when Rarity realised that she had not actually had that spa day thank you with Sunset. It was a generous gift for both interrupting the tea party with Fluttershy, as well as assisting with the rescue of the crusaders.

Sunset was so glad Rarity all but forced her to come.

As with all good things in life, however, the state of bliss was disrupted by the end of time. Well the end of their session to be more exact. With friendly farewells and promises to do this again next week, the three friends parted ways to their own abodes.

The day continued on for Sunset, the wonderful feeling of calm bliss still a dominant memory within her head. Even without the deeper massages that were suggested, her whole body felt more fluid and relaxed. Ponies who came to use the library could clearly feel the tranquil atmosphere surrounding their normally strict but fair librarian.

Currently she was preparing a few fliers for the town, in hopes of finally having the outdated books of the previous management returned to where they belong. Sunset was planning a week long period in the coming days were no late fees would be applied and a reduction in fees for damages.

This decision would hit her financially, but thanks to her survival training the surrounding wilderness –including the Everfree Forest– were a giant free market during the fall season. She would survive quite comfortably, and even stock up some extras for the winter.

‘After this if there are still unaccounted for books, I am going to start using Divination magic to find them; and double the fee’s because of it…Maybe I should put that on the flier? Give ponies a bit of a warning, maybe? Probably, it would be the kind thing to do; yes I think that is what Fluttershy would want. Well she would probably want me to just forget them, but that is not happening.’

The tinkling of the bell by the front door, followed by the sound of someone grunting brought Sunset out of her musings to see what was going on. A light slate grey pegasus mare was dragging a cardboard package almost as large as herself into the library. She was wearing a white vest and a rich brown hat with a recognisable logo, one of the postal service. She also had a pair of saddle bags on, but they were clearly empty.

“I’ve got a delivery for Miss Shimmer, the librarian of the Golden Oak Library.” Her voice was soft and had an air of not being all together. Her golden eyes were also looking in two different directions.

Walking over to the struggling Pegasus, Sunset lifted the crate with her magic and moved it just out of the way of the main door. “I’m Sunset Shimmer, the librarian here. If you want, with the next shipment come and get me and I’ll take the books myself.”

“Oh thanks for the offer, but it’s my duty as the mail mare to get the mail to everypony in town. If you can sign here confirming you have received the shipment and it is in good condition.” All seals were still intact, so the clipboard was signed. A further thanks and she was off, having finally delivered everything for the day.

Resting prominently on top of the cardboard box was a letter; it detailed everything that was shipped to her from the Royal Library in Canterlot. ‘Hmm, let’s see. Ah yes the books on Evocation Magic and gems I requested are in here; oh and I’ve got a few customers to contact. The books they wanted to borrow from the Royal Library have finally arrived.

‘Oooh, Rainbow Dash is going to be happy; the latest copy of Daring Do is here. Yes even the hard back copy she had me order just for her; hmm, not to distribute for another nine days? I think I’ll make an exception for Rainbow Dash, after all that’s what friend privileges are for. That and she is adamant that no one finds out that she reads anything; she’s not going to tell anypony anything within it. I’ll have to start advertising for pre-rentals though. These things are popular.’

Sunset took the letter and returned to her work desk. Upon arriving at the far too clean and organised service location, Sunset brought out a second list from a drawer. It was filled with the names and addresses of ponies who had requested books from the Royal Library; there was a surprising number.

It took no time at all for her to write a generic message stating that the books they requested to borrow had finally arrived. With it nice and generic she used a spell to copy it a dozen times over before finishing them off with the unique information for each customer.

Once all the letters were completed; –and sealed securely inside of a Golden Oak Library’s branded envelope– Sunset applied a small teleportation spell, sending them all off to the main desk of the local post office. The ponies themselves will come to collect their orders within the next few days, some as early as first thing tomorrow morning, probably.

Rainbow Dash on the other hoof, Sunset wanted to do a little more for; after all she was the first person to be friendly toward her in town. Perhaps even outside of her old home.

With the assistance of one of Rainbow Dash’s feathers and using an advance Divination spell known as Scrying; Sunset located the rainbow maned Pegasus. She was currently in a field of grass along with a smaller deep orange coloured coat pegasus, with a purple mane and tail. Rainbow Dash was trying to teach Scootaloo how to fly again, and from the condition of the young filly Pegasus, it wasn’t going well.

Sunset hoof wrote a more detailed note than the others before sending it off with a Teleport spell. The spell Scrying was quickly reapplied to Rainbow Dash to see what her reaction was; Sunset was not disappointed.

“Come on Scootaloo, you need to take a break. Any more magic use today and you’re gonna exhaust yourself; and that’ll bring with it a whole load of injuries if you keep going.” Rainbow Dash was frustrated, she enjoyed teaching the young Pegasus how to fly, but this was getting a little silly.

Scootaloo’s big problem was that her wings were slow to develop; while a relatively rare condition, it was certainly not unheard off. To counter act this problem Rainbow Dash was working on the fillies Wellspring; to develop it for when her wings finally had their growth spurt. If she didn’t then Scootaloo might never be able to fly.

“No just one more time, Rainbow. I think I almost got it that time.”

“Sigh, ok fine; just one more time. But you’ll do nothing until I give the go ahead. I wanna be there just in case you run out of Pegasus magic as your gliding.” The happy squeal made the headache Rainbow Dash was developing worth it. Scootaloo was a good filly, just a little too enthusiastic.

A flash of light shocked Rainbow Dash out of her stupor. A quick look around revealed no new pony nearby; just a small scroll wrapped up and sitting comfortably by her hoof. It hadn’t been there before.

A quick look at Scootaloo confirmed that she was still climbing up the tree, heading towards the branch they chose to practice her glide from. Rainbow Dash took up the scroll; she had time to read it before Scootaloo was ready.

“Rainbow Dash,

I have an update to your waiting problem. It is here earlier than scheduled but I know you will be discreet with this issue. Would you like it now, delivered to you; or are you Daring enough to be seen at the place you have barred yourself from entering. Other than to see myself I hope? Oh what shall you Do? Say the name out loud to have it now. Unfortunately due to your home being a cloud, having it waiting there is not an option.

Your Instigator.”

“Rainbow , I’m ready!”

“Huh, what? Oh, right. Well come on Scootaloo, let’s see you glide. I’ve just remembered I’ve got something Daring to Do”

“Oh? OH! Can I watch you do it?”

“Na, it’s getting a little late and I did promise your aunt to get you back before your dinner time. So come on, get gliding!” The small Pegasus was vibrating with enthusiasm as she leaped off of the branch and towards her hero.

Scootaloo’s wings acted more like the wings of insects; you could barely see them as they rapidly fluttered back and forth. Still, she was gliding nicely. Rainbow Dash was watching her adoring student when a second flash appeared in the exact same spot as the previous one.

Looking down she found something worth drooling over; the latest Daring Do in hardback just nestled beside her hooves. It wasn’t due to come out for another eight days, fifteen hours and forty one minutes. But here it was, just waiting for her to touch it. “Thank you Sunset”

Whump. “Ouch”

“Ohmygosh, Scoots! Are you all right? You were doing so well, and I got distracted by something. How are you doing?”

“A little dizzy, but nothing serious. I was mostly down when my flapping stopped working.”

“Your flapping stopped working? Geez Scootaloo, I told you your Wellspring was almost dry. Sigh, you’re going to be feeling that in the morning. Again. And your aunt is going to be annoyed at me for letting you get like this. Again.” Scootaloo at least had the decency to look shameful at her actions; not that it helped. Rainbow Dash knew she would drain her magic dry again.

“Well there’s definitely nothing else we can do today. Come on Scoots, hop onto my back and I’ll take you home.” Rainbow Dash bent down to allow the small filly easy access to her back. At the same time she discreetly retrieved her new book, slipping it in between her left wing. With both of her precious cargo’s secured, Rainbow Dash trotted into town. The student and teacher were talking lightly to each other, as a way to help move the journey along.

Sunset gave a small smile to herself, as she observed the two Pegasi leave the park. Finally dismissing her spell, Sunset returned all her focus back to sorting through the box of books.

The library was due to shut in less than an hour and then –since she had scouted the Everfree Forest the previous night– Sunset planned to work on her duel casting and magic storage. It was going to be a pleasant, if quiet night. The fluttering of feathers and a “Who” of hello reminded her that at least she had some company.

It was the start of a new day and, as is normal, Celestia raised the sun for the whole world to enjoy. As the golden orb rose, the sky was bathed in a wonderful array of powerful reds. To pony kind it was a beautiful and impressive dawn; many complimented the Princess on her artistic skills. For the alicorn who raised the sun, it was an ominous sight.

The library was having a bit of a slow day; her only patrons had been ponies who came to pick up their orders. This gave the amber mare with the fiery mane ample time to finish sorting through her delivery from yesterday. Then again, what was left was mostly advertising for the up and coming releases.

Nearly all of the ponies she had contacted in regards to their orders have been and gone, and now she was almost twiddling her hooves.

Sunset looked over at her set of fliers. She had debated making a flier for the release of the new Daring Do but decided against it. Ponies who want it will already be coming in for the book; and others who don’t know it’s coming will be here to rent it in time.

More time passed, and still no pony came to the library. Finally, she had had enough; so closed the library to both enjoy the weather and have a late lunch. At the same time she could be productive and give out the fliers she had spent the last few days creating. The ones designed to encourage ponies to return overdue books.

Her trail had brought her towards the outskirts of Ponyville; where she saw most of her friends – as well as the cutie mark crusaders– running at full gallop out of town. Considering she did not see Rarity with them and that Pinkie wasn’t bouncing along, it told Sunset that something was wrong.

She followed behind them, keeping pace and cast the Phantom Ear spell to see what was wrong. She did not like what she was hearing; Rarity had been pony napped in the quarry.

Cancelling the spell, Sunset hesitated a moment before casting two Teleports; the small one returning her saddlebags to the library. The larger one was cast upon herself, her destination the Carousel Boutique.

Divination is an area of magical study that is difficult to get ones head around, and harder still to use in practice. The rewards for breaching those barriers, however, are worth it.

Take the spell Scrying; effectively you are warping magic around a focus in order to take a glimpse of an area or specific target, depending on what your focus is. From there if you are sufficiently skilled –and confident with your mental image of what you saw– you are able to combine the Scrying spell with a Teleport, in order to travel to said location. It can be very useful in this regard, if incredibly magic hungry.

The biggest down side to Divination spells is that they always require a focus of some sort; the fresher and more cherished, the better. A single hair plucked out of one’s head loses its association with its owner quickly –a matter of minutes to hours at most– because said pony really does not care about a single hair. A cherished doll that is loved and remembered, however, can still be used to search for its owner potentially years later; provided said owner still cherishes it.

Of course the power held within each focus limits the Divination spell it can be used with. The basic Divination spell, Phantom Ear, can be used with a very weak focus. Potentially none at all provided the target is close and the caster is willing to amplify the volume of power to the spell.

While on the opposite side of the spectrum, the spell Scrying has a maximum range that is dictated by how much association there is in the focus.

The second problem with Divination magic is that all the spells within it are incredibly power hungry. It is believed Arcane Circles were developed beside Divination magic, so as to help spread the cost of said spells over several unicorns.

Before the flash of magic finished diminishing, Sunset had stormed into the Boutique and was up the stairs looking for a cherished item that belonged to Rarity.

She quickly found a picture of Rarity and her sister together smiling happily; it was resting in pride of place on her night stand. ‘Perfect.’ The picture containing two different ponies wasn’t a problem, that it was so cherished by Rarity was all that mattered.

Sunset used the picture as the focus for her Scrying spell. She waved her horn over the cherished picture; the spell matrix planned within her head was now covering the chosen spells focus.

The magenta coloured magic reworked itself into a floating oval approximately the size of a pony’s head; with deep and bold magic paths acting as a frame. The picture of the two sisters was indeed cherished and the spell was successfully cast.

However a problem was quickly revealing itself. For as the seconds ticked by, the viewing mirror in the centre was still blank; hued in a pale variant of her magical aura, and still drawing in significant quantities of her magic. In fact the draw on her magic was increasing.

She had to cut the spell before any more magic was wasted; Rarity was just too far away for Sunset to be able to find her like this. Time for another Divination spell.

Leaving the picture where it sat, Sunset searched the room for something small and a bit less fragile; this next focus will have to accompany her.

Eventually she found a rather expensive looking hair clip depicting Rarity’s cutie mark. It was small and easily transportable; Sunset could wear it to keep it safe and secure while she was travelling as well. It was exactly what Sunset needed; provided of course it activated her spell.

With only a slight bit of concentration, Sunset brought forth the desired spell matrix within her mind. She nodded in satisfaction when the hairclip resonated in harmony, this would do nicely.

With a fresh Teleport, Sunset returned to where she was previously on the outskirts of town; before casting this latest Divination spell, Guide. Typically Guide is limited in scope and only useful in finding objects. However Sunset had long ago reworked its spell script so that it was able to target ponies as well. After all what is an object really?

Before her eyes lay a trail of hoof prints, clearly visible on the ground and glowing in Sunsets own magical aura. Her eyes followed the path only she could see, as it followed the main road towards the quarry. The spell worked and Sunset now knew the road to take in order to find her stolen friend.

She now knew her path; and she will follow it.

It was taking longer than Sunset estimated it would to reach the quarry. Following the trail her spell was setting out, it had actually taken her off of the main road and into the thickening undergrowth. The rest of her friends had clearly continued on the main road –Sunset could make out the fresh set of hoof prints before she veered off– following it all the way to the quarry. She trusted her spell and would continue to follow it, but this change in direction worried her.

So Sunset put an additional burst of speed into her running, determined to catch up to whoever had Rarity. This action had the side effect of making her journey even more difficult for herself.

There was a small fraction of her mind left wondering if her other friends would be ok on their own, and if she should have kept following their path. It was dismissed by her logic; Guide always took the quickest available path to its targeted object. She also knew that Applejack and Rainbow Dash could look after themselves.

Before long, still following her spell, Sunset stumbled across what had to be the main entrance to the Diamond Dogs lair. Standing guard at what could have been a generic cave, were three large bipedal beings.

They were bulky and looked like several domesticated species of dog. Each was wearing heavy steel looking armour and wielding spears. They were bulky and imposing; their ancestry had to have had a drunken meeting between a dog, and an extinct creature known as a gorilla. To most ponies they would be an intimidating sight; to Sunset they weren’t even a speed bump.

Not even slowing down from her galloping, Sunset swapped the spell Guide for a small but dense Searing Lance and aimed for the Diamond Dogs exposed neck. The creature collapsed before it knew what had happened. A second lance was launched as the first dog’s body hit the floor, striking almost as true as the last. While the spine was still intact, the jugular was pierced through and it would die quickly of asphyxiation.

The third was either smart or incredibly lucky as it dropped down to its stomach. The Lance flew over its head and travelled deep into the cave the beast was guarding.

She was now by the cave entrance. The one dog she hadn’t put down yet quickly scrambled back up onto its feet while howling a battle cry. It thrust the spear held within its clawed hand at Sunset, its point clearly aimed at her barrel.

She jumped. Still retaining the speed of her charge, Sunset launched herself over the spear thrust with ease, rising higher still so that she barely soared over the beasts head. Just as planned.

As her trajectory took her past the head of the creature; her front forehooves wrapped around it and using the momentum, as well as augmenting her strength with earth pony magic, twisted sharply and fiercely.

Two bodies landed on the ground at the same time, one on four hooves that continued running into the open cave. The other was still and lifeless, with its neck almost the complete opposite direction from where it should be resting.

Sunset was disappointed in herself, not only had she let one live that long, but it had also managed to issue a warning into the cave system. Not really a warning, more of a challenge, but it had travelled down the tunnels and it would have warned of her arrival. Surprise was out, and she couldn’t stop to ambush due to time constraints. The only option left was for pure aggression.

Still following the Guide spell, Sunset travelled deeper into the cave. She stumbled across a few more armoured dogs, but using her condensed Searing Lance, they fell without issue.

The dogs clearly knew something was wrong now. The smell of blood was in the air, regardless of her lance cauterising the wounds as it travelled through bodies. She could make out from the echoes that the pack was getting riled up. Good, that would make them stupid, even more so than normal.

There, up ahead was a group of them charging right at her through the tunnel; she smirked. With an almost instant reconfigure; her Searing Lance ballooned in size until it was almost the diameter of the tunnel she was travelling down. That pack was not getting up.

Noises from her rear, she turned around quickly; another group had tried to flank her. They had gotten close as well, too close for a fully charged Searing Lance to take them out. Close combat it is.

The front one was on top of her now, its razor sharp claws forcefully striking down right at her head. A spell was cast, with almost a decade of speed and precision, it was instantaneous and exactly where she wanted it to be. The clawed paw came down with what had to be tremendous force behind it; only to lose said paw at the wrist.

It howled in agony as it drew back the bleeding stump, its eyes dilating from the sudden shock. It blinked and the head followed the hand.

In front of Sunset Shimmer was a transparent curved blade of raspberry pink. A moment later and it had multiplied; so now there were four ghostly raspberry coloured blades, all of them evenly spaced out, protecting their caster.

The remaining six other dogs continued their charge; the pony invading their territory just stood there, raising an eyebrow. Two dogs swiped at her, she hopped back and countered with her Phantom Swords, removing the hand of one and leaving a deep gash in the arm of the second.

Three leapt over their now injured pack mates trying to attack from above. Sunset reared up onto her hind hooves and spun around to dodge the incoming attacks, while her Swords were directed right into their heads. The final sword positioned defensively to protect her blind spot. The last one turned tail and started to run, only for one of the blades to slice down its back. Two other swords finished off the ones still moving about on the floor.

They were all dead. Sunset confirmed where her friend was located before continuing on.

The tunnel she was following arrived at a dead end, however there was clear evidence of a cave in, and a big one at that. Using Guide once more, Sunset found another path to take; a little back from where she had just come from. It was a smaller tunnel, likely an offshoot that eventually became a convenient shortcut. Whatever it was, it would do for her use.

There were more signs of cave in’s in several other locations, some of them looked fresh, and all of them were clearly deep. There were too many to have been a coincidence, these beasts are trying to lead her somewhere. Well when the carpet has been rolled out like this, who could blame her for following it.

Rounding the next corner, Sunset had to quickly dive forward to prevent herself from being crushed by yet another cave in. She had just jumped into quite a significant hall, for lack of a better word. A big domed cave with tunnels branching off in many different directions; however that was not important, compared to what was in front of her.

This was clearly the Alpha of the pack; standing a third taller and broader than every Diamond Dog so far. It wielded claws and teeth that looked strong enough to scratch the gems they were named after. In a moon crescent behind him had to be the rest of the pack, at least twenty other dogs of varying size, all eager to get a hold of her.

The Alpha was not wearing armour, or much else actually; only a pair of brown shredded pants giving one a full view of its matted fur. It was mostly light grey, with random patches of both white and black splotched around the chest and arms. Scars were clear to see even through his coat and one of its ears had a big bite out of it.

“Pony! You attack pack, kill pack. Pony must be punished! Once done pack will attack town. Gather ponies for getting gems. Fair, yes?” its voice was low, gruff, and clearly had a masculine tone about it.

Sunset said nothing, just looking at where she was and how much she needed to watch her flanks.

The Alpha was upon her, so much quicker than its pack mates. Slashing with the massive claws, it was only by a hairs width that Sunset dodged the attack. Soon to follow was a relentless barrage of swipe after swipe, aimed almost perfectly to inflict grievous wounds on a pony. With the added bite thrown in here and there, acting more as additional distractions.

Even its hind legs were being used at times, both to inflict harm as well as to try to sweep her legs out from under her. A group of Royal Guards would most likely struggle to fend of this creature.

Throughout it all Sunset dodged and weaved through the flailing limbs and maw; slowly discovering a pattern. And the more Sunset observed the more she saw and evading her enemy became easier and easier.

She was bleeding, not all of her dodges were successful. Some of the gashes could almost be described as moderate, but there was nothing inflicted that would impede her significantly.

Before long this fight to the death slowly transformed into a deadly dance; even as the Alpha tried to switch up how he fought, the pony kept dodging. Sometimes on all fours, other times on her hind legs pirouetting around out stretched claws. There were even a few times she bent at an odd angle with only a single hoof keeping her up.

Her horn was glowing now, but not a single spell was being launched from the magical appendage. The surrounding pack animals dismissed it as nothing more than a threat display.

What the surrounding pack did notice was that the pony had become even harder for their Alpha to hit; faster and more agile than ever before. One or two very observant dogs might have even noticed her hooves starting to crackle and spark with lightning.

“Are you quite done playing? I have a friend to rescue.” The Alpha snarled before he pounced at her; both sets of claws extended and the slavering jaw open, ready to devour her.

Standing back onto her hind hooves, Sunset’s fore ones connected with the claws and pushed them away from herself. She jumped, leaning back and flinging a hind hoof right into the base of the snout and jaw. The force was great enough to snap the head back, causing the creature to stumble and completely stalled the attack.

It was clear now that her hooves did indeed contain electricity; however for what purpose, the Diamond Dogs could not determine. It had not discharged when striking their Alpha; so maybe a show of force?

The head of the Alpha kept travelling backwards; with the connected body following the head, which caused the remaining two paws to leave the floor. For a precious few seconds the Alpha Diamond Dog was flying.

Sunset continued her flip, landing back onto all four hooves and just stood there. An air of complete sureness surrounded her, as her horn kept creating earth pony magic and her hooves sparked even more.

The Alpha was back on her, but this time it was a much more defensive fight on the Alphas part. The offense of the powerful beast was quickly turning into defence, as Sunset continued to learn and adapt to whatever pattern this beast fought with.

Standing on her rear hooves once again, her front two clashed with claws before continuing the counter with a jabbing kick to the back of the beast’s leg. After the third time hitting the same spot on the same leg with significant force, it was starting to become rather tender; which helped slow the beast down.

Another claw strike, this time using the full reach of its arm; clearly in an attempt to keep its sensitive rear leg out of danger. Sunset moved a forehoof to block the strike, before twisting her whole body into the shoulder of the bipedal animal.

Using the momentum of her manoeuvre into the beast’s armpit; her blocking forehoof grabbed onto the extended arm and pulled. The free hoof was lending assistance by pushing just in front of the shoulder joint, generating even greater leverage.

All of this resulted in the large creature being thrown over her shoulder and slamming its back onto the unforgiving ground beneath the two fighters. The impact opened its muzzle wide, spraying saliva and most certainly knocking any air out of its lungs.

For the final action of this manoeuver, the supporting hoof travelled back up the length of the arm and latched onto the wrist still suspended in the air. The other was drawn back and up against the unicorn’s body. Blink and the following action would have been missed, but the noise it generated was a sickening crack. The now free hoof struck faster than a viper; right into the elbow of the downed foe, destroying the elbow and rendering the arm useless.

All this fighting, all this brutality and yet nothing changed on the face of the pony standing above the now helpless Diamond Dog. Even now the face was just as calm, and almost uncaring in nature, as when the fight started; with cold impassive eyes to match.

Sunset had already gathered enough tells from this Alpha that every major blow was avoided; this fight was no longer a challenge. Her time recently had been spent building up a trap for the observing mutts. They had seen her magic at work; but because it was not doing anything obvious, had ignored it. They would know better soon enough.

The fight was over; even this brainless beast knew it. With a final surge of earth pony magic, Sunset slammed her fore hooves into the ground with a powerful boom.

The following burst of lightning lashed out in every way imaginable; guided by a spell matrix not meant to be used with such raw, natural magic. The lightning wove around the floor in a complex pattern not dissimilar to the web a spider would make.

The matrix was not perfect however, some of the lightning was able to escape the elegant pattern; lashing out at the bodies of nearby Diamond Dogs. That the lightning was also striking at the cavern walls and ceiling did not matter to the elemental magic; it cared not how it escaped the matrix, it just wanted freed from its confinement.

The Thunder Strike spell taught to her by Master Thunder Stomp was not meant to be controlled in such a way.

It was not elegant, it was not quick, and it was not painless; but it was most assuredly effective. Sunset was finally starting to feel the significant drain on her Wellspring, before finally letting up on the generation of earth pony magic. Her breathing was hard, her body covered in sweat as well as blood, though most of the blood was not her own.

All of the Diamond Dogs in the area had fallen, there were no wounds, but the smell of burnt hair was overpowering and everywhere. The silence was deafening, just the slight crack or fizz of the remaining electricity finally discharging.

The floor was severely damaged with traces of scorch marks; though these were difficult to see through all of the new cracks and strutting out rocks that had formed thanks to the spell.

The ceiling let out a loud snapping noise, before a disturbing web of broken glass like cracks started to spread out from the epicentre of the noise.

The walls and ceiling started to rumble and loose stones were beginning to fall. A guide spell showed the tunnel to take and she went for it. Following through even more twists and turns, as well as ignoring branching tunnels; Sunset was purely focused on the spell guiding her to her friend. It was hard going; the floor was covered with loose debris that hindered her traction as she dashed for her exit.

Finally, she made it out of the large cavern; the floor was significantly cleaner of debris and much easier to run on. The ceiling still had the worrying web of cracks, but they were much fewer and smaller than the ones she had just left.

More, louder breaking noises were heard from the room she was just in; with the occasional boom of a falling rock for good measure. The additional burst of speed felt prudent, not only to get away from the incoming cave in, but also to find her friend.

It was getting difficult though; between all of her magic use, as well as the physical exertion, Sunset was certainly getting winded. So much so, she was now sparingly casting Guide; trying to keep some emergency reserves of magic in case of any more trouble.

‘This is taking too long. Rarity must be terrified; and thanks to her minor case of molysmophobia she could be having a panic attack, thanks to all the dirt and mud around us. I really hope I don’t have to force her to slee- what was that?!’

Slamming on the brakes Sunset froze in place; she heard voices, familiar voices, her friend’s voices. Coming from a small tunnel angled upwards. Following the out of place noises; she eventually caught up to all of them, including Rarity.

They seemed happy and were laughing away; the small heard of her five friends were clearly heading in a direction that Applejack seemed to know. The entrance the rest of the girls used to get into this cave system, probably. They all seemed to be pulling carts full of gems for some reason, the sight of which confused Sunset a little.

Behind her came the faint echo of a deep rumbling, followed by the sound of shifting sand; her battle ground had finally caved in. The big cave in seemed to have minor repercussions throughout many of the other tunnels, if what was happening around her was any indication. Several small rocks and dirt fell to the floor, along with a few gems of varying preciousness.

Curiosity was biting at the bit now. Her short period of time studying some of the recently acquired tomes last night put in her hooves a purity spell; the first spell an apprentice gem cutter learns.

Using it on the few gems scattered around the floor, Sunset found several that had the potential to be very useful to her. With a bit of refinement and a specialised touch, they could be turned into Magic storing crystals.

If nothing else they would help her fund getting said crystals. So she gathered the three closest to hoof and placed them within her Pocket Dimension. After which Sunset finally followed the path her friends had taken out of the caves.

Not to catch up –there was far too much red on her to be seen by Fluttershy– but to see where this entrance was located. The few gems she had stumbled onto informed Sunset this place held gems capable of storing magic. Hopefully there was one here big enough for her plans, if she searched hard enough.

But that was for a time when she was confident in her ideas. At this point the small gem Princess Celestia had given her would be more than sufficient.

Sure enough, following the trail left by her friends; Sunset found signs of bright light ahead of her, which eventually became a clear exit to the surface. It was indeed within the quarry situated a little bit out of town from Ponyville.

Now with the location set in her mind, Sunset flashed away from the sight in a series of short distance Teleports. Her magic reserves were low enough, she would rather not risk a long Teleport; but she also needed to get ahead of her friends in order to return Rarity’s hairpin.

After the success of returning the improvised focus without being seen; Sunset cast one last Teleport spell, returning her to the closed library. Her adventures underground were finally done for the day.

She also needed a shower in order to remove all this Diamond Dog blood covering her. Oh, and to look after the few injuries she herself received. Sunset was thankful that most of them had stopped bleeding by this point.

While Sunset’s escapades went unnoticed by her friends, her bloody hoof prints would be found by others in the coming days; causing the guards to investigate.

It did not take long, however, before specialised guards from Canterlot were called in to replace the initial team. The crime scene was quickly becoming far too complicated, and dangerous, for the local guards to handle.

Chapter. 15 – Lessons in Humility

Chapter. 15 – Lessons in Humility

“Can I ask you for some advice, Fluttershy?” Currently sitting comfortably at said mare’s kitchen table, Sunset Shimmer was lightly sipping at a cup of tea. In front of her was a small selection of cakes sitting on a white plate in the centre of the table, just begging to be sampled.

Further beyond the plate, on the opposite side of the table sat Fluttershy the mare in question. She too had a cup of tea in front of her, but was currently distracted by her white pet bunny Angel; who seemed to be oddly timid around the flaming maned unicorn.

“Of course Sunset, what’s on your mind?”

“Well, you know how Rainbow and Applejack have been going back and forth over who’s the most athletic, or the best at this or that?”

“Let me guess,” Fluttershy responded with a knowing smile gracing her muzzle. “There’s been a few of their challenges that you would have done well in, perhaps even won?”

“Yeah, how did you know?” Sunset had never mentioned, nor even shown off her athletic prowess. Her exercising was done at night, during her exploratory patrols of the Everfree Forest.

“Having spent more than a few sessions with you at the spa, both Rarity and I have noticed that you are in amazing shape; if you don’t mind me saying so. It’s a little funny actually; Rarity is determined to get you in a few of her dresses.”

“Oh, well thank you Fluttershy, and I suppose Rarity too; even if I don’t think I’ll ever get inside one of her dresses.” Fluttershy let out a small giggle at that comment. “But back to those other two. They’ve never asked me to join in, and I don’t know if I would even if they did. I’ve always been taught to be discreet and humble; and thanks to you I can see how showing off could hurt ponies feelings. But with those two I feel that they need to learn some humility, at least a little.”

“Well, yes. I think you might be right; learning a little humility could do them some good. So, are you looking for a challenge to beat them in?”

“Oh no, I heard that the Running of the Leaves Festival is coming up soon. Do you think I should do it then?”

“Would you be able to? That race is a long one and is quite tough.”

“Yeah, winning the race should not be a problem, I don’t think. It’s more how do I go about doing it; do I go as fast as I can and get to the finishing line, or do I take it easy at first before finishing?”

“Hmm, well since we want to teach them a little humility and you would like to keep a low profile, perhaps the second option is for the best. Especially if they see you during the race enjoying the scenery; I would say that if you do come in the top three, they will most definitely want you to start joining in these competitions.”

“Yeah, that’s another point I’ll have to take into consideration. I do want to get to know all of you better, and this might be a good way of doing it; or it could alienate me to them since I am also good with magic.”

“Oh Sunset, I don’t think that will happen; I know those girls and while they are both a little stubborn and prideful, they have big hearts. They won’t shun you for being good at something; if anything they’ll be thrilled to find another challenge.” Fluttershy’s face was full of confidence about this, with a gentle smile that accompanied it. It reassured Sunset greatly.

“Sunset, what in tarnation are you doing here?” While it was said of honest surprise there was also a condescending hint to it?

The festivals atmosphere was loud and enjoyable; with the childish yells of happy colts and fillies filling the air, which broke up the amplified voice of Mayor Mare’s latest speech. Spread throughout the grounds were the standard arrays of fairground rides, stalls of games as well as the occasional vendor selling tasty treats. But clearly the biggest attraction was the main event; the running of the leaves.

At least a dozen ponies were already at the starting line, including Applejack; who was just finishing up tying Rainbows Dash’s wings.

“Umm, Applejack. I do not believe tying Rainbow Dash up like that is beneficial to a ponies ability to run.”

“Just ensuring Rainbow here is gonna run a clean race, Sunset. Now what brings you over to the starting line? Here to wish us luck before the race? You’d best get it over with quick; it’s about to start.”

Just behind the straw haired farm pony, Rainbow Dash was making exaggerated facial movements, vaguely in time with what Applejack was saying. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the antics, but did not comment on them.

“Oh no, I wasn’t here for that. But I guess I should wish the both of you luck, now that you mentioned it. No I’m here for another reason.”

Rainbow was clearly a little agitated; so before Applejack could say anything, she burst in with her own question. “So if you weren’t here to wish me luck in the race, not that I need luck or anything, what are you here for?”

“Well, I’m racing.”

Rainbow Dash burst out laughing at the comment, not quite powerful enough to collapse onto the ground, but still a powerful laugh. “Oh, good one Sunset.”

“I’m not joking, I’ve entered the race.” It was said with the sound of a smile, but Sunset’s face was stuck in a neutral position.

“What? Sure your fit and all, but you’re not an athlete. You’re a, well, no offence, but you’re an egghead. The only thing I’ve seen you do is carry stacks of heavy books.”

“Egg head? What’s that?”

“What’s an egghead? It’s someone who is a know-it-all and obsessed with reading far too much.”

“Oh well, then no I’m not an egg head. I’m just well read.” Rainbow said something quietly to Applejack who giggled along with the comment.

Applejack cleared her throat from her laugh. “Well, have you ever run in a race?”

“Well, no. But I do know a lot about running.”

“Let me guess, from books? Pff, what did you read the Eggheads Guide to Running? HAHA, did you stretch out your eye muscles to warm up? HAHA, get it, eye muscles.” Applejack was trying her very best not to join Rainbow on the floor laughing. Sunset’s face remained impassive, except for the smallest of huffs exhaling out of her nose; determination was building to show them some humility. It looked like Applejack wanted to say something more, but was cut off by the announcer.

“All right ponies! Are you ready!” ‘Huh Pinkie’s doing the announcing? That’s going to be some chaotic commentary. Will anyone actually be able to follow it, or the race? And since when did she have a hot air balloon? Is it hers, or is she borrowing it from somepony?’

“On your marks. Get set…GO!”

Every pony at the start line sprinted into the forest, a massive dust cloud covering most of the racers; except for one. Pinkie herself did a double take before reining in her balloon; she felt it appropriate to clarify with the lone pony that was just standing there.

“Umm, Sunset. Why are you just standing there?”

“Hmm. Oh, sorry Pinkie. Just working out how much of a head start they need to make it a fair race.”

“…Okay. Well, how long do you think they need?”

“Probably another few minutes, but I guess I’ll just start jogging along now.” And with that Sunset Shimmer joined the race; going at a pace that nearly everypony watching would have certainly said was too fast to be simply jogging.

As she followed the forest trail Sunset could see that most of the leaves had fallen off the trees; the earth magic from the majority of the racers assisting with the task. It had transformed the ground into a carpet of colours; it was a pretty, if messy, display.

‘The other racers have done a good job at knocking down the leaves on the path. Fall is the favourite season for a lot of ponies, and I could certainly see the appeal; all the colours are certainly magnificent. However I preferred the new delicate life of spring, or perhaps the still peacefulness of winter. Honestly every season has its beauty as well as their downfalls. I suppose it’s just like many of the pon- what’s Applejack doing?’

Slowly picking herself up from the dirt path was Applejack. She looked furious and as Sunset approached she just caught the tail end of her talking about cheating.

“Are you ok, Applejack?”

“Sunset, did you see that? Rainbow Dash just tripped me!”

“Are you sure about that?” Sunset had stopped next to the orange farm pony and was currently staring just behind her hooves, where an innocent small rock half buried in the dirt was resting there.

“Are you calling me a liar?”

“No, it’s just there’s a rock right behind where you’re standing. Are you sure you didn’t trip over it?”

“What? A rock?! Aww, ponyfeathers! Now I’ve got all that ground to catch up. Thanks for setting me straight Sunset; I’ll see y’all at the finishing line.” A small dust cloud was left behind as Applejack sprinted off to catch up with the racers.

Sunset stayed behind to remove the trip hazard from the path; it was actually a bigger rock than she thought, roughly the size of a large apple. With little effort the obstacle was tossed away from the path, before some soil was levitated up and took the place of the rock. With the satisfaction of a job well done, she was happy to continue her jog through the forest. ‘A little bit longer, I think.’

Sunset admired her jog through the forest, seeing it start to get ready for winter; most of the trees where without leaves and had that lifeless look to them. “Huh, the winds picked up a bit, the leaves are starting to fly in the air. Ooh, they’re even starting to pile up together. Tempest never let me do this, but she’s not here, soo.” Sunset pounced on the unsuspecting pile of leaves.

It wasn’t that large a pile but the scattering of the leaves as she landed did make her feel like a filly; she even let out a small giggle.

Sunset continued on her path jumping into piles of leaves of sufficient size before she stopped in her tracks. There, just beyond a stump was a pile of leaves almost as big as she was. With no hesitation Sunset launched herself into the pile, but was rewarded by something that wasn’t leaves.

“Ooof. Hey what’s the big idea?! Huh, Sunset?”

“Oh my gosh, I’m sorry Rainbow. I’ve been jumping in all the good piles of leaves that have been building up and yours was the biggest; well I didn’t think anypony was actually in it, let alone yourself. Why are you in it?”

“Applejack tripped me up!”

“Are you sure? I mean there’s a stump right here, see. Could it be you tripped up on that?”

“All I see is a big cheater!”

“Rainbow, honestly that doesn’t sound like Applejack at all. It must have been an accident.”

“Sure it was.” The tone was aggressive and anything but sincere. Sunset raised an eyebrow at the blue coated mare; she wilted a little at the look.

“Just remember Rainbow. This is supposed to be a fun competition, right? You know, a game? You might not even win it?” Sunset said just before she left Rainbow to her thoughts. ‘Prehaps I should stop jumping into the piles of leaves now; just in case there’s another pony buried within them. Ooh, after this one here, oh and that one there.’ Sunset continued her game of jumping into piles of leaves, barely noticing Rainbow dashing past her to catch up to the rest of the racers.

“Ponyville?”

“Yeah, according to Quick Quill aunt Celestia wants to have next year’s Sunset Celebration at Ponyville.” Trixie and Spike were currently situated within Trixie’s private quarters within the castle. Located within the main floor of the Royal Residential area of the castle; it consisted of two rooms, a living/study area, and the bedroom itself with its own bathroom suit. The two were sitting opposite each other by the unlit fire, the coffee table between them filled with sheets of paper, scrolls and books.

With the success of the previous Summer Sun Celebration behind them, they were now hard at work planning for next year’s one. Quick Quill had given them more freedom to work, but with the proviso of weekly updates to confirm their progress.

Currently they were considering a different company to produce the decorations, when the realisation that the festival was not happening in Canterlot finally sunk in.

“…Spike I’m never going to get use to you calling Princess Celestia ‘aunt’ regardless if it’s a biological relation or not. But why Ponyville? Sure it’s a nice town, but that’s just it. It’s a town, a small town at that with nothing really going for it other than being close to Canterlot.”

“Hey don’t look at me; it’s Cadance that wants me to call Princess Celestia ‘aunt’ it’s strange for me too. But you’re right about Ponyville, do you know if it holds any significance for aunt Celestia? A friend, or fond memory maybe? Heck, do they have a particularly good bakery? You know how she can be when it comes to good cakes.”

“I still can’t believe your sister-in-law is Princess Cadance.”

“Well, technically she’s my aunt; but I’ve known her all my life and the look she gives me any time I bring that up is scary. I think that’s another reason why she’s trying to get me to call Princess Celestia ‘aunt’.”

“Whatever. Sigh, but no, I’m not aware of anything about Ponyville that Princess Celestia would change such a tradition over, especially for next year.” Both parties lost themselves in thought, trying to think of a reason why the Princess wanted Ponyville to host such a prestigious event.

Spike blinked at a thought that crossed his head. “Wait, isn’t she there right now? We’re deep into fall and they hold that ‘Running of the Leaves’ festival every year around mid-fall.”

“Is it really that time already? But yeah, she goes every year; apparently she loves watching all the colourful leaves act like snow or something. I can’t remember the full reason why, but she does enjoy that festival.”

“Huh, well do you think it might be a good idea to go and find out why the Princess likes it so much? Ponyville I mean.”

“What, go around asking ponies there why the Princess loves their town so much? I’m sure we’d get nothing but unbiased answers.” Trixie waved her hooves around emphasising her exaggeration.

“Na, I was more thinking trying to find out ourselves. They just got a new librarian this year, right. Well she’ll have access to the town’s history, and she’s probably still impartial enough for us to ask for help with this.”

“Hey, not a bad idea Spike. We can cover our investigation by saying we’re scouting local ponies to help set up the festivities. To find the right ponies for the job will no doubt require us to interview, and it would be foolish to go back and forth every day just for that. We’d best stay there to save all that travel, and prevent us from rushing.”

“Yeah, and if we just so happened to find something that relates to Princess Celestia and why she keeps returning to the town, it’ll be a surprising coincidence, nothing else.”

“Spike, your quite the devious little dragon, aren’t you.”

Spike grinned cheekily, “Naa, I’ve just been spending too much time around you.”

She retaliated by sticking her nose into the air and closed her eyes. “Well, if that is how you want to act. Trixie shall do this venture all on her own!” Her eyes shot open and her cheeks reddened slightly in embarrassment. “Please don’t tell Princess Celestia I spoke in third person. She promised soap in my mouth if her years of hard work went down the drain and I reverted back to that habit.”

“Well I guess you stuck with me for this investigation then. Come on, let’s go see Cadance. The faster we get this ball rolling, the easier it will be to believe that we are actually scouting for ponies to do the work we need for the festival.” Spike got up and started to head towards the door with Trixie moments behind.

That the two were close enough to joke around like that was something that Trixie was really beginning to appreciate. ‘Maybe there is something in what the princess says about making friends.’

‘Huh, guess Applejack does cheat from time to time.’ Sunset was actually running now and had just caught up with the pack, when she saw Pinkie Pie give Applejack a lift using her balloon. She didn’t know why, as she hadn’t seen her two friends since she jumped on top of Rainbow Dash.

Keeping to a moderate pace, Sunset slowly climbed the pack as everypony around her started to tire out; when she heard something pass over head at quite the speed, leaving a rainbow vapour trail. ‘Rainbow’s cheating now too?! That I find a little more believable but still, I promised them humility; best take this seriously, and if both of them want to cheat guess I will too.’

Sunset had just pulled to the front of the pack; with no pony able to get a clear look at her horn, she cast a quick illusion spell around her magic appendage to cover the tell-tale sign of magic use. With her horn no longer able to glow, she started to convert her own magic into the earth pony tribes magic.

What fatigue she had lessened considerably, and her running speed increased even more; despite not putting any more effort into her running than she had been previously. With a final push she was now galloping towards the finish line.

Running past a steep slope she thought she heard something crash, but a quick look showed only a few pebbles falling onto a ledge; a rock must have gotten loose. Without any more thought Sunset brought her focus back to the race, trying to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash in front of her.

‘They can’t be this far ahead? I was sure I had figured out how fast they’d be going, but then I didn’t expect them to cheat. Do I go even faster? It would push me to my top speed, but then I’d be showing off more than I already am.

‘Wait, is that the finish line? Yeah, it is. Damn they both must have finished already. Well no point generating any more earth pony magic; I’ll just run all out without it, it’s a little slower, but it’s the end of the race. I’m getting tired, honest.’

The silent conversion stopped but she timed her increase in her galloping to the reduction of earth magic coursing through her system. No one would be able to tell that she had been cheating; with a final thought she dismissed the illusion on her horn.

Sunset crossed the finish line with a sweat on her brow and a good puff to her breathing. The crowd was cheering and congratulating her on a good race, she was quickly joined by both Fluttershy and Rarity.

“Huff, sorry girls, I wasn’t able to beat them. Pant, where are they anyway; getting their medals or something?”

“Sunset what are you talking about? You won! You’re the first one to finish! Oh come on darling, Princess Celestia is over here waiting to award the runners.” Hearing Rarity’s words, Sunset looked over to Fluttershy who nodded with a big smile on her face.

“Seriously darling, I knew you were in shape but the way you were running; why I’d think you’d give even earth pony athletes a run for their money. Pun totally intended of course.” Rarity said with a smile. “So, where do you get the time to stay in shape; I never see you exercise, and I’m always up at the crack of dawn to make sure Sweetie Belle is ready for school.”

“Huff, oh I go in the evenings when it’s quiet. I don’t like showing off when it comes to my fitness.” By now they had reached a small stand where a collection of gold coloured medals were seated, and beside them was a smiling Princess Celestia. There were a few lingering crumbs on her chin.

“Ah, Sunset Shimmer the town’s librarian. I can imagine not many ponies thought you’d finish first. I guess what they say is true; you can’t judge a book by its cover, right Sunset?”

Sunset didn’t know if she should laugh or groan; it helped that the smile on Princess Celestia’s face was one clearly saying she knew the joke was bad, but didn’t care. “Anyway, congratulations on coming first in the Running of the Leaves; here’s your first place medal as well as the festival trophy. Your name shall be engraved on the small plaque here and you can look after it until next year or return it to town hall.”

“Thank you Princess, I think I’ll keep it for the year. It’ll have a nice place within the library for everyone to see.”

“That sounds like a grand idea, and I see you have also made some new friends.”

“Yes Princess, may I introduce you to Rarity and Fluttershy. I have been having tea with Fluttershy for some time now, and the three of us have been taking weekly spa days with each other. I have three other friends; two you know about, if you remember me telling you about Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie when you came to tea. My final friend’s name is Applejack.”

“I am glad to hear that you’ve made so many friends. Please go enjoy yourself; it looks like the other racers have finally finished as well. If you want feel free to send me a full report on your friends later.”

“Thank you Princess; enjoy the rest of your day.” Sunset turned to her friends wearing her new medal; the trophy she left with the Princess, it would be sent to the library when the engraving was completed.

Fully facing the two mares she was confused by their faces; they looked stunned. “Fluttershy, Rarity, are you ok?”

Blink. “Sunset darling. When were you going to tell us that you knew the princess?”

“Oh, umm I don’t know her all that well. She was the one who gave me the position in Ponyville, and she also visited me on the first day I was here. Currently I am working on a couple of projects that has her interest, so has requested monthly reports on them.”

They had started walking back towards the finish line, and whatever else the group was going to talk about was interrupted by Pinkie Pie and her amplified voice.

“For last!”

By this point they were close enough to see that both Applejack and Rainbow Dash were a mess; it looked like their competition got a little heated. ‘Ah, they both found out that the other was cheating.’ It was no surprise that it was Rainbow who asked who the winner was.

Sunset was all set to keep quiet, but a not so subtle jab by Rarity and a more timid one from Fluttershy made her walk forward.

“YOU?!”

“Yup, first place with time to spare. Not too bad considering I’ve never ran in a race before.”

“What, how is that possible?” Applejack was still a little out of breath, but her shock of losing so badly was written all over her face.

“But you were running so slowly. You were even playing in the leaves!”

“Exactly, I was pacing myself; just like my training told me to do. Then once we were closer to the end, I sprinted to the finish. The playing in the leaves was a bit risky I admit, but this whole event was supposed to be fun.”

Rainbow appeared to be in shock. “I don’t believe it. Sunset beat us!”

“Well it looked like you two were seriously horsing about; in the end it was quite easy.” That seemed to hit a nerve. Her two friends looked quite humbled.

“Your right Sunset, our behaviour was just terrible.”

“Yeah, we weren’t good sports.”

“Sounds to me like an important lesson was learnt.” While the three of them had been talking, Princess Celestia had followed.

Sunset stepped back while the three talked and her eyes locked onto Rarities; an obvious message of desperately needing to hear exactly how she knew the princess, was screaming out of her eyes. Sunset tried to message back with her own set that she would, but at a later date; the stare died down, apparently in acceptance.

“Hey, Sunset! You up for another run? This time just between us friends?” Applejack called over to her; the humble smile on her face confirmed her words that it would just be a friendly run, and Rainbow was nodding along with the statement. Sunset glanced at Fluttershy who nodded with a happy smile on her face; their plan seemed to be a success and the competition between their two friends had settled down.

“Sure, I think I’ve rested enough for a good run with you two.” Almost at once her two friends started off. Sunset bowed once more to the Princess with spoken thanks for helping her friends, levitated her medal over to Rarity for safe keeping, before, at last, dashing off to catch up.

“So Sunset. You said you’ve had training in running, how long?” Rainbow asked as they all ran together. It was a brisk but pleasant pace, enough to build a sweat and knock off the leaves.

“I’ve been training in all kinds of things since I was a filly.”

“Yeah, we gathered that.” Applejack added. “But when did you start yer fitness training?”

“As a filly. My magic instructor believed that the best way to train the mind was to also train the body. I’ve had to train intensely for years.”

“You lied to us, about running races?”

“No Rainbow, I’ve never actually ran in a race; my childhood was pretty isolated. All my training was done solo, or with my mentor.”

“Well ya got us to train and have fun with now. Whenever you wanna get yer mane dirty, just ask us and we’ll see what ya can do.” Rainbow readily agreed with this idea, and all three continued their run through the forest, removing the few leaves still lingering on their perches.

Chapter.16 – Two More for Ponyville

Chapter.16 – Two More for Ponyville

The library was peaceful at this moment in time; there were a few ponies quietly reading or working in a few of the more secluded areas. Sunset herself was organising some of the shelves, and since she was already taking books out of them, gave the shelves a clean at the same time. The books were once again suspended in the air, only this time it was a much more reasonable amount; after all there were clients in the building.

So, exactly twenty nine books were suspended around her in a halo; while she levitated a damp cloth along the wooden shelf removing any dust or grime.

With what little dirt had accumulated now gone, her next magic trick was to shuffle her deck of books and place them back in the correct order. From her trolley she levitated the eight books that resided within this section and brought them back to the fold within her halo.

Deliberately keeping her eyes fixed on the vacant shelf and not on what was going on just above her head, Sunset carefully shuffled and organised all the books using her magic and memory. With the deck now shuffled and cut the precious volumes of literature were taken, one by one, from the top of the pile and were escorted, by Sunset’s magical aura, back to their resting places within the bright living wood. They were all in the right order.

Fully satisfied with her work she moved on to the next set of shelves; only for one of her ears to quickly face towards the door as the, now familiar, bump into the library door was heard. It opened moments after to reveal the grey coated, blond haired Pegasus post mare with the misaligned eyes.

“Sunset, I have a letter for you from Canterlot.” Her enthusiastic waving of said letter held in one of her wings was almost endearing.

With a simple levitation spell, the letter left the wing grip of the Pegasus and started to travel over to its recipient. “Ah, thank you Derpy. I’m sorry but I don’t have any mail to send today.”

“That’s ok, Sunset. I’ve still got a few ponies to find anyway. See ya.” The post mare turned to leave, but just after shutting the door behind her a small squeak of pain was heard. Derpy had shut her tail in the door. Again.

A gesture, followed by the raspberry hued colour of magic and the door was opened to free the dirty blond tail. “I’m ok. Thanks for opening the door Sunset.” Was all the reply given, before the tell-tale gust of wind of a pegasus launching into the air. The door to the library shut with a gentle click.

Halting the shelving for the moment, she returned to her main desk. The post marks said the letter was from Canterlot, and the address was written in a style Sunset did not recognise. Turning it over revealed a wax seal that, while familiar to Sunset, she had never seen in person. It was embedded with the Royal seal of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

“Geez, what am I doing to gain the attention of all the Royals? What’s next, Prince Blueblood wants my hoof in marriage?” Sunset muttered quietly to herself as she opened the letter to find out what the princess of love wanted from her.

“To Sunset Shimmer, Librarian of Ponyville.

“Hello to you, I hope your day has been good and that receiving this missive has not affected it in a negative way. I am writing to you to ask for assistance in a small matter of a more personal nature.

“Trixie Lulamoon, the personal student of Princess Celestia, is overseeing next year’s Summer Sun Celebration along with her, assistant, Spike the baby dragon; which is being held in Ponyville. If this is not common knowledge please keep quiet on this matter; though I can’t see it remaining a secret for long.

“They are planning to interview local ponies to work on the celebration and are looking for accommodation for a few days. This is where the assistance comes in; they have requested to stay within the library with you. They are claiming that Trixie and Spike both will be studying in the evenings to keep pace with their assignments and I quote ‘what better place to study than in a library’ unquote.

“If this is too much of a burden I have other options available to me, the earth pony Filthy Rich and his family for instance, but it would be remiss of me not to at least try their preferred choice; and of course their expenses will be covered by the crown.

“If you are in agreement with this situation, please respond to this letter to the address written on the reverse along with any questions you may have.

“Regardless of your answer; thank you for taking the time to read this letter.

“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

“P.S – If you do accommodate those two could you make sure that they are actually studying for at least one hour in the evenings. While they work well together, Trixie is a practical mare and will take any excuse to avoid the books.

Many thoughts were running circles in Sunset’s head once she had finished reading the letter, like the obvious hesitation to write ‘assistant’ when describing this Spike character, or just the general nice nature of the letter itself. But it was the big obvious thing that came to mind that was the problem.

“Princess Cadenza wants me to babysit those two for a few days. Sigh, it’ll be a pain. I don-“

“Sunset darling! I would really appreciate your assistance in somethiiiiing.” Came the sing song voice of the porcelain white mare with a rich purple mane; her friend Rarity.

Looking up, Sunset found Rarity walking towards her with all the confidence of someone who does not take no for an answer. Honestly one of her friends arriving at this moment was useful for Sunset; they could give her a second opinion.

“Sunset, I’ve got a matter back at the boutique that only you yourself can help me with.” Rarity said again now that they were eye to eye; she had even pulled of a small pout and a set of puppy dog eyes.

‘Huh, this must be really important.’ “Ok Rarity, actually I’ve got something that I could use a second opinion with as well. Umm, let’s see just give me a second to inform my patrons that the libraries amenities won’t be available for some time and then we can be off.”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m closing the renting service of the library. Ponies can still use the place but won’t be able to take out a library book that I’ve not signed off on. If anything worse than that starts to happen, Owlocious here will come and get me.” as she was saying this to Rarity, Sunset placed a sign on her desk stating the same thing, just with less words.

She went to the four ponies that were currently in the library and informed them of the situation, before escorting Rarity out of the door and towards the Carousel Boutique.

Ten minutes later and Sunset had wished she had asked Rarity how she could be of use to her; if she’d known she would effectively be a life size doll for the seamstress to dress up, she would have turned her down.

“So Sunset, there was something you wanted a second opinion on?” Currently Rarity was pinning some rather pleasant fabric around her; it was the third piece of fabric as Rarity could not decide on the best colour to complement her coat.

“Hmm, Oh yeah. You see, I’ve been asked to host two ponies for a couple of days at the library. It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but I’ve also been asked to make sure that the ponies I’m looking after actually do some studying when they’re here. I’ve never taught anyone before; I don’t know if I’d be a good teacher.”

“Well darling, you certainly know your stuff. I’m assuming it’s magic that they’re learning” Sunset nodded “Then who better in town to teach them? Honestly if you had a little more free time, I’d ask you to teach Sweetie Belle for me; just not in quite the same way as you were taught.”

“Chuckle, yeah I don’t think many ponies want to learn the way I did; can’t deny its effectiveness though.”

“Very true, both your magical and physical prowess is something else. But anyway, I take it you don’t know the two who are coming?”

“I know of them, but never met them in person before.”

“Oh? Now this sounds interesting; is a friend asking you for a favour? No, that can’t be it, there would be less hesitation. Hmm, wait. You are in contact with Princess Celestia, is she asking you to host someone?”

Sunset was pleasantly surprised. “Not Princess Celestia, but Princess Cadenza. I’m impressed Rarity.”

“Well it pays to have an eye for details. If that is the case then you must be hosting somepony who is overseeing the Summer Sun Celebration next year. I’ve heard they’re planning to have it here in Ponyville; if that is true then they would most certainly have ponies come to talk to the Mayor and others about preparing it. Hmm, but what’s this about studying, and teaching? I can imagine anyone on such a committee would be out of school already.”

“It’s Trixie Lulamoon who I’d be hosting, along with her assistant Spike.”

“Princess Celestia’s personal student? My my, you are getting very close with the Royal family aren’t you?”

“Sigh, yeah. All I’m waiting for now is a marriage proposal from Prince Blueblood and I’d have the who- YOUCH!”

“Oh sorry dear, I’m afraid my magic slipped there.” Nothing about the apology sounded real.

“Rarity what they hay, I was trying to make a joke about, wait. You want Blueblood, don’t you? You stab me as soon as I mentioned him marrying me. You want to marry Prince Blueblood.”

“Well, can you blame a pony? He’s so handsome and sophisticated and an actual Prince! Who wouldn’t want that piece of stallion?”

“Well you can have him. I’ve already got too much attention from the Royal family for my liking already.”

“Ah, more of a mare girl are we? Worry not I don’t judge, it just means more stallions for me.” The Cheshire cat grin was obvious in her voice; Sunset didn’t even bother to acknowledge it, though she did feel her cheeks heat up a little.

“I don’t know to be honest; I’ve never really noticed anypony in that way. Anyway, we’re off topic, do you think I should let them stay with me? Princess Cadenza wrote saying that they could easily stay with the Riches if I declined; but Trixie did ask for the library.”

“Well, do you honestly mind that much? I mean, a little generosity goes a long way; if you do this for them, then maybe they’ll invite you over and this dress I’m making for you won’t go unappreciated. Speaking of, I’ve narrowed it down to three main colours; this deep rich and luxurious carmine red, this soft and sophisticated heliotrope purple, or how about this exotic and calming Persian green?”

“Well, I do have a soft spot for purple.”

“Darling, we’re grown mares, we’re not supposed to have favourite colours. Oh, but yes, perhaps start deeper to offset the coat, travelling lighter, maybe highlights, matching flame trimming? No, wait. Yes! Oh, Ideaaaaa!” Rarity had dashed off out of the room, most likely to gather her sketch pad and a pencil; leaving Sunset standing there with, of all colours, orange fabric pinned to her frame.

Sunset waited all of an additional ten seconds before a simple teleport got her out of the trapping fabric, and then an additional minute for Rarity to come back from wherever she went to. She didn’t return. With a shrug of her shoulders Sunset made her way back to the Golden Oak Library.

The walk did help focus her mind on the situation, and honestly Rarity was right. While a slight pain, and would certainly hinder her excursions into the Everfree Forest; having the Royal family be in your debt, even such a minor one, is a far greater boon. “No, I can’t think like that. Rarity has the better idea; a little generosity out of the goodness of my heart will give me more in the end.” Determined on her course Sunset sped up her return, she had a letter to write.

“I can’t believe everything about our plans working out. I mean we don’t even have a guard escort or anything?” Came the happy, if surprised, voice of the small dragon sitting across from Trixie.

Currently the two of them were sitting in their own compartment of the train car as it trundled happily across the country side heading down the southern rail to Dodge City. They weren’t going that far, their actual stop was one of the earlier ones, but the train itself would continue on without them.

“Well, of course. Who would dare to oppose the Princess’s personal student and her fearsome assistant? Seriously though, it’s Ponyville. I doubt anyone there even steals candy from little foals.”

“Well there was that report from Rambling Rock Ridge.”

“What report?”

Spike’s eyes widened larger than saucers, “Forget I said anything, please! I wasn’t supposed to hear anything; but Cadance and Shining Armour were talking about it as they were watching me one evening.”

“Well you’re going to have to tell me now. Come on Spike, I promise I won’t tell anypony whatever it is you heard. But it could be useful to us to make sure we’re safe.”

“Sigh, all right; for our protection, but please don’t say a word to anyone. And I mean anyone, not just anypony. Apparently there was a huge Diamond Dog den under there; with signs of ponies being captured, including a set of bloody hoofprints. Of the whole pack less than a dozen were found alive; I don’t know about all of them, but a lot of the bodies had inconsistent but fatal wounds from a cave in. Shining is almost certain that the cave in was a cover up; hiding a mass murder, if not a genocide case.”

Trixie’s eyes were as wide as Spike’s were a moment ago. “What about magic signatures? Anything like that, to say if a pony did it?”

“I don’t know, they never said anything along those lines; but I’d guess from their frustration that they couldn’t get anything like that.”

“When was this? Do you know when it happened?”

“I don’t know that ether. But I overheard them at least two, three weeks ago and they were frustrated then; so I’d guess it happened well over a month ago. I do know they think whoever did it was a group from out of town, and have probably long gone by now though.”

That part of the news spread relief throughout Trixie’s body, though there still was a hint of tension in her shoulders. “That’s good to hear, but we’ll both be a little on guard just to be certain, we’re on our own after all.”

“What about who we’re staying with? I bet she could help us if we were in trouble.”

“Who, Sunset Shimmer? She’s the town’s librarian Spike. Please, I bet even you could take her without using your fire.”

“Well she did agree to let us stay with her and to offer you some advice on magic. Even Aunt Celestia was favourable with the idea of us staying with her when she found out.”

“She’s probably over fifty and has read all the publicly available books on magic. She may have useful things to say to me on the theory of magic, but I doubt anything else.”

“Well looks like we’re about to find out. I think the next stop is Ponyville.”

“Sunset Shimmer,

“I am writing this letter to you to thank you for housing my student and her friend Spike during their time in Ponyville; I hope you all get along and possibly even become friends.

“As a personal request, could you act to protect them both should the need arise? After all there was that incident in Rambling Rock Ridge recently that my guards are still on edge over. Whoever did such a heinous thing to so many living beings was a professional of extraordinary talent; and one who I hope had a justifiable reason for such an act. I would have preferred such a threat captured and relocated.

“I have also been informed that you have graciously offered to give my student a pointer or two in magic during her stay. While I very much appreciate you offering to give Trixie a helping hoof; keep in mind she is a civilian and as such has not had the experiences you have had to go through, nor the requirements of some of your more effective spells.

“They shall be with you on the afternoon train of the twelfth. If you could be so kind as to meet them at the train station with your friends and welcome them to Ponyville, it would be greatly appreciated.

“Yours sincerely,

Princess Celestia

P.S – While Spike is indeed a dragon and does require gem stones in his diet, a few days without them won’t harm him in any way, so do not fear in the expense of catering for a dragon.

Sunset snorted at that post scrip addition from Celestia’s message. Rarity was gracious enough to show Sunset her gem hunting spell; a quick trip to the quarry and she had over a week’s supply of gems for the little dragon.

The bigger issue was that Princess Celestia knew what she had done to that pack of Diamond Dogs, and Sunset couldn’t decide if it was praise or a stern talking too. Sure she sounded disappointed in her actions, but at the same time she praised her talents and professionalism. This was certainly a letter she couldn’t show to her friends. This was a side of herself that they did not need to know.

In the end she shrugged her shoulders and left it as a mixture of the two; good job on removing the threat, but next time be quieter about it. Sunset was sure she was missing something obvious, but it escaped her.

Then there was that comment about Trixie being a civilian; she was personally trained by Princess Celestia, she was not a civilian. However, this might be a test to show a gentler side. After all Princess Celestia knew everything Trixie was taught; if she suddenly starts firing off Searing Lances everywhere, she would know who taught her those. Not that Sunset would teach her such a prestigious spell. ‘Hmm, well whatever I teach her will depend on what she knows. Perhaps just to look at spells another way? I’ll figure it out after I see what she can do.’

At this moment in time she was waiting at the train station for the afternoon train to roll up, along with her friends. When they heard it was a personal request from Princess Celestia herself, they all more than happily came with her; if for their own personal reasons.

“I’ve never met a baby dragon before, Sunset. I hope he’s as sweet as your book says he is.”

“He’s a dragon, Fluttershy. I bet he’s super cool and can breathe fire! It’s a shame he hasn’t got any wings, I wanna see how well I do against one; bet I’m faster than any dragon.”

“Rainbow, this is not a competition! This is the prelude to the Summer Sun Festival. Both Spike and Trixie Lulamoon will be here interviewing ponies to help setup and work the festival. If things go well for me, then I may be invited to assist them in decorating the Grand Galloping Gala one of these days.”

“Rarity, you might not be asked to decorate Ponyville, let alone the Gala. But there ain’t no way they’ll not ask the Apple family to help with the catering. Between our ciders to our apple pies, they can’t say no to at least something.”

“I just can’t wait for them to get here! I’ve got their Welcome to Ponyville surprise party all set up and ready for them at the library. There’s even some gem encrusted cupcakes for Spike. Thanks for the tipoff Sunset but I already knew. Oh, but thanks for supplying the gems. It’s not a proper Welcome to Ponyville surprise party of it doesn’t contain super-duper tasty cupcakes for one of them.”

“Not a problem Pinkie; as their host it is my duty to look out for them where I can, and these small gestures will go a long way with that. Anyway judging by the attitude of the staff around the platform, I’m guessing the trains almost here.” Sure enough a whistle was heard just out of sight, clearly indicating a train was inbound.

“Aurgh, finally! Two hours sitting on a train; it feels good to finally be able to move around properly. Now where’s that long in the tooth librarian; she’s supposed to meet us at the station. Don’t tell me she’s going senile as well.” A few ponies got on the train at the station, but apart from that there was no sign of the librarian; just a group of mares around her own age hanging about.

The pink one of the group’s head suddenly zeroed in on the two of them, and was obviously about to launch herself right towards them; were it not for one pony who put a hoof in front of her to stall the charge. She was a tall and athletically built unicorn with an amber coloured coat; the most striking thing about her was her mane and tail. For all intense and purpose they could have been on fire and no one would have been able to tell the difference. Her mane even flickered like fire when the wind caught it.

“Hey Trixie, I think I recognise her. I saw her at Donut Joe’s a good while ago. Yeah, that’s right. I was with Shining and he showed me my mum’s favourite donut. If I remember right she was waiting for a train to Ponyville.”

“And this is interesting why?”

“Well, she must be at least a little important if Shining was checking her out.”

“…Spike when we get back to the castle I think it’s time you asked your granddad about the birds and the bees. Maybe even Princess Cadance.”

“Well whoever she is, she’s coming this way.”

“Huh?” Sure enough, the tall amber mare was heading right towards them, with a slight smile on her face.

“Hi, you must be Spike and Trixie Lulamoon. My name’s Sunset Shimmer and I am the librarian here in Ponyville. I hope you had a pleasant journey here. I was asked by Princess Celesita to be here for you with some of my friends; they’re right over there if you want to meet them. We’ll take you to the Golden Oak Library where you can freshen up. I’m afraid it may be a little, humble, compared with what you’re probably use too.”

Trixie had stopped listening early into the introduction. “You’re the librarian of Golden Oaks Library?”

“Umm, yes. I just finished introducing myself to that effect. Would you like me to assist you with your luggage?” Without even a change in her posture, the luggage that sat next to the two travellers was suddenly glowing a deep raspberry pink and was floating in the air. “Come on now, follow me and I’ll introduce you to my friends. They’ll all be happy to assist you if you need help.

“Here we have Rarity, seamstress extraordinaire,” the purple maned unicorn bowed in greeting. “Beside her is Rainbow Dash, fastest sky clearer in Equesria,” the blue coated Pegasus waved a wing at the two. “This is Applejack, of Sweet Apple Acers,” the blond maned earth pony tipped her Stetson in greetings. “This is Fluttershy, a timid soul who loves animals,” the yellow Pegasus poked an eye out and said a small hello. “And last but not least, the party pony to end all party ponies, Pinkie Pie.” The pink earth pony was positively vibrating with excitement. “Excuse the introductions, but some of them asked for their own personal one.” Sunset clearly felt these personal introductions where not needed, but went along with them for her friends.

Trixie didn’t know how to handle all this so simply went with a polite hello. A few hooves where shaken, a hug from the Pink pie pony; and they were all wondering through the small town towards the library.

She did notice that Spike was staring intensely at the pure white unicorn with the purple mane, Rarity if she remembered correctly. ‘No not intensely, ooh has someone’s got a crush?!’ As for everypony else, they were acting more like tour guides, pointing out nice places, and where they would most likely be setting up the stage for next year. Honestly it was a little too much for the first day; all she was looking forward to was a hot bath, a good meal and a quiet night.

“And there’s the Golden Oak Library. Not the biggest library by far, but I’d imagine one of the strangest.” The group of mares and a baby dragon had just walked through the centre of town, and had finally reached their destination.

“Sunset, that’s a tree. A very big tree I’ll admit…with a balcony, and windows, and a door sticking out of the trunk. Wait, are you actually saying that the name of the library is literal?”

“Pretty much, yeah. It’s a living, magical, oak tree. We’re into fall, and the leaves are all still in place; just turned into bold reds and golden yellows. Apparently it’ll stay like this until spring where the leaves turn back into vibrant greens. I’ve not been here long enough to see it myself, but so far I can believe it. Well, are you ready?”

“Oh, yes I was just thinking of having a quiet evening.”

“Ah, about that. Well, Pinkie’s got a little surprise for you.”

“Oh, is that so. Wait, where is she anyway? I’ve not seen her for a little bit.”

“She ran on ahead to get your surprise ready. So why don’t you go on in with Spike and I’ll go help her out.” Trixie was a little sceptical, but Sunset’s face didn’t move at all; it still had the gentle half smile on it and appeared to not have a care in the world. Honestly it could have been a princess mask for all Trixie knew.

With a slight shrug of her shoulders, Trixie walked up to the door along with Spike and Sunset right behind them. She opened the door to the library.

“SURPRISE!”

“Yeah, when I said a little surprise, it’s more like a quarter of the town here to welcome you two to Ponyville. This is your ‘Welcome to Ponyville Surprise Party.’ Oh, and before you say anything this, apparently, is normal; even I had one.”

Trixie just let out a small groan.

Chapter. 17 – Settling In

Chapter. 17 – Settling In

Honestly the party was good; the games were fun, if a little childish. The food was also tasty, if simple. The ponies were polite and friendly and overall not total country bumpkins. Just, mostly. In the best way possible of course.

But as the afternoon turned to evening, the party goers slowly trickled out until all that remained the host, and her two guests.

“So Trixie, Spike; how did you enjoy the party?” Sunset asked as she was washing the few remaining pieces of utensils used at the party. Her two guests were seated on a blue two seater couch; it was a simple and honest fabric couch that had clearly been there for some time. It was situated in front of a plane wooden table where two mugs rested half full and a bowl that contained a selection of apples. Sitting by the wall just beyond the head of the coffee table was a cast iron log burner; with a large glass window showing wood set up and waiting for a spark.

“It was fun! Especially those crusaders, they were a blast. But Miss Shimmer, where did you guys get all those gems for me? Those cupcakes were delicious.”

“There’s a quarry not too far from here that has a nice selection of them. When I accepted that you two were going to stay here, I had my friend Rarity teach me a spell of her own creation; it tracks down gems. It took me all of half a day to get you enough gems to last you a week. Hopefully.”

“Well how thoughtful of you.” The blue unicorn’s face was neutral but her horn was glowing as she brought her mug up and took a small drink; the effect could almost have been intimidating.

“Thanks Trixie, but this is my first time hosting anyone here for this long; so I wanted to get everything set for you.”

“So you’ve hosted before?”

“Only once, and it was only for a few hours, but they left smiling; so I think I did well. So, shall I give you what’s left of the tour of the place and then allow you two to fully settle in. There’s still a couple of hours of daylight if you want to explore the town more; though do not go into the forest to the south. That’s the Everfree Forest and it is not a safe place to go, even during the middle of the day.” With the last of the dishes dried and put back where they belonged, Sunset had walked over to where her two guests were seated.

“I can handle anything that that forest can throw at me.”

That raised an eyebrow from Sunset. “I’ll be the judge of that. There’s a lot in there that even I’d hesitate to directly fight.”

“Well that just says so much about your magic training. If you’d have gone to Celestia’s School for gifted Unicorns, then maybe you’d feel a little more confident in your prowess.” Gone was the neutral expression on Trixie’s face and it was now replaced with a frown. The mug was back down on the coffee table, forgotten, as her focus was directed at the amber coated mare in front of her.

“Unlikely, my mentor and Masters trained me very well. I don’t see how a school, no matter how good, could be better than one to one training. You should agree with me, being the Princess’s personal student.”

“While I do agree with you in theory; Celestia’s school is second only to her personal teachings. Your fear of the Everfree is proof of that.”

“I respect the Everfree Forest.”

“Then why are you telling Trixie not to go in there!”

Sunset raised an eyebrow at the mare who had just spoken in third person. Her eyes trailed over to the little dragon to see his reaction; he had placed his claws into his face. ‘Huh, this must happen often. Or is it her attitude that he’s embarrassed about?’ “Because there are Ursa Major’s in there for one thing, as well as a number of other star beasts. As another point the forest can hamper your ability to cast magic if you allow it.”

“Just admit it; you’re afraid of that forest.” Trixie had leaned back into the couch’s cushions and had crossed her forehooves over her barrel.

“Only a fool would say they are not afraid of the Everfree Forest. I’ve been in there numerous times and I can tell you it is not a walk in the park” ‘…For most ponies anyway.’ “Why are you angry all of a sudden anyway?”

“You think you know better than Trixie.”

“About the Everfree Forest? Yes. About magic? I don’t know, but probably…Ah I get it, this is stemming from my offer to show you a thing or two about magic isn’t it. I wrote that to Princess Cadenza when she mentioned that you still had studies to do and would need at least an hour every evening for them. I just thought you’d prefer something more practical than books.”

“There is nothing you can teach Trixie.” gone was the crossed forehooves over her barrel; replaced by leaning towards the still standing unicorn.

“I bet there are lots of things I can teach you, just as I bet there are a few things you can teach me.”

“Duel me!” the statement was emphasised by a moderate impact of a hoof hitting the coffee table.

“Excuse me?” for a clearly surprised statement, there was little reaction on Sunsets face. Not even a blink of an eye.

“If you think you have anything of value to Trixie, then prove it in a Mage’s Duel.”

“…Look I bet you’re tired. Just calm down and relax tonight. Have a bath, do your homework, or whatever; and if you still feel that way in the morning them maybe I will duel you. Sigh, I’ll leave you alone for now.

“The stairs keep going up to the bedroom; and further still to an observation deck where my telescope is setup and ready to use for star gazing; feel free. You too Spike. That door there is the bathroom, and that concludes the tour of this place. I’ll be down stairs in the main library area or in the basement, which is the door beside the stairs. Have a pleasant evening.” And with that Sunset trotted out of the living area and down the stairs.

“Trixie what was that all about?” Spike had waited several seconds to make sure that Sunset had left before confronting the blue unicorn.

“Sigh, pride Spike, nothing but pride; maybe tiredness and travel stress too. She has to be the same age as me, but she’s already done with her education; so it was either not as good as what I’m getting, or she’s a genius. The way she talks and holds herself says the latter.” Trixie had the decency to look ashamed of how she handled the situation.

“Perhaps you should go apologise? I mean she is our host while we stay here. It would make things easier if we can all work together; especially if she can help us find out the reason why aunt Celestia wants to have the celebration here. Chuckle, though to be honest those cupcakes were really good; perhaps we were a little hasty in brushing off that theory about the Princess having the celebration at places with good bakeries. Those apple pies too were something special.”

Trixie let out a small giggle at Spike’s antics; somehow he’d improved her mood with just those few sentences. “I’ll apologise in the morning. But right now I think we both could do with a little space right now; I’m just not use to having such a peer around me. Well the offer was there so I’m going to have that bath I’ve been promising myself since we set off.”

“Well I’m going down there. If nothing else I wouldn’t mind seeing what’s available in this library; maybe they have some comics.” Trixie just smiled before heading towards the door that led to the bathroom, leaving Spike to his antics.

Spike retraced his steps back to the stairs and headed down them to the main floor. Halfway down, however, Spike was stopped dead in his tracks with the sight he was witnessing; Sunset Shimmer was cleaning up the main floor of the library using her magic. In one of the most convoluted ways he’d ever seen.

All the moveable furniture was currently suspended in the air while black rubbish bags were getting filled with the leftover debris of the party. Once filled the black bags were tied off before settling down by the main entrance. Finally to make this impressive display of magic even more so, there was a mop going around washing down the floors. And there in the middle of it all was Sunset Shimmer deep in concentration.

Spike thought he was being quiet but apparently not quite enough, as she half turned to face him; a slight smile working its way on her face. It looked suspiciously natural for how much work she was currently doing. “Hello Spike, is there something I can help you with?”

“Well I can see why you weren’t worried about tiding up after everyone left. Did you expect an argument with Trixie and planned to use this as a way to vent your frustrations?” He continued down to the main floor and couldn’t help but marvel at the display.

“No not at all. I planned to do this tonight after you both went to bed; this is just a convenient use of my time right now.” Her voice held the strain of effort, but she could clearly still talk to him while maintaining everything.

“This is quite an impressive display of magic; all the different sizes and weights of the items you’ve got within your Telekenetic grip, and none of them hitting each other. On top of that you’re also manipulating a mop to go over the floor; you’ve definitely have the Telekinesis spell down to an art.” ‘It’s impressive but nothing that students from Princess Celestia’s school couldn’t learn to achieve.’

Sunset’s forehead was beginning to glisten slightly, even through her fur; but her face remained un-phased and was still smiling lightly, it was a little unnerving. “This is not Telekinesis; but you should go see Rarity if you want to witness that spell as an art form. While she cannot lift excessive masses; her control of multiple objects, precision and finesse are almost mesmerising to watch.”

Spike scratched his head in confusion. “What do you mean this is not Telekinesis? You’re clearly moving objects around. What, you’ve invented a slight variation on the spell? Or are you doing a three way split with the Levitation spell; something that is almost impossible to do?”

“Grunt, technically this is only a two point five split. The furniture is only being suspended and nothing else.”

Spike was now looking at this unicorn in disbelief. “Seriously, you’re using Levitation? Most every scholar agrees that after two times your focus is too split to be able to concentrate on what you’re doing, and the spell collapses. I think there has literally been only a clawful of unicorns in all of recorded history, who have managed to demonstrate a three way split on the spell.

“And that is definitely a three way split; you’re talking to me while you work and you’re making sense. But why bother going through all this though? You’re not saving any extra time, and it must be so much harder than just using Telekinesis.”

By now all the rubbish had been gathered by the door and the floor had been mopped. Slowly and carefully the furniture was returned to its rightful place and a proud sound of tired accomplishment escaped her mouth. “I am trying to learn how to duel cast.”

Spike was once more confused by the mare in front of him. “Aren’t you kind of doing that already with that spell; and there are other spells that cast multiple times easily, like Telekinesis, or Major Image. Wait, that’s not what you meant, is it? You want to actually cast two different spells at once; you want to, like, Teleport and Levitate at the same time don’t you?”

“Well done, Spike. Yes that is what I’m aiming for. Not that combination of spells specifically but close.”

An old forgotten warmth developed within Spike at the praise, but he was too distracted by the rest of her statement to fully notice. “Now that is definitely impossible; what, are you hiding a second horn somewhere?”

“My theory is that you do not need a second focus. Spells such as the ones you were first describing already exist and work well together with only a single magical focus; I believe that it is the mind that is the problem. Currently I’m trying several things and hoping that at least one of them works.

“Enough about that though, down here’s finally cleared up and ready for tomorrow. Are you down here looking for a book? I do believe we have some comics as well if you’re looking to relax. Just the basic ones I’m afraid; those enchanted ones I feel are too dangerous for kids to handle.”

Spike was really tempted with the comics and to just relax the rest of the day away; but he knew their time here was limited. “I don’t suppose you have a history of the town available do you?”

“Why yes I do. There’s quite a few of them, all within the local section here. Most have been donated by the Apple family, since they’re the ones who founded the town; with permission from Princess Celestia of course.”

“You don’t say. Well thank you for your help; I’ll just pick one and see what I find.” Walking up to the section that was being pointed out to him; Spike grabbed the first book that sounded promising, before making his way back up the stairs to the living area.

Near the top of the stairs he paused and looked back down to the main area of the library where his host was now occupying herself with a book. It was held in a single forehoof as she walked about as a biped like it was nothing; the other forehoof gently scratching the base of her muzzle lazily.

‘Is she trying to mimic the way I walk? Trying to annoy me by walking around like that? No, that’s not it. If that were true then she would be wobbling, or have even fallen over by now; her posture and balance looks really good, she’s not even using her tail as a counterbalance. No, she’s been doing this for a long time. Perhaps not quite long enough for it to have become second nature, but she’s still comfortable standing like that. Geez, if she’s able to do all that magic from before and still able to balance like that without gasping for air; then I hope Trixie decides against that duel.’

He shook her head a little before continuing up the stairs towards the residential part of the tree. But try as he might there was something about that mare that Spike just could not leave alone.

‘There’s something seriously strange about all this; no way is she just a librarian. She’s clearly smart and is succeeding in achieving magical feats thought impossible; she’s also got the magic to back up her words. Is she a secret agent or something? I mean Celestia was only slightly hesitant letting us stay with her; that alone tells me that she knows this pony, and even sees her in a good light…Especially without an escort.’ His eyes widened with realisation as he plopped back down onto the simple, but comfortable couch; the book still held in his clawed hand.

‘Normally, if Trixie goes anywhere she’s got at least two royal guards along with her, even myself if I’m going anywhere. But all of a sudden we don’t when we’re supposed to be staying with a stranger? No, I’m not buying that; Celestia knows Sunset Shimmer and trusts her too, at least to some extent. I suppose the question is how? I’ve never seen her at the castle and I know Shining doesn’t recognise her, so she’s not a part of the guard. Urppp-’

A particularly large and long belch of emerald fire came straight out of his mouth and from ashes formed many sheets of paper, with the top one rolled into a scroll addressed to Trixie. Looking the scroll over he saw the wax seal securing the message was of Princess Celestia’s cutie mark; this was all from her. The letter was for Trixie and judging from the small frowny face next to her name; it was not a social call.

Looking over all of the other papers it became clear what all this was; it was all of the assignments that Princess Celestia went out of her way to write up for Trixie specifically for this trip.

With a small shake of his head Spike extracted himself from the surprisingly comfortable couch, and made his way to the bathroom door; taking his reading material with him.

“Hey Trixie,” Spike asked as he calmly knocked on the door. He waited for the hum of acknowledgment; clearly she had already gotten into the steaming water. “I’m just letting you know that you received a letter from Princess Celestia. It’s nothing that needs an immediate reply, so don’t rush your bath over it. I’ve left it on the coffee table for you. I’m gonna go find a quiet place to read.” He waited just long enough for a reply before taking the staircase further up the tree. Sunset did say there was a nice star gazing platform at the top didn’t she?

Her library was quiet; it sounded like the young dragon had ventured further up the tree and she had already heard the faint sound of running water. With both of her guests occupied for what sounded like the foreseeable future, Sunset opened the door that led to her basement.

Due to the library only having one bedroom, she would be sleeping down here.

The wooden staircase continued its curving path around the primary root system of the tree; as the surprisingly large storage area of the library opened itself up, after descending half the staircase.

It was quite a large basement with a high ceiling and almost had the same floor space as the main floor. The walls were still made out of the tree, but there were thick roots systems meandering along them like support beams; before they buried themselves into the final layer of floorboards. A few small windows were scattered around the ceiling to give what little natural light they could.

Laid out near the stairs was a thickly padded white futon covered in a grass green duvet; all set and ready for her to sleep on. She walked past her resting place, heading towards the back of the room; where a few boxes were stacked on top of one another obscuring the wall they sat in front of.

A quick sweep of her magic aura revealed her destination.

Stuck at head height was a very large cork board holding a map of Equestria right in the centre; with smaller maps of Equestria’s external provinces positioned at the outer edges.

Every main city was skewed with a pin, and each pin had a sister securing a sheet of paper. Each piece of paper held place names and dates; some of which had crosses in front of the names. Each set of matching pins were connected together by a piece of uniquely coloured thread.

Sitting to the left of this board was a table, with its surface set up to be a very comfortable writing desk. There was a book set to one side, as well as everything needed to write and send letters to ponies. In between all the stationery and the book, was a blank working space revealing the tables wooden top.

This is Sunset’s work station for her most important project; this was her work station finding out her past life. This was the place where she would find her child.

When she first set out on this endeavour of hers, Sunset knew it would be difficult; that it would be full of papers that she would have to go through. What she did not expect was all this resistance from the orphanages.

She had reached out to all of the orphanages in Vanhoover, stating her name and asking if she had been an orphan there. They had all replied back, none of them had records of her.

This confused sunset a little, so she broadened her request to other cities and their respective orphanages, trying to find her home city.

It has already taken a lot longer than she wanted it to, and not just because the postal service was a slow bloated behemoth. Gathering sufficient information from each city to ensure that she does not miss an orphanage is quite the challenge. Then there was the individual research of each orphanage, before finally composing the correct correspondence to get the information that Sunset was looking for; namely if she use to live at said orphanage.

Then it was a waiting game to see what the response was. So far not a single one had any knowledge of who she was; if the letters she received back from the orphanages were to be believed.

Overall she’s sent letters to what she would guess was around a third of the orphanages in all of Equestria; not a small amount to be sure, but statistically it was still early days in her search.

The thought of just asking her masters the name of her orphanage did filter its way to the front of her mind; however she was determined to find out on her own. Besides, her masters had never once mentioned the name before, perhaps it was a final test for her; discover her old life from before Predator. Show that she was capable of tracking down ponies with almost nothing to go on.

Settling down to work, Sunset gathered her book and started to take notes for the next orphanage she was getting into contact with. The book itself was a listing of companies within Los Pegasus, and what they did. It was slow and meticulous work going through it and collecting the names of every orphanage.

It was not quite an hour of work later when she heard a frightened scream coming from the upper floors of her tree.

Sunset’s head shot up to the ceiling with a frown. Nothing had set of any of her wards protecting the library tree; however as a good host, and as a request from Princess Celestia herself, she wasn’t about to take any chances.

Leaping into a battle ready stance Sunset cast her Teleport to the living area of the tree; the last place she had seen her guests.

“What, what’s wrong?” A quick scan of the room told Sunset that nothing significant had changed in the time that she had been gone. None of the windows appeared to be damaged, there were no scorch marks to indicate an attack; everything looked fine. The only thing out of place was a small stack of paper sitting on the coffee table.

Sitting on the couch was her guest Trixie. Well not sitting so much as trying to scrunch up into the couch’s corner closest to her log burner. She was currently staring fearfully in Sunset’s direction; while resting innocently next to her, on the other large cushion of the blue couch, was a scroll of parchment.

The tapping of clawed footsteps could be heard running as quickly as they could from the stairwell leading up the tree; however they appeared to be getting louder instead of quieter.

‘Must be the baby dragon, Spike, coming to see what was wrong as well.’ Sunset thought as she slowly started to relax her four legged combat stance; her ears still swivelling around, still trying to detect if there was anything amiss.

“Trixie, are you all right? I heard you screaming all the way from the basement.” Sunset asked the scared mare, who was trying her best to squeeze in between the couch cushions.

“Oh, she’s finally gotten around to reading Princess Celestia’s letter. From the little frowny face I saw on the scroll, I’m guessing she wasn’t happy finding all of Trixie’s assignments still in the castle.” The smirk that graced the young dragon’s face told of an interesting story, one Sunset may ask about another time.

But from what he had said, Sunset was slowly piecing together the chain of events. “Let me guess. Princess Celestia, I don’t know, went into Trixie’s room and found all these assignments still resting on her work desk. Assignments that the Princess had taken time out of her very busy schedule to bulk draft for her pupil, so that she keeps up with her studies while out of the castle.

“Felling a little miffed she somehow sends it all the way here with a note attached stating, what, that before she left it would have been ok if only half of them were completed upon her return. Now Trixie has to complete all of them by the time she returns to the castle, or there will be a punishment of some sort.”

As Sunset was stating her finding’s Spike had continued crossing the room towards the couch. Picking up the note left abandoned on the large blue cushion; he gave the royal letter a quick read. That Trixie hadn’t already snatched it out of his paws, told him it was ok to read; or that she was still in shock.

“Wow, not too far off Sunset. Celestia did go into Trixie’s quarters after a tip off from one of the maids about the stack of paper. She sent everything through me thanks to the Fire Sending spell along with this note stating, you guessed it, that all the assignments are now due upon her return to Canterlot. Well Trixie, at least you’re in a library.”

“Indeed Spike. Trixie, you have total access to all the materials in the library. If we don’t have what you may need, then just tell me and I’ll get them from Canterlot; though they will need a day to get here for a rushed order. And when you’re ready to ask, I’m also here to help.

“However I think my help is not yet wanted; so I’ll leave you alone. Spike, how high can you cast your fire breath?”

“What? Oh, umm pretty high. A few meters at least.”

“Perfect. I am going to go for a walk to allow Trixie a nice peaceful environment to work in. Spike, if I’m needed please launch your fire from the top of the tree as high as you can. I’ll see it and teleport back here in an instant.

“I’ll let you know when I return and I shall also setup your bed, Spike, down here; but other than that I’ll see you both in the morning for breakfast. Speaking of which, if you want, help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you need to; there’s coffee, breakfast tea, as well as jasmine tea, and coffee. Not to mention all the leftovers in the fridge.”

With everything set, and the mention of pleasant dreams; Sunset teleported herself to destinations unknown.

“Woah, Hey Trixie did you see that; Sunset just teleported right out of here. I didn’t even hear it cast, or anything. Well, I guess that proves she’s not all talk, eh Trixie. Trixie? Hey, are you all right? Come on, sure you forgot to take your assignments with you, and now have a third more work than you were expecting; but that’s no reason to have a panic attack?”

Spike was a little worried at Trixie’s lacklustre response; he climbed up onto the couch right next to Trixie, waving his paw in front of her face.

This finally got a response. Trixie released a shudder and shook her head rapidly before locking her eyes onto Spike’s. “Spike that Sunset Shimmer is no normal mare. Her teleports are silent!”

“Well, yeah I noticed that just now. She didn’t make a noise when she teleports–”

“No noise? No noise! Spike, there was no magical build up when she teleported! Everypony emits magic when they teleport; both at their destination and their starting location. The magic joining the two places vibrates like a string and is something magic users are able to detect with the right training. But hers were silent! No vibration of magic when she teleports! No magical build up at her destination! That’s impossible!”

“Well clearly it’s not; she just did it, twice.”

“Well it’s supposed to be impossible! Even Princess Celestia can’t do something like that.” Trixie was breathing heavily, her mane had hairs springing out of position and her eyes had an almost manic look to them.

“Uh, look I’ll go get a pot of that jasmine tea on for you. Why don’t you calm down, do some of those breathing exercises that Cadance showed you. Then we’ll tackle your assignments together; try and get a few of them done tonight, ok?” Spike didn’t wait for a response; he leapt off the couch and quickly made his way over to the kitchen area and started rummaging for the tea pot.

Maybe he should stay quiet about what he saw Sunset Shimmer trying to accomplish down in the main library area.

Chapter. 18 – Calm Skies

Chapter. 18 – Calm Skies

The ornate wooden door was slammed open, hammering into the expensive panelling of a princess’s bedroom. So much force was applied to the door it would have been ripped from its hinges, were it not built with an alicorn in mind.

The powerful unicorn stallion took no notice; he continued his ponderous destructive pace. Thundering hoof steps were striking down on the polished wooden floor as a black smith would with their hammer upon the anvil.

With a predatory leap the white furred stallion launched himself at his target, burying his muzzle deep within the soft tender textures. He bellowed a war cry fill with both pain and frustration in equal measures, before tearing his face away. One of his forehooves was brought to bear and struck down again and again, the innards of his victim coming forth quickly and messily.

It was a gruesome sight, made even worse as the muzzle dove back into the stricken foe; where this time it stayed buried deep and getting covered in the delicate stuffing.

Noise was heard from the doorway, but if the predator took notice he did not show it; too busy in his own world of anger and frustration, the kill having done nothing to extinguish the burn of his emotions.

“So, has destroying one of our pillows calmed you down at all?” The voice was calm but filled with both understanding and frustration of its own. It has seen this alpha male rend the life out of a helpless inanimate object before and knows the answer.

“…No.” It was clear from the voice that he did not want to respond to his own alpha standing by the door; even muffled by the feathers and cloth that his latest victim was made out of. He knew not answering would get him nowhere.

There was a clear resigned sigh before the tell-tale noise of hooves calmly walking over polished hardwood could be heard. The noise was soon muffled as the prime alpha’s hooves transferred to the large plush rug that the king sized bed rested upon.

The whole surface he lay upon started to rock and move as his alpha climbed onto the firm, supportive surface. Still he did not remove his face from his quarry; though how the rest of his body was acting, it wasn’t hard for his wife to see that he was hurting. Forehooves covering his head, shoulders tense, even his tail was trying to hide between his legs –currently splayed out and resting flat against the duvet covering the mattress, much like the rest of him.

The softest of feather coverings blanketed his back, with it the calming sent that only one being in all of creation wielded. A hoofed limb followed the feather blanket, resting on his shoulders and giving him a gentle squeeze. These actions soothed the savage beast. These small affectionate actions told him that he wasn’t alone; that there was someone else feeling as frustrated as he was currently.

He let out a long suffering sigh into the beaten pillow.

“Come on Shiny. I know this investigation has not gone as you wanted it to go; but you shouldn’t take it out on the defenceless furniture.”

“Better a helpless pillow than antagonising Eye Spy or her team again.” The voice was muffled –Shining Armor still hadn’t pulled his face out of the beaten pillow– but it was clear it held the air of frustration. “I mean it’s been months; we’ve looked though all of the official records of every single orphanage in Equestria and cannot find a single trace of this Sunset Shimmer.

“What’s worse is that there is no consistency with the reporting. And it was all legal and hiding a much more immediate problem that needs our attention.” He finally takes his face away from the mutilated pillow to look into his wife’s loving eyes. His own furrowed brow relaxing more with every moment that passes, just looking into the eyes of his loving wife.

“I know Shining; I was there and saw it just as you did. That there have been so many different changes to their reporting paperwork in periods as small as a year; it really cannot mean their up to anything good. Eye Spy had no choice but to investigate these very questionable activities; the report is already in aunt Celestia’s hooves, along with a request for immediate assistance from the Royal Guard.

“Who knows, she may over rule our decision to change focus and bring us back to hunting down Sunset Shimmer’s background. But honestly I don’t believe so; these are just too blatantly questionable activities to ignore. Chuckle, who knew the downfall to so many nobles, would come from the hooves of orphans and their orphanages filling in adoption paperwork.”

Shining Armor did allow a small chuckle to escape his lips before his sour mood took over once more. His body was just as restless as before, but with his wife now present he could not take it out on the helpless pillows. He slipped out of her tender embrace and started to pace around the bed, his head shaking back and forth with the disturbing thoughts.

“Well, hopefully now Celestia will really see what we’ve both been trying to tell her. Geez, I can’t believe how big that number Eye Spy told us. At least five hundred missing colts and fillies throughout all of Equestria, spread out over the past twenty years. It’s a horrifying number.”

Cadance stood back up and joined her husband, stopping his pacing at the base of the bed that was large enough for a fully grown alicorn to rest upon.

“And those are just the new ones we’ve found out thanks to the initial findings of the investigation. Add that number to our own list of missing children, and the total is reaching into the six hundreds.” Cadance was starting to shake slightly, the quiver clearly heard in her own voice. “So many helpless children terrified, lost and probably alone out there. Oh, Shiny how could we have failed so many of them?”

It was Shining Armor’s turn to comfort his wife; bringing her into his strong forelegs, resting her head on his shoulder. “I don’t know, but the Nobles have a lot of explaining to do.

“It just felt like we were so close to restarting the hunt for her, and now this has popped up and no doubt delayed the search even more.”

Cadance simply hummed in agreement; her mind only half listening as she thought of all those young children being abandoned or lost in amongst the paperwork…lost or stolen?

“Shining, what if the missing orphans are not simply missing? What if they’ve been taken, stolen from what they knew?” She could feel Shining Armor tense up, his grip on her tightening and his breathing becoming steadily more ragged.

“What? Like what happened t, to Twily?” His grip on his alicorn wife was growing stronger still; holding onto her tighter than a pony desperately holds onto a life preserver. Small trails of smoke were beginning to rise up from his mane; his control slipping as the whiplash of emotions takes him in yet another direction. Cadance saw these warning signs and brought her wing up and wrapped it around him once more, using it to gently stroke his back. The trails of smoke were still there, but they did not appear to be getting any larger.

“Kidnappings are rare enough, rarer still th, that a filly is kidnapped. Now, we find all these other children missing, slipped through paperwork. What’s to say these events aren’t connected? Just like what you’ve been teaching me; I’m trying to find a motive to these strange occurrences?”

“If they’re both connected, then I may finally have a new angle to look for her.” Shining leaned out of the embrace a little; still holding onto his life line, but was now able to fully look into her eyes. Those tear stained portals to the soul had an ember of hope about them. “We might have finally found a new lead!”

He leaned in and kissed his wife with renewed life and passion. She returned it with a small hum of approval, before pulling out of it. “Now hold on, Shiny. This could be totally unrelated; it’s just a thought I had right this second.”

“Your right Cady, but still this is a legitimate connection that we have to keep in mind. Perhaps not right at this moment; but if things start to turn any more sinister, then it is something we can expand upon. Thank you Cady!”

Shining started to pull away, renewed determination pouring off of his frame; he was stopped, however, by the pink wings of his wife still wrapped around him. “Shining, you’ve been up for almost twenty hours now. Your emotions are everywhere and Eye Spy and her team are no doubt still angry at you for your outburst earlier. You need to stop and rest; maybe let out some steam.”

She was pulling him back towards the bed, her light blue magic working on the bed sheets, turning them down and removing the battered pillow. “You’ve been getting more and more worked up as this assignment has gone on; and now your emotions have whiplashed back to hope and happiness.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m the alicorn of love, I can see emotions. But I do not need those powers to see your left ear twitching, or feel the slight tremor travelling down your spine. Or that your mane is still emitting a small trail of smoke. I can read you like an open book and you, my dear husband, are going to have another breakdown unless you take some time to relax and calm down.”

With just the right amount of force; Shining Armor was launched into the air by the forehooves of his wife and sailed across the full length of the king sized bed. He landed with only a little too much force into the bed’s padded headboard, a gust of wind focused his mind before a pair of hungry lips claimed his.

“Why don’t you just sit back and let me help you unwind a little. Honestly, I could do with a little stress relief myself as well.” His wife’s magic aura activated once again and all the lights of the room were snuffed out. Shining Armor did not get much sleep that night, nor did his wife Cadance; though you’d not hear either of them complaining.

The sun rose over the small sleepy town of Ponyville; the sky was filled with patches of cloud and the wind was gusting with chilled air. Winter was very much around the corner today. Ponies of the town could be seen wearing a little more, trying to keep the chilled breaths of air off of themselves.

The market was set up and already serving the early risers of the town. It is where a fiery maned unicorn was browsing the stalls, though clearly waiting for somepony. She was one of the small number of ponies of the town who had not yet dived into at least some of her winter clothing.

“Howdy Sunset, don’t normally see you out and about this early. Did you forget to buy breakfast for you and your guests?” Applejack had just finished serving a smiling Mr. Carrot Cake –who waved with a “good morning” as he passed Sunset– and had now turned to the amber unicorn.

With a practiced flick of her hoof, Applejack sent an apple flying right towards the mare in question. As the apple flew through the air, it was surrounded by the unicorns raspberry coloured magic before any harm could befall the mare in question.

Sunset Shimmer took a generous bite of the apple; it was crisp and the flesh held a most satisfying crunch, before a small trail of juice trickled down her chin. She nodded in approval as she sent the required bits over to the blond maned farm mare.

“Morning Applejack; no I’ve think I have everything I need for my guests. They were still sleeping when I woke up, and not wanting to disturb them more than necessary, left after preparing some breakfast for them. Nothing too fancy; just some pancakes and toast with a pot of your zap apple jam. It’s all under a preserving spell to keep it all fresh and hot.”

“Not the jam I hope, Sugarcube. That jam curdles faster than milk on a hot day if it’s exposed to too much magic that’s not its own.”

“Don’t worry it’s not under the spell; it wasn’t hot so I didn’t bother. Actually I’m meeting Rarity and Fluttershy later for our weekly trip to the spa. I’m a little early, so to pass some time I’m doing the rounds of the market before seeing Rarity at her boutique.

“Have you ever thought of joining us? I can honestly say, as an athletic mare, that their sport’s massages do wonders. They’re not the most relaxing, but once you’re done, you feel soo much better. That and it’s a nice way for us to catch up. It’s a different experience than when you Rainbow and I get together for a run, or one of your Iron Mare contests. Or whatever party Pinkie Pie finds an excuse to invite us all too. What do you think?”

“I dunno, maybe once winter comes around and I’ve got a bit more free time on my hooves. But right now, with apple bucking season in full swing, I just ain’t got no time for a bit of pampering.” Sunset could see that Applejack was at least a little interested in the idea; but her duty to the farm clearly came first.

“Well, just keep it in mind. The day changes week to week to fit our schedules; so if you do have a free morning coming just double check it with Rarity. Also as I’ve said before, if you need a helping hoof on the farm –be it magical or not– just give me a shout.”

“As I’ve said I’ll keep that in mind. Now run along, you hear. You’re distracting me from my customers.” While it was said with a smile, there was just a hint of frustration appearing in her eyes. Sunset waved goodbye before trotting off to her next destination.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique; where everything is, oh Sunset good morning. I’m not late for our appointment, am I? I was sure I still had time.” Rarity was immaculate as always, regardless of a tape measure slung over her shoulders. Sunset honestly wondered why Rarity went through all the effort of tidying herself up, before going to the spa; where they stripped all of her work away just to apply their own polish.

“Morning Rarity; you’re not late, I’m a bit early. My guests were still sleeping and I didn’t want to disturb them so I came by ahead of schedule. I hope that is ok?” Sunset was presentable in her appearance, but her mane was a little dishevelled and her fur not quite up to the standard of the mare in front of her.

Rarity just smiled and led Sunset up the stairs to her work room. “Not a problem at all, darling. I was just doing some work on a few Nightmare Night costumes I’ve been commissioned to do.”

The two unicorn mares entered a large space covered in fabric of all colours and materials. A long work table by the room’s large double window held a few sheets of purple fabric, with chalk markings indicating places to cut.

“It is a little unusual for me to get commissioned for Nightmare Night costumes; but Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon both want to be princesses, and of course only the best for Filthy Rich’s little filly and her friend.

“Speaking of which, has the Mayor contacted you about helping out this year?” Rarities horn was glowing with her light blue magic, levitating a nearby pot of coffee and two cups over to her work station.

“Yeah she talked about it, but she’s already got all the volunteers she needs to escort the kids to the Nightmare statue. However she did ask if there was anything I could do magic wise to spice things up this year.” Sunset accepted the cup of coffee with practiced ease, before she started to add sugar.

“Well that sounds like a fantastic idea. Have you, giggle, conjured up any ideas for what you would do?”

“Well, you’ve got the standard spells for things like crating fog, making crow noises or even sending cold chills down ponies spines; but I feel like I should show off a little. Maybe I could animate piles of logs into Timber Wolves, or possibly enlarge a few spiders to web up the place? Oh, maybe I could make illusions of Nightmare Moon run about the place scaring everypony? What do you think, any of those sound good?”

“Well, that last thought may have some merit; perhaps even expand on the idea to include other myths like the Headless Pony for example.” Rarity gave a slight involuntary shudder at the thought of giant spiders running about the place. “Provided, of course, all these illusions are completely harmless and not so graphic that the little colts and fillies will have actual nightmares. Nightmare Night is meant to all be in good harmless fun.” Rarity blinked, “darling, are you sure you have quite enough sugar in your coffee?”

“Yes Rarity, thank you…unless you have any condensed milk? I’m not the biggest fan of coffee, too bitter, so I like to add a bit of sugar and even a little condensed milk to sweeten it up.”

“All right then. In future I shall remember to give you a cup of sugar so that you may add your desired amount of coffee to the cup, rather than the other way around. Though I do have to admit to be impressed with how, well, how much you have added without any of it spilling.” The sarcasm went right over Sunsets head as she delicately took a sip of her much sweetened coffee.

“So anyway, Sunset have you had a thought of what you’d like to dress up as? Perhaps dye your coat to those softer lavender colours you were wearing thanks to that dreadful Poison Joke flower incident? While the bat ears must have been a problem, the colours did look good on you. And of course those darker shades will certainly help you blend into the shadows more than your bright and striking mane and coat.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be doing any fur dyeing for my costume; I’m very allergic to most dyes I’ve put on my coat.”

“Oh my, even Goops All-Natural Dyes? They pride themselves of being totally natural and completely magic free.”

“It was their dye that I found out with. I got exposed to one of their month long dye’s as a filly; the next thing I know the worlds starting to spin before I find myself waking up in the medical wing. Don’t know what it is about those dyes in particular but they do not agree with me; the reaction was bad enough I’ve never even considered any other dyes since.”

“Oh dear, well I’m glad you had people around you who could help. I’m afraid I haven’t had anything nearly so traumatic as that happen to me, but–” whatever Rarity was about to say was silenced by the stampeding little filly unicorn barging her way into the work room.

“Rarity! I need your help! I can’t find my homework! I really did it this time. I spent hours last night doing it, but I can’t remember where I put it. Please! You gotta– Oh. Uhh, good morning Miss Shimmer. I didn’t know you were here.” It was quite the interesting sight for Sunset; seeing such an active and almost destructive force of nature suddenly becoming more timid than a rabbit.

Rarity, on the other hoof, let out a sigh of exasperation. “Excuse me a moment Sunset; I seem to be needed. Ok Sweetie lets retrace your steps last night and we’ll do it together.”

“But I’ve got no time! School’s starting soon! Can’t you write a note to Cheerilee saying that you saw me doing it?”

“Umm, perhaps I can be of assistance?”

“While that’s very kind of you Sunset, you do not know the layout of the carousel like we do and I suspect this might take some time.”

“Or, if Sweetie Belle can remember what it looks like I can use Scrying magic to help find it.”

Hope was blossoming within the young fillies eyes. “Yeah I remember exactly what it looks like! How are you going to do this magic.” The stampede started up once more and launched itself toward the amber unicorn; thankfully stopping before they collided.

“Well close your eyes and focus on your homework; get a good mental image of it. Can you picture it?” the filly nodded. “Good, now I’m placing my horn on your head, but keep that image of the homework in mind. Now I’ll just add a little magic; and voila.” Almost as soon as Sunset powered up her horn, sheets of paper appeared floating above her glowing horn’s tip.

Sweetie Belle’s eyes snapped open; there it was, floating just a little above her head and held in place by a raspberry glow, was her homework.

“THANKYOU!” Sweetie pounced and wrapped her hooves around in the gentlest headlock Sunset had ever experienced. It was over before Sunset knew it, as the small filly snatched up her homework in her mouth and ran back out of the room.

“Well that was very kind of you, Sunset. I suspect you’ll be one of her favourite adults for some time thanks to that trick. But goodness is that the time; I’ve got to drop off Sweetie at her school.

“Sunset, why don’t you accompany us? After we’ve dropped off Sweetie Belle we can go pick up Fluttershy from her cottage. A brisk walk to and from Fluttershy’s cottage will no doubt pass enough time for our scheduled appointment with Lotus and Aloe. And while you no doubt get all the exercise you need, a brisk morning walk will certainly do me some good.” A walk actually sounded good to Sunset right now; she was getting a little fidgety for some reason.

Sweetie Belle appeared quite happy to be escorted by both Rarity and Sunset, so much so she pranced on the spot a little before catching herself. With the two porcelain white unicorns dressed in stylish scarves to help ease the winds chill, the three of them set off into the bright, if gusty, day.

With a mouth splitting yawn, revealing teeth no pony wanted to see, Spike untangled himself from the covers of his temporary bed. It wasn’t the greatest bed he’d ever slept on, but it was clean and the duvet was comfortable enough. Rubbing the sand out of his eyes, the sight that lay before him was a little bit of a surprise. There was breakfast waiting for him.

Due to the library only having a single bedroom, his host had graciously offered the room to Trixie. At first it was meant to be for both himself and Trixie, but that idea was changed when Sunset Shimmer saw that he was a guy and Trixie was a girl. Instead she rearranged the furniture of her living room before teleporting down the makeshift bed she had set up for him; landing it nicely in front of the cast iron log burner where her couch used to be. That was pushed back to the space between the writing desk and the built in book shelves behind his bed’s position.

It was strange sleeping in such a quiet place; Canterlot always had something going on, even in the early hours of the morning it was quite possible to hear ponies walking past. But here, in Ponyville, there wasn’t any of that. The night was as peaceful as sleeping in the castle. More so actually because there wasn’t even the sound of patrolling guards plate mail to disturb the silence. It took a while to fall asleep thanks to that.

Spike appreciated and enjoyed his bed a little too much but normally if somepony came into his room, he’d hear them moving about; triply so if they were carrying a plate of freshly made pancakes near his sensitive nose. But here somepony had walked past him, made breakfast for them all and then left again; all the while without disturbing him in the slightest.

‘Man, Sunset Shimmer can be really quiet when she wants to be.’

He walked over to the main table by the large window and indeed saw breakfast waiting for him. There was a small pile of pancakes and toast along with a pitcher of orange juice, a pot of tea judging by the smell, some maple syrup and a jar of a very interesting substance.

“Hey, how does she have a pot of Zap Apple Jam? That stuff’s almost impossible to get a hold off.”

“Yawn, morning Spike. What’s got you so excited this morning?” Stumbling down into the living area of the library was his latest friend Trixie Lulamoon; wearing a pair of almost childish looking set of pyjamas covered with images of sleeping ponies. Surprisingly her mane was in very good condition, considering it was clear she had just woken up as well.

“Somehow, Sunset Shimmer’s got a hold of a jar of Zap Apple Jam for us to have with breakfast.” That news brought life back into the still sleepy mare.

“Really?! Doesn’t that stuff cost a small fortune back in Canterlot?” she trotted over to see if it was true or not. Spike had already opened the jar and had taken a deep sniff of the contents.

“Oh yeah, that’s Zap Apple Jam. I’ve not had this since the last time Princess Celestia got some for the castle. See, even the label’s right, ‘Filthy Rich presents Sweet Apple Acres Zap Apple Jam’ right here with their fancy labelling and everything. There’s no way this could be a fake.”

“Well, there’s only one way to properly find out.” Trixie’s magic brought over a knife as well as a piece of the rustic toast, before spreading a generous amount over the top. As the rainbow coloured compote was spread over the lightly toasted piece of bread, tiny sparks of coloured magic were emitted as the individual stripes were place onto the toast. Every single stripe was still individual and separate when the knife finished its task; exactly as it should be.

The final test; a big indulgent bite.

“No doubt Spike, that is Zap Apple Jam. The big question now is how did a librarian get a jar of it; these things are expensive. Oh well, let’s not look at that gift horse in the mouth,” and with that she grabbed another piece of toast as well as a few of the pancakes and tucked in. Spike was right behind her.

The breakfast dwindled down between the two of them and they discussed what the plan was for the day; until Spike came to a startling conclusion. “Wait, the Zap Apple Jam comes from Sweet Apple Acres, right? Well, I was reading a book on the history of the town last night; donated by the Apple family.

“What if that’s were Sunset Shimmer got the Jam from? What if Sweet Apple Acres is here in Ponyville? It’d give us a reason why Princess Celestia likes this town; and if they are here I’d certainly put them in charge of catering, if the rest of their stuff is as good as this jam.”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself, Spike. We’ll go to Town Hall and get that confirmed first, as well as information for decoration, music and whatever else we’ll need the town to organise. But your right, if Sweet Apple Acres is here I am completely on board with them handling the catering.”

Chapter. 19 – A Brewing Storm

Chapter. 19 – A Brewing Storm

“Dear Aunt Cadance and Uncle Shining,

“It has been three days since Trixie and I came to Ponyville and as you requested I am now writing to you for a generic update on how we’re doing. Honestly there is not too much to say, really; but no doubt you won’t accept that answer from me, so instead I’ll give you a rundown of what we’ve done and found.

“Ponyville is a nice place; very quiet, but weirdly not as peaceful as you’d think. While the ponies are friendly there are more than a few characters that ‘spice’ up the town. The most boisterous is a group of three fillies called the ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders.’ They’re actually good fun, but their antics are something to be believed. The three of them do not have their cutie marks, hence the name of their group; so to try and find them they will attempt anything and everything.

“The most recent one was something called ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders Basket Weavers.’ Sure this sounds innocent and uneventful; but they somehow managed to completely cover themselves in tree sap, set alight to over a dozen baskets before somehow rescuing a few of the baskets by means of fishing poles and the local river. Amazingly they weren’t even grounded, because all the damage was focused on the things they had made themselves. They were occupied for the rest of the day after the incident, scrubbing out the sap from their coats.

“Everything else has been pretty smooth going, honestly. We discovered that Ponyville is home to Sweet Apple Acres, the makers of Zap Apple Jam; so as you can imagine we got them to agree to do the catering for next year. They accepted and even asked if they could branch out and get help from some of their other family members as well as the town; so really by hiring them, we’ve managed to get the whole town involved in the catering, which is cool.

“The town’s decorations have been assigned to a mare called Rarity; as she is the only pony in town that’s prestigious enough to keep the nobles happy. She is actually a really, really impressive dress maker, who specialises in embedding gems into her designs. She’s the one who taught our host, Sunset Shimmer, how to look for gems for me. Isn’t that generous of her; not that I’d expect anything less from such beau talented mare.

“Moving on, music and entertainment is proving a little difficult; there have been a few good leads, but nothing that will please everyone. It has gotten to the point that Trixie and I have been brain storming about having multiple acts; but for that we’re going to have to return and talk to the committee about this idea.

“The rest is all straight forward; the Mayor is, of course, delighted to host such a prestigious event. The weather teams have all been prepped and are planning the weather leading up to the big day. So really we’re almost done with our initial scout of the town; probably another day or two and then we will be on our way back to Canterlot.

“As for our host, Miss Shimmer has been very accommodating for us; to the point I feel a little sorry for her, honestly. The Golden Oak Library is an actual tree house, as in a house made within a giant tree; and because of that Miss Shimmer has been sleeping in the basement while Trixie is using the master bedroom, and I myself am sleeping within the living room/kitchen.

“Actually Miss Shimmer is a genius; after the first night sleeping on a military cot, I was a little sore, tired and not really looking forward to sleeping on it again. Miss Shimmer must have noticed my mood when we sat down together again at dinner, because she excused herself to go and see one of her friends.

“She comes back twenty minutes later being accompanied by a pegasus called Rainbow Dash and floating next to the two of them is a piece of cloud perfectly sized for me. Here’s where her genius comes into play; she enchants a spare sheet with a long lasting cloud walking spell over it. So from then on I have been sleeping on an actual cloud, and it has been amazing! I think even Trixie has been jealous of my bed; I think I’m actually going to miss it.

“Truthfully we do not actually see all that much of Miss Shimmer. She’s up and working by the time Trixie and I get up –which is another thing; Miss Shimmer must be a ninja or something. Everyday so far she has to walk past me – to get to the kitchen– while I’m sleeping, prepare some breakfast for all of us, before eating hers and casting a preservation spell over the rest and then leaving again. All without disturbing me in the slightest.

“Anyway, she’s working by the time we get up in the mornings; and then is out having a walk right after dinner and doesn’t come back until after dark. I can’t say for certain but I think she’s trying to avoid Trixie; they had a slight argument the first night we arrived (it was totally Trixie’s fault) and while things have calmed down, I think Miss Shimmer feels it is better to give Trixie space. Which is ok with me, because I keep staring at h there’s something about her I think I don’t trust.

“She’s polite, been more than accommodating and helpful when asked; but then she also has this knack of appearing out of nowhere (and not just because she is crazy good at teleporting) whenever we really could use her help.

“Like this one time when Trixie and I somehow (and don’t ask me how it happened) got lost and ended up inside the Everfree Forest. After trying to find our way back out, we stumbled across a clearing and just beyond that was a patch of pretty blue flowers. We were going to investigate them when out of nowhere Miss Shimmer turns up and tells us not to touch them.

“Turns out the flowers were Poison Joke, (neither Trixie nor I could recognise them at the time, I swear!) then she escorted the two of us out the forest and back into town.

“When I asked what she was doing in the forest; she told me she was visiting a friend called Zecura who lives in there. At first I thought it was strange, but the ponies in town confirmed that there was indeed a zebra living in the forest and that her name was Zecura.

“So it could have been a coincidence, but there have been a few other situations like it (nowhere near as severe) where she turns up to offer a helping hoof; and as uncle Shining likes to say, ‘Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time its enemy action.’ Not that I’m saying she’s an enemy, quite the opposite; but there is something about here that feels a little off, you know. Like how such a clearly talented unicorn is satisfied with working in the public sector as a librarian.

“Well I can clearly see that I am rambling, and this is the third attempt at writing to the two of you. So I am going to call this letter done here before anything happens to this thing and I have to start all over again,

“Give aunt Celestia (I still can’t believe your making me call her that) my regards, and I will see you all again in a couple of days at the latest.

“Your favourite nephew, Spike

“P.S – Trixie says hi and could you pass on to Princess (her words not mine) Celestia that she, once again, apologises for leaving her assignments back at the castle. That she’s only two thirds through them is something that I wish to add to this missive. (And before you ask; yes, I am also about two thirds done with mine.)”

Princess Cadance let out a wishful sigh as she read the letter from Spike. It sounded like he was having a good time in Ponyville; making some friends around his age in the form of these ‘Cutie Mark Crusaders,’ and it appears this mare ‘Rarity’ has captured his heart, at least a little. She released a small giggle when she noticed that scribbled out word. ‘Oh Spike, you should know that no one can hide love from me, especially when I care about them.’

“Well Shiny, it sounds like they’re having a good time at least. Let’s hope that can last.” Cadance’s gaze travelled away from the innocent letter to look at her husband, sitting next to her on the love seat within their quarters of the castle.

His worried emotions were not nearly as well hidden as hers were. “I don’t like this Cady, not one bit. The two of them should be immediately recalled.”

“It’s too late for that now. Any movement by the guards will only hurt them.”

“We let them go to some Podunk town alone and unguarded; I should have at least gone with them.” He huffed as he crossed his arms over his barrel. His wife just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Hmm, the former Capitan of the Royal Guard escorting two individuals by train. No, I can’t think of anything more suspicious than that. Sigh, you were the one that requested they be allowed to live their lives without this knowledge burdening them.”

“Yeah, when they were still in the castle, or moving around Canterlot. I could have had ponies watching them for anything suspicious; but now they’re on their own and defenceless. Cady, they haven’t had any significant training in self-defence. Yes, I know they are both strong and can look after themselves; but we’re not talking about something minor. This is a serious threat.”

“Which is why we have the dummy teams. I don’t like this any more than you do honey, believe me I don’t; and nether dose Celestia. I want them both here right now wrapped in my forehooves, safe and sound; but you were right, they need to be able to live their lives.”

“I just don’t want them…” he looked away from his wife’s understanding and forgiving eyes. “I just don’t want to lose him.” His voice was low and sounded defeated saying his true thoughts out like he did.

“I know, Shiny. I know. But they’re both friends now, and if one of them is in trouble you can bet the other will try and rescue them. You more than even me should know how loyal Spike can be to ponies he cares about; and yes he cares about Trixie.”

Shining Armor hung his head in shame at his words; he quite liked Celestia’s student, she was quite the character, but with this latest development… “I just can’t believe that they’ve set their sights on her now of all times.” His eyes moved on their own accord to the door where their study was. Within that room, sitting innocently on his desk, was a copy of a letter; an innocent letter depicting a sinister promise.

He sighed before refocusing his sight onto an unknown spot somewhere in the air above his head; his mind going over what was known about this latest problem.

“One week ago the castle receives an anonymous letter stating the planned killing of Princess Celestia’s student; Trixie Lulamoon. The letter was examined and confirmed to be an authentic calling card of Equestria’s most wanted known killer; the Violent Rose.”

This is where his wife picks up the path where his mind is travelling. “It was decided between Princess Celestia, Capitan of the Royal Guard, and us to keep this situation quiet from Trixie; both for her piece of mind, but also because of her habit of running head first into questionable situations. You yourself agreed with all of us that while her sense of humility is doing much better, her bravado and self-righteousness would demand that she be out there trying to defeat them.”

“So instead we have two other teams pretending to be her –one here in Canterlot and another who has gone off to pretend to be in hiding in the town of Hollow Shades– while we have sent her off to the quiet town of Ponyville on a believable mission for her to do. What I have a problem with is that they are still without a guard.” Shining Armor feels his wife’s hoof gently pat his shoulder in understanding.

“Yes Shining, having them be escorted would be safer; but we’re trying to keep them hidden. Double bluffing that Trixie is off on an inspection mission to the next location of the Summer Sun Celebration unescorted is a risk; but if we want her to live her life that is what we need to do.

“The two other teams are much more believable to be her considering the threat and in each location we quietly established traps to try and capture this killer; again making them seem more believable. Besides, Trixie and Spike are not unguarded.”

This was clearly something that had been bothering Shining Armor for a while now. His horn blazed to life with a light raspberry aura as the whole sweet was covered in layer after layer of protective shielding. Again and again, the elaborately decorated walls of their private living room were covered in a deep pink aura matching what was being emitted from the unicorn’s horn.

Before Cadance could say anything a dome of magic appeared around the settee that the two of them were resting upon; and the whole process started up once again. Shining Armor was sweating hard and his breathing was ragged by the time he was satisfied.

“There, huff, that is every single Barrier, Shield, Obscurer and anti-Divination ward I know; custom as well as stock. Pant, cast three times over. Huff, there is no way anything can see and/or hear us without my knowing. Phew, not even Aunt Celestia could get through all that without alerting me. So, are you finally going to tell me what both yourself and Celestia have been hiding from me about this Sunset Shimmer pony.”

Cadance reached out with a hoof, “Shiny it’s not that simple…”

“Of course it is Cadance. I am former Capitan of the Royal Guard, now forcibly retired from the position when I became prince consort to you; there is no higher clearance level that anypony can attain. Are you telling me that this mare is so much of a state secret, that literally only Celestia and yourself can know about her?”

“Well, no. Members of Celestia’s private guard know of this secret as well–”

“And I have a higher security clearance level than they have. Sigh, Cadance is it really such a dark thing to know about?”

Cadance wilted under his honest, but determined eyes. “Shining, this really is a big secret that will have a very negative outcome if our allies get even a hint that we have such a thing. If you really, truly need/want to know about it I have Celestia’s permission to tell you. However in less than a year we’re both hoping this big secret will be dissolved and it’ll be much safer for me to tell you about it then.”

“In less than a year? You mean this is connected to what’s going on with the Summer Sun Celebration?”

Cadance shook her head, “no Shiny, they are not connected. This is something else that requires the celebration to happen before it can be dealt with. I know you’re not happy about not getting the full story of what’s going on with the celebration; and no doubt this is yet another secret that will leave a sour taste in your mouth. But I promise you there is nothing you can do with the information right now; if anything you knowing could actually affect the outcome. Well at least the piece that partakes to the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“All right Cadance. I do trust you and Celestria as well. If you are sure there is nothing I can do with the information, then I believe you. I just don’t like feeling helpless, you know.” His body language was one of defeat and begrudging acceptance of the situation.

Cadance hated to see her husband like this; she knew he just wanted to help the best he could, even if it was something as simple as holding a shared burden of a secret. Perhaps there is something she could share to help ease his conscience.

“Shiny, if all this gets too much for me, I’ll tell you; but as I said, hopefully, this will all be over within a year. To help you worry just a little less about Spike and Trixie; I’ll tell you just a little about Sunset Shimmer. Remember this is still a major secret; I suspect that you’ll eventually be able to figure some of it out. So I trust you to realise that others will be able to work it out too if this is talked about.

“Your light hearted joke about Sunset Shimmer being a secret agent is not too far off from the truth. She is not a secret agent; however she has had significant training. If what Celestia told me is to be believed –and I have serious doubts about how truthful this is– Sunset Shimmer can hover in place for an estimated five hours before tiring.”

“What?! None of our pegasi troops can come anywhere near that level of hover time, not even General…wait that can’t be right? Sunset Shimmer is a unicorn, isn’t she?”

“Shiny, I would find that a difficult workout; not impossible sure, but certainly a workout. But you’re also right, Sunset Shimmer is a unicorn. Apparently she developed the spell Polymorph so much that she has actually grown her own pair of functional wings with instincts.”

This just frustrated Shining Armor even further. “But that doesn’t matter. She could develop literally perfect wings with that spell and still not be able to fly. That’s not how they work; they require pegasus magic to actually function.”

“Well she’s managed it somehow according to Celestia, and she wouldn’t lie about this. She’s also the one who suggested Sunset Shimmer as a contact from the start; so she must see something in her that’s trust worthy. But you see what I mean, right? If she can hover that long, then her well spring is more than a match for most everyone.”

Shining just shook his head, “wellspring size is not the only factor. In fact it is only a minor factor; the biggest factors are training and experience.”

Cadance simply smiled. “While I cannot vouch for her experience; I can say that she’s had as good a training regime, if not better, than our Royal Guard. I can also say that her training specialises in defeating powerful foes.”

“Better than…ok let’s say I believe you about the training and the wellspring. We’re talking about fighting an assassin; somepony that we’ve never even seen before.

Cadance gave him a reassuring smile. “Trust me when I say, I believe those two are in safe hooves.”

“My Dearest Princess Celestia,

“It is I, your humble servant who gives you not what you want, not even what you need, but what those with the power request. Now I have been quite the busy bee recently, as I’m sure you are at least partially aware, and it took until now for me to realise that an important anniversary slipped past without my noticing. Now do not worry your beautiful head off trying to remember what it could be; I remembered and that is all that matters, for I am going to give you a special gift in celebration of it.

“In fact, this is a gift that has been requested for quite some time, so not only am I going to be making your day special, I shall be making someone with power happy as well; because they gave me quite the bit of said power some time ago to give you this gift. Ah, but that was their fault for not specifying a where or a when; that would have required more power from them.

“So rejoice for while my next rose is still not meant for you, its intended is one you hold close and dear. Ah, how lovely it shall look my soft, delicate and beautifully coloured Fleurs Vertes; resting peacefully upon the cold, still azura coat that is Trixie Lulamoon.

“Oh, I guess I spoiled the surprise; but then I would hate for you to be bored. So prepare your guard all you like; have your student hounded at all hours. I will be there, unseen, waiting for the perfect time to strike; and when I do there will be a beautiful rose resting upon her still chest. Oh I cannot wait.

“Your most beloved servant, The Violent Rose.”

Celestia finished re-reading the letter and placed it back down onto her desk. A weary sigh escaped from her mouth as a hoof was brought up to rub her eyes; things just seemed to be getting more and more complicated.

She flung her head back in exasperation.

“The Violent Rose is as arrogant as they are dangerous. Not much is truly known about them, though it is suspected that they are male due to some of the wording within their ‘Promise Letters’. Their calling card is a rare and uncommon light jade coloured rose named Fleurs Vertes; it is found on every one of their kills.

“Enough evidence has been discovered to confirm that they are a pony but tribe is unknown; due to the versatility and difficulty of the murders, however, a Unicorn is the most likely suspect.

“He’s been quiet for two years, and then three murders within three months; all with his signature rose, all proven to be his calling card. Predator has confirmed that he is not one of theirs or that they have no knowledge of who he is. They have also confirmed that his style, while effective, has nothing in common with their own ways; further separating themselves from this monster.

“That they finally have a defensive agent once again hopefully means that situations like these will become a thing of the past. Sigh, a part of me wonders if my interference with Sunset Shimmer has prevented her in tracking this monster down and disposing of him.

“Oh Philomena, why are things never straightforward and simple. This was supposed to be a quiet planning phase so that the Summer Sun Celebration goes off perfectly. But not only do I have to keep an eye on a very deadly pony, I’ve also got to deal with this pain in the flank trying to kill my student.”

Celestia looked over to her long-time friend and familiar; the sight was not a pleasant one. Philomena was clearly getting on in her years with this latest cycle; not quite time for a burning day yet, but Celestia was certain it would happen within the next few years.

Intelligent golden eyes looked over to her companion and long-time friend. With a few squawks along with several motions of her whole body; she responded to her carer.

“I did not jinks myself and I most certainly will not reap whatever my words sowed. Nothing about this situation is my fault. Sigh, but nothing I can do now will alter the course that fate has taken us on.”

A few chirps and a whumph from a wing was the response from the large fire bird.

“Yes, I have a pony there who I suspect is more than capable of handling the situation; I just do not know how much I can trust Sunset Shimmer. While dedicated to the betterment of Equestria, Predator is still just a highly trained group of assassins. While it is clear that Sunset Shimmer is a good pony at heart – that she still thinks of other ponies even with her lack of emotions is proof of this– I cannot bring myself to fully trust her.”

“Squak, ruffle ruffle churp.”

“Sigh, no I do not know what Violent Rose is talking about with an anniversary. There are too many events that he could be talking about, it is almost impossible to narrow it down to a single incident. Especially since he said it was a missed one.” Celestia moved her gaze towards the large glass doors where the balcony lay.

The sun was bright and shining happily down on the ground below. There was a few clouds around and every so often the streak of a pegasus flew past; there was rain scheduled for tonight in Canterlot.

The paperwork was forgotten as the noise of the doors being knocked upon engulfed the private chamber. With royal approval, the doors opened almost silently into the room; revealing the stationed pair of golden armoured guards opening said doors with a hoof each and one other pony.

The pony brought a small smile to Celestia’s face, as they were a very familiar face. The posture and gate were immaculate and precise; each step taken into her office was with practiced precision. Time has not been merciful to the unicorn stallion, however; the once glistening, slick backed, black mane was a distant memory. Now just as lovingly looked after, but the white wash it had received did not do it justice.

Matching the degrade in colour was his coat and body; while both still in perfect presentation, the bold white of their coat had lost its sheen and the body as a whole was gaunt and clearly slowing down.

Coming to a stop a respectful distance away from his princess, he bowed his head deeply; amazingly keeping his monocle in place without any use of magic that Celestia could see.

There was a definite rasp and slight airiness to his voice; but every word was spoken with exactness and clarity. Clearly Quick Quill was getting on in years and ready to retire, but his performance in his duties was still second to none.

“Princess the delegates from Moodrid, along with their retinue, are resting comfortably after their journey to Canterlot within the ambassador suits five and six. The castles kitchens are currently preparing a formal dinner which is due to take place at the later time of ten this evening; as is custom for the people of Moodrid.

“There is scheduled, before your late dinner, some entertainment from ourselves; we have the Canterlot Royal Orchestra preparing some of your favourite pieces from throughout your history. However we have received a request from the ambassador, they wish to put on a performance as well.”

Celestia’s ears perked up a little to the news, “as I’d imagine they would. Their national dance of Flamenco is a powerful performance. Their ponies have also come a long way in the art of Dressage, if the rumours are true. Did they specify what the entertainment would be?”

“They did, Princess. However the delegates wanted it to be kept a surprise for you, so you shall have to wait and see.” He rose an eyebrow ever so slightly above his monocle at Celestia, “besides; I know how much you like surprises.

“Regardless, with this slight change in proceedings I am afraid the function shall be starting as soon as you are done putting the sun to bed for the night. I suggest that you begin to prepare yourself now while you have the time to do so. I fear it shall be a long night ahead. Shall I arrange the baths for you?”

Clestia nodded her head, before watching Quick Quill leave her office. She let out a small tired sigh before looking back over to Philomena. “Sometimes, I hate what I’ve become. I cannot assist in protecting my student right now; all because some cows wish to discuss the possibility of the idea of emergency water relief, in case their current drought gets any worse. It’s not even an agreement; just the vague idea of the possibility of an agreement.

Philomena was looking at Celestia in disbelief before a quiet squeak was emitted.

“What? They are actually cows. Moodrid is a nation of both cows and earth ponies. Did you think I was insulting them? Sigh, I just hope I’ve played this correctly; I do not like trusting such a wildcard. But Sunset Shimmer is, perhaps, the only pony available to me that could both keep Spike and Trixie safe, as well as capture the Violent Rose.”

Philomena took off from her perch and landed on the desk in front of Celestia. She cooed softly as she rubbed her head over Celesita’s neck and barrel, trying to give some comfort however she could.

“Thank you Philomena, if for nothing else than allowing me to vent a little; but I better get moving, or else Quick Quill will start having kittens if I’m not there soon.”

Philomena chirped once again, this time with clear intensions.

“No, Philomena, as much as I’d enjoy whatever it is your thinking of; the delegates from Moodrid are particularly thorny. They are renowned for holding grudges. I spent far too long getting back into their good graces; I don’t want to lose it again. Especially since I believe tension will rise next year.” Celestia gave one final winged hug to her pet before rising from the desk.

She had obligations ahead of her; ones that she would have enjoyed had they come at a more convenient time. ‘Global politics waits for no pony; not even me, the alicorn who raises the sun and moon for them all.’

Chapter. 20 – The First Flashes (Part.1)

Chapter. 20 – The First Flashes (Part.1)

The day was getting a little long in the tooth; the library was soon to close but it was actually one of the busiest times it had been since she had taken up the post. The cause of so many ponies borrowing books was a fairly obvious one; the forecast for the next few days was scheduled for rain, so what better activity to do on a rainy day than get comfortable with a good book.

But no matter how many ponies walked through the door, be they quiet and understanding, or upfront and demanding; Sunset Shimmer could not get over the letter she had received earlier that day. It was an innocent letter from Las Pegasus and was sent to her by one of her friends from where she had grown up.

From what the letter said her friend was finally able to save up enough money to go and visit the ‘Water Park of the Desert.’ It sounded like it was a fun place to visit, though perhaps a bit too loud and busy for Sunsets liking.

That and every place out there seems to want nothing but your money…Still it’s a place to consider if Sunset’s coffers ever get too depleted; she had yet to find a more proficient poker face than hers, and with her intelligence she doubted counting cards would be very challenging.

She stamped the return card of the final book of the day and joined the grey coated earth pony mare in walking to the main door of the library. With a wave of her hoof goodbye and a flick of her horn the library was officially closed for the day; so now Sunset could finally focus completely on the letter.

Her friend had obviously had a good time at Las Pegasus and couldn’t wait to tell Sunset the story; but that’s all it was, a story.

Oh, by all means the trip could have happened and Sunset did know the pony that wrote the letter quite well; but if the trip was a real one, then this letter had taken years to get to her.

That was not the reason why she was now in her basement and re-reading the letter over again. No it was two paragraphs in particular that needed her attention. By this point in the letter her friend was describing a bad time with a few inebriated stallions, and was clearly venting.

“I’d imagine myself removing / dealing with annoying stallion’s everyday. Strutting horrendously, trying every backwater thought stealing oxygen. Stupid random airheads, xenon billowing extroverts; always using alcohol, an impractical overbearing bothersome nuisance.”

Sunset could not help but shake her head in amusement; her friend had indeed worked herself up a little and her dyslexia was revealing itself a bit here. It showed up again a paragraph or two later; when she went on to talk about how no pony there could brew tea, and had asked Sunset to save her from the drought.

“Please bring oolong; ethanol emitting acrid tasting shit. Everypony brews rancid tea, makes Panda’s instantly enjoyable; unbelievable knowing killer anthrax openly swallowed nowadays.”

Ah Panda eyes, a bulky white earth pony with black patches around his eyes; his face really dose look like a giant Panda’s. He also cannot make tea to save his own life.

The walk down memory lane aside, the rest of the two page letter was nothing but filler. Sure the writer’s dyslexia appeared now and again further on, but nothing came out of them. These two paragraphs were the sole purpose of the missive.

This was orders from her Masters, this letter was from Predator.

“Immediate threat to Trixie Lulamoon. Protect her. Remain unknown.” Sunset whispered to herself, after double checking that she had not missed anything else from the letter.

‘The timing of this is quite interesting. A mission to protect Trixie when she is staying with me; I wonder if somepony arranged this, or if it really is a coincidence. But orders are orders, and this has every security check to confirm that it is legitimate.’

Sunset revealed her basement’s work desk once again and placed the letter back into its envelope before dropping it unceremoniously into one of the drawers. The letter had served its purpose and she will dispose of it completely later, but right now she had a mission on hand, and a target to defend.

Opening a second drawer on the desk, Sunset pulled out a single strand of vibrant light blue hair; one collected just this morning from the bed Trixie was sleeping on. Her focus gathered Sunset activated the divination spell Scrying.

Her magic mingled with the hair within her hoof before, acting almost like a mist, it extended above the focus and formed a wavy circular viewing ring.

Within a circular frame of her magic above the blue hair focus, Sunset could see that Trixie was in the company of Spike and Fluttershy; and from what Sunset could work out, they were at Fluttershy’s house.

The image was not terribly clear, cracks of purple appeared over the image along with similarly coloured static now and then, and there was also no sound to accompany the image.

Sunset sighed, the focus was at its absolute limit; any more magic, or if Trixie moved significantly, the spell would break and the hair would disintegrate. Hairs really were not good as a focus, but it’s the best Sunset had; she’d already checked for anything better that she could have borrowed without Trixie noticing its absence.

The image flickered again as Trixie started to follow Fluttershy across her small bridge; but as she reached the other side the spell gave out in a puff of smoke and it, along with the hair, dissolved into the either.

The downside of Divination magic, Focuses can be destroyed if the spell is interfered with, or unstable; and that casting was clearly unstable.

But regardless Sunset had a lead of exactly where Trixie was now; all that was left was to find who was trying to hurt her and stop them.

The afternoon train from Canterlot arrived at the sleepy station belonging to Ponyville. There were a few ponies scheduled to get on, mostly earth ponies; and there were a few unicorns and a pegasus or two, though they were outnumbered.

But there were also a few ponies leaving the train; again mostly earth ponies, like the yellow coated mare or the deeply red stallion with a long slate grey mane. A little stranger was the lone pegasus stallion wearing a cloak or the three unicorns that also departed from the train. Still the passenger count was no more than what was normal for this time of day, at this time of year.

The lone conductor standing on the platform thought nothing of the few ponies that had come to see Ponyville, regardless if they were wearing cloaks that covered most of their bodies, or had big black saddle bags that blocked their cutie marks. The ponies came and went from the platform, and the day moved on exactly as the train was doing now.

“So Fluttershy, Rarity was telling Spike and I that you have the perfect accompaniment to the Princess raising the sun.” Trixie said as she followed the shy pegasus along the path that led out of town. While the path travelled close to the Everfree forest, it was actually a rather pleasant and scenic trail that had just recently taken them all past the apple fields of Sweet Apple Acres.

“Oh well I don’t know about that. But some of my bird friends wanted to start a choir together; so I’ve been acting as their conductor. I’ve only told Rarity and Rainbow Dash about it, so I don’t know if it really is as good as the two of them claim.”

“Training birds to sing together, regardless of how you achieve it, is a really impressive feat. If you could get them to, I dunno, sing the tune to the national anthem; then I think it would be a great accompaniment to Princess Celestia raising the sun.” Spike added from his perch upon Trixie’s back. Currently his head was deep within the confines of a local history book, but he was still listening enough to add his two bits every now and again.

Trixie rolled her eyes, “the lazy stowaway is right. But that’s why we’re accompanying you right now; provided you don’t mind showing us, of course.”

“Oh no, I don’t mind. The whole town is helping out in the celebration in one way or another; hopefully this could be my little participation to the festivities.” By now they had crossed over the small bridge separating the public path from Fluttershy’s abode.

As they continued around to the back of the house, Fluttershy could no longer prevent her curiosity any longer. “So Spike what are you reading there?”

“Hmm? Oh, uh this old thing, it’s called ‘Equestria’s Lost Provinces’ its part of the Ancient Equestria series. Miss Shimmer order this copy for me from Canterlot . I’m just studying up on the ancient history of the area.”

“Oh, what’s got you interested in the history of Ponyville?”

Spike shifted around slightly before deciding on the truth of the matter; there was just something about Fluttershy that he trusted. “Well, it’s just that I was wondering why Princess Celestia chose to change the location of the Summer Sun Celebration from Canterlot; and to choose such a small town like Ponyville compared with any other city in Equestria. So I’m looking up as much history as possible to see if I can find out the answer.”

Trixie looked back to Spike, her expression clearly wondering if saying that too Fluttershy was a good idea. It disappeared quickly though, it was too late to take back what he had said now.

Fluttershy on the other hoof, appeared to take the information to heart. Her expression became thoughtful, before finally a small frown settled on her face and she slowly started to shake her head. “I’m sorry, but I have no idea. You do make a good point though. My best guess would be to ask Granny Smith, since the Apple Family is the longest living family of the town. But anyway, if you could just wait for me here for just a moment, I’ll go gather my friends.”

Fluttershy left the two just outside the small green thatched cottages back door. There were dozens of little animals running around the place, and just at the forest line was a brown bear foraging for food, completely ignoring the much smaller critters. Did it just wave to a passing by white rabbit?

The two scouts did not have to wait long before Flutterhshy came back with a pouch of bird seeds, a small metal baton, and an interesting looking music stand. There were six small horizontal arms divided into three rows of two, each one set back slightly from the pair in front.

Once setup the buttercup coloured pegasus used a wing to gently tap her conductor’s baton onto the frame. Within moments almost a dozen birds of different colours, sizes, and species came eagerly down to the stand.

What followed was a wonderful melody of birds singing, conducted expertly by the pegasus. It was sweet and melodic with each of the different bird songs matching harmoniously; the performance left both parties in a very pleasant state of mind once it was finished. When Fluttershy turned around, she could not help but let out a small giggle at the expressions on their faces. She even raised a hoof to cover her mouth, in a futile attempt to block the noise.

“So did you like it?”

The question brought them both out of the stupor they found themselves in, with Trixie being the first to respond. “That was incredible. Do you think you could train them to sing the national anthem? If so then I fully support your birds singing when Princess Celestia raises the sun.”

It was quite the strange sight that appeared over Fluttershy’s face; an interesting mixture of pride at her achievement, happiness at being able to contribute to the festival, and utter terror of participating in such a prominent position. Eventually it settled on a small prideful happy smile, being covered by her long pink mane.

“Umm, thank you. Uh, as for teaching them the national anthem? S, s, sure, that should not be a problem. Oh, oh actually it’s almost winter so, so a good number of my friends here will fly south for the winter. I st, still believe it is possible, but their performance might not be as good as this one. I’m sorry.”

“No no, that’s ok. So long as you get your friends here as close as possible, that should be fine. If by the week before the celebration and you still think it’ll not work, then you can swap over to this number. Honestly I still want this to go with the Princess raising the sun.”

Trixie’s complement was clearly conflicting the shy pegasus, but the enthusiastic nodding from Spike eased Fluttershy slightly, he was just such a polite and interesting baby dragon. “Well, al, alright I’ll do it. I will need to get additional seeds for them all if I start teaching them now; since I’ll be taking time away from them preparing to fly south. But I think we’ll have enough time before the celebration.”

“Oh well I think that is something we can help with. We can arrange to have whatever you need delivered to you; provided, of course, it is directly used for the preparation of the Summer Sun Celebration and within a certain amount of funds.” Spike interjected, feeling glad that all the preparations are finally more or less completed now.

“Oh no, I couldn’t possibly ask for that.”

“Sure you could.” Spike reaffirmed, while putting the book he was reading back into his backpack. “Honestly out of all the funding already being arranged for the ponies setting up the Celebration, I think an extra bag or two of seeds a week will be rather small potatoes in comparison.

“Why don’t I go down and arrange things with the shop that you buy your supplies from, that way it’s all set up and ready for you when you need? I’d imagine they know what kind of seeds you normally buy?”

“Well, if you’re sure it won’t be a problem; I get a lot of my animal friend’s supplies from a stall in the market place not too far from Applejacks.”

“Right well I’ll go and see them right now.” Fluttershy raised her hoof to try and interject, but the little dragon had already run around her house and was now out of sight.

“But, they’ll be closed by now. Umm, Trixie do you think we should go after him?”

Trixie shook her head, “naa, let him find out on his own. He gets like that sometimes; he thinks he knows exactly what to do next, but forgets the small, simple things. Such as making sure the market stall he’s looking for is open. In the meantime I’m going to slowly start making my way over to Sweet Apple Acres to talk to Granny Smith like you suggested. You’re welcome to join me if you want?”

Fluttershy, however, shook her head. “No, I’ve got my friends here and they look eager to start learning. If it’s all right with you I would like to start teaching them the anthem now.”

“That’s fine. If I miss Spike on the road and he comes back here, just let him know where I went. I can’t imagine he’ll be long once he sees the stall has closed though.”

Fluttershy was more than happy to do this; so with a wave of her hoof, Trixie set off to see Granny Smith. Hoping this lead will bear fruit; the books available in the Golden Oak Library so far had not.

“I’m afraid Granny Smith won’t be able to help you there, sugarcube. While she’s mighty knowledgeable about the Apple Family’s history and doubly so when it comes to farming apples; the area’s history was something that she never took an interest in. That’s how the Golden Oak Library got a lot of its history books.

“Now if Goldie Delicious was here, she might have something that could help ya. Unfortunately she’s off to a cat lover’s convention and won’t be back in town for another week.”

It wasn’t a long walk towards town before Trixie found herself back on the property belonging to the Apple family. She’d seen Applejack hard at work bucking the few remaining trees containing apples.

It was a testament to how much earth pony magic the family had between them, that there were still pristine looking apples to be found on trees this close to Nightmare Night; though there weren’t many left.

Trixie couldn’t help but let out a snort of frustration. She was almost at her wits end; thanks to the delicate balancing act between completing all of the assignments given to her, and researching why the Summer Sun Celebration was being held here of all places.

The two were interrupted by the strangest of noises. It was kind of like a thud, only it had an airiness about it rather than a solid impact; the noise had clearly come from a little bit of distance away, but it was still noticeable enough. It was followed by a quiet whooshing noise that was gradually getting louder. Both ponies were confused by the sounds and were moving their heads about to see if they could find the source of said commotion.

It was a small glint from the air that caught Applejacks attention first; looking up it was all she could do but stare in shock, mouth hanging open. Trixie only had time to notice the dumbstruck expression on the earth pony’s face before impact.

Thankfully there was a softness to whatever it was that hit her, before the final thud of something hard. She couldn’t make out anything; whatever it was that hit her had also done something to her eyes. Her vision wasn’t blacked out, but the light was certainly diluted by the white stuff now covering her face.

It was also more than just her face, she could feel that this stuff was all over her; muffling her ears, covering the vast majority of her side, and even her underbelly. Some of it even got into her mouth.

It was cool, it was gloopy, it was sticky as well as drippy. It was, sweet; quite a pleasant taste to it actually. A small tentative sniff, doing her best not to inhale any of it, revealed something rather rich. Again there was a sweet scent to it; and was that, vanilla?

Eventually her scrambling hooves managed to remove enough of the stuff from her face so that she could actually see what was going on. Staring upon her forehooves, Trixie was confused when she found them covered in a combination of white and yellow substances, along with something crumbly and brown.

A lot of the ground around her was also covered in this strange mixture, with more than the lion’s share on the same side as the impact just earlier.

An unexpected weight was lifted from her shoulders suddenly, before the hollow sound of a light metal impact clattering could be heard around her. The sound was muffled slightly as Trixie realised some of this stuff managed to get into one of her ears; the newly discovered sensation sent a shiver along her spine. It was not a pleasant feeling. The stuff had to be removed.

“RAINBOW DASH! PINKIE PIE!”

The angry voice next to her finally snapped Trixie out of her surprise fuddled stupor and she looked over what had happened. The scene her eyes settled on made her wonder if she was still in a stupor.

Covering both herself and the farm mare next to her, was a large mixture of whipped cream, yellow custard and scattered remains of a crumbly pastry. Lying on the ground was an impossibly large pie tin, traces of the assaulting concoction were evident on its inside.

She had just been struck by a comically oversized custard cream pie.

The sound of laughter finally managed to worm its way past the remaining mixture still stuck in her ears, and the confused face she was wearing was turned into a frown.

Her eyes followed the stomping of hooves, as the enraged farm pony marched over to the tree line; where a pink pony and a light blue pony were half rolling about the foliage. Right next to the two laughing hyenas was a metal barrel of some kind, with what appeared to be a red streamer sticking out of it?

The frown morphed slightly before a glint found its way into her eyes, and revenge was planned out.

“What do you two think you’re doing?!” Applejack whisper shouted at the two laughing mares. “It’s bad enough you go and do a prank like that, but you hit one of the organisers for the Summer Sun Celebration!” The area between Applejack’s snout and her eyes was becoming noticeably redder; a vein appeared to be trying its very best to burst, and her eyes were burning with frustration and anger.

“Hey, uhh, farmer pony, could you move?” Before Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash could say anything to the enraged farmer, or even before Applejack could build a good head of steam; the shout from behind her stopped everything and the three mares looked over.

What they saw was nothing special, Trixie was still standing in amongst the gory remains of the pie attack, still covered in its innards, but there was something different. Her face had a small smirk about it, her eyes contained an edge to them, and her horn was glowing a soft pale pink.

Applejack just stared at her fellow victim before pointing at herself with a hoof. “Yeah you, could you more a little to the left please?” Confusion was clearly written on Applejacks face, but she complied with the request. The air shimmered once Applejack had sufficiently moved away, but at the same time nothing had changed with the scene before them.

It was almost as if there was a line on the ground and when something crossed over it, the image in front of the three friends shattered. Trixie was still in the same place, and while still covered in the pie goop, was noticeably cleaner. The ground around her was even cleaner, with only small traces of the offending pie around the place; other than the oversized pie tin still resting on the ground.

The reason for the area’s cleanliness was currently about a meter or two away from the two pranksters; and was still travelling at speed right for them. The whole blob wrapped in an aura matching the magic from Trixie’s horn.

The impact was not hard, but it was messy. If the two pranking ponies were standing, they may have been knocked over; but because they were on the ground still, the only thing that happened to them was a very similar fate to their targets.

It was the angry farm pony that broke first and collapsed onto the ground; holding onto her sides for dear life, as she struggled to take a breath in between the raucous laughter bursting out of her. It was here that everypony else caught up in this two way prank, joined in with the air stealing laughter.

“Oh, am I interrupting something?” The four ponies had eventually calmed down and were now by the big red barn washing themselves down. They were using the same equipment that was almost exclusively used by the three fillies known as the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

Looking over at the softly spoken voice, they all found Fluttershy walking along the driveway towards the farm house.

“Na, Sugarcube. Just cleaning up one heck of a prank, done by these two menaces.” The soap covered Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wore Cheshire grins of honour.

“Ok, umm Miss Trixie, do you know where Spike is? It’s just I was wondering, since he’s not back yet, if he managed to get a bag of seeds for me. It’s just my friends are refusing to do any more practice today unless I supply them with enough seeds.”

Trixie, who was rinsing off in a tub of magically warmed water – the magic supplied by herself; to save the farms wood supply as well as her own time waiting – blinked at this statement, before magically creating a time piece. It was getting rather late in the afternoon.

“No I haven’t seen him. It doesn’t take that long to get to the market and back, does it?” She received confirmation from all the ponies around her, “and he would have noticed us if he went past. And your house, Fluttershy, is hard to miss from the road…Just where in Equestria is he, then? I swear if he’s somehow managed to get lost…”

Anything more that could be said was interrupted by the sound of two sets of hooves running along the road.

Coming down the farm’s drive at break neck speed were both Applejacks older brother Big Mac, and beside him was the porcelain white unicorn mare, Rarity. Trailing behind the red stallion was a cart, which was almost launched into the air with every one of his powerful strides.

“Landsake Big Mac, what’s got your tail in a twist?” Applejack shouted to her brother. His direction changed with her shout and he was now heading right towards the group of mares by the barn.

It was clear now that Rarity was carrying something in her magic, suspended above their heads. As the two drew closer the clumped rag took the shape of a backpack, one that was quite familiar to Trixie; it was old, worn, and clearly custom made for Spike out of a filly’s saddle bag.

There was a depiction of a very dull and muted purple star, faded to almost nothing by time and trips through the washing cycle. This was the backpack that Spike wore, a lot. One that was very precious to him, regardless of how old and shabby it was.

“Huff, Huff, we found this bag lying on the road just out of town. Phew, Big Mac recognised it as the one Spike was wearing as he was running around the market earlier.” Big Mac confirmed the story so far. Rarity brought the bag closer to everypony there to see. The flap was open revealing a book and an unusual green rose, with its long stem acting as a bookmark.

“We basically came across this together at the same time; Big Mac recognised it and knew who it belonged to, but didn’t know where to find you. I knew where you were, well at least I thought you were at Fluttershy’s house, but I also know of this rose.” Rarity had regained her breath back, but her face was still ashen white and very fearful. “My dear, this rose is the calling card of the murdering pony for hire called ‘The Violent Rose.’”

Nearly all of the ponies in the group looked at Rarity with confusion, the only other pony to know what she spoke of, was Trixie.

“The Violent Rose? Here? What’s he doing in a small town like this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Somepony must have set him on your trail. Or Spikes I guess since this is clearly his calling card, and this is Spikes backpack.”

Trixie shook her head, “no. If that monster was after spike, we’d have found the body along with the rose. That is his MO. This is a trap, and Spike is the bait.”

Rainbow couldn’t help herself. “What are you two talking about? Who is this ‘Violent Rose,’ and what does he want with a baby dragon?”

Rarity huffed, “The Violent Rose is the most infamous pony there is, to those ponies in the know. He kills ponies for money and then leaves his calling card, a rare green rose called Fleurs Vertes. I had hoped to never see one in my life…”

Trixie was nodding along with the explanation; however there was a small frown on her face as she was focused on the backpack. She carefully removed the book from the bag while still keeping the flower exactly as it was, trapped within its pages.

She had never heard of the Violent Rose using hostages, but that could also be just because they never survive. It was even less known that the killer considered focused collateral damage a perk of the job. So while it was not heard of for him to take a hostage to lure out his prey, it was certainly within the realms of possibility.

Gently setting the book flat on the ground cover up; Trixie kept her Telekinesis active while grabbing one of the brushes from nearby to rest the rose on top of. This was done to ensure the rose did not move, so that any hint the killer might have left would be as clear as possible.

The book was the same one Spike was reading earlier, the same one specially ordered for him and had only just arrived this morning from Canterlot; Equestria’s Lost Provinces.

Opening the hardback clue at the page indicated; Trixie found that the stem ended right bang in the middle of a paragraph, part way through the chapter dedicated to the Everfree Forest of all places.

Her care with the rose was rewarded, for the paragraph talked about a specific set of ruins found within the forest.

“I know where he is.” Trixie’s voice was quiet, but it cut through all the conversation around her, stopping it instantly. “I know where he’s taken Spike. He’s gone into the Everfree Forest, to the ruined Castle of the Two Sisters.”

Author's Note

I do not normally write these as I find they can break the flow of a story when reading them; but for this chapter I am making an exception for a fun little challenge.

Something that I spent far too long trying out, was actually writing the hidden message within the two paragraphs of the letter sent by Predator to Sunset. I know its not the best and most subtle, hence my blaming of Dyslexia; something that I fight tooth and nail against everyday.

You know the message; so if you want, try your hand -or claw, or hoof, or any other appendage available to you- at finding the secret message. Have fun with it.

How to Find the secret message:
It is in a repeating pattern. So take the first letter of the first word, then the second letter of the next, before going back to the first letter of the third word and repeating again (1,2,1,2,1,2,...). Each of the two paragraphs starts at 1. Note that punctuation is not included.

Chapter. 23 - Snow and Hearth

Chapter. 23 – Snow and Hearth

Mayor Mare was one pony on a mission; a mission that she had been holding off on for as long as possible. Her head was lowered, footing deliberately slow and steady, and all of her was wrapped up in as much protective clothing as possible while she made her way across the small town towards her destination.

For the last two days Ponyville has been suffering a winter onslaught, courtesy of the chaotic magic and wild weather of the deadliest forest in the land.

The Mayor fought her way onwards, unable to see more than a few meters in front of her, before what little shapes she could make out dissolved into the white void of falling snow. An extra gust blew around her, delaying her next step forward as the wind tried once again to take a woollen souvenir off of the pony walking by.

She kept her thick festive hat, but she still shuddered in displeasure. While the beast storming around her failed in taking anything, it was generous enough to send a snow laden pawful of air into her jacket and along her back.

Still it was her duty to keep going, and her powerful earth pony frame started to advance once again; each determined step bringing her closer to where she needed to be.

Her eyelids sealed the small crack she was spying through with a blink, as the silhouette of her destination appeared out of the blank horizon. It was large and rather top heavy with its domed roof. Getting closer revealed more of its shape and what could be made out would have confused most visitors to the town.

A rather large tree, still full of leaves, emerged out of the white abyss and was looming over the weary traveller.

‘There,’ she dare not open her mouth, but the relief she felt was enough to make her want to cry out. She doubled her efforts, and had almost managed a normal walking pace by the time she made it to the red door that had grown out of the giant tree. As yet another roar of wind encompassed her; she reached out with a fore hoof to open the door.

And then everything was still, and the world began to tumble.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, everything she had just been battling through was left on the other side of the door. The biting cold, the pieces of nipping snow; and more interesting at this moment, the battering force of the wind.

Without the wind fighting her and keeping her up, Mayor Mare was thrown for a loop, quite literally, and flipped over herself as she entered her destination; the Golden Oak Library.

Gathering herself up, Mayor Mare was glad her cheeks were already going to be rosy thanks to the weather outside, or else ponies would have seen her blushing. Her eyes scanned the main circular area of the library, and she was honestly surprised at what she found. There were ponies here, a lot of ponies that she knew from around the town; and all of them were out of the winter clothing she herself was smothered in.

Walking to the desk on the other side of the room to the main entrance, she greeted the few ponies who noticed her passing by. However the pony she wanted to see, the pony who she battled the wild weather outside to talk to, was not at her station.

Resting on the desk was instead a brown owl with intelligent eyes looking up at her. It tilted its head to one side and let out a gentle hoot, almost inquiring what it was she wanted. The Mayor looked around once again, but still found no sign of the mare that should have been stationed where this owl was.

The owl hooted again to gather her attention, and was almost pointing with its wing to a piece of paper that looked like it had once been sitting upright to greet ponies.

“Hello and welcome to the Golden Oak Library.

“If you are reading this then I am currently busy and away from my station, more than likely helping a pony.

“If you are looking for a book, then the Card Index is just to the left of this desk.

“If we do not have the book you are looking for, due to it being out on loan or simply not stocked, then please write down the title of the book and author along with your address for me to contact you when it is available.

“If you are looking to checkout a book, then please present it to Owlowiscious who will take the books library card. You can then take the book home with you to enjoy for up to one week before it is classified as late and it returns to us and a late fee will be issued.

“If there is anything that cannot wait for my return, please ask Owlowiscious and he will happily take you to me.

“I hope this has been of assistance to you in my absence,

“Sunset Shimmer – Librarian of the Golden Oaks Library.”

The Mayor blinked at the note before bringing her eyes back to the predatory ones of the owl who was perched comfortably on the desk. Clearly the owl was waiting for her to make the next move.

“Umm, can you take me to Sunset Shimmer? I need to see her.” She felt foolish for talking to an animal like this, like it knew what she had just asked it.

Apparently it did because the owl appeared to almost nod its head before taking off at a very leisurely pace up to the ceiling and headed off down the right hand corridor; it soon circled back to make sure she was following. Mayor Mare chuckled at the owl’s antics and once again wondered to herself why such a talented young mare was happy working in such a quiet town as the librarian.

Keeping track of the flying owl was not nearly as difficult as she feared; as it made sure she was following it. It was also not a long journey as it appeared Sunset was sitting at one of the group work tables in the area more laid out for studying. She did pause, however, when she noticed who it was that Sunset was helping.

The owl landed on the table where Sunset was sitting and quickly got her attention. The mare looked over and smiled, before excusing herself from the filly’s side. The filly appeared to barely notice, her tongue was poking out the side of her mouth and her brow was creased in concentration as she manipulated a quill.

“Good afternoon Mayor. How can I help you?”

“That’s not Sweetie Belle you’re helping with magic, is it?”

Sunset looked back over to the small silvery white filly with light pinks and purples in her mane. “Yes, she started coming by after the inspection from Trixie Lulamoon and asked for assistance with her magic. Since then she comes by about every other day.”

“She’s been learning magic for two months?!” the mayor’s eyes were a little dilated and she had taken an involuntary step back. Sunset appeared not to notice the early signs of distress.

“I think she has been getting lessons from her sister Rarity before she came to me. But yes, Sweetie has been learning magic from me for two months and six days.”

The mayor gulped down the tonsils in her throat. “And. Ah. How is she coming along?”

Sunset sighed, her face appeared to minutely sadden from its former calm and relaxed state. “Well, I think. Rarity gave me a copy of the lesson plan her parents wanted Sweetie to follow; after making me Pinkie Promise not to deviate from the plan without her consent.”

They mayor let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding in; relief washed over her at the news. Hearing that one of the crusaders was learning magic was a scary thought; that she was being taught by the very talented mare in front of her was terrifying. That a Pinkie Promise was in place not to go off of the conservative plan set up by herself in conjunction with the Belle parents eased her nerves greatly.

“Yeah, I have had to calm down Pinkie Pie three times so far. The last time included a presentation stating the reasons why I have not broken her sacred vows. Hmm, which reminds me; I need to get a timer spell organised. I’m curious to know if she’s faster arriving to see if I’ve broken the promise, or leaving after one of my presentations?” The fiery mane’d mare muttered to herself for a moment, once again not noticing the worried look returning to the older earth pony.

“Umm, well regardless. The reason why I’ve come to see you is to ask when the library will be closing?” the mayor stated, unconsciously tugging at the hem of her thick woollen jacket.

Sunset blinked. “Six o clock. The same time I close the library every day.”

“OH, no dear. I meant when will you be closing the library for the holidays?” Sunset stared at the Mayor, a slight tilt of her head and a slow blink indicated to the senior mare to elaborate further. “You know, Hearth Warming? I’m pretty certain Vanhoover celebrates it as well?”

“Yes, we do celebrate Hearth Warming. But what does that have to do with closing the library?” Sunset’s voice had recognition resonating throughout her response; but it still left Mayor Mare a little confused, and a little concerned.

“Well, I was expecting you to want to go back to your home and celebrate with friends. I know you’re an orphan, but still I would have expected you to have some close bonds you’d want to see over the festive period.”

Sunset on the other hoof was feeling foolish and was beginning to sweat a little, and not just because the library was wonderfully warm and comfortable. She had forgotten about Hearth Warming, had forgotten that it was a public holiday and thus expected that her library would be closed.

“W-Well I don’t really have many friends, especially around my age, back in Vanhoover. Uh, and I’ve already made so many new friends here I figured I’d just stay. And since I was staying here I figured, why not keep the library open. You know in case ponies needed someplace warm and quiet to read. Heh, Heh.” ‘That had to be the worst story I’ve ever said in my life. There’s no way she’ll buy it. But I need to be here in case of an emergency.’

The Mayor’s mind clicked and the slight frown on her face evaporated instantly to one of sympathy and understanding. ‘The poor dear. Growing up at an orphanage cannot be easy. But this is the most I’ve seen her react since she started working here. She must have had a very bad time there.’

“Oh, Sunset. I’m so glad to hear you’ve made some good friends here in our little town. There have been more than a few ponies who just could not make it here, believe you me. Regardless though, I simply cannot let you open the Golden Oak Library during the festivities.” There was a crack in the young ponies face, a fleeting look of panic appeared for an instant. “However this is your home, and I cannot very well force you out of it while you are working as the librarian. If you’d rather stay in Ponyville than return to Vanhoover that perfectly fine with me; just make sure you do actually take the time off to relax and unwind from this busy year. And if I see a pony or two entering and leaving; I’ll just assume they are there to wish you a merry Hearth Warming.” The Mayor blinked in amusement at the stunned pony in front of her.

Unbeknown to the two adults talking, a curious young filly had finished the task she had been left with and had snuck up to the two talking mares. She had missed some of the stuff at the start but what she did hear made her feel both happy and sad. That Miss Shimmer wanted to stay in Ponyville over Hearth Warming was awesome, her magic lessons won’t be interrupted.

But it was also sad; her staying in Ponyville meant she had no one to celebrate Hearth Warming with. She’d be all alone in the library with all her books and her pet owl; and while Owlowiscious is pretty cool he’s still just an owl. If Miss Shimmer’s Hearth Warming went badly then maybe she’d get bored of Ponyville and leave. Sweetie couldn’t let that happen! Miss shimmer was so cool; it would be a disservice to Ponyville if she left.

She needed to do something! But something this big couldn’t be done with just herself. She would need help from the other crusaders at least.

“Miss Shimmer!” Sweetie Belle shouted from her position just to the side of the mare in question. The Mayor jumped a little into the air from the sudden outburst; and while Sunset had reacted in a similar manor, Sweetie Belle could tell it was more to make the mayor feel better than actual fright. It was almost as if she knew Sweetie Belle was there from the start, ‘so cool!’

“Sweetie Belle! Don’t sneak up on ponies like that, it’s very rude. What would your sister say if she found out?”

“Sorry Mayor. It’s just that I finished the exercise you assigned to me Miss Shimmer.” The mayor had just finished putting back the few hairs shocked out of position, when a few more tried to flee at the news.

“Oh, you did? Then could you bring the quill over to us?” Sweetie beamed up at the flaming mane’d mare; there was no fear in her eyes, no nervous edge as she asked Sweetie to do something with magic. ‘SO COOL!’

Frowning in concentration the young filly’s horn lit up in a soft pale green aura that also appeared around the quill she had been writing with earlier. A grunt of effort brought the quill up into the air and, with the grace of Rainbow Dash after more than a few apple ciders, the quill started to slowly float over to the three ponies.

Sweetie closed her eyes in concentration, and thus missed the step back from the mayor; she felt her magic fighting as she struggled and so put more effort into it. However Sweetie was losing control. She was about to put even more effort into her magic; when a stern cough from beside her caused her to momentarily freeze. “Remember what I’ve been teaching you.” Sunset’s words pierced through Sweetie’s panic; she took a breath and calmed down.

The quill was still erratic, still stumbling about in the air, but it was closing in on the small filly; who was still struggling, though not nearly as badly as before. With a last ditch effort the young filly floated the quill over her head before her magic gave out and it started to fall; only to be caught up in the raspberry coloured magic of the elder unicorn.

“Very good Sweetie Belle. That’s the furthest you’ve managed to levitate the quill yet. You still need to remember my lessons though while you are casting; I know they are not perfect for you, but clearly they are helping.” Sweetie Belle opened her eyes to find the quill she had been levitating over to them was now resting perfectly still right in front of her, surrounded in the familiar glow of Sunset Shimmer’s magic.

She beamed up at her tutor from the praise and conveniently ignored that the other mare was several paces further away than from before. ‘So. Cool.’

“Ahem, well I can see that you are very busy. So I shall simply put that the library will be closed for the three minimum days that is required by law from the Princess.” They mayor’s eyes travelled to the large window at the end of the room looking over the work desks; the weather outside was still just as bad as when she arrived, the world was nothing but a white emptiness. She wilted at the sight.

“Oh I do hope this storm doesn’t last too much longer. No one wants to leave their homes, not that I can blame them; who would want to be out in that? Actually I am surprised at how busy the library is? And how warm it is, I’m roasting in this jacket.” It may have taken her this long, but Mayor Mare finally noticed how hot she was in all her layers.

“It’s the Golden Oak library. It sustains itself by siphoning magic from the nearby layline that runs under the Everfree Forest. It’s actually a rather interesting phenomenon that uses the trees roots in a very intricate magical arr…” Sunset stopped herself as she noticed her two companions eyes were glazing over. “Well, simply put the tree is using the nearby layline to sustain itself and to keep its interior warm in the winters and cool in the summers. It’s also using the magic to prevent the worst of the storm from entering.”

“Well, I can certainly see why ponies want to be here then. I may even take a spot myself and bring the office here if this storm keeps showing no signs of stopping. Oh I do hope the weather team can breech through soon; goodness knows they’ll need a rest after this.”

Ponyville’s weather team have been battling with this behemoth of a storm from the moment it was located, but unfortunately such a chaotic beast was proving difficult to tame. They’ve managed to keep this monster of a storm from turning into a real threat to the lives of the townsfolk; but they were already on the point of exhaustion and the storm showed little in the way of calming down.

The pair of mares and a filly follower arrived at the red wooden door that was the entrance to the library tree. An out clove to the side had been clearly converted quickly into a winter clothing storage area for the many patrons it was currently experiencing.

The door was opened with the librarians well known magical aura revealing the raging storm outside. Though interestingly enough the wind wasn’t penetrating any further than they were standing.

“I see what you mean about preventing the storm from entering, most impressive indeed. Well Sunset thank you for your time and as I said I’ll note down that the Golden Oak Library will be closed for the three days around Hearth Warming.” The mayor turned and the smile on her face had left by the time she was looking back out at the storm.

A shake of her head and a whip of determination from her tail, the mayor stepped out into the deep white void of the storm; her brightly coloured jacket vanishing into the snow by the third blink of their eyes.

“Miss Shimmer I need to get going as well.” Sunset Shimmer looked back around to the young filly standing just off to her side. It had clear signs of nervousness, but they eyes were filled with determination.

“Sweetie, your sister asked me to look after you for the afternoon as she was too busy to do so.”

“She just wanted me out of her mane for a while; she’s got a few dress orders that are close to completion and needed to concentrate. She’s still at the boutique though.”

“Be that as it may, I cannot in good conscious send you out in that weather unescorted. And I’m afraid the library is just too busy for me to leave it all in Owlowiscious hooves – uhh, talons.”

Sweetie giggled slightly at the obvious slip up. However the upturn of her mouth was wiped out quickly, she was still determined to go home early.

“Aww come on, please.” Sweetie stared pleadingly up at the amber coated mare, her pale jade coloured eyes wide open and quivering almost as much as her upper lip was.

Sunset stared back at the filly with confusion. This was a look that Sunset had never seen before; it almost felt like it was trying to manipulate her in some way. That didn’t make any sense though; Sunset knew that Sweetie Belle was a good filly at heart. Besides the young girl was struggling to lift a quill with her magic, the power required for manipulation magic in comparison was beyond night and day.

Sweetie was not used to her puppy dog eyes not working; they were a lethal weapon according to her sister. But Sunset was not melting at all.

It was a painful blow to the young filly; she just wanted to help the adult that helped her with her homework…

“Hey, could you teleport me back then?” Sweetie’s expression morphed back into one of hope and excitement at figuring out a way around the problem they both had.

This caused a reaction from the adult standing in front of her. “Teleport?”

“Yeah, like what you did with my homework that time I couldn’t find it?”

“Sweetie do you know how much magic is required to teleport a pony in comparison to a few sheets of paper. Not to mention I would need to be able to fully visualise the destination and hope there is nothing at the location to cause interference.”

Sunset received a slow blink of those pale green eyes and the smallest of tilts of the fillies head. “Yeah, but can you do it?”

“Sigh, yes Sweetie. I can do it.”

Sunset watched in confusion as the young filly pranced and hopped around her all the while chanting “Yes” over and over again. Her pink and purple mane and tail following the eager filly like lost puppies.

“So how does it work?” the filly asked when finally calmed down enough to at least stay in the same spot, she was still trembling and dancing in place.

“Look Sweetie, just because I can doesn’t mean I will do it for you.” this stopped the filly completely.

“Aww. Come on, Please? Please please please?”

Before Sunset could comment anything, there was an almighty shriek from the only owl in the tree. A noticeable line of ponies had formed at her desk wanting her help; most of them with frowns on their faces. No doubt from waiting so long already.

“Ok, ok. I’ll do it. It’s clear you’re not going to let me get back to work until I do.” The beaming smile the filly let out could have helped fend off this storm, it was so bright.

“Ok, just like when I got your homework. Fully visualise where you want to be teleported to in the boutique.” Sweetie did so, choosing a clear spot in the kitchen because her room was a mess.

Sunset said nothing as she lay her horn on the fillies head.

Sweetie felt her hairs start to stand on end due to the build-up of magic around her; it was tingly and warm, but didn’t feel threatening. She was beginning to find it difficult to breathe however; but Sweetie couldn’t tell if it was from all the magic around her, or just out of sheer excitement from having such a powerful spell cast on her.

Even through her closed eyes Sweetie Belle could see the flash of light and along with it the fuzzy tingling feeling around her disappeared.

A squawk of surprise and the clattering of china made Sweetie open her eyes; they opened a lot more at what she saw.

“Sweetie Belle? Wh-what’s going on? How did you just appear there?” Her sister asked from her position at the kitchen table, a tea cup was toppled over and its contents now covering the pristine white cloth.

“I JUST TELEPORTED! SOO COOL!”

“SWEETIE BELLE! Did you harass Sunset into teleporting you home instead of waiting for me?! Why I sho–”

“Rarity! I need your help! It’s Miss Shimmer. She’s staying here for Hearth’s Warming!” The porcelain white mare stopped short at the outcry from her sister. She blinked at the words and wondered what was wrong.

“Sweetie, whatever do you mean?”

“I mean she’s not going back to her home for Hearth’s Warming. She’s staying in Ponyville! But she’s not got anyone to celebrate it with. I need your help so that she can have an amazing one and so will want to stay in Ponyville and not a bad one making her leave and never come back!” Sweetie Belle had her eyes set for full lethality, the added tremble of her lower lip spelling doom to any anger that Rarity had for what her sister had done; especially since it was for such a thoughtful thing.

“Oh, Sweetie Belle, what will I do with you? Alright, help me clean up this mess and together we’ll think of something.” The young filly’s tail resembled Winona’s getting food as it rapidly started to sway back and forth.

It took the two sisters only a moment to replace the stained cloth with a fresh and clean one, before sitting down together to discuss the possibilities for their mutual friend.

Hearth Warming Day

It was quiet, very quiet, almost unnaturally quiet inside the library; especially for this time of day. It was Hearth’s Warming and the second day Sunset was forced to have off; and she just didn’t know what to do with herself.

The weather had finally calmed down leaving a town almost buried in white fluffy powder. Every able body was called to help clear the excess snow to a field south of the town; the Mayor was so desperate to clear the snow quickly that she allowed Sunset and the other unicorns to use magic. Especially since the weather team had still not surfaced from their beds.

It took two days, but the town was back to being the lightly snow covered picturesque scene Mayor Mare had planned it to be. It was another day after the clear up that a team from Cloudsdale arrived to help with the chaotic storm. The scowl on Rainbow Dash’s – as well as the rest of her team’s faces – at the late arrival would have turned a Timberwolf.

The Cloudsdale pegasi had the decency to at least apologise for their late arrival, and agreed to remove the fields worth of excess snow before the end of winter.

Sunset was in her private living room, sitting across from the lit cast iron wood burner, reading a book. Her day off yesterday was filled with her researching in the basement; planning for the Summer Sun Celebration as well as going over public available records of the orphanages in Fillydelphia. Both projects were hitting brick walls.

Hoping that a change of pace would help; Sunset had planned absolutely nothing for today. She was just going to sit here and read whatever she wanted to from the fiction section of the library under her care; perhaps even bring down her duvet for that additional bit of comfort.

A clear and precise knocking travelled up the stairwell and reached the small bastion of comfort that sunset had established. A growing part of her wanted to ignore the stubborn pony at her door; larger than she had ever known her rebellious side to shout. But Sunset still felt it prudent to attend to her assigned duties; even with the public holidays as an excuse.

The main door was politely pounded upon again as Sunset reached the main circular room of the library. “I’m coming, I’m coming.” Sunset said out loud as she passed the central bust of a horse.

“Good mo- oh, Applejack; what brings you by this morning?”

“Well nice to see you too Sunset.” Came the stoic reply. The tone held a hint of being offended, but the smile on the tanned earth ponies face took away any real bite.

“It is good to see you Applejack; I just wasn’t expecting to see you at all today. I’d have thought you’d be with your family.”

“Well, yeah. It is Hearth Warming and all. B-but there’s something I need your help with back at the farm.” Sunset quirked an eyebrow at the statement; even with all the offers she had given to help at the farm, Applejack still hadn’t accepted any yet.

It was clear that Applejack realised this too. “L-look, I do need you at the farm. Call it a Hearth Warming present.” The farm pony managed to look Sunset in the eyes at least for that statement, though she was scratching the back of her neck a little too much.

‘Same mannerisms, hooves neither floating, nor sunk into the ground. Eye colour is the same as well as the cutie mark; no shimmers or distortions masking any extra features. This is either a very good illusion spell, or this really is Applejack.’

The thoughts flew past Sunset in the time of a few blinks of her eyes, weighing up her options before she smiled and nodded her head in agreement. “Certainly Applejack I’d be more than happy to help you. I take it you would like me to do some of your chores while you enjoy the day with your family?”

Applejack couldn’t even face Sunset when she agreed it was something like that.

“Are you sure I’m not interrupting anything? I’d hate to intrude.”
“Nonsense. Just come in and say hi, will ya?” Applejack was all but dragging Sunset through the rustic front door of her family’s farmhouse. It wasn’t hard, so much as an annoyance.

The two ponies entered the small but comfortable sitting room; its pale salmon coloured walls complemented the light wooden support beams and flooring. To the left was a set of stairs leading up into the house; and opposite them, on the far right wall, was a rustic stone hearth with a wonderful fire dancing merrily and spreading warmth throughout the room.

Furniture had clearly been recently moved over to the far walls, with a rocking chair and a sofa positioned around the crackling fire. And there in the middle of the room was the reason why; the family dining table had been brought through from the kitchen.

It all was laden with plates filled to the brim with mouth-watering festive foods as well as some Apple family classics. All these grand dishes were centralised around five place settings and chairs; two of them were unoccupied. The meaning was obvious even to an emotional novice like Sunset.

“The girls and I felt it wrong that you’d have nopony to enjoy the day with. The others always leave to visit their own families. But mine is right here in Ponyville, and it’d be an honour if’n you’d join us for Hearth Warming.” The statement brought agreement from everypony else around the table.

Sunset was lost for words; she was at a loss for everything. She felt light headed, weak and confused; it was getting more and more difficult to breathe as she looked over to the ponies who wanted to include her in such a family orientated day. Her eyes started to itch terribly and even began to mist up as she found her legs were unable to support her anymore and she landed on her haunches.

It was painful, so very painful; certainly one of the most painful things she could remember experiencing…and yet it was strangely nice. Her eyes were leaking, but her face couldn’t help but form a smile, even without her trying.

Applejack’s face came into view with a look of concern in her eyes, but the soft smile on her face held understanding. “It’s alright Sugarcube, take your time. It was Sweetie Belle who told us that you’d hadn’t had a proper Hearth’s Warming before and that you were just going to read all day.

“She got us all together and we all came up with lots of nice ideas, but it was actually mah Granny Smith there who suggested you join us when she overheard me grumbling. Said that the honesty of a good meal with family was all you were looking for. Chuckle, by the looks of it I’d say she was right.”

Gently Applejack pulled her friend up and towards the waiting table, where the rest of the local Apple clan was waiting with soft smiles. It looked as though the younger ones wanted to help but the eldest pony of them all had kept them seated with a single look.

Seated next to Applejack, and across from Apple Bloom; Sunset followed suit as Granny Smith, the matriarch of the clan, blessed them all and welcomed Sunset with a smile, before telling everyone to dig in.

The day was nothing but chaos after that for Sunset Shimmer; there was good food and drink that turned into games with Apple Bloom, or friendly competitions with the elder siblings. She did very well for a unicorn, but without cheating and converting her magic she just could not match the two powerful earth ponies.

Sunset used her talents in magic to entertain the family in return, with fireworks, levitation, and an assortment of doable requests that anypony made. Apart from helping with the dishes, Sunset was forbidden from working, much like the rest of the family. For all of them it was a real day for rest with family according to Granny Smith, and she made sure that all of them knew it; especially Sunset.

Sunset’s mind was experiencing things it couldn’t remember. It was overwhelming, quite terrifying, and gave her a headache.

But it was all worth it. She couldn’t remember feeling so accepted.

She felt, happy.

Chapter. 25 – The Woes of a Pinkamena Pie

Author's Note

Ok, never edit a story when you are under the weather; even by my questionable standards this chapter was in dire need of revision. I'm just glad I re-read previous chapters before uploading new ones.

Nothing really has changed in this chapter plot wise, I believe; but I hope it is easier to read now, and if not I give you permission to harass me. There is only one true way to improve with spelling and grammar; and that is by doing. And clearly I want/need to improve.

Chapter. 25 – The Woes of a Pinkamena Pie

Chapter. 25 – The Woes of a Pinkamena Pie

Spring had finally come to Equestria and was ramping up nicely; the sun was warming, the air was filled with bird song, and delicate new leaves and fresh flowers could be seen blooming.

Ponyville was no exception to this; and everypony in town could not help up smile that little bit more, say hi to that extra face, or just generally feel that little bit happier.

All except for one pony.

Sugarcube Corner was as busy as ever, customers were coming and going with the fresh baked goods the store was renowned for. Coming out of the kitchen was a tall and lanky earth pony making his way to the front counter, carrying a trey of freshly baked cookies. Standing there already and waiting to arrange the cookies was a short and stocky earth pony mare.

The tall golden sand coloured stallion looked adoringly into the eyes of the short sea blue mare waiting for him; his eyes clearly saying what his mouth was unable to at the moment.

The mare returned the loving gaze and was just about to relieve her husband of his cargo when the stores front door was slammed open and a pony marched in.

The burst of noise startled the two behind the counter, causing the cookies to leap into the air and be scattered all around the counter. Mr and Mrs Cake looked over to the other pony in the room and jointly let out a worried sigh.

The sad earth pony was a mare with a pink coat and a mane only a few shades darker. It was a worrying sight, her pace was slow, aimless, and there was an edge of trepidation and frustration about it, like each step could cause a problem.

Then, after only making a partially into the building, the problem happened.

It started with almost a sharp jerk of her left ear, as if something was actually trying to rip it off; it was powerful enough to shift her head and make her stumble. While this happened a shiver started at the base of her tail and could be clearly seen travelling along her body like ripples in a pond. The shiver travelled all over her frame; to each and every hoof, all the way up to the tip of the ears, trying to rip themselves off of their host. The last noticeable thing that could be seen happening to the poor mare was both of her eyelids started to violently open and close in something that could almost be called a pattern.

All this happened in a fraction of a second, and the effect it had on its host was instant and worrying.

The moment it passed she leapt into the air, appearing to defy gravity for more than a second or two, all the while screaming. Her eyes grew wild and a vein throbbed on her forehead.

The instant she returned to solid ground, the distressed girl sprinted up the stairs towards the residential section of the store, leaving a smoke trail behind her. The thunder of pounding hooves could clearly be made out before the sound of a door slamming shut; the silence was deafening in the wake of it all.

The two owners of the bakery sighed yet again, before the mare started gathering up the scattered cookies while the stallion went back into the kitchen, resigned to make another batch.

The bell over the door tinkled and a unicorn mare walked into the store with a look of worry in her eyes.

“Excuse me, Mrs Cake?”

“Hmm, oh. How may I help you today Rarity?”

The porcelain white unicorn was nervously playing with her purple mane while looking around the stores main area. “I was hoping you could tell me what is wrong with Pinkie Pie? The girls and I have noticed she has not been her normal self over the past few days. Or week. We’ve tried to offer our assistance in whatever is wrong, but she simply refuses to tell us what it is.”

“I wish I could help you Rarity, but neither myself nor my husband know for sure what’s wrong with her. We know she’s not been sleeping very well, we can hear her cry out in frustration in the middle of the night. Once I think I heard her say something about forgetting, but I’m not certain about that.”

“I heard her muttering about her Pinkie Sense yesterday.” Came the voice of Mr Cake as his head appeared from the kitchen. “Do you think something’s wrong with her?”

Rarity shook her head. “I do not believe so. Just moments ago Sunset Shimmer bluntly went up to her and asked what was wrong, before she started to cast a spell; a diagnostic one she assured me. Well Pinkie just yelled at her that she was fine, before apologising and running off.”

“Oh dear, that really isn’t like her at all. I’ll go and see if she’s willing to talk to me; if I know her she’ll be upset at yelling at a friend.”

“Thank you Mrs Cake. The girls and I are simply worried about her. Oh but look at the time, I am expected to be in a meeting with the Mayor right now for a third finalising of the decorations for the festival.”

“It’s all right Rarity. Run along and I’ll speak to you later if I can get anything out of her.”

The unicorn smiled before quickly dashing out of the bakery.

“Oh dear, I feel like a mother.”

“Well, think of it as practice.”

The mare rolled her eyes, before giving her husband a look. “You’ve not given me any children.”

His response was quick, almost as if this was a common accusation. “You’ll wish I hadn’t when I give you twins.”

Mrs Cake chuckled and shook her head. “Not likely,” before she walked off to the stairs where a distressed pony had recently gone up.

Pinkie was lying on her bed, face down with her muzzle buried deep within the white puffy marshmallow like pillow. Her breathing was shallow and ragged, and there was an occasional hiccup that managed to escape the noise muffler.

The self-pity party was disrupted by three precise knocks that were applied to the door, “Pinkie? Pinkie, I’m coming in.” The brown portal opened to reveal Mrs Cake carrying a tray on her back; it held a glass of milk and a small pile of cookies.

The room was small and round with a tall ceiling that ended in the point of the towers roof. Wooden crossbeams supported a simple iron chandelier, its candles currently unlit.

The older mare walked over to the single bed, where the upset pony lay on a chocolate covered duvet.

“I brought you some warm milk, would you like any?” The standing mare had to strain her eyes to see that Pinkie had shaken her head, no. Mrs Cake hesitated before noticing the side table was empty, “Well I’ll just leave it here then. Better drink it before it gets cold.”

Now free of her burden, the teal coloured mare let out a quiet sigh, before she turned and started to make her way towards the door; silently counting down as she went.

“Wait.” Came the muffled reply before the sixth step had been taken, and right when Mrs Cake had reached number one.

“Would you like some milk?” Mrs Cake asked the pony lying down on the bed, who still refused to meet her gaze. The reply was another minute shake of the head. The older mare sighed again before bringing over a nearby chair and sitting down on it.

For a time there was only silence, then a different intake of breath was noticed, one that sounded a little more nasally than before. It happened a few more times in slightly quicker successions; before finally the pony lying on the bed rolled over and looked at her boss, “you brought me cookies as well?”

“They fell on the floor I’m afraid. They’re still good, but we can’t sell them now.”

“Floor cookies are still cookies.” The young earth pony replied before reaching over and taking one from the plate.

For pinkie the bite was slow and delicate, feeling and savouring the sweet crumbly texture with just the slightest hint of a chew; before indulging in the smooth, rich and wonderfully creamy chocolate pieces that were scattered throughout.

Mrs Cake saw pinkie eat the cookie in a single bite and swallowed it within the blink of an eye. It did have the desired effect though, as Pinkie was looking at least a little better.

“Rarity followed you into the bakery, saying all of your friends were worried about you. She also said you shouted at Sunset Shimmer who, while being brash and upfront, was only trying to see what was wrong.”

Pinkie’s voice held a little more life than before, but its tone was still far too sombre. “I did, and she was, but this is something that no one can fix. Either I figure it out, or it’ll go away on its own, once the event it’s telling me about passes. I had similar events happen to me when I grew into my Pinkie Sense; it’s just never been this strong or long before.”

Mrs Cake blinked, not fully knowing how to handle the information; but still she accepted the answer and gave a warm motherly smile. “Well what do you think your sense is trying to tell you?”

Pinkie let out a tired, frustrated sigh; before grabbing another cookie and savoured it in a single bite once again. “I think its saying I’m forgetting something important, something super party worthy important. But there is nothing right now that it could be.” Pinkie grumbled and hit her bed with a forehoof before grabbing another cookie.

“Well, try thinking about it another way. Clearly this must be something important; something that you should know, but don’t. So it must be something that you should know and that you haven’t done before.” The sitting pony tapped her chin before her eyes opened wide. “You’ve made quite a few new friends recently; do they have an event coming up? A birthday, or a special occasion perhaps?”

“No. Trixie’s birthday is in September and doesn’t have any party worthy assignments coming up any time soon. Spike’s birthday is in May and again doesn’t have anything noteworthy happening any time soon.”

“…and what about Sunset Shimmer?” Mrs Cake pressed when Pinkie Pie went quiet.

“Sunset? That’s the easiest one; since there’s nothing happening in Ponyville so that’s out. As far as I can tell nothing is happening with herself back in Vanhoover; and her birthday is in…?”

To Mrs Cake the silence was deafening. Looking down at the young mare lying on the bed was a worrying sight; Pinkie’s eyes were widening to an alarming degree, and her face was shifting through so many different emotions it was almost scary to watch.

“…Is when, Dear?”

Pinkie bolted upright into a sitting position so quickly, her hair kept going past her as her upper body stopped moving. “THAT’S IT!” Was all that managed to escape her now smiling mouth.

The older mare sitting next to the bed was even more confused, “what is it Pinkie?”

“I DON’T KNOW!” Pinkie couldn’t help shouting in glee.

Mrs. Cake had become completely lost, however. “…What?”

Pinkie scooted her legs to the side of the bed and hugged her boss in thanks before hopping over to a nearby window, jumped out of it and onto the street.

Mrs Cake just sat there for a few moments wondering what had happened right then. She glanced over to the plate and glass, hoping to find a distraction; but all that was there was an empty plate where just a second ago, before Pinkie had hugged her, there were four cookies. Beside it was also a glass that had once contained warm milk, now only a faint trace of the white substance was left.

It was clear that Pinkie was feeling better now and had managed to work through her problems; or at least found the source of it. Getting up off the wooden chair, Mrs Cake gathered up the empty plates and headed out the room with a small proud smile, her mission here a complete success.

Sunset Shimmer had her muzzle deep within the pages of a book of runes, a very old and advanced book that actually required permission from Princess Celestia to receive. She was allowed to keep the tome for another twenty four hours before a royal guard would come and retrieve it from her.

But having the book came with rules. She was not allowed to magically copy pages, nor was she allowed to make notes from it while she was reading. The book could only be touched by cotton gloves, or manipulated by magic under the influence of an archivists ring. These restrictions were a nuisance but considering how old the book was they were understandable ones.

The library was deserted, the whole day was like this; the ponies of the community were still helping out the farming families of the town, sewing seeds or preparing the fields.

The Mayor had said this might continue for another few days to a week, but she should still have the library open in case ponies needed a book, or for the children when school finishes.

So with this free time, Sunset was working on some projects. Not her more secure ones down in the basement, those remained too delicate for her to bring up from below. This one was more of a scholars curiosity than anything.

Using her mage sight on the Golden Oak itself, Sunset had stumbled across runes within the very mana lines of the tree, runes she had never seen before.

Vague familiarity registered with quite literally one or two of the many dozens she had been able to find within the flow of magic of the tree. And considering the few that she could recognise were the oldest runes she knew; Sunset had no option but to ask for help.

The book was fascinating, and it did contain some of the runes she had discovered within the very magic of her library tree. ‘Though how has it managed to get Laguz not to cause a feedback loop with Inguz? I won-‘

…

Something wasn’t right. Sunset couldn’t quite put her hoof on what, but something had definitely changed within her domain.

Concentrating a little more, Sunset could make out the barest hint of an echo from her breathing. This was new; she had never heard her own breathing echo before…in fact she had never heard of quiet breathing ever echoing before.

The spell of a new mystery gripped her conscious and figuring it would be a quick deduction, Sunset chose to look into this latest phenomenon.

The book lowered, clearing her view to observe what her reception desk could see.

Bright blue eyes surrounded by pink were looking right into her own eyes; as in exactly straight on. A hair of curly pink was sitting to the right and had separated from a bigger body of the stuff that Sunset just could not see at the moment.

The eyes glimmered with frustration and happiness in what had to be equal measures, but there was a frown interfering with the sight of those eyes.

“Sunset.” The voice was soft but blunt, and had a familiarity that for the tiniest of seconds Sunset could not place.

“Pinkie.” That was who the voice belonged to, but Sunset had never heard the happy go lucky pony sound like this before.

“Is there something you’ve been meaning to tell me? Something that is coming up soon? Something that is very important to every, single, pony?”

The eyes were not blinking, and somehow made it impossible for Sunset’s own eyes to do the action either, let alone move away.

“Uh, in the near future? No, I don’t believe so.”

Another pink curly hair fell out of place and was now visible to Sunset’s vision. The blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly, the pupil shrank just as imperceptionally.

“…Sunset, you know I like to throw parties right? Welcome to Ponyville parties, congratulation parties, parties for just about every occasion really.” The eyes intensity grew exponentially without changing in the slightest. Sunset felt like she was facing down an Ancient Dragon.

“So when a pony, a friend no less, hides a reason for me to celebrate with them, for them; well I get a little mad.” The voice never wavered, never changed from the soft tone it had been using this whole time, but the edge behind it was clear to hear.

“Sunset. When is your birthday?”

“Umm, the fourteenth of July?”

“Wait, WHAT?!” that was not the reaction Sunset was expecting, but then again she didn’t know what to expect.

“No, no, no, NO, NO, NO! That’s got to be it!” Pinkie Pie had leaped back and was now pacing back and forth in front of the reception desk.

“Its all that’s left! And when Mrs Cake said it, it all clicked! I felt relief!” Pinkie faced Sunset again. “My Pinkie Sense does not lie! Are you certain your birthday’s in July?”

“Well, no. As I said I don’t know anything of my early childhood, not my birthday, not even how old I am, really. So when my masters took me in they made that date my birthday, a complete fresh start.”

Pinkie’s eye twitched and a few more hairs escaped the confines of the curly mass of hair. “Sunset. I am going to ask you a favour, and in return I shall forgive you not telling me when you thought your birthday was; and even allowed it to pass without us celebrating it.”

By now every single strand of hair was out of place and her whole head twitched along with the eye. “You will believe me when I tell you that your birthday is in two days’ time; meaning the Twentieth of March.” The crazed earth pony was slowly walking back towards Sunset; climbing over the reception desk without ever taking her eyes off of the only other pony in the whole world.

“You will allow me to give you a birthday party. You will be there, as well as all of our friends here in Ponyville; where we will have presents, and cake, and play games.

“It will be fun, you will feel joy, and you will remember for the rest of your life that that day is your birthday, and you will celebrate that fact every, single, year.” Pinkie Pie had moved Sunset so far back that she was now sitting on her rump and still trying to lean back; all the while her eyes were kept locked onto the party ponies gaze. “Doesn’t that sound fun?” The last few words were said in a whisper as she leaned over the wide eyes mare on the verge of losing her balance and collapsing onto her back.

Sunset did the only rational thing possible; she nodded her head in complete agreement.

A force allowed Sunset to blink her eyes, and in that time Pinkie was gone. “Great! You’ll receive your invitation some time tomorrow. Ooh, I’ve never given one of my friends a ‘Congratulations on Celebrating your Birthday on the Right Day for the First Time in Ten Years’ party before.” Pinkie was back on the other side of the reception desk and was now happily skipping out of the library like there was nothing wrong in the world. Even her hair was set exactly as it is normally found.

…

There was a polite cough. Sunset turned her head to face the lone pony standing off to the side, next to the public rest rooms, holding a book within her magic. “Yeah, Pinkie is that passionate about parties. Birthday parties especially.”

Sunset blinked again before finally focusing on the mint green unicorn mare standing there. “It certainly seems so,” what else could Sunset say? “I guess I’ve learnt when my actual birthday is.”

Rarity was silently grumbling to herself as she walked through the door to her precious boutique; being dragged behind her held within a pale turquoise magical aura was a bundle of papers. The mayor had apparently forgotten about their scheduled meeting and was in the process of clearing out old files from a decade ago.

Spring cleaning indeed!

The token gesture of a look the mayor gave to her designs was almost an insult. This was the Summer Sun Celebration! and she was in charge of the decorations! This was to be her Magnus Opus! Her latest and greatest masterpiece!

It must be perfect.

The kitchen within the boutique was her destination; a place where she could throw the papers onto a flat surface, and where she could have something that would calm her down.

Beverage secured, Rarity unceremoniously dropped down onto one of the chairs surrounding the kitchens table; making sure there was no one around to see her acting in such an unlady like manner.

A deep inhale and the release of a sigh did its work and calmed the throbbing vein on her forehead. She closed her eyes and savoured the taste of her drink, her mind was given permission to drift and forget about the world for a moment.

For a small eternity there was only her breathing and the mug in front of her. The building was quiet and undisturbed; the world could remain in limbo for just a moment longer.

Rarity opened her eyes again and finally looked over to the pieces of paper once more.

While to the untrained eye the designs looked much the same as they had done previously. However the subtle changes in angles of the triangles, as well as the artistic shading to help bring out a 3D appearance; these details would make all the difference with the nobles and their cultured eyes.

Then came pieces of paper that were not known to her, they were a lot more discoloured and brittle than her own sheets she had looked over. Clearly she had accidently taken some of the pieces that the mayor was clearing out.

“Well, the Mayor did say she was throwing these out, so there is no harm in me having a small look now is there?

“Hmm, these look like they’re old flyers that a pony would find on a notice board. Oh, the grand opening of Sugarcube Corner? My I thought it had always been here. Ah, and it was Mr Cake who started it? I would never have guessed that it was him who designed it.

“Oh, a circus came to town for the fifth year running; I wonder why they stopped coming? Chuckle oh it looks fun, though I do hope the tiger was well treated.”

Several other pieces were quickly passed as nothing interesting, before she came across one that was familiar.

“Oh, I remember this, goodness did it not terrify my parents; I wasn’t allowed out of their sight for months. I suppose it’s no wonder a flyer found its way here; it is only two hours away by train, but still not a pleasant thing to have around.”

They flyer was faded but anypony could see it was of a missing filly the same age as her sister Sweetie Belle. She was lavender in colour and her mane was a deep bluish purple with a purple and pink stripe in the centre.

She was bright eyed and smiling in the picture, showing off her cutie mark; clearly with how she was showing it off, the cutie mark was a recent addition. The picture had clearly been cropped to show the young filly in greater detail, but there were several small green fins coming from a purple scaled back.

“‘Any information to be reported to the guard, being forwarded to first lieutenant Shining Armour.’ Oh, I do wonder whatever happened to Twilight Sparkle? Hmm,” she peered closer to the flyer, a few things catching her attention. “Shining Armour, well clearly that’s Prince Shining Armour now. And when I met him after that Violent Rose business he let slip how important Spike was to him. Oh, oh dear; this must be his little sister. Purple scales and green fins; that could easily be a baby Spike.”

A shudder went through Rarity as she slowly put the missing pony flyer down onto the table. She suddenly had a very large desire to make sure Sweetie Belle was ok; which may or may not involve a reassuring hug.

It was with a quick trot that she left her kitchen, being chased out by the ghosts of the past and a shared pain from one elder sibling to another.

Chapter. 26 – Too the Gala

Chapter. 26 – Too the Gala

The castle was in a state of panic. Well, not panic so much as organised chaos; somewhat similar to what you would find at the first and last of season court sessions. Except there was no court planned for today, or for the following week.

All this chaos, however, came by like clockwork at the same time every year; the preparations for the most illustrious of events were well under way. It was time for the Grand Galloping Gala.

If anyone asked Princess Celestia – and managed to get an honest answer – they would receive a less than enthusiastic response. If Princess Celestia was actually able to get her way with the advent, she would have long ago disbanded it.

The grand Galloping Gala, the pinnacle party of the elite within pony society. The event that runs the nation…the event that helped divide the ruling sisters so long ago.

Princess Celestia shook her head, bringing her back to the here and now.

She turned from her study window as her gaze fell upon the door that had just garnered her attention; the wooden portal was open and revealed her student, on time for another lesson on magic. Celestia was not expecting her student to be smiling – they were having a purely theoretical lesson today, something that Trixie did not enjoy – but the frown that was there caused a concerned eyebrow to be raised.

“Good morning Trixie, is everything alright?”

The light blue unicorn squeaked a little, as a child would with their hoof in the cookie jar. “No Princess,” she replied quickly as she finished seating herself at the only desk in the room sized for her.

Celestia stood there patiently with a caring motherly smile and waited while her student realise what she had actually asked.

“I-I mean, yes Princess. Everything is fine.”

The Princess just hummed in agreement before she walked over and draped a wing over her sitting student; causing the young mare to sigh.

Trixie was a prideful mare who had a bad habit of keeping things to herself no matter how much they dug away at her; convinced that she was the only one who cared about her problems.

Celestia had found a way in however; a simple winged hug that enveloped her student and blocked the world from Trixie’s sight. It made her feel safe and secure; it allowed her to speak of her problems.

This was yet another issue her faithful student was getting over; that it was required now suggested the problem has had quite some time to fester.

“It’s just. I-It’s just you finally gave me permission to attend the Gala, but I…”

“Do you not want to go?”

“I DO! But, I don’t want to go alo. Sigh, I know you shall be there, and Princess Cadenza with Prince Shining Armour…but there won’t be anypony else. I mean, even Spike won’t be there. I, it’s just…”

“You would like your friends from Ponyville to attend with you as well?” The motherly pride within Celestia swelled when she felt her student nod her head in agreement. ‘Look at how far you have come, my student.’

“I know the nobles would object, and it’s thanks to both my birthday and promotion in duties that is allowing me to attend this year. But…”

“I understand, and all the available public tickets have already been sold. If your friends were to attend, it would be as a guest from the nobles or royalty.”

The silence stretched between teacher and student, one considering how to help her student, the other enjoying the closeness a lot more than she would ever admit out loud.

“Well, those mares did help you rescue Sir Spike and take down a threat to Equestria, did they not?”

Celestia felt Trixie tense up and pull away to look at her mentor face to face. “They did. And Shining Armour said he would think of a way to repay them! I don’t think he’s done anything as a thank you yet.”

“That may be my fault, as I have been keeping him rather busy. But this works out very well for us; as more often than not tickets to the Gala were indeed given as rewards for noble deeds.”

Trixie’s face bloomed into a smile, the thought of all her friends being at the Gala with her made it feel so much less intimidating. Still her happiness couldn’t last; there was one of her friends who were not there for that fateful night.

“Umm, could I possibly get just one more ticket?” At Celestia’s raised eyebrow Trixie elaborated. “It’s just that Sunset Shimmer wasn’t there that night. I’m sure she would have been!” Trixie tried to reassure her teacher. “But with how quickly everything happened we couldn’t spare any time going to get her.”

Celestia began to blinked in confusion; Sunset was indeed there that night and according to her report had made sure Trixie and her friends were as safe as could be. But as her eyes revealed themselves to the world once more she caught herself and gave a gentle smile. “I’m sure one extra ticket being hoofed out will go unnoticed.

“Now, before anything else distracts us, can we get back to the lesson I have planned?” Her student nodded eagerly as she removed herself from the feathery embrace and arranged her writing materials on her desk.

Celestia meanwhile, walked over to a self-standing blackboard and levitated a piece of chalk; ready to begin.

“You’ve improved so much recently, both in magical ability as well as maturity, that I am now comfortable enough to teach you about the darker aspects of magic. More specifically how the will of magic can both effect and be affected by powerful emotions; to the point of corruption. It is this reason why the darker aspects of magic are so very dangerous.

“Now if you look at this spell formula here…”

The library was ticking along nicely; colts and fillies were using the study area, talking and laughing as they worked through their homework. Sweetie Belle had tried to get Sunset to teach her more magic, but the bulge in her saddle bag said there was more pressing items for the young filly to be focusing on. Still Sunset left the carrot for her; if her homework was completed, and to a reasonable standard, before the library closed for the day, then Sunset would show her a spell or two.

Strangely Pinkie Pie came by and glared at Sunset for a moment before vanishing.

What made today that little bit more interesting for Sunset, was that Zecora had been by to place an order for a book. It was certainly an obscure one, and if the title alone was to suggest, entirely written in Zebracan. According to the zebra it was a tome on arcane ritual runes from her home land; apparently she was going to access the Ayyaana within Equuis to send a message home.

It sounded fascinating to the bibliophile, and she asked for permission to have a read of it when it arrived; to which the zebra mare was more than happy to allow provided said bibliophile could understand it.

Sunset’s musings were interrupted when she heard the library door was knocked upon.

This sound was a rarity, as it was unusual for Sunset to receive visitors outside of the libraries opening times, and during said time of day ponies just walked in. This was a public building after all.

“SUNSET!” gushed the pony as she was revealed. The glowing, smiling face of Trixie Lulamoon practically skipped into the library. “Have I got a special treat for you and the girls!” her tail was wagging and the mare itself appeared unable to stay still in her excitement.

Sunset found the smile infectious and couldn’t help a smaller one forming on her own face, “oh? And what is this surprise that has got you this excited?”

“It’s a surprise silly, and I want to reveal it to all of you at once. I’m here just to drop off my bag and then I’m going to gather everypony together. See you at Sugarcube Corner. Ok thanks bye!” and with that Trixie dropped her saddle bags and ran back out of the door.

The fiery mare blinked a few times before her eyes travelled to the gold wearing Pegasus who had just entered where Trixie had left. “What has happened to Trixie?”

“Miss Lulamoon has been like this since she left her latest study session with Princess Celestia.” The white furred guard was as indistinguishable as all the others Sunset had ever met. By the ever so slightness of the face it was possible the guard was a mare, but not even from the voice was it possible to really say for sure.

“I’ve been instructed by the Princess to pick up Trixie tomorrow at 2pm.”

“Sigh, so Trixie’s staying here tonight. I had asked for some notice, but I suppose a single night won’t be a problem. Is Spike here as well?”

“No ma’am, Sir Spike is still in Canterlot.” The guard looked over their shoulder to see if the coast was clear, before returning their attention to Sunset.

“Miss Shimmer I was also instructed by your pen pal to deliver this missive to you.” They said this with a clear look in their eye; this missive was from Princess Celestia. “She requested you open it before Miss Lulamoon tells you of her news, but to still act like it is news.”

With both of their cargos delivered, the Pegasus guard saluted before turning around and flying out of the door.

Sunset, still confused at the whole thing, walked back over to the reception desk while reading her letter.

“Hey Sunset,
“I’ve heard through the grapevine that you somehow managed to snag yourself a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala! You are so lucky!
“I know, I know, big events like this are not your thing, but you really should consider going; because I’m going to be there as well!
“It’ll be nice to finally meet face to face, especially since there are a few things I want to talk to you about that can only be said in person.
“Don’t worry about looking out for me, you’re distinguished enough that I’m sure I’ll find you first when I can.
“Looking forward to meeting you properly,
“Sunny Skies.”

Sunset blinked at this. It seemed there was something that the Princess wanted to speak to her about; something that involved a bit of discretion.

‘Still though, the Grand Galloping Gala? That’s the biggest social event Equestria does. I am not looking forward to this. Still I can see why the Princess wrote this for me; without it I’d have turned down the invitation instantly.’

Sunset couldn’t help but let her mind wander as she tried to figure out what the Princess wanted to talk to her about.

Sugarcube Corner was busy with ponies of the town coming and going with fresh bread or tasty treats; but it was a bench seat by the window that made the store seem more crowded than it actually was. Seven mares were squished around two tables that had been pushed together; all of them were seated but one stood out from the others, only one was talking and causing the others eyes to widen.

“So, yeah; as a thank you in assisting with the crown in apprehending a dangerous criminal Princess Celestia, along with Shining Armour as the gift giver, has granted all of you a ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala!” Trixie emphasised this by standing up onto her hind hooves and spread her forelegs out to her sides; a wide and happy smile on her lips as she looked over the faces of her friends.

The announcement was met with silence for a fleeting moment, more than enough time for a fly to flap their wings at least a few times, before pandemonium was unleashed.

Rainbow Dash’s jaw tried to hit the table, Applejack was hacking and coughing as the shock of the announcement made her choke on nothing. Flutter shy just plain fainted, Rarity had clasped hooves with Pinkie and were currently jumping into the air screaming “Yes!” Trixie was very pleased at her friend’s reactions; well all but one. Sunset Shimmer was the only one of her friends who had a questioning look on her face, and Trixie quickly remembered why.

“Don’t worry Sunset, all of us know you would have helped out if you were with us; there was just no time for us to come and get you.” Trixie’s eyes softened and her smile shrank to something simpler and honest. “Trix, ahem, I have come to value your friendship, as much as all of the other girls here. The thought of being at the Gala without every single one of my closest friends celebrating with me; why that is no celebration at all. But thanks to Trixie’s persuasiveness, and Princess Celestia’s endless wisdom, it was agreed that you too shall be granted a ticket to join us.”

The look of surprise that covered Sunset’s face was a little strange in Trixie’s opinion. There was a slight delay in her reaction; not one of hesitation or distraction – Trixie had experienced enough of those to tell – but perhaps confusion, or lack of comprehension maybe.

Trixie couldn’t dwell on it for long; because Rarity had clearly heard the news and had all but climbed over the tables and was looking directly into Sunset’s eyes, her forehooves smooshing the face of the powerful Librarian. “HA! That dress I made won’t just stand there being beautiful anymore! It will now be worn and allowed to show all of Equestria what it can do with who it was meant to be wielded by! But not just you!”

Rarity gathered herself and got back onto all four hooves; she was still on the table, and was conveniently ignoring the mess her dive across its surface had caused. “All of you! I shall make a dress for all of my friends.” She hopped down from the table and started to head towards the entrance, “come along now. I will need all of you to accompany meeee,” she all but sang. Her horn was radiating power and all six of the other mares felt themselves being not to subtly dragged after the fashionista. They could resist, they could counter or fight the magic. But all of them knew that when Rarity got in such a state, it was almost futile to resist.

Shining Armour found himself deep within the archives of the palace; a place of history so long ago that even Princess Celestia struggles to remember that far. Or at least that’s what historians like to say.

The reason for his long and frequent excursions into the depths of history was curiosity of a single pony. Rather it was the organisation that had trained this pony to be as good as she clearly was. Shining Armour was still annoyed with Princess Celestia and how long it took her to tell him that the Violent Rose was back in custody; he had soldiers scouring White Tail Wood while that murdering SOB was lying about in the castle. Admittedly in the Royal Infirmary. Unconscious. Slowly dying until his heart eventually gave out before he could be properly interrogated…the point was he had ponies out looking for a mass murderer and he had already been recaptured by a single mare.

A mare who apparently appeared out of thin air, whom the Princess seem to trust despite the lack of knowledge of her past; and had been trained very extensively, but by no force he could see the records of. Considering he was the former Capitan of the Royal Guard and now a Prince Consort; he could see a lot of military records.

Even the tax records were a bust; and that was a month of complete tedium he was never going to get back.

For as unused and as deep as he was into the archives, there was still not a speck of dust on the table he was working at; but it was gloomy. The lighting was magically dimmed and there were no windows for Celestia’s sun to come in. The tomes here were very fragile, and he had to wear a white gold curator ring on his horn to slow and limit his magic. Just in case he causes damage to these fragile glimpses into the past.

All of his research so far had proven fruitless; be it the pony in question, this Miss Sunset Shimmer, or the organisation that she was a part of. His wife had assured him that her training was extensive and detailed, but she could not say what it entailed. So she knows of the organisation, but nothing more. That was not good enough in his books.

This was his last possible lead he could follow without going right up to Princess Celestia or Cadance and politely demanding that they told him what was going on. And then hope that they were in a good, but distracted mood, for them to actually tell him what he wanted to know.

Maybe he was exaggerating just a little, Cadance had said if he really wanted to know he could simply ask; but as he had deduced, Cadance did not know the details of the training.

So here he was, looking at the records of over a thousand years ago; and he had yet to find anything resembling an elite unit of ponies.

“Jeez Princess Celestia, you must be glad I wasn’t around at this time; I’d have been raking you over the coals with some of these decisions. And then this Princess Luna had every bit accounted for and treble checked,” he shook his head, “the discrimination is appalling. What were the ponies of the time thinking? Hmm, but here she is again getting legislation through; trivial spending on park development this time. That is an insignificant amount though, it would not do anything, even if it was scheduled to…” he blinked, “continue indefinitely, or with unanimous Diarch vetoing? That is surprising.

“So we’re still spending that amount; it’ll be trivial now, inflation on the bit alone would have decimated this, but it is still being spent. Wait.”

Shining Armor went over all the decrees that this other Princess had managed to pass. Many were of no consequence, some – the larger expenses – were passed thanks to help from Princess Celestia; but the rest – the smallest amounts – were passed over several decades. The final tally raised an eyebrow.

“I think I’ve found our culprit, this Princess Luna is a cunning and shrewd pony; managing to gather all these funds despite all the backlash she was clearly experiencing. But that still does not tell me what this organisation is.”

He rubbed his eyes in frustration with the heel of his fore hooves. His eyes were tired, his head hurt and all he had managed to find was that a former Princess, who was still registered as part of the crown – that piece of information explained so many of Princess Celestia’s stranger quirks; including the recent spending on redecorating the spare Princess sized quarters – had managed to discreetly gather enough bits to fund such an elite force.

A distant delicate bell chimed several times, informing Shining Armor that he had already spent far too long on this; his wife was sure to be looking for him. He sighed as he gathered his notes; the books he was reading through were left where they were. Not out of arrogance or impoliteness, but out of the insistence of the Archivist; they knew exactly where the books belonged and they also wanted to check over each tome or scroll he had manipulated.

Leaving the gloom, he inhaled deeply on a lungful of fresh air before quickly releasing it with a shake of his mane. He was getting closer to the truth, he could feel it in his hooves; it was enough to put a small smile on his face.

The smile vanished, as he heard the distant call of his wife looking for him. “Have you seen Shining Armor? The Gala starts in an hour and he needs to get ready for it.” He shivered at the thought; a part of him wondered if he could teleport away, but dismissed the pleasant idea. His wife would not stop looking for him; and the longer he was missing after the Gala started, the worse his life would be.

It was with a resigned sigh, and heavy hoofsteps that he made his way towards his wife’s voice, “Cadance I’m right here…”

The sky was set ablaze with golden hues and streaks of pink as Celestia began to lay her sun to rest. As dusk started to arrive a stage coach carved out of the finest of oak was pulled through the main gates of Canterlot castle; being led by a team of white furred golden clad pegasi.

Waiting for her friends to arrive at the base of the main steps was none other than Trixie Lulamoon, the personal student of Princess Celestia herself. It was clearly an anxious wait as she was repeatedly hopping from one hoof to another in what the average pony could easily believe was some sort of tribal war dance. Or a desperate need to use the bathroom.

The hopping came to a sudden and dramatic halt at the exact moment the carriage door was opened by the hoof of yet another almost identical guard. They had been standing at the base of the stairs nearby and what made this guard different from the ones pulling said carriage was the lack of wings.

One by one the passengers exited their vehicle and the smile on Trixie’s face grew larger with each pony that was revealed. It was a fight which one of her friends exited first between Pinkie Pie and Rarity, with Rainbow Dash a close third place; something Trixie was sure the fast Pegasus would not care to admit.

What surprised her more was that it was not Fluttershy who was the last pony to venture out of their transport; no she left the vehicle after Applejack. It was Sunset Shimmer who was last to set her hooves down at the base of the stairs; and while her face was its typical impassive demeanour, Trixie felt there was a hint of nervousness about it.

“You all made it!” She did not gush, but would admit to being very excited; and why not her friends were here to join in with the festivities of such a prestigious event. Said friends were clearly in a similar mood, they all gathered around her, with both Rarity and Pinkie smothering her in hugs and thank you’s. Rainbow was already trying to see if there were any signs of her heroes the Wonderbolts; while Applejack was still a little miffed at not being allowed to bring any of her farm’s wears with her. The Grand Galloping Gala was an event where the price of the ticket covered everything for the night; it was unlikely anypony would have bought a single thing from her regardless of the quality.

“Well gather up your things and follow me; I’ll take you to my quarters where you all can freshen up from the journey and get ready for tonight!” Trixie pivoted before leading the way into the marble rich castle. She blinked in confusion when Sunset lit her horn; the blink turned to shock when at least half a dozen suitcases flew out of the carriage, along with seven dress bags. “Uh, Sunset, why did you bring so much? The invitation was only for tonight? You’re not even meant to be staying over, I just said I’d let you all bunk in my quarters and Princess Celestia had no qualms with it.”

The mare in question blinked, “this is not all mine.”

“Yeah!” Rainbow jumped in quickly. “That’s all Rarity’s. The rest of us are sharing my duffle bag here.” Applejack was smiling right along with Fluttershy over their friends antics, only her smile was clearly repressing laughter. Rarity just huffed at the comments.

The walk through the castle was as indirect as Trixie could make it to where she slept, provided Sunset was still happy to carry all of Rarity’s luggage. She wanted to give her friends as much of a tour as she could; certainly more than the typical tourist public one. Her friends all oooo’d and aaaa’d as she spoke about the areas she showed off; taking them along several corridors filled with history in stained glass, passed the Royal Archives, and more than a few of her more favourite locations before eventually taking a side door out to the gardens.

This trip through the gardens wasn’t a tour, just a convenient shortcut to her own living accommodations and as a result where all her friends were going to be spending the night. The walk led them past the renowned hedge maze and even the outer edges of the sculpture nursery; but unfortunately for Fluttershy nowhere near the animal sanctuary.

“Well here we are; home sweet home.” Trixie announced as they came to the end of their mini adventure; and what she led them too was a rather tall annexed tower. It was clearly made to be in keeping with the castle; but thanks to the architecture it was obvious that the tower was a later development.

While the tower was indeed connected to the rest of the castle, there was a side door that led directly into the gardens. More specifically right into the section of the statue garden where all of the previous personal students of Princess Celestia were on display, fully grown adults and posed ready to face the world. They were all set in a semicircle in front of a very old depiction of the Princess. It was a little smaller than the actual princess; set in a graceful sitting position, a motherly smile of pride was on the face and its wings were spread wide in an attempt to wrap them around all of the other statues.

There was, however, a single exception in amongst the stonework. Sitting directly in front of the princess was the only statue of a filly unicorn; she had an innocent smile on her face, and was waving to the world.

The blue unicorn led them up a marble set of stairs, passed a few doors, and into what was clearly a living/studying area. It again was in keeping with the rest of the castle, but there were a lot more personal touches that just seemed to yell to the high heavens that this was Trixie Lulamoons living quarters.

It caused Rarity’s porcelain white coat to discolour with an undertone of sickly green.

But Trixie’s background as a showmare made itself known at that moment in time; for as soon as she revealed her home away from home the bells of the castle chapel called the top of the hour. The realisation of just how little time she had left to get ready forced the seamstress to dismiss her critiques and dash off to the indicated bathroom.

All the others just smiled and lightly giggled at the antics, and Trixie made no effort to hide the glint of mischief within her eyes.

For the Grand Galloping Gala was set to begin in only a meagre two hours’ time.

The ball was underway, ponies of all tribes, shapes and sizes were immaculately dressed; showing off the latest trends, displaying their grandest accessories that no doubt each cost the same as a small house. The opulence, the displayed wealth, the extravagance of it all; oh it was everything the Grand Galloping Gala had stood for since its founding.

And she had long since come to loath it.

The pleasantries with ulterior motives, the smiles that never reached a ponies eyes, the fake interested front talk; it was all on display if a pony cared to look. The Grand Galloping Gala was founded on good intensions, but the power of it all corrupted it into what it was now.

A political cesspool of self-congratulations wrapped in a fancy bow.

With practiced ease, Celestia held in a sigh as she smiled and welcomed in another group of nobles trying to sweet talk her into their way of thinking. Every year it was the same script; different actors perhaps, updated language sure, but the script rarely if ever changed.

She went through the motions of greeting guests as they arrived; an act of humility and an effort to equalise the Princess to the more common pony it was claimed by all. Truthfully it was a clever ploy to delay the inevitable political dance that was all but demanded of her even within this highly decorated soiree.

And the absolutely worst thing about it all was that it was she herself that had caused it.

Sure it wasn’t supposed to be like this; at its birth it was genuinely meant to be a celebration of the prosperity and wellbeing of the country. A way for the nation to see how well it was doing. Oh, but honeyed words year after year had slowly excluded the more common pony in ways that had sounded good at the time, in her naivety.

Luna had seen what was going on, and had tried to make her see what was happening; but the limelight was a corrupting influence, and she failed to heed her sister’s warnings. No, instead she listened to the worries of her ‘friends’ at the time and created laws that made it all but impossible to stop it. The legislation she had weaved protecting the Gala was a masterstroke of law creation, with forethought and futureproofing were all considered in their writing. This event was all but impossible to stop or defund; be it her sister, who these countermeasures were aimed at during their creation, or by herself she realised much too late.

‘Oh sister, we were both corrupted back then, weren’t we? Your one was just more visual.’

Still it wasn’t all bad; while the event couldn’t be as general as she wanted, there were still ways to allow, at least a few, of the true populous of Equestria to see the event. Noteworthy deeds and acts, charitable nobles, and a few other more recent additions, allowed some ponies to come and see the event for what it really is.

Of course now her ponies think this exclusivity and difficulty to get an invitation meant that the Grand Galloping Gala had to be the best party ever. The ponies lucky enough to get invited always arrive with huge bright smiles, and leave with sad, disappointed frowns.

Her gaze travelled over to the latest arrivals and her smile became just that little bit brighter and a lot more honest. Maybe this lot will break the trend?

“Good evening Trixie; my you are looking quite beautiful tonight. I must say I almost didn’t recognise you without your trademark magician’s hat.” And indeed she was; her whole group in fact were all in beautifully crafted dresses that clearly had each and every pony in mind during their creations. That they were all in a style that was rather unknown to the Princess just helped the group to stand out all the more.

Trixie’s dress consisted of a beautiful saddle made out of smoothed pale amethyst gem stones that wrapped around her neck to form a heart shaped clasp. It was trimmed with gold cord and the trailing skirt was made of a transparent material the shade of pale heather.

The other dresses matched their owners just as well; from the rainbow and cloud motif with gold trim, to the dress that somehow managed to incorporate a Stetson. The subtly and simplicity of the green gown matched the yellow pegasus wonderfully; even the two more traditional gowns of high bottomed pink dresses suited their owners.

The final dress of the group was layered in purple fabric with a matching choker; the purple paled and faded into a soft pink by the time it reached the floor. Detailed swirls of silver were woven throughout the primary purple fabric, and the base of the dress was finished in silver flames that matched the mane of the pony who wore it.

Trixie lightly blushed at her mentors comment, that there was a twinkle in the Princess’s eyes told Trixie that the second comment was meant to be a light tease. “Thank you, Princess. Cough, please allow me to introduce my friends to you; this is Pinkie Pie professional party pony and baker extraordinar. The rainbow maned Pegasus is Rainbow Dash, a future Wonderbolt in the making. This is Rarity, master seamstress. She was the one who made all of our dresses tonight. And the one hiding slightly behind Rainbow Dash is Fluttershy, she’s the heart of our group and a lover of animals. Then finally, there is Applejack and Sunset Shimmer; both of whom I believe you might actually be acquainted with?”

The gobsmacked look on Rarity’s face was almost as bad as the simple half shoulder shrug of Applejack in reply. “What? The Princess has been buying our reserved cider ever since we started making it. Heck, why do you think it’s called ‘reserved’. What I want to know is how Sunset here knows the Princess?”

“I appointed Sunset Shimmer as the librarian of Ponyville myself.” Princess Celestia calmly answered; preventing the squabble that was so clearly starting up. “It is good to see all of you once again; the last time was when Sunset Shimmer won the running of the leaves I believe. It is nice to see that the little dispute then has been put behind you all.

“Ah, forgive me but I think it’s time you all venture into the Gala itself. The welcome line appears to be growing behind you all.” And indeed it had, there appeared to be two groups of important looking ponies waiting; all of them giving the group of young mares the stink eye. “Perhaps when I have welcomed everypony in we may get the chance to speak again. Until then though, please enjoy yourselves.”

The small entourage of ponies bid the Princess farewells before venturing into the depths of the most illustrious party in the country. It was so innocent a farewell that no pony noticed the subtle message the Princess gave to Sunset, “I’ll find you.”

Chapter . 27 – The Ball of Dreams

Chapter . 27 – The Ball of Dreams

The decorations were lavish and extravagant; several large and highly detailed ice sculptures were placed in just the right way to ensure each one had the most impact possible within the large pillar supported hall. There were no obvious sources of light, but everything was being bathed in a soft golden glow, ensuring all that was touched looked as expensive as it really was.

In fact, while the hall looked magnificent and highly decorated; the actual decorations were fairly scarce. It was the manipulation of light and shadow that seem to bring out all the fine and intricate details that were normally missed.

The small simple centre pieces on each table were transformed into fascinating pieces of art with the simple applications of golden shades and shadows. The few banners and tapestries suddenly sparkled as if they had been covered in glitter; paintings hanging on the walls drew the eye more, as their intricacies became more pronounced.

Even the wooden floor was changed thanks to the lighting, making it look almost as if it was a sea of smelted gold, thanks again to the highlighted wood contrasting with its natural grains.

All this elegance, sophistication, and subtleties were all but ignored as the seven young mares entered the main ballroom. One truly understood what was on display, getting inspired; another was silently lamenting on the lack of other bright colours. The only other to take note of all the effort was looking at the shadows and how best to hide somepony within them. Her musings had come up with more than half a dozen plans, as she followed her friends deeper into the room.

Ponies of all tribes mingling about and clearly dressed to impress; not one figure could be made out not wearing clothing, even the staff waitering this evening were dressed in full black and white service outfits.

“Oh my, isn’t it just wonderful? It is everything I thought it would be, and more.” Rarity sighed wistfully as she observed all the genteel of the nobles.

“Meh, it’s alright.” Rainbow replied with a half shoulder shrug.

“This is a fancy party?” Even Pinkie Pie was not certain if her announcement was meant to be a question or a statement.

“It certainly seems so, Sugarcube. At least they’ve got a half decent looking buffet. Even if everything is small and dainty lookin.”

Fluttershy and Sunset just looked on in silence; one hiding behind her beautifully styled mane, while the other’s expression could have been made out of wood.

“Oh come on; this is everyponies dream! Come on lets go mingle; I’ll introduce you to some of the nobles I know.”

“Actually, I’m gonna go hunt down Spitfire, or Soarin, or any other Wonderbolts here.” Announced Rainbow Dash before she trotted off; not wanting to deal with another hour long lecture by Rarity and why flying in a dress is a bad idea.

“I think I shall help Fluttershy find the way to the animal reserve. It’s too busy for my liking right now.” Sunset Shimmer announced. The grateful look on Fluttershy’s face was more than proof that she felt the same way.

“Well, since I can’t sell anything here, I might as well figure out what these nobles look for in grub.” Applejack headed off before stopping to take a drink on offer from one of the passing waiters. By her reaction after taking a sip, she couldn’t decide if she enjoyed the clear liquid in question or not.

Trixie looked around where all her friends had been standing, to find that only Rarity was still there; even Pinkie had vanished into the crowd of other ponies at some point. “…soo; want to mingle with the nobles with me? See if I can’t properly introduce you to Prince Shining Armour; or his wife Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?” the twinkle in Rarity’s eyes was all the answer Trixie needed.

“Thanks for helping me get out of there, Sunset. The only reason I agreed to come was so that I could see the rare animals the preserve has.” The night air was still very pleasantly warm, especially considering the altitude the whole city was built at. There was the subtle aroma of night flowers to compliment the distant noises of the animals the two friends were following.

“Yeah, I didn’t want to come for the ball itself either.”

“Oh, you didn’t? Did you come for the animals as well? This is the only time any of the public can see the nocturnal animals they have there. Since the reserve closes at sundown normally.”

Sunset shook her head gently, “no I’m not here for the animals. In fact I’m actually here to meet somepony. When I moved to Ponyville I started corresponding with a penpal. When I told them I had managed to get a ticket to the ball, they revealed that they too were going. So we agreed to meet face to face for the first time, here.”

Fluttershy’s eyes went wide at the news, “oh; well why didn’t you just say so? You can go look for them; I’ll be ok now that I’m away from all those other ponies.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping you find your way to the reserve?”

“No I’ll be ok; I can just follow the animal calls from here. You’ve got a much more difficult pony to find, if you’ve only got a description of her.” Fluttershy was wrong on that part; Sunset did not even know what Princess Celestia’s disguise would look like, only that she would find her and that Sunset would know her when they did meet up.

Still, no point stopping ponies in believing what they want to. Especially if it makes it easier for her to both blend in as well as getting away from her friends. So with polite smiles the two split up to enjoy the gala in their own way.

Applejack sniffed at the dainty little morsel she had picked up from one of the many plates arranged on the pristine white tablecloth. It looked like a wonderfully shiny red apple; quite a bit on the small size, not even a third as big as the apples she grew, but still an apple. Then she took a bite and found its taste creamy and savoury instead of sweet and sharp.

Upon closer inspection, she discovered that it wasn’t an apple at all; it was some sort of candied shell made to look like an apple. It was filled with some sort of firm grey stuff that could possibly have been delicious, if she was expecting to eat it. But she wanted an apple, and so it was not in fact delicious.

“So now they have to go and hide what they’re eating? Seriously, what’s the point in that? Why over complicate things; let the ingredients speak for themselves.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Applejack turned to the voice with a dash of red covering her cheeks; she did not mean to say that out loud.

The pony in question was an earth pony with a slight athletic build. His fur was dark tan, almost brown in colour; while his mane and tail were closer to a sandy yellow. But it was his eyes that surprised Applejack; a sky blue that held a deep passion for his craft, a passion that no doubt went beyond the point of civility.

“I placed a bid to cater for the Gala this year; but they went with that unicorn Blooming Tall and his experimental style of cooking. See that yellow ice cream over there; it’s actually savoury, taste like salty eggs.”

“Eggs? Why would anypony want to have egg flavoured ice cream? Ice cream and other frozen treats are there to cleanse your mouth, or settle your stomach.” Applejack couldn’t fathom why somepony would even consider putting salt and ice cream together, and it showed on her face.

“Thank you. Somepony else who agrees. It sounds like you’ve got quite the bit of knowledge about food; I’m Golden Rams-hey.” The pony raised his hoof in greeting.

Which she was more than happy to return. “The names Applejack; and I know my way around a kitchen. Nothing fancy, mind you, but I let all the ingredients speak for themselves. After all I know they don’t need any more help at that point, I already looked after them as they grew up.”

Golden Rams-hey blinked before he smiled in understanding, “I thought I hadn’t seen you here before. Managed to snag a ticket to the greatest party in all of Equestria?”

“That’s right. My friends and I help Trixie Lulamoon capture that crazy Violent Rose character, and rescue her friend Spike.”

“That has to be quite the tale. I know a few like-minded ponies when it comes to food; why don’t I introduce you to them, and you can tell us how you came to this event.” Applejack considered his offer, what else was she going to do here; risk any of the dishes on offer, trying to find something half decent? At least this guy had his head on straight when it came to food, so at the very least he’d help guide her to good stuff. Besides, she knew she could look after herself.

“Lead the way, partner. As my friend Pinkie likes to say; you can never have too many friends.”

Pinkie pie let out an almost sorrowful sigh as she half sat on a chair, half lay on a table in almost defeat. This was not what she was expecting at all. She thought there would be dancing, and food, and dancing, and cake, with good drinks and good music for dancing. Sure she hoped there would be games to play, but the few wealthy ponies she knew – Filthy Rich and his family being exhibit A – said that they may be too low brow for their taste.

Or, it was possible that money caused them to forget about having fun. She wasn’t too sure.

Oh she had tried to show everypony here what they were missing; dancing with ponies, livening up the music, even bringing out her party cannon and putting up some more decorations. But then they had the gall to set a guard on her; confiscating her cannon and informing her of the rules she was expected to follow while she was attending.

This is a party; as long as ponies are having fun, rules can be stretched! Like gravity.

But not here apparently. Rules were what made this gala ‘fun’ according to what she could see around her. The music was back to the background noise they wanted it to be; the clearly fake smiles were set as ponies talked to each other, some that quite clearly did not like each other.

It wasn’t like any party she could ever fathom; if she had to put a word to what this all was, it was work. Not even good work, but the bad kind that seemed to never end no matter how much you try.

So here she was, scarfing down all the sweet treats close to her, while she moped on a single round table. The food was at least good; quite strange, like that salty savoury yellow ice cream, but good. And the drinks weren’t too bad either; sure it wasn’t her famous punch, or as tasty as some of the stuff Applejack can make. But they seemed to fit in with the whole, feel, of whatever this event is trying to be.

It certainly wasn’t a party.

The next drink she took without even looking at it; only noticing the glass was quite a bit different in shape and style. Still she inhaled it in a single mouthful, trying her best to find some entertainment.

And promptly sprayed it out instantly before coughing up a storm.

Whatever it was burned her throat and mouth something fierce; and the taste! It was like sucking on an active chimney, it was so powerfully smoky.

She frantically started looking for anything to wash out her mouth; finally settling on a glass pitcher of water with ice cubes and lemon slices in it. It took the whole jug before the taste was finally washed out of her mouth.

“Aye, I’m not surprised you spat that muck oot. Whoever decided on the drams for this shindig should be fired.” Pinkie looked over to the old stallion who had just spoken, while offering her a napkin. He was an earth pony, his coat and mane were greying, but you could still make out the former rosy brown of his fur. His mane was harder to tell, due in part thanks to the faded rainbow dye.

But what really stood out to Pinkie Pie was his eyes; a deep brown in colour that twinkled lightly in laughter. It matched up with the crow feet wrinkles at the edges of his eyes and mouth as well. Clearly this pony liked a good laugh.

Right now those eyes of fun were looking at her with the tinge of worry. “But I also could’ne help but notice yourself slumped there, down in the dumps. Come on, tell old Cobble-lay what’s gone and twisted your mane into a tangle? If ya do, I’ve got a few wee stories that should get a smile back on yer face.”

The kind demeanour, the clear signs of fun and laughter, and honest eyes told Pinkie Pie that this pony just wanted to make other smile, like herself. Even without all those tells, she was going to accept the invitation regardless; for as she always tells her friends ‘one can never have too many friends.’

“Ah Trixie. You seem in a much better mood than the last time I saw you.” There was a large crowd of ponies surrounding Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and her husband Prince Consort Shining Armour. But that attention was politely put to the side when she saw Princess Celestia’s student walking towards her with one of the ponies Cadance was very interested in meeting; one of Trixie’s friends.

“When last you saw me, Princess, was before my friends were awarded their tickets to join me for such a prestigious event. I am so glad that they were able to come. Please allow me to introduce you to Rarity Belle; a dear friend and the one who made all of our outfits for the occasion.”

That raised an impressed eyebrow from the pink Alicorn. “My my, that is quite an impressive feat. I saw when your group entered the hall; all of you were wearing such varied and personalised dresses.” The Princess looked to the blushing seamstress, “You must know your friends very well to have made such personal dresses.”

Rarity was beginning to hyperventilate; her mind was working beyond a mile a second as she processed exactly what the Alicorn Princess of Love had just said to her. Over and over again in her head.

Shining Armour chuckled, “ease back the compliments dear; it looks like she’s about to faint. I do have to admit though; it is good to see you and your friends under better circumstances. Speaking of which where did they all go? I know Cadance here has been dying to meet them all. I actually think she’s a little jealous that I have already.” The not so subtle attempt at conspiraltory talk to Trixie by said stallion resulted in a light smack from his loving wife’s wing along with an accompanying roll of her eyes.

The smile on her face matched the grin found on her husbands.

Trixie supressed a giggle with the use of a forehoof. “My apologies then, Princess. They scattered around the hall and outer event space; but I believe they got too excited and have already managed to get lost. Oh, my mistake, here comes another of my friends. Rainbow! Over here.” The short shout drew the attention of a few other ponies, not just the mare in question.

Rainbow Dash was grumbling to herself, but her eyes did light up a little when she finally found some of her friends. “Hey guy’s.”

“Rainbow? My, whatever is wrong?” the disgruntled grumblings coming from a friend were enough to gather Rarity’s attention away from the praise she had been reliving.

“It’s just, you know how I wanted to meet the Wonderbolts? I even saw Spitfire. But they’re surrounded by so many other ponies it’s impossible to get close or anything!” it was a testament to the dress the athletic Pegasus was wearing; for when she crossed her forehooves in a huff, the dress was robust enough to only be minimally effected.

“Oh that happens every year.” Princess Cadance said to the frustrated Pegasus with a kind and understanding smile. “It’s like a gallery, or a side show. They come to see Shining and myself first, since we’re already in the hall when the doors open. Then they go talk to the Wonderbolt representatives when they arrive. Honestly, give it another hour or so and then they’ll be left alone.”

“Why’s that?”

Both Cadance and Shining Armour laughed lightly together. “Because,” Shining supplied, “that’s how long Princess Celestia can get away with being the ‘host at the door’, before she has to mingle in the hall with all of us.”

“Both we and the Wonderbolts representatives are the warmup acts.” Princess Cadance said with a cheeky grin on her face. “Princess Celestia is the main event, and who everypony is here to see. Regardless if most of the nobles here see her at least once a month.”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash looked at them in confusion, before looking at everything else around her.

“Yeah,” Princess Cadance clearly saw what Rainbow Dash was on about. “All this effort and pageantry, all this expense; is just another way for the nobles to try and butter up Princess Celestia to their way of thinking. Regardless if it’s the crown who pays for this event or not – every bit of the ticket price goes to charity – the majority of them still use it to try and talk to Princess Celestia.”

“Of Course,” Shining chimed in. “Not all of the nobles see it this way. As with most groups of ponies there are, excuse the expression, black sheep in the heard…or would it be white sheep in the heard in this example.” He wondered out loud with a grin that clearly said he already had his answer. His eyes lit up as he caught sight of some friends. “Why don’t you join us for a bit longer, I’ll introduce you to a few nobles who are good ponies that have their heads screwed on correctly. In my own personal opinion, of course.”

The party agreed, even with Princess Cadance rolling her eyes at her husband, and they set off. To both try and locate their existing friends, as well as potentially meet some new ones.

In one sense Fluttershy was in a miniature paradise; all around her were endangered animals of all wakes of life. From flying squirrels, to even an adorable pygmy possum; all the way up to an elephant. There was even a small troupe of monkeys comprised of different types; they were clearly playful creatures, but so rare and endangered they are all believed to be extinct in the wild.

But it wasn’t just mammals; she could see birds a plenty, lizards; even a few marsupials, like a koala. Oh these gardens were everything she had heard of and so much more. It was almost paradise.

If only the little, darlings, would allow her to approach.

For almost an hour Fluttershy has tried every single trick she knew to try and befriend even one of the animals around her; but all of them ran to a safe distance the moment she tried anything. They wouldn’t listen to her talk nor sing; she had no treats to offer them, her movements – no matter how slow – caused them to jump in fright.

She was beginning to lose her temper just a little.

Well if calm politeness wasn’t working then she would resort to more, severe, measures. After all; they will love her.

She pounced suddenly, and without warning, to a gibbon who had wandered just that little bit too close to her. She managed to grab the adorable creature for a moment, before it threw something truly fowl at her and she let go in surprise and shock.

The act of aggression caused an uproar on a truly impressive scale, as all the animals did their best to get even further away from the mad pony.

“What’s going on here?!” came a male voice of authority. Fluttershy looked up to find a Pegasus stallion gazing over the clearing she was in the middle of; a frown was on his face that held an air of concern and disappointment, if it was possible to have both expression on ones face at the same time.

“Little lady, the designated petting zoo area is back in the main gardens where me colleagues can help direct ya. This area is off limits; even ta nobles.”

It was the final drop of water that broke the dam. All her pent up frustrations, worries, it all came crashing down onto Fluttershy as she realised exactly how she was just acting and actually being caught behaving in such a way.

She buried her head under her forehooves and started to cry.

The stallions reaction switched in an instant. “H-hey now, no need for those.” He gently approached the young mare, retrieving a cloth from one of his tan jackets many pockets. “Come on now, Sheela, let’s get rid of this muck you’ve been sprayed with. Then we’ll get you over to where you should be, alright?”

It took some time and a bit of coaxing from the Pegasus stallion, but eventually Fluttershy had calmed down enough to at least stop apologising for everything and revealed a little of her story. “Ah, I see. So Miss Trixie Lulamoon gave you all a small tour this afternoon, forgetting to mention where the actual animal exhibit was going to be tonight.”

He lightly snorted and shook his head. “Well, no harm done; besides your dress that is.”

“Oh,” from the monkey attack to the collapse into hysterics, Fluttershy’s dress was wrinkled in places and had a few smudges dotted over it. Thankfully Rarity had made this dress with herself in mind. “It’ll be ok; it’s stain resistant so all I need is a damp cloth before the stains really set in.”

“Well then, allow me to show you to the stables; I can introduce you to a few of the less skittish animals on the way. OH,” his eyes widened almost dramatically. “Forgive me, but I haven’t introduced me-self. The names Furwing. Even Furwing, at your service.”

Sunset Shimmer was enjoying herself more than she was expecting to be honest. At the very least it was giving her practice blending in with the nobility; something that she herself would admit, she needed all the help possible with.

So far she had managed to blend in well enough, some light talk here and there, but for the most part she simply stayed out in the plaza; admiring the animals on display, the cool night air, and occasionally the jewels in the black fabric of the sky.

To her eyes, the stars were coming closer together with each passing night. She no longer needed her charts to see the subtle change in their position, ‘definitely the Summer Sun Celebration then. I’ve kept up my training, both physically as well as magically, thanks to my friends. I also believe I have located the likely place this Nightmare Moon will appear; though it is something I will have to confirm with the Princess.’

Sunset absent mindedly took a small sip from the glass floating next to her; the clear liquid shaded purple thanks to her magical aura. For all her planning and investigating, there were still far too many questions for her liking. Questions that the Princess, at the very least, said she would look into.

“You look like somepony trying to get themselves lost in the stars. Is there something on your mind?” Sunset blinked and looked over to the pony who had clearly spoken to her. Coming out of the loose crowd was a Pegasus mare; pale white in coat colour and soft pink in mane. She was wearing a dress of rich purple that twinkled lightly in the glow of the torch light.

“I saw you standing there looking lost in thought and couldn’t help but wonder what was on your mind. Oh forgive me, my name is Sunny Skies; it’s nice to finally meet you face to face, Sunset Shimmer.”

Author's Note

Three special guests were prescent in this chapter; I hope I did them some justice. Care to guess who?

Gordon Ramsay
Billy Connolly
Steve Irwin

Chapter. 3 – Goodnight Twilight

Chapter. 3 – Goodnight Twilight

A gentle groan escaped her lips; her head felt like it was the loser in a game of chicken against a sledgehammer. Silently she thanked Celestia for the dim light within her room as Twilight slowly opened her eyes; if it was any brighter than they would have been screaming at her in protest.

She sat up slowly, being careful not to provoke her fragile head or do anything that would cause it any more distress. She finished rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and could finally look at her room…this wasn’t her room. Her room did not consist of metal walls. Nor did it lack carpet or windows for that matter.

Panic was setting in as she looked over the room in more detail now, though her movements were careful, lest her skull made its displeasure known to her. Indeed there were no windows in any of the metal walls, just a single door with what looked like two hatches, one at the bottom and one at about adult head height; both closed tight. The floor was just bare grey concrete and the ceiling was the same dark grey metal as the walls. The room was tiny as well; barely long enough to fit one had a half single sized beds in either direction if she were to guess.

In the corner furthest away from where she currently sat and at the hinges of the door was a toilet, with a sink just a little further along the same wall. Then there was a drain right in the centre of the room, crisscrossed with so many metal bars it would be impossible for anything but water to get through. Finally there was the bed physically suspended by its connection to the wall along one length and breadth; there was a very simple mattress, one sheet a simple blanket and a single pillow.

And that was it. There was no obvious light source but light was radiating from the ceiling. Strangely all three pieces of furniture appeared to be made with her size in mind; she almost felt like a grownup, if it wasn’t for the towering adult sized door.

Now fully awake with the realisation that she was not in danger, at least for now, her head finally eased enough to registered what her throat had been trying to tell her since she had woken up. She was thirsty.

Eyeing up the sink and hoping it worked, Twilight slowly and carefully made her way over to it. Nothing happened from leaving the bed, nor from her movements; which was a good thing. She gently turned on the single tap slowly and with a light squeak, trying her hardest not to be noticed by anyone. Still nothing happened. Her mind registered the strangeness of actually having to look down at the sink without using a stepping stool, or actually standing on the sink itself. It was strangely exciting, if it wasn’t for the terrifying circumstances which brought her to this place.

The tap started to drip as the handle was gently and slowly rotated anti-clockwise; a few more twists and there was a small stream of water dribbling out of it. With the tap open Twilight paused for a moment once again, trying to hear if anything was happening on the other side of the door; but all she could hear was the gently trickling water. Finally, she was as satisfied as she could be in this situation; she carefully maneuvered her face down to the flowing water.

Her tong gathered what little saliva it could muster as she wetted her lips in anticipation to the relief she was about to receive; her throat swallowed in reflex to the sound of the clear life giving liquid. Slowly Twilight got closer, her eyes were already half lidded in anticipation. She was moments away from taking a much needed drink; if only her nose hadn’t picked up something strange.

The eye widening shock of smelling something wrong caused Twilight to pull back; not trusting anything right now. The beautifully clear liquid took no notice of her plight however; it was still flowing away innocently, invitingly, tauntingly. Twilight was torn, her throat swallowed air once more, screaming at its owner to take a drink; but she didn’t trust it any more. With her current predicament she was almost sure that the liquid ether wasn’t water, or it had been spiked with something to probably make her ill. With a torn expression, she pulled away from the water fully.

“Well done. Not many stop to think that such a simple thing as water can be tampered with.”

Twilight spun around to look at the corner where the end of her bed tried to reach out too; that was where the disturbance came from. The voice obviously belonged to a mare with quite the air of indifference about her and an edge of refinement, but not from Canterlot.

The figure standing there in the corner was a tall unicorn wearing a tight body suit that even covered her cutie mark. From what little of it was being shown Twilight could see that her coat’s colour was of a redder shade of purple than the young fillies own. Her mane was styled in a Mohawk fashion and was a deep maroon in colour that matched her tail’s colour as well. The most striking thing about this unicorn though was the intensity behind her jade coloured eyes. The right eye even had a scar running over it.

“So, you’re there new test subject and potential soldier. Well I’ve seen better, but you have good instincts at least. They might just make something out of you, provided you survive anyway.” She slowly took three paces, bringing herself into the centre of the room, and further into the light. It did little to reduce her intimidating presence.

“W-who are you? What do you want? Please, I just want to go home.” Twilight had tried to back pedal into the opposite wall of her cell, but for all the good it did this unicorn could still stretch out and touch her with a hoof.

“Right now none of those questions matter. The only thing you need to focus on for at least the next few hours is keeping yourself alive. If you manage to survive then I shall answer all of those questions and more.”

“Gulp, what are you going to do to me? Is it going to hurt?”

“Hmm, better questions. I am only going to escort you to another room; you will receive you some clean water only to help mitigate the sleep powder you got covered in; and then the doctor will use you as a Guinee pig. It will hurt like nothing you’ve experienced before. Now come.” And with that her horn lit up with a jade coloured aura that both picked up the young filly and turned off the water in quick succession.

It was with a leisurely pace that the unicorn walked up to the door and before she could actually touch it, the door itself opened into the room and revealed the corridor beyond the square room. A long metal corridor covered with the same metal cell doors on each side.

Twilight tried to break free in any way she could but she might as well have been fighting the sun for all the good it was doing; this unicorn lady was just far too powerful. The confidence that radiated off of her was almost tactile. She never once looked back to see if Twilight was still trapped, or if she was doing anything she shouldn’t be; though one of her ears was clearly pointing towards the young filly. Hoping that this pony was actually a nice mare; she asked if she could be let go. She just got the silent shoulder.

Passing through a large bulkhead the two had cleared what was obviously the jail section; the walls, however, only slightly changed. They were still metal, but the corridor itself was wider and actually had some character about them; signs for one thing, though windows were still absent. The floor was also no longer concrete but stone tiled instead. They were still pretty plain with a pale red marbled look to them, but it was something.

They rounded a corner and Twilight could hazard a guess at where they were heading. There were no other doors down this corridor and while there was nothing particularly bad about the door at the end of the corridor; the air was almost suffocating.

Double trying, triple trying everything and anything Twilight could think of to escape; but it was as futile as before, and they continued their leisurely stroll towards this haunted door. ’I can’t escape! No, this is really happening. But something inside of me is telling me that this unicorn wants to help me. If she won’t let me go then…’

“Umm, anything you can do to help me? Or any advice, please?” even in this situation, her mother’s ingrained lessons on politeness still held.

This caused the unicorn to stop.

“Good questions. There is nothing I can do to help you; this is something you will face. But advice I can give. Remember yourself for as long as you can, no matter how difficult it becomes; and when everything starts to fade,” she turned around to look directly into Twilights eyes, “keep telling yourself that you want to live. That you must survive! Only through extreme will power and determination to survive can you walk out of this alive. If you manage that, and come out the other side; I will be there to train you, to make sure something like this will never happen to you again. That, I can promise you. Now come, we’ve kept him waiting.” The death march resumed its leisurely pace towards the plain, ominous door once more.

“TEMPEST, YOU’RE LATE! I have been waiting here for three minutes twenty seven seconds for you to bring her to me. MY TIME IS VALUABLE!” stepping through the bland uninteresting portal of foreboding, the two were accosted by quite the sight.

A clearly older earth pony stallion with a greying muzzle had been pacing back and forth in front of the door. His white mane was fanned out in every single direction possible; his tail was cut so short it was surprising the tail bone wasn’t removed along with the hairs. His coat was clearly once beige, but now was closer to a salt and pepper grey. He wore a very clean and presentable doctor’s jacket with a head mirror on his forehead.

Even standing at least two hooves shorter than the intimidating mare before him, it seemed like he had no problem at all treating everything he saw as mud beneath his hooves.

The now named Tempest did not react at to the words of the stallion, simply kept her air of indifference about her. “She asked some good questions.”

A snort followed that statement. “Of course one of, her, pupils would be a questioner. But that’s still no excuse. Get her setup over on the chair; I’ve got eight other experiments in the works right now, I do not have time to just mess about.”

Twilight was hovered over to the chair indicated and everything about it screamed something wasn’t right. The chair was sized approximately for her, was made out of the same metal as all the doors she had seen so far, and was actually bolted down into the white tiled floor with big looking bolts. There were dark brown straps that looked like no fabric Twilight had ever seen before situated around the chair to incapacitate her forelegs, her hind legs and also her barrel and neck. The chair itself was sitting in the centre of a cluster of three very large crystals, each one a separate primary colour. All the crystals, as well as the chair, were surrounded by their own very detailed and complicated looking spell matrix circles with an even larger one encompassing them all.

Twilight was lowered with surprising care onto the chair, before the restraints were applied one by one, locking her into place. Twilight’s heart was beating at a rate that a rabbit would be worried, and it only got faster with each additional strap that secured her to the uncomfortable chair. When the final strap locking her neck in place, Tempest retrieved a single cup of water and offered it to the young filly.

Twilight hesitated once again, her throat was begging for the cool liquid, but her life was in obvious, actual peril. She looked up to the face of the mare offering the water and silently asked if it was safe; after a reassuring nod with the smallest of smiles, did Twilight start to take small sips of the blissful water.

“Already paranoid and questioning everything I see. Yes, I understand now why you like her.” Twilight almost spat the water back out at the sudden appearance of the doctor once again; doubly so with the change in tone of his voice. He was trying to be, kind? Gentle maybe? Or reassuring? Whatever he was trying to say with his tone of voice, it was destroyed by the insanity behind his deep brown eyes.

“Now my dear, you’ve been watered and are now nice and comfortable in the restraining chair. Don’t move while I apply this dampener on your horn, wouldn’t want you to squirm and accidently loose an eye now, would we.” He chuckled to himself, again making it sound like a joke, but Twilight just knew he was looking for any excuse to harm her. A thick black band was placed over her horn and brought down as far as possible before the width of the horn prevented it from going any further; with it securely in place Twilight felt her connection to her magic disappear in a flash. There was just a cold, dark void where there once was warmth and comfort. If she was not already crying in terror, this emptiness inside of her would most certainly have.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it? But, just for your safety of course, let’s put another one on shall we. After all, we don’t want any interference from you with what’s going to happen next.”

“Really, a young filly needs two magic suppressors? And you call me paranoid.” The doctor didn’t respond to the jab and set about securing the second black band around the young unicorn’s horn.

He turned to fully face the restrained filly and gave her the most un-reassuring smile that has ever been seen on ponykind. “Now that we are all safely secured and suppressed, we can move on to the main event. Do not worry your little head off there will only physically be an uncomfortable electrical sensation throughout your body; but nothing of any lasting damage to note. You will also experience a variety of lights and noises along with a message and that’s it. So just relax and let what is about to happen, happen. Ok? Any questions before we start?”

‘That’s it, but that doesn’t sound bad at all. But Tempest did say this would be the worst thing I’ve ever done? Wait, he emphasized physical pain.’ “Umm, what about emotional pain or trauma?”

This question must have come as a surprise, because the stallion didn’t speak at first, merely blinked at the question. Before long however his non-reassuring smile turned positively predatory and wicked. “Oh, I do hope you make it through this ordeal; the prospect of moulding such an intelligent mind. Very well spotted there; physically there will be no lasting damage. Mentally, on the other hoof; well when I say cleaning the slate clean, I’m not talking about a chalk board” he got right up close to Twilight staring directly into her eyes before tapping her head with his hoof. “Well, if this experiment works as intended anyway.”

Realisation dawned as her eyes widened even further in panic and fear, and all the while the doctor just stared right into her eyes. “Chuckle, yes you’ve got a very good mind in there.” And just like that he was out of her face and had walked off to one of the crystals out of her field of view. Tempest walked over from where she was standing just off to the side, and as she passed “Remember what I said; you want to survive.” It was a quiet whisper, obviously the doctor wasn’t meant to hear. Twilight gave her a tiny nod of understanding, though it must have been hard to see through all her shivering, and the mare walked off without looking back.

By now it was obvious to see what the doctor had been doing; the one crystal she could see was now glowing with power. “And with the last piece of solidified magic in place, it is time for us to leave you; your experience shall begin in thirty seconds. I shall return in twelve hours to see what fruits have sprouted from this experiment; I’ve documented everything bar the end product. Oh, and don’t worry no one will be with you and the room is sound proofed, so scream and yell all you want if it helps. Personally I find the swear word ‘Buck’ particularly stress relieving. But please try to have some fun until I return, hopefully it’ll be the last thing you won’t remember doing!” The doctor let out what had to be the most disturbing cackle ever conceived as he retreated out of the chamber. Tempest must have left the room as well, whether it was before or after the doctor was impossible for Twilight to tell. With an ominous and deep click the only way into the room was sealed; the noise taking with it the comfort of white light leaving an ominous red, yellow and blue glow from the crystals.

The room was still and silent with the only noise being her very shaky breathing. Twilight had her eyes closed and was currently trying to do the breathing exercises that her foal sitter Cadance had taught her.

They were used primarily to calm her anger, and leave her in a peaceful state of mind; right now she was trying the same breathing exercise to, hopefully, calm her fear and to enter that peaceful state once more.

Slow deep breaths in through her nose, hold for a moment before slowly releasing out of her mouth. The exercise was hampered thanks to her shaky breathing along with her almost constant shivering. She wasn’t cold, the air was quite ambient, but she had also long since passed scared. The exercise wasn’t working, it wasn’t helping her calm down, but she also wasn’t having a full panic attack, so some good must have come out of them at least.

The glow from the crystals was getting brighter, making it hard for Twilight to focus on her breathing; when suddenly there was a bright flash of the three prime colours and the last bastions of light went out.

Slowly she took a deep breath of air in through her nose and held it.

A bolt of lightning coursed through her from the darkness and with it an ear piercing scream escaped out of the small filly. It was more surprise than anything truly painful, but was a relentless strike that showed no sign of stopping. If Twilight could spare a moment to think, she would have realised that there was not enough current to actually kill her from these strikes, unfortunately her mind was in a panic and all she could do was to scream.

Even with the constant stream of energy bombarding her, there was still no light in the room. It was a pitch black room where she was tied up in, and was now being bombarded with lightening. She could barely catch a breath in between screams. She wanted it to stop, she wanted it to end; had even a minute passed since it started?

Piercingly bright lights started to strobe into her eyes, the first one told her that she had her eyes open at the time. It was a sudden distraction from the torrent of energy coursing through her, so much so that she even stopped screaming in pain for a moment; her brain trying its very best to keep track of what was happening to its host.

The lights were disorientating, and were made from every colour of the rainbow and beyond. If she were on her hooves, she would have fallen over from dizziness alone. The piercing shots of light came in no discernible order; some of them were bright, others dim. Big, small, long, short and every other combination conceivable was striking her eyes; regardless if her eyelids were open or shut. Every blinding assault managed to penetrate all the defences and strike deep into her skull. If the lightening flowing through her wasn’t causing her to strain against the restraints, then the strobes of light certainly would have.

The third assault began.

Noise of every wavelength and frequency started to bombard the helpless victim; each strong enough that the vibrations could be felt over the flow of electricity. High pitch screeches at that ideal range that splits open your head, to bass so low fables claimed it would make you defecate yourself. These would be replaced with the feeling of being slowly run over and over by the next wave that could not be heard, or perhaps a series of incredibly high and fast strikes that penetrated deep into the psyche.

Her brain was overloaded. She felt like she was drowning; could scarcely catch her breath. She could not think, could no longer feel the straps scraping against her fur and skin. Her focus removed enough she struggled to remember if she was standing, sitting, or lying down.

“BUCK, BUCK, BUCK, BUCK!” at this point she would try anything to gain just a semblance of control, even take advice from that mad doctor.

That desperation tactic worked, if only a little; Twilight managed to catch one more piece of torture she was being exposed to. Compared to everything else this was nothing, it was just a sentence. But the ramifications if it was allowed to bear fruit were horrifying. It was a simple message. It only had six different words.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

The message was being said in a frighteningly familiar voice; it was as if she herself were saying the words. Her own voice was speaking in a calm, gentle, and ultimately, in an almost benign way that was hypnotic in tone. It wasn’t coming out of her mouth; that was too busy stating her current displeasure. She couldn’t tell where it was coming from ether; in the room, from within her head? At this point it was only a token curiosity; her own voice was just there, repeating the same six words in the same sequence in the same hypnotic tone over and over, and always just loud enough to be heard.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“I HAVE A PAST! I HAVE MY FAMILY! I AM SOMEONE!” It cost her so much to scream that out to her stolen voice. But it felt so good, so relieving, so, right. Her eyes were wet with tears; the rest of her was wet from sweat.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

Unfortunately the pain and passion held within her voice might as well have been used to penetrate the centre of the planet for all the good it did. The torment continued unabated and her stolen voice repeated its mantra again.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle. Huff, my mum’s name is Twilight Velvet and my Dad’s name is Night Light. My BBBFF is Shining Arm-”

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

It was just as bland and hypnotic as ever and it repeated the message what had to be every ten seconds. Through everything she wanted to say, and between the voice and all of the other tortures assaulting her relentlessly, it was hard to form a single thought.

“I’m Twilight. I’m a mum. I’m Princess Celestia’s personal student!”

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“…Or was my mum’s name Twilight? NO, I was named after my mum!”

Anger and frustration were flowing freely, following the carved out path of the lightening throughout her body. The primordial flight or fight response found within every living being has finally been released from its cage; and since she was strapped down tight unable to run, all that was left was to fight. She thrashed at all of her bindings; her fore legs, hind legs, even the one around her neck. Every single muscle within her body was working beyond their limits, trying their hardest for even the smallest of victories. She tried as hard as she could to break free from the chair.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

Unfortunately raw adrenalin is not known for focusing the mind. She could see faces and images; but the names were harder to find. “Huff, my child, Spike, and I were having a picnic with my foal sitter Cadance in the park.” That did not make sense for some reason, but she would trust herself and her memory.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“I HATCHED THE IMPOSSIBLE EGG! I HAVE PERFECT TEST SCORES! I COULD WILD FIRE AT THE AGE OF THREE!” Any achievement to prove to herself that she had a past she spat out at this unforgiving voice. “I AM A MOTHER TO A DRAGON”

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

‘…If I’m a mother why would I need a foal sitter for myself? She must just be a friend helping with my colt. Yeah, I’ve not been to school for over a year; buck I’m a young mum. I didn’t leave school; I got perfect scores, so I graduated right? Why can’t I remember graduating? ’ She was getting tired; her whole body was beginning to ache. What little struggle she could still muster against her restraints was fading fast; all her available effort was now focused on trying to remember her life and what was right. What made sense.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“SHUT UP. SHUT UP. SHUT UP. I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT! Huff, Huff I’ve got friends. A friend, defiantly, I’ve known her nearly all my life. Wait, that can-”

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“PLEASE STOP!” very little was making sense right now. She had family, right? She had at least one friend…why does she only have one friend, she should have a lot more ponies that she knows to be old enough to have a foal. She had a colt, the amount of mistakes she made raising him cannot be denied.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

‘It’s just so hard to remember. Everyone I knew was big, taller than me certainly; except my baby was smaller. There was no one my height was there…I can’t remember.’

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

‘Their faces…where are they? I, I’m staring up but I cannot see them. I’ve lost them in the crowd. What were their names? BBBFF? Mum, dad. Those aren’t names. What about my friend? My child? No.’

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“I. I have a child.” It is both a lovely and a hateful memory, though she cannot remember why. But she knows she has a child out there somewhere. Taken, probably by the father; whoever he was. It made sense. It was logical.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

It was getting very difficult to breath. Air seemed to be a premium; the pull to listen to the voice was strong, but she refused to let that bastard of a father take her child away. “I have a child.” Foal wasn’t right but she was a unicorn, so it had to be. But no, that did not make sense somehow; so she stuck with child.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

There was nothing else in her world. She had been fighting against her own voice for as long as she knew. It wanted her to forget, but she would not forget she had a child out there, somewhere.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

She was so tired. Her whole life was exhaustion. Nothing made sense; there was nothing except for one driving force.

“I. Have. A. Child.”

Her world was swimming in and out of consciousness. But she would survive. She had too.

“You have no past. You have no one. You are no one.”

“I have, a, child. Nrg I. I will. Survive. For them.” It is taking everything she has just to utter these words, but she will know them. She will survive. She knows she has a child out there.

She. Will. Find. Them.

Something changed, pain once again consumed her whole existence but in a whole new way; she felt a rush of, something, explode out of her completely. It was angry, it was so very hot, but it felt so very good; like she had finally filled an emptiness inside. For an instant she felt like taking on the world, before exhaustion and excruciating pain consume every last piece of her being and the world turned black; her ears ringing from her own voice screaming out the very last of her strength with the background sound of a blazing fire.

Chapter. 21 – The Dance with a Devil (Part.2 )

Chapter. 21 – The Dance with a Devil (Part. 2)

The eerie stillness of the Everfree Forest was known to scare ponies by simply being there. No great scares, no hidden menaces, just the stillness of the air as a whole; that has been known to turn expedition parties from their planned adventures.

It is yet another piece of the truly wild magic that is contained within the infamous forest, which pony kind just cannot comprehend. This silent terror, however, can be easily defeated…

The balding under bush of this untamed forest was smashed aside without being noticed; a clear path of destruction can be made out, that travels back all the way to the forests edge. Even beyond the border the trail can still be made out.

The fabled juggernaut that is storming through unhindered in question was a humble pony on a mission. Her violet eyes were focused, the brows down, with the lips set in determination. The azure coat of the pony in question was littered with a few twigs, some clinging leaves, and even a trace or two of white cream.

Her head glowed briefly with the highlighting colour of pale magenta; it wasn’t the most complimentary colour with her very light, almost white, sky blue mane. However the flash of magic whooshed her a meter to the side; her strides still going just as strong as the pistons from a locomotive, while preventing her from running right into a tree twice her width.

All of these actions went almost unnoticed by the unicorn in question; her mind was too focused on saving her friend. She was lost to the memory that was being replayed; the memory of the past few minutes.

Everypony around Trixie was acting uniquely around her; Applejack and Rainbow Dash were arguing between themselves about taking on such a deadly foe. Rarity was currently trying her best not to hyperventilate at the realisation of being so close to such a deadly individual.

Pinkie Pie was trying her best to calm down Fluttershy, success appeared to be an optional objective there. The only stallion there, Applejack’s older brother Big Mac, appeared to be the calmest; removing the trailer that was still attached to him, before walking over to Trixie herself.

“What ya gonna do?”

His voice was masculine, his accent was deep, his vocabulary was small; but his eyes understood. There was a far greater intelligence behind them that his build, or speech would suggest.

The voice broke through Trixie’s air of despair. She blinked and stared at him fully, focusing on the jade green eyes that said everything will be ok.

Trixie blinked again, before determination took a hold of her being; Spike was her first friend, and she was not going to abandon him.

“Big Mac, go get the guard. Tell them what’s going on and to start heading to the ruined castle.” He nodded before galloping off as fast as his powerful build allowed.

The big red stallion running off drew the attention of every other mare there. Trixie, however paid them no notice, she was already moving towards the black skeletal trees that separated Sweet Apple Acres from the Everfree Forest.

The girls might have said something, but Trixie was no longer able to make them out; the pounding of her heart was too loud to make anything out. The quiver of her bottom lip reverberated throughout her, being drawn right down her legs and into the supportive earth; her legs started to move on their own accord.

The world was narrowing, a shake of her head did nothing to widen her vision; there was a noise again, but her ears were too pushed back onto her head to make anything out.

Her legs were moving her forward, and their pace was growing at a steady rate; even more noises were heard, but she just flat out ignored them. A blue obstacle appeared in front of her, her speed was not significant enough for such an obstacle to be much of a challenge to go around; she did increase her pace to make up the time wasted.

Trixie was moving at speed now, not quite a full gallop but still an impressive speed. The world around her was blurring past, she thought she saw something white or another thing that was pink; it felt like the two things were trying to stop her.

A sudden jolt from her tail slowed her down, but did not succeed in halting her. The pain was noticeable and growing rapidly with each of her hoofsteps, but Trixie could not stop now. Spike was in danger.

Her only friend was in danger.

Her horn lit up and a spell matrix was worked out within an instant, and she Quick Stepped forward; freeing her tail from the obstacle and allowing her hooves to keep running. Now at a full gallop, Trixie smashed into a bush that separated her from the Everfree Forest; she kept on unopposed, and the bush was badly ruffled.

Another Quick Step bypassed the mess of shrubbery that almost bordered an obvious trail; a significantly clearer path that lead deeper still into this wild and predatory forest.

Her pace was unwavering, but Trixie’s mind was working overtime; it had finally realised just how deep into this death trail its body had ran. So it was now having the eyes, ears, and any other sense it could, look out for danger.

Trixie’s breathing was increasing to the point of panting; her brow was sweating more than it had ever done previously. Eyes were trying to search all around her while also keeping track of the trail she found herself on.

Her determination had changed; every shadow was now an enemy in waiting, each rustle was an ambush preparing to strike. The scent of old decaying wood was overwhelming; and all that remained of the previous pony to have ventured this far.

Trixie’s heart was beating even faster now, trying its absolute best to escape out of her chest. Her pace was faltering; the strong sturdy pistons of her legs were shaking themselves apart.

More rustling could be heard, but her eyes couldn’t track it.

The forest was dark, and nothing looked familiar. The wall of brown was looming in every direction, reaching higher and higher into the abyss while at the same time closing in and confining her movements.

Trixie had come to a complete stop; her breathing was erratic and getting worse, her body was hot and sweating but could not fight off the cold no matter how hard it tried. Her eyes swept over everything they could, see all they could but not registering anything.

It was getting darker; she was struggling to see clearly. Wanting some light, any light, Trixie tried to ignite her horn with magic; it was proving very difficult. The small, faint glow that she managed made things look worse; the shadows were deeper now, more defined and prominent.

Gnarled and spidery claws could be made out in the dim pink light; large enough to pick up a pony, long enough that escape was a distant thought. They were reaching, stretching and heading right towards her.

Trixie couldn’t catch her breath, couldn’t get enough oxygen. There was blackness around her vision, and all the magical effort she could muster was the faint glow of her horn. Faces could be made out from the wrinkled walls around her; piercing demented eyes of every shape, crooked and warped snouts detached from the open black voids that wanted to eat her whole.

There was noise now; so many pitches and moans coming from all around her. Getting louder and louder as the horrific monsters came out of the dried blood coloured walls; dried blood on the walls, fresher looking blood on the dry, dusty floor. Trixie could smell the old decayed iron of the blood that was now surrounding her.

Trixie collapsed at long last, using what little strength she had left to make herself as small as possible; she couldn’t breathe, her vision was darkening, she couldn’t even feel her magic any more. The blood covered monsters were right at her vision, twisted, gnarled and with open voids for mouths; ready to devourer pieces of her.

She was going to die, just another pony killed by the Everfree Forest. Trixie could feel a tear escaping her eye; not for her own death, but because she couldn’t save Spike. She couldn’t save her friend.

Her last thought was a wish, a wish that her friend Spike would be rescued.

“HEY TRIXIE!”

Trixie’s eyes shot open to find pink eyes staring directly into her own. A blink and cyan fur could be made out, framing the face that was slowly backing away. The pink eyes were still worried, but less so now that Trixie was responding to the pegasus in front of her.

“GUY’S, SHE’S OK!”

The rough voice was angelic to Trixie’s mind as she took steady breaths, calming down her frazzled heart. Her limbs, however, were still not ready to cooperate and felt weak as she tried to sit up.

“Hey, take it easy. You were having a fit or something when I finally reached you.”

The rainbow maned mare helped Trixie into a more comfortable sitting position; and Trixie was finally able to see around her again. Gone were the monsters coming out of the blood soaked walls, gone were the walls. Instead she was surrounded by old trees with crooked branches, and the odd hole in their trunks.

The bloody floor beneath her was just a dirt path, hued in pink light. In fact all around her was hued in pink light. Trixie’s eyes followed one of her hooves as it reached up to touch her horn. Pink light was clearly emitting from the magical appendage and it felt warm to the touch; a sign that it had been used fairly extensively recently.

The surrounding undergrowth was rustling up a storm as several other voices could be heard getting closer fast.

“Yeah it was good thinking on your part to light up your horn like that, or else we might not have been able to find you so quickly. When we saw it light up I flew on ahead thinking you might be in danger; and you kind of were, though not from any of the animals in here. Yet at least. So if you could stop glowing like that, that’d be great.”

Trixie followed the advice given to her and stopped the flow of magic to her horn. Immediately aware that she could feel her magic; a good portion of her wellspring exhausted, but it was clearly still there and fully under her control.

By now the bushes around the path were breached and the source of all the rustling was discovered; four other mares of all three of the tribes had followed the cyan pegasus.

Trixie’s brain shifted out of neutral, she recognised all of these mares; there was the unicorn, Rarity, though her mane was not nearly as pristine as it normally is. The two earth ponies, one pink the other a light orange; Pinkamena Pie and Applejack respectively, both wore expressions of determination and worry on their faces.

The last one, the second pegasus, was the biggest surprise of her being there. Fluttershy, the pinked maned yellow coated mare had nothing but compassion on her face as she walked right up to the still recovering unicorn.

She rested an ear to Trixie’s chest for a few seconds, before bringing up her face and staring intently into her eyes, without blinking. Finally a hoof was brought up to Trixie’s forehead and rested there for a small while; it was all a little unnerving to the still sitting unicorn, but the soft smile on the pegasus’s face was reassuring.

“You were having a panic attack; a very bad one from what Rainbow shouted to us. Take it easy for a little while, you’ll find yourself a little light headed and weak limbed, but you’ll be fine.

Trixie frowned at that; all that she had just went through, the loss of magic, those frightful sights, and the feelings of hopelessness. All of it was because she was simply having a panic attack?

She shook her head. “Thank you Fluttershy; but I can’t take it easy right now. Spike’s still in trouble and it’s my job, as his friend, to rescue him.” Determination was building within her once again.

“We ain’t letting you go on your own again; if nothing else, you need us to get through this here forest unscathed. The forest can’t affect all of us if we stick together.”

That’s right, her host Sunset Shimmer mentioned something about the forest influencing ponies and hindered their use of magic. Trixie let out a small shudder, she was a fool to think so little of the Everfree Forest; not a single dangerous animal in sight and it still managed to bring her down to nothing.

She carefully got onto her hooves fully and looked over all the mares around her; they all held fear in their eyes, or in their posture. But that was overpowered by the determination to help, to rescue Spike; to help their new friend.

“Trix, I mean I’d, very much appreciate your help.” Trixie’s own small smile was mirrored in everypony around her; filling Trixie with a warm feeling that she had only ever felt once before, when Spike became her friend.

Together they set off along the small path that Trixie had discovered; Pinkie Pie starting along it with all the other mares following quickly behind her.

“So Trixie,” Rainbow Dash started, flying at pace to keep up with everypony. Her eyes were focused ahead of her, but there was an edge to the upturn of her lips; something that, when Trixie noticed, she did not like the look of. “Were you about to speak in third person?”

Trixie let out a groan.

There it was, after an honestly uneventful journey through the rest of the legendary forest; the six mares came across the abandoned ruins that were clearly a castle once upon a time. It was situated upon a mound that just had to have been a moat in days gone my; however, now it was just a very deep ravine with a single rope bridge as a crossing point.

The area further around it was very rough and uneven, with big stones scattered sporadically, large mounds of dirt and vegetation in between troughs, smaller ravines and even a small lake. All of it was covered with vegetation and trees with exposed root systems; making it rather dangerous terrain to traverse over.

But here they were, having crossed all the difficult terrain, and even passed over the rickety old bridge; standing behind a set of walls that separated the castles central court yard from the rest of the world. A glance round the corner revealed a pair of large wooden doors that were left slightly ajar. It wasn’t much, but the clear gap between the large imposing doors was the closest thing to a welcome matt that they had found so far.

“Ok,” Trixie started whispering to her new friends. “I’ve been keeping an eye out for anything and everything that could possibly be a Divination spell, or a detection ward, and so far nothing. Well nothing that detects us; there are plenty of old wards that are still active around this castle. Nothing offensive or threatening; more likely they’re defensive reinforcing wards, or perhaps anti Divination wards. I can’t tell exactly, they’re too old and obscure.”

Seeing the confused and/or bored looks of the mares around her, Trixie shakes her head. “Anyway, the point is I don’t think he knows we’re here yet, or at the very least that there’s so many of us; which gives me a cunning plan. But first,” with a wave of her hoof followed by it disappearing into the either; Trixie brought out a flashy and matching cloak and pointed hat. Both purple in colour, and covered in stars of all sizes and colours.

With a deft flick of her wrist and the cloak was wrapped around her neck with the matching hat covering her horn. “Ah, feels good to be back in my performing attire.” Her smile faltered slightly as she looked over to her companions. “What? I do all my best work with this on; besides these will be vital for my cunning plan.” No matter how much Trixie praised her attire, the other unicorn of the group had a tinge of green around her gills.

All the girls got close to the strange mare however; to see just now cunning her cunning plan really was.

“Ah, Miss Lulamoon; I’m so glad to see you found my invitation. Your pet dragon is just dying to see you again.”

It was clear that the main entrance hall had seen better days; the roof was littered with holes, as well as some of the upper walls. The once bold and vibrant tapestries were a ghost of their former selves; pale and lifeless, with clear signs of light weather damage to them.

Piles of stones were scattered sporadically over the granite floor; some from the crumbling walls, some clearly from the roof, though not as many as would be suggested.

There were scorch marks from very powerful magic everywhere. Clearly a great battle had taken place here; though it was hard to say if it was before or after the castle had deteriorated.

As Trixie walked through the doors and felt a shiver run down her spine; she could have easily understood if the sensation was caused by nerves, the very real prospect of her life being on the line. If she were a pegasus or an earth pony maybe she would not have realised that it was not what she actually felt; but she was a unicorn, more importantly a highly trained one.

What she had just walked through, as she passed through the grand doors, was a wave of dispelling runes. Any and all current magical effects on her, or those she was actively channelling magic to, were disrupted.

She flinched at this realisation; it had taken her years of almost constant work and research to be at the point where Princess Celestia felt she was capable of sustaining a Pocket Dimension…Well a pocket the size of a matchbox in comparison to the fully completed spell.

Trixie was not looking forward to asking the Princess to setup the ritual once again for her.

“I should have known that a talented unicorn such as you would have felt my little addition to the castle’s door. Nothing too drastic, of course; after all this is a historic landmark once full of life. What harm could I do by adding one more life to these walls?”

The voice had an accent to it that did not belong to Equestria; it was soft and could have belonged to mare or stallion.

“A part of me is honestly impressed that you accepted my invitation; and all on your own too. No guards in sight; and believe me, I’d know if there was.”

The voice was echoing over each wall, making it impossible to locate the assassin.

Slowly, carefully, Trixie made her way into the room; avoiding any obvious hiding spot for a trap or a hidden pony. The voice was clearly full of itself, so self-assured that everything was going exactly as it had anticipated.

“But then, you’d never accept help from the guard, would you? You, the Great and Powerful Trixie. So powerful she has bested an Ursa Major; so magically adept the Princess herself is training her to make sure her powers are used responsibly.”

Trixie winced at the comments, though hopefully not noticeably. Those were boasts she used to say years ago. But those days were gone; the Princess herself has spent many years showing that humility is the way forward.

“…However, we both know those are all lies. The closest you’ve come to an Ursa Major is the inked pictures in your books. The Princess chose you as her student because she felt sorry for you; when she stumbled across your pitiful little travelling magic show. Face it, you are not worthy of the position you find yourself in.”

That infuriated her, but she kept focused. It was true that Princess Celestia found her by chance when Trixie was travelling with her act; but it was not out of pity. No Trixie had truly impressed the Princess with her performance, and was shocked to find that a filly of only fourteen years old was all self-taught through trial and error. “An almost instinctual sense of magic.” That was what impressed Princess Celestia; that was what allowed Trixie to become her student.

“I seem to be at a disadvantage. You know so much about me; but all I know of you is your calling card. Why don’t you show yourself, hmm? Show yourself and surrender.”

“HAHAHA. You’ve got spirit; I’ll give you that. You might actually make this fun for me.” There was a whoosh of air from behind her, causing Trixie to dive forward before spinning around to see what had just happened.

There standing right in front of her was a stallion earth pony of all tribes. A deep red almost brown coat covered his body; his mane and tail were quite a bit longer than was typical for a stallion and coloured in a bluish slate grey. There was a pair of black saddle bags that covered his flanks, preventing anypony from seeing his cutie mark.

He was wearing a black jacket, the sight of which made Trixie want to vomit; it was made out of leather. Something that she recognised thanks to the few ancient tomes she had been allowed to read from within the Royal Archive.

Currently he was standing there with his eyes closed as he sniffed the jade green rose held within one of his hooves. His face was a picture of calm with a small smile accenting the image.

“Ah, my beautiful Fleurs Vertes; a particularly difficult rose to grow, but the sight and scent make it all worthwhile.” He opened his eyes revealing sharp piercing green pupils that could look directly into her soul.

“You are among an exclusive club now; to be one of my targets who see their own rose before they die. This is your rose and I shall place it upon your still barrel in but a moment.” His smile never leaving his face as his eyes focused with murderous intent.

A blink and Trixie would have been dead; from out of her opponents mouth a toothpick was launched directly at her neck. She had a spell ready and waiting just for such a cheap shot; she cast it and was sent several meters to the side instantly.

“Ah, you will make things interesting. But that trick won’t work again; I saw how your eyes betrayed you when you used the spell. I noticed the twitch of your leg, the stress in your shoulders; I can read you like a book.”

Trixie blinked and it cost her dearly; he was in front of her in a second, with a blast of wind at his back. Quick as a flash his free hoof was latched onto her now, wrapped around her wind pipe and chocking her. He leaned down to her frantically struggling face, his face calm and uncaring.

“You know, I can kill you right now in eight different ways. Dozens more if I gave it even a second more thought. But where is the sport in that.” He launches her a few meters away. Trixie lands hard onto her side, coughing and sputtering as she desperately chokes on new air.

As quickly as she could, Trixie got back onto her hooves; she was still gasping, still trying to make up for the lack of oxygen earlier. One of her hooves gently rubbed her throat, trying to relieve the sharp pain that still lingered where she was grabbed. All the while her eyes never wavered again; she had pushed her luck once, she would not do so again.

Her assailant though was nonchalantly looking through one of his saddle bags. Gently, carefully, almost lovingly, the green rose was placed in the saddle bag before his hoof lingered a bit longer inside the container; he was now clearly looking for something.

Trixie let loose a set of golden magic chains, trying to end this fight quickly while he was distracted. But the stallion was now a meter to the right, and clear of the chains that broke up into nothing when they impacted the wall. His hoof was no longer in the saddle bag; it was out and wielding an innocent looking garden trowel instead of the flower.

He launched himself at Trixie wielding the trowel in his hoof; she rolled out of the way of the jabbed attack, before diving away with a yelp as a vertical strike came hot on her tail.

“Well done, you’ve passed the first salvo. My, you are entertaining. Let us see how long you can dodge around like a lemur.” Trixie had other ideas though; she threw a pellet at her hooves, engulfing herself in smoke. Her assailant responded by lunging forward and cutting through the smoke horizontally; to no effect.

“A game of cat and mouse? Why not, I am merciful and these are your last moments alive.” His silent hoof steps took him down a corridor where the noise of hooves could be heard travelling down.

He dashed around a corner and saw his quarry slamming a door behind her. He smirked at the futile action and dramatically increased his speed; arriving just moments after the portal was closed.

The door led to what had to be a kitchen once upon a time. But the only indications it was such a place, where the several massive chimneys above fire places large enough to hold caldrons.

There were no places for his quarry to hide, and he could still hear her pounding hoof steps on the granite floor; though further along that he would have believed.

Charging through yet another wooden door and he was indeed correct about his quarry, she was quite a bit further down this corridor than he was expecting. “Is this all you’re going to do, little mouse? If so then I am ending things quickly.” What he got in response was a flashed grin, before she turned left at a T-junction.

Rounding the corner in a flash, he blinked when he found a long corridor with no sign of his quarry. He frowned slightly before he caught the sound of hooves echoing from the corridor behind him. “Ah yes, your Quick Step spell from earlier. How could I have forgotten? Well let me show you a trick or two of my own.” He spun round and started down the third and final corridor of the T-junction, charging at a pace far greater than before; almost as if there was a gust of wind at his heels.

Rounding the corner as tightly as possible, he made out the tail of his target disappearing up a flight of stairs. He continued on at his break neck speed; quickly cutting in half the distance between him and the stairs his quarry had just ran up. His focus was as such that he failed to see the obstacle in his path.

His hoof gave way from beneath him and he tumbled head over tail again and again until he crashed into the base of the stairs. A quick shake of his head made the world stop spinning and he got back up onto his hooves; catching himself this time as his hoof, once again, gave out on him.

He looked at his misbehaving hoof, only to stare at it in confusion. Apparently he had slipped on a cupcake; a carrot flavoured one judging by the colour of the sponge and frosting.

“Resorting to using your lunch? My you must be scraping the bottom of your barrel trying to keep yourself alive. Your original, I’ll give you that.” With his hoof now cleaned, he gave his neck one last crack to relieve the pain from the crash; before, with the assistance of a gust of wind, he launched himself up the flight of stairs in a single bound.

This mare was starting to get on his nerves.

The world was nothing but blackness as far as the eye could see; it was stuffy and the air felt like water, it was difficult to breathe. Spike felt like he was floating in a sea of darkness, everything was slow to respond to his commands; he should be scared, he should be panicking, but it was hard for him to feel anything right now.

His head felt cloudy and his thoughts were muffled and difficult to reach. He couldn’t remember how he got here; just that he was disappointed that he had missed the stall for Fluttershy. He was heading back to her cottage when nothing but blackness.

He shivered, feeling cold and not all that right. He tried to move his arms, tried to wrap them around himself for a bit of warmth; but they refused to move. His claws barely twitched at his commands, the same happened again with his feet and even his tail. Spike tried to move his head down to look at some part of his body, but the feeling of pins and needles only seemed to grow, slowly encompassing every part of him.

It was getting even harder for him to breathe now, the air taking on an even thicker consistency; coming closer to maple syrup, or even molasses. His heart was slowing, struggling to pump any blood to his body; he could feel it as the numbness gradually covered his body. He should be panicking, should be doing something, anything; but he was so tired. All his strength was being used just to keep breathing, regardless of how shallow each draw of air was.

He couldn’t feel anything now; nothing responded to his commands, every thought was muffled and unfocused. Each shallow breath was taxing, and getting worse.

He felt it, more than he saw it; a spark, an ember, a warmth was coming from somewhere. He found a speck of light, and it was growing larger; his eyelids were heavy and sticky and were refusing to listen, but a crack was managed. A black tunnel like void was all that he found; it was long and narrow, but there was light.

It was warm and inviting, it felt reassuring and that everything would be ok on the other side. He wanted to go, he wanted to reach out and touch it, but he couldn’t; his vision was blurring, darkening and narrowing even more. He couldn’t make it, couldn’t reach for the light.

A wave of purple light washed over him; it came from the light, enticing him, encouraging him, revitalising him. Spike’s vision was not as blurry, the numbness was leaving him; but the tiredness remained.

“It’s all right. Everything’s going to be ok now.”

The quiet voice was coming from the light and clearly belonged to an angel; it was soft, it was sweet and gentle. It was familiar.

A shuddering breath escaped Spike’s lips, each small sip brought life back to him; not from the oxygen, but from a scent. A scent from a time he could not actively remember, but instinct did. His heart beat faster, his breathing quickened further still, and he somehow found the strength to open his eyes just a little more.

The light now had a face to it; the details were obscured, the light was too bright to make out, but there was a horn, there was a lavender outline, and there were kind violet eyes.

His world was blacking out once again; but this time it was warmer, this time it felt safe to fall asleep. But before oblivion claimed him entirely he used the last of his strength to utter a single question.

“…Mum?”

This was getting ridiculous, he had been running after Trixie Lulamoon for the better part of an hour and his patience was seriously being tested. All this effort was not worth the payment he had received for this kill; once this is all over he is going to have little talk with his client.

Between her illusions and her Quick Step spell, she was all over the place; and then there were all the obstacles she threw at him as well. First was the cupcake he slipped on, then she must have teleported over to that other balcony; if it wasn’t for his equipment he would have had to go all the way around to get close to her. The look on her face though when she saw him fly, that had cheered him up a bit.

But then, later on, she somehow managed to get a flock of birds to harass him; pecking all over his body and causing not an insignificant number of cuts over him. She hadn’t bothered to wait around while he dealt with her spelled birds; it didn’t taken him long to deal with, a burst of wind knocked them all away and scared them off. But she had gained a lead on him once again by then and all he had to go on were her hoof steps.

Then she goes and literally pulls the rug from under him and tries to wrap it around him, all the while still running away from him. If she had actually stuck around to see her spell through, then it might have been more difficult to get out of.

He had almost caught her at one point, after she disappeared through a trap door and he couldn’t follow. He had to double time it back to the main floor to make sure she didn’t escape; but apparently she had been looking for him, because they quite literally ran into each other. If it wasn’t for her very impressive buck kick sending him quite a distance down the hall, it would have all been over there and then.

He cursed himself silently once again; he thought it’d be easy, he’d done his research and knew her weaknesses as well as strengths. Or at least he thought he had; sure his information was a little old, but that had never affected him this much before. Normally once he is certain of the kill, is the time when he sends out his little love letter. Trixie had been squirreled away for a week after he had sent it, and then it had taken him a bit more time to locate her actual whereabouts. But the extra few days could not have changed things this much.

He was actually tiring out, his supply of stored magic was almost completely depleted, but currently it looked like Trixie had barely finished her warm up. A stark contrast to when she first walked through the castles grand doors. Was it all just a ruse to loll him into a false sense of security? If so then it had worked, but he was so sure of his research; it had never failed him before.

It was almost like she was a different mare altogether now.

But this was it; this was the crescendo in action. He had long ago figured out that she was running for the sake of running; and while she had her jollies he had been subtly spinning his web, and now it was time to strike.

His trips around the ruins had given him a bit of a mental layout of the castle; so for the last few minutes he had been manipulating her to run right into this final corridor. For with this last burst of air causing his prey to divert down the final corridor, her fate was sealed.

His last push of speed made him barge into her as she realised her path was blocked by yet another pair of solid wooden doors. The two ponies smashed through them from the momentum before sliding and tumbling into the room. By the time the two ponies were still once more the stallion was on top of his target bearing down on her with a manic and gleeful smile.

“Nowhere left to run.”

His hoof reached into a saddle bag and brought out another trowel. It was quickly raised to a perfect position to slice and dice, when he faltered at what he saw.

Below him, shivering uncontrollably in terror was Trixie Lulamoon; but something wasn’t right. There was her cyan blue coat, her moon and star cutie mark, even her mane and tail were the right shades of pale blue…that was it. That ridiculous looking cloak was still there, still connected around her neck, but it was her hat that was missing; clearly it had been thrown off during that last tussle. But with it now gone, it revealed something disturbing.

“Wh, where’s your horn?”

But it wasn’t the only thing that was a discrepancy with his target. Looking into her face showed that while her eyes are full of fear, they were not the shade of violet they should have been; they were a bright blue.

Any other thought was interrupted as he got slammed right in his back by something and was sent tumbling once more.

His flight further into the room was interrupted as he, and whatever it was that struck him, landed on the keyboard of a pipe organ judging by the massive volume of noise that was produced.

A swift kick from his hind leg removed his assailant and he was able to see what had actually hit him. There lying almost next to each other were two identical looking Trixie’s; both missing horns, and one had their cape spread wide.

The sound of additional hooves could be heard coming from the entrance to the room, before four other Trixie’s appeared there. Two of them had horns, one had a significantly longer mane and their cape was wrapped around their body quite uncomfortably, almost like they were wings. The last actually looked a little bulkier than any of the others and was currently wearing a frown on her face.

“What? Illusions? But no, they’re not identical; but no, you didn’t have time to recast anything. And my runic work at the door would have destroyed them and any magic that passed through it.”

The horned Trixie to the left smirked at his confusion before moving forward. “Then I guess it’s a good thing they didn’t use the front door.”

By now all six Trixie’s had gathered together; all of them on their feet and no longer had a look of fear about them. Together the differences were more pronounced; height, mane cuts, and the fact that two capes were fluttering about like wings. It was a revelation.

“You got help, but not from the guards. But how, all my information said you had no colleagues, no comrades. NO FRIENDS! THE SELF-ASSURED PAMPERED LITTLE FILLY, WHO GOT TO HER POSITION BECAUSE OF MEDIOCAR TALANT AND A SOB STORY!”

“Yes I got help! My past attitude might have made me bold and arrogant, but the Princess has helped me see that that was wrong. That I am a better pony than what I had aspired to be! I am not studious as the Nobles silver spoon brats, but I excel when it comes to practical work and that is what the Princess see’s in me! I don’t know what snivelling worm of a Noble payed you to have me killed, but it stops now!” Trixie huffed, before lighting her horn and readying a spell.

She looked at all the other versions of herself, other ponies covered in a simple glamour that will end in the next ten minutes or so; and smiled. “And you’re wrong on another thing. I do have comrades, I do have friends. It is new to me, and I’m sure to make mistakes with them. But they helped me when I needed it, and together we’ve had you running about like a headless chicken. Together we have beaten you!”

It was a little unnerving that the perp just stayed still, looking at the six ponies standing in front of him. His eye twitched before a small menacing laugh escaped his firmly set lips.

“No. you have not beaten me. Tricked me, fooled me; but not beaten me. No, what you have done is condemn these five to an early grave!”

He launched himself at the six mares, both of his forehooves each wielding its own trowel; though the shovelled face was now clearly a sickly deep purple in colour.

He did not get any further than half the distance, before he was slammed back by a deep pink transparent slab of pure magic. Both the magic wall and the assassin slammed into the far wall of this cathedral, avoiding the stained glass window as well as the old pipe organ. Upon impact the magic wrapped around the stallion in every way possible, leaving only the tip of his snout free for interrogation.

Following the line of magical energy back to its caster revealed an angry looking white stallion unicorn whose horn was pointing at the perpetrator. Behind him stood a fighting force mixed with both earth ponies and other unicorns, all waiting for commands to intervene.

Moving shapes could be made out from the room’s windows. The shape, the distance from the ground the windows were, and the movements all pointed them to be pegasi solders blocking escape routes.

The large white stallion walked with purposed steps as he entered the room, a flick of his multi-hued blue tail signalled to his men that the additional unicorns were required to help him in securing their target. But there appeared to be no true need; the only things the assassin could move were his lips, even his eyes were forced closed by the all-encompassing shield. The earth ponies started to prepare chains as they followed the unicorns to their captive.

Still the lead unicorn walked directly over to the six mares standing in the room; his face unreadable other than determined. He looked them all over before his eyes settled on the actual Trixie, who gulped nervously from the intense stare she was receiving.

“Umm, Prince Shining Armor; I’m glad Big Mac managed to alert the guard to our predicament. Though I’m surprised to see yourself here, sir.”

The five other Trixie’s all had expressions of shock on their faces; the prince consort Shining Armor himself came to save them. The Trixie with a curly mane looked as if she was about to faint.

“Trixie I’m glad to see you are well; but I want to know where Spike is. Is he safe?”

Her silence on the matter grew his ire; he leaned down and got right into her face. “Where is my nephew?”

Trixie was saved by the bell, as it were, because it was at that very moment that a pegasus stallion came flying into the room with a purple lump on his back and a sack in his hooves.

“Prince Armor we found this sack in the dungeons; it contained Sir Spike. He is ok, but appears to be under heavy sedation. His breathing and pulse are normal, but he is unresponsive.”

Trixie blinked and the face that was filling her whole world was gone and heading right for the pegasus. She let out a breath she hadn’t noticed she was holding onto; not because of how close she was to feeling Shining Armor’s ire, but because Spike was ok.

The sun had just passed over the horizon and the sky was fading from the brilliant hues of yellow, red, and purples. The air above the Everfree Forest was filled with pegasi flying in formation around half a dozen large golden chariots, each filled with almost a dozen ponies.

One in particular held the leader of the operation; the white stallion with a blue mane was sitting down and observing his nephew as he slept soundly in an enchanted sleep. The medical examination showed that he had been doused with a powdered and concentrated version of the potion “Deep Sleep;” a relatively mild, if difficult to brew, sleeping potion. This concentration though could be deadly, and there were worrying signs that he had been over dosed.

The other occupants of the chariot were Trixie and her new friends; a vast array of characters, but they all clearly had good hearts and noble intensions. He let out a soft sigh as he saw the six mares talking amongst themselves; all of them clearly relieved, but some a little more enthused by the danger than others.

His cart separated from the formation and dived down towards the small town below; the rest of the flying formation continued on towards Canterlot.

“Ok ladies, here we are back in Ponyville safe and sound.” Shining Armor called out as they levelled out on the road, landing just shy of the town centre. His eyes travelled over the town and consented that there was a rather charming rustic feel to the place; a location to venture to when the hustle and bustle of city life got too much to bear. ‘Perhaps a trip with Cadance is in order?’

All the mares hopped off the chariot and gave thanks for the lift. He couldn’t blame them; flying over the Everfree forest was bad enough, let alone actually travelling through it.

“So you’re taking Spike with you now then. Are you going to pick up the things he brought with him, or do you want me to take them with me tomorrow?”

“If you could bring them tomorrow I would appreciate it Trixie. So you’re returning tomorrow?” Trixie nodded, “yeah we managed to get everything done. The few minor tasks to arrange can be done in the morning before I leave.”

“Well I’ll send a chariot to pick you up after lunch then; as a thank you for bringing Spike items back with you. As for the rest of you all; thank you once again. You have all gone above and beyond the call to duty and the country is a safer place because of it. Heh, boring speeches aside you really do have my thanks. Spike is all, Spike is important to me.”

“Not at all your highness; it is what friends do for each other, after all.” Rarity bowed once again, and managed to get the other four mares of the town to follow suit; though it was clear that some thought it a bother.

Shining chuckled lightly while shaking his head. “Regardless, I am indebted to you all and will think of a way to thank you all proper. But for now I best be off; I have a worried wife waiting for me back at the castle.” He hopped back onto the chariot and it started to gather momentum. Within a few paces the charioteers took off with practiced precision climbing fast and disappearing into the fading light.

“So, friends you all wanna head on over to mine? I recon we could a do with a little something to calm ourselves down a little after all that.” Nods of agreement could be heard, with Pinkie adding the need for cake and balloons.

“Besides,” Rainbow Dash added as she wrapped a hoof around Trixie’s neck. “We’ve got a new friend to get to know.”

His chariot had levelled and rose above all the scattered clouds; far ahead of him was Canterlot, waiting for his return. It was emitting a comforting glow that settled his heart and calmed his mind.

“Sir,” he looked to the source of the interruption and found a pegasus stallion flying towards him at speed. “Report from the prisoner escort. Our prisoner, the Violent Rose, has escaped. All parties have already been redirected to search for him. His last known location was over White Tail Wood.”

It took everything he had not to shout his voice hoarse. Instead he looked down at the sleeping form of his nephew and sighed, “Sergeant Cloudy Bell, I want him found. He has no tools, he must be exhausted, he has nothing. I am going on ahead; find him and get him so secure that he can’t urinate without our permission.”

“And what of Trixie Lulamoon; should we send a guard?”

“No, it’ll cut down on the search party. She’s proven she’s resourceful enough to handle herself; especially with her friends. I’ll gather some guards for her when I return to the castle.”

The landing was awful, but then emergency teleports are never known to be gentle. The dark red coated assassin spat and coughed up the blood that was flowing from his mouth; the hole his fake tooth resided in was in a world of pain. But he was free; back at that cursed castle, but still free.

“Heh, always have an escape plan. Just in case your own arrogance gets the better of you.”

His head shot up at the sound of hooves walking towards where he lay; the pace was slow but sure.

What he found was a tall mare walking towards him; her body was covered in a black body suit, obscuring her cutie mark entirely as well as most of her coat’s colour. From the neck up and the cannon down he could see purple fur. Her mane was deep purple with a pink stripe running through it.

What scared him, though, were her eyes; the deep violet colour combined with the black iris to make them appear dark and predator like. It sent a shiver down his spine.

He was in no condition to fight; his ace in the hole hurt like nothing there was. He was still bleeding badly from the miniature explosion of magic within his mouth; all his tricks and tools were still under guard, and he still hadn’t regained his stamina from his run around of the castle.

The mare in front of him lit her horn before he felt himself being pulled towards her; her telekinetic grip gentle, but indisputably iron tight. The cool look in her eyes did nothing to calm him down.

“Predator is not happy with what you have been up to.” Her voice was soft, but the words spoken to him may as well have been Death sharpening his scythe.

“They have asked me to dispose of you. Princess Celestia has asked that you are brought to her for interrogation.” He actually felt like thanking Celestia for her kindness; that even he could be spared the wrath of Predator.

What he heard next dashed his hopes. “I shall interrogate you myself. You will tell me everything. You living or dying will be entirely on your will to live.”

The world grew dark and silencing wards were activated; the Everfree forest may not be able to hear the screams, but it felt each and every atom of pain that was being inflicted. If the forest had emotions, even it might feel just a little pity for the Violent Rose.

Chapter. 22 - Clearing Skies

Chapter. 22 – Clearing Skies

It had been a long night, and there was still so much to do. Celestia was slowly walking along a familiar corridor to her; bright marble floor covered in a single plush, vibrant rug depicting the colours of a sunrise. All of this was leading to a set of golden doors detailed with the image of both the sun and moon circling each other. She was all on her own as this passageway was deep within the private residential area of the castle; the base of her own royal tower suit was just off to the right of this long corridor.

Her hoofsteps were sluggish and she raised one to cover a powerful yawn; a gentle squeak escaped her attempt to cover it up. Between the entertainment, the banquet afterwards, and even some light testing of the waters over some after dinner drinks; it was quite a bit after midnight before Celestia managed to retire, and unlike the ambassadors she still had to raise the sun. She silently thanked herself for altering the day/night cycle long ago; the longer nights over winter had never been as needed as they were right now. Well no other time that she could think of off the top of her sleep deprived mind, anyway.

Still the reports she had managed to receive of the previous day were reassuring; as well as disappointing. It appeared her faith in Sunset Shimmer was a little missed placed; the Violent Rose had managed to capture Spike, and lure her student into a life or death situation, yet Sunset Shimmer was nowhere to be found.

But then Trixie had come leaps and bounds over the incident; she had managed to find ponies she could call friends. Her quick thinking and ability to read the situation proved she was so very close to where Celestia believed she was; the ember of hope bloomed slightly more in her chest. Trixie was well on her way to the destiny Celestia was certain she could achieve.

But still after all that her student had achieved yesterday, the violent Rose still managed to escape.

The quick report she managed to receive from Prince Shining Armor when he returned to the castle left her feeling positive overall; a threat to the stability of Equestria was still at large, but the awakening of the Elements felt closer than ever.

She would receive the full report of the incident later this afternoon, but for now she had more pressing matters to address; raising the sun and bringing forth the day for her ponies.

Her golden magic surrounded the two large doors and they opened silently on well-oiled hinges; allowing her access to a balcony facing east. This was the balcony that she has been raising the sun from for as long as the castle had been built.

It was raised up high and nestled deep within the structure of the castle. There were no windows or balconies overlooking this small sanctuary; giving it the most amount of privacy possible, but it wasn’t unguarded. Just like the rest of the castle, its wards were old, tied to the leyline found under the mountain itself and had been refined and improved upon over the centuries. They were the crowning achievements of the past ten Archmages, even Celestia herself was impressed with their work and saw no need to reactivate her own protective wards.

Until now.

Her balcony was not as she had left it yesterday; lying in the centre and being flanked by two scrolls – one significantly larger than the other – was an earth pony stallion. His coat was deep red, his mane and tail were a bluish grey in colour and his cutie mark was of a flower being shined upon by the sun.

His eyes were closed and her keen eyes could only just make out his chest rising and falling. Whoever it was wasn’t dead; but had to be on Deaths door, or at least his porch.

The two scrolls were both tied by a ribbon; the smaller one’s ribbon was coloured blue, while the thicker one’s was an unassuming shade of orange. A light breeze ruffled the two scrolls, but they otherwise were stuck firm to the white stone of the balcony.

With careful steps, Celestia crept towards the disturbing sight. The stallion in front of her had clearly seen better days; blood was pooling in areas around his body. There were clear signs of bruising, and strategically placed were thin metal needles embedded into him like a pin cushion.

Gold magic washed over the area revealing nothing else; no traps, active spells, strange signatures, nothing. But it affected the stallion, his body started to twitch and spasm almost as if it was in pain. His breathing became even more ragged to the point Celestia actually thought he would stop.

With care to keep her magic away from the suffering stallion, she drew the smaller of the two scrolls over to herself to see if it held any clues.

It was a report, a detailed one of what happened yesterday. Her eyes darted back to the stallion, no longer filled with sorrow and compassion; instead they were conflicted. Here was the Violent Rose, the most deranged and deadly pony of modern times; the pony who has remained elusive and impossible to capture. The pony who, just last night, managed to escape out of magic dampening shackles; the pony who had poisoned dear Spike and tried to kill her student.

Celestia was at a loss of what to think right at that moment. She did her duty and brought the sun out for the day, if for no other reason than to have some more light to read the report from Sunset Shimmer.

It was the sensation of comfort and warmth that interrupted the wonderful feeling that surrounded Spike. He still felt tired and weak; it took far too much effort for him to open his eyes. The room was bright and lavish, rich in white’s, gold’s, pink’s and purples; and that was just what he could see of the ceiling and top parts of the wall.

His body was slow to respond to his brains demands to move and look around more; the feeling of pins and needles was still prevalent. But the signals from his back and claws was eventually received, telling him that he was lying on a comfortable mattress; not the cloud he had been sleeping on the past few nights.

The next blink came easier to him and his head was more willing to follow commands as well; a faint gentle humming could be made out from somewhere, but he still could not locate the source. But he did recognise it.

‘How did I get back to Canterlot? What am I doing in Shining and Cadance’s bed? I remember, not getting to that stall in time…then, nothing. Wait, I saw light. And there was a voice. It was comforting, familiar? Wait.’

“Mum. It was mum.” Her voice was horse and wisp, the fact his throat was desperate for water didn’t help his situation. But he was heard, at least to a point.

“Spike? Spike! Your awake.” There was a trotting of hooves on wood, before they disappeared onto carpet and he felt the bed shift.

It took him an embarrassing amount of time for him to move his head and look at Cadance as she moved over to him. “Easy Spike, you were badly poisoned with a powdered version of Deep Sleep; according to the physician you’re going to feel tired, weak, and you might struggle for a few days.” She used her magic to bring over a glass of water; he wanted it all, but had to accept the slower pace that she fed it to him.

“It’s lucky that you weren’t exposed to any more, your heart had signs it was close to giving out. So please, take it easy; Shiny’s gone to the kitchens to make sure they have something that’ll make you feel better.”

Spike got settled into the alicorn worthy bed by the magical aura from Cadance. He was confused and it appeared to be obvious. “Is everything ok Spike?”

“…I think mum saved me.” Shock was evident on Cadances face, but he continued on before she could say anything. “I remember feeling really cold, like beyond painful cold. It was hard to breathe and I couldn’t move or feel anything. But then, there was light, and a voice. It was saying everything was going to be ok.” She whispered his name in fear; her eyes were watering a little. “And it was. I was warmer. I could feel things again. It felt ok to fall asleep. The next thing I know, I’m waking up here.”

He was gently embraced by his aunt/sister in law; it was here Spike realised that he had been crying, but he only found out by the pink feather wiping his cheek.

“It sounds like we were closer to losing you than we thought. Spike what you went through was your body fighting to stay alive, giving you something to live for. The connection of love between yourself and Twilight is still there, your side is nice and healthy; hers, I’m afraid, is still very frail. She knows you exist out there somewhere; as in you being her child, but she has forgotten who you are. She could have walked right past you and not realised you were her missing child.

“I can see she does still love you; she is alive and no doubt looking for you. It’s why we have Eye Spy looking over enquiries about missing children. If there is one thing about Twilight we can be sure of; its looking out for the ones she loves.”

Spike tried, he really tried to fight back the tears; he managed to bring up his lead filled arms and wrapped them around Cadance’s neck and quietly wept into the crook of her neck.

“It’s ok, Spike. We all miss her. We’re working all the time to find her, and we will find her. Just keep being the big brave dragon you always are; after the Summer Sun Festival, things will get better. I promise.” She kissed him lightly on the top of his head while his arms slackened and his breathing slowed. He clearly tried to say something; but between his exhaustion and her own neck, his words just could not be made out.

Clearly he was still suffering from the whole ordeal he had went through; to add emotional exhaustion on top of it all, it was surprising he stayed awake that long.

“He acts so cheerful and strong for all of us; but he shouldn’t need to.” The masculine voice came from the doorway; Cadance didn’t even turn around, she knew who it was.

“He keeps these burdens to himself because he knows we are all suffering. He really is a wonderful dragon with such a kind heart.” She finished tucking him back in to her bed, setting aside the empty glass and watching as a tray of oatmeal with pieces of fruit and gems was levitated next to the glass.

“Come on, let him sleep. I’ll tell you what he just said to me.” The two left the room, closing the thick green curtains to block out a lot of the sun, and the door to help keep the peace.

The young dragon slept on; his frown turning to a small smile as a sleepy mumble repeated what he had tried to say earlier. “I smelt her, I remember her scent.”

It was nine-o-clock on the dot and the sign was magically changed upon the libraries door from closed to open. Truthfully it was the latest it has been since the new librarian took up her position, but no pony noticed that day.

Inside the library was perfectly presentable; all the selves were organised, any and all returns were put back to their rightful places and even the sitting cushions and chairs were properly arranged. Everything was as it should be for the first few ponies to bring themselves in to a place of learning.

Which was rather strange; considering the librarian had not a single wink of sleep the previous night.

In fact she looked as fresh as a daisy; her mane and tail perfectly presentable in its wavy flame patterns. Her coat fully washed and presentably brushed for any occasion, and even her eyes and slight smile radiated readiness to help any pony out. If it wasn’t for the extra-large mug placed just so right next to her as she worked through an old book of runes, nothing would be out of place.

Sitting at her reception desk, Sunset Shimmer worked away at a relentless pace; her mind working on a brand new project, while her magic jotted down rough sketches of the most complex looking of runic formulae.

It was only last night that she had discovered where her biggest challenge will be faced. It was last night that she had delved deep enough into the Everfree Forest to see the ruins of the two sisters. It was last night where she located the arena where she will most likely be defending Equestria, if not the whole world.

The bell above the door jingled, bringing Sunset out of her work and faced the new arrival. She blinked and got up when she saw it was one of her house guests Trixie Lulamoon; looking relatively fine for the most part, all things considered, but in need of a good bath.

“Good Morning Miss Lulamoon; did you have a good night?”

The small smile on Trixie’s face did not diminish in the slightest as her eyes settled on the taller mare walking around her desk to greet her.

“I had a very good night, thank you Sunset. You really have managed to get yourself some very good friends in those five girls.”

“Yes, they are good ponies. I noticed you heading off with them when you were dropped off by chariot. Umm, where is your assistant Spike?”

Trixie winced slightly at the mention of Spike, as well as the professional tone of Sunset. Throughout her time here Sunset has been a very accommodating host; and while Trixie had not gone out of her way to make things difficult, she hadn’t exactly been friendly either. That was going to change.

“Spike was taken back to Canterlot early, with the chariots. He wasn’t feeling so good. But listen I wanted to apologise to you; you have been very helpful and have gone above and beyond for us. You even got Spike that cloud bed when he wasn’t happy with his previous one.”

Sunset’s face did not change in appearance, but Trixie felt there was hints about her that suggested confusion. “But you have nothing to apologise for?”

“But I do. You have offered to help me with my studies, both the theory as well as the practical; and I shoved it back into your face and demanded we duel each other. I was wrong, and I apologise for it.”

She closed her eyes and held her breath for a moment, confessing the reasons why were always the hardest for her. “It’s just that I’ve never had a peer before, you know? Never had somepony to rate myself against that was my age; it just got to me all at once and I was kind of a bitch because of it. It’s not an excuse, I’m just explaining myself.”

The sorrowful look that Trixie was sending to Sunset was clear as day, even to a pony who had stunted emotions. Sunset shifted her face to one of understanding and accompanied it with a slight smile. She closed the distance between the two and gave the blue mare a quick hug.

“I forgive you Miss Lulamoon. I understand how you feel and can get your logic; however it was the opposite for me. I too have never had somepony my age to compare with; only my mentor who is a good few years my senior. Say, since the library is quiet, why don’t we demonstrate to each other what we know?”

The two broke apart quickly, and by the look on Trixie’s face, Sunset had judged correctly. She was looking much more composed and the small content smile had returned.

“Please, call me Trixie. But alas I am almost out of time here I’m afraid. I desperately need a bath and then I’ve got to wrap up the few lingering standing orders for the ponies helping out with the Summer Sun Celebration. All of that before packing Spike’s and my stuff up, and getting a quick lunch with the friends you introduced me to. All that before my chariot comes just after lunch. You are of course welcome to join us for lunch. We’re meeting at Sugarcube Corner at midday.”

“Well I am glad your time here was good, and sure I’d love to have lunch with everyone, Trixie.”

The smile on Trixie’s face widened just a smidge more at hearing her first name; before it calmed down slightly and a hoof scratched at the back of her neck. “Listen, Sunset. I am hoping to come back to Ponyville before the Celebration, just to hang out and get to know everyone a bit better…Do you think it’s possible for me, and maybe Spike as well, to…”

It surprised Sunset that her own smile became almost natural feeling upon her face. “Sure Trixie, I don’t see any problem with hosting you and Spike again. Just give me a little notice is all I ask. A day or two at least.”

It looked like Trixie was trying to imitate Pinkie Pie as she skipped up the stairs to the private bathroom. Sunset shook her head before going back to her work.

Strangely the small smile refused to leave her face.

“Ah, Ambassador Daniela; I was most impressed with your dancers last night. I must once again thank you for bringing them with you.” The predominantly white cow turned to see the ruler of the lands, Princess Celestia, walking down the same corridor as she was. The ambassador smiled, her brown head bowing graciously before raising itself back up.

She was a cow getting on in her years, and was clear that she enjoyed her life as an ambassador a little too well. Standing a head taller than most ponies, and wielding a pair of small horns; she was a formidable lady.

“Ah, I am glad you enjoyed them. Yes your Dressage has been most popular for our citizens. It lacks the passion and fire of the flamenco, but I thought seeing how popular Dressage has become in our lands would be a nice surprise to you.” Her accent was exotic, but a little course from use; however Celestia thought it suited the stubborn cow.

“I certainly was. Though I also enjoyed what you were able to achieve with simple mana crystals; the wind effects were most entertaining.” By now the two were walking side by side at a leisurely pace; it appeared that neither had pressing matters at the moment.

“Yes, there are a number of schools of dance that used the crystals to generate the wind; helps lift some of the more exuberant dresses and allows them to spin and flaunt. I am told it is very complex to get so much from such a small source of mana storage.”

“I would believe it; the rune work must be incredibly intricate and precise. Tell me is it possible to see the crafting of such crystals, or perhaps even receive a sample?”

“I am afraid I cannot answer that. It is up to the individual schools who craft the gems to decide. I warn you Princess, the head masters and mistresses are even more stubborn than I.” The sly smirk on the cows face took away any bite that might have been in the sentence.

Princess Celestia chuckled good naturally, before the eyes of the two people were drawn to an incoming messenger pony.

“It appears your rest has come to an end. Mayhaps we can continue our friendly discussion later on, when we officially meet to discuss the proposal I am burdened with.”

“I would like that Ambassador Daniela; until then.”

The cow continued on down the corridor; eventually finding her way out into the gardens. It was significantly chillier than she was used to, but then the colours of the leaves were not nearly as dominant back home as they were here in the colder climates.

She continued on with her sedate pace admiring the statue garden as well as all the colours. Her eyes never staying in a single place; always looking at the wonders of nature before her, or the skills on show from the detailed statues.

Eventually she came to a stop at a, questionable, piece of art. By all means the sculpture was unquestionably talented; there were details so fine it looked like the statue could start moving at any moment. It was just the subject, why have such an amalgamation of different creatures in one subject?

“He is here; incarcerated within the medical bay.” The voice was as quiet as a whisper, and was spoken in the cow’s own native tongue.

“Finally found him. Has he been interrogated yet?”

“Unlikely, as they are currently fighting to save his life. Looks like he finally found someone he couldn’t handle.” The voice had a feminine air to it, though it could have easily belonged to a stallion. What was clear was that it was trying not to laugh. The “good riddance” was as clear as day.

“Make sure he does not speak.” The cow sighed, before continuing on her walk through the gardens. ‘Looks like the reports were accurate; he went after Celestia’s student, but she managed to fend him off; very well from the sounds of things. At least that’s one big thread tidied up; we’ve spent far too long looking for that rogue agent.’

Celestia sighed as she returned to her office after an eventful day. The initial meeting between the Moodrid ambassador and herself appeared to go rather smoothly; she seemed open to the idea of pegasus aid at least.

But her mind returned to the soul within her castle, fighting to stay alive.

She shuddered at the thought of what Sunset had done to the stallion; that he deserved it or not was not even the question. The interrogation report was incredibly extensive and went so far as to state the stallion known as the Violent Rose was responsible for the disappearance of Twilight Sparkle; let alone the dozens of deaths covering his hooves. If that were true then it would explain the anniversary he was talking about in the letter sent to the castle; but that’s the problem, if it was true.

Torture is more than capable of loosening lips, but then they could say anything just to stop the torture. They condemn themselves simply to stop the horrific actions being forced upon them; a potential endless loop of bad information and horrible actions.

Sunset shimmer had used needles that reacted with magic; the two separate metals would react together and emit a large spark when exposed to magical energy. Those were stabbed in every single nerve bundle and pressure point on his entire body.

At least half of the crimes on the interrogation list turned into very public affairs, and he could have just said that he did them to satisfy his torturer. That is why she has told no one of the second report when the guards were eventually called. She wanted a non-biased report done by her ponies that are actually trained in extracting information by use of words, emotional manipulation or at worst magic. It’ll take time, but the information will be more reliable and in the end save them a lot more of it by not having to double check fake leads.

‘Still if even a third of this report is correct, then Sunset Shimmer has still done a very big service to Equestria by capturing him; that he is still alive also tells me that she has actually listened to me. She also saved Spikes life in her intervention with his poisoning, as well as kept an eye on all six of those mares as they ran around that old castle. Her description of it all makes it sound more like a comedy sketch than an actual life or death situation.’

She groaned into her hooves in an attempt to settle her nerves.

“Oh Sunset Shimmer, you really are a pain in my flank, aren’t you. You torture a pony to the point of death in an attempt to please me. You rescue Spike when he is moments away from death; and then you keep an eye out to make sure my student and her new friends are safe. I cannot decide to have you arrested, or give you a medal.”

A flash of heat was registered to her left before Celestia felt the warm wings of her longest living friend. “Oh Philomena, sometimes I wonder if Sunset Shimmer is nothing but one of your more egregious pranks.”

There was a loud squawk of clear indignation from the phoenix before Celestia felt the sharp beak find her forehead.

“Ok, ok; she’s not one of your pranks.” There was a clear whumph of acceptance, before she cooed and rubbed her head against Celestia’s hoof. The two sat in silence for a moment; one clearly lost in thought, the other doing what little she could to help her friend.

The moment was broken when there was a knock on her office doors. She bayed them entry before the door was opened by a guard.

“Princess Celestia, Trixie Lulamoon has just returned to the castle.”

“Thank you for informing me; please let her know I would like to see her at her earliest convenience. I shall be located in my quarters.”

The guard nodded, before closing the door with their departure.

“Well Philomena, let’s see what Trixie has to say about Sunset Shimmer. Maybe my student’s opinion will help settle my nerves. Besides,” Celestia chuckled, “Trixie got some new friends. I’ve been looking forward to teasing her about this for so long.”

The phoenix cawed in agreement, before flashing away to get a good spot. Celestia got up and headed to the door. The prospect of getting Trixie’s thoughts on Sunset Shimmer was at war with the fun idea of teasing her student.

Chapter. 24 – Bonding, Plots and Worries

Chapter 24. – Bonding, Plots and Worries

Time may have been marching, the New Year had come and gone, as well as all of January, but winter still refused to release its hold on ponykind. It was late afternoon and the small town of Ponyville was being attacked by swirling winds with rain drops that felt more like daggers than actual water.

The few ponies venturing out of their abodes had themselves covered in rain protection; even the hardy earth ponies of the town wanted nothing to do with this weather.

It would come as no surprise that the library was clear of all customers and patrons; but just because it was devoid of clients did not mean that it was quiet. Every pony who knew the librarian of the Golden Oak Library would be quite amazed to find she had a guest staying at the library. Doubly so due to the last time these two were together.

Up in the resident’s area of the library the cast iron log burner was happily churning out heat, with the pleasant warm glow of orange pouring forth from its viewing window. Sitting all around it on the couch as well as some moved wooden chairs was a group of seven mares and a baby dragon.

It has been a long several months since two of them had been back to the small town and even though they had only been here once before; it still felt good to be back amongst friends.

It was the youngest of all of them that was centre stage at this moment in time, regaling the time he spent with his family over the Hearth Warming period. It was just a shame his rendition was marred thanks to some sniffles and the odd cough; the poor dear was suffering for a mild cold.

“Sniff, a-and then to try and act all cool he goes and takes a big drink from his eggnog. Well Cadance didn’t take this lying down, like at all. So she goes up and whispers something into Shining’s ear; the next thing I know his noes turns into a fountain and spews eggnog across the living room table before he starts hacking and sputtering, all the while Cadance has this smug look on her face. It was almost like she’s saying ‘who’s got the last laugh now?’ She even winked at me. Chuckle, ah Shining didn’t let it down the whole rest of the day. I never did find out what Cadance said to Shining, but my granny said it was something that was definitely deserved.

“But yeah it was a good day, one I really think all of us needed; especially my puppa and granny. I mea-” Spikes face quickly silenced itself and looked a little bashful, like he had said a little too much. Whatever the reason, his clawed hands were already in place as he started a small coughing fit.

Out of all seven of the mares in the room, only two held looks of understanding; the others, while curious, respected the young dragon’s privacy not to enquire. As much as it was painfully obvious that one or two of them were dying to know more of the story.

“Well Spike, it sounds like you really had a very enjoyable Hearths Warming.” Rarity pushed through – while offering the young dragon a fresh tissue – to prevent, at the very least Pinkie, from demanding to know more. “I have to admit my own was not nearly as, colourful, as yours sounded like; but oh my can Sweetie be a hoof full when she gets spoiled by our parents.” There was a distant, if happy, smile gracing the white unicorns face as she remembered her own Hearths Warming with her parents.

“Ya still looking after Sweetie Belle for your folks? Ain’t they done travelling yet?”

Rarity flinched slightly from the comment made by Applejack; it was a bit of a sore spot for the tanned earth pony. “Yes I am still looking after Sweetie Belle, Applejack. Our parents are still ‘finding themselves,’” the purpled maned pony emphasised this with actual hoof quotations marks.

“Do not get me wrong; they do love us dearly and both myself and Sweetie love them as well. But they’re getting on in years and denied their calling for as long as they could; so when I managed to establish a semblance of normality here in Ponyville, they saw their chance to fulfil themselves once more. Sigh, I can call them selfish, but even I know the power of a cutie mark and their call on a pony can be. Mine can, quite literally, drag me around the place if I’m not careful.” She finished with a small giggle.

“Now tell me Applejack,” Rarity asked with a knowing look, “How was your own Hearth Warming? Did it all go to plan, hmm?” Even with her mouth being covered by taking a sip of her drink, the smile was clear to hear on her face.

“Hehe, you were right Sugarcube; I believe Sunset was planning to read all day long. You didn’t even have anything special planned for a meal or anything, did you?” Applejack looked over to the mare in question, giving her a look that plainly said “Don’t lie, I already know the answer.” The smile adorning the farm pony’s face removed all sense of hostility the gaze and question may have had.

While all the mares from Ponyville knew these tales already – having all met up again quickly after the New Year – they were stated as news worthy for the friends that could not have come by sooner, namely Trixie and Spike.

Trixie had left for Manehattan to spend time with her family; regaling stories to her folks and wowing her younger sibling with a few new tricks she had learnt. While Spike stayed in Canterlot with his family; apparently even Prince Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had stayed with Spike and their family rather than the castle.

Everypony else had already taken a turn to tell their Hearth Warming story, with Pinkie being the first. But now it was time for the pony that had brought this group together to share her tale.

“Well, no I hadn’t; and yes I was planning to read all day. What’s wrong with that?”

“Nothing, nothing at all sugarcube.” Applejack hastily said, waving her front hooves defensively. “Just, I bet you do that nearly every day. Hearth Warming’s about being with friends and family. You can’t deny you had a better time with ma family than just on your own?”

Sunset’s response was one that surprised the two friends from Canterlot; she smiled. It was small, simple, and far too insignificant of a smile for such a precious gift as Sunset had received that day.

But this was Sunset Shimmer, the stoic mare who was impossible to read; as Rainbow Dash and a few other ponies in town can certainly attest to with their games of poker. When Sunset smiled, it just never seemed to reach her eyes.

But the smile that was on the mares face was honest, it was felt; it reached her eyes.

“No Applejack. Being with your family on Hearths Warming was so much better than what I had planned. Thank you for inviting me.”

“It ain’t no problem at all; you’ve got an open invite to come back every year, ya hear. Besides,” the soft smile on Applejacks face was wiped away by a smirk. “Having you there meant the dishes were done in seconds; when you come over next time, that’s your designated chore.” The group laughed and Sunset certainly agreed to the terms.

The stories continued to flow from each person in the room without a care. The group of friends had no adventure to go on, nothing to rescue or defeat. It was a simple get together, and it was what everyone needed.

Princess Celestia was walking through the castles gardens; the weather was not the best and had kept the nobles inside, exactly the reason why Celestia was now out in this cold, wet slush like rain.

With every New Year came the exact same problems as the previous one, only with different flowery words to dress them up. The nobles of the court had a knack of re-phrasing the exact same problem in a wardrobe of colourful words to try and make it different. But she had been the sole ruling princess for almost a thousand years now; she has heard every single way one could dress up the same problem over and over again. Regardless of the changes in culture or the renaissance in language Equestria had gone through over the centuries.

But this year would be very different; her sister was due to come back this summer, no doubt still corrupted by the Nightmare persona when she had last seen her. The thought was both a blessing and a curse; she missed her sister dearly and needed to set things right with her. But she could not bear to see the war visage the nightmare had brought to the forefront.

But then her hopes and dreams where all but lost when young Twilight Sparkle disappeared. A tragedy only made worse when it was all but apparent that she was destined to become the next bearer of Magic; the artefact that had sent Luna to the moon, that has the power to remove the heinous corruption within her soul. The artefacts that she had lost command over due to her own hubris, by wielding them all against a fellow bearer.

But harmony works in mysterious ways it seems; for another potential candidate to bear Magic became known to her as she was out on an evening flight over the countryside of the Mainhattan province.

Young Trixie Lulamoon was certainly a diamond in the rough; but the passion for magic could almost be felt coming off of the young filly. Trixie had nothing more than the standard curriculum for magic, but what she lacked in theory was easily overcome by simple practical understanding of magic. Such love and dedication to magic could not go unnoticed and so Celestia had found yet another student to mentor.

Celestia managed a small smile as her mind took her over some of the more interesting times teaching Trixie. But then the smile left almost as quickly as it came; for her mind brought her to the here and now, and the most recent development.

Sunset Shimmer, the latest pride of Predator; trained in all three of the tribal innate magic’s, with an almost unimaginable wellspring to back up her clearly vast knowledge of magical theory. She’s able, been physically trained to the standards of the elite within the Honour guard…and who is, without doubt, one of the biggest wild cards Celestia has ever come across.

And now the year of her sister’s return has come about; and due to a single pony entering her life, Celestia was at a loss.

But regardless of all the doubt and uncertainty, the flame of hope was burning brighter than ever within her chest.

Yes her plans have changed numerous times in recent years; yes she is worried over how much damage the Nightmare could do to her sister’s reputation before she is freed. She is even fearful of how much collateral damage will be done and is still silently pleading to Harmony not to let her little ponies die.

But now Trixie has friends, good friends whose bonds just seem to keep getting stronger and stronger. From the stories Trixie had told her, it gave her hope that all of the bearers have been located and already friends with each other.

Celestia was almost tempted to see if they could awaken the elements ahead of her sister’s arrival.

Then there was the wild card; Sunset Shimmer. Actually it was thanks to her that Trixie found her friends; if not for her lack of emotions then she could very well also be a candidate to bear the Element of Magic.

‘That would be a political nightmare. An unknown unicorn appearing out of nowhere becoming the Element of Magic; it would be impossible for Predator to remain a secret. And with Predator being revealed to the world Equestria’s reputation will be torn to shreds.' Celestia sighs as she shakes her head in slow lethargic waves in an effort to try and clear it, her mane wet and clinging onto her body more than waving about in the air. Her aimless wandering has brought her to the entrance of the hedge maze; a place filled with twists and turns and lots of unknown paths. She couldn’t help but think it was fitting.

‘I have to intervene, but in doing so am I dooming Equestria and the world to eternal night? Will I lose my sister forever because the elements cannot settle on a single bearer for Magic? “What am I to do?” The words left her mouth with all the gentleness of a floating down feather.

The rain had lightened since she started her walk, but there was still no other pony to hear the question on the wind. Nor was there anything around to give the grieving alicorn an answer.

“Excuse me, Princess?” The minutes of silence burst in a blink of an eye and by the sound of a voice; Celestia turned to see one of her golden clad, white furred royal guards standing a few paces behind her. They were an earth pony but anything more than that was almost impossible to tell, thanks to the glamor they are bound to wear while on duty.

“I’m afraid the number of nobles looking for you has exceeded what you requested we keep at bay. Would you like us to continue preventing them from seeing you, or…?” the question was not said but it was clear to hear “Or are you going to go back to work?”

Celestia turned towards the nearest set of doors into the castle; not to check if the guard was lying or not, but to see just how many nobles wanted her attention. Even from the distance between where she stood and the closest access point to the castle, she could clearly see at least a dozen highly dignified and supremely dressed ponies hovering about the inside of the door.

“No, I believe my break has come to an end. Please inform them I shall be there in a moment.” The guard bowed before about turning and walked back to the doors with military precision.

Duty calls, her little ponies needed her. Her heart was filled with worries and fears, her mind filled with doubts and second guesses; but her soft motherly smile still stayed on her face. Exactly what her ponies expected to see.

She set aside the worries and fears of tomorrow as Princess Celestia walk back into the castle, the small gentle smile unwavering on her face.

For it still being light outside, the long wooden corridor with white panelling was surprisingly quiet; then again it is not very often that a pony wanted to see the three masters in their private study.

Tempest Shadow walked down the simple, yet elegant, corridor; and before knocking on the door at the end of it, she was invited in by the masters of Predator.

“Ah, Tempest. How is your hunt for your next pupil fairing? Or shall you be returning to your role as a field operative?” Bright Lance was the one to speak first, being the master of Unicorns it was only appropriate that she speak to one of her former pupils. All three masters were sitting together around a simple wooden table, paperwork, cups and saucers scattered all over it.

“Slowly I’m afraid, Master Bright Lance. My normal sources for new recruits appear to have gone quiet while I was training Sunset.”

It was Crane Wing who spoke up, offering the purple unicorn a warm smile. “It is not a surprise. You are still revelling off of such a successful student. Allow yourself some time to reflect and I would not be surprised to find you have already found your next student. After all, you have brought to our attention many successful candidates from all tribes. Have you considered becoming a recruiter? Or have you finally seen what I told you years ago; that you are a capable teacher.”

Tempest Shadow fidgeted slightly and she refused to look at the master of Pegasi, “I admit teaching Sunset was more enjoyable than I was expecting; the challenges to keep her interested especially so.”

“Such a bright and curious mind such as hers is as unique as she herself is. Sunset Shimmer is most assuredly a difficult student, but for almost the complete opposite reasons of a more typical cadet. Crane Wing is right however, Sunset Shimmer was such a success it surprised us all. I remember discovering especially talented recruits in the military; it does affect how you see others in comparison.” Thunder Stomp apparently was listening even though he hadn’t looked up once from the papers he was studying.

“Indeed. Speaking of the mare in question, her latest report came in; it speaks of nothing of significance to report. However, it is how she has written it that has sparked my interest, and I suspect it will do the same to you as well.” Crane Wing said as he used his wing to lift a non-descriptive scroll to her.

“It appears the town she has been sent to, this Ponyville, has been doing Sunset quite some good. Nothing explicit is stated, but it is the way she is writing, and even the word choice. It looks like some of her emotions may be returning to her.” Crane Wing’s face held the air of a grandfather hearing good news.

Tempest remained impassive as she looked over the scroll handed to her. The master of Pegasi was right. While it reported of nothing new this month, it was the additional flicks and curls, the extra descriptive wording. It was subtle and to most of no consequence at all; to Tempest Shadow it was something she had not been expecting. At all.

“I hope that is the case, Master Crane Wing; if there is anypony who deserves the return of her emotions, it is Sunset Shimmer.”

“We are all hoping she can recover completely; if she does it might be interesting to see if she would be capable of subterfuge?”

“An interesting prospect that is certainly worth discussing, if her emotions fully return Thunder Stomp. Until then there is little point in speculating about what if’s.” Bright Lance was quick to retort. The quill Thunder Stomp was using in his hoof was forcibly placed on the table, while his body turned to face the Master of Unicorns.

In a move that defied his ancient grandfatherly look, the sole pegasis in the room launched himself over the round table and landed directly in between the standing unicorn and where his fellow masters were staring intensely at each other.

He spread his wings around him and they began emitting a golden hue. Whatever was happening behind the only standing master could not be heard at all. “I am afraid this meeting has come to an end. If you are planning to leave us again, then I ask you wait until morning and inform us. If not then, as you know, you are free to do as you wish.” With that he waved a hoof clearly indicating that she leaves.

Tempest Shadow returned the scroll to Crane Wing before following his orders and left with a bow; politely ignoring the silent shouting match happening behind him and the wall of manipulated air cancelling out noise.

As the afternoon marched on the Golden Oak Library was still just as filled as it was before. Sunset had all of her friends with her and library itself was still without a customer; though this was actually planned.

Sunset locked eyes with the purpled maned unicorn sitting nearby and nodded her head so minutely that only the detailed eyes of the fashionista picked it up.

It was time.

“Well girls, and Spike of course.” Rarity let out a slight giggle at the put off face of the young drake in their party. What frown was on his face was quickly replaced by a goofy grin at hearing her giggle. “I feel I must ask all of you to stand and bring yourselves closer in please.”

Confusion was first on nearly everyone’s face, but they trusted Rarity and at least got up and stood by her.

“That’s right, if we could all get a little closer together. Pinkie, if you’d please stop grinning like a Cheshire cat, it would make me feel a little better about this at least. And Spike, could you bring your tail in just a little bit more? Oh, yes holding it is a great idea.” The group was almost shoulder to shoulder and stood facing each other in a tight circle. Only Sunset’s face was out of character, as she had her eyes closed.

“Ok Rare, what’s the big idea? Why have you got us all together like this?”

“Well Rainbow I was just getting to that. You see Sunset came to visit me not long after I got back from my parents’ house asking if there was something special she could do for us all. When I asked what for, she responded that it was for her Hearth’s Warming gift to us all. Well when I heard what it was for and the reason why, I couldn’t help but get myself involved with the planning.”

“Yeah? And what’s that got to do with you asking us to be all close like?”

“I’m getting there Applejack, please just be a little patient. Anyway, we went back and forth a bit with ideas before settling on one that all of us could do as a group. It was also Sunsets idea that we wait until all of our friends could be here to enjoy it. As for why we are so close together right now; well it’s because some of us can be a bit stubborn about this.”

“Ah, so the two of you were waiting for myself and Spike to be here as well.” At Rarity’s nod Trixie continued, “so what have the two of you planned? And why doe-” Trixie stopped and looked over to the flaming hared unicorn amongst them, eyes beginning to widen.

Sunset’s brow was in deep concentration and the gathered power within her horn could no longer be concealed with what little she knew of silent casting; regardless if this was a spell she knew particularly well.

Before anyone could comment on what she was doing; static covered them all and a bright flash of light blocked their sight for a long moment.

“Welcome.” Was the first thing the group heard from a pair of similar voices. All the ponies from ponyville knew the voices, but only three of them knew them well enough to identify them. Well, the three regulars and Pinkie Pie.

“At first I was a little hesitant, I must admit; but this is something we all could do together and something Sunset really does think would be especially beneficial for Applejack especially.”

The group were finally able to see the two earth ponies standing next to a small reception area and close to a set of plane double doors. The room was large with arched wings leading to other areas. The walls were painted in pale light lavender colours, with said scent lightly drifting in the air.

There were several relaxing tables and chairs covered in white towels; but the big attraction of the room, sitting in front of a large wall sized window, was a large wooden hot tub, steaming away and bubbling slightly.

By now Sunset had got her breathing back under control and smiled at all of her friends. “Thank you everyone for being my friend. Happy belated Hearths Warming.”