To Save our Legacy

“Izzy… where are my gauntlets?”

With the drama of my awakening over, or at least I hoped it over, since Pipp was still missing, and that mare’s singing voice could be used for good as well as evil; I could focus more on the things that happened immediately after my little stunt.

Several things came to mind, the most pressing of which was the addition of our new little dragon to our already colorful family. He held characteristics that, while not being unheard of, were particularly rare between dragon breeds. Things like possessing wings right after hatching, or the curious pattern on his horns…

It reminded me of something I had read once, but I couldn't be completely sure. Not like we had a full-grown dragon around to ask either.

But the mystery of the new dragon hatchling could wait. I knew Hitch would take good care of him in the meanwhile. At the moment, I wanted nothing more than to ease the pain from my hands, and if I found the strength, the rest of my body as well, although I feared that that would require the long, boring way. Healing spells aren’t that efficient on the caster as on the intended target. Also, I wanted to hear the nurse’s opinion first before I embarked on that little endeavor.

What painted me on the wrong side was the way my friends were most definitely dodging the question I asked, especially Izzy who, according to Hitch, was the one who had taken charge of them until my recovery.

The silent, distracted treatment she was giving me was not falling on my good graces. “Izzy… I don’t think I care for that look.” I warned her, to which she sheepishly rubbed her forelegs and continued avoiding my gaze.

“Heheh… Um, hoooow aboooout something to drink first, hm? I’m sure you must be, um… parched after sleeping for so long! Let me just get y-”

Before she could slip away from the firing line, one of my bandaged hands grabbed her by the tail, halting her impromptu escape. Looking back at me over her shoulder, her nervousness gave way to despondency, her ears slumping in defeat.

“They’re… at my workshop.” She half-spoke, half-muttered, making sure to avoid my questioning gaze. Alarms fired inside me, dreading what Izzy’s attitude was silently implying.

“... Lead the way.” I commanded dryly, swallowing down a trail of swears for the unyielding sting in my hands.

Lead the way she did, with the rest of us rearing up to follow her. Sunny, bless her little golden heart, stayed close by to help me get back up to my feet after she noticed me wincing in pain. I took the muffin with me, pleasantly surprised it had survived Sparky’s earlier rampage over my victory treats.

The short walk to Izzy’s workshop was spent in an arguably ominous silence, which didn’t help ease my crippling nerves.

To my utmost dismay, it turned out that my worries were justified. Once I was inside the workshop, I quickly found both of my Atlas gauntlets resting on the workbench. Both of them looked a bit singed from the magical discharge, especially over the magic-conducting metal circuits, but overall they were still intact, and hopefully functional. What made me skip a heartbeat was the missing LIMstone in one of them, the one Izzy and I had crafted together.

‘No…’

That gemstone was now nothing more than a handful of broken fragments of various sizes, resting inside a small glass container near where the gauntlets laid. The same LIMstone that held the spell matrix for the enchantment that Starlight and I had designed to reverse the Unity Crystals’ hold over Equestria’s magic. It was my one and only chance to undo our gravest sin. The sole reason I had left everything behind…

And it was gone.

“I-I’m sorry, Alex. We found it after you’d passed out, a-and I haven’t a clue as to how to fix it. Nopony I’ve asked knows either.” Izzy’s droopy ears and downcasted eyes were lost to me, sinceI couldn't pry myself from the broken remains of what used to be my latest prototype. It was the latest design in terms of the complexity of the spell arrays it could hold, but it was in no way conceived to manage such huge amounts of magical throughput over extended periods. In reality, it had been designed to be somewhat of a ‘one-use-one-purpose only’ kinda device. Everything below it could manage without an issue. Anything above it, well…

“Alex?” My friends were starting to get a little agitated under my prolonged silence, but Sunny’s call fell on deaf ears all the same. My breathing was unusually even, my posture rigid, my entire body not showing any reaction whatsoever. That only served to unnerve them more.

… I could almost hear it laughing in my head. What better than to answer in kind.

As if a switch had suddenly been flipped, I began cackling. It wasn’t a loud laugh, just a resigned, borderline maniac chuckle that continued pouring out of my lungs to my friends’ now-skyrocketing worry. The small tears running down my cheeks were indicative enough that the last thing going through my mind was merriment.

My family, my friends… I had one goal. ONE goal only. It was supposed to be simple, in and out, no pony would even notice until they could feel the magic returning to them.

“Guys? I-I think he’s losing it.” Hitch, who was carrying Sparky on his back in a similar way Twilight did with Spike, warned the group with a nervous sidestep.

Izzy would not allow me as much. “Hey! Hey, Alex! Come on, that’s eno-”

The front door slamming open interrupted Izzy’s attempt to bring me back from whatever my mind was digging itself into. The last integrant of our little group had finally arrived.

“GUYS! Where are yo- oh, there you are!” Pipp flapped her way from the hall into the workshop, making for a quick landing near me. I didn’t acknowledge her arrival.

“Oh my pony, Alex. I’m SO sorry I’m late! There was this huge mess back at Male Melody and didn’t hear the phone and…”

Her rushed apologies hadn’t ceased my dark chuckling. I was lost in a pit of desperation and silent resignation, disconnecting me from the outside world.

Months of careful planning and construction, all the secrecy, all the time I could’ve spent with my loved ones, instead chasing a feeble dream in a selfish attempt to heal my soul and clear my conscience. The most human a human can be in a world of ponies.

“Guys? What’s going on…?” Pipp’s inquiry didn’t need an answer from our friends, since by following my glazed sight towards the broken shards of the LIMstone, she was quick to put two and two together. “Oh, ponyfeathers….” She took a few steps closer to her sister, dreading whatever reaction was building up.

“A-Alex? Please, you're scaring us…” Sunny tried with a reassuring hoof on my calf.

I felt detached. I snapped, slamming my fists on the workbench with centuries of accumulated fury, cutting Sunny’s plea off mid-sentence and making the ponies jump back to. Poor Sparky released a few anguished cries I’d have to apologize for later, but at that moment I couldn’t have cared less.

From within the dark place my mind had sealed itself shut, a bitter memory came to life. “… You were right after all, Starlight… It really was too good to be true.”

My demented chuckling had deranged into bitter sobs that rocked my body. The tears continued falling over the remains of what had been my only chance to fix my broken legacy. Without it, we were at the mercy of the crystal's control over the magic, subject to grave issues like the failed Maretime Bay. Unstable control, unknown consequences, prisoners of my own doing.

What was I missing?

I wondered what my old friends would be thinking if they could see me from wherever their souls had found rest. Would they be mad at me? Would they understand the reasons behind my choices?

It was moments like this that made me wish I could just end it all, and go find out in person…

My tears doubled as my knees failed me, slumping in front of the workbench, grabbing its rim hard enough for my knuckles to turn white while my chest churned and my heart bled. Shame hid my head between my arms, searching for a place to hide from my old family’s judgment from beyond the grave.

I was close to slipping, but I made no effort to fight back. I was doing so good, but now? I couldn’t bear to continue looking at the remnants of my failure, instead closing my eyes in a feeble attempt to avoid the truth.

“Why?.... W-Why can’t I get it right? Just for once…”

Like a tower of cards, I crumbled against the most feeble of breezes, but was spared the blow when I found myself suddenly surrounded by warm fluffiness, the subtle scent of sunflowers and the silky touch of a well-groomed coat revealing them to belong to Sunny, bless her golden heart. I didn’t miss the wetness of her cheeks mirroring my own as she tenderly nuzzled my scalp. Soon, another furry presence joined hers, and another one after that, until all the ponies had surrounded me in a big group hug, sharing my pain with a few tears of their own. Even Sparky came down from Hich’s back to hug my leg with his stubby claws, gifting me a few mewls of sympathy even if his young mind could not hope to grasp the intensity of this moment.

It was so unfair. I felt absolutely crushed. My only hope for redemption, for some semblance of closure after so many painful months of tiring search, endless questions, and self-absorbed stubbornness that cost me the mare of my life.

“A-All I wanted was to h-help… Why can’t I f-fix it?... Sniff. It’s n-not fair…”

Sunny tightened her embrace over my back, heeding my pathetic whimpers as if they were her own. “We’ll find another way. I promise you.” She whispered into my ear, nuzzling it afterwards.

“I-I a-abandoned them for this… They’re going to h-hate me…”

“They would be proud of what you did for us during the festival.” She continued lovingly nuzzling my head. “They would be proud of you.”

All I could respond with was a series of wet sniffles, hands balled into white fists from the searing rage that sponsored my tears. “I d-don’t know what t-”

“Shhhh.” Sunny’s soothing hush put a preemptive stop in my depressive ranting, giving me one of the warmest kisses I had ever received from a pony right on my scalp immediately after. The surprise was enough to interrupt my sobbing and make me extricate my head from my arms, the tingling of her lips rippling from the place she had planted them like a refreshing morning shower.

I was met by her gorgeous eyes, the fur around them matted with tears, tears meant for me, but with that warmth radiating off her, chasing away the choking pain squeezing heart. I hadn't noticed how close we were, enough for me to taste her breath on my own, my nose and her snout almost touching. I selfishly drew in all the comfort I could from her, making me no better than a helpless child. I might as well have been looking the part at the moment.

“We’ll figure it out together. I promise.”

Her kind words washed down on me like a ferocious torrent, enough to soothe the raging storm for a semblance of determination, misplaced as it was, but welcomed nonetheless. I had learned well by then how she had that effect on me from our previous interactions. True to her kindness, she didn’t let go of me for a moment, patiently waiting for me to shed everything I was holding onto, her unwavering smile digging through my sorrow like a hot knife on butter.

A small part of my brain stirred up the butterflies in my tummy when I realized I was falling even more for that mare, but this stratospheric blow had distracted me from that, in turn, distracting train of thought.

With what I hoped would be the only chance to rectify my sins gone for good, and no feasible way to replicate it and try again, I found myself as lost as the day of the Incident. I couldn’t think of another way to sever the Unity Crystals from their hold on the magic without permanently damaging it, or outright obliterate it. No creature alive had the power necessary to overpower them in their current state. I didn’t understand their defenses, nor did I even elucidate the reason behind their continued existence in the first place. Twilight should’ve seen how a misplaced and derailed option they always were the second she noticed how, far from bringing the tribes together under the threat of their magic being cut-off forever, it only instilled more fear and hatred into their hearts.

Why were they still existing?

I was saddened to admit I had landed well and truly back to… well, not even square one, more like square minus-one. I had abandoned my previous life for nothing, a feeble dream only a lost mind such as mine could conjure.

But what choice did I have at the time? I had tried everything, twice. I had to take the leap. I was the only one who could do it. I…

‘I left them to die in the wake of my actions.’

I felt a familiar tug at the back of my mind, but I paid it no heed. Managing to collect my bearings to a degree, I gently eased her back to allow me to stand up again, flashing her a thankful smile that felt as empty as a changeling's heart for all of her support. I did the same with the rest, who also took a step back to give me some space, relieved to see my tears finally ceasing, but concern still clinging to their features.

I closed my eyes and took a deep, relaxing breath, pushing down the blizzard of conflicting emotions for the sake of a clear mind, the only thing that would help in times like this. The time for pitiful crying was over. Now, it was time to think of alternatives. Rational thinking had gotten me out of many troubles, and this moment wouldn’t be any different.

Since the crystals’ defenses had rendered my enchantment useless when trying to use it for the first time, my immediate goal was in truth no different than it had been before learning of the LIMstone shattering. As much as I would have preferred for it to work as I had intended, it seemed fate had other plans for me. Time to work a workabout. Heh.

The game was on, and I was the centerpiece. “Very well… Twilight. I will play your little game.” I grabbed the biggest shards and stuck them in the remaining muffin, giving it to Sparky who accepted it in earnest and started devouring it, to the surprise of one dragon dad.

“Let’s hope we don’t take down another Equestria this time.”

The emotional rollercoaster, in addition to my not-so-fully recovered self, had left me completely drained. I alleviated my fatigue with a quick nap back in my bedroom, from which in truth I drew little sleep. I was still waiting until the nurse came and gave me the final okay, but thankfully she didn't take too long, catching me as I cussed my mind from not shutting up for one minute and let me sleep in peace. It was looking for some restless nights in the near future, the best medicine for my already soured mood.

The good news in a day full of crap. Apart from some general soreness and, well, all the earlier drama, I felt fine, with nothing strange going anymore on in my tender insides. This heighted healing sure was a bonus, until the hunger cramps kicked in. Law of equivalent exchange and all that. Sucked balls all the way. I decided we’d be having pizza that night.

After a quick explanation to an astonished Hitch about how gemstones are supposed to be part of a dragon’s regular diet, I made my way paaaainfully and sloooowly back toward my room. There was no way a Reparo spell could fix such a delicate and complex structure as the microcrystalline one of a LIM gemstone. Even if the gem could in theory be repaired, as in the small bits being put back together like a puzzle for the masochists, the spell array was as good as lost. Any small variation in its crystalline organization would render such a device, even if reconstructed, useless for lack of a better word.

So, that possibility was as good as gone, and there was no way that I could recreate the enchantment in a fresh gemstone. It had taken Starlight and a few other unicorn scientists working behind Twilight's back an excruciating amount of time and effort to even figure out the mechanics of how to accomplish it, to say nothing of how to integrate the spell matrix into the gemstone. I might have known a thing or two about casting magic, but I would never, ever be able to match the level of skill of a born unicorn. That’s something the ISIT couldn’t fix for me.

That also added the need to find another functional LIMstone to replace the broken one to the list of things to do back in Canterlot. I still had two functional gauntlets and I intended to keep them that way. Canterlot Castle’s labs should still have a few more in storage if Discord’s words about nopony ever going there were true, for as long as he had kept watch, that is. I found it hard to believe no creature would be curious or greedy and snoop in for an easy loot. They were welcome to the gems and bits and whatever crap that gained their attention, as long as they didn't touch my stuff or the crap stored in the vault for dangerous magical artifacts.

On another note, since the unicorns were still barely learning how to get their levitation working at the moment, I doubted any of them had the knowledge or the skills to create a new fresh LIMstone, no matter how many diagrams and half-cooked explanations I shoved down their throats. Ironic. They were one of my earliest and finest creations, and yet I couldn’t hope to recreate one myself using another available LIMstone. What was left in the labs was all I was going to get, quite possibly for a long time.

‘No. Not the labs... The latest models should still be stored in the Armory. I gotta check it out.’ I made a mental note, chiding myself for having omitted that place in our rush to catch Discord.

But that was Future Alex’s problem. Present Alex was going to enjoy a pleasant midday nap after an unhealthy dose of drama and pony cuddles. Or at least, I could only hope so far but, as I’ve just highlighted, sleep and I were going to be taking some time apart from our unstable relationship. My friends were a bit reluctant to leave my side, deeply bothered by my not-very-dignified reaction to the bad news.

The nap, alongside my friends’ reassuring words, had managed to lift me up at least to a shadow of myself, enough to function at the very least. I was still angry, at myself and my blindness, but at least I felt reasonably better after waking up to somepony knocking on my door.

Nurse Tenderhoof had arrived to check up on me, and as was expected from a professional in the health industry, she chastised me for getting out of bed and moving around throwing pity parties like Pinkie would throw birthdays without her explicit permission. I knew her from working at the hospital, so she wasn’t too hard on me, thank Faust. My head could not fit any more pounding. However, for a well-met bargain, now I had to treat her to lunch for the next week after recuperating. A fair deal in my eyes. The jealous leer Sunny sent the nurse well told me of her own opinion.

The irony wasn’t lost to me as, after checking my vitals and making sure I was getting enough nutrition, she asked me to drag my lazy flank out of bed and walk down the ramp and around the hall to see how I was holding out, and check there was any damage that couldn’t be seen while resting on a bed.

Tenderhoof seemed pleased with my progress, jotting down some medical gibberish on her pad while explaining that there was no visible damage to my musculature and nervous systems, both apparently in good health since I was able to feel, speak, and move around perfectly, albeit slowly and with a few breathers sprinkled here and there. She advised me that I should refrain from using magic to boost my healing since they couldn’t be sure the medicines wouldn’t react badly with it. Magic-based medicine was a field in need of rediscovery, it seemed. I appreciated her caution and heeded her words. I was a doctor, but not that kind of doctor to second guess her.

She also advised me to continue taking it easy, at least until the end of the week. Even with the small dossier I’d provided them with my relevant medical info, they didn’t want me risking it by needlessly pushing it, as there were still too many unknowns for them regarding my physiology. It hadn’t been the first time I’d ended up roughed up by overdoing it, but thankfully never to the point of landing me critical. I’d rather save myself another trip to the hospital so, once again, I took her advice to heart.

The flip side to all this was that I could whine to my friends about how sick and in distress I was and get them to pamper me for a few more days. Sadly, the evil smirk announcing my wicked plan didn’t go unnoticed, if their blank looks were any indicative.

‘Welp, at least I tried.’

After some recommendations of how to better take care of myself until I’d completely recovered, delivered to Sunny ‘cause nurse knew she’d be the one to keep me in line; some good wishes were changed and, with a merry trot, Nurse Tenderhoof saw herself out of the brighthouse, making sure to take all the medical equipment lended b the hospital from my room with her, since it was no longer necessary to monitor me or have me on fluids.

“We’ve got funds, honey, but not that much.” She joked after I finished helping her place the equipment on her saddlebags.

“Heh. The summary of my college days,” I added with a small laugh. Making sure everything was in place, she made her way across the foyer and left our home.

It was too good a chance to miss. “Follow my lead,” I whispered to Hitch, who was standing near me, having stayed close to make sure I didn’t trip during the short rehabilitation session. Clearing my throat, I made sure to voice loud and clearly. “Damm, that’s a nice flank if I ever saw one!”

My comment was loud enough to be heard by all present, ears perking up like cute, fuzzy radar antennas. Hitch caught on to my little joke with a wicked smirk of his own. “Yeheah, you can say that again.” He enthusiastically answered with a stomp as we made our way into the kitchen. I was starving.

We didn’t miss the jealous glares the girls gave to the nurse’s rear as she left, nor the not-so-subtle look towards their respective posteriors, a collective frown being shared by the mares. We snickered like foals playing a prank at school. Stallions, only so much going on in the upstairs department.

“Mares…” We spoke in unison.

I fixed up a healthy late-lunch-early-dinner meal to quieten my upset stomach, which was no doubt about to go on strike for not having been fed solid food for the last week. A pair of sandwiches would be enough to satisfy me. Too much and I’d end up vomiting it back out.

The rest of the gang had similar ideas, and soon we’d all strode back towards the living room with our late meals, this time choosing the sofas facing the TV in favor of the table. A nice movie session with my friends would work wonders for my soggy mood. I craved the distraction more than ever.

As it happens, the ponies chose what, for me, was the billionth pony rip-off of Earth’s media, in the form of ‘The Terminator.’ ‘Judgment Neigh’ was the title of the movie, because horse puns and whatnot. Up to this day and countless generations of movies, they still looked at me like I had grown a second head when I pointed it out. This time was no different when the ponies regarded me with confusion after hearing my tired groan.

The ponies spread themselves in what had become our usual arrangements for movie sessions, with Sunny and Izzy close at my sides, sneaking in a snuggle or two, with Zipp and Hitch sharing the other sofa, and Sparky sitting on the sheriff’s lap. Pipp had chosen a puff all for herself to rest on her stomach, paying more attention to her phone than the movie. At least she kept the screen brightness low.

Not five minutes into the film, Sunny swiftly stole the place on my lap without an ounce of shame, resting her back against my chest, and making sure to place her head beside mine and wiggle her braided mane to the side so as to not block my view. I didn’t protest, instead wrapping my arms under her forelegs and squeezing her against me, letting her warmth seep into me.

“Thanks, Tangerine,” I whispered in her ear.

“Hmm?”

“For being there for me, just now I mean… and these last few weeks. I would be nothing but a ball of self-deprecation and bitterness if it wasn’t for you guys. I appreciate it. More than I can express in words.” I finished with a small kiss on the back of her ear.

She flushed up a fierce red and beamed at my words, shifting in her seat to smother me in loving nuzzles once again, which I was more than eager to reciprocate.

“A-hem.”

Izzy’s hard call of attention broke our little moment. With a jealous pout, she looked at both of us with a strong glare, impatiently tapping on the couch with her right forehoof.

“Mmmmcan I help you, miss?” I asked with my most innocent tone.

Wordlessly, with a flick of her muzzle, she pointed at Sunny, then at me, and then at herself, her frown stubbornly persisting.

“Sorry, Izzy, but the position of Emotional Support Pony is a one-mare-job.” I made a point by hugging the orange-furred mare tighter.

Sunny’s smug grin only served to worsen Izzy’s pout. That lasted for just a second before a sudden, confidant look adorned her features. “Well, I know for a fact I would be a better Emotional Support Pony.” Izzy boldly claimed as she puffed out her chest fluff.

“Oh, yeah? Please, do tell me how that would be the case?” I pried.

She scrunched her muzzle in thought. “Hmmm, well... for starters, I’m bigger, and thus by definition, I’m fluffier, which allows me to provide more, uh, emotional support.” She used her best salesmare tone, which was pretty convincing, all things said. She was indeed one fluffy pony.

But I had to pry further, of course. “You are? Pray tell, how many hairs do you have per square centimeter?”

“Uhhhh.” Having skipped this topic for the exam, Izzy nervously shuffled her forehooves in search of an answer. “Nnnnnnine?”

Curious number but wrong all the same. “Pffff, an average pony has around a thousand hairs per square centimeter. So no, Izzy, you’re not fluffier.”

The smugginess in Sunny grew tenfold, as she too proudly puffed out her chest fluff to emphasize her alleged superior fluffiness. Izzy was quick to try and correct herself.

“W-Wait, wait! You, eh, you didn’t let me finish… ahem.” She tried again with newfound confidence. “I have niiiinety-thousand hairs per square centimeter, ha!” She drove her point, pattingthe couch.

Now that would be one fur-pile of a pony. Whoever had that density of fur would need at least a wood chipper to trim it down for summer. There was this one pink mare… nah, forget it.

I simply returned a flat look at her bold claim and spoke sagely. “The fluffiest creature in existence is the Chinchilla, with twenty-thousand hairs per square centimeter. So, I sincerely doubt your claim.”

“And what authority do you possess to pass judgment on such claims?” She rebutted with an offended pout.

“A mayor in biology.” I answered in short.

She eluded my smart-assed grin by sending her muzzle up in the air. “Bah, your titles are of no worth here.” Her desperate attempt to retain her pride was met with amused chuckles from the rest, their attention away from the film, instead focused on our little quarrel.

“Sadly, even if I agreed with you, Izzy, I’m legally required to not disturb the pony using my lap until they decide to move.”

“Come on, Alex. Isn’t that a bit too much?” Hitch chortled from his seat.

If only that was the case. “No, no. It’s an actual law. Twilight passed it out so that anypony (she), who wished it could cuddle with me to their heart's desire. She claimed something about constructive progress for mine and the citizens’ mental welfare. “ I clarified with a tired sigh.

Sunny, her ears twitching at my words, shifted again to comfortably loaf in my lap, a position I recognized as one used for lengthy periods of rest. Seems I was trapped, poor me. I made sure to cuddle as much of her as I could against me.

“You’re not being serious.” Zipp inquired with her own bemused expression, to which I answered with a small shrug. The ponies shared one last laugh at my ‘disgrace’ and resumed watching the movie.

“This isn’t over, Sunny Starscout. He, will be mine.” Izzy whispered her revenge to our friend, with her playfully sticking her tongue out at the unicorn. I could only roll my eyes at the mares’ antics.

The movie was alright all in all, a decaffeinated version of its Earth counterpart, but that happened to be the case with most of the ponies’ media as far as I had been exposed to. Equines weren’t as prone to violence and blood and all the usual jazz as my home world’s media. Still, we had a great time, a distraction I’d have welcomed with open arms, hadn't they been occupied petting a very cute orange mare.

I made a mental note to show them some of the movies I had on my laptop. I was sure they would enjoy them as much as my old friends did. And this time we had a huuuuge TV, Faust be praised for small miracles.

Even after the impromptu nap, I was still feeling sore enough for some more shuteye, which I made sure to take advantage of. Sunny had asked me to visit town tomorrow and knock some sense into the ponies who wanted to apologize. They believed they had gotten her message across, but they wanted them to hear it for me too. Nopony knew the harsh consequences of acting like they had more than me, and as my family was not Kintobor, I was going to have a few choice words with them.

With that said, I made my way to bed, being the first to tuck out for the night, followed shortly by a yawning Sparky, who also looked deflated after today’s events.

In the solitude of my room, I had no distraction to keep my thoughts away, which revolved mostly around the broken gemstone, which led to memories of the promise to Starlight I’d broken in my stupidity.

I mentally chastised myself for being such a failure, for not being able to accomplish such a simple task. I spent the next hour restlessly rolling around in my bed as my brain saw fit to torment me once more. My chance of redemption was gone, leaving us all trapped under the Unity Crystals’ influence for the foreseeable future. Sunny’s powers were leagues away from becoming strong enough to even pose a challenge to the crystals’ defenses. If there was both chaos and alicorn magic within them, we had little to no chance of overpowering them safely.

Discord’s magic had been repealed without an issue, and mine was not going to be different.

My hopes were placed in the advanced technology the ponies had managed to develop during the last few centuries. Perhaps they’d developed something I could use that I hadn’t been able to in the past? If that pursuit bore no fruit, the hunt for knowledge amongst Equestria’s ruins would be the next best course of action. I hadn’t found anything useful in either Canterlot or Ponyville’s ruins, but there were lots of places, also presumably in ruins, that I had not yet checked.

The trip to Canterlot hadn’t exactly been a pleasure visit, and I had every intention of returning there as soon as I had recovered enough to withstand the trip. I highly doubted that Twilight would have left the diagrams of the Unity Crystal's design laying plain view to be stolen. They were meant to be top secret, both in and outside of Equestria, as she didn’t want to risk the opinion of the other races regarding their existence, a poor choice on our part, another to add to the laundry list. Ponykind was the race most attuned to the world’s magic, but that didn’t mean that others wouldn’t be affected by the changes we were going to impose. In theory, it was designed to not interfere with them in any way, with the pony’s connection being the only one affected.

In theory. There was no time for playtesting.

‘And that mark over the Crystal Empire… Perhaps, that’s where they went after the fall? Faust, I really need to find that diary. The girls never stopped writing in it. It might hold the answers I need!’

My slumber provided no respite from my self-torture, and I entered into a restless sleep, which promptly put me in a foul mood upon waking up, leaving me feeling as if I’d barely gotten any rest at all. Called it. Nothing a good breakfast couldn’t fix, in any event. At least, that’s what I sought out to attempt.

My attempt manifested as a healthy stack of pancakes. Spike’s own recipe, no less. He had made sure to drill it into my head, alongside a few others, earning himself a bunch of free mornings when my turn to cook came. And, since Twilight’s cooking had been classified as a category 5 biohazard threat by the E.H.O., it fell to the young dragon and I to handle the meals.

Feeling magnanimous, I prepared enough pancakes for me and the still-slumbering ponies upstairs. The distraction of cooking and the pleasant aroma of my surprisingly-well-constructed pancakes had lifted my sour morning mood into a chipper one.

The grumpy groans of one sleepy unicorn filled the hall. Izzy, sporting her worldwide-feared bedmane, stumbled into the kitchen, her nostrils twitching while following the scent of the pancakes. Since her eyes were half closed and her mane blocking whatever poor view she gained from them, it looked like she was guiding her steps by smell alone. It got a tiny laugh out of me.

“Buenos días por la mañana, Izzy! I see you’ve managed to get here without crashing into any furniture. Congratulations.” I jokingly greeted her, a freshly made pancake on my spatula, halfway to be deposited onto the growing tower.

The painting of such a delicious treat woke her up a bit more, her now-wide eyes shifting between the mouth-watering treat and mine. Without saying a word, she carefully reached with her muzzle and grabbed the pancake without breaking eye contact, holding it in her mouth afterward.

“…”

“…”

And with a merry trot and a giggle, she made her way into her workshop, leaving me behind the counter with a now-empty spatula, looking like an idiot.

“… Oooookay then?”

Bemused, and a tad creeped, I set out to make a couple more to add to the tower, grabbing a few for myself after finishing up and leaving the rest on the pile for the rest of the gang to munch on later when they woke up. I remembered to leave a cover over them before heading out, so they’d be nice and moist for when they finally got out of bed.

With my hunger satiated and my spirits somewhat lifted, sugar will do that for you; I decided to get things done and go down to the village to meet with the ponies Sunny had told me wanted to apologize. Better get it done while I was fresh before I let my temper cook too much.

The truth is, I really didn't want to go dress up as scolding dad for a bunch of misguided ponies, but the more I’d let it go, the more awkward it would become afterward. Better to tackle it head-on and make sure that I got the message across in their thick skulls behind all those mane accessories and perfumes.

I wasn’t going to tolerate any more crap like that in this town. I’d go as far as pull titles if it became absolutely necessary. It had been a while since I last used the Royal Canterlot Voice. It always left me a bit sore and in urgent need of an orange juice afterwards.

‘Please, Fausr, I beg you. Don’t let it reach that point. Last time was bad enough.’

“Alex! Wait!”

I was halfway across the foyer when Pipp’s call brought me to a halt mid-step. Balancing on one foot only, I saw her munching on a pair of pancakes, up on her wings to free her forelegs and keep her breakfast snack secure.

“Mmmm, onff shec,” She cut herself off to swallow the muzzlefull of spongy goodness. “Are you heading to town?” She asked, chomping on the last bit of the pancake before starting on the other.

With a nonplussed look, I resumed towards the road down the cliff where the brighthouse stood, leaving my pegasus friend rooted. “… Nah, I was thinking of going the other way and jumping off the cliff, just to see how high I can bounce back.”

“In that case, I’ll gladly push you.” She snarked with a flat look, after which we shared a small laugh. She and I would get into each other's feathers every once and then. Keeps your wits sharper and the tongue sharper. It reminded me a lot of my interactions with RD.

Pipp pumped her wings to catch up. “Mind the company? Jazz’s waiting for me at Mane Melody. They’re bringing in a fresh batch of goods that need to be sorted out, and I reeeeally need to be there to help.”

I didn't mind the company. “Sure thing, Pipp.”

She flashed me a thankful smile and finished her breakfast with gusto. “Mmmph, thesh are very good.” She offered, swallowing the last morsel with a very un-princessly gulp. “Also, I wanted to take the chance to speak with you, seeing as yesterday wasn’t… the best moment.” I saw her grimace sympathetically through the corner of my eye. “I’m so sorry by the way, I can’t imagine how you must feel…”

“Thanks, Pipp. I’m still processing it.” I appreciated the gesture, feeling nonetheless empty in my ears. I gave her some pats of appreciation under her belly. “Gonna have to rethink my approach, once more.”

“We’ll sort it out, Alex. You can count on us!” She took a confidant pose in the air, her forelegs heroically placed on her hips.

Very cute. I felt myself smile, far from what my mood would be speaking about. “I’m sure we will, Pipp. You guys have been of incommensurable help.”

She blushed a little at my praise and waved her foreleg in dismissal. However, her tone turned more serious a moment later, blindsiding me. “How-ever, I didn’t get my chance to scold you for the number you pulled out the other day!” I was about to protest, not feeling like reenacting this play, when she brushed me aside. “But! Seeing as the rest have already grilled you enough, I’m going to act as the merciful and sympathetic princess I’m well-known for… oh, don’t you dare!” She growled menacingly when noticing my lips crooking in a poorly disguised smirk, making me swallow my laugh. “Hmph, I’m going to be considerate and just ask you to please, not pull another stunt like that, capiche?”

“I’ll try my best not to.” I answered sincerely, knowing deep inside I wouldn't be able to stand up for that promise. “But sometimes, that choice isn’t up to us.” And I knew well about what I was talking about.

Pipp gazed up at me, searching for something before sighing despondently, “I guess that’s true, but still!” Her threatening leer was more than enough to make me shed any ideas I might have been harboring on that subject. A very unflattering moment as I cowered like a milk kitten under her glare.

‘Faust, dammit. Why are mares so scary?! It’s all of them, not just one!’

“Umph. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” She held her narrowed glare for a few more seconds before cocking her snout up in the air triumphantly.

“Whatever…” Feeling played out, I pointedly ignored the smirking pegasus and resumed my way down to the town.

Pipp, for her part , had one last thing to torment me with that beautiful, sunny morning.

And what better choice of weather for the matter. “Sooo…” She flew in reach with teasing eyes. “Are you gonna tell Sunny about your feelings, or…”

Hah, she thought she had me there. Fat chance, dusters-for-wings.

“Not yet. Gotta figure out some stuff first. Don’t wanna mess it up.” I answered nonchalantly, as if asked about my choice for lunch for the day, which took the flying pegasus by striking surprise, her wings locking up, making her fall on her hooves, her ideas of gossip crumbling on her hooves.

“What?” I gave her a cocky glance over the shoulder. “You thought I was gonna act all bashful and ‘oh my gosh, please don’t tell her’ over the whole thing?” I put my best abashed mare voice and fired with a knowing grin, to which she answered with a stiff nod and a swish of her tail. “Come on, Pipp. We’re all grown-ups here, and I know for a fact that you’re not blind.” I threw a hand in the air.

“Y-Yeah, I guess, just, um…” She cleared her throat and resumed in a trot beside me. “Okay, no matter. The point is, why not? She’s heads over hooves for you, you know? Gosh, she won’t, stop, talking about you when you’re not there. She practically idolizes you!”

Far from the newsI wanted to hear. I took a deep breath before answering. “I know, Pipp. That’s… one of my main concerns.” I answered, this time completely honest.

“Huh?” She tilted her head to the side, blowing on her hanging mane.

Not the topic I would have preferred to dwell on, but seeing as I was caught with hands in the cookie jar, I might as well just amuse her, even if just to get her out of my hair. “We’ve grown very close, that’s undeniable.” I cited gravely. “But I fear the image she’s constructed of me doesn’t allow her to see what’s actually in front of her.”

“And what is actually in front of her?” Pipp pried with an agitated frown.

“… I don’t know anymore, Pipp. I don’t know anymore.”

The pegasus mulled my words for a few moments, coming out blank for her reflections. “…Well, I’ll leave you to it, then. Not my monkeys, not my circus. I’ll stay out of it.”

The pointed look I gave her over the shoulder became an offended leer, making Pipp squirm down a bit with an abashed apology.

I felt like playing a bit mean with her for that. “You will? Gosh, and I thought I was in front of the next Princes of Love. You’ve already got the fur color. You’re just missing a horn, and some dye for your mane and tail.” I pointedly and judgmentally ran a scan up and down. “And… half a meter too… A few kilos less, also.”

Grave mistake. I spent the rest of the way running for my life with a raging pegasus hot on my heels who, with Tartarus itself in her wake, promised pain and regret with her high-pitched screeching, scaring the fur out of more than one of Hitch's fuzzy friends loitering around the berry bushes.

Thankfully, I managed to find refuge in the form of her coworkers once in reach of her blooming business, who managed to ease her down, citing the urgency of unpacking the new shipment of goods before the batch of clients began to arrive over her thirst of revenge.

Her icy glare and dagger-full snarl sealed retribution for a later time. I couldn’t have vacated her establishment faster if Grogar himself was ramming his horns at me.

All things considered, the impromptu chase had turned out to be an excellent cardio session for my weary heart, yet my still-recovering body was definitely protesting after the adrenaline had worn off my system, forcing me to seek out a place to rest for a bit and retake my breath. Never before I had felt the centuries weighing down on me.

A bit melodramatic at times, yes. Rarity had been a plentiful teacher.

Such a place to rest my bones turned out to be the same spot under the same tree where Sunny and I had enjoyed our little heart to heart before the camping trip. Some residents who had witnessed my little number at the main square took a moment to approach me to thank me for my courage in assisting Sunny on saving the town, and wish me a speedy recovery. With a warm smile and a swelling heart, I thanked them for their concern.

I was sad to admit, it had been a while since I last felt the love from you overall citizens in such a manner. My main drive back in the day, now a painful reminder of betrayal.

Once I’d managed to catch my breath, I found that the streets were still a bit deserted, and I had completely forgotten to inquire Sunny as to where Posey and the rest wanted to meet with me.

Thinking about killing some time while I pieced out my speech to the mares, I made my way to the hospital for a quick visit to let my coworkers know I would soon rejoin the team. I resolved to look for Sunny at her smoothie stand later and ask for the details.

Once inside the cross-bearing building, I made for the stairs down to the clinical lab, but a certain nurse pony had other thoughts, standing in my way like an unmoving mountain.

“Please explain why the very same patient I explicitly asked to take it easy at home is standing in the foyer of my hospital?”

A two-toned pale, pink earth pony mare cut me off, sporting the reglementary nurse’s uniform, stethoscope included around her neck. She was sitting on her haunches for good measure, forelegs crossed over the fluff peeking from her chest, a deep frown wrinkling her muzzle. It would’ve been scarier had she not worn that adorable nurse’s hat over her mane.

“Your hospital? Damm, congrats on the promotion.” My sad attempt to make some fun shattered against her cold stare. “... Ugh, fine. I’m just passing by, letting the team know I’ll be back soon, and while I was at it, getting some fresh air and stretching my legs a bit. Do you think my fragile body can manage that?” I sassed with a small pout.

She narrowed her eyes further, but thankfully allowed me to continue with a ‘better watch your six’ kinda look, heading for the nurses’ lounges with a condescending swish of her tail.

… Yeah, she had a nice ass, all jokes aside.

Once down the stairs, I quickly located my working area, co-workers included. “Knock Knock, local monkey resident saluting you from the not-quite-there great beyond.”

My coworkers soon left what they were doing and rushed towards the door against which frame I was leaning, catching me by surprise in a big hug.

“Luna’s rump, Alexander! You scared us half to death!” Gaster chastised me after releasing me.

“Yeah, we studied some blood samples from you, trying to find some kind of poisoning or something, but didn’t find anything wrong with them! But, you were still completely unresponsive. What was all that about?!” Konik inquired after him. He was an earth pony stallion, with a dark green coat, a dirty-blonde mane and tail, and an Erlenmeyer flask as a cutie mark. He was our newest newest incorporation after Gaster.

“Bah, you guys only care ‘cause I’m the only one who knows his way around here,” I spoke with an offended frown, pouting a lip childishly.

“He’s got you there, colts.” Petri, an earth pony mare with a white coat and light blue mane and tail fired from the microscope she was currently peeking through, which she also sported as a cutie mark on her flank.

“Great to see you too, Petri. Your visible concern warms the cockles of my heart.” I put on a brief show.

My sarcasm brought an amused snort from her, but nothing more. “Yeah, I’m great like that, aren’t I? Sorry, I can’t go over there and slap you, I’ve gotta finish checking these earth pony blood samples to see if I can make any sense of it.”

“Make sense of what?” I inquired, looping around the gels workstation to reach her.

“You know.” She peered up from the binocular and her glasses. “Earth pony magic that appearing after that nasty storm? Did you miss the glowing vines all over the town?” Just as I had done with Hitch, I returned an unfazed look, which soon made her realize. “Oh, yeah, you… were indisposed.”

“That’s one way of wording it.” I shook my head to regain my focus. Still, earth pony magic? Glowing vines? “What do you mean ‘earth pony magic’ appearing? You guys have always had magic.”

“Not like this we haven’t.” She pushed herself back on the wheeled stool and placed her hoof over the worktable where a small potted aloe plant provided some ambience to the lab. The moment her hoof made contact with the surface, a semblance of the same green glowing vines we had witnessed in the crystals’ room extended from under it, reaching all the way toward the small plant. A green glow soon surrounded it, followed by a small puff of magic, after which the previously small plant had doubled in size, now barely fitting in the pot.

“Oops, gotta move it to a bigger pot now,” Petri said after she finished... casting? I was unsure of what to call it.

Needless to say, I was completely and unilaterally baffled. “What, the actual, ffffff…..” I couldn’t believe what had just transpired in front of me. That was NOT how earth pony magic operated.

“That’s one way of wording it,” Petri echoed me with a mocking tone. She returned her attention to the smear under the powerful lenses. “If you can make any sense of it, please let us know. I don’t see anything weird going on in our blood that might point to a change in our bodies.” She explained while adjusting the zoom. “But again, no horn up here, so who can tell about magic shmagic.”

‘… What in Celestia’s scrumptious ass was that!! I’ve never seen anything like it! Earth pony magic is NOT supposed to work like that!!”

I gazed awestruck back towards my other coworkers, who only provided apologetic shrugs as they too didn’t know the answer.

A sudden thought carved its way past my surprise. ‘And, of course, the gang forgot to tell me all about it yesterday. Celestia’s mane, I thought we had talked about this already!”

Visiting Suny now held a new sense of urgency. I needed to know more about what happened during my lapse. This could hold tremendous consequences! Lik, huge, unprecedented consequences! Heck, this could change the entire dynamic between the tribes permanently!

Waaaay much excitement for my liking. “I’ve gotta go and check with the others, see if they know more about it. I’ll be back next week. Nurses’ orders.” I gave them my rushed goodbyes and rushed out of the lab.

“Better not to antagonize Tenderhoof! I know I cherish my life too much to do so...” That was the last thing I heard from Konik.

Dodging patients and hospital staff alike, I legged it out of the place and headed straight for Mane Street. I found the smoothie stand right where I had last left it. Like clockwork, Sunny’s rump faced the passersby from inside her stand as she organized today’s batch of fruit at the back of the stand.

I let my eyes gorge themselves with the image of her swishing tail before clearing my throat. “Good morning, Sunny.”

With a squeal of surprise, the mare bolted back on her hooves and at me, sporting a small blush. “G-Good morning, Alex. I didn’t hear you coming.”

“You’re good. Just wanted t-”

“Wait! You’re here to talk with Posey and the rest, right?” She raised up in alarm, the day’s batch all but forgotten.

“Yes, but fir-”

She interrupted me again, making a vein pop up in my forehead. “Because I wanted to go with you, in case…”

“Sunny.”

She kept going. “… And I believe it would be better for them to hear it from you since…”

“Sunny!”

“…. But I fear they might not listen, and then…”

“Sunny Starscout!”

Hearing her full name got her to shut her trap and give me her full attention, ears perked a sheepish grin adorning her muzzle.

“Yes, I’m here to talk to them as you wanted me to. And yes, you can accompany me if you wish to. But first, I need you to clarify one little thing for me.”

“Sure.” She reared on her back legs to lean on the counter, supporting her head with her right hoff with a curious tilt. “What do you need?” She asked with a sweet smile.

Too bad I was going to erase it. “So, I was visiting the guys at the lab, letting them know that I’m fine and that I’ll be reincorporating back into the team soon, when one of my colleagues, Petri, tells me something about earth ponies now having some kind of new magic, which happened right after you rescued the ponies from the null void.”

Her confident pose soon shattered under my themed look as the words sunk in, a nervous gulp betraying her growing nervousness.

“Mhm. And, don’t sleep on this, then she demonstrated by making the small aloe sprout we have back at the lab grow twice its size in the blink of an eye, using magic I’ve never, ever seen before.”

Sunny had started on an undisguised retreat behind the safety of her counter, with me leaning more and more over it to keep up, holding her gaze with mine.

“And then, I remembered you telling me that nothing mayor had happened this past week I’ve down for the count, besides Sparky’s hatching.”

She had completely disappeared behind the counter by then, only the tip of her ears peeking out. “Sooo, I need you to clarify to me how the appearance of a completely new type of magic, never seen or heard of before, is considered ‘nothing worth mentioning’.”

An orange muzzle reappeared over the counter, whispering an embarrassed ‘sorry’.

I sighed and pulled back from the mare as I looked away from the smoothie stand, meeting Sunny’s guilty gaze once she had deemed it safe to partially reaper.

“I’m not mad, Tangerine. Just… I need you guys to keep me up to date on these kinds of things. This is a phenomenon without precedence! Never before in the history of Equestria have earth ponies manifested their magic as they’re doing now!”

Now reassured that I wasn’t angry with her, the orange-furred mare slowly came out of her hiding place. “I’m sorry Alex… I-I guess we were all so caught up in your recovery that… it kinda slipped.”

Seeing her sinking head mush over the counter with a pout, ears half drooped, I followed her down, leaning my elbows over the counter and rubbed my nose against her snout before planting a playful nip on it, a gesture I had learned she deeply enjoyed. And as it did on the previous occasions, it worked wonders to lift her mood.

“You’re lucky I woke up this morning feeling like the Prince of Forgiveness,” I joked with my most convincing royal drone, eliciting an adorable laugh from her.

“Do you want us to go now? I mean, if you’re free?”

“Sure! The fruit’s already been delivered, so I can open the stand a bit later and make up time after lunch, no problem.” Sporting a prominent blush, Sunny rearranged the last few crates of goods and closed the stand behind her. “Shall we?” She invited me with her characteristic bright smile, her tail betraying her enthusiasm with some vigorous wagging.

I was more than happy to share my time with the mare, feeling the butterflies stir my breakfast in my tummy. “Lead the way. I don’t actually know where you wanted me to meet them.”

“You could have sent me a message.” She proposed dryly.

“… I could have…” Not my brightest moment. Time for a half-assed excuse. “But then I would have missed your pretty face this beautiful morning.”

Sunny put on her thinking hat. “Hmmm, not bad. I’d say… seven out of ten. You’re improving!” She graded my excuse with a playful hip-check. I was embarrassed to admit that, after so much time without a phone, I was having a hard time reacclimating to possessing one. Ironic, considering where I originally hailed from.

Sunny and I walked side by side, with me keeping a hand over her back, petting her fur absentmindedly. Sunny enjoyed the attention with a bright pep on her step. SLowingher gait a bit, she took hold of said hand and brought it up to her face, nuzzling it sweetly.

“I’m so glad you’re alright…” She cooed, barely above a whisper, making my heart swell to painful levels in my chest.

“All thanks to you, Tangerine.” I replied like a lovestruck teenager hiked on hormones. With her endearing blush only redoubling, Sunny flashed me her warmest smile before paying the rao attention back, yet my hand remained where it was in ehr three-legged trot.

What was keeping me from confessing my feelings? I felt like such an idiot sometimes.

Our short trek across town brought us to the other side of the market district, if you could call a single street a district. Resting over one of the green areas that adorned several parts of the seaside town, a group of mares talked amicably with each other. They seemed to be having a good time. A shame that I was about to change that.

“… And then I said: girl, you gotta dump those shades asap, else they’re going to start calling y-.”

Posey, who was sitting at the opposite side of the small circle of ponies, thus facing the street, was the first to notice our arrival, with her pupils shrinking to a pair of trembling pinpricks the second she caught sight of my not-so-friendly visage. I tried, I swear I tried to not be difficult and to keep my cool with her. To not fall down on them bringing up a storm, but just the sight of her made my insides boil. She had no idea what she could have unleashed that day! The ponies she could’ve inadvertently hurt, the mare accompanying me one of them!

With my arms crossed and a prominent frown, I waited for the yellow-furred mare to muster the courage to stand up and approach me. She did so with visible reluctance, the rest of the now-aware group giving us a wide berth, their loyalties for their friends hanging up in plain daylight.

After taking a few hesitant steps toward us, she took a deep breath and began with her ‘apologies’. “Okay, let’s get this over with. Ahem, uuuh… Alexander, right? Yeah, so, I wanted to ap-”

I had headmore heartfelt apologies from Chrysalis herself.

“Tell me. Do you know the story of the three tribes and the foundation of Equestria?”

My sharp interruption completely blindsided the mare, making her sunglasses fall over her muzzle as she stood rooted. “Uh… no?”

The fact that she didn’t actually caught me by surprise. The very notion that she was unaware of such a famous and important tale, important enough to be retold every Hearth's Warming as a play for any pony to attend, was an anathema to me. And I say that as someone who was an alien to their culture when I first arrived.

However, I privately conceded that it made some sense that the tale had fallen out of favor. Such a story wouldn’t have been well-received during those centuries of darkness, sporting a message that conflicted with the rather fervent distrust and suspicion tightly rooted between the three tribes. If the tale had survived in some form, each tribe would have probably re-engineered the story, maybe even with their own tribe as the story’s ‘good ones’. I wanted to know the answer as to how such a tale was lost to time, but I resolved that I would have to wait a few months for the answer until the holidays arrived.

No time for tribulations of the sort. “No matter, here’s a quick summary for you. The story is about how, at the very last moment, the ponies in service of the leaders of each of the segregated tribes of ponies found friendship under the direst of circumstances, a sentiment that they passed to their superiors, who embraced it in means to chase away the Windigos that fed on their fear and hatred. After a short time, the leaders of each of the pony races, who had endured countless centuries of fighting between each other after their exodus from Dream Valley, finally embraced true unity. The warmth from their newfound friendship was enough to expel the Windigos and melt away their icy winter from what would later be known as the land of Equestria. Those ponies would later go on to found the country where we stand today. Does any of this sound familiar?” I asked with a grave voice, referring to the very same journey Sunny and her friends had undertaken in search of the Unity Crystals.

“I… think so?” Was Posey's skeptical response.

“A very inspiring tale, you see. A tale one would have found referenced in numerous books, and was known by practically everypony back then. Yet, do you know what that story doesn’t tell you?” She answered with a tiny shake of her head, her legs turning to jelly under my harshness. “It doesn’t tell you about the estimated two hundred thousand ponies from the three tribes that died during all those centuries of pointless confrontation.”

I let the number sink in. All the ponies present went pale at my description of the masked truth. “It doesn’t tell you about pegasi raids that would lay waste to entire towns from the sky, nor about the terrible spells of destruction that unicorns would come up with to subjugate the settlements where their enemies hid, or about how earth ponies would starve the other tribes by overzealously hoarding all the food they grew, what little they could grow under the snow”

I took a heavy step towards Posey, with her nervously taking one step back as I left a stunned Sunny behind with a thousand-yard stare.

“And the best part? It doesn’t end there. Nonononono. The true unification came with the arrival of the alicorn sisters, Celestia and Luna. Their endless wisdom and boundless love ensured that all of ponykind thrived, leading them to become the powerful and proud nation I came to know. Do you think that endeavor was a peaceful process? Hmm? That all ponies simply fell to their knees and swore their undying fealty? Oh, most ponies believed that the world was just the three tribes. It’s all they knew, after all. The truth? The sisters conquered the whole land of Equestria, bringing kingdoms, republics, free cities, empires down with them. Indeed, all pony nations yielded under their rule. It took them two, centuries, and an unimaginable number of casualties to do so, but they eventually united all of the disparate pony states into a single nation.”

Another step forward for me, and another step back from her. “All ponies on continental Westria were united under their reign. Those living outside of Equestria swore fealty in exchange for some degree of independence or autonomy, reducing the bloodshed in the process. Such concessions on the sister’s part helped smooth the transition to a more functional system of government. Thus, the proud Kingdom of Equestria was born, where everypony, unicorn, pegasus, and earth pony alike, lived in harmony and friendship, their past quarrels all but forgotten. No more division, no more abuse, no more death. All united together under their eternal rule.”

I had stopped my predatory advances, now finding myself in the middle of the tiny circle of agitated mares, Sunny retaking her place close to my side and giving me her full attention.

I wasn't done yet. “Tell me, Posey, do you know how many ponies died during the uprisings after Twilight’s ascension to power? While I ruled by her side?”

Posey seemed moments away from fainting. “N-N-No….”

“One.”

Her shaking momentarily lessened as she processed the number I had provided. “Oh, well… that’s certainly better than I was expecting.”

“Excuse me?!!” I boomed, bringin the mare to the brink of wetting herself.

My harsh swing soon brought back the trembling with renewed vigor to her knees. She was quick to realize her mistake, swiftly backtracking. “N-NO! I didn’t mean it like that!”

“One life was already more than anypony should have had to pay! That is what led us to take such drastic measures! It was that which has brought us here to this point!!” I stomped my feet hard, making Posey jump in place. She , as well as the rest of the encircling ponies nodded in understanding with trembling lips.

“I ask you now. How many lives would it have taken for you to be satisfied?”

Now, now, I know what a terrible, unlooked-for question that was, but I wanted her to feel the weight of the responsibility on her soul. “W-W-What?!”

“You heard me. After your little show of breaking the harmony and peace between the tribes, and expelling them from the festival! How many lives would have been lost alongside the rupture? How much damage would you have caused, how many friendships would you have broken?!” She stuttered and whimpered without being able to give me a straight answer. “Ah, it would be so easy to say ‘none’, right? You thought that everypony would just return to their respective hometowns and glare at each other from a distance, and then everything would just simply fall back in place, yes? Is that what you thought?”

Posey could only summon a feeble nod of her head.

I squinted my eyes in recollection. “Hmm, but I’m sure you remember, like I do, that there was some strange weather emerging from nothing during the festival. You couldn’t have missed it, it was very cloudy, very ominous, and very threatening. Do you remember what I said a moment ago about the Windigos and their icy winter?”

Sunny perked up in understanding, but her confusion was far from a thrilling one. “A-Alex, are you saying…?”

“I don’t know for sure, Sunny. I searched high and low, and I couldn’t find any noticeable trace of them. That storm could have come from them, or the weather could just have been acting weird due to the unstable flow of magic. Honestly, it wouldn’t have been the first time for either. Nonetheless, the point still stands.”

I took a knee in front of the distraught-looking mare, shedding my harsh front for a more sympathetic approach. I felt as if I had scared the piss out of her to paint her coat a new shade of yellow.

“Posey, you’re free to think whatever you want. This is not Nineteen Eighty-Four, you’re entitled to your own opinions, just like everypony else. But things are changing and, granted, they’re changing fast. I‘m not asking for you to like them out of the bat, but I am asking that you at least give it a try.”

I reached out with my hand and wiped away the few tears that had matted her cheeks with my thumb. “I don’t like that it has to be this way. But the way you acted... Posey, what you tried to do the other day… I don’t think I need to say how badly it could have ended, for everypony.”

“I’m… I’m so sorry…” The mare crumbled before me.

“I want to believe you are, Posey.” I left her where I found her and got back up on my feet. “The time of living separated from each other, the time of fear and hatred, is gone, and it’s not going to come back. Everypony wants to move forward. If that's not what you wish, then so be it, go and hide yourself at your home or whatever you see fit. But please, I beg you, do NOT mess with what we are building. The consequences could stretch further than either you or I could possibly hope to understand. Again, I don’t like that it has to be this way, but it’s the way it has to be, for the good of us all.” The prince of Unity. The price of Harmony. She who watches over us all enacts a toll of her own.

I ran a glance over the remaining ponies, the message going out for them too. “And the same goes for all of you, and for anypony that might be harboring similar thoughts, understand?”

All answered with their own set of nods.

“Good.”

Without another word, I twirled on my heels and headed back the way I came, although I only made it halfway down the street until I had to find a big enough tree to lean against, my hands grasping my head as I tried to calm my breathing.

I had gone too far. I needed to check myself better. I didn't want to hear it knocking anytime soon.

“Wow, that was….” Sunny, who had quickly followed me after my hasty departure, spoke from my side, resting her barrel reassuringly against my hip.

I was at least relieved I hadn't spooked her too. “One of the skills you’ve gotta master when becoming royalty is getting your point across, or else the nobles are just going to ignore you. Although… perhaps I overdid it a bit.”

“Oh, you definitely overdid it,” Sunny exclaimed, a bit too enthusiastically, making me release my head to gaze down at her. “But I think that’s exactly what they, Posey especially, needed to hear. Your message was terrifying, and by being so extremely convincing, I seriously doubt any of them are going to try and pull another stunt like that after that speech!”

I couldn’t find myself sharing her enthusiasm. “… I don’t enjoy acting like that. It feels so wrong.” My years as an Equestrian prince were proof of that amongst… other things.

Sunny, sensing my distress, switched her place to stand in front of me. Rearing on her back legs, she placed her front ones over my shoulders, so she was standing face-to-face with me.

“I know. It’s the same with me. The other day, when the gang and I came to town to give them a scolding, it made us feel like ‘party poopers’.” She sighed a bit, truly regretting how it had made her feel as much as it made me feel like crap. “But, I guess sometimes, that’s just how it has to be for getting the message across.” Sunny would know about it in her role as pillar of the community.

Nonetheless, she trapped me in a warm hug. “Thank you, for talking with them, and for sharing another piece of the past with us, as terrifying as it was. I know it can’t be easy…”

I hugged her back, pressing my head against hers, letting her familiar scent wash away the anger and disappointment. Truly a one-of-a-kind mare, as if my mind wasn't made up already.

“You’re very welcome, Tangerine. It’s all part of the job.”