To Save our Legacy

“SHUT UP!!!”

All of the ponies present jumped back in fright at his rather sudden outburst. We had chased him through the narrow alleys across the second level of the town and all the way to its outskirts, where a small park made use of the greenery stretching up to the forest line. It wasn’t until Zipp had descended for an aerial approach that we’d caught sight of him. With her sister following her in the air, Izzy, Hitch, and I followed the trail of her colorful wings until we managed to get a sight of his sitting form, taking refuge from whatever had scared him, under the shade of an imponent oak tree.

Almost tripping over my rear legs, the contents of my trusty saddlebag were dangerously close to spilling out, such was the lingering sense of near-panic from the earlier surprise.

My friends fared no better, some falling to their rumps as they scrambled to keep up with their own erratic pace, our shared concerns now threatening to cross over to bone-chilling anxiety. Not only was it about his screaming plea, asking for silence when nopony had even had the chance to speak in the first place, but it was also the way he covered his ears and clenched his teeth, trying desperately to keep something out.

“They won’t become your puppets! I won’t allow it, do you hear me?!”

His voice carried a demand to be heard while his mind attempted to escape the very same thing his dark murmurings were directed at. It was clear something was very wrong with my human friend.

With my heart aching and my mind a mess of apprehension, I recomposed myself as best I could and slowly approached him, apprehension slowing my steps as my eyes scrutinized him in search of any signs of another outburst.

But, there were none. Instead, he remained closed off to the world, continuing to whisper nonsense as his legs slowly rocked him back and forth against the trunk of the old tree. The sounds of numerous hoof steps were heard as they punctuated my friends’ attempts to approach the distraught human, each of them stepping back at the last minute as they contemplated the consequences of interference.

We’d collectively judged that he would likely remain unaware of us nearing him, since his attempts to keep whatever was tormenting away him didn’t lessen in the slightest; a silent debate was conducted among us, in which it was decided that I would be the one to try and bring him back to us.

As if trotting over shattered glass, I crossed the distance separating us from him, a small sense of relief spreading through my body as it entered the refreshing shade of the tree, a feeling which I promptly pushed away since the reason for our concern now sat only a breath away.

Unsure about how best to tackle the unfamiliar situation, I opted for the safest approach. The last thing I wanted to do was scare him more than he already was. An unwelcome smidge of fear buzzed within my thoughts, as I recalled some of his previous outbursts and how he tended to react under pressure. His behavior towards Discord still perturbed me, even after knowing the reasons behind his unfiltered hateful tirade. It was a side of him I never, ever wanted to witness again.

‘Don’t be stupid, Sunny. He would never hurt you like that. He likes you too much to ever consider doing that… I mean, likes me as… an… um…’ My heart and mind decided that this was totally an appropriate time to start disagreeing, as they had become accustomed todoing these past few weeks every time I found myself near him. ‘Ugh! This is NOT the time for that, Sunny! Focus!’

Pushing the distracting thoughts to the back of my mind, I parked my haunches and slowly reached out with my hoof, gently placing it over his unprotected chest.

With a sharp inhale that almost made me jump back again, his eyes soon reopened and locked with mine. Breathing hard and shaking lightly, I couldn’t remember ever seeing him so disturbed, not even after crossing paths with Discord for the first time, nor the first time we met at the old lighthouse. I had seen him cry, rage, and scream the injustices bested upon him to the four winds…

This was the first time I was witnessing a true sense of fear fogging his chocolate-brown eyes.

Quickly going over what I had just seen, and remembering Zipp’s in-depth explanation regarding what occurred in the crystal’s room the day of the Maretime Bay Day festival when she and Alex had started to investigate, I began to recognize what all this was about. And it only worsened my dread.

“She’s talking to you… isn’t she?”

My theory was proven true when a shimmer of surprise made its way through the anxiety running through his cowering form. “S-Sunny… I-I…”

“Shhh.”

I didn’t need to hear it. Instead, I gently moved my other hoof to the back of his head and slowly nudged it forward so it could meet mine, foreheads touching and his smaller nose brushing against my snout.

“Don’t listen to her. Focus on my voice, okay? I’m right here.”

I couldn't think of a better way to help him, a small part of me feared that he would shy away at my sudden proximity. But he didn't; instead, he pushed lightly against me, struggling to regain his composure. With our breaths mixing, I could feel his heart rate steadily descending with my hoof that had come down from his chest to rest over his scar. I'm not sure why, but I always felt the need to protect that place when we were close to each other.

“I-I… I can’t…” I heard him whimper.

“I know… I know.”

I didn’t know. I couldn’t ever imagine what he was going through. What had tormented him since the day he arrived only seemed to worsen the closer we got to understanding the truth behind all of what was happening. I couldn’t offer anything else to him.

Feeling he had at least calmed down a bit, the rest of the gang approached him too. Izzy trotted her way to my side, sitting as I had and taking one of his hands into her forehooves, grabbing it against her chest fluff as she held it against her with warm compassion.

After a few more seconds of caring reassurance, I felt him push back more forcefully from my embrace, as he rested his back against the tree with a deep exhale.

“Gosh, you guys must be thinking I’m a complete lunat-”

“Grrrrr.”

Suddenly, whatever compassion radiated from my unicorn friend was snuffed out by the menacing growl that escaped her muzzle, leaving me deeply puzzled by her abrupt change of demeanor.

“Come on Izzy, I wasn’t…”

“No.” Came her sharp rebuttal to whatever Alex’s excuse was building up to be.

“Fiiine.” He complied with a resigned sigh, seemingly enough for Izzy to lose her threatening attitude and resume her tender caressing of the hand she still held in her hooves.

“Was it Harmony speaking to you again?” Zipp, ever thirsty for answers, was the first to seek an explanation for his behavior.

“… Yes.” Came his hesitant reply, his gaze avoiding our searching eyes by fixating on the grassy ground below us.

“And… what did she want?” Zipp pushed on. “Was it about Twilight’s message?! Does she know something we do-”

“Zipp.” Hitch cut her. “I don’t think this is the best time for that.”

“B-But…!” She sought to reason with him, but Hitch’s stern glare was enough to deter her. “Fine.” she pouted, a frustrated sigh escaping her lips.

“She spoke to me of duty.” Alex surprisingly conceded, toying with some weeds between his fingers as he still wouldn’t raise his gaze from the ground. “Making my choices her own. Cause and consequence, sticking to the path…”

His words were gibberish to my ears. Whatever Harmony had meant, none of us could make any sense of it, and something in his tone told me Alex couldn’t either, at least not fully.

“Okay, um. This is getting way too creepy for me. So how about we do literally anything else besides this? Please?” Pipp, still as shaken as I was sure we all still felt, pleaded to the group.

“I wanna go to the beach,” Alex spoke after none of us offered any proposals. “I need a cold bath and a swim to get my thoughts in order.” Giving us a look over, he lightly smirked. “And you guys could use a bath too. You’re all covered head to tail in berry junk.”

With the sudden scare and with everything that was going on, we had all forgotten the fact that we were still drenched in berry juice and pulp after ‘successfully’ having prevented another berry rampage by growing that tree on its path of collision. A little unconventional, to be sure, but it still stopped anypony from getting hurt. Still, Sprout was so going to have it when I got my hooves on him…

Getting his hand back from Izzy’s grasp, he got up on his feet and stretched his long limbs and back. “Perhaps you should go retrieve your dragon, Hitch.” He said, finishing with a good full-body shake.

His eyes turned to pinpricks when the realization hit him. “SPARKY!!”

Just as with the berry juice coating our fur, we had forgotten about the baby dragon who was playing around the newly grown tree from the moment we’d sped out behind Alex.

Leaving a trail of uprooted grass and dirt, Hitch pumped his legs in a mad rush to retrieve his surrogate son before he could get into any trouble.

“... Well, at least he knows where to find us later.”

Kneeling in front of Izzy and me, he beckoned for us to approach him. Doing so, he pulled us in with a single-armed hug and surprised us by planting a tiny kiss behind our ears.

“I know I say this a lot… but, thank you, girls.” He gave us a thankful smile, lighting up an embarrassed blush on both our cheeks.

“Why do you do that?” Pipp asked from behind us.

“Hmm?”

“The kissing behind the ears. I see you doing it a lot. Kinda strange for a stallion.”

Alex answered with an amused laugh. “I may be half British, but I’m still one hundred percent Mediterranean.” He explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“… Huh?” Pipp mumbled to all the ponies present.

“And also, because you’re all very cute and I can’t help myself.” He added with a coy smile.

“Awww.” Izzy cooed and proceeded to smother him in nuzzles. I could only stay paralyzed as my blush deepened against my will.

‘He thinks I’m… cute?’

“You’re weird, you know that?” Zipp jabbed.

“Says the talking pony in front of me.” Alex rebuked as he tried to pry himself free from Izzy.

“That’s racist.”

“Says the literally white talking pony in front of me.”

“Why would that even matter?!” Inquired Zipp with a hint of bemused desperation.

“Ah, isn’t that the question, Zipp?” Our human friend cryptically offered, ending their little scuffle and ushering us back into the town.

With a full body shake, I got the hormonal rash under control and rejoined the group on our way to a relaxing afternoon at the beach, now calmer since the scare had practically worn off, leaving behind a profound sense of confusion. As I distracted myself by talking with the girls, it took me a while to notice the absence of the two-by-two-step pattern from Alex. A quick look around found him sneaking away towards Vanilla’s stand.

“Oh, no he is NOT!”

With angry stomps, I caught up to him before he’d had the time to reach Vanilla, and halted his progress with a leer.

“Seriously?”

His flat tone fell on deaf ears as I sat on my haunches in front of him, unmoving.

“Hey! Leave my customer alone!” The light yellow-furred earth pony from the shakes’ stand demanded, hence becoming the receiver of my hard look.

“This one is mine!” I sharply stated, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket and practically dragging him away from the competence. Perhaps there’s a slight chance I had allowed my scrambled feelings to act over my logic.

Very little, almost infinitesimal chance….

“Wow, Sunny, talk about ensuring customer fealty…”

An emergency stop to the smoothie stand was in order. I almost felt bad for my coworker Freshy, who I practically dragged out from behind the counter. I was going to make him the best smoothie he had ever tasted, and he was going to love it!

I don’t think I had ever whipped up a smoothie with so much angry determination driving me.

Not a minute later, it was done. Strawberry banana, which I knew for a fact was his favorite. Withering under my intense leer, he took the cup and tentatively sipped from the straw.

“Mmm, very good Sunny, as always.” He congratulated me, not that my glare left any room for anything else but praise.

“And you’d better remember it!”

Having asserted the superiority of my smoothies once again, to my human friend’s dismay and the rest of the gang’s amusement, we set out towards our original destination without further interruption.

In the waters of Horseshoe Bay, Alex indulged in a refreshing seawater bath, opting to swim the entire length of the bay, while being accompanied by Zipp, who mirrored his course in the air. The rest of us rested quietly on the sand.

It took him surprisingly little time, although a closer look made it clear his body was more suited for swimming than a pony’s body was. And the lack of fur prevented him from looking like a drowned rat whenever he would return from a swim.

Pipp, lost in her phone as she was accustomed to doing, leisurely allowed the late sun rays to tan her body, although how would any of us notice said tan under her fur was a mystery to me. Hitch, having found Sparky where we had left him, now fell victim to the little dragon’s revenge for being left behind, as he was now being systematically buried under repeated spadefuls of sand, to the young reptile’s great amusement. I had to give it to him, not once did he protest. He was such a great dragon dad, even if he didn’t believe it himself.

Izzy and I lay on our stomachs, both of us content just watching Alex enjoying his swim as Zipp gifted us with a few daring tricks of her own over the bay.

Finishing his lap around the coast, Alex decided he’d had enough for the moment and proceeded to leave the refreshing waters, shaking his body to free himself from as much of the clinging salty water as he could before reaching the shore.

With only his boxers covering his… privates, he headed for our location, where the rest of his clothes were carefully tucked away so they didn’t catch too much sand. The sight of his semi-naked form, a rare sight since he spent most if not all the time fully clothed, brought my unicorn friend and I to stand at attention as he covered the short distance towards our resting place.

“Nice….” I heard Izzy mutter with a naughty grin, no doubt enjoying the view as much as I was, although I preferred to keep such heated opinions to myself.

“See something you like, Izzy?” Alex teasingly inquired, noticing the unicorn’s sultry look.

“I sure do.” She answered with the same amount of coyness, licking her muzzle in a very unmarelike manner which threw our friend into a laughing fit, and caused me to me avert my gaze in embarrassment.

‘Celestia’s mane, Izzy! At least I try to be subtle.’

Since this had turned out to be an impromptu visit to the beach, none of us had bought any of the usual necessities, not least of which were some towels.

Using his shirt to dry his upper body as best he could, Alex took a seat right by our side. Izzy, quick as lighting, took advantage and shifted her pose, moving to lie on her back between his legs, resting her head and withers against his belly. Not protesting, Alex amused himself playing with her bellowing mane and ears, forcing me to consciously refrain from jealously twitching my tail.

Gosh, how much I wished I had a mane like hers. Mine was always such a disaster that I had to keep it under control in a ponytail. Alex had assured me it looked great on me when I asked, but still…

Not giving it further thought, I too scooted closer to the snuggling pair, remaining on my belly as we three admired the sunset colors slowly but surely draining from the sky as the sun set behind the mountains far away inland.

“Hey, Izzy,” Alex called in a low tone fitting for the relaxing atmosphere.

“Hmm?”

“Why do you hate it so much when I say bad things about myself? You know I don’t always mean it.”

Izzy’s posture sagged a bit as her mood fell into one of silent contemplation. After a few moments of hesitation, she began to explain.

“Well… you know that I was always the weirdo growing up in Bridlewood. When I was a filly I didn't really give it much thought. I was happy to give life to whatever crazy ideas ran through my head with whatever was available around me, and I was more than eager to show them to everypony willing. That’s how I got my cutie mark, actually.”

‘Oh, so that’s how she got her cutie mark…’ I mumbled to myself. That wasn’t a story we’d traded yet, which kinda bothered me since it was a fairly usual thing to reveal between friends.

“But,” She continued. “As I grew up, I began to truly realize how much of an oddball I truly was. How everypony would give me a wide berth or outright avoid me, lest they ended up ‘jinxed’ or something worse.” She lamented, snuggling further into Alex’s stomach. “How all my childhood friends started to avoid me, not wanting to mingle with the ‘weirdo of the Amethyst Sector’.”

Alex stopped his petting and grabbed her under her forelegs, pushing her up a bit and hugging her tightly against his body. “I’m so sorry, Izzy. You didn’t deserve that.”

“That’s the thing,” She continued. “I wasn’t sure if I deserved it or not. I realized I was just so different from the rest of them, how all the other unicorns in Bridlewood would treat me like I was sick or something…” A few silent seconds passed, her now vision clouded with painful memories. “I ... began to blame myself, thinking things I shouldn’t have been thinking. I became very close to just… losing myself, to start acting like all expected me to. Taciturn, moody, and without any sparkle at all.”

“Oh, Izzy…” I couldn’t stand it anymore, quickly moving towards the cuddling pair and tenderly nuzzling her under her head, resting it there seeking to provide as much comfort as I could. I felt Izzy returning the gesture with a thankful smile.

“But you didn’t.” Alex voiced.

Invigorated, Izzy continued with her story. “Nope. I was very, very close to doing that. But then, one day, a little filly came to me while I was trying to sell my latest creations at the market. Her name was Violette Rainbow. She was very interested in my crafts and wanted to know everything there was to know about how to create them.”

I saw a tiny smile break through her somberness. “She has brown fur with white spots all over her.”

“Vitiligo?”

“Mhm.” Izzy confirmed Alex’s assumption.

“Mmm, that’s a fairly rare trait to possess. One in two thousand or so if I remember correctly.”

“It was enough for the other foals to pick on her, and she was having a rough time … just like I had.” Izzy lamented, eliciting a comforting ear rub from the human. “She was very adamant about wanting to learn from me, regardless of what other ponies thought about me or my craft. It took some bribing with her parents, but soon I adopted her as my ‘protegé’, so to speak.”

“She did good?” I wondered.

“Oh, she did splendidly!” Izzy answered excitedly. “Without magic, we had to use our hooves to get things done, and she was almost as talented as I was at her age.” A fond smile grew on her muzzle. “She… reminded me why I loved doing what I do best. She showed me that there was nothing bad in being different. We’re all ponies, we’re all different, and our sparkle should shine brighter for that, each in their own way!”

Izzy’s energetic statement brought a chuckle from our human friend. “You said it, girl.” He rewarded Izzy with a few more scratches under her chin, which the unicorn drank up without protest.

I felt Izzy’s muzzle gently brushing against my mane. “And then, I remembered that note I had found when I was a filly. The one you and your dad sent.”

A bittersweet pang pierced my heart at the memories of my father. ‘Oh, dad…’

“And then, a I had huge epiphany!” Her bold claim was accompanied by her forelegs rising into the air. “If there wasn’t anything wrong in being different, why would it be any different for the earth ponies in Maretime Bay? Like, all my life I’d been told that they were our enemies and that I should never ever, ever, ever even consider the possibility of going near that place.”

Her orchid eyes met mine under the early night sky. “Well, I believed that was a load of nonsense, and the prospect of meeting new friends that would be different like I was egged me on and…. well, you guys know the rest.” She finished with a knowing grin which I was more than happy to reciprocate. Yeah, that had been an adventure alright.

“You’ll have to introduce us when I visit Bridlewood.”

Izzy was more than eager to comply with Alex’s request. “Oh, I have so much to show you there! You’re going to love it!”

After Izzy’s excited approval, a more serious atmosphere descended over us again. “That’s why I don’t like it when you say bad things about yourself.” My unicorn friend revealed. “I know how it is, and I know where that road leads… I don’t want you to go down that road…”

Without hesitation, Alex pulled Izzy closer to him and planted a loving kiss atop her head. “Then, I promise I’ll try not to do it anymore, okay?”

Izzy’s bright smile was all the answer he needed. After sharing one last nuzzle, a comfortable silence fell over the group. As Pipp continued looking over her feed for what must have been the hundredth time, and Hitch building sandcastles with a now not-so-mad Sparky, the three of us remained close together as the first stars made their shy appearance over the darkening sky.

Finding Izzy’s body heat and fuzzy fur way too comfortable to resist, I remained still, resting my head against her chest fluff, hearing her beating heart as well as feeling it against my cheek. She didn’t change her position either, remaining tucked against Alex’s belly as her forelegs surrounded me in a comforting hug. No one dared to move, our little group finding our current arrangements too comfortable to end it, especially since the chilling breeze blowing from the sea only got colder and colder with the coming of the night. I felt a bit bad making distinctions between our friends, but the fact Izzy, Alex, and I had grown closer than anypony else was undeniable… not that I didn’t love all my friends, mind you.

After pulling out of an especially long loop, Zipp decided she’d had enough for today and flew towards us in a calm descent, making for a smooth landing so as not to not disturb too much sand.

“What do you guys think? I believe it came out pretty good!” Zipp sought our opinion regarding her little show.

“You’d make Rainbow Dash proud, Zipp.” Alex sincerely offered.

Zipp, knowing full well who he was talking about, could only scratch the back of her head with an embarrassed blush.

“Come on….”

Chuckling at our friend’s reaction to a little praise, Izzy and I offered our own, sharing Alex’s opinion of how a spectacular show it had been. She was really talented in the air, especially considering it had been barely a month and a half since pegasi had regained their ability to fly. Although it’s also true that she’d spent many an hour researching flight in her little secret hideout back at Zephyr Height’s abandoned station.

“Hey, um…· Zipp began after taking a seat near us, focusing her attention on Alex. “Seeing as you seem to be feeling better now… miiiind answering a few more questions about Twilight’s message?” Zipp tried with a not-so-convincing toothy smile.

A bit bothered by her rashness, I set to lecture her about her lack of tact, since it was still a bit raw, and mostly because it would ruin the moment between the three of us. But, Alex beat me to it.

“Gosh, always the inquisitive one, aren’t you, detective?” He playfully noted. “Fine, ask away.”

With a victory pump of her foreleg, Zipp scooched closer to our pony and human pile and began her questioning, thankfully not finding our current arrangements weird.

“Great, so…” She cleared her throat. “Did you find anything else that we might have missed? The glitching was awful and it sure seems like some important things have been lost!”

Alex took a few moments to mull over his answer. “Well… most of it I already knew from my talk with Discord. However, I’m starting to see a different reason, which would explain the Unity Crystals’ existence, apart from the one you already know.”

“And that is?” Zipp asked, inching closer as the rest of the ponies, catching up to the ongoing conversation, rejoined the group, sitting around us and listening attentively.

“Twilight speaks about gathering all her strength as well as something else to force the flow of magic through them, safe and protected. I believe that something else to be Discord’s chaos magic as we, well, Spike in truth discovered back then, would work perfectly to bend the leylines in a way to fit the crystals’ purpose of severing the connection to the ponies, something that theoretically broke a handful of elemental rules which Discord’s magic doesn’t give a damn about. But by doing so, it also ensures that nocreature could… let’s say, ‘access’ it again… its power, I mean. The crystals would stand in the middle of anycreature seeking to steal the magic, which is kinda a recurring theme in Equestrian history.”

I chastised myself for having left my notebook back home, as I would very much have preferred to jot all of this down. Thankfully, Zipp’s phone has been recording since the very first word Alex had uttered. “She also speaks of a broken spell, making us ‘exposed to the world’, or something, once again.”

“Mhm,” Alex affirmed. “Discord said something similar, about how when he returned from his failed search in those parallel dimensions, he found an Equestria completely devoid of ponies. As if they’d been completely wiped out without a trace. And how that changed a few years ago, when the three settlements reappeared out of the blue.” A contemplative look adorned his face. “That means some kind of cloaking spell had been cast upon the crystals, or perhaps into the land itself, hiding your existence for these past few centuries.”

“But, why?” I asked, intrigued by such a notion.

“Well, as I repeatedly warned Twilight, a magicless Equestria would render its population extremely vulnerable. That, summed with the fact that the three tribes wanted nothing to do with each other, well… let’s say that if one of the other superpowers sought to attempt an invasion, or something similar, they would’ve found it pathetically easy to overrun us. Celestia and Luna had stepped down from the throne, dragging their influence with them too, if you know what I mean.”

A pale shadow fell upon us, understanding the implications behind his reasoning. “Oh, ponyfeathers…” Muttered Zipp.

“Yeah, I too believe it was better to keep the remains of pony society hidden, in hopes that it would rebuild itself eventually. The spell wasn’t attached to the crystals reuniting, it would have broken at that precise moment anyway. It would have kept you hidden for centuries, no matter whether ponies became friends again after ten years, a hundred, or even centuries later. Says a lot about how much we trusted the other countries, allied or otherwise…” He finished with a somber chuckle.

“But, you told us you became friends with the other creatures after that summit you attended, right?” Zipp asked, referring to the short story Alex told us back in Canterlot about the Convocation of the Creatures.

“Allies, Zipp, don’t be mistaken.” Alex corrected the white pegasus. “The pact we established was one of cooperation, common interests, and mutual goals. I mean, the reformed changelings, the crystal ponies, the hippogriffs, the yaks… those I can say for sure are friends with Equestria and I can’t see them attempting anything drastic in the face of a power vacuum. However, the griffons, dragons, minotaurs, Abyssinians, storm creatures, the moose… who knows. It wouldn’t be the first time they tried something.”

“Was it really like that? That doesn’t sound like true friendship between species.”

“What can I say, Sunny? There’s always been a lot of bad blood between them. We offered a fresh start, a new chance for the betterment of us all, especially after how the Storm King’s invasion turned the southern territories upside down before reaching Equestria proper. I offered them the chance; some took it, others didn’t. As long as there was something to profit from, they would respect and support the alliance. But what strength is there in an alliance that promises friendship and unity for all, if the very same ponies who started it can’t even uphold it between themselves?”

His words rang true. Since the fall had begun by ponies’ own hooves, the rest of the world would have thought it better to cut loose from the sinking boat, leaving the scene exactly as it was, if not worse…

“Okay, there’s that.” Zipp stopped the recording and tagged it properly before starting a new one. “And what about that pony Twilight mentioned? The one who tried to steal all the magic?”

Alex’s features visibly darkened. “Again, Zipp; stealing magic is what three-quarters of Equestria’s villains have sought to attempt to date. I can give you a dozen names and a dozen different reasons for each of them to have attempted it. But, just as with the rest, her message corroborates Discord’s words in that regard…”

He seemed hesitant to continue, an issue which Izzy fixed with a reassuring nuzzle, her position changing alongside mine so we could look at him straight into his somber eyes.

“Who was he and Twilight talking about?” Asked Hitch, having freed himself from Sparky’s punishment.

With a nervous gulp, Alex continued. “They’re talking about a unicorn mare by the name of Opaline Arcana. She was one of Twilight’s most promising students until she abandoned her studies. Sometime later, we discovered that she’d been the lead instigator during the first breaches of order that began arising throughout the country. Poisoning ponies’ minds with her twisted logic, deepening the wounds that had already begun manifesting… accelerating the fall to the point of leaving us without any practical options.”

His eyes fogged as the memories of that time flashed in front of him. All of us gasped at his revelation, completely enthralled by his tale. My dad’s notes had failed to mention such an occurrence.

“So… she’s the one responsible for the ponies not being friends until now?” Asked Izzy.

Alex shook his head. “No. Or at least, she’s not directly responsible. I’ve told you already how things were, she just… worsened things faster than we could patch them. She went from town to town, preaching her insane logic, manipulating the facts of recent events, or even just outright lying to her congregations. She would address each of the three tribes separately, accusing the other races of the problems that just so happened to be caused by her current target. She promoted an air of mistrust and a sense of self-sufficient individuality which was only reinforced by what my technology could offer. It escalated to bursting point. You know…. the ‘Incident’.” he said, using a strange hand motion to punctuate the word where he bent two fingers on each hand as he said the word ‘Incident’.

I got a lump in my throat remembering that moment in the cave, where Alex revealed to us what was surely the true beginning of the fall of Equestria, where the trust between the three races was irrevocably broken.

“But… how was she able to almost succeed in stealing all the magic? She sounds like a charlatan alright, but she would have to go against Twilight of all ponies!”

Alex remained pensive for a moment, processing Zipp’s question. “What I am about to tell you happened after I had entered stasis, so I only have Discord’s as a reference point. He claims that… somehow, and I can’t really wrap my head around this, Opaline gained alicornhood, granting her the power to challenge Twilight before she could activate the crystals, rendering all of them completely magicless.”

The mention of alicornhood piqued my interest, my ears standing to attention. The inevitable question escaped my lips. “L-Like me?”

“No, Sunny. Just as what happened with Cozy Glow, her wings and horn were genuine. No offense, but to be able to stand against an alicorn like Twilight, you need WAY more than what you currently have.”

I took no offense at his words. He was right, of course; I wasn’t on the same level as a true alicorn. After all, I was still struggling to summon my wings and horn at will to even consider stepping up my game to match theirs, if that was even feasible in the first place.

“How is that even possible?” A flabbergasted Pipp wondered.

“I don’t know Pipp. I sincerely don’t know.” He dejectedly offered. “Celestia and Luna were the last true-born alicorns since the fall of Skyros. An ascension to alicornhood only happens under VERY strict circumstances. As far as I know, only to Cadance and Twilight was the honor bestowed… heh, honor…”

My head tilted in confusion at his last statement, spoken barely above a whisper. However, Zipp wasn’t finished with her questioning.

“Do you think this ‘Opaline’ is the one Twilight’s warning us about? And perhaps Harmony too?”

Just as he had before, a few seconds passed before he could come up with an answer. “I asked Discord that very same question, and he told me he would have noticed an alicorn lurking over the land. That kind of presence is not easily hidden to someone like him, and Opaline wasn’t what you would call ‘discrete’, although…”

He seemed like he was about to postulate another possibility, but the words died in his mouth. “… No. Even then, it’s just not possible.”

“Why not?” Zipp pushed.

“It’s been over seven hundred years, Zipp. It’s just not possible.”

“But she’s an alicorn! Aren’t they supposed to be immortal or something?”

A chilling dread washed over my whole form. ‘Does that mean I’m also…’

“No, Zipp, it doesn’t work like that. They’re long-lived, but they’re not immortal. That’s… another thing…”

Alex’s hesitation on the subject was evident, but the ever-inquisitive Zipp continued pushing despite his reluctance. “What other thing?! If there’s a chance she could…”

“No Zipp, there isn’t!” Alex sharply cut her, now sounding more annoyed with each question.

But Zipp wasn’t going to back down, to our dismay. “How could you possibly know that?!”

“Because she’s not an Empyrean, Zipp!! She couldn’t…” His outburst was short-lived, since the words that escaped his lips soon registered in his mind. “… Faust, dammit.”

The same question ran in all our minds. “Empyrean? What’s that supposed to be?” Pipp was the one to voice it.

“Nothing.” Came his brief answer, but the uneasiness of his voice betrayed his feelings.

“Oh, it sounds like something to me!” Zipp insisted, her focus now on the mysterious term slipped from Alex’s heated faustian slip.

Practically sensing his reluctance from where I was seated, I thought it was best to at least tone it down, else he would start getting defensive, which wouldn’t get us anywhere. “Zipp, perhaps you should back off a bit… please?. If he’s not comfortable with…”

“No, Sunny.” Zipp stood firm. “This could be important information. I thought the time of hiding stuff was beyond us. If it’s even remotely related to the threat we’re currently facing, we have to know.”

Zipp’s determination fought against Alex’s reluctance, the former casting a strong glare toward the latter, who twiddled with his thumbs and bit his lower lip. The rest of us stood aside, unsure of how to proceed. Zipp was right, any piece of information could only be beneficial for our cause, but she was coming on a bit too strong, as she had done so several times in the past. I could admire her determination, but that normally got her acting insensitively towards whoever was in her scope.

Fortunately, Zipp herself seemed to realize her choice of approach only returned detrimental results. Her features softened, and slowly approached the distraught human who still hadn’t uttered a word.

“I’m sorry, Alex.” She apologized, placing a hoof over his left arm. “I shouldn’t have come at you so hard on you, but, please… we’re completely in the dark here. That message is our only solid lead, and you know more about it than all of us combined…. please?”

“………. I am.”

We had to double-check with each other since his words were spoken in a volume so low that it almost seemed like we had imagined them. “What?” Asked Hitch.

“I am an Empyrean.” He repeated, this time loud enough for us to register.

“You are?” Came Zipp’s turn.

Up and down he moved his head in silent confirmation, his eyes lost in a far-away place as his arms moved to hug his legs against his chest.

“Um, is that somehow related to you being a prince or something?” Now Pipp.

“Yes.” Came his brief answer. “And no.”

“Huh?” Izzy tilted her head in confusion.

He wetted his lips as he searched for an explanation. “Empyreans are guides, leaders, the maximum exponential of a species’ potential, the epitome of what a race should aspire to be.”

No mention of said individuals came to mind. “I don’t understand.”

His lost eyes found mine. “Celestia and Luna were Empyreans, leaders of all ponykind. Chrysalis was an Empyrean for the Changelings before being overthrown by Thorax. Queen Novo of the Hippogriffs. King Aspen of the Deer. King Abyss and Queen Persia of the Abyssinians, Queen Arlena of the Sea Ponies, Dragon Lord Ember of the Dragons, Queen Rain Shine of the Kirin, Queen Lorri of the Harpies…”

My eyes widened at the sound of those names, legends amongst the lost past of Ancient Equestria.

“Those sound like the leaders of some of the different races of Equus. Is that what being an Empyrean is about? Like, a title?”

Once again, Alex shook his head at Zipp’s question. “Becoming an Empyrean is as much a gift as it is a curse. It’s not about the amount of power you possess or the titles you might hold. It’s about possessing the best attributes to ensure your own species’ prosperity, acting as a guide through the ages, immortals until the time comes for another to step up.”

His features darkened with the following statement. “I’m sure you can guess who grants such ‘privilege’.”

His words dripped venom, enough indicative for us to understand who he was referring to. “Harmony…” I muttered to myself.

“An Empyrean won’t be touched by age, but that doesn’t mean an Empyrean cannot die from other causes.” Alex continued. “King Ulstar of the Hippogriffs died of a strange illness centuries ago, leaving Novo widowed and Skystar fatherless. King Grover of the Griffons was murdered by the seven noble families of Griffonstone after failing to protect the Idol of Boreas from the Arimaspi. High Chieftain Afridi died in battle when the Zebrican Empire was shattered into the Thirteen Tribes. And there’re many races not led by an Empyrean, like the diamond dogs, the kelpies, the yaks, the minotaurs, the cattle, the storm creatures, the kobolds, the thestrals…”

Silence fell over the beach as we digested his words, the last of the sun’s rays casting a fading glow over his sitting form. None of us said a word, the weight of his story-telling rendering us speechless.

“And then, there’s me, ascended after Harmony brought me back to life, immortal in every sense of the word since I literally cannot die.” His sight rose from his knees to meet mine. “When I told you she decides when my goal is complete and when I get to rest, did you think I was speaking figuratively?”

I didn’t know what to say, the memory of that night was still fresh in my mind. “I-I…” I could only stammer helplessly.

“Sunny, I’m currently twenty-nine years old. Equus years last for four hundred and twenty days. That’s fifty-five more days than one of Earth’s years, which means in truth I’m biologically way into my thirties.”

He rubbed his arm anxiously. “And yet, I haven’t aged a day since I was brought back from the dead, and I won’t until Harmony releases me. After I’ve fulfilled whatever great task she has in mind for me.”

He turned to look at all of us. “Guys, why do you think I’ve come here? As in, why did I choose to travel a thousand years into the future?”

None of us answered at first, his true motives were still a bit obtuse to us. He had claimed something about Twilight not being able to interfere with his plan.

“In this current age, Twilight wouldn’t interfere with whatever you wanted to do with the crystals, right?” Zipp mirrored my exact thoughts.

“Correct. And why did I enter in stasis to do so?”

For that question, none of us had the answer. After waiting for a few moments, Alex resumed his explanation. “Don’t you get it? I could’ve just waited sitting still. I wouldn’t have even needed food and water since she would just bring me back over and over again. Twilight wasn’t ascended as an Empyrean. I was. I entered stasis because if I had to wait for a thousand years to enact my plan, I would’ve gone stark-raving mad!”

Realization lit up in our features, accompanied by a chilling dread more than a sense of accomplishment. “No mind can withstand living for such a long time, much less a human mind.” He finished, leaving us completely astonished, an emotion which was slowly replaced by pity for our friend.

“Twilight wasn’t ascended as an Empyrean?” I couldn’t help but ask.

A dark chuckle escaped his mouth. “An Empyrean of what? A crumbling kingdom that wouldn’t last for a few years more? Why would she be ascended, why would Harmony think she was deserving of such?”

Such a concept found no room in my head. How could Twilight not be worthy of such a task? “B-But, she did…”

“Yes, Sunny, she most certainly did.” He interrupted me. “But it is not about the power you possess, or the titles you hold, or the achievements you might have accomplished.” He repeated. “It’s about your purpose. Your place within her plans, to keep everycreature happy, to keep them prosperous yet complacent, to ensure harmony within the ponies and beyond.”

“Because she exists within said harmony. She needs it to… be.” I finished for him, understanding slowly tainting my scrambled thoughts.

“She does. It empowers her, it allows her to manifest in this plane. It’s the very essence of the harmonious magic flowing to and from the Unity Crystals, the very same magic which I believe lights up your cutie marks.” Zipp’s ears stood to attention at that particular piece of information. “The same magic emanating as a byproduct every time one of you ponies enters into one of your synchronized musical numbers or any other harmonious act, the magic which molds a pony’s own soul as their cutie mark settles to fit the role it represents, the magic the Bearers wielded against the darkness that sought to extinguish it…”

Alex pulled his knees tighter against his chest. “The same magic that grew that tree in the middle of the road…”

It all made so much sense more sense to me now. That’s why he had freaked out so much that morning. We had grown that tree together, all my pony friends standing as one against that glimmer berry. It was Hitch’s earth pony magic that did the trick, but it was all of us standing united, in harmony. We had brought a piece of her right to our doorsteps!

‘Oh my pony, it makes so much sense!’

“There are ways to extend your lifespan via magic.” Alex continued. “Most relying on the use of forbidden magic, but it is achievable. But, there was no magic to use those spells after the Exodus. And Opaline is not an Empyrean either.”

Alex’s attention returned to our pegasus friend. “So no, Zipp. While alicorns are long-lived, there’s no way she could have lasted until today. Even more so considering that she was stripped of her power after her battle with Twilight. It's just… it’s not possible.”

The way he worded it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself of that rather than it being a settled truth in his mind. Our knowledge about alicorns was outright nonexistent aside from the names of those who ruled in the past. We had no choice but to trust his reasoning. And yet, an exploratory look around the group showed that none of us were fully convinced.

“So… who is Twilight warning us about then? She asked us to find you!”

Alex remained silent after Zipp’s exclamation, leaving us to mull over what we had learned that afternoon. Another piece of himself, another terrible truth my dad’s notes never mentioned. Immortal until you are no longer useful, robbed of your destiny so that you can fulfill another’s, a mere tool to complete a task which you never asked for, and of which you can’t escape.

“I don’t know, Zipp,” Alex spoke once again. “Pray it’s not her, for none of us is ready to face an alicorn, even a powerless one.”

His warning loomed over us like a dark cloud, leaving us painfully aware of how underprepared we actually were to face whatever threat was coming for us. Only I possessed some semblance of power in the form of my alicorn magic. We had no Elements, no experience, no princesses to support us, no army, and no allies outside the three settlements.

We only had him to help us, and even then, it wouldn’t be enough at the moment.

Izzy slowly approached Alex again, supporting herself by placing her forelegs over his tucked-in knees. With a sorrowful voice, she asked the unspoken question. “And…. when you finish your task… what will happen to you?”

“I will be free.”

“W-Will you…?” Izzy’s voice cracked, not being able to finish her question, yet all of us knew what she was implying.

“Yes.” He shortly answered, making us skip a breath. “One day, when my time comes, just like everypony else.”

Relieved breaths filled the now empty beach, both happy at the prospect he would live his life just like anypony is supposed to, but at the same time hurting for all he had and would have to endure until that moment arrived.

Alex released the hold on his knees, offering his lap to the distraught unicorn with open arms. Izzy graciously accepted; her head being held in his hands as he slowly petted her matted cheeks. “There’s a lot of things I want to do first, mind you. And I know I can count on you guys to help me see it through.”

“Of course we will,” I affirmed without needing to think it through.

“Yeah.”

“You know it, buddy.”

“To the end!”

“Grrrrah!”

Even little Sparky, who had remained uncharacteristically silent this whole time, joined our renewed promise. The same promise we all made after meeting him, the same that held us together.

Night had finally fallen upon us, the sky now painted with a thousand stars as the moon shone over the tranquil sea. The cold breeze had worsened to the point of becoming uncomfortable, so we decided to call it a day and return home. We parted ways with Hitch, who hurried to carry a drowsy-looking Sparky back to his house to fix the baby dragon some dinner before tucking him in. The rest of us accompanied our human friend, Izzy and I staying close when we felt him tense up as we approached the street in which the tree had become its new addition. Fortunately, our road home didn't require us to pass through that street, but still, the uneasiness wouldn’t leave him until well after having passed under the arch at the town’s northern entrance.

Once back into the comforting warmth of the Brighthouse’s interior, the pegasi sisters offered to fix some late dinner while Izzy and I set the dishes. Their culinary skills were far from mine and Izzy’s, meaning dinner would consist of sandwiches and a salad, but we were all too tired to give it much thought. Alex excused himself, heading to treat himself to a warm shower to remove the itching sand and salt after his long swim.

“How could she do that to him? It only gets worse the more we know…” Zipp voiced over the sound of cutting knives and settling plates. “I can’t wrap my head around it. It’s just… evil.”

The rest of us remained pensive, agreeing with our pegasus friend, but barely able to comprehend the implications behind the curse our human friend had suffered. In the stories my dad used to tell me, immortality seemed to fit somepony like the alicorn sisters. Eternally wise, leading ponies for a thousand years and more. Fables couldn’t do justice to the harsh reality. With me sharing their alicorn attributes, albeit in a more ‘artificial’ form, I couldn’t help but imagine myself sharing their immortality too, seeing all my friends eventually pass away, trapped within an endless loop where your loved ones couldn’t follow…

My whole body shuddered at the prospect of such a cruel destiny.

‘How can any creature be forced to endure something like that? It’s not natural...’

Once Alex rejoined us, dinner was served and we spent it in relative silence, all ponies sporting their own reflective features, slowly digesting that afternoon's talk.

“You guys must be tired of me dropping bombs like that all the time, huh?” Alex's comment broke the heavy silence, noticing the weird atmosphere that permeated the kitchen.

“Oh, no, it’s not like that, Alex! We’re just…”

“It’s okay, Pipp. I understand.” He reassured the smaller sister. “Guess you can at least glimpse how complicated things were back then.” He noted with a tired smile.

“Just…. why?” Zipp’s voice reached s from the other side of the table.

“Why what?”

“Why would Harmony do that to you! To anycreature?! It’s monstrous!” She exclaimed with wings flared.

With a deep breath, Alex contemplated her angry claim. “Hmm, it’s a bit unfair. You’re only getting my point of view, after all.” He took another bite of his sandwich. “But,” He swallowed. “Regardless of how it sounds, you shouldn’t see it as an evil act.”

“WHAT?!” Pipp jumped. “How could it NOT be evil?! Forcing creatures to live for centuries only to fit her little plans for a perfect world!”

“There are many who would jump to the chance of living that long, Pipp. Many, if not all Empyreans before me, took on their task out of love for their fellow creatures. Living for so long provides unparalleled wisdom and insight, albeit at a terrible cost.” He calmly spoke. “But, you guys are missing the point.”

“What point?” Zipp prodded.

“All rational creatures like to measure everything in opposites. It’s easy to understand and provides definitive resolutions. Something is good or evil, with a gray area in between but, in the end, it always tips onto one side or the other of the scale.” He mimicked a scale with his hands. “So, you guys must be thinking Harmony is evil for doing what she does.”

“Yes!” Was our unanimous answer.

“Harmony with capital H is a creature who embodies one of this world’s fundamental properties: harmony with lower case H. Just as Discord is an avatar of chaos, many times referred to as the one who brings disharmony. Does that sound like two ends of a scale, right?”

“Mhm.” Answered Izzy.

“So what stands in the middle?” The question floated over the room without receiving an answer from any of us as we looked at each other in search of inspiration.

“Nopony?..... What stands in the middle should be something akin to ‘balance’, right?”

“I guess… that makes sense?” Zipp offered, not looking one hundred percent sure.

“It would make sense, that’s what almost everypony came to believe back then...” A dramatic pause followed. “The thing is… during one of the most bizarre occurrences that happened during my years back with the old gang, I was… let’s say, ‘enlightened’ to a different reality.”

“Enlightened?”

“Mind-controlled.”

My muzzle shut tight after that revelation. He had shared some stories of his time with the Element Bearers, but this one we haven’t heard.

“To keep things short, in one of the many shows of pony-patented senseless coincidence, the very same Discord underwent a profound transformation, the product of a phenomenon called the Cosmic Convergence, an alignment of celestial bodies which rocks the flow of magic astray or something crazy like that, I never learned the full story.” Another bite of his shrinking sandwich. “And from that transformation, a new version of Discord arose: Accord. You know what he was the spirit of then?”

Five heads shook in unison, our own dinner all but forgotten. “Orden.” He shortly stated. “He was now a creature of order. Perfect, pristine, in sync, flawless order, which he ensured to share with all of Equestria in the form of mind control, amongst other things.” He finished with a tired sigh.

“Wow.”

“Yeah, it was a mess alright, Zipp. It ended fine in the end, like always, but… it wasn’t a pleasant experience.” His whole body shuddered at the memory. “The point is, he had become the exact opposite of his true self, and that opposite was not harmony.” He finished his dinner with one hefty bite. “Harmony is not the other end of the scale; it IS the scale. The balance that sits between chaos and order. Two forces entangled in an endless competition, struggling to rise above each other. Chaos, which brings change, discontinuity, opportunity, struggle, blah blah blah; and order, which brings security, continuity, rigidity, control, etc. Neither is good on its own; the world is governed by the existence of both. Harmony is the middle ground, where everything... 'exists' in the best possible way. And Harmony, the being, is in charge of maintaining that balance, tipping the scales from one side to the other through her interventions. Empyreans to guide the races, Elements of Harmony to fight against that which seeks to upset that balance, heroes from all parts of the world to carry out their missions, like you lot." He pointed at us.

Conflicted looks were exchanged between the five of us. “Don’t you see it? Izzy,” He addressed the unicorn sitting by his side. “Not only the fact that I woke up prematurely from stasis to meet you all, but you, the ONLY unicorn upon all of Bridlewood who would even consider the possibility of making friends outside your race, were the one who stumbled upon Sunny’s message of friendship, which triggered you leaving your home and finding her years later, which then triggered your little adventure who concluded in the reunification of the three tribes. Doesn’t that sound a bit too coincidental?”

Our eyes met and our features blanched, the implications behind his reasoning leaving us completely speechless.

‘Is he saying… that all of what we’ve been through was somehow… staged?!!’ My mind raged considering that possibility.

“Make our choices her own…” Zipp murmured, bringing back Alex’s previous words when we’d found him under the tree. “That’s so unfair!” She indignantly protested while slamming her hoof over the table.

“Now you understand how it works,” Alex concluded. “It is unfair. And yet, we are all standing here because of it. There were those seeking to promote chaos, like Tirek or Stygian, just as there were those seeking to enforce order, like Starlight or Accord. And many more whose motives stand within that gray area in the middle. It’s all the same, no matter if it’s ponies or other creatures. It’s not about being good or evil, it’s about preserving balance. That’s her job, that’s the reason for her existence. She favors ponykind because it is the most magical of this world's races, it makes you the most capable of carrying out her purpose, but her influence spreads throughout all of Equus. There’re stories of heroes and villains in all of its cultures, and all of them are about the exact, same, thing.”

With another long sigh which made him look genially old for a few moments, Alex’s gaze lowered to his crossed arms, thumbs twiddling nervously around each other. “… I’ve made my peace with what I've become. I hate her for it. I loathe her with all my might for forcing this upon me, but I can understand it. What bothers me the most is the fact that Harmony had never gone as far as resurrecting someone to remain on schedule. That’s completely unheard of. Which means whatever task I am to complete is absolutely critical… but I cannot be told what it is.”

“Why?”

“You remember that old poem from that book back in Upsilon Tower?” Alex addressed the oldest sister.

“Um… yeah?” She returned with a nervous twitch of her wings.

“That’s exactly it. Principle of Cause and Consequence. Know what will happen…”

“… And it won’t happen.” The words escaped muzzle before I could even register I had spoken them.

With a proud smile, Alex rewarded me with a gentle scratch under my chin. “I see you’ve been looking over the copy I brought back from Twilight’s castle.”

Embarrassingly averting my gaze, I confessed. “I’ve been looking over some of them. What’s good enough to read, that is.”

His gentle caressing turned into a firm hold. “Don’t feel ashamed for feeling curious. Curiosity and determination can change the world.”

Smiling brightly, I lost any semblance of embarrassment and thanked him for his support with a nuzzle of my own, my heart betraying me by beating faster at his closeness.

“Well, at least you guys know the gist of it. It’s a lot to digest, I know. Most ponies live their lives without ever asking themselves these kinds of questions, but I think you deserve to know. It’s unfair, but we can make the best out of it.”

Quickly finishing the rest of our meals, each pony, and human, headed for their respective beds, drained after today’s emotional rollercoaster, another one of many yet to come, I was sure. Wishing everypony a good night I snuggled deeper into my blankets, Luna’s moon bathing me in a calming light that soon lulled me to sleep.