The once mighty Canterlot Castle, although I always reasoned it looked more like a palace from my inexpert point of view, fared reasonably better within its labyrinthic guts than on its alabaster outside. The sun had been merciless, taking long years to slowly eat away at the marble walls and towers, leaving behind an ugly yellow with dry rivulets of long rained downpours on the worst places, where the elements punished the structure the hardest. The inside still harbored its hundreds paintings, sculptures and other works of art, judging us with their cold, unmoving gazes as we slowly traversed the abandoned corridors of the hold home of the royal family. While dusty and in urgent need of some TLC, most remained largely intact. Even in its aged and decadent state, my eyes painted old memories over the gloomy sight that welcomed us, allowing me to traverse its long corridors and numerous rooms the same as I had my first week there.

Cold daggers prodded my heart with every landmark we passed by, countless memories of better and not-so-good days living here dragging me in and out of the waking world.

‘Such a waste…’

Intimately familiar with its complex layout, I led the astonished ponies all the way to the west upper wing where the guest rooms were once located to host dignitaries and VIPs from all over Equestria and beyond. Although I’d rather have simply made a beeline for my room and avoid the trip down memory lane, we had to make regular stops, as on numerous occasions the ponies, ever curious Sunny on the lead, stopped to contemplate and admire the many wonders this old castle had to offer.

Sunny and Izzy chatted animatedly all the way, the former writing anything and everything that sparkled her curiosity in her seemingly never-ending notebook. Hitch walked behind them with Zipp by his side, admiring the works of art that decorated the hallways in a more reserved manner.

Pipp fluttered above them, her expression somewhat downcast, in deep contrast with the rest of the equine integrant of our troop. Somewhat guessing what was going through her head, I offered her my phone, which still had some battery left, so her endless need for a camera could be satisfied for the time being. With a big hug of gratitude, she pried my phone from my offering hand and opened the camera app, waiting not a second to return to the air and began to fly back and forth over the place, taking pictures, videos, and perhaps one too many selfies with anything that caught her attention.

However, for as much as I tried to, I couldn’t bring myself to join my friend’s merriment, as a lingering thought buzzed behind my sorrow and disappointment at the sight of the castle’s state.

‘Hmm, for having been abandoned for several centuries, it’s looking good… very good, in fact. Too good, in my opinion.’ I peered around me, taking in as many details of my surroundings which, against my intuition, were indeed looking considerably okay if you took, for example, the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters. ‘It’s almost as if somecreature has made an active effort to keep it as preserved as possible. The Castle of the Two Sisters didn’t remain as preserved as this one during its abandonment.’

One conclusion stood above the rest.

‘I don’t like this…’

Would you look at that, I was once again on edge, in what used to be my home for a couple years. Instead of nostalgic and welcoming, this place was giving me the creeps, dark corners and shadows hiding an invisible threat that would make a jump for us at any moment's notice.

Not wanting to alarm my fuzzy friends, I continued guiding the ponies up the stairs and into the west upper wing, their excited chatter and excited pointing echoing through the ghostly corridors. After a few minutes of practiced traversing and a couple of twists and turns, I abruptly stopped in front of the door leading to my old room, Izzy and Sunny bumping into me due to my sudden stop.

I paid them no mind, my attention was dead set on another place.

Above the door, a worn gold-plated plaque read 'Dr. Kintobor', with my own sigil engraved on the wood below it.

‘Faust above, it was supposed to be a joke!’ I mentally chuckled at the particular choice for surname I had pranked the ponies with. Not that they'd get it, but it ended up sticking as official over my actual family name. Served me right for being a sarcastic loudmouth.

“Is this your room?” Asked Izzy, straining her eyes to read the rusty, faded plaque.

My response was me grabbing the door handle and twisting it. With a bit of effort, the accumulated rust and debris gave away and the door opened inwards, revealing a medium-sized room.

‘Home sweet home…’ I silently welcomed myself, although welcoming was the last thing I experienced once my eyes fell over the state of my late quarters.

Its overall decoration was similar to the other guests’ rooms, the main difference being the numerous drawings, diagrams, notes, papers and models littered around in my own version ’organized chaos’, the passage of time only worsening it and giving it a taste of a mad inventor who’s sexy assistant had taken a permanent vacation.

Not that far from the actual truth, actually…

My sight veered to the right. A custom-made bed stood near a corner, while a desk with two chairs sat opposite it, facing the only window of the room aside from the entrance to the balcony. The last rays of the setting sun painted shapes and shadows over the rugged walls and chipped furniture, standing in place by a miracle only. A heavy accumulation of immobile dust floating in the air, grating an imaginative mind with a sense of snowing.

A few drawers hugged the opposite wall, filled with many documents from my numerous research projects. The walls still kept some of their pastel-colored paint, adorned with a few paintings that came with the room I never bothered to remove. An Equestrian vessel daring a stormy ocean, a gorgeous landscape of the northern slope of the snowed Foal Range, and a ponyfied version of the Vitruvian Man.

However, none of these curiosities were my primary goal. While the ponies entered after me and scattered around the room in their nosey curiosity, I approached the left side of the bed, crouching down at the gap between the bed and the bedside table. There, very subtly, a small slit could be distinguished on the wall, partially hidden by the half-eaten bed sheets. My little secret safe, custom ordered early into the escalation of the conflicts between the tribes. Not that I didn't trust the ponies in the castle, but as the fights worsened and the tension increased, I decided not to risk somepony snooping around and sneaking out some of my work out for nefarious purposes. It's not like it’d have been a first. Or a second.

The integrative language matrix acting as a locking mechanism had run out of magic. Using my gauntlet to channel some into the gem hidden in the mechanism, I managed to reactivate it. I was happy to verify how these things were indeed made to last, as I had envisioned them at the beginning.

I had drawn a bit of human inspiration for this particular one, making sure only I and a few trusted ones would be able to open it.

A mechanical voice echoed through the room, startling the ponies who jumped back in surprise.

“Password.” It boomed in commanding, yet artificial authority.

“Tetrahydrocannabinol” I replied without even needing to stop and remember. The idea was that no pony would know its meaning, which was not to say that there weren't similar substances indigenous to Equestria...

‘Yeah, that Tree Hugger really knew how to bring it. That was an interesting afternoon.’

“What was that?!” Demanded a painting Hitch from the other side of the room, a hoof clutching the fluff on his chest. Cloudpuff barked twice with similar spirits.

“That’s a funky password if I ever heard one.” Added Izzy with her usual pep while nearing the place where I was crouching.

I didn’t answer them as I was too focused on checking the contents of the safe. With a small *clunk*, the articulated wall piece moved to the side, the time-preserving charm going off with a flash of light and revealing a reinforced Dimeritum safe that slowly opened outwards.

“Lumos” I muttered, which triggered a tiny light spell on the tip of my finger to help me better discern the contents inside. I reached in with my other hand, and what I grabbed out immediately brought a smile to my face.

“The Mk 1.5 Atlas Gauntlet.” I celebrated to myself, gaining the attention of the ponies. “Oh boy, how I’ve missed you.” I checked over my trusty old gauntlet in search of any damage, one of the most advanced versions of its line, way better than the improvised version I was currently wearing.

Now outside the Dimeritum safe, the gems on it began to charge with ambient magic. I put it on my right hand and gave it a few stretches with my fingers and palm. It fit me like a glove, literally.

“Ohhh, another gauntlet. This looks way cooler than the one we made!” Izzy marveled at my newest trinket, although new meaning reared its ugly head on her mind. “Does that mean you aren’t going to wear ours anymore?” Izzy whimpered from my side, her ears dropping in disappointment.

Amused by her puppy eyes, I reached and began scratching behind her droopy ears, her body tensing for a moment before melting at my touch. “No way, Izz. We made this gauntlet together, and you can be sure I won’t change it for anything. Although, I do want to upgrade it together if we get the chance to.”

Izzy wasn’t caring at the moment. She remained lost in her happy place, slowly gyrating her head, wordlessly indicating to me where to scratch.

“Mmmmmmmmm, I s-so love it w-when you do t-that…” I heard her stammer in bliss, eliciting an amused chuckle from me. It was the cursed fingers, you see. They’d follow me to the grave and beyond.

Feeling the curious gazes of my friends prodding at the back of my head, I raised my hand t so they could get a closer look at my new gadget, a snap and a flash from Pipp telling me she had taken a photo. Figures.

However, a closer look towards Sunny revealed what for a second I could’ve sworn was a leer of jealousy. It only lasted for a second, but she was, without a doubt, focusing more on my caressing of Izzy’s head than the new gauntlet.

Choosing not to give it much importance, I returned my attention back to the safe, since there were still some things resting inside that I wanted to check. Foolish of me, I tried to remove my hand from Izzy’s scalp, but her telekinetic grasp and a strategically placed pout told me not to do that.

“Fine, fine, you needy unicorn. Let’s see what else is in here, shall we?” With my free hand, I grasped a bunch of papers, careful not to crumple them too much on the way out. Once I had a good hold of all the remaining documents, I placed them over the bed, scattering them carelessly over the sheets. Checking one last time to make sure nothing else remained inside, I closed the safe, the wall piece returning to its original position.

I rose from my position, a whine of disappointment coming from Izzy when I stopped my caressing. I grabbed the documents and instructed the ponies to move towards the desk so we would have more space for a quick peek. The ponies need no further incentive. Once there, I placed the stack of papers over the old workdesk, blowing hard to remove the worst of the clinging dust. The ink was old and blurry and the paper yellowed and sandy, but most of it could still be read. The preservation charm can only do so much without a steady recharging method.

The ponies took positions around the desk, rising on two legs and using their front hooves to support themselves and get a better view, with Zipp choosing to hover above me, using my shoulder to balance herself.

Without further ceremony, I began reviewing my old documents. “Let’s see… retroactive thought-to-command spell matrix for disabled unicorns… weight-lessening wing prosthesis for disabled pegasi, and the specifications for other winged creatures… hmmm… LIM matrices applicable for industrial machinery… a neurological study of the interaction between magic and nerve impulses… a treatise on the basic principles of magic-based circuitry...”

I went over the numerous documents, all of them holding valuable information, although perhaps a bit obsolete considering ponykind’s new, improved technology as the three settlements were currently sporting.

A chilling dread sent a shiver down my spine. Against what I had intended, the diagram depicting the stasis spell wasn’t among them.

‘You better have taken good care of it, Starlight. Very few were the ponies who knew about it, and only WE knew the full story behind it.’ I mentally cursed with a frustrated hiss leaving my nostrils.

“Something wrong?” Sunny, noticing my apparent displeasure, wondered with genuine care.

“Nothing.” I dodged the question in short. “Sunny, mind keeping these documents safe in your bag until we return to the brighthouse? I’m sure we can find a use for them, even if it’s just serving as an exhibition in a museum.”

With a cheery smile, she was more than glad to take them from my grasp, and carefully placed them in her trusty shoulder bag.

Meanwhile, the sun had already set behind the horizon, the following moonlight now providing a gentle illumination through the ragged curtains.

I was tired and ready for some much-needed sleep, and the few, poorly disguised yawns from some drowsy-eyed ponies spoke volumes too. “Okay, guys. I think that’s enough excitement for one day. Let’s get some rest, shall we?” I suggested to the group while heading towards the closet. I remembered there being a few spare blankets on the upper shelves.

“Should we get a room each? There are plenty on this floor.” Hitch proposed.

One unicorn wasn't too keen on the idea. “Can we… um… stay together this time, please?” Pleaded Izzy with a worried voice. She had really disliked being left behind with me. I didn't know if I should’ve taken it as an offense or not.

Sunny, understanding her friend’s plea, gave her a reassuring nuzzle. “We’ll stay together in Alex’s room. We can risk the thief catching us separated, but not while we’re asleep.”

A relieved smile lit Izzy’s muzzle at hearing this. With that night’s arrangements decided, I opened the closet and reached for the upper shelves. As I hoped, I got a grasp of a bundle of slightly-dusty old blankets. Reaching back, I extracted them from the shelf and dusted them. To my surprise, a big spider, who had undoubtedly made a living in the blankets, started to crawl its way up my arm.

If this had happened to me a few years ago, I would have started running around and screaming like a little girl. However, my years of studying biology, as well as Fluttershy’s instruction on animal empathy, had allowed me to better understand the many creatures of this world, and to respect them.

Feeling a bit impish, I decided to mess a little with my pegasus friend, whom I knew harbored a particular opinion regarding too-many-legged creatures.

“Pipp, look what I found.” I urged her to approach me while taking the spider in my hand, gently closing it around it so I could surprise her.

Her curiosity peaked, Pipp fluttered towards me. “I hope it’s not another old dusty ruAAAAAAAAH! GET AWAY!! GET AWAY!! GET AWAAAAY!!” She screamed her lungs out at the sight of my new friend, launching straight into the sky and clinging desperately to her sister who was analyzing one of the paintings, pinning her wings against her sides, causing both to fall in a flustered mess of limbs and feathers. Even funnier, the spider turned in my hand to give me what I swear was a confused look.

The ponies fell to the ground laughing, with Zipp trying to disentangle from her shivering sister who wouldn’t release her.

Laughing at my little prank, I returned the spider to the closet where I had found it.

“ALEX!!” A positively mad Pipp yelled after releasing her feathery lifeline and dusting herself off, “THAT WASN’T FUNNY!!”

“Our friends seem to disagree, Pipp.” I quipped while pointing to the still-cackling ponies, who grabbed their sides without being able to stop. Pipp, now utterly fuming, glared daggers in my direction and, with her snout in the air, launched herself into my old bed.

“Well, after this little joke of yours, I’ve decided I am going to get some sleep on this bed! If you don’t like it, that’s your problem. Good night!” And with that, she burrowed herself into the blankets with a dignified ‘humph.’ Zipp, rolling her eyes at her sister’s dramatic behavior, wished us good night and joined her sister on the other side of the oversized bed… oversized for them, of course.

Hitch curled up in front of the balcony entrance, Cloudpuff joining him and snuggling against his midsection.

I moved the old rug decorating the empty space on the room’s floor to the side of the room near the door and plopped myself over it, using my bag as an impromptu pillow, since the sisters were hoarding the ones on the bed. A glare from Pipp dared me to try and take them.

“Salvio hexia” I muttered, casting a protection spell that would guard us against incoming spells, and would alert me to any presence that crossed the threshold of the spells’ area of effect.

Izzy wasted no time and laid on her back to my left, using her telekinesis to grab my hand and guide it to her tummy, her puppy eyes asking for some belly rubs.

“Fiiiine.” I groaned in a tired voice as I gave in, gently rubbing my gloved hand up and down her belly and undercarriage. My reward was small coos of pleasure and the occasional wiggle so I ‘accidentally’ bumped against her generous teats.

Yes, I had peeked. They were always butt-naked, for crying out loud!

‘I swear, she is such a tease…’ I bit my lower lip and nudged my head side to side, although you wouldn’t find me resisting the occasional touch.

Sue me.

Sunny wasn't gonna be one to be left behind and plopped herself down at my other side, placing a foreleg over my chest in a possessive manner and wiggled her head under my other hand, asking for her own round of pets with the biggest puppy eyes she could muster.

“…You need something over there, Sunny?” I teased, knowing perfectly well what she was seeking.

With a hard nudge of her muzzle against my side, she continued with her pleading look. Not wanting to deny her any longer, I began to scratch behind her ears relishing in the soothing effect I always got while petting an affordable pony or two. Very therapeutic, one out of one humans in Equestria recommend it. After a few moments, Sunny finally relaxed and snuggled against my chest.

‘These ponies are so cuddly… at least it's great they feel so comfortable around me.’

I couldn’t resist and gave the two mares a kiss on their ears, a cute blush heating up their cheeks with my sudden, yet not unwelcome movement.

With that and peace of mind, I continued my ministrations until falling asleep, the company of my friends keeping at bay the dark thoughts and stalking nightmares that would arise with my return to the castle.

The morning rays from Celestia’s sun filtered through the old curtains that half-covered the balcony’s entrance, shining over my eyes and dragging me out of some surprisingly fulfilling slumber, considering we had slept over a dusty floor with a several-hundred-years-old blanket keeping the worst of the night’s bite away..

Grumbling in discomfort, I tried to raise my hand to block them and catch some more ZZZs, only to find it pinned under Sunny’s frame, feeling her gentle breathing against the crook of my neck, still deep in a peaceful sleep.

On my other side, Izzy was in a similar position, her breath tickling me in the sensitive tissue under my ear. She had taken precautions to place her head so that her horn wasn’t at risk of poking me.

‘Waking up sandwiched between two beautiful mares, and me having to urgently use the bathroom… Faust, it’s always in the best moments…’

With extreme caution… and reluctance, I extracted myself from their combined grasp and quietly rose over the slumbering ponies. Furrowing brows and searching hooves threatened to arouse them in my absence. I could help a silent ‘aww’. Hitch and the sisters were still asleep. Cloudpuff, having more acute senses, woke up to see me approaching the door. I signaled to him with my finger against my lips to stay quiet and, not that surprisingly, he understood me, snuggling back against Hitch immediately after.

“Furtim zona.” I whispered to cast the sound-dampening spell, knowing the rusty hinges would wake up the gang yelling if I didn’t take that precaution.

With silent steps that’d make my old Abassynian pals proud, I grabbed my bag, exited the room and set off for the castle gardens. Assuming there wasn’t any active piping system still functioning within the castle, I believed it would be better to take care of my business over there. Also, the fresh morning air would help me fully wake up and tackle the last leg of our search with a clean mind…. and an empty bladder.

I retraced my previous steps and exited the castle, taking a left from the inner plaza towards the gardens where sometimes I would meet with Gallus after his training. No debate was needed. The first act of the day’s business was to answer the call of nature. I discreetly relieved myself over some overgrown bushes and, enjoying the crisp morning air, was now decidedly looking forward to the little stroll through what was previously one of the crown jewels of Canterlot gardening wise.

Not even five steps after that thought, another more urgent one invaded my mind.

“... Shit! The statue!!” I cried openly to nocreature in particular as I ran deeper into the gardens, looking for the place where the petrified forms of the Legion of Doom had been placed after their defeat.

Every step that got me closer, phantom pains began assaulting my left side, right below my pectoral. Another reminder that would forever accompany me.

My heart caught in my throat at the sight of it. Where the imposing statue of Equestria’s worst enemies used to be, forever cursing curious visitors with a silent promise of revenge; now only a bunch of broken pieces of weathered marble remained, liberally covered in loose vegetation, lichens and moss. The phantom pains screamed over my scar, my hand flying across my chest to cover it in unrestrained fear.

‘F-Fuck it all!!... But, did it break because they got free? Or did somecreature smash it while they were still petrified inside? I don’t know what outcome is worse…’ I couldn't make out anything from the pile of rubble. ‘For Faust’s sake, my list of worries is getting too long to handle!!’

Our battle against the three powerful villains marked the end of the numerous conflicts the Element Bearers had to deal with until the reign of Twilight solidified. The Grand Slam, the Big Show. For the next few years, no other major issues took place in Equestria that could compare with those three ravaging Cantelrot in revenge-fueled madness. We believed that our job was finally over, that peace would finally be guaranteed for future generations…

Only problem was, the conflicts that were about to start weren’t ones we could fight with the power of the Elements.

Any kind of trace or clue that could have helped me find out their ultimate destiny had been erased by the passage of time. Not being able to do anything about this situation for now, I could only keep it in mind and stay vigilant. Very, very vigilant.

‘Mmph, I’d better not worry the ponies with this. I find it very unlikely they’d managed to get free, and since neither of them was very subtle in their machinations, the ponies here would have found out by now if they were on the loose. I hope. I pray.’

With a crippling sense of unease, I returned towards the inner square, where the alarmed cries of my friends reached my ears out of a sudden.

“Over here, guys!” I called them, not feeling like it had been that long. The ponies rushed into the plaza a moment later.

“Oh, Celestia’s mane, you’re okay!! We thought the thief had caught you or something worse!” Shouted a worried-looking Sunny, rushing to give me a tackle-hug, trying to calm her breathing.

Accepting her worrisome cuddle, I apologized to the gang. “Sorry about that, guys. I had to answer nature’s call and I didn’t want to wake you all up.” I explained to the ponies.

“Just… please warn us next time, okay?” Asked a similarly concerned-looking Izzy, the other ponies nodding in agreement.

“I will Izzy.” I promised with an apologetic scratch under her chin. “So, now that we’re all up, how about we get some breakfast and then resume the search?”

I took some of the remaining berries we had collected on the road yesterday and handed them to the ponies. A meager breakfast, but I doubted the castle’s kitchen was in any way operational or that it had anything edible to offer us.

With breakfast behind us, we decided to, first of all, check out the Throne Room, Zipp’s reasoning about the thief having a power complex drawing them to that place. I wasn't too kind on that train of thought, but the gang had voted. The actual reason why I’d have rather preferred to stay clear of that particular room I kept to myself.

It was a straight walk from the main gate, the same empty halls and corridors welcoming us as they had done the previous day. No clues at a first glance, nothing out of place. The thief was meticulous, I’d have to give them that. Zipp was growing frustrated with the lack of evidence, keeping all her senses on the hunt yet coming up empty hoofed every single time.

The doors leading to the throne room had always been an impressive pair. Too bad for us, we’d be rewarded with a nice, lasting look at their faded depictions of the alicorns of the sun and moon, since we found them closed tight upon our arrival.

“I’ve got the door!” Izzy offered at first from the back of the group. She lit her horn and tried to cast her magic, only for it to fizzle and glitch again. “My magic’s gone again…” She sadly muttered while looking up at her sputtering horn.

The old way, it’d have to be. “All of us, on three.” I directed the ponies. At the count of three, we began pushing against the massive doors.

“Come on, ponies! Put your hooves into it!” Sunny encouraged us with a strained voice, her muse straining in effort. Her earth pony strength also seemed to be failing intermittently.

With a mighty screech that scared all the resident bats out of the shadowed ceilings, the doors finally ceded, revealing the immense sight of the throne from which the rulers of Equestria had ruled over the three races for centuries. After its destruction, following the battle against the Legion of Doom, it underwent a thorough renovation to the liking of Twilight and our friends, since it would be her presiding over it afterwards. The stained-glass windows that recounted some of Equestria’s great deeds were luckily still intact, as far as I could see. The tall columns that ran along the sides of the room still held the canvases that lined the walls. Opposite the entrance, Twilight's throne stood atop the pedestal, with Spike's smaller one beside it, just as she would have remembered it.

However, I had been in this room enough times to notice that there had clearly been some changes that seceded my recognition. It looked as if it had been refurbished again after my… trip.

The ponies were busy admiring the numerous stained-glass windows in awe, Sunny in the lead, excitedly telling them about some of the exploits they represented. My cell phone in Pipp's hooves was constantly ringing with that annoying 'click' that signaled another picture taken by the pegasus.

I droned them out into the background. My eyes were now fixed on the throne, some of my most painful memories resurfacing at the sight of it.

‘You’ll leave us defenseless and divided! This is NOT something you can fix by turning off a switch!!’

‘It’s too risky, too cruel! What will the other leaders think!? How do you think they’ll react?!’

‘... is that an order, your Majesty?’

Sunny’s excited screech brought me back to the waking world with a shiver and bad taste in my mouth.

“Princess Celestia, Luna and Twilight Sparkle all stepped hooves EXACTLY where I’m stepping!! EEEEHEHEHE!!!” She cried with a happy dance. She then rushed towards the throne, continuing with her overflowing speech. “History has been made in this throne room a thousand times over… a-and it’s still standing! Even after all the attacks from Queen Chrysalis, and the Storm King, and the Legion! Can you believe it!?” She exclaimed, now officially in full fangirl mode.

“Sunny! Now is NOT the time for fanponying!” Hitch scolded her friend, trying to rein in the overexcited earth pony and keep our position somewhat hidden. “The Crystal’s thief was clearly calling us here, so we can safely assume this is a trap. We need to stay vigilant!”

Sunny couldn't care less at the time and chose to ignore him, rushing over to another stained-glass window, trying to get the attention of the other ponies to listen to her storytelling.

Hitch continued to methodically look all around the place, trying to find any trace of the thief or for any traps, hidden or otherwise. “Look out for any signs of movement. In front of you, behind you, and to your sides.”

Fate has a funny way of playing in Equestria. I had seen it time and time again, yet it never ceased to amaze me and infuriate me in equal parts.

Just as he said that, a series of trap doors opened wide in the throne room’s floor, directly under the mares, making them fall so fast they had no chance to react and scream.

“Holy shit!Hitch, behind you!” I pointed towards the place where the mares had just stood.

“We need to be completely aware of our surroundings. Because if we’re not paying attention…” He continued with his reasoning, completely oblivious to my warning and everything happening around him.

“HITCH, LOOK!!” I shouted as I raised my voice. That got his attention, causing him to look in the direction of my pointing finger.

“… we could end up in big… trouble?” A heartbeat passed. Not a moment later, another trap door opened, swallowing the unexpecting sheriff.

“FUCK!!” I tried to follow him, but the trapdoor closed faster than it took me to reach it. Once over it, I tried using magic and physical might to open it, without success. Tapping the space with my foot, I didn’t hear the characteristic sound of a hollow space. It was as if there was only a regular floor there.

Alarms began ringing loud and clear.

“What in Luna’s flanks is going on!!” I screamed in frustration. The throne room wasn’t even equipped with trap doors… or any other kind of traps as far as I knew.

‘Okay, okayokayokay. Thinkthinkthink. THINK! For security reasons, there is no room or subway storage below the throne room, so they must have ended up in one of the caves that connect to the Vault of Dangerous Artifacts in the south wing. Argh! I think I can access it through the Armory and across the Ephemeris Chamber. I’ll need to find the outdoor entrance since it was deliberately hidden from the public. Shit! Wait for me guys, I’m coming!’

With fire under my feet, I ran out of the throne room, a haunting silence returning once again to the ancient chamber as the echo of my footsteps faded away.

“aaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!! OOOFF!!!”

After what seemed like an eternity falling, a beanbag appeared out of nowhere to save my behind with a cushioned fall. I was left completely disoriented, blinking owlishly while barely holding the scarce contents of my stomach in place. Numerous screams from my friends resonated across the cave we had ended up in, their falls also cushioned by other types of squishy seats. The last one to arrive was Hitch, who looked on the brink of passing out.

My friends wore expressions of profound surprise and fear, except Izzy, who was seemingly unfazed by what had just transpired. On second notice, she was more focused on the completely out-of-place sight directly in front of us

“How cute is this!” She exclaimed while pointing at the numerous dishes spread through the long table we had fallen and ended up seated around. They smelled freshly made. There were also small cups containing what I thought was some kind of tea.

‘H-Huh?!’

A rich assortment of treats and drinks meticulously arranged to our enjoyment is the LAST thing you’d expect to find in a dark, musty cave deep within a collapsed mountain. The situation was completely ridiculous. Who would host a tea party in a humid, underground cave?

Thankfully, some kind of illumination spell coming from… somewhere, allowed us to see clearly as if it was the middle of the day.

“Somepony invited us to a tea party! And these donuts look delicious! Maybe not as fine a vintage as the ones earlier, but c’est la vie…” Izzy continued without a care in the world, hungrily looking over the plate full of donuts.

Zipp didn’t share Izzy’s enthusiasm in the slightest. “I-I think this is more a filly-napping than a party invitation, Izzy.” She spoke while nervously looking around the chamber in search of an exit, or our mysterious host.

“Would a filly-napper have made homemade place cards for us?” Izzy tried to reason, taking her card in her hooves and showing it to us. I then noticed there was one for me too, with my name written in cursive, elegant letters.

‘H-How did they know our names?! And how did we end up seated in the exact arrangement as the cards?!! WHAT IN EQUESTRIA IS GOING ON?!!!’

Before I had the chance to reply, a masculine voice spoke from my left, scaring the fur out of me.

“Reginald Fursome is the one who made those place cards. He’s an annoyingly needy kind of creature...”

Jerkily, I turned towards the origin of the voice, and what I saw left me speechless… more speechless. I don’t think I could’ve gone more speechless than that.

The shape slowly creeping out from the twilight of the side entrance was too… particular to not be recognized, even if all the information I harbored of him came in the form of texts from my dad.

‘Lanky build, gray and brown fur, mismatched body parts, yellow eyes… IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS?!!’

“... And will ‘meep’ at the top of his lungs when he wants to eat berries on the carpet, even though I tell him that the juice is so very hard to scrub out...” The strange figure completely walked out of the cave mouth, his form revealed in full thanks to the magic-induced illumination. Several small critters surrounded him at his mismatched feet, skittering around the place with innocent curiosity.

“... But, unfortunately, he has a very creative eye.” The creature looked down to what I guessed was the opossum in question, the critter standing way too proud for such a small being. “My old friend Fluttershy used to say all opossums do. And what I’ve learned is that if you’re not paying attention to Fluttershy, you’re not paying attention to what really matters.”

I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I rose from my seat and yelled with a pointing hoof. “YOU’RE DISCORD!!” I turned to look at my friends with deep expectation, yet none of them were aware of who I was talking about. “The Discord! The Lord of Chaos, the Spirit of Disharmony who was friends with Fluttershy, who helped Starlight Glimmer, Trixie Lulamoon and King Thorax save everypony from the changelings!!”

He didn’t look surprised at my knowledge. He remained unphased, almost bored as he lowered his head and regarded us with a pensive look. “And you are Sunny Starscout, Hitch Trailblazer, Pipp Petals, Zipp Storm, and Izzy Moonbow. Nopony comes to Canterlot without me knowing about it, and… usually, there’s nopony who comes at all…” His eyes narrowed at us, suspicion dripping from every word.

With a sudden change of mood that caught us off guard, he continued with a livelier tone. “… But today’s an exception! I’m so delighted you could all make it to my little soiree!” He gave a small clap with his claws… and his feet, which had disconnected themselves and were now orbiting near his head, clapping as they did so…

This was definitely Discord.

Izzy noisily scarfed down the food within reach of her hooves. “You see! It WAS an invitation after all!” Pointed the famished unicorn while munching on one-too-many treats.

I grabbed my head with my hooves, for I felt it was ready to explode. A hundred THOUSAND questions ran wild in my mind.

“Mr. Discord, I have so many questions for you… like, so many, but…” I struggled to rein myself and focus on the matter at hoof. “... but first, we really need your help.”

I turned to plead at him, only to find him munching on the teacup instead of drinking the tea inside it.

‘...Whatever.’ I shook my head hard.“One of the Unity Crystals was stolen, and we followed the thief here to Canterlot. You wouldn’t happen to have seen the thief around here, would you?” I inquired to the living legend standing in front of me.

“Smooth, Sunny.” Pipp spoke in a deadpan voice, but I chose to ignore her. We needed all the help we could get!

“The thief is exactly why we’re having this soiree! There is soooo much to talk about, and it all begins with a dramatic story. Ahem.” He cracked his neck and knuckles, and with a snap of his fingers, he teleported in a flash of light, only to reappear over a stage that had suddenly materialzied in front of us, taking a dramatic pose.

“Has that stage been there the whole time?” Asked a deeply confused Hitch.

“That lighting is completely oversaturating him. It’s very unflattering.” Added Pipp in a critical voice.

“Does anypony want popcorn?” Offered Izzy, having found a bucket of it somewhere. Politely refusing, we all focused on Discord, who had begun his storytelling.

“While age has been exceedingly kind to this handsome Lord of Chaos, manymanymany moons ago, when I was but a spry draconequus.” He sent a wink to us, making us reel back uncomfortably. “I was part of a high-flying group. It was Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and me fighting the good fight. Our fans called us the Mane-ificent Seven….”

I don’t know why, but something told me everything coming out of his muzzle was a load of horseapples.

“Aaahh….Aaahh….I’ll keep saying it as many times as I need, I’m too old for this!” I cursed out loud to myself.

I had been running for the last ten minutes through underground corridors, my gauntlet’s magic providing some much-needed illumination to prevent a nice mouthful of humid rock and lichen. I had run past the armory and was now standing in front of the Ephemeris Chamber, taking only a second to check that it still continued working correctly. Without it, the course of the sun and moon would cease, bringing a bunch of unpleasant problems (the end of the world). It made use of the magical energies of both celestial bodies to function, so the disappearance of pony magic hadn’t affected it, as was intended when it was designed.

I opened the heavy hatch and poked my head inside. The complex mechanism was still running in its eternal 'clink-clank-clonk' motion, the power runes that spread along the chamber walls providing some illumination for a quick rundown.

Satisfied with my brief analysis, I continued my descent into the caves that were once used to hide dangerous artifacts, among other… more unpleasant things. These did not belong to the crystal gallery system that had now collapsed. It would've been a hassle to relocate everything afterwards.

I traversed numerous caves, trying to make sense of the labyrinth they formed. With a sharp stone, I made marks in the walls near entrances and corners so as to not get completely lost on the eventual way back. The last time during the rescue at the changeling hive had taught me the dangers of traversing a cave system without orientation or a plan, even if that cave system changed and morphed before your very eyes just to mess with you. Fucking changelings…

I was about to give up and return to the entrance to try another way when I heard voices echoing faintly through the narrow pathways. Stopping to listen more closely, I could make out the voices of my friends.

But before I could celebrate and rush to them, I heard a new voice, one I could recognize anywhere.

‘... It can’t be…’

Have I mentioned how alarms had gone off in the throne room? Well, they were ready to blow up in my head!!

Quickening my pace, I began to follow the voices through the tunnels, my pulse racing with the consequences of what I thought might be happening to my friends.

‘Please, please don’t let it be him. For once in your life, Faust, please listen to me!’

Left, right, left, right, left, right. I hurried through the caverns. The voices grew louder, and it sounded like they were arguing from the tone of the conversation.

After a sharp turn to the right and descending from a low ledge. I could discern a light in the midst of the dark galleries.

Without a second thought, I ran towards it, my gauntlets ready and charging with energy.

“Wait… YOUSTOLE THE PEGASUS CRYSTAL!?” I pointed an accusing hoof at Discord after making the connection.

The story he told us matched my father's texts and the ones Alex had told us about… at least for the most part. A story of how the three pony races suddenly began to turn against each other, the conflicts only amplified by the action of a mysterious instigator. How Twilight and the Element Bearers gathered all the magic of Equus and locked it in the three crystals. As long as friendship and harmony flowed among the ponies of Equestria, magic would live on in them. But we know how it ended up...

Discord raised a defensive claw. “When you reunited the Crystals and magic was restored, I panicked! I didn’t want ponykind to turn against one another again, so I just… took it.” He finished with a nonchalant shrug.

“Stole it!!” Hitch angrily rectified, a calming pat from Pipp preventing him from jumping at the draconequus’ throat.

“And what exactly are you planning on doing with the crystal now?” Asked Izzy in an accusatory tone, the meal long forgotten now, not trusting for a second his intentions.

Discord flew from his place beside the table and sat back on the stage. “I’m not sure...” He began while looking at all of us in search of an answer. “That’s why you’re all here! It’s too big a decision for one Lord of Chaos to make on his own. Although…” His head cocked sideways towards the very same entrance he had appeared though. “Perhaps we should wait for our last guest, who seems about to arrive."

‘ALEX!!’ I remembered suddenly. With the recent events, I had completely forgotten about him!

Just as Discord mentioned him, the sound of non-hooved steps and rolling pebbles reached my ears, growing closer from the side entrance. A moment later, my human friend came out of the darkness into the chamber where we and the draconequus had met. His gaze was fixed on us, an expression of relief adorning his face as he learned that we were okay. However, as he turned at our host, that look turned to one of deep surprise, and... fear? That was a new expression for Alex.

“Ah, if it isn't my old friend! You look smashing for being over seven hundred, Empyrean.” Discord greeted our friend with a wave of his avian claw and a small bow.

‘Emp-what?’

Alex was simply standing there, speechless as I was, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets. After a few attempts to get a word out, he managed to voice in a shaky stutter. “D-Discord?”

After a hearty laugh, the draconequus approached the human with his arms open. “Come on, you ol’ chap! I’m not THAT old and wrinkly. I mean, the mane is a gorgeous addon in my opinion.” He said while exaggeratedly flaunting it in the air. “It gives me a… wise look, don’t you think?”

Alex was too stunned to answer the draconequus nonsense. Discord wrapped him in a hug and playfully ruffled his hair.

“H-How? I-I thought…” Alex tried once again to speak but was interrupted by Discord waving a foreclaw.

“Now, now, there’ll be more than enough time for that later.” he brushed the human off and turned back to us. “But first, we have important business to take care of!” He announced while returning to his previous place on the stage. Seeing my friend just standing there like a statue, I slowly approached him and, gently biting on the sleeve of his jacket, I guided him to where the rest of our friends were standing. He couldn’t take his eyes off the draconequus, trusting my leading while still barely believing what he was seeing.

‘It must be a huge shock for him, to see an old friend after so long. I don’t think he was expecting THAT to happen after he traveled to our time period.’

“So! Where were we?... Ah yes, I borrowed the Pegasus Crystal, and now I need your help deciding what to do with it. Ideas?” Discord addressed the group with the previous qualm. Of course, the answer was clear.

Leaving the stupefied human in the care of Izzy, I took a decisive step forward. “The answer is easy. Accepting what makes ponies unique and sparkle is what creates Unity. We need to embrace each tribe’s magic, not strip it away from them!”

“Agreed!” “Same here, Sunny girl!” “You got it, Sunny!” Were the responses from my friends, all of them sharing my view. All of them but one.

Discord also took notice of Izzy’s lack of an answer and smiled evilly. “What about you, my little unicorn? You’ve been quiet, and I would very much like to hear what you think of all of this.” He asked Izzy, who was providing reassuring rubs at my human friend who was currently sitting and silently watching the exchange. His hand was fiercely clutching something right around where his heart would be located from an uneducated guess.

“I-I agree with Sunny. Everypony should get to keep their magic…” Izzy answered, her voice not denoting one hundred percent confidence.

Discord didn't miss the doubt in her claim and stepped down from the stage, approaching Izzy with a pointed gate, his claws joined at the back of his slender body. “You don’t seem so sure about it though. And I can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with your arrival in Canterlot. I noticed you were separated from your friends for part of the journey, am I right? Only Alex bothered to remain at your side, he’s just so caring like that…” He finished while flashing mock fluttery eyes at the struggling human.

Izzy fired a nervous laugh. “Oh, well that’s only because we split up so Sunny, Zipp and Pipp could use their magic to fly above the trees and Hitch could ask some of the critters in the forest.”

At hearing this, Discord gave her a pointed side-look. “And you got left behind…”

Izzy was rapidly losing the battle. She tried to reason. “I-It wasn’t exactly like that…”

“I see so much of Fluttershy in you, Izzy,” He regarded my friend with a sad, condescending stare. “During those years, she also made excuses for others, and for herself over anypony else. But I could see how much it really hurt her. Just like how I can now see how much it hurts you. It’s hard to feel left behind simply because of gifts you don’t possess.”

He rose to his full length, his expression now morphing to a determined one. “But I’m going to fix it for you, Izzy.”

With a flash, the Pegasus Crystal appeared in his claw, lazily levitating as his yellowish, flaming orbs regarded the gem with unparalleled hatred. “To truly be rid of the division magic creates, it now seems there is only one answer!” He began to concentrate, his eyes narrowing. “No more mutants!...” A cricket sang somewhere. “I kid, I kid…. I must destroy the Crystal and get rid of magic once and for all!”

I began to panic. In a flash, my alicorn form manifested without my command. I looked towards my friends, all of us ready and eager to stop him. We began to set in formation. If we attacked at the same time, there was a chance we would be….”

“Stop!” A scream hit us from my back. All those present froze and peered towards its origin. Alex, who had been quiet as a tomb for the last minutes, had risen from his seat.

“Finally, he lives! I thought for a moment age had finally caught up with you.” Discord jested in a playful manner. It was hard to keep up with his mood swings.

My human friend didn’t find it funny in the slightest. “Discord, of all the absolutely stupid shit you’ve committed in your life, this one takes the medal! Getting rid of magic? Forever?! Are you fucking serious?!!”

Discord looked offended at his comment. “Well of course I’m being serious! The fact that I’m the Lord of Chaos doesn’t mean I get to joke around all the time!” He snorted angrily. “You and I both saw how dangerous magic became during the rupture, and how many ponies ended up injured. It’s best if we get rid of it once and for all!”

Alex gave a tired sigh, his gloved fists a tight ball painting his fingers white. “No, Discord. That’s the complete opposite of what we must do. Getting rid of magic didn’t solve anything. It only made it worse. Have you not seen the state of Equestria at the moment?! He sweeped a hand around. “It’s a miracle the ponies have managed to survive without any magic. For centuries they have lived separated, fearing and hating each other.”

“Have you forgotten the ‘Incident’, hmm?” Discord quirked an eyebrow, eliciting a visible twitch on the human. “Have you forgotten how unicorns looked down on the other creatures for not being able to cast spells, how the pegasi mocked other ponies for not being able to fly, how earth ponies started banning the other tribes from entering their shops just for the fear of them having wings or a horn? ALL of Equestria was rebelling against each other, with magic the weapon of choice! You can’t tell me you expect ponies to behave now that they have their magic back, and I am going to make sure it doesn’t happen again!” Discord stubbornly brushed the human’s hard words aside with a heroic pose.

Alex only got angrier at Discord’s aloof take on the matter. “Discord! This is not the time to play the hero! Haven’t you learned anything about your mistakes, and what happens when you try to come up with a solution and take charge on your own?! Use your fucking head for once in your bloody life and THINK!!!”

Discord was having none of it. Sending a dismissive foreclaw in the air, his patience with the human had ended. “Bah, why do I even bother to listen to the Prince who ran away.”

“I DIDN’T RUN AWMMMPHH” Alex’s fury begun to overflow when a snap from Discord’s claws made his mouth disappear in a flash, the poor human then only able to breathe through his nose. He wasn’t scared or anything as any other pony would surely be, just positively pissed now. Perhaps this wasn’t the first time Discord had done this.

The draconequus’ features became darker, pointing an accusing claw at our friend. “Yes. You. Did. Alexander. All of us knew you had run away the moment you disappeared after your fight with Twilight. You weren’t there when the Castle was attacked, you weren’t there to see our friends suffer the consequences of Equestria’s citizens turning against each other, you weren’t there when the Crystals were activated, and you weren’t there when the Exodus took place and the ponies finally segregated themselves into their own little corners in and out of Equestria. You ran away, just as the other creatures fled from the country when things went south.”

He lowered his face inches away from the human’s, his yellow eyes full of resentment. “You don’t get to tell me what’s right or wrong. You got scared and left us behind to deal with it by ourselves. YOU, a traitor and a COWARD, don’t get to decide the future of magic and ponykind! Empyrean.”

That strange word again, this time dripping as much venom as a manticore’s tail.

He raised back to his full length and regarded us with contempt. “I spent many years watching Fluttershy suffer, trying everything she could think of to ease the situation and help the ponies reconcile, only to be insulted and then ignored! Fluttershy! The sweetest pony to ever live!! The Incident was the wake-up call. If ponies were going to use magic for something so nefarious, then they don’t deserve to wield it at all! I made a promise to her, and I intend to keep it.”

“That’s not going to happen on our watch!” I called my friends to retake positions beside me. “Come on, ponies. Let’s make sure this number’s a real showstopper!” I focused on my alicorn powers, ready to fight.

‘This time, I’m NOT gonna remain on the sidelines being useless. This time, I get to show them what I really can do!’

Discord wasn’t intimidated by us. “Oh, Sunny. You love Canterlot history, right? Let me teach you a thing or two about chaos magic!”

A jumped at him, ready to bring him down. To my dismay, however, my assault was rendered naught when, with a snap of his fingers, I found myself entangled in a bunch of puppeteer strings falling from the ceiling, dangling over the stage like a lifeless doll.

‘Nononono. Not again!!’

“Sunny” Cried Hitch, immediately rushing over to help me.

“You let her go, Discord!” Followed Izzy, her magic back for the time being and levitating the numerous pastries on the table to throw them at him.

It wasn't meant to last. At the moment to rain Tartarus, Izzy’s magic glitched out, making her lose her grasp on the pastries. “Uh-Oh!”

No longer held in place by levitation, they began to rain over my friends, covering them in a sticky mess.

“I’m so sticky! Why does this keep happening to me?!!” Wailed a profoundly annoyed Pipp.

Tired of our pathetic attempts, Discord now sought to end our encounter swiftly and decisively. “Enough of this.” With a snap of his fingers, all of us, including my still mouthless friend, found ourselves tangled in ropes, our legs and wings pinned, making all of us fall to the ground like dead weight.

“Argh! Even if you wanted to destroy the Crystal, Twilight’s magic is too powerful. If Alex couldn’t, what makes you think you will!”

He answered with a taunting laugh. “Oh, my little Sunny. It isn’t Twilight’s magic powering the Crystals. At least, not entirely… Still, if there’s anything I’ve learned from her, it’s the power of a little research season. I’m sure I’ll figure something out.” His speech was delivered, his intentions crystal clear. Discord was ready for an exit. “The theater can be an emotional experience for everypony. You’ve been a wonderful, if not rowdy, audience.” He spoke with a wink while returning towards the stage.

Alex futilely tried to scream, only labored huffs coming from his nose. It was a perturbing sight to see him like this.

“I hope we can reconvene for another tea party during more peaceful times. It was a pleasure seeing you again, Alex. I hope you don’t end up betraying this new team like you did the last one. Arrivederci!”

And with that, he was gone. Cloudpuff, who had been hiding and whimpering under the table, quickly came out and started helping us remove the binding ropes, a task made much easier with the absence of Discord’s magic.

A haunting revelation fell over us. “He’s going to figure out how to destroy the Crystal, and if we don’t stop him in time… we’ll lose magic. Forever.”

The prospect of losing magic terrified me, especially now that we had recently won it back. After the reunification of the races, after our journey to reunite the Crystals, to lose it all like this…

Before my thoughts could take a darker turn, an angry scream scared me out of my fur… again.

“That lying, Hox-scrambled, maniac piece of SHIT!!!” I screamed at the top of my lungs in unfiltered rage. Even after hundreds of years and many, MANY mistakes, he still went with the same old-tired bullshit.

‘He hasn’t learned a fucking thing! He always has to be the lonely hero, thinking he can deal with problems in his own deranged way! As if last time wasn’t enough!’

For the hundredth time that morning, the phantom pains returned to bite my scar. My mind was full of rage, I wasn’t thinking clearly.

I felt detached.

“A-Alex?” A hesitant voice called to me, but I was consumed by blind anger.

“I DIDN’T RUN AWAY!! I HAD NO CHOICE!! IT HAD TO BE DONE!! I HAVE TO FIX IT!! WHO THE FUCK DOES HE THINK HE IS TO MAKE THAT CHOICE!!! I… I…”

The tug disappeared without conscious intervention. My rage began to dissipate, leaving only a profound feeling of shame and guilt. It was the truth, unfiltered and undiluted. Just the truth of my acts.

“I… I abandoned them… I left them to die… It had to be done, it had to be done…”

Sour tears began streaming down my eyes. It didn’t matter how many times I tried to convince myself. Deep down, I knew that Discord was right. I made a brash decision, cruel and inhumane, a decision that would cost me everything. But what choice did I have? Twilight was too powerful, and our friends didn’t want to lose their trust in her, even if they knew the madness of what she was proposing.

“IT WAS MY FAULT!! I HAVE TO FIX IT!!” A hard sob almost made me choke with my own tongue. “I had to leave them behind… I’m…. I’m a monster! I-I’m…” I collapsed into furious sobbing, my right fist slamming into the floor beneath me. An impact from my side then stopped my self-destructive ramblings. I fell to the ground from my crouching stance, a familiar warm weight now on top of me, chasing the ghosts away.

“Stop! Please. S-stop…” A soft voice pleaded with me between sobs. Sunny was clinging to me, her eyes full of tears as were mine. “P-Please, no more.”

She didn’t understand.

“It’s my f-fault, Sunny. The Incident was my fault. I ruined it. I pushed them too far! I have to make it right. I can’t allow you to suffer for my mistakes…”

“What are you talking about, Alex? What incident was your fault?” Asked Zipp, finally allowed to stretch her wings.

“I don’t believe for a moment what that crazy Discord said about you!” Izzy spoke with a stomp of emphasis.

“Agh! When I get my hooves on that freak I will end him! Look at the state of my mane!” An unparalleled fuming Pipp screeched beside her sister, trying to get herself clean of the sticky mess using a nearby tablecloth.

“You guys don’t understand…” I whispered, barely managing to get my breath under control.

“Then why don’t you explain it to us, Alex? I think it is high time for some answers, hm?” Inquired Hitch. The rest of the ponies turned to look at me with expecting eyes.

With a long sigh, I gently pushed Sunny away from me and planted myself into a sitting position. Sunny and Izzy were quick to reposition themselves at my sides, comforting hooves over the hands on my lap.

“… It was the last straw. The moment we lost sight of our goal. The moment Equestria’s downfall truly began…”

We heard the screams before we saw them. A leisurely walk around Ponyville with Twilight and my family was suddenly interrupted by the angry shouting contest that could be heard all the way from the main square.

Confused, for such a parade of colorful language should be a rarity in our homely town, we decided to hurry and check it out. These kinds of incidents had become more and more frequent as of late, spreading all over Equestria until reaching us. Minor disagreements, pointless accusations, unfounded discrimination… nothing that didn’t happen once in a very while in the multitude of cities and towns across the country. But I had never seen it happen so frequently, for such pointless reasons, and it was always one tribe blaming the other for what they were and not for what had actually happened.

‘For Faust’s sake, not again! We already have enough to deal with.’

We emerged from the side street near the town hall, where a circle of onlookers surrounded two ponies engaged in a heated argument. We made our way through the crowd, the ponies recognizing us and allowing us access to the front row.

A unicorn and an earth pony were arguing furiously.

“What do you mean I can't shop at your store?!!!”

“That's right buddy, no unicorns or pegasi are allowed in my place. You can take that horn of yours and stick it somewhere else! This store is reserved for earth ponies, as should the rest of Ponyville be!”

My friends and I couldn't believe what we were hearing. Such senseless rage, and for such petty reasons…

“Ha! Do you really think this town can get along without us? I'd like to see you manipulate the weather or perform complex tasks that can't be done without our magic. The only thing you're good for is having your snouts buried in the ground!”

The earth pony became genuinely pissed after hearing that. “You and your tribe are nothing but stray cannonballs! We don't want your kind casting your spells around here endangering us all. In fact! With the new ISIT technology arriving from Canterlot, we won't need your carrot-headed magic around here anymore! YOU’RE OBSOLETE!”

That was the last straw for the flaming unicorn. Rearing his head back, he charged his horn with crackling energy.

“AAARGH!! I’LL GIVE YOU CARROT-HEADED MAGIC!!!”

It happened too fast. And yet, time seemed to slow down to a trickle.

The moment we saw the unicorn rearing to attack, we all began to react at the same time. But the numerous ponies reeling and panicking in the crowd limited our immediate movement.

Seeing we wouldn’t reach them in time, I decided to cast my protection spell on the earth pony.

“Protego!” I screamed with my gloved hand pointing at the earth pony, my trusty gauntlet charged and ready to cast.

It would have been better if I had kept my mouth shut for once.

I was not an expert in shield magic. The few lessons I had received from Shining Armor allowed me to learn how to form one around myself or another pony. But, unlike his expert spellcasting, my shield didn't form from top to bottom in a homogeneous fashion, rather it formed in fragments that appeared around me that eventually merged together.

The incoming laser beam crossed the distance between us long before my shield was fully formed. It hit one of the curved fragments that had begun to form in front of the earth pony, the rounded surface deflecting the laser. What should have been a hard hit against the chest area that would’ve simply thrown the pony backwards with a nasty burn, instead ended up striking against his neck.

In general terms, equine necks are very strong, even more so the case of earth ponies. But an impact at that speed and at that angle was too much to withstand. With a thunderous 'crack', the earth pony shot off to the side, his head turned in a weird angle.

If that didn't kill him, the ensuing impact against the fragments fusing at the rear side of the shield definitely finished him off.

Less than a second later, after the shield had finished assembling, inside laid the body of the earth pony on the ground, unresponsive.

‘No…’

Before I had the chance to become paralyzed, I rudely pushed away the ponies at my sides and rushed toward the fallen pony. With a wave of my hand, I dissipated the shield around him.

‘No…’

The screams of the townsponies reached my ears, muffled by the blood rushing to them. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Rainbow and Applejack pounce on the attacker, who was staring straight ahead with dumbfounded eyes. I knelt in front of the earth pony and carefully turned his body to lay him on his back.

‘No…’

I searched for a pulse without success, his dilated eyes retaining a look of deep surprise. He had barely had enough time to realize what was even happening. His head was tilted at a completely impossible angle for a pony, and small rivulets of blood started splattering on the ground from the back of his head and nostrils.

‘No, no, no, no, NO!!!!’

The anguished cries of Fluttershy and Pinkie, the telltale 'clink clank' of the armor worn by the town guards as they began to clear the area, the flapping wings of the pegasi Trauma Team looking for a place to land amongst the crowd, the screams of Twilight beside me trying to get my attention.

But none of that mattered to me. For the first time in hundreds of years, a racial conflict between the ponies had ended up taking a life.

And it had been my fault.

…

…

…

…

“What have I done…?”

Author's Note

Once again, thank you all for the kind words and continued support. I hope you're enjoying the ride.