Chapter 1
Welcome to Ponyvile
Tara stood nervously before the door of the Grand Hall. It was not often that the princess called to speak with her in person rather than by letter. It was even more rare that she was summoned to the Grand Hall for an audience in such an official capacity rather than a short visit either in the study or the palace’s library. It was both exciting and terrifying at the same time as the large doors swung open to reveal the princess sitting on her throne, her long prismatic hair dancing around her sweet face.
“Tara, my dear student,” the princess greeted in her song-like voice.
“Princess Celestia,” Tara replied as she placed her hand over her heart and gave a short bow. “It’s good to see you.”
“You as well,” Princess Celestia smiled. She rose from her throne and stretched her wings as she approached the young Caster. “Your studies have brought you very far these past few years.”
“All thanks to your teachings,” Tara said humbly, blushing at the praise.
“Not all, my dear. That’s actually why I’ve called for you today.”
If she had not been before, Tara was most certainly confused now. The princess reached out to her and brushed Tara’s lavender hair back around her Caster horn with a smile. The princess’ own ivory horn was never hidden from view by her hair, for it was considerably longer than any other Caster horn. For a brief moment Tara wondered if that ever gave her problems with her daily duties, but brushed the flighty thought away to focus on what was being said.
“I have mentioned before that I have never before met a Caster with your raw talents. Your diligent studies and focused practice have brought you very far; however your exposure to magic has been limited to our private lessons and your textbooks.”
“And both of those have been incredibly helpful and inspirational!” Tara said quickly, nervous as to where the conversation appeared to be leading.
“Be that as it may, it is my belief as your teacher that you need more than that to continue your growth as a Caster.”
Tara began to fiddle with the pink streak in her hair nervously.
“What do you suggest?” she asked fearfully.
“There is a Caster I know that you could benefit from.”
“Oh!” Tara smiled in relief. “So we’ll arrange a meeting and I can continue my lessons—“
“Unfortunately, this Caster is quite reclusive, and not overly fond of removing herself from her home. You will have to go to her.”
Tara’s smile faded.
“You’re sending me away?”
“Now, my dear, surely you are familiar with studying abroad. I merely wish for you to meet this Caster and escape from those dusty old books in the library for a while. It would be nice for you to get out and see more of the world for yourself and make some friends.”
* - * - * - *
Even as she packed her bags Tara could not believe what was happening. Of course she trusted Princess Celestia’s judgment and knew she only wanted what was best for her. Still, how was making friends going to help her magical studies? And what could this reclusive Caster teach her that the princess could not?
“So you’re really leaving?”
A figure not much smaller than Tara stood in her doorway dressed in long jeans with almost comically large boots. His upper body adorned a large baggy hoodie that’s sleeves were slightly too long for his arms and covered his gloved hands, the purple hood draped over his head obscuring all of his features with the exception of his bright green eyes that shined through the shadow cast over his face. Those eyes were clearly filled with worry at the prospect of Tara’s trip.
“Yes, Spike. Princess Celestia really wants me to meet this Caster. Can’t understand why though.”
“But what if something happens while you’re gone?” Spike asked as he wrapped his arms around her like a frightened child. “I can only do this because you’re here.”
“You could always come with me,” Tara offered, placing a hand on the back of Spike’s head. Spike just pulled away and stared at her. “Oh come on, Spike. You don’t have to come, but you aren’t going to convince me to stay. You’re my little brother and I love you very much, but I have a responsibility to the princess.”
“Yeah, I know, but you know anyone who sees me is going to freak out!”
“Princess Celestia said this Caster is a recluse. She stays home and doesn’t like to leave. We probably won’t see anyone after the first few days. Besides, I’ll be quick with the studies so we can come home.”
Spike considered his options for a few minutes while Tara continued to pack. In his mind he already knew he should be wherever Tara was just in case, but he was still afraid. People here knew him, knew what happened, and even some of them still kept their distance now. Anywhere else he would probably be avoided entirely, maybe even run out of town. In the end, his rationality barely managed to just barely outweigh his fears. After all, if something did happen he would need Tara’s help to do something about it.
“You sure it’s okay for me to come?” he asked his sister.
“Your bag is already packed,” she answered with a smile.
The two siblings grabbed their bags and made their way through the castle hallways. Tara could not help but feel a little apprehensive about the whole situation. She had never been away from the capital for more than a day or two, and that was on very rare occasions. This was kind of a big deal for her, and Spike as well for that matter. He would be beginning his high school lessons at the palace once the fall semester started and now he was leaving without even knowing when he would be back. If Tara’s lessons took too long he may even have to start late if not wait a full year. Princess Celestia had not given the impression that whoever this Caster was that they would be willing to tutor Spike as well.
“So it’s true then?” a familiar voice asked as they exited the main palace doors. A tall Caster clad in golden armor looked down at the two with bright blue eyes. He pulled off his helmet revealing matching hair that tumbled down onto his forehead. Both sorrow and pride were reflected in his eyes.
“It’s true, Andrew,” Tara replied. “We’re leaving pretty soon.”
“You’re both going?” Andrew repeated as he pulled Tara into a tight embrace.
“I can’t leave Spike on his own, and Princess Celestia wants me to broaden my horizons. It shouldn’t take too long if we’re lucky.”
“Man you guys are growing up fast,” Andrew smiled as he clapped a hand down on Spike’s shoulder. He laughed as he started to push Spike downward to look smaller. “There’s my little brother.”
“Yeah, laugh it up, Captain,” Spike groaned as he shoved Andrew’s hand away.
“I’m glad you’re here, but don’t you have your duties to attend to?” Tara asked.
“They can manage without me for a while. I want to see you off.”
Tara smiled fondly as Andrew took her bags and helped load them into the awaiting carriage. Before climbing in she wrapped her arms around him tightly and buried her face in his chest.
“I love you, big brother,” she said softly, trying not to cry.
“Love you too, kiddo,” Andrew replied as he returned her embrace. “Take care while you’re gone, and be sure to write.”
“Will do.”
Tara finally relinquished her hold on her brother just as Spike finished loading his own bags. As Tara climbed aboard, Andrew took hold of Spike’s arm and pulled him aside.
“What’s up?”
“Look, I know this is supposed to be a study trip for her, but I need you to do something for me,” Andrew said seriously. “Make sure Tara gets out and has some fun once in a while. Get her to socialize, maybe make some friends.”
“The princess said that too,” Spike nodded. “I’ll do what I can, but you know how she gets when she’s working.”
“I know, but I know you too.” Andrew pulled spike up into his arms and squeezed him tightly, something Spike protested loudly. “You’re my baby brother, our little Charlie, and I know you’ll look after Tara for me.”
“It’s Spike now, remember?” Spike said as his feet touched ground again.
“Whatever you say, Charlie,” Andrew grinned. “Love you, little bro.”
“Yeah, whatever, love you too I guess,” Spike muttered in embarrassment.
“”You two take care of each other, you hear me?”
“I promise, Andrew,” Spike reassured him.
“We will! Love you, BBBFF!”
* - * - * - *
“So where is it that we’re going anyway?” Spike asked.
“Apparently this caster lives in the Everfree Forest not too far from a small town called Ponyville,” Tara answered from behind one of her textbooks.
“Ponyville? Really?”
“Records say that there used to be a lot of wild horses in the area. One of the settler’s daughters started calling the place Ponyville and the name just sort of stuck,” Tara explained.
“What about the forest?”
“There’s really nothing worth mentioning,” Tara said. “It’s a fairly large forest, but I’ve never read anything noteworthy about it with the exception of its size.”
“Do you have any idea how to get to this Caster’s place from Ponyville?”
“I’m sure somebody will be able to give us directions, Spike.”
The remainder of the trip passed in relative silence. The swaying of the carriage lulled the two passengers into a half sleep, never quite drifting off completely. It was only a few hours’ flight from the capital to Ponyville and the two Avians that pulled the carriage were swift enough to get Tara and Spike there by early afternoon.
“Thank you very much, gentlemen,” Tara said as one of the two armed Avians handed her luggage to her.
“Not a problem, miss.”
“Did you have to drop us off in the middle of town?” Spike asked as he pulled his hood farther over his head. “Everyone’s staring.”
Tara would have liked to argue the point to reassure him, but Spike was right. A carriage landing in the middle of the street did seem to garner the attention of the majority of the surrounding populace. Most passersby were taking the time to stop and glance in the direction of their carriage. One person in particular was coming across as a little peculiar.
Bouncing curly red hair framed a pair of large blue eyes and an enormous toothy grin. The girl owning the face wore a white shirt with a smiling cupcake on it and bright pink jeans. Apart from her smile and clothing the girl was noticeable for another reason.
She was hopping.
Straight towards them.
“Oh wow! New visitors! We don’t get too many people thru Ponyville cause we’re such a small place but we’re really homey and friendly here so I don’t know why people don’t visit more often but maybe you’re not visiting since you’ve got suitcases so maybe you’re moving here and if that’s the case that would be wonderful cause it means that you’ll be staying and if you’re staying you’ll need to know your way around and you’ll need to make some new friends and I love making new friends and I know everybody absolutely everybody in Ponyville and I’d love to show you around and introduce you to everyone hi I’m Shannon!”
Tara just blinked in surprise and glanced over at Spike. He looked as out of breath as the girl should have been, but she wasn’t. She just stood there with that grin on her face waiting for some sort of reply.
“Shannon, was it?” Tara asked hesitantly.
“Oh, you can call me Pinkie Pie! Or just Pinkie! All of my friends do!”
“Okay, Pinkie . . . um . . . My name is Tara and this is my younger brother Char—Spike. We’re actually on our way to the Everfree Forest if you could—“
“The Everfree Forest?” Pinkie asked, her smile faltering. “That scary place? But why?”
“We’re supposed to meet someone who lives there,” Spike spoke up.
“But no one lives in . . . Oh! I think I know who you’re talking about! Come on! I can take you right to her door!”
Now that had been an unexpected surprise. It was nice to find someone willing to guide them to their destination quickly, but Tara was a little doubtful about their guide’s competence. She could also not help but wonder why Pinkie had said the Everfree Forest was scary. It was just a forest.
“So how long are you guys planning on staying?” Pinkie asked. “Or are you moving here?”
“I’m only here for my education, but I suppose we’ll be here for a while. I’m hoping to get Spike back home before his first high school semester starts.”
“High school,” Pinkie beamed. “High school was so much fun! I still remember my first day! It was so exciting and I made so many new friends!”
“You think she’s always like this?” Spike whispered. “I’m exhausted just being near her.”
“She does come across as a bit . . . manic,” Tara agreed. She looked passed her brother’s hoodie to see a raised eyebrow. “Okay she’s kind of crazy.”
They followed along behind the bouncing Pinkie all the while trying to listen to what she was telling them, but were not entirely sure they were even hearing English when she poke. Words just seemed to tumble out of her mouth as quickly as the thoughts touched her brain.
“Oh! And there’s my friend Sandy.”
The sudden stop in Pinkie’s nonstop dialogue caught both Tara and Spike’s attention.
“What about your friend Sandy?” Tara asked.
“Nothing, she’s just right there.”
Tara’s gaze followed Pinkie’s pointing finger upward just in time to see a rainbow colored blur crash down on top of her.
“Hi, Sandy!” Pinkie waved enthusiastically as Spike tried to help the two girls untangle themselves and recover his sister’s luggage for her.
“Pinkie Pie, you know I hate that name!” the rainbow haired girl replied gruffly as she climbed to her feet. She quickly brushed off her jeans and dusted the shoulders of her light blue t-shirt, revealing herself to be an Avian as she stretched out her wings. Her violet eyes were full of confidence even after her crash.
“I know, but I was trying to introduce you to my new friends Tara and Charspike and you were all whoosh! And then zoom! And then crash!”
“Sorry about that,” Sandy said as she extended her hand to Tara. “Tara, right? I’m Dash. Rainbow Dash: World’s best flyer and future Wonderbolt.”
“Wonderbolt? As in the best of the best Avians in the world?”
“Yep!” Rainbow Dash said proudly as she spun around and revealed the Wonderbolt insignia on the back of her shirt.
“Somehow I doubt the Wonderbolts are accepting applicants who crash into pedestrians,” Tara smirked as Spike stifled a chuckle.
“Oh yeah?”
Rainbow Dash was off like a bullet. She spun and dove and looped thru the air with what looked like reckless abandon, but complete control at the same time as she continued to pick up speed. In a final display of agility and flair, Rainbow Dash swooped down and circled the two siblings so quickly that they both lost sight of her until she tapped their shoulders form behind.
“Yay Dash!” Pinkie cheered loudly.
“That was unbelievable!” Spike exclaimed. “You’re amazing!”
“I know,” Rainbow Dash smiled smugly.
“Yeah, incredible,” Tara deadpanned as she looked at her now dirt covered clothes. She just knew her hair had to be a mess too with how Spike was covering his mouth. “How am I supposed to make a good impression looking like this?”
“Oops,” Rainbow Dash frowned. “Sorry about that.”
“Oh! Oh! Oh! We should totally stop by Carousel Boutique if you need a quick wardrobe fix!” Pinkie said excitedly. “C’mon, it’s on the way and not that far!”
Tara did not even bother trying to argue as Pinkie took her hand and began to lead her down the street. In the short time she had known Pinkie it had become abundantly clear just how futile it would be to try and dissuade her. Besides, if she was representing the princess it simply would not do to show up covered in dirt. It did strike her as odd that Rainbow Dash seemed to have invited herself along as she floated along beside Pinkie.
As Pinkie had said, the boutique was not that far away. It was a charming little shop with a carousel motif decorating the upper windows. As Pinkie opened the door, Tara was pleased to see a collection of lovely outfits on display. The four of them had barely made it in the door when a Caster who appeared slightly older than the rest of them greeted the group.
“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is – oh my, darling!” The woman turned and Tara could not help but admire her beauty. She wore a lovely white blouse that hung down to her hips on either side, but left her mid drift and the small of her back exposed. A thin white gold necklace lay draped around her neck with a dark red ruby pendant hanging from it. Her jeans clung tightly to her hips and her high heeled boots click-clacked with every step she took as she approached them. Her long purple hair curled around her face and drew attention to her long eyelashes and sparkling sapphire eyes which were wide open in shock. “You poor dear, whatever happened to you?”
“Hey, Rarity,” Pinkie and Rainbow Dash said happily.
“Ah, mystery solved,” Rarity frowned. “Now, Rainbow, I’ve told you a thousand times that you simply must be more respectful and careful of other people and their clothes. You’re always kicking up dust with that wild flying of yours.”
“So can you help Tara get all cleaned up?” Pinkie asked.
“I would be very grateful, miss,” Tara added as she set her bags down.
“Of course, darling, but please don’t be so formal. Oh! Where are my manners? My name is Tabitha, dear, but everyone calls me Rarity.”
“I’m Tara. I would shake your hand, but—“ Tara stared at her dirty hand and knew that Rarity would not accept it without washing it first. Not that Tara blamed her considering how lovely and expensive those clothes must have been.
“That’s quite alright,” Rarity said, shaking her head with understanding.
“So does everyone in Ponyville have a nickname, or what?” Tara asked with a half-smile.
“Well, once our little Pinkie Pie here gives you a nickname it does have a tendency to catch like wildfire,” Rarity smiled. “Not that anyone really minds though. They’re usually quite clever and fitting after all.” It was then that Rarity’s attention turned to the quite boy hiding under his hood. “Ooh. And who might this dark and mysterious stranger be?”
I-I-I-I’m Spike,” he stammered out, briefly looking up and meeting Rarity’s eyes. He quickly turned his head away out of embarrassment from his stuttering.
“Well, Spike, I must say your choice of color is superb,” she replied as she placed her hand on the side of his hood and turning him to face her again. “That purple hood definitely brings out the green of your eyes quite nicely. Why, they’re practically luminous!”
“You think so?” Spike asked. Tara could practically hear the blush in her brother’s voice. “You really like it?”
“Absolutely,” Rarity nodded. “But why are you hiding such stunning emeralds at all?”
Rarity moved to slip Spike’s hood off, but Tara stepped between them with a nervous smile.
“He’s just a little shy,” Tara explained quickly. “We’ve met all three of you in just the short time we’ve been in town. It makes him a bit nervous and anxious. We’ve just arrived from the capital you see and—“
“You’re from the capital?” Rarity nearly shouted.
Before Tara even knew what was happening she was whisked away to a fitting area where Rarity was hastily taking her measurements and bombarding her with questions about the capital. Tara did her best to try and answer them, but the questions came faster than she could answer.
“I have always dreamed of visiting the capital,” Rarity went on. “I absolutely love Ponyville, but I believe I’m a city girl at heart. Now do go on, dear, you were telling us why you’re visiting our humble little town.”
“Well,” Tara started as Rarity placed a smooth light lavender jacket over her shoulders, “I was sent here to continue my studies. Princess Celestia said I would find my new teacher near here.”
“You know the princess?” Rarity gushed. “Oh my stars, I can’t believe this! And you say she sent you here to find a teacher?”
“Yeah, and she lives near Everfree Forest!” Pinkie announced.
“Everfree?” Rainbow Dash repeated. “But there’re only two people that live near that place.”
Tara shuffled slightly as a thigh length skirt that matched the jacket and a pair of long dark leggings magically covered her lower half under Rarity’s power. She looked herself over in the dressing mirrors and was awed by the business like uniform that she was now wearing.
“It is inspired by the school uniforms of the capital,” Rarity said as she looped a sleek black tie around Tara’s collar. Tara placed it neatly under the jacket before fastening the two buttons and giving herself another look in the mirror.
“It’s gorgeous,” Tara said. “How much do I owe you?”
“Think nothing of it, darling,” Rarity waved dismissively. “One cannot visit a friend of royalty without looking one’s best. Consider it my gift to you as a welcome to Ponyville. I’m sure we’re going to be the best of friends you and I.”
“Thank you so much,” Tara smiled.
“And next up will be Spike,” Rarity said, eyes shining in anticipation.
“Would you look at the time?” Spike said hastily, pulling on his sister’s arm. “Gotta get going, can’t keep the princess’ friend waiting after all! Let’s go, Tara!”
Tara chuckled at her brother’s obvious infatuation, but understood his reservations about getting a wardrobe makeover. She let him pull her out the door with the other three girls right behind them. Rarity took just enough time to lock the door before following after them.
“You’re coming too?” Dash asked.
“Of course,” Rarity answered. “If one of our friends knows the princess, I should like to ask her why she kept it from us.”
Tara groaned in exasperation as her following grew again. It was not that she was not appreciative, but this had nothing to do with any of them. At this point she began wishing Pinkie had just given her directions, lovely new outfit or no. If her new teacher was as reclusive as Princess Celestia said, then she would probably not be very pleased when an entire group of people showed up on her doorstep.
Tara’s group had barely made it away from the main streets of Ponyville before the cobblestone roads just sort of stopped and the pathways became dirt paths. It gave Tara a better understanding of just how small the town must be. It was no wonder someone not wanting to be around people would choose to live near here. Then again, if Tara and Spike’s current situation was typical of the townsfolk, it was a wonder a recluse could find any time to themselves.
It was not too terribly far outside of town that Tara noticed a wagon in the distance, one that was filled with a considerably large load. She was almost tempted to ask the others about it, but recent experience told her she would find out momentarily.
“AJ!” Rainbow Dash called out.
The wagon came to an abrupt stop and waited for the girls to catch up. Tara soon learned that the wagon load consisted entirely of apples; apples that caused her stomach to rumble at the realization that she had not eaten since early that morning. A tall young woman stepped out from the front of the wagon, long blonde hair in a tail under a wide brimmed hat. She wore a pair of jean overalls over an orange colored shirt with a bright smile on her freckled face. Her skin was tanned from what Tara assumed was working out in the sun for many hours of the day and her green eyes were friendly and welcoming for the company.
“Well howdy, girls!” she said in a thick southern accent. “Ah wasn’t ‘spectin’ to run inta any y’all out here this tahm a day.”
“And we weren’t expecting to see you!” Pinkie giggled. “Surprises are fun!”
“An’ who’re these new faces?” AJ asked sticking out her hand and giving Tara’s and amazingly strong squeeze.
“Good afternoon. I’m Tara and this is my brother Spike.”
“Nice to meet you,” Spike said, opting to keep his hands to himself.
“Pleasure’s all mahn. Name’s Ashleigh Jeanne, folks just call me AJ mostly.”
“Let me guess,” Tara smiled. “Pinkie name?”
“Nope, mah Pinkie name’s Applejack. Betcha can’t guess why,” she chuckled as she took hold of her cart’s push handle and started on her way again. Tara’s stomach gave a small growl at the mention of apples and she covered it while trying to mask a blush. Applejack just laughed louder as she grabbed an apple and tossed it to her. “Ya sound a mite hungry there, sugar cube.”
“Can I have one?” Spike asked hopefully.
“Sure, partner.”
An apple flew into the grateful boy’s open hands and he took a quick bite.
“Thank you very much,” Tara said. “I just realized we haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Mighty lucky y’all ran inta me then, isn’t it? Why y’all way out here anyway?”
“Tara here has come from the capital, sent by Princess Celestia herself,” Rarity said in a star struck voice.
“She’s supposed to be meeting a friend of the princess who’s gonna be her new teacher,” Rainbow Dash added as she floated to the top of Applejack’s pile of apples. Without even looking, AJ reached up and grabbed Rainbow’s ankle and pulled her down to the ground.
“Hold yet horses there, Dash. Those’re Fluttershy’s critter’s apples.”
“But you gave them apples,” Dash argued.
“They’re actually hungry,” Applejack replied. “Y’all probly just got the munchies from lettin’ yer wings do all the work insteada walkin’ as usual.”
“I’ve got wings for a reason, AJ,” Dash said as she popped back up into the air. “No ground for me if I can help it.”
“Who’s Fluttershy?” Spike asked.
“Her real name is Andrea, and I’m pretty sure she’s the one you’re looking for,” Pinkie Pie said. “She’s the only one other than Applejack that lives near Everfree forest.”
“Now, Pinkie, that don’t make a lick a sense,” Applejack interjected. “How can Fluttershy be the teacher Tara here’s lookin’ for? I don’t think she’s ever even been to the capital.”
“It does seem unlikely,” Rarity said. “Rainbow, do you know if Fluttershy has ever been to the capital?”
“I dunno. Maybe she lived there before we met, but I’m pretty sure she’s lived here since after I met her.”
“Does she tend to keep to herself and not go out too much?” Tara asked.
“She can be a bit of a homebody,” Pinkie confirmed. “And she usually doesn’t like having too many people come over all at once either.”
Nobody seemed to let this statement faze them as they all continued to follow Tara and Applejack towards Fluttershy’s home. Said home turned out to be a small cottage that appeared to be part of the nature that was around it. The roof looked as though it were part of a canopy of trees and the path leading to the circular door passed over a small brook. The trees were filled with birds’ nests, there were burrows all around the yard, and a chicken coop sat just between the brook and the house. All in all it was a quaint little cottage.
Applejack set her wagon down before reaching in and grabbing one of the large wooden baskets of apples and carried it with practiced ease over the tiny bridge and straight up to the door. The others followed closely behind and waited as Applejack knocked softly on the door. Tara held her breathe in anticipation of meeting her new teacher that Princess Celestia herself had picked. As uneager as she had been this morning, she found herself quite excited to meet her.
“Hello?” a soft voice came as the door opened a crack.
“Hey there, sugar cube,” Applejack smiled. “I’ve got yer critter food.”
“Hello, Applejack,” the voice replied. “I’m glad to see you. How are you today?”
“Can’t complain,” she replied. “Mighty sorry to bother ya, Fluttershy, but we’ve got somebody out here that’s lookin’ to meetcha.”
“You do?” the voice asked as the door pushed open a little more. A timid little face peered out from the opening of the doorway revealing long pink hair and a single soft blue-green eye. “I’m afraid I wasn’t expecting anybody today. Are you sure they’re looking for me?”
“Please excuse this sudden imposition,” Tara said as she stepped forward. She noticed she was speaking softer than usual, perhaps due to the soft spoken voice of her new mentor. “My name is Tara and Princess Celestia sent me here to continue my studies with you.”
“Princess Celestia sent you here?” Fluttershy gasped softly. “Oh my, I’m ever so sorry for making you wait outside for me. Please, come in.”
Tara could barely contain her enthusiastic smile as the door to the cottage opened wide. Surely there would be all manner of magical tomes and books and research materials all over the walls and shelves of the cottage. When Fluttershy stepped forward to welcome everyone into her home however, Tara’s smile faded into a look of confusion.
The young woman who stood before Tara had to be the same age as her. She was wearing a long yellow sundress that nearly touched the floor. What baffled Tara more so than Fluttershy’s age was the fact that she was not a Caster, but an Avian.
“I think there may have been a mistake here,” she said.
“I made a mistake?” Fluttershy asked as she raised a hand to her apologetic face. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know how I’m supposed to properly meet someone the princess has sent. Was I supposed to do it differently?”
“No, you were just fine,” Tara smiled weakly. “It’s just that I came here to study magic. I’m just not sure how much magic you can teach me if you’re not a Caster.”
“I should say there’s been a mistake then,” Rarity spoke up. “Why, there aren’t that many magically gifted Casters in Ponyville at all. We mostly use our magic for our day to day, darling.”
“But that doesn’t make sense,” Pinkie Pie said. “Why would Princess Celestia send you to find someone who lives near Everfree to learn magic if the only two people who live there aren’t Casters?”
Realization dawned on Tara almost instantly at Pinkie’s question.
“Because my teacher doesn’t live near Everfree Forest,” Tara said as she began to walk around Fluttershy’s cottage. “She lives in Everfree Forest. Princess Celestia wasn’t mistaken. I was for thinking that she may have been wrong.”
“But nobody lives in Everfree Forest,” Fluttershy said. “It’s far too dangerous in there.”
“Whoa there, nelly,” Applejack said as she rushed to catch up to Tara. “You can’t seriously be thinkin’ ‘bout goin’ in there, Tara. It’s not safe.”
“I am and I’m going to,” Tara announced defiantly. “Princess Celestia sent me here to find somebody to teach me something about magic that I couldn’t learn on my own. If the princess says that person lives in the forest, then that’s where I’m going.”
Tara stepped around Applejack with Spike now following closely behind. When the two of them got to the very edge of the forest she felt herself hesitate. She looked into the dark woods before her and felt a small twinge of fear rising up within her.
“Are you sure about this, sis?” Spike asked.
Tara blinked her eyes and swallowed her fear.
“Of course I am,” she said stubbornly. “Princess Celestia wouldn’t steer me wrong.”
And with that said, she entered Everfree Forest.
A/N: A special-type internet cookie for anyone who can tell me where the human names came from!
Chapter 2
The Everfree
Tara could not quite put her finger on it, but there was something odd about the Everfree Forest. The moment she first stepped foot in it she felt the most peculiar of sensations run up her spine to the base of her neck. It was not long before the overgrowth of the forest began to filter out most of the sun. She could feel her brother walking close to her side, but it did little to alleviate the strange feeling she had. Her rising nervousness and fear began to manifest as she noticed her stride had become smaller and smaller with each step and she found herself continuously glancing side to side.
“This is ridiculous!” she growled as she stomped her foot. “It’s just a forest, there’s no reason to be acting like scared children!”
“Are you sure?” Spike asked. “I don’t know about you, but this place is totally freaking me out.”
“It’s all in your head, Spike. All we have to do is look for signs of a path. If someone’s living out here then they have to be able to move through all of this after all.”
Tara tried to take her own advice, but her mind continued to concoct irrational fears that made her jump at almost every shadow she saw. It was when a soft rustling behind her started that Tara really became fearful. She tried to pick up her pace and get Spike moving faster, but the sound kept coming. It drew ever closer until finally Tara turned towards the source, her Caster horn aglow with magic.
“Stay back!” she commanded.
“Whoa! Tone it down, girl!” Rainbow Dash said as she stepped out of the darkness. Along with her came Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and even the timid Fluttershy.
“What are all of you doing here?” Tara asked as her magic aura faded.
“Y’all didn’t expect us to just leave you to wander this here forest by yerselves, did ya?” AJ asked.
“It can be very dangerous in here,” Fluttershy said. “There are all sorts of dangerous creatures roaming around that live here.”
“While I appreciate the concern, I assure you we can take care of ourselves,” Tara informed them. “I’m sure there’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Is that why your glow stick was lit up like a firework display a second ago?” Dash asked.
Another warm shiver ran through Tara and she shivered noticeably. At that moment an ear splitting snapping and ripping sound echoed all around them. The girls and Spike let out screams as they gathered together and searched for the source of the noise. After a few moments the forest fell silent and the screaming faded. They all waited for any other sound or movement of some kind, but none came. Suddenly, Pinkie fell directly in front of them from some unseen location eliciting more screams.
“Pinkie Pie, what in the world did you do?” Rarity demanded.
“I was trying to get a better look around, but boy oh boy did that tree not want to be climbed,” Pinkie laughed. “One of the branches I was standing on broke, see?”
Everyone turned to where Pinkie was pointing and saw a terrifying face glaring back at them with a long jagged arm and clawed hand reaching in their direction. The screaming started all over again until the sound of laughter started ringing in everyone’s ears. Pinkie was doubled over with laughter as she moved towards the beast.
“Look you guys!” she continued laughing. “It looks like a spooky face with that branch sticking out like that!”
Pinkie made a few goofy faces at the monster before taking the clawed hand in her own and bouncing it up and down. It was then that everyone realized the face they were seeing was just the formation of a tree trunk, the arm nothing more than the fallen branch Pinkie had mentioned before.
“Rawr! I’m gonna get you, Pinkie Pie!” Pinkie said in a gravelly voice. She then proceeded to place the hand-like limb on top of her head and gave an overly dramatic flail of her arms, coaxing giggles from her friends. “And your little friends too!”
Pinkie pulled the limb from where it had fallen and began to move slowly towards the others who only laughed louder when she started to chase them with it. When she reached out and placed it on Applejack’s arm, AJ made a big show of being pulled in before sitting down and laughing as she cheered for the others to run. This went on for a while as Pinkie chased down each of the others, all the while making silly growling monster noises until Tara was the only one left.
Tara had no idea what had gotten into her. She ran and laughed as Pinkie Pie chased her around with a dead tree branch as though she were a child at play. The others were cheering loudly and laughing right along with her all the way up to when Pinkie finally plopped the tree branch hand on top of her shoulder. Tara uncharacteristically grabbed her throat and mad a few comical choking noises before spinning around and falling onto her rump with renewed laughter.
“That was a blast!” Pinkie exclaimed, discarding the tree branch. “Nothing’s scary when you’re laughing!”
Tara had to admit that she no longer felt afraid of the forest. She smiled as Pinkie reached down and helped her back onto her feet, still not having stopped laughing. The others were also standing again and Spike came to stand by her side.
“I haven’t heard you laugh like that in forever,” he said.
“I know,” Tara smiled. “Thank you Pinkie. That was a lot of fun and I feel a lot better. We should all get moving though if we’re going to find that Caster.”
No one pointed out that Tara had just accepted their company for the search.
“So, Tara,” AJ said as they continued on their way, “why don’t ya tell us a bit about this here teacher yer lookin’ for.”
“There’s not much I can tell you honestly,” Tara admitted. That now familiar warm shiver slid up her spine again, but she shrugged it off. “Princess Celestia just said that she knew her and that I could learn from her. Other than that—“
“Tara’s explanation was cut short by her own scream. She felt herself tumbling down a steep hill and was vaguely aware of Applejack’s screaming somewhere near her. She scrambled for a grip and managed to grasp a root sticking out of the side of the hill just as she felt her legs dangle over an opening. Tara could no longer hear Applejack and feared the worst as the others called out to her. She could barely make out their voices, but not what they were saying. She tried to answer, but found she could not get her voice to work properly. Instead she tried to find Applejack.
“AJ?” her voice came in a hoarse tone. “Applejack? Applejack, are you there?”
“Ah’m here,” was the strained reply. She sounded distant, but much closer than the others. “You okay, Tara?”
“I don’t know,” she answered fearfully. “I can’t see anyone, and I don’t think this root will hold me for long.”
Tara tested this by trying to pull herself up. The root slipped out of the hill a small amount causing her grip to loosen and she screamed as she nearly fell. She tightened her grip, but did not dare move until the dirt stopped tumbling over her.
“It’s okay, Tara,” Applejack called up to her. “Ah made the fall okay. Ah’m down here an’ I can catch you.”
“What? Are you crazy?”
“Ah ain’t crazy,” Applejack said soothingly. “It ain’t too far a drop. Ah can catch you.”
“But what if you can’t?”
“Tara, Ah ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to ya. Ah promise. All ya gotta do is trust me an’ let go.”
Tara’s grip on the root tightened and she made another attempt to pull herself up. The root almost gave way completely and Tara nearly panicked as she felt herself slip with it. She redoubled her grip and clamped her eyes shut, ignoring the burning sensation of the tears that ran down her face.
“Trust me,” she heard Applejack say again.
Tara held her breath, clenched her teeth and let go. The sensation of falling with absolutely no sense of control and the impending impact that would eventually come was one of the most terrifying sensations she had ever experienced. But the impact didn’t come.
There came two soft, jostling thuds. The first came when Tara landed in Applejack’s waiting arms. The second was Applejack tumbling onto her rear from the first hit. Tara opened her eyes to find herself seated in Applejack’s lap, a smile on her catcher’s face.
“Ah told ya so,” she grinned.
Tara threw her arms around Applejack’s neck gratefully.
“I never want to do that again,” she said.
“C’mon now,” AJ replied patting her back. “Up an’ at ‘em you get. We gotta get back to the others.”
Thankfully reuniting with the others was not as difficult as they had expected. As Tara and Applejack began to brainstorm how to get back up onto the slope to try and climb it, the faint sound of wing flaps could be heard. Rainbow was the first to come into view with Pinkie and Spike each dangling from one of her hands. Struggling to stay aloft behind them was Fluttershy doing her best to carry Rarity.
“You guys okay?” Spike asked as he hit the ground.
“We’re fine,” Tara replied. “I don’t know how we didn’t see that.”
“We didn’t see it either until you guys fell,” Spike told her.
Rarity fell to the ground between them with an indignant shriek.
“I’m so sorry, Rarity,” Fluttershy fretted. “I’m just not used to carrying anything much larger than one of my little animal friends.”
“That’s all right, Fluttershy,” Rarity said. She observed her dirty clothes and forced a smile. “It’s not a big deal.”
Once again Tara felt that warm tingling sensation travel through her. She glanced around nervously to try and find its source, but there did not seem to be one. She could not tell what, but Tara just knew something bad was going to happen.
“You should all head back,” Tara told them. “You too, Spike.”
“What? Why?” Spike demanded. The others also began to voice their protests.
“If things keep up like this, someone could end up getting hurt!” Tara explained. “I can find the Caster on my own.”
“No way,” Rainbow Dash told her. She hovered just a few inches from Tara’s face. “Look, you’re new here so I’ll forgive you for not knowing about me. I don’t ditch my friends when they need help, period end of story. If you tell me you could get hurt, well that just means I’m sticking closer to you than I was before.”
Tara was dumbstruck by that statement. Here stood, or rather hovered, a young woman ready to put herself in harm’s way just to help her. Someone she had only known for a few hours at best. At her side were four others who were ready to do the same.
“You know there’s no way I’m leaving, right?” Spike asked. “Let’s get going already. This place was freaky before, and now it’s really starting to creep me out.”
With that the group began their trek once again. Tara took the lead, making sure to light the ground ahead of them with her horn. She kept the light to a minimum for risk of being noticed by any of the unknown dangers of the forest. It was not long before Tara and her group happened upon just such a danger.
Voices could be heard not far off in the distance. Two deep, angry voices that sounded particularly vicious. Tara turned to the others and placed a finger to her lips before leading them to one side. Hopefully, they could go around whoever or whatever was speaking so angrily.
“I’m telling you it disappeared from my cave and it’s mine!’ one voice roared.
“And I’m telling you I ain’t stoled nothing! I found this outside my cave!” the other screamed.
Tara could not help but glance in the direction of the voices. To her horror Rainbow Dash was flapping her way quietly in their direction. Tara started after her, but before she could reach Rainbow she heard the voices yelling again and her blood ran cold.
“Who’re you?” one yelled.
“Maybe she’s the one that stole it!” the other said.
A massive hand reached through the trees and bushes and took hold of Rainbow Dash, causing the Avian to hurl insults and screams of protest in their direction. Tara and the others ran after her, bursting into a clearing where two thick bodied ogres stood glaring back and forth between each other and their captive.
“There’re more of the little pipsqueaks!” the first growled. This ogre’s nose was bulbous and large to the point that his red eyes appeared to be squished between it and his forehead. He sported an angry looking grimace that showed his large decaying teeth.
“A bunch of thieves I’ll bet!” the taller of the two said. He had an owl-like face with a small pointy nose and large purple eyes. He glared as he shook Rainbow who was stuck in his grasp. He pointed a fat finger at Tara and the others and said “I say we crush them all!”
Rarity was the first to notice the deep purple gem that was in the hand pointing at them. Before she could stop herself she let out a delighted squeal.
“Oh my, what a lovely amethyst!” she said.
“Ami-what?” the ogre replied, scratching his head.
“The gem,” Rarity said. “It’s absolutely gorgeous. Wherever did you come across it?”
“I found it!” the ogre grinned proudly. “It was right on the ground near my cave.”
“It’s my gem! I had it for a long time and it just disappeared right out of my cave. This one stole it!” the shorter of the ogres growled, jabbing the other with his finger.
“I did not! Just because you lost your gem doesn’t mean this one’s it! This one’s mine, I found it fair and square!”
The two ogres looked like they were ready to tear each other apart with Rainbow Dash still being held captive in one of their fists. The shorter ogre shoved the other violently.
“Thief! Gem snatcher!”
The taller one pushed him back.
“Gem hog! Scatter brain! Some brother you are, always trying to bully me!”
“Hold it right there!” Rarity yelled in a very unladylike voice. The two puzzled ogres froze in mid push to turn their confused faces towards Rarity. She walked straight between the two of them and put her arms out to separate them. Tara and the others held their breath as Rarity stood dwarfed between two large angry ogres. Rarity’s glare just moved between the two for a moment.
“What?” they asked in unison.
“Do you mean to tell me that this petty squabble over a gemstone is between brothers? Family members?” Rarity demanded. Her voice gradually rose from a seething whisper to a shout. She turned to the shorter, red-eyed ogre. “You! How dare you come at your own brother with accusations of stealing from you? When something foes missing it is simply lost, not stolen! Just because you’re brother was the one who happened to find it does not mean that he is the reason it went missing!”
“Yeah!” the taller ogre agreed.
“And you!” Rarity said, now turning to the purple-eyed ogre. “When your brother came to you looking for something he lost and you knew you had found something that fit that description, you should have returned it to him! It might be something very special to him after all. You wouldn’t have liked it very much if he didn’t return something of yours that he had found, now would you?”
“Well, no but—“
“But nothing! I have a sister myself and we don’t always get along either. We’ve had our spats and arguments, but we have never treated each other in such a horrid manner as to accuse each other of deliberately doing something hurtful to each other! The two of you ought to be ashamed of yourselves!”
To Tara’s disbelief, both ogres’ faces and arms drooped. The grip on Rainbow Dash loosened enough for her to slip free and she hastily rejoined her friends. Both ogres began shuffling their feet, clearly hurt by the lecturing they had just received.
“Well?” Rarity asked. “Have you anything to say for yourselves?”
“I just felt really, really good when I found it,” the owl faced ogre sniffled sheepishly. “Like it was something special just for me.”
“That’s how I felt when I found it,” the big nosed ogre said. “And that’s why I was really mad when I lost it.”
Both ogres looked as though they were on the verge of tears. Rarity simply crossed her arms and prompted them to continue.
“Don’t you have something to say to each other?” she asked sternly.
Almost in perfect sync the ogres turned to face each other and said “I’m sorry.”
“Good boys,” Rarity smiled approvingly. “I suppose we should settle this gem matter before you begin arguing over it all over again.”
Rarity’s horn lit up with magic and the amethyst was pulled from the ogre’s grasp. It floated down in front of her just as she magically pulled a few vines from the trees. As the objects hovered around her, Rarity unlatched her necklace and pried the ruby from its pendant. It then took position beside the amethyst as the vines quickly wrapped around them. When everything was finished, each of the gems was securely and intricately wrapped in vine and laced through lengths of vine long enough for the ogres to wear around their necks.
“Here you are gentlemen,” Rarity said proudly. “Now you both have your own special, and if I do say so myself, fabulous gem necklaces.”
The ogres stared in awe as the necklaces draped themselves over their necks. Amethyst for the short, big nosed, red-eyed ogre and ruby for the tall, owl faced, purple-eyed ogre.
“And look,” Rarity smiled, “your gems look just like your brother’s eyes. Let these remind you of the fact that your brothers and should strive to get along.”
The ogres were so enamored with their new necklaces that they did not even notice when Rarity and the others left. Tara could only smile at what had just transpired.
“That was amazing, Rarity,” she said. “It was so generous of you to five away your ruby like that.”
“Oh, I can always find more,” Rarity replied humbly. “Gems are just gems, family is family after all.”
“That was totally awesome the way you talked them down though!” Spike exclaimed. “I mean you had two full grown ogres acting like scared little kids!”
“A lady must have the confidence and the presence to take command should a situation call for it,” Rarity smiled as she flipped her hair gently out of her face.
“You showed those two who was boss, that’s for sure! I’d hate to be any other monster that comes across you in this forest.”
Spike froze in place as the girls walked past him. Where had that come from? He was positive Tara had not said it, and he was fairly certain that none of the others had seen him.
“Must have been my imagination,” he muttered to himself. He pulled his hood tightly over his head and began to catch up.
That strange sensation manifested in Tara yet again. Assuming it was a bad omen, her horn lit with magic and she turned quickly. Her eyes darted in every direction trying to find whatever was causing the feeling, much to the confusion of the others. Just as Fluttershy was asking if she was okay Tara saw it.
A dark mist of magical aura was creeping towards Spike. Tara extended her arm and attempted to reach out magically to protect her brother, but she was too late. She saw the aura engulf Spike in a dark haze before seeping into him like smoke. Spike’s emerald eyes narrowed in the shadow of his hood and a low growl emanated from his throat.
“Is everything okay, Spike?” Rainbow Dash asked as she and the others followed Tara’s gaze. “What’s with the growling?”
Stay back!” Tara ordered. “He’s under a spell! I’ve been getting strange feelings ever since we entered the forest and now I know what it is. It’s another Caster’s magical presence. It was a Caster that broke the branch Pinkie was on, and it was a Caster spell that hid the cliff edge that Applejack and I fell from. I’ll bet it was the Caster that moved the ogre’s gem too. Now they’ve done something to Spike!”
“So what do we do?” Applejack asked.
“If we can hold him still long enough I can dispel the magic, but—“
“On it!” Rainbow Dash said.
“Wait!”
Before Tara could stop her, Rainbow Dash charged. With her wing strength it would be easy to hold Spike down. As she closed in on him she put her arms out to pin him into a nearby tree and prepared herself to ram him. When she grabbed hold of his arms however, Spike took hold of hers. Rainbow Dash did not have time to react as Spike turned and threw her off course, causing her to crash straight into a withered tree that thankfully broke before her head did.
A collection of gasps could be heard as the motion dislodged Spike’s hood from its place. Purple scales covered his face, golden ones streaking down under his chin and throat. Atop his head were green spines and similarly colored ear fins.
Spike took a step back as Tara moved towards him. Applejack and Pinkie Pie began to circle around him in an attempt to box him in. Rarity stayed close to Tara, fear etched on her face as Spike let out another growl. Applejack charged in and was tossed aside almost effortlessly and she smashed into a startled Pinkie Pie.
Tara took the momentary distraction to raise a bubble of magic around her brother. She may not have been able to remove the aura within him with the bubble in place, but hopefully he would wear himself out trying to escape. Tara had not taken one thing into account though. Spike took a deep intake of breath and expelled a powerful stream of fire. Tara strained under the pressure of keeping the spell in place against such an assault and soon gave in, unable to withstand the attack. The bubble of magic fell and round two was about to begin.
“Stop!”
Everyone turned to see Fluttershy with a hand over her mouth and a patch of pink on her cheeks. She cleared her throat lightly before slowly moving towards Spike.
“It’s okay,” she whispered softly. “It’s okay, Spike, no one’s going to hurt you.”
Spike replied with a vicious growl and a swipe of his hand. Fluttershy paused for a moment and then continued her slow approach. Spike backed away until he placed himself against a tree and snarled louder.
“Shh,” Fluttershy continued, drawing ever closer. “It’s okay. I promise that everything is going to be okay.”
As Fluttershy reached for Spike he suddenly leaped forward. His gloved hands took hold of her arm and his razor like teeth dug into her flesh. The others cried out at the sight and Fluttershy herself clamped her eyes shut in pain. To her own credit Fluttershy did not cry out or let a single tear escape. Before the others could react though, she held up her free hand signaling for them to stay where they were.
“It doesn’t hurt,” she said softly to Spike. “I know. I understand. It’s really hard, isn’t it? When you seem so different from everyone around you it’s easy to be afraid.”
Spike’s growling had stopped, but his teeth stayed embedded in Fluttershy’s arm. She tentatively reached for him with her free hand, never taking her eyes off of his, her gentle smile never faltering. Spike’s eyes shifted from anger to uncertain fear, and when Fluttershy’s hand finally met the scales on his cheek he flinched. Her hand slipped around to the back of his head and she pulled him to her in an awkward hug.
“It’s okay,” she told him as they both sank to their knees. “It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not afraid.”
Even as Tara was making her approach to dispel the magical haze, Fluttershy could feel Spike’s tears falling onto her captured arm. She hummed softly as she began to rock back and forth until Tara’s spell began to work. Eventually Spike’s teeth released her, but Fluttershy continued to hold him until she felt his arms begin to hug her.
“I’m sorry.” His voice was barely over a whisper, filled with pain and regret. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she whispered back.
After a few moments the two finally rose to their feet. Spike wiped his eyes as covertly as he could manage while the others approached. He prepared himself for the reprimands, the chastising and, worst of all, the fear he knew he would see in their faces.
“Are ya okay, Spike?” Applejack asked.
“What did the magic feel like?” Pinkie asked. “Was it tingly? I bet magic feels tingly.”
“You’re not mad?” Spike asked. “I attacked you guys. I could have—“
“That wasn’t you, Spike,” Fluttershy told him. “That was the magic. We haven’t known each other very long, but we know you’re a good person. What you look like and the things that make you different from us don’t make you who you are.”
“That’s right,” Rainbow agreed. “But that fire breathing thing? That was awesome.”
Without any warning, Tara threw her arms around Fluttershy. Tears fell freely down her cheeks as she practically crushed the soft spoken Avian.
“Thank you,” she cried. “Thank you so much.”
It was not until Fluttershy let out a quiet hiss of pain that anyone remembered her arm. Tara held her at arm’s length and inspected the deep penetrations.
“We need to bandage these,” she said.
Without a moment’s hesitation Spike removed his hoodie, exposing his body. The girls stared in amazement at the scales that covered the entirety of his skin. Removing his gloves revealed a set of sharp claws that he used to cut the sleeves from his then discarded hoodie.
“Here, Tara.”
She took them without even looking and began to wrap Fluttershy’s arm.
“I don’t mean to pry, Spike,” Rarity began “but what exactly are we looking at?”
Fluttershy gave him a gentle smile, one which he returned with a light nod.
“Just me,” he said. “I got these scales and claws a long time ago. Maybe I’ll tell all of you the whole story someday, but for now can we just leave it at that?”
The disappointment on the girls’ faces was clear, but they nodded in acceptance that Spike did not want to talk about it. The Everfree Forest was hardly the place to take the time to tell what appeared to be a long story, and they had a Caster to find after all. For now, they accepted Spike as he was and that was all that Tara cared about. After finishing Fluttershy’s makeshift bandage, Tara turned to the others with a look of determination on her face.
“I know how to find her,” she announced. “We’ve hit a few obstacles along the way, but now that I know that it’s magic that’s causing the problems I’ll be better prepared. When a Castor uses their magic there’s latent magical energy left behind. I can use my magic to trace this energy back to its source. I’ve already seen some of you get hurt and I really don’t want to see it happen to anyone else. This is your last chance to back out.”
“No way, no how,” came Rainbow’s immediate response. “We’re with you all the way!”
Tracing the fading magical aura proved to be slightly difficult. It was not that the spell was complicated or even that it required much effort. The problem was the fact that the Caster was no longer performing any magic. However difficult it made tracking her target, this came as a relief to Tara since it meant no new spells or traps to contend with. There was just the forest to get through now.
Tara guided the others with a quick pace as the lingering magical aura continued to fade. Just as the trail began to die out, the group found themselves coming upon the ruins of an old cobblestone building. It appeared to be a small ancient castle, or possibly a temple of some sort. Tara stared in wonder and awe at the ruins, captured by their historic meaning and beauty.
“What is this place?” Applejack asked.
“I’m not sure,” Tara admitted. “Let’s go. I think we all know where we’re headed.”
As they ventured deeper into the ruins the scars of time became more noticeable. The walls of cobblestone were worn away by time and weather, littered with tree limbs, roots and vines. Once or twice as they climbed through and around the rubble, stone and other debris would tumble loose and crash to the ground below. Near what Tara assumed to be the center of the ruins stood a tower that showed almost no signs whatsoever of the marks of time. A heavy oak door loomed before them and the group stood silently waiting for any sign of the Caster they all knew must be on the other side. Tara inched closer to the door, putting her hand up when Spike tried to follow.
There was really only one course of action to take, but Tara had no idea what to expect. She raised her hand and knocked as hard as she could manage on the massive door. At first there was nothing. The seven of them just stood there on the doorstep and waited for a response that they were not even sure was going to come. Suddenly, the door burst open revealing pitch black darkness on the other side. From the darkness came black tendrils of energy they reached through the doorway and grabbed hold of Tara. The others tried to grab onto her, to save her from the darkness, but they were too slow. The energy pulled Tara through the doorway as the door slammed shut.
* - * - * - *
The feeling was more terrifying than when she had fallen off of that cliff. Rather than falling with no sense of control, Tara felt a sensation of weightlessness and disorientation. All around her was an endless void of darkness with no concept of direction, no up or down. Tara could not even tell if she was moving or not, she just seemed to exist with no purpose other than just simply being. More nerve racking than the darkness itself was the silence that weighed down on her. There was not the slightest bit of noise to be heard. She had no idea if the others had been pulled into the abyss or not, but as alone as she felt she sincerely hoped that they hadn’t.
Tara closed her eyes in concentration and her horn began to glow faintly. It did nothing to clear up any of the darkness, but somehow the small amount of light was reassuring. As she was beginning to formulate some kind of plan of action, the silence was broken.
“You little fool.” It was a woman’s voice, and whoever she was she certainly sounded angry. “You dare to come here?”
Tara wanted to answer. She wanted to explain that she had been sent by the princess to find this Caster, but her voice caught in her throat as the owner of the voice appeared before her. She was a full head taller than Tara with midnight blue hair that seemed to be moving in a breeze that Tara could not feel. The woman wore what looked like battle armor, but could just have easily been the darkness itself wrapped around her.
“After all these years you have finally come to finish what was started,” the woman said. “Well you will not find me to be compliant. I am the darkness and shadows of the night that you fear, and I will not tolerate this intrusion! I will throw you into the depths of the darkness to experience the greatest terrors your heart and mind can comprehend, and just before it breaks you I will send you back to the others as a warning to all!”
The darkness engulfed Tara once again, forcibly extinguishing her horn. Without her magic, Tara could feel nothing but overwhelming helplessness as the Caster’s magic began to swirl around her. Fear gripped Tara’s heart as a wicked and cruel laugh echoed around her. She was helpless without her magic and terrified of facing this woman’s power alone. She wanted her brothers. She wanted her friends.
“Nothing’s scary when you’re laughing!”
“I’m sure we’re going to be the best of friends, you and I.”
“I don’t ditch my friends when they need help, period end of story.”
“Ah ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to ya. Ah promise.”
“It’s okay. I promise everything is going to be okay.”
The sudden rush of emotions that struck Tara in that moment caused a powerful reaction in her heart. Her eyes snapped open in realization as a smile tugged at her lips. Her horn once again began to shine light around her, but instead of a faint glow it continued to grow. The laughter ceased as the woman spoke again, shock evident in her voice.
“What’s happening? What are you doing?”
“You don’t scare me,” Tara said in an even tone. The smile on her face grew as did her courage. “I understand now. You can take me from my friends and cast me into darkness, but I will never be alone. With my friends and family in my heart, your darkness will never reach me.”
Tara’s light grew in intensity until it was a shining beacon in the oceanic void she had been pulled into. The darkness was pushed back until all Tara could see was the light of her own magic surrounding the woman of the shadows. She shielded her eyes as the light overtook her, and then she was gone.
When the light of Tara’s magic began to fade, she found herself standing in a small cobblestone room. Before she could get a decent look at her surroundings however, she felt someone ramming into her from behind. As she turned to face whoever it was, she smiled at the sight of Pinkie Pie and Spike both trying to hug her and her other friends stepping through the doorway that had pulled her into the darkness.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Spike asked.
Tara only smiled in response. She did as the others were doing and began to look around the room they had come to be in. A large bed lay near the corner of the room, a dresser on the adjacent wall with a mirror over it. Several large bookcases lined the entirety of the wall opposite from the dresser filled with books and tomes that Tara had never seen or heard of before. As she walked along the side of the shelves scanning the titles, Tara heard a quiet whimper coming from the corner of the room. Hiding in the small space between the bed and the wall sat a woman curled up as small as she could make herself with her knees pulled to her chest and her long dark blue hair covering her face.
“You’re the one that was behind all of those spells, aren’t you?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.
The woman only pulled in closer to herself at the accusation. Tara could see her shaking in her little corner and could still hear the soft whimpers of fear that she was making. When Rainbow started to advance on the woman, Tara stepped between them.
“Wait a minute, Rainbow,” she ordered. Tara stepped over to the foot of the bed and knelt down onto her hands and knees. She slowly crawled between the wall and bed until she was sitting just a few inches from the woman. “Hello there.”
The woman’s shaking stopped out of surprise. She lifted head from her arms and her hair fell away from her face, shimmering with the light of the stars as it did so. Through the veil of night sky hair Tara could see a Caster horn and two fearful blue eyes staring at her, questioning her intent.
“My name is Tara. What are you doing out here all alone?”
“I’m hiding,” the woman replied softly.
“Hiding from what?”
“Everyone,” she answered. “I am a monster to be feared. That is why I tried to scare you all away with my magic.”
“I don’t understand,” Tara said. “How are you a monster?”
“I am the night,” the woman explained sadly. “I am the darkness that all people fear and hate.”
“I see now,” Tara said gently. “You’re Luna, aren’t you?”
“Who’s that?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“I can’t say I’m surprised you don’t know,” Tara began. “Not many people know the truth. Most people just believe it’s a fairy tale that was made up for children. More than one thousand years ago our country was ruled by twin sisters. The elder sister governed the sun and day; and the younger one governed the moon, the stars and the night. Most legends and stories say that the younger sister became jealous of the older sister because the people slept through her night. One morning, she refused to move the moon and stars to make way for the sun. It is said that the younger sister wouldn’t listen to reason and became aggressive to the point the sisters did battle, ultimately ending with the elder sister banishing the younger. But that’s not what the royal archives say.
“According to the royal archives, the younger sister did refuse to move the moon and stars. She had decided that if the people were going to sleep through her night, then she would just make it longer so that when they awoke the people would have more time to appreciate what it had to offer. She had decided that there would be one day of night. When the elder sister tried to explain that such a drastic and unexpected change would doubtlessly confuse and frighten the unknowing populace, the younger sister did not listen.
“Of course when the people woke from their night sleep and found the moon still in the sky they became confused. The longer the moon and stars stayed, the more people began to become fearful that something may have happened to their Princess of the Dawn. The people of the capital began to swarm the palace demanding answers. In their fear and panic they ended up driving away the Princess of the Night who could not bring herself to harm her people when they would not listen to her explanation.”
Tara’s friends stared at Luna as Tara finished her tale. They had all heard the story when they were children, but none of them really believed that there was a princess that had turned evil once they grew older. It was hard to believe that a children’s tale was their true history, warped by perception and time. Here before them sat a long lost princess.
“Their fear and anger was more than I could take,” Luna said. “I stopped moving the heavens that night and allowed Celestia to take control of the moon and stars. The night is nothing but darkness and fear to our people, and as its source I am even worse.”
“The night isn’t something to be afraid of,” Tara said.
“The nighttime sky is beautiful,” Fluttershy agreed. “On warm summer nights, I like to camp out in my yard with all of my little animal friends and fall asleep counting the stars.”
“The night is most enchanting as well,” Rarity added. “There is nothing more romantic than a candlelit dinner under the light a full moon.”
“It’s totally spooky and mysterious!” Pinkie grinned. The others turned to look at her, Luna turning away with a look of guilt. “What? Spooky and mysterious is super fun!”
“My favorite time of day or night has always been the time in between,” Tara said. “The time when the sun has just begun to rise or just barely peeking over the horizon while it’s setting. The beautiful twilight, when the sun and the stars share the sky and everything just blends together and you can’t tell where one ends and the other begins.”
Luna smiled weakly at the comment. Tara extended a hand to the princess who stared at it for a moment. With fear still hanging in the back of her mind, Luna took Tara’s offered hand and rose to her feet. Her black dress fell down to her bare feet and she brushed her hair back with her hand. Her face was a pale white, but her features were soft as she tried once again to smile. Tara led her out from behind the bed and a pair of gorgeous wings unfurled.
A bright light pierced through the doorway commanding everyone’s attention. As they turned to the source of the light, the girls gasped in surprise and lowered their heads. Princess Celestia stepped into the room with a smile filled with pride as she made her way towards her sister.
“Princess Celestia,” Tara greeted with a smile and a bow, never releasing Luna’s hand.
“Sister,” Luna smiled. “I do believe that you had something to do with this.”
“Indeed I did,” Celestia replied. “Tara, you should be very proud. Not only did you succeed as I knew you would, but you have completely surpassed my expectations of you.”
“I didn’t do it alone, your highness,” Tara said. “It was my friends that gave me strength when I was alone in the darkness. They filled me with an amazing feeling I had never felt before. That feeling is what brought that light.”
“The magic of friendship is one of the most powerful of all,” Celestia agreed. “And it is thanks to that power that my sister has found the courage to come home.”
Luna frowned slightly and took a small step back.
“Luna?” Celestia’s face matched the concern in her voice.
“Forgive me, sister, but I do not think I am ready to face the world again just yet. I’m sure that people have changed in the last thousand years, but some things are not changed so easily. There is still fear, if not in the people than in myself. I am afraid to face them.”
“You don’t have to face them alone,” Tara said as she squeezed Luna’s hand reassuringly. “Princess Celestia, if I may make a suggestion?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“For Princess Luna to be able to face the people, maybe she should take things one step at a time. The capital is one of the most populated cities in the country and that might be too overwhelming of a starting place for her. The people of Ponyville are the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever known.”
Tara smiled at the faces of her new friends. Each one of them was different, and each one of them accepted those differences about each other. They welcomed her with open arms and journeyed with her through a forest they were all openly afraid of just to make sure she was safe. All of these things they did selflessly without thought of reward for themselves and for the sake of someone they had just met. This village was without a doubt the best place for Princess Luna to begin her reunion with her people."
“I think that is a wonderful idea,” Princess Celestia said. Does that sound acceptable, Luna?”
“I do not know how much the world has changed,” Luna admitted. “But if there are more people like you all in this Ponyville, then I would like to meet them.”
“It is settled then,” Princess Celestia smiled.
The girls all cheered in welcome for their soon to be new resident. Tara could not help but feel sad knowing that she would be going back to the capital no that the matter was settled, but the feeling of having helped the princesses take their first steps towards their reunion at the capital was one she enjoyed.
“You look troubled, Tara,” Luna said, noticing her expression.
“It’s okay,” Tara replied. “I’m glad that I could help, it’s just that I’m going to miss my friends when I leave Ponyville.”
“That may not be for some time yet, Tara,” Princess Celestia said. “After all, you and your new teacher still have a lot to learn from each other.”
“Teach?” Luna asked. “You wish for me to teach you?”
Tara glanced back and forth between the two princesses. Something told her that whether she admitted it outright or not, everything was going according to how Princess Celestia had been hoping it would.
“Yes, please,” Tara smiled.
“Huzzah!” Luna cried out with a smile on her face. “I will be able to teach you all about the power of the moon and stars! There are so many wondrous things that I wish to share with you! If you believe twilight to be beautiful, you will adore the marvels of the night time heavens!”
“Hey, that’s perfect!” Pinkie Pie suddenly shouted. “Twilight Sparkle! Hey, everyone, Tara’s nickname is Twilight Sparkle!”
Tara smiled at Luna’s confused expression. This was a new start with a new name. Thankfully it was in a place with many new friends. A brand new life had been handed to her and Twilight Sparkle could not wait to get it started.