Dancing Mad

Chapters

You sound like lines from a self-help booklet!
Welcome to my barbecue!
I'm extracting magic!
Why do you have to live in the middle of nowhere?!
The music of hundreds of voices screaming in unison.
Why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die?
I will hunt them down.
You're all nothing more than fleas!
There's a reason "oppose" rhymes with "dispose".

You sound like lines from a self-help booklet!

Kefka's face hurt... again. The rest of his head hurt as well, for that matter. His eyes weren't on speaking terms with the visible light spectrum at the moment, and his ears weren't faring much better.

Alright, it seems I've blacked out. Let's make a little checklist shall we?

First, find out who's responsible.

Second, burn everything.

Third, find out what happened to my clothes.

Wait, why are my clothes missing?

Though finding the missing garments had been initially placed lower on his mental to-do list, it did not take long for Kefka's mind to recover to a level of functionality that allowed him to grasp the true severity of the situation. While it's true that he could simply replace the missing apparel, the contents of the pockets could not be replaced quite so easily.

Kefka's until now motionless body snapped back to life in an instant. Perhaps through his intense panic and rage, he had willed his senses back into working order and now sat upright in the bed he had been laying in. He quickly swiveled his head, scanning the room for the source of his anger, until he landed on two more of those horses, both looking quite startled at his sudden movement. Despite his rage, Kefka couldn't help but feel a little relief at seeing the two standing before him. It seemed he was going to be able to cross off his first two tasks faster than expected. He tried to hide his excitement with his best scowl before addressing the perpetrators.

"Where. Is. The. Magicite," Kefka growled in the most threatening voice he could muster. His heart was pounding now. He had done this so many times before but it never got old, hearing their screams. By habit, he reached for the magic inside of him to prepare the spell that would end the lives of the two hapless creatures that had dared to cross him. The intense headache that followed served as a painful reminder of the mage's current predicament.

Ah right, that. I wasn't really feeling a fire spell anyway. So cliche. I really need to mix it up a bit.

With that final thought, Kefka blacked out once again.

When he came to, the two horses were still there, though they didn't look nearly as surprised as before. Kefka decided to try a bit of tact this time, considering his currently disabled state.

"Why am I naked?"

One of the horses, a unicorn with caramel fur and brown mane, stepped forward to address the clearly unstable patient. Judging by the white coat and stethoscope he wore, Kefka could only assume that this horse was probably a doctor of some kind, though the thought of a horse with medical experience seemed laughable. The doctor approached the bed cautiously before he spoke up.

"No need to panic, sir. All of your belongings are over there, in the corner of the room, safe and sound."

Kefka looked at the garments stacked neatly on a chair on the far side of the room, though it was difficult to tell if anything besides the clothing was present. He couldn't really care less about the clothing itself. There was only one thing that he truly cared for.

"Where is the magicite?"

The doctor tensed up at Kefka's words. He watched the patient carefully, looking for signs of another violent reaction like the one that seemed to have been set off by that particular phrase before. While he silently monitored Kefka, the other horse decided to join in the conversation.

"Is this what ya'll are lookin' for?"

This other horse, probably female judging by the voice, had an orange coat and blonde mane tied back in a ponytail. She had a hat of some kind, though Kefka couldn't be bothered to identify her appearance much further. He was far too busy staring at the glowing blue jewel that the horse was holding in her hoof.

"I gotta tell ya, I never heard of a stone quite like this one before. The moment I picked it up, I felt like I could run faster'n lightning. I know this sounds a little odd, me being an earth pony and all, but I almost felt like I could fly if I wanted to. I still kinda do. I don't mean to pry into your personal business or nothin', but what in Equestria is this thing?"

Kefka stared blankly at the orange horse, or pony as she had called herself. He had stopped listening about halfway through what she was saying. Outside he seemed calm, but inside Kefka was seething. Not only had this pony taken the magicite that he had rightfully claimed, but she actually had the audacity to tap into its power without his permission! A swift death was too good for this one. No, the gloves, or shoes as it were, were coming off now. Kefka prepared to channel his magic once again without thinking, but this time he hit a wall. The doctor took notice of his reaction and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good to know the inhibitor's working. I was honestly a little worried it wouldn't be enough considering your unique condition. Sorry about this, by the way. It's standard procedure to use a magic inhibitor with unicorn patients who have proven to be unstable." The doctor pointed a hoof at a metal band that had been attached to Kefka's horn. "I'll take it off when you're cleared to leave, but until then I'm afraid it's going to have to stay on."

Kefka paid no attention to the fool talking to his side. He was insignificant. The fact that the orange pony in front of him was still alive grated on his nerves, but failing to grasp his magic again reminded him of his situation. Where magical judgement had failed, diplomacy was going to have to pick up the slack.

"Give me the magicite."

The orange pony looked to be conflicted. "I don't know if that's such a good idea. It didn't look like you took too well to it before."

"Oh, my apologies. It was rude of me to ask you so abruptly. Allow me to try again. Give me the magicite now, or I will personally turn you into glue."

The pony seemed taken aback by Kefka's comment, but she clearly wasn't afraid. "I'm gonna pretend you didn't just say that. Hey doc, I assume this is what you were talkin' about with that whole magic scannin' thing ya did."

"Yes, Applejack, his irritability is very likely a side effect of whatever caused his condition." The doctor took a quick look at Kefka, who looked like he was about to strangle everything in a five mile radius. "I think it would be a good idea to give him what he wants for now. The inhibitor should prevent any backlash from occurring, and we need to calm him down."

The orange pony, apparently named Applejack, shrugged and placed the chunk of magicite on the bed next to Kefka, who quickly scooped it up in his hooves and began to examine the stone for irregularities. Satisfied that the magicite's power had not been compromised due to Applejack's careless actions, he set the stone down on the bed again and finally addressed the other two equines with an air of calm and civility.

"Why am I here, and why did you remove my belongings?"

Applejack was the first to respond. "I can answer the first one for ya. I was out checkin' on some animals for a friend of mine while she's out of town. She lives on the outskirts, near the Everfree Forest. Anyways, I was headin' back into town when I saw you face down in the dirt by the side of the road. It looked like you had taken a nasty spill and that blue rock was lying on the ground nearby. I don't know how long you were there, but I brought ya straight here as soon as I found ya."

"As for your second question," the doctor jumped in to continue, "your clothing was preventing a full examination. You seemed to have passed out due to some kind of magical feedback, and I needed to check for any injures that your fall may have caused, so I had a nurse remove them and get you into a standard hospital gown."

Kefka took a moment to finally look at himself. Sure enough, he was dressed in a faded green hospital gown. "Ugh, could you have picked a tackier outfit? This clashes horribly with my dashing features, though I suppose it does match the curtains. I'll give you that much at least."

Applejack looked behind her at the pile of mismatched colors and patterns that made up Kefka's normal attire. "Yeah, I can't imagine anything much tackier than a green hospital gown." Applejack turned to address the doctor, minus the sarcasm this time. "Hey doc, do you need me here for anything else? It's gettin' late and I really gotta get back to the farm."

"Yes, I think everything's all set. Have a good day, Applejack." As Applejack exited the room, the doctor turned to speak with his patient. "Now, I need to go over a few things concerning some complications we found during your examination. First of all, could I get your name, for our records?"

Ugh, best to just get this out of the way. The sooner I get out of here, the sooner I can get rid of this stupid horn ring thing.

"You may address me as Lord Kefka Palazzo."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at Kefka's introduction. "Palazzo? Haven't heard of any noble houses by that name. Are you from Canterlot?"

"Indeed."

"Okay. Now, you wouldn't happen to have a twin sibling by any chance, would you?"

"No, I don't. That seems like a rather arbitrary question. You had better not be wasting my time."

"Right, sorry about that. I assure you, the question is relevant, though I should probably explain your condition before we continue. Tell me, how much do you know about harmonic frequencies?"

"Harmonic what now?"

The doctor sighed before continuing. "I'm not entirely surprised that you haven't heard of it. It's an aspect of magic that was discovered by Canterlot researchers while studying the dynamics of the changeling hive mind. Despite the fact that many breakthroughs in the field of magic resulted entirely from this branch of research, many unicorns are still of the opinion that it's all a load of hogwash, for lack of a better term, and so it's unfortunately very common for unicorns to have never heard of it at all."

Kefka's eyes were beginning to glaze over, a detail that the doctor had not failed to notice. "Anyways," he continued, "the basic gist of it is that all magic has a specific frequency level. When two magics interact with frequency levels that differ too much, they can cause a negative reaction. The further apart the frequencies are, the more violent the reaction will be. These frequency levels seem to be affected by your emotions, your mental stability, and your actions. Because of this, leading authorities on the subject have labelled the opposite ends of the scale 'harmony' and 'chaos'."

Kefka stared at the doctor with a look of pure disbelief. "You're joking, right? That sounds like a bad fairy tale designed to make children behave and eat their vegetables, disguised in fancy scientific jargon."

The doctor chuckled. "Honestly, I thought it sounded pretty silly myself at first. That's actually part of the reason most unicorns don't accept it, but after extensive personal research and first hand experience working with the subject, I can assure you that it is all true, and the primary cause of your problem. You see, after your accident, I scanned your magical frequency and discovered that there were two different magics residing within your body. This is actually why I asked if you had a twin. You see, it's not uncommon for identical twins to have issues with magic complications when one of the twins passes away. The magic of the deceased passes through the link that they share, and sometimes the frequencies don't match up. It doesn't happen that often, I think the most recent case was recorded in Trottingham when a Mr. Flim Flim Flam suffered a severe magical backlash. Nearly put him in a coma."

"Alright, but that doesn't explain me. I have no twin, nor have I ever."

"Ah yes, you are a unique case. A unique case even among unique cases. However, even if the cause isn't the same, I can safely say that you are suffering the same problem. Basically, your Pony Harmonic, or pH levels, are out of sync. The worst I've ever seen actually. Your frequencies are on the complete opposite ends of the spectrum. Whatever got into you must have been a great evil indeed, probably what's causing your violent outbursts as well."

"Yes, I'm sure that's the reason. Just tell me how to fix it."

"Well, that's the interesting thing about this phenomena. It can have disastrous effects while it's around, but it tends to go away on its own over time, like a cold. Eventually, the frequencies will interfere with each other to the point where they will both normalize at some middle ground and become one. Of course, you can speed along the process by performing actions that force the frequencies in one direction or the other."

"And by that you mean..."

"Make some friends, do good deeds, and your chaotic frequency should shift towards harmony more quickly. Or in even simpler terms, friendship is magic."

"...."

"When I get my magic under control, you'll be the first to die."

Kefka stalked the streets of Ponyville later that evening. All of his belongings had been returned to him and he had been discharged with a clean bill of health, aside from the whole battle of good versus evil raging inside of him.

That doctor is a quack! He expects me to socialize with these ruffians? The gall, to think that I, Lord Kefka Palazzo, could be friends with these uncivilized animals. Just look at them, they're all naked! Not an ounce of dignity to be found in this entire town. Useless creatures like these should just burn.

Kefka stopped walking for a moment to clear his head. He was beginning to lose his focus on the important task at hand, and the thought of wanton destruction had reminded him of that fact. He knew what the problem with his magic was, but the solution seemed utterly absurd.

Do good deeds my left foot. I'm doing them all a good deed merely by gracing them with my presence. Besides, doing good deeds might require actual manual labor. I shudder just thinking about it.

Kefka ran through the conversation with the doctor again. Surely there had to be something else he could do to get his magic under control.

Basically, I need to get the foreign magic to synchronize with my natural magic, but that idiot assumed that the chaotic magic was the intruder. Judging from my initial reaction back at the forest, I'm going to have to disagree with his diagnosis. So, if doing good deeds and spreading harmony will cause my chaotic frequency to shift towards harmony, spreading chaos should work in the opposite direction. I must admit, that sounds like a lot more fun.

For the first time that day, Kefka truly had reason to smile. He could solve his magic problem, gather more magicite on the side, and have fun doing it. He put on his most convincing smile and made his way towards the center of town.

"Time for me to make some friends. Doctor's orders."

Welcome to my barbecue!

Kefka's smile was fading quickly. He turned his head back and forth, eyeing dozens of specimens with increasing frustration as he mentally checked each one off of his list.

"No, no, no, NO! None of these will do!" The exasperated mage sat down on a nearby bench, but when his awkward position caused him to topple over, the dam came very close to bursting. The threat of severely painful magical backlash prevented him from doing anything satisfying, so he settled for the next best thing.

"I hate being a horse! I hate it! I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate it! I hate horses! I hate this bench! I hate everything!" Kefka wanted to continue his temper tantrum, but a crowd had started to gather, and most of the ponies were giving him some odd stares. "What are you all looking at? Can't a man rant in peace anymore?"

As the crowd of onlookers dispersed, Kefka grumbled to himself and tried to prop himself back up into a normal sitting position. Once he had himself situated in as close to a comfortable pose as he could manage, he took a few moments to rethink his strategy. He had spent the past hour or so scouting around town for the perfect assistant, to no avail. Without access to his magic, he needed someone that could do his dirty work for him, but all the ponies in town looked too soft, too weak. The few he had seen that looked like they had a bit of muscle on them were missing the all important horn, something Kefka had determined was an absolute must. While it's true that he could force them to use magic with a little magicite modification, he really didn't have the time to train someone who had never used it before.

Ugh, why do all of these ponies have to be so useless? Is there truly no one in this town as exquisite as I? Perfection can be such a bother sometimes.

It's not that Kefka hadn't found any candidates with potential. He had made an attempt to approach a few lucky unicorns, but they all seemed to be intimidated by his magnificence. One white unicorn in particular had nearly fainted when she saw his striking regalia, most likely daunted by his superior sense of fashion. It's a shame really. With skillfully styled hair like that, Kefka could have sworn he had found the only being that might rival him in sheer elegance. While none of the other candidate's reactions had been quite so drastic, they all shied away from the colorful noble in their midst. A few children had asked him if the circus was in town, which just served to confuse him further.

Why would they ask a random stranger about something like that? Do I look like I would know that? Oh wow, my shoes are absolutely filthy.

Sure enough, all three of Kefka's shoes were flecked with motes of dust and dirt, most barely noticeable to the untrained eye. To Kefka's trained eyes, the shoes may as well have been dragged through a muddy ditch. The fact that one of them, currently propping up his head, was in direct contact with his face just disgusted him further.

"I hate being a horse." Kefka pulled the offending hoof away from his face, looking at it like it was diseased. "Those pinhead engineers. Couldn't they have dumped me in a nice, sophisticated city? As if these beasts could even be sophisticated."

"Sounds like somepony woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

Kefka put a hold on his pity party for a moment. Had someone just said something to him? He looked up into the face of an aquamarine unicorn flashing him the friendliest smile he had seen since his arrival in the backwater little town. She sat down next to him, propping herself up in much the same way he was attempting to. Something about this unicorn caught Kefka's eye, something he hadn't even realized he had been searching for in the others. He wasn't even sure he had been looking for it before, but something told him that this was the one he had been looking for all day.

That green hair. That voice. She reminds me of... her.

"I thought I was the only one that liked to sit like that. My marefriend thinks it's weird, but I gotta be me, you know? Oh, my name's Lyra, by the way. Lyra Heartstrings. What's yours?"

"Kefka... Palazzo." Even their names sound similar. If I didn't know better, I'd say she was sitting right here next to me.

"Nice to meet you, Kefka. I'm guessing you're from Canterlot. I hope I'm not being too nosy, but you looked like you were having some trouble fitting in around here. I used to live in Canterlot myself, so I know what a culture shock it can be, moving to a little country town like this. The townsfolk can be a little intimidated by nobility, but they're really nice once you get to know them. I can show you around a bit if you'd like. It might be good to get you a little acquainted with the place before Pinkie manages to find you. If you were feeling overwhelmed before, I don't even want to think about what a run in with her would do to you."

"Yes. Yes, that sounds good. Right," Kefka barely managed to respond. He knew what it was that was drawing him to this unicorn. The hair, the voice, the name, they all reminded him of Terra. This unicorn reminded him of the half-esper, Terra Branford, who had escaped his clutches and was currently his primary source of frustration in his own world. He hated her with every fiber of his being. He hated her, and he hated this unicorn, this Lyra Heartstrings, too. He wanted to kill her, to exact his revenge on this doppelganger, but that would have been too easy. No, Kefka wanted this unicorn to suffer. He felt around the pockets in his cloak to make sure the tool he would need was still there.

Lyra pushed herself off the bench and turned to help Kefka up. "We'd better get going then. There's a lot to show you and not much time left in the day."

"Ah yes, you're right of course. Before we go though, I'd like to thank you for your... kindness." Kefka nearly lost his cool as he said the word. Acting could be so difficult at times, but Kefka was nothing if not a professional. He somehow managed to hook the metal band he had been carrying around one of his hooves and pulled it out of his cloak. "Please, accept this token of my appreciation."

"Oh no, I couldn't possibly accept something like that."

Kefka gritted his teeth. "Then accept it as payment for the tour. Please, I want you to have it, I insist."

"Alright then. Thanks."

Kefka barely hid his surprise when the trinket in his hooves glowed a golden yellow and lifted into the air. Lyra inspected the odd metal thing for a minute. She eventually turned her eyes back to Kefka.

"What is it?"

"It's a tiara. Go on, try it on."

Kefka's voice had become shaky, almost like a child who was getting a little too excited about opening a present on Hearth's Warming Day. Nevertheless, Lyra decided that it would be rude not to at least try on the gift, even if it didn't look particularly stylish.

As soon as the tiara was safely fastened to her head, Lyra felt one of the strangest sensations that she had ever felt before. Her head felt empty, but everything was still there. She could remember everything, still had access to all of her senses, but she couldn't move her body. For some strange reason, she didn't feel panicked about it at all.

"Sit down."

Lyra wasn't sure why, but she suddenly wanted to sit down, very badly. Nothing else mattered, nothing but sitting down at this exact moment. She sat back down on the bench.

"Stand up."

Why was she sitting down? She needed to stand, right now. Lyra jumped up off of the bench and stood perfectly still.

"Smack yourself in the face."

Kefka watched with glee as the poor creature standing before him lifted her front right hoof and struck herself in the jaw as hard as she could. The loud crack that resulted sounded painful, but Lyra didn't even flinch. Without a doubt, the slave crown had successfully taken hold of the unicorn's mind.

"Wee hee hee hee hee! This is great, excellent, perfect! Come, come, follow me, Lyra. I have a few tests I'd like to perform, and I think it best to avoid prying eyes."

Kefka headed away from the town square, practically hopping the whole way. Matching his pace was a far less enthusiastic Lyra Heartstrings, with eyes that looked like she could win a staring contest with a cadaver.

Kefka and Lyra stood on the outskirts of town, away from any roads where they might be stumbled upon by travellers. Kefka's eye twitched as he tried not to let his frustration get the best of him. Lyra simply returned a blank stare and awaited further orders.

"That's the only spell you know? Levitation? That's it?"

Lyra nodded.

"Okay, next order. Tell me why I shouldn't kill you right now and find someone else to do your job."

"Most unicorns don't learn much more than a basic levitation spell unless otherwise required by their job. It is unlikely that you will find a unicorn that can do much more than that. Even if you did find a unicorn with more magic knowledge, they likely wouldn't fall for your trick."

Kefka rubbed his forehead with his one bare hoof. His headache was beginning to come back and he hadn't even tried casting anything yet. "Fine, I suppose I can work with this. It'll just take a little more work than I was expecting. You should consider yourself lucky that I am so merciful." Kefka dug around in his cloak pockets before pulling out three chunks of magicite, each with a dim glow, one red, one blue, and one yellow. He tossed them to the ground at Lyra's feet. "Here, I've already gotten all I can out of these. Maybe the scraps left in them will make you slightly less useless. They should at least teach you the basics, now pick them up."

Lyra reached out to the blue rock in front of her with her magic. As soon as her aura touched the stone, she felt the air around her chill. She felt her entire body's temperature drop, but she didn't feel cold. She didn't feel any discomfort, any warning from her body telling her to seek shelter. She simply was cold. Much like another pony might be happy or sad, scared or elated, she was cold. In her mind, she heard a voice, and she knew that this voice was the ice that she felt inside of her. The voice was weak, and Lyra could only make out one thing that it said.

"Shiva."

Kefka cocked an eyebrow at the single word his accomplice had spoken. "So, they still have a little life left in them, hmm? Well, give it a try. Freeze that tree over there."

Lyra looked at the tree that Kefka had pointed to. She had her orders, freeze the tree, but it seemed impossible. She shaped her magic to surround the tree, as she would with a normal levitation spell, but nothing happened. Just as she was about to give up, she felt the ice inside speak to her. It's voice was faint, but the words didn't matter. She knew what it wanted. She brought the blue stone closer with her levitation until she could touch it with her hoof. As soon as she made physical contact with the blue crystal, she felt the ice become a part of her. Her magic felt different, augmented, like some knowledge had been hidden away her whole life and she had finally remembered. She looked at the tree and shaped her magic one more time.

"Blizzard."

Had he been drinking at the time, Kefka would have done a spit take. He had expected to see a tree encased in a block of ice, as is usual with this particular spell. What he had seen instead, or what he thought he had seen, was a solid cloud of fog engulf the tree and dissipate, leaving behind what looked like a perfect ice sculpture of the same tree. Maybe there was something he could learn from these creatures after all.

"Lyra. I'm going to need you to tell me everything you know about unicorn magic."

About an hour later, Kefka was jumping for joy. His newest plaything had somehow raised his expectations and then exceeded them. By augmenting her natural levitation aura with the magicite he had provided, she could shape the elements in the air however she wished. He couldn't wait to try out this little trick once he got his own magic under control once again. For the time being though, he had to settle for living vicariously through his favorite apprentice.

"Cut that tree in half with fire!"

A ball of fire formed in the air in front of Lyra. A single tendril of flame lashed out at the tree and blew it in half with a single whip crack.

"Ice! Ice! Turn the forest to ice!"

A small cloud of fog flitted between the trees, crystallizing each and every branch it touched.

"Give yourself bunny ears! Made of lightning!"

Lyra created two elongated shapes made of crackling energy above her own head. Kefka nearly collapsed on the ground when one of them flopped over.

"Gah ha! Gah ha ha! Oh ho ho ho! It's too much! Stop, stop, put them away!"

The electric aura dispersed leaving Lyra with only her normal ears once again.

"Okay, I think that's enough playing around. It's obvious you can use magic just fine. However, I still need to test something else. A tool is only useful if it remains loyal under pressure. I'm going to need to test the strength of your loyalty to me."

Kefka paused for a moment, deep in thought. While it's true that the slave crown forced the wearer to obey his every command, he had also learned that the magic of these pony creatures was largely affected by their emotions and, to Kefka's chagrin, friendship. He couldn't risk the power of the crown failing under emotional duress at a critical time.

"Set your hoof on fire."

Lyra's hoof caught on fire. She didn't blink, though the smell of burning hair made Kefka rethink his idea.

"Put it out, and stand downwind."

The fire died down and Lyra changed her position on the road.

"Mmhmm. Choke yourself."

Lyra raised both front hooves to her neck and began compressing her airways. She fell forward without the support from her front two legs and ended up strangling herself while lying on her side. Kefka watched the whole ordeal until Lyra's face started to turn blue.

"Alright, stop. Wouldn't want you to accidentally kill yourself."

As Lyra gasped for breath and slowly forced herself into a standing position, Kefka thought about what else he could do to test the unicorn's loyalty to him.

It seems that imminent death isn't enough to break the spell, but perhaps the effects of the crown simply render her incapable of fear? I need something more drastic, and I think I know exactly what that is.

"Lyra, tell me something. What is it that you love most in this world?"

Applejack looked up at the sun and noted that it was just about time to close up shop for the day. She started counting up any unsold apples and baked goods, tallying up what had been sold throughout the day so she could make sure she had gathered the right amount of bits. Normally she kept track of sales throughout the day, but she couldn't keep her mind from wandering ever since her run in with the strange clown guy on the side of the road. More specifically, her thoughts kept returning to that strange blue stone he had with him. She was no stranger to magical artifacts, being the bearer of the Element of Honesty and all, but that stone was different. She hadn't wanted to say anything at the hospital for fear of making herself look crazy, but she could have sworn the stone tried to talk to her. It felt so familiar, too, like she had known that stone for years.

What was it he called it, a magic sight or somethin'? I've gotta ask Twi if she's ever heard of it before.

Applejack loaded the remaining apples and apple products into her cart and prepared for the trip back to Sweet Apple Acres. Performing manual labor only reminded her of the stone, however, and her pace slowed to stop as she was distracted yet again.

That stone, I felt faster, stronger, just by touching it. I felt more alive, but there was something else. It's weird but, I felt safe. It felt like a close friend that would never betray me. That's silly though, right? I mean, maybe that's just what it does, maybe it's like a magic stress relief rock. That fella was pretty defensive of it and he calmed down right quick once he got his hooves on it. I'm sure that's what it is.

Satisfied with her answer, Applejack resumed her trek back to the farm. Before she made it out of the town limits though, she had slowed down once again.

If that's all it was though, why did I feel so terrible when I handed it over? It felt like that rock trusted me, and I stabbed it in the back. A magic stress ball wouldn't do that, right? I ain't goin' crazy am I?

Before she could resolve the issue, a frantic voice broke her out of her thoughts. A neon pink earth pony with a bright yellow mane was shouting at her.

"Whoa now! Calm down there, Cherry, what seems to be the problem?"

The frantic mare started hyperventilating as she tried to explain the situation. "There's a fire! Trying to round up ponies. Weather team got clouds. Not fast enough. Can't find Rainbow Dash. The fire won't stop burning! It. Won't. Stop!"

Fires weren't exactly unheard of, but usually the weather team could handle them before they got out of control. Something didn't seem right about this fire, and it didn't seem like Rainbow Dash to neglect her duties this badly. That particular issue would have to wait for the time being, Applejack had more pressing matters to attend to. "Cherry Berry, lead the way."

Kefka watched the fire from the secluded second story window of Lyra's house. The flames obscured most of the burning building, but if he squinted just right, he could still make out the words "Bon Bon's Bon Bons" on the sign over the door. Ponies in fireproof suits were entering the building, but Kefka knew they wouldn't find anything worth saving. The only inhabitant had been killed long before the fire began. Kefka grinned as he thought back on his pet's handy work.

Electrocution through the hooves really was a great idea. Avoids the whole hair burning smell. That was truly inspired. Oh, and the look on her face when her own girlfriend, or what did they call it, marefriend? Oh whatever, when she stabbed her with that icicle? Priceless. If I could bottle that look, I'd make a fortune.

Kefka couldn't have been happier with the result of his test if he tried. He had become slightly worried that the slave crown's charm might break when he saw a single tear on Lyra's cheek as she was electrocuting her lover, but she hadn't stopped. The victim's screams and desperate pleas were delicious as always, but Lyra's own anguish made it all the sweeter. To top it all off, he had even gained a new addition to his collection. Kefka rolled the small cream colored rock around in his covered front hoof. Kefka's ultimate prize: magicite.

Don't worry, you and Blue over here will have plenty of friends to keep you company soon enough.

After placing the magicite shard into one of his cloak pockets, Kefka turned his attention to the other pony occupying the room.

"Are you just about finished down there? Stand up."

Lyra rose from her position on the floor at Kefka's back hooves. Kefka twisted his head around to examine his shoes. Both of them were spotless, completely free of the dirt that had plagued them earlier that day.

"Good job, Lyra. Very good. Now, I'm going to need you to do the front one as well, and clean your tongue first. I don't want you to get any of the dirt from the other shoes on this one."

Kefka turned his sights back to the view out the window. He let out a happy sigh as he watched the sun set, a pleasant backdrop to the rising flames that consumed the confectioner's shop.

"No better way to spend an evening."

I'm extracting magic!

Minuette went over her mental checklist one last time. Sanitize cleaning equipment? Check. Replace used consumable supplies? Rubber gloves, mouthwash, floss, fluoride gel, complimentary toothbrushes, all accounted for. Personal and financial records locked up? Got it covered. Everything had been taken care of at The Extra Smile, and it was finally time to close down the dental practice for the day. Minuette exited the building and turned around to lock the door, but was met with an unexpected sight standing in the street out front.

"Lyra." Minuette couldn't think of what she could say to the unicorn standing in front of her. It had only been three days since the fire that had taken Bon Bon from her and she had barely spoken to anypony since. It was understandable, but it was a bit of a surprise to see her suddenly standing outside of a dental office after being shut away for three days. "Can I help you with anything?"

Lyra stared back at Minuette. Her eyes were hollow, emotionless, like she had given up on life and her body had just decided to continue without her. Lyra's whole face in general gave the dentist chills, which is saying something for somepony who spends most of the day with their hooves in other pony's mouths. Eventually, Lyra opened her mouth to speak.

"I hurt my tooth."

Minuette raised an eyebrow. This was not what she had expected from her first conversation with Lyra after the fire. Although her business had been closed up for the night, she didn't feel like she could send the grieving unicorn away after she had finally begun to open up a little. "How did you hurt your tooth?"

"Too much chocolate. Too many... bon bons."

Minuette's heart nearly broke when she heard those words. How could she possibly turn Lyra away after that? Surely she had time for just one more patient tonight. "Oh Lyra, I'm so sorry. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. Come on in, I'll get you fixed up. On the house."

"Thanks."

Minuette unlocked the door to the clinic and led Lyra to her examination room. Lyra dragged her hooves over to the reclining chair bolted to the center of the room and laid back with her mouth hanging open. Minuette took a moment to put on her gloves and face mask before turning to her patient.

"Which side does it hurt on?"

"Left."

After a minute or two of rooting around in the back of Lyra's mouth, Minuette was starting to get a little confused. If Lyra was telling the truth about her toothache, then something was seriously wrong here.

"Lyra, I can't find anything wrong with your teeth. Are you sure it was a tooth that was hurting?"

Lyra didn't respond. She merely remained motionless on the dentist's chair, staring off into space. Minuette was starting to get the chills again, this was seriously getting creepy.

"Lyra, please say something."

When Minuette tried to set her tools on the table behind her, she realized that the chills she had felt weren't just being caused by her awkward situation. The entire room looked like it had been dusted with a thin layer of frost. More worrying however, was the fact that her hind hooves were securely frozen to the floor, severely restricting her movement.

"Lyra, what's going on? Talk to me, Lyra. Please!"

Minuette tried to free herself with her magic, but the ice was strangely resistant to her attempts to break it. She could feel it spreading up her legs, slowly freezing her entire body from the bottom up. Meanwhile, Lyra remained completely relaxed in her reclined position, watching the dentist panic.

"Lyra! What's happening? Are you doing this? This isn't funny, Lyra! Help me, please!"

By now, Minuette stood frozen up to her neck. She had been locked into a standing position, still leaning over the chair where Lyra sat, forced to stare into her soulless eyes. Even as her head began to crystallize and her vision started to fade away, the only thing she could see was Lyra's unfeeling gaze.

"Lyra... please..."

"Help me."

Pinkie Pie sighed to herself as she stood behind the counter at Sugarcube Corner. Business had been slow recently, which was to be expected. Pinkie herself didn't particularly feel like eating anything sweet, either, though she had managed to force down twenty or thirty cupcakes for breakfast. She just wasn't hungry lately. There was one stallion sitting at a table in the far corner of the room sipping on a milkshake with a bored expression on his face. He was wearing a colorful patchwork cloak and only three mismatched boots. He had introduced himself as Lyra's uncle, visiting from Canterlot. Pinkie had tried to welcome him to town with her usual gusto, but they had met the day after the fire and her heart just wasn't in it at the time.

"Hey, Mr. Kefka?"

Kefka looked up from his drink and glanced over at the pink nuisance that had broken his concentration. "That's Lord Kefka to you."

"Hey, Mr. Lord Kefka? How is Lyra doing? After, you know, the uh... thing."

Kefka groaned. This right here was the problem with small towns. Everyone always sticks their noses where they don't belong. "She'll live, and I'd advise you to mind your own business."

"Sheesh, somepony's being a grumpy pants. You'd think a family member would be a little more supportive."

"Uh huh." Kefka returned his attentions to the sugary beverage in front of him. Being stuck as a horse was beginning to lose what little charm it had to begin with, and Kefka's patience was running thin.

It has been three days now. Three days! Getting my magic back under control is taking so long. Too long. We've collected magicite from, let's see here... one, two, three, four, five of these horses now, and I STILL can barely light a candle without getting nauseous. At least that's a little bit of an improvement, I suppose. Sweet mother of marmalade that is a good milkshake!

Kefka's thoughts were interrupted once again when the bell above the bakery's door began to jingle. He turned his head to the door but was immediately disappointed to find that the new arrival was not who he had been expecting. Pinkie, on the other hand, had the opposite reaction.

"Hi Rarity!"

"Good morning, Pinkie." Kefka watched the elegant unicorn approach the counter with a level of grace and dignity that the rest of the town seemed to lack. He remembered her as the one that had fainted the other day when they met, intimidated by his superb sense of fashion. "I'm just stopping by to pick up something for lunch for Sweetie and I. So, how are things?"

"Well, business is kinda slow today. The whole town just seems so sad lately, and I don't know how to cheer everypony up, and that makes me even more sad." Pinkie's ears were pinned to the side of her head. Kefka couldn't understand what her problem was. So a few ponies had disappeared recently. Surely there were plenty around here?

Rarity pointed at a few of the baked goods behind the counter before she picked up the conversation. "Oh, I know what you mean, darling. I've noticed everypony is on edge lately, no surprise really. Lemon Hearts usually has a delivery of fresh lemons for me on Tuesdays, but she never showed up, and Cherry Berry's vegetable stand was missing at the market this morning. I thought she might be taking a day off, but Shoeshine was asking if anypony had seen her around town. What do you think is happening to everypony?"

Pinkie bagged up Rarity's selections while she was talking. What was happening around town? Surely, they weren't just hiding. That wouldn't make any sense. Still, Pinkie tried to be careful about jumping to conclusions after the whole incident with her surprise birthday party. She poked her head back over the counter when she heard the door bell jingle again, and for once in her life she had mixed emotions about seeing a pony enter the shop.

"Hey there, Lyra. Can I... help you with anything?"

Lyra didn't say anything. She scanned the room, almost mechanically, until her focus stopped in the corner of the room where her "uncle" sat. Without so much as a nod to the other ponies in the room, she walked towards Kefka and deposited two glowing stones on the table, one a light blue, and the other a dim white. Kefka scowled at her and quickly swept the stones out of sight under his cloak.

"Show them off to the whole world why don't you?" Kefka quickly realized his mistake as Lyra started to reach for his cloak to uncover the magicite hidden underneath. "Wait, wait! Ignore that order. Do not show them off to the whole world, you imbecile."

Pinkie and Rarity gave each other confused looks as they watched the odd exchange. Rarity picked up the bag that Pinkie was holding and steeled herself before attempting to approach the two. It took almost all of her willpower not to tear off that horrid excuse for a cloak and stomp it into the dirt. She needed to remain civil however, for Lyra's sake. Somepony had to be there for her in these hard times, and obviously her uncle wasn't much for sentimentality.

"Lyra, I just wanted to say, I'm so very sorry about what happened. I wish I could have said something early, but things have been so hectic lately around town, and we never seemed to cross paths. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. Lyra? Hello?"

Rarity had approached Lyra with the intent to offer her condolences and her services, but the unicorn in question hadn't bothered to listen. Lyra remained standing stock still at Kefka's side, simply staring at the wall in front of her. Rarity walked around her so she could see her face. She almost lost her composure when she saw Lyra's eyes. They looked hollow, like her body was merely a husk with no soul left inside. Before she could try to comfort the unfeeling unicorn further, a dark grey pegasus stallion with a skyblue mohawk burst through the front door.

"Has anypony seen Blossomforth around? I can't find her anywhere!"

Rarity turned from one troubled pony to another. "Thunderlane, please calm down. I'm sure she's fine. Did you try her house?"

Thunderlane's face turned a deep shade of red. "Oh, uh. Maybe I should go check there."

Rarity resisted the urge to plant her hoof in her face. "Yes, why don't you try that?"

As Thunderlane flew off in search of yet another missing pony, Pinkie stepped out from behind the counter to stand with the group in the corner of the room.

"You see? Now Blossomforth's missing too! I didn't know that! And what about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and Big Macintosh? I haven't seen them in days!"

"Dear, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh are in Appleloosa on 'important business'. We saw them off at the train station last week." Rarity smirked as she remembered her friend's flimsy excuse. What kind of important business could Fluttershy have with Applejack's brother in Appleloosa that would require the two to be gone for an entire week, alone? Fluttershy may have tricked the rest of her friends, but Rarity was no fool. "As for Rainbow Dash, I'm sure she's off practicing for the Wonderbolts again. You know she tends to disappear without warning from time to time."

"That's right, I forgot about that. Oh no! Now I can't keep track of who's not here and is supposed to not be here, and who's not here, and isn't supposed to not be here, not to mention who's not here and isn't supposed to not be here, but actually is supposed to not be here because they're busy being not here somewhere else!" At the end of her rant, Pinkie stopped all motion, her mind completely burnt out.

Kefka and Rarity both stared at the pink pile of frazzled nerves with similar looks of absolute buffudlement. Even Lyra managed to let slip a tiny hint of emotion as her expression shifted from "dead to the world" to simply confused. Kefka was the first to recover.

"That was interesting. While Lyra and I have... enjoyed this little conversation, I think we have someplace else we need to be. Right now. Come on, Lyra, let's go." Before the pair could leave, however, Pinkie burst back to life with little to no warning.

"I'VE GOT IT!"

Rarity attempted to shake the ringing out of her ears before she could react to her friend's sudden outburst. "Got what?"

"I'll throw a party for all of Ponyville!"

"What." Kefka and Rarity both responded in tandem.

"It's the perfect plan. I'll invite everypony in town, and when they all show up, we'll be able to see who's missing!"

"You want to do a roll call for the entire town?" Rarity inquired. "While that is actually a pretty sound plan, for you, I don't think everypony is going to be up for a party right now. The timing doesn't seem particularly appropriate, considering the circumstances."

Pinkie wilted under the force of Rarity's logic and reason. A party, not appropriate? The concept was foreign, but Pinkie trusted Rarity's judgement.

"Actually, I think a party sounds like an excellent idea."

Pinkie and Rarity both snapped their attention to the unlikely source of the comment. Kefka stood before them with a huge grin on his face, the first that either of them had seen on the clownish noble since they had met him. Even for Pinkie, it was a little creepy.

"Forgive me Mr. Kefka, but I don't see how a party is going to help right now," Rarity stated with a hint of irritation at his opposing suggestion.

Kefka brushed off her surly attitude as he called upon his acting skills yet again. "First of all, it's Lord Kefka. Second, I think a social gathering is just what this town needs right now. Everyone is on edge, as you've said. They are hiding away in their homes, and it's only making the atmosphere around here worse. Why, just look at my dear niece over here! Lyra's barely spoken to anybody since the accident. How is she supposed to recover without the support of her friends? Surely you wouldn't want her to wile away her time alone in this time of mourning?" Kefka directed a huge plastic smile in Rarity's direction, daring her to come up with another excuse.

Between Kefka's mocking grin and Pinkie's legitimately hopeful smile, Rarity could find no suitable counter-argument. "Fine, I suppose a party couldn't hurt. Just please try not to get carried away, Pinkie. This isn't exactly a time for celebration." As Pinkie disappeared into the kitchen to begin planning, Rarity returned her attention to Kefka. "I'm not going to pretend to know what you're up to. I just hope that you know what you're doing."

Kefka ignored Rarity's biting remarks and kept up his enthusiastic charade. "I'm sure everything will turn out splendid, don't you worry. Just make sure everyone is there. They won't be disappointed."

"This is perfect! I couldn't have planned it better if I tried!"

Kefka sat at the table in Lyra's kitchen, examining the various resources at his disposal and getting a head start on gloating about his victory. On the table lay a vial filled with a clear liquid, a blank sheet of parchment, and a multicolored assortment of magicite, seven in all including the two that Lyra had gathered that day. Kefka had taught Lyra the method of extracting magicite from living creatures so that she could work on her own to avoid suspicion. As much as he hated to admit it, Kefka drew a little too much attention, a side effect of his striking good looks. It was a much smaller risk to allow the far less appealing Lyra to fly solo, though it left Kefka with nothing to do but think about how much he hated hooves all day.

"I can feel it, Lyra! This is going to work and I'll finally have my magic back." Kefka cackled with glee. "We've been thinking too small. We can't spread proper chaos from the shadows, no no no. We need something bigger, and I've got the perfect plan. Lyra, get me something to write with."

Lyra scanned the room for any form of writing utensil, and eventually located a single quill. She levitated the object to herself and offered it to her master.

"What, no ink? You worm, you're useless! No matter." Kefka grabbed the quill between his teeth and, with a powerful swing of his head, stabbed the pointed tip directly into Lyra's shoulder. The quill slid out of the wound, coated in a thin layer of blood. He turned back to the parchment and began the laborious process of trying to write with his mouth. Had there been any other choice, Kefka never would have subjected himself to something so degrading as holding something with his mouth, but he had learned the hard way that Lyra's slave crown had messed with her sense of precision, making her penmanship about as legible as if she had simply thrown the quill at a wall and hoped for the best. This left the unseemly task to Kefka, which he performed with much grumbling. He eventually finished his list and set the quill aside.

"This is going to solve all of my problems, Lyra. This plan will take care of everything. Everyone in town is going to attend that party, to lend their support to a friend in need." Kefka gagged a little at the sentiment. He continued with a mocking tone to his voice. "Oh Lyra, we're so sorry. This must be so hard for you. Please accept our sympathy. And then, her dear Uncle Kefka will propose a toast, thanking everyone for their support in these turbulent times." Kefka snickered as he picked up the vial on the table between his two fore hooves. He gazed into the clear liquid with a wicked gleam in his eye. "And then, they'll all drink." Kefka raised the vial up in the air in a mocking gesture.

"A toast, to your good health."

Why do you have to live in the middle of nowhere?!

"Ugh, remind me why we're out here again."

"Because you said you absolutely needed the components on your list to mix up a larger batch of poison for your plan to work, and this is the closest location where they can be found."

Kefka twisted his head to give his companion a piercing death glare. Lyra continued staring blankly at the path in front of her, unaffected by her master's foul mood.

"Well you could have said something about it being in the middle of all this disgusting... nature." Kefka trudged along the winding dirt path, muttering death threats under his breath. He hadn't thought anything of it when Lyra had informed him that the herbs he needed were located in a place called the Everfree Forest. She had mentioned that an apothecary lived out here, so it was quite a shock to find that the place was so... unlivable.

It'll all be worth it. Just think of the prize. Get in, get the goods, get out. It's not like anything in here could possibly hurt you. It's just that it's all so dirty. Blech.

Kefka squinted his eyes to try and see further down the path ahead of him. According to Lyra's information, there should be a hut or something out here. She had never seen it herself, so her description was next to useless, but judging by the lack of civilization to be found, it didn't seem like it would be difficult to pick out the only structure with a door. During his scan, Kefka spotted something in his peripheral vision that gave him pause.

"Lyra! Puddle."

Lyra quickened her pace until she caught up to where Kefka had forged ahead. Sure enough, there was a shallow puddle of muddy water about a foot across directly in Kefka's path. Lyra laid down on her side, covering the puddle with her body as she had been instructed to do in these types of scenarios. After Kefka had safely crossed the offending body of water, Lyra picked herself up and followed her master from a safe distance, dripping wet on one side and freshly bruised on the other. This was the third puddle they had come across so far, and it felt like she had cracked a rib this time, though she cared little.

"Lyra, come along now, time is of the essence! Oh, I think I see another puddle up ahead."

Lyra quickened her pace until she caught up to where Kefka had forged ahead.

"I'm tellin' ya Twi, somethin' don't seem right about this Kefka fella. I can't put my hoof on it, but I just got a bad feelin'."

Twilight Sparkle barely looked up from the book she was reading. "Applejack, this isn't another case of premature apprehension based on corporeal idiosyncrasies is it?"

Applejack's deadpan stare spoke volumes. "Twi, ya gotta meet me halfway here."

Twilight closed her book and gave her friend an apologetic and slightly embarrassed smile. "Sorry, you know how I can get when I'm in study mode. What I meant was you aren't prejudging him because he looks different, like with Zecora, right?"

Applejack pulled back at hearing Twilight's accusation. "Twi, you know I wouldn't make that mistake again. I am offended that you would even think that."

"Well, I'm sorry, but you don't seem to have much proof other than a 'bad feeling'. I just don't want to repeat past mistakes. Have you tried talking to him?"

"I suppose I can see where yer comin' from, and yes I have talked to him." Applejack put a hoof to her chin as she wracked her brain to try and remember the details of her interaction with the strangely garbed stallion. "I found him unconscious a few days back, brought him to the hospital, we talked a bit when he woke up, and then I left."

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "That's the only interaction you've had? So, where's this bad feeling come from?"

"That's just it. I can't figure it out, but I know it had something to do with this weird stone he had. He was a mite snippy when he woke up, askin' about this thing called a 'magic sight'. He got real mad when I picked it up, but he calmed right down again when I gave it back to him. I've never seen somepony get so defensive over a rock before."

As soon as Applejack had mentioned the 'magic sight' stone, Twilight had already begun pulling books on geology off of the library shelves. "Did you notice anything else about that stone, any physical characteristics? Maybe I can narrow it down a bit, make it easier to find."

"Well, it was blue, sky blue, and it had a bright glow comin' off it, like a blue firefly. That's not the weirdest thing about it though. I don't think that was no ordinary stone, Twi. When I touched it, it felt almost like it was alive. It tried to speak to me, I think, but it was too faint to make out any words."

"Wait, hold up." Twilight's levitation aura faltered and the book she had been reading dropped to the floor. "The stone spoke to you? Like, actually tried to form words and communicate with you?"

"Yeah, it did, but that's not all. I felt stronger just by being near it. You shoulda seen it, Twi, I don't think I've ever run so fast before. I ran clear from Sweet Apple Acres to Ponyville General in record time, and I wasn't even winded, and it just keeps gettin' weirder. I felt like... I felt like the sky was callin' to me, like I could sprout wings and take off into the air if I had a mind to. I don't exactly have prior experience to base it on, but I think that must be how it feels to be a pegasus. I can't think of any other way to describe it."

Twilight's hoof tapped a steady rhythm on her forehead as she pieced together everything Applejack had said. "A glowing blue stone that makes the holder feel what a pegasus feels, and significantly increases their physical capabilities. Applejack, I'm going to have to send a letter to the princess to confirm this, but I have never even heard of a mineral with properties like that. If it exists, it's not written in any of the books in this library, and that means it may be a new discovery!" Twilight had already begun to gather stacks of parchment and quills to document any possible findings. "Applejack, I need to talk to that stallion. Kefka, right? Do you know where he is?"

"Well now, I'd tell ya if I knew, but I ain't run into him since our first meetin'. I was hopin' to get Rainbow Dash to do a little aerial scoutin' around town, but she's been missin' for a few days now. Fluttershy's out of town with Mac, so I can't ask her to do it either. Don't suppose you know anythin' about where Rainbow's gone off to?"

"No, I haven't seen her. She isn't off on some training trip again? I know she's been doing laps between here and Manehatten lately to work on her stamina."

Applejack shook her head. "Nah, she just got back from one of those. Besides, you can always tell when she starts a run." Applejack chuckled as she remembered her friend's training habits. "She always sets off a sonic rainboom when she leaves. Blows everything she's got right out the gate and loses steam halfway through. I swear, that pony has never heard the word 'pacing' before."

"You don't think it has anything to do with the other reported disappearances, do you?" Twilight bit her lip. "You don't think she's hurt, is she?"

"Rainbow Dash? Hurt?" Applejack chuckled halfheartedly. "If there's something that can take down Dash, then the whereabouts of one pegasus is going to be the least of our worries, I reckon. I'm sure we'll see her tonight at Pinkie's party." Her smile faltered as she tried to reassure her worried friend. She wanted to believe that Rainbow Dash was okay, but the bad feeling she had in the pit of her stomach still hadn't gone away. "Hey, Twi, I'm sure everything'll turn out all right. We'll go to the party, Dash'll be there safe and sound, and we'll all hang out and have a fun time. No big deal."

"I hope you're right, Applejack. I really do."

"Lyra, what is the holdup? We are losing precious hours while you waste the day playing around."

"My apologies, master." Lyra ducked behind a large boulder just as a massive claw sliced through the air, shaving off the tip of her tail. "This Ursa is proving more difficult to subdue than was first estimated."

"What are you doing trying to subdue it? It is an animal, a beast," Kefka explained as though he were lecturing a child. "Its life is insignificant, and now it is wasting our time. Kill it, and let's be done with it."

Lyra nodded and looked up at the hulking blue bear that stood before her. The thing was as big as a house, if not larger, and could squash her fragile form with a single paw if it could catch her. Now that she had been ordered to use lethal force, however, evasive maneuvers were no longer on her mind. Lyra's horn began to glow as she focused her mind on her spell. As the bear began to charge at the stationary unicorn, a single bolt of lightning struck, paralyzing the creature inches from Lyra's face. Without missing a beat, Lyra summoned forth a massive ball of fire, molded it into the shape of a lance, and thrust the flaming weapon through the Ursa's chest. The bear managed to let loose a single strangled roar before succumbing to its wounds and falling dead to the forest floor. Kefka walked up to the creature and poked it with a hoof.

"No blood? What is it, actually made of stars? I thought that was just some kind of useless camouflage. What's the fun in killing something that can't even bleed?" Kefka continued poking the beast for a little bit while thinking aloud. "Ooh, maybe it's an esper? If so, I'll have to return here once I have my magic back. I'd better make a note of this."

Before the investigation could go any further, a tremor caused Kefka and Lyra to lose their footing. A gargantuan saber toothed bear with a star speckled purple coat poked its head above the treeline and looked in the pair's direction. The behemoth's eyes darted back and forth until its searching gaze landed on the body of its deceased cub. An earth shaking roar echoed throughout the Everfree Forest as the mammoth beast charged at the two ponies standing nearby.

Kefka sighed and stepped away to a nearby tree and sat down. "Lyra, try to be quick about this. We really don't have all day."

"No, no, no, no, no! There's nothing here!" Twilight cast aside book after book in her ongoing pursuit of knowledge. After her conversation with Applejack, she had sent a letter to her mentor, Princess Celestia, asking if she knew anything about a magical blue stone that could make an earth pony feel like a pegasus. Her teacher's response had come nearly as quickly as the request had been made, and the fact that she had not heard of it either had kick started a frenzied research session. Twilight had begun to pull books off the shelves once again, determined to find something, anything, about the mysterious stone. Ultimately, her search had been fruitless and she now sat in the midst of hundreds of unshelved books with absolutely no leads and not much time left before she had to leave for Pinkie's party.

"Grah! It's just so frustrating! How could a stone with such powerful magic go undetected like this, especially if some random noble from Canterlot has one? Maybe he doesn't even realize what he has." A lightbulb turned on in Twilight's head as she considered the implications of an undiscovered stone's existence so close by. "Oh my gosh! I could be the first to uncover a new type of magic! This is an opportunity to research something brand new, and I can write a report and maybe even get published! Oh my gosh oh my gosh, I need to come up with a list of questions to ask this Kefka guy at the party."

Twilight levitated the pile of books she had been sitting in to an unused corner of the library for her assistant, Spike, to take care of later. Relieved to find that she had a few fresh sheets of parchment on hand, Twilight began to write down the questions she would need answered, but one question stuck in her mind more than the others.

"Who is this Kefka guy, anyways? Normally, I'd just brush him off as any other noble, but he can't be too normal if he managed to get his hooves on an unknown magical artifact." Twilight continued writing down questions, but for once in her life, she was unable to fully concentrate on her research topic. "And then there's that name, Palazzo. Now, I'm not the authority on Canterlot nobility, but I've lived there for most of my life, and I've never heard that name before. Hmm, an unknown noble with an unknown magic. Oh, but maybe it's a newly elevated family, I really shouldn't jump to conclusions without any proof."

By now, Twilight had left the parchment and quill on her writing desk and was now pacing around the library's main room. "Applejack said she found him on the side of the road four days ago, but wouldn't a noble have some sort of escort? However, if he was collapsed on the side of the road, it's possible that his escort was attacked and driven off. Oh but wait, Applejack said that he had collapsed from a severe magical feedback reaction, so he probably wasn't ambushed by a random highwaymare."

Twilight slowed her pacing as she continued trying to rearrange the various puzzle pieces she had assembled in her mind. "Okay, noble shows up from Canterlot, he's got an unknown magical artifact. Said noble suffers from pH desynchronization, if what Applejack said is true. I would hate to jump to accusations, but the fact that ponies started disappearing almost the same day he showed up is a pretty big coincidence. That doesn't make sense, though. He claims to be a relative of Lyra's, and ponies have seen Lyra with him around town. I've known Lyra since we were both little fillies living in Canterlot. Surely, she wouldn't be working with a ponynapper. Oh, this is just so confusing!"

Twilight looked up at the wall clock to check the time. "5:30. Just about time to head over to Sugarcube Corner. If I could just get a chance to talk to him, I should be able to get the answers I need. For once, I really hope I'm on the wrong track."

"Lyra, this had better be the place. My legs are killing me from all this walking."

Lyra limped to Kefka's side. Her left hind leg was bruised and twisted slightly, but otherwise usable, and she had a cut above her right eye which had mostly healed, but still left the fur around the area stained a dark red. "I believe this is Zecora's home, yes."

"Excellent, now stay hidden." Kefka strolled up to the door of the gnarled tree that doubled as a house and knocked on the door. A muffled voice called from inside.

"Now who could that be, this late in the day?" The door opened and in its place stood another horse, but this time with a coat striped black and white. "To what do I owe the pleasure, if I may?"

Kefka hadn't been expecting to see a zebra, though it wasn't entirely surprising to him at this point. It certainly wasn't the strangest thing he had seen so far. "Are you Zecora?"

"Your guess is correct, that is my name. I was not aware that it carried such fame."

Kefka smirked at the zebra and her odd way of speaking. This could have been fun if he wasn't in such a hurry. He pulled a rolled up piece of parchment out of his cloak with his teeth and held it open with his teeth. "Do you have all of these?"

Zecora eyed the list of ingredients before responding. "Surely I do, though I don't recognize this brew. What is your plan for the things on this list? Perhaps if I knew, I might be able to assist."

Kefka placed the list on a nearby table. "It's nothing special, just a... surprise for some friends of mine. An old family recipe."

Zecora nodded as she started picking ingredients off of the various shelves around the hut. "You know, I could have sworn these plants were an unhealthy mix. Is it possible you've somehow managed to create a fix?"

"Oh, of course. I've got a secret ingredient that'll fix it right up."

Zecora placed the last requested ingredient on the table. She examined the plants spread before her and looked back at her strange guest with a frown. "I hope you do not think me fickle, but this secret of yours assures me little. These herbs alone would make a nasty drink, the affects of which I shudder to think."

Kefka simply grinned as he responded. "Oh, I assure you, it will work as intended."

Zecora glared at her guest. "To reveal your plan was quite foolish, sir. Surely, you didn't think that I would assist in murder?"

Kefka's grin never left his face, though Zecora noted that it seemed more malicious than it had before. "Then I'm afraid, Miss Zecora, that you have outlived your usefulness."

Zecora's eyes widened in shock. She turned to escape, but instead came face to face with Lyra. The air around her became unseasonably warm. "I... wha... what?"

Kefka pouted. "Aww, no more rhymes? I was just starting to enjoy them too, such a pity. If you are unable, then allow me to assist." Kefka approached the frightened zebra until their faces were nearly touching. "You've been a big help, though it wasn't enough. Unfortunately, your judge of character is not up to snuff. We've had our fun, but in the end I have won. Now, I suggest that you run, or you'll be well done."

The music of hundreds of voices screaming in unison.

Against all odds, Pinkie Pie managed to get almost all of Ponyville assembled in one place for her "quiet social gathering". Many ponies showed up hoping to find a missing friend or family member among the crowds, and many more showed up in hopes that the whole "safety in numbers" thing would work in their favor. All in all, the mood could be described as somber. Pinkie wasn't quite sure whether to call her party a success or not.

Sugarcube Corner proved to be insufficient for the larger than average guest list, and so the street just outside the bakery had been repurposed as a designated party zone, complete with buffet tables loaded with snacks and a record player, though that remained silent for the time being. Nopony even bothered to pay the apple bobbing tub any mind. Rarity sighed as she cast a weary eye over the "festivities".

"I still think this was a terrible idea. Pinkie is probably running herself ragged trying to liven things up, the poor dear." Rarity eyed the unicorn standing next to her, who appeared to be lost in thought. "Twilight, is something the matter? You've been silent ever since we got here."

Twilight perked up at the sound of her own name. "Oh, sorry. I've had a lot on my mind today." She stretched her neck to get a better view over the surrounding crowds. "I don't suppose you've seen this Kefka guy, have you? I need to talk to him, but I don't actually know what he looks like."

Rarity scoffed. "Consider yourself lucky, dear. I simply can't believe anypony would willingly wear something so dreadfully tacky in public. Believe me, you'll know him when you see him."

"Oh ho ho ho! Looks like there's a bigger crowd than I expected. How wonderful!" Kefka set foot on the stone streets that marked the entrance to Ponyville. Even at a distance, the crowd outside Sugarcube Corner could be seen clearly. "Good thing I'm always prepared to entertain. Lyra, bring that around back, and do not allow yourself to be seen."

Lyra nodded and ducked between two nearby houses. A large cask followed her into the darkness, surrounded by a golden glow. Meanwhile, Kefka continued along the main road towards Sugarcube Corner.

"Vwee hee hee hee! After dealing with those blasted Returners, these horses are mere insects! Look at them, so gullible, they line up for the slaughter like the good little animals they are." Kefka stopped in the middle of the road. He reached for his own magic, testing the reaction of the harmonic magic within him. He could feel only a weak resistance, though he still couldn't quite wrestle full control away from the peaceful intruder. "Ugh, how do these things live like this, tied down by their... friendship and love? Blech!" Kefka resumed his steady pace towards Pinkie's party. "No matter. After tonight, I'll regain full control over my magic, and then nothing will stop me from becoming the ruler of this world! Oh ho ho ho ho ho!"

"Hello there, are you Mr. Kefka?"

"Uh wha?" Kefka looked around to find that, during his monologue, he had arrived at Sugarcube Corner and was currently standing face to face with a purple unicorn that was staring at him with equal parts curiosity and caution. "You didn't hear any of that, did you?"

"Only that you seemed to find something to be particularly funny. Though, I find it odd," the intrusive unicorn continued. "What might you find so entertaining, considering these circumstances?"

As enticing as it was, Kefka resisted the urge to simply dispose of the meddlesome creature. The risk of ruining his plan was too great with the number of witnesses present. Instead, he gathered his thoughts and prepared to endure an unexpected bump in an otherwise very well paved road.

"You may address me as Lord Kefka."

Twilight's eye began to twitch, as it does under situations of extreme irritation. She had spent at least half an hour now grilling Kefka on a plethora of questions regarding his "magic sight" among other things, and he refused to say anything on the matter other than that it was an old family heirloom. He had become very defensive when she had asked to see it, claiming that it was far too valuable to be waving around in public. Rarity and Applejack, who had joined the conversation after leaving their sisters to hang out elsewhere, listened intently, though they didn't seem to share in Twilight's same level of frustration. Seeing that she wasn't going to make any headway on the mystery rock, Twilight decided to change the topic.

"So, what brings you to Ponyville?"

"Visiting my niece."

"Lyra, right? How's she doing, by the way?"

"She's fine."

"Pretty bad luck, coming to town for a visit on the same day that her marefriend dies. Must be hard on both of you, though you seem to be in pretty good spirits."

"What exactly are you insinuating?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all. You say you're from Canterlot?"

"Yes, and I hope you're going somewhere with this."

"Well, it's just that, I'm from Canterlot myself, and I've never heard of a noble family by the name of Palazzo."

"We're new, gained the title when we married into Lyra's family."

"Which is the...?"

"..." Son of a submariner! I knew I should have remembered her last name! "The Lyra clan?"

"Lyra clan?" Twilight deadpanned. Applejack and Rarity exchanged puzzled glances.

Beads of sweat began to form on Kefka's brow. Why can't I just kill her? I need to end this. "You know, some families prefer to be referred to by their surname. Is there something wrong with that?"

"Nothing at all. Many families of Neighsian descent still follow the naming conventions of their ancestors, but as far as I can tell, the Heartstrings family isn't one of them."

Who is this know-it-all? "Fine, I didn't bother to run a background check on my in-laws. Sue me."

"That's fine, I have some other things I'd like to ask about. What's your special talent?"

"Magic."

Twilight found it difficult to hide her surprise. "Really? That just happens to be my special talent, too! Can I see your cutie mark?"

Kefka found it difficult to hide his absolute bewilderment. "My what now?"

"Your cutie mark, you know, the thing that represents that one thing that makes each pony special?" Twilight turned her body to display her own star shaped mark.

"Oh, is that what those are?" Kefka turned his head to look at his own rear end, which was completely obscured by his colorful cloak. "You know, I haven't bothered to check my own. Just kinda figured the whole town was into branding or something."

Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity shared a brief moment of silence as they attempted to puzzle out what exactly had just occurred. Kefka took their slack jaws as confirmation that the conversation was finally over. Perfect timing too, since Lyra had just appeared in his peripheral vision by the door to Sugarcube Corner.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat some more but my dear niece is looking for me. Goodbye, Miss..."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Ah, yes. Goodbye, Miss Sparkle." Kefka confidently strutted away, disappearing into the crowd.

After Kefka was out of sight, Rarity finally recovered enough to address her friends. "Was he being serious just now?"

"I can honestly say, I think he was," Applejack replied.

Twilight shook her head in bewilderment. "Okay, I think we can all agree that was really weird. Can you two stay here and keep an eye out for anything suspicious? I'm going to ask around to see if anypony else knows anything."

Rarity and Applejack nodded their heads, still too confused to say much else.

Pinkie Pie dashed back and forth through the crowds, visibly winded but still as perky as ever. She had thrown this party to cheer up all of Ponyville, and that's exactly what she was going to do. It was a more ambitious project than usual, but nothing was going to stop her from being the best hostess in all of Equestria.

"Hey, Caramel, having a good time? Cheerilee, try one of these cupcakes! Hey there, Aloe, where's Lotus? No, Sweetie Belle, I'm all set in the kitchen, thanks for the offer though. Mr. Filthy, how's business lately?"

Every single pony she talked to, their responses were the same; Gloomy with a side order of frowny face. What kind of party is this? Ponies should be laughing and playing. Did I do something wrong? Was it something I said?

As Pinkie wallowed in self pity, trying to think of what had gone wrong with her carefully planned party, she began to feel a familiar tingling sensation in her leg.

Huh, my Pinkie sense is trying to tell me something. Pinchy knee? But that means something scary is going to happen! And it's going to happen in... the kitchen?

Pinkie wasn't sure what kind of scary thing could possibly happen at a party, but as the party's hostess, it was her job to find it and stop it before it could ruin everypony's good time. She darted through the crowd, skillfully dodging party goers and snack tables, and slipped into Sugarcube Corner through the front door. As she approached the door to the kitchen, she began to hear voices.

"This was almost too easy! Wee hee hee! That purple one is certainly nosy, though. I can't wait to see her suffer."

Audible gasp! What kind of dastardly fiendishness could be going on in there?

Pinkie slowly pushed the door open a crack to peek inside. Is that Mr. Kefka? And Lyra? What are they doing in there? Wait, what are they mixing into the punch? Nopony adds secret ingredients to the punch but me!

Kefka twisted his head at the sound of a door being slammed open at full force. Pinkie stood in the doorway, hooves spread in an aggressive stance, ready to charge. "I've caught you red hoofed, Mr. Suspicious! Drop the punch bowl and nopony gets hurt! Or thirsty!"

Kefka craned his head to see behind the pink intruder. The room was empty, save for Pinkie, Lyra, and himself. "I don't think you've planned this out as well as you think you have. Besides, I thought you liked surprises."

"Surprises are supposed to be fun! You're just being a big meany!"

"That's hardly fair," Kefka pouted. "I'm having loads of fun, and once your friends drink your special punch, they'll be pushing up daisies! Horses like daisies, right?"

Pinkie snorted, shooting steam out of her nostrils. "Yes, daisies are delicious, but that doesn't matter. I'm going to stop you, right here. I won't let you hurt my friends!" The muscles in her legs tensed as she prepared to charge at the clearly unstable clown, but her hooves refused to budge from their position on the floor. She looked down to see ice crystals forming around her legs, slowly freezing her into place. Lyra was standing nearby, horn aglow as she concentrated on her magic. Kefka cackled at the sight.

"Oh ho ho ho ho ho! You should see the look on your face right now! Betrayed by one you called friend, how delightful! Oh, these are the moments I treasure most, when you realize how worthless your efforts truly are."

Pinkie's eyes began to tear up. "Why... why are you doing this?"

"Hmm? Why am I doing what? Poisoning the town? Destroying everything you hold dear? You want to know why?"

Pinkie merely nodded. The ice had reached her throat, and her mouth was no longer capable of forming words.

"Hmm... that is a good question. I suppose I could say I did it for power or to conquer the world, but honestly, at the moment, I think I'm just bored."

Kefka turned towards the pink mare to see her reaction, but she was already frozen solid. He inspected the new ice statue with a critical eye.

"Nice work, Lyra. Very nice attention to detail. The frozen tears are an excellent touch, really brings emotion to the piece. A shame it'll melt away, it does make a lovely display."

Rarity felt a chill overcome her suddenly as she continued to mingle, as per her orders. Her thoughts had turned to a very dark place since the conversation with Kefka from earlier.

Where even did he get that atrocious outfit? Next time I'm in Canterlot, I'll report this crime against fashion to Fancypants, and we will have the designer responsible blacklisted forever. Nopony should be able to get away with bringing something that hideous into this world. Who even wears a cloak with fake pegasus wings? Really!

"Rarity."

I mean, the idea isn't terrible, but the execution is all wrong. The colors just don't match at all, and the fabric texture in the cloak simply clashes with the feather pattern in the wings. Actually, if I were to change the colors around a bit and take out one of the pairs of wings... yes, I think that could work.

"Rarity!"

Startled, Rarity jumped about a foot off the ground. After a less than graceful landing, she regarded the offending pony with just a tiny hint of malice. "What, Applejack? What did you want, that you had to scare me halfway to the moon?"

"Sorry Rare, but I gotta take Apple Bloom back home." Applejack turned to display the little yellow filly, soundly asleep on her back. "She's been helping pick up some of the slack at the farm while Mac is gone, and she's plumb tuckered out. I shouldn't be too long. Think you can handle things while I'm gone?"

Rarity's icy glare warmed a bit as she watched the tired filly snoozing so peacefully. "Of course, Applejack, take as long as you need." She waved a hoof toward the morose crowd surrounding them. "I hardly think anything of interest is going to happen that Twilight and I can't handle."

"Thanks, Rarity. I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

Rarity sighed as Applejack made her way through the crowd. "I wish something interesting would happen. This 'party' is more like a funeral than anything. Oh, is that more punch being brought out? I do hope Pinkie made it sans alligator this time, I am absolutely parched."

Kefka surveyed the crowds for any signs of a reaction as Lyra wheeled out one of their special punch bowls. A few of the ponies peeled off from the central group to quench their thirst, including one that he identified as the annoying white unicorn that had almost put a stop to the party before it was even in the planning stages.

So hasty. You couldn't wait just a little longer? You see, this right here is why I used a slow acting poison. We can't have a few impatient idiots ruin the surprise for everyone else, can we?

Kefka smirked at the small throng that had gathered around the punch bowl. Still, I need to play my part soon. After all, the clock is ticking now.

After straightening his cloak out, Kefka stepped out of Sugarcube Corner and slowly made his way to the small stage that Pinkie had conveniently set up in case of a surprise musical number.

Twilight's frustration began to reach peak levels. Nopony had any information that she didn't already know, she couldn't find Applejack anywhere, Pinkie had disappeared, and Rarity was too busy mingling at the punch bowl to be of any real use. With a reluctant sigh, she made her way to the one friend she at least knew the location of.

"Twilight, dear, any luck with the search?"

"No, Rarity, I'm afraid not. I don't suppose you've seen anything?"

"No, I haven't, sorry darling." Rarity emptied her glass. As she was setting her glass down, something odd caught her eye. "Twilight, you might want to direct your attention to the stage. I think something interesting is finally about to happen."

Twilight turned her attention to the aforementioned stage, only to see the unlikeliest of ponies preparing to address the crowd. Kefka cleared his throat before he began.

"Hello, Ponyville. You may not know who I am, but I feel like I know all of you like you're my own family. I came here, a stranger to you all, and yet you welcomed me with open arms, and treated me like one of your own."

Twilight could hear murmurs of disagreement throughout the crowd. Nopony seemed too fond of the clownish noble, and it was clear that "open arms" was a bit of an exaggeration. This only peaked Twilight's curiosity.

He obviously wasn't met with a warm reception. Why would he lie about something like that, on stage no less?

"This isn't about me, however," Kefka continued. "As you well know, my dear niece, Lyra, was stricken with great tragedy recently. Many of you are dealing with your own losses as well, right now, and yet, the support we've received from the community has been overwhelming."

The murmurs were less dissenting, but still, there was little warmth to be had. Twilight scratched her head.

This is so strange. It's all obviously a lie. What is his game?

"As such, I would like to propose a toast. To all of you, who have been so supportive in these trying times."

Is Lyra handing out drinks? Does nopony else find that a little odd?

"To those of you who have lost loved ones of your own."

Why would he mention those disappearances? How much does he know?

"And to Lyra, a pony who has gone through pain I can only dream of, and still has the strength to carry on."

Rarity wrapped a hoof over Twilight's back for support. "Oh my, I think I may have drank too much. I'm beginning to feel light headed."

"May you find only happiness, for the rest of your days."

Kefka raised a glass in his hoof. Twilight was surprised to see that nearly every pony in the crowd had raised a glass of their own.

When did they all get those?

Twilight suddenly felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She looked down to find Rarity lying on the ground at her hooves. Most of the other ponies around the punch bowl had begun to collapse as well.

"To an end to suffering."

Kefka drained his glass and all the ponies in the crowd with a drink followed suit. Twilight gasped as all the puzzle pieces fell into place a second too late.

"No, it can't be. All along, he just wanted..." She looked at her friend lying on the ground, her eyes wide open and beginning to cloud over. "No no no no no, this can't be happening." She looked back at the stage, but Kefka was already gone. The ponies that had participated in the toast were still standing, though some of the smaller mares were already starting to feel the effects.

Twilight could feel moisture building in her eyes. "How could anypony do something like this? This is sick, twisted." The other party goers had begun to notice what was happening as more ponies succumbed to the effects of the poison. The survivors had begun to panic.

"Flitter, I don't feel so good."

"Carrot, honey, what's wrong? What's happening?"

"Please get up, mommy. I'm scared."

"The end is nigh!"

"Don't leave me!"

Twilight could do naught but stare at the chaos around her, as she was overwhelmed with emotions, bombarded with grief from all sides. Children who would never hug their parents again. Lovers who would never again share eachother's warm embrace. Siblings who would never see their brother or sister's smile. All of it was just too much.

"Rarity?"

Twilight was startled out of her thoughts by the sound of a small, white unicorn filly calling her sister's name.

"Sweetie Belle..."

Sweetie Belle turned her head up to match Twilight's gaze, her emerald eyes brimming with tears.

"She's just sleeping, right?" Sweetie managed to choke out. "She'll wake up soon, won't she?"

Twilight stared at the filly as the implications really started to sink in.

All these ponies are dead. Rarity is dead. One of my best friends is dead. If he was behind this, then it's possible that my other friends... no. I can't think like that. Not yet.

Sweetie Belle watched the older mare with pleading eyes, but her silence was confirmation enough. "She's gone, isn't she?"

"Yes, I think so." Twilight stepped towards the bakery where Kefka had disappeared, leaving Sweetie Belle behind, wailing over her sister's corpse. "I could have stopped this, if I had only seen it sooner. No pony could do something like this. No pony is capable of such atrocities." She picked up speed, charging for the door that stood between her and the greatest foe she had ever encountered.

"But, Kefka is no pony. The signs were all there, I was just too stupid to see it." As the door came nearer, Twilight focused her magic into her horn. "He's a monster, and I'm going to stop him, right here, right now!"

Why do you yearn to live, knowing all things must die?

"Do you hear their cries, do you hear them? Such a wonderful symphony! I could listen to it all day." Kefka danced around the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, knocking over pots and pans in his mad jubilation. His prancing slowed as he began to run out of breath, and he turned to the other pony in the room who was displaying far lower quantities of excitement. "Ah, but we don't have all day, do we? Lyra, quickly, take care of the survivors would you? Once they've recovered from the initial shock, they'll start to flee, and we can't have that now, can we?"

Lyra nodded and silently slipped out the kitchen's side entrance. Kefka tried to maintain a semblance of poise and dignity, but he couldn't prevent a wide grin from worming its way onto his face. Soon, the mad mage was cackling in glee yet again.

"This is wonderful! Splendid! I can feel my magic whole once more, and once I gather all that delicious magicite, I will be unstoppable! Who needs troublesome espers when there's such an easy source of magic right here! Wee hee hee hee hee hee!"

"KEFKAAAAAAAAA!"

Kefka barely had time to duck as the front door of the kitchen flew past, trailing smoke. He whipped his head around to the now unoccupied door frame to see who had interrupted his victory monologue.

"You." That annoying purple unicorn with all the questions. Kefka cracked a smile. "Did you like my surprise?"

Twilight's horn glowed brighter as every loose object in the kitchen began to hover around Kefka. Spoons, mixers, knives, bowls, cupcakes, and even the oven were now airborne, encased in a lavender aura.

"I'm going to take that as a no." Kefka pouted. "And I put so much work into it, too."

"RAAAAAGH!" Every single object in the room collided at once, directly where Kefka was standing. Flour bags exploded, covering the area in an impenetrable cloud of white powder, and the floor directly under the crash site cracked under the pressure of the entire room's contents. Twilight gasped as the dust cleared, revealing Kefka completely unharmed amidst the carnage.

"I'm disappointed in you, Miss Sparkle. I thought you said your special talent was in magic, and all I get is a simple levitation spell? How boring," Kefka sighed, and dismissed his shield spell. "It's just as well. I'm a bit rusty, just regaining my powers and all, and I should probably start with something easy to warm up."

Twilight instinctively built a small shield bubble around herself, stopping a bolt of lightning in the air, mere inches from her face. More bolts continued to hammer at her shield, weakening the entire structure. She focused the shield's remaining power into a smaller area in front of her to hold back the onslaught of electric missiles, until her eye caught something in the reflection of a pot lying nearby. She rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a shower of icicles that had fallen from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, Kefka stood in his original spot, looking quite relaxed. "Bravo, Miss Sparkle. It appears this will be more fun than I expected."

Twilight rolled herself into an upright position, and glared at Kefka. "Why are you doing this?" She cast a small reflective shield to bounce back a gout of flame that shot out of the shattered tiles in the floor. "How are you doing this?"

Kefka laughed. "How? Why it's quite simple, really." Kefka conjured a ball of flame, twisting it around in the air with his magic, giving it the illusion of life as it danced around. "I've watched you ponies these past few days, you and your so called 'magic'. Levitation, transmutation, conjuration, you only seek to create and manipulate. You only desire to live in harmony with the world around you. Disgusting." The fireball shaped itself into a lance and launched itself at Twilight, narrowly missing her head, singing the end of her mane. "True magic, true power, is the ability to take all that exists, and end it. Chaos can so easily put an end to that harmony you ponies love, but harmony can never do the same to chaos. Chaos is eternal, and unlike you simpletons, I embrace it."

"You're a monster."

"Oh, and now we're name calling? What a pity." Kefka grimaced as he continued to pelt the irritating unicorn with his black magic.

She's more powerful than I thought, that shield just won't go down. I need to think of some way to end this. When brute force won't work, you exploit other weaknesses. Now, what are your weaknesses, Twilight Sparkle? Aha!

"Tell me, Miss Sparkle, why do you fight? You're fighting purely defensively at this point, what do you hope to accomplish by stalling?"

Twilight growled as she focused all of her energy on maintaining her shield spell. "Isn't it obvious? If I'm holding you here, you can't hurt any more of my friends!"

Kefka chuckled. "You know, that's funny. I was just thinking something very similar. If I'm holding you here, you can't save any of your friends."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Simply this; while you and I are tied up in our eternal struggle of good versus evil, my associate is cleaning up the refuse outside." Kefka rubbed a hoof on his chin. "You know, she shouldn't be too much longer, I wouldn't think."

Twilight's eyes went wide as the realization hit her. "Lyra!" Her shield spell dropped and she immediately disappeared in a flash of light.

"And she can teleport. Wonderful," Kefka grumbled as he headed for the door.

Twilight Sparkle was horrified by the scene before her. The last of the poison victims had succumbed to the toxic liquid, but beyond that were the charred remains of those unlucky enough to have survived the initial attack. Twilight frantically searched the battlefield for any survivors, and was relieved to find a small group of ponies huddled together in fear. Her relief washed away when she saw what had them so terrified.

"Lyra, stop! You don't have to do this!"

Lyra paid no heed to the pony shouting her name. She had a single job to do, and her final targets were gathered before her. One final spell would do the trick. She conjured a fireball, large enough to engulf the entire group, and propelled it towards her victims. The fireball exploded on impact, setting many of the corpses in the immediate vicinity ablaze. The smoke dissipated, revealing a large pink bubble with the huddled ponies safe inside.

"Lyra, why are you doing this? This isn't you!"

With single minded determination, Lyra launched another fireball at the bubble. Still, the ponies inside remained unharmed.

"Lyra, stop this madness! Why won't you listen to me?" Twilight shouted until her throat was raw, and still Lyra refused to acknowledge her. Twilight suddenly felt a sharp pain in her skull, and she tumbled face first into the ground. She checked around the back of her head with her hoof, and felt blood flowing freely from her wound. A sharp chunk of ice lay on the ground, half covered in the same sticky red substance.

"She won't listen to you, you know," Kefka explained. "She's under my complete control, such a loyal little dog." Kefka whipped another crystallized missile at Twilight's head. The hailstone flew straight into Twilight's nose, a shield forming behind it a second too late. Blood coated the unicorn's face, and much of the ground as it dripped off of her chin. "Ah ah ah, I wouldn't try that if I were you," Kefka crowed. "I doubt you can protect yourself and them at the same time."

Twilight lifted her head, fighting against the agonizing pain in her snout, to look at the other victims, still under siege from Lyra's unending fireball assault. It was true, she couldn't save them and herself at the same time, and she would have to make a choice. She squinted her eyes to try and make out the ponies in her protective field. Sweetie Belle was there, along with her pegasus friend, Scootaloo. She could just make out another small figure with them, purple and green, a dragon. Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank Celestia you're okay, Spike. I don't know what I would have done if they had gotten you, too. And it looks like Cheerilee is with them. Good, good, she'll be able to take care of the foals after this is over.

Kefka looked at the broken unicorn, confused by the smile on her face. "Why don't you let them die? You cannot hope to win if you can barely protect them and yourself."

Twilight was sweating now, the strain of maintaining the barrier against Lyra's onslaught was pushing her magic to its limit. "They're my friends, and I can never turn my back on them. My friendships give me strength, without them I have nothing. If I let them die to save myself, it would be as bad as killing them with my own hooves. That is harmony, Kefka, something you will never understand."

Kefka glared at the beaten mess of a unicorn at his hooves. He had expected crying. He had expected anguish. He had expected the unicorn to sacrifice her friends to save her own skin. What he saw instead was a hero, the one thing he hated more than anything else in this or any world. His cocky attitude had all but vanished, replaced with pure anger and hate. He raised a hoof above Twilight's head and stomped as hard as he could. "Idiot! Foolish neanderthal! They are insignificant, and you still sacrifice yourself for them!" Kefka stomped again. "What do you hope to accomplish? They are going to die either way, and you still refuse to see reason!"

Twilight met Kefka's hate filled gaze with a smile.

"They're my friends."

"Shut up!"

"As long as I draw breath..."

"Why won't you just die, you miserable insect!"

"I won't let you hurt them."

"I hate you!" Kefka reared up on his hind legs. "I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate you!" Kefka punctuated each "hate" with another stomp to Twilight's skull. He stepped back to examine his handy work. Twilight no longer moved, her face completely covered in blood, but her taunting smile yet remained. In his rage, Kefka blasted the body with flames until only an unrecognizable blackened corpse remained.

Kefka stood still, breathing heavily as his rage slowly washed away. After calming down, he looked over to where the other ponies stood. Lyra was simply staring at him, her task forgotten after Kefka lost his cool. The others were staring at the spot where the unicorn known as Twilight Sparkle once stood, tears in their eyes, paralyzed with fear.

"Lyra, what are you waiting for," Kefka growled. "The shield is down. Finish them, and help me gather up the magicite."

Lyra turned to the huddled ponies and roasted them alive with but a single thought.

The process of gathering magicite had helped greatly to lighten Kefka's mood. Achieving ultimate power tends to do that to a person. He skipped merrily to the town border, saddlebags bulging with freshly harvested magicite at his side.

"There were some bumps along the way, but overall I'd say this was one of my more enjoyable outings. It's smooth sailing from here on out!" Kefka stopped his skipping. "Lyra, do you feel that?"

Lyra shook her head.

"Hmm, I feel something pulling me in... that direction." Kefka pointed a hoof northeast. "It's a powerful magic, familiar, like my own. Aha! That must be what those idiot engineers used as a beacon to find this place! I probably couldn't feel it before because of this stupid pH synchronizing nonsense. Lyra, what lies in that direction?"

"Canterlot."

"Canterlot, hmm? Well, it looks like I'll be paying Canterlot a visit then, won't I? How far away is it?"

"About four days by hoof."

"Hmm. Four days, eh?" Kefka thought in silence for a few moments. "Lyra, I'm afraid your services are going to have to end here."

Lyra cocked her head, though she didn't raise an objection.

"You see," Kefka continued, "with all this magicite, I cannot carry enough food for the both of us for a four day trip. Besides, now that I have my magic back, your services are no longer required, and I'd hate for you to overstay your welcome."

Kefka turned toward Lyra and closed the distance between them with a few steps. He smirked at her, an idea popping into his head. "There is one other thing you can do for me though, a little something for the road." He lifted a hoof to Lyra's forehead, caressing the metal band wrapped around her skull. "I'm going to need this back." With a flick of his hoof, Kefka yanked the slave crown from Lyra's head.

The first thing she felt was pain. The pain accumulated from four days of constant physical abuse rushed back to her all at once. Her legs buckled as her body was finally allowed to follow its own orders for a change. She let out a sharp cry when she hit the ground, the impact shooting waves of intense pain from her broken ribs throughout the rest of her beaten form. Her brain kicked into overdrive, assaulted on all sides from numerous warning signals delivered by her nervous system. Eventually, her body settled down, allowing Lyra to think once more.

She looked around at the deserted buildings surrounding her. Ponyville looked like a ghost town, not a pony in sight. True, it was pretty late, but there were usually still a few night owls out and about. As she twisted her neck around to try and get her bearings, she spied the outline of Sugarcube Corner behind her. Something was off about the place, and it didn't take her long to pinpoint the discrepancy. Even from a distance, Lyra could see the forms scattered across the ground. Ponies, dead ponies, everywhere. Memories started to claw their way to the forefront of her mind, dug up by the fresh bodies that littered the street.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Don't hurt them! They're only children!"

"Lyra, stop! You don't have to do this!"

Tears started to form as Lyra remembered what she had done.

I did this. I killed them. Oh dear Celestia, I slaughtered them all!

Tears were flowing freely now, and she had begun to hyperventilate as her more recent memories were replaced by older ones, showcasing each of her atrocities in reverse.

"Please, help me..."

Minuette.

"Don't do this, I'm begging you! I'll do anything!"

Blossomforth.

"What's going on? What's happening to me?!"

"How could you do this? You traitor!"

Lemon Hearts... Cherry Berry.

Lyra was sobbing loudly now, gasping for breath as she was pelted with memory after memory of her crimes until one final memory wormed its way into her mind.

"Lyra, why are you doing this?"

Bon Bon? No, this can't be happening! Bon Bon!

"Is it because you don't love me anymore?"

Oh no, Bon Bon, stop! I still love you!

"What did you do to her, you monster? Why won't she answer me?"

I wanted to answer you, so badly. I just wanted to hold you in my arms again.

"It's okay, Lyra. I know you would never do anything to hurt me."

Please don't do it. Bon Bon, don't say it. I don't deserve it.

"I forgive you."

No no no no no no no no!

"I love you, Lyra. I will love you, forever."

Lyra sat motionless in the street as she relived the memory of Bon Bon's final moments. She watched herself electrocute her love, and listened to her cry out in pain. She could feel the impact of the icicle that she stabbed straight into her chest, and she could see the pained look on her face when all she could see in her dying moments was Lyra's unfeeling, empty eyes. She could see everything as though it had happened just minutes before; Bon Bon, the shop, the fire... and the stallion that ordered her to do it.

Lyra slowly swiveled her head around until it landed on the very same stallion that had taken everything away from her, had ordered her to take it all away with her own hooves. Sorrow was replaced with rage as she recalled all the abuse, the torture, and the innocent lives lost because of this one stallion. Lyra ground her teeth as tears streamed down her face.

Kefka sneered at his broken plaything. "I suppose it's too late to take you up on that tour offer, hmm?"

Applejack tucked Apple Bloom into bed, and headed outside, careful not to slam the door so her sister could sleep. She sighed as she looked at the long road back to Ponyville.

"It's gonna be a long night."

She walked past rows of apple trees in silence. The clear night sky did little to ease Applejack's mind. She had spent most of the trip thinking about Kefka's strange behavior, trying to convince herself that it was nothing to worry about.

He was probably just confused after his little accident. Probably a bump to the head, scrambled his thoughts, happens all the time. Right?

When she reached the gate that marked the end of her family's property, she heard a noise in the distance that stood her hair on end.

"What in tarnation is that? Is that coming from... Ponyville?"

Applejack picked up speed, running to close the distance between her and the town border. As she got closer, the sound was more easily identified.

"Is that... screaming?"

The agonized wailing was like nothing Applejack had ever heard before. It was an uncivilized, primal scream, powerful enough to echo for miles. Applejack pushed herself to her physical limits, galloping as fast as she could. The scream was growing louder, and she could feel immense anguish mixed with anger in the haunting cries. Just as she could see buildings popping into view, Applejack was blasted backward by a wave of raw, uncontrolled energy radiating from the center of town. She picked herself up and started running as quickly as she could, but stopped when she saw a change in the sky.

Lightning rained down from the heavens, engulfing all of Ponyville in periodic flashes of blinding white light. Each new scream was emphasized by erupting fountains of flame. Not since fighting Nightmare Moon or Discord had Applejack felt anything close to the fear she felt now. She took a tentative step toward the apocalyptic scene and was immediately blasted back by another wave of energy. She slammed into a tree, cracking it at the point of impact, and immediately blacked out.

Kefka wiped the soot off his face with a hoof. "Impressive." He looked around at his new surroundings. The town's transformation was spur of the moment, but not entirely unpleasing. Most of the bodies had been cleaned up, incinerated by volcanic fire. A good number of the buildings were gone, too. Kefka chuckled at that.

"If there was anyone hiding inside, they're gone now."

The most notable feature was the gargantuan crater where the initial explosion had taken place. At the crater's center was a lone figure, an aquamarine unicorn. Lyra's body stood at ground zero, frozen in place for all to see. She was resting on her haunches, hind legs spread out to either side. Her body was curved backwards with her head tilted towards the sky, and her front legs lay limp at her sides. Her jaw was stretched wide; she had died mid scream. Her eyelids stayed open, though her eyes had rolled back showing only white. Kefka examined the body closely, and was unsurprised to find the fur on her face was still wet, drenched with her tears.

"See, now this is why it's unhealthy to bottle up your emotions. Although, I must admit, in some cases it does get better with age." Kefka brought his face close to Lyra's own, and rolled his tongue up the side, tasting her tear stained cheeks. He licked his lips, silently contemplating something. "Hmmm, not bad, not bad. A fine vintage, though next time I think I'll let it set for a couple more days."

Kefka broke out a maniacal grin and turned his sights toward his next destination.

"Next stop, Canterlot!"

Author's Note

So, just thought I'd mention this. I got a bit of inspiration for Lyra's breakdown from Asura's Wrath (Great game if you're into games that are 90% cut scenes). I'll link the specific scene below:

DON'T CLICK FOR SPOILERS

I will hunt them down.

Big Macintosh did not want for much. He had his family and his farm, and he was content with his lot in life, but every now and then he just needed to get away. When his cousin, Braeburn, asked for help in Appleloosa, Mac was quick to offer his assistance. It had been a while since he had left Ponyville, and he had been eager to talk to somepony other than his grandmother and his younger sisters for a change. Imagine his surprise, however, when he had arrived at the train station greeted by one of his sister's friends, one Miss Fluttershy.

After what could only have been described as a painfully awkward interrogation, the two very bashful ponies had managed to determine that they were both headed in the same direction for the same reason. Apparently, the apple harvest in Appleloosa had been set back by a woodchuck infestation. Braeburn had called for the closest animal control expert to take care of the problem, and had called for his cousin to help make up lost time. Fluttershy had tried to convince her friends that nothing was going on between the two of them, though her frantic insistence had probably just cemented their suspicions further.

Mac chuckled to himself as he lay in bed. Fluttershy was a nice enough mare, kind and caring, and pleasant to look at, but that was it really. Ponies always seemed to think the two would make a perfect couple, but they had little in common other than their quiet tendencies. Mac wouldn't have considered himself an expert on romance by any means, but basing an entire relationship on a mutual lack of communication seemed awfully silly to him. Still, he would have to deal with Applejack's probing questions and Apple Bloom's none too subtle attempts at matchmaking when he got back to Sweet Apple Acres. Perhaps he could just lay in bed all day and postpone any sort of confrontation for another week, claim that the damage to the apple orchard was worse than he thought and he'd have to stay longer.

Macintosh rolled over to look out the bedside window. Braeburn's guest room had been setup on the side of the house directly facing the sunrise every morning, a fact that had baffled Mac when he first arrived. With a beautiful view like that, he had thought, why wouldn't his cousin have chosen that room as his own? After only a couple days sleeping in the room however, Mac had his answer. While he was used to getting up with the sun every morning back on his own farm, he still wouldn't have chosen the harsh rays of the sun for an alarm clock, and he had learned to keep the curtains drawn after nearly blinding himself one morning. Even with the curtains, the room was illuminated every morning, making it nearly impossible to sleep in.

At first, Mac considered it some sort of miracle that, on this morning, the sun hadn't turned the guest room into a sauna. After some thought, however, it seemed rather odd. Mac checked the clock on the far wall.

"8:00? That can't be right." Macintosh rolled out of bed and opened the curtains. Sure enough, the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon, several hours late. From the looks of things outside, he wasn't the only one confused by the sudden change in the solar schedule. Several ponies were running door to door, trying to figure out what was going on. What really caught Mac's eye, however, was a pegasus with a white coat and gold plated armor landing in the street in front of his cousin's house. The pegasus, probably one of Princess Celestia's royal guards, disappeared around the front of the house, out of view of Mac's window. After a few minutes, he could hear light hoofstops rapidly approaching his bedroom door. The door slammed open, occupied by a yellow pegasus mare with a long pink mane, who was apparently quite winded by the run from the front door to the guest room.

"Macintosh! It's an emergency! We have to go... now..." Fluttershy's frantic rambling slowed down as she took in the sights of the room she had just burst into: Unkempt bedsheets, a large red stallion staring at her, still in his night clothes. Fluttershy's face nearly caught fire as she dashed back out of the room and slammed the door shut. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to, I'm so embarrassed. I'll wait out here while you get dressed."

Macintosh eyed the door in confusion. "Uh, it's alright, Miss Fluttershy. No harm done." He shrugged his shoulders as he reached a hoof up to knock his lone garment, a night cap, off of his head. "I'm decent, if you'd like to come back in."

The door slowly cracked open, and Mac could just make out a pair of teal eyes peeking in through the crack. Fluttershy's voice could be heard through the door, much calmer than before. "Well, um, a royal guard just stopped by looking for us. He said that there's been an incident... in Ponyville."

"An incident in Ponyville?" If Mac hadn't been quite awake yet, he was now. "And the royal guards are involved? What happened?"

All previous awkwardness gone, Fluttershy opened the door further and entered the room. "He didn't say anything specific, just that we need to get back to Ponyville as soon as possible. He also told Braeburn to inform everypony in Appleloosa that there's a dangerous criminal on the loose, he's out making his rounds right now. Um, where are you going? Shouldn't we pack first?"

Before Fluttershy had finished her report, Macintosh was already on his way to the front door. He paused with his hoof on the doorknob. "Packing can wait. If my family's in trouble, then I don't intend to stay here another second. I'll have Braeburn send our stuff on the next train, but I'm leaving now. You coming?"

Fluttershy nodded and nervously followed Mac to the train station.

"Applejack!"

Where am I? What happened just now? Am I... is this what it's like to die?

"Applejack, wake up!"

No, I'm not dead. Not yet. But, what was that energy, that voice? I've never felt such sorrow before, such anger, such fear. Is somepony calling to me?

"Please don't die, Applejack! Not you too!"

Ah, Apple Bloom. She sounds upset. Is she worried about me? Wait, what did she mean by "you too"? Did somepony die?

Applejack could hear somepony crying nearby, though her vision hadn't recovered enough to identify the source. She blindly reached out a hoof and was rewarded with the feeling of another pony's mane and a ribbon tied in some kind of knot.

"Apple Bloom..." Applejack stroked her younger sister's mane. "I'm okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Apple Bloom jumped at the touch of her sister's hoof. "Applejack! You're alive! I thought we'd lost you, too!"

Through her blurred eyesight, Applejack could just make out the face of her sister, now inches from her own. She was smiling, but her eyes did little to mask her sorrow.

"Apple Bloom, were you crying just now? What's going on?"

Apple Bloom tried to maintain her composure, but her sister's questions put her over the edge. Fresh tears started to form as she recalled the events of the night. "After you put me to bed, I heard this awful noise coming from Ponyville, and I wanted to see what it was, but Granny told me to stay inside, so I snuck out and there was all this lightning and fire, and I ran to town as fast as I could, but when I got there, all the noise and lightning had stopped, and... and..." Apple Bloom sucked in her breath for the first time since she had started speaking. Tears had made a mess of her face, and she could barely speak through clenched teeth as she tried not to cry. Applejack managed to sit up and wrap a hoof around her sister's shoulder, pulling her into a tight hug as she patted her back with another hoof.

"It's alright, Apple Bloom. You don't have to say anymore." Applejack could tell that her own eyes were starting to tear up as well. She had hoped it had just been a dream, just some horrible nightmare, but when her senses came into focus and she noticed that she was lying on the ground against a tree, she knew the truth.

"They're all gone, Applejack," Apple Bloom choked out between sobs. "Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle, and Miss Cheerilee, and your friends. I couldn't find them anywhere. I was so scared that you were gone, too. I don't want anypony else to leave."

Applejack ground her teeth as she tried to comfort the distraught filly. Killing all of those ponies, making her sister cry, it was unforgivable. "Apple Bloom, I promise you, I will find the one that did this, and I will stop them. For Rarity, and for Twilight, for Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and even Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle. For all the ponies in Ponyville, I swear I will avenge them."

"I was thinking much the same thing, Applejack."

Applejack spun around, placing herself between Apple Bloom and the source of the voice, only to find herself face to face with none other than Princess Celestia herself. Though her face betrayed little emotion, the princess of the sun looked anything but calm. She examined Applejack with a stern gaze. "Seeing as how your family are the only survivors, I was hoping you could answer a few questions."

Applejack was taken aback. "Surely you don't think we had anything to do with this? This is inequine! My family would never do anything like this!"

Celestia grit her teeth, her anger threatening to break free. "I assure you, if I suspected you were behind this, we would not be having this conversation . Now, take care of any injuries you may have and meet me in town. I've already sent for Fluttershy and your brother, they should be arriving by train soon. We have much to discuss."

"Stupid ponies! Horrible, miserable creatures and their 'harmonic frequency' garbage!"

Kefka sat in a secluded copse of trees, hidden from view far from the train tracks that led to Canterlot. On the ground were a variety of magicite shards, each a different color, but all with a white glow surrounding them. Unfortunately, none of them had responded to Kefka's probing like he had hoped.

"All of these accursed ponies are filled with so much love and harmony that I can't take their power for my own! This is a disaster, an atrocity, a tragedy!" Kefka stomped on the ground as he vented his anger, not giving much thought as to where his hooves landed. One unfortunate stomp shattered a grey piece of magicite, grinding it into dust. Kefka stopped his tantrum when he felt the stone crumble beneath his hoof.

"And now it's broken, not that it even matters. These stupid rocks are absolutely useless! Wait a minute... broken..." Kefka sat back down on the ground and rubbed his chin with a hoof. "That's right, the pH frequencies can be changed. When two frequencies intercept each other, they normalize over time. Ah ha!"

Kefka turned to the remaining stones that littered the ground. His horn lit with a bright blue aura, as did one of the magicite shards. He concentrated on the stone, unmoving, until the white glow surrounding it began to dim, taking a darker tone. Kefka dropped the stone from his magical grasp and picked it up once again with his hoof.

"Wee hee hee hee! It worked! It's not perfect, but the soul trapped in this stone has clearly been corrupted. Ha! If you worms won't give me your power willingly, then I'll just take it! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

Kefka closed his eyes and focused all of his attention on the newly corrupted magicite. He could feel the magic residing within, just out of reach, but much closer than before. "It seems I'll have to work on it a bit more before it's ready," He grumbled as he looked at his saddlebags, still bulging with all the magicite he had gathered. "It's going to take forever to make all of this usable. Too long."

Kefka continued to focus magic into the greyed magicite until he heard a noise nearby.

"Who's there?" No answer.

Kefka growled at the surrounding trees. "Have it your way." His horn lit up again as he channeled another spell. Uncontrolled jets of flame sprung up around him, setting the nearby trees on fire. "Not enough. I suppose this is as good a time as any to practice unicorn magic." Kefka concentrated on visualizing the magical aura that he had seen Lyra use in her spells. His magic mixed with the magic of the fire, and he found that he could increase the intensity of the flames much easier than he had expected. After spreading the fire, he tested his control of the fire. He whipped the fire in a wide arc, slicing through trees haphazardly with blazing scythe blades. "Now, that is fun, though the placement is a little erratic. I think I have a better idea anyways."

Kefka giggled. Playing with new powers always made him a little giddy. He continued to pour magic into the flames until his surroundings were engulfed in a swirling inferno. He pushed the flames outward, causing the deadly tornado to pulse wave after wave of intense heat into the surrounding woods. Kefka's giggling soon became all out cackling.

"Yes! Burn! Burn! Thought you could hide from me, did you? There's nowhere left for you to run! Who needs precision and order when you have power?! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

As the fires began to die down, Kefka stopped his laughing and surveyed his surroundings. His mood quickly soured when he remembered his reason for being in the woods in the first place.

"That idiot! Whoever they were, they blew my cover!" Kefka looked around for any signs of life. All he could see were the ashes of dead vegetation. "Well, I'd better get moving, I guess. I'll just have to work on these as I go."

Kefka kept a wary eye to the sky while he scooped the scattered magicite that had survived the fire back into his saddlebags. He had spotted more than one large group of armored pegasii throughout the day, all heading in the direction he had just come from. As confident as he was in his magical superiority, he hadn't had much chance to rest since the party, and he wasn't quite feeling up to taking on hundreds of trained soldiers at once.

"Once I've absorbed all this magic, no one will stop me from controlling this world!" Kefka's smile dropped as he eyed the saddlebags once again fastened to his back. "Although, I suppose a little caution is in order, for the time being. How boring."

Celestia stood, still as a statue, in the center of a large crater that had not existed 24 hours ago. Royal guards surrounded the wreckage that was once Ponyville, and rescue squads were busy searching through the few ruined homes that remained for survivors. None were found. The only body to be found anywhere was located directly in front of Celestia, a single unicorn mare with an aquamarine coat.

"What happened to you, my little ponies?"

"Princess? You wanted to see us?"

Celestia turned her head to peer over her shoulder, but otherwise remained still. Behind her stood three earth ponies: Applejack, Big Macintosh, and Apple Bloom.

"Where is Fluttershy?"

Applejack stepped forward as the official spokespony for the group. "Fluttershy said she needed to check on her animals, though I suspect that was somethin' of an excuse. Can't blame her really. Poor thing probably can't bear to be around all of... this." She waved a hoof at the surrounding ruins. "She wasn't here, besides, so I figured you wouldn't need her to answer any questions."

"Well then I suppose you'll just have to inform her later." Celestia turned around to face the group. "First of all, do you have any idea what happened here. What this is all about?" She tilted her head towards Lyra's body.

Applejack took in the sight of the tormented unicorn for the first time. "Can't say I know what exactly happened, but I think I can guess that this is probably where that awful sound was coming from." Applejack recounted the rest of the events of the night that she could remember, with Apple Bloom chipping in where appropriate. Celestia merely nodded throughout the retelling, mind working frantically to put the pieces together.

"So, we have no actual proof then, of this Kefka's wrongdoing? No witnesses, not even a scrap of evidence?"

Applejack lowered her head. "We don't, your highness. But, I just know it was him! It had to be!" Tears were falling from her eyes. A monster was going to get away because of a lack of evidence? Where was the justice in that?

Celestia laid a hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "I believe you, Applejack. I do, and I wish that I could do something, but in the eyes of the courts, this is an open and shut case. A rogue unicorn lost control of her magic in the middle of a residential area, and died in the process. Without a warrant, the most I can do is send out my personal guard to search for him, and I pray that it will be enough. If what you say is true though, about this Kefka Palazzo, then I have my doubts."

"But Lyra didn't do it!" Applejack yelled right in Celestia's face. "Kefka was controlling her, I'm sure of it! She was acting all weird ever since he showed up, I know he was up to something! You can't let him get away with this! You just can't!"

Applejack's rage began to subside when she felt another pony's hoof wrap around her shoulder. Big Macintosh stepped up to her side and held her close as he turned his neutral gaze on the princess.

"I'll find him."

Celestia looked questioningly at the stallion. "You will find him?"

"If you won't do it, then somepony has to."

Applejack wiped the tears from her face and managed to force a grin. "You won't do it alone. I'm comin' too."

"And me!" Apple Bloom shouted as she bounced onto her brother's back.

"Eenope." Macintosh grabbed his little sister by the scruff of her neck with his teeth and deposited her on the ground. "This is for big ponies. You're staying with Granny Smith where you'll be safe."

"Actually," Celestia interrupted before the argument could go any further. "Because of their status as bearers of the Elements of Harmony, Applejack and Fluttershy are to be taken into protective custody, in case of a repeat attack."

Applejack couldn't take any more. She stepped right up into Celestia's face, staring down her own goddess. "Protective custody?! You can't hold me prisoner while some maniac walks free! If you want to take me back to Canterlot, you better be ready for a fight. I ain't goin', princess or not."

Celestia pressed a hoof against Applejack's chest, forcing her to take a step back. "I understand your frustration, Applejack, but I am still your ruler and I do not like to be interrupted. Now, I would be perfectly willing to take any other survivors under my protection as well. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom will be well cared for, you don't have to worry about that. As for you." Celestia smirked at the irritated farm pony. "The guards will take you back to Canterlot when they are finished their investigation around nightfall. Whether or not you are here at the appointed time is entirely up to you."

Applejack stared dumbfounded while she worked through what the princess had just said. If she had heard her right, it sounded like she was actually suggesting...

"Well, princess, I suppose we'd best be off then," Applejack replied with a smirk of her own. "Mac and I have got a lot of packing to do, for the uh, trip to Canterlot."

"I'm sure you do. And please be sure to inform Fluttershy of the arrangements, as well."

"Will do, princess. Come on, Mac. We've got work to do."

Celestia and Apple Bloom watched as Applejack and Big Macintosh ran off towards Sweet Apple Acres. Celestia couldn't help but notice the indignant look on Apple Bloom's face as her older siblings disappeared in the distance.

"Ah am a big pony. Why won't they let me help?"

Celestia kept her eyes trained on the horizon. "Being small isn't so bad, Apple Bloom. Little fillies are awfully difficult to keep track of, always hiding in the unlikeliest of places." She turned her head to smile at the youngest member of the Apple family. "We have some time before we have to head to Canterlot. Perhaps you would like to visit Fluttershy? I'm sure she could use some help packing."

Apple Bloom gasped. "You mean I can go with them?! Really?"

Celestia chuckled. Subtle, this filly was not. "I said nothing of the sort." Before she could elaborate, Apple Bloom was already dashing off towards Fluttershy's cottage.

Why me? Why am I still here?

A small purple figure lay curled up under a bush, trembling as his eyes darted back and forth. He rubbed his scaly tail with his claws, a soothing motion, though it did little to comfort the baby dragon.

Why did I survive? Why did it have to be me?

He knew the answer, but it was just too stupid, too arbitrary to make any sense. His natural resistance to heat and flame had saved him. He survived because he was a dragon, and they had all died because they were not. Lyra could have done any number of things, Spike had seen it. He could still see it. He watched as she had sliced ponies to ribbons with blades of ice, as she struck them down with lightning from the skies, but no. For him, she had chosen fire. Pure dumb luck, it was as simple as that.

Is that why I'm alive? Luck, if you could even call it that? She could have done anything, and yet here I am. I'm only here by chance, because I was too powerless to help myself. Too powerless to save them.

Spike closed his eyes. He tried to force the images out of his head, but they were the only things on his mind. He remembered the roaring flames that engulfed his body, the screams of his friends as they succumbed to the same flames that could not kill him. His eyes started to water as he remembered Sweetie Belle's face right before the end. She was afraid. She was crying. There was no joy to be found there, an innocent filly forced to watch the death of her sister, of her friends, and then her own at the hooves of somepony she had trusted.

Why couldn't I save them? I'm just too weak. What did I do when the flames died down? I ran. I ran away like a coward. That's all I am.

He had waited, hiding beneath the charred remains of his friends. Just before the flames hit, Sweetie and Scootaloo had wrapped their hooves around him, seeking shelter from the inevitable, and there he remained until the flames died down, hidden in the embrace of the dead.

Even then, they did more to save me than I did to save them. And as soon as the coast was clear, I just left them there. I was just so... afraid.

Spike opened his eyes to look at the object lying next to him. He had managed to scrawl a hurried message on a piece of tree bark, a letter to Princess Celestia warning her of the dangerous criminal that had murdered his friends. He wanted to send the message, to let her know that he was alright, but something was stopping him. He opened his mouth to call forth the green flame that would whisk the message away to the princess of the sun. Just as the flames began to build in the back of his throat, he saw her. Twilight lay broken on the ground with a white unicorn in a colorful cloak standing above her, his hoof repeatedly smashing into her skull. Even through the beating, he could not break her, and that's when it happened. Spike watched as flames hotter than any he had ever felt blasted the ground where Twilight's body lay, wave after wave of intense heat, cooking his best friend like she was just some side of meat. It was fire that took her away, fire that took Twilight, and Sweetie, and Scootaloo, and all the others. Fire had taken his life away and would never give it back.

Spike gagged as the fire died in his throat. He just couldn't do it. Each time he had tried to send the message, the memories came flooding back to him. The contents of his stomach found their way to the dirt floor beneath him as he sobbed into the bushes to try and muffle the noise. Still, it wasn't enough.

"Who's there?" Spike heard somepony call. He covered his mouth with his claws and balled himself up as small as he could make himself inside his hiding place. He could hear somepony grumbling, but he couldn't make out what was being said. The details seemed irrelevant though, when Spike felt the temperature start to rise.

Oh no, it can't be. Not again!

Spike dared to open an eye for a moment to look at what was going on. Blades wreathed in flame were flying wildly, tearing apart the trees around him. He quickly slammed his eye shut when one of the blades came a hair's breadth of his body, nearly slicing into the fin on his back. He rocked back and forth, trying to ignore the chaos around him. Soon the blades stopped, and for a brief moment all seemed calm. Spike lifted his head to get a look around and barely stifled a scream when he noticed the bush he was hiding in was on fire. Before he could get away, the entire woods were engulfed in a whirling tornado of fire, burning everything to ash. The inferno did little to his body, but the flames licking against his scales conjured images into his mind of his friends' final moments, over and over again. He could hear somepony cackling nearby. That, combined with the roaring of the fire, served to drown out his own screams.

When the fire finally died down, Spike found himself buried in ash, hidden in death yet again. The trees having been cleared, Spike had a clear view of the source of his nightmare. A white unicorn, clad in patchwork garments, stood in the distance, picking up some colorful rocks.

Luck has saved me again. But it couldn't save her.

Spike stared at the stallion stuffing his saddlebags. A rage built inside him, the likes of which he never thought possible.

He has her. I know he does. He took her from me, and I want her back. I will take her back.

I'll follow you to the ends of Equestria if I have to.

When you least expect it, I'll take her back.

Give me back my Twilight.

You're all nothing more than fleas!

"Are you sure this is such a good idea? Maybe we should have stayed with the guards, where it's... safe."

Applejack groaned. "Fluttershy, there ain't nowhere safe with that psycho on the loose. Besides, it's a little late to be second guessing ourselves, don't ya think?"

"Maybe the guards are still waiting for us?" Fluttershy replied hopefully. "We should go back, just to make sure."

"The guards were supposed to take us to Canterlot last night, Sugarcube. We're about fifteen hours late. I think we've missed our ride."

"Oh." Fluttershy stared at the ground while she walked, shuffling her hooves lethargically. "Um, where are we going, by the way, if it's not too much trouble?"

"No trouble at all, Sugarcube. Mac noticed some hoofprints a ways back that led to the train tracks. They disappeared there, probably walkin' on the tracks to avoid leavin' prints behind." Applejack chuckled. "Although, that don't help none if we can just follow the train tracks themselves until the prints show up again. From the looks of things, he's headin' toward Canterlot."

Fluttershy perked up at the news. "Oh, that's good. We should be safe once we get there, right?"

"Uh, sure." Applejack sighed. She picked up her pace to catch up with Big Macintosh who was studying the ground carefully for any more signs. "Hey there, Mac. Find anythin' yet?"

"Eenope."

"Okay. Come up with any plans on how to catch that Kefka fella when we do find him?"

"Eenope."

"Alright then." Applejack and Mac continued in silence. Between Fluttershy's constant attempts to turn back and Big Mac's minimal conversation skills, Applejack was pretty sure she would go crazy before they ever caught up to Kefka.

"Hey, Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

Applejack glanced back at Fluttershy to make sure she wasn't listening. She appeared to be counting blades of grass as she walked. "I was just thinkin', is everything okay between you and Fluttershy?"

"Eeyup."

"Really?" Applejack raised an eyebrow. "It's just that, you two haven't said two words to each other since you got back from Appleloosa. I just thought that, you know, bein' so close and all..."

"AJ," Mac grunted. "Miss Fluttershy ain't my special somepony, if that's what yer gettin' at."

Applejack pulled her head back in shock. "Wait, really? So that unusually convenient story she was throwin' about was true? Huh." Applejack shook her head a couple times to clear her thoughts, and the two continued on in silence, occasionally looking back to make sure Fluttershy was still following.

I can do this. There ain't nothin' wrong with a little peace and quiet now and again. We're just gonna follow this trail, find Kefka, buck him in the face until he can't move, and go on with our lives. Nothin' to it.

As the silence stretched on, Applejack found herself getting fidgety. The sounds she heard on that horrible night, those awful screams, were still fresh in her mind, and they had only gotten worse after they had found Lyra's corpse in the middle of the crater.

I can still hear it. Fluttershy and Mac, they don't know. They weren't there. They can't possibly understand. I'll find him, and I'll kill him. I'll kill him. I will. I'll cave in his skull, and I'll kill him for what he did. I'll... I'll...

Applejack hadn't even noticed that she was breathing more heavily now. The sound of her heart pounding snapped her out of her trance.

I'm losing it. I gotta do somethin', anythin' to get my mind off of this. Anything to break this blasted silence.

"Ya know, you could do a lot worse than Fluttershy. I think you two would be cute together." Ugh, did I just say that?

Mac sighed and kept his eyes glued to the ground. "AJ, nothin' against Miss Fluttershy, but I just ain't interested. Can we just let it drop?"

Against her better judgement, Applejack refused to let the conversation end so easily. "Not into wings, is it? Nothin' wrong with that. Me neither. So, what are you into then, hmm? I bet... I bet you're into them unicorn horns, hmm?" Applejack waggled her eyebrows at her brother, grinning like an idiot.

"AJ, I don't think this is the time–"

"Ah, I saw that blush. That's it, ain't it! You got a thing for some of that fancy unicorn magic, don't ya? So, any lucky mares catch yer eye?"

Macintosh averted his gaze and gave a noncommittal grunt in response.

"You can't lie to me, big brother. So, who is it, do I know her?" No response. "Aw, don't make me guess. Ya gotta give me somethin'. There ain't that many unicorns in Ponyville. Is it Sparkler? No? Minuette's nice, I bet it's her. How about Orchid, or Lyra or... Rarity... or... oh." Applejack felt sick to her stomach as she realized what she was doing. Mac had stopped walking and had fixed her with a much less neutral glare than he usually wore.

"Mac, I am so sorry! I don't know what I was thinkin'. This whole thing's got me all stressed out and I was just tryin' to take my mind off a things, and I shoulda thought before I said anything, but when I think I just get so angry, so I didn't think, but when I don't think I say stupid things and I shouldn'ta butted into yer business, and I understand if ya don't want to talk to me anymore, but I just–"

"AJ, stop." Even with his low volume, Macintosh's voice cut off his sister's rambling immediately. He managed to temper his anger when he noticed that Applejack was close to tears. "Look, I ain't mad. Just... why don't you go talk to yer friend for a bit." Without waiting for a response, he turned his attention back to the tracks and continued his slow march.

Applejack watched her brother walk ahead, slowly increasing the distance between the two. She looked behind to find Fluttershy shuffling along, investigating various uninteresting rocks on the ground. She picked up her pace, settling somewhere between the two of them where she could continue her journey in complete silence.

This is going to be a long, long trip.

"Oh ho ho! It looks like I've got a few new playthings!" Kefka crowed. Surrounding him were no less than one hundred royal guards, an assortment of all three pony races, each one decked out in shining golden armor. "Don't you all look fancy? I can tell we're going to have fun." In hindsight, perhaps keeping to the train tracks had been a bad idea. Not much cover from pegasii scouts.

One of the unicorn guards stepped forward to address the rogue mage. "Are you the one known as Kefka?"

"Oh, you've heard of me?" Kefka giggled. "I prefer Lord Kefka, or Lord Palazzo, but I'm flattered all the same."

The guard did not share Kefka's lighter mood. "I am Commander Kite Shield. By order of Princess Celestia of Equestria, you, one Kefka Palazzo, are to be apprehended for crimes of violence against your fellow ponies. If you resist, we are authorized to use lethal force."

Kefka did a quick three sixty. Every single guard had either a weapon drawn or a horn pre-charged with magic. Every single guard had a scowl on their face. Every single guard looked like they were itching for his blood.

"You didn't really bring all these soldiers out here just to keep me company, did you? Surely, there are better uses for such a large military force than one lonely unicorn?"

Kite Shield smiled and puffed out his chest. "You should be honored. The Princess has deemed it necessary to engage you with the full force of her own personal guard. The ponies you see before you are the best of the best, the strongest Equestria's military has to offer. Unless you want to experience that strength first-hoof, I suggest you come along quietly."

"Uh huh. So, what I'm getting here is that if I kill you all now, then there's no one else who can stand in my way?" Kefka grinned as chaotic magic began to charge in his horn. "That's exactly what I was hoping to hear." To Kefka's amusement, the guards surrounding him seemed to be almost pleased with his answer.

"That sounds like resistance to me, and after what you've done, that's exactly what we were hoping to hear." Kite Shield turned to regroup with the other unicorns. "Everypony, you know the drill. Time to show this trash what happens when you anger a god."

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing!" Kefka shouted gleefully as he unleashed his stored magic into the atmosphere. Bolts of lightning lashed out in every direction creating a deadly field of electricity that encompassed the entire congregation of guards. Kefka's mad cackling could barely be heard over the repeated cracking of thunder as the deadly storm tore the land asunder. "Do you feel it?! This is true power! Let's see your so called god do this! Now nothing can stand in my way! I am invincible! I am–"

Kefka's ranting came to an abrupt end when he felt a sharp pain. He twisted his head around to survey the damage, and was quite surprised to find a gash in his cloak and a shallow cut in the flesh underneath. One of the straps of his saddlebag was cut, and magicite was now rolling across the scorched earth. Even more surprising was the pegasus guard standing behind him with fresh blood coating his spear.

"You're lucky those bolts threw off my aim." The pegasus launched himself into the air, preparing for another pass. "I won't miss again."

The lightning died down as Kefka's magic faltered. The fact that one of the guards had penetrated his impenetrable storm was a shock, to say the least. More disturbing than that, however, was the fact that each and every guard seemed to be alive and well. After stomping down an emerging feeling of panic, Kefka noticed something odd about the guards' armor. Each of their helmets had a jewel embedded in it that was now glowing much brighter than before.

This is just great. Magic is more common in this world, so obviously they would have a way to combat it. From the looks of it though, those gems probably can't hold up forever. Looks like I'm gonna have to play rough.

"That was a nice warmup," Kefka taunted, regaining his composure. "But now, I think it's time we cooled off a bit."

The moisture in the air gathered around Kefka and solidified into blades of ice as the battlefield's temperature plummeted. "If raw energy can't kill you, then let's try something a little more physical!"

As soon as the projectiles started to form, the guards abandoned their spread formation for a series of tightly packed groups. Four groups of guards charged at the same time, two earth pony squads by land and two pegasus squads by air.

"Are you so eager to die?" Kefka laughed. "You're only making this easier for me!" The frozen projectiles split into four groups of their own and launched themselves at each group. Kefka's cocky attitude turned to worry when he noticed that the guards didn't seem to be fazed by the deadly blades hurtling in their direction. Any questions he might have had were answered when the ice shattered in mid air in front of each group, only dusting the guards with a bit of snow.

Those cowardly sneaks, they were hiding behind the unicorn's shields!

Kefka could tell that the guards were already celebrating victory in their heads. They were too close for escape to be a feasible plan, and their shields were too powerful to break through with a single spell.

"Ah well," Kefka pouted. "I suppose this is the end for poor, poor me..."

Clouds of debris obscured the chaos that ensued as nearly eighty pegasii and earth pony guards converged on one single unicorn's position. Not much could be heard over the clanging of metal weaponry against armor. Noticeably absent was the sound of metal weaponry cleaving into unarmored unicorn, which gave the grappling guards pause. Kefka was nowhere to be seen.

Ugh, of course those second rate sorcerers set up a teleportation barrier. Is shield magic all these one trick ponies can do?

Kefka tossed a single jet of flame towards the group of unicorn guards. As he expected, the fire was stopped a few feet from their position by another shield. The fizzled spell drew the attention of the other guards, who were still searching for any sign of the escaped mage.

"The target can teleport! Everypony spread out!"

The guards quickly abandoned their formation and spread out across the enclosed teleportation field. The earth ponies formed a physical perimeter around the battlefield, while the pegasii circled overhead, closing off all possible escape paths. Meanwhile, the unicorn guards continued to channel their spells from behind the earth pony lines.

"What a bore," Kefka sighed. "If this is the best you have to offer, then I would hate to see your so called princess." A few more jets of flame dissipated on the unicorns' shields. "She shouldn't pose much of a challenge after this." A quick look confirmed that his last comment had achieved its intended purpose. Most of the guards seemed barely able to contain their rage. "Oh, what's the matter fellas? Can't take a joke?"

Through extreme levels of self control, the guards managed to hold their ground, only barely.

"That's okay, neither could those Ponyville simpletons."

Forty pegasii descended on Kefka's position at that exact moment. Forty spear points threatened to break the sound barrier has they hurtled towards one smiling clown, their owners each praying that they might be the one to pierce his still beating heart. None of their prayers were answered when the mage's image faded out of existence on contact with their blades.

"Pull yourselves together! This is what he wants!"

The pegasii pulled themselves together enough to achieve some semblance of order as they took turns dive bombing each new spot their target appeared at while the earth ponies took a swing whenever he got too close to the perimeter. Occasionally the apparition burst into flames or shards of ice to be absorbed by the guard's magic cancelling gems. Some of the gems had already begun to crack.

"Stop! You're just wearing yourselves out!" Kite Shield's shouting could barely be heard over the constant sounds of crashing pegasii. "We can't shield you all if you don't stay in formation!" Despite his protests, the rest of the guards continued their fevered attack, too far gone to bloodlust to see reason. All the unicorns could do was continue to pour all of their strength into shielding their allies as they were pelted with the fury of the elements from all sides.

"Blasted idiots are going to get us all killed." Kite Shield ground his teeth as he added his own magic to the shields generated by his fellow unicorns. "We can't keep this up forever." He could feel the shields weakening as they were bombarded constantly by all manner of elemental devastation, but something didn't seem right about the situation. The frenzied brawl seemed to be drifting farther away, as though the guards were being led somewhere, and the shield strength was waning much more quickly than it should have been.

"I must admit, your little ragtag team almost impressed me, Kite String."

Kite Shield nearly lost hold of the shield spell as his head whipped around to find a pair of blue eyes staring directly into his own. Kefka's face remained calm, but those eyes betrayed the rage he truly felt. Behind him were the corpses of nineteen unicorn guards, face down in puddles of their own blood.

"But... but how?" Kite Shield looked back at the distant brawl to find the other guards still fighting another Kefka.

"Oh, that old thing? Simple illusion. I just needed to keep them away from my real target."

Intense pain wracked Kite Shield's body as the knife found its way into his gut.

"These shields of yours are really a bother, you know that? I've exhausted most of my reserves just diverting your attention. That fact will keep a few of your lackeys alive after you're gone. Such a waste."

Kite Shield tried to scream as the knife dug deeper under his ribcage, but it came out as a muffled gurgle as he choked on the blood rising in his throat.

"I must admit though, were I any other unicorn, you probably would have had me. Unfortunately for you, I'm no unicorn."

Kefka felt the final shield fall once the knife reached his victim's heart. Before Kite Shield's body hit the ground, the mad mage was already gone.

"Mac! Soup's on!"

"Well, um... actually, it's less a soup, and more like a sandwich. Oh my, was I supposed to be making soup? I'm sorry."

Macintosh made his way over to where Applejack and Fluttershy had been preparing dinner, the former now lecturing the latter on colloquial phrases and their less than literal meanings. He tried to sneak in without being detected so he could grab his food and get out, but stealth and a large build rarely go hand in hand.

"Mac, are you tryin' to sneak off again?"

Macintosh flinched at being addressed so suddenly. Whoever said walking on the tips of your hooves made you quieter clearly hadn't known what they were talking about. Abandoning his sorry attempt at being inconspicuous, Mac simply grunted and continued on his way.

Applejack shrugged at her brother's odd behavior. "Well, don't wander off too far, y'hear? Me and Shy'll be right over here if ya need anything."

Mac nodded and returned to his secluded spot by the saddlebags. He took a bite out of one of the sandwich halves on his plate. Apple slices and cheese. Mac wasn't a culinary expert by any means, but it seemed like a lot of extra work to make an apple sandwich when just eating an apple would have had about the same effect. Still, it was a good effort considering the circumstances. After he finished the first half of the sandwich, Mac picked up the plate in his teeth again and dumped the remaining contents into the large bag he was sitting next to. He laid down with his back to the ground, listening to the occasional sounds of chewing coming from inside the bag.

"Yer lucky, you know that? If I hadn't offered to carry that bag for Fluttershy, you wouldn't have gotten very far."

Mac watched the night sky, checking for any familiar star formations. Stargazing was always a peaceful activity, very soothing after a long day. He traced a pattern in the air with a hoof, connecting the stars in his own way. He never really studied the constellations, nor had any inclination to. Having some stuffy pony in Canterlot decide what he should and shouldn't see in the sky wasn't particularly appealing. This way just felt more personal.

"I hope yer happy. Granny Smith is probably at the end of her rope right now, worryin' about you."

The sounds of snacking had ceased, but Mac could still make out sounds coming from inside the bag as something shifted its position. Eventually, the bag settled down, and the muffled noises began to form words.

"Why didn't you tell on me to Applejack? You coulda had me back with the guards in no time."

Mac rolled over to face the bag, so he could hear through the fabric more easily. "You kiddin'? Your sister is way too stressed out to deal with this right now. Besides, I feel a lot better knowing you're somewhere I can keep an eye on you. The Equestrian military ain't trained to deal with troublesome fillies."

That elicited a giggle from the talking saddlebag. "Thanks, big brother."

"Eeyup."

"Hey, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup?"

"Ah was thinkin' about what Applejack said earlier, and... well...I was just wonderin'..."

Mac groaned. Why couldn't anypony just let this topic go? "What is it?"

"Well, whoever she was, I was just wonderin'... was she nice?"

"... eeyup."

"Ah'm sorry, Big Mac."

A moment passed in silence, though Mac thought he heard sniffles coming from inside the bag.

"Ah miss 'em, Big Mac. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, even Miss Cheerilee is gone," the bag whimpered. "I ain't ever gonna see 'em again, am I?"

Mac inched closer to the bag and draped a leg over it. He laid like that for a while, silently comforting the stowaway inside. Only once the muffled sobs slowed down and were replaced by the more rhythmic breathing indicative of sleep did he let himself succumb to his own weariness.

Applejack cocked an eyebrow as she watched her brother. "Hey, Fluttershy. Does it seem weird to you that Big Macintosh is cuddlin' with yer saddlebag?"

Fluttershy blushed when she noticed the scene Applejack was pointing to. "Actually, I think it's sweet."

"You know what? Yer both weird. I'm hittin' the hay."

Spike clutched his treasure tight to his chest like it might fly away at any moment. There hadn't been much time to grab it while the guards were distracted, and there were so many that he wasn't sure he would even be able to find the right one. He had worried that maybe she wasn't even among them, but those fears were cast away as soon as he laid eyes on that purple glow hidden among the other multicolored stones scattered on the ground. For once, he was actually grateful for his recent streak of luck, as it had conveniently reunited him with his best and oldest friend.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight again, Twilight." The dragon rubbed his palm over the smooth surface of the stone. It was warm to the touch, radiating power undetectable by most ponies but easy to spot by magical creatures like himself. Spike felt a small spark between the tip of one of his claws and the stone. There was definitely power there, just begging to be released.

"That's right... he used these to make himself stronger. Maybe I could..."

Spike looked again at the purple stone. Was it okay to just take Twilight's power like that? Wouldn't that make him just like Kefka? Technically, he hadn't been the one to turn her into this... thing. He couldn't be blamed for what happened, right? Besides, this purple rock was her, but it wasn't really her, was it? She would never be the same again, and it was all Kefka's fault.

"I'll do it. For you, and for our friends, I'll take him down. I'll avenge you, and all of Ponyville!" Spike squeezed the stone with both hands. He could already feel the power trickling into him, but something didn't feel right. The power was familiar, it definitely felt like Twilight, but it was struggling.

"That's right, Kefka had difficulty extracting the magic too, but wasn't that because he's evil?" Spike's eyes started to water as the implications hit him.

"Twilight... don't you want to help me?" He tried to pull more magic from the stone, but as he pulled harder, the stone's resistance only strengthened.

"I'm doing this for you! Why won't you help me?! Don't you want revenge for what he did to you?" Spike started panting as he struggled to wrench the magic from the stubborn rock. "Give me your power, Twilight! I want it! Give it to me!"

Spike could barely hear a voice coming from the stone. It sounded like it was in pain, but he paid it no heed. Blinded by his rage, he barely noticed that the stone in his claws seemed to be getting smaller, as well as his other surroundings. He just continued pulling at the magic he so desperately needed.

"I need this, Twilight, and so do you! Just give me your power, and I'll destroy him! I'll kill him, just for you! Isn't that what you want?!"

The rock's magical glow pulsed violently in Spike's grasp as it fought against him, but even as its strength weakened it refused to give him what he wanted.

"Fine then! If you won't give me what I want, then I'll just take it!"

With one final pull, the stone finally gave in and Spike felt an onrush of power flow freely through his body. The magic felt both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, though Spike just chalked it up to unicorn magic trying to adjust to a dragon's body. Even so, he felt more alive than he had ever felt before. He felt unstoppable.

"You'll see, Twilight. With your help, I'll find Kefka, and I'll destroy him. I'll chase him to the ends of Equestria for you."

No longer locked in his struggle with the magic stone, Spike finally took notice of his increased size. He grinned as he inspected his much larger and much sharper claws.

"I'll chase him for you, and I'll destroy anything that stands in my way."

Kefka picked himself up off the ground and spit out a chunk of dirt. "Ugh, that happens way more often than I'd like. No more teleporting while tired." He looked around at his new surroundings. "Buildings? Am I in Canterlot already? No, wait. That magic source I felt before," Kefka slowly spun around, trying to get his bearings. "It's in that direction now, and... that far away? I teleported too far! I'm even farther from Canterlot than I was before! Ooooh, those stupid gold plated buffoons, this is all their fault! I hate them!"

After discovering that stomping the ground repeatedly is a great way to kick up dust and make your hooves sore, Kefka managed to collect himself and moved off to the side of the road he was standing on, grumbling all the while.

"To think, those magic posers could push me so far. It's... inconceivable! These ponies are so weak, they're even useless as magicite. I need to absorb more before I run into any more of those guards again. I'll be ready for them next time." Kefka stuck a hoof into his saddlebag, but was surprised to find it quite empty. A quick inspection reminded him of the cut strap from the guard's spear, and also revealed a sizable hole that had been cut into the bag by the same attack. Magic started to charge into his horn before he was even able to register what he was feeling as anger.

"Do you feel it? His power is growing."

Celestia stood alone in the castle garden. To a casual observer, it would appear that the Princess of the Sun was talking to herself. To be more precise, it would appear that she was talking to one of the garden's statues, one of an odd creature assembled from mismatched body parts. On a normal day, that might be cause to worry for the princess's mental health. It might be, for a casual observer at least.

Celestia placed a hoof on the statue, tracing the curves of the stone form until she found what she was looking for. A small crack, barely visible unless you were looking for it, ran up one of the statue's legs.

"To think he could influence you from a distance like this. He is far more dangerous than we realized."

"Princess! Urgent news!"

Celestia turned around to face the guard that had addressed her. He was panting heavily, as though he had just run across the country himself.

"What is it?" Celestia prepared herself for the worst, though she wasn't sure she could handle any more bad news right now.

"Princess, we've just received word from one of the scouts. He was flying his normal patrol route when he saw it." The guard gulped as he prepared himself to deliver the report. "It's Appleloosa, Princess. We don't know what happened, but... the entire town was destroyed."

Without a response, Celestia launched herself into the air and was quickly out of the guard's sight. In her rush, she didn't even notice the sound of stone cracking behind her.

Author's Note

Oh man, what? An update? Finally?

Yeah, sorry about the wait on this one. This chapter really gave me trouble, not to mention some other shenanigans which I mentioned here that held me up. I can't promise that I'm going to speed up significantly after this, but hopefully the next chapter won't be nearly as long of a wait.

There's a reason "oppose" rhymes with "dispose".

Today was not shaping up to be a good day.

"Why isn't it finished yet? Tell me!"

Development had been going slow lately, and the higher ups were not at all pleased. The unusually colorful man sporting red and white face paint was currently making sure that this was a well known fact.

"Sir Palazzo, please, we're trying our best, but this particular branch of Magitek is still in the early stages of research. Something of this scale, it's just too unstable!"

Kefka Palazzo, a powerful mage, right hand to the emperor, and criminally insane to boot; a deadly combination. In the early stages of Magitek research, Kefka had been the first subject to be infused with powerful magic. He had been granted a great gift, but paid for it with his own mind. Despite being just as unstable as the machine standing before him, the "Psycho Clown", as his subordinates had taken to calling him, was still higher on the payroll than the men he was currently addressing, a fact that many found rather unsavory.

"Early stages? Really now? Tell me, how is it that I can personally teleport myself anywhere on this planet that I so wish, at will I might add, and yet you, with all the resources that our empire has to offer, cannot build a single machine, the sole purpose of which is to open a gateway to a realm very close to our own? Explain that one to me, oh great scientist."

Magitek, short for Magic Technology, is a means of granting unimaginable power to non-magical beings, humans specifically, through science. The process is powered with a special crystal known as magicite, a rare and very valuable resource. Only a select few within the empire know of the crystal's true origin, for very good reason. Were the secret to spread, well, a riot or two would probably be the bare minimum the emperor would have to face.

"Sir, with all due respect, your teleportation relies on a certain level of familiarity with your location. None of us have ever been to the Land of Espers. We can't tune the device properly, we can't locate it."

"You can't find it? That's it? HA! Simple solution, pick a location and jump in. Repeat as necessary."

The Land of Espers, a realm close to our own, yet not entirely of this world. As its name suggests, the land is inhabited by espers, beings of pure magic, and the only known source of magicite crystals in this or any world. Upon death, while their bodies disperse into the fabric of the universe around them, the souls and power of the espers remain in the form of magicite, a physical manifestation of their magical ability.

The entire field of Magitek was built upon magicite crystals, and soon we had discovered ways to force the espers into their crystalline form. However, there were never enough, and so we found ourselves wanting more.

"Sir, were we simply traveling within our own world, that would be a viable solution, surely. However, jumping between realms of existence, we cannot guarantee the safety of the test subject–"

"SAFETY? You waste my time because of safety procedures? I care nothing for the safety of your precious scientists, I want it done now!"

"Sir Palazzo, surely you cannot be suggesting throwing away the lives of our own men in such a fruitless endeavor! Besides, trial and error would take far too long with the scale we are working with. It could take years, we might not even finish in our lifetimes!"

That shut the old clown up. Despite his deteriorating sanity, Kefka could still see reason on rare occasion. The room remained silent for what seemed like eons. Many of the researchers in the lab could be seen visibly shaking. A shouting match with Kefka Palazzo rarely ended with all parties, involved or otherwise, alive and well. Still, the mad mage looked thoughtful for a moment, before finally responding.

"Could you use the esper's own magic as a sort of beacon? Search for a similar energy to lock onto? Surely speeding up the process like that would more than make for a few dead scientists."

"Perhaps, with a sample of magic that can closely match the strength of one of the espers we could, but I still can't justify risking our own men. The emperor's plan is still a possibility, is it not?"

"PAH! Gestahl's plan? To simply wait for the enemy to open the gate and follow them in? Oh sure, let's just let the rebels reach the espers first and hope that they'll just hand them over to us when we show up later. Why do you think I've been trying to get this done as soon as possible? When Terra and her merry little band of 'Returners' get there, I want them to be met not with a warm welcome, but a wasteland. So, will you do it, or do I have to kill your men the old fashioned way?"

And there it is; the death threat. Die doing your job, or die because you didn't. There very rarely were any other alternatives under the supervision of Sir Kefka Palazzo. All things considered, death from random exposure to inhospitable planes of existence was probably less painful than what Kefka had in store.

"Do you have a sample in mind, for comparison?"

Kefka said nothing in response. He slowly raised his left arm, curling his fingers as though grasping at some object in the air, until his hand rested at eye level. Without a second thought, his fingers clenched into a fist. Every head in the room, save for Kefka's own and one unfortunate other, turned instantly at the sound of screams. Behind the maniac himself, a single researcher stood engulfed in flame, screaming as he burned alive in front of his peers.

"Will this suffice?"

"Y-yes, sir. We'll begin right away, sir."

"Are you almost done yet, or do you need another sample?" Kefka clenched and unclenched his fingers out of sheer irritation. Dealing with these peons was simply exasperating, and watching them flinch in fear each time he cracked his knuckles brought a modicum of much needed enjoyment to the impatient mage. The fact that a couple of those cracks had resulted in a stray lightning bolt or two acted as the perfect motivation to speed along the process.

"Not necessary, sir. I think we're very close."

"You had better be, this is taking far too long. We are already cutting it too close as it is!"

At that moment, the machine in the center of the room sputtered to life as a foreign magic poured through its circuitry.

"Sir! The machine is reacting to something. I can't be sure if this is actually the Land of Espers we're linked to, but there's a magic almost identical to your own residing on this plane. With some further study, I'm sure we can confirm–"

"No time!" Kefka leaped out of his seat to examine the machine. "If the magic is the same, there's nothing else it could be."

"Sir Palazzo, I really don't think it's a good idea to just jump in. Please, with just a little time–"

"Open the gate now, or I will find someone else, someone less on fire, to do it."

"We should run some tests first. Surely you don't intend to go in yourself?"

"We don't have the luxury anymore. Terra could reach the espers any minute. It has to be now!"

Oddly enough, nobody else seemed to object to the idea of Kefka jumping headlong into an unknown portal to another potentially deadly plane of existence. After the removal of a few safety locks, the air around the machine began to distort until the image of a dark forest came into view, not unlike a mirage.

"See? Trees. Looks safe enough. Now, I'm afraid we've wasted far too much time here, and the world won't conquer itself."

"Sir Palazzo! Wait, you can't just... jump in. He just jumped in didn't he?"

"I believe so."

Without any warning, the vision disappeared as smoke began to rise from the machine. This was going to take a while to fix.

"Good riddance."

Kefka's face hurt. Jumping through the portal had been far more disorienting than he had expected, and no amount of magical power can protect against a mouthful of dirt. The mage lifted himself back onto his feet and promptly fell flat on his back. It didn't take long to discover the cause.

"Dear me, I seem to have been turned into a horse. That engineer, what's his name, is so fired, in every definition of the word."

After rolling himself onto his hooves, Kefka took a moment to observe his surroundings. It seemed he had been deposited at the edge of the forest from the vision, as an empty field of grass could be seen to his left.

"Not an esper in sight. That fool, this is an absolute disaster!"

Instinctively, Kefka tried to channel the energy inside him to prepare a destructive fire spell, hoping to work out a little stress on the surrounding flora. When he reached for his magic however, he was met with unexpected resistance. His magic was still there, but it wasn't alone. There was another magic within him, something foreign, something at odds with his naturally chaotic magic. Though it pained him to even think of it, it seemed almost peaceful. As peaceful as it may have been, trying to access his own magic had caused a violent reaction between the two, leaving the already disoriented mage writhing on the ground with a splitting headache. He reflexively reached his fore hooves to his head, which met with another surprising discovery.

"Is that a... a horn? HA! I'm a unicorn! Hee-hee-hee I must have turned into an esper myself! This is perfect! I have truly ascended! HA HA!"

Kefka danced in place, overwhelmed with childlike excitement. After calming down, he looked over himself to admire his new form. He was delighted to find that his normal attire had reshaped itself to fit his new body. His red and yellow striped cloak hung loosely over a mishmash of assorted colors and patterns arranged with no discernible rhyme or reason. A purple sleeve with red polka dots on one leg, a solid crimson sleeve on another. Three of his hooves were adorned with mismatched boots, one yellow, one black, and one white. His left fore hoof remained bare. Various other fabrics covering every color of the rainbow and many in between made up the rest of his outfit, many hanging loose like an assortment of scarves serving no apparent purpose. There was one small thing that Kefka had not expected, however. Hidden beneath his cloak could be found two pairs of feathered wings, one set black, and one set pure white.

"Are those wings? A winged unicorn? Ah ha, AH HA HA HA, OH HO HO HO HO HO HO! Truly I have become a god, for I am... wait, are those? Yep, those are attached to the outfit. How dreadfully disappointing. Pah, I have more important things to be doing anyway."

Continuing his inventory, Kefka was pleased to note that along with his outfit, many of his other supplies had been preserved. A couple vials containing assorted liquids, a few spare pieces of magicite he kept hidden for his own personal use, and a circular metal headband that had also apparently been adapted for equine use. Everything he had been carrying when he crossed over was present and accounted for. Unfortunately, anything he wasn't carrying at the time was likewise left behind.

"What a day to forget my Morning Star. And to think, I've left myself alone and vulnerable without so much as a weapon or my magic to protect me. Oh woe is me." Despite his seemingly bleak situation, Kefka couldn't help but grin. He was an esper! A being of pure magic! Once he had his new magic under control, nothing could stop him, not even that damned esper wannabe, Terra. Reveling in his joyous thoughts, the newly minted unicorn failed to notice a winged shadow descend upon his location, at least until a rough yet clearly female voice interrupted his musing.

"Hey buddy, whatcha doing way out here? And what's with the getup, you with the circus?"

Kefka prepared himself to deliver a verbal lashing at the individual who had just insulted his dashing sense of style, but the figure now before him very nearly wiped the incident from his mind. Another horse hovered just above the ground, this one with a light blue coat, wings instead of a horn, and a rainbow mane and tail.

"First of all, I don't take kindly to my attire being insulted by one who doesn't even wear clothes. Second, and more importantly, where are the other espers? You can't be the only one here." Kefka impatiently tapped his uncovered hoof on the ground. Oh, you are so lucky my magic isn't working right now.

"Esper? Never heard of that before, I'm a pegasus. The name's Rainbow Dash, fastest flyer in Equestria." Rainbow nonchalantly rubbed a hoof on her chest, pretending not to pay attention. "So, what's your name?"

Kefka paid no heed to the question. "What do you mean you've never heard of an esper? Isn't this the Land of Espers? Beings of pure magic? Tamers of the elements? Sources of unimaginable power?"

Rainbow seemed oddly unfazed by the colorful unicorn's rambling. "Pure magic? I wouldn't go that far. I'm not particularly magical myself, though I can perform some pretty amazing stunts. Hey, you wanna see some tricks?"

"But but, what about me? I have magic inside me. Doesn't that mean I'm an esper? How can you not be?"

"Did you hit your head on something? Of course you can do magic. You're a unicorn, all unicorns can do magic. That's like, pony 101."

It can't be. Not an esper. But this magic, it has to be esper magic. But... I'm not all magic, so maybe I'm not an esper. But, there is some magic in there.

Rainbow couldn't help but notice the vacant stare on her new friend's face. "Are you okay? Maybe we should get you to the hospital, Ponyville's not far from here."

Kefka snapped back to attention at Rainbow's voice. "Oh, yes. You're right, I suppose. Which way did you say was this 'Ponyville'?"

The concerned pegasus lifted a hoof to point in a seemingly arbitrary direction. There were very few landmarks around to go by.

"Ah, right, good then. Oh, by the way, before we go, I remember seeing someone else in the woods here. They looked to be injured."

Rainbow looked confused for a moment. "Someone? What, is there, like, a griffon in there or something?"

Kefka, being the master of manipulation that he is, didn't miss a beat. "Oh my, yes. They looked to be in positively dreadful condition. Feathers everywhere, you really ought to take a look."

"The only griffon I know that would be hanging around here is Gilda." Rainbow seemed more conflicted than concerned. "Well, if she's hurt, I should at least see if she needs help, I suppose. Hey, can you show me where she is?"

How lucky! I seem to have struck a chord with her somehow. This is almost too easy! "Why, of course. Right this way, Miss Dash."

"Hey, you're a pretty cool dude. Oh, you never gave me your name."

Kefka couldn't help but grin. "Oh, where are my manners? You can call me Kefka. Lord Kefka Palazzo. Now come, your fallen comrade is much further inside."

Several hours later, Kefka emerged from the forest alone. He glanced at the moon, with a look of annoyance on his face.

"That took far longer than it should have. Who knew it would be so difficult to clean blood off of this stupid horn? The stuff leaves such a terrible stain. Ah well, I suppose it wasn't a total waste."

Kefka lifted his uncovered hoof to his face. Lying before his eyes was a small blue crystal, glowing with magical energy.

"That little whelp lied to me. She may not have been an esper, but my suspicions were still correct. I was still able to extract this small amount of magic, and if she has magic, then surely there are others with it as well."

Kefka Palazzo's face stretched to its limit to contain his massive maniacal grin. His eyes lit up, set ablaze like one of his many innocent victims as he directed his gaze to the town that the now deceased pegasus had pointed him towards.

"If I'm right. There should be plenty more where this came from... in Ponyville."

The mad mage cantered in the direction of the unsuspecting village, practically skipping in delight as he laughed at the stars in the night sky.