Diprosopus

Chapters

Old Friends
Of The Merry Band Of The Caravan
Tenebrosi Temporis
To Journey Back North
March Of The Pilgrims
Black Sands & White Daisies
The Masque Of Canterlot
A Stranger's Concern
The Solsenaar Ambuscade
Behind An Archbishop's Wisdom
Dwelling Insanity
An Encounter Of Minuscule Proportions
Terra's Limbo
In Captivity Of The Umbra Fuga
Nine Numbers
Vesuvian Lakes
What Bothers The Minotaur
Camp Éigríochtar
The Mare Of Cirrus Gorge
Burn Thy Body, Free Thy Mind
Lose Thy Soul, Free Thy Binds
The Manehatten Cataclysm
A Covert Delirium
The Lone Messiah
Nigrum Radiis
Trust Be Forlorn
Faces Down Under
Le Chevaline Se Trouvant
Equitis Ardentibus
Shattered Crystals & Broken Hearts
The Hunt For Insanity
The Temperamental & The Temperate
Nox Caedibus
Nascent Love, Shriveled Love
The Tundra Syndrome
The Equinox Shelves
Confidential
Mutando Harenis
They Lament Every Night

Old Friends

"Rarity!"

"There's no time to talk, darling!! I'm not going to waste any spare moment of the rest of my life wasting with words of remorse when I can save you!!"

"If... if I don't make it...w-would... would any of you still remember me...?"

"All of us would! We wouldn't have been the Elements of Harmony without you, Pinkie. You are our friend, our family..."

"PINKIE!!!!"

The earliest rays of the morning sun filtered through the circular window of her bedroom and onto her white face as Rarity's eyes started to wrinkle about, the mare slowly rising from her bed while she brushed her tangled mane to the side with her hoof. She quickly stretched her back, before turning to the other waking inhabitant of her bed, her lips curving into a smile.

Spike started to stir as well, as he suddenly lifted himself from the red sheets, letting out a loud, satisfied yawn. He rubbed his eyes before turning towards the mare of his life, saying with a beatific, half-awake grin.

"Morning, Rarity."

"Morning, Spikey," she readily answered, huddling up towards the dragon's chest. She laid her head onto the scaled surface, her hoof gripping onto his tender claws as she asked teasingly:

"Had a fine sleep last night?"

"I tried to," he grumbled, making her giggle.

"You kept snatching the blanket away, and I had to wake up every minute snatching it back from you. Then you started whining in your sleep about you being cold and... how did you say it? 'Only the warmth of a thousand dragons could harbor the freezing chill or something like that."

"Well, it was a little chilly yesterday night..."

With a quirky hum of delight, she quickly got up from the bed and towards her nightstand, curling her hair and ridding her bedhead almost immediately.

"I have to send Sweetie Belle to school today," she said, reaching for a yellow hat before asking:

"Would you please be a dear and help up with the boutique's stocks? I've just got some wondrous fabric from Fillydelphia which would look wonderfully fabulous on my new design."

"Do you even have to ask?" the dragon merely replied with a cunning grin, forcing a small laugh from the mare. With that, he quickly stole a kiss at her lips, before slumping back onto the bed and letting out a fake snore. Rarity just shook her head with a sigh: she can't believe he is still the playful dragon he was after all this time.

She headed downstairs and towards the dining area, surprised to see her sister already munching onto some French toast. Her swirled mulberry-colored mane had grown a little, with some already dangling at the right side, much like Rarity's own. Her horn lit up a light green, the corresponding cloud of which pulling a fork of lettuce towards her mouth.

"Morning, sis," she said after swallowing, sliding a bowl towards Rarity.

"I've made a little soup for you."

"Why, thank you, Sweetie dear," the older mare cooed, nuzzling her sister's mane.

"Have you got everything for school yet?"

"Everything!" Sweetie Belle chirped happily, placing her satchel on the table.

"By the way, Mrs. Symphony wants me to perform for the Canterlot Young Talents next month. They will pay a million bits for whoever wins, Rarity! Even Apple Bloom and Scootaloo said they will come!"

Rarity wasn't surprised by that. The three fillies (who were already in their teens) had earned their Cutie Marks after hosting another concert for their school. Apple Bloom had a hammer and a nail arranged in an X over a rainbow-striped apple, displaying her talent for construction and engineering. Scootaloo had a flaming helmet that shows her talent in dancing and daredevil stunts, and her sister had a silver bell (much like her name) with three dainty, purple musical notes at the side; the result of her admittedly wonderful singing.

"Well, I'll see if I can rearrange my schedule," the white unicorn said before sipping on her sister's butternut cream soup, savoring its fluffy tinge in her mouth.

"Really, Rarity?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The last time you said that, you and Spike went out to dinner instead."

"I beg your pardon Sweetie, but that was nearly four months ago."

The fashion designer settled her spoon back down before trotting towards Sweetie Belle, continuing her sentence as she brushed the younger mare's mane. Despite being already in her early teens - she chuckled to herself - her younger sister wasn't a natural when it comes to combing.

"Plus, Twilight is coming back today. I'm sure she would be eager to know how you got your Cutie Mark, don't she?"

"Today?" Sweetie Belle squeaked with surprise.

"Celestia! She's coming back today!! She's coming back today!!"

"She's on the train now, Sweetie Belle."

The two sisters turned around as Spike descended from the stairs, clutched in his claws a rolled-up scroll, presumably sent by the Princess. The filly immediately shrieked with delight like she did when she was five years younger, snatching her satchel from the table before running out of the door, leaving the dragon to turn to the remaining pony in the room.

"She'll arrive at about noon or so. Want me to tell the rest about it?"

"Of course, Spikey dear," Rarity answered, giving the dragon a hug.

"I'm sure the rest would be overjoyed to hear that."

Spike immediately gave her a fanged grin, sighing softly soon after.

"Still can't believe it's been a year already..."

The white mare could only nod with him. One year had passed just like that, and so much has happened in the absence of her scholarly friend. She could only imagine the surprise on Twilight's face the moment she stepped out of the train doors, the thought of it making her squeal with glee.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike and herself had planned for this very day to come. They had so many things to tell her, and probably she to them about her stay in Canterlot.

"Sweetie Belle's waiting outside," she hurriedly said, pushing the thoughts back.

"I have to go."

"Try to be quick," Spike replied meekly, giving a small peck on her cheek.

"Meet you at the station later," he finished, giving a cheerful wave, to which Rarity gave a firm, anticipating nod. To finally see her friend's face after so long... she could only wonder at what Twilight might've discovered during her stay. Something wondrous, perhaps? Or just more dull work. Maybe she found something that concerns Equestria as a whole.

And - she hoped for the best - possibly something that concerns them as well.

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Sometimes he wished ponies would know what he had done for Equestria.

"State your affairs, please," one of the guards before him said, raising his hoof to stop him before the pale turquoise colt could step through the gateways of the regal palace of Canterlot, his one true destination. Their stern looks were unnerving and, funnily enough for him, unconvincing, though the glinting spears they held in their hooves was enough to stop him from laughing out loud in amusement. It was the same in their point of view; they were hostile when they saw him coming up from the horizon, adorning a tattered cloak with the mantle covering his senile face; one that made them lower their spears on sight.

"Sir?" the other guard pressed on, their snouts wrinkling at the ragged cloak he was wearing.

"My affairs are but private," he answered. The last thing he needed was for the whole of Celestia-damned Canterlot to know the reason behind his visit. Especially when it concerns the events he had seen forthcoming.

"I only wish to see a certain pony to discuss of this matter. Nothing more, nothing less."

There was a long sigh at his stubbornness. They were probably rookies, the stallion thought to himself, raising his eyebrow skeptically at their impatience. Their brashness and ignorance reminded him of a pony he knew a long time ago, though sadly the said pony never got the chance to live and see this day.

"Name?"

"None of your concern," was the reply, flicking the wrong switch in both guards' heads.

"I'm sure your Princess knows me very well, however."

"Listen, sir," one of the guards spoke, raising his spear intimidatingly with a glower.

"It's required to state at least some information of yourself for reference, or we will imply your presence as a threat to Her Royal Majesty."

"Is that so...?"

With a harrumph of resentment, the stallion suddenly swung his cloak to the side, pulling out from beneath it a gleaming, polished rapier, its glinting hilt anodized with gold. At the very center, where the blade meets the handle, was an ornate letter 'P', engraved with pure finesse into the gold with a halo of laurels curling up from the bottom.

"I forbid any requirement of explanation when I know it will risk the lives of many," he growled, raising his weapon menacingly as the guards pointed their spears at him, with some of them on the walls drawing back their bows.

"Surely you recognize this blade?" he added the question, giving a devious smile that curled up to the side of his black, messy mustache.

"Cease fire!! Cease fire, you fools!!"

The guards lowered their weapons, watching as another aged stallion came scurrying from the palace gardens, his prestigious white coat fluttering in the air with his eyes dilating at the sight of the colt at the gate. His lips curled jubilantly into a smile once he passed by the gate, giving the cloaked pony a tight, wistful hug.

"Stellar Lionheart, you sod," he mocked, the two old friends giving each other a laugh.

"Y-You know this pony, Sir Brineheart?" one of the guards asked nervously, to which he turned to them with a frown; the worst that Stellar had ever seen from his friend ever since their last encounter.

"Then how would I know his name, you blithering moron?" he snarled, wrinkling his snout.

"Away with you ponies! Spare your folly in the presence of another, for Celestia's sake!"

Hurriedly, the guards huddled away, not wanting to anger the royal doctor any longer, allowing the two ponies into the premises of the royal palace. Stellar peered over his shoulder back at the guards, before turning to his friend.

"Sir Brineheart?" he quipped, raising his eyebrow at his white friend.

"The Princess of the Night bestowed that title upon me after her recovery."

Caduceus let out a sigh, bereft of any sense of dignity or pride that most ponies would have in his position. His friend wasn't surprised when Princess Luna elected him as the leading doctor of the palace; after toiling through days of surgery and sleep deprivation, who wouldn't be?

"It's but a mere knighthood," he scoffed, "nothing that somepony feeble such as me can appreciate. None so much rewarding as the sight of your face after one whole year, you bastard."

"You're anything but feeble, Caduceus," Stellar replied with a grin.

"As for my long departure, I can assure you it's along the lines of this blade," he raised the glinting rapier, "and the purpose for the detonated building I had seen on the journey here. Rembury, is it?"

"Never more correct, my friend," was the grim response. The news of the explosion at Rembury Hotel was already an uproar internationally, with protests on the possibility of such a devastating event happening. Stellar himself had heard about it on the way here: sixty-three dead, including those who were lightly injured succumbing to their wounds, which he found it profoundly strange. Rumors of rebellions and anarchists, defilers of the faith, some called them, were already circulating around the streets of Canterlot, and talks about plots and assassinations filled the mouths of gossipers.

"The Princess pursued investigation into this matter," Caduceus continued.

"As of yet, no leads have turned up so far."

"Well, I believe I have one lead you can trace to."

Stellar smiled once his friend turned to him in surprise, widening his eyes in disbelief at what the former butler had just said. He pulled out a linen wrapping from beneath his cloak, which he tossed to his friend. Slowly, he shrouded the golden rapier within the wrapping, all the while trotting towards the doorway with Caduceus watching the whole time.

"We'll have a talk with the Princesses later," the pale turquoise colt said.

"As for now, I'm eager for some lunch. I'm famished."

"Surely you have to be joking," Caduceus replied with a chuckle.

"Is your journey that horrendously tiring?" he asked, to which Stellar could only give a wry smile.

"More than you could ever think it could be."

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"She'll surely remember what you would look like, Sweetie Belle."

"But what if she doesn't?" the filly protested against her elder sister's attempts to assure her.

"It's been a year, Rarity! She might've forget at least something!"

"If there's one thing I know about Twilight, she wouldn't be forgetting about her friends that easily."

Rarity glanced around the platform of the station, having been waiting for the past half an hour for the arrival of the train. Spike had left to the market to buy some drinks for their parched throats, leaving them alone to wait for the bookish mare, as well as the rest of her friends.

None of the other three: Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had arrived yet, though the fashion designer knew they each have their own matters to deal with it. Fluttershy had her new foal to tend to: a filly pegasus named Ambrosia Apple, or Amber Rose for short, with her husband, Big Macintosh. Rainbow was expecting her own foal as well with Soarin', the two having already wedded on the preceding July. Applejack was ever the more busier with the farm, what with her brother having a new foal recently.

"Twilight has enough consideration to remember us all. It's only a year after all, isn't it?"

"But Spike said she has a lot of stuff to do at Canterlot," Sweetie Belle replied.

"She might be too absorbed in her work! Then... then... by Celestia's mane, she wouldn't remember us at all!"

"I didn't mention the last part."

The two sisters turned to Spike, who was walking onto the platform with three plastic-lidded cups in his claw and a slightly disgruntled look on his face. Rarity's lips drooped once he let out a languidly hefty sigh, settling down while passing them their drinks.

"Just put some faith into her," he continued.

"I'm sure she'll remember."

The three of them sat in silence for a minute, with Sweetie Belle anxiously swaying her hooves on the lookout for the train, and the couple looking down at the floor. Rarity suddenly coughed, turning to her sister.

"Sweetie Belle," she said, earning the filly's attention.

"Can you be a dear and fetch some tissue for us?"

In an instant, Sweetie Belle eagerly raced off into town, leaving her sister and Spike alone on the bench to view the scenery, one wanting to speak to the other. Rarity swallowed a gulp of her strawberry milkshake, hesitantly glancing at the dragon.

"What happened?" she asked.

"It's nothing..."

Nothing? She wanted to scream at Spike for unintentionally teasing her curiosity. Nothing?

"Surely there must be something troubling you?" she tried again, huddling next to him. There were only a few times that she know of where he would be this frustrated around her and, as of now, only one possibility stood out from the rest.

"Is it..." she hesitantly began, "is it because of the ponies in town?"

"I don't really feel like talking about it," the dragon scowled, looking at the mare dead in the eye.

Rarity could feel him searing through the back of her head once his emerald pupils stared into her, forcing out a small whimper beneath his fading glare. She slid away from him to the other end of the bench, her mind trying to forget the whole conversation, before she felt his scaly claw wrapping around his hoof.

"I'm... I'm sorry..." Spike began, biting his lip.

"It's just... I'm not uncomfortable with ponies treating me like I'm... I'm..."

"They'll have to get used to the new you, I suppose. I find you appealingly adequate, however."

With that, the white mare leaned her head against his arm, letting out a purr of delight when she felt the scales tingling perceptibly against her cheek. She stole a kiss on his lips, which was enough to coax a smile from his face.

"After all," she added, "they're the ones that need to change. Seriously they must've expected for you to grow up someday, Spikey..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Rarity! Rarity! Look who it is!"

Sweetie Belle's overly excited voice blared like a speaker, making everypony on the platform turning their heads to see a teenage filly running across, with several familiar faces trotting right behind. Rarity couldn't help but smile once she realized who it was, waving her hoof to beckon them over.

"Fluttershy darling!" the white unicorn exclaimed, her friend giving a dainty smile. Beside her was her two sister-in-laws, Apple Bloom and Applejack, the latter cradling the sleeping Amber Rose in a basket. The foal had inherited her mother's pink mane and wings, if Rarity could remember, and her father's sap green eyes. Her skin was more of a mixture of both parents; a pale hue of bright gold.

"I'm glad you could make it!"

"Oh... um... Macintosh said it was alright..."

"M'ah brother always says it's 'alright' when it comes to Fluttersh'ah. Then again...." Applejack's voice trailed off as the farmpony leaned close to the white unicorn, whispering:

"Everypony says it's alright to Fluttersh'ah these days."

Rarity couldn't agree more. Ever since her breakdowns: both of them, nopony dared to disagree with her. The butter pegasus had been visiting the psychiatrists at the hospital to diagnose for her second personality, yet Applejack noted it wasn't doing much good; there were times where she was nearly driven over the edge when Amber Rose cried for water, calming only when her husband was there to console both her and their daughter.

Spike smiled warmly once he saw the foal cradled underneath the blanket, brushing her miniature mane with the tip of his claw. In response, the baby snort and whimpered, whirling around in the safe haven of the rattan basket, her small tail whipping the sheets around her.

"She's so cute," the dragon remarked, wanting to pull his heart out.

"Ah couldn't say it better myself," Apple Bloom chirped.

"She looks like a doll in that basket!"

"Come to think about it," Sweetie Belle cut in, glancing around.

"Where's Rainbow? Isn't she and Soarin' supposed to be here already?"

"Ya gotta be patient, sugarcube."

Applejack gazed back at the town, trying to spot their remaining friend in the slightly packed crowd.

"RD has a foal to take care of, after all. Wouldn't want somethin' bad ta happen to it."

"The train's here! The train's here!"

Apple Bloom's excited cheering was soon accompanied by the echoing clatter of wheels on the tracks before them. They quickly rose from their seat (except for Fluttershy, who had to take care of her daughter) at the sight of the approaching train, holding their breaths as it screeched to a halt in front of them, letting out a steamy hoot of delight.

The doors soon slid open, with a scramble of ponies ascending and descending the vehicle. Rarity held Spike's claw, standing in the center of the shuffling flood of ponies and luggage while their eyes gazed into the crowd, eagerly trying to spot their friend.

"What would you think Twilight would be wearing, Spike?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, before giving a fanged, mischievous grin.

"Some sort of schoolmare dress? I heard they just went out of season five minutes ago."

"Like you would know anything about seasonal fashion trends," the mare shot back with a raise of an eyebrow, unimpressed as Spike gave a loud chuckle.

"I'm serious about her choice of attire!" Rarity griped, scrunching her face up once the dragon laughed louder, the pair rewarded with a bunch of stares from the ponies around. The unicorn's face started to blush with embarrassment at their unwanted attention, with her sister and friends giggling behind the crowd.

"Spiiiikke~!" she whined plaintively. "Why do you have to be so mean~?!"

"Alright, alright!" the dragon exclaimed sheepishly.

"I'm not really sure, actually. She's more interested in the library there than any of the boutiques that you would go to if you were her. I think you can say she wouldn't bother with looks, right?"

"She's still a mare, Spikey-Wikey."

Rarity crossed her hooves, diverting her attention more onto looking for their friend. There will never be a stallion (or, in her case, dragon) that will ever understand the mindset of a mare. Altogether, that makes their teasing and guessing their intentions all the more fun, actually.

"Forget I mentioned about her choice of apparel," she voiced out her thoughts.

"Enough blabberin' already, you two!" Applejack yelled, breaking into their search.

"Apple Bloom found 'er while you both were still yappin' about!"

The couple just blinked, the words of the orange mare sinking into their heads, filling them up with excitement and abashed realization. Quickly, they galloped back towards the rest of their friends, just in time to see Twilight cooing at Fluttershy's newborn daughter, her face lit up with pure delight.

"Twilight!" the dragon called out, to which the violet mare responded to eagerly. She rushed forward once she spotted her 'little' brother, giving him a tight, loving hug.

"It's great to see you again, Spike!" she exclaimed, turning to the last mare.

"Rarity, I'm so happy to see you as well."

"It's great to have you back in Ponyville, Twilight."

Rarity felt her heart fill up with warmth at the timely return of her friend; there was so much that Twilight and the rest have to talk about, she can't even think of where to start. They've already planned for a picnic at the plains outside of town tomorrow, just for their lengthy conversation on catching up with things, such as Fluttershy's foal.

"There's so much for us to talk about and discuss!"

Twilight nodded happily, though not before asking:

"Where's Rainbow Dash?"

"Ah don't think she could make it, Twi," Applejack replied, chuckling once she saw her friend's baffled look.

"We'll tell you all about it tomorrow. Ah'm gonna guess ya a little weary from ya train ride, eh?"

"Just a litt-" the bookish unicorn stopped with a yawn, the rest of her friends laughing as a result.

"Okay..." she dragged her voice drowsily, rubbing her eyes.

"Maybe a little too tired..."

"Well, you'll have to get some sleep now, won't you darling?"

Rarity's horn lit a pale blue, the corresponding cloud of magic encasing itself among her friend's few bags. Spike helped to lift two of them, giving Twilight a grin.

"You can sleep in one of the vacant rooms I have downstairs for tonight. We'll assist you in moving back to the library tomorrow. Would that be alright?"

"Sure thing..." she began, before yawning once more.

"Maybe you can tell me what's up with Rainbow Dash on the way there!"

The white unicorn smiled plainly at her friend. Still the same Twilight despite having already left Ponyville for a year to do some research, and now she's back... she felt a hollow spot in her heart fulfilled again, and the more she thought about what she had done in Canterlot, the more her curiosity shifted to the top of her head.

She had planned some personal questions; one that she wouldn't dare to even let Spike hear about it. Maybe her friend's visit to Canterlot can answer those very questions that were disturbing her at night. Maybe they could find out more about the reason of the connection between her and a certain doppelganger that she had feared to become back in what was now a northern wasteland.

And maybe - just maybe - she could learn something about a friend.

A friend lost in the crevasses of time.

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"Really?"

Twilight nearly spat out her tea once she received the news about Rainbow's foal, unable to believe her ears at what Rarity had briefed her about their absent friend. The fact that is was already midnight never affected their conversation; Twilight had slept in the afternoon and Rarity had, unknowingly to her scholarly friend, a few nightmares that still lingered within her subconscious. She talked to Spike about it, though she wasn't sure of the dragon solving her problems, especially when he can't solve his own.

"I can't believe it!" the lavender mare exclaimed again, still trying to sink in the news.

"A foal! Another foal!"

"Now, darling," Rarity began, sipping on some well-brewed coffee. She had experimented with a few different flavors during her sleep deprivation, though her taste buds favored the milky cream taste of a latte.

"There's no need to holler around my boutique about it. Spike and Sweetie Belle are asleep."

"R-right," Twilight stammered sheepishly, though soon she was giggling with excitement again.

"But still...!" she let out a quivering sigh, "Rainbow Dash is going to have a foal! Who wouldn't be anticipating something such as that?"

"Well, I know one pony who doesn't anticipate it, and that is Rainbow herself."

The white unicorn sipped on her coffee again, before continuing:

"Her hormones are outrageous, if I must say. Soarin' did tell me she wasn't the most hospitable pony once she enters her season. Imagine if that mare goes into labor... I wouldn't dare to step into her husband's hooves..."

"No kidding."

The two mares could only laugh at the discussion of their athletic friend, who would probably scream their ears out if she were present. They soon resumed to finishing their respective drinks, though Twilight soon asked:

"How are you and Spike coming along?"

"Pretty fine," was Rarity's reply. She wanted to leave out the few issues that they were going through, primarily her affliction of nightmares and Spike's growth, which was fueling the growing fear within many of the ponies that were not closely acquainted with him.

The both had never announced their relationship to the rest of Ponyville yet, leaving it known only to the scarce few whom they could trust, namely Twilight, Sweetie Belle, Rainbow Dash, Octavia (who told Vinyl about it and made her swear to keep it secret), Fluttershy and the Apple family down in Sweet Apple Acres. Rarity had pondered on the implausible conditions that could come if they did, knowing those who feared him as a dragon would go against it. There was one pony she knew who would go absolutely against it.

Somepony she knew very well.

"Twilight," she called to her friend, holding her breath once the mare turned to her.

"What would you do if... well... somepony in your...... well..."

"I'm the only one listening, Rarity. It's okay."

Twilight could see the disturbance fluttering within the fashion designer's sapphire eyes, prompting her to place a hoof onto her friend's shoulder. She could only wonder at the problems that could possibly stem from her friend, though Rarity suddenly shook her head, glancing away.

"It's... it's nothing..."

Knowing how the white mare would not budge, Twilight let out a troubled sigh of defeat. The both of them sat in awkward silence for a minute, sipping their drinks, before Rarity finally asked:

"So, darling... how was Canterlot?"

"Oh, the usual studying and research. Nothing much after that, anyway."

Twilight's smile soon faded once again as she saw Rarity's disheveled expression, as if begging for her to continue. Her heart dropped with realization once she knew what the white mare wanted to hear, her throat forcibly pushing out the next few words.

"Nothing about Pinkie."

Rarity's shoulders slumped once she heard that, any trace of excitement washed down the drain.

"I thought you might've found something about her," she admitted, clenching her hooves tighter.

"Has the Princess at least called for somepony to... get her back yet?"

The lavender mare shook her head, only retching Rarity's heart even more. None of them had forgotten about that fateful night in the north, where her friend had perished with an enemy. It would be nice to see her again - Rarity gritted her teeth - even if she wouldn't be alive.

"Princess Celestia said Pendant Lakes was too dangerous to scale at the moment," Twilight explained.

"The expedition would just risk more lives. You and I know that."

"You don't understand, Twilight."

Rarity wiped a tear from her shimmering eyes, repressing any depressing thoughts out of her head. If there was one thing she would hate herself for doing, it would be crying in front of her recently returned friend.

"I just... I just wished that she would be... n-never mind..."

With that, the white mare excused herself, rising from her seat and hurriedly trotting across the boutique. Twilight could hear her sniffle underneath her mane, watching her solemnly as Rarity went up the stairs, leaving her alone in the living room, baffled and worried at her friend's behavior.

"Pinkie Pie," she muttered, the two words echoing briefly in her head. If there was somepony who could cheer them up, literally, it would be their friend. Everything would be better if she were here, she muttered to herself.

"If she were here..."

Of The Merry Band Of The Caravan

"Wake up already, lass! Wake up!"

Pinkie let out a soft murmur in her daze, squirming about the plains of sleep once the exhilarated voice pounded into her head, opening them only when a loud squawk screeched through her ears, nearly jolting her up to her hooves.

"Rise and shine, Pinkie Pie," came the calm voice of Phoenix Mellow, laughing heartily while pushing the cheeky Ollivander out of the pink mare's bunk, to which she had shared with the light turquoise stallion now standing over her. She gave him a huge grin, her woolly mane merrily prancing about as she stood up with a small yawn.

"Had a fine sleep last night?" he asked.

"Super!" was her cheerful reply, already starting to bounce on the spot. Phoenix gave a small chuckle, before leaving her humming in the room while combing her mane.

Pinkie couldn't remember how she was stuck with the jubilant bunch, only remembering of their adventures they've been through in the past year. One minute, it was total darkness. The next, she found herself face to face with the stallion in a forest, unsure of what had happened. Phoenix took her in soon after and, of course, she soon became a part of his group of friends, all trying to help her, as they were helping each other, figure out her place in the world; one she had seemingly lost.

So far, throughout the one year they were together, she remembered her name, her age, her favorite color and other casual things. There were a few brief memories jolts: Shards, Phoenix had called them. They were only there for a split second, and so far from them, she had seen flashbacks of rocks, flames, and a pair of purple beady eyes. She always tried to make sense of it, and yet the answer will never pop up in her head.

Maybe one day, Pinkie. Maybe one day.

Trotting onto the creaky floorboards of the caravan, Pinkie soon stepped out into the wilderbness, breathing in the fresh air of pine, oak and mint (they found a mint patch when they stopped for the night) streaming through the atmosphere. They were on a wide expanse on green, their caravan parked beside a stack of rocks that were called the Vestus Cairns. Her eyes soon turned to the group outside, all smiling once they saw the pink mare approaching them.

Despite having lost her memory, she found out, ironically, that she had a very good one: from the various faces in the group, she had basically remembered each and every one of their names ever since Phoenix introduced them the very moment she was invited into the group.

Sitting on the left, with the mug of cider that he personally brewed raised to beckon her over, was Ganger Deuce, known to the rest of the gang as, well, Ganger. He was an aquamarine unicorn with a short, grizzly lime green mane, his Cutie Mark a wooden ladle, showing his knack in cooking, brewing drinks and potions and his queer interest in botany and herbs. "Hey, Pinks!" he hollered the mare over with a flail of his hooves, proving his lively personality, which could not be said the same for his twin sister.

Dapple was her name. Dapple Deuce. Like her identical twin brother, she was also a unicorn, though she did not share his jubilant expression. Her Cutie Mark was a blue flame, showing her knack in weaponry of any sorts, be it swords, arrows or spears, and her taste in magic. She was the one-mare-army of the whole group, always wearing a deadpan expression, though her straight lips soon curled once she saw Pinkie heading towards her. Phoenix had told her that he met the Deuce twins while they encountered each other at a border crossing, the two eventually joining their team after fighting off a few stray bandits.

At the right side, also drinking Ganger's homemade cider, was a hunky minotaur named Brute Force, nickname Brutus. He was usually silent, as if in deep thought, and would usually grunt if he decided not to use his bellowing ability of speech. He was discovered as a mercenary for hire in a pub, but stopped after a bounty was placed on his head, eventually deciding to join the group once the gray unicorn with the dark red mane right beside him paid off his bounty.

That pony was Velvetine Willows, or Velvet for short. He was one of Phoenix's oldest friends. He was their archives keeper, recording and cataloging each and every event on their journeys, as well as, surprisingly, the team's assassin, always the chief planner for silent murder and setting up traps, shown on his Cutie Mark in the form of a dagger.

Seated right beside the twin siblings was Selena Violetta Gust, or Salvo Gust, though she preferred to be called Selena. She was a bright yellow pegasus pony with a long, streaking mane of red and white. Her Cutie Mark was a stick of dynamite, which was enough to show her talent in pyrokinetics. She was found trying to blow up her hometown after she was wrongly framed for a crime, and would've done so if not for Phoenix and Ollivander stumbling upon her and requesting her to join them. The judge convinced her to leave town, and the mare couldn't be more happier to do so, especially when she became Ollivander's marefriend.

Ollivander was another of Phoenix's old friends; together with Velvet and Phoenix himself, they formed the original band of the Caravan. He was a gryphon, having always been a good scout and a natural flyer, though these days he spent more time with Selena, despite their differences. Pinkie would usually see the couple flying around in the sunset, laughing warmly at the prospect of having each other.

"What do you want for breakfast, eh?" the gryphon asked suddenly, his voice rich of his Highland accent as he stepped out with a tray of cakes in his talons and settling beside his marefriend.

"Just a little bread," was the pink mare's subtle reply, stretching her hooves in the cold air of morning. She breathed in, the bubbling smell of mushroom and leek stew brewing from a cauldron in the center rushing into her snout, making her lick her lips hungrily at the warm brew, knowing full well who would've cooked something such as that in the wilderness.

"That looks delicious, Ganger!"

"Told you she would like it, D," he spoke triumphantly, nudging his sister.

"She said that only because she was being nice."

Dapple rolled her eyes once Ganger gave out a loud, defiant snicker, as if going against his own sister's words. With an irritated growl, she smacked him on the head, leaving him in a daze while the rest laughed at his predicament.

"Don't try to act loony all around me, Ganger. I'm warning you."

"Just relax, Dapple," Selena piped in among their laughter.

"It's his personality. You would know him better than the rest of us."

"That doesn't mean I like it," she snapped, crossing her hooves and turning to glare at her brother to prove her point; in response, he stuck his tongue out at her, the sight making her growl.

"Plus, he should know better than to piss me off, since he's my twin brother."

"Pfft..." Ganger's voice broke in suddenly, chiseling into the last supports of her crumbling wall.

"No wonder you still don't have a coltfriend, Miss Grumble."

"What the heck did you say?"

Pinkie merely chuckled as the pair of siblings resumed their squabble, seating herself on a log across Ollivander and Selena. Without further ado, she scooped some of the broth from the cauldron in the center with a wooden ladle, before pouring them into a clay bowl, the wafting aroma tingling her taste buds already.

"Where's Phoenix?" she asked the gryphon, who beckoned his head to the large caravan as his answer.

There, stepping out from the backdoor of the caravan itself, was Phoenix Mellow, her savior and her roommate. He was a pale turquoise Earth pony with his mane a pale blue and his tail a pure red, depicting its ability to light up spontaneously at its owner's will. He was the group's proclaimed leader, though he mentioned that everypony in the group is their own leader, and he will never take part in managing and controlling their lives. He was also a story-teller and bard, though his usually somber personality proved otherwise. His Cutie Mark was a compass, exhibiting his sense of adventure, though the stallion himself said he see it more as a sense of direction.

Roosting on his mane was Fleetywit, a green sprite dragon and Phoenix's loyal pet. One might ask whatever a sprite dragon was if they had never heard of them, having been one of the rarest miniature dragons that still lingered around. The best description would be that a sprite dragon was basically like a small lizard with wings, always connected to the world in all sorts of ways. Fleetywit's connection was that of nature, and he had been indispensable with knowing what was going on in the wilderness. He let out a chirp of delight once his yellow eyes spotted Pinkie Pie (unlike dragons, sprite dragons could not talk), prompting a wave from the pink mare.

"Come on, Phoenix!" Velvet called him, gesturing his hoof over.

"We have to take off sooner or later! Have to make your feast a quick guzzle!"

Phoenix just returned a smug grin, settling right next to Pinkie.

"I can finish breakfast in my own way, thank you." he replied, serving himself a bowl of stew. The sight of him smiling was a little refreshing for Pinkie; he was always wearing a frown, and was never the type of pony who would bother with any exciting shenanigans that they could get into. He seemed more like a father than a friend sometimes, but none of them dared question his actions, lest they get any singeing whippings from his flaming tail.

Fleetywit let out a croaky purr, the frills around his neck buzzing silently. So far, only Phoenix knew what the dragon was saying, as the rest could only watch in confusion while he sniffed the air a little.

"Moisture's a little heavy... Fleetywit's right: it's going to rain soon."

Phoenix forcibly swallowed the rest of his soup, placing it alongside the rest of the utensils. With a humdrum whistle, Ganger gathered the dishes and cauldron, his horn glowing a distinct dark blue to ease the job. The rest huddled back into the caravan, which was more like a mobile house that can accommodate every one of them, thanks to Dapple's transmutation magic, which can enlarge it into a castle or shrink it (as she does it most of the time) for it to be slid in a satchel and carried around.

Pinkie stepped back into her room as the first patters of drops assaulted the wooden roof, settling back in her bed. It became the norm during these few days; Velvet did inform them it was the rainy season. It wasn't long before she dozed off again, just as the caravan started to move through the hilly plains and onward through the storm while she dreamt of happier times: where she knew who she was.

Where her name wasn't just a fractured memory, but a calling; one that she was now trying to find.

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"More red wine, sir?"

"Certainly," came Stellar's hearty reply, the aging colt smiling whilst wiping the edges of his snout with a white napkin. The sight of Canterlot's utterly splendid cuisine on his plate was one that soothed his sore eyes and, after he was done, his voracious stomach. It wasn't long before the servant returned with another bottle, twisting the cork open and pouring its contents into a crystalline wine glass.

No sooner than that did Stellar drank it all in one gulp, earning a brief look of surprise from the servants and guards watching and pampering him, and Caduceus Brineheart himself midway in his food, sitting across his old friend for the first time since the events of the past year. Stellar suddenly raised his glass jubilantly, hollering out:

"Another glass, please!"

"Ease off the wine, Stellar!" Caduceus finally broke in. It was the eighth glass his friend had guzzled, and the last thing the Princesses have to see when they will arrive later is his friend going drunkenly mad and dancing on the table.

"You have to remember who's about to visit us. Consider at least the business we'll be dealing with here."

"And we will discuss of it, I'm sure," his friend replied, raising the ornamental silverware in his hooves.

"But for now, we must feast! The finest salads of the Eastern Bay, topped with lettuce, leek, carrots, tomatoes, cabbages, all topped with diced onions and peppers unparalleled to the mush I've ate on my way here... it's an exquisite dining experience, if I must say so myself."

"Then I'm glad you're enjoying our services."

All the ponies in the room, including Stellar and Caduceus, who rose from their seats, quickly turned to the door at the instant their ears heard the tranquil voice, each of them bowing as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna stepped into the elegant dining room, responding reflexively with nods of their own.

"My dear Princesses," Stellar started first, his head still hanging down.

"It's an honor to be in your presence once again."

"The honor is ours," Princess Celestia replied, the two alicorns seating themselves at the opposite ends of the long table, their beckoning hooves urging the two colts to sit back down.

"It has been a while, hasn't it, Lionheart?"

"A long one as well."

Stellar started to sip on his wine instead of swallowing it down as he did earlier, not wanting to show any disrespect to the alicorn sisters in the room. He could hear Caduceus snicker under his breath and, with an inaudible growl, he kicked his friend's hooves, prompting the doctor to stop immediately.

"I'm sure my friend has notified of the reasons for my arrival?"

"Indeed," came Princess Luna's shunning voice, still retaining the power she held throughout her life despite her current condition. Stellar could only wonder at how she could've recovered from something devastating as the nano-bomb rooted in her body; one which even the elder alicorn had said it would take a miracle for somepony to recover from that. Nevertheless, she did.

Her wings were noticeably bandaged, being the last to heal after his friend extracted the fragments of the bomb from her body. Caduceus did tell him she had just finished physical therapy, and would proceed to flight therapy once the bandages can be removed.

"What does our faithful servant say of the recent attack?"

"I bring tidings from the Northern Beyond."

Stellar's words practically surprised all three of them: Caduceus rose to the edge of his seat, unable to believe what he had just heard his friend say, while the two alicorns furrowed their brows, Princess Celestia being the first of them to question:

"You crossed beyond the Borders of Equestria?"

"It was a necessary procedure I had to take, albeit a dangerous one."

With that, Stellar carefully placed his weapon onto the table, unwrapping the linen around it to reveal the golden rapier that he sheathed within. The rest of them, especially Caduceus, widened their eyes at the sight of it, knowing the last of where they had seen the weapon before.

"The Patriarch's blade..." Princess Luna quipped.

"How were you able to obtain this?"

"I didn't," was his suddenly grimacing reply. With that, he unfurled a small map from his sleeves, not to show the Princesses and his friend its markings, but of the contents that he wrapped around it: a silver amulet with a garnet embedded in the center. He slid it across to Caduceus, who picked it up and examined the runic carvings on it, unable to perceive what he was holding in his hoof.

"I'm sure you and I know of this," Stellar spoke.

"Sicarius Nox..."

That was all Caduceus could mutter, and was enough for both Princesses to frown immediately.

"Where did you get this?" Princess Celestia asked while her sister examined the amulet. There was no possible way that the dead organization truly revived: the Palgiot bloodline was lost. Broken in the past events that had seized the northern city of Pendant Lakes into oblivion. They wouldn't just spring up without their leader to guide them.

"Off the Leviathan Mountains," he replied.

"It was from an assassin. A scout, I believe. I was passing by the Leviathan Basin after hearing rumors of an occult gathering from the nearby town, where I saw the blade being heralded by some priests. Stole the blade when they were asleep, though some chased me until I reached the Ralthar Ruins, where I dispatched them and got the amulet."

With that, he took out some photographs, showing a robed pony raising the glinting blade, the large bonfire behind him flaring brightly in the dark night. The crowd of ponies below the rocks he was standing on were all in the midst of cheering, their hooves raised with various weapons in them.

"They call themselves the Salii, Your Highness," he explained.

"Priests of beginnings. Of transitions. They're followers of somepony forgotten, they said. Somepony lost in the secrets of life, time and space, waiting to return and be consecrated by his holy power. Apparently, the remaining rogues of Sicarius had bonded with them, along with other groups I've noticed."

"What groups?" Princess Celestia asked, her voice sounding more harsh.

"Name what you can."

"There were the Riders of Tollenaar: zebra bandits of the southern deserts, and the minotaurs of Windrelhyme and Southmarch Plateau. There were the magi of Hollowforth Keep and the griffins of the Swynthern Wraiths, the Jundern Trysts and the Black Dryads. I apologize, for there is more in their ranks which I do not recognize."

"No need for an apology, Lionheart," the white alicorn replied. "You did what you can."

She soon settled in deep thought, trying to run through Stellar's words. If these... Salii priests, can gather their mortal enemies from around the world, then their leader must be powerful, and by that, extremely dangerous.

"I have one question however," she spoke suddenly.

"How were they related to the recent explosion of the Rembury?"

"I've read some of their plans, Your Majesty," Stellar answered.

"They have infiltrated the major towns around Equestria, with Manehatten, Cloudsdale, Las Pegasus, Fillydelphia and Canterlot itself listed. They sent vandals. Saboteurs instead of fully-trained assassins. In other words..."

"Bombers," Princess Luna concluded, the two alicorns exchanging darkening expressions.

"What could this mean, sister?"

"I don't know..." the other alicorn muttered.

"But something very dark and powerful is at work here, and will advance upon Equestria when the time is right. We will have to gather our own forces, and find these saboteurs before anymore harm can be done."

"And... of the Elements of Harmony?"

Caduceus's question could only halt Princess Celestia in her orders, forcing her to stop and ponder. Twilight and her friends would not know of what seemed to be a growing threat arriving at any moment, and even if they did, it would be nearly impossible to stop such a powerful force, added to the fact that they lost the one of laughter in the chaos.

"We'll have to leave them out of this," she began her conclusion.

"For now."

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"...and we'll head northwest to Three Hoof Mountain, where we will camp for the night, then the next day we'll travel down the mountain pass to the Vaarksteed Ruins to stop for a break, then take the road across the Fuchsia Valley and reach the Shetland Isles."

"That will be enough time," Phoenix said, patting Velvet on his back. The two of them were in the archives room of the caravan, which was the messiest room of all, with tattered books and frayed papers jutting out from every crack of the shelves on the walls, making the already suffocating space even tighter. At the end of the narrow corridor was a small table, holding up stacks of books with a stunted candle the only source of light in the room.

It was at the table where the two friends were discussing of their visit to the Shetland Isles, a small archipelago situated in the middle of a small lake. There were rumors of a grand kingdom there, which perked Phoenix's interest immediately once he heard them on the way here.

"If we can make it, that is. Vaarksteed is a notorious nest for bandits. A kingdom, even. We'll have to put up one heck of a fight if we're unlucky enough to meet them there."

"It's just mere bandits, Finn," his friend replied, using his childhood nickname.

"We've fought bandits before. You yourself could tango with five of them using your blasted tail!"

"It's not me I'm concerned of."

Phoenix let out a sigh, hearing the rapidly advancing sounds of hoofsteps, before the door creaked open, the two colts turning and giving their best smile once a certain mare popped her head in.

"Hey, Pinkie," he called, giving a small wave.

"Whatcha guys doing?" she asked, squeezing herself through the corridor. Her eyes sparkle jubilantly once she saw the markings of the map that they were discussing over, and she would've bounced gleefully on the spot if not for the low ceiling of the caravan.

"We're going somewhere new!" Pinkie cheered at her conclusion, trotting her hooves excitedly.

"Is it going to be fun over there?"

"Well, I'm not really sure..."

Phoenix chuckled once the pink mare squealed with glee, giggling like a schoolmare at the prospect of a new adventure ahead of them. He could feel her happy vibes wriggling around the air, the feeling of joy already curling his lips.

"Why don't you go and find the others?" he suggested.

"I'm sure Ollivander and Selena need some help with the thistle branches again."

Pinkie immediately raced off once he said so, leaving him and Velvet to laugh softly at her quirky personality. It wasn't long until the latter's smile faded, eventually turning back to the business at hoof.

"We have no choice," the grayish colt clarified.

"It's either we make the crossing of Vaarksteed, or we don't reach the isles in the planned month at all. Any alternative road would take at least three months, Phoenix."

"We have to teach her about combat if we were to cross the ruins, Velvet," Phoenix responded.

"It's a miracle she hasn't been into any endangering encounters in the past year. Still, teaching her to wield a weapon isn't going to be easy unless she's some damned natural."

With a small sigh, he added another question; one that would mean the world to the pink mare if they had discovered their answer:

"Have you found anything about her yet?"

"Nothing so far," Velvet answered, his friend's shoulders slumping immediately.

"There were no records of any families with her surname. Nothing of her middle name 'Diane' either. And certainly nothing of the hoop you found her wearing. It's like she was created out of nothing, Phoenix. She doesn't exist in the books, she doesn't exist in the world."

Phoenix could only place his head into his hooves, unsure of what to do with the mare in question. There must be some way to know where she came from; she couldn't just emerge from out of nowhere right in front of him, bruised and battered with a bleeding head and a golden hoop. It doesn't seem right.

He could remember the days when she was still getting used to the group. When, strangely, her mane and tail was flatter and less frizzier than now. At that time, Pinkie only wanted to be with Phoenix, trusting only him in the start, but as time grew, so did her sociability. It was just only last week when she suddenly burst out from her quiet shell, making friends with the whole group almost instantly, even with the usually silent Brutus.

"Remember why we made this group for, Velvet," he reminded his friend sternly.

"We're here to give everyone a direction in life. To find their true purpose in this world and help those who needed it. The reason I wanted to go to the Shetland Isles was that we need to know of things, and there are ponies there can help us with them and, probably, with Pinkie as well."

"So what do you suggest?" Velvet asked hesitantly, to which both knew there was only one answer; one which Phoenix said it aloud:

"We'll just have to take the long way."

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"You sure she wouldn't mind?"

"I'm sure Rainbow Dash would be delighted to see you again, Twilight dear," Rarity assured, riding the lavender mare's balloon towards their friend's hovering house. The two unicorns decided to visit Rainbow Dash after breakfast while Spike, Applejack and Big Macintosh helped move Twilight's belongings back into the library and, along with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo after school, renovate it.

The cyan pegasus hadn't been seen around town for a week, though her husband was always around town for a brief moment of time: Soarin' was spotted in the marketplace buying food and such, but that's about it. Rarity could only imagine what the Wonderbolt was going through, seeing him deprived of any sleep or energy from the sluggish walk he was exhibiting.

Twilight's horn lit up as they neared the porch, capsuling both her and Rarity's hooves in a cloud of magic, hovering about like a temporary shoe. She stepped forward first, slowly placing her first hoof onto the cloud porch, sighing with relief once she didn't sink in.

"It's safe now," she said, beckoning the other unicorn to step onto the cloud as well. Their gaze turned to the double doors looming over them, with a doorbell at the side in the form of wind chimes.

"Well..." the bookish mare muttered, reaching her hoof out.

"Here goes nothing..."

Holding their breaths, the two mares gazed at the door, bracing themselves once Twilight flicked some of the chimes, the metallic instruments clinking against each other. The lack of response that followed soon after prompted her to try again, with the same, disappointing silence met at her second try and her third.

Her fourth try was more desperate, the mare deliberately ringing it endlessly to attain her friend's attention and, unintentionally bring her an experience that she will ruefully never forget.

"HAVEN'T I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR ALREADY? FOR THE FIFTH HUNDREDTH TIME, I DON'T WANT ANY GUESTS IN MY HOUSE!! DON'T YOU HEAR ME? NO! MORE! GUESTS!!! YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE SOMEPONY'S HAVING A BABY MEANS THEY CAN'T KICK YOU IN YOUR FLANK? YOU LIKE MY COMPANY SO MUCH, HUH? THEN STAY!! STAY BECAUSE I'M GONNA GIVE YOU IDIOTS A KICK YOU WILL NEVER FORGET!!"

Rarity and Twilight just turned to each other, both a little stunned at what seemed to be Rainbow screaming through the door. Soarin's muffled voice soon cut into the biased conversation, the two unicorns able to hear him groveling almost in a pleading tone at the other side of the door:

"Please, Rainbow! You're going to be a mother, for Celestia's sake-"

"AND WHAT? SO THAT ALL THESE BRATS CAN COME AND JUST TICK ME OFF?! IT WAS YOUR BUCKING FAULT, SOARIN' GLORYTAIL, THAT THIS HAPPENED! YOU'RE CELESTIA-DAMNED RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING, AND YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST, WHAT, PLAY THE GOOD GUY FOR THEM NOW AND TRY TO BE NICE TO ME? GET OUT OF MY WAY, OR I'LL SEND YOU TO TARTARUS MYSELF!!"

The door swung open suddenly, revealing Rainbow's enraged expression that nearly surprised both Twilight and Rarity. Her mane was rustled into the worst case of bedhead, her face steaming a beet red and her wings frayed with a few feathers beginning to fall off. Her baby bump was large; having already been in the third trimester that wouldn't be much of a shock for them.

"NOW WHICH ONE OF YOU WOULD... would want... Twilight?"

"Uh..." the violet mare began, stuttering sheepishly while blinking her eyes

"Hey, Rainbow Dash?"

"I-I... I can't believe it!"

Rainbow clumsily trotted forward, giving her friend a tight hug. Rarity smiled warmly at the sight at the reunion of her two friends, before the cyan pegasus wiped her leaking tears away, guiding them towards the door.

"C-Come on in!"

Despite her friend's uproar, the house was surprisingly neat, without anything tumbled or toppled over as Rarity and Twilight had expected it to be. Soarin' gave them a small, gesturing wave, before disappearing into the kitchen and away from her wife's calming wrath.

"Sorry 'bout earlier," Rainbow began, carefully settling herself onto the couch with a small laugh.

"You know how it is... hormones and all..."

"Yeah...!" Twilight chuckled nervously, with Rarity following along. "Hormones!"

"So when did you get here, Twi?" the pegasus asked.

"I didn't know you were coming back already."

"Just yesterday afternoon," she answered.

"The rest of them were waiting for me at the train station. I figured you will be there too, Rainbow, but when Rarity told me you and Soarin' were having a foal... I just had to see if you were handling things alright."

Rainbow just grumbled at the mention of her husband, prompting a small, dismissive cough from Rarity as the fashion designer herself began to ask:

"So is it a colt or a filly?"

"Doctor said it was a filly."

The cyan pegasus gazed down at her own belly, nuzzling it with a warm smile on her face.

"She's going to be a pegasus, just like her parents," she said with a chuckle.

"Well... what about its name?"

"Firefly," was Rainbow's simple and straightforward, albeit deadpanned answer. Her brows furrowed as her face startedmustering into the most determined frown the two unicorns had seen.

"Firefly Spectra Glorytail." she clarified. "Nothing more, nothing less. It sounds perfect that way."

Twilight let out a faltering laugh, her thoughts remembering on how they got the name from Pinkie Pie when they were on the train to Palgiot Palace. She sighed with a hint of grief, gazing down at the floor in a mourning moment of silence with the rest of her friends when she remembered the mare's ill fate that night.

"A-Anyways," Rarity broke in, trying to venture into more happier things.

"Tell her of what you've done in Canterlot, Twilight."

With a faltering smile, Twilight did so, telling the mare of the boring and the not-so-boring accounts of her stay in Canterlot, leaving Rarity to focus on her thoughts once again.

She would never forget the events of Pendant Lakes, which only mystified her more than assured her once the town became nothing but a crumbling wasteland. There were so many questions left unanswered, and so many problems left hanging, she wasn't sure if it was over. One such example was the glass pendant that she and Spike found in Spring's bedroom, barely escaping a falling wall of glass for it.

What was it trying to tell; by it, she meant the obscure situation they were in. Why would somepony need the main crystal of the Dreamscape Machine for his own needs other than the ability to see the fabrics of time? Why would ponies blow up the Rembury Hotel to show their power?

Something bigger was suppose to happen when he was alive, she thought to herself. Or is it still happening now?

A pony like Janus wouldn't fall that easily, Rarity concluded. She could see ambition in his eyes, his lust for power. His salvation for the downfall of the Princesses. But is that all? She gazed down at the glass pendant around her neck, which she had worn it for safekeeping, knowing of all these bombings recently.

With a sigh, she turned back to her chatting friends, knowing that, in the end, she could only rely on one thing.

Faith.

Tenebrosi Temporis

"Bring the prisoner forward."

The wrapping around his eyes flared with white once it was ripped off from his face, the rapid pumping of his heart forcing him to gaze up at the silhouette of a pony shrouded in the hellish glare, though his eyes darted away immediately. He wriggled about fruitlessly, feeling something painfully tight, thin and metallic around each pair of hooves. The gag around his mouth was choking him, though somehow he knew it wouldn't do so much longer.

The figure before him raised a curved blade; any curvier it would become a sickle, with the tip pricking the bottom of his chin. He let out a small gasp once the blade suddenly swerved upwards, slicing the gag around his mouth and leaving a faint scar across his lips, the blood from within seeping onto his taste buds and making him grimace.

"Is he the one?" a deep, gruff voice asked from whoever, or whatever, was behind him, though the strong hands firmly gripping his sand-colored shoulders was already giving away his minotaur origin.

There was a feminine chuckle from the pony in front of him, forcibly craning his head up into the glaring light with the tip of her curved blade. He could only growl once he saw her glinting smile, her serpentine voice hissing out:

"Welcome... Professor."

The rest of his captors laughed maniacally at his predicament, sounding like some sort of madpony's bestiary: there were the shrills of griffins and the chortling of minotaurs, the cackles of harpies and the exhilarated barking of Diamond Dogs. He knew which laugh belongs to what; he is a professor for a reason, after all.

"So tell me," the foxy voice purred at him again, leaning down towards his snout, the tip of her hooves twirling about his gray mane teasingly.

"How does one such as you end up here, hmm? You're a long way from home, my pet."

"H-How would I know?" he stammered out a reply.

"Y-You... you were the ones that br-brought me here...!"

That only heightened the laughter of the various abductors surrounding him, mocking him in his bound state. He could feel his sweat creeping down the hairs on his skin, and he knew it wasn't from the stuffiness of the room. The mare, who seemed to be the leader of whatever establishment, just fondled his cheek tenderly, though he knew very well of her intentions.

"So, Professor..." she purred, bending down towards him. He could see her emerald eyes glittering with intent once his vision got used to the blinding glare, piercing into his joints and leaving him too stunned to move.

"You and I know the reason why we've come down to this. All alone, helpless with the enemy with not a single pony to save you. No one knows you've disappeared, no one knows where you are, and the only ticket to your freedom is when you tell me what you have discovered."

"I have no idea what you're talking about!"

The restrained stallion's cheeks burned once the mare slapped him with the side of her hoof, earning cries of ridicule and mockery from their audience. He coughed and wheezed from the pain, though not before he was hauled up yet again by the throat, staring right into the green pupils of the mare.

"Sp-spare me..." he managed to choke out.

"I need answers, Professor Page," she said his name aloud, pushing him back down onto the sandstone floor.

"Your discovery has caught my interest, and with that of my master. He's expecting results, which means he's expecting you to talk, yet you lie in your miserable silence when we already know what you're hiding. What wouldn't be a more fitting reward than freedom of your solitary captivity from just a small... discussion, of your discoveries, hmm?"

"H-how would I know you would spare me as you promised?" the professor shot back.

"I've seen many that had been through this before, and most had not survived."

"Oh, but we're talking about our master here."

The mare settled him back down onto the gritty floor, settling her blade onto his cheek. He winced once the tip swiped across his skin, leaving a small trail of blood leaking out onto the blade.

"Our master respects. Our master acknowledges," she cooed, licking and savoring the stallion's blood; one that was met with disgust from the undesired donor.

"If he were here, he will help you in your quest, Professor. To achieve what you can't in the past... six? Seven months? And you will keep your end of your research, your increment and your freedom, for he would only need knowledge."

"And if I disagree?"

"That's the best part," the mare replied cheerfully.

"You just...... can't!"

Professor Page, as he was called, stopped to think. He needed help badly, though not from the enemy, which seemed to be the only remaining choice he could turn to. The deal seemed too much of a great one to him; nopony would just kidnap someone and offer their services to him, especially when he could gain more than he could possibly hope for.

"And..." he began hesitantly, "what of Canterlot?"

"Your acquaintances and clients will be dealt fiscally," was her reply.

She suddenly clapped her hooves, ordering her subordinates to leave the room, in which they did so quickly, albeit reluctantly. The professor could only watch as they shuffled outside, closing the door and leaving him alone with his leading captor, who gave him a tender smile.

"My master promised to provide you with my... services, you could call it in these parts." she hissed slyly.

"The heat here is just so... mmm... tempting...... and all this for the reward of your... research..."

He could only grit his teeth once he was forced onto his back, his cheeks furiously blushing once he saw the silhouette of the mare straddling on top of his chest. The sight of his uncertainty made her lick her lips tentatively, her hooves running up the side of his neck to his cheek, fondling and caressing it gently.

The desperate wriggling of his bound hooves stopped once her snout meet his, her tongue reaching out to lick the recent wound on his cheek, forcing out a whimper from him. Her emerald eyes burned with lust, as was her coy smile. Slowly, her lips pursed up, before she gave his pair a small kiss, letting out a whisper amid their small, near-silent pants while her hoof ran down his body:

"Just... let it happen..."

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"I'm not sure it would work, Rarity."

"You could at least try," the fashion designer spoke determinedly, crossing her hooves.

"There must be some sort of spell that could open it."

Twilight sighed, gazing at it lying innocently in between her and her friend, and by it, she meant the glass pendant that both Rarity and Spike had retrieved from the secluded rooms of the palace. It was brought to her attention after she saw it when they were finishing cleaning up the library, and her friend had suggested trying to open it.

Spike and Applejack were at the side, glancing at the two unicorns pondering over the pendant. Their heads were imbued with curiosity at the intimidating sight of the keyhole on its crystal surface, and the situation only reminded Twilight of the last time she did something like this.

"I don't think it's just another lock, Rarity," she protested.

"I mean, somepony went to great lengths to place this in a hidden room with falling glass, echoing walls and a pressure stone pedestal. Why not the lock as well?"

"Y-you might be right..."

With a sigh of defeat, Rarity picked the pendant back up, wearing it back around her neck.

"I just wished," she began, "that I would know the reason I was lead to this thing."

"Well, there must be somethin' thats mighty darn important inside," Applejack piped in.

"Y'know it just ain't right to hide it like that. Ah understand if it's for safekeepin', but really? If it ain't that important, then it ain't need all these traps for it."

"Got that right," Spike replied gruffly, crossing his arms.

Rarity could understand why, of course. It was still fresh in her memory: their narrow escape from death, where the dragon would be killed if not for his scales. The peril, like many others, both real and fictitious, manifested into one of her nightmares when she was trying to sleep, and she could not help but shudder once she recalled the said event.

"But still," he added, "it's a little disappointing that it can't be opened or anything."

"Maybe there's something in these books that could help me with it," Twilight said.

"In the meantime, why not you guys get ready for the picnic? Rainbow said she would be coming down as well. Maybe then you guys could tell me about how Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are coming along."

"Y-Yeah... about Scootaloo..." Applejack began.

"She's not really... well... good this past year."

Rarity and Spike could only nod sheepishly in agreement, to which Twilight could only blink her eyes.

"What do you mean?" she asked her friends with a breathless, faltering laugh, thinking it was some plain joke, though the way they were glancing around uneasily at the mention of the filly proved otherwise. Surely she didn't get into trouble, she asked herself. She's only fourteen, for Celestia's sake.

"What did she do?"

A loud screech snapped into their conversation, the equally blaring crash that followed raising the lavender unicorn's curiosity and, for the rest, their horror. Hurriedly, Applejack galloped out of the door first, leaving the rest to follow her only to be shocked at the scene before them.

Broken splinters of wood filled the streets, with lettuce, cabbage and cauliflowers launched into the air like stones and rolling down the dirt road, where many ponies sought to catch them for whatever unlucky farmer that had lost them in the accident. A few angry shouts and debating voices were in an uproar in the distant, prompting Spike to shake his head with a sigh at both the debris and the argument.

"Not again..." he groaned.

"Again?" Twilight emphasized on that word, blinking twice to make sure she wasn't imagining. She herself already couldn't believe the chaotic scene that was before her, and the thought it happening before in her absence was a little shocking for her.

Applejack had already stepped ahead, squeezing through the gathering crowd and to the two arguing ponies in the center of the spotlight. When the rest decided to join her, the crowd had already started to disperse, leaving the farmpony talking to an understandably angry colt, gazing indignantly at the pony behind her shoulder.

"You tell that kid to be more careful next time!" he snarled, gathering the last of his produce in a sack.

"Somepony could get real hurt!"

"A-Ah'll make sure of it!" Applejack stammered sheepishly, watching the colt leave them in a huff. She turned to the other 'victim' of the accident, who was frowning back at her whilst leaning against her small motorcycle, a helmet decorated with spray-painted flames searing from its edges lying on its rubber seat. The farmpony could only shake her head at the mare's pure ignorance, instead glancing back at her approaching friends.

Twilight stopped to let her head process at the pony standing next to Applejack, unable to believe her eyes. Despite the teenage filly's black studs on her ears, the black leather jacket she was wearing and the glare she was sporting, the short, purplish mane and gamboge color of her coat was proof enough to tell her who it was.

"Sc-Scootaloo?"

The filly merely grumbled, her wings fluttering bitterly. If anypony needs an anger management class, a makeover or even a bike license (Twilight wasn't convinced she just somehow got the motorcycle), Scootaloo would be the top contender for those spots.

"Thought I'd see you again," she scoffed, brushing her mane to the side. Twilight could only blink at the harsh, deadpanned tone of her voice: it was filled with a cocktail of arrogance and disgust, served iced from her darkest, coldest pits of her heart.

"Why are you here? To give me some counseling? 'Cause that's not gonna work anymore."

"Well...you... you've changed..." she began, feeling more insipid than ever.

"That's a pretty nice... bike you have there. Did you buy it yourself?"

"No! Not at all!" Scootaloo shot back sarcastically, earning a grim look from the rest of them.

"In fact, my mom gave it to me for my birthday! You know how mommies are with their fillies, just that my mom's different from the rest: she was never here at all in the first place!"

"Scootaloo!" Applejack snapped.

"Ah'm warnin' ya, another word like that with that attitude of yours Ah'll make sure you'll see that bike in pieces, ya hear?"

"Pfft..." she hissed, strapping her helmet back on and shuffling back onto the rubber seat.

The engine roared while its nozzle spewed and lurched a little, before Scootaloo soon sped off on her motorcycle, not bothering to give an apology or even sparing a glance at the group. Applejack let out a frustrated sigh, with all eyes watching the teenage mare zooming across the roads, leaving behind a trail of dust.

"Ah'm sorry 'bout that, Twi."

"It's okay," the lavender unicorn answered, albeit reluctantly.

"She's a teenager now, and teenagers... well... they are rebellious sometimes."

"But she's the epitome of rebellious, Twilight."

Rarity's words were a little exaggerating to her, yet they ring true all the same: she didn't see Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle being this obstinate at all, but none of them could blame Scootaloo for that.

"She doesn't have to be so inconsiderate to other pony's feelings. We're all trying to aid her, but cutting us out from her lifestyle... I myself don't see a reasonable point in that."

Spike said nothing; all he could do was wear a grave expression on his face. Twilight let out a small sigh, heading back to her library while trying to rid any incriminating thoughts about the encounter with the... new Scootaloo, repetitively reminding herself she's a teenager.

"About the pendant, Rarity," she said, dismissing the topic entirely.

"I'll try to get something about it. I'll let you know if something comes up."

"Alright," Rarity replied, clutching the glass pendant around her neck in a brief moment of hope.

If there's anything she needs now, it's answers. Why her, of all ponies, to recover such a unique trinket? Why would such a thing lure her there in the first place?

The glass surface of it shimmered in the sunlight, as if it has a life on its own. The fashion designer sighed at it, the pendant pestering her regard for it whilst trotting along with Spike back to her boutique, giving her goodbyes to both Applejack and Twilight, though her attention soon veered once she saw the dragon's solemn expression; the same one he was wearing when they were waiting for Twilight at the train station.

"Spike?" she called to him, cocking her head.

"What is it?"

He just remained silent, leaving her to shake her head.

"If you're going to keep your mouth shut like that," she began, "then I would never know what's been disturbing you lately. Is it about Scootaloo? Or just some more ponies talking about you?"

The reply was unwelcoming, if not a little shocking; one that just made Rarity push it to the back of her head entirely. She don't want to risk screaming at him for the town to hear, especially when they were still close to the abode of her recently returned friend. One rebellious filly was enough, but an infuriated dragon might be too much.

With a sigh, she let Spike's reply echo unnervingly in her head, clenching her hooves tightly once she heard it again:

"Just forget about it..."

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"And the professor instructs the class: 'Using all that you've learned throughout this course, prove to me that that this chair does not exist!"

"Well?" Ganger asked in an almost whining tone.

"Go on, Ollie! Don't keep the crowd waiting!"

"Relax, laddie!" Ollivander cheerfully replied with a chirpy laugh, tossing more sticks into the bonfire.

"So, pencils are writing and erasers are erasing, students are preparing to embark on novels proving that this chair doesn't exist, except for one student. He spends thirty seconds writing his answer, then turns his work in to the astonishment of his classmates. Who would've written something like that in such a short time? After that, time flies faster than Selena could speed off in a hurricane-"

"Ollivander~!" Selena wailed, the rest of the group giving a small laugh as she shook her mate's talons.

"Don't include me in any of your jokes! It's a little... embarrassing..."

"Aw... but I like it when you blush."

His reply made the cheeks of his yellow marefriend turn redder than the falling maple leaves overhead, the gryphon giving a smirk and huddling closer towards her.

"You look cute when you do that, Salvo Gust," he cooed, nuzzling her snout. She merely whimpered with disgust at Ollivander's usage of her 'nickname', nudging his shoulder while whining:

"Don't call me that!"

"Enough lovey-dovey already!" Ganger broke into the scene, his twin sister pulling him back down.

"Get on with it!"

"Alright, alright! As I was saying, time flies like..."

Ollivander stopped with a sheepish grin once he saw Selena's face scrunch up again, before he forced out a cough, ruffling his wings a little.

"A bird. I was gonna say bird. Time flies like a bird, and the day comes when all the students get their final grades and, to the amazement of the class, the student who wrote for thirty seconds gets the highest grade in the class! His answer... wait for it..."

"His answer was.... 'what chair?'."

All of them broke out laughing on the spot, nearly spilling their various drinks onto the forest floor. The sounds of nature filling the atmosphere was now replaced by each of their signature chortles and chuckles, echoing up into the pine trees and filling the evening sky.

Pinkie wiped a small tear off the corner of her eye, giving her mug of cherry punch a sip. If there was a master of jokes and puns in their team, it would be none other than the gryphon himself.

"Tell me more! Tell me more!" she said cheerily.

"Well, aren't you anticipating something, lass!" he squawked.

"I profess, it's enough for the time being. Wouldn't want to lose our heads in the night now, would we?"

The rest could only nod in agreement, leaving Pinkie to sigh in disappointment.

"Come on, Pinkie," Velvet said with a chuckle, cocking his head towards their mobile shelter where all of them were heading towards to for a well-earned rest.

"Don't wanna wake up late tomorrow now, huh?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"I'm just waiting for Phoenix, actually. Where did he go?"

"Beats me," was the stallion's reply, making Pinkie sigh once he stepped into the caravan, leaving her alone to stare into the darkening forests around her. Phoenix was never a fan of the campfire gatherings they had at night, always in a pursuit of silence once the gryphon started to pour out his jokes and stories, though he wasn't very good with the latter.

Phoenix is the master storyteller, both Ollivander and Velvet claimed, knowing their friend all too well. Only the two of them had heard his tales of sagas and chronicles; the rest, including her, were only subject to his ever-somber mood, and had been so ever since... well, she wasn't sure really.

She trudged around the campfire, tossing a bucket of water onto the flames and leaving it a funnel of smoke. Usually it was Phoenix's job to clean up and such, but it doesn't seem fair when he's not around to use it and he has to help them with the job.

Pinkie soon squinted the eyes into her surroundings, smiling only when she saw the unmistakable streak of the stallion's tail in the dark. Slowly, she crept deeper into the forest, ignoring the various nocturnal noises all around as she neared him.

"You're not Velvet, Pinkie Pie."

Bubblegums was the only word she could think of as a curse once Phoenix turned from the tree he was leaning against, his flaming tail extinguishing from base to tip. With a sigh, he crossed his hooves, staring at the sheepish mare and cocking his head to the side.

"What are you doing up so late?" he questioned.

"I don't want to keep waking you up all the time."

"Well..." she began. She knew Phoenix wasn't in the mood to talk; he always was. He only speaks when he deemed it necessary, Ollivander had told her once, and he spoke more often around her when she was still confused and uncertain of who she was or where she was, for that matter, which was a little surprising.

"I just thought you wandered away... and I want to see how you were doing."

His expression remained undaunted, but the small sigh that came after convinced her that she teetered him off his melancholic mood.

"Just thinking about the place we were going," he said. They had discussed it earlier: something about a location called the Shetland Isles which, despite its name, was located in the center of a grand lake known as the Mammoth's Waterhole. Velvet had stated that is geography consists of steep mountains and jagged cliffs, along with crevasses and canyons underneath them. The only flat, fertile land was that on which the Shetland kingdom was built upon, and all of them were eager to see it.

"You might need a little knowledge on the dangers we might face on the road."

"Knowledge...?" she asked.

"Of what? Pumpkin monsters?"

"Well, it's hard to put... pumpkin monsters?"

Phoenix started to smile, signaling a triumphant win for Pinkie. The two of them chuckled at the randomness of the pink mare, their laughter echoing in the night, before he continued:

"You see, the journey ahead isn't always safe. We've all been through some trouble along the way and each of us had faced at least a wolf or two, except, per say... you, of course."

"Uh-huh? And?"

"I was thinking... maybe it'll be better if you learn something to defend yourself, just in case."

His suggestion was met with a frown from Pinkie, whose gut had told her it was a bad thing. She started to trot back to the caravan, though Phoenix quickly galloped after her.

"You don't understand, Pinkie," he said breathlessly.

"I'm not saying you're weak or anything. I just thought you have to learn something just in case you get into trouble."

"You're saying it like I will get into trouble."

Pinkie's glare stung onto his own, her blue eyes shimmering with tears. There it was again, Phoenix's inner voice said: the flicker that he saw when he found her in the forest. Her mane was starting to shrivel, returning to its depressed state once the turquoise stallion got closer to her.

He could've sworn he heard a sniffle from her. There's no way she started crying already! She's fragile from what she's been through, yes, but not to this extent. Then again...

"Fine. Forget about it."

The pink mare stopped in surprise once he said that, her mouth wanting to speak, though Phoenix never gave her a chance to. He marched past her, not bothering to give her another glance, only saying impassively:

"Sleep early tonight. You don't want to be late."

With that, Phoenix shut the caravan door, leaving Pinkie to stare at his departure. A small wind picked up as if on cue, blowing her slightly flat mane to the side while she gazed at the wooden door, unsure of what to do.

Did she just made him angry, she asked herself. She could never tell, seeing how he's so serious all the time. A part of her wanted to head inside (which she has to anyway, if she wants to sleep) and apologize, but her hooves wouldn't budge, leaving her frozen on the spot.

She gazed down at the blades of grass tickling her around her hooves, scolding herself for being such an idiot. He means well to you, Pinkie, the voices in her head shouted. He's here to make sure you're safe.

With that, the pink mare reluctantly headed into caravan, shutting the door behind her. Slowly, she crept into her room, which she shared with Phoenix ever since he found her in the woods, finding him silently sleeping on his bed. Pinkie sighed, before placing herself under the sheets of her own bed, glancing across the rift of space separating her and the sleeping colt that was illuminated by the moonlight sifting from the window, before she too fell into her slumber.

Phoenix opened his eyes once he heard her snore, muttering softly before resuming his sleep:

"I'm sorry."

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"Only five?"

Caduceus nodded at his friend's question, placing his mug of coffee down once he swallowed what his mouth could accommodate from the strong brew. He gazed down at the map of Equestria in his hooves, furrowing his brows at the five red X's on each town: Manehatten, Seaddle, Fillydelphia, Stalliongrad and Canterlot itself.

Stellar scribbled the names down in a tattered piece of paper, placing his pencil down as he eyed the facts that he could muster from them. So far, each of them had received bomb threats, with one of them already set off in the capital and leaving behind only fear and desolation, and that was about it.

"Five will not do," he spoke, gazing down at the map.

"I can't work with only this few. Right now, it just seems to be a few threats senselessly scattered around some of the main cities. This would never work without a good lead."

"I have to admit, you're right."

The doctor placed his glasses down, stretching his hooves at the already lethargic work they have compiled. So far, the information they have consists of only the original roots of the Salii priests, finding out that they trace to the age when Celestia and Luna first ascended the throne and that they respected a god whose name was lost in the olden days. Caduceus was searching for more information on this 'god', while Stellar was pondering over their more recent endeavors, such as their possession of the Palgiot Blade, the bombings and the gathering of an army.

"Even a religious sect must've kept some sort of archive somewhere," he continued, leafing through the pages of approximately the fiftieth book, before tossing it aside like its predecessors.

Stellar just nodded half-heartedly, gazing down at the rapier he had recovered from the occult. Nostalgia tingled at the walls of his heart, the old colt remembering the days when he was a butler, serving the now defunct royal family. He could feel his veins constrict with hatred once he recalled the stallion's face; the mortal enemy that poisoned the minds of many and led the Palgiots to their downfall.

That pony wanted the Dreamscape technology, he remembered, which the Palgiots used for traversing and viewing, but not affecting, the events of the past, present and future. The last Patriarch had perfected it and would've proceeded to harness it for the good of Equestria if not for the events of the past year. Any other use was unthinkable, although it seems Janus had figured another use for it.

Whatever it was, the Dreamscape core was lost, broken in the fragments of time.

The colt let out a sigh: the nobility of a butler reduced to a pile of rubble. No wonder Sidus Sirenheart, a dear friend whom he had lost in last year's chaos, felt the way he did when Sicarius Nox was abolished, he thought to himself.

"Anything, Caduceus?" he asked.

"Nothing so far... hold on."

His friend squinted his eyes, scanning across the single sentence on the book, his jaw gradually falling. Stellar soon rushed up to his side, slowly muttering out the text on the page, before his eyes widened as well.

"There's no way..." Caduceus could only mumble.

"It must be a coincidence, right?"

"I don't think it's just a coincidence."

Everything seemed to fit in Stellar's head like a morbid jigsaw puzzle: the bombings, the priests, the blade. Stellar's frown darkened, glancing back at the rapier on the table, before turning to his friend.

"We have to let the Princesses know about this." he said, clutching his hooves hopefully and whispering to himself:

"He's back..."

To Journey Back North

"So he just pounced on you and you two just... well..."

Rarity's cheeks could never get any more redder once Octavia said that, the gray mare across her nearly spilling her tea with a blush of her own as well. If there was anything they could gossip about other than the recent trends in both factions of music and fashion, the rumors of anarchy stirring in the nation or the woeful events of Pendant Lakes, it was their relationship and, embarrassingly for both of them, their sex life.

"Y-Yes," she stuttered out her confession.

"I thought it will be more adequate to... er... relish the moment, at least, but Spike always give in to his primal of instincts in the end. Truly unappetizing sometimes, if you ask me."

"At least your partner is there to begin with."

Octavia sighed, placing her teacup down onto the table with no more than a gloomy frown. Rarity pursed her lips at her friend's situation, having known that her and Crimson Lux had been keeping a long-distance relationship ever since he released some new material for his new album. Of course, Crimson had wanted her to tag along, although his manager went against it, leaving her in Ponyville and the stallion someplace else.

"He rarely comes back to visit these days," she continued.

"It's been three months since I last saw him. I'm not really sure if we could keep this up."

"I do believe he will get back to you somehow," the fashion designer replied.

"You just have to trust what he's doing. Whatever he's doing."

The gray mare could only nod at that.

"At least he came by to visit. I couldn't imagine what I would do in Applejack's situation."

Now that's a long-distance relationship worth talking about, both of them could agree. Ever since Kane had departed for the Badlands after the events of Pendant Lakes, Applejack had not seen the slightest of the dragon anywhere in Ponyville, only keeping in contact in the form of crinkling letters.

The orange mare's faith was still strong though: there were too many instances that she would gaze up at the sky just to see if he would suddenly swoop down and surprise her. Their small farewell made sure of that, where both dragon and pony sat in the middle of the orchard and had a small talk with each other, ending it with a hug and a small kiss. Rarity had seen it all with Rainbow and Fluttershy from the Apple household, and she could not help but squeal with delight once Applejack came back inside, her cheeks redder than the apples she grew on the farm.

"They still love each other dearly nonetheless," the fashion designer said complacently.

"I'm sure Crimson and you would do the same."

"You'll never know, Rarity," came the solemn reply.

"You'll never know."

The two mares sat in still silence, thinking through the separate troubles each of them were going through, before simultaneously letting out a berating sigh.

"How about the both of you?" Octavia asked, standing up and heading into her kitchen.

"Have you two finally decided to announce about your relationship yet?"

Rarity felt fortunate that the gray mare could not see her scowl, forcing out a smile quicker than the humming of a bee's wings when she returned with a basket of garlic bread, settling it down on the table.

"I'm afraid not," she gave her reply, albeit hesitantly.

"There were still many ponies I know that would discriminate us for such. I don't really understand why they were nice to Spike when he was younger but fearful of him now."

"Maybe it's expected," Octavia answered.

"I know I would be afraid if there was a grown dragon in town, but as for Spike, I don't mind one bit. The town will have to get accustomed by the fact that he's perfectly harmless, I guess."

At least one pony instead of her friends agreed with her, she thought to herself. To fear Spike is something she had seen as absurd and nonsensical. Spike wouldn't hurt anypony: them being together was proof enough, and would've been a solid proof if not for the bigotry that they might face once she announced that she was his marefriend.

Applejack and Kane's relationship will be frowned upon as well, seeing how the dragon was about ten times larger than Spike, not to mention the assault on Canterlot that he led a year ago that nearly placed him on top of the Equestria's Most Wanted list. Queer really: both mares are direct opposites to each other, and they both share one similar complication of dragons being their mates.

"The patience I require for that is intimidating," she admitted.

"I just want to confess my love for a dragon, and for ponies to detest such love is purely incredulous."

The door creaked suddenly, allowing the other occupant of the house, Vinyl herself, to stumble in, carrying a multitude of grocery bags in her mouth and a stack of boxes on her back that made her hooves wiggle from its weight. Both Rarity and Octavia just stared at her while she stood at the door, before the disc jockey managed to yell from behind the various things she was gripping within her jaws:

"A little help here?!"

Octavia moved first, aiding her best friend in her involuntary predicament, Rarity joining along only when the gray mare passed her a few bags. Both of them just blinked at the various contents that she had hauled from whatever shopping joint she was in, and their curiosity at that point was anything but sullen.

"What did you buy?" the gray mare asked, gazing at her friend's new haul.

"Just some groceries and a little bit of recording equipment," Vinyl answered, puffing her chest proudly at the last collage of items; a result from saving the countless tips and salaries gained from gigs across Equestria, they figured.

"I'm going to set it up in the basement, if you don't mind. Thought we could make use of it instead of leaving it to the boilers, electricity and plumbing."

With a whistle of delight (and, considering her style of music, a slightly energetic whistle it was) the disc jockey soon lifted some of the bags and headed into the darkness below, beginning the construction of her coven for music whilst the other mares just blinked, unsure of such a decision.

"Vinyl did say she wanted to start recording some tracks..." Octavia mused delightfully, more to herself than to her friend. Rarity would understand from the jubilant spark of the other unicorn's red eyes: if there was one thing she could think of that a fashion designer like herself, a cello player and a disc jockey have in common, it was the desirable scour of ambition.

"Oh yeah!" Vinyl's tomboyish voice piped in, poking her head from the descending stairway and looking at Rarity.

"Spike told me that something came up!" she said.

"He said to go to the library once you're done with... whatever you and Tavi are doing."

"We were conversing, Vinyl."

Octavia's answer was met with a shrug from her musician friend, and Rarity could swear she saw them sticking their tongues out cheekily at each other. The gray mare would be an ace at hiding it, however: she brushed her mane to the side, revealing her sternly straight lips and the polished facade of her expression.

"Well, you don't want to keep Spike waiting," she said, grinning when the fashion designer let out a sheepish laugh.

"Maybe we'll talk again some other time."

"Thank you for your time," Rarity replied with a grin, giving a wave and stepping out the door and leaving the two musicians to move the bulky system of speakers and the tangled bundles of cables into the basement.

What does Spike want now, she wondered, not that she mind. It was always intriguing for both of them when they help each other out. The fact that he was in the library made her wonder if Twilight was involved in his. He had a one-year break from assisting the violet mare in her work after all, and it wouldn't be surprising if he made a small blunder somewhere along the road.

She headed not towards the library, but to the schoolhouse. Sweetie Belle was expected to finish school at around this hour, and it wouldn't be the best thing to do to make her teenage sister wait while she helped the dragon with whatever errands that might need her. Plus, it would be better if there was an extra pair of hooves to help them.

Which reminds her: Sweetie Belle mentioned about her arriving concert in Canterlot in the coming month, and had begged her to bring Twilight along for the occasion. Rarity sighed, tossing her mane to the side before heading onward, letting her thoughts wander on the many things happening around.

So much to do... so little time...

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"Mmmng...... stop it, Fleetywit."

The dragon let out an exuberant shrill once his owner opened his eyes, with Phoenix giving him a slight smile despite his early awakening. He breathed in deeply, letting the morning air rush through his nostrils and cool his lungs while stretching his tired hooves with a satisfied purr. He glanced outside the window only to see the thick fog spiraling around the caravan, the heavy moisture forming a few beads of vapor on the glass pane.

His tail flicked and swished around suddenly, flickering a small ember on its very tip like a candle sticking out from a pile of hay. The turquoise stallion could only wonder at the abruptly fervent behavior of his appendage, before his breath stopped once he gaze at the other bed across him.

Instead of the usual pink mare cuddling up within its sheets, there was nopony there, leaving him baffled once he saw the tidied bed. Fleetywit kept on chirping dolefully, the dragon itself unable to understand where the mare could've went while they were all asleep.

His tail just kept on swishing, displaying his frantic desperation and anxiety with his glance darting almost everywhere, wanting to understand where Pinkie would be in such an early time. He would've rushed out into every other room and woke every single one of them up if he hadn't heard a loud grunt from the outside, followed by the snapping and splintering of wood.

Phoenix held his breath, stepping out of his room and out of the caravan with Fleetywit curling up on his mane to take another nap, the cooling air of dawn rushing between his hooves and brushing his coat. The strong, overwhelming smell of pine and mint made him crinkle his snout, only erupting a nauseating sensation from beneath this throat. For Celestia's sake, he wanted to blurt out. If only Ollivander could've found a better spot to settle in for the night.

The loud cries from earlier echoed in the mist, and the stallion could only squint his eyes through the obscurity whilst his tail burst into flames, wandering like a lost firefly in search of the mare. His ears guided him in his blind trail, leading him around twisting trees and through the dense undergrowth as he followed the sounds of combat, blinking in surprise once he saw the silhouette of the mare he had been searching for, wielding what seems to be a blade in the distance. With every powerful swing, the sound of fracturing wood shattered through the air, filling the forest with a shudder at the mare's impeccable knack at using a weapon and striking the very reticent beings that make up the landscape. He started to smile once he neared the mare, recognizing it to be Pinkie after he saw the unmistakable fluff of her mane and the high-pitched squeal of her battle cries; one which he found to be amusingly cute. At least that's one question answered, he thought to himself.

Pinkie didn't seem to notice him stepping out from the undergrowth, the mist parting away enough for Phoenix to view the determined frown on her face as she swung the blade around. Despite every swing being that powerful, he found it to be a little flimsy: she nearly stumbled once she retracted her blade, and he wouldn't be surprised if she ended up tripping over and falling backwards onto the floor.

"Pinkie?"

She suddenly swung her blade down to him with a furious roar, panting deliriously with the tip of the weapon touching his snout and, for once, making him pale on the spot with a small skip in his breath, leaving him stunned on the spot. Had it been an inch closer, it would've sliced him in half!

Her dementia-filled eyes soon widened, gasping before stumbling backwards and dropping the sword which clattered on the rocks beneath her hooves once she saw the pony in front of her. Pinkie and Phoenix just stared at each other in full silence, before the pink mare began to whimper: "I'm... um... well..."

"No need for an apology," he muttered, picking up the blade from the floor.

"Though you could've at least told me where you were going. Don't want to make the rest of the gang worry now, don't you, even if it means taking my advice?"

Pinkie just nodded sheepishly, glancing down at the floor. The stallion could see pained regret in her nervous twiddling of her hooves and her forceful bite on her lips, before he gave her a smirk, handing the blade back to her.

"Try a couple more swings," he said suddenly, prodding at her surprise.

"You have to have a firmer grip if you don't want to lose your head."

"Well, I..."

Her voice faltered, but soon enough she mustered up the remainder of her confidence, letting out a hesitant sigh as she continued her swings again, albeit less powerful from before. Phoenix sat down and watched from afar, not wanting to risk getting chopped again while she continued her training.

Pinkie could feel his stare pierce through her: it was unnerving and disturbing, and only served to lessen the power of her swings. He really needs to work out on how to be a better audience, she thought to himself. Any performer would be scared senseless if they had ever saw the expression he was wearing.

"You're an early bird today, Pinkie," Phoenix remarked suddenly, to which she returned his smile with her own.

"What woke you up?"

She stopped swinging suddenly, leaving the stallion waiting for an answer while Pinkie just stared down at the grass beneath her hooves. A small breeze blew through her mane, eerily tussling it about while tingling the hairs on her skin, crawling like ants up the anthill of her neck.

"Pinkie?" Phoenix called her name again, the pink mare snapping out of his reverie to see his worried frown. Her lips strained into a smile, though that only made him raise his eyebrow.

"Just... j-just a little excited for a new day, that's all!" she stuttered.

With that settled (at least, in her opinion) Pinkie returned to her training, though Phoenix just crossed his hooves. He cleared his throat suddenly, his frown darkening dangerously as he stood up, steadily advancing towards her, his tail lighting up suddenly as if to symbolize a threat. With a sigh, he asked again:

"What woke you up?"

"I told you, I'm a little excited-"

"I'm not here to play the fool, Pinkie," he growled. The pink mare echoed a whimper once he saw his ruby eyes flare up in a glare. No one in the team dared to make him angry, and when he is... well, Pinkie had never seen him being angry before in her entire lifetime.

"I know something's disturbing you, and the last thing I want is for you to hide it from me. This is the creed that we all took as a team, and I'm sure you understand that whatever burden you're carrying, we will carry it for you."

"But, Phoenix-"

"I'm here to help you, Pinkie."

His harsh tone never went softer nor grimmer, though Pinkie could hear a sense of... regret? An apology? Beneath it all, something stirred with sadness and grief. Something was forcing her heart to wretch up ruefully and to spit out the answer she was suppressing beneath her throat.

"You know that," he continued. That was it. That was the last straw.

With a dejected sigh, she placed the blade onto the floor, before she herself sat down beside it.

"It was another Shard, Phoenix," she muttered softly, to which Phoenix's frown softened; assigning himself to her problems was one of the things he had sworn to do as his duty. He settled right next to her, listening with rapt attention as she continued:

"There was more fire... more flames... a... a... pickaxe? A rope... and he was hanging on the ceiling. I helped him down and... and he pounced onto me but... something shot him. Something shot him in the chest."

A small tear dripped onto the grass, only revealing the many turbulent emotions that Pinkie was trying to hide since she woke up. Her grip on Phoenix's hoof tightened while her mane started to droop, transferring to him the pain she was holding back and telling him the worst was yet to come.

"I don't know what came over me!" she wailed suddenly, forcing out a pool of tears from her eyes.

"The pickaxe. I used the pickaxe... I just... just held it up....and just... swung it into his face! There was... it was everywhere. It was... black..."

"Shhh...." Phoenix hushed, letting her cry into his shoulder. He bit his lip, feeling the forest groan and shudder from the wind that picked up once her sobs filled the air. Even Fleetywit woke up from his slumber, wanting to comfort the pink mare from whatever nightmare that she had went through.

The turquoise stallion just closed his eyes, not out of fatigue, but out of regret. There was nothing more painful than to see one of them cry, and when it was the fragile mare that he had sworn to himself to take care of, it only stung him deeply in the core of his gut.

"Just let it all out," he whispered aloud the only option he deemed viable in his head.

"Let it all out..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"What?!"

Of all the most absurd, most ridiculous, most insane choices that Twilight Sparkle could manage, Rarity wanted to howl, she had found this to be the most profound decision in her entire lifetime. Sure, she placed a Want It, Need It spell onto her own doll and drove almost the entire town of Ponyville obsessed with obtaining it. Sure, she broke into the Canterlot archives just so she could find a spell to prevent a disaster that never happened. But this?

"She wouldn't dare!" the white unicorn yelled, clenching her hooves. Sweetie Belle and Spike could only exchange perplexed looks at each other while Rarity scrunched and contorted her face up, wanting to pull back the anger that aligned her face once Spike broke the news to her.

"Twilight said it was urgent," the dragon continued.

"The Princess had called for her personally."

"After only two days?"

Ridiculous, her head screamed inside. Just plain ridiculous! She understands any matters that require Twilight to look into it would decide the fate of Equestria, but did the Princess regarded about her, Spike and the rest of her friends having to see her leave again? Did she even bother?

"What was the Princess thinking?" she snarled.

"We never even had a trip to the spa yet! Why can't we just spend some time together?"

The door opened suddenly, making all of them turn as a familiar voice rang in:

"Spike, can you help me get my quills and parchments? I'll have to get these things in before the rest of them find out that I'll be-"

Twilight stopped in her tracks, nearly dropping the few books in her hoof once she saw Rarity pouting at the other side of the room. She let out a sheepish laugh when the white unicorn caught her last sentence, her face flushing into a deep, dark crimson immediately.

"You plan to leave WITHOUT TELLING US?!!"

"Spike!" Twilight shouted instinctively, glaring at the dragon.

"You just had to tell somepony about it!"

"Well, I don't think it's fair if no one knows you're leaving."

Spike just crossed his arms to prove his point, which managed to tick her off even more. The lavender mare would've pounced onto him and strangle him on the spot if not for Rarity being present and about to do the same to her. If only the dragon wouldn't yap about it so much...

"So I told everyone about it, just in case."

"Wait a minute... what?"

Twilight's face turned pale once he caught the last part of his sentence, gulping nervously. Everyone: the word that she had emphasized on repeated itself in her head. He told everyone, which means not only Rarity knew about it. He wouldn't have dared to tell the rest of her friends as well...?

The rumbling sounds of galloping proved her theory true, the door suddenly bursting open with Rainbow Dash being the first to pin her onto the ground, her wings flapping anxiously with a raging frown on her face despite her condition. The lavender mare could only pray that the Princess would come down to save her from the wrath of her friend any minute, though she knew that it would ultimately never be the case. She just had to brace herse-

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!" the pegasus's voice screeched into her head, throwing her off before she could begin any sort of explanation. There were several other ponies behind her as well, namely Fluttershy and Applejack, both wearing equally horrified expressions at the knowledge of her not-so-secret departure, thanks to a certain dragon here.

"YOU ANSWER ME RIGHT NOW!! YOU THINK IT'S COOL TO JUST LEAVE US HERE WITHOUT TELLING US, HUH?!" she screamed, fighting back Soarin's attempts to pull her back. Twilight would've been bruised and battered if Applejack hadn't stepped in to help, finally freeing her from her expectant friend's choking grip.

"LET ME GO!! LET ME GO SO I CAN BUCK HER EGGHEAD BRAINS OUT!!"

"Oh, for Celestia's sake, can't ya just snap it?"

Applejack's harsh tone was enough to stop Rainbow from her shouting, instead gruffly crossing her hooves up and settling herself down on the floor with Soarin' helping her. The orange mare then directed her frown towards Twilight, briefly shaking her head.

"Listen, Twi, Ah understand ya tryin' to leave us out from whatever problems that Equestria might be facin', but even Fluttershy's upset when we find out that ya leavin' without tellin' us. Somethin's the matter, you can tell us."

"Um...... if you don't mind..." Fluttershy piped in while cradling her newborn daughter in her hooves, with Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom at the side giving her each of their nods.

She turned to the remaining pony that hadn't spoken yet; the one that knew of her departure in the first place. Rarity soon gave out a sigh, saying:

"Whatever the urgency of the matter is, we must at least know of it. It is rather uncouth if you left us without at least a valid reason as to why you did so."

Twilight just hung her head low, deep in thought. Should she tell them? Should she just spill out whatever the Princess had written in the letters about their new discovery? Should she disclose to them information that would carry the price of her head? They were her friends... the revelation might be too much for them to handle; she herself nearly lost her head when she read the words of her teacher.

Well, her inner voice muttered. Here goes nothing...

"The Princess wanted me back in Canterlot because apparently somepony found a connection that might lead to the identity of the bomber of the Rembury Hotel."

That was a good start, a part of her assured. Now for the rest...

"They found out it was a plot hatched by an occult worshiping a god. A god that was lost in the past and has returned to restore his title, and the Princesses believe he's back. He's somepony that all of us know very well."

"Janus."

All of them gasped together at the mention of the pony's name, unable to contain their shock. The stallion that took their friend away... the stallion that stole one of them into oblivion... Twilight could feel the tense aura emanating from every frown.

"Janus..." Rarity muttered his name, clenching her hooves with her teeth grinding forcefully against each other. The one pony that she loathed. He? A god? She wanted to spit in his face again if she ever had a chance to. What god would tear them apart by killing their friend? What god would slay thousands of innocent ponies while poison the minds of others? What god deserves another chance to live?

But wait - she stopped in realization - if he's alive, would that mean that...?

"If Janus is still alive... then Pinkie..."

She couldn't finish her sentence, letting out a gasp in place of what would've been her conclusion. Despite that, it was enough to tell the rest of them what it was; Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash frowns became expressions of disbelief, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked like they were about to explode from joy, and Spike, Big Macintosh and Soarin' blinked, trying to let the news sink into their heads.

Twilight seemed to have already reached the conclusion, as she gave a hefty nod.

"That's what I believed to have happened," she replied.

"If Janus is alive, Pinkie would be as well, no doubt about it."

"P-Pinkie..." Rainbow stuttered, almost on the verge of breaking down in her husband's hooves.

"I-I... she's alive..."

"After all this time..." Applejack continued her sentence, clenching her hooves with hope.

"Ah can't believe it. Ah thought she didn't make it..."

Rarity would've agreed with the farmpony's words. She was the one that saw Pinkie falling into the spiraling chasm. She was the one that last saw the pink mare's face before being swallowed into the dark. When she could've been stronger and pulled her from Janus's grasp...

"Pinkie Pie..." she muttered. Her heart felt lighter suddenly, the weight of guilt pulling her down ever since the incident suddenly leaving her.

"Is she in Canterlot now?" she asked, overexcited.

"I'm afraid not."

Twilight let out a sigh at her own answer; one that was met with the exact same reaction from each of them. She could only hope that their friend was safe and sound, not in any danger of some sort. Who would know, seeing that it was one year that she was lost from them.

"The Princesses said they will do anything they can to find her. They can't guarantee that she would still be in Equestria however, and that's where I come in."

"I have to work out where Janus might be striking next," she continued.

"That's why I have to go to Canterlot. To know the next spot he would be targeting and, along with that, to find Pinkie and come up with a way to get her back safely to us."

"Then why leave us out of it?

Rarity's questions was met with agreeing nods from each of her friends, the white unicorn frowning once she recalled Twilight's attempt to abandon them. The violet mare wouldn't call it 'abandoning', she knew that, and the fact that she brought Spike into this was a little too much for her.

"We all want her back, Twilight. We all want to see her back in Ponyville. We're her friends as well, Twilight. Is it too much to ask?"

Twilight just furrowed her brows at her friend's question. She herself yearned for her friends following her to Canterlot, but she wasn't sure of what the Princesses would say. Plus, some of them were having their setbacks: Fluttershy had to take care of Amber Rose, and Rainbow was expecting her own foal any moment now. Bringing them along might only risk their lives, and might do more harm than good with all these bombings happening lately.

"Come on, Twilight," Spike muttered. Even his ever-loyal assistant agreed with Rarity's suggestion. Then again, he might've gave in to his infatuation with her...

She let out a small sigh, making her decision in her head.

The Princesses are going to have her head for this...

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"Are you certain about this, Stellar Lionheart?"

The stallion nodded at Princess Celestia's question, his grip on the handle of the golden rapier tightening. He had never been so sure of his decision in his entire life, and the blade in his hooves; the one weapon that carried the power and patrimony of the Palgiot family, down to the insignia and the family crest at the bottom of the hilt, only reinforced his choice.

"Once a Palgiot, always a Palgiot," he replied. Even if he was a mere butler, he was a part of the family. He was taken into the family when he had none, and as the times grew, so did his loyalty to serve under them.

Stellar had disclosed his plans to the two alicorns: that he was to return to Pendant Lakes, now a buried ruin, to figure out what their enemy wanted with the Dreamscape Machine. That he wanted to know why the chaos brought the town into destruction. Why Janus would do what he had done.

Princess Celestia and Princess Luna just smiled, admiring his loyalty to the family, even after their downfall. What the Palgiots had done in their short legacy was abundant, from their technology to their architecture. They wouldn't stop anypony who would step forward and volunteer to recover anything that was lost in the family, and what better was it than the pony who had served under the very same family himself?

"I presume everything can be handled in Canterlot?" he asked with utmost concern.

"My protege would be heading here tomorrow," the alabaster alicorn assured.

"Everything you had figured out would be passed to her, and she will handle it in her own accord."

"So when did you plan your departure?" the younger alicorn asked.

"Tomorrow," Stellar affirmed. Crack of dawn before the sun rises, to be exact. He wanted to reach his destination as soon as his hooves can take him, and it wouldn't hurt to start at the earliest possible time he could manage. After all, he had woke up earlier in the past few years, usually for a morning walk with his friends. Which reminds him...

"Tell Caduceus about my departure," he said.

"I'm sure he would've been happy to tag along if he could."

"And that's why I'm coming along with you."

Caduceus Brineheart marched down into the hallway, chuckling once his friend gave him a look of surprise at his suspiciously timely interruption. The alicorns smiled from their thrones once Stellar gave his friend a nudge at the shoulder, asking:

"Were you listening to us the whole time, you sly colt?"

"I just happened upon your conversation when I was supposed to remind Princess Luna about her therapy tomorrow," the doctor answered, exchanging winks with the cerulean alicorn. Stellar could only chuckle at the mischief that his friend and the princess had plotted. They seemed almost perfect for each other sometimes.

"You think I'll let you go without me joining in?" he asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"I already knew you would do something as idiotic as this, and I was certain you would leave me behind. Surely you have not forgotten the oaths we had made when we were young? When we called ourselves the Crux Four?"

The colt smiled at his friend's words; how could he possibly forget? He, Caduceus, Persimmon and Sidus had created their group when they were eight years old. Side by side, on friendship's shore, the words echoed in his head. What's our name? The Crux Four.

"What about Princess Luna?" he asked, uncertain whether to leave her in her bandaged state.

"Thou trying to claim thy Princess as frail?!"

"No! Not at all! Not at all!" he began to protest, stopping in silence only when the rest of them chuckled, the thought of falling for the princess's trick again making him sigh in humiliation at their mischief once again. Even the most respected beings of ponykinds are good pranksters...

"Are you sure?" Stellar asked, turning back to the doctor.

"You know we might never make it back out."

"Great then. At least I'll die in my hometown."

Caduceus just chuckled at his friend's disgruntled expression, directed at his sarcasm. He placed a hoof on his friend's shoulder, smiling warmly as he spoke:

"If it's to restore the former glory that was heralded in Pendant Lakes, then of course I will go. I'm sure many ponies from the town would've done the same."

"Caduceus would not be the only one following."

The two colts turned in surprise at Princess Celestia's words, blinking once they saw the pair of alicorns wearing mirroring grins. Who else would the Princess assign them on their journey, they wondered? There wasn't anypony else they could think of who was suitable for traveling with them. Even Caduceus wasn't part of this ploy, Stellar surmised, seeing how his eyes widened immediately at the mention of another companion.

"He will hasten your journey there, as well as make a powerful ally in the most dire of times," she continued, her gaze shifting towards the stone doors at the other end of the room and giving a nod.

"You can come in now."

Both Stellar and Caduceus turned once a giant shadow swept over them, their uncertain expressions making way for their nostalgic grins once they saw the colossal, towering figure looking down at them, smiling along as well. Of all the possible allies in the world that she would provide, who wouldn't be better than the one before them right now?

"He volunteered himself," the alicorn added, giving a smile, to which Stellar let out a chuckle at the scaly face before him. Well, his mind told him, still humored by the sudden appearance of the giant being, which spoke in his deep voice filled with wisdom and knowledge:

"We meet again, Stellar Lionheart."

So much for waking up at the crack of dawn.

March Of The Pilgrims

"You just had to pack everything you have, right?"

"I beg your pardon, Spike?"

Rarity wore a dubious smirk at the dragon's comment on the weight of their luggage, watching him straining to lift up the giant bundle of suitcases pressuring his back. There wasn't much she would complain about if she had possessed Spike's stature: she could imagine him carrying five giant boulders on his shoulders, and she had seen him do that a few times before. Then again, this was Spike she was talking about.

"I understand it is rather cumbersome, but it isn't necessary for you to keep yapping about it."

"Well, you're not the one carrying it."

"Nor am I the one who insisted to," she shot back, grinning once Spike was left without any reply, his words snatched from the very tip of his snake-like tongue from her devious comeback. She giggled a little as the dragon voiced out a small grumble of displeasure, trudging forward with his claws grasping onto the weight on his back.

Rarity just dabbed a handkerchief on his forehead with each step of the journey, helping him wipe off any beads of sweat crawling underneath the crevices of his scales. "Just bear with it," she whispered.

"After all, ignorance is bliss."

"You're expecting me to ignore ten-tonnes of luggage on my back?" he questioned with a small laugh.

The fashion designer rolled her eyes, before her horn started to glow its pale blue; in response, a small pair of handbags floated from the top of the mountain of suitcases, her hooves slotting into the woven straw handles with ease. Spike started to smile at the lessened weight, stealing a quick kiss from her cheek as he said:

"At least there's somepony here who cares about this dragon's well being."

"Stop it!" Rarity hissed, pushing his face away before he could peck her on her cheek again.

"We're in a public place, Spike!"

"Can you two hurry up~!" Sweetie Belle whined ahead of them, stopping them in whatever mutual altercation they were fussing about. Her elder sister daintily skipped to her side with a teasing wink back at the dragon, leaving Spike to catch up haughtily despite the weight on his back.

Twilight just shook her head at the couple following closely behind her, leading the way across the stone platform towards the departing train in the distance, visible through the crowd only from the billowing plume of steam in the distance and the conductor hollering their intended destination:

"Next stop: Canterlot!!"

"The rest must be here somewhere," she mused to the group following behind, though they were too busy talking to each other to listen to a word she said. The bookish mare peered through the crowd, wanting to spot the remainder of her friends that have decided to follow her.

It was yesterday, during her so-called 'interrogation' from her friends that she had decided to allow them to come along. After all, it's only fair that they would be present if there were any breakthrough news about Pinkie Pie, and the Princesses would surely understand her choice. Hopefully.

"There they are!"

The high-pitched, heavy-accented voice of Apple Bloom rang into Twilight's ears, the violet mare turning towards the direction of the voice to see the yellow filly waving them over, her long red mane mirroring her sister's blowing in the breeze with her signature red ribbon swaying freely in the wind.

As expected, the three members of the Apple family: Applejack, Big Macintosh and Apple Bloom herself, were present and ready for their journey. Fluttershy was there as well, showing her daughter a picture book about butterflies, along with Rainbow Dash and Soarin' watching her from the side, probably to learn the butter-colored pegasus's ways on motherhood.

Of course, everyone stopped in their actions (save Fluttershy, who wouldn't want Amber Rose to cry out suddenly) to welcome them aboard. Twilight beamed at the whole group following along; she felt fortunate with friends such as these.

"Would Sweet Apple Acres be fine?" she asked Applejack, to which the orange mare replied:

"Suredy-do, pardner. Cousin Braeburn's got it all covered!"

That's one thing down on her list, she told herself. Ever since Granny Smith had passed away last year, along with her older brother having a foal with Fluttershy, the responsibilities of the farm had been handed down to Applejack. It would be a rare sight to not see her work around the farm, Twilight figured.

As she trotted towards the train, her horn guiding the luggage in a neat row across the platform and into the hold, she spotted something that seemed out of place among her friends' suitcases. Beneath what seemed to be layers of paper wrapping, Twilight could make out a distinct shape of... a motorcycle?

"Applejack?" she called her friend again.

"Is this yours?"

"Oh... that..."

The orange mare cautiously beckoned to the side, showing her friend the last pony of the group; one she hadn't noticed and was utterly surprised at the inclusion.

There, sulking on the platform and punching holes into the air, her purple mane fluttering in the wind around her orange coat, was none other than Scootaloo herself. She smiled only when Sweetie Belle came to greet her, the two, along with Apple Bloom, quickly striking up a jubilant conversation.

"Decided to bring her along," Applejack explained.

"Don't want her to cause anymore trouble without us around."

"No kidding," Twilight muttered. Even Rainbow Dash wasn't in the convenient state or mood to help her out. Something must've happened during her deep research of Janus is Canterlot, which was halted when there were threats of bombings circulating around the city lately. The violet mare couldn't figure out which was worse: a bomb threat or a rebellious teenager.

To understand what Scootaloo had gone through... it's like playing tag with your hooves chained to the floor. Rainbow mentioned last time that she had lost her mother in some sort of public freak accident that left Ponyville stunned and confused about the possibilities of it happening, and that was it. None of them wanted to venture into the details. Her father was believed to have passed on earlier, leaving her in the custody of the orphanage until she was adopted by her new foster parents.

"All aboard!!"

"That's our cue!" Soarin' piped in, helping her wife onto the train, followed by the trio of chattering fillies, Fluttershy and Big Mac. Applejack secured the last of Rarity's luggage (fortunately for the dragon that carried them all the way here) into the bunk, before the orange mare herself boarded the train.

Twilight just let out a refuting sigh, slowly trotting up the stairs. Would she regret bringing her friends to Canterlot? At a dire time such as this? Should she stop and boot them out at the last minute?

"Whatever's the matter, darling?"

Rarity's voice wedged into her train of thought, halting it immediately as the violet mare turned to her friend, releasing an uncertain smile. Her ears drooping a little, she gave out a small reply, steeling herself with no regrets at her decision:

"Nothing, Rarity. Nothing at all."

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"Onward we march~! Onward down the valley~!"

Ollivander's a little restless again, Pinkie sighed to herself, the group marching up a hill of fallen rocks. There would never be a day where the gryphon would blurt out random phrases or, in this case, songs, in the midst of their walking. Sure, it could be worse: it might be Ganger doing it.

Whether it was the gryphon or their cook (and sometimes even both of them together), Dapple was still visibly annoyed by it. The aquamarine mare never did had the heart to enjoy their antics, and probably never will, Pinkie speculated. Phoenix would be second place for that, though at least he didn't have the short temper to-

"Can't you just stop yapping for once?"

And... she lost it! She sighed, letting her thoughts continue from the mere interruption: Phoenix wouldn't have the short temper that Dapple has possessed to interrupt his friend.

"Just lighten up a bit, lass!" he squawked merrily despite her grudging tone and grimacing frown. He seemed to be the happiest member of the band every day, always seeing the optimistic side of life and leaving any negative thoughts out. It's no wonder Selena (whom Pinkie knew was troubled by her obscured past; Phoenix never mentioned anything about the details whatsoever) would fall for him. He was the light of her life, not to mention the only one, after all.

"What's with ponies and business these days? Why can't you lads and lassies just kick back your talo-- er... hooves and giddy up some wine?"

"I would die for a nice glass of wine right now," Velvet poked in, flashing his friend a sarcastic smile.

"But it seems we're in the midst of a journey here, and the last thing Phoenix would want is any of us getting liquored up and talking about bubbles and stars and such. You know better now, Ollie."

"Aw, come on! Even Brutus would have a tipsy side beneath that frown, eh?"

The minotaur just grunted at the comment and the small nudge that came along with it, his fists clenched to prove his point. Despite that, Ollivander just rolled his eyes, soaring up into the sky with a beatific grin while the rest looked onward as he drifted ahead to do what he does best: scouting.

"Looks like the jester's heading forward again!" Ganger piped in, marching up the slope.

"Brilliant," his twin sister remarked, crossing her hooves with a small humph of displeasure, stopping short only when she noticed his cheeky grin sprout from his lips.

"That doesn't mean you have to replace him!"

The group laughed (with the exception of Ollivander, who was probably too high up in the clouds to hear that, and Phoenix, of course) at the mare's reaction, only making her pout with cold malice at Ganger, to which he responded with a mock whistle of ignorance.

Pinkie just sighed, shaking her head. Instead of admiring the wondrous green pastures and slopes, with one or two dainty pine trees or the numerous boulders standing around with moss creeping at its sides dotting the field, their attention was situated among each other, and she could not help but be part of their antics.

Oh well. Just another average day with the caravan.

"Velvet!" their proclaimed leader called suddenly, already reaching the top of the hill.

"Come quick! You've got to see this!"

In no time at all, the whole bunch of them raced up the hills, with, ironically, Velvet being the last to reach the top. Neither could ever believe what they were seeing now, and Pinkie could agree on the one thing racing through her head right now:

She's taking it back; this isn't going to be just another average day with the caravan.

In the far distance, where the sky and land meet, there was a trail of black slithering across the steppe, snaking and twisting around the big rocks that were scattered like polka dots around the wide expanse of green, the sheer, monument-like size casting shadows on the ground. It was only when Pinkie squinted her sapphire eyes inquisitively that she realized, in all her utter disbelief, what the 'snake' was.

They were ponies! Ponies of different sizes, from infants in the hooves of their mothers to the seniors dozing off on the back of wooden wagons hauled by the fittest, hunkiest stallions. Except for the children (who were having fun sailing an array of colorful paper kites in the wind, among other things), all the ponies seemed to be possessing one thing in common: a few, reddish intricate, rune-like markings covering at least a hoof or a cheek, with the most exaggerated being half-body or even full-body tattoos. The children however, like their parents, adorned white robes with a golden leaf brooch clipped in the center. While the adults used it for comfort, the children used it in whatever their imagination suits them, maybe the cape of a superhero fluttering as they ran across the plains, or even using it in one of their kites.

"By golly," Ollivander said, sailing down from the sky and, no doubt, being the first to spot the queer pilgrimage.

"I've never seen anything like it!"

"These are the pilgrims of Terra," Phoenix explained, much to the surprise of everyone else, even his two friends.

"I've heard them in sagas back in Violetshine Inn. The rest of you were too busy getting drunk to even listen to what the old coots had to say."

Pinkie could see the rest laughing sheepishly, averting the turquoise stallion's stern gaze. She wouldn't know about that back in Violetshine; she was too reluctant to even talk to them then and hid herself in the upstairs bedroom of the inn, and had sometimes regretted so.

"They're on a journey to... the Duilliúr Shrine, if I can recall correctly," the stallion continued.

"It's a lifetime oath for the pilgrims. To pledge that they can never settle in one place and spread peace and harmony as they toil through the lands. They only stop in the night by putting up tents, before moving again in the morning."

"That would mean it's a rare sight to see these ponies, seeing how they can never be in the same place at once," Velvet surmised, earning a nod from Phoenix.

"And it seems they're travelling in the direction we're about to go."

"So what," Ganger piped in.

"You're suggesting that we should join them?"

"The Duilliúr Shrine is actually one of the places we have to pass by in order to reach the Shetland Isles."

Phoenix smiled with a chuckle once he saw the anticipation of everyone in the group, eager to meet these peculiar wanderers. He turned back to the pilgrims marching ahead across the green, still unwary of the presence of their excited viewers up in the steep cliffs.

This was it, he told himself. This was one of the reasons why he established his adventure with Velvet and Ollivander. His fascination with the oddities of the world started to bubble once again in the cauldron of his gut, and it seems the others were afflicted by its contagious nature as well, judging from every clenching jaw around him.

"So then," he began, turning back to the restless members he called his friends.

"Who wants to be the first to introduce themselves?"

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The drooling sounds of draining water into the pipelines, that is, if this locomotive possesses pipelines, filled the nightmarishly-claustrophobic room as Rarity daubed the remaining, untouched corners of her mouth with a lace handkerchief, her horn delicately collecting a few lingering drops from the tap like gossamer would for dewdrops in the crack of dawn and sprinkling them across her face.

Her gaze flitted back to the sink once she was done with her spontaneous duty, her white snout wrinkling at the sight of the water swirling downwards like a whirlpool before she stepped out of the door, navigating herself down the embellished walls of the sleeping car. The rumbling vehicle jerked once in a while, reminding her of the last time she sat in a train such as this.

She could picture herself in the same situation, where she stepped out of the bathroom, but instead of heading back to her cabin, she just... fell. Sprawled onto the floor without warning and waking up only to find herself confused and unsure of what happened with everypony else watching her... an experience she dare not remember. The white unicorn shuddered at her recollection, sliding the door open before smiling at the sight awaiting her.

Spike was already asleep on the bed, leaving Rarity to sigh and settle down onto the couch, pouring a small glass of water from the round table next to her. The room, despite being inadequately downsized in her opinion, was tolerable enough for living space. It was only one night in the train, after all.

Placing her drink to the side, Rarity's horn glowed, the shimmering cloud of magic enveloping a purse from underneath her bed. She flicked the clasp open, reaching to grab the item that she longed to understand.

Her reflection on the glittering glass pendant in her hooves stared back at her, letting only a few brief echoes of the past through her head. She couldn't bother to count how many times she wondered about its contents, and would only make assumptions to what could possibly even fit in its tight niche. If there's anything inside whatsoever.

"How long was I asleep?"

The mare looked up in surprise at the dragon's voice, smiling when she saw Spike sitting up from the bed, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Placing her pendant into the purse, she took a sip from the glass, before answering:

"An hour or two, I guess. I've completely lost track of time."

"Well, it's still bright outside," he said, looking out the window, the sunlight shining in illuminating the left side of his face proving his words.

"Means we have a long way to go to Canterlot."

Rarity gave a small, lackluster nod. Her mind was busy browsing through the many questions she had for him, waiting to just be unshackled from her chains of hesitance. She knew Spike would never be willing to answer any of them, but she really wanted to know the answer.

She was his marefriend. Whatever his troubles were are hers as well.

"Spike," she began stuttering, poking at the dragon's interest.

"Remember the day after Twilight came back... we were heading home after visiting her in the library?"

"Yeah~?"

"And.... a-and..."

She wanted to scream at herself. She was so close to letting the question out. SO CLOSE!! Get your confidence up, you silly little filly, she whined softly in her head. He will understand that you're trying to help him out of his troubles. All the while she was ranting in her head, Spike was blinking and cocking his head to the side, expecting the white mare to finish her sentence.

"And..." she finally gasped out.

"You looked so... so furious that day and... I just... wanted to know why, but you asked me to forget it and that only made me a lot more curious and-"

The dragon turned away once the words sifted into his ears above the train's clattering wheels, his warm smile starting to contort into the blackest grimace that Rarity had ever seen that he could muster. She could hear a hiss, though she wasn't sure if it was from his snakelike tongue or the train's bronze pipes.

"I have to tell you some time, don't I?" he said gloomily. His dejected tone only made what seemed like a triumphant victory a demeaning loss, and as rueful as the white mare judged of her actions, she forced herself to listen.

"It was just another walk in town," he began.

"Twilight had some stuff to do for me - and yes, it was about packing up for Canterlot - so I figured I help her out. After all, it's been a year already since I helped out, save the renovation that we had done for the library when she came back, of course."

"There were tourists. Ponies from Manehatten or Fillydelphia," he began, his voice turning sour.

"I'm not really sure. They just... well... saw me heading down to the library and they called for me to ask some questions. I thought they wanted to ask around about Ponyville, so I let them. And you know what they asked? They asked..."

Rarity gently grasped his claws just as his voice started to tremble. He stopped with a sigh, unable to finish what he had started, though the white mare hushed him immediately when he opened his mouth to speak, placing a hoof on his lips as she edged herself closer to him.

Suddenly, he was slammed back onto the mattress, his surprise escalated when the mare planted her lips onto his own. The induction of their electric contact zipped into his beating heart, and soon he found himself in the sensation of pure bliss, closing his eyes with a purr of delight.

Rarity broke it off immediately, smiling once he saw his doltish grin, his cheeks blazing red. The mare twirled her hoof in a circle around his scaly chest, fluttering her eyes and asking:

"Do you like it?"

"I-I guess..." he replied, to which he met the mare's pouting frown.

"All right, all right. It was great..."

"Just keep those ponies and their ludicrous babbling to themselves."

The fashion designer smiled at her lover, her hooves hugging him tightly around the waist as she buried her cheek into his scales, lying on him like it was her soft velvet pillows back at home. Spike's lips writhed into a grin, placing his own claws around her soft body, nuzzling his snout into her mane.

"Sooner or later," she began to whisper, though she shook her head before she continued, leaving the dragon hanging at the edge of his curiosity.

"Do you mind if I sleep here?"

Spike just glanced the white mare on top of his chest, her azure eyes glistening and melting his heart. He couldn't blame her that she wanted to: there was only one bed in the small room. The only two deluxe rooms were already taken by Fluttershy and Rainbow, though he wouldn't complain about it.

"Do I mind?" he said. He wasn't sure if Rarity would mind lying on his chest, but he sure wouldn't. Who wouldn't want to have a mare of pure beauty in your arms? With that, he brought her closer to his snout once more, the two sharing a small, light kiss, wearing tender smiles as they closed their eyes. "Of all the things you would say in the world..." the dragon continued quietly, making the unicorn giggle with a hint of red across her snow-like cheeks.

"It is the best. Possible. Thing."

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"So we just head up to them and say 'hello'? That easy?"

Phoenix would've slammed the gryphon's face on a table, if there was any. He appreciated his sense of humor and his quirky penchant for making friends, but it doesn't seem like the best approach to make acquaintances with ponies such as them. They were deeply religious pilgrims heading towards a shrine, and the last thing they would want to see is the group being hysterical around them

"The last thing they would one in their journey is an interruption," he said, peering out from behind the rocks to see the white-robed ponies marching across the plains. The group had crept down the cliffs and onto the steppe itself, wanting to get a better view of them and after that, to gain their trust, yet after what seemed to be hours of watching them migrate, neither had dared to make the first move.

"Then how can we make friends with them...?" Pinkie asked, crouching right beside him. His answer was a shrug; he wasn't exactly sure on how to acquaint with these kind of ponies.

Despite being dangerously close to them, none of the pilgrims noticed their observers and Phoenix figured that they wouldn't want to bother with whatever that lurks in the darkness. He was beginning to wonder if they had ever prepared anything for protection, before his eyes widened at the sight of a wagon rolling past him.

On it wooden hold, he could make out the distinguishable glint of arrowheads and their corresponding feathered ends, the thin, long sticks of javelins and a variety of claw traps poking out from sacks. He wouldn't be surprised if they were carrying bows underneath those robes, though his eyes soon caught something scurrying to the side of some of the ponies, piquing his interest immediately.

Wolves. A large pack of them, maybe? Or gathered by their masters? Whatever the case, they seemed to be the pilgrims' trusty pets, and that enough added another probable defense onto their list.

"Okay..." he began whispering, touching up the final pieces of his plan as he turned to the rest of his comrades.

"Here's how we're going to do this. We'll approach them cautiously, without any weapons on our hooves, which means Velvet, you have to deal with your blades."

The sound of his friend's daggers sliding into its sheath soon followed, prompting Phoenix to continue as he glance around at the band huddling around him, awaiting to hear his plan:

"Once they asked us questions on what we're doing, we'll try to get them to trust us by saying we're heading past the shrine, and ask them if we can join them in their span of their journey. If they accept, that means we can hitch a ride with- where's Pinkie?"

The rest immediately looked around once he realized who was missing. The turquoise stallion's crimson eyes hastily darted around the area, before peering out from behind the rock.

His face paled with sheer horror once he saw the pink mare happily bouncing towards the pilgrims, who still hadn't noticed her, surprisingly. The rest of them rapidly hissed out a bunch of 'no's as she got closer out of dread, before Phoenix himself only started to make his move:

"Pinkie, don't-"

"HI!!!"

There came the shouting and screaming, all out of surprise when Pinkie hopped into their view, her smile widening up to the sides of her cheeks. Even the wolves hid underneath the robes of their masters along with the children, utterly frightened by this new mare in their presence.

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" she squealed; in response, a dozen of bows were suddenly raised up to her still-smiling face, their arrows ever ready to strike. Despite that, she giggled jovially, which only hardened the fearful looks on every robed pony. Phoenix's hoof met his forehead, unable to bear himself to watch what was about to happen.

"Stand down! All of you, stand down!"

The booming voice swept across the manes every pilgrim, and with that they lowered their bows, the pink mare that they were facing still happily smiling before them. She and the rest of the caravan, still behind the rocks, turned to the source of the voice, seeing an aged pony march up to them.

He was in his seventies, if Pinkie were to estimate, judging from the few wrinkles outlining his face. Beneath his white robes, his pale-green hooves finding support from a short cane, he approached the pink mare cautiously, though not as intimidating as the rest of the pilgrims. His topaz eyes squinted inquisitively at the pink stranger, before he started speaking:

"I apologize for the behavior of my brothers and sisters. They aren't accustomed to strangers."

"Oh, that's alright!" Pinkie replied cheerfully, with the jaws of her hiding friends dropping in an instant.

"I think I scared them a little. It's always nice to make new friends, right?"

The old pony chuckled at her answer, giving a short nod. "I've never seen a mare like you far from home," he remarked.

"Have you embarked on a journey alone, if I may ask, my child?"

"Oh, of course not! I have my friends with me! Over there!"

The rest of the caravan flinched once Pinkie mentioned 'friends'. With a sigh, all of them marched down sheepishly, one by one, from behind the giant rock and into the full view of the pilgrims. The sight of so many strangers surprised them, with some of them already muttering and gossiping about them.

The old pony merely laughed once he saw the bunch glancing about in embarrassment, his hooves gently swaying apart in a welcoming gesture, accompanied by a bow.

"The name's Parish Plow. Priest of Our Holy Mother of Earth, Terra. I am the shepherd, the guide, the leader of this pilgrimage, and all pilgrimages of that preceding and that coming, unless age wears me or death takes me, in the name of our Holy Mother, and we humbly welcome you and your friends in our presence."

"Th-thanks," Phoenix stuttered, unsure of how to reply the elaborate introduction. He turned to Pinkie, who was still smiling happily beside him. He couldn't believe what just happened: she just hopped up and was trusted by this priest. Just like that! He chuckled underneath his breath, shaking his head at the pink mare.

"Pinkie, Pinkie..." he muttered. Still full of surprises, this silly filly...

"I presume you all are here on behalf of good intentions?"

"We're to visit the Shetland Isles, and have to pass the Shrine of Duilliúr."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow as the aged colt nodded understandingly, his eyes staring into space as if in deep thought. He hoped they wouldn't question of their actions, or maybe even impede them in their journey. The Shetlands were still a far distance away, and he wouldn't want anything slowing them down.

"I was hoping if we could join your pilgrimage for this short period. Not officially, if it's alright."

"Of course, of course!" was Parish's reply, earning a sigh of relief from them.

"I'm obliged to welcome those in need of any assistance, even from those who request for a brief companionship in compliance to Mother Terra's rules. As Our Holy Mother Terra's shepherd, guide and leader, from one band to another..."

"We welcome all of you on our journey."

Black Sands & White Daisies

"Ladies and gentlecolts, we'll arrive in Canterlot in about five minutes. Please make sure that all of your belongings are accounted for..."

The conductor's voice through the speakers started to drone in Twilight's head as she patiently stood at the door, somberly staring at the various drops of water sliding across the glass surface. Her stilled lips turned straighter at the gray skies brewing over them, her horn folding back her umbrella after the vindictive yet short spell of rain. She held onto the golden, ornate swivels of the railings as the train jerked suddenly, signifying a turn into the mountain that the regal city was built upon.

Behind the windows, the vibrant scenery of the valley was laid before her, with Ponyville standing in pristine simplicity in the distance under the drizzly atmosphere before it transited into one of pure black as the locomotive entered yet another tunnel. The swinging lamps hanging from the ceiling were the only source of light, albeit a dim one, as the violet mare burrowed through her small purse, her hoof picking out from it a small slip of paper. She raised it up to the nearest lamp overhead, trying her best to squint her eyes and trail across every scribbled letter laid out for her.

It was a small note she had written down from the scriptures she acquired in the Canterlot Library during her research on Janus, and had studied about it until her untimely interruption with the recent bomb threats. She decided to jot it down when her head affixed her decision for her homecoming to Ponyville, though there were not many solid leads that she could discover in both her treehouse/library and the Royal Library of Canterlot, to which she hadn't finished excavating through every section she had wandered in.

"A forgotten being..." she muttered the first phrase aloud, pushing herself to think. Forgotten from what? From history? From Equestria itself? Or just the minds of the ponies?

"Whatcha doing?"

Twilight nearly yelped in surprise, startled at the brazen voice as she met the disgruntled expression, with lips straight and brows furrowed, of none other than Scootaloo. Her chest stopped heaving once she realized who it was, her surprise vanquished out in the form of a sigh while she stuffed the note back into her purse.

"Just checking some things out," she replied sheepishly, settling down onto one of the velvet chairs. The teenage mare done the same, still wearing her frazzled frown despite having the luxury of a seat, even if it's only for a short while. The librarian just stared at her, who, for some reason, was looking out of the window, even though they were still in the tunnel.

"And... what about you?" she asked hesitantly.

"Doing nothing," was the instantaneous reply.

"What about Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle?" Twilight questioned.

"What about your friends? Aren't you having fun talking to them yesterday?"

"Got bored."

Wow was all that the violet mare could think of. She couldn't imagine how the once-vibrant filly in the past had became this mare, rooted deep in an anarchistic personality with zero interest in other pony's affairs. Her arrogance was evident already by her deadpanned stare, almost as if she was unimpressed at everything she was looking at.

"Applejack wanted me to apologize," the teenage mare spoke suddenly, her gaze still stuck at the window.

"You know. For yesterday and all..."

"It's okay... I guess..."

Scootaloo's words weren't exactly truthful; there wasn't a hint of remorse in her begrudging tone. It's almost as if Applejack forced her to apologize, to which Twilight think it was the case. Her heart lingered with a little vexation, her calculative mind planning out on how to approach the teenager. If there was only a handbook to illustrate that...

"I mean, we all have our problems," she began, huddling closer to the pegasus.

"You have your issues, I have mine. Plus, you're a teenager. It's natural for you to be... well... bitter, to everypony else. Rainbow Dash would know your feelings as well."

"Rainbow Dash... pfft..."

That was a little uncalled for, some part of the violet mare told herself in disbelief. What had become of the filly that had idolized her cyan friend? The one that heralded her as much as the unicorn herself heralded Princess Celestia? The one that she would die to join her in the skies one day?

"If Rainbow Dash knew my feelings, then where was she the whole time?" Scootaloo growled, rising from her seat defiantly as she shot her glare towards the other mare, her wings flapping crisply and hastily.

"Where was she when my mom got killed? Where was she when I was trying my best to fly in the fields? Where the heck was she when I was teased for being a blank flank, and about the time when I tried to show her my new bike?"

"Language, Scootaloo," Twilight said sternly, though it did no better than to just drown her deeper into the darkest grimace that was starting to form at the edge of her lips.

"You know Rainbow Dash was still around your age when your mom got into the... accident. She helped you to learn some things about flight and stuck by your side when you're feeling down! Plus, you can't blame her for not being able to see your bike; she's already having a foal by then, Scootaloo! She's going to be a mother!"

"A mother... pah!"

The teenage mare suddenly let out a short, mocking laugh, flicking her purple mane to the side just as the train exited the tunnel, assaulting its cars in a sudden glare of sunlight. Her derisive expression was clearer in the bask of daylight, her wry smirk turning into a grim frown as she rasped, crossing her purplish eyes down onto Twilight:

"We'll see how much time she spends with me when her foal comes out then!"

"Scootaloo!" the older mare shouted, standing up with her eyes widened and her hooves clenched at such an ignorant and disparaging remark. Scootaloo merely scoffed at Twilight's reaction, stepping into the next car and sliding the door shut before the unicorn could pull her back with a magical leash from her horn.

Unbelievable, her inner voice boomed in her head. Purely unbelievable! She scrunched up her lips, trying to suppress the throe of her awakening rage pummeling at the cages of her head. Nopony should ever talk like that, she wanted to scream. Especially not to any of her friends!

"Just calm down, Twilight," she muttered to herself, her hoof squeezing tightly onto the gleaming handrails like a vice as if it could sap out all her restrained anger and bathe in the the luxury of patience. Still, she thought to herself, Scootaloo musn't expect herself to get away with such a snide comment. She has to apologize some way or another, though she dreaded it would be deadlier to push the teenager to do so.

The royal town of Canterlot soon came into view from the windows outside, and as the train's engine started to die down, her mind soon turned to the one thing that topped her list as she gathered her bags from the upper compartments of the train:

"To talk to Princess Celestia..."

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"...and the Canterlot Live Arts Center would be situated over there."

"Ooh~!" Sweetie Belle squealed with glee, her gaze following the direction of her sister's hoof, which was pointing at a grand, broadway-like building with posters taped onto every inch of the its curved exterior, the bright sign adorned with two theater masks: one wearing a golden smile and one wearing a silvery frown, showing the entrance above its red, flowery doors. The sight of such a flamboyant structure was fascinating for the teenage filly, though her performance venue would be much better.

Sure enough, just five blocks away from where they stood, a larger structure dominated the cultivated scene: the center stage for the Canterlot Young Talents show that Sweetie Belle had enrolled for to win a prize of a million bits, the Fase di Armonia. It was the zenith amphitheater for stage performances in Canterlot, and she could not help but gape in awe at the brilliant venue for her performance.

Rarity smiled as the filly ran ahead of the rest, with Apple Bloom joining her and Scootaloo hitching them up onto her motorcycle, zooming through the empty lane towards the building with every spew of black smoke from its nozzle. She would have her anticipation as well if she were to display her talent in the Fase di Armonia herself; it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be featured in the theater.

She knew Octavia had performed there a few times for the Canterlot society. The gray mare mentioned on how she met Crimson on one of her many performances, and how they went out to dinner after that, but that was another story altogether.

"Well, that takes care of that bunch," Applejack said suddenly, munching on an apple she had hoofpicked from the vendors around town.

Twilight just nodded understandingly. She knew the three teenage mares would be bored out of their minds if they were to listen to the alicorn's speech, and neither wanted to be interrupted by any of their complaining or whining, especially if it was the slurs that might come from Scootaloo.

Instead of heading down the road, they took a left turn, their sights set upon the imperial palace of Canterlot to which the city itself was named after. Stepping into the busier streets, their gaze was met by many who had called this place home, albeit the stares they were giving were anything but sympathetic.

Spike could feel Rarity's hoof tightening on his claw like a vise, his throat suppressing a roar that would only prove him at fault if he let it out in a rampaging fury. If not for Twilight's presence, he surmised, they would be jeering and mocking them in public. The dragon wouldn't blame them for their fears, and he sometimes wished he had either Twilight or Rarity's permission to scare them off.

"Miss Sparkle."

Twilight gave a slight nod at the acknowledgement from the guards, leading the rest of her friends as they trotted into the courtyard, setting their sights upon the double doors beckoning them inside. She glanced around a few times, expecting her brother to jump out suddenly and invite them in, but any thought of that left her immediately and unwillingly when her hoof touched the surface of the door.

With a small grunt, the lavender mare pushed them apart, the wooden panels groaning heavily in response and revealing behind it the red carpet; a scarlet trail leading up all the way to the end of the room, where Princess Celestia has settled herself adequately on her marble throne. The alabaster mare looked up with a smile, her slender hooves welcoming them into the discussion of the triumvirate she had participated in.

"And that's what the lordship said?"

Princess Luna's voice filled the room, her treacherous tone revealing the solemnity of the situation as the group slowly approached the three figures, recognizing the two alicorn sisters. The other figure, who was five times larger than the pair of princesses with his tail sweeping the palace's marble tiles like a wide broom, had his red, hardy and scaly back turned to them, but the voice that came from it was all too familiar for all of them, especially for a certain farmpony. It was discerning and deep, they could hear. Keen yet wise, but beneath it all, there was a certain, special pinch of persistence and recalcitrance; the traits of a rebel.

"It's established that despite of recent events," he continued, "our lord does not extend his gratitude until further evidence of this Janus pony would be brought to light. He declares the state neutral from any growing conflicts of Equestria, and other neighboring countries. As of now, we could only hope that our alliance-"

"K-Kane...?"

The crimson dragon stopped short, his ears perking up at the heavily-accented voice of Applejack. His yellow, reptilian eyes turned to the source of the voice, his jaw dropping once he set his sights onto the orange mare.

The two marched forward; Applejack from her friends, and Kane from the alicorns, slowly and steadily as if they were mirroring each other's movements. It wasn't long before the mare's disbelief grew into eagerness as she rushed into the scaly claws of the colossal reptile while the rest watched warmly from afar, with one simple thought growing in all of their heads.

Reunited. After one whole year.

"Ah... Ah can't believe it!" she stammered, to which the dragon chuckled, nuzzling her snout.

"How... why...? What were you.... why were you... Ah thought Ah'd never see ya again! Every single day, from mornin' ta night! Ah was waitin' for so long! Waited FOREVER!! And ya... ya never came..."

"Applejack, I-"

"And ya PROMISED ya would write every month. EVERY MONTH!"

Applejack started to tear up, her hooves pounding plaintively on his scaly legs to clarify her pain aloud. The first of her tears started to drip from her cheeks, already dampening the dragon's red scales as she continued to yell:

"WHERE IN TARNATION DID YOU GO FOR THE LAST THREE MONTHS? WHAT IF YA JUST DIED SUDDENLY AND AH AIN'T GOTTA KNOW ABOUT IT?! YOU... you DINGLEHEAD!!"

"Applejack, j-just allow me to explain-"

"AH HATE BEIN' LIED TO!!!" she choked out a scream, sobbing with her face buried in his chest as the dragon drew her in for a tight hug, his own tears already leaking out from his shimmering eyes.

"Ah hate bein' lied to... ya know that... y-ya just know that... but still......"

"You know I will never break a promise like that."

Kane lowered his head down to her, kneeling on his hind claws and raising the mare's chin up with the tip of his claw. Her pupils shimmered dismally with tears, her brows narrowing downwards as much as her lips. Her hat was already starting to fall off due to her shouting, her ears drooping onto her blonde mane.

The dragon's heart retched with the drowning sensation of transgression; a stigma he had carried like a burden ever since he left her homestead and leaving her to plow through the soil of Sweet Apple Acres and him in his duties as a chancellor. It doesn't seem right, he always told himself. It just doesn't...

"I'm sorry...... I should've been there for you..." he continued. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me... and I didn't want to make you worry or anything. No one wants to make a lovely mare like you sad."

"N-now don't get all b-buttery with ya sweet talk," Applejack began to stammer, stifling a bashful smile with her cheeks growing a slight tinge of red whilst her friends snickered silently behind her. She wiped her drying tears away, hugging her mate's red snout.

"It's great ta see ya again..." she muttered, wearing a satisfied grin.

A loud cough made the couple turn to meet Twilight's stern, insistent gaze, both dragon and mare glancing around sheepishly as the rest laughed silently underneath their breath.

"Perhaps we'll meet again?" Kane suggested before leaving the room.

"After your small discussion?"

"You bet!"

The orange mare nearly jumped with glee, only before noticing the rest of them trying their best hiding their smirks and giggles that she settled down, blushing heavily in embarrassment.

"Uh... I mean, f'course, uh.... sugarcu-Kane! Yes... Kane..."

"Anyways..." Twilight began, raising an eyebrow once she spotted Kane peering his head in again, the dragon reluctantly shirking back into the other room once he got a glimpse of the lavender mare's insistent glare, much to Applejack and everypony else's dismay, who wanted to see the two lovers interact even more.

"It's an honor to see you again, Princess Celestia."

"Formalities aside, Twilight Sparkle," the alabaster mare replied with a cordial smile.

"I presume you have a legitimate reason for the inclusion of your friends?"

"Yeah... about that..."

The lavender unicorn elicited a sigh. Time to come clean, she guessed.

"I figured it would be fairer for them if they would know of any news of Pinkie Pie. I've told them about the situation and about Janus being alive, if you don't mind, Your Highness."

"You were never at fault, my faithful student," Princess Celestia assured her once she noticed her protege's apologetic look.

"It's a reasonable choice that you made. They have every reason to be as much as concerned as you for the safe return of their friend. It's an action that both Luna and I can justify, and proceed to respect. However, I'm sure each of you understand of the possible dangers that you might face during your stay here, primarily... the bomb threats?"

The group of friends nodded hesitantly, especially Rarity. She knew the extent of Janus's powers, and she had been through his torturous tricks underneath the guise of an influenced Harmony Peridot. Her life was nearly taken from her during a train explosion, among other things, and she remembered it vividly enough to shudder at the thought of being caught in another.

"It would be safer in the confines of the palace," the elder alicorn continued.

"So I suggest that you ponies stay in the guest rooms we had prepared specifically for your arrival, and for Pinkie as well, if she were to ever return to Canterlot. Concerning of Janus, we will discuss of him tomorrow. All of you earned a good rest from your journey here."

"Thank you, your Highness."

With that settled, the ponies soon took their respective luggage, slowly trotting into the hallways of their temporary, prestigious abode. Rarity could tell from their determined looks of the many things running through their heads right now, and she wouldn't doubt that Pinkie was in any of them.

Her hoof clinging onto Spike's slender arms, she strolled down the hallway, gazing about the decorated interior of the royal castle whilst letting her thoughts wander, jumping about in between the three main figures that dominated them: Pinkie, Spike and Sweetie Belle. Sighing dejectedly, her gaze glued to the floor, she watched as the dragon slotted the key into a golden knob, the locks safeguarding their dorm resounding a light click as Spike smiled and chatted with Twilight; a sight the white unicorn would rarely see him in these days.

If only they could spend all the time being this happy.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"... and they clash and clatter! Swords asunder! The echoes of metal ring through the stormy seas as both pirate and sailor lashed out with their cutlasses in the duel between the two ships! All the men cheered for them, their voices reaching sky high as every~!"

The many foals that were huddling around the small bonfire in their white robes started to let out a few 'oohs' and 'ahhs', their eyes glued to Ollivander and mesmerized with every steady gesture of his talons as he paused, scrunching up his face, with his left eye closing in a frozen wink and his teeth gnarling to mimic the one-eyed pirate he had mentioned in his tales as he continued:

"Then, Anchor took out his musket! And.... BAM!!"

He chuckled once they shrieked with delight, reducing into a fit of giggles as he continued his story for his audience, which consisted of the pilgrims' children, their parents and the rest of the gang, excluding Velvet and Brutus, who were talking to Parish Plow about the journey ahead.

"Straight into Pirate Pete's chest, and not his treasure chest, if you know what I mean!" the gryphon continued with a squawk, with his audience laughing at his unintended pun.

"The nasty outlaw fell back onto his ship with a scream. Ye shall be back, he howled, and ye shall haunt the seas awaitin' ye return! And so, our favorite Captain Anchor headed back home with his witty band of sailors, kicking his land-hooves up to anxiously wait for another journey yonder sea, to which he met one soon enough. But that, my friends, t'is another story."

An applause soon followed from each of them, the eager cheers of the foals filling the atmosphere as they rushed around the gryphon's four legs as he chuckled, stopping short only when he was dragged down by one of the more mischievous colts. His laughter heightened when the foals suddenly swarmed over his tufted chest, unintentionally tickling their storyteller with every hoof trampling on the feathered skin.

"Alright, alright," Phoenix cut into their fun, guiding the colts and fillies down from his friend. Ollivander just breathed a huge sigh of relief, wiping a few sweat beads from his head, his beaked smile still as wide as ever.

"C'me 'ere," Selena beckoned tenderly, raising a small cloth towards his forehead as she gently dabbed her mate's face with a handkerchief. The gryphon just smiled dreamily at her bright yellow face, which turned a little orange once the pegasus saw his whimsical smile; one which only left her unimpressed yet flustered.

"You don't have to do that every time, y'know."

"But I can't help it every time I see a beautiful face like yours," he replied immediately with a devious grin, making her cheeks color a bright orange.

Pinkie just smiled from the side, watching as Selena nuzzled his beak and giving him a small hug. She always wondered how the two of them looked so perfect together, even with the obvious species differences and especially their personality differences. While Ollivander was always bright and outgoing, the other mare, despite her talent for explosives, was a little reluctant at most things. She was always cheerful when she was talking alone to somepony, but when it comes to group discussions however, she would never be the first to speak up, sometimes not even speaking at all.

"Tell us more! Tell us more, Mr. Ollie!" the children said, much to the gryphon's surprise. The older pilgrims wouldn't blame them; they too have been slightly amused by the story, and wouldn't mind to hear more, despite Ollivander having other ideas.

"Sorry kids," he said sheepishly.

"Ain't easy thinking of these tales. Wouldn't say the same for my friend Finn here."

"Yeah, Phoenix!" Ganger exclaimed, much to their leader's surprise.

The turquoise stallion just blinked at the many pairs of eyes staring insistently at him, his tail whipping around and his ears drooping at the thought. Even his band of members shared their enthusiasm, and he almost wished he hadn't woke up from his afternoon nap in the first place and continue his sleep with Fleetywit.

"Ollie did say you were a good storyteller, right?" the unicorn cook continued, serving to them a few clay bowls of red mushroom soup, to which all of them eagerly accepted from its temptingly exquisite smell and the sight of pale red with toadstool-like chunks which, despite its appearance, was completely harmless.

"Come on, Phoenix," Dapple said, nudging his shoulder. Even the usually serious one-mare army was anticipating a story from him. All traces of excitement could be seen from them; Ollivander and Selena sitting on the edge of their seats with the former's wings enveloping them both, the twins trembling with excitement, and Pinkie Pie's smile widening to the edge of her lips, her head beckoning him to go on.

With a sigh, he took a sip of his mushroom soup. It's been a while since he had thought of a good story, and to think of one in the view of not only his band, but also the increasing number of pilgrims... he never felt more nervous in his life, and he wouldn't want to deny in his heart he was also a little excited himself.

Reaching into his satchel, he picked out a bottle of red-tinted crystals: fire salts rewarded to him after defending a phoenix's nest from three rogue Timberwolves. There was little use for it, the only reason for its use being to start a wildfire, but only he among them knew what magic trick he could perform with just a little pinch of it.

"It all began in the summer of February," he started, his gang letting out silent gasps. He was doing it! He was actually telling a story!

"In the south'est of plains where ocean meets land, on a beach that bore the blackest sand, in a dainty cottage with walls of rock and roof of hay, lived a pony fine and dandy with coat a light purple and mane a pale pink, his pupils whiter than the snow and frost covering the mountains beyond our view. It was as it was so, for he was blind, and had been ever since the day he was conceived."

"Like many of you here," he placed a shoulder around one of the colts, grinning when he saw him giggle on the floor, "he was a foal, though unlike many of you, he only had his mother. His father was lost long before in this story, but still both mother and child lived happily together."

"Every day, both of them would work under the sun, sowing daisy seeds along the black sands. He would hand the seeds to his mother, and she would spread the daisy seeds across the sand in a fashion that only the tenderness of a mother would provide. Why daisies, I can see some of you are curious to know. Why not roses, or tulips, or sunflowers?"

Phoenix's question was met with a variety of nods, prompting him to continue: "Well, the colt doesn't know as well. Sometimes he would gaze up at the night sky and asked that question in his head. Sometimes he would ask his mother why, though she only said it was because that's how it goes. That's how it goes, he wanted to accept his mother's words, but it wasn't convincing enough for him."

"Slowly but surely, February became March, and March became April, and as what seemed to be the thousandth pack of seeds ran out, the colt wanted to know the answer. Guiding himself on a stroll down the beach, with his trusty cane poking at the sands, he wondered why. Why those white flowers? There must be more than it being how it it just naturally goes, isn't there? What was his mother not telling him?"

With another sip from the bowl of red mushroom soup in his hoof, his other one immersed into his vial of fire salts, he watched his audience's curiosity lulling them into the story, captivating their attention entirely.

"Asking his mother again, he got a different response, much to his surprise. Wait for the flowers to bloom, she said. When it sprouts and flaunts its petals of white, at the darkest point of night, wish upon a star and the answer would come."

"And so, he waited not on the fields, but by his windowsill, where, in a pot of black sand was a seed; the first one of many, and also the only one that his mother had helped him plant. Being blind, he could not see if the seed was sprouting, but he slowly grazed his hoof above the sand to feel if it was growing. Again, April turns to May, then to June and onward to July, and he could feel a bending stalk of green. July turned to August and to September, and he could feel its bud on the tip. September turns to October and November, and he could feel it start to bloom. However, it wasn't until February where he finally felt the last of the petals emerging, satisfying him that it was the time."

Phoenix's voice suddenly grew quiet, the fire illuminating the bottom of his face as he continued:

"Following his mother's words, he wished upon a star. He never knew how stars were, or how they look like, but throughout the days of waning patience, he always imagined one star. One single, lonely star in the sky, waiting only for a wish to grant at this very night. The time of revelation is near, and as the last daisy grew into full bloom in the black fields, he gave his wish. A simple wish: that he wanted to understand the true answer behind the daisy seeds."

"And then?" Pinkie chirped in, already about to fall over her seat. The turquoise stallion just smiled, his tail flickering with a hint of deviousness as he prepared the trick in store for them.

"Suddenly... BOOM!!"

In one swift movement, he tossed the fire salts across the fire, which burst into the sky in a splendor of flames with a mighty roar, its sides erupting in a grand explosion. The children held their breaths, their mouths agape as he stood up onto his hind legs with a whinny, settling down soon after to continue his story:

"Out of the night sky, shooting like a comet towards the fields, came an alicorn, ethereal in the brilliance of light that would've blinded him if not for his condition. He stepped backwards in fear of this new stranger, whimpering at her powerful presence, though it was vanquished the moment he felt a hoof caressing his cheek."

"My dear child, she said softly. I have seen you. I have heard you. Your call is my duty. You have seen only black. The darkness has swallowed your vision, and yet you and your mother sow the fields white. Do you ever understand why daisies, my young one?"

"Of course," he continued, "he shook his head, to which she smiled. She gave him a kiss on a forehead, which tingled like a normal kiss would, but as her lips parted, it lingered, traveling around his body and filling him with vigor he had never felt before! Blinking his eyes, he started to let out a gasp, gazing down beneath his purple hooves the black sands that filled the ground. He gazed around, at the cottage, to the echoing tides, to even the night skies above. He couldn't believe it, he shrieked with glee!"

"He can see!"

All the children gasped in amazement, with his band of members widening their eyes. A miracle, each one of them thought to themselves. A miracle!

"The colt turned back to the figure, whom he imagined it as she was to be: ghostly yet charming, surreal yet heartwarming, like his mother. Speaking of which, Mother ran out to see her child, immediately crying with tears of joy at the sight of her son's newly-attained vision. She hugged him, kissed him, do whatever she could do to show her delight! Both of them had never been so happy in their lives!"

"You made a wish, she said. A wish concerning the flowers of white. Not a wish for gold to sate your greed, nor a wish for food to sate your need, but a wish to understand the chained confines of your world. You could've made any wish, but you wished to learn, and I admire it. I granted your wish, and I rewarded you for both patience and virtue with a miracle."

Phoenix could see the warm, content faces of everyone, though he knew that was no way to end a story.

"And so she left, leaving mother and son to their delight. Soon enough, ponies around had heard of the miracle that came to him, and of the fields of daisies that filled the black sands. Ponies from all over came to visit, eagerly asking him questions that he patiently answered. Once or twice, having known that he was granted his answer, somepony would ask him like you would ask me. Why daisies? Well, the answer, kids, is very simple."

"That's how it goes."

With that, the turquoise stallion was met with a jubilant applause from each of them, bowing with small 'thank you's fluttering out of his mouth as the ponies (and gryphon) cheered for him. His friends all smiled happily, their breaths taken away by such a simple yet enthralling tale.

"Wow..." Pinkie mused dreamily, making him chuckle.

"That was superdy-duper, bubbly-wubbly BRILLIANT!!"

"Glad you liked it, Pinkie," Phoenix replied, the pink mare giggling instantly and surprising him as her hooves suddenly yanked him closer to her into a tight embrace, the stallion nearly choking once she did so.

Peering over Pinkie's shoulder, the voices of children squealing and chattering about his story soon droned out as he glanced around at all the happy faces around him. His heart melted with honeyed bliss, his lips curling up to the side of his cheeks at the overwhelming response he was viewing with his hooves eager to give a well-deserved pat on his back.

"Well done, Phoenix Mellow," he whispered in his head.

"Well done."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"And sing this song we would~! Of lifelong journeys in adulthood~!"

Scootaloo would've clamped her ears shut if the singer wasn't one her best friends. There was something satisfying and soothing about her voice despite her style being a little jubilant, though she wouldn't bother to waste her time to place a hoof onto it.

The two of them, along with Apple Bloom. were in the food section of the marketplace of Canterlot, browsing through the different goods that filled the stalls. They were crisscrossing through the busy streets, searching around for anything that would sate their growling hunger in their bellies, and so far, only Sweetie Belle had her find: a blueberry milkshake.

"Don't they have any apple stores 'ere?" Apple Bloom asked, gnawing at her own teeth.

"Beats me," she replied halfheartedly, glancing at the stalls. There were a variety of foods that they have seen so far, from ice cream, chocolates and other sweet-tooth treats, to cups of corn, cashews and pistachios, to even amusingly weird things like salad-in-a-cup, burnt muffins and even toast signed by the greatest artists of Canterlot.

Apple Bloom suddenly gasped, galloping towards one of the stalls as she quickly placed five golden bits; in return, she came back with a red apple, topped with a glossy, melting brew of caramel.

"Two down, one to go!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, slurping at her straw.

Scootaloo just let out a frustrated groan, slouching her shoulders as she zipped through the crowd. She hated being last, and every single time she wanted to ask herself on how unlucky she was being last most of the time. With a little twitch of her studded ears, she trotted down the slate road, gazing at every foodstuff available for her to feast.

"Ya know, ya don't have to be so mean all the time, Scoots."

The teenage pegasus turned in surprise at Apple Bloom's words, turning to spot her friend frowning back at her, prompting her to muster up one as well. The two never really saw eye to eye on many things ever since they formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. If not for Sweetie Belle being here, every day there would be some sort of argument that would flare up between them.

"Ah heard you talkin' to Twilight just now," she continued, surprising her even more. She eavesdropped on the conversation she had with the unicorn? How unruly, Scootaloo wanted to yell, though she herself had been into much worse, it seems.

"Look, I messed up a little, alright?"

"A little?" Apple Bloom questioned, crossing her hooves with her caramel apple clutched onto one of them.

"Ya mean a lot! It ain't right talkin' to Twi like that when she just came back from Canterlot. It's been a year since you met her, Scoots! Don'tcha feel delighted when somepony comes home after a very long time?"

With a sigh, Scootaloo responded gravely: "I'll do what I can do, okay? I'll apologize to Twilight, again, later. Maybe when my mind's a little more focused on other things instead of me being hungry."

Ringing true to her words, her stomach grumbled suddenly, prompting her to bite her lip in embarrassment as her friend laughed silently, covering her mouth with her hoof. She rolled her eyes at herself; if only she could find something to guzzle on right now.

"We'll be back in the palace if you need us," Sweetie Belle chirped suddenly.

"Rarity says she found a room for us all. I can't wait to how it looks like!"

"Me neither!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, giving her a hoof bump.

"Y'all be alright findin' somethin' here to eat right, Scootaloo?"

"Yeah! Of course! I'll be perfectly fine!"

With that, Scootaloo waved at her departing friends, watching with a sigh as both Earth pony and unicorn galloped across the slate road and towards the majesty of what the ponies below it know as the Palace of Canterlot. Quickly, she veered her gaze towards the stalls, glancing at whatever treat or delight they could possess.

Soon enough, her eyes met with eager anticipation at the sight of a glazing soda-flavored lollipop, standing amid its more colorful counterparts in a glass vase. Her lips licked enthusiastically at the sight, and she would've quickly placed her money on top of the counter if it wasn't for the absence of the vendor that was supposed to be running the stall.

"Hello?" she called out, glancing around the bustling avenue. No one ever seemed to respond to her calls, and she had expected it as so. Who would want to respond to a kid like her, despite her not really being a kid anymore?

Her eyes soon caught sight of a trail of broken lollipop fragments, punching at the button of her curiosity immediately. Why would there be a trail of broken candy, she asked herself as she followed its tracks through the shifting crowd. She twisted and turned, being careful not to bump into anypony's shoulder, lest she should start a commotion, all the while setting her sights upon the fragments of candy before her.

A shroud of shadow soon enveloped her as she stepped into the darker confines of the Canterlotian alleyways, where instead of the chattering of ponies, there was only the squeak of rats, the drip of water and an occasional rustle around the trash. The foul smell of rubbish filled the air, and she covered her snout with her hoof, heading deeper and deeper into the alley.

Buzzing flies soon joined into the cacophony of noises, followed by Scootaloo coughing with disgust at the smell. Her wings zipped silently, her hooves treading carefully with every clink onto the tiled alleyway before hearing a splash, her face retching up with disgust immediately when she felt one of them turning damp.

"Please don't be sludge water, please don't be sludge water..." she quickly prayed to herself, hesitantly raising her hoof into the view of the sun as she took a peek.

Scootaloo's face paled immediately when she saw her hooves coated not into a color of brown she was expecting, but a deep, malignant red, dripping down onto the edges of her skin as the sound of buzzing flies grew louder in her head. She nearly belched at the abhorrent sight, her eyes widening even more when she saw what was laid in the alley.

It was a pony, brutally scarred, bleeding, and was wounded with deep gashes of red filling nearly every corner of its body that was lying in its own puddle of blood. The apron he adorned was stained red, and in one of his hooves was a lollipop, its top half broken and, no doubt, the cause of the enticing trail of candy that the filly had innocently followed, and saw the sight she didn't want to see.

She fell back in horror onto the damp ground as the sun shined into the alleyway, the clearer view of it screaming into her head. His neck was severed, and what was supposed to be supported on top of it was now at the bottom of her hooves, staring at her with eyes widened and devoid of any life with blood leaking through any opening it could find.

And in the height of the afternoon, a loud scream burst through the blue skies.

The Masque Of Canterlot

"And you never saw a thing? Not a pony around?"

Scootaloo slowly shook her head, gazing down at the mug of water in her trembling hooves as Shining Armor jotted down the last of his notes, his horn glowing a pale rose with a quill dancing flamboyantly in the air, scribbling away at the hovering notepad. From the side were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, both watching helplessly at their mortified friend taking another sip of lukewarm water, swallowing it hesitantly.

The rest of them were there as well, all shocked and horrified after hearing of the body that the teenage pegasus had unintentionally stumbled upon in the alleyway. Neither had seen the sight of blood like she did, and already none of them wanted to know about it when they found out it was beheaded, of all the wounds that had been described.

"Celestia..." Twilight gasped silently, being the only one of her friends to have the heart to read about the condition of the body when Scootaloo found it. Her brother grimly nodded, his face still wearing a slight green after viewing the body himself just a few minutes ago.

The violet mare had never seen something this brutal and twisted in Canterlot before. She had a fair share of mangled bodies last year, especially the unforgettable one jammed in the ventilation systems of the hotel in the northern city of Fenderville, but for it to happen in the capital city of Equestria, under the watchful gaze of the princesses and the Canterlot Royal Guard, not to mention to one of them immediately right after their arrival here... it was unthinkable!

"How long was he there?" she reluctantly asked her brother.

"Just this morning, judging from... all the..." he replaced the word with a cough, continuing reluctantly:

"The guards were immediately alerted by her scream, and my second-in-command said they found her just like that around noon, almost on the verge of tears. I... I still can't believe it happened..."

No one did, she mused in her thoughts. Not even the Princesses, who ordered an immediate search for the culprit responsible and scheduling a public speech tomorrow. The whole of Canterlot had already heard of the nightmarish discovery, and the last thing Princess Celestia needed on her hooves in all these madness was the town to be thrown into mass hysteria.

"But it could've been m'ah fault..." Apple Bloom's apologetic voice sliced into her thoughts, prompting Twilight to turn and see her in her elder sister's hooves, trying her best to hold back her tears.

"Ah... ah shouldn't have left her alone and... and now..."

"It was never your fault, Apple Bloom," the orange mare replied tenderly, hugging her tight.

"Nopony knew that somethin' like that would happen. Nopony knew that she will be the one to find 'im. There's only one pony's fault, and that pony is the pony who did... who did... this..."

"Yeah, Apple Bloom," her traumatized friend began weakly, giving her a sad smile.

"I don't blame you for anything. You wouldn't have known that-"

Scootaloo suddenly clamped a hoof over her mouth, jerking the attention of everypony else in the palace bedroom as she stood up from the chair suddenly, her wings flapping hastily about with her face turning a mild shade of green.

"You okay, squirt?" Rainbow Dash asked with concern. Normally she would shrug it off and proclaim to her idol she was fine, but the gurgling, nauseating feeling rising up her throat proved otherwise, forcing the teenage pegasus to gallop immediately to the bathroom and slam the door shut behind her.

"Oh dear..." Fluttershy muttered, gazing worriedly at the bathroom door.

"Is she alright...?"

"It's the third time already..." Sweetie Belle whimpered softly in Rarity's hooves, hearing her friend retching on the edge of the bathroom sink once again, followed by the sound of gushing water through the pipelines before stumbling out of the door, her face a bland white as she gasped for air.

Twilight quickly handed back to her the glass of water, to which Scootaloo quickly guzzled down, ridding any traces of repugnant taste lingering at the corners of her mouth. She soon forced herself a second cup, almost slamming it onto the table when she had finished it. Her bloodshot eyes clenched shut with her hooves forcibly rubbing her temple, trying her best to rid the disturbing images of the mangled scene restarting their relentless assault into the dikes of her mind.

"Get some rest, sugarcube," Applejack said softly, patting her on the shoulder.

"Ya been through a lot, and ya don't want to let it get to your head."

"Y-Yeah......" she stammered, her throat thirsting for another cup of water.

Upon noticing her hoof reaching out for the nearby teapot in discomfort, Sweetie Belle poured a drink for her friend with her magic, the pegasus accepting it eagerly with a weak smile as the teenage unicorn settled right beside her, trying her best to calm her down. Apple Bloom soon joined in, cuing a small lullaby from none other than their group's singer, the older bunch of ponies (and dragon) quietly trotting out the door and leaving the trio of mares alone in Scootaloo's struggling woe of misfortune.

Twilight stopped once she was outside the room, piquing the rest of her friends' curiosity as she stood by the door instead of following them into the gardens. She wanted to join them, but her heart had told her what seemed to be the right choice.

"Ain'tcha comin', Twi?" Applejack popped the question.

"I think I'll stay behind for a second," she replied with a reassuring smile.

With a meager wave, her friends soon departed, leaving her to patiently wait in the hallway. She knew what each of them were about to do: Fluttershy and Big Mac would cradle Amber Rose to sleep before taking a nap themselves, Rainbow Dash would have another rest to think over the situation and to take care of her foal while Soarin' will pick up a few things for her from the market, Rarity and Spike would basically just spend time together some way or another, Applejack, of course, had a meetup with Kane to catch up on the many things they've been through, and Shining would either be heading back to the barracks for another serious discussion about the murder or spend time with the recently-returned Cadance and their six-year-old son, Radiance, whom Twilight had never officially met yet.

Ah, love, she sighed to herself. Sometimes, she wondered how would things work out between a stallion and a mare, even in cases like Rarity and Applejack. Both placed their affections in dragons, and yet both share different tastes. Then again, Spike and Kane are two different dragons, after all.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she began to focus on the more important things she had been planning, and was reminded of such when the door suddenly opened, marching out from the room a somber Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. They didn't seem to notice the violet mare as they trotted away, no doubt their spirits dampened from their friend's ordeal; the same one that Twilight intend to talk to Scootaloo about.

She slowly crept to the door, hearing a few soft sniffles at the other end, confirming her theory. She knew Scootaloo was acting too calm and content when Shining was asking her questions. Nopony would be this lenient of themselves after facing an incident this morbid, and if Twilight knew one other thing that teenagers possess instead of their rebelliousness, it was their fragile emotions.

She gave three knocks, each one quick in succession and halting any sounds of despair.

"W-Who's there...?" Scootaloo's trembling voice cried out. The spiteful tone that she possessed earlier on the train had left, leaving behind in its place only a void being hammered by her unfortunate predicament.

Twilight soon came into her view, the teenage pegasus's eyes widening immediately at the sight. Quickly, she wiped her tears away, puffing her chest up and ruffling her wings with her hooves clenching tighter onto the damp bedsheets.

"What do you want?" she growled, her teeth forcibly grinding against each other.

"Scootaloo, I'm here to help-"

"Didn't you hear what Applejack said?" she cut in before the violet mare could continue.

"She said all I need is a little rest. Just a little rest, and one of you actually have to come inside to ruin it for me!"

"What do you mean 'one of us'?" Twilight shot back. She had never heard something this ridiculous in her entire life! They were all trying to help her, and what did she give them in return? Just another dose of her blatant ignorance? There wasn't a single thing that she had done to her, and to face this kind of attitude when she came in to comfort her is a little too much.

"Scootaloo, we're here to make sure you're alright," she protested.

"I'm here to make sure you're alright. We're your friends too."

"Just forget it!"

What was suppose to be regret rose into anger as Scootaloo's face blemished into the darkest scowl that Twilight had ever seen her muster. The violet mare stepped backwards once the teenager lifted herself from the bed and advanced upon her, the glare she was giving searing holes in her skull with the pegasus's hoof jabbing at her chest.

"The only reason I'm here is because Applejack forced me to come along, and the only reason she would do that is because of your stupid, STUPID DECISION!! I WOULDN'T HAVE SEEN... SEEN THAT IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!!"

A small tear started to form at the edges of each of her eyes as Twilight felt the dagger of her words sinking into her heart, her only plausible response being her chin steadily falling in a silent gasp.

"J-just get out!" Scootaloo shouted, pushing the stunned mare out of the room and slamming the door into her face, the sheer power of it making her breath stop. Twilight just stared at the door, her hooves diffident from any movement while the echoes of the teenager's accusations rang in her head. As the first droplet fell onto the marble floor and the muffled sounds of the teenager sobbing inside the room began, all she could do was trot down the hallway, though not before whispering under her shivering breath:

"I-I'm sorry..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"... and over the top... slowly... delicately..."

Pinkie's eyes narrowed at the thin, nearly-invisible thread in her hooves, her tongue sticking out sideways with her head tilted to get a view of the fine string she was entwining, carefully weaving it over the small hash that she had made earlier in the afternoon. The needle she was clasping on pricked through the fine layer of gossamer string, thought not before winding back again, forming yet another row to complete her creation.

She was sewing up a dewdrop kerchief, as the pilgrim beside her had called it, where it was woven with the fine, diaphanous gossamer of the Turtleweb Spider, known for their hardy webs. The string, by itself, was extremely fragile, but when woven into cloth such as the one she was patching now, it was durable and firm yet soft and comfortable, perfect for fabric such as this.

Strangely, she found out the pilgrims used it to collect dewdrops (thus the name) in the morning, curiously to fill up a giant vat of water always situated in the center of every stop they make. Considering the hundreds of pilgrims around, she figured it would be filled eventually. When she asked about it, Parish said it was because it was the essence of their Holy Mother Terra, whom Pinkie found out was an alicorn representing nature like how Celestia represents the sun. Supposedly, the alicorn herself would appear at the shrine, which only fueled her excitement as each day passes and they get one step closer to their eventual destination.

"Done!" she cried, the small hole that was once there finally sewn up. It took her almost three hours just to repair the spiderweb cloth, and she couldn't imagine how long it would take on even making one, not to mention the stockpile of blankets the pilgrims have stored to keep warm.

The mare watching her nodded at her completion, happily obtaining it from her; as a reward, Pinkie was given ten golden bits. Her eyes glimmered at the sight, sliding them into her satchel with a satisfied grin.

It was one of the many tenets that the caravan were bound to: that they can try to earn some money for themselves, if possible. Every bit they earn is every bit they keep, and when Phoenix said 'earn', he meant it. Borrowing or even giving is disallowed strictly unless it was mutually agreed or it was a joint job, and by joint job it meant jobs where more than one pony completed it. For example, if all of them discovered some sort of treasure, it must be split equally to everypony who helped discover it. Applying the same principle, if somepony helped her with the cloth earlier, she would have to split the money in half and give one half to the other pony.

With a hum of delight, she quickly bounced her way across the camp under the shade of the towering rock formation over her head. The pilgrims have set up their tents around the colossal pyramid of stacked rocks, known as the Giant's Cairn, for the night, and with the sun setting in the horizon, she knew it wouldn't be long before she had to return to the caravan again.

A loud, purring chirp stopped Pinkie in her tracks, the mare turning to face the minuscule face of Fleetywit smiling back at her, his yellow beady eyes glimmering in the setting sun and his wings flapping cheerfully.

"Hey, Fleety-Witty!" she squealed, patting the sprite dragon lightly on its head.

"Whatcha doing?"

Fleetywit just purred, his head beckoning her towards the horizon, where she could make out the silhouette of Phoenix Mellow in the distance, the tip of his tail burning like a distant candle; a dwarf compared to the immense flare of the setting sun he was facing.

As Pinkie trotted up the sloping hillside, passing through many of the cone-shaped tents standing, she soon caught sight of what seemed to be a small, antiquate pipe stuck in his mouth similar to those of Sherlock Hooves in Velvet's book collection, with small, gray wisps of smoke twisting into the air, lit up by the tip of his combustible tail. To see him smoke, even in an isolated place, was a little unnerving for her. She knew what smoking could do to his health, and had never liked his habit of doing so.

"This again?" she raised her question, catching the attention of Phoenix immediately. He chuckled sheepishly once he saw her skeptical grin, quickly tipping the ashes onto the ground and tucking the pipe away into a knapsack with the small candle flame on his tail extinguishing immediately.

"Just for a while, alright?" the stallion demurred, his pet dragon flying and landing on top of his pale blue mane; in response, Phoenix toss up to him an acorn as a reward, to which the reptile accepted eagerly, licking his lips and chewing at its hard shell with his sharp fangs.

"After all, Fleetywit did took quite a while to search for you."

"I was busy patching up some cloth for the pilgrims!"

Pinkie puffed her chest proudly at that, to which Phoenix just let out a small laugh. Breathing in deeply, she closed her eyes, feeling the warm, diminishing sunshine enveloping her face and filling her heart with vigorous satisfaction at her achievement.

"What about you?" the pink mare asked in a spell of curiosity.

"What did you do today?"

"Reading the map," was his answer.

"We have about week and a half left on our journey to the shrine, then we'll go down the path to Valewood and plan from there."

Valewood, she sighed. The first town they will be stopping by in a month. Finally, there would be warm beds in inns instead of the ones in the caravan, bathrooms instead of ponds, lakes or rainy days to shower in, shops to stock up on instead of borrowing nature's creations and, of course, good, delicious candy!

Despite her memory loss, she had never, ever, forgotten about the taste of candy. Her sweet tooth just aches for another lick after her secret stash from the last town they had stopped by ran out in only four days. She blamed invisible ponies for that, though it doesn't take a genius to know that the only culprit was none other than her voracious appetite and craving for sugar.

Her mouth was already watering at the thought of it, though Phoenix's turquoise hoof waving in front of her face soon snapped her out of them. Pinkie turned to him immediately, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?" he asked, the frozen baffled expression that the pink mare still maintained giving him the obvious answer, his hoof meeting his forehead displaying his slight disappointment.

"Anyways, I said Velvet has a friend in Valewood that might help you with... you know, learning about yourself. Velvet said that he can get us acquainted with him, if you like."

"S-sure...!" she stuttered halfheartedly. "That would be great!"

That would be terrifying, her mind told her. She really wished that Phoenix wouldn't be so determined into helping her dig up her past. The Shards that she had seen flashing through her head, excluding the ones that showed her mere figments of trees and butterflies, were frightening. Who would want to remember memories filled with flames, screams and monsters crawling through the cracks of broken walls?

She couldn't understand. Why bother remembering a dark and morbid past when her was cheerful and filled with joy right now? Why would he want her to know a tragedy she had been through rather than a comedy she was living? Must be a Phoenix Mellow thing, she sometimes said to herself, but she really wasn't sure.

"In the meantime, why not train with your sword?"

Phoenix suddenly tossed to her a cutlass, to which she caught in just in time, nearly tumbling back from in surprise. The stallion grinned as he stood on his hind hooves, the remaining pair gripping on his broadsword. Flexing his shoulders, his smile faded immediately, signalling the beginning of their mutual duel.

"Grip harder on your weapon," he reminded.

"Bandits wouldn't let you retrieve it when it flies out of your hoof."

Pinkie nodded understandingly with a cunning smile, firmly clenching onto the curved sword, her hooves sliding back as Phoenix lunged towards her, giving her sword the first strike.

Both mare and stallion were determined, locking blades fiercely like dancers in a ballroom, their hooves swaying to the music of ringing and clashing metal, mixed with their grunts and cries with every move they lash out at each other. The duet underneath the blazing sunset soon caught the eye of a mare and, of course, her gryphon from afar, and both of them just stared in amazement with their display of power.

"They seem perfect for each other," Selena mused cheerfully.

"Don't you think so, Ollie?"

"Well, Phoenix ain't the keenest fellow in talking about it."

That reply only made the bright yellow pegasus raise an eyebrow, her red and white striped tail swatting at his talons in protest. Ollivander just rolled his eyes, his wings parting and pushing the mare closer into his tuft, much to her surprise. His beak bearing a coy grin, the gryphon craned his neck closer to her ear, whispering something that made her giggle in delight:

"That doesn't mean we can't talk him out of it."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"The bandits were forced to surrender, of course. Came out one by one from that outhouse of a cottage they were in with the hostage."

Applejack's beryl eyes glimmered with amazement at one of Kane's many accounts in his position as Chancellor, never ceasing with each passing story starting from the day he had left the orange mare for the Badlands last year. She was on one of the many balconies around the palace, while the dragon resided in the garden, his head poking over the stone banisters and his golden eyes staring down at his marefriend seated comfortably on an iron chair. With them were the other dragon/mare couple, Rarity and Spike, who were listening with rapt attention at his account of what seemed to be a horrendous standoff between the constables and the outlaws.

"They say a dragon treasures three things: wealth, love and honor, so I decided to use the latter. If I hadn't threatened them about stripping their titles they've earned in their lifetime, who would've known what happened to the hostage they were holding."

"Wow..." the farmpony could only say, smiling dreamily at the crimson dragon.

"And? What happened after that?"

"I went home," was Kane's answer, turning into a laugh once Applejack pouted, unimpressed.

"What do you expect me to do? I can't just go on around picking a fight with every dragon in the Vohakiin Sector now, can't I? Plus, one deserves a well-earned rest after something exciting and exhausting such as that."

"Then you came here, right?" Spike cut in suddenly, earning a stare from both mares.

"What?" he protested with a shrug, reaching out to pour himself another cup of tea and leaning back against the ornate iron chair, its flowery designs painted a pale white.

"It is a valid question, right?"

"To be completely honest, he speaks the truth."

Kane smiled sheepishly once he was face to face with Applejack's skeptical and insistent glare, which softened only when his claws brushed her blonde mane to the side and nearly tipping her trademark hat off, the mare shaking her head at his fruitless attempts to woo her.

"Spike and I did not plan anything behind your back, alright?" he said fervently once understanding the reason behind her irritated frown.

"It was a mere coincidence."

"Then try ta convince me, ya old snoot," she demanded, crossing her hooves.

"Or do Ah have to whip ya scales again to get the message clear in ya pea brain?"

"Applejack~!"

Rarity's mouth hung agape, unable to believe what her friend had just scolded her mate. She herself wouldn't think of such slanderous taunts to yell at Spike (despite sometimes having to resist the urge to) and for a mare to have such a powerful and protective dragon for a coltfriend, she wouldn't understand how Kane got to fall in love with somepony as brash as her.

"You should at least appreciate him being here after so long. Simmer down with your foul language. A true mare doesn't scold such ludicrous words to her mate now, does she not?"

Applejack scrunched her face up at being told off by the white unicorn, gritting her teeth and letting out a low growl, before suddenly sighing in defeat.

"Guess Ah was a little rude back there," she admitted, placing her hat on the glass table that they were all sitting around, her gaze turning to the dragon's wise visage underneath the golden skies of dusk.

"Speakin' of which, why are ya here anyway?"

"Diplomatic missive," was the answer, to which the rest exchanged puzzled looks.

"The Lord Of The Badlands had sent me here to discuss of the alliance between dragon and ponykind, and of the troubling events that I heard Equestria had been facing lately," he explained. "They weren't keen on sending any dragons here to prepare for any possible attack on Canterlot, despite knowing of the ingenious mastermind behind the plot."

Silence filled the air for a moment, the atmosphere soaked in hatred at the mention of the word 'mastermind'. Any mention was abhorred by them, particularly Rarity. She faced him once, and his sickening arrogance and cold demeanor was enough to spur her anger.

"So I've heard he's returned," Kane continued.

"Got that right," Applejack said coldly, her voice almost like a mumble.

"Never thought he would survive such an explosion."

The crimson dragon indignantly blew a puff of smoke out of his nostrils, closing his eyes as if in deep thought. The rest were a little surprised at his behavior, however; the Kane they knew a year ago would be in an emotional rampage at the thought. Maybe his job back at his draconic hometown wasn't such a bad thing after all?

Applejack herself was surprised at his change. There was a wistful temperance about him instead of the selfish pride he had possessed the first time they met. His deep voice flourished with wisdom and dignity, almost reminding her of the only other dragon of his colossal size that they had officially met.

"Jovern wasn't pleased himself once he heard of the news," Kane continued, almost coincidentally going by their thoughts.

"I heard he was around the palace," Rarity quipped, to which the dragon nodded.

"He came along with you?"

"Wanted to see the Princesses again, he said."

Kane grumbled almost suddenly, shaking his head in disapproval at, from Applejack, Rarity and Spike's point of view, what seemed to be another disagreement between him and Jovern. Sure, the two weren't the cooperative of siblings, but there usually wasn't any dispute between the two, except over a few things like, perhaps, now.

"Next thing I know, he's signed himself in another bloody adventure," the dragon leered.

"Never has the time to just settle down for a month or so. Lay low in all this chaos around."

"An adventure?" Spike asked, saying aloud the same question that Rarity and Applejack were eager to understand in their heads as well.

"What kind of adventure?"

"I'm not entirely sure, actually," the dragon replied.

"Something about helping along on an expedition back to Pendant Lakes with the two ponies. What was their names...? Stellar and Caduceus, is it?"

Stellar Lionheart and Caduceus Brineheart. The names echoed in Rarity's head, the white mare stifling a smile as the mention of the two ponies flung her back into the past year, where the crater that was known as Pendant Lakes was still the beautiful town, standing with an elegant nobility in its antiquity and luxury under the stern yet imperial gaze of the now defunct Palgiot family. They helped her in her problems, especially with her pseudo-physical/mental affliction that she had gotten over just four months ago. Despite that, her nightmares still persisted, and she couldn't help but shudder at the possibility of it being a scar that she had to carry for the rest of her life.

An expedition back to Pendant Lakes... now that's something interesting. Her curiosity wavered through the many questions she needed answering about it, but all of it could be summarized into one.

"Why head back there?" she asked.

"Why go back to that desolate place? Is there still something there for them?"

"Again, I'm not sure, but Stellar did mention that the enemy had salvaged the Patriarch's blade from there."

The grim response was met by expressions of surprise from each of them. Kane sighed with acknowledgement, gently resting his head onto the stone banister with his brows furrowed.

"Supposedly, Janus had his interests still set upon Pendant Lakes, as if he was still searching for something of major importance to him or his plots. Stellar wanted to figure out what it was, and obtain it before they could."

"That seems reasonable enough," Applejack remarked.

"Like some ponies like Granny Smith say, the early bird catches the worm. It seems like a good choice ta head out and get whatever it is before them nasty rascals could lay a single hoof on it."

The rest of them nodded in unison, with Rarity asking Kane:

"Have they left already?"

"Unfortunately not. Stellar decided to delay it after yesterday's murder to help out with the evidence the Royal Guard had confiscated. I've heard it was one of your friends that discovered the body?"

Again came the nods, though they were noticeably slower and despondent.

"Ah said to myself that she had it comin' ever since she's been all rude to us," Applejack admitted ruefully, much to the surprise of the others, especially Rarity and Spike.

"Never thought that it would be somethin' this horrific..."

"No one had expected it, darling," Rarity assured. She had seen the likes of Janus, the most morbid of them being her birthday present from him in the form of a crucified pony nailed to the top of her bed; a madpony's imitation of Sweetie Belle, along with a deranged birthday card that possessed a stalker portfolio of her younger sister, much to her horror. She still didn't dare tell her about it yet: it was too disturbing and frightening for somepony like her to bear.

"If there's one thing that Janus can be," and no doubt, was the one thing that the fashion designer had learned about him, "it was that he is utterly unpredictable."

"Well then, Ah have to go check up if Apple Bloom's calmed down a little."

With that, the mares and dragon rose from their seats, signaling the end of their story-turned discussion. Kane let out a loud, languid yawn, stretching his paws as he exchanged smiles with Applejack.

"Need a small ride there?" he suggested, to which the orange mare nodded eagerly. It wasn't long before she clambered up his red, ridged back, one hoof holding onto her hat and the other giving a wave back to Spike and Rarity, who waved back in return, before Kane soon headed down the plains where Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were playing in, chatting happily among each other.

Rarity smiled warmly at the idyllic sight. Two lovers spending time in the most romantic yet simple way of a small conversation, with privacy of course. She sighed: any mare would be lucky to have a stalli-er... dragon, like Kane.

"You were eyeballing him, weren't you?"

"I beg your pardon?"

Turning to Spike in surprise, she saw him smiling intently back at her, a little baffled at his statement as they walked back into the corridors of the palace, heading down to their bedroom. He let out a small laugh at her response, placing an arm around her body and hugging her tight, the mare letting out a yelp of displeasure at his sudden move.

"You seem to admire him," he rephrased, winking mischievously much to her discontent at his words.

"Come on~! Admit it! You were ogling him the whole time."

"Well, he does possess some qualities that you don't."

Rarity giggled at her comeback once she noticed Spike's shoulders visibly slumping and the immediate release from his squeezing embrace, her heart skipping a triumphant beat.

"But sometimes," she added, "a lady doesn't need those specific qualities to find a perfect mate for her. Sometimes, all she needs is a caring, generous little colt or, per say, dragon to take care of her. I'm pretty certain I've made a wonderful choice as a lady to pick you now, did I not?"

She suddenly stole a kiss from Spike's cheek, the dragon's tail fizzing up as straight as a poker with a tinge of red flushing through his entire face immediately as they arrived unto their room. Rarity turned the knob first, striding in with a seductive grin as her hoof beckoned the stunned dragon to follow; an action he happily complied.

"You know..." he began, bending down towards the white mare on the bed as they leaned in for another, more sensual kiss:

"You really know how to tame this dragon."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Night time. Perfect.

Luna's moon was a crescent like a luminescent cradle hanging in the darkness; a shroud he was accustomed to ever since he was doing his job. It wasn't actually a job, no. More of a profession or hobby, as he sees it, not to mention that it was frowned upon by those he presumed to 'pay' him for his job. Of course, every errand he runs, if successful (which they always was, most of the time), he would walk off a hundred times richer. The salary was what many ponies living in this already-noble society would die to obtain, but he knew none of them would risk their manicured hooves to go through the various trials he faced.

Wearing his black mask, he gazed down at the quiet city below him, perching on the tip of the golden, coned roof with a flamingo's balance with his short daggers ever ready. His navy blue cape fluttered in the wind, his lips curling up a smile once he saw his target lying helplessly right before his eys.

Perfect, he licked his lips. Just perfect.

One grandiose leap, before his hooves skidded down the slate roof with the sound of silence. He skated through the hurdle of slate roofs, hopping over the narrow alleyways from one platform to another as he hastily drifted underneath the starless night. All that matters is the prize and, oh, what a wonderfully rewarding prize it would be to his collection.

Another leap, and he was soon face to face with the sight of a platoon Lunar Stallions on the wide road beneath him, parting him with the ledge that heralded the treasure behind its windows. Surely they must've been informed by the newspaper of his recent... wrongdoings, as they put it, but he wouldn't be surprised if they didn't bother to look at the most obvious place to find an artiste of his demeanor.

Up.

Swiftly and silently as ever came his third leap, unnoticed by the latter as he drifted through the air, his wings gliding him down towards the wooden ledge of one of the windows of the fine Canterlot Museum, now gazing with a smile at the mere obstacle that dared challenge him in his conquest. Sliding his blade from underneath his cape, he poked through the small niche, the sound of a clicking latch signalling another triumphant victory as the window parted, revealing the fine reward that he had set his eyes upon ever since he scoured through the area as an innocent guest in the day.

Situated in the center of a marble pedestal was a gem, unlike any other gem that even the richest of ponies might ever see. It was a giant, glittering garnet, carved into a tall, crystalline column possessing the height of a stallion like him. His pupils glimmered from behind his black mask, though he knew not to advance carelessly like a common thief. No, he is an artist! And an artist has to be delicate with every move he makes!

Hovering down slowly, his wings slicing through the musty air of the museum, he marveled at the fascinating sight of the masterpiece that he was about to obtain. The apex of all the artifacts in this historical trench, the prime of all cut crystals, the pièce de résistance from all the other dull exhibits that they dared to have the mockery to display... he could go on forever with this.

Shuffling silently, the only light revealing him was that from the crescent moon, his eyes glinted with delight at the colossal gem; a temptation that he would oh so give in to! But alas, he's an artist, not a common thief.

"Pfft..." he scoffed. Modern technology.

Sure enough, with a small nozzle underneath his cape spraying out a puff of pale gray smoke, the blurry yet visible lines of glowing red soon revealed itself as he expected them to be. He wanted to laugh at it: another challenge for him to face? Something unworthy and unoriginal of security in itself? Canterlot is disgraceful for its cheap conundrums as much as the greed of its inhabitants that filled the putrid air; the greed that will drag them down to Tartarus itself.

He swung his cape suddenly, shielding over every stubborn ray of red as he darted past a considerably large opening through the ward, grasping the gem before jumping back out again, wearing a triumphant smile. His eyes soon gazed down with a glimmer at the gem, to which he could barely hold in its hooves from its outrageous size.

The message! Of course! Rolling the gem up into his cape, he left behind, in place of his reward, a small token of appreciation in the form of a scarlet rose that he knew would only frustrate the constables searching for him. With that, he flew back out of the window and into the night, knowing the clear message that such a enticing flower would send to the unlucky ponies that run the museum.

"Ze Masque of Canterlot strikes again," he muttered to himself, leaping back across the roofs to his abode with his worthy prize, before finishing the sentence in the tone of a crafty whisper:

"And he will strike once more."

"Very soon."

A Stranger's Concern

"The murder is still undergoing a thorough investigation, so I'm prohibited to revealing any details to anypony, but I am certain that the Royal Guard will do anything to catch the culprit responsible for this."

Every string of breath was stretched taut and tense, all eyes from the courtyard staring soberly at Princess Celestia standing on the balcony underneath the sifting rays of sunlight stabbing through the clouds of gray on this noticeably grim morning, carefully scrolling through her words filling the small sheets of paper laid neatly on a singular, crystalline pedestal. There was nothing but the sight of cold sweat and rattling hooves stirring in the atmosphere, and each pony present would be lying if they said they weren't nervous about the killer hiding in the midst of the crowd.

Silence was the answer that met her and, though being expected, it was still slightly unnerving, in her sense. Without her sister by her side or at least even the company of her ministers, she wouldn't be surprised if she collapsed from the pressuring speech she was giving. No, she had the full support of not only Luna, but also from Twilight and Shining Armor as well.

Both her student and the captain of the Royal Guard were there, scanning down at the crowd for any crude standouts among each pony. The latter had even had a radio patched next to one of his ears, the near-silent crackles that came with any of the voices from its speakers guiding him through the whispering crowd. The grand entrance into the imperial courtyard was crawling with guards, forming an eagle-eye row as they trailed through the terrace and back to the main doors of the palace itself. Even the Lunar Stallions were placed on duty under the rule of of their own commander and, despite protesting quietly of their tired hooves, knew not to question their commanding officer after such a gruesome event.

The two draconic brothers were watching as well, standing like majestic colossal sentinels with reptilian eyes narrowed and fangs and claws poised to strike. They were almost identical in their movements, though Twilight had the eye to tell the difference: Jovern was more patient and watchful, scanning with utmost dedication as if he was actually a guard himself. Kane, however, despite Applejack's claims of him turning over a new leaf, still wore that grudging stare, his arms crossed in a crass fashion, yet still maintained the same virtue as his brother.

"And of the recent heist of the Canterlot Museum," she began, flinging the violet mare back into the transpiring events that had captivated the attention and insecurity of the town.

Second on the list was the robbery of the largest garnet in Equestria, leaving only a telltale rose that pinpointed them to the one possible culprit: the infamous Masque of Canterlot. They say he was a banshee in the night, darting from roof to roof to steal the greatest treasures that the town possessed. Some even claimed that he was not a pony, yet it sounded slightly incredulous as the claims that he was just a petty thief, she thought to herself. A pony that could pull off an incredible (not over-the-top incredible, however) heist like the one last night was no petty thief, in Twilight's opinion, and they wouldn't dare to taunt the patience of his brother and the guards serving under him by leaving scarlet roses at wherever he strikes.

"I can assure you that there is a slight possibility that the Masque might have ties with the ponies responsible for the murder," her teacher continued. Twilight could silently swear she saw the alicorn's mouth shiver at that point.

"Until then, you can place your trust in the Ministry and the Royal Guards, and we will make sure that none of you, any of you, would ever be in danger. Ever."

With that being said, the crowd gave a mediocre applause, lasting for only a mere second before came their hasty departure, slowly huddling out the gates with neither a smile nor a frown. Of course, the guards continued their survey through the leaving crowd, as if openly daring the killer to strike again.

Princess Celestia let out a relieved sigh, settling herself onto the marble floor and wiping a bead of cold sweat off her forehead.

"How did it go?" she asked her sister.

"Perfect," was Luna's answer, the cerulean alicorn giving her a soft smile.

Twilight wouldn't be surprised at Princess Celestia's perturbed condition. Who wouldn't be if the whole of Canterlot, not to mention Equestria itself, was counting on you to bring the pony responsible for a dark crime like this to justice? Even her brother was already worn out from his job, and with his eyelids sagging down almost all the time these days, it's a wonder if Cadance had never complained about his well being.

"Twilight," Princess Celestia's voice cut into her thoughts, the lavender unicorn heading to her teacher's side. Much to her surprise, the alicorn handed to her a small, golden key; one that Twilight would never thought she would have.

"This... this is..."

"Yes," came the alicorn's soft response. She herself had planned to give Twilight this, though it had only been now, with the encouragement and permission of her sister, that she did so.

"I'm fairly certain you're responsible enough to take care of the Canterlot Archives in the library, and thereby I have decided that I'm granting you access for research on Janus and to discover any hint of what he could be planning."

"However," she continued, her voice becoming terse, "there is a section, filled with scriptures of the ancients, of powerful magic, both dark and light. It is a room where not even Princess Luna has access to, and that is where your responsibility comes in."

Princess Celestia gently placed a hoof on her protege's shoulder, her face almost desirous as she asked: "can I trust that you will never enter the room, even if you were forced to do so?"

The stares that not only her, but also Princess Luna (which was more of a glare) were giving was enough to inform Twilight the graveness of her teacher's words. She turned to her brother, who could only give a weak, uncertain smile, followed by a slight shrug.

"Just remember that this is not only for bringing Janus to justice," Princess Celestia continued softly, "but for bringing Pinkie back as well. She's still alive somewhere, and we all know that she would be happy to be back."

Bringing back Pinkie... she and her friends have always waited for that day to happen, if it were to ever happen. Sometimes, Twilight herself would wake up, hoping to see their joyful, bubbly friend bouncing through the palace gates from her bedroom window. It had been a disappointment for the past few days now, but one day, she promised herself with utmost determination, it will come true.

One day, Pinkie Pie would come marching through those gates, and fulfill her hope, and if she ever needs her aid to do so, she will be ever ready to help, even if it lasts a lifetime.

Even if she wouldn't be alive to see it.

"I'll try my best."

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"Well, I'm glad you had gotten over it."

The refreshing sight of Stellar Lionheart's noble visage plucked at the tendons around her cheeks as Rarity smiled proudly, pouring herself another cup of an exceptional latte. She had woken a little late today to the sound of the princess's voice booming through the microphone, though her eyes were still on the verge of closing, forcing her to turn to the only drink she had lazily brewed. It was in the kitchen where she stumbled upon the former butler and his friend, and soon enough came their conversation, from how their daily lives were to the most recent, the discussion of Rarity's recovery from the macabre disease of Palladium's Brink.

Too much steamed milk, she scowled at herself once the drink swirled across her tongue, her hoof meeting her face at the slightly bland drink that she have concocted. Exceptional my hoof, the fashion designer grumbled underneath her breath.

Her frustration went unnoticed by Spike, who had just entered the dining room and was seated next to her and savoring her creation, and Stellar and Caduceus. The two old colts chuckled once the dragon suddenly scrunched his face up, turning to the now sheepish Rarity whilst raising his cup as he questioned with a dry cough:

"What did you put in this?"

The fashion designer just let out a faltering laugh with a shrug, prompting Spike to roll his eyes and settle his cup down, all the while trying to bear through the (literally) bittersweet taste stirring in his mouth. The remaining two ponies, however, had luckily, already prepared their own distinctive teas, with Stellar's one being chamomile and Caduceus's jasmine.

"So I've heard the both of you were heading back to Pendant Lakes," Rarity began.

"Along with Jovern, yes," Stellar replied.

"I take it that you know of our reasons behind the journey?"

Both mare and dragon nodded, though Caduceus suddenly pushed out a sigh.

"Seems Janus still has his murderous habits, even without Harmony."

Rarity couldn't agree more. She thought that without Harmony, mistakenly thought to be the mastermind behind the cryptic murders last year, Janus wouldn't be so as daring (and, in her personal opinion, careless) as to strike again after such a devastating explosion, but yet he somehow did.

"I heard it was a teenage mare of your kin that discovered the body?" the doctor asked, to which she hesitantly nodded. Speaking of which, there had not been any news from the filly lately, making Rarity wonder if she had gotten over the traumatic experience, or was still affected by it. On second thought, a doctor's intuition might tell her...

"How soon would you expect her to recover?" she asked.

"Judging by the state of the body," Caduceus began slowly, his face turning a slight green at the recollection of the decapitated corpse that he was in charge of extorting evidence from.

"It would take a while, depending on how her emotions are processed. She must be willing to let out her pain, connect to other ponies more frequently than usual, help each other out. She being a teenager, however, complicates the process a little. You need somepony who really understands her. Somepony who knows what she has been through."

Rarity began to ponder. That checks the whole group of her friends out except for Rainbow Dash, but she had her pregnancy to deal with. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle would then be next on the list, but even they don't know what Scootaloo had been through. It would be virtually impossible for her to recover!

"Has she been through any sort of traumatic experience before this?" the doctor spoke up suddenly.

"Well... there was one..."

Spike's voice grew silent before he continued. He wouldn't have any knowledge of it beforehand, his marefriend figured, seeing how he and Twilight moved to Ponyville only on the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration: a long time after the said incident stirring in both their heads.

"It was her mother," Rarity continued for him, piquing the grim attention of both colts immediately.

"There was some sort of freak accident. Only a few ponies were present, especially Scootaloo, and the details were left unclear. I'm not entirely sure what happened myself."

"It's okay," came, surprisingly, Stellar's voice.

"This filly - Scootaloo, you called her - faced something this devastating before this. What happened yesterday might've only brought those fears back, and I have concerns that your friend still might not be safe as a result."

"You mean..." the dragon stuttered.

The jaws of Rarity and Spike dropped instantaneously and simultaneously at the conclusive nod of both Stellar and Caduceus. It was almost too shocking to be true, the thought that was running in their heads which the fashion designer soon voiced out to clarify:

"You're saying that Janus wanted Scootaloo to find the body? As if it was placed there on purpose for her and only for her to find?"

"I believe so," Stellar replied gravely, sipping on his already cold tea as the couple exchanged worried glances.

"Every criminal has their own modus operandi, or mode of operation. In Janus's case, he scars and breaks ponies he want, then reels them into his influence with threats. Then, he would use them against their own friends and family, and slowly work out from there."

There was truth in his words, Rarity surmised, and it was a disturbing truth indeed. Janus did take advantage by using Harmony's envy for Pinkie against herself. Pinkie also mentioned that Janus was the one that killed her parents as well as burn her home down. Also, from what they learned during their encounter with the Oracle, Fluttershy was broken by him as well: Janus was mentioned as killing her father that tore her mother apart and, in turn, her. When Twilight and the group cautiously revealed it to the butter pegasus herself, who at that time wasn't aware of the stallion's involvement in her family tragedy, she nearly snapped, calming down only when Big Mac took her to their secret hiding spot again, to which Rarity found it a little cute.

"But why Scootaloo?" Spike's question halted her wandering thoughts.

"None of us are sure, actually. We would've been glad to know the answer as well."

With a cough, Caduceus handed to them, much to their surprise (once again), a yellow file, the top patched with a variety of paper clips and the white frames of photos peeking out meekly. A giant, diagonal word was stamped upon its surface, telling them slightly of the contents that are within.

"These are the results we've obtained from the body, along with information about the evidence we've collected," the doctor explained.

"I believe the Captain of Her Majesty's Royal Guard was waiting for this?"

Spike gave a firm nod, eagerly receiving the portfolio from the doctor, though there was one other thought running in his head right now.

"When are you guys leaving?"

"In the evening," came Stellar's answer.

"We'll take a stop at Fenderville, then head back out to where Pendant Lakes would be by the next dawn."

"Well," Rarity began, rising from her seat while the rest consecutively did so. Both groups gave each other brief hugs, smiling warmly after their conversation. In their opinion, it was too short for a reunion, but it was the will of fate, for each of them had many more things to do.

"I bid you good luck on your journey," she continued, clinging onto Spike's arms.

"And same to you too, Miss Rarity," Stellar answered mischievously, his voice turning to a small whisper before continuing:

"With Spike, I mean."

The white mare laughed at his comment, despite her dragon/boyfriend rolling his eyes at it, thought both shared the same smiles and waves of farewell as the two colts headed down the hallway, beaming back before disappearing around a corner, their happy chat echoing into the distance. There was nothing that could split the bonds of two best friends, she surmised, the living proof of those words being those two colts, already ripe with age.

"Sometimes," Spike began with mock disappointment, still shaking his head with a mischief-filled smirk at Stellar's previous joke, much to Rarity's annoyance, "I don't understand the humor of common ponies. We dragons seem to have better taste in comedy than ponies, it seems. Come to think of it, it must be the reason why you love me..."

"Oh, please."

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"Saw that, Velvet?"

The gray colt nodded sternly, gazing through the pair of golden binoculars that he had reluctantly agreed to use after Phoenix insisted him to do so to the point of whining and staring into the foot of the mountains standing in their way from the plateau they were standing upon. Parish, being the shepherd of the pilgrimages, had told them about the path they were taking: the long march across the Perylliel Steppe, stopping for a night on the plains itself and at the border of the steppe, where the Giant's Cairn stood, to where they were heading into right now: the Solsenaar Underpass, where it will take another day to travel to the other side.

"This is going to be a hard one," Velvet muttered, and by 'this' he meant the latter of contraband guards standing at the entrance into the mountain. Standing on two legs, their white-furred arms dangerous with protruding fingernails and their fangs equally horrendous, were mountain trolls. Their arachnid eyes glanced around in the blinding light, stopping only to let out a few distressful howls at each other, shattering into the solace of the afternoon. From the tales that some pilgrims recounted, none had ever been fond of trolls, and the scriptures said that the alicorn Terra condemned them to the mountains when she laid her eyes on the miserable beast, which was good enough a permission to murder them from afar, that is, if they weren't in such a big group; he counted about a dozen of them.

Beside him stood Phoenix and Parish, the latter worried at the probable threats standing in their path. It seemed to them that the shepherd had never met a pint of danger in all these times as the leader of the pilgrimage, at least, judging from the arrows they've made which the trolls would probably nibble on for breakfast, none as serious as this. Heck, this made the wolves they had tamed looked like mere fleas in a circus troupe.

"Isn't there any alternate way around the underpass?" Velvet asked.

"A secret shortcut or something?"

"There is one way. The path cutting through the Solsenaar Cliffs," his friend answered.

"But it's too risky and too steep. If we're talking about the caravan alone, then I'll consider, but we're talking about bringing hundreds, maybe even a thousand pilgrims here. Somepony might just fall off the cliff and none of us would even notice."

"Plus," Parish added, "us pilgrims are not used to scaling rocks. The path will also take a longer time: about two nights, three nights tops, and there wouldn't be a suitable spot to camp for the night up there. Our Holy Mother preferred the choice of the caves, for it is the path where she took to seek enlightenment."

"Well, there must be some way to chase them off," the gray pony said.

"We can't just go up to them, get them into some singalongs, hold hooves and perform some native dance ritual or something, right?"

"Go up to them... perhaps we can...!"

Phoenix's face lit up the moment the gears clicked in his head, stamping his hooves onto the ground with the attainment of an idea. He turned to his friend, who stopped with his face paling and his eyes widening once he saw his smug grin, stepping backwards clumsily at the slightest idea of it.

"No! No, no, no, no-!"

"Come on, Velvet~!" Phoenix pleaded, his tail strapping around at his friend's hooves before Velvet could take off, leaving him to taste the insipid blades of grass when his face met the ground. Parish just watched in utter bewilderment and amusement at the two friends, one reeling back the other with his red tail.

"You were the ultimate prankster and trap master in school. Remember the mustard-pie bomb you set for Blisterhoof after he dunked Ollie in the lavatory during lunch? Or that bubblegum-perfume bottle that you rigged for Miss Tickwitty during history class? Damn, you never got caught at all!"

"That's because I'm a bookworm back then as well. Teachers don't expect bookish ponies like me to cause any trouble; the sort like you and Ollie would get into," he grumbled, telling off his friend.

"Plus, I don't think a mountain troll would know about how humiliating my pranking abilities were back in fourth grade compared to my techniques now."

"That's the best part! They wouldn't know what's gonna hit them!"

"Seriously? Are you trying to degrade my efforts as the group's assassin? I could just sneak on them and slit their throats with ease, and you insist that I use my harmless pranks against them. We don't even have the proper materials to start one-"

"HEY!!"

All three stallions yelped in surprise, falling backwards onto the grass at the pink mare popping up from in between them, wearing the largest grin that they had ever seen anypony do. Phoenix rolled his eyes once he realized who it was, helping his friend and Parish up on their hooves as he raised an eyebrow at the bubbly grin before him.

"For Celestia's sake, Pinkie, don't jump on us like that," he said complacently, earning a giggle from the mare.

"Parish could've gotten a heart attack!"

"Whatcha guys doing?" she asked with stark innocence.

"Just fixing up a plan. Come to think of it..."

Phoenix suddenly plopped Pinkie to his friend's side, the pink mare perplexed at his behavior once he did so. Velvet's eyes widened immediately once he realized what the stallion was trying to do, though the gray pony did not have the chance to speak up for himself:

"Try to come up with a suitable trap to hold back the trolls. Once you're ready, I'll send them to whatever you guys have prepared by the latest, tomorrow. Capiche?"

"Phoenix, don't leave me here-!"

Velvet's hoof met his forehead, groaning at the sight of his friend and Parish leaving him with the mare. He sometimes wondered how can Phoenix be the pony who has to direct everything in accordance to his ways. He doesn't mind Pinkie's company, really he doesn't, but he finds it a little... unappealing to work with her in stuff such as this. Brutus would usually be the one helping him, but even he has his limits: the minotaur was still asleep despite it being afternoon, worn out from all the moving that he had done last night back in the campsite.

Reluctantly, he turned to Pinkie, whom he could've sworn was fizzing with anticipation. With a sigh, he headed down towards the cliff, gazing at the crude expanse of nature all around, and by crude, he meant all this stuff unfit for the preparation of a good trap. He preferred mechanical clockworks and tinkering over rocks, trees and grass, and to have none of the former all over the steppe... there wasn't a trap worth building with all these lackluster environmental stuff around.

"So... now what?" Pinkie asked, making Velvet sigh. If only he was a unicorn and could teleport himself out of this mess...

"We'll have to figure something out," he answered, more to himself than to her.

"Trolls are easily agitated, so they would grow into a rampage if one of them gets shot, which would be Phoenix's job. My job is to impede them from chasing us and letting the pilgrims into the underpass, which would be achievable with the perfect trap."

"So we just use their weakness against them, right?" she asked.

"Just ward them off with something they really hate the most?"

It was common sense; one that he sometimes think she wouldn't have possessed, but Velvet gave a firm nod.

"Now," he began, glancing around the steppe.

"Trolls are susceptible to fire, so we need some sort of trap that could produce a powerful flame. Maybe something that can restrain them long enough for the pilgrims to head into the underpass, like kerosene. Got that, Pinkie? Pinkie?"

She's gone again. Oh, for Celestia's sake, his mind groused. Phoenix is going to have his head if that silly filly got herself into any trouble. He's already having a problem thinking up of a trap underneath their sometimes demanding leader's watch, and the last thing he needs is a distraction like her.

"Pinkie?" he called out breathlessly, glancing about for any bouncing, pink shapes in the horizon. It shouldn't be hard to spot, seeing how she would never stand still and camouflage in the monotonous backdrop of swaying grass with patches of faint shadows from the moving clouds overhead, unless, of course, he was that blind.

Where is she, he asked himself, his hoof shielding his eyes from the glaring sunlight with his pupils squinting into the distance. Turning around, he could see the caravan doing their own things: Ganger and Dapple having yet another small argument, Ollivander and Selena flying in the air with a few other pegasi, Brutus snoring soundly on a log and Phoenix himself cleaning the barrel of his rifle, already getting ready for their plan.

The rest of the pilgrims were doing their hobbies, from kite flying to chess playing, the usual on the list and, sadly, none of them topped on Pinkie's to-do list, at least to his extent of knowledge.

The squeal of a balloon (?) caught his attention almost immediately, turning to see Pinkie hopping back through the meadow from a glade of trees. Velvet sighed with relief at the sight, though another closer observation revealed that she was gripping a small stick in between her teeth.

"Um... Pinkie?" he began, unable to understand whatever the reason was about the stick. It was maroon, the bent surface cracked with its skin peeling off, revealing a lighter shade of wood underneath. The pink mare that took it seemed nearly ecstatic when she discovered it, as she was hopping happily on the spot, unable to suppress her excitement.

"What's with the stick?"

"It's a superdy-duperdy-dupey-dooey stick!" she screeched.

"Lookity-lookity!! It's like...... a magic wand..."

Velvet just stared in confusion at her excitement, though he never got the chance to speak; Pinkie had already zoomed towards a group of rocks, holding the stick up like a sharp blade. If a stick gathering this much attention from ponies is the norm, he wasn't sure if he would fit into this strange culture. First, sticks can become potential unicorns. What would be next? Broccoli sandwiches are the pastel food of the year? His stomach grew sick at the thought of that; he never did like the taste of broccoli.

Whatever magic a puny stick could possess, he just hoped it would help out with devising the perfect trap. Sure, he was slightly worried that Phoenix might use his rifle for something else more than their troll problem, but if it's thanks to Pinkie's strange sense of humor, he sometimes wished he-

Wait. Wait, wait, wait, his mind chanted. There was no way...

That stick. That one, single stick he was ranting about. Just caught on fire. Just... boom. Literally! One minute Pinkie was standing there, admiring the stick like some raving fan, the next minute, she struck it against the rocks, and the tip suddenly burst into flames!

"Pinkie..." he gasped out.

"How... how did you even...?"

"Told you it's a magic stick! A stick that catches on fire!"

A stick that catches on fire... Velvet's breath was whisked away at the sight of it. but there was a seed in his head, sprouting as he strained his mind. A stick that catches on fire... why does that sound so familiar...?

"Mulciber wood!" he exclaimed in the light of revelation. Of course! One of the few woods that could burst into flames when struck like a match! He knew that dusty book titled Nature's Strange Assortments or something along the lines of that would prove to be of some use! And what a use this would be...

There it was: the layout of a perfect plan formulated from top to bottom, all because of a match stick (no pun intended whatsoever)! He chuckled at the pink mare who found it; if it weren't for her inexhaustible vault of curiosity, they wouldn't have achieved the perfection they were at right now!

"Maybe I was wrong," a part of him told himself. "Maybe she could prove useful to some things after all..."

"Come on, Pinkie," he called to her, to which Pinkie yipped happily in response, bouncing to his side. The perfect plan, done by two of the unlikeliest ponies ever to work together... pure, coincidental irony. Brutus would be so jealous at her, he snickered at himself.

"We got some sticks to collect." Velvet continued, his lips curling into a crafty grin at the feeling of his prankster's predatory instinct tingling from the back to his head.

"And I know just what to do with them..."

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Night time. Worst time ever.

Twilight Sparkle could feel the weights of fatigue pulling her eyelids down, her bloodshot eyes busy scrolling through the incriminating wall of text written upon a tattered book, taken from a stack that she had collected. The wick of a melting candle was short, threatening her to plunge into darkness and impeding her progress as a result.

The Royal Library was huge. Humongous, to say the least, compared to her own back in Ponyville. Before she met her friends, she served Princess Celestia in another portion of the library, where the observatory was also located. There had been many other sections left undiscovered, especially the one that only her mentor herself had access to, and everypony else forbidden to enter, with strict punishments prepared if needed.

The immensely thick books she was reading was never uninteresting to her, but at the core of the night, even the craving for sleep could make the grandest of archives look like a step-by-step guide for insomniacs. The scrawls of sentences are ridiculously small, and sometimes she wondered if the writers ever actually used the quill of an eagle, or its talons.

"...and in instances of war," she muttered a few sentences aloud, accompanied by a yawn, "the alliance forged between Equestria's other nations would sometimes prove to be of great help, such as during the Period of Anarchy, where Equestria became the central venue of a brutal conflict between its neighbors: the dragons and the griffins. It was only when the Featherscale Treaty was signed, under the watch of Celestia and Luna, that the war ended with..."

The sound of clattering steel stopped her in her reading, the violet mare glancing up in surprise at the foreign noise. She slid off from her chair, rubbing her eyes and squinting into the distance.

"Hello?" she called out, trying to see beyond the field of light that the candle could produce. She was certain there was something - or somepony - lurking in the shadows. Maybe it was one of her friends, though she doubted they would stay up this late watching over her.

"Maybe it's just my imagination," she muttered, giving herself a shrug and heading back to the text.

"The war ended with reconciliation between the two nations, though Equestria's death toll at the time was nightmarish. That period was where many scholars and philosophers written about the importance of international relations and, as a result, paved way for the foundations of communications-"

Another sound. This time it was the unmistakable lurching of a table.

"H-hello...?" she called out again. She knew it wasn't her imagination this time. There was somepony lurking in the darkness, she was sure of it. Her horn lighting up to raise the candle, she glanced into the darkness, her wave of courage sapping out with every step further into the darkness, ready to face whatever creature that lurks within.

"Ah... mademoiselle..."

Twilight gasped quietly at that voice, halting her in her tracks and nearly dropping the candle. She turned around twice, unsure whether to understand or fear of the cunningly stylish and slightly mysterious voice in the dark. Her only source of light started to flicker at some invisible current, though luckily for her, the flame never snuffed out. Yet.

"I see you have a zertain... deprivation," the voice continued. Despite the fact that he sounded slightly French (and it was a 'he', judging from the masculine voice) and that he possessed some sort of slick flair, the fears she was trying to hide started to ebb away, though uncertainty was quick to take its place.

"I'm just studying for the Princess," she answered back, trying to sound brave despite her quivering hooves.

"Helping her out in all the chaos, that kind of thing. I'm her student, Twili-"

"Twilight Sparkle, yes. Zey always talk about it, and zey said many s'ings about you. Element of Magic and all..."

Another shuffling sound echoed through the dark hallways, prompting her to turn to the twisting labyrinth of bookshelves. Twilight raised her candle towards it, narrowing her eyes into the obscurity of black before her.

"Z'peaking of chaos, I've heard rumors that you were acquainted wis zer filly who discovered the body?"

"Y-yeah," she began sheepishly, smoothing her frazzled mane. She figured everypony in Canterlot would know that Scootaloo was her so-called 'friend' from Ponyville, and never bothered to understand behind the scenes of her solemnity with the filly. So far, Scootaloo had never bothered to converse with her yet, only sticking to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and, being the jackpot, Rainbow Dash, for striking up a small conversation.

"Wh-who are you exactly...you seemed a little concerned about her...?"

"Ah, but it iz I...!"

Stepping out from the shadows and into the dim candlelight was a caped pony, covered in garments of black with his wings (and probably the rest of his body, Twilight concluded) a bright scarlet. His mask was similar to the one Rarity created when they played as Mare-Do-Well, though this one looks more like one straight out from a Maredi Gras Festival. It glittered slightly despite the dim light, with only his mouth not covered by the antiquity of his mask.

Twilight's face paled distinctively once she realized who it was. This was a sort of Mare-Do-Well, alright; from his costume down to the very source of what she thought it might be his profession. The master of stealth with the quickest of hooves, some called him, though the whole of Canterlot and her bunch of friends knew him by a familiar, more catchier name:

The Masque Of Canterlot...

"Guards!" she screamed at the top of voice. Had it not been for the masked pony clamping her mouth shut at the last minute, he would've been caught!

Twilight squirmed and wriggled, finally freeing her mouth only when he released his firm grip onto it. She stepped back away quickly, holding the only thing she could find: a book, in a manner of self defense, waving it taut with intent when the shady figure stepped forward. "Stay back!" she demanded.

"Fear not, Miss Sparkle, for I am not here to hurt you."

The masked pony suddenly darted forward, turning into a blur before popping back at the same place again. It was only when Twilight realized what he had snatched away: the book that she was using against him, to which she quickly responded with a fearful gasp once he stepped closer and closer.

She cringed on the spot, cowering behind the seat with her eyes closed, preparing for whatever the inevitable consequences that fate has in store for her. Every muffled hoofstep only fueled to her dread, and when it finally stopped and the volcano of her trepidation was at the brink, she couldn't believe what her gift from this rebel was.

A scarlet rose.

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, unable to perceive what just happened. The Masque had a chance to rob her and carry out successful heists in the palace, but yet instead he gave her... a token of appreciation? A mark of gratitude? Whichever the case, the bookish mare preferred having a rose instead of being banished to the moon.

"Advice for handling the filly before I leave," he suddenly spoke, catching Twilight's attention immediately. Did he say filly? As in, Scootaloo herself? If only she could think straight from her sleep...

"Administer a bond between her. A connection that you and her would probably share."

Before Twilight could voice out her surprise at his visit, or her thankfulness at receiving the red rose, the pony soon jumped back into the darkness, the fog of black shielding him from her slightly hazy vision and leaving the lavender mare to just blink her eyes. Did that just happen, she asked herself. Was that just her mind playing tricks?

The scarlet rose was still in her hooves; being the uppermost proof that the visit wasn't an imagination. Despite her fatigue, she knew it was too vivid an event to be false, especially when it involves the second most wanted pony on the Canterlot valley. There would be nothing as shocking as that,.

Strange, she surmised, gazing back at the rose. Instead of stealing something, like she thought he would, he instead gave some advice, and might be a profitable advice considering that it was about handling teenagers. Without a moment ado, she continued her secret reading session, gazing back down at the walls of text before her, though her mind was so preoccupied with the fact of the Masque being such a Good Samareitan suddenly, that her hoof slipped clumsily onto the wick of the candle whilst she read the scriptures, dousing the flames and plunging her into the library's abyssal darkness.

"Oh, for Celestia's sake."

The Solsenaar Ambuscade

"Darn it."

"Darn it is right, my friend," Caduceus replied, gulping down the remainder of his orange juice in the vineyard of his friend's mansion, the chirping of northern bluejays (he had studied about bird sounds during his afternoon breaks back in Canterlot) filling the air with the trickling of water from a stone cornucopia poured by a granite pony standing in a fixed position upon a chipped, marble base.

Stellar sat across him on a mirroring, white iron chair, having just finished rummaging through the various stockpile of goods they had brought from Canterlot, only to discover that he had left behind a few satchels of food packed just in case they were forced to lengthen their stay in the ruins of Pendant Lakes. He was left grimly cursing at his forgetfulness, pounding his head onto the table with cold hatred at himself.

"You're lucky I found out about it last night," his friend said suddenly.

"Jovern left for the market to gather back some of the food, along with a few supplies for defense, just in case."

"You send a giant dragon to do a mere errand such as that?" he said with mocking disbelief.

"Of all the uses that Jovern could do, you want him to go do a little shopping?"

"It's not my fault if he volunteered himself, Stellar."

Caduceus poured himself another vintage bottle of wine (est. 792) that he had obtained from the estate's wine cellar. The embroidered words of Palgiot's Finest, along with a familiar name etched in the center: Pendulum, was a refreshing sight to both their eyes, reminding them of the still-thriving company now under the supervision of some Canterlot firm. There was something lackluster in the new wines they were dishing out; maybe it was the ardor and devotion that the original family would place, or it might be the innovation that they could muster. Nevertheless, at least they kept the old recipes intact; without them, both colts believed that Palgiot's Finest would fall into bankruptcy.

"Plus," the doctor added, "he left when you were still sleeping. I had things to check up on and you were a little drunk last night. Which reminds me... how are you today...?"

His friend just groaned in response, earning an amused chuckle from the doctor. Stellar could feel his head pounding like a jackhammer had drilled into it, giving Caduceus a grudging look for laughing at his slight hangover.

"At least just feel fortunate that you didn't rip anything in your house," his friend continued, sipping on his exquisite drink in his hooves.

He felt fortunate alright. The mansion was still undergoing renovation, which halted once he left town, spurred on by another craving of adventure, excitement and danger. Excluding the bedrooms, kitchen, lavatories and the hallways connecting them, most of the rooms had walls shaven from musty wallpaper and being repainted. The windows just had been freed of the planks that once boarded them up, the garden had recently been trimmed to cleanliness and the stone letters disclosing the name of its previous inhabitants: the Telrouix family, was chiseled away, leaving behind only an incomplete stone plaque.

The sound of construction immediately took off after far too long, upon hearing of its current inhabitant finally returning from his journey. Already the abandoned scaffolding was now filled with ponies, diligently trying to patch up the once-grand estate. What was supposed to be the coniferous smell of northern air (still way better than the stuffiness of Canterlot) was filled with sawdust and sandpaper, though Stellar, despite his current frustrations with his headache, decided it was still tolerable.

"Fine place you would be living in," the doctor remarked, having spotted his friend gazing at the architecture. Stellar just nodded, slouching back into his chair with a quiet sigh. He closed his eyes, breathing in the mixed scent of pine and construction, trying to calm his mind and ready himself for whatever danger he might be facing soon.

"So, Stellar..." Caduceus began again, though there was hint of uncertainty this time, piquing his friend's attention to its peak.

"Have you ever considered it?"

"Considered what?"

"You know... retirement?"

Retirement. The word struck him like a razor sinking into his heart: painful and slow. His face paled as if his veins were constricting at the sheer horror of it. There was nothing to look for in there; it was just an empty avenue of shopfronts decorated for display, but at the end of the journey, there would be nothing to look forward to but days of loneliness; of boredom, until a pony's life be severed by the scythe of Death.

"I myself don't believe my body is fit for retirement," he admitted, though he wasn't sure if it was exactly true. He felt a small ounce of vigor had left him; a strength that he had once possessed shattered past its prime.

"I believe this colt is still ready for another bloody adventure. Maybe a dozen more."

"Fruits ripen with time, Stellar. Too long the time, and they would spoil."

Caduceus placed his wine glass aside, a little reproached at his pointless persistence. Every pony (excluding alicorns) ages, and there would come a time where looking at sunrises and sunsets from beneath the shadow of a grand building, such as the one they were sitting next to right now, would become a common routine.

"We're almost seventy, Stellar. I planned to have a long rest after all this is over. I can't guarantee myself into going on another adventure with you, my friend."

"I'm afraid I see naught in retirement," his friend commented, furrowing his eyebrows.

"There's more to expect and see in this world. I've encountered the strangest sights that not even our imaginations could muster upon travelling past the border. Don't you want to see as well?"

"I'm afraid I have to decline, my friend."

The doctor let out a sad sigh, placing a hoof on his friend's shoulder as he said:

"We've been going on adventures ever since we were fourteen, back when Persimmon and Sidus was still around. Fourteen... that's almost six decades ago. One would get tired after going so much adventures, the same way that one would after doing so much work, and I have to admit myself, all this adventuring is starting to get to my head."

Before Stellar could respond, there came a triumvirate of voices, followed by a certain thumping of large hooves- no... claws. Both colts' heads turned, smiling when they saw the erudite, scaly face of Jovern, gazing down at two familiar ponies trotting beside him, who gave them a wave once they spotted the two old friends.

"Tourist! Penny!" the former butler exclaimed first, beckoning both husband and wife to the remainder two seats. Caduceus beamed, rising up and giving the lime-green mare a hug. Her hotel tycoon of a husband smiled widely, shaking each of their hooves before settling down onto the chair, his wings ruffling a little for comfort as he began to speak:

"It's great to see you again. And of course Caduceus as well."

"The same to both of you," Caduceus replied warmly.

"A little wine, perhaps?"

Tourist and Penny nodded simultaneously, almost immediately receiving their respective glasses. It had been a long time since they last saw the tycoon and his wife, whom Stellar had acquainted with during his stay in Fenderville. He had seen their names in the newspapers lately however; about how his hotel chain, Paddock Palatial's, had won some dastardly Canterlot-esque award and about how they've finished what Stellar had started: rebuilding the derelict restaurant of Canopy Oaks.

"How's business these days?" Stellar asked.

"Smoother than ever, I presume?"

"No rough patches yet, so we're fine with that. Can't say the same for Jovern at the market just now..."

"It's not entirely my fault if they were afraid of me," the dragon replied gruffly, rolling his eyes at the four ponies laughing at him. His tongue slithered out from his mouth in displeasure, as if blowing a raspberry at them.

"Always with the judgmental behaviors, you ponies. One glimpse of little old me and you can send thousands of them scurry off a cliff just by showing your teeth."

"You're anything but little, Jovern. At least, in Equestrian terms," Caduceus remarked, patting the dragon on his scaly legs. Jovern merely grunted, lying down on the grass meadow and blowing out a puff of smoke. He placed a sack to his side, which Stellar could see was filled with an assortment of food, along with equipment they might need for their journey.

"After all, you'll have to get used to ponies not being warm to dragons most of the time. You know how ponies are, being insecure and all about their safety."

"So should I apologize on behalf of ponykind then, if it can make you feel better?"

Penny's crafty reply made the rest of them chuckle, though it quickly subsided once their thirst for wine crept back into their heads, their tongues immediately meeting the sensual bliss that only a bottle of Palgiot wine can provide.

"Jovern mentioned the reasons of your arrival here," the mare continued, turning to Stellar.

"Something about returning up north?"

"To Pendant Lakes, yes," the colt replied softly.

"Well, you have to be careful," Tourist began, shuffling to the edge of the seat.

"Rumor has it that there's still magic stirring in there, like some dark necromancy waiting for any unlucky pony to step into the ruins. I'd be extremely careful if I were you; Equestria isn't the same as it was these days."

"We'll take that into consideration," Stellar replied, Caduceus nodding in grim agreement as well.

Equestria isn't the same these days... there had never been more truer words that he had heard in his lifetime. The wistful harmony that had lasted throughout these years was warping, contorting into a malcontent atmosphere of fear that gouged its claws into the hearts of Equestria's inhabitants. He had heard himself from Stencil, the last mayor of Pendant Lakes, that curfews are already being ordered in Fillydelphia after the bomb threats; the same goes for Las Pegasus and Manehatten as well. Fear changes ponies, he surmised, and Janus knows how to manipulate that into his favor.

"Perhaps we have to rely a little on luck as well," he admitted, never being a fond believer of blessings.

"Then I propose a toast!"

Tourist stood up, his hooves pushing the iron chair back with a loud screech. His wife soon followed suit, then Caduceus and Stellar themselves. All of them raised their wine glasses, which met in the middle with a loud clink, the wine inside slopping along the glass walls of its bowels.

"To Stellar and Caduceus, the honorary folks of Pendant Lakes. May it be that their return be swift, as well as their journey be steady, safe and, in the end, bountiful. May their finds, if any, fortify the walls of Equestria and the hearts of it's ponies, and stabilize the harmony that flourishes within."

"Cheers," they all said simultaneously, under the keen eye of Jovern as they guzzled their drinks. Stellar glanced at each of his friends, smiling softly in the warmth of friendship in the afternoon.

"And cheers," he muttered under his breath, out of earshot even from his best friend.

"To the glory of Pendant Lakes."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Ya don't have to gobble everythin' up, Kane."

"You don't have to be the best baker of apple pie I ever met," the dragon replied with a grin. his giant claw like a cleaver slicing into the crust of the exquisite pie on the long table prepared solely by none other than Applejack herself. If anything, the succulent taste of apples was one that the dragon had sorely missed ever since he flew out the borders of Equestria. The orange mare herself had insisted upon making one for him, and the sight of her blushing at his compliment only made him wonder if she did it just so that he could say that.

"Though you are, of course, the only baker of apple pie I've ever met," he continued.

"Not to mention being the only one I fell in love with."

"Aw shucks..."

"He's not the only dragon who likes your apple pies," Spike piped in, tossing a slice up into the air with his tail, much to Rarity's disapproval when he catches it with his mouth, munching and shredding it with crumbs flying out from the edges of his cheeks. The rest of them chuckled at his antics, except for his marefriend, who hesitantly raised a lace napkin and started dabbing the side of his lips.

The two couples were not the only ones present in the royal dining room (which Kane had a little trouble squeezing in); there was Fluttershy with Big Macintosh, and Rainbow with Soarin', all helping themselves to their friend's creation. Along with them were Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, who were, once again, busy chattering among themselves. The only pony missing was Twilight, whom they reckoned had overslept due to another relentless search through the library, probably to hasten her findings about Janus, and Scootaloo, which neither knew where she was.

"Open wide," Fluttershy cooed with a smile at her daughter, the baby complying happily, her hooves flailing about the tram for the arriving spoon of apple pie, minced into the perfect size for the baby. Amber Rose, once gripping on the spoon with her newly-grown teeth, quickly guzzled the food down before resuming her squeaks of delight.

"Good girl, Amber!" her mother said with a chuckle, "Good girl!"

"She's so cute~!" Apple Bloom squealed like a fangirl, making smooching sounds at her niece, which giggled happily at the sight of her teenage aunt. Sweetie Belle soon joined along, trying their best to entertain the baby in as many ways as possible.

Rainbow Dash sighed at the prospect of such a warm sight, and Rarity could understand why; it was every mother-to-be's dream of having a foal, and despite what some ponies said about its troubles that came long with it, it was an unforgettable experience (and a difficult one, no doubt) to raise a child of your own.

"Just adorable," was what the cyan mare's Wonderbolt husband muttered dreamily, gazing down at the filly. It wasn't long before Fluttershy cradled her daughter in her hooves, rocking her slowly to sleep while softly humming a small, sweet lullaby, soothing the ears of even her friends.

"And beautiful too," Sweetie Belle added, watching as Amber Rose started to curl up in her mother's hooves, drifting off into another afternoon nap. Of course, Fluttershy and Big Macintosh each smiled at the compliments, with the former now tucking the baby back into her tram.

"Is it hard taking care of her?" the teenage minstrel asked.

"A little," both husband and wife said simultaneously, before giving a brief glance of surprise at each other with wide eyes and turning away almost immediately, their cheeks turning red.

Rarity's smile grew wider at that point. Even when they were married, they still were bashful about each other. Despite Applejack complaining of them acting as if they had just met, Rarity, however, found it a little too cute to bear every time she saw them like this, sometimes even giggling softly at the tenderness of the couple.

"Oh... but it's not too hard, really..." Fluttershy added. It seemed like a lie, but they all know how good their butter-colored friend was at taking care of anything, and with each passing day, those words seem to grow truer; she has possessed more patience and dexterity on taking care of her daughter, which lifted a small load from her husband's shoulders, who had been tending carefully to Amber Rose while she paid a few visits to the psychiatrist.

Spike wasn't a keen believer of her words, it seems, judging from the small, skeptical frown that the white mare could see forming at the side of his face. Of course parenthood is hard, she could imagine him saying defiantly. There isn't any sort of reference guide for it! You'll have to use your instincts!

Speaking of motherhood - she turned back to the dragon - she had read up on dragon/pony relationships, to which she was sure Spike had no doubt read about as well. Such relationships were rare in the past, and there were accounts of stallions and mares having dragons as their spouses in the past, though all were the size of Kane, sometimes making her wonder if her dragon and herself could somehow... conceive a child.

The myths of having a dragon as your coltfriend was bountiful as well as its gossip over it. Some ponies claimed the relationship can damage your health, though Rarity could only scoff at those words. Some even said that a dragon would lose what their kind called honor if they fell in love with a pony, and yet again Rarity just brushed it off.

Her thoughts headed back to conceiving a child. If they ever somehow had a baby of their own, she knew they would have to be married at some point in their lives. She wasn't keen on Spike's thoughts about marriage, seeing how laid back and frank he was with things. There were times that she figured he was trying to bring up, but the dragon immediately swept it aside before he even started to speak.

The door opened suddenly, and instead of Twilight stepping in, as they were all expecting, it was her brother instead. His flustered looks and tangled mane could almost rival that of his bookish sibling herself, and sometimes they could only wonder if their whole family inherited this trait.

"She's coming soon, she's coming soon..." he muttered those words like some sort of chant, his horn glowing a pale rose and guiding a small comb towards his mane, brushing it hastily.

"Who's coming?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Cadance, of course!" was his ludicrously loud response.

Of course, Rarity thought to herself. The princess's return from the Crystal Empire. Twilight had mentioned about it on the train journey here, and about how she was eager to meet her son-in-law: Radiance, if she could recall his name correctly. A six year old unicorn that inherited the looks of his father and the purple eyes of his mother.

Her train of thought was interrupted by Shining Armor's blatant yelp, having glanced at his reflection in a nearby mirror. She snickered underneath her breath: even the Captain of the Princess's Royal Guard panics at his wife's return.

"I look ridiculous!" he exclaimed.

"Ya don't say," Applejack chided with a smug grin, with Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo giggling along.

"Just try to look your best," Spike said, watching as he struggled to button his uniform.

"I'm sure she doesn't mind how you look. She just wants you to be there for her."

Rarity shook her head at his words, her hoof meeting her face almost immediately. Now this was why she was a little reluctant to talk to Spike about marriage.

"It's been two months!" Shining shot back, almost as if enraged by the dragon's comment.

"She's my wife, for Celestia's sake! What about our son? Meeting him after two. Whole. Months? I don't want to give him the first impression that his father's some total workaholic!"

"Well... you can't really do anything about it," Rainbow piped in with a snicker.

"You belong in a family of workaholics, after all."

"Eeyup," Big Mac added.

There came the laughs of everypony else, except Shining himself, of course, who Rarity thought would've exploded at the comment. Instead, he sighed with humiliation; apparently, even he sees his family, especially his sister, as work obsessive-compulsive ponies.

As if on cue, the door soon opened again, with a frazzled, worn-out Twilight stepping in, her mane almost as if tossed in the same whirlwind as her brother had been through. Rubbing her eyes sleepily, she let out a languid yawn, her half-lidded eyes narrowing slowly as she scanned around the room. Her brother rushed out of the door suddenly, almost jolting her senses awake once he zoomed past her.

"Morning, Twi," Applejack called first, pushing out a chair.

"Saved ya a seat."

"Th-thanks," the violet mare muttered sleepily, slowly settling down. Her hoof clumsily reached around the table, eventually finding a mug of water, to which she accepted eagerly. Taking a small sip that ignited a small flicker of her lackluster energy, Twilight glanced at all the amused expressions around the room, her foggy head mustering up its strength to deduce them.

"What did I miss?" she asked, to which Spike responded sarcastically:

"Oh, not much. Not much at all."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"And you're certain of it?"

"I'm afraid so, my Princess," came the cultured voice of none other than Fancypants himself. Being heralded as the most important pony of Canterlot, with a loyal entourage and his influence on the Canterlot society second to only the ministers and princesses themselves, it wouldn't be a surprise when Princess Celestia gave him support of him handling the monetary reins for his newest project: an archaeological dig in Saddle Arabia.

It was the other day, starting out ordinary and fresh, when he received a letter from one of his colleagues about an excavation; one that would shake the very foundations of science in Equestria, or so the letter had phrased it. Rounding up his expenses, he soon placed his investments onto the table as one of the sponsors for the archaeologist-in-charge, whom they said was a renowned professor in his field.

Then something happened. Something severed the connection between him and the professor, halting both the news of any breakthroughs in the excavation and the funds that were being sent to them. Whatever it was, Fancypants soon found out that he wasn't the only one going through this predicament: the rest of the sponsors had been excluded from the excavation as well, with the exception of one. It had been slightly shocking to him, and as soon as he got the news, he rushed out to the palace, forgetting his antique monocle on his study table to visit the two other ponies interested in this discovery.

The two leaders of Canterlot were astonished, to say the least, about them being removed from the equation. Neither could fathom why the professor (which they assumed was smart enough to know) would cut off the single, most profitable trade from the list. Not to mention the most important.

"My associates told me that the money from this single pony was more than the rest of us combined, even from the contributions of the Canterlot Ministry," the stallion continued.

"That's impossible," Princess Luna proclaimed.

"Not a single pony possesses the authoritative power that the Canterlot Ministry and us could give. I'm sure the professor would know that."

"Also, we have ties with Saddle Arabia," her elder sister continued.

"We have to oversee projects and especially excavations that are based in another nation, and we have the command to legalize it providing that we are to know of any breakthroughs in the excavation itself. Any projects away from the eyes of the ministry in other nations is deemed illegal, and Saddle Arabia has the right to detain him and confiscate all his findings."

Her last sentence rang true a few times before: there was one time where three ponies were planning a massive landscaping project that could've shaped the Eastern Mountains, which was past the border of the minotaur kingdom. Of course, the authorities there had every right to arrest them, the landscaping project was torn down and the princess had never heard from those three ponies again.

If what Fancypants said was true, that would mean that the excavation had every right to be forbidden by the Saddle Arabian government. The professor would be detained and exiled, at least, and be sent back to Canterlot, where she would've wanted him to explain himself.

"We'll have to notify Saddle Arabia about this," she muttered before turning to one of her guards.

"Tell the ministry to inform the Saddle Arabian government of the changes immediately."

With a salute, the guard galloped off, leaving Fancypants and the two princesses to ponder at the situation. It was a little mysterious, these transpiring turn of events, Princess Celestia surmised. First was the bombing of the Rembury, then the sadistic slaughter of a pony in the alleyways, and now this. She sometimes couldn't help but wonder at the last one; is it the same culprit? The one they call Janus?

She'd understand why he would cause a bombing, or even a murder a pony, but to express his interest in an archaeological excavation? It just doesn't sound like something a crazed, demented mastermind hell-bent on tearing Canterlot down would do. Then again, Janus has his devious tricks.

"As of now," she continued, "we could only hope that the authorities over there are doing their job, and that the professor -- what was his name again?"

"Page. Tattertale Adolphus Page."

"That Professor Page, would have a viable reason to exclude us from his excavation."

Resting her head on a small pillow, her head listed through the many possible things that Janus could profit from an archaeological dig. What would a top mastermind and a bunch of centuries-old ruins have it common, the alabaster mare asked herself. If only there would be a simple answer for that question...

The door creaked open suddenly, and in came a duo - one familiar and one not-so-familiar - of ponies. Their obvious height difference wasn't as surprising as their visit, despite the two alicorns having been notified of her return. The taller one was a mare; a pink alicorn, just like them. The other had his blue/cyan-streaked mane waxen and brushed with a gleam, his purple eyes marveling at the grandeur scale of architecture that the palace possessed, and him donning an elegant, red suit that declares his position. Unlike the older mare beside him (who was his mother) he was a unicorn, ripe at the age of six.

"But Mommy," he whined. Radiance, if Princess Celestia could recall his name correctly.

"You said we will be visiting the Crystal Fair this year!"

"Sometimes, there are things you just have to miss," his mother, Princess Cadance, replied, stopping briefly only to give a wave at the other two alicorns seated on their respective thrones.

"Plus, I heard Daddy's a little eager to meet you, and you still haven't met your aunt yet. Aunt Twilight, remember?"

"My Princess," Fancypants cut in with a bow before Radiance could continue his complaints.

"It's an honor to see you in Canterlot once again."

"The honor is mine," she replied with a smile, turning to her aunts.

"And it's also a pleasure to see you again, Aunt Celestia and Aunt Luna."

"The same to you," the older of the sister replied.

How long has it been since she had seen her niece, Celestia wondered. Two months, if she could recall correctly? Nevertheless, the sight of the third and young alicorn was refreshing to her and Luna's eyes, and she could imagine Shining Armor and Twilight, her faithful student, wanting to know about her and, of course, her son's experiences there.

"So how's the Crystal Empire?" she asked. She and Luna had never placed a hoof into the fabled place ever since King Sombra rose to power and took over the Empire as his own all those centuries ago. Even now, she hoped that she could relieve from her duties as Princess for a moment just to pay a visit to the empire; a gem standing in the middle of the freezing Arctic North, or northwest, to be more accurate.

"It's fine, even in my absence," Princess Cadance answered, puffing her chest proudly.

"I wish I could say the same for Canterlot, however."

Despite being situated in the remote north, the ponies living there were no strangers to the chaos brewing around all four corners of Equestria, Celestia herself even made preparations for an evacuation to the Crystal Empire just in case times are extremely dire. She just hoped that Cadance is ready to play her part as the princess there; a leader needs to know how to protect her own subjects, after all.

"It doesn't matter now," Princess Luna began with a dismissive wave.

"What matters is that you and Radiance are here, and that you're both safe."

"Mom~!" Radiance started whining, tugging insistently at his mother's hoof. The older ponies could only chuckle at him as he shirked behind Cadance's wings, slightly humiliated by his outburst.

His mother let out a small sigh, smiling back at the colt. Leaning against his ear, she whispered softly and inaudibly in his ear, which shot up rigidly once she finished. In no time at all, the colt suddenly galloped towards the corridors, his purple eyes sparkling like Luna's astral mane whilst he starts making gurgling and rumbling noises reminiscent of an engine. The remainder of ponies just stared in surprise at his actions, blankly turning to his mother.

"Told him that Shining's in the dining room," Cadance admitted sheepishly.

"Never thought he would get so excited on seeing his dad again."

"Well, that was slightly interesting," Princess Celestia replied, wearing a smug grin.

"I'm pretty sure that you have never done that in your entire life. He must've somehow inherited it from at least one of his parents now, wouldn't he? Maybe that's why Shining's your husband."

Her two aunts chuckled warmly as the pink alicorn started to blush, before she began trotting towards the corridor that her son had just zoomed into.

"Well, gotta go after him," she said.

"Don't want him breaking any of the vases now, would we?"

Another chuckle, before Princess Cadance quickly went after her son, leaving her aunts to gaze warmly at the motherly bond of their niece. Princess Celestia then turned to Fancypants, who had maintained an incredible amount of silent patience (she cursed herself for letting his presence slip from her head) out of respect for their small reunion, wearing a smile, to which he gave one in return.

"Is there anything else you would like to say, my faithful subject?" she asked. He could've excused himself during their small conversation, yet he chose to stay, and she could only think of one purpose for that.

"Not much," he replied.

"Just that I'm keen to offer my aid in observing Professor Page's movements, if it's alright. I will report to your Highnesses once I received any news from him."

"Of course you can," Princess Celestia replied. Despite being the home to some of the most powerful and influential ponies of the country, many ponies living here never had the heart to contribute their services to the nation, especially in these dire, dark times.

Fancypants was one of the modest few, that she knew, no matter how complicated the situation was, was always willing to aid anypony in their troubles and, seeing how he important he was in the Canterlot high-life, he was somepony worthy to have his position, and no doubt her sister and herself would turn to him for any help.

And she needs all the help she can get.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Everything ready?"

The small radio around his hoof crackled slightly as Phoenix trudged up the hill, gazing down at the parting rocks leading down into the underpass, cocking his rifle up onto his shoulder. The potential targets strolling around the field were still unaware of his and his band's presence, and they had worked all night concocting the brilliant plan to scatter them astray. All he had to do was set off the first trigger, and he had to do that at the perfect time.

Patience. That's all he required to wait for Velvet's reply from the radio. He slid his hoof back on the grass, his rifle like a spear aiming onward at the mountain trolls wandering around in some sort of convention: the hunter working stealthily in the bright of the afternoon.

"Come on, Velvet..." he muttered. The timing is impeccable, and the sooner, the better.

"We're all set."

His friend's crackling voice through the speakers was enough of a permission, he surmised. Narrowing his eyes and leveling his head to the scope of his rifle, Phoenix held his shivering breath as he slowly scanned the scene below him, his scope pinpointing towards a desirable yet unlikely target: the rock face of the cliff.

First shot. A warning shot, to stir up the chaos between the trolls. His hoof laid still, quivering just above the metal surface of the trigger, before plunging it straight inwards.

*BANG*

The echoing sound of the gunshot rang in his ears, the stallion that fired it almost cursing himself for not bringing earmuffs to muffle such a deafening noise. However, his efforts proved fruitful; the howling and bellowing of the monsters soon filled the air, with many already beginning to scurry off into the woods or nearby jungles.

Now, to deal with the more stubborn ones: the second warning shot. The death of one of their kin. Phoenix leveled the target to one of the trolls, glancing around in surprise at the cacophony happening around him.

"You're a lucky guy," the turquoise stallion muttered softly.

*BANG*

Two shots of lead into the head, and the troll fell onto the ground. Its friends soon perked up angrily, jumping and roaring in disbelief at the loss of their own, glancing around for the possible assassin that took him away from them.

Phoenix smiled at the crazed, enraged howls. Surprise attack: accomplished. Now - he clenched his hooves in uncertainty - for the harder part of his role...

"Hey!! Over here, you dingleheads!!"

Of course, the shout gained the attention of the remaining trolls, growling at the sight of such a defiant and daring pony stepping in their midst. The gun he was swinging about his flailing hooves fueled the fire of their anger, which started to raze through their senses once they established the connection between it and their dead friend.

Sure enough, as Velvet and he himself had predicted, Phoenix watched as the whole gang of trolls let out a volley of roars, clumsily rampaging through the green plains and towards the stallion with their horrendous claws sharp and wide, almost as if to pounce onto him. He would've ran away as well, but his friend mentioned that timing must be adequate for the trap to function.

Almost there, he muttered softly in his head. Almost there...

The trolls stumbled up the rocks, their deranged monstrosity of their visage growing ever clearer. Their black, beady eyes seemed as empty as their hearts, and their claws had been sprung towards the stallion, ready to sink in deep into his flesh. Every slow, languid second of time that passes, the trolls get one feet closer, and he wouldn't want to know how he would be torn apart by these creatures.

"Come on, come on, come on..." he mumbled his thoughts aloud, his hoof shivering with the need to run and his forehead damp with nervous beads of sweat.

Time's up.

Like a bullet, Phoenix soon sped off across the steppe, the group of rampaging trolls following closely behind as he galloped across the fields of green, swerving and turning only to narrowly avoid a few rocks. He hastily gazed into the horizon, smiling only when the silhouette of Velvetine Willows came into view.

"Come on, Finn!" his friend called, urging for a boost in speed. Phoenix gave it with ease; soon enough his dexterous tail burst in flames, his hooves reaching closer to the brink of fatigue as he got nearer and nearer to the safer region of the steppe.

"NOW!!"

As soon as Phoenix stormed to his friend's side, the rest of the caravan, clenching a taut, sturdy rope in between their teeth, gave it a powerful tug; in response, a large rack of sticks sprung up from the confines of the soil, the dirt shaken off by such a violent move. The prisoners within howled in displeasure, ready to barge out of the cage, but Velvet had other ideas.

"Phoenix, quick," he beckoned his panting friend.

"Light it up!"

With a flick of his tail, the wooden bars of the cage soon flickered, and sure enough, the raging snake of embers soon coiled up the rack, entwining them in an inferno of devastation, almost as if cooking its frantic prisoners from within. The trolls roared fearfully at the burning fences walling up all four sides, completely helpless in the presence of their worst fears.

"Everypony move!" Phoenix shouted his order, signalling the pilgrims from behind the rocks with Parish leading them onward. They ran across the steppe, with some of them even tripping over the green, sparing no time for any of the trolls to escape.

"Here!" Velvet said, tossing sticks from a bundle of them in his hooves to each of the caravan members.

"This should keep the fire going!"

The ponies, gryphon and minotaur soon nodded, now poking the combustible piece of wood into the cage. Phoenix himself swung it warily around like a blade, as if daring for the trolls to come closer, all the while allowing passage for the pilgrims snaking their way across the plains and into the underpass.

Then he heard it. Something amid the crackling of flames and the shouting of trolls. Something behind the loud cries of each of the caravan members and the quick hoofsteps of the pilgrims. It was the whirring of clockwork, accompanied with the loud rumble of an engine, no doubt a powerful one. It seemed to be getting louder and louder...

Phoenix immediately turned to the air, stopping his breath in surprise once he saw the unmistakable shapes of what seemed to be a fleet of pegasi hovering directly towards them. A squint of his eyes showed more of what seemed to be a belt around each of their waists, but he never exactly knew what it was for until one of the pegasi turned it around, revealing, to his horror, a machine gun.

"Get back," he said once the rest of the caravan noticed them as well. With guns ever ready, the fleet swooped down suddenly, their manes fluttering in the wind as their hoof laid on the trigger, prompting Phoenix to scream:

"GET BACK!!"

The first rounds of the gun sprayed in a hellish shower of bullets, almost grazing each of their skin as all of them ducked for cover behind the cluster of rocks around. It was an endless hail of steel, ricocheting off the surfaces of the craggy rocks dotting the steppe and whizzing past their ears.

Phoenix raised his rifle, firing it at the skies and downing a few of their attackers. He galloped to Pinkie's side, holding her trembling hoof tightly as he stared at her fearful expression, her sapphire eyes gleaming plaintively in shock.

"Everypony, let's move, move, MOVE!!" he shouted, his hoof beckoning them into the direction of the mountains

The caravan soon ran across the steppe, with their pursuers already readying the next wave of torrential bullets. They swerved around the walls of rocks as if caught in a battlefield, galloping forward towards the solace of the underpass, where the pilgrims had safely entered without harm.

Selena, with a click of her tongue, soon threw a red stick of dynamite into the air, which fizzed around a bit before exploding into a grand spectacle of fireworks, painfully singeing the wings of some of their hunters. She raised her hoof to throw another, though Ollivander immediately pulled her down just as the rain of bullets continued again, which died down in a matter of minutes.

"To the underpass! Go!" Phoenix shouted, firing his rifle backwards at their pursuers. Velvet and Brutus were the first to enter, followed by the Deuce twins, then it was Selena and Ollivander. He darted towards the road drilling into the depths of the mountain, with Pinkie right beside him, utterly terrified by the chaos and gunshots ringing all around.

A loud scream pierced into his train of thought, and Phoenix turned back to see, much to his horrific realization, the pink mare being yanked backwards, a knife raised at her neck. Before he could react, however, the blade grew dangerously closer to her throat, leaving him to glare at her new captor.

"Now, I wouldn't do anything if I were you, for her safety, of course." the pegasus said slyly to him. His dark purple coat was filled with scars of old; some were burns, some were horrific gash marks and some were just recent bruises, and his light azure mane drifts around like an ocean accepting the grace of the wind, yet there was no sense of harmony in that.

"I believe she's the one you call Pinkie Pie, yes?"

"What do you want from her?" he shot back, the pink mare whimpering in her captor's hooves.

"My Lord has some erh... ties, with a mare such as her."

The pegasus gave out a small, mortifying grin; one that would be the source of every nightmare in a foal's story. His sharp teeth gleamed in the bright sunlight and, being the captain of the fleet, it was no doubt that the remaining pegasi pointed their guns at him when they saw him approach Pinkie's captor.

"She has certain... run-ins back in the past. She is to be charged and terminated without mercy under my lord's direct orders, and all probable witnesses were to be dispatched as well."

"That's insane-!"

"But still a necessity," the anonymous pony cut in.

"And I believe you're the first to volunteer to place your head on the chopping block, hmm?"

Phoenix Mellow could not believe his ears. There was never a more arrogant and disparaging tone that he had ever heard in his lifetime than the one of the pony he was facing, as if he was ascertained that death will come for him. He hated when he was underestimated, and being looked down upon by many was a little frustrating.

His hooves started to twitch with impatience, his eyes narrowing down at the pony and the fields around him to search for a probable escape route, before emerging with a cunning grin. Oh, if only this pony knew what he was capable of.

"Not in my bucking life."

His tail burst into flames, whipping the pegasi around him and kicking Pinkie's captor down, catching the pink mare before she could fall. Everything was happening too fast for her to understand, judging from her frozen expression of shock and trepidation.

"Get her!" the anonymous's pony's voice fumbled just as they were reaching the mouth of the cavern. Phoenix turned around to fire back a few shots with his trusty rifle, allowing Pinkie to head into the Solsenaar Underpass, before he himself dived in, barely avoiding a ricocheting spray of bullets.

"What the heck was that?!"

Velvet's shout filled the cavern once the presumed leader of the caravan hastily galloped into the natural antechamber for a small rest. The pilgrims were there, all completely shaken up by the recent turn of events. Pinkie was in his hooves, cringing and weeping softly underneath her mane, which had drooped down again after such a horrifying ordeal. Even the trolls were shot without mercy by those pegasi; they were supposed to be released when the fire around the cage dies down, but the aimless gunfire had riddled them with lead, leaving the bodies of the creatures to be ravaged by ember and flame.

Whoever the ponies were, they seemed to take a keen interest in Pinkie. An enemy from the past? Or an entity there to torment her over and over? Nevertheless, this pony had some connections to whatever the mare's past might be and, judging from the pony's actions, it doesn't seem to sound like a lovely, joy-filled past that Phoenix wanted to believe she had been through.

"I have no idea," he muttered coldly, with all eyes of the caravan gazing at the shaken mare. She was the reason they were here, and the only reason that they nearly got killed in the first place. Reluctantly, Phoenix placed a hoof on her shoulder, the pink mare turning in quiet surprise as he said:

"We need to talk."

Behind An Archbishop's Wisdom

"She cares of the plights of her citizens! She cares of the tumults from the northern beyond!"

"SHE CARES NOT!! NEIGH DOES THE MINISTRY!! NEIGH DOES THE CELESTIAL COMMONWEALTH OF TROTTINGHAM!! NEIGHSAYERS OF THE LAND OF EQUESTRIA!!"

A volley of cheers erupted, and soon the hooves of anarchy were raised, flags billowing and shouts resounding a cacophony of noise. Cries and jeers of folly filled the roadways of the once-illustrious town, where fear has erupted like a spring and showering stallions and mares alike in the curtain of enmity for the figure that they once heralded, parading her visage stained in incriminating splashes of red paint in the festivity of a crude rebellion.

They marched upon the fortress; the chapel where the flaming sun lighting their path was symbolized with the goddess that lifted it. The doors were barred, as were the windows, and as effigies of alicorns were being lit up outside, a small eye watches in horror from the cracks between the wooden boards up in the higher floors.

"Brother Ferrus!" he cried, robes fluttering in his frantic gallop down the spiral stairs. The twisted sounds of fear were louder once he reached the ground, his pale-green face turning white with horror at the sight of the rattling iron doors. With a small whimper, the priest scrambled towards the back rooms, surprised to see his fellow vicars circled with heads down, chanting the mantras they remembered hitherto from their youth.

"Brother Ferrus! They're breaking in!" he tried again, with all worried eyes turning to the archbishop, Ferrus Blithe, flourished in garments of Canterlotian glory. Luckily for the coven, he had never inherited its pride, only wisdom of old age, and it is with his wisdom that Trottingham had placed their faith in Princess Celestia, until now.

"Neither of us have the power to stop their rage, my dear child," came Archbishop Blithe's reply.

"Whatever darkness that swarms their heart, I pray it merciful to the common souls of them. Their fears had been realized to the extent that they believed their princess had abandoned them, however we try to convince them of the falsified words behind it. I concur that we place our faith in Her Majesty, for our ancestors have been her followers since her first dawn, and we will defend that faith in the prime of it all."

"But, Brother Ferrus--!"

"Let no words taint you, Brother Delius," he scolded sternly.

"Their mind had perceived a fog of ruthless acrimony, and I inhibit the same miasma to defile our minds with delirium over an enemy that Her Majesty herself would have the aptitude to vanquish the defiler back into the depths from whence it came! We're here because we placed our trust in the mare that striven for the prosperity of her own subjects as she has done so for the many generations past, and as broken as it may be the faiths of the rest, we're to see that it remains strong from the blasphemy that dares tarnish our nation!"

Silence filled the chapel, where even the sounds of brewing chaos outside had been shunned to muffled screams and cries underneath his booming voice of Ferrus. None dared question him for his actions, and none spoke of challenging his wisdom, and it was with them that Delius Hazelthorn swallowed, and he knelt with them, clutching his hooves together with the first recitals of a prayer.

The archbishop rose first from the antediluvian floors of stone, stepping out of the common prayers and towards the room rumbling of Trottingham's uproar. He creased his brows at the trembling iron doors, all straining to pummel them open. It would be soon before swarms of rioters would storm the church walls, and he could only hope their princess would come down at save them, but he knew it was not meant to be.

"I pray for forgiveness, for the sins thou hath seen thy subject commit," he mumbled, crumbling to his knees.

"Let thou'est eternal sun shine thy healing rays on the body and soul I hath given-"

"They never heal, Archbishop."

Ferrus Blithe turned at the foreign voice, letting out a low growl at the sight of a unicorn, tainted black with eyes red with the yearn for death. Her stature, although slimmer than most, was of perfect build for a mare, and her tail flicked around the holy domain that was the chapel with only malevolence to spare for both the faithful and the dissident.

"The rays never will enlighten nor nourish. Stand in them too long, and you will only earn the blisters of a sunburn. She has never forgave, and perhaps never enlightened, for she is but only a mere fool blessed with immortality."

"How dare you voice your heretic words against Her Majesty--!"

"Her-- wrongly phrased, your! Majesty had never been one to bother about your affairs. However overt your actions may be for her entertainment, she bothers merely her introverted, lifeless self with a narcissist's pride. What happened when I came to stop by for the night? You prayed to her, did you not, in the days prior to this?"

The black mare smiled, watching him shrink back into the carpets that he had prospered over with grand speeches once lauded by the town. Regret washed over him, stripping away the honor of archbishop and leaving in place a senile, old colt, crippled with guilt and remorse.

"Did she come, Ferrus?" she slipped out the torturous words.

"Did she come when I invaded this monastery?"

"N-n... no..."

"And did she come? When I twist your binds tighter with every passing day, archbishop? When I left behind scars of a chain pressed into your filthy ankles?"

Ferrus shuffled his robes, covering the said incriminating marks with a shiver. Its sting was still fresh like on the night it was made, and the words Servus ad Tyrannus (servant to tyrant) singed into them only made him turn away in embarrassment.

"No," his reply came, more firm but still quivering.

"And where is she now?" she shouted with a laugh.

"When Trottingham is burning down to the hell it was built from by its own children?! When the chapel is assaulted by the violence thrashing in their minds?! When the respected archbishop became another mere, useless piece of trash to be tossed like the many pawns of your alicorn superiors? WHERE IS SHE?!!"

"Canterlot!" he spat out, mind surrendering.

"She's still at her be-damned palace of hers! She's still living her luxurious life in that treacherous tower! SHE DOESN'T CARE OF HER SUBJECTS, NO MATTER THE LOYALTY THEY BESTOW!!"

At those words, Archbishop Blithe, in his deranged panting, became just another stallion, broken in mind and soul. Beads of moisture filled his eyes, torn from broken faith and, unwillingly, called over the vicars from the other room.

"Br-brother Ferrus...?" came a murmur, all of them watching in horror at their fallen superior underneath the shroud of the pony in black. A laugh emanated from her, resounding an echo like the brass bells overhead as she trotted towards the door, her horn lustrous a sovereign cloud of red.

"How odd, per say," she cackled, gazing at the iron doors.

"That it only takes one pony's misery to light up the fears of one glorious town. But of course, to say something so poetic...perhaps you prefer the company of many to join your demise?"

"No... you.. you promised... they were never in this!" the former archbishop muttered, rising from his grief.

"NO!!"

The door smashed open, the jet-black mare disappearing into the crowd as the mass of ponies swarmed in, wearing the darkest frowns and carrying torches, unaware of the danger that they stepped into.

Ferrus Blithe spent his last moments being knocked back down, facing the brass bells in the ceiling where, stuck in its sonorous interior, was a small clock, with wires sprawling out over the metal, spiral down the old columns and twist into the cellar, where, no doubt, it would end in a cargo of dynamite, just waiting for the right time to blow.

The time came soon, and he clutched his hooves together, closing his eyes as he prepared for fate's cruelest hit that would send hundreds flying across the town of Trottingham, leaving behind a crater of smoke, twisted iron and singed bodies; a message of heretic victory to the sisters of Canterlot.

They will be consumed by flames, tossed into an inferno of embers and trudged upon by falling debris and the city will shudder at the loudest sound Trottingham will ever hear. And what will they do?

What can they do?

"C-C-Celest-tia," his voice began, shivering with tears falling.

"Thy taketh myself into your glory-"

*BOOM*

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Spike, this bunch has to go under, then over. Any different and it would look like an inconsistent, ropy mess!"

"Well, as you can see, I'm a dragon, and dragons don't... braid their scales."

Sweetie Belle stifled a giggle, muffled out by the inessential bickering over the weaving of her long mane. The contenders, which were evidently Rarity and Spike, fussing over her coiffure only made it seem like a romance/comedy excerpt from a film, and she practically fawned over her sister's love for the dragon and how romantic it was, even if she had missed it out entirely during their fiasco in Pendant Lakes.

"It's not like I'm asking you to braid your scales at all!" came her sister's voice.

"I never expected you to grasp a pair of scissors! Just braiding her mane would do, and even that you have an uncanny knack to mess it all up!"

"Number one, the scales were used as a figure of speech," Spike declared.

"And number two, I'm built for moving books, spitting flame, and kicking apple trees and the butts of Diamond Dogs. Did you see these claws hold a pair of scissors before? Did Twilight wear an orange coconut on her head on every single one of her birthdays? No!"

That was the last straw that made the teenage mare burst out with laughter, nearly twisting her mane out of its braided self if not for Rarity's tight grip. The older mare had scrunched up her face at that point, before glancing away with a harrumph of displeasure.

"See you at the theater, Sweetie," the dragon said with a grin, giving the filly a departing hug.

"Gotta get yourself ready for the audition now, young lady!"

Sweetie Belle gave an earnest nod and, with a wink, Spike slipped out the door, closing it quietly. Rarity sighed at that exact moment, guiding a small hairband towards her younger sister's mane with a swirl of magic.

"Males these days..." she mumbled, loud enough for the other pony to hear.

"Always trying to act virtuous and humble..."

"I thought you liked him for that," Sweetie asked.

"Maybe he just wants to make you see that he's... responsible? Independent, I think?"

"His efforts exaggerate far from that."

The hairband stretched at full force, remaining taut as it grabbed the strands of the teenager's double-hued mane in an elegant chokehold, forming a small ponytail dangling from the side of her head.

"I'm already his marefriend," Rarity quipped, shuffling through the drawers.

"What more does he want to extort from me?"

"Extort?"

Her sister cringed at the use of the word. She knew Rarity was as sophisticated with her effort in language as much as her articulation in fashion sense, but extort? Really?

"He just wants a little attention from you, right?" she pursued the question.

"Maybe spend some mare-to-dragon time together for once?"

"Oh please, we have every night to spare for that."

"But my contest doesn't come up every night," Sweetie Belle added.

"Who knows, maybe you just spent a little more time that he could ever expected with me instead because of this? Maybe he's a little... jealous, that I'm having more time with you right now?"

"Dragons aren't known for their jealousy, so I'm afraid I can't support with you on that bit."

Rarity's eyes sparkled with glee once she found the jewel of the hoard: a brooch in the shape of a lily decorated with hundreds of small, glittering diamonds. She knew it from the first day she saw it on display at the Crystal Empire that it would surely come in handy, even if it wasn't meant for her to wear.

"There we go," she muttered, clipping it onto her sister's mane.

"The icing on the cake!"

Sweetie Belle just blinked at herself at the mirror, where the reflection she envisioned was now replaced by a different mare. There was more grace, more beauty even, what with the braided mane combed down her neck and face whiter than the makeup artist that placed her effort into it, almost gleaming like metal.

She nearly rose to the tip of her hooves, her jaw steadily falling before curling up into a smile. All the powdering and braiding was worth it, and Rarity could only wear a smile beside her, proud at both her work and her sister.

"Wow......" she could only gasp.

"Is that r-really... me?"

"None other than my little sister," said the older mare wistfully.

"You look ready to take the stage, darling. I suggest you make most of it!"

With a giggle, Sweetie Belle shifted herself from the oval vanity mirror, instead facing at the varied dresses waiting for her approval. Rarity just settled back onto the bed, waiting as her sister slipped behind a bamboo screen, trying the first attire out of many.

The fashion designer smiled at a few prudent mutters from behind the screen, reminded of how much she has grown. She could remember her sister's admittedly gullible behavior to her fashion sense, especially when it included occasions such as an important audition. To see the changes in her now...

"So Rarity," the teenage mare chirped suddenly, snapping her attention back.

"When's Spike gonna move in? As in, permanently?"

If she was drinking (which she felt fortunate she wasn't), Rarity would've choked and sputtered it all over the floor. Yes, Spike's stay was long-term, but it was only temporary. It was just recently after Twilight's too-short-for-comfort return that he moved out again, much to her disappointment.

"Unless Twilight decides for another long stay here or someplace else," she clarified.

"He has to move back to the library. Of course, there are some exceptions..."

"Like~?"

"Enough with your curiosity, Sweetie dear," the older mare deadpanned.

"Onward to the theater! We must be punctual!"

"Aww..."

With a pout, Sweetie Belle skipped out of the room, flaunting in her furnished appearance and light blue, sparkling dress that Rarity know would leave the rest of them stunned with amazement. The fashion designer was never more excited to know that her younger sister was finally on the first step to stardom; a sight she had been yearning to see.

Her intrusion into Spike's stay was a little too inappropriate, however. Whatever her interests were, Rarity wasn't keen on explaining the details, especially when it involves her relationship with the dragon. She mustn't pursue the topic any further.

"A permanent stay..." she caught herself muttering. So much for not pursuing the topic.

Like her, she secretly wished that he could continue staying in the boutique, though she knew a lot of ponies wouldn't see to it, especially Twilight herself. Marriage was the only option that could provide a viable reason for him, but the thought of them becoming husband and wife was premature. She always reminded herself of the taboos of love before marriage, despite having already broke some of them. Even Spike said he was uncertain about what might happen if the rest of them find out what they did at night sometimes.

"What took you so long?"

Twilight's voice snapped her again from her thoughts, finding herself in the front doors under the bask of sunlight. She smiled at the sight of all four of her friends with their spouses, all eyes glued to the starlet of the group.

Sweetie Belle twirled in her glittering dress, much to the awe of Apple Bloom and, with lesser enthusiasm, Scootaloo. Whatever their amount of eagerness, both were anticipating their friend's possible first step to her future, and like Rarity, placed their utmost faith to see it happen.

"That took quite awhile," Spike's voice spoke suddenly, wheeling to his marefriend's side and giving her a nudge, to which the white mare rolled her eyes at.

"So where are we heading?"

"To the grandest theater of Canterlot," was her reply.

Rarity couldn't help but stifle a giggle. The thought of finally stepping into the auditorium of auditoriums; a haven for lovers of the creative arts where only the best perform and attend at the same time! And to see her sister having the chance to even stand the stage for one second... there will never be a more memorable experience.

A dreamy sigh escaped her lips, her vision surrounded by imaginings of the grand stage, with spotlights down on the star of the show, Sweetie Belle, the sensational singing extraordinaire, at the greatest place the world of art will ever know: one which she echoed out in surreal bliss:

"The Fase di Armonia."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"How far is the exit?"

"Supposedly three more hours away."

The shepherd knew these paths better than the seven of his travelling band of wanderers, and Phoenix Mellow placed all of his trust in the judgement of Parish Plow. Despite the luminescent crystals that grew out from every inch of their rocky hive, be it from ground or ceiling, they would still be blind from the paths they were twisting and turning through.

It was like a hall of mirrors, where every trail deeper into the dark, glowing confines just seemed like an endless loop instead. The only sign of progress was the humidity, to which only Fleetywit had the ability to detect. Then again, sprite dragons weren't what he would call the most energetic of its species.

What happened the day before, however, was the one he was worried about. The sound of gunfire was still freshly ringing even after the incident, his heart still thrashing wildly in his chest. Everything was still clear: the bullets bouncing off rock and dirt, the shouts their commander was giving, and he knew it wouldn't be the last he will see of them.

Motive, however, was unclear. Velvet had already pressured himself into tracing their origins with what they have. The rest were tasked with calming down the terribly shaken pilgrims. None of them had never met with death at such a close distance, and most, if not all, of their morale had been shattered. Even the vicious wolves; the canine counterparts of the pilgrims, spent all night whimpering, unable to be coaxed out from their shock by their owners. There was only one lead to the start of this and, unfortunately, it was a broken one.

With only a grimace to spare, Phoenix slid back into the crowd, careful not to bump into shoulders as he soon spotted Pinkie trotting down to him, her face hung low by melancholic guilt. The only pony that bothered trying to cheer her up was Selena and, despite Ollivander's advice to give her some time alone, was determined on bringing the old, bubbly Pinkie Pie back. For their sake.

Somepony once said, a smile in the darkest cave can light up an empire. If that were true, and the caravan would agree, Pinkie's smile could rival Celestia's sun. However, whatever genius never accounted on pegasi fleets with machine guns, Phoenix surmised.

"How is she?" he asked once Pinkie slipped away from view, leaving only him and Selena alone.

"Utterly depressed, ignorant at other pony's words and..." her voice halted suddenly.

"And...?" he pressed on.

"A little furious at herself."

"It's not entirely her fault," Phoenix said grimly.

"What's the chance that somepony that woke up with amnesia would be hunted down by an army of bandits spraying bullets that'll riddle you like a pincushion? I wouldn't blame her for putting us into this danger, no, because she doesn't know about it. She's a part of this band like all of you are."

A gloomy sigh left his lips as the stallion reached down into satchel, overwhelmed with the urge to smoke. Selena just watched as he leaned against a pillar of crystal, flicking his tail and lighting up the tip of his pipe whilst cocking his rifle to the side.

"Go on ahead," he said.

"I'll wait up for her."

With a hesitant nod, the yellow mare flapped her wings, hovering over the snake of pilgrims and careful to avoid any stalactites sticking out from the roof of the cave. It was then that Phoenix blew out a ring of smoke, his tail playfully catching it and tossing it around in some sort of circus act.

The smell of tobacco fused into the damp cavern air, and it wasn't long before he fished out, with cunning intention, Pinkie from her solitary plight. She wrinkled her snout as she neared him, being never the fond fan of smoking, though her gaze deflected from his grin, prompting him to sigh.

Settling down onto the cave floor, Pinkie just glanced downward, counting the many branches stemming out from a small fissure on the ground. Silence remained taut and firm between them, and lasted until the pilgrims settled down to rest their tired hooves, all busy in their conversations.

"Look," Phoenix spoke first.

"About what happened yesterday, I know you're blaming yourself for it, alright? They want to hunt you down, put you behind bars for something you could've done earlier... it all just comes crashing in suddenly and... and you don't know what to do with--"

"Why are we talking about this?"

Eyes shimmering with moisture, Pinkie gazed up at him and his flustered expression. There was no answer that he could force out to save his tail, and her demanding, treacherous look, fitted with her mane cloaking a side of her face, only severed the last tendons of confidence in his limbs.

"P-Pinkie," he began once more.

"Listen, these pegasi are after you. I don't know what their reason is but they're determined to hunt you down for something you did in the past--"

"In the past! It always have to be 'in the past' with you, isn't it, Phoenix Mellow?"

The loud outburst was enough to conjure unwanted attention, and many, if not all, pairs of eyes were glued to them. Their breaths were stilled in the pin-drop silence that followed, though it wasn't long before the pink mare spoke again with a tremble in her voice:

"You think the past; my past, is all that matters, is it? What if I tell you I never want to learn about it? What if I tell you that I'm happier now than I was back then? What if, when I found out about my Celestia-be-damned past, that I killed somepony with my bare hooves? And those pegasi shooting their useless trash from their guns are actually the police sent to find me? What would you think then, about saving a CRIMINAL?! HUH?!!"

"You're NOT A CRIMINAL!!"

Equally loud and feared came Phoenix's booming voice, his tail flaring up dangerously and defiantly. The heat from the argument, their glowering faces and his burning tail fueled only tension, and both stallion and mare snarled at each other, neither wanting to stand down.

"You're not a bloody criminal," he rephrased, his tone softening.

"At least, not to us. If you were one, you would kill again, but no, you made each day seem better than before. You made us happier, and I would swear with a blasted rifle to my head that you've done the same in the past."

Pinkie's frown quelled into an expression of confusion as the words slowly sank into her head. The rest of the caravan just watched with furrowed brows, their fear outmatched by the spirit of determination.

"I want to understand your past is because," Phoenix stopped for a second, letting out a quick sigh.

"Our past makes up our present, and decides our future. I believed back then, you were happier, cheerful, and not the Pinkie Pie you are now. Don't you want to know a past such as that?"

The pink mare stopped, and for a moment there Phoenix thought he saw an apology mumbling at her quivering lips, though she suddenly and scornfully turned her head away, stomping off with hooves shaking the cavern like a rattler at her stubborn rage.

"You tried, Finn," Ollivander said, patting his disgruntled friend on the shoulder once they were convinced she was out of their view.

"She might come around sooner or later. Give you a real apology. Needs to have a moment to think about it, that lass, t'is all."

"She's Pinkie Pie, Ollie," the gryphon's marefriend quipped.

"Not some random mare from next door."

"And Pinkie Pies expect an apology from you instead," Dapple added.

"Perhaps she might demand a small payment for you getting on her nerves as well. Not a good thing at all, if you ask me."

"Small payments..."

Phoenix was never one of an economical mind, though those two words flickered something in his head. He would never imagine getting a mere 'apology accepted' after an argument, but if there was a gift involved, it might be a different matter entirely. Might be.

There was one thing in his mind. It wasn't exactly what he would call payment, but he knew Pinkie would graciously accept it. He grinned at the idea, much to the bewilderment of the rest while the tides turn into his favor.

"I've got something in mind," he voiced his thoughts aloud, only furthering their confusion.

"Something Pinkie Pie would never say no to."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation,
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination;
Silently the senses abandon their defenses..."

Fase di Armonia, the realm of luxury and domain of creativity, blossomed underneath the majesty of an aural sun. The sweetness of her voice were gentle enough to blossom the flowers in their hearts, the ferocity and versatility simmering with radiant passion, striking out in an array of harmonic melodies from the core of its star: Sweetie Belle.

Her audience were like the planets, revolving around each syllable she sang. Powerful with the control of an opera singer, yet vulnerable with the shiver of a lonely nightingale; her rhapsody tingled every eardrum that received her, every soul that faced her, and swallow them into the tides of her song.

Twilight Sparkle was there, along with the rest of them, watching her performance with only amazement to give. It was only the beginning, yet already some ponies had begun applauding. The creepy, underlying tone was what stopped her from her waning thoughts of recent events, instead carting her off into a world of vintage controversy at her stunning cover of The Music Of The Night, from the acclaimed play The Phantom Of The Opera.

Rarity was on her left, smiling proudly at her younger sister standing in her own dimension. Tears were glittering in her eyes, and the scholar herself would have them too if she saw a younger sibling doing her best. Spike wouldn't get the honor of that, a part of her snickered mischievously.

"She's amazing," her ears heard one of the judge's low mutters. There were a trio (always a trio) of them, all capable and diverse in the field of art and ready for the purpose of their presence. Twilight trusted their judgement, especially since she knew one of them personally.

Seated on the far left was none other than Crimson Lux de Cavalle, more commonly known to her as Octavia's coltfriend. The red stallion had already rose to the edge of his seat, and the sight of him bobbing his head in a quirky manner, his eyes lulled to a close in a sense of absorbed fascination, was the best sign that he was already enjoying Sweetie Belle's performance. Rarity had planned for a personal meetup with him after the auditions, mostly to catch up with things in Ponyville, especially Octavia's slight distress of his absence.

"Slowly, gently night unfurls its splendor;
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender.
Turn your face away from the garish light of day;
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light,
And listen to the music of the night..."

"Ya seen Scootaloo?" Apple Bloom whispered suddenly, tweaking Twilight's attention to the yellow mare talking to her elder sister. Applejack wasn't keen on it, as she muttered something inaudible with a grim frown, silencing the younger mare immediately. That, however, only piqued her curiosity. Come to think of it, where was Scootaloo anyway?

Twilight slowly glanced around the seats, unable to see the pegasus anywhere in the theater. The troubled teenager did notify of her leeway trip to the toilet, though she wouldn't think it would take that long!

"Hey guys?" she called to her friends.

"I'm going to look for Scootaloo, okay?"

A wave of murmurs chorused, forcing out a sigh from her. They were obviously too absorbed in Sweetie Belle's singing to bother, even if she fell into a chasm filled with two hundred hydras! At this rate, the filly should really consider taking up a job as a hypnotist instead!

Rising from her seat, Twilight strode to the aisle, quietly descending down the steps to the door that, no doubt, leads to the toilet and, indirectly, backstage. A quick peek made her conclude that the lavatory was empty, prompting her to glance around the meager corridors of balsa wood and latex, the sound of the minstrel's voice bouncing off and distorting it with an echo.

"Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams,
Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before;
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar,
And you live as you've never lived before..."

Sweetie Belle's voice soon warped once she stepped inside, with now a hollow emptiness accompanying her in her song, as if she was singing in a well. Without further ado, Twilight ventured deeper into the tight confines of the corridor, taking care not to trip over buckets of paint and bundles of robe.

She ducked down a few times, her horn barely grazing a few sacks hanging from the top. She never imagined she had to do this just to find the missing pegasus, while the rest just sat there in their comfortable, luxurious seats, enjoying what might be a spectacle to admire and, unfortunately, one she might have to miss.

"Softly, deftly, music shall caress you;
Hear it, feel it secretly possess you.
Open up your mind, let your fantasies unwind,
In this darkness that you know you cannot fight:
The darkness of the music of the night..."

"Ah, Twilight Sparkle..."

The violet unicorn gasped silently at the familiar voice, rich with intrigued mystery and precarious flair. There was only one pony who would possess such a voice, and despite a premature first encounter, she knew entirely who it was.

Hesitantly, she turned around, meeting face-to-face with the infamous caper: the Masque of Canterlot, hanging from the edge of a rope, his cape pulled down like a blue curtain. Despite the mask, she could see his lips smiling down at her, as if amused at her predicament.

"You..." she muttered.

"It iz I, once again," he smoothly replied.

"Surprised? Don't be, mademoiselle, for I am a big fan of ze s'eater. All those plays and stories of daring lovers engaged in the darkest pitfalls of conflict... shows a rogue like me can appreciate a lot."

Twilight just shuffled away with uncertainty, though that only coaxed him to settle onto the ground, instead trotting back up to her.

"You might be wondering of ze filly, oui?" he began, halting her in her tracks.

"Ze one you call... Scootaloo? Is it?"

"Let your mind start a journey to a strange new world;
Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before!
Let your soul take you where you long to be;
Only then can you belong to me..."

"H-how... how did you--"

"Simply put, we had a small talk."

That small sentence, however innocent it was, brought out the delirium stirring in Twilight's head. Rage and disbelief seethed through her veins at the ridiculous thought. Scootaloo? And him? A complete stranger with no relationship to them whatsoever and wanted by the Canterlot Royal Guard?

Twilight suddenly pinned him to the ground with a soft thud, gritting her teeth at the pony below her, who was utterly bewildered by her suddenly rash behavior.

"What did you say to her?," she hissed her question.

"What the heck did you say?!"

"Nothing malicious, of course."

Suddenly, Twilight felt her hooves gave away, swiped by the Masque's cape as she felt herself falling backwards, only to be caught by the stallion's hooves, the two frozen in a waltz position. She glanced up wide-eyed at him, suppressing a loud yelp of surprise as he grimly stared back down at her, his stern demeanor starting to harden.

"She said you never bothered to communicate with her even after my visit," he rasped haughtily.

"What happened to taking my advice, Miss Sparkle? She needs somepony to help her, and all you do is take my rose for granted? You think it's a funny trick now, don't you? Just another ploy I have up my sleeve?"

"Floating, falling, sweet intoxication;
Touch me, trust me, savor each sensation.
Let the dream begin, let your darker side give in,
To the power of the music that I write:
The power of the music of the night..."

"I..." she stammered.

"I was a little tired that night--"

"Don't think you could fool me with your hideous Canterlot trickery!"

It was soft enough for only the both of them to hear, but loud enough for his message to be sent across. Twilight cringed at the harshness of his voice, turning away with a bout of regret stinging in her heart.

"I understand what she went through, mademoiselle," he said, stopping her in surprise.

"And I am utterly disappointed at the result. There are some words in these world, no matter of their allegiance, that would make one wiser, and I suggest you start listening to one of them now, understand?"

Twilight gave a small, quivering nod. With that, she settled herself down from his hooves and watched with shattered confidence as he gripped one of the ropes, hoisting himself up before launching out of a small window and back onto the rooftops from where he came.

What disturbed her more was that Scootaloo placed her trust into him more than the rest of them. It might just be a story he concocted to excuse some elaborate plot in the making, but if it were true, she still wanted to verify it, and there was only one thing that might tell her the answer.

Dusting herself, she hurried back down the hallway, trying to maintain her cool as she slipped back into the seats, to which the rest of them were too captivated by her performance to notice. It would finish sooner or later, but that doesn't matter to her now.

She glanced around her row of friends, sighing with relief once she saw Scootaloo seated on the other end. Unlike the rest, however, her attention was diverted away by something else, the sight of which prodded at the bookish unicorn's curiosity.

"You alone can make my song take flight;
Help me make the music of the night."

As Sweetie Belle finished the last sentence, the crowd (which was slightly small) erupted into a round of applause, the singer's face beaming with every quick bow she gave. Twilight instinctively stood up as well, yet her gaze remained taut to Scootaloo, who had slipped the item into the folds of her gamboge wings.

She had a small glimpse of it, but a small glimpse was enough. It realized Twilight's doubts in the spark of that instant; that the Masque's words were true. That Scootaloo believed in him, and he rewarded it so with the very same item that she herself had received, and hid from the others.

A scarlet rose.

Dwelling Insanity

"In accordance to the Trottingham Incident..."

With each ruffle of paper, Princess Celestia held her lengthy breath. None of them were prepared for this: the second bombing in Equestrian borders. They knew it would happen inevitably, but how it happened was a different matter entirely, not to mention the additional troubles that came with, and lead up, to it.

"Minister," her voice came out firm as it was terse.

"You may begin."

"The riots started at approximately three in the afternoon, the rioters marching down from Lister Gate and Bridlesmith towards the church square. The vicars were holed up in the church when it happened and, despite a few peaceful demonstrations from the church itself, the rioters soon surrounded the church, trapping them inside."

With that, the minister settled down, prompting his colleague next to him to rise with a bow. He cleared his throat, raising a small document to his eyes and arranging his spectacles as he read out:

"Shortly after that, the gates of the church were opened, and the rioters stormed in. The explosion occurred soon after; at three forty-six, to be precise. It was triggered from a trip wire tied to the knobs of the church doors, timed with a ten-second interval before setting itself off."

"Casualties?"

"Forty-seven dead, twelve succumbed to injuries, which makes a total mortality rate at fifty-nine so far. Eighty-five more injured with twenty or so of them in serious condition."

The death toll that stood before her froze her in her seat, whatever plausible response to appease the ministry's uncertainty already crumbling away. Nervously, she swallowed, blinking a few times at the figures, unable to fathom on the occurrence of such a drastic event.

"I was told you knew one of the culprits?" she finally asked.

"It was an inside job."

The minister who said that stood up, face flushed and weak in his knees. His report was literally trembling in his hooves, the text no doubt revealing the disturbing truth.

"We have discovered a colt known as Ferrus Blithe, who held the post of archbishop in the church. Like many others, he was found dead, his hoof bruised with chains and branded with the words Servus ad Tyranus. We have every reason to believe that he was forced to work with the enemy through torture. Searching his bedroom, we discovered his diary. From it, we found out he was indeed tortured, yet his involvement in the incident was far more deeper than we've ever imagined."

He placed on the desk an airtight bag, to which contained a small notebook; no doubt the same one that unveiled the dark secrets within its pages.

"According to his words, the riots were staged. It had been days, weeks, maybe even months in the making. The enemy forces him to help them stir mass hysteria in the streets, and in return they spare the lives of the priests of the church. Upon examining his body, we found binds around his limbs that were tightened almost every day, which impeded his movements greatly, maybe to prevent him from rushing for help."

"Did he write anything about the pony that was responsible?"

"No, your Majesty."

Princess Celestia slumped at his words. Another broken dead end.

"Any other reports instead of that in Trottingham?" she asked.

"Anything that might tell us about the whereabouts of our enemy's next plot?"

"What of the hunt for Professor Page, your Highness?"

Fancypants's voice strummed the perfect string in her heart, the alicorn turning to see the distinguished stallion marching up from the doors. The ministers, being not used to interruptions in dire times such as this, turned to their princess, almost wanting to cry an outrage.

"It seems you made progress," she began, to which he quickly answered with a nod.

"Have the authorities in Saddle Arabia taken him into their custody yet?"

"I'm afraid not, my Princess."

The stallion quickly strode forward, placing a few photographs as he cleared his throat. Princess Celestia frowned at the single figure standing in all of them, furrowing her brows once Fancypants began:

"Professor Page is currently in the capital of Riyadh, still under captive of the enemy. He leaves for the excavation out of town at around two in the afternoon and returns at nine on a daily basis. From what I could understand, our unknown rival had provided him the sufficient funds for both the excavation and his stay, but I'm aware that there is an air of distrust between them."

"Oh?" Princess Celestia said, raising an eyebrow.

"How so?"

"He was being followed. Shadowed no doubt by the ponies working for his client."

Fancypants slipped out one photograph from the small pile on the table, raising it up for all on the table to see. In it was the professor in khaki shorts and desert hat, savoring a mug of Arabian coffee in the bazaar. Their sights, however, were focused onto the noticeable silhouettes of a minotaur and a cloaked mare in the background.

"My sources said that the professor knew he was being followed," the stallion began.

"I believe that it was to prevent him from calling for help or escaping the town. There might be more than those two in the photo that were stalking him, however."

"See if we can get face recognition in the archives," the princess ordered, to which Fancypants bowed, but still remained there. Cold beads of sweat were already crawling down his forehead, however, and Princess Celestia couldn't help but ask:

"Any other news you wish to disclose to us?"

"Saddle Arabia has informed me of some rather... disturbing news."

The stallion reached into his suit, pulling out instead a small map. Unfurling it, it was revealed to be the desert province of Saddle Arabia itself, with only a small region of Equestria sprouting from the top left corner of its tattered state.

"The Vizier had notified me of... enemy movement. A small battalion, to be precise," he began.

All horrified eyes turned to Princess Celestia, whose face was rapidly draining with color. Silence held their voices taut, none daring to speak before, with a swallow, she asked again:

"Any details?"

"Around four-hundred," was the answer, inciting murmurs around the table.

"Consisting of bandits, heretics and the like, of all species, be it minotaur, griffin and pony alike. Scouts have reported them crossing the Dunes towards the border of Equestria, we believe. It'll be a matter of time before they reach Equestria."

"And? The time they will take?"

"Estimation..." Fancypants gulped.

"About a month."

The ministers' murmurs started to escalate, growing into a verbal scuffle, only dying down when the princess let out a loud cough. Army or not, there was one thing of concern that would decide the certainty of the fall of Canterlot, and she knew it would be indispensable to determine if Equestria will have a new friend or foe.

"No dragons?"

"None so far, your Highness."

Princess Celestia breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing she would need are dragons in the enemy flanks. She had battled a fair share of dragons before, and as vicious as they were, they were also equally swift and cunning, and have long sought for their reinforcements just in case an attack like this might happen. Plus, the alliance between Equestria and the Badlands was anything but powerful; to know how dragons might join the enemy only made it more fragile, considering that the draconic monarchy have refused to send for help even when Canterlot will be under siege.

"We'll have to hasten the negotiations with the Badlands, Highlands and, perhaps, Saddle Arabia," she demanded, her ministers quickly shuffling their papers.

"Other nations must be notified of the event. And Fancypants?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"See to it that Professor Page will be safe," came her orders.

"There will come a time where he will defect and return to our ranks. Use whatever resource to free him from their clutches, and we will then find out from him what our enemy wants with his project. Then, we might know the reasons behind his capture."

And, hopefully, the identities of these mystery ponies behind his captivity as well.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Really?"

"You were absolutely perfect on stage, Sweetie Belle!"

The teenage minstrel couldn't help but let out a squeak of glee, her face redder than the stallion congratulating for successfully passing the auditions. Rarity remembered it all: the squeal, the small certificate she frantically waved about, and the eager skips she did on their way to dinner at a nearby restaurant.

Of course, when they arrived to the table she reserved for them, her younger sister's jaws immediately dropped from a guest she secretly invited, unbeknownst to Sweetie Belle. She deserves a fitting prize for her success, after all, and what would be better than to have a talk with one of her favorite idols and judge of her performance, who was also a dear friend of her and Spike?

"My fellow judges couldn't have said it better themselves," came the voice of Crimson Lux, famed popstar, ladies' colt and, undeniably, one of Sweetie Belle's idols, despite her different musical direction from his. Rarity could hear the difference; Crimson's music (which sometimes blared out of Sweetie's small stereo) was uplifting and jumpy, whilst Sweetie's preference was that of soul music: emotional and vulnerable yet powerful and brilliant all the same.

"I'll have to admit, I wasn't aware that you were Rarity's sister until she told me," the stallion continued.

"Your family is diverse with talent, aren't they? You a singer and Rarity a fashion designer. Must be in the blood or something."

Rarity just let out a small laugh, sipping on a small glass of tea as she glanced around the restaurant. Spike excused himself for a small break a few minutes ago, leaving him the only guest absent at their table; the rest of her friends had chosen another place to eat, leaving her, her sister and the dragon to dine with Crimson.

"By the next round you'll have to perform on stage in front of an audience," the singer began with the wisdom of her tutor. "All three judges of the panel, including me, will be there, as well as probably half of Canterlot. Gotta get ready to face the crowd. I've seen ponies frightened of the audience so much they can barely even say hello!"

"But it wouldn't be that big, right?" the teenage mare asked.

"Would they fill up the whole stadium? Or..."

"You'll be fine up there, Sweetie dear," Rarity assured, her sister beaming. She knew about Sweetie Belle's stage fright, which was something the mare was trying to overcome. After all, singing is her prowess, and the aim to entertain possibly a crowd of millions might be overwhelming, but it would mean the world to her.

"One day, you'll become a star like Crimson! Just think of all the colts fawning over you~!"

"That's... pretty creepy..."

"That's showbiz!" came a familiar chirp. Rarity couldn't help but roll her eyes, stifling a small, gentle smile when she saw Spike shuffling towards them, unaware of the turned heads he was getting from the other guests in the restaurant. The sound of grinding chairs and clattering metal filled the usually silent atmosphere as the dragon clumsily traipsed about the tables, nearly knocking over some ponies from their seats.

Luckily for them, none of them dared to raise their voice at the dragon, though Rarity knew they would keep their complaints and jeers among each other. Raising her glass towards her mouth with her horn, she asked:

"Where have you been?"

"To sum things up, the restaurants don't take into account of dragons using their lavatories."

Spike arched his back, letting out a growl of satisfaction when the aching in his back stopped. The rest of them suppressed their quiet giggles, allowing him to ask:

"So how's business these days, Crimson?"

"Slightly slow," was the grumble of an answer.

"All this talk about an old enemy coming back - and don't forget about the bombings - are taking a toll on my boss's head. Next thing you know, he's going to fire me because he thinks I'm part of his plan, which, strictly speaking, is going to be as ridiculous as it gets."

"You know who this... old enemy really is, right?"

"Bombings, murders, deceit and manipulation. It's already a dead giveaway, to be honest."

Crimson took a small sip from his glass, wearing a stern frown that mirrored that of Rarity and Spike. Sweetie Belle, however, just stared at them in confusion; having missed out in the chaos of Pendant Lakes. She knew better than to ask her sister about it, seeing how easily Rarity would be discomforted by it.

"I just hope that the princess does something about it," the singer continued.

"You wouldn't want your kingdom to turn bonkers when they start off another fireworks party. Take a look at Trottingham, for instance."

Rarity seen it all over the news: the bombing of Trottingham. How the riots started, how the church exploded and how a grand sum of ponies perished in the incident, all printed out in the headlines of papers for the whole of Equestria to see. Already there had been rumors of plots to assassinate the Canterlot ministers like last year, with the one major difference being them slaughtered on their home turf instead of the foreign north.

"One thing's for certain, Canterlot isn't ready yet for an attack," Crimson affirmed.

"Pendant Lakes stood until the very end because we have ponies there that knew what they were up against, but we ponies in Canterlot have zero information on our enemies. Have to be careful on the streets these days."

Rarity, Spike and, with no intention of being left out, Sweetie Belle, nodded simultaneously. Raising their glasses of wine (and for the teenage mare, lemon juice), a quartet of clinks followed, and slowly they drank, making sure to finish every drop.

"So," Crimson started again, albeit more reluctant.

"How's Octavia doing?"

"You could say she's complaining a lot about your absence."

Rarity stifled a smirk when the stallion sputtered suddenly; to say her gray friend was 'complaining' seemed like an understatement. There was one time she recalled her saying something about snapping his neck off if she ever saw him again. At the very least, she hoped Octavia wouldn't take her words literally.

"She's doing pretty fine with Vinyl back in Ponyville, despite her laments. We would have a rather quaint gathering now and then, and there would be some talks of the past, but she would end up resuming her grumbling about you some time after."

"Well, that's a good sign," Crimson replied, wearing a smug grin.

"Shows she's still missing me."

The four of them laughed softly, cherishing the comfort of luxury, wine and, in the next second, food, as the waiters quickly served them the first dishes. It was a warm prospect for Sweetie Belle: the mare who admired all three of her elders sitting before her, and for Rarity: the mare who treated them all as a family in this small reunion.

There was her sister, the only sibling and one of her most precious treasures that she would safeguard for the entirety of her life. There was Crimson, the stallion that helped her in her darkest troubles yet, and made Pendant Lakes seem brighter than it was. And then there's Spike, the dragon that she craved for quite a long while after selfishly terrible attempts of dating other stallions and earning their courtship, to no avail, and instead found true love with him.

"There's still time," she told herself a lie, hiding all agendas that they might never come together like this again.

"A lot of time left, Rarity."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"It must be somewhere around here..."

Stellar Lionheart questioned the last time he entered the north. Fenderville wasn't typically a true northern town in terms of geography, despite it being the closest city from Pendant Lakes, and he felt more like a stranger now; a tree uprooted and planted back in 'foreign territory'.

He didn't remember the northern air being this humid and damp. It felt like there were parasitic weeds growing in his lungs, stealing any of his breaths and sparing only the long ones. The trees were slightly lankier and stunted, its distended branches bare with leaves and reaching out to claw Luna's currently faint moon. The nocturnal ambiance that filled the night like chattering would fill a marketplace vanished, leaving only a qualm of silence in its withdrawal.

"Death's grasps are tighter here," Jovern remarked as he drifted through the clouds. Brilliant rays of orange, gamboge and red streak through the dusk sky, enveloping the world as the princess lowers the sun, allowing her sister to rise back into full glory at night, though they have bigger suspicions at hoof.

"There's something different in the air than the last time I was here. Something... bizarre."

"According to the map," Caduceus spoke, glancing at the tattered paper fluttering in his hooves.

"We're currently in the vicinity of Pendant Lakes. In fact, the western gate should be below us right about now."

Stellar closed his eyes, prying from the recesses of his memory the town in its former glory. He could see it now: the slate roofs and stacks of chimneys billowing with pale-gray ribbons of smoke, the cobblestone roads aligning the many stone buildings around, the fountains spewing out domes of droplets where lovers fed coins into its bowels, the pigeons fluttering around the leaf-filled plazas, and the grandiose structure of Palgiot Palace, heralded underneath an evening sun.

"Jovern," he said suddenly, snapping out of his reverie.

"Take us down."

Without further ado, the dragon drifted down, his colossal claws scattering clouds of fog at the first sight of land. The doctor was the first to step off, squinting his eyes through the dim curtain of light and making out the shapes of dead trees, some standing and some toppled over like dominoes.

He unfurled the map again, raising his compass only to grimace at the sight of it spinning wildly like the blades of a helicopter. His friend stepped down beside him, raising a lantern as he lit it up. Jovern just glanced down at the small firefly light flickering in the darkness, all their faces revealed from the shadow.

"The trees..." Caduceus muttered, beckoning Stellar towards the dead plants.

All three of them wore a grim frown at the illuminated trunk. The bark was cracking and discolored, now bleached white and filled with the stink of rot replacing its once crisp, pine aroma. Upon closer inspection, they could see spiderwebs and termite mounds underneath the cracks, creeping around the walls like a living, grotesque plague.

"I recognize this tree," the doctor continued.

"This is the place where Persimmon and I first met."

"First met?" Jovern asked, intrigued.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Caduceus and I were teenagers back then," Stellar answered instead with a chuckle, reminiscing of those earlier days, where everything seemed simpler. More chaste.

"Being the juveniles we were, we had a rather jolly game of tag. Of course, our doctor here was a dim one in his youth. To be completely honest, if he were still the feeble-minded fellow he was today, he wouldn't know how to dissect a frog with the bladed end of the scalpel."

"It was sometime during the game," Caduceus continued, "that I realized I wandered out from the town. So I ran around the forests quite a bit, slightly nervous on where I was going until I wound up here."

The doctor let out a sigh, glancing towards a small stump covered in lichen and mushrooms jutting out from its cylindrical sides.

"She was sitting right there, counting some mushrooms. I must look like an utter mess from all the running, because she screamed when she saw me. We had a small talk once she calmed down, Persimmon and I, before Stellar found us. That's probably how we, along with Sidus, became the Crux Four."

"That's queerly interesting..." Jovern remarked with a wry smirk.

"And you two remained platonic after that? Never furthering the relationship whatsoever?"

"Well, I'm sorry to have disappointed you, then."

The trio laughed quietly, the only sound to fill the decrepit forest, before they ventured down a path, barely visible from all the wild grass growing over it. Stellar raised his lantern higher, brushing away the branches reaching out to them. He closed his eyes again, letting the instincts of the past guide him. They were faint sparks: flashes of falling autumn leaves, cobblestone paths and, at the very end, the stone archway leading into the town.

"Almost there," he could hear his friend mutter, the truth of it ringing in those words. A few more steps, to be accurate.

Finally, he opened his eyes.

The sight that met him wasn't what he expected, even though he knew Pendant Lakes would be a ruin. The stone arch, instead of leading forward, now spiraled downward, with some of the granite fragments of the structure laying at the bottom of the pit. Ahead of them, where he believed the ruined buildings would be, was instead a mound of dilapidated earth. From there, he could see certain structures jutting out of the lopsided landscape, such as the roof of the church and a few chimneys from various houses.

"My god..." Caduceus mumbled, horrified by the upturned wasteland.

"The whole city's fallen underground..."

Stellar settled the lantern down onto the floor, gazing into the only entryway into the town: the pit. One slight misstep, however, and there would be a dastardly long fall, for he and Caduceus at least; if Jovern fell it would only cause an earthquake.

"We'll venture down in the next morning," he said, spreading out a small sleeping bag.

"It's too risky at night. One blasted lantern wouldn't be enough."

The other two readily agreed, settling down onto the ground. It wasn't long, with the help of the dead trees and Jovern, that they have a warm fire started. Soon enough, they were engaged in conversations, mostly about the dangers they might be facing. There were a few laughs, though they died down as soon as they started.

The former butler stared back at the desolate wasteland. What was once here, all tossed and turn into mere nothingness... it was as if the earth swallowed what once belonged to the Palgiots, leaving behind a memorial in the form of a buried town. Despite that, there was one thing that comforted him, even if it only brings back pain.

"I'm back..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Pinkie couldn't remember how long she was alone.

Despite still being in the vicinity of the pilgrims (whom avoided her after her loud outburst), she still felt solitary. Bored, with only a few stack of rocks on the floor accompanying her. She had made them herself from her need of a friend, though she sometimes wished there was a real friend to be with her. A friend that understands.

Perhaps it was meant to be; that she might only find a true friend in these lithic beings. She never questioned destiny for being at fault, yet it really seemed inappropriate. Plus, she never meant to yell at Phoenix and inadvertently delayed their exit from the Solsenaar Underpass, she just felt... hurt at the mention of her past.

Even if she can't remember a thing about it.

"Ye gods, finally found you, my lass."

The voice struck a familiar tune, what with its Highland accent and noticeable drawl, as Ollivander stepped from behind a stalagmite with a cheeky, beaked grin. Her frown was immediately washed away, leaving a sad smile on her lips from the presence of the gryphon.

"Ain't easy to search for you, ya know," he continued, wiping a bead of sweat.

"Almost like... what you pony folk call it? Needle in a hay batch?"

"Haystack," the pink mare corrected with a small giggle.

"What would gryphons call it then, a needle in a haystack?"

"Hopelessly lost, that's what."

Both of them chuckled lightly, with the gryphon settling himself onto the ground. Pinkie didn't mind his company; he was far more active than a stack of rocks, that's for sure. He and Ganger were the most optimistic of the group, and what Ganger can do for cooking with only three mushrooms and a mug of honey, Ollivander can do for companionship in a complicated mess such as hers.

"So, lass," he began, ruffling his feathers.

"Ya ready to pop your hooves yet? Phoenix ain't a patient li'el fellow, as I know him."

She wanted to frown at him for mentioning of the stallion, yet Ollivander's exuberant personality was enough to bar her from doing so. It was like some sort of contagious disease, albeit an ironically healthier one: they do say laughter is the best medicine, after all.

"I'm not really sure..." she admitted softly.

"I mean... I was the one that yelled at him, and I thought he deserved it. But when he said that I might be happier a long time ago... I... I don't really know..."

"I see, I see. You're in a li'el of a pickle. Some small swordfight in yer head."

Without hesitation, Ollivander shuffled towards her, unintentionally kicking away some of her rock puppets as he did so. Standing up, he stretched his four limbs with a chirp, his tail lassoing a pebble, to which he soon juggled in his talons as he fitted himself next to her, the pink mare shifting to the side.

"Well, I'll tell ya a wee bit of a secret," he began, tossing the pebble aside.

"Somethin' that only three ponies know of so far, which were Finn, V and Selena 'erself. Mostly because they were in it the whole time. Like some sor'o story, if you wanna know."

"Really?" Pinkie asked, curious.

"What kind of a secret?"

"How Selena and I got together."

Ollivander's smile turned into a beaming, triumphant grin once he saw the mare starting to fizz up with delight, her curved mouth steadily falling and widening in unison. Her eyes literally sparkled like the many crystals around, her heart bouncing in its cavity as excitement overwhelmed her like a flash flood, submerging her into a jumpy fit.

"Calm down, lassie," the gryphon said with a chuckle.

"It ain't easy t'a hear a story when yer shakin' like a leaf!"

"So how did it start?"

"I think you should've asked of when did it start."

Clearing his throat, still wearing his cheerful grin, the gryphon began:

"It was in the eve of March, I think. Just wee past February, when me, Finn and Velvet arrived at the town of Gaileton for a little break from adventuring. It was nice to see a comfy bed for once, and we warmed up to the innkeeper, who gave us a bed. Back then, we wouldn't have to carry around that blasted caravan. No, we only had sleeping bags, food and tankards of water in our bags, so civilization back then was a gryphon's heaven."

"Now, Gaileton is a small little place, yet it was booming with life. Steam to them was like gold, and everything was steam powered: their trains, their furnaces, even their showers! Everything with steam, it was the way of life for the ponies livin' there, and every single resident was happy. I was jolly as them; who woo'nt be when you finally found an actual bed that you can snooze on for the rest of yer life?"

He stopped short to let Pinkie have her fair share of giggles, before continuing:

"Well, once we found a room, we began explorin' the town a li'el. You know, make sense of the streets and all. Might come in pre'y handy when ya come back next time. Had lunch at a li'el diner, then sett'n off again. It wasn't long before my talons started to ache, and I told Finn and V I needed a li'el rest. By golly, it was the best two hour nap I ever had in months, and that's sayin' some'in, as we gryphons are known for always flyin' around without rest.

"About a week la'er, we stocked up and were ready to go, but of course Velvet had to finish up some errands. Ain't clear 'bout what 'e is, but it seemed urgent at the time. Then, the court'ouse suddenly exploded! Like, BLAM!!"

It wasn't a good mimic of an explosion, but it was loud enough to toss Pinkie off her hooves. The mare giggled like a filly, anticipation overwhelming her in a surge of energy that stalled her breath, her hooves standing on its very tip.

"Smoke was everywhere, and we knew who it was: none other than Selena 'erself. Saw her in the news last week, where she was arrested for a triple murder of 'er parents and bro'er, but instead of going to a trial, she blew up the whole place. Finn and I were quick to get 'air, though we weren't there first. V beat us to it, that colt. Half burn'd and unconscious, Finn decided to take 'im away, while I tried to se'el things with Selena."

"She was mad, as in cuckoo on the top! Rigged the whole darn town with bombs! One press, 'nd Gaileton turns into smi'ereens! It was me and 'er, like some sor'a showdown, and I could tell from her face that she was one brain cell loose! She was holding a remote, with a big red ba'on and pupils smaller than the tiniest seed, threatening me to not take a step further, so you know what I did?"

Pinkie shook her head.

"I went up to her, and she stepped back. I said: 'ya don't wanna do this. It ain't what you wanted. What about the ponies that are innocent? The colts and fillies in school? What about your family? Do they wanna see you like this; blowing up a town without sparin' a single life? I know how ya feel,' I told 'er. I know how it is to lose someone ya hold dear, and ya just need time to recover.'"

"I ain't gonna help her, she screamed. She was framed by some other pony, and that she loved 'er family. She was cryin' and... for some reason that I know now, my 'eart just... just felt like some'in's pullin' it down. She really wan'ed to press the ba'on, but I told her it ain't worth it, and said I was there to help 'er. And... she listened. She was huggin' me after that, still sobbin' and sobbin', droppin' the remote and savin' what might be hundreds of lives."

Ollivander glanced down, his face turning somber as he let out a sigh. Pinkie had never seen the gryphon being that serious before. Then again, he wouldn't tell everypony about his first meeting with Selena.

"I calmed her down a li'el, and by the time we were done, she had cried 'erself to sleep in my talons. She was shiverin' and whimperin', lost in some sort of nightmare, per'aps. The town didn't want 'er here, and she too returned the grudge, so I asked 'er to join us. To join the caravan. And, as ya know, she agreed and, well, 'ere we are."

"But where's the part?"

The gryphon just blinked in surprise. "What part?" he asked.

"You know!" Pinkie declared.

"The one where you and Selena got together! Where's the lovey-dovey? The smoochy-smooch?"

"Aye, my lass. I was gettin' to that!"

With a cough, Ollivander resumed his story:

"It was about four, five months after all that hullabaloo, and Selena and I were the best of friends. In the next town, we went to have a look at her... mental state, if you could call it. See if she's go'en over the incident. There was that magic used on her, and we gryphons ain't keen with magic, taboo and sorts, so you could probably see me shakin' on the chair. After she was done, the doctor and I had a small discussion in private. You know what he said?"

The gryphon's grimace slowed down Pinkie's shaking head, filling her thoughts with uncertainty. His smile faded into a total grimace, and the pink mare hesitated at the flicker of... rage? Anger? Whatever it was, it flickered in his pupils and corresponded to the frown he was wearing, and she was a little frightened by it, to be honest.

"Selena's still mentally ill," he finally gasped out after a minute of silence.

"She's crazy, even though how happy she was. Still is, to be honest. She's still that insane mare inside 'er, waiting to blow up like a time bomb. Ridiculous, ain't it? That a mare whose talent was creat'n bombs was a bomb 'erself. I didn't know what to do after that, so I thought I would just spill the beans."

"What happened?"

"I lied."

Ollivander's voice cracked, his hazel eyes shimmering as he blinked, trying to chase the tears back in.

"I... I couldn't do it... I couldn't tell 'er that she... that she's still... she was..."

Pinkie held her breath, watching hopelessly as the gryphon raised his talon, wiping a few tears off his furred cheek. Breathing in with a shiver, he swallowed a gasp of air, before continuing softly:

"She looked at me, almost as if she wan'ed to say somethin', but then pushed it away. We talked, yes, but I knew that she wasn't comfor'able with me anymore. So I sat under a tree that night, wonderin' if I did the right thing, before she came up to me. She wanted to yell at me, asked me why I lied, almost raisin' her hoof to slap me, and I closed my eyes and waited for it to come. Waited for a blow that can strike my beak clean off my face. Then she leaned down and did the most amazin' thing..."

"You both... kissed..."

The gryphon just nodded dreamily, staring into space.

"It... it was one of the best kisses I would ever have. We both were chokin' on our tears and kissin' in the moonlight, and she just curled up to me and said: Ollie. You mean everythin' to me. I know that I'm... that you might be afraid of me, but if you would just give me a chance. She never finished 'er sen'ence, however; I ended up kissin' her again! You should've seen 'er that night. So happy and filled with hope. Slept under the stars, she and I. Together. And that's how we've been until now."

"Wow..." Pinkie could only respond, yet one question remained.

"But if what the doctor said was true, does she mean that now, she's still..."

"No doubt about it, yes," Ollivander replied hastily and coldly, obviously cursing that memory to have ever existed.

"Which is what I wanna tell this to you, about you and Finn. He wants ya to remember because there are some things in the past that you might've cherished. Even when it's somethin' bad," he stopped briefly to gaze at his marefriend in the distance, "like Selena's condition, it led to us bein' toge'er. She's insane, yes, but she fascinates me and makes me happy, and all I want was for her to be happy as well," he turned back to Pinkie, "there would be some nightmares, yes, but there's always room for sweet dreams. Like he said, you wou'nt be the happy-go-lucky mare you are now if your life was filled with only horror.

Pinkie just glanced away, her thoughts lingering on the gryphon's words. Maybe they were true after all, a part of her said. Maybe there might be some good in the darkness of her past, just waiting to be found. And once she found it, it would be the light to guide her through the black to a better world; the one she was searching for.

"Th-thanks, Ollie," she replied, stifling a small smile.

"For talking to me."

"Ain't a problem, lass, and remember."

Ollivander rose, standing on all four talons as he stretched his wings, wearing a smile.

"Don't be afraid of your past. You done nothin' wrong."

She gave a quick nod, and with that the gryphon soon departed, leaving her to settle in her thoughts. It wasn't long, however, before another voice snapped her out of her intuitive state, the pink mare recognizing it immediately.

"Finally done with the chatting, I see," Phoenix said, stifling a smirk.

"Listen..." Pinkie began, teeth sinking into lips.

"I just wanted to-"

"No need for an apology. I'm the one who should apologize."

Both exchanged smiles, the serene silence of a reconciliation enveloping the two, though Phoenix was quick to break it.

"I got something for you," he said, reaching around his satchel and fumbling through the miscellaneous items inside. He soon pulled out, much to Pinkie's disbelief, a wrapped piece of marshmallow. The sight of it already tackled her taste buds into full force, making the turquoise stallion laugh.

"Call it a cheer-up gift. Saw you hoard up a stash of candy at every town we stopped by, and seeing how you would gobble it all up, I thought of keeping a few safe from you hooves."

Pinkie, much to his surprise, snatched it greedily, ready to just rip apart the wrappings emboldened with the word 'Caramel' across like a sash and pop the treat into her mouth, though she stopped short. She turned to Phoenix, her open mouth sewing up into a smile.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"No problem."

Phoenix's answer gave way for Pinkie, who popped the marshmallow in and started chewing relentlessly, turning the edible mound into a sticky mess. It felt so good, the sweetness melting in her taste buds; she never felt so euphoric in her life before!

Her expression of saccharine bliss earned a laugh from the other pony, which made her giggle in embarrassment. Phoenix started to walk away, though not before chuckling heartily when she shouted to him:

"You still need to tell me how you found my stash in the first place!!"

An Encounter Of Minuscule Proportions

"Excited? I'm more than excited! I'm feeling super-duper-wooper-extra-sugary-ulti-multi-STUPENDOUS!!"

If only the rest of the caravan shared her exuberance, Phoenix thought to himself with a smile. Admittedly, they were all excited at the tunnel of light shining ahead of them after days of venturing through the caverns of crystals; a sign they were finally making some progress.

Every one of them were smiling, be it from the band of pilgrims or the caravan members. It wasn't long before they stepped into the refreshing embrace of light, the crumbling floor of the cavern paving way for fields of grass that gave their hooves a long needed brushing.

"Last one to the exit's a simpleton!!" Ollivander cried suddenly, he and Selena already zooming off before any of them could cry foul. With a hearty laugh, the rest of the caravan joined in, even Dapple and the reclusive Brutus as one by one they stumbled out of the gaping cave.

No words could describe the scenery that met them, but if any of them could it would be the word 'utopia'. Throughout the expanse were fields of grass, all gently sloping downwards into a small bowl with an occasional clump of bushes around, their branches displaying bountiful varieties of berries. The shadows of the clouds hanging above in the empyrean blue formed shady, mobile patches through the grass, which swayed harmoniously from a gentle breeze.

"There it is," Parish Plow spoke suddenly, accompanied by a soft sigh.

"Our Holy Mother's Duilliúr Shrine on the Sommet du Forêt de Montagne: the Summit of the Mountain Forest."

To call it a shrine seemed like a degrading understatement: it looked more like a giant chateau! There, perched on the green top of the mountain, in the mist of the towering pedestal of stone, was one of the fabled, not to mention the most famous, Shrine of Terra. Like the mountain itself, it was overgrown with flora, thriving with the symphony of birds that would've been powerful if not for the distance. Four visible sets of stairs spiral from the top, with the roots of one branching out towards the awestruck adventurers.

The closer they marched, the more they could see. A cluster of towers pierced through the clouds, as if wanting to push itself from its already dominating height. Springs of water leak from within, branching out and gathering again to form a grandiose sprinkle of a waterfall raining down from the mountain and into a river snaking through the hills. It was as if the spirits of life wanted to possess the rock they were growing upon, and with the sheer abundance of it, they would not surprised if it suddenly rose from the ground and shifted around.

"My thoughts were the same when I first saw it with my very own eyes," he said upon seeing the amazed faces of the caravan.

"Come now! We must make haste!"

And with a beatific smile that could outmatch Pinkie Pie's, the shepherd hastily trotted across the sloping plains, leading the caravan and the hundreds of pilgrims through the green. He inhaled the nourishing air of late spring, the feeling of serenity rushing down his lungs making his hooves zip with a rare fervor.

It was when he started galloping ahead that he boasted his agility. Most ponies would've expected him to carry a walking stick, and the thought of him possessing such speed was a little unheard of for the caravan. It would seem strange yet comedic from afar, watching a whole snake of pilgrims chasing up to a single dot running further towards the haven that is the shrine.

A great wall of evergreens soon stood before them and the mountain, drenched within a sinister pool of fog that one was sure to get themselves lost in. Before anypony could stop him, Parish had already leaped inside, the sight of his fluttering cape and tail disappearing into the dense undergrowth. Phoenix skidded to a halt, the rest of the caravan following suit, though the pilgrims stormed zealously into the woodlands like a stampede of deers, never caring of whatever danger that might lurk within.

"Wait!" he shouted; a second too late, however, as the last of them scurried in, leaving behind their bewildered followers. All of them glanced at each other, uncertain of what to do, before Velvet spoke:

"What are we going to do now?"

"We can't just march into the fog," Ollivander replied.

"By golly, I've never seen anythin' that thick in my entire life!"

"It's not natural, that's for sure."

All eyes turned to Selena, the only pony capable of understanding the weather. She stirred a hoof in the fog, wrinkling her snout once she saw the clouds of vapor clinging onto it, strangling it like vines of ivy that withered only when she frantically brushed them away.

"This fog... it's too thick. Either some crazy pegasus wants us to get really lost, or they're trying to cause some sort of climate change, because this isn't safe for venturing."

Ollivander and Brutus nodded, both having experience of weather from their respective home countries in the Highlands. Mountainous as it was, the Highlands were noted for its high altitudes, with the tallest of mountains literally piercing into the heavens. Like most Equestrian mountains, they wore garments of forests around their rocky waists, and a Highlander, as the inhabitants there were called, would be lying if he said he had never experienced fog before.

The two Highlanders with them wore cynical expressions at the sight. Brutus even grunted as he readied his iron warhammer with the rest of them, letting out a scarce pair of gruff words:

"Dangerous inside."

Pinkie, however, just gulped, her sword already jiggling in her hooves. After all, like Selena said, pegasi are responsible for this. What are the chances that it was from the fleet of pegasi that launched their ambush just a few days ago? What more, was the fog really meant for her? To kidnap her in the obscurity even in the premises of her friends?

"We'll all just stick together until we can find the stairs," Phoenix said.

"I'll light the way with my tail and try to lead you guys through the fog. The rest of you... just try not to wander off, alright?"

With meek nods, the caravan soon took their first steps into the misty grove, their eyes glancing warily about the trees. It was unusually silent, the cries of its inhabitants that were heard from afar halting suddenly in their presence. Wading through the damp field of ferns, Phoenix's tail flared slightly brighter, revealing only barks of trees in the horizon.

"You gotta be joking..." Dapple cursed at the sight, much to the amusement of the rest.

The deeper they marched, the thicker the fog seemed to grow. Already, the doubts in Pinkie's mind started to grow; any minute longer, and she would have to pounce and hitch a ride on somepony's back.

Her eyes scanned the cloudy white, expecting something to just swoop down and grab her. If anything, the forest began to feel more foreboding as ever, and she held her breath, waiting for some ghostly pale face to just stare back at her and scare her to death.

And it did, save the last part.

She saw it in the middle of a fog: a pony, ethereal as the mist surrounding them, his skin a pure white. He held a taut gaze with her, the pink mare feeling ice creep up the arteries of her heart as she did so, yet it melted once the figure let out a wide smile. It only left her confused and frozen on the spot, unsure of what to do with the spectral pony before her.

"G-Guys, did you see--"

Her face paled once she saw no one behind her. Where did the rest of the caravan go? She frantically squinted her eyes, trying to spot at least some sort of blurred light of Phoenix's tail through the fog, to no avail. "P-Phoenix?" she whimpered, her hooves trembling. Fear started to simmer through her head, an unnatural chill crawling up her spine as she hesitantly turned back to face the pony again.

The figure was closer this time; enough for her to make out its insentient face. It had the square jaws of a stallion, and from its head she could make out some sort of... horn? A unicorn, maybe? Nevertheless, the phantom was trotting closer to him, and she clenched her eyes shut, biting her lip once he reached out to her, his mouth opening slowly.

"This way..."

"H-huh?" she stammered, opening her eyes reluctantly to see the colt reaching his hoof out, beckoning her into the darkness of the fog. Pinkie just stared into the forest, her skeptical gaze remaining stubborn as the demands of the pony before her. It almost looks like he was insisting to help, even though she don't know who it was, yet some part of her head tingled; a feeling of déjà vu.

She stepped forward, the phantom abiding her movements by heading forward, acting as a guide in the foggy labyrinth. Slowly she trotted behind him, her mind disputing on trusting him, despite the serenity that was behind it.

"Go forward... Don't turn back..."

Almost as sudden as his appearance was his departure, the figure fading into the conjured mist. Bewildered, Pinkie's teeth sank into her lips, readying her only weapon: her training sword, as she trotted deeper into the obscurity. She figured Phoenix would've noticed her gone by now, yet that... pony told her (more like warned her) not to turn back. She peered behind her shoulder, her efforts to spot the rest of them in vain.

"Maybe they're behind me..." she assured herself.

"M-Maybe they're just... planning a big surprise! Maybe they... th-they..."

Her face suddenly bonked into rock, the mare falling backwards into the fern-covered ground. Pinkie hissed in pain, rubbing her sore head as she glanced up cursedly at whatever she bumped into.

It was a giant monolith, reminiscent of those from the Steeplehenge photos in a book she borrowed from Velvet. On its side, there were ruins depicting a snake-like creature curling up into a circle, a crude drawing of ponies raging in flames and the most intriguing of them all: a faded painting of an alicorn, whose eyes were a luminous white.

Her sights soon set on, much to her excitement, a grand set of stone steps, curling up the stem of the mountain. She let out a gleeful giggle at the revelation: she found it! She found the way up the shrine!

"Hey guys! I found the-"

Pinkie stopped, the memory of her current situation crashing back into her like a tidal wave. She steadily and nervously turned back, unsure of whether to run back and try to look for the rest of the gang, stay here and let her patience run or leave them all behind and just go up the steps. The former two choices were risky; there might be more than just her friends or the pilgrims lurking between the trees.

She glanced up at the sky, making out faint, distinct shapes overhead, much to her surprise. They were like crows blotting out the sunlight, those shadows, and every ounce of her heart told her it was none other than her pursuers back at the entrance of the Solsenaar Underpass. She swallowed nervously, beginning her slow march up the steps with her rapier poised to strike.

"I'm sorry..." she whispered, wishing in all her heart the caravan could hear her voice.

Time to settle this. Alone.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"You're that certain it wasn't an accident?"

Fancypants would never remember the last time the authorities visited his home for business. Usually it would be his retired chaps from the Canterlot Royal Guard, and at some point the guard's current captain, Shining Armor, for a fine little chat. The latter pony was now in front of him, however, and the last thing both of them were thinking about is a small hour of relaxation from their Canterlotian hassle.

"I'm absolutely sure this was planned," he affirmed, clenching his hooves.

"There was no way it was an accident. They had everything accounted for."

Shining Armor just grimaced. Everything seemed too coincidental to be planned: the rain, the broken plumbing and the professor's escape. It was as if the assassin knew every single move that the professor would make. If so, there might be a chance Janus could've finished harnessing the Dreamscape technology he was purported to have obtained, and however he uses it, he was sure it wouldn't be used to correct some embarassing stage act in his childhood as a palm tree.

He turned towards the open door, the sight of two of his guardsmen lifting down a body bag on a stretcher already making his stomach churn. If he were coldhearted, he would say they had lost their greatest lead to finding their enemy. No, Equestria had lost a brave pony, despite his fault at believing in so.

"What do you think, Twiley?"

The purple unicorn just bit her lip, her gaze jumping between the two of her friends: Applejack and Rainbow Dash, both of them notified of the assassination with Soarin' joining along due to the latter mare's condition, her elder brother, Fancypants and Spitfire, who tagged along with her fellow Wonderbolt after hearing of the gruesome discovery from one of her close friends: Fleur de Lis herself, who had found the professor's stale cold body in the flooding bathroom.

Whatever whimpers she was making had been dragged back down her throat, withered like paper in the jaws of a flame. Her stare was emotionless, and one would've lied if they said they never saw her grace torn to shreds after seeing her in her broken state.

"If he planned this..." Twilight surmised, with everypony knowing who 'he' was.

"There might be a lot of ponies involved, but there are two that I'm sure are responsible. Firstly, the plumber, responsible for loosening the shower valve during his work. The other pony would be a pegasus working in the weather factory in Cloudsdale, who scheduled rain to fall on Canterlot at a specific day, meaning yesterday."

"And you say they're in league with him?" Fancypants asked.

"Probably, or they might be bribed, like the professor, I believe. If Professor Page was with Janus, he would not dare defy his leader, seeing how powerful he is."

"Wait," Spitfire cut in; being the only pony unsure of what's happening she had to.

"There are ponies that saw him before? As in, really up close?"

"So far, a number had seen him," Twilight answered.

"Apart from his forces, most of them who had seen him are either dead or captured. There are some ponies in our side that had seen him, particularly Rarity, who deduced he required the Dreamscape technology, and Stellar Lionheart, who is currently residing in an expedition up north. Apart from that, three dragons have seen him as well: Rarity's drakefriend, Spike, Jovern and his brother, Kane, who was also Applejack's drakefriend."

Applejack could feel her skin flushing red as all eyes turned to her, some flickering with disbelief, the rest with mischief. She could hear Rainbow snickering underneath her breath, which only tempted out a growl.

"What?" she rasped at the staring ponies, crossing her hooves with her eyes glancing sideways gruffly.

"He... he's just a charmer..."

The violet mare coughed lightly, before continuing: "Only a few ponies were actually connected to him. There was Fluttershy, whose father was murdered one night. I'm sure you fellow pegasi know about it," she paused as they nodded somberly, "and there was Rarity, who had made an accidental connection in the form of nightmares that perhaps state his intentions. And then there's... well... Pinkie Pie..."

The name struck a chilling cord in all their hearts. Applejack glanced away dolefully, Rainbow grumbled coldly yet inaudibly, and she herself closed her eyes, letting any clouding feelings wash off through her hooves. The rest just stuck their heads down low, the demise of the Element of Laughter all palpable to them.

"Both her parents were murdered through a debt of, well, rocks," she continued, feeling slightly ludicrous.

"The family home was burned down, and her sisters were captured and most probably dead, with any information of them driven to the point of nonexistence and all traces of the Pie family erased. Pinkie herself was believed to have been lost in the chaos of Pendant Lakes, but we have every reason to believe she's still alive."

"I've heard of it," Fancypants poked in.

"The Princess notified me of the situation of Pendant Lakes. Janus would've fallen too if she had fallen."

"That's his name?" Spitfire asked once again. "Janus?"

A chorus of nods followed, convincing enough for her to flip her mane back with a sigh, eyes closed, hooves crossed and head shaking. "That's one more enemy on our list." she mumbled.

"Captain, you do realize this pony might be the most dangerous one yet? He's not just some rogue Shadowbolt, you know."

"I understand, Soarin'," the gold mare answered her comrade.

"What I don't understand is why he wouldn't just come out and face the Princess on his own. Destroy the leader, and you'll conquer the whole nation, not that I'm saying Princess Celestia will lose the battle, of course."

"For one, Janus is calculative and unpredictable," Twilight spoke, "and his choice of crippling the faith of Equestria in their rulers can turn the tides into his favor. If he had stood up openly to the Princess, I'm sure he would never bother to hide his origins as well, yet there's little, if not no leads at all on tracing him down, which brings us back here."

The violet mare glanced at the two suspects before her. One, a plumber and two, a weather-pegasus. They need to speed things up; Janus's forces might be marching closer to Canterlot at any second.

"Alright, here's how it's gonna work," she continued.

"Tomorrow, Fancypants, Applejack and I would head to the plumbing company and figure out the employee responsible for it at the given time frame. If he spotted us and bolted I'm sure AJ would have enough willpower to catch that pony, won't you?"

"Eeyup! No doubt about it, sugarcube!"

"Along with that, we need somepony to check out the weather factory and find the pony responsible for scheduling the rainfall yesterday--"

"I'll go."

Everyone of them turned to Rainbow Dash, the pegasus stepping forward slowly, much to their disbelief. Even Spitfire was utterly flabbergasted at the cyan mare's request, and for a very good reason; one that Rainbow herself had seemed to blatantly ignore.

"It's just one trip to Cloudsdale," she continued bluntly, not noticing their shock or, at least, not bothering to.

"If he's there, we're bound to get him, and if he runs, I'll make sure he has his wings snapped before he could ever have a chance to get out of Cloudsdale."

"You're kidding, right?" Soarin' asked cynically.

"Please tell me you're joking."

"Does this look like a joke to you?"

Tense silence filled the room, and everyone's breath was left hanging, all eyes focused on husband and wife staring down at each other. None dared to step between them, lest they incite their fury on the rest of them instead of each other. Rainbow's wings flared, her snout twitching incessantly and ready to pounce onto him, despite her pregnancy.

"I'm going to Cloudsdale even if you're stopping me, Soar," she hissed.

"And risk the life of our foal?" he shot back.

"Rainbow, you're a mother, for Celestia's sake! Why can't you just let Spitfire track the pony down herself? Why the heck must you bring yourself into this?"

"Because I haven't done enough!!" she yelled, jabbing a hoof into her husband's chest.

"All this time, I'm just watching everything happen!! Fluttershy and her mother, Rarity and Spike at that town up north, Applejack in Manehatten," the orange mare hid herself underneath her hat as she said that, "even Twilight and Pinkie Pie back in Fenderville!! Remember that, Soar?! Now, even Scootaloo's been targeted, and what the buck I'm doing here? Resting my flank off? 'Cause if you want me to watch another one of my friends get hurt right now, then I'd RATHER SIGN UP FOR SOME CELESTIA-DAMNED ABORTION INSTEAD!!"

Gasps soon escaped from everypony's mouth, with Soarin' just glaring at her in utter shock at her words. Small tears crept up from his eyes, though he was quick to wipe them off.

"F-Fine," he stammered, slightly surprising the rest with his expressionless response.

"But if you're going, that means I'm coming with you."

"No, Soar."

"I know you don't want me in this, okay? I know you don't want Spitfire and I to get into some sort of trouble, but you're already bringing Firefly into this! Did you really think that I'm going to just sit here and watch you bring our daughter and chase some murderous fiend down?"

Rainbow opened her mouth to speak, yet she couldn't form any words. She glanced down at her belly, cringing her eyes shut at the be-damned choices ringing in her head and chasing out tears from the depths of her eyes. There was so much she wanted to do to help, and yet... she couldn't... she just couldn't.

A hoof on her shoulder pried them back open to see Spitfire staring back at her with a look of concern. She had every right to be; Rainbow chose her to be Firefly's godmother, after all, and to see one of her teammate's spouses and former student in such a struggle...

"Soarin' and I are going with you, RD, no matter what," the veteran Wonderbolt said.

"I know you really want to help, but to risk both of your lives in this... don't you want to see Firefly's face? Don't you want to know who she takes after more, or which of her parents' mane she inherited?"

The mother-to-be said nothing, prompting her to continue: "I knew somepony who was given this chance. She was a great mare in her own right: a pegasus that inspires dreams and fulfills them. A pegasus that everypony wanted to be. She held herself in high regard... until she had her foal."

Spitfire stared blankly at a corner, without any trace of emotion. "She didn't see it as a blessing until it was too late," the Wonderbolt continued. "Even after her husband said no, she still went on her adventures and shows, entertaining all her friends and fans with her stunts. One day, during rehearsals, there was an accident... and everything just fell apart. She lost her baby, she lost her husband's love... she lost her heart... and I don't want you to be like her, okay?"

"But... but I just wanted to help..."

"Then let us come with you," Spitfire persuaded.

"Just... think of it as extra help! You know how it is."

Rainbow turned to Soarin', who gave a firm nod, then to Applejack and Twilight. The two mares gave her a smile, and she soon returned it with one of her own, albeit smaller.

"So it's settled then?" Shining Armor said.

"RD, Soarin' and Spitfire goes to Cloudsdale and find the weatherpony responsible for the rain."

With that said, each of them left the prestigious home of Fancypants, the stallion sending them off before tending to his traumatized wife. Soarin', however, pulled Spitfire aside from the group, a grimacing forming between his brows as he spoke:

"You don't have to tell her about that."

His leader just turned away. Yes, it was heart-wrenching to pour out tales of a broken pasts, but to see somepony relive it, especially when it's somepony so young with so much to expect...

"You know I had to do it," the mare replied bluntly.

"I don't want to see her - and you - ending up in a miscarriage. You know how I was when I lost her. You saw how depressed I was when he left me. You were my teammate and best friend for twenty years now, Soar, and you know the costs of being a Wonderbolt. It's almost time for Firefly to come to this world, and if we were to lose her now..."

Spitfire shut her eyes.

"I'll never forgive myself."

Her gaze was blank as she stared into the cloudy afternoon sky, the streams of memory passing her by as if in mourning, of dead flowers blossoming anew; scars reopened to light. She latched them back shut as she heard Rainbow calling out to her, the two Wonderbolts raising a small smile once her exaggerating complaints of their lethargy ended.

"I don't want you to be like her, Rainbow Dash," her inner voice spoke, wishing she had the courage and dignity to say it aloud to the mare who bore her godchild.

"I don't want you to be like me..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Almost... th-there...!"

Pant after pant after pant. With each step closer to the top, Pinkie wheezed out a breathless puff of air, her sword acting like a trekking pole up the confounded stairway. Her hooves started to ache, with bruises that resulted from slipping onto moss and damp water puddles.

The relieving mountain air was getting noticeably thinner, the mare turning towards the setting sun and glancing down at the scenery. It was grand, to say the least, with the foggy pine forest surrounding it standing tall, the mountains beyond dominating the view with snow-capped peaks, and at a corner with a dirt path cutting it through, a small cluster of lights; the haven of civilization.

"Valewood," she mumbled its name. The first town they'll finally be in months.

Without hesitation, Pinkie gathered her strength, marching up the stone steps. Every step forward was a step to Valewood, and she couldn't help but giggle at the thought of possessing a grand stock of candy again. She had been saving up all her funds for this! This very moment!

"Sounds like some novel," she muttered at herself, smiling. She could imagine the title already. 'Pinkie Pie: The Candy Caper', it would read. Now to just come out with some catchy motto...

"Um... 'Always There To Swipe Your Sweets'? No... Ooh! How about 'The Mare That Puts The Trick In Treat'? Or is it 'Gives A Trick And Treat'? Hmm......"

Whatever rambunctious mumbling was cut off as she stopped suddenly, facing a stone archway that invited her. The last of the steps receded into the flat plateau of gray, ceramic tiles, with some ruptured by overgrowing yet beautiful cherry blossoms, among the latter of trees. There were flowers of every possible color, almost like some sort of painting, and the sight struck a fine chord in her excitement, her hooves beginning a stride down the marble temple.

It was truly a sanctuary of nature, with plants from every land, familiar and foreign, thriving in its grandiose structure built upon the peak and conquering rock with life rarely seen together! She couldn't believe she was walking down underneath the roots of the grandest sequoias forming archways among the path, or trotting between a gloomy field of black lilies floating in a murky lake! Phoenix had told her of many plants, which she remembered, but there's still so many she had never seen before!

The fauna here was unbelievably exquisite as well, with some more noticeable than others. Zipping across the gardens were hummingbirds, their thin beaks piercing into the depths of the exotic flowers laying around. Amid the branches, a black panther watched warily, calm with satisfaction as it lazes underneath the leaves. The most jubilant sight was of a herd of deer prancing about, stopping only to feast on a treasure trove of overgrown ferns.

Every sight she saw marveled her with the sheer abundance of life, and she would've tripped if she hadn't seen the moss-covered rock standing in the center at the last minute. It was shaped into a cube, with rune carvings decorating all around it, its translation probably extinct. Engraved in the center, however, was a pair of words that said:

Scrín Duilliúr

"The Shrine of Duilliúr," she roughly translated the Highlander text. There was no doubt about it: this was where the pilgrims intended to end their journey, and also where they would see the alicorn Terra, which supposedly would manifest at the end of their journey. She herself had never seen an alicorn before. At least, she think she didn't.

Rustling feathers, however, stopped her excitement, the sound of it prompting Pinkie to dive into the bushes. The flapping soon transitioned into trotting hooves as she raised her blade, her breath halted at the pair of voices, growing louder into the light of clarity once they got closer and closer.

"...certain she would be here, Capt?"

The voice was hungry with savagery, yet calm and collected with melancholy. Her spine tingled at its lack of emotion, and she couldn't help but peek out the bushes to see a coat of dark purple staring back at her, its waist strapped around with a large machine gun.

"There's no other place she could've gone," said the other pony. This voice was as cold as his counterpart's, though there was an inch of cunning fervor building within, the sound of it tingling her with nostalgia. A glance up at his visage, with aviator goggles strapped against his bright azure mane, was enough to make her shiver, for it was the pony that captured her during the ambush earlier.

"If they diverted course from the pilgrims, we would've seen them from here."

She could still remember the glinting tip of the knife against her neck, as well as the inhumane spark in his pair of venomous green eyes. Her hooves started to shiver, her sword trembling within her grip while the voices continued, still unaware of their eavesdropping target they were oh so determined to find.

"Remember, this is a silent operation," the pony continued.

"We're only targeting her and her alone. Kill anypony else, it might botch the whole plan..."

Pinkie lowered her sword once the voices started to fade, the hoofsteps heading into the distance. A sigh of relief escaped from her mouth, yet she knew it was far from over. Would she march in and fight them off, all by herself, or would she wait for Phoenix and the others to arrive? She would've done the latter, but what if the caravan was captured? What shall she do then?

"There are other options..."

The mare let out a yell, with another noticeably squeakier one returning it graciously. She jumped back, raising her sword back up, ready to lash out at whatever unlucky pony that dared terrified her, though she lowered it back down once she saw the sight bestowed upon her.

It was a wisp, glowing an effulgent yellow and flickering lightly to a beat, with a tail protruding from its radiant center reminiscent of comets in the night sky. Its eyes, however, were a distinct black, like large beads shimmering in a field of dazzling light with a convex reflection staring back at her. It swayed happily at the prospect of being seen and marveled at, flaunting itself like a firefly in its ever-glowing nature.

"Wh-what... what are you?" Pinkie asked hesitantly.

"I'm a hobby-lantern!" it replied cheerfully with the squeak of a mouse and the ring of a wind chime.

"Spooky lights? Orbs? Will-o'-the-wisps? That's me alright! But hobby-lanterns are different! We're named because we can extinguish ourselves to go into hiding or sneak up to ponies! Like this!"

With a huff, the spirit's bright glow suddenly snuffed out, its divine light pulled into its black eyes, which glowed a dim yellow with puffed cheeks like a luminous balloon. It was as if its colors were inverted; black turning into a glowing yellow, and vice versa! The hobby-lantern, as it called itself, then blew out a puff of air, to which its mesmerizing glow of its body returned, the light in its eyes withdrawing once more.

"Pretty neat, huh?" it bragged, having noticed Pinkie's amazed expression.

"But enough about me! Let's talk about you!"

"M-Me?"

"Like, duh~!" it continued.

"You might be thinking, why would a small little pixie suddenly pop out in the middle of nowhere. Well, one, I'm a hobby-lantern, not a pixie. Two, I'm also a messenger of the Princess, here to guide you!"

"A messenger... of the Princess?"

Pinkie wanted to laugh it off as a joke, yet everything was all too real. But why would this... hobby-lantern be sent here for? What would this 'Princess' want from her?

"Which Princess is it?" she asked in a slight bout of curiosity.

"Why, Princess Terra Regalis, of course!"

Princess Terra? As in the Holy Mother Terra, the one that the pilgrims pledged their lives to, and whose sanctuary of a shrine she was standing in right now? Her hooves were already wriggling with excitement, the mare couldn't help but let out a squeal of delight.

"Where is she? Is she here? She must be easy to spot; she's an alicorn! And this is her shrine, of course! There's so many things I want to say to her, like how beeeeee-utiful this place is, and how there's so much plants, and trees, and flowers, and vines, and trees, and rocks--"

"Yeepers! Chill your nipper-tatties, missy!" the spirit cut in, its tail whipping at her snout.

"The Princess didn't send me here to hear out your babble. I think. But anyways, she wants to have a word with you. As in, face to face conversation? Serious talk from one mare to another? Get my message?"

"R-Really?" Pinkie stammered in disbelief, to which it flashed once: a yes.

"As in, right here, right now?"

"Pretty obvious, ain't it?"

"No way!!" the mare screeched, much to the hobby-lantern's annoyance.

"I'm so, so, so, so, so, so EXCITED!! Who would've thought of it, talking to Princess Terra, who sent this little wisp to me just for a private party!! There's so many things we could do, so many things we could talk-talkity-talk about. Ooh! Ooh! And then there's so much stuff I wanna ask here..."

"Oh boy..." the spirit sighed.

"This is going to be one long journey..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Seven times it rang.

"Hello...?"

She could hear it clearly; the brass bells distantly booming in her head. Her voice was a music box in the vicinity of a church organ, the haze of her surroundings merely warping as she rose from the confines of her bed.

It was morning, yet the rays of a sepia sun only blemished the world in an unforgiving taint of dullness. She trotted about the room, whimpering slightly as she gazed into her cracked reflection, only to see her azure eyes tinted a blood red. Instead of the expression of terror growing on her lips, it showed a widening grin, its teeth sharp as needles with a glint of hunger.

"A-Anypony?"

She slowly stepped away from the mirror, letting out shivering pants as she glanced around the forsaken room. Everything was fading, decaying as she wandered hurriedly about the pits of a blooming cadaver. Galloping towards the windows, she wrestled with the knobs, to no avail, with the first beads of sweat sinking and searing into her skin.

Her breath jumped when the doorknob rattled suddenly, her sights turned at the unknown intruder wanting to break in. Open the door, said the ringing bells. Open the door, said the cracks of the mirror. Open the door, said the burnished sun. Hoof grasping knob, she held her breath, before yanking the door wide open.

"Hello... Rarity..."

"N-No...!" she yelped, falling backwards onto the stale floor at the figure. It was the pony nestling within her reflection; the pony born from despair, destruction and insanity. His eyes were soulless and burning red, draining the remaining color of his body. A wide-eyed grin filled his face, and with each step forward, she pushed herself back. Away from the predator that yearns only for death and death alone. The floor shattered, revealing oblivion underneath, with flames that scream out savagery and erupting from its chasms of black.

"St-Stay away from me... STAY AWAY!!"

Screams were futile, and the crazed pony suddenly cringed. His skin started peeling, one by one forming strewn bandages on the floor, revealing beneath a black, grotesque mass. His face only possessed a mouth, teeth white as the hide he shed and discarded, its purple tongue sloppy with ink edging towards her face as he snarled happily with the voice of two: one of calming dread and the other of twisted insanity.

"Have you come...... to die...?"

"No...! NO, PLEASE DON'T...!! NO!!!"

<> [O] <>

Rarity jolted up from her bed, panting deliriously with red sheets dampened in a darker shade of sweat. She glanced around the bedroom, head still ringing, body still shivering, eyes wide in sheer horror.

The rays of morning were already piercing through the curtained windows, enveloping the bedroom in a dim shade of light. A sound of light snoring prompted her to turn, sighing with relief when she saw Spike sprawled all over in the bed, still in a deep sleep and not noticing her shaken state. The fashion designer swallowed, her gaze affixed to the knob as she waited for something to happen. Her heart was sinking into nonexistence, her gut squirming in protest at the thought of it.

Something was wrong.

"Sp-Spike..." she whimpered, shaking the dragon's claws.

"Wake up... please wake up..."

"Mmph..."

He tossed and turned, growling a few times, yet still remained in his sleep. The sound of the antique clock ticking by the nightstand echoed in her head, with fleeting shadows trying to taint the borders of her reality and nightmarish domain. Dread swallowed her up, wiping its plate clean for no other emotion to share and greedily devouring the rare tinge of color off her face.

The room was dim with only a few cracks of sunlight lighting up the room, as the Princess prepares to bring forth the day. Tumultuous hoofsteps joined the fray, the cacophony of them echoing throughout the room. Everything seemed to blur: the shadows, the hoofsteps, the sunlight, the nightmares... it's too much. It's too much!

"Spike... Sp-Spike!"

"Huh... what?" the dragon mumbled meekly, rubbing his eyes. The white blur before his face soon grew clearer into the face of his marefriend, the sight of her face making him sigh with relief.

"For Celestia's sake, Rarity, don't scare me like that," he said with a quiet laugh.

"I thought you were Twilight. Her and her wake up calls..."

"Spike, listen to me," she whispered, earning his rapt attention.

"I don't think we're safe here... you might think I'm crazy, but Janus knows we're here. He knows we're here..."

Spike blinked for a minute, at first wanting to dismiss it as a joke and just laugh it off, yet the fashion designer's pleading look was anything but humorous. Her frazzled mane and sweating forehead was clear enough of an indication to tell him what happened, and with things happening around these days...

"Is it one of your nightmares?" he asked, to which she slowly nodded, her glance stuck to the sheets.

"Look, I don't think Janus would be out to get us. Twilight did say once he struck once, he wouldn't dare strike again. He wants to remain incognito from the rest of Equestria, and he doesn't want us tracking him down, so I'm sure he wouldn't be as careless to barge into the palace and kidnap you or whatever."

"But I... I saw him..."

"In your nightmares," the dragon assured, clutching her hooves.

"Look, if he ever dares to step through that door, just remember this piece of scaly hunk," he smacked his biceps, his actions making the mare giggle, "is here to protect you, alright. I will never let him get to you, and if he does--"

*KNOCK*

Both heads immediately turned towards the door, just as the clock chimed suddenly, nearly making Rarity's heart jump. She held her breath, watching Spike rise from the bed, obviously curious at whichever smart pony that wanted their presence at such an early hour.

The unicorn just sat there, watching her colt-- no, drakefriend, march across the room. Perhaps it's just an overexcited Twilight on the verge of discovering Janus's true identity, or Applejack about to notify her about Rainbow Dash going into labor. Perhaps it's just Sweetie Belle wanting to see her rehearse, or just some prank conjured by the Princesses; she heard they can be pretty mischievous sometimes.

Seven times the clock rang.

The fashion designer immediately turned, her face paling at the ornate hands on the antique clock face. Could it be that much of a coincidence...?

"Sp-Spike..." she hissed, her body resuming its shivering.

"It might be--"

The frantic rattling of the doorknob sliced into her words, both of them turning towards the door; Spike wearing a look of surprise and Rarity of horror. Without a second to spare, her horn flared a light blue, yanking the dragon (much to his displeasure) and tossing him towards the floor on the other side of the bed, with her diving along next to him.

"Rarity," he started to complain with a sigh.

"You could've at least--"

No sooner than the door burst open came the rapid fire of a machine gun, spraying throughout the stone room just as the couple ducked their heads down. Pillows were shredded, glass was shattered, and ricochet after ricochet rang through their ears. Gritting his teeth, Spike quickly hid Rarity underneath his arms, her whimpering a falling feather compared to the bullets whizzing and striking at any surface.

Even the cupboard wasn't spared, splintering wood harmonizing along the cacophony before the structure collapsed, the dresses the mare had made all riddled with holes. The dragon hugged her tighter as the already deafening gunfire grew louder, screaming into their eardrums, though it suddenly fell silent.

Rarity was on the verge of tears, her quivering hoof clamped over her mouth to keep silent. Spike placed a claw over his lips, gesturing a signal of silence. From his fluttering emerald eyes, the mare could tell he was shaken by this as well.

With a roar, he suddenly pounced from the bed, tackling their assailant down and snapping the machine gun away from the colt's grip. Spike clenched his fists, pinning him down as he launched four punches in succession against his cheek, bruising it purple, though it was soon returned with a blow of hooves against his chest, making him retch.

Before the dragon could recover, he was slammed in the face with a wooden pole, sending him into a daze. Another blow in the chest forced him back, successfully blocking the next with a grunt before kicking the pony towards the door, body slamming against wood.

Rarity watched as Spike lunged towards him, her horror shining through once she saw the pony drew from his pocket a revolver.

"SPIKE!!"

A loud gunshot erupted, sending the dragon tumbling, the bullet striking, much to their relief, his arm. He smacked the revolver out of the pony's hoof before another shot could be made, and tackled the pony out of the window and onto the balcony. The gun swiveled across the floor, stopping only when it reached Rarity's hooves.

Picking it up, she instantly limped towards the balcony, watching as Spike and the colt exchanged punches and kicks, moving closer and closer towards the edge. She raised the revolver, trying frantically to get a clear shot at the pony, to no avail. The gunpony's face was clear in the rising daylight: he was a unicorn, with an orange mane and pale blue skin, one of his eyes possessing a visibly large scar, rendering him half-blind.

Spike soon slashed the pony with his claws, leaving behind three red gashes across his chest; in response, his horn glowed orange, ripping the shredded curtains and, much to Rarity's horror, wringing around the dragon's neck. Gritting his teeth, Spike flailed his claws about, trying to yank the choking sheets from his neck, yet it only grew tighter and tighter with his struggles, with one end of the tangled sheets being pulled by the pony before him, wearing a triumphant grin.

The sound of trotting hooves sank into his ears, and before he knew it, Rarity was by his side, the gun hovering next to her. Hatred brimmed in her pupils, her brows forcefully crossed as a bead of sweat fell from her forehead, her magic pressing down onto the trigger.

"Not on my watch, you WRETCH!!"

*BANG*

The unicorn yelled as the bullet struck into his shoulder, sending him over the ledge and dragging Spike along with it. Her horn flared as she yanked the dragon back, engaging in a tug-of-war with gravity as their assailant hung for dear life on the other end, his desire to kill tempting him to climb back up the tangled sheets.

Rarity soon gripped it with her teeth, pulling Spike farther and farther away from the ledge, his face turning a slight blue. Her horror escalated once she saw the other pony's hoof slam onto the top of the stone railing, as if returning from the dead to finish what he had started.

With a roar, the dragon agonizingly turned towards the demented colt, the sheets like a leash. He watched, gritting his teeth as the colt slid from his hooves a razor, glinting sharply and aimed downwards at his face.

"You know who the heck you're dealing with?" Spike gasped out a taunt.

"You're dealing with Spike the dragon!!"

Just as the razor lunged down towards him, Spike pushed himself backwards, leaving the blade to graze his neck and ripping through the choking piece of cloth, the sound of metal screeching against his scales ringing through all three pairs of ears as he and Rarity tumbled backward, finally free from the anxious tugging of curtains.

Both dragon and mare watched as he fell backwards with a loud scream, the rope of sheets falling swiftly before looping around the base of one the columns. Instead of hearing a crash onto the ground, there was a popping of bone, dreaded curiosity beckoning them to peer over the balcony, and after a shaken minute, they did so.

Rarity let out a screaming gasp at the sight of the colt dangling within the sheets, a noose apparently snapping the pony's neck. His hoof twitched with the last figments of life, before laying still, leaving him as a gruesome exhibit for this Canterlotian morning, swaying gently like a pendulum in the breeze for all the horrified onlookers in the prestigious town to see.

Spike hugged her tight, feeling his chest dampening once the mare let out a loud sob, prompting him to choke out one as well. The couple collapsed onto the marble balcony, trauma stinging their heads and leaving behind only desolation of their predicament like daggers twisting into their heads.

Trotting hooves, however, soon stirred the dragon from his state to see a horrified Twilight looking over the balcony, suddenly stumbling back with her hoof clamping over her mouth just as the rest of their friends rush in as well. The only sound they could listen to was the devastation of Rarity's sobbing, her pained voice leaving a harrowing mark in their hearts, as well as a singeing, unforgiving reminder.

Janus has struck once again.

Terra's Limbo

"Here, Rarity..."

Twilight watched as the white mare reached out with her shivering hooves, graciously accepting the cup of water she offered for her shaken friend. It was still clear, the events of the morning, when the ringing gunfire jostled her awake, galloping to find Rarity and Spike trembling on the floor, embracing each other amid torn cloth, splintered wood and shattered glass. The sight of a lifeless body dangling from tangled sheets nearly made her gag, her horror outmatched only by her agitation.

Along with the two victims of the attack in the royal lounge, there were the rest of her friends, save Rainbow Dash and Soarin', who had already set off with Spitfire towards Cloudsdale earlier to find their rainmaker. Sweetie Belle was already cuddling up next to her sister, unable to think of any words of comfort for her. All they could hear were her thick sobs, which had been lasting the same way since the break of dawn: tumultuous, fractured and quivering.

Spike was as sullen as her, though his meager flow of tears had already halted, his embrace with Rarity softening only by a little. There was primal rage instead of trauma stirring from him, growing simultaneously with Twilight's concern. His face was bruised and slightly battered, with a noticeable bruise slashed across his neck, his bandaged arm stained a patch of dark red from his gunshot wound.

"Can't believe this happened..." Applejack grumbled softly.

"If we ain't safe in the palace, where in tarnation are we going to go?"

"Maybe the pony's just... lucky to get inside here..."

"It just ain't right, Fluttersh'ah," the farmpony replied her sister-in-law, her voice rigid.

"We're in probably the most fortified place of all of central Equestria, 'nd there's already been two dead ponies since we got 'ere! Now, Rarity and Spike nearly got killed, and by sheer darn luck they're lucky to be alive! What if the next one might be one of us?"

"The Princess would never let that happen," Twilight assured.

"She would never see us, and I do mean any of us, get hurt. We're the Elements of Harmony, and she wouldn't intend to lose any of us to Janus if she wanted to win.

"So ya think Pinkie's just some part of a plan now? Ditch her in that be-damned forsaken place and get mare-handled by the Princesses--"

"I knew with all my heart that Pinkie's safe, Applejack!"

Both farmpony and scholar exchanged grudging stares, their harsh tones refusing to recoil. It was rare to see the specific two going against each other; usually Twilight would trust Applejack's headstrong logic, and Applejack would do the same to her wisdom. Pinkie's demise, however, proved differently.

"We did not have a chance to save Pinkie back then," the violet mare affirmed strictly, "but if I can find her now, I would do everything in my power to make it happen, even if it means losing my head to some crazed assassin hellbent on murdering us in our sleep. Understood?"

Applejack just grumbled, crossing her hooves and settling next to Apple Bloom.

"It might be too late..." she mumbled underneath her breath.

The door opened suddenly, revealing the prestigious quartet of Canterlot trotting inside: Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Shining Armor and Fancypants. Immediately, the ponies in the room all bowed at the presence of the alicorn sisters, some albeit reluctantly in doing so.

Their expressions were anything but light-hearted, their sights set upon the couple grieving from their experience. The older alicorn was first to tend to Rarity, prompting the said mare to look up with distressed eyes that asked one simple question:

Why...?

The rest watched with dismal concern as Princess Celestia placed her wings around the shaken mare, beckoning her to have another drink, to which Rarity obliged. It was somewhat a little more soothing to have a drink in her presence, and both unicorn and alicorn knew that.

Spike was less grateful of her company, however, his spite evident from tense, crossed arms and a look of frustration to the frown curving on his lips, slipping out quiet, inaudible grumbles that would've rang louder in the absence of the alicorn sisters. Twilight couldn't help but notice it, her instincts already nudging her to tell off the dragon about it, yet she held herself back at the last minute.

"Checked the body of their assailant," Fancypants said, snapping her from her thoughts.

"Was a perfect match to the plumber responsible for assassinating Professor Page. I would recognize his scarred eye anywhere."

The violet mare's face darkened. So it seems the professor's killer decided to strike again, with no success and ultimately costing his life. Was it still from Janus's orders, and if so, why Rarity and Spike? Why not the Princesses or the high society ponies, like Fancypants himself? What did both dragon and mare have that Janus was so determined to murder for?

"I'll try to get some ponies to check into his background," the stallion continued.

"It might help us shed some light on how he's acquainted with Janus. Perhaps we can fish out the identities of his associates from there. I have a certain number of friends in the Canterlot Elite that I know would surely be glad to help."

"Do what you have to," Princess Celestia replied.

"We need what we can get to stop Janus before he causes harm once more. Fortify the defenses of Canterlot, and send this as an order to the remaining cities: that all Solar and Lunar Guards must be on duty at their prevalent times. In the meantime, Shining Armor, get an army ready to face the opposing forces, and notify Cadance of preparing an evacuation for the Crystal Empire, just in case."

Shining Armor gave a firm nod, being the involuntary first to march out of the room just as the alabaster alicorn rose from Rarity's side, having finished relieving her of her nightmarish ordeal and strutting towards her sister. The younger princess was leafing through photographs of the crime scene, a little distraught at the attack.

"What should we do now, sister?"

"If we can trace Janus from this pony alone, it's wise we prepare a reconnaissance unit and find out what we can. As for preparations, we'll have to station all available battalions around the Equestrian border, but if the situation goes beyond that..."

The older alicorn cut herself off with a sigh, the only pony that visibly knew of her intentions being Princess Luna herself, whose ears drooped suddenly. Twilight resisted the urge to ask about it, knowing the answer will come in due time.

Someday.

"In the meantime, we'll have to keep Canterlot safe," she continued.

"We'll have to do anything we can to make sure that none of Janus's subordinates have infiltrated the city--"

"Like watching us suffer..."

All eyes turned in disbelief at the direction of the voice, with eyes staring down in the fiercest glare, claws starting to rip into the cushions of his seat. Spike stood up and, much to the unimaginable shock of everyone else, including Rarity, marched defiantly up towards Princess Celestia, jabbing the tip of his claw into his chest with such provoking blasphemy, it surprised, not to mention angered, even the two alicorns as well.

"You said we would be safe in this palace. You promised in your speech that you would make sure none of us would be in danger."

"Spike," Twilight deadpanned.

"You know the Princess can't fully guarantee that--"

"They're all just false promises, aren't they?" the dragon continued, not caring of the violet mare's words.

"They're just stupid lies invented to think we would be safe, right? So when Janus comes, you're just going to welcome him inside and watch all of us die? Is that what you want?"

"S-Spike," Rarity tried to cut in. "Please--"

"What if this whole time, we're brought here just to lure Janus in; that Pinkie was never alive at all and it was just some darn excuse to bring us here?! What if Janus was right the whole time? That you were just a LIAR?!"

The universally-known rage of a dragon stirred in the room, yet Spike's... Twilight felt something, beneath his heaving chest and raging eyes... a dominant presence rising from him. It quivered in his scales and out to her horn, tingling it with a spark of... magic? Hatred?

Spike had already descended on all fours, tongue slithering before she had discarded her piqued curiosity. The alicorn sisters stood firm, staring down as he advanced to them. He raised his claws; the ones built to tear and destroy, the ponies all gritting their teeth as he lunged towards the Princesses...

"SPIKE!!"

Rarity's scream severed him from his fury, halting him and leaving him panting. He gazed down in shock at his claws, before withdrawing them hesitantly, instead slowly striding backwards with his head hanging low to the mare that snapped him back into his senses; the mare that Twilight claimed would be the only one he would listen to these days.

"I-I..." he stammered ruefully and breathlessly, briefly stopping in his tracks.

"Y-Your Highnesses... I... I'm..."

"It's alright, Spike," Princess Celestia cut in.

"I understand your frustration, but it seems Janus is one step ahead of us. We'll have to be as cunning and careful as him if we were to keep all of you safe. That includes you and Rarity even."

Spike gave a small, flimsy nod, settling right next to his marefriend. Rarity just held his claws, a part of her wishing to question his sudden plunge into anger. She too sensed something was off with his rage, her gut feeling telling her that the Princesses knew about it somehow.

"In the meantime, we'll assign all of you to a safer section of the palace; one I'm certain Janus would never dare to enter. My sister and I will make sure that our guards monitor every corridor there is."

Confidence sprung in those words like a seedling, the flowers of persistence stemming from it prompting a nod from all ponies and the dragon. It was one of the many things, Twilight knew and admired, that would take even the toughest of ponies to muster, and to possess the endurance of not even flinching from the rage of a dragon, it only raised her hopes higher for her teacher.

Despite that, Spike's words held a screeching, disturbing truth somewhere. She couldn't help but question the Princess's rule over Equestria, much less Canterlot itself. Was the dragon right in some way? She let out a tired sigh.

Such conflicting thoughts.

"Twilight Sparkle?'

The mare turned to her side, watching as Fancypants marched up to her, carrying some sort of book. He soon held it up to her hooves, his face steeled with determination at the acceptance of his 'gift', that is, if it were his.

"These are...?" she asked.

"Professor Page's journal," was the answer. That explained the frayed pages and windswept cover, she thought to herself. Carefully, her magic enveloped it, hovering it slowly to her side, the smell of imported Saddle Arabian dust making her cough lightly.

"He handed this to me before his...... untimely demise. He would've wanted you to have it."

Fancypants soon gave her a broad smile, all the while looking at her alternating gazes between the book and the stallion that presented it to her. Sure enough came the confident nod of Princess Celestia's protege, and as scholarly and studious as she made herself to be, she was excited already to just snap open the cover, pop out a magnifying glass and look at whatever Arabian hieroglyphs filled its pages.

"This might help us," she mumbled absentmindedly, trotting back to the somber chatting of her friends, some of them still comforting Rarity and Spike. It was certainly an eventful morning, albeit unwanted, and she will make sure it wouldn't happen again.

And it will all begin with this book.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Branch after branch did Pinkie duck under, pink hooves treading onto grass and fallen leaves in her trek deeper into the shrine, climbing over and underneath plummeted granite columns. She was slightly surprised she hadn't reached the other end of the mountain yet, which only made her wonder how large the shrine actually is.

Her spiritual guide was ahead, zipping around the shrine like a ball in an arcade pinball machine. The pink mare figured if she has hooves, she would've crossed them and tap impatiently, urging for her to move onward. There were a few painless swats from her comet-tail; a result of distractions coming in the shape of butterflies and hummingbirds wandering over her snout, and boredom soon overtake her like the fatigue in her hooves, the mare gasping out like a small filly:

"Are we there yet?"

"It'll just be a moment," the hobby-lantern replied.

"I think she said we will meet her somewhere... in the main room? She always loved to have conferences in the main throne room."

A small groan escaped her lips, and with one hefty heave of her breath, Pinkie marched forward. Unsheathing her sword, she used it as a trekking pole; a third leg to carry her through the shrine after spending almost forever wandering about the granite confines of the shrine. The sunrise was gloomy, what with a small drizzle already starting, the humid air conceiving a few ribbons of (natural) fog. The only cover she could get from the harmless onslaught of pinprick droplets were the grown trees around; the shrine did not possess a roof, probably due to the princess she was about to meet being fond of everything natural like, per say, a shower.

The spirit didn't seem to mind, despite its seemingly fiery nature. It was a cheerful little spirit, she found out, and they both eventually got to know each other better as they hid in the grove the night before for a little rest. It explained how hobby-lanterns were born: from the purest dust of pollen sent away from the most vivid of flowers. It also said Princess Terra had more than one messenger, acting in all different parts of the world to notify pilgrimages of starting their journey to the closest shrine and giving them her blessing, and whatever immediate responses were sent back to their leading hobby-lantern; the same one that, much to her surprise, was guiding her to the alicorn right now!

"It ain't hard once ya got the hang of it!" it said when asked about her job as 'leader of the wisps'.

"You just need to form some channel with Princess Terra and just show her all the info, but of course, you had to do this cloud-channeling thing and gather all the info from the others first! Pretty high-tech for some nature spirits such as us, eh?"

"So how did you become leader?" Pinkie remembered herself asking next.

"Working hard, I guess. Knowing what the game gives and what you have to dish out. Basically, you have to train all these advanced wisp stuff. Something I think ponies would never understand with their... what do you guys call it? Sense? Scenes? Wait, wait! I got it at the back of my head....... Um... Science! That's right!!"

Pinkie never expected the leading hobby-lantern (who called itself Luster) of an unimaginably divergent network of messages would be such a chatterbox like herself. Sure, Luster was a little annoyed when they first started out, even turning her lamp's hue a beet red when facing with the pink mare's endless rapid-fire of words, but they got along just fine.

"So... I was just wondering," the mare began to ask, anticipation crawling up her neck.

"How's Princess Terra like? Is she really, really nice? Or a little..." she gulped, "fierce and strict?"

"She's an alicorn!" was the answer.

"You know how alicorns are! Almighty and kind, full of wisdom, that kind of pish-posh? All the princes and princesses watch over their subjects, blah-blah-blah, and most importantly, they care for the world around them!"

"But what about the other countries? Like dragons and minotaurs and gryphons? Who takes care of their own land?"

"Hmm...... if there's one thing I know about alicorns," the spirit replied thoughtfully, "it's that they go way long back to the early lords, so you've got some 'Pilgrims of Terra' that are dragons, minotaurs, gryphons and such. Their lords are treated the same way we treat the princesses, and they too have some pony followers as well, like dragon priests, for example. Then again, there was a time before alicorns came into existence..."

Pinkie turned to Luster in surprise. A time before alicorns? Before all these different cults and religions pop out of nowhere, when ponies followed only the law of their ruling lord?

"Really?" she wanted to clarify, to which the spirit blinked once: a yes.

"How was it like?"

"Can't tell really, cause I'm not exactly... there, to begin with," the spirit admitted.

"However, Princess Terra told me a teensy-weensy bit of the days back then. One minute it might be world peace, the next you'll have gryphon fleets raiding the skies, the eastern cervine stampedes raiding the farms, the zebras storming through the towns and the dragons taking over the palace. Stuff like that happened, and chaos ruled the lands, until the alicorns came in and settle with it. It all really matters on exactly how and where did the princes and princesses today come from. That's a mind-boggler to me."

"Why?" the mare asked, confused.

"Can't they just be born like other ponies?"

"Well, simply put, it's impossible for Earth pony, pegasus and unicorn to conceive an alicorn child."

Luster twirled around Pinkie's curious expression, the mare's eyes almost as if glued to the light vibrantly shimmering from the small orb of light. "The only way for a pony to be an alicorn," she explained, "is either being granted wings or a horn - both if you're an Earth pony - by an alicorn, or if both of your parents were alicorns themselves!"

"Didcha ask Princess Terra about it?"

"Would love to, but she has problems as of late," the spirit replied somberly.

"Duilliúr Shrine has become more of a bpríosún: a prison, as she would call it. Those pegasi had tainted the shrine with darkness so deep, it basically trapped her and rendered her in a state of Eclipsis, meaning her powers are unable to function and her strength is being fed on by these pegasi. Heck, I don't think they even know this was a shrine of Terra. Did you see all those cigarettes they threw? Wouldn't pay a single bit for their lungs, that's for sure!"

Pinkie couldn't help but agree. She herself would be outraged if somepony throws waste like that around her shrine, not that she would ever have anypony worship her or whatsoever. Yet, this shrine is home to Princess Terra, the mother of nature, and to blemish it with cigarettes, it would be heresy in itself!

"Well, we just have to find the Princess and have that chit-chat!" she said.

"Maybe she wants us to get those meanies out of here! Right?"

"So that's what you call us..."

She yelped as her mane was suddenly yanked backwards, staring straight into a pair of familiar, venomous green eyes. Before she could even gasp, something struck her at the side of her head, disrupting her vision with a shot of pain breaching into her skull. Falling forward, Pinkie tried to crawl away, voices faint and distant clouding her head...

"You seemed to have awaken at the wrong time though."

The further she crawled, the more painful it gets. The blur of the shrine and the sight of Luster being forced into a cage was warping, instead revealing... trees? A cliff? Tables and chairs made from bamboo and straw? Then it mixed with another scene; a darker one, with wood, water and... thunder? The voices start to blur out, yet grow in number as they come crashing in like a tidal wave, even as she was starting to black out.

"No," she recognized the voice from the present, feeling a cold ring pressed against her head leaving from it. Yet something didn't make sense. The voices were coming together, playing out in unison like a morbid jigsaw puzzle for her to solve. "Our Lord would want her alive," her captor said, before she felt herself overwhelmed in words she desperately tried to grip, yet always slipped loose into the static in her aching head.

"You could say the economy is like a gamble in my casino: profoundly a huge gain if successful, destructively a heavy loss if you fail..."

"-forgot my logbook!"

"The Pariah..."

"Along the way, there are some ponies that try to ruin your reputation. They venture too far into conspiracies, some true, some false, stirred by the community we tycoons reside in..."

"She... -erves the right to..."

"I've checked through the Telr..... journals, alright? It seems that he had something to do with..."

"Envious in their own kind, they will go at any lengths to stop our fruitful harvest that we have endured with unwavering patience to gain."

"Please!" she heard herself scream, feeling herself being dragged in the dirt. It was distant; unreal even, and despite her waning condition, she knew it was not from her mouth, but in her head, playing like a fractured record that she would've let out in her current situation.

"Let me go! Let me go and I won't tell anypony! Just let me go!"

Pinkie soon found herself thrashing in a vessel of wood, with faint glimpses of flashing light from a hole, the sound of pattering rain jolting her senses. Water was filling it up, trapping her with her hooves... bound? Why were her hooves bound? Wasn't she in the shrine? Did those ponies placed her here?

She tried to push again, yet her energy... it just drained, even without her doing anything. Muffled gunshots filled her ringing ears, followed by a frantic banging of the shovel. Suddenly, she felt herself hoisted into the air, with the lid consequently blasting open, water flushing her out and freeing her from her binds. The chaos of noises fell into silence, and she hesitantly opened her eyes to see...

A mare. Shadowed by light; a silhouette in white. Somehow, Pinkie knew she was smiling, and her heart tingled abuzz, almost as if she was a good friend. Taking a step closer, she held her breath as the mare before her reached out a caramel-colored hoof, bright yellow eyes like small fireflies flickering in the immense white with a grin of buttery warmth welcoming her in.

"Pinkie..." came a small whisper, igniting a spark in her mind. A singular syllable soon slipped from her in a gasp, and although Pinkie didn't know what it meant, it somehow seemed fitting and made the other pony's small grow wider with jubilant glee; the last thing she saw before fading back into darkness.

"P-Prim?"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Standard & Dale..."

"Is a numbskull of a wreck," Stellar grumbled.

A pony wouldn't hail from Pendant Lakes if he or she have no idea of the district of Standard & Dale. It was famed for what he would call beauty in simplicity, where houses have actual backyards and gardens, unlike those in the main towns stacked together like books. Trees replaced the lampposts instead, and which pony would ever forget the dazzling sight of the sunflower fields? Anypony staying here would be considered lucky back then.

Now... it only seemed the darkness had engulfed it and regurgitated it twice. Whatever stately homes here had become shanty and crooked, with trees bent and bark plagued in some sort of underground moss. Instead of sunflowers in the fields, there were colossal archways of giant stalks instead, their slender, cacti-like thorns resembling a furry caterpillar tunneling through the broken ground.

Calling it a wreck seemed more of an understatement.

"Who would expect Standard becoming such a hellhole," Caduceus said with a laugh.

"It's by the devil's luck Cleptius didn't come to see this. He would basically rip this whole place apart and make it some secret coven of his or something."

"Nah, it'll be worse."

Teasing an old friend was a habit, Stellar surmised, that he would never get rid of, especially when it comes to Cleptius Arrowfaith, the doctor that was once in charge of the asylum. Nopony still understood how he landed that job in the first place, and how he had maintained his sanity the whole time. Whatever the reason, has it been high school when they, the Crux Four, teased him?

"You haven't told me how he was doing yet," the old colt said suddenly.

"What did happen to Cleptius anyway?"

"Resigned from his post as psychiatrist preceding May," his friend replied.

"Wasn't sure why. I assumed he deemed himself unfit for the job, but recently he told me he was having a rather good time somewhere in the Ponytail Peninsula."

"Dastardly little colt he is, eh? Trying to duck out of trouble every time he could!"

"Cleptius Arrowfaith the sod-off."

Jovern just raised an eyebrow at the two old colts giggling creakily like they were ten times younger, blinking a few times at the sight. Of course, all thoughts of that were soon trashed when they settled upon, much to their displeasure...

"A barricade," Stellar grumbled, tapping the fallen mound of rock with the side of the Patriarch's rapier.

"Of all the obstacles that could come across our path..."

"Jovern?" Caduceus said with a nudge at the dragon.

"Ready to do the honors?"

"I'm afraid I can't."

The reptile approached the wall of rock, cautiously trailing his claw through the fragile pyramid of stone, before scratching his chin at the sight. Both ponies at his feet just watched as he did so, unsure of whatever calculations or observations he was performing, though he suddenly turned to them with a troubled sigh.

"If I take this wall down," he explained, "you'll have to expect the whole ceiling to collapse upon us. We'll need an alternative route, Caduceus."

"Hold on..." the doctor murmured, clenching his eyes shut as he forced himself into the domain of his mind.

"Um... Standard & Dale... we can cut through to the nearest road, Harbor Street."

"And how are we going to do that?"

"There's one building that leads out to Harbor Street."

Stellar's answer to Jovern's question peeled away the fresh skin over old scars as both doctor and once-butler gazed at said building, with the slate roof was crumbling, the cement between the brick walls weak as glass, and its doorway already hanging at its hinges. The sign beside it had became a porcupine of splinters, with slops of faded paint forming out a familiar word.

FOSTER

"Rest in peace, Persimmon."

It was a prayer not necessary, albeit a fitting prayer all the same. At least to Caduceus.

While Jovern traipsed at the walls, both stallions marched into the crushed interior of Foster Grande Orphanage. Giggles of children became whispers of shadows; pictures of friendship became shattered glass, and all life that once lived here had already aborted the jagged facade. Already the beams were creaking when they took their first step in, cautiously treading through the floorboards as they glanced about the wooden boards of the orphanage, wandering deeper into familiar territory vastly different from change.

"Gods..." Stellar growled, opening the door at the other end to see a wall of earth staring back at him, with only a few greens slithering out from above. His friend, upon noticing it, turned back and headed towards the stairs, the banisters swaying as they trotted up into the second floor.

"......visitorssss..."

The colts stopped with a creak, blades and guns clicking, eyes darting about the darkness.

"Did you hear that?" Caduceus asked first.

Jovern too had stopped outside, noticeable through the broken window. He was already glancing around the dark, underground expanse, his fangs erected from his lips with an echoing growl. Stellar raised his gun, hoof gesturing over his mouth as he shuffled to the front, finally reaching the platform before scanning the room.

His face paled when he saw, at the other end of the upstairs hallway, door swinging violently behind it (her?) and curtains fluttering at full velocity, wanting to rip itself off the windows. It was a mare, standing on two hind hooves, stained an ink black with only its face left a mask of white. In place of its eyes were pinholes, its snout somewhat sawed off with no traces of scars, and its mouth sewn up into a curled grin. Its mane dangled over its face, hiding only lines of its grotesque features, before it suddenly raised its hooves up, stitched jaws snapping open to reveal ridged, rotting teeth, blood dripping from between its cracks and forming small puddles on the floor.

Two screams erupted. One from an old colt, and the other unrecognizable; the shriek of a banshee wailing throughout the town. Stellar fell backwards as the... thing zoomed towards it, leaving a trail of black smoke and his senses tossed around. It passed through his chest, yet somehow... it felt like it grabbed a part of his soul, the energy sapped from all hooves with the warped face ringing into mind.

Another yell came, this time from Caduceus, followed by crunch after crunch of wood. Hurriedly, Stellar rose to check at his friend, his instincts kicking him back up to his hooves once he saw the sight of his friend cringing in agony on the floor.

Without anymore time to spare, he quickly galloped down the stairs, hearing mocking laughter ringing from all the corridors. He glanced to the living room when he reached his friend's side, his horror returning once he saw the face again, this time disappearing into the fog of black smoke it was formed from.

"Goddamit!!" Caduceus cried, face a mix of white and red; sheer horror and pain, waking his friend from his traumatic daze.

Stellar soon lifted him up, heaving him up the stairs and tossing him out the window and onto the plateau, where Jovern was waiting with utmost concern. The doctor himself soon dragged himself up, though he soon doubled over, clutching his hoof in agony as his friend searched through the backpack.

"What the heck happened in there?" the dragon asked just as the butler ripped off a bandage with his teeth, cold sweat still running down his hooves.

"You meant to ask-- hnngh!!" Caduceus flinched once Stellar lifted his hoof, looping a bandage around as pain seared towards his head.

"What the heck is in there?"

"Whatever it was..." the butler said, shivering lightly, his voice rising in volume. None of them could fathom what just happened, but that face... that crazed face... it was too... too... disturbing for it to be real. "I have no intentions of meeting it again. None. At. All!!" he yelled suddenly with a scowl, as if wanting that monster to heed his curses. "Bucking... piece of buck...!"

There was no doubt about it, his mind screamed. Pendant Lakes has certainly changed, and that... thing was living(?) proof that there's something that doesn't want them here. Stellar clenched his quivering hooves together, mouth trembling with prayers to the Princess with cold sweat crawling down the edge of his spine, its drip onto stone an echo in the darkness; the darkness that he believed it will always be watching.

And perhaps - he gritted his teeth forcefully - some other monstrosities as well.

Patiently and eagerly, awaiting their forsaken arrival.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"There's that chump."

By chump, Soarin' meant his previous place of work before stumbling upon his old high school friend known as Spitfire one day on the street in that blasted white uniform and helmet they had to wear. It was what he would call a sordid job (especially when placed in the rain division) and he sure as hell was relieved that his old friend signed him up to the Wonderbolts all those years ago.

The sight of Cloudsdale's Weather Factory at the other end of the narrow bridge of clouds was like gold at the end of the rainbow, except the rainbows were spewed out from the 'pot' itself. Ravaging nimbostratus and nimbus clouds roam the skies, lightning and precipitations of water and ice already warning them of the coming storm they scheduled.

No doubt the culprit would be inside as well.

"Have to find the manager of the rain division," Spitfire began, ushering expectant husband and wife through the doors. Of course, they were quickly handed the factory's trademark white suits; the ones that Soarin' himself had loathed at the sight, making Rainbow giggle lightly.

"Never thought I would have to wear this again," he remarked, helping his wife button up.

"These suits really brings back all the memories... not many good ones I can really think off, however."

"So you were...pfft... showered, with work?"

Spitfire let out a laugh at Rainbow's pun, much to the stallion's annoyance.

"Who knows? Maybe he might've ended up being successful! Like our Princesses rain-ing over her subjects!"

"But he obviously failed, right? Perhaps he stormed out of the factory after that!"

"Nice! Ooh, I got one! To him, working here suddenly seems to be a... pour choice!!"

Soarin' rolled his eyes at the two mares guffawing with laughter, wondering how on Equestria did one small conversation became an uproar of puns. With a sigh, he hastily prodded them forward, sheepishly smiling at all the watching workers around them.

"Move along now, you two hotshots," he murmured.

"We got a criminal to hunt. I'm sure he would really love to hear your rain puns as well."

"R-Right," Spitfire stammered from her laughter, wiping a small tear away.

"Maybe we'll... flood him with 'em!"

A groan escaped the colt's mouth once the two mares burst out in spasms of laughter again, albeit shorter ones as they finally reached the rain section of the factory. Everywhere, pegasi are on the move, kicking and battering clouds until they're black, literally. Some turned in surprise at the visit of the two Wonderbolts, and they would've rushed forward for their autograph if not for their duties at hoof.

"You guys wait here," Spitfire said suddenly, stopping them at a cloud bench.

"I'll try to find the manager. Don't want Rainbow to work an extra load, right?"

"Yeah..." Soarin' muttered, his wife remaining silent.

Settling on the bench, the couple watched as their friend strode away. The colt huddled up next to her wife as she tucked her hooves in, waving at all the passersby that returned it with warm smiles of their own, some even heading up and congratulating them on their foal. Rainbow just smiled, not even bothering to brag about it like she usually would. But of course, they didn't bother to ask her about it.

Sure enough, the pegasi resumed working, with booms of thunderclouds rippling through the atmosphere of the factory. All that Soarin' could do then was watch them like the manager; the same pony that they were waiting for along with Spitfire's return.

"Soar?"

"Hmm?" he replied, turning to Rainbow. His face fell immediately when he saw her darkened expression. Did her hormones fire back up again? Was she about to go full Sonic-Rainboom screaming into his face? These outbursts would never end well, and he had a fair share of bruises to prove it.

"What is it, Rainbow?"

"Just thinking 'bout... what I said yesterday..."

There was a crack in her voice. Unlike her usual rasp, it was scarred deeper and broken, almost on the verge of sobbing. However relieved that it was something other than being told off for a 'crime' he didn't commit, Soarin's heart started to sink; she was his wife, after all.

In response, he placed a hoof around her shoulder, hearing a light sniffle underneath the factory sounds. She stooped her head low, raising her hoof only to wipe a single tear, all the while trying to chase the rest back in.

"When I said that," her voice began in a shiver, "do you... do you think I'm a terrible pony...?"

"You?" Soarin' exclaimed out of ridiculousness, quieting when he noticed a few confused stares from the other ponies around the room.

"Now why in the world would anypony think of that? You're a great flyer, superstar athlete, an adoring wife and a mother-to-be, of all things!"

"What kind of mother would say she'd rather sign up for an abortion?"

The colt opened his mouth, though the words jammed in his throat at Rainbow's last comment. She gave him a deadpanned stare, before slumping back down into her hooves, fishing out a quiet sigh.

"I'm an Element of Loyalty, Soarin'," she mumbled, loud enough for only her husband to hear.

"I stick to my friends and never leave them hanging. That's why I said I wanted to help, cause I don't think I've done enough. But when I said about... well... that... to abandon my own daughter for my friends..."

"I believed it at first."

Soarin's reply was surprising, if not shocking, for Rainbow, who immediately sprung up from her seat, her jaw dropping instantly. The Wonderbolt just chuckled, albeit his voice was crisp and cold, his frown firm as concrete.

"It's pretty believable, though I wouldn't expect it from you, of course. As your husband, I would respect your choice. You want to abandon her for the sake of saving lives, it's fine. But as a father, not to mention an expectant one, you know I can never let you do that."

Rainbow just turned away, though Soarin's hoof gently pushed her face back. His frown curled up into a sad smile, the sight of which was irresistible to smile along as well.

"I know, deep in your heart, you never meant what you said. You were just upset and angry at everything happening around you, you just wished you could step in and help out. But right now, what matters most to me is seeing me and you cradling our daughter for the first time. Remember how excited you were when you felt her kick four months ago?"

"What? Me? I w-wasn't excited! I was just... happy to know she's healthy and safe!"

Soarin' raised an eyebrow, wearing his I-know-you-can-never-lie-to-me expression. She soon sighed in defeat, blowing her mane to the side before lying back down onto her hooves.

"F-Fine..." she stammered, scrunching her lips.

"I was a little excited... okay, maybe a lot..."

"That's why I want our daughter to be safe and sound," he continued, cupping her hooves into his. Rainbow just glanced upwards, her head remaining low as it was before.

"One day, we'll teach Firefly how to fly, then we watch her go to school, make some new friends and hang out with other fillies. Who knows? Maybe she and Amber could be flying buddies, like Spitfire and I."

"Yeah..." the mare said, staring dreamily away with thoughts preoccupied by her daughter.

"She's going to be a great mare, Soarin' Glorytail. She has the awesomest mother and, of course, the coolest and best father and husband anypony could ask for."

With that, she nuzzled Soarin's snout, her husband quietly laughing underneath his breath before the two gave a hug, one more tighter than the other, who whispered:

"Rainbow Dash, you flatterer."

"Having fun chatting yet, you two lovebirds?"

Soarin' and Rainbow perked up immediately, smiling in sheepish relief when Spitfire finally returned, beside him an old pegasus, judging from the graying locks in between his deep purple mane. He coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his cerulean hoof, his wings twitching with a need to fly.

"This is the manager, Weather Watcher, in charge of precipitation division."

"Pleasure to meet you both," he said, reaching out a wrinkled hoof, to which husband and wife shook.

"I've heard of the tragedy in Canterlot. It's a disgusting shame for one of our employees to be involved in this, and I do hope you ponies can catch him."

"He doesn't seem to be here," Soarin' remarked, glancing at the picture of one Torrent Mist. It looked more like a mugshot than an employee photograph, seeing how it was taken from the front and sides. Contrary to his name, the pony looked like an incarnation of a tree, what with his dark gamboge coat and leaf green mane, and would've represented nature well if not for his disgruntled expression.

"It says here he's suspended twice for tardiness."

"Colleagues say he never arrived on time," the manager spoke.

"Beats me on what the hay he's been doing every morning. Never knew he would be involved in such a conspiratorial murder such as this. From my experiences with him, he should be in here any minute now."

True to his words, the door opened suddenly, revealing the pony known as Torrent Mist stepping in. As soon as he spotted them, however, he suddenly backed away, before zooming back out of the door, knocking over a few ponies in the process.

"HEY!!" Soarin' yelled, being the first of the trio to take off.

"GET BACK HERE!!"

Spitfire started to unfurl her wings, ready to join her companion in his pursuit, though she was suddenly pulled backwards, a loud grunt snapping into her vision. Her face paled once she saw Rainbow collapsing onto the ground, her pants becoming groans of pain as she clutched her stomach suddenly, her face a wheezing red.

"S-Spitfire!" she yelled, hissing out in pain.

"F-F-Firefly!! She's-- ah... AHH!!!"

"Somepony call the doctor!!" the veteran Wonderbolt yelled immediately, trying to help the mare up as ponies scurry to search for help. Of all the places that Rainbow could go in labor to, adding the absence of Soarin'...

"Just breathe, RD. Take long, deep breaths," she hurriedly said, unsure of what to do.

"You're going to be just fine. Help is on the way."

"But... but it's so... it hurts like-- ahh!!"

Rainbow gritted her teeth, the agony forcing out tears from her eyes as she gripped tighter on her friend's hoof, squeezing the blood in its veins. Spitfire gently placed a hoof on her friend's stomach, feeling the frantic kicks that made the mare elicit a frightened whinny and harrumph, before reducing back to gasps, the sight already making her grinding her teeth with a million doubts filling her head.

"S-Spits..." she stammered, the other mare nodding hurriedly as a response.

"I... I'm scared...!"

"It's gonna be over soon. OVER HERE!!"

Within moments and a friend's wave, Rainbow soon found herself lifted onto a stretcher, the pain shooting out from beneath her stomach growing and growing with each second. Sure enough, Spitfire quickly followed the two ponies, all the while trying to calm the mare, wiping away the cold sweat off her head.

The mare huffed and heaved, clenching her eyes, jaws and hooves as pain shot through her, worrying Spitfire even more. The sight of Cloudsdale Hospital soon came into view, and the Wonderbolt soon stopped at the entrance, biting her lip as she watch her comrade entering the flapping doors, praying with all her hammering heart that she would be safe.

"Come on, Soarin'..." she muttered, glancing around the airborne town and tapping her hoof impatiently and nervously.

"The baby should be here any minute..."

In Captivity Of The Umbra Fuga

Somehow, the walls of Cloudsdale Hospital were soundproof.

Despite her experience with cloud engineering and weather necessary for her position, Spitfire never knew how the architects designed it, or what the structure and style of the cloud it was made from. Nevertheless, it doesn't matter now.

She was on a waiting chair, named specifically for her current purpose. The last of her patience was wearing off, as it was for not only the mare behind those flapping doors, but also for a stray stallion, whose attendance was required as much as it was expected. The small green light above them, powered by charges of electricity between the friction of the clouds; a subject she had learned back in school (she considered herself to be a dork back then), was on, only making her more nervous than ever.

"Soarin', where the heck are you..."

Half an hour had past, and both Rainbow Dash and Soarin' were nowhere to be seen. Spitfire felt like she was in prison: enclosed and barred from any knowledge of both sides. The cruel anticipation of waiting was nearly unbearable, and prison became asylum as she nervously gripped the clouds that make up the chair, wanting to just tear them off, bang her hooves at the door and yell whatever words that can rid her rage.

Labor... her thoughts wandered back to the days of old, not that she'd been through it. Shutting her eyes, she tried to repress the cries of not a newborn, but a pair, one male, one female, both filled with devastation and pain. Spitfire placed a hoof on her stomach, biting her lips while wiping leaking tears away, mind trying to find its way back into the present.

"How long has it been..." she muttered softly.

The doors flapped open suddenly, revealing a nurse frantically galloping out of the room. A loud shrill of pain, no doubt Rainbow's, burst through the hallways in that small interval it was wide open, which only worried her even more.

"What the hay's happening in there?" she asked the nurse. An answer never came, however, as she hurriedly rushed back in, pushing in a cart with what seems to be an oxygen mask, similar to the ones the Wonderbolts would use when traveling at high altitudes.

"An oxygen mask?" she murmured, before gasping quietly.

"Oh no... no, no, no, no--"

Another pair of doors opened, this time from the other end of the hallway, where bursting out from them was not another doctor or nurse, but none other than Soarin' himself. Spitfire rose from her seat, wanting to question what took him so much time, yet his frantic expression of shock proved otherwise.

"How is she?" he almost shouted his question, sweat pouring like waterfalls from his head. Something in her heart told Spitfire he somehow saw the nurse with the oxygen mask, and that itself cleared the fog covering the source of his staggering anxiety.

"Spitfire! Tell me!"

"I... I don't know..."

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW?!!"

Spitfire nearly fell back onto her seat, blinking a few times at her best friend, now seething with rage. Soarin' beat her to it, however, gritting his teeth and forcing a hoof into his head.

"Should've seen this coming," he murmured, almost sobbing.

"Stupid, stupid, STUPID!!"

"Soarin', you didn't know it would be coming so soon--"

"But it did!" he shouted, shunning his best friend to silence and making way for his cries.

"I don't want her to die... p-please, Celestia, please... I don't want any of them to die..."

It would be embarassing; a male Wonderbolt breaking down into his best friend's lap, yet it was understandable. Spitfire just held his hoof tight, clenching her eyes shut as both started to pray: for the safety of Rainbow Dash and her foal.

Fear came back to haunt her again, as images of her grieving in Soarin's hooves; their current roles reversed, basically, played back in her mind. It was Soarin', and not him. He wasn't there. He didn't know... until an hour later. Screams came along, and screech after screech of voices in anger followed, and then he was gone.

From the rest of her life.

She lived through it. It was painful, but at least he was alive the last they saw each other with cold glares. For Soarin' to not have that privilege... a tragedy such as that would fracture one's mind completely.

"Please, please, please..." she chanted that single word, already letting out a few tears. Spitfire could already feel her colleague convulsing violently, his chest wracking with despairing regret, his eyes erupting with tears. He was still cursing at himself, although she couldn't bother figuring it out. All that mattered now was the outcome, be it on whichever extreme ends of the spectrum it would be.

Suddenly, the light went out.

The doors - the ones they were anticipating - opened a second time, and both Wonderbolts rose from their seats as a white-suited stallion marched out, carrying a small clipboard with spectacles perched onto his snout. He trotted slowly (not to mention agonizingly) towards them, nose slightly twitching with eyes staring at them like cold steel.

Spitfire felt her hoof crunch from Soarin's vise grip, the two pegasi biting their lips and awaiting for an answer. The latter pony quickly wiped his gathered tears away, the only visible proof of his breakdown being the popping red in his eyes. Both their breaths stuck in their throats, the moment surging through them as the doctor's mouth opened.

"Congratulations."

Both pegasi stared at each other with wide eyes, utterly confused.

"But..." Soarin' began with a gulp, "the oxygen mask..."

"Just precautionary measures," the doctor replied.

"Let's just say her labor is dehydrating as it was suffocating. And for a very good reason."

A humongous sigh of relief came from both of them, and before they knew it, the hallways echoed with the laughter of two veteran Wonderbolts, mostly at their own - and each other's - paranoia. There wasn't a reprimand from the doctor; instead he reached out his hooves, beckoning their entry through where he came from.

"Your wife's ready to see you now, Mr. Glorytail. I must say, she has a wonderful surprise for you."

They would've rushed in if they wanted to lose their dignity to their excitement, and instead they slowly stepped forward. Giddy with eagerness, Spitfire nudged her friend's shoulder, letting out a hearty laugh with wings fluttering a beat.

"Soarin' Glorytail, you numbskull of a worrywart!" she teased.

"Hey, I had every right to be worried!" he exclaimed in self defense.

"I'm her rightful husband, after all. Plus, you were extremely worried as well. I could hear you praying, y'know."

"Nu-uh!"

"Uh-huh!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!"

Both blew raspberries. Both punched each other's shoulders. Both do whatever mischief best friends do to tease each other; they are the best of friends, after all. In the end, it was all congratulatory, passing the time until they eventually reached another door.

"Alright," Spitfire said suddenly with a grin, mocking a salute.

"Man up, daddy! Be brave in front of your new kid!"

"Yes, ma'am Spitfire!" he said, returning the salute with an extra wink.

Soarin' gulped in a huge breath of air, letting it all out in an instant. With that they stepped inside, the mellow warmth welcoming them in. Their eyes soon settled to the mare beneath the green sheets, immediately widening in disbelief when they saw the sight that behold them.

"I... I don't.... even... but how...!"

Spitfire's jaw dropped, unable to perceive what she was seeing as well. She rubbed, believing it to be the result of beer goggles, yet it was still there: the unexpected surprise the doctor mentioned earlier. Surprise soon made way for warmth, and she covered her open mouth, shaking her head just as her lips broadened into a smile, and a very large smile it was.

"I couldn't believe it as well..." Rainbow replied, chest still heaving with small beads of sweat lingering about the corners of her forehead. She brought Soarin' closer, her husband still in shock, yet she nuzzled his snout despite that, eyes brimmed with tears of joy that soon prompted his pair to produce some as well. They gave each other a quick, deep kiss on the lips, never short of joy at the pair of sleeping faces cradled in the mare's hoof.

"So, Soarin' Glorytail..." she muttered the expected question softly.

"What should we name her twin sister?"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"I... I'm not sure if I'm ready for this..."

"Every performer would think of that, Sweetie dear," Rarity assured.

"You will be incredible on stage. Crimson knows that, Spike knows that and I know that. I'm certain you would know about it too. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and I have seen your preparations, dear, and I must admit, I myself was absolutely enthralled by your rehearsal."

"But.. b-b-but... what if I mess up? What... what if I forgot the... but--"

Sweetie Belle's stuttering was interrupted by the resounding echo of an applause from thousands, reverberating through plaster walls where behind them was the sight of the previous fellow contestant bowing with dignified integrity underneath a shower of varicolored petals and a cone of white light. Much to her older sister's pained irritation, she started to back away from stage, teeth chattering, hooves wobbling and sweat worming down her neck; any minute longer, she would've been dancing frenziedly in a circle!

"I'm not ready! I'm not ready! Tell them I'm withdrawing-- no, that'll be too late. Can I change a song? But there's no time! THERE'S NO TIME!! Uh... uh... oh, what do I do, what do I do, WHAT DO I--!!"

A gentle hoof was placed on her lips, skidding her hysteria to a halt as her green eyes stared into the dilated yet calming sapphire pupils of her elder sister, whom gave her a smile replete with hope.

"Stage fright is normal, Sweetie Belle. It's a choice - your choice - on whether you muster up the courage to face it or not, because you have an exceptional talent, Sweetie; it would be shameful for those eager to see you if you give up now. Especially your friends."

"But I... I don't think I'm ready..."

"You're more than ready, darling," Rarity replied with a wink, nuzzling her sister affectionately and making her giggle.

"Now, are you ready to blow Canterlot's socks off? You have a show to put on!"

Sweetie Belle gulped, horn glowing emerald like her eyes as she raised a microphone. The merry voice of the show's host soon died down, and she felt her hooves earnestly, if not nervously, guiding herself onward to the stage, welcomed by an applause. Alone. In the view of a thousand pair of eyes, not to mention the cyclops-lens of cameras that allowed for probably tens of thousands more. Plain lovely.

"One chance," her thoughts advised.

"Don't mess it up."

Strings hummed a sinister melody behind, and as the light fades back towards her and the microphone, she closed her eyes, letting the flourishing music flow within her. It was like a trail, bendy but smooth enough to skate on, like a frozen river, ironically lush with a life in the form of a harmonious melody. The notes flashed like luminous blocks, lighting up every time its presence is needed; a technicolor signal light, if she were to describe it.

Sure enough, the patient audience became an unnecessary sight to see, and as Sweetie Belle closed her eyes, so were the thoughts of them as well. Her ears resonated, her heart thumping to each flit of the beat, and soon came the time for the first few phrases to be uttered.

"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle..."

"Love is a rebellious bird," came Rarity's inner voice, the mare having strode back to her seat from behind the stage. Frankly speaking, Sweetie Belle's song choice was unexpected, if not complicated. To take the aria from Georges Bizet's famous opera Carmen was seriously something for a fourteen year old teenage mare, especially when the language requires articulation of extraordinary boundaries (at least, for her) was nothing short of astonishing.

Applause was quick to return as it was to depart, yet Sweetie Belle remained unhindered. It wasn't a duty about satisfying them, or finishing the song anymore; it was a duty to enrapture them. Herself included, albeit unwittingly.

All Rarity could do was watch with leaking emotions from the seats with the highest of pride, hoof curled underneath Spike's claw and lips broadening. Sweetie Belle had a powerful gift, she thought to herself; music carried her problems away in that moment, namely the daring attack in the bedroom days ago that still freshly scarred her and the dragon.

Spike himself was in a moment of silence, and oh, did he relish it! His swaying head and supple smile would've been a strange sight in Canterlotian standards. For a dragon to enjoy the Equestrian opera? Very unheard of indeed!

The rest of her friends just wore looks of awe. Twilight had already dropped her research book, her jaw soon following along with Radiance, whom the scholarly mare had to take care of for now, jolting up from his seat. Same goes for Scootaloo and the Apple family, consisting of Applejack, Apple Bloom and Big Macintosh with Amber Rose perching excitedly on her father's hooves, her fledgling wings already flapping rapidly.

Fluttershy wasn't present, however: a pegasus sent by Spitfire told them something came up with Rainbow Dash, and she volunteered to head to Cloudsdale with the prayers of the rest to see whatever happened. Dread soon came after, though the beast was tamed when the song begun, yet the idea of their friend and mother-to-be in danger was still distressing.

"She sings beautifully, your sister."

Rarity turned to her left, stifling a smile when she saw Fancypants and Fleur seating down next to them: the couple she didn't expect to attend a contest for teenagers. It was the mare that gave the compliment, and that meant a lot, a compliment from a pony experienced in performances such as these.

"I must say, I am utterly surprised somepony so young knew of an opera almost obsolete," she continued.

"She truly is gifted. What's her name, if I may ask?"

"Sweetie Belle."

"Forgive my innuendo," Fancypants chirped, "but she surely has a sweet tinkle of a bell in her voice."

The three ponies laughed quietly, turning their attention back to the teenager on stage. It wasn't long before Spike noticed their presence, extending a greeting warm as the flames in his heart. Fancypants was more hesitant to accept it; having seen the dragon's anger back at the palace, Rarity wouldn't blame him.

Suffice to say, Twilight and her had a small talk about it. Both unicorns agreed there was something unnatural about Spike's anger. The fury of dragons were already conventional to them, having faced a few in their past, but their fellow dragon seemed to possess, as Twilight had assumed it to be from the tingle in their horns, a touch of magic. Spike himself didn't seem to have notice the oddity, and so did the Princess, unless the alicorns had insight of it from the beginning.

"Do you know this opera? As in its storyline?" Fleur asked Rarity, to which the mare shook her head.

"It's the norm these days, for ponies to remember the rhapsodies and arias from them and not the story. At most they would remember, like many ponies I know, were the names of the operas they came from. Slightly disheartening for the composers, really."

With a sigh, Fleur tucked her hooves in, fashion designer listening attentively as she began:

"The name derives from a gypsy mare, Carmen, who had earned the infatuation of a stallion named Don José. At first, José pays no attention, but soon enough Carmen starts to woo him and win his affection, resulting in turning him from an honest and pure soldier into deserter, vagabond and finally, murderer. In the end, José killed Carmen in some sort of fight. It's a tragic tale, really, of how love can twist a colt's heart, and how Carmen orchestrated it only for her own desires."

"So who was supposed to sing Sweetie Belle's line?" Rarity asked.

"Carmen herself."

The mare shuddered at the answer, turning back to the grandeur performance of her younger sister. To sing the lines of a deceptive, callous witch who tugs the strings of love like a demented puppet show, it was profoundly unsettling as much as it was admittedly glorious.

"However dramatic it may be, it's all true," Fleur whispered.

"I know a few mares who fell into this unfortunate situation. Colts as well. Soarin', for example..."

"Soarin'?" Rarity asked, completely taken aback.

"As in the Wonderbolts Soarin'? The same stallion that married Rainbow Dash?"

Fleur responded with a small, somber nod.

"Supposedly, back in the University of Canterlot, Soarin' was in love with this mare after Spitfire denied his request at them being together. You know how Spitfire is, being hard-headed and all. She wanted their relationship to stay as best friends, and it has been like that since then."

"Anyways, this mare reputedly had earned his affections somehow, and the two were frequently seen with each other. They were a cute couple back then, always wooing each other with flowers and gifts until they went on a date to celebrate the anniversary of their relationship, I think. It was really unclear what happened, but Spitfire told me one night she found him on the verge of suicide in the middle of the road, covered in few splatters of blood and shouting about how much he loathed her and how much he wanted to strangle and rip her apart."

"And?" Rarity couldn't help but ask.

"What happened to the mare?"

"Died of a mandrake overdose a few days later," was the answer, making the fashion designer gasp.

"Unbelievable really. Nopony deserves to have their emotions manipulated, and she certainly got what was coming. Spitfire even told me Soarin' laughed when he heard of it, but he soon holed up in his dorm, demanding to be alone for a few days even. Whatever happened that night stabbed him deep, and every time Spitfire tried to ask, he would just shout back, asking her not to care about it."

"But surely something must've happened, right?" Rarity asked, just as the crowd gave a standing ovation to the now bowing Sweetie Belle and prompting her and Fleur to join along amid their conversation.

"You couldn't possibly say those blood splatters came out of nowhere, right?"

"That was the problem. Soarin' wasn't hurt in any way, and even if he was, he had faced worse before. That night really broke his spirit somehow, and he didn't want to tell us."

It was an intricate mystery, but one that she decided to save for later when her sister trotted up to her side, excitedly squealing in joy at her success.

"I can't believe I did it! I did it, I did it, I did it, I did it--"

"You sure did, Sweetie Belle," Rarity cut in. Any second more, her mind would've screamed in agony and send herself down to Tartarus. Fleur and Fancypants smiled warmly as they hugged, the sight of the sisterly bond ever fulfilling the passion of love; one they were certain would treasure.

"Who's my number one singer?"

"Spike!!" she cried out in gleeful joy, giving the dragon a tight hug as well. Spike himself chuckled warmly, raising her high up with his arms like a father would to his child, the teenager happily laughing at her free ride. Rarity couldn't help but laugh quietly as well, shaking her head at her drakefriend's mischievous ardor.

Although obviously not related by blood, Sweetie Belle had always seen him as an older brother, much like how she was her older sister. The fact that he was a growing dragon didn't seem to intimidate her view of him as a good friend ever since they were young, and to say that she wasn't any happier than she was before he moved in seemed like the greatest lie of the century. After all, it was great for somepony, or dragon, to replace her when Sweetie wanted to play in the rain, but that was a long time ago.

Rarity sighed. How life passes on so quickly.

"Umm...... Rarity...?"

The unicorn turned around, her surprise evident to the pegasus before her. For it was a nervous Fluttershy, teeth sinking into lips. It was disappointing for her to entirely miss Sweetie Belle's performance, but now's not the time.

"You're back, darling!" she exclaimed.

"So how's Rainbow Dash? Did anything happen to her?"

"Y-Yes..." the pegasus stuttered, though not before letting out a smile.

"But, oh, it's just the most wonderful news!"

Fluttershy beckoned her closer, just enough for a whisper to reach her ears. And so she did, the news of their absent friend's condition trailing through the air and planting itself into Rarity's head. It took a while for the message to slip through its rickety gears, the unicorn's beryl eyes widening immediately when it finally struck her clean with disbelief.

"WHAT?!!"

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"Good. And what of the guards?"

"All on duty and on the lookout, your Highness," Shining Armor replied.

"Every division is accounted for, and nopony would slip through our gates without identification. I've made sure the best of the best that the Royal Guard can offer are available.

It was undeniably frightening to face the three alicorns before him, two superiors of Equestria and the other being his wife, with all three sharing the single expectation: that Canterlot would be heavily fortified and watched, where no guard will be off the hook unless for reasons deemed viable by the Captain of the Royal Guard, which is none other than he and he himself. Nevertheless, he trusts their judgement and choices as they trust him with his duties as the captain; Celestia and Luna were his aunt-in-laws, after all.

"And we shall presume that these precautions would be applied in other towns?" Princess Luna asked.

"No doubt about it, your Highness."

Already the straining pressure was starting to get into his head, and for a very good reason: it's been awhile since the Changeling attacks and the dragon transgression last year that the Royal Guard had to fortify the capital to such an extent. Then again, the alicorns weren't so much as demanding back then, and there weren't any bomb attacks as well. Clearly, this... Janus pony had already influenced a stir of fear in regions around Equestria, particularly the regions around Trottingham, and Princess Celestia had made every available attempt to calm them down.

Other than that, there were the usual ruffians and scallywags he has to deal with. Canterlot, despite being the home for the aristocracy, also had what some would say a city below. Behind its decorated buildings, there were ponies homeless and jobless, wandering to look for easy money and test their luck. Some would say the Canterlotian suburbs, more affectionately known to the high society as the 'slums', were homes to all sorts of criminals, but like how they would respect the Princess, the ponies have a star of their own as well.

The Masque of Canterlot.

The thief of the night, stealing from the rich as if they deserved it. Shining knew three things about him: that he was from the suburbs and well respected by the ponies there; that he was a pegasus, from eyewitness reports, wearing a mask and has a flair for roses, and that he always chooses the big heists.

The latter proved right again when a pony reported of his entire vault stash being stolen. Supposedly, the vault contained five gold-gilded statues of ponies and eighteen chests containing gold bars, but what was the most valuable is an eight-hundred carat emerald, mined from the border between Equestria and the Badlands. Time and time again, Shining was always late to the scene, and time and time again, the Masque left his telltale rose, teasing him almost to the brink of hatred, as if a strong rivalry was formed between them.

"Major cities have implemented them already," he continued, ignoring self-conjured taunts by the Masque himself.

"We're trying to split the guards towards the smaller towns nearby Canterlot, like Appleloosa, Cloudsdale and Ponyville, for example. Manehatten, Seaddle, Stalliongrad and Fillydelphia have already had guards placed in response to the bomb threats."

"Trottingham was struck before them, however," Cadance suddenly spoke.

"It would be faster to tend to the other major cities first. Ponies from the southern regions like Canterbury and Trotterdam are already reporting of strange activity."

"And of the progress of the negotiations bureau?"

"Cervinus emissaries from the east regions of the Darkhat Valley told us that their Emperor Ōshika and Lord of the Kingdom of the Panda Ju Xiong had agreed to send help. Saddle Arabia, along with the Kingdoms of Zebrabwe and Camelroon had already prepared an army to meet the battalion down south. Negotiations with Elephantine are still underway, along with the plutocratic gryphon, hircus and minotaur states of the Highlands Mhór Aontacht Cónaidhm: the Highlands Grand Unity Federation. Same results for the pegasi nations of Grande Aurora and the thestral-controlled Von Umbra. The Sovereign Federation of Draconis, however, rejected requests immediately. Other kingdoms have yet to respond."

"So we have our Eastern and Southern borders secure, the Northern territories still underway and the dragon kingdoms still declining to help."

Princess Celestia bit her lip. Janus's forces included most, if not all species of their allies. Already the minotaur clans of Windrelhyme have attacked and razed a few northeastern villages, forcing them to push their forces upwards while ponies still resumed their daily lives. It was a sort of cold war to the citizens, but in reality the conflict had already begun, swept underneath the rug from even her faithful student, Twilight to prevent panic in the streets.

"Resume the negotiations with the dragons, and hasten the remaining others. We have no idea the size of our enemy's armies, but it's best we prepare for the worst."

"My fellow princesses~!!"

Celestia and Luna flinched at the voice booming throughout the room, the palace walls shuddering at its inexplicably farcical, if not mischievous accent and its exceptionally profound volume. The cackle that followed was mirth, and with a roll of their eyes and a groan, both alicorns turned to a stained glass window.

The glass impression of a snakelike figure within it soon pranced about its small, fragile dominion, before bouncing out and bursting into a purple, sparkling cloud of smoke that left Shining Armor coughing for air. His odd pair of legs: one reptilian, the other of a goat, strutted forward in a foxtrot, the white fan of hairs on the end of his draconic tail flapping with false obedience. His yellow eyes happily grinned back at the somber ones of the princesses, and meekly he gave a bow, extending his right paw as he knelt on his goat knee.

"Surprised?" he snickered.

"Never will be," the older alicorn deadpanned.

"What brings you here, Discord?"

"Oh, fun and alicorns never seem to go together, do they?" the draconequus proclaimed, obviously never hearing her question. At least, not bothering to. He nudged Shining Armor at that, who hesitantly stepped to the side, making him bemoan in rejection.

"What is with these ponies? Of all that Discord asks to have a little fun, all of you just treat me like an ignorant rampant beast! Oh, the equestrian horror!"

"Save your laments for later," Luna spoke up, obviously not amused.

"We have responsibilities to tend to."

"Responsibilities. Shmishponsibilities. Pah, I say!"

With a snap of his talons, a relaxer skidded up right behind him, prompting him to kick back his odd pair of legs and, much to the ponies' displeasure, lie back in the middle of the throne room. The cerulean mare rose to protest, though her sister's hoof stopped her short, beckoning her to sit back down.

"It's one thing to tend to responsibilities," Discord continued.

"It's another to sit back on your throne and idle about, watching as your days," he pointed at Princess Celestia, "and your nights," then to Luna, "just linger by while the lives of your subjects are at stake. Take me, for example, having sent towards the Changeling Nests for negotiations by a certain almighty somepony isn't an all-pleasing experience."

"Of course, Discord," Princess Celestia replied.

"And? Did Chrysalis agree on our terms?"

"Takes a little... wooing. One does not simply earn the queen's affections in a changeling community, it seems. Stereotypical as it may be, she certainly has an uncanny habit of being the ambitious queen she entitled herself as. Stereotypical as it may be as well, I emerged successful. Again."

Discord raised an eyebrow when Cadance let out a cough, the young alicorn looking away when he struck his gaze to her. Clearing his throat, a small martini popped up in his talons, complete with a curled straw, an orange umbrella and a microscopic rubber duck swimming around its colored bowels.

"So I suppose I can return to my... preferences now?" he asked, wearing a smirk.

"I have to say, my spine is really acting up! Would never be fitting in this ill, cold palace. Surely, relaxation is a salvation you would bother to tend to?"

A mild shake of the older alicorn's head just made the draconequus shrug his shoulders.

"I really would never consider the fact being you then," he replied with a chortle.

"I bid thee farewell, my fellow Princesses. And Shining Armor, is it?"

"Y-Yeah?" the stallion replied, his ears perking when Discord let out his queer response that left everyone else, especially him and Cadance if not a little confused:

"Let's say one's indulgence in another's sweet nothings might not seem tolerable in your standards."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Wake up..."

A voice, sweet as buttered honey syrup from a mare of caramel. Pinkie could scarcely remember her face, yet her matching yellow eyes... it gave a sense of familiarity somehow, even though she couldn't figure out where she had seen them before. They were like fireflies, or burning candles, or even a hobby-lantern. That's it... two hobby-lanterns guiding her in a diminishing world.

"Pinkie..."

Her presence felt foreboding, as if she was never supposed to be there, but conclusively it was comforting and pacified a fear in her heart. What fear it was, she had no knowledge of, and Pinkie couldn't help but feel somehow she was entangled in this, yet those two yellow eyes... it was a nirvana in chaos.

"Wake up..."

Her head jolted to a halt. Wake up? From what? Isn't she awake already?

She could solemnly swear her eyes were open, and that there was a mare, covered in shade and fog with body translucent smiling back at her. There was no doubt about it: she was clearly awake, and was... what was she doing anyway?

"...wake up... WAKE UP ALREADY!!"

Black shattered within its frames, caused by a splash of freezing water that would've substituted for ice if not for its liquidity. Within seconds, Pinkie was flung back, away from the ethereal pony that gave her solace, away from the totality of the world that is peace itself, and soon found herself staring straight into a pair of brutal green eyes.

"Miss Pie," he chuckled grimly.

"Did my colleague really... jerk you that far into unconsciousness? I might need to have a talk with him later; we're supposed to keep our guests comfortable."

"Wh-where am..." she began muttering.

"You...! You were... no! No!"

Her hoof jerked and tugged frantically, yet the tight ropes suspending her to some sort of large tombstone rendered her struggles useless. Pinkie opened her mouth to scream, yet the pony clamped a hoof over her mouth before she could. She clenched her eyes tightly shut, violently coughing when the hoof departed from her mouth, leaving behind a gagging taste of desolation and burnt scab.

"I must say, Miss Pie, your fruitless struggles did amuse me," her captor continued with a laugh, drawing a scalpel across her heaving chest and leaving behind a small slash of blood; one that made her cringe.

"That's for the amusement. On the contrary, you also annoyed me..."

Before Pinkie could respond, the pony swung a hoof across her face, forcing out a yelp of pain as the first trickles of blood flew from her mouth and leaving behind a purple bruise on her cheek. She quivered, gritting her teeth and turning back to face those pair of green eyes; once the subject of her fear, now a topic of loathing.

"Is that all you can do..." she taunted.

"Pinkie!" another squeakier voice shrilled, the pink mare peering over her shoulder to see a faint glimpse of light zipping about in a glass flask.

"Don't! Just don't!"

"L-Luster...?"

"Pahaha~!!" her captor let out an undeniably strange laugh.

"Already making some new, local friends now, are we, Miss Pie? Have you already forgotten those that stuck with you? The one that called themselves... the caravan?"

With a clack of his hooves, a group of minotaurs soon came into view, pushing giant wooden racks around her in a circle. Pinkie gasped in horror at the stunned faces of her fellow prisoners, all bruised and battered with the least serious being a small slash mark down a hoof.

The one before her coughed, barely raising his head as splatters of blood ran down from his lips. His tail was strained; forcefully strapped down like his four hooves and paper-wrapped as if it was the bristles of a broom.

"P-Pinkie...?" he managed to stutter.

"Phoenix...!"

"Seems you do remember this bunch."

The dark purple pegasus shrugged, and as he trotted away Pinkie strained her head, unable to restrain her tears at the sight of a bruised and battered caravan around her. Velvet's head was bruised, with one single, thick line of blood flowing down from head to hoof, the stallion still unconscious from it. Ollivander's left talon almost seemed dislocated, as if somepony forcefully bent it past its limit. Selena and Dapple were battered and abused, thrown around like morsels of meat for violence to spare. Ganger was limp from his injuries, and Pinkie would've thought he was dead if not for his hefty gasps of air.

Brutus... the minotaur looked like he was punched a dozen times in the face, slammed in the groin and thrown off a cliff leading down into a field of jagged rocks, and hung up again as a punching bag! It was as if every hit he took was blooming with hatred and fury, and she couldn't help but wonder if something happened between him and the minotaurs under this crazed pony's command that caused this.

"Oh, silly me!" their captor exclaimed gleefully.

"I really forgot to introduce ourselves! The name's Commander Hellion, in charge of leading my own band called the Umbra Fuga. We're basically called dastardly names by those with no idea of our profession, so I'll make it clear and simple for all of you: we do what we want. And our choice to join forces with the Taurian clan of Ferrafell for this capture seemed inevitable, as we both serve under one lord. One king for our future."

"R-Really?" Ollivander snorted.

"He doesn't have a name?"

"He does, in fact," Hellion, as he called himself, said, trotting up to the gryphon's side and gripping his injured talon.

"He's known in this world by many names," he forcefully jerked it, pausing as Ollivander screech in pain, "and he has seen many things in time," he paused again for another tug and screech, "but we prefer to call him..."

"Janus..."

One more tug sent the gryphon doubling over in pain, his screams breaking throughout the shrine. Pinkie turned away, fresh tears falling from her eyes as every agonizing tug and shriek froze into her head, and before she could protest, somepony else beat her to it.

"LET HIM GO!!" Selena screamed, twisting and yanking at her leather bonds.

"LET HIM GO, YOU DISGUSTING MONSTER!!"

"Frankly speaking, he shall be arriving soon," the pegasus continued, eyes glinting triumphantly at the looks of fear adorned on every single face there is to see. With cold mercy, he released his tight grip on Ollivander's hoof, leaving the gryphon gasping and his marefriend sobbing with a mix of relief and helpless despair.

"In fact, his summoning should be beginning now. I'm sure he would be glad to know that all of you would be honored in his presence. However, he has his sights set on clearly only one pony; one I'm sure he wouldn't have the slightest bit of mercy for."

All eyes turned to Pinkie Pie, who silently gasped herself. They want her? Of all the ponies in the world, her? But why? Why in the world would they want her for? What did she do wrong?

"No..." she whimpered.

"There has to be a mistake... I don't even know him! I don't even know what I did wrong!!"

"You don't have to, Miss Pie. Now, if you'll excuse me..."

Hellion soon trotted away from her, heading across up to a hexagonal vessel with a pyramid of wood already arranged onto it. With his nod, the minotaurs held up large pitchers of liquid, grunting as a reeking smell of oil soon filled the shrine, making all of them cough lightly.

The commander himself struck a match, and threw it inside, setting the timbers alight into a grand bonfire. Already giant plumes of smoke billowed from it, blotting out the starless sky with marring clouds and desecrate the holy shrine with its raging nature, so much that Pinkie could hear Luster's gloomy twinkle as the spirit started to sniffle, and all for naught. Without a second thought, Hellion struck two hooves up into the sky, wings flapping diligently with his booming voice echoing into a decrepit chant:

"Cælum respondere nobis; vestra sanctos servos..."

"Pink... Pinkie?"

The said mare just glanced up at the voice, staring straight into the battered visage of Phoenix Mellow. The stallion wore a look of fear (a first, she surmised) and vexation, watching earnestly as the heat from the flames raged behind him.

"Did they hurt you...?"

"A little..." she replied quietly.

"But what they did to you... why did they..."

"It's nothing compared to what I've faced."

There's the usual Phoenix Mellow again, she thought to herself with a chuckle. Always trying to act brave in front of his friends. He returned her laugh with one of his own, albeit a more sheepish one at that.

"But seriously, I've faced a bear before. Their bites are horrendous. This ain't nothing compared to bears."

"Misit rex noster Omnipotens!! Misit deus, salus ex!!"

"Are you scared, Pinkie?"

"What?"

"Are you scared?" he repeated his question.

"A little," Pinkie replied hesitantly with a tremble. She was downright terrified, to be honest.

"What about you?"

"Beginning to," was the unexpected answer, making her giggle.

"Think about it: being captured by ponies that we first met about only a week ago; being tied up like some blasted dolls, and now they're summoning some almighty lord to... to..."

"Ipsius autem festum ades! Et ipse primordiis, actionem!!"

"P-Phoenix?"

"They couldn't be possibly thinking of killing you..." the colt hissed suddenly.

"They might as well have my head first! It just isn't right!"

"No, Phoenix," Pinkie replied coldly, surprising him.

"You can't die for something I did. If I deserve it, then I'll have what's coming. But if I don't, then perhaps somepony would come down and save me or whatever. I just hope that it wouldn't be a pumpkin monster."

"Veni, Domine Ianus! Veni propter prædam tuam!!"

Both ponies laughed at the inside joke, though it was immediately silenced once Pinkie felt herself moving, glancing to her side to see two minotaurs pushing her cart forward. Exchanging one last look of worry with Phoenix, she turned to face the blazing flames, almost as if devouring the air around her and greedily tossing about in its bowel to reach out for her.

Hellion zipped to her side, smiling intently as he drew out his razor. She held her breath, biting her lip as he freed a single hoof, pulling it out and extending it over the flame like a barbecue, the tip of the sharp razor sinking into her skin.

"It will be quick..."

One swipe and tingles of torn nerves, along with the invasion of sweat droplets, made her elicit a whimper. The first drops of blood soon leaked out, dripping with a sizzle into the flames and taken into the ravaging inferno. Hellion soon cuffed her back, pulling her away from the flame by a little. Just by a little.

Suddenly, with a small whip, the fire suddenly erupted, turning into a deep, rampant green as venomous as the eyes of the pony who orchestrated it. Pinkie watched in awe at its entrancing dance, and however hot it may be, it couldn't stop the ice of fear freezing up the veins of her hearts.

Amid the flame emerged a shadow, pouring out the core of its fiery mouth and reaching out towards the pink mare. She trembled in fear, jerking and pulling at her bonds as she saw, rising from the depths of horror, death and hatred itself, a pony, unlike anything she had seen before, staring back with blood-red eyes forged from the cruelest pits of Tartarus, eagerly flashing at the sight of her face.

She wanted to scream, hooves frantically kicking in its bonds, to no avail as the figure crept closer. A deep, booming laugh flared through the shrine, corrupted and evil with dreadful wisdom and a fervor of insanity. Pinkie forced her eyes shut, gritting her teeth while the dark presence crept closer and closer...

"BEGONE!!!"

Suddenly, the growing flame warped and contorted, its tip disappearing into naught as it swallowed itself into the void. Pinkie soon opened her eyes, confusion and gasping relief running through her convulsing body before she glanced about, bewildered at the sudden turn of events.

"YOU FOUL DEMONS THAT DARE TAINT MY SHRINE!!"

The shrine walls trembled at the foreign voice, filled with rage and despair, yet a more reasonable one. Every one of their captors, be it pegasus or minotaur, jolted up in fear, glancing hastily about the shrine with weapons ever ready, waiting for whatever that lurks in the mist.

But Pinkie knew, with a smile that mirrored that of Luster the hobby-lantern and the caravan's, whoever that was.

The ground started to rumble, and before any of them knew it, the floor of the shrine ruptured open, revealing colossal tendrils of bark and leaf bursting from within the ground, sending minotaurs into a frenzy and Hellion and his subordinates fleeting away. The branches rose like totems, trapping all their enemies and terrifying them with the vengeful rage of flora, chasing them off with every tree breaking through the floor.

Pinkie gaped in amazement at the sight of the towering evergreens, the many giant flowers starting to blossom at the first dainty touch of sunlight. Flocks of hummingbirds, bees and butterflies swarmed like locusts over them, gathering whatever sweet nectar they could scavenge from the still-growing plants.

"Pinkie, look out!!"

Phoenix's voice was too late; in no time at all, the mare suddenly felt herself lifted, hooves still trapped onto the rack. She whimpered as she tugged and pulled again, watching in frightful horror once the branches tossed her about like a gyroscope, giving her glimpses of the receding ground below her hooves, the sheer height making her pale.

Small vines soon tied around the wooden supports of her rack, and with a snap, Pinkie screamed for dear life as gravity yanked her back down, falling and falling almost perpetually through the sky and closing her eyes for the imminent hard landing about to meet her.

*PLOMF!!*

Hesitantly, she opened her eyes, surprised to see a tuft of light green fur staring back at her. She finally let in a gasp of air, almost wanting to cry out of relief at the inexplicably strange creature she was sitting on.

Her thoughts of finding out what it was, however, soon tossed itself back into the void when she saw curled locks in a mane, colored pale brown and dark green. A pair of wings aided in its owner's descent, and what surprised her was that it too possessed the horn of unicorn, at the base of it was a crown, fashioned in a golden laurel wreath with a small diamond embedded in its center.

"You're safe now, pink one," came a voice; soft, sweet and mellow as the fresh air of spring, with the harmonious chirp of a bird yet the serene quietude of a breeze. There was, no doubt, who it was that saved her, and Pinkie couldn't help but squeal with glee, replying with a cheerful grin:

"Your Highness...!"

Nine Numbers

"They're so adorable!!"

"No doubt about it, sugarcube," Applejack responded to Sweetie Belle.

All of them were circled around Rainbow Dash, who grinned with motherly pride at every peering face of wonder at her two identical, newborn daughters through the window in each minuscule bed, quietly napping in the incubators of Canterlot Hospital. Her hoof was entwined with the stronger, supporting ones of her husband, fatigue having overwhelmed her during labor and her transfer from Cloudsdale at the request of her friends. The cloud city is a too great distance from Canterlot for help to come quickly if attacked, not to mention the unintentional harboring of other ponies that don't possess the pegasi-born ability of cloud-walking. Of course, a guarantee of safety is presently out of the question.

Soarin' wrapped a wing around his wife, nuzzling her snout tenderly once the mare requested to settle down and catch a breath. It was admittedly rare for the usually brash pegasus to lean against his shoulder or his chest even, and to snuggle up with the father of her children, and vice versa, felt more comfortable than before.

He remembered clearly the first time they met officially: at the Grand Galloping Gala all those years ago. Despite how embarrassing it turned out to be, their second opportunity of a meeting wasn't far behind when she joined the Wonderbolt Academy. Being the only pony that stood up to hard-headed, all-out commander Spitfire in place of her usually compassionate side while on duty, it really was a discussion that lasted through the night; one which the mare involved wasn't exactly pleased on. It only made their - and particularly his - admiration grow for Rainbow Dash and, secretly reserved only to himself, affections as well.

They had hung out a while: racing around the tracks, getting a bite at the local diner and the usual whatnot. There were a few 'alone times' they had together, where the mare would usually fall asleep during one of their lengthy conversations. It was not after Fenderville, when they had reunited from the tricks of Pinkie Pie, that they decided to take it to the next level.

"Now look where we are..." he muttered quietly.

"Hmm?" came the voice of Rainbow Dash, glancing up at the colt. Her usually hasty tone was soft, sincere even, and the stallion couldn't help but laugh a little at that.

"What's so funny?" she asked, the annoyed rasp in her voice coming back in again.

"Nothing..." he replied.

"It's just... it's been awhile that you and I were just... mates, y'know? Before the 'soul' of soul-mates came in and have a party and whatever."

"And?"

"Remember?" the Wonderbolt began, holding his wife's hooves.

"We had our little talks and stuff? Like the time you said how over-obsessive I am about pies?" she giggled at that, "or how you saved us all during the Young Flyer's Competition? That was some serious stuff back then."

"Yeah, I guess..." Rainbow softly replied.

"What about it?"

"Not much. Just that..."

Soarin' sighed, which confused the already bewildered mare even more. The energetic, joyful bounce of the stallion had left him, leaving a somber shell, deprived of enthusiasm and excitement that every Wonderbolt should have, which somewhat made her worry.

"You..." he started again after a moment of hanging silence.

"You were the best mare I could ever ask for."

Rainbow just stared at her husband with wide eyes at his admittedly-sudden compliment, before smiling and pecking his cheek, laughing softly underneath her breath. Of course she wouldn't understand, Soarin' said to himself, forcing out a smile of his own and hugging her tight. She didn't know about that night.

A small tap on the shoulder made them both turn, meeting the beaming face of Spitfire. She gave Rainbow a congratulatory hug, much like the rest of her over-excited friends.

"They look just like their mother," she remarked.

That was the third time somepony said that. The first one to mention about it was Twilight, who started blabbering about how impossible of its occurrence, or their appearances were strange from the point of genetics and some sort of science gibberish. Despite looking identical at first glance, Firefly had her mother's amethyst eyes, while her younger sister, Mayfly, had her father's emerald ones. Whatever that caused it was less of a bother to Rarity, who was next in line on commenting how similar they were to Rainbow as well as offer her sincere blessings. To be precise, they only had their mother's signature mane; their coat color was of paternal inheritance.

"So, Soarin'," his captain continued.

"Wanna hang out a little? We hadn't had a small chit-chat ever since Rainbow got... ahem, dashed, if you know what I mean."

"Y-Yeah," Soarin' replied bashfully, scratching his mane.

"But RD, she might... you know, need her husband around."

"What are you talking 'bout, Soar?"

Rainbow Dash placed her head on his shoulder, giving him a smile that practically made his heart flutter, what with her glistening eyes and streaking mane. The rest of them snickered at her sudden affectionate actions, which prompted her to shoot a stone-dead glare at them, humphing with resentment.

"Just go on and have some fun time for once," she continued.

"I'll be fine with these guys around me. Plus, it's your captain wanting to have a talk with you here."

"Fine," came his reply.

"But don't go do any flight stunts yet. Doctor's orders."

"Whatever."

Soarin' shook his head and groaned, with Spitfire laughing at his burden as they both stepped out of the hospital, leaving Rainbow to be willingly swamped with the chatting of her friends. Their Wonderbolt instincts guided them closer to the sky, and proved itself once again, leading them up a flight of stairs and onto the roof, the gentle whip of a breeze blowing their manes in the sunset.

Both pegasi trotted towards the edge, resting their heads on the ledge as they stared into the growing, rural landscape of Canterlot. They were in the suburban parts of town, where among the articulately-designed architecture of spiraling towers and houses, there were shabby apartments and worn stacks of buildings, topped with chimneys rippling with gray smoke that could rival a steam-train. Heck, some 'smart' ponies even named this rural area 'Little Manehatten' due to its resemblance, with many these days suggesting it to be the lair of the Masque himself.

"Ah, Canterlot," Spitfire murmured.

"Remember our days at Canterlot Uni? Damn, those days were awesome!"

"Y-Yeah..." Soarin' began with a grunt.

"Awesome."

"Cheer up, you little grump!"

The mare gave him a nudge, strong enough to budge him a little. With a rustle of her wings, Spitfire soon trotted to the side, glancing at the palace standing in sheer brilliance amid the Canterlotian scene. Of course, the stallion followed suit, curiosity drawing him when he saw his captain close his eyes, relishing the wind gently flowing through her neck.

"Remember, Soar?" she began again, albeit more reluctantly with eyes still shut.

"What day it is?"

"For Celestia's sake, do we have to go through this again?"

"Really, this matters a lot to you, and to Rainbow Dash," she snapped, turning to him and opening her eyes. There was a reason his mood was droopy, and she knew why. Defiance governed her like how rage was governing him, and both forces clashed through their fierce glares, wanting the other pony to stand down.

"Just think for a minute," the mare prodded onward.

"What if she found out about the night I found you? What if she knew you did something wrong that night; something any of us weren't sure of, and she would just decide to leave you--"

"Nothing happened that night!"

Those voices in his head returned: screams for mercy; pleas for sympathy; cries that go 'spare me, spare me' over and over like a jackhammer drilling into his head and heart. They always return on this specific day and no matter how hard he tried to cage it, it would always come crashing back to him.

"She's nothing to me..." he continued coldly, suppressing his tears.

"So what if today was our anniversary. She decided to ruin it in the most horrendous of ways. She made sure I finished it. She deserved to die."

"Soarin, please..." Spitfire pleaded.

"I need to know what happened that night. I'm your best friend, right? Best friends can share secrets--"

"You don't even CARE!!"

A small gasp escaped from her mouth, her shocked eyes staring down at the panting figure that is her best friend and partner ever since high school. She bit her lip, turning away slowly and allowing time for Soarin' to realize his rueful mistake, his frown softening to a look of regret.

"S-Spitfire...?" he called out to the trembling mare.

"I-I'm sorry, okay...? H-Hey?"

Soarin' was suddenly yanked forward, and in that dazed second, he felt his lips forcefully mashed against hers for a short moment. The shocking realization of his best friend's abrupt act prompted him to break it apart by pushing her away, collapsing backwards onto the floor as a result.

The mare would've expected him to yell already, though all that came was a small, shivering pant of a sigh. She hesitantly watched as he glanced up, steeling his face with fracturing confidence and asked:

"W-Why?"

"Because I cared," was the soft reply.

"You've done so much for me for so long, and when I lost my husband and foal, you still stuck by my side and comforted me. Whatever happened all those years ago just made me wish that I could protect you, but then I remembered I denied your request for asking me out..."

"So... y-you loved me?"

"Not anymore," Spitfire continued awkwardly.

"When I saw you and Rainbow being so happy together, I saw the real you. The reason I wanted you to join the Wonderbolts is because you have that passion for flying, and I admit, I wanted to get closer to you after so long and hopefully make you much more than the weather pony you were. But when I got Rainbow into the Academy... I could see it in the both of you. You two were perfect for each other and.. I don't want to get in the way of that. I kissed you because... I'm your oldest friend whom you fell in love with back in high school, before all of that, and honestly, if I had a second chance... I would be glad to return your feelings again. But I know it's not meant to be anymore. If I had said yes, m-maybe you wouldn't be with her all those years ago, if she was really that horrible..."

Soarin' was left speechless, cheeks already becoming as red as her friend's. With a gulp, he trotted forward, holding his breath with every nearing step towards his captain. She watched patiently, waiting for him to open his mouth and speak, though it seems speech is silver this time.

The gold mare let out a gasp; a more surprised one at that, when she felt her comrade hugging her tight. A grand tint of red filled her face, her heart hammering in her chest once she saw his overjoyed smile, which tingled her eyes with tears. Embarrassingly, she was the first to gasp out a sob, regret flushing through her nerves in the embrace of the stallion she once loved.

"I-I'm sorry..." she whimpered.

"Don't be," he whispered.

"We were always the best of friends. You know that very well. Even the rest of the team knows it. Just because we don't love each other anymore doesn't mean we can't be friends, right? And plus, you did nothing wrong. None of us did."

"I j-just missed it," Spitfire admitted suddenly.

"How it feels like, I couldn't remember..."

"How what feels like?"

"The way he holds me. How he tells me the sweetest things, his voice..."

No wonder she gave him a kiss, Soarin' figured. The feelings of their troubling past, all returning back on the same day and concerning relationships that were shattered and broken, with no way of letting it out. He had Rainbow Dash by his side, but she? She lost it all. And no one was there to help her.

"Who knows," he began.

"Maybe... maybe next time there would be somepony who would understand you like how he did. Maybe he would love you for the same reasons that he did. Maybe someday you might meet somepony that knows you like Rainbow Dash knows me, and if it happens, just know I'll be there to help you. Friends help each other, right?"

Spitfire started to smile; one that Soarin' knew suits her best. There goes the sappy, vulnerable mare she was a few seconds ago, and back comes the harsh, disciplined captain in her happiest of moods, made evident when she nudged his shoulder.

"Friends help each other, alright," she declared with pride, sniffling the last of her insecurities away.

"Especially the best of friends."

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"Every pilgrim is accounted for, Your Highness."

"And that again is a feat you achieved, Master Plow," came the voice of Princess Terra, flowering with lithe grace and rich with fertile kindness that outmatches the soil beneath their hooves and the overgrown trees shading them from the blazing sun. She sat on a throne of intertwined snakes of wood with a bedding of flowers and leaves cushioning her slender figure. It was etched with unbelievably detailed etchings of flora and fauna; the type where one would question the time taken for the woodcarver to finish such an intricate job. Then again, it probably took a millennium to build the cathedral they were in. Her Cutie Mark suited her well: a small daisy with a butterfly perched above it.

She was certainly a motherly figure, from how she pertained to the animals gathering around her like eager children waiting for the prospect of storytelling and the wise yet eager smile she was wearing as she was tending to them, to the gentle gestures of her hoof like grass in a spring breeze. If grace were a pony, the alicorn would be the perfect pony for its place.

"I trust you would do a great job by the next pilgrimage," she continued.

"I hope as well that you can please me with the results, Master Plow."

"The pleasure is mine, Your Highness."

Of course, the caravan (with the exception of Brutus, who was still unconscious from his injuries) stared in utter confusion. From their conversation, it seemed Parish was of a higher status than the Princess he was reputed to serve under. Their eyes flitted in awkward silence among the group, though it was not enough to avert the attention of the princess herself.

"You must be wondering why the term 'Master', my little ponies?" she asked, to which they nodded.

"It's a formal greeting of my servants and I. We treat each other as equals and cooperate with each other with equal respect, for I don't rule a nation, only a belief of nature."

"So Your Highness controls nature?" Phoenix asked.

"Like how Celestia controls the sun and Luna controls the moon?"

Princess Terra gave a small, firm nod, making the caravan chatter with glee. So there was more to these alicorns than just the two regal sisters themselves! It was quite captivating really, how the forces of the world revolve around these beings. It was exciting enough to trudge into the domain of an alicorn, but to meet one face to face, especially at such a remote place?

"Luster told me all about you!" Pinkie exclaimed, the mentioned spirit dancing fervently about her princess.

"You have a really, really nice home! There's so many plants and so many animals living here!"

The alicorn smiled at her compliment. It was a wondrous home indeed, despite looking abandoned and overgrown with ferns and moss. Take the dining room they were in, for example; the table they were talking over was the stump of a gigantic tree, with smaller stumps accommodating as chairs for each and every one of them to seat as they patiently wait for a fulfilling lunch.

"I'm glad you like it, my pink one," came the gentle reply.

"Although I am a little curious as to why the interests of those foul souls were reserved only for you."

"We're not sure as of yet, Your Highness." Velvet answered in her defense.

"Perhaps the answer behind this absurdity would come to light. As of now, we can only hope but to avoid such encounters."

"Of course, of course."

Even a princess respects one's privacy, Pinkie surmised, as the emerald alicorn soon clicked her hooves instead of pursuing the topic, signaling for lunch to be served. Sure enough, a couple of pilgrims circled the table, serving to them salads of sliced, juicy tomatoes, finely-diced onions and slivers of lettuce with one or two exotic fruits mixed in between, all clutched in the bowels of their respective reed bowls. Ganger himself, despite protests about his injuries, decided it was a great occasion to display his talent of the culinary arts, and with fortunate luck, he soon trotted up and seated himself next to her sister, proudly savoring his own creation.

The feast went as quick as it has begun, before one by one the empty plates were taken away. Conversations soon resumed, ranging from everyday jokes to the caravan's appreciations for the pilgrim's treatment on their wounds.

"Speaking of which," Phoenix said to Parish.

"When you lead the pilgrims into the fog, where did all of you go?"

"Our Holy Mother guided us through the fog," the aged stallion answered.

"We were utterly lost, but soon we have hobby-lanterns like Luster here," he and the said spirit exchanged winks, "showing the way out of the fog, up to the shrine and into a hidden chamber, to hide away from them pegasi until those rogues fled."

"But you left us behind..."

"Forgive me, Master Mellow," the alicorn replied.

"For the aura of your group and those ponies are obscured. Perhaps it was the flaming nature of your tail that contributed to it, but otherwise, I myself am glad that you are safe."

"An apology isn't really necessary, Your Highness," the caravan leader began sheepishly with a dismissive laugh, prompting the rest of the band to laugh along as well.

"It was just a misunderstanding, t'is all!"

Another chorus of chortles, before the members of the caravan stood up, excusing themselves from the table as both separate groups set off to tend to their duties. Pinkie herself felt a little reluctant to leave, however; being in the presence of Princess Terra soothed her qualms somehow.

Her mind wandered to the plans of the caravan. Due to Brutus's condition, they've agreed to have an extended stay in the Duilliúr Shrine, with the permission of the alicorn herself, of course. The rest of the caravan soon tended to their wounds; a result of an ambush from those 'Umbra Fuga' ponies, and Pinkie, being the least injured of the group, could only pray for the sake of her friends, especially the minotaur.

Perhaps what stung her the most was the sight of Selena trying the best not to cry over Ollivander's twisted talon last night. She was practically sniffling with tears dripping down her eyes, hooves shivering whilst wrapping bandages around the gryphon's injured limb, all the while he watched with somber silence, hugging her tight at the end of it all.

She bit her lip at the memory of it, trotting towards the welcoming shade of a tree. Its low-hanging branches and immensely large leaves made it a perfect dwelling of privacy; a solace she could escape from, where the worries of the world won't find her. It was here that she finally settled, resting her curved katana on a nearby rock as she laid her head against the trunk of the giant tree.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie.."

"Wha!"

Pinkie jolted from surprise, staring straight into the beady black eyes of Luster the hobby-lantern, who giggled heartily at her surprised expression. A queer rustling of leaves proved the spirit was not alone, before stepping out of the undergrowth, with a smile that spelled serenity, was none other than Princess Terra herself.

"Y-Your Highness?" she stammered, slightly perplexed.

"Were y-you searching for me?"

"Not at all, Pinkie Pie," the alicorn replied.

"I had a hunch you would be here anyway. It was always the best spot to hide away from the rest of the world and immerse into your own."

The pink mare started to blush at that, to which the other pony chuckled. With steady calmness, Terra soon settled herself next to her, tucking her hooves in and extending a wing around Pinkie, who giggled at the brief tickling of feathers that paved the way for warmth. Luster zipped about for a second, before nestling herself into Pinkie's cotton-fluff of a mane, purring at its softness.

"So I've heard that you couldn't remember your past," she began, to which Pinkie reluctantly nodded.

"It would surely be an inevitable struggle you have to face, but a struggle you would overcome otherwise. There were many ponies like you who came here, lost in the world, with nowhere to go, but all they need is a path to put them back on track again."

"Really?" the pink mare asked. The thought of ponies that went through and struggled in the same delirium as her never came until now, provoking her head and, simultaneously, her voice, to ask:

"What happened to them?"

"They went looking for their true selves. Their direction in life."

The princess inhaled slowly, letting the chirping of exotic birds fill in the small gap of silence she had made when she stared into the distance. Pinkie just stared at her in slight puzzlement, unsure of what to do except to glance around and counting the bountiful leaves on the branches, with Luster basically rolling her eyes at her ridiculous decision to do so.

It was about a minute when the alicorn suddenly sighed, halting her in her pointless counting. Hazel eyes stared back at her, where beneath all of its perplexing nature that she was looking into, came a question:

"How many leaves?"

"What?" Pinkie asked, confused.

"Can you ask again, if you don't mind, Your Highness?"

"How many leaves did you count unto?" the alicorn repeated with more clarity.

"Five-hundred and ninety-seven."

The answer was simple, yet whatever motives did Princess Terra inquire for it was much more of a puzzler. It was easy to pick up from where she had left; if she had lost count or ended up at the same leaf, she could just pry out the exact number and position held by the previous leaf and resume from there.

Pinkie would've smiled proudly with glee if not for the alicorn's inquisitive stare, which was at the very least intimidating, if not disturbing. Insecurity soon swept from underneath her hooves when Terra broke her gaze, closing her eyes in studious judgement.

"I see no lie in your eyes," she spoke, her voice hardening.

"Proof enough that I can trust you."

"But what is it for, Your Highness?" Pinkie couldn't help but ask.

"Is it really important?"

"For you, yes."

Princess Terra beckoned her hoof, picking up a gentle wind that blew her, much to the other pony's amazement, a sheet of paper and a peacock quill. Horn glowing a faint caramel, she soon scribbled on the parchment the numbers one to ten, which somewhat only confused and intrigued Pinkie more.

"Let's say I use these numbers in place of your leaves," she continued.

"Now I ask: how many numbers do you see on the paper?"

"Um... ten?"

"Good. Now assuming I wipe out the number 'nine' from existence," and she did so by smudging it away, leaving only the clean surface of paper, with a few black stains remaining, "meaning in this world, the number itself, the symbol representing it and even the knowledge of its existence would be wiped out. Now with that said, how many numbers are there?"

"Nine!" Pinkie replied confidently.

"Correct. However...!"

The alicorn beckoned her closer, hoof gently pinpointing towards the smudge.

"As I have said, the number nine does not exist anymore." she reminded, and Pinkie widened her eyes with realization. With that, Terra and the unusually silent Luster watched as the pink mare pondered, trying her best to retain her persistence as she did so.

"I don't know..." she finally exclaimed, sighing after a few minutes of silent wondering.

"It's impossible! Nine comes after eight, and it also comes before ten! If nine does not exist, how can we count from eight to ten?"

"Exactly," Princess Terra replied.

"Numbers need every digit to be present for mathematics to work. Time works in a similar way: we need the past for the present, and the present for the future in turn. The past needs the present so that we realize it's the past, and similarly the future needs the present for it to become known as the future. When you know your past, you know why you are the pony now. You identify yourself and connect yourself with others. For example, if the past event of you meeting Luster would've been erased, would the two of you be the friends you are now?"

Pinkie glanced up at the mentioned hobby-lantern, exchanging similar grins and giggles as they simultaneously gave the exact, same answer with a bubbly cheer in their voices:

"No!"

"So there must be a reason why you had three balloons as a Cutie Mark, right? What about the way that you smile, or the way that you use your blade for example. It's all these little things that tell us who we are and, in turn, what happened in the past."

"But you can't really tell, right, Your Highness?" the pink mare asked.

"There must be more than one reason that somepony must be happy, angry or sad!"

"Indeed as well."

Princess Terra rose from the ground, flourishing underneath the splendor of nature: her creation. With only time to ponder, Pinkie watched as she slowly strode away, Luster following along like an entranced firefly, willing to do her bidding.

"I recall that Phoenix mentioned of a pony in Valewood?" she piped up suddenly.

"A friend of one of your companions? The one he said will aid you in your troubles, if I am correct? I had met him personally before," the pink mare stopped to blink in disbelief, "where he was in the same situation as you: lost, confused, with no goal he could face. He knows of your condition and, hopefully through the method he used to solve his, you might remember a bit of your past from him as a result. I myself recommend that you go for it."

Pinkie nodded reluctantly, prompting her to continue:

"Just remember that this might be a chance to find out who you really are, and that it's not what happened, but why it happened and the results it gave to you that matters. Nopony would stop you if you decline the offer. Remember that."

With that said, the alicorn soon trotted out of her view, the words slowly squirming through the nerves in her head. Despite feeling a little disappointed about establishing such a small conversation, it was, to her, fruitful in some ways, beneficial as a whole.

Pinkie glanced to the side, the parchment with an empty number left behind along with the quill. Sighing softly, she slowly drew the missing number back and, although not the best imitation of Princess Terra's articulate style of writing, it somehow gave a sense of completion. A fulfillment in emptiness. A restored hope.

And suddenly, the distant lights of civilization seemed to grow brighter.

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"So you're suggesting that Professor Page have connections with his captors?"

"Not entirely correct," Twilight Sparkle rebounded, glancing at the faces.

"From what I can see in his journal entries, Professor Page knew what he was up against, but he has no clear idea of whom his captors were. There were references to power and unity with malicious intent: an indication that Janus is gathering forces from many nations, be it bandits, ruffians, scavengers and the like, which shows that he is certainly amassing an army as we speak."

Every ministers' heads nodded at her explanation, some jotting down her words, some waiting patiently to hear more. Among those ponies were other species as well, with examples such as gryphons, minotaurs, cervines and even changelings, to name a few. Ironically, the one she was most acquainted it was the one her mentor was most intimidated by, which was none other than the representative for the Sovereign Federation of Draconis: Kane himself.

The dragon was in the center of the room, his dignity held high despite him presently wearing a look of palpable annoyance. Applejack did mention of a particular interrogation in this very exact conference room, with the same pair of eyes that once cowered from his grand size now staring up to him, greeting him as yet another friend.

"And no other mentions of his captors?"

"Only about the ways he was dealt by them."

Twilight flipped through the page, the disturbing chronology of the deceased professor's tribulations flooding back from the fading text into her memory. She'd rather not say it aloud, lest it would disgust the ministers who usually compromised in none of these affairs.

"To my belief," she continued her hypotheses.

"Janus probably finished searching what he wanted in Saddle Arabia, and decided to release the professor so that he could escape to Canterlot. There might be a chance that it was intentional: that he wanted Professor Page to be dealt with here to 'prove' how the Ministry aren't handling things properly."

"But wouldn't that mean..."

"That Janus has discovered what he was searching for, yes."

Her assumption (and a dangerous one it was) incited a flurry of murmurs, some tinted with fear, some with anger. She herself would be appalled if Janus actually did find something of such major importance for his siege on Equestria. Already he was feared by ponies; the thought of him obtaining something possibly powerful to aid him would've caused mass hysteria in the streets.

"We can't possibly be sure what is is," she began.

"Hopefully Professor Page had made a reminder about it somewhere, perhaps in the later pages I have yet to read. For now, we need to be sure how Janus abducted and settled with the professor in the first place. We know that the professor was killed by the so-called 'plumber' and the weatherpony, the latter having been paid to do so. As of now, we need to know his connections in the Saddle Arabian populace."

"What of his other contacts?" one minister quipped from the upper circle of benches.

"Like the Masque of Canterlot himself? Surely this Janus pony must have a way to obtain enough bits that rival the Royal Vault. Wouldn't you think that the Masque be funded by him to steal the priceless items, sell it and send the money to him?"

"I don't think the Masque has any involvement in this."

The minister's claim was nothing short of ridiculous, at least, in Twilight's opinion. She knew him (unbeknownst to them) long enough to know that there was no way he had any associations with Janus. Plus, she and Scootaloo had a talk about him and, although both said they didn't know his true identity, both agreed his intentions seem beneficial. After all, without him, she and Scootaloo wouldn't even have a chance to communicate and share a few laughs as well.

"Both of them operated differently," she continued.

"The Masque leaves traces to indicate he has struck. Janus, on the other hoof, would never do that. He doesn't taunt us and if he does, he shows them in the form of murders. If the Masque murders somepony, don't you think it would tarnish his image in the suburbs as a hero?"

All heads, even Kane's, nodded understandingly, leaving the unicorn to sigh with relief. It just doesn't feel right to involve the Masque in these political mess, it just doesn't! She never knew why; it was some sort of twinge in her gut that told her that.

"Until then, this is all I could obtain so far from the professor's records," she said, signaling the end of the short conference.

"Twilight Sparkle. Out."

It wasn't necessary for the conference, but more for the recording of it for confirmation. Twilight wasn't surprised that with all the chaos happening these days, the Princess wants every meeting to be recorded and archived, so as to make sure of any changes that took place from conventional laws.

She strode towards the desk, where a small stack of books, including the journal, were placed, along with quills, scrolls and the like. The ministers were already shuffling out slowly, with the ambassadors soon following. Kane was the only one that gave her a congratulatory pat on her back, to which she happily appreciated; she wasn't used to presenting her work, and when she did, she always ended up shaking and sweating like a washed-up cat!

All in all, Twilight was, as expected, the last to finish tidying up. Placing the last of her quills in the satchel, she turned back to glance at the current focus: the tattered journal itself.

Snapping open its golden latch, she squinted down at the obscured handwriting, shaky and crooked as the spirit of the pony who wrote this at that time. She had been disappointed for a while and, putting on her glasses, was wishing for a different and more fruitful outcome this time, as she turned back to scan the scribbled wall of text.

"I suppose I s'ould zank you..."

The lavender mare yelped in surprise at the all-too familiar voice, turning up to the higher benches to see a caped figure placing his hooves at the banister, clapping slowly. He rose from his seat, striding down the stairs huskily yet smoothly with his mask still intact, shimmering slightly in the plain daylight. Twilight gulped as he approached her, his Venetian Bauta mask designed into a twisted, yin-yang-esque black and white.

"Thank me?" she asked, his previous sentence finally coming up to her.

"For what?"

"For securing my innosenze," he replied, surprising her.

"I watched ze whole zing, and I muz admit, you were brilliant up there."

"Um... y-you're welcome, I g-guess..."

Twilight wanted to smack herself: was she actually blushing? Was she so flattered by the comment of some anonymous pony who happened to be the most wanted pony in Canterlot? "Get a hold of yourself, Twilight Sparkle!" she screamed in her head, fumbling with her glasses. "You're not supposed to get acquainted with a criminal in the first place!"

"Which reminds me," the stallion spoke suddenly.

"How's ze filly? Scoo Zer Loo, ai-je raison? Is that her name?"

"Yeah. She's fine now."

The mare bit her lip, watching as he nodded, staring at the daylight streaming through the windows and muttering inaudibly underneath his breath.

"Thank you as well," she muttered.

"Hmm?"

"For Scootaloo's sake," she explained.

"She told me you came to her on the day she saw the body, after we were all gone. She said you listened to her and it was with your words that she wanted to apologize to me. There's nopony else to thank but you for that."

"Not a problem, mademoiselle. But you must return ze connection as well."

With a glint of his mask, he soon hopped towards one of the windows, opening the shutters up before turning back to her with a small grin, reminding her before hopping out of the window into the dazzling light of the afternoon:

"Remember zat she needs an ear to listen to what she 'az to say."

"If z'ere is none, zen z'ere shall never be true companionship."

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"Was this suppose to mean something?"

"Of course, Spike," Rarity answered.

"To begin with, this was an excerpt from the journal Twilight obtained from Fancypants. She figured she needed a little help, what with her conference and all, and you were suppose to be helping her as well, you 'number-one dragon assistant'."

"And here I thought I was going to take you out for dinner."

With a sigh, the dragon plop himself onto the bed, his burly weight submerging into the soft mattress with his green eyes fixated onto his marefriend beside her. The sound of snickering left his mouth, prompting the mare to turn to him with a puzzled look.

"S-Sorry..." he mumbled, softening the last of his giggles.

"You look cute when you're concentrating on something."

Rarity just rolled her eyes, rereading the entry she and Twilight copied from the journal to study on. She had already scanned through the writing for the fourth time and she doubted her fifth would be any more fruitful, even with Spike helping out right beside her. Then again, it doesn't hurt to try.

"I don't quite grasp what the professor was trying to tell us," she quipped.

"Mind if you take a look?"

All too eager to comply, the dragon glanced down at the paper hovering within an aura of pale blue, squinting his eyes as he began to read:

Seems the desert sands are catching up to me.

Deciphered another portion. Text are as follows:

To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox;

Close to death, parched and lost.

To maim the woodpecker's beak in twine;

For feathers becometh wood, naught in its mind.

Hopefully, this find would give me a lead.

"What?"

"Exactly," Rarity murmured, smiling when she saw his befuddled expression.

"From what he wrote, it was as if he discovered a scripture of some sort and was translating it. At least, that's what Twilight assumed."

"To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox..."

Spike hummed with a spark of intuition, emerald eyes sieving through the words in search of whatever crude meaning those words would hide. In the five minutes of their thinking session, the mare watched with amusement at his restless changes of posture, sometimes sitting up, sometimes lying back against the bedpost, yet his expression was always fixed in a questioning, discreet frown. The gears in both their heads turned and turned, trying to force out an answer from the text before them, to no avail.

"I give up," the dragon said suddenly.

"It just doesn't make any sense. Don't even mention how bloody wrong it sounded."

Her mind (and stomach) agreed, and with a hopeless sigh of defeat, Rarity let herself fall back onto the bed, carefully lowering the paper onto the table while closing her eyes. There seemed to be dead ends with every option available, almost as if Janus had intended it to happen, knowing how calculative he is. Yet they must persevere. For the sake of Equestria. For Pinkie Pie.

"So..." she began, mind settling onto other things. For now.

"You were saying something about dinner?"

"Thought you weren't keen on it," Spike replied with a chuckle, staring down at her.

"I was wondering if we could have a small dinner. Just two of us alone, y'know?"

"Why the sudden choice of privacy?"

"Just thought it would be better to talk about... us. How we're going to go from here, things like that. You know how ponies see me as and I... I just don't want it to... get into your way..."

"Dragons are an arbitrary race too," she replied nonchalantly.

"To be fair, every one of us, no matter species or class, is arbitrary. It just takes a little budging out of their comfort zone for them to accept every surprise in life. They had faced the return of Princess Luna, the acceptance of Discord and the re-emergence of the Crystal Empire, to name a few. Why not my unrequited love for a dragon?"

"You make it seem so easy," Spike teased, the tip of his claw grazing the underside of her chin. In return, she giggled, pushing his playful arm away before rising from the bed, meeting snout-to-snout with the dragon. He brushed her mane to the side, revealing more of her snow-white face, her sapphire eyes staring longingly into his.

"So you think one day they'll just accept dragons and ponies being together? Just like you, me, Applejack and Kane? None of those rude comments about how disgusting we are and stuff like that?"

"Hopefully, Spike," she replied, clutching his arm.

"Now, about dinner..."

"Yeah... 'bout that--"

"I was hoping we could join the rest tonight."

Spike widened his eyes in surprise at that, and just as he opened his mouth to speak, Rarity gently placed a hoof on his lips, plunging him into silence whilst wearing a deceptive grin.

"It isn't necessary for us to talk alone about this," she whispered.

"They are our friends, after all. I'm sure they can help us in any way possible. Reminds me, when did Twilight say they were about to head out?"

"About two hours more," the dragon replied, glancing at the antique clock.

"That's a pretty long wait, if you ask me."

Rarity said nothing, instead lying down, resting his head upon his chest, her breathing slowing down to match his as she closed her eyes. A small, serene smile grew on her face once he realized her intentions, and as she hugged the dragon tighter, his arm instinctively wrapped around her, bringing her closer into his embrace.

Sure enough, they drifted off into a deep sleep together. Strange, the solace of sleep, which was instead a refuge to them. Away from all the slurs of pony and dragon alike concerning their relationship; away from all the chaos conjured by the dark puppeteer; away from puzzling pieces of parchment that spelled out only nonsensical and mangled scenes which only its creator would've deciphered. For now, they were in the calm, quiet ocean, whatever qualms ceased to be, especially to the mare. It was one of the most comfortable naps she ever had, for she had Spike hugging him that gave not only warmth, but a sense of freedom: a free, dreamless sleep, where the nightmares that resided t'was diminished in his arms.

"Spikey-Wikey..."

Vesuvian Lakes

"Yer sure he's doin' a mighty fine job in that there meetin' of yers?"

"You could say he was trying his best," Twilight answered the concerned farmpony.

"He is a foreign dignitary, after all. Draconis wouldn't send him and his brother if they didn't have any connections with the Princesses. I'm sure the other foreign ambassadors and the ministers would understand."

"Well, it ain't pretty once that dragon goes mad."

Applejack tossed her blonde mane to the side, catching a glimpse of their subject of attention and, reserved to her, affection, having a small, lively chat with Apple Bloom. She herself had heard his tales, mostly on how the dragon kingdom beyond the safety of Equestria's borders were like, such as their bustling stone cities and their daily patterns of life, yet it was only his account; a part of her wanted to see the actual thing.

"Ah don't know 'bout now, but when Kane's angry, it spells trouble," she murmured.

"Ya should've seen 'im when we first met. Rotten rascal he was, back in the day..."

"The Princess did told me of how you... how shall I put this... tame him."

"So ya think what, Ah'm a dragon tamer?" the orange mare retorted, chuckling.

"Ah'm used to herdin' sheep and cattle, but dragons? Granny Smith don't want none of them hoodingies on the farm. One's already enough for her. And me."

"Same here," Twilight replied with a sigh, raising her hoof.

"Look at Spike, for example."

"He ain't half-bad as Kane was, that fellow. He still knows how to help out at the farm and all. He even runs the library a few times when ya ain't around in Ponyville--"

"And I came back to see a few stacks of burnt books at the corner," the unicorn cut in, the mere tingling memory of it making her shudder with visible frustration.

"I'm surprised he hasn't had the whole library burnt down yet, to be honest. It's not like I want to nag him or anything but he really needs to learn how to organize. Sometimes I wonder how in Celestia's name Rarity puts up with him."

"It's just one of those mushy things," Applejack replied nonchalantly.

"Speakin' of which, where is Rarity and Spike anyway? Sweetie Belle said she hadn't seem them at all since lunch this afternoon."

"They're should be down any minute now," was the answer.

"You know how it is with Rarity and wanting to look her best."

"Ah guess..."

Time passed on languidly, with the last rays of Celestia's magnificent and dazzling sunset flickering in the distance, before diminishing in between the distant mountains. Both mares preoccupied themselves by watching Kane and Apple Bloom having a small flight session, before being joined by Sweetie Belle in a sparkling dress and a more reluctant Scootaloo wearing a black woolen sweater.

"Hey there!" Applejack hollered them over, breaking out a smile.

"What took ya guys so long?"

"Sweetie Belle wanted a little treat from the kitchen," Scootaloo answered in disgruntlement, her friend giggling sheepishly with a blush right beside her.

"We're already going out for dinner already. I don't think it's right you had to get that blueberry toffee from the chefs."

"I have cravings, you know!" Sweetie Belle retorted.

"Plus, blueberry is so... mm~mmmm!"

"Alright, alright," Twilight said, cutting in to their little bickering. She couldn't help but let out a small chuckle, bringing them to the side just as Kane drifted down, reuniting the giggling Apple Bloom with the rest of her friends.

Applejack marched towards the dragon, both exchanging grins before nuzzling each other. They were rarely seen displaying their affections for each other, and when they do, it was as heartwarming as it was priceless. Sometimes, the unicorn staring at them would feel a little jealous, though she wouldn't let it get to her head.

"Hey guys!"

The sight of three pegasi: Rainbow Dash, Soarin' and Spitfire joining the growing herd was a sight for sore eyes, with both husband and wife wheeling a stroller each, containing their newborn daughters tucked within the folds of their blankets and sleeping silently.

Another whistle from the side revealed Rarity and Spike, hoof-in-arm striding up to them with beaming smiles. Flaunting in a purple dress that glistened in the evening light, the mare gave her sister a hug, with her drakefriend dressed in a suit, complete with a black bow-tie.

"Wow, Spike!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, eyes shimmering.

"You look pretty smart in that suit!"

"Heh heh," the dragon chuckled, scratching his head.

"Rarity said she wanted me to dress for the occasion. You know how it is with her and important gatherings and all..."

"It's just a celebration dinner for Rainbow Dash," Twilight said.

"You don't have to dress this formal for something like that, do you?"

"Don't have to?" Rarity responded, mouth gaping in utter shock. Everypony looked at her in surprise, bracing for the melodrama that the said mare was notorious for causing.

"Why, this is to celebrate Rainbow becoming a mother of not only a filly, but twins! It is but the most wondrous news of Equestria ever since Fluttershy conceived Amber Rose last year!"

Immediately, Rainbow and Soarin' started to blush, embarrassed at their friend's words with a glance at each other, the sight making the rest of them laugh, secretly surprised that their friend hadn't hiss or rasp at them yet.

"I-It's not really that much of an...erm... achievement," the cyan mare stuttered, shaking her head in denial.

"Just looking forward to dinner here, yes we are! Speaking of which, where the hay is Fluttershy anyway?"

"Last Ah saw her," Apple Bloom piped in.

"She and Mac were gettin' some new toys for the baby. Said somepony she knew very well in the palace can help her or somethin' like that."

"In the palace?" Spike asked, confused.

"Getting new toys in the palace? From who? Don't tell me she's asking Princess Cadance for some of Radiance's old ones? I don't think Amber is going to like battleships and toy figures of the Canterlot Guard to replace that broken butterfly doll she chewed."

"Maybe she's just asking Cadance to name some suggestions," Twilight guessed.

"After all, she is experienced in these kind of things. I'm sure Fluttershy would get the best answer from her."

"Well, y'all spoke too soon."

Applejack's words prompted them to turn to her, following her gaze of disbelief to see Fluttershy and Big Mac heading up towards them, the mare cradling her daughter who was seemingly playing with some psychedelic-colored rubber duck that looked as if it was picked out from an ice-cream store.

What surprised even more was the figure joining them; one that made all their eyes widen. It was a guest that neither of them had expected to join along, not to mention ever see again after his extended leave from Equestria, and the thought of spending dinner with him again brought back a trembling nostalgia into their heads.

"Ah! My friends!"

Rainbow would've spat in his face. Applejack would've bucked her brother back to Ponyville. Soarin' and Spitfire would just stare in shock and disbelief at each other. Kane would've just grunted in displeasure. The Crusaders would've cowered behind Rarity, who would faint onto the floor and prompt Spike to catch her. It was lucky Twilight decided to step back from her research to join them.

"What are you doing here, Discord?" she rasped.

"Why, I was simply invited by Fluttershy here to your small dinner party of yours!" the draconequus replied, wearing his cheeky, one-fanged grin. He was dressed in some sort of crooked, patched tuxedo and a worn-out top hat, and in his right paw he twirled a candy cane, stopping only to take a few munches at it.

"Plus, it was really unnecessary to feel shocked at my appearance," he continued with eyebrows perking upwards, much to the mare's annoyance.

"I've turned over a new leaf, after all."

"Now, now," Fluttershy cut in, going in between a harrumphing Twilight Sparkle and a raspberry-blowing Discord. Both humphed in displeasure at each other, crossing their limbs only to leave their butter-colored friend to stare at them in uncertainty.

"Twilight..." she mewled.

"Can you please listen to me? Discord... he's just a--"

"A real sweetheart, we get it!" Rainbow yelled.

"What I don't get is why the hay would you invite him to dinner! Remember the last time we had dinner with him? Back at your cottage?"

"Now that's a bit harsh, isn't it? Sure, it's my fault for ruining your night, but you did say mean things about the gravy boat and candles that night. I'm surprised if they didn't go to your bed at the night to attack you and... what are their names again? Firefly and Mayfly, right?"

In that split second, the cyan pegasus zoomed towards him, gripped back only at the last minute by the combined effort of Soarin' and Spitfire, clenching their jaws against her friend's streaking tail. Rainbow flailed her hooves, trying her best in her state to reach his neck and strangle it, tear it apart, or do whatever her raging mind could think of doing.

"YOU TOUCH ONE SINGLE HAIR ON MY DAUGHTERS!! I DARE YOU!!" she screamed.

"I'LL KILL YOU!! I'LL DESTROY YOU!! I'LL RIP YOUR BUCKING HEAD APART, YOU HEAR ME?!!"

"Touché, touché," Discord began, though not before noticing Fluttershy's look of dissatisfaction, a single eyebrow raised when his eyes met hers. His throat lurched, the words he was about to say chased back into nonexistence accompanied with a step backwards.

"No hard feelings, Rainbow Dash. My, my, me and my first impressions..."

"Discord!"

"I sincerely apologize," he renewed his words hastily, Fluttershy's coarse voice sending the clear message.

"It was really outrageous of me to blurt things out like that. I'm sorry."

"You should be," Soarin' griped, guiding her wife away, the mare already on the verge of tears.

The draconequus painfully watched as the couple strolled away, carting their daughters with hooves gripping tighter onto the handles than before. Fluttershy nervously crept to his side, uncertainty drilling her head at the disquietude that already begun even before dinner had initiated.

"Look, Fluttersh'ah, Ah know ya mean well," Applejack began.

"But... Ah'm not certain about this. Ah know he's just came back from his duty and all, but..."

"I understand."

The butter-colored pegasus sighed, glancing between her concerned friends and the sulking Discord. Even her husband looked ever the more doubtful about her choice to bring the draconequus along, and the thought of only raising her friend's antipathy made her wonder.

"B-But... Discord's my friend." she stuttered.

"Friends never leave each other behind."

"Rainbow's your friend too," Twilight protested.

"It's just that Discord struck too deep into something private and personal in Rainbow's heart. I... I honestly don't know if it's okay to bring him along now. Before this, I thought I should just let it slide, but now..."

"I... I don't know..."

"It's alright then, Fluttershy," Discord suddenly said, breaking from his somber mood.

"I think it's best I leave you be. Perhaps we would meet again tomorrow?"

"Oh... um..."

"Tomorrow it is, then."

With that biased decision in mind, the draconequus took off, soaring away from the garden and away from the group that stared at him with looks of worry, especially Fluttershy. It was a misunderstanding that completely veered them all off course, and already they began to wonder if Rainbow would have the appetite after something such as that.

Twilight was the first to strut forward, the confidence she withheld now stirring back up the hairs of her chest. Stiff lips curled crookedly, she said:

"Shall we go for dinner then?"

Hesitant nods followed, and soon the bunch trotted after the absent couple. Silence shadowed the group, with only a few murmurs from Fluttershy to Big Mac on how devastating the conclusion of her decision came to be. Of course, none of them would blame her for it; they would always blame Discord. It's always Discord.

Twilight sighed, turning back to where the draconequus once was. It was somewhat sad to see him go, even though she knew it in her heart that he was the one that started it. Perhaps he didn't mean to? Perhaps he just wanted to get along just like friends would?

All thoughts of that soon shattered when she saw a flurry of white feathers speeding back from one of the windows of the palace looming over them. She knew full well who it belonged to, those pair of wings, but the sheer thought of her watching them... her gut started to clench like a vise in that instant.

Was she concerned? Worried, even? Why was she watching them like a maniacal stalker? It was just a trip towards one of the outdoor restaurants in Canterlot, not some leaking of information to some of Janus's subordinates. With a gulp, Twilight trotted after her friends, shaking away all the lingering thoughts that rooted deep in her head.

"Princess Celestia..." her mind echoed the question, her mouth muttering along.

"What were you looking for...?"

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"Get those planks down here."

Stellar Lionheart poked the teetering mesh of rotting wood with a makeshift spear, made from a broken rock attached three broken chair legs tied together with strong rope. His teeth clenched tighter onto the lantern, quivering drops of sweat dripping from his forehead with his gaze fixated onto the crumbling structure towering above him and the equally cautious Caduceus.

"Be careful," his friend warned, to which he rolled his eyes at. He knew he had to be: one wrong stab , and the whole building comes crashing down onto them. Plus, the last thing he wanted to do was to perish in the hellhole he was in, which also meant ending the mission in a complete failure. No, he would only die when Janus dies. It's a sworn promise.

One more cautious poke, and the former butler held his breath at the single plank he was planning to obtain pivoting above its counterparts, shaking off the copious mounds of dust that had assembled around its edges. All it takes one more push... one single, little breeze of a push...

"Here goes..."

The last prod proved them fortunate: the sound of resourceful clattering onto the floor was music to their ears. With a sigh of relief (for his life being intact) and frustration (for lifting the bundle of fuel), Stellar knelt down to collect the rotting boards, shooing away a few large termites that had dug chasms through it for the bountiful storage of food that they could find within.

Coughing at the scattering dust, he marched out to the pre-established, temporary campsite, carrying the planks towards a half-complete circle for a campfire. Caduceus had settled down next to Jovern, the dragon's ears perking at whatever terrifying sounds lurk in the dark. It became a routine for him to be the watch-drake, making sure no horrid creatures like the one they've faced earlier would sneak up to them.

Progress was anything but satisfactory: after two days of swerving about Harbor Street, they had stumbled upon yet another impossible barricade. It was Caduceus's decision to have a stop and rest for the night, the doctor having planned the next few moves that lead them to a ruptured yet all-too-familiar place.

To many ponies, it was known as the twin lakes. To those in Pendant Lakes itself, it was called the Sanctuary. It was here that the founder of said town, Parsan Palgiot, had stopped for a drink during an expedition across the north, and soon enough built his once-grand estate on the nearby Hoovingaar Mountain. It was also here that Noir Palgiot had decided to build the family's grand mausoleum, complete with a secret passageway leading towards the palace itself, not to mention the long-obsolete academy of trained assassins: Academia Nox. The granite entrance was now nothing but a wreck of stone, lying in pieces on the floor

With a sigh, Stellar threw the planks into the pit, glancing back to see the decrepit cottage that he had obtained it from. His heart tingled with nostalgia, for it was the former abode of one of his oldest and greatest friends that had long passed, Sidus Sirenheart. Already he had missed his friend smoking puffy rings of colored smoke engineered from his mechanical pipe whilst sitting in a rocking chair.

A small blast of heat prompted him to turn around, just in time to face the crackling fire that Jovern had just made. It illuminated the surrounding environment of barren trees and cracking ground, the radiance, although small, made him felt safe in the light.

"Got any dragon food in that satchel of yours?"

"Would these count?" Stellar asked Jovern, raising to him a packet of finely-crushed gems.

"I know it's not much for you, but it's all we have."

"That will do," the dragon said, grinning from ear to ear.

"I have a peculiarly small appetite right now. Must be the atmosphere of this place."

The former butler couldn't help but smile in agreement, digging through his belongings to take out his one-week ration of a loaf of bread. Grumbling, he snapped off a small piece, munching it slowly as his gaze turns to that of Caduceus traversing about in the distance, one hoof covered in a sling as a result from his fall, the other lifting a lamp that revealed his somber face in the encroaching dark.

"What's he trying to do?" he asked the dragon with meek sarcasm.

"A land survey?"

"Something like that."

It really looked like he was scanning the ground, but as Stellar marched closer and closer, his friend's actions grew deeper in clarity. Edging right next to his friend, he followed the direction of the doctor's grim stare, looking downwards to see the jaws of an opening earth, wide enough only for three twigs to enter. At the very deep bottom was what seemed to be lava, spurting and gurgling with the heat rising from it enough to replace a broken radiator.

"Saw the lake yet?" Caduceus suddenly asked, to which he shook his head.

"It was bubbling a little and there was that faint scent of sulfur, so I thought I should find out what's happening, to know what we might be getting ourselves into."

"And you found this."

One clear nod made him frown a little. The idea of the fabled Sanctuary tainted with fissures of lava branching all around striking a deep chord in his heart. However disheartening it was, he only prayed it wouldn't impede them in their journey or probably even consumed what they were looking for in the first place.

"Imagine what he would say if he saw this," he muttered.

"Who?"

"Parsan Palgiot," Stellar answered, grimacing as he trotted towards the lake. The sight of the once-clear water being a slightly foggy, polluted red with swirls of blackness (ink?) in them and the grimy moss forming at the side of its banks was disheartening if not disgusting, as if it was fertilized by the remains of the dead Palgiots buried here.

"What do you think he would call it if he discovered it like this?"

"Um... Vesuvian Lakes?"

"Vesuvian Lakes..."

It has a nice ring to it, Stellar could agree. After all, the lake matched the hellhole, and since Pendant Lakes was named after it when it was still the grand place it was, there wouldn't be a more appropriate way than to name it again.

"Anyhow," he continued, snapping out from his thoughts.

"Aren't you hungry? You aren't trying to save up that much food now, right?"

With a shrug, Caduceus trekked back to the campsite, his friend following closely behind. The bonfire was warm in the cold depths of the ruined city, and it was with that in mind that they, along with Jovern, sat around it, striking up a few conversations to pass the lengthy time.

Eventually, the need of sleep engulfed then, prompting them to spread out their camping beds and, for the two colts, laying their respective weapons right next to them. It would be easier to do so if it weren't for the echoing whispers and sometimes even screams that replaced what would've been a senile, lifeless silence, and as Stellar himself clenched his eyes forcefully once more, he was lulled towards a better world, until his ears picked up a voice so freakishly familiar that it sent him spiraling from his realm of fine dreams down into a crooked, jarring nightmare.

"He's mine!! HE'S MINE!!!! ALL MINE!!!"

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"Nopony loves you..."

"No...there's somepony..."

"He never loved you. You don't even know him..."

"No! I do! I... I-I... he... I... know..."

"Pinkie?"

Light filled her vision when Pinkie Pie opened them with a breathless gasp, the sight of a pair of concerned red eyes looking down at her and reassuring her from her fears. She rose from her bedding of leaves and hay, blinking a few times to clear her foggy mind as she glanced around the large hallways of empty beds made specifically for the pilgrims's stay, with its current inhabitants being only her and the pony that woke her.

A small oil lamp was the only source of light of this windowless room, hiding all hints from her that it was already mid-afternoon. It was the reason why Phoenix came back to find her, having not seen her at the dining table for their last lunch with the pilgrims and the alicorns before their departure tomorrow in the morning.

"Did you sleep well last night?" he asked, worried.

"A-A little..." she muttered, brushing the hairs of her mane draping over her cheeks, the sight of which made the stallion widen his eyes.

"Your mane..." he voiced his thoughts aloud.

"It's flat again."

"I guess..." the mare responded somberly. It was unlike her to be this expressionless, with her lips rigid and straight and the spark in her eyes absent, leaving only a dull glaze of pale blue in her pupils. Her bright pink skin was tinted with a faint shade of gray, which darkened at the edges of her glowering face.

"Where's everypony else?" she asked, obviously not wanting to pursue the subject about her mood.

"They've just finished lunch."
Phoenix rose from his bed, handing to the mare a small stick of celery: the only thing he could salvage from the leftovers of a grand feast. Nevertheless, Pinkie accepted it, though deep in his heart he knew she would've preferred the stick to be made from cinnamon instead.

"So, about Valewood..." he began again.

"Once we've settled down, we would have a visit with Velvet's friend, remember? Maybe he could help you get some of your lost memory back and such."

"Y-Yeah," Pinkie stammered.

"But how can we be sure that I really do get them back? That I actually... learn something about myself? What if... what if I learned nothing at all?"

"Then it would've been worth a try."

Without further ado, the aquamarine stallion marched towards the door, the mare reluctantly following him into a terrace, slightly shielding her eyes from the cascading rays of light. Already the heavenly smell of nature rushed into their heads, filling them with a sense of what they would call harmonized bliss. It was like a drug that nopony can ever get addicted to, yet the emotions it unleashes contradicted that sentence easily.

The sound of trotting hooves prompted Phoenix to stop at a junction, allowing a few robed children to scamper across, chasing a few hobby-lanterns that mischievously darted about, too absorbed in their antics to care. The sight made Pinkie elicit a tiny giggle and, although small, was enough to make the other pony's face light up with a smile.

"Is Brutus awake yet?" the mare asked during their aimless wandering. The minotaur hadn't opened his eyes ever since he was beaten up that day, and she couldn't help but pray for his safety, seeing all the horrific gashes and lacerations inflicted upon him.

"He's coming to," Phoenix answered.

"Hopefully, he'll be awake before the night falls. If he were a pony, those wounds would've killed him right on the spot. Did you see how brutal his torture was?"

Pinkie shuddered. "I'd rather not," she replied.

The two continued their gentle march, their minds focusing on the same thing: the condition of their friend. Pinkie herself was certain that he would wake already, and the thought of him still lying unconscious in the medical ward just down the hallway was enough to make her worry. It was with that in mind that they've soon decided to pay him a visit and expecting him to be awake, though the melodic chanting emanating from the doorway proved otherwise.

Turning to the right, both ponies stepped into a room, plunged into a deep, glowing blue from the circle of dancing flames surrounding the unconscious minotaur, who was floating a few feet from the ground. His arms and hooves were wrapped in some sort of ethereal chain, which pulsates rhythmically from each spurt of energy flowing from the other end of the stream.

Four unicorn priests bound themselves to each respective limb, cuffed to the otherworldly link and chanting in deep prayer as if in a hypnotic trance, hooves tucked together with the tranquility of a statue. Parish explained that they were the Sagairt Ocrais: the Hunger Priests, who form a spiritual bond with somepony in medical care to transfer the nutrients and energy of the food they have ate to the patient. From what they knew, it took a tremendous amount of stamina and mental preparation to perform it. They were rarely called upon and when they are, it was usually in the most dire of times like this, when the patient hasn't awoken in a day.

Princess Terra was there, overseeing the process of Brutus's recovery like a sentinel with her stern, watchful eyes glancing between all four. With her were a few curious pilgrims, along with some of the hobby-lanterns floating around like dainty, neon-colored fireflies. Pinkie could spot Luster shimmering within the group (she was the only yellow spirit light among her friends) and while she wanted to go up to her and greet her, she feared it would interrupt the strange yet necessary ritual before her eyes.

"Is é bhfuil a spiorad á athchóiriú."

"His aura is being restored," Phoenix whispered the translation of one of the priest's observations to a clearly-puzzled Pinkie.

"Meaning he might be waking up any second now."

Aura seemed like a foreign word to the mare, but she knew enough that it was one pony's life force that connects the mind, body and soul. Accompanied by the expelling of hollow, cold wind echoing through the cracks, the resounding aura seemed to grow more mystical as well as abnormal, the chants growing louder yet smoother as the minotaur was somewhat being lowered back to the ground by the gentle hands of gravity. The fires dancing about and illuminating the room immediately died down, prompting Phoenix to light a lamp with his tail.

He was settled down onto a stone bed blanketed in grass and hay, the chains connecting him slowly retracting back into the quartet of priests that tended to him. Phoenix could've sworn the minotaur was glowing a little, though it ceased to bother him when a familiar grunt echoed through the room.

Pinkie silently gasped when she saw the minotaur open his eyes, joining the rest into their greeting of warm smiles as they welcomed him back into reality. He stared and blinked a little, his confusion evident from the inquiring flicker in the dead center of his pupils.

"Welcome back, my friend," Phoenix said, placing a hoof onto his shoulder.

"Wh-where..."

"Where's what?" Pinkie asked.

"What were you looking for?"

Brutus stared at her with what she assumed was the longest stare that he had ever mustered upon her, glancing away when he saw her perplexed look. She was about to ask again before a set of galloping hooves cut in, the mare making way for the rest of the caravan.

"Thank Celestia you're safe," Velvet said, graciously giving him a hug.

"You had me worried there, you big ol' brute!"

"Mino'aurs ain't that 'ard to ba'er up!" Ollivander chided.

"Ya need more than a 'ammer to bash up them thick skulls!"

The caravan readily laughed, even the minotaur himself, who was already smiling for the first time in a few months. Pinkie remembered the last time he smiled when they celebrated his birthday, yet... yet there was something missing. There was something in place...

Pinkie was accustomed, if not an expert when it comes to smiles. It was extremely clear to her the difference: he was not fully content. What took its place was that he was disappointed, crestfallen even. The only question was: what was he expecting or, perhaps more accurate and probably impossible at the same time:

Who was he expecting?

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The Sentiments Of The Alicorns

It was common belief that alicorns are the sentient beings of the Equestrian society, superior to most of its inhabitants in prowess, wisdom and dignity. It was what many ponies have been searching for in the ages past, yearning to understand what makes an alicorn 'alicorn', what gives an alicorn his or her 'alicornian' nature, and what an alicorn possesses that differ from other ponies.

Many alicorns inhabit the world, but few do not have the nobility of the two main figures that represent alicornhood: the Royal Sisters of Canterlot, Celestia and Luna. Many ponies would give the main reason why: that they control the sun and moon and, in turn, the times of day and night. It was with this in mind that ponies marvel at the surrealism of their power and sure enough, grew to bask underneath its splendor for the rest of their lives.

But the question remains: what makes one an alicorn?

Is it spiritual belief? Is it the influence that they possess over ponykind? Is it the possession of such otherworldly magic that a normal unicorn would forbade his/herself to use? And why would they have wings and a horn? Why possess the two features that make one either a unicorn or a pegasus? Taking that into account, why do Earth ponies exist?

My growing curiosity refused to die down and to sate it, I had ventured into the deserts of Saddle Arabia, where supposedly a lead to becoming an alicorn was rumored to be situated in. It was in the mind-numbing, body-wracking dunes of the desert that I stumbled upon the locales and asked about it, to which they answered with an object of otherworldy importance, yet camouflaged in the most unexpected of circumstan-

Page ripped from the Saddle Arabian Library. Was hoping it would give me a lead, but it certainly said that I had to look for it somewhere else. Had a strange feeling of being watched in the town square, but it might be the desert heat.

The transcripts obtained from the excavation still meant no sense to me. Memento to send a copy to the Lord Praeclarus in the near future.

Twilight grumbled at the derisive ending of the entry, having brought the journal to the cafe to occupy whatever free time she could have during her slow wait for the bill. Clasping it shut, she turned back to her group of friends, a little nervous at all the gloomy expressions around her.

Dinner was somber, to summarize it. Everypony was silent all the way through, all too afraid to anger the glowering Rainbow Dash. She had never seen the cyan mare so protective of anypony, not to mention anything at all! Maybe it was her motherly instincts kicking into gear, although she herself didn't really know.

Fluttershy was the one that was the most afraid of the pegasus, up to the point where she would've probably bolted out of the restaurant if not for the company of the rest of her friends, and for a very good reason. Applejack and Big Mac tried to reassure her, yet it only served to feed her vexation, along with the few glimpses of Rainbow's face.

The silence was mortifying, making them seem more like mortal enemies ready to strangle each other than the best of friends. Worse still that it remained even during and after the meal, the attempts to start a conversation in their heads as needy as it was unenthusiastic.

"U-um... Rainbow Dash?" the yellow pegasus finally spoke with a shiver.

No reply.

"I... I-I j-j-just wanted to say... I-I... I'm s-sorry..."

"Sorry...?"

"Th-That's right! I'm sorry, Rainbow... I w-wanted to apologize, from me and from Discord--"

"Don't you dare mention him!" Rainbow yelled, halfway standing whilst slamming a hoof onto the table.

"Just don't... just... just don't..."

"But he didn't really mean it," Fluttershy began to protest.

"He... he just wanted to c-congratulate you for having F-Firefly and Mayfly--"

"By THREATENING me?!"

The cyan mare's sudden raise of volume was met with bewildered stares from her friends around her and the unwanted audience of turned heads from the other tables, though none of that mattered. She thrust a hoof towards Fluttershy, sporting a dagger of a glare at the whimpering pegasus as she continued:

"You know what Discord is capable of! I wouldn't be surprised if one day he just decides to turn you into some bullying brat who pushes everypony around like it's some sort of sick joke! You think it's funny, Fluttershy?!"

"N-No! No, I was only--!"

"I don't want to risk my daughters to some weird creep knowing that Janus is coming!! He wouldn't spare any of us, Fluttershy; look what he did to Pinkie!! Do you think that, for a second, I'll let him join so that he could steal Firefly and Mayfly away from me as blackmail?!"

"Discord wouldn't do such a thing! R-Rainbow, just hold on for a moment--!"

"What if Janus came for Macintosh?!!"

The sound of nervous whimpering stopped, the butter mare's head drooping into a veil of shadow.

"What if he just takes Mac away?!"

The said stallion held a look of concern, as does his sister once they turned to each other. At that point, Amber Rose started to cry in her pram, prompting Apple Bloom to shush her with eyes still glued to Rainbow's ranting. It was Twilight's turn to grow nervous, glancing between the two pegasi in the heated battle.

"What if he just kidnaps Amber Rose?!" Rainbow continued, making the other mare's ear twitch.

"What do you think of that?!"

"What do I think......?"

Fluttershy's voice was abruptly dreadful, sharper than the edge of a razor. Already Rarity started to shift towards Spike, Twilight and Applejack exchanged fearful looks and Big Mac himself already heading up to his wife, reluctantly reaching his hoof out to her.

"Now now, F-Fluttersh'ah..." he began.

"D-D-Don't--"

"LET HIM COME!!" the usually quiet pegasus screamed suddenly.

"Does he dare? DOES HE DARE?!! WOULD HE MARCH THROUGH THOSE GATES TO GET AMBER ROSE?!! NO!! NEVER!! NEVER!!!!!"

Even Rainbow herself started to back away, her rage immediately changing to that of extreme terror as she watched Fluttershy grit her teeth, plunging a knife down into the wood of the table with a loud bang. Panting deliriously, she stared straight into all of them, giggling with deranged glee as she ripped the knife from the table.

"Amber is MINE!!!!" came the devilishly booming shout.

"And if he's here you know what I'll do?! Do you know?!! I'LL SLASH HIM, I'LL RIP HIM, I'LL STICK THIS BUCKING KNIFE INTO HIS THROAT!! JAB IT A HUNDRED TIMES... no, A THOUSAND!! MILLION!! BLOOD!! HIS BLOOD WILL BE EVERYWHERE! RAINING EVERYWHERE!! AND I'LL SHOW AMBER!! I'LL SHOW AMBER HOW GREAT HER MOMMY IS!!! THEN SHE'LL REALLY LOVE ME!! SHE'LL LOVE ME!!!!!"

The sound of her maniacal laugh echoed throughout the cafe, followed by the screech of metal against wood as she scraped her knife deeper into the table, carving out a crude drawing of a pony. With two hooves raised and eyes turning into the size of needle-heads, Fluttershy raised the knife in her both hooves, wings frantically flapping along with her rapidly-thumping heart.

"TAKE IT ALL, JANUS!!!" she screamed again, continuously stabbing into the table over and over and over.

"TAKE IT ALL, YOU BUCKING WRETCH!!!"

Before she could stab into the crude figure for the twenty-second time, she suddenly collapsed, hooves wobbling before giving away as she fell backwards, knife clattering on the floor. Big Mac quickly caught her, and everypony rushed to their side, watching frantically and worriedly as the stallion urged for her to wake up.

Their daughter was sobbing loudly, as if the filly too understood how terrifying were her mother's screams. Somepony seemed to have called an ambulance, as the sound of a distant siren approaching was heard.

"Ya gonna be alright, ya hear?" Big Mac shouted hastily, hoping in his heart that his unconscious wife could hear.

"Ya gonna be alright!!

What Bothers The Minotaur

"Zertainly it didn't end well."

"Of course it didn't!" Twilight groaned out, tossing her hooves up as she let herself fall back down into the confines of her bed. She soon let out a sigh, shuffling back upwards as she turned to the figure perched precariously at the edge of the open window, his mask shadowed by the darkness of night.

"It was supposed to be one of those nights where we celebrate, but it all ended with an argument! And now Fluttershy's in the medical ward being treated for her... psychosis or something, I don't know!"

"But t'iz expected from her, izn't it?" the Masque continued.

"Your friend knows about her... condition, I'll shall put it. It waz probably unwize of her to purzue it, wouldn't you zay?"

"Rainbow Dash was furious! She didn't know what she was doing!"

With a frustrated sigh, made even more evident by her frazzled mane, the librarian slammed her head into the pillow with a loud *plomf* with one hoof massaging her forehead, the pressure forcing her veins to bulge from underneath her skin. It was slightly hard to see what she did in the dark, yet the Masque could do so with the aid of Luna's splendid rays of moonlight, which revealed only half of Twilight's face.

"If only I could do something to help them...!"

"Why ze conzern?" he asked, a little puzzled.

"Izn't it already enough for a mare in one night? Wazn't everys'ing zettled already?"

Twilight immediately turned back to him, mustering up one of the most fiercest, outrageous glares that the Masque had ever seen from her. It screamed and mocked with scornful contempt, as she was insulted by his question, though she let it all loose in one sigh, before spending a moment to mumble at herself.

"Who am I kidding..." she said aloud suddenly.

"You don't actually know what happened..."

"What iz it?"

She shouldn't be telling him this. In fact, nopony else was suppose to know about this apart from her friends; what happens to them stays with them. Princess Celestia also mentioned it would prevent information from being leaked out, though with dire times like this, a new, extra friend like him would be much more of a benefit to them now.

"It's... it's about Fluttershy..." she began quietly.

"I'm sure you understand, don't you?"

"Ah, I see, I see......"

"Exactly," she replied, ignoring the Masque's curiously sudden break from his accent.

"That was the last thing that she wanted to hear, and I must be the one to break out the news to her. Now you see why I couldn't sleep?"

The Masque gave a small, understanding nod, which soothed the inquisitive flame broiling his heart. After all, he was supposed to be fleeting through the night! To pull off another incredible heist that could probably again make the very core of the high society of Canterlot tremble! But no, the sight of a purple hoof waving from this window caught his eyes in his rooftop traversing and no sooner than that, he was darting across the city, soaring up to the palace and lending an ear to listen to the mare's distress!

"T'is a difficult choize to make," he spoke silently.

"No mare must go s'rough z'at. Especially not one zo frail such az her..."

"It's just not fair..." Twilight quietly murmured.

"She had already lost so much... if she... if she had to lose something again, I can't bear to think how depressed she would be! Can't the Princess do something about this?"

"Celestia haz control, though not s'at much control."

Both ponies sighed in unison, staring down at the floor with anxiety over the butter-colored pegasus. Funny, Twilight thought to herself with a sideways glance at the Masque at the window, why a stranger would care for the plight of her friends. Was he some sort of Good Samareitan, inclined to help those in the darkest of circumstances, or was he some sort of trust test that Princess Celestia set up for her? The latter seemed extremely unlikely; no princess would hire somepony to steal her subjects' treasures.

It was a question she was dying to answer, though not the one she was most curious for. No, this was a question so simple, yet so desired to be answered for the ponies of Canterlot, if not Equestria even!

"Hey!" she called out, garnering his attention.

"Hmm?"

"Can I ask you something?" she continued cautiously.

"A question, if you don't mind? It might be a little... personal and... well, I just hope it wouldn't actually make you mad or whatever."

"Don't vorry, mademoiselle. Ask vat you need," he replied.

And so she did.

"W-Who are you?"

The Masque turned to her, though she could not discern his expression shrouded within the blackness of the night. She assumed he was surprised at least, or probably a little shocked and irritated, yet the reaction that came was nothing she had ever, ever expected.

With a distantly silent click and a gasp from herself, Twilight watched with a hoof trying in vain to cover her gaping mouth as the stallion slowly and gently lifted the mask from his face. It was, like many he adorned, a full face mask, though this time it was plated in a full sheet of gold, adorned with white, intricate spirals at the side, which were clearer to her when he tossed the mask towards her, to which she caught it and could only stare between it and its owner in bewilderment.

From the patch of shadow, she could see the Masque's eyes. It glowed a pallid purple like a feline in the dark, staring menacingly down at the mare who had unintentionally unveiled it. She would've spoken, though she knew not of what to speak, leaving her only to stare at him with a nervous gulp.

"Ze world iz not ready," he muttered.

"There are s'ings better left in ze dark for now. You already knew too much about me, and it'z bezt I keep it s'at way. Wouldn't you zay it'z ze zmart s'ing to do, hmm?"

"B-But..."

"Next time, Twilight Zparkle. Next time. Conzider the mazk as a prezent."

Before the unicorn could stop him, he had already jumped out of the window, prompting her to gallop towards it, peer out and watch as he darted from roof to roof in the silence of the night, stopping only at the larger gaps to spread his wings and glide in the wind and finally, taking a plunge and disappearing from her view.

That was disappointing, she told herself, glancing at the present in her hooves. For a moment there, she thought he was actually going to tell her his name or, at the very least, show her his face, yet all that she had left from him was the golden mask, gleaming in the dim moonlight.

With a sigh, she tossed it into the chest containing all her books, ruffling its contents a little to make sure nopony else (such as her brother) gets even the tiniest glimpse of it. The waning pendulum of guilt was swinging faster, leaving her to question her judgement of hiding the truth from even her best friends. What would they think of her having an acquaintance with the most wanted thief of Canterlot?

"Twilight, you stupid mare," she cursed at herself. To think that the Masque would just randomly blurt out his identity... how could she even believe that he would do such a thing? You wouldn't get the chance unless you know him better, she continued.

"Next time, Twilight Sparkle," she said, remembering what the Masque said.

"Next time."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"I suppose it's time to say our farewells, Master Mellow?"

"I'm afraid so, Your Highness," Phoenix replied, rising from a bow.

"It really is an honor to be with you. Perhaps one day we will meet again?"

"You will be welcome always. You and the caravan."

Pinkie gave a energetic, cheerful wave, happily bouncing on the spot whilst shouting out "BYE!" with each hop she makes. There's so many of them to say goodbye to - mainly Parish Plow, Luster and Princess Terra herself even - yet she knew she wouldn't have the time to personally say whatever heartfelt feelings she wanted to tell them snout to snout! Alas, it was all not meant to be.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Luster," she chirped to the hobby-lantern: her new best friend and spiritual companion. If she were a pony, she would've already hugged her for what her life was worth. After all, the spirit gave her companionship when she was alone and that... that was something worth cherishing.

"I didn't really say thanks, you know. For helping me back there."

Luster just giggled, perching herself onto the mare's snout like a curious butterfly, her bulging, black eyes staring into the glistening sapphire ones of Pinkie Pie. She looked more like a puffball than a glowing spirit up close; the sight of it was enough to make the mare squeal at her adorable, bulging cheeks.

"Well, what could I say?" came the gleeful reply.

"That's what friends are for!"

Friends...

Pinkie turned to the caravan, all of them saying their gracious goodbyes to the pilgrims. Despite how different they are, both in nationality and in personality, they stuck together through the bumpiest of predicaments, their most recent one being a prime example. If only there were more ponies as lucky as her to have this bunch diverse in variety; she heard from Phoenix that there had been racial discrimination among Equestria and the other nations, and the thought of ponies missing out what stories they could tell! Unfortunate! Very unfortunate!

"You'll remember me, won't you?" she asked, though she wasn't sure why.

Luster just gave a wide-eyed stare, as if finding her question ridiculous.

"Of course I will, silly!" she screeched, swaying around the mare's mane.

"You think just because I'm a little spirit means I have a small memory? Think again, hotshot!"

"Alright now, Luster," Princess Terra cut into their laughter.

"We have to get ready the messages for the next pilgrimage. Wouldn't want to let the rest wait for their captain now, would we?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Without another word, Luster zipped off back into the shrine, though she did managed to turn back in mid-flight and give a tearful wink. The sight of it penetrated itself into the deepest corners of Pinkie's head, launching out a mixture of emotions that stung her heart as much as it twinged her gut.

"Y-You wished to see me, Your Highness?" she asked, turning to the alicorn. It was an assumption, albeit an accurate one nevertheless. Princess Terra wasn't one who would simply walk to anypony and have a talk: Parish mentioned she was usually a reserved pony who wouldn't simply have a conversation with her subjects, and had admitted he was surprised when Pinkie told the shepherd about the private conversation she had with said princess a few days ago.

"Remember what I've told you," came the reply.

"In the end, it will only be you to realize who you really are."

"But what if... what if Phoenix--"

"I've notified him. He promised an oath that you wouldn't be forced into knowing your past. You not need worry about him anymore."

Pinkie turned to the stallion, smiling as she watched him laughing along with Parish, Velvet and some of the pilgrims. The alicorn wrapped a hoof around her shoulder, prompting her to turn back and watch as she stared down at her, wearing a grin that, like always, gave a sense of serenity. A calming sensation she could never explain.

"Thank you..." she began softly.

"Goodbye, Your Highness."

"Farewell, Pinkamena Diane Pie."

And so, Pinkie and the rest of the caravan set off once again, turning back to give their final goodbyes to the watching pilgrims, hobby-lanterns and their alicorn princess, all smiling with congenial, heartwarming expressions. Trekking down the mountainous path, the wistful urge of seeing them again had already started to set in.

Despite all the positive experiences, she could not forget the night they were captured. Those... ponies... tried to summon a monster from the flames through her blood, their claims of it being some sort of lord being equally insane. Whatever the reason, all of them still held the deep scars of that night, with some of them fresh from recovery and some still rooted deep in them.

"O-Ollie...?"

"Hmm?" the gryphon replied quietly, peering over his shoulder to stare into the red, groggy pupils of his marefriend. She was the one that had the least amount of sleep (not to mention being the most horrendously scarred), mostly because of Ollivander's talon being tortured that night, Pinkie figured.

"What is it, Selena?"

"A-Are we going already...?"

"I'm afraid so."

Ollivander quietly hushed her, reaching a talon back to stroke her mane and sending the pegasus mumbling back into her sleep. All of them stopped and watched solemnly yet passionately as he hummed a small lullaby, sighing softly once she elicited a small little whimper, her eyes clenching shut as if she was struggling from within.

"Getter fine rest, ya hear?" he whispered dolefully.

"We'll be there licke'y split."

"O-Okay..."

There was never a more somber mood Pinkie had ever seen Ollivander in than now. In fact, even the rest looked like they were suffering from a contagious depression of some sort; it was fair enough to say that she herself was currently the most optimistic of the caravan, even though she herself was a little down in the dumps herself.

She stopped, gazing down at a cluster of rooftops in the distance that was their destination. The decision had to be made; whether she chose to accept the past and probably return to where she belonged, or forget all about it and move forward to live a new life with the caravan. Phoenix, for some reason, discouraged the latter, and despite not wanting to question it, she couldn't help but find it a little suspicious. Whatever she chose doesn't matter, however; it all comes down to the place they were heading.

"To Valewood..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Um... it's alright if you d-don't want to..."

"If you insist, Miss Apple."

Fluttershy never heard herself being called by her married name before, at least not since she had conceived her daughter back in Ponyville last year. The nurse back then never gave that trembling look of fear as well; one which this one really did her worst to hide.

She wasn't a stupid mare. No, she knew why they were afraid of her or, more accurately, her 'other self'. What she doesn't understand is why were they terrified when she was in control of it? Sure, she lost control of it last night, but it was her instincts! She just wanted to protect Amber from harm!

Nopony touches Amber without her consent.

Especially if that pony was Janus himself.

"N-Nopony..."

"Fluttershy?"

Immediately turning in surprise, the butter-colored pegasus gasped out a sigh of relief when she spotted Twilight stepping into the room, carrying what seems to be a satchel, with an orange file peeping out of one of its large pockets. She quickly sat up from her bed, eyes sparkling with no short of joy as her friend strode to her side, stifling a somewhat weak smile.

"Twilight!" she exclaimed, her voice naturally soft and gentle.

"What are you doing here? Uh-um... if you don't mind me asking..."

"Just to see if you're okay, of course," was the equally amiable reply.

"All of us were worried back at the palace! Don't scare us like that..."

"Where's the rest of them? Are they here too?"

"Well, some of them wanted to come, but we'd agreed it's best if I came alone for now."

For a moment there, Twilight thought she saw a look of disappointment on her friend's face, though that was quickly overshadowed by one of sympathy. She held her breath, nearing her friend who seemed to be relishing in a moment of deep thought that made her gulped quietly: could she be that she had already guessed the actual reason for her arrival? No... no, it's not possible; she would've flew back into a rage again. Then again, the dreadful thought of seeing her outburst... the shivers down the veins of her heart only grew faster.

"Um..." Fluttershy began, softer than usual, but loud in comparison to the moment of enveloping silence that filled the room before it.

"H-How's Rainbow Dash...?"

"She's a little... distraught," Twilight mustered her reply.

"She wanted to apologize, you know. For making you... making you..."

"I understand," the pegasus cut in, a little too coldly for her friend's taste. Apparently, somepony still doesn't like the prospect of talking about her second, scarier personality.

"Just tell her it's alright. Just tell her I forgave her. She was just a little angry about Discord being... well, Discord, after all."

"I'll be sure to tell her that."

Stifling a smile, Twilight trotted towards the table, her horn flaring with her magic tipping over a small kettle, pouring out its warm contents into a little teacup before serving it slowly and carefully to her friend, who accepted it eagerly. The lavender unicorn soon strode towards the curtained windows, pulling the yellow blinds apart and blinking profusely as the rays of Celestia's sun struck her face.

"Big Mac was extremely concerned about you," she continued, rubbing her stinging eyes.

"Just to let you know."

"He always is, that Big Mackey-Bear of mine," Fluttershy muttered with a giggle.

"Let him know that I'm alright as well. He shouldn't worry too much about me."

"Uh... alright, then," the unicorn stuttered. Her head, however, was still pondering over the stallion's given name. Big Mackey-Bear? Is it supposed to be something that couples do to call each other?

Clearing her head from such distracting thoughts, Twilight settled back at her friend's side, gulping quietly at the warm, all-too peaceful smile of Fluttershy. However nervous she was, she knew it was meant to be, the reason for her visit. It all matters, really, on whether she wanted to open it. She wanted to curse at herself, mostly for rejecting the insistent pleadings of Big Mac, Applejack and Rainbow Dash even for assistance, seeing how Fluttershy was usually pressured by numbers and more comfortable with mare-to-mare conversations, but it's too late now.

"So, um..." she began. It's best to be careful, she reminded herself.

"How are the nurses and all? I'm guessing they're friendly to you?"

"A little," the pegasus replied.

"To be honest, they weren't... well... that kind..."

Of course they weren't, Twilight said to herself. Which Canterlotian pony wouldn't be afraid of her after that incident last night? She bit her lip, one hoof reaching back for the file poking out from behind, its contents dangerous as much as it was straightforward and simple.

Here goes nothing, Twilight Sparkle, she thought to herself whilst her horn unlatched the file. Hoisting it to her friend's view, the pegasus staring at it in a mix of skepticism and puzzlement, the librarian unraveled its contents, spreading them out on the bedside table in an orderly fashion.

"Fluttershy, I'm--" her voice jerked suddenly, throat lurching before she recomposed herself.

"I'm here because... b-because I have something to tell you..."

Fluttershy still retained that perplexed, innocent look, which somewhat only scared the unicorn even more.

"Really?" she simply asked.

"What for?"

"It--" Twilight's throat lurched again, making her cough.

"It has something to do with... w-with you and... well..."

"Is it Applejack?"

"No! No..."

Twilight sighed, planting a hoof onto her forehead. This conversation wouldn't go anywhere at all if she expected her friend to join in an unintended guessing game! Without a second thought, she brought a hoof to her chest, then swayed it outwards slowly and steadily, her breathing doing the same. It wasn't every time she would used Cadance's relaxation technique, but this time she needs it more than ever.

"It's... it's about you and... and..."

"And who? Um... Macintosh? Rainbow Dash? Ask them not to worry, Twilight. Just tell them I'm perfectly fine--"

"Amber Rose! It's about... Amber... Rose..."

A moment of dead drop silence followed. As much as it was allowing (more like daring) her to speak, it was restraining as well. Twilight finally realized it, how nervous Fluttershy had been to tend to her need to voice out her thoughts time and time again. Cruel, the irony, for her to face said pegasus with that feeling stirring in her throat.

Fluttershy just looked at her: a bomb waiting oh so patiently to explode at the right moment. The raging flames of last night was looming back in the pupils of her eyes, though this time, crueler still with contributions from herself, Twilight was alone. Frightened at the dormant volcano of her friend.

"What about her?" came the reply; a dagger of sharpened steel.

"Y-You... you need to... um..."

Now it was Twilight's turn to stutter. She had only ever since Fluttershy's outburst once in her entire lifetime: at the Grand Galloping Gala years ago. To see her burst again, this time on the subject of her daughter...

"It's... it's something the court imposed and the... the doctors advised," she continued.

"They say it's best if you knew later, but... but Big Mac says it's alright! And now... now I'm supposed to tell it to you and... and... and--"

"Just tell me!"

Not the loudest shout she had heard from Fluttershy yet, much to her relief; in fact, it was comparable to mewl of a cat: loud enough to get the message across, yet gentle enough to melt a pony's heart or, in this case, prepare her for the storm soon to come.

"I-I don't want to m-m-make you angry...F-Fluttershy..." Twilight continued, voice quivering.

"J-Just know that it's for you own good, alright? And f-for... for Amber's..."

"What is it?" she asked, voice clearly sharper and dreadfully more impatient.

"Just tell me, Twilight! Is it that hard just to tell me?!"

Twilight immediately flinched. She hadn't even told her about it yet, and already Fluttershy was starting to fly into a rage! She shot a glance at the neat fan of papers on the table, a little surprised that her friend hadn't bothered to look through them yet.

"Amber Rose..." she tried again.

"She's... your daughter's--"

"Amber's what? She's what?"

"Your daughter's... Amber's--"

"What is it? What happened to her?"

"W-Well... she's--"

"What?"

"Your parental rights over Amber Rose had been terminated, alright? The court rule said you're no longer eligible to take care of her anymore!!"

Pressure forced those words out with the quickness of lightning before she could clamp her mouth shut, and when she did, her eyes widened, with the only thing she could do was to stare at the other mare's paling face of horror. Hesitantly, Twilight took a step back, holding her breath as her friend struck her gaze down to her blankets, watering pupils turning into the size of needle-heads.

"Why......?" she whimpered, almost inaudibly with two hooves massaging her temple.

"Why... why, why, why, why, WHY, WHY?!!"

"We tried to protest! We told them they can't just snatch Amber away from you! We all... we all tried, Fluttershy! Just... please... there's no other choice......"

"YOU HAVEN'T TRIED HARD ENOUGH!!"

Fluttershy lunged from her bed, the cord connecting her to the drip snapping off just as Twilight strode back towards the door. Before the unicorn could reach the knob, her hooves were suddenly jerked backwards, the librarian letting out a silent scream with her chin slamming onto the ground as she was dragged away from her route of escape.

"SHE'S MY DAUGHTER!! MINE!!" the pegasus shrieked.

"NOPONY TAKES HER AWAY FROM ME!! NOPONY!!!!"

"Fl-Fluttershy... please..."

Twilight's weak whimpers fell on deaf ears, though it managed to tilt Fluttershy's head down towards her, staring straight into the rage-filled eyes of her friend. The fury of it ravaged through whatever serenity that had once lingered there, filling the void with hatred and anguishing tears that started to drip on Twilight's chest. Gritting her teeth, Fluttershy pinned down the unicorn by her throat, pressing down upon it with such unimaginable strength that it forced the air out of her immediately, making her squirm frantically.

"YOU'RE NOTHING TO ME!!" the screaming continued.

"NOTHING!! NOTHING!! NOTHING!!"

"Fluttersh'ah!!"

The pegasus's erratic breathing halted into a gasp, just to see the unmistakable, shocked look of Big Macintosh standing at the doorway. Her forceful squeeze on Twilight's throat immediately softened, leaving the unicorn to wheeze for air while she stumbled backwards, horrified at what she did.

"M-M-Mac...!" she stammered, beginning to sniffle.

"I'm... I..."

"Ya ain't gonna lose Amber. Our daughter's with me."

"B-But... but Twilight said--"

"That you can't be her legal parent, yes," Twilight answered, coughing from her ordeal.

"But it doesn't mean we would let somepony else take her! You still have Big Mac and Applejack taking care of her back in the palace! There's no way we're about to send her off like that!"

Fluttershy just stared between the two ponies: her husband and her friend. Rising to all four hooves, she strode towards her bed, staring into blank space as she said:

"Get out. Just get out."

"But Fluttershy--"

"I need time to think! Get out!"

"But--"

Twilight wanted to protest again, though she was stopped short by the stallion's hoof on her shoulder. She turned around, staring into the calm eyes of Big Macintosh, who began pushing her out of the hospital ward (much to her shock) and heading out himself, though not before peering back and giving his wife a smile.

The librarian couldn't understand it! No doubt, the stallion knows more about his wife's condition than she could ever have, and no doubt she would take whatever his advice would be. This time, however, she wasn't so sure if it was the best advice he could ever give.

"She needs somepony to help her!" she tried to explain her actions.

"She needs a doctor! I'm trying to reunite your wife with your own daughter here!"

"Fluttersh'ah doesn't need no doctor," was the collected answer.

"Fluttersh'ah needs us. Trust me."

"But why?" Twilight asked, slightly angered.

"Why should I even bother to trust you?"

The answer was simple to him, just as it was simple to everypony else in a similar situation. It was an answer that Big Mac was expected to say like how he would reply in his short 'eeyups' and 'nopes', though this one... this one really struck his actions clean off the slate.

"Ah'm her husband."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"No, Phoenix Mellow!"

"Now, now, Pinkie!"

Phoenix pounced towards the pink mare, who cartwheeled to the side and left him stumbling into a bush, much to the amusement of the rest, with the exception of Selena, who was sleeping in the magically-enlarged caravan. His eyes fixated onto the object of his salvation held in Pinkie's hooves: a small, black pouch containing the famed Perique tobacco, the most strongly flavored from his collection of tobacco satchels.

Another leap towards the mare proved unsuccessful, this time able to catch his balance. He twitched his nose at the now giggling mare, a little upset if not frustrated at his fruitless attempts of catching her. How she avoids every single leap with ease was a mystery, and he often wondered if it was due to some athleticism he never knew she possessed, or if it was from her obsession with sugar.

"You promised me I could smoke a little after we got out of the shrine," he protested.

"Now we're generally eight miles away from it, and you still wouldn't let me? Care to explain that?"

"It's not good for you!" she screeched, stifling a giggle.

"You're not smoking today! Not tomorrow! Not ever!"

"Soundin' like a mother, eh Pinkie?" Ollivander chirped with a laugh.

"Just let 'im have a puff! One little 'un ain't gonna hurt nobody!"

"Don't have to be that harsh, Pinkie!" Ganger added, wiping the foams of cider his mouth.

"He did live up to his end of the deal! Now it's time to fulfill yours!"

Before Pinkie could reply the snickering comic duo, she suddenly felt a quick zip past her, groaning loudly in irritation at the now gleeful Phoenix Mellow, leaning against a tree and juggling tauntingly in his hooves for all to see, his tobacco pouch; the same one which he snatched from her.

"You tried your best, Pinkie Pie," the stallion teased, flicking out his pipe.

"There are times, however, where you just have to give up. This is a perfectly good time, wouldn't you agree?"

"PHOENIX MELLOW!!"

Phoenix bolted off into the dense undergrowth, away from the furious Pinkie Pie and from the laughter of the rest. The pink mare herself clenched her hooves and gritted her teeth as she could only watch his flickering tail disappear like a little lantern into the wilderness, before settling down next to Ollivander with a frustrated sigh, planting two hooves onto her face.

"Y'tried yer best, lass," the gryphon assured.

"Phoenix is a die-'ard smoker. Yer ain't gonna get him that easy."

"It's just not fair!" the mare complained.

"He keeps... rationing my sweets, but I can't do anything about his smoking? Really?"

"That's Phoenix for ya, Pinkie," Dapple answered, sharpening what seems to be a utility knife with a hoof-made flint. Seems she wasn't the first victim of his cunning tricks, Pinkie surmised.

"You'll just have to face it. I'll be darned if I don't see a pony with a flaming tail who doesn't smoke all the plants in the world."

Pinkie just blew her puffy mane upwards, crossing her hooves in an indignant fashion. She never knew how in one's right mind can the rest tolerate his antics. Really, it's either the caravan had decided to tolerate and ignore him, or have gotten so used to the point that it just became some twisted routine for them! But never would she submit to him! Never would she fall for his mischief!

"You alright there Pinkie?" Velvet asked, snapping her out of her broiling thoughts.

"You seem a little too upset for a second there."

"I'm trying not to be."

Sparing a sigh, the mare glanced around the group, all resuming their personal duties before the untimely interruption of her argument with Phoenix Mellow. Velvet continued his deep-end research of the terrain around Valewood, Ganger helped his twin sister reassembling a few rifles, and Ollivander tossed a roasted fish into the air, catching in with his beak and swallowing in one go.

Instead of Phoenix (who was smoking) and Selena (who was regaining her hours of sleep), the only member of the group absent was Brutus himself. Pinkie knew he wasn't like himself ever since they left the shrine, even if it wasn't clear to the rest of them, since his behavior really didn't change much. Despite all that, she knew it from the moment he smiled when he woke up in the shrine that something was bothering him.

"Where's Bruty-Brute?" she asked.

"Just wanting a little alone time," Velvet answered.

"As usual. Can't blame him though."

Pinkie wanted to know why; even though she knew about the minotaur having a troubled past, it doesn't answer why he must always isolate himself from the group. To be honest, she only knew briefly about each and every one of them, with the most insightful of them so far being Ollivander and Selena's relationship itself.

There's so much more of them she wanted to know, like what were the Deuce Twins doing before they hightailed into this adventure, or how Phoenix, Velvet and Ollivander formed the first band of the caravan. Maybe more about Dapple's hardheadedness, or how Phoenix and Ollivander met? Or maybe even the origin of the former's tendency to smoke? By Celestia, that was something worth figuring out.

But first things first: Brutus the minotaur.

"Where did he go?"

"Somewhere west of here," Dapple answered.

"Be careful. I don't think he's in the mood for some chatting."

"Oh, I'll be fine! Trust me!"

Head held high, the pink mare soon galloped off into the forest, taking care not to trample over the numerous fox dens that Velvet said the forest was reputedly notorious for. It's not like she could see in the dark, but it's best to play safe unless she wants to get swarmed by them in the morning.

She soon caught sight of Brutus in the distance, lazing on the trunk of a lowly bent tree. Whether he was still awake or already sleeping, she couldn't tell in the dark, but she knew the minotaur wouldn't mind waking up to have a conversation with somepony else, at least.

"Brutus?" she called to him.

"Are you awake?"

One small grunt gave her the answer, and without hesitation, she edged towards him, settling down in the grass and following his gaze up into the star-filled sky. Among the luminous cluster, Pinkie could spot a few constellations; the same ones that she remembered. She doesn't actually know when she remembered them, though she guessed it was somewhere during her fillyhood that she was told of them.

"So whatcha doing, big buddy?" the mare asked, nudging the minotaur's burly arm.

"Having a little star-spotting alone time?"

Brutus, as expected, remained silent. Sure, they got into friendly terms, but Pinkie wouldn't consider him to be talkative as much as he considered her to be quiet. Being exact opposites of each other, it would be a miracle if he spoke to her about what's been bothering him, but as they say, miracles do happen. Eventually.

"Remembered what I asked you yesterday?" she continued.

"When you woke up after that long sleep, and I asked what were you looking for?"

"Yes."

Pinkie felt her hoof jitterbugging with excitement: now she's getting somewhere! Shuffling closer to the minotaur, who uneasily and glanced at her with recalcitrance, she waited for a moment, before finally speaking:

"What happened?"

Silence soon came; one that she couldn't wait for.

"You could just tell me a little bit of it, right?"

In response, Brutus shook his head, much to her surprise. Why would this fellow reserve all his petty little secrets to himself? Sure, he doesn't talk much, but hey, at least he's not confessing whatever thoughts he had harbored after his awakening in the shrine to the whole caravan; there's only one pony that's going to hear about it, and still he doesn't want to tell her!

"Come on, Brutus!" she tried, shaking his arm.

"You can trust me! I'm your friend!"

The minotaur sighed in response, turning to her.

"There are some things in this world better left in the dark. I don't wish to tell anyone of you what happened. Not even Velvet will have the privilege of knowing this, so who's to say that you will instead?"

Before Pinkie could respond to his harsh-toned reply, Brutus slid off the tree, stretching his neck with a few cracks before stomping off back to the caravan, leaving the mare flabbergasted at his actions. She didn't actually hurt his feelings, did she? It seemed that way, judging from his irritated expression, but Velvet did tell her minotaurs do have one of the calmest minds, achievable after a few weeks of meditating in the mountains. At least, that's what Brutus was purported to have done as a qualification in his line of work.

Despite all of that, her conversation with the minotaur ended up in a disappointing dead end. She just wished that perhaps one day Brutus would have a change of mind. You can't keep your problems to yourself; Pinkie knew about it, and she found this out the hard way, but for him? With his large size and well-endowed muscles? Who could stop a living battering ram such as him?

"Time to try something else, Pinkie," she told herself, formulating the first patches of a plan.

"It's time for something sneaky..."

Author's Note

Finally got this done!

Sorry if it took an immensely long time!! College is really catching up on me now!

Camp Éigríochtar

Rarity still couldn't understand why.

"I accept the recommendation of the Probation Department..."

She knew it was the judge and the jury's decision, yet it doesn't seem fair.

"On the notion that..."

She always questioned the law, just like how she questions everything else. It was a new thing to her, the inquisition of the laws against crime and order in Canterlot, though what puzzles her even more is their perspective of a pony being a victim. This case proved even more of a bafflement.

It was the first trial she had to attend as a witness, as well as to support her friend in need. They were all there, watching at the single, broken and tumultuous Fluttershy standing rigidly in the center of the room, with dozen pairs of eyes staring down with concern and, for the remaining ponies, fear. The pegasus herself, however, just held onto a void of expression on her face, staring a little too carefully at the ponies giving out her sentence. It had been almost half an hour and after all the discussing between each member of the jury, they were finally ready.

"The accused must be at a minimal of six feet away from the child, and that she is to be put under surveillance of the Royal Guard until her sentence is over. Anything otherwise would result in further prosecution. Does the defendant understand the charges being given as such?"

"Yes," Fluttershy responded, voice frozen like the deep winter.

Rarity could only scowl at them. It doesn't feel right, splitting her friend from her daughter just like that! It wasn't her fault that she acted that way; she only wanted to protect Amber from harm! Isn't it a mother's instinct to protect their young from something so horrific as Janus?

What was even more saddening was that the four members of the Apple Family was there, watching her demise. It was exceptionally so for Big Mac, who could only watch solemnly with his daughter in his hooves as the sentence was being carried. It wouldn't be surprising if he would just burst through the banisters, charge at the prosecutors and probably buck them straight off into some foreign land.

"Gotta be hard to go through that..." Spike muttered, gazing at the pair.

"I don't get it. Why Fluttershy, of all ponies...?"

"Me neither."

With a sigh, Rarity snuggled closer against the dragon for the rest of the trial, letting her mind wander between Fluttershy's situation, the rumors of a war brewing in the north, and ultimately Spike himself. After all, they had rarely hung out these days and some part of her just... yearns for it once again.

One day, perhaps, she and Spike could go out for dinner, just like they had done before all of the melodrama of bombings and wars. To return once again to the romantic nights they had like they did back in Pendant Lakes... hopefully when that opportunity comes, there wouldn't be all these dread and devastation around then. Hopefully then, she wouldn't have to worry about Janus and nightmares and such.

That would be a good time worth looking forward to.

At once, the ponies in the room stood up, signaling the end of the session. All of them could only watch dismally as Fluttershy was led away from the group through another door, the pegasus turning back only to give a meek wave to her husband, who returned it with one of his own. All Rarity could do was bite her lip at the bittersweet sight; if only there was something they could do to renew her friend's punishment.

"Those dang ponies..." she could hear Applejack curse, and for a very good reason. Really, if she were to make a choice between Canterlot and the now-ruined Pendant Lakes, her preference would be of the latter. The ponies that lived there -- or once lived there -- were warm and welcoming, and always enjoyed the prospect of the conversation with anypony they meet, unlike a city she knows.

"Rarity?"

The unicorn turned at the mention of her name to see Twilight's troubled expression staring back at her. She would've brushed it off, seeing how the sentence was carried out and how she was pinned down by Fluttershy as a result of revealing it to her, but something else told her otherwise.

"Yes, darling?" she asked.

"Whatever is the matter?"

"It's about this... this..."

Twilight sighed, planting a hoof on her shaking forehead, which only baffled Rarity even more. What could be such of an enigma that even the Twilight Sparkle, the smartest unicorn she had ever known in the whole of Equestria, couldn't pronounce?

"Ugh..." she finally groaned in defeat.

"I can't tell you like this..."

"Tell what?" Rarity asked.

"What is it, darling?"

"Just come back with me to the palace," was the flustered reply.

"And bring Spike along, just in case. I need you guys to see this."

With that being said, Rarity, dragging along an incredibly confused Spike, followed her friend out the double doors of the courtroom and back into the hallways of the palace, with only a few urgent goodbyes to spare for the remainder of the bunch, whom Rarity knew was equally confused as her.

Their humdrum wander around the corridors was short, which was lucky for Spike, since Twilight was hissing at the dragon for trying to ask a question. At the end of their journey, however, stood a glazing white door, to which the librarian quickly gave an obligatory knock before opening it with her horn.

"You've made it."

Princess Celestia's soft voice ushered them into the rotunda, which would've been pitch black if not for the giant chandelier overhead. The glistening cluster of crystals nestled within each holder frightened Rarity more than amazed her, having remembered the attempted murder of Octavia back in Pendant Lakes.

Aside from the alabaster alicorn, there was Princess Luna, with all of them surrounding some sort of machine perched in the center of the room. From what she could discern from the looping metal rings around it, it looked like some sort of colossal gyroscope, with a large, oval platform in the center that could hold around six ponies. Her horn tingled a little as she got closer, probably from some residual magic resonating from the metal rings, she surmised.

"What is this, Twilight?" she asked the mare, slightly nervous.

"It's some sort of dimensional transport system," the librarian began to explain.

"Basically, using the fundamentals of teleportation magic, I've managed to compress some of the resulting magical field of teleportation into a capsule of this machine. With the use of Princess Celestia's dimensional magic and a few little touch-ups, this was what came out of it: a teleportation device or what I call, a Stream Gate."

"So simply put it," Spike began after scratching his head.

"You build some machine that could teleport us anywhere? That it?"

"Yes!" was the pride-filled answer.

"I've did some basic testing to it and it works completely fine!"

"And you called us here because...?"

"Because I'm sending Twilight on an inspection in the north."

Princess Celestia stepped from the group, wearing the serene smile she was known for wearing, whether to mask something out or otherwise, Rarity doesn't know. What was more surprising is that Twilight was being sent somewhere by the alicorn again. Who knew that being the protege of the Goddess of the Sun would require so much work?

"Twilight is to use this Stream Gate to head towards the northeastern town of Cirrus Deep and visit the Highland-reinforced camp set to defend the town from invasions." she explained.

"There had already been a few reported attacks, though the motive was unclear whatsoever. Whatever the case, we need to take a survey of the camp, just to see if they enough resources to last through each attempt of an invasion."

Both Rarity and Spike nodded simultaneously, though they still couldn't understand.

"But why us?" the former of the couple asked.

"Why were we needed here? To oversee if this goes on successfully?"

"Well, Twilight was about to head off into the camp," Princess Celestia answered.

"But it's too remote and dangerous of a place to venture alone, which is why I suggest she should bring along companions to aid her in her journey."

"So I chose you two!" Twilight continued her teacher's sentence.

"Everypony else was preoccupied with all their matters and such, that I didn't want to bother them or probably stress them out and putting themselves into danger. I would've called Applejack, but with what's going on with Fluttershy recently, I don't think she would have the time now. Rainbow Dash just had her two daughters to take care off too, so there's not much of a chance with her..."

"And so you called us."

The librarian nodded excitedly, which only made Rarity ever the more nervous. To be sent on some sort of diplomatic inspection wasn't what she would put in her checklist at all, though if it was for the need of helping a friend, she couldn't help but do as such. There was only one last thing bothering her, however.

"But w-what about Sweetie Belle?" she asked.

"What if she finds out when I'm gone?"

"Your sister will know the reason of your departure," Princess Luna replied.

"We would make sure that she gets the message, as well as the rest of your friends."

Rarity just exchanged an unsure glance with Spike, the dragon managing only a shrug. She knew the dragon would've been okay with it; as long as she is there, everything would be fine with him. Then again, meeting a few Highlanders wouldn't be something she could experience everyday now, wouldn't it?

"I suppose we could have a little adventure," she murmured.

"Alright then! It wouldn't hurt from just one visit, right?"

"Great! Now if you can just stand on that..."

The pale unicorn soon clambered up the platform, with a little lift from Spike, of course, followed by Twilight and lastly the dragon himself. Twilight then raised a hoof up with a nod, signaling Princess Celestia to pull down a switch bolted onto the wall with her magic. Sure enough, the rings surrounding her started spinning, some of them already starting to glow with some sort of cyan, ethereal light!

"Get ready!!" Twilight exclaimed over the heightening whirring of the rings and crackling bolts of magic. All she could do was grip tighter onto Spike's claw, clenching her eyes shut from the blinding light. She could feel her body vibrating, then suddenly being jerked back and forth like a sailboat drifting in an oppressive storm: violent, turbulent and, at some point, nauseous. Every single sound seemed to merge into one, forming a hiss of white noise that only addled her head as much as it seared through it.

*SNAP!!*

The metallic sound forced her eyes open as well as silenced the hellish abomination of noises, making way for the sounds of chirping birds and rustling grass in the breeze. Rarity stepped forward in awe at the sight, breathing in the fresh air of mint and pine that only the northern tundra of Equestria would possess, all the while staring down at a meandering group of tents right around the hill they were on; no doubt the same place that Twilight was supposed to visit.

Further in the distance, probably by a few miles downhill, was a small town similar to Fenderville and Pendant Lakes, albeit a dwarf compared to those two: Cirrus Deep, Rarity figured, as the Princesses had mentioned. There are a few interesting hot-spots she could spy from above, but all those thoughts were soon interrupted by a gruff squawk of a voice.

"You must be Twilight Sparkle. The Princess notified me of yer arrival."

"Yes," the said mare answered.

"And you must be the Captain of this camp, right?"

"Ye' ain't wrong about that, lass," was the reply.

Rarity had never seen a gryphon like this before! She had met a little of them from time to time, but this one had to be the biggest she'd ever seen! His wings are exceptionally humongous, some of the feathers already darkening with age. His face and beak was flurried with old scars, which only made her wonder even more so on how he hadn't lost an eye yet! Sheathed on his talons were sharp steel spikes, probably used for hunting or, she gulped, for war.

Everywhere around them were tents with flags of the Celestial Empire billowing in the wind, their different sizes fit to accommodate the trio species of ponies, minotaurs and gryphons alike, all geared up and preparing for another invasion. Some of them turned heads at the sight of their new 'guests', as well as the machine that popped them here, its mechanics already tired and fizzing from its single yet distant journey.

"Name's Alsenaar," the gryphon said.

"Captain Kynsi Alsenaar of the ou'pos' of Cirrus Deep. Welcome to Camp Éigríochtar. I presume the other mare and... dragon are your companions, eh?"

"Oh yes! Of course!"

Rarity tried not to giggle as Twilight dragged Spike back to the group with her horn, snapping him out of his curiosity-fueled reverie at the sharp, glinting poleaxes and halberd spears standing rigidly on the racks. The lavender unicorn shot him a glare that made him chuckle out of humiliation, before she spoke:

"This dragon here is Spike, my assistant given to me by Princess Celestia, and the unicorn beside me is Rarity, one of my friends from Ponyville."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Captain," Rarity said, extending a hoof.

"The same, the same!" the gryphon replied, shaking her hoof and grinning happily before turning back to Twilight.

"I understand yer Princess sent you here for some sor' of inspection, yes?"

"She did," Twilight exclaimed cheerfully.

"She also said about a few attacks here by some of Janus's forces..."

Both gryphon and unicorn's voices began to drone in Rarity's head, who only sighed as she glanced back at the machine. Some part of her told her that the machine needs time to cool down; she don't have to be an expert on whatever magic or mechanical subject to know about that. Glancing around at the tents, all she could see other than the warriors sharpening their blades and training their archery was woodland, which she figured would've spanned through miles away. The only place she would expect something worth her interest would be in the town of Cirrus Deep, though she doubt even the town might not have anything else to do there other than roaming around and having a few snacks.

A small claw planted firmly on her shoulder made her turn to Spike, who inhaled deeply at the fresh air. Rarity could see his upper fangs peeking out from his curving lips, which somehow soothed and frightened her a little at the same time, remembering his outburst at the Princesses and his fight with that wannabe assassin a few days back.

"So, Rare," he began, stifling a smile.

"Got anything in mind other than ditching Twilight and getting back to Canterlot?"

"Well, aren't you mean," she shot back, making him laugh.

"To be honest, there isn't much to do here aside from chatting with those minotaurs and hear their... graphic stories."

"We've just got here! Who knows how much there is in store for us!"

"I'm perfectly fine back in Canterlot-- no, Ponyville, thank you."

If there was somepony to blame for her delirium, however unfair it may be, it would be Princess Celestia herself. She was respected and known throughout the whole of Equestria for her prowess! Why is it that she needs the help of her own student to run her affairs? Is it not important for her to just help out once in a while?

"But I wouldn't mind taking a look at Cirrus Deep," she continued.

"It might have something of interest over there."

Spike just looked unsure. For a dragon not to doubt her choice was unnatural. After all, they were about to walk in together, hoof by claw, into the eyes of civilization again. What's the chance that they wouldn't face some sort of discrimination from the inhabitants living there?

"Well......" he sighed.

"If you insist. But if anypony there starts to jeer at us..."

"Then I'll give you your permission to spit fire at them."

The dragon just blinked, whether from over-excitement or shock, she couldn't discern.

"Really?" he asked, a little stunned.

"As in just go up in smoke, out of the frying pan, light it all up kind of fire?"

"Whatever else?" Rarity answered with a grin.

"Really, I'm a little tired from ponies saying that you and I can't go together! Just one peaceful day of us walking around without anypony staring at us... it would be the best day I would ever have! And I know you would do the same now, wouldn't you Spikey?"

"Only if you want me to, Rarity," the dragon answered with a sigh.

"But if anything happens and we got caught by Twilight, I'm not going to take any of the blame for it. Any of it, all of it, everything would be your fault. Deal?"

"That would be so unfair~!"

Rarity crossed her hooves, though it wasn't long before she turned back, her sarcastic frown turning into a small little smirk as she nudged at Spike's shoulder, chuckling a little before saying:

"Deal."

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"Do we have to turn in there?"

"We don't have much of a choice, old chap," Caduceus replied.

"It's either Growlett Avenue and beyond, or nothing."

Stellar Lionheart bit his lip at the road laid before him, filled with debris from the ravaged houses all around and fallen lampposts, some still fizzing with minimal flickers of light, casting looming shadows in the darkness. It was already a horrendous, not to mention grotesque, choice of a path before the destruction of the city; to venture into it at its current, desolate state with all those abominations lurking around would be deemed suicide by any sane pony!

"I'm not sure about this," he continued hesitantly.

"It's a hellhole within a hellhole, if you ask me."

"The most hellish of them all," his friend remarked with a faltering grin.

"And from what Jovern could see, we had to venture deeper into another forsaken place."

"What do you mean?"

"Most of the exits through this avenue, except the one behind us, are barred."

Jovern crouched downwards, puffing a few irritated rings of smoke at the direction they were supposedly about to head. It was what stood in their way, however, that only horrified Stellar even more, his eyes fixated to the one single building in the whole of Growlett Avenue that he didn't want to traverse, yet ultimately was forced to.

"That building ahead has an only exit out," the black dragon continued.

"One of your friends run that place before, right?"

"Cleptius did, yes," Stellar muttered, still shocked by their forced decision.

"But isn't there any other way? Another way instead of going through that exact building?"

All of them bit their lips, with the ponies looking up and, for Jovern, down, at the building they were supposed to enter, leering at them like the ponies that once inhabited it. It would've been a miracle if there wasn't any derisive, hysterical laughter ringing from the hallways like it did back then, and to hear them once more... he reserved none of his sanity for that.

Of all the places they had to go, Stellar cursed, they had to choose this one.

"The Celestia-be-damned asylum..."

"However damned you wish it to be, it's the only way out of Growlett Avenue."

With that said, Caduceus picked his lantern up, limping forward and leaving the other two of his companions to catch up. The duo of old colts cautiously stepped inside the doorways of the asylum, with Jovern slinking to the side as he dug through a few of the rocks instead to the other side.

Stepping into what was supposed to be the reception area, which remained unchanged in both physical state and atmosphere and was expected as such by them, Stellar trotted ahead, glancing about warily at the dreary room they were in. Like many of the lampposts outside, a small table light, toppled over and covering the table with shards of broken, green-hued glass, was flickering, illuminating the torn plaster wallpaper and a few shredded oil paintings hanging lopsidedly from a single nail in the cracking wall. At the other end of the room was a metal door, twisted and hanging from its hinges with its singular round glass window already shattered apart, revealing the corridor beyond.

"Still think it's a good idea?" Stellar asked with a scowl, glancing ahead at the hallway before them, hued a deep macabre red from the rays of a few emergency lights swiveling from the ceiling.

"You know we can always wait until Jovern digs his way through."

"He needs us on the other side to make sure he knows where he's digging."

With a sigh (more to his friend than to the task at hoof) Caduceus clambered first into the hallway, bumping into his friend's shoulder in the process and flashing him a smirk, to which Stellar only grumbled at. Treading carefully through the cracking, tiled floor, both colts held their breath as they reached a corner.

Slowly, they stepped out, sighing in relief at the vacant yet still dreadful path downwards. Every lurking shadow dancing and traipsing about the walls only made the corridors more eerie and morbid than it already seemed, their spines chattering as if somepony, or something, would just manifest out of the darkness and give them a life-threatening scare.

"Stellar Lionheart..."

"Huh?" the stallion quipped, turning to his friend.

"Did you call for me, Caduceus?"

"I don't think so..." his friend replied, wearing the same look of bewilderment as himself.

"You're sure it wasn't just your imagination? Is the place getting to you again?"

"But I could've sworn..."

"Stellar Lionheart...!"

Both colts froze at the same moment, their ears perked up and twitching at that voice; a voice that jerks back the darkest days of the last ruling Palgiot; a voice that once induced fear in the whole of the city and the palace itself; a voice that both ponies had found it sweet as a butternut treat, until time and darkness transformed it into their greatest enemy and graced the fall of the splendor of Pendant Lakes.

"I-It couldn't be!" Caduceus stammered, eyes wide with shock.

"C-Could it...?"

"Impossible..."

Stellar suddenly raised his blade, having caught a sharp glint at the corner of his eye, just in time to deflect the swing of a white, deceitfully pure and decorated blade whipped from a chain. He growled, stepping backward at once for another pony to leap from the darkness above and into their view, with her once-curled mane now a mess and a few strands of blood dripping from the sides of her body.

"Who are you...?" he asked cautiously, wanting to make sure.

"What do you want from us?"

"Tsk, tsk..." the pony -- a mare, judging from her voice -- cooed.

"Still ever the careful one, Stellar Lionheart. You really mustn't doubt what your mind had decided upon. As of a matter of fact, let's try to earn each other's trust again, shall we?"

Before he or Caduceus could reply, the mare started to trot down the hallway, turning around only to gesture her hoof, urging them to follow. Reluctantly, they did so, grasping onto their weapons ever the more tighter with all their fears and doubts pushed to the head of their 'guide'. Every turn she took, they followed, though her wielding a blade was enough of a sign to not take any chances.

"Just a little more now..." the mare muttered, then, with the edge of her blade, she jammed it into the cracks of the metal door before them, using it as a lever to force it open with a loud clang. Stellar just held his breath at the sight of the exit , holding it only when he saw the sly grin the mare was wearing.

"Don't think it's over yet however," she continued.

"You know how big the asylum actually is. There's more to explore for the both of you."

All the two friends could do was exchange nervous looks, before stepping out into the open. Sure enough, his hooves trodden upon the rocky surface of the ruins again, this time facing a grander cluster of buildings that he knew in his heart were closer to the palace. Caduceus too breathed a sigh of relief, placing down his lantern and settling right onto a giant, rotting tree root poking from the ground. Their sights were set on the menacing corridors leading them, no doubt, out of the forsaken, collapsed building, its grotesque state only made more vivid by the single, red emergency light being swallowed in the darkness nestling within its deeper confines.

Both colts turned at the mare who led them here, watching with a mix of disbelief and shock as she came into their full view. Her mane was visibly purple, already overgrown with a few strands draping over her bruised, battered and scarred pink skin, with splatters of blood all around, some dried, some recently made. The once-dismal, red pupils that she bore now glowed intently like a predator lusting for a kill, which brought only shudders to her counterparts with her menacing stare. Stellar just tightened his grip on the Patriarch's blade, watching as she licked her lips with a small yet discomforting smile as she hastily planted her blades down into the rock below her hooves and mumbled:

"Miss me?"

"Never thought we would see you again," was what Stellar could only reply with malice, with Caduceus inadvertently agreeing by giving a small, simple nod. She shouldn't be alive, and they know that. What pony would survive a deep, fatal stab wound and a plummeting fall from the palace down into some crevasse at the foot of Mount Hoovingaar?

"You're not supposed to be here," he continued, gritting his teeth once she started to snicker at his delirium.

"Harmony Peridot."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"... and he asked again, his voice gruffer this time, whether I want the crimson kerchief or the scarlet one. I specifically mentioned again that I only want it to be red, yet he still insisted that I choose one of the two!"

Pinkie tried her best not to guffaw at Ganger's story, lest she wants to spit out the little lollipop she was eagerly suckling and slurping on. It was exceptionally rare for the cook to let out a few tales or two (even rarer so for his sister to actually smile at some of them) but it was a tale worth listening to nonetheless. Their conversation had meekly wandered about, from the first batch of soup he made to how he had to travel across a mountain range just to find a herb for his salad, until this current one: about his dining experience in one of the more elegant towns he had stopped by.

"You could say that the argument escalated," the aquamarine unicorn continued with a sigh.

"To the point where I got kicked out just because I... well, yelled aloud about how thick and moldy their mayonnaise was. Believe me, those refined ponies don't take criticism well."

"They're refined little maggots, if you ask me," Dapple spat, no doubt having seen her brother's ordeal as well and clearly not enjoying it.

"You give him a chance to get behind the table, I told them, he would put their fathers to shame! Really, they were darn fortunate that I just so happen to have left my shotgun in my room that day! And if I ever see them again..."

"Their loss, perhaps," Velvet answered, looking up from his book

"I always said, when ponies don't change, just wait until change catches up to them. It's either they reconstruct themselves by a tad bit, or they lose out entirely."

"Velvet's First Law," Ollivander piped in teasingly from above, making all of them chuckle.

It was a refreshing sight for Pinkie, to see the caravan truly united once again with Selena taking to the skies happily with her gryphon-friend once more and Brutus himself walking right next to Velvet and having their usual secret conversations again. She could imagine it: the eight members of the caravan, walking through the gates of Valewood with glinting sunglasses and tuxedos tossing in the wind... ah, the wonders of her imagination...!

"How much further is it?"

"Just around a few miles more," the gryphon gave Phoenix the answer.

"Yer gotta have to trot along fer about two, s'ree hours tops. One if yer gallop. Or fly."

"Can't we just stop for lunch?" Pinkie complained, having not eaten ever since she woke up, with the lollipop she just swallowed not doing any god. True to her words, a loud gurgle erupted from her stomach, which made her scrunch her lips and blush in embarrassment as the rest of them tried their best not to burst out in laughter.

"I'm starving~!! Just a little bite? Something filling, please? Pweety, pweety pwease?"

"Alright, alright!"

With a sigh, Phoenix came to a halt and glanced around, a smile creeping up his lips once he spotted a grand bluff overlooking a giant, shimmering lake. He struck his blade into the ground like a flagpole, turning back to the rest of the group and saying breathlessly:

"Who wants to go for a lakeside picnic?"

It would be a shame, not to mention a miracle, if any of them said no.

In no time at all, the whole group rushed towards the lake, with Dapple using her magic to reshape the caravan to full size and leaving the rest to head inside the caravan itself and scavenge for foodstuff, utensils and a mat, before laying them out on the grass and leaving the twins to set up the cooking booth.

Phoenix was, surprisingly, the first to dive in, his burning tail sizzling with fumes into the water as he submerged, before popping out and spurting water out of his mouth like a renegade hose. Selena became the undesired next, as she was pushed off the cliff by Ollivander with loud, hysterical laughter, causing her to wear a scowl that soon turned into a mischievous grin. No sooner than that did the gryphon became a close third, his soaking-wet marefriend having zipped up to him and hoisting him down into the lake, leaving them splashing at each other with undying laughter.

"Look out beeeLLLLOWW~~!!!!"

In a flash, Pinkie took a leap, curling into a fluffy, pink ball before splashing into the water. She opened her eyes, marveling once the flood of bubbles departed and revealed the crystal clear view of the lake's rocky bottom, the sunlight shining down on it being sifted by the rippling surface above her head. Surprisingly, there were a few fish swimming about on the bed of the lake, seamlessly dodging through some of the rocks and whipping a few plumes of dirt and sand in the wake of each darting movement.

She swam downwards, smiling happily as she twirled among a school of playful fish, who eagerly spiraled around her like a gymnast's ribbon. It was after a few spirals that she swam back up for a gasp of air, catching sight of Ganger and Dapple joining the fray and Phoenix waving to her in the distance.

"Be careful!" he shouted.

"Don't wander too far off!"

"Don't worry, Phoenix!" she called back with a giggle, wet mane draping over her face.

"I'll be fine!"

Without time to waste and a gulp of air, she swam back down into the lake, all too eager to play with her new aquatic friends once again! She had never had so much fun with fish before, and she couldn't believe she missed out so much with these creatures! Oh, if she had only knew how playful they were!

She turned back with a wide smile, but it immediately faded at the sight of nothing. What was once a colorful backdrop of swimming creatures became an empty world of blue, which only left her frazzled. She glanced around in bewilderment, kicking her hooves and propelling herself forward as her eyes scanned the deep blue.

"Pinkie..."

At the sound of the menacing whisper, she turned around, letting out a bubbled gasp at the sight of a pony. He (she assumed it was a 'he', at least) was a translucent white, with a horn and, from what she could discern, folded wings at the side, which only surprised her more. On the contrary, his eyes, however, were a devilish red, which glowed with vivid yet terrifying brilliance once the pony glided closer to her.

Something told her this wasn't the pony that guided her up the shrine. No, this was a different specter; one whose intentions she believed were not for the greater good. She wanted to swim away, yet something... something was stranding her there!

"Move, Pinkie Pie!!" her mind screamed, her hoof trying its best to struggle, with no avail. As in response, the pony glided closer, his mouth opening to reveal a black emptiness that lingered inside; a darkness eating away the dappled sunlight shining from above. She jerked and tugged, forcing out wave after wave of bubbles through her mouth as she tried to scream for help.

"MOVE, CELESTIA DAMN IT!!" her mind yelled.

"JUST MOVE!! JUST MOVE YOUR BODY!! JUST MOVE YOUR--!!"

Suddenly, the pony's jaws snapped beyond its limit to reveal a spiraling vortex of darkness; a merciless black hole rushing to her at an incredible speed. The mangled, distorted face he possessed, along with his piercing red eyes, was the last thing she saw and screamed about, before she felt him sieving through her body, sifting through her as if she was never there. Her heart dropped to the bottom of her chest, her throat slammed back and forcing out all the air within her, her energy zapped to naught as she flipped backwards, the water rushing into her lungs.

Her vision faded into a blur, the last of the air bubbles escaping her mouth as she was finally let loose from the invisible bonds. Sinking to the bottom, all she could do was see the sunlight shining from above, with one single tune popping in a deranged echo that resembled a creaky gramophone from the back of her head.

"Weep not, little gypsy! You are not alone~!

Fear not, my child. You're going strong!

A life of solitude you have lived;

A forgotten heart you never retrieved!"

Somepony was singing it... a mare... a familiar voice. She couldn't tell if it was Selena or Dapple, but this voice...... it possessed the bubbly, outgoing personality that she had as well. But she couldn't have heard it before; she would've known if any of the caravan sung it! Yet... yet she was sure it was sung by somepony.

Somepony she knew.

"L'amour de ma vie, L'amour de ma vie;

The other that shares the pain!

L'amour de ma vie, L'amour de ma vie...!"

"The love of my life he remains..."

That was the last sentence Pinkie could think of, before blacking out.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Your eclair, mademoiselle."

"Thank you very much."

Rarity just glanced down at the food being delicately placed onto her table, licking her lips at the sight of her treat: two slices of fine, crispy bread sandwiching puffy whipped cream and topped with a glazing layer of glossy, scrumptious molten chocolate. It was something different from what she usually ordered, but she doesn't mind a sugary thing or two. After all, they did say chocolate can be good for one's skin.

Carefully, she sliced it with the tip of her knife like every mannered lady would, though the eager to have a little taste of it was too hard of an experience to resist. It was after a few bites and a dab with her napkin that she glanced around the restaurant, trying to spot her dinner partner amid the chatting crowd.

Spike had excused himself, once again heading to a restroom. His food, which were two pieces of toast sprinkled with shards of sapphires hoofpicked from her stash, had already been laid out before him, leaving it and the mare to only wait patiently for the dragon's return.

Aside from the overwhelming aftertaste of the eclair in her mouth, Rarity had only a glass of wine to savor, though it was much more of a bore to not have to share it with anypony, or any-dragon, for that matter. Strangely enough, the bottle of wine the waiter had picked was a brew from Palgiot's Finest; apparently one of the newer formulas, as the waiter had phrased it, the label being evident proof.

Axle 1645

"Still admiring the wine, I see."

She couldn't help but stifle a smile, turning towards Spike standing behind her chair, his head poking in just above her shoulder. Always a tease, that dragon, a part of her said. Just as Twilight mentioned.

"You should at least finish your toast, Spike," she replied.

"It's rather rude to keep a lady waiting."

The dragon just chuckled, his eyes apparently glinting with interest at the articulately cursive letters designed on the baroque label, right above an ink-sketched scenery of Pendant Lakes, with the once-standing palace drawn at the edge. Rarity could remember many things there, with most of them manifesting into the form of nightmares.

Axle was also a name worth remembering: he was the self-proclaimed Oracle of some strange, dysphoric dimension trapped in a box, or was it trapped in a box, she wasn't sure. What she could confirm is that the aforementioned stallion's grotesque mass of a form remained dormant, only deciding to pop out a few times in her dream state, and when he did... let's just say her mental health would deteriorate if this keeps going on.

"Anyways," Spike said, interrupting her thoughts as he himself sliced into his toast.

"Sweetie Belle wanted to mention something to you," he briefly paused to let Rarity's eyes widen in surprise, before continuing: "she told me it's something about your parents."

The dragon couldn't clearly see her response, though he could've sworn she flinched a little.

"What about them?" she asked, albeit hesitantly.

"Said they were coming back to visit you guys," he answered nonchalantly.

"They're quite the vacationers, right? Rarely saw them around in Ponyville."

"Good."

"Wha--?"

Spike almost lurched backward into his chair, fortunately catching himself at the last minute. He stared at her, unable to distinguish if she was sullen or just thinking, though he was a little uncertain of the answer to that question. Suddenly, she glanced his way, his back turning rigid and straight upwards like a poker the moment she did so, wearing a smile that only tossed him into confusion.

"It's good," Rarity spoke, still wearing her grin.

"I wanted your first meeting with them to be a surprise. They know quite a little about you, and you about them, but I'm sure if you had the chance to meet officially, you will expect surprising results."

The glee that she composed only left the dragon more bewildered than ever before, though he quickly dismissed his anxiety in a form of a sigh, crossing his arms and leaning back into his chair.

"Whatever you say, Rare," he responded.

"Didn't know you were fond of surprises..."

"I didn't say I wasn't. And please, stop calling me... 'Rare'. It sounds a little..."

"Little... little what?"

"Blunt."

"Well, you let Rainbow Dash call you that," Spike answered with a smirk.

"So why can't I do the same? I became Rainbow Dash once, y'know. At that time, you were going heads over heels for some, uh... large boulder, right?"

Rarity just shuddered. "Please don't remind me," she muttered.

Their conversation soon waned as quickly as their meal came to an end, and finally they rose from the seats, trying their best not to show their affections in front of all the ponies seated at the tables around them. Even the cashier raised an eyebrow at the sight of the two handing the bill, though Rarity's hiss of displeasure chased it off soon after.

"So much for lighting ponies on fire," Spike snickered once they were outside.

"Just when I thought you were getting fun..."

"You really don't think I meant it literally, do you?" the unicorn said with a sly grin.

"Plus, I can be fun in my own ways. You and I both know that."

Rarity couldn't help but wink, laughing almost a little too loudly when she saw Spike rolling his eyes. Reaching out her two hooves, she quickly clung onto his arm, glancing around the mediocre town square basking from the moonlight above and the iron street lamps aligned at every sidewalk. In the center of it all was a sculpture depicting ponies planting a flag: the formation of Equestria, as carved on the bronze plaque bolted into its marble pedestal. Surrounding them on all four sides were stone benches, one of which the two soon settled on to admire the scene.

She leaned against his shoulder, the dragon himself clutching her hoof as both eyes glanced up at the marveling sky of Luna's handiwork of constellations. It was surprising to be able to see some in the midst of civilization; usually they would have a journey to some cliff or Sweet Apple Acres even to have a look, but it seems the lights of Cirrus Deep are a merciful one at most.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

"It really is..." she answered the dragon.

Rarity's glance lowered towards her partner, though her eyes soon caught sight of a figure in the darkness. It was a pony, no doubt, wearing a black, raggedy cloak that shrouded him or her in the alleyways. Unfortunately for the pony, she spotted their light gray coat, the mane a darker hue, but what was more alluring were the eyes: a strange shade of indigo, luminescent and the size of blackberries.

She would've called Spike to look, but the pony raised a hoof to their mouth: a demand of silence. A gulp ran down her throat, and all Rarity could do was watch helplessly as the figure slid away from view, unnoticed by the dragon sitting right beside her.

"What is it?" he asked suddenly, following her gaze.

"What's wrong?"

Rarity's gaze was fixated onto that single spot, making sure that mysterious pony wouldn't suddenly jump out of nowhere. A part of her said whoever that pony was did not reserve the best of intentions for her and Spike, though something else was bothering her... a wave of nostalgia maybe?

"I thought I saw somepony..." she mustered the courage to answer.

"It's like I've seen her somewhere before, but... something was off..."

Spike glanced between the mare and the alleyway on the other side of the square. Eventually, he held back a sigh, asking the unicorn a question out of concern:

"You're sure it wasn't just your imagination?"

She couldn't answer or, at least, she didn't want to. The dragon felt her hoof clenching tighter onto his scaly arm, her eyes darting uneasily throughout the square as if it was Pendant Lakes all over again.

"Let's go," she spoke suddenly with a shiver, which was something Spike had seen before. It was trepidation; the fear she possessed when she had the birthday present from Mirror Mare; the fear when she had to face Janus at the final stage in Pendant Lakes; the fear that sustained in the form of nightmares, haunting her every time she falls into what would've been a comforting slumber.

"I don't know who that pony was..." Rarity began.

"But something tells me he or she would do more than watch the next time we meet."

Author's Note

Hope this chapter was worth the wait!! :twilightblush:

The Mare Of Cirrus Gorge

"Nope, miss. 'Fraid noth'n in the library could'elp ya with that."

"But there must be at least something about this, right?" Twilight protested, unconvinced. She waved in her hoof the late Professor Page's diary, its tattered, leather cover already starting to shed loose its yellowed, sand-ridden pages. The contents were nothing short of delusional, if not strange, what with its ancient inscriptions written in some sort of long-lost language she couldn't understand, to which she then consulted Cirrus Deep's library.

The librarian in front of her just shook his head, arranging his dusty spectacles with a sigh as he studied the text again. There's no mistake, Twilight recognized immediately some of the diverse languages that were inside, namely Old Equestrian, the ancient minotaurs' Cumarsáidean language, the cervines' Traditional Calligraphy, the Draconian Runic Script and the most numerous of them, Ancient Saddle Arabian.

The text both of them were pondering over, however, was something she had never seen before, as if some prankster just scrawled strange symbols and bothered to call it a language. They were an extraordinary array of complete circles, all written in red ink, yet all of them were decorated differently within.

There were some circles with only a single dot in the center, and others with a triangle or square, sometimes even both! There were some adorned with a cross, its lines poking out its circumference, while others remaining within the boundary or at least touching it. The more intriguing ones were the ones which had portions being shaded in, forming simple quarters to even diabolically vast, polka-dot patterned arrangements.

"M sorry, miss," the librarian finally said in defeat.

"None of them books ever mentioned such a language. It's either somepony think its witty to make someth'n up, or this writ'n's dead and no longer exists."

"A-Alright. Thanks anyway."

Disappointed, the lavender unicorn soon trotted out of the library with frayed diary in hoof, the ringing bell clearly signaling her departure. Another dead end, she told herself with a sigh; another lead that freezes up cold into the middle of nowhere and leaving her ever the more confused. It reminded her of the time she and Scootaloo tried their best to track down the Masque, though similarly with this diary, their search ended how they started: empty-hoofed.

At least she and Scootaloo spent some time together. The teenager was unsurprisingly the perfect carbon copy of her idol, Rainbow Dash, from her love of flying to the most recent discovery of her being an avid reader, having caught her reading a few novels while in their search for the Masque's origins. They had a few laughs and both even teased each other on having no coltfriends, which reminded her of how far she and Scootaloo had gone as friends.

She was already starting to miss her, as well as the rest of her family and friends and in particular, her nephew, Radiance. It's strange, to babysit the son of your babysitter, almost as if you're returning the favor she has given to you in all these years, but Twilight was extremely eager to pursue it if she happened upon the chance again.

Right now, she had to deal with the survey regarding the camp's situation and a supposedly dead language that the late professor had discovered. She was almost done with the former task; it was only a simple survey, after all. Just a cream puff compared to dead languages.

"Twilight, Twilight," she muttered to herself, shaking her head.

"One day you've got to just sit back and relax..."

Slowly but surely, the unicorn trotted out of the town of Cirrus Deep, up the hillside and back into the cluster of tents that is Camp Éigríochtar. As always, soldiers were scrambling about, tending to their weapons and armor as well as their stomachs even. Some of them gave her a wave, having known of her origins, to which she tried her best to do the same in return. She didn't mind their greetings, really; it just feels awkward to be around so many soldiers at once, as if there was actually true danger around them like a panther lying in wait for the best time to pounce on its prey. Perhaps this was how Shining felt when he first stepped into the Canterlot Barracks, she surmised.

Her eyes soon caught Rarity and Spike among the fray, along with the gryphon captain of the camp, Kynsi Alsenaar. It was embarrassing to have a name like Kynsi, though the gryphon assured her it was a nickname: his real name was Teräviä Kynsiä an ceathrú Alsenaar, shortened to Kynsi only for ponykind's sake. Being one of many generals sent by the gryphon kingdom, with their colorful history in warfare and such and his own numerous telltale scars, it's expected for him to be experienced in combat than any of them combined.

As she got closer, however, she soon spotted another pony being with them; a local, no doubt. His aquamarine eyes were squinting down onto a piece of parchment on the table, to which Twilight recognized it was the diary entry that she gave to her friend. Something about bleeding foxes and woodpeckers, if she remembered correctly.

"Twilight!" Spike called to her, apparently noticing her approaching. The lavender mare gave a meek wave at the four pair of staring eyes, warmly welcoming her to join them to which she earnestly did so. She seated herself quietly, watching as their attention turned to that of the aforementioned paper; one that the local pony was studying.

"Just thought somepony here could help us," Rarity explained after seeing her friend's inquiring expression.

"We are in the north, after all. Wouldn't be surprised if anypony here knows what this riddle means."

"You know this is confidential, right?"

"We need all the help we can get, Twi," Spike spoke up in her defense.

"Princess Celestia would've wanted us to do this. It'll be one step closer to finding out what Janus and his cronies wanted with Professor Page's work."

Twilight just sighed. "You've got a point."

The old colt pondering over the page soon shook his head, with his reward being disappointed expressions from the rest of them, to which he responded with a chuckle.

"I tr'ad m'a best," he said with a sheepish smile.

"Someth'n my eyes never seen b'fore. Ye sure t'is an Equestrian riddle?"

"It's translated from an Old Iolaric script, from the old gryphon ruins," the lavender mare explained.

"Professor Page mentioned somewhere about it being relevant to his findings in Saddle Arabia."

"Aye, Iolaric..." Captain Alsenaar let out a gruff sigh.

"Ancient gryphon. Really a pain in d'beak! Even for us gryphon scholars! Aye, those times, poetry was like squally'n in the bars. All 'ose bards back then crow only their sagas in song... remembered lots of 'em, back in the day."

"So have you heard of this riddle before then?" Rarity asked.

"It is, after all, in your native language."

"But it ain't anything I heard before," the gryphon said, scanning through a faded photo of the untranslated text carved intricately into a stone tablet on the opposite page.

"Chun a shásamh an tart madadh rua gcaillfidís fola... to quench the thirst of a bleeding fox... noth'n about that back home."

Twilight sighed, her head pondering over such an abstract riddle. There wasn't any such writing in Equestria, not even in Old Equestrian; there were only translations of it, but from where exactly, she has no idea. One thing's for sure, even a citizen from the prosperous literature background of the Highlands claimed it wasn't from them, but if so, where did they get it from? Was it from scriptures written in the dead language she encountered previously?

"Is there anypony else in Cirrus Deep that can help?" she asked the resident.

"Anypony that knows these kinds of things?"

"There is 'un..."

"Who is it?"

"The mare of Cirrus Gorge."

The colt shuddered at the mention of the mare so much that his ashen-white beard swiveled like a broom. His voice flattened, lowering into a raspy whisper as he leaned closer into the group, prompting the rest to do the same, their shadows combining underneath the afternoon sun.

"Th'say she's from the ends of Equestria, bearing knowledge never seen b'fore in these parts; knowledge forbidden, like some black magic. Her home lies at the end of Cirrus Gorge, the ravine just r'aht behind town. Ponies always see her lurkin' round in the night, w'rin a cloak to hide 'erself. Ye might see her if you were walk'n 'bout Cirrus Deep at night. Gray coat, darker gray mane and tail, and--"

"Purple eyes..."

All eyes turned to a visibly shocked Rarity, who just stared wide-eyed at everypony, particularly Spike himself. The dragon just wore a grave expression, turning to the rest of the group.

"Rarity told me last night she saw somepony in the dark," he said, voice sharp.

"Somepony that completely fits that description; somepony we believed might not be on our side."

"That's yer mare alright. Mysterious'un, eh?"

"But whoever this mare is might know what this means," Twilight affirmed, waving the diary in the air.

"Who knows? It might be like facing Zecora again. Rarity, you know how we misunderstood her for some dark creature practicing black magic to spread some plague in Ponyville now, do you?"

"Quite true..."

"So what are the odds that this pony is harmless as well?" she continued.

"Friend or foe, we'll have to discover the truth ourselves. If she has that much knowledge of the unknown as he," she pointed at the colt, who flinched a little, "had said, we must find out if she could help us."

"T'is your choice, lass," Captain Alsenaar said with a sigh.

"But ye best be careful. I trust yer judgement, but it don't mean there ain't nothin' in the gorge that can swipe you up faster than a minotaur charg'n with two heads worth of anger in its addl'd mind."

Twilight nodded, glancing down at the forbidden riddle scrawled on the table. If anything, she figured that Zecora would know the answer to this, and to have somepony similar up in the north somehow only eased things a little. Just by a little. The pony they had planned to meet was a total stranger; who knows if her intentions were for the better? What if she was actually one of Janus's followers?

"Calm down, Twilight," she told herself, kicking all her uncertain thoughts away.

"Who knows? Maybe this 'Mare of Cirrus Gorge' might be much more harmless than you think. Maybe she... maybe she just needs a little bit of company to cheer her up..."

She could only hope in all her heart that she was right.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"...nkie..."

She heard a merry-go-round

"...nk... ie..."

A merry-go-round, its organ faded and antiquate, echoing all around the boundaries of her head.

"ke... inki..."

The hollow wind blew around her like the insides of a flute, but as she glided closer, the sounds in the distance grew clearer. Fuzzy lights danced before her eyes, telling her, pleading her... come closer... come closer... The voices in her head calmly spoke to comply their needs. Go towards it, they said. Towards the light.

The clusters of luminous orbs seemed to split apart, dancing only when she was close enough. How close she was to the merry-go-round, she could not tell; all she could get about her distance from it was the music: a cacophony of accordions, tambourines and trumpets galore, all smashed up into a quirky ensemble. It made her felt happy, as if she was smiling, yet she could feel something wet crawl down her cheeks... a tear? Was she crying?

"...inkie P..."

Pinkie's ears twitched at the faint echo of something else; a whisper compared to the warped, blaring music that was ringing her mind senseless. It was a voice, quaintly soft and supple like a gentle feather of a swan tickling the hairs on her skin. She strained both ears and eyes, traipsing dazedly in the darkness towards the shimmering lights, drawing her in closer and closer.

Then she saw her: a mare of lime-green, dancing in a brown frilled dress with her moss-green tail flicking about fervently along. She was standing on two hooves, clapping a halo of glistening bells with a gleeful smile as she swung her braided mane about, though she stopped immediately once she spotted the pink mare, instead giving a wave as she opened her mouth.

"Pinkie Pie!"

"H-Huh? What?"

The dancing lights and the cheerful mare was gone, leaving in place instead the concerned face of Phoenix Mellow sitting at the other end of the room.... wait.

Pinkie's blue eyes darted about in confusion, trying to figure out where she was. Instead of the caravan's bunk bed, she was in a single mattress and instead of the wooden walls of the caravan, she was facing one coated in a flowery yet dull-colored wallpaper. The rays of the afternoon pierced through the window by her bed, and as she glanced aside, she gasped in surprise when she saw a cobblestone pathway outside, with a group of fillies playing hopscotch, skipping across the chalk-drawn squares with giggles from their mouths.

"We..." she stuttered in disbelief.

"We're in... we're--"

"In Valewood, yes."

"But how?" Pinkie asked, still in denial.

"We... w-w-we were at the lake just moments ago!! All of us w-went to have a swim--"

"And you almost drowned."

Phoenix's expression was nothing short of indignant, his eyes flatly staring directly at her, making her cringe in her sheets. If anything, he seemed a little angered as well, yet somehow he still maintained his composure and haven't burst out into her face. Yet.

"You're Celestia-damned lucky that we spotted you in time," he continued, his scowl turning grimmer.

"One second later, we might've lost you, and you know what I said about staying safe, right Pinkie?"

The mare just nodded quietly, the weight of guilt tugging her flesh from within, almost as if shrinking her in comparison to the unofficial leader of the caravan. It was a top priority for any of them to not do anything dangerous, and although she didn't want to drown intentionally, how he said it seemed like mockery, yet she brushed it off.

"Th-thank you," she managed to stammer.

"For saving me and all..."

"It's not me you have to thank."

Phoenix flicked out his pipe, the stress already reaching his head as he let out a smoke-filled sigh, his eyes closing and letting the fumes seep into his mind. It was calming of a sensation to experience; to alleviate all the worries away, yet it still only met a frown from Pinkie.

"Brutus was the one that rescued you," he continued as he lowered his pipe.

"He was the only one who noticed you were not surfacing."

Wait, what?

Pinkie couldn't believe her ears. Of all the members of the caravan, it was Brutus who came to save her? He was the one she was least acquainted with, and the one she secretly found slightly uncomfortable to be around, but for the minotaur to save her?

"I know you like to have fun and all, Pinkie," Phoenix continued.

"Yet you know you can't get carried away like that."

"B-But it wasn't my fault!" she protested.

"There was this... this pony! He tried to get me! He trapped me there! HE TRIED TO KILL ME, PHOENIX!! WHY WON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"

"Pinkie, just clear your mind for a second--"

"SOMEPONY'S AFTER ME, PHOENIX!!" she screamed suddenly, the other pony recoiling from it.

"SOMEPONY'S HUNTING ME DOWN, AND NONE OF YOU EVEN CARED!! SO YOU THINK THE CARAVAN'S BETTER OFF WITH ME GONE NOW, HUH? SO YOU THINK YOU GUYS WOULD WANT TO SEE ME DIE?!!"

It was then that Pinkie widened her eyes in realization at her harsh tone and peaking volume, covering her mouth with both her hooves in shock at her sudden tantrum.

"I-I'm sorry..." she stammered at the visibly-shocked Phoenix.

"I... I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright," the stallion assured, much to her surprise.

"I would've done the same if I were you. But just because there's somepony hunting you down doesn't mean that we can't do anything about it. You're part of the caravan too, Pinkie. Remember that: you're one of us. Even if we don't know who's coming after you, we're going to try our very best to make sure he or she wouldn't get you, got that?"

Pinkie scrunched her eyes shut, the tears squirming through her eyelids. With a quiet sigh, Phoenix rose from the chair, heart sinking once the mare let out a few sniffles; the ones he knew he could not console even if he tried. Strutting towards the door, he turned back one last time towards the mare, his expression somber.

"When you're ready, come down to the lobby," was what he said.

"We'll all be waiting there once you're done."

Without a minute to waste, Phoenix stepped out, silently shutting the door behind him before turning to face the corridor. A part of him knew it was wrong to leave her like this, yet she needed time by herself, and this time especially she needed it badly.

He stopped at the sound of muffled shrieking right behind, followed by a clatter of wood and a shatter of glass; no doubt the extreme rage of Pinkie Pie that resided within, building up from her anxieties for so long now. Already some heads were poking out doors, though they quickly shirk back in, obviously not wanting to get themselves involved. The need to calm her down grew once those shouts were reduced into loud, wailing sobs, and however painful and remorseful it was to leave her like that, he forced himself forward, not wanting to give a glance back.

The sight of the caravan gathered in the lobby was one for sore eyes and a troubled heart, with some of them welcoming him back in with a small wave. He seated himself right next to Velvet, letting out all his worries for Pinkie out in a sigh, which unfortunately the rest of them noticed easily.

"Is she alright?" Velvet asked the simple yet tough question, to which Phoenix answered hastily, albeit with a little hesitation:

"She's fine."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Just stay perfectly calm..."

Harmony Peridot stifled a small grin at the sight of a syringe piercing into her skin, its murky contents swirling into her veins and making her sigh with relief as if it was an aphrodisiac instead of an antiseptic. She could feel her hooves tingle and turning slightly numb, the flurry of sensations dancing in her head making her swoon. A part of her knew it wouldn't help out in her condition, with so many open wounds and all, though she didn't bother really.

Caduceus could only raise an eyebrow at her smile. Normally, ponies with that much bleeding scars on her body should be at least wincing from the stinging pain of the subterranean dust landing onto their severed skin, though she was practically humming a tune happily in the darkness! It was his idea, to tend to Harmony's wounds, seeing how she could be a worthy ally to have in such a desolate place. At least, she seemed like an ally.

They were in one of the many cells of the asylum, holing up within for the night. Already, Stellar had laid out the sleeping bags just right beside a ripped cushion, to which he flattened it out for their new companion to sleep in. The lantern in the center of the room flickered from the cold air, casting colossal, grotesque shadows on the cracking walls that dance effortlessly yet subtly, reminding them of the horrors that might lurk outside. It was with that in mind that Stellar volunteered for night-guard duty, though it's mostly for making sure Harmony doesn't do anything devious in their sleep.

Neither he or Caduceus had bothered to ask Harmony the one important question: why was she still here? They knew if Janus's sword plunging into her chest didn't kill her, then the dastardly long fall from the balcony of Palgiot Palace down to who knows where would. Even if she did, the injuries she was possessing right now could, as the doctor of the group said, kill her off in a mere two minutes! To think that she was alive and roaming about the ruins for a year...

"Should I clean the wound, Miss Peridot?"

"It's not necessary," she replied softly.

"I appreciate your offer; really, I do, but your efforts would've been pointless. Trust me."

Stellar just scowled. Trust her? Trust the pony that made Pendant Lakes what it was today? Of all the ponies in the world that he could trust, it must be her? Not even when the fate of Equestria depends on it; he would rather see the Princesses fall from their glory than to trust her.

Caduceus was the more lenient one when it comes to trust. After all, the doctor did tend to her wounds even after he advised him not to, adding that if she could survive a treacherous fall, she would survive from all her bleeding lacerations as well. Then again, he was always one prone to sympathy, even in his youth: he could still remember the time when Caduceus was fighting back a few bullies from a pony; one that eventually became one of their closest friends: Sidus Sirenheart.

"But are you sure you'll be alright?"

"Why don't you ask yourself?" the mare replied slyly, much to Caduceus's annoyance.

"You're a doctor, after all."

"Enough."

Stellar's voice snapped their attention to him, watching him as he stood up and strode back to them after closing the cell door. Hastily, he unsheathed the Patriarch's rapier and raising it up, its tip pointing towards the mare's chest, bandaged even before their arrival. Caduceus could only watch in horror at his friend's actions, though Harmony herself just looked on in amusement, her flickering eyes taunting him as if to do it.

"Explain," the colt griped, twisting the blade a little, though it only made her snicker.

"Tell us how the heck you're still walking and not rotting underneath some rocks."

"Stellar, please!" Caduceus protested.

"There are more reasonable ways to deal with--"

"You know better than to trust her, Brineheart!" he yelled, turning to his friend.

"Need I remind you she was responsible for the demise of Pendant Lakes? She turned against all of the Voyagers, Caduceus!" he turned back to the mare, gritting his teeth, "who's to say she wouldn't betray us as well, just like she betrayed Sir Winter Palgiot?"

At the mention of the Patriarch, Harmony's smirk turned into a glower, her venomous gaze steeling onto the former butler that once served the prestigious, now-defunct family. In response, Stellar himself returned the glare, the flames of fury between them reaching a boiling point.

"You really think I intend Winter to die, do you?" she hissed.

"You were there, Stellar. You saw me apologizing to Pinkie Pie. You saw me fighting Janus! He was the pony orchestrating everything, and you say that I was the one that brought down Pendant Lakes?"

"You could've refused!" he shot back.

"Yet you let Janus in! You let the enemy in! If it wasn't for you--"

"If it wasn't for me, what?!"

"Winter would still be alive! The Palgiot lineage should've carry on--!"

"JANUS WOULD STILL FIND A WAY TO DESTROY IT!!"

Harmony was already on all four of her hooves; any further, she would've actually smacked the old colt. Her furious panting slowed down to a halt, the closing wounds around her body bursting open once more from the pressure, once again forming rivulets of blood streaming down her body, the gruesome sight prompting Caduceus to reach desperately for a bandage in his satchel.

"All you care about is the Palgiot family, Stellar Lionheart," she spat.

"Palgiot this and Palgiot that. Just that bucking name over and over. Don't you realize it? Oh, how the Palgiots would've lived on if Janus hadn't interfered, or maybe how the Palgiots would've prospered if the Princesses hadn't sent us Voyagers here. Well, it's about time you wake up and realize that the extinction of one whole family means nothing to Janus. He's here for something else; something that he destroyed Pendant Lakes for."

Stellar would've lashed back at her, yet what she said was true; his head had been focusing on the possibilities and the endeavors the Palgiots could achieve if they were still here, seeing how they were always one step ahead of everypony else. It was a trait he himself had admired the family for, the Palgiot family's progress in the modern industry and technology, though it seems even those who move too quick would die out sooner or later.

"Now he's waging a war against the Princesses," Harmony continued.

"He's bringing what happened in Pendant Lakes to the rest of Equestria, and I intend to stop it. Would you say then, that I'm on your side? Or are you still stuck in delusions of the past, just like how Sidus was when Sicarius Nox was abolished?"

"She has a point, Stellar," Caduceus spoke up finally, his friend's expression turning sullen.

"This isn't about avenging the Palgiots. It's about stopping Janus before he turns the rest of Equestria into what Pendant Lakes is now."

Silence momentarily filled the air; one of cold, merciless dread as the eyes of Harmony and Caduceus were set upon Stellar Lionheart. His head was trenched up in turmoil, as if he was caught in a mesh of spiderwebs, yet no matter how hard he clawed to find an alternative answer, there was only one that could rescue him.

"Fine," the colt said breathlessly.

"But there's one thing I have to ask: why are you still alive?"

At that point, the pink mare just wore a smile that could rival the stitched one on the mask that she once wore. She stepped forward, the tip of the Patriarch's rapier already scratching into the bandages on her chest and, with a small giggle, she spoke softly:

"Who said I was alive?"

The faces of both colts paled once she stepped forward earnestly, the tip of the blade sinking effortlessly into her bandaged chest. Stellar almost tumbled back in horror at the sight, his hoof frozen just as Harmony slid closer, the sound of metal slicing -- more like bursting -- through flesh resounding throughout the room. Waterfalls of blood were spewing our from her back like a leaking pipe, yet still she moved forward.

They had expected her to scream already, though the blade seamlessly running through her only made her laughs louder. Out of terror, Stellar let loose the blade from his hooves, yet Harmony continued pushing it through, until suddenly there was a resounding clatter on the ground: the rapier had completely went through her body.

With a sigh of relief, Harmony then started unwrapping her stained bandages, ignoring the staring eyes of both colts, their gazes switching between her and and the Patriarch's rapier, completely red with blood from the hilt to the tip of the blade in its morbid journey. It wasn't until she finished unwrapped the bandages that the truth came to light.

In place of what would've been her heart, there was a giant, empty cavity; a circular gap accessible from both sides, almost as if somepony plunged a hoof into her chest and pulled her heart out. Caduceus's throat lurched once he knelt down at the hole, clamping his mouth at the smell of rotting flesh and blood profusely spurting from the insides. He could see Stellar on the other side, who had almost tumbled back against the wall, visibly trembling at the sight.

"I'm sure you've said at some point in your life that I was a heartless pony, Stellar Lionheart," she muttered solemnly, as if she was disheartened by their revelation. She soon shot a glare to the former butler as she strode away from them, though it was a weak one: there wasn't a hardened gaze, only pupils shimmering with tears.

Tears of lost hope, made more palpable from the croak in her voice as she snarled hatefully:

"I hope you're happy with what you saw."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Twilight sighed.

There she was, with the mare-and-dragon couple, Spike and Rarity, facing the cavernous opening into the desolate Cirrus Gorge. It was a giant fissure cutting through a barren plateau, the rickety, zigzagged path teeming with murky clouds of fog as if they were being spewed out like geysers from the numerous small cracks in the ground. Aside from the cracks were the littered rocks, chipped off from the crumbling, steep walls beside them, leering treacherously over them and warning them of the many dangers that could catch them.

Some of the walls were parting, revealing pathways admissible only for the thinnest piece of paper to enter. There were larger, ruptured ones, yet those could only let in a hoof or, in Spike's case, a paw. Apart from that, the only other interesting sight to see were the dead trees on the path and staring maliciously from above, their forking branches reaching out towards them in a crudely fashion that reminded them of a certain dark forest not too far from home.

"Just like Zecora?" Spike remarked with a shrug.

"Yep," the librarian replied with a faltering laugh.

"Just like Zecora."

They trotted through a few bent turns, their eyes warily gazing at their surroundings. The air was filled with the gloomy echo of the wind, its whispers warning them to not wander into the depths any longer, yet their cries of persistence in their heads overwhelmed any of that. Sure enough, both unicorns' horns started to light up as the fog thickens around them, feeling the damp beads of moisture gathering underneath their snouts. Even Spike's scales rustled in the wind, sending a chilling sensation down his spine.

The clouds overhead were a melancholic gray, almost as if Celestia's sun had decided to shield its eyes from the desolate view below. Rarity glanced up at the sky, her mood almost matching it as the first drops of rain landed on her cheek, to which she could only respond with a disgruntled sigh.

"Rain..." her thoughts cursed.

"It always has to be rain..."

Pitter patter the drops went, soaking the rocky floor as a slight drizzle picked up. With a swirl of her magic, Twilight grunted, her horn shooting out a purplish dome overhead, shielding them all from the rain. Steadily they marched onward, traversing the deep crevasse towards their destination, which they had yet to figure out.

"She couldn't possibly be living that deep in the gorge!" Rarity cried, raising her voice above the growing cacophony of needle-like raindrops hailing on them like arrows assaulting the barrier.

A clap of thunder shunned them to silence, though it was the least of their worries. Twilight bit her lip at the raging storm, her heart sinking at the sight of lightning flashing above. Whatever weather-pony that made this hellish storm really deserves a kick in the flank, she told herself.

"We're almost there..." she shouted back to the rest, squinting her eyes in the horizon.

"I... I think I see it..."

"Look out!"

Spike was a second too late; in a literal flash, a bolt of lightning struck the barrier, smashing it wide open with a resounding boom and sending each of them flying away, with the dragon slamming against the chasm walls.

Everything that happened next was a blur; the echoing rain mockingly dripping onto his back, the mud puddle his cheeks were submerged in, and the sound of rumbling in the distance, the latter of which jolted him awake. With a grunt, he rubbed his aching head, looking around him through his eyes, obscured by the rain and his hazy recovery.

"SPIKE!!"

The mention of his name jerked his senses back into action, his face paling at the sight of Rarity crawling away from a rushing wave of mud, uprooting dead trees and swallowing giant boulders. Without a second to spare, he sprung into action, running across the wide canyon towards the fearful mare.

Twilight was stumbling to her hooves behind him, her horn blackened from the magic with two hooves planted firmly on her head, no doubt aching from the ringing of the earlier explosion. Recovering from her daze, she watched with wide eyes at the charging mudslide, her jaw dropping out of horror at her friend trying her best to sprawl away from it.

Rarity could only wince in pain at her hoof, bruised black with a stinging pain within. She turned back, swallowing with eyes wide open at the rampaging tide of filth and dirt scrambling towards her like a pack of Timberwolves scavenging for food. It was merciless, tearing through the chasm as if it was from a broken dam and engulfing every standing object in its way, and now it's coming for her.

All she could do was close her eyes, sniffling with something crawling down her face, whether it was a tear or the flurry of raindrops falling from above, she doesn't know. She scrunch her lips, accidentally biting the frayed hairs of her mane as she did so, waiting, wishing that it would end soon; waiting for it to hit her.

With a slam, the mare was sent tumbling backwards, grappling with the need to breathe as she swam up for air, rubbing the mud off her nostrils. She gasped and gasped, panting and wheezing as she pushed against its torrential force, though a brief sensation of relief came over her when she saw a purple figure wading frantically towards her in the distance.

"Rarity!" came the dragon's voice, just as she gripped onto a tree trunk, the rotting plant too stubborn to detach its roots and be swept away like the rest of its kind. With a grunt, Rarity heaved herself up, assaulted by rain, mud and exhaustion like never before as she waved at Spike, watching him clambering over towards her. Twilight, on the other hoof, was on the plateau, her magic tugging powerfully on a rope tied around the dragon's waist as she fought against the ravaging forces that would've swept him away.

A brief snap of the branch cracked through the air, and in one horrific second, Rarity screamed as gravity pulled her back down with a splash, sending her underwater to be pelted by rushing debris. She managed to swim up to breathe, coughing heavily as she hustled against the rushing current.

"S-Spike!" she screamed one last time, just as her weakening hooves started to tremble. With one more mighty lunge of the wave, she was sent underwater once again, though this time the strength to swim back up was nonexistent. The brown, murky view that met her made her eyes sting from the pellets of dirt, the foul mix gushing down her throat, her stomach gurgling in response. Rarity thrashed around, struggling to swim back up, though something latched around her hoof, pulling her up to see...

"JUST HOLD ON!!"

"Spike!" she managed to cry amid her coughing, ridding her mouth from the derisive taste.

The dragon was jerking her back up as hard as he could, yet the force of the waves kept pushing onward, leading them closer to the edge of a ravine. Even Twilight was having a hard time pulling them back, and as the waves and rain kept pushing them forward, Rarity let out a yelp as one of his claws slipped its grip.

"I-I... I can't hold on any longer!!" she screamed.

"It's too strong!!"

"Don't you dare let go, Rarity!" Spike shouted, looking at her dead in the eye.

"If you let go, I'll... I'll...... I'll never forgive you!!"

Rarity just gawked in silence at his words, though there wasn't time for her to reply: the waves are getting stronger and faster, and with every passing second their combined efforts seemed in vain.

"You can't die here!" the dragon continued, tears forming in his eyes.

"Y-You just can't...!"

"Over here!"

The couple turned in surprise at the sight of a pony standing over them, her appearance a silhouette underneath the flashing skies. She reached out a hoof towards Spike, who accepted it eagerly and, in return, pulled Rarity out from the rushing mud and onto some sort of raft.

"Quickly now!" she shouted, understandably impatient.

"You want to live or what?"

Once they managed to clamber up, the pony swung a lasso onto a nearby rock and, with the help of Spike, she pulled the raft towards what seemed to be another path somehow completely unaffected by the raging waves. Rarity watched as Twilight galloped across the plateau in the horizon with the rope in her teeth, wearing an expression of relief and surprise at the sight of their savior.

Soon enough, the rowing came to a halt, and Spike and Rarity climbed down from the raft to see a house standing in the middle of a bowled valley. It looked derelict and wobbly, as if built by a bunch of wooden sticks stacked together, though the sight of warm, flickering light from the windows was enough to welcome them in. With a sigh of relief, Spike gave the whimpering mare a tight hug, gritting his teeth at the near-loss of his marefriend.

"Celestia, I thought I was going to lose you..." he stammered, almost on the verge of tears.

Rarity just clenched her eyes shut, sobbing quietly at her ordeal, her head buried in his scaly chest. Both of them wanted to just collapse on the floor and cry in the rain, yet the cloaked mare was already climbing up the porch, unlocking the door and, fortunately, ushering them inside warmly.

With a pop of magic, Twilight zapped herself towards them from the plateau, galloping towards the couple and giving them another hug, laughing quietly with relief as they hastily marched inside the house, the owner of which closing the door behind them. She really had nothing to say about whatever that just happened, only saving a large 'thank you' for the mare that helped them. It was by sheer luck she was living here, almost as if she were...

"What are you ponies doing out here?!"

All three of them shunned in silence at the mare, to which Rarity could only gasp at the pallid, lilac eyes; the same ones that she had seen last night. She tugged Spike's claw, though the dragon already knew who she was without even the slightest mention of it. Her mind echoed the local's words: gray coat, darker gray mane and tail, and (from her inadvertent interruption) purple eyes.

"W-We..." Twilight began.

"We were here to--"

"Do you know how dangerous Cirrus Gorge is with all this rain?!" the mare continued her reprimand. Apparently, despite having that aura of mystery and suspense around the local town that could outmatch Zecora's even, she certainly did not possess the zebra's temperate patience.

"Had I came any later, neither of you would ever hear a single soul again!!"

That was harsh, the unicorn thought to herself, glancing uncertainly at her friends. Neither could give a response they deem perfect, only staring as the mare scrambled about her living room. She tossed her keys onto the table, handing them towels to wipe their dripping-wet manes and sure enough, kicked more chunks of wood into the burning fireplace, the radiating warmth immediately flushing throughout the small room.

"L-Listen..." Twilight tried again, just as Spike's curiosity was piqued by the living room's rather odd trinkets.

"We're here to look for you--"

"What do you want from me?"

The mare removed her cloak, tossing it into a basket while she started wiping her drenched and flat dark gray mane with one of her coarser towels. Kicking more wood into the fireplace with a crackle, she struck a match against the wooden walls, lighting up one of the hanging oil-lamps around the room and illuminating a little of her face.

She turned back to Twilight, though with the glowing light from the lamp brightening up the room it wasn't long before she widened her eyes, disbelief having swept over her. With that, the gray mare crept closer, mouth gaping wider, the sight of which only made both unicorns nervous.

"It... it can't be..." she muttered, her voice softening.

"Y-You... you are... you're Twili-"

"Twilight Sparkle, yes," the said mare finished her sentence hastily.

"I was wondering if you could help us on something, for the sake of Equestria, Miss--"

"Twilight!"

The unicorn turned at the dragon's mention of her name and was about to scold him sternly once again but stopped short at his shocked expression, his claws holding up a rectangular portrait of three laughing fillies in a tight group hug. There was a younger version of the mare herself, another mare that shared the same coat and mane colors, although reversed, though the one in the center... she was the one that made all of their jaws drop.

"Th-That's..." Rarity stammered with a gulp.

"That's Pinkie Pie!"

Twilight could only nod in response, unable to believe her eyes.

"But if she's Pinkie Pie," she began, the conclusion she came to blowing up in her head.

"Wouldn't that mean..."

All eyes turned to the mare of Cirrus Gorge; the one who had shied away on her couch, her mane draping over one of her purple, shimmering pupils. She let out a quivering sigh at their revelation, holding back her tears as she raised her head, flinging her mane to the side.

"Yes," she answered them somberly.

"I'm her younger sister..."

"Inkie Pie."

Author's Note

DUHN, DUHN, DUHHNNNN!!!!

:twilightblush:
Really wanted to do that!

Burn Thy Body, Free Thy Mind

"But would she mind if I read them? Y-You know how she is with books and all..."

"Of course, Scootaloo," Fluttershy replied earnestly, wearing a grin.

"Twilight may be a little bit precarious when it comes to books, but she would be extra delighted for you to read some of her books. She always was!"

The orange filly nearly jumped with a gasp of glee on her face, though she held herself back at the last minute once Fluttershy let out a chuckle at her over-enthusiasm. Sheepishly, Scootaloo let out a meek 'thank you', slowly backing away until she reached the door, to which she quickly zipped out from.

She didn't know what happened to Scootaloo in the past few weeks they were in Canterlot, but the notoriety and what the yellow pegasus put as crude behavior was all but gone. What was even more surprising was that she was spending a lot of time with Twilight -- the last mare Scootaloo was expected to be with -- these days, which seemed like a good thing, considering the change of behavior that came with it. How Twilight convinced the teenager to do so was more of a mystery; she herself couldn't think of a way to change Scootaloo for the better, and for her friend who has completely no idea on foalsitting (counting out Spike and recently, Radiance), it was nothing short of impressive.

With a bemused sigh, she gathered the librarian's unkempt array of notes together, stacking them neatly along with the many books and dictionaries on the table; the result of their owner being absent and currently residing in the far north. The news of Twilight, Rarity and Spike's temporary sojourn to some small town was slightly abrupt to them, especially for the now disappointed Sweetie Belle, who wanted her sister to be there for tomorrow's round in the singing competition. Applejack had been trying her best to cheer her up, though even that wasn't enough to lift her spirits.

Otherwise, life went on as usual for them. There wasn't anything alarming ever since the recent attempted assassination of Rarity and Spike. Despite that, the Princesses, working with Shining Armor and Fancypants, were still stringent with the law all around Equestria, wanting to prevent the next bomb attack before it could happen; the calm before the storm.

A knock on the door spurred her to turn around, the sight of a dismal Rainbow Dash floating there with a forced smile slightly surprising her. It has been a while since the two old friends talked, and Fluttershy could understand why: the events of the dispute between rainbow-maned pegasus and a certain draconequus, and the resulting lawsuit that she had to suffer as a result. Again, Fluttershy never blamed her friend for separating Amber Rose from her, though it seems Rainbow had already did so.

"H-Hey, Flutters," she stammered, settling uneasily onto a chair.

"Can we talk for a minute? Please?"

"Sure."

Within a second, Fluttershy settled down right across her, obviously a little more comfort and relieved at having her company than her friend. She always hoped that Rainbow would come here to talk about how her flying was like in the past, or maybe even to get tips about taking care of her newborn twin daughters, but she knew all along, ever since that night, that it would never be the case.

"Amber's fine, just to let you know," the cyan mare spoke.

"I know," came the meek reply, along with the giggle.

"Mac told me this morning when he came to ask me on making oatmeal for her. He's a really good cook, though he just couldn't get the ounces of milk right."

Both of them laughed quietly, though it was quick to die down, leaving Rainbow to stare out the window and Fluttershy to just reminisce about her and Big Mac's time together before their marriage. How long has it been, since the nightmarish incident of her snapping one day in her cottage to the point where the stallion pledged to keep her company? Having reserved feelings for each other for so long now ever since Applejack first introduced her to the stallion after she moved from Cloudsdale, it wasn't a surprise that they were bound to share their first kiss, the only strange thing about it was the day it happened: Nightmare Night.

"What about you and Soarin'?" she asked.

"Are the both of you alright... if you don't mind me asking?"

"We're good," Rainbow answered, smiling still at her friend's timidity.

"He's a little rough on the patch when it comes to changing Firefly and Mayfly's diapers. Said something along the lines of working at the weather factory was way easier of a job than this. Sometimes, he really, really just gets on my nerves..."

Fluttershy couldn't help but let out a giggle.

"And?" she asked.

"How are the twins doing?"

"They're doing great," she exclaimed happily with a cheerful grin. For once, Rainbow Dash was overjoyed about something else other than pulling off her signature move, the Sonic Rainboom, the thought of which made Fluttershy chuckle in amusement.

"I think Firefly's learning a few words already! Like that one time, she suddenly just called me 'Mama' out of the blue! She called me her mother, Fluttershy! I was so excited that I just had to ask Soarin' to try it out! Betting he's still trying on the 'Dada' part with the two. You should've seen it: he looks so funny when he's frustrated! I can't believe it, how fast they're learning!"

"I'm glad to hear that, Rainbow," Fluttershy replied, smiling at her friend's progress in being a mother.

"The same thing happened to Macintosh and I, actually. Amber was a fast learner as well, it seems!"

At the mention of Amber Rose, Rainbow's grin started to falter, her face returning to the gloomy, bleak state that she wore when she stepped into the library. Eventually, silence enraptured the room, the tension between both pegasi re-igniting once again, though this time there was no rage, only sorrow. Both pegasi just looked down, their vexation of the other mare palpable through their biting lips with the desire to speak, yet they could not.

Fluttershy's breathing tensed abruptly, glancing up when she heard a sniffle from her friend, the qualms of guilt no doubt overwhelming the usually hard-headed, proud pegasus. She knew there'll come the time that this would eventually happen, just as much as she knew she couldn't have prepared for it.

"I'm sorry..." Rainbow apologized suddenly, hiding her face from her friend's view.

"I'm s-sorry..."

"Shh..." the butter-colored pegasus lifted her friend's face, cheeks already trickling with tears.

"I don't blame you, alright? You were just trying to protect Firefly and Mayfly--"

"B-but... but it just isn't fair!!"

Rainbow stomped a single hoof on the table with such force that it made the mugs of stationery, a few of the thinner books and Fluttershy's heart jump. She suddenly broke out into a loud sob, burying her face into her friend's shoulder, the weight of guilt evidently snapping the veil she desperately tried to maintain.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!!" she screamed, voice muffled.

"It's because of me that you can't be with Amber anymore! It's because of me that you can't be with your own daughter!" and at that point, Rainbow pushed herself away from her friend, stumbling and turning her back towards her.

"N-N-No... y-you were wrong, Fl-Fluttershy; this was COMPLETELY MY FAULT!!"

"R-Rainbow, please--!"

"I had a family to turn to, Fluttershy!" she continued, ignoring her friend's desperate protests.

"I had ponies that I know would care for me! You DIDN'T!! YOURS WAS TAKEN A LONG TIME AGO!! YOU SUFFERED WHILE I LIVED A LIFE WORTH LIVING, FLUTTERSHY!! EVERYPONY TEASED YOU AT SCHOOL, EVERYPONY JUST BRUSHED YOU OFF WHEN YOU LOOKED FOR A JOB, AND NOW.... A-AND N-N-NOW THIS?!!"

The cyan mare smashed her hoof onto the table again, this time managing to punch it inwards, forming a porcupine of splinters on the underside. In a fit of rage, Rainbow Dash gave punch after punch into the table, splinter after whizzing splinter forming small, subtle cuts in her hooves, already being bruised blue-black from it all. She screamed loudly until her throat almost felt like popping, and with every violent, staggering hit unto wood, it grew louder.

Fluttershy could only watch, too shocked at the mare's violent display to do anything, her heart already tingling with anxiousness and worry at her friend's condition. The library was filled with Rainbow Dash's hellish screaming and backbreaking punches, and all the terrified pegasus could wonder was why the royal guards hadn't stormed through the doors yet.

"YOU DON'T DESERVE THIS!! YOU DON'T DESERVE ANY OF THIS!!"

At that point, Rainbow's trembling hooves finally gave away, collapsing just in time for the horrified Fluttershy to catch her, violently convulsing as the butter-colored pegasus lifted her up and helping her back onto the chair. She was still sobbing heavily, cheeks red from vented rage and eyes overflowing with tears before cringing in her seat, the other mare being only able to watch somberly from the side.

"Wh-Why......" she griped, clenching her eyes shut, her teeth harshly pressing down onto her lips.

"It's... it's just... isn't f-fair......"

Fluttershy just quietly hushed her, the feelings she has repressed for so long boiling in her heart again. It was reminiscent of the day that the stranger in white came knocking on their door and murdered her father; it was reminiscent of the day that her mother was executed right before her very eyes.

Perhaps it will come again when she meets the pony responsible for their deaths again. Perhaps when they see each other one day, she would show it; her feelings all wrapped up. After all, she had lost her family to him, and for her to have Big Mac and their daughter as family, she doesn't want to lose them again.

For Rainbow to understand that means a lot to her.

For her to grieve over it...

"It's alright," she comforted her gently, stifling a weak smile.

"Just because the court split me and Amber apart doesn't mean she's gone forever. Plus, I still have Mac to take care of her, don't I?"

"B-But... but I--"

"You were just overreacting, Rainbow," the mare softly cut in.

"I know you're concerned about me, but you still have Firefly and Mayfly to take care of, remember? Just like how I take care of Amber Rose, you have to be a mother to them. They need you."

Somehow, Rainbow Dash couldn't get what she was saying, yet there was a tingle in her heart; a clear sign that told her what her friend said was right. Maybe it was her motherly instincts that drove her to agree to her words, but whatever the reason, she knew it was the right and responsible thing to do.

"Maybe you're right..." she said, wiping her tears.

"B-But why...?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you so nice to me?" Rainbow asked again.

"I-I did all these bad things to you... a-and... and you never did anything to me. I treated you like a jerk-- no, more than a jerk! I don't d-deserve your kindness..."

"You do, Rainbow..."

Her response was puzzling, and as the cyan mare quietly watched her friend striding towards the window, her head pondered over the simple question: why? Fluttershy's gesture brought her over, her head pointing towards the window, to which she couldn't help but let the curiosity of it overwhelm her.

The sight of a beaming Big Mac cradling Amber Rose to sleep was one that made her even more confused. Yes, it was understandable for Fluttershy to adore the sight, but her? It would be different if it was Soarin' and one of her daughters instead, yet at some point...... something told her it wouldn't seem right if it was so.

"Don't you realize it, Rainbow?" Fluttershy continued, eyes shimmering with a quivering sigh, the sight of it making the other mare glance at her in surprise.

"You gave me a chance, Rainbow. You were there when everything happened, right? You could've ran away and yet... y-you chose to help..."

Rainbow could only stare at the floor, gawking at her friend's words while her head tried to run through the events of the past. It was true, that she was the one that called the police when she saw Fluttershy being beaten up by her mother that night, and that she was the one that found her after her escape from the orphanage and kept her away from the bullies, and when she realized where Fluttershy was long after her sudden disappearance on the day they had their Cutie Marks, she was the one that moved to Ponyville to keep her company.

"You gave me a chance, Rainbow..." she repeated, more happier this time with her gaze stuck to her husband and daughter right across from the window.

"Without it... I wouldn't have had Amber. I wouldn't have met Macintosh. I wouldn't... I wouldn't be here... I would just be in Cloudsdale... crying and... and just... not knowing what might've happened if it all changed..."

Then she turned back, the first tear falling from her eye, albeit one filled with joy. Rainbow stifled a smile that would've been Fluttershy's to wear, but she didn't mind; what matters is that they were happy. With that, both of them wrapped their hooves around each other, giving a soothing hug.

"Thank you, Rainbow..." the mare softly whispered.

For once, Rainbow Dash just let her tearful smile say the words.

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"You don't have the nerve! DO YOU HEAR ME?! YOU DON'T HAVE THE NERVE!!"

"Do I?"

She trembled within her raggedy sheets like a mare on the streets in the climax of winter, where the snow would batter her and the frost would render her still with the only other source of warmth she could produce being her cloudy breath itself, her eyes flitting fearfully upon the ponies around her. All those hungry eyes... lusted for blood as their leader stepped forward with something glinting in his hoof, his figure as high as he always was in the past.

It was the one she knew for a long time, albeit now simmered within the darkest voids of corruption, forged from the Tartarian interlopers that roamed these ruins. He stepped closer, flaunting in the suit he donned; a glazing navy blue uniform complete with epaulets and a pair of medals, both heralded in high regard, but nevermore. Now, all she could do was scream for help, but what help would come in the banishment of hell?

None.

Unfortunately, he knew that as well.

"LET ME GO!! PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!!"

"You made this happen, didn't you? You were responsible for everything that happened, so who else is to blame but little... old... you~?"

Curse her ears for hearing their vile laughter; curse them as much as the malevolent souls around her. She gritted her teeth as he once again approached her. The eyes of his that she had once cherished, the same pair that held the glory of the deep color of the ocean as well as its prosperous lives, were now soulless. Polluted.

"Just let me go... pl-please..." she begged. It was the last resort; she told herself never to give up to him, yet the sweet disposition of death was more preferable than the bleeding legion of suffering. The stallion about to give the latter treatment would've commend her on that as well, but he changed. For the worse.

"Please... j-just... no! NO!! STAY AWAY!! JUST GET AWAY FROM M--!!"

Her lips crunched and bled, though not as much as her chest: the core of the searing pain that hit her faster than any aphrodisiac that would've calmed it. It dug deeper, piercing through every network of nerves that stood in its way, to the point where a shrill erupted from her mouth, her outstretched jaws catching tears of desperation. Of anger and disappointment.

Sounds of folding flesh being shredded like lettuce echoed throughout the room when it started to spin, though she was the only one that heard the screeching behind it. The blood that streamed out like a virgin geyser had discolored into a dark red, forming a murky puddle with the dirt and dust lingering on the floor. Her pinprick-sized pupils could only watch in horror, the propeller nestling within her turning faster and faster, chopping into meat and drilling them out with the fervor of a blender.

Disgust met desire when she was pulled deeper in, her chest jabbing with full force into the blades, though all that was lost with a kiss. It was coarse and sickening, and squirm as she may, she could not grapple herself from it. There wasn't a sensation that she once enjoyed, only mixed pain and sorrow.

His hoof crept down between her exposed form, a moan launching out from her and a laugh breaching right into it. Love turned into mad lust, and with each grind of his hoof, all she could do was let out breathless pants, her head stuck in the borders of lust and pain that blurred much more as time passes. The acts on her loins became more outrageous with time even as the blades turned faster still in her chest, to the point where she wanted more, her addled mind no more fragile than her diced heart. It was sordid as it was sexual, but the worse part wasn't that he was doing it.

The worst part was that she liked it.

And she wanted to crawl back to him again... for pain and pleasure... and moan into his ear...

"Take me..."

"Harmony?"

Harmony Peridot awoke with a sweaty gasp, the sight of an evidently worried Stellar Lionheart looming over her being the only thing that eased her. With a sigh, she started to lift herself up, stopping when the butler knelt down suddenly, her surprise overwhelming her when he reached his hoof towards the cheek, brushing away... a tear.

"You were crying in your sleep, Miss Peridot," he solemnly spoke.

"And I don't mean softly whimpering. Caduceus would've woke up already if you were any louder."

"Deep sleeper, isn't he?" she remarked with a smirk, making him chuckle softly.

"Oh, and about the crying... it's nothing. Just some... nightmares. You know how one can get many nightmares in Pendant Lakes, especially when it's like this..."

"Are you sure?" the colt asked doubtfully.

"You know how I hate liars, especially when I know they're lying to me."

Of course, the mare scolded herself. This was the stallion that, as Gypsum once told her, had a lie detector implanted in his head. She stifled a weak smile at the remembrance of her long-gone friend; another unfortunate victim of Janus that left the rest of them shattered apart. Her cheerful, signature giggles and her gypsy music... she somehow missed it really, even though she was overly annoyed by it when the mare was still around.

"Perhaps..." she quipped.

"But what's the point of telling somepony when it already happened? What would you do then, Stellar Lionheart, if I told you? That you would pity me? Sympathize me over my sins?"

"We'll have to know what we're dealing with," he calmly spoke.

"You lingered down here longer than the rest of us. You know every inch of the ruin and every essence that dominates the paths we are about to take..." Stellar stopped for a brief sigh, "Caduceus was right about it, saying we needed to trust you on this, even if you did what you did. You too said that you wanted to stop Janus and...... that's... that's good enough of a reason for me."

Harmony just stared at him, fuddling with her words before stuttering out a small 'thank you', to which Stellar returned with a welcoming nod. She had always wondered how he became the butler of the whole family, what with his, in her opinion, obnoxious way of thinking and diligent pride, but now... it seems even he's more than the old snob she always pictured him as in the past, when the days were more different than the nights in Pendant Lakes. Cruel for her to only realize it after the grand city's demise.

"About what happened to my... heart is a topic I'd rather not discuss yet," she said, glancing somberly down at the hollow cavity on the left of her chest.

"But otherwise, I'm pretty fine with all of it."

"I'll try..." Stellar murmured, clearing his throat as he asked question number one.

"How are you still alive?"

"Again, I'm no more alive than a rotting corpse."

With a sigh, Harmony shifted to the sight, mind progressing into her premature reincarnation.

"I don't... I don't know what happened, actually. I remembered floating... falling freely in perpetual naught, waiting for the landing that never came, when suddenly I was just... brought in? I don't know, by the light. For some reason, I felt it clawing at my body and gnawing at my flesh, almost as if it wanted to... tear me apart... Everything started to blind me, dragging me down into the abyss and tossing me around like a doll and suddenly... I... woke up."

The old colt leaned forwards, listening with rapt attention as she continued:

"I found myself in the Palace. On the bed, as if everything was just a dream, but the state it was in was enough of an indication, really. I've thought of going back to sleep, but every time I closed up my eyes, something stirred me awake, almost as if it warned me how it's not my time to go yet, as if I had something to do. That's the time when I left and tried to explore what's left of the city, but when I accidentally cut myself later on, the feeling of... of emptiness and numbness beyond emotion... that feeling told me and made me realize... I was dead..."

"Then how are you still walking?"

"Never knew how..." she answered.

"But what I know is that I'm not the only one who has woken; there are others with the conscience of a demon, looking more deranged and grotesque than me, who had rose from the dead once again. And they're not friendly at all."

Stellar shuddered, remembering one such encounter a few days ago back at the dilapidated building once known as the famous Foster Orphanage. The monstrosity was still vivid in his head, its jarring, grotesque appearance branded in his memory; a figment of Tartarus he would never want to see again.

"It seems you've seen one of them," Harmony mused, apparently noticing his sudden discomfort.

"Better than seeing none, I suppose. Get a little taste of what you'd be facing."

"Perhaps so."

"Describe it for me, then."

Stellar blinked in surprise once she said that, asking in return:

"I beg your pardon?"

"Describe it for me," Harmony repeated, a little annoyed.

"They're all different, you know? These monsters were once ponies in life, their bodies having been possessed and transformed by the darkest of spirits that seek only for blood. I've met too many to recognize each of them, but it might be a little bit personal for you, I think..."

How bad could it be, he said to himself. With a sigh, the butler began his description: pale, ghostly face, sewn mouth, soulless, empty eyes and mane draping over the body like a curtain. The more he proceeded with it, the more Harmony's face started to darken, the grim look she was displaying ringing a question in Stellar's heart.

"Does she look familiar?" he asked, assuming it was a she.

"Too familiar."

The pink mare bit her lip, unable to let the answer out. She knew perfectly well who the monster was in life; a mare that held the grace that will be the envy of every ballet dancer, the beauty that would make all the flowers seem rotten and withered and the radiating calmness that could tame the rowdiest of dragons, perhaps even the crowd of them. For her to become who she is now is travesty, really; instead of pacifying fears, she was now inciting them.

Of course, Stellar was not bestowed with any of that knowledge. If he did, he would probably be sulking in the corner and thinking about past events instead of being the attentive colt he is now. She wouldn't know how he would react to it, but if there was an answer he was expecting, then an answer she had to give.

"That mare was a mare you know very well," she said, making him turn in surprise.

"She's not a friend of yours, luckily, but still you know her. You did serve under her before..."

Stellar's jaw dropped in horrific realization. That monster roaming the orphanage with such a malevolent, macabre of a figure was a Palgiot? Of all the ponies that once lived... he felt faint at the thought of it. Frozen in horror, he set himself down onto the floor, unable to understand why.

"Wh-Which one was it?" he asked, voice trembling.

"Which Palgiot...?"

The answer was quick and simple, yet the name that came out like a blind lottery swung itself like a bat, smashing through the glass panes of his conscience, cracked already by the revelation before it. Cruel irony, Harmony thought to herself, for a mare that inspired beauty to become a creature that was abhorred by as such.

The colt, on the other hoof, was too shocked to even think about anything else other than the creature's precedent form. Of all the ponies, not to mention of all the Palgiots, it had to be her, to the point where her name echoed like a harsh reminder in his head.

"Autumn Palgiot..."

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"But what if... what if he was in league with those baddies that tried to kill us back at Princess Terra's shrine?"

"I assure you, he's nothing like that," Phoenix assured, trying his best not to laugh.

"He's one of Velvet's oldest friends, alright? He's not some random stranger we're gonna simply bump in the street and ask for some help! Usually, that would be Ollivander's job."

"But what if... ooh, what if he's a vampony?!"

"He'll be dead under my hoof."

The stallion never told her, but his gruff tone was clear enough of an indication to tell her of his hatred of vamponies, and it's not only from how they were portrayed in modern literature. He had met a few vamponies in his journeys with the caravan before this and, apart from a few, most of them were as violent and greedy as they were deceptive.

"Just relax, Pinkie," he finally urged.

"He's somepony worth trusting. Velvet told me he's a professional in his line of magic. You don't have that much ponies in this world who have the talent to regain memories, especially from those who have firsthoof experience."

Pinkie Pie could only nod, her eyes darting throughout the bustling streets of the town of Valewood. It was a fairly crowded town, with the housing mostly being tall, rigid apartments made from gloomy brick and concrete lining across the sidewalks complete with alleyways streaking between them. The only inch of color in the dull landscape, aside from the ponies wandering around, were the redundant graffiti sprayed over the walls, some too vulgar and unsettling for her spectrum of understanding.

The suburbs, however, were a more welcoming district to be in. Although still packed tightly together, the houses were shorter and wider, the white brick walls sterile and free of the juvenile acts in the uptown community. The slate roads snaked around every building and miniature archway, the pure and pristine sight of such further impressing the mare of the architectural design that the town possessed.

"I don't mind living here," she remarked softly.

Phoenix nodded in response. The celebrated essence of peace was strong here, considering how remote it was from the northern borders of Equestria; the Beyond, as the ponies there would've phrased it, just like how they phrased the Dragon Kingdoms to be the Badlands, the Southern deserts the Wildlands and the Eastern valleys the Outlands. He himself preferred their actual names instead.

He had studied a bit on Valewood during their journey here: the town with a cultural heritage that spanned over six centuries and a modern flair in vintage fashion and styles. It was exceptionally famed for its surrounding orchards, the largest one of which Velvet's friend had inherited.

Sure enough, the cobblestone streets made way for a dirt path, the row of apartments ceasing to a halt as both ponies came to an iron gate, rust already beginning to eat away its depiction of swallows swooping down and snatching grapes in their beak from a giant chalice in the center. The doorways parted with a creak, the owner apparently notified of their arrival by none other than Velvet himself.

The mouth-watering sight of lush, ripe oranges hanging on the branches of the trees aligned with the path caught Pinkie's attention, and she would've lunged to grab a bite from them if not for the presence of Phoenix walking alongside her. At the end of it was a white, slightly derelict farmhouse, with one side being covered in scaffolding and ladders leading up to the roof, no doubt for patching a few crevices across the slate surface.

Phoenix raised a hoof in greeting at the sight of two ponies chatting on their porch, stopping only when they noticed their approach. One of them was Velvet himself, savoring a cup of warm tea. The other was, no doubt, Velvet's friend: a silver unicorn with spiky mane and flowing tail a vivid arctic blue, the same color present in his Cutie Mark: an energy ball. He was wearing a black vest donned with golden buttons, the only thing that alleviated Pinkie's doubts about him other than that being the black cane he was carrying, its golden hilt fashioned into a fierce cobra, fangs protruding and poised to strike.

There was no doubt: this was the pony that Princess Terra said visited her shrine and possessing the same delirium that Pinkie herself was going through. He looked as if he was apparently recovered, by what method, she was intending to find out. Perhaps then, once and for all, she'll know at least something about her past.

"You must be Velvet's companions," he exclaimed warmly, shooting a glance at his friend.

"The name's Lithehoof. Saturn Lithehoof, if you may. Welcome to the wondrous town of Valewood!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Phoenix answered, shaking his hoof.

"I assume he told you of the reasons for our arrival?"

"Of course, of course! Now, if you may please step this way..."

Pinkie was the most hesitant, trying her best to hide behind Phoenix once they stepped inside the hallway. Judging from the musty air, the house was old, its bare walls stripped of its aged decor and smelling of rotting oak and damp moss. Clamping her nose from the stench, she spotted a few unused cans of plaster and paint, along with rolls of wallpaper in the corner, free of the lingering dust around that had already formed layers on everything else.

"Sorry about its state. Just bought it couple of months ago," Saturn explained, limping towards the door.

"T'is hard to revive a dead business, especially one focused solely on exporting fruits. Once I got the money from them, I'll hire a few more ponies to help hasten the renovations, and everything will turn out smoothly from there. Had I knew you guys were coming here earlier, I would've finished the guest bedrooms and toilets already!"

"It's alright, my old friend," Velvet replied, patting his back.

"Our stay in Valewood would be temporary. There's no need to place another burden on your back! Once we've settled with all our affairs here -- this included -- we'll set off once again."

"Ah, of course! This is the caravan we're talking about!"

Everypony, save Pinkie, chuckled, just as they entered into what the mare guessed was supposed to be the study. It was empty and barren, with the only few things occupying the room being a faded 'Welcome' mat, two or three potted plants and several tall stacks of books, waiting patiently to be shelved. There was little light here, rendered as such by the curtains, though somehow it gave a strange sense of reticence. Of privacy.

Phoenix's sights, however, were set onto the floor in the center of the room; a detail he would've missed out if not for the rainbow-like swirls shone by the lackluster light coming in from the windows. Kneeling down, he took a whiff, his tail hastily shifting to the side once he realized what it was.

"Oil..."

The pattern it was drawn out as was more disturbing: it was a giant circle, enclosing a five-pointed star within, the result notoriously known instead as the pentagram. There was only one thing, in his expense of his knowledge, that used the combination of both oil and this shape in the practice of magic; a field of magic deemed tainted and untouched, banned by the Equestrian Ministry for a variety of understandable purposes.

"You intend to use this?" he asked sternly.

"You intend to use black magic?"

"Wait, what?" Pinkie exclaimed, shocked.

"You mean he... he was trying to..."

"Believe me, black magic would be the last thing I would ever resort to."

With a deep, melancholic sigh, Saturn settled himself down onto the floor, with Velvet aiding him by wrapping a hoof around his shoulders. Placing his cane aside, he reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a match and striking it against the floor before lighting up the trail of oil, burning it up into a fiery spectacle of a pentagram.

"I've tried many other methods I could find, but in the end all I got was this." he stopped to wave his limp hoof. "If there was some other way to get your memories back, then I'll be happy to help, but this was the only spell that helped me back then, and I believe would be the one that could help you right now."

"What's it called?" Velvet asked.

"The Firewalker's Mirror."

Pinkie and Phoenix just exchanged confused looks, with Velvet himself even shrugging confusedly once their eyes turned to him. Neither had any knowledge of the spell, which made them ever the more uncertain. Yet, if Saturn managed to pull though it, as he reputed, perhaps Pinkie would as well?

"What is she supposed to do in this?" Phoenix asked.

"Burn thy body, free thy mind."

The phrase was met again with baffled looks, to which the disgruntled Saturn had to explain:

"That's the first part of the incantation. Basically, our friend Miss Pie has to close her eyes and clear any intruding thoughts, particularly those of the present. She must slowly exert her focus onto remembering, all the while walk towards the center of this pentagram. When she finally reaches the center, she would then enter the Retrospective Stasis, where her senses would be toned to nonexistence and her mind released, thus the phrase. She would finally remember something. Hopefully."

"But!" the stallion voiced out sharply before any of them could start talking.

"If she breaks out of focus, the catch is that the fire would start to take over her, to the point where she might be burned to death. She has to be ready."

"So she has to walk into the fire?" Phoenix reaffirmed, earning a nod in return.

The choices were impossible as it was risky: finally learn about her origins, or lose her into the flames. He only wanted what he knew was the best for his team, though this time neither seemed like a viable option. Then again, Princess Terra did remind him it wasn't his choice to make...

"What do you think, Pinkie?" he asked, turning to the now surprised mare.

"We could always do it next time if you want to."

Pinkie could only bite her lip. It seemed unfair for her: to finally regain some of her lost memories back, or a chance with death? Really, the latter possible outcome was a way heavier price to pay, yet she wanted to know so badly; she wanted to know where she was from, who were her friends before this and what was the significance of the sapphire hoop was for.

Waking up with such a gem on her hoof was strange, almost as if she had bought it right before whatever accident she went through. It was now safe in a jewel case, away from the many prying eyes and greedy hooves that she knew would take it: the one small item that could possibly reveal her whole life. Now, she was given this chance. Her mouth was ready to say 'yes'. She was ready to say 'yes'.

Her mind, however, had other ideas.

"Maybe next time, when I'm more comfortable," she spoke somberly, the rest all nodding in agreement.

"Maybe next time..."

She just hoped that there will be a next time.

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"B-But... but..."

"But how?!" Spike finished Twilight's sentence.

"Y-You... you w-were--"

"Dead, I realized, but only in the records."

Inkie Pie understood their dilemma and surprise: neither had expected her to be alive after all these long years. To suddenly appear out of nowhere in front of three of her elder sister's friends; the ones renowned throughout Equestria as the Elements of Harmony, saviors and heroines of their own country, was surprising to her as she was to them.

Rarity was more perturbed by her. No doubt, the mare of Cirrus Gorge has heard of their recent fiasco in Pendant Lakes that resulted in the loss of her sister, Pinkie Pie. Being the only one to see her friend's downfall into the dark abyss, not to mention the last one to see her friend at all, was the one scar she was trying the hardest to heal, and for that mare's sister to be right in front of her now......

"Seems I owe all of you an explanation, don't I?" she spoke, clenching her eyes shut.

"You don't have to do this, Inkie," Rarity spoke up suddenly, much to the surprise of the rest.

"There are things better left known than unsaid," came the reply.

"Sometimes, secrets must be let out one day. You can't escape from that fate, Rarity."

The white unicorn would've protested against it, though she caught a glimpse of Twilight shaking her head at the last minute, prompting a smile from Inkie.

"Take a seat. All of you," she said, beckoning them towards the couch.

"Perhaps you learned of me and Blinkie's abduction, back in Canterlot...

* * * * *

"Worthless piece of--"

*SMACK*

"DON'T HURT HER!!" Inkie Pie screamed.

"DON'T YOU LAY A HOOF ON BLINKIE!!"

Their unknown captor just laughed, grabbing her by the throat and raising her high up, slamming her against the wall. All the mare could do was grit her teeth, her hatred for him equally oppressive as the pain that shot through her body. If her hooves weren't bound, she would've already snatched his blade and stab him to death.

The sounds of Blinkie Pie's whimpering pained her heart, growing when she spotted her sprawled on the floor, her uniform from Canterlot U torn from the side and a stream of blood running down from her lips. A blade was placed at her neck, lifting it up into the light for her to see her little sister's shimmering brown eyes, turned red from the excessive tears dripping from her cheeks.

"The rebellious one, eh?" their captor snarled, teeth glinting in the grin he wore as he stared down at her. In response, she spat into his face, to which he turned away at the sudden move, no sooner than that returning it graciously with a powerful slap that made her wince before tossing her onto the floor.

"You're lucky my boss didn't mention anything about killing you yet," he continued his threats.

"Such a shame, to serve under one such merciful as him."

"Inkie!" her sister cried, running to her side underneath his booming laugh. Blinkie could only gasp at her bruised, swollen eye, quickly yet precariously dabbing it with the tip of her hoof.

"Celestia..."

"I-It's okay," she managed to squeak, hoof running through her sister's frayed mane.

She couldn't remember what happened before this. One moment, they were walking through the university grounds, about to stop by at Donut Joe's for lunch. The next, somepony suddenly seized them from behind, probably knocking her out before she woke up in this mire of a cottage. Her sister then was frantically tugging at her own bonds right across her, trying to bite through her gag.

They were still in Canterlot; the air was too familiar for her own sake. Having left their parents' rock farm a year ago, it was a strange new setting for them to immerse in, and would've been even more so if not for their older sister's fondness of fun and laughter. Pinkie even wanted to stay behind to take care of their parents even after she was insisted to go to college by her and Blinkie, which only made her miss her old home more. Inkie knew her elder sister was a smart mare, and would've been a prodigy if she wasn't so focused on making ponies happy all the time. Then again, Father did say knowledge was in the family blood. Theirs included.

"You best behave," their captor spoke harshly.

"Never learned any etiquette in your university, didn't ya? Always getting along with colts you didn't know at night? Have a little party and woke up in somepony else's bed the next day?"

"AT LEAST WE HAVE A SOMEPONY TO DO IT WITH, YOU BITCH!!"

"WHY, YOU LITTLE--!!!

Everything suddenly happened so fast after her ruthless comeback. There he was, lunging towards her with his lumberjack's axe raised up high over his head, with Blinkie Pie immediately heaving her back from the glinting point of steel. Horror flushed through her almost immediately, and all she could do was cover her widened eyes as she braced for what would be a fatal blow.

*BANG*

* * * * *

"Somepony heard our cries. Somepony knew we were trapped."

With hooves extended and shivering, Inkie accepted a cup of water that Twilight bestowed, sipping it loudly with concerned looks all directed towards her.

"Our kidnapper was dead; two direct shots through the skull, if I remembered. A few guards started to carry us out into the open, with a whole crowd staring at us, sirens wailing and all. We were brought to the hospital for a few checkups, then to the palace, where we had a secret talk with Princess Celestia."

"I remembered that," Twilight solemnly spoke.

"She excused herself while she was tutoring me back then, saying it was urgent and about talking to somepony important. Never told me it was you, however..."

"As I said, secrets must be let out one day. Not even the regal sisters were spared from it," she said, sending the lavender unicorn into deep, doubtful thoughts.

"The visit with Princess Celestia was certainly... uneventful. I knew already what she was about to do: that she is to send us off back home, away from society where anypony would not find us; that she will erase any and all history about myself, Blinkie and our family so as nopony can track us down, and that she'll find out who's behind this."

"So we were off by midnight, guards escorting us quietly out of town. I told myself, Pinkie would've liked this; she always has her fondness for surprises, after all. When we finally got out, Blinkie and I soon galloped like the wind, trying our best to get away from Canterlot as soon as possible and forget everything that happened there. It's cruel, running away from the safest place in Equestria, yet knowing danger only lurks within."

Inkie stopped to take a sip of water, before resuming:

"Otherwise, everything went along smoothly. Soon, we were having chit-chats and laughs all over again, just like the old days! Every time, Blinkie would make fun about the colts that stared at her while she was in the uni, and I would make fun about the boring subjects they were teaching us. There are some nights where we talked about our future: what to do when we finally get home, and what we're going to work as, but everything was fine."

"Then... we finally reached home..."

* * * * *

"And he tried to ask me out! As in a 'kneel down, take out rose' ask me out!"

"Really?" Inkie replied, fairly surprised at her sister's account of one of her admirers.

"And? Did you give him the dibs? Or were you still the same 'Dumpy Pie' you are?"

"Stop it, Inkie!" Blinkie said, scrunching her face up and nudging the laughing mare's shoulder.

"You know how I feel about guys! They're just so... so weird to be around! Everypony knew I'm not the type that likes all these lovey-dovey things! You might be, but not me! Nu-uh!"

"Oh, come on~!"

Inkie wasn't a top notch professional when it comes to romance, but she knew enough about it to confirm that every stallion and mare would have a crush at one point or another, especially those at their age. She had her fair share of admirers to prove it, and she did have a little admiration for a few of them, but otherwise none at all.

"There'll come a time when you have to find your stallion, Blinkamena Evelyn Pie. Oh, you can let it build, of course, but one day, you might just snap and suddenly, you'll marry the first colt that you meet once you step outside the house! Just think about it, your dream stallion, picture perfect and carrying you in your hooves, and--"

She stopped.

Their conversation, like their joyful trotting, came to an abrupt end.

Their smiles faded into look of disbelief, which changed to one of shock at the sight before them.

Underneath Celestia's blazing sun, down below the bowl of a barren valley too familiar for them to forget, was the charred remains of a wooden house and, behind it, a barn, the walls reduced to a heap of black, burnt wood on the floor. Beside them was a windmill, torn apart with only three or four blades of the propeller still spinning, and a water tank riddled with bullets, its contents dried out as the rest of the land.

Inkie's jaw slowly fell at the sight, a small tear forming in the corner of her eye. The same was for Blinkie, who was shaking her head, not wanting to believe the sight they were seeing. This must be a nightmare, their minds told them. This must be a nightmare!

"No..."

Within a split second, the two rushed down simultaneously, throwing away their satchels of rationed food and canteens of water in their frantic gallop towards the ruins. Tears were already flying across their cheeks, growing in number the closer they were to the house, and when Blinkie reached the porch first, all she could was cover her mouth, too horrified at the sight to talk.

"PINKIE?!" Inkie called out, frantically glancing around the farmland.

"MOM?! DAD?! ANYPONY, PLEASE!!"

"CELESTIAAA!!!"

Blinkie's devastated wails called her in, the mare herself suddenly collapsing onto the floor, pushing herself frantically backwards in tears at the sight of two burnt bodies sprawled across the soot-covered floor. All Inkie could do was stride towards them, the realization breaking into her knees and making her fall, sobbing at the sight of one of their frozen faces.

"M... M-Mom...?"

Her sister's loud sobbing rang through the barren wasteland, and she would've joined along if it wasn't for the terror and despair that snatched her voice away. She crawled forwards, the harsh reality of her mother and father's bodies washing in like a tidal wave, her throat croaking as she yelled:

"NO!!! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO-ho-o...!!!"

"I'm so sorry!! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Blinkie sofly sobbed out, engulfed in too much despair to think of anything else. Every nerve of her right mind broke, her heart stabbed by a hundred or more pokers with too much pain for her to resist.

Inkie, still on her knees, just shook her head, hooves pressing into her ringing skull and wide eyes staring at the floor as if wanting to escape from this horrendous nightmare. This couldn't be real. Any of this-- no, ALL OF THIS!! IT COULDN'T POSSIBLY BE REAL!!

"Please... she wished in vain.

"Please, please, please... just... j-just..."

"Don't..."

* * * * *

"We never did manage to find Pinkie, yet somehow we knew she was safe and sound. It was like... a tickle in the bottom of your heart... though we were never sure if it was to be true."

Inkie was trying her best not to tear up at the memories she dragged back from the dead; memories she had placed within a dozen impenetrable vaults in her head and locked secure, where Celestia forbade her to ever head back and retrieve them again. She never thought she had to unleash it again, along with all the pain and devastation that came along like a complimentary package, yet she tried her best to steel her emotions.

"After that... I don't know, we ran? We just kept running and running, telling ourselves never to turn back even when we had to. I don't know how far we ran, nor do I care, but we just wanted to get away from all of it. We were never the same. I was never the same again."

"Then what happened to Blinkie?" Spike couldn't help but ask.

"Where is she?"

"Woke up to find her gone one morning," was the depressing answer.

"She left me a note, saying she wants to forget things once and for all and move on, as well as advising me to do the same. Never told me where she was going, never knew what she was planning to do, and she just... left me there. Had a few more days of walking and finally settled in here 'til now. I never saw a single hair on her mane, but somehow I just know, from another tickle of my heart... she's safe somewhere. Safe and happy, hopefully. Maybe one day I'll see her name or face on the newspapers, just like I saw Pinkie's that day."

The rest of them just glanced at her in surprise.

"You saw Pinkie in the newspaper?" Twilight asked.

"Too many times, to be honest," Inkie replied, wearing a cheerful grin.

"It was like, around eight months after settling in. Recognized her face on the front page of the newspaper while I was grabbing a bite at the cafe. You should've seen how overjoyed and relieved I was to know that she was still alive!"

"No kidding," Spike remarked, earning a stare from both librarian and fashion designer.

"What?"

"After that, it became the norm to see her every now and then," the gray mare continued, sighing as she stared into space, no doubt reminiscing about her older sister.

"How she and this group of some sort... the Voyager Six, if I'm not mistaken, toppled all this corrupted families and such. Disappeared for a short while, but when she popped back, there she was, standing with you guys in Princess Celestia's palace, wearing the Element of Laughter around her neck. I was so proud of her, knowing she saved the world so many times... then..." Inkie's smile faded suddenly, "last year..."

"It was my fault," Rarity cut in before the rest of them could speak. She was, no doubt, still shaken about the events of that night, and like the mare before her, the feelings she had repressed for so long: the ones of guilt and regret, started to burst back out again, her hooves already shivering under them.

"I could've saved her, Inkie! I could've lifted her up from the ledge before the explosion! If... If I had been any stronger... she wouldn't have let go... she wouldn't have fallen..."

"Nothing would've changed."

The response was met with looks of disbelief from the trio, with Rarity's being the most vivid of them all. With a chuckle, Inkie settled her cup down, turning to give a smile at the white unicorn.

"I know Pinkie too well," she explained.

"And one thing's for certain about her: when she has a responsibility, she'll see to it that she'll do it until the very end. She made herself believe that Janus's ascension was her fault, and such when he fell, she made sure he did. Plus, I know she's still alive; I could still feel it in my heart. You don't need petty rumors to tell you that your family's alive."

Rarity's heart stopped, wide-eyed when the gray mare placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"You were never at fault, Miss Rarity," she assured, wearing a smile.

"As a sister of Pinkie Pie, I know that."

Then she said something; something that she thought one day would hear the bubbly pink mare say to her and chase those feelings away. Those three simple words quickly alleviated her guilt over the loss of her friend and finally, once and for all, fulfilled the empty void in her heart, even though it was a different mare that said it; even though it was only an echo of Pinkie's voice in her sister's body.

Yet that... that was enough to calm her down. That was all she needed to hear.

"I forgive you."

Author's Note

Probably the longest chapter I've typed so far.

Hopefully, that cleared up a few things! Would've been done earlier if I hadn't had a bumpy ride to the countryside and a crash-worthy computer to work with instead.

Otherwise, hope you guys like it! I'll try to answer any questions you would have (without revealing anything essential to the plot, of course :raritywink: )!

Lose Thy Soul, Free Thy Binds

"Of all the follies a pony like you can commit..."

Stellar Lionheart was never sure himself: how he came to trust the mare known to them as the 'deceased' Harmony Peridot, the mare ostensibly involved in the downfall of Pendant Lakes. Was it a matter of security for the rest of them or was it his sympathetic, aging heart, he would never know; what he knew was that she had more experience in these ruins than all of them combined, especially of the dragon of the group.

They say the stare of those magnificent, reptilian creatures can strike down even the most gallant spirits of the noblest stallions. If it were true, then Jovern's would have smashed through a hundred of them. The fact that he was so mysterious, black and possibly as old as the night sky, combined with his gleaming red eyes and his deep-end knowledge of ponykind from the past up 'til now being well over all of theirs, was already enough for those who never saw him before to see him as a living nightmare, and sometimes Stellar had wondered how in the world Princess Celestia could put up with him after all these years.

Their eyes were soon focused on Harmony, the mare perched at the edge of a cliff, her chained white blades hanging from her hooves as she stared down into the shattered valley before her: a mournful aperture of desecrated buildings jutting out like tombstones; the only reminder of the memories buried here. No doubt, she was reminiscing of her own, thus her private moment when she would've been bandaging her wounds with the help of Caduceus.

"I don't believe it would be easy to turn over a new leaf, especially in her case," Jovern murmured.

"You saw her state the last time we were here. Her mind isn't stable."

"She was possessed by an incubus, my friend," Stellar reminded.

"I know for a fact that even a dragon couldn't withstand it when being ravaged by a demon. She was doing it all to save the stallion she loved, yet still the Palgiots perished. Janus was using Morteoro -- the devil nesting within her -- as a distraction to get what he truly wants, which was the essence of the Dreamscape machine. He just needed the chance to execute his plan."

"I understand, but still..."

The colt had never seen Jovern being so doubtful before. It was only half an hour ago when they stumbled out of the morose tunnels of the asylum to see the dragon waiting for them, his shock evident once Harmony came into his view, the mare stifling a smirk at their colossal associate in response. Ever since they stopped for a rest on the cliff, Jovern had been asking questions about it, particularly from how she was still alive and what her current intentions were, to the information she gave them about the walking dead: the ones wandering in the midst of the ruins.

For one of them to be a Palgiot was a dark revelation for both Stellar and, soon afterwards, Caduceus as well. The doctor couldn't fathom the possibilities of how the family they once served might've become the monstrosities they abhorred, especially that of Autumn Palgiot, sister of the last Patriarch and the only one of the siblings to have been courted too many times for them to remember due to her renowned resplendence in the whole of Northern Equestria.

Even Harmony knew her personally, the both of them sharing the passion of beauty and grace in the arts as well as forming a close connection through two ponies: Winter Palgiot and his cousin, Gypsum Palgiot. Stellar had seen them together before, usually conversing about their past and discussing about their respective relationships, usually over a cup of tea or even when they were doing sketches of dresses, but that was in life.

Now, the only connection they could've had was the fact that they were dead, with Harmony still retaining her looks and Autumn apparently losing it all. It seemed strange though, for the former mare to still possess her body and the latter to become... whatever she was, seeing how Autumn had sifted through their bodies with ease back at the orphanage.

"Harmony know what's best, and for that I trust her judgement," Stellar finally replied, a rustle from behind making them turn to see Caduceus stumbling out from the ruins, carrying what seemed to be a few first aid kits.

"But I'll make sure she doesn't do anything behind our backs; even I have my limits of trust with somepony such as her."

"It isn't simple being her, you know," the doctor replied, wiping his forehead free of sweat from all the lifting.

"You've said it yourself, Stellar. She wanted to save our Patriarch from Janus's grasp. For her to fail that, with the murder of her friends, the betrayal of the Princesses, the downfall of the Palgiot family and the destruction of the whole of Pendant Lakes included, and still be alive to see it... none of us would know the weight of the guilt she's feeling now. Especially that of lost love."

Jovern nodded understandingly, crouching down as he set his sights towards the mare, who had already seated herself at the edge of the cliff, her chain-bladed bouncing about her hoof over the desolate sight before her like a yo-yo. All of them could heard her quiet, pained sobs beneath the overwhelming hollow air of the caves, though only the doctor was coaxed to being the only one of them approaching her, the others heading back to get the rest of their supplies.

Harmony was definitely surprised once Caduceus settled down next to her; being the most merciful of the trio, whether from his experience as a doctor or from his true heart, it didn't matter. What mattered was that he made the decision to keep her company and to trust her like how they had once did so, to which she could only return it with a weak smile. She had never been more disappointed in herself in her whole life.

"Miss Peridot is alright, I presume?" Caduceus asked, ripping a few bandages from the roll.

"Past memories catching up to you?"

"You could say that, Doctor," she solemnly replied.

"Pendant Lakes would not be without nostalgia, just like a foal would not be without childhood."

"Poetic, aren't we?"

"You could say the same for yourself."

Caduceus raised an eyebrow with interest at her words, stifling a smile that brightened up hers as well. The mare just strode past him, chuckling lightly and heartily as she tossed to him a small file, the colt opening it to find, much to his surprise, his examination results back when he was in fifth grade!

"Excelled in all language subjects, particularly for creative writing," she continued with a sly smirk.

"Just goes to show that you can find many interesting things even in the most desolate ruins. What else is there... surprisingly strong in science and shows little regard only for... Equestrian general history, am I right?"

"Even the dead have perfect memories," the doctor remarked with a chuckle.

"It's nothing," the mare replied quietly.

"Just the results of training my memory years ago. I wanted to remember what I can. To get everything I saw down in my head and fix everything back up to its original place when it all comes down... just like Winter did. I never knew how he did it, that he can remember every single little detail, from how which hair of my mane sticks out to the dance steps for our little routine in accordance to the balls he hosted. I... I wanted to be like him, in that sense."

"Winter was Eidetic, Miss Peridot," Caduceus muttered, stuffing the file into his satchel.

"His memory capacity was phenomenal, meaning that he could remember nearly everything was from the beginning of his existence. You couldn't easily replicate somepony's memory of such a high degree."

"So he's just like Pinkie?"

His nod only made Harmony ever the more doleful, and he doesn't need a hint to know why. Pinkie Pie was, after all, closer to Winter Palgiot in a faster span of around five months, overcoming what she was trying to get to in two years. Aside from being envious, he knew Harmony wanted to be in her hooves; to be the mare that sees all the brightest sparks in life that many others would've missed.

"I've learnt of her... predicament. Stellar told me," the mare spoke suddenly after a moment of silence.

"That's all that matters to me. That she's still alive."

"And if she were... dead?"

"Then let me die along with her," Harmony answered sternly, wrinkling her snout.

"I was the cause of all of this. It would be wrong of me to idle by and watch her go without another word. Especially even when I idle still in the hooves of death."

Silence came swiftly once she was done, due to the doctor's inability of giving a response. With a bemused sigh, Caduceus resumed his bandaging of her hooves, the mare sitting back down to ease his job. She couldn't feel it: the grotesque pain that would've been with her gaping, red wounds; instead there was a sort of tingling numbness, like the tip of grass brushing against her skin, serving as a reminder of her abominable state.

Despite that, Harmony did look back and reminisce at the things she did in the past, particularly of the incidents that led to her fallout with Winter and Pinkie, which led to her supposed 'death'. She had no one to hear of her confessions back then, but now... at least somepony was listening to her.

"A-About what I've done last year..." she began, the doctor perking up immediately.

"I'm... I was..."

"The Princess never blamed you."

Harmony was blatantly surprised at his words, almost wanting to question them, though his warm expression was enough to tell her it was the truth. She never knew Celestia to be merciful for something so severe: the alicorn did say she'll die if necessary for the safety of everypony else.

"Princess Luna had no opinion of it, though I believed she forgave you as well," the colt continued.

"For Miss Pie, she would do the same if she were here. Sir Winter as well."

"Of course."

Caduceus blinked at her dreary response, the mare glancing away once again.

"Is anything the matter?"

"N-Nothing... just..." she stopped to let out a brief sigh.

"It seemed pointless when I think about it. How I was trying to make Winter love me over Pinkie. I mean, they just seemed so... perfect, being with each other. Sometimes I ask myself: what the hay was I thinking? Doing all of that to split them up and... in the end? They've got nothing. I've got nothing. Everypony loses when I could've watched and congratulated them happily from the sidelines. I could've done something, but now? It's all too late..."

"Your actions are understandable, Miss Peridot--"

"Please," she cut in, suddenly wearing a grin.

"No need for the formalities. Just call me Harmony."

"Al-Alright then," Caduceus managed to stammer.

"Harmony it is."

A loud, grandiose rumble suddenly echoed throughout the caves, scattering swarms of screeching bats from the crevices around them and even making some of the derelict ruins below the valley collapse with a boom. It was perpetual, recurrent, almost as if it were an earthquake; a possible factor Caduceus wanted to question, though the faint sound of hissing steam and whirring metal made him more doubtful.

Even Stellar and Jovern clambered out from behind, glancing worriedly at the rivulets of dust trickling from the cave ceiling. It wasn't unlike anything even Harmony had heard before in these depths, before it slowly faded away, the trembling of earth ceasing to a halt in an instant.

"What the heck was that?"

"I don't know," Harmony answered Jovern's question.

"But whatever it was... it's nothing I've ever heard before. What might be worse, at least for the Princesses..." she stopped, turning to them with a grave look at her assumption; one she was certain about it.

"It's above the ground."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"You're completely sure about this?"

Pinkie Pie's stare remained taut at the plantation farmhouse overlooking the orchards, the open doors inviting her, Velvet and Phoenix back into its bleak, decrepit interior. Never mind its desolate state, she told herself; what mattered is her final revelation into the past through the acrimonious, perilous method of the Firewalker's Mirror. What are the risks, she asked herself: to engulf oneself into a bonfire just to figure out what she had forgotten. What are the risks?

Velvet's friend, Saturn, had especially warned her to only come if she were ready, and after spending hours yesterday of pondering over the subject, up to the point where it worried Selena when the pegasus found her roaming throughout the hotel corridors at midnight, she felt it was the time. She felt she was ready.

At least, she think she's ready.

"Don't think too hard about this," Velvet assured, leading them forward.

"Just follow what your gut tells you. I trust my gut every single time, Pinkie, and it seems pretty good to be true, but it helped me get more than half of the ponies I've managed to assassinate in my lifetime! I'm serious!"

"Not helping, V," Phoenix replied with a smug look, to which the black stallion just rolled his eyes at. Pinkie was less enthusiastic about it, only looking ever the more appalled by his words, though the aforementioned stallion was quick to make it up.

"You know you can always back down if you want to. I'm not forcing you and anything, alright? And if you aren't comfortable we'll find another way."

"But this is the only way..."

Pinkie never told them, but she did a little sneak peek at Velvet's book collection last night, mostly to figure out on other alternatives to delve into her past memories. She had hit the jackpot a few times, but those rituals were darker, if not bloodier, than Saturn's spell of choice. That was it: the Firewalker's Mirror was the only option.

"Who knows?" she said, trying her best to spur out a grin.

"It might turn out alright in the end..."

Her voice faded once they reached the door, with Velvet giving it a firm knock, prompting a rushing of hooves from within. It wasn't long before the familiar face of Saturn Lithehoof poked out curiously from the crack, the sight of the trio prompting him to unlock the door and welcome them in with an open hoof.

"I've been expecting your return," he declared gleefully, waving his cane.

"So... is Miss Pie ready for the Firewalker's Mirror?"

The mare nodded reluctantly, which was enough to satisfy him.

"Alright then. Now, to get things started..."

Despite the silver stallion's excitement, all of them could see his hesitation as well. No doubt his past experience with the black magic ritual became a traumatizing scar in his memory; an extra weight he had carried for the sake of knowing his past. Then again, Saturn never mentioned anything about him being burned as a result. Perhaps it was a near-death experience? Well, whatever that happened to him -- she gulped -- she was about to find out.

"Got the oil and stuff down before you guys were here," he said once they entered the study.

"All it takes is a spark and a pony to walk across it, and we're done."

Phoenix knew it was the third time he asked this, but he still felt that strong urge to.

"Are you positively sure about this?"

"Yes, I am," Pinkie answered firmly.

"And if anything goes wrong... just... try to get me out of it, alright?"

"W-We'll do our best."

With a flick of Phoenix's tail, the familiar symbol of the pentagram, complete with malignant, stark-looking runes drawn along the circle, lit up almost immediately, forming dancing, leering shadows attached to their hooves like puppets and small flickers in the center of their pupils. Despite the moderate heat, all of them could already feel beads of sweat crawling down their necks, almost as if they were squeezed out by anxiety, though there was none in the room that could compare to Pinkie's gushing rivers of them.

"Just relax, Miss Pie," Saturn assured, striding to her side with one hoof extended outwards, guiding her into the hungry, gulp-inducing flames.

"Follow my instructions carefully, and nopony ends up getting hurt, alright? Now, close your eyes..."

"O-Okay..."

With a deep, trembling sigh, Pinkie did as she was told, vision quickly seeping into black. Her ears started to pick up even the slightest sound; the whistle of wind flitting through the cracks in the leaves, or the humming of the earth moving underneath her hooves, but it all soon faded, plunging into the deepest lake of silence she had ever heard, with only the soft, calm and steady thumping of her heart against her chest to guide her through her deaf state.

Voices traipsed languidly into her mind, the mare recognizing them as belonging to the rest, apparently discussing the next step of the ritual. Apart from that, she could feel herself sifting like sand, almost as if the whole universe was shifting beneath her hooves. There was a slight sting of heat, however; no doubt the result of her being so close into the flaming pentagram. At least, she assumed it to be.

"Can you hear me?" Saturn's voice rung through her head, to which she gave a nod. It came out in some sort of a distant echo, morphed as such with the queer, accompanying twinkle reminiscent of a wind chime, yet it sounded a little... mechanical; the clicking of tumblers and cog wheels perhaps? Even if it was, it doesn't seem right for it to be an ancient ritual such as this.

"Okay, now slowly step forward..."

Pinkie did as she was told, heading forward blindly with only the voice of Saturn to guide her. Every step closer, the sounds started to dim into fizzling white noise, the stallion's voice fluctuating rapidly along with her descent into the unknown. Even when she could feel the heat sizzling from the flames underneath her, there wasn't any pain, as if it had been swallowed up by her subconscious.

"Once I begin the incantations, all you have to do is just empty your mind," she could barely hear Saturn's voice over the crazed amalgamation of sounds.

"Get ready..."

"Oh, and Pinkie?"

"Y-Yeah?" she replied. Something told her it wasn't Saturn talking; she had a hunch it was Phoenix instead.

"Stay safe."

Everything started to warp together: her vision, her hearing, even her emotions, all tangled up no lesser than a mound of spaghetti. Pinkie held her breath, her ears perking as a booming chant pierced into her head:

Burn thy body, free thy mind;
Lose thy soul, free thy binds.
Let the past be known, to be brought to light;
Let t'was wrongdoings be redone right.

A flash of light erupted, the mare feeling herself being shot forward so suddenly, even the hairs of her mane flew back from the whooshing wind. Every sound except her hurried breathing died down to silence in an instant as Pinkie opened her eyes to find herself standing in a domain so white, it would've blinded her eyes!

Upon closer inspection, she found out it was a hallway, where everything, to the walls reaching endlessly above, the tiled floor she was striding across and even the stone potted plants placed as decor alongside the columns, was smooth as glass. At the end of the hallway, Pinkie could make out the distinct cracks of a pair of doors, one of them ajar to reveal a yellow glow on the other side. Whatever that was behind those doors was calling out to her; she could hear its soft, mellow voice, chirping sweetly like a nightingale into her ear:

"Come closer... come closer..."

Pinkie couldn't help but follow it, her curiosity making it too tempting of a request to resist. There was a certain calmness to that voice, as if it soothed her heart and alleviated her fears somehow, like an enchanting lullaby. Above all of that, she couldn't help but find it a little familiar, as if she had heard it before, but she couldn't possibly have... could she? Was the owner of said voice a pony from her fractured past?

Opening the door, she soon found herself on a balcony, equally as white as the room before it. Beyond the banisters, there was a gigantic white void instead; one she believed if she fell over she would never hit a landing. With a gulp, Pinkie stepped forward, noticing a table and a pair of chairs that seemed to camouflage with the backdrop, along with an ethereal looking pony -- a stallion, judging from his stature -- staring down beyond the balcony. He soon turned to her, his glowing blue eyes immediately striking her in the core of her heart, her jaw dropping with shocked realization.

It was the stallion that led her through the fog back at Princess Terra's shrine!

"You've finally arrived, Pinkie," he spoke, gracefully extending a hoof towards the other chair.

"Please. Have a seat."

Still bewildered at her revelation, Pinkie settled herself onto the glass chair, draped in a fine white sheet complete with a fluffy pillow. Whoever the stallion was had the heart to guide her away from the deceptive fog towards the stairway to the shrine and invite her while she's stuck in some strange, baroque world filled only with an empty white, as if the colors of life in this world had melted away. Was he always here; an inhabitant of her mind? He must get bored in this emptiness, she surmised to herself.

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" he asked suddenly, to which she could only shrug.

"Oh, of course, of course. You lost your memory."

"Y-Yeah? A-A-And?"

"You're here to recover them. I, however, am here to tell you that it is not an easy task."

The stallion rose (or did he float up?) from his seat, prompting her to do the same. All Pinkie could do was follow him towards the edge of the balcony, watching him as he stared forward with a deep sigh.

"What do you see?"

"Wh-What?"

"What do you see?" he repeated his question.

"Beyond the balcony we're standing upon, what do you see?"

The mare just blinked, utterly confused by his question. Sure, there is something beyond the balcony that was dominating her vision the entire time she was out here: a big patch of white nothing, that's what! She wanted to slam his face down against the banister for asking what seemed to be another one of those complex questions, and would've done so if he wasn't so... ghostly.

"I don't see anything," she blurted out the honest truth.

"That's because you haven't looked hard enough," the colt answered, much to her annoyance.

"Try again. You'll see something eventually."

With a suppressed groan, Pinkie did as she was told, this time squinting her eyes deeper into the big blotch of white that she was supposed to see. She swore to herself, if it were a trick question, she would try her best to hurl him over the balcony and probably toss the furniture along with him. Her eyes determinedly scan across the expanse, trying her best to at least catch a hint of something, anything, that could help her with her condition.

"I'm sorry," she finally said with a sigh of defeat, throwing her hooves up into the air.

"I tried my best, okay? Even if there is actually anything down there, I can't see... whatever it is, at all--"

You spoke too soon, Pinkie Pie, was the first thing that came into her mind when she saw what seemed to be the shape of a fountain placed in the middle of the void, the cascading domes of water forming minuscule rainbows across its surface. Slowly, her jaw fell once the sight of stately buildings faded into view, complete with slate, maze-like roads interjecting between them and even lampposts and trees aligned along the path, all of it frozen in a splendor of white, baroque marble.

"It seems you've found what you were seeking," the stallion said, wearing what she think was a smile.

"Well then. Care to tell me about your compelling discovery, hmm?"

"C-Can't you see it?"

"I'm only a mere figment of your imagination, Pinkie," he replied smugly.

"I exist only in your subconscious as the pony who prances around this empty place, and I can tell you, it is not the best profession in the world. Your presence makes it ever the more... exciting, so to speak."

"W-Well... whatever you say..."

Pinkie never understood what he meant; a figment of her imagination? Her imagination? As in, she conjured this strange little ghost out of nowhere in the shrine as well? How can her imagination be so powerful for it to actually become real? It might be a hallucination, right? Then again, now's not the best time to question it.

"It's a town," she answered, glancing across the field of bleached slate roofs and chimney stacks.

"Slightly large one, to be honest...... I don't know what else to say about it, really."

"Is that so?" the stallion asked, to which she nodded.

"Hmm... interesting proposition. Queer, yet... interesting..."

"So~? How does this town have to do with you and me?"

"Patience, Pinkie," he replied, making her roll her eyes.

"Now that you mention it, this town, indeed, has a lot of relevance about your past. Perhaps somewhere in life, you stumbled upon such a town. Perhaps it was the first place you've visited, or perhaps it was your last. Nevertheless, what's important is that you figure out which town it was, alright?"

"What about you?" Pinkie asked, puzzled.

"Don't you know what this place is? Couldn't you tell me if you do?"

"Things don't work that way, Pinkie. If they did, reality would be too simple."

The stallion let out a troubled sigh, clearly upset by her predicament as much as her, though for what reasons she never knew. He settled back down onto the chair, glancing up at her with a look of sympathy, blue eyes flickering dully, if not lifelessly, at her.

"Remember, Pinkie," he began, placing his hooves onto Pinkie's shoulders, the mare tensing up in response.

"One day, you'll realize who you were meant to be. Trust me, I really want to help you with all of this, but I'm forbidden to. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll discover the truth. At that point, you'd probably--"

*BOOM*

It was distant, the echo of something collapsing, which was quickly followed successively by two more similar ones. Both ponies immediately turned towards the balcony, though when Pinkie whirled back to ask the stallion about it, she stopped at the sight of his frozen face of terror.

"Listen to me closely, Pinkie," he spoke sternly and suddenly, pushing her away from the edge of the banisters as another rumble shook the entire place.

"Run. Just run. Don't stop. Don't ever look back. Don't ever think about anything else. Just run."

"B-But..."

"Go, Pinkamena Diane Pie!" he shouted, though not before wearing a weak smile.

"I'll be safe. Trust me."

All the mare could do then was nod, before turning back and starting her frantic gallop down the hallways from whence she came. She didn't had even the slightest idea of what she was running from, yet already her heart was frantically drumming in her chest, her sweat beads dripping hastily from her face. Her hooves were already starting to sting from something, by what she wasn't sure.

A loud snap cracked through the air, prompting Pinkie to look down and see, much to her horror, a large, gaping chasm starting to open its hungry jaws beneath her. Gritting her teeth, she took off, trying her best to run down without getting caught, yet it only grew ever the wider, ignoring her anxious condition. Sounds of maniacal laughter echoed from behind, almost as if something out of her most morbid of nightmares was chasing her ecstatically, with even its limbs reaching out to brush her mane, yet that wasn't enough for her to steer her away from her course.

It's by the heck of a misfortune she tripped.

A scream rushed out her mouth once she felt herself falling, the black chasm swallowing her as it swallowed the world of white, her head screeching through a strange montage including the ethereal stallion, a clanging tambourine, blood splattering from a hacking pickaxe, a burning room of wood and a pair of purple, beady eyes, among others. Flurries of sensations burst through her like whizzing fireworks that made her clench her eyes shut, though she noticed there was one that started to grow like a parasite from within: the feeling of intense heat.

Sound came crashing in like a rogue tidal wave, just as she was dragged backwards, her stinging hoof scraping across the wooden floor. Vision growing obscure, she could see the frantic, blurred faces of three ponies standing above her, one of them having knelt down with utmost concern and terror. Severe pain followed the indistinct shouts revolving around her head, though she could make out a familiar one: none other than Phoenix Mellow.

"Just look at me, Pinkie!! Don't you dare close your eyes, alright?!!"

"Don't you dare!!

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Sleep well, Twilight Sparkle?"

"A little harsh, thanks to the storm outside, but I'm good."

Twilight never intended for her, Rarity and Spike to stay at Inkie's house for the night, though the violent storm outside and the gray mare's own insistence persuaded her to do as such. Despite being different from Pinkie, the lavender unicorn could see that Inkie possessed her sister's charming hospitality, as well as her enthusiasm to make ponies happy, making her wonder why she had a cross-section of some ore as a Cutie Mark instead.

Rarity and Spike were already up before her, eagerly waiting for their brewing breakfast to be placed onto the creaky, square table they were seated around. Taking a whiff, the librarian couldn't help but lick her lips, watching Inkie Pie in her apron stirring the delicious mixture of a tomato casserole with a wooden ladle.

"That looks tasty," she remarked.

"Is everypony in your family a good cook?"

"You could say that," came the delighted answer.

"Mother taught each of us on how to cook, though I think Pinkie was the only one who stuck herself to focus only on making the desserts, to be honest. Even Father could cook like a gourmet if he wasn't so focused on farming all those rocks on the field."

It wasn't long before Twilight settled down with the rest, exchanging greetings with the others just as Inkie started to pour the casserole into separate bowls, before proceeding to serve them with her hooves wrapped in damp cloth. One by one, they began to savor her creation, the dragon being the first to chow down before kicking back his paws with a satisfied, fulfilling sigh.

"That was the best," he proclaimed, giving the mare a thumbs up.

"I second that," Rarity said, her grin widening.

"You should really consider a job in the culinary world. This is absolutely scrumptious!"

Inkie managed to giggle at their praises, her cheeks reddening a little.

"Aw, it's nothing really," she replied.

"Just treating my guests the way they should be treated."

Twilight couldn't help it but smile wider when her heart was flushed with warmth at her response. It seems she also inherited her older sister's humble modesty as well, which made her feel as if Pinkie was back in their lives again. All she needs is the pink mare's hysterical randomness to become the perfect carbon copy of Pinkie herself; to reignite the dying spark that their bubbly friend was always fond of keeping it alive.

Of course, to get Pinkie back would be better, for her friends and for Inkie. Neither of them could forget the reason they were really here in the first place: to have Inkie's help to solve the complex, puzzling riddle found in Professor Page's diary. To figure out what it means would be progress and, in a way, success.

"Interesting..." Inkie said, pondering over the diary page once Twilight had the chance to hand it to her after they finished tidying up. All four of them were settled onto the couch then, studying the tattered parchment carefully, the words echoing in each of their heads:

To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox;
Close to death, parched and lost.

To maim the woodpecker's beak in twine;
For feathers becometh wood, naught in its mind.

"Of course. The prose of simple wisdom."

The rest of them just looked at her, baffled by her revelation, to which she explained:

"Basically, these verses are part of a group of poems whose origins were traced back the earliest days of ponykind, where they were used and reenacted in theaters and speeches. To solve them is a different matter; you'll have to think in the most simplest way possible, meaning you'll have to use commonplace logic."

"But the riddle isn't logical," Twilight protested.

"To quench the thirst of a bleeding fox... why quench its thirst when its already dying of blood loss?"

"You're thinking too far already," Inkie replied.

"It's not a matter of possibility; rather it's about the meaning and concept behind it, built for the reader to visualize. In this case, the first verse is actually talking about a recent event. I'm sure you would not believe the answer but trust me, it's the perfect truth."

"Which one?" Rarity couldn't help but ask.

"The fall of Pendant Lakes."

The jaws of both unicorns and dragons dropped immediately in disbelief at her answer, and the gray mare would've laughed at their faces if they were actually dealing with more trivial matters instead. With a shake of her head, Inkie soon gave her explanation:

"Alright, so the fox is bleeding and he's thirsty, right?"

A chorus of nods followed.

"So what's the closest water source?"

"Um..." Spike began, shuffling in his seat nervously once the three mares turned to him. He felt like an idiot to have such a strange answer, especially in front of Rarity and all, but Inkie did say to think in the most simplest way.

"Wouldn't the closest source be... himself? Cause he's bleeding and all..."

"That's correct, actually," the mare replied, much to their surprise.

"Think about it: the fox was bleeding, meaning he couldn't move, probably. For him to be thirsty, he needs to find something to quench his thirst and, as a last minute resort, decides to drink his own blood up instead. You might say it prefers death over suffering."

"But how does this relate to Pendant Lakes?"

"Good question, Rarity," Inkie continued.

"This verse actually means that the fox is unintentionally committing suicide; when the fox drinks down more blood to quench its thirst, it is actually losing more blood as a result or, you could put it, to be destroyed from the inside. For Princess Celestia to be betrayed by one of the Voyager Six... wouldn't you say she was in a similar scenario; that she sent out the Voyagers to seek out and prevent corruption, yet be defeated by the only one of them that succumbed as a result of her actions to exploit the Palgiots?"

"But this poem is centuries old!" came Twilight's argument.

"There's no way ponies that time would've known that Pendant Lakes was about to be destroyed by Harmony, right? This was written way before last year, Inkie. And what about the second part of the poem?"

"This isn't just a poem."

Again, her answer was met with disbelief; it was typical in her line of work, mostly from the fact that it was associated with ancient, long-forgotten knowledge, the supernatural and the unknown. She had expected Twilight herself to possess knowledge along the lines as well, but it seems she was mistaken.

"If I am correct, this might be some sort of prophecy."

"A prophecy?" Spike asked.

"Who's it about?"

"I have a hunch... but I can't be sure..."

With a sigh, Inkie carefully set the parchment down onto the table, the disappointed faces of everypony else a little disheartening of a sight to take in. She really has a hunch, no doubt; it's just that she needed more evidence to prove the bearer of the prophecy, if it is one at all.

"If I find anything about this, I'll let you guys know," she said.

"After all, you guys have to head back to that camp of yours, right?"

"Yeah... come to think of it..." Twilight began, stopping to think before asking:

"Why not come back with us?"

"Wait, wh-what?"

"Come back with us! To Canterlot!"

It was an abrupt suggestion that suddenly clicked into her head, albeit a suggestion that was worth a shot. After all, it has been a while since the gray mare last stepped into the elegant capital of Equestria and with her aid and expertise, they might at least be able to delay Janus's plans.

"Think about it, Inkie," the lavender unicorn continued.

"We need all the help we can get to stop Janus before it's too late. Plus, if Pinkie comes back, you might be able to see her after all these years! Then maybe you two could find Blinkie together and finally reunite the Pie family! Wouldn't you want to do a thing like that?"

"B-But..." Inkie stammered.

"But it's... it's been so long..."

"This is all for your sister, Inkie," Rarity added.

"Believe me, as a friend of Pinkie's, the only thing I genuinely want now is for her to return safely to Ponyville and make our days brighter again like she always do. I concur that with your help, we might be able to track her down faster! Wouldn't you want to see your sister back again?"

"I do... b-but..."

"Do this for Pinkie," Spike bluntly put it. He would've kept silent if it wasn't for Rarity's nudge.

"Do this for her, and Blinkie as well. Do this not for us, but for your family."

Inkie Pie was unsure of the choices laid out for her: to stay behind and watch the unfolding events from afar, or to head back into the heartland of Equestria and get tangled up in the brewing chaos. She was no fool; she knew the consequences each choice could bring, yet the sight of Pinkie's smile -- a memory she had always cherished -- was too grand of a reward to resist. If only Blinkie were here to join her...

"Seems nostalgia is a temptation you might have to give in to. Sooner or later."

Spike just scratched his head at her response, watching as she hastily climbed up the rickety staircase and disappearing from his view. He just turned to the remaining two unicorns, his puzzlement at her statement prompting him to ask:

"What's she talking about?"

"Oh, Spike..."

Rarity giggled as she clung onto Spike's claw, her eyes sparkling at the gray mare's answer. She couldn't imagine herself, to be given a chance to reunite with a sibling that had disappeared for so long from her life. If she were under the same circumstances as Inkie, she would've done the same thing.

"That means she's coming along with us."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"But Mom--!"

"No 'but's, dear," her mother's voice nagged at her.

"You can't just go wandering off! Who knows what would've happened to you if you left our sight!"

"But Mom, Ah'm just gonna look at the television displays! The channel it's on is showing one of m'ah friends--"

"I understand you're eager to see her performance, dear, but we simply do not have the time."

For young mares, the modern scenery of apartments, skyscrapers of Manehatten was the most intriguing if not wondrous place for the opportunity to start a new life and thrive in the prosperous, growing city that some say had replaced Canterlot as the most advanced and fast-progressing city of Equestria. Everypony knew about Manehatten's brilliant, mesmerizing neon billboards and the zooming underground subway trains; just a portion of what a pony from the countryside would call living the luxurious life.

No doubt, she had seen young mares come here to find a place for their future, though she had suspected that most of them turned out to be illegal and lecherous workers in the end. Her mother, fortunately, was an exception; she worked as a real estate dealer that sells apartment rooms, and was always keen on the controversial fact that yes, young mares can find many bright and brilliant opportunities here.

For Babs Seed, that really wasn't the case.

The mare, now a teenager, was never fond of the bright lights, just like her 'cuz'n Applejack' when she was young. Ever since she had been picked on in school, she grew a profound hatred for the city and its ignorant community. Every time they had the chance to go on a vacation, she would make sure to live every moment of it, especially if it's another trip back to Ponyville to have fun with her favorite cousin, Apple Bloom.

They had been keeping in touch: pen pals, just like Princess Celestia and her student, Twilight Sparkle, sending letters back and forth to tell them about their feats. There was one time where Babs was congratulated by Apple Bloom on getting her Cutie Mark: three golden seeds, after helping the school in a little bit of gardening, and she did the same thing when Apple Bloom got hers. It was from the most recent of these exchange of letters that she found out about Sweetie Belle's contest in Canterlot, and though she wanted to see the performance as much as the rest of the Crusaders, her mother, however, had other ideas.

"Remember that we'll have to go to the barber's tomorrow," came her mother's reminder again. Yes, she wanted to leave her mane long just like Applejack and Apple Bloom's, though her parents did tell her it looked uncouth and messy, mostly because she didn't have the time to comb it. Then again, there were some of her friends in school who commented she looked more beautiful with a long mane, and that itself was a good thing already.

"After that, we'll have to make an appointment with the dentist for your cavity--"

"Mom, it's not a cavity."

"It's still a dental problem!" was the anxious reply.

"But for now, you'll have to visit that psychiatrist of yours."

Babs could only groan at the thought. Ever since her mother decided to sign her up for a little monthly counseling after she fought back a few bullies (they asked for it! Honest!) from some of her friends, she has to spend a mundane hour listening to the droning yapping of this old, senile colt about rectifying her behavior and such. She was never at fault to begin with and, despite protesting in front of all the teachers about it, was still suspended as a result. Her mother did no different by signing her up for this mind-numbing appointment.

Sure enough, they've reached one of the taller apartments in the district, where her mother would give an embarrassing kiss on her forehead before crossing the street to her workplace, leaving her alone standing on the sidewalk. Well, better listen to the old man than the loud traffic, she told herself with a sigh.

Heading through the revolving doors, her throat lurched at the elevator doors opening, beckoning her inside while ponies stepped out from within, glancing down at her curiously as they passed by. With a gulp, Babs slowly trotted into the box, the first beads of sweat crawling down just as she pressed the button for the sixteenth floor, prompting the doors to close shut.

She never told anyone about this except Apple Bloom: she was claustrophobic, and had been so ever since she was locked shut in the bathroom in her previous school overnight by some ponies whom she wished would never want to see again. Elevators were no exception as well, though she had been trying her best to confront it.

Exiting into the hallways, the teenager soon reached the abode of the psychiatrist, to which she knocked on the door. A scurry of hoofsteps from within approached her, before the door opened to reveal a new face. It was a she; a unicorn with mane striped pink and azure, hooves slender almost like Princess Celestia's, with violet eyes sparkling at the prospect of a new visitor.

"Babs... Seed, right?" she asked, to which Babs nodded blankly.

"Come in, come in! I've been expecting you!"

"But... what happened to--"

"He's taking a week off, so for now I'll be your psychiatrist."

The mare beckoned her towards the couch, settling herself down as she picked up her clipboard before glancing up at Babs with keen interest. Despite the enthusiasm she was clearly showing, the teenager was a little nervous, wondering if she should be the one treated by a psychiatrist instead of her.

"Uh, miss...?" she spoke up after a minute of constricting silence.

"What's your name?"

"Oh, how silly of me! Forgot to introduce myself!"

Clearing her throat, the mare stood up, smile widening as she spoke:

"The name's Fantasia. Just Fantasia. None of that Miss or Missus stuff that these Manehattan ponies do nowadays. Anyways, cup of tea?"

"No thanks," the teenager replied, shaking her hoof.

"Just... here for the checkup, then Ah'm off."

"Well, if you say so..."

The checkup was somewhat usual, though with Fantasia's energetic personality, Babs could barely fall asleep, unlike what happened with the other psychiatrist. Adding to that, there weren't any interruptions from the psychiatrist; many of the adults, including her mother, ignored her stories, and for a random stranger she just met minutes ago to be so attentive as she recounted the tales of her standing up against the bullies seemed too good to be true.

"All I could say," Fantasia began after she finished.

"Is that you did the right thing. In fact, I don't even know why your mum bothered to send you here."

"That's what Ah tried to tell her!" Babs retorted.

"But she just... she keeps saying no and no and no, almost as if she knew what happened to me... sometimes, Ah don't understand why all these ponies just do that..."

"They're just afraid of getting tangled into your teenager problems."

The psychiatrist just sighed, glancing out at the fabulous scenery of skyscrapers outside the large glass window. Perhaps she faced something similar before, Babs surmised, or perhaps she was just expressing her disappointment of the relationship between a parent and a child these days.

"The most I could help you is to tell your mother that you don't need to come here anymore," she said, making the teenager widen her eyes in disbelief.

"It's the least I could do, for a brave mare such as you. It takes a lot of courage and heart to stand up for your friends, you know. Even counseling can't teach you that."

"R-Really? You would do that?"

"Of course! Would you reconsider having the cup of tea now?"

Babs nodded earnestly, quickly being served one from Fantasia. Rising from the couch, the older mare strode across the room and to the large glass window, looking down at the busy streets and colossal skyscrapers the city was famed for. It reminded her of her former home not too far, yet the nostalgia of it tingled in her heart, especially at the mention of parent and child. She only had but a few disputes with her parents, and not very major ones either, which goes to show how much they love her. It was still fresh, how her father had always called her by her nickname: Frou-Frou.

Her thoughts were shattered when she spotted, in the distance, a bunch of black figures soaring through the sky, made more evident by the faint whirring. Squinting her eyes, she immediately stifled a gasp, stepping away from the window with mouth gaping and eyes widened in fear.

"Babs," she called for the teenager.

"Get under the table."

"Huh? What fo--"

"Get under the table! Now!"

Babs quickly did as she was told, confused at the psychiatrist's suddenly harsh reaction. She could only watch Fantasia carefully stepping backwards, though she too soon spotted the shapes in the horizon. As they got closer and closer, she couldn't help but feel her heart sink to the floor, but it skipped back up when the older mare suddenly ran to her, hugging her tight with her head buried in her shoulder.

"F-Fantasia?" she stammered.

"What's the big dea--"

Everything that came next was a blur: loud explosions rang throughout the skies, rendering her ears near-deaf as she could only watch in horror at the abrupt assault. Houses blew up underneath the merciless hail of nukes, smoke pouring out in grandiose clouds from the nestling, ravaging fires within. The glass window even shattered as a bomb struck the floor below them, sending furniture flying across the room and smashing through everything in its path.

Babs just clenched her eyes shut, she and Fantasia cringing underneath the table as the loud explosions rocked the ground, collapsing buildings joining the fray. Fires were already eating away the floor from below, with portions of plaster from the ceiling smashing onto the floor, only forcing them further into the corner.

"JUST KEEP YOUR HEAD DOWN!!" the older mare screamed.

Eventually, the loud whirring of engines faded away, leaving in its wake a path of destruction. Babs was the first to crawl out from their hiding spot, despite Fantasia's quiet protests, only to be mortified at the hellish sight of a burning Manehatten below her. Everything she knew was now being torn apart by blazing flames, and she could spot some ponies scrambling out of the debris, no doubt horrified as her.

"Mom?!! MOM?!!" she yelled, glancing out of the broken window with tears at the collapsed buildings all around, wanting to hear a response. Fantasia pulled the teenager away from the shattered pane of glass, hugging the sobbing mare as she examined the desolate, distant scene below her in shock, multitudes of siren-wailing trucks bursting through the road with some of the pegasi guards zooming towards the debris.

"M-Mom..." Babs whimpered, to which Fantasia hushed her.

"Your mother will be fine, alright Babs?" the unicorn said, trying her best to repress her own tears.

"S-She'll be fine, alright. She'll be p-perfectly fine... I promise..."

"I promise..."

Author's Note

Took way too long to finish. Again. :facehoof:

Hoped it was worth the wait!

The Manehatten Cataclysm

"Get it back, Pound!"

Pound Cake snorted mischievously with laughter, wings buzzing rapidly as he soared into the boundless expanse of the blue sky, his sights set on a cyan, heart-shaped balloon aimlessly floating in the distance, tossed about only by a few brief gusts of wind. Aside from the clouds drifting along like fluffy sailboats, there were flocks of birds encouraging him in his bolstering chase; one he was sure his mother would completely reprimand him for.

He had always enjoyed the prospect of flying. Rumble did tell him it was the nature of a pegasus to develop a fondness of flying, though Aunt Fluttershy proved to be an exception, saying it otherwise. Nevertheless, despite his heart always pumping full of adrenaline and his body working up a sweat, there was a strange, ethereal sense of serenity that always stirred within, even when he was performing the most complicated of stunts.

Whatever the reason, it gave him the motivation just like it calmed his schizophrenic fears back when he was starting off on flying with the help of the older colts, such as Rumble and his brother Thunderlane, Cloud Kicker and in a few occasions, Soarin' himself. Never had he been more fearless than now, with his mobile target just out of his reach. All he had to do was stretch his hooves out a little more...

"Got it!" he cheered happily, tying the string of the balloon around his hoof. With a cheerful, triumphant grin, Pound soon zoomed back down, the prosperous buildings of Ponyville greeting his eyes as he dashed through a layer of clouds, swerving about a few roads before slowing down at the sight of the apple trees of Sweet Apple Acres. What made his smile wider was the pony waiting at the end of the dirt lane, waving her yellow hoof into the air.

"You got it, Pound?" she asked.

"You betcha, Pumpkin!" came his cheerful answer, waving the balloon about his hoof before handing it to his griping sister. Just as she did so, Pumpkin suddenly gripped onto his hoof, hoisting it up and biting it whole like she usually did when she was just a month old, the result of which made him yelp out aloud in pain.

"Ow!" he yelled, yanking his hoof back and trying to shake away the fading agony.

"What was that for?"

"Don't ever do that again!" she scolded.

"You know this isn't just some balloon, right?"

"I know..."

Pound never meant to lose it. Once her mother told him about his sister heading off to help Braeburn with a few chores around the farm, he couldn't help but zoom out and do the same. It just so happens that he bumped into Pumpkin while speeding through the trees, the balloon she sometimes carried around flying out her hoof as a result.

The balloon was what they, along with their parents, had come to call as a memento, for it was the balloon that Pinkie gave them on their birthday when they became a year old. Even though they were admittedly too young to recall it, their mother did say it was one of the few tangible memories they had about their former babysitter. Neither could forget about their loss last year, as if the light of their lives weren't there anymore.

"But at least you saved it," Pumpkin muttered, hugging her brother with a smile suddenly forming.

"Aunt Pinkie would be pleased to know that."

"I guess so..." was all he could say, ending with a sheepish chuckle.

"So... um... what's Mr. Braeburn doing?"

"Finding you guys, f'course!"

The voice of the Stetson-wearing cowpony of Appleloosa made them turn, their smiles widening at his own. He was sweating from head to hoof, no doubt having been gathering apples ever since the first rays of sunlight broke out from the horizon. Of course, Braeburn wasn't the only one helping out: he had invited many of his friends from Appleloosa prior to their arrival in Ponyville, one of whom the twins knew he was closely acquainted with.

"Ya guys saw Lil' Strong?" he asked, to which they both shook their heads.

"Huh. Been thinkin' she shoula been herdin' them sheep 'bout now. Not even a single speck, Cakes?"

"Nope!" Pumpkin replied, starting to grin.

"Come to think of it, why do you want to see her so badly?"

"You know how it is. The things yer parents ain't want you guys to poke your noses around 'til yer older."

"Which means she said yes, right?"

"No doubt 'bout it, kid," Braeburn answered gleefully, playfully scratching the giggling colt's head.

"Tonight, it's just her and me, hav'n a little stargazin' and cruisin' through the fields together, talk'n 'bout how we met way back then and all. Y'all should've seen her, how much she had grown from the first time we met. Shucks, she was no bigger than the both of you now at that time!"

His words were never truer. Millaray 'Little' Strongheart was considered the Mona Lisa of the Appleloosan Buffalo Herd, somehow retaining her slender figure she possessed when she was young, having only grown in height. Despite looking somewhat frail compared to her bulkier counterparts, she still had her species's strength, displaying it when she starts helping him in applebucking and plowing the land. Being both graceful yet athletic, her given name had never been more perfect; in her tribe's language, Millaray means 'golden flower'.

Of course, Braeburn had been admiring her from afar back when he had a marefriend (whom left him months ago for another unlucky colt) and was thoroughly surprised when she volunteered herself to help out in Sweet Apple Acres when his cousins are away. Time passed and sure enough, when he revealed his affections towards her just a week ago, the buffalo couldn't help but give him a hug, admitting that she too secretly had feelings for him all this time. Then came yesterday, when he asked her out...

"Do you need Mommy to make some sort of cake to make it more... you know... romantic?"

"No worries, Pumpkin," he said with a laugh.

"Ah got this all under control. Just need to remind her, that's all."

"Braeburn!"

The sound of somepony shouting the stallion's name in the distance prompted them to turn, with Braeburn himself stopping at the recognizable voice slightly distorted in its anxious tone.

"Milla?" he mumbled, face paling.

It took another shout from Little Strongheart for him to spring into action, the stallion galloping across the orchard, unwillingly followed by the curious Cake twins. All that stirred in his head were the horrific thoughts of what would've happened to the buffalo, from spraining her hoof to the most serious: being slaughtered by the rumored invaders that had already started to attack cities without warning.

Those thoughts ebbed away when he spotted the slender, dainty silhouette of the buffalo in the distance, strangely, along with the remaining workponies that he had brought from Appleloosa. His realization came when they got closer, his eyes spotting a bleeding pony limping right beside her, her hoof supporting the pony's shoulder.

"Get some help, Brae!" she yelled.

"We need everypony in town!! Now!!"

With a frantic nod, Braeburn immediately rushed off, leaving both Pound and Pumpkin to stare in disbelief at the ponies all around, with possibly thousands more snaking down from the paths in the distance. It would've been a stampede if it weren't for their sluggish speed, and both of them would've been confused as such if they had not seen the shocking and sickening scene of burnt flesh and streams of blood from gaping wounds.

"Wh-What..." Pumpkin could not finish her sentence, having been overwhelmed by disgust. Her brother just looked in horror at all the injured ponies, holding back a gasp aching in his throat. It was too much: the pained moans of ponies half dead, the appalling sight of lacerations and soot-covered faces devoid of happiness... neither of the twins had ever seen ponies in such a desolate state, nor did they expect to.

"Wh-Where did they all come from?" Pound asked Little Strongheart.

The buffalo just grimaced, chest heaving from lifting the now unconscious pony. She turned back to face the distant mountains and the trail of fugitives that stretch across the plains, the skies beyond darkening from a growing, fearsome storm. There had never been such an evacuation at this immense of a scale, and with the clear answer in her head, she too will never believe it to be true: how could such a big city be destroyed? Just like that?

"Manehatten..."

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"State the details."

"Eyewitness accounts reported it to be an air raid, coordinated to target on every district in Manehatten. The survivors all fled to the towns in Central Equestria, especially Ponyville."

Princess Celestia leaned closer, her head attentively focusing on the dubious cause of the Manehatten Cataclysm; the destruction of Manehatten that had killed hundreds in mere seconds. She could not fathom how such an attack occured, nor how it was carefully executed. Now, with the ministry pressured to investigate by the citizens of Equestria, she couldn't help but reveal her anxiety and fear at the next possible city the enemy would strike.

What baffled her was the fact that Manehatten was completely obliterated and bombarded by an air raid. She had been through a couple of air raids before, usually manned by elite pegasi teams with their bombs and their guns, but what kind of flight team could raze such an advanced city into the ground?

"Are you sure it was just an air raid?" she asked, doubtful of the facts.

"We're not sure, Your Highness," one of the ministers replied.

"There had been speculations that this wasn't an ordinary pegasi raid. Many of the guards reported that the raiders have something more. Some sort of craft, they said."

Much to the surprise of the ministers, Princess Celestia's eyes widened immediately, almost as if in shock. She slowly rose from her seat, leaving the rest of the ponies to watch in fear as she stared down at each and every single pony in the room. Never had they seen the alicorn so fearful before and, as they say, one can do many things out of fear.

"What... sort of craft?" she asked.

"Airborne, Your Highness. Slightly large, with approximately enough space to fit five ponies. From the destruction done, there is a possibility that it possesses heavy weaponry."

"It couldn't be..."

The alicorn glanced down, scrunching her forehead in deep thought with her gaze stuck to the papers on the table, all reporting about the unexpected invasion of Manehatten. She had a few speculations in her head on what this so-called 'craft' could be, but if it were true, to which she hoped not, that would mean that the whole of Equestria and the rest of the nations is in certain danger.

"If it were true..." she muttered softly to herself.

"No... it's impossible...... they couldn't have..."

"Pardon me, Your Highness, but did you say something?"

"Nothing," she quickly replied, before turning back to the rest of the cabinet.

"Captain Shining Armor."

The stallion immediately marched forward, giving her a salute before bowing down.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Tell every division of the guard to double-- no, triple their numbers in every major city, especially for the night sentries. Move the curfew times for all cities forward to nine at night. Any pony caught outdoors after curfew hours must be arrested on spot."

To Shining himself, it was a bizarre, not to mention preposterous, idea. There was no way the Royal Guards could bolster their numbers: they had not even arranged their duties in the smaller towns yet! Glancing at all the ministers' faces, he could know that they were sharing the same thought that the Princess's orders were, for once, frenzied and a little irresponsible, perhaps mostly from her gathering anxiety.

He had to admit, there had never been more of a time that she was more fearful of something than now. It was almost as if their enemy possessed some sort of extreme power which was enough to agitate their ruler to the point of frantic hysteria; a deep contrast from her usually calm, thoughtful and knowledgeable self. In his judgement, he would never carry out such a reckless order, but with the recent disaster in Manehatten and the fact that the order comes from the highest power imaginable in the whole of Equestria, he doesn't have much of a choice.

"Right away, Your Highness," he answered after a brief moment of unsure silence.

Just as Shining left the room, Princess Celestia turned to one of the ministers, who immediately sat up straight in attention with a bow.

"Where's Sir Praeclarus?" she asked.

"In the royal basilica, Your Highness."

With a thankful nod, the Princess strode towards the doors of the council room, her stern eyes ordering all of the ministers to hasten their work as she stepped out of the room and into the hallways of the palace. The atmosphere of Canterlot, apart from its usual freshness and flair, was now tingling with a sense of insecurity. Anytime now, there would be something or somepony waiting patiently for the right time to strike; to topple down her subjects' spirits with bombardments or brutal assassinations. Pendant Lakes, although being the worst catastrophe so far, was just the tip of the iceberg.

Sure enough, she reached the ornate doors of the basilica, its panels carved with the shapes of the sun and the moon, all arranged in the form of an arch. With a hesitant sigh, she pushed the doors apart, revealing the glorious nave that awaited within, her hooves graciously welcomed by the soft fabric of the red carpet across the rhombus tiles of the marble floor. Sunlight dipped in from the upper aisles at the side, yet its filtered dimness, joined by lit candelabras standing like lampposts in a row, only glorified the melancholy of the abbey rather than diminish it.

At the end was the domed apse, its columns like wide-open hooves to present a statue of the alicorn herself, one hoof raised with head high and both wings unfurled, all carved in pure white stone with utmost diligence and a stickler in details, from the amount of ridges around her horn to the curved feathers in her wings. Right at the base, kneeling with eyes closed, were a couple, the one she recognized as the esteemed Fancypants and Fleur De Lis.

They were praying, from what she could hear underneath their shuddering breaths. The mare of the duo was almost on the verge of collapsing with tears, while her husband trembled, suit turned raggedy from dread. She knew who they were praying about: she could hear them, not physically from her presence there but in her head. Soft echoes, bereft of the harmony that once flourished; stricken croaks of unwanted grief and understandable fear, representing the turmoil churning in both their hearts.

"Would she be safe, Your Highness?"

Fancypants's suddenly-cold voice caught her off guard, the Princess stepping back just as the stallion turned to her, glaring at her with such morbidity in his demeanor, it would've even been on par with her sister's rage. His grimace turned darker and darker, making her gulp as he asked again.

"Would... she... be... safe?"

Princess Celestia had no idea what to say. After all, he was one of the most dignified ponies of the whole of Canterlot, a trustworthy subject to rely on and like many before, one of the most prominent ponies to ask if she ever needed help. Never did she saw him resort to praying in even the most dire circumstances, but this time was different.

"Sir Praeclarus," she began nervously.

"I can't guarantee that--"

"That what? She's alive? She's alright?"

However frustrated he sounded to be, there was also that underlying tone of disappointment in his voice. The alicorn knew she was expected to give the answer; even in the ancient days, many had ventured from far and wide to seek the truths that only her and her sister would know. When it comes to life and death, however...

"Have faith."

"But what if she..." Fleur suddenly spoke, stepping out with her demeanor as cold as her husband's.

"What if she... didn't make it? How can faith help us then?"

Again, Princess Celestia could not muster up the confidence to give a response. Faith is, after all, a mere speck of dust when it comes to the life of a pony, and in her manifold years as the Princess, she had seen life come and go enough to know how precious family was to even the most faithful of her subjects.

"Your daughter will be safe," was what she could only think of a response.

"I'll see to that."

"And if she's not?"

The alicorn just turned towards the exit, trotting out and leaving the devastated couple behind, puzzled in her actions. She stopped only when she reached the door, turning back towards them with no less of a grimace; a sight that caught them off guard, the both of them backing down out of fear.

"If you don't have faith that your own daughter is still alive," she continued with her voice almost as cold as theirs.

"She might as well be dead."

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"Beyond the balcony we're standing upon, what do you see...?"

"I see... I... I don't know..."

"That's because you haven't looked hard enough. Try again..."

"It's a town... but I don't even know what town it is!"

"Now that you mention it, this town, indeed, has a lot of relevance about your past..."

"But what?! How is it related to me! Why is it related to me?"

"Nevertheless, what's important is that you figure out which town it was, alright?"

"Why can't you just tell me? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TELL ME?!!"

Her scream spiraled down into a twister of silence, just as Pinkie Pie opened her eyes, finding herself lying on a bed yet again in a strange room. Unlike the last time she woke up, the first thing she saw was the ceiling of white rotten wood, its stripped surfaces chiseled by the claws of time. Lichen had already swarmed across one section of it, and she would've missed it if not for the vibrant sun shining through the shutters of the window at the side.

She was still in Valewood or, more accurately, Saturn's plantation; the smell of fresh fruit was too familiar for her to forget. Of course, she had expected Phoenix or Velvet to be downstairs now, having lunch with the owner of the estate and waiting for her, although she couldn't exactly remember what she was doing before all this. Everything was a blur, though she could at least scarcely recall the Firewalker's Mirror and the baroque town she saw with that ghostly friend of hers. Maybe he and the town were connected together somehow?

"Maybe..." she muttered, clenching her hooves.

"Maybe... that was it?"

Shuffling to the left, she lifted herself up and climbed off the creaky bed, only to yell out in pain before falling onto the floor, her jaw slamming onto wood. Cringing from the suddenly harrowing agony, Pinkie gritted her teeth as she hesitantly glanced backwards, her horror meeting her at the sight of her left hind hoof, bandaged up with stains of yellow mottled all around it.

The scurrying of hoosteps caught her attention, the door squeaking loudly once it opened to reveal Phoenix and Velvet, both equally shocked when they saw her on the floor, clutching her bandaged hoof in pain.

"W-Why..." she whimpered softly, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Celestia, Pinkie..." Phoenix muttered first, the two stallions proceeding to lift her up.

"Come on now. Get up... and one... two... HUP!!"

With lackluster effort and a little squeak from the pain, Pinkie pushed herself back up onto the bed, her gaze frozen at her bandaged hoof. She couldn't understand what happened to her, yet as her memories started to flow back in, it all became clearer and clearer.

"But how?!" she asked out of agitation.

"This wasn't supposed to happen! This wasn't supposed to happen!!"

"Just calm down, Pinkie," Phoenix replied, turning to Velvet.

"I'm heading to town and get some more antiseptic, alright? You know what to do."

Velvet simply nodded, prompting the caravan leader to slip out of the room, leaving them both behind. With a sigh, the gray stallion's horn lit a pale red, carefully gripping an exposed corner of the bandage as he began unwrapping it. Although being slow and steady, Pinkie could not help but hiss slightly from the stinging pain, prompting him to stop after a while.

"Try to relax, Pinkie," he assured softly, hoof on her shoulder.

"Just... breathe in deeply. Try thinking of some... happy thoughts..."

With a gulp, Pinkie did as he asked, gritting her teeth once he began unwrapping the bandages again. She could only reminisce of the times she had fun with the caravan and honestly, there really wasn't much to begin with. The most she could think of was the day they jogged around some sort of wheat farm a week before stumbling upon the pilgrims, but otherwise there was only those dull days of pointless boredom. Happy thoughts, she scoffed.

The pain suddenly struck her, almost to the point where she briefly yelped just as Velvet undid the last layer of the bandage. Her horror soon met her when she saw, instead of what had been her healthy pink hoof, one of burnt skin, flesh forming horrendous-looking yellowish pores with blood drying up into crooked, dark red paths, branching out until the very edge of her knee, where her pink coat was still intact. Her throat gagged from the revolting stench of burnt meat, the sight managing to force out horrified tears from her eyes.

"H-How...?" she squeaked, tears immediately springing up as she choked out a sob.

"How... How did this happen?! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!!"

"Just calm down now, Pinkie--"

"NO!! TELL ME HOW IT HAPPENED!! JUST TELL ME!!!"

Before Velvet could reply, Pinkie suddenly wrapped her front hooves around his neck and, despite the hellish pain from her hind hoof, she immediately stood up and slammed him onto the floor, pinning him down with her weight. She was about to deliver a blow to his face when his horn lit up suddenly, his magic yanking her back and smashing her into the wall, the boards cracking right behind her, the pain from her burnt hoof jolting up to her head.

The stallion suddenly pounced towards her. With a metallic whiz, Velvet unsheathed one of his hoof-blades, raising it up to her neck, its edges barely touching her skin. Pinkie knew how skillful he was with his blades, having heard of his reputation of slitting throats in his assassination duties from Phoenix, though she found his piercing red eyes more harrowing than even the sharpest blade he could've conjured.

"You listen to me, and you listen to me straight, Pinkie," he growled.

"You know what happens when ponies mess with me, don't you? Do anything funny again and I swear, even without Phoenix's consent, I'll kill you if I want to. Capiche?"

The pink mare, fear strung up from those exact words, nodded slowly, before Velvet's horn stopped glowing, the stallion prompting to lift her back down. His distrustful glare still remained, though it softened by a little once she started whimpering, her gaze still frozen in horror at her severe burns.

"H-How..." she sniffled, turning to Velvet, who was performing some sort of spell, his horn just right above her hoof.

"How did this happen...? Please tell me......"

"And here I thought I would listen to Phoenix's advice."

With a disgruntled sigh, Velvet's horn suddenly emitted a minuscule red spark, the singeing feeling in her hooves surprisingly reduced to numbness, pain receding into the sensation of naught. Slowly, he helped her back up onto the bed, settling her hoof carefully onto the sheets as he explained:

"It was while you were standing in the flames, when Saturn told us that you were in the deepest end of your memory stream. Somewhere somehow, we saw your expression of panic, as if you were running away from something, then you suddenly just... fell into the fire..."

"Thanks to your hoof being covered in oil, it was the first to catch on fire," he continued, grimacing as he sprinkled cold water from a bowl onto the burn with his horn.

"Soon after Phoenix and I rescued you, Saturn immediately called the doctor over. Said it was a third-degree burn and advised us to tend to you daily and such. He also discouraged for you to do major exercises, especially anything to do with hopping, jumping and bouncing, which is something I know you prefer over walking."

Pinkie quietly nodded, trying her best not to tear up. Velvet, however, knelt down in front of her suddenly, reaching up with his hoof and, much to the mare's surprise, helped her wipe her eyes. It was the first time she had ever seen the assassin being so tender to her; he usually wouldn't bother giving a glance at her, and wasn't what she had come to call the friendliest of the group.

"You know you really need to get that temper of yours in check," he spoke softly.

"I don't know if you realize it, but judging from what you do every day, you're not the type to get angry easily."

"But it's not like I want to..." she mumbled.

"Sometimes, I wondered if that's who I really am: some angry grump who just knows how to scream at her friends. Do you think that anger is... something that makes a part of me?"

"For you, anger is purging."

Of course, Pinkie could only raise an eyebrow at his complex words, to which Velvet couldn't help but chuckle at her befuddled expression. It was understandable in a conversation between the archives keeper and the happy-go-lucky mare of the caravan, though the interest sparkling in her blue eyes was enough to convince him to go on.

"Perhaps some time ago, you held emotions back. Dark ones, of fear and suffering; of hopelessness and unforgiving. You often hid it with a bright smile and, suffice to say, if I saw you back then I'd thought it would be hard to break. But it doesn't make it impossible, and now something triggered your head to open them up again."

"So you mean something happened before this that caused my amnesia and my tantrums?" she asked, to which Velvet nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"But what could it be? What could be so... so harsh to me that... that I..."

"Something in your past, perhaps. Like Phoenix mentioned, you made each day seem better than before and, I agree completely, there must be a point in time where you've done the same in the past."

Gently placing a hoof on her shoulder, the stallion stifled a small grin, prompting Pinkie to do the same. She was, and had always been ever since Phoenix found her, the personification of the caravan's happiness, and she had intended for it to stay that way. She never thought that Velvet had acknowledged her for that, though it seems even a professional assassin can have a craving for happiness from time to time.

"The rest of the caravan will try to visit you when they have the time. As of now, I suggest it's best you rest that hoof of yours. Saturn and I were thinking of ways to hasten the healing process, Until then, Phoenix will be taking care of you until your hoof gets better, alright?"

"But when will it get better?"

"Just be patient," came his calm reply, the stallion striding towards the door.

"I can promise it will be soon, but for now just wait, Pinkamena Diane Pie."

"W-Wait!!"

Velvet abruptly turned back in surprise, half of him already slipping out through the door before he came to a halt. Of course, he didn't know what was so important, nor why did it necessarily involved him, though he had enough tolerance to pull through; there were some contracts in the past that he required a span of days for him to fulfill. Compared to that, another five minutes was nothing.

Pinkie was already halfway out of her sheets, almost as if she would lunge at him if he left instead. Her eyes were suddenly sparkling with tears, her heart curling up inside out like a frightened millipede. Melancholy whizzed around her like a firework, ricocheting past every nerve and fiber in her head, before settling down slowly, the sizzling feeling of loss and despondency already overwhelming that of pain from her hoof.

"S... S-Say that again! Say my name again!!" she demanded.

"Um... Pinkamena Diane Pie?"

"No! Just the middle one!"

"D-Diane...?"

That was it, she muttered to herself in her head. Her middle name had always flicked something within her; some sort of nostalgic ambiance that beseech her eyes to release its reservoir of tears. There was that familiar twitch in her hoof, albeit faint, yet it by itself had already made a grand impact than it probably should. What was the most engaging was that her head always ached a little, swaying between her moods like a pendulum as it sank deeper into her innermost core.

This time, however, was different. Instead of a flick, it was a yank; instead of a twitch, it was a violent tremble; instead of an aching head, it was a deafening screech; instead of a pendulum, it was a wrecking ball that charged through every single boundary of her emotions. When Velvet said her middle name aloud, the tears she held back just trickled down her cheeks, her heart hammering in her chest.

"Are you alright?" Velvet couldn't help but ask.

"Y-Yeah...!" she stammered out her badly-improvised lie.

"Just... wanna... you know..."

The gray stallion just blinked for a moment, before he let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"Phoenix was right. You really are a random pony, Pinkie," he continued with a grin.

"Remember: try to have a good rest. You'll be better in no time at all."

"A-Alright..."

The door shut silently with a click, the sound of hoofsteps and its partner of creaking wood fading into the distance. Immediately, Pinkie buried her snout into the blankets, finally breaking her restraint of the tears and dampening her blanket. Every turbulent emotion she could ever think of wracked her, shattering her conscience completely as she tried to think back when Velvet said her name.

The way he said it... it was one of a kind. That word by itself has had enough strength to make her crumble to her knees, but somehow, with Velvet's voice, it crushed her mind instantly. She had never heard her middle name being said with such sincerity and intellect before; a feature which managed to make her blush, unbeknownst to the mare herself. Solemnly, she glanced out at the audience of orange trees gathered outside the window, sighing deeply as she mumbled softly her middle name out again, trying to visualize Velvet's mysterious voice saying it out once more:

"Diane..."

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"B-But... but other ponies would see me..."

"Well, you are heading to Canterlot, after all," Spike affirmed.

"You know how the city's crawling with ponies all the time."

Inkie Pie just quietly shuddered, with Rarity shooting a look of displeasure at the shrugging teenage dragon. If there's one thing that the fashion designer knew about him from her discreet relationship with Spike, it was that he was utterly horrible at encouragement speeches. Sometimes, she wondered how he managed to coax Sweetie Belle into singing for the school contest, which resulted into the Crusaders getting their Cutie Marks.

Twilight would've gave a glance as well if she wasn't so focused on the research she had to do on the cryptic poems in the diary. The lead that Inkie gave her, although questionable, was promising, yet she knew finding more of these so-called 'prose of simple wisdom' would take a longer time. How the mare relates it to be some sort of prophecy, the lavender unicorn didn't know, though she personally wished for it to be just some recital. Yes, she assured herself. That must be it.

They were trotting through the branching mazeways of the gorge, guided by their newest companion, on their way back to the camp. The mudslide from yesterday had receded, leaving lonely puddles of mud around that presented for Rarity an obstacle course, to which she could only scrunch her snout up high with disgust. There were numerous boulders around, some almost as if teetering dangerously towards them, but otherwise it was safe.

Inkie herself was slightly excited at the prospect, having joyously packed four bags full of luggage and leaving some for them to carry. She had been whistling happily ever since they left her home, stopping only when Spike mentioned they had to pass through Cirrus Deep to reach their camp. They understood her hesitance; to step back into the town that labeled her as a stranger of bad intentions wasn't exactly the most comfortable position to be in. Of course, they don't really have much of a chance.

"I don't mind talking to ponies," the gray mare clarified.

"It's just... the ponies of Cirrus Deep... they keep stirring up these so-called 'legends' about me, saying how I'm one to practice forbidden magic and heretic rituals."

"And do you?"

"Not in that sense," she explained, turning towards Twilight.

"Despite the fact that, yes, black magic can bring harm, there are many forms of black magic that can bring good. Sadly, many ponies misunderstood that and, for the ponies of Cirrus Deep who believe strongly in the authority of the Princess..."

"I don't think the Princesses did this intentionally."

Twilight's interjection was reasonable enough. She was the personal, most faithful student of Princess Celestia herself, and to hear even one of her friends voicing out their disapproval of her actions was comparable to the delusional rants of a complete fanatic. Neither Rarity or Spike dared to question their friend's judgement; a fact that Inkie, being a smart mare, seemed to have deliberately neglected, for some reason.

"Princess Celestia banned black magic because most, if not all, of the wielders used it for harm. Many of the statistics had proved it--"

"Statistics only from her ministry's sources. They never accounted for the remaining majority that had to use black magic in secret to help local ponies with their problems. Why ban the whole field of black magic when there is only a certain few that can subdue her? Wouldn't you say she's hiding something aside from her decisions?"

"Alright!" Spike interrupted before Twilight could make her comeback.

"Anyways... how does it feel like, living in Cirrus Deep?"

"Um... well..." Inkie fumbled, scratching her head.

"Life was pretty quiet, though it's not really surprising, considering that Cirrus Deep was extremely remote in Equestrian standards. Aside from the usual mudslides in the rain, the weather's pretty fine most of the time. I like it here, how the air's so cooling and relaxing compared to Canterlot. I'll miss this place, that's for sure."

"We'll be heading back to Canterlot by tomorrow, so you'll still have plenty of time to wander around and meet up with some of the ponies of Cirrus Deep," Rarity suggested.

"Perhaps you can convince them that you're not that bad of a pony as they think you are. Who knows? Maybe they'll look at you in a new light. Maybe they'll accept you as one of their own."

"Yeah... maybe..."

Their short journey came to a close as the town of Cirrus Deep came in the distance, the streets filled with jubilant ponies going about their daily activities. All Inkie could do was glance about with slight uncertainty as they stepped into the town, fidgeting her hooves once some of the residents spotted her amid the trio guiding her back to the camp. Surprisingly enough, there weren't any attempts to slander her whatsoever, though she suspected it was more because of Twilight's presence in the group.

"It's alright," Rarity quietly whispered.

"There's no need to be nervous, Inkie dear. Go on..."

With an audible gulp, Inkie gave a meek wave at two mares standing at the side; in response, they quickly huddled away as if in fear, much to her and the rest of their disappointment. Similarly, the gray mare tried to obtain the attention of an old colt flinging breadcrumbs for a swarm of pigeons pecking aimlessly at the ground, though his resulting scowl was enough to spur her off.

"Their minds have been made," she concluded with a sigh.

"It seems I'm an outcast in this town..."

"Cheer up, Inkie," Spike muttered, crouching down towards her.

"They'll come to their senses one day. I mean, look at me. I was a dragon and yet I was accepted by my friends in Ponyville. They just need a little bit of time."

Before Inkie could respond, a patter of hooves rushed in front of them, the four of them turning to see a small pink filly, estimated to be a mere age of six. She raised her pale milky-pink hoof, clutched within it a little white daisy, its petals outstretched as if wanting a hug, exposing its pollen-filled center.

Everypony else just looked in surprise as the filly reached upwards, standing at the tip of her hooves with her bright smile strained from trying to balance. It was a sight unbelievable to many, for a young foal like her to simply stride up to the infamous mare of Cirrus Gorge and bestow to her a simple gift, yet she did it. Even the gray mare herself had trouble acknowledging it, kneeling down and asking her:

"What's your name?"

"Truffle Puff!" she squeaked happily, waving the flower about her hoof.

"Here! I brought you something!"

Inkie just stared at the flower. No doubt, it was quite pretty and healthy looking, if she must say so herself. The filly, of course, was somehow enthusiastic about giving it to her despite the shocked stares of everypony else.

"Well..." she began nervously.

"Why would you want to give me a daisy?"

"Because you're nice! I like nice ponies!"

Before the older mare could respond, Truffle suddenly hugged her hoof, cheeks bulging happily with the hairs of a puffy mane. It was then that Inkie's heart stopped beating, the sight of the pink filly too similar to somepony she knew; somepony she had longed to meet, though she knew she might never, ever had the chance to again. Small drips of tears sprung from her eyes, though she held them back, instead wrapping the filly in her hooves.

Strange, she thought to herself. A child would dare talk to a feared stranger when her elders dare not? She always find it funny how many stories in her childhood portrayed a foal to have the courage to negotiate with even the fiercest of dragons, though she knew now it wasn't courage. It was something else that she herself has possessed, just like the dainty tips of its plain white petals and thin, fresh stalk of the daisy in Truffle Puff's hooves.

It was innocence.

All Twilight, Rarity and Spike could do was watch the sweet sight from afar, just as some ponies started coming up to her and beginning to smile for the first time in her presence. To Inkie, there had never been anything more joyous ever since she stepped into town; to the rest of the group, it was a heartwarming and defining moment that every pony had or will go through.

Twilight could only smile at that sight. Before this she seemed like Zecora; now she's more like the lavender unicorn herself instead on the first day in Ponyville, as if she was new to Cirrus Deep and recently making new friends. Even in the remote north, she guessed, where the terrain was harsh enough to wear one's hooves, the weather violent enough to break one's soul and the creatures wilder to send many scurrying away in fear; where hearts need to be steeled and emotions need to be cold, especially in the midst of a coming war...

A pony needs friends.

Author's Note

Again, apologies for the long time put into this. :facehoof:

Apparently, the last few weeks of a semester in college are a heavy workload.

Hope you guys liked it!

A Covert Delirium

Babs Seed held her breath.

"Fantasia?"

Her whisper was hollow in the solitude of the night sky, the creatures that embody its mystery and tranquility now cheering freely and basking in its daily splendor of a polluted, yellowish moon. Fatigue had worn out the young mare's voice, mostly from the grueling retreat towards her cousin's hometown of Ponyville and the appalling events that were unleashed upon her home. Never had she been more frightened in her lifetime, during her fortunate and narrow escape from the bombardments of yesterday, and she would've been dead if not for the quick thinking of her temporary psychiatrist, Fantasia.

The older mare, like most of the other refugees, was fast asleep, bruised and soot-covered body all curled up in her sleeping bag on the plains in the outskirts of Ponyville. All of its residents, including her cousin Braeburn and the twins she had acquainted through Apple Bloom, Pound and Pumpkin Cake, had offered them provisions to settle down, though they were still planning on how to fit a several thousand more ponies into the town. She had other plans, however, that were way more important than a proper shelter.

"Fantasia?" she whispered again, louder this time as she shook the older mare.

"Fantasia, wake up!"

"Ugh... B-Babs...?"

Reluctantly, Fantasia opened her eyes, yawning loudly and languidly as she scanned the chilling scene of huddled ponies, yearning for the safety and comfort of a home lost to the fire and flames that ravaged the glorious city; a clear reminder that the past two days wasn't a nightmare. She craned her neck to the side, watching in slight befuddlement as the teenager tugged her hoof insistently, as if wanting her to get up.

"Don't you think it's a bad time?" she murmured, holding back another yawn.

"There's always another day to... look forward to...:

"Fantasia!" Babs hissed, snapping her from dozing state.

"There m'aht not be another day! Please, if... if ya could just come with me..."

The white unicorn just stared at her, until she noticed the subtle, shimmering tears within Bab's bright green eyes underneath the smoke-obscured, yellow-tainted moonlight, her heart immediately knowing what the teenager really desired. Slowly and with a soft sigh, she rose from the comfort of her sleeping bag, taking care not to stumble upon any of her fellow troubled refugees as she crept across the plains, following Babs down a small dirt path.

Fantasia knew her destination quite well: she had been there once in the morning after being dragged into the stately Apple family's farmhouse to meet the younger mare's cousin. Like the last time, it came into view after a hop over the fence and a few minutes worth of trudging between solitary, untrimmed bushes and apple trees, with a certain buffalo standing solemnly at the porch, apparently glancing into the horizon.

"Lil' Strong!" Babs called out, waving excitedly.

"Ov'r here, Lil' Strong!"

Honestly speaking, Fantasia had never seen a Southern buffalo in real life before, having only seen them in the Western movies back in Canterlot. She knows her father and mother wouldn't let her, knowing of the species' notorious stampedes, but she always had that curiosity to meet one, and when she did this morning, it struck up a conversation that both her and Little Strongheart quickly indulged themselves in. At this late hour, however, she knows that the buffalo wouldn't have the mood.

"What are you both doing here?" she rasped.

"It's two in the morning! Both of you should be asleep!"

"Ah just wanna check on Mom."

Little Strongheart said nothing, immediately stepping aside, retaining her disgruntled look even when Fantasia gave her an embarrassed grin. Braeburn did say she was a lot less temperamental before all of the Manehatten chaos happened, though she would say that about anypony right now; she herself had been a little insecure ever since the bombing of the Rembury Hotel back in the capital and was beginning to suspect herself that she was becoming paranoid as a result, but it seems the truth is no stranger than fiction.

"How's Braeburn?" she asked, having seen the stallion's troubled look in the morning.

"Is he alright?"

Immediately, the buffalo's expression softened, turning into worry at the mention of him.

"He's still trying to cope with it," she solemnly replied.

"He has family in Manehatten aside from Babs and her parents. Some of them are still missing."

"I hope they're okay," she muttered, biting her lip.

"What about Babs's mom? Any progress on her?"

Little Strongheart just shook her head, making her sigh. It was by sheer dumb luck (and a teenage mare's constant struggle with anxiety) that they found Babs's mother among many of the injured while on their forced march to Ponyville. She had been unconscious throughout the whole journey; with all the jarring wounds throughout her body and a distinctive, open slash across her forehead as if she had been whacked across with a metal bar, it's not a surprise when the local doctor concluded that she was stricken with a coma. What's worse was that Babs knew that.

Trotting quietly upstairs, both buffalo and psychiatrist soon spotted Babs sitting alongside Braeburn, the two cousins silently watching over her mother, half-covered in bandages and lying in bed. Fantasia felt her heart stop once she crept closer, her ears catching the teenager's voice as Babs rose from her seat, grasping her mother's cold, pulsing hooves.

"I'm here, Mommy..." she muttered.

"Babs is here. Your little girl's safe... waiting for you to wake up..."

Braeburn rose next, instead stepping out of the room and giving Little Strongheart and Fantasia a glance, before he shut the door. Quietly, he outstretched his hoof, beckoning the both of them downstairs even despite his reluctance to do so, but for the sake of privacy, his actions were understandable.

With each creak of the rickety staircase, the three came into the living room, their gaze still stuck towards the landing which they descended from. It felt as if the life within them had extinguished, leaving only shallow, empty shells bereft of the Apple family's usually optimistic, energetic spirit that had been the signature atmosphere of Sweet Apple Acres. A chill ran across their hooves, though the night was a windless night; even the wind had stopped to pray for them.

"Just had a letter in the evening," Braeburn spoke suddenly.

"They've just found cousin Cinnamon in Manehatten."

Before any of them could speak, his eyes started to water, the stallion suddenly curling up with muffled sobs. Little Strongheart huddled towards her mate's side, hugging him tightly and shushing him, running her hoof down his tussled mane. Fantasia watched quietly, head down into the shadow of the night with only grief for the loss of his relative; an innocent perished in the raid.

"Hush now, Brae..." the buffalo muttered.

"Hopefully... he's in a better place! H-Hopefully... he went to heaven, just like... my daddy did..."

Quietly, Fantasia glanced back towards the stairs, her heart this time praying for Babs's mother. The loss of one relative is enough to topple the proud, joyful spirit of an Apple; the loss of another would perhaps cripple him and especially Babs, for eternity probably. A scar like that would never heal.

"At least Mom and Dad are safe," she whispered in her head. She felt fortunate to still have her parents in Canterlot, being healthy and alive as they were. Her father had always warned her, after the shocking news of Pendant Lakes's destruction, that a day like this would come. Sometimes, she sighed to herself, turning dejectedly at the mourning couple, it's a curse when he was always right. Plus, one pilgrimage was enough.

All she could do now was pray. All she could do was hope that the Princesses were doing everything in their utmost power and determination to stop these frenzied attacks. Gazing at the yellowed moon, she asked a question that many of Manehatten had asked:

"What happens now?"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Oh, Rarity~?"

"No... not you... anypony but you..."

"Rrrrrrrarity~?"

"Just leave me alone! Go away!"

"Come out and play with me... Rarity..."

"Never! Just get out! Get out!"

Silence. Pure, dreamlike, ecstasy of silence.

Her huffing stopped. Her quick, jabbing breaths stilled. The beating of her heart calmed, the cavity it was in flooded in a sweet sensation of serenity. For once, she felt she was strong this time, laughing it all off with relief; for once, she felt invincible, with all the fears in the world unable to touch her.

It is alright now, a part of her said.

It is safe to come out.

Everything will be alright.

"FOUND YOU!!!"

A loud gasp broke through the air, just as Rarity jumped up from her sleeping bag, every inch of hair on her skin standing up rigidly in fear. Her eyes darted about her surroundings, the sight of Spike huddled and asleep right next to her immediately calming her down. Head aching, she sat upwards in her bed, hoof brushing her messed mane to the side as she gazed down at the sleeping dragon.

He looked so calm, as if at peace, yet there was still his stirring, covetous spirit of the dragon, ravaging wildly within him. Hoof brushing down his scales, to which he purred in delight, she could feel an intense heat underneath them, radiating from what Twilight had come to call their fire sacs, which was the organs used to produce fire in dragons, located just right above the heart. She had tried to curl up against that part of his scaly chest once or twice during colder nights back in Ponyville, though this time Spike's instincts seemed to have notice her, as it suddenly flared up, covering her in a field of comforting warmth.

"Spikey..." she muttered, lips softening into a smile.

"How much you have grown..."

"How much he has grown indeed."

Before Rarity could turn at the foreign voice, she felt a hoof clamped over her mouth, chasing her gasp back down her throat. Her eyes widened in shock as she was hoisted backwards, every scream and yell she could think off silenced when the intruder slipped some sort of a sickle and perched it at her neck, steel glinting in the yellow moonlight.

Her back hooves started to kick relentlessly, the sheets beneath it tossed and rustled about, yet the dragon did not wake. Slowly, she was dragged to the edge of the tent, the firm grip on her front hooves tightening up when her assailant tied it up with a wire, chuckling mockingly yet silently at her misery.

"I always loved a good struggle," the pony said, her feminine voice dripping with venom.

"Brings out the fun in a slaughter, hmm? Slitting throats is one thing, but watching them suffer, their bodies wriggling like the filthy maggots they are ... ooh, just the sight arouses me so very much..."

Just as the mare lowered the hoof in her mouth, Rarity started to cry out the dragon's name, though whatever words she tried to muster were cut off when she was harshly yanked back down by her throat, the cloth strangling her only allowing her to squeak in protest. Horror paled her face when the mare pinning her down hoisted in her free hoof a revolver with a click, pointing directly at Spike's head, the slumbering dragon still unaware of what's going on.

"One little cry for help. Just do it," she taunted.

"If you let out one word, then... let's say things in here would be a little messy with dragon blood, don't you think? After all, you'll do anything to live, right? Or... is it for love..."

"L-Leave him alone..." she managed to gasp, tears brimming in her eyes.

"Please... please leave him alone..."

"Oh, now you're begging for mercy," her captor replied, grinning from ear to ear as she let the sickle crawl down Rarity's body, the sharp tip threatening to kill making her tremble in fear.

"I really can't believe it! You are actually hooves over heels for this big guy! Aren't you a little sweetheart to love a creature such as him, dearie! My master is right; you are practically obsessed about him."

"Just leave us alone, please..." Rarity pleaded.

"We didn't do anything wrong... we... we weren't planning on anything..."

"Oh, I'm not doing this because I need to, dear. I'm doing this because I love it! Nothing personal."

The mare suddenly tossed something into the air. It was spherical, almost the size of Opalescence's biggest ball of yawn. Its surface was sleek and smooth; a hint that it was metallic in nature. On it were patterned ridges tinted a deep, ominous red, to which it started glowing as it rolled across the floor of tent and stopping, much to Rarity's unhindered horror, right in front of Spike's muzzle.

"Let's make it a game, shall we?" her captor cooed, stroking her mane.

"Spice things up a little."

"Wh-what kind of game?" Rarity asked fearfully, eyes never leaving the suspicious-looking ball.

"What are you planning?"

"Rules are simple, love. In half an hour, Camp Éigríochtar will be invaded and razed to the ground. Every tent will be set ablaze and every one of your beloved friends will be killed, butchered and slaughtered mercilessly. Anypony that tries to fight back will be killed. Anypony who doesn't do so would also be killed. If you stay here, you're basically dead. Long story short, my master will arrive and murder every single one that dare remain here, including you and your dragon friend. Spike, if I could recall his name correctly."

Rarity's face wrenched up in pure, undiluted hatred, her hooves clenching tightly when her captor caressed the sleeping dragon's cheek, prompting an amused grin from the mare as she continued:

"Of course, fair's fair in a game. You, on the other hoof, are the key to saving every single being here, be it pony, griffon or minotaur, and escape Cirrus Deep as quickly as possible. You have to convince everypony to move out, or we'll make sure that... well... you know what would happen, right?"

"There is a catch, however," she said, her smile becoming more twisted, her green eyes glinting with intent. She tugged at Rarity's bonds, the white unicorn feeling a small, thin yet strong piece of thread sticking out and directly attached, much to her horror, the ball lying right in front of Spike. From the tip of one of the dragon's scales was another piece of thread, also plugged into the ball as if they were playing a deadly game of tug-of-war.

"You see, if you or Spike make a single step from where you are now, or even touch this string with that fancy magic of yours, this whole tent would go boom! That means you and your dragon won't see another inkling of... let's see... does this name sound familiar to you?"

"What?" she stammered, droplets of dread crawling down her head.

"Whose name is it?"

"Sweetie Belle."

The mention of her sister's name struck the chord of devastating horror within her, her face frozen in fear. Immediately, she gasped out a sob, trying to formulate the right words in her head, yet everything was left sinking into silence.

"Have you ever wondered what would happen to her once you're gone?" the mare continued.

"Perhaps she would be all alone, even with her parents around. Perhaps she would miss you. Then along my master would come and pick her up, guide her to a new world and be liberated from her fears. He would do a splendid job with your sister indeed, wouldn't you agree, Rarity?"

"You dare touch her..." Rarity began to shout, though her courage dropped dead once the mare raised her revolver towards Spike's head again. Giggling viciously, her captor placed a gag around her mouth, before slinking to the side and towards the exit of the tent, her smile leaving a blighting impression into her head.

The fashion designer vowed she would forever remember this mare: the one that strangled her with a gag; the one that threatened to kill her beloved Spikey-Wikey, and the one that especially dared to use her sister as blackmail. Never had she felt more infuriated and insulted ever since her fight with the mare's so-called 'master', and to watch her escape and having the nerve to mockingly wave goodbye... all she could do was grit her teeth, biting down forcefully into her gag. Next time, Rarity told herself. Next time.

"Good luck, Rarity dear," her captor cooed, leaving the tent.

"Half an hour. You're going to really need it."

Once she was convinced the mare had gone, Rarity started to tug at her bonds, stopping only when she saw the thread twitching dangerously from the socket of the bomb. Grunting in displeasure, she glanced around the room, eyes darting throughout the tent to find something, anything, to help her break free. She would've woke Spike up by shouting and screaming about if he wasn't the trigger for the explosion as well, which only left her aimless in her distress.

"They can come any second now," she rasped at herself in her head.

"Think, Rarity. Think!"

Then, a single idea suddenly slipped into her head. It was an unlikely idea, as she had never tried the spell out before; the spell that mentally links her mind with another and allow an exchanging and transferring system of thoughts, or what Twilight had called the Telepathic Communication Formation spell. Even if it could work, she couldn't be sure that somepony would actually receive her message, considering how hard it would be to penetrate the subconscious of a sleeping subject. At least, that was how Twilight phrased it.

"There's not much time left..." she concluded, horn immediately lighting up a pale blue despite her inexperience. Every nocturnal sound turned into a distorted, fragmented echo as she sought for only one pony in the whole camp; if anypony was strong enough to detect a spell in their sleep, she figured it would be Ponyville's esteemed librarian herself.

And she only has half an hour to do so.

"Come on, Twilight..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Pristine. Wonderfully pristine.

The air of Equestria was divine, free and untainted of smoke and dust that he always had to tolerate back at home, despite being already used to it. He had always been observing the night sky above him, complete with white clouds and chirping birds, all underneath a glorious sunlight. Ah, if only this atmosphere were to be the same back in his country, it would truly be a home sweet home indeed.

His wings had been aching for the past few days or so, and when the last of his patience wore away, he immediately took off, his lumbering figure charging right down the mountainside, before soaring off a cliff and up into the air. The needy sensations of flight immediately took over from there, guiding him astray across the endless expanse with only having the freedom of the world to care. Freedom... he had always missed it, even after his bail from prison. No mistake, he's a new drake now, yet the restraints of work always pulled him back, reminding him of his true motive in Equestria as a mere ambassador. Like a chicken to a butcher, he always said.

Breathing in, Kane felt the weight of his position and the worries that came along with it drift away as gently as the backstrokes he did over a pool of clouds. It would be strange to these Equestrian ponies, he surmised, to see a dragon relaxing and feeling free like he was, but the atmosphere here was heavenly. Heck, he told himself, no wonder Jovern always wanted to come here.

Of course, the events of the past few days had become a bother, even when he was relaxing, for in the distance still lingered a few remnants of smoke brewing from Manehatten, to which he figured the glorious city was still burning. The death toll had been rising on a daily basis, with the recent letter from Applejack's cousin in Ponyville only making it worse. The death of a family member wasn't taken generously in Equestria, especially if it was the death of an Apple.

If only the dragons back home could do something...

Gliding back towards the palace gardens, his eyes soon squinted down on a figure, sitting gloomily in the gardens. The light brown stetson on the pony's head was enough to make him smile, prompting him to swoop down, the resulting breeze from his flapping wings catching her attention as he gallantly landed right in front of her.

"Hey, Kane..." Applejack said, stifling a grin.

"Can't sleep too, huh big boy?"

"Nah," he replied, the tip of his claw tickling the underside of the giggling mare's chin.

"Just had a little ache to fly. Would've done it this afternoon, but don't want to risk causing a false alarm now, huh?"

Applejack managed to chuckle, leaning down onto his scaly paw.

"No kiddin', Kane," she replied.

"No kiddin' at all."

Canterlot was a place which takes pride more in its intricate architecture than its natural scenery, yet both dragon and mare could agree the view was nevertheless breathtaking, even at night. Beyond the crowds of trees and across the open fields, with one or two littered houses and huts along the expanse, stood the distant town of Ponyville, with the signature, stately Apple family barn of Sweet Apple Acres jutting out from one of the hills. It looked gloomy as it stared down at the hundreds of pitched tents around it, all housing the survivors of the Manehatten Cataclysm, with one or two beads of campfires lighting up the melancholy of the night.

It was home to his marefriend; sweet, peaceful and full with life; a sanctuary compared to the busy streets of Canterlot. Having lived at Sweet Apple Acres before his departure to the Badlands, Kane had always enjoyed the open air, the flourishing trees and the green, healthy hills, and when all the hard work and labor had been done, he and Applejack would sit by the hillside, watching the gradual setting of the sun in its multitudinous array of colors and signaling another day's fruitful end. Now, all that remains there was the qualm of fear and -- what all of them needed -- the yearning of hope.

"Ah'm planning to go back," she spoke suddenly.

"Ya know. Back to Ponyville."

"Then why are you still here?"

"It ain't right to leave the rest behind. Rainbow and Soarin' still had to handle their twins, Twilight, Rarity and Spike ain't back yet, and then there's that hoodingie law on Macintosh and Fluttersh'ah. It ain't right splittin' them up like that, especially when they have a child to take care of!"

Applejack harrumphed, wrinkling her snout, though all signs of rage faded once her eyes were set back onto Ponyville. Kane just glanced down at her, a little surprised at her sudden silence.

"Braeburn told me about Aunt Orange bein' in a coma," she said, head looking down.

"Ah... ah don't know what to do... Ah can't risk losing another part of my family, Kane. First, cousin Cinnamon, and now... now her?"

The dragon just leaned down, rubbing his cheek alongside her mane. He knew how touchy she was when it comes to family ever since she talked to him about the death of her parents back when they were mortal enemies. He and Jovern being brothers was enough for him to cherish his family bloodline, his older brother always the stubborn one of the two. Kane initially didn't want Jovern to join those two old colts, seeing how the older dragon was the only living relative he had, but of course, Jovern was Jovern.

"Your aunt will be alright, Applejack," he whispered softly.

"I swear by my highest honor."

"And if she isn't?"

"Then let my honor be tarnished," came his answer.

"Let it be no better than the lowliest of the criminals I place at home. Let it rot like the wretches I tossed into the dungeon, for I don't deserve it at all."

"Enough with the fancy talk, Kane," Applejack said, unable to suppress her chuckle at his 'sacrifice'.

"If you say she'll be alright, then... Ah'll believe ya. But Ah ain't so sure what Apple Bloom would say 'bout that."

Kane just glanced doubtfully back at the palace, where his marefriend's little sister was residing. If Applejack locking herself in the room for five hours straight, skipping a necessary meal despite attempts of coaxing her, was considered horrible, then Apple Bloom would've been downright shocking. The teenage mare, upon hearing the destruction of Manehatten, had been crying non-stop for the whole day, with only Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to help cheer her up. If Babs wasn't fortunate enough to be alive, who knows what the yellow filly would do.

"She wants to go home too, Kane," Applejack stated, eyes starting to water.

"Ah... Ah just don't know what to tell her...... Ah j-just thought... s-sh-she would l-let it slide, b-but she -*sniff*- she just--! -*hic*- Ah can't do this! Ah can't.... Ah j-just can't..."

It was hard, seeing the strong spirit that defined the orange mare shattering into pieces. What the dragon knew as the lassoing, hardworking farmer with the finest tastes, a flair for competition and the most beautiful voice his ears had ever graced, had become but a wandering shell, struggling between the catastrophes that were tearing her home apart. One more would completely break her, and he would not let that happen.

"Just listen to me, AJ," he solemnly said, gazing eye to eye.

"You are one of the most incredible, most headstrong, most admirable ponies I've ever met. If you let yourself be torn apart by wolves, you know that the leader of their pack has won. I admit, Janus made me do many horrible things, including the murder of my own father, but that's what he wants us to do; to break us down until he can control us, manipulate us, just like he did so to me. He was a bringer of false hope to my fellow rebels and I. Don't let him be one to you."

"But Kane, I--"

Applejack was cut off when the dragon's colossal, burly arms yanked her suddenly into his embrace, her eyes opening up in surprise. She gazed up longingly at the dragon, about to brush it off as an act of comfort until she spotted a small shimmer in Kane's eyes: were those tears? Was he actually about to cry?

"I've lost my father to Janus, Applejack," he spoke.

"I'm not gonna lose anyone, be it pony or dragon, to him ever again. If I lost you, I... I wouldn't know what to do with my life then. You're the one thing I've done right in the entirety of my life, Applejack, and I'm not going to let you go until you said you'll be strong for yourself. For us."

"K-Kane..." she muttered softly, taken aback.

"A-Ah'll be strong for you, alright? Ah won't let 'im get me, alright? Nothin' would ever get this mare."

Everything that came next happened too fast for Applejack to comprehend. Immediately, Kane pushed her down, her landing onto the meadow a bit too roughly for her taste. Before she could form the words to scold him, her lips were suddenly smashed into his scaly ones, eyes widened in surprise. She squirmed underneath his gigantic figure, hooves pushing against the grass in vain as the heat gradually overcame her.

The struggling stopped. The whimpers of protests died down. Her Stetson fell onto the grass, revealing her blonde mane, left unbound and flowing freely in the breeze. The orange mare's eyes started to close, lost in the furor of whizzing sensations darting through every nerve in her head as she lost herself in the kiss. It all escalated with both the majesty and subtlety of a rising sun when Kane's tongue suddenly slithered into her mouth, engaging into a passionate, lustful tango with her own. Their heaving chests meet with every heavy breath in, their hearts beating rapidly as one.

She didn't care now. Kane was that one little spark that kept the fire of her determination going, so he deserved at least one kiss. It didn't matter if he was a dragon, or that he was hundreds of years old (which was still young for a dragon); what mattered was the love between them; the love that came between them when they had first met; the love that drove them forward when they were trapped in anxiety, and the love that kept them together even after one year of separation. Never was there anything she had regretted in her love for the dragon, for it was genuine. That's all it mattered.

Eventually, their lips broke apart, the single strand of pony and dragon saliva snapping and leaving them breathless, panting with dreamy eyes staring into each other. Chuckling, Applejack raised her hoof, gently caressing his cheek before hugging it, prompting Kane to smile.

"It's been awhile since we've... kissed..." she muttered with a grin.

"Yes, it has."

"Also," she continued with a smirk, tapping his snout playfully.

"It's been awhile since you said that ya loved me."

"That's because I do love you. I just never had the chance to say it."

Kane couldn't help but give a short kiss, before proceeding to nip her ear. Applejack could only shake her head with a short laugh at his tender affection, placing her hoof into his claw as they gazed into each other's eyes, their emotions prospering. Both laid down onto the grass for a brief moment, before the mare started clambering up her mate's gigantic form, stumbling over a few shedding scales until she reached the top of his chest, smiling down at the dragon.

"Well, shucks," she sighed, resting her head onto him.

"Ya know Ah love you too."

"Mm-hmm."

"Oh, and Kane?"

"Yes?" the dragon asked, his head perking up at the smiling mare.

"What is it?"

"Thank you for being here with me."

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"Twilight..."

"Twilight, please..."

"Twilight, can you hear me...?"

"Come on, Twilight..."

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!"

Twilight jolted awake with a yelp, panting deliriously as she was rudely awakened from her sleep. Hastily with a twitch of annoyance, she glanced around the tent, expecting to see Spike standing next to her, probably to ask her for a little help in her field of expertise, yet the dragon was nowhere to be seen. Queer, she thought to herself.

With a shrug, she flipped the covers of her sleeping bag back onto her body, her eyes about to close until she felt a small tingle in her head, which became more of a headache; she could feel the magic churning in her horn which was, much to her displeasure, pestering her in her attempts of sleeping. Groaning loudly, the librarian sat back up to massage her head with her hooves, pondering over the cause of it. Must be just a magic spurt, she surmised.

"Twilight!"

The lavender unicorn immediately jerked to a halt. There was that voice in her head again, pleading for her attention. Immediately she craned her head higher, curiosity rising to the tip of her now-glowing horn as she mustered up a response, quietly asking:

"Wh-Who is this?"

"Oh, thank Celestia you're awake! It's Rarity, darling!"

"Rarity?"

Twilight blinked her eyes in confusion. What does Rarity want with her at such a late hour? Did she want to practice her magic at such an early morning? It wouldn't surprise her if the white unicorn had a nightmare so bad that it would force her to repel it by learning something more powerful. What was even surprising was the fact that Rarity knew telepathy already! That was like being three months ahead of her class!

"What are you doing? And how are you doing this?"

"No time to explain! Janus is coming!"

That was enough to spur her into action. Immediately, she stomped out of her tent, glancing around the empty camp, the sounds of rumbling thunder overhead echoing throughout the valley. She knew what Janus could do, what with the recent destruction of Manehatten, and if he was leading the invasion himself, that could spell trouble.

"Rarity!" she called out, the first drops of rain starting to patter on her head.

"Rarity, where are you?"

"You're just outside, Twilight!"

Of course, she did as she was told, immediately stumbling upon the tent. A flash of lightning was enough to show a pony's silhouette through the cloth of the tent walls, to which she hesitantly gulped. Something must happened to her friend that lead her to know Janus's invasion; what it was, however, she wasn't so sure, and she wasn't intending to find out. With a sigh, she flipped the flap open, her eyes widening once she saw who was inside.

"Wrong tent, dear," the mare cooed with a grin. Another flash of lightning was enough for Twilight to remember her features: grayish-mulberry coat, persian blue mane and a pair of green, venomous-looking eyes. In her hoof was, much to Twilight's horror, a revolver, to which its owner pulled the trigger.

A staccato hiss filled her ears, the lavender unicorn sprawling backwards. She clutched her shoulder in agony, watching as blood streamed from the wound, every needle of rain pricking into the punctured skin. Immediately, Twilight crawled away, struggling to stand up, before she tripped backwards, stumbling into another tent.

"Mm-mmg!" came somepony's muffled voice, the librarian turning back weakly to see Rarity, gagged and bound at a corner. Spike was there, the dragon snoozing quietly, unaware of the turn of events. In between the couple was a peculiar looking ball, which Twilight immediately recognized in all her shock as a bomb, judging from the threads that both mare and dragon were connected to.

Limping up to the fashion designer, Twilight removed her gag, snipping the strings with a pair of magic-conjured scissors. Rarity could only smile with relief at her friend's timely arrival, accepting her hoof as she lifted herself up, before spotting the librarian's bleeding shoulder.

"Twilight!" she gasped, horrified.

"No time to talk about that," the lavender unicorn said, gripping tightly onto her wound.

"You said Janus was coming. What do you mean?"

"His army's about to attack in... fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes! Twilight's face paled at the time. How were they going to wake the whole camp up, prepare and suit them up for an invasion that was about to happen in fifteen minutes? Then there's that mare she encountered earlier; the one that shot her; no doubt she was one of Janus's right-hand mares. She bit her lip, head aching in deep thought as Rarity proceeded to wake Spike up.

"There's no way we could fight back in time," she concluded, with a boom of thunder adding to the severity of the situation. She turned back to the couple, watching as Spike rubbed his eyes, dazedly looking at the two mares before him.

"R-Rarity? Twilight? Wh-What's going on?"

"We have to wake everypony up!" Twilight ordered.

"Spike, go sound the bells! Rarity and I will activate the Stream Gate and set the course to Canterlot. Once you're done, we'll be back there in no time!"

Immediately, they went their separate ways, with Twilight and Rarity galloping towards one of the larger tents and Spike running towards the town of Cirrus Deep. Both unicorns stormed inside, with Rarity only being able to watch as her friend, still clutching her bleeding shoulder and gritting her teeth in pain, tapped in the coordinates of Canterlot.

The pale unicorn clenched her hooves, hoping that Spike wouldn't get ambushed by any of Janus's forces, knowing how insidious their enemy was. There was something else in the inch of her mind, however; something that told her they were forgetting something important. That feeling nagged her as much as the machine's whirring, Twilight having finally starting it up the gate and, in turn, their passage back to Canterlot.

Then it hit her.

"Twilight!" she shouted, earning her friend's attention over the heightening volume of the machine.

Her friend's horrified eyes made her a little puzzled at first, but turned to one of a horrific realization when she knew what Rarity was talking about, her expression almost mirroring the fashion designer's. Immediately, both unicorns rushed out of the tent just as the bells of Cirrus Deep tolled gloomily in the distance, the one single thing they have forgotten replaying over and over in her head:

"Inkie Pie..."

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

The bells have sounded. Their prey had awoken.

He watched into the far distance, the cluster of tents all huddled together like sitting ducks fresh for kill. His fellow followers were all hungry: the snorting of minotaurs, the screeching of griffons, the hellish roars of panthers and of course, the excited shouts of ponies, all united for a night of slaughter. Every blade, be it bronze, steel or iron, swiveled in the air, the owners that wield them impatient as they were.

In the distance came a mare, her revolver swinging in the night. Upon being in front of him, she immediately knelt down, crawling closer and closer until she gently planted her lips onto his hooves, before gazing up at him with those luscious, lascivious, needy green eyes.

"I have done my duty, Master."

"You have done it well."

He could only grin, kneeling down towards her, hooves wrapping around her body and lifting her up. All she could do was purr in his powerful embrace, her tongue licking her lips and her cheeks red with fiery, uncontrollable lust.

"I'm expecting you in my chambers later tonight," he said, much to her delight.

"Your reward awaits you."

"I'll always be ready for you, Master."

"As the night is always young for you, my love," he said, stroking her mane.

With that said, he turned around, standing proudly as the leader of his horde, before he reached down and drew his thin rapier. His grin reached the side of his cheeks, his sword pointing down towards the tents and the town of Cirrus Deep as he gave his order:

"Fire."

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

"Come on, Rarity!"

The fashion designer panted lightly, the camp now full with ponies, minotaurs and gryphons all swarming about in a hurry, hastily gathering their weapons and armor. Her friend herself was having trouble fighting, much less even looking through the crowd, yet they must find Pinkie's sister, no matter the cost; they promised to bring her back to Canterlot, and they intend to keep their promise, for Pinkie's sake.

"She could be anywhere, Twilight!" Rarity proclaimed.

"Plus, Janus could come any second! We don't have much time!"

The rain had picked up, turning into a full-fledged storm that drenched the whole camp. Some of the tents had already been blown off by the strong gale, the force of it even threatening to tear their manes off their head. Everything in Camp Éigríochtar was chaotic, the ominous fear of Janus's invasion impelling them to scamper about in a panic, reminding them he could strike any time now.

"Inkie?!" Twilight yelled over the collection of hysterical voices.

"Inkie Pie! Where are you?!"

"LOOK OUT!!"

A loud explosion rocked the entire camp, both unicorns turning behind to see, just a few feet from them, a giant crater, the remains of a burning, frayed tent tossed into the air. Another explosion suddenly came out of nowhere, this time managing to knock Rarity off her hooves, with Twilight only able to look in horror, her head ringing from the powerful blasts occurring all around her.

"Quickly!" she yelled, lifting her friend up.

"We don't have much time!!"

The two galloped across the burning camp, the raging heat from every wisp of flame and the heavy rainfall thrashing into their bodies. The smell of gunpowder enveloped the air, as shell after shell fell upon the camp, leaving only but a wasteland of craters in its wake. Both of them could only look at the injured, some blown apart partially and completely, some charging aimlessly with their bodies set on fire. The loud bangs of gunshots soon joined into the cacophony, some narrowly whizzing past their hooves and manes as their enemy swarmed into the camp, seeking only to kill.

"INKIE!!" Twilight yelled suddenly, spotting the gray mare galloping away from a minotaur lumbering towards her, wielding a giant axe in his bulky arms. Immediately Rarity searched the floor of bodies, digging through rotting flesh and blood mixed in mud to retrieve a bayonet-fitted rifle. Quickly, she whirled it towards the bovine figure, breathing in slowly as she aimed for his body.

*BANG*

One miss. The minotaur swung his axe, barely slicing Inkie's mane. Immediately, Twilight's horn lit up, charging up a giant ball sparking with electricity, just as Rarity took another aim.

Another shell came falling down, landing right behind both Inkie and the minotaur, sending the former flying forward into the ground. Both unicorns gasped in unison as the gray mare pummeled through the dirt, stopping only when her body slammed against a rock. The minotaur immediately charged towards her, just as Twilight released her bolt, praying in her heart as it zoomed towards him.

It missed just by an inch.

"RARITY, HURRY!!" the lavender unicorn yelled to her friend, who was still aiming.

"HE COULD GET HIM ANY SECOND!!"

*BANG*

A miss.

The minotaur dragged his axe, marching towards the dazed Inkie Pie with a grin on his face. Rarity huffed a few times, hoisting her gun up once again as she took another aim. If she missed this one, she told herself, she knew Inkie wouldn't make it; she knew the minotaur would be upon her.

"This is it, Rarity," her inner voice muttered.

"Don't do this to yourself now."

*BANG*

Another miss.

"INKIE!!" Twilight screamed, her and Rarity only able to watch in horror as the minotaur raised his axe up. The gray mare could only watch in fear as the glinting steel started to charge down upon her, before clenching her eyes shut, waiting for it to strike. Cruel, she told herself, to escape the swing of an axe when being held hostage in Canterlot, only to be struck by another years later.

A loud roar broke through the air, the minotaur suddenly tackled to the side, his axe landing just right next to Inkie's hoof, leaving the gray mare to jump with a trembling whimper. Both unicorns could only watch as the minotaur wrestled with the figure below him in the dirt, a single flash of lightning revealing who it was.

"SPIKE!!"

The dragon gritted his teeth, pushing the minotaur off with his claws. Quickly getting up onto the both of his feet, he growled, mouth steaming with flames as he glared at their enemy. Within a split second, both charged at the same time before colliding, with Spike cupping the minotaur's fists in his claws as they pushed against one another. Suddenly, the dragon opened his mouth, spitting out a barrage of flames which sent the minotaur tumbling away by a few feet.

"Rarity!" he shouted, whirling back to his lover; in response, the mare tossed him the rifle, to which he immediately caught and turned it towards the now-charging minotaur.

*BANG*

Immediately, the minotaur fell forwards, face grinding in the dirt to a halt. Cautiously, Spike approached it, poking it with the tip of the bayonet while Rarity and Twilight helped lift Inkie Pie up. He quickly tossed the empty rifle away once he was convinced it was dead, running towards the three mares before lifting up the now-unconscious mare in his arms.

"We have to go!" Twilight proclaimed.

"Janus could come any second!"

All of them took off in a split second, rushing towards the burning camp and towards one of the bigger tents in the center. They could hear the excited, continuous shouting of Janus's remaining forces charging into the camp, swords, spears and axes all raised into the air, promising only death to all those who remain.

"TWILIGHT SPARKLE!!" came the screech, turning behind in their escape to see Captain Alsenaar swooping down from below, firing a volley of arrows at their pursuers with a mechanical crossbow gripped tightly in his talons. A bunch of gryphons followed suit, just as the camp's surviving ponies and minotaurs charged out from their tents, with Twilight only looking in horror at them all.

"CAPTAIN!!" she called out.

"WE HAVE TO RETREAT!! FIGHTING WOULD BE... WOULD BE SUICIDE!!"

"NO!! YOU HAVE TO RETREAT!!"

Immediately, the old gryphon landed right next to them, continuing:

"Tell yer Princesses that the enemy 'as brok'n through our defenses!! I'll escort you towards your Stream Gate!"

It wasn't long before they reached the tent, the lavender mare rushing in quickly, ushering Rarity, Spike and indirectly Inkie Pie to stand onto the machine's platform. Twilight turned back to Captain Alsenaar, watching as he readied his halberd, before heading out of the tent.

"Where are you going?!" Twilight asked, shocked.

"I've done me duty here as Capt'n, Twilight Sparkle," he replied, stifling a grin.

"Go, before he comes. I'll delay 'im."

"Come on Twilight!"

Spike's voice was enough to coax her, the lavender mare quickly yanking the switch on the machine before joining them. All of them held their breaths as the screaming of combat became a dreadful silence, watching fearfully at the silhouette of the gryphon captain formed from the flames standing guard outside the tent. The rings started to spin and glow, the platform beneath them starting to vibrate.

Every flicker of their attention stopped when they saw the slender figure of a pony standing there, the muffled sounds of his chilling voice enough to tell them who it was. Before they could brace themselves, he suddenly raised his blade, watching in horror as blood splattered against the tent flaps, the captains's decapitated head rolling into the tent, making all of them yelp out in shock and disgust.

"Oh, Celestia!" Rarity gasped quietly, her horror matched with her friends.

Twilight's hooves kicked impatiently at the machine, the rings spinning at its limit with sparks already flying about the tent. All of them watched in horror as Janus's silhouette turned, their breaths frozen in fear as he stepped closer towards them. His horn visibly glowed a bright red, to which all of them could only cringe, eyes widening in terror.

Everything was silent, with only the fizzing of sparks and the whirring of the metallic rings filling their ears. Rarity held her breath, though it all came out in her gasp when her head tingled suddenly. The familiar feeling of magic penetrating into her core froze her up, the mare almost collapsing when she heard a voice in her head; a voice she feared as much as she abhorred; a voice that made her close her eyes, just as a red blast from his horn tore the tent wide open, with all of them staring into the red eyes of the grinning stallion.

"Found you."

*SNAP!!*

The Lone Messiah

"There were no indications for us to prepare for the invasion of the camp--"

"The deaths of our kind was presided by your inexpedient orders, Your Highness!! YOUR orders! The Highlands Federation does not condone such treachery on our people, not when it pertains to the insolent demands of another nation!!"

Every ambassador in the room and their respective consorts, be it gryphon, minotaur, hircus, cervine, thestral and even dragon and changeling, had their gaze fixed upon Princess Celestia, all distraught and strung up in the tension grappling between the renowned ruler of Equestria and the northern Highlands Grand Unity Federation, to which the former three representatives belong to. The recent news of the carnage in Camp Éigríochtar had just reached the Ministry's ears and, in turn, the ambassadors as well. It was the last thing she wanted to hear, not of the breach of Janus's forces at the border, but of the slaughter of everyone she had sent. Leaving the armies in the unknown north like mere rag dolls dancing into the blades of their enemy... she was a fool.

"Our Lord Reitherígh is certainly... displeased at the turn of events," said the ambassador representing the hirci, Adharca Tosaigh, Duke of High Mossonach. Even as his gryphon and minotaur allies were raving and ranting in the corner, he remained ever the most sane and silent, as if offering condolences to those lost in Cirrus Deep, until now. Flawed was his left eye, yet his supremacy, made visible by his golden pelerine that glittered in the midsummer sun and his white tabard adorned with a giant, red spiral and a fleeting dove in its center, shunned all that dared speak up to him. There were rumors he lost his left eye in a lone fight against a dragon, though from his red bandanna of an eye patch, not much of it might be true as the declaration that followed.

"If what my confederates had said was true, the hirci would have no choice but to pull back our forces."

"Before the eve of battle?!" came Luna's enraged voice.

"Your allies have fought in this battle and you dare stand down before even a single one of your men had met those of our enemy?!"

"It's better to stand down than to fight another's war!" howled the representative of High Chief Táv̱ros of the minotaurs, Sunder Ghrrad of Red Marsibur, over the crowd of mumbles, with a single fist slamming on the table, his mossy-green pelerine swinging around his neck and over his marred ochre skin. His baritone, gruff voice lowered as he leaned forward, pointing an accusative finger at the Princess of the Night with a shrouding glower.

"Our High Chief sent his armies to fight for thy Princesses, not to their deaths!!"

"Thou DARE implicate we had betrayed the Federation?!!"

"Perhaps the Princesses might even betray Saddle Arabia as well!!"

"Spare your mouth, southern twit! Your kind only beseeches for the Federation to crumble!!"

"Blame us?!! What of the pegasi from Grande Aurora?! Their kind betrayed your Federation during the Talmeran War!!"

"How dare you!! Our kingdom of Grande Aurora NEVER resorts to such treachery!!"

Soon, every single ambassador, with the exception of a disgruntled Kane, the dragons mostly having no business or tolerance in foreign affairs, rose from their seats, turning their talks into an all-out verbal battle. Accusations were soon being shot from every corner, reviving the ferocity of their ancient rivalries believed to have been buried long ago. Princess Luna could only watch restlessly at the frenzy, stomping her hooves against the stone floor.

"Enough!!" Princess Luna cried, to no avail.

"Does thou not hear us?! I said ENOUGH!!"

"Stand down, sister."

The cerulean mare's voice turned shallow in volume as she turned to Celestia, finally speaking, her train of thought derailed from the disastrous shouts bursting from every other mouth in the room.

"But..." she protested.

"But our enemy grows stronger every time we idle in the palace--"

"What gave you the idea that you could resolve that, when it was you yourself sparked this chaos?"

Luna could only glance up at her in shock, almost as if mocked by her very own sister.

"There are some things only I myself seem to have the capability to abide to," the older alicorn said fiercely, frowning down at every single being in the room, more so at her sister -- the only one in the room paying any attention to her -- who could only nod quietly and ruefully settle back down into her podium. With a cough, Princess Celestia stood up suddenly over the rising cacophony of angered voices, firmly grasping her morale as she shouted in her feared, booming Canterlot voice:

"SILENCE!!!"

The verbal conflict died down suddenly, making way for her to continue:

"A WAR is brewing in the horizon, my friends, and here we are, squabbling like wretched drunkards around a table!! This war not only threatens the Equestrian population, but that of your kingdoms as well!! Even when I fall, he'll come for you!! ALL OF YOU!! And he would not spare a single soul until the world is his!! If any of you want to step down from this war, then you might as well massacre your own brethren and spare them at least from your pitiful rants, for the sake of a merciful death!!"

Never had such dark words, foul and wretched with such grim morbidity, spilled from the mouth of the Princess. Tartarus forbade her to use as such, yet she knew the time for nongermane altercations and foolish bickering was over. Sure enough, the dozens of her feuding allies that stood before her stopped in silence out of shock at her words and fear at her morose tone, foretelling the wrath that could be unleashed upon them had they continued their feud.

"The events of Camp Éigríochtar is now in the past," she clarified, finally regaining control of her temper.

"As of now, we must bolster all our defenses and prepare for a coming invasion. If Janus wants to attack, we have to be ready for him."

"But where would he strike next?"

That question (and a brilliant question it was) had been put forward by Countess Aurelia, the representative of the changelings and younger sister to Queen Chrysalis. She was like her sister, except with a pink mane, wing and eyes instead of green. Never did she seem to possess Chrysalis's ambition, having always been considered the friendlier of the two, as well as the more thoughtful, luckily for them.

"How would we know where to defend if we don't know where he would attack?"

"She 'as a point, Your 'ighness," the gryphon ambassador and representative of Lord Oceľová of the gryphons, Haulka Gorm, piped up with a flap of his graying wings. Even if he wasn't as old as the Princesses or the Badlands ambassador, Kane, he had aged enough to be considered the wisest among his kin; a fact that the Royal Sisters had respected, having seen the results of his enforced knowledge upon the plains of a battlefield a few times before.

"We are blind to the enemy's movements," he said grimly.

"Yet their leader can predict every step we take. A war like that is not easily won."

"I don't intend to fight Janus," Princess Celestia asserted.

"Not until we could find a permanent way to end this chaos. If we place our soldiers into war, all their lives are at stake here. All we could do now is act swiftly and silently."

"But your commoners," came the refined voice of Lady Miryoku, representative of the Eastern valleys, leaning in with the ruffling of her sleeves on her pink, floral kimono.

"They know of this war, do they not?"

"They do, only... they're too afraid to admit it to themselves," she answered, staring down at her hooves in slight chagrin. Even though the destruction of both Trottingham and Manehatten had reached the headlines, many still tried to move along with their daily lives, knowing they might perish sooner or later, to which she had reserved her pity. She couldn't blame her subjects for their fear and paranoia; no one wants to believe they're caught in a war, even though they knew they were already at the brink of one.

"For now, we could only quell their fears and hope for the best. Pray that he won't strike soon..."

The loud, booming groan of the parting stone doors caught all of their attention, especially those of the royal sisters when they spotted a stallion stepping it, the sand-covered helmet he was gripping in one hoof clattering loudly onto the ground. Weakly, he dragged himself forward with a spear gripped tight like a makeshift cane, clanking with every inch forward. The remaining ponies in the room stared with wide eyes at his bruised and battered visage, gasping almost in unison when his wobbling legs gave away, to which he would've fallen if not for the instinctive actions of the guards standing at opposite ends of the arched doorway.

Princess Celestia quickly strode from her podium, followed closely behind by her younger sister. The loud, croaking gasps the stallion were making as he was gently placed onto the ground called out to her, serving to quicken her pace. His golden mane was tattered, windswept with sand trapped as if in a sieve, trickling off bit by gritty bit and stinging every inch of the bloodied gashes his white coat. His barren, frazzled face had crumbled from the khamsin: the sandstorms of the south, his noble mien mangled by its dusty claws to the point where only Luna recognized with a gasp upon seeing him.

"Nephew... Guards! GUARDS!!"

"Aunt Celestia... Aunt Luna..." he weakly choked out.

"We... we couldn't hold them back..."

"Speak no more, Blueblood. It only serves to incite your pain rather than subdue it."

Blueblood could only nod at her aunt's advice, just as four of the palace sentinels arrive with a stretcher. Slowly, he was lifted onto it, he himself moaning in his misery; a heartache for both his aunts to watch as he was carted out of the room, fading off into the sun-lit hallways, the doors clamping shut. His return whence he came, however, inadvertently foretold of dark tidings enough to make Princess Celestia's frown turn darker. Pray that Janus wouldn't strike soon... how wrong she was.

"What is it, Princess?" Kane asked.

"Is the ambassador of Camelroon here?"

All eyes glanced to the uncertain representatives of Saddle Arabia, the Lord and Lady Nirṇaya, whom both shook their heads, their response only appalling her more, yet she kept her gathering turmoil in her head and heart, retaining her renowned placidity. She glanced at her sister with a expression that could only be described as grim, and that, by itself, had already told Luna what both sisters had deeply feared.

"Sister... Y-You couldn't possibly mean..." Luna began, cut off only by a single nod from her sister. With one last sigh of her wavering confidence, Princess Celestia informed the others of the truth; a truth so shocking that anxiety shook every heart in the room to its core, with the definite proof that their enemy, as inexorable as he was, will no doubt come after them. No matter the cost.

"Camelroon has fallen."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Is it alright to leave it like that?"

"As long as I don't use any magic, then I'm perfectly fine," Twilight answered Scootaloo's question with a smile. Then again, it isn't everyday that she has a cracked horn. She grimaced every time she saw it in the mirror: that jagged crack with a purplish glow running down her most prized appendage, making it of more use as a lackluster lantern instead of a horn. Even though she was advised not to, she had tried to use the simplest of magic, like levitating her quill, for instance, though that ended only in a hellish pain stinging every fraction of the nerves in her head. The pain was so intense that it sent her cussing away like an enraged minotaur, leaving her to seek for a distraction in the library.

It was there that she found Scootaloo mewling in the corner, as if she had relived her horrific discovery of the body in the alleyways again. Upon seeing the lavender mare, the teenager burst out with tears, hugging her tightly and blabbering out a few things too ridiculous for her to comprehend, yet she listened all the same. Even now, Scootaloo was occasionally sniffling, making her wonder whatever happened to the ignorant, empty-hearted filly from before.

"Did you talk to Rainbow Dash?" the librarian couldn't help but ask, curious of the things that happened in her absence. The teenager did promise to talk to her idol, mostly to patch up their crumbling relationship.

"Any progress on that?"

"We did have a little chat," Scootaloo said.

"But we didn't really talk much, with her being a mother and all. She says she's glad the both of us could talk again, however. Does that count as progress?"

"Uh... I guess?"

"I did congratulate her on having Firefly and Mayfly, though. Thought she needed it."

Twilight turned to raise an eyebrow at Scootaloo, the teenager creasing hers in bewilderment when she spotted the unicorn's expression. Of course, it wasn't long before Scootaloo sighed in defeat.

"Okay, maybe congratulating RD wasn't all my idea," she admitted.

"Fluttershy wanted me to do it."

"And~?"

Scootaloo sighed again. "The Masque too."

"Of course he did," Twilight said teasingly, making her humph in displeasure.

"Oh, come on, Scootaloo! At least you did what he and Fluttershy told you to do. That's all that matters, okay?"

"Actually, I didn't do everything he said. There's still the part where I have to apologize to Applejack for being... uh... what did it say, what did it say... rapscallion! Yes, that's it..."

"Well, from what I've learned in my friendship reports," the lavender mare began, chuckling softly and shaking her head at the now sheepish Scootaloo.

"You don't need to learn a new word to apologize to a friend."

Their conversation soon veered onto everyday topics, ranging from Scootaloo recounting the shenanigans she and her fellow Crusaders were up to when they were gone, to Twilight teaching her on a few logic-based principles about flight, to the ordeal the teenager went through to pierce her ears and how Apple Bloom modified her motorcycle to 'make it go as fast as Rainbow Dash', or so she put it. Being the stuntsmare and natural daredevil she was, it wouldn't surprise Twilight to see her in a stadium one day, parading on her motorcycle over a crowd of ramps, fire rings, a lake of hydras perhaps and all sorts of other unimaginable, horrific things; things that Scootaloo would brush them off as mere obstacles.

"The Masque did tell me not to do it too often," Twilight heard the orange pegasus say above the teenager's rifling through a bookcase.

"I think he's a little too worried though. I mean, It's not like I'm a five year old or something."

"He just cares about you a lot," she herself inferred as she absentmindedly leafed through another musty book, her attention more focused on the reasons behind the Masque's suburban fame.

"You could say that he might be one of the nicest ponies in Canterlot, even though he steals nearly everything in the city. I'm still wondering what he does with all the things he stole."

"He said he donated them to the poor."

"I doubt he would. Who would donate the largest garnet of Equestria to the poor?"

"You did say he was one of the nicest ponies around," Scootaloo argued, poking her head from behind a bookshelf, her stern gaze leaving Twilight to reconsider the facts. The Masque surely was no stranger to chivalry, yet the possibilities of him donating something priceless as... well, everything he stole, was beyond her. All those bits he supposedly could have earned from selling those items was enough to buy over half of Canterlot. That was what Janus would do, she figured, but for the Masque, she doesn't really know. Sometimes, she couldn't figure out who was the more perplexing of the two.

"If I were him," the teenager declared, almost dreamily.

"I would give all that money to the poorest ponies in the world."

"Rob the rich and give to the poor, huh?" Twilight inquired with a smile.

"You mean like Robin Hoof?"

"Yeah, except ten times more brave and..." Scootaloo stopped briefly to sigh tenderly, heading back to the tables with a bunch of books in her hoof. Slowly, she placed them down onto the oak table, the loud, echoing thud of the many novels she scavenged cuing her to finish her sentence:

"More charming."

"Only you would find him charming, Scootaloo," the librarian teased with a nudge that managed to make Scootaloo pout, before turning back to the various books she herself had finished picking ten minutes before.

"Who knows? He might be interested in you."

"Eww!!" cried the teenager, faking a retch.

"No way! J-Just because he's charming doesn't mean I'm all lovey-dovey on him! He's like, what, almost ten years older than me? I don't know!"

Twilight chuckled softly, turning her head back to the book she was scanning through, continuing her research on Janus's possible motives and the mysterious writing from the deceased professor's diary. All those words looked more tedious than ever, leaving her to grumble silently in her head at her deteriorating progress.

"The Masque did ask me where you went though," Scootaloo said suddenly, nearly making her stumble off her chair.

"Apparently, he's a little more concerned about you than I thought."

"R-Really?" she stammered, cheeks flaming from within.

Upon noticing Twilight's expression, the teenager couldn't help but widen her grin, her lips curling to the side of her cheeks, which only confused the other mare even more. A small laugh left Scootaloo's mouth, erupting into loud, hysterical guffaws that dragged her to the floor, rolling around maniacally with tears springing up in her eyes.

"N-No way! Is this really happening now?"

"W-What are you talking about?"

"Don't tell me... are you digging for the Masque?"

Twilight's cheeks bulged a brighter red, the unicorn immediately glancing to the side just as Scootaloo burst out with laughter again. She, however, didn't know why she was blushing for no apparent reason, at least not to her. Her heart was feeling funny, almost as if it was running a circuit in her chest. Never in her life had she felt this way, with the closest word to describe it being 'embarassment', yet this was on an entirely new level.

"I-It's not that I l-like him or anything..." she protested despite the filly's hysterical laughter.

"I... admire what he does. Yeah... admiration... that..."

"Come on, Twilight." Scootaloo scoffed with a nudge once she finally stopped.

"Admiring a thief? Really? There must be more than that, right?"

"E-Even if I do, it's not like he n-notices me or anything..."

"Uh, hello? Did that dude zap your horn a little too much or what?"

Scootaloo stopped when Twilight shot her a look, leaving her to chuckle sheepishly and apologizing silently with two raised hooves in a mock act of surrender. Of course, the lavender mare could only sigh at all these foreign feelings tingling in every single part of her body. Questions she never thought she would raise popped up in her mind: does the Masque actually notice her? Was she just another scarlet rose, dumped yet again at another scene of the crime?

"He did ask me where you went when you're gone, remember?" Scootaloo reminded.

"Maybe he does have a little something for you as well."

"Maybe... maybe not..."

"Try talking to him about it," the teenager said.

"I gotta say, it'll be cool for him to stick around. Maybe he'll take us out on some of his secret missions or something, like Robin Hoof and his Merry Ponies!"

Both chuckled once more at Scootaloo's statement, though Twilight felt there was something that ticked in what she said. She was new to talking about such feelings to ponies, and her first try on doing so was going to be on the Masque, a stranger to which she doesn't know the actual name of or even saw an inch of his face. All she knew about his identity was those pale, purple eyes she saw nights before, when the Masque actually removed his Venetian accessory. Sure, she was going to rehearse her lines at the mirror while imagining a pair of eyes. As if she would do that.

"Not now..." the more inquisitive side of her head grumbled, trying to reciprocate her attention towards the words laid out before her. Even then, the troubles with her emotions clouded her thoughts, leaving her only to pretend to scroll through the text when in her head, she was matchmaking the lines she wanted to say.

"You can do this, Twilight," she assured.

"You can do this."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Seven times it rang.

Rarity couldn't help but shudder in her chair as the brass bells of Canterlot's clock tower tolled in the distance, crinkling her brows at the events of the past. She had escaped Janus's menacing, deceptive plots countless times already, the most recent of which she just barely escaped with a large gash across her now-bandaged hoof. The possibility of another one about to happen maybe in the next few minutes disconcerted her even more, and all she could wonder was if she would be fortunate again to survive. Such dreadful memories...

She was in one of the rooms of the hospital block of the palace, silently watching over the still-unconscious Spike and had been so ever since lunch. Celestia's sun was already halfway in its descent, painting the sky in a vibrant array of hues, yet somehow it glorified the melancholy of her position. The single bruise on his forehead was the only thing that he suffered from the explosion, much to her relief, yet the fear of him not waking up still gripped her.

Her gaze ran down towards his left arm, griping at the old scar from not too long ago. The dead scales peeling from it looked like a ruptured piece of plastic, revealing a pale, purple layer of healthy skin underneath. Even when the dragon brushed it off and assured her, the gunshot still rang in her ears every time she laid her eyes on it, the echoing shouts from their attempted assassination screeching back into her head. Immediately, she glanced away, clenching her eyes shut and trying to focus onto more... light-hearted thoughts.

With only a soft sigh of nostalgia, Rarity opened her eyes, unable to contain the sliver of her smile when she spotted the snoozing dragon turning towards her in his sleep. He looked as if in peace; a bliss that the whole of Equestria wished they shared as well. Seeing the five dark blots on Equestria's map -- Pendant Lakes, Canterlot, Trottingham, Manehatten and of course, Cirrus Deep -- it wouldn't come anytime soon.

"If only..."

Rarity stopped briefly to let out a soft, silent yawn, having spent more time mulling over recent incidents and the dragon's condition than sleeping last night not for their safety, but for their relationship. After all, it has already been two years since she had officially called Spike her mate, yet she felt as if they were stuck in one place. She didn't know what stopped them there: the disgust shown by many of the ponies around them, or the fear of getting it wrong.

She remembered Octavia's hesitation when Crimson proposed to her, which only made her wonder if Spike was heading through that same stage of uncertainty. Perhaps there'll be a time to gather courage for love, she told herself; now their courage is needed at the helm of a brewing conflict. When all of that is over and the Princesses usher in a new reign of peace, that will be the time for their love to flourish. Yes, she told herself, laying her head down onto the bed sheets with another yawn to spare, closing her eyes slowly.

That will be a good time.

Silence.

It watched over them. Guided them through its uncharted waters. Protected them like a seraphic sentinel keeping them safe in its feathery embrace. There was never a snore -- a surprise to behold for those who spot the dragon -- nor a whimper in the chimera of their sleep; there was only the ballet of serenity, circling over them in its pirouette and ensuring a calmness in the bout of raging tides. Even when their eyes could only see a bountiful darkness, it neither suppressed nor excited them.

No, it gave them nothing.

Such power, the void provides.

And with it, the warmth of two lovers. asleep within each other's hooves and arms and rapturing in the state of naught. They wouldn't call it a dominion of tyranny, no; they would call it a sanctuary; a solitude, from the horrors of the real world. Shame that many were too trapped in the abyss of reality to rediscover them...

The wonders of nothing.

"Ugh... my head..."

One arm reached upwards to rub his aching scalp, his blurry vision simmering into the benign claws, slowly but gently flattening the rumples of obscurity off his eyes. Soon enough, Spike found himself staring at the furnished ceiling of the palace, leaving him to gather the shards of his memory. He couldn't quite remember how he got here: one minute, he was charging down the hills, up a set of spiral stairs and frantically tolling a few bells, the next, he was tackling and shooting down a renegade minotaur, running into a large tent and standing on a machine while cradling an unconscious mare, then it was all a blur... damn his aching head.

Everything felt strangely silent around him... almost too silent. The dragon was slightly surprised, considering he's (probably) in one of the most busiest cities in Equestria, not to mention the capital itself. At least there wasn't any noise to impede him from his retrospection, yet he couldn't help but feel strange, as if he was in a new place.

Then everything suddenly came crashing back to him. The explosion! His eyes widened immediately, glancing around the room yet too frozen in fear to move, lest he does something wrong. His claws gripped tighter onto the blanket, every nerve shaking subtly in a grand unison as he asked himself:

"Am... Am I in heaven...?"

Spike's withering, wandering gaze came to a pause when he heard a small whimper from below before spotting the now sleeping Rarity, her head resting just right beside his left arm. All his worries were alleviated into a smile across his face as he reached down to gently caress her soft, supple cheeks, to which she murmured softly yet sweetly.

"Yep," his thoughts chimed, his grin stretching.

"I'm in heaven alright."

"S-Spike...?"

"Hey, Rarity," Spike whispered, watching as the said mare opened her eyes.

"Lemme guess... you had a rough time last night?"

"Mm-hmm..." Rarity muttered sleepily, lifting herself onto the bed and curling up underneath his arm.

"No thanks to you, Spikey."

"Is it that bad?"

"Exceptionally so," was the disgruntled answer, making the dragon chuckle.

"I would've been yelling at you if my mind wasn't more somnolent than furious at the present."

"Somno-what? Uh... that word means... sleepy, right?" Spike asked, to which she simply nodded.

"Sheesh. You and your elaborate vocabulary..."

"What are you implying?" Rarity griped with a cross of her hooves, much to his amusement.

"Nothing. Just that you don't need words from Twilight's dictionary to woo me."

"Nor did you have to have an extended nap to make me worry! Staying up all night worrying over and over about you is simply famishing, if you hadn't realize it yet."

"Okay, okay!" the dragon exclaimed sheepishly, raising his two claws.

"At least I'm not actually hurt or anything. Aside from that, is it just me, or am I not the only one who needs some special shut-eye treatment now? An... erh... extended nap, you call it?

Rarity just groaned as he laughed aloud, the white mare resting her head back onto the bed.

"Well, you can actually leave the room now, if you wish," she stated. She knew Spike was a tease when it comes to her; seems it's time the dragon gets to have a taste of his medicine.

"You can perhaps have a chat with the colts, help Sweetie Belle with her vocal practice, or even probably help Twilight out again on organize those books, if you wish," she paused for a giggle once she saw the dragon's paled expression, "Or you can stay here, next to me and watch me as I waste my hours away in a healthy slumber."

Spike just clench his jaws, the mare of his life turning away and closing his eyes and beginning to surrender to her fatigue. She could hear him mumbling and contemplating his thoughts aloud, her head pondering over the choice that he would make, but all thoughts of that were whisked away once Rarity felt his strong arms wrapped around him, leaving her to stifle a quiet gasp when she was lifted up, finding herself lying on the top of his chest with the tip of her muzzle touching that of the dragon's scaly snout. All she could do, in the warmth of his embrace, was grin triumphantly when he said cheekily:

"I think this dragon wants to sleep just a little longer."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"And once the supply wagon gets to Saddle Arabia, they'll be ready for an invasion in no time."

"If the wagon isn't attacked first, of course," Shining Armor added, grimacing at the sandy trail snaking across the southern fields and valleys of Equestria and into the desert on the rumpled map spread out on the wooden table.

"The fact that the wagon could be stumbled upon is too risky of a chance to take. Then there's the chances of a sandstorm. Who knows what kind of ploy Janus had set up in the south?"

Twilight Sparkle couldn't help but agree at his conjecture. Both unicorns have holed up in the darkness of the library, relying only on the flames of two lit torches, a few streams of light from Luna's moon, and the unimpressive glow from the mare's fractured horn as they pondered over their next move. The sudden appearance of Prince Blueblood had caused a frenzied hysteria when he stumbled upon the Princesses' meeting with the ambassadors, and she soon realized why when she found out the prince being assigned as head of the division of the Royal Guards in Camelroon, the famished, fatigued and injured state he was in to the point of hospitalization telling only the worst.

She couldn't believe it herself: the breach of the northern border at Camp Éigríochtar and the fall of the desert camelid city-state of Camelroon; two successive attacks on two consecutive days at two locations being literally polar opposites of each other. Despite the immense distance they were from Canterlot, she knew a simultaneous attack from both sides would prove fatal to the stability of Equestria.

"We'll have to recruit a few guards for the wagon," her brother said.

"After that, we'll have to organize a platoon to defend the major cities in the northern stretch. I'm not risking a chance for Janus to execute a pincer attack on Canterlot. Not on my watch."

"He seems to know our every move," Twilight inquired grimly.

"Maybe that's what he wanted us to do, even when we think one step ahead."

Shining Armor just sighed. "You might be right," he admitted.

"He knows what we're planning, yet don't even know what he wants. First, he gets some dream, time-travelling thing from destroying Pendant Lakes and then killed the professor for a sort of relic from the ancient ruins in Saddle Arabia. Sometimes, I don't know if he's destroying the whole of Equestria to bring Canterlot down, or doing all this just for the sake of a treasure hunt."

"Me neither."

Twilight suddenly let out a yawn, pouting when her brother ruffled her mane like he did so when they were young, chuckling amiably. He glanced towards the clock ticking, a little surprised to see its twin hands pointed upwards like a compass, telling him of the long hours they've spent on such. Both of them stepped at the corridor, the mare giving his brother a parting wave when the paths split.

"Take a long rest, Twiley," he reminded.

"You're going to need it, especially with your horn in that state."

With a nod, she dragged herself lazily down the corridors and, soon enough, found herself in the sheets of the bed, having tossed herself there with little concern. All she could do was sigh, waiting perhaps for a miracle to happen. Even as she glanced out of the window, watching over the familiar scenery of prestigious buildings underneath the grand, moonlit sky, she couldn't help but feel a little insecure. Whether it was from the chaos of the bombings and invasions, she wasn't sure; what she knew was that single sensation of her heart being clawed fervently from within was growing, as if warning her of her coming doom.

"Mademoiselle..."

A loud gasp erupted from her, whirling towards the darker end of the room to see a figure stepping out of the shadows, shielding his face with a different mask; it covered only the upper half of his face, with something long and thin protruding from where his snout was, almost as if it portrayed a hummingbird, which only intensified how creepy he was. Even as Twilight nervously shifted herself to the back of her bed, it only coaxed the Masque to creep closer, stopping only to settle himself down onto a parlor chair.

"I am pleased z'at you have returned," he said calmly.

"I was beginning to wonder where you've went? Êtes-vous bien? Are you okay?"

"A little better," she said, still panting from his surprise visit.

"And I think it I would be better if you can stop coming out of nowhere like that!"

"Ah..." he spoke, smirking underneath his mask.

"Apologies for z'at. It haz become but a habit of mine."

Twilight couldn't agree more. At least he knows he has the habit and not being some ignorant moron about it. Her horn worked up an ache suddenly, to which she grunted, clasping her forehead with one hoof and prompting the Masque to glide towards her in a bout of vexation.

"Lemme see z'at," he spoke softly, surprising her. With only a whimper, the mare moved her hoof away, glancing away with eyes clenched shut as he examined it, the tingle of his hoof running down the crack somewhat assuring her yet discomforting her at the same time. Twilight knew she was being tended to by a stranger, yet her heart went against her reasonable mind, advising her to let him do as such.

"T'is not very deep," he assured with a grin after a few minutes.

"You are a lucky mare, Twilight Z'parkle. Any deeper, and it would cut off your magic forever."

The lavender mare shuddered at that. She was to her horn like how Rainbow Dash was to her wings: she couldn't imagine herself without her precious horn, having used and study all forms of magic throughout her life to the point where it became her counterpart. What was surprising to her, however, was the Masque, obviously a pegasus judging from his wings, knew about such things.

"Y-You study magic?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Non, Twilight. Just the anatomy of it," he admitted.

"It iz, after all, necessary, for treating the children living with me."

"The what?"

Twilight couldn't believe what she just heard. There were children living with the Masque? Were they his own children in the first place, or were they orphans, brought back to wherever his abode was due to his popularity in downtown Canterlot? She knew the Masque was influential, but she never knew he was that influential.

"You... y-you have children living with you?" she asked to clarify, to which he nodded.

"How... how did you find them?"

"A little annoying, z'ome of them, but otherwise it lightens up the mood."

"No! I mean, how did you find them?"

"Ah, of courze! Cup o' tea?"

The Masque suddenly leaped out of the window once she nodded at his sudden suggestion, making Twilight gasp. Before she could even get off her bed, however, he suddenly zipped back from his exit, now gripping a tray with a tea set in his hooves. Stifling a chuckle at the mare's awed expression, he settled the silver tray onto the nightstand, pouring a cup for her and another for himself. It seemed strange to the mare, to be served a cup of tea by somepony who could probably swipe everything she has in a matter of mere seconds.

"The children are mostly orphans," he explained, handing her the cup.

"Some were tramps living on the streets and stole food from ze marketplace. Some worked in ze nearby factories to earn a living. Some ran away from the desolate state of the suburbs, wanting to just be free from everything else in the world. In truth, all of z'em just vanted a place to call home. A place to feel protected."

"And you let them stay with you?" she asked, to which he nodded.

"That's... that's pretty sweet of you."

"T'is no big deal. Every child needs a home."

Twilight couldn't help but smile at his modesty. Maybe Scootaloo was right; maybe he has the chivalry to donate that immense amount of money to the orphans after all, in a way. Again, she felt her cheeks tingle with a blush, mostly from her growing infatuation with the Masque, she presumed, yet she knew she couldn't do much to repress them.

A brief silence soon captivated the room, with the Masque staring out of the window and the mare staring at him. Even underneath the horrendous mask, she couldn't help but feel secure underneath his watch, and although he doesn't seem to possess a bulky, stoic stature, he has a certain... charm... that she couldn't put her hoof on. The cape he was wearing only amplified that, billowing gracefully in the nocturnal breeze.

"Hey..."

"Hmm?"

"You..." she began, though every consecutive word lurched in her throat, rendering her speechless.

"Y-You... uh... do you... do you..."

"Vat is it?"

"Do you need any company?" she blurted out the only, if not, the most ridiculous idea in her head.

"Maybe... if you don't mind, I could... uh... accompany you for a moment. Watching over the kids and such. Perhaps I might even bring Scootaloo along, if uh... if you don't mind...?"

The Masque just stared at her, leaving her to wonder nervously if he was interested or intimidated. Suddenly, he let out a loud laugh, his accented voice echoing throughout the corners of the room with such fervor it felt more fitting in the rowdiest bars than in a quiet room such as this. Twilight didn't know if it was something she said, though that didn't matter as he leaned closer towards her, whispering with a smirk:

"Now why would I let you do that?"

Twilight just stared at him, slightly taken aback by his reply.

"I... I mean... you seemed like you needed company," she stammered.

"Plus, you might need a little help! It probably isn't easy to get food for all those children in your house, right? Maybe I can come over and cook something up for them!"

"I'm afraid I might have to disagree," he solemnly said.

"Maybe you are not who you are from before, but you're still Twilight Z'parkle. Don't think I do not know of your brother, mademoiselle."

Of course, she told himself. Shining had always mentioned he wanted to capture the Masque if he was ever given the chance. With him being Captain of the Royal Guard, there was no doubt for the air of distrust the Masque has over her, yet she felt this was unfair; he knew where she resides in the night, yet she couldn't?

"I promise, I will never, ever bring him into this," she said in a manner of protest.

"I never told him that I met you at all, right? If I could keep that a secret, why would you think I would tell everypony where you live?"

"I don't take chances, Twilight," he sharply stated.

"Especially not in thiz dark time. The children need a home, and to reveal my place only ruins that privilege."

"But... but..."

"All I want you to do is protect Scootaloo. Nothing more, nothing less," the Masque affirmed, which surprised her, since he never really got Scootaloo's name fluently thanks to his accent.

"It is a simple task, but do it not for me, but for her sake. Now, if you must excuse me, I must go. The rewards of this majestic place awaits me, mademoiselle."

"Don't! Please!" Twilight exclaimed, pulling him back with a free hoof.

"Just... just stay a little while longer..."

"I can't."

His deadpanned, short reply was enough to make her stop in disbelief, watching with widened eyes as he yanked his cape off her grip and headed towards the ledge, stopping only to let out a brief sigh before glancing back at her. Immediately, she could feel her heart start to crack, her instincts wanting to just drag him back towards her.

"Your job on taking care of Scootaloo requires no help from me now, mademoiselle," he said.

"From now on, we shall never meet again."

Twilight couldn't believe her ears, her jaw dropping immediately in shock.

"But--"

"We had z'pent enough time together. It iz the time I must move on. You too, should do the same."

"But I don't want you to go!!"

Twilight was already standing on her bed, glaring with watery eyes at the now-surprised Masque. She suddenly let out a loud yelp of pain, having tried to tug him back with her horn, to no avail thanks to her injured state, falling back down onto the sheets just as the stallion rushed to her side.

"J-Just... just go away..." she whimpered, burying her face in a pillow.

"You want to g-go, then fine. I c-can't st-stop you anyway..."

"Twilight..."

"Just GO ALREADY!!" she yelled, yet he still stood there.

"Oh, who am I kidding, right?! Falling in love with a thief! A thief, of all ponies! Hear that, Equestria?! I fell in love with a thief, and now he's there, standing and probably even laughing his flank out. I'm just an idiot, aren't I?! Say it!"

"T-Twilight..." he mumbled, letting the words sink in.

"I... I didn't know..."

"SAY IT!!"

"I don't dezerve you."

Twilight's expression turned from one of pure wrath into another of complete bewilderment at the Masque's words, trying to process whatever he said. The caper of the night just turned away, somewhat looking rueful, for once, with only a small sigh to break the growing silence between them.

"I don't dezerve you, Twilight," he repeated.

"You should know that by now."

"B-But..." she stammered.

"But w-why...?"

"I could be there for you, yet I wazn't."

He stopped again to glance towards her, looking dead straight into her eye as he continued:

"For starters, I knew you were heading to the camp in the north," he paused to nod sheepishly once Twilight's jaw fell. "I vanted to follow you and aid you in your quest, and perhaps that will probably make z'ings between me and the Princesses even. But then, I was afraid... that... if we go and I... ask you out... you would... you would not want me. I was afraid..."

Twilight opened her mouth to speak, yet the stallion's raised hoof silenced her.

"The truth is... I'll become but a burden to you," he stated.

"I'm a degenerate, only focused on robbing and taking everything from the city. I'm a nuisance... a pest, to perhaps you and your brother. I had wooed many mares before in my life, though I've not missed a single one of them. The love for another does not exist to me, and before I met you, I thought it never would. If ponies know of your acquaintance with me, your image... your reputation as Celestia's most faithful student, Twilight Z'parkle, would be tarnished, and I don't want z'at to happen. I don't want to place the lives of the children on your hooves, Twilight. I don't want to take any chances."

The Masque reached into the back of his cape, with the mare watching in undiluted silence as he pulled out a silvery bell, complete with a red ribbon and a small, Venetian mask pinned next to it. With a subtle, gentle jiggle, the bell twinkled gently, yet that didn't surprise Twilight as much as when he handed it to her.

"But if you still s'ink I'm worthy of a chance," he muttered, almost as if regretting it already.

"My house... lies at the end of the suburbs, in the alleyway overcast by the shadow of the leaning chimney. Enter the gate into the sewers, head down the tunnel until you see a rattan basket hanging in front of a pair of wooden doors. Place the bell in the basket and wait for the doors to part. Then just head in."

Before Twilight could ask any questions, the Masque suddenly turned back to the window, this time trotting towards it. Again, he let out a sigh, turning back to the unicorn.

"Don't make me regret this, Twilight Z'parkle," he warned, before zipping out through the window and into the open. All Twilight could do was just stare into the darkness and beauty of the night, before staring down at the bell in her hoof, its curvatures shining in utmost brilliance from the moonlight. She soon clenched her hoof tight as well as her eyes, saying aloud with fierce determination. Even though her intended, solitary audience wasn't present anymore.

"I won't."

Nigrum Radiis

"Just get 'em in here!"

"Shut it, Ollie! If they find out about this a second too early..."

"Hushy-hush hush everypony, for Pete's sake! You'll ruin the surprise! It'll be the best giggity goodity surprise ever!

"Question one, who's uh... Pete?"

"She's Pinkie Pie, Saturn. Best not to ask too many questions."

With a sigh and the help of the flickering flame on the tip of his tail, Phoenix glanced across the darkness of the room and at the glowing cracks of the door, waiting eagerly and impatiently for the expected return of Velvetine Willows and the Deuce twins. He knew the three of them wouldn't take long to come back from a small trip of window shopping around the white suburbs of Valewood; an errand that the latter two siblings didn't realize was actually a distraction.

It was the resulting machinations of Pinkie Pie, the mastermind who discovered the birth dates of Ganger and Dapple during a small talk with the leader of the caravan himself. Despite protests of her still being confined to crutches, she insisted on holding a party for the twins, even going as far as to order balloons from the local party store without telling anypony and baking an admittedly-scrumptious carrot cake for them. At least Saturn has the bits to afford it.

They were currently holed up in the living room, with every light flicked off and every curtain drawn shut, leaving only traces of the afternoon light sifting through a few cracks in the wooden walls. Even in the dimness, Phoenix could see Pinkie's growing smile underneath her cotton-candy mane; a rare sight to behold in recent days, thanks to her hoof. Then again, the caravan were never one keen on celebrating every single one of their birthdays, at least, not until a certain pink mare decided to tag along.

"They should be here any minute now," Pinkie whispered.

"I can feel it! I can feel it! My guts feeling all googly-woogly!"

"Always the one excah'ed on birthday parties, Pinkie," Ollivander remarked with a grin.

"Even if it ain't your birthday."

"She's been planning this whole party just for them, Ollie. I'd say she has every reason to be as excited," Selena stated, crouching next to the party hostess herself as they shuffled to the back of a couch, all eyes quietly glancing towards the door. It seemed pretty strange, for the usually serious bunch to simply huddle up together just for the sake of one's annual celebration for a friend becoming a year older. Much can change for the occasion, it seems.

Even as the rest contemplate of the situation they were tossed into, Pinkie could only grin at how everything was going so far. It feels like a long while since she held the last surprise birthday party; the previous one was for Selena three months ago during a picnic in a vast meadow of sorts, yet it somehow felt like forever, which only gave her ever the more reason to spur herself on to have a party. Of course, she'd be lying if she said that was the only reason she was doing as such.

There was her sneaky plan to figure out Brutus's small-ish secret back at the shrine of Princess Terra, which chances were bleaker than a sprig of green in the vastly desert seeing how he was always being preoccupied with his usual errands. Of the two things from a minotaur she learned about that were of major importance: one, minotaurs take long showers after hours of work and two, they never took showers during a party.

Great plan, Pinkie Pie. Great plan.

The second big thing was an apology to Velvet. She did pause to recite it a couple of times while rushing about to set the party up. Indeed, it sounded a little half-hearted, but that was the first draft; she had probably headed back to the drawing board a hundred times since. No pressure.

"He's just Velvet," she mumbled to herself, despite her parched grin.

"He'll understand... right?"

Some assassins-- cross that, former assassins, never seem to.

A soft brush against her cheek made her snort, the sight of Fleetywit hovering frantically and painlessly slapping her snout while making her blink with each flap of his dwarf-sized wings giving the warning. Almost immediately, she cringed down into a pink ball, hissing underneath her breath aloud:

"They're coming! Quick!!"

All at once, the mutters fell silent. The breaths held taut. The balloons Selena were tossing about like helium-filled beach balls out of complete boredom all bounced languidly to a halt. Again, all eyes fixated at the door, the temptation to jump out charging through their veins like a stampede once muffled hoofsteps came into the play. Slowly, they approached the doorway, the shadows of the bottom-most crack of the door dancing freely as they come closer.

"You think the rest'll be fine without the turnips?" came the familiar, muffled voice of Ganger Deuce.

Everypony felt that same tension pulling at the strings of their heart, whether by nervousness, excitement or an amalgam of both, they were never sure. Whatever it was, they could only pray for a fruitful result that everything would work out the way Pinkie imagined it to be. Oh, to be able to see a look of surprise on their faces... a hard temptation to resist!

"I don't think they would want any of those rotten things in the first place," his twin sister replied.

"Plus, Phoenix will probably burn them all down to Tartarus with that darn tail of his."

"I would not!"

"Don't lie, Finn! Yer never go well with turnips!"

Pinkie hushed both stallion and gryphon, ears straining as Velvet spoke, muffled by the old walls:

"I don't think turnips would really matter for today's lunch. Saturn did say he would prepare lunch for all of us. If I'm correct, it was something along the lines of Salad Niçoise or some other exotic dish."

"Really? Huh... and I thought he was a gullible one when it comes to cooking."

"Think again, Ganger Deuce," Saturn Lithehoof muttered with a triumphant grin.

"Think again."

"Shh!"

For the love of Celestia's horn, these ponies don't know how to stop yapping when it comes to preparing a surprise. Every single time! Every. Single. Time. There would be somepony in the room just wanting to cause a little squeak that could probably tear her mood up into shreds.

"They'll come in any second now," Pinkie mumbled to the rest.

"Get ready, guys. It'll be one doozy of a surprise~!"

Almost as if on cue, the door swung open. The familiar faces of Velvet, Dapple and Ganger stared into the room, silhouetted in the blinding light, enticing the pink mare to take a peek. Slowly, they walked in, the twins glancing about the darkness, unaware of the many hiding between wrapped pieces of furniture and one or two musty cobwebs. Before Dapple could begin to ask why, Velvet couldn't help but chuckle, almost tripping over with laughter as his horn lit up a fiery orb that zipped in a zigzagged path to the ceiling and lit every candle on the overhead chandelier.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!"

A single blast of a party horn blared through the air and with the flicker of the light, wave after wave of balloons and streamers in every imaginable color fell from the ceiling, showering upon the smiling faces of everypony in the room. Grabbing the corner of the bump-riddled tablecloth, Ollivander soon jerked it off, revealing the bountiful dishes of pastries, a crystalline tub of grape juice and most importantly, the chocolate cake in the center, its articulate swirls of red cream spelling out their respective names. Loud cheers filled the room, the applause for both brother and sister echoing throughout the room as they slowly stepped inside, receiving the surprising welcome with featherweight glee.

"Good golly Grazenburg berries," Ganger gasped out, prompting everyone else to laugh. Dapple could only nod along, eyes dilating brighter than a field of quartz crystals under the summer sunlight. Never had the Deuce twins been the focus of any party, at least not any large ones such as this.

Well, there's always a first time for everything.

"Happy BIRTHDAY, G and D!!" screeched the cheerful Pinkie Pie, popping in between the twins.

"I got everything ready while you guys are, well, looking for turnips!" she paused to giggle at her white lie, "So, didja guys like it? Didja? Didja? DIDJA?"

The two simultaneously gave her blank nods, making the pink mare leap with such excitement, they could've sworn they heard a loud firework burst through the room. All of them chuckled as she dived down into the couch, smiling happily at her easiest achievement. The rest, however, required time; a luxury she was always unaccustomed to.

"First of all," her thoughts said, reminding her of the plan.

"Talking to Brutus."

Brutus the minotaur. The shadiest of the shady shiddytwits, or at least that's how her head phrased it. Pinkie wasn't surprised that none of the caravan, especially his close associate Velvet, had ever considered learning about his past, being the big hunk of beef he was, not to mention a minotaur's natural obstinacy. Even so, she wasn't going to let something simple such as that to stop her!

Slowly and quietly, Pinkie slid across the room just as the joined hooves of both Ganger and Dapple pressed down the handle of a silver knife, cleaving into the exquisite indulgence of layered chocolate and cuing a small celebratory applause from the rest. Brutus, as usual, was never part of it, instead just leaning against the table with nothing but a grunt to spare at all the bubbly decorations. It seemed as though nothing could make him happy...

Impossible. There must be that special something that could lighten his mood.

"Let's see..." Pinkie mused to herself, observing the minotaur's miscellaneous, if not boring, actions.

"What would make Bruty smile? What could make... balloons? No... birthday cakes? No..."

"Pinkie."

The hairs on her skin stood up immediately once she heard the voice. Hesitantly, Pinkie turned around, patching back her smile at the sight of Velvet staring back at her, stifling a meek grin. This wasn't part of the plan, her head screamed. Talking to him comes after her little interrogation, not the other way around!

"Listen, Pinkie," he began before she could say anything.

"For the past few days, we...... well, we haven't really... got along well with each other and I thought maybe... maybe we could start over, y'know? It has been a tad while since we spoke and I... I don't think either of us want that."

"Uh... I-I would love to talk!" she exclaimed nervously.

"It's just... I h-have a... uh... party! Yes! Party to manage! I have a party to manage now! No time! Yes-- I mean, no! Time! No time at all!"

"But Pinkie, I--"

"Ooh! L-Look, Velvet! They're opening the presents! I w-wonder what's inside them! Heh!"

A very bad lie. That was all Pinkie could ruefully think of her actions once she clumsily skipped back to the center of the room where the rest had huddled up, watching the two siblings unwrapping their gifts. She knew Velvet would never buy an excuse as lame as that. Adding to that, her chance to have a little chat with Brutus was lost, as he had apparently joined the group, staring reservedly at the exciting spectacle. There goes her perfect plan.

"Dammit, Velvet," she grumbled, clenching her hooves.

"Of all the times..."

"No way!" Ganger hooted suddenly, his voice crashing into her thoughts.

"Of all the sensational gifts you could ever think of, Ollie, you gave me a cookbook?"

"I ain't keen on mushrooms and turnips every day. A gryphon likes some spot o' variety once in a while."

"Well, it's about time then, isn't it?" Phoenix piped in, Fleetywit chirping amiably above. The rest of them could only chuckle at the pouting chef, their gaze this time turning to Dapple, who was just beginning to undo her wrapped present. Despite still holding up her usually glum facade, Pinkie knew it seemed brighter, as if it was glowing and sharing twice the excitement that the rest were displaying. Eagerly, they closed in at the gift, holding their breaths as the mare pulled the ribbon, the paper shedding off almost immediately.

Loud gasps of disbelief filled the room, yet none were louder than that of Dapple Deuce herself. Inside the opened present in her hooves, a heart-shaped ruby pendant stared back at her, glistening and delicately cut with the finesse and essence of a perfectionist. Her crimson-tinted reflection mirrored her wide eyes and dropped jaw, for the mare had never had such a priceless present in her life. Even her brother would've seethed green with envy if he wasn't so entranced by its glamour and surreal beauty.

"Who gave you this present?"

Selena's brilliant question piqued all of their interest. Immediately, a multitude of stares went around in a flurry of white accusations, all wondering the whodunit of this 'crime'. Dapple finally broke her gaze from the pendant, her cheeks somewhat turning a deep hue of red that almost outmatched that of the ruby's. Her cheeks were bulging now, her forehead wrinkled as she glared at every single face in the room.

"W-Who gave me this?" she yelled sternly, much to the surprise of everypony else.

"Answer me! Who gave me this?!"

"Calm down, Sis--"

"DON'T YOU DARE ASK ME TO CALM DOWN, GANGER!!"

A tense silence flooded the room, yet it only served to incite Dapple's anger than quell it. A howl and a loud crash later, the mare stomped angrily out of the room, the rest only able to stare at her seething figure marching down the hallway. The present she had was now on the floor, surprisingly free of any scratches despite being thrown onto the floor, luckily for the customer who purchased it. Pinkie just bit her lip; she knew how Dapple was when it comes to relationships, and the results... she never talked to her about love ever again.

"Did we say something?" Ollivander asked.

"Just leave her alone for now," Ganger replied. From his stern tone, which was a rare case for the cook, no doubt he already had a hunch on whatever was happening.

"She'll be fine once she lets out some steam."

The gathered caravan started to split, being in too somber of a mood to continue the party. To Pinkie, it was an utter disappointment. Here she was, standing in the middle of what probably was a great celebration only to see them all trot away in a sullen mood. Parties were suppose to be places where everyone would be smiling and have fun and where presents would bring them closer together, not drift them away. That does it: one of her friends were responsible for the gift and in turn, responsible for ruining a worthwhile day.

"Question is..." she muttered inquisitively to herself, staring down at the discarded present.

"Who could it be?"

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"...and then he came towards the tent. All of us were standing on that gate thing, just waiting for him to charge inside. Just when I thought he'll get us, BAM!! We're in Canterlot!"

"Really?" was the appalled response of Inkie Pie.

"You mean we just barely managed to escape Cirrus Deep?"

"Quite so, darling," Rarity affirmed, albeit grimly.

"Suffice to say, it was too close for comfort. I wouldn't want to visit another place ever again if it meant meeting Janus once more. It was truly terrifying, if you ask me."

"But the ponies of Cirrus Deep! Did any of them make it out alive?"

Both dragon and unicorn could only shrug. Inkie could only glance down at the bed, clutching tightly on her sheets, her face shrouded in a veil of doubt. She had called the northern city her second home ever since the family home was razed down. To lose it again was like losing her sisters, especially when she had just began to warm up to its citizens.

"Here's hoping they made it..." she muttered quietly, clutching both hooves in prayer and bringing them to her bandaged head. Even with the tea soothing her plagued soul, the ache in her heart blossomed; a parasite clinging onto her nerves, leeching the Pie family's cheerful spirit away. It reminded Rarity of Pinkie's chagrin state, albeit a lot more gloomier than usual, yet -- no offense to Pinkie -- less frightening.

Spike leaned in from her side, whispering suddenly: "You think we should give her some alone time?"

"For civility's sake, it's best to do so."

Stifling a weak smile, both of them strode out of the room, leaving her to her contemplation. Just as Spike opened his mouth to speak, the even hoofsteps of Princess Luna garnering their surprise and attention. Her smile was amicably warm when the couple gave their bows, to which she then asked:

"Do the both of you have the knowledge of Miss Pie's location?"

"From where we came, Your Highness."

With a nod for a 'thank you', the alicorn strode into the room, leaving the bewildered couple to stare at her as she closed the double doors. Rarity was the one that urged Spike to march away, the two only deciding to speak up when they were convinced they were out of earshot from the doorway.

"Why does she need to see her for?" the unicorn asked in a hushed tone; walls still have ears, after all.

"Couldn't they have the decency to let her have a little rest of sorts?"

"Maybe it was about something important?" Spike said with a shrug.

"Inkie might probably know a thing or two about Janus, especially the part about them rock farming."

It was almost like a decade since anypony, or any dragon for that matter, had brought up the Pie family's job of lithic agriculture. Rarity knew Janus demanded the perplexing task to be done, for whatever inhumane reason she had no clue. What was the connection between a rock farm and total world domination anyway?

"Perhaps so," she mused thoughtfully.

"I still do have this feeling that Princess Celestia and Luna know more than they were telling us, however. Almost as if they had something to hide..."

"You're lucky Twilight ain't here to hear this."

"I concur. She would probably have my head for heresy when I'm simply giving my opinions."

The two quietly snickered at their bookish friend, striding side by side down the hallway. Even as the rays fall through the stained-glass windows and shower them in the sunlight, their minds were still preoccupied on the churning, growing storm that is the threat of Janus, reaching out like a flooding, bubbling broth in a black cauldron, smelling of war and famine. Of suffering. All they could do was hope it ceases to be a reality.

Silently, Rarity strode to the front, her hoof still clutched in Spike's claw. She suddenly yanked him forward, managing to wheel him up to the front. The dragon almost stumbled, voicing out his concerns and particularly his confusion at her sudden burst of joy. Whatever euphoria she was immersed into was certainly leaving him in bewilderment, with the unicorn giggling and chuckling shyly.

"Woah! Calm down, Rarity," he said after nearly tripping over.

"What's gotten into you all of the sudden?"

"Oh nothing," the unicorn hummed playfully with another twirl.

"But it's just the most wonderful news~!"

"Okay, what was it? Was it Sweetie Belle winning the competition?"

Before Rarity could reply, the faint, creaky sound of rattling filled the air, let out by the rusting spokes of a pair of wheels scraping against the scarlet carpet. Both of their heads turned towards the end of the corridor, though only her eyes narrowed menacingly at the figure on the wheelchair. As he approached, his face darkened, almost matching the mare's as if stemming from a fierce rivalry.

To Spike, it almost looked like he was watching a sizzling tango, with the wrathful flame of anger replacing that of passion and sensuality. Even their eyes met ferociously, waiting patiently for the other pony to pounce upon them. The dragon would've stepped in between them, though the fear of being targeted by both only froze his legs in place.

"You," the mare uttered with a grimace.

"You."

Rarity glanced away grudgingly. Of all the things that would spoil her expectations of a great day... of every single wretched thing that could go wrong, it had to be this one. It had to be that one, utmost thing that she had regretted and loathed ever since that night where her dreams were crushed and ground into dust.

"What do you want..." she paused, mustering her confidence to say that venomous name.

"Blueblood?"

"Nothing worth of your sympathy," was the prince's cold reply.

"What a surprise. I thought you told me you never wanted to see me again."

"Fate can be cruel, yet its vile actions never outmatched yours."

"Oof~! Such treacherous words, and all from a lady."

"Hey!" Spike snarled, pointing a finger at Blueblood. If it wasn't for Rarity holding him back, he knew for sure he'll tear the snobbish unicorn to shreds in a split second.

"You take that back right now!"

The prince just smirked in amusement, even more so when he noticed Rarity clinging onto the dragon's arm. His lips remained tight, however: even though there was a thrill in what he was doing, he had a clear enough mind to know that a dragon's temper is not to be messed with.

"The both of us," he grimly spoke.

"United by my aunts to fight against a common enemy. Perhaps it is fated, for our string of lives to be entwined once more without tending to our protests. Callous indeed."

"So what are you implying?" Rarity spitefully asked.

"That we're allies? That we will fight side by side on the battlefield?"

"A lady does not dally on the frontier, Miss Rarity. She would be pushing the daisies if ever so."

The mare just scoffed, wanting so badly to just break him in his crippling state already. Just because she was a lady doesn't mean she couldn't pack a punch or use her horn for its most primal of ways. She'd just preferred not to. For somepony like... like Blueblood... to tell her place is travesty.

"It seems we'll be seeing more of each other again," he stated simply.

"Not that I'm looking forward to it, of course."

Rarity said nothing. With a shrug, Blueblood just wheeled himself down the hallway, the eyes of the pair watching him intently and coldly with only hate to spare. She never thought of it, to have a chance encounter with the snobbiest, vainest bachelor in Equestria yet again. Rotten luck.

"Let's go Spike," she muttered, grabbing his arm.

"Spike?"

The voice was too meek for him to hear, having been caught in a swirling inferno of rage roaring in his head. His lips were widening, his fangs jutting out menacingly as he eyed at the prince in the distance. His hands were clenched into fists, his claws garishly sharp like throwing knives. The prey was waddling further away, not knowing that he could just charge down the hallway and tackle him down, wrapping his claws around his neck until he squeals with regret... his tongue slithered at that thought. Such a temptation...

One loud "Spike!" shooed everything away. Blinking hastily, he turned to the mare, who gave him a nervous stare. Her horn was tingling again like before, yet she couldn't bring herself to step back. It took her a minute to recompose herself and strut forward, with Spike bumbling after only a few seconds later.

"Look, Rare," he began quietly after they turned a corner.

"I'm sorry about--"

"Don't call me Rare."

"Rarity. I'm sorry if I... scared you."

"Just..." Rarity paused with a sigh.

"Try to control your temper. I couldn't fathom what might happen if it gets out of control..."

Spike just gulped silently. He had always reserved his doubts about a dragon's temper ever since his outburst to Princess Celestia that day. Even a small consultation with Twilight proved fruitless. Having read on dragon behaviors before, if there was one thing a dragon would gain power from instead of greed, it was rage.

"I wish I could..." he muttered softly, claws clenched. Hopefully, he could control it. Hopefully, he could retain his temper before somepony gets hurt.

Somepony like Rarity.

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"So we decided to auction it off, Persimmon and I. In the end, we each earned about seventy thousand bits each."

"Really?" Jovern asked, intrigued.

"All that for a pair of copper bowls? Was it really worth that much?"

"Apparently so. From what some experts said, when these bowls were made, copper was considered something of a relic in those days. Back then, most of ponykind had not discovered metal yet."

Fun fact of the day, Caduceus said to himself. On the other hoof, seventy grand was a worthy fortune, though it was a shame he spent it all on a set of antique pocketwatches. He always did love those timepieces. What else would he do instead of galloping back home when he saw them being displayed in the red cushions of a black leather case when he passed by the clockwork shop that day?

Seventy grand was enough for Persimmon to pay her debts off as well, though her husband's desire to drink and gamble proved otherwise. Their trio of daughters, Dahlia, Tulip and Ivy, if he could recall correctly, were currently living in Manehatten, yet with the recent attack, he wasn't sure if they were even alive anymore.

"If copper could sell for that much back then," the butler stopped to think.

"Could you imagine how much steel would be priced? I would've earned a damned million from all the silverware I collected when we traveled about."

"You mean you stole them."

"I was the avid collector," he replied his friend sharply.

"Sidus was the one with the sneaky hooves. He's just that one step I need to finish the job. Plus, the restaurants and cafes wouldn't even bother to know how many spoons they were lacking."

Jovern let out a booming chuckle, joining with the two old friends in their hearty laughter. Harmony, however, was more focused on where they were heading. Forget the laughter and memories; they were still searching for the needle in a subterranean haystack, and they didn't even know what it was.

Clambering up the clustered remains of old buildings, she raised her blade warily as she peered down at the desolate valley. She suddenly raised her hoof up, stopping the remaining ponies and dragon in their tracks, their chatter dropping into a long silence and their attention pressed towards a small cluster of tents in the center.

"Are those..." Caduceus began quietly.

"They were here before you, looking for the same thing that the Palgiots supposedly left behind."

"And do you have any idea what would that be?" Stellar asked.

"I have no clue," the mare said, much to their slight disappointment.

"But whatever it is, it must be something important. Something more important than their Dreamscape technology... that they desperately tried to hide..."

"There is no such thing."

It was a bold declaration, even for somepony such as Stellar. Even his friend was convinced that Winter, the most lenient head of the family, would've strangled him. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel that there is a sense of truth in that statement; what could possibly be more precious than the Dreamscape essence itself?

"If the Palgiots had another treasure, they would usually keep them in the records, which would've been managed by the family archives keeper, which was, until her untimely death..."

"Persimmon," Caduceus finished the sentence.

"She would update the records every year by tracking across all past entries. Had she stumbled upon something valuable, she would notify us about it for security reasons. As far as we know, the Dreamscape essence is the most expensive, if not most sought after, item in the whole of Pendant Lakes, but presuming that Janus already has it..."

"If it wasn't the Dreamscape, what else could it be?"

"Well, let's find out then, shall we?"

Within a split second, Harmony leaped from where they were perching, sliding down the rocky cliff on her hind hooves with her pair of blades raised up to her chin, chains flying in the wind. The rest followed behind except for Jovern, who gingerly stepped over it instead.

The mare was a quick sprinter; in only a few seconds she was already storming into the closest tent, even as Stellar and Caduceus were trying their best to catch their breath. There was, however, something wrong about this place. The silence was dreadfully overwhelming; the air was thicker here with death and despair; their spirits were being drained constantly, taken away by something and lured like fish into the gaping cracks around. Immediately as she went in, Harmony marched out, panting with eyes widened.

"There's no one here."

"What?" Caduceus asked in disbelief.

"What do you mean there's no one here?"

"The tents are empty," Stellar muttered, sheathing the rapier.

"No... don't tell me..."

With an unnervingly loud roar, Harmony swung her blade, ripping the tarp of the tent apart and watching it with glaring hatred as it collapsed with a loud, echoing clatter. They could only watched as she stomped further in, wrecking through the large campsite and ripping tent after tent like a savage whirlwind. She let out one more howl before slashing down the last tent with vehemence.

A loud scream broke the forsaken silence, prompting the rest to gallop and find her sitting there, her rage conforming into a paled expression of horror at the sight before her: a mountain of heads, freshly decapitated with blood flowing out in masses. Every eye was white, every mouth leaking in a putrid mixture of red, green and other indiscernible colors. The sickening smell made all their stomachs gurgle, their instincts forcing them to turn away with hooves cupped over their snouts.

The ghastly sight was enough even for Caduceus (who had his penchant of looking at dead bodies in his line of profession) to gag. It was cannibalistic... it was abhorrent... it was beyond the realm of ponykind. No, this was not the work of Janus; this was the work of a demon.

The loud sobs from Harmony was proof enough. It was one of the few times where he actually saw the mare cry, much less let loose a tear. The doctor darted his eyes around as he drew his flintlock pistol, scanning the empty wasteland carefully. Something else was definitely dwelling here; something that feasted upon them and devoured their bodies mercilessly. Whatever they were searching for was still here, no doubt, yet from what they've discovered...

"Certainly these were Janus's forces," he concluded with a grimace.

"At least, what's left of them."

"But what could've done this?"

There was only one answer Stellar could think of to answer Jovern's question. He was, at first, skeptical or even afraid to admit it, but from every crude ordeal that they've been through so far, there was no other option but to believe it.

"The living dead."

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"I don't think this is a great idea..."

"I knew you'll say it is a great idea!" Fluttershy exclaimed happily, apparently blind to the doubts of her friend, Rainbow Dash. It was a lackluster five percent chance that Fluttershy would have more confidence in something than her. This was certainly the five percent, not to mention that she was still guilt-ridden about their recent altercation...

A meek yawn from Mayfly turned their attention back, her mother chuckling at those innocent green eyes staring back at her. Nuzzling the filly's cheek, Rainbow continued her stroll with Fluttershy down the hallway, stifling smiles when Mayfly started mewling happily in her mother's hooves, her minuscule wings flapping eagerly with 'goohs' and 'gahs' of excitement that warmed the heart of both mares.

"We're almost there, Mayfly," Rainbow gently whispered.

"Just a little more..."

A cooing sound welcomed them in as they stepped into a bedroom, wearing benign smiles at the sight of Soarin' raising the giggling Firefly into the air, her wings flapping excitedly in a frenzy. Her twin sister was already amazed at the sight of her flying out and about in their father's hooves as if she was a toy airplane. With a chuckle, Rainbow stepped in, placing Mayfly down onto the bed and watching as she climbed up to her father's side.

"You're back!" Soarin' cried gleefully as Rainbow carefully placed Mayfly onto the bed, reuniting the twins.

"So, how did the trip with Mommy go, May?"

Mayfly just laughed, too young to understand her father's words. Rainbow just chuckled, sharing a small kiss with Soarin' and snuggling both of her daughters as she settled down onto the bed, staying there for now. A part of her still wanted to spend time with them, yet she knew this has to be settled first. For Soarin', and for her daughters.

"Remember," her husband reminded, giving a hug before she rose from her bed.

"Just keep calm. Whatever issues you have, just get them off your chest, got that?"

"I will."

Stern nods exchanged, Rainbow gave another farewell, following Fluttershy as they headed out of the room. Slowly, the two friends strode down the mundane hallways, their minds focusing on their task at hand. She wasn't confident about any of this, yet she was the one that made the decision to talk. There's no turning back now.

"Rainbow? Um... I had to ask... um... if you don't mind..."

"What is it, Flutters?"

"About... Soarin' and... well, you," her friend stammered.

"How... how are the both of you coming along?"

"We're cool," was her nonchalant reply.

"Why'tcha ask?"

"Oh, nothing really. Just want to know how you're both doing."

"What about you and Big Mac? The both of you doing good?"

There was a brief silence, yet however short it may be, a gazillion thoughts have already flooded Rainbow's mind. Was she just simply mulling over it, or was she about to burst out in an outrage again, just like last time? She was fearful of angering her as much as she was of hurting her, knowing how sensitive she was and what she had been through, but she couldn't blame her. They were childhood friends, after all.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to," she added as a safety measure.

"Oh! Um... sorry..." Fluttershy meekly spoke, snapping out from her reverie.

"We're fine, even though we were... that we can't really see each other everyday anymore."

"Just hold on, Flutters," Rainbow assured with one hoof around her friend's shoulder.

"It's just two more weeks."

"Two weeks..."

Two weeks. Two more weeks before the judge's order can be revoked. Two more weeks before she can be reunited with Big Macintosh and Amber Rose. Fluttershy could feel her anxiety and impatience growing with every passing day, yet she knew she has to wait.

"Hold on Amber..." she muttered softly.

"Mommy's coming......"

The vast gardens of Canterlot ushered them with their beauty, though however lustrous the spirits of the inhabiting fauna or however entrancing the flora were, nothing waned them from their objective. With each stride across the trimmed grass and flap of her fervent wings, a flicker of confidence sparked in Rainbow Dash as she and Fluttershy ventured deeper into the undergrowth, where a certain figure had been seeking for solace for too long now.

Fluttershy knew it was time he stopped groveling in the corner, not that he was, at least. She could, however, still see the guilt he had every time they met up and converse at the same spot. She helped Rainbow get rid of her guilt; now it will be his turn. No matter what.

"Fluttershy!"

Eccentric as it may be, the said mare greeted his voice every time with her smile, teeming with the warmth of a friend. It was Rainbow stepping out from behind that washed his optimism away in a tidal wave. Biting the tips of his mismatched talon nervously as if it was a corn cob, the figure she narrowed her eyes upon stuttered to speak, before he finally managed to let out a meek, wavering...

"H-Hi, Rainbow Dash! H-How's... uh, th-the weather today?"

"Pretty fine..." Rainbow rasped with a glower.

"Discord."

"Now, now," the mediator of the three said sternly, her yellow hooves raised and stopping both of them in their tracks. Fluttershy glanced at Rainbow, who was pretty much kicking back the dust and about to charge at the paling draconequus who, on the other hoof, looked as if he would've bolted if not for her presence.

"We're here to make sure that the both of you get along, alright?" she affirmed.

"Now, anyone of you can start. Oh, and try not to be too mean, if that is okay..."

Rainbow just watched sternly with crossed hooves as Discord fumbled about, picking for whatever phrase to form an apology. Her eyes darted to Fluttershy, who could only shrug at the awkward situation before them. She sighed gruffly; one of them has to make the first move, and if it wasn't the two of them, she'll do it herself.

"The last time we've met," she began, starting to glower.

"You've mentioned something about attacking my daughters."

"I-er... um... I-I-I can... I can explain..."

"Explain? Fine. Explain it then."

Discord let out a heavy sigh, his head hanging dejectedly low. Rare, for the mischievous deity of Chaos to seem somber and apologetic, yet expected all the same.

"I admit, I was a tad rather contemptuous when I said that," he spoke breathily.

"There are sometimes where I myself believe I've brought my mischief a little too far. It... It's like a prank gone horribly wrong, except with words, if you understand."

Pranks gone wrong... Rainbow Dash was no stranger to pranks, having done countless of them a long time ago. She had seen some of them ending quite in not the way she expected, though fortunately there wasn't any resulting harm so far. For somepony to get hurt from something fun... she couldn't imagine the weight of the guilt she would bear.

"I've actually wanted to, well, get to know each of you a little more," the draconequus continued.

"And I believed that joining you lot for dinner would be a good opportunity, but... you saw how that turned out."

"Maybe it wasn't entirely your fault..."

"Pardon?"

"What I meant was..." Rainbow began, unable to believe what she was going to say. She gave a flitting glance at Fluttershy, who just nodded undoubtedly with a smile. It's just Discord, she nervously told herself, clenching her eyes shut. What could possibly go wrong?

"If... if I had given you a chance to join us instead, maybe... maybe all of this wouldn't have happened. Maybe Fluttershy wouldn't... y'know and maybe... maybe the both of us could get what we wanted."

"Perhaps," was his single reply.

"Still, I was really hurt when you talked about my daughters that way," she admitted, feeling a tingle in her gut. The word 'hurt' was certainly an understatement to what she actually felt. Soarin' did tell her to get everything off her chest, though knowing what Discord was doing now and knowing how Fluttershy might strangle her if she did (which was a one in a millionth chance, albeit still a chance too risky to take), it seemed better to have leniency.

"They were my children, Discord. I don't wanna get you down or anything, but Firefly and Mayfly... they mean so much to me. I would give my life if I knew they were in danger. Do you... do you know how that feels? When somepony just simply says that your children will be in danger? Do you know how I, as their mother, would feel?"

As rare as it seems for Discord to be gloomy, it is also rare to see Rainbow being so vulnerable. Fluttershy knew her two friends long enough, though from the unfolding conversation before her, it only tells her that there is more to learn. All she could do now was smile.

"Even for an old deity like me," Discord quietly stated with a sigh after Rainbow's long lecture.

"I still have so much more to learn."

"We really gotten off the wrong hoof," the cyan mare answered sheepishly, sticking out a hoof.

"So whadaya say? Friends?"

Discord just turned away, much to their surprise. Before the two mares could scowl however, he gave them his cheeky little grin, cackling like a witch as he stepped towards them, sticking out his talons instead.

"I was thinking we should probably start over as... associates or... acquaintances," he suggested.

"Companions fighting a common enemy, hmm? Start over?"

Both Fluttershy and Rainbow just chuckled.

"Yeah," the latter mare said happily, hoof to talon finally shaking.

"Start over..."

Author's Note

Finally!
That took way too long to finish!

Sorry guys for the epic tardiness! Life's been tossing me around lately.

Trust Be Forlorn

"What else is there, what else is there..."

"You've spoken enough, Saturn," Velvet heartily professed.

"After all, you shouldn't be the one to thank us, not with the hospitality and the help you've given to the caravan. Who could find a pony of more help in the town of Valewood than the pony in you?"

"Flatterer, you," was his amiable reply, before joining his friend in their lively chuckle.

"So, I guess it's a farewell then? Dropping by soon, if you can?"

"Not likely. Caravan and all."

Another brief chuckle from the duo, and Pinkie's interest soon waned, instead focusing back to the chatting of the rest. She would've joined them in their lively little conversations if not for her quavering mood swings; a minute ago she was happy, bouncy and good to go, but now... it was almost as if something leeched it all away. Phoenix did advise her to have some time with herself if it ever happened. He didn't mention about what to do in the meantime, however.

She wasn't the only one grumbling about. Dapple was there, snout still wrinkling and gaze still stuck at the floor, her serrated blade ready to hook at anything that comes its way. Rare was it for the mare to be so hostile. Yes, she can be pretty dead serious, but never hostile. The most harm Pinkie had ever seen her did to the caravan was just tossing a rock at her brother after being pestered countless of times over something regarding peaches and clam chowders. Just sibling arguments, she told herself. There can be worse. Had been worse, actually.

"Anytime you lot come back to Valewood, just pop in!" Saturn finally said with a grin.

"Good luck out there! Be careful!"

A chorus of goodbyes later, and they were off again. Nomads looking for their direction in life; wanderers in search of a purpose, with only the light of the full moon to guide their way. It was their voted decision to travel in the night, mostly to hasten up their journey. Pinkie still remembered their destination: the Shetland Isles, an archipelago situated in the grand lake of Ceg Ffyniant (known to outsiders as the Mammoth's Waterhole) which was always shrouded in the ambiance of mystery. Supposedly, there lies a majestic kingdom, superior to many in its region with magic never seen by eyes outside of their own; magic that even an Earth pony can harness. Her hooves were tingling with excitement just from knowing about it!

Still, she missed many of the places she had been. Princess Terra's shrine, for example, was a bountiful heaven of green while Valewood, despite the fact that they hadn't left yet, was a glorious town of white purity where she felt the happiest, aside from making friends with Luster the hobby lantern, of course.

"Gotta stop by at the shops for a sec for some provisions," Phoenix said.

"In the meantime, you guys can go look for a bite. I might take quite a while."

It wasn't the brightest suggestion the stallion could come up with, knowing the many shenanigans the caravan would get themselves into, yet it was a suggestion nevertheless. The rest could only watch as their esteemed leader steps off into the night, before turning to one another, minds blank as the time when they spotted a swarm of flying potatoes accidentally conjured by Velvet.

"So um..." Ollivander piped in first just as Fleetywit landed onto the tuft of his head.

"Where to, fellers?"

"To the closest cafe around, maybe?"

"And what cafe would that be that opens at the bewitching hour?" Dapple chided his brother with a scoff.

"Seriously, sometimes I can never understand why you're my brother."

"We could all just stop by at a bar or something."

The proposition was made by Velvet, whose attention was more focused on polishing his blade than sating their tedium. Pinkie would never understand why Phoenix would put the assassin of the group in charge when he's not around; he's typically slacking off or cutting some throats or something. No leader of the caravan would abandon something like that. At least Ollivander had the decency once to scour the town in search for food.

"How 'bout we pop by for a small chug?" he said with an enthusiastic smirk.

"I'm sure Finn wouldn't mind, would he? As long as none of you get bladdered, of course."

Cheers erupted from every mouth. None from Pinkie. She would be lying if she was a stranger to drinking, yet she limited herself to only three jugs at least and they were usually cider. Ganger, for example, once chugged down eight mugs of whiskey and nearly got his head caught in the spokes of a wheel when he stumbled right in front of a passing carriage. He was Celestia be-damned lucky Brutus was there.

Mysterious as it is, Phoenix wasn't one prone to drink as well, not that he didn't, of course. Heavy smoker, yes, but never an avid drinker. There were times where she wondered how he can tolerate their extraordinary antics, though the time for trivial pondering was in no current need of attention: she has a drink to get!

"We're all limited to only four cups of ale," Velvet added as a warning.

"I don't wanna see any of you hammering the tables like a bunch of mad idiots. The plan is to set off tonight, so tonight it is, which means none of you are going to pass out under my watch. Clear?"

A bunch of affirmative nods, and they set off into the mist-covered darkness of Valewood. It was rare for the caravan to celebrate before the departure, mostly because they all had the keen prospect of adventuring; such a chance rarely gets by even if they wanted to, especially when their tired souls bogged them down like sticks stuck in mud.

"If only every day can be like this..." Pinkie said to herself with a sigh.

"Then we could've had a party every day..."

On the contrary, a daily schedule of partying seemed more exhausting.

A blink snapped her from her reverie, which she then noticed the already-thick mist slowly swirling around her hooves. Her face fell when she glanced forward, the faint voices of her friends fading in the distance. Without a second to spare, Pinkie kicked her hooves into a gallop, trying not to giggle at herself as she guided her way through the alleyways of Valewood.

She could only wonder how many times her mind had drifted off, finding its place in happier, brighter thoughts where her optimism could run free through the plains of hope, sowing with it the seeds of friendship. She always felt remote when it comes to reality, such as her recent altercations with Velvet, for example; she still could never understand her doubtful and perplexing thoughts surrounding the mysterious gray stallion.

"Well, well..."

Pinkie nearly jumped in surprise at that husky voice, turning around to see a stallion standing there, his face obscured by the growing mist. Wearing a beatific grin, she trotted towards him. The pony himself seemed to be a local long enough to navigate these dark alleyways; perhaps, without the need of Velvet especially, she could just ask him for the closest bar, which seemed to be the only place she knew they were going. Surely the ponies of Valewood wouldn't mind being ask just one tiny question, wouldn't they?

"Hey there!" she called out cheerfully.

"I'm just a little lost and, well, I need a teensy-weensy help getting somewhere, so..."

"Really now?" was the slightly unnerving reply.

"Dear, dear. A little missie roaming in the dark, lost with no idea where to go. What to do..."

"Oh, don't worry about me!" she replied with a nonchalant wave of her hoof.

"It's just me getting to some small bar, that's all! My friends might be waiting for me there by now."

"What would your friends do?"

"Huh?"

"If you were never there?" he rephrased.

"Perhaps you never made it to the bar. What would your friends do? Would they head out and search for you, or would they drink to their heart's content, leaving you lost and abandoned in the darkness?"

"D-Don't jinx it!" she stuttered, trying her best to hold her smile.

"I mean, you can't actually think that my friends wouldn't help me out when I'm in trouble, right? R-Right?"

Despite all the mist, Pinkie could see it: that crooked, jarring grin on his face, the edges of his lips glinting like a knife with the growing fervor of a sadist. The intentions he reserved for her... she had felt a growing discomfort before when she stumbled upon the pony, yet she chose to ignore it. Now, every single color of happiness paled away from her face, her jaw clenched as she hesitantly stepped back, waiting for him to pounce, if he ever would.

Her back hoof slid backwards just as she readied her sword; the one that Phoenix had given to him for self-defense. Just as one hoof reached for it, something snatched her grip, the mare eliciting a yelp of pain when she was suddenly hoisted backwards, eyes staring into another stallion's greedy smile once she tumbled onto the floor.

"Fine catch tonight."

"So what shall we do with'er?"

"Please!" Pinkie begged, trying to kick herself out of the two hooves gripping her tight.

"Don't touch me! Just lemme go! Lemme go!"

It wasn't a pair now. Throughout her dilemma, others had come to join the show; she counted around five to eight pairs of eyes staring down at her, all of them hungry with lust like savages. Her head suddenly worked up a storm, every inch of her skull hammered by pain as her vision swirled, unable to focus on any of her captors.

"Learn to take turns, fellows!" somepony hollered. She yelped and cried, struggling to squirm her way out of the hooves pinning her down like a butterfly taxidermy. Her rapier clattered onto the ground once her grip strained, leaving her helpless to both the savages and the brewing ache in her temple.

The feast was beginning. She was the main course.

"No... NO!!!"

With a devastating swing of a hoof, Pinkie kicked away the captors trapping her lower body, before managing to scramble to her hooves, flailing away from their restraints and grabbing the rapier with her mouth before galloping off into the thick mist.

The aching in her head... it felt like somepony was carving through her skull. The intensity of it grew as time passes, with a screech clouding over her galloping and the urgent shouts following behind her. Fatigue overwhelmed not her hooves, but her head, and as her gallops slowed and her vision started to fade, she could only stare at the floor closing in towards her along with the shadows of her pursuers, muttering the one thing she knew she could never do.

"Must... get away..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Reconciliation.

It was an act too divine even for an alicorn to bear, especially when her nation is in its current state of upheaval. Perhaps it was a forbidden dream for such a commodity to be bestowed upon her like how she brings light to her glorious world. Still, she remained resilient, or from her sister's point of view, a little stubborn about her decisions.

Never had Princess Celestia been scorned by her subjects. At least, not in the present day. Back then, times were more troubling... more vexing even, where the nation of Equestria was always threatened by its surrounding neighbors, all too savage then to usher an era of peace. She had battled many, from gryphons and minotaurs to zebras, hirci and even the dragons, yet she still feared them like how they would fear her.

The Princess was in her bedroom, overlooking from the balcony the high-rise buildings of Canterlot shimmering as she lowered the sun. She could feel it: the strokes of life beaming across the city, blossoming in an aural brilliance that only she and Luna had the shared ability to see. Her churches from beyond too were like beacons, sending out the signal of serenity that had encapsulated Equestria for so long; that of Stalliongrad was quickening with doubt; that of Trottingham was shaking underneath; that of Manehatten... bleaker than the arid deserts of the south, the flowers of life razed by a torrent of fire.

What happened in Manehatten had grew stiffer than concrete in her head. It was a craft, they said, no more, but there was a certain sense of fear. She had an idea of what the craft was, but its existence was lost, swallowed by a void in time, perhaps rotting away in uncharted waters, she wasn't sure. If it was truly back, however, the worst nightmares could come true. None of them would be prepared.

"Tia?"

Princess Luna rarely stepped into her sister's abode, but when she does, usually something was wrong. It may be trivial and it may be not, yet when it still concerns her dear sister, she would tend to them first. With a nod of her head, Celestia ushered her sister to settle at her side, face growing solemn when she saw Luna's red-tinted eyes.

"What's wrong, Luna?" she asked.

"What happened?"

"I... I had a nightmare..."

Rare, for the Princess of the Night, guardian of ponykind's dreams and subconscious minds, to have a nightmare. That's what most, if not all, of Equestria, would think, but Celestia knew her sister better. What was the headstrong, feared Princess of the Night to most was still vulnerable on the inside. Still scarred.

"It was the same one..." she continued with a quiver.

"Everyone was gone... everyone... it was so... so white..."

"Calm down, dear sister," the older alicorn said, draping a wing over the other.

"You and I are still here, Luna. Whatever happened would never get us now. None of us."

Luna just gave a frail nod, huddling closer to the source of her comfort.

"The ministers... they're already questioning our rule, sister."

Celestia wore a grimace. There was always that one or two in the Canterlot Ministry that would have those defiant thoughts. She wouldn't tell them off, no, but the thought of such talks behind her back were always infuriating to her. Already, she was doing everything she could in her willpower to prevent a coming invasion, letting these snobbish ponies kick their hooves back and lavish themselves in luxury and yet they have the uncalled decency to question her?

She knew this wasn't the first time. There was one time, when the country finished fending off from the Badlands and the Highlands invasion that ponies had begun to question her integrity through something they called 'science'. She could still remember that dark time, when the Ministry was divided; when ponies devoted to faith and that devoted to science clashed in a bloody civil war. The murder of unicorns became the norm: magic was extracted illegally for studying through the fracturing and breaking of horns. Back then, there was only one thing left in her mind.

Fight fire with fire.

Riots in a neighboring town? Massacre thousands of rebels in public. Illegal extraction of magic? Sentenced to torture and execution. She was harsher, more brutal than ever before, sometimes even marching to the battles herself just to unleash her wrath and fury, eradicating and decimating hundreds at once. Back then, she was a pony clouded by rage; deluded by hatred; traumatized after banishing her sister.

That pony wasn't her anymore.

"Let them speak their foul words," was her calm reply to her sister.

"They know no better of ruling the country than organizing their own paperwork."

"But if they ever defy our rule--"

"They wouldn't dare to," she assured.

"As far as the both of us know, the enemy we're fighting against possesses an unimaginable power. To overthrow us simply means suicide for the Equestrian populace. If I recall, I remember neither of those old geezers want any blood on their hooves."

Luna giggled quietly. Old geezers indeed.

"Then what are we, being thousands of years older?" she asked.

"Don't forget to add wiser, sister," Celestia answered with a grin.

"Ponykind would want a modest leader. A humble leader. A leader who can keep a promise. None of them would even think of striving to be that leader, Luna, and I won't let them take my throne. Not when I'm around."

Silence hung like the rising moon in the sky, orange fading into black with stars starting to shimmer, freed from the blazing light. Celestia's horn soon dimmed down, concluding the job as she gazed down at the still bustling capital below her. Even when they had been struck more than once, the Canterlot society was still outgoing and cheerful, their optimism superior to their qualms. Strong, the heart of a pony.

"Still so bright..." the older alicorn sighed.

"Even when they are mourning the dead in their hearts."

"They believe in you, Tia."

"Us, Lu," she corrected her sister.

"They believe in us. You rule by my side, sister. Remember that."

"Thou is a fledgling to the phoenix, sister."

"You underestimate yourself. You're more capable of ruling than you think you are, Luna. Sometimes, you impress me even more so than my student can ever do. All you need is a little spark of confidence and you'll go far. Heed my word for it, alright Luna? Luna?"

The younger alicorn wasn't listening. Something else caught her attention; something faint and far, yet loud enough for her to perk up her head out the balcony and hear. The wind rustled the trees around the sisters, the older one's brows furrowing with worry.

"What is it, Luna?"

"I hear something," was the answer. A quivering answer.

"In the distance, in a town, there was screaming. Shouting. Cries of help. Blood... h-has been spilled on the earth... death is waltzing in a dance of swords. Th-They were screaming, yet none c-could hear it. They were... th-they were..."

Suddenly, with a howl that could've torn the night into two, Luna fell back onto the balcony, Celestia catching her just in time before her bandaged wings could hit the floor. Horrified, the alabaster alicorn glanced down at her sister in her hooves, gasping quietly at her shaking body, her jaw clenched tight.

"No... no!!" the mare gasped out, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Stop her! We must stop her!! WE MUST STOP HER!!"

"Calm down, Luna! CALM DOWN!!"

Everything dived down into a tense, steep silence, from their breathing to the nocturnal calls outside. Luna quietly sobbed, head buried in her sister's wings. The horror of it... the animosity of what she saw... it couldn't become words. She couldn't disclose it to her sister.

Celestia could only imagine whatever that could horrify Luna so much. These days, it was rare for the younger alicorn to have her spirit broken so easily, yet at this period where the seams of years long gone were bursting open once again... there's not much time to lose, especially not when fighting this enemy.

"Stay strong, sister..." she whispered.

"Stay strong, my little ponies..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"That'll be fifty bits, please."

"But the tag said--"

"A discount for you, Miss Sparkle. It is but an honor already to have you in my premise."

With a forced grin, Twilight nodded thankfully at the smiling owner before stepping out of his shop with her heart clenched by guilt. She will never get used to it, ponies treating her like royalty, almost as if she asked for it. Oh well, she said to herself, that's what you get when you are Princess Celestia's personal student.

Turning a corner away from the prestigious main districts into the suburbs, the unicorn sighed as she unwrapped the item she purchased from the store, her magic raising it up towards her snout for her to see. It was a ceremonial dagger, gold from top to bottom, adorned in intricate patterns that could boggle the mind and certainly worth way more than she would ever have imagined.

If her friends were around now, Twilight was certain they would bombard her with a hundred questions about her possessing such a tool. It wasn't anypony's fault if they would feel insecure when in the shabbier sections of Canterlot. The statistics she read last night was still fresh in her head: crime was at an all-time high, yet so was unemployment. Sometimes, it surprised her that this bleaker side of Canterlot actually existed.

Having only little time to spare, she soon started her march down the snaking, gravel paths of the suburbs after sliding her blade into her satchel, earning a glance or two along the way. She shivered a little at the sights to see: ponies young and old were sleeping on the streets, ignored by most and chased off by the rest. Their bodies were frail and bony, reeking of suffering and disease, their eyes reflecting their empty, soulless hearts.

"How... how can they live like this...?"

That question had been asked one too many times and each time, there would never be a valid answer. Head down in a fit of shame, Twilight quickly strode down the path, avoiding the unnerving yet innocent stares that the ponies were giving, pleading and crying for her help when she could give none.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." she muttered repeatedly and softly, her pace speeding into a gallop as she raced down the road. Guilt had welled up in her heart, the shame she could bear only a morsel compared to the suffering they had to go through. All the way she ran, stopping only when she reached the quieter, rural side of the district, catching her breath as she did so.

One more pant, before Twilight collapsed against the brick walls of a derelict building, glancing up at the tangerine sun shining its pallid rays upon her and drawing out pores of sweat from her skin. The sky here was barren yellow from smoke; a contrast to the healthy blue and white field she always seen back in the palace at the height of the afternoon. The atmosphere was already clinging onto her, digging into her heart and dragging her weary hooves down like an anchor threatening to trip her any second.

Caws of crows ushered her into the alley, shaded by a crumbling building that made her feel insecure yet cooled her at the same time. Her eyes were fixed upwards or, more accurately, the roofs, wanting to spot that one little detail of a clue that would lead her straight to her destination.

"My house... lies at the end of the suburbs," she remembered him saying.

"In the alleyway overcast by the shadow of..."

"The leaning chimney!"

Twilight couldn't help but cry it out loud, her eyes glittering with joy at the said 'landmark' which was, true to its name, a mound of irregularly stacked bricks that was already an odd sight in the suburbs, yet it seemed like a symbol of glory; a sculpture of hope for the poor, built almost like a beacon to guide ponies like her, striving to seek for the Masque of Canterlot in his abode.

Stumbling over a few overturned trash cans, she trudged down the dark path, squinting her eyes and making out in the distance a steel grilled gate that would've forbade anyone from entering if it wasn't for the gaping niche formed from the steel twisted and bending forwards like a wilted flower. Meekly, she stepped through it, taking care not to land into mud puddles or clumped trash reeking of rancid food and compost.

Rarity would've wrung her neck if she found out that she headed directly into the sewer tunnels without anypony else accompanying her. Sure, if anypony tagged along, they'll discover her affections for the Masque of Canterlot, blabber it about through the whole of Equestria and practically destroy her, not that they would do it, of course, but it was too risky of a chance to take.

No time for regrets now, she said to herself. With head held high, Twilight trudged forward down the spiraling darkness of the sewer tunnel, her horn lighting up with a halo of light and her recently-purchased blade now clenched in the middle of her teeth, ready to strike at anything that jumps out at her. There were several false alarms that halted her with a jump, such as the scampering of rats and even the smallest drip of water from a pipe, but otherwise nothing.

After what seemed to be an hour of trotting in the musty darkness, the first sliver of light finally caught Twilight's eyes. Placing the blade in the satchel, she galloped towards those mesmerizing, parallel rays breaking into the darkness, her attention focused not on its beauty, but solely on the silhouette of an object hanging from the ceiling. She soon realized it was a basket with a rope binding its handles together, swaying subtly and just at the right height to be peered into.

Instinctively, she reached a hoof into her satchel, rifling through its miscellany before finally picking from the litter a silver bell: the same one the Masque had instructed her to place in the basket. Doing as such, she stepped back, waiting for something, anything in the darkness to jump out at her. The Masque did say that some door would open, though she wasn't sure about how it would actually open.

"Strange..." she muttered to herself.

"Very strange..."

Suddenly, the basket jerked a little, catching Twilight's eye. Curiously and warily, she hastily stepped closer to it, fixing her gaze at the object inquisitively. Her mustered confidence shattered only when the basket was hoisted up into the light, making her shriek and stumbling back from whence she came.

The loud groan of wood sounded out from her right, with streaks of orange piercing through from a straight crack in the darkness. Swallowing a small pint of confidence, Twilight Sparkle slowly stepped towards it, readying her golden blade hovering in an encompassing field of magic. Anything could be behind those doors, from an underground lava chamber to a hibernating dragon waiting for its prey. No need to panic, she told herself. What's there to panic anyway?

"Here goes nothing, Twilight..." the mare said aloud, heart beating rapidly as she made her first step into the light.

What she saw... oh, no other pony could imagine.

She found herself on a catwalk, the sound of cascading water rushing from above rumbling through her ears and joining the ecstatic laughter of children. Children, she exclaimed in her head. She was already skeptical when the Masque mentioned about having children, but she certainly couldn't imagine him to have such a sheer amount here! All of them, laughing, prancing about excitedly in this underground wonderland where pipes were sawed half into water slides and the dull brick walls flourished in the form of beautiful murals. Colts and fillies were all jumping around, diving into a circular, shallow ring of water surrounding the bottom of what seemed to be a steel obelisk like a moat, the structure pointing high into the open sky where the sun still hung high and mighty, with water running down its sides and into the pool way down below. Her amazement could only grow as she stepped into the obelisk through an archway, washing herself in a curtain of water in the process.

The interior was shining bright from the hundreds of crystal lanterns hanging above, shining right down with a different array of colors in unison like a giant chandelier. There were still children too, scrambling throughout the place and digging at the walls. Only when she got a closer look did she realize that embedded within the steel walls were shelves, and that the children were actually picking out books of all kinds, even some she had never laid her eyes on before.

"Wow..." she could only gasp.

"This... this is a library..."

Much better than one; even hers back home at Ponyville. Twilight couldn't close her gaping mouth at everything around her, almost as if it was carved out from the pits of a suburban dream. It was carved out all right, by a certain somepony; the same one that gave her the chance to see the Eden in the sewers.

"Missus?" a meek voice said, the unicorn looking down to see a small colt with bright eyes.

"You're Missus Twilight, right?"

"Uh... I guess."

"The Masque told me to bring you to him. Is it okay if I bring you to him?"

Innocence... all it could do was melt her heart.

"Of course you can," Twilight answered with the warmest smile she could muster.

"Would you like to show me the way?"

A happy nod. With a bounce in his step, the colt marched forward steadfastly, the lavender unicorn walking along meekly behind him. Her gaze was darting around, awed by the happiness and the optimism culminated by the foals all around. Pinkie Pie would've fit perfectly in here with all these children, she told herself.

The colt leading her stopped when they met a pair of wooden doors, having crossed to the other end of the sanctuary. The doors seemed older than the rest of the place, what with its rusted iron hinges and frame and the rotting wood, but nevertheless looked sturdier than those main gates of Canterlot. With a quiet, seemingly fake cough, the colt gently knocked onto the door, before stepping back and saying:

"Wait for a minute. He'll meet you soon."

"Thank you."

Beaming, the colt trotted off happily, probably to celebrate with his fellow friends a job well done, Twilight surmised. Without any further ado, the unicorn just stared at the door, waiting, wishing for the Masque to pop out of somewhere and probably scare the heck out of her. You'll never know, she chuckled, colts like the Masque.

One of the doors suddenly shifted and, with a groan, swung open a little; enough for the mare to step in. Holding her breath, Twilight took her first step into the true abode of the Masque, smiling when he heard that heavily-accented voice, smoother than the polished steel walls she left behind her and still wavering in an aura of mystery, inviting her in as he said oh so munificently:

"Welcome, Twilight Z'parkle..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Pinkie?!!"

"Pinkie Pie!!!"

"Pinkie!! Where are you?!!

Sometimes, Phoenix Mellow felt he couldn't take a break from the caravan, even when it involves bargaining with the shopkeepers for their supplies. His throat was hoarse already from the recent shouting he had to do at one of them involving a basket of potatoes. He regretted not sending Velvet and Brutus to do it in his place. The fact that one of the caravan had disappeared only made it far worse.

"Pinkie?!" he forced out a shout, trying to squint his eyes through the thick mist that this particular region was infamously known for. Every minute that passes and their hopes start to dwindle, his heart beats ever the more anxiously. Sure, the group decided to go get a swig of ale or two from the bar and were so engrossed that they didn't notice the most hyperactive one of theirs disappear. He sighed to himself: he will have a long talk with Velvet about this.

"Any of you see her?!"

"Not from up 'ere!" Ollivander exclaimed from above, diving down.

"Mist is just too thick, like that'un back at the shrine."

"Ollie's right about that," Selena said, landing right next to her partner.

"If the Umbra pegasi are here, they would want to capture Pinkie again to finish the job."

"We'll have to find her. Fast."

With grim nods from both gryphon and pegasus, the couple soon flapped their wings, before soaring back up at the sky. Biting her lip, Phoenix resumed his galloping through the alleyways, his tail bursting up into flames and whipping the mist away with his gilded broadsword clenched between his teeth. Anything could've happened to her right now and if they don't find her in time... if they don't find her in time...

The faint clattering of hooves followed, prompting Phoenix to ready his sword as a figure gallops from the mist. With clenched teeth, his tail suddenly whisked up over his head, lighting up his determined frown. When he finally saw who it was, he drew his sword, yet the spiteful expression stayed: it was Velvet, with the sprite dragon Fleetywit zipping right behind.

"She's not here, Finn," the assassin said, panting.

"I've searched around this district. She could've been moved somewhere more rural."

Phoenix said nothing. The silence Velvet was receiving was especially unsettling; he knows that his old friend would shout at him any second, declaring how horrible of a leader he is by leaving one of their own behind. The weight of guilt had already worked up a storm in his head that could set off a minefield. He never meant to do it. He never meant to lose Pinkie in the mist.

"I'm sorry, Finn," he said with a sigh.

"You'll be if we don't find her," the turquoise pony grudgingly promised.

"Where's the rest? Brutus and the twins?"

"Brute should be around northwest from here. Not sure about Dapple and Ganger."

"If I only knew this would happen..."

With a gruff sigh, Phoenix Mellow continued trotting down the alleys, Velvet following ruefully behind and Fleetywit hitching a ride on his mane. Already the sprite dragon's face had scrunched up, mewling quietly and worriedly for the safety of the pink mare.

"We'll find her soon, Fleety," Phoenix assured.

"Just you wait."

A loud scream broke through the night, capturing the attention of probably the whole caravan, them included. Phoenix, Velvet and Fleetywit's heads perked up, glancing up at the night sky with ears twitching for the sound. Even though it was a short scream, it wasn't from Pinkie; the voice was masculine.

Two more similar screams soon followed, these ones being more frantic and horrified. Instinctively, the two ponies began to gallop towards the direction of the voices, their nerves tingling with dread at what might be happening. The shouts were nearly illegible, though they could make out a few words like 'help me' and 'mercy'. With every twist and turn through the alleyways, the shouts grew louder and more horrific, what with gargles and croaks added into the abominable mix. Something was happening to them... something beyond their sane imagination.

"HELP ME!!"

It was clear now, those horrific screams, almost as if it was happening just around the corner of the white walls. In the midst of galloping, both ponies had unsheathed their respective weapons, eyes fixed ahead as they slowed down into a trot. The cries were dying down, making way for what seemed to be ripping and slicing of flash by a blade. Splattering noises could be heard, as well as a savage roar, primitive and wrathful.

Phoenix stepped forward first, though once his hoof landed in a splash, he immediately paled at the sight before him. He was standing in a gigantic, deep hued puddle of blood, flowing from an array of bodies ripped and torn apart. Lungs were clawed into pieces, intestines were strewn all over like streamers and flesh had been shredded. Red had splattered onto the pure white walls, tainting the dead end in a parade of blood reeking foully in the night air. What horrified him most of all, however, was the lone figure standing in the middle of the grotesque scene, panting dryly and hungrily, hooves clutching a blade dipped in red and her mane and tail flat, covering her red-stained face in a veil of shadow.

"P-Pinkie...?"

Both Phoenix and Velvet stepped back, Fleetywit hiding in the latter's mane out of fear as the pink mare glared up at them, blue pupils narrowed to the size of pinpricks. Her teeth were crushing against each other, her breath speeding up as blood dripped from her mane and crawled down her neck.

Suddenly, she lunged towards them, sword raised and mouth letting out an ear-piercing screech. Both stallions jumped back just in time, unable to contain their terror at the ghastly sight of the mare, who landed right in front of them, hooves wobbling and blade clattering onto the ground, before she collapsed.

Velvet caught her just in time, hooves immediately seeping red with blood. Phoenix just stared at the ghastly sight before him, too shocked for his shivering mouth to muster a word and his hoof to grip on his sword, letting it clatter onto the floor. Rotten flesh filled the air as he counted in his head around twelve bodies, though they were stripped apart of form, too contorted and disfigured for him to be sure.

"Please... please stop..." Pinkie whimpered in her sleep, catching the attention of both stallions.

"Let me go... no... let me go..."

"What happened?" Dapple's voice broke into the silence.

The rest of the caravan ran in from both sides, though what they saw immediately stopped them. Immediately, Selena clutched at her stomach, covering her mouth just as Ollivander placed a wing around her, too horrified to shift his gaze away. Dapple and Ganger stepped forward with their mouths open, surveying the bodies around them. Even the stone-faced Brutus could not hide his shock and abhorrence, nearly dropping his axe as a result.

Their gaze soon turned to the pink mare lying in Velvet's hooves, shivering and jerking slightly, the blood of her victims running down from head to hoof. Neither of them didn't want to believe it at first, yet the evidence... it was all being shoved into their faces, imploring them to admit it.

"She couldn't have..." Ganger muttered.

"C-Could she...?"

Silence. All eyes turned to their leader, who was now frowning grimly and biting his lip, his eyes shimmering with what seemed to be tears. Nothing had shaken him so much to the point of shedding a tear, yet this... this slaughter orchestrated by a single pony... the same one that had followed them in their journeys... the same one he had found lost and confused in the forest that day...

"We're leaving Valewood now," he managed to speak.

"All of us. Including Pinkie."

"Are you insane? She just killed twelve ponies by herself, Finn! Twelve! Could you imagine what she might do to us if she came along?"

"So you want to leave her behind again?! Is that it?!"

Both Phoenix and Velvet glared at each other, though the latter's soon wore off quickly, instead turning away and gulping, still shaken by what he had seen. With a grumble, Phoenix glanced at the rest of the caravan, their heads all down or turned sideways, too guilt-ridden to face their leader.

"Pinkie's part of the caravan, no matter how many ponies she would kill," he affirmed sternly.

"No pony gets left behind. And if she ever murders any of you, for Celestia's sake, whether you like it or not, I think all of you deserve it."

"It was an accident, Finn!!"

"So what, Ollie?!" he yelled, glaring at the gryphon.

"It was yours and V's responsibility to look out for her!! Your bucking, Celestia be-damned responsibility!! The fact that you bucking failed to do it right had already made you lose your privilege of even talking to me!"

"Please, Phoenix!" Selena stated in Ollivander's defense.

"We're your friends, for Celestia's sake--!"

"PINKIE WAS BEING TARGETED!! PINKIE WAS BEING TARGETED AND YOU ALL LEFT HER!! YOU ALL LEFT HER TO BE USED AND KILLED!! YOU ALL KNOW THAT AND YOU LEFT HER!! WHAT KIND OF A FRIEND WOULD DO THAT?!! TELL ME!!"

Everything dropped into an unnerving silence yet again, with Phoenix's erratic panting filling the air as he stomped ahead of them without a glance back. Sighing quietly, Velvet started to get up on his hooves, lifting Pinkie onto his back with his magic as he inhaled deeply, his eyes closed at the choice he was about to make.

"Fine," he finally said with a quiver, staring into the eyes of the remaining members before him.

"You heard him, guys. We're leaving."

"W-With Pinkie?"

Velvet sighed at Ganger's question. No matter how much he hated it, he couldn't do much. After all, Phoenix was still leader of the caravan and what he said... what he said was true. It was their responsibility to take care of each other. Adding the fact that he held those tenets they were bound to in high regard...

"Yes," he answered softly and reluctantly with a nod.

"With Pinkie."

Author's Note

Sorry if it took a way longer time than it's supposed to be!
Would try to get back on track soon!! :twilightsmile:

Faces Down Under

"Well, vat do you think?"

"Wh-What do I think?" Twilight stammered.

"Well, uh... I don't know where to begin, but um... you... I... the children..."

"I do admit, it can be a hassle to manage," came the refined voice of the Masque, the mysterious pony whisking across the room, the cape he donned flying in the wind as he reached for what seemed to be an elaborate, steel-adorned green glass pitcher, pouring into two wine glasses its vinaceous contents as his guest glanced around the room in awe. His mask today was a pure white one, which stood out from the rest of his gold-hemmed black and mauve outfit draping over his vermilion wings.

The Masque's room was exceptionally grand, what with the patterned marble-tiled floors, the tapestries on the walls, the black carpeted floor and the gilded furniture, but what stood out among the furniture was none other than his bed, its curtains and sheets as red as the roses he leaves behind. There was a certain smell in the air that Twilight guessed was some sort of vanilla-scented cologne, which somewhat invigorated her spirit, having spent almost an hour to actually come to his secluded sanctuary. It was worth the walking after all, she told herself with a chuckle.

"Y-You live here?" she asked, even though she knew the answer.

"You and all this children. Here?"

"For now, I believe," the Masque answered.

"Wine, mademoiselle?"

"For now?"

Twilight gladly accepted the drink, though she was too curious to even bother taking a sip, leaving the glass hovering in the air within an aura of magic. She placed it down onto the table only when she was beckoned towards a luxury chair, finally resting her tired body onto its red cushion.

"You said you'll live here for now," she reiterated.

"What do you mean by that?"

"The both of us know of the darkening days, Twilight," the stallion said with a sigh.

"The shadow has hastened its journey. Sooner or later, it will come to Canterlot. It will be merciless, the shadow. It will tear the roots of Canterlot apart to find anypony that can do its deed. Until I can find another refuge for the children beyond the borders of Equestria, we can all but pray. If the shadow ever descends upon the children... I know none of us will be spared from it."

"Is that why you didn't want me here?"

"One of the reasons, yes," he confessed, though not before sipping from his glass.

"If you were ever captured by the shadow, in which I wish it does not come to be... I do not know of what powers he possesses, but if he finds out about our home through you--"

"I won't let him," Twilight declared confidently.

"No matter what happens to me, he'll never know that this place ever exists."

The unicorn couldn't see it, but somehow she knew the Masque was smiling underneath his mask, seeing how it shifted up a little. With a sigh, muffled from his facial attire, he stepped towards a pair of white-framed wooden doors and gently pushed them open, his mane and tail immediately flailing about in the sudden surge of wind.

"A bit of fresh air, Twilight?" he asked.

"It may do you good."

Twilight could only comply, even though deep in her heart she knew there was something else; something which the Masque is not telling her; something very important. She had a small hunch on what it was, though she could not be so sure. All she could do now was to pretend as the fool.

Every thought of that was kicked to the darkest corners of her brain when she saw the majestic sight that beholds her eyes. They were standing on a metal-plated balcony of some sort of tower, she presumed, which overlooked the brilliance of Canterlot's suburbs. Instead of the elaborate architecture of the upper districts, all she could see were thatched houses and brick apartments, with pillars of smoke billowing from a chimney or two and streaking across the orange dusk sky. The higher society lavished further away, with the palace barely visible in the horizon, reminding her of the length of her journey through the sewers once again.

"Canterlot looks amazing in the sunset..."

"As always, Twilight."

"I never imagined Canterlot to be this big," she admitted, placing two hooves onto the iron railing surrounding the platform.

"I always thought it was as large as what I saw, with all those royal buildings and lakes and statues... it's like this place never existed to me before I met you. All these ponies... all this life... it was almost as if somepony wanted to hide them from the rest of Equestria..."

"There are some things worth finding out about," the Masque said, drinking the last of his wine.

"Such was the suburbs. A magical place, really. So miserable and so desperate, yet however frail it may be, the spirit of hope strangely still lingers within the ponies living here. It was one of the reasons why I stole from the upper class; to keep that spirit going. To give them more hope than they have."

"So you're just like Robin Hoof, huh?"

"That's what all the colts and fillies call me," he said, chuckling earnestly.

"Ah... perhaps we are the same. Robbing the rich and giving it to the poor... a difficult task to accomplish, really. Very difficult. In fact, I think I admire him more than I resemble him. Think about it: he could save the town with every crime he commits, yet all I could do was shelter children. Perhaps it may be much to you, Twilight, but it would be an impossible feat to surpass for me."

"But I still don't understand," she gruffly lamented.

"Why wouldn't the Princesses help out? They can start up some charity or something to make sure that this part of Canterlot can live their lives better or something, right?"

"They are already helping, Twlight Z'parkle," the Masque assured.

"Perhaps, in the past, I would've said the same thing, but back then, times were not as harsh as they were. Back then, we could still thrive to be called Canterlotian, even though many do not know of our existence here. At this dire time, the Princesses couldn't find the time to help us because they are defending us from the shadow. In a way, you could say they were still, after all, helping us. You too played a part in the defense, didn't you? Might I say you were helping us already before you've even met me."

"I know, but..."

"Perhaps another time, Twilight," he said, staring off into the distance.

"Perhaps, in a time of peace where we could thrive once again, then we will ask for help from the higher power. As of now, I do not wish to burden Her Majesties when their full attention is needed at the front of the battlefield. They're worn out, I'm sure you realized. It's best not to wear them any further."

Twilight could only agree, staring back down at the bustling scene. Celestia's sun was being lowered in the distance, the glow of the remaining sunlight making its slow descent into the darkness. With a sigh, the Masque strode back into the bedroom, pouring for himself another glass.

"The night is swift," he said before taking a sip.

"You should go back now, Twilight Z'parkle. Your friends will vorry."

"Actually, I'm not going back."

Payback time, her inner self said triumphantly. Immediately, the Masque nearly choked on his wine, coughing lightly as he whirled around, no doubt surprised by her words. She could already imagine his pale purple eyes light up in disbelief at her reply, to which she could only respond with a smug grin.

"Y-You're not?"

"I told the rest I'll be gone for a few days."

"Even the Princesses?"

Twilight gave a single, concise nod.

"Even the Princesses. No one questioned me, no one stopped me, nothing. The most I got is my brother telling me to be careful of what's going on around town. That was all."

"But you'll have no place to stay!"

"Then I'll stay with you."

A tense silence soon filled the room, the Masque pondering over her suggestion. Twilight just held her breath, waiting for anything along the lines of a 'yes', though she knew the chances of happening would be at least twenty percent, ten if he felt threatened by her presence; she calculated it on the way here.

"I can probably sleep in a separate room, if you mind your privacy," she added.

"At least let me sleep in your library?"

"You really planned this out thoroughly, didn't you?" the other pony questioned, to which she could only give a sheepish nod, leaving him to sigh.

"Fine. You can sleep in my room. On the bed, if you wish."

"Oh, I wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor--"

"I can't let you do that," he cut in before she could continue.

"Twilight, to have an amazing mare like you in my household... I would be a bad host if I allowed you to rest on the rug of my chambers. You must sleep on the bed."

"W-With you?"

"If you wish."

Immediately, the unicorn could feel her cheeks seethe a fiery red. She turned away suddenly, too embarrassed to think of anything to say as the Masque just stared at her, unsure of how to respond as well. To sleep with the Masque... the thought of it was beyond the boundaries of her imagination! Sure, she wouldn't mind being guarded by him, but sleeping with him! No, this was on a whole new level!

"Don't you think th-there's a better idea?" she stammered.

"I mean, we're not a c-couple or anything, r-right?"

"But you said you... how to put it... had feelings for me?"

"I know I said that! But I... but we... we're not exactly--"

"Do you love me?"

"Wh-What?"

"Twilight Z'parkle," he called her name once more as he swooped up to the unicorn, his towering figure looming over her. Twilight just stared up with a gulp of fear, yet her heartbeat came to a crescendo, her gut knotted tight. Her breath was hanging like a wrecking ball, ready to swing into the silence between them.

"I'll ask you once more and for the last time: do you love me?"

"I... I-I... I--"

"Reserve those thoughts for later, Miss Z'parkle," he suddenly said with a chuckle of mischief.

"For now, there's somepony I vant to introduce to you."

Twilight could only watch as the Masque headed back in and through the doorway, still dumbstruck over what just happened to her. Meekly, she followed him as he turned to the right, away from the catwalk and down a spiraling set of stairs. Clang after clang of metal resounded through the structure, signaling the arrival to the children below, who immediately crowded around their idol once his hoof touched the floor.

It was a sweet sight to behold, she told herself, looking on with a warm heart as the colts and fillies all called to him. The Masque himself knelt down to them, hauling one of them up in the air, his rich voice convulsing with deep, joyous laughter. He was a father when they had none; a savior when they needed one.

All around the stone floor were sleeping bags, with only torches on the walls lighting up the large room. Columns shot down from the ceiling, forming gaping archways all around like those found in a castle dungeon. Many of the foals were here, either rolling around in their blankets or huddled about in their secret conversations. What surprised Twilight was the fact that there were other adult ponies around as well. From what she could hear, they were teaching the children, telling them stories of the outside world and making them laugh with their funny jokes! Some of them even came up and shook the Masque's hoof, welcoming him back into their subterranean home.

"They volunteered to help," the Masque explained.

"Like all of us, they do not have a home. That is why they were here. In return, they guide the children with their knowledge of the outside world, teaching them basic things you'd learn in school and other subjects beyond the common realm of ponykind."

"Wow..."

"Indeed. It is in the most desperate of times that ponies truly come together, n'est-ce pas?"

"So this is what you want to show me?" Twilight asked, smiling.

"The fact that you are actually teaching the children?"

The Masque shook his head, throwing her back into the depths of confusion once again. This wasn't it, she cried out in her head. This was not what he wanted to show? Twilight's eyes fixed at the Masque, slightly ticked off by his mischief. She was about to tell him off when he suddenly stepped to the side, revealing a pony standing behind him.

Nothing in this world could describe what she was feeling at the moment. The amalgam of emotions cleaved her logical thoughts up and discarding them into nonexistence, leaving her without a word to say. The other pony shared the same emotions as well, though she was the first to recover, putting on a smug grin.

"Now isn't this a strange coincidence, Twilight Sparkle?"

"Tr-Trixie?!"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Let me go...

Please... just let me go...

I won't tell anypony, I swear...

No...

NO!!!

"NO!!!"

Pant after pant Pinkie let out, her skin and blanket damp with her own sweat. With one intake of air, her breathing calmed, the air slowly rushing out of her mouth and lungs, soothing all of her senses at once. Her hooves were noticeably shivering, gripping tight onto her bedsheets like a vise.

"Just another nightmare..." she murmured to herself.

"Calm down, Pinkie... just calm down..."

Phoenix was already outside the caravan, she surmised, seeing how his bed was tidy from across hers. It was then when she realized where she actually was, glancing around quickly to make sure of it. Her head pounded as she delved into her memories, faint and distant but still clear; she remembered packing up, then saying goodbye to Saturn as they left his house... then Velvet mentioned something about getting a drink... then it was all a blur.

"... just empty out the canisters, then we're done," she heard Phoenix's muffled through the door, its gilded knob starting to turn.

"Remember to keep the toads in, and make sure... Pinkie."

"H-Hey..."

"Y-You're awake, um..." he stuttered, reaching for his satchel.

"Slept well last night? I know it's pretty sudden to find yourself back in the caravan."

"I feel fine," was her warm reply.

"In fact, I feel fantastically super today!"

It was a half-truth she told. Yes, she felt super, but from the nightmare she had this morning, Pinkie didn't feel all that fantastic about it. Of course, at this time of the day, Phoenix wouldn't be minding it very much even if he could see through her white lie, which was a common thing. There is something about him today, however. Something unnerving.

"Where's the rest?" she asked.

"Outside, doing their daily jobs," was his answer.

"We're ten miles away from Valewood by now, just to let you know. I was just about to go hunting for anything we could make use of. If I remember clearly, there should be some red marbled butterflies here..."

"So?"

"When there's red marbled butterflies, there's lichen," he explained.

"And when there's lichen, there's lunch."

Soon enough, they stepped out of the caravan and into a small, empty clearing, where Pinkie found herself surrounded by colossal trees, some bare from the cold frost lingering in the air. With a shiver, she trudged after Phoenix, whose tail had lit up, burning brightly with an aura of warmth appreciated by the two of them. There were a few conveniently-felled logs in front of the caravan, which the mare figured was the doing of the rest, though they were nowhere to be found.

"The others should be gathering supplies already," Phoenix said upon noticing her puzzled look.

"Except for Ollie and Selena. I believe Velvet told them to scout ahead."

"So what are the toads for?"

"Ah, right... the toads..."

Hastily, Phoenix flipped his satchel open, taking out what appears to be a bundle of needles, sharp at one end with the thickness of the spine of a feather. He then took out some sort of gauntlet, with a nozzle fixed at an end and attached on top of it, a target scope. Putting it on his hoof, he strapped it tight with the leather buckles it came with, before reaching back, taking out a glass bottle filled with some green luminous liquid.

"I asked Dapple for some more Sweetsnap toad venom for the darts," he explained.

"Put both of these together, you get a sleep dart. Gotta use them for sedating anything that might get in our way. This place isn't exactly the safest place to be in, especially when the season just started."

"What season?"

"Whitewind bear feast," Phoenix answered, dipping some of his needles into the toxin.

"Believe me, you don't want to mess with a Whitewind. The fact that they have a white coat makes them almost invisible in a tundra landscape, like the one we're in now. Luckily for us, they're the rarer and second deadliest species we have to fear encountering against, which I guess wouldn't be a problem."

"Okay..." Pinkie muttered with a quiver, throat squeezing out a gulp.

"What's the first deadliest one?"

"They had many names. The Tarandro, the Tonakai, the Hirana, to name just a few. Even the pilgrims of the Princess Terra have met them; Parish called them the Réinfhianna."

A loud clack sounded through the forest as Phoenix inserted a needle into his gauntlet, a small droplet of the venom still hanging onto the tip stubbornly. The stallion wore that smug grin of his again; Pinkie could swear he was praising himself underneath his breath. Nevertheless, he was still the Phoenix she looked up to.

"Hopefully, we won't meet any of them, whatever they are," he continued.

"Now to look for lichen..."

Pinkie was no stranger to the unusual delicacies she had to savor during her travels with the caravan; the last queer meal they ate was some sort of a blue gourd, which had a pungent smell that was similar to detergent, but was a delight worth having. She still remembered its unique taste: a cross of a raisin and an unripened mango. It was exciting, to be able to gather all the exotic tastes in the world, though she would rather do with a dull hay sandwich now and then.

Together, they trudged into the dense woods, the crunch of brown leaves and occasional patches of snow being the only sound they make. Pinkie's teeth clenched at her sword, warily gazing around the woods for anything that could jump out from the shadows. Of course, with Phoenix around, she wouldn't be too sure they would do that.

"Here we go!" he exclaimed suddenly, pointing at one of the trees in their path.

"See that brown husky funnel thing there? That one that looks like a coconut! Right up there, next to that small branch! That's a nest of the red-marbled butterflies."

"Wait, a nest?" Pinkie asked, intrigued.

"But they're butterflies, right? They just flappity-flap with their wings, right? Why do they need a nest? I thought only spiders and ants and other creepy-crawlies build nests?"

"The red-marbled's among the exception. They're like bees without stingers."

Carefully, Phoenix retrieved a dagger from his satchel, chiseling off the bark of the tree.

"They only eat a few kinds of lichen," he continued.

"These butterflies don't move around and follow migration systems like the rest. They just ate what they find, pollinate this place and move along once everything is cleaned out. It's rare to see a nest like this and if we're lucky, these butterflies built their nest on a treasure trove... there we go."

Right beneath it, on a smoother, lighter shade of the bark, was some sort of sprawling, pale-green mossy plant, stripped free from its wooden covers and ripe for the taking. Phoenix was pretty delicate with it, slicing it evenly off the bark without any leftovers behind and sliding it all in a basket he prepared just for this occasion. All Pinkie could do was act as his guard, gazing around and, at times, looking back just to see the lichen dripping down like slime, splattering and sloshing once it hit the rattan bottom; she was seriously going to eat that? Her stomach cringed at the thought of it.

"You never know it 'til you try it, Pinkie," the stallion said with a smirk, having noticed her look.

"Ponies would pay a hundred bits for only a quarter of what I've gathered. It's a delicacy for the rich, y'know? You're lucky we are all eating it for free, fresh from the bark even!"

"Phoenix!"

Pinkie turned around, sighing with relief when she saw Velvet marching out from the woods, his twin blades sliding back into their sheaths. He stifled a small grin, nodding at the mare with acknowledgement to her presence, unlike the many times he would just walk past her without even greeting her. There was something off about him today as well; it was as if he was a little afraid of her, but she wasn't at all threatening to any of them, right? Right?

"Come look at this, Velvet," the leader spoke, gesturing his friend towards the tree.

"There's enough lichen for almost three days here."

"Considering that Ganger won't make a buffet out of it," the gray stallion quipped.

"I swear, that bugger could empty out our resources by now if he had the key to the food storage. Wouldn't that be terribly convenient?"

"He can manage. Eventually," Phoenix said, gathering the last of the lichen.

"Anyway, you spot any Whitewinds around?"

"None so far. Same for Brutus and the twins."

"Right then!"

Phoenix then picked up the basket of their soon-to-be lunch, the trio of ponies heading back to the caravan. It wasn't long before Pinkie's trotting became a hop, bouncing on and on through the forest with her two friends trudging right behind, scanning the forest floor for anymore delights they could scavenge. Aside from the lichen, they've found some ripe berries, mushrooms and a few pine cones, which only made their lunch ever the more promising.

"You haven't told her yet."

The two colts stopped in their tracks, leaving the oblivious Pinkie to hop off into the distance. Phoenix pursed his lips, glancing about while he mentally searched for the best excuse he could think of, to no avail. The fact that Velvet was staring grimly at him wasn't helping either.

"I don't think she would want to know that," he finally said, ears drooping.

"Plus, it seems as though she completely forgotten about it already."

"Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn't," Velvet hissed.

"But still, she has the right to know."

"You don't want to know that you killed twelve ponies all by yourself."

"Yet you know she has to."

Velvet glanced over his shoulder for a moment, before continuing:

"When you said you want to bring her along after that... that massacre, I thought you were going to spill the beans. Pinkie may not remember it, but I don't intend to let it stay that way. The authorities in Valewood would find out that she done it sooner or later, Finn, and if it would ever happen which I pray it won't and she gets taken away, not knowing what she'd done wrong..."

"She did it out of self-defense."

Phoenix sighed, clenching his eyes shut. He still remembered last night clearly, from each toss and turn she makes to the cries she let out, complete with the tears and the cold sweat... his heart twinged with the need to just blurt everything out when she was around. Still, he held himself back.

"Pinkie would know one day, V," he asserted.

"When the time is right, she would know."

"And if that time never came?"

Always the pessimist, Phoenix thought to himself with a scowl. He trust Velvet and his judgement, yet sometimes the things he said always made the situation seem inevitably hopeless. The assassin couldn't be blamed for anything, knowing the hard things he had went through, yet sometimes one must hope to reach their dreams.

"Well then," he replied.

"Let's just say it will."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

For once, Caduceus Brineheart was frustrated.

It wasn't that frustration was something new to him, nor that it was a rare occurrence. Rather, it was more on the thing frustrating him that made it different. He had been tolerating it for quite some time now, though the days of endless walking had worn all of that away, the shell that concealed his emotions cracking into pieces. Oh, he was frustrated indeed.

For once, Caduceus Brineheart was frustrated at Pendant Lakes.

Being part of the Crux Four, he was the most systematic, which entrusts him with remembering the entire layout of the city with the exception of the grounds of Palgiot Palace (that job was handled by Stellar instead) and some of its alleyways. It wouldn't be a problem for him to navigate the confusing mazeway of roads and lanes of Pendant Lakes back in the day, though at its current dilapidated state, he couldn't even tell one street from another anymore.

They were close to the palace, he could tell; some of the buildings around were a dead giveaway. Their journey had been long, their food supply was almost exhausted and their hooves were worn out. The drear of the subterranean wasteland was overwhelming all of them to the point that he was beginning to miss sunlight. To soak in the fond embrace of sunshine once again...

"We're almost there."

Harmony Peridot signaled them to wait, sticking her twin blades into the ground and gripping tight onto their chains as she traversed forward, leaving Stellar, Caduceus and Jovern to watch. She stopped suddenly, peering over and grinning tenaciously when she saw the endless, infinite gorge of black below. Almost fifty feet over her is another rocky ledge, leering dangerously down at her with its magnificent shadow covering a part of the ruined town below.

"One heck of a drop here!" she shouted back to the rest.

"Would be just a crack for Jovern, I believe. As for you two old coots, you wouldn't mind working out those hooves of yours, right? It's quite a big jump to make."

"You go ahead!" Stellar shouted.

"We'll just hitch the ride."

"And suddenly, I'm responsible for transport."

"Can't really help you on that," Caduceus replied with a light chuckle, patting Jovern's scales gently as he lifted himself up onto the grumbling dragon's back.

"Go on without us, Harmony. See if there's anything up there."

Giving a nod, Harmony whipped her blades up, spinning it around like a lasso as she narrowed her eyes at the ledge above her. She flashed a grin once she tossed it, the never-ending chains reaching out with the sickle-shaped blades at the other end pouncing above in a magnificent display, gleaming in what little light that remains in this city. The tips soon gouge a hole into the ground, scraping closer and closer towards the edge and scattering pebbles and dust away until it came to a languid halt.

A tug to assure her safety and a grin later, she flipped the switch on the hilt of the blades she was clutching, the chains now pulling her hastily up to the ledge. With a graceful backflip, Harmony landed on all four hooves, pride welling up in her at her acrobatic feat before glancing up at the looming building overhead, holding her breath as she took her first step forward. She knew very well that there could be anything lurking inside the hallways, but she knew it wouldn't be any different. Like in the past, there were dark secrets always hidden behind those walls.

For what secrets are spared from the walls of Palgiot Palace?

The wooden doors, surprisingly still intact, creaked open, the mare stepping in like she did so all those years ago. Hooves gliding across the rotting carpet, Harmony gazed up at the split marble staircase, one side obstructed with debris with a tapestry draping over like a tablecloth. Slowly, she trotted up the other path, parting the doors that waited for her and inviting her into one of the many hallways around the palace.

It was like a trip down memory lane. She still remembered her first visit clearly: how she marveled at the decor, twirling all about with a sparkle in her eyes that had since been long gone. Stellar was right ahead of her back then, occasionally glancing back with his esteemed smile. Striding alongside her with finesse unseen in most stallions was the first face that welcomed her to town; the first face that gave her something to believe in. Ever since then, she thought he was the one.

She was wrong.

All fate did was made the revelation crueler.

The sickening stench of blood still lingered, constantly reminding her of her dark descent, guided by those twisted words of another. It warned her to stay back as well as told her of the brutal slaughter she caused beforehand. The determination burning within kept her from running back out or screaming at herself, though Harmony could feel her spirit cracking with every step deeper into the confines of the once-royal castle, each shard of it robbed away by the darkness. Sometimes, she felt something watching her from the darkness, waiting for the right moment to pounce onto her, though each turn proved her fears wrong. Perhaps it was the atmosphere playing with her head; she had been in Pendant Lakes long enough to know of the miasma over town and how parasitic it could be to pony emotions.

"Well, well..."

Harmony jerked her head forward, readying her blade at the figure standing in the shadows. Before she could strike, she yelped out in pain suddenly, clutching at her stinging chest where her heart once was. Whining quietly, her grip on her twin blades loosened, clattering onto the ground before she too collapsed along with it. She strained her neck, sweat dripping from her forehead as she steeled a glare at the figure looming over her, echoing whispers clouding her mind.

"You've came back," she heard him speak.

"Well? Have you decided to join us?"

"N-NevRARRGHHHH!!"

The searing pain in her chest made Harmony arch her back, pupils turning into slits and mouth hanging wide open. Every breath she took rushed out of her throat, which tightened up, the echoing scream she let out turning into a croak of pain as she fell back onto the floor. A bemused chuckle came from the other pony, who knelt down and gently ran his hoof down the curves of her cheek to her chin, partially damp from the tears she were shedding. The grin he bore was a nightmarish sight; his lips were straight, his brows were creased and his eyes... those eyes she knew, tainted a darker color by the corruption seeping through his veins... the burning sensation of her empty chest only became stronger at that.

"Shame. And here I thought you would change your mind."

The pink mare just panted on the ground, the hellish burn in her chest fading only slightly. Her mouth twisted into a snarl, her hooves trembling in the struggle to stand up. Her blades were far from reach, though that wouldn't be a problem; she could still tackle the hell out of him if she has to. Perhaps she might even twist his neck in the process! Of course, there was one thing she was curious about.

"Wh-What do you w-want from me?"

"Hmm?"

"Y-You could've killed me!" she proclaimed spitefully.

"You could've wrung my neck. You could've cut my head off. You could've-- gah! J-Just throw me off into that chasm outside, yet here I am, walking around in this... this dead... body of mine. Why won't you-- nguh!! just l-leave me to die in p-peace like every other pony? Why do I have to live?!"

"Because you don't want to die."

"I--"

Harmony's voice wrench up into a squeak, her thoughts churning altogether in a brew of confusion. She pushed herself back, shaking her head in denial with her mind screaming right at her. She could feel her heart beating faster and faster, the sound of it thumping in her head slowly growing louder and louder; she knew it was close by, yet there was too much happening in her head for her to bolt out from there and look for it. The other pony just grinned, stepping forward and driving the helpless mare towards the wall with a sneer.

"I... I don't..." she mumbled suddenly.

"I d-don't want to die..."

"You don't."

"I don't want to die... please... please..."

"I'll make sure you won't."

Her ears twitched at the stallion's words, her chin lifted up the other pony with her watering eyes staring up, wide open with disbelief. Harmony's breath tensed when he stooped down towards her, his pants gently blowing at her face as his snout grew closer towards hers. Their lips were quick to meet, freeing the sensational burst of emotions from its cage; one that Harmony had missed for so long. Sparks flew in her mind, whizzing around like bursting in the form of hormonal fireworks. Something told her it was wrong, yet she didn't care. She never cared.

The kiss broke suddenly, leaving her panting and wanting more. All the other pony did was smile, brushing her mane aside tenderly. Her instincts told her to run, yet he... he knew every weak spot, every part that would make sure she would squeal and burn with the ache for more. He knows how to make her happy, to sate her hunger and satisfy her needs, to forget about everything else.....

Wouldn't that be the best thing she would ever have?

"With me, you will live."

"Pr-Promise?"

"I promise... but only if you do something for me..."

"Anything!" Harmony shouted desperately, practically begging.

"I'll do anything! I'll do anything you'll say, for Celestia's sake!!"

The stallion smiled that unforgettable smile. Slowly, he helped Harmony up, the mare practically letting loose the tears lingering in her eyes. Bringing her head into his chest, he hushed her ever so quietly, hugging her tight as she began the first of many sobs. Harmony's thoughts of leaving soon dwindled, diminishing bit by bit while she swayed in his embrace, dancing with a blank mind when he started humming a familiar song. Nothing could've prepared her for this, yet she didn't mind; she was with him, after all.

"I love you..." she whispered, to which the stallion grinned to himself, stroking her mane silently as if she was his pet cat. He figured it was too silent, but held his excitement back; he didn't want to spoil the surprise. There was, of course, one small thing worth celebrating about in his head.

He did it.

He finally did it.

"I love you too."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"But... bu-bu-but!!"

"Save your voice, Twilight Sparkle."

"But you!! You, of all ponies!! You!!!"

"Didn't I tell you to-- never mind."

Trixie kicked her hooves back, her smirk growing by the minute at the speechless Twilight Sparkle standing before her, still unable to comprehend the presence of the other mare. The Masque glanced between both unicorns, profoundly amused; he had heard of Twilight's competency of overreacting, but the outburst he had just seen was beyond what the common folk had said. Trixie wasn't a stranger of that on her end, of course.

"I'm pretty surprised that you found your way here," she retorted.

"Well? How was the journey?"

Twilight's mind was too rampant to muster a reply. Immediately, she turned towards the Masque, her hoof clenched and pointing at the other mare with a visibly-irritated scrunch of her face, cheeks seething a fiery red as she cried out:

"Wh-What is she doing here?"

"I found her az a lost wanderer, so I thought she might apprez'iate it if I gave her a home."

"It's the honest truth, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie added enticingly.

"Think about it: why would I, the Great and Powerful Trixie just waltz into the sewer tunnels of Canterlot for reasons beyond my own comprehension? It wouldn't be like me to do so, wouldn't it, Twilight Sparkle?"

"So what? You're teaching children now?" was the scornful reply.

"Your tricks won't work on me, Trixie. They never do!"

"Calm z'own, Twilight," the Masque intervened, stepping into her view.

"What Trixie says is ze truth. As I've said, I found her looking for a plaze to stay, so I s'ought she might not mind coming to live here. At least, for a short while."

"B-But... b-b-but she wouldn't just go looking for a place to stay!"

"Times have changed, Twilight Sparkle."

A sigh escaped Trixie's mouth, the disgruntled mare settling down onto one of the many beds.

"These days, you can't travel a mile without getting yourself in trouble. All of us here, especially you, know that something's coming to get us. All of us. That's why I thought of coming here, to Canterlot, before I stumbled upon this guy. I learned of what was happening and about how a war may be coming from all the talk around the streets. It might sound a little selfish to say this, but I have no intention of joining in the conflict. Not after what happened in Manehatten."

Fear. That was what Twilight saw in her former rival's eyes: sheer, undiluted fear. No one could blame her, for even the bravest of warriors and their leaders dread the enemy's treacherous moves. The recent fall of Camelroon had sent shockwaves throughout the alliance the Princesses had gathered back in the palace. For Janus to overthrow the formidable camel empire underneath all of their noses...

"He'll come for us all in the end," Twilight stated.

"We need every able pony to help us out."

"Really, Twilight, have you forgotten?" Trixie snapped.

"Not everyone's the unicorn you are. The things you do isn't unlike anything else every other unicorn could simply master. You call me, the mare you can't even perform a simple teleportation spell, an able pony? What do you want me to do, give a motivational speech and dazzle them with my cheap tricks like I'm some Wonderbolt or something? No can do."

"Trixie, I didn't mean it that way. You could help out in many ways other than just magic."

"I'm afraid I have to decline."

Before Twilight could reply, a filly suddenly scampered up to the Masque, who knelt down and listened with rapt attention as she muttered something incomprehensible into his ear. The mares watched, dumbfounded once he quickly strode away from them, stopping midway only to turn back to Twilight.

"There are some... urgent errands I have to tend to," he explained hastily.

"I vill be back soon, mademoiselle. I believe it's best to use the time to decide whether to spend the night in my room or not, oui?"

Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as Twilight screamed internally at the Masque's beautiful timing with his words, her eyes and mouth clenched shut from the humiliation with teeth sinking into her lips. An audible snicker from Trixie only made the feeling all the more worse, though the other mare just burst out in a cackling fit of laughter when Twilight imposed a glare upon her.

"St-Stop it!" she cried, her temper seething.

"It's only for a few days, Trixie! It's n-not like there's... anything between us or... whatever..."

"Mm-hmm. That's the most convincing thing I've ever heard."

"I'm s-serious!" Twilight exclaimed a little too loudly.

"I just... thought it would be... n-n-nice to... to spend some time with him..."

"Any idiot would know you have a thing for the Masque," Trixie remarked, grinning from ear to ear.

"You're practically swooning over him like he's a superhero or something. Plus, I've been around him long enough to know if he's trying his hardest to hit on somepony else and as of now, you are his current target."

"Wh-What?"

"He never, never, and I do mean never, uses 'mademoiselle' like any other word, Twilight."

"No, not that."

Twilight wasn't a stranger when it comes to knowing the Masque's affections for her; she had heard his confession about his feelings that night. She was certainly as indecisive as he was when it comes to pursuing a relationship, partially because of their respective positions as Princess Celestia's faithful student and Canterlot's Most Wanted, the other part being their nerves. Of course, from what she heard, she wasn't the first.

"You said you knew how he hits on other mares," she reaffirmed.

"The way you said it... it's almost as if you and the Masque were... w-were..."

A sigh. "It's a long story, Twilight."

On any other day, if she had seen Trixie beckoning her to sit right at her side, Twilight would've eagerly refused, but she was practically staring at the face of some irresistible piece of information about the Masque! The thought of the former magician and the masked caper being together... however strange it sounded, it somehow made a little sense.

"I admit, we were an item once," Trixie said glumly.

"It started nine months ago, when that crooning no-good sweet talker personally asked me out for a rooftop date. I really thought he was somepony I would spend my life with back then. Boy, how wrong I was. We then broke up three months later."

"What happened?"

"He and I didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things," she answered heftily.

"In the end, we remained close, but not like before. Sometimes, I just wonder what he's thinking in that cunning little head of his, trying to understand what he could become by saving all these children. What was he trying to prove to the world? If you asked me nine months ago, I would've said he'd lost his mind. Now... now I just don't know..."

"But he did a lot of things, didn't he?" Twilight asked.

"Even if it meant stealing thousands of bits worthy of gems... there's something about him... he's not like the Robin Hoof stories that they tell, where Robin Hoof robbed the rich, gave to the poor and had a dance with his merry band of ponies after every successful heist. No, he's driven by something... something that I can't put my hoof on."

"I can tell you he changes those around him."

Trixie would've lied to anypony if she said he doesn't, and Twilight could halfheartedly agree, at least. Maybe it was his charm or the influence he has over those under his guidance, but however revered he was by the common folk, both mares knew he changes something in them; something that no other pony can ever possibly imagine.

"Look at me, for instance," the azure mare replied with a chuckle.

"Here I am, living underground just to teach kids about the outside world. I could've done more, you know? Probably head to Fillydelphia for a one-night-only performance, just to see how the professionals do it. No, I'm stuck here, telling the strangest stories to the children and occasionally mopping some floors."

"Not so 'Great and Powerful' now, aren't you?"

"I have to agree, however humiliating it might be, it's the truth," Trixie replied.

"Gone was the Great and Powerful Trixie, gone was her magical shenanigans. All that's left is me: Trixie, the mare who once used her name in every sentence unimaginable, but dropped that act for a little storytale session with the colts and fillies. The Masque changed a heck lot out of me, Twilight Sparkle. You might just be getting started."

Twilight shuddered, trying not to think about it.

"How is he like?" she asked instead.

"Y-You know, when he's... with you and stuff?"

"He has virtues and charm. On a first glance, all you have to do is remove that mask and you got yourself the perfect stallion that any mare could possibly hoped for."

The dreamy look on Trixie's face soon faltered, its role taken over by a small frown.

"Once you get to know him better, it's a different story. He's a hard pony to deal with, always refusing an offer for help even if he desperately needed it. Not surprising, considering his lone ranger attitude. Just try to be patient with him and help out if possible, but be careful with him. I still have no idea who he is and what he's really doing all of this for, so stay alert if something's off."

"I will."

"Oh, and Twilight?"

The librarian turned around, waiting for the answer that Trixie fumbled about in her head. A faint dash of red grew on her cheeks, followed by a sheepish grin that rarely ever showed up on her face. Twilight nearly guffawed at the sight; she never knew the mare to be that quirky.

"This might sound a little selfish again, but..." she stopped to breath in.

"No matter what happens, promise you'll take good care of him for me?"

The widest, warmest smile surged onto Twilight's face, her heart soaring in the clouds. She never would've thought about it: Trixie handing her the reins on becoming the Masque's love interest, much less thinking that Trixie would ever know the Masque himself. Nevertheless, to be supported by her former enemy to earn the Masque's affections... Twilight saw a hint of it in the spark of the other mare's eyes, and that spark swelled her pride up to her chest with glee.

She would do her duty well for his affections back again.

Even if the Masque wouldn't return them like he did before.

"I promise."

Author's Note

Sorry if it took too long.
Got a little revamping to do on some parts.

Hope it was worth the wait! :pinkiehappy:

Le Chevaline Se Trouvant

"Dinner's 'bout ready."

"Not exactly, Daps," Ganger butted in, much to his sister's annoyance.

"The lichen isn't exactly cooked yet. You guys wouldn't wanna eat uncooked lichen. Gives you the worst diarrhea you would ever have, especially if you consider the chances of butterfly droppings on these stuff."

"Brilliant 'un, Ganger. That's gonna liven up our appetite."

The Caravan howled in laughter at Ollivander's sarcasm, all of them seated on logs circled around a cozy campfire in the tundra. It was one of those nights where they were finally smiling at one another, which was especially great news for Pinkie Pie. She herself just glanced giddily at the rest, her own tail wrapped around her form with the cup of hot chocolate in her hooves aiding her in her desire for warmth with glee written all over her face.

It was a long night, mostly because none except Ganger Deuce had anticipated the extreme length of time needed for cooking a bunch of lichen. Still, it was a peaceful one, with the whole forest submerged in a pool of serene yet eerie silence. It was almost as if every barren birch tree around was staring down at them, eavesdropping onto a conversation or two with branches threatening to snag their manes. Of course, it was nothing new to them.

"So, got any bardy tales for us, Phoenix?"

"Not tonight," was his answer, to which everyone let out disappointed 'awww's that filled the air.

"Well, you guys must've had some tales to share, right? Saves me from doing all the talking."

"What about you yourself, Ollie?" Dapple nudged.

"You must have some sort of story worthy for a shot of whiskey, right?"

"Ain't have any. You yerself, however..."

"Sorry, chaps," Ganger said in one of those rare moments of support for his sister.

"The Deuces' Fables kinda ran out for a while now. Drier than Saddle Arabia at this point."

"No oasis?"

"No oasis. And stop trying to be funny, V."

"Just trying to liven up the mood," the assassin replied with a smirk.

"Anyone else? I myself don't really have anything special to share."

"Well, Ollie?"

The gryphon looked over his shoulder where Selena's head rested, her red eyes sparkling longingly at him. The rest just looked on awkwardly as she randomly nudged her mate at his wings, though no words came from his mouth, a form of contact established only with his widening eyes.

"Aren't you going to tell them?" she asked with a hint of mischief, hoof twirling into the tuft of feathers of his head, which made the rest snicker once Ollivander's cheeks turned beet red.

"Yeah~!" Ganger called out slyly, still cooking the lichen.

"Aren't you going to tell us?"

"T-Tell you guys what? Selena, what're you implyin'?"

"Oh, I don't know..." Selena's dreamy and sultry mix of a voice trailed off a little.

"Let's see... how about we start with me... how shall I put it... blew you up?"

"No dirty stories in my caravan, guys."

Another condescending burst of laughter erupted throughout the caravan, despite Phoenix wearing that glum look. Even Fleetywit let out a trill of delight on his owner's head, happily joining in the mischief of the crowd. Pinkie was a little surprised; she never pictured their esteemed leader to be the conservative type. She had heard him crack a dirty joke or two herself, but once she gave his refusal a second thought, it seemed to fit the Phoenix Mellow she knew.

"I really have no idea how you guys would live with this," he said, flustered.

"Seriously, how hard is it to keep private things bottled up?"

"If you don't like it so much, I got something for you to do," Ganger suggested.

"We're short on a few holly berries here. Wanna pick some from the forest?"

With a sigh, Phoenix stood up, Fleetywit hitching a ride on his mane as he trotted off from the group, sparing himself from whatever perverse shenanigans they might be going into. He always didn't like those kind of stories where lusty, lascivious acts come into play; all of it sickens him to the very center of his heart like a plague.

"I'm going as well!" Pinkie exclaimed suddenly, hopping from her seat.

"I think Phoenix needs a little bit of company!"

"Go on with 'im," lass," Ollivander chirped.

"We'll be right 'ere! That's a promise!"

Trust Pinkie Pie to be his ever loyal follower, Phoenix lamented to himself. He would never know what Pinkie might be doing now had he never existed. Perhaps she felt as if she owed him for taking her in and guiding her through the wilderness of Celestia-knows-where, though she could just opt for more lenient ways.

The first of the red holly berries was picked from the clutches of a rather barren bush that they managed to find after a fifteen minute walk of silence. There were a few snappy conversations between them, yet nothing important enough to be mattered with. Pinkie did try her best to crack a few jokes now and then, but it was still not enough to drill through the awkward pauses that seamlessly fit in between every time.

"How many did you find?"

"Just two," Phoenix answered, groaning in his fruitless search.

"Can't blame us. Holly berries really ain't the easiest plant to look for."

The mare remained silent, scanning the frosty landscape around her warily. It was peculiarly dark, a night in the tundra, where the icicles chime from the branches of the trees, the wind speaks in sinister, numbing whispers and the crunch of snow beneath one's hooves formed a vanishing trail throughout their makeshift path. The darkness could be concealing anything, its intentions either warped or pristine. It was a fear of every possible casualty instilled within them from nature that kept their awareness at the very peak.

Unbeknownst to Pinkie, however, Phoenix had another fear. It was not shared by the mare; rather, the fear itself revolves around the mare in an endless orbit. Despite the smiles she had been holding up, the shocking murder she had committed back in Valewood was too vivid of a dream to discard. He didn't want to believe she would never recall how she took the lives of those ponies with a single blade. She wouldn't too, no matter how much he would try to convince her.

"I found number three!"

Pinkie practically dived into the bushes for the last berry they needed, head popping out amid the branches with the fruit gripped in between her lips after a few seconds of rifling through the leaves. With a chuckle, Phoenix began trotting back down the trail from whence they came with the pink mare quickly hopping along behind.

"What's the matter, Finny?" she asked after a minute of silence.

"You seem a little grumpy tonight."

"M-Me? Nah," the stallion lied with a laugh.

"Just... thinking about where we might be heading tomorrow."

"Oh... okay... but I really wanna know what it looks like. You know, the Mammoth's Waterhole place you guys keep talking about? It sounds superdy-duper exciting!"

"In due time, Pinkie," Phoenix said.

"In due time. And that's a promise."

"Aw... but I thought we're gonna see it soon."

"We will. Just have to be--"

Phoenix Mellow stopped in his tracks, his hoof extended to do the same to Pinkie, who just looked at him, an eyebrow raised with a tremble down her spine. The stallion's snout twitched, raised up high in a frantic search. That scent was there just a moment ago... a foreign scent... a scent that came with hunger and blood.

"Stay perfectly still, Pinkie," he whispered to the mare.

"Stay... perfectly... still..."

"Why? What is it?"

A growl silenced her immediately as a giant figure emerged from the frozen undergrowth, the mare's jawline slowly falling at its majestic size. Its fur was the whitest of white, to the point of it looking like part of the snow-covered backdrop. It had the largest paws she had ever seen (so far) with black claws reaching out like rapiers digging in the snow. What made her gut twist, however, was the black eyes: they were soulless, relentless like a dark whirlpool with an unquenchable thirst of blood, flesh and bone, and it's looking right at them.

"Don't... move..." Phoenix reminded.

"That's... that's a--"

"Whitewind..." he said quietly, the creature heading closer and closer, its black bud of a nose sniffing about.

"I don't think it's noticed us yet, if I'm not mistaken."

"Alright! Hooray! Gr-Great!" Pinkie huffily said, slightly relieved.

"So how are we going to get out of here?"

"I... I don't know..."

"WHAT?!"

Immediately after Pinkie realized her mistake, the bear abruptly turned to them, a glint sparking in both bloodthirsty eyes before letting out a humongous, earth-shattering roar, baring the multitude ridges of its fangs. Quickly, Phoenix grabbed the pink mare's hoof before galloping away, though the Whitewind bear soon came lumbering after, charging through bush after bush with its saliva flying in the wind.

"What do you mean you don't know how to get out of here?!" Pinkie asked after a minute of galloping.

"Hey, it's not my fault that I didn't meet a Whitewind bear before!!"

"But you could've just... threw a rock over its back or something!!"

"I was about to, but SOMEPONY just had to scream her lungs out!!"

"Who WOULDN'T scream their lungs out?!! I don't want that thing to eat meEEEEEE--!!"

Pinkie felt her mane being yanked to the side, before being tossed the ground. She looked up, a mix of annoyance, surprise and relief washing over her at the sight of Dapple Deuce, standing bipedally on her two hind hooves with a blunderbuss on her left and a scimitar in the other.

"Dapple!!" Pinkie cried out her name.

"We gotta get out of here! You can't fight that thing!"

"R cng krk rg no!"

"What?!"

Dapple suddenly spat something out, hastily wiping her mouth free of her drool. She stared up at the bear, grinning slyly once it roared defiantly at her face. A sinister ticking soon followed, to which Pinkie, after peering over her comrade's shoulder, discovered was, to her utmost horror, from a grenade, with its corresponding pin lying a few feet away from it.

"I said I can't talk right now!!" she shouted, grabbing Pinkie's hoof.

"Now RUN!!!"

A loud *BOOM!!* rocked the entire forest, one which both mares narrowly escaped from, leaving them covered in soot, ash, snow and a few visible bruises as they were thrown into the air, pummeling into the snow below. With a cough, Pinkie and Dapple helped themselves up, the latter crawling to the side to reach for the scimitar that was tossed across the snow from the explosion. The smoke surrounding them started to dissipate, the sounds of galloping coming into clarity from a few familiar figures heading towards them.

"Dapple!" Pinkie heard Ganger's voice, looking up to see the colt helping her sister up, blurred by her haze. Somepony else came to tend to her, reaching out a gray hoof for support, her vision clearing to see Velvet's concerned look staring down at her. The pink mare felt something squirm in her throat, her cheeks flushing a slight red at the sight of him. Of all the members of the caravan to help her up...

"Gotta... gotta-- nrgh!!" Dapple screeched suddenly, gripping tightly on her hoof.

"Don't worry, guys. J-Just a sprain..."

"You don't look okay to me," her brother said, before turning to the others.

"We gotta go before that monster comes back."

"Wh-Where's Phoenix?"

Pinkie's question reverberated through every pair of ears, the absence of their fellow leader leaving them senseless. It was the roar of the now livid Whitewind bear that rekindled their hooves to retreat, this time charging ahead with no destination in mind. They couldn't see it: the bear was seemingly invisible and incredibly swift like a fleeting shadow in the darkness, evading the visions of each of its prey. Only its roar remained to chase them away, warning them of a painful death at the end of its fangs.

Much to all of their shock, Dapple suddenly turned around, that exhilarated grin of hers lighting up her face again at the sight of the Whitewind bear charging straight towards her. Her heartbeat accelerated in a way she had never felt before, adrenaline zooming through her veins like marathon runners in a circuit, and she felt... she felt as if she was on fire.

And she liked it-- no... she loved it!

"Dapple!!" Ganger shouted, Velvet holding him back before he could rush to his sister's side.

"Dapple, come back here!! You're gonna get yourself killed!!!"

"Buck you too, G!!"

"I'M SERIOUS, DAPPLE DEUCE!! COME BACK RIGHT NOW!!"

"I'M NOT GONNA LET THIS CELESTIA-DAMNED CHANCE GO, YOU PRICK!!"

Dapple Deuce raised her blunderbuss, clicking her tongue and reveling in the flurry of excitement washing through her. She was hunting some big game, probably the biggest she might ever find in her entire lifetime, and she could win the battle by pulling the trigger. The rest looked on helplessly as the Whitewind bear lunged towards her at full speed, clenching their eyes shut at the very last minute.

"Here goes..." she whispered silently to herself, letting out a small puff as she readied the gun.

"Your one and only chance."

*BANG*

Right in the shoulder blades! Dapple's grin widened as the bear teetered to the side, growling plaintively with a stream of blood matting the white fur on his paws. Its eyes fixed at the mare responsible for the wound, who just readied her scimitar and her smoking blunderbuss once again, her tongue clicking impatiently and tauntingly.

"Come on, you big brute!" she called out breathlessly.

"You're having a little bit of steel for supper!!"

The Whitewind bear suddenly leaped towards her, fangs bared and claws protracted. Before Dapple could even swing her blade or pull the trigger, she let out a loud shrill of pain as the bear smacked her to the side, feeling herself whirling through the air before slamming into a tree, screaming once her back hit the bark. Wincing gently, she looked down at her chest, biting her lip when she saw three large gashes across her skin, blood already leaking out in copious amounts and forming a small puddle beneath her limp form. She gritted her teeth as a shadow washed over her, the savage eyes of the Whitewind eyeing her like a reward well earned.

"Well, shit," she sighed to herself, chuckling weakly.

"It was fun while it lasted."

Dapple Deuce closed her eyes, just as the bear raised its giant paws up...

And swung down at full speed, one of its glinting claws puncturing through the chest of Brutus the minotaur.

With a grunt, Brutus clutched the paw tight to his chest, much to Dapple's horror. The blood of the Highlander splurted and splashed onto the ground, mixing with that from the mare in the white snow. All she could do was quickly raise her blunderbuss with her magic, feverishly aiming at the bear's head before pulling the trigger.

The loud gunshot echoed throughout the forest, as did the loud crash once the bear fell forward, dead as a doornail. Quickly, Dapple tossed her weapons aside and crawled towards the minotaur, carefully pulling him out from the claw he was impaled on. She gritted her teeth just as the rest came up to them, her hooves trying to plug all the blood leaking from the minotaur's chest in vain. A small tear crawled down her cheek then. A small, rare tear, freezing up into a crystal and hovering down onto the floor, came from the stone-cold Dapple Deuce, who just glared down at Brutus, trying ever so hard to stop the bleeding.

"You idiot..." she hissed at the unconscious minotaur.

"You... y-you IDIOT!!"

"Våben på jorden!!"

Before any of them realized what was happening, they found themselves surrounded by a multitude of crossbows, arrows all ready to be fired. Pinkie held a gasp at the silhouettes of the bearers: they had the builds of a pony, only with slimmer pairs of legs, with a grand pair of protrusions coming from their heads like demons. Their eyes glimmered a bright yellow like a predator hungry for meat. Like a soldier hungry for war.

"Weapons down, guys!!" Phoenix's voice rang through all of their ears. All of the caravan turned to see their glum-looking leader, his hooves raised up in surrender with a crossbow pointed to the back of his head.

"Listen to them. Surrender your weapons."

All of them tossed their weapons onto the ground, glaring up angrily at their captors. Sure enough, these beasts stepped into the radiant moonlight, revealing their slightly long snouts and brown hide with white spots at the rear. They had thin, slender hooves that gracefully skimmed across the snow as they strode towards them, the protrusions on their heads displayed as large antlers.

"No... NO!!" Dapple screamed, being dragged away from Brutus with hooves kicking furiously. The unconscious minotaur was hoisted up by the bulkier ones of their captors, his chest peculiarly being covered by the snow on the ground, making Brutus grunt from the stinging pain.

"They had many names," Phoenix's words echoed in Pinkie's ears as they were taken away.

"The Tarandro, the Tonakai, the Hirana, to name just a few. Even the pilgrims of the Princess Terra have met them; Parish called them the Réinfhianna."

But she had read enough to know full well who these so-called 'beasts of legend' were:

The reindeer.

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"Not there, Spike."

"I'm trying my best. Just gotta focus..."

"You'll only get a half of what you want. Move it a little bit here..."

"Just let me focus, Rarity," Spike hissed, claws starting to quiver.

"I just have to aim it right and score..."

Without further ado, the dart flew from the dragon's fingers, hitting just a few millimeters from the center. Rarity couldn't help but giggle once Spike's head drooped down like a withered flower, pouting with a quiet sigh at his stroke of bad luck. Fifth try already, and yet the bulls-eye is just barely out of reach.

Still, one could say they have an ounce of luck for them to be in a presence of a carnival. It was one of the many events headed by the Equestrian Performers Association, alongside other shows such as the Canterlot Young Talents in which Sweetie Belle was in. For ponies to be able to run such events in a chaotic time like this is impressive, to say the least.

"I could've gotten that bulls-eye..."

"You could've if you listened to me," Rarity chimed, strutting in front of the pouting dragon.

"Of course, it's nothing worthy of a fuss, Spike. It's only but a little reward."

"You might be right... but still, it was a little too close. Sweetie Belle probably might not want the teddy bear, but we could just give it to Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash instead, y'know? Foals and all..."

"I suppose. You're welcome to try again, if you wish."

Rarity held back her giggle once she heard a low, disgruntled growl from the dragon, the fuse that was his patience having burnt out just a few seconds ago. The couple made their way through the crowded street, glancing at a few standout booths among the usual group, sometimes even setting on a few nooks and crannies being put on display, though their minds were not set on purchasing anything. Yet.

Their interest soon waned, deciding to call it a day and rest until Sweetie Belle's next performance later at night. It had been a long journey for her, but the teenage mare was about to compete for her spot in the semi-finals of the Canterlot Young Talents. They all had faith that she would go very far, even though Sweetie Belle herself said she wasn't confident about all of it.

It took them a few minutes to return to the palace and another two more to return to their room. Rarity quietly sighed, looking forward to her sister's performance tonight while wistfully thinking about the strange period of peace they were having. Not much had happened ever since the Manehatten incident, leading to many questions around the city surrounding the enemy. Of course, on a humdrum day such as this, sometimes it can become a bore.

"Whatever shall we do today?" the mare asked, laying herself onto the bed, with Spike following along.

"There's only the carnival, which I do think isn't the best place to be now. We could help Sweetie Belle with her rehearsals or help Twilight rearrange some books before she comes back. What do you think, Spike? Spike?"

"H-Huh?" Spike muttered, his senses jumping back.

"Oh, uh... sorry..."

"You were dozing off, weren't you?"

"N-No, I wasn't!" the dragon nervously proclaimed.

"I was just... th-thinking of stuff! Yes! Thinking!"

"Seriously, Spike, you're a bad liar," Rarity remarked, a little annoyed.

"I'm suggesting a few things that we could do and there you go, ignoring me and starting to doze off. I'm sure you had enough sleep even after all of that. More than me, I dare say. Even so, you still owe me something for what you did to me last night."

"Wh-What?"

"You bit my neck."

Silence.

"Again?" the dragon asked.

"Yes, again."

"W-Well, I couldn't help it. Dragon instincts."

"Those 'dragon instincts', as you phrased them, hurt a little, for your information," Rarity said.

"While you were busy snoring on the bed, I was spending time wiping the... blood off my neck and your sharp fangs. Really, sometimes you take it a little too far for my taste."

"Fine. I owe you one."

Spike sighed quietly to himself at his predicament, admitting defeat as he gave her a kiss on her cheeks. It was no use arguing with Rarity; he had enough experience to show for it. He didn't mean to bite her neck in the first place, but sometimes the feral side that laid dormant within him most of the time would take over his role, ravaging through both himself and, subsequently, the mare of his dreams.

"Alright, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Should I... I don't know, get something from the carnival? We haven't check some of the sections yet."

"Perhaps some new fabric would suffice, if there is any. Or a brooch. Or a necklace of some sort."

"Don't you already have that glass pendant?"

"I know I do," she snapped.

"It's just... I don't feel comfortable wearing it around."

A small frown grew on the dragon's face. Usually, when something intricate and fashionable such as the pendant they've obtained from Pendant Lakes is involved, Rarity would've thought nothing about it, yet she had never worn the treasured accessory anywhere, insisting that he get another one. It felt particularly strange then, for the mare to bring it from Ponyville to Canterlot for the sake of its safety, yet never wore it around for the sake of her own.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I... I don't know how to explain this..." Rarity muttered.

"It's just... whenever I wear it, it feels... it feels like somepony's watching me. Sometimes, it even feels like it's dragging me down all the time. But every time I wanted to leave it at home... I just want it. I don't know, but I just need to wear it again. To take it wherever I go... as if I needed it."

"Does it scare you?"

Her answer basically came in a form of a nod.

"But you can still wear it, right?"

Rarity wanted to slap him so badly for saying that. Sure, he can be rather daft, but sometimes she felt as if he was doing it intentionally just to irritate her. Twilight did reminded her of how naive he still was, despite already being a teenage dragon, though from her personal experience with teenage dragons -- no offense to Spike -- they weren't exactly as bright as they seem.

"I prefer not to," she tried to say in the nicest possible way.

"You do remember it's still has something inside."

"We don't know for sure," Spike stated.

"That thing could just be enchanted to make us think there's something inside."

"Then why hide it? Why put it in the least expected of places and set up such sophisticated machinations around it?"

"Hmm... you might have a point."

"There's still a chance that this pendant might not be of Palgiot origin," Rarity speculated.

"I do think that maybe the Palgiots discovered it instead of made it and placed it in that room. It might possibly even predate the family itself!"

If there was ever a time Spike was uncertain about something sparkling and shiny, this would fit the bill. He knew what Rarity meant when she talked about how much it scares her; his scales quivered like a sparrow stuck in the winter every time he was near it. If it being some ancient relic was a true fact, he could not imagine the power it might actually be storing within, not to mention what might happen if they ever opened it.

"No matter what age it's from," he said.

"We gotta need to do some research if we really wanna open it."

"Spike."

"Yeah?"

Rarity opened her mouth suddenly, but closed them again, instead giving a weak smirk.

"Nothing," she gasped out in a sigh.

"It's just... sometimes, I don't know what to do these days..."

"Why? What's bothering you?"

All Spike got was an unsatisfactory, if not impulsive, answer, before the mare closed her eyes, draping the red sheets over her with her horn. Glumly, the dragon joined his marefriend off into another rickety nap, mind processing through the minimalist yet abstract answer that she'd given him. There was certainly something bothering her, though from the way she said it, he didn't like to know what it might be.

"Things," was what she said to him.

"Just things."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Lade os fejre!!"

"Til ære for rensdyr!!!"

"Lad festlighederne begynde!!!"

It was all a thunderous uproar of shouting and cheering, with lit torches and ceremonious flags raised up in the sky. The crowd of reindeer was in the midst of a glorious celebration that had rarely graced their lands, for it was the celebration of a successful hunt in a land where food is scarce. Of course, their prisoners were not the feast of the folk, but the feast of the ones they preach; a sacrifice for the gods to answer the common prayer.

All their eyes glimmer yellow with intent as they eye the sacrifice of the night. It would've been more glorious for the caravan if they weren't lead around like slaves, their hooves shackled by rope binds with their flanks prodded by antlers incessantly and indecently around the cobblestone streets. Around them stood thatched Nordic longhouses, with walls built from the sturdiest wood and occasionally large, irregularly shaped granite blocks. They tower around the city, squeezing the smaller streets into alleys while the larger roads sliced through, forming atolls of homes all around. The ones they were on now lead to some sort of circular opening, where most of the town's population had gathered. In the center was a stacked bunch of wood, with a tall pole jutting out right from the center.

"Where are they taking us?" Selena piped up the question quietly.

"Don't know," Phoenix muttered.

"I could only guess is that we're gonna be part of some big ritual, judging from how they're celebrating like there's no tomorrow or something."

"I have a feeling it isn't going to end well for us," Velvet hissed from somewhere behind.

"If we're actually going along with it, I mean."

"Wanna use yer blades and help us out, V?"

"Can't... exactly... reach them from here, Ollie," the assassin gasped.

"What about you, Ganger? Can you reach for your weapons?"

"Sure. I'll just have to make sure my hooves are not tied together-- oh, wait. Surprise, surprise."

Like the rest, Pinkie groaned underneath her breath, wanting to smack Ganger for his badly-timed joke. Still, at least Ganger tried his best to keep his optimistic spirit up, even though they were close on the verge of death; they could suffice with a last laugh. Of course, the same could not be said for his twin sister.

Dapple Deuce... she wasn't the pony she was anymore. Normally, she would've been struggling at her binds or cussing at her captors, but this time she was like a dead mare walking, dispirited and broken. Sniffles could be heard from those close enough around her, forming a trail of tears across the road as they were paraded around the city. The three crimson gashes across her chest were jarring to the eyes, though all of them, Pinkie included, knew that wasn't the reason of her despair.

"Standse!!"

Stopping suddenly, the caravan, surrounded by reindeer of all ages, were beckoned (more like forced) to face forward, staring up at perhaps the largest of the Nordic buildings in the town. A set of stone stairs lead up to the entrance, split in the middle by a row of marble bowls with hungry flames bursting from within, its curves designed with intricate runes and carvings. Unlike most of the houses, the doors leading inside were made of the finest granite, parting open with a loud resounding groan. A group of robed reindeer soon strode out, wearing the most serene smiles that Pinkie had ever seen. One of their captors rushed out, kneeling on one hoof with his head down.

"Mor præstinde," he said.

"Vi har fundet ubudne gæster i vore lande. De har dræbt en af de store Hvid Vind Isbjørne."

"Who are they?" Pinkie asked.

"Judging from the clothes..." Phoenix spoke in a low voice.

"They're probably the priestesses of the town, which seems like an important position to hold."

"What are they talking about?"

"I'm guessing it's about the bear, If the Whitewind didn't mean anything to them, they wouldn't bother hauling it all the way here. They're probably gonna use it for one of their rituals."

"Hvem af dem?"

"Den grønne dame."

A small scuffle soon roused their attention, before Dapple was suddenly pushed out of the group, the mare stumbling forwards into the view of the priestesses. With a grin that assured her and unnerved her at the same time, the priestess came towards her, lifting her grim face up to meet the deer's own.

"Velkommen," she began, her voice cold as the snow around them, her sly smirk growing.

"Or should I say, welcome."

"Wh-Wha--?"

"You're from the Sydlige Heste Jord, or Equestria, as you called it," the priestess said, smiling at the surprised looks of the entire caravan.

"Funny, to let a fremmed -- a stranger -- be responsible for the death of one of our greatest enemies: the Hvid Vind Isbjørne, or as you call it, the Whitewind bear. Many of our brave krigere have tried to dispose of it, to no avail. For you to do so... skæbne har ført dig her."

"I-I'm sorry?"

"Destiny has lead you here," the priestess translated.

"I am Ypperstepræstinden Vetur Fryst, or High Priestess Vetur Fryst, if you wish to call me in your language. My fellow præstinder and I worship the Frosne Prinsesse Crystallia, the goddess of our lands. By the power vested in me, you shall be named as the Hvid Jæger, the White Hunter, for such a remarkable achievement."

"I don't..." Dapple muttered, a little dumbfounded.

"I don't understand..."

"Hush, my child. For tonight, we shall celebrate."

With a small gesture from the High Priestess, the caravan was suddenly nudged forward, angry protests rising from them as they were grappled and poked about, being nudged unwillingly to the center. Dapple's eyes widened once she saw the reindeer dragging her struggling friends towards the wood, the intentions of what they were planning becoming palpable in her head.

"No! Let them go!" she demanded.

"They're my friends! You can't do this to them!"

"They're but offerings to Our Lady Crystallia now," the high priestess said.

"We have to give a proper sacrifice to the Goddess above, lest she unleashes her wintry wrath upon us all. We must satisfy her, sate her, perhaps even earn her blessing, for our kind to live on. The forsaken land is a test of our fortitude: to search for the most rewarding treasures of nature in the bleakest of places to be offered to her, and she, in return, will guarantee a prosperous harvest for us all."

"I said, let them GO!!"

"Even one such as you can't deny tradition," she continued with a bow.

"You have been spared, for you have spared us from the claws of the Hvid Vind Isbjørne. Its body is also a perfect gift for our Goddess, and she will reward us splendidly with what we have to offer. For that, in behalf of my kind, I thank you."

"YOU'RE CRAZY!!! LET THEM GO!! LET THEM GO NOW!!!"

Dapple's screams were all in vain as she was pulled back by two of the stronger reindeer before she could lunge at her friends. The caravan just watched helplessly as they were pushed into a line, one by one leading up towards the stack of wood, with Phoenix at the starting of the line. Before he could accept his fate and step up onto the platform, however, he was halted by the high priestess raising a hoof.

"Han skal gå senere," Vetur Fryst announced solemnly.

"Lade tyren mand være først."

"W-What did you say?" the once-hardy mare stammered.

"Answer me! What did you say?!"

"The bull-man shall be first."

Horror froze the blood in her veins, her face paling as those exact words sink into Dapple's mind, echoing within her like a broken record as she helplessly watched the unconscious Brutus being carried down the path. The entirety of the caravan gritted their teeth once the minotaur was placed on the stack of wood. One of the priestesses stepped forward, holding a large jug of oil and pouring over the wood evenly like icing on a cake, soaking the minotaur's coat along with it.

"Please! I'll do anything!" Dapple's fruitless protests fell on deaf ears, the mare collapsing from shock.

"Just LISTEN TO ME!!! Just... just..."

"Please..."

"STOP!!"

The new, squeaky, high-pitched voice shunned every single being in the town to a standstill, with the exception of the caravan. Their attention was turned towards a small, young reindeer running up to them, though this one looked amazingly different from the rest; the deer had a white coat instead of the usual brown and mottled white, with its antlers tinted a pale sky blue. One would estimate her to be around ten years old, yet what was astounding was that once her presence became known, all the reindeer around -- including High Priestess Vetur Fryst herself -- stooped to a bow! They couldn't believe it, bowing to a fawn twice as young as they are!

"The Princess has spoke to me," she said.

"She said to spare them. Spare the prisoners."

"B-But... but the sacrifice--"

"It is an order by the Frosne Prinsesse, Vetur Fryst. You do not wish to defy Our Lady's orders, do you not, my dear Ypperstepræstinden? Could you imagine the wrath she might bring upon us all if you did so?"

A brief pause.

The caravan couldn't believe what just happened.

Did that fawn actually...

"Sandsigeren har talt!!" the high priestess suddenly exclaimed.

"Løslade fangerne!"

Suddenly, the bindings of each and every one of the caravan were cut, ending the misery. Immediately after Dapple's hooves were freed, she galloped towards the wooden stack, desperately clambering onto the wooden stack and kicking some of the wood beneath her before reaching the minotaur's side. The gaping wound was still there, blood mixing with the stinging oil and forming a stream down the hips. Quietly, Dapple held his hand, clenching her eyes shut; it was so cold... his heartbeat was so distant, fading into naught... he doesn't have much life left to cling onto.

"He needs some medical attention!!" she yelled back to the group.

"NOW!!!"

"You heard her," the fawn said, glancing at some of the priestesses.

"Get the bull-man into the temple. Ready the medicine."

"Yes, my lady."

Quickly, Brutus was hoisted up yet again, this time being carted up the stone stairs and through the doors. The rest, Dapple included, could only watch from there on out, before turning to the young deer that saved their comrade's lives with her words. Phoenix stepped out from among them, his head hung low as he said:

"Thank you for saving us."

"It is as the Goddess wishes," the fawn replied with a soft smile.

"I am but a servant carrying out her orders."

"Pardon me for intruding your privacy," Velvet said from behind.

"But what position do you hold actually in the community? I know it might be offensive asking this, but aren't you a little young of age to be the head of the flock?"

"I'll explain in due time. Perhaps we shall continue in the halls?"

All nods given, the fawn soon lead the way, guiding them instead to the left and into one of the smaller buildings that Pinkie speculated was still a part of the temple. The pink mare was still slightly surprised on how easily those reindeer were swayed by the words of one of their young; it was as if they feared her, for reasons they were about to find out.

"My name is Artemis," the fawn began.

"I am the Sandsigeren, or the Oracle. I commune with the spirits to seek wisdom and knowledge to guide my fellow deerfolk to a path of enlightenment. Aside from that, I am the only one in this town that can summon our Lady Protector and Goddess, Princess Crystallia."

"Princess Crystallia?"

"The princess of ice, cold, frost and snow," she answered Phoenix's question.

"This is her dominion, as you can see from the lands around. She lead us here away from the darkness of the world and into a safe haven. It is here where she tests us to be stronger, hardier than the rest of the world. Normally, she has no plans when it comes to beings other than myself, but apparently, for all of you, she's making an exception."

"So does that mean..." Pinkie muttered, before gasping out loud at the conclusion forming in her head:

"Does that mean we'll see her?"

"Yes," Artemis replied, giggling like the young fawn she was, much to their excitement.

"Yes you will."

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"... and you wouldn't believe it, but no matter how fast we were running, those dragons were still chasing me! It took a little bit of quick thinking, but in just a second, I used a teleportation spell to get us all out of there!"

A loud multitudinous wave of 'ooh's filled the room, the marveled colts and fillies all chuckling among themselves about one of Twilight's small adventures that the mare had decided to tell as their bedtime story. She initially wanted to resort to the books found in the haven of a library in the floor above, but with a little coaxing from some of the other ponies, including Trixie, she told some of her small tales of misguided adventures once again, like she did with her nephew.

"What happened after that?" one of the children asked.

"Well, Spike had a new pet phoenix," she said.

"But otherwise, nothing special happened. We just continued on with life, I guess."

"Aww..." some of them jeered at the ending, though that didn't stop the spark of awe that still flickered within their glimmering eyes.

"Alright then," Trixie declared happily.

"Storytime's over. Everypony to bed before the Masque snatches all your sweet dreams away!"

Giggles and quick bursts of laughter filled the room, followed by the eager pattering of colts and fillies rushing back to their little cots around the subterranean room. With a sigh, Twilight rose from her haunches, chest welling up with gleeful pride at another job well done. It wasn't long before Trixie stepped up to her side, softly smiling as she said teasingly:

"Well, that wasn't so bad, wasn't it?"

"Y-Yeah, I guess," Twilight muttered sheepishly.

"Still, it's not like I had a choice."

"Hey, you could still back out and no one would stop you," her rival snapped back.

"But honestly speaking, that was some great storytelling skills you have there."

"Oh, it's nothing worth bragging about. I'm sure you could do the same."

"You might be right about that part..."

Trixie paused for a moment of thought, before chuckling.

"Anyways, I think it's time we hit the hay as well. Wouldn't wanna wake up late for tomorrow and get showered from the children here with a bucket of water. Believe me when I say that's just the most innocent of their pranks."

With their goodbyes said and waves given, Twilight strode back up the spiral stairs, a little keen on the coming day. She wondered what she would've done if she hadn't decided to come here. Perhaps she would be flustered over her research concerning Janus and his origins, or she would just spend another day with her friends. Either way, she wouldn't have known about the Masque's abode and about Trixie as well.

A sigh escaped her mouth once she reached the Masque's and temporarily, her bedroom. Without further ado, she plopped herself onto the bed, lying there and staring at the ceiling like she did so for the past couple of days. Her mind had been scrolling through every same thing that had been plaguing her since the events of Pendant Lakes. Would they ever win this fight? More importantly, would Pinkie ever come back?

Those thoughts, however, could be reserved for later.

"Mademoiselle."

Twilight felt her heart skip a beat, though she withheld a gasp in time before it could escape. The Masque just strode to her side, smiling underneath his gleaming mask in his quiet return. He trotted across the room and towards an ornate chess table, where a pitcher of wine sat untouched since their last private conversation, pouring for each of them a glass.

"How were the children?" he asked.

"Good," she answered rather bluntly; her interests were set on something else for now.

"Anyway, there's something I want to ask you about--"

"Well, I'm glad you liked the children. I had some doubts that you can handle them at first--"

"Yes, right, can I ask you something?"

She didn't want to cut in that rudely, but the answer of what she was about to ask had been bugging her for the past few days now. Immediately, the masked caper stopped, giving her time to breathe in with her head resolute on what's about to come. She has to say it, no matter what.

"You lied to me."

"W-What?"

"You lied to me," Twilight repeated, firmer this time.

"Well, indirectly. I mean, you didn't tell me anything that could be considered a lie, so--"

"Vat are you talking about?"

"Your accent."

Twilight could've sworn she saw the Masque flinch when she threw her first accusative dart. The excitement in her hooves made her jittery already, her willpower burning brighter with her breath tense like those standing in the courtroom.

"If I am right, you apparently speak with a Chevaline accent," she said.

"But ever since the night you visited me back at the palace, I could've sworn I keep hearing you break that accent into a typical Central Equestrian one. I thought it was my hearing at first, but after this afternoon, I was completely sure it was not my imagination."

"Miss Z'parkle! Y-Your accusations are--"

"What? True?"

The Masque's voice froze. The room fell into a pit of silence. Twilight just watched, narrowing her brows at the fumbling stallion, before he suddenly sighed, drooping his head down in a shade. The mare's triumphant smile at her victory faded once he stepped back into the shadow, figure becoming a mere silhouette soaked in shame and mystery.

"Perhaps I did lie," he muttered, revealing his true accent.

"What would you then? Reveal this place to the guard?"

"I promised I would never do that," Twilight reaffirmed.

"All I want to know is why? Why did you lie to me? I trusted you for such a long time and... and you never told me about it. Am I just... some other mare on the street? Am I not... good enough?"

"Twilight Sparkle."

It was weird hearing her name being spoken by the Masque without his false accent, but still she remained unfazed. Slowly, the stallion stepped back into the view of the moonlight, yet he still hid half of his body in the shadow, staring at the mare from afar.

"I would never compare you to the rest," he said.

"You were the one mare that I admired. The one that stood out and saved Equestria in the most dire of times. You did all the things I wanted to do... that I couldn't do..."

Silence.

Both ponies just looked down, thinking of something to say.

"Hey," Twilight said first.

"Hmm?"

"You did a lot of incredible things too, you know?" she spoke softly, smiling.

"I mean, look around you! What you did here, taking care of all this children and building such an incredible place to house them all... Equestria might need heroes like me to save the world, but we need ponies who can preserve it as well. Ponies who keeps everything alive and in good condition, ponies who can make sure others feel safe when they sleep at night, and ponies which..." Twilight felt her gut knotting, "which a hero like me can depend on and trust everything I have upon, including my... my own emotions."

"You sure do have a way with words."

"What can I say? I'm well read."

The Masque stepped to her front, hoof gently brushing her mane to the side with such tenderness, the mare's face already turned a beet red underneath his touch. Twilight felt something within her chest stirring; a desire she had latched onto and kept secret from many others, calling to her like a mother to her child. She was gently laid onto the bed by his graceful hooves, the mare biting her lip once she felt his lips touch her right thigh.

Slowly, his trail of kisses traveled up her form. She shivered when it reached her waist, her body starting to squirm when reaching her chest and finally a small moan escaped her mouth when he kissed her nape. He was very sensual there, licking it gently and making her squeak and squeal, her legs twitching with an aching need building in her loins, though finally, after all the teasing, she was released, looking up fervently at him, the dash of red growing across her cheeks.

"Take... take it off..."

The Masque did as he was told. One small click filled the silence and his mask was off. His face was still hidden in the darkness, yet those pale purple eyes stared right back her. Twilight's lips formed a smile, having been reminded of those eyes; the one thing she knew of the Masque's true identity. She reveled within it, breaths turning into small, quick pants as the stallion looming over her drew closer.

One drop down later, their lips met, setting off the most arduous sensations in both ponies. An array of colors danced in their heads, the passion making them swoon. Twilight felt everything within her being set on fire, gripping onto him tight and not wanting to let go of her first kiss. She needed it... no, needed him like never before.

It lasted long enough for her to smile once he broke it, the mare opening up her eyes to see him again, watching over her like a guardian angel in all of its majesty. Twilight bit her lip, unsure of what might happen next, though the Masque hushed her before she could even think of anything to ask.

"Before we move on, there's something I wanted to confess," he mumbled.

"Remember the first time we officially met?"

"The Royal Library?" she asked, to which he nodded.

"Certainly did. I nearly called for the guards."

"I gave you a rose, didn't I?"

Twilight nodded, still unable to fathom the reason of him doing so. It was his modus operandi: the Masque always leaves a fresh red rose at the scene of every crime he commits, no matter how big or how small. The night he gave her one in the library, however, completely baffled her to this very day.

"I had planned to steal something there," he admitted.

"Something very valuable."

"What is it?"

"It had been something I admired way back when Nightmare Moon returned. The moment I saw it on the news amid the Summer Sun Celebration... I knew I wanted to get it, come what may. On the night I met you, I gambled for that chance to happen and... well, I can say it has succeeded."

The Masque then turned to her, chuckling at her confused expression.

"I gave this rose to you..." he began.

"Because I wanted to steal your heart."

"You... you liked me?"

"For a long time now, yes..."

Twilight just smiled. With a hoof caressing his cheek, she rose up, kissing him on the lips once again, before plopping back down and bringing him along. She hugged him rather tightly, pushing him down on his back and clambering up to the top of his chest. Silently, she rested her head onto it, a soothing feeling melting her heart like butter as she felt his hoof run down her mane. She knew she was going to sleep with one of Canterlot's Most Wanted criminals, yet she didn't care; she had called to the world with her heart, and he answered it. Despite still withholding his anonymity, he answered it and that's all that matters.

"There's one thing I still want to know, however," she muttered.

"Who are you?"

The question made the Masque let out an elated chuckle.

"In due time, Twilight Sparkle," he said affectionately.

"In due time."

Author's Note

Sorry it took a while!

Just a fun fact: Chevaline is French for equine. I picture ponified France to be called Cheval and the French as Chevaline.
Also, reindeer! :pinkiehappy:

Equitis Ardentibus

"Home sweet home, Stellar Lionheart."

"If you're trying to make me feel better, it's not working."

Always bubbling with sarcasm, Caduceus Brineheart. Still, Stellar preferred it more than the tainted ink of silence blotting the ruins of the once-bustling town. It struck him strange about how he was perturbed by the downfall of Pendant Lakes a week ago, yet now all those thoughts felt numb to him. Numb to the deaths of so many on that bloody night.

They were clinging onto the back of Jovern, who was circling around the esteemed Palgiot Palace, standing with a straight fissure cut into the middle, with one half crumbling to a lower level than the other. Such a gigantic, desecrated structure required them to find a spot for the giant dragon to land, with the fact that the palace was standing on a lone butte that towered over most of the cityscape only making their trivial search ever the more complicated. Despite all of that, he still had one fragment of hope.

Harmony Peridot.

Throughout the subterranean journey, he had began to trust her, as did Caduceus and Jovern, mainly from the light conversations that they have. She never harbored any grudges as they believed she would, even going so far as to say it was all water under the bridge when Caduceus 'accidentally' mentioned it. Perhaps she did change after all.

"Think I spot a landing," he heard Caduceus say.

"Right there. At the banisters of the west wing."

"Can you get us down there?" Stellar asked their pilot.

"Already doing it. Hang on tight, boys."

With a quick dive, Jovern stretched his claws out, wings flapping hastily once they touched down with a scattering of rocks and dust everywhere. Both ponies slid down his scaly back, readying their respective blades as they glanced around the desolate hallway, where torn tapestries hung from above and shredded carpets cover the floor. Stellar chuckled to himself; home sweet home indeed.

"I'll be waiting outside," Jovern notified them.

"If you need any help, give a signal."

A giant flap of his wings was all that's needed for the dragon to take off again, leaving them alone in the dark abyss of the palace. Slowly, they began their slow march down the ruined path, the silence they shared aiding their ears in the wary search for whatever creature that nestled within. Both ponies remembered about the pile of bodies they found outside as much as they remembered their encounter with the shrieking banshee of a devil back at the orphanage that was once the beautiful mare known as Autumn Palgiot.

Stellar had a hunch. It was a dangerous hunch, one he wished not to be true. Harmony did tell her about how the Palgiots, among others, had turned into some form of demon. If that were true, then they've probably just stepped into their lair. He shuddered at the thought, gripping on his blade tighter than before.

"Where to first, Stellar?" Caduceus asked.

"To whatever here that Janus may be interested in," was the confident answer.

"His forces were killed to find something powerful enough for Janus to use. Something worthy the attention of a pony like him, if there is such a thing."

"He already has the Dreamscape essence. What else would he need?"

"No idea, but if it exists, it certainly predate the Archives. If it didn't, Persimmon would've let us know about it if such a thing was ever in there."

"Unimaginable..." Caduceus muttered.

"What of Harmony? Does she know about it?"

"Hopefully so."

A small clatter from beyond made Stellar raise his hoof up, gesturing his friend into silence as the two of them raised their blades. Slowly, they inched along the walls, crouching low in their slow journey towards the junction ahead. Squinting his eyes, Caduceus could make out the silhouette of a stone balcony, while Stellar stopped to reach back into his saddlebag, taking out a flintlock pistol and filling it with gunpowder.

"Scout ahead, Caduceus," he whispered to his friend, reaching back into his saddlebag once again.

"Tell me if you see anything."

"Would do if you tell me what you're holding."

"This?" Stellar asked, raising up an ornate, cylindrical tube made from ivory, approximately about half the length of his pistol, that he took out, along with several musket balls.

"Apparently, the gunsmiths back at Canterlot called it some form of sound suppressor or, as they phrased it, a 'silencer'. Supposedly, it completely silences the sound of the gun when it's fired."

Caduceus scoffed. "Bloody technology these days. Can you imagine?"

"My thoughts exactly."

With a shake of his head, Stellar soon plugged the silencer at the barrel, spinning it over and over until it barely touches the tip of the frizzen spring. He never liked using these 'modern trickery', as he called them, but if they were ever in a lair of devils, the last thing he wanted was to attract any wrong attention. Caduceus was already peering out from the corners when he was done, signaling him over with his blade.

"See anything?" he asked his friend.

"No sign at the moment," Caduceus replied in a low voice.

"Where's Harmony?"

"Hopefully doing what we expect her to do," Stellar muttered. All of them, Jovern included, had trusted her on what their mission is for: to find what Janus's forces is (or was) desperately searching for in the depths of Pendant Lakes. Whatever weapon that they were looking for, he just hoped Harmony would not harbor any second thoughts.

"Where do you suggest we revisit first?"

"Wherever Harmony might be."

"You really care for her, it seems."

"She might have done many wrongs in the past, Stellar," Caduceus replied, noticing his friend's frown.

"But however much you loathe her, she's our ally now. We need all the help we can get, even if it might be from one such as her. She could be a demon herself for all we know, but that wouldn't change a thing. We have to trust her."

"I do trust her. It's just..." Stellar stopped to sigh.

"How can we be sure she won't use this chance to do something behind our backs? Even if she wouldn't, what if... what if she was taken by these demons of sorts?"

Before Caduceus could muster a reply, a loud crash resounded throughout the hallways, hoisting their senses to a frenzy. Immediately, they raised their weapons, with Stellar especially readying his pistol and pointing it towards the corner. Both of them held their breaths as their ears picked up the faint sound of hoofsteps, slowing growing louder with every passing second. Within one huff of gasp, Stellar turned out from the corner, pointing the gun forward and pulled the trigger, the spark of the flint accompanied with a near-silent hiss.

"For Celestia's sake, Stellar Lionheart," the voice of Harmony Peridot groaned.

"Caduceus spent all night patching that portion up, and you just had to go and ruin it."

"Harmony!" her shooter exclaimed, slightly flabbergasted. His eyes were drawn to the small puncture the bullet of his flintlock caused on the mare's body where blood of the darkest, most tainted red slowly spurt out, streaming down her waist to the bottom of her hooves. With a scoff, Harmony settled down onto the floor, Caduceus immediately tending to her with a cough and a few long strips of bandages in tow.

"A-Apologies. We thought you were--"

"A demon floating around and making hoofsteps. Sure I am," she scorned.

"What took you both anyway? And where's the dragon?"

"Jovern's too big to come in, so he's waiting outside," Caduceus answered instead.

"We were finding a place to land. What about you? Find anything worth our attention?"

"There were a few things here and there, but from the state of the place, I reckon whatever place you expected each artifact to be in would've... moved, so to speak. We'd have to start from scratch to find whatever Janus is looking for."

"Might as well start then," Stellar said despondently.

"The sooner we find what we're looking for, the better."

Once all the bandaging was done, the three ponies resumed their expedition to search for something powerful; something that managed to evade the eyes of everypony somehow. They had spent one night theorizing on what kind of object it would be. Perhaps it was some form of enchanted weapon, or something more sinister like the Dreamscape essence? With the fear that Janus petrified ponykind's hearts with, plus all the obscurity that he clouded himself with, it was a wonder what otherworldly object he still needed in his possession.

Caduceus would've pondered on about that during the journey, though something else was amiss. He felt it while he was bandaging Harmony's ruptured chest. which still bled endlessly from his impetuous task. Once again, the feeling struck him when he glanced at the mare, his gut twisting into a knot. It twisted even more, however, when she turned back to say something, but furrowed her brows at the last minute.

"What?"

"N-Nothing," he stammered.

"I was just wondering if you are alright. You seem a little..."

"A little?"

"Disturbed."

A brief pause, yet tense all the same.

"You don't have to worry any further, Caduceus," Harmony said dismissively.

"I'm fine."

"Really?"

"Yes," she muttered with a strange air around her voice that even made Stellar glance back.

"I'm fine..."

"Perfectly... fine..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Mmh..."

"Morning, Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight lazily half-opened her eyes at that voice, so cold and smooth yet so deep with warmth. The fuzzy balls of lights dancing before her merged, her face cracking with a subtle smile when she could make out the Masque putting his mask on, the stallion already adorned in his trademark cape over his vermilion coat. She let out a mirthful giggle once her suitor turned around, striding towards her and making her cringe a little as he gave a nuzzle and a peck on her left cheek.

"How was your sleep? It was good, I presume?"

"A lovely one," she mumbled her answer, crooning once she felt his hoof run down her waist.

"You were... mmm... wonderful last night."

"I treat first-timers especially well."

"I can see that," Twilight muttered with a bashful giggle.

"I still can't believe we actually did... did what we did last night. I mean, traditionally, it would've been last on the list..."

"I'm a wanted criminal, Twilight Sparkle," the Masque said slyly.

"I always, always break the rules, no matter what they may be."

"You naughty colt."

"No more naughtier than you, my dear."

"You made me say all those... w-weird things!"

"You loved it. Admit it, you did."

"Okay, okay, fine..." she stammered, hooves raised up in defeat with cheeks blushing so hard, the Masque couldn't help but stifle a laugh. Who wouldn't love it, she thought to herself, with all the gentle caresses and the pleasurable sensations that he gave her? Slowly, Twilight rose from the bed, using her magic to pull a hairbrush towards her from the nightstand while letting out a yawn. She was surprised, however, when the Masque's hoof snatched it in mid-air, the stallion proceeding to brush her mane instead.

"What are you doing?"

"You had a long night. It's best not to wear you out any further."

"I can do it myself, you know?" she muttered, pouting.

"But if you wanna do it... be my guest..."

"Would your brother question your long departure?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"He might," she answered.

"But I doubt Shining would have the time. He's on duty today, after all."

"Imagine if he found about us."

"No kidding," Twilight replied, chuckling.

"If he does find out, I'm going to get killed."

The Masque grinned, making her giggle once again when he leaned down to plant a kiss on the neck. He was really meticulous, the teeth of the brush smoothly gliding down her mane like ice skates. Twilight closed the eyes, relishing the moment in the embrace of the fine gentlecolt she was lucky to be with. When he was done, she could only stand up and turn to him, rewarding him generously in the only way she knew how.

"Come here..." she purred, pulling him closer.

Just as their lips touched, the door suddenly burst open, crashing into the moment and making both sides jump back as Trixie rushed in, a frantic look on her face. Her sweating form and loud pants would've made them laugh on any other day, but once both of them saw the faint stains of blood on her hooves, the Masque glanced back up, before storming out in a split second, leaving both mares alone in the room.

"W-What happened?" Twilight asked the pale-faced Trixie.

"Trixie, look at me. What happened?"

"T-The... the filly... crying..."

"What do you mean?"

"We..." Trixie stopped to gulp.

"We found her on the streets outside... she was... she was..."

"Bring me to her. Now."

With a hasty nod, the magician lead her out of the room, down the spiraling staircase and into the subterranean tunnels where the children slept. Both unicorns bit their lip when they heard the sound of sniffling coming from the center of a huddled group, the Masque just about break into the circle with his bare hooves.

"Make way," he yelled over the chatter.

"I need to see her."

When the filly came into view, Twilight's jaw dropped in shock. There was the filly whimpering on the floor teary eyes, closed with a rustled blue mane that looked as if it had been yanked and pulled on, and her sky blue coat that would've looked pretty if not for the jarring wounds coated and slashed all over her body, fresh blood still flowing from the seams. She looked by the age of seven or eight, though what caught her eye was the small metal tag of some sort she was wearing around her neck, with a series of numbers engrave onto it. The Masque knelt down, closely looking at the scars while gritting his teeth at whatever devil had did this.

"Unbelievable..." he muttered.

"She has been whipped."

"What?" Twilight gasped.

"But... but who could've done such a thing?"

"Get me some ointment!" the Masque yelled, with one pony scampering away to satisfy his demand.

"Celestia, what monster could've done this to you..."

"Mister? Hey, Mister! I think I know who she is!"

Another filly squeezed herself through from the crowd, popping out and glancing down at her injured counterpart. The Masque remembered her clearly; she was the one he rescued that night from the Canterlot Barracks where the Royal Guard and their detainees resided. Said filly soon turned back to the rest, a somber look drawn on her face that would've been called cute in other, more trivial, situations.

"She's one of the children from the barracks," the filly said with utmost confidence.

"I recognized her... she was in the cell opposite of mine."

"The Royal Guard," the Masque spat those words.

"Pah!! Should've known it was their doing all along."

"But that's impossible!" Twilight proclaimed, gaining every ounce of attention.

"The Royal Guard does not endorse torture in any form. Especially not on little foals like this! Princess Celestia made it illegal a long time ago! Whichever guard does it is... is suicide!"

"Do you need any more proof, Twilight Sparkle, other than what you see before you?"

"My brother would never, ever allow such a thing happening! He wouldn't let his own guards get away with this if they did! Please, you have to listen to me, the Royal Guard is not responsible for this--"

"And if they were?"

"They're NOT!!!" Twilight screamed suddenly, much to the surprise of everypony else. Upon realizing it, she just turned away to the side, eyes watering slightly while she gritted her teeth, the truth yelling and tormenting her. The Royal Guard would never do that, especially when their reputation and in turn, Princess Celestia's reputation, was involved. They would never do that... they would never... a hoof around the shoulder broke through the wall of those thoughts, making her turn to see the masked caper gazing down at her, the first tear slowly crawling down her cheeks.

"They wouldn't... they just wouldn't... you have to believe me..."

"Fine. I believe you," the Masque answered hesitantly, hugging her.

"I believe you... shh..."

"But she was certainly from the barracks," Trixie cut in.

"Look at the numbers on the tag. That's certainly the serial number system that the dungeons use."

"H-How would you know?"

"Most of us made a routine to prison before, Twilight," the magician answered rather bitterly.

"It's lucky we had enough bits saved just to get ourselves out of that place. This was definitely the Royal Guards' doing."

Twilight almost lunged at her when she said that, being pulled back at the last minute by the Masque, who barked at them to stop. The dormant volcano that is the tension of both rivals erupted again after so long, with the librarian steeling a glare at Trixie's defiantly scornful look, the azure mare turning away with a resentful humph.

"Perhaps the Royal Guards were responsible for this," the Masque told her, much to her disbelief.

"We have to take each possibility as a consideration, Twilight. This would be the most probable cause of... of this. You know that, don't you?"

She didn't want to admit it; that her brother's well-trained, harshly disciplined soldiers would crack a whip and remorselessly strike at such a small, innocent child. Would Shining Armor allow such a thing? Even worse, was he the one that gave the punishment and oversee it to be a success?

"There must be something else..." Twilight conjectured.

"Something we're missing..."

"It's h-him..."

The weak, feverish voice blazed through all the speculation and arguments, all eyes turning down to the scarred filly. Immediately, the Masque knelt down to the child, gently shushing her while looking around breathlessly. Normally, his composure wouldn't be easy stirred, but when a pony is met with such turmoil, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if it could wedge into the nerves of one's sound mind.

"For Celestia's sake," he shouted.

"WHAT'S TAKING IT SO LONG?!!"

"Here, sir!"

Quickly, the Masque snatched the bottle, popping open the cork and, with a shivering hoof, rubbed the stinging liquid across the gashes. The filly winced and hissed, even letting out a cry when his careful hoof wandered along the deeper wounds. All the gathered audience could do was watch, jumping occasionally from the filly's pained voice screeching over her whimpers and grunts; they too were suffering her pain.

"H-He... he was there..." she squeaked.

"Don't speak now, my child," the Masque advised.

"It will do only worse for your suffering."

"N-No, no... he was there... the pony..."

"Who was there?" Trixie asked, her voice becoming as sweet as a sugared caramel apple.

"You can tell us. It's okay now. Who was there?"

"The one th-they're looking for..." the filly continued, which perplexed them. At least, most of them. Many a pony in the room would never understand who she was talking about. Then again, many a pony never had any sort of ties to the royal Canterlot family.

"The one we were looking for," Twilight said grimly, gritting her teeth. She should've known it was his doing. Whipping a child into devastation... it would be the work of a sadistic madpony that craves only for death and destruction, and so far she only knew one that fitted the description perfectly.

"She means the pony behind the bombings in here and Trottingham, as well as the destruction of Manehatten."

"What?" Trixie gasped out, representing their voice in unison.

"But why? What would he want with a small filly like her?"

The librarian couldn't even begin to think of an answer like that. Janus was in Canterlot... that was new information enough to shake her to the core. Janus was in Canterlot... it made her head spin just to think about. Why was he here? What would Janus gain by whipping a filly of such a small age anyway? Was it part of his sordid methods to manipulate young foals into his malicious control? No, there was a missing piece to the puzzle, and it wasn't a good sign.

"You..."

"Huh?"

"It's you..."

"What is it?" Twilight asked, eyes wide at the filly's hoof pointing right at her.

"What do you want?"

"He wanted me to look for you. S-Said he has a message for you..." the filly said, earning fearful mutters and chatters from the rest. She couldn't believe it; Janus had a message for her? Was this filly set free only because he had something to say to her? Twilight bit her lip, glancing up at the Masque, who gave a nod. Holding her breath, the librarian mustered up her confidence, asking the question that had been burning up in her head.

"What was the message?"

"C-Complete the sentence," the filly said, shivering terribly. She was forced to remember that, Twilight surmised, her cheeks seething with rage. That was what all those whippings were for; each mistake, five to ten lashes, she estimated. A pony that punishes young children in the most torturous of manners... how heartless can he be, she asked herself. How heartless can he be?

"The p-princess s-s... the princess sp-spent her days crying in t-the tower, for... for the dragon burned her... her knight in..."

"In?"

"That was it. That was all he wanted me to say..." the filly claimed, starting to sniffle.

"Please, please don't send me back to him! Please!!"

"Shh... you're safe..." Trixie hushed her, hugging the sobbing filly in her embrace. She turned to look at Twilight, who had trotted away to a corner in a moment of deep thought. There were many questions running through her head concerning their so-called enemy, like how he knew Twilight was down here in the first place, but she reserved those thoughts for later.

"What does it mean, Twilight?"

"The princess spent her days..." the lavender unicorn muttered.

"For the dragon burned her knight in... her knight in shining armor. That's the answer!"

Then she stopped.

Her brother is on duty today...

A child from the barracks...

The dragon burned her knight in shining armor...

"No..."

In a blink of an eye, Twilight galloped up the stairs and rushed down the catwalk before anypony else could stop her. She gritted her teeth, running as fast as her hooves can take her with sweat falling from her head, not from her galloping, but her anxiety. It doesn't matter how many puddles she may trip into anymore, nor how much her hooves were starting to ache from her frantic rush through the tunnels.

The dragon is going to burn the knight.

Shining Armor is the next target.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Excuse me? Where's the hospital ward?"

"Down the corridor and to the left, my Hvid Jæger."

Dapple Deuce grumbled her 'thank you', a little ticked off. She never wanted to be the Hvid Jæger, or White Hunter in typical Equestrian; that title was bestowed unwillingly upon her while she watch her friends lining up to be set on fire for some insane sacrifice. Other than that, she was secretly glad that they were all okay.

At least, most of them.

This strange... realm that they were in was breathtaking, to say the least. From what Phoenix found out, they were in the town of Byafisogsne, which, when translated, literally meant 'the town of ice and snow'. The residents here, the reindeer or 'rensdyr' in their language, have been living here since the dawn of time, isolated yet prosperous. What was even more of a marvel than the natural scenery was the architecture; they were made from the most beautiful of wood, like the floor, for instance, possessed both the artistry and texture of marble instead. It reminded her of a few log cabins that they had to stop by for the night.

Each door was carved from birch; a fine white contrast to all the different shades of brown. The woodcarvers of the town must've been highly respected, it seems. A pony that closely examines it would see that they were all different from each other, for they prefer the carvings to name the room rather than dull signs and tags. The door that she was looking for had a matronly doe whose hooves were tenderly wrapped around a young fawn, sleeping in the embrace of serenity while its mother passionately glanced down at her child. Surrounding them were carvings of laurels and orchids, with butterflies and bees pollinating them; the only view of spring in this hinterland, frozen in time.

Pushing those doors open, Dapple Deuce marched in, guided into the dimly lit room by an aisle of makeshift straw beds, the only source of light being from a few oil lamps and from the giant stained glass window at the end of the room, which displayed the exact same carving from the door in a more glorious spectrum. Dapple quietly sighed: it has been a while since she had seen so much beauty. Warrior or not, she was still a pony.

The last bed held the only patient in the room, which was also the only one she was looking for. Dapple held her breath when she reached that bed, settling down onto the stool right next to it. It took a long while, with her shivering sighs and her mumbles, but she finally thought of something to say.

"Hey, Brutus."

The minotaur laid there, unconscious and still. His chest was wrapped with layers of bandages, a small murky blot in the center reminding her of their run-in with the Whitewind Bear. Dapple shook it off her head; she was here to accompany him, not to reminisce about how he got here.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm here to see if you were alright, if you wanted to know."

Silence.

"The rest will come down to see you soon," she continued.

"They're waiting for dinner to be served. Some of the priestesses said it would take quite a while. You should've seen Ganger rushing them like it's the end of the world. He's a funny one, my brother."

Again, silence.

"L-Listen, Brutus, I really can't thank you enough for what you did for me. You're... you're the stupidest minotaur I've ever met. You, rushing right in just to get yourself stabbed by that giant claw... what were you thinking?! Do you really think... do you honestly, really think for one moment that I actually cared that you came in? No, I wanted to do this alone!! You heard me!! ALONE!! And you just had to march in there and RUINED IT FOR ME!!"

Dapple stopped, her panting receded as she cleared her throat.

"I just... I wanted to do something big... no matter how much my life would be in danger, I wanted to do something big, Brutus. That bear was it, I just knew it! That bear was my lucky shot, Brutus, and I wanted to do it alone, but you came in. You came in and helped me when I didn't want any help."

"I felt cheated, Brutus," she continued despondently.

"For every passing second, I felt that you cheated and wanted to kill the bear for yourself. I was so angry that... that I wanted you to die, because you're such a... a giant asshole. It made me proud that I killed the bear and you got hurt! Hah! You? Stealing what's mine? I would've killed you there and then. Oh, I would stab you in the heart and rip it out your chest, for Celestia's sake!"

Dapple stopped to sniffle, one hoof pressed against her forehead.

"You... you... you just... you ruined it. You... you went and nearly got yourself killed. I wanted to do it alone without anyone's help and you knew that. I wanted to kill him all by myself... but you know something else. You know something that I couldn't see because I was too blind to see it then."

It took her half a minute to let it out.

"I was a bigger idiot than you are."

She let out a shaky sigh, her eyes closed and head hang low as she continued:

"I actually thought I could tackle the bear. Can you believe it? I actually thought I was strong enough to fight a giant bear. If you did it on your own, I'm sure you can get him, but me? Heck, Ganger was right. Would you believe me if I said I never even dared to pick up an ant back then? G always teased me about it, calling me a coward and stuff like that... I think it made me want to prove him wrong. To prove that I could be stronger than him in any way possible and I don't need nopony to help me with my problems. He always said I was in over my head... maybe he was right... maybe I did take it too far..."

Silence once more.

"What I wanted to say was," she stopped, with one hoof to wipe her tears, the other clutching Brutus's hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you had to put up with me, I'm sorry you had to go through all the hell that I was supposed to go through because I was stupid enough to... to... to put myself in harm's way. I never had anyone, even my brother, do that for me, and for that, I really, really appreciate it... so thank you. Thank you for saving me. Even if you don't wish to speak to me anymore, thank you."

Dapple Deuce wanted to stop there. Dapple Deuce wanted to stand up and leave the minotaur to rejoin the dinner upstairs, but still she stayed in her dismal position. She wanted to leave, yet there were questions still unanswered; questions that could only be asked at the right moment. Her mind was yelling at her, telling her to chin up and gallop back to the dining room, yet her heart... it told a different story. A convincing story.

"Can't believe I'm doing this..." she hissed at herself, lurching the stool closer to the bed.

"Brutus?"

No response, as expected.

"S-Sorry to disturb you again," she apologized, stifling a smile.

"But... but I have to know something... something really important. It might be very personal for you, but if you could just hear me out for a second..."

The minotaur still remained unconscious, leaving Dapple to muster her up her confidence.

"Do you... l-like me?"

Silence, before she realized Brutus was still asleep.

"You're probably wondering why I s-said that," she muttered, blushing slightly.

"I always had that nagging feeling that you were... protecting me, for some reason. I-I mean before the Whitewind Bear as well. There's one time-- do you remember? That I was suppose to go into the Wayfarer Woods to get some firewood and you volunteered instead? Then there's that time when you watched over me when I was down with hay fever. Velvet told me you offered to do it yourself. Do you remember that?"

"Then there's that one time, at Valewood..."

Dapple bit her lip; she was going to have trouble leaping over this hurdle.

"It's you, wasn't it? You were the one who gave me that pendant on my birthday, didn't you?"

It was more of an assumption than a conclusion. She didn't even know if Brutus actually still has the pendant on him, if he was the one who made it. She recalled how Velvet said he was some sort of a blacksmith back in the day, it being one of the reasons why he was offered to join the caravan in the first place. For a smithy to craft a pendant would be a piece of cake, yet Dapple couldn't imagine how long it took to find the gold and the ruby for it, not to mention how hard it must be to precisely cut the ruby into its desired shape.

"You spent all your time making that just for me," she muttered.

"I would never understand how much blood, sweat and tears -- the former two especially -- that you toiled through to do this. You were... generous enough for all of this... yet... yet when you finally gave it to me, I just... threw it on the floor like it meant nothing. I felt... what they call it? Flattered? I don't know, but I felt something that day, even if I threw it down on the floor and I'm sorry, Brutus. I'm really, really, really sorry..."

That was when Dapple finally let her sobs out. She buried herself in the blanket, the very little tears that came dampening the minotaur's blanket with a stain at a time. Every emotion she could name were blazing like a riot in her head, however much she wanted to stop. Nevertheless, riots don't stop unless they wanted to.

"Y-You don't... deserve me, buddy..." she managed to say between her sniffles.

"I'm sorry for everything... I'm an idiot, I know... and you don't want to be with me, Brutus, however much you might say you like me. I'm not worth all the trouble... but thank you."

With that, she stood up and leaned forwards, gazing down at the minotaur longingly with the desire to start it again, but alas, she knew she couldn't. Closing her eyes with tomato-red cheeks, Dapple gave him a kiss on the lips, relishing in those several seconds before she reminded herself to make it quick, snapping out and standing up with a flushed clear of her throat.

"Thank you for giving me a chance," she stammered.

"E-Even if I wasn't worthy of a mare to honor it."

Turning around, the unicorn raised her head high, wiping any remaining stray tears that clung stubbornly onto her with the desire to embarrass. One trembling sigh later, she strutted towards the door, though not before her frustrated heart beckoned her to glance back at the sleeping minotaur.

"I won't disturb you any further," she promised.

"Just... if you have anything you want to say to me when you wake up... I'm available for you. Also, promise me you won't tell the rest about this, okay? They might... freak out and call me an impostor if they knew... Bye..."

That settled, Dapple left the room, first to recollect her thoughts before planning to join the others for the dinner and to greet with the revered Princess Crystallia, goddess to the reindeer and savior to them, whoever she may be. She, however, didn't notice Brutus weakly turning to the side just to watch her beautiful form stride out from the view of the doorway, wanting to call out to her yet only able to muster a whisper:

"Promise."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Mommy? Mom? Mommmm~!"

Princess Cadance sighed once more. Fourth time today.

"What is it, Radiance dear?"

"Are we going home soon?" he asked innocently.

"It's a little boring here in Canterlot."

"Now, now, Radiance," she replied, looking up from the scroll she was writing.

"You know we have to stay until Daddy finishes his job. You know how important it is to us that he does it now, do you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Why not hang out with the others?" Cadance suggested.

"You have Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo to hang out and play games with. Then you got your Aunt Applejack and Kane and your Uncle Spike to play with."

"But Daddy said you promised me to take me out to the fields and play hoofball with me!"

"Daddy said that?" she asked, to which Radiance eagerly nodded. Cadance sighed; she's going to have a long talk with Shining about this. She has her duties of her Crystal Princess, which reminded her of getting a babysitter every time such a situation happens. Perhaps this was what her mother-in-law went through before turning to her as a babysitter for Twilight. Speaking of which, her sister-in-law was the first candidate on her list, though her sudden departure left that position vacant. Spike and Applejack each tried their best, but with Radiance being Radiance, it wasn't much of a surprise when they told her about how... what word did they use? Active? Yes, how 'active' he was. Truth be told, she was on their side.

"Well, I have my own things to do, so hoofball's a no-no."

"Aw..."

"Cheer up, hon," she said, nuzzling his cheek.

"The moment Daddy comes back, you can play a round or two of hoofball with him. Just be patient and, with a little bit of luck, you can get what you want eventually."

Radiance nodded, disappointed, but he still held his smile. That smile... it was the perfect carbon copy of Shining's own, which was one of the things Cadance find unbearably cute. After all, he does resemble his father more than herself, with his athletic personality and carefree nature being one of the few traits he inherited. Smiling to herself, she was about to go back to her writing when he cried out again:

"Mom?"

A sigh. "Yes, dear?"

"Why is Daddy always gone?"

Cadance bit her lip, glancing at the barracks across the yard where Shining was working. It wouldn't be a surprise if a child's father would always disappear in the afternoon for the purposes of work, but Shining's case was just extreme. The last time Radiance saw him was almost four days ago, what with his father's recent routine of working during late nights. She wouldn't blame him for coming home late; Shining held the burden of protecting the entirety of Equestria from an invasion. Who wouldn't do the same in his position?

"Well, er... Daddy has to do very important things," she improvised her reply.

"Things like... like making sure we all can sleep without any bad ponies coming to get us. You don't want bad ponies to snatch you away in your sleep, right Radiance?"

"No!"

"That's right," she said, chuckling.

"Daddy's protecting all of us, just like your grandaunts Celestia and Luna are doing. I do that too back home. And you know what, Radiance? Someday, you'll do the same."

"Really?"

A nod. "Really."

"Can... can I go see Daddy?"

Cadance chuckled. Now, wouldn't that be a first? She could already imagine how excited it would be for him to see his father working as the Captain of the Royal Guard for once, even if Shining's too busy assembling his paperwork now. She would tag along too, but with all the duties of running the Crystal Kingdom involved through the exchange of letters to her stand-in back there, it would be hard.

"You can," she began.

"But be careful on the way there. You know how to get there, right?"

"Yup!"

With a wave and a peck from her mother that made him giggle, Radiance hopped off her mother's bed and scampered out of the room, his hooves jiggling with a child's excitement. He rushed down the hallways, making every necessary turn around the corner. One of them, however, made him bump into a pony, leaving him dazed on the floor with one hoof rubbing his head.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah..." he said, finding himself staring at the bottom of bleached-white hooves. His gaze drew towards the pony's face, which was hidden under a cloak, though he could make out the pair of red distinct eyes staring from underneath. Stifling a small sheepish grin which earned him a small smile from the pony in return, he brushed himself free from the dust on the carpet, before the other pony asked:

"You're Shining Armor's son, aren't you?"

"Uh... yeah," Radiance answered.

"What about it?"

"Just tell your father I said hi," the other pony said in a deep voice, trotting past the perplexed colt without even bothering a glance back.

"Also, like your mother said, do be careful on your way there."

The reply that followed just left Radiance blinking in confusion.

"You'll never know when a bad pony would suddenly come out and snatch you away."

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

Shining Armor.

Captain of the Celestial (and inadvertently, Lunar) Royal Guard, happily married husband to the Crystal Princess, Cadance, father to the most adventurous colt, Radiance, 'big brother best friend forever' to Princess Celestia's faithful student and one of Equestria's glorious heroes, Twilight Sparkle and practically one of the most loyal servants of the Royal Sisters... that sums up his most prominent titles, among numerous others. There was a rare, almost forgotten title that hadn't been properly in use for the past few centuries that came with his position in the ranks of the Guard, and that was being General of the Army.

To represent Equestria's military faction among other nations was no easy task, especially when he had no experience on the battleground at all, unlike the generals of other nationalities. At this time of war where every threat to Equestria had so far been very real, he could only imagine how much they actually looked down at him like how he was looked down at by his various sergeants back when he was just a new recruit. It was hard enough to work to the top; no doubt it will be harder to earn the respect of the others.

"Sir?"

"Yep?" he responded, looking up from his various paperwork: reports from the various outposts around the country. Everything was listed there, including resources, troop conditions and, if there were any, enemy sightings and possible mobility. He had been paying extra attention to the stations up north, upon having learned the devastation and losses they suffered in the Highland post of Camp Éigríochtar. Janus could attack at any time, the signs foretold.

"What is it?"

"We have another break-in at Fairlane Street."

"Who is it this time?"

"District attorney," the guard answered, to which Shining let out a sigh.

"Around five million bits and eight million more worth of gold bars cleared out from the vault."

"Any roses on the scene?"

"Affirmative, sir."

"Always him..." he cursed underneath his breath.

"Tell the attorney we'll investigate as soon as possible."

"B-But sir," the guard began again with a shiver.

"I don't mean to be rude but... he insists that we start now."

"Really?" Shining exclaimed, suddenly standing up and slamming his hoof onto the table.

"Tell him I can't divide my attention between small robberies and a national threat. Tell him that if he wants himself to be alive and his home to be intact, he should use his head for one second and think how much Equestria is in danger right now instead of coming to me to get his royal luxuries back. Those exact words. Understand?"

"Y-Yes sir!"

A salute later, the poor guard dashed out of the room, closing the door behind him. Letting out a groan, Shining slumped back into his chair, tossing the report onto the table while his other hoof rubbed his eye out of fatigue. He'd rather spend his time going out into the fields with his son like he promised, but once again, as usual, duty calls.

Once again, he resumed leafing through the reports, his horn levitating them in a row like a slideshow. He frowned at the number of reported sightings; they have grown from last week's, which could only mean they were ready to attack. At any point of time, one of the northern camps would be stormed by Janus's forces, with half of them being under the control of their allies. Imagine the uproar it might cause again if any of the Highlanders lost their armies.

Putting it all in a neat stack, Shining stood up to glance outside the window, sighing at the ponies down in the plaza below. There was an intake of a bunch of new recruits recently, the majority training right before him. He could see fear; a collective and reasonable one, for who has no fear in the notion of a war? Then again, ponies like Janus do exist, if one was nice enough to call them ponies.

Turning around, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw a particularly bright pink gift box sitting on the table, adorned in hearts and wrapped with a yellow bow on top. Was it there when he was attending to the reports? Was he so busy that he missed it out completely from his view? With a shrug, he sat back into his chair, lurching forward to examine the tag hanging from the side.

"To my big brother best friend forever," it said.

"Here's a souvenir I got for you for all your hard work. From Twilight Sparkle."

Shining Armor chuckled lightly. Her little sister bringing her a souvenir in gratitude? How sweet! He always pondered on where that mare has gone skipping to; being gone for a few days is a lot to ask for in a time of war. The very notion of the present itself brought him some relief of that idea. With a small grin, he used his magic onto the tip of the ribbon, giving it a tug.

*Tick*

His ears twitched.

*Tick*

His magical grip on the ribbon loosened, the first bead of sweat dripping down his head.

*Tick*

With one hoof grabbing a table microphone from the side, Shining pressed the single button at its base, eyes still glued to the present. A small fizz and whir later, he heard a small cough from the other side, before a voice said:

"Yes Capt'n?"

"Evacuate the building."

"I-I'm sorry, Capt'n?"

*Tick*

"Evacuate the building," he grimly repeated, eyes still glued to the present. That ticking sound... he knew what was inside. That ticking sound, however much he didn't want to believe was real and was all just a clock of paranoia running in his head... it was there. It was truly there. Time was running out, and there isn't much of it left.

"Didn't you hear me, sergeant?! I said evacuate the building!!"

*Tick*

"NOW!!"

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

Time was running out.

"I'm sorry!!"

There isn't much of it left.

"Let me through!!"

The princess spent her days crying in the tower...

"Excuse me!!"

For the dragon burned her knight in shining armor...

"Pardon me!!" Twilight Sparkle shouted, galloping through the thick crowd of ponies around. She was panting, gasping for air, her hooves aching from all the galloping through the sewer tunnels and the suburbs. Being back at the busiest streets of Canterlot only made her pale; a carnival was being held by the Equestrian Performers Association, filling the already-crowded streets with larger barricades of ponies, none of which knew of the impending danger that was coming.

"Make way! Make way!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Some were kind of enough to let her past, but most brushed her aside, making her wait impatiently in place as they browsed for their wares. Twilight was smart enough to use her teleportation spell, but in some cases, using it would knock others over and probably start a fight; a risk she couldn't afford to take. She glanced up, gritting her teeth as she stared up at the looming towers of the Royal Palace where the barracks was nearby. So close, yet so far.

"Twilight?"

Twilight turned around to see Fancypants and Fleur De Lis coming up to them, both husband and wife giving her a wave. The mare would've gave them a grin or even a proper 'hello', but with what's at stake now, she couldn't think of anything else but to rush off before it's too late.

"Twilight, what's wrong?" Fancypants asked.

"Sh-Shining..." she gasped.

"My brother's in trouble..."

Without another word, Fancypants hastily trutted forward, the ponies before them letting him pass when he pushed through the crowd. Slowly, they waded through the giant sea of ponies, with many a pony bearing a frown as they marched through, though Twilight never bothered to care less. Her gaze still stuck to the royal palace, praying so hardly in her head.

"Please, please, please..." she muttered, heard by those close to her. Tears were beginning to stream from her eyes; although she desperately wiped away each wave, there would always be one standing by to flow out her eyes and soak her dampening cheeks. They were reaching the end of the crowd, which already made a ravine of Fancypants's doing long enough for them to quickly and steadily march through. It never seemed to end, but from what she could saw, she was almost there already. She almost reaching to the end of the crowd; one step closer to the barracks. One step closer to her brother.

*BOOM!!*

In almost a second, the crowd erupted in a unison of screams, scrambling them about as they retreated from the street. Twilight's face was a pale white, her tears even stopping with her jaw hanging agape at the large cloud of smoke blowing from the direction of the palace. She could hear nothing in her head, the explosion rendering the hysterical uproar into silence. All she could do was watch at the horrifying beast of soot and flame before her, looming over the town and reveling in its might. The beast blotted the afternoon sky in a dense darkness that echoed its brother from the Rembury explosion back then, yet this time was different. This time, it had engulfed somepony into its depths. Somepony dear.

"Shining..."

With the speed of light, Twilight snapped out from her daze, galloping through the clearing street with Fancypants and Fleur De Lis following close behind, her tears flying in the wind. Nothing mattered anymore, be it how many ponies she had to knock over or how many bombs there might be in store for her. All she did was galloping as quickly as she could despite her achingly painful hooves with nothing in mind but to look for her brother.

Even if he might not be alive anymore.

Author's Note

EDIT: Did some minor tweaks and add-ons for the last scene :pinkiehappy:

Shattered Crystals & Broken Hearts

"Shining!!"

It was a noon of red flames and gray fumes, the sky intoxicated in a deep, jarring orange with the sun blotted by the desolate scene of the Canterlot Barracks, the top ruptured with smoke escaping from its depths. It was Tartarus on earth, and they were living in it.

Ponies were at every corner, some sprawled on the floor and whimpering from their wounds and burns, some tending to their fallen comrades. Many had came to their aid, either tending to the wounded or giving them their provisions, but most were digging through the pile in their quest to look for survivors. There were some, however, that laid still, waiting for their heads to be draped over by pure white blankets and their eyes forever closed in an eternal, painless slumber.

"Shining!!! Where are you?!!"

Twilight Sparkle had never shouted her brother's name louder in her entire life. The desolate sight of death and destruction before her was enough to drive her down; for her brother to be one of its victims only dug the grave much deeper. Her throat was hoarse, her tear ducts dry to the bone as she rushed about the wasteland, frantically looking at every pained face there is to see around her. Joining her was the renowned couple that consists of Fancypants and Fleur De Lis, both paling whiter at the results of one madpony's demonic grasp for power, the former grimacing when he saw the many lives taken from such a horrendous act.

She pushed aside some of the bruised guards, sniffling as she dug her hooves into the wreck, her head spinning. A few hooves came to her shoulders, including those of Fancypants, all asking to settle down, yet she never relented. She kept digging and digging, her sobs getting louder with each piece of debris tossed away by her magic.

"Miss Sparkle?"

"M-Must find him... I must find Shining..."

"Miss Sparkle? Miss Sparkle, can you hear me?"

"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"

With one hoof slamming on the ground, a burst of magic from the brim of her broken horn sent those around her stumbling back, with Fancypants and Fleur fearfully looking on at her face: a dark shadow before the sun. She held the firm look for a moment, before she felt it; a little tremble in her horn that made her yell, her hooves shivering before she fell backwards onto the ground.

The excruciating pain sank in for a few seconds, until finally Twilight just plopped her haunches on the floor, eyes still wide from the traumatic scene with her tears not even daring to leave its shimmering state. A sudden clatter of hoofsteps from the side was the only thing that snapped her out from her misery, turning in time to see Princess Cadance storming out from the castle, before slowing down to a halt. She could only stare on, her body trembling with shock. Her husband was down there. Her lover, her mate. What of her son? He went to look for his father... could it be true?

"S-Shining... R-R-Radiance..."

Suddenly, the Crystal Princess collapsed, caught just in time by the reflexive hooves of some of her attendees. She wasn't the only one that came; right behind her were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, both jaws agape at the pile of ruin and debris before them. The younger of the sisters quickly stepped forward, already moving piece by heavy piece while the older one glanced down, cheeks turning into a dim, rare shade of gray.

"Princess..." Twilight weakly called for her revered mentor, who looked down at her limp form with stale eyes that sent to her heart a shiver. It was the first time to her that Princess Celestia's eyes were ever that soulless; that her eye were almost as if it was made from glass. It stared through her in a manner that Twilight could only name in her churning head as contempt, before much to her horror, the alicorn turned back to her castle and strutted off, head held high and leaving the ruin behind.

"Princess Celestia...? Where are you-- Princess, you have to help... PRINCESS CELESTIA!!"

"Twilight!"

The mare whirled around to see Spike clambering up to her, followed by the remainder of her friends. Upon seeing the burning ruins, his big sister's distress and the fainted Princess Cadance at the side, he quickly dived into action, claws driving out pieces of debris as he dug into the mound, with Soarin', Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Big Macintosh quickly joining in.

Rarity and Fluttershy were quickly at Twilight's side, though the latter was more hesitant when she saw her husband busy heaving a few heavy bars. She turned away when he caught her glancing to her direction, biting her lip and hiding her face underneath her mane. It had been too long, yet she knows she must hold on if she ever wanted to be at his side and see their daughter's face again. She just had to be patient.

"Come here, Twilight."

Rarity gestured her friend to the side just as Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo came up to them. Their faces, however, were drawn to the burning ruins and the lifeless bodies all around, Sweetie Belle already clamping her mouth tight with her hoof.

"All of you get back inside now," she ordered.

The Crusaders, of course, quickly complied, galloping back in without sparing another glance back, though Scootaloo turned back for a moment to glance at Twilight, before heading off after the others. That settled, Rarity turned back to the situation at hoof, praying softly underneath her breath as the search goes on.

"Why...?"

"What is it, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked.

"What's wrong?"

"T-The princess... she... she just..."

"Leave her be," Rarity said, staring at where she believed Princess Celestia had headed and gritting her teeth. Whatever feelings she harbored for the alicorn were quickly wiped off the slate soon after, the urgency to calming her friend came first and, in turn, saving Shining Armor.

Sure enough, her efforts paid off; Twilight soon stood up, albeit shakily as she stared forward at the mound of debris. She clenched her jaw tight, her eyes steeling a glare at the destruction. A strange feeling she had never felt before was growing in her... a feeling that she could only describe as... anger. She was angry. Angry that her brother had been hurt. Angry at the one pony that made this all happen.

Quickly, she dived into action, joining her not-so-little brother and the rest of her friends in the excavation. They already had tunneled through most of the ruin, pulling out injured ponies from the crushing weight. One by one, more ponies were rescued, yet her brother was nowhere to be seen.

"Shining... where..." Cadance murmured suddenly, opening her eyes to see her worried guards looking over her. She quickly sat back up and turned around, the tears that were held back now leaking down her cheeks. She wanted to stand and help, yet she couldn't. All she could do was watch. All she could do was watch as the rest tirelessly shovel each piece of debris out, her heart thumping more anxiously with each passing, agonizing second. Her own husband was underneath all of that and yet... she couldn't even move a hoof.

"Please... please don't leave me..."

"Over here!"

Twilight's ears perked when she heard that, instantly rushing over to where Soarin' and Rainbow Dash were at. She could only gasp when she saw her brother's face a few feet under her, light shining over his bruised and bloodied face. Quickly, her horn lit up, shoving away whatever wood or stone that obstructed her to her brother. Slowly, she pulled him out with her magic, carefully lifting him out into the open before gently laying down on the ground.

"SHINING!!" Cadance cried out, rushing through her husband's side, her face paling immediately when she laid her ears onto his chest.

"He's... He's not breathing!!"

"SOMEPONY GET A DOCTOR!!" Twilight yelled aloud, her horn lighting up once more as a few small sparks flew out of the tip. Her brother was soon enveloped in a casing of light, leaving Cadance to stand back and watch with teary eyes and blood flowing from her bitten lips. There was only one thought that the librarian had in her head then.

This had better work.

"CLEAR!!"

One loud zap made Shining's body jerk upwards, enough to make some of them yelp, though he quickly fell back onto the floor, lifeless as before. Cadance quickly closed her eyes, turning away to muffle her sobs into Princess Luna's chest just as Twilight's horn started to charge up once again, the lavender mare withholding her tears as she yelled again:

"CLEAR!!"

Another jerk, before he fell back down, limp as before. Gritting her teeth, Twilight wiped some of her tears away, once again concentrating her horn at her brother's stagnant heart. The gathering pain sank into her exposed nerves, stabbing into her brain like needles which would make one scream, yet that doesn't matter. With a pained groan, her horn flared up, her skull as if on fire while she screamed out:

"CLEAR!!"

The final jerk upwards, yet Shining fell again, lifeless. With a sniffle, Twilight fell back, just staring at her brother. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't... she didn't want to believe it. Her own brother, dead right before her, her efforts to bring him back all for naught. He was dead and there was nothing else she could do about it.

"Shining..." she murmured, too shocked to even speak. She just sat there, her heart torn apart, every sound fogged with the exception of Cadance breaking out her sobs at the side, crying her own shattered, fragile heart out. Twilight's own body fought so hard to breathe, yet it all choked out into brief hiccups of tears; without the captain, it was a battle she easily lost.

"Make way!! Make way!!"

It had been ages since any one of them heard that voice, but sure enough the ponies parted. Twilight turned around, snapped from her stupor when she saw Inkie Pie galloping towards them, screeching to a halt once the gray mare spotted the prone body of Shining Armor. Quickly, she knelt down and placed one hoof on Shining's left chest, the other raised up high in the air as she steeled a glare at the unconscious stallion. Everypony's jaws, especially Twilight's, started to fall, however, when they saw both of Inkie's hooves glowing with a swirling aura that were as purple as her amethyst eyes.

"Don't you dare quit now, captain."

Within a split second, the hoisted hoof swung down like a hammer on a nail, slamming into Shining's chest with such great force, it was enough to make him twitch. One huff, and Inkie did it again, this time with more power than before, yet he remained still. With an extra fizz of the strange energy, she raised her hoof as high as she can until one could see veins popping through her forehead, until it came thrashing down, almost drilling into his chest.

Suddenly, a loud gasp leaped out from Shining's mouth, his body violently hurtling upwards with eyes shot open, making the rest jump a little. The captain was panting by the time Cadance hugged him ever tightly, still a little dazed from all the relieved faces surrounding it. His heart sank a little when he heard his wife weeping quietly over his shoulder and saw his teary-eyed sister somewhat glaring at him, almost as if he did something wrong.

"What happened?" he weakly groaned.

"What happened...?" Twilight mumbled spitefully, stomping forward.

"You're asking us what happened?"

"I thought I lost you!!" Cadance suddenly yelled with a choked sob.

"There... th-there was an explosion and... a-and you weren't breathing and... a-and--!!"

Twilight suddenly smacked Shining across the face, leaving him flabbergasted and adding a minuscule bruise on the side of his cheek. Her snout was scrunched up, her face turning redder than all the flames all around. The rest just watched, not daring to even say a word as she stared down at her brother with a rage never seen before from the librarian.

"Promise me..." she began rather venomously.

"Just... promise me you won't scare me like that again..."

"I-I won't..."

Almost immediately, Shining found himself being hugged tight again, the stallion smiling weakly and enduring what pain he can when Twilight finally let loose her sobs. First her wife, then her sister... he wouldn't dare to imagine how it would be like if his parents were here instead of vacationing in the batpony city of Pransylvania.

"There now..." he weakly hushed his sister, whose sobs toned down into small whimpers.

"It's over... it's all over..."

"I just... I c-can't imagine what might happen i-if I lost you..."

"It's okay. Nothing will stop this-- gah!!"

Shining's sudden yelp of pain made Twilight jump back as he fell backwards into his wife's embrace, who could only bite her lip at all the stinging lacerations the explosion had given him. Instinctively, Spike abruptly ran off into the castle, though the weak groans of the stallion drew all their attention instead with the exception of Rarity. The dragon quickly came scampering back soon after, this time with a first aid kit gripped in his claws.

"Lay him down," Inkie instructed, to which Twilight and Cadance did so. With a wave of her hoof, the magenta aura around it dissipated like the flame of a lit candle in a breeze as she drew from the kit a roll of bandages, tearing a small section of it forcefully with her teeth.

Shining gritted his teeth, bracing for the pain, though not before asking:

"W-Where's Radiance?"

"I... I don't know..."

"What? What do you mean--"

"Radiance went to look for you..." Cadance stammered amid her tears. The rest of the ponies (and Spike the dragon) just held back their gasps, some turning back to the ruined barracks in disbelief. Shining just fell back, his tears falling along his wife's while Soarin' and Big Macintosh set off once again, digging their hooves into the ruin in their frantic search for her son.

"He... he might be under all of that! B-But he might be alive!! He... he... I don't know!!"

"What if he isn't?"

"Don't you dare say that! Don't you dare!!"

"He might be gone, for all we know..."

"He will live, Shining!!"

"How can you be so sure?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO SURE?!!"

"I DON'T KNOW!!"

"YOU LEFT OUR SON, CADANCE!! YOU LEFT HIM!! AND NOW HE'S PROBABLY BURIED UNDERNEATH ALL THAT WRECK FOR CELESTIA KNOWS HOW LONG!!!" he screamed despite all the pain. Cadance frantically shook her head and just glanced away, scrunching her eyes shut. Those words echoed painfully, a forced veil shielding her away from her own husband... her son might be dead. Radiance...

"Look at me, Cadance! LOOK AT ME AND TELL ME HE'S ALIVE!! CADANCE!!"

Cadance dared not say anything, instead shutting her eyes and turning away from the mound of debris. With a loud roar, Shining just slammed a hoof onto the ground and turned away, refusing to even bat an eye at his wife, his strong-willed spirit rammed down and nailed into the ground. Every single one of them were praying in their hearts, hoping for a miracle, even if miracles don't happen to many anymore. Twilight would've followed the rest and prayed for her nephew's safe return, yet something was jarring... something put her off not only as a unicorn, but also as the bearer of the Element of Magic.

"That... that magic..." Twilight managed to splutter, earning the attention of none other than Inkie Pie.

"It was like Pinkie's... before... b-before..."

"Seems this is not the first time you had seen this magic," the gray mare said.

"So... my sister decided to use it after all... even after being forbade to..."

"Forbade? By whom?"

Inkie just turned back to her task, leaving the other mare hanging as she started bandaging Shining's blood-red waist, making him hiss. Twilight's need to ask, however, was interrupted when yet another set of hooves galloped towards them, this time more fleet and swift. All of their eyes were drawn to a small form speeding towards them like a bullet, though only Cadance voiced out a gasp at who it was.

The miracle had arrived.

"Mommy!"

"RADIANCE!!!" she cried out his name, hugging her son tightly and letting her sobs flow out once more. Immediately, Shining struggled to crane his neck up, flashing a brief smile at the sight of his son. Radiance could only whimper at his dad's wounds while in his mother's embrace, which only spurred Inkie to speed up her task.

"Thank Celestia... oh, thank Celestia!!"

"Where did you-- hng! -- g-go?!" Shining hissed his question, nuzzling his son.

"For the love of Celestia, both of us were worried sick about you!"

"I h-heard a loud boom and... and I was really, really scared, so I ran and hide in the library..."

Radiance turned back and grinned, the rest following his gaze just as Princess Celestia stepped back out, nodding amiably in response to the colt.

"That's when Princess Celestia found me," he continued.

"She told me it was okay to come out now... so I came out and I followed her here and... I-I don't want to wander off again..."

His parents just hugged him tighter, the family happily reunited once again. To Twilight however, who was staring at her mentor the whole time, something was amiss: Princess Celestia headed back in, ignoring the situation of her brother being buried alive, just to have a talk with Radiance? The Princess Celestia she knew would've saved Shining before engaging in some small talk, not the other way around!

"Inkie Pie," said alicorn called out suddenly, the gray mare casually looking at her.

"Come with me."

Dumbfounded, the rest just stared as Inkie strutted forward, void of emotions while following Princess Celestia into the castle. One would swear she even wore a subtle smirk before she stepped inside. Nevertheless, all they could do was celebrate the reunion of the family, yet there are a certain few who sensed something was amiss, namely Twilight and Rarity.

For the former unicorn, she had been worrying about Princess Celestia's odd behavior the whole time, but for Rarity, something else put her off. Normally, she would brush it off and shove it aside, because why bother? Yet this time... the feeling she had before was coming back. The feeling that echoed that of Pinkie's predicament in Pendant Lakes.

That something important was being hidden from them. Something crucial to Equestria's safety.

Something crucial to their lives.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

It wasn't easy being the Oracle.

Artemis was seven years younger when she was bestowed the title, when she was cast out by the rest due to her albino nature. For a white deer with red eyes to living among the usual brown-spotty furred, black eyed herd... she wasn't always called the Oracle. Back then, she had been cruelly jeered as The Fawn of Tartarus or The White Devil, among other equally degrading nicknames, yet throughout those tough times, her parents were always by her side, protecting her and instead calling her a gift from the heavens above. A deity worthy of worship and prayer.

For her, she never liked being called a demon or a goddess; rather, she wanted to be just like every other fawn, to be brought up like them and treated like one, not shunned as an abomination or heralded as a legend. On the contrary, she sought to become what many a deer dreamed of becoming: a huntress, which was a position highly respected right beneath the priestesses.

Hunting was, surprisingly, one of her secret talents, which she quickly discovered after her first few tries. It was exhilarating, how her heart pumped so fast, how her breathing tensed whenever she saw her target and how each of her senses heightened to a swelling level... she loved everything about it. She remembered back then that every morning after each escape into her nocturnal activity, when her father would complain about a few scratches on the bow, she would be the one quietly snickering in the corner.

Those were the better days of her life.

Those were the days before it happened.

Now, she was here, dining as the town's fabled Sandsigeren, or Oracle to the foreigners before her. She was sitting close towards one end of an iceberg of a rectangular table with assorted plates of food coloring its expanse on glass dishes, the bottoms clasped onto metallic, snowflake-shaped palates. Hanging over them was a chandelier of ice, illuminating the room with an otherworldly, mesmerizing serenity, which Artemis had been immune to as of now. She quietly watched them feast from behind a transparent wall of tranquility, not even touching her own plate of food whilst smiling all the time like a hostess would smile. Moments later, the one they call the Hvid Jæger, or White Hunter, had finally arrived, solemnly taking her place next to her brother, leaving only one empty chair remaining in the room.

It wasn't exactly a chair; rather, it was a throne, made from the sleekest ice with a stag's head carved on the splat and the top rail jutting like a pipe organ up towards the ceiling. Never in all its years did it melt, which proved further the strength of their watchful guardian. Said guardian was the only absent guest at the moment, probably preoccupied with her otherworldly duties. Quietly, Artemis waited, not only because of her duty as Oracle, but also because she made a promise.

A very important promise.

"Um... excuse me?"

The Oracle turned, surprised to see the pink one of the group staring back at her with her large blue eyes. Her name was Pinkie Pie, as Artemis recalled, their leader having introduced all of them before settling down for their lovely feast. Silently, Pinkie looked down at Artemis's filled plate of lettuce and strawberries, before back up at her face again.

"Why aren't you eating?"

"Huh?"

"I mean, since everypony's here just eating and talking and laughing all day," Pinkie explained.

"I thought that you would join in, but you're just looking at us. I mean, I don't know why you would be looking at us because I really, really think we're not that fun to look at--"

"I'm just waiting for the Princess to arrive."

"Ohhhhhh...... can't you eat while you're waiting?"

"It's a little rude."

"Oh, but she would understand... right?"

"We have our customs," Artemis said.

"Princess Crystallia isn't... tolerant to many things."

"Okay... I'll wait with you then!"

Before the fawn could protest, Pinkie lurched her seat up to her side, the loud jerk whisking the attention of the rest. Artemis felt her throat constricting onto nothing, the smile of the mare from the corner of her eye freezing her body up. She immediately glanced up at Phoenix, who just quietly shrugged at her, unable to aid her in her predicament.

"P-Pinkie?" she stammered.

"You don't have to wait for me."

"Oh no, I don't! But I want to because otherwise, you would be alone again!"

"I...." she began, yet her voice faltered, a long-forgotten turmoil churning in her head.

"I'm not alone..."

"Really-wheally? But you looked like you're alone!"

Artemis just kept quiet. Inconceivable, to be rendered speechless by a foreigner like her... never had one of her kin even dared to silence her and yet this mare... she did it in just half an hour of knowing her! She clenched her jaw tight once more, gathering the fragments of her confidence as she firmly stated:

"I'm not alone, Pinkie Pie."

"I do recall hearing it differently from you, Artemis."

The shunning, cold voice made everyone freeze on the spot, a shower of speckles of snow suddenly erupting from the ceiling above. The flames of every ornate torch in the room suddenly died down into a faint glimmer of blue just as a cone of sparkling moonlight shot down towards the throne of ice. Slowly, each speck of snow swirled in an invisible wind, gathering together just as a figure simmered from thin air.

It was an alicorn, from what they could see; an alicorn with coat of pale cerulean and glacial mane of bright turquoise. Each lump of snow, as if in unison, drew themselves closer towards her mane, shifting into their varied, symmetrical selves as they sprinkled themselves like glitter, adding the final touch to the figure's resplendence. The sight of the alicorn immediately spurred Artemis to stand up, head held high as she announced:

"All hail Our Lady Protector and Goddess: Princess Crystallia!"

Slowly but surely, every being, be it pony or deer (and in Ollivander's case, gryphon) bowed down, with Princess Crystallia enigmatically staring at each and every one of them, her snout held high. The mystical light around her faded away, the torches on the walls slowly lighting back up again as all of them rose back up. Immediately, the princess panning her gaze across each member of the Caravan, before finally speaking:

"So you are the ones my subjects keep raving and rioting on about."

"To put it bluntly, yes," Phoenix answered.

"We are honored to be in your presence, Your Highness."

"I believe I beg to differ on my end."

Phoenix glanced up immediately, a little taken aback by her words. Retaining her cold smirk, Princess Crystallia stood up and trotted to the other end of the room where most of the caravan had seated themselves, the blue fire in her glare pinning them where they stood. With a flicker of her horn, small spindles of ice manifested of the wintry air, each one pointing right at all of the caravan, much to the horror of them and even her own subjects present in the room.

"You are honored to be in my presence?" she scoffed.

"I never did say I'd gladly honor the fact that you mere outsiders can come waltzing into my kingdom uninvited, did I?"

Silence.

"Well?!" she shouted suddenly at the top of the voice.

"I demand an answer now, Phoenix Mellow!!"

"N-No you didn't!" was the anxious reply.

"Then give me a very, very good reason why I shouldn't just turn all of your sorry bodies into pin cushions right now."

Pinkie gritted her teeth. This was not one bit similar to their encounter with Princess Terra; at least she had the decency to give a warmer smile. For Princess Crystallia to wear that bossy little smirk of hers, filled with so much deep hatred and sardonic rage... the things she would give to wipe that little smile off her face.

"My patience is wearing thin," the alicorn said almost playfully.

"My, my. Do all of you welcome death so willingly?"

"Y-Your Highness..." Artemis stuttered.

"B-But... but they were our guests! You said you wanted to see them!"

"Yes I did, and I've seen them feast on my table, seating so luxuriously on my chairs and lounging around my domain. They already had the nerve to trespass into our domain, that which I can tolerate, but to come here and be treated like kings and queens in my kingdom... such insolent behavior does not go unpunished, Artemis."

"But my Lady Protector--"

"SIT!! Down!"

Immediately, Artemis did as she was barked to do, head stooped low without another word. That being done, the alicorn shifted her gaze back to the caravan, the needles she conjured closing in inch by inch towards them. She was still smiling, yet what they saw in her eyes... it was rage. Pure, undiluted rage.

"Don't worry, my ponies," she mumbled, her smile finally fading.

"I'll make it really, really quick."

"Princess Terra would never do such a thing."

Just when the icicles were already prodding at their skin, Princess Crystallia stopped them, her wide-eyed glare narrowing down to Dapple Deuce, who was standing firmly before her. The others quietly watched as all the needles of ice pointed at their fellow member, yet none dared to step between her and the rage of the Lady Protector.

"Say that name again," the alicorn muttered, grimacing.

"Say it. I dare you."

"Dapple, don't do it."

"I always thought you were a coward, Velvet," was the mare's reply, chuckling it off.

"Now... the name... what was it? Princess... Terra?"

"Are you asking for a death wish, Hvid Jaeger?"

"You tell me, my 'Lady Protector'."

Even Artemis looked on in disbelief as the verbal sparring elicited silence from the alicorn, her unnerving glare still remaining. Then, out of the blue, Princess Crystallia let out a derisive rasp, before whirling away and stomping back to her throne in a seething fit of rage. The room fell into a deep, tense silence, yet Dapple held her triumphant grin. She knew she had already won.

"Terra..." Princess Crystallia repeated softly with such gentleness, it surprised even Artemis herself.

"It's been a while since I've heard that name. Too long of a while, in fact. I assume all of you have met her?"

"Yes," Dapple answered in their stead.

"And how did you know about her and me?"

"I didn't," the mare confessed.

"I just had a hunch that the two of you were friends."

"Close enough," Princess Crystallia said, smiling once again not as an adversary, but as one who graced her defeat; a competitor who commended her opponent. With a sigh, she stared up at the crystalline chandelier above and into whatever space beyond like a filly making a wish, before answering:

"Terra is my sister-in-law."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Janus had struck once again.

It was a disaster that struck the same gong in Rarity's head. A disaster that she had predicted would happen sooner or later, yet to whom she wasn't too sure. Shining Armor never crossed her mind, but once she gave it a thought, it made a little sense. She had already guessed their enemy was too silent.

There she was, standing there with all her friends, particularly Twilight and Princess Cadance, watching over the tired, prone body of Shining Armor tucked safely in a hospital bed, worn out and asleep. Rarity remembered the agonizing journey when he was still on the stretcher, where both he and Cadance apologized each other among their quiet sobs. Their son was placed under the care of one of her personal guardians to be lead back to their room, mostly for Radiance's sake; who knows what might happen if Radiance knew what their argument was about?

Of course, all of it wouldn't happen if it wasn't for Janus.

"Snap out of it..." Rarity mumbled to herself, biting her lip. Sometimes, she just wished she could focus on other things instead of Janus this and Janus that. It was all that was plaguing her head recently, to the point of what Spike had called unnecessary paranoia.

With a sigh, she was the first to leave the room, though not before seeing Applejack nudge Spike from the corner of her eye. Of all the times, she lamented, not wanting to turn back to face the dragon heading after her. Of all the times that Applejack chose, it had to be on the day where she doesn't have the mood.

For once, Rarity didn't want to look at his face.

"Rarity!" the dragon called, making her flinch.

"Rarity, where are you going?"

The only response that Spike had was her hooves stomping further down the corridor.

"Rarity!" Spike yelled louder this time, earning a few glares from the staff around. Grinning sheepishly at each one he passed by, the dragon lumbered after his marefriend. She was having a fit again, he surmised, though this was one fit that he had never seen from Rarity before.

"For Celestia's sake, Rarity, can you just wait for a second?!"

Rarity stopped, mostly to quell his untamed rage and not cause a scene in the hospital. Heftily, she turned around, wearing what would've been the most forced smile she had ever worn. Spike, of course, knew better, yet he still felt a small tug in his gut when he saw it.

"Alright," he mumbled grimly.

"Tell me what's wrong."

"What's wrong? I don't believe there is anything wrong, Spike."

"You know what I mean, Rarity," he hissed.

"You walking off like that, not wanting to even look at me for just a split second of your life... something's bothering you, Rarity. Something's bothering my dearest marefriend and she doesn't want to give me the slightest hint of what it is."

"I need some time to myself."

"Uh-huh."

"I'm serious, Spike," she firmly stated.

"Look, just go back and help Twilight with her work. I'll just take care of myself. You know how busy I am with everything happening all around now."

"Busy? With what?"

There it was again: that burning rage of a dragon, enough to make a bonfire out of the Everfree Forest. The last time Rarity had seen this was when they encountered Prince Blueblood in the castle corridors. Back then, she could imagine Spike pouncing on the prince and tear his neck out with his fangs. This time... it almost as if he would strangle her while mutilating limb by limb.

Quietly, she just clenched her eyes shut, refusing to meet his gaze. A small sigh, before a warm smell hit her nose. When she opened, she was surprised to see a small porcelain teacup of warm coffee; a latte, from what she could smell, which was her favorite brew. Of course, with Spike holding it up, it wasn't much of a coincidence.

"I made this for you just now," he said almost apologetically. Almost.

"I thought that with everything happening, you might want something to help you relax and... I actually considered making chamomile tea, but I know you don't really have a craving for it recently, so..."

"I appreciate your consideration," she began.

"But I'm not really in the mood for a latte now."

"Not in the mood?" Spike asked, flabbergasted. Normally, Rarity would never say no to have a small latte once in a while, but for her to deny it, especially when it was brewed just the way she likes it... he almost dropped the cup onto the floor.

"Why not? You always loved a latte."

Rarity wondered the same. She smelled that same exquisite smell from that brew; it stiffens her senses in euphoria and traverse her mind throughout planes of dimensions both bitter and sweet, making it a temptation she would never cease to refuse. This time... she didn't know why, but her stomach just gurgled like a bubbling cauldron filled to the brim, denying whatever drink that it has been offered.

"I know I do," she said.

"It's just... I don't feel like it, okay Spike?"

"You don't realize it."

"Realize what?" Rarity asked, confused at the sudden turn of the conversation.

"What is it, Spike? I don't understand."

"I can't help but feel that... we're drifting further apart lately."

"M-Maybe it's your imagination."

"But you were never this... distant," he proclaimed.

"It's almost as if you're hiding something from me."

"What do I have that requires hiding, Spikey?" she asked.

"Really, I don't understand what do you mean when it comes to us being further apart than before. Don't you think that you have that... what do you call it... unnecessary paranoia that you said I have as well?"

"Then why didn't you stop when I called you?"

Rarity just bit her lip. Guilty as charged, as she would've guessed. Spike was almost tipping over the edge, desperate as he was, his quirky composure shaken up by her cold, nonchalant manner. He's confused, she muttered to herself, trying to calm the turmoil that was actually turning her inside out. He's just making false assumptions. How crude, for a lady to resort to convince herself with a muddled bunch of bad lies.

"I was afraid."

"Afraid?" he questioned, curious.

"Of what?"

There was that question again. It was the one question that Rarity refused to give an answer to. With a flick of her mane, she turned around, sighing to herself as she started to trot away. Every time, he would ask what's disturbing her or what's bothering her in her sleep and each time, she would answer it in the only way she knew how. This time would be no different.

"Things. Just things."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"But our enemy could come at any second, Your Highness. If he ever does, we would not be able to stop him."

"We need time before we can do battle, Inkie Pie," Princess Celestia justified.

"All we have to do is be patient."

"Be patient." Inkie scoffed at those words.

"Too many lives have been lost because we were being patient, Your Highness. The Rembury, Trottingham, Manehatten, Camp Éigríochtar and Cirrus Gorge... and now, the Canterlot Barracks, the home to your own soldiers that have been fighting for the security of Equestria... how many more are you willing to risk?"

"You do not want the answer to that question."

Taken aback at the cold reply, Inkie just stared in disbelief as Princess Celestia strutted across her chambers. It wasn't an everyday honor for one to be invited into the Princess's room, but the resulting somber conversation they were having made Inkie thought otherwise. With her head held high, the alicorn marched out onto the balcony, her horn lighting up as she stared into her fabled sun.

"Janus isn't like any other enemy," she said.

"You, of all ponies, should know that. You've seen what he could do at Camp Éigríochtar. I don't have the courage to send thousands of lives to their deaths for the sake of Equestria. Would you?"

"I would try my best."

"I tried my best. A long time ago."

"What happened in Pendant Lakes wasn't a long time ago."

Princess Celestia just stifled a smile. Of course she wouldn't understand, she muttered to herself, eyes fixated on the big ball of flame as she lowered it slowly down the horizon. The moon was already beginning to rise; her sister was pretty early today, considering that Luna stood in place of her to look over Shining Armor's condition.

"Perhaps it wasn't," she replied.

"Still, I need time."

"I don't think we have anymore left."

"Time never belongs to us, Inkie Pie," the alicorn clarified.

"It gives us just the right amount for us to take a chance. As of now, I do believe it's job is not finished yet, which is why I urge you, all of you, to be patient. Our time would come when it wants to."

"What if it doesn't?"

No response. With a quiet sigh and a shake of her head, Inkie Pie marched off, leaving the princess alone to lower the sun. With everything plaguing her aside, Princess Celestia focused on her job at hoof, watching it climb lower and lower down the ever-changing panorama of clouds. It was an art by itself, lowering the sun, by bringing out the most brilliant array of colors as it disappears into the horizon.

She always loved the sunset, not because of its admirable beauty, but because it gave her a strange sense of tranquility, almost as if a day went by peacefully within her harmonious rule. Of course, with a new big, black blot at the land below, it was a wonder how the foundations of that tranquility still stood firm.

It was a wonder how she was still smiling at the sight before her.

"Harsh."

At that voice, Celestia turned around, her frown growing at the sight of a snakelike figure standing at the door, his eyes glinting a bright yellow. With a mirthful chuckle, he waltzed into the room, whistling a tune just as he pranced up towards her, which only wrinkled her snout even more.

"And by harsh," he continued.

"I meant how that mare, um... what's her name, I honestly can't recall!"

The alicorn scowled.

"Inkie Pie."

"Ah yes! Little Miss Inkie Pie," he cackled.

"What a pain in the neck. Ooh, and don't get me started how she talked up to a princess like, per say, you! Of all the princesses, she challenged your rule. As if she knows how to handle the reins of Equestria."

"What is it that you want, Discord?"

"Oh, not much," Discord answered with a somewhat sinister chuckle.

"I'm just here to check on my sweet, dearest Tia after a long day's work!" he stopped to breathe in, before letting it all out in a loud sigh. "So refreshing, isn't it? Finally, after all the bore of screams and shouts, the bonfires are put out. My my, I haven't seen something this chaotic since my days of old, I have to say!"

"If you don't want anything, then it's best for you to leave."

"Ah, ah, ah!" he said with a click of his tongue as if she were just a filly, which was almost enough to infuriate her. Of course, Princess Celestia knew better than to give in to his taunts; she knew better since a thousand years ago.

"Manners, my dear Tia. I'm sure you've heard of them, considering your preceding role as a bearer of the Elements of Harmony, so to speak. Remember those days? Now, that is certainly an era worth mentioning!"

"I'm not particularly interested in any of your games tonight, Discord," the alicorn snapped.

"Go harass somepony else, for the sake of your... diplomatic immunity."

"...is that a threat I hear?"

"I don't know," she responded with a glare.

"Is it?"

Discord's usually cheeky grin suddenly dived into the darkest frown, almost shrouding within the cloak of the night. It was one frown she had not seen ever since their last battle a long, long time ago. She still recall it clearly, how the entirety of her dominion nearly went to Tartarus from their resulting conflict. Of course, that was when she still feared him.

"Don't forget," he hissed spitefully with clenched teeth.

"I hold something, remember? That which was dear to you a long, long time ago."

"I remember."

"And you dare spew such cold, cynical banter at me?"

"You are reformed."

"One's reformation does not equate to his revisions over another's liabilities," he firmly declared.

"I may be a changed draconequus, but don't think for one split second that I would rethink on what you've owed me."

"I've settled that debt a long time ago."

Celestia remembered the terms as clear as day. It was a simple contract, yet with the things at stake back then, she would've called herself insane. Now, everything was said and done. She finished her end of the deal and now, it was his move. It was time he finally fulfilled his end of the bargain, as promised.

"If I hadn't. you still would be stuck in that stone prison of yours," she clarified.

"I've done my part, now what about you? You said you would keep your promise."

"I'm a draconequus of my word."

"Then what are you waiting for? Do it."

"Ah, but you see, Tia," he began, grinning.

"We have a... slightly teeny-tiny bit of a problem."

Celestia gritted her teeth, which only made his grin wider. She knew it wouldn't be that simple. She knew it wouldn't be that simple and yet, she still fell into his trap. If the situation permitted her to send him back to his stone prison, she would gladly do it without any hesitance. If only that were the case.

"What is it?" she griped.

"I believe my freedom is, per say, not socially accepted among your... peers, I would put them as," Discord said nonchalantly, snaking around the princess, who stood there with her chin lifted up by the last of her confidence. His stare was sadistic, his fangs glinting like a predator as he continued:

"Do you think the rest would want me back? How can you be so sure that they would just... welcome me as I am, my dear little Tia?"

"I'm not."

"And what are you planning to do about it?"

"I... I don't know."

There it was. Discord finally grinned the widest he could grin as Princess Celestia tried her best to catch her words, to no avail. Without a choice, she resorted only to gaze down to the ground, her shield of words having shattered into splinters. Cackling like the devil he was, he swirled up her hooves and around her body, the alicorn gasping when he wrapped around her tight with her body, restraining her like a dog on the leash.

"L-Let me go, Discord!" she yelled between pants.

"Let me go this instant!!"

"Why?" he whispered huffily into her ear, to which she just turned away.

"Well, once you're done being the grumpy old mare, I have a proposal to make."

"I can't do that."

"Bright as ever, Celestia."

The princess whimpered as his the tip of his talons drew upwards from her waist, ending at her chin where he stroked it, making her yelp. Clenching her eyes shut, she felt the bristles of his tail brushing across her coat, making her cry out in muffled squeaks.

"But what better way is there than a small reunion? After all, they were just a bunch of old, familiar and probably scrawny faces. Don't you think they deserve one more gathering?"

"You expect me to do something that hasn't been done in more than a thousand years."

"Have you not learn anything from Pendant Lakes?" he hissed.

"History repeats itself, my dear Tia."

"That would be what Janus wants. For us to get back together."

"Alas, it is inevitable."

"Then why? Why would I have to reunite us for the sake of your contract? Are you implying that you have discreet ties with Janus himself, Discord?"

"A mere, hapless accusation," he chuckled.

"Just think with that bubbling brain of yours. A union like that would bring together the powers of all the movements, be it minotaur, gryphon, cervine and hopefully the dragons. This small reunion is just an effort to bring back the faith they had in you. The faith Equestria had in you."

"In return--"

"I shall fulfill my end of the contract," Discord finished her sentence, giving a small bow.

"Like I said, I'm a draconequus of my word."

Princess Celestia quietly sighed just as he released her from his constricting grip, lightly panting. Without bothering to give Discord a glance, she strode back out onto the balcony. The moon had already risen up and hanging in the sky; a lonely soul watching over the sleeping earth. She felt the draconequus's mismatched pair of arms around her, making her latch her eyes once again. For an act she deemed vile and forbidden... she didn't bother anymore. She needed it.

"Do you miss him?" he asked, not out of concern, but out of spite. To which she could only grimly reply with a dim, woeful shimmer in her eye:

"Dearly."

Author's Note

It took even longer than anticipated, due to the sudden rush of work at college, but here it is! :pinkiehappy:

The Hunt For Insanity

"Sister-in-law?"

"You seem surprised," Princess Crystallia questioned inquiringly when she saw the wide-eyed look of Dapple Deuce, her aptly-cold voice resonating through the fortress she was in. Odd, she wondered; she was supposed to be the surprised one in the room. After all, not many knew of their existence. Who could blame them?

"I assume you all have... encountered her, if I may put it?"

"Yes we did," Phoenix answered.

"Back at the Shrine of Duilliúr."

"She still lives in that damp marsh of hers? I'd really thought she had moved out of there by now."

"Hold on a minute! It was a marsh? I thought it was a shrine!"

The response from Pinkie earned her a look from the alicorn, before Velvet cut in:

"She's rather...oblivious to some things."

"Perhaps so."

With a waving gesture of her hoof and all supposed transgressions forgiven, the caravan seated themselves back into their respective seats with the exception of Pinkie Pie, who once again plopped her haunches right next to the uncomfortable Artemis. Silently, Princess Crystallia took a sip from her chalice, the invigorating warmth flowing through her veins and thawing the frost encrusted around her heart.

It wasn't until she opened her eyes when she noticed a blue shimmer in the pink one's eyes, the quirky little pony staring up at her with a fervor that she could only dub as curiosity. One blink and still, the pink pony just kept on staring, which was long enough to ease her off the throne, even if by a little bit.

"What is it?"

"Aren't you gonna tell us?"

"About what?"

"You know!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing excitedly in place.

"How Princess Terra is your sister-in-law!"

The princess just grimaced with a huff.

"None of it concerns you, pink one."

"But I wanna know how!"

"Huh. You're an obstinate one," was the only comment she could bother giving to Pinkie, before Princess Crystallia turned away with a cross of her hooves. Of course, all that proved fruitless when she saw that inquisitive mare once again from the corner of her eye, the puffy red cheeks she was sporting almost as if they were about to burst. To her, it was a quaint sight, for none in her dominion had ever had a shorter patience than the pink mare. Not that all of it mattered.

At least, that was what she thought.

"Princess?"

A sigh escaped her mouth.

"What?" Princess Crystallia snapped.

"Can you tell the story now?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because..." she began, though the words spilled out of her mouth before she could catch them back.

"B-Because... uh... because..."

Artemis had disbelief written on every inch of her face. There was the Princess Crystallia, great ruler of their arctic domain and a feared and highly respected monarch at the highest caliber; the alicorn where no deer dared to speak up lest to incur her dreadful wrath and yet, she had been rendered speechless by not one, but two strangers who had trotted into her kingdom.

"Your Highness?" she called, a little afraid.

"Is something the matter?"

"D-Does one need a reason to disclose something so confidential, pink one?" the alicorn chastised suddenly, ignoring the concerned question of her fellow subordinate.

"I, for one, do not wish to bring up the notion of Princess Terra. We promised to never talk about our brethren for sake of the safety of the universe. The powers that be had sworn the oath of silence and I shall follow them in their honor."

"Who's we?"

"Myself and the rest of us alicorns."

Before she realized she had revealed too much, the rest of those present, with the exception of Selena who was gripping her aching temple, were already on the edge of their seats, the urge to continue amplified only by their looks of majestic awe. A foggy sigh escaped her mouth; the damage had been done anyway. What more harm can come?

"It was a promise we kept," she finally said.

"That none of us shall reveal the others unless the situation demands it. We don't want to risk exposing ourselves. It would be too dangerous, for both ourselves and the safety of this universe."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix questioned, grimacing.

"You must've known about the growing unrest and the bombings in Canterlot."

All of them nodded; the first time in a while that Pinkie heard about it. It shows that no matter how remote of a place you can be in, news will still get to you. She always felt a little knot in her joints every time someone mentions about them, almost as if she was there or she had some experience to it. Velvet always said it was just the natural instinct of shock, yet shock seems to pale in comparison to what she was feeling.

"The enemy is ancient, his origins beginning alongside ours," the ice princess stated.

"If he ever finds out about our existence besides our kin in Canterlot, the end of Equestria may arrive sooner than one can hope to imagine. His influence is extraordinary; almost as great as that of Celestia's. They had been patiently gathered over time, the knowledge of the ancients passed down to the next generation and so. In fact, I believe there may be some of them plaguing the regions around as well. Fortunately, they had not discovered my domain yet."

"Princess Terra..." Velvet began.

"We believe... or at least I did, that her shrine was desecrated by some of his soldiers."

Princess Crystallia's jaw dropped in shock, her chalice almost following suit. She was quick to reel back however, instead shooting her own question back immediately:

"What happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine. We've liberated the Duilliúr Shrine alongside her. Somewhat."

"Thank Elysium..." she muttered.

"At least she's safe. I couldn't even begin to think what my brother would do if otherwise."

"Ooh! So she is married to your brother!"

The grim, tense mood was broken at the revelation from Pinkie Pie, who jumped into the conversation fervently and veered the topic off course. With a quiet cough, Princess Crystallia took a sip from her crystal chalice again, secretly praying that anyone of them, be it from the pink mare's comrades or her cervine subjects, save her from her cruel ordeal. Those bright blue eyes, however, tipped her that it was not meant to be.

"Unofficially," she snapped, still keeping her stern look even though the excited looks of every single being in the room was enough for amusement to tickle out a smile on her face.

"We didn't have a proper wedding. They just declared themselves to be husband and wife, 'tis all."

"Aw..." Pinkie cooed, leading the conversation for them all.

"What's the lucky boy's name?"

A sigh, flustered with a single droplet of merriment.

"Aquaros. The Prince of Water who rule over the sea ponies like how I rule over the northern cervine natives. He's also my elder brother, around six years senior of my age, if my memory does not fail me."

"How's he like?" Ganger popped his question.

The alicorn wanted to scoff. How her big brother is like? She would've called him the most miserable, most desperate stallion to fall in love with someone simple such as Terra herself. Then again, there is more to Aquaros than meets the eye; there was a reason he had the responsibility for the caring of every lake, river and ocean there is in the world, aside from volunteering for that post immediately.

"He... he's a good brother."

"Oh, come on!" shouted Ollivander with a lift of his mug of ale, much to her surprise.

"Cer'ainly there must be more than that, Yer Highness!"

"Well..." Princess Crystallia couldn't help but stifle a smile.

"He was one of the most noble stallions I know. Sure, his head can go beyond the clouds sometimes, to the point that it gets on my nerves a lot, but he has that... stupid courage, if such an expression is viable. Even in the most dangerous situations, you would see him charging in for your sake, like the time he rescued Terra and myself from a few Tartarian creatures. I'd say, that was one of his most glorious moments."

"No wonder Princess Terra liked him~!" Pinkie coyly spoke, some of them snickering quietly.

"No doubt she did," the alicorn rasped bitterly at the notion of that name, crossing her hooves.

"Honestly, I will never understand the chemistry of those particular two. How my brother Aquaros came to grew fond of her will forever be a mystery I can never comprehend."

"You don't have to, Your Highness."

After retaining such a long moment of silence, Selena had finally spoken, which was quite a surprise for the rest in the room, especially Ollivander's. She stepped forward, hoof clenching on a small pint of confidence and what seemed to be a little bit of alcohol in her system as she tried her best to explain in her state:

"Love is like... is like a spark. Once you set it off, it starts a chain of reactions that can give you the greatest explosion in your entire life, larger than anything you would ever feel in your life. Larger even than the fireworks you see in the sky."

The pegasus suddenly gripped onto one of Ollivander's talons, the gryphon only able to chuckle nervously at her antics. Phoenix and Velvet already had their eyebrows raised at the mug in her hooves, then to the small red tint on Selena's cheeks, then to the sweat beads showering down the furs on Ollivander's back.

"That's what happened between me and Ollie," she said with a drunken wave of her hoof, her brows furrowing so suddenly and her smile turning into the darkest glower she could ever muster.

"If anything, and I do mean anything, ever, EVER, takes him away from me, I'll swear I will tie them against a chair, slice their guts open and STUFF EVERY SINGLE BOMB I MADE DOWN THEIR THROATS!! THEN I--"

"Okay~! Party time's over!!" Ollivander spoke up suddenly, clamping his mate's mouth even as she screamed on and on with such ferocity, it was enough to make Artemis pale a brighter shade of white. All of them watched in shock as the gryphon excused himself and carried her away, trying to calm her down throughout the journey to the closest bedroom. Princess Crystallia, however, had her eyes transfixed upon something else, particularly on Selena's face. It was something she hasn't seen for a long time; something she herself had feared yet admired in its purest, most destructive form.

Rage.

She sighed to herself: how long has it been?

"Sorry about that, Your Highness," Phoenix began, cutting her from her slight daze.

"It always happens, these uh... violent psychotic episodes of hers. Don't mind what she's saying."

"Even if she is psychotic," the alicorn stated, sipping from her chalice.

"I'm rather certain that there are some truth in those words."

"I-I beg your pardon, Your Highness?"

"The insane can portray reality in a way the sane cannot," she answered.

"From what little experience I have, there is this certain degree of truth that only they can see. A degree that can extend itself higher than the mountains of the north. As much as I discourage one to dwell beyond the depths of sanity, I encourage it. Without insanity, we would forever be restricted in our own boundaries."

"In other words, Your Highness?" Velvet questioned.

"What Selena has spoken of love, despite her... drunken stupor, I would call it, may be true. I would exclude the portion where she talks about suffocating one with their own pyrotechnics however."

The room was filled with mirthful chuckles at her joke, though it was quick to fade soon after.

"Even in my domain, I had faced such beings more in touch of what's beyond than those around them. If my brother, Terra or even the other alicorns were here, they might say I'm fond of being around the insane."

Pinkie's eyes grew bigger at that point, but stopped once she saw, in the corner of her eye, Artemis dip her head down low. It was then that Princess Crystallia suddenly beckoned her hooves towards her beloved Oracle, instructing her to rise and step up to her side, which she only did so after the alicorn sported a glare. All of them kept their silence, the caravan watching as the princess wrapped a wing around her most beloved subject.

"Artemis was one of those beings," she said regally, much to the horror of the caravan. The fawn could only shiver, a small tear threatening to creep out the corner of her red eye.

"She became Oracle for a reason, after all."

"W-What..." Pinkie stammered.

"What do you mean?"

"Is it that complicated of an answer?" the alicorn chided, even as the fawn started to weep quietly underneath the shadow of her princess. Pinkie bit her lip as the softest trembling whispers came from Artemis's mouth, traveled through the petrified crowd and nestled into her ear, striking a cord in her heart that almost struck down the curls in her mane.

"Please don't say it..."

"Artemis is a psychopath. The best a princess could ever ask for."

Before any of them could ask, she suddenly stood up and glanced down at the table, satisfied at the sight of empty plates, used silverware, finished bottles and her Oracle slinking at the side, spirit shattered and heart crushed. With a small glimmer in her horn and a clap of her hooves, she faced her subjects and the caravan, smiling when she saw the looks they were giving.

It was of pure, abject horror.

For the alicorn however, it was an invigorating sight worth soaking in.

"I declare this feast over!!"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

There was a reason Stellar Lionheart admired the Palgiots.

Sure, he was taken in by Pendulum Palgiot at a very young age. No doubt, their innovations and contributions they done to the scientific and technological advancements in Equestria were astounding. Plus, who could forget their fabulous wine? To him however, as the former butler of the family, he admired the Palgiot name for none of those; rather, it was their spirit to help others in need without a second thought.

It was in the hallways they were in that he was reminded of the family, having trying to keep those thoughts out of his head for a while. He knew there was no way to save them, yet something always nagged him in the corner of his head, telling him that there is a way for everything. Someday, he had to take up on Caduceus's offer on seeing a psychiatrist.

"... and sure enough, my parents had the deed for the inn."

"All that traveling and fighting for a small business contract?"

Stellar chuckled quietly, glancing back at Caduceus and Harmony swapping a few of their stories. It was the doctor's idea to start up the session, just to break a little ice along their journey. He had already ran out his own a little while ago, leaving him to listen to Harmony's tale of how her parents ventured across the Straits of the Eastern Peninsular, stumbling upon the most exotic cultures and fought with a house of bandits or two just for the sake of a deed.

"Hey, you do what you gotta do, as they say," Harmony quipped.

"Besides, it gave me a place to stay and earn some bits when they're gone."

"Well, I find the lengths they would go to rather astonishing."

"It's hereditary. Did you know my grandfather had to hang-glide through the entire Vardunskrr canyon in the Badlands just to look for a small herb?"

"Save your stories for now, Harmony," Stellar cut in, raising a hoof.

"I see an opening. Get ready."

With a small click, the stallion hoisted up his rapier on his left hoof and a pistol on his right, his old friend readying a rifle. However age had affected them, both could still hear the soft chattering of what they could only describe as the chitinous carapace of some large insect. Slowly, they trudged forward, the only sound being made is that of Harmony unsheathing her curvaceous, white blade.

They soon emerged in the middle of a large crater, created as a result of the explosion that obliterated the entirety of Pendant Lakes. Harmony looked around, biting her lip at the few pieces of parchment scattered around, a tapestry, drawn with smudged etchings of constellations, still hanging from the remains of a cement wall and what seemed to be a cannon, twisted and bent limp on the floor, the tip blasted upon like an upturned umbrella. She remembered the last time she was here.

Princess Luna was shriveling on the floor, mind, bone and spirit crumpled.

Twilight Sparkle was screaming her lungs out, begging her to stop.

A flock of ravens pecked at her, their deranged caws chasing her away from the abyss.

"This is the observatory of Ravine Palgiot."

"Ground zero," Caduceus muttered, kicking some shrapnel around.

"We sure have ventured quite some distance from the palace."

"So it would seem," Stellar replied, looking back over his shoulder to see the silhouette of the crumbling palace perched on the giant rock. To stand at the source of the destruction of his beloved hometown... the chaos that happened in that one night itself was a legend that would reverberate across the strings of time. His fellow citizens would tell their children of the glory that once stood here and they, in return, would do the same to their children. Quietly, the butler sighed.

Pendant Lakes would become nothing more of a fairy tale.

A city surrounded in the foggy throes of fables and myths.

"I don't see anything here."

"Me neither," Caduceus remarked, glancing around the wasteland.

"Any reason you brought us here, Miss Peridot?"

Harmony just stared at them glumly, taking one step back with her dagger raised.

"Miss Harmony?" Stellar called, raising his pistol. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong. Just as the mare stepped back, a roar so infernal shook the crater, the two stallions glancing around in alarm. Striking his gaze back to Harmony, he could only grit his teeth, his arsenal loaded and ready.

"What have you done?"

"I'm sorry."

"We entrusted our lives with you, Miss Peridot!"

"I HAD TO DO THIS!!"

There was no point. They wouldn't listen. Leave them. Those voices rang in her head over and over, yet she couldn't just abandon them. However, there was no defying the laws that governed these ruins, especially when it comes to a direct order given by the very head of these remnants itself.

"I had to do this..." she gasped amid her tears, sheathing her dagger.

"It's been nice knowing you two... you bloody old coots."

"HARMONY!!" Caduceus yelled, watching as she jumped over the edge, leaving them in the darkness to be preyed by the horrors of the deep. Standing back to back, Stellar was the first to point his gun, sweat beads crawling down his head from all the mangled cackling and chattering of their predators. Any of them would strike now. Any of them would take the chance to pounce and announce the starting of the grand feast.

Any time now...

"Steady, Caduceus."

"Say it to yourself."

*BANG!*

The first gunshot erupted from Stellar's revolver, the target being a shadow that zipped across from the edges of the crater. Stellar hissed at himself, though not before another gunshot, this time from Caduceus, pierced through the brief veil of silence. Whirling back, he quickly pulled his trigger again, to no avail. The potshots they were giving only created a maelstrom of laughter among their adversaries, which only infuriated him more.

"Reveal yourself, you Tartarian beasts!!" he yelled.

"Face us in the open, I dare you!!"

Caduceus's next shot finally sent one propelling towards them, the body of an onyx, chitinous creature skidding across the rocky floor to the bottom of their hooves. Wracked with scars that leak a dark shade of purple, both of its sickle-shaped arms twitched fervently in its desperate struggle to live, with one of its six pointed legs reaching out as it hissed and croak, before the creature's violent trembling came to a standstill.

Another one leaped towards Stellar, who managed to stick a rapier from below its abdomen just in time, the impaled creature flailing around the blade. Swinging the monstrosity off, he soon fired his revolver with a loud, echoing bang, leaving a third crumpling onto the floor with a creaky whine.

"You alright, Caduceus?" Stellar had to ask, looking over his shoulder.

"Aiming's a little rusty, but otherwise I'm fine."

The doctor couldn't help but snicker, his friend only raising an eyebrow.

"Been a while since I used one of these in actual combat. All Princess Luna gave me in the barracks for practice were some bloody straw dummies."

"Pah! Talk about mobile targets!"

Their gunfire soon resumed, lead piercing through the bodies of their assailants. Every creature that flung themselves upon them, they struck them down like dominoes in the forsaken valley. Blood splattered all around, staining their coats; one creature even expelled a shower of its essence on Stellar's face, the stallion having thrust upwards in a narrow escape from death. Quickly spitting out the revolting liquid, he fired at his next target, trying to see through the tainted curtain of blood.

"Stellar!" Caduceus cried as his friend was tackled down, both weapons thrown to the side. With a grunt, Stellar grappled against the creature, both hooves straining to push its pincers apart as it screamed and roared into his face. Three short pangs later, the creature slumped off to the side, leaving the panting stallion to see his friend staring down at him, his rifle smoking.

"Thank me later, Lionheart."

"I would have all the time to thank you when we're done."

"Really?" Caduceus panted with a grin, throwing his spent rifle aside just to reach for a new one.

"Well then, I wouldn't mind ending this fight a whole lot faster."

"Zastavit!!"

Suddenly, the feast come to a halt, the monstrosities growling and hissing as they circled the two stallions warily, waiting for the order to strike once more. From amid the darkness stepped out a figure that seemed neither pony nor demon; rather, it was a bit of both. Slung around him was a shotgun, the barrels carved in ominous runes that glowed a faint orange in the dark and on their assailant's head was a metallic hat that reminded them of those used by the farmers in the east.

"Well, well," the figure chuckled darkly.

"All my dear hunting dogs I've lost, to two aging ponies, of all things... certainly our prey here knows how to put up a decent fight."

"The result of your underestimation, you demonic cretin."

"Oh the horror, Stellar Lionheart," he rasped, giving the stallions a fanged grin.

"Why the colorful formalities? Aren't we but old comrades, my friend?"

A perturbing silence blanketed the crater, save for a few menacing growls by the so-called 'hunting dogs'. Caduceus, however, was the first to step forward, squinting his eyes while glancing underneath the hat of their attacker. It wasn't long before those same eyes widened, the doctor's hoof shaking.

"It can't be..."

"Bingo, Caduceus."

"But... it can't be... I saw you! I measured your pulse! You were dead!!"

"No..." Stellar muttered, finally realizing it.

"Impossible... you couldn't be him..."

"Side by side on friendship's shore, no?" the figure replied, laughing out loud at the shocked expressions; a response that he had longed to see. Without hesitation, he pulled his hat down, whatever little light striking his face to reveal to them, clear as day, who he was. One pump of his shotgun later, he swung it towards the duo, licking his lips as he spoke:

"The name's Sidus Sirenheart..."

Stellar and Caduceus held their breaths.

"... and the hunt has just begun."

*BANG!*

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Look through all the records.

Find out who's responsible for this madness.

Bring them to me.

If any average pony were to hear those orders, they would've assumed it came from the highest order, which was Princess Celestia herself. Of course she gave those orders, but Twilight Sparkle had been there to know that it was actually Cadance who pressured her aunt to do so. It was really an unprecedented moment; if pressured meant screaming and yelling at somepony over and over at six in the morning, then her foal-sitter had done her job right. What else would the Princess of the Sun do after that?

Like in most times, she was in the library, though instead of reading, she was staring down from one of the windows to see around eight rows of soldiers from the Royal Guard, both diurnal and nocturnal, lining up towards each respective royal official to present their belongings to be rummaged. There was certainly no chance of an escape; they were surrounded by the soldiers of other nationalities, which only served to pacify yet intimidate them more. To be rounded up like convicts by foreigners on your own soil ... she could only imagine the anger the Guard may be feeling right now.

Still, there is a traitor among them.

They have to flesh that pony out, no matter the circumstances.

"And... there we go," Spike said, placing a pile of books onto the table alongside others. He glanced at the three towers before him, one of them already teetering a little. Sure, Twilight may be an avid reader, but the dragon knew well enough that this was way too much for her.

"Are you really gonna read all these?"

"I have to," the unicorn answered, remaining adamant as she flipped the first book before her.

"The faster we figure out who Janus is, the better."

"Why don't we ask the princesses? I'm sure they might know a thing or two."

"They're busy protecting the kingdom and making sure none of these things happen again."

"Which would be a whole lot easier if they could just tell you."

"Okay," Twilight snapped, having barely reached the end of the first page before closing it. With a hefty sigh, she looked up at the dragon, who was already leaning against the spine of a bookshelf with arms crossed, tail flicking around the carpeted floor. She had felt something was off the moment he asked to help out; there was no better time to ask than now.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong."

"Seriously, you wouldn't be here if nothing was wrong."

"Look," Spike grumbled, settling onto the floor.

"I just felt like coming here and helping you out, just like the old days."

"Spike, listen," the mare began, stopping to sigh.

"I've known you ever since the moment you were born, alright? Heck, I've been taking care of you ever since you hatched out of that egg."

"Technically, it was your mother and Princess Celestia first."

"Seriously Spike, that's not the point."

Twilight didn't know whether to laugh or yell at him for saying that, instead pushing herself to continue. She stood up, trotted to his side and, with a clench of her lips, put a hoof around his shoulder, much to the dragon's surprise.

"What I'm trying to say is... if there's anything bothering you and I do mean anything at all, you can always tell me. Who knows, there might be some way that I can help out."

Spike sighed to himself. He knew this would come eventually. Never had he planned for a confession in the morning, but there was no point pouting and grumbling about it anyway. Perhaps his foster sister can help out, perhaps not. Either way, it would be better to figure this out with someone else rather than doing it alone. The mare's hoof on his shoulder was proof enough that he needed help. Who's better than Twilight Sparkle, the mare who had been solving his problems since day one?

"It's..." he stopped, barred by hesitation.

"It's about Rarity."

"Okay..." Twilight muttered, slightly surprised.

"What about her?"

"I don't know... we aren't really getting along these days."

"Why? What did she say?"

"She didn't actually say anything... but... I don't know... I feel like she's hiding something from me."

"Why would you say that?"

"I tried talking to her about it, but she just said..." Spike stopped, paws tensing.

"She said she needed some time to herself. Without me."

"She wouldn't be the first to say that."

"Look, are you trying to help or not?"

"I was being serious," Twilight justified.

"Sometimes, we need to take a break. You were always around her everywhere she goes and never giving her a chance to breathe. Maybe... maybe she needs some time off from your relationship."

"So you're saying I should just leave her be?"

"For a while, at least."

"But what if..." the dragon began to stammer.

"W-What if Janus comes back and tries to hurt her? Who's gonna protect her?"

"See, this is what I mean, Spike."

There was no other way that Twilight could put it better, even if his feelings would get hurt. She never wanted to get in the way between Spike and Rarity, but from what she could comprehend, she could understand why her friend would want to get away from the dragon for however much time she wished it to be.

"Right now, you're just making her more insecure," she tried to explain.

"When you're around her, it's always about Janus this and Janus that and... I don't think Rarity wants to be reminded about him every single time."

"But... but I didn't even mention anything about him..."

"You probably did. Indirectly."

"Even if I did... I..." Spike stopped to sigh, body trembling.

"I just... don't want Rarity to get hurt again. She... she almost died that day, when that pony tried to kill us in our room. Janus even almost got us at the camp that day. There's already so many things happening, like yesterday, when the barracks got hit... I'm afraid, Twilight. I'm afraid something would happen to her and I won't be there to save her..."

"I know..." Twilight muttered sincerely.

"But right now, Rarity needs someone that can take care of her and show her the good things. Yes, she must never forget about what's happening around her, but she must also never forget about what's important to her and what makes her happy and... right now, it's you. You will always be important to her, but on that part about making her happy and all... you have to try a lot harder than that."

"And if she says she needs some time alone?"

"Then give it to her, if it makes her happy."

Spike's eyes shifted to the floor, his head being dragged along. A moment of tranquility wavered throughout the library as Twilight stood back up, excused herself with a cough and trotted back to the table, continuing from where she left off. She stopped midway at the seventeenth paragraph when she caught Spike standing up, watching him striding across to the door and opening it, though not before turning back to her.

"Thanks," he said with a grin of budding confidence.

"Not a problem, Spike," she replied earnestly.

With the door shut and the dragon finally gone, Twilight Sparkle let out a relaxed sigh, stretching her hooves. She would pat her back for a job well done, yet time is of the essence. The answer to their enemy might be somewhere in the books and she can't just wait around for something to come up. Reaching back into her satchel, she pulled out the notebook of the late Tattertale Page, the stallion murdered in the household of Fancypants and Fleur De Lis.

"There must be something in you somewhere..." muttered the unicorn, flipping it open. She had, to no avail, skimmed through each and every bit of research that the deceased professor had done in the sandy outskirts of Saddle Arabia, hoping to find a lead that would close the case. It doesn't make any sense: how would the bombings be connected to an archaeological dig?

By the time she reached the eighth book, she was already slumping in her chair, groaning at the endless wall of words before her. With a tired sigh, she pushed the books aside, though it wasn't long before she chuckled to herself: for once, she was getting sick of reading.

Looking out, the day had already reached noon. The frustrated crowd had already diminished into several tired lines. She could only watch as the last of the guards were examined top to bottom, though her thoughts had already wandered to a certain mysterious masked caper. It had been a day since she heard anything from him, having literally ran out of his haven and galloped across town in her vain attempt to save her brother. She still could never get his voice out of her head; her nerves tingled as she remembered how calm and smooth he was. Her body shivered, remembering his fiery advances upon her that night. One could say he has the Midas touch to unlock her heart.

"I slept with the Masque of Canterlot," Twilight bemused, before chuckling at the irony of it all. Her smile soon waned, her gaze lowered with a small, airy hum escaping her mouth. There were so many things-- too many, in fact, that she wanted to learn about him; where he came from, what he wanted and most importantly, what he was hiding underneath that mask. So many questions, yet so slim the opportunities.

"If only..."

"If only what?"

Twilight yelped in surprise, only to sigh and start chuckling when she saw the Masque perched on the bookshelf, who laughed in return. Brushing her mane aside, she watched as he gracefully leaped down, hoof dipping into silence once he landed. With a mirthful grin brightened further only by the sunlight, he strode forward, finally reunited with his lover.

"I told you to stop coming up to me like that, didn't I?" she cooed teasingly, making him chuckle.

"Old habits die hard."

All that she could do was giggle. Quietly, Twilight felt herself pulled into his embrace, red flushing into her cheeks when one of it nuzzled into his chest. It was like any other feeling of warmth, yet this one felt special. This one ignited a distant fire somewhere within her, her joints tingling delicately as if being crawled over by an army of ants. It was an unusual sensation, albeit a lovely sensation all the same.

"I missed you," she mumbled.

"It's only been a day."

"It was a long day for me..." the mare professed.

"I-I didn't know what to do... I wanted to go back... but my brother..."

"It's okay. I'm here now."

A blessing. That was what it was. A damned blessing, so fortunate a chance at such a dire time. Twilight let out a trembling sigh, garnering the Masque's attention with a tear dampening his chest; in return, he hushed her, his wings folding around her. She wept a little, whether out of trauma and out of joy, she didn't know. All that mattered was that he was there.

"E-Enough..." she suddenly spoke, wiping her tears away.

"How's everything back there? Is the filly alright?"

"She's doing fine," he answered, much to her relief.

"Trixie and the rest are tending to her as we speak. Her captors had scarred her deeply, but we're trying to help her get back up to the filly she was. Hopefully, she would recover from everything she had to go through."

All Twilight could do was nod.

"And you?" she couldn't help but ask.

"What have you been doing?"

"The usual."

"What did you steal this time?"

"Na ah ah!" the Masque stopped her with a click of his tongue, much to her annoyance.

"I'm not taking any chances."

"But I was just... ugh, fine..."

"Maybe next time, Twilight Sparkle. Yes... next time..." he said, gazing out the window.

"For now, I just want to be with you."

Twilight blushed again, this time turning away from him with a flustered laugh. Grin widening, the Masque drew her head back with a hoof, the mare just looking up at his face, dumbfounded with old tears still shimmering at the corner of her eyes, her jaw slowly falling, once again mesmerized by his mystery. All it takes was a small lean forward for his lips to meet hers, the two ponies closing their eyes in a ravishing collision that echoed throughout the silent library.

"Mmph..." the mare moaned, the rosy thoughts of that night returning back in a torrential flood. She felt his strong hooves around her lithe body pulling her towards him, her nerves all rushing towards his lips faster than an adrenaline rush. Her back tingled a little once she felt it against the cold, smooth surface of the glass window, though it could never rival the lasting oral rapture she had found herself in.

The loud groan of the door was all it took to snap her out as Twilight jumped a little, hairs standing up to see Princess Cadance stepping inside, staring at her with a confounded expression on her face. Both mares stood in awkward silence, with the Masque nowhere to be seen no matter how much times Twilight's eyes scanned throughout the room.

"Um, Twilight?" the alicorn began sheepishly.

"You're drooling a little bit."

"Huh? What?"

"Drooling? As in... do I really have to explain it?"

Immediately, the bookish mare quickly wiped off the trail of saliva snaking out of her mouth, much to the amusement of her sister-in-law. With a hum of delight, Cadance stepped into the library, smirking as Twilight gave a small cough, chair lurching out for the younger mare to seat herself and resume her research.

"Sorry to barge in like that, but Shining wanted to see how you were doing," the alicorn explained.

"You know how he is, being worried and all."

"I'm fine," Twilight replied in the most sincerest way possible.

"H-How about you? Feeling a lot better?"

"Just had a talk with Princess Celestia..." she muttered glumly, though a smile broke in, stopping Twilight in her tracks of pursuing the topic further.

"It went alright, if you really want to know. She just... didn't want me to cause a scene again."

"And?"

Cadance sighed.

"Well, she almost shouted back at me. Almost."

"I knew it," Twilight grumbled.

"I don't blame her. She's really, really stressed with everything going on. In fact, I'm surprised she haven't started to attack yet. We're just sitting here while out there? Who knows what might be happening now. I mean, it happened in Trottingham, it happened in Manehatten... and you almost got caught by him too."

"Uh-huh..." the other mare muttered, visibly shivering. Her horn was still bandaged, having been fractured as a result of their narrow escape from the north. The pain had long since subsided to the point where she could use it for the simple spells, returning in an agonizing jolt only when she used it for more complex ones. It was also true for the gunshot wound in her shoulder; there was only a scar remaining after all the hell it had to go through.

"How's Radiance?"

"Scared to come out a little, but otherwise okay."

"Well, tell him he can always come to the library to see me if he wants to," Twilight said with a grin, which faltered only when she saw Cadance's disdainful look. No fault there, having believed she had lost her son to the very same explosion that nearly consumed her husband.

"Don't worry, I'll take good care of him," she added.

"I promise."

"I'll consider it... but thanks, Twilight."

With that, the Princess of Love left the library, leaving once again Twilight Sparkle in her anthological solitude. Her flame of informative perusal lit once more, she flipped open the professor's notebook, browsing through the pages before stumbling upon a small wrinkled letter and, to her elation, a fragrant scarlet rose. Giggling softly, she unfolded the letter, trying so hard to contain her laughter until finally, the dam broke, her cries of joy let loose upon the silent library in anticipation of what was to come.

"Such a charmer..." she muttered dreamily, levitating the rose by the stalk before her.

"The Masque of Canterlot..."

Her voice echoed the single word he left in his parting message; the one that left her beaming with a joy like no other.

"Tonight."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Artemis was the psychopath.

The best a princess could ever ask for.

When those words hit the ears of Selena Gust, she could not believe it. The Oracle, a symbol of faith and hope in the cold cervine territory. A fawn at such a young age with a bright future ahead of her, her journey paved with greater things to come... declared insane by her own ruler? It just wasn't right.

The dining hall was empty, the caravan being the only guests remaining in the room. Selena had come to, having drank a little bit too much and apparently, according to her dear Ollivander, screamed something about stuffing bombs down throats. She was a little perturbed about it after thinking it through in her given moment of rest. Then again, it sounded like a good idea; she wouldn't hesitate to try it out sometime if Ollie let her.

"And she just... left her?"

Velvet nodded at Ollivander's question.

"Artemis ran off somewhere before we could stop her," the stallion muttered, gritting his teeth.

"I can't believe it. What kind of princess would torment her own subjects?"

"Is anyone of them looking for her?" Selena had to ask, slightly concerned.

"Phoenix and Dapple are organizing a search, but I doubt she wants to be found after what happened."

The pegasus sighed, looking out the window at the night sky, its beauty obscured only by a graceful, thick curtain of falling snow. It sparkled and glimmered like stars that fell from the sky, landing on the ground drowning in bodies of their own kin, buried only by shame. That's right... falling stars that have no place in the empyrean field before her. Just like Artemis.

Just like herself.

Selena clenched her eyes shut. The city of Gaileton came to her mind. The city she was born, bred and raised in by her parents. She remembered the day she stood for trial, wrongly accused for the murder of her family. She remembered the day that all hell broke loose, with the last resort being the remote in her hooves that would've leave a crater in the city she was proud to be from. Everything would've gone with the blast, including herself. Everything would've been lost.

She remembered the day she became an outcast.

A fallen star.

But Artemis? No, Artemis still has a chance.

"Ollie?" she called the gryphon's name while walking down the hallway five minutes later, the couple returning to their room. Ollivander just stared at her, at first puzzled, though a smile soon broke out from his beak. He already knew what was coming, oh he knew.

"Just be safe. Don't go bombin' anythin' now without tellin' me, love."

"I love you, Ollie," she whispered, giving him a peck on his fluffy cheek. This was one of the reasons she adored him so much; even though he knew of her condition, he could just let her run wild all the time. Without further ado, Selena galloped across the hallways of the Nordic temple and to the stone doors, catching a few eyes of the servants along the way. Saving no hesitation, she pushed them open with a grunt, a pulsing wave of cool air meeting her and inviting her into its frosty cradle.

Panting with foggy breaths, she glanced around the quaint town, surveying the spectacle before her. It reminded her a little of Gaileton somehow, though she shook those thoughts off immediately. Now is not the time to dwell onto long gone memories, she told herself.

A small grin came with a revelation, her gaze shooting towards the forest beyond. It was the one place that the fawn could escape to without anyone else following her. If she were in one of her psychotic episodes as well, she figured she would run off into the woods as well.

Without time to waste, Selena took off, darting upwards into the dark sky and above a thick layer of clouds, freeing herself from its nebulous grasps. She stopped, whipping her mane back in the bright of the moon, a lash of snow following it and sprinkling back to the ground as she breathe in the cooling air, letting it ravish her canals and lungs until it all comes out in a single puff.

"Here goes nothing."

In a tremendous speed like never before, Selena dived down, slicing through the clouds with her wings, letting them take her towards the depths of the woods. She swerved over and under the dry branches, battling against the cold while glancing around, searching for the fawn that flew the coop.

A soft wind blew through the forest and, much to her delight, it carried the sound of small, plaintive sobs along. Slowly but steadily, she landed right behind a mangled mess of branches that would be a shrub in spring, peeking from the small cracks to see none other than Artemis herself, brought to her knees with her tears already turning into frost. What was surprising was that she was wielding a bow, eloquently made from the whitest birch with carvings of what Selena could guess were creatures from the cervine mythical lore.

Cautiously, she stepped out from the undergrowth, hooves crunching softly in the snow in her approach. The fawn had not noticed her yet, too lost in her own delusions to register anything else. Selena could hear her sobs now, however much Artemis tried to muffle them. She could hear the screams within them, the defiled sounds that reeked of loneliness.

"Artemis?" she called out.

The wails grew silent.

"Artemis, it's okay now..." Selena continued, hooves raised.

"Come back with me. The rest are waiting. We don't want to make them worry."

The wind stilled.

The snow stopped.

"Artemi-- AHHHHHHHH!!!"

The loudest shriek tore the veil of clouds as Selena fell backwards into the snow, panting and grunting from the pain coursing through her entire form. She hesitantly opened her eyes, shocked to see what looks like an arrow punctured into her right chest, the head already nestled away from view in blood, most of which were already spilling out in branches. It pierced deep, but not as deep as those of Artemis's red eyes, the albino deer now standing over her, grinning with bow in hoof.

"Make who worry?" she scowled.

"NOBODY CARES ABOUT ME!!! NO ONE WILL EVER UNDERSTAND!!!"

"That's... huh... that's not true..." Selena gasped weakly.

"I'm here to... gah... hah... take you back!"

Artemis burst out in laughter, echoes of it propelled to the skies above.

"Take me back!! Heh... TAKE ME BACK?!!" she screamed into the mare's face. Suddenly, she clutched firmly onto the feathered end of the punctured arrow, a maniacal giggle escaping her mouth. Before Selena could even utter her denial, she was forced into another loud scream as the arrow was twisted deeper into her, her body arching up and hooves grappling in place. Every nerve and fiber seared, ignited into a burning wildfire of pain that razed all her senses numb.

"Pl-Plea... hngah... hah... guh... please..."

"Why would I go back?!" she asked, laughing to herself.

"I mean, think about it! My parents are dead!! They all hated me!! If I ran off, if I... if I disappeared... imagine... I didn't do it... I saw them... she... she took me in..."

"Your... parents..."

"Shut up."

"How old were you?"

"Shut up!"

"Who did it?!"

"SHUT UP!!!"

With a loud shriek, Artemis quickly drew another arrow, gritting her teeth as she stabbed it right beneath the bleeding wound, the loud screams of Selena erupting into the silent night. It was quickly unsheathed, the blood spurting out in a geyser for a brief moment, but not before it was plugged again by the arrow. Repetitively, Artemis stabbed the mare, yelling and screaming each time the arrow tore through the deepest flesh of its target, opening new wounds as well as boring into old ones.

By the time she was done, she was panting over the most beautiful creation she had ever witnessed her own hooves do. There was Selena Gust, lying on the floor and staring blank into the sky, breathing rapidly in a desperate struggle for life like a dying animal. Blood spewed from around eighteen different punctures in her chest, forming a blooming red on the snow floor. Her mouth garbled and gurgled as more of her crude essence spilled out like an overfilled jug, sloshing about in its confines and splattering onto the ground. Her wings were frayed, twitching in an erratic beat while her body trembled in a different, rapid one.

The only mistake she saw in her masterpiece was a single tear that crept out of Selena's eye.

Artemis's smile faded at that one mistake, the frenzy in her eyes dimming.

For a moment, she saw herself. She saw a version of her laying there in the pool of blood and snow, with those eyes screaming for help, for hope, for something... anything, to hold on to. She saw what was left of her, still sane, still intact... dying. She was dying. Artemis was dying, murdered by her own hooves.

"A-Artemis..." Selena gargled, forcing out a weak smile even as blood violently spilled out from around the corners once more. It snapped the Oracle out from her brief reverie, her hanging mouth pursing back up with a tremble. Another tear took the place of its predecessor, this time forming a single, clear trail down the mare's cheek, mixing with the blood below. Quietly, Artemis gasped, brought to her knees and glancing at her stained hooves, before looking back at the bleeding mare again. She realized then, to her horror, what she was seeing.

She saw a fallen star.

One just like her.

"What have I done?"

Author's Note

As mentioned in one of my other stories, I'm back from my unannounced hiatus, this time finally putting Chapter 34 into place.

Just to put it in before I forget, there might not be time for me to update when my college starts again, so just a heads up. Also to add, thanks to whoever who had the zaniest patience to put up with me for so long and stay with the story!! You know who you are!

Hope you guys liked it :pinkiehappy:

The Temperamental & The Temperate

"Almost t-there..."

A pint of red spilled from the mouth of Selena Gust, splattering onto the snow.

"Just a little bit more..."

Another spill, this one trailed from her limp hooves.

"Hang on, Selena... unf... ha-hang on..."

Being the small fawn she was, Artemis had never done this in her entire life. One could say this would be the first time that she had ever carried anyone on her back before. It was total anguish for her, to carry somepony over the hills. Her back ached and her legs shivered and trembled weakly. Sometimes, she even collapsed with a grunt, letting the weight of the bleeding Selena smother her in the snow, yet the sight of a long, crooked trail of red behind her was the fuel to keep her up and moving again.

The woods were quiet at night. She figured it was the time of the year again, where creatures hibernate instead of prowl in the dark and where the hunts always ended up in the most unsatisfactory way. She taught herself a lot of skills to be a huntress, ranging from tracking to wrestling with a pack of wolves. There was no denying that the woods were a place to harden one's spirit and physique, sometimes to the point where their emotions are discarded for hunger.

Funny, she thought to herself, how nature had twisted them.

The village of Byafisogsne -- her village -- was far. Agonizingly far. It was a harsh lesson concocted by the fabricated designs of destiny, she surmised, to punish her for her crime. She was a huntress, not a murderess; a hunter who murders is a deer stripped of their bow and arrow. There is no honor in a murderess, only a trip to the dungeons down below. She had sent more than several down to the dungeons herself and she had forgotten about them since. All she remembered about it was that your name would never matter and you will be forever referred to by a number. For your name to be erased away from the thread of existence... she shuddered at the thought.

Trees looked down at her, judging her. The stars in the sky did it ever more so. Even the moon -- the eye of a foreign princess, as she was told -- watched her warily, perhaps powerless to speak her word. Snow had stopped falling in their favor, leaving the cold crisp air to accompany her in her march, sowing blood throughout the hillside. The distant lights of her hometown even seemed to treat her as an exiled marauder. Perhaps she would become one, once she returned the mare into the safe embrace of her companions.

How long can she survive, alone in the wild?

Four hours and twenty-two minutes tops, she thought to herself, chuckling.

"You're a hopeless one, Artemis."

Selena's breathing spurred her on, however ragged and congested it sounded. It was the most pitiful sound that Artemis had ever... made, in some strange malicious way. Slowly, she dragged her hooves forward, taking care not to stumble and fall; why should she waste her time falling and picking herself back up when she can spare more of it saving the mare?

How long can she survive, alone in the wild with a mare on her back?

No more than twenty minutes, she thought to herself.

This one was no laughing matter; she'd much rather preferred dying alone.

"Artemis."

The fawn froze up at that voice, her foggy breaths becoming erratic when she saw, before her, the resplendent figure of Princess Crystallia, the alicorn she had served throughout her childhood. She stepped back, but that didn't come without a fall, which she did so into the embrace of the unconscious Selena, her coat now stained into the color of her eyes. The mare under her coughed a little bit more at the sudden press of weight; the final sands of her hourglass had been tampered with.

"I don't have any more time!" Artemis snapped, stumbling back up.

"She will die if I don't bring her back!"

"You will die if you do."

"I'm already dead the moments my parents were murdered," she rasped, those images flashing through her head again. It was horrible, the mangled mess of her father and the stripped guts of her mother that decorated the house like an art gallery. Her eyes were red when she was born, but that moment truly made it the reddest it had ever been since.

"Now step out of my way."

"Don't you use that harsh tone on me, Artemis."

"I think I'm in a position where I could use that tone whenever I want."

"Need I remind you that your position has been given by yours truly?"

"Need I remind you that I don't care?"

"There are better ways to go around this, my dear Oracle," Princess Crystallia remarked, gaze narrowed down at probably her most beloved subject and somewhat foster daughter. She was never the motherly type, but she tried. Oh, how hard she tried. She always preferred the duties of a princess than that of a mother anyway.

"If you want to be stubborn and follow the road you laid out for yourself, I would let you, but I'll also let you know that Selena would perish before she could reach the town. When she does, I would forget about this encounter and call you a criminal. By next morning, I'll convince her companions to leave by displaying your body hanging from the gallows. Forget your position, Artemis. Forget everything you've ever known. Forget saving her."

"So what, you're trying to help me now?" Artemis rasped, trying to heave Selena back up again.

"And you suppose that calling me insane was a compliment?"

"If I hadn't, Selena wouldn't know."

"If you hadn't, Selena wouldn't be dead!!"

"I'll let that treachery slide for now," the alicorn growled.

"I never could do anything for you ever since the day I took you in, but when I saw Selena... oh, Selena Violetta Gust... that rampage was akin to your own. Still, she had a certain control of it. She may be insane, but there was something more to it than insanity. Do you know what I call it?"

Artemis shook her head.

"Passion, my dear. Sweet, violent passion. It was, in her case, love. For you, it was--"

"Loneliness..." the Oracle cut in, clutching her hooves. She felt her gut knot at that word every time. She felt it hammering her skull, she felt it twisting her joints, she felt it pressing into her jaws... loneliness. The death of her parents, the isolation from her friends and years of being contained in a temple and bestowed upon her the false title of the Oracle... she was furious, yet kept her reticence. It will come out, however, during her solitary communion with the alicorn, where she screamed and screamed until there was nothing she could scream about.

She was passionate-- no, hungry, for company.

So hungry that she wished to be alone.

"What have I done?"

"You've done something no deer should ever have done, yet you had also been through the horrors that no deer should ever be exposed to. You were the best Oracle I could ever ask for, as well as the best psychopath I could ever brought up. At least you listened where the rest didn't."

"The other Oracles..."

"Psychopaths," Princess Crystallia corrected.

"My dear Artemis, do you know what does an oracle do?"

"Uh... the bridge between a god and the subjects?"

"Correct. A portal of divination, like the seers, but they do not rely on the signs. Rather, they only rely on letting said gods possess their body to utter the world's prophecies. They did so, disturbingly, in methods that involve frenzy and hysteria, much different from our communions... or is it? Tell me, is it any different from our communions, Artemis?"

"I... I don't know..."

"Well, I can tell you straight that the answer is no," she said bluntly.

"Your screams at me, telling me how much you bore your hatred to the murderer of your parents or how much you craved the denied attention of your friends, the battle between loneliness and companionship... it showed me something. It showed me one day, the Artemis you are in public and the Artemis you are in private -- the duality -- would merge as one. That one day, the fickle barrier between them would break. That one day, your dark side will strive to murder your light, yet the latter will only rise and fight back and, after the battle of ages, emerge victorious. Tell me, do you feel any better?"

"I... I think so..." Artemis muttered, looking at her blood-stained hooves. Somehow -- she doesn't know how, just somehow -- her heart felt lighter. The worries of the world she lived in fluttered away, as if they were never there in the first place. Those screams inside died like the winter breeze. For once, her head became a tranquil paradise.

"What does this mean?"

"That light was Selena Gust. A fallen star, just like you, ousted from her home to find a bright future before her. You became the darkness and tried to kill her, yet seeing her awakened something else in you. Something you've grown up without yet long to be stuck with."

"That she's... just like me..."

"A companion. The light."

"A... A friend..." Artemis muttered, glancing back at the dying mare with tears in her eyes.

"But... I can't save her. I... I can't save her."

"Which is why I'm here to help you. To finish your journey to the light."

One wave of her horn, both Artemis and Selena were lifted onto Princess Crystallia's back. With a flap of her wings that tossed the blankets of snow about, the alicorn took off the night sky, flashing a smirk back at her elated subject. The town she resided in drew close, the future brighter than the smiling moon hanging above. The trees below her cheered, the stars twinkled in delight. The air drifted around her body, brushing it with a pat for luck. Artemis turned back to Selena, this time clenching the mare's hoof with a new shimmer, a hopeful shimmer, in her eyes.

"Don't give up on me now..." she began, the two words that followed soon after ending in a delicate whisper that echoed in the cold wind:

"My sister..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Alright, now focus onto the center, away from the crack..."

With a small grunt, Twilight Sparkle managed to fire a small beam at the target, leaving the middle a seething black. She turned to smile at Princess Cadance, her current mentor that assigned herself to watch the progess of the lavender mare's fractured horn. Beside her stood Radiance, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Applejack, all of whom cheered her on at the feat she accomplished despite the pain that came with it.

"How..." she gasped.

"How did I do?"

"Better than yesterday," Cadance said with a grin.

"So? How did it feel?"

"It hurt a lot less," Twilight answered, rubbing her horn.

"I might need a little more training. Drawing magic to a certain part of the horn isn't easy."

"Never was. Even I had a very hard time concentrating when Princess Celestia first taught me."

"Seems a horn's just like a hoof," Applejack commented.

"Shucks, when Ah broke mine that one time, it took a long time to get me back to applebuckin' again."

"Same goes for a wing," Rainbow Dash added, with Fluttershy nodding in agreement.

Twilight just smiled. Sure, unicorns, pegasi and earth ponies were all different from one another, but they were ponies, after all; the things that made them special were also the things that made them alike, in some way. Rubbing her churning temple, she settled down next to her friends, sighing in relief at the exercise well done.

"Hey, Radiance," she cooed at the young colt.

"How did you think it go?"

"Totally awesome!!" he exclaimed in a bout of amazement, leaving the adults to chuckle.

"One day, I wanna learn a powerful spell like that. Then I could fight all the bad guys away."

"Well, someone's eager," Cadance teased her son, to which the rest of the adults chuckled.

"You still haven't had your bath yet, mister. I suggest you start by doing that first."

"Fine..."

With ears drooped down, the little colt scampered back into the palace, though it was only when he disappeared from view and the conversation between the other mares continued did Cadance let out a small sigh. It was a tap of Twilight's hoof on her shoulder and the look of concern she wore that only hardened the frown further. She knew her sister-in-law could see it, the small glimmer in her eyes; it was all that remained of the bombing, other than the wreck being cleaned up.

"I'm sorry," she said uneasily.

"I... just have a lot of things on my mind."

"Didn't the princesses asked you to get some rest?" Twilight asked.

"They did... it didn't work out that well..."

Cadance suddenly yawned, staring at the ground drearily and forcing out a smile when she glanced back up at them. It wasn't long before she got up as well, glancing up at the afternoon sun. Exhaustion was weighing her down, her nights spent on mulling over the recent attacks. It was already beginning to show in her eyes, as her reflection had told her.

"I'll just try to take a nap," she murmured, heading off the same path that her son took.

"See you later, girls."

"Have a good rest."

One parting grin was all she left behind before the alicorn dragged herself into the palace. It was then that Applejack kicked her hooves back, balancing the chair she was on its back legs with her front hooves crossed to make a headrest as she grumbled underneath her breath:

"It just ain't right..."

"Everything isn't right these days," Rainbow huffed at her statement.

"You can't just go anywhere without a bomb blasting by the corner."

"Oh... it can't be that bad..."

"I have to say, I agree with Rainbow on this one," Twilight professed, glancing at the unsure Fluttershy. She had seen too much happen to ignore that fact. The long, quiet peace of Equestria had been broken; a long, quiet war was starting or, from what the rumors say, had long started. Still, she had kept in mind what she told Spike yesterday. Yes, there will be a war, but it would be the last thing any of them would want to focus on.

Her thoughts wandered back to last night, when the Masque, as promised in his letter, made a small visit. There wasn't anything intense, just some small talk, munching on a few snacks and drinking tea as he recounted his exploits and she her brother's condition and the recent attack on the barracks (she trusted him to keep it all a secret), before finishing it up with a cuddling session that lasted quite a while. That was when she was reminded of something she wanted to ask of her friends, beginning with none other than Rainbow Dash.

"So... how's Soarin'?"

"Why'cha ask?"

Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"You know. Just to get things off our heads?"

"Well, other than being the most amazing dad to the best kids in the entire world..." Rainbow began to boast, already hovering a few inches off the ground. though her expression softened suddenly, floating back down onto the ground with a brief moment of contemplation.

"He's doing good, I guess. He's just being Soarin', that's all."

"And you, Applejack?"

"Kane still has ta do his dragon ambassador stuff," the orange mare said with a dismissive wave.

"Heck, Ah think he's been much busier than before. Heard that somepony's desperate to get the dragons on their side with a bunch of fancy talk and whatnot."

"Probably Princess Celestia," Rainbow scoffed.

"No offense, Twi, but I don't think she's doing a really good job."

"You won't be the first to say that."

"Now hold your horses," Applejack exclaimed, grinning evilly.

"Is the Twilight Sparkle criticizing Princess Celestia herself?"

Rainbow couldn't help but snort with laughter. Even Fluttershy was giggling softly at the side, which of course just made Twilight crease her brows, pouting just a little. Sure, she was Princess Celestia's personal student, but that didn't mean that she was always eagerly fulfilling her whims and fancies. Nevertheless, there was always a time where she would get teased, be it by her friends or even her own family.

"What I meant was," she said, stopping to clear her throat.

"These days, she's just... I don't know, not being herself lately..."

"Oh, she's probably been through a lot," Fluttershy muttered.

"I don't think anypony would expect... um... what happened to your brother and the guard..."

"Fluttershy's probably right," Rainbow added.

"I mean, her whole guard just got blown off their flanks! She's probably afraid or something."

"She wasn't like this when Manehatten blew up..."

"How would ya know?" Applejack questioned.

"If ya ask me, all these bombs and explosions are just there to make the princess a little worked up or somethin'. Think about it, Twi. If Janus had that much power to burn Manehatten down, then why the hay isn't he doin' anythin' right now? He could just come into Canterlot any time, yet Ah don't see a single speck of 'im."

"Yeah! Why wouldn't Princess Celestia just march out with the rest to fight back!" Rainbow retorted.

"Right now, she's just letting him bomb everypony away. I mean, what's up with that?"

"Because marching to battle might be what Janus would want."

Using bombs and casualties as a taunt might seem pretty far-fetched in her opinion, but Twilight knew this wasn't like any other adversary she had fought before. There were just too many chances that he could've took to seize Canterlot, yet all he had done so far was watch from the sidelines and treat them to a plethora of explosions that corresponded with a single wave of his hoof.

"I just..." she began, lowering her voice.

"I feel like this is about something bigger than Equestria itself."

"Now why would ya say that?"

"I don't know," she responded to Applejack's question.

"It just doesn't make sense. I've been looking through the notes that the professor left us before he was murdered and... what it said seemed to have nothing to do with Janus at all."

"Really?" Rainbow asked.

"How come?"

"I don't know... I promised the princesses I'm not supposed to let out any of its details, but it was all about his excavations in Saddle Arabia. Apparently, he was looking for something that concerns something he called... uh... the White Convergence or something..."

Her three friends just stared blankly at her.

"Believe me, I have no idea what he was talking about either," Twilight professed, taking out the book.

"I've been looking through all the books in the library for it, but so far I couldn't find anything about it. Whatever this White Convergence was, it has been said that it traces back to the origin of ponykind."

"Are ya sure the professor didn't drink one more bottle of cider before he wrote that?"

"I hope not," she griped, flipping through the pages.

"If he did, I had been following a false lead the whole time... here it is."

Without further ado, she read aloud:

Of the White Convergence and Prior and/or Post Events Alluded To Its Occurrence

It is with great faith that the world's earliest millenniums juxtaposed with our more recent centuries with the occurrence of the White Convergence, a supposed universal, if not inter-universal event which had been depicted in the works of early civilizations ranging from the Traditional-Eastern cervine scribes, to the Highlander equivalent, the Awenyddion, to the Vahlzervaan of the Draconic Federation and, of course, the ancient scientists of Saddle Arabia, which this proposal had been written in and the following evidence solely based on an archaeological excavation at approximate fifty seven kilometers, twenty three degrees northwest of Riyadh, capital of Saddle Arabia.

According to the writings of the scholars, the White Convergence was described as 'a great white explosion that covered all of land and sea, binding two worlds into one'. The shared interest of this event on impacting the world's scholars at the same time and the meeting of the lords that followed has been dubbed as a major convergence of the ancient civilizations, the first of its kind, leading me to propose its given name. As of the time this note was written, I have yet to conclude what the White Convergence may be, but it marked a significant change in history in the international social affairs. I, however, believed there may be something more.

"You lost me at... just a pose."

"Juxtaposed," Twilight corrected Rainbow.

"Anyways, I wanted to talk to Princess Celestia about it, but she's always in all those meetings with the ambassadors. If what the professor said may be the reason Janus headed the dig at Saddle Arabia..."

"Wait a sec," Applejack halted her, eyes widened.

"You're telling us that..."

A grave nod.

"This... White Convergence... might be some sort of bomb."

The shocked faces of all her friends mirrored her own the first time she had theorized that. She had hoped it was wrong, as it likely would be; since when does any ancient civilization have the technology to create such a powerful weapon? Not even the Draconic Federation could invent such a thing!

"Imagine what might happen if Janus had that bomb..." she muttered, glancing warily about.

"There wouldn't be any of Canterlot left, or maybe even Equestria, if the blast radius is wide enough. It would be perhaps five times the explosion that happened in Pendant Lakes, for all we know. Maybe even ten."

"Oh dear," Fluttershy squeaked, gulping at the thought. Her other two friends kept silent, still shuddering at the thought of their homes completely obliterated with a single weapon. They were afraid of war brought to their town, but a quick, complete destruction of an entire nation was the more frightening nightmare.

"Which is why I wanted to warn the Princesses about this," Twilight continued, ending with a sigh.

"The sooner they know, the better."

"Oh, I'm sure they would be finished soon."

"Which reminds me, Fluttershy," the scholarly mare said, turning to her shy friend.

"How's everything with Big Mac these days?"

"Oh... um..."

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me."

"No! I mean... he's alright."

"Honestly, I have to give it to her," Rainbow spoke up solemnly.

"She's separated from Big Mac and Amber Rose for so long, yet she can still stand it. If it were Soarin' and my daughters, I would've kick the judge's flank to the moon already."

Fluttershy whimpered underneath her breath, obviously discomforted by the day she stood for herself in court, unable to do anything to help herself. It was a moment that all her friends remembered, particularly Rainbow Dash, who had been her foalhood friend for so long, and of course Applejack, her sister-in-law. Twilight herself always viewed Fluttershy as protective of her family, even if it means pushing those who threaten them into harm's way, to put in a nicer context.

"H-He and Amber are doing fine..." she stammered.

"Eeyup," Applejack took over.

"M'ah brother's a good father. Heck, when m'ah parents were gone, he always helped Apple Bloom and Ah out in a jiff when we were young, so you could say he has the experience."

"Heh. You know you're comparing yourself to little Amber, right AJ?"

A small jab to her sides made Rainbow topple over, still snickering at her orange friend alongside Fluttershy and Twilight, the latter mare feeling a warm sensation of relief washing over her. It had been some time since she had a talk like this, her schedule keeping her preoccupied these days with her research was coming like a storm and constant visits to Shining Armor at the hospital. Frustration had been sapping at her energy, yet she would always find a little more just for a small conversation. She quietly sighed, smiling at the earnest chattering of her lifelong friends.

At least, for now, she can enjoy peace.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

When the cats are away, the mice come out to play.

The Sicarius Nox were always a wild bunch, if Caduceus had to say for himself. Assassins born and bred, ready for any of their dirty jobs, yet they were hysterical renegades without a leader. Each one were entitled only to their own personal interests, which sometimes led to feuds between one another and one time even escalated into a killing spree that divided the organization for a few months. All the unfortunate perished from the incarnates of rage and jealousy.

An incarnate of rage and jealousy, he chuckled to himself.

That sounded a little too familiar.

There was little time to reminisce. Quietly, he peeked out from the shards of a shattered window, steadily breathing as he stared into the nothingness outside. Somehow, he had managed to return back to the main square after an endless gallop through the maze of canyons, hunted down by what had been his former friend. He was very sure Sidus Sirenheart had been dead. What good would a doctor be if he can't even tell his best friend was dead?

He had long strayed from Stellar's side when the hunt started and as for Jovern, he could only assume the great dragon had hidden himself as well. Their demonic predators were scattered about, meandering through the ruins in their ravenous quest to sate their hunger. He could hear them, those chitinous chattering coming close towards the building he was hiding in, sometimes stopping to howl several high-pitched croaks into the air, as if notifying the rest of the hunting party. There were so many things he wanted to ask, yet they could all come together into one single word that had obnoxiously jostled into perhaps every mind of the citizens of Pendant Lakes one too many times.

Why?

Why did Harmony betray them to the demons? Why were they being hunted down? Most importantly, why was Sidus Sirenheart, the stallion who had been murdered in his cabin, leading the charge and unleashing his... hounds, as one would inaptly call them. Perhaps there will never be answers for them in this wasteland, but he sure as hell wouldn't give up on finding them.

It had been quiet by the time Caduceus stepped out of his hiding spot, his gun still locked and loaded with the intent to kill. He has no idea how much of these dark remnants still roam around the ruins. It could all be a trap under the false guise of silence and security.

"Sidus, you bloody bastard..." he cursed at the assassin and (perhaps) former friend. To be stubborn in life was bad enough already, yet here he was, refusing to kick the bucket. At least he could've joined their side as he did in life, so why side with the devils? So much for friendship's shore.

He retreated to where they once came, dodging into the darkness housed underneath the roofs. Compared to the rest of the Crux Four, he was never much of an athlete, which was why he picked a more tranquil job than the rest. Stellar had to scurry about running orders for the Palgiot family, which was a job he had been rather devoted to so there's no harm there. Sidus had his assassination duties, which probably involved a lot of roof-hopping and flips and such, if the motion pictures of today depicted it accurately in its most visceral form.

Then there was Persimmon Cryoheart.

An orphanage. Running around, up and down the same set of stairs, caring for children. Cooking for them every day and tucking them to bed every night. If he placed them all in comparison, she would've had the most energy-taxing duty to fulfill. Sure, in her later years, she had moved on to writing and archiving the library of Pendant Lakes when some of the older children took over, yet it does not bode well with age. Not that she minded.

It was after a long trek that he had returned to the decrepit street of Standard & Dale, seeking refuge in Foster Grande Orphanage. Slipping into one of the upstairs bedrooms, Caduceus finally sat down and let out a long, calm sigh, placing his weapons and satchel aside. He craned his neck up, blankly staring at the ceiling with little streams of sweat forming visible paths down his dirt-strewn face.

How long were they down here?

"Celestia give me strength..."

With a brief stretch of his hooves, Caduceus glanced out the window into the street, waiting for Stellar, Jovern, Harmony or even one of the demons to pass by. Occasionally, he stopped to glance out at the hallways as well, having remembered of he and Stellar's terrifying encounter with the now deformed Autumn Palgiot not too long ago. The tingling sense of dread he felt lingered for what felt like almost eternity, his patience threatened to die like a candlelight in the wind.

It was all worth the wait, however, when a small creak resounded through the hallways.

Caduceus Brineheart tensed, his rifle held close to his chest with his gaze stuck fearfully at the doorway. Whatever it was that made the sound was inside the orphanage, probably prowling around in a search for something to feast upon, he was not sure. What he was sure of was that he could hear it coming closer by the minute, which only stiffened his joints as he struggled to steady his rifle, pointing it at the doorway.

"Come on now," he hissed quietly, waiting for his target.

"I've got a present for you."

Another creak.

This one was louder.

Closer.

It was on the landing; the creature had completed its ascent up the stairway.

All the doctor could do was aim. It could be the creature, in which case it would be a score for him. If it was Stellar however, he would have much more trouble explaining himself then. No matter, he told himself. He musn't give the creature a chance to pounce.

"Just a little more..." he mumbled to himself as he heard the faint sound of the boards creaking.

"One last step..."

"Cease, Caduceus."

His hooves relaxed by surprise, his head starting to pound at that familiar voice. Slowly, a figure emerged from the doorway, her appearance striking all the right nerves of nostalgia faster than a pinball machine. All he did was gasp, his rifle dropping to the floor at the sight of a most wonderful mare.

"P-Persimmon...?"

There she was, standing in all her resplendent beauty as she did in life. In fact, if he had spoken, he would say she looked much more beautiful than in life! Angelic, even! Before he could utter those thoughts, however, she suddenly leaped towards him, the stallion hurtling back with the mare now on top of her, his cheeks blushing red.

"Persimmon, what are you--" he began, only to be swiftly cut short by a hoof on his lips.

"Shut it," she hissed, glancing over her shoulder.

"Some of them are coming towards here."

"I have a rifle, if you must know."

"No. Too loud. It will attract the rest of the party."

"Oh really?" he questioned his friend, glaring up at her.

"How would I know that you're not on their side? I've seen that bastard Sidus alongside the demons hunting us down. What's to say you would not do the same?"

In a fit of rage, Persimmon suddenly stamped his hoof down, making him yelp in pain with his grip on his rifle loosened. Immediately, she snatched the weapon up and flipped it about, pointing it down at the stunned doctor with a little smirk on her face and a toss of her mane.

"For starters, I knew you were in here," she stated.

"If I could do this to you now, you would've been dead the moment you stepped into this room."

"So what's stopping you?"

"Common sense," she quipped.

"Really, what in the name of Celestia happened to you? What happened to trust, that one little thing that you believed to put in everypony else?

"Harmony happened..." Caduceus quietly confessed, the pressure on his hoof lessening. Something in his head told him he had a change of heart the moment the hunt started. It wasn't the sight of Sidus releasing his hounds at him and Stellar. No, what bothered him was Harmony: how she just easily fooled them, how she double-crossed them without a second thought even after all the help he and Stellar had given her. Who else could he trust down in these depths?

"She was supposed to lead us to our goal, Persimmon. I thought she did, but... still..."

"She didn't mean to."

"What do you mean she didn't mean to?!" he questioned, as if insulted.

"She practically just... lead us to an open area where she knew we would be slaughtered by those... those things! If she had any second thoughts, she would've helped us escape or even fight, but she just ran off! Like the bloody coward she was..."

"There's more to it than just simple betrayal."

"What do you--"

"Shh!!" Persimmon shushed him suddenly, glancing out the window.

"Get down. Get down now."

Without a second thought, Caduceus did as he was instructed, though he followed her wary gaze out of the window. He soon spotted what seemed to be a large group his hunters prowling about; surely this must be the hunting party all gathered up, marching through the streets like a band in a festival. Sidus was in the center of it all, glancing at every window with a crossbow in hoof, though what caught the doctor's eye was that of the being beside him.

It was a large, hulking beast that bore the chitinous flesh of its demonic compatriots, resembling a muscled hybrid of a black panther with left eye a watchful green and right a glaring red. The claws emerging from all four paws seemed as though they were made from platinum, which the same could be said for its teeth. At first, it looked like one of the mechanical machines that Sidus would be fond to tinker around with, but there was something more than just mere clockwork. The only clockwork that it would have were the ones running on the cogs of pure, organic life.

"What is that?"

"A soul reborn of corruption incarnate," Persimmon replied softly.

"Look at him. All the rage, all the hatred, building up in him. You can't sense it now, Caduceus, but underneath all of that, he's screaming. Screaming for it all to end. For a well-deserved rest."

"How do you know all this?" Caduceus had to ask.

"I almost became them. A restless soul caught amid its wandering to be forced into the dark."

"But you didn't... die here."

"My body may be resting somewhere in a graveyard in Manehatten, but I've always belonged here. I've longed to come back and at least pay the three of you a visit, but Pendant Lakes was doomed to fall. I, as its citizen, was doomed as well to fall along with it. Fortunately, I didn't fall that far."

"I have no idea what you're saying."

"Trust me, it's a complicated matter," Persimmon muttered, glancing back at the gargantuan terror.

"Shame... when he passed, I had always thought he found peace."

"Who is he?" the doctor asked. There was something that ticked in his head the moment he laid his eyes on that beast, just as there was a tick when he encountered the ghoulish spirit of Autumn Palgiot on the stairway. He learned from the latter experience how far the city had transcended into the embrace of Tartarus, corrupted into the darkest shadow of its brightest days. Everything here was twisted and obscene, morbid even, but still it rings a faint twinkle of nostalgia.

"You know who it was, don't you?"

Persimmon gave an affirmative nod, followed by the answer Caduceus sought for:

"In life, he was known as Summer Palgiot."

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Her sister was dying.

Artemis wasn't related to Selena by blood, only by the fact that they had spilled blood before, not to mention the fact that she also just spilled the mare's. She never meant to do that, even though she initially wanted to during her brief psychotic episode. Never mind that, Selena was dying and this time, she can't escape the court.

To have a sister somehow made her feel special, as if she was loved for once. She didn't know why she had seen her mare as that, but it just struck her like an epiphany, as if she was lawfully her sibling. It felt slightly wrong, to make another living being her own. In fact, it would've been classed under abduction. Selena was her sister... somehow, when the wrongs are ignored, it felt like she would make the perfect sister.

All she hoped was that Selena wouldn't mind.

The townsfolk of Byafisogsne watched her with utter horror at her bloodstained form as she marched down the road alongside Princess Crystallia, her bleeding 'sister' lying limp on her back. There was never a hospital in the village. Sure, they had a police station, a firehouse and even a council hall, a court and a museum, but not a single hospital. All the healing was done by the temple priests, which meant that their destination was none other than her home.

Sighing, she glanced up at the grandiose, Nordic building; a sight that still intimidated her since the first time she was brought towards its doors. It was her home for the past seven years, yet it loomed over her, ridiculing her in her sorry state. Back then, it was of the murder of her parents and her spiraling downfall into the pit of insanity. The investigation didn't end well and in the end, the killer was never found, mostly because she herself took the matter in her own hooves but that was already a completely different story.

She felt her form tremble when she stepped into the maw of the building, the sight of the rest of the crew (with the exception of the minotaur) standing there. There was a glint of anger in some of their eyes, others more of fear, though the first to act was the gryphon -- Ollivander, as he was acknowledged -- who immediately rushed up to Princess Crystallia, tears already forming in his eyes.

"Selena?" he croaked, shocked at her state.

"What happened to her... What happened to her?!!"

"She won't die, gryphon."

"WHAT DID YOU DO?!!" he screeched, almost swinging a talon towards the alicorn and would've done so if it weren't for Velvet pulling him back immediately with his magic. Phoenix strutted over in his place, carefully lowering down the bleeding mare onto the floor. Her breathing was erratically faint, her face pale. She was on the verge of death and there was no time to lose.

"Priestesses!" the alicorn called to the small few in the room.

"Get the medicine and ointments now!"

Quickly obeying her demands, the priestesses quickly scurried off, with Ganger following along to aid them in their unpremeditated search. Ollivander, still choking on his tears, knelt down and held his mate's hoof, his bright and cheerful spirit shattered. Velvet and Dapple's horn lit up, carefully forming a field of magic on the open wounds of her body and making her wince slightly while Pinkie and Phoenix, with Fleetywit on the former's head, looked on, unsure of how to help her any more further.

"I can't watch this..." the pink mare muttered, turning away with her curly locks beginning to droop.

"I'm sorry..."

All eyes in the room turned to Artemis, who stood there with her head down low, resigned to only nothing but covering her eyes and weeping quietly in the room. She could feel them watching her in shock, disgust and rage, cornered by them all with the exception of Princess Crystallia herself. Quietly, she waited, hoping her punishment to come quick and easy.

Suddenly, she felt the sharp talon of Ollivander on her chin, quickly hoisting her up to stare into his watery, bloodshot eyes. She tensed up, waiting for him to slit her throat with a single swipe, though instead, to her surprise, she felt herself fall again, untouched as she was before. The gryphon just turned away, not even wanting to look at her face.

"You do it, V."

A click of a gun whirled her attention to Velvet, perhaps the more stone-hearted of the group, who was holding a rifle aimed at her head, his horn still working on his magic. At least it would be a quicker, less gruesome way to die, the fawn thought to herself.

"What did you do to her?" he questioned.

"I shot her with an arrow and stabbed her with it."

The way she nonchalantly answered almost made Velvet drop his gun. It was terrifying to the caravan, how such a young child could do something so gruesome yet say it as if it never meant anything to her. Artemis felt truly guilty, yes, but when she saw they and their imposing looks... all she could do was scorn.

"Why did you do it?" Velvet continued.

"I didn't mean to..."

"What do you mean you didn't mean to?"

"Artemis was in one of her... passionate sessions," Princess Crystallia defended her.

"What happened to Selena was the results of my wrongdoing. For this, I am to blame."

"And what the hell were you hoping to achieve?" came another question, this time from Dapple.

"Selena could've died! She could've been murdered by your... your favorite psychopath!!"

Artemis could only turned away in shame, though her princess still persisted.

"I never wanted to achieve anything. It was a mistake I have done on my part. My state of mind isn't... as stable as hers. In fact, if one were to say, it had worsened with time."

One can only imagine. To have an insane subject tasked with communicating between the citizens and the princess is one thing; to have the same princess be insane herself is another. All except for Artemis could look in horror at Princess Crystallia, with everything they wanted to say reduced to just small whimpers.

"You have all been fortunate," she muttered, gazing coldly.

"I have seen many dinners that have went... the wrong way, I shall put it, though dinners, I fear, were the least of my worries. For the sake of my subjects, I have been trying to maintain control of it and it's becoming rather out of hoof as of late. Selena succumbed to them indirectly, if I must say, which goes to show why you can't let a psychopath converse with another."

"But... but you're a--"

"Princess. Ruler of a kingdom, yes I know," she finished Pinkie's sentence.

"There are two kinds of insanity in this world. Artemis and Selena is of the active kind, psychosis, where when triggered, she would behave rather hysterically, if I would put. I fall on the passive kind, sociopathy, where I merely, say, evict my emotions, where mercy and remorse is a figment of my imagination. The aggressive and the apathetic. The temperamental and the temperate. Like two peas in a devilish pod."

"You're... you're a princess..." Ollivander griped.

"How can you be a princess? Your kingdom would've been ruined!"

"And yet I rule it so very well."

Leaving all questions unanswered, Princess Crystallia's dark grin faded quickly just as Ganger and the priestesses returned, quickly applying medicine and rolling bandages around Selena's writhing form. A groan came out from her mouth, the delight of the caravan ignited when she opened her eyes a little, mumbling something incoherent underneath her breath.

"Thank the Federation..." Ollivander cried with relief, trembling with a small bout of laughter as he wiped away his tears of joy. Before the mare could even comprehend, she was gently cradled into the gryphon's talons, his smile glowing despite the fur on his cheeks matted by his tears.

"Ollie..." she whispered his name.

"You're.. I love... you..."

Slowly, she dozed off out of fatigue, this time with the dangers of death all cast aside. The caravan all chuckled quietly, their prayers reciprocated with gratitude and their dread washed off in relief. For the first time in the night, Artemis couldn't help but let out a smile, happy to find the caravan united again.

Her happiness will not last long, she knew that. The gaze that Princess Crystallia held on her was one gaze she had seen placed upon those deserving of a punishment. It felt better to resign to it than to protest any further. She was, after all, a young fawn who was taken in by the alicorn after her parents were brutally murdered before her eyes; how ironic would it become if she had killed Selena back there. Her parents' killer fell from her vindictive bow, yet that one had what they deserved. Selena did not, which meant it was time to pay.

"Artemis, we shall speak in private."

The excited chatter of the caravan died down when they heard those harsh orders, solemnly looking on as Princess Crystallia lead the dejected fawn across the room past them and towards the hallways. None dared to voice out their protests, for such a young, healthy fawn to be judged just didn't feel right. Selena had been badly wounded, sure, but they had formalities back in their respective hometowns. In this frozen village, it seemed as though they had none.

"A-Artemis..." Selena muttered in her sleep, as if sensing the fawn's destined downfall. Immediately, the fawn wore a weak smile, turning back at the caravan and to the pegasus in particular. It pained her to leave her side, but her departure was an obligation, not an option. With a feverish sigh before turning away, she whispered one last time with a small tear straining to stay in her eye and a trembling, rueful sigh:

"Farewell, sister."

Author's Note

Got this in time for Friday! :pinkiehappy:

Just to let you guys know, college is starting again by next Monday, so the following chapter might take a while before it can be released, meaning that it would go back into the semi-hiatus phase again.

Life's a busy roller-coaster ride that keeps you occupied. :unsuresweetie:

Nox Caedibus

Elysium forgive her for not coming sooner.

To Princess Celestia, her fear was poignant when she stepped into the center of Ponyville. It was a late trip she arranged with Luna after they had a therapeutic discussion over a fine dinner. The ocean of grief was visible even from her distant balcony of the bedroom back at her palace; wandering closer may only set the spark for a bigger flame. Still, had she came earlier, she probably wouldn't have the same twinge in her gut like she has now.

The citizens of Ponyville were too busy scurrying around to notice her presence, their daily lives all summed up into the fostering of the injured from the Manehatten Cataclysm. Even the children were tasked with jobs they would usually find daunting. Bandages after roll of bandages were strewn across the open fields, the occasional spilled bottle of medicine was left ignored and cries of grief and pain ring from every corner. The yellow sky was dark, not in hue but in mood. Every face she saw was weary and silent, bleached from any sort of joy.

Surprising really, how numb they were all to it.

Both Luna and herself.

"Ah don't know what to say..."

There were others who came along besides her younger sister. Others who had never seen death to such a degree. Others whose time was mostly spent in an era of peace, the years prior to the destruction of Pendant Lakes being exceptionally so. Applejack, being a denizen of Ponyville itself, could not lie to anypony if she said she was not one of them. In fact, she wanted to believe that all of it was a lie. In the end, she would only lie to herself; being the terrible liar she was, she already knew how that would turn out.

"There's so many of them..." she finally spoke without a stammer.

"All over Sweet Apple Acres... the whole of Manehatten, right here..."

It was abrupt, but when Applejack got the invitation from one of the guards, she couldn't bring herself to refuse. The Princesses were specific with those that were picked, apparently from what she heard. In the end, however, only a quarter of those invited showed up. Aside from the usual guards accompanying the alicorns, there was Fleur De Lis, who had been yearning to search for her daughter and Spitfire, who came along with some of the other Wonderbolts to help out on some of the duties.

Her friends were all invited as well, but each one had their reasons for declining. Twilight had her research, Fluttershy and Rainbow, as well as their husbands, had their foals to take care of and Rarity, being Rarity, would not stomach it easily, which also leaves Spike out of the question. Among those that came, however, were Kane, who served as their transport (and to a certain degree, some emotional support) and, despite her own objections against it, Apple Bloom.

The teenager was appalled, to give an understatement. Seeing her home in such a pestilent state carved a hole in her heart. Even the grand apple trees she had slept under one too many times seemed to shrivel in the wake of the disaster. Smoke from the distant ruin of Manehatten still plagued the air, tainting the clouds with a grayer facade, reminding them, warning them. She was too young to understand what it was saying. Still, it said something to her. Something... sinister.

"They're down there, aren't they?" she said, turning to Applejack.

"Ah sure hope so," Applejack answered heftily, before bringing up a smile.

"Don't ya worry about a thing. Ah'm sure Babs will be alright."

That could become the best lie she would've ever told. With heads held high, the group marched forward into the realm below, passing by tent after tent housing the traumatized, the injured and the deceased. Frequent stops came with some familiar faces that were spotted, mostly by Fleur and Spitfire who knew some of the Manehatten nobles, though there were some Apples among the orchard. One after another, Applejack was laundered with relief; the trepidation that came with the journey was ebbing away in her.

Throughout the small reunions, Princess Celestia remained unfazed, often giving small smiles in the wake of a trivial celebration her subjects were having. Her focus still wavered over the damage or, if not, the potential damage that could be done. It was blow after consecutive blow to her foundations; she had been losing the trust of too many, perhaps as much as the trust she lost in others, what with the probable inside job with the Canterlot Barracks.

"Sir," she muttered, approaching one of the medical officers the Royal Guard stationed to tend to a line of refugees, his back turned to her. Aside from the frenetic scribbles on a clipboard, he seemed composed for one in such a situation. That was all she needed right now.

"May I have a word with you for a moment?"

"I'm afraid you'll have to get in line if you need a medical examination, Miss."

The alicorn cleared her throat, restraining a giggle at the look on his face when he turned around to confront her. Immediately, he dropped his clipboard and got down to his shaking knees, his head plunged down in shame. That sight was enough to make Luna snicker, which was quickly silenced with a furtive glare.

"M-My apologies, Mis-- ahh!! Your Highness!!" he stammered shakily.

"I d-didn't realize you were--"

"It's okay," she reassured him with a smile.

"I was told that the officers here gathered the overall statistics and demographics of the refugees."

"Yes, Your Highness," was his answer, before adding on:

"If you want it, I can get it for you from my superiors, Your Highness. It may take a while though. Have to deal with the last of the patients first, Your Highness, not to mention the sanctions, paperwork and such."

"I'll help him, Your Highness," Spitfire spoke up, trotting forward.

"I have close ties with one of the senior officers stationed here. Might take a little nudge, but it'll speed things up a bit."

"I'll gladly appreciate it, thank you."

Even in times of war, some of the brightest souls would emerge. Princess Celestia had lived long enough to see many who would offer themselves to even the most trivial matters. War may bring out the worst in some, but it also brings out the best. Often enough, however, stories of the latter would unfortunately be obfuscated among the throes and paroxysms of history. Shame, really.

Leaving both of them to their duties, the group carried on, cantering slowly across the meadow even as ponies around them rushed about. Applejack could feel herself trembling already from the sudden outbursts of sobbing and screams of pain all around; even when Kane comforted her with his wing, she could still feel it as if it was a scorpion crawling on her back, stinger poised to strike. Striking a glance at Fleur, she would seem pretty composed, but Applejack knew her facade was quickly cracking underneath, the tiring desperation of looking for her daughter already showing in her weary eyes.

"I'll wait at the barn," Kane suddenly spoke up and turned to head off, though not before glancing back at Applejack.

"Stay strong, my love."

"Ah will."

Sure enough, after the arduous trip on the lane among the suffering, they finally arrived at the Apple household. Praying in her heart, Applejack held her breath as she reached for the doorknob, every joint tensed up in preparation for something, anything, that could happen. With a deep sigh, she began to turn it when all of a sudden, the knob flew free off her hooves, the door swinging wide open to reveal a rigid and grisly, if not familiar, face.

"L-Lil' Strong!" she stammered out of surprise.

"AJ?" the buffalo exclaimed, almost tumbling backward.

"I... I can't believe it! What are you doing here? I thought you were in Canterlot!"

"Ah wanted to come back as soon as Ah can," was the mare's hurried explanation, stepping in with the rest following behind.

"How's Aunt Orange? Is she alright?"

"Fine. Doctor said she'll come to in a couple of weeks and--"

Immediately, Little Strongheart stopped short, her jaw dropping at the sight of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna striding in the room, both giving her warm, welcoming smiles. Much to the surprise of everypony else, the buffalo suddenly knelt down before the wide-eyed alicorns, head dropped down onto the floor as if out of fear.

"Y-Your Highnesses!!" she cried out fervently.

"It's an honor to be in your presence! My ancestors have told great stories about you!! Wondrous stories!!"

"As all ancestors do," Princess Luna quipped under her breath, earning a cough from her sister.

"Rise, Little Strongheart," Princess Celestia said, beckoning the excited buffalo up.

"It is rare to see a buffalo on Equestrian soil in this season. Most of the herds should be migrating towards the western lands by now, yet you... chose to stay behind, I presume?"

"Yes, Your Highness. W-With my uh... coltfriend, Braeburn, Your Highness."

"What did Ah tell ya, AJ?" Apple Bloom piped up cheekily at her sister, who managed to chuckle herself.

"Ah knew cuz'n Brae and Lil' Strong will get together!"

"Alright, Apple Bloom. Speakin' of which, where's Braeburn anyway?"

"Upstairs, sleeping," Little Strongheart answered, taking a moment to sigh.

"I'm glad he decided to to let himself go for once. All that work's gonna give him a heatstroke."

"Is Babs here as well?"

"She went out with her... therapist, I think," was the reply, much to the delight of both Applejack and Apple Bloom.

"Heard that Babs was saved by her from whatever happened in Manehatten. They might come back any second--"

Almost as if on cue, the door creaked open again, this time with Babs trotting in. She stopped when the first hoof landed on the mat, gawking at all the visitors crowding the house, only to be immediately seized into a hug by her favorite cousin.

"A-Apple Bloom?" she stuttered, breaking into a teary smile.

"What are you doin' here? Cous'n Brae told me y'all down at Canterlot!"

"Ah w-wanted to see if ya alive and--" Apple Bloom swallowed, cutting herself short before letting out a languid, quivering sigh.

"It's... it's good to see ya safe, Babs."

"Typical AB. Tryin' to act all mature."

"Hey, at least Ah'm trying, Babs! Ah don't see you acting mature all the time!"

"That's cause Ah don't need ta act! Ah already am!"

"Haybrains!"

"Mudwallower!"

"Dinglebat!"

"Pumpkinhead!"

"Babs, I told you, you can't just pick a fight from anypony just because they said some things about you and--"

The voice came from outside the house, the mare that it belonged to stepping in. Just like Babs, Fantasia too was taken aback from all the visitors in the house, though there was one in particular that really made her jaw drop. She stepped forward, almost collapsing from her wobbling hooves, even blinking a few times to make sure she wasn't imagining it. Nevertheless, Fleur was standing there before her, ridden with disbelief as well.

"M-Mom...?"

"Thank Celestia!!" cried the model, who immediately embraced her own daughter; a face she has not seen for months. It was a reunion, dampening with tears that soaked in Fantasia's mane from her mother. There were no words to be said, just the intense sobbing of Fleur, her emotions finally caving in. As a therapist and a daughter, Fantasia Praeclarus knew what had to be done: she kept her silence, instead hugging her mother tighter with a smile and a tear in her eye. What words that may come in shall be reserved for a later time.

Princess Celestia just grinned warmly at the sight. For Applejack and Little Strongheart, it was a reunion of friends; for Apple Bloom and Babs, it was cousins; for Fleur and Fantasia, it was parent and child. It reminded her of that time, back in her old, derelict castle, when she was reunited with her own sister. Now, Luna stood next to her, perhaps thinking the same thought as well. Of their reunion.

The reunion of sisters.

It was a heartwarming sight, yet speaking of which, it still bothered her.

"I have something to tell you, Luna."

A nod from the younger alicorn. Leaving the rest to rejoice, the Royal Sisters trotted out onto the porch, quietly shutting the door behind them. Sighing to herself, Princess Celestia bit her lip as her sister turned to her, waiting for her to say something, yet however uncertain she may be, Luna still has the right to know.

"I had a talk," she began.

"With Discord."

"I know."

Princess Celestia raised her eyebrow, before grumbling:

"I told you not to look at my dreams anymore, Luna."

"I couldn't help it if something's been bothering you, sister," Luna replied sternly.

"So... he wanted something more, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"And? Was it just as we feared?"

"I'm afraid so," the older alicorn said, gazing out at the distant Canterlot.

"But it's just like that, isn't it? A reunion... it's as simple as it is."

"We can't just trust him like that, sister," Princess Luna interjected.

"Discord... he could be using you to get what he wants. Even if we get them all together, how can we be sure that they would willingly follow as they were told? Why would the other leaders even bother? If this turns out to be something that he's doing just to get us all back in the end, we wouldn't be able to fight back. There must be certainly another way to keep the stability of Equestria without the need of the rest."

"What Discord proposed was just a possibility. I haven't made up my mind yet."

"Yet it seems to me that you have, Tia."

"It was only a promise, Luna," Celestia snapped.

"I put the safety of Equestria above a thousand year old contract, sister. I thought you knew that. Even if I wanted to, I would put it aside and look for a better possibility to settle it all without need of the others. Until then, Discord's method is, nevertheless, a solution worth considering."

"Your Highness?"

Both alicorns turned to see Spitfire stepping up onto the porch, unsure of how long she had been there or how much of the conversation she listened to. Nevertheless, the Wonderbolt handed to them a clipboard, her lips clenched fearfully. Taking it with a thankful nod, Princess Celestia flipped through its contents, yet with each page, her face gradually grew darker, her brows furrowing. Grimly, she handed it to Luna, the numbers stunning the younger alicorn even more so.

"Did the officers run through the numbers twice?" Princess Celestia questioned.

"Five times, Your Highness," Spitfire replied despondently.

"Same results all the way through."

"Impossible..." Luna muttered, almost throwing the clipboard onto the floor.

"Sister, if this goes public--"

"We'll have to make it public eventually."

Princess Celestia wouldn't want to hear the end of it. Once the number of casualties come out, it would only serve to petrify and tunnel into the wall of harmony they have been struggling to maintain throughout the nation. To have such an enemy that could murder hundreds and thousands, perhaps even millions... it would frighten her as much as it would frighten her subjects. None of the leaders would involve themselves into this and in the end, when they give up hope and abandon them, all would be lost.

Unless...

"Sister, you couldn't possibly be considering--"

"What choice do we have left, Luna?"" she rasped, snatching the clipboard forcefully with her magic.

"Look at this! Look at what's happening before you! If Janus could do this, imagine what else could he do to the rest of Equestria. If we could consult for the help of everypony else, they might figure out some way of holding them back and keeping Equestria from harm. If not, what do you suggest we do, just sit back and welcome him?"

Luna just shirked back, gritting her teeth. With a wrinkle of her snout, Celestia gazed back at her suffering subjects, spitefully grumbling underneath her breath. However much of a trap it may be, Discord's suggestion was the only thing that was crystal clear in her head. It might be their only hope of getting Equestria up to its hooves again; only time will tell what might happen next.

"I'm sorry, sister," she finally said.

"But Discord's method is now the only solution worth considering."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Persimmon."

The dead mare marched onward.

"Persimmon Cryoheart."

The blind stallion followed.

"For Celestia's sake, Persimmon."

"Can't talk, Brineheart," she hissed.

"If your observational skills haven't picked it up yet, doctor, we're out in the open where Sidus's hounds could rip us apart like a pair of straw ragdolls. A trivial conversation isn't worth a penny compared to your life."

"Even when you're dead, you still possess your literacy."

"It is one of those things I took to my grave, Caduceus."

The doctor couldn't help but snort with laughter, though he took heed of her advice and kept the necessary silence. The duo had just recently departed from the forsaken orphanage, having opted to proceed when Persimmon talked about a safer place down the lanes of Standard & Dale. Aside from the fact that it was closer to the palace, Caduceus had hoped to encounter Stellar or Jovern along the way. It was as if the two of them disappeared, the latter especially so, yet he knew they would be hiding safely somewhere that their pursuers wouldn't notice them.

Once again, he came across the field of thorns: a macabre monument to commemorate the sunflowers that once grew there. Stopping in his tracks, he sighed a wistful, morose sigh, turning towards Persimmon only to see her frowning at the sight as well. Understandable, considering she was an admirer of the sunflowers as well.

"Do you miss this place?" he found himself asking.

"As it is now? Heck no," she declared, stopping to chuckle softly.

"But if you're talking about it back then... of course I do. The road itself brings back a lot of memories and that's already saying something. There's a lot more things I remembered doing here."

"Do you remember the sunflowers?"

Persimmon stopped, almost as if surprised by that question, before smiling knowingly.

"Yes, I do. Yellow petals with an occasional golden one or two. Large green towers that rise up to the heavens like skyscrapers. A black eye that stares at everything in its wake. Of course, there's one more detail only the frequent passerby would notice."

"The westerly wind that blows, urging you to head home," Caduceus answered it without a hitch.

"And to think you loved the Big Apple when you were fifteen."

"I still do, though not out of naivete this time."

"You imagined it to be better."

"Not exactly. I imagined it to be a sanctuary."

It had been a good dream then, though it was shattered as easily as a demolition would be in the mentioned city. They always said Manehatten was the city of silver lights and golden dreams. On the flip side, they always forget to mention that it was also a city of broken bones and shattered memories, if a pony was given the wrong advice. Persimmon found that out the hard way when her career nearly came crashing down after her dalliances with some narcotics; if it weren't for her three daughters, she would die a mare of little worth and prospering with shame.

"It was actually, for a little while," she continued solemnly, settling onto the broken road.

"Then... well... Pendant Lakes suddenly seemed like a paradise. By the time I realized it, it was already too late. I've built my career too high up for me to quit, pack my bags and come back here. Come back home. I missed it a lot, especially Standard & Dale."

Caduceus couldn't agree more, sitting right beside her.

"Oh, the fond memories we all shared together..."

A tranquil silence befell upon them, both stallion and mare dwelling in a haven of memories, their eyes closed in a relishing of what their experiences have amounted to. There were some that were shared between them, though Persimmon's stumbling into a particular thought snapped her eyes open for a moment. A faint blush rising in her cheeks, she edged herself closer towards her friend, giving a nudge on his shoulder.

"Do you remember something, Caduceus?" she asked, bearing a smile.

"Something else about the sunflowers?"

"What?" he asked, a little uncertain.

"Didn't we cover everything about it?"

"There's one last thing. The day we came here together."

"We came here almost every day, Persimmon," Caduceus pointed out.

"Where's the specialty in that?"

"I'm talking about that day."

It took a moment for him to fully comprehend what she meant, but when the doctor did, he started blushing a deeper red than the mare, his eyes waning over to the side in an effort to avoid Persimmon's ardent stare. The mare, of course, chuckled warmly, even as her cheeks started to grow redder as well. It was all in the past, yet the feelings of that day were still permeating within a field of clarity.

"You do remember, don't you?" she asked softly.

"We were young then. Around our twenties, I guess? You asked me for a walk, just to talk over some things and I agreed. We came here, stopped to have a look at the sunflowers and then... you did it... you stole my first kiss."

"I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry for that, Cade," she muttered, using a pet nickname that was kept only between the two.

"It's not as if I didn't like it... in fact, I actually quite enjoyed it myself."

"But you were already with Caesar then--"

"And I regretted not leaving him sooner. You know, just take Dahlia, Tulip and Ivy and probably skip town. One day, I did just that and went to Manehatten. It was the best and worst decision I've ever made in my life."

Persimmon bit her lip, looking up again at the field of thorns before her.

"Don't get me wrong, leaving him felt great. I felt free doing that. It's just... I shouldn't have headed to Manehatten. I should've stayed behind, lived somewhere else in town, settle with the divorce papers and get it over with instead of running away. Stellar could help me get a room or two in the palace and maybe... maybe we could've been together, just like you wanted to."

"I never wanted it," Caduceus stated firmly.

"It was just a teenage infatuation. Nothing more."

"Yet you never did find a mare you would call yours after that," she reciprocated. It took her a brief moment of silence to stutter a question.

"Caduceus, am I...?"

"What?"

"Am I... haunting you?"

"Considering the notion of your untimely demise, I would say exceptionally so."

"You know what I meant," Persimmon chided.

"You loved me too much to let me go. Even when I was with Caesar, you repressed your feelings, but those feelings were there all the same. When I left for Manehatten, I could see it in you. You, trying to stop me from leaving. You would've done it, I know, but you didn't want to upset me after all the hell I've been through. Sure, I wanted to leave right away, but at the same time, I couldn't just put you and the other guys aside like that."

"So I promised to myself," she continued, almost painfully.

"I promised that one day, I would come back to visit Pendant Lakes and see all of you, but you in particular, Cade. In fact, when I sat on the train to Manehatten, I told myself that I will come back despite everything that happened. Then Mirror Mare happened... Harmony happened... I knew I had to give up any hope of ever coming back here and so... I did. In that moment of passing on... I knew it would break you."

"You seem really certain of that."

"You're a coward, Cade. Always was one. You would never show it around the boys."

Persimmon gently wrapped her hoof around and clung lightly onto Caduceus's hoof, much to his surprise.

"You never asked why I was here."

"Why? Weren't you aiding us?"

"Like Harmony, I had unfinished business to tend to. Yes, it had something to do with helping you two out, but..."

"But?"

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Persimmon admitted.

"It's... it's coming to me, but very slowly."

"Speaking of unfinished business, we have to move on--"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Caduceus felt a small peck on his lips. It was short and sweet, yet when broken apart it was enough to make his jaw drop to the stone pavement below. With that done, Persimmon elicited a giggle, which grew into a snicker when she saw the look of exasperated disbelief on his face.

"W-What was that for?!"

"Just for old time's sake," she teased.

"Think you could do better?"

"W-Well..." the doctor fumbled, scratching his head.

"I could, but weren't you the one that said we shouldn't be in the--"

That was all she needed to hear.

A jab into his sides made him fall over, down the sandy hill and into a mound. With a groan, Caduceus looked up to see Persimmon, his adolescent crush, the mare he had always admired, the angel, all in one, straddling his chest. Before the doctor could protest, she leaned in close, lips almost touching lips, breathing intensified. Surprisingly enough, she snatched his rifle again with one hoof.

"If anything comes by, even if it's Stellar, I'll shoot it," she hissed, before smiling.

"But for now, Cade..."

"For now?" Caduceus whimpered, excited yet fearful of what is to come, to which Persimmon replied before their lips touched once more.

"Just shut up and kiss me."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

It wasn't easy being the Oracle.

It especially wasn't easy being one tried for attempted murder.

Artemis, the albino fawn, held her head high, facing Her Lady Protector and Goddess, Princess Crystallia of the snowy realm of Byafisogsne. There she was, standing in the infamous Fangens Kasse, the Prisoner's Box, in the center of an amphitheater of tables made from carved ice and cedar wood while the other priestesses looked down at her, frowning and murmuring to each other. Usually she would be by the alicorn's stead, trying others for their crimes. Now, standing there where criminals once stood, she knew it would be her first and final experience.

Death seemed upon her, having seen her Princess's glorious executions one too many times. She learned from it all that the sensation of ice splitting one's skin can create quite a strange kind of pain that blurs the lines of numbness and agony. It was as if one can substitute the other, like rubbing salt in the wound. That and the giddy, maniacal joy Princess Crystallia has when succumbing to her most repressed desires.

It was cracking, the icy calm facade she was used to seeing.

Sanity was only a passing fad in these parts, after all.

"My dear Artemis."

The fawn felt the world tremble around her, only to realize that it was her hooves doing the trembling. She was always afraid of Princess Crystallia somehow; it was only tonight that she dared talking back to the superior being. Perhaps it was all driven by the caravan, who bewildered her with all their efforts of cutting the princess short with their words. For that, she reserved a touch of admiration. Well then, she told herself with a stiffening of her hooves, might as well go down swinging.

"My Lady Protector," she quipped back.

"I must say, in this night alone, you have surprised me with what you... achieved," Princess Crystallia began sternly.

"Running off before being dismissed, attempted murder, trying to save a life you almost ended by dragging it across the forest. What really caught me, however, was your attitude. For once, you've shown, without doubt, confidence."

"Yes, I did."

"Lo and behold, the Oracle bore confidence. Unheard of, truly."

"I just wanted to save her!" Artemis protested.

"You were... you were in the way..."

"I was in the way?"

It came out as a scoff, then it grew into a chuckle, then it grew to the most hysterical, frenzied bout of laughter from Princess Crystallia the fawn's ears had ever been brought to witness. She glanced around at the other deer as their leader cackled on, unsurprisingly spotting the same looks of fear and worry focused not onto her, but to the well-being of the alicorn.

"I was in the way!" Princess Crystallia repeated jovially, looking at all her subjects.

"All of you heard her? I was in the way!! Me!!"

The alicorn's raving stopped as suddenly as it started, the calm demeanor once again setting in, save for a few pants. Even her cold smile vanished, leaving behind only an emotionless mien left for display. Artemis steadied herself, ready to withstand whatever onslaught Princess Crystallia may bring upon her next.

"If I weren't in the way," she said with macabre tenderness.

"Your... sister... would be dead."

"I know."

"Then what would become of the Oracle?"

"She's a fantasy. A ghost of imagination," the fawn asserted.

"Nothing would become of her, as she had came from nothing."

"You've done well under my tutelage."

"So is that what you would be doing to me?" Artemis questioned.

"Wipe me off the face of this earth and treat me as if I never existed?"

"I'm considering it."

"You got rid of a countless number of your 'dear' Oracles in the past. What difference would one more make?"

"You have been blind to the changing world, Artemis."

Much to the surprise of all the deer in the room, Princess Crystallia started to strut off her podium and towards the baffled Artemis. It was a strange sight to behold for all of them; there was an exasperated yet dreamy atmosphere around her. There were only a few times that Artemis herself had seen the alicorn in such a state, which, alongside with what she just stated, meant only one thing to her: something has happened in the outside word that their princess, who has a devotion to isolation as much as they have a devotion to her, could not readily ignore.

"The wind brought grave tidings from the south," she continued grimly.

"To me, change is inevitable. One more life can certainly make a difference."

"W-What do you mean?"

"It is a restless world out there, Artemis," was her response.

"You are only eleven. So young of an age, yet already you knew more than most of your kind. Still, you tried to take a life of another and for that, you must atone to the consequences. Understand, my dear Oracle?"

However much she hesitated, the fawn had to nod. The time had come, yet deep inside her, she never really want to go. There were so many things she could've done, so many things she wished to see. Even as those desires scream louder than before, somewhere deep within her just knew she wasn't meant to. Perhaps she could've gone out there, yet with what she had done tonight, it already sealed her fate. With a hefty sigh, Artemis closed her eyes and held her head high, giving the last cue to mark the end of her judgement day.

"I'm ready."

"STOP!!"

The white birch doors burst open, the caravan charging in with Selena taking the lead, who slid towards Artemis's side and raise up a beeping remote for all to see. Only the alicorn was unfazed; everypony else were either too shocked or too fearful to move. All Artemis could do was stand there, petrified at the sudden turn of the tables. She glanced up to Selena, in awe of how headstrong she was despite her bandaged form. The pegasus quickly shot her a smile, to which she returned eagerly.

"Set Artemis free and clear all her charges," Selena gave her demands.

"Otherwise, I'll blow the whole temple up before anyone could say 'My Lady Protector'."

"Do as she says and nopony gets hurt," Ollivander added meekly, earning a stare from the alicorn.

"Word of advice. Take it to heart."

"Fight ice with fire. My, my," Princess Crystallia chuckled darkly.

"Selena Gust. You trouble me greatly. You should be taking a rest after what Artemis had done to you, yet here you are, threatening to blow up my temple and all the innocents that live within. You, your caravan, even your injured friend lying in the wards."

"He would understand what we're doing," Dapple spoke up in his place.

"If it meant saving the life of a young fawn like her, all of us would do anything. Now release her and no harm will come to you."

Artemis held her breath, looking between her Lady Protector, who had been a mother when she never had one, and Selena, whom she felt bonded with by means of their insanity. It was something she couldn't quite explain, her attachment to Selena. Something like a sudden spark that grew into a big flame, giving her a curious warmth in the hinterland she had called home. Even so, the fire has been burning too bright; the lives of every single living being in the temple is at stake, all because of her.

"Selena," she muttered.

"Don't do this."

"We're saving you, Artemis. No matter what."

"I did something wrong. I have to pay for it."

"B-But you're too young! You didn't even know what you were doing!"

"I don't want anyone else to get hurt!"

The raucous croak of a shout stopped them in their tracks, just like how it stopped the priestesses from their feast when they first met. An inkling of a triumphant smile appeared on Princess Crystallia's lips as Selena stepped back, hoof almost letting go of the remote, its monotonous beeping echoing throughout the room. Panting feverishly, Artemis gazed up at her glorious Lady Protector, standing firm once again.

"I'm sorry, sister," she muttered quietly and almost ruefully.

"It's all because of me. All the dying and the killing... it's my fault."

"Artemis, you can't blame yourself."

"Do you know how my parents died?" Artemis choked, whirling towards the mare.

"They were killed. They were killed because they called me a gift from the heavens when the other deer said I was evil. They kept doing that all the time, parading me through the streets like I actually was some... some god or something. One day, someone had enough. One day, someone decided to put an end to all of it. I hid in the closet, listening to everything. My mother... my father... everything. They died... because I was there. All of this.. I've seen too much of this happening and now... I don't want to be the reason that everyone's fighting and hurting each other anymore, okay? If this could stop all of it, what could be better?"

"Well, then. You've heard her," Princess Crystallia nonchalantly said.

"Artemis shall be punished in accordance to our laws."

It didn't matter. All of it didn't matter to Selena. Immediately, she raised the remote high up again, much to the horror of Artemis and even the caravan.

"Let her go," she stated again.

"Let her go now or I swear I will blow this whole place apart!"

"Selena, put down the remote."

"No, Velvet."

"You don't want to do this, Selena," Phoenix butted in.

"Do you really want to blow this place up?"

"If I have to, I would."

"Selena, just put the remote down."

"You too, Ollie?" she squeaked bitterly, turning towards her friends. The same one that had supported her. The same ones that had her back a moment ago, now turning against her...

"But... you guys were supposed to help me..."

"In the event that Artemis willingly comes with us, remember?" the gryphon firmly asserted.

"We can't always interfere, Selena. If Artemis wants it, then so be it."

"No, we can still save her. We can still stop this..."

"We can't save her, Selena!"

"I swear, if you say that again, I WILL BLOW THIS PLACE UP, OLLIE!!"

"DO IT!!"

Selena gaped at Ollivander's harsh tone for a moment, before gritting her teeth as her hoof neared the switch on the side of the remote for all to see.

"DO IT, SELENA!!" he screeched.

The mare clenched her eyes shut, tears leaking out from the sides. Just one push and it will all be over. Just one push and all of them will perish. Herself, her dear Ollivander, Artemis, all the friends she cared about... forever.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!! DO IT!!"

With a yell, Selena suddenly threw the remote onto the ground, stomping it vehemently until it became nothing but a loom of sparking wires nestled within shards of metal. Defeated, she collapsed onto the ground, sobbing and weeping helplessly for the first time in years. It took the embrace of her gryphon mate to muffle it all up, his talons stroking her and hushing her.

"I-It's not fair, Ollie..." she cried.

"It's just not fair..."

"We can't do anything 'bout it, Selena," the gryphon reminded her.

"Artemis wanted this. We have to give it to 'er."

"But she's too young, Ollie! We can't just let her die!!"

Just as she said that, Princess Crystallia immediately let loose a loud, hearty and rambunctious laugh that ripped apart their grief, shredding the caravan with what seemed to be a piercing tone of mockery. It chiseled the hairs across their body and maimed their minds senseless, emotionally bludgeoned and left gaping in both awe and anxiety. Throughout them, only one peculiar member had the resolve to retaliate.

Fleetywit, the sprite dragon, let out a small irritated screech at her triumphant words, scales ruffled and forked tongue slithering apprehensively. Being its caretaker, Phoenix composed himself, translating his pet's most demanding, if not defiant, question.

"What's so funny?"

"Assumptions, that's what," the alicorn shrilled playfully.

"Assumptions, assumptions. Judgments cloudier than the Badlands in a dust storm and yet you all still assume things. Would you assume something to be there, even if there might be nil of a chance of it ever occurring? I prefer a cold way to end things, pony, you've assumed that. It is but a boring way and I love a good jitter; I might favor death, but I don't favor murdering somepony that could make me shiver with warmth."

Steadily, she turned back to Artemis, smiling with a frozen tranquility whilst still withholding her icy glare.

"My dear Oracle, judgment is to be served upon you," she boomed.

"In accordance to laws, Artemis, you shall be exiled. You shall be banished from this kingdom. Never again you shall return to this lands and never again shall you be a subject. If you ever step one hoof into my domain ever again, I will ensure that death will come ever swifter. Do you understand these words, my Oracle?"

"Y-Yes!" Artemis cried instantly, overjoyed. Gasps and whispers were already filling the air, with most of it coming from the caravan. Selena could only gawk, unable to comprehend what just happened even as Ollivander tried to shake her out of her daze. She only began to smile when the young fawn turned to her, the promise of hope finally fulfilled by whom they thought was their enemy.

"I haven't concluded the trial yet," Princess Crystallia rasped, silencing the room immediately.

"There are, of course, a few conditions. As proper punishment for your crimes, you are to follow the victim and compensate for all your unruly actions you have performed tonight. Hence, you are to aid her, serve her and be bound to her by will of law. All actions otherwise shall be condemned and the sole penalty shall only be death as well. Is that clear, Artemis?"

"Yes..." the young fawn muttered quietly in disbelief, only to be jolted by a slam of hooves on the table.

"I said, is that clear?!"

"Y-Yes, my Lady Protector!!" she stammered quickly, standing stiff.

"Good," the alicorn finished with a grin, ready to give one last wave of her hoof. She could see it, the excitement building up in her Oracle's eyes, waiting to just burst and make her leap from the box just to hug her new-found 'sister' tight, before thanking her endlessly perhaps. Oh, what was she saying, Artemis wasn't her Oracle anymore. Now, she's just another fawn, ready to see the world as it truly is.

Letting go another once more... it was painstakingly hard. She had always knew this day would come, yet somehow it just never felt any more easier. Artemis can go far, she knew that, yet under her, she may go no further than the reaches of her lonely temple. The lonely, dark temple that even she herself loathed, no matter how beautified it may seem to be to her own liking. What can she say, she hated the conventional.

There is no spring in this hinterland.

Regardless -- she smiled to herself, looking at Artemis -- even here, new life can bloom.

"Council dismissed."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

The night drifted on slowly, blissfully. Luna's bright smile hung high in the clouds, tranquility basked upon her subjects underneath the dim rays. It was appeasing, the smile. Somewhat eerie, but appeasing, for a princess, once known as the bearer of nightmares, to be their keeper guarding their unconscious mind.

Twilight Sparkle had become one of the later sleepers, having brought her tiring research from the workplace to the comfy bed. A various assortment of books were spread around the sheets; Spike would've condemned her for her organizing at the sight of it. The embers of a nearby fireplace provided the light and warmth she would always prepare for a good read, the addition of a blanket invigorating her so much more. Page by page she flipped eloquently with a pinch of magic at the corners from her recovering horn, now reverberating only with slight tingles that made her hooves twitch on occasion. Aside from the small breeze in the open window, everything was fine.

The night drifted on slowly, blissfully.

Ignorance is bliss; vice versa.

Snapping the third book shut, Twilight finally sighed out the pent up frustration she had been piling up and putting aside for the past hour. Her patience had been tested considerably tonight, having been occupying herself with her research for a while now. She still has hope, certainly, though the waiting can become really, really unbearable at times.

He was late.

Making promises that he can't keep was one of the Masque's rarer talents. From a point of view, it was understandable; he had to make time dabbling with his grand heists and playing with the children in his refuge, both on opposite ends of the town. Twilight would sometimes think she spotted him outside, jumping from roof to roof while the guards give chase. It must be exciting, she thought to herself, having such a dangerous lifestyle.

"And here I am," she lamented with a chuckle.

Stretching her hooves, the unicorn stepped out of her bed and sauntered out of the door, giving out a small yawn that echoed throughout the hallways. The palace was quiet at night, with the occasional low chatter of guards and a miscellany of nocturnal sounds here and there. Light streamed from the crack of some of the doors, her friends still awake being no surprise to her at this point. Rainbow and Soarin' were probably rocking their twin daughters to sleep, and Rarity may be having a late night drink with Spike, perhaps talking about their concerns straining their relationship. Honestly, Twilight herself felt the same.

Applejack's door was unlit; both her and Apple Bloom left for Ponyville by noon alongside the Princesses. She had anticipated this day to come, despite it coming later than expected. A crisis such as the Manehatten Cataclysm was something she thought would've drawn the attention of her mentor sooner, which only further troubled her when Princess Celestia put other matters forward first. Otherwise, Twilight was at ease.

"Have I kept you waiting?"

Twilight turned around, smiling at the silhouette of the Masque stepping out from behind the pillar, his sensuous voice being music to her ears. The slanting moonlight gave her glimpse of his current mask: a half-face, colored in deep purple complete with swirls of gold at the edges. Beneath it was his sinister smile which welcomed her, drawing her in as much as those amethyst eyes would. The things she would give up to see his complete visage... it astounds her beyond comprehension.

"You're late," she simply stated.

"Had a close shave with some guards," he explained.

"Long story short, you'll read it in the papers tomorrow."

Twilight couldn't help but chuckle.

"Really? What makes you so sure?"

"I have my methods."

With a shake of her head, she trotted up to the Masque, finding herself a seat on the stone banister that the mysterious caper is standing upon. It was unbelievable, really. There he was, standing out in the open where a mere guard or two would be able to spot him if given a little more effort, not to mention that they were also in the most secure place in the entirety of Canterlot. The chances of getting caught are extremely high. Then again, this was no ordinary criminal she was talking to.

"So what have you been doing in my absence?" he asked.

"Anything of significance? Aside from mingling with thoughts of me?"

"Hey, I said I miss you but not to that extent."

"So you don't miss me."

"I didn't say that!" she rebuked immediately, which made him chuckle heartily. It was a few seconds after realizing her outburst to the Masque's little tricks that Twilight started to laugh along as well.

"Sorry, just... had a lot of work today. Research and such."

"You shouldn't be," the Masque replied.

"Stopping a madpony to save the world isn't just an everyday task."

"I know. But it's just... this time, we're just sitting around, waiting for him to attack. Usually, the Princesses would allow us to at least come up with a way to fight them, even without the Elements of Harmony. With Pinkie still missing, this is especially the time to find an alternative way to stop Janus and yet-"

"Do you miss her?"

"Sorry?"

"Do you miss her?" he repeated.

"Your friend, Pinkie Pie? I've read of her demise in the papers."

"She isn't exactly... deceased. Just missing."

Pinkie Pie... in all honesty, the chances of the party pony showing up at the front gates of the palace, to her, was getting bleaker. There were times Twilight wished that she would wake up to see the pink mare bouncing up and down on the bed. Back then, she had hope that Pinkie was even alive. Now, as times grew darker and the bombings grew in number, she wasn't so sure anymore.

"I don't want to talk about it," she waved it off bitterly.

"For now, I'm just... I don't know, praying that we would make it through this?"

"We will. I'm certain of it."

"It's all dead ends, you know?" Twilight griped.

"Every lead we've got to finding out who Janus was just doesn't add up. The facts are contradictory, the field research is incomplete and all the books were just talking about the same historical accounts that I have read before somewhere in my life! It's as if... as if he just appeared out of nowhere. As if he shouldn't even exist in the first place. I'm already losing my head over finding out where he came from so you can imagine how much of a loss I am in when it comes to what his motives are. What would he do next? What's his next target? More importantly, why would he stall for time instead of attacking Canterlot, like he would've done? How about you? What do you think?"

"I think," the Masque began with a smirk.

"That you should have something to calm your nerves."

"Oh, erm... sorry... got a little carried away..."

"It's okay," he said calmly, standing up.

"Would you like tea or coffee? Hot, cold, lukewarm?"

"Just some warm water would be nice."

With a nod, the Masque dived off the balcony and into the night, probably to sneak into the royal kitchen to prepare her order. Twilight sat there for a moment, quietly waiting for his return, all the while fumbling throughout the research in her head. The entirety of Equestria may depend on her finding the solution, yet whether it will surface in time was another matter.

"I'm missing something..." she lamented softly.

"But what is it?"

"You're still awake?"

Twilight immediately turned around, slightly surprised to see Inkie Pie cantering up to her, giving an inkling of a smile. It had been a while since the both of them had caught up with each other recently, what with Inkie being called by Princess Celestia most of the time and herself indulged in her own research, with her discreet dalliances with the Masque sometimes wedged in between. Speaking of which, the Masque might return anytime soon, which made her pale slightly. If anypony ever finds out about her relationship with the most wanted thief in Canterlot... she wouldn't even dream of what consequences it may bring.

"Just... doing a little bit more research," she lied blatantly, which turned out to be an effective one.

"What about you? What are you doing up this late?"

"I'm just... hoping."

"Hoping?"

"It's funny, really," Inkie said with a sad chuckle.

"I mean, what can a mare like me still hope for? Before this, I've given up on everything I know. When my parents died, I thought that would be the last day I had to live... to suffer. I thought to myself then. What's the point of living anymore? When I came here... I don't know, it all changed. Every night, I would wait for hours, hoping that any of them. Pinkie or Blinkie, would pass those gates and say... I'm back, Inkie... you don't have to worry anymore..."

"Inkie..."

"I know I'm being a little too sentimental right now."

"It's okay, I don't think you are. In fact, if Shining or Spike disappeared and I know they're still alive out there, I would do the same."

"You wouldn't want to know how it feels," the gray mare griped.

"The feeling of knowing somepony close is out there, beyond your reach, and you know you could lose them at any moment... I pray, Twilight, that you never, ever go through what I'm going through now."

All Twilight could do was nod with a shudder; she'd pray for the same.

"I guess we have to keep waiting..." she replied.

"Who knows? Maybe one day, one of them would come back. Or maybe the both of them will--"

"Excuse me, Miss Twilight Sparkle?"

Both mares turned around, noticing a total of four of Princess Celestia's Royal Guards trotting up towards them, with the supposed 'leader' of the group stepping forward and giving a slight bow of acknowledgement. It is a rare sight to see those of the diurnal guard still up at his late hour, yet with both Princesses absent from their thrones and leaving Canterlot exposed to any attack in placement of tending to the refugees of Manehatten now situated in Ponyville, it wasn't that much of a surprise at the moment.

"Her Royal Highness Princess Cadance wishes to speak with you," he explained.

"At this hour?" Twilight questioned, slightly baffled. With the temporary departure of the alicorn sisters, it was up to Cadance to rule over Canterlot in their place. Of course, Cadance, being Cadance, would be more reasonable; unless it was an emergency, she wouldn't bother doing so this late at night.

"What for?"

"It concerns the captain, Miss Sparkle."

"Why? What happened to Shining?" she immediately asked, terror clogging up her veins.

"The Princess will elaborate on the matter. We shall escort you to her."

Before the unicorn could step forward, she was stopped by Inkie's hoof, who somewhat shoved her back. Twilight would've rasped at her derisively the moment the gray mare turned to her, though the sinister glint in those purple eyes stopped her.

"Does it really take four guards to escort one pony?" she challenged.

"How was it, listening to the orders of your master? Leaving something for your captain in hopes of killing him off?"

"Inkie, what are you talking about?"

"What are your orders from him now?" Inkie provoked them, the nervous looks of their faces growing even more.

"Let me guess... abduct Twilight Sparkle, the captain's sister. Hold her for ransom, maybe... no... she's the next target."

"Inkie, they're part of the Royal Guard! You can't just simply--"

"The bombing of the barracks was an inside job, remember?" she reminded Twilight.

"The entirety of the Guard was searched because of that. I don't know how you four managed to escape detection, but none of you are gonna get away with this."

All four guards just glanced at each other for a moment until the leader let out a small, disappointed sigh. Begrudgingly, he stepped forward, his horn illuminating as he brought his spear forward, hoisted it around and pointed it towards them.

"We had wished you would come quietly after our warm welcome, Miss Sparkle," he said just as his compatriots began wielding their own spears.

"Alas, it seems it was not meant to be."

"Twilight, run."

"What?" Twilight gasped out.

"But you... I can't leave you here!"

"They're after you, not me," Inkie said with a stomp of her hooves, all four starting to glow a bright shade of violet.

"Now run! Just run and don't turn back, okay?! Run!! RUN!!"

Nodding desperately, Twilight used all her might to turn back and gallop off, the sounds of crashing steel flooding through the hallway. She wanted to just head back and fight, yet she just kept galloping and galloping until the cries of the battle could no longer be heard. It was only then that she finally came to a stop, breathing and panting while the fog cleared up in her mind.

"I have to get help..." she wheezed, turning back.

"I have to get--"

Something sharp pierced through her chest.

Something sharp made her stop in her tracks.

What was happening? Why tonight? Why her? Question after question, yet satisfaction was never warranted. Through her teary eyes, Twilight saw a figure that she had never seen for a long time, even as she starts coughing out small splatters of blood. There he was, the one they were all looking for, the one that kept them guessing for so long... standing right there, holding a spear that had plunged through her chest. Even if his face was a blur, she knew who it was.

"J-Jan..." she whimpered, collapsing to the floor.

"W... w-wh..."

"Just something to remember me by," he said in his cold, malignant voice.

"Don't worry. You won't die tonight."

Just as Twilight's cheek stamped onto the cold floor, the spear unsheathed from her chest, releasing a small geyser of red and a loud, croaked gasp. The mare laid on the floor in the puddle of her own essence, hoof wriggling in a disdainful attempt to stand up and pursue him. What echoed painfully more so in her head than the wound in her chest was his parting message.

"You won't die," he said.

"Not yet, at least..."

Author's Note

Achievement Unlocked: A (Flutter)Shy Above 10k :yay:

Sorry it's been awhile! Had to take a long break to focus on some of the hardest work I ever had to do in college, so I had to push a lot of time towards on real life instead.
Consider this a belated Thanksgiving turkey! :twilightsmile:

Nascent Love, Shriveled Love

He was fast.

Lightning fast, if he had to be.

Not tonight.

Perhaps tonight, the Masque had slowed down a considerable amount, leaping from roof to roof. Perhaps it was a sprained hoof, one can guess, or an aching wing. Perhaps he had grown old, or was old, but he himself knew that was far from the truth. Perhaps the hoard he had gathered in the night was overbearing for now, as even the wittiest of thieves may bite off more than they can chew. Of course, that was only half the truth.

The answer was the one few can imagine.

Perhaps he was saving a life.

He leaped with much more strength than he ever needed before, taking care not to drop Twilight Sparkle off his back. Her breaths were shallower by every passing minute, with rivulets of precious blood seeping through the cape that he tied around her wounded chest. She was fighting within her subconscious, thrashing once in a while in a vain attempt to fight back whatever demons that haunt her mind, all the while mumbling something quietly underneath her breath. Whatever she was saying, he couldn't comprehend, but he could hear the sound of fear in her voice. The sound that drove him to move faster.

"Don't worry, Twilight," he mumbled to her, gripping her tightly.

"You'll be safe soon."

The entrance to the sewers soon met him. Without another second to spare, the Masque quickly yet carefully placed the injured mare onto his back, galloping through the tunnels as fast as he could. It was all a twisted chain of events. Just a quarter of an hour ago, he was wooing Twilight Sparkle and set off to get a glass of water. That was before he heard some shouting, clashing of steel and a few audible fizzles. Five minutes later, he found Twilight splayed and unconscious on the carpet of a corridor, streams of blood flowing out from between the torn, ruptured flesh of her chest.

Now, here he was, running to save the life of said mare. The night that he presumed to be one of sweet nothings and happy thoughts had been maimed and warped. Death was tailing him, pursuing to get the life of Twilight Sparkle back. As a thief who would never give any of his loot up, however, he won't be a pony easily dissuaded.

All the laughter and cheering stopped when he had finally reached the sanctuary, the frozen look of desperation prompting many to look. Dripping blood prompted the older ponies to quickly escort the children away, the chatter reduced to murmurs and whispers when they realized who their savior had brought back. One mare, however, galloped up to the Masque, gasping as he laid down the mare onto the floor.

"Twilight!!" cried Trixie, paling at the gaping wound on her chest.

"Move aside, everypony!"

"Hold on now, Twilight," the Masque wheezed, pressing his hooves onto the wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Twilight winced at first, before suddenly howling in pain, back arching up high as every nerve in her body jolted up. Loud, croaked whimpering filled the silo, the foals listening beneath their hooves already cringing amid their sheets. All of that was broken by the clattering of the first aid kit onto the ground as Trixie desperately unlatched it and fumble through its contents.

"Hold her still," the magician ordered, the Masque joined by another two as she ripped out a patch of cotton.

"This might get a little ugly."

A dip of ointment later, the patch was carefully lowered onto the gaping wound. Piercing cries went rampant throughout the room, screams echoing like a banshee in the night as the fine lattice stung Twilight's ripped nerves. She struggled vehemently, kicking and flailing her hooves about in vain as the others held her down. Carefully, Trixie dabbed it around the torn flesh, gritting her teeth from all the screeching as if it were needles being stabbed into her temple. She closed her eyes, tears falling; she didn't mean to hurt her. She didn't want to hurt her.

By the seventeenth shaky dab, Trixie finally yanked a long strand of bandage out from the roll. Carefully, they hoisted the trembling Twilight up, letting the magician do her work with every slow and meticulous circle of the cloth around her form. All the loud screams have long since become light gasps and quiet whines; the suffering was finally over.

"Thank you, Trixie," the Masque finally spoke after such a long moment of tense silence.

"I shall let her know of what you did for her tonight."

"Just doing what needs to be done," was her somber reply.

"Would she... would she be alright?"

"With enough rest, probably."

Perhaps that was the least of his problems now. Knowing what had happened back there, the Masque was sure that there will be orders given to comb the entire city in a desperate search for Twilight Sparkle. Smuggling her back into the palace would be a genuine challenge. Not one he would easily back down from, however.

Quickly thanking the rest for their efforts, he cradled the sleeping unicorn into his chambers before gently laying her down on the bed. Compared to the turmoil earlier, Twilight seemed calm, despite the distressed crooking of eyebrows and an occasional shiver of her hooves. Whatever nightmare that had shaken the composure of such a brilliant mare must be pretty terrifying, he thought to himself. She had, after all, faced the very nightmares that were carved in Equestrian lore, to which she had remained triumphant to this day. Granted, there were close calls that could forever scar a pony with trauma for the rest of their lives, but close calls all the same. It impressed him that she still seemed fine, knowing what she had went through.

At least, it would seem that way.

A small gasp from her jolted the Masque from his reverie, a frown forming on his face as Twilight's shivers grew more violent, the glimmer of tears in the moonlight leaking out of her eyelids. It was the first time he had ever seen her this vulnerable. Perhaps, he surmised, in all her past experiences of battling the demons of yore, she had never been so close to death. Perhaps Pendant Lakes served as the one battle that finally broke her in.

Everypony in Canterlot remembers that brief period of chaos in the past year. How a swarm of renegade dragons momentarily occupied the capital, how the Royal Sisters ventured up north to do battle themselves and how the country mourned for the loss of one of Twilight's closest friends. They all took it hard, so the rumors say. Surely, Twilight was no exception.

"Twilight, Twilight..." he mused with a shake of his head.

"The lengths that you can go to for your country..."

Of course, the Masque knew this wasn't just about patriotism.

At this point, it would never be about patriotism anymore.

Gently, the Masque held her up again, daintily stepping up onto the balcony as he looked down at the world before him. With a mare to save and a string of faith, he leaped off, falling for a good eighty feet before he stretched his wings open, gliding just over the decrepit chimneys of the suburbs and the domed spires of the main districts.

Settling on one of the many slate roofs, he placed Twilight down and unfurled his cape before carefully wrapping it around the mare like a sling. With that done, he plopped her onto his back, looping the sling around one of his wings. It would certainly render him flightless for a while, but it certainly wouldn't affect his jumping that much.

Once again, he made the return trip to the palace, hopping roof to roof before eventually reaching the courtyards. Carefully, he settled Twilight down onto the gravel road, a little surprised to find her still asleep, but nevertheless he glanced up at one of the many palace windows while he adorned his cape. Cradling the mare, he swiftly sneaked into the corridors, hooves lighter than a feather with the destination set right into his head.

The battle seems to have long ended, though the results were shrouded in mystery. All was quiet throughout the palace halls, though it was safe to say that the silence, however tranquil, unnerved him. Somehow, the home of the royal bloodline seemed to stare down at him, scrutinizing the intruder that was hauling in one of their own. Twilight was of noble blood, he had to remind himself sometimes. If anything, the Sparkle family was one of the most prestigious families in Canterlot; their ties with the alicorn rulers, notably Shining Armor and Princess Cadance's marriage, cemented that pedestal.

It was then that he remembered something she said.

Something that he held onto. Something he would never dare to forget.

"Equestria might need heroes like me to save the world, but we need ponies who can preserve it as well."

He remembered those humble words she said that night.

"Ponies who keeps everything alive and in good condition, ponies who can make sure others feel safe when they sleep at night..."

Those humble words that only made his love for her grow.

"Ponies which... which a hero like me can depend on and trust everything I have upon, including my own emotions."

Such eloquent words, coming from the mare on the pedestal.

Finally, the Masque arrived at his destination, standing before a pair out of many doors along the hallway. Cautiously, he glanced about, all the while assuring himself about the emptiness that surrounded him. He was certain the guards would be searching the palace top to bottom by now, but somehow, it felt like this wasn't the case. His suspicions were swept away, however, when the door before him suddenly swung open, the Masque jumping back immediately while the other pony gave a surprised yelp.

"Y-You!" croaked a familiar voice.

"Why are you..."

"Scootaloo!" the Masque exclaimed softly with a relieved gasp.

"Quickly, we don't have much time."

"What are you talking abou-- is that..."

"Yes it is," he said frantically, glancing around.

"Now hurry! Let me in!"

Without a moment to lose, Scootaloo stepped aside, ushering the Masque in hastily. Making sure not a single soul spotted them, she quickly shut the door behind her, trying to sort out the sudden onslaught of events as the stallion laid Twilight down onto the bed. Her eyes widened when the dim moonlight exposed the bloodstained patch on the mare's chest, a slight gasp escaping her mouth.

"Celestia, what happened to her?!" she asked.

"Not enough time to explain," the Masque simply stated, frowning grimly.

"It wasn't this dark when I came here..."

"What? What do you mean?"

"The color," he said, pointing at Twilight's bandaged chest, which seemed to turn redder by the second.

"She's losing blood again... Scootaloo, go get some help."

"But they would see you--"

"It doesn't matter now!" the Masque shouted, stopping when he saw Scootaloo shirk a little.

"It doesn't matter now, Scootaloo. Twilight is dying as we speak, okay? Now, I want you to be brave. I want you to save her before it's too late, understand? It's all up to you now."

"But what if... what if I fail?"

"You wouldn't," he affirmed with a grin beneath his mask.

"Trust me on that."

It took a second, but a determined nod later, Scootaloo galloped out of the room, leaving the Masque alone with Twilight. The only sound that filled the room was Twilight's rapid, guttural breathing, her hoof clenched tightly in his. Every vein and artery in his heart froze, his breathing coming to a standstill. The warmth within her prone figure was being ebbed away, the shadow of death almost casting over her. Clenching his eyes shut, the Masque resorted to words of prayer, hoping in his heart that Scootaloo have a swift return.

And a swift return it was.

The sound of galloping hooves made him leap towards the window, shutting the panes and perched on the windowsill like a gargoyle. Panting lightly, he turned back and took a small peep, a little surprised at who the teenage filly had brought along with her to the rescue.

"Will she be okay?" he heard Scootaloo ask.

"She will be alright now, young one," came the reply of none other than Princess Luna.

"She will be alright."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

It was all about control.

To many, it may not be the best solution for insanity. By definition, insanity is supposedly uncontrollable. That may never be true, really. Sanity was just a term used to separate the average pony from those that possess abnormal behavior. Sanity was a fortress, insanity an accusation, a phrase used when the doctors could find no explanation. Conclusively, insanity is a subjective idea. The gravity of the idea, depending on how it was maintained, may or may not provide the means of control.

Princess Crystallia was a veteran of this.

A war veteran, one may put it.

Selena Gust, as her instincts and experiences told her, had the more lenient form of insanity. She was capable of having a rational conversation, she has a motive behind most of her actions and she was even a half of a romantic relationship. If one were to judge her without any knowledge of her condition, they would think she was just another average mare. It was ponies like her that the princess couldn't help but feel envious about.

"But if it gets out of hoof once again..." the mare asked with a small shiver.

"How would I calm it then?"

"Quelling those emotions, you may find, requires lesser effort than repressing your earthly desires."

Another thought that hinges onto the surrounding factors, Princess Crystallia mused. How can one really be sure with their heads thrusting in and out of sanity just like that? Selena was a fast learner, she surmised; she would figure how it would all work eventually. There is no law for such harum-scarum affairs. None worthy of sharing, at least.

Morning had come sooner than expected. The trial of Artemis became a celebration of the past. Now, here she was, dining with her subjects and the caravan like the night before, only with the position of Oracle vacant. Artemis was now with the enigmatic band of friends, catching up on all their stories and adventures with their leader and occassionally the pink one they call Pinkie Pie.

Strange.

It's almost as if she heard that name before.

Aside from the luxuries of food, she had been seeing each member of the caravan, partly to scrutinize them and second her initial judgement. More importantly, though, was to herald advice for them. She had so far provided some for Ollivander and Ganger; for the scout, it was to have a sharper wit and an encouragement with his unique relationship; for the cook, it was a mere compliment on his food. Selena was the harder one of the few, notably because it concerns her mental state and her sudden 'sisterhood' with Artemis.

"Both you and Artemis suffer from similar problems," Princess Crystallia continued.

"I cannot say when will you learn to calm it, but I can say that together, the revelation would come faster."

"What if..." Selena asks in a hushed tone.

"What if Ollie gets hurt because of me?"

"His love for you isn't that frail, I can guarantee. What I can't guarantee is whether the implications of your... outbursts may end up being fatal. Do consider that not only he may be the victim. There are others who can be hurt as well."

"And if it happens?"

"That is not up to the composer, is it? That is up to the conductor to decide how the symphony shall be played."

Selena's brows furrowed at that disconcerting thought, muttering a short 'thank you' before trotting back to her seat right next to Artemis, still sorting through her words of advice. A sigh escaped the princess's mouth; it was wiser to leave the pieces and let her figure out the puzzle. There is a thrill, in that the puzzle may end up becoming terribly wrong. Princess Crystallia couldn't help but smile at that dark thought.

The next of the caravan up was the one her subjects call the Hvid Jaeger, the White Hunter. To the rest of her friends, she was the headstrong, sometimes stubborn Dapple Deuce. To her, much to her own surprise, she saw something eerily similar. She thought nothing of it at first, yet whatever it was, something had just begun to come into the clear. Something terrifying, if not a little melancholic. Even as Dapple shuffled hesitantly towards her, she could see it all.

It has been awhile since she dwelled onto such feeble memories.

"My Lady Protector," Dapple said, giving a bow that she did not wish to give.

"I hear that you may have some advice for me."

"I hear you're not one that would usually heed advice."

"I try my best to listen," the mare replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I guess I can be stubborn like that."

"Even the stubborn have their share of worries," Princess Crystallia simply put forth.

"Now then, what troubles you?"

"Not much."

"So there is some trouble that you had, I presume?"

"Nothing major. Future plans, sibling rivalry, that kind of riff-raff."

"How about relationships of a more intimate kind?"

A large grin grew on Princess Crystallia's the moment Dapple looked away. No matter how one would look at it, she had definitely hit the jackpot. From the moment Dapple Deuce stepped in the cold embrace of her kingdom, the alicorn could feel her radiance. It shone even more when they arrived at the village, during the altercation between her and the priestesses. How queer, she thought to herself when she observed the scenario then. How the love of such lowly beings provoked memories of yore.

"You have a slight infatuation for the minotaur..." she began.

"Or rather, the minotaur had one for you."

"I guess he did."

"Guess? Please! Such situations do not just erupt from mere guessing games!"

Princess Crystallia's moment of appall quickly drew back into a cold smirk as she leaned forwards.

"So, where to begin, where to begin... do you fathom why he finds you attractive?"

"I... I don't know... I never thought about it..." the aquamarine unicorn mumbled.

"I mean, it's not like somepony... somepony will find me attractive anyway..."

"Oh, Dapple Deuce, Dapple Deuce! The tremendous catalogue of lessons that await you!"

A hearty chuckle burst forth from the alicorn's lungs, leaving Dapple Deuce sitting there, baffled. It amused her, to an extent that she had long thought would be far beyond her reach. Time and time again, she had been proven wrong. This was one of those times that she really relished the moment.

"I'm certain that you, as a novice of love itself," she continued amid a few giggles.

"You have a lot to learn."

"Are you here to give me advice or not?"

Frankly, Dapple was rather annoyed. In fact, if this play goes on any further, she was certain she would snap and raze the temple to the ground or something. Violence was always befitting of an answer to her; no harm done trying it out again. Of course, judging from the fading smile on Princess Crystallia's face, it would seem she would be skewered by icicles before she could start a rampage of any kind.

"Look, I know I suck at love," she stated bluntly.

"I probably have no experience with relationships or whatsoever. Heck, I even thought love was just an excuse for ponies to get together in bed or something. But now... now I'm just getting started. I mean, everypony has to start somewhere, right? You gotta go from zero to hero, right? If it means starting with you, then why not?"

Princess Crystallia just grinned. Of all the ponies Dapple Deuce would start with...

"Perhaps there is some experience worthy of sharing," she muttered after a while.

"Let's see how we could go about this... what do you see in him then?"

Dapple's eyes fell, cheeks reddening.

"W-Well... he helped me with a lot of things..."

"Like?"

"I don't know... he gave me a pendant for my birthday?"

"Innocuous," the princess blatantly remarked, much to the other's chagrin.

"You have to do better than that, Dapple Deuce."

"What do you mean better, Your Lady Protector?"

"Love does not simply stem from altruism, I'll have you know," she continued, turning away.

"Such love is false. Bland and arid. Nonexistent. If you think love is being selfless to another, it is not love at all. No, what you have is merely the seeking of attention. The desire to be noticed."

"But he..." Dapple's words halted, lost in a pinch of denial.

"He... loves me, doesn't he?"

"Then what do you see in him? Something remarkable, something exquisite to your eyes only!"

"I don't know, I n-never really thought he would feel this way to me... or I would to him..."

"Then we have your problem." Princess Crystallia let out a dark chuckle.

"You don't know why you love each other."

Dapple's ears folded back, head drooping down.

"I guess not..." she mumbled despondently.

"Heh... when you think about it, it's kinda pathetic, isn't it? Not knowing why you love someone."

"It is pathetic, but then again, I find love is pathetic of nature. Perhaps there is a way I may be of service."

Feeble memories conjured for her, enlightenment for another; the cerulean alicorn may not be fond of dredging out the past from the muck, but to Dapple, she may be panning for gold. One mare's meat is another mare's poison, after all. Or is that how the saying really went about then?

"I was once in your position, Dapple Deuce," she began, which earned a surprised look from the mare.

"Yes, you could say I had a suitor. A long, long time ago."

"Who was he?"

"One of us. A fellow prince."

Princess Crystallia still remembered his name, though it had long been considered taboo at this day and age. She could still remember his face, that arrogant, moronic face. She remembered the flamboyant way he talks, the proud struts he would take, the deceptive smirk he would wear every time he looked her way... she hated him. She hated him so much.

"He was loud, ruthlessly irritating and had an overly inflated ego," she rasped, throat clenching onto that very same hatred.

"Everything about him was disgusting. Mannerisms, sense of humor, even his voice. There were one too many times that I really wanted to just snap his neck, though I refrained myself from doing so. If anything, he deserves a praise for testing my tolerance."

"How did he start it?"

"Overtly," the princess answered, flourishing with spite.

"One day, he just came up to me and said he found me attractive. It would've been flattering if he didn't sound like such a dismal trout. Of course, I would have none of it. Really, the last thing I need around is a fool like him. Of course, that didn't mean he had given up so easily. Quite the opposite, actually: it motivated him to try harder. So he did. Every time he tried to get me closer to him, I denied his advances."

"He must be very determined to win you over, huh?"

"The word is stubborn, Dapple Deuce. He was stubborn to think that I shall return his affections. When I told my brother about it, he did everything in his power to make sure we wouldn't get together." Princess Crystallia coudn't help but chuckle. "Aquaros made sure he never got close to me in any way. Honestly, it did little to help."

"So do you actually like him?" Dapple had to ask.

"Perhaps I did. Perhaps I did not. I was never really sure. There were times where I was truly amused and also times where I absolutely abhor his stunts. Never had I felt towards him what my brother felt towards Terra... that was what I thought back then."

That was the moment when Princess Crystallia let out a dreamy sigh.

"It was on that day... the last day I had ever saw him, the last day he was our friend. The last day he held the title worthy of prince... was the first day I had really fell in love with him."

"What happened? What did he do?"

"There was a fight between two pony tribes, both of which had amassed a grand army to do battle. Naturally, as my fellow 'friends' would have it, we were on one side of the battle with the intention to aid. Back then, we always strove to help those in need, even if it meant waging a war. So there we were, myself, my brother, Terra, him, the rest of us... just fighting."

"Then he did something, right?"

"Certainly, albeit it was something that costed him dearly."

It was as if time froze up that exact moment and bestowed it upon her, forever etching it in the ethereal papyrus of her memory. Every time she closed her eyes and revisit that moment, everything plays out like it happened. She had watched it over and over throughout her long life and yet... it was a new experience. Each time, she finds something new. Something intriguing.

"He had once told me about it before," Princess Crystallia muttered.

"It was an idea. A nefarious idea, I can imagine. He knew it can only be tested on any day of battle. Dangerous, isn't it? To have an idea that could only be shown at the exact moment when it's most needed. You have no idea of the chances of success, the chances of failure, whether they even up or one outmatches the other. To him, however, it doesn't matter. He was that sort of a fool."

The moment played through her head again, a smile etched across her lips.

"That was the day he used it. He let out this... this immense whirlwind of fire from his horn, fire so dangerous, even we were singed by it. That very same whirlpool tore through our adversaries, consuming them, devouring them... I could hear them screaming... crying... a valley of pain and suffering beyond imagination... even I could not believe my eyes, until I saw him."

Dapple bit her lip at the sight of the princess, those royal eyes glazing off into space. Her smile seemed almost porcelain, ready to be broken up by a fit of hysterical laughter at any second. She swore the room felt a little colder then and yet... somehow, there was a strange feeling of warmth simmering around. A warmth that made her shiver from fear.

"He was consumed," Princess Crystallia's voice strained to come out.

"Lost in the inferno he created... no, he became the inferno. He became the uncontrollable blaze that swept through the valley. The look of rage he wore... he wasn't going to stop. Perhaps he would never if we didn't intervene. All of them went to stop his rampage... all of them, except me."

"Why? Didn't you help out or something?"

"I believe I would've, if I wasn't so mesmerized by what I was seeing. Oh, if you could see it..."

That smile of hers grew wider, this time resembling the nesting dolls of Stalliongrad. It was all playing out in her head. The blazing field, the scent of burnt flesh, the chorus of screams that tore through the skies... all that suffering, all that pain... her hoof was already jitterbugging with morbid excitement. She loved it! She loved every moment of it! It was as if he created a show just for her sole enjoyment. The perfect gift to win her heart had been bestowed to her by the most unlikely soul.

"If you could see how he did it... you would feel the same..." she crooned, the deranged grin fading away.

"But they had to stop him. So they did. By the time he was done, too many had perished, both from our side and the enemies. Too many bodies... it was criminal. Unbelievably so. Not once in my entire life to this day that I had never seen so much deaths in one day. Not once had anything shocked me to such a degree."

"W-What happened after that?"

"Whatever that must be done," Princess Crystallia somberly put it.

"He was banished to the Badlands. Fitting punishment, don't you think? Send one that destroys to a country that perpetually destroys itself in the many ways it could. I would've stopped them then, but the risks that come with it are far too great for me to handle. In the end, all I did was watch. Since that day, I never saw him again. I do had thoughts of him. Passing thoughts, those that don't stay too long. But sometimes... sometimes, I have that one moment of yearning. Sometimes, in the night, I could feel him. His flames thawing in my heart. That was when I realized why I loved him: his rage. His lovely, luminescent rage."

Dapple had to shake loose her tense hooves, already numb from standing there, both enthralled and aghast by the alicorn's confession. It was love, alright. The sickest, most twisted love she had ever heard of, she would say. She dare not, of course, for the sake of her own life. Her gaze wandered about the table, glancing between all her chatting friends. They had just missed probably the most sordid love story / history lesson they would've ever heard, not to mention one of royalty themselves!

"But enough of beating around the bush," the alicorn suddenly exclaimed.

"All I want to say is that it starts with you."

"Huh?"

"It starts with you, Dapple Deuce."

"I know. You said that, but--"

"Don't question it," Princess Crystallia cut in, raising a hoof to the other's mouth.

"The time will come when you understand. When it does, let your instincts guide you. Trust yourself."

Dapple just gave a blank stare at the alicorn's cryptic message.

"Um..." she finally mumbled.

"I'll try, I guess."

"And Dapple?"

"Y-Yes, My Lady Protector?"

"Don't fret. You are a mare that I would find myself trusting."

It look a slight moment of pondering, but when it hit her, all Dapple could do was flash one thankful smile. With a beckoning nod in return, she wandered back, heart aflutter when she settled right next to her brother. She snapped out of her daze when she noticed Ganger ogling at her with those ridiculous, googly carbon-copy of her own aquamarine eyes, head craned to the side.

"What?" she scowled bitterly.

"Well, what did she say?"

"Who? The Princess?"

"Uh, duh? Did she tell you anything useful?"

Perhaps it was a lie. Perhaps it was a means of escape. Despite it all, Dapple Deuce had been told to trust herself, so trust herself she did. The answer she gave was the absolute truth, because really, who can tell? With time and fate and all the shenanigans that nature made her put up with, plus a shrug as icing to the cake, it was to become the truest answer she could ever have given so far.

"Maybe."

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"You won't die tonight."

Those words were like cymbals colliding in her head.

"Not yet, at least."

Twilight Sparkle strained her eyes open, awakened by a slight sting in her shoulder that made her hiss from the pain. With a disgruntled sigh, she heaved herself to the side of the bed, only for her half-opened eyes to meet the glaring sunlight. A few incessant blinks later, she was up, still comfortably tucked in her sheets, but up all the same. Rubbing her tired eyes and letting out a long, silent yawn, followed by a few clicks of her tongue, she began to stretch her hooves, only to yelp out loudly in pain.

"Ow, ow, ow..." she hissed, fearfully looking at her shoulder, only to discover it was bandaged.

"What... what did I..."

That was when everything came rushing back to her.

"Janus!!" she yelled aloud.

"I have to warn the princesses... I have to-!!"

The creak of a door made her whirl around. In a split second, Twilight whisked a glass of water with her magic, barely grazing past the mane of the intruder and shattering with a splash that stained the wall, along with a loud, ear-piercing screech that came from none other than Sweetie Belle. Scootaloo was holding the minstrel back -- perhaps just in time -- as she glanced around, wide-eyed at what's left of the projectile that shot towards them.

"For Celestia's sake, Twilight!" she censured, wiping a spot of water off her leather jacket.

"Don't just throw things like that!! You could've hit Sweetie Belle with that!"

"I think that's the highest note I've ever reached..."

"Omigosh, I'm really, really sorry, I..." came Twilight's flustered reply, the mare rushing to the doorway.

"Are you guys okay? D-Did you guys get hurt?"

"My heart stopped a little," Sweetie croaked, swallowing.

"And I... I probably cracked my voice..."

"That was a close shave..." Scootaloo huffed, looking at the broken remains on that damp carpet.

"Remind me not to give you another glass in the future."

"Wait, you... this is your room... I thought... I... but... my room was..."

Momentarily, the well-read mare was left speechless, her head trying to pick up the fragmented pieces of the puzzle. She was definitely in the teenagers' bedroom, judging from the many posters of modern Equestrian singers and stuntmares to the little boombox at the side to the blueprints of some abominable machination that looked like a cross between a motorcycle and a zeppelin. Either Rainbow Dash concocted some really elaborate prank to swap out all the research books she gathered from her room for this decor, or she really was in their room.

Probability check: zero to a hundred.

"I was sleeping in your room the whole time?" Twilight asked, to which came two nods.

"But who... who brought me here?"

"Apparently, Scootaloo found you," Sweetie Belle piped in, her friend just glancing away.

"She said you were just bleeding somewhere and... well, after some mumbo-jumbo, got Princess Luna to help you out! Then again, what do I know? Scootaloo's the one who found ya!"

Two pairs of eyes glanced at said filly, who quickly snapped out of a daze.

"Y-Yep! That's it! Nothing is definitely missed out!"

"What about Inkie Pie? Is she alright?"

"A little bruised, but she's okay," Scootaloo answered.

"She told us about what happened. Spike said she probably took down all the guards that were after you."

"Anyways, the princess said that they'll look into whoever that hurt you, just in case."

Sweetie Belle's eyes briefly landed onto the clock on the nightstand, though that brief landing immediately made her eyes go wide. Both Twilight and Scootaloo cringed a little as the teenage minstrel croaked out a high-pitched squeak, scurrying towards the door while snatching a roll of sheet music with her magic.

"I'm gonna be late for my rehearsals!" she cried, about to step through the doorway.

"Oh, and one last thing! Don't move about too much! Princess Luna said it might reopen the wound!"

"Have fun!" was Twilight's parting words before Sweetie Belle left the room, leaving only her and a disgruntled Scootaloo behind. With nothing else to do other than heeding the given advice, she settled back onto her bed, sighing at her predicament. She could be looking through all the books in the world as of now, or maybe even find out who Janus really is and what he might be searching for, but here she was, bedridden because of her shoulder. It wasn't long ago that she was shot in the very same shoulder; to revisit the pain would be terrifying. Janus knows that, she believed, for Janus knows fear unlike any other.

Bedridden perhaps, but apparently with some sullen company. Scootaloo was sinking into one of the nearby chairs by the time Twilight remembered she was still in the room, flipping through a magazine about skateboarding, rollerblading and other sports of the like. Come to think of it, it had been a while since she had a conversation with the mare. The last time they had conversed, she recalled, was before she visited the Masque's sanctuary of an abode. Perhaps even long before that. Speaking of the Masque...

"So, Sweetie Belle said you found me in the hallway..."

"Oh, heh... yeah..." Scootaloo began muttering, flipping to another page of her magazine.

"That's not really, well, a hundred percent true... but it's not like I can blurt it all out anyway. Not with Sweetie Belle around."

"The Masque did help you, didn't he?"

A meek nod from Scootaloo affirmed her suspicions. Twilight couldn't help but chuckle, shaking her head. If the teenager inherited any resemblance to Rainbow Dash in any way, she figured it would be her pride.

"You know, it's okay to have somepony help you out once in a while," she said.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about that."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." the teenager sighed.

"It's just... well... look at you guys! Battling all these ancient monsters and protecting Equestria from evil, all without any help from any of us, sometimes not even the princesses..."

"That doesn't mean we didn't help each other," Twilight told her.

"I wouldn't have stopped Nightmare Moon if it wasn't for the rest of my friends. All of us, even Rainbow Dash and especially Rainbow Dash, may need a helping hoof or two. Come on, who do you think set her up together with Soarin' last year?"

"You did it? Really?"

"Yep. Me and Pinkie Pie."

The older mare elicited a light chuckle at the thought of her lost friend, remembering the day they set up a surprise birthday party for Rainbow Dash back at the northern town of Fenderville.

"In fact, it was Pinkie who also suggested to Rainbow that she should name her first child Firefly," she continued, sighing.

"Honestly, I'm quite happy that Rainbow took that suggestion."

"Well, that's one way to remember somepony."

"Yeah... so... about the Masque--"

"So are you guys, like, together?"

Twilight blinked for a moment.

"What?" she asked.

"You know? Not just together, but as in together together?"

"Oh, heh... I, uh... I don't really know, actually..."

What she said may be true, though in all honesty Twilight wasn't sure. Sure, they had their fair share of intimate moments. Sure, they had their nightly dalliances. Even the Masque had mentioned about having feelings for her back when they had their first kiss, though she was certain there was something missing from the puzzle. Something that would've made their love... for lack of a better word, authentic.

"It's like I'm still dating a complete stranger..." she confessed to Scootaloo, who was perhaps not the best candidate of choice.

"I don't know, he's hiding so many things from me. Who he is, where he's from, how did he get here... I don't even know what he looks like! He could be one of Janus's minions, for all we know, or even Janus himself! It could be him, hiding in plain sight and pretending to be on our side when in reality..."

"I don't think a creep like Janus would go through what the Masque had to go through," Scootaloo argued.

"Think about it. Taking care of children and stealing every jewel and gem in Canterlot just to give them a happy life... don't you think that's pushing it a little too far for an evil pony pretending to be good?"

"Hmm... you have a point..."

"Maybe that's why you feel that way."

It was all a matter of assumption. Scootaloo knew neither of them, especially herself, is a veteran at love, though she personally knew one pony. A pony who once held love in her very hooves but lost them in a storm of despair. A pony whom she herself held dear to her heart, only to lose her to the twisted, strangling embrace of fate.

"Somepony once told me," she began, voice subtly trembling.

"Trust is what you need in love. Without trusting the other pony, how can you even love them? If you have secrets, why not share it with them? Show a side of you that you will never show to others, tell them about your quirks and pet peeves..."

"He or she seems to know a lot about love," Twilight remarked.

"Is she somepony close? Maybe I can have a chat with her and she can tell me what to do about it."

"Well... you can't," Scootaloo mumbled with a gulp, hoof awkwardly kicking against the floor.

"The pony... she's... my mother."

Immediately, Twilight's visage blanched, all traces of color spilling away. Not many had mentioned about Scootaloo's mother, not since the freak accident that took her life all those years ago. None of her friends had dared to speak about it, knowing how much it would hurt the poor filly. Though she had been a newcomer long after the incident, she was quickly told by Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash on never to bring up anything about her mother, though it would seem that the day of her foray into the dark throes of death would come sooner or later.

"I-I'm... I'm sorry, I... I didn't know it was her that... your mother--!"

"I-It's okay, Twilight." Scootaloo sighed before glancing away with a dark scowl, hissing to herself:

"Damn it, why does it hurt every time... every single time..."

"You need any help calming yourself down? Maybe I'll just go to the kitchen and--!"

"No, no, wait! Princess Luna said no moving!!"

"Okay, okay! Jeez..." Twilight sighed, plopping her hooves back onto the bed.

"Then how else can I help?"

"It's okay, Twilight. I'm fine on my own."

"Just a minute ago, we had a conversation about letting others helping you out."

"Hey, I don't know what to do, okay?" Scootaloo cried, groaning. For a moment, it almost sounded to Twilight like she was choking on her tears. One could only imagine how much effort it took just to put up that facade.

"It's... it's not like anyone would understand anyway..."

"You could talk to somepony about me. Like me, for instance."

True, the want of helping Scootaloo in her emotional bind was there, but Twilight had to admit, her morbid curiosity about the teenager's mother and the strange circumstances surrounding her death was too big of a temptation to resist. If anything, she felt guilty to venture into it, though surely there may be no other chance like this. Perhaps not even in a lifetime!

"I hear sometimes, it's better to have somepony listening to what you have to say," she explained.

"That way, you won't have to carry that burden alone."

"If you're doing what I think you're doing--"

"Hey, if it's too personal, you don't have to tell me," Twilight added defensively.

"I'm just saying that if you need somepony to talk to, I'm here for you, alright?"

Scootaloo said nothing, her wary stare instead falling back into the magazine in her hooves. Certainly, the silent treatment from her might last a while, Twilight figured. Especially after having mentioned something as sensitive as that. Plopping her head back onto the comfort of her pillow, she gazed up at the ceiling and beyond, contemplating the position she found herself in. To be stagnant, perhaps even stunted in progress at discovering their enemy's motives made her feel crippled, though Twilight knew there were others who've been through worse in this silent conflict. Others whose gravity of losses will never amount to any of her achievements combined.

"If only there was a way..." she thought to herself.

"Then maybe... just maybe..."

Twilight clenched her eyes shut, wrapping her blanket around her hoof.

"Maybe we will all make it in time..."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Spike, you don't have to help me with everything."

"Hey, if it means paying you back for what I said to you," the dragon stopped, giving her a grin.

"Then yes, I do have to help you with everything."

Rarity couldn't help but let out a chuckle; Spike can be really romantic at times. Behind his scaly, fanged and fearsome exterior, she will always find the gentledrake that she came to know and love ever since he was a baby. Now, being several more stepping stones away from becoming a full-fledged dragon, he even had the look that could outmatch most of Canterlot's eligible bachelors that she had once found herself swooning over.

She shot another glance up from her latest designs, watching him stumble around their bedroom with four boxes of cloth in his paws. It's hard to imagine, how just a few days ago, they were hitting a major bump in their relationship, with Spike claiming that they've become much more distant lately. Now, after a short conversation and a few swapping of apologies later, Rarity can say they were even.

Some part of her would hardly agree.

"Alright," the dragon heaved, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow.

"That's the last one. Chiffon rolls are in the top drawer and silk's in the bottom."

"Thank you, Spikey dear. Now, all that's left is the glitter and--"

"I can help you organize them, if you want."

"I should be alright, Spike," Rarity asserted with a sigh. Sometimes, he can be a little too helpful. No big surprise there, what with the dragon's code of honor and all. On the contrary, she had everything under control long before they even came to Canterlot. If anything, Twilight would be the one that needs his help now, not her.

The poor mare's state sometimes worried her, though Rarity knew Twilight was much stronger than that. Having heard of last night's incident still astounded her. It was easier to break her by targeting Shining Armor and Princess Cadance instead of herself, she knew that. Perhaps Janus knew that too, especially after this incident. All the more reason they have to be aware of what else may come.

A knock on the door caught their attention, parting to make way for a maid who gave a small curtsy.

"The Princesses requests for your presence in the meeting room."

Ah, of course. That's what she missed out from her schedule, Rarity thought to herself. After last night's incident with Twilight, Inkie Pie and the guards, Princess Celestia had arranged an emergency meeting, mostly to discuss about quelling the threats, pushing back the invaders, and hopefully, an arrangement of plans to be made had they succumbed to all those countless attacks.

The white unicorn watched as the trembling maid lead them to their destination, a little worried that she may collapse from fright. The poor mare can't be blamed; she was performing the duties of a royal guard, after all. What irony, for those that serve and protect the country to come under scrutiny for treason. First, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance; now, Twilight Sparkle. It only served as a grim reminder to the time she and Spike were attacked, as well as a familiar warning.

Any of them could be next.

"... and if we mobilize our forces here, chances are Janus would have us surrounded if we-- ah..."

All eyes in the rotunda were turned to the couple in the center, some of them judgmental, others surprised. Rarity recognized some of these faces. The various ambassadors staring from their respective thrones were one batch, though their names never really stuck onto her. What stuck, however, was the feeling that she may seem them again, whether it be in the palace or somewhere beyond.

The ones she knew were mostly her fellow ponies. Princess Celestia and Luna were seated right before them, their smiles welcoming them inside just as the maid beckoned them up to the benches above surrounding the room. As she headed to her seat, she saw Princess Cadance and a crutch-wielding Shining Armor on the opposite end, as well as Fancypants, all three giving their meek waves. Her smile grew into a more spiteful frown when just inches away from the couple sat Prince Blueblood, who graciously returned it without hesitation. It wasn't long before she found their place: right next to Spitfire, Soarin' and Rainbow Dash, all of them who greeted them with grins of their own.

"Now that all of us are present," Princess Luna continued from where she left off.

"If we mobilize our forces, as planned, to these outposts, there will be a greater chance that..."

"What's happening?" Rarity whispered her question to Rainbow Dash.

"What are they discussing about?"

"Got here right before you guys did, so I'm not exactly a hundred percent sure, but I think all of them were talking about how they were planning to mobilize the army."

"You mean the princesses finally decided to fight back?" Spike asked.

"Maybe. Maybe not," the pegasus answered.

"They're still trying to talk it out. The commander and your eligible bachelor--"

"Zip it, Rainbow."

"Fine, your once-eligible bachelor, were telling them how important it should be. Blueblood mentioned how Camelroon was invaded from both sides and how much soldiers were lost because of how unprepared they were. Now, Princess Luna's talking about how impossible it would be to fight under any circumstances. Then... beats me after that."

"They would probably talk about the evacuation process," Soarin' continued in his wife's stead.

"Which was specifically why we are here."

Rarity and Spike grimly nodded. If anything, evacuating was the last thing they would think about right now. Should the measures proceed, it would mean that Janus would be overrunning Equestria as they know it. Such a bleak scenario would be a nightmare. All of them, leaving the life they knew behind for the sake of survival, for living on...

"... as such, I motion Princess Cadance of the Crystal Empire to step forward," Princess Luna's words caught their attention.

"To elaborate further on our plans for evacuation and other such measures."

"Thank you."

Clearing her throat came the Princess of Love, stepping forward with all eyes fixated upon her. It's no surprise that Cadance was new to this: motioning her stance to all the other foreign dignitaries like her aunts did. Nevertheless, a time will come when she has to deal with such matters.

"We have discussed, along with our military forces and cabinet of ministers, under the supervision of Our Royal Highnesses, of our plans for evacuation if ever Janus's forces entered Equestrian borders. Already, plans have been made in my domain on the possibility of such matters. As my royal representatives back in the Crystal Empire has calculated, as of yesterday, we have gathered and prepared enough resources to shelter one third of the Equestrian population."

"One third..." Spike muttered alongside with the faint murmurs of the others present.

"They're really expecting him to invade, huh?"

"If we keep going on like this," Spitfire hissed.

"We're bound to be screwed over eventually."

"But of course, if ever Canterlot were to fall," Cadance continued, silencing the room.

"We were perfectly certain that Janus shall target the Crystal Empire next. In the case of it ever happening, we have planned a route for the refugees, my subjects included, that cuts across the mountains and into the eastern domains of the continent, which would mean heading into the lands of the joint empires of the Darkhat Valley. Do you, as discussed, follow through with this motion?"

"Yes, we shall see it through."

"So instead of fighting back, we're just gonna hop around every country?" Rainbow rasped in a low voice.

"What's up with that? I mean, look at the facts! We got much bigger armies, we got larger divisions, we got everything! Why won't the Princesses do anything?"

"Beats me," Spitfire sighed.

"We don't even know who exactly are we up against yet, so it makes sense. The problem now is that we don't know what his motives are, we don't know what he's after, just zilch. More importantly is what forms of weaponry his armies possess. Look at Manehattan, for example. That isn't just the result of some regular invasion."

"But staying here and doing nothing?" Spike cut in.

"I don't think that's gonna help out with anything."

"I object that motion!"

A pit of silence engulfed the room, every being stunned as Prince Blueblood stood up from his bench. Sparing only a grim frown for the crowd, he affixed his glare to Cadance, then to Princess Luna and finally, Princess Celestia, who narrowed her eyes down at her nephew. Whatever stunt he may be playing at was blind to them, though what he said next echoed some of their thoughts aloud.

"The moment we plan our evacuation before our war, we've already lost the battle," he cried.

"The armies we've amassed together only in the south would outmatch those that seized Camelroon from us. If only I was allowed to lead our armies to regain the empire once more--"

"Blueblood, we are uncertain as to what might await us as we enter--"

"Send in recon teams! Scout the region! Anything!" he rebutted.

"I am willing to risk each life of a soldier to save a hundred lives of our citizens. If we push back the forces from the south, perhaps even exterminating them, then we can bring the war into our favor. We would have the upper hoof."

"And if your 'plan' fails?" Luna countered.

"If we lose the lives of those soldiers and the lives of our very own citizens for not offering any protection, will you be held accountable for their deaths? Will you, Prince Blueblood, carry the burden of such a responsibility?"

Rarity could see him trembling in place, the prince caught tangled in his own words. With a huff, he settled back down and crossed his hooves, looking irritated and perhaps infuriated as well. In all his life, she did not expect the prince, the sniveling rat of a fiend whom she thought only cares about his own well-being, would stand up against the very rulers of their country for matters concerning all of them. He has changed, definitely, but whether it be for good or bad, it definitely isn't in the clear.

"Back to our evacuation strategy," Princess Cadance continued, a little stunned at her cousin's sudden outburst.

"The last refuge would be on the outskirts of the Draconic Federation, to which we are still undergoing discussions regarding food and shelter. If our negotiations go as proceeded, we shall head west immediately. If otherwise, the negotiations went wrong and our plan fails..."

A slight shudder went through all of those present in the room.

Be it fashion designer, teenage dragon or ruler of Equestria, all of them knew the dark truth.

"We expect none of us to survive."

Author's Note

Wow, this is long overdue!

Here you go, the latest chapter of Diprosopus! :pinkiehappy:

The Tundra Syndrome

Author's Note

It's been half a year. Half a year of busy nonsense I had to deal with, but it's finally here! The latest chapter of this long story.

With life about to become a whole lot freer for the rest of the year, you guys can expect the next chapter to be up soon, though I can't make any promises. :fluttercry:

Thanks to everyone who are still being faithful to this story. I know I can be a bit of a drag in the updates, so sorry in advance!

The Tundra Syndrome

Artemis felt it.

The brisk winter breeze appreciatively stroking her white fur, the puffy specks of snow showering around her in celebration, the tranquil sun brightening the already gleaming smile she was wearing, all the while as she stared down the cobblestone road that cut through her hometown of Byafisogsne and into the depths of the birch forest. The path itself had been the very thought that had kept her awake the night prior, all the excitement she had gathered swelling up to her cheeks.

Turning around, she couldn't help but chuckle at the wild bunch that called themselves the caravan, surrounded by her fellow cervine citizens. All in all, she found each of them different in almost every way. The fire-tailed Phoenix Mellow was definitely the leader, seeing how he speaks on the others' behalf from time to time with Fleetywit the sprite dragon. The shady Velvet seemed to be the brains of the group, which was no surprise there. She concluded that Pinkie Pie, Ollivander and Ganger Deuce were the comedians, whereas Dapple and Brutus being more stone-cold. Of course, there was also her surrogate sister, Selena Gust; the mare that shared her problem. The mare that changed her for the better.

To be the newest, as well as the youngest addition to the already colorful and enigmatic group made her proud. It would definitely take some time to get used to all of them and learn of their stories and travels. How queer, to know that just a week ago, they were but strangers that trespassed into the icy realm, only to save her in her darkest, most terrifying moment yet. Just like that, the caravan became the family she never thought she would ever have.

Artemis felt it.

The brilliance of freedom, coursing energetically through her veins.

The freedom bestowed to her by Princess Crystallia.

"You seem very bright at the prospect of leaving, Artemis."

"A little... probably excited as well," she muttered to the princess standing beside her.

"But I'll miss this place."

"You'll miss the village that once shunned you solely based on the color of your hide?"

"I know it's strange... but it's true. I'll miss it."

Somewhere deep within her, there was that small aching feeling. It pained her, yet not in the usual way that she had believed it would feel. It was like a huge lump weighing within her chest, pushing against flesh and bone effortlessly in protest. Artemis would never forget all the moments of prolonged suffering she had trudged through, all of them coming in every form imaginable. At times, she was even amazed that she could pass the hurdle, only to have a taller, wider one waiting to sweep her off her hooves.

Now, it has all come to past. No more will her silent screams be awakened. No more will she be undermined by treachery. No more will she cower into the security of her room and isolate herself from the world. Still, leaving here meant leaving everything she ever knew behind. Her position as Oracle, the princess that guided her throughout those hurdles, even the local scenery... she will miss this place, not because of what it did to her, but because it was her home.

Forever was and forever will be.

"You know the rules, Artemis," Princess Crystallia reminded.

"The moment you step one hoof out of my borders--"

"There is no coming back, I know," Artemis replied, staring at the horizon down the path.

"If I do, the penalty shall be death."

Unfazed as she usually was, Princess Crystallia stared ahead alongside her former protege, down the path the fawn would soon take. She had seen many a deer take the very same road in their departure, never to return again. All for the better, she told herself, knowing their fates wouldn't end well should they stay any longer.

"Death..." she muttered, sighing a puffy sigh.

"The coldest albeit lightest punishment one can offer."

Being an escapee of it, Artemis could only agree.

The trotting of hooves briefly separated the band of friends on both sides as four of the priestesses hauled Brutus the minotaur, still laying unconscious in a stretcher, down the steps of the temple. Velvet stepped forward, his horn lighting up a blood red as he cautiously lifted the minotaur up and into a pool of his own magic.

"Seems stable enough," he told the rest, inspecting it carefully as he hovered the minotaur around.

"Alright, we're good to go."

"Well, I suppose it is time to say farewell now, Artemis."

The fawn just looked up at her Princess, forcing out a smile. Instinctively, she hugged the alicorn's hoof tightly, which earned her a chuckle and the gentle, motherly stroking of the fur between her ears. She knew that however dreadful and threatening Princess Crystallia would seem to be, somewhere deep beneath her cold exterior, she was benevolent and just. She was as kind as any princess would be.

"Remember..." the princess whispered with a shiver.

"The promise..."

"I won't disappoint you, My Lady Protector."

A genuine smile emerged from the alicorn's visage, her eyes shimmering slightly. It was the first in a long time, Artemis realized, that she had seen her smile like that. Not since... well, not since the first time she was told of the promise. The promise that she had to make. The promise that all Oracles had to make.

With past sins and tragedies placed behind her, from one psychopath to another, she gave one last bow. Acknowledging it with a pristine nod of her own, Princess Crystallia strode back up the stone steps, never turning back, never giving a second glance. All she did was watch. What can she do? If anything, any attempt to bring her back would incite her fury even more.

"Where's she going?"

Selena Gust had trotted to the fawn's side, eyes glued to the departing princess. The others soon joined them, their plans of a warm farewell flushed down the drain once they see her disappearing into the confines of her temple. Artemis just smiled, not at their befuddled looks, but rather at the feeling of peace, handed down to her by the mare who was once her superior.

"She's saying goodbye," she simply answered.

"As well as... wishing me luck on my mission."

"What mission, Artemis?"

"Do any of you know the duty of an Oracle?"

"Isn't the Oracle supposed to be a medium from the princess to her subjects?"

"A bridge, yes. That's half true, Mr. Mellow," Artemis replied, looking up at the caravan leader.

"Come with me. There's somewhere I would like to show you."

With the young doe leading the way, the caravan was finally on the move again, with everyone but the prone Brutus a little excited at what's to come. Slowly, they trotted down the cobblestone road that lead out of the town and into the woods, the scenery of longhouses quickly transitioning into bald pillars of birch, branches streaking across like a mesh in the sky. There were little farewells to be had down that boulevard, most of the residents not even bearing a single smile. Those that did were mainly the children, though the ragging of their parents made it quick to fade.

It had been a while since they ventured out of this village, the smell of wood and the chill of the snow underneath their hooves reviving the spirit of adventure. Not just yet, however: Artemis had one place she needed them to see. A place that she knew Princess Crystallia would not approve of, yet the calling of the Oracle advised her to show. It was, after all, within the duty of the Oracle to go against the word of law.

If it was for the sake of fixing it.

Slowly, the caravan clambered up a slope, wading across the deep ocean of snow as they neared their destination: a tall cliff, curving up like a newly watered sapling reaching up to the warm rays of the sun. At the very tip of it is a fallen tree, stretching out off the cliff to an ominous drop below, branches reaching out to the cold air. All the majesty was cut short when a loud gasp flew out of Selena's mouth, seeing Artemis leaping onto the dead tree which gave a slight groan of protest.

"Be careful, Artemis!" the pegasus cried out.

"The tree might fall over!"

"Don't worry. It's frozen into the ground," the fawn reassured, stepping closer to the edge.

"Come on! It's just right over here!"

Eagerly but still wary as ever, Selena stepped up first, hoof clutching tighter to her gryphon mate following closely behind. One by one, they all stepped on, still amazed from how a fawn half their age didn't even flinch from standing at such a great height. Even the cheerful Pinkie wasn't as enthusiastic about it when she got on, shivering heavily enough to make the tree shake a little. The last to climb up was Dapple, who bit her lip as she turned back to Brutus, whom Velvet laid down onto the snow. Perched on top of one of his horns was Fleetywit the sprite dragon, blinking curiously at the worried look the mare was giving it.

"You sure it's okay leaving him like this?" she couldn't help but ask.

"He'll be fine," Phoenix answered back.

"Fleetywit would let us know if anything comes by."

A happy chirp from the minuscule dragon alleviated her uncertainty temporarily, the mare following the rest along the frozen bark. Artemis was perched at the very end of the tree, the soft smile she was wearing echoing to them when they followed her gaze downwards. Down there, in a giant circle of space carved into the forest, was her cozy hometown of Byafisogsne. The place that they just left; the town that she was just banished from. It was like a gem of warmth, shrouded behind fence after fence of trees. It was luck in disguise, they realized, that they were caught by the deer, otherwise they would be lost in the dark catacomb of trees.

"Princess Crystallia was the one that showed me this place" Artemis suddenly spoke up.

"We talked a lot about things here. She told me many things that most of my kind would never hear, for only the Oracles were blessed to come here. To listen to her stories. To understand who we really are, what was the purpose of this town, the purpose of the Oracle..."

"What do you mean?" Phoenix asked.

"What was she doing to this town?"

"You probably wouldn't see it, but she was trying her best to help us."

All the confused looks that came after was expected. Artemis couldn't blame them, knowing the alicorn's erratic behavior.

"Long ago, before this town ever came to existence, my kind lived in the mountains near the Darkhat Valley. Our ancestors were once citizens of the Cervine Empire, our towns being trading posts in the mountains. They were happy, prospering along with the remainder of the empire, priding themselves with things that the rest of the empire didn't have. Lavender wreaths, strawberry farms, ice sculpting competitions... they were happy."

"But something happened..." Selena muttered, earning a nod from the fawn.

"We don't know what it was, even until now," the fawn admitted.

"One night, somewhere in the distance, there was this... this white bang... it covered the entire mountain, all their towns, all of the reindeer... I don't know what it did, but when our ancestors woke up, they lost everything. The towns, the farms, some even lost their families. Eventually, all the reindeer migrated to the central cities of the empire, begging to be taken in. Eventually, fights begin to break out. Some of us became more savage, more cruel, so much that after a while, the empire banned our kind from being in the country. Any reindeer spotted in the territory of the Cervine Empire will be swiftly put to death. It was either run or be killed, so most of us ran."

A mood of gloom settled in quickly, the looks of disbelief saying it all.

"That's horrible!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"I mean, they could just at least give some bits to build a town somewhere, or give a little food, or just... I don't know, help them! Why couldn't they just help them?"

"Things were different," Phoenix answered.

"Those times were plagued by wars and pestilences. No matter the species, our ancestors were all ruthless and selfish, striving to keep only themselves alive. Helping somepony else was akin to suicide back then."

Artemis nodded, trying her best to hold her smile. Despite happening perhaps thousands of years ago, it somehow felt nostalgic to her. Still, underneath all that melancholia, past the drear and pity, there was a flame of wrath, of hatred. A genetic flame, kindled by the history of bloodshed, burning bright enough to make her smile wane. Besides wrath, however, there was something else. Something she herself did not believe the first time she was notified of it.

"Our ancestors moved from country to country, seeking a place to stay, only to get turned away. They were desperate, hungry and angry at how bleak life had become. When they reached here, they became mad. After months of anxiety, all it took was one of us to snap before everything started to fall apart. One of us got murdered, fights started to break out and we were almost about to kill ourselves off. Then, Princess Crystallia showed up..."

"Really?" Phoenix piped in.

"What she did do?"

"She provided everything our kind needed. Food, water, shelter, everything. It wasn't long before she became revered as our Lady Protector, the princess who saved us in our time of need. Soon enough, our town came to be. The town that we had lived in for centuries. She trained us to be harder, to be stronger and to survive in the cold. When her temple was built, she then began to elect priestesses and soon after, she introduced us the position of Oracle."

Artemis sighed, looking down at her hometown, a sanctuary within the unforgiving tundra.

"Did she ever tell you?" she asked the caravan suddenly.

"What is the duty of the Oracle?"

All of them shook their heads, leaving her to given the answer.

"The duty of the Oracle was never about communions or messages," Artemis professed.

"It was to educate us about the outside world."

"Huh?"

Pinkie was the only one that elicited her confusion, though it wouldn't be far-fetched to say that it echoed the emotions of the rest as well. To be heralded such an important title among the ranks of the reindeer, all for the banal purpose of education? However absurd, it doesn't seem to fall in line with the princess's methods; knowing Princess Crystallia, she'd find more satisfaction in tormenting them.

"But isn't the princess all kooky and superdy-duperdy angry and all RAWRH!! like she was to us?"

The young fawn couldn't help but chuckle at that last impression.

"I guess she can be a little scary..." she muttered.

"But when you really get to know her, she's really trying her best to help us."

"So how does all this Oracle business prepare you all for the outside world?" Dapple questioned.

"Well... one way to explain this... remember when my kin brought you into town?"

"Not the most convenient welcome," Phoenix remarked, though something lit up in his head.

"However, such a method... to sacrifice an offering to the gods... for lack of a better word, it's outdated. There hasn't been a sacrifice to any of the alicorns in the past thousand years. Perhaps even two!"

"Exactly. After hearing some of the stories about the world outside, I've learned of many customs that just seemed a little bit too strange for reindeer like myself. So one day, I decided to ask the princess..."

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

"You do know what you're asking me, my dear Oracle?"

"Sort of," was the reluctant answer of an eight-year old albino fawn.

"I was thinking that maybe the ponies just couldn't find a bear or some other animal to sacrifice, but you did mention that there's a lot more variety of wildlife living in Equestria than here. Then I started thinking maybe they didn't have the proper tools for it, but that can't be right as well because you also said that they have much more advanced technology than us."

"Curiosity can lead fawns astray, Artemis."

"But you know the answer, right?"

The fawn was wise beyond her years, wise enough to know that there was something serious in store for her whenever the princess called her by name. Even so, she was one of the few reindeer that could step past the border of questions and getting away with it, insured only by her title as Oracle.

Princess Crystallia gave a venerable sigh. If anything, she should commend the young fawn for asking such questions, not behead her for it. There was that sneaking temptation to do so, just to see how everything would spill out from a split neck, but she was sane enough to know such an act would never benefit her. Instead, feigning ignorance, she glanced back down at the manuscript before her.

"Um... Princess?"

"Artemis, you shouldn't bother wasting your precious time on such a trivial matter."

"It isn't small, my Lady Protector," Artemis protested, standing at the tip of her small hooves on her stool.

"We're the only species that still sacrifices bears and panthers for you. We're the only species that thinks it's necessary when the rest of the world doesn't. Why are we doing this?"

"You're questioning the very roots of your culture, do you realize that?"

"But you said traditions change and change is good, right? You keep telling me about how the Oracle brings change in face of the future, so why can't I know about something that changes from time to time?"

With a huff, Princess Crystallia swept the manuscript aside with her magic, staring down at the defiant fawn looking up at her. It wasn't the first time they did this, initiating staring contests over one of many wide padauk wood stumps that are the tables of the temple's library. All those past matches were over the matters that were actually trivial, much unlike the one the fawn was trampling over at present. This one... this one potentially threatened not only her position as the princess, but also Artemis's position as Oracle.

"I can assure you, my dear Oracle," the alicorn warned.

"You're not ready for it."

"You seem sure about that, my Lady Protector."

The challenge made her smirk. Such a devious Oracle she was nurturing.

"Well, perhaps you'll know once you're ready," she pressed forward.

"In fact, all Oracles will learn of it at a suitable point of time. For you... at the moment, I bear forth no answers for you."

"But I am ready, my Lady Protector!" cried Artemis.

"I want to know!"

The scowl that smeared Princess Crystallia's face couldn't be anymore darker. Incommodious, pestiferous, vexatious... all the words were screaming in her head, but she decided to keep her cool, no pun intended, in one of the many ways that she knew how. All of peace will come in time. No skewering a young deer on icicles today, she told herself.

"Aquaros be damned for this fawn's curiosity," she cursed underneath her breath.

"Who's Aquaros?"

"None of your concern, Artemis," the alicorn rasped, before sighing in defeat.

"Fine. I'll tell you--"

"Yes!!"

"But you have to swear -- and I do mean swear -- to keep it bottled up. The last thing the kingdom needs right now is a verbal dosage of radical hysteria."

Standing up and striding towards the exit, her magic parting the decorated doors in her way, Princess Crystallia solemnly cantered down the varnished wooden aisle of the temple hallways, passing the white doors with the young Oracle scampering behind her. There were times that she had admired the woodwork of the reindeer, a recognized trademark of the species, fascinating all who witness and studied it, with the art of it passed down from generations long ago. Of course, as Artemis would soon find out, that wasn't the only thing that came with it.

"Time to see if you've been studying your history..." she said suddenly.

"Alright, Artemis. Do you remember who was the first Oracle?"

"Um... it was Vélos Brenning, wasn't it?"

"Correct. A young stag working as a herbalist before becoming the first of all reindeer to be chosen as Oracle. Do you know why he was chosen, Artemis?"

"He saw something he shouldn't have. That's how Oracles were chosen, right?"

Princess Crystallia nodded, amused; Artemis had been studying hard.

"He was fifteen when he first witnessed a friend of his feasted upon by a Vintergæk Panther," she elaborated.

"Such a scene would've driven any other reindeer insane, but still he kept his calm. That alone intrigued me, to the point where I soon took him in as one of our own and provided him with the title of the Oracle. The first in the long line. Second question: what happened to Vélos in the end of his term?"

"I don't really know..." Artemis professed after a long moment of pondering.

"Some books said he disappeared, some said he was executed... but you were there, weren't you, Princess? You knew what really happened to him, don't you?"

"Correct, though he wasn't the only one. Now, elaborate about the seventh Oracle and how she came to serve in my stead."

"Hyacinth Herjinger, a gatherer of edibles. She was eighteen when she saw her father killing someone else with a cleaver."

"Nineteenth Oracle?"

"Eranthis Kaldvind, works at the loom. Seventeen when her stagfriend forced her to watch as he tortured and killed her family."

"Well done," Princess Crystallia praised, putting a glow on the fawn's cheeks.

"Now, do you know what happened to those two?"

"I think Hyacinth went missing while fending off some invaders. As for Eranthis, they said she died in a fire that broke out in the temple, but her body was never found."

"Exactly. Do you see the pattern there?"

Artemis nodded, both with eagerness and reluctance.

"They were all young," she stated.

"They also saw bad things happening around them, which was why they became Oracle. After that, when they 'finished', they all just vanished into thin air. Is that right?"

"Correct, Artemis. Well, you certainly have not cease to amaze me."

"But it's not fair..." she whimpered.

"Lady Protector, Why do bad things happen to us? To the Oracles?"

Princess Crystallia's smile remained unchanged, though the warmth wasn't there anymore. Somehow, it looked a little more unnerving to Artemis than it was before. A chilly breeze was all it needed to snap her out of it, as the fawn realized that they were now standing outside of the temple, looking out at the village of reindeer before them.

Byafisogsne was, in the words of the Lady Protector herself, a quiet little hamlet in Death's garden. There were times where the fawn wondered if it was true, that death really was tending to them like it would to its chrysanthemums and lilies, plucking them out one by one at its whim. Many times she had seen it happen for her not to deny it, though she never knew why she couldn't.

"Bad things..." the alicorn mumbled suddenly.

"There is a saying that bad things happen to those who do bad deeds. At a time, it was relevant, perhaps, but it has since become dated. Criminals getting acquitted in court, ministers retaining their positions from bribery... bad things happen all around us, yet not only to those guilty."

"What do you mean?"

"Bad things don't always happen to those who do bad deeds," she elaborated.

"Rather, bad things always happen to the innocent. It is from these bad things that one would lose their innocence. Thus, a child grows up into an adult. A foal into a pony, a hatchling into a gryphon, a fawn into a reindeer..."

A dark chuckle emanated from the princess, even as Artemis cast her glance to the ground.

"It is especially so, in this quiet little hamlet we have here," the alicorn further explained.

"A little hamlet where once in a while, a reindeer does something they shouldn't have. A little hamlet where once in a while, another reindeer sees something that they shouldn't see. The little hamlet in death's garden, not because death was guilty. Rather, death was innocent. Death was a side-effect of the pestilence in this town, a pestilence of insanity. Now then, Artemis. I have a question I would love to ask you and your prepared soul..."

The fawn looked up at her mentor, perplexed, fearful, perhaps even a little insulted, but out of that curiosity won the ballot. A question for her and her prepared soul, a question that, as she would soon realize, changed everything she knew about her species, her town, her position of Oracle and no doubt, her future.

"Tell me, Artemis," Princess Crystallia began, the devilish smirk not leaving her face.

"Do you know what is a quarantine?"

~*------------------------------O------------------------------*~

"The Tundra Syndrome?"

"The Tundra Syndrome..." Artemis repeated those devious pair of words.

"The curse of the reindeer, an epidemic passed on by generations prior, borne of rejection, desperation and despair; trained for hate, vengeance and murder. We were being monitored by our Protector, confined and quarantined to her kingdom. Byafisogsne was an asylum built to contain us. To prevent our species from making contact with the outside world."

"But I don't understand..." Selena said, scratching her head.

"This whole time, trapped in here... didn't Princess Crystallia do anything about it?"

"She did try, but as you may understand, diplomacy wasn't her strongest suit."

The young fawn gazed upon her town once again. As it always had been, it looked so deceivingly serene from up here, yet she knew that each and every citizen, whether it be farmer or high priestess, Oracle or Princess, had their fair share of skeletons in their closets. Simply put, this town stands proudly over a mausoleum so crowded that it was pretty fortunate corpses don't need to breathe.

"She had no choice but to confine us under orders," Artemis continued.

"To wall us in and never letting us go. She was given the duty to guard us, never to rule us. All of this was to make sure that none of us escaped. Our Lady Protector hated it, being degraded down to this... that's why she found another way around it."

Perhaps the consequences that may come about made it too severe for it to be called mischief, but in the end, that was what it actually was: an act of defiance, the kind a young mare would perform to assert her status among her superiors. Certainly she must've found it thrilling, Artemis thought to herself.

"She never wanted to be a guard," she clarified in place of the princess.

"She insisted that we could change, that we still had a chance... all the things she had done for us, it was all because of the faith she placed into us reindeer. She had been protecting us for as long as our kind has lived. Can you imagine? Living with a species fueled by blood. It's sickening... but somehow, she managed it."

"Perhaps she did," Velvet scoffed, being the skeptic of the group.

"With her unorthodox methods, to say the least."

"Like I said, she means well," Artemis defended her mentor with an ounce of wit.

"You must've heard of the saying 'set a thief to catch a thief', don't you?"

"So this... mission of yours..." Selena piped in.

"What is it exactly?"

"There's actually several of them," the fawn admitted sheepishly.

"But the most important of all? To convince the Cervine Empires to revoke their order of banishment. To bring us reindeer back home, to our former towns and mountains, and bring them back to life."

"And she entrusted young reindeer like you to do it?" Phoenix questioned.

"The young mind is susceptible to change, so she said."

"That explains the consistent age group, but still," he pressed on.

"However you look at it, you're still young, Artemis. You have decades ahead of you to look forward to and yet... you're willing to give all of that up, just like that."

"What do you wish me to do? Sit idly by and watch us kill each other until we all go extinct?"

It was a hard-hitting truth that, as the princess had once mentioned, the outsiders wouldn't understand. Entrusting a young fawn to bear the tremendous responsibility of ensuring the survival of her species was perhaps something expected of Princess Crystallia, but she knew better.

"Maybe I didn't care at first..." she sighed.

"Maybe... maybe I just wanted us to kill ourselves after what they did to my parents... but when Princess Crystallia told me everything about our... conditions... and she said I could be the one to change it... I can't speak for the other Oracles, but as much as I am susceptible to change, I desire that change. I want my kin to get their homes back, no matter what."

A loud burst of laughter, one not heard in a while, came from Dapple Deuce, earning looks of surprise from everyone.

"I gotta give it to you, kid," she chuckled.

"You have a lot of spunk."

"Huh?"

"She means you have courage," Selena translated, smiling at her friend's compliment.

"That, coming from the Dapple Deuce, means a lot."

"Well, um... I guess you have a lot of... spunk too... Whitewind Bear and everything..."

All of them began laughing softly, the flustered fawn scrunching up her cheeks in embarrassment. So much for spunk, she muttered to herself, feeling her cheeks warming up a tint of red. It stayed on for a while even after they stepped down of the fallen tree, the caravan finally resuming their journey across the world.

Trudging through snow, Artemis glanced around the odd group she was stuck with, smiling to herself. Her thoughts wandered into uncertainty when she recalled her purpose. Would she accomplish her missions, she wondered. Would she succeed where others have failed? She was never sure if the other Oracles ever succeeded, but she reckoned they all didn't. Had they did, the reindeer would be back in their fabled mountain homes and not be stuck in a village of death and despair. The sinking feeling in her chest grew as one final question lit up in her head.

Would she follow in the hoofsteps of those before her?

Artemis gave it a moment of thought, then just scoffed it off.

"Of course not..." she laughed at herself, looking ahead at a bright future.

"This time, it will be different."

With the caravan by her side, she will make it so.

"Wait for me, my Lady Protector."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Fluttershy? Hello? Equestria to Fluttershy?"

"Oh! Um... y-yes? Did I do something?"

"You kinda zoned out for a moment there," Rainbow Dash put it lightly, hoof on her friend's shoulder.

"You know, I just said there's nothing to be afraid of. That's why you have to get in there and show 'em who's boss!"

"I know, but I... um..."

"She needs time to compose herself," Twilight spoke in her stead.

"It's been a while, Rainbow. You have to understand that."

"Yeah, but I thought she might be a little more... excited, y'know?"

"Oh, I am a little bit excited," Fluttershy spoke up rather timidly, staring up at the pair of white doors before her.

"Um... just a little bit..."

"Oh yeah? And just how many percent of you is actually excited?"

A nervous shrug, the shy mare biting her lip as she whimpered softly.

"Uh... f-five percent?"

"Five percent? That's not even close to motivated, let alone excited!"

"Rainbow Dash, seriously," Twilight deadpanned, dragging her away from the shaking Fluttershy and to the side.

"Alright, do you remember why I called you out here?"

"Of course! You wanted me to give Fluttershy a motivational speech, so I'm giving her one!"

"I did not specifically say that," the unicorn sighed, hoof meeting her shaking head.

"I said that I wanted you to give her some support, both as a fellow mother and a friend."

Rainbow grumbled underneath her breath.

"It's better if she had a motivational speech instead..."

"You're kinda loud when you're talking to yourself, you know that?" Twilight chided, frowning.

"Oh, but Twilight, I wouldn't mind if--" Fluttershy tensed up as both of her friends spun their gazes to her.

"Um... wh-what I'm trying to say is t-that... well... I w-wouldn't mind if she g-gave me a m-m-motivational speech..."

"It's not about that, Fluttershy," Twilight sighed, turning back to Rainbow.

"Look, if you don't want to do it, I'll just go back in and ask Rarity instead."

"Woah there, Twi. I didn't say anything about backing out."

"Then give her some support. Proper support," she hissed.

A drawn-out sigh escaped from Rainbow Dash's mouth, one loud enough to travel along the corridors of the palace and probably through the cracks of the ornate pair of doors before them. As much as she hated to admit it, Twilight can make a lot of things seem a little boring for her taste. There were a few exceptions, notably the many adventures they've been through together and her introduction to the Daring Do series, but Rainbow knew her well enough to know she could dampen any form of excitement the same way four buckets of water could do to her mane.

"Fine..." she groaned, trotting back towards the now smiling Fluttershy.

"So, as you probably heard, egghead here wants me have some pep talk with you--"

"Well, this egghead here thinks somepony might be going back inside."

"Can you keep it down, Twi? Giving some proper support here."

Both pegasi could only giggle as Twilight Sparkle rolled her eyes with a groan, her magic swinging one of the doors as she stomped in, leaving it ajar behind her. From it echoed numerous murmurs and chatters, bursting through the serene privacy and sending a manic jolt up Fluttershy's trembling wings with a squeak. Quickly, Rainbow shut the door, sighing with relief as her friend calmed down, leaving only telltale signs of her anxiety from a few visible shivers.

"It's okay, Fluttershy..." Rainbow assured her, sparing a hoof on her friend's shoulder

"Just think about it. In a moment, everything will be back the way it was."

As always, Fluttershy gave a timid nod. It took a moment for her to recompose herself and speak, though what she said almost caught Rainbow Dash off guard.

"I don't really mean to say this, but... you know you don't have to do that."

"Huh? D-Do what?"

"Chase Twilight back inside," she said, chuckling softly.

"She'd probably like to see you talking to me like this."

"I bet she would... but this mare has an image to live up to. What would Equestria think if the Rainbow Dash, the awesomest and toughest mare alive, is seen being all mushy and emotional over something like this? That'll be me done with the Wonderbolts forever, I'm telling ya!"

"So am I still the only one who knows about this?"

"You... and Soarin'," she stated, though her cheeks scrunched when she caught her friend smirking.

"What? You can't expect me to shout at Firefly and Mayfly for crying for their mom now, can you?"

"Aw, that's so sweet!"

"Yeah, I know, I know... but even so, Twilight has a point. This ain't a situation for coaching."

There were times where she questioned her decisions. Most of them involved Fluttershy and, being opposites bordering on the extreme, there was no surprise there. In the end, Fluttershy was one of her best friends, having been stuck with her since her early foalhood days, and she would do anything to make her happy. Celestia knows how much that shy mare has helped her out as well.

"Alright, Flutters," Rainbow spoke, clutching onto her friend's hooves.

"Remember, whatever happens, all of us will be on your side. Twilight, Rarity, me, all of us. So do me a favor, Fluttershy, and hold on just a little more longer, okay? Be calm, lift your head up and look forward. Just be strong for us. Be strong for them."

"Okay..."

"And just... one more thing..."

If the growing blush on Rainbow's cheeks hadn't been evident enough, Fluttershy figured it out when she found herself hauled into her friend's hooves. It took a moment for her to restrain her laughter, all in the effort of keeping her friend's image, instead letting out a soft, fulfilling giggle, followed by the shake of her head.

"Rainbow, you know I forgave you," she said tenderly.

"You don't have to apologize again."

"I know, I know..." Rainbow laughed, wiping off a few fresh tears as she broke off her hug.

"Alright... ready for this?"

"I-I hope so..."

"You have it in you, I know you do! Now, let's show those ponies what you got!"

It was the longest, most antagonizing hour of Fluttershy's entire life. The moment the doors parted and all eyes were on her, some familiar, many foreign, her hoof was already trembling like a tree trapped in a hurricane. She bit her lip so hard it was a wonder why it didn't bleed. Every bit of her composure was eroding, the weight of the world slung onto her shoulders, dragging her heart along with it. The air felt thin, her breath reduced to light pants as her eyes strained to stare ahead, her crumpling hooves stepping up onto the podium in the center of the room. The center of unwanted attention.

Her friends were somewhere in the circle of seats, yet no matter where her eyes darted in those brief chances, she could never spot them. As the judge began speaking, snakes of cold sweat slithered down her back, the voice within her screaming questions she wanted to ask. Was her vision getting a little blurrier? Was that a spider crawling on her back or just her nerves? Was the room getting a little stuffier than before? Question after unprecedented question ran through her head even as her eyes were fixated onto the judge, stating words that her anxiety silenced before she could even comprehend them. Above all of that, however, she had to be strong, her thoughts chanted in a mantra.

Be strong.

For Big Macintosh.

For her dear Amber.

"Miss Apple? Miss Fluttershy Apple?"

"Huh-- oh, um... y-yes?"

"You may step off the podium now."

"B-bu... what?" Fluttershy stammered, blinking.

"I'm sorry... could you please, well... um..."

A light wave of chuckles glided through the room, making the timid mare blush. Looking up at the judge, she saw not the serious grim frown that she had expected, but a serene smile instead. Holding his papers up again, the judge cleared his throat, his noble voice gracing her ears as he declared: "After extensive examination by psychiatrists and reading through the reports from daily supervision, it is with great faith and pleasure to announce that Miss Apple here is mentally stable and poses no harm to her family. As such, the Federal Court has decided to relinquish the parental rights of Miss Apple over her daughter, Ambrosia Apple."

At the mention of that, Fluttershy's face lit up, a large smile growing up the sides of her cheeks. All the tension and weight of the world finally melted away, leaving behind a warm afterglow that she was basked in. She glanced around at the congratulatory smiles, her cheeks brightening up even more when she spotted her friends in the crowd, happily cheering for her.

"It's over..." she muttered to herself.

"It's finally over..."

And all of the courtroom, especially a rainbow-maned pegasus, shared the same thoughts.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Good things happen to those who wait.

Perhaps it would be so, were it not for them to be in Pendant Lakes.

Stellar Lionheart had his fair share of principles engraved onto his skull the moment his infant eyes brought forth to him the ceiling of the local hospital. The very same principles taught him where he stood, guided him where he went and showed him what he needed. In the land of Equestria, where most of the land mass had been blessed with everlasting peace, the realm of the Palgiots was always rife with a certain corruption, one both feared and embraced by its citizens. Few other towns had such unwritten commandments and he knew that from the dawn of time.

There were many that had waited. Many who prayed, who pleaded, who wished upon a shooting star. Those many now lie beneath the subterranean ground underneath his hooves, their graves collapsing six feet further from the weight of the plummeting town above. He knew some of them from back in the day, those content with patience as a friend, but even patience will wear thin and through the fading veil, the face of death arises.

Good things happen to those who wait.

Bad things to those who wait too long.

It was this particular principle that echoed in his mind while he sat at the edge of a row of towering bookshelves, revolver at the ready with wary eyes occasionally peeking out from the wooden shelves. He had been there for a while now, having sought refuge there after his and Caduceus's encounter with the deceased assassin and their fellow friend, Sidus Sirenheart. The loud screeches of the demonic hunting dogs became distant as time flew, the welcoming silence egging him to move out.

What little light he was given was enough to tell him he was in Pendant Lakes General Library, much larger than the Palgiots' own. It was, no doubt, a mess, with collapsed shelves, splintered walls, floor covered in papers and the ceiling itself completely torn apart, leaving a giant, gaping oculus that provided a view of dangling stalactites. An eye of scrutiny at the contents told him he was in the archives section, forbidden to many but the few that had close ties with the family in power. Gaining access to this haven of information was one of the many perks that came with his position of butler; such a treasury of documents and parchments had been sought after by historians and treasure hunters since the dawn of time itself.

Slowly, Stellar sneaked forward, his hoofsteps echoed only by falling droplets of water. Floorboard after shanty floorboard groaned in protest as he advanced along the shelves. He held his breath when he reached the end, turning around the corner with revolver raised, ready to face any creature that comes his way.

"Looking for something?"

A bullet whizzed above his snout, barely grazing it and making him tumble back. Shuffling onto his hooves, Stellar gritted his teeth at the sight of Sidus Sirenheart leaping down from above, a smile stitched across his face and a double barrel slung around his right shoulder. Two old friends, one alive, one dead, reunited within aisles of leather and parchment, both armed and ready to kill the other.

"To think, Sidus," Stellar rasped.

"That you would betray us. That you would go against all the oaths we promised when we were young."

"I was alive back then, Stellar. We all were," the assassin grimly replied.

"The tenets of the Crux Four doesn't matter now. I have my own orders to fulfill."

"Is it so? And which scum do you serve under this time?"

"I'd be careful with those words if I were you, my old friend," Sidus chuckled, his grin discomforting.

"You'll find it will benefit you. Secure your position, if I may add."

"And what good does my death bring?"

"The same amount of good that all the others had."

"Death never brings good," Stellar rebutted, lowering his revolver just a little.

"You assassins always believed it. That death brings benefits. Death contributes for the goodwill of a pony. You've failed to see the calamities that one death can cause because of how self-absorbed you can be."

"There's a motto in our line of work," Sidus nonchalantly spoke.

"Greed is good. Ever heard of that?"

"Personal gain. Always for personal gain."

"When you lived life scraping the bottom of the bucket, you're forced to live by a few principles," he replied.

"Think about it. How did you attain that image of Sicarius Nox being lowly hound dogs?"

"You know better than to bring that up."

Stellar Lionheart sighed, hooves relaxing as he lowered his revolver.

"I was there at your funeral, Sidus. I spared the time to see that you had a proper burial. Most of Sicarius died without a grave to ever mark their names. They passed on to be forgotten, but you... you had the privilege to be remembered in history. To be remembered as a stallion who served the city, who protected it from harm. I can affirm that and so can Caduceus."

A loud bang resounded through the corridors, the butler leaping to the side. He could feel his heart pounding against his muscles, grimacing at the smoking barrels of Sidus's weapon. With a snort, Sidus leaped off of the bookshelf, joining Stellar in the canyon of book even as the other pony raised his revolver.

"Spare your sentiments, Stellar," he warned, waving his shotgun provocatively.

"Look around you. This isn't Pendant Lakes anymore. If anything, judging from how wrecked it was, I would call this place Calormor."

Calormor. A forbidden name for a forbidden city, spoken only by a few. Those few include Stellar and Sidus as well as the rest of the Crux Four. They all knew what lied underneath Pendant Lakes where it once stood, the remnants of the original 'mannequin town', seeping through the cracks of time. It was in the mysterious town, several years ago, where they faced the Voyager Six, along with something else.

Stellar Lionheart said nothing, or rather, he feared that if he did, it would only incite the other's wrath, all because he had nothing good to say. What good is there left in these ruins? He lost the home he had lived for all his life, even if it wasn't the best one at the beginning. He lost the family he had loyally served. He even lost many friends, one of which was standing before him, ready to put a bullet into his head.

However, all of it came back.

Pendant Lakes was an unsettling ruin, the Palgiot family (at least, the ones he met so far) consists of creatures from Tartarus and right here, an old friend of his returned, living only to kill. If anything, Sidus was right: this was Calormor, a mere remnant of time back from the dead, just like the first Patriarch's mannequin town. This was the realm of the dead and Stellar doesn't belong here.

"So, Stellar Lionheart, former butler of the Palgiot family," the assassin mused, raising his shotgun with a click.

"Any last words?"

Perhaps it was fate. Perhaps it was just to mock the assassin. Perhaps he had it tucked in the corner of his head, just in case such a situation as extraordinary as this calls for it. Nevertheless, the words Stellar uttered next, as he was certain of, were anything but last.

"What would Aria say?"

Sidus said nothing, but his slight flinch carelessly gave away the answer.

"Aria Glassleaf?" Stellar continued.

"Don't you recognize that name?"

"I'd be damned to Tartarus if I don't recognize the name of my wife."

"She wouldn't want to see you do this."

"She's dead. She couldn't see it even if Celestia made her," Sidus scorned.

"Why? You think bringing my wife up would make me feel regret? Remorse? Guilt for all the trouble I've caused while she watches me from the heavens above? Is that it? You should know better than that, Stellar."

"You seem certain she's dead."

"She's dead and I'm making sure she stays that way."

"Yet here you are, hunting us down when you're supposed to lie in your grave," Stellar pointed out.

"What makes you think Aria isn't out there now, Sidus? What makes you think that your own wife isn't one of those demons that you're controlling right now?"

"Like I said, I'm making sure she stays that way."

The answer was unnerving. A little too unnerving than what Stellar had hoped. It just seemed a little too improbable that a mare like Aria Glassleaf would be resting in peace while the rest of the dead roamed around the cadaver of Pendant Lakes. He knew Sidus well enough to know he wasn't the type to lie. If so, it means he found a way about it.

To cease the prone bodies from rising.

To make sure the dead stay dead.

"Well, Stellar Lionheart..." Sidus sighed, finally raising his gun and pointing it right at his former friend.

"I'd love to talk a little longer, but time is of the essence. I have to meet another old friend, after all."

Stellar Lionheart gritted his teeth, waiting for the inevitable pull of the trigger. He held his breath, surprised to find himself still gripping tightly onto his patience. The small click of the safety lever howled into his eardrums, loud enough to make the walls and the ground beneath him shake. Even the shelves were rattling around him, with books and papers sprinkled all over the floor.

Wait a minute, he paused, looking at the toppling objects around him. Even Sidus noticed it as well, warily taking a step back as the ground rumbled beneath their hooves. Before any of them could utter a word, a large shadow engulfed the room, enveloping both him and Sidus. One blink of an eye later, he could only gape as Sidus was swiped away by a colossal and reptilian, if not familiar, paw. He beamed, his gaze drawing up, away from his cursing friend to the legendary being before him.

"You sure have a way with friends, Stellar Lionheart."

"Jovern!" he exclaimed, trotting forward with a sheepish chuckle.

"By Celestia, I've completely forgotten about you!"

"Hah! You're damn well lucky I didn't," the dragon guffawed, looking at the pony squirming in his paw.

"Then again, when you're cornered like that down there with this fellow, I'd say anything would slip past your mind."

"Sidus Sirenheart," Stellar introduced his friend, who was slowly resigning to his fate.

"An assassin from Sicarius and an old friend of mine."

"Hello there, Mr. Sirenheart. Sorry we have to meet in such unfortunate circumstances."

Stellar had to hold back his laughter: watching Sidus grumbling in his makeshift cage from that brightened pretty much his entire day, if it was still the same day he was in. Being stuck in the dark, subterranean ruins for so long, he had completely lost his sense of time. It may still be yesterday, it may already be tomorrow. Who knows? Rather, who cares?

"Well then," he declared, signaling the dragon.

"Let us be off."

"What, you're not going to finish me off, Stellar?" Sidus jeered from above.

"You really think sparing my life would change anything? Expecting a favor in return?"

"None of that sort. Just taking you along for the ride," Stellar stated simply, trudging forward into the wasteland, now with the company of a noble dragon. He couldn't help but flash a smile to Sidus, his intentions nothing short of necessary. After all, he had the leader of the wolf pack in a bind. What better way to know the workings within these ruins than a small interrogation session?

"Now, if you don't mind..." he began, smiling.

"I believe I have a few questions to ask of you."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Nothing.

It all came back to nothing.

Twilight Sparkle had navigated the currents of an ocean, the paths of a maze, the many canyons and valleys that snaked through parchment and papyrus. She went through it all, yet no matter what trail she took, it always leads up to a dead end. Candle after candle melted down, wick after wick burned out, only for all of it to go up in smoke.

With a defeated groan, she tossed the eighth book of the night aside and buried her head into the desk. Silence blared around her, which came to her as no surprise, seeing she would be the only one who can stay sane enough to read at the library at such a late hour. Not that anypony in their right mind would do such a thing, statistically speaking.

"What am I doing here anyway?" she wondered out loud, her laments heard only by the small flame of the candle before her.

"It's not like I can find anything else anymore..."

Never truer words had been spoken, however much she didn't want to believe it. Most, if not all, of the bookshelves before her had been exhausted of its contents, depleted after several months of long and tiring reading. On any other day, it would be an achievement she would write on a plaque and hang on the wall. She found it funny, how the fate of Equestria rests in her penchant for reading. She didn't mind the reading, really. It was the looming responsibility, however, that was getting to her.

No book had ever disclosed to Twilight about their enemy, leaving only a few telltale guesses. From what she could tell, fear was always a key figure in his schemes. Also, from how the princesses talked about him, he had been their adversary for quite some time, which led her here in the first place. He had loyal followers -- the Salii priests, if she recalled correctly -- who had amassed an army of Equestria's most dangerous enemies that toppled down the nation of Camelroon. These were the same ponies that claim responsibility for the bombings of Trottingham and Canterlot, even infiltrating the royal guard for their latest attempt at killing her and her brother. What's even more frightening was the complete obliteration of Manehatten, which, to this day, no one had any idea how it was done, but she figured it probably had something to do with the White Convergence, an event that constantly popped up in the sandswept notes of Professor Page. Somehow, he had ties to most of her friends and perhaps a thousand or so more ponies, yet not a single one had the faintest idea of who they were up against.

"Why don't we ask the princesses? I'm sure they might know a thing or two."

Spike's words from his last visit rang in her head. Thinking back, they seem to be the only ones that truly had an impression of who Janus really was. A truly terrible impression, it would seem, judging from the anxiety both princesses were facing, Princess Celestia especially. She had made the plan to ask about Janus, but she had rarely seen the princess around these days, only popping up at when she's needed most. If so, right now would be a good time; she was in desperate need of answers. They all were. Until then, all she can do is read what she can.

Momentarily distracting herself from her research, Twilight looked out of her window, up into the beautiful night sky. She wondered about Janus, wondering his next move on the chessboard. She wondered about Pinkie, whether she still is alive and out there, finding a way to come back home.

She wondered about the Masque.

The masked caper would be somewhere in Canterlot, pulling off yet another of his grand heists, perhaps finding time to stop by and butter her up again. Some part of Twilight wished he would do just that, though that would be a greater distraction than what she hoped for. She needed something to get the stress bug off her mind, not completely divert her attention away.

"Alright, Twilight..." she sighed to herself, shaking her head.

"Back to work."

Drearily, her eyes scanned across the lines of words, stopping only to yawn. Rarity had once remarked on how a little cup of coffee can always save the day, or night, in this case. She had always denied that temptation, knowing how addictive it can be, but right now, the suggestion was nothing short of enticing.

What spurred her back awake was no cup of coffee. Instead, it was the sound of the library door swinging open. Twilight froze, stepping back while gripping tight onto one of the thicker books. All her worries were alleviated when Inkie Pie strode out from the darkness, her sigh amusing the other mare greatly.

"Thought I'd find you here," she chuckled, cheekily raising her hooves.

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'm not working for Janus."

"Sorry about that," Twilight replied sheepishly.

"Must be getting a little too jumpy, aren't I?"

"With good reason."

"Y-Yeah, I guess..." she mumbled, an uneasy feeling stirring in her bandaged shoulder and chest; the result of her two encounters with their enemy. Her horn wasn't so lucky either, though it had recovered enough for a simple bolt of magic, which can be quite handy the next time she gets caught in a bind.

"So... thinking about Pinkie again?"

"Yes. Blinkie as well," Inkie replied, finding herself a seat while she surveyed the pillars of books around the library.

"I see you've been reading."

"Really? What gave it away?"

Both mares laughed a little, appreciating the light of humor and companionship in this otherwise lonely night. Twilight sighed, looking up at Inkie, who had found a good read wedged within the pillar of books. Despite looking relaxed, she knew the other mare held concerns, for both of her sisters and for the state of the nation. Those private talks with Princess Celestia and Princess Luna only pressured on the latter more, which can be overbearing to a degree, she believed.

"What are you reading about?" she asked.

"This?" Inkie said, gesturing to the book in her hooves.

"Well... it's not that interesting as Equestrian history or anything."

"You're kidding me. What else could be less interesting than Equestrian history?"

Stifling a mischievous grin, Inkie handed her the book, to which Twilight eagerly accepted. Her eyes scanned through the pages, frowning a little at the words before finding the sole picture, which showed some sort of monolith. Confused, she turned to look at the cover, the face she made when she caught the words embossed onto the leather making Inkie giggle.

"You're reading 'A Case Study on Rocks'? Seriously?" she gaped, nearly dropping the book.

"Hey, I grew up on a rock farm, remember?" Inkie retorted.

"Plus, when you have a Cutie Mark like mine, you'll never know when it will come in handy."

'"Well, I can't argue with that."

"How about you, Twilight? Any luck in your side?"

"Not exactly."

Her response was the epitome of understatements, as Inkie will soon find out. Twilight was afraid of this, that one of the others would discover that all those days of research and tracing the writings of the past ultimately turned out to be a waste of precious time. Still, Inkie was one of those who had been frustrated with what some had called 'pointless idling'. In all honesty, with nothing to show progress, she found herself waning to their side as well. Perhaps she may understand her predicament, she thought to herself.

"I can't find anything about Janus at all," she let it out of the can.

"All of the books didn't even mention his name! It's like he just came out of nowhere..."

"Have you asked Princess Celestia about it? I don't know for sure, but she seems as if she knows Janus."

"You won't be the first to say that."

"So you did try asking?"

"I don't think I could do it," Twilight confessed, sighing while her hoof absentmindedly ran across the parchments before her.

"I wanted to. Really, I wanted to, but I never see her around anymore."

"Sadly, I could the same for myself," Inkie lamented her agreement.

"It's all suspicious, isn't it? I mean, if she knew about Janus, then why not tell any of us in the first place? Where could she have gone when we needed her most?"

"I'm sure she probably has some explanation for being gone."

"And if she doesn't?"

Twilight remained silent, completely uncertain herself. She imagined herself standing there, interrogating her mentor and ruler of the entire kingdom on her whereabouts and expecting a cold, long silence with a dead stare being the only response. Her blood ran cold at the thought, knowing how Princess Celestia could be when she was really serious. Still, this isn't the time to shy away.

"She'll have to find another way to explain that," she answered firmly.

"Until then, I'll just have to test my luck on these books."

"Have you checked the Equinox section?" Inkie asked.

The Equinox section. To most ponies, it would be known as the forbidden section of the library. Its shelves were filled with the darkest spells, notes on forbidden experiments, controversial documents and all sorts of dark secrets. Princess Celestia had made a law that forbade anypony, including Princess Luna, to ever, ever step a hoof into the room. Those who do so would be punished severely, though the severity of it remains in obscurity.

"I can't, Inkie. You know that," Twilight said in a low whisper.

"You know what happens if we get caught, don't you?"

"Think about it, if the story of Janus is a terrible secret the princess wanted to hide, where else would you think she would hide it?"

"That would make sense, but--"

"Twilight, I know you're afraid of what might happen if we get caught. Believe me, I am as well."

Inkie sighed, standing up as she continued:

"But don't you think we all deserve some answers? Don't you think Equestria has the right to know the very enemy they are facing? Honestly, I don't care if we get caught. If it's to help Equestria out, then I'll do it."

Twilight bit her lip, mulling over the decision before her. A decision that, if done right, may change this demented game to their favor. Choosing between her life or the fate of Equestria itself, the lives of a million others... the answer was actually really clear to her, yet she found herself reluctant to do so. Sure, there's a chance of finding out the truth, but if they got caught, it would definitely spell certain doom not only to them, but also to the rest of the world. It was a great risk, no doubt; was it one she was willing to take?

"Well, Twilight?"

No time to think. only time to act. With that in her mind, Twilight Sparkle opened her mouth, giving the most plausible answer off the top of the head:

"Let's do it."

The Equinox Shelves

All the world's shadows danced before her.

All the darkness of Equestrian history emerged from the night.

Twilight Sparkle and Inkie Pie had opened a door that had not been opened for centuries, perhaps with good reason. The former pony was the first to step in, raising a lantern through thin, speckled curtains of dust. Her eyes scrolled through titles she had never heard before, and with good reason, from how they sounded like. Dread was already settling in her before she even made her first step, a ball of regret forming in her throat. She gulped it down unwillingly, feeling the tight shelves walling her in while she traced her hoof across the spines of depraved totems and seditious archives.

"Here we are," she quivered.

"The Equinox shelves."

It was a step into a different world. The very first friends that Twilight had ever made in this room, that she found solace in were now the object of nightmares. Legends have it that the terrors spoken by the lines of ink were said to have cursed those who read these scriptures. Some even said that the pages and covers of some of these books were made from the skins of young mares. Twilight had always found them ridiculous — books were just what they were: books! — yet as she crept deeper and deeper, she found herself wanting to take back that perception.

"Where do we begin?" Inkie asked.

Twilight just stared blankly into the darkness.

"I don't know," she mumbled like a lost filly in the woods.

So lost was she in her quivers that she didn't notice Inkie stepping past her and taking the lead.

Twilight Sparkle had faced horrors and fought adversaries that many ponies would otherwise be witlessly terrified of, and even she dared not to step any further down the aisle, yet here was Inkie Pie, trudging onward down the dark path without a care for anything else. Then again, Inkie had seen much darker things than she had; no amount of fighting King Sombra and Tirek could ever hold the dark candle to finding her deceased parents in their razed home.

"I'll look through this section," she suggested.

"We'll just gather, say, five books we think it's interesting and then we look through them. If none of them mentions Janus, we'll pick another five and try again. Does that sound good?"

"I guess it's worth a try."

"Twilight, if it helps you, I don't know what I'll do if we get caught either."

"I was hoping you had a plan if we did," Twilight sighed.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. What if there wasn't anything here? What do we do then?"

"There must be something here," Inkie said with a firmness in her voice.

"I'm sure of it."

"And if there really wasn't?"

"Princess Celestia had a point about you asking too many questions."

"Wha-huh?!" Twilight gasped, only to receive a loud, demanding hiss of silence from Inkie.

"Sorry... she really said that?"

"Yes, during one of our private meetings, but please don't mention anything about that. The princess wants me to keep everything that we talked about under lock and key."

Twilight could only nod with wilted brows. All these secrets, all these talk behind doors... Princess Celestia wasn't known to keep secrets like she was now. All her life, Twilight had been by her teacher's side, listening to all the stories she freely told and being taught the lessons that had stayed with her until now. Never had she viewed her as secretive, never!

Looking through one of the shelves, her logical mind began questioning her faithfulness to the princess. There hasn't been such a big threat in over a thousand years, not since Discord's reign of chaos. The Princess Celestia she knew must've anticipated it and prepared some countermeasures should it happen again, though unless her plan was to wait it out and lose countless of lives in the process, it didn't seem that she had any.

Still, she wouldn't give up.

Not until she knew who they were up against.

"Janus... Janus..." Twilight muttered, eyes scrolling across the words from a book she picked.

"Nothing here so far. How are things on your end?"

"Looking grim, I would say."

A pair of sighs.

"Jinx," Inkie announced with what little humour she had left, leaving both mares giggling.

"Thought we could do away with the tension."

"Tension?" Twilight inquired, the two of them trotting back out to the reading section of the library.

"Between you and me, of course. Why else would you not find me approachable?"

Twilight mustered nothing more of a reply than a sigh, switching her gaze back to the books before her even as Inkie's discomforting stare pressed on. She settled into one of the chairs and, using her magic, flipped through the pages of her first choice, pressuring her concentration onto the words in the papers even as the swirling shivers in her gut remained.

Inkie Pie was, like her sister, a persistent mare. That fact was made evident to Twilight in five grueling minutes and just under three pages. When her concentration snapped like a twig, Twilight struck back with a stare on her own, hoping to quell the growing storm of questions that would rupture their purpose here.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I want to know."

"About what?"

"How you find me intimidating."

Those words grappled Twilight into a chokehold.

"What do you mean?" she retaliated.

"Inkie, we're friends. There's no reason for me to think you're intimidating."

"Then why do you look so... afraid of me?" Inkie questioned, unconvinced.

"Twilight, if we're friends, then you can tell me. You know that, don't you?"

Twilight made no effort to reply and slunk her head back to the side, resuming her end of the midnight scavenge. Still, Inkie looked on, though only for a moment before she too resumed her search. All that snuck through the cracks of the brick wall of silence were the crinkling of turning parchments, book by book crossed off the list. Two to three, three to five, and Inkie emerged as the first to finish her collection. She hopped off her chair for her second round, though not before stopping at the door.

"There are many good reasons why I can be seen as intimidating, you know."

A twitch of the ear, before Twilight gave a glance up from her books to see Inkie staring insistently back at her, standing at the doorway between the forbidden archives and the rest of the library. For a while, neither sides exchanged words. Neither side spoke, with one of them already wishing for all this to be swept under the rug.

Then again, Inkie Pie was a persistent mare.

"I would find myself intimidating too," she croaked out a laugh.

"I've seen my parents murdered, my sisters had all disappeared, I spend day after day having a private and confidential talk with Her Royal Majesty Princess Celestia herself without anyone else knowing what we're talking about... makes it seem like I was the one behind all that, huh?"

"Inkie, it's just..."

The bleak outlook that Inkie had served on the silver platter always bothered Twilight, much like how Pinkie's overly-optimistic senses once did. She even wondered how Blinkie would fit in that sense. Sure, Pinkie was let off the hook over her views, but that was because it didn't do more than bring a smile. In dark times like these, a smile was what they all needed and not another cold reminder.

"It's just that you keep saying about how—" she paused, warily choosing her words.

"How... dreadful everything was going to be. Like how we lost when we never even began."

"Pinkie would probably do the same."

"Pinkie did say things like that back when we had to deal with the stuff at Pendant Lakes," Twilight affirmed.

"But she also made up for it, Inkie. She tried to make us smile, to make us feel like we can get through that like how we always did. She sees the light in everything even when there seemed to be none. She's... just being Pinkie Pie."

"I'm not like her, you have to understand that," Inkie answered.

"What I see, what Pinkie sees, what Blinkie sees... we're all different. We all see different things. I'm not trying to defend myself, if you must know. Just that I don't want anyone else think I'm intimidating anymore. I've had enough of what I faced in Cirrus Deep, of everything... Janus, he... he did all this. He made all this happen, all this confusion... he drove my sisters and I apart and now, he's trying to do the same to us. All of us. You have to remember that, Twilight. What's worse?"

Twilight never could've prepared herself for what came next.

"We are not ready."

Four words. Four strong, powerful yet utterly simple words. It managed to make Twilight's pounding heart stop for a breather, as well as remind her why they were here in the first place. Perhaps she found Inkie intimidating but she knew better. She knew that out there, somewhere in the world, there lies a larger threat closing in. She knew that right now, she was going out of her way to stop that threat from ever arriving. That was why they were here: to learn something about the coming storm; to be ready.

It was with that in mind that she trotted over to Inkie's side and, accompanied with a hoof on the other mare's shoulder, uttered three great words of her own.

"We can be."

Perhaps those words didn't come out the way she wanted to. Perhaps those words weren't enough to convince Inkie Pie that she was sympathizing with her. Perhaps she said those words only because the situation demanded it. Whatever the reason was, Inkie only gave a halfhearted chuckle and slunk back into the forbidden archives.

"What do you expect, Inkie?" her cold voice trembled through the shelves.

"That everything would be back the way it was? Wake up already..."

More at a loss than ever, Twilight hesitantly shuffled back to her books, lending half of a deaf ear to Inkie Pie's grim musings. Grimmer still was their progress, which became apparent after a few laps back and forth, book after book crossed off the list. As the night drew onward and her heavy eyes began to whimper, she gave a glance up, smiling when she saw Inkie sleeping with an open book as a makeshift pillow. It was the calmest that she had ever seen from Inkie Pie; a beautiful moment of silence in the noise of the modern world.

"We are not ready..." she mumbled those four simple words, her doubts began to echo that sentiment.

"You're right, Inkie. We're not ready."

"What for, Twilight Sparkle?"

Every nerve of her being blew up in a cataclysmic fireworks show when the new voice pierced the silence. It was a voice of patience and serenity. It was a voice of authority, of order and prosperity. It was a voice that came with history and power. It was a voice that, in the very heat of the moment, pronounced doom with a decorative capital D.

Twilight whirled around, her face wrested free of the boundaries of color when the owner of said voice emerged from the shadows, her stature looming over much more than the bookshelves around her ever did. Her eyes fearfully glossed over the forbidden books lying inconspicuously on the table, before darting to the open door that lead to the Equinox Shelves— the same door she was entrusted not to ever open, under any circumstances. Her mind reeled for an explanation, her heart thrashing out propellers of cold sweat from their pores. The shadows that she had released were closing in around her, the incarnation of it all now standing before her in its most regal form with irises that glint with attention.

Still, even in a state of panic, Twilight Sparkle never forgets her formalities.

"Y-Your Highness!"

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Finally awake, big brute?"

Brutus the minotaur like to think himself as one with a simple mind. Not that he was inadequately unintelligent as his brethren were always portrayed. To put it into context, he has simple preferences, simple endeavors, simple answers to the most convoluted of questions, simple opinions, simple principles he followed by, even a simple thought process. The latter was especially true, which contrasted his turbulent thoughts that ran through his past self in his juvenile days or, for a more modern comparison, the amalgamation of a Highland snowstorm that is the mind of Pinkamena Diane Pie.

For example, when he heard the first voice that greeted him when he sauntered out of the caravan and into the wilderness, his vision burning white from the sun before clearing to see the sole pony seated in the circle of logs around a charred mound of sticks, only two words lit up in his mind.

Velvet Willows.

To the unicorn's greeting, he gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

"We were a little worried that you might not be getting up soon," Velvet said, polishing one of his hidden blades.

"We just left Byafisogsne hours ago. Lots of things happened there when you were out. Shame that you missed it."

"The rest?" Brutus asked, carefully settling down onto one of the logs.

"Probably around here somewhere, gathering some food."

Time ran slow in the vast wilderness, especially when there is a lack of anything to do. For most of the caravan, it persuaded them to find a task, whether it be scouting ahead, gathering berries or hunting wildlife, just to hasten things up and be on their merry way. Velvet, for example, passed his time by polishing his blades now and then. It was slower for him, definitely, but he still hastens time like all the others do.

Brutus sees himself as the exception to them. He appreciates simplicity much more than the others do and, with that in mind, he basks in the simplicity that is the solace of passing time in the wilderness. He enjoys it, to an extent. Like right now, standing in the middle of a half-barren forest, fur bristling in the icy tundra air with ample patches of snow in every mile in any direction, the fuzzy sun stingy with its warmth... he enjoyed these nuances of nature that he had missed in his younger years. He enjoyed knowing that these nuances were there.

So much that when Velvet broke him out of his spiritual trance with a tap on the shoulder, he gave a brusque nicker.

"Something's bothering you, isn't it?" Velvet inquired, the minotaur only giving a snort.

"I can tell, you know? You're practically the calmest of us all. If something stirred in you, even a pony as dubious as Ganger would notice it."

A disapproving grunt.

"At this point, it's not really a big secret anymore, so why won't you tell us why?"

"Nothing worth talking about," was the minotaur's simple answer.

"Nothing worth—!" Velvet let out a laugh.

"Seriously, do I have to remind you again? Tenet number seven. Remember that?"

"A voice of one is worthy of the ear of thousands."

Brutus hated that tenet. To him, it was undeniably pointless, simple as that, but however pointless it was to him, there were others that needed it. Others that perhaps would be uncomfortable speaking their mind had it not been implemented.

"You are misusing it, Velvet," he bluntly put forth his thoughts.

"That tenet is to allow freedom of speech for everyone in the caravan, not as a reason for interrogation."

"Interrogation? Inconceivable, Brutus! Is your secret that bad?"

Brutus relinquished a harsh rumble.

"Be a good sport, Brutus! Just teasing you, you know that!" Velvet laughed, sheathing his blades back before standing up.

"I'm heading off to look for Phoenix. Celestia knows what kind of game he's hunting down this time..."

The minotaur remained silent, instead fixating his gaze into the fading embers of the campfire before him. Beyond the solitude of his mind, he could hear the crunch of fallen leaves underneath a glazing of snow as Velvet began trotting away, leaving him alone with his thoughts. His gaze fell to his bandaged chest where, just a week ago, a claw of a humongous bear made its mark, all because he made a fateful jump to protect one of them. There was something simmering underneath all those layers of fabric and flesh, though with it came doubt. With it came a few words that had been engraved in his head ever since that fateful encounter in a hospital ward.

"You don't want to be with me, Brutus..."

"Oh, by the way, Brutus," he hear his fellow member call out to him one last time.

"Waterfall, a league or so southwest. Good luck. You're gonna need it."

That made Brutus whirl around, taken aback for the first time in a while as he watched the smirking Velvet march into the dense undergrowth, vanishing into the depths of the forest. For a long time, he stared into the darkness that the unicorn had entered, lost in those words. Did he really... it couldn't be! He couldn't have known, could he? Then again, he was Velvetine Willows, the brains of the caravan with an uncanny eye for secrets and hidden thoughts. Perhaps there was no surprise there.

A smile crept onto Brutus's lips, before fading away again. Velvet might have gave him the directions and wished him luck, but that didn't make him any less apprehensive on what he was planning to do. With nothing but a teaspoon of hope, he stood up and began a small hike through the forest, following the directions that Velvet had gave him.

It was a quiet trek into the woods. That part was important: that it was quiet. What was also important was that it was the right kind of quiet. It was not the silence that looms over you while you anticipate the coming storm, which was a silence that the caravan had frequently encountered. No, it was the tranquility of hearing only the sounds of nature dimming down, leaving you to listen to your own thoughts as you traipse freely between the trees. With what he was about to do, Brutus needed it more than ever.

The minutes of silent, wishful thinking drifted away when his ears picked up the faint grumble of rushing water that matured into a loud roar as he got closer. Trudging towards the sound, he came upon a lake, barely obstructed by tufts of bushes and the snaky, low-hanging branches of trees. Wave after rippling wave washed into the soaked land, all of it rushing from a monumental waterfall as large and wide as an Ursa Minor. The brilliant stream of water was swift, crashing into jutting granite and forming a thick curtain that shielded all behind it from view.

Stepping out of the clearing, his hooves sinking into the damp soil, his demanding gaze caught sight of movement between the cascading blinds; a flurry of green, resembling more of the distant oceans he could see from his old home than the trees around him. Slowly creeping closer, Brutus firmly latched onto the tail of his whisking breath when he realized what he was looking at.

He was looking at majesty in the making.

There was a majesty to Dapple Deuce, whether she was brandishing a gun and firing to her heart's content, having an intense squabble with her brother over the most trivial matters or, like right now, having a quiet bath in the flowing embrace of a waterfall. There she was, smiling contently, the steady stream of water rushing down her athletic body. Her tail swept across the surface of the water, adding a ripple of her own to the endless streams around. All of it was made even more majestic when she suddenly tossed her mane to the side, sending an arc of droplets across the lake through the strips of sunlight and rushing water. With all of that happening, Brutus admired it from afar, just like how he admired the sunset over snow-capped fjords back in the Highlands. He believed that such a majestic view should only be admired, for taking it for himself would complicate his simple life. With what he's looking at now, however... maybe it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more liberal once in a while.

"Good luck," Velvet's parting words reminded him in a distant echo as he stepped into the cold water and waded towards the bathing mare.

"You're gonna need it."

"Dapple."

The roar of the waterfall was brazenly loud, so much so that when Dapple heard her name from an all-too familiar, lesser heard voice over that, she immediately whirled around and stumbled back at the sight of the burly minotaur slowly wading up to her. With a yelp, she fell backwards into the lake with a splash, taking a moment with a few small pants in tow before reeling her confidence up with a strangled smile.

"B-Brutus! What a coincidence!" she blurted out.

"I mean, uh, I thought... you know, since you'd been out for a while, that you might still be sleeping. I mean, hah! Don't get me wrong, it's n-not like I'm saying you're that weak or... I just, maybe I thought—"

A raised eye, accompanied by a growing smile.

Dapple gave a flustered cough, picking herself and her spilled can of vocabulary up as she stepped out from the streams of water rushing down her back.

"S-So, what brings you here?" she asked.

"You gathering everyone back together or something? Velvet should be doing that instead of you... b-because, you know, you've just woken up and all... but that's not it, isn't it?"

"I'm here to talk."

A flustered silence sank into the damp air, both pony and minotaur staring at each other, waist deep in water while patiently waiting for the other to begin speaking. Brutus had the patience of a mountain, that being common knowledge to both of them. It was with that in mind that Dapple decided to break away from their wordless exchange of furtive glances and swim back into the safety of the rushing veil of water. It was also with that in mind that Brutus followed her lead soon after.

"We can talk," Dapple settled on muttering that out, closing the eyes as rivulets from above ran down her cheeks.

"Sure. Why not? Let's talk."

Another moment of silence.

"When did it start?" Dapple finally asked, turning to the minotaur.

"Watercress Valley."

Watercress... that was almost two months before meeting Pinkie Pie for the first time. Dapple could only vaguely recall what they did there; some memories of her shooting down a few gryphon marauders while galloping across a plateau came into mind. What Brutus saw in her then, she had no idea, but it turned from admiration into something much more.

"Why me?" she asked.

"You're beautiful."

Fire blazed through her cheeks when those words hit her.

"Wa— I, um, uh," she blundered.

"S-Sorry, I didn't think you'd— I mean, I knew that, well, but— you didn't have to, um—"

Immediately, Dapple broke out into a giggle, laughing out at how stupid she was making herself sound. Even Brutus had to spare a grin at what his statement had done to her, perhaps feeling a little proud of it as well. It was the rare sight of his smile that caught her attention when she managed to quell her laughter, to which she spared a smile of her own.

If any of the remaining members were to see it, they would've screamed eureka up to high heaven. Two of the most stone-faced, most serious members of the group, smiling at the same time? Heck, Pinkie Pie would've thrown a party there and then! Fortunately, with all the noises of the world drowned out in a cascading roar in a distant corner of the forest, it was the safest haven Dapple could find to, initially, do a little bit of silent thinking. Of course, life always had other ideas.

Dapple's smile began to wane when she saw the still-bandaged chest of the minotaur, reminding of the night she cursed aloud at the stars, the snow and the darkness looming above; of the night her hooves were bloodied in Highland red while she was surrounded by a dome of arrows; of the night where everything she had known up and every principle she lived her life by till then was torn apart by the claws of a Whitewind Bear.

Brutus's eyes lit up when he felt the familiar tingle of magic on the bandages, his gaze drawing down at the sparkling clouds of lime green tugging at the fabric. Within somber silence, he let the mare do her work, peeling layer after blotted layer away. It was at the last layer, the sticky one that threatened to tear away at caked skin and clotted blood, that made him wince with a hiss.

"Brutus!" Dapple cried, letting her magic go immediately.

"Celestia, I'm so sorry I— are you okay? Did I hurt you or anything?"

Hastily, Brutus shook his head, his smile giving the mare much needed relief. With only a single strip of bandage clinging for dear life onto his chest, the minotaur took over, slowly but surely tearing it off, grimacing from the pain, drawn out and stubborn. Dapple could almost hear the threads latched into the flesh ripping it away, so much that when the bandage finally let go with a final screech, she felt her hairs stand to attention despite the onslaught of water coming from above.

Her face fell when she laid her eyes onto the center of Brutus's chest: a large gash that streaked across his body like a sordid star, stinging from the constant assault of droplets overhead and shining a discolored maroon with traces of yellow and tiny patches of red. Her jaw followed suit, utterly horrified by the revelation of the damage the bear's claw had done. The damage she had done.

"I'm sorry..." Dapple could only croak.

"I'm so s-sorry..."

The mare shivered, her tears quickly flooded away as she stepped backwards into the maw of the waterfall. Her knees were wobbling, color seeping off her cheeks, the gruesome sight of the wound taunting her, frightening her more than any abomination had ever did before. No amount of wishful, silent thinking in a waterfall could prepare her for this. That said, no amount of wishful, silent thinking in a trek through the woods could prepare Brutus for what was coming next either.

Dapple Deuce finally collapsed, splashing into the water as her knees crumpled from underneath her. The minotaur was dumbstruck, to say the least, seeing her in her most vulnerable state for the first time, her whimpers bouncing off the cavern rocks. He quickly snapped himself out of it, surprising her when he knelt down to her level and firmly planted both of his hands onto her shoulders. It was at that moment that Dapple saw it, that she finally realized what he was here for.

Along the lines of the minotaur's smile, Dapple Deuce had seen sincerity.

It was a sight that she had not seen in a long time.

With that, she welcomed it with a loud sob that soared past the clouds.

The cavern, the lake, the forest around them, all shuddering in the wake of a withheld cry. From the maw of the waterfall, Dapple Deuce wailed inconsolably, drenched in a torrential downpour in her spiral of misery. It burst forth like a phoenix from the clutches of death, screaming up to the rising sun. It was a cry neglected, a cry she had ignored, one she thought would fare well from what little sniffles she may let out at night. It was a cry that was wronged by her and her alone, to which she shall embrace the suffering that came with it.

Her majesty crumbled like the rocks around her, but perhaps that was meant to be, Brutus thought to himself. Perhaps, behind all that majesty, all that beauty and perfection that he had always appreciated from afar, the real Dapple Deuce would reveal herself with another kind of majesty, one that his eyes and only his eyes would bear witness to.

Perhaps, for that to happen, he would have to lend a hoof.

When her sobs were soft enough and her battered conscience began to return, Brutus gave her the last push she needed: he swiftly drew her in, her eyes bursting open when their lips met for the second time.

Dapple tried to wriggle away, the belt connecting the gears in her head burning from the friction. She didn't know what was happening, she didn't know what was supposed to do, what she can do. In that turmoil, however, Princess Crystallia's words cut through those wandering thoughts like a snowstorm, giving her head with much needed space to think.

She knelt there like one in prayer, her lips puckered against the ones of the minotaur that had sought for her affections. Right before this, she was praying for forgiveness when she unwrapped the bandages off his chest. The last piece of the puzzle lit up in her head: her confessional, down in the hospital wards of the temple, when Brutus laid in bed and she sat at his side; where she confessed her insecurities and he lent an ear. The last thing she did was what she was doing now: giving the minotaur a kiss on the lips. It was short and sickly bittersweet, like she thought it might be, for one reason.

It was supposed to be a kiss goodbye.

That was when her eyelids began simmering to a close, her breathing began to slow and her lips were coaxed by the sensations of the other pair. Dapple Deuce began pushing back, venturing deeper and deeper into where the minotaur would allow her. Her mouth began to waver, her world tossing and turning when Brutus started wrestling with her tongue, reaching into a cave where no one had ventured before. It was when they finally broke away, when both their dreamy eyes met each other, renewed with a different vigor, that she finally realized what just happened.

That was definitely a kiss hello.

"That..." she managed to gasp.

"That was..."

Brutus just grinned, his left hoof drawing up to caress her damp cheek.

"That was me," he began.

"Showing how much I want to be with you."

Immediately, Dapple Deuce froze up in a seething red, the echoes of her quickening heartbeat bombarding her mind. In her loss, she managed to find a smile, one that came with tears. This time, the tears weren't salty; it was sweet, pathetically so. When they ran down to her chin, she could only wrap her hooves around him, crying in a realm of silence even as her lips curled into a grin.

"I haven't cried like this in a long time..." she muttered dazedly, feeling refreshed in a way she had never felt before.

"In a very, very long time..."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Maybe, maybe not," she chuckled.

"It doesn't matter, doesn't it? It never does."

"Maybe I've asked the wrong question," he said, correcting himself.

"Is that a good thing?"

Dapple Deuce couldn't smile any bigger than that.

"With you here, definitely."

It was an answer that reverberated with confidence, one she had not heard the likes of in a long time. Sure, she may not know why she had these feelings for the minotaur; for all she might know, he might not even know why he felt that way about her either. Still, even though both of them had no idea why they loved each other, she knew for certain that they do love each other. In the boundaries of her instincts that a certain princess had told her to trust, it was enough of a reason for her.

From a village of ice and snow into forests graced by sunshine, where a grandiose waterfall sat at a quiet corner beyond huddling trees, came change. With that change came love, a quiet kind of love made of confessions both good and bad, one that both minotaur and mare could not explain. Right now, they do not know why they love each other, but Dapple and Brutus would agree on one thing: that knowing why would be quite the tumultuous adventure, one with many ups and downs that does not guarantee that either of them would emerge unscathed. It will be there in the coming horizon, ready to give it everything it has.

Being proud members of the caravan however, both of them could hardly wait for it to begin.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

There was a time when the mention of beauty sleep resonated well with her ears.

Like how Twilight would turn to scientific research for her studies on magic, Rarity would turn to her tabloids for the Canterlotian guide to being a prim and proper prancing fashionista up on Trendy Avenue. Both sides agreed that having a good night's rest will definitely make the day feel brighter and your looks feel fresher, a keepsake for one's well-being.

Now, as she trotted down hallway after hallway with only the glimmer of blue to lead the way, she wondered when that idea was thrown out the window. Perhaps it was when the tabloids moved away from health advice to the grandeur of sporadic attacks on Equestria by a name never needing an honorable mention. Perhaps, with that move, Rarity followed suit.

Canterlot Palace has its perks, though Rarity had hoped she would have a room much closer to the royal kitchen, which would save all the energy she burned out in her exhausting journey just to have a drink and a moment of thought. It was a habit she had picked up ever since Pendant Lakes, to wake up and have a little something to sip on; nothing the tabloids had ever prescribed to anyone should such horrors ever happen around them. Despite not being something she should do to guarantee a stay in Trendy Avenue, however, she was relieved to know that she wasn't the only one to do so.

Twilight was the most occasional culprit, always scouring through the library in a race against time, though Rarity did notice that her sightings became rarer after her and Inkie's encounter with the rogue guards. Speaking of which, Inkie was next in line, usually found in some isolated corner somewhere lamenting over the circumstances or musing over the thoughts of her sisters again. Coming in third was Spike, who'd sometimes rarely wake up and follow her to the kitchen while on the lookout for another possible attack. The dragon was paranoid, for lack of a better word, but rightly so, she believed, if their past encounters with Janus were of any concern.

There were some nights, however, where the others come into play.

"Oh, I couldn't... I promised Rainbow Dash I wouldn't tell anyone else..."

The creak of the kitchen door that always welcomed her in was accompanied this time by two familiar voices. Slowly, Rarity crept in, her eyes drawn towards a single candlelight illuminating two familiar pegasi sitting on bar stools at the counter. She had almost never seen them having a conversation together, let alone being in the same room with the other. With their foalhood friends being husband and wife, however, she figured this day would come eventually.

"Sounds like something Soarin' would say," Spitfire mumbled, smiling.

"You know, that reminds me of the time when Soarin' and I went to Summer Flight Camp together back when we were children—"

"Rarity?" the other pony, Fluttershy, cut in, noticing her friend's entrance.

Spitfire quickly turned around, her smiling lighting up at the prospect of more company.

"Hey there! What brings you here, Rarity?"

"Oh, just stopping in to get a drink," Rarity chimed, trotting towards them.

"I must say, I'm surprised to see both of you here as well."

"Well, Fluttershy got here after Amber Rose woke her up with her crying," the Wonderbolt said, speaking for the other pegasus.

"As for me, well, I guess I just woke up and thought it'd be nice to have a little walk around the palace. Found Fluttershy on her way to the kitchen, came here for a little chat and then you came in."

"Sorry to intrude, if I may."

Rarity trotted over to the counter, her magic instinctively grabbing a mug from the cupboards while she poured a satchel of freshly roasted beans into the coffee grinder. Her horn shimmered a light cyan as she worked the crank, hearing the grating crinkle as the beans were finally ground into powder.

"So, what's this about Rainbow Dash and Soarin' I hear?" she cooed, intrigued.

"Oh, just talking about how they used to be back then," Spitfire answered.

"I never really had the chance to talk about Soarin' aside from my best mare speech."

Ah, the wedding of Rainbow Dash and Soarin' Glorytail. Rarity remembered it as one of the more interesting weddings she had been to. There was that strange cloud procession that kicked the ceremony off, as well as the part where both of them exchanged their humeral feathers as a traditional sign of love. That was true as well when, instead of a best stallion, Soarin' had Spitfire: a best mare who, alongside Fluttershy and a few others, doubled as one of the bridesmaids.

"It's funny," the Wonderbolt chuckled.

"Just a moment ago, Soarin' and I were butting heads at Summer Flight Camp. Now, I'm a godmother to a pair of twins! Who would've thought we would come this far?"

"I can't believe it either," Fluttershy spoke up, smiling warmly.

"Rainbow Dash, becoming a mother... it's funny how time flies, really."

"Let's not forget you as well, Fluttershy!" Rarity chimed in, stirring her cup with a spoon.

"You and Macintosh getting married and having Amber Rose together. Why, I can't believe all of that happened while I was away as well! I was so certain you needed a little encouragement, but you managed by yourself just fine!"

"Oh, it was nothing really..."

Both her and Spitfire could only laugh when Fluttershy started blushing heavily, though Rarity couldn't help but envy her friend. Fluttershy had crossed a hurdle that few had crossed and got herself married to a most gentle stallion, which was something she hoped would be the same for herself. Pegasus and Earth pony, no big deal, but when it comes between a pony and a dragon, eyebrows will be raised.

Perhaps it was because she held a position among royalty that many of Canterlot's residents did not give her the usual stare of intense scrutiny, but Rarity could already hear their unruly gossiping behind her back. It was, unfortunately, a sentiment most of Equestria shared, the nation having had bad affairs with the dragons all the time, but Canterlot and its residents had went through the subjugation of the rogue turned chancellor Kane, whose presence around the princess was already being questioned in hushed whispers. To say the least, Applejack was less than pleased.

"It's something in my book," Spitfire declared, giving Fluttershy a wink.

"Marriage isn't the easiest thing to handle, Fluttershy. You're lucky you have someone as patient as Big Mac to be with, you know?"

"Um, you don't have to answer this, Spitfire, but, um... do you have a special somepony?"

"Had," the Wonderbolt corrected, offering a less generous, if not cracking, smile.

"Yeah, I had a special somepony. Not so special anymore, however."

"Ooh~!" Rarity chimed with a grin.

"Who was it?"

"Just somepony— look, I really don't want to talk about him," she snapped with a glower.

"We just thought we could hit it out of the ball park but we didn't, that's it, end of story."

The other two just looked at her, speechless. Rainbow Dash once told them about not getting onto Spitfire's bad side, to which both Rarity and Fluttershy could easily see why. Judging from how defensive she was, Rarity could tell it did not end too well for her. Still, this was the first time she had heard about Spitfire having somepony special in her life. Apart from suggesting Soarin' was with her, there was nothing in the tabloids that mentioned that she ever had a special somepony, which makes it all the more strange.

"S-Sorry about that," Spitfire apologized quickly.

"It's just... it's really, really personal, hard-hitting stuff and... I can't, I just— I can't just—"

"You don't have to say it," Rarity stepped in to help out despite that nagging feeling in her head.

"If it's something really personal, you decide whether you want to tell it or not. We wouldn't want to pry and hurt your feelings, Spitfire."

Spitfire muttered something akin to a 'thank you'.

"So, how is Amber Rose?" the unicorn asked Fluttershy before the awkwardness could settle in.

"Oh, she's doing fine!" Fluttershy chirped happily with a smile.

"Mac and Applejack had been taking really good care of her! I really think Amber Rose missed me as much as her mommy missed her! She looked so happy when I finally cradled her yesterday in my hooves and sang her that lullaby..."

Rarity smiled along with Spitfire, listening as the usually timid pegasus graced the opportune moment with a lot of swooning and fawning and cooing over her daughter. She had never heard her friend so happy in her entire life! If anything, she'd guess that Fluttershy's daughter brings out the best in her as much as it does the opposite, if Twilight's experience of getting caught in a chokehold would assume. That side of her was undoubtedly worrying, but she knew she didn't need to, not with her husband around.

"I'll never let it happen again," the pegasus finished with a hum of delight.

"For her sake."

Likewise, Rarity thought.

"Thought Ah heard ya voice from over here."

The low rumble from the doors made all of them turn at once, though Fluttershy was the first to grin.

"Did I wake you up?" the pegasus asked warmly, trotting over to the stallion standing at the open doorway.

"Or is Amber calling for me again?"

"Nope," Big Mac mumbled blearily with a good-natured smile.

"Just worried about you."

A pair of 'aw~'s flew from the mouths of the other mares as Fluttershy stood there, face flushed with a deep hue burning bright enough to rival her husband's coat. Meekly, she quickened her pace, hurrying to his side and, clinging onto his hoof, leaned in to whisper something into Big Mac's ear. What she said, the other mares did not quite catch, but Big Mac immediately chuckled after that.

"Why not?" he asked, feigning obliviousness.

"Last Ah checked, it ain't wrong to tell m'ah beautiful wife how much Ah love her."

"M-Macintosh!" Fluttershy snapped, flustered in red and almost ready to give her fearful Stare while Rarity and Spitfire tried their best to restrain their giggles. Big Macintosh chuckled as he petted her head and nuzzled her snout playfully, mumbling a soft apology to his pouting wife.

"Well then, Ah'll be tuckin' the missus in," the stallion said, breaking out into a yawn.

"Thanks for takin' care of Flutters for me."

"Oh, no problem at all," Rarity said with a wink while Spitfire withheld her giggles.

"I hate you..." Fluttershy mumbled, clinging tighter onto his hoof.

"No ya don't," Big Mac teased, the couple trotting out of the kitchen door.

"Come on now. Sounds like Amber's calling for us again..."

Rarity and Spitfire looked on with heartwarming smiles as the couple trotted away, leaving them alone with each other for company. It was an odd match to be had, one known for her aesthetics in fashion design and the other for her athletic prowess and air showmanship. The awkwardness took that first chance to settle in, lingering about for a few minutes, before Spitfire quickly resolved that.

"So, getting it on with Spike," she began.

"How's that working out?"

"Oh, we're doing fine, thank you for asking," Rarity answered.

"It must be strange, I imagine. A dragon and a unicorn being together."

"Hey, I might be a pegasus, but I'm not as air-headed as many of these elite Canterlot conservative socialites actually are," the Wonderbolt claimed, chuckling at her slight pun.

"Love is love, that's it. Nothing complicated, no science, politics or philosophy whatsoever. Still, I gotta admit, I was surprised when Rainbow told me you and Spike were together."

"Really?"

"Yeah! Heard of ponies with gryphons, minotaurs and all sorts of creatures, but with a dragon? That was something I only heard in stories and fairytales!"

Rarity chuckled slightly at Spitfire's cheerful demeanor, knowing full well what that story might be. She never pegged the stoic and brash commander of the Wonderbolts to fawn over stories of love and drama. Then again, she never pegged Rainbow Dash to be a Daring Do fanatic either.

"We're still trying to sort it out," she replied.

"Spike and I are content with everything right now, to say the least. A petty argument or two sometimes, but that's about it. Other than that, I'm not quite sure where do we go from here."

"Why not marriage?" Spitfire suggested.

"You two looked pretty close enough for that."

"I don't think I'm ready."

Funny, Rarity thought to herself. She remembered a similar conversation she had with Octavia back in Pendant Lakes that led to this same conclusion. At least Octavia was rather honest about her confession. She, on the other hoof, not so much. Rather, she's stuck in the middle, her confidence wavering between the two ends.

"You could've fooled me," Spitfire stated with narrowed brows.

"If you think there'll be problems, look at Applejack! Her dragon's literally the dude who raided and forced Canterlot into a lockdown! Plus, don't mention this to her, but his size isn't what I'd call pony-friendly."

"You have a point."

Applejack and Kane were a couple that Rarity would call mystifying. If anything, their relationship paralleled that of the love stories and fairytales she had read, notably the late Persimmon's Dragonheart that she had read back in Palgiot Palace which, funnily enough, featured Jovern, Kane's brother, as the draconic love interest. Still, as much controversy as it would stir, Kane had a position among global leaders, standing in as ambassador in place of his brother. Those who pick on him would never know if they might be picking up their bones next, which only makes Spike a more tempting target.

"I just..." Rarity tried to put her muddled thoughts into words.

"With everything happening now, I wish that he would be safe. Janus had came after us so many times now and I... I wanted to make sure that everything will turn out alright. I mean, it's all so complicated now and... I guess I'm just waiting for the right time."

"Marriage itself is complicated, Rarity," Spitfire responded.

"There isn't any right time for it either. It's all about how committed you are to it and whether you want to bet your life and all you've earned onto it with another pony, or in your case, dragon. Look at Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy! They're already having foals together!"

"That was before all of this started."

"Point is, it doesn't matter, Rarity," she continued.

"It might sound cheesy, but no bomb underneath the bed should stop the two of you from getting together."

"Or a knife on my neck. Or glass shards piercing into Spike's back. Or an assassination attempt that involved shooting our previous room apart—"

"Okay, okay, what do I know about what you've been through, yada yada— I get it," the pegasus huffed, wings bristled.

"Just thought you needed the advice. No hard feelings."

"No hard feelings," Rarity replied dryly.

"I think I'll be hitting the hay then. See you tomorrow."

With those words, Spitfire stood up and flew out of the kitchen, leaving Rarity alone with her cup of coffee and her meandering thoughts. That could've gone better, the little voice in her head muttered; or could it, another voice retaliated. Her tired head didn't bother to know, her hooves tracing the curves of her cup as she leaned forward, up until her cheeks rested on the cold, smooth marble of the countertop.

"Marriage is complicated..." she murmured the only thing she could agree on.

"I don't know what to do, Spike. I really don't..."

She laid there, pondering over and over about those thoughts, up until the warmth of the coffee receded and her eyes were drooping listlessly, her mind searching for a paradise, an undiscovered Eden. No amount of caffeine could whirl her out of the fantasy for her to drag herself back to her room, but just once was fine, Rarity told herself.

Just one night the kitchen.

One night alone.

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"Y-Your Highness!"

Your Highness, Your Majesty, Your Excellency, Your Eminence.

All those titles and more, from your nearest vocabulary store.

Celestia always admired the creativity of ponykind. Sculptures, musical compositions, the zany inventions of every kind, even something like the many ways of greeting royalty. She could go on and on about how senseless yet unbelievably colorful they can go to express themselves. She would find it intriguing, every single time, like every new cup of tea and every new slice of cake. She enjoyed these small little things, what she had called nuances, hidden beneath the spectacular furors of everyday life.

Luna, of course, begged to differ.

Being banished to the moon did not affect her glum outlook on life; that was already permeating from within long before the feelings of envy warped her into Nightmare Moon. Unlike her sister, Luna prefers a straightforward route of thought: clear and concise with no chance of fraudulence and discrepancy. She hated beating around the bush, for the idea of it sickens her to the very core. For that, some touted her as a more level-headed princess; for others, more unforgiving.

Twilight Sparkle, in this very moment, fell into the latter.

Princess Luna followed the unicorn's fearful eyes darting from the various assortment of books on the table to a door left wide open and swinging in the midnight wind. She was well aware of where that door lead into, having been informed by her sister soon after her return from the moon. She had wondered, as Nightmare Moon in the ruins of their old castle, where most of the magic totems had gone; one of them had involved sealing Celestia into the sun, which she had bookmarked with a folded corner centuries ago. Her sister was gracious enough to let her know of their new home, though not so much as to allow her to pay a visit.

She could only wonder what Celestia would make of the offender standing in front of her now.

Of her most faithful student.

"Your Highness, this isn't what it looks like!" Twilight blabbered.

"This is— we were just, uh, we were—"

Most faithful.

Most resourceful, most resolute, most dependable, most trustworthy, most loyal.

All these and more, she chuckled.

If anything, Luna would add that she is the most blind. Sure, Twilight's not the royal hoofkisser or anything as debasing as that, but Luna had witnessed how naive she could be. Twilight Sparkle was undoubtedly a smart mare, but her logic could not mesh well with her faithfulness to Celestia, the mentor that taught her everything. Twilight was what modern ponies called a teacher's pet. A most obedient one, at that, if the alicorn were to judge.

Perhaps that naivety saved her this time, for she knew Twilight wouldn't even think of heading into the forbidden sections unless somepony else interfered, which Luna guessed was the suggestion of the other mare sleeping soundly on the table, Inkie Pie. It would seem that, like with Celestia, the ever faithful Twilight Sparkle was easily swayed by the words and suggestions of her friends, albeit to a lesser degree.

Luna's eternal frown found it's way back: that hit a little bit closer to home than she thought.

"Princess Luna, please, I'll do anything!" her attention tuned back to Twilight's desperate pleading.

"Please, please don't tell Princess Celestia about this!"

"That depends."

"D-Depends?" Twilight squeaked, paling.

"O-On what?"

"What you are doing this for," Luna answered.

"I trust in you, in that you are a smart mare who would think before you act. It is with that in mind that I believe you went through the forbidden archives with sound reason, and I suppose it must be a good one as well. Otherwise... well, it would be most regrettable, wouldn't you agree?"

Twilight gulped, uncertain of what to say to appease the calm and collected Princess Luna, that demeanor of which terrified her more than Nightmare Moon ever did. Still, with all the stars in the sky watching her, she clenched her hooves a little tighter, swallowing one last lump of hesitation before saying what she could only say.

"I'm trying to find out who Janus is."

For a moment that felt longer than she had hoped, Twilight stood there, in utter silence as she awaits for the royal decree. Luna's gaze narrowed down at her as even her breathing halted for a response, before what she would call a smirk came forth from the alicorn.

"I won't tell her," she promised, almost laughing at the grand sigh of relief the other mare gave.

"It's something you had done with the intent of saving Equestria. It is most commendable, even if you weren't the original conspirator of that idea."

"Y-You knew?"

"The Twilight Sparkle I know would not heed against my sister's words," Luna said before turning towards the table.

"As for Miss Pie here, I'm sure she would have no qualms about putting her life on the line."

Twilight followed her gaze, lips thin and crooked.

"Don't worry, she will be spared as well," the princess assured, the unicorn sighing once more in response.

"She shared your sentiments of exposing our enemy, of finding his origins in order to orchestrate his defeat. Although, to be frank, Twilight Sparkle, I bear ill news: I'm afraid all of tonight's efforts are in vain."

"W-What?" she gasped.

"What do you mean, Your Highness?"

"There is nothing here worth noting to aid you in your quest," Luna explained.

"The oldest of manuscripts from the Equinox Shelves were conceived in the early eras of our rule, decades before my banishment to the moon. My sister had made it known to me what sort of texts were being stored in those very shelves. Those that predate my transformation into Nightmare Moon mostly revolved around conspiracies from previous rulers of Equestria. You know, the reign of monarchs before Discord established his global dominion. When I was banished, many of the texts surrounding the circumstances between us were also hidden from public view, turning Nightmare Moon into a story of myth. Those were now, of course, relocated to the history section. Over the years that went by, my sister dealt with the largest conspiracies and controversies, the most major of which was the dissensions between the Celestian Ministry and the Ministry of Academic Sciences back in the day. All those documents: logs of experiments seized in raids, plots that were thwarted, all of them, were stored in those very shelves."

"I don't get it, Your Highness," Twilight questioned, trying to wrap her head around it.

"Wouldn't Janus still exist somewhere in the records? What are you trying to say?"

"Janus, as all of us now know him as, had been here long before we ever stepped onto the throne."

Everything shattered apart. Everything she had ever thought she had known about their enemy had just been flushed out into oblivion. Twilight stood there, gaping, speechless at the revelation Princess Luna had shed light onto; a revelation that would've changed the direction she was taking all those months of research with. Disbelief clawed around her shivering lips, her mind racing faster than ever before.

"W-What do you mean?" her voice almost grew into a yell.

"You mean this whole time... this whole time... all those nights of reading and reading and... and gathering information and... and history books and reading and... this whole time, it was all for nothing?! That this whole time, Princess Celestia—"

Twilight's lips quavered along with her hooves, voice lurching before managing to mutter the appalling truth.

"S-She... lied to me?"

The aftermath of blind faith.

To that, Luna could only provide a grim nod.

Twilight Sparkle fell to the ground, all manner of helplessness lunging back into her. Her wide eyes, lost in shock and distraught, could only stare up at the princess of the night, her gut painfully wringing itself inside out from the dagger of betrayal that skewered it. Betrayal... she had never felt so hurt in her entire life, mostly because she was fortunate enough to have never felt it. For it to gut her up like this, by her mentor no less...

"W-Why?" she cried, staring at the floor.

"Why... why did you... how could you..."

"I understand how you feel, Twilight," Princess Luna's words settled in.

"I've been there before, feeling betrayed and denied by my sister... but you have to understand this and only this: she's doing this for your own good."

"For my own good?"

A treacherous venom, one rarely used in the face of royalty, slipped into the unicorn's voice. With the darkest grimace Twilight Sparkle could ever muster, the unicorn jerked her head up, glaring daggers in a brilliant show of defiance into the sorrowful eyes of Princess Luna.

"For my own good?!" she snarked.

"How is this for my own good?!"

"Twilight, as unbelievable as it may sound, it's true," Luna spoke, still retaining her tranquility.

"My sister wanted to make sure you wouldn't get hurt. If you had involved yourself any further—"

"If I had involved any further, what?! That he would attack me?!" she yelled, raising up her bandaged shoulder.

"Can't you see? He's already attacked me! Once, in that camp where we left everypony to die and again, when he stopped by and stabbed me in the shoulder! He already did all of that and we've lost all those lives... all those... we could've saved them! They weren't supposed to die!!"

"Twilight—"

"They... lost their lives believing in me..." her composure faltered, eyes shimmering in moonlight.

"They believed that I could save them, you know that?! That all this time... I thought I could... I could... I could save more lives before he would take them away! I thought that if I did this, I could stop him before more lives were lost! This... th-this is all just..."

"I'm sorry, Twilight," Luna softly mumbled, glancing to the side.

"I really am sorry."

"Th-This is all for nothing..."

Quiet sobs filled Equestria's midnight. Princess Luna could hear it clearly: not one, but the collective sobs of Equestria's citizens, who had entrusted their lives in protecting their country. Celestia warned that this day, the day where Twilight must face the truth, would come, though neither had predicted that it would come this fast. It was nonsensical, tasking your ever loyal student to do work that would never amount to anything, but Luna knew Janus. Luna knew what he was capable of as much as she knew that they don't have a choice.

Maybe they don't, a part of herself said, but she once lived a life believing that those below her would never amount to anything.

She once believed that ponykind existed only to serve.

She once believed that a young unicorn named Twilight Sparkle would never find in herself the power she needed to wield the Elements of Harmony.

Maybe — just maybe — instead of all that, she should believe that they can still make it out alive.

"Listen to me, Twilight Sparkle," she muttered, kneeling down to the mare's side.

"My sister... Celestia... I will admit, she made a grave mistake in allowing this to happen, but you have to know, she's as lost as all of you are. She has no idea what to do other than to just wait it out or call forth the forces of old..."

"F-Forces of old?"

"That may never happen at all, if you'd ask me," she reluctantly admitted.

"Still, she's at her most vulnerable right now. You may not notice it, but she's breaking apart inside. That's Princess Celestia, always putting up a strong face even when she knows she will lose. Sooner or later, however, she will tear herself apart and when that happens... when that happens, none of us will make it out alive. So I ask of you... no, I beg of you, Twilight Sparkle, for the sake of us and for the sake of Equestria, please..."

Luna bit her lip as she placed the daunting request onto the table.

"Save us all."

Twilight Sparkle just stared, dumbstruck at those three words, before she felt a growing determination well up in her chest. Perhaps all those months, all those lives... perhaps they could never be regained. So much time has been lost and all manner of hope is dwindling fast. Still, there are lives to be saved. There is still an Equestria, home to all of ponykind, to be rescued. They had been hit hard, with the lights of Fillydelphia and Manehatten snuffed out, but the spirit of ponykind still remains. Victory may be far, but the perseverance of ponies still remains.

Equestria still stands, as fractured as it may be.

For that Equestria, Twilight Sparkle posed a question to Princess Luna, this time with a new firmness that came at the last moment to hold up her cracking voice.

"How can I help?"

Author's Note

These chapters just keep getting longer and longer, eh?
Served fresh at six in the morning, no less! :ajsleepy:

Here's to a new year, everybody! :pinkiehappy:

Confidential

"-sure it's necessary, Shining?"

"Of course, Twiley. We require some scholarly insight into this, and the Princess said that you'll be the perfect candidate for the report. I've already switched it on."

...

"Date, twenty-fifth of January. Time, three quarters past eleven. Recording file Juliet-November-Sierra hash five-two-two. Private and confidential. Supervising officer, Shining Armor, Captain of the Canterlot Royal Guard and Prince of Canterlot and the Crystal Empire. Assisting candidates present, Twilight Sparkle, protege to Her Majesty. Verbal identification commence. Shining Armor, present."

"Twilight Sparkle, present."

"In accordance to the recent bombing of Canterlot. Twilight Sparkle, you may begin."

"Ahem. It happened on the twentieth of January, approximate time, half past one..."

The colt held up the silvery tray, leveling his neck while he maintained a cultivated, somber mask on his lips as another one of the guests snapped his hooves against the flamboyant frames of the restaurant seats, signaling his presence over. Quietly striding towards the customer, he tipped a bottle of white wine, the golden, dulcet contents flowing ever smoothly into the bowl of the wine glass.

His horn lit up a light brown, his corresponding cloud of magic enveloping the thin, glass stem as he hovered it towards the guest. In return, the pony gave an acknowledging nod, placing on his silvery tray a few bits; one which made his eyes glimmer a little.

With a respectful bow, he waded through the reticent scenario of clinking silverware and low chattering of the customers, all the while sliding his tip into the suits of his pocket. He whistled a small tune, picking out a few wine glasses and a wine bottle from the luxury of collections displayed on the racks.

His mouth was forcefully zipped silent; any form of communication between his colleagues was reduced to hoof signals, head gestures or even eye twitching. Anypony caught loitering, as his manager affectionately put it, will have their pay suspended or, in important occasions such as this, fired on the spot.

"It was the twenty-third annual meetup of the Canterlot Stone Faith Conference, a meeting dedicated to the restoration of a few gardens and sculptures around the city, at the rooftop Restaurant La Dugarde of the Rembury Hotel."

It wasn't long before he had to head back into the swarm of connoisseurs again, lifting his tray back up to his neck level. The routine of refilling the wine and the glasses became irritatingly normal for him after a few rounds, and he's utterly glad that this was only a part-time job. Of course, he could've found better.

The ponies of the high society around him had little appreciation for his work. He sometimes questioned their lack of sympathy, which seemed to be placed more onto the statues around. Suddenly, he told himself, statues have a higher level of importance than other ponies. All these gatherings about restoring the 'sculptures of old, never letting them fade into time' was a little overboard sometimes; no wonder there were circulating talks about anarchists and rioters roaming throughout the streets, waiting just for the perfect time to set their plans loose.

Another click of hooves called him once more, as he shifted through the sea of tables, eyeing jealously at every glint of sequin on the dresses of mares to every golden timepiece sticking out from a colt's hooves. The stallion that called for him was the same, as was his procedure of never bothering to give him a glance, though he did, surprisingly, spoke to him:

"Do you have any of the fifteen sixty-six, my lad?"

"None, sir," he replied, pouring a glass of white wine for him. The other pony's white hooves reached out for it, gripping onto the glass stem once it was filled to the middle.

The colt could only look in surprise at that. Usually, guests would simply beckon at him for wine, not reach out for it in an act of self-service. Maybe there is some hope for the upper-class societies for Canterlot after all; he was one of the tramps living in the suburbs (which was the gutter) of the splendid town, and he himself had deemed it to be a foolish act of expectancy for his kind to serve underneath them like groveling hounds wanting for a nice treat, by treat it was the water and electricity and, in the scarcest of a chance, a charity foundation.

"Tell me, my young friend," the guest continued speaking, to which he hurriedly gave a bow.

"Do you believe in fate?"

"F-fate, sir?"

"The fate of worlds. The fate that connects us in the chains of mortality."

With a queer laugh, his guest sipped on the swirl of white wine, before placing the glass down onto the table with an inclined grin, all the while leaving him in deep thought. Fate of mortality... in laycolt term it would be the simplest way to end a life, wouldn't it? Then again, pigs might be able to fly.

"If I were to say... I have the ability to break those chains," he continued, "would you work on my side?"

"If it means you can prevent death," the young waiter attempted to translate, "then of course I will, sir."

"Wise choice, my friend," the pale stallion said with a laugh, rustling the colt's mane.

"But alas, although feted by many, it is but an impossible task. I trust that you cherish your life as well?"

"I'm trying to," he replied, leaving a hanging silence before realizing his rueful mistake.

"Uh...! S-Sir! Sorry, sir!"

"It's alright. Food for thought, however..."

His guest knelt down from his recliner, whispering quietly to him:

"Try to enjoy it while you can. I conceive that you have but little time left."

With that said, the stallion suddenly got up and left, much to the waiter's surprise, who could only watch him stride across the restaurant, his black mane and tail elegantly swishing around the many guests in his way. Sighing at the departure of his special guest, he turned back to clean the tables, though not before noticing something lying underneath the recliner.

It was a brown briefcase; one he had seen before a countless times while passing by the shops around the avenues on his way to work, though some of them had closed down because of last year's slight economical downturn, which would only increased the value of such goods. Many ponies had been talking about the year before, remembering the chaos coming in an amalgam of dragons, assassinations and the like. Who could forget the night they saw the light piercing into the sky as well, he thought to himself. The sight made him turn back whilst calling out:

"Hey, sir! You forgot your-!"

He stopped immediately, the white stallion having vanished into the chattering crowd before him. Of course, he glanced at the many faces around him, though no matter how hard he tried to search, there was no sign of him, leaving him to settle his tray and his cloth.

That's strange, he thought to himself, before looking back at the briefcase. Now what can he do about this? Hand it over to Lost & Found downstairs? Give it to the charity like many of his kind would claim (he doubted that they would do as they say) if they were upper-class ponies?

"The explosion was sudden. None had ever expected it to happen..."

Everything suddenly flared a searing white, as he felt himself being thrown across the restaurant, the tray tossed out of his hooves. The sounds of shattering glass and crashing tables ran through his mind, his vision managing to make out his many guests and colleagues being flung along with him.

He crashed into the longest table, the pyramid of wine glasses collapsing upon him, fracturing almost immediately once they touched his scorched, stinging skin. All he could register was the plumes of black smoke and the large, billowing flames eating away at what was the restaurant, all tossed up with the chaos of screaming and shouting ringing across every corner.

"Witnesses reported the highest floor of the Rembury covered in smoke and flames soon after. The police arrived in the scene five minutes later, followed by the fireponies."

Wailing sirens soon joined the fray, though his hearing was isolated into only his rapid, shallow breathing, his hoof clawing at the last fragments of charred tablecloth whilst he tried to hang onto the snapping thread of his lifeline.

How did this happen? Why did this happen? The answers could not enter his broken mind, prancing over words like 'anarchists' and 'rebellions', just like in the comics back at home, yet it never matter if it did; his singed self had already felt numb, and, like many others, he closed his eyes, sending himself into the spiraling darkness that the guest had mentioned of before all the chaos.

Cruel irony.

"The fire was put out soon after, and the source of the explosion was traced to five, separate pipe bombs in a briefcase. This, along with the staggering amount of alcohol in the restaurant, yielded devastating results. There were no survivors in the incident. Shining Armor."

"The plot was at first blamed on anarchists, whose numbers have risen slightly after the previous economic downturn. However, as of date, there is no evidence to suggest that. We are striving to increase the security of Canterlot, especially since the threat from Pendant Lakes. As Captain of Her Majesty's Royal Guard, we will ensure that the matter will be looked upon once any new evidence is discovered. End of recording."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

Twilight breathed a huge sigh of relief once his brother stopped the recorder. She wasn't always involved in Shining's duties, and never thought he would, though the Princess did say she would never know.

And, by her teacher's china collection, she was right. As always.

"That wasn't so bad, wasn't it Twiley?"

The lavender unicorn could only roll his eyes at her brother, who let out a hearty laugh. Now there's somepony who wasn't always right. She quickly gathered her papers, stacking them neatly before sliding them into her satchel.

"So," Shining continued, "I guess you'll be heading back to Ponyville tomorrow, huh?"

"It's been a year already, Shining," she said with a laugh.

"I'm sure the others would've missed me by then, wouldn't they? Especially Spike."

"Well, I guess Mom and Dad would miss you horribly once you leave too," her elder brother replied with a hug, her face landing into his medal-encrusted uniform with pride.

"Say hi to Spike for me."

"And the same to Cadence once she gets back from the Crystal Empire."

The two gave each other a small chuckle, before they quickly got up, leaving the barracks towards the palace in the glow of the sunset. Twilight could see her teacher on the balcony, her horn directed at the descending sun.

"By the way, Twiley," Shining suddenly began, prompting her to turn to her older brother.

"Please be careful. You'll never know what might happen suddenly," to which she gave a cheerful yet understanding nod.

"I will."

Mutando Harenis

"What?!"

Fleur de Lis glanced up from the large, crimson expanse of her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly at the sound of her husband's voice. She was used to waking up at his voice every time, seeing how he would wake up earlier every morning. Today, however, was slightly different, not to mention unexpected.

"What do you mean he's not in town?!" she could hear his muffled shout. She tried her best to brush her frazzled mane, her ears picking up his aimless stomping about the study, which was just down the hallway. No complaints exited her mouth so far, only words of worry.

The mare rose up from her bed, her sparkling night gown gliding across the floor as she strode towards the hallways. The smell of cologne was rich in the haven of their home, her husband no doubt finished his preparation for another small meetup at the Wonderbolts' Derby. Fleur was never a fan of gambling, and had demanded that her husband moderate his habit of doing so. Today was just one of those sojourning days.

"You know how many lives are at stake on this one pony?!" the shouts continued.

"You know the fate of Equestria! Yes, Equestria! Might be in the hooves of this pony?!"

It wasn't the usual him shouting, the calm and collected stallion. She had rarely seen him venting out so much anger, and when he actually did, it was just unlike himself. Reputation was in high regard, and so with that in mind, his tantrums were virtually nonexistent in public. At least, to the eyes of many.

But to her, she knew when enough was enough.

"I sent you to Saddle Arabia not to buck things up!! Find out where he is, and bring him back, or I swear, I'll see to it that you'll come back first. In some SHABBY, BLASTED COFFIN!!"

The slam that followed, with the ring of a bell, nearly made Fleur jump. She held her breath as she quietly slid into the study, watching the stallion she loved sighing in his chair, his hoof forcefully rubbing his forehead. Despite already donning a suit, he was anything but elegant, frustration rippling from his frayed mane to sweaty hooves.

Ignoring his condition, Fleur crept up to him as quietly as she could, catching him by surprise when she planted two hooves firmly on his shoulders, kneading them in a circular fashion.

"What's bothering you this time, Fancy?"

"Another useless client," Fancypants muttered quietly, closing his eyes and relishing the moment.

"They knew only to acquaint with me, and yet they expect to saunter around like the snobbish sloths they are. These ponies can go rot in Tartarus for all I bucking care."

"Language," Fleur hissed with the click of her tongue, to which he only rolled his eyes at.

"You know how I abhor such verbal vulgarity in this house, especially when it comes from my beloved. After all, you told our daughter that she mustn't ever curse yourself. Can't even listen to your own advice now, these days."

"It determines Equestria's - and our - lives."

The stallion placed his monocle to the side, sinking into his seat. Of course, his wife settled down next to him, watching him gripe with his hoof writhing out of his fizzing temper. She knew how he felt of Equestria being threatened, yet she remained quiet about it: Fancypants was always scarier when his mood was horrible.

"None of them would get my darn blessing. I placed the safety of Equestria in their hooves, and all they did is play kickball and lose it in the middle of the field. You know how the Princess would have my head if we find the professor's one in Saddle Arabia?"

"I know, I know... but I'm worried about other things."

"Like?"

"What of our daughter?" she asked, the smile she was wearing faded into naught.

"She's studying in Trottingham: the city that was just crumbled into pieces by a bomb! How would we know if she survived? How would we know if she was never part of it?"

"Frou would never do that, Fleur," Fancypants assured, placing all his faith that their daughter was safe. She was the sweetest little angel, Fantasia 'Frou-Frou' Praeclarus, and was never the type to get into trouble. She went to the University of Trottingham to study her degree in, much to his surprise, psychology, and she, being the saintly figure she was, never adored political upheavals such as this, and especially never had the heart to take part in them like her father would.

"She had an internship in Manehatten recently," the stallion continued with pride.

"Moved there just two days before the bombing. Her letter was in today's mail."

"Really, Francis?" the mare questioned skeptically.

"You know how I hate it when you lie to me."

"You can read the letter yourself if you want to."

Fancypants couldn't recall how long since the last time Fleur him called by his original name. Francis Praeclarus was his given name. His wife, Fleur Praeclarus de Lis, held the two names inducted in royalty high with dignity, and they hopefully wished that Frou would do the same as well.

That was the next thing he couldn't recall: his daughter's face. Visible from the photographs through time, she had grown considerably a lot, bearing the wisdom and intuition of her father and the beauty, grace and elegant appearance of her mother. Her mane and tail was a mix of both parents: striped pink and light azure. It was queer, really, seeing their daughter's choice of being a doctor compared to the celebrity life of her father and model resplendence of her mother, but they accept it all the same.

"Thank Celestia," Fleur gasped out suddenly having read the letter during his silent moment of thinking.

Fancypants placed a hoof on his wife's shoulder, her fine resilience crumbling out in a sigh of relief. He could see her hooves wobbling down to her knees, quietly thanking the goddess of the sun with a tremble in her voice. He would've done the same, a part of his inner self said. He would've done the same.

A hurried knock snapped them from the moment, and with a few more strokes down his wife's mane, the stallion stood up and excused himself, hurrying down the crescent flight of stairs and trotting towards the door.

Without hesitation, he turned the knob, the door swinging open wide to reveal a figure standing before him. Covered in tattered rags, with a cloak over his head and veiling his face was a brown colt, bruised and battered as the collared shirt he was wearing. He clutched his cloak forcefully, veins almost popping out of the skin as he glanced nervously around the street, panting from all the galloping he did from the gates of Canterlot.

Fancypants clenched his hooves, wanting to chase him off his porch, though the pony's voice stopped him in his tracks. His identity was affirmed when the colt slid the cloak off, revealing his frightened expression, his spectacles lopsided with one of its lens shattered.

"Sir Praeclarus..." the colt croaked giddily, trembling.

"Pl-please..."

"How... how did you... come in! Quickly!"

The stallion warily gazed through the busy Canterlotian streets, before helping the weary colt towards his couch, shutting the door as he did so. He hastily poured him a mug of water for his unexpected guest, watching as the colt chugged down every last drop, quenching his burning thirst underneath his throat.

The Wonderbolts' Derby can wait, Fancypants told himself, brushing the copious specks of sand off the colt's mane. The safety of Equestria is more important.

"The Princess would want to have a word with you," he said, reluctantly calling out his name with a grimace.

"Professor Page."

O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O=O

"A hydra? Really?"

"Yep!" Twilight exclaimed, beaming at her nephew.

"You should've seen its four heads! They have the greenest of eyes and grimiest of teeth, always on the lookout for any unwary traveler that dared step into Froggy Bottom Bog! It crawled up to us and gave a loud roar, so loud that we started galloping as fast as we can!"

"Was it really big?" Radiance asked, quavering with excitement.

"As in, humongous? Gigantic? Colossal kind of big?"

"It was the largest!" the purple mare proclaimed eagerly, to which the colt laughed in gleeful excitement.

For a first encounter with her nephew, Twilight could say it was going perfectly well. She stumbled upon him in the library, scavenging through picture books probably for a good, literal adventure. It was only when she saw her brother's face, having seemingly underwent a reverse-aging spell that she recognized who it was.

Their hunt for the perfect book (which Twilight would easily find if not for Radiance's fastidiousness) wasn't satisfactory, so she resorted to telling Radiance of her adventures in her earlier years. She never saw herself as a storyteller, yet her sole audience was practically raving for her to continue. It might be a secret talent of hers, she thought to herself.

"And? Did you guys escape?"

"Well, I wouldn't be here if I didn't, would I?" Twilight replied, the colt laughing sheepishly at himself.

"Still, I'd rather not go through that again. It's pretty scary once you see a hydra in real life and not just read it from the books. The creatures you read might look magnificent in the stories, but in reality they can be pretty frightening."

"But what about dragons?" Radiance asked, spellbound.

"They're magnificent, aren't they, as in truly magnificent? Mommy told me about them dragons, how they fly through the air and soar through the sky, spit flame at their enemies with a glint of their eye! They say Princess Celestia was great friends with them once! Is it really true?"

"Not that I know of."

His conclusion was surprising: if anything, the relationship between Equestria and the Badlands, which was known to its reptilian inhabitants as Draconis, was admittedly horrible. The last dragon-pony war, which happened almost five thousand years ago, ended not in a peace treaty, but more of an armistice. She figured that if not for Spike, Jovern and Kane, there would be a total all-out battle between the two nations now; one that her mentor was certain they would lose.

"Dragons aren't really hospitable to ponies like us," she explained.

"If Princess Celestia and the dragons were friends once, that would be a long, long time ago."

"But you're her personal student, right?" the colt pressed on, to which she responded with a nod.

"Mommy and Daddy said that you were the only one back then who managed to hatch a dragon egg! You hatched Uncle Spike with magic, didn't you? He told me about it too!"

"And?"

"Well, the princess must've gotten the egg from somewhere, right?"

Twilight's breath halted at her nephew's deduction. However ludicrous it sounded, she couldn't help but feel that there's a strange sense of truth behind it. It was palpable that the princess must've gotten the egg from the dragons, but how she got it was more of a baffling enigma. She and Spike were never keen about his origins (let dead things remain dead, he sometimes said) and Rarity had mentioned to her as not being fond of it as well.

"Maybe I'll ask her about it next time!" she finally answered her nephew, retaining the question's innocence.

"Radiance~?"

Both heads turned at the sound of the familiar voice, the door creaking open as Cadance peered her head in. The colt happily waved at his mother, beckoning her in with a smile ever the more larger than both of his superiors'. Twilight watched warmly as he slid off his chair, scampering to the alicorn and giving her a hug.

"Well, aren't you a little bookworm," Cadance teased, nuzzling her son.

"What are you and Auntie Twilight doing?"

"We were supposed to be searching for books, but Radiance couldn't find a suitable one," Twilight answered.

"So I thought he might be interested in a few stories of mine."

"Yeah! And Auntie Twilight has the coolest stories!"

"Really?" Cadance replied with cheeky skepticism.

"The coolest? Better than the ones Daddy and I read you to sleep every night?"

"They were way better!"

Radiance was practically a hopping white bundle of energy, confident and proud of his declaration. The violet mare he was devoting about just let out a small laugh, unsure of how to respond to already having a fan of her primitive storytelling. His mother laughed as well, pulling him down before he could zip off and crash into a bookcase.

Then, he said something; something that made Twilight's breath, head and heart stop; something that added a flicker of warmth in her chest, a jolt up her ears and a spark in her pupils.

"She's the greatest aunt ever!!"

Now, Twilight was one used to compliments; she received it all the time from various ponies, be it Earth pony, pegasus, unicorn and even alicorn. Most were simple and motivating, yet pretty much what she had expected. The more elaborate ones, like those in Princess Celestia's letters, could mean anything, and it would take a while for the answer to surface, but to be complimented from the colt she just foalsitted...

"R-really...?" she asked, uncertain if it was some dirty trick. She wasn't used to foalsitting; a hundred books in the library seemed more of an easier baby to take care off, and to be praised as the greatest aunt ever by a colt she had just met almost an hour ago, it seemed a little off the chart.

Radiance turned back to her, and the scholarly unicorn held her breath in preparation for a blatant assault of mocking words; instead the colt gave a genuine smile and nodded, giving her the exact, one-worded answer:

"Really."

She suppressed what might be a humiliating squeak of delight. She always expected Rainbow Dash or Applejack to have that title instead of her, seeing how they're always active and outdoors all the time, but her? A bookworm that engrosses herself in thick dictionaries and musty tomes of magic? That's what Spike, who was in her care for a few decades already, would comment about her at most.

"Seems you don't make such a bad foalsitter yourself!" Cadance said suddenly.

"Thanks for taking care of him. Shining and I don't have time to spare for our own son these days."

"No problem, Cadance!" Twilight replied immediately.

"Anytime you need a foalsitter, lemme know! I'll be happy to take care of him again."

The colt practically had a skip in his step as he and his mother trotted out of the library, leaving Twilight to sigh at their departure, turning back to yet another book. Strange really, she thought to herself, to foalsit the child of your old foalsitter. She never thought she could pull it off; she had been searching for books, to no avail, on foal management back in Ponyville library, just in case somepony had a twisted sense of humor for placing a foal on her doorstep.

Gracia, the mare currently in charge of the orphanage who was one of the refugees from Pendant Lakes, did say that foalsitting isn't just a topic you can prescribe from those 'For Dummies' books. Fluttershy mentioned about it as well, and with two expeienced caretakers agreeing on the same thing, it was enough for her to not resort to books regarding the topic.

"T-Twilight...?"

With a sigh, the violet mare pried her eyes from the pages, trashing her annoyed look with one of surprise, which overwhelmed her when she saw the orange mare in front of her, wearing a woolen black hoodie and dark-purple studs in her ears. She swallowed quietly, the disgruntled expression on the other pony's face shining through, yet it seemed more fragile, on the verge of breaking from the inside.

"Hey Scootaloo," she croaked, trying to sound welcoming.

"What brings you here today?"

"I just... can we talk?"

Twilight blinked in surprise. She never remembered picking any four-leafed clovers in the morning, and yet today everything just went smoothly. Too smoothly, to be precise.

"S-sure," the unicorn stuttered, settling down a few books.

"What do you feel like talking about?"

Scootaloo's purple eyes flitted away almost immediately, and reluctantly the teenager pulled up a small chair, settling quietly beside the skeptically confused librarian. Silence came after the groaning of the chair against the floor, and before Twilight could let out words of assurance, she spoke:

"Do you think I'm... well..."

"A jerk?" Twilight finished her sentence, the teenage mare nodding meekly.

"If I were to be nice. you were a little rude."

"So I'm an idiot, aren't I?"

"I didn't mean that," the violet mare reaffirmed. She wasn't an idiot, a part of her said. An idiot and a fiend are two different things, after all. Yet, however rude Scootaloo may be, she had been through a lot in life that most ponies would've already crumbled from in her age, and still she remained strong. That was something worth admiring despite her insolent behavior.

"It's just you reached an age where ponies are expecting to be independent," she continued.

"You're just frustrated that everypony's pushing you around, doing what they wanna do when, in turn, you want to do something else of your own. Even if it means isolating yourself from all of your friends."

Scootaloo said nothing, instead glancing down solemnly at the floor; a given hint that Twilight's words were right. Deducing the problem was always easy for her, but the solving part was one where she would never receive a passing grade for without proper analysis. She needs time to figure a solution out.

"If you're a little lonely, you can always come to me," the violet mare suggested.

"I'm always here to listen and help."

It wasn't the best way to buy time, but it seemed viable for the teenager, as she immediately perked up with surprise, her lips beginning to curl.

"You really think so? But you're so busy and all..."

"Everypony's free to listen to a friend's problems."

Of the countless friendship letters she sent back to Princess Celestia, Twilight remembered them entirely. They were lessons of friendship and, in turn, life, and she would cherish her possession of the knowledge it bestowed to her. And with that being said, Scootaloo released her smile, before trotting towards the door.

Twilight smiled, feeling a small load free from her back. She had settled a small disagreement with a little bit of 'advice' from the Masque. Heck, it's almost as the Masque wanted Scootaloo to come to her and talk things over-- her head stopped with realization.

"W-Wait!" the violet mare called out suddenly, halting Scootaloo in her tracks.

"D-Did..." she began with a stammer.

"Did somepony wanted you to talk to me? As in, a random stranger wearing a mask?"

She was met with a bewildered expression, yet there was an underlying veil of guilt beneath it. The teenager would've scurried off in fear from what might be an interrogation, but she remained still, mouth hanging agape.

"Y-You... you knew...?" she asked.

Twilight would've wanted to continue and, no doubt, Scootaloo as well. Both were eagerly curious on what the masked pony said to the other mare, but all thoughts of it were thrown out of their heads as the sonorous bells in Canterlot's clock tower struck four, striking the librarian back into reality.

"My research..." she muttered, cursing inaudibly at her tardiness.

"We'll talk about this later, alright?"

And, after such a long time, Scootaloo nodded in agreement.

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"Ready?"

Stellar tugged at the rope, glancing down into the bottom of the dark pit, illuminated only by the rays of sunlight slicing like razors through the darkness. Beds of broken granite were scattered at the bottom, with Caduceus standing on one of them, waiting for his friend to jump down into the bowels.

He gazed back up again at the wasteland of broken earth, his sights set upon a humongous structure jutting out from the earth that he missed last night perched at the foot of a blasted mountain. For it was the doctrinal bastion of Palgiot Palace, torn apart from its core and split open like a banana. It reminded him of Janus's extent of his power, and he hoped by Celestia's mane their enemy hasn't recovered what they were searching for in the depths of this desolate town.

Without hesitation, he flung his satchel around his waist, jumping down into the abyss and sliding down the rope, friction almost singeing his hooves by the time he reached the bottom, splashing into small puddles of water

Caduceus had just lit his lamp then, revealing a small chasm splitting the floor, bridged only by a fallen iron lamppost. Surprisingly, the bulb nestled within its core still flickered, giving them glimpses of the silhouette of some sort of crumbled structure waiting for them at the other side.

The dripping water trembled as a small quake shook the cavern, with Jovern slowly approaching the two colts. He breathed in deeply, scowling when, from the faintest corners of his head, he detected the same aura of passionate darkness willing to cling into the minds of any unlucky soul wandering here.

"Have to get used to the atmosphere again," the doctor warned.

Stellar nodded, feeling his senses starting to warp. Whatever it was, the 'pandemic' was still there, dubbed the Pendant Lakes Effect. Axel Palgiot coined the term when he noticed it emanating from the town, and did a little research on it. Among his notes, it was there even before the first Patriarch set hoof on the land, and its effects were anything but satisfactory.

From his research, the miasma supposedly enhances emotions. Happiness will become euphoria, sadness will be become depression, and anger would become wrath. There were reasons why Pendant Lakes had more suicides than most northern cities, and why it was one of the top romance destinations, but instead of quelling the darkness, the Palgiots invested in it, working on its inhabitants' fears and extorting them financially. It was only after Pendulum's ascension that they've decided to change their ways. Time passes, and now the three of them were here, in the dilapidated town of Pendant Lakes.

Yet, the darkness remained.

"Dastardly place to be in," Caduceus remarked, stepping up onto the lamp/bridge. A glance down leaves his breath hanging as all that met him was a shadowy black, and with a hefty sigh, he takes his first step.

Stellar soon followed once his friend was halfway there. With every step, the light flickered wildly, as if protesting at the burden it had to possess. The sudden groan it made, however, stopped both colts in their tracks, feeling the narrow, cylindrical stem kneading their hooves as it teetered underneath them, and for once, Jovern felt lucky he was a dragon.

A relieved gasp fluttered out of his mouth once the doctor stepped down onto the other side. He held his lamp high, his sights set onto the building that was standing in their way. It was one of the many houses of Pendant Lakes that outline the region, its slate roof caved in from the mound of earth filling its upper floors. Despite the fallen beams, it looked sturdy enough for a temporary shelter, and the absence of a wall on one of its sides produced a large enough space for Jovern to enter.

With a grunt and a thud, Stellar went after his friend, who was already scavenging through the desolate ruin. Jovern, ducking his head underneath an array of protruding stalactites, scrambled to the other side, the large chasm narrow as a tightrope compared to his giant claws.

"Where are we exactly?" Caduceus asked.

"This place is so ruined I can't recall where it once stood."

"We passed through the west gate..."

The former butler could imagine it: a serene landscape of cobblestone roads covered with autumn leaves, aisles of houses with stray ivy crawling up its brick walls, and the spirited and communal ponies, all talking and doing their daily things. His memory reignited the faint traces of a map, and as he clenched his eyes harder, the words became clearer and clearer in his pressured head.

"Farendale Avenue," he answered confidently, opening his eyes.

"We're in Farendale Avenue."

"Farendale... then turn right to Standard & Dale, then another left down Harbor Street..."

Caduceus intuitively marched forward, guiding them deeper into the subterranean ruin. Having being always a frequent visitor at Palgiot Palace, the doctor pushed himself to remember any and all alternative routes and shortcuts through the main streets of Pendant Lakes. It was like switching the rails on a train track, a part of him mused; when one way is blocked, you can divert to another.

He raised his lamp, squinting through the cavernous fog filling the underground street. All the tiles were either fractured or chiseled, with lampposts stripped from their roots due to the explosion. With each wary step forward, all three cautiously gazed around at the surroundings, the abandoned buildings looking on cynically with shattered eyes.

"Did you hear that?"

Caduceus and Jovern stopped in their tracks, their bewildered glances planted onto Stellar. The old colt was carefully scanning through the windows, his hoof already reaching for his revolver.

"Hear what?" his friend asked skeptically, albeit nervously.

"That... that sound..."

Stellar motioned a gesture of silence, and he was generously rewarded with it; the cavern plunged into a soundless domain, with only air gently hooting through the fissures in the caves. His ears twitched, trying to grasp on even the faintest hint of sound, yet none was saved for him. At least nothing foreign.

"I swore I... I heard something..."

"What is it you heard exactly?" Jovern asked.

"Some sort of... whisper. Almost like a quiet laugh..."

The trio held their breaths, their gazes jumping through all the windows, expecting to see some sort of soulless face staring back at them. A chill crept up their spine, accompanied by a draught of wind sifting through their hooves, slightly brushing the fog away.

"Is it me," Caduceus began muttering, loud enough for the rest to hear.

"Or does it feel like we're being watched?"

"If Janus was prepared for our arrival, then we have no choice but to do the same for ours as well."

Without hesitation, Stellar pulled out his revolver, cocking it threateningly as he glanced around once more. The lantern was swinging, the candle flame fluttering about from the small breeze that picked up suddenly, making only the atmosphere more unsettling.

It reminded him of the last time they were in this. The Pendant Lakes in his previous encounter was a neater of a ruin, and it wasn't unsettling as it was now (though it might be his age creeping up to him) nor was it this foreboding.

"One thing's for sure," he voiced his thoughts aloud, lowering his gun. For now.

"We're not the only ones down here."

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"Here, Professor."

Tattertale Page graciously accepted the warm brew of soup, hooves trembling violently as they reached for the bowl being bestowed by Fleur de Lis. It was the first fresh food since the stale sliced bread he was served during captivity in Saddle Arabia, and the thought of it running down and cleansing his parched throat already soothed his mind greatly.

Rain had postponed his hearing with the Princesses to the next day, despite his protests against it. There's no time to lose, and as they deeper unveil his discovery in Saddle Arabia, with each passing day the plans of his sinister client would come to fruition, and he would not want to see it happen.

"Tell me if you need any more," Fleur said with a smile, before heading back into the kitchen. Her grace and charm was what stuck with him, emanating a small sigh from his mouth.

He wasn't clear where Fleur come from. Some say her ancestry traces back to the ancient French Camargue horse breeds. Some claimed she was of Lipizzan descent, from Italy. Whatever the arguments state, she was clearly one of the leading models of Equestria, much like how Fancypants was the apex in his influence over the country.

Stories circulated on how they first met, but they were simply college mates. Now, Fancypants was a studious yet daft pony before his investment breakthrough in Florence, and his wife back then wasn't expected to love a bookworm like him, yet Fleur herself mentioned he was the only one that cared from all the other heartthrobs.

Their sudden relationship practically surprised everypony in the college, even their lecturers, who even dare say they wouldn't last a single week with each other. Seems they had the last laugh.

"How much is it?" he could hear Fancypants's voice from the corridors.

"Twenty-three."

The pair of voices droned out when he stuck a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Bliss circled his mouth and rippled down the walls his dry throat, quenching the growing thirst that had been feeding off him ever since his daring escape. It was heaven to taste something else other than the remnants of a sandstorm. There were some beetles he forced himself to feast, yet those were still better than sand. There was one more thing besides the luxuriously simple meal he had, however, that he required.

"Plumbing's fixed, so you can use the shower now," Fancypants said, trotting into the living room with a grin.

Music to my ears, a part of him chirped. The archaeologist rose from his seat, his fading grin blossoming once more at the gracious hospitality of the Praeclarus household, even after his betrayal. Despite pointing it out, Fancypants affirmed he had only done what he had to survive, and that alone proved the stallion's humble modesty.

"Thank you, Sir Praeclarus," he finally said after hours of hesitation.

"I wouldn't know what to do without you."

"The pleasure is mine," was the generous reply.

"Almost forgot!"

The professor reached for his satchel, handing to him a latched book, its leather cover dusty brown with some frayed corners of pages peering out from its interior. Its spine was decorated with lotus designs, with strewn ropes binding them together as extra support.

"I entrust you with this," he said, his voice suddenly grave.

"Everything about my archaeological finds are inside. You'll know how they might hunt me down, and I don't want this to be in their hooves."

Fancypants nodded somberly, and with that Tattertale Page gave him a confident smile, trotting up the winding staircase and grabbing a towel prepared solely for him.

Shutting the door behind him, the colt unbuttoned his sand-torn shirt, tossing it aside as he glanced at himself in the mirror. What met him was the pony he envisioned: dry, cracking skin, bruised lips and sand trapped in the hairs of his mane. Eyebags were already hanging down, the pupils themselves bloodshot red from fatigue. Every muscle and bone ached, even after a long, warm rest in the Praeclarus household.

"You're a wreck," he remarked coldly.

He glanced about the guest bathroom, the luxury of it making up for its size. Before him was the sink, completed with gleaming golden faucets and a plug. Beside it was the toilet, sterile and clean as the rest of the bathroom. Gazing to the left, the translucent door into the shower met him, currently open and revealing the spout jutting from the ceiling, triggered by the valve just below it, its center embedded with a cut sapphire.

Facing the mirror again, Tattertale frowned at his appearance, even more so of his actions. If it was some tycoon other than Fancypants, he was sure he would've lost his head. Luck was on his side today, no doubt; it might not be there tomorrow, however.

"It all comes down tomorrow," the colt reminded himself softly, closing his eyes to clear his head, his hoof reaching for the golden faucets of the sink.

"It's just you, Fancypants and the Pri--"

The moment he turned the valve, a loud pang abruptly snapped throughout the room. Something metallic struck the side of his face, rendering his vision to a blur. He fell sideways from the powerful force, his eyes catching glimpses of a geyser spraying from the tiled walls towards him from where the shower valve would be, before his body slammed onto the floor.

Needles of water formed puddles, rippling endlessly from the drizzle. His face soon felt damp, red merging into the transparency, forming cirrus trails in its wake. The valve that flew off was now in front of him, rolling to the side, its crystal absent from its core.

Tattertale felt something pierced his head, clenching as he tried to squeeze it out, though it only forced out more blood. His thoughts snapped short suddenly, his breath hurrying rapidly as he complied to the multitude urges of swallowing. His eyes were wide open as numbness took over his convulsing senses, and they remained that way.

He laid there, in a growing puddle of water with red slithering through the fluid, a shot of crystal stuck in his head and the bathroom warping like a kaleidoscope. It would be too late, he figured, when the crawling water finally leaked underneath the crack of the bathroom door to a bewildered Fleur outside the door, her scream at the first sight of blood garnering the dreaded attention of her husband. Until then, he waited agonizingly for the stinging pain to subside in his fractured, ringing head, and sure enough, it was soon whisked away.

Then again, death was always painless.

They Lament Every Night

*SNAP!!*

"... arity...!"

Silence.

"...lease wa... Rari...!"

It filled her. Dominated her. Reigned supreme over her like a tyrant. Her ears strained in place, trying their best to break free. Her world was a dominion of darkness, engulfing and entrapping her vision in a state of blindness, yet she could feel its restraints... weakening... coming loose...

"Rari... don't... can't do..."

The plug of silence started to slip off, letting in a high-pitched ring that slowly set in her ears. Her eyes struggled to open, the giant blemishes she was seeing all simmering down into clarity. Muffled voices chimed suddenly, trying to burrow and claw through the crumbling wall of quietude, sounding unstintingly frantic. Even as they distort and merge with the ringing, she could hear her name beneath the mesh of noise, called by whom she wasn't sure.

"Rarity, co... on!!"

That nagging feeling in her head told her it was somepony she knew. Somepony she held dear.

"Please wake up!! Rarity, please!!"

"S-Sweetie Belle?"

A loud gasp broke through the warped silence, breaching and shattering through her obscured vision as Rarity found herself being hugged tightly, eyes dilating in bewilderment when she saw her sister's distressed, tear-strewn face staring back at her. Stifling a sob, Sweetie Belle buried her face into her chest, to which she could only gape at until she noticed all the other faces smiling softly at their reunion.

There were all her friends: Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, sighing with relief. Behind them, she caught a glimpse of Soarin', Spitfire and Shining Armor, all three tending to a frazzled, evidently soot-covered Twilight Sparkle massaging her pounding head, the intention behind their muffled voices only palpable through their grim frowns.

"You scared me!!" Sweetie Belle yelled into her sister's face, much to the older mare's shock. Never in her life had Rarity heard the teenager being so upset before. Even that caught the attention of Twilight, as the white mare spotted her friend stepping towards her, stifling a weak smile.

"I thought you were DEAD, Rarity!! I thought he... he got you or something--!!"

Rarity cut in with a hush, instead hugging the teenager tightly in her hooves.

"I couldn't fathom why you would think that way, Sweetie Belle," she replied in an assuring whisper, clenching her watering eyes shut to suppress the aching pain in her chest.

"He will never get me, got that Sweetie dear? He will never tear us apart. Even if he did, I'll always find a way to come back to you, understand? I'll always come back to you... no matter what happens..."

The rest watched in silent relief at their sisterly reunion, providing Rarity the warmth of welcoming grins once she calmed Sweetie down. She glanced around the rotunda, the mystical yet genuine quietude of nocturnal Canterlot managing to alleviate her fears away; she didn't want to wake up and find herself facing their sworn enemy in some sort of torture chamber. Spike surely wouldn't want that to happen as well.

That's when her heart dropped suddenly: the said dragon wasn't here. Rarity's face fell when she glanced around to make sure, the absence of the love of her life swiping the colors of her face. Immediately, she stood up, though her hoof suddenly seared with pain, prompting her to yell aloud before falling to the floor, the rest gasping in response.

"Rarity!" Sweetie Belle yelled. rushing to her side.

"Rarity, are you alright?"

"Wh... wha..."

"Yer hoof ain't in its best shape now, sugarcube," Applejack explained, forcing her to turn hesitantly. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw a gaping, ominous red slash across her right hind hoof, reaching up to her chest and staining its surrounding fur with blood. She winced when she tried to shift it about, watching only as more blood spurted from its core, forming branching rivers leading into the floor.

The same hoof was suddenly lifted up carefully and painlessly, with a string of bandages magically wrapping about itself as Fancypants stepped from behind the huddled crowd, trying his best to give a smile. It wasn't long before Twilight, clutching a salve tight onto her wounded shoulder, finally limped towards her with help from her brother, the fashion designer unable to hide her horror when she spotted her friend's bandaged horn, a small crack running down from the tip with a small glow emanating from within.

"Janus struck us before we escaped," the violet mare explained, cringing from her aching head as her horn fizzed out a small spurt of magic, assaulting every nerve within her skull.

"His magic somehow got... caught in the space continuum and... well... it struck and destroyed the Stream Gate when we reached here."

"Wh-Where... where's Spike?"

"He and Inkie Pie are in the hospital, but there's nothing to worry about. They're just unconscious, that's all. Spike might be slightly burned, but he's lucky he has those scales to protect him and Inkie from the explosion. Otherwise, who would've known what could've happened to him?"

Rarity let out a huge sigh of relief. At least he was safe; that's all she wanted to hear.

"But what about the invasion?" she asked.

"Did the Princesses know?"

"They found out an hour ago."

Twilight's answer wasn't short of astounding: how in the world did the Princesses knew of the attack before their timely return to Canterlot? Plus, it only started half an hour ago, which meant they knew it would happen before it did! Did the royal sisters send some sort of pony there to keep watch over them? Even so, why couldn't that pony wake everypony up in camp to defend it instead of letting them take the fall?

The librarian was almost clouded with doubt herself; if not for her utmost, unwavering faith in her mentor, she would've cried treachery already. Princess Celestia would never let hundreds of ponies be slaughtered like that. What about the minotaurs and gryphons that were in the camp, like the captain himself? What would their leaders say about the deaths of their own kind in another country's war?

"She couldn't have let such a thing happen," the lavender mare protested in a whisper.

"C-Could she...?"

"I'm having a little trouble believing it myself," Shining replied, letting out a heavy, languid sigh.

"But whatever happened, I'm just glad you guys are alive."

"However, if Camp Éigríochtar has fallen," came Spitfire's voice.

"Wouldn't that mean that Janus had passed through the north border?"

Twilight quietly nodded, leaving them at the brink of uncertainty. It was the day they all feared: the day that Janus finally steps into Equestria. Even before that, he had already caused bombings and assassinations with perhaps only a wave of his hoof. No doubt, he did it once, though that lead to the fall of Pendant Lakes. The last thing they wanted was him completely blowing up an entire town again. Or worse.

"I'll ask the Princesses for any measures we might have to take," she assured, despite being doubtful herself.

"For now, we'll have to wait until her conference with the other nationals are over."

"No kidding," came Rainbow Dash's rasp.

"She must really have a lot of guts to still attend the conference, especially with those gryphons and minotaurs around. If I were them, I wouldn't be as nice when I know the very soldiers I've sent would all be killed."

Even Fluttershy had to agree. The Highlands Grand Unity Federation take pride in their citizens as much as their traditions, history and culture; to send them off like pigs for slaughter would probably be the last thing that could drive them up the wall. Their hircine (goat) counterparts hasn't announce the order to send the armies, and for the Federation to lose trust in the Princess would no doubt deter them from such a decision.

"I hope they won't be mad," the yellow pegasus said meekly, with Rarity nodding along.

"Me too," Twilight answered. Janus is coming closer by the minute and the last thing they needed to lose right now was a powerful ally. She glanced at the closed doors of the conference room at the opposite side of the hallway, gulping quietly while wishing in her heart for at least a decent conclusion.

"Come on, Princess Celestia..."

"We're all counting on you..."

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"Stupid... darn..."

With one swift tinker of the small screwdriver in his hoof, the radio finally managed to crackle, white noise fizzing out of its speakers as the quartet of three ponies and one looming dragon surrounded it, all eyes staring down at the vintage device that they had salvaged from one of the derelict homes nearby. They were having a lunch break, after all, with the only available object to break the mundanity of chewing food whirring through its speakers, the antennae pointed towards a crack in the ceiling.

Stellar found that same crack just fifteen minutes ago, when they were scouring the subterranean land for the night. Despite being small, it was one of the few cracks that allowed daylight to slip in, forming a single, glowing streak on the cavern floor and, inadvertently, allowing a little bit of contact from the outside world. It was Jovern's idea to use a radio, mainly to know the political conditions of Equestria, although aside from a bountiful, obscure and irritating grove of white noise, there hadn't been any modest results. Yet.

A little crackle -- thanks to Caduceus's straightforward methods -- whirred their attention back to the device, with all of them craning their necks, trying to hear a single voice straining to escape from the clutches of white noise. With a groan, Harmony picked it up, immediately slamming it down hardly onto the craggy rock, much to the surprise of the others.

"What?" she asked, glancing at all their faces as the fizzing sounds faded.

"That's what you learn when you've dealt with pretty stubborn ponies before. Your Patriarch was one of them, if I could recall. Wouldn't you say the same as well?"

The two old colts stifled a chuckle at her statement.

"We could never agree more," Caduceus replied with a nod.

"-- are underway as the Ministry probes into the recent bombardment of Manehatten. The death toll had risen to over five hundred just yesterday during the Royal Guard's search for more survivors, leading many to question not only the matters of national security, but the Princess's reign as well--"

"Had seen this coming, really," Stellar remarked.

"Equestria's starting to lose faith in her ever since the Rembury incident."

"Manehatten bombarded..." Harmony muttered. She herself had been to the city during her solo travels before stumbling upon Pendant Lakes. Even then, Manehatten had all those towering apartments, skyscrapers and other majestic architectural wonders that signified the city itself. She could never picture it: such a glorious place in ruins. Then again, she could never picture Pendant Lakes becoming some subterranean wasteland as well.

"Imagine what could Janus do..."

"-- town of Cirrus Deep invaded by bandits and the nearby camp that the Princesses had established being burned down. Our Majesty is currently having a few talks with the representatives of the other nationals to discuss the further matters at hand. With these recent, dark tidings, there can be no doubt that Equestria, awaits her answer."

"Invaded by bandits... pah!"

With one flick of his hoof at the switch, the radio whizzed into silence, leaving Stellar to sigh. They were here, trapped in the shadowy ruins of what was once their home, and yet the Princesses are fighting a battle above. It doesn't take an expert to know that the battle was a losing one, especially when they had resorted to censorship and secrecy.

The colt knew of the town of Cirrus Deep, having stopped by there on a few expeditions. Despite its remoteness from other major towns in the North, the platoons placed to guard the borders, its existing town defenses and guards, plus the supposed camp situated close by it, was enough to protect eight Palgiot Palaces. Whichever of his minions Janus had hired to topple that would've been one of the most dangerous ponies in Equestria.

"Equestria these days..." he grumbled, cocking his rifle.

"Can't trot around without being fearful of a blade in your back or a bomb landing on your head."

"Oh, but I wouldn't complain about the former."

With a sigh, Caduceus shifted toward his friend's side, handing him a small piece of rationed lettuce, to which Stellar accepted eagerly. As always, the doctor was somewhat right; even after the eradication of Sicarius Nox, the blades of Pendant Lakes were constantly tainted with blood, to the point where murder became but a trademark of Pendant Lakes instead of a crime. Death was always shrouding the town, even when in ruins.

Harmony was one of those claimed, yet not absorbed completely by death. He felt only pity for her state; life severed her and death abjured her, leaving her empty shell to roam the ruins of her unintended doing. He had heard stories of old regarding necromancy and the Inmortui -- what was known to the current generation as zombies and the Undead -- though never had he seen one before, nor expected one to possess emotions.

"I await results of my homeland's involvement," Jovern stated, sourly puffing a ring of smoke out of his nostrils.

"The Sovereign Federation of Draconis takes our pride and honor more so than those of the Highlands Grand Unity Federation. For the Princess to have an alliance with our Federation would be fruitful and a great advantage against Janus, but I doubt that agreement could come across easily."

"Speaking of which, why were the dragons so hostile to ponies in the first place anyway?"

"Truth be told, I haven't had the faintest idea why."

The black dragon rested his head on the floor, heavy with thoughts flowing through his mind in his search for a proper answer to Caduceus's question.

"If I could remember, we had trusted each other at some point. Once, both communities were allies, prospering and protecting each other. Aye, that was centuries ago, when what you call the Badlands was a grander, more prosperous place than now. At that time, I believe my great-grandparents weren't even born yet! However, something happened; something that not only severed the alliance between Equestria and my Kronii -- my masters, but also ignited a civil war in our lands, split from the choice of maintaining the allegiance to the Celestial Empire, or abolish it. It bred us with hatred against ponykind and in turn, bred them with fear from us, and the bonds of unity shattered. Just like that."

"What could've caused it?" Stellar asked.

"Never knew," was the answer.

"Only the Vahlzervaan: my country's most ancient scholars, the Hramdinh: the Federation, and a few other dragons knew of that day. I was hoping that with this war, my leaders' faith in the Princess would restore, though it is but an utter disappointment as of yet."

"Old habits die hard, hmm?" Harmony remarked.

"It seems stubbornness doesn't only limit to ponykind."

All of the males could agree with subtle nods. Softly murmuring and grumbling something that the rest could only assume as contained disappointment, Stellar suddenly stood up, stretching his aging limbs with one hoof drawing his rapier as he turned towards Jovern, asking:

“Would you care to join me? I was thinking we could salvage some supplies, and I need somepony, or in your case, dragon, with a pair of sharp eyes."

“You flatter me, Sir Lionheart," the dragon said with a deep chuckle.

“I am but a dragon, ripe at the age of five hundred and sixty-one. What you call my 'sharp eyes' isn't exactly what they used to be anymore. These claws had been snatching less prey in recent years..."

“Just follow him, Jovern," Caduceus replied, almost scoffing at his friend.

“Apparently, Stellar here thinks I'm a tad bit blinder that I used to be."

“You and your bloody assumptions, Caduceus..."

“It is but a very true fact, is it not?"

Immediately after the doctor challenged his reply, Stellar couldn't help but let out a snicker, leaving his friend to roll his eyes, the dragon to give a small, amused grin, and Harmony to just stare at the two colts, her mind questioning both of their maturity. Jovern, of course, quickly got up, his decision clear and simple as he followed the former butler into the deep darkness of decrepit apartments, disappearing from view just as Caduceus let out a short groan.

“Stellar, you cheeky bastard," he mumbled, loud enough for the only other pony beside him to hear as he crouched towards the radio, fumbling with the loosening knobs.

“You two make a great couple."

Harmony's response turned his face a morbid green that would've been more fitting on a chameleon, the mare stifling a laugh despite his appalled look. Even after she stopped, the doctor was fumbling about with his words, stammering and stuttering out a rickety sentence that only poked at her funny bone even more.

“You've misunderstood, doctor," she answered with a giggle.

"It's just that you two seemed really perfect for each other. I suppose I was being metaphorical."

“There is a difference between being metaphorical and being sarcastic, Miss Peridot," he answered, which only heightened her laughter. Sometimes, he wondered to himself how in Equestrian did he always stumble upon and end up with such ponies. Fate had always been a most mischievous force to reckon with; he himself had danced a dangerous tango with fate one too many times over the tightrope which were his patients' lives. Like many wars, there were the generously-rewarding wins, and there were the spirit-crushing losses, in which the latter was a more severe pain to deal with.

“Perhaps I should resume my examinations on you, if you don't mind?” he asked the mare, to which she immediately pouted. It seems even in death, ponies do not like checkups, he told himself with a triumphant grin.

“Just to pass the time, as always.”

“Well... if you insist...”

Silence came after the conversation, leaving Harmony to wince occasionally from each layer of bandages being carefully peeled off her chest and Caduceus performing as such while his thoughts simmer onto the forsaken town. It was now but an echo of its former splendor; a town once blessed in royalty yet betrothed to despair. Along with Stellar, he had served enough Palgiots to fix his loyalty and trust among them, even when Tantrum Palgiot caused a grave insurgency that involved the royal sisters, but even the greatest hunters must retire.

Of course, he, like most others, only heard one side of the story. Surely many of their royal subjects have their own tales to tell. Stellar himself, for example, had always lived on Fountain Square as a tramp ever since he was five; if not for Pendulum Palgiot's decision to adopt him, surely the colt wouldn't be the faithful butler he was always known as. Persimmon Mills, maiden-name Cryoheart, had lived in the famous Foster Grande Orphanage ever since her parents were brutally assassinated. Sidus Sirenheart had been living in an abandoned cottage in the woods, sneaking to the town only to steal loaves of bread. His last theft was a ceremonial dagger from the palace; an attempt too ambitious as he was caught by Stellar, who since helped to smuggle out some food whenever he needed some. It was exceptionally fortunate for him then, that the Brineheart family had been serving the Palgiots as doctors ever since Axle's reign.

Then there was this mare. The one they call Harmony Peridot.

Caduceus only knew briefly about Harmony's origins: that she was a freelance photographer, artist and fashion designer set on revolutionizing the world of design; that she hailed from the Equestrian capital as well as adopted the pompous need of elegance and style of its luxury-oriented society, and of course, that she was the lifelong marefriend of Winter Palgiot, until a chain of events orchestrated by none other than Janus himself severed their relationship into a love triangle with her fellow Voyager and Element of Laughter, Pinkie Pie.

Of course, the mare was technically dead, so to speak, yet he knew she was also the last line for her family as well. He had never known of another Peridot still being alive, as she was the only child. It would be unfair to say it was destiny, yet it was also unfair to say that it was the result of her wrongdoings. Caduceus knew that personally himself.

“It's still beating, you know?"

“Hmm?" came his puzzled response.

“What do you mean?"

“My heart," Harmony answered solemnly.

“I... I can... I can somehow... feel it, as if it was still in my chest. I'm guessing that with its lack of blood, it'll look like some shrivelled leaf, but I know that it still works. Every thump... every thump just... pulses through me... some sort of energy that makes all my hooves skip to a... a kind of waltz, lost in these be-damned caverns."

“What of the fate of your heart?" he asked, curious.

“Did you ever know what happened to it?"

One single, almost subtle nod gave the answer.

“I've lost it long ago," she stated, sparing only a grimace.

“It was taken by somepony... and that somepony will never give it back. In exchange for it, he will offer me a deal of such proportions, I'd wager even in life, I could never accept such an offer, for it was a luxury that the dead can't afford."

"A luxury the dead can't afford..."

Caduceus would've studied the statement in full detail and praised it for its poeticality if he wasn't so focused on Harmony's dreadful fate. The loss of her heart was what mystified him the most, for it was one of the two most vital organs he believed a living pony should possess. Never had he thought of the consequences of losing only one of the pair.

“Would you be alright?" he couldn't help but ask.

"I am but dead, after all," the mare replied, stifling a weak smile.

“The lack of a heart doesn't mean much to a dead mare."

"That's not what I meant."

One last layer off her chest revealed the gaping cavity in her chest, to which Harmony could only glance to the side, her eyebrows creased in a frown. The reeking stench of rotting flesh made the doctor gripe slightly, though that by itself wasn't enough to put him off; he had dealt with dead bodies that went through worse. The only time he had to step out from a mortuary was during the autopsy of a decomposing body, the flesh having turned softer than a pot of molten jelly and the smell worse than waste mixed in swamp water.

“It was the knowledge of the lack of a heart that concerns me more on your well-being," he said.

“The realization of something missing, especially when it is vital and evidently lost, can haunt one's mind gravely. Perhaps one might lose, per say, a small ring. You can buy a new one, of course, but what if the memory of losing it gets stuck in your head? What if it was something traumatic like losing a heart?"

“Perhaps it hurts, perhaps it doesn't," she answered softly.

"What of your horn, doctor? It was a necessary sacrifice, was it not?"

“Not as painful, however--"

"Because you've known worse."

Caduceus almost flinched when Harmony said that, watching with widened eyes as she stood up, half of her face covered in a veil of darkness, the other cast underneath a streaking curtain of daylight sifting in from the crack above. Tracing her hoof absentmindedly towards the hole in her chest, she drew a sideways glance towards the doctor, sighing quietly.

"Have you ever... seen your family pass on in your youth?" she asked.

"Well..." the doctor began hesitantly.

"It is... pretty hard to say--"

"There's more I've read than your grades, Doctor Brineheart," the mare shot back, much to his surprise.

“It is rather strange for a prestigious doctor like you, with affiliations to the great Palgiot family, to not have somepony to call as family. Persimmon had that drunk of a husband to begin with, Sidus had his fellow assassin as his soulmate and wife, and even Stellar was, at least, treated by the Palgiots as a brother. You, on the other hoof..."

Nothing. Caduceus always had the mind to muster up a reply, but this time he could conjure nothing. His lips remained stiff and straight, his wary gaze faltering into one of defeat as his pupils slanted towards the ground. The stalk of his confidence withered at the mare's words, the optimism he was known to retain chiseled and crumbling.

“I suppose that answers the question," Harmony muttered, settling next to him.

“I almost thought Winter was the one, but... you know how that turned out. We're pretty much the same when it comes to love, you and I: that we never experienced any true love. That we have nopony close to protect us in times of trouble."

"Why bring it up now then?" Caduceus asked grimly.

“Why bring up the matter of love? You've said so yourself, you are a dead pony."

“But you are not."

Harmony wore a faltering grin; one that had the glimmer of hope not for herself, but for the aged doctor. Quaintly, she held the colt's hooves in hers, the sound of silence enveloping the two as the sense of touch, from one pony to another, resonated strikingly with every faint pulse of Caduceus's heartbeat. They raptured in a rare serenity; of two former enemies trapped in the remnants of their battleground, even though the colt never understood why he did so. Of course, the mare seemed to have notice his doubts.

“Believe me when I say you still have time for love," she muttered softly.

“I'm certain there will be a mare of your age who shares the same fate as you do. One day, the both of you would meet, perhaps in the near future in a place least expected, where she would become the light of your life as you would become hers. Love is inevitable, even for an old coot like you."

Caduceus managed to chuckle: old coot indeed, he thought to himself.

“And how would you know that?" he asked, skeptical.

“Why would you think that I still have a chance at love?"

"Simple," was her reply.

"Even though it didn't work out, it was a chance encounter that lead me to meet and fall in love with Winter for the first time. If a mare like me could have a chance at love..."

"What's to say that you couldn't as well?"

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“Just... be... very... careful..."

"I'm trying my... phew... best," Ganger replied with a tired smile, hooves starting to wobble.

"You're not exactly... gah... the lightest pony in the world."

Pinkie just bit her lip, watching as the cook lifted her up with a puff of his breath, her hoof stinging slightly with each thump down the final set of stairs. It would be more sensible if he had somepony else to help him instead, though she knew how Ganger was when it comes to an opportunity to display his strength. His twin sister was more affiliated with that title, to be honest, having always been the brawler of the two.

One more huff, and the mare found her hooves gently placed on crutches with the help of Phoenix, both exchanging soft smiles. It was also with his and Velvet's help that she learned how to use crutches, albeit after a considerably long endurance of pain and a few falls that managed to bruise her chin. Despite all of that, it was her, as always, that laughed the loudest at herself in the end.

"Need a little help with the burn ointment, V," the stallion called out, his flaming tail whipping and flailing about in vain to reach a small bottle perched at the corner of the table. Sure enough, a loud sigh soon came from the next room, Velvet stepping out and simply grabbing the bottle before tossing it to his friend, who caught it with ease. Pinkie's inquisitive mind started to wonder how much times did Phoenix require the help of the caravan, but shook that thought off immediately; even though Phoenix was one prone to asking for help, he was still the caravan's informal leader who finds answers better in more complicated and perplexing situations.

Slowly as well as carefully, Pinkie limped into the dining room and towards the closest chair, hooves gripping on her clutches tightly. The crisp aroma of recently-brewed turnip soup lingered in her nostrils; no doubt the result of another wonderfully-made dish from none other than Ganger himself. She couldn't help but sniff it a few times, enticing the tingling sensation of hunger underneath her stomach with only a few licks of anticipation to show it.

"Saturn's coming back with a few saffron buns," she heard Velvet speak from across her.

"Where's Ollie, by the way?"

"Fishing, if I could remember," Selena said, halfway slurping in her soup.

"Told me he had a craving for cuttlefish suddenly last night. He'll be back in a sec."

Of course, Pinkie told herself, gulping down a spoonful of her soup. Sometimes, she forgot that Ollivander had a particularly different appetite from the rest of the caravan thanks to his gryphon origins and such. She had never seen him fish before, having only heard them when Selena recounted about his gliding and diving maneuvers just to grab a snack.

"What about Brutus?" the aforementioned mare asked their fellow assassin.

"Is he joining us for lunch?"

"Most probably."

"I really do hope so," Phoenix popped up, seating right next to the pink mare.

"I'll need him and Ollie to help me to decide upon a few routes through a few mountains we'll be crossing. Apparently, Fleetywit forecasted heavy fog for the next few days around the area. Natural ones, fortunately."

Sure darn right they were fortunate, Pinkie thought in her head. The last time they stepped into a pegasus-made fog, all of them were captured and beaten into pulp, with she herself being offered as a sacrifice to some tyrant of a god. The guilt of that day had never left her, yet she never, ever let it run up her head. As Phoenix had always reminded her, she was more than the mare she thought she was.

"You alright, Pinkie?" Velvet spoke suddenly, the said mare nearly falling off her chair.

"You seem awfully quiet today."

All eyes turned to the pink mare, whom stared back silently and nervously at every face in the room with only a near-silent gulp to voice out her discomfort. Slowly, Pinkie scanned the room of inquiring faces, her heart stopping when she turned towards the gray stallion who called her in the first place, immediately feeling her cheeks flush at how concerned he was looking. His smooth, dignified voice strummed the chords of her heart once more, leaving her head to echo at the single word that was starting to keep her staring at the ceiling at night.

Diane... her mind repeated in the stallion's voice. It was a mystery, how her middle name could incite such sensations of rapture and bashfulness, though there was a spark when Velvet said it; the same one that made her stand up from her chair, much to the surprise of everypony, and turn towards the corridor, hiding her face from their view as her mane started to lose its curl, draping down the side of her cheek like a veil.

"Pinkie!" Phoenix called out, though the pink mare tried her best to ignore it, limping away from the table. The lurching of a chair warned her of somepony following right behind, yet that only prompted her to hasten her escape, crutches dragging across the wooden floor with a jerking groan, her gaze following aimlessly along. All she could think of was being alone, just to think things through. That's right, she told herself. Just to think things through...

A loud yelp of pain rushed out her mouth, coinciding with another, less intense cry as she slammed into Saturn Lithehoof, followed by successive thuds of saffron buns being let loose and rolling across the floor and the smash of crutches and a black cane against the wall. Pinkie tripped backwards, landing on her burnt hoof which forced out from her a scream that shook the house.

"Pinkie!!" she heard her name, clenching her eyes shut as tears threatened to seep from within. She felt herself being lifted up, heaved across the corridor and back onto the chair that she tried desperately to flee from. With a weak whimper, the mare reluctantly opened her eyes, her face flushing a deep crimson once again when she saw Velvet's face staring back at her.

"Are you okay? Did it hurt?"

"G-Get away from me..."

Velvet was the only one that heard what she said, as well as the only one who stepped back while the rest tried to help her up. Her voice was grim, shaking with hatred that seemed to be directed towards him, for whatever reason he couldn't understand. Even as she was moved into the dining room, Pinkie's blue eyes glared at him, blanched with all the happiness and carefree energy that once lingered within them.

"She really needs to watch where she's going," Saturn declared, rubbing his aching head.

"Is she always this careless? V? Hello~? Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, uh... depends..."

"What's wrong?" the silver unicorn asked his evidently upset friend, who helped him up, his wobbling, stinging hooves reaching and grabbing his cobra-adorned cane earnestly.

"Is it about Little Miss Pinkie Pie here?"

"N-No!" he began to protest, stopping and sighing in defeat when he noticed Saturn's arched eyebrow.

"Okay... maybe it is about her, but it's nothing major, I swear."

"Nothing major, eh?"

Velvet thought he saw Saturn flash a grin, the two picking up the scattered buns as his mind raced through the mare's abrupt grudge against him. As if her bipolar mood swings she was notoriously known for having was bad enough, Phoenix did say it's best not to get on her bad side. Of course, if he ever did get onto her bad side, it was mostly likely accidental and he would've figured out why if not for his friend staring impishly at him.

"What?" he finally burst out, earning a small chuckle from Saturn.

"What's with that smile?"

"If I could remember, your pink friend isn't one prone to doing anything... how shall I put it... minor."

"She's just a little uncomfortable around me for now. That is all."

"They always are."

"What exactly are you implying, Saturn?" Velvet asked, irritated.

"The only ponies that could be uncomfortable around me are the ones that found out I'm about to cut their throats wide open and turn their heads into trophies."

"Seriously, V? Do you ever know how love even feels--"

Saturn stopped halfway when he saw his friend's glare, serving as a boost of memory as well as a grave reminder. Both unicorns stepped into the living room, carefully traipsing over a few paint cans towards a couch draped underneath a translucent fabric, to which they immediately settled down with a crumple, mouths zipped in brief silence.

"It might be a Celestia-given second chance, y'know?" the silver unicorn said suddenly.

"Something like this doesn't come everyday."

Velvetine Willows stared down at the floor, the claws of the past ripping his head once again. It was like a ripple of waves in a lake: strikes hard in the center and spreads out in residuum that tingles in his chest. Now, a new stone was tossed in this same lake, except this time the concerns were different; this time it felt like it was thrown as a warning, or a threat even, on returning to his past.

"I'm sorry," was his somber, shattered reply.

"But once was enough."

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Soft...

The feather was shed recently, by a young pegasus. It was ripe with innocence, as expected from a child, yet tender with dirt, likely a tramp living on the streets. Its hairs were frayed at the tip; an undeniable fact that this child was struggling, no doubt caught for stealing some food from the vendors to sate their hunger and placed in some filth of a jail cell, where they would lament there every night. The child will be declared a juvenile of the public... a juvenile when he or she only wanted to survive.

Never was he fond of such travesty. A child does not deserve such nightmarish experiences in the Canterlot dungeons; the young mind was always blooming with figments of an innocent imagination at this age, and for such darkness to be unleashed upon them would only corrupt those figments, guiding him into a path of shadow instead of one in full light. Pity to those who travel in the darkness.

Pity...

Something the Canterlot Royal Guard never had.

Pity also the Guard then, for hiring fools.

The Masque of Canterlot stood on the tip of one of the many spindles pointing from Canterlotian roofs, staring down underneath Luna's shrouding night with wings flared like many of the statues and gargoyles around. His destination was in the distance, just right at the foot of Her Royal Majesty's pompous palace. It had always been a challenge to do this, and a challenge it would be again, even if he did this countless times before. They would call it a rescue mission. He would call it just another necessary routine to be done.

One leap, and he soared over the wary eyes of Luna's thestral guards and some of Celestia's unicorn guards, landing like a hawk on the arch of the palace gates. Even underneath the full moon, they always never spotted his shadow, with some blatantly saying he supposedly never had any. None had the sense to realize the notion of how many buildings were cluttered together with roofs sometimes overlapping each other in the 'majestic' capital, merging his shadow with many of the colossal ones all around. Never mind that, as the place he wanted to go was now right below him.

The Canterlot Barracks.

Aye, the barracks... what he dare call the nexus of authoritative stupidity. With a Cheshire grin, the masked pony dived down, slowing into a forward glide with his wings outstretched, carefully maneuvering underneath every accursed balcony closest to him. He could only laugh in amusement at the thought of the Princesses hiring a banister-obsessed architect to design the palace, seeing how there were so many balconies around. All the more better for him, actually.

Landing on a soft patch of hay, he hurriedly leaped through the entrance, whizzing across the pavement like a dart and shutting the door soundlessly behind him. Aside from the distant echoes of ponies taking swigs and cheering loudly behind a door, his attention turned towards a small set of staircases, leading underneath the wooden floors and into the land where many of Equestria's most wanted had found a secondary home.

The hallway of these jail cells was unlikely to be left unguarded; he had broken in too much times to not dispute that fact. Every time he came in here was different, for the ponies he were rescuing was always in different cells and the number of guards seem to multiply. He knew that one day, launching a prison break would be impossible when there would be guards covering every single tile on the floor, but that is a thought better saved for the future.

For now, he has a child to rescue.

Stealthily, with wings keeping him aloft, he crawled like a lizard up the pillars and across narrow wooden supports, carefully creeping over the heads of the many guards unaware of his presence. He could hear their rambles of recent events, notably the destruction of Manehatten and the purported bandit attack on an army camp.

"... think they're hiding something from us?" the first guard said in a lowered voice.

"Really, how can an army camp be overrun by bandits? How is it even possible?"

"They did say anything is possible in the north," came the other guard's reply.

"Still, it is ridiculous. Plus, we have allies from the Highlands there. What bandit attack would be able to break through ponies, gryphons and minotaurs, all at once?"

Those voices became murmurs, fainting and brushed underneath a carpet as the Masque crawled towards the faint whimpering coming from a dark corner. He smiled when he spotted a shivering little filly, hooves crunching down into strips of stale hay with a few bruises on the side of her body, lips bleeding from forceful bites. The sight of the latter two was enough for him to force out a frown; they have the concern for the friends they've lost in the far north, yet not have the decency to hold back any brutal beatings on a frail filly's body?

"Psst..." he called out frantically yet quietly.

"Hey! Hey, young'un!"

"H-Huh?"

The small child perked her head up and would've let out a shriek that could cover five lifetimes if she didn't recognize the mask staring back at her. She was about to gasp out in joy, though the Masque's stiffly-raised hoof stopped that. Quietly, she watched in amazement as the stranger slipped from underneath his wings a mix match of blades, all connected to and retractable into one handle. What she didn't know, like most others, was that it was a skeleton key, hoof-carved from none other than yours truly and bringing him otherworldly rewards and wonders.

A click of the door paved way for her freedom and his relief, to which she shuffled into the embrace of the ever anonymous savior, who could chuckle deeply in both timbre and empathy. A small sniffle, near-silent in her happiness, was enough to notify him of the many remorseless horrors she had faced. The Masque knew it must be terrible to her; a child would cry loudly for attention, yet she cried with the intention to be not heard.

"I'm here to get you out..." he assured in a low whisper.

"Doez it hurt? Their as'zaults?"

"Not when you're here," she replied genially with a large grin, rivaling the warmth of Celestia's sun.

"I feel a lot safer around you, y'know?"

"Well, we aren't ezactly out of the hot water yet. Follow me."

His wings flared out once again, and with a defying leap and a filly clutching tightly on his back, the Masque landed onto a protruding brick that would've send him falling if not for his staunch perception of balancing, before taking another leap and gliding towards the windowsill.

The night air of Canterlot met them, the rhapsody of freedom lifting the plugs off the filly's ears she placed as a result of the carnal barks of guards. She slowly rose up, craning her neck with a falling jaw at the sight of Luna's full moon; a coin hanging in the sky that sparked a glitter in her eyes while her savior and, for now, pilot, soared through the skies, the feathers on his wings rifling and skating along the clouds.

"Where are we going?" the filly finally asked.

"Dependz," he said, gliding over the capital.

"I have but a choi'ze for you. You can return from where you came, back to the plaze you call home, or you can come with me, where I can show you a new world; a paradize, underneath the gutters of Canterlot. Pick what you wish."

The filly just pondered, humming aloud as he patiently circled about the city, flapping his wings a few times only when the pull of gravity started to strain them. Her choice quickly came to her in a split second, even though he had already knew the answer. It wasn't the first time he asked this question, after all.

"This... paradise of yours," she wondered out loud.

"Is there anypony... like me there?"

The answer, to him, was as simple as the grin that formed on his lips.

"You know z'at z'ey say friendship is magic?" he popped the question, to which the filly nodded eagerly.

"Well, if it is zo..."

"Then my paradize is a magical paradize."

Author's Note

Finally back from Taiwan!
Sorry for the extra-long delay. Refer to recent blog post for details.

Good to be back :pinkiehappy: